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The Next Wave of Corporate
Control over our citizens?
What is the next thing for the middle class to be wary of? Corporate employment contracts that demand you give up certain of your Constitutional Rights in order to accept a job!
In this case an American Citizen and political commentatorm Keith Olbermann was recently suspended by MSNBC for making fully legal campaign contributions to candidates he supported. He never used his official position as a broadcaster to support any of these or any other candidate for office. Yet when he used his legal right as an ordinary citizen, he found himself afoul of a corporate contract that prohibited him from enjoying the same rights you and I have.
Imagine a day when every corporation demands you give up your rights in order to accept a job. Imagine our current right wing supreme court upholding such terms as legal, which they likely would do. Once that becomes common only the rich who own these corporations will have any say in government. Such "conditions of employment" could be used to cut funding for any liberal candidates because conservative candidates can always count on corporat backing.
Will this still be a free nation when you find yourself forced to decide between your Constitutional Rights and a job? Your rights or your job!
If these "terms" such as those in the MSNBC contracts provide you can donate with their permission will they also be permitted to ask who you are donating to and deny your right to donate to candidates they don't like?
My letter to Phil Griffin re. the suspension of Keith Olbermann.
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NBC News Fax To: 212-664-4426 Phil Griffin, President (
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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-- Re: David Shuster, April 2010 “I said all along that this was about loyalty and looking out for this network and not our competition,” Griffin told Mediaite... “Really, what upset me about this whole thing was how unfair it was to people who were loyal to the company,” he said. “That’s at the heart of this thing, that’s what makes it so difficult to get beyond.” --
Is loyalty a one way street? Is it being loyal to your talent to even ask that they should have to forgo a right every other citizen enjoys, the right to support their candidate of choice? I have been a loyal follower of Keith and not once have I ever heard him use his voice on air to campaign for or ask anyone to support or not support any candidate. Every citizen including yourself has a legal right under US law to offer financial support up to a limit for any candidate they believe will best serve the needs of others. I have no money of my own. I was one of the millions toppled into foreclosure and bankruptcy by a corrupt Wall Street. Were I could not give, he could. It was his legal right to do so under US Law if it were not for yet another big corporation standing in between him and his rights under that law. Should someone have to form another PAC to accept cash from your employees in order to make anonymous contributions to campaigns in order for them to hide in shame from their own personal choices in politics? Isn't secrecy one of our political evils today? I will not tune in MSNBC until such time as Keith is restored. I will miss Rachel and O'Donnell but I will live. It is an ensemble of three clear voices. The three Musketeers if you will, and they will not be a team without Olbermann. While I understand an rule that stipulates that no media personality should use there official position to further the political careers of any candidate, it is anti-American to permit contractual rules that require anyone to give up their constitutional right to Freedom of Expression in their private lives as an individual American citizen.
Please put Olbermann back in the seat only he can fill.
Paul
cc: Rachel Maddow, |
This is the world the right is moving into place with the help of misguided citizens who may have to sign away their very right to change it or risk losing their jobs.
