Lunchtime reading at work, I went to my normal fare... truthout.org Waded through a fabulous satire on torture by one of the Monty Python guys. Then read a piece called "Freedom, Incorperated" by William Rivers Pitt.

I knew, logically, that the corporations were the driving force of this country. I had just never gone back to my dull high school history lessons to figure out that the Tea Party was a rebellion against the corporations of that time.

The Declaration of Independence in 1776 freed the colonists not only from British rule, but from the rule of these corporations. For nearly 100 years afterwards, the citizens of the United States were profoundly suspicious of corporate power. Corporate charters were created by individual states as a legal convenience, and were automatically dissolved if they violated those charters. Corporations were not allowed to participate in the political process, could not buy stock in other corporations, and were destroyed out of hand if they were deemed to be behaving contrary to the public trust. While these corporations played an important role in the development of the nation, they were subservient to the rule of the people.

What happened? Because I know that corporations owe nothing to the people and are subservient to no one. The article goes on to talk about a Supreme Court decision that applied the 14th ammendment to corporations. Making them people. Super wealthy powerful people that are now working on taking over the entire world.

Reminded me of a bit I read in Danah's blog. She had seen a movie called The Corporation and spent a while talking about how that if Corporations are defined as individuals according to the law, they would be classified as psychopaths.

I want these super-people locked into insane asylums. Maybe we should start figuring out how to reject that old Supreme Court decision. Or refer back even further and stage our own Boston Tea Party. Are these monsters unstoppable? Feels like it, but my heart says no.