Move to Amend Reports

On October 8th, 2013, lawyers for Shaun McCutcheon and the RNC argued before the Supreme Court in McCutcheon v. FEC that the aggregate limits for individual contributions should be thrown out, which the court ruled in their favor on April 2nd, 2014.

This week marks the 2nd anniversary of the successor to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Join us as we reflect on the consequences of these decision in a re-broadcast of a public debate on the matter of limiting individual contributions to political campaigns between Move to Amend’s David Cobb and the lead plaintiff, Shaun McCutcheon!

This debate was featured on the Nicole Sandler Show at RadioOrNot.com on the eve of the 6th anniversary of CItizens United v. FEC.

MARCH 24, 2016

This week join us for a conversation about the damaging effects of money in US politics and the urgency of passing a constitutional amendment to end corporate constitutional rights and overturn Citizens United with lead co-sponsor of the We the People Amendment in the US House of Representatives (HJR 48), Representative Rick Nolan of Minnesota.  In the second half of the show, David Cobb, Move to Amend Outreach Director, talks with us about finding common ground in an era of deep political polarization to build a trans-political movement and all of Move to Amend’s exciting campaigns in this 2016 election year.

Congressional leaders refer to Congressman Rick Nolan as “a political force of nature.” Returning to Congress in 2013 After more than 32 years in domestic and international business and community work, Congressman Nolan represents Minnesota’s sprawling 8th district. Nolan was recently named one of the top ten most effective Members of Congress in a study by the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University. He was also singled out by TIME magazine for his leadership in keeping America out of war with Syria. His leadership across the board has earned him praise from various Labor, business and consumer groups throughout the nation.

David Cobb is Move to Amend’s Outreach Director and a Principal with the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy. He is a lawyer and political activist. David has sued corporate polluters, lobbied elected officials, run for political office himself, and has been arrested for non-violent civil disobedience. He truly believes we must use ALL the tools in the toolbox to effect the systemic social change we so desperately need.

MARCH 17, 2016

In the great tradition of Cesar Chavez and the California farmworkers, the Washington State farmworkers union, Familias Unidad por la Justicia, are calling for a berry boycott against Driscoll’s/Sakuma Farms.

Join us this week as we explore the exploitative practices against farmworkers and the steps they are taking to protect themselves and the food we eat in a conversation with Familias Unidas president Ramón Torres, Move to Amend Board member and organizer with Community to Community, Edgar Franks, and a member of their Boycott Coordination Team, Stephanie Sisson.

Learn more about the boycott at boycottsakumaberries.com.

MARCH 10, 2016

It can be hard to ignore Donald Trump this election season, but our eyes are on Washington State and Toledo, Ohio, where the public will vote to support The We the People Amendment. In Washington State, the WAmend Coalition is leading the charge for a statewide initiative, and our Move to Amend affiliate in Toledo is moving forward with a city-wide initiative to be voted on March 15.

Our guests, Move to Amend Spokane’s Stacy Cossey, WAmend organizers Diane Jones & Cindy Black, and Toledo Move to Amend’s Douglas Jambard-Sweet, will bring us up to date on both processes and what you can do to help us win!

MARCH 3, 2016

In the global struggle against corporate rule, there exists many forms and methods of peaceful resistance and non-violent civil disobedience.  Most activists work at the local-level  to enact change and dialogue in their communities.  And as people take the fight for social and economic justice to the streets, another front in this struggle is taking place in cyberspace. The global cyber-collective Anonymous has been leading the fight to protect the internet commons and net neutrality against national security and surveillance state, but it also warns us to be vigilant against government actors and fortune-seeking impostors working to undermine these efforts.

We bring the cyber-security fight into focus with a conversation about civil disobedience, the impacts activists have in their communities, and the cyber-collective Anonymous with Daniel Lee from Move to Amend’s National Leadership Team.

FEBRUARY 25, 2016

As the corporate-owned news continues airing the racist and xenophobic rhetoric defining the 2016 presidential cycle, it’s missing the big news of oppressed communities fighting to hold corporations and their elected officials accountable for systemic injustice and corruption.

In February, Washington State’s Agricultural Industries were on trial by migrant Farmworkers participating in a People's Tribunal to document and expose systemic violations of state laws, civil rights, labor rights, and human rights. Find out what we learned from the Farmworker Tribunal and its intersections with issues of immigration policy and private prisons in this week’s episode featuring Latino Advocacy, LLC founder Maru Mora-Villalpando, who served as the Human Rights Judge for this tribunal.

FEBRUARY 18, 2016

To build a movement strong enough to amend the Constitution, we must include and embrace all people across race, age, gender, and class lines. As a pastor in the United Church of Christ, the Reverend Anne Dunlap has spent over 25 years, working in freedom movements across these social divides, focusing on solidarity with black, immigrant, worker and indigenous communities. Known as “The Fierce Good Reverend of the Revolution,” join us for a conversation with a focus on solidarity organizing for racial justice within white communities in this episode of Move to Amend Reports.

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

As the 2016 presidential campaigns are picking up, many candidates are forced to confront the giant elephant in the room—rising inequality, poverty and the death of democracy. Nowhere is this displayed more prominently than in Detroit, Michigan -- a city completely overtaken by corporate rule.

In this episode, the fabulous Tawana “Honeycomb” Petty, organizer and artist extraordinaire, returns to update us on the takeover of Detroit’s Municipal water system by multinational corporatio Veolia Water North America, the decay of public education, and the great organizing models Detroiters are using to take back their city and establish real democracy.

FEBRUARY 4, 2016

There are many things in the water of Flint, Michigan -- prompting a state of emergency with lifelong consequences. Thanks to cost-cutting austerity policies imposed by an unelected “emergency manager” appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, tens of thousands of Flint residents (up to 8,000 of them children) have been exposed to dangerous levels of lead and other chemicals over the last two years -- despite seeing their water bills increase to some of the highest rates in the nation. Sadly, this is only the latest in a series of scandals created under Michigan’s Emergency Manager law, which first came to national attention when an emergency manager ordered water shut-offs to over 150,000 Detroit residents behind on their bills.

The people of Flint and Detroit are not just lying down -- they're fighting back and speaking out to their government's scandal to deny democracy, including public teach-ins about the Water Crises in both cities and a People’s Tribunal on Water Crimes.This week, join us for a conversation about the contamination of Flint’s water supply leading to lead poisoning in the population and its connections with the Detroit Water Crisis with Shea Howell, a grassroots organizer and member of Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management based in Detroit, and Nayyirah Shariff, a grassroots organizer for the Flint Democracy Defense League and resident based in Flint.

JANUARY 28, 2016

The politics of hate is strong in the 2016 election cycle, and its rhetoric has few bigger targets than the people of the Muslim community. US history reveals a longstanding pattern by the ruling class using systems of oppression to divide and conquer the masses, with the poor and middle class of all colors being its biggest targets. Islam is no exception to this oppression, as the religion practiced by over 2 billion people is a frequent target for right-wing corporate networks seeking to make money off spreading fear and misinformation which fuels anti-Islamic extremism in the United States and a highly-profitable “War on Terror” in the Middle East.

As communities of color mobilize movements for black lives and immigrant rights, the Muslim community is also rising to challenge the systems of racism and other oppressions still being enforced. We confront the problem of Islamophobia in American politics and clear up the common misconceptions about Islam in a conversation with Maheen Ahmed from the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.