Most people have enough common sense to reject the ideas that corporations are people, and that money is speech, through deductive reasoning. Yet these concepts have been codified into law by our Supreme Court in the oligarchical “Citizens United” ruling. Halsey Frank’s recent column extolling the supposed logic of this ruling left out several vital considerations, one of which is that freedom of speech is but one of our rights. Another is freedom of association, including freedom of disassociation.

It is obvious by now that the court’s contentions that this ruling would include disclosure, and that groups engaged in political advertising would not be allowed contact with candidates running for office, were naive. Justice Kennedy insisted that disclosure would be part and parcel of Citizens United. Enforcement is nonexistent; the corporate perpetrators are hiding behind loopholes, and faceless layers of cowardliness.

If my letter is printed, my name will be included, and verified, but billionaire corporate entities, that may be based in foreign countries that do not have our best interests at heart, are allowed to hide their identities behind Citizens United. I want to be allowed my right to dissociate myself from any products or services sold, that enable corporations to pay for their free speech right to propagandize. But I can’t find out who is doing the propagandizing, specifically because of Citizens United, and that, Halsey Frank, is my case against it.

John A. Dow
Falmouth

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