Jim Frederick, aka Gem, has long been involved in advocating for equal rights and social justice. After a U.S. president was elected who campaigned on a theme of hatred for immigrants and Muslims, Gem was very disheartened.
“After the election, this felt like very dark times,” Gem said. “I was really struggling how to respond. I have been thrilled by the marches and demonstrations against the new administration. There have been huge turnouts for marches and protests. That and the large volume of people showing up at town hall meetings have really given me hope again. Early in the session when Republicans tried to get rid of the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, the media reported the huge volumes of phone calls objecting.”
Gem and his husband, Brian Manire, decided after the election to up their game. They decided to write at least one handwritten letter per week to elected officials in addition to multiple emails and phone calls. And there has been satisfaction in seeing some efforts they called about, like eliminating the Office of Congressional ethics, bear fruit.
But Gem feels there is a need to do more than just respond to each political issue as it comes up. Instead of rushing around putting out fires, isn’t it time to address who is starting those fires?
That is the idea behind the Move to Amend movement (www.movetoamend.org) that proposes a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“This new grassroots movement is proposing an amendment to the Constitution that clearly states that corporations do not have the same Constitutional rights as people, and money is not free speech,” Frederick said. “These issues are at the heart of many other problems, movements and issues, whether the environment, healthcare, income disparities or immigrant rights. I found their approach to be extremely hopeful.”
Gem recently made a presentation at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Eureka Springs where he showed the film, Legalizing Democracy, and presented information from a congregational study action committee titled, “The Corruption of Our Democracy.” Legalizing Democracy, a video available free on the Internet or at the Eureka Springs Carnegie Public Library, presents a summary of how U.S. Supreme Court rulings through the decades have led to unlimited campaign spending by wealthy special interests that have corrupted democracy leading to decisions that benefit the most wealthy people in the country while failing to provide for basic needs as livable wages and access to healthcare.
“One of the most empowering things the Legalizing Democracy video said is that if it weren’t for special interests, we would all have healthcare in this country like every other industrialized country in the world,” Gem said. “Our environment would be protected instead of continually challenged by corporations that want to put their profit ahead of the interests of the health of people. I think of this analogy that many corporations are like cancers and don’t care if they kill the host.”
Gem said the proposed amendment goes to the heart of the problem defining corporations as having the same rights of people and allowing corporations to spend unlimited amounts to influence elections under the guise of this being “free speech.”
“No matter what the issue is, this is the root of the problem,” Gem said. “So if you are working on workers’ right, healthcare access, protecting the environment, social justice, income inequality or other issues, you need to take some time to go to the root of the problem and address the corruption of our government by money interests.”
He suggests people watch the video. If you agree with it, go to the MovetoAmend.org website where you can sign a petition. Share it with others, and contact your members of Congress asking them to sponsor this bill. Work to have organizations you are involved with pass a resolution to amend the Constitution. Support and join this grassroots organization.
Gem said he knows it is an uphill battle because so few Republicans support the amendment.
“But this gave me hope that we will get at the heart of the problems with the corruption of our democracy,” he said. “The title, Legalizing Democracy, is provocative from the standpoint that it first might come as a shock to people to think we don’t already have legal democracy. These are times for radical actions, not to overthrow the government but to reform the system completely. We the people can do this. We have done it before, and we can do it again.”