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Unequal Protection: How Corporations Became "People" and How You Can Fight Back (Revised & Expanded 2nd edition)
by Thom Hartmann

AVAILABILITY: Readily available

Publication Date: June 2010
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Binding: Paperback, 360pp
Topics:

Description: Was the Boston Tea Party the first WTO-style protest against transnational corporations? Did Supreme Court sell out America's citizens in the nineteenth century, with consequences lasting to this day? Is there a way for American citizens to recover democracy of, by, and for the people?

Thom Hartmann takes on these most difficult questions and tells a startling story that will forever change your understanding of American history. He begins by uncovering an original eyewitness account of the Boston Tea Party and demonstrates that it was provoked not by "taxation without representation" as is commonly suggested but by the specific actions of the East India Company, which represented the commericial interests of the British elite.

Hartmann then describes the history of the Fourteenth Amendment—created at the end of the Civil War to grant basic rights to freed slaves—and how it has been used by lawyers representing corporate interests to extend additional rights to businesses far more frequently than to freed slaves. Prior to 1886, corporations were referred to in U.S. law as "artificial persons." but in 1886, after a series of cases brought by lawyers representing the expanding railroad interests, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations were "persons" and entitled to the same rights granted to people under the Bill of Rights. Since this ruling, America has lost the legal structures that allowed for people to control corporate behavior.

As a result, the largest transnational corporations fill a role today that has historically been filled by kings. Theycontrol most of the world's wealth and exert power over the lives of most of the world's citizens. Their CEOs are unapproachable and live lives of nearly unimaginable wealth and luxury. They've become the rudder that steers the ship of much human experience, and they're steering it by their prime value—growth and profit and any expense—a value that has become destructive for life on Earth. This new feudalism was not what our Founders—Federalists and Democratic Republicans alike—envisioned for America.

It's time for "we, the people" to take back our lives. Hartmann proposes specific legal remedies that could truly save the world from political, economic, and ecological disaster.

Thom Hartmann is an award-winning author of more than a dozen books, an international relief worker and psychotherapist, a former business and marketing consultant, and the founder and former CEO of seven corporations that have generated over a quarter-billion dollars in revenue. The father of three grown children, he lives in central Vermont with his wife, Louise.

Review(s): The following reviews are from the First Edition:

"If you wonder why the corporate world constantly lurches from malaise to oppression to governmental corruption and back, 'Unequal Protection' reveals the untold story. Beneath the success and rise of American enterprise is an untold history that is antithetical to every value Americans hold dear. This is a seminal work, a godsend really, a clear message to every citizen about the need to reform our country, laws, and companies." - Paul Hawken, author, 'Natural Capitalism'

"I am grateful for this gift. It should be in the hands of every thinking American. If we do not awaken soon, democracy will be replaced by a new 'Third Reich' of corporate tyranny. To be aware of the danger is the responsibility of each of us. No one has told us the truth better than Thom Hartmann. Read it!" - Gerry Spence, author, 'Give Me Liberty!'

"This extraordinary book combines meticulous historical and legal research with a clear and compelling writing style to demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt the incompatibility of corporate personhood with democracy, the market economy, and the well-being of society. Complete with a practical program for essential reform to restore the rights of real persons - including model legislation - it is essential reading and an invaluable reference work for every citizen who cares about democracy, justice, and the human future." - David Korten, author, 'When Corporations Rule The World'

"'Unequal Protection' is a blueprint for revitalizing the spirit of American democracy. Sometimes you have to understand the bad news in order to appreciate the good news. Thom Hartmann connects the dots in a way that is a tremendous gift for our generation of Americans." - Marianne Williamson, author, 'Healing the Soul of America'

"Essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of democracy, both here and abroad. With devastating precision and well-reasoned passion, Thom Hartmann shows the reader precisely how the corporate entity gained such a perilously dominant role in the life of a nation whose founders meant for its politics to respond to the concerns of people and communities, not return-seeking corporations." - Jeff Gates, president, Shared Capitalism Institute, author, 'Democracy At Risk'

"We thought it was only in science fiction that things created by humans could actually take over what is inherently our human heritage. But Thom Hartmann shows how we've already let that happen on a frightening scale - not in Frankenstein's monsters or Kubrick's creeping computer Hal - but in the corporations that present their friendly 'faces' to us as if we have nothing to fear from this ultimate usurpation of our rights as real humans." - Ed Ayres, Senior Editor at Worldwatch and author, 'God's Last Offer'

"For years, Thom Hartmann has been asking the important questions and inspiring people to act on their solutions. Now he tackles one of the hardest - how democracy in America and worldwide has been eroded by unaccountable corporate power. He looks at the structures that encourage destructive behaviour and offers alternatives. Fascinating history told engagingly. We need books like this to find a way forward." - Paul Loeb, author, 'Soul of a Citizen'

"Hartmann goes where no person has gone before - towards uncovering the true history of how corporations and the wealthy people behind them transformed our law and culture to usurp democracy. This book is an inspiration to all groups and communitites and explains why we must rethink our engagement in single issue struggles and move towards the assertion of direct, democratic control over corporations." - Thomas Linzey, Esq., Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund

"I love this book. It's worth reading for the story of the Boston Tea Party alone, which is eye-opening and unforgettable." - Marjorie Kelly, publisher, Business Ethics magazine, author, 'The Divine Right of Capital'

"Splendid! A powerful and cogent case for changing the corporate rules that motivate all CEOs to misbehave." - Ernest Callenbach, author, 'Ecotopia'

"A masterful recounting of the most important story in the history of corporate power." - Robert A.G. Monks, author, 'Corporate Governance'

"Thom Hartmann, in his book, 'Unequal Protection', has unearthed an explosive bit of history that reveals how one little word has affected the history of the United States, indeed the whole world." - GrannyD, one of America's foremost peace and democracy activists

"'Unequal Protection'... traces the social and legal history of how corporations hijack our government and control our lives. Hartmann astutely focuses on the perverse legal doctrine of "corporate personhood," which illegitimately clothes corporations with the constitutional protections which are only properly claimed by human persons - citizens like you! Even better, Hartmann offers specific suggestions and actions to remedy this usurpation of the sovereign right of "We the People" to govern ourselves and the institutions we create. This book is essential reading for every Green Party member." - David Cobb, General Counsel, Green Party of the United States

"If you wonder why and when giant corporations got the power to reign supreme over us, here's the story. Plus, Hartmann tell us what we need to do to regain our people's sovereignty." - Jim Hightower, America's #1 Populist

"Thom Hartmann's most recent book - 'Unequal Protection' - goes beyond even brilliance and courage. It is, in fact, the perfect handbook for today's activist. We all need it in our backpack or briefcase as we set forth to rally support and engage the real enemies of democracy." - Robin Larsen, author, 'Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mind'

"Many consider Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address to be the penultimate statement of our nation's spiritual mission. It's climactic words resolve that 'government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.' But we are today allowing a rise of corporate dominance that is producing a 'government of the corporation, by the corporation, and for the corporation.' Our government has lost track of its mandate to serve the public interest and seems increasingly to do the bidding of corporate interests. The consequences - for human rights, social justice, public health, and the environment - are catastrophic. How has this come to pass? And most critically, is there anything we can do about it? 'Unequal Protection' is nothing less than an act of compelling and heroic sanity. It is THE book to read if you want to perceive corporate dominance clearly, become more able to stand in its way, and more able to uphold the true values of this nation." - John Robbins, author, 'The Food Revolution', and 'Diet For A New America'

"Thom Hartmann has written an informative and important book on the rise of corporations in America and their role in our lives. Thom shows us how corporations became recognized as people. The problem, however, is that they are not people. Their boards value profit primarily, without the concerns people share, leading them to make decisions individual people of conscience wouldn't make. In my field of health care, corporations have taken charge, rendering a valueless health care. Proft has become more important than wellness. Thom gives us an understanding of why this has happened and what can be done about it. I recommend this book strongly as a great read, but also containing necessary information to help us take charge of our lives in these days of multinational giants." - Lewis Mehl-Madrona M.D., author of 'Coyote Medicine'




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