[HCCN] Petition: NEW LINK for Maine Code for Corporate Citizenship

[Judith Robbins]

If you were having trouble getting to the petition site, use this link:

http://www.change.org/petitions/petition-the-maine-legislature-to-pass-the-c
ode-for-corporate-citizenship

Thanks -- JR


------ Forwarded Message
From: Judith Robbins <jprobbins at myfairpoint.net>
Date: Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:18:44 -0500
To: penPeace <jprobbins at myfairpoint.net>, Hccn Hccn <HCCN at mainetalk.org>,
Steve Burke <sburke at midcoast.com>
Conversation: Petition to Adopt Maine Code for Corporate Citizenship
Subject: FW: Petition to Adopt Maine Code for Corporate Citizenship

> Friends, we have just read and signed this online petition to prevent
> corporate abuse (Maine Code for Corporate Citizenship) and hope that you will
> read the petition by visiting the link below and sign if you agree. Thank you.
> -- Judy and Peter
> 
> 
> On Jan 3, 2012, at 3:27 PM, Bob Hinkley wrote:
> 
>> Dear Judy and Peter,
>>  
>> I am writing you to ask you to consider signing a petition on www.change.org
>> <http://www.change.org> . The petition asks the Maine State legislature to
>> pass the Code for Corporate Citizenship.  Maine is the first state I have
>> tried.  I chose Maine because Annie, Jack and I once lived there and it¹s a
>> place we love and visit frequently.  Once 1,000 are gathered in Maine, I
>> intend to state on a national appeal to include the other 49 states (and
>> ultimately foreign jurisdictions as well).
>>  
>> As I am sure the Supreme Court recently held that corporations are entitled
>> to the rights of citizenship, including specifically the right to free speech
>> in connection with elections.  Many of us despaired when this ruling came
>> out.  What it means is that corporations now have all the rights of
>> citizenship, but none of the obligations.
>>  
>> Corporations not having the obligations of citizenship is a bigger problem,
>> than corporations having constitutional rights.  Our form of government is
>> founded on the premise that human beings can rule themselves (and protect the
>> public interest) with a system of laws.  It treats big corporations the same
>> way it treat individuals.  Both are free to harm the public interest until
>> laws are passed prohibiting their behavior that causes the harm.  This works
>> with individuals who have little capacity or inclination to intentionally
>> harm the public interest.  They are more likely to stop behavior that
>> seriously harms the public interest than continue it even before a law
>> prohibiting such behavior is passed.
>>  
>> It doesn¹t work so well governing corporations which have plenty of capacity
>> and inclination.  The corporate law in Maine and elsewhere sometimes has the
>> effect of giving corporate directors a compelling need to continue harming
>> the public interest when no law prohibits it.  It is imperative that this
>> part (Section 831 of the Maine Business Corporation Act) of the law be
>> changed so that the inclination of corporate directors to pursue corporate
>> self-interest at the expense of the public interest be eliminated.
>>  
>> The Code for Corporate Citizenship will impose citizen-like duties on
>> corporations to ensure their pursuit of self-interest (profit and survival)
>> no longer can come at the expense of five elements of the public interest:
>> the environment, human rights, public health and safety, dignity of employees
>> or the welfare of the communities in which the corporation operates.
>>  
>> Please check out the petition to the Maine state legislature on
>> www.change.org <http://www.change.org>  by putting ³Code for Corporate
>> Citizenship² in the search box.  You can also directly to the petition by
>> following this link:
>> http://www.change.org/petitions/maine-state-legislature-pass-the-code-for-cor
>> porate-citizenship.  If you agree it¹s time to change the corporation, please
>> sign and pass this message on to as many Maine residents as you are able and
>> feel comfortable and especially the other members of Peninsula Peace &
>> Justice. 
>>  
>> For those of your contacts who want to know more about the Code, please refer
>> them to my recently released book,  Time to Change Corporations:  Closing the
>> Citizenship Gap on www.amazon.com <http://www.amazon.com> .  It¹s now also
>> available on Kindle.
>>  
>> Thank you for your help.  Regards.  Bob
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> Robert C. Hinkley
>> 4610 Morgan Drive
>> Chevy Chase, MD  20815
>> Tel: 301-656-2354
>> Cell:  202-549-4258
>> Email:  rchinkley at verizon.net
>>  


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