Lawrence Lessig on corporate use of bailout funds to buy politicians

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Rich Kulawiec <rsk () gsp org>
Date: January 28, 2009 8:49:59 AM EST
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>, Fergie <fergdawg () netzero net>,  
Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
Subject: Lawrence Lessig on corporate use of bailout funds to buy  
politicians

Briefly: these companies used taxpayers' money to fund their favorite
politicians as part of a campaign against...taxpayers.  Here's the link:

	HuffPost Breaks Huge Corruption Story -- And We Must Do Something  
About It
        http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-lessig/huff-post-breaks-huge-cor_b_161463.html

Lessig is talking about this original HuffPost piece -- complete with
audio excerpts:

        Bailout Recipients Hosted Call to Defeat Key Labor Bill
        http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/27/bank-of-america-hosted-an_n_161248.html

Excerpt:

        Three days after receiving $25 billion in federal bailout funds,
        Bank of America Corp. hosted a conference call with conservative
        activists and business officials to organize opposition to the
        U.S. labor community's top legislative priority.

        Participants on the October 17 call -- including at least one
        representative from another bailout recipient, AIG -- were
        urged to persuade their clients to send "large contributions"
        to groups working against the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA),
        as well as to vulnerable Senate Republicans, who could help
        block passage of the bill.

        [...]

        "If a retailer has not gotten involved in this, if he has
        not spent money on this election, if he has not sent money
        to [former Sen.] Norm Coleman and all these other guys, they
        should be shot. They should be thrown out their goddamn jobs,"
        Marcus declared.

It gets worse from there.

---Rsk




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