NH! Your Democracy is at RiskThe people of New Hampshire are awakening to the reality of corporate control of state government. The corporate-state’s attacks upon this last vestige of direct democracy is indeed eye-opening. It reveals how the government of, by and for the elite minority is threatened by the possibility of local, democratic self-government of, by and for the majority.
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CORPORATE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTSCorporate claimed “rights” are defined as the legal notion that corporate property has at least some of the legal rights and responsibilities enjoyed by persons. Despite not being natural persons, the Supreme Court has quietly afforded several protections under the constitution to corporations over several decades. Learn more with our Fast Fact video below.
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THE REGULATORY FALLACYThe permitting process, and the regulations supposedly enforced by regulatory agencies, are intended to create a sense of protection and objective oversight. By their very definition, regulatory agencies regulate the amount of harm that takes place. When they issue permits, they give cover to the applicant against liability to the community for the legalized harm.
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BOX OF ALLOWABLE ACTIVISMHow does a community lose it’s voice? See the four legal doctrines that keep us boxed in and prevent actual change from happening.
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DILLON'S RULEThe prevailing legal doctrine which states that municipalities only have the powers given to them explicitly by the state.
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PREEMPTIONWhat’s the difference between floor and ceiling preemption? We take a look at “state interference with local democracy.”
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RIGHTS OF NATUREWhat does it mean for Nature to have rights?
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COMMUNITY RIGHTSCommunity Rights Community Rights work is a paradigm shift. It moves away from unsustainable practices that harm communities by moving towards local self-government. Community Rights include environmental, worker, and democratic rights as well as Rights of Nature.
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The Grassroots Level: We are the Origin of GovernmentCELDF organizer Michelle Sanborn, along with Alexis Eynon, Dick Hage, former State Rep Steve Rand, and Pete Martin, discuss corporate personhood, how to break away from the status quo, and speak out about how their small town of Plymouth, New Hampshire stepped into action when the Northern Pass barged its way in. Background: For the better part of a decade, Plymouth residents have been working with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) to stop Northern Pass, a 192-mile, high-tower electrical transmission line carrying industrial hydro-power from Canada. Community members recognized the Granite State was being used as an extension cord to deliver power to other states. The cost to New Hampshire communities: risks to their health, water quality, local economies, and surrounding ecosystems. In January 2018, Plymouth Residents adopted a rights-based ordinance and blocked Northern Pass in their town. “We are the origin of government, the people. We are the origin of the power of government. That’s legitimate” - Michelle Sanborn “We are asking our judicial system to make a choice in our community between the right of a person and the right of a corporation” - Alexis Eynon Follow the Links Below to Stay up to Date on Plymouth, NH and other Towns like them. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NHCRN Twitter: @NewHampshireCRN Website: http://www.nhcommunityrights.org/ |
What can we do differently?CELDF organizer Michelle Sanborn, along with Diane St. Germain, Olivia Zink, Kathy Preston, and Doug Darrell, talk about USA Springs and how, in one of the most conservative towns in New Hampshire, residents began thinking outside the box. Background: In 2001, a company known as USA Springs wanted to put in three wells to withdraw over 430,000 gallons of water per day from the local aquifer. The water would feed a massive water bottling operation. These wells were to be situated at the headwaters of Nottingham and nearby Barrington, where most inhabitants rely on wells for their own water supplies. People like small government in New Hampshire and they credit themselves with having a strong streak of independence that is reflected in the state motto “live free or die.” In 2006, the town voted 135:1 in favor of the rights-based Ordinance that prevented USA Springs siphoning of the water. “We had folks down the road who had spent millions on fighting a multinational corporation, we knew if it failed there, we would be next” - Diane St. Germain “There’s a Hebrew saying, tikkun olam, which means mending the world. Mending is to build on what is already good, and so I always tell the children to go out and mend the world” - Kathy Preston Follow the Links Below to Stay up to Date on Barnstead, NH and other Towns like them. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NHCRN Twitter: @NewHampshireCRN Website: http://www.nhcommunityrights.org/ |
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Presently, in New Hampshire, our state legislative framework is being used to favor corporate privilege and deny Community Rights. Oppressive control of this framework by commercial and property interests, subordinates the rights of community members and subjects our communities to harm. Until the state liberates local law-making to prevent our communities from being used as mere resource colonies of the state, we will continue to fight every battle in a vacuum, while being denied the authority we believe we have, subject to a corporate-driven agenda. Nature's Law: The Rights Of Nature To ExistPublished: 8:46 AM EDT September 9, 2018 We have endowed ourselves, as humans, with rights considered inherent and fundamental - but did we ever consider granting Mother Nature any of those rights? Today, some are. How American Corporations Had A 'Hidden' Civil Rights MovementHEARD ON FRESH AIR WITH DAVE DAVIES - Law professor Adam Winkler says that in the past 200 years, businesses have gone to court claiming constitutional rights that were originally intended for people. His new book is We the Corporations. CELDF @ Millersville University Chad Nicholson speaking at Millersville University in PA. 
We the People 2.0As part of our grassroots organizing, Community Rights Awareness Campaign, the New Hampshire Community Rights Network (NHCRN) is proud to co-sponsor a film showing of We the People 2.0 – The Second American Revolution. Passing Local Ordinances is our Right!Listen to Laura Slitt with Marc on Drive Time at WMVW. Michelle Sanborn of CELDF speaking at Conway Public Library about Protecting People & Places. NH Towns Exploring RBOsA slew of New Hampshire towns are in the path of a 192-mile high tower electrical transmission line, carrying industrial hyrdo-power from Canada. The Granite State is is poised to become an extension cord for the sole purpose of delivering power to other states. Communities don’t want it. They are hosting a Community Rights Awareness Workshop to learn about the barriers they face to stopping it – and what they can do about it. |
Great Bay: An Estuary in PerilThis hour documentary, produced by Breakaway Media, reveals the threats to the Great & Little Bay and its watershed in New Hampshire, impacting communities and ecosystems across the region. CELDF’s Michelle Sanborn – also with the New Hampshire Community Rights Network – is interviewed on the film. She explores the systemic barriers we face to protect our communities, and how the NHCRN and CELDF are supporting communities to overcome those barriers and realize sustainability. Growing Roots and Rights for Just Communities:Hear stories from people and activists all over Ohio about how they have gotten involved in Community Rights to create the just communities they envision. Recorded September 2018 in Columbus at the Growing Roots and Rights Conference. What's up Eastie?
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