Democracy in the U.S. Video Series

Importance of the Series

Democracy in the United States is a video series brought in partnership with N2K-Need 2 Know, a channel of Tree Media. This is an 8-part presentation on how to better practice democracy within the United States as citizens. Corporations are now viewed as individuals, writing laws and electing politicians. As individual citizens, it is becoming more and more difficult to fight back against corporate harm.

Thomas Linzey, Senior Counsel for the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights shares in this series a pathway forward for how to resolve these issues born from corruption. This is a broken system, but this series illuminates our rights and how we can fix it.

Episode Summaries

Episode one is about the “Box of Allowable Activism” which discusses how we can better exercise our democratic rights in the U.S. It goes on to share the four legal doctrines that interfere with involvement at the local level, and define what is accepted activism.

Episode two explores the first of the hindrances to local activism, called “Preemption”. This is where higher law supersedes lower law. Issues of legal supremacy are explored.

Episode three delves into Dillon’s Rule, the idea that a city is a part and parcel of the state government and beholden to its laws and control. The city or local community is not an entity unto itself. This makes autonomous democratic decisions difficult.

Episode four tackles the constitutional argument of the Commerce Clause, that “no government other than the federal government has the power to regulate interstate commerce.” This becomes a problem because almost all systemic issues and protections affect a multitude of states.

Episode five discusses corporate personhood rights and the practice of corporations utilizing the Bill of Rights protections. Putting corporate entities on parity with individuals creates difficulty for laws to be passed that protect not only democracy but rights of nature as well.

Episode six titled “Getting Out of the Box of Allowable Activism.” This means breaking out-of-the-box by developing coalitions of local activist power that are big enough to threaten both state and corporate stronghold. This means securing community and municipal support all the way to the state government until the state amendments are affected.

Episode seven focuses on the need for rewriting the Constitution. This is not only at the state level but also at the federal, U.S. Constitution level. The ratification process and grassroots support actions are discussed.

Episode eight wraps up this series with “Founding Fathers”. Thomas Linzey dismantles the mythologies surrounding these men. This means accepting that this group was not perfect and that there is room for improvement within the Constitution as a living document. Biases are acknowledged that need to be dealt with by the inclusion of groups that have retained power as the country has aged.

If you are interested in learning more not only the background of our nation and its founders but also how you can empower yourself with your own democratic rights, please check out the Democracy in the United States series.