Predators Above and Beyond the Rule of Law Who Use It Against You

Have you ever heard of the Enron Loophole?

Enron had an edge over Nymex in that it was a member of the shadowy, over-the-counter energy market nobody seemed to be watching. Not only that, but Congress had gone so far as to approve special legislation in 2000 promising not to watch Enron as part of its infamous measure called the Commodity Futures Modernization Act. . . Buried in the bill’s legal jargon lay the even more notorious “Enron loophole,” a piece of legislation that specifically exempted over-the-counter energy traders from any regulation. The text of the loophole, drafted in consultation with lawyers hired by Enron, left over-the-counter traders free to behave exactly as they pleased in buying and selling financial products pivotal to the health of the United States and the global economy. The loophole was so potent it took the liberty of making clear that if regulators did happen to uncover fraud in the over-the-counter market, they were still forbidden to do anything about it.[i]

The only protection citizens have from the financial predators that are extracting trillions of dollars from the American economy is the “Rule of Law.” Over the past few decades, not only have they infected the minds of unsuspecting citizens with a “Less Regulations the Better” virus and removing laws from the books that protect citizens from their usurious strategies – they have been paying millions to lobbyists to have new laws passed that prohibit citizens from suing them (like the Enron Loophole above).

For this elite and powerful group money has become more than something they use to make investments, it has become a weapon and the institutions that are supposed to protect citizens into barriers that protect them from justice. Today, two of their latest attacks are in the news today:

(1) Buried in the fine print of certain college enrollment agreements is language that takes away students’ and families’ constitutional right to a day in court. It’s called a “forced arbitration” clause, and it throws any dispute out of court – and into a private, secretive system where a tribunal chosen by the school gets to decide who wins, and who loses.  See -- https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/dept-of-ed-dont-let-colleges-deny-students-of-their-right-to-sue?source=03032016email

(2) Facing hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits, the giant biotechnology company Mnsanto last year received a legislative gift from the House of Representatives, a one-paragraph addition to a sweeping chemical safety bill that could help shield it from legal liability for a toxic chemical only it made. See -- http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/01/business/monsanto-could-benefit-from-a-chemical-safety-bill.html?ref=topics&_r=1  & http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/595/136/204/?cid=fb_LG_AdsMonsantoAnniston&src=facebook_ads&campaign=sign_595136204&z00m=27500778

Things you can do:

(1) Sign the petitions at the links above.

(2) Write your US Representative & Senators (just a short note will work & a note received by mail is much more powerful than an email or text).  For contact info for Representatives CLICK HERE; for Senators CLICK HERE.

(3) Ask political candidates if they know about the above attacks on citizens and what they will do if elected.

(4) Share this info with others.

(5) Become a member of the TOV Center, connect with others who share Core Values that Place Human Life Above Profits and Network Together to Co-Create Change – CLICK HERE.

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[i] The Asylum: The Renegades Who Hijacked the World’s Oil Market by Leah McGrath Goodman © 2011; Harper Collins, New York, NY; p. 218.