[CaptainHaplo]

Ultimately you have to ask yourself - what was the purpose of the Bill of Rights?

If you consider that question - and look at the historical record we have - the answer is simple: Its purpose was - and is today - to protect the individual rights of the people - the citizens of the country. In the case of free speech - it is there to insure that the "little guy" doesn't get drowned out when he has something to say.

This means that any INDIVIDUAL who can afford it can buy a 30 second or 30 minute spot on tv and talk about what they think. Thats fine - because it is an INDIVIDUAL speaking on his own. He can gather his buddies and go demonstrate peacefully in the streets if he (or she) wants. But when a COMPANY, UNION, PAC, LOBBYIST etc does it - its not the citizen doing it - but a seperate ENTITY that does not fall under the protections granted in the Bill of Rights. In fact - when a seperate entity does it - it is doing exactly the opposite - it is drowning out the voice of the individual.

Constitutionally - this was a horrible decision - but then again - deciding the other way was just as bad - because it didn't protect the INDIVIDUAL rights of the people either way.

This was a "fair" decision only in regards to the status quo of today. But I am a constitutionalist - and the status quo of today is far removed from that wonderful foundational document.

To respond to you August - I know that is often the case as well. But if the Unions were not the power players against their own people, then they would instead be what they were intended as - the voice of their workers. What has happened is that the "establishments" - whatever they may be - have overrun the people - and that is where the entire system broke down. Corporations and Unions and all that are not evil - but they also should NOT be the power players - using a pay for play scheme to affect government at the expense of the people. In allowing all these groups - of every stripe - to do so, while they are not evil in and of themselves, they promote an evil against the individual citizenry by making the government/politicians be willing to ignore the people - where the power of government is supposed to be.

Its:

Of the People, For the People, By the People....

NOT
for the corporation, by the corporation...
or
for the union, by the union...
or
for the PAC, by the PAC