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within the intent of the clause in section | of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which forbids a state to deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protec- tion of the laws". But the Court had made no such legal determi- nation. It was the clerk's opinion and misrepresentation of the case in the headnote upon which current claims of corporate person- hood and free speech entitlements now rest. In 1978, however, the Supreme Court further entrenched the idea of corporate personhood by deciding that corporations were entitled to the free speech right to give money to political causes— thus linking free speech with financial clout. But more recently, in December 2002, Porter township, Pennsylvania, unanimously passed an ordinance denying corporate claims to personhood. The township is the first and only local government in the United States to deny these civil and constitu- tional rights to corporations. Porter township and neighbouring Rush township have laws that govern the local dumping of Pittsburgh-generated sludge by charging the dumping companies a "tipping fee". Rather than working to remedy these problems, the Pentagon claims that the burden of regulations is undercutting troop readi- ness. The Pentagon already operates military bases in and outside the US as "federal reservations", which fall outside normal regula- tion. Yet the Department of Defense is seeking further exemptions in Congress from the Migratory Bird Treaties Act, the Wildlife Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. entitled to the free speech right to give money to political causes— 16. Plan Puebla—Panama and the FTAA thus linking free speech with financial clout. The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is a trade agree- But more recently, in December 2002, Porter township, ment intended to spread NAFTA's trade rules to an additional 31 Pennsylvania, unanimously passed an ordinance denying corporate Latin American nations by 2005. Working in conjunction with claims to personhood. The township is the first and only local FTAA is Plan Puebla—Panama (PPP), a multibillion-dollar devel- government in the United States to deny these civil and constitu- opment plan in progress that would turn southern Mexico and all tional rights to corporations. Porter township and neighbouring of Central America into a colossal free trade zone, competing in Rush township have laws that govern the local dumping of the worldwide race to drain wages, working conditions, environ- Pittsburgh-generated sludge by charging the dumping companies a_ _ mental protection and human rights. "tipping fee". PPP is the brainchild of Mexican President and former Coca- Cola executive Vicente Fox. Fox set priorities when he first took 14. Unwanted Refugees a Global Problem office, stating, "My government is by entrepreneurs, for entrepre- In the last 10 years, the number of displaced people has explod- neurs". Not surprisingly, then, the PPP emerges not as a strategy ed. Known as refugees, asylum seekers, illegal aliens or unautho- to end the endemic poverty in this region but, rather, to induce pri- rised economic migrants, many are the indigenous of their region vate investment/colonisation as this turns over control of the area's and almost all are the poorest of the vast natural resources—including water, poor. oil, minerals, timber and ecological bio- According to the 2002 World diversity—to the private sector, mostly Refugee Survey, there are as many as The world's largest polluter, multinational corporations. 40 million displaced people throughout There has been almost no coverage the world. Fifteen million are seeking the US military, generates in the American press of the fact that asylum in other countries. In addition, 750,000 tons of toxic waste nearly 10 million Brazilians voted there are at least 22 million "internally . against the FTAA in an informal displaced" within their country of ori- material annually— plebiscite; that Americans, en winar upc byimem | more than the five largest | Suna Eevloans Meson greater risk of oppression and abuse. chemical companies In processes of consulta popular, or peo- Often, the international response to . ple's referendum; and that national or terrorist acts is to blame the refugees, the US combined. regional Forums Against the FTAA even when they themselves are the vic- have been held in Argentina, Bolivia, tims. The international community is the Caribbean, Central America, unwilling to devote necessary resources Colombia and Ecuador. to help resolve those conflicts, or at least to address fully the social and humanitarian issues. 17. Clear Channel Monopoly Draws Criticism the US military, generates 750,000 tons of toxic waste material annually— more than the five largest chemical companies in the US combined. 17. Clear Channel Monopoly Draws Criticism Clear Channel Communications of San Antonio, Texas, may not yet be a household name, but in the past seven years the radio sta- tion conglomerate has rocketed to a place alongside NBC and Gannett as one of the largest media companies in the United States. Before passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, a company could not own more than 40 radio stations in the entire USA. With the Act's sweeping relaxation of ownership limits, the cap on radio ownership was eliminated. As a result, Clear Channel has dominated the industry by growing from 40 radio stations nationally in the mid-1990s to approximately 1,225 stations nationally by 2003. The station also dominates the audience share in 100 of 112 major markets. In addition to its radio stations, Clear Channel also owns televi- sion station affiliates, billboards and outdoor advertising, and owns or exclusively books the vast majority of concert venues, amphitheatres and clubs in the country. According to NOW with Bill Moyers, in 2000 Clear Channel purchased the nation's largest concert and events promoter, and in 2001 Clear Channel did 70 per cent of national ticket sales. 15. US Military’s War on the Earth The world's largest polluter, the US military, generates 750,000 tons of toxic waste material annually—more than the five largest chemical companies in the US combined. This pollution occurs globally as the US maintains bases in dozens of countries. In the US, there are 27,000 toxic hot spots on 8,500 military properties. Washington's Fairchild Air Force Base is the number one producer of hazardous waste, generating over 13 million pounds of waste in 1997. Not only is the military emitting toxic material directly into the air and water, it's poisoning the land of nearby communities, resulting in increased rates of cancer, kidney disease, birth defects, low birth weight and miscarriage. The military currently manages 25 million acres of land, provid- ing habitat for some 300 threatened or endangered species. Groups such as Defenders of Wildlife have sued the military for damage done to endangered animal populations by bomb tests. The testing of low-frequency sonar technology is accused of hav- ing played a role in the stranding deaths of whales around the world. 16 = NEXUS The world's largest polluter, www.nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2003 — JANUARY 2004