BREAKING: Leaked Documents Show NH Legislators Asked to Take Pledge Putting Corporate Front Group Ah

[DonViejo]

Source: Granite State Progress


BREAKING: Leaked Documents Show NH Legislators Asked to Take Pledge Putting Corporate Front Group Ahead of Constituents

By Granite State Progress | December 5, 2013 | Featured, Granite State Progress

Disturbing new revelations detailed in leaked documents illustrates extent to which American Legislative Exchange Council puts special interests ahead of every day Granite Staters

Concord, NH – New leaked documents show that corporate special interest lobbying group the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) asked state chairs, including New Hampshire State Representatives Gary Daniels (R-Milford) and Jordan Ulery (R-Hudson), to sign a pledge stating,: “I will act with loyalty and put the interests of the organization first.”

The pledge for elected officials to put their affiliation with ALEC over their oath of office was revealed in documents released about ALEC in an investigative report by The Guardian newspaper this week..

ALEC allows corporations to draft legislation that directly benefits their bottom line, then sit side by side with ALEC legislators to vote on which ones to introduce in State Houses across the country. The Guardian expose highlights the extent of this relationship; it also details ALEC’s internal concerns about lobbying while pretending to be a charitable organization and its plans to win back corporate members who left the organization in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting where the ALEC-supported Stand Your Ground law came into wide recognition.

ALEC’s legislative agenda for 2014 includes plans to harass navigators who help uninsured Americans sign up for affordable health coverage and to continue to push for a repeal of the minimum wage. These policies and others will be discussed at ALEC’s annual “State and Nation Policy Summit” in DC today, which several New Hampshire ALEC legislators are anticipated to be participating in – including Daniels, Ulery, Lenette Peterson (R-Merrimack), JR Hoell (R-Bow) and Pam Tucker (R-Greenland).


Read more: http://nhlabornews.com/2013/12/breaking-leaked-documents-show-nh-legislators-asked-to-take-pledge-putting-corporate-front-group-ahead-of-constituents/

[TeamPooka]

1. K&R!

[allan01]

2. this is nonsense .

if alec claims to be a charity , then what are its chairtable services . in the state of california, charaties have to be on the state attorney generals approved charity list. hem. pledge to put alec in front of the ppl who put them there . i say bs . then they should be turned out of office via a speical election . grrr
thaniks for expsoure

[mikeargo]

3. Bastards!

I bet Bill O'Brien signed.

Let's keep this story alive.

[okaawhatever]

73. Sounds like a good election issue. Force every candidate to reveal any pledge they've signed. nt

[Flatpicker]

4. Isn't this treason?

“I will act with loyalty and put the interests of the organization first.”

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

13. That was my first thoughts as well.

Didn't they take an oath of office to uphold the Constitution first?
Not some private organization.
Grounds for impeachment?

[RiverNoord]

17. Treason

Anyone holding national office who formally agrees to put the interests of any 'organization' 'first' is declaring that they regard their oath and the needs of their constituents and the nation as a whole as secondary. This is worse than bribery - it is, fundamentally, treason.

[questionseverything]

62. prosecution would require

a functioning department of justice tho

and unfortunately we seem to be long past that

[RiverNoord]

72. I can't argue with you there.

[indepat]

65. Pr-exactly! This constitutes an attempt to overthrow the government

[cstanleytech]

30. I dont believe so since the pledge wasnt to a foreign government.

That aside if they violated an oath they took on assuming office by signing that agreement they should be removed.

[watoos]

42. Try sedition then.

[democrank]

5. Sickening

[Fuddnik]

6. Even sadder, why does it take a British newspaper to break shit like this?

[billhicks76]

10. Exactly

Seems like the US media is on on the scam.

[merrily]

24. You know why.

We have not had news media in decades.

[riversedge]

25. The article called it an investigative report. I have several of their articles today but

no hint as to how they got the docs. Perhaps I missed it.

[QuestForSense]

35. Well, any chance we'll be reading about this in The New York Times?

Or hear about it on the 10:00 o'clock news?

Not bloody likely!

[Blue_Tires]

59. +1

[okaawhatever]

74. If ALEC doesn't represent the corporations that own 95% of the media outlets, they probably

at least represent the bulk of their advertisers. You don't bite the hand that feeds you, and you most certainly don't bite the hand that owns you.

[Firebrand Gary]

7. WHOAAAAA....... Can you say bombshell revelation?

[lobodons]

8. Not much difference than Norquist pledge

Not much difference than signing Norquist pledge of no new taxes. Pledge to Norquist over constituents there as well.

[riversedge]

23. I was thinking the same.

[cliffordu]

9. What is that smell?

Smells like sedition.

Or Mebbe Treason. Anyone have a live oak and a length of new hemp rope?

[Jackpine Radical]

14. Hell, a dead oak will do,

as long as the limbs are still solid.


Some opportunities are just too hard to resist.

[pscot]

34. Have you priced 1 inch hemp lately?

Polyester is good enough for these ratbags.

[cliffordu]

69. Meh. I was thinking 1/4 inch.

Pops the head clean off.

[SCVDem]

11. This is a clear and present danger to our democracy!

Hang the bastards!

[mopinko]

12. what is it with these people and their oaths and their clubs?

geez. i got over that when i was 10.

[Hubert Flottz]

15. Ain't that the truth...

Sounds like another fascist conspiracy to me.

[Berlum]

19. It's part of the overall pattern of Republicon OCCULTISM

A wee bit of the shit Republicons are doing in the shadows comes out -- like this shit, treasonous to the State of NH and it's citizens -- but most of the dark crap they are up to remains OCCULTED.

[blkmusclmachine]

21. But they love them some Presidents Prayer Breakfast

and Faith-Based Initiatives.

[JEFF9K]

16. Republicans will be torn between this pledge and their pledge of allegiance to Grover Norquist.

[DallasNE]

18. ALEC Looks Like A Marriage Of Joseph McCarthy And John Birch

With databases to reinforce their dirt.

[Cha]

28. Really. Well put, DallasNE

[Scuba]

48. Bingo.

[blkmusclmachine]

20. Sieg Heil!

[riversedge]

22. I think all legislators were asked to take

this pledge. There was a story in Wisconsin about this also. Sorry, but I did not save it.

[merrily]

26. Where do WE draw the line? How much are WE going to put up with?

[Cha]

27. Wow! Good on somebody leaking those

documents! What a bunch of greedy a$$holes.

thanks DV

[sarchasm]

29. Makes you wonder ...

... how many other legislatures have signed these.

[Plucketeer]

31. Why don't I see folks marching

in the streets???

[zeemike]

41. Because unless they read the Guardian

Or happen to stumble across it on a board like this they will never know.
And they count on that...they own the media and control what the vast majority see and hear.
And if the ones that do find out about it an protest it will be just ho hum, another protest to ignore.

[Stevepol]

32. A big K & R!!!

[weissmam]

33. It time to

challenge these guys to there faces and make them squirm

[Indi Guy]

36. Whoever leaked this is a traitor...

...and should rot in prison along with Snowden.

[cheyanne]

37. Does this remind you of high school . . .or maybe even junior high?

"Let's form a club and we all stick together . . .and, well, there was no real idea of doing anything but excluding other people . .. and then we'll take an oath because then we really will have to be friends forever . . "

[FiveGoodMen]

70. In high school they couldn't force you to be there servants for life or take away access to doctors

It DOES look petty at first glance, but it's about absolute power, so it's both more rational and MUCH, MUCH more evil.

[wildbilln864]

38. and k & r! n/t

[silvershadow]

39. K&R. The wheels will come off soon with enough stories like this one. nt

[MrModerate]

40. Impeachable?

One would think.

[leanforward]

43. This is not ethical.

These guys need to be kicked out of office. Their soul pledge is to the people that elected them. Not, some pledge representing some corporate interest. This case, and Grover Norquest. I live in WV and wonder about my 2nd Congressional District Representative and pledges. Everyone of the elected people need to be out of office now. Anyone in WV 2nd District want to raise some hell all the way through to next November?

[olddad56]

44. Hitler would be so proud of ALEC

[ck4829]

45. They're running it like a cult

Secret oaths that make you swear fealty to an organization, nobody in their right mind does that.

[avaistheone1]

46. Treason.

[nolabels]

53. Exactly!

Any other job in these United States, including that of a CEO, one would be fired. The unmitigated gal, eventually that day of reckoning will come at the pols and watching them scatter like cockroaches will be a sight. The bastards know that elections are key to turning over the hegemony and them keeping the thumb on it like a religion is what is up. Will be nice to watch them crapping their pants when their day comes.

Here in California the republicans are beside themselves because they now know they are being steamrolled in every which way after all those years of them trying to block everything and get in the way, and it is all so fun to watch all happen and see them cry like babies as it happens

[stuffmatters]

47. I think almost all Repub politicians have signed both ALEC & Norquist pledges

Everyone of them should be outed loudly and repeatedly...from Boehner & Mc Connell and the Congressional Repubs to the
Bircher governors down to state legislators, mayors, judges, county supervisors, now even school board members.... Any elected position able to facilitate privatization.

If ALEC, the Chamber,NFIB, the Lincoln Club, Norquist's Orgs, Rove's Orgs, any Koch Bros front group/junk tank endorses a candidate or contributes largely, good chance they've taken the ALEC & Norquist pledges. And I sure have growing suspicions on any Third Way candidate, since Wall Street's big in ALEC. I know many politicians and corps said they dropped out of ALEC, but I'm sure they are still just as active and strident about the agenda, just hiding behind another front group name in their eternal game of Bircher whackamole.

These pledges are where the Tea Party & the "more reasonable Repubs" share their cult's ideology and blind allegiance. I doubt they can get any Repub nomination for anything without signing both pledges. Why this is not a national outrage I am, frankly,
bewildered.

[Scuba]

49. Kick

[mtasselin]

50. ALEC

Lets start by calling ALEC what the name really is Anti-American Legislative Exchange Council. There is absolutely nothing that these bastards do that is American. All the politicians that support ALEC must be shone to the public like McCarthy did back in the 50's and let the people decide if these anti-American bastards are representing them the people or their special interest which are the world corporations.

[Sienna86]

51. This implicates ALEC's work in every state

I hope some journalists on this side of the pond look into it.

[Historic NY]

52. Live Free or Die N.H..........

these guys are selling their souls and your states to lobbyists.

[closeupready]

54. Then in my opinion, that's grounds for impeachment.

K&R

[Bandit]

55. How stupid is ALEC anyway? don't they know that a Republican's OATH is meaningless

Republicans have zero honor or integrity. I thought everyone knew that, even Republicans.

[Orsino]

60. They'll stay bought, as long as you have money.

Or a signed document to hold over them.

[Kelvin Mace]

56. Interesting that a British newspaper

has to explain what is going on to the people of New Hampshire.

[Moral Compass]

57. Seditious Conspiracy

Not a lawyer, but isn't some of this legally actionable? Isn't this, in essence, the taking over of state governments under the cover of being a charitable organization? There is corruption in here somewhere with money changing hands. Otherwise, these legislators wouldn't be such willing accomplices....

Someone out there talk me down or set me straight if I'm wrong...

[Old and In the Way]

58. "I pledge alleigence to ALEC and not the United States of America..." nt

[Orsino]

61. Can't wait for the rest of the story.

Specifically, the list of signatories.

[Jack Rabbit]

63. Once again it appears that to find out what's happening in America . . .

. . . one must read the British press.

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

64. This appears an...

...impeachable offense.

[FiveGoodMen]

71. It SHOULD be a capital offense.

[indepat]

66. Wonder if the U.S. will round up and prosecute these imo treason-committing

terraists considering the U.S. nonchalantly spends gazillions of dollars to thwart/find Islamic-type/looking/sounding terraists?

[TRoN33]

67. Damned ALEC groups...

I lives less than a mile away from New Hampshire and people there are very good and humble. Now they have to be forced to be under siege by ALEC's endless assault with their nearly finite supply of money. Vermont has already limited ALEC's movement in this state because Republicans here knew its too lethal for them to have any kinds of connections to that anti-American group. NH got plenty of resources that ALEC corporations would love to get their dirty hands on, God let hope they will not poison the clean water supply in that state.

[burnsei sensei]

68. An oath such as this should

provoke a response of persistent and widespread public contempt.