In the vast landscape of grassroots activism, two Move to Amend affiliates stand out for their unique initiatives, each making waves in their own distinctive way. Welcome to this month's Affiliate Spotlight, where we dive into the creative endeavors of the Greater Dayton Move to Amend and the strategic movements of the Santa Clara County Move to Amend affiliates.

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of the Norfolk Southern Corporation train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Twenty railcars crashed carrying vinyl chloride and other hazardous material. A controlled burn was conducted by local officials to supposedly avoid an explosion. Toxic contaminants polluted the community and the surrounding area, include down-wind into Pennsylvania. As this recent article describes, "This story isn't over."

Since the E. Palestine derailment, accidents have increased for the top five freight railroad corporations. Yet, no Congressional legislation has passed to prevent similar disasters.

The story the corporate media hasn't adequately ever told, however, is what we shared last year following the disaster -- the lack of authentic democracy. It's retold below. 

Note: The We the People Amendment is HJR54 is the current 118th Session of Congress

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East Palestine Train Derailment Caused and Worsened by Real Democracy Derailment

The Norfolk Southern Corporation train derailment and subsequent hazardous chemical release into the air, water and land in and beyond East Palestine, Ohio are the inevitable result of multiple anti-democratic realities in the U.S. Many are interconnected and are the same for the roughly 1000 train derailments per year, most recently in Michigan.

Forty-eight years ago today, the Supreme Court ruled in Buckley v. Valeo (1976) that restrictions on campaign spending were a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

They really said that MONEY, which is PROPERTY, is the same as FREE SPEECH.

Most of us learned about the absurd Supreme Court doctrines of "money = speech" and "corporations are people" in 2010, when the Citizens United ruling came down.

But the Buckley v. Valeo (1976) case that set the "money = speech" precedent was not about corporations -- it was about one individual's belief that campaign finance laws were a violation of his first amendment rights to express himself.

Fundamental social change has always involved a combined inside and outside approach – supporters inside governing institutions promoting and defending real change that’s initiated by organized people in grassroots movements. Advancements in women’s rights, civil rights, labor rights, and environmental protections are just a few of the movements throughout our nation’s history that have followed this blueprint.

This is exactly the strategy Move to Amend pursues in working to end corporate rule and the corruption of massive spending in political elections.