the framers, to go back to original intent
There is essentially nothing to indicate that the original intent was to forbid political speech by organizations.
meant these to attach to people
Corporations are people acting collectively.
Its ridiculous to assume that men who cared about individual freedom would deny people to exercise that freedom as part of a group. Its just silly, esp. when the wording of the law itself says that congress shall pass no law infringing on this free speech.
large corporate entities, which begin to approximate small governments
The do no such thing. Governments have the power to tax, to incarcerate, to execute, governments have a monopoly on defensive force.
that could crush an indiviudal like a bug.
Far less then politicians and political parties can.
The constituion is about "men", as they related to their government.
Companies consist of men (and women).
The constitution is primarily about the powers and limitations of government. Arguably even without the 1st amendment the federal government would not have the power to prohibit political speech by corporations since it is not granted that power by the constitution (political speech is not commerce, and when its about state issues and done totally within a state, its not "inter-state"). It clearly doesn't have that power when the words of the constitution expressly deny that power to the federal government.
The constitution doesn't say that my dog doesn't have free speech either-
Your dog is neither a person itself, nor a collection of people.
Your dog is not capable of speech of this type. It can not express political opinions. It might express affection for, or dislike of, a politician it met, but that would be for personal not political reasons. |
