On June 23 the U.S. Senate voted to “Fast Track” the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement (TPP). This law essentially takes the administration of commerce, away from local, state, and national courts and elected officials and hands it over to private institutions administered by corporate attorneys. If a local township tries to stop a corporation from polluting the environment, the corporation will be able to sue a township. If the private court decides that preventing the corporation from operating as they planned will result in lost profits, the toenship might be ordered to pay the corporation those imagined lost profits it might otherwise have earned. Win or lose, just defending such a suit can cost millions.

You should judge a person by their character, their courage, and integrity, and not by the color of their skin, their gender or where they were born. Martin Luther King and others gave their lives trying to keep that idea alive. To past Fast Track, the senate required 60 YES votes and that’s what they got — 60 YES votes. Both Senators from Washington voted YES…both are women, both are Democrats (either one of whom

could have stopped it). Instead, both followed the leadership of our first Black President who once taught constitutional law but has done more to undermine our Constitution than anyone I can think of.

If we can’t find a way to elect representatives who have the character, courage and integrity to represent us rather than those who use their millions to corrupt public officials, the media and other institutions, then we will lose our freedoms and our heritage … and there will be no one to blame but ourselves. Citizenship is not for sissies. It requires vigilance, responsibility, courage, character, intelligence and participation.

— Mark A. Goldman