Shapliegh, Maine Says "No" to Nestle Corporation
Shapliegh, Maine, is the 125th municipality in the US to seize local governing authority by enacting a Legal Defense Fund ordinance banning a corporate assault -- in this case, Nestle Corporation's determination to suck up the town's ground water for bottling and distribution elsewhere.
The ordinance, drafted by the Legal Defense Fund, bans corporations from withdrawing water for profit and, like all our ordinances, affirms citizens' rights to local self-government and ecosystems' rights to exist and flourish, and strips corporations of the constitutional rights of personhood.
Like Virginia and Pennsylvania (most states, actually), Maine is a Dillon's Rule state, and, with this ordinance, the citizens of Shapleigh are challenging the unjust structure of law that unjustly renders communities powerless.
The citizens of Shapleigh didn't beg the legislature or state regulatory agencies to save them. They stood up and said "We decide, and we say "NO"!
The ordinance, drafted by the Legal Defense Fund, bans corporations from withdrawing water for profit and, like all our ordinances, affirms citizens' rights to local self-government and ecosystems' rights to exist and flourish, and strips corporations of the constitutional rights of personhood.
Like Virginia and Pennsylvania (most states, actually), Maine is a Dillon's Rule state, and, with this ordinance, the citizens of Shapleigh are challenging the unjust structure of law that unjustly renders communities powerless.
The citizens of Shapleigh didn't beg the legislature or state regulatory agencies to save them. They stood up and said "We decide, and we say "NO"!
1 comment:
Interesting info regarding Dillon's Rule. I think that there are actually only 6 states in the US whose municipalities continue to operate exclusively under Dillon's Rule. VA is one of the 6 but PA is not. You can check the facts here:
http://www.celdf.org/HomeRule/DoesmyStatehaveHomeRule/tabid/115/Default.aspx
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