IT's official - the American justice system is a wholly-owned subsidiary of mega-corps

....the only thing that has changed is that they aren't even trying to hide it any longer...

Average Americans buy their houses on an installment plan, one monthly mortgage payment at a time. That way, the near-term financial pain is lessened while they invest for their long-term financial security.

Large corporations have learned the lesson - they buy judges one dividend payout or stock split at a time. That way, almost nobody notices the ongoing (and ever-growing) mortgaging of the justice system as they invest for *their* long-term financial security.

From AP via Yahoo! News (emphasis mine) -

Conflict of interest tanks worker's case

By PAUL ELIAS, Associated Press Writer Mon Jan 14, 6:15 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO - For years, Braxton Berkley was exposed to chemicals while helping build top-secret military planes at Lockheed Martin's storied Skunk Works plant. He says those chemicals made him ill — but his case reached a dead end at the state's highest court.

The California Supreme Court has refused to hear his appeal not on legal merits, but because four of the seven justices cited a conflict of interest because they controlled stock in oil companies that provided some of the solvents at issue in the case.

According to the article, because the case is a state-level one, with no federal issues to be resolved, there is no higher court available for the Mr. Berkley and the other Lockheed Martin workers to appeal to.

I'd argue that the utter corruption of a state's supreme court *must* be a federal issue, but what is the likelihood of finding a federal court that won't cite the same "conflict of interest" to deny the workers a fair hearing?

To be fair to the judges involved, because of the method used, it's possible that they noticed the purchase of their loyalty by the oil companies as much as a house would notice the purchase of its shelter by the average American.

A question for readers: I've been having trouble finding out exactly what chemical solvents the Lockheed Martin workers were suing over, and if they were the same as (or similar to) the chemicals that contaminate the North Indian Bend Wash Superfund site.

Anybody have any ideas in this regard? Thanks in advance...

Later!