At least half the states in the country now have something like that in place, according to a number of watchdog groups and that is, in part, because of a group called ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. It's been using the Florida law as a model and encouraging other states to adopt similar legislation and that has caught the attention of progressive groups which are trying to stop them.
(They [ALEC] note that they did not come up with the Stand Your Ground Law, but they, rather, use the Florida law as a model for other states.)
They[ALEC] say, quote, "Stand Your Ground, or the Castle Doctrine, designed to protect people who defend themselves from imminent death and great bodily harm. It does not allow you to pursue another person. It does not allow you to seek confrontation. It does not allow you to attack someone who does not pose an imminent threat. What it does is allow you to defend yourself and your family from immediate and real danger." American Legislative Exchange Council
We've seen that these bills have been cited in numerous incidences in which the shooter acted aggressively, did not follow 911 instructions to basically stand their ground or stand down and, instead, have shot people, as appears to be the case in Florida. Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy, Lisa Graves
Center for Media and Democracy the publisher of PR Watch, SourceWatch, BanksterUSA, and ALECexposed.org.
ALEC Exposed
The bill was brought to ALEC by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and was unanimously approved by an ALEC task force co-chaired by Wal-Mart and stocked by other special interests. Additionally, the corporate board members of ALEC, like AT&T, Koch Industries, and Kraft Foods, help facilitate the spread of these laws by financially underwriting its operations.
What is ALEC? Despite claims that it’s nonpartisan, it’s very much a movement-conservative organization, funded by the usual suspects: the Kochs, Exxon Mobil, and so on. Unlike other such groups, however, it doesn’t just influence laws, it literally writes them, supplying fully drafted bills to state legislators.
"To a large extent the organization seeks not limited government but privatized government, in which corporations get their profits from taxpayer dollars, dollars steered their way by friendly politicians. In short, ALEC isn’t so much about promoting free markets as it is about expanding crony capitalism."
"This complex has a financial stake in anything that sends more people into the courts and the prisons, whether it’s exaggerated fear of racial minorities or Arizona’s draconian immigration law, a law that followed an ALEC template almost verbatim." PAUL KRUGMAN
Corporations Represented on ALEC's Private Enterprise Board
Corporations Represented on ALEC's Private Enterprise Board
| Organization | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
Altria Group | $12,770,000 | $10,360,000 | $5,480,000 |
American Bail Coalition | $0 | $80,000 | $35,000 |
AT&T Inc. | $14,729,673 | $15,395,078 | $11,690,000 |
Bayer AG | $8,478,512 | $4,903,640 | $3,380,000 |
Coca-Cola Co. | $9,390,000 | $7,352,795 | $3,450,000 |
Diageo PLC | $2,250,000 | $2,620,000 | $1,100,000 |
Energy Future Holdings Corp. | $3,974,014 | $4,731,228 | $2,770,000 |
Exxon Mobil | $27,430,000 | $12,450,000 | $6,820,000 |
GlaxoSmithKline | $8,760,000 | $6,070,000 | $2,650,000 |
Intuit Inc. | $2,142,000 | $2,249,000 | $1,589,000 |
Johnson & Johnson | $6,560,000 | $6,700,000 | $3,106,000 |
Koch Industries | $12,450,000 | $8,070,000 | $4,060,000 |
Kraft Foods | $3,390,000 | $3,000,000 | $1,450,000 |
Peabody Energy | $5,835,000 | $6,591,000 | $3,727,000 |
Pfizer Inc. | $25,819,268 | $13,380,000 | $7,440,000 |
PhRMA | $26,150,520 | $21,740,000 | $9,290,000 |
Reed Elsevier Inc. | $2,130,000 | $1,670,000 | $810,000 |
Reynolds American | $4,556,215 | $4,323,293 | $1,728,305 |
Salt River Project | $1,170,000 | $870,000 | $370,000 |
State Farm Insurance | $3,420,000 | $3,620,000 | $1,540,000 |
United Parcel Service | $8,430,526 | $5,587,349 | $2,642,399 |
Wal-Mart Stores | $7,390,000 | $6,160,000 | $4,070,00 |
Of the 23 companies on the private enterprise board,Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has spent the largest amount on lobbying the government.
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