Are Dems Falling for Bush FTAA Borderless Americas Trap? -->

[Dr. Jones]

During the course of the immigration debate, I've seen so many here on DU that are calling for open borders between Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. But did you know that this IS in fact the Bush plan, to have a new EU-style borderless Americas as a competitive trading bloc?

Did you also know that by default, our Constitution and our Bill of Rights will be nullified in this new geopolitical order?

Before going into detail, let's look at what the FTAA is and its consequences for the future of our nation.

Be careful what you wish for.

The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), currently being negotiated by 34 countries of the Americas, is intended to be the most far-reaching trade agreement in history. Although it is based on the model of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), it goes far beyond NAFTA in its scope and power. The FTAA, as it now stands, would introduce into the Western Hemisphere all the disciplines of the proposed services agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO) - the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) - with the powers of the failed Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), to create a new trade powerhouse with sweeping new authority over every aspect of life in Canada and the Americas. 

Source:http://www.citizen.org/trade/ftaa/

Ever see the movie, "The Corporation?"

Free Trade Area of the Americas

The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is a proposed agreement that would turn the entire Western Hemisphere (except Cuba) into the largest international trading bloc in history.

The FTAA, if approved, will essentially be an expansion of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into 34 countries in the Americas and the Carribean, affecting the lives of nearly 800 million people. This constitutes the most ambitious attempt by transnational corporations to "globalize" the world, as the FTAA will absorb half of the globe into a homogenous market where corporations can challenge any law, policy or procedure that isn't to their liking.

Source: http://ftaaresistance.org/Free-Trade-Area-of-the-Americas.html

But how would we in the United States of America be affected?

The FTAA would bring the nations of this hemisphere, most especially the U.S., under the heel of a new regional authority. That new authority would have none of the checks and balances of the American constitutional system. To accomplish the globalist goal of economic and political "integration," the independence and distinctive legal systems of participating nations would have to disintegrate step by step, as is happening in the European Union. Americans would lose control of their own destiny.

In part, that means Americans would lose control of their property, suffer taxation by anti-American socialist bureaucrats, and watch helplessly as standards of justice they had taken for granted, such as the Bill of Rights, are trampled. Meaningful national borders would also cease to exist.

The promises of greater prosperity are merely the bait for the internationalist FTAA trap. And it is rotten bait at that since the resulting socialist regulatory bureaucracy would continue the process that is destroying the American middle class. It would also undermine any opportunity for the peoples of Latin America to increase their standards of living.

Source:http://www.stoptheftaa.org/artman/publish/article_439.shtml

And what are our world leaders saying about this?

Mexico’s Vicente Fox, in a 2002 address to European elites, was unexpectedly candid about these aims: "Eventually our long-range objective is to establish with the United States, but also with Canada, our other regional partner, an ensemble of connections and institutions similar to those created by the European Union, with the goal of attending to future themes the future prosperity of North America, and the movement of capital, goods, services, and persons."

This same vision has been endorsed by powerful people in our nation -- including some regarded to be conservative. Among those who applauded Fox's vision was Robert L. Bartley, editor of the influential Wall Street Journal: "Reformist Mexican President Vicente Fox raises eyebrows with his suggestion that over a decade or two Nafta should evolve into something like the European Union, with open borders for not only goods and investment but also people. He can rest assured that there is one voice north of the Rio Grande that supports his vision. To wit, this newspaper."

"Indeed, during the immigration debate of 1984 we suggested an ultimate goal to guide passing policies — a constitutional amendment: "There shall be -- open borders."

—July 2, 2002 editorial entitled "Open NAFTA Borders? Why Not?"

The claim that the FTAA will promote prosperity throughout the region and in America. This claim is merely bait and dishonest bait at that. Prosperity comes from a culture and a political system that protects freedom. Men must be free to innovate and to keep the fruits of their labor. That opportunity explains the incredible rise of the American middle class during the 19th and 20th centuries and why so many people came to this nation in search of a better life.

The Internationalists promoting the FTAA have rejected those lessons of history – they seek to regulate the world, not to advance freedom either at home or abroad. And they have little compunction in providing foreign aid to corrupt regimes that keep their people in poverty.

Source:http://www.stoptheftaa.org/ftaa/

Wonder why Bush is going after Chavez?

The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) will be on life support as George W. Bush stumbles into Argentina for the Summit of the Americas (November 4-5) to face a protest by labor unions and social movements and key Latin American presidents largely opposed to the US goals.

Bush’s trade agenda was already faltering before he headed south of the Equator, having managed to pass the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) through the House of Representatives last summer by just two votes.

Now Bush finds US aims under even greater pressure in Latin America, thanks to popular revolts and electoral shifts to the left across the region, an economic boom powered by Chinese industry’s demand for raw materials, and resistance led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whose rallying cry at a recent meeting of South American presidents was “to hell with the FTAA.”

“The US may be losing the wider war over Latin America’s future, despite president Bush’s victory” over CAFTA, the Wall Street Journal observed in July.

In place of the FTAA, Chavez is proposing a Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America -- ALBA according to its initials in Spanish -- named for the hero of the independence struggle from Spain two centuries ago. Chavez has put his money where his mouth is, as Venezuela uses its revenue from skyrocketing oil prices to purchase government bonds across the region and invest in regional oil companies.

Source: http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=46653

Now is it any wonder why Bush has just met with Fox and the Canadian Prime Minister to discuss "immigration and border security?" Is it any wonder why Bush has continued to allow a pourous border between Mexico and the United States, which is likewise a concern for our national security in terms of potential terrorists freely entering our country? Is it any wonder why Bush has collaborated with the corporations in order to allow for illegal workers to usurp the jobs Americans WILL do and DO do?

It all makes perfect sense. It's all coming together now. And it has EVERYTHING to do with the FTAA.

See the Stop the FTAA video at http://www.stoptheftaa.org/

[Cobalt Violet]

1. Bush did indeed use the H word in his little meeting with Fox ...

this past week.


A word about harmonization from your links.


http://www.stoptheftaa.org/ftaa/


When negotiators for the European Community or the North American Free Trade Agreement use the term "harmonization," they are referring to the effort to impose uniform wages and regulations across national borders. With respect to human rights, "harmonization" refers to the subordination of national constitutions to UN human rights conventions and covenants.

Naturally, in the United Nations, where the vast majority of member states are authoritarian regimes, "harmonization" means that American citizens must yield their rights for the common "global good." The UN Charter, of course, like most of the national constitutions of UN member states, recognizes no God-given individual rights and certainly no individual right to keep and bear arms. So, for example, "harmonization" would inevitably mean tightening controls on the loosely regulated U.S. gun business .

Upward harmonization means taking the socialist regulations and standards that are stifling business and ensuring that these standards are harmonized upward through the hemisphere. On the other hand, downward harmonization refers to the fact that for the nations of our hemisphere to "converge," the standard of living of most Americans will have to plummet.




No doubt about it we will have downwar harmonization.

[Dr. Jones]

3. Exactly...downward harmonization!

That is the plan, and it's currently underway. It's exactly what is happening to the American middle class. It's being picked apart and systematically destroyed.
:cry:

I'm all for global peace and harmony, but we really have to sit back and think about the consequences of the FTAA and the current Bush/Corporate borderless Americas plan.

[Cobalt Violet]

13. I remember talk in the 80's about how "they" wanted to destroy the ...

Middle class. Of course most would say that "that would never happen".They sure are accomplishing that task at an astonishing rate.




BTW: I meant to say from your links not for your links in the my post. But I change it. I do crap like that all the time.

[Dr. Jones]

5. Upward harmonization explains why Bush is going after Chavez!

Because Chavez is stickin' it to Bush on the FTAA and there's NOTHING Bush can do. With Iran rattling its sabres, we're not about to go to war with Venezuela.

[leftstreet]

2. The immigration issue is exposing corporate apologists in both parties

It's disgusting.

[Dr. Jones]

4. Have you seen "The Corporation?"

Not exactly a feel-good movie, but wow, a powerful expose on the growing trynnical power of multinational corporations. The FTAA is the ultimate culmination of the power of corporations over humanity.

[leftstreet]

6. I wish everyone could see it

If the teevee broadcast it on every channel every night of the week, maybe EVERYONE would be ready to take to the streets.

[Dr. Jones]

8. You betcha.

And did you see the part about how, as I remember it, an American corporation who owns the water in some Central/South American country didn't let the natives collect rainwater in buckets because the corporation OWNED the water that was falling from the sky?

It's these kinds of awful, inhumane, callous decisions made by the multinationals that make the FTAA all the more dangerous.

[Cobalt Violet]

15. As unlikely as that rainwater thing sounds...

So did "1984" at one point.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. Gosh! Those people picking tomatoes are evil conspirators.

Interesting that you're citing a rightwing anti-socialist site.

[Dr. Jones]

10. Go ahead, attack the messenger.

The FTAA is a reality and has serious consequences not just for Americans, but also for the peoples of Central and South America. America's standard of living will severely decrease, and the standard of living for Latin Americans will NOT increase as a result. And the multinational corporations will have ultimate control over the lives of all of us!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. So says a rightwing site.

"‘The Battle of Seattle." That is the common name given to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial conference of November 30-December 3, 1999, where a 1960s-style generation of political street rioting was born anew. Images of tear gas, burning cars, chanting mobs, baton-wielding riot police, frightened diplomats, and millions of dollars in damage were left indelibly on the minds of those who viewed the footage on the nightly news. What started as relatively peaceful demonstrations by tens of thousands of anti-WTO activists from mostly leftist groups — labor unions, environmentalists, socialists, Communists — turned suddenly violent, as cadres of anarchists sallied out from the main body of demonstrators to attack police, bystanders and property."

"But the leaders of the demonstrations against the WTO were not opposing this central threat posed by the WTO. Instead, they were upset that the WTO’s focus on trade was too narrow; they insisted that, to be acceptable, the WTO regime must not only mandate global trade rules, but also global laws concerning the environment, labor, health and other matters. "We want to fix the WTO, not abolish it," insisted the leaders of a coalition of the big environmentalist groups — including World Wildlife Fund, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth — in an open letter to the WTO Ministerial. What kind of opposition is that? Answer: compromised, controlled, paid, phony opposition. These "Watermelon Marxists" — green on the outside, red on the inside — want a bigger, more powerful WTO, and a place at the table as equal-partner dictators in the new global regime. It is worth noting that all of these groups are heavily funded by the big tax-exempt foundations which are run by the world government advocates from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the same architects who designed the WTO."

[Elwood P Dowd]

12. Public Citizen is NOT a right wing site.

Where in hell did you come up with that?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. stoptheftaa.org, which the op cites, is a rightwing site.

See my post above for some of the drivel on that site.

[Dr. Jones]

16. Tierra, you can try to discredit all you want, for any reason,

but as I said previously, the FTAA is a reality and threatens not only our way of life, but the lives of Latin Americans as well. It opens the door for transnational corporations to become even more tyrannical and have ultimate control over the lives of all of us. Do you REALLY want this?

My original post included information on the FTAA from a variety of sources. But here's an idea, why don't you try typing "FTAA" into your search engine. You can find information on the FTAA from a variety of sources, including Wikipedia.

The FTAA is a reality and has grave consequences for all of us. Get over it.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. I'm no fan of the FTAA, WTO, etc. But, you're linking the immigrants

to them, is nonsense. They are people who are trying to survive by coming here for work unavailable in their own countries. Just like 99% of previous immigrants did.

Being in favor of open borders, internationalism, is hardly a BushCo/capitalist ideal. Rather it is a long held ideal of the left.

[Skidmore]

19. Says who. I consider myself to be pretty darn liberal

but I'm certainly not for wide open borders, nor am I for having my nation swallowed by huge corporations. Perhaps some of these other nations should be encouraged to do right by their own citizenry in terms of labor laws and opportunity.

[Dr. Jones]

20. Question. You're "no fan" of the FTAA,

whose purpose is to eliminate the borders between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico - and yet you ARE in favor of open borders between these countries?

And you are also saying that open borders, immigration, and the FTAA are mutually exclusive?

Just wondering. Your position seems a bit contradictory to me. Either that or you have missed the point of the OP altogether.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. I'm an Anarchist who doesn't favor borders between people.

The FTAA, WTO, etc, have nothing to do with the people's right to seek employment or a better life.

[Dr. Jones]

28. Question.

Anarchists generally believe that all laws should be abolished, right? If so, then why do you take a position on anything, since you start with the premise that lawlessness should be the new order? How do you claim that anything is a just cause when you have already predetermined that there is no justice on account of the fact that there should be no laws? You can't have justice without laws, thus you cannot claim to want justice if you believe in lawlessness.

I'm just curious, because everyboday has their own set of laws and morals they live by, and thus nobody is truly an anarchist...right?

:shrug:

[sadiesworld]

21. Illegal immigration and temporary worker programs serve the

purposes of the corporate elite. By flooding 1st world countries with cheap labor the elite accomplish several goals:

-They reduce wages in 1st world countries
-They ease pressure for reform in 2nd and 3rd world countries
-They leave 2nd and 3rd world countries more vulnerable to corporate predators
-They put stresses on social safety nets in 1st world countries
-They push 1st world populations to the right as populations look for relief from illegal immigration

This is going on all over Europe.

The only widespread example of true leftism that I see today is in SA. Chavez, el al, (unlike Fox) don't consider illegal immigration a panacea for their problems. They are concerned with repelling the neoliberals and focusing on the needs of their own people. Do you consider Chavez a RW nationalist?

[Dr. Jones]

23. That is fascinating, thanks!

Informative and well thought out. :)

[Dr. Jones]

27. An interesting article from Europe

The difference between Europe and the U.S. seems to be the attitudes towards illegal immigrant labor. This article cites European illegal labor as a necessary thing, whereas here in America, illegal immigrants are viewed by many as usurping the jobs that Americans CAN do and DO do.

Unregulated immigration a problem for Europe

Europe has just over 21 million immigrants, largely from the former Yugoslavia, Turkey and Morocco. There are also two to three million people without valid residence permits.

The seminar was organised as a result of this research partnership, with the aim of increasing knowledge about the growing impact of unregulated immigration on the labour markets of Sweden, Turkey and the rest of Europe.

“Sweden and Turkey both have an informal sector of the labour market , although it is much more extensive in Turkey,” commented Professor Carl-Ulrik Schierup of the National Institute for Working Life.

“The problem of an informal sector on the labour market is a growing issue in Europe and also in Sweden. Europe condemns ‘illegal’ migration, but at the same time it tolerates it, just as routinely, for reasons of economy.”

Trafficking and illegal immigration were also addressed at the seminar, as these problems are linked to Europe’s inability to solve migration issues. Professor Gülay Toksöz of Ankara University highlighted Europe’s need for migrant workers, particularly in the long term, in order to ensure that work is carried out in the future.

Source: http://www.arbetslivsinstitutet.se/workinglife/04-4/04.asp

[Elwood P Dowd]

17. It really makes no difference

who publishes an article, as long as it's the truth. FTAA is a total corporate takeover of our government, and there are people and organizations on both sides who recognize that fact.

[Jim Warren]

9. Well, If ya judge a person by the people he hangs out with..........

bushco seen hanging with heavyweight CEOs from Lockheed and Chevron, among others I'm sure, at the summit in Cancun last week.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=823234&mesg_id=823234

[Dr. Jones]

24. Hmph....isn't Chevron state-owned by...

Chavez' Venezuela?

[jukes]

25. Dr. Jones

Citgo is the state owned venezuelan gasoline company. i refuse to put anything but Citgo in my vehicles.

i can't answer about the ownership of Chevron.

[Dr. Jones]

26. Oh yeah, right, Citgo.

Momentary lapse of memory....thanks. ;)