North American Union Archives
This is a very large file. For the full smaller digest version, click here.October 19, 2008
Maria Gavrilovic/CBS News: Barack Obama opposes the North American Union. Oh, really.
Maria Gavrilovic of CBS News offers 'Obama Addresses N.C. Voter Who Called Him "Socialist"' (link) in which she allows Barack Obama to mislead and confuses what someone says with what they actually believe:
[At a campaign stop in Fayetteville, North Carolina, someone] asked the Democratic nominee about the North American Union, which he opposes.The NAU is like immigration, in that candidates frequently use misleading language in an attempt to deceive. If Gavrilovic were a real reporter and not just a BHO transcriptionist, she would have asked him about his March statements in Lancaster PA where he more or less confirmed the NAFTA Superhighway, something that's tied to the NAU. He also faked being ignorant of the "Union" part of the NAU term, and he lied about the CFR. And, she'd point out that Barack Obama supports Bush's Security and Prosperity Partnership, something that some consider a precursor to the NAU. Not only that, but he spoke in code when coming out for the SPP.
"I know some people have been hearing rumors about it. But as far as I can tell that's just not something that's happening. We would never give up our sovereignty in that way. Any other questions?" Obama asked [her]...
The article also provides an example of how BHO has been able to get to where he is: because no one has asked him a good, "prosecutorial-style" question. Simply asking someone whether they support the NAU will always result in statements like those made by BHO above. Better questions need to be asked. Also, the person who asked him about the NAU also shouted "socialist, socialist, socialist – get out of here!" to him, something that only makes him look better to many as the MSM comes to his rescue. Note: per this, BHO's full remarks about the NAU were:
"Well, you know, I am opposed to it if it were happening. But it doesn't seem to be actually be happening. The truth of the matter is there is no plans. I've talked to a lot of people, including folks down in Texas. There's no plan to create a common government between Mexico, U.S. and Canada. That's just not... that's just not happening. I know some people have been hearing rumors about it. But as far as I can tell, that's just not something that's happening. We would never give up our sovereignty in that way. Any other questions?"There may not be formal "plans", however, many powerful people have made proposals, including the CFR. See also Jim Hoagland/Washington Post: Obama should create North American Union.
October 18, 2008
Are Amero coins being printed by the Denver Mint?
Probably not. Extremist radio host Hal Turner - a not very credible source - has a video (link) and a post claiming otherwise:Earlier in the week, I reported via this blog, the shipment of 800 Billion AMEROS from the USA to China. Many of you called "bullshit" on the posting, claiming it was a hoax. I now offer irrefutable proof.I didn't watch the video, but the pictures provided at the last link match this page where someone is selling "private-issue fantasy pattern coins" ("Amero"s) to collectors. That could certainly be a false front, or the coins Turner is discussing could be different, but there doesn't appear to be anything to this story.
Below is a video of me holding one of the actual 20 AMERO coins sent to China. Additional coins with face values of 50 and 100 AMEROS were also sent from the U.S. in addition to paper currency shipped BY the U.S. from the currency printing firm in Europe!
October 10, 2008
Canada integrating their economy with European Union
From the 3/10/08 Globe & Mail story "Provinces key to EU trade deal, Quebec Premier says" by Karen Howlett (subscriber-only here, excerpted here):Canada's premiers will play a pivotal role in the country's efforts to integrate its economy with the 27 nations of the European Union, Quebec Premier Jean Charest says.See also 3/12/08's Corporate global govenance? "Transatlantic Economic Union"? Open borders at the State Department and 5/8/07's "Bush OKs 'integration' with European Union".
Preliminary talks between Canadian and European officials will begin on Oct. 17 at a summit in Montreal. The provinces' role in the negotiations will be instrumental to the fate of the proposed massive agreement because it involves issues that primarily fall under their jurisdiction, Mr. Charest told The Globe and Mail yesterday.
No deal could happen without the premiers at the table, he said.
"Unless we are fully involved in the negotiations, we are not going to get the deal we want," Mr. Charest said...
He described the proposed pact as a groundbreaking initiative on a scale that has never been attempted. The accord would go well beyond the scope of the NAFTA agreement between Canada and the United States by encompassing not only trade in goods and services but also the free movement of skilled workers and an open market in government services and procurement.
The pitch he is making to Europeans is to do a deal with Canada that can serve as a model for something far more ambitious with the United States.
August 20, 2008
Socialist VP candidate: common U.S.-Mexico currency, "North American Banking Authority"
Various persons, including those on the left and far-left, have scoffed at the idea that there's a push for a North American Union and a common NA currency (called the Amero). Now, from the fringes of their movement comes one of their own to call for essentially the same thing (link):During a decade when border issues between the U.S. and Mexico have intensified and the Democrats and Republicans have gone on the attack against immigrants, Vice Presidential Candidate Stewart A. Alexander is proposing a common U.S.-Mexican currency and establishing a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) for working people on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
To accomplish his goal, Stewart Alexander says it will be necessary to restructure the entire banking industry; all banking and financial institutions would be socially owned, and operated by a North American Banking Authority that would be democratically controlled...
August 12, 2008
City of Tucson partners with Guadalajara; "Regional Economic Integration" with Mexican state (Sonora)
From this:Tucson has signed an agreement to promote regional economic development with the Mexican city of Guadalajara.See the comments for more, such as the suggestion that this arrangement is unconstitutional.
Global Advantage, a University of Arizona Office of Economic Development program signed the agreement with a sister-agency in Guadalajara...
The venture's partners are Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Inc., Tucson Chamber of Commerce, The Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Tucson Airport Authority, MatchMex, Arizona Department of Commerce, Tucson-Mexico Sister Cities and UA.
The comments also mention the "Arizona-Sonora Economic Region"; Guadalajara is in another Mexican state, but Sonora is contiguous with Arizona. It's governor Eduardo Bours has been mentioned here before. The ASER ties into the first agreement as a means of integrating the U.S. and Mexican economies. See also this. And, from oepa.arizona.edu/projects.aspx#Indicators:
The Arizona – Sonora Regional Economic Indicators project, initiated in 1997, monitors the region’s progress towards economic integration and global competitiveness... The indicators represent an original way of measuring the two neighboring states of Arizona and Sonora as a single economic region.
July 31, 2008
Far-lefties protest NAFTA Superhighway at Cato Institute, Washington Post
From [1]:On Monday, July 28, SDS, backed by [activists] from both Potomac Earth First and Roadblock Earth First, staged the "Funk I-69" protest, treating the CATO institute, an office of I-69's surveyor, and the dual target(I-69 and ICC) Washington Post they way SDS normally treats military recruiters.They apparently stormed the Cato lobby and were repelled by the pigs, er, the police. There are videos of the event here and here.
The first target on the menu was the neoliberal Cato Institue, one of the thinktanks responsable for NAFTA. I-69 is being built as one of several "NAFTA superhighways."
I support them opposing Cato and the WaPo, but, as could be expected from the groups named, they went about it the completely wrong way. What they should do instead is a) behave rather than acting out, and b) work to discredit Cato and their friends.
And, in fact, Cato and their friends are extremely vulnerable to being discredited due to the huge gaps in their thinking. SDS and their friends should go to public appearances by Cato reps and ask them questions designed to reveal those gaps, then upload their responses to video sharing sites like Youtube.
If all they want to do is have a party, then they should continue to do things like this. But, if they want to have an actual impact, work to reduce Cato's credibility.
See the posts in this category for more on the NAFTA Superhighway.
[1] news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20080730121249994
June 03, 2008
Jim Hoagland/Washington Post: Obama should create North American Union
Washington Post columnist Jim Hoagland offers "The Orthodoxy of Hope". After informing us that Fidel Castro thinks Barack Obama is "the most progressive candidate for the U.S. presidency,", Hoagland says:
Here's one example of new thinking [Obama] should pursue: The United States should apply to relations with hemispheric neighbors many of the lessons of the European Union and its half-century of economic and political integration. A functioning American Union that pools sovereignty is a goal worth introducing now. But that quest cannot start by tearing down the North American Free Trade Agreement and other hemispheric trade accords. A President Obama has to be willing to sit down with the prime minister of Canada and the president of Mexico without preconditions, such as demands for treaty renegotiations.
In the past, the Washington Post's "Fact Checker", Michael Dobbs, pronounced the NAFTA Superhighway a myth. Now, the grander scheme of a North American Union is being promoted in his newspaper. Expect to see more articles attempting to mainstream the idea, as hacks switch from denying it to trying to sell it. Note also that Barack Obama came out for Bush's SPP.gov, a possible precursor to a NAU.
May 28, 2008
Lindsey Graham denies NAU, smears Buddy Witherspoon (Beth Brotherton/WYFF; Robert Morris/Myrtle Beach Online)
Buddy Witherspoon is a dentist from Columbia, South Carolina who's challenging Senator Lindsay Graham, and he's apparently basing his campaign around opposition to illegal immigration and also opposition to the North American Union.Rather than asking for evidence of plans for a NAU and doing research, Beth Brotherton from WYFF News 4 turned to Graham:
"I think most Americans would find it hard to believe, it is hard to believe, a baseless Internet rumor... People on the Internet talk about a highway built from Mexico to Canada, the countries merging, a secret plan to create a new currency, I don't know where these things come from... But the U.S., Canada and Mexico merging into one country is nothing to worry about."(It doesn't help that Witherspoon refers to the "trans-NAFTA highway" rather than the term everyone else uses, "NAFTA Superhighway".)
A slightly less disreputable article is from Robert Morris/Myrtle Beach Online, who offers "Graham foe against any merger with Mexico" (link):
"They could be carrying illegal aliens, they could be carrying smart bombs, they could be carrying munitions or they could be carrying drugs," Witherspoon said, although he never professed a firm belief in any such union. "We don't know. But if that happens, you might as well kiss your sovereignty goodbye."The referenced article (factcheck.org/elections-2008/wrong_paul.html) is from Joe Miller and it's a stock dose of mockery and intellectual dishonesty. Surely, if Robert Morris were interested in the truth he could have mentioned that other sites offer supporting evidence.
Similar theories were promoted by Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul, leading to an article called "Wrong Paul" on the nonpartisan Factcheck.org. That article calls the highway a "myth" and states that there are no plans for such a union.
Graham campaign manager Scott Farmer said Thursday night he was unaware of any secret plan or government conspiracy to merge the three countries into one, or any new international currency intended to replace the dollar.
"North American Model Parliament" meets (Canada, students, North American Forum on Integration)
From this:A simulation of a North American Parliament, designed to "develop the participants' sense of belonging to North America" and "and promote the creation of North American academia networks" is currently taking place in Montreal.This year's event's homepage is fina-nafi.org/eng/triumvirat08/default.asp. For last year's event, see this.
100 selected students from universities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico have been selected to take on the roles of Legislators, Journalists and Lobbyists, in the fourth annual Triumvirate of the North American Forum on Integration...
...The Triumvirate even has its own mock newspaper, operated by the students playing the roles of journalists. According to NAFI, the TrilatHerald, "covers the developments and evolution of the debates, the press conferences, and interviews with conference speakers, legislators and lobbyists."
This highlights the importance the architects of the North American union agenda place upon the role of the media. Public perception is key, reporting on the movement must be strictly framed to project a positive image and this is why the role of journalists is placed on a par with that of legislators and lobbyists by the organizers...
The board of directors of NAFI includes Stephen Blank, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Robert Pastor, vice chairman of the CFR Task Force on North America and professor and director of the Center for North American Studies at American University...
April 20, 2008
SPP North American Leaders Summit April 21, 22 in New Orleans
The fourth annual "North American Leaders Summit" - part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership started by George Bush - will be held Monday and Tuesday in New Orleans and will be attended by Bush, Felipe Calderon of Mexico, and Stephen Harper of Canada. Expect the news reports about the event to be credulous. Speaking of which, Norma Greenaway of the Canwest News Service/Ottawa Citizen offers this:
The annual leaders' gathering, popularly referred to as the Amigos Summit, is being held against the backdrop of a gripping race for the U.S. presidency where the North American Free Trade Agreement has become a favourite punching bag of Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama... The two have promised to kill or rewrite the pact if elected president as they compete for the support of voters, many of whom blame NAFTA for job losses, especially in the manufacturing sector.
Well, not exactly. Obama recently spoke in code, indicating his support for the SPP process, and of course there's GoolsbeeGate to consider. Her paper was given ("obtained") a warning to the leaders from the "North American Competitiveness Council", a group of major businesses such as Home Depot:
Among other things, [the warning] expressed frustration over "serious roadblocks" that have hampered efforts to make borders within North America more efficient and secure... "Our most critical request to the leaders is for them to ensure that the SPP remains a dynamic and effective path forward for trilateral and bilateral co-operation," says the report, urging the leaders to make clear "sustained progress on the SPP agenda is a strategic priority."... "To the extent NAFTA itself continues to be a target, efforts to "deepen NAFTA" will be largely unsuccessful," [a draft version of the warning] said... A senior U.S. official, briefing American reporters on the leaders' summit, said Friday the pact is a winner for all three countries. Dan Fisk said the value of trade among the three countries had grown to almost $1 trillion from $290 billion in 1994, the year NAFTA took effect... "We want to find ways to, frankly, convince the American people from our perspective, first and foremost that this is an arrangement that has worked for us, and it's also worked for our neighbours," said Fisk, [Senior Director in the National Security Council for the Western Hemisphere].
An earlier meeting with Condoleezza Rice resulted in Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa saying this:
"We have also discussed that we should strengthen and make a permanent commitment with the continuity of this high-level dialogue in North America at all levels and particularly at the level of heads of state and government."
Becky Bohrer of the Associated Press red baits here, following this paragraph with a quote from one of the "People's Summit" protesters with a quote from someone from the U.S. Marxist-Leninist Organization:
One target of protesters is expected to be the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. They say the pact, which aims to share information between the three governments and smooth out regulatory differences, is a threat to national sovereignty and an attempt to create a military partnership to enforce the North American Free Trade Agreement.
This quotes Fisk:
"We think NAFTA works... We think the record of its past 14 years shows that it works. There's nothing broken. Why fix a success?"
This lets something slip:
It is more like a progress report on how the three countries are integrating... Bush's agenda will start today with the reopening of the Mexican Consulate in New Orleans...
Greg Flakus of the publicly-funded Voice of America - a source not intended to spread disinformation inside America - leads with the thoughts of someone from the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau here, offering not just one but two pictures of her.
Ben Feller of the Associated Press offers this:
Tom Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the three countries benefit by working together against competition from China and India. "North America needs to maintain its economic unity," said Donohue, who is taking part in the summit.
April 02, 2008
Barack Obama: no evidence of North American Union, confirms NAFTA Superhighway (?), says not CFR member
In Lancaster, Pennsylvania on 3/31/08, an audience member asked Barack Obama whether he's a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and asks about the North American Union. He denied being a member of the CFR, and said he didn't see any evidence of the NAU. However, in his discussion of the NAU he described something sounding an awful lot like the NAFTA Superhighway. If you go to one of his appearances, read back his statements (below) and tell him that he came close to verifying something that we're told doesn't exist.
And, if Obama is truthful when he says he sees no evidence of the NAU - for instance as a gleam in the eyes of powerful people - then he's not qualified for major public office. But, we knew that already. Were he an honest and brave politician he'd acknowledge that there are plenty of signs that powerful forces want something like a NAU, and he'd work to oppose them.
Details after the clip.
Regarding the CFR, Obama says he doesn't know whether he's an "official member", but says he's spoken there in the past. He then says:
"the CFR is basically just a forum where a bunch of people talk about foreign policy... so there's no official membership... I don't have a card or an [inaudible, perhaps 'special'] handshake or anything like that..."
For the last part of that he was mocking the questioner, causing the audience to laugh right along with him. And, of course, he was lying about them just being a forum; they're obviously much more and almost all top government officials for the past several administrations have been members. In fact, here's CFR member Dick Cheney - standing next to David Rockefeller - laughing about not telling the folks back in Wyoming that he's a member: link.
Obama then pretends not to remember that the final word in NAU is "Union", asking the original questioner for the word. He says he sees no evidence of it taking place. Then, perhaps saying more than his handlers would like him to say, he goes on:
It was based partly on the fact that there's this highway being built in Texas that will facilitate more transportation and travel between Mexico and the intercontinental United States, on up to Canada so people have perceived that this potentially means that somehow there's gonna be this Union like the European Union... there's no evidence that that's taking place.
So, it runs from Mexico to Canada, and will facilitate transportation. Sounds like... an intercontinental trade corridor, no? In fact, it certainly sounds like the NAFTA Superhighway, something that hacks have worked night and day to deny. In fact, most of them, if they acknowledge the Trans Texas Corridor (TTC) at all, stop right there and don't go past, say, Oklahoma. But, brave soul that he is, Obama went all the way up to Canada.
March 13, 2008
Corporate global govenance? "Transatlantic Economic Union"? Open borders at the State Department
Today's must read article:A largely unreported meeting held at the State Department [under the auspices of the Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy, or ACIEP] discussed integration of the U.S., Mexico and Canada in concert with a move toward a transatlantic union, linking a North American community with the European Union.
...Several participants said the premise of the [Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America/SPP] is to create a North American business platform to benefit North America-based multi-national companies the way the European Union benefits its own.
Others noted the premise of the [U.S.-EU Transatlantic Economic Council/TEC] is to create a convergence of administrative rules and regulations between Europe and North America, anticipating the creation of a "Transatlantic Economic Union" between the European Union and North America.
...Other participants argued regional alliances were still important, if only to put in place the institutional bases that ultimately would lead to global governance on uniform global administrative regulations favorable to multi-national corporations.
"North America should be a premiere platform to establish continental institutions," a participant said. "That's why we need to move the security perimeters to include the whole continent, especially as we open the borders between North American countries for expanding free trade."
...[One presentation included] Open Borders – to facilitate the free movement of labor to markets where employment opportunities are available.
The discussion pointed out the SPP trilateral working groups and the Transatlantic Economic Council were being supported by top-level Cabinet officers and the heads of state in both the EU and in North America.
WND also reported the Transatlantic Policy Network, a non-governmental organization headquartered in Washington and Brussels and advised by a bi-partisan congressional policy group chaired by Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, has called for the creation of a Transatlantic Common Market between the U.S. and the European Union by 2015...
March 03, 2008
The Laura Carlsen Farce (denies North American Union from slightly-honest Left)
Laura Carlsen of the "Americas Program, Center for International Policy" (who also blogs at americasmexico.blogspot.com) offers "The North American Union Farce" (link). She raises issues with the Security and Prosperity Partnership, but she also disputes that it could be a precursor to a North American Union. This is the "slightly-honest Left" version of NAU denials, as opposed to those on the Left who are useful idiots or worse and who reflexively dismiss all concerns simply because of those who express those concerns (a recent example: Alex Pareene). She has her own issues to deal with:
While the lack of transparency and the U.S. corporate and security-dominated agenda of the SPP are cause for great concern, they are not evidence of a plot to move toward a North American Union. Among the most bizarre assumptions of NAU scaremongers is the contention that the SPP will threaten U.S. sovereignty and erase borders. The idea of a regional union that effaces U.S. sovereignty is light-years away from George W. Bush's foreign policy of unilateral action and disdain for international law and institutions. On the contrary, the precepts of the Bush administration's foreign policy point to a return to the neocon belief that the world would be a better place if the U.S. government just ran everything.
Of course, under some form of continental integration, the U.S. - or at least U.S.-based elites working with elites in the other countries - would be the ones running things, all comfortably unilateraly.
Then, it's on to the, "stop worrying about your issues, worry about mine!" part:
Given the absolute lack of factual data to support the existence of a secret plan to create a North American Union, it's tempting to assume that the NAU scare was put forth as a red herring to divert attention from real issues facing the country. By channeling the insecurities of white working-class Americans into belief in an attack on U.S. sovereignty, the NAU myth obscures the very real globalization issues raised by NAFTA—job loss, labor insecurity, the surge in illegal immigration, and racial tensions caused by the portrayal of immigrants as invaders. This is convenient for both rightwing politicians and the government and business elites they attack because real solutions to these problems would include actions anathema to the right, including unionization, enforcement of labor rights, comprehensive immigration reform, and regulation of the international market. Instead, these options are shunted aside with the redefinition of the problem as a conspiracy of anti-American elites.
1. It would be extraordinarily foolish to wait for a smoking gun before worrying about the possibility of a NAU emerging.
2. Those racial tensions aren't caused by a small number of commentors referring to an "invasion", but to the presence itself of the illegal aliens.
3. The elites trying to encourage the rest of us to think they're conspiring against us is the cover for what's in effect a conspiracy by the elites? Does that make sense to anyone else?
4. Needless to say, many of those on the right support "comprehensive immigration reform", something that would assist the elites and something that would make the situation even worse.
5. Those who support "free" trade are obviously quite willing to fluff up the pillows a bit; witness Barack Obama's proposals to slightly left-ify NAFTA, something that has no doubt been vetted as acceptable by those who support "free" trade. See, of course, his recent article in which, speaking in code, he came out in support of the SPP.
Alberta government removes NAFTA Superhighway map from their website
The Alberta, Canada government's Infrastructure and Transportation Department's website used to include a map showing the NAFTA Superhighway on an image of North America, designated as such. Now, the page with the map has been removed:
www.infratrans.gov.ab.ca/INFTRA_Content/docType56/Production/pol306.htm
Fortunately, you can see the map here, here, here, and here, as well as below:
5/28/08 UPDATE: I found another copy of the map here: infratrans.gov.ab.ca/2760.htm
February 22, 2008
Why Alex Pareene is a tool
Alex Pareene - formerly with Wonkette and now with Gawker - offers a fifth-graders attempt at North American Union/NAFTA Superhighway debunking here. The only problem is... there's nothing there, just snark and bad attempts at humor. He evens links to the Michael Dobbs debunking at the Washington Post (link), apparently without realizing how many of the comments there debunked the debunking.
In the unlikely event that anyone would ever take anything Alez Pareene says seriously, see the other posts in this category or even just the comments at the WaPo link. Many of those on the left in the U.S. are useful idiots for those who favor schemes like the NAU; those behind the schemes know they can count on those useful idiots to in effect support something just because of the opposition, in this case Lou Dobbs, World Net Daily, and so forth. On the other hand, opposition to these schemes in Canada comes from both the right and the left.
Here's my running list of North American Union apologists.
6/10/08 UPDATE: Now he's spinning the Bilderberg meeting:
gawker.com/tag/conspiracies/?
i=5015021&t=secret-new-world-order-meeting-inspires-awesome-blast-emails
February 20, 2008
Barack Obama promises "security and prosperity in North America" (work with Mexico, immigration "reform")
Yet another laundry list of promises is available in the article "I will repair our relationship with Mexico" (link), supposedly written by Barack Obama himself. It contains two phrases with "prosperity" and "security" together in relation to North America and even the use of "partnership" at the end. Those three words are also in the name of a government effort called the Security and Prosperity Partnership (spp.gov), something that may be a precursor to a North American Union. Given the use of those terms - and the fact that he mentions SPP meetings - that probably wasn't accidental and he may be dog whistling to those in the loop. (He's not alone in using those words: Fred Thompson's slogan was "Security, Unity, Prosperity".)Under George W. Bush, the United States has not lived up to its historic role as a leader in the Western Hemisphere. As president, I will restore that leadership by working to advance the common prosperity and security of all of the people of the Americas. That work must begin with a renewed strategic partnership with Mexico.Calderon did meet with an Obama co-chair, and he may have avoided Washington because he needed the time to visit their outposts, or national politicians realized how damaging it would be to be seen with him, or he didn't want to be too obvious. And, of course, Obama is being unkind: Bush has done his best to reach out to Mexico, even going as far as making a pledge to the Mexican government.
...Mexico's President Felipe Calderon just traveled across the United States but didn't even go to Washington, which isn't that surprising given how little Mr. Bush has done to improve relations.
Then, it's on to the part explicitly about the SPP meetings:
Starting my first year in office, I will convene annual meetings with Mr. Calderon and the prime minister of Canada. Unlike similar summits under President Bush, these will be conducted with a level of transparency that represents the close ties among our three countries. We will seek the active and open involvement of citizens, labor, the private sector and non-governmental organizations in setting the agenda and making progress.Those NGOs would probably include unsavory groups which Obama has outreached to, and whether the institutional forces that favor the SPP would allow him any form of actual transparency is doubtful. I think we can put that down as "far-left groups + citizen useful idiots who'll be used for show."
Then, he (surprise!) promotes "comprehensive immigration reform", i.e., amnesty as well as anti-drug trafficking measures. And:
It's also time to develop a bilateral strategy for lifting up our border communities. Six and a half million Americans live in cities and towns next to the border, and 61 million Americans live in the four states that border Mexico. Too often we neglect the unique needs of these communities, which are integrated with their sister cities across the border. As president, I will work with state and local governments to enhance cross-border partnerships in transportation, law enforcement, environmental protection, health care and water usage.Some cities like El Paso and smaller towns are somewhat integrated with their neighbors, but perhaps we should remind Obama that there's a border there, and those cities and towns are part of the U.S. not Mexico. I don't think that's as strong a distinction for him as it should be and as it is for the vast majority of Americans.
Then, he wants to "amend" - not repeal or sharply overhaul - NAFTA. This is the standard Democratic line of fluffing the pillows of those affected by that deal. And, he wants to send unspecified money to Mexico, pretending that that will somehow reduce illegal immigration.
Then, it's on to the "We Can Stop The Hate"-style part:
Finally, we have to recognize the connection between our rhetoric and our relations – both with Mexico and within our own borders. We can and should have a robust debate about immigration reform, but we should never demonize or scapegoat any ethnic group. Already, we have seen an unacceptable spike in hate crimes aimed at Latinos across America. This has proven divisive here at home, and it risks poisoning our relations with Latin America.Obama has no interest in a "robust" debate, he simply wants to shut the voices of millions out of the debate by calling them names and smearing them as "scapegoaters".
Then, he uses all three SPP words in the same paragraph. I wonder who he's trying to send a message to:
Our relationship with Mexico should serve as a bridge to greater security and prosperity in North America and to better relations with Latin America. But we cannot achieve this partnership unless we engage in sustained and focused diplomacy, and develop a more effective working relationship with our neighbor to the south.
February 17, 2008
Vicente Fox asked about North American Union (We Are Change group)
The We Are Change group - aka "The Truthers" - asked Vicente Fox about the North American Union at a recent speech he gave, and even followed him down the escalator asking him more questions. Unfortunately, the questions were lame and generated meaningless replies. I also wonder exactly when this was made; I posted about a visit he made to L.A. in January of last year. Their writeup on the "interview" is here, but that doesn't include a date when the video was made.
While it's good that they did this, it would have been far better if they'd asked better, more specific questions that a) would be more accessible to those who aren't familiar with this topic, and b) that couldn't be answered with stock replies.
February 09, 2008
Felipe Calderon wants to "integrate the economies in the Western Hemisphere" (James McKinley)
James C. McKinley Jr. of the New York Times interviewed Mexican president Felipe Calderon about his upcoming U.S. tour (link):
In the interview, Mr. Calderon argued that the only way the Americas could remain competitive in a world where China and Europe were emerging as major powers once again is to integrate the economies in the Western Hemisphere. He warned that the United States was losing influence.
On a side note, McKinley also gives a false impression in this:
In an interview on Thursday, Mr. Calderon said he found the recent immigrant bashing in American society deeply troubling.
If McKinley wanted to be a real reporter - instead of someone who's just good at note-taking - he would have put "bashing" in quotes and forced Calderon to defend his assertion. As it is, that characterization is coming from the NYT itself.
January 09, 2008
Will Wilkinson/Cato openly promotes North American Union
A tactic used by those who seek to deny that powerful forces are pushing for a North American Union is first to deny that such a plan exists, and then to say something like, "but, if it did, would it be such a bad thing?"One of those trying to retail the idea of a NAU is Will Wilkinson of the Cato Institute, who, speaking on the radio show Marketplace, says:
There are some who believe a grave threat to American sovereignty looms over the horizon. A shadowy cabal, they say, is planning a massive "NAFTA superhighway," a new North American currency, and a common market in goods and labor. It will all culminate in an E.U.-like North American Union.Obviously, all the arguments against the NAU scheme apply, including the fact that subjecting U.S. citizens to decisions by Mexican and Canadian bureaucrats, undermining the U.S. Constitution, and giving the corrupt Mexican government even more political power inside the U.S. are the opposite of freedom.
It turns out this is mostly fantasy. But the fantasy is more dream than nightmare. Because some aspects of a North American Union would leave Americans and our neighbors both richer and freer.
...The best solution to America's immigration problem is not a wall or a new crackdown on the hiring of undocumented workers. It's NAFTA's unfinished business: a common North American labor market. It's illogical and impractical to create a single North American economy that integrates markets for goods, capital, raw materials, services, and information but tries to keep labor markets divided...
Click his name above to read about a Reason Magazine article written by Wilkinson that closely tracked a satire I'd written a couple weeks earlier and sent to that magazine as a real proposal.
December 09, 2007
Matt Stearns/McClatchy smears Ron Paul, joins list of NAFTA Superhighway deniers
Matt Stearns of McClatchy Newspapers offers "Out of bounds! Paul pushes NAFTA highway myth" (link):
In an anti-NAFTA radio ad that's airing in Iowa, Paul denounces "powerful elites" who "want to completely erase our borders with Canada and Mexico. These special interests threaten us with a total loss of sovereignty. The NAFTA superhighway, a part of this scheme, has threatened to force thousands off their land. Some believe the highway's path will go right through Iowa. As your president, I will stop all efforts to take away America's freedom. I have always opposed and will continue to fight against NAFTA and the North American Union."
He says that lowers Paul's credibility because:
There is no NAFTA superhighway being built or in the planning stages, and no sovereignty-busting North American Union, according to federal, state and local officials. They call it an Internet urban myth spread by nativist commentators who combine legitimate efforts to improve the nation's transportation infrastructure with their rabble-rousing conspiracies.
Gosh knows we can always believe what officials tell us; whether Stearns actually buys this or is just trying to sell it, it's clear that he has no interest in doing any sort of due diligence and reporting all sides of the issue.
There have been a spate of North American Union/NAFTA Superhighway "debunking" articles printed lately, including from the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe and Newsweek (see the last link). And, all of them attempt to portray those who bring up these issues as tinfoil hatters rather than acting as skeptical investigators. And, in all cases they're received pushback from commenters. Note also a similar smear attempt by CNN during the last GOP debate.
Why do none of those reports even remotely approach anything similar to real investigative journalism? Why do they all have the same kneejerk tone, and rely on the word of government officials? And, why do they continue to print articles like this even after receiving a large amount of pushback?
December 03, 2007
"NAFTA Superhighway" confirmed by Manitoba government
On November 20, 2007, the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Manitoba, Canada (John Harvard) opened the session with his Speech from the Throne (gov.mb.ca/throne.html, cached), and in it he confirmed the existence of what he called a "Mid-Continent Trade Corridor". The only difference between that and the "NAFTA Superhighway" appears to be the name:...In addition, Manitoba has been working with the Canadian government and state governments in the U.S. to protect and enhance our access to key trade markets. In response to U.S. border security measures, Manitoba will begin offering an enhanced driver’s licence as an affordable and secure form of identification for travelers. The new licence will be available in the fall of 2008.I wonder exactly what the NAU/NSH apologists will say now; will they pretend it's just an "interplanetary" conspiracy theory as Stephen Harper and George Bush did at the recent SPP summit?
Manitoba is also taking a major role in the development of a Mid-Continent Trade Corridor, connecting our northern Port of Churchill with trade markets throughout the central United States and Mexico. To advance the concept, an alliance has been built with business leaders and state and city governments spanning the entire length of the Corridor. When fully developed, the trade route will incorporate an "in-land port" in Winnipeg with pre-clearance for international shipping...
The video here contains the part of the speech above, and juxtaposes it with excerpts from the SPP meeting.
12/08/07 UPDATE: Jerome Corsi picks up on this with "Canada openly proclaims NAFTA Superhighway/Readers bombard Newsweek with evidence after adverse story on Ron Paul":
A Destination-Winnipeg trade group website [destinationwinnipeg.ca/98] identifies the Mid-Continent Trade Corridor as "the northern gateway of this vast Corridor, a network of highways and railways linking the business community with cities to the south, through the U.S. and into Mexico."Also see infratrans.gov.ab.ca/2760.htm and infratrans.gov.ab.ca/2766.htm
The Canadian government's Canada Transport website [wd.gc.ca/mediacentre/1999/mar05-1a_e.asp] describes the Mid-Continent International Trade Corridor as a rail and highway network which stretches from Manitoba to Mexico...
"We have had that map with the NAFTA Superhighway on our website for 5 years or more," Jerry Bellikka, director of communications for the Alberta Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation told WND in a telephone interview...
"No," Bellinkka answered directly [when asked whether they're going to get rid of the map on their site]. "We have no plan to change the designation of NAFTA Superhighway on our website."
November 07, 2007
Vicente Fox wants "open work force" in Americans (flat, open spaces)
I'll bet George Bush wishes he'd just keep his mouth shut. At an appearance in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania:[Vicente Fox] called for shared agreements between countries in the Americas, creating an open work force...I'd really like a transcript to find out whether he said literal "open borders".
...Fox referenced New York Times' columnist Thomas Friedman, calling "the world flat" and saying that NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) worked well for the U.S., Canada and Mexico to create jobs, even if American manufacturing jobs were exported. He told the audience that open borders would create economic prosperity for the U.S., an "aging nation" that will need workers.
He called for Congress to handle immigration reform, because without reform it left "open spaces" that would be filled by people preying on hate. He didn't mention Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta or that city's illegal immigration act directly during the speech or his 20-minute news conference before the event, but he discussed "local communities" forced to handle the immigration issue...Groups protested outside; per this:
"I am not for illegality, but these people came here because someone offered them a job," Fox said. "They love this nation, they contribute to the betterment of this nation."
Ten minutes into his speech Fox referenced plans in the U.S. to build a wall along the Mexican-American border. He would use the term "wall" at least 20 times during his speech and called such actions deplorable...
Several of our patriots actually did go to the speech by Vicente Fox. They walked up, bought tickets and went in. Bruce DeCell of 9-11 Families for a Secure America was quickly singled out by those at the speech and he was told he had to leave or he would be arrested, even though he didn't say or do anything.It'd be great to know more about that. More links about his whirlwind tour in "Mexico's Fox openly calls for North American Union"
October 15, 2007
"Mexico's Fox openly calls for North American Union"
Calling all North American Union apologists. Please see this:In a promotional tour for his new book, "Revolution of Hope," Fox told NPR's "Talk of the Nation" audience: "That's part of my Americas dream, that we can build our future together. We are partners with United States and Canada through NAFTA. There are other blocs in Latin America, but at the very end a continental trade agreement and union on the long term would be a way to develop ourselves and to be able to have the standards and level of living that we all need."Related:
Vicente Fox: FTAA common currency (Amero), Hillary for president, Bill Richardson, driver's licenses, lies about heathcare...
Vicente Fox promotes North American Union (Jon Stewart)
UPDATE: It's in his book too:
...On page 101, Fox writes: "I proposed a 'NAFTA Plus' plan to President Bush and Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien to move us toward a single continental economic union, modeled on the European example."
On the next page, Fox notes the White House was reluctant for this theme to be discussed openly.
"Bush shot the idea down," Fox continued. "The White House sent word that life would be easier if this Mexican cowboy would stop raising hackles with his talk of a North American Union."
October 10, 2007
Vicente Fox promotes North American Union (Jon Stewart)
Continuing his book tour, former Mexican president Vicente Fox appeared on the Jon Stewart show (link).
Like good, trained "liberals", the audience applauded this remark:
"It's my impression that fear is guiding public opinion here"
He also conflated legal cross-border trade with the border fence; the latter is, of course, designed to block illegal traffic and "trade".
Then, Fox discussed how we need more "solidarity", describing how the European Union has increased incomes in Spain, Ireland, Portugal, and Greece.
Then, Stewart almost said "North American Union" but seemed to stop himself in time:
"Would you like to see a North American U... so, what's your team? U.S., Mexico, Canada... you want Canada?"
The latter caused the trained "liberals" to erupt in laughter, completely missing the fact that Fox said that that would indeed be his team.
Stewart is just a tool, but at least he almost got some truth out there.
September 10, 2007
Sen. Byron Dorgan moves to block Mexican trucks (NAFTA)
From this:Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan plans to offer an amendment today that would block the controversial federal program allowing Mexican trucks to operate freely on roads across the U.S.9/11/07 UPDATE: Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the amendment passed the Senate 74 to 24:
Barry Piatt, spokesman for the North Dakota senator, told WND the amendment to the Fiscal 2008 Department of Transportation appropriations bill essentially will say, "None of the funds made available under this Act may be used to establish or implement a cross-border motor carrier demonstration or pilot project or program to allow Mexico-domiciled motor carriers to operate beyond the commercial zones on the United States-Mexico border."
...Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who drafted a Republican alternative to Dorgan's amendment, said the attempt to block the trucks appeared to be about limiting competition and may amount to discrimination against Mexico.
...Under NAFTA, Mexico can seek retaliation against the U.S. for failing to adhere to the treaty's requirements, including retaining tariffs on goods that the treaty eliminates, said Sidney Weintraub, a professor emeritus at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs in Austin.
John Hill, head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, decried the vote saying it is "a sad victory for the politics of fear and protectionism."...
Trans-Texas Corridor to extend south into Mexico
From this:Official Mexican government reports reveal Mexico has entered discussions with the state of Texas and top officials in the Bush administration to extend the Trans-Texas Corridor into Mexico, with a plan to connect through Monterrey to the deep-water Mexican ports on the Pacific, including Manzanillo and Lazaro Cardenas.
The official website of the Mexican northeastern state of Nuevo Leon contain multiple reports that Jose Natividad Gonzales Paras, governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, has actively discussed with numerous U.S. government officials, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the extension of the Trans-Texas Corridor into Mexico to create what's called a "Trans North America Corridor."
...[Gonzales Paras said:] "We have had interaction with the governor of Texas... We have had a very productive relationship with Rick Perry, who is also interested in what we can do to continue that which is known as the Trans-Texas Corridor, that in reality is the corridor of North America, the Trans North America Corridor, that includes railroads, bridges, passenger automobile highways, and truck highway lanes... ...One of the themes that merited the most attention on the part of the two governors was the development of the infrastructure needed for the competitive development of the region as it relates to developing the Trans-Texas Corridor in connection with the project we call the Corridor of Northeastern Mexico..."
September 08, 2007
"Mexican trucks approved for long-haul trips in U.S."
From this:Federal officials have confirmed that the first Mexican truckers have been given authorization to run their long-haul rigs throughout the United States under the Department of Transportation's Mexican trucking demonstration project.The Teamsters are trying to block it in the court, claiming that the Bush administration didn't follow the letter of the law. Rep. Peter DeFazio - Democrat from Oregon - is on their side. Perhaps if unions and the Democrats were willing to oppose illegal immigration they might find even more support for their opposition. Note also that both the Federal Motor Carrier Administration and the Department of Transportation appear to be stonewalling WND. And:
The word came during a late-night surprise teleconference held by John Hill, the administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. He told selected reporters that Transportes Olympic of Nuevo Leon was the first company to be given the authorization...
"The White House does a much better job keeping Mexico informed than the U.S. public or Congress," [Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association] said pointedly. "Since March, we have credible reports that the Bush administration has been telling groups in Mexico that the one-year pilot program is merely a formality. Bush administration officials are willing to say in Mexico that once the one year had elapsed, the border would be wide open to all Mexican trucks."
September 06, 2007
"North American hologram" on North Carolina drivers licenses
The beginning of "North American Union driver's license created/Logo intended to standardize documentation across continent" (link) certainly seems a bit tinfoilish. A map of North America appears on the back of the new type of North Carolina driver's licenses and the map looks somewhat like the map to be found on spp.gov. OK, so? After all, wouldn't concerns about things like that be in line with supposed masonic symbols on the U.S. dollar? Then:Marge Howell, spokeswoman for the North Carolina DMV, affirmed to WND the state was embedding a hologram of North America on the back of its new driver's licenses.It gets even worse at the link.
"It's a security element that eventually will be on the back of every driver's license in North America," Howell told WND.
Howell explained the hologram of the continent was the creation of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization that, according to the group's website [aamva.org], "develops model programs in motor vehicle administration, law enforcement and highway safety."
Founded in 1933, AAMVA represents state and provincial officials in the United States and Canada who administer and enforce motor vehicle laws. The government of Mexico is also a member, though the individual Mexican states have yet to join.
..."The goal of the North American hologram," Howell explained, "is to get one common element that law enforcement throughout the continent can look at on all driver's licenses and tell that the driver's license is an official document."
September 05, 2007
"U.S. under U.N. law in health emergency"
From this:The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America summit in Canada released a plan that establishes U.N. law along with regulations by the World Trade Organization and World Health Organization as supreme over U.S. law during a pandemic and sets the stage for militarizing the management of continental health emergencies.
...Under the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, Bush agreed the U.S. would work through the U.N. system influenza coordinator to develop a continental emergency response plan operating through authorities under the WTO, North American Free Trade Agreement and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
WND could find no evidence the Bush administration presented the Influenza Partnership plan to Congress for oversight or approval...
September 04, 2007
Rudy Giuliani tied to Trans Texas Corridor, "NAFTA Superhighway" (CNN/Youtube debate)
Rudy Giuliani claimed that he'd never heard of the "NAFTA Superhighway" but his law firm is deeply involved in the Texas leg of the project.
Here's a relatively mild question I put together for the upcoming CNN/Youtube debate about that discrepancy; please go to his campaign appearances and try to ask him this question:
"NAFTA Superhighway" is the term some use for the apparent plan to build a massive transportation system running through the middle of the U.S. It would allow cheap Chinese goods to be shipped directly to the U.S. and Canada from non-unionized Mexican ports, bypassing U.S. ports on the west coast.
Giuliani's law firm (Bracewell & Giuliani) represents a major company (Cintra from Spain) involved in the Texas leg of the Superhighway, called the "Trans Texas Corridor".
Was Giuliani not aware of his firm's involvement, or was he just "confused" over the term "NAFTA Superhighway"?
(Note, of course, that this is yet another video that CNN will bypass in order to show lightweight questions from snowmen. Please write their political director and let him know what you think: sam.feist *at* cnn.com )
August 24, 2007
Canada: Quebec police admit to infiltrating SPP protest
The Surete du Quebec has admitted that the three "black bloc"-style protesters at the recent Security and Prosperity Partnership meeting in Montebello were in fact police officers as a union leader has previously claimed. However, the Quebec police claim that they weren't there as "agents provocateurs" but were in fact there to prevent violence. For the backstory, see Les agents provocateurs at SPP protest in Canada?
In related news, the North American Union apologists entry has been updated.
UPDATE: Even if you support police going undercover at protests, and even if you support them posing as black bloc members rather than, say, hippies, it's a bit difficult to support the fact that one of the cops had a rock in his hand. While he never used it, why did he have a rock in his hand? For that extra touch of the echt?
August 22, 2007
Les agents provocateurs at SPP protest in Canada?
At the recent Security and Prosperity Partnership meeting in Canada, Canadian police may have used agent provocateurs in an attempt to discredit the crowd. We have received this communique:
Video footage of the arrest of police officers posing as demonstrators at Montebello, August 20, will be shown today at a news conference at the offices of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada. "We have proof that the three individuals who were "arrested" after being exposed as "agents provocateurs" were, in fact, members of the Quebec police force," says CEP President Dave Coles, and we plan to do what it takes to bring this matter to justice." CEP Secretary-Treasurer Gaétan Ménard, Barb Byers of the CLC and Council of Canadians President Maude Barlow will also be in attendance.
There's video of the incident here; it's a bit hard to follow if you aren't Canadian. There's a news report on the protesters here; video of a tear gas attack here; far-left "immigrants rights" protesters here; supposed Communists/anarchists burning an American flag here; and, if you want to see a dirty hippy who speaks broken English with a French/Canadian accent together with an incompetent juggler, click here. Needless to say, it would probably be best if those type of people sought their therapy elsewhere.
Bush doesn't deny North American Union
From this:President Bush today sidestepped a direct question about whether he'd be willing to categorically deny there is a plan to create the North American Union.Here's that portion of Bush's thoughts:
Instead, he ridiculed those who believe that is taking place as conspiracy theorists.
"We represent three great nations. We each respect each other's sovereignty. You know, there are some who would like to frighten our fellow citizens into believing that relations between us are harmful for our respective peoples. I just believe they're wrong. I believe it's in our interest to trade; I believe it's in our interest to dialogue; I believe it's in our interest to work out common problems for the good of our people.Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper also got his digs in, saying there wasn't going to be a NAFTA superhighway and that it wasn't going to be "interplanetary" either. He also stated that much of the talks involved jellybean standards. What a joker!
"And I'm amused by some of the speculation, some of the old – you can call them political scare tactics. If you've been in politics as long as I have, you get used to that kind of technique where you lay out a conspiracy and then force people to try to prove it doesn't exist. That's just the way some people operate. I'm here representing my nation. I feel strongly that the United States is a force for good, and I feel strongly that by working with our neighbors we can a stronger force for good.
"So I appreciate that question. I'm amused by the difference between what actually takes place in the meetings and what some are trying to say takes place. It's quite comical, actually, when you realize the difference between reality and what some people are talking on TV about."
I note that even Mike Huckabee (link), John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Rudy Giuliani have issued stronger (sounding) oppositions to the plan. Are the comments above simply yet another example of Bush being an idiot, or does he know more than they do?
UPDATE: Here's video of Bush making his statement from Wolf Blitzer's show (link). It's almost like Bush is trying to make people think there's a conspiracy. Instead of looking into the matter, both Wolfie and Suzanne Malveaux get a chuckle out of the whole idea that some could be pushing for a NAU. They truly are crack "journalists".
August 20, 2007
Not much reporting at SPP meeting (Montebello, Canada)
The leaders of the U.S. (George Bush), Canada (Stephen Harper), and Mexico (Felipe Calderon) are meeting in Montebello, Canada to discuss the SPP ("Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America", spp.gov). Some say, and I tend to mostly agree, this is the precursor to a North American Union in which the three countries would be joined EU-style.As could be expected, the mainstream media isn't doing their job and reporting on what's actually involved and trying to find out what it all means.
The best of a bad lot is "Police tear gas, pepper spray protesters at Montebello summit" (link), and only because it contains actual mainstream thoughts from some of those opposing the summit:
...Susan Howard-Azzey, a homemaker from St.catharines, Ont., criticized what she called the lack of transparency and consultation in the SPP process.* "Clashes erupt at summit protest" discusses how most of the protesters are a bit wacky, without trying to discuss the stands of those who aren't (link).
"I'm not impressed that the SPP is making such big decisions on behalf of Canadians without consulting us and when we go out to the streets we're criminalized."
A group of powerful business executives has been invited to make a closed-door presentation Tuesday at the summit on changes they believe the continent needs. No such invitation was extended to scientists, environmentalists, or other social activists.
...Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians said people shouldn't be fooled about who really sets the agenda at these summits: the 30 business leaders who sit on the North American Competitiveness Council.
The group comprises leaders from 10 companies in each country and includes corporations like Wal-Mart, General Electric and weapons-maker Lockheed Martin. They advise the three national governments on facilitating trade.
Barlow called for a moratorium on the "profoundly anti-democratic" SPP until the citizens of all three countries are consulted and their elected representatives are given oversight over the business-driven initiative...
* Jim Rutenberg of the New York Times offers "Bush's Talks With Neighbors Are Overshadowed by Storm", which contains nothing of note. It mentions the protests in the final paragraph without going into any detail.
* The interview Ray Suarez conducted with former Canadian PM Kim Campbell and former Mexican foreign minister Jorge Castaneda is likewise insipid (link), and doesn't even discuss the protests.
* "SPP deal could create common border standards" (link) describes some of the things they're discussing:
* Working on biometric systems -- incorporating unique identifiers like iris scans and fingerprints -- to improve the security for passports, visas, permanent resident cards, transportation credentials and other border documents.Related:
* Implementing immigration measures that include requirements for admission and length of stay, visa decision-making standards, border lookout systems for wanted individuals, and the possibility of entry and exit procedures, and
* Devising ways to share data on high-risk travellers such as suspected terrorists and other criminals.
Ben Feller/AP whitewashes Bush Canada trip (SPP)
August 18, 2007
Letter: 22 House members oppose North American integration talks on Bush Canada visit
From this:Twenty-two members of the U.S. House of Representatives – 21 Republicans and a Democrat [Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kansas] – are urging President Bush to back off his North American integration efforts when he attends the third summit meeting on the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America next week in Montebello, Quebec.
They make it clear that continuing any such agenda at this point would be disregarding growing apprehension in Congress about the plans.
"As you travel to Montebello, Canada later this month for a summit with your Canadian and Mexican counterparts, we want you to be aware of serious and growing concerns in the U.S. Congress about the so-called Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) you launched with these nations in 2005," the letter said...
Ben Feller/AP whitewashes Bush Canada trip (SPP)
Ben Feller of the Associated Press offers what's called here "Bush to Tighten Ties With Mexico, Canada". After an initial smackdown, it reads a bit like a Commerce Department press release:Never fond of interrupting his Texas vacation, President Bush is doing it this year to bolster ties with the leaders of Canada and Mexico, two friendly neighbors and vital partners.At least he admits it, but perhaps Feller could have spelled out what "integration" means. Then:
Bush joins Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon in Montebello, Quebec, on Monday [at the North American Leaders' Summit] in hopes of expanding cooperation among their countries, which enjoy the largest trading partnership in the world.
...Instead, the broad theme is economic prosperity, built around several topics: border security, competitiveness with India and China, product safety and energy solutions.
..."What's really important is that they continue to reflect the significance of North American integration -- the fact that there are post 9/11 problems, but they aren't going to undermine trade and investment," said Charles Doran, a scholar at John Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.
...Still, many people in Mexico are wary of U.S. intervention [relating to drugs], fearing it could threaten their sovereignty. That is a common worry in cross-border efforts.Tell us more about that. Oops, he didn't.
Protests are expected, although the resort will be under tight security and access is limited.Why there would be protesters isn't explained, nor does he discuss the curious security cordon they'll establish.
Then, an offhand reference to the SPP (spp.gov):
The first meeting, in Texas, launched a partnership in which the countries have tried to harmonize their security and economic programs.
August 13, 2007
Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney know nothing about NAFTA Superhighway. Nothing!
On July 30, Michael Luo of the New York Times offered the blog post "Rumors of a Superhighway", refering to the NAFTA variety. Apparently the candidates for president are being asked about it, but, as with other questions they're being asked the questions are too general and allow the candidates to play semantic games. There's a video outtake at the link where Mitt Romney claims to know nothing about it and supports U.S. sovereignty. Then, McCain is asked about it and says he wants to calm the questioner's fears: "we will not be united with any of those two other countries."That's a relief, but I'm a bit skeptical, especially since one of those trying to calm our fears is the NYT:
So, fact or fiction?Gosh knows, we can always take unnamed "federal officials" at their word. That's some good reporting there, I tell you. And, here's another instance of good reporting:
Federal officials say the latter. Elements of the concept have roots in ideas pushed by private and state-level entities promoting commerce across the continent, they said, adding the notion of a federal project for a behemoth highway bisecting the heart of the country and erasing America’s borders is an urban legend that has spread wildly on the Internet and talk radio. The candidates, though, still want you to know they are against it.
A befuddled Rudolph W. Giuliani got the question recently in Concord, N.H., where he told a woman that he had never heard of the highway.Apparently Michael Luo missed this:
...At the center of negotiations for multiple legs of the Superhighway Corridor throughout Texas, is none other than Rudolph Giuliani's law firm which landed the Comprehensive Development Agreement for a widening of Interstate-35, now referred to as the TTC-35, in addition to the Master Development Plans for State Highways 121 and 130 among other legs of the TTC. All negotiations for Cintra were and are presently handled by the law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, LLP, of which Republican Presidential candidate, Rudolph Giuliani, has been a senior executive partner since March 2005. His law firm is the exclusive legal counsel for Cintra...It's up to citizen journalists - and not the MSM - to find out where the candidates really stand. First, the questions need to be more specific, such as regarding Giuliani's links to the plan or asking people like McCain to assist in national anti-NAU legislation such as that proposed by various states, asking him to exercise more oversight, or asking him to assist with filing FOIA requests. And, the questions and answers need to be videotaped by someone other than the NYT and then uploaded to various video sharing sites.
Related:
The North American Union apologists entry has been updated.
July 25, 2007
"Declaration of North American Integration" doesn't mean North American Union!
Just because two mayors (Kay Barnes, formerly of Kansas City MO and Mick Cornett currently of Oklahoma City) and various other officials and business leaders from the U.S., Mexico and Canada signed something called the "Declaration of North American Integration" back in 2004 doesn't mean they support the fabled "North American Union", which is just an invention of Internet conspiracy kooks.Just because this document (PDF) consistently refers to "North American integration" and treats the three countries as if they were one doesn't mean anything!
No sirree!
The document was presented at the May 2004 summit meeting of the North American International Trade Corridor Partnership, or NAITCP. According to an Internet-archived summary report of the meeting, held in Kansas City, Mo., the document was signed by 90 people...Others signing on included Chris Gutierrez of the Kansas City SmartPort, James Jones (Former Ambassador of the United States to Mexico), Geronimo Gutierrez, and the ubiquitous Robert Pastor. Corporations involved included Bayer and Kansas City Southern Industries.
"Oklahoma has been at work for almost 15 years to get I-35 designated as a NAFTA superhighway," [Adam Rott, founder of watchdog blog Oklahoma Corridor Watch] said. "I want to wake Oklahomans up to the reality that Oklahoma is on the front lines of the battle being waged by investment bankers, foreign investment consortia and politicians who stand to benefit to expand the TTC-35 north into Oklahoma."
...On June 24, 2005, NAITCP signed a memorandum of understanding with the North America SuperCorridor Coalition, or NASCO, effectively absorbing NAITCP into NASCO. An archived NASCO webpage no longer displayed on the current NASCO website documents that NAITCP had its origin as a "non-profit organization in Mexico dedicated to economic development and improving trade relations through the heartland of America to Canada and Mexico."
FWIW UPDATE: OKC mayor Mick Cornett now says:
"I do not favor the North American Union... It was a pretty stupid thing to get involved with three years ago. I don't necessarily remember what I was thinking at the time, but I can speak for now and I do not favor a North American Union."
June 21, 2007
Canadians, others to protest SPP meeting in August (oil, water reserves)
From this:Activists already are preparing to protest the third summit meeting of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America [scheduled for Aug. 20 and 21 in Montebello, Quebec, at the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello resort], a trilateral initiative between the U.S., Canada and Mexico seen by critics as a major step toward a North American Union, according to WND columnist Jerome Corsi, author of a new book on the subject, "The Late Great USA."
...Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is scheduled to host the Quebec summit, which will be attended by Mexican President Felipe Calderon and President Bush.
...The first SPP summit was held in Waco, Texas, March 23, 2005. The second took place in was held in Cancun, Mexico, in March 2006.
...The Council of Canadians held a March 30-April 1 "teach in" titled "Integrate This! Challenging the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America." A brochure on the Council of Canadians website says SPP "is moving Canada quickly toward a continental resource pact, a North American security perimeter and harmonized military and security policies."
...Canadian activists have argued a major goal of the CSIS study is to identify Canadian oil and fresh water as continental "North American natural resources" which, under SPP, could be diverted to U.S. cities without fair compensation to Canada.
June 05, 2007
U.S. military, National Guard go North America wide; usable for wide range of domestic issues...
From this:Under the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, or SPP, the military of the United States and Canada are advancing NORTHCOM into a domestic military command structure, with authority extending to Mexico, even though Mexico has not formally joined with the current United States-Canadian NORTHCOM command structure.
Connecting a number of recent developments, President Bush appears to have positioned the U.S. military and the National Guard acting under presidential authority to intervene in a wide range of domestic incidents that could occur anywhere in North America...
...Section 1076 of the John Warner Defense Appropriation Act for Fiscal Year 2007 grants the president the right to commandeer federal troops or state National Guard to use them domestically. The language of that legislation allows the president to use federal troops or the National Guard in federal service in a wide range of emergencies, including natural disasters, epidemics or other public health emergencies, terrorist attacks, insurrections, or domestic violence, including conspiracies to commit domestic violence...
...On May 16, Gen. Victor E. Renuart, commander of NORAD and USNORTHCOM, told the press AS-NE 07 "allowed us to validate the incredible amount of planning that has gone on since Hurricane Katrina, not only to respond to things like a hurricane, but also to ensure that the agencies responsible for homeland security and homeland defense really can work together under a series of demanding scenarios."
May 27, 2007
"North American union plan headed to Congress in fall"
From this:A powerful think tank chaired by former Sen. Sam Nunn and guided by trustees including Richard Armitage, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Harold Brown, William Cohen and Henry Kissinger, is in the final stages of preparing a report to the White House and U.S. Congress on the benefits of integrating the U.S., Mexico and Canada into one political, economic and security bloc.There's much more at the link, and their report is here: canadians.org/water/documents/NA_Future_2025.pdf
The final report, published in English, Spanish and French, is scheduled for submission to all three governments by Sept. 30, according to the Center for Strategic & International Studies [csis.org].
CSIS boasts of playing a large role in the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 – a treaty that set in motion a political movement many believe resembles the early stages of the European Community on its way to becoming the European Union.
May 24, 2007
Philip Dine/St. Louis Post-Dispatch: North American Union just "urban legend"
Philip Dine of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch offers 'Urban legend of "North American Union" feeds on fears'. That appears to be the original title, it doesn't appear to have been printed in his own paper, and it's accompanied by a handy chart listing other "urban legends". The latter are obvious ones, such as the perennial favorite about a rebate from Microsoft. (They use Snopes.com as a source for those "legends", despite that site not being known for their accuracy or ability to admit their mistakes.)While Dine does provide the anti-NAU side, and he isn't as much an apologist as Michael Medved, and it's good to see the MSM at least mentioning the scheme, the tone of the article is dismissive. It starts like this:
Forget conspiracy theories about JFK's assassination, black helicopters, Sept. 11, 2001. This is the big one.There's a summary of the rest from Cliff Kincaid:
On another front, White House spokesman Tony Snow calls the North American Union (NAU) a "myth," despite the abundant evidence of White House involvement in the development of a North American identification card and security strategy. This is how the subject of national sovereignty gets marginalized and dismissed. In this case, our "adversary press" meekly accepts the White House line. Echoing Snow, Philip Dine of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has written an article saying the NAU is based on an Internet "rumor" with a "few grains of truth" that has led people to "an unsubstantiated conclusion." It is apparent that he didn't attend the "North American Law" conference which I covered, featuring wide-ranging discussions on how the North American Free Trade Agreement is leading to the integration of the economic, legal and political systems of the U.S, Canada and Mexico.There are more things the "debunkers" fail to mention here.
In the article, other "debunkers" are:
"There is absolutely no U.S. government plan for a NAFTA Superhighway of any sort," said David Bohigian, an assistant secretary of commerce. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., a powerful member of committees that would authorize and pay for a North American Free Trade Agreement Superhighway if one were being planned, dismissed the notion as "unfounded theories" with "no credence."Well if two Commerce Department officials and two quite possibly corrupt academics say it ain't so, it ain't so. But, as a capper, Robert Pastor, the American University professor to whom conspiracy theorists point as "the father of the NAU" says:
...Matt Englehart, spokesman for the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration, said the North American partnership "is absolutely not a precursor" to a loss of American sovereignty...
Michael Barkun, a Syracuse University political scientist who specializes in conspiracy theories, said a major theme long has been "that schemes are being hatched to destroy American sovereignty."
"The only thing that's new here is that it appears in the guise of a North American Union," he said. "Previously it appeared in the guise of U.N. domination. I think whatever appeal this has may derive from the fact that there are pre-existing concerns about trade that have been around since the creation of NAFTA, and even more strongly the immigration issue in the sense of border security. So in a way it becomes an issue onto which all kinds of anxieties and concerns can be projected."
Doug Thomas, professor of communications, technology and culture at the University of Southern California, said the advent of the Internet has made conspiracy theories widely available.
"It's the speed and the distribution," he said. "People are able to join in and flush them out a little quicker, so everybody can add a piece to the puzzle."
On one recent day alone, Pastor said, he received 100 e-mails on the topic. "They get turned on by [CNN's] Lou Dobbs and [Fox's] Bill O'Reilly, who are fearful that Mexicans and Canadians are about to take over our country," Pastor said, adding that such claims are a product of "the xenophobic or frightened right wing of America that is afraid of immigration and globalization."
May 23, 2007
Wikipedia deletes, locks North American Union article
Continuing our long series of discussing how nothing in Wikipedia can be trusted and how - because it appears at the top of search results for nearly every term - it's little more than a disinformation source, plug the following into your browser:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Union
You'll find yourself at the "Independent Task Force on North America" entry with a note at the top saying, "North American Union redirects here". On the talk page, we read comments from various parties:
...The related article "North American Union" was previously deleted after being inaccurately characterized as a hoax/conspiracy theory in its AFD debate. While it is true that some WP editors did add questionable or biased material to the article, it is a very real proposal which does merit a properly-written article... I'm going to list this for NPOV review to ensure that the article sticks to the relevant and verifiable facts...OTOH, the SPP article is not only still there, but all of the links I added to the Criticisms section are also still there:
...North American Union is the only topic I've searched at Wikipedia that was deleted and locked... I find it strange that a topic COULD be locked in that way. I don't know the history and didn't see the entries that caused it to be locked, as even the discussion was deleted and locked--wtf is up with that?--stopping discussion? On the surface, it makes it appear that a conspiracy exists to prevent there being a North American Union entry...
...Yes, I was also surprised that a topic like this could be deleted and locked...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_and_Prosperity_Partnership_of_North_America
It's certainly odd that they'd wipe everything from the record like that, and it certainly makes me wonder who could have done it.
7/15/07 UPDATE: What is purported to be the pre-deletion version of the NAU article is here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Wisepiglet/North_American_Union
I don't know if that's the full article and what date/time it's from however.
May 10, 2007
Robert Pastor wants a North American Community, not a Union
Responding to his critics who say he's a guiding light behind the North American Union, Robert A. Pastor of the American University takes to the pages of WND offering his own rationalization for his plans:
Third, I do not propose a North American Union; I propose a North American Community. They are very different. A Union – like the United States – is a merger of states into a unified central government. A Community is composed of three sovereign governments that seek to strengthen bonds of cooperation. Each government – according to its constitutional procedures – retains the power to decide whether and how to cooperate. A "North American Union" could not be created by "stealth," as some fear. Indeed, any significant initiative to strengthen cooperation would require a wide-ranging and public debate and approval by Congress of all three countries.
Of course, the Bush administration is currently trying to do everything in its power to integrate the three countries. There's much that Bush can do alone; witness the recent U.S./EU pact. And, Congress has completely failed in its oversight duties.
Note also that the WND article has about thirty links appended to all the other articles they've written about the "Community, not a Union".
May 08, 2007
"Bush OKs 'integration' with European Union"
From this:President Bush signed an agreement creating a "permanent body" that commits the U.S. to "deeper transatlantic economic integration," without ratification by the Senate as a treaty or passage by Congress as a law.
The "Transatlantic Economic Integration" between the U.S. and the European Union was signed April 30 at the White House by Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel – the current president of the European Council – and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso...
...The current U.S. head of the new Transatlantic Economic Council is Allan Hubbard, assistant to the president for Economic Policy and director of the National Economic Council.
The current EU head of the council is Guenther Verhuegen, vice-President of the European Commission in charge of enterprise and industry...
May 04, 2007
Rudy Giuliani linked to NAFTA superhighway (Cintra)
From this:...At the center of negotiations for multiple legs of the Superhighway Corridor throughout Texas, is none other than Rudolph Giuliani's law firm which landed the Comprehensive Development Agreement for a widening of Interstate-35, now referred to as the TTC-35, in addition to the Master Development Plans for State Highways 121 and 130 among other legs of the TTC. All negotiations for Cintra were and are presently handled by the law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, LLP, of which Republican Presidential candidate, Rudolph Giuliani, has been a senior executive partner since March 2005. His law firm is the exclusive legal counsel for Cintra. Bracewell & Giuliani is comprised of 400 attorneys, based in Houston, TX with offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., London and Kazakhstan.
Cintra joined with San Antonio, TX-based Zachry Construction Corp. to help land the contracts, in which Zachry owns a 20% interest. The Cintra-Zachry proposal for TTC-35 includes a private investment of up to $6 billion in upfront payments for the complete construction, design and operation of a 316-mile toll road between Dallas and San Antonio, giving Cintra the right to set tolls and keep toll road profits for a period of 50 years, as it will for each road it has contracted...
March 23, 2007
Dems temporarily block Bush admin Mexican truck scheme; forgetting something?
The Bush administration wants to allow about 100 Mexican trucking companies to drive beyond the border zone. The reciprocal NAFTA provision allowing U.S. truckers to drive throughout Mexico is still being negotiated. However, the scheme hit a speed bump recently, with an amendment tacked on to the recent Iraq spending bill requiring the administration to provide more details and allow for public comment.
And, it was done by Democrats: Byron Dorgan, Dianne Feinstein, and Patty Murray; the Teamsters are opposed to this provision. Now if we could only get them interested in reducing the flow of cheap labor.
While it's certainly good what they did on this, I think a little public shame is in order as to why they've supported the importation of massive amounts of cheap labor from the same country.
"The administration is rushing to open the border to Mexican-domiciled trucks without assuring their safety and enforcement of the law of the U.S.," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen. "They can't go rushing forward in opening the border without having explained what their pilot project is." ...[Dorgan] also criticized the Bush administration for opening the border to Mexican trucks before Mexico opened the border to U.S. trucks. "They were going to implement these plans for Mexican long-haul trucks in a way that was at odds with how the Mexicans were going to treat American truckers," Dorgan said.
Such concern!
February 25, 2007
Bush administration lets Mexican truckers past border zone
From this:The news that Mexican trucks will be allowed to haul freight deeper into the United States drew an angry reaction Friday from labor leaders, safety advocates and members of Congress.She just "misspoke". If she wants to "keep our roads safe", she can work to prevent this. What she's trying to say is that the increased risk is both managed and worth it. Regarding the former, this program will probably be as well managed as other Bush programs, and regarding the latter someone is certainly standing to profit with this, and perhaps Leslie Miller of the AP should follow the money instead of just transcribing remarks.
They said Mexico has substandard trucks and low-paid drivers that will threaten national security, cost thousands of jobs and endanger motorists on the northern side of the Mexican border.
..."This program will make trade with Mexico easier and keep our roads safe at the same time," Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said Friday. She announced details of the plan to let 100 Mexican trucking companies travel beyond the border area while she was in El Paso, Texas, at the Bridge of the Americas, which connects to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
According to the Transportation Department, U.S. inspectors will inspect every truck and interview drivers to make sure they can read and speak English. They'll examine trucks and check the licenses, insurance and driving records of the Mexican drivers. Inspectors will also verify that the trucking companies are insured by U.S.-licensed firms.Expect there to be loopholes or those rules to be watered down or just not enforced.
National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman questioned how the U.S. could spare sending inspectors to Mexico when only a tiny percentage of the hundreds of thousands of U.S. truck companies are inspected every year...The trucks will start to roll in 60 days, but when American trucks will be able to drive into Mexico is still being worked out (naturally). And, those Mexican trucks won't have "black boxes" like those on aircraft to make a record of the amount of time the driver's been on the road. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) - believe it or don't - has a hearing on this matter scheduled for March 8.
...One-fourth of all U.S. trucks are taken off the road after random inspections because they're so unsafe, she said. An even higher percentage of Mexican trucks are taken off the road at Texas border crossings, she said.
Posted at 07:26 AM | Comments (2)
Prosperity promoted in closed-door Canada SPP event
The AP, always willing to act as a transcription service and not ask tough questions, offers:Promoting prosperity topped the agenda at a gathering of U.S., Canadian and Mexican Cabinet leaders Friday, but immigration and the threat of terrorism also were key topics at the gathering.Rice didn't respond by accusing the "journalist" of being high, but she should have.
Nine foreign and security ministers from the North American nations met in Ottawa, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
The Security and Prosperity Partnership talks were a lead-up to a meeting of the countries' leaders this August in Canada.
The officials reviewed a 63-page report from the North American Competitiveness Council on how to streamline border crossings, harmonize regulatory standards and improve the supply and distribution of clean energy sources. They also discussed ways in which to deal with a global bird flu pandemic, natural disasters, organized crime and drug trafficking.
After a full day of closed-door meetings, the officials addressed joint news conferences and discussed security, illegal immigration and terrorism.
...Some critics believe the Bush administration has put too great an emphasis on border security and not enough on the economic alliance. A Mexican journalist told Rice that this was the growing perception in his country.
"I think that if you look at everything from NAFTA on, including our extensive trade relationships, our extensive economic relationships, you can see that the United States and Mexico have been deeply concerned about one another's prosperity," she said. "But as the president has said, ultimately when one talks, for instance, about the issues of immigration, we want very much to see a Mexico in which Mexicans can find work and can take care of their families in Mexico."
..."I have to say it's very, very inspiring to see how vigorously President Calderon has moved, even in his brief term in office, to assert security controls when there are violations of the law," [Michael Chertoff] said.
Posted at 03:21 AM | Comments (2)
February 18, 2007
"A safer, more secure and economically dynamic North America"
The article "'North American Union' plan under fire" by Kelly Patterson says:Officials on both sides of the border strongly deny the charges that they're engineering a North American Union.Millions of us North Americans visit each others' countries each year, but somehow I think he's refering to the "save and efficient movement" of "guest" workers and similar as well.
"All three governments are sovereign democracies, and the SPP work is the kind of standard intergovernmental diplomacy and co-ordination that occurs all the time on various issues," says U.S. Department of Commerce spokesman Matt Englehart.
Any steps that would require legal changes will be vetted by Congress, Mr. Englehart adds.
The pact aims simply to "promote the safe and efficient movement of people and goods" among the three trading partners, he says.
And, a few paragraphs earlier in the article we were treated to this:
The SPP aims "to build a safer, more secure and economically dynamic North America," says Melisa Leclerc, spokeswoman for Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day.In addition to quoting Jerome Corsi and the president of the John Birch Society, we get this:
But Robert Pastor, director of the Center of North American Studies at American University and an influential proponent of economic integration, says the SPP is no threat to sovereignty.The bottom line is that he supports the formation of such a union in the future, even if he thinks many preliminary steps need to be taken first. He also said that the formation of the NAU was just a crisis away.
"The idea of a North American Union is impossible.... There's no way these national governments are going to be dissolved," he says, noting that the relationships among the three nations are very different from those in Europe.
Posted at 02:38 PM | Comments (6)
February 13, 2007
Toronto bankers promote Amero (North American common currency)
From January 3 comes this:If Canadians are going to debate the idea of a single North American currency, "now is the time it should be on the table," according to the chief economist at Toronto Dominion Bank [Don Drummond]...
[...discussion of and promotion of the Euro...]
...So, if you believe the single currency has been a good thing for Europe, could it be a good thing for North America?
"If you go back to FTA and then NAFTA," Drummond said, "the Number 1 premise behind those from a Canadian perspective was a message to the world: `Locate in Canada and you have free unfettered access to the wealthiest market in the world.'
"That was true to some extent, but you've had two irritations. One, you don't have a common currency, so you have exchange rate risk if you're operating in Canada. The second is the border difficulties.
"Clearly, a common currency, or at least a linked currency, would address one of those two," Drummond said.
[Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce/CIBC World Markets economist Benjamin Tal] argued "the costs of a single currency and the loss of monetary policy independence outweigh the benefits...
Posted at 09:57 PM | Comments (2)
February 23 Ottawa meeting: Rice & Chertoff + Mexican, Canadian counterparts
From this:As a prelude to a visit to Canada by U.S. President George W. Bush later this year, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Ottawa this month for meetings with Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay.By the time that most people have realized that the State Department was lying it will probably be too late.
Rice and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff will be joined in Ottawa on Feb. 23 by their Mexican counterparts, for a day of talks with MacKay and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day.
The meeting will be the latest installment of the three-way North American security and prosperity partnership and will set the table for a follow-up to last year's Three Amigos Summit in Cancun, Mexico, which will be held later this year [no date set yet], somewhere in Canada.
...Critics in Canada and the U.S. say the partnership could compromise the sovereignty of both countries, and that the accord is a part of a covert way to create a common currency for North America. But the U.S. State Department has said that it is not interested in creating a North American Union, akin to the European Union, or encouraging its neighbours to adopt the U.S. dollar.
Posted at 12:25 PM | Comments (0)
January 30, 2007
NORTHCOM at North American Forum: "evolution by stealth"
Back in September, a semi-secret meeting of the "North American Forum" was held in Canada, and several very highly-placed supposed U.S. citizens attended, including a few from the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM):* NORTHCOM Commander, Admiral Timothy Keating
* Political Advisor Deborah Bolton
* Plans, Policy & Strategy Director Major General Mark Volcheff
Now, Judicial Watch has obtained their notes with an FO