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North American Union - Part 2 - Fact or Fiction?
Script and Documentation
(Produced by Henry Lamb, August 20, 2007)
1. Building a North American Union: Fact or Fiction?
2. Michael Medved, a popular talk-radio host, says, "This paranoid and groundless frenzy has been fomented and promoted by a shameless collection of lunatics and losers; crooks, cranks, demagogues and opportunists, who claim the existence of a top secret master plan to join the U.S., Canada and Mexico in one big super-state and to replace the good old Yankee dollar with a worthless new currency called the Amero." (Michael Medved, 12/28/2006 )
3. John Hawkins, a popular blogger at "Right Wing News," says,
"There's a Council on Foreign Relations report called, 'Building A North American Community,' that's being used as the 'blueprint' for a merger of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
When I asked [Lee Feinstein, Executive Director of the Task Force that produced the report] if the report favors merging the United States, Canada, and Mexico, his reply was, 'It doesn't favor anything of the kind.' Indeed, if you read through the report, you will find that it doesn't call for the creation of a superstate." (Right Wing News July 19, 2006)
4. The Federal Government says.... "The SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership) in no way, shape or form considers the creation of a European Union-like structure or a common currency." So why all the hullabaloo about a North American Union?
http://www.spp.gov/myths_vs_facts.asp
5. Because... if it looks like a skunk, and smells like a skunk, it's probably a skunk - regardless of what you call it.
6. Robert Pastor, Co-chair of the Council on Foreign Relations Task Force that produced the report John Hawkins referred to, calls his vision a "North American Community." His book, "Toward a North American Community," and his research papers for the Trilateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations, explain why he is often called the "Father of the North American Union." Let's hear what he wants.
7. Pastor says the three nations of the North American Community should also
Adopt a common external tariff
Adopt a "North American" approach to regulation
Establish a common security perimeter by 2010.
Establish a North American investment fund
Establish a permanent tribunal for North American dispute resolution.
Hold an annual North American Summit meeting
Establish minister-led working groups
Create a North American Advisory Council
Create a North American Inter-Parliamentary Group./P>
8. Just who is this Robert Pastor? Michael Medved says...
"Pastor is a loony leftist, slightly unhinged professor at American University... who bears no connection whatever to the Bush administration, or the dreaded Security and Prosperity Partnership...an addled academic with zero power in the government."
Were Michael Medved correct, there would be no need to worry. Let's see if he is correct.
9.Actually, Pastor's vision has been under construction for decades. In 1975, Pastor was executive director of the Linowitz Commission on U.S./Latin American Relations. He then was appointed Director of the Office of Latin American Affairs in the Carter administration. He maneuvered the Panama Canal Treaty through the Senate in 1978. He was nominated by Bill Clinton to be Ambassador to Panama, but not confirmed. He has been advisor to every Democratic presidential candidate since 1976. And in 2002, he became Vice President of International Affairs and Professor of International Relations at American University.
10. Pastor is also the Vice Chairman of the CFR Task Force that produced the 70-page report entitled: "Building a North American Community." It could be a coincidence, but this report was released one week before President Bush met with Mexico's Vicente Fox, and Canada's Paul Martin, March 23, 2005, to launch the Security and Prosperity Partnership.
Special Note: Carla A. Hills, U.S. Trade Representative in the George H.W. Bush administration, who negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement, served on this Task Force with Robert Pastor. She was also Vice Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Trilateral Commission.
11. The essential building blocks of the North American Union include: the Free Trade Area of the Americas, launched in 1994; Carla Hills' North American Free Trade Agreement, also launched in 1994; The Central America Free Trade Agreement, signed in 2005; and the Security and Prosperity Partnership, also launched in 2005.
FTAA: http://www.ftaa-alca.org/alca_e.asp
NAFTA: http://www.mac.doc.gov/nafta/
CAFTA: http://www.fas.usda.gov/itp/CAFTA/cafta.asp
SPP: http://www.spp.gov/
12. Skeptics contend that the FTAA, NAFTA, and CAFTA, are simply trade agreements, and that the SPP is simply an effort by the three nations to improve cooperation on major issues. What could possibly be wrong, or threatening about this?
13. Here's what's wrong with these agreements:
1. They are transforming our system of government;
2. They usurp the Constitutional authority of Congress;
3. They further erode national sovereignty
14. The bedrock principle on which our system of government is built is set forth in our Declaration of Independence: Governments derive their just power from the consent of the governed. When public policy - including trade policy - is made by appointed bureaucrats, those who are governed by those policies have no way to directly grant, nor withhold their consent.
15. Robert Pastor says that "NAFTA was merely the first draft of an economic constitution for North America." (Foreign Affairs, January/February, 2004) Let's take a closer look at the North American Free Trade Agreement. Let's see precisely how NAFTA is transforming our system of government.
16. NAFTA is governed by a Commission consisting of a cabinet level appointee from each country. It is implemented by a Secretariat, consisting of appointees of the Commission. Take note: the people who govern NAFTA are appointed, and are not directly accountable to the electorate.
17. NAFTA's Article 511 requires that each nation conform its laws to the "Uniform Regulations" adopted by the appointed policy makers, and that any modifications or additions to the Uniform Regulations, be adopted by the member nations within 180 days.
18. The people who are governed elect a President,100 Senators, and 435 Representatives. The President appoints a U.S. Trade Representative, who is confirmed by the Senate. The Trade Representative is the U.S. Representative on the NAFTA Commission. It is the NAFTA Commission that creates Trade Policies for the three nations, and appoints a NAFTA Secretariat to coordinate the implementation of those policies. NAFTA's Article 511 requires Congress to conform its laws to NAFTA's "Uniform Regulations." NAFTA working groups, consisting of federal employees throughout several agencies, then impose NAFTA's trade policies on the people who are governed.
19. Let's do that again in slow motion: The people who are governed elect a President, 100 Senators, and 435Representatives. The President appoints a U.S. Trade Representative, who is confirmed by the Senate. (Carla A. Hills was the Trade Representative who negotiated NAFTA; Susan C. Schwab is the current Trade Representative). Senate confirmation of the Trade Representative is about as close to the "consent of the governed" as it ever gets to NAFTA trade policy. The Trade Representative is the U.S. Representative on the NAFTA Commission. It is the NAFTA Commission that creates Trade Policies for the three nations, and appoints a NAFTA Secretariat to coordinate the implementation of those policies. (Let that sink in. The appointed NAFTA Commission creates trade policy for all three nations). NAFTA's Article 511 requires Congress to conform its laws to NAFTA's "Uniform Regulations." NAFTA working groups, consisting of federal employees throughout several agencies, then impose NAFTA's trade policies on the people who are governed.
20. Suppose you, as one of the people who are governed, don't like the idea of Mexican trucks delivering goods offloaded at Mexican ports, to cities across the United States. To whom do you express the absence of your consent for this policy? The NAFTA international dispute settlement tribunal has ruled that the U.S. must allow Mexican Trucks to deliver in the U.S. And, Congress can only complain about it.
The Government of Mexico challenged the United States' implementation of NAFTA's motor carrier provisions under NAFTA's dispute-resolution process, and in February 2001, an international arbitration panel determined that the United States' "blanket refusal" of Mexican motor carrier applications breached the United States' obligations under NAFTA. App. 279, ¶ ;295. Shortly thereafter, the President made clear his intention to lift the moratorium on Mexican motor carrier certification following the preparation of new regulations governing grants of operating authority to Mexican motor carriers.
21. NAFTA offers two primary options for dispute settlement: the procedures of the World Bank's International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID); or the procedures of the United Nations Commission for International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). This process is the final authority on the NAFTA trade policies that will be imposed on the people who are governed, not the "consent" of the governed.
22. When NAFTA went into force in 1994, the Free Trade Area of the Americas was launched with a Summit in Miami. These negotiations have continued over the years, in an effort to expand the "Union," or "Community," concept to the continent. Negotiations have faltered, and a firm agreement has not yet been reached.
23. CAFTA was adopted in 2005, by only one vote in the House of Representatives. It too, is governed by a Commission consisting of "Cabinet level appointees," who, in turn, appoint "Committees and Working Groups" to implement the Agreement.
24. CAFTA simply extends and expands the authority of the appointed "Commission" to cover the Central American nations of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.
25. The Security & Prosperity Partnership was created March 23, 2005, in Waco, Texas by Mexico's President, Vicente Fox, President George W. Bush, and Canada's Prime Minister, Paul Martin. The SPP is neither an agreement nor a treaty; it is a "dialogue" designed to further integrate the three nations.
26. To achieve this integration, each nation appointed government employees to serve on a variety of "working groups" to consult with "stakeholders" to "identify concrete steps the governments can take" to improve trade among the three nations. These working groups cover a wide range of issues:
* Manufactured Goods & Sectoral and Regional Competitiveness
* Movement of Goods
* Energy
* Environment
* E-Commerce & Information Communications Technologies
* Financial Services
* Business Facilitation
* Food and Agriculture
* Transportation
* Health
27. Judicial Watch made a Freedom of Information request which produced detailed information about 16 agencies working to "integrate" trade policy.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/6003.shtml More Documents secured by JW
28. A second request produced a wealth of details about several meetings, including a seminar in September, 2005 for participating agencies, on "The Future of North America, conducted by Robert Pastor. This belies Michael Medved's declaration that Robert Pastor has no connection to the Bush administration, and has zero power in the government."
http://www.judicialwatch.org/5979.shtml Documents secured by JW
29. Also notes from another meeting in Banff, Canada on September 12-14, 2006, which recommended building the SPP infrastructure through "...evolution by stealth..."
http://www.judicialwatch.org/6123.shtml Documents secured by JW
30. The third SPP North American Summit is scheduled for August 21-22, in Montebello, Quebec, where unelected bureaucrats will continue to erase our borders while further integrating public policies, rules, and regulations by stealth - without the benefit of public input, Congressional debate or approval.
31. Whether it's called a "North American Union," or a "North American Community," the governments of Mexico, Canada, and the United States are working diligently to "integrate" the laws, the economies, and the culture, of these three nations. While Michael Medved, and the government continue to call the creation of a North American Union a ridiculous fiction, the indisputable fact remains that every day, the three governments are moving to:
Adopt a common external tariff
Adopt a North American approach to regulation
Establish a common security perimeter
Hold annual North American Summit Meetings
Integrate policies through Minister-led working groups
Utilize a North American Advisory Council
Work toward a North American Parliament
32. A few Congressmen are trying to stop the North American Union by introducing House Concurrent Resolution 40, which says in part:
(1)the United States should not engage in the construction of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway System;
(2) the United States should not allow the
Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) to implement further regulations that would create a North American Union with Mexico and Canada; and
(3) the President of the United States should indicate strong opposition to these acts or any other proposals that threaten the sovereignty of the United States.
H CON Res. 40 Sponsored by Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. [VA-5]m Title: Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should not engage in the construction of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway System or enter into a North... (Introduced in House)
Sponsor: Rep Goode, Virgil H., Jr. [VA-5] (introduced 1/22/2007)
12 Co-Sponsors:
Rep Cubin, Barbara [WY] - 2/16/2007 Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2] - 1/22/2007
Rep Foxx, Virginia [NC-5] - 1/22/2007 Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] - 1/22/2007
Rep Norwood, Charles W. [GA-10] - 1/30/2007 Rep Paul, Ron [TX-14] - 1/22/2007
Rep Regula, Ralph [OH-16] - 2/8/2007 Rep Saxton, Jim [NJ-3] - 2/8/2007
Rep Stearns, Cliff [FL-6] - 1/22/2007 Rep Tancredo, Thomas G. [CO-6] - 2/16/2007
Rep Tiberi, Patrick J. [OH-12] - 2/8/2007 Rep Wamp, Zach [TN-3] - 1/22/2007
33. Fourteen States have also introduced resolutions of opposition to the North American Union. They include: Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.
Arizona: Senate Concurrent Memorial 1002 - introduced by Senator Johnson
Georgia: Senate Resolution 124 - introduced by Senators Schaefer, Rogers,
Douglas, Hill, and Chapman
Idaho: House Joint Memorial 5 (HJM-5). Sponsored by Representatives JoAnn Wood, Cliff Bayer, Marv Hagedorn, and Senators Shirley McKague, Monte Pierce and Mel Richardson
Illinois: House Joint Resolution 29 - introduced by Representative Black
Missouri: Senate Concurrent Resolution 15 - sponsored by Senator Barnitz & House Concurrent Resolution 33 - sponsored by Representative Guest
Montana: House Joint Resolution 25 - introduced by Representative Rice of Montana,
Oklahoma: Senate Concurrent Resolution 10 introduced by Oklahoma State Senator Randy Brogdan
Oregon: Senate Joint Memorial 5 - sponsored by Senators George, Starr, and
Whitsett and Representatives Boquist, Krieger, Nelson and Thatcher
South Carolina: House Concurrent Resolution 3185 - introduced by Representative Davenport
South Dakota: Senate Concurrent Resolution 7 - introduced by Senators Kloucek, Apa, Lintz, and Maher and Representatives Nelson, DeVries, Gassman, Jerke, Kirkeby, Noem, and Betty Olson
Tennessee: Introduced SJR-88 on February 21st, 2007.
Utah: House Joint Resolution 7 - introduced by Representative Sandstrom and Senator Fife (Passed in the House by a vote of 47-24 and was killed in the Senate for the remainder of the Congressional year)
Virginia: Senate Joint Resolution 442 - introduced by Senators Lucas and Hawkins
Washington: - Senate Joint Memorial 8004 - introduced by Senators Stevens, Swecker and Benton & House Joint Memorial 4018 - introduced by Representatives Roach, Dunn, McCune and Hurst
34.Regardless of what skeptics may say, the North American Community is, in fact, under construction. Every day that passes, the three nations melt a little more into one union. The North American Union does not fit within the U.S. Constitution, but this doesn't seem to matter to the instigators, or to the people who are allowing it to happen. Every state legislator, and every Congressman should hear every American say: " Stop the North American Union!"
Related materials:
Article 22.7: Withdrawal (CAFTA)
Any Party may withdraw from this Agreement by providing written notice of withdrawal to the depositary. The Depositary shall promptly inform the Parties of such notification.
Article 2205: Withdrawal (NAFTA)
A Party may withdraw from this Agreement six months after it provides written notice of withdrawal to the other Parties. If a Party withdraws, the Agreement shall remain in force for the remaining Parties.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxzs46Nxohk Youtube Corsi & Phillips NAU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyUkwW7z7Lc dobbs on Mex-trux
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyUkwW7z7Lc pastor says no NAU in dobbs clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vda1KRF75M dobbs on NAU meetingy