Protestors Rage Against North America Summit
OTTAWA - A meeting of US, Canada and Mexico leaders on Monday and Tuesday has attracted “an eclectic group” of demonstrators united in opposition to further integration of North America.
Hundreds of anti-globalization protestors, environmentalists, peaceniks, and civil rights groups joined to taunt Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper, US President George W. Bush, and Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon. 
The three North American leaders are expected to discuss trade and security at a two-day Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) summit in Montebello, Quebec, 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Ottawa.
The SPP was launched at the first “Three Amigos” summit in Waco, Texas, in March 2005. A second meeting followed in Cancun, Mexico, in 2006.
With placards reading “Reclaim democracy,” “Basta Bush” and “No to Fortress America,” the demonstrators marched from the Canadian parliament to the US and Mexican embassies, railing against the framework for greater security and economic integration of the three nations.
“This summit has certainly attracted an eclectic group of protestors,” said Peggy Land of the Raging Grannies, taking time away from her grandchildren to wave a sign politely decrying: “The SPP sucks, dear.”
“It’s our only chance to be heard and to present our grievances to Mr. Harper, Mr. Bush and Mr. Calderon,” she explained.
Indeed, during the summit, protestors will be kept out by a fence, three meters (10 feet) high and running 2.5-kilometers (1.5 miles) around the meeting place.
They will be “seen and heard,” but only virtually — via an audio-video feed set up by organizers.
The arrangement is “in compliance with (a Canadian) court’s decision that protesters have a right to be ’seen and heard,’” said Sandra Buckler, a spokeswoman for host Stephen Harper.
But it has riled protestors.
“They’ve made it very difficult to protest at this summit,” lamented Elizabeth May, Canada’s Green Party chief.
In defiance, several protestors said they planned to try to get as close to the meeting site as possible, refusing to be “caged” in a forest clearing set up for them by summit organizers.
On Parliament Hill in Ottawa, meanwhile, peace activists bashed US policies in general, but the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, especially. “Troops out of Afghanistan,” said posters.
The Canadian wife of Mohamed Harkat, an accused Al-Qaeda sleeper agent facing deportation to Algeria, where he says he would be tortured and killed, spoke out against Canadian and US anti-terrorism laws at the rally, saying they breached civil liberties.
Even 9/11 conspiracy theorists were on hand to tout an alternative version of the September 11, 2001 attacks that killed some 3,000 in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, saying the White House was surely behind it.
“I’m here to try to get support from anti-Bush and anti-war activists. We’re trying to expose 9/11 as the biggest lie ever told,” said Ian Woods.
“The SPP is an opportunity for big business to ruin democracy,” he added, more in tune with his fellow demonstrators. “It’s about corporate control.”
According to officials, Harper, Bush and Calderon are expected to discuss current market turmoil, trade and security, and strategies to stem pandemics.
They may also confer on product safety, following recent recalls of toys, dog food and toothpaste, and growing worries about defective “made in China” goods imported into North America.
But demonstrators say they fear the result will have a severe and negative impact on civil liberties, environmental and energy policies, as well as Canadian, US and Mexican sovereignty.
“We’re not having any say in the SPP. It’s undemocratic,” said raging granny Peggy Land, accusing Harper, Bush and Calderon of making decisions behind closed doors without consulting with voters.
“So, we’ve come to try to stop it.”
Copyright © AFP 2007
They want to make one country for better trade and profits. The people do not matter to these oligarchs.
Instead of the “Three Amigos,” how about the “Three Blind Mice,” or “The Three Stooges.”
Hell yes 9/11 was done by the Bush-Cheney Crime Syndicate. Didn’t they say they needed another Pearl Harbor so they could run amuck?
I bought a well-known brand of toothpaste and later discovered it was manufactured in Mexico. American computers are manufactured in Mexico. So the corporations move their companies to Mexico and the U.S. allows millions of illegal aliens into the country for cheap labor.
It doesn’t look like the U.S. government is looking out for its people.
lillulo, no, no, you have it wrong. Computers are assembled in Mexico, but manufactured somewhere in Asia.
Very little is manufactured here in the US anymore. We can no longer manufacture a super computer as we can a Pez dispenser. The US is now nothing but a service/consumer society. The stench of death is strong.
As I have said before, the SPP, or as I call it, the “Greater North American Co-Prosperity Sphere” is just designed to make the three countries one, surrounded by a ring of steel, designed to let American Big Business rape Canada’s natural resources using cheap Mexican labor.
The Anschluss is beginning; in secrecy as usual. Apparently, once the three monkeys have decided how to divvy up the spoils, the thing is to be a fait accompli in about three months. Don’t expect to ever vote on it. All it requires apparently is three signatures followed by an announcement.
“World’s #1 Terrorist.” At least Cheneybush finally have the legacy they’ve worked so hard to secure. Mission accomplished - now, for the sake of what’s left of America, quit and go spend more time with your families.
First of all: Isn’t it kinda bizarre that we would want to make nice with Mexico only a couple of weeks after passage of new immigration laws written into other “quick-sign-this-so-you-can-leave-for-vacation” bills. So in other words, we want to be pals, but you can’t come over and play.
Secondly: If this were a legitimate summit, where some big, important decisions will be made, isn’t it kinda scary to send Bush to represent us. I mean can’t you just hear the conversation:
Harper and Caldren:” Well I think that the tri-lateral operations of the three nations….blah blah blah…”
Bush: I see that and raise you one. In other words I’m raising you one cause I see that. Let’s get us some cocktails boys, what say?
Oh Lord help us!!
I feel like Alice in Wonderland.
Here we have the all this massive trade going on world-wide, as if the planet has a never-ending supply of oil.
According to James Howard Kunstler (check out his website), the author of “The Long Emergency”, he tells us that the world is close to running out of oil (10-20 years), yet the semi trucks keep barreling down the Interstates filled with Barbie Dolls and other trash made in China (probably with lead and God only knows WHAT else) destined for our local Walmarts.
Ships criss-crossing the oceans with more consumerist crap we don’t need as the planet is clearly being compromised by the insanity of burning all this fuel which is contributing significantly to global warming!
In the mean time, around the time we started our “Shock and Awe” campaign against the poor people of Iraq, there was Bush at a press conference stating, “WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF ENERGY!!!” Well, duh.
If we are TRULY running out of energy and the planet is being compromised by the burning of oil and gas, then WHY would we be so gung-ho into the idiotic globalization of trade??!!
Kucinich makes more and more sense every day. Especially when he said the first thing he’d do as President is to get us out of NAFTA and the W.T.O. What a shame he’s aligned with the Democratic Party.
Reading the work of Kunstler has convinced me that if we want to survive on this planet, we had better start building cottage communities NOW all over the world. Forget the big cities, forget the skyscrapers, FORGET the “Freedom Tower”. They are all destined to be giant ghostly graveyards. All our stupid cars and stupid gated tract house subdivisions will be for NOTHING if there is no gasoline to put in the cars to get us to our jobs, to buy food (WHAT FOOD!!??) etc.
The back jacket cover of Kunstler’s book says it all. It’s a picture of a car being pulled by a horse. I trust James Howard Kunstler’s forward thinking far more than Bush or any of the other Neocons. And then to add insult to injury, what do you suppose we’re doing with thousands of horses in this country every day? Slaughtering them and shipping their flesh to Japan and Europe! What geniuses!!
And on an aside, if you’d like to see the “Anti-9/11 Loose Change” propaganda being put onto the airwaves prior to the theatrical release of “Loose Change: Final Cut”, just tune into the History Channel’s special this evening (8pm Eastern): “The 9/11 Conspiracies: Fact or Fiction”. It should be good for a laugh (or cry…depending on your mood).
In the mean time, I’ll continue on my Alice in Wonderland journey down the rabbit hole of insanity. God, I wish I could just wake up and all this would have just been a very bad dream.
It’s more than about ‘corporate control’… it’s about Corporate Dictatorship, Nazi style, as the 10-ft-high fences illustrate.
The Green Party has very evolved and dignified objectives, but in some countries (including the USA.. in California in particular) there are people in the hierarchy who are there to control and sabotage it… past participants in the MK-Ultra projects which were also destroyed to subvert and destroy the New Left and Civil Rights Movements in the 1970s… via use of ideological warping and drugs for manipulation and subversion.
The Green Party needs to be very careful of the Corporate Fascists planting people in their party to sabotage it (and old trick of the Fascists going all the way back to the 1930s).
Just as an example, Arno Schwazi is a corporate fascist Nazi pretending to be Green and using Green issues as a way to smokescreen while covertly pushing for privatization and union-busting and the end of social democracy. In these times, every political party legitimately representing democratic interests will have to carefully screen for fascist infiltrators, from top to bottom…. just as in the past during times of Fascist preponderance…. they try to control Everything.
“The three North American leaders are expected to discuss trade and security at a two-day Security and Prosperity Partnership”
Tojo’s bunch called their empire the “Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere”.
Calderon, the unelected appointee following a stolen election, meeets with the two-time recipient of power, the Beast, with Steven Harper, and god knows what the Canadians were smoking when they voted for that scrotum.
Is there a way out of all of this short of massive demonstrations and riots in the streets? I mean you cannot even peacefully protest anymore without being herded into a caged coral that is ironically called the politically appropriate “Free speech Zone”. I mean is this how far democracy has devolved? Where is the phucking outrage? Three puppeteered figure heads who’s only desire is serving the will of the master globalists who control them, are sitting around making deals that will decide the fates and futures of BILLIONS. Where is the coverage in the media? If this SPP plan was so good for all the world then why all the secrecy? Think about it!!!
abbybwood– You are right on point!! It is time to come together in our local communities and begin to create sustainable yet self sustaining communities free of influence from the established political system or state. I see this as the only way out of this globalization which is merely the consolidation of wealth and resources into fewer and fewer hands. We need to really begin to question what are our values. Do we wish to consume and own more and more worthless material garbage, or do we seek to be free thinking individuals who are enriched and supported by communities that value the growth and expansion of the individual and see that philosophy as the communities greatest Asset and not as a threat or liability.
Faithcarr: You don’t need an underground. Like Abbywood said, you need a community.
Update: The Canadians pepper sprayed and teargassed about 500 protesters at Montecello. Bush just looked on with his usual smirk. Harper said it was “sad”.
Look folks, we have to fight the SPP thing, but we have other work to do as well. The whole economy is coming apart at the seams. Rusia and China are staging war games together. Cheney et al are making louder and louder noises about attacking Iran. We have an absolutely disfunctional Congress. The first thing you are going to see when the shit hits the fan is empty grocery shelves.
I call it developing local community sovereignty. This means you have to get to know your neighbor. Most importantly, your local farmers. It means you have to be part of forming a community network. Take a skills inventory to find who is good a what. And find out what is being exported out of your community that might be needed locally or for trade with other communities. It means you have to figure out how and where to grow food with your neighbors. Buy a bicycle from a local merchant. Don’t forget some extra tires, tubes, and patch kits. Figure out where you are going to get water from. If any folks in your community have wells, help them outfit it with a solar powered pump.
The most constructive thing you can do RIGHT NOW is simplify your life in every way. Start by going to your local grocery store or co-op and buying bulk food. Learn how to prepare meals from scratch. Learn how to bake bread or find a neighbor that already knows how.
I’m not suggesting that we all revert to hunter-gatherers. But I predict that there is going to be a period of dislocation that could be caused by a number of factors. Even if no dislocation happens, you will have gotten to know your neighbor, learned to live simply, and you’ll have a bicycle. What a deal!
Abbeywood: I love the vision of the horse pulling the car! Only problem is, where are you going to get the food and fodder for the horse?
I have been growing my own veggies for 3 years and have learned to can. I also have an ever growing herb garden and have many months of spices dried and preserved. I am currently feeding several families of squirrels as well as a flock of mourning doves. We saved and bought a high milage car, and have virtually de-commissioned my sedan. My husbands work is actually within biking distance.
We have well water, and are considering installing a hand pump (just in case).
We are also planning on learning many other “survival” skills to make us even more indepdenant.
We still need an underground. Think the resistance in Vichey France.
time to bollux up the “works”
I get all warm and fuzzy thinking about the SCO whenever this subject is broached. Checkmate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organisation
Terrorists meeting to destroy the rest of what they missed at the last meetings.
“Prosperity” and security for who?
ANOTHER Canadian owned factory just closed, 150 out of work in far downeast Maine. Not much left here cept wal mart.
These people are just stuffing their pockets full and laughing that crazy Bush laugh.
Hail to ze new vorld order! hier Bushe.
Fascism is alive and well in the police states of America.
According to the Council of Canadians, the aim of the SPP is to harmonize over 300 common areas of legislation and regulations, including:
- Integration of military and police training exercises, cooperation on law
enforcement, and the expansion of The North American Aerospace Defense Command into a into a joint naval and land Defense Command.
- Bulk transfers of water, particularly from Canada to the US. For example,
the North American Water and Power Authority would redirect water from
British Columbia and the Yukon to a huge crater in the Rocky Mountains in
the U.S. side.
- Privatization of Mexico’s nationalized oil sector; and fivefold increase in tar sands production in Alberta, which is actively opposed by the Lubicon, Dene, Mikisew Cree and other indigenous communities. The tar sands are already the largest contributor to the growth of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada and surrounding indigenous communities have documented high cancer rates.
- In 2001, without legislative or public debate, Deputy Prime Minister John Manley and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge signed the Smart Border Declaration, which includes adoption of coordinated border surveillance technologies with major contracts provided to military suppliers, and development of a North American Border Pass. Other initiatives to militarize
the border include fly-overs of the border by U.S. helicopters and the $101-million plan to arm Canadian border guards.
- Coordination of no-fly lists. The recent implementation of the Canadian fly-list “Passenger Protect” has raised serious privacy and civil liberties concerns. The U.S. no-fly list has grown to half a million names.
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Canadian Border Services Agency
began a field trial of biometrics in October 2006 despite widespread rejection of their use. The Canadian Advance Technology Alliance Biometrics Group is predicting that the biometric “market” would rise to US $2.6-billion by 2006.
-Integration of refugee policies. The Safe Third Country Agreement, implemented in December 2004 between the US and Canada, has resulted in at least a 40% decrease in refugee applications in Canada. Under the United States-Mexico “Voluntary Repatriation Program” more than 35,000 persons have already been deported.
- Expansion of temporary worker programs. Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program is seen as the ‘model’ to implement, despite widespread documented abuse in this program including being tied to the employer who “imports” them; facing deportation if they assert their rights; and exploitative working conditions including low wages and long hours with no
overtime pay.
- Harmonization of health and environmental regulations to lower standards and an alternative to the Kyoto Protocol.
- NAFTA Superhighway, a several hundred metres corridor including rail lines
and pipelines from Mexico to the Canadian border. Transportation companies such as CN Rail have much to gain; in Western Canada alone CN plans to invest nearly C$350 million in track infrastructure. Historically and currently, CN Rail has been the target of various blockades by indigenous communities active in the legitimate defence of their land and livelihood against the project of Canada’s ‘nation-building’ and resource extraction.
“Cheer up,” she said, “Things could be worse.”
So I cheered up — and things got worse.
Well at least we are still retaning enough of our freedoms to be able to bitch and moan “woe is me, woe is me”, well as long as it is from 21/2 miles from the real power.
That is all you can do!
You can vote until never comes, and never come closer than 2 and 1/2 miles from attaining it.
The voices are 2 and 1/2 miles today but when they want to move it 1/2, 1, 3, 100 or 1000 mile further you will abide by it and so will your children.
Your children will not know the why of your grumbling as you change upon once again entering your diaper years, lose your teeth, your dicks limp and your balls gone, because in those latter years, only you will be able to look back and remember today, the day when you lost them.
VOTE RON PAUL!! He voted against the Patriot Act, against the war in Iraq, against the National ID Act, He’s against the IRS, the IMF, the WTO, the North American Union, and the root of this whole globalist problem, which is the Federal Reserve–wholly unconstittional!! He’ll get government back down to the size it ought to be and restore our civil liberties and has a 20 year voting record to prove it. www.RonPaul2008.com Please support him. His own GOP party hates him because he’s not the status quo! The major media trashes him every chance they get. He needs your support.
The “official” site is at:
http://www.spp.gov/
All this talk about “harmonizing” regulations really bothers me. Also, the idea that workers could move freely across borders means that working people in this country would be living in the same conditions that Mexican workers are coming here to escape. It will further erode our working and middle classes.
Not everyone agrees with building the superhighway connecting Mexico and Canada. See:
http://www.corridorwatch.org/ttc/index.htm
The recent decision to allow Mexican truck drivers to enter the country and drive anywhere here is wrong. First of all, it is easy to carry anything (including drugs) anywhere in the country. Secondly, it allows cheaply-paid Mexicans to take more jobs away from us. Also, the training of drivers and safety regulations are less stringent than in this country. This is just one more item in the path to integrating the countries.
the idea of this genocidle maniac setting foot on our soil makes my skin crawl. and our P.M. having his head up bush’s ass is even more sickening.
terryb, at least you don’t have to live here with that idiot squatting in our Whitehouse. You want to contemplate creepyness?
abbybwood August 20th, 2007 5:36 pm
“According to James Howard Kunstler (check out his website), the author of “The Long Emergency”, he tells us that the world is close to running out of oil (10-20 years), yet the semi trucks keep barreling down the Interstates filled with Barbie Dolls and other trash made in China (probably with lead and God only knows WHAT else) destined for our local Walmarts.”
Not that I agree with how Bush is approaching this Security and Prosperity Partnership, but the fact is, right now we don’t have a viable alternative to oil and Canada’s oil sands contain about “175 Billion barrels” of oil and costs roughly $20 per barrel to extract and convert into sweet crude. That said, Canada’s supply could potentially last for hundreds of years; and we know the Bush oil family and the Exxon’s of this world aren’t going to surrender to our environmental needs when there are profits to made with an energy source we’ll be using until an alternative such as fuel cells can replace it.
For at least the next 20 years we can expect to see those 18-wheelers barreling down the highways.
What is with this surprise of todays meeting coming from?
This is not a recent developement, NAFTA was begun with just such a combining of three countrys as the GOAL!
A Texan who helped kill Iranians by keeping records for the US backed Shahs Secret Service ran for President and explained just what the government/corporate programs were all about and no one was realy listening, Ross Perot!
Bull crap, there is no real resistance to building the new highways, the central distribution points, the three ports in Mexico, the two main brancheds from our midwest ioto Canada, and the rail system that will parrralel this transportation route.
The only real gripes coming from Americans is the Not In My Backyard, because they want the highest price for their lands or social bennies from allowing its construction.
The influx of Latino labor is not news it is a topic but the topic has been ongoing since Nixon years and even before in smaller incidents from WWII in Cali.
Immigration is granting special Visas for permanent residence to any qualigfied foreigner who applys, 130,000 a month out of over 560,000 applicants.
Qualified means anyone capable of doing the job of upper mid level middle class management or science related fields.
Foreign applicants will of course be paid at lower rates than in past , nurses and even pilots are now being offered 1/3rd of old US wage base, and are willingly accepting such.
These people will be used in the new formation now transpiring from Mexicos Southern border to the Artic circle in corproate fields, and yes some governing fields as well but not with any hangup on citizenship other than if they dare speak against the system in place.
Over 30 major highways are now undegoing privatization in US, the new highway looks like it will be built and managed by a Norwegian firm, the ports under construction are in the main financed by Chinese, Hong Kong,Korean, Japanese and Indonesian firms, while the new energy sector will be Saudi and ME finaced with Brits and Canadian firms the eventual owners of the infrastrucres in this new entity.
There is no US of A per se. just what is allowed in the popualces minds so the onews in power can control unt6il the new monetary and governeing system is fully implemented.
Much like the Euro peoples who now have a European Union and find very little to resist so too will the new Un ion in N. America come into being.
Live with it, find ways to increase your portion within it, for there is nothing at this late date you can do to change its direction.
Is there any place left on earth that is not part of a regional/continental ‘harmonization’ coalition? There’s the EU, the African Union, the SCO, now the SPP…
Guess all us radicals in the future will be living in balmy Antarctica..? For the meantime guess the best thing to do is not go along with their ‘best laid plans’ for us.. no Real ID for me thanks.
in the US we already know from the war that millions of people protesting in the street solves nothing. how about millions of naked gun-toting people occupying the halls of congress
revoltnow, i feel your pain.
abbybwood, tbonez, Rebel Farmer, FAITHCARR,
Communities yes, but not in the US, Canada, or Mexico, got to get OUT of the box before they close the lid and chip you. They will control EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY and if you don’t have your papers, your national ID, you won’t be able to do shit. I moved to Costa Rica where we are setting up a community for those who are ready. Time to stop the talk and walk the walk.
For those of you who have recent passports, and many not so recent, your travels are already capable of being tracked by an implant within them.
Many parents of children and medical patients, the military has thousands implanted with much the same devices, are willingly allowing such implants upon their persons.
Your new Identiy card , those wh were so afraid of Mexicans demanded, will have the implant and opharms are nwo usijng them to watch your medication procedures.
I wonder iof they will put a hold within the devices, a mild heart attack say, for non payment of bills?
The new order will not make a difference in most peoples daily lives, we will still be as misearable or as nice, just a poorer monied person as we are now, as compliant as any society can be, with poverty still defined by the occupation chosen, and wealth, by those who have it, as power.
Best you can hope for is a hideaway until you die.
So get working, beg borrow or steal enough to get out of country, a divorce of convenience, till death do you depart.
I fear not so much for myself as I do for my children.When does the revolution start and where do I sign up?
The revolution is over before it can begin and never sign anything except your paycheck and then doublecheck the receit or the cash to be sure it is doen right.
Why fear?
Time and opportunitys abound during periods of uncertainty and chaos.
Has anyone considered an american-usa demonstration at the Mexican border? After all the illegals went to Washington to demonstrate before their buddy our president.