The three amigos, erasing borders?

[Snowden]

The three amigos, erasing borders?
By Wesley Pruden

Some of the folks who gave President Bush a country lickin' on his immigration "reform" are spoiling for another round with him. The reason why is on display at the "Three Amigos" summit in Canada.

Mr. Bush and President Felipe Calderon of Mexico are guests of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for another workout of a vaguely described scheme called the Security and Prosperity Partnership, which the White House says is nothing more than three amigos getting together to swap yarns, pull a cork and talk about NAFTA writ large. But a remarkably diverse group of skeptics, including congressmen of both parties, critics of unrestrained global trade, conservative activists and left-wing academics and trade unionists, say it's free trade run amok.

The mysterious partnership is known only to the few by the acronym SPP. Most of the reporters at the Canadian summit can barely hide their languor, treating SPP as just another boring economic story White House reporters can't be expected to understand. The Associated Press describes SPP merely as "a way for the nations to team up on health, security and commerce."

Twenty-one Republicans and one Democrat have written to President Bush to tell him of "serious and growing concerns" in Congress about the "so-called" Security and Prosperity Partnership, and the House has adopted legislation barring U.S. transportation officials from even participating in meetings of the partnership. [Emphasis mine.]

The congressmen mostly seem miffed that the White House is undertaking far-reaching agreements with Canada and Mexico without telling them about it. The conservative skeptics say these agreements chip away national sovereignty — that the aim is to establish a North American Union, like the European Union, with unelected bureaucrats empowered to form a super-government to dispossess everyone but the elites. The liberal skeptics argue that "the super-government" would be a tool of the multinational corporations, eager to drive down wages and make wetbacks of everyone without a corporation big enough to plunder cheap labor. [Emphasis mine.]

The Mexican government, eager to export penniless Mexicans, is the most enthusiastic about the partnership and the billions of expected yankee dollars. Just two days after his election in 2000, Vicente Fox talked of his vision of a North American common market, a customs union, a common tariff, joint monetary policy and the "free flow of labor" across borders. It's difficult to imagine what Mr. Fox calls a "free flow" of labor if what we've had for decades hasn't satisfied him.

A few months later, Mr. Fox showed up in Washington with an even bigger begging bowl, challenging Mr. Bush to develop a plan to legalize "all Mexicans in the United States" by the end of the year. George W. certainly tried. He's still nursing the bruises.

The White House felt it necessary to dispatch an unnamed senior official as the Canadian summit opened to describe as "silly" the notion of a North American Union, or a common currency. But there's always somebody, senior official or not, who doesn't get the word. Promoters of the Security and Prosperity Partnership, chief among them Robert Pastor, a professor who worked in the Carter administration and has advised Democratic presidential candidates since, have already named the currency — the "amero" — they expect to one day find in the well-picked pockets of Americans.

When George W. entertained the leaders of Mexico and Canada in Texas two years ago to introduce the Partnership, three amigos sat before a large stylized map of North America with the borders of the three countries curiously made indistinct. In testimony to Congress in 2005, Prof. Pastor said he envisioned a "new" North America: "Instead of stopping North Americans on the borders, we ought to provide them with a secure biometric Border Pass that would ease transit across the border like an E-Z pass permits our cars to speed through tollbooths." But selling this one won't be E-Z. [Emphasis mine.]

Wesley Pruden

[KBay84]

I think I need another drink and a bottle of Pepto chaser for this one...WTF, over!!! We Americans haven't fought for what we rightfully have and hold near and dear, to have it suborned by two other countries, one clearly a socialist-leaning entity, and the other a third world chit-hole that would swallow up everything and every dollar we Americans have, and dragging us down in the process.

Depending upon the platforms, this issue would verily make me think about voting for other than republican if the republican in question even smelled like he'd go that route.

[Snowden]

Originally Posted by KBay84

I think I need another drink and a bottle of Pepto chaser for this one...WTF, over!!! We Americans haven't fought for what we rightfully have and hold near and dear, to have it suborned by two other countries, one clearly a socialist-leaning entity, and the other a third world chit-hole that would swallow up everything and every dollar we Americans have, and dragging us down in the process.

Depending upon the platforms, this issue would verily make me think about voting for other than republican if the republican in question even smelled like he'd go that route.

We didn't expect it of this Republican president, either. We didn't want to believe Shooterman when he told us it was happening. We did think he'd lost his mind to go into anything with Ted Kennedy, but we didn't really, deep down, expect this.

This is the act of a traitor; it would destroy the Constitution because it creates a new entity. The Democrats want it, so we will have to fight them about it.

I am glad I'm old, Bay.

[Shooterman]

Originally Posted by Snowden

We didn't expect it of this Republican president, either. We didn't want to believe Shooterman when he told us it was happening. We did think he'd lost his mind to go into anything with Ted Kennedy, but we didn't really, deep down, expect this.

This is the act of a traitor; it would destroy the Constitution because it creates a new entity. The Democrats want it, so we will have to fight them about it.

I am glad I'm old, Bay.

I would say, Miss Marianne, that even being old doesn't preclude the ability to think. I believe it still possible, even though many consider me and old coot ( I am ) and even though I manage to belch, pass wind, creak from the movement of arthritic joints, and generally at times embarrass my wife as I did at my colonoscopy last week, I can still dabble a tad in the art of thinking, as I know you can, as well.

I get up every morning, don my tinfoil hat, and point it toward Mecca ( Washington, DC ) to see exactly what emanations from the cesspool of modern politics awaits.

[Snowden]

I grew up too close to DC to have to lean that way to see what's happening, Shooterman. I just try to close it out! It's a cesspool I agree. Yes, I can think and do so with a certain degree of clarity. I know all politicians are inclined to being criminals, but still I did not think a president would also be a traitor. That caught me off guard.

[Shooterman]

Originally Posted by Snowden

I grew up too close to DC to have to lean that way to see what's happening, Shooterman. I just try to close it out! It's a cesspool I agree. Yes, I can think and do so with a certain degree of clarity. I know all politicians are inclined to being criminals, but still I did not think a president would also be a traitor. That caught me off guard.

The evidence, in my opinion, has been building for a while.

[Snowden]

Originally Posted by Shooterman

The evidence, in my opinion, has been building for a while.

Yes, you've been telling us about that!