Free Republic

Incoming Global Warming Czar Carol Browner was — until last week — listed as one of 14 leaders of a socialist group that advocates what's called "global governance" and says rich countries must shrink their economies to address climate change. The Washington Times reports Browner's name and biography were listed on the Web page for Socialist International . Mr. Obama's transition team says Browner's membership in the organization is not a problem and that it brings experience in policymaking to her new role. But House Minority Leader John Boehner’s spokeswoman Antonia Ferrier asks, “Does she agree with the group's positions...

The House on Tuesday approved a resolution urging the United States to pull out of a cooperative economic, security and public health agreement with Mexico and Canada. Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, said he is sponsoring HJR7 because he sees the Security and Prosperity Partnership as potentially, "wiping away our borders and becoming a common nation with a common currency" similar to the European Union. Before Tuesday's 47-24 vote, Rep. Scott Wyatt, R-Logan, questioned what the so-called SPP really entails. He pointed to the government's Web site, spp.gov, which describes the partnership as a "dialogue" and not a signed agreement. "I...

What Does Sovereignty Mean to You?In 1991 when globalism became a buzzword . . . Mel Hurtig who was the founder of the Council of Canadians, acknowledged the uniqueness of independent countries in contrast to a globalized world when he said: The advantage of the nation-state is that it allows the people the freedom to determine their own future to the best of their ability. People of common values and inclinations [who] build traditions and develop a legal framework for the society they have evolved…for the preservation of their heritage, their culture, their moral standards, their ethics, and their...

Had it not been for the terrorist attacks in the United States, the headlines on September 12, 2001 might have read: "Inter-American Democratic Charter Signed -- New Day for Democracy in the Hemisphere." The people of the Western Hemisphere would have focused on what happened the day before in Lima, Peru instead of New York City, Washington, DC, and rural Pennsylvania. Of course, the headlines were very different. For while foreign ministers from the member countries of the Organization of American States were gathered in Lima, Peru to sign the Inter-American Democratic Charter, 19 terrorists were carrying out their murderous...

Presidents George W. Bush and Michelle Bachelet underscored the increasingly strong and close ties that Chile and the United States enjoy, based on common values and objectives, including the promotion of democracy, development, economic growth, hemispheric integration, trade liberalization, international security, and combating terrorism. They recognized the link among development, peace, security, human rights, and social justice. They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the bilateral relationship based on these principles and to deepen the two nations' ongoing strategic dialogue on democracy and regional development, and other key shared priorities. They agreed that Chile and the United States, like all...

Amnesty and Betrayal By William Norman Grigg The New American, Febuary 9, 2004 President Bush's proposed immigration reform package is a shocking betrayal of our nation's sovereignty, culture and economy. It must not be allowed to pass. Bill Clinton uttered countless deceptive words during his eight-year occupancy of the White House, but perhaps none captured the essence of his slippery dishonesty better than these:'It depends on what the meaning of the word ëis' is.î In defending his proposed amnesty for millions of illegal aliens, George W. Bush is striving to set a new record for brazen presidential dishonesty. ìThis plan...

CANCUN, Mexico – President Bush will take a break from Washington's rancorous immigration debate today when he arrives in Cancun for a summit of North American leaders to discuss border, trade and security issues. Bush will meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox, the leader who has pushed him hardest to improve the treatment of illegal immigrants in the United States. Advertisement It could be Bush's final formal meeting with Fox, whose successor will be elected in July. And it will be Bush's first meeting with new Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The talks are a follow-up to last year's “three...

The fourth Summit of the Americas was a success because the democratic leaders of the Western Hemisphere reaffirmed the importance of strong democratic institutions and sound macro-economic policies, says John Maisto, U.S. national coordinator for the Summit of the Americas. The summit was held November 4-5 in Mar del Plata, Argentina. In November 16 remarks at George Washington University in Washington, Maisto outlined the results of that summit as well as the challenges ahead in the Western Hemisphere. He said that going into the summit, the United States wanted to reaffirm the importance of strong democratic institutions, to emphasize the...

The next time you buy gasoline, look at the pump and you will likely see a warning about the fuel additive MTBE, which California has determined "presents a significant risk to the environment." In 1994, MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) was identified as the source of a strange smell and taste in tap water by communities across California. Following a host of scientific studies, MTBE was found to be hazardous to both human and environmental health. So in 1999, after a rigorous multiyear public process, Gov. Gray Davis, with bipartisan support from the Legislature, acted to phase out the use...

QUITO (AFP) - Ecuador's state-owned oil firm is producing at half capacity, and may have difficulty resuming normal output due to damage caused by protestors, Energy Minister Ivan Rodriguez said. Production resumed Sunday after President Alfredo Palacio deployed troops to Ecuador's Amazon basin, but oil infrastructure was badly damaged, officials said. "What happened is worse than a war," said Rodriguez, estimating economic losses of 400 million dollars to the impoverished Latin American nation by year end. Some of the wells were so badly damaged, "it is possible they cannot be recovered," he said, adding that Petroecuador was operating at 50...

Frank Taylor, retired State Police chief and director of the International Law Enforcement Academy in Roswell, was in Ruidoso this week to acquaint local business leaders with the Academy’s structure and objectives. While here Taylor made a guest appearance on KRUI AM with Tim Keithley and spoke to some 100 people gathered at the Tuesday luncheon of Ruidoso Rotary. “We gave a quick overview of the Academy’s program to the Rotarians,” Taylor said when he stopped by the Ruidoso News. “We also wanted to convey what part their community plays in the Academy’s success. “Ruidoso is a catch-all. It offers...

Canadian hog numbers may be off by nearly 500,000 head. Inaccurate statistics reported by the Statistics Canada, can affect production decisions by U.S. hog producers, said Steve Meyer, Paragon Economics, Des Moines, Iowa. "With the focus on Canadian-American trade (cattle), it is probably time to look at the flow of pigs from Canada thus far in 2005," he said. The number of Canadian hogs into the United States has slowed over last year even with duty-free trade rules in place. Still, Meyer said when comparing Canadian hog slaughter and export statistics, 458,417 hogs are unaccounted for. "Where did those pigs...

Government and business leaders in Guatemala applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for its approval of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) early Thursday, saying it will bring more jobs and foreign investment to the region. However, environmental and farmer organizations say the treaty will cause greater unemployment and more migration to the U.S. CAFTA will remove most tariffs from goods traded between the U.S., five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic. It is expected to take force as early as January 1, 2006. The news brought mixed reactions in Guatemala, one of the six countries included in...

While Central American exporters celebrate the passage of CAFTA, local reaction remains cautious and disappointed. Hoyt Bailey, former executive vice president of Dover Textiles and president of the Dover Foundation, said he was not surprised the Central America Free Trade Agreement made it through the House of Representatives. “The big surprise to me was making China a most favored nation,” Bailey said. “CAFTA is miniscule compared to making China a viable trading partner. [CAFTA] is just another way of taking American jobs away from real, working-class people. It’s very discouraging to see our manufacturing strength go to other countries.” One...

The House of Representatives today approved the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in a vote of 217 to 215. The vote is a major victory for President George Bush and the Republican House leadership. However, it comes at the expense of increased partisanship and mounting disarray in the conduct and management of U.S. trade policy. Before the treaty comes into effect, ratification by Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica is necessary, and this is not guaranteed. The congressional debate over CAFTA has proved the most inflamed and controversial since the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993. Economic...

Official: Agreement would threaten U.S. immigration laws TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- If the Central American Free Trade Agreement- Dominican Republic gets a thumbs up from the House of Representatives this month it will likely serve as the next stepping stone to a Western Hemispheric free-trade zone similar to the European Union. The North American Free Trade Agreement, now 10 years old, got the ball rolling connecting Canada, the United States and Mexico under one free-trade umbrella. Should CAFTA-DR pass, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic will increase the scope of free trade to the northern...

Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I join the three previous speakers tonight, and I rise today in the urgent interest of America's sovereignty and the primacy of our laws and the Constitution. They are under attack, Mr. Speaker, by the Central American Free Trade Agreement that will soon be considered by this Chamber. In fact, even referring to CAFTA as a ``trade agreement'' is a misnomer. Yes, it involves trade; but its influence on our economy, our legal system, and our way of life would be much more serious and sweeping than the benign term ``trade agreement'' suggests. At its core,...

Congress is likely to vote on whether to approve the Central American Free Trade Agreement before the end of the month. On Friday, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, called CAFTA the “big ticket” item on the House agenda next week, which is strongly backed by President Bush. Proponents argue CAFTA will promote trade and help some local businesses, especially farmers in West Virginia. Critics point to the North American Free Trade Agreement, signed by President Clinton in 1993, which eliminated many trade barriers with Mexico and Canada and ended up costing Americans more than a million jobs. “I just...

Puts & Calls / NO on Cafta, say Kevin L. Kearns and Alan Tonelson, who warn it exploits the weak Sunday, July 24, 2005 By Kevin L. Kearns and Alan Tonelson China's attempt to take over the U.S. oil company Unocal is a major test for Congress on Sino-American relations. Congress' answer so far -- harsh but toothless resolutions, hearing after hearing, and a tight focus on the narrow complaints of the rival Unocal bidder, Chevron -- deserves an "incomplete" at best. The state-owned Chinese oil firm CNOOC's heavily subsidized bid for Unocal should be blocked, both to limit the...

Decades ago a woman whose in-laws were religiously conservative Mennonite people told me this funny story. The grandmother cooked noon dinner every day for her husband, their adult sons and all the farmhands. Since the farm was mostly worked by the muscle power of either men or horses, those hard-working men were monumental eaters. The grandmother roasted, boiled, whipped and baked walloping amounts of home-canned vegetables, mashed potatoes, big servings of meat, heavy desserts. My friend was very surprised the day she walked into the grandmother's traditional farm kitchen - and there was a brand-new microwave oven. (This was in...