- Pacific
The integration of North America’s economies would best be achieved through an “incremental” approach, according to a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable.
The cable, released through the WikiLeaks website and apparently written Jan. 28, 2005, discusses some of the obstacles surrounding the merger of the economies of Canada, the United States and Mexico in a fashion similar to the European Union.
“An incremental and pragmatic package of tasks for a new North American Initiative (NAI) will likely gain the most support among Canadian policymakers,” the document said. “The economic payoff of the prospective North American initiative … is available, but its size and timing are unpredictable, so it should not be oversold.”
Many different areas of a possible integration are discussed throughout the cable, but the focus is on improving the economic welfare of the continent. It suggests one of the main benefits to Canada would be easier access across the U.S. border, calling it a “top motive” for this country.
The cable states Canada and the U.S. already share perimeter security “to some degree,” the question is then how “strong” the two countries want to make that bond.
Discussions are currently underway about increasing co-operation between the two countries when it comes to perimeter security. A broad-based document was released by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama in February of this year, laying the groundwork for a deal that would see improved intelligence communication for security concerns and trade.
The details are currently being hashed out by officials from both countries. The proposed deal aims to improve the flow of cross-border traffic and increase security against terrorist threats.
Opposition parties have expressed a certain wariness over the lack of transparency of the talks and say they worry Harper will be too willing to make concessions to the U.S. over security issues, in order to gain an advantage in cross-border trade.
In the cable, U.S. diplomats focused on a number of key areas to move forward with continental integration, including a possible common currency, labour markets, international trade and the borders of the three countries.
The cable said Canadian economists were split on whether a fixed exchange rate, or a move to adopt the U.S. greenback, would benefit this country.
The document states Canadian economists point to labour markets as one of the areas which could have the greatest benefit for all three countries.
“They advocate freeing up professional licensing laws, and developing a quick, simple, low-cost work permit system, at least for U.S. and Canadian citizens,” the cable said.
It goes on to say North America would be well served by implementing a single, continent wide, tariff or a customs union arrangement.
The proposed customs union would eliminate the North American Free Trade Agreement’s “restrictive” rules of origin.
“NAFTA’s (rules of origin) are so restrictive that importers often prefer to pay the tariff rather than try to prove North American origin,” the cable said.
The cable concludes with a caveat: “There is little basis on which to estimate the size of the ‘upside’ gains from an integration initiative concentrating on non-tariff barriers of the kind contained in NAI. For this reason we cannot make the claims about how large the benefits might be on a national or continental scale.” (6.02.2011, Robert Hiltz) http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/06/02/leaked-u-s-cable-lays-out-north-american-%E2%80%98integration%E2%80%99-strategy
WikiLeaks Confirms North American Integration Scheme
A secret U.S. embassy cable from 2005 released on April 28 by the anti-secrecy group Wiki-Leaks confirms what The New American magazine and others have been reporting for years: North American governments are indeed plotting to “integrate” the continent. And not even including implementing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), they’ve been working on it for at least six years, probably more.
So far, however, the bombshell has barely attracted any attention in the United
States, Canada, or Mexico beyond a few mentions in some liberty-minded Internet forums and
a TNA online article posted on May 2. But among patriots who have been opposing the
integration efforts only to be dismissed as “conspiracy theorists,” the leaked
cable provides more concrete proof that the plan is real, dangerous, and more than a
recent or transient phenomenon.
The official document, signed by then-American Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci,
outlines the best ways to peddle the scheme to policymakers and the public. Most alarming
to critics, it also discusses ways of getting around national constitutions and even the
possibility of an eventual “monetary union.” Numerous other topics are broached
in the leaked document, too: borders, labor, regulations, and more. But how to push the
integration agenda is featured particularly prominently.
“Integrating” the United States, Canada, and Mexico
Integration is a little-used term employed mainly by policy wonks. But while it may sound
relatively harmless, it generally describes a very serious phenomenon when used in a
geopolitical context — the gradual merging of separate countries under a regional
authority. Similar processes are already well under way in Europe, Africa, and South
America. And according to critics, the results — essentially abolishing national
sovereignty in favor of supranational, unaccountable governance — have been an
unmitigated disaster.
“The European Union has effectively destroyed the independence of its 27 member
nations. The plan to create what critics have dubbed a North American Union (NAU) is a
huge step toward accomplishing for our nation and its neighbors what the EU has done in
Europe,” said John F. McManus, president of The John Birch Society, which has been at
the forefront of sounding the alarm about the integration plan. “If successful, the
promoters of the NAU will cancel the U.S. Declaration of Independence and bore a huge hole
in the U.S. Constitution. This must not be permitted.”
But the insiders in the U.S. government think otherwise. In North America, integration has
been proceeding rapidly for years. In 2006, The New American was among the first to report
on the efforts to submerge Canada, the United States, and Mexico in what opponents called
a “North American Union.” In a special issue dedicated to the subject, a series
of articles laid out every facet of the plan; its similarities to the European integration
model; the planned “NAFTA Super Highway”; and finally, the end game — a
world of supranational regional governments eventually merged into a United
Nations-supervised global government.
The special issue attracted a great deal of attention. Over one million copies, in both
physical and electronic form, were distributed across America. Finally, even some TV
commentators such as then-CNN’s Lou Dobbs exposed the subject, too. The integration
plans eventually faded to the back burner of public consciousness, with an occasional
smear against those who acknowledged that the plan even existed. But more recently, the
topic has received a little more attention — especially in Canada. And even though
documents leaked earlier this year revealed that governments were trying to keep the
process under wraps, integration is now proceeding out in the open for the most part.
The Cable
Written in 2005, the cable released recently by WikiLeaks explains how “integration”
should proceed. And looking back, the document is right on the mark. The best way forward,
it argues, is via gradual steps.
Under the subject line “Placing a new North American Initiative in its economic
policy context,” American diplomatic personnel in Canada say they believe the slow
and steady path is best. “An incremental and pragmatic package of tasks for a new
North American Initiative (NAI) will likely gain the most support among Canadian
policymakers,” the cable states in its summary. Apparently Canadian economists agree.
How integration backers should peddle the scheme is seemingly one of the primary purposes
of the document. The cable touts, for example, the supposed benefits of merging the three
countries — intended to be essentially “talking points” to sell the plan.
It even mentions which elements of the plan to “stress” in future “efforts
to promote further integration.”
“Our research leads us to conclude that such a package should tackle both ‘security’
and ‘prosperity’ goals,” the document claims, using the two key words that
have been emphasized at every step along the way. “This fits the recommendations of
Canadian economists who have assessed the options for continental integration.”
Toward the end, the cable offers more advice on how to advance the integration agenda by
tailoring the narrative. “When advocating [the North American Initiative to integrate
the three countries], it would be better to highlight specific gains to individual firms,
industries or travelers, and especially consumers,” the cable states, noting that it’s
harder to “estimate the benefits” on a national or continental scale.
Unsubstantiated Claims
In a section of the document headlined “North American Integration: What We Know,”
the cable offers nothing but praise for the merging of the continent’s once-sovereign
nations. “Past integration (not just NAFTA but also many bilateral and unilateral
steps) has increased trade, economic growth, and productivity,” it claims. But
countless economists disagree. Acclaimed free-market economist Murray Rothbard, for
example, blasted NAFTA. “It’s worse than open socialism; for it’s
internationalist socialism camouflaged in the fair clothing of freedom and free markets,”
he wrote, calling the agreement “government-directed, government-negotiated trade,
which is mercantilism, not free trade.” And of course, true free-trade advocates also
correctly point out that the thousands of pages of regulations making up the agreements
should hardly be considered examples of genuine free trade.
So-called “security,” the other big integration selling point, is featured
prominently in the document as well. “A stronger continental ‘security perimeter’
can strengthen economic performance,” the cable states. “It could also
facilitate future steps toward trilateral economic integration, such as a common external
tariff or a customs union.”
And law-enforcement “cooperation” is good too, claim the embassy and the U.S.
Ambassador, matter-of-factly. “Cooperative measures on the ‘security’ side,
a critical focus of current bilateral efforts, can deliver substantial, early, and
widespread economic benefits,” the cable alleges, offering no evidence to
substantiate the assertions. “Security and law enforcement within North America have
evolved rapidly since 9/11,” it continues. “Collaboration to improve these
processes could yield efficiency improvements which would automatically be spread widely
across the economy, leading to general gains in trade, productivity, and incomes.”
According to this line of thinking, integrating and consolidating police powers with our
neighbors to the north and south will somehow not only make us safer, but more prosperous
to boot. Those claims are easily demolished by observing the effects of the U.S.
government’s “Merida Initiative,” which purports to fight drug trafficking
in Mexico — a country where 40,000 innocent victims have been murdered in recent
years as a result of the drug war, even as drug imports continue to soar.
The Alleged “Consensus”
The cable devotes considerable space to listing what it claims is a summary of the “consensus”
among Canadian economists. According to the document, “many” economists agree
with the scheme. Apparently they also support the principle of “more ambitious
integration goals” such as a customs union, a single market, and even a continental
currency to replace the dollar. On top of that, they supposedly believe such a union
should involve all three major North American countries: the United States, Mexico, and
Canada.
The cable also cautions, however, that “most” of the economists believe the
gradual approach is “most appropriate” — for now, at least. And all of them
reportedly agree that such an approach “helps pave the way to these goals if and when
North Americans choose to pursue them.”
The embassy cable also includes a summary of what it calls the “professional
consensus” among Canadian economists on various individual issues related to the
scheme. “At this time, an ‘incremental’ approach to integration is probably
better than a ‘big deal’ approach,” the document states under the “process”
subheading, supposedly referring to the economists’ opinions. “However, governments
should focus on choosing their objectives, and not on choosing a process.”
(Emphasis added.)
The next summary in the cable is about the question of “border vs. perimeter,”
as the formerly secret document puts it. “Even with zero tariffs, our land borders
have strong commercial effects,” the embassy says. However, “some” of the
effects — such as law enforcement and “data gathering” — are described
as “positive.”
“Canada and the United States already share a security perimeter to some degree; it
is just a question of how strong we want to make it,” the 2005 document notes.
Apparently Canadians’ main reason for seeking a perimeter approach to security and
borders, as opposed to a border between the two nations, is to avoid the “risk”
that “discretionary” U.S. decisions to stop terror or disease might impede
commerce. And evidently, the nations’ rulers did recently decide to make the
perimeter strong-er. They even held a press conference about their agreement. More on this
press conference later in the article.
The cable also claims the “economists” support a customs union beyond what NAFTA
offers, a feature developed in the European Union once the integration process was well
established. “A common external tariff, or a customs union which eliminates NAFTA’s
rules of origin (ROO), is economically desirable,” it states. And in terms of labor
markets, the so-called “consensus” among the unidentified Canadian economists is
also — surprise! — the pursuit of even more integration. “Many Canadian
economists point to labor markets — both within and among countries — as the
factor market [sic] where more liberalization would deliver the greatest economic benefits
for all three countries,” the document states.
Commenting on the new WikiLeaks revelations, William Gheen, president of Americans for
Legal Immigration (ALIPAC), said the planned merger was one of the motives for failing to
secure the southern U.S. border. “This is why these elite banking, business, and
political influences are flooding America with rampant illegal immigration and hyper legal
immigration,” he explained. “They are conquering the freedom-loving innocent
citizens of America by bringing in outsiders who will replace us incrementally in our jobs
and homes.”
Next, the cable released by Wiki-Leaks highlights another startling proposition about how
to achieve an end-run around the Canadian Constitution. “Inter-provincial differences
[in regulation] are important here, since Canada’s federal government does not have
the benefit of a U.S.-style ‘interstate commerce’ clause,” the document
states. “While much of the problem is domestic in nature, an international initiative
could help to catalyze change.” Yes, the U.S. embassy refers to the wildly abused and
misapplied “commerce clause” as a “benefit” that Canada lacks. And it
actually suggests — hiding behind unnamed “economists” — that the
constitutional “problem” could be minimized by foisting an “international
initiative” on the Canadian people.
Finally, the document summarizes the “consensus” on the subject of a currency
union. It says the supposed economists were “split” on the issues of returning
to fixed exchange rates or even abolishing Canada’s fiat dollar and replacing it with
America’s Federal Reserve fiat currency. The cable gives the final word on the topic
of a currency union to the Canadian central bank boss. He is quoted as saying that “monetary
union is an issue that should be considered once we have made more progress towards
establishing a single market.”
History, Progress
With the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement — similar in many ways
to the European Common Market that preceded the political union in Europe — the
foundation was laid. And from there, integration only accelerated. Especially after the
open and public support of the ruling establishment.
The scheme to merge North America into a political unit with its own legislature and
currency is largely the brainchild of the world government-promoting Council on Foreign
Relations. In March of 2005, the infamous CFR foreign-policy cabal produced a document
entitled Creating a North American Community: Chairmen’s Statement Independent
Task Force on the Future of North America.
The report called for the creation of a “community” for the supposed purpose of
enhancing “security, prosperity, and opportunity for all North Americans.” And
since then, the campaign to integrate North America has continued full-speed ahead as a
fully bipartisan phenomenon. Under President George W. Bush, for example, integration
occurred through the little-known “Security and Prosperity Partnership of North
America.”
Now, under the Obama administration, the process is virtually out in the open, despite a
glaring lack of coverage from establishment news outlets. As TNA online reported in
February, Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper met in Washington, D.C., to
hammer out a deal on solidifying a common “perimeter” around the two countries.
Also part of the agreement, which conspicuously bypassed both countries’
legislatures, was a diminished role for the nations’ shared border. The development
of a biometric system to track North Americans was agreed to as well, as were numerous
other controversial measures.
Amazingly, the two leaders even held a press conference about the deal after it was
concluded. But as usual, almost all of the press coverage that did mention the
scheme failed to explain the importance of what was going on. In fact, most of the media
— probably taking their cue from Obama, who touched on Egypt before starting the
Q&A session — focused on the North African turmoil instead of the new North
American security perimeter and its gargantuan implications.
Revelations, Future
Since the TNA online article about the cables was published, thousands of blogs and
alternative media outlets have picked up the story. The WikiLeaks document is being
treated by analysts and activists as a sort of “smoking gun” about what insiders
once tried to dismiss as a “conspiracy theory.”
“These latest revelations only substantiate what we have been saying for several
years, that there is a plan to merge North America to the detriment of the independence of
the American people and our constitutionally protected rights,” said CEO Art Thompson
of The John Birch Society. “The argument that it has improved our economy and
industry is false; just ask those who are out of work. Being unemployed is only the
beginning of the woes that will be created by this merger.”
ALIPAC sent out a press release on May 18 driving the point home. “It is conspiracy,
but it is no theory,” said the organization’s president. “These traitors
are trying to conceal their plans, but they are out in the open now. They are trying to
force an economic union on America that is not ratified by the US Congress, not authorized
by the US Constitution, and not approved of by the American public.”
But to stop the scheme, a lot of work remains. If it is to be derailed, Americans and
Canadians must be aware of the looming danger. Where the integration campaign will
eventually end remains to be seen. But if North American Union advocates get their way,
the U.S. Constitution and its Mexican and Canadian counterparts could soon be rendered
irrelevant. After that — critics and supporters both agree — plugging the
regional units into a global system would be a relatively simple matter. Then, the America
that Americans love would essentially be no more. (6.09.2011, Alex Newman) http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-mainmenu-26/north-america-mainmenu-36/7775-wikileaks-confirms-north-american-integration-scheme
"To Achieve World
Government it is necessary to remove from the minds of men their individualism,
their loyalty to family traditions and national identification" Brock Chisholm - Director of the World Health Organization
"A society whose citizens refuse to see and investigate the facts, who refuse to
believe that their government and their media will routinely lie to them and fabricate a
reality contrary to verifiable facts, is a society that chooses and deserves the Police
State Dictatorship it's going to
get." Ian Williams Goddard
The fact is that "political correctness" is all about creating uniformity. Individualism is one of the biggest obstacles in the way of the New World Order. They want a public that is predictable and conditioned to do as it's told without asking questions.
"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first." Thomas Jefferson