I must really applaud Dave Chaddock in his article on the ABC’s of the WTO. It was very informative and well written. But while I agree with a lot of it there are some very misleading statements that he puts out that paint an all too familiar picture of the WTO and its practices.
First of all I would like to preface this that I am opposed to the WTO in its current form because it is not a democratic organization. That and because its main goal is to exploit working people and turn them against each other. Dave proves this himself when he states the glaring inadequacies between the “rich” nations and the “poor”. While it can be shown that at times (very rarely) the WTO has ruled against Big business it has overwhelmingly since its inception been the tool of multi-national corporations.
Michael Moore is the head of the WTO. Did anyone that you know or ever heard of vote for him?? Remember its last leader?? Carlos Salinas of Mexico. He’s in hiding in Europe facing drug and coruption charges in Mexico. You have to be pretty nefarious for Mexico to indite you on coruption charges now don’t you?? How about any of the other “ministers” that rule the WTO?? While Dave talks about the inadequacies in treatment that countries like Brazil, India, Thailand receive from the WTO, it was the WTO who made these inadequacies. It meets in secret and will continue to exclude these developing countries from WTO decisions.
The WTO is the representative of muti-national corporations in a huge shill game being played upon all workers of the world. And these muti-nationals know that these countries have no choice in the matter. Why no choice you might ask?? Because those that control the WTO will be harmed if they did not have control over the world’s markets. And China will not be let in until it opens it gates to these corporations (on their terms too). Especially with statements that it wants to change the WTO for the betterment of developing countries.
Russia is also not included in the WTO and it represents a much better trading partner than China but its admission is never brought up. Why?? Because with the collapse of the USSR we (the USA) made a deal with the Russian government to send Billions of dollars of aid to help them change gradually into a free-market system. We reneged when the multi-nationals put pressure on the Bush administration to open Russia up for them. Yeltsin was agreeable (his family and cohorts profitted greatly from this) and the rape was on which in turn left the country wide open for organized crime. And its people are destitute and basically helpless. So the muti-nationals don’t want Russia in the WTO while they can still rape her for all her mineral wealth and other natural resources. In this aspect (mineral wealth) Russia is the richest nation on earth.
Sure, trade is good. Good for you and good for me. Good for every parent that would like to see his (or her) children grow up healthy, happy, and with a chance at prosperity. But this can only be achieved through fair and free trade. Not the trade that we see now. And most assuredly not with the trade the WTO has in mind.
Generically engineered food. The WTO has it now that underdeveloped countries can only buy generically engineered seed. Our beef is packed full of bovine growth hormones. Same with sheep, pigs, and chickens. I just read that over two thousand people in the USA died last year from the food that they ate. I am talkng about food that was supposed to be safe to eat. 400 hundred people died not too long ago in Milwaukee from drinking the water. Food safety should come before any genetically engineered food don’t you think???
We now have crops of corn that kill every type of insect that lands on them. Monarch butterflies are greatly endangered from this. 70% of the world soy beans, 40% of its corn, and 30% of its wheat are from generically engineered seeds. Without the benifit of substanial testing over a period of many years by different sources (not just Monsanto and the scientist that work for them) you can not make a sound, scientific judgment of just what the benefits or repercussions are now can you?? This is another three card monte game being played by the WTO. While there is dissention over one aspect no one’s looking at what’s really going on.
It is not in the WTO’s interest to have harmony. Just like it is in the “Bosses” interest to keep the working men fighting among themselves over things like race, sex and “little” wars like Bosnia, Iraq and Vietnam to keep us from focusing on our common enemy. Have you ever heard of the WTO coming out against war?? Of course not, war is good business.
And I take great exception to the statement that being anti-WTO is somehow anti-Union or anti-worker. Nothing could be futher from the truth. In my opinion just the opposite – pro-WTO = anti-Union. While I and I am sure most agree that the underdeveloped nations need time to bring their people up to standards that are prevalent in the first world it is criminal to suggest that the WTO is the way that these countries and people should go about it. It is written into the WTO charter that its goals as far as labor and wages are concerned are to reduce the first world wages as a means of raising the third worlds wages. And that only makes good sense if you are a major player in the world of multi-nationals doesn’t it??
And I disagree with Dave’s assessment of China. I was in Northern China just last year (twice). On the Russian-Chinese boarder at the Amur (in China it is called the Black Dragon) River. Now granted this is one of China’s poorest region but the Chinese were flocking to Khabarovsk Russia (they now make up 35% of the total population) in record numbers. And as poor as the Russian’s are you can not get any poorer than an Eastern Russian but the Chinese would much rather live there than China.
In the west in China there have been rumors of war and massacres for the last 7, 8 years. What they have done to Tibet has been nothing short of genocidal. I do not profess to be an expert on China. Far from it. And I have never been to the large cities of China but the poorer parts of the country. And I cannot dispute Dave on what he says about Unions and their practices there. But Dave never mentions once the People’s Army. Nothing happens in China without its consent, NOTHING. And any Unions that there are kowtow (no pun intended) to it. Dave also never mentions that Cosco is solely owned by the People’s Army as are most of the overseas aspects of China.
And as a Union man I do not have to agree with a country that has forced prison labor or who executes people for their organs to be sold on the black market. Nor do I want it for a trade partner as long as this kind of thing goes on. And that does not make me in league with anyone because I have these views. Nor does it make me anti-Chinese. I have talked to some who were in Tianamin Square in 1989 and I think they were the heros. And the “dissidents” like Wei Jingsheng and the 10, 000 killed in 89 might just be the true patriots of their country in time. And I do not believe that China took up Lenin’s mantle, far from it. Considering that Lenin only lived for a few years after the Revolution in Russia and any legacy he might have had was destroyed by Stalin. While there is no doubt that he believed that the ends can justify the means I have no doubt that he would not want his name associated with Mao or China (probably not even Russia after Stalin got a hold of it). And that is from one who has been a socialist for a great many years. And a BIG FAN of Lenin.
And I found it very heart warming that the, what did you call them – insidious greenies – were marching with the Unions and the anarchists and the farmers and the students and everyone else. It gave me hope. Hope that we can have trade with everyone. Free and fair trade that does take into consideration a countries poverty and its politics. Because poverty and politics affect working people, people just like me, working people. . . . . . . . .
Tim 35181
