"America the Beautiful: A Fire Sale for Foreign Corporations" on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

[WilliamPitt]

America the Beautiful: A Fire Sale for Foreign Corporations
By Dr Brian Moench
Truthout | News Analysis

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

This may be one of the most important stories ever ignored by the so-called "lame stream, liberal" media. It's unlikely you're losing sleep over US trade negotiations, but the unfolding business agreement among the US and eight Pacific nations -the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) - should cause every US citizen, from the Sierra Club to the Tea Party to get their pitch forks and torches out of the closet and prepare to "storm the Bastille."

The TPP negotiations have been going on for two years under extreme secrecy, no information has been made available to either the press or Congress about the US position. But on June 12, a document was leaked to the watchdog group, Public Citizen, revealing the current US position and the reason for the secrecy. The contents are surreal, shocking and prima facia evidence for how corporations have become the master puppeteers of our government.

The leaked document reveals that the trade agreement would give unprecedented political authority and legal protection to foreign corporations. Specifically, TPP would (1) severely limit regulation of foreign corporations operating within US boundaries, giving them greater rights than domestic firms; (2) extend incentives for US firms to move investments and jobs to lower-wage countries; and (3) establish an alternative legal system that gives foreign corporations and investors new rights to circumvent US courts and laws, allowing them to sue the US government before foreign tribunals and demand compensation for lost revenue due to US laws they claim undermine their TPP privileges or their investment "expectations."

(snip)

Residents of the West should be particularly alarmed. TPP would allow the plunder of our natural resources by foreign corporations allowed to bypass US law. Disputes over Western land contracts for mining and timber, for example, would be settled by international tribunals. Even if you are oblivious to environmental concerns, you should be outraged at the total circumvention of national sovereignty. Foreign investors could bypass our legal framework, take any dispute to an international tribunal and pursue compensation for being denied access to our resources at fire-sale prices - with much of the West on fire as we speak.

Much more: http://truth-out.org/news/item/10195-america-the-beautiful-a-fire-sale-for-foreign-corporations

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My outrage is overwhelming.

How do we stop this? And can we?

[Romulox]

2. If this goes down like NAFTA, there is nothing we can do. When both Parties agree with the corps,

the people simply cannot stand against it.

Hate to be a bummer, but I can't see where I'm wrong...

[CrispyQ]

3. Especially when the majority of the people don't know about it or care about it.

I've heard very little in the MSM about it & when it is mentioned, it's hailed only as a trade agreement. None of the seriously bad corporate shit is talked about.

[Huey P. Long]

7. Mr Romulox, we meet again so soon...see my post below. The corporatists

are all about the TPP!

[Huey P. Long]

4. Much INFO-

Obama Trade Deal To Put Corporations Above The Law

Published on Jun 23, 2012 by TheYoungTurks
"President Barack Obama's administration on Monday formally invited Mexico to join controversial free trade negotiations known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, reinforcing consumer and environmental group concerns that the deal may establish broad new powers for corporations. The invitation comes less than one week after a leaked U.S. document sparked an uproar because it proposed terms that would grant corporations the ability to bypass U.S. public interest laws and regulations in courts here and appeal directly to international tribunals. U.S. advocacy groups and some members of Congress have criticized the U.S. proposals...".* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

==

Obama Betrays Campaign Promise to Label Genetically Engineered Food
In 2007, Senator Obama, campaigning for the presidency in the Democratic primary, promised to label genetically engineered food.

Now, if you write the Obama for America campaign about GMO labels, you get this response:

"Genetically modified crops hold out the promise of benefits like increased production and reduced reliance on pesticides. At the same time, some Americans want more information to help them choose their food. President Obama understands these concerns and is considering additional steps in this area."

What? How can he flip his position like that? What makes him believe Monsanto's lies? Why isn't he listening to the 9 out of 10 voters who want GMOs labeled? Is there anything we can do to get him back on our side before November?

The first step is to give Barack Obama a piece of our minds! Bill Maher did on his show last week, when he called the President out for breaking his campaign promise on GMO labels and putting Monsanto's Michael Taylor in charge of food safety. Please tell the Obama for America campaign what you think about broken promises.

-
http://www.organicconsumers.org/bytes/ob335.htm
-

Real Time with Bill Maher 22 june 2012 in HD GMOs (Genetically Modified Foods)


=

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is being negotiated in secret and the stakes for the 99% couldn't be higher. Go to www.TPP2012.com and click on TAKE ACTION today. Share Public Citizen Global Trade Watch's song parody to the tune of Jackson 5's ABC with friends and family and encourage them to take action too! Follow us @PCGTW and the hashtag #TPP2012. Together, we can STOP the TPP!

Have you heard? The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) "free trade" agreement is a stealthy policy being pressed by corporate America, a dream of the 1 percent, that in one blow could:
-offshore millions of jobs,
-free Wall Street and its banksters from oversight,
-reduce Internet freedom,
-ban policies needed to create green jobs and rebuild local economies,
-decrease access to medicine by extending drug company monopolies,
-empower corporations to attack our environmental and health safeguards, such as tobacco control and clean air and water regulations.

Closed-door talks are on-going between the U.S. and Australia, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam; with countries like Japan and China potentially joining later. 600 corporate advisors have access to the text, while the public, Members of Congress, journalists, and civil society are excluded. And so far what we know about what's in there is very scary!

But there's still time to organize to shine a light on the horrors of the TPP and convince our governments to instead pursue policies that benefit the 99% in our countries. Watch this video and then take action by signing our petition calling for an end to secrecy in the TPP negotiations and learn more at www.TPP2012.com.

--


?w=538&h=415

The Trans-Pacic Partnership (TPP) would create
a super-treaty which would jeopardize the
sovereignty of the nations involved by giving
their power to large corporations like Wal-Mart,
Monsanto, Goldman Sachs, Pzer, Halliburton,
Philip Morris, GE, GM, and Apple.

— There are currently 11 nations involved: US,
New Zealand, Australia, Brunei, Chile,
Malaysia, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, Mexico
and Canada. Japan has shown interest.

— The economic power of this group is more
than 40% larger than the 27- nation
European Union.

— TPP will oshore millions of good-paying
jobs to low-wage nations, undercutting
working conditions globally and
increasing unemployment.

— TPP will expand pharmaceutical monopoly
protections and institute longer patents that
will decrease access to aordable medications.

— TPP will limit food GMO labeling and allow the
import of goods that do not meet
US safety standards.

— TPP will institute SOPA, PIPA, and CISPA-like regulations and internet measures
which restrict our right to free speech.

— TPP will roll back Wall Street regulations, and prohibit bans on risky nancial services.
... unless we let them know “No Deal!”

-

Monday, July 2, Noon - Protest the TPP on the first day of the Talks. Join the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council Rally and Press Conference at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel!

July 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 - People’s Conference: A Better World is Possible! Evening discussions with international, national and local grassroots organizers and experts. Click for Details.

Saturday, July 7, 11 am - Major Pots and Pans March to STOP TPP! Bring Your Pots and Pans and Drums! Gather at 10:30 am in Freedom Plaza (Civic Center). March at 11 am. Rally at noon at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel!



===

The Trans Pacific Partnership – A Corporate Fascist Coup
There is a bold global corporate takeover happening right before our eyes. The Trans Pacific Partnership has been discussed in secret for nearly 3 years and has been disguised as a trade deal when in reality it amounts to a fascist corporate coup where the megacorporations are gaining a tighter grip over individual governments all over the world.

Published on Jul 8, 2012
There is a bold global corporate takeover happening right before our eyes. The Trans Pacific Partnership has been discussed in secret for nearly 3 years and has been disguised as a trade deal when in reality it amounts to a fascist corporate coup where the megacorporations are gaining a tighter grip over individual governments all over the world.

Leaked TPP investment chapter:
http://www.citizenstrade.org/ctc/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/tppinvestment.pdf

Sign the "stop the trap" petition:
http://stopthetrap.net/

More info on the TPP:
http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article35265.html?all=true
http://openmedia.ca/?gclid=CJnWqMbQirECFQZtKgodJ3Uq0Q
http://www.citizenstrade.org/ctc/blog/2012/06/13/newly-leaked-tpp-investment-...
=============

[sabrina 1]

5. 'Selling the country down the river' and 'corporate coup' used to sound a bit

hyperbolic. But THIS makes those often repeated phrases nowhere near hyperbolic enough.

Residents of the West should be particularly alarmed. TPP would allow the plunder of our natural resources by foreign corporations allowed to bypass US law. Disputes over Western land contracts for mining and timber, for example, would be settled by international tribunals. Even if you are oblivious to environmental concerns, you should be outraged at the total circumvention of national sovereignty.

So when foreigners can't get around our laws, put in place to protect THIS COUNTRY'S environment from pollution and pillaging, they basically invade the country with the approval, it appears, of some of our elected officials??

This is definitely an attack on this Country's sovereignty, without the actual military army, but who needs that when our own politicians are clearing the way for them?

At least in the past when people said we were undergoing a Corporate Coup we thought the Corporations were American.

This is an attempted Corporate Coup by foreign invaders! What are they thinking? Has the world been taken over by Globalists without our knowing it so this seems normal to them now, unlike our pleb notions of sovereignty?

Let's the outrage becomes so loud they cannot ignore it. Shameful.

[Huey P. Long]

6. btw, I applaud you for coming out against this. Of course this will be ignored by the cheerleaders.

[pa28]

8. The lesser of two evils is no way to run a party.

It looks like TPP is a done deal so now I guess we just have to close our eyes and think about England because we are getting screwed.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

9. We can't blame this one on Bush.

This one is squarely on the shoulders of Obama, the alleged "Democrat".

When the fuck are we going to finally face and acknowledge that the "enemy" is now within the damned Democratic Party????

If this is what the Party now stands for, then I see no future for me in it.

Hey, DUers, where are the calls for activism on this issue?? You remember, we used to do that sort of thing around here. Oh yeah, that's right, it's A Democratic doing it now, so we're supposed to pretend it's OK now.

Fuck. That. Shit.

Say, Will, did you ever think you'd see the day on DU when a huge story like this would sink like a stone with nary a word from our fellow Democrats here ?? Sad fucking state of affairs, here and with the Party.

[WilliamPitt]

10. Doesn't surprise me one bit, really.

It's duck-and-cover time for a lot of people, a compulsion I fully understand.

Been through it a time or three.

Going through it again.

[sabrina 1]

11. I think a lot of these democrats are no longer here.

That doesn't mean democrats are not appalled by this though. Not all Democrats subscribe to the theory that if their party is doing, it's okay. I think it's even worse when our party does it, frankly. This is what you expect from the right and from the left, you expect total opposition to it.

And those who turn a blind are pushing this party further and further to the right. It is OUR party, and it is up to us not to allow it to be taken over by corporate interests and we are not going away, in spite of the wishes of those who would like us to just shut up.

[pa28]

12. As if any doubt was left I think we know who runs the place now.

When you watch your own Senator (Wyden) complain because he was left out of the decision process it gives you a little hope. That's a good thing right?

To avoid any misunderstandings he quickly explains how he'll rush the agreement through even though he has no idea what's in it due to the secrecy he was previously complaining about.

It's really special to see your leaders kowtow for corporate interests and make no apology about it whatsoever.

[Huey P. Long]

13. .

[Huey P. Long]

14. .

[Brickbat]

15. K&R.

[WilliamPitt]

16. Up

[Huey P. Long]

18. upsy daisy. -eom

[Huey P. Long]

19. did I hit this?

[Huey P. Long]

20. Yep, seems I did!

[Huey P. Long]

21. I need to be sure though.

[Huey P. Long]

23. Okay, now I'm just doing this for amusement.

[Autumn]

17. Rec, because this is important eom

[Elwood P Dowd]

22. K&R (nm)