AUDREY'S MISSILES
A weekly newsletter dedicated to the peaceful
reform of the United States government.
NAFTA ILLEGAL?
July 6, 2001, Washington, D.C. - The United Steelworkers of
America (USWA) announced today that it has filed a Certiorari petition with
the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). If the Supreme Court does not
chicken out and refuse to hear the case or find some other pretext to dodge
the issue, we may expect a ruling from that body sometime next Fall. A
century ago, Finley Peter Dunne had his favorite Irish bartender, Mr.
Dooley, say this about the court: "no matther whether th' constitution
follows th' flag or not, th' supreme coort follows th' iliction
returns." As was true in the imperialist days of Teddy Roosevelt, the
Supreme Court just might be influenced by a higher court - the Court of
Public Opinion. The public needs to use the immense power that it has.
The outcome of the case the steelworkers have filed is by no means
certain. Even though NAFTA is plainly a treaty, the government has argued
that it is commercial in nature and thus falls within the government's
powers to regulate under the commerce clause of the Constitution. Thus,
the government contends that the simple majority used to pass NAFTA was
constitutional and the treaty should stand as it is. The steel workers
challenge on the basis that NAFTA is a treaty and required a two thirds
vote of the Senate to ratify. The Supreme Court, sometimes called the "Sup
Cut" by the irreverent, is getting another red hot potato in its lap. Will
they find a way to justify an agreement that has caused such havoc and
misery on both sides of our border with Mexico?
NAFTA isn't about free trade, and it never was. NAFTA was about
opening the Mexican border to the drug traffic and using the cheap labor in
Mexico to exploit the rich consumer market in this country. It was
supposed to be a "win-win" situation, but wages in Mexico have fallen and
working conditions have worsened in both countries. The loss of jobs has
threatened our consumer driven market, and there is concern that the
current recession will become a full fledged depression. The volume of
traffic has made it incredibly easy for criminals to smuggle both people
and drugs. The news media has concentrated on the poor Mexicans who
"migrate" in and out of this country, but U.S. citizens know that there are
millions of them who have stayed, and millions more who would like to
immigrate and remain in this country. The flood of immigrants from Mexico
and many other countries and consequent building of homes, highways, and
service structures has damaged our watershed (floods) and overwhelmed our
infrastructure (blackouts).
What is needed now is massive peaceful demonstrations right at the
heart of the problem: the U.S. Mexican border. Have some vacation time
coming? Why not call some friends, pack up the old RV and head for
Douglas, San Ysidro, Antelope Wells, or Laredo?
READ THIS NEWSLETTER AND THEN GIVE IT TO A FRIEND.
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