Dear cj, I want to share this for various reasons. For one thing, it includes some interesting testimony from Seattle. For another thing, it is from a list called the "American Patriot Friends Network". I subscribed to that list for the purpose of tracking 'right-wing' thinking. I also subscribe to a few others for the same reason. The _other right-wing lists, in my opinion, are pure propaganda. The viewpoints are always narrow and always divisive. Keeneth Vardon, who runs the APFN list, is different. I still disagree with most of what he posts - and I'm sure he'd disagree with most of what I post - but I acknowledge him as being sincere in what he's doing. As a matter of fact, I've noticed recently more and more things on APFN that I actually agree with. I've said many times that divisiveness in the grass-roots will need to be overcome before elite rule can be overcome. Therefore I find this kind of think encouraging. regards, rkm ============================================================================ Date: Thu, 02 Dec 1999 12:42:33 -0800 From: APFN <•••@••.•••> Organization: APFN http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb77532 To: American Patriot Friends Network <•••@••.•••>, APFN ONELIST <•••@••.•••> Subject: All is not as it seems! A letter from Seattle X-Priority: 2 (High) All is not as it seems! A letter from Seattle This is a fax (another one) that I sent to the Mayor of Seattle. Top 10 Reasons to Oppose the World Trade Organization Via APFNetwork •••@••.••• http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb77532 Subject: Fwd: Fw: a letter from Seattle Date: Thu, 02 Dec 1999 10:31:10 PST From: "cliff kadmon" <•••@••.••• To Whom It May Concern: I am a young man living in the Seattle area. I am not going to reveal my name, for reasons that will be obvious. Several weeks ago I was approached by the representative of a major company. I was offered a lucrative, temporary job as a demonstrator as part of a 'media event' that the company rep said she was involved in planning. I was offered $35 an hour, plus bonuses and meals, for a job that would last a week or so. Being a rather poor college student, I jumped at the offer. I was assured it was all legal. I signed a strict non-disclosure agreement. And I was given a few days paid training. All of this was before I had heard about the upcoming World Trade Organization meeting. In fact, I didn't really know what the WTO was. In the past few days I have carried protest signs and chanted slogans for various causes - whales, farmers, human rights, rainforests; I have blocked traffic, been shoved, kicked, tear-gassed, arrested (bail promptly paid), worn a panda bear costume, and been on tv; I've been well-fed on steaks and shrimp and pizza; had a hell of a lot of fun; made some good cash money and recieved some merchandise bonuses like vitamins and Pepsi stuff; - and become totally disillusioned with our political system. The company that hired me is Archer Daniels Midland, but Pepsi was somehow involved, too (and no doubt some others). The demonstrations this past week in Seattle are contrived and manufactured. I'm sure that many of the people out there are sincerely trying to further their cause, but many more are just nuts getting caught up in the moment, and some are paid agitators (like me and about another 100 or so that I know of). I'm not out there anymore, though, I took my cash last night and left, went back to school. Here's the thing: Have you noticed how the aims of many of the protestors for the most part actually go along with the aims of the WTO and the multi-national corporations? The 'event' is being portrayed as a demonstration against capitalism, but actually is about stricter environment and labor controls, and stricter international standards in many areas. This is the agenda of the WTO and the New World Order. It is all part of the one-world government thing. It is all about more CONTROL over people. When I saw this, I walked away. All of this should be obvious to thoughtful people, but the media are drooling all over each other covering this story as if it were some kind of spontaneous happening, instead of the staged drama it really is. People think the New World Order is just something some crazy person on the internet thought up, but I first heard it from the mouth of President George Bush years ago. The New World Order is alive and growing. I just wanted to put the word out on this to counter the prevailing spin. All is not as it seems! Just Some Guy - a NWO shill ==================================================================== From: Les Lemke <•••@••.••• This is a fax (another one) that I sent to the Mayor of Seattle. This letter is going to as many Congressman as I can send it to. What happened and CONTINUES TO HAPPEN in Seattle is totally UNacceptable. If you saw what I saw and wish to alter this letter and send it as your own letter to that scumbag in Seattle, or to your own Congressmen, go for it. What I say below I did in fact see via various media sources. This is nothing but NAZI GESTAPO ACTION AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY! ---------------------------- December 2, 1999 Lester Lemke P.O. Box 1524 Coos Bay, Oregon 97420-0332 Mayor Paul Schell of Seattle Washington 600 Fourth Avenue Seattle WA 98104 Tel/206-684-4000 Fax/206-684-5360 Mr. Paul Schell - or should I call you Comrad Schell? Over the last few days and nights I have witnessed in Seattle open and blatant abuse of power as well as complete and utter brutality by law enforcement against citizens of this country who have been protesting the totally UnConstitutional and rogue organization otherwise known as the WTO. I have witnessed a woman, who while kneeling down on the sidewalk, had a riot outfitted law enforcement officer (aka: JACKBOOTED THUG *CRIMINAL*) run up from behind her and kick her in middle of her back with his boot. Then that same CRIMINAL hit her with his baton twice. He then grabbed her by the hair and raised her to her feet by her hair. I have witnessed a protester who was grabbed by these legalized street THUGS hauled behind police lines and then beaten with batons EXACTLY like they did Rodney King down in Los Angeles. I have witnessed two individuals who were waiting for a traffic light to change who were suddenly attacked by three thugs. These *legal* THUGS beat the crap out of these two kids until their faces were all bloodied. These same THUGS of yours also kicked these two kids several times when they were down on the sidewalk. These SAME THUGS OF YOURS were police officers...undercover police officers who only announced their status as police officers when some OTHER riot police THUGS came over to see what was going on. I have seen a police THUG armed with rubber bullet loaded shotgun aim that shotgun and then fire that weapon at POINT BLANK range - three feet at the most! - at a woman's face while the woman was seated on the ground protesting the WTO meeting. I have witnessed police THUGS shooting some kind of gas or pepper spray into the face of a protester who was doing nothing but standing there facing police. I have witnessed police THUGS firing gas canisters and concussion grenades at people who were PEACEABLY ASSEMBLED protesting the WTO in Seattle. Today I found out that you have created a "No Protest Zone" around the WTO meeting place....an area that extends out four or more blocks in distance around the site of the WTO meeting. I have read reports of citizens of this country being arrested for entering these "No Protest Zone" areas to protest the WTO. Tell me, Mr. Mayor, which documents governing the operation of a country are you reading from? The United States Constitution and Bill of Rights or the Communist Manifesto? Personally, from what I've seen thus far you are following the behavorial pattern of a Hitler, Stalin or Mao Se Tung-wannabe - CLEARLY not the path taken by our founding fathers of this country. I don't know what kind of country you think this is, Mr.Schell, but I will tell you this. I'm 52 years of age and I'll be damned if I will sit at home and do nothing while YOU remain silent and while YOUR "legal" STREET DOGS attack innocent citizens of this country who are USING, or TRYING to use, their Constitutional Rights and freedom of assembly to protest a bogus organization called the WTO. By your silence and by your failure to raise your voice to put a STOP to the police abuse of power and police brutality against citizens of this country who went to your city to protest the bogus organization called WTO you have made yourself complicit in THEIR crimes against The People of this nation. I don't know what good it will do, but I will tell you this: a copy of this letter to you is going to be mailed to EVERY House member and Senate member in Washington D.C. - as well as to every council member on the Seattle City Council - in the hope that what I saw take place and what I am reporting helps to put you behind bars where you DAMN well belong! I strongly urge you to resign from office before your disgrace grows any further. One last thing, Mr. Mayor. It will be a very cold day in hell before I **EVER** visit and stay in your city again. In addition I plan to urge everyone I know to BOYCOTT your city of Seattle AND to boycott ****ALL**** Washington State products. It would appear that your governor is from the same political school as you for he too has not said a word against the police atrocities in Seattle. With Contempt, Lester Lemke cc: Seattle City Council: Councilmember Martha Choe •••@••.••• Councilmember Richard Conlin •••@••.••• Councilmember Sue Donaldson mailto:•••@••.••• Councilmember Jan Drago •••@••.••• Councilmember Nick Licata •••@••.••• Councilmember Richard McIver •••@••.••• Councilmember Margaret Pageler •••@••.••• Councilmember Tina Podlodowski •••@••.••• Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck •••@••.••• ============================================================ LETTER - •••@••.••• Top 10 Reasons to Oppose the World Trade Organization A friend in Columbus, OH sent this to me. Don Cook Vigo County, Indiana Take a second to read this, then think about it......... I'm not usually one to be a radical, tree-hugging, liberal, protestor-type, but the text of this flyer someone gave me on the street today was disturbing, take a minute to read it: (If this stuff bothers you go to: http://www.globalexchange.org/economy/rulemakers/wto.html ) Top 10 Reasons to Oppose the World Trade Organization 1. The WTO only serves the interests of multinational corporations The WTO is not a democratic institution, and yet its policies impact all aspects of society and the planet. The WTO rules are written by and for corporations with inside access to the negotiations. For example, the US Trade Representative relies on its 17 "Industry Sector Advisory Committees" to provide input into trade negotiations. Citizen input by consumer, environmental, human rights and labor organizations is consistently ignored. Even requests for information are denied, and the proceedingsare held in secret 2. The WTO is a stacked court The WTO's dispute panels, which rule on whether domestic laws are "barriers to trade" and should therefore be abolished,consist of three trade bureaucrats who are not screened for conflict of interests. For example, in the tuna/dolphin case that Mexico filed against the US, which forced the US to repeal its law that barred tuna from being caught by mile-long nets that kill hundreds of thousands of dolphins each year, one of the judges was from a corporate front group that lobbied on behalf ofthe Mexican government for NAFTA. 3. The WTO tramples over labor and human rights The WTO has refused to address the impacts of free trade on labor rights, despite that fact that countries that actively enforce labor rights are disadvantaged by countries that consistently violate international labor conventions. Many developing countries, such as Mexico, contend that labor standards constitute a "barrier to free trade" for countries whose competitive advantage in the global economy is cheap labor. Potential solutions to labor and human rights abuses are blocked by the WTO, which has ruled that it is: 1) illegal for a government to ban a product based on the way it is produced (i.e. with child labor); and 2) governments cannot take into account the behavior of companies that do business with vicious dictatorships such as Burma. 4. The WTO is destroying the environment The WTO is being used by corporations to dismantle hard-won environmental protections, who call them barriers to trade. In 1993 the very first WTO panel ruled that a regulation of the US Clean Air Act, which required both domestic and foreign producers alike to produce cleaner gasoline, was illegal. Recently, the WTO declared illegal a provision of the Endangered Species Act that requires shrimp sold in the US to be caught with an inexpensive device that allows endangered sea turtles to escape. The WTO is currently negotiating an agreement that would eliminate tariffs on wood products, which would increase the demand for timber and escalate deforestation. 5. The WTO is killing people The WTO's fierce defense of intellectual property rights- patents, copyrights and trademarks-comes at the expense of health and human lives. The organization's support for pharmaceutical companies against governments seeking to protect their people's health has had serious implications for places like sub-Saharan Africa, where 80 percent of the world's new AIDS cases are found. The US government, on behalf of US drug companies, is trying to block developing countries' access to less expensive, generic, life-saving drugs. For example, the South African government has been threatened with a WTO challenge over proposed national health laws that would encourage the use of generic drugs, ban the practice of manufacturers offering economic incentives to doctors who prescribe their products and institute "parallel importing," which allows companies to import drugs from other countries where the drugs are cheaper. 6. The US adoption of the WTO was undemocratic The WTO was established out of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations. On December 1, 1994, Congress approved GATT under Fast Track during a lame duck session of Congress. Fast Track limits public debate by not allowing amendments. The approval of the WTO required entire sections of US laws to be rewritten to conform with the WTO rules, similar to the way that treaties often redefine how the US will interact with other states. Had the agreement been voted on as a treaty, requiring a two-thirds majority in the Senate, it would have been defeated. 7. The WTO undermines local development and penalizes poor countries The WTO's "most favored nation" provisions requires all WTO member countries to treat each other equally and to treat all corporations from these countries equally regardless of their track record. Local policies aimed at rewarding companies who hire local residents, use domestic materials, or adopt environmentally sound practices are essentially illegal under the WTO. Under the WTO rules, developing countries are prohibited from following the same polices that developed countries pursued, such as protecting nascent, domestic industries until they can be internationally competitive. 8. The WTO is increasing inequality Free trade is not working for the majority of the world. During the most recent period of rapid growth in global trade and investment--1960 to 1998--inequality worsened both internationally and within countries. The UN Development Program reports that the richest 20 percent of the world's population consume 86 percent of the world's resources while the poorest 80 percent consume just 14 percent. WTO rules have hastened these trends by opening up countries to foreign investment and thereby making it easier for production to go where the labor is cheapest and most easily exploited and environmental costs are low. This pulls down wages and environmental standards in developed countries who are having to compete globally. 9. The WTO undermines national sovereignty By creating a supranational court system that has the power to economically sanction countries to force them to comply with its rulings, the WTO has essentially replaced national governments with an unelected, unaccountable corporate- backed government. For the past nine years, the European Union has banned beef raised with artificial growth hormones. The WTO recently ruled that this public health law is a barrier to trade and should be abolished. The EU has to rollback its ban or pay stiff penalties. Under the WTO, governments can no longer act in the public interest. 10. The tide is turning against free trade and the WTO! There is a growing international backlash against the WTO and the process of corporate globalization over which it presides. Movement-building by coalitions such as People's Global Action against the WTO in Europe and the Citizen's Trade Campaign in the US are growing fast, as public support for corporate-managed free trade dwindles. Recent polls show that 58 percent of Americans agree that foreign trade has been bad for the US economy, and 81 percent of Americans say that Congress should not accept trade agreements that give other countries the power to overturn US laws. (Too late!). This is why tens of thousands of people from all walks of life will converge in Seattle Nov. 29-Dec. 4 to confront the World Trade Organization head on at its ministerial meeting. Join us! ============================================================== I have created a website with words and pictures from the People in Seattle who are here and are seeing firsthand what's going on. You will definitely want to see the first image I have on this page of a Seattle police officer kicking and shooting a man at point blank range with a rubber bullet gun for not walking fast enough in the Capitol Hill area. http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Keep/4885/wto/ -Deuce •••@••.••• ICQ#395993 Kill the WTO [Free Republic] http://208.138.42.193/forum/a38458ffd78f8.htm SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER http://www.seattle-pi.com/ WTO Photo Gallery (click on each picture to enlarge it) http://192.251.219.162/wtogalleries/subcategory.asp?SubID=16&DisplayType=ThumbDe sc&PicsPerPage=8&x=15&y=5 ---<snip>--- ------------------------- Richard K Moore Wexford, Irleand Citizens for a Democratic Renaissance •••@••.••• http://cyberjournal.org Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world, indeed it's the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead .