If the events outside of the Free Trade area of the Americas talks in Miami are an example of "homeland security", then the average american public has cause to become alarmed, not only by the fondness for misnomenclature of programs and legislation, misuse of taxpayer funds Jeb Bush and the former Philadelphia police chief Timmony spent 8.5 million dollars of taxpayer money in Florida this week, from part of the 87 billion in Jeb's brother G.W. Bush's budget for the oil and free trade war in Iraq. All of this money came from taxpayer's pockets, and community programs, education, medicare and social security.
If the events outside of the Free Trade area of the Americas talks in Miami are an example of "homeland security", then the average american has cause to become alarmed, not only by the fondness for misnomenclature of programs and legislation, misuse of taxpayer funds (take a look at the Florida education budget for example) but also by their results evidenced by the recent events outside of Miami's free trade talks. The FTAA consulta has been following this topic closely and points to these talks as a recipe for more american job cuts, union-busting policies, and topics which may sound innocuous, such as intellectual property rights.
Independent journalists were barred from entering the trade talks.
The corporate media were embedded with the police in Miami's recent events, and came equipped with gas masks. That Bush has monetary connections to one of the largest media conglomerates Clear Channel, is old news, and barely needs mentioning.
Timmony, the police chief promoted to Miami after a fine job of pre- emptively arresting protestors (that is, before they protested) at the 2000 republican national convention in Philadelphia was interviewed by CNN calling the people who came to Miami for the Free Trade talks knuckleheads.
Medics report police firing rubber bullets at their backs while they retreated with the wounded, and also fired teargas into the clinic where wounded were being treated. The woman working the front desk was tear gassed directly, and a medic was beaten by police right outside the clinic doors by police.
Similar treatment was given to other taxpayers, the unionists, the students, legal observers and to all other individuals who cared and dared enough to venture into the proximity of the "free trade" area of the americas. There were reports of tazing, an electric shock delivered by a weapon that looks like a child's toy gun, the firing of rubber scatter bullets that do indeed wound, gassing with pepper spray, tear gas and mace, water cannons, and concussion grenades all cleverly handled by police in riot gear and transported in the lovely new desert colored police transport vehicles. All in all a splendid use of taxpayers money---why waste funds on education where children can study history and the values of free speech?
One need only look at history to see this current administration's plans for what is to become more commonplace. The massive arrests before and during the republican national convention in 2000 under Chief Timmony, the voting scandal in swing vote state of Florida under Governor Jeb Bush with Choicepoint purging the voter rolls of felons from the future, and recently e-voting machine manufacturer Diebold CEO promised to bring in a vote for the republicans. The targeting of the press by police in NYC last spring at Washington Square Park at the end of a long Peace March was just a small precedent to Miami PD's recent endeavors.
These are all fine preparations for the republic national convention at Madison Square Garden in August 2004.
And the innocuously titled Patriot Act erodes free speech and civil liberties.
For a little more insight into what the FTAA would bring to average white americans, one should take a look at the Indigenous Peoples of this country. From the east to the west, extermination campaigns were waged on the First Peoples in order to make room for more whites and industry, and this after the first whites were nursed through their first winter by the generosity of the First Peoples and the native foods they brought to the settlers. There is the history of Wounded Knee, in South Dakota the first massacre, and the second incident which put an innocent Leonard Peltier behind bars and without his legs for an entire generation. Current legislation is being introduced to block Native businesses and treaty, land and water rights sponsored by farm bureau insurance and One Nation (an Oklahoma based KKK like group).
One could take a look into the current situation in Oneida, New York. In the early 90's Clinton got his final NAFTA (the trade agreement predecessor to the FTAA, following GATT) vote in exchange for the appointment of Ray Arthur Halbritter by the BIA, a pro-gambling industry man disowned by his own People. Now Halbritter has actually privatized the Oneida Nation's name to his own Oneida Nation, Inc., making himself the CEO and targeting the traditionals with his Non-Native Oneida Nation Police force. He has set up his own non-native and non-US court system and having been federally appointed, there are no guidelines to impeach him. The Traditional people are terrorized with the threat of eviction, as their homes are bulldozed to make way for gambling.
One should also take a look at the fallen economies in South America, like the formerly thriving economy of Argentina, for a picture of what the FTAA holds in store for average americans.
Intellectual property rights is a topic to look into a little more deeply, as it covers patents on discovery of Indigenous plants and human genes to be used for Biotech multi-national pharmaceutical companies profits, and not a penny, peso or even a thank you kindly for the Indigenous Peoples who have been cultivating their medicinal plants for which to heal themselves for thousands of years.
In Columbia, the killing of trade-unionists, their leaders and families by SOA trained paramilitaries has become commonplace. They fell first under the war on drugs, and now on the war on terror. The tears of South and North america are beginning to blend.
Returning to the FTAA talks in Miami, this author poses one question of readers: With Medics and journalists being targeted, tear gassed, pepper sprayed, beaten, tazed (hit with electric shock), shot with rubber bullets and jailed at something so simple as a trade talk, ---who is america free for anymore?
(authors note: at this moment many of my colleagues are jailed or recovering in Miami Dade county. Ana Noguiera succeeded in FTPing fine footage and interviews to DN (on freespeech tv) before her arrest. Other camera people were not so lucky. The IMC in Miami was yesterday under threat of attack; with riot gear clad police outside the door, and camera people were attacked and arrested while documenting peaceful protests.
Below are numbers to call for the urging of their release.
Florida is my home state, and my brother fights a war without comforts or regular access to phone service in Iraq because even with an A average, he could not afford college and took the GI Bill at fresh 18, in august of 2001.)
links to ftaaimc.org and other readings are below: