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Earth Community Organization (ECO) the Global Community Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 1, September 2004 Theme Proceedings for Global Dialogue 2004
Table of Contents | 1.0 Introduction
Now is time to reflect on what we have accomplished during this past two years. What we have accomplished was shown in the Proceedings 2004  .
Check the following sections:* the development of the Scale of Human and Earth Rights,Perhaps even more important is process for dialogue made available to everyone.
I may be the only Canadian who will stand for Justice in the world but here 'I am Canadian'. I speak also on behalf of the Global Community, the human family.
You no longer stand for Peace, freedom, Justice and democracy. You no longer stand for any of those values. You broke away from those values a while ago and I'm here to remind you of them. America can no longer be seen as a good representative nation of the world. Asides from invading other nations, of being a nation predator, you have refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and yet you are asking for help from this same community to go to war which itself is the next most destructive action against the global life-support systems. This is insane! The Earth Court of Justice has an action against America and all nations that have not ratified the agreement. You are the worst and deadliest polluters on the planet. We may not have the resources to enforce Justice but we know you are all guilty of the worst crimes. Many times we have explained how the American and British Governments never applied ethical and moral values in the activities of their trade in the Middle East. They have made trade a despicable act of dealing with one another between human beings and between nations. No laws! No regulations! No ethics! No moral responsibility and accountability! Everyone has the "freedom" of destroying the global life-support systems! Everyone has the "freedom" of human rights abuses! Now pollution, diseases, terrorism, poverty, social and economic injustice have no boundaries. British and American Peoples have brought disgrace to humanity by their selfish, immoral, unethical, incoherent, inconsistent, dishonnest, erratic, and mostly aimed at making money behavior in the Middle East and towards Afghanistan. And yes it is your behavior that brought up September 11. It is about time you say me-aculpa. Canadians know Americans in their guts. We have been invaded a long time ago by your culture of violence. This is about to change. If it all depended on me I would close my border, from coast to coast to coast, to all Americans and their goods and services. We dont need you! We never did! It was your dis-information department that created the illusion that we needed you. Canada can do without you in every way! We dont need of your culture of violence. At age of six an American child has seen so much violence on television that he or she could give the chill to any child born in the Middle East. You are useless to Canada! But you need us. You badly need of our resources. For the protection of life globally, I would triple the prices of our coal, oil, natural gas and electricity, wood products, and of our basic food products including freshwater. You also need us to treat you like kings of the house even though you are bullies with no hearts and Souls. That is over with! Butt out! And you can keep your money! Stay home as Canadians are having a party toonight, and we dont want it spoiled by bullies. In 1947, you have coerced the United Nations in creating the State of Israel. This was completely illegal and arbitrary from the part of the UN. The Jews of Israel and their religious beliefs were then and still are today the Trojan Horse for invading the Middle East and surrounding nations. All an illusion about an invading military force disguided as a democracy and defending the principles of freedom and democracy, and the land given to them by God himself. Back then your hidden agenda was and still is today the invasion of the Middle East and the exploitation of the oil resources. Invasion of the Middle East will give you a base to break up China into provinces as was done with the USSR. Exploitation of the oil resources will keep your economy healthy for the next fifty years. That was your plan then and still is now. The only problem with your plan is that you have lost your mind, your heart and your Soul in the process. You are the worst polluters on the planet! You are not the kind of leader the world wants or needs. You are the Prince of Evil himself. You are the darkness. You have lost credibility! The values you are now promoting are no longer Justice for All, freedom and democracy. But they are dictatorship and war. They are the destruction of the global life-support systems of the planet, and of all life. We will stop you! We will bring down the American economy, and we will split America into several states free to live at peace with the rest of the world. Justice! Justice without borders! Justice is a universal value. It is for everyone, everywhere in the world. We want Justice in the Middle East, not another invasion. We want the Earth Court of Justice to handle Justice. We dont want of a puppet Higher Court that would be anything like the tribunal of the WTO or the Internation Court. They are a mokery for Justice. We dont want the United Nations to be in charge of Justice because Americans have coerced the UN organization ever since its creation. Now the UN has lost credibility as an organization representing the Peoples of the world. We want the Global Community not the UN. We want one vote per million people.
President George W. Bush
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Sir, You are hereby summoned to appear in front of the Earth Court of Justice for the following reasons: a) not signing the Kyoto Protocol and thus endandering all life on Earth; Americans are the worst and deadliest polluters on the planet b) invading the Middle East and Afghanistan c) supplying children of the world with small arms, and supplying anyone or any nation with small arms, war product and war equipment The Global Community is asking you to surrender yourself to the Court. In a way terrorism is a self-inflicted injury to humanity by members of the human family. But then there are several other ways of inflicting harm to humanity by people often living in our own community. They make another class of terrorists. They are 'criminals in waiting' because they are seen as 'good guys' in our society. So far their actions have been categorized as acceptable by our society. When their behavior is filtered through humanity's newly acquired Vision of the world  it suddenly becomes evident to
most sound thinking persons that they are true criminals and should be prosecuted by the Earth Court of Justice.
You are one of them and so are most Americans.
They are the people that: * consciously harm the Earth global life-support systems All of these people are criminals and will be prosectuted by the Earth Court of Justice. In the issue of 'supplying children of the world with small arms', you are well aware that American corporations are supplying anyone with weapons, no matter who gets them as long as they pay. The Global Community has made that illegal as well. There are 50 million Americans living off the war industry, and they are all guilty and will be prosecuted by the Earth Court of Justice.
We have said that America is a nation bully and a nation predator. Since these are new expressions it is only fair we explain what they mean.
Let us first discuss what we mean by 'a nation bully'. Bullying another nation is a conscious and wilful act of aggression and/or manipulation by one or more nations against another nation, community, or civilization. Bullying can last for a short period or go on for years, and is an abuse of power by those who carry it out. It is sometimes premeditated, and sometimes opportunistic, sometimes directed mainly towards one victim, and sometimes occurs serially and randomly. Bullying by a nation is a cowardly act because it is done to cause hurt without fear of recrimination. The victimised nation is unlikely to retaliate effectively, if at all. Bullying relies on those who are marginally involved, often referred to as observers, onlookers, or watchers, doing nothing to stop the bullying or becoming actively involved in supporting it. We know most of the media industry is own by American investors who are themselves involved in bullying or at least make a profit in publishing the side of the bullying nation(s) thus reinforcing the cause of the bullies. The United Nations are an organization that has been the site of bullying by America on the other nations. The creation of the State of Israel, war against Afghanistan and Irak and countless other examples show the bullying skill and power of America. Bullying contains the following elements: * harm is intended Bullying another nation is often an antisocial and criminal behavior. Criminal offences should be handled by the Earth Court of Justice. Bully nations have power over their victims. The process of exclusion an humiliation that is inherent in bullying almost guarantees that the victim will not be able to stand up to the bully nation(s).Any efforts to do so become part of the fuel that inflames the bully nation. The situation is characterized by menace and an imbalance of power. It invites further humiliation for the victim and an escalation of violence. Bullying another nation is an abusive and humiliating behavior. It is neither character-forming nor good for anyone in any way. Those who stand up to bullying are just as likely to be hit down. Those nations that state bullying of a nation is normal and acceptable are either deluded or bullies themselves. One may ask if the United Nations are responsible for a culture of bullying of nations. The UN never reprimande America and Britain for their bullying behavior. Why? Bullies want to dominate others. Nation bullies want to dominate other nations. NATO members are nation bullies. The very existence of NATO is a statement of what they are. They attempt to control other nations in many ways. They may engage in a number of aggressive behaviors from verbally taunting other nations, calling them evils, and spreading vicious rumors among the Global Community, to threatening other nations, sometimes even carrying out such threats. Bully nations are very good at selecting those nations that are likely victims. For instance, America chose Afghanistan without any tangible, solid proofs of their allegations. No case was brought to the Earth Court of Justice to substantiate their claims. Ultimately, some victims will give in to the demands of the bullies, thereby reinforcing this socially unacceptable behavior. Bully nations learn rapidly that aggression works for them. It is imperative that bullying be stopped within the Global Community. It can create a hell on Earth for a nation that is victimised (America and Britain have victimised a large number of nations over their history), and can seriously threaten that nation's opportunities in life. And, equally important, the social climate of a place on Earth is a model of the world outside. It is where people develop a large part of their morality, their understanding of how the world works, and their sense of responsibility towards the society they live in. What type of nation would willingly inflict harm on others? Bully nations engage in their behavior because it makes them feel important.They are usually insecure people who need to make themselves feel good by making others feel bad. Hence, they usually have good self-esteem. Bully nations have learned that by being physically aggressive is a way to get what they want, a way to control people, other nation. They have learned this behavior during World War I and II. They have witnessed that Hitler got what he wanted for a long time by being a bully nation. American and British Peoples just follow into his steps. Most bully nations remain bully nations for a long time. Bully nations may also learn their behavior from inappropriate role models on television and in the movies. Bully nations do not outgrow this behavior. They are more likely to be involved with the criminal justice system and tending to be more abusive over time. For instance, the Earth Court of Justice has a strong case against America and all other nations that have not ratified the Kyoto Protocol even though the Global Community has done so. America also want its military to be abstained from being tried in Court. America likes to force Justice (its Justice) into other nations but America do not want Justice applied to itself. Typical bully nation behavior! How do we help bully nations to change their behavior for one that in line for the survival of all life on Earth, in line with the human family, with the Scale of Human and Earth Rights, the Charter of the Global Community? 1. Improve the normal reasoning abilities of the bully nation. Bully nations have armed themselves with the most destructive weapons ever imagined by human beings. They have now built the war industry to make such weapons of mass destruction. They own the media industry which they use for dis-information of the American public and other nations. They make other nations follow into their steps and buy thier weapons, war product and equipment. They profess a culture of violence and war as the Way of Life, the American Way of Life is the best there is. They make trillions of dollars by selling their products to other nations. Throughout the 20th Century, the war industry has created the worse evil humanity has ever encountered: the business of conflicts and wars . It is a business that has made trillions of dollars (American) and will continue to do so. It is the "mother of all evils" created by human beings. It has no moral value, no understanding about Life, no respect for anyone or anything, no law except the ones that it makes for itself, and all its products are meant to kill and destroy. It has sold its products to the enemies for the purpose of making more profit. It has subdued governments all over the world to make them buy its products. It has given trade and way of doing business a bad reputation and, therefore, it is a threat to the establisment of business. Although the war industry has a good public image, it does not really matter who is the buyer as long as he pays good money. The proof of this reality was easily verified by finding out what war products and equipment were being used by Iran, Irak, Afghanistan, and other Middle East countries. Over 90% of all war products and equipment were made in the USA, Britain, Germany, France and Russia. Four out of five of these countries are Permanent Members of the United Nations and that means they have almost a 100% control on any proposal submitted to the organization. The fifth Permanent Member missing here is China. Shortly after the September 11 event, the UN Security Council has approved war against the people of Afghanistan. To get China to vote YES they gave China a membership in the World Trade Organization(WTO). Let us now discuss what we mean by 'a nation predator'. A nation predator is a nation that feeds on other nations for its own survival and practices the exploitation of the people and of the resources in those other nations. Eventually a nation predator will invade other nations to control resources they need for their own survival. A nation predator would also invade another nation for the sole purpose of gaining popularity at home before an election. The Middle East is a good example of such behavior. We have discussed in several articles the historical aspects of events happening in the Middle East. Today the United States with Israel are the only outsiders invading the Middle East countries. These outsiders are shaping the political evolution of the Middle East and the destinies of every Moslem country and Afghanistan. Everything, including oil prices (OPEC really have not much saying in this matter), are ruled by the United States. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein predicted that this would happen, and he warned his fellow Moslems. In 1990, he invaded Kuwait (the region of Kuwait used to belong to Irak during the Ottoman Empire period but was made independent by the British in 1922) but America, the Soviet Union, Britain and France ejected Irak from Kuwait. Ever since that time, the status quo in the region has been kept by America. The New World Order now reflects the interests of the victors rather than any universal principles of justice or morality .
America has emerged as the principal guardian of Gulf security and the Moslem Civilization was, once more over its history, pushed back into a
position of dependence, weakness and subservience, and that is really the old regional order (not the New World Order) in the Middle East. Since World War II, America along with junior partners, Britain, France and Russia, have refashioned the Middle East in their own image, building a new political and territorial order on the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. Despite the efforts of secular and religious local forces who rejected the West's intrusion, America and the junior partners formed states, chose people to govern them, and drawn frontiers between them. But this new order never worked because to Arab nationalists it meant betrayal of wartime promises made by the Allies, military occupation, and the exploitation of resources and of the Moslem people. The Jewish National Home in Palestine further fueled hostility toward the West. The post war order imposed by Britain and the Allies created instabilities and disorder (the Ottoman Empire was stable and had order) throughout the Moslem world. On November 29, 1947, the United Nations passed a resolution partitioning Palestine into two independent states, one Jewish and one Arab. The Jewish accepted the resolution and called their land Israel, but the Moslem states rejected it and sent their armies to regain the land but lost the war against Israel. The Palestinians lost their land and have been without a homeland ever since. They became refugees on their own land. Israel's occupation of Moslem land and refusal to recognize the national rights of the Palestinians were the fundamental problems. The State of Israel made its entrance into history in a war against the Moslems . Throughout this period America was a major support in lobbying the UN partition plan and in the birth of the State of Israel. In the aftermath of World war II there were numerous Arab-Israeli wars namely the: a) 1948 Palestine war; b) 1956 Suez war; c) June 1967 Six-Day war between Israel and Egypt/Syria/Jordan; d) 1969-70 War of Attrition between Israel and Egypt; e) October 1973 Yom Kippur war between Israel and Egypt/Syria; and f) Israel's June 1982 invasion of Lebanon. g) In 2001, the Jews of Israel declared war against the Palestinian refugees. After each war America became gradually committed to the security and well-being of Israel. America maintained Israel's superiority over Moslems through regular infusions of money and arms. During the Cold War America had a strategic interest in containing Soviet influence and its expansion in the Middle East. The money and arms given to Israel was used to fend off challenges to American interests from radical, Islamic, and Soviet-backed forces. The American support of Israel was criticized by the Arab Middle East and the Islamic world and has fed the radical Islamic fundamentalist movements. Another strategic interest of the United States was the need to preserve access to two-thirds of the world's known petroleum reserves. In the late 60's and during the 70's, America's defeat in the Vietnam War had profoundly disillusioned the American people about the necessity of always being upfront to the defense of their strategic interests in the Middle East. They chose to rely on friendly local powers as regional policemen: Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia. They sold arms(at some point in time America agreed to sell anything to the shah of Iran but not nuclear weapons) to Iran and Saudi Arabia and provided them with technical assistance (at costs of course). In Iran, the arms sales increased tremendously as American companies scrambled for lucrative contracts. The overspending on arms led to inflation and corruption as American company officials offered "commissions" in return of government contracts. The increased exposure to Western ideas contributed to Iranian domestic problems, disturbed Islamic fundamentalists and alienated the Iranian people from their rulers. America used the shah to weaken the Soviet Union and its allies, especially Irak, in Central Asia. In the mean time, the Soviets sold arms to Irak. For the White House, the Kurdish people in northern Irak, and the people from Iran and Irak were all pawns in a geopolitical game, supporting them only as long as they were useful. America tilted first toward Iran but will tilt in favor of Irak when circumstances change and when it deemed such a tilt advantageous. This strategy built suspicion and resentment of America on all sides and the long-term consequences were not understood (as we have seen what happened on September 11 2001). In 1979 the Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini overthrown the shah of Iran, the Pahlavi dynasty. With the collapse of the shah's regime, a decade of efforts to develop a viable Gulf strategy ended in failure. America lost a close friend but also prestige and credibility. It also lost its links to the Iranian military, its monitoring stations near the Soviet frontier, and a very important arms buyer. The oil-price also want up to $34 a barrel. Khomeini had criticized the shah's subservience to America and its alliance with Israel, potraying them both as evils to Islam. The Islamic Revolution turned America and other former allies into enemies. Khomeini regarded both the Soviet Union and America as equally guilty of imperialism. Khomeini wanted to spread the Islamic system of government to the corrupt pro-Western and anti-Islamic countries of the Gulf. Khomeini call to Iraqi Shiites to overthrow the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and establish an Islamic state. In December 1979, the Soviet invaded Afghanistan. America feared that the invasion was a prelude to Soviet expansion in the Gulf. On September 22, 1980, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein launched a massive attack on Iran. It was believed that America was an accomplice in the Iraqi attack on Iran. Iraq had a military advantage as Iran was missing its principal source of arms and spare parts. In November 1979, followers of Khomeini seized American hostages. In October 1980, for no apparent reason, Iran announced the release of the hostages. A short while later the embargo on arms to Iran was reversed and Israel was allowed to sell several billion dollars' worth of American-made arms, spare parts, and ammunition to Iran. Money made enemies good friends. The Love-Hate relationship between America and Israel on one side and Khomeini and Hussein on the other side was erratic and contradictory. Money could buy anyone in the Pursian Gulf, even Israel and America. Eventually, Israel made its own arms sell deals without America's permission. America and Israel wanted the Iran-Iraq War to continue forever. There was plenty of money to make from both sides. The Soviet Union condemmed Iraq for starting the war and suspended arms supplies. In 1982 Iran invaded Iraqi territory. Moscow resumed arms supplies to Iraq. At the same time America feared the Iranian military victory which would mean the expansion of Islam. America tilted towards Irak. America also resumed arms sales to Iraq and restored diplomatic relations. Now the Love-Hate relationship between America and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was very real. Once again money made old enemies good friends, and bought Israel and America. Both Israel and America were selling arms to both sides at the same time (the Iran-Contra scandal in the US) just to keep the war going. America's credibility in the eyes of the Arab allies was seriously damaged. Because of pressure at home, America intervened actively in the Iran-Iraq War by tilting on Iraq's side. America established an arms embargo against Iran. On July 1988 Iran capitulated. America's policy toward Iran and Iraq had been incoherent, inconsistent, dishonnest, erratic, and mostly aimed at making money. Strictly business! A profit-making international policy! And Saddam Hussein ended up becoming a junior partner with the US in preserving the status quo in the Gulf. The war did not resolve anything. The threat each regime presented the other was still existing after the cease-fire. In 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait, its former land. The Americans launched Operation Desert Storm to remove the Iraqi forces from Kuwait, and hoping to create a "New World Order" where the rule of law governs the conduct of nations. This New World Order was meant to rally support from local powers but it turned out to be much of the same thing to the Moslem population: status quo, stability, based on the same states and frontiers, and it recognized only state rights and not that of individuals or group rights. It showed that Islamic fundamentalists were not welcome and would never succeed in a democratic framework. Democracy and human rights were not even mentioned, just as if Moslems were not evolved enough as human beings and could not possibly understand the higher thinking of democracy and that of human rights. Maybe Americans thought that, because of their non-Christian religion, Moslems were barbarians and could not be considered as part of the Human Family, the Global Community. The New World Order was an illusion for covering American hegemony in the Middle East. It allowed Saddam to defeat the Kurdish and Shiite uprisings as a pre-condition to ending the war. The New World Order also allowed the Jews in Israel to occupy Arad lands in Palestine which is something unacceptable to the Islamic Civilization. Americans committed themselves to provide Israel with an unlimited economic, monetary, technological, diplomatic and military assistance. They wanted Israel to maintain its military edge at all costs. America also provided Israel with aid for large-scale housing projects on the West Bank. America remained hostile to the PLO. After understanding these historical events, dont you think Americans and Jews should say me-aculpa for the September 11 events in the USA ? In some ways I feel responsible as well as I should have criticized the American policies in the Middle East and may be they would have changed. Are we responsible adults or are we going to hide behind hate and revenge like irresponsible children? When are we going to look within ourselves and examine our Way of Life, our values, and start to take some responsibility of the September 11 events? All of us. The West is responsible for countless territorial disputes in the Middle East and in other parts of the world, and has denied several countries' very right to exist, and caused numerous wars and struggles for national liberation. Current conflicts in the Middle East are between Moslems and Jews, and Moslems and America. By making an astronomical profit through the selling of arms, war products and equipment to all of the Middle East countries, including Iran, Irak and Afghanistan, and by sucessively calling these old friends their new enemies and terrorists, and destroying their countries, America and Britain have shown that they could never be trusted. Since the Cold War is over, the only American interests in the Middle East are the cheap crude oil and the protection of Israel. The Jews come first even if it mean to fight and annihilate the entire Islamic Civilization with nuclear war heads. If you have any doubt that they would do such an atrocious crime, ask the people from Japan and also, ask the Russians as they have back off from rubbing their noses with those of the American and the British. They are looking for an excuse big enough for doing it. The September 11 event was not big enough. And it would not matter whether or not they have solid proof of who is guilty of the attack. No one has claimed responsibility of the September 11 event and, therefore, there are no solid proof of who could have done such a terrible act. If there had really been a solid proof it would have been easy to prove it in the Earth Court of Justice . America assume all Moslems are guilty. Moslems have had more than enough of the American and British imperialism in the Middle East. There is no such thing as one person, Osama bin Laden, being guilty of the September 11 event. It is ridiculous what the News Media Controlled Industry of the West is trying to make us believe. The media was told "Look for the leader and throw all you have got at him, and if there is no leader we will make one". Americans once again are invading a country in the region of the Middle East, Afghanistan, to look for the leader and his "gang of terrorists". We say that they are not people like we are, and they should be stopped. The reality is that they are Moslems people, more than a billion of them. After World War I, following the destruction of the Ottoman Empire, the European powers created states and appointed officials to administer them. A lot of what was created had no legitimacy for the people of the Moslem Civilization and Western domination brings much of the same kind of hegemony in the region as with the British. They have had enough of outsiders exploiting them for profit and power, of being used and killed, and their communities destroyed. The act of terrorism of September 11 was not caused by a group of lawless people with Osama bin Laden as their leader. No! The act of terrorim was the result of an entire Moslem Civilization telling America, and any new outsiders, to butt out of the Middle East or else they will come to our land and do the same to us. Killing Osama bin Laden and his people will not solve anything. It will make the American people feel better for a while. The News Media Controlled Industry of the West will make sure that the American feel good about having caught and punished the guilty ones. The American people are way more intelligent than this. They know something is not right! Something right has to be done and invading Afghanistan is not the answer. Invading the entire Moslem world is not the answer either. The only strategic interests America has in the Middle east are the oil, selling arms and Israel. We can buy the oil like we have done in the past. Better even we should find an environmentally friendly source of energy. Oil is creating global warming and will bring about the extinction of Life on Earth. Selling arms is evil. We know that so why are we doing it? Money? I certainly never got a penny off selling arms so who is making all those trillion of dollars? There were astronomical amounts of money made by the war industry ever since World War I. We have armed the Moslem people, and then we have destroyed them. The war industry is evil and should be shelved for good.
The total estimated resources of oil, coal, and natural gas will run out in less than a hundred years.
And oil is the reason why Americans are invading the Middle East. They need badly the oil to support their economic survival. Who does not?
They dont need to trade with the Moslems and Arabs they can steal the oil by invading the Middle East. And they did! The American concept
of free trade is a backward concept based on muscles, guns and weapons of mass destruction they have plenty in stock. Now they have their eyes
on the resources of the Americas. The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is their new pet project to subdue the member nations of the Americas.
They will get them one way or the other, the other being militarily. The United States are financially bankrup, and they have
to keep the illusion that their economy is healthy and doing well.
It has been estimated that the planet contains over 6.4 x 10^15 tonnes of organic carbon that is cycled through two major cycles, but only about 18% of that contributes to petroleum production. The primary cycle ( turnover of 2.7-3.0 x 10^12 tonnes of organic carbon ) has a half-life of days to decades, whereas the large secondary cycle ( turnover 6.4 x 10^15 tonnes of organic carbon ) has a half-life of several million years. Much of this organic carbon is too dilute or inaccessible for current technology to recover, however the estimates represent centuries to millennia of fossil fuels, even with continued consumption at current or increased rates. The concern about "running out of oil" arises from misunderstanding the significance of a petroleum industry measure called the Reserves/Production ratio (R/P). This monitors the production and exploration interactions. The R/P is based on the concept of "proved" reserves of fossil fuels. Proved reserves are those quantities of fossil fuels that geological and engineering information indicate with reasonable certainty can be recovered in the future from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions. The Reserves/Production ratio is the proved reserves quantity divided by the production in the last year, and the result will be the length of time that those remaining proved reserves would last if production were to continue at the current level. It is important to note the economic and technology component of the definitions, as the price of oil increases ( or new technology becomes available ), marginal fields become "proved reserves". We are unlikely to "run out" of oil, as more fields become economic. Note that investment in exploration is also linked to the R/P ratio, and the world crude oil R/P ratio typically moves between 20-40 years, however specific national incentives to discover oil can extend that range upward. Concerned people often refer to the " Hubbert curves" that predict fossil fuel discovery rates would peak and decline rapidly. M. King Hubbert calculated in 1982 that the ultimate resource base of the lower 48 states of the USA was 163+-2 billion barrels of oil, and the ultimate production of natural gas to be 24.6+-0.8 trillion cubic metres, with some additional qualifiers. As production and proved resources were 147 billion barrels of oil and 22.5 trillion cubic metres of gas, Hubbert was implying that volumes yet to be developed could only be 16-49 billion barrels of oil and 2.1-4.5 trillion cubic metres. Technology has confounded those predictions for natural gas. The US Geological Survey has also just increased their assessment of US ( not just the lower 48 states ), inferred reserves crude oil by 60 billion barrels, and doubled the size of gas reserves to 9.1 trillion cubic metres. When combined with the estimate of undiscovered oil and gas, the totals reach 110 billion barrels of oil and 30 trillion cubic metres of gas. When the 1995 USGS estimates of undiscovered and inferred crude oil are calculated for just the lower 48 states, they totalled ( in 1995 ) 68.9 billion barrels of oil, well above Hubbert's highest estimate made in 1982. The current price for Brent Crude is approx. $22/bbl. The world R/P ratio has increased from 27 years (1979) to 43.1 years (1993). The 1995 BP Statistical Review of World Energy provides the following data.
About 77% of crude oil has already been discovered, and 30% of it has been used so far. From 1859-1968 200 billion barels of oil have been used, and since then oil production has stabilized to 22 billion barels per year. It is estimated that oil reserves will become scarce by 2050s. Most of oil is concentrated in the Near East - around 41%. North America, Russia, and Antartic are also rich in crude oil.
The US government recorded another large budget deficit last month. August's shortfall was the
eight monthly deficit to have been recorded in the current financial year.
Individual income tax receipts - which make up the largest portion of government income - have continued to fall, and have dropped 17.8% to $707.88bn for the financial year to date. Last month the White House said it expected the deficit for the fiscal year ending in September to reach a total of $165bn. Who's to blame? The deterioration in the government's finances has been blamed on a number of factors. The Bush administration has cited higher spending on anti-terrorism measures following September 11 and the slowdown in the US economy as being responsible for the shortfall. But Democrats have said President Bush made matters worse by pushing through tax cuts worth $1.35 trillion last year. Let us take a good look at the US debt. First let us define some technical terms. The deficit is the fiscal year difference between what the Government takes in from taxes and other revenues, called receipts, and the amount of money the Government spends, called outlays. The items included in the deficit are considered either on-budget or off-budget. (The off-budget items are typically comprised of the two Social Security trust funds, old-age and survivors insurance and disability insurance, and the Postal-Service fund.) Generally, on-budget outlays tend to exceed on-budget receipts, while off-budget receipts tend to exceed off-budget outlays. You can think of the total debt as accumulated deficits plus accumulated off-budget surpluses. The on-budget deficits require the Treasury to borrow money to raise cash needed to keep the Government operating. We borrow the money by selling Treasury securities like T-bills, notes, bonds and savings bonds to the public. Additionally, the Government Trust Funds are required by law to invest accumulated surpluses in Treasury securities. The Treasury securities issued to the public and to the Government Trust Funds (Intragovernmental Holdings) then become part of the total debt. For information concerning the deficit, visit the Financial Management Service website to view the Monthly Statement of Receipts and Outlays of the United States Government. The Total Public Debt Outstanding represents the total face amount or principal amount of marketable and nonmarketable securities currently outstanding. The Total Public Debt Subject to Limit is the maximum amount of money the Government is allowed to borrow without receiving additional authority from Congress. Furthermore, the Total Public Debt Subject to Limit is the Total Public Debt Outstanding adjusted for Unamortized Discount on Treasury Bills and Zero-Coupon Treasury Bonds, Miscellaneous debt (very old debt), Debt held by the Federal Financing Bank and Guaranteed Debt. Debt Held by the Public -- Is all Federal debt held by individuals, corporations, state or local governments, foreign governments, and other entities outside of the United States Government less Federal Financing Bank securities. Types of securities held by the public include, but are not limited to, Treasury Bills, Treasury Notes, Treasury Bonds, United States Savings Bonds, State and Local Government Series, Foreign Series, and Domestic Series.
MONTHLY STATEMENT OF THE PUBLIC DEBT OF THE UNITED STATES OCTOBER 31, 2003 (Details may not add to totals)
TABLE I -- SUMMARY OF TREASURY SECURITIES OUTSTANDING, OCTOBER 31, 2003
(Millions of dollars)
Amount Outstanding
Title Debt Held Intragovernmental Totals
By the Public Holdings
Marketable:
Bills....................................... 943,890 30 943,921
Notes....................................... 1,822,640 47 1,822,687
Bonds....................................... 576,586 310 576,896
Inflation-Indexed Notes..................... 129,528 0 129,528
Inflation-Indexed Bonds..................... 46,256 0 46,256
Total Marketable a........................... 3,518,901 1 387 3,519,288
Nonmarketable:
Depositary Compensation Securities.......... 20,662 0 20,662
Domestic Series............................. 29,995 0 29,995
Foreign Series.............................. 11,007 0 11,007
R.E.A. Series............................... 1 0 1
State and Local Government Series........... 149,094 0 149,094
United States Savings Securities............ 203,010 0 203,010
Government Account Series................... 53,446 2,881,780 2,935,227
Other....................................... 4,392 0 4,392
Total Nonmarketable b........................ 471,607 2,881,780 3,353,388
Total Public Debt Outstanding................. 3,990,508 2,882,168 6,872,676
The United States government is in serious financial trouble. What is
amazing is that the news has just floated away, and is not being trumpeted by the media.
Comparing the first seven months of year 2002, with year 2001, we see an enormous change. US Government spending has risen by 8.7 percent,
while total revenues are down by 10.9 percent.What does this mean? If government spending is up by 8.7 percent while earnings are down by 10.9 percent, this means that they have a total decline from the year before of 19.6 percent. In other words, the US government is going backwards financially by about one fifth in only one year. If you or I would have a decline of one fifth in one year in our business or income, we would panic. The US government simply states the facts, and prints more money. If you or I had such a problem, we would balance our loss of income by cutting expenditures. Why doesn't the US Federal government do that? Therefore, the process that cut government's financial base by one fifth in one year is likely to continue. Nobody will call "halt." Another fact is that the annual deficit for US government spending this year is expected to be $100,000,000,000. That's right; one hundred billion dollars will be missing. Where will they get it? They will borrow. Consider what would happen if Americans pay on one hundred billion dollars only one percent interest. How much will that be? One percent of a hundred is one; so one percent of a hundred billion is one billion. This means, that Americans must pay, for one percent interest, one billion dollars, just for the new deficit! However, who will lend them a hundred billion dollars at a mere one percent interest? Surely, a higher interest rate is called for. This, again, is not for the Federal deficit, which is about six trillion dollars, only for the new annual deficit, of a "mere" hundred billion dollars. Another statistic is that tax revenues from individuals and corporations were down about one fifth. Americans are obviously earning much less money, a fifth less. How then can they spend 8.7 percent more? The biggest spending category was Social Security, which cannot be changed without violating government promises when it received Social Security monies from contributors. Therefore, 280.4 billion dollars cannot be touched. Health and Human Services Department Programs cost $266.3 billion. Already, states have rebelled at the cuts the Federal Government is making in Medicare and Medicaid, and in many states, old people are just hanging without help. There is nothing to cut there. Things are so bad with the poor and the elderly that a Federal court has just allowed the indigent to sue the states for Medicare and Medicaid. The United States are staggering under their own burdens, and cannot help the elderly and the poor.
That leaves the military, with expenditures of $187.2 billion dollars. Should they cut out the Navy or the Air Force? Or shall they surrender to terrorists? The final category is paying the interest on the public debt, which is a whopping $181.2 billion, only six billion dollars less than the entire military budget! Very soon, the debt payments will overcome the military budget. In other words, Americans could have a free military if they had no national debt. Paying interest on the national debt is the major problem, because the debt just grows by leaps and bounds. It is now about six trillion dollars (recently increased by 750 billion because the government was broke.) SIX TRILLION DOLLARS---It looks like this: $6,000,000,000,000! Gone are the days when Americans could just scrape off some fat and maintain themselves. Now, they are scraping off old people who have nobody to help them and who need very expensive medications. Some new medicines cost hundreds of dollars per week.
Speaking of old people, Alan Greenspan, on April 27, 2001, said that, "Were we fully accruing the benefit liabilities inferable from existing law, these retirement programs would currently be in deficit, and contingent liabilities amounting to about $10 trillion for social security alone would have been added to the current debt to the public. When the baby boom generation retires, and as the population subsequently ages further, these contingent liabilities will come due (our emphasis)..." Translated, this means that America has about six trillion dollars in actual debt. It has potential debt of ten trillion dollars, to retirees. These old people are going to retire, meaning that their deficit will be about sixteen trillion dollars on a good day. When they realize that their deficits are exploding even without retirees, and the debt limit was very recently raised by 750 billion dollars, we realize that their debt may be incredible. What does it mean to owe six trillion plus ten trillion dollars? It means they must pay interest on sixteen trillion dollars, and every penny paid on interest in down the tube, lost, wasted. Again, to sharpen Mr. Greenspan's warning about the incoming ten trillion dollar debt for retirees, recent statistics have shown that each year weakens the working base and expands the taking base for Social Security largesse. Americans are so harried with working and so worried about divorce, so afraid to have children or disinterested in them, that they cannot have large families (and that is good as the world is already overpopulated ) , and therefore, the coming generations will be a small amount of people supporting a huge among of retirees. This is economically impossible. Americans are just sitting here waiting for the End, and nobody is really doing anything about it. Invading the Middle East to get access to free oil seemed to be an option but is not likely to succeed. They have another Vietnam on their hands. And in doing so Americans have given to trade a bad name.
A trade partnership between nations, or an economical agreement is about the control of a nation by the other. Rich countries manipulate trade agreements in order to ensure profitability. What is trade when the US military is taken over a nation's resources? Trade has no meaning except when the US is getting richer at the expenses of all other nations, including Canada, and at the expenses of the global life-support systems. The military is used against domestic dissidents, like a police force. It is also used to expand markets and keep international dissidents in line. Governments of poor countries that try to take control of their own resources and develop their own economies (instead of remaining areas of cheap labour and raw materials for rich countries) are declared enemies, terrorists, and attacked, officially or otherwise. Nicaragua, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East are examples. U.S. military is "to protect U.S. interests and investments" and that includes making other nations safe for U.S multinational corporations. And that is exactly what is happening in the Middle East where the U.S. military is protecting its strategic economic interests especially the continue flow of oil at the cheapest price, thus making global warming worst by ten-fold. We have estimated that there is, worldwide, less than one hundred years left of oil and most of it is found in the Middle East. The U.S. has taken over the oil for its citizens back home. But this action is 'backfiring' on them. Americans now live by borrowing money they have no way to repay. The national debt is not only increasing but ballooning, and with social security, stands to explode by ten trillion dollars as Mr. Greenspan avers.
In 1973, US President R. Nixon decided to take America off the gold standard to devalue the US dollar. This US policy destroyed the system of fixed currency exchange rate. After this action, the effect on the global economy was felt positively by the rich nations of the world, currencies could no longer 'float' relative to each other and the debt of the poor nations increased as they were all created in US dollars. Now the American dollar is about to be devalued and Americans will feel the pinch of what they have done to the poor nations back in 1973. 'Free trade' now means the removal of: a) tariffs and similar restrictions on the easy flow of capital out of the U.S.A. (and that includes no global tax on transactions stemming from speculation), and The government tells them (www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdint.htm) that Interest expense for Fiscal year 2001 was $359 with nine zeros, which means, 369 billion dollars. The money paid was for interest on a debt of about six trillion dollars. If the debt increases with social security and the present rate of debt increases for general upkeep of the government, it is entirely likely that the national debt will be not six but eighteen trillion dollars in the near future. The debt will triple, and so will the interest, making the figure for annual interest not 359 billion dollars but over a trillion dollars. This, again, is just for the interest! If something is not done, these gloomy figures will be realized, and they are the trend. Indeed, from 1988 to 1998, the annual cost of paying for the interest on the Federal Debt constantly rose to an incredible seventy percent, from 214 billion dollars in 1988 to 363 billion dollars in 1998. Then, for four years, when the economy was awash in money, an attempt was made to pay down the debt. For four years the debt dropped, so that it went from 363 billion dollars in 1998 to 359 billion dollars in 2001. This is a drop of only about four billion dollars out of over three hundred billion. That is all that was done at the best of times. This is not paying down the debt; it is a joke. Why are people not foaming at the mouth about this instead of all of the stupidities we read about every day?
The liberals are not talking about it because they realize it means the end of government programs and the entitlements they espouse. The rich Republicans are not talking about it because they are the ones destroying the economy by leaving America and making blood money off of the slaves in China and elsewhere.
They need a "buy America" campaign, to revive the industries on their shores so badly undercut by the slaves in China, supported by global capitalism. If their economy is hemorrhaging, their strength is reduced. If they owe six trillion plus dollars and pay interest, those who lend them and own their bonds control their destiny. Anytime they call in their debts America can stagger and even collapse, or declare bankruptcy. Americans will be slaves to global economics, just like the banana republics. Now America is talking about the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) to get more free resources by subduing the 34 member nations of the Americas. But developing countries know better then to get taken by a bankrupt United States. They know America is bankrupt. America is also the worst nation on the planet in creating global warming and thus forcing the climate to change (see report on Climate Change in November 2003 Newsletter). They know America would do the same to them. America would bankrupt their economies, pollute their environment and accelerate the global warming of the planet. President Bush, his Administration and the Republican Congress must be communists disguise as republicans. They have passed lesgislation to make it easy for American multinationals to invest their capitals outside the U.S.A. especially in China and all over Asia. Barriers to globalization were knocked down (see Article on the FTAA in this Newsletter) and now globalization is the norm. The effect of such a legislation has been a movement of capitals out of the U.S.A. and now America is bankrupted (see Article "America is financially bankrup..."). Surely, the 34 member nations of the Americas do not need of such model as a leader of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The American leadership has shown to be a disaster at home and abroad. Following President Bush legislation American multinationals would become even more richer at the expenses of everyone in America. Not a good scenario!
President Bush, his Administration and the Republican Congress must be communists disguise as republicans. They have passed legislation to make
it easy for American multinationals to invest their capitals outside the U.S.A. especially in China and all over Asia. Barriers to globalization were knocked down (see Article on the FTAA of this
Newsletter) and now globalization is the norm. The effect of such a legislation has been a movement of capitals out of the U.S.A. and now America
is bankrupted (see Article "America is financially bankrup..."). Surely, the 34 member nations of the Americas do not need of such model as a leader
of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The American leadership has shown to be a disaster at home and abroad. Following President Bush legislation
American multinationals become even more richer at the expenses of everyone in America. Not a good scenario!
In 2004, watch yourself Brazil as you got yourself a ticket on the Titanic with America as Captain.
A trade
partnership between nations, or an economical agreement is about the control
of a nation by the other. Rich countries manipulate trade agreements in
order to ensure profitability. What is trade when the US military is taken
over a nation's resources? Trade has no meaning except when the US is getting
richer at the expenses of all other nations, including Canada, and at the
expenses of the global life-support systems. The military is used against
domestic dissidents, like a police force. It is also used to expand markets
and keep international dissidents in line. Governments of poor countries
that try to take control of their own resources and develop their own economies
(instead of remaining areas of cheap labour and raw materials for rich
countries) are declared enemies, terrorists, and attacked, officially or
otherwise. Nicaragua, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East
are examples. U.S. military is "to protect U.S. interests and investments"
and that includes making other nations safe for U.S multinational corporations.
And that is exactly what is happening in the Middle East where the U.S.
military is protecting its strategic economic interests especially the
continue flow of oil at the cheapest price, thus making global warming
worst by ten-fold. We have estimated that there is, worldwide, one hundred years left of oil and most of it is found in the Middle East. The U.S. has
taken over the oil for its citizens back home.
The argument for 'free trade' states that countries should specialize
in certain products that they are good at producing and buy from other
countries what they are not good at producing, so that the economy is more
efficient. What kind of efficiency is it when the pieces of a product are
sent half way around the world to be assembled in a country with cheap
labour, then shipped back to be sold? It may be profitable, but it is a
waste of time and energy as well as resources, and moving products this
way is not environmentally friendly and is a threat to the global life-support
systems. What kind of efficiency is that? Huge amounts of money are spent
on marketing to get people to buy things that they don't need. Where is
the efficiency in that?
A global symbiotical relationship between nations is more than just a partnership, or an economical agreement such as the WTO. The WTO is about a trade partnership between nations. On the other hand, a global symbiotical relationship > between two or more nations can have trade as the major aspect of the relationship or it can have as many other aspects as agreed by the nations involved. The fundamental criteria is that a relationship is created for the good of all nations participating in the relationship and for the good of humanity, all life on Earth. The relationship allows a global equitable and peaceful development. The emphasis of a global symbiotical relationship is not so much on
how much money a nation should have or how high a GDP should be although
money can be made a part of the relationship. We all know developed countries
live off developing countries so the emphasis has no need to stress out
the profit a rich nation is making off a poor nation. The emphasis
of the relationship should give more importance to the other
aspects such as quality of life, protection of the environment and of the
global life-support systems, the entrenchment of the Scale of Human and
Earth Rights and the Charter of the Global Community into our ways of life,
justice, peace, spiritual freedom, security, and many other important aspects
as described in the global ministries (health, agriculture, energy, trade,
resources, etc.).
The WTO tribunal is illegal and arbitrary. It is not a Higher Court such as the Earth Court of Justice. It has no base for Justice. The effects of globalization and the creation of planetary trade blocks give rise to global problems such as: * unemployment in industrial nations The Global Community is requesting all members of the Free Trade Area of the Americas(FTAA) and of the World Trade Organization(WTO) to change their ways by: 1. building social and environmental concerns into their trade rules; The Global Community has begun to establish the existence of the New Age Civilization of the 3rd Millennium, the age of symbiotical relationships and global cooperation. An economically base symbiotical relationship exists between nations of the European Union. Other types (geographical, economical, social, business-like, political, religious, and personal) may be created all over the world between communities, nations, and between people themselves. There has always been symbiotical relationships in Nature, and between Souls and the matter of the universe to help creating Earth and life on Earth to better serve God. The Global Community is inviting you to participate in the formation of global symbiotical relationships between communities, nations, businesses, or a combination of them. This can be accomplished through the formation of global ministries. We are also proposing the formation of a political symbiotical relationship between state and the global civil society. A similar relationship already exists between the Global Community and every member of the Earth Community, also known as the human family, the global civil society. Any symbiotical relationship is for the good of all, for the good of the 'other'. It is based on a genuine group concern and unconditional support for the individual's well-being ~ a giant leap in human behaviour. The question is how can we improve the political symbiotical relationship to fulfill its goals? The Charter of the Global Community promotes the values to achieve its goals. These goals require the promoting and establishment of: global community ethics, mutual respect, respect for life, basic liberties, justice and equity, caring for the 'other', integrity, responsibility and accountability. Other symbiotical relationships may be based on common concerns and issues such as: the environment, peace, women's rights, human and Earth rights, and many more. There is a whole spectrum of possible symbiotical relationships. Global 2000 and Global Dialogue 2002 were the first world conferences on sustainable development and Earth management that brought forward sound solutions to humanity's problems. Symbiotical relationships are needed today and for the long term future of humanity. Today the watchdog, the 'enforcer' for 'free trade', and also the bedfellow of both the IMF and the World Bank, is the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO is responsible for monitoring national trading policies, handling trade disputes, and enforcing the GATT agreements. The World Trade Organization (WTO), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) encourage the privatization of public services and the settling of international disputes their own way. Any government, acting on behalf of a corporation, can challenge the acts of another government if they "interfere with trade." Complaints are taken to a WTO dispute resolution body which then make a binding decision. The WTO has forced governments to lower their environmental standards in favour of a corporation to allow more pollution into the environment (there are thousands of cases but let just mention the waste oil let go in ocean waters by oil tankers), and that is a form of anti-government gone bad with absolute no respect or care for life and the global-life support systems. Corporations can sue governments if they harm their profits through any unfair barriers to trade. NAFTA and WTO tribunals usually rule in favor of corporations. So now we really have a new definition for the word 'property' to mean both what is currently owned and profits that could potentially be made. To compensate, we propose a new definition for 'pollution' and 'human destruction' to mean the pollution and human destruction that the policies of the IMF, World Bank and WTO are causing now in the world plus the pollution and human destruction that they will cause in the future to the next generations. By providing corporations with a mean to override governmental decisions, NAFTA and the WTO (and the proposed FTAA) shift power even more into the hands of the elite. And that is also a form of anti-government. The global economy can be affected by the deregulation in the movement of capital and thus by speculation. Money is made off tiny fluctuations in the relative prices of currencies. Speculation makes it possible for huge amounts of money to be transferred half-way around the world in a matter of seconds. Whereas world trade associated with actual goods and services is estimated at $7 trillion a year, speculation is estimated at $1.5 trillion a day. If a country's economy starts to slow, billions of dollars can be transferred out of the country instantaneously, which can significantly affect its economy and the people. This has been the case in 1997 of a number of East Asia countries. They were bankrupted by speculation. The people were enormously affected for the worst. Speculation can exert tremendous pressure on the internal politics of a country. It can bankrupt a country's economy. Speculation should be de-institutionalized. Humanity has no real need for speculation, and it does way more damage than good. 'Free trade' now means the removal of: a) tariffs and similar restrictions on the easy flow of capital (and that includes no global tax on transactions stemming from speculation), and That is how America was bankrupted. Capitals are flowing out of America. American multinationals invest in China and all over Asia instead of America. The few wealthiest mega-corporations are getting richer at the expenses of all Americans. Rich countries manipulate trade agreements in order to ensure profitability. Their governments insist on tariffs and protectionism in areas in which they are weak. For instance, Canada and the USA are now going through the process of an economic war in the softwood industry. The imposition of a 29 percent tariff on softwood lumber by the U.S. Commerce Department shows that Canadians were duped by the Free Trade Agreement(FTA) and NAFTA. The U.S. Government protectionism is itself aimed at reducing the value of the Canadian companies just long enough for American competitors to acquire them. Many Canadian industries have already been bought by US competitors. The energy sector is one of them. Free trade opens up a poor country's economy to competition with strong, developed, well-financed, multinational corporations. In consequence, most of the local producers and manufacturers go out of business thus leaving a poor country's economy entirely in the hands of the transnational elite. It is a form of colonization and of world anti-government. Rich countries force poorer countries to open up their markets, and then take them over. There is no such thing an honest 'free trade' with the U.S. It is only free for oil, gas and electricity, which they desperately need and not free for products where American voters demand protection. U.S. protectionist policies are applied at the very moment when President George W. Bush is bullying the world to open its borders to American products and investment. The U.S. Government protectionism is itself aimed at reducing the value of the Canadian companies just long enough for American competitors to acquire them. Canada must abrogate NAFTA and replace it with a fair trade treaty which would restore the bargaining chips we gave away to the Americans. The US government and the American corporate people are protecting their own people at the cost of deteriorating significantly the Canadina-USA relationship. We, as Canadians, certainly have the right to take the problem to the WTO and to retaliate in other commercial and industrial sectors. This creates the illusion that the trade body and its tribunal are protecting a fair trade. But it is just that an illusion. What to do about this situation? Here in the Americas, we are planning to do just the opposite of a democracy: choosing an economic model totally based on profit making. The Summit of the Americas in Quebec city gave green light to the corporate sector with no checks. If the corporate sector was truly willing to honestly do such checks and balances then it should not matter to them to have the system put in place before they sign such an agreement. The Earth Community Organization (ECO) is proposing to oversee such a system be put in place to the satisfaction of Earth Community. The >Summit of the Americas was a meeting of the 34 National Governments of every country in North, Central, South America and the Caribbean (except Cuba). The meeting was held April 20-22, 2001, in Quebec City. There was a discussion to extend the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) throughout the Americas to form the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) by 2005. The FTAA will follow the World Trade Organization (WTO) guidelines for settling disputes. The Organization of American States (OAS) manages implementation of this process. Member countries are encouraged to change their economic infrastructures to be in line with the free trade policies of the FTAA. Many member countries have already prioritised economic growth over social aspects and human rights. The FTAA has been shown to be: A) heavily supportive of privatization of health care and education The Earth Community Organization (ECO) is aware of what the 34 National Governments are trying to achieve
and decided to help them designing an agreement between themselves in line with the Earth Charter of our organization. Several articles
in our Newsletters were written especially to help you find sound solutions.
Global Community citizens believe all citizens have the right to share the wealth in the world. Foreign investment and the trade agreement must protect and improve social and environmental rights, not just the economy. A sustainable development in the hemisphere would mean finding a sound balance among the interactions designed to create a healthy economic growth, preserve environmental quality, make a wise use of our resources, and enhance social benefits. Free trade cannot proceed at the expense of the environment, labour rights, human rights and the sovereignty of a nation. The FTAA will lead to an increase in poverty by giving investor rights priority over government decision-making. Employers will be looking for more concessions from workers. Small businesses will find it more difficult to grow and compete against large corporations. People are concerned about the lack of public consultation in free trade negotiations. The agreement is being negotiated without public scrutiny. The actual process of developing the FTAA is itself undemocratic as it excludes anyone but government officials and business interests. Civil society groups were left outside the gates during the conference. The decisions by trade bodies must not be allowed to take away the rights and responsibilities of local communities. A local community will find it impossible to make decisions about planning, public health, local control over water, waste, zoning, or environmental issues because the rights of corporations to profits would be deemed to take precedence. The process of the Summit of the Americas had several other wrongdoings: decisions were made in secrecy; misappropriation of taxpayers’ money; violent suppression of free speech; and the sacrifice of Canadian interests for the profit of big corporations. None of the national governments had a referendum on the free trade issue. There were no discussions at home and in communities. People were not asked for their opinions and recommendations. Freedom of speech is a major aspect of democracy. So where is democracy? Citizens were not told what is at stake in the trade deal. The process of developing an agreement must include all citizens in order for democracy to expand freely across the Americas and Caribbean. Other implications of the FTAA: a) Services offered to the public can be managed by private, foreign providers; these providers are allowed to bid for contracts in all sectors such as energy, transportation, agriculture, forestry, fishery, health, education, sewer and water services. Truly, all sectors of life are affected. b) Resources are opened for trade and may no longer be controlled by a national government; energy, rain forests and water are affected. In effect, business leaders of large corporations become the real owners of our resources. c) Environmental decisions, education initiatives, health policies and cultural programs will be affected if they represent a threat to a corporation’s potential profit. d) Canadians will have to accept continental economic and social policies and the U.S. dollars as our currency. The U.S. dollars will eventually become the currency of all 34 member nations. What it means to be a Canadian will be gradually diluted to fulfill the desires of business leaders. What it means to be a citizen in any country will be diluted to nothing. e) Government will no longer have an independent financial policy. f) Labour rights will be subjected to the primary goal of making profit. g) Viability of social programs in a community will be subjected to scrutiny and control by the FTAA. h) Operation of government will be restrained and dependent on economic goals. i) The sovereignty of a nation will be chipped away. Government will give away sovereign and constitutional powers to secret FTAA tribunals whose only goals and objectives are to protect investments and investors. j) The quality of life of every nation in the hemisphere will be diminished and subjected to economic goals. k) Environmental degradation: lowering of plant and biomass diversity, increase of air pollution, natural resource depletion and pollution, deforestation, soil erosion, endangerment and extinction of life species. The legacy to our children and to the future generations thereafter will be a wasteland. l) U.S. military is "to protect U.S. interests and investments" and that includes making other nations safe for U.S multinational corporations. When will the military issue be discussed? How will the military be part of the FTAA? Are we seeing here in the Americas a scenario that has occurred in Europe before the Second World War? The FTAA should entrench a strong statement that says that military should not be an option as a solution to any situation arising in the hemisphere. The Earth Court of Justice was created to deal with any situation and, therefore, the military is not needed. The military should also be subjected to the Earth Court of Justice for any violation of human and Earth rights including environmental rights as defined by the Scale of Human and Earth Rights.
n) Degradation and disrespect of national standards (engineering, health, environmental, etc.). o) If U.S. interest rates go up what will be the impacts of the cost of debt servicing of the 32 (out of 34) poor countries? Investments in those nations have to be serviced through any export surplus. p) Future generations will be affected by entering into an agreement that obligates the present generation to irrevocable conditions. The FTAA would violate the basic principle of a sustainable development in the hemisphere and endanger the survival of Life on Earth. q) If Canada and the U.S. were serious about the FTAA and a sustainable development in the poorest nations would they not accept removing now all tariffs for the very poorest members? NAFTA has led to the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs in Canadian plants as companies relocated to Mexico to take advantage of the cheaper and weaker environmental and safety standards. Thus we are now seing a flow of capitals out of Canada to Asian countries. Rich Canadians mega-corporations are taking their profit elsewhere at the expenses of Canadians and the Canadian economy. The same thing will happen with the new agreement. The FTAA will have the effect of lowering down wages and working conditions in Canada and in the U.S. thereby adding more profits to business leaders. The human rights abuse and environmental degradation are two of the many unresolved social issues in countries that want the trade agreement. Human rights violations would constitute unfair trade subsidies. The process of designing the FTAA is obviously undemocratic and will lead to an "unsustainable development". Earth Communityhas worked hard to find sound solutions and better ways to improve the quality of our lives and that of the future generations. We are not going to let go the "Belief, Values, Principles and Aspirations of the Global Community" . We will form our own ways to manage the Americas and the Caribbean. We will form the the Global Community. The people of the Americas and Caribbean will be first in forming the Global Community to manage the hemisphere. Earth Community has initiated a global dialogue to discuss a sustainable development as a widely-discussed alternative to currently unsustainable economic development patterns. It is all the more attractive because it may be cast in terms compatible with the market economy. However, there must be a social dimension to the concept, a vision, for it to become a viable alternative to unrestrained economic growth. The Earth is no longer a self-regulating planetary system. Its future will depend on human action and the continuation of natural ecosystems will be achieved because people want them to be preserved. Acceptance of sustainable development by society may depend on cultural values and even spiritual notions about the relationship of humankind to the Earth. People will not accept a view of sustainable development that recreates a technologically more advanced version of a basic peasant society, especially if they have only recently developed economically. For societies to accept a sustainable development and to continue to grow within, the new way of living must accept cultural diversity, encourage individual expression, allow social change, offer opportunity, and examine values. There must be ways to permit opportunity and growth without ecological compromise. Achieving sustainable development may therefore be linked with policies emphasizing community, the value of information, originality in ideas, and the arts. Humanity embarks on a new path in history, the inevitability of World societies living, sharing, and creating global economic symbiotical relationships interactively is, beyond doubt, that which we must confront and making sure these relationships are for the good of all humanity. Our creativity today may influence tomorrow's socio-economic strategies and contribute to the evolution of human societies - an evolution directed towards a global partnership with each other, and, most importantly, with our natural environment. Many socio-political infrastructures created for global industries neglect the environment and do not promote environmental sustainability. It is proposed the restructuring of knowledge that governs society, a strategy aimed to change the focus of the capitalist economy and considered Indigenous peoples and their nurturing of spiritual and environmental partnership with nature - a valuable and integral part of their socio-economic structure. A corporation will now be required to operate its business as per global ehtics: * Be concerned with issues such as climate change, bio-diversity, pollution prevention and adopt high standards * Minimize environmental degradation and health impacts * Be responsible for the environmental impact of its products and services throughout their cycle * Adopt a wide environmental code, and policies, health and safety practices and procedures aimed at reducing resource and energy use in each stage of a product or service life-cycle * Set up appropriate management systems to implement policies * Conduct annual checks and balances and provide reports to the community * Respect the political jurisdiction of national communities * Respect human rights, social and cultural rights * Recognize its political and economic impact on local communities * Contribute to the long-term social, cultural, environmental and economic sustainability of the local communities * Respect the rights of indigenous peoples, their culture and land, and their religious and social customs; provide employment and training opportunities * Ensure that each employee is treated with respect and dignity and is not subjected to any physical, sexual, psychological or verbal harassment or abuse * Respect employees' right to freedom of association, labour organization, and free collective bargaining * Provide equal pay for work of equal value * Recognize the responsibilities of all workers to their families, and provide for maternity leave, and paternity leave * Ensure that their be no barriers to the full participation of women within the company * Participate in the creation of child care centres and centres for the elderly and persons with disabilities where appropriate * Ensure no discrimination on grounds of race, ethnicity, or culture * Ensure that persons with disabilities who apply for jobs with the company receive fair treatment and are considered solely on their ability to do the job; provide resources and facilities which enable them to achieve progression in employment in the company * Provide training to all employees to conduct their activities in an environmentally responsible manner * Work with organizations concerned with children's rights, human rights and labour rights to ensure that young workers are not exploited * Ensure that a mechanism is in place to address ethical issues of concern raised by employees * Make sure that the company's policies balance the interests of managers, shareholders, employees, and other affected parties * Adhere to international standards and protocols relevant to its products and services * Adopt marketing practices which protect consumers and ensure the safety of all products * Conduct or support research on the environmental impacts of raw materials, products, processes, emissions and wastes associates with the company and on the means of minimizing such adverse impacts * Make a sustainable use of renewable natural resources such as water, soils and forests * Conserve non-renewable natural resources through efficient use and careful planning * Conserve energy and improve energy efficiency of internal operations and of the goods and services being sold The Global Community will do everything possible to give free trade the proper guidance for humanity. Free trade will become a global co-operation between all nations. The kind of behaviour that happened in the Middle East and in many other parts of the world will not be allowed again.
The Earth Community has made clear that globalization and planetary trading blocks should be serving the Earth Community and not the other way around, the people around the world serving the very few rich people. The September 11 event was the result of bad trading of arms and oil in the Middle East. By applying proper moral safeguards and accepting responsibility and accountability of all products (arms and oil in this case), we would make free trade and globalization serving the Human Family. Over its long past history trade has never evolved to require from the
trading partners to become legally and morally responsible and accountable
for their products from beginning to end. At the end the product becomes
a waste and it needs to be properly dispose of. Now trade must be given
a new impetus to be in line with the global concepts of the New Age Civilization. You
manufacture, produce, mine, farm or create a product, you become legally
and morally responsible and accountable of your product from beginning
to end (to the point where it actually becomes a waste; you are also
responsible for the proper disposable of the waste). This product may be
anything and everything from oil & gas, weapons, war products,
to genetically engineered food products. All consumer products. All medicinal
products! All pharmaceutical products! In order words, a person becomes
responsible and accountable for anything and everything in his or her life.
The concept of a community being the street where we live in and surrounded by a definite geographical and political boundary has originated
during the Roman Empire period. An entire new system of values was then created to make things work for the Roman Empire. Humanity has lived with this concept over
two thousand years. Peoples from all over the world are ready to kill anyone challenging their border. They say that this is their land, their property, their 'things'. This archaic concept is
endangering humanity and its survival. The Roman Empire has gone but its culture is still affecting us today. We need to let go the old way of thinking. We need to learn of the new concept, and how it can
make things work in the world.
The Global Community is inviting Palestinians and Jews of Israel to a dialogue for the purpose of creating sustainable global communities and a permanent peace movement in the land through the process of the Earth Court of Justice. In 1947, the United States found it easy to coerce the United Nations in creating the State of Israel. The effect of creating a new nation in this way was to promote once again the Roman Empire concept which says that land is all that counts and a border around the land is all that is needed to create a community. That's the wrong way of thinking. A global community is not about a piece of land you acquired by force or otherwise. A typical community of a million people does not have to be bounded by a geographical or political border. It can be a million people living in many different locations all over the world. The Global Community is thus more fluid and dynamic. We need to let go the archaic ways of seeing a community as the street where we live and contained by a border. Many conflicts and wars will be avoided by seeing ourselves as people with a heart, a mind and a Soul, and as part of a global community with the same. The UN had no right to create the State of Israel. They forced their way into a one billion Moslems and have done ever since. The UN along with the United States and Israel, are an invading force, a colonization drive in the same way as the British have done after World War I. The UN committed an illegal and arbitrary act by creating the State of Israel. The Earth Court of Justice will be created for the purpose of deciding on the legality of the State of Israel and the creation of the State of Palestine. Members of this higher Court will be chosen to reflect the Peoples involved here. The effect of such change in our ways will be acceptance of being a
part of the global community and that each one of us is doing things for
the good of all. In this way, the heart, mind and spirit of the Global
Community will be in the forefront of positive actions to ensure
our survival.
The Court will also be asked to decide on * the formation of a new nation in the world, The Court decides in accordance with: * the Scale of Human and Earth Rights,
On Wednesday, April 14, 2004, President Bush announced his plan to continue America's offensive war against Iraq in order to strengthen the invasion
and therefore the acquisition of the oil reserves so needed by the Americans back home to keep being the worst polluters on the planet and destroying the global life-support systems.
He said we have not found WMDs in Iraq. Although I have lied to
my own citizens, so what, they loved it, and I am bringing in Iraq my own WMDs, and we (the U.N.) will find them there later on. So I was not telling a lie. Ha!
It was wrong to invade Iraq, and it is wrong to bring WMDs into Iraq. Tuesday, April 13, one day before his speech
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