Eduard Hiebert

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August 9, 2004 A.D.

Dear Editor:

FIW's recent two editorials (July 22 & 29) are a must read! I am impressed with the acuity of vision in hindsight regarding so many of yesteryear's farm issues, beginning with all the talk of choice or dual market (similarly with two tiered health care and other publicly controlled services.) is whether "to retain  the board (that is public common wealth control) or to turn the marketing over to the Cargils, ADMs... with the latter being code for the TNCs (Trans National Corporations).

I fully agree that the true 'bottom line' is really that simple -- public common wealth control and rule or be ruled by the TNCs. I heartily endorse and encourage the FIW to be much quicker in cutting to the quick in "recognition of the difference between rhetoric and reality... and (calling this) Agriprop".  

Personally, I would prefer something more earthy and readily familiar even beyond the first hand farm community such as Agri­poop or just plain bull!

Along with naming the real issues, the next step is naming who are the ones fighting in the trenches on behalf of the public good and who are the TNCs and their collaborators, whom in the past I have  suggested calling Judas Goats. 

To be more precise in our naming, Utah Phillips has stated succinctly that "The earth is not dying, it is being killed. And those who are killing it have names and addresses!"

(Leading by example,) allow me to add that much of the corporately controlled media's news that the current WTO agreement is a "breakthrough" in cutting out EU & US subsidies is little more than very sophisticated Agripoop/bull which will continue to decimate family farms as the TNC sector continues to reap windfall profits on the backs of the family farmers world wide!

Any self-respecting thinking person can formulate their own opinion given access to the proper and truthful information.  The original signed WTO document is no longer available at the public WTO site but a close second may be found by clicking here (link will open into a new window).

Anyone who would like copy of the original may email me.

To help get you through the legalese of the agreement, a superb developing world analyses by Devinder Sharma, who is a New Delhi-based food and trade policy analyst (dsharma@ndf.vsnl.net.in) provides an excellent and well-rounded reasoned (as opposed to opinionated rhetoric) analyses of the agreement which may be found by clicking here (link will open into a new window).

I will simply add that in paragraph 18 etc Canada already made some very specific concessions favourable to TNC controlled trade, while neither the US or EU in the earlier paragraphs gave up anything but the promise to talk some more!

Eduard Hiebert

 

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