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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