Blog-IT-o ergo sum

	7/27/2005

CAFTA Debate tonight: SHOWTIME

"I usually vote against trade agreements and tonight will be no exception."

---- Howard Coble having had the floor yielded to him by Charlie Rangle at about 8:45pm. Howard comes through in the final hour, now if only his vote will help defeat CAFTA.

Before Howard, Mr. Rangle had earlier yielded the floor to Republican Charlie Norwood of Georgia who used is three minutes to run down almost all the points that I and The John Birch Society have been talking about for months....loss of sovereignty, coming under the authority of international tribunals, oversight of how states and private professional organizations issue licenses for dentists and others, the ability of multinational corporations to ship in tradesmen for their projects in the US.

9:04pm Rangle yields to Walter Jones. (Of the first dozen or so Representatives to speak on CAFTA two are from NC...and both speak against.) Walter Jones mentions the 200,000 manufacturing jobs lost in NC and 3.5 million jobs across the US since we passed NAFTA. He also does not want to see the US miltary having to buy its tanks from China and its flags for the coffins of its fallen heros from Nicuragua.

McDermit from Washinton on Central America, "They have a very few elite who control their contries as they have for hundreds of years..." The Congressman is not a John Birch Society as far as I know, but there you have it, a few powerful elite rule and have ruled...only in Central America right?

"Butch" Otter (R) Idaho (not Ohio as Rangle from NY accidently said. Butch forgave him since he is from NY.) Otter made his money selling potatoes to MacDonalds. " I can not flim flam. You get an agreement you better perform on it. Put your job on the and if CAFTA in two years does match the promises you made here then give up your job...You are the salesman for the United States."

(Earlier on a straight party vote the rules allowing for a 20 hour debate were changed to cut the time to only 2 hours. Do the Republicans against CAFTA know the fix is in or do they think we have a shot to win the vote? Stay tuned.)

CAFTA debate continued...

Ron Paul from Texas:

"I rise in strong opposition. I am known for often voting NO. That's because I I look to article 1 section 8 of the Constitution for authority." Paul called the bill flat out unconstitutional; that Congress does not have the authority to transfer its power to regulate trade with foreign nations let alone to an international bureacracy under the CAFTA commission. He closed by pointing out that CAFTA gives the UN's Codex Alimentarius authority to regulate our dietary and vitamins supplements market.

Committee Chair Shaw says he will give Congressman Paul the case number that decided that what they are doing is Constitutional. That should be a good read.

(Rangle really is from New York. He yielded the floor to the Congressman from North KOREA. On gaining the floor back he did clarify that he meant Dakota not Korea.)

Bob Inglis (R) SC. As noted earlier "a piece of dung." But will mention that he claimed that CAFTA is wise Western Hemisphere strategy to compete against China. He also mentioned his "pocket lining" side agreement cut with Robert Portman that made CAFTA palatable for him. Mr. Inglis did not confess as to whose pocket was being lined in the agreement he cut.

Gresham Barrett (R) SC . Says Roseveldt Mims, 36 year perfect attendance weaver veteran of Avondale Mills in Graniteville, SC is why he decided to vote for CAFTA. (No mention of his pocket linings.)

Bob Etheridge #3 speaker friom NC stands to be recognized for his decision to vote NO on CAFTA.

9:25:04 PM

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