The NAFTA Blueprint

by Rodrigo Garcia

Emma Marlowe, one of the founding members of Le Conseil―a citizen organization based in Canada, was a recipient of eight honorary doctorates, an author, a social activist, and a fierce nemesis of the North American Union. We met her at Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, where she provided a basic overview on the North American Competitive Council and the Security and Prosperity Partnership. There were so many groups associated with continental issues.

  She reminded me of the widow, short auburn hair, piercing green eyes, and a gentle softness to her profile. “Nice to see and meet you both, I’m glad you could make it. Shall we get started?”

  She didn’t waste any time―quick, sharp, and straight to the neck, I beamed in approval. “Do you know what’s going on here around Walden Pond by any chance?”

  “No, actually, we don’t know anything about that. We’re working on the supercorridors, mostly in Texas, but this conspiracy or whatever it is has taken us to Kansas City, Mexico, to Los Angeles, here with you, and maybe…Canada, covering all of North America I guess. As you already know, Jay Jacobs had wanted us to meet, and well…now that he’s gone, it’s imperative that we follow up with you. We think he might’ve been murdered, and we’re starting to come across some trouble. We’re still working on that.”

  Helena didn’t need to go into details, it wasn’t essential. It was our battle, she was playing it well. “We know you are well informed about NAFTA, we were hoping you could shed some more light on what we’ve been discovering,” said Helena, then she added, “what’s going on here in Walden Pond by the way?”

  “I’ll do as best as I can with what I know. You see, the commissioner had recently contacted me and some elected officials from Canada that also opposed the North American Union. I guess he had a difficult time dealing with the burdensome collusion of the NAFTA agreement because of his involvement, even more so with the Texas legislature, the Department of Transportation, and the other organizations in Texas which are involved. He was in danger of becoming a good man…he tried to do his duty for his country. I’m glad you’re working on this, and I’m sorry that he has now passed.”

  We all took a moment of silence.

  “Well, back to the pond and I hope that wasn’t rude. Please forgive me if I’m being rather curt, but we’re pressed for time.”

  “No, no…not at all,” I looked over at Helena as if seeking approval, “please go ahead.”

  “I was contacted by community organizers here in Walden who are up against a multi-national company that’s been illegally pumping water from a local watershed. It’s causing the watershed to dry, massive amounts of pollution, and the destruction of local ecosystems here in the pond. There are also rumors about that same corporation to extend their illegal pumping after it’s dried up and clear the area to make way for a parking structure or a strip mall. We’re concerned the judge will rule in favor of the corporation and grant it rights as a person or individual. I know it sounds insane, yet judges constantly rule in favor of corporations based on precedent cases. Can you believe that? This lawsuit is in the courts now, so we continue to pressure government officials and keep raising awareness.”

  “Does this pond here have anything to do with NAFTA?” I asked.

  “Everything is related to NAFTA, which I’m sure you’re now discovering. Do you know what the North American Competitive Council is?” Both Helena and I shrugged.

  “Well, it’s an organization made up of thirty CEO’s of different private corporations from Mexico, the United States, and Canada―ten from each country. It was officially launched in Cancun in 2006, but there was never a press release related to any such meeting. In actuality, the council was privately founded prior to that in order for business leaders to provide international business recommendations to top government officials from the Security and Prosperity Partnership, another organization based on North American concerns, only there was no official press release issued either. There is only one major difference between these two organizations―one is made up of the business community of North America, the other of government officials of North America.”

  “Do you know what government officials and businesses are involved in these councils?” I asked.

  “Well let’s see if you recognize some of these names. There’s…Ford, General Motors, Chevron, Wal-Mart, Lockheed Martin, The Home Depot, Scotiabank, and maybe, well…I think you know something about this one―the Kansas City Rail Project. Does that name ring a bell?”

  “Yeah, they’re monopolizing transportation services throughout the Midwest! I interviewed the spokesperson, really unscrupulous individual by the way. And same as what you just said, there was no official press release relating to the development of the Kansas City inland port either, and they’re supposed to be non-profit. I guess they’re not so non-profit after all. You’re saying they’re a major player around the NAFTA supercorridors and these partnerships of business and corporate organizations?”

  Emma Marlowe mentioned the other names, other less-known Mexican and Canadian ones, however, this one interested me the most. After all, I had interviewed their spokesperson who embraced the idea of limited media coverage to avoid public scrutiny. Then there was that whole surrealist situation with that Jewish guy with all his talk about real estate.

  She continued, “Well, if that isn’t enough to get you off your rocker, this other corporation is going to strike a chord and plunge into your intestines. How about…the Zachary Construction and the EuroCarril merger, sound familiar?” Helena and I looked at each other in disbelief.

  Helena spoke first, “Are you serious? How do you know, how can you confirm this corporation was part of those councils and agreements? I thought those meetings were held in private? I litigated against a developer related to Zachary Construction in Texas, they filed for bankruptcy. Remember what we talked about Michael?”

  “Are you kidding me, that’s when the merger actually took place! That was when and where it developed! Keep this in mind okay, EuroCarril is a Spanish company with toll road operations in Mexico and Canada, well among other countries as well, but North America is our concern. Look―my understanding of this partnership and council is that of a public and private sector dialogue of the NAFTA countries to facilitate the North American political community to allow the private sector to engage substantially on trade and security issues without, and I’ll quote from one of the American business leaders, ‘Without undue deference to political sensibilities.’

  “I’ve worked on social activism and grassroots campaigns against big business and unethical political behavior for a long time. What this means is that these people want to circumnavigate the legislative process in regards to international business practices. They want to make more profits at a quicker rate and avoid the regulatory red tape…that was what Mussolini claimed about fascism―Corporatism in fact, because it provides the corporate sector a pivotal role in policy implementation. This Competitive Council claims the North American continent needs to remain globally competitive in the world market, that it must be the most advanced and competitive regional trading bloc, thus it focuses on key sectors such as automotive, transportation, and manufacturing services. It’s also focused on three major issues handled by a specific country. For example, border crossing being facilitated by Canada, which you as patriotic Americans should understand the repercussions of having Canadian government officials and business leaders making recommendations for your border concerns. I don’t think so, right. That would be treason. Then standards and regulatory cooperation, of course, by the United States―the Roman Empire, the United States will impose economic policies on Canada. We’re not going to stand around with our arms folded for that. Remember, evil triumphs when good people stand around and do nothing. And if you control the economic system, you control the country. And last of all we get Mexico―energy integration, which means what exactly? Energy integr
ation reduces countries’ autonomy to remain self-sufficient, which will most likely grant the United States dominance over North American natural resources. I don’t think anyone will actually assume Mexico will make renewable energy recommendations to the United States and Canada. Ha! It all seems to be playing out strategically, this unofficial political athleticism. Welcome to the Olympian Circle of North America! Don’t you think it’s uncanny, especially when non-profit watchdog groups sought access to their meetings under the Federal Advisory Committee Act and the Freedom of Information Act? These federal acts stipulate open meetings and access to reports, transcripts, minutes, appendixes, studies, agendas…amongst other standards, but which were rejected because of their supposed non-profit status. That’s how they find loopholes in the system.”

  She continued back up, Emma Marlowe was on a roll, neither Helena nor I wanted to interrupt her. This woman had dedicated her life to social activism, she was on a crusade against the North American Union, she had every right to carry on, “So the Security and Prosperity Partnership…do you want to know about that?” she asked.

  “Of course, please continue,” I announced. Helena absorbed it all in biting the skin around her nails, while nodding her head.

  “This is another type of North American continental organization, officially set up in Waco, Texas, which is a layer of the NAFTA treaty made up of senior government officials to facilitate North American issues. And they’re all from Mexico, Canada, and the United States―political elites. Does it sound any different from the North American Competitive Council? I don’t think so. They’re all business and corporate elites working together without taking us into consideration. It seems as if they were just creating layer after layer of policy development to confuse public interest, but most of all to avoid responsibility. So I guess, the way to find out who and what is at the core is to peel off layer after layer, that’s what the commissioner was working on, and now it’s up to us brave souls to carry the torch he left. Be careful Michael and Helena, we’re not in the Progressive Era. Journalism, especially activist journalism is in danger of becoming extinct. Be careful, the elites control mass media. According to private sources, this partnership maintains various cross-border groups in important areas such as manufactured goods, sectoral and regional competitiveness, energy, environment, e-commerce, information communications and technologies, and financial services―everything relating to our day-to-day lives. It’s difficult to see the fine line between the Security and Prosperity Partnership and the North American Competitive Council. They’re made up of the same people recommending policy without oversight, which seems like the shuffling of officials into councils and organizations causing troubling confusion to the general public while avoiding scrutiny. We’re up against an unknown leviathan. Remember this though, the council is big business and the partnership is government. That’s the monopoly.”

  She handed us a manila envelope while she observed her surroundings with sharpness, “Take these documents―this one is an official transcript of a meeting between the partnership and the council. This other document is the minutes and the agenda section of the corporate charters of numerous companies. Look at the highlighted names, one in particular…the Governor of Texas. Look at the board of directors section. Look at how many boards and on what corporations he sits on. These documents connect the mergers and the monopoly. The Governor of Texas sits at the highest level, Jay Jacobs had so much information on him and he was ready to expose him. He sent this over before he passed on. And, he’s going to run for president one day, you’ll see. Don’t let his death be in vain. Lastly, you need to understand something else―water. In the near future, the NAFTA supercorridors will transfer Canadian fresh water through water pipelines and water mining technology to the United States unless North American citizens can come together in unison to block the plan. Water is the new liquid gold, as important as oil. You can be sure that many business people and government officials want these supercorridors to exist. Do what you can with what you have, whatever is in your power to do, that’s all I ask for…and that’s what Jay Jacobs had asked. Michael…Helena, with this knowledge and these tools you possess comes great responsibility. The written word is by far the most powerful tools of communication. Reach out to your audience. Speak out.”

  Emma Marlowe removed a handkerchief from her purse to wipe tears from her icy eyes. She gave us a rippling glance.

  “I’m sorry to leave you like this but I really do have to go. I urge you to go to Canada and talk to my partner about the water crisis. She’s expecting you, she’ll give you more insight. You have some more work to do. If you can link this to Jay Jacobs, I know you believe he was murdered, so use that to your advantage. Goodbye you two, we’ll keep in touch…and be careful,” those were the last words we heard her speak.