Trans-Pacific Partnership Deal Struck As "Corporate Secrecy" Wins Again

[Lucille]

Yeah, "a tough fight." Where have I heard that one before?

The fascists in Washington will pass it and, once again, the American people will lose since our well-being is the last thing on their minds. In fact, it's the opposite. The more pain they inflict on us, the happier they are.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-...ship-deal-struck-corporate-secrecy-wins-again

Once again the corporatocracy wins as the so-called "Trojan horse" Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement has been finalized. As WSJ reports, the U.S., Japan and 10 countries around the Pacific reached a historic accord Monday to lower trade barriers to goods and services and set commercial rules of the road for two-fifths of the global economy, officials said.

For the U.S., the TPP (reportedly) opens agricultural markets in Japan and Canada, tightens intellectual property rules to benefit drug and technology companies, and establishes a tightknit economic bloc to challenge China’s influence in the region (likely forcing their hand into separate trade agreements).

However, Obama is likely to face a tough fight to get the deal through Congress (especially in light of presidential candidates' opposition).

The US, Japan and 10 other Pacific Rim economies have reached agreement to strike the largest trade pact seen anywhere in two decades, in what is a huge strategic and political win for US President Barack Obama and Japan’s Shinzo Abe.
[...]
The ISDS provisions of the TPP are insidious: the means by which signatory nations voluntarily surrender national sovereignty to the authority of corporate tribunals, without appeal, and apparently without exit provisions. No wonder the negotiations are secret.

Packaged as a gift to the American people that will renew industry and make us more competitive, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is a Trojan horse. It’s a coup by multinational corporations who want global subservience to their agenda. Buyer beware. Citizens beware.

 

[Lucille]

 

[Natural Citizen]

Well. Hm. Unfortunately, the debate among politicians was over offering the current president and his successors unchallenged power over these so called trade deals. Not much was mentioned in terms of whether or not the negotiations or terms of the agreement were worthy of pursuing in the first place. In fact, the only public controversy among the political class in Washington that I read or heard of from western media or even the politicians themselves was premised upon offering the executive branch fast-track authority. And, of course, Obama was granted fast-track authority in June after a vote of 218-208. Republicans voting in favor at 190-50 and Democrats voting against at 28-158.

I wouldn't seal the deal just yet, though.

So much for the old consent of the governed gag, though. Heh.

 

[devil21]

So according to fast track legislation passed, the TPP must be publicly available for review for 60 days prior to Congress up/down vote. The TPP website does not have the text up for review yet.

 

[RonPaulMall]

Well. Hm. Unfortunately, the debate among politicians was over offering the current president and his successors unchallenged power over these so called trade deals. Not much was mentioned in terms of whether or not the negotiations or terms of the agreement were worthy of pursuing in the first place. In fact, the only public controversy among the political class in Washington that I read or heard of from western media or even the politicians themselves was premised upon offering the executive branch fast-track authority. And, of course, Obama was granted fast-track authority in June after a vote of 218-208. Republicans voting in favor at 190-50 and Democrats voting against at 28-158.

I wouldn't seal the deal just yet, though.

So much for the old consent of the governed gag, though. Heh.

This is one of the good things about the Trump candidacy. He will loudly denounce TPP as a "bad deal" and it is going to get much more attention than it otherwise would. The powers that be prefer things like this slip under the radar and pass quietly in the night. That isn't going to happen this time around.

 

[PRB]

Well. Hm. Unfortunately, the debate among politicians was over offering the current president and his successors unchallenged power over these so called trade deals. Not much was mentioned in terms of whether or not the negotiations or terms of the agreement were worthy of pursuing in the first place. In fact, the only public controversy among the political class in Washington that I read or heard of from western media or even the politicians themselves was premised upon offering the executive branch fast-track authority. And, of course, Obama was granted fast-track authority in June after a vote of 218-208. Republicans voting in favor at 190-50 and Democrats voting against at 28-158.

I wouldn't seal the deal just yet, though.

So much for the old consent of the governed gag, though. Heh.

why are democrats against it?

 

[PRB]

So according to fast track legislation passed, the TPP must be publicly available for review for 60 days prior to Congress up/down vote. The TPP website does not have the text up for review yet.

they have a site ? where?

 

[devil21]

they have a site ? where?

ustr.gov/tpp or something like that

 

[Lucille]

http://www.wendymcelroy.com/news.php?extend.6750

From the New York Times: Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal Is Reached. [Ed: now it must be passed by the national legislatures of each signatory. It needs to die there. I'm not one for online petitions...but here goes: Death to TPP]

 

[Ronin Truth]

Let's all hear it for an informed and educated electorate.

Isn't that supposedly one the best defenses against tyranny?

 

[Lucille]

Ron Paul: Trans-Pacific Partnership: Transparency Through Secrecy
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showth...ific-Partnership-Transparency-Through-Secrecy

"A breathtaking level of contempt that Washington has for American citizens."

 

[Ronin Truth]

Ron Paul: Trans-Pacific Partnership: Transparency Through Secrecy
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showth...ific-Partnership-Transparency-Through-Secrecy

"A breathtaking level of contempt that Washington has for American citizens."

The feelings of American citizens are increasingly mutual.

 

[Lucille]

http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/ClaireWolfe/2015/10/07/midweek-links-22/

TPP negotiations are finished and the Electronic Frontier Foundation calls the (still largely secret) pact a betrayal.

They're organizing a protest in DC and want ideas on protest banners. Yeah, that should help.

Trade negotiators from the U.S. and its 11 Pacific Rim partners announced their agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) today, concluding the final round of closed negotiations in Atlanta and marking the culmination of seven years of secrecy. Throughout all that time, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has acted as a de facto representative of the Hollywood big media lobbies in pushing other countries to adopt the most punitive aspects of U.S. copyright policies—such as our over-the-top civil and criminal penalties—while at best giving lip service to pro-user aspects such as fair use.

Throughout this time EFF and our partner organizations, including the Our Fair Deal coalition, tried to play by the USTR's rules. We wrote whitepapers and open letters, we held side-events for negotiators, we gave presentations (during the limited window when we were allowed to do so), and we spoke with USTR officials bilaterally. But successive leaks of the TPP have demonstrated that unless you are a big business sector, the USTR simply doesn't care what you have to say. The latest evidence of this is that it was only when Google finally weighed in on the need for more robust support for fair use in the TPP, that the USTR budged on that issue—having ignored our similar calls for years.

Now, the deal is finally done and the text still won't be available for another 30 days.
[...]

• Our TPP's Copyright Trap campaign on how the extension of copyright term would steal from the public domain to pad the pockets of big media companies.
• The dangerous trade secrets rules that could turn whistleblowers, journalists, and hackers into criminals.
• The deal's DRM circumvention ban that would introduce new barriers to users’ abilities to tinker with their devices and content, even for entirely lawful purposes.
• How criminal copyright enforcement rules could shut down fan communities and threaten online archivists.
• The risk that Hollywood could use special private "courts" for investors to attack countries that adopt US-style "fair use" rules.

And there's so much more to be worried about, that we're sure your biggest problem won't be finding something to say on a protest banner, but trying to limit it to a few choice words! Feel free to submit as many suggestions as you like.

 

[Lucille]

TPP: The Latest Assault on Free Trade
https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/tpp-the-latest-assault-on-free-trade/

Today’s Mises Daily article describes it best: agreements between governments have nothing to do with free trade. This was the understanding of the early laissez-faire liberals. To have free trade, governments merely need only refrain from restricting it. And more specifically to the situation in the US, to allow free trade, the US government merely need refrain from prosecuting people who attempt to trade with foreigners who do not have the official stamp of approval from the US government. (See also Carmen Dorobat’s article from yesterday.)

To support restrictions on free trade is to support the jailing and prosecution of peaceful private citizens who trade with foreigners. Whatever the motivation, whether it is to attempt to punish foreign regimes (as with supporters of the Cuban or Iranian embargoes), or protect certain favored industries, the fundamental mechanism behind restrictions on trade is the prosecution and punishment of private entrepreneurs who engage in peaceful trade.

The TPP, like all other trade agreements of its type, was designed to serve the strategic interests of the governments involved, and has nothing to do with opening up new opportunities for free trade among ordinary members of the domestic societies that are taxed to finance the governments involved. There is no doubt that certain large corporate interests with political power will benefit from agreements like TPP. Large interests have the clout and the resources to change and shape these agreements to favor them. Small enterprises and businesses, and small entrepreneurs will only endure greater restrictions.

The New York Times reports how US allies are using the TPP as a “check on China.” It’s a national “security” scheme and has nothing to do with freer trade for you and me. Meanwhile, the CBC (Canada) admits that the TPP will do little to actually lower your grocery bill or the price of automobiles. So, if a trade agreement does nothing to actually make goods more available to the public, what does it have to do with free trade? The answer is: nothing.

 

[dannno]

Talk about a slap in the face to Doctors Without Borders who opposed the agreement and was bombed the other day..

 

[PRB]

Talk about a slap in the face to Doctors Without Borders who opposed the agreement and was bombed the other day..

medical industrial complex hates competition

 

[UWDude]

Laws. More laws. More and more laws.

 

[ghengis86]

Laws. More laws. More and more laws.

and voting. we need to vote harder. and send strongly worded letters.

 

[Lucille]

How The TPP Could Lead To Worldwide Internet Censorship
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-10-08/how-tpp-could-lead-worldwide-internet-censorship

Although politicians have come to a secret agreement, this democracy killing, corporate monstrosity still has to pass the U.S. Congress. So it’s now up to all of us to create an insurmountable degree of opposition and make sure this thing is dead on arrival.

The more I learn about the TPP, the more horrified I become. In case you need to get up to speed, check out the following:

U.S. State Department Upgrades Serial Human Rights Abuser Malaysia to Include it in the TPP

Julian Assange on the TPP – “Deal Isn’t About Trade, It’s About Corporate Control”

Trade Expert and TPP Whistleblower – “We Should Be Very Concerned about What’s Hidden in This Trade Deal”

As the Senate Prepares to Vote on “Fast Track,” Here’s a Quick Primer on the Dangers of the TPP

If that wasn’t enough to concern you, here’s the latest revelation.

From Common Dreams:

The “disastrous” pro-corporate trade deal finalized Monday could kill the Internet as we know it, campaigners are warning, as they vow to keep up the fight against the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement between the U.S. and 11 Pacific Rim nations.

“Internet users around the world should be very concerned about this ultra-secret pact,” said OpenMedia’s digital rights specialist Meghan Sali. “What we’re talking about here is global Internet censorship. It will criminalize our online activities, censor the Web, and cost everyday users money. This deal would never pass with the whole world watching - that’s why they’ve negotiated it in total secrecy.”

If that part isn’t obvious by now, I don’t know what is.

TPP opponents have claimed that under the agreement, “Internet Service Providers could be required to ‘police’ user activity (i.e. police YOU), take down Internet content, and cut people off from Internet access for common user-generated content.”

Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF) Maira Sutton wrote on Monday, “We have no reason to believe that the TPP has improved much at all from the last leaked version released in August, and we won’t know until the U.S. Trade Representative releases the text. So as long as it contains a retroactive 20-year copyright term extension, bans on circumventing DRM, massively disproportionate punishments for copyright infringement, and rules that criminalize investigative journalists and whistleblowers, we have to do everything we can to stop this agreement from getting signed, ratified, and put into force.”

Furthermore, “The fact that close to 800 million Internet users’ rights to free expression, privacy, and access to knowledge online hinged upon the outcome of squabbles over trade rules on cars and milk is precisely why digital policy consideration do not belong in trade agreements,” Sutton added, referring to the auto and dairy tariff provisions that reportedly held up the talks.

“Successive leaks of the TPP have demonstrated that unless you are a big business sector, the [U.S. Trade Representative, or USTR] simply doesn’t care what you have to say,” wrote EFF’s Jeremy Malcolm.

“If you like your freedom of speech, you can keep your freedom of speech.”

Brace yourselves for Obamatrade.

 

[Lucille]

Crony World Government
Gary North on the horrific TPP.
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/10/gary-north/crony-world-government/

THE TPP

You may know of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. No one in Congress has read it. No one is allowed to read it.

The Leftist Guardian reports that WikiLeaks has released a stolen version of it.

Obama wants Congress to pass it. But, as with ObamaCare, no one will be allowed to read it.

TPP is now facing a rough ride through Congress where President Obama’s opponents on the right argue the agreement does not do enough for business while opponents on the left argue it does too much.Twelve Pacific rim countries have signed a sweeping trade deal but will it cut red tape and boost commerce or is it a sellout to big business that will cost jobs?

Obama has pledged to make the TPP public but only after the legislation has passed.

Democracy really is at the end of the road as a philosophy. I am not saying that we are headed back into totalitarianism. It, too, is at the end of the road — not just philosophically but institutionally. It is holed up in North Korea. Democracy still lets groups resist. I don’t think Obama will get the TPP through Congress. But I am saying that a cogent case for democracy as a system promoting discussion of proposed laws is over. It is a farce. We accepted Pelosi’s original challenge: Congress would get to read the ObamaCare bill after it was passed.

This really is Orwell’s dystopia gone fruitcake nutty. There is no longer even the pretense of democracy in Congress. They no longer offer a fig leaf to conceal reality.