Trans-Atlantic Business Monologue

The Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue begins today here in Chicago, hosted by the Boeing corporation. This is a gathering of business leaders dedicated to reducing barriers to international trade. In their own report, "the new obstacles to trade are domestic regulations". Thus the TABD is trying to "harmonize" (their word) domestic regulations on imports and exports. The only problem is, domestic regulations are one of those benefits of democracy that protect we the people from exploitation by the multinationals. By "harmonization", what they want to do is allow products produced in a country with less regulation to be imported into a country with stricter regulations. This is scary stuff. Among the stated goals of the TABD:

-reactivating the WTO negotiating round that was squelched in Seattle
-"the U.S. product liability system is a serious impediment to transatlantic trade and investment." (their words)
-"harmonization"- allowing products and materials produced in countries with lesser regulatory restriction to freely pass into those with strongerones. Examples- differential standards for review of chemical safety (gulp!), the U.S. requirement that products be labeled with U.S. customary units (inch/pound) instead of the metric system, differingnational standards for regulating electromagnetic fields (relevant to cell phone regulation), restrictions on direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising in the EU, potential U.S. emissions regulations for diesel engines for recreational boats that may differ from the EU's, everything from electrical safety to pharmaceutical safety, and harmonization in place or underway for areas ranging from road safety to aircraft noise.

I'm not some crazy leftist knee-jerker who thinks everything profitable is therefore evil. But doesn't all this seem very, very scary to you? I'm sure there's some cruftiness in our import/export laws, but I think that labor, product safety, and product purity laws are a good thing in general! I mean, chemical and pharmaceutical safety?!?!?! Jesus Christ in a motorcycle sidecar! This, like the WTO, is a blatant attempt to pave the way for profits over people.

Naturally, this has got a lot of people pissed off. A LOT. People are starting to realize that the struggle for justice in this country is no longer about the left versus the right. It's about the people versus the top 1%. Even Joe Richie has seen his portfolio fail. The Democrats and the Republicans alike receive contributions from the same companies. This country pays three times as much in corporate welfare than it does in social welfare. And the U.S.'s unilateral military action around the world has pissed off even our allies, and last year 3000 civilians died at the hands of a man who was trained in terrorism by the CIA and given $3 billion in U.S. funds. What's the old Irish curse? "May you live in interesting times." These are interesting times, alright.

Today at 4:30 I will got to the headquarters of Boeing and join the protest march there. On Friday I will ride my bike in a protest ride, and if I make it to tomorrow evening, my reward will be a Trans-Atlantic Booty Dance. But I might not make it that far. They've banned all on-street parking in the loop and are searching anyone who enters. The CPD has formed a "goon squad" (their words) of officers six-foot-four and taller to wade into the crowd and take out troublesome targets. There are cops in riot gear everywhere. Here are some quotes from the cops and the media:

"protesters are known to hurl a variety of nauseating and dangerous objects at [the cops]: everything from urine and feces to ball bearings. Some anarchists wear casts on their arms as weapons and protect themselves with catcher's chest protectors, he said. [Lt. Neil] Sullivan accused protesters of hiding weapons behind signs and banners in what he described as a "Trojan horse" tactic."

"all newspaper boxes have been removed from the Loop, as they are places where protestors can plant bombs"

"we are prepared to arrest anyone who even looks like trouble"

""The 'Critical Mass' Group is planning to use bicycles to disrupt traffic in the Loop [on Friday], they will be gathering in Daley Plaza. They put a group of bicycles in the middle of the intersection and do a skit/chanting. They will be arrested and their bicycles will be inventoried by CPD."

I'm a very nonviolent person. I don't even believe what the pacifist anarchists believe, that violence against property is okay. I'm taking the Ghandi route in this. But in these cases, it is invariably the police that instigate violence, and there is no freedom of assembly here, and if you have not commited a crime they will make one up for you. I don't want to get arrested, and hopefully things will stay peaceful. But I feel obligated by my love for my country to do this. I will update again as soon as I can. But if you don't see an update here by tomorrow, you will know what happened.