Massa on Columbian Free Trade Agreement
Notes on Eric Massa’s press conference today, subject the Columbian free trade agreement:
I was very distressed when I heard that the Columbian free trade agreement was going to be sent to the U.S. Congress. I had hoped that this administration and others who support these disastrous free trade agreements would have at least paused to study the incredibly negative impact they have on working Americans. That does not appear to be the case. I think it’s time now for all Americans to communicate a clear voice of their rejection of the [president's policy]. We have stripped our manufacturing base. We have ignored fundamental issues with our partners including human rights and rule of law issues and yet we continue to push these free trade agreements, and it’s wrong. So we need to move to a new [regime of fair trade and not free trade].
We have a policy of “burn down the barn, give away the house” free trade agreement, this time with Columbia. The argument that these agreements generate jobs in the U.S. is [ridiculous].
Working Americans know better.
It is a fundamentally flawed agreement. We were promised jobs in the 29th. CAFTA jobs (Central American Free Trade Agreement) never materialized. We were told that Hondurans and Guatemalans would buy our apples, which was laughable at the time and really quite absurd. China is eating our lunch, to say the least. We will not survive our relationship with China.
If we apply The Bush Doctrine of falsely creating and forcing democracy, we will not survive our relationship with China. That will lead us into some kind of [issue] with Tibet. We shouldn’t be cozying up on a love seat with countries [like China]. There is no moral authority there. We justify going to war in Iraq while ignoring Tibet.
I’m not suggesting invading Tibet. I’m saying we have to have a single standard. We should have never invaded Iraq.
Massa’s feelings on the Petraeus report?
I think he is a man of integrity. I’ve never met a Four-Star general who wasn’t. I think this administration is manipulating his position in the U.S. military. I would never cast aspersions on him or the troops he represents. On the other hand, our presence there has very little to do with the stability there. It’s time for us to leave…and start that process now…It’s an Iraqi problem, not an American problem. It’s a sad statement of reality, but we can’t continue to be in the middle of a civil war, not when we’re protecting our own borders. This is not a Republican vs. Democratic issue. This is virtually how all Americans feel and why our government won’t listen to us is beyond me, that’s why we have elections.
I don’t blame General Petraeus for his position, he is representing the chain of command.
Summary:
As the Iraq issue percolates and becomes a contentious issue, I take a pledge and I challenge all involved in politics to do the same, as we talk about Iraq, all Americans support our troops . We can disagree with policy.
This administration has failed to do what is necessary to anticipate what is needed by our veterans.
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