Guest guest Posted December 3, 1999 Report Share Posted December 3, 1999 In a message dated 12/3/99 4:07:29 PM, Kurt wrote: <<I am a little puzzled about exactly what action the protests are advocating. It is easy to be " against " the WTO, but just exactly what would we change?>> I have some friends on the line up there. Environmentalists. Sea turtles may seem far from WTO, but the advocates want the agreements to have some safeguards for the environment, in this case, turtle excluders on shrimp nets. They are used here in USA, are effective. They would like agreements, then, on trading in shrimp to cover those caught WITH turtle excluders and penalize any government that doesn't use them. Thousands of sea turtles are wasted annually. And, of course, there is the problem of the WTO being basically an organization which supports, engorges and favors the transnationals, with no input from *the people* and with their deals done in the dark. That's scary to a lot of people. best phoebe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 1999 Report Share Posted December 3, 1999 Dear Kurt, At 11:06 AM 12/3/99 EST, you wrote: >From: Kwpapke@... > >It seems as if the WTO conference in Seattle has become a lightning rod for >collective anger. Even SC is hankering to get up there and throw a few rocks >through a window! > >Why is this? Everytime I listen to NPR in the last week they are >interviewing the same French farmer who complains that people are eating at >Macs instead of buying cheese made from his sheep's milk. > >Is one of the driving forces a reaction to the homogenization of world >culture brought about by world trade? Could be. Nature requires diversity >for life to survive and evolve. When we all speak English, wear bluejeans, >eat Macs burgers and watch Melrose Place the world will be a pretty >awful place. Amen, brother. > >It appears there is a collective shadow being projected first on the WTO, and >now the Seattle riot police. Certainly, there is a " hook " there to spark >that projection, but is there more to it than that? > >I am a little puzzled about exactly what action the protests are advocating. >It is easy to be " against " the WTO, but just exactly what would we change? > >Your thoughts?? I deplore the rioting, but am nonetheless very skeptical and squiggly-eyed regarding the WTO - it smells a little bit too much like world government, the " universal homogenous state, " for my taste. I am hoping that the negotiations get well-and-truly bogged down by regional infighting and localist resistance. There are lots of factions against the WTO and against each other, so things don't look too bad. We must resist homogenization. Let France be France, America America, and so forth. If you're French, don't eat at Mc's. If you're American, resist the metric system [even if you do lose a few Mars probes :-)]. Let's preserve a broad diversity of countries and cultures. Resist the last-man state of mind. Regards, Dan Watkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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