The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) \u2014 a global corporate noose around U.S. local, state, and national sovereignty \u2014 narrowly passed a major procedural hurdle in the Congress by gaining \u201cfast track\u201d status. This term \u201cfast track\u201d is a euphemism for your members of Congress \u2014 senators and representatives \u2014 handcuffing themselves, so as to prevent any amendments or adequate debate before the final vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership \u2014 another euphemism that is used to avoid the word \u201ctreaty,\u201d which would require ratification by two-thirds of the Senate. This anti-democratic process is being pushed by \u201cKing Obama\u201d and his royal court.<\/p>\n
Make no mistake. If this was only a trade treaty \u2014 reducing tariffs, quotas, and the like \u2014 it would not be so controversial. Yet, the corporate-indentured politicians keep calling this gigantic treaty with thirty chapters, of which only five relate to traditional trade issues, a trade agreement instead of a treaty. The other twenty-four chapters, if passed as they are, will have serious impacts on your livelihoods as workers and consumers, as well as your air, water, food, and medicines<\/p>\n
The reason I call President Obama \u201cKing Obama\u201d in this case is that he, and his massive corporate lobbies (royal court), have sought to circumvent the checks and balances system that is the very bedrock of our government. They have severely weakened the independence of the primary branch of our government \u2014 the Congress\u2013and fought off any court challenges with medieval defenses, such as no American citizen has any standing to sue for harm done by such treaties or the subject is a political, not judicial, matter.<\/p>\n
Only corporations, astonishingly enough, are entitled to sue the U.S. government for any alleged harm to their profits from health, safety or other regulations in secret tribunals that operate as offshore kangaroo courts, not in open courts.<\/p>\n