[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Shane about the existence of plans for aNAFTA superhighway.Shane responded that he was "not familiar with any plan atall, related to NAFTA or cross-border traffic/' After further ques-tioning by Poe, Shane stated that reports of NAFTA superhigh-ways or corridors were "an urban legend."At this, the chairman, Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR)questioned aloud whether Shane was just "gaming semantics"when responding to Poe's question."Mr.Shane was either blissfully ignorant or he may havebeen less than candid with the committee/' Poe told World NetDaily in a telephone interview.31When asked about the DOT's work with NASCO and theTxDOT, Poe told WND,The NAFTA superhighway plans exist to move goodsfrom Mexico through the United States to Canada.It ap-pears to be another one of the open-border philosophiesthat chips away at American sovereignty, all in the nameof 'so-called trade.'There are security obstacles to this whole project that haveto be addressed, I don't understand why the federal gov-ernment isn't getting public input on this.We get com-ments like Mr.Shane's instead of our own governmentasking the people of the United States what they thinkabout all of this.This big business coming through Mexicomay not be good business for the United States.32Poe continued to insist "the public ought to make this deci-sion.So, I don't understand, unless there's some other motivewhy the public isn't being told about these plans and why thepublic is not invited to make input/'On January 22, 2007, Congressman Virgil Goode (R-VA) in-troduced House Concurrent Resolution 40 to express the sense ofCongress that the United States should not build a NAFTA su-perhighway system and should not enter into an agreement withMexico and Canada to form a North American Union.108 THE TRANS-TEXAS CORRIDORWhen asked to comment on Shane's response to Foe, Goodedismissed Shane's claim that NAFTA superhighways were justan urban legend"Let's take Mr.Shane at his word.Let Mr.Shane come overhere from the Department of Transportation and endorse HouseConcurrent Resolution 40," he said.If.mind he's not doing anything to promote a NAFTAsuperhighway and he's not doing anything to promote theSecurity and Prosperity Partnership of North America,then he won't mind joining his voice with ours to be inopposition to any such ''urban legend/' as he so calls it.Congressman Goode objected to Mr.Shane's attempts to playwhat he agreed was a game of semantics:"When President Bush had the meeting in Waco, Texas, thethree leaders called the new arrangement the 'Security and Pros-perity Partnership of North America/ SPP for short/' Goode said."But, as is suggested by Congressman DeFazio at the hearing, theintent of people like Mr.Shane is to use different words and dif-ferent names as a way to deflect attention from what they are re-ally doing."Asked about White House Press Secretary Snow's denial thatthere was any White House plan to create a North American Un-ion, Goode's reply was also direct;"I guess Mr.Snow is saying that a Security and ProsperityPartnership and a North American Union are not one and thesame," he said."That's just the use of his words, but is he deny-ing that President Bush, President Fox, and Prime Minister Mar-tin had the meeting and came up with the Security andProsperity Partnership in 2005? I doubt it."Also present in the audience at the subcommittee meeting wasRod Nofzinger, director of government affairs for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.33 Mr.Nofzinger toldWND that Mr.Shane's denial struck him as less than genuine.Inan email to WND, Mr.Nofzinger commented:Considering what we know about the Bush administra-tion's efforts to open the border to Mexican trucks and thatDOT officials have met with groups such as NASCO, I was109 THE LATE GREAT USAtruly surprised to hear Mr.Shane say flat out that he had noknowledge of plans or meetings related to NAFTA or cross-border surface trade corridors.Substantiating Mr.Nofzinger's argument is a speech given by Sec-retary of Transportation Norman Y.Mineta on April 30, 2004, at aNASCO forum in Ft.Worth, Texas.34 There Mr.Mineta told theNASCO meeting, "NAFTA has opened the doors to expandingand flourishing trade across our border/' He continued, "And toour friends from Mexico who are here today, I say, 'Welcome, andget ready/ Opening the border is of mutual benefit."Specifically referring to Interstate Highways 35, 29, and 94,the core highways supported by NASCO as a prime "NorthAmerican Super Corridor," Mineta mentioned NASCO:The people in this room have vision.Thinking ahead/ think-ing long term, you began to make aggressive plans to de-velop the NASCO trade corridor this vital artery in ournational transportation through which so much of ourNAFTA traffic flows.In a statement provided to WND by email, DeFazio cut pastShane's attempt to dismiss the subject by ridicule.DeFazio wrotethat he was inclined to disregard Secretary Shane's statement ofignorance."Whatever the case," DeFazio wrote, "it is a fact thathighway capacity is growing to and from the border to facilitatetrade, and there is no doubt that the volume of imports fromMexico has soared since NAFTA, straining security at the bor-der." DeFazio was also aware of the plans to import an increasingnumber of containers from China.He continued, "Plans of Asiantrading powers to divert cargo from U.S.ports to Mexico willonly put added pressure on border inspectors.The U.S.needs toinvest in better border security, including enhanced screening ofcargo crossing our land borders."Here Come the Mexican TrucksWhile Congress wrangles over whether NAFTA superhighwaysare an urban legend, and while the public remains uninformedabout the problems surrounding the growing integration ofNorth America's economies, the federal government is pushing110 THE TRANS-TEXAS CORRIDORahead with plans to open U.S.transportation systems to compa-nies from other countries.The Department of Transportation hasbeen determined to move ahead with a "pilot test" to allow onehundred Mexican trucking companies to run their long-haul rigsthroughout the United States.The DOT and the Department ofHomeland Security intend for Mexican trucking companies par-ticipating in the pilot test to be identified as SPP trusted traders.Accordingly, the Mexican trucks will be equipped with the neces-sary electronic identification systems needed to use FAST lanes.On February 23, 2007, the DOT announced the launch of ayear-long pilot program designed to allow one hundred Mexicantrucking companies unlimited access to U.S.roads for the purposeof hauling international cargo.As a reciprocal part of the pilot program, one hundred U.S.trucking companies will be allowed to operate in Mexico, but at alater date.The February 23 DOT announcement set off a firestorm ofcriticism from within the trucking industry and from Congress.In a press release issued by the Teamsters calling for congres-sional hearings, General President Jimmy Hoffa compared thisannouncement to the "Dubai Ports debacle," charging that Presi-dent Bush is "playing a game of Russian Roulette on America'shighways."A spokesperson from the office of U.S
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
