SWOPblogger

Last week, leaders from Central American countries came to Albuquerque as part of a tour to promote the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). SWOP participated in a protest here in ABQ at the National Hispanic Cultural Center against CAFTA. Lou Dobbs aired footage of the protest.

Of course, Lou partly used the footage to promote his ant-immigrant stance. Sorry Lou, we don't agree with punishing the victims of trade policies that are written by and for transnational corporate interests.

Pasted below are key segments and transcripts of the program.

Key segments (which were accompanied by video footage of the Abq demo and press conference!)

- “However, CAFTA is facing rising opposition in Congress because of large part -- small but vocal groups of protesters all over the country are making their views known.... From Miami to Albuquerque, protesters are taking to the streets to oppose the Central American Free Trade Agreement.”

- “Salvadoran president Tony Saca angered demonstrators in Albuquerque when he dismissed them as uninformed. Protesters countered, they understand CAFTA all too well because they lived through its predecessor, NAFTA, which has left an 11-year legacy of environmental degradation, lost jobs, and increased illegal immigration.”

CNN

LOU DOBBS TONIGHT

Aired May 12, 2005 - 18:00 ET

DOBBS: At the White House today, President Bush met with leaders of six countries included in the Central American Free Trade Agreement. The president said they all agreed CAFTA will promote democracy, peace and prosperity in Central America and the Dominican Republic. The president said CAFTA will create prota (ph), a more level playing field for American farmers, and he said it will bolster manufacturing in our hemisphere.

However, CAFTA is facing rising opposition in Congress because of large part -- small but vocal groups of protesters all over the country are making their views known. These groups are lobbying traditionally pro-free trade lawmakers to vote against CAFTA and those formerly for free-trade. Congressman and senators are starting to have second thoughts.

Casey Wian reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CAFTA! CAFTA! We don't have to!

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From Miami to Albuquerque, protesters are taking to the streets to oppose the Central American Free Trade Agreement. This week they have been shadowing a 10-city CAFTA U.S. promotional tour featuring Central American presidents, and sponsored by major U.S. corporations such as Citigroup and Coca-Cola. Scores of grass roots groups from across the political spectrum have mobilized to fight CAFTA saying it will destroy jobs in Central America and the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These corporations, they portray themselves as all-American brands and all-American clothing, but when you look at it they really -- rarely have anything made in America.

WIAN: The director of a critically acclaimed 2004 documentary on the loss of American jobs, this year wrote a book critical of CAFTA. Greg Spotts has scant financial support and no organization. Still, he's influencing the debate.

GREG SPOTTS, DIRECTOR "AMERICAN JOBS": We're attacking CAFTA like a hive of bees would attack a grizzly bear. You know, a lot of small forces loosely organized. And I think what drives everybody is a moral conviction that people here and in Central America should be paid fairly for the work that they do.

WIAN: An opinion shared by Don White at the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador. His group has targeted and helped persuade dozens of lawmakers who voted for previous free-trade agreements to oppose CAFTA.

DON WHITE, CISPES: Our objective is to never have it come to a vote, because we do not believe that President Bush wants the humiliation of a CAFTA vote on the House floor and then be voted down.

WIAN: Salvadoran president Tony Saca angered demonstrators in Albuquerque when he dismissed them as uninformed. Protesters countered, they understand CAFTA all too well because they lived through its predecessor, NAFTA, which has left an 11-year legacy of environmental degredation, lost jobs, and increased illegal immigration.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN (on camera): As Esteban Torres (ph), a former congressman and supporter of NAFTA put it, we owe it to all those who could be adversely affected by CAFTA to demonstrate that we have learned from our past mistakes. CAFTA opponents say they are confident the agreement will be defeated, despite what the Congressman Dreier just told you, Lou.

DOBBS: Thank you very much, and thank you for adding that point, Casey. Casey -- Casey Wian, from Los Angeles.

# posted by karlos @ 10:00 AM