December 03 , 2003

In mid November trade ministers from various nations located on the American continents poured into sunny and hot Downtown Miami. The ministers were in Miami for a meeting concerning the FTAA (Free Trade Area of The Americas), they were followed into the Magic City by union members, self professed anarchist, communist, environmentalist, Chomskyites and unemployed folks ready to blame everyone but themselves for their economic plight. Waiting eagerly to welcome all these folks to Miami were over 3000 police officers from 40 different law enforcement agencies clad in riot gear and armed with tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons and a host of other goodies. The powder keg was full and the match would soon be lit.

It was reported that the ministers were in Miami to discuss "free" trade. How can ministers that represent governments, which use force to implement their will be expected to discuss anything with the word "free" in it, including "free" trade? In reality, these ministers were only in Miami to discuss policies that would be most effective in maintaining their respective government's power over their constituents and any trade they conducted.

The self proclaimed anarchists who descended on this American tropical paradise were an extremely confused lot. They undressed in front of a GAP store while chanting "Gap is Crap" in protest, claiming that they (GAP) used "cheap" labor in other countries to manufacture clothing. In interviews, members of the "anarchist" group Black Bloc have professed their hate for private property and their wish to see it all destroyed. These "anarchists" came to Miami to support anti-free trade demonstrators. Both their actions their words exposed them for what they really are; communist. The communists and socialists were also there, but at least they understood who they where and why they were getting clobbered by police officers.

The AFL-CIO hosted its own anti-free trade event, complete with marching union members clad with T-shirts with very profound and deep slogans like "FTAA SUCKS." These folks are opposed to free trade because it would put an end their artificially high wages which are ultimately paid through higher prices for the rest of us mere consumers. Unions like the AFL-CIO worry a lot about American workers (dues paying members), but have no consideration for the American consumer trapped behind protectionist walls with higher priced and lower quality goods.

The police patted themselves on the back and pointed to the minimal destruction of property. What they didn't discuss was the decimation of civil and first amendment rights that were shattered and violated under the clear blue Miami sky. No one wanted to see a replay of the lawless violence and destruction that took place in Seattle, but did we really want to witness George W. Bush's preemptive strike policy implemented against our own civilian population? Overwhelming show of force, which was supposed to be used to deter violence and minimize destruction, was actually used offensively to create it and in the process to curtail the protesters right to free speech and freedom of expression. As the scenes of Police robbing the protesters of their constitutional rights reached out to us from our TV screens, one couldn't help but wonder what rights the motley group of protester would deny the rest of us if they ever achieved the power they coveted.

The media, as always, was eager to create a controversy where none existed and show us the worst on both sides. Critical analysis of the situation was noticeably absent. What was blatantly present was needlesly alarming, slanted and characteristically over-simplistic coverage of the events unfolding on the streets of downtown Miami.

The real winners in this immense exercise in futility were government employees that were rewarded for their usually sub par work that robs the taxpayers of their earnings with either extended long weekend vacation (City, County, State and Federal workers downtown were excused from work on Thursday and Friday) or astronomical hours of overtime pay (Police and Fire Depts).

Lost within the tear gas, rubber bullets, masked demonstrators and gratuitous overtime pay was the rest of humanity, trapped in the confusion of mass media deception and under the iron fist of their governments’ draconian taxation and restrictive trade policies. The reality of the whole situation is that the government trade ministers confined to the luxury of a downtown hotel and the demonstrators sweating on the sun soaked streets below were unfortunately all on the same side of the issue of free trade. The difference between them was only a matter of degrees.

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