Bill Moyers on why the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement is death for democracy

[silvershadow]

11/5/2013 10:05am by Gaius Publius 25 Comments

Many of you know I’ve been covering TPP (the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement) for a while now — for example, here. Obama and the rest of the neoliberal (“free-trade”) Democrats are dying to implement it, and the Republican servants of the same fine CEOs are not far behind.

But the TPP is complicated — at least in appearances — and the public is having a hard time bottom-lining it, in between taking kids to soccer and paying bills in the evening. By comparison, characterizing Keystone is easy — “Want to drink goo from your faucet and watch the earth cook? Support Keystone.”

It’s not really hard to understand TPP though, once you see the pattern — TPP puts the ruling class (and the corporations they control) in charge of most aspects of our economic and regulatory life. It rewrites the laws of every nation that signs it, all to increase the wealth of our pathological betters. We just need more people saying that.

Now comes Bill Moyers with an excellent, listenable primer on what TPP is and why it spells death to democracy (literally) and breathes even more life into the predator 1% of the 1%.
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much more at link: http://americablog.com/2013/11/bill-moyers-trans-pacific-partnership-free-trade-agreement-death-democracy.html

[polichick]

1. Scary stuff. k&r

[progressoid]

2. But, but, but...

We don't even know what's in it. We should wait until its signed into law before we pass judgement.

[Phlem]

5. Totally

There goes silvershadow being a hair on fire Democrat. Obama's totally got it handled don't cha know.

just in case

Excellent job silvershadow, this needs to be repeated over and over and over till it's permanently etched onto the frontal lobe of every citizen.

-p

[woo me with science]

3. This needs to be reposted EVERYWHERE.

Too many people are completely unaware of what our own supposed representatives are planning to do to us, and to this country, for the profit of a few.

Please distribute this everywhere

[WillyT]

4. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[silvershadow]

6. Thank you for the K&R, Willy! This is is the issue of the ages. nt

[L0oniX]

7. FUCK THIS SHIT!

Fuckers are fucking us fucked fucks. FFS!

[zeemike]

8. Bill Moyers has never shied away from speaking the truth.

And I am afraid when he is gone there will be no journalist left to do it.
K&R...and thanks for keeping this going.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

9. Bookmarked for later viewing. Thanks, KnR.

[YoungDemCA]

10. In before the usual suspects tell us to shut up, get with the program, "be pragmatic"...

etc. ad nauseam.

[Uncle Joe]

11. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, silvershadow.

[Enthusiast]

12. I watched it.

Excellent program. People had better wake up and voice their disapproval for the TPP before it's too late.

[cali]

13. We know what it is not. It largely NOT about trade

thanks for the post.

[KoKo]

14. Recommend...I had an experience with some local Dems last night..

Was at a gathering of long time voting Dems in one of the most liberal areas in my State last night. The focus of discussion was a to increase awareness and begin work on strategy to try to reverse the extreme Gerrymandering of Districts and the new Voter ID Laws and restrictions on Voting/Polling hours and facilities in our State by the Repugs who took over the State Legislature in the last election.

Towards the end of the meeting the conversation drifted and someone mentioned the TPP. No One else had heard about it except myself and the person who brought it up. No one had seen the Moyers show because our PBS Station has dropped Moyers & Company.

This is how we've been dumbed down by lack of Diverse Media even by our inability to view in some cities or states our so-called "Public Broadcasting" and how quiet our Democratic Party has been about this terrible Trade Agreement.

I'm sending the link to the Moyers Interview to the leader of the group that met last night, so that she can send it to everyone who attended.

[TheKentuckian]

15. Critical stuff here. Time for folks to get their heads out of the sand.

[leftstreet]

16. DURec

[marmar]

17. k/r

[whatchamacallit]

18. "It's a big club and you ain't in it" K&R n/t

[Dreamer Tatum]

19. Democracy is apparently Freddy Krueger. How many times has it "died" now? nt

[TheKentuckian]

20. Thanks for bumping this thread.

[Dreamer Tatum]

21. My pleasure - will help people decide what to wear to democracy's billionth funeral. nt

[silvershadow]

22. If it's a "death-by-a-thousand-cuts" situation, then TPP would be the fatal wound to the aorta

I would think. But, that's just me.

[rhett o rick]

25. So can we surmise that you support the TPP? Care to explain why? nm

[Dreamer Tatum]

27. Those are my only choices? nt

[rhett o rick]

31. You have to ask? You are free to make your own argument. Since this OP was

written as not in favor of the TPP and you were mocking the OP, I had to assume you favored the TPP.

If there is a stand that isnt in favor and isnt against, I would love to hear about it.

[Dreamer Tatum]

33. You are either 12, or ignorant of basic logic.

Or both.

Probably both.

[rhett o rick]

34. I asked if you supported the TPP and that's what you have to say?

You apparently arent interested in decent discussion here. Well good luck.

[Dreamer Tatum]

35. I am more likely to support it than the dumbassed notion that democracy is dead. nt

[Bradical79]

37. Why?

[rhett o rick]

39. Would you care to give your argument in favor of? nm

[1000words]

36. This is an annoyance of mine, as well.

Democracy, as a concept, never dies. It is abandoned.

[rhett o rick]

40. Ok, fine, how do you feel about the TPP? Do you think it will

further reduce our freedoms and liberties?

[1000words]

41. I think it will help further destroy the U.S. economy, and enrich the wealthy.

As for freedoms and liberties, that ship sailed long ago.

[colsohlibgal]

23. So Many Haven't Even Heard Of It

I play tennis with a lady who is as left as I am and stays informed. When I brought this up to her a short time ago I got a blank stare from her. She had no idea what I was talking about.

It's getting little or no play on MSNBC, you have to go to places like Democracy Now to hear about it - and Moyers indeed is up on it and explains well the danger in it's passing. Obamabots need to check it out and I'd love to her them rationalize, as they always do, his support for this evil bill.

[solarhydrocan]

24. RT is covering it

but many people don't like RT. Here's Hartmann anyway

[rhett o rick]

26. It's just the conservatives that dont like RT. It's got the "R" word in its name.

The conservatives like their CNN and ABC.

[solarhydrocan]

29. uh huh...

Russia Today is a hybrid Kremlin mouthpiece and loony conspiracy theory source.
The closest analog is Bush/Cheney era Fox News.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023691313#post1

And yet there are people here who will declare it reveled truth.
More true than if God Came down from the heavens and told each of them personally, because Putin and Russia and Assad are the only honest brokers in a world dominated by the vile, evil, wicked Corporate States of America.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023691313#post5

The news source of choice for useful idiots. nt
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023691313#post6

RT is propaganda
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023691313#post7

But...but....many here claim RT is legit and have no problem linking to it.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023691313#post10

Always the same bullshit from RT...nt
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023691313#post25

Nah, they're versatile and can produce a wide range of bullshit. (nt)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023691313#post30

The Teabaggers' New Hero
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023691313#post32

Maybe now people will understand why RT is not allowed in LBN.
Well at least the one's that don't drink the kool-aid from RT.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023691313#post38

That's from ONE THREAD. The search showed many more but you get the idea.

While "conservatives" and "liberals" bash each other the 1% is stealing everything not nailed down, and they're coming with nail pullers.

[rhett o rick]

30. And while the liberals are fighting the 1%, the conservatives are carrying their water.

That thread was a great example of the non-liberals with their hair on fire. They want so badly to believe that CNN and the Wall Street Journal are really looking out for us.

[X_Digger]

28. kick! n/t

[octoberlib]

32. Thanks for posting! nt

[silvershadow]

38. You're welcome. :) nt

[liberal_at_heart]

42. K&R