CUT THE CRAP, Warrenistas: The TPP is NOT secret. [View all]

[MannyGoldstein]

Not at all.

There are many, many people who have unfettered access to the TPP, 24/7 from the comfort of their own computers. Not you, of course: like me, you're lower than a whale turd and need protection from all of the big important words. The people with access include:

- the rich Wall Street banker appointed by President Obama to negotiate the TPP on behalf of us little people, and the people working under him. (Only four senators voted against his nomination; a magical bipartisan moment.)

- about 600 high-ranking members of big corporations and lobbyists, who are "advisors" to negotiating the TPP on behalf of us little people.

Congress can get access, too - don't let anyone tell you otherwise. As President Obama said today, they "can walk over today and read the text of the agreement." But only if they've made an appointment first. And only if they go themselves, and go alone, for the most part. In some instances -- only for members of the Senate Finance committee, perhaps there are a few others - they can bring an aide that has proper security clearance.

Security clearance? Yes, the TPP drafts are classified for national security reasons.

And in the rare instances when aides are permitted to read the drafts, their member of Congress must also be present.

And, at all times while reading the draft, a minder working for the the White House's rich banker in charge of TPP must be present to keep an eye on the person(s) reading it. We can trust 600 corporate bigshots and lobbyists, but members of Congress? A scurrilous bunch, gotta be careful.

So we have a document that's hundreds or thousands of pages long, crafted by some of the worlds greatest legal minds who've spent years on this, and members of Congress can only read it themselves (more or less), only by appointment, and only under observation.

Like many of you, I have the pleasure of working with lawyers fairly often. Many of them are decent human beings trying to draft transparent agreements. But more often, their job is to write innocuous-sounding text that totally @#$%s the other party. The idea is for the other party to only find out how completely @#$%ed they are after the thing is signed.

Hundreds or thousands of pages of text, written over years by hundreds of the worlds keenest legal minds trying to @#$% everyone else, and members of Congress can only read it themselves (more or less), by appointment, and under observation. And you can't read it at all, Lumpenprole.

Sucks to be you.

So, see? It's not a secret. Not at all.

A little video you might enjoy, thanks to a wonderful post by DUer KoKo:

And here's Elizabeth Warren at the confirmation hearing of the rich Wall Street banker Obama appointed to help you and me to live better lives through free trade with microwage nations, one of which last year imposed stoning to death as the penalty for homosexual behavior:

One final word: I am so @#$%ing tired of idiots spraying warm pee over anyone who tries to speak the truth on this topic. It is revolting, utterly depraved, to defend further assaults against decent, hard-working Americans who weren't born rich, or otherwise blessed with the smarts, luck, and/or deficit of empathy needed to amass a fortune in contemporary America. Enough! Leave us a little flesh on our bones.