Federal governments in many countries are keen to negotiate these
free trade deals based on the old model, even as their citizens
protest.  It’s a strange dichotomy – the government vs. the
citizens.  Replayed across the world.  Like South Korea this
month.  Protests every day.

Where does the impetus for these bad deals come from?  Elected official altruism?

Even if Washington accepts the compromise suggested by Korean
officials, it remained unclear whether that would placate the public.
Civic groups have demanded a complete renegotiation of the deal, which
they fear does not adequately protect Korean consumers. 

South Korea’s new government is in disarray.  They negotiated a deal
with the U.S.  A "free trade agreement."  What a great label that. 
Free trade agreement.  It shields the deal from scrutiny.  How can you
be against "free trade."

So South Korea’s president wants out of the beef deal.  A rock and a hard place come to mind.

At a news conference on Thursday, Mr. Kim was careful not to
describe the meetings with Susan C. Schwab, the American trade
representative, as a renegotiation. He called them “additional talks.”

But is the beef part enough for the Korean citizens?

Canada’s cattle herd has mad cow disease.  USDA shut the border
in 2003 when it was  discovered.  Every country in the world had,
at that time, barred imports of cattle and beef from any country with
mad cow disease.  USDA worked hard to open the border, despite the
risk posed to the U.S. cattle herd, and even after more diseased animals were found.

Canadian cattlemen are suing the U.S. government under NAFTA seeking $350 million in restitution for the border closure. Chapter 11 of NAFTA allows this suit to proceed.

Public Citizen explains the process:

If a company believes that a NAFTA government has violated these
new investor rights and protections, it can initiate a binding dispute
resolution process for monetary damages before a trade tribunal,
offering none of the basic due process or openness guarantees afforded
in national courts. These so-called "investor-to-state" cases are
litigated in the special international arbitration bodies of the World
Bank and the United Nations, which are closed to public participation,
observation and input. A three-person panel composed of professional
arbitrators listens to arguments in the case, with powers to award an
unlimited amount of taxpayer dollars to corporations whose NAFTA
investor privileges and rights they judge to have been impacted.

Private foreign businesses could not sue other governments before
NAFTA.  A full list of NAFTA Chapter 11 cases by foreign companies
against U.S. governmental bodies is here (PDF file).

The
Peru, Panama and other pending trade agreements have this same stupid
chapter within them.  That’s what happens when Congressmen can’t
amend the deals, but must conform to an "upperdown vote" under Fast
Track. 

John Barrasso was named to replace the late Senator Craig Thomas
from Wyoming.  The Wyoming State Republican Committee made sure
their nominee, appointed by Dem Gov Freudenthal, was right on ag
issues.  

Barrasso said today
he disagreed with the USDA decision to allow more Canadian cattle
imports in light of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risks. 
He also has vowed to fight for mandatory country of origin
labeling.  A good first start.

Senator Enzi from Wyoming has also been right on these issues, by the way.

*  China is suspending imports
of chicken feet, pork ribs and other food products from Cargill and
Tyson.   Tit for tat some say.  Food fight.  Why is this
bad?  If we ship them salmonella, we should stop.  Ditto if
they ship it to us.  If their testing is fraudulent, that’s
another thing.  Look, when you ship meat 6,000 miles its a risk.
We have to put our meat in the freezer as soon as we get home from the
store.

*  USDA says ag exports will reach record levels. 
$79 billion this year is projected.  Last year was $68.6
billion.  Ag Secretary Johanns says this shows we must ratify the
trade agreements with Columbie, Korea, Panama and Peru.  Funny
thing.  No mention of imports.  Kinda like G.E. issuing a
quarterly report with gross sales only, and nothing on expenses.

*  South Korea revoked the trade permit
of an unnamed U.S. processing plant which shipped "specific risk
materials" (SRM’s) in a shipment of ribs.  SRMs are the brain and
spinal column, which can carry bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
or mad cow disease.  We shouldn’t do that either. 

*  Odd trivia, but possibly illuminating.  In what way, I don’t know.  China hosts 44.8% of the world’s infected websites… those sites with malware… viruses, worms and the like.

*  More frightening, the Pentagon thinks the Chinese army hacked into the Pentagon website.  China denies it.  They denied their food was a problem too.