New backronyms for SPP: how about Secretive Profiteers Plot?

The following at Saskboy (originally from James Bow) made me think:

Incidentally, the name of the proposed “deep integration” between Canada, the United States and Mexico is somewhat telling. The “Security and Prosperity Partnership”? An award for most compelling (and concise!) bit of positive spin should go to the government worker who came up with that title. Imagine: “how can you be opposed to this?

Indeed. And I think we (those who oppose the undemocratic nature of SPP) have failed in coming up with our own answer to the positive spin on these meetings. Yes, 'deep integration' has a 'ring' of some sort, but aren't we already deeply integrated with one another? Isn't the whole world a lot smaller than say a generation ago? So why should 'deep integration' be such a big deal? It's not all that easy for us to explain in a couple of sentences what the problem is with 'deep integration'.

So what IS the problem?
I consider the main problem with the SPP that it is undemocratic (only the wealthiest CEOs and the three amigos are invited) and highly secretive (everything is behind closed doors). 'Deep integration' does not cover these negatives, therefore I came up with a (derogatory) backronym for SPP:

SPP = Secretive Profiteers Plot.

This backronym covers its secretive nature, and the fact that (apart from the three amigos) only extremely wealthy CEOs conspire at these summits.

What it doesn't cover (at least not directly) is how undemocratic it is, so if you can come up with a better one then please leave a comment. Good ideas never come too early.

Footnote:
Two other ideas I had: Symposium without Public Participation | Securing Profits before People.
Others suggested: Screwing People and Planet

- Saskboy: SPP Protest Fallout
- Wikipedia: backronym
- Wikipedia: SPP

Disappearing SPP protesters; Stephen Harper has got some explaining to do

Aren't we all agreeing that it is overly obvious that:
- the three protesters caught on video were provocateurs
- the police knew who these guys were.

But maybe the police is right and the provocateurs were not police but hired by people higher up in the command? The fact that the RCMP is so secretive about it ("for security reasons") tells us that we can in all honesty start speculating about how far up this goes.

And if the RCMP is not going to be open and transparent about what happened with the three provocateurs (in any normal circumstance people that are being handcuffed will generate a paper trail), shouldn't the Prime Minister be held responsible for the disappearance of three protesters? Montebello was his party, wasn't it?

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the PMO is behind this. Harper's earlier comments on the SPP demonstrations ("it's sad") showed nothing but contempt for the protesters. Is it then that "outrageous" to think Harper's got something to do with it?

Stephen Harper has got some explaining to do.

- Wikipedia: List of people who have dissapeared
- Dominion: What Stephen Harper's video feed may have missed.

SPP Protest Provocateurs; where did they go?

Where did the provocateurs go?

That's the question we need to focus on.
In Canada, nobody gets handcuffed without a paper trail.

The Surete du Quebec police has some explaining to do. If these provocateurs weren't police, then why were they not arrested?

The explanation given by the Surete du Quebec police doesn't make any sense.

Update: more on Harper's contempt on SPP protesters

- Wikipedia: paper trail

Something fishy about SPP and boots

These were the boots that the policemen were wearing (click picture for larger version):


And this is a detailed picture of the boots that the "provocateurs" were wearing (click picture for larger version):

Lots to read about "the provocateurs" in this Toronto Star article.

My favourite line of the day?
Coles: "The SPP is a fraud, just like those three so-called activists were."

Update: Paulitics has even a more detailed picture on the boots, showing that ALL officers were wearing the same boots, as did all the provocateurs. Visit his website to see the picture.

- Wikipedia: SPP
- Wikipedia: provocateurs

SPP Dion Update: Stephane Dion doesn't care about the environment

I wish I had made the following up - From "The Canadian"

Stéphane Dion continues to ignore New American Union project to take over Canada.

The Stéphane Dion led Liberal Party of Canada has totally abdicated supporting vital cross-Canada public discussions on the efforts of the Stephen Harper government to work with the U.S. Bush administration's effort to consolidate the continentalist agenda to create a "New American Union" (NAU). The NAU is a plan to replace democratically elected governments in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, with a fascistic "capitalistocracy" run by a greed-driven North American political-military-industrial complex. [...]

Yeah, I thought so.

While Mr. Dion markets his leadership as pro-Canada and pro-environmentalistic [...] , the "New American Union" agenda [leads] to the accelerated destruction of Canada's environment.

Wasn't environment "THE" issue for Stephane Dion?
It sounds like Dion is becoming more of a hypocrite every day.

To be more specific, Liberal leader Stephane Dion said he "knew nothing about the SSP plan (Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America) to massively expand production in the Alberta oilsands to meet the demand in the U.S.". See no evil, hear no evil.

Neo-Liberalist Stephane Dion rather sticks his head in the (oil-)sand than to fight back against SPP and it's disastrous environmental consequences. Hypocrisy indeed.


- The Canadian: Stephane Dion ignores SPP's deep integration
- Wikipedia: North American Union
- Wikipedia: Neo-Liberalism
- Women at Mile 0: "Dion needs to come forward"

Bye, Bye, Canada; Stephane Dion doesn't see any problem with SPP's Deep Integration plans

Neo-liberals love SPP. It's secretive, exclusive (for government and big business only) and authoritarian (no citizens' involvement in the decision making; not even allowing a public forum on SPP). What neo-liberal would not fall for it?

Stephane Dion has been awfully silent on the SPP issue. And there's an obvious reason for the apparent indifference: Stephane Dion couldn't care less about deep integration with US and Mexico; SPP fits the Liberal's neo-liberal platform so why complain about it, why not let sleeping dogs lie? I see no evil....

Can we now say the Liberal Party of Canada is neo-liberal? Can we now, after Progressive Conservatives turning Conservatives, call the Liberal Party the Neo-Liberals of Canada?

Just wondering.

- Wikipedia: neo-liberalism
- Council for Canadians: IntegrateThis!

JimBobby's SPP Challenge: Count Me In

The latest news you won't find in the Globe and Mail. Why? Well, because it's on SPP.

- SPP?

Yeah, SPP, the so-called "Security and Prosperity Partnership"!

- Never heard of it.

No wonder you've never heard of it. And you won't be hearing much of it in the Canadian MSM either. It's the latest little secret of corporatists and those who are submissive to them (yes, corporate media and their submissive "gatekeepers are us" chief editors).

In fact, SPP has been in progress since March 23, 2005. For all this time it has been flying under the radar, hidden for most of us. Therefore several blogs (including Getting It Right) have joined JimBobby's "SPP Challenge - Blogosphere-Meatspace Crossover Poll" (read about the origins here).

I'm personally appalled by the main press of Canada (Globe and Mail, where are you?) completely ignoring the issue, including the latest squelching of the freedom of speech (by the RCMP and the US Army in Quebec.

So for all the Globe and Mail readers out there, here's the news on SPP you won't find in your paper:

From Vive le Canada:

RCMP, U.S. Army block public forum on the Security and Prosperity Partnership

The Council of Canadians has been told it will not be allowed to rent a municipal community centre for a public forum it had planned to coincide with the next Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) summit in Montebello, Quebec on August 20 and 21.

The Municipality of Papineauville, which is about six kilometres from Montebello, has informed the Council of Canadians that the RCMP, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and the U.S. Army will not allow the municipality to rent the Centre Communautaire de Papineauville for a public forum on Sunday August 19, on the eve of the so-called Security and Prosperity Partnership Leaders Summit.

“It is deplorable that we are being prevented from bringing together a panel of writers, academics and parliamentarians to share their concerns about the Security and Prosperity Partnership with Canadians,” said Brent Patterson, director of organizing with the Council of Canadians. “Meanwhile, six kilometres away, corporate leaders from the United States, Mexico and Canada will have unimpeded access to our political leaders.” [...]

Footnote: The Liberal Party is noticably silent on SPP. A simple Google query (site:www.liberal.ca/ spp) will show you zero results on SPP. Here are the Google query results of political parties in Canada:
NDP (45), CPO(4), Green Party(21), Liberal Party(0). Do the Liberals simply not care?

- H/T to JimBobby Sez
- Wikipedia: SPP, or Security and Prosperity Partnership
- The Council of Canadians on SPP (pdf, but very useful)
- Canadian media publishing on SPP: Vive Le Canada, PEJ News, Rabble.ca
- Blogs participating in JimBobby Sez's SPP Challenge: Red Tory, StageLeft, Woman at Mile 0.

Update: Read my latest post too: "Bye, Bye, Canada; Stephane Dion doesn't see any problem with SPP's Deep Integration plans"