thestar.com, Feb. 19 ‘09, Transcript: Obama-Harper press conference

Some extracts from the press conference to highlight the clear internationalist agenda of the two leaders, while we are encouraged to maintain the pretense that Canada and the U.S. are somehow separate nations:

Harper:

• “supporting efforts to strengthen the international financial system“

• “lowering taxes” !!

Continuing to lowering taxes while implementing climate change policies?  Really?  Harper’s imagination and his conscience are popping up for a second.

• “We are establishing a U.S.-Canada clean energy dialogue which commits senior officials from both countries to collaborate on the development of clean energy science and technologies that will reduce greenhouse gases and combat climate change.”

Harper is almost completely on board with the “climate change” agenda. Notice how the “two nations” are actually one. They’ll fund science with tax money to “reduce greenhouse gases” while “lowering taxes” at the same time. Sure. It’s a miracle already.

• “our shared priorities for international peace and security — in particular, our commitment to stability and progress in Afghanistan.”

An international agenda.    Drones and bombs and troops = stability and progress in their minds.  “Peace” AND “security” = more bombs, more death.  The more death, the more “peace”.  Crushing resistance means “peace” and it makes them feel greater “security” – those in power that is.

• “a strong consensus on important bilateral and international issues”

Agreeing on everything possible.   Outside of parliament, outside of the concept of national sovereignty, behind closed doors, executive to executive, way beyond the reach of the people.

Obama:

• We know that the financial crisis is global, and so our response must be global. The United States and Canada are working closely on a bilateral basis and within the G8 and G20 to restore confidence in our financial markets.

• The clean energy dialogue that we’ve established today will strengthen our joint research and development. It will advance carbon reduction technologies and it will support the development of an electric grid that can help deliver the clean and renewable energy of the future to homes and businesses, both in Canada and the United States. And through this example, and through continued international negotiations, the United States and Canada are committed to confronting the threat posed by climate change.

To sum it up for people who just follow along with this nonsense, “carbon reduction” means less of everything that human beings need for survival.  We are carbon-based and we require combustion for food, heating and transportation.  Those essential activities require the production of carbon dioxide which their “theory” affirms to be some kind of menace that makes the earth warm up (or when it starts cooling again like after WWII, it will be our fault too), although before this theory carbon dioxide was considered a non-polluting gas that was essential for plant life (still true).

• As I mentioned in an interview prior to this visit, those of us in the United States are extraordinarily grateful for the sacrifices of the families here in Canada of troops that have been deployed and have carried on their missions with extraordinary valor. You’ve put at risk your most precious resource: your brave men and women in uniform. And so we are very grateful for that.

They love people sacrificing for the State, regardless of which State.  And there is only going to be one State when they’re finished their wars against nations who do not conform.

• And as we move forward, we intend to consult very closely with the government here in Canada to make certain that all our partners are working in the same direction.

• In April, we’ll have a broader dialogue with our NATO allies on how to strengthen the alliance to meet the evolving security challenges around the world.

• And finally, we look forward to the Summit of the Americas. My administration is fully committed to active and sustained engagement to advance the common security and prosperity of our hemisphere.

• But strong leadership depends on strong alliances, and strong alliances depend on constant renewal. Even the closest of neighbors need to make that effort to listen to one another, to keep open the lines of communication, and to structure our cooperation at home and around the world.

• So my expectation is, is that this clean energy dialogue will move us in the right direction. We’re not going to solve these problems overnight, as Prime Minister Harper indicated. We have to complete our domestic debate and discussion around these issues. My hope is, is that we can show leadership so that by the time the international conference takes place in Copenhagen that the United States has shown itself committed and ready to do its part.

• I think the more that we can coordinate in — with Canada, as well as Mexico, a country that has already shown interest in leadership on this issue — and when I spoke to President Calderón, he indicated this is an area of interest to him — the more that, within this hemisphere, we can show leadership, I think the more likely it is that we can draw in countries like China and India, whose participation is absolutely critical for us to be able to solve this problem over the long term.

The real “problem” being how to convince the entire world that the global taxes and controls they will introduce are justified.   So they have to set the example of imposing these policies on Canadians and Americans first.  That’s “leadership”.

• And, as Prime Minister Harper suggested, there are going to be a number of different ways to go after this problem. You know, we’ve suggested a cap and trade system. There are other countries who’ve discussed the possibilities of a carbon tax. I think there’s no country on Earth that is not concerned about balancing dealing with this issue on the environmental side and making sure that, in the midst of a severe recession, that it’s not having too much of an adverse impact on economic growth and employment.

No, not “too much” as they’re so concerned about how poor we’re going to be.  They don’t want us to suffer “too much”.   Just the right balance of poverty so they can redistribute our supposed wealth.

Harper (obviously a “world leader” and feels, like Obama, very responsible for Afghanistan and other countries he wasn’t elected to preside over, at least not elected by ordinary people) –

• We have agreed in Canada and, you know, all the major countries of the world through the G20, we agreed to pursue economic stimulus measures – not just to stimulate our own economies, but to recognize that we have a synchronized global recession that requires policies that will not just benefit ourselves but benefit our trading partners at the same time. If we pursue stimulus packages, the goal of which is only to benefit ourselves or to benefit ourselves, worse, at the expense of others, we will deepen the world recession, not solve it.

He’s saying that he would feel very bad if he was only concentrating on subsidizing Canadian corporations, Canadian development and Canadian banks with Canadian tax money (taxes are coercion).  That would make us very, very bad and selfish according to his way of thinking.   (Or else what he really thinks is that he would be punished in some way by his bosses if he didn’t go along and do what he was told).

I don’t agree with protectionism since it interferes with individuals trading across borders, but the redistribution of our wealth in a “coordinated” way is not “free trade” in any sense.   I would rather see the Canadian government act independently and reflect the interests of the people it represents – but that’s just another fantasy.   Don’t worry, I doubt that traditional protectionism will be permitted in the new global order,  not by Obama and not by Harper.  “Buy American” is just for show.    But I think we would all collapse in shock if we ever heard the words “Buy Canadian!” from Harper, because we’re all trained to be good world citizens.   Laws restricting people are wrong, but it would be totally appropriate and expected for a Canadian prime minister to encourage Canadians to support each other.    These people are upside down and already see themselves as working for a global order, not the people of their own countries.

Obama:

• And so we think we’ve taken the right approach to not only get the economy moving again and to fill domestic demand as well as global demand, but also I think Prime Minister Harper is taking the same approach.  And to the extent that as we go to the G20 summit, that we are saying — the most significant economies in the world all taking these steps in concert, then more — the more likely we are that we’re going to be able to slow the recessionary trends, reverse them, and start growing the economy again, which ultimately is the bottom line for both the Prime Minister and myself –

Harper:

• On stimulus, first of all, it’s important to understand that Canada’s economic stimulus package is very large. It’s certainly larger than the kind of numbers the IMF was talking about in the fall with the provincial action that we will bring in to our stimulus spending — will be close to 2 percent of GDP for this year, a percent and a half for next year….

• …I do want to address two specific things, though, you raised — one is border thickening, and one is kind of four years from now. On — on the thickening of the border, I just want to make this clear — and I want to make this clear to our American friends — not only have we since 9/11 made significant investments in security and security along our border, the view of this government is unequivocal: threats to the United States are threats to Canada….

• There is no such thing as a threat to the national security of the United States which does not represent a direct threat to this country. We as Canadians have every incentive to be as cooperative and alarmed about the threats that exist to the North American continent in the modern age as do the governant (sic) people of the United States. That’s the — that’s the approach with which we treat the border. Obviously we’ve been concerned about the thickening of the border.

• You know, in our judgment — and we’ll have some time to talk about this as — as we move along in our respective governments — we’re looking at — the key is to look at how we can deal with security in a way that does not inhibit commerce and social interaction. That is the real challenge. But let there be no — and that’s where thickening of the border concerns us — but let there be no illusion about the fact that we take these security concerns as seriously as our American friends….

• What we can do with that in the meantime — and what I’m sure President Obama will want to do with that — is to take that close relationship that is so deeply integrated when it comes to things like trade and military — military and defense considerations, things where we have not only established a close friendship, but where we have established models that others who want to pursue close friendships have used around the world — that we can take those things and we can continue to lead in the future. We can continue to show how two countries can work together in ways that pursue global cooperation and integration to mutual benefit.

• And as we all know, one of President Obama’s big missions is to continue world leadership by the United States of America, but in a way that is more collaborative. And I’m convinced that by working with our country, he will have no greater opportunity than to demonstrate exactly how that model can operate over the next four years.

Obama:

• And let me just say that, to echo what the Prime Minister said, we have no doubt about Canada’s commitment to security in the United States as well as Canada. Obviously we’ve got long-lasting relationships around NORAD, for example, and the same is true with respect to border security; there’s been extraordinary cooperation and we expect that that will continue.

It is shocking –  to people who believe in right and wrong –  that the Canadian government is so cozy with the United States even though the United States government participates in unjust imprisonment, torture, imperialism, wars of aggression, the build-up of surveillance and suppression of liberties.   Not to mention mass pillage of taxpayers to benefit the banking industry and the fascist integration of industry and government. Where is the “security”? “Security” for who?

February 22nd, 2009

Comments for Obama in Ottawa – Globalism and Nothing But

• Tom Humes

February 22nd, 2009 at 1:43 pm

Nice Site layout for your blog. I am looking forward to reading more from you.

Tom Humes

• Mike Harmon (http://www.accountingtips4you.com/)

February 22nd, 2009 at 1:45 pm

Great post. I will read your posts frequently. Added you to the RSS reader.

• Stacey Derbinshire

February 22nd, 2009 at 1:45 pm

A friend of mine just emailed me one of your articles from a while back. I read that one a few more. Really enjoy your blog. Thanks

• Jill

February 23rd, 2009 at 1:42 am

It is so nice to hear Canadians speaking kindly to the US president. And it is great, as a U.S Citizen to not have cringe in shame to Pres.Obama.

• thomas

March 11th, 2009 at 1:59 am

I hope that last post was sarcastic

• JC

March 18th, 2009 at 8:53 am

We need more of this sort of website, and I’m glad to see this one up and running. Its way past time to put our whole governmental system under a microscope.