Re: Southern Poverty Law Center on U.S. Radical Right and Globalization

At 05:18 PM 4/26/00 -0400, Doug Henwood wrote:

>Just for the record, I don't consider myself an "antiglobalizer." I'm 
>all for cosmopolitanism of many kinds, and I don't like the localist, 
>faux nostalgic views of the folks around the International Forum on 
>Globalization <http://www.panix.com/~dhenwood/Globalization.html>. I 
>think the word "globalization" is often used as a misleading 
>euphemism for "capitalism" and/or "imperialism," and I prefer to use 
>the blunt, if old-fashioned, words.
>

Understood.  My apologies if I have given the wrong impression.


>>All three elements took part in the Battle of Seattle.  The unions, 
>>the NGOs, and Pat Buchanan were all present during the events.  The 
>>Seattle media documented their participation in the events there 
>>(_Seattle Times_, Nov. 29, 1999, A12).  To be sure, NGOs like Global 
>>Trade Watch and the Sierra Club, took pains to distance themselves 
>>from the likes of Buchanan, calling them "trade patriots", the 
>>"trade militia," and "the 'America First' Crowd."  Nevertheless, I 
>>am compelled to dispute Doug's claim that "[r]acist antiglobalizers 
>>were invisible in Seattle. . .as [they were] in DC for A16/17."
>
>On what basis do you dispute it? I was there, in both Seattle and DC. 
>I talked to participants and organizers. I know many of the 
>organizers of the A16/17 events. If the rightwingers were there, they 
>were not visible to the naked eye, and they certainly weren't 
>embraced or even welcome by the leaders of the events. You could say 
>- and I would say - that Ralph Nader's ideology is too close to the 
>right-wing antiglobalizers, but he's certainly not a racist. So 
>please offer some evidence for your claims besides the discredited 
>ravings of Morris Dees & the SPLC.
>
>-- 


I concede the point that you were indeed there (and, may I say, provided
worthwhile "intel" on the goings-on).  Nor can I say what the ideological
pedigree of "most" of the protesters were.  Nevertheless, as I said, the
local media documented the participation of right-wing elements in the
protests.  I am willing to concede the possibility that selective
perception on the part of the media may have caused the right-wing elements
to get more attention than their actual presence entitled them to.  And let
me clearly repeat that in no way do I intend to tar everyone associated
with the protests as an incipient right-winger.

Here's what the _Seattle Times_ of Nov. 29, 1999, had to say on the
subject.  I obtained this article through the Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe
at http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/  Note that the article indicates an
effort on the part of the left-wing activists to distance themselves from
the likes of Pat Buchanan (who, it should be said, did not participate in
the march referred to in this article).  Note also the correction appended
to the article.  




>
>                                            Copyright 1999 The Seattle
Times Company   
>                                                       The Seattle Times 
>
>                                             November 29, 1999, Monday
Final Edition 
>                                                      Correction Appended 
>
>SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A12 
>
>LENGTH: 973 words 
>
>HEADLINE: RIGHT MEETS LEFT IN PROTEST, BUT FOR DIFFERENT REASONS 
>
>BYLINE: DAVID POSTMAN; SEATTLE TIMES OLYMPIA BUREAU 
>
>BODY: 
>   Reform Party presidential candidate Pat Buchanan's arrival in Seattle
today showcases the uneasy alliance of the political left and right in
opposing the World Trade Organization. 
>
>Members of the Reform, Libertarian and ultra-conservative American
Heritage parties will join environmentalists, labor unions, animal
protectionists and anarchists in
>a march through Seattle tomorrow. 
>
>"There has been some uneasiness," said Pat Choate, co-chairman of
Buchanan's campaign for the Reform Party nomination. 
>
>The state Libertarian Party initially rejected calls to appear in anti-WTO
protests. Now, after a bruising intraparty argument, members of the state
party not only will
>join in, but have persuaded the national party to officially oppose the 
>WTO. 
>
>Buchanan, by contrast, won't be doing any marching. 
>
>Instead, he will appear with members of Congress and the European
Parliament at a meeting of the Congressional Economic Leadership Institute.
He also will meet
>with reporters, appear on Geraldo Rivera's show and try to meet with
Teamsters union leaders. 
>
>By virtue of his political standing, Buchanan will become the most
high-profile critic of the WTO in Seattle. That is causing plenty of
discomfort among liberal WTO
>critics. 
>
>"Pat Buchanan's right on all these issue for all the wrong reasons," said
Mike Dolan, an organizer for Ralph Nader's Global Trade Watch. Dolan calls
conservative
>critics "trade patriots" or "the trade militia." 
>
>"The fact that we dovetail and end up with the same policy position is
coincidental." 
>
>Buchanan's conservative positions on social issues, national defense and
foreign policy make him anathema to many of the protesters. Some liberal
groups have
>worked hard to distance themselves from Buchanan and his criticism of the
WTO. 
>
>Earlier this year in Bangalore, India, an anti-free-trade group called
Peoples Global Action amended its manifesto to specifically reject any
alliances with right-wing
>WTO opponents. That was partly out of fear that far-right groups in India
and in Europe were infiltrating liberal anti-WTO groups. 
>
>Liberal critics say that, under the WTO, the U.S. has been forced to
weaken environmental standards that other countries see as unfair trade
barriers. They also
>worry that uninhibited trade endangers indigenous cultures, encourages
abuse of workers and jeopardizes food safety worldwide. 
>
>Buchanan has made protectionism a major part of his campaign. He opposes
the World Trade Organization because he says it threatens U.S. sovereignty. 
>  
>Betrayal of our history' 
>  
>The Reform Party platform calls for withdrawing from the WTO, repealing
the North American Free Trade Agreement and imposing "equalizing tariffs"
to penalize
>imports from countries with lower labor, regulation and tax costs than in
the U.S. 
>
>"America's working men and women are being sacrificed to the global
economy," he said earlier this year. "For America to continue down this
road to global
>interdependence is a betrayal of our history and our heritage of liberty." 
>
>Choate, who was Ross Perot's vice presidential candidate in 1996, adds,
"The mightiest market, the largest market in the world, should use access
to its market to
>guarantee hard reciprocity rather than depending on some faceless Geneva
bureaucrats." 
>
>Choate said that labor's opposition to the WTO doesn't jibe with union
backing of Vice President Al Gore's presidential campaign. 
>
>"It is very striking that you wind up with the AFL-CIO endorsing Gore, who
supports all this, and not giving attention to Buchanan, who is right down
the line with
>them," Choate said. "Believe me, we'll be reminding labor of that all
through the next year." 
>  
>Touchy relationship 
>  
>Dan Eby, chairman of the American Heritage Party, said the
most-conservative political parties worry that "economic consolidation
could precede political
>consolidation. It is a step toward one world government." 
>
>But he doesn't worry about mixing with liberal protesters like the local
Green Party. 
>
>"People will scratch their heads and say, What is going on?' Hopefully
they will look into it a little more and see that we are standing for
different principles than the
>Greens are standing for," Eby said. 
>
>Environmentalists, Nader's organization and other free-trade critics
worked to get support from the Reform Party and other conservative groups
to help stop
>Congress from giving the president fast-track authority to negotiate trade
deals. But it remains a touchy relationship. 
>
>"We don't work directly with the America First crowd," said Dan Seligman,
director of Sierra Club's Responsible Trade Program. 
>
>But he added, "I share some of concerns of our friends on the right that
certain values Americans hold dear are being eroded." 
>  
>Free-trade rally today 
>  
>Buchanan is likely to face criticism in Seattle from fellow conservatives
for his anti-free-trade stance. 
>
>A "Working Families for Free Trade" rally was organized by the Christian
Coalition and local business owners for this afternoon at Mercer Arena to
counter the
>attention being given to WTO opponents. 
>
>They want "to show the isolationist viewpoint espoused by Pat Buchanan and
Gary Bauer is not representative of Seattle's faith-based community,"
according to a
>statement from organizers. Bauer is a conservative Christian running for
the GOP presidential nomination. 
>
>"There are some who say the only way to enhance American ideals is to slam
the door on international trade. I think that's wrong," said Randy Tate,
senior vice
>president of the Christian Coalition. Tate, a former congressman from
Washington's 9th District, plans to speak at the free-trade rally today. 
>
>Tate said that not only does free trade create jobs, but those countries
with open markets are more likely to allow religious freedom and 
evangelism. 
>
>CORRECTION-DATE: December 08, 1999, Wednesday 
>
>CORRECTION: 
>PUBLISHED CORRECTION 
>
>THE NATIONAL LIBERTARIAN PARTY HAS NOT TAKEN A POSITION OPPOSING THE WORLD
TRADE ORGANIZATION, AS REPORTED IN
>THIS ARTICLE. 
>
>GRAPHIC: PHOTO; 1) HARLEY SOLTES / THE SEATTLE TIMES: ANTI-WTO PROTESTERS
BANG ON THE FRONT DOOR OF CAPITOL HILL'S
>GAP STORE DURING A DEMONSTRATION MARCH YESTERDAY. THERE WAS ALSO A PROTEST
AT THE DOWNTOWN GAP. > 2) PAT
>BUCHANAN 
>
>LANGUAGE: ENGLISH 
>
>LOAD-DATE: December 11, 1999 
>
>
>                                                            
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--
Jeffrey L. Beatty
Doctoral Student
Department of Political Science
The Ohio State University
2140 Derby Hall
154 North Oval Mall
Columbus, Ohio 43210

(o) 614/292-2880
(h) 614/688-0567

Email:  Beatty.4@osu.edu
______________________________________________________   
'_Sapere aude_'--'have courage to use your own reason'
--this is the motto of Enlightenment--Immanuel Kant,
"What Is Enlightenment?"