Gord's Notebook : NAU:North American Union Another Baseless Right-Wing Conspiracy Theory

"The NAU ( North American Union) conspiracy theory has legs; it has already played a role in state, federal, and Presidential campaign politics and generated legislative proposals. Thirteen states have passed anti-NAU and related resolutions, and seven are considering them. In January 2008, Utah state Representative Stephen Sandstrom introduced a resolution calling for the withdrawal from the union (H. R. 1), and then promoted it in a speech at the annual convention of the Utah affiliate of Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum.

...The Alleged Plot

The basic allegation of the North American Union (NAU) conspiracy theory is that “behind closed doors, the Bush administration has collaborated with the governments of Mexico and Canada to merge the three nations into one Socialist mega-state.” The quote is from an online video featuring long-time ultra-conservative leader Howard Phillips interviewing author Jerome R. Corsi on Phillips’ “Conservative Roundtable” program."

Quote from:The North American Union:Right-wing Populist Conspiracism Rebounds By Chip Berlet at Public Eye.org

Anyway I just wanted to take a look at another popular conspiracy theory that of The North American Union. First it should be noted that this conspiracy theory is no longer just promoted by the radical fringe but has entered the mainstream media in the US. It should also be noted that this NAU conspiracy fits in with the bigger conspiracy of "The New World Order". According to that theory the elites from around the world corporate heads, heads of states & bankers are even now acting in concert to create this One world state .

This conspiracy theory is just a contemporary form of the old myth of the World Wide Jewish conspiracy especially as found in the nefarious forgery "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion". In both a secret cabal is working behind the scenes to establish a new world order which will benefit this elite group while turning the rest of the population into drones or slaves who get little benefit out of the New order & who have no political power to influence those in power. This notion of the New World Order is just a little more politically correct by not pointing to a particular ethnic group such as the Jews .There are those critics who claim the use of words such a "Secret Cabal" or of "bankers" or even "Socialists" is really just code for Jews.

Those who promulgate the North American Union theory claim that a powerful elite is working secretly to establish a single state or nation by combining the United States , Canada & Mexico.This new state The North American Union will be of great benefit to the powerful elite but will in fact have a negative impact on the average citizen. The borders between these three countries would virtually disappear so that there can be a free movements of goods & people. The laws of the three countries would become basically the same & their would be for instance a single ID recognized in all three countries & there would be a single currency called the Amero.As with any good conspiracy theory much of what is taking place occurs in the shadows & it is done with such stealth & finesse that the changes being made go almost unnoticed til it is too late. The first steps towards such a union would appear as merely a tweaking of operations between these countries . But eventually the sovereignty of each country would disappear being replaced by the newly formed larger nation state.

Besides the fact that media personalities such as Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck, & Bill O'reilly are fueling this conspiracy theory by creating the impression that there is a host of evidence to support this conspiracy theory. If it is all done in secret & if it is something the people in all three countries do not want the question becomes what can one do about it? If these commentators why spread such nonsense. Are they merely trying to increase their ratings? Are they trying to just stir the pot & see what happens? Is it a means to fire up the radical conservative base to insist on policies which are even more conservative or that fit with some extremist right wing agenda? Is it a matter of encouraging xenophobia & Hyper-Nationalism & Nativism?

Note in this clip of Lou Dobbs he connects the government's refusal to take serious steps to stop the flow of illegal-immigrants into the United States with the bigger & to him the more frightening agenda of the creation of the North American Union.

NAU: North American Union-----------Lou Dobbs
August 26, 2006

Lou Dobbs- Time Table- The Integregation of the three nations economies by 2010

1st TV report on the North American Union-CNN Lou Dobbs -March 2, 2007

The North American Union:Right-wing Populist Conspiracism Rebounds By Chip Berlet at Public Eye.org, spring 2008, Vol.23,No.1

The same right-wing populist fears of a collectivist one-world government and new world order that fueled Cold War anticommunism, mobilized opposition to the Civil Rights Movement, and spawned the armed citizens militia movement in the 1990s, have resurfaced as an elaborate conspiracy theory about the alleged impending creation of a North American Union that would merge the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

No such merger is seriously being contemplated by any of the three governments. Yet a conspiracy theory about the North American Union (NAU) simmered in right-wing “Patriot Movement” alternative media for several years before bubbling up to reach larger audiences in mass media when callers to talk radio and cable television news programs began asking about the alleged plans for the North American Union, and what was dubbed the “NAFTA Superhighway” linking Mexico to Canada through the American heartland.

Now millions of Americans have been exposed to the conspiracy theories on national television and tens of thousands of websites sport claims such as “Treason Exposed,” and “Who Really Controls the United States?” One online video posted on YouTube in July 2007 titled “North American Union & VCHIP Truth” has been viewed more than 1.7 million times (see sidebar). Opponents of the nonexistent plans have produced maps, a flag, and even a faux currency—the “Amero,” (similar to the Euro) which one entrepreneur has actually minted as coins available for sale. The issue is starting to be discussed seriously in progressive circles as well, even though it is a repackaged defective product of the political Right.

The NAU conspiracy theory has legs; it has already played a role in state, federal, and Presidential campaign politics and generated legislative proposals. Thirteen states have passed anti-NAU and related resolutions, and seven are considering them. In January 2008, Utah state Representative Stephen Sandstrom introduced a resolution calling for the withdrawal from the union (H. R. 1), and then promoted it in a speech at the annual convention of the Utah affiliate of Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum.

...The Alleged Plot

The basic allegation of the North American Union (NAU) conspiracy theory is that “behind closed doors, the Bush administration has collaborated with the governments of Mexico and Canada to merge the three nations into one Socialist mega-state.” The quote is from an online video featuring long-time ultra-conservative leader Howard Phillips interviewing author Jerome R. Corsi on Phillips’ “Conservative Roundtable” program.

Phillips, Corsi, and Phyllis Schlafly are among the major right-wing figures promoting the conspiracy theories about the NAU. Others include former Presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan; right-wing organizations such as the John Birch Society and Accuracy in Media; right-wing media including World Net Daily, Human Events; and supporters of libertarian Republican Presidential aspirant Ron Paul. Antisemitic publications such as The American Free Press have also jumped on the North American Union conspiracy juggernaut. Even a few self-described leftists peddle the theory.

Corsi featured the NAU in his book, The Late Great U.S.A.: The Coming Merger with Mexico and Canada, published on the fourth of July, 2007. Corsi’s book was in its third printing within a few weeks, and hit 28 on the New York Times bestseller list and the “No. 1 spot on Amazon’s ‘Nonfiction’ list.” The publisher was WND Books, an imprint of WorldNetDaily.com, a nasty right-wing website featuring xenophobia larded with conspiracy theories. Corsi was a staff reporter and columnist for WND, and a contributor to Human Events, an ultra-conservative newspaper with a history of involvement in right-wing, antiliberal, and anti-immigrant causes.He was exposed as a blogger on the right-wing site FreeRepublic.com with a history of racist and anti-Catholic posts, including “Who are the Frogs going to cry to when the ragheads destroy the Eiffel Tower?” Corsi previously was best known as the author of Unfit for Command, part of the dubious attack on John Kerry coordinated as a political dirty tricks campaign by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth during the 2004 Presidential race. Human Events promoted the Corsi book.

And here's a clip of Jerome Corsi being interviewed by Fear Mongering Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck: Late Great U.S.A - Dr. Jerome Corsi on Glenn Beck's Show
November 2, 2007.

also see: The Conspiracy’s Kernel of Truth By Laura Carlsen at Public Eye.org, Spring 2008,Vpl 23,No. 1

The North American Union conspiracy theory grew out of a kernel of truth, called the “Security and Prosperity Partnership” (SPP). But cultivated by xenophobic fears and political opportunism, the NAU outstripped its reality-based progenitor so fast that it has become hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. A little history helps.

After the North American Free Trade Agreement went into force in 1994, the three governments began to talk about expanding the scope of the agreement. Mexico, in particular, hoped to negotiate a solution to the border/immigration problem. However, the process was brought to a grinding halt by the attacks of Sept. 11th. In a 2005 summit of then-Presidents George W. Bush, Vicente Fox, and Prime Minister Paul Martin in Waco, Texas plans for “deep integration” between the three countries finally progressed with the official launch of the SPP. In the post-September 11th political context, immigration was definitively off the table and U.S. security interests, along with corporate interests in obtaining even more favorable terms for regional trade and investment, dominated the agenda.

While you slept - NAU Phase One Complete- Sept. 2007

While you slept The Department of Transportation started allowing Mexican trucks unrestricted access to American roads, against the wishes of Congress and the American people.

Mexican drivers and trucks do not have to abide by American standards, and you will pay for any damage and wear on our roads caused by them.

Why is this so important? This is just Phase One of our government shoving The North American Union down our throats.

as for the Amero

The Amero - North American Currency

" Debunking the North American Union Conspiracy Theory " By Joshua Holland, AlterNet. Posted June 15, 2007.

The North American Union, an increasingly popular conspiracy theory about a group of shadowy international "elites" who are planning to "replace the United States" with a transnational government, is a manifestation of xenophobia that would do the John Birch Society proud.

...But the NAU story is a creature of the far right, and, as such, those who have "connected the dots" have done so according to their ideological preferences. The North American Union they've conjured up comes with the assumptions embraced by the coterie of wing-nuts who have promoted it.

Chief among them is World Net Daily, the "archconservative news site" responsible for such hard-hitting journalism as its recent exposé, "Soy is making kids 'gay'" (no, I'm not making that up). In addition to SwiftBoat vet Corsi, right-wing talk radio hosts like Sean Hannity and CNN's reliably nativist Lou Dobbs have featured stories on the imminent arrival of the NAU. Reactionary talker (and now CNN host) Glenn Beck lists it on his website as one of a dozen things that the un-named elites against whom he rails are using to stab good, hard-working Americans in the back.

...While there are exceptions, most essays about the NAU are, like Corsi's now-famous treatise in the hard-right Human Events, intended to reinforce some of the most cherished right-wing narratives:

* Multilateral diplomacy is inherently bad; dangerous
* Americans' economic insecurity results from the machinations of "liberal elites" and corporate America has no responsibility whatsoever
* Foreigners are always competitors and can never be trusted -- working on common issues is inherently bad; dangerous

...and he concludes his article:

Finally, creating an NAU would require piles of legislation: billions of dollars in new budget allocations, the creation of new agencies and new institutions and the revision (or enactment) of literally hundreds of laws governing all sorts of activities in the political economy. The NAU conspiracy theorists would have you believe the impossible: that all of that will be done under cover of the metaphorical dead of night, while Americans are sleeping, and nobody will notice until it's too late. That is, nobody but those who are "wide awake" enough to embrace their conspiratorial worldview.

Consider how Jerome Corsi describes the White House's role in the NAU:

"President Bush is pursuing a globalist agenda" … a "hidden agenda" that explains "the Bush administration's true open borders policy." "Secretly, the Bush administration is pursuing a policy to expand NAFTA politically" …"What the Bush administration truly wants is the free, unimpeded movement of people across open borders with Mexico and Canada" … "President Bush intends to abrogate U.S. sovereignty to the North American Union, a new economic and political entity which the president is quietly forming." "Secretly," "quietly," "hidden agenda," "true …policy" -- all are markers of what the political scientist Richard Hofstadter called The Paranoid Style in American Politics.

The truth is that none of the three governments on the continent have endorsed the idea of an NAU and none of the NPP's discussions are binding on the countries in any way.