July 25, 2007

"Declaration of North American Integration" doesn't mean North American Union!

Just because two mayors (Kay Barnes, formerly of Kansas City MO and Mick Cornett currently of Oklahoma City) and various other officials and business leaders from the U.S., Mexico and Canada signed something called the "Declaration of North American Integration" back in 2004 doesn't mean they support the fabled "North American Union", which is just an invention of Internet conspiracy kooks.

Just because this document (PDF) consistently refers to "North American integration" and treats the three countries as if they were one doesn't mean anything!

No sirree!

The document was presented at the May 2004 summit meeting of the North American International Trade Corridor Partnership, or NAITCP. According to an Internet-archived summary report of the meeting, held in Kansas City, Mo., the document was signed by 90 people...

"Oklahoma has been at work for almost 15 years to get I-35 designated as a NAFTA superhighway," [Adam Rott, founder of watchdog blog Oklahoma Corridor Watch] said. "I want to wake Oklahomans up to the reality that Oklahoma is on the front lines of the battle being waged by investment bankers, foreign investment consortia and politicians who stand to benefit to expand the TTC-35 north into Oklahoma."

...On June 24, 2005, NAITCP signed a memorandum of understanding with the North America SuperCorridor Coalition, or NASCO, effectively absorbing NAITCP into NASCO. An archived NASCO webpage no longer displayed on the current NASCO website documents that NAITCP had its origin as a "non-profit organization in Mexico dedicated to economic development and improving trade relations through the heartland of America to Canada and Mexico."

Others signing on included Chris Gutierrez of the Kansas City SmartPort, James Jones (Former Ambassador of the United States to Mexico), Geronimo Gutierrez, and the ubiquitous Robert Pastor. Corporations involved included Bayer and Kansas City Southern Industries.

FWIW UPDATE: OKC mayor Mick Cornett now says:

"I do not favor the North American Union... It was a pretty stupid thing to get involved with three years ago. I don't necessarily remember what I was thinking at the time, but I can speak for now and I do not favor a North American Union."

Posted to NAU at July 25, 2007 12:15 PM