Thought of the Day- Vicente Fox

Mexico's President Vicente Fox said May 16, 2002 at Club 21 in Madrid: "Eventually, our long-range objective is to establish with the United States, but also with Canada, our other regional partner, an ensemble of connections and institutions similar to those created by the European Union" (or as Gorbachev refers to the EU, the "European Soviet").




My response:

"In matters of conscience, stand like a rock." Thomas Jefferson

"Rather than jingle like the jade, Rumble like the rocks" Lao Tzu

Dear Señor Fox,

Let me be frank, thanks for clarifying your vision of a North American Union similar to the European Union, but that vision is flawed because it does not include the rest of the Americas. If we want Pan-Americanism, that is fine, free bilateral trade and respect for each other as a group of power blocks is also fine. To do it Vicente we need to ensure it is big enough, free enough and productive enough to fulfill Jefferson's vision of pan-American liberty and it must include everyone, even those who offer differing models so that we work together. It was Jefferson's vision to create unified constitutional republics that work together and are partners like the individual states of the United States.

I am not sure if the unified monetary policy is a bad idea, in fact it may be a very good idea given the Fed's mismanagement of our dollar. But replacing one central bank with an even bigger conglomerate of banking cartels would be a terrible mistake.

Let's all think of ourselves as Americans from Newfoundland to Tierra Del Fuego, but let's not let Spain build our highways...in Texas. As it was documented by the Texas Legislature and initiated by Gov. Rick Perry in 2002 after your remarks, Vicente.

We do not need Henry Clay's bastardized vision of America as the Head Honcho of an empire to do it. We need Jefferson's vision of states that work together and protect each other whether they are to the right or left, like the OAS advocates. That would be a good thing...

If Vermont wants to be socialist and New Hampshire wants to be libertarian we work together to bring about changes and to do business together. All the Americas can do that Vicente.

Let's not let European countries control our resources or extend their imperialism back into our hemisphere under any guise. And let's collectively reassert both the Monroe Doctrine and Pan-American Jeffersonianism along with the Latin American Doctrine of Bolivar, O'Higgins and Jose De San Martin without all this animosity.

The only government Jefferson supported in Europe during the 18th Century was the revolutionary government of France. Those Frenchmen did not mince words, they minced their aristocracy. That is not a very good model for the future Vicente.

You know he said this about the start of the revolution here and repeated it for the French there, "May [the Declaration] be to the world, what I believe it will be ... the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government."

So once we Americans dump Bush we can have pan-Americanism and do so pragmatically, I mean he is only in your words a "windshield cowboy." If I was him, we'd have had an international incident after you said that on national TV. Maybe even a big international incident with you, the former president of Spain Jose Maria Aznar, the former president of Peru Alejandro Toledo; I mean, all of you together seem like extreme big government right wingers to me.

I am sure it is nothing the CIA couldn't solve; but maybe you forgot the last time we had an international conflict with your country? You can read about it here.

Difference being that this time it would not be to extend slavery but to end aristocracy. Imagine what the blessing of human liberty would do for your people.... Good thing I am not president huh, Vicente?

If you are interested in a better pan-American vision I suggest you start with this reading list of on Jeffersonian ideals that are not conducive to a giant federal government and why a giant federal government will not work in the Americas:

Name: Charlick , Carl
Title: "Jefferson's NATO."Publication: Foreign Service Journal Volume: 31
Date: 1954 Pages: 18-21, 58
Notes: TJ attempted to organize European nations to engage with the U.S. in concerted action against the Barbary pirates.

Name: Cox , Isaac Joslin
Title: "The Pan-American Policy of Jefferson and Wilkinson."Publication: MVHR Volume: 1 Date: (1914) Pages: 212-39
Notes: TJ's desire to gain the Floridas influenced his whole attitude toward both Bonaparte and the Spanish colonies.

And continue with these: http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/bibliog/shuf1/shufC.html

For an overview of these concepts, it is helpful to understand Jeffersonian Democracy generally.

AMERICANS EMPHATICALLY DO NOT NEED THE BUSH DOCTRINE.

This imperial vision is not helpful. It is like European Imperialism. FDR wanted to end both following Jefferson's "good neighbor" doctrine. So did Truman.

This is a remarkable chance for the development of our hemisphere. It will be a real historical tragedy if we waste it on in-fighting. As all these resources show, we cannot maintain any semblance of human liberty if we sell it or its people as a commodity for big government consumption. CATO has repeatedly critiqued the Big Government Federalist vision.

Henry Liu sums it up best in this economic article that helps us understand how the American System works and how it is not anything like Clay or Bush or Milton Friedman's neo-liberal vision of a political economy.

It is time to start listening to what these people have to say.... Are you listening now Vicente?