Come Protest the Arab Business Summit in Detroit Wednesday, Sept. 31st in Detroit
4:00 - 6:00 PM
Woodward Ave. in front of the Fox Theatre
This is being planned on very short notice. Please read the following letter and respond immediately if you will be able to attend. I will not proceed unless at least 30 people email me to join in this protest. I will update this page on Tuesday evening letting you know if the protest will go forward.
After you have read the letter you might want to read some of the background information (about 13 pages worth) by clicking here. [Note: You must have Word in order to view the document]
If you are planning on joining the protest click here
Please let us know (1) When you predict you will arrive; (2) If you will make a sign; (3) Will there be others with you and, if so, how many.
A Call to Action:
Urgent Request to Protest the Arab Summit in Detroit
Date: 9/29/2003 1:29:25 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Newagecitizen
If you agree with what I am saying, in the body of this letter, please send it out to as many people as possible that live in South East Michigan. Lets show these Arab and American elitists how quickly we can get mobilized before they are allowed to completely destroy the very ideals that created this republic in the first place.
I am proposing a protest for this Wednesday between 4:00 - 6:00 PM in front of the Fox Theatre to protest the Arab Summit in Detroit.
This alliance with a nation (Saudi Arabia) that sponsors terrorism is just another "opportunity" that this country does not need just 2 years after "911".. And if unaddressed I am afraid it will result in business arrangements that will benefit the elite corporations at the expense of average lower and middle class workers. Please forward this to as many people as possible so that this needed protest can, in fact, take place.
I will be surprised if I get much response but let me propose an action. If 20 or more of you will commit to constructing a sign and joining a protest this Wednesday at 4:00 PM, I will prepare the press releases and alert the media. The main message:
The American People will not tolerate our Corporate Controlled Politicians and Media to Sell us out to a nation (Saudi Arabia) that supports Islamic Terrorism and which directly contributed to the Terrorists that murdered nearly 3,000 Americans on "911", 2001.
Tentatively we will meet in front of the Fox Theater on Woodward and possibly walk towards the Arab Summit at the Ren Cen. Here are a few ideas for the signs:
(1) No Business Deals with Terrorists: 15 of 19 "911" Terrorists came from Saudi Arabia and were financed by Saudi's Elite
(2) The American Worker needs a moratorium from foreign workers and Saudi Terrorists
(3) Hey, Maybe Ford Motor could strike a deal with Bin Ladin's Saudi Arabian father? After all, the original Henry Ford stuck a deal with Hitler.
If you are interested please send an email to the following address stipulating what time you will be able to arrive and if you will be constructing a sign. It will be cool and rainy on Wednesday so also consider appropriate dress and bringing an umbrella.
newagecitizenx@comcast.net
If I get at least 20 people, interested in participating, I will send you final information no later than Tuesday evening.
If you would like to help support our efforts you can send your non-tax exempt contribution by check or money order. Checks should be made out to "New Age Citizen" and sent to the following address:
New Age Citizen
P.O. Box 419
Dearborn Heights, MI 48127
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Before I get started I wanted to thank Tom Ness and everyone that came to hear me speak last night, at the Greenhouse in Ferndale (09/28). It was a little extemporaneous but I think my main point -- that unbridled globalization and technological advance threaten the livelihoods of all lower and middle class Americans -- got through.
I also highly recommend that you read "Surviving the Great Global Brain Drain" in order to better understand the near term impact of Globalization . You will find the link on the following page:
"Surviving the Great Global Brain Drain"
http://www.newagecitizen.com/PDF/braindrain.pdf
Please check out the following link for updates between now and Wednesday:
http://www.newagecitizen.com/Offshoring_and_Jobs.htm
Continuing on the subject of globalization . . .
I just finished reading the Detroit Free Press. There were a number of articles regarding the Arab Summit taking place this week in Detroit. I am very concerned.
For starters the Arab organizers attempted to suppress any domestic or foreign coverage of last nights opening gala at the Ren Cen. They only backed off when challenged with media exposure. See today's Free Press for more background on this (09/29/03) Yes, I'm so happy to see how they are embracing our reverence for the First Amendment which insists on a Free Press and Free Speech. It also appears that the Corporate-owned media has already capitulated to the seductive power of this Arab elite.
There is absolutely no critical media coverage of this new "trading partner" that appears to have already struck deals with the medical community, Boeing, Ford and a whole host of others. In fact what is most interesting is not what IS getting covered but what is NOT getting covered by the media.
** Nothing about the fact that 15 of the 19 terrorists that murdered nearly 3,000 on "911" were Saudi.
** Nothing about the fact the Saudi Arabia is a Non-democratic autocracy run by the family of Saad.
** Nothing about the fact that high ranking Saudi princes had directly funded some of those 15 Saudi terrorists that destroyed the World Trade Center.
** Nothing about the fact that the family of Saad has actively supported and financed the Wohhobist (yes I know the spelling isn't correct here) movement by setting up schools that specifically teach a hatred for the United States and its people.
** Nothing about the FACT that Bin Ladin, who I witnessed taking "credit" for "911" through a video released through Al Zadura (once again forgive the spelling), is the son of Saudi's most wealth and powerful industrialist.
** Nothing about the fact that Bin Ladin's father was heavily invested in the Carlyle Group -- which also involved George Bush "the first", Cheney and other bureaucrats that are now literally running this country into the ground.
** Nothing about the fact that this Saudi elite treats women like chattel
** Nothing about the fact that many Saudi citizens would like to roast the family of Saad over a pit of hot coals for the ways in which they have violated there human rights and destroyed their livelihoods over the last 20 years.
And now you idiots want to strike some business deals with these people? Oh yes, lets do business with terrorists. Are we going to just sit on our hands while these corporate whores sell us out? Not if I have anything to do with it.
This is not just another example of how "money" is allowing those at the top to sell out all of us in the middle and bottom rungs of this society: it is the worst possible example There is something seriously amiss here.
And I have some unique insight into some of this as I have lived in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights most of my life. As I speak you are seeing a "gentrification" of both cities. Million dollar plus homes are going up all over the place and many of them are being bought outright -- no mortgages -- by Arabic families. The largest mosque in the United States is nearing completion around Evergreen and Ford Road. An Arabic museum is breaking ground right across from the Dearborn City Hall. It is not a stretch to say that they will own and control all of Southeast Michigan unless these controllers of oil, the lifeblood of the world economy, are not stopped immediately. I don't like to see the United States do this to third world countries and I'm not going to sit back while Arab Oil Wealth attempts to do it here.
The conspicuous consumption and ascendancy of the Arab community has already raised eyebrows among the still predominant non-Arab populations of the Dearborn and Dearborn Heights communities. How have they come to virtually own every gas station, party store and dollar store in the Dearborn/Dearborn Heights area? How are so many of them able to purchase homes without ever taking out a mortgage? These are the questions that are definitely getting asked by non-Arab residents.
And this disturbs me. When we held the Freedom Festival in Dearborn (1990) we invited the Arab community to join us . . . along with about 70 other political groups across the political spectrum. I believe Ahmed, from the Arab organization ACCESS, was actually one of the speakers that I invited to that event. But if these agreements move forward the simmering resentment is going to boil over. And we are all going to get hurt in the end. Just so these elite capitalists can make a few more billion . . . at our expense.
I cannot disagree more vehemently with what is going on in Detroit this week. Already, the American people are in the process of being economically decimated through globalization, by a rich American elite (e.g., Ford, GM, Chrysler, Microsoft, HP . . . ): that is in the midst of off shoring millions of American jobs to third world countries. First we saw foreign H1B workers come here to take our jobs. Currently, we are now watching as literally millions of US jobs are being eliminated and transplanted to countries like India, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Philippines. If this is allowed to go any further it will be like throwing gasoline on a fire. No one really wants to see another revolution in this great country.
I'm not a racist and I'm not a Luddite. But I truly believe that the best solution for both multi-generation Americans and recent immigrants is an ABSOLUTE moratorium on immigration for at least the next 20 years. This will diffuse the simiring divide that is about to rip through the social fabric of this country. It will give us the breathing room to insure that ALL Americans are afforded dignity in birth, life and death. And to achieve this we need to focus on the puzzle pieces that all of the Great Philosophers (Plato, Aristotle, Marx, Adam Smith, Locke, Jefferson, Patanjali) have considered: how to maximize our "happiness" on this small planet and guarantee adequate food, clothing, shelter and representation to our people? Of course, in our current historic epoch this also requires that we consider how to provide adequate health care (e.g., Universal Health Care), Social Security and Retirement Income to the vast pool of Baby Boomers and Generation X, Y and Z generations that no longer have the Pensions, Social Security and Medical benefits that the Pre-Boomers currently enjoy. Unfortunately, it seems that Bush AND our elected representatives are both doing everything in their power to destroy our respective future on this fragile planet.
In addition I think our representatives, and some nonpartisan outside groups, need to qualitatively and quantitatively, assess the practice of both ACCESS and other organizations representing both Arab AND non-Arabic immigrants throughout this country.
Are they really getting 7 year exemptions from taxes?
Are they really transferring business deeds to newly arrived relatives in order to extend their tax exemptions?
Are they really getting 2% loans?
What dynamics have allowed the Arab community to own every gas station, party store and dollar store?
What qualitative/quantitative impact has the immigration of older family members had on Social Security, Medicare etc.? Similar trends amongst illegal Hispanic populations in California have contributed to their 36 billion dollar deficit.
Are these older immigrants getting Social Security and other benefits that they have never made a contribution too?
Are these matricula consular cards allowing illegal Hispanics to vote?
The American people have a right to know this and unfortunately our elected representatives are not coming clean on this. When I debated US Congressman Dingle, during my Libertarian candidacy for US Congress in 1996, he insisted that Arab Americans are not getting tax exemptions. I seriously doubt that this is the case. And I don't think any immigrants -- Hispanic, Arabic, Scottish (I'm Scottish) -- should be getting ANY special favors from Federal or State governments. If anything they should be paying a significant price for the privilege of being here in the first place.
Yours in Freedom
\PH
First, I highly recommend that you read "Surviving the Great Global Brain Drain" in order to better understand the near term impact of Globalization and the impact of technology on job elimination. You will find the link on the following page:
"Surviving the Great Global Brain Drain"
http://www.newagecitizen.com/PDF/braindrain.pdf
I just wanted to respond to the mail relating to a proposed protest of the Arab Summit in Detroit.
We got about 15 people who said they would attend which is good . . . but not enough. So the most important message is that we will not be moving forward with the protest. But had we “thrown” this together the two main “sound bytes” would have been:
(1) We don’t think it is a good idea for US Businesses to make Dearborn/Detroit a hub for trade with Saudi Arabia given their record on human rights, their autocratic form of government and their ambivalence and probable support for Islamic Terrorism.
(2) We are very skeptical about how these business deals would affect American workers given the fact that many of the corporations represented have already “offshored” thousands of American jobs to third world countries Will the agreements reached at this business summit result in the elimination of more American jobs in order to facilitate various quid pro quo agreements between the Mid East and various American business and government interests? It is becoming increasingly apparent that “What is Good for Corporate America is Bad for most American workers.
I also felt compelled to respond to some of the letters and hopefully avert any notions that I am being racist etc.
I understand your frustration and anger at the globalization that is happening today and how the richest people of the world are sticking it to the rest of us, but, this is nothing new. If you had really done your homework you would know that America has been in bed with not just Saudi Arabia but Iraq, Iran and just about every country in the middle east for years. We were the ones who put Sadam Hussein in power. The CIA trained Osama Bin Laden at the School of the Americas. Dick Cheney's company (Hallow Burton) has been doing business with Iraq for years, supplying them with weapons and ammunition. So take up your frustrations and outrage with the powers that be. Please don't fan the flames of hatred in your community.
Being upset and dumb-founded at the success of Arab Americans in Dearborn is silly. How did every store in Dearborn come to be owned by a person of Arabic decent? Because they worked hard for it. They followed the American dream of coming to this country with nothing and building a successful life through hard work. And now they can have comfort and live well. That is the American Dream. We can't put a cap on immigration, that is what makes this country great.
That's what started this country. Where did your family come from? Unless you are 100% Native American (in which case you would have every right to be pissed off, about that and other things, lots of other things) your family at one point was an immigrant. America is a melting pot and we can't say, well we made it here but there's no more room for you. No.
So in response to your email, no I will not protest against the summit with you. I will continue to fight globalization but not at the expense of hard working Americans and all those who wish to become hard working Americans.
In Peace,
JA
There is an old Buddhist aphorism that states that “you can never cross a river the same way twice” because everything is in a constant state of change. Immigration made sense when we had huge frontiers to settle and there was a reality of limitless opportunity. I don’t think it makes much sense today when you consider the following:
** Census projections predict that current immigration trends will double the US population to nearly 540 Million by the end of this century. This will invariably create untenable social and environmental stresses which will make life miserable for everyone. We need to encourage population stabilization both within and outside the United States. I believe the United States needs to become a model for this by stabilizing or reducing it’s population.
** Job losses in the United States, since the recession ended (November 2001), are the worst they have been since the Great Depression. We have lost over 3 million American jobs in the last 3 years and there are over 10 million unemployed workers as I am writing this (09/30/2003).
Instead of allowing a small percentage of politically repressed immigrants to this country I think we should, instead, be working to make sure that the repression stops. And that is something we can achieve since US policy is responsible for much of it in the first place. And Instead of allowing the IMF and WTO to privatize the third world we need to make sure that both the first and third world become increasingly autonomous and self sufficient. I believe this is ultimately a better direction to take to insure a better future for all of us.
And yes Arab immigrants work just as hard as the rest of the US workforce. But there are questions being asked about the tax exemptions that all immigrants receive. I think the taxpaying public has an absolute right to understand what exemptions are being extended; whether they create a fair playing field with non-immigrant workers and if they are being abused. I don’t pretend to know the answers to these questions but I do believe a thorough investigation is warranted. Such an investigation will either diffuse suspicions or lead to appropriate reforms. In any case such actions will ultimately end a significant source of enmity between immigrant and non-immigrant groups.
I agree w/ you analysis. I was floored to learn on NPR today that only SA and a few other U.S. client states are at this meeting. Protest would be good -- but this is rather late, and might ring hollow w/o support of ME communities. Nonetheless, if you're serious, I suggest being in touch w/ MECAWI (Mich. Emergency Coalition Against the War on Iraq)
I think your proposed messages are too complex, not that my off the cuff ideas are much better, but think short and simple:
"Saudi Arabian money supported 9/11 -- U.S. DIVEST!"
"Just Say No to business deals w/ terrorist supporters."
"No Contracts with Saudi Arabian terrorist supporters"
"SA -- we don't want your dirty money"
Thanks. I think you’re suggestions would have been great. But the protest is not to be. Unfortunately I don’t think this business alliance is going to go away and I am quite certain that other opportunities for protest will appear on the not too distant horizon.
This screed would be more acceptable if it documented claims rather than slipped them in under the cover of loaded questions and presuppositions. Despite your claim not to be racist, this comes across to me as racist.
There is some merit in the concern that elites from various nationalities collude and use capital-intensive technology to keep the working classes under their heels, but unless those of us who believe in universal social and political justice stop using fear of ''others'' as a motivator, we will not get out from under that heel.
I will read with interest any further statements from you, but I want specifics, documentation of claims, and sources to confirm accusations.
Get the facts and present them and I'll be happy to forward them to others.
Sincerely,
JB
Yep I hear you. As I previously stated, however, I don’t know if the various claims regarding immigrants getting special tax breaks etc. are true or not. But as a resident of Dearborn/Dearborn Heights I can assure you that too many non-Arabic residents assume the worst. That is why I think an investigation is warranted and would ultimately clear the air on these allegations. Either the claims would be deemed false or the loopholes would be closed.
My bigger concern is really about further off shoring of jobs to the Mid East as a result of any “deals.” And the unintended consequences of an influx of Saudi money into the hands of a already established Arabic elite within the Dearborn/Dearborn Heights community is also a concern. I just think it could fuel further tension and the issue of terrorism must also be considered. The last thing we need is for US business to broker these deals without the knowledge or oversight of American citizens.
In any case I think we all want to move towards a better, more peaceful future.
