CanAmerIco; The Unification of North America

I guess the best way to start is to quote the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) web site introduction on their main page.

The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) was launched in March of 2005 as a trilateral effort to increase security and enhance prosperity among the United States, Canada and Mexico through greater cooperation and information sharing.
This trilateral initiative is premised on our security and our economic prosperity being mutually reinforcing. The SPP recognizes that our three great nations are bound by a shared belief in freedom, economic opportunity, and strong democratic institutions.
The SPP provides the framework to ensure that North America is the safest and best place to live and do business. It includes ambitious security and prosperity programs to keep our borders closed to terrorism yet open to trade.
The SPP builds upon, but is separate from, our long-standing trade and economic relationships. It energizes other aspects of our cooperative relations, such as the protection of our environment, our food supply, and our public health.
Looking forward, President Bush, Prime Minister Harper and President Fox have identified emergency management; influenza pandemics, including avian influenza; energy security; and safe and secure gateways (border security and facilitation) as key priorities for the SPP. The Leaders also announced the creation of North American Competitiveness Council to fully incorporate the private sector into the SPP process.

There are an abundance of high-sounding phrases and lofty goals in their introduction. One rather important fact is left out, namely that the end result will be the erasure of borders for all practical purposes. An initial step in this goal has already been enacted and is currently under the earliest stages of construction. This will be what some have called the NAFTA Super-Highway. Of course this is set straight on the SPP web site as quoted below.

Myth: The U.S. Government, working though the SPP, has a secret plan to build a “NAFTA Super Highway.”
Fact: The U.S. government is not planning a NAFTA Super Highway. The U.S. government does not have the authority to designate any highway as a NAFTA Super Highway, nor has it sought such authority, nor is it planning to seek such authority. There are private and state level interests planning highway projects, which they themselves describe as “NAFTA Corridors,” but these are not Federally-driven initiatives, and they are not a part of the SPP.

I find it interesting that when answering whether or not the Federal Government is backing an interstate highway as part of the SPP implementation, the response basically comes down to denial of any project by that name. A rose by any other name still has thorns. The thorns on this rose will have far reaching manifestations and consequences.

Another part of the planned SPP initiatives is for a route allowing shipping containers brought in at Mexican ports to be move into the United States with no further inspections after those initiated at the Mexican port of entry. The reasoning behind this free passage of cargo from Mexican ports is done to allow relief for the reputedly over-burdened American ports such as San Diego. This is the answer rather than expanding our domestic ports, which would also provide numerous new jobs and expand our commercial infrastructure.

Even disregarding most of the supposed fear-mongering claims, this SPP proposal is still easily seen as NAFTA on steroids. It is the next step towards establishing a North American Union that would, same as the European Union, allow unrestricted and unsupervised free-movement across the borders of Mexico, Canada, and the United States. This would be a step far beyond the recently defeated Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill. It would be a wise move to keep the initiatives and goals of the SPP in mind when we debate the next attempt at immigration reform.

I am not familiar enough with most of the intricacies involved in the SPP negotiations, aims, and consequences, but I plan to keep an eye out for further developments. I fully expect to make further reports as the most important revelations become apparent. For now, all I can advise is for all of us to keep our eyes open and carefully scrutinize Congress and the White House for further implementation of these plans.

Beyond the Cusp