Protests draw feeble turnout
Organizers fear loss of U.S. Sovereignty
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
By Laura Maggi


While a major protest of the first day of the North American Leaders Summit did not materialize Monday, a group of about 20 protesters stood behind police barriers on Poydras Street, waving signs and chanting slogans as President Bush's caravan went by.

The protesters recited the Pledge of Allegiance to an American flag, repeating the pledge as Bush passed on South Peters Street.

"Death to the new world order," a man yelled into a bullhorn. Earlier, Eddie Dickey from Houston said he made the trip to New Orleans because the ongoing trade and security talks of Bush, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper represent a threat to America's sovereignty.

"People are so wrapped up in ballgames and work and our own microcosms, they don't see what is going on," Dickey said.

The small group of protesters assembled early in the morning at Jackson Square in the French Quarter, eventually migrating to the Central Business District, where the presidential entourages will be staying and meeting through today. Federal officials have said the focus of the meetings among the heads of state will be on border security and economic issues.

Two Mandeville residents who came to express their displeasure with the summit said they were disappointed with the anemic protest turnout. Standing near Gallier Hall on Monday morning, Michael Blache and Tom Kowitz said they believe the talks are a pretext for the eventual formation of a governmental union among Canada, the United States and Mexico, much like the European Union.

"I have never protested in my life," Blache said. "We are hard-working Americans and we don't want to see it go away."

Similar talks among the three presidents in August in Quebec drew as many as 2,000 demonstrators.

On Monday, only a handful of media outlets showed up for a news conference by the Conservative Caucus, a Washington, D.C., policy organization, which criticized the secrecy of the talks among Mexico, Canada and the United States.

Howard Phillips, chairman of the caucus, said the potential negative effects of the talks to integrate the security and economies of the three countries hasn't been covered as much in the American press as in Canada. Phillips agreed with protesters who believe the talks are a pretext for the creation of a European Union-like bureaucracy in the North American countries.

"We have to wake people up," Phillips said after the news conference.

Stuart Trew and other members of the Council of Canadians, a citizen activism group, are scheduled to speak today at an event called the People's Summit, a series of workshops about globalization and free trade. Trew will discuss the business advisory group that helped set the agenda for the summit meetings.

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Laura Maggi can be reached at lmaggi@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3316