Tonight I write while our heads unite. Well, heads of State that is. That's right. The leaders of all countries in the Western Hemisphere (except Cuba) are meeting to figure out a way to cede the responsibility for our collective futures into the hands of publicly traded private corporations. The proposed FTAA Free Trade Area of the Americas would do just that.

This would be great for big business, which is always looking to expand. In fact business would be able to expand into every nook and cranny of North, Central, and South America including the Caribbean (except Cuba). Since the powers of consumption have been ravaging North America for the past several centuries, the time is nigh to go looking for new markets and new resources.

SAP's (Structural Adjustment Programs) have been at work all throughout the Western Hemisphere since the Fifties. These measures, used by the World Bank and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) to attract foreign investment, are requirements for loans, and are instrumental in aligning the economies of Developing Nations to that of the First World. Cuts to Social Programs, Reducing subsidies and Tariffs, and the privatization of public sector enterprises are the steps that countries must take to prepare for the free reign of Global Capitalism. Public Health Care, public Education, public Hydro, and even public water services are seen as barriers to trade and are threatened by the forces of privatization. If this sounds familiar, you must be paying attention to the effects that NAFTA is presently having on Canada. The FTAA is like NAFTA, only bigger, and includes concepts first introduced in the MAI (Multilateral Agreement on Investment), which was rejected by the public for its disregard to democracy.

All of these measures would be good for Trade and the economy, and if everyone owned the businesses, it would be great. The problem is that it's only a small number of people who profit from globalized trade. Most of us work for them in one way or another. In South America, there are still Native people living in very native ways. These people's way of life will be hugely affected by the FTAA and the globalization of "America". In fact these people's indigenous way of life poses the largest threat to the grips of the economy. Conversely, the Globalization of America's economy poses the largest threat to the remaining Indigenous people in the Hemisphere; be it the direct rape and pillage of the land or the indirect effects of Climate Change and polution. Free Trade poses the largest threat to a natural way of life.

Climate Change (barring any unforeseen Natural or Nuclear catastrophe) poses the largest obstacle to the survival of people on Earth. We are presently experiencing Climate Changes and scientists have recently reconfirmed the reports of climate change and forecast the eminent extinction of one quarter of all species of life on Earth by the year 2050. This is not a joke and though it's hard to fathom, the changing climate is a reality in our lives now.

The Bush Administration has been talking tough on Environmental regulations. In reality, however, his Clean Air Act has removed restrictions on coal burning electricity plants, and supports the Fossil Fuel industry. The Bush Administration is becoming notorious for misrepresenting things as they are. Bush flat out rejected the Kyoto Agreement and urged Canada not to sign. The U.S. government voiced objection when Canada did sign Kyoto, albeit, a watered down version of the original text.

Canada is to blame for weakening the effectiveness of Kyoto. We argued that we should get credit for all of the trees that call Canada home. It worked, so now Canada can create more emissions, which can be balanced against our forests. If we didn't disrespect our forests as much we do, this measure might make sense. At least Kyoto is a step, a baby step toward reducing global Green House Gas Emissions.

Green House Gases are stored gases that are released into the atmosphere at an increased rate due to human activity. Carbon Dioxide is the most significant GHG and is released during combustion. Methane (released from cattle farming, waste dumps and the production of oil and gas), Nitrous Oxide (released by chemical fertilizers and by burning fossil fuels) and CFC's (ChloroFloroCarbons) are also GHG's.

The impact of even a slight change in Earth's Global temperature is immeasurable. Already the Polar ice caps are melting. Permafrost is melting, causing mudslides, flies are arriving, Polar Bears are going hungry, because the Summer Ice that they hunt on is melting, and the Inuit people are currently coping with big changes. Around the world, forest fires blaze and droughts are happening. The geese aren't flying South anymore and the Ocean is rising. Tuvalu, a tiny Island Nation in the South Pacific is looking to relocate due to the fact that the waves are closer on all sides than they were before. The future is now.

Climate Change is a man-made phenomenon, therefore we have the chance to get ourselves out of this mess. Unfortunately, the solution is not buying another air conditioner. It's the opposite. The problem is caused by the accumulation of all of the effects of all of our actions. Since we all are part of the problem, we are inherently a part of the solution.

Simple lifestyle choices amount to realistic gains on the quest to reducing your life's impact on our environment. Burning less fossil fuel by bussing, biking, burning biofuel or by using a fuel efficient, well-tuned car is a huge way to reduce emissions. Using energy efficient appliances, Buying local, Going Solar, and by eating more veggies and less meat, we can all do our part in lessening our collective impact on the environment. By assuming responsibility for the effects of our actions, we become more sensitive to our selves and our surroundings. Feeling the connection to the Earth and the systems in place here, the motivation to act consciously becomes second nature. Let's let the survival of our species guide our actions!

The preservation of Nature's existing biological systems is paramount to addressing Climate Change. This would involve widespread preservation of all Old Growth Forest remaining on the planet. These final vestiges of pristine wilderness can become the nuclei for global regeneration. Clean air and clean water are the building blocks for healthy life, and therefore must be enshrined as sacred. All natural and pure rivers must be protected from development immediately. Drastic measures are necessary in dire situations. A master fruit grower will cut off a whole limb if a branch is diseased, rather than risk the health of the entire tree. Similar measures must be taken in our current situation.

One of the diseased branches happens to be the Drug War. It has cost the U.S. government countless Billions of dollars to wage an un-win-able war on its own people. One of the major side effects of the prohibition of Marijuana is the fact that growing Hemp has been outlawed.

Cannabis Sativa is one of the most useful plants known to exist. The fibre makes fine paper, strong string, comfortable clothes, sails for sailboats, and ropes for the rigging. The word canvass comes from Cannabis and in China, hemp's name is Tai Ma, which means Great Hemp. Paper was first invented in China in 105 A.D. and was made from Hemp fibre and Mulberry bark.

The seeds, popular in bird feed are what make the Canary sing. People also have eaten hemp for ages. An ingredient in gruel, it helps with regular, healthy stool. In fact to not eat it, a society would really have to be fooled. With Essential Fatty Acid's Omega 3, 6, and 9 in the exact same ratio as our body needs, there's really no good reason not to eat these incredible seeds. People from Persia eat them crunchy, roasted and salted, and they call them Sha Donai, which means the King's Bits, or Bits of the King.

The medicinal aspects of the plant have been proven, and anyone with an open mind will quickly find that the proof is in the puddin'. There are numerous testimonials proving the efficacy of this herb in intervening with the pain and debilitating effects of many medical conditions. Many Spiritual and Religious practices are based on or have incorporated the herb. Musicians and artists and writers and athletes and lawyers and drivers and mothers and so many others who have affected our lives have been users of marijuana. Abuse comes in all shapes and sizes, so why should all users of this wonderful plant be criminalized for our own good? Prohibition simply does not make sense.

Hemp plants are strong, vigorously growing annual plants. They can absorb more Carbon Dioxide and produce more biomass per acre than any other crop (or tree) in one summer. This makes hemp desirable for methanol or ethyl alcohol fuel production. Bye-products of Hemp growth are high oxygen output and soil regeneration because the deep roots bring nutrients up from deep within the soil. Since Hemp is hearty and a vigorous grower, chemical pesticides and fertilizers can be avoided without facing a significant loss in productivity.

In fact, if we as a culture were to once again embrace this plant, and utilize all of the gifts that are provided to us by nature, we would start to find that we as a species would be in less of a bind.

In many ways the Drug War is a second front on the hegemonic War on Terror. Thousands of Americans are harassed or locked up everyday for some drug offence. Most are victims of targeted policing. The drug war is a militant, racist hypocrisy whose victims are citizens of the U.S. and other countries

Colombia has felt the harsh brunt of the Drug War funded Plan Colombia. Narco-Herbicide is sprayed all over the Jungle, killing priceless biodiversity. The chemicals (meant for Coca) go into the water and onto food crops. People are poisoned and develop rashes and blisters. Children can't cope and sometimes die, while babies are born still. After their homelands are poisoned, there's no reason to stay, so the family is forced to move to the slums of a city to seek employment. Foreign multinationals benefit by exploiting the rich abundance of Natural Resources that once sustained families and villages.

Monsanto, the prolific chemical company is the maker of Roundup(glysophate), the chemical spray used in Colombia. This particular mixture is 26 times stronger than what is allowable by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Speaking of crops, Monsanto has gotten into the food business. By modifying the genetic makeup of plants to be more chemical resistant, they are literally tinkering with Nature and then patenting the results. Soon, they will own the rights to most commercial staple foods that we consume. This is the face of the present form of Globalization. The privatization of basic human rights is what the FTAA is all about. It's the privatization of Health Care, of Education, of Water Distribution, of trees, of people and of Nature.

Mother Nature, the forests and the streams and rivers, the valleys they run in. The flowers and the bugs and the mushrooms and the clouds; all of the life in the Oceans, on the Land, and in the Air are part of the complex balance that keeps us alive. All of the life that lives on Earth is here for a reason. It's the same mystical force that causes the buds to open, plants to grow, leaves to turn and the snow to fall with every changing season. Indigenous people say that the Earth does not belong to us, rather, we belong to the Earth.

Wetlands purify water and provide homes for countless species of plants and animals. We are draining and filling wetlands at an alarming rate. Trees who provide us with oxygen are referred to as lumber, and are being decimated by truckloads daily. The Oceans, once teeming with life are starting to become barren as our seafood consumption moves down the food chain. The Globalization of Free Enterprise is accelerating this Wanton Consumption.

Generations come and go, civilizations rise and fall, the circle continues and life lives. That's the way it has always been. Now we find ourselves at the brink. We are at the brink of Global War, at the brink of being held captive by our "freedom to consume", and most ominously, at the brink of wreaking so much havoc on Nature that the systems that support us are dying.

Locally, Red Hill Valley, the final remaining vestige of Nature in Hamilton is being clearcut for the purpose of building an expressway. Environmentally speaking, it's an atrocity. Economically speaking, business will pick up, saving drivers about Fifteen minutes. Goods will arrive earlier than before, translating into direct profits for the businesses involved. Clearly our culture is wholesaling our ancient birthright in order to maximize profit today. It is a criminal act that future generations will have to cope with for all of their lives. It is our duty as their predecessors to do all we can in order to preserve that which is our common heritage.

It really is Now or Never time. People all around the world are linking up and forging alliances, recognizing that the struggle they face is shared by us all. People in the Third World are leading the movement to resist the Global corporate takeover. Popular movements around the world have been organizing resistance to the forces of globalization, and have been gaining momentum. We, as workers and consumers in the First world hold the power to determine the Earth's future. By organizing, we can join multitudes of people from all walks of life who share the same penchant for truth and justice. By acting consciously, our lives can create positive effects all around the world.

As consumers, we are driving this economy. By demanding goods and services that are in keeping with our morals, we can change how the world operates. Now is the time to seize the power we all hold, and recognize the direct correlation between our purchases and Corporation's activities. Spend your money wisely. Or better yet, don't buy anything! Grow, make and trade for all you needs, and you will no longer be feeding the corporation's greed. Find like minds and join an eco-village community. These are the steps toward our species' return to sustainability.

Educate, motivate, and participate daily to free ourselves from fear and hate and help to make all life great!

Johannes Chapman, Pure Hemp Caravaner

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