Although it is easy to bash the US as an "evil empire" these days, there are many wise critics who propose quite convincingly that the US gov't, (like all other national gov'ts), are only puppets dancing to the tune of the ever-more-powerful and tyrannical multinational corporations.

IMO this position begs our scrutiny, because if it is true (and I believe it is), then we are playing right into their hands by continuing to be misled and focus our attention/protests on the government pawns, and not the "evil emporers" themselves. These corporate "emporers" have been very busy in recent years putting immense pressure on governments to pass multinational "Agreements" making their business practices and methods above and beyond both the scrutiny/influence of voters and the rule of law, international and otherwise. Capitalism and the hoarding of wealth - profitmaking at any human/environmental cost - is their Bible and their sole purpose.

" "The more freedom is extended to business, the more prisons have to be built for those who suffer from that business." Eduardo Galleano

Who/what are the institutions of economic globalization? According to veteran activist Starhawk, they are:

NAFTA -- North American Free Trade Agreement

FTAA -- Free Trade Area of the Americas

G8 -- the G8 are the eight most powerful, industrialized nations: The U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, and Russia. In their summits, they create policies and set agendas that affect everything from the WTO to the U.N.

WTO -- The World Trade Organization (nothing to do with the Twin Towers)

World Bank/IMF -- (International Monetary Fund)

For more information on these institutions and their tyrannical policies which threaten human rights, environmental protection and national sovereignty all over the globe, click here

And to those who are squeamish about Starhawk's "new-age" affiliations, and would discredit her work on that basis, I counter that her "religious" views do not detract in the least from the work she does for human rights/environmental protection.

Seems to me that the first step in dealing with the "evil empire" must surely be to recognize exactly what it is - and what it is not. IMO, GW Bush is small fry indeed compared to these monstrous and powerful sharks (no offense to sharks intended).

daylia