8/19/2007: Security News Brief: Opposition to SSP Growing: Canada and
US says NO:

The far right and far left will find common ground next week as
representatives from both political spectrums protest the summit
between Canadian, American and Mexican leaders in Montebello, Que.

An ultra-conservative U.S. group calling itself the Coalition to Block
the North American Union, made up of politicians and activists, as
well as singer Pat Boone, will hold a news conference in Ottawa on
Monday to oppose the two-day Security and Prosperity Partnership
meeting of U.S. President George Bush, Prime Minister Stephen Harper
and President Felipe Calderon of Mexico.

Members of the group also plan on going to the meeting to voice their
concerns about what they deem secretive talks. They tried,
unsuccessfully, to book rooms at the high-end resort hotel where the
meeting is being held under intense security. They will go along in an
attempt to engage anyone in discussion about their opposition to the
leaders, all of whom share conservative values. The group is to the
political right of Mr. Bush.

The coalition will make strange bedfellows with others protesting the
summit, including the Green party and the People's Global Action Bloc,
an activist organization that rejects capitalism and all trade
agreements.

Howard Phillips, chairman of the U.S. coalition, said in an interview
Friday that he will not engage in any violent protests or street
demonstrations but is travelling to Canada to find others interested
in his cause. He is upset he will not have access to the meeting or
the hotel -- all protesters will be kept away from the building and
grounds but the demonstrations will be videotaped and shown inside the
summit meeting.

Mr. Phillips' group is opposed to a North American union and was
against the North American Free Trade Agreement. It is concerned these
meetings and agreements detract from each of the country's ability to
achieve national independence and self-determination, he said
yesterday. Mr. Phillips, who runs a public policy action group called
Conservative Caucus and once worked for government agencies during the
Nixon administration, said his other complaint is the "secrecy" of the
talks.

He said protesters with opposite political views to his own share his
concerns about the loss of independence for countries -- and have for
years -- and he welcomes them all to the battle against next week's
discussions.

"We share many of the concerns that people on the liberal side have on
NAFTA, WTO, etc.," he said in a telephone interview.

In a press release to be released on Monday, he states: "Our message
is, 'President Bush, President Calderon, Prime Minister Harper, tear
down the wall of silence and let the people see what you are scheming
to do.' Behind closed doors, step by step, the leaders of Mexico,
Canada, and the United States are setting the stage for, first, a
North American Community and, ultimately, a North American Union
[NAU], in which new transnational bodies would gain authority over our
economy, our judiciary, and our lawmaking institutions ... Our message
is similar to the one which Ronald Reagan delivered to Mikhail
Gorbachev when he said, 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall.' "

On Monday and Tuesday, the three leaders will be discussing issues
around security and the economy, as well as timely matters such as the
mass import of products from China following the recent toy recalls.
This is an annual summit that began two years ago in Texas. The
impetus was to expand NAFTA but that has become less of a focus
following public opposition and protests.

Mr. Phillips' coalition is made up of about 100 U.S. politicians and
conservative public policy advocates. Tom DeWeese, president of the
American Policy Center and John McManus, president of the John Birch
Society, will be at the Ottawa press conference and Congressman Virgil
Goode, Jr., the chief sponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 40, which
opposes the North American union and "NAFTA Superhighway," will
participate through video conference.

Crooner Pat Boone, as well as U.S. Congressmen Ron Paul and Walter
Jones will be issuing statements of protest.
Another Article On WND: Congress Tells Bush: Back Off SPP Agenda:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57203
Source: Morning Security News Brief via Security News Wire and
National Post-Canada