Utah Citizens win in house: thanks in part to the efforts of John Birch Society members, the Utah House of Representatives passed a resolution against efforts to create a North American Union.

The Utah House of Representatives on February 6 passed a resolution urging U.S. withdrawal from the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America by a lopsided vote of 47 to 24. The resolution became bottled up on the Senate side, however, and never made it to the Senate floor prior to the legislature adjourning on February 28.

This resolution was introduced in the House by Representative Steven Sandstrom. In an interview with THE NEW AMERICAN, Rep. Sandstrom was asked how he learned about the SPP, the planned NAFTA Superhighway, and other activities intended to create a North American Union. He responded, "It was members of the John Birch Society in my district who made me aware of this issue. Then I did my own research and found a lot of information outside the JBS material and realized that it was real and what a growing problem this was."

When asked what factors contributed most to passage of the resolution, he reflected, "The thing that has helped the most was the educating of other legislators with the facts. Initially many of my colleagues didn't believe it was real, but with the facts they began to realize that it not only is real but that we are following the same pattern as the European Union. The promoters of an EU-style North American Union in this country began with NAFTA and then CAFTA, then they tried to get the FTAA passed and when that didn't work, they have now proposed the SPP, mirroring the process of the EU."

When asked what the greatest opposition to passage of the resolution was, he said, "First of all it was a lack of understanding, people thinking this was no big thing or that it was some sort of conspiracy theory, that was my greatest obstacle." Rep. Sandstrom sees the passage of this resolution as the beginning of a groundswell that will spread across the nation. He enthused, "I have been contacted by legislators from across the nation who have wanted to do this same thing in their states. I have heard from Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Wyoming, and other states wanting to do this same thing. Washington will have to listen, and this is the only way to defeat the SPP--through movements like this across the nation, through education. No one would accept this if they knew what it was, another European-type Union for the Americas."

Later, when it appeared that the House-passed resolution would not be allowed to make it to the Senate floor for a vote, where it likely would have passed, Rep. Sandstrom lamented that "there are powerful forces working against us"--a reference to pressure from Washington.

Laying a Firm Foundation

Enabling Sandstrom to do his job were citizens throughout the state who had laid the foundation of understanding with their own representatives in the legislature. Committees were formed to coordinate their efforts. Letters were written to the legislators; information about the issue was made available through phone calls, e-mails, and letters to the editors of local newspapers, magazine advertisements, and calls to local talk radio. Concerned citizens contributed time and financial support to the effort. The grass-roots efforts created a framework of understanding within the legislature and the community at large.

Mrs. Kay Garske, a John Birch Society chapter leader, explained how some of the accomplishments were achieved. Having recently been a candidate for a seat in the Utah House of Representatives, Mrs. Garske had come to know her incumbent opponent, who ended up being reelected. In a remarkable show of tenacity, Mrs. Garske brought a packet of information about the resolution to the capital with the intention of speaking with Rep. Jackie Biskupski (her recent opponent) about supporting the resolution.

After calling Rep. Biskupski out of session in order to speak with her, Mrs. Garske gave her a concise presentation of the information. Rep. Biskupski then decided that she would vote to get the resolution out of the Rules Committee and on through the legislative process. It passed unanimously out of the Rules Committee.

When the resolution made it to the Government Operations Committee, Mrs. Garske was one of eight citizens who testified in favor of the resolution. In her testimony she related that she was born in England and remembered well the promises made to the people there concerning the European Union, formerly known as the Common Market. "They promised that England would flourish and it didn't happen," she said. "My friends and relatives now mourn their loss of sovereignty and independence. Those same promises are now extended to the United States, and we can expect the same results." The resolution passed unanimously out of the Government Operations Committee and was placed on the Third Reading Calendar.

U.S. Senator Robert Bennett (R) of Utah, like so many other so-called conservative politicians, has made it clear to his constituents that he supports the plans for the SPP. In a letter dated June 22, 2006, written to a constituent, the senator stated:

   On March 23, 2005, President Bush
   met with Mexican President Vicente
   Fox and Canadian Prime Minister
   Paul Martin and launched the SPP
   initiative. This initiative helps coordinate
   the efforts of the United States,
   Canada, and Mexico to protect North
   America against terrorists and other
   security threats while reaffirming our
   commitment to work together
   to create an open,
   prosperous economy. The
   SPP builds upon previous
   agreements with Mexico
   and Canada. It does not
   curtail our sovereignty in
   any way, nor does it create
   a single, North American
   government.

At the Utah legislative session in January 2007, Senator Bennett spoke to the House of Representatives. During a question-and-answer period, Rep. Glen Donnelson, who cosponsored the resolution and who is chairman of the Government Operations Committee, asked Sen. Bennett what he knew about the SPP and the proposed NAFTA Superhighway. In front of the entire Utah House of Representatives Senator Bennett denied any knowledge of the Security and Prosperity Partnership or the proposed NAFTA Superhighway. It seems that the senator had a momentary lapse in memory.

Speaking with THE NEW AMERICAN after the Government Operations Committee meeting, Mrs. Gail Rezika, leader of the Utah Eagle Forum, related a personal interview with Senator Bennett in his Washington, D.C., office in November of 2006. When he was asked about the SPP and the construction of the Kansas City Port of Entry, which would have Mexican customs officials working at a facility in Kansas City inspecting goods arriving from Mexico, he responded that it was the "way of the future."

Opposition on the National Level

Fortunately this "way of the future" referred to by Senator Bennett is currently being opposed on the national level by House Concurrent Resolution 40, which was introduced by Representative Virgil H. Goode, Jr. (R-Va.). H. Con. Res. 40 has six cosponsors. This measure says in conclusion:

   be it resolved by the House of Representatives
   (the Senate concurring),
   that--(1) the United States should
   not engage in the construction of a
   North American Free Trade Agreement
   (NAFTA) Superhighway System;
   (2) the United States should not
   allow the Security and Prosperity
   Partnership (SPP) to implement further
   regulations that would create a
   North American Union with Mexico
   and Canada; and (3) the President
   of the United States should indicate
   strong opposition to these acts or any
   other proposals that threaten the sovereignty
   of the United States.