BuzzFlash Reviews

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"We discovered that the Chilean government had hired Bob Dole to represent them against U.S. salmon farmers. Dole had served as chair of the Senate Finance Committee, the panel with jurisdiction over trade. After my office alerted the media, Dole angrily demanded to know who that Ohio Congressman was who had outed him." — from Myths of Free Trade

Sherrod Brown wrote this cogent book as a congressman, shortly before he became a United States Senator from Ohio by beating a Republican incumbent in 2006.

Brown is as progressive as they come on Capitol Hill. He even has the David Sirota "Anti-K Street" seal of approval -- and that isn't easy to come by.

In "Myths of Free Trade," Brown exposes the sham of what is called "neo-liberal globalization." Brown argues, and correctly so, that the earth hasn't become flatter; rather "free trade" is a misnomer. It is not free and it brings with it injustice, environmental ruin, economic chaos and the dislocation of American jobs.

"Free trade" is just another one of those euphemistic terms that has a far more sinister meaning. In this case, it means laws that enable corporations to have powers that supersede sovereign governments and to enrich themselves and their shareholders with a minimum of regulation by any given state participating in "free trade" agreements.

Brown is an impassioned spokesperson -- in the Wellstone sort of way -- for economic justice.

This powerful book is both an eye-opener and a plea for economic policies that reflect social justice and ensure the economic well-being of America.

Brown is a breath of fresh air in the Senate -- and this book reveals why.

He's not a parrot of the lobbyists. He believes in being responsible to the interests of his constitutents, not multinational corporations who have become the new ruling bodies of the earth, increasingly immune from government regulation as they slither across borders and create an economic infrastructure that preys on the poor and manipulates sovereign states.

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS