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Wellstone's real record
It's been said that each of us can have his or her own opinion, but not one's own set of facts.
In his screed against Senator Paul Wellstone and Jim Oberstar, Jim Van Dell accused the leaders of supporting "every globalist scheme that's come along; NAFTA, GATT, WTO . . . ." In the next paragraph, he warns us of the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which will expand NAFTA throughout the hemisphere.
I don't live in Rep. Oberstar's district, so I'm not well acquainted with his record and cannot speak to it.
However, Senator Wellstone's opposition to NAFTA is well known.
Senator Wellstone's position on FTAA? According to Workday Minnesota, a web site sponsored by the MN AFL-CIO, the Senator and 1500 union members, farmers, environmentalists, and fair trade advocates marched to the state capital on April 21, 2001, to protest against FTAA.
Senator Wellstone opposed allowing China into the WTO.
He spoke up for America's steel industry (one of Mr. Van Dell's concerns), urging both President Bush and Clinton to stop illegal dumping of foreign steel in US markets.
Curious, then, that Mr. Van Dell works up such a froth against a legislator who seems to work on behalf of his own side.
Curious, too, that Mr. Van Dell singles out only the DFL for his venom, though some Republicans (such as Wellstone's opponent in this year's senate contest) are known supporters of the policies Mr. Van Dell decries.
Is Mr. Van Dell merely ignorant of the facts (so readily and easily obtained in this wired age) or is he engaging in the oldest, most tired cliche of politics: the smear?
Americans can civilly disagree about the complicated issues surrounding the expansion of global markets; however, fidelity to the truth is always in order.
Sally Jo Sorensen
Instructor
English
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