The Seattle Tea Party Jude Wanniski December 9, 1999

Memo To: Lew Rockwell
From: Jude Wanniski
Re: "Lenora Baloney"

The Internet stocks do not rise every day, Lew, and lo and behold, neither do your editorial comments at you marvelous website. You broke your winning streak yesterday. It was nice to see you provide a link to WorldNetDaily's new columnist, Lenora Fulani, who recently endorsed the campaign of Pat Buchanan for the Reform Party presidential nomination. She is one of the most interesting ladies in politics today, unworthy of being labeled "a black Marxist." But your snide comments about "Dr. Lenora Baloney" were way off base. As you put it: "She equates the anti-trade looters and union thugs in Seattle with the American revolutionaries who fought Britain precisely because of its protectionism. Read the Declaration of Independence, doc, which accuses King George of cutting off our trade with the rest of the world, just like you want to do."

This is grossly unfair, Lew, the kind of commentary I expect in the tabloids. Read her piece over and you will not find anything in it that celebrates "anti-trade looters or union thugs." There is in fact nothing about her essay, "Globalization Without Representation," that even bears upon her economic philosophy. She writes about sovereignty and democracy, which is exactly what I think the Boston Tea Party was about. It really was not about the teeny-weeny tea tax. It was about the power to control policy over the universe of policy issues. This is what Lenora Fulani is about. She is much clearer on this than is Pat Buchanan, who has another agenda that involves free trade, etc. Lenora is absolutely correct in seeing the World Trade Organization as an international bureaucracy that is disconnected from the votes of the poorest people in our country, who in many cases have nothing more precious than their electoral franchise. People like Lenora Fulani have been fighting for thousands of years to gain this sacred right for the people of the planet. She is doing it now with all her heart and soul and her column reflects that. This is not baloney, Lew. After a series of winners, your comment on the Seattle Tea Party was a loser. Don't feel bad. We all have our bad days. You are welcome to write about Jude Baloney anytime you wish, and I will be happy to consider your constructive criticisms.