
Intellectual Property Rights block technology transfer and TRIPS (trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights) promote monopolies on seeds and medicines and piracy of Third World biodiversity and indigenous knowledge.
That is why we had to fight WR Grace and USDA to revoke the Neem Patent, we had to fight Ricetec to prevent them claiming our basmati as their invention. And we have successfully fought
The rules of The World Trade Organization were designed to impoverish poor people and poor countries, transform their biodiversity and water commons into corporate property so that seed multi-national corporations like Monsanto could sell us our seeds for $1 tr. per year and water giants like Suez and Bechtel could sell us our water for another trillion. And the free trade rules of agriculture are robbing Indian peasants of $1 trillion per year through falling prices because of $400 billion subsidies in rich countries distorting trade by distorting prices.
This is not just a recipe for poverty, it is a recipe for genocide. In the free trade world that Bhagwati upholds, peasants sell kidneys to pay debt for poisons, displaced rural women sell their bodies to feed their children, hospitals become centers of organ theft, and India which sold the finest fabrics and tastiest spices to the world becomes the dumping ground for the toxic wste of 9/11 and the exploded and unexploded shells from the war in Afganistan and Iraq.
Free trade is becoming a mechanism to take our wealth, our biodiversity, our minerals, our brains and give us trash and toxic in exchange. It is an exchange of "bads" for "goods". This is not comparative advantage, it is loot. Which is why we say, "Our World is not for sale".
You are still wrong
I have no objection to you arguing that Hillary is beholden to those with the most money and influence and wants to keep her distance from the lowly grassroots activists and Native Americans. That is probably an accurate description of her motivations, though you implied it, not me.
I do object (and, I warn you, will start using editorial judgement to delete) your mischaracterizing what I say as inconsistent.
Here is the point:
Hillary did not participate in an event with DFA that has already passed. Questions were solicited, normal every day people submitted their questions, three candidates awswered at some length and got some free publicity. She decided to give it a miss. Sure, she could technically send in a video, but the whole thing has passed, announced an covered with some fanfare. It isn't like it's a standing invitation, though of course candidates have that as well. It was a specific process, which was the subject of many emails from DFA that she failed to participate in. For the record, you are talking based on nothing but your own incomplete knowledge and your bias that Hillary is our annointed savior. I have discussed this with people involved in the process so that I would have a more complete idea of the facts and I come from a stated and oft repeated bias that I will support whoever gets the nomination on the Democratic ticket.
Second point you miss:
Hillary has SPECIFICALLY declined to participate in the Prez on the Rez event. You have rightly pointed out she did it because she is afraid of and beholden to big labor. Fine. I am not anti-labor by any means, though I don't think someone has to be completely beholden to them either. But she specifically declined to participate. None of the other candidates have declined the invitation. And this event, UNLIKE THE DFA ONE, is in the future: in August. FYI: past and future are not the same thing, though you'd never know that from the Schroedinger equations.
So, stop mischaracterizing what I say. If you do so again I will simply delete.