BOut!! US Supreme Court To Review

[policy.office@xxxxxxxxx]

Subject: BOut!!  US Supreme Court To Review Myanmar Trade Law

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"littera scripta manet - non omnis moriar"

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With Robin Cook wishing to "clarify trade restrictions upon Burma"?
Let's all put our faith in New Labour?



Monday November 29 11:28 AM ET 
U.S. Supreme Court to Review Myanmar Trade Law
By James Vicini
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to review
a Massachusetts law that restricts state purchases from companies that
do business with Myanmar in a case about trade limits to protest human
rights conditions in foreign nations.
The high court said it would rule on the constitutionality of the
Massachusetts Burma Law, which was adopted in 1996 in response to
widespread human rights abuses by the military regime in the southeast
Asian country.
The case has far-reaching implications as a number of other states or
cities adopted similar measures in the 1980s and 1990s involving Myanmar
and other foreign nations.
The ``selective purchasing law´´ directs state officials to publish
a list of companies doing business with Myanmar, which formerly was
called Burma, and restricts the ability of those firms to sell goods and
services to Massachusetts agencies.
The justices will review a U.S. appeals court ruling that struck down
the law as unconstitutional because it interferes with the federal
government's exclusive power to set foreign policy and regulate foreign
commerce.
A federal law providing for economic sanctions against Myanmar --
adopted three months after the Massachusetts law -- preempts the state
law, the appeals court ruled.
The law effectively barred firms that do business with Myanmar from
doing any business with Massachusetts and its state agencies by adding
10 percent to any bids received from such companies.
The state adopted the law because Myanmar's military dictatorship has
been accused of drug trafficking, torture and using slave labor.
Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly defended the law in his
appeal to the Supreme Court.
Reilly said the law closely resembled the private boycotts and scores of
divestment and selective purchasing laws adopted by state and local
governments nationwide in the 1980s to protest against apartheid in
South Africa.
He said the appeals court ruling cast doubt on similar laws adopted by
about 20 cities involving Myanmar as well as a number of state and local
laws concerning Cuba, China, Northern Ireland, Nigeria and other
countries.
Reilly said the recent rise in global commerce and international trade
agreements heightened the need for review of whether the state laws
unconstitutionally interfere with foreign commerce and foreign affairs.
He said the issue involved national importance and should be settled by
the Supreme Court.
Supporting Massachusetts were 14 other states, a number of cities with
similar laws and a bipartisan group from Congress consisting of one
senator and 54 members of the House of Representatives.
The lawmakers said Congress has consistently refused to preempt state
and local selective purchasing laws, including the Massachusetts law.
A lawsuit challenging the law had been filed by the National Foreign
Trade Council, a group that represents U.S. businesses.
Lawyers for the group said the appeals court ruling was correct. Still,
the lawyers said the Supreme Court justices should hear the case if they
believed it raised unsettled issues.
The justices will hear arguments in the case in the spring, with a
decision due by the end of June. 


Follow the plea by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and the appreciations 
of HH the Dalai Lama, the Shan Democratic Union,  film maker John 
Pilger, the Free Burma Coalition,  author Alan Clements, Dennis 
Skinner MP, Tony Benn MP, Ann Clwyd MP, Congress-woman  
Maxine Waters,  Socialist Workers' Party,  Dr and Welsh rugby  
star JPR Williams, Hendrix  bassist Noel Redding,  S African jazz 
pianist Abdullah Ibrahim,  All Burma Students Democratic 
Organisation,  All Burma Students Democratic Front, Tasmanian 
Trades & Labour Council,  SACP (South African Communist Party),
COSATU,  Tim Gopsill, editor.  The.Journalist@xxxxxxxxxx, and 
numerous others.   

Supporting a Genuine war upon drugs and human rights abuse.
Sydney 2000 : Burma Out! 
http://www.mihra.org/2k/burma.htm

Music Industry Human Rights Association
http://www.mihra.org / policy.office@xxxxxxxxx 

Rachel and James http//:www.mihra.org/2k/rachel.htm
Union Action http://www.mihra.org/2k/Union.htm

Founded during UN50. Mihra's roots are in music and anti-racism and 
was first in line in calling for a sports boycott of Burma for the Sydney
2000 Olympic Games. Mihra also advances protection of creators rights 
in an anti-cultural market, currently 93.8% monopolised by the recording  
/ publishing Grand Cartel. 

Major solo work "Piece of Mind". With orchestra, Holland 69. same  
time as Beatles "Abbey Road".   http://onlinetv.com/rogerbunn.html
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