CEA president calls upon CES attendees to back free trade policy

Tim Conneally, BetaNews: In a keynote speech this morning at CES, Consumer Electronics Association President Gary Shapiro called upon members to back an initiative to give President Bush more latitude to negotiate trade agreements worldwide.

Gary Shapiro, President, CEA: [from notes] The chairman of the [Recording Industry Association of America] and the [Motion Picture Association of America] are joining me to send a formal request. We are calling on our government to eliminate all barriers on all technical projects around the world, and to give the president authority to negotiate trade agreements.

We need to build bridges instead of closing off borders. We are fighting for our future. It's not about free trade, it's about our national soul. A great nation does not erect walls.

Tim Conneally: Shapiro waxed historic earlier in the speech, saying free trade was a hallmark of ancient Rome, and coveted since then by great presidents such as Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower. He noted there are kiosks throughout the CES show floor, containing literature asking attendees to send requests to their congresspeople to support the free trade proposals outlined on ceapac.org.