TPP: What You Don't Know Will Hurt You (Video)

DALLAS -- Tuesday, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) twelfth round of negotiations will begin behind closed doors at the Intercontinental Hotel here. Branded as a "trade deal" by its corporate proponents, the TPP in reality would establish new corporate rights to ease job offshoring, attack environmental and health laws in foreign tribunals, and extend medicine patents. Its expansive non-trade provisions would impose constraints on government regulation of financial firms, food safety and more. As The Huffington Post's Zach Carter reported, the TPP would even ban "Buy America" procurement policy. The TPP also includes aspects of SOPA, the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act. The pact would even elevate corporations to equal status with signatory governments allowing them to privately enforce their new rights be suing government in foreign tribunals to demand taxpayer compensation for policies that undermine the companies' expected future profits.

Intensive negotiations have been underway for two years under conditions of extreme secrecy. More than 600 hundred corporate "advisers" have access to the draft texts while the press, public and Congress are shut out. This comic video, set to a parody tune based off the Jackson Five's "ABC," aims to pierce the dangerous lack of public awareness about this audacious corporate power grab. With funny animation and a sarcastic tone, it highlights that the TPP is "all about secrecy" and has "nothing to do with trade you see". You can learn more about the TPP at www.TPP2012.com.