Arizona Sold to Canada:（在线收听）

It’s All Things Considered. I’m Renee Montaine and I’m Robert Siegal. ²⁾NPR has learned of the largest foreign investment in the United States ³⁾to date. The government of Canada has purchased the entire state of Arizona for a half trillion dollars to be ⁴⁾paid out over several years to the US Treasury. The money will go to cutting the Federal ⁵⁾deficit.

       At the United Nations today Canadian Ambassador Steven Lewis said the purchase is legal under international law. And he anticipates no problems from ⁶⁾the UN Security Council. “We have bought Arizona with an excellent down payment, it will serve the American economy well. I don”t think the Security Council will give it a moment’s thought.”

       Though Canadian policy makers confirmed the purchase of Arizona, many US officials were surprised by the news.

       Canadian officials apparently saw the ⁷⁾disarray in the Evan Meekan-Rose Malford ⁸⁾governorship as an opportunity for ⁹⁾negotiations. A joint US-Canada Depatriation Commission will be announced tomorrow. Other foreign policy ¹⁰⁾implications are unclear, but in New York today Canadian Ambassador Lewis did say that the purchase should affect the free trade ¹¹⁾treaty that’s now before Congress. “Arizona now becomes our ultimate ¹²⁾ace in the hole. If Congress doesn”t approve that deal, then your states will start dropping like flies.”

       And Ambassador Lewis did confirm rumors that Canada has sought a warm-water port for centuries and Arizona was the best they could get.

       Arizona is expected to acquire the status of a Canadian province before the end of the year, and for now in ¹³⁾Phoenix, Executive Authority for the new Canadian territory has been ¹⁴⁾vested in former Arizona governor and ex-presidential ¹⁵⁾candidate, Bruce Babbit. Governor Babbit spoke to us earlier today.

Babbit: Robert, there’s a bit of shock out here, but frankly the state has become ¹⁶⁾unmanageable. We had reached an ¹⁷⁾impasse we don”t know who our governor is. The ¹⁸⁾legislature is unable to act, and I think it’s now pretty widely understood that this is better than the ¹⁹⁾status quo, it was just intolerable.”

Journalist: But this is abandoning a rather lengthy history of association with the United States of America.

Babbit: Well frankly, we’ve been ²⁰⁾ignored far too often. Washington is 2000 miles away. Many Arizonans are ²¹⁾skeptical of the federal government, ²²⁾resentful of its ²³⁾overarching power. It had from time to time been considering should it be Mexico, independence, or Canada. And I think that given the history of our association with Canada, the Canadians in Arizona, they seem to be the least unattractive of the alternatives and we’re going to make the best of it.

Journalist: So Governor Babbit or is it Governor General Babbit, you’re actually placing this act in some context, you see it as part of a continuity of foreign relations?

Babbit: I think it may be the beginning of more, perhaps a North American Union. I think the day may come when North America will be one country. And that the capital will be not in Ottawa but in Arizona.

Journalist: Well, thank you very much, or ²⁴⁾merci bien as you may say now.

Babbit: I look forward to the rest of you joining us.

Bruce Babbit acting Governor General of Canadian Arizona. CE

04、美国亚利桑那州被加拿大收购

—愚人节的一则电台消息

现在播放《要闻》节目。我是雷尼·茂泰，我是罗伯特·西格。美国公共电台获知了迄今为止在美国最大的一笔外国投资∶加拿大政府出资五千亿美元买下整个亚利桑那州，该款项将在未来几年内向美国财政部付清，并用以削减联邦赤字。

加拿大大使史蒂夫·刘易斯今天在联合国称该笔交易是符合国际法的。他预计完全可以通过联合国安理会。 “我们预付一笔很可观的定金购买下了亚利桑那州，那对美国经济有良性作用。我不认为将难过安理会一关。”

尽管加拿大决策者已经证实了购买亚利桑那州，但还是有许多美国官员为此消息感到惊讶。

加拿大官员显然视伊文·梅根罗斯·马尔福的治理混乱为谈判契机。美加拆并委员会将在明天宣布成立。其他有关的外交政策目前还不明朗，但今日加拿大大使刘易斯确实说过，该购买将会对国会现今的自由贸易条例产生影响。“现在亚利桑那是我们最后一张秘密王牌。如果国会不批准这项交易，你们国家的经济就会飞速下滑。”

刘易斯大使还证实了加拿大数百年来一直在寻找温水港的传闻，亚利桑那是他们的最佳之选。

预计亚利桑那州在年底前会成为加拿大一省，作为加拿大新领土，凤凰城的行政权现已被授予亚利桑那州前州长兼总统候选人布鲁斯·巴比特。巴比特省长在今日早些时候做了讲话。

巴比特∶罗伯特，这多少让人感到震惊，不过坦白说，全州的局面变得难以操控。现在的僵局是，我们不知道谁是我们的管理者。立法机构也不能运作，但我认为大家已经就现状达成更好的共识，因为过去的情形更难以忍受。

记者∶但亚利桑那已经放弃了长期来与美国政府的共同努力。

巴比特∶坦白而言，我们太被忽视了。华盛顿远在两千英里外。很多亚利桑那人对联邦政府持怀疑态度，痛恨政府一切权力一把抓。曾经多次考虑过，它是该独立还是该归属墨西哥或加拿大。我觉得鉴于加拿大和亚利桑那过去的良好关系，以及亚利桑那的众多加拿大人，让亚利桑那归属加拿大是诸多选择中最吸引人的，我们一定会把握好机会。

记者∶巴比特省长，或者说巴比特总督，那么说您实际上将此职责看为是外交关系的一部分延续了？

巴比特∶我认为这或许是今后北美联盟等等的一个开端。整个北美成为一个国家指日可待。首都不会是渥太华而会是在亚利桑那。

记者∶好吧，非常感谢，或者您现在会说“merci bien”。

巴比特∶我盼望你们今后会加入我们。

布鲁斯·巴比特现在是加拿大亚利桑那省的总督。CE