Stop the Free Trade Area of the Americas!

[1vegan]

From the united for peace newsletter:


ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545

STOP THE FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS
On November 20 and 21, trade ministers from 34 countries will meet in Miami to negotiate the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), a sweeping agreement that would extend the failed NAFTA model of corporate-driven globalization to the entire Western Hemisphere, minus Cuba. Tens of thousands of protesters will greet these trade ministers in a massive display of opposition to the FTAA, in what is shaping up to be the most important showdown over globalization since Seattle.

Corporate globalization is central to the Bush Administration’s broad empire-building agenda and a key cause of militarism and war, which is why United for Peace and Justice has made mobilizing against the FTAA a major priority for the fall.

The FTAA summit comes on the heels of one of the Bush Administration’s greatest political defeats to date, the September collapse of World Trade Organization negotiations in Cancun, Mexico. At that meeting, a newly formed coalition of countries from the Global South, known as the Group of 21 – emboldened by massive protests in the streets of Cancun and solidarity protests around the world – walked out of the WTO meetings after the United States and other rich countries rejected demands that they reduce their massive agricultural subsidies. UFPJ and its member groups helped organize more than 60 solidarity events across the United States during the Cancun WTO meetings, marking a first-ever convergence between the anti-war and anti-globalization movements.

The failure of the WTO meetings makes regional trade agreements such as the FTAA the leading edge of the Bush Administration’s corporate global policy and reckless drive for empire. For all who support peace, democracy, environmental sustainability, and human dignity, the Miami mobilization is a crucial opportunity to carry forward the momentum of Cancun and derail the FTAA.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
* Come to Miami: Take part in this historic uprising for peace and justice. Participate in some or all of the wide array of activities planned for the summit week, ranging from teach-ins and conferences to a massive legal march and rally to powerful nonviolent direct action. A virtual welcome center will be launching soon with comprehensive information about Miami logistics, including housing (check http://www.unitedforpeace.org for the link), but in the meantime you can find transportation information at:
http://www.citizenstrade.org/miamitransportation.php
http://www.stopftaa.org/ride.php

* Cast Your Vote Against the FTAA: A broad hemispheric coalition against the FTAA is conducting a truly massive popular referendum on this disastrous agreement, gathering ballots and petitions that will be delivered to
the trade ministers in Miami.

Cast your vote online today at
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/ftaavote or download and distribute ballots from http://www.lasolidarity.org/events/n03/ballot-ART.pdf or http://www.citizenstrade.org/ftaa_ballot.php

* Educate Yourself and Others About the Issues:
An extensive list of excellent online resources about the FTAA is appended at the end of this email. United for Peace and Justice has also developed a leaflet about the links between globalization and war and, in conjunction with United for a Fair Economy, a popular education workshop that explores the relationship between militarism and corporate globalization:
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/downloads/Globalization_and_War.pdf
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/downloads/Globalizacion_y_Guerra.pdf
http://www.faireconomy.org/econ/workshops/war_and_globalization.html

* Donate to Support the FTAA Mobilization: We have the opportunity to derail the Bush Administration’s empire-building agenda in Miami, but mobilizations on this scale cost money. We need thousands of dollars to spread the word about the FTAA mobilization and pay for key logistical needs on the ground in Miami. Please donate whatever you can to this effort -- $10, $25, $50, or more. You can donate online right now at http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate or by sending a check to United for Peace and Justice, P.O. Box 607, Times Square Station, NY NY 10108. Be sure to note that your donation is for our FTAA fund.

* Organize Affinity Groups to participate in creative nonviolent direct action. We urge everyone who is considering participating in nonviolent direct action to organize trainings in your community before you come. More information and training materials will be available soon. Some resources are available now at http://www.stopFTAA.org and http://www.rantcollective.org.

* Continue the Struggle after Miami: We strongly encourage everyone participating in the Miami mobilization to travel to Ft. Benning, GA, to help shut down the School of the Americas on November 22 –23. This U.S. military combat training school for Latin American soldiers provides the military muscle to enforce unpopular policies of corporate globalization throughout the hemisphere and has been linked to some of Latin America’s worst human rights abuses. Leaflets jointly promoting the SOA and FTAA mobilizations are available for downloading at http://www.unitedforpeace.org. For more information, see http://www.soaw.org and http://www.lasolidarity.org

* Spread the Word: Please forward this email to your personal network and to appropriate listservs. Look for downloadable leaflets on our website, http://www.unitedforpeace.org, in the very near future.

RESOURCES AND FURTHER INFORMATION
Florida Fair Trade Coalition: http://flfairtrade.org/
Citizens Trade Campaign: http://www.citizenstrade.org/stopftaa.php
Global Exchange: http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/ftaa/
American Friends Service Committee: http://www.afsc.org/trade/learn/default.htm
Public Citizen: http://www.citizen.org/trade/ftaa/
Jobs With Justice: http://www.jwj.org/global/FTAA/stopFTAA.htm
People’s Consultation on the FTAA: http://www.peoplesconsultation.org
Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Economy: http://www.asje.org/march.html
Alianza Social Continental (Hemispheric Social Alliance): http://www.asc-hsa.org
Stop the FTAA: http://www.stopftaa.org
FTAA Resistance: http://www.ftaaresistance.org
Free Carnival Area of the Americas: http://www.mediamouse.org/fcaa
RANT Trainers Collective: http://www.rantcollective.org

[American]

My 2 cents but globalization of free trade is a good thing, and should given the opurtunity to work raise that standard of living for many of our globes citizens.
A small nut shell but only said 2 cents.

[1vegan]

It's not, you'll learn that when you do some research on the subject.

Sure, big company's in the rich western world will benefit, but it will cause more suffering for the poorer population of the world.

[American]

Not the case at all.

Further it moves us further forward to a real global comuntiy, global government, adn removal of borders, One world, one people, one Gov

[bryanweatherly1]

It's not, you'll learn that when you do some research on the subject.

Sure, big company's in the rich western world will benefit, but it will cause more suffering for the poorer population of the world.

A global economy benefits EVERYONE. American companies using foreign labor in a poorer country is an obvious benefit to the American company because they pay less for labor. The money they save is reinvested in the company causing that company to grow which causes the United States economy to grow. It is helpfiul to the poorer county because it provides jobs and wages for individuals. The individuals go spend these wages within that country and helps that country's economy grow, raising the standard of living for EVERYONE.

Where is the "suffering"?

There was a time when it was standard for people in the Untited States to work from before dawn until after sundown. What is this no longer the standard? Because of Capitalism! American companies doing what American companies do best, producing wealth and raising the standard of living for EVERYONE involved. A global economy can do this for the entire world.

[Thalia]

There was a time when it was standard for people in the Untited States to work from before dawn until after sundown. What is this no longer the standard? Because of Capitalism! Care to explain?

[epski]

Globalization is a greater threat to national security than terrorism. My two cents.

[muppetcow]

A global economy benefits EVERYONE. American companies using foreign labor in a poorer country is an obvious benefit to the American company because they pay less for labor.


Tell that to the employee of the American company who just lost his/her job after 10 years of service and the foreign employee who gets paid 10 cents an hour to do the same work.

The ONLY benefit is to the owners of the American company, IMO.

[epski]

Globalization = exporting jobs

Gives top-level American executives continued guaranteed profits while creating layoffs of American jobs. How does this trickle down to the little guy, again?

[gentlemoose]

Tell that to the employee of the American company who just lost his/her job after 10 years of service and the foreign employee who gets paid 10 cents an hour to do the same work.

The ONLY benefit is to the owners of the American company, IMO.

Tell that to the Mexican/Canadian/European worker who is laid off when his/her company goes out of business thanks to the illegal trade practices (unsanctioned tariffs and boycotts) put in place by the US government.

Free trade is a good thing, but the US government has no idea what the term means.

[whoever]

Globalisation can and should benefit all involved, however, it is possible for the larger companies to abuse their power.

So really, the protesters should be working on making sure that the abuse of power doesn't happen, rather than protesting globalisation.

So much of the economy is already globalised, some of it done well, and some of it done not so well.

[Soyboy]

If you want to read about the true effects of globalization, go to http://www.gregpalast.com/columns.cfm?subject_id=3&subject_name=Globalization. There you can read about what it's really about and find out what Fox "news" and W are not telling you.

[gentlemoose]

Oo. I'm just about to start in on Greg Palast's _The Best Democracy Money Can Buy_. I'm told it kicks ass. I'm in the middle of _Fast Food Nation_ and need to get through _Dude, Where's My Country?_, too. Too much to read.

All that aside, who's to say what the truth is about something as divisive as globalization? Granted, I'm not going to go to Fox News about anything substantive, but the idea that Palast is an unbiased voice in the grand scheme of things is probably a little far-flung.

That said, I'm off to read his article right now.

[Soyboy]

Palast is definitely not unbiased (who is?), however, as you'll see in The Best Democracy..., he does get his hands on documents that were never intended to see the light of day. Truth is tricky, but facts are facts. It's easy to blur the truth and hide facts behind such labels as globalization and free trade. Hell, who would be opposed to free trade? It's free, right? Look a little deeper though, and the facts speak for themselves: Environmental destruction, countries bankrupted, and large profits for American corporations.

[gentlemoose]

Palast is definitely not unbiased (who is?), however, as you'll see in The Best Democracy..., he does get his hands on documents that were never intended to see the light of day. Truth is tricky, but facts are facts. It's easy to blur the truth and hide facts behind such labels as globalization and free trade. Hell, who would be opposed to free trade? It's free, right? Look a little deeper though, and the facts speak for themselves: Environmental destruction, countries bankrupted, and large profits for American corporations.

The tail end of your comment is precisely where my issue lies in all of this. I expect I'll maintain 'til my dying day that free trade is a good thing. For now, however, I maintain that where the US involves itself in trade matters, there is no such thing as free trade. This country doesn't know how to play nice in a global, regional, or other market, and it really frustrates me. We're completely pretectionist and xenophobic. It's really pathetic.

[Peebs]

Not the case at all.

Further it moves us further forward to a real global comuntiy, global government, adn removal of borders, One world, one people, one Gov

Well, I know American is gone because he is a little crybaby, but global government? That idea is just ridiculous. There is no way one government could run the entire world efficiently or fairly.

I don't really have an opinion on globalization, I know little about it. However, some of the people opposing it are freedom hating communists, so that turns me off.

Capitalism > Communism

[gentlemoose]

I don't really have an opinion on globalization, I know little about it. However, some of the people opposing it are freedom hating communists, so that turns me off.

Capitalism > Communism

Why would anyone other that one in a position of power hate freedom?

[Peebs]

Are you suggesting that communists cherish personal freedom? Marxists believe that a dictatorship, theirs, is necessary to protect society. They have agenda, one far more insidious than any capitalist.

[gentlemoose]

Are you suggesting that communists cherish personal freedom? Marxists believe that a dictatorship, theirs, is necessary to protect society. They have agenda, one far more insidious than any capitalist.

True Marxists/Communists (to blur the line a little) do NOT believe in a dictatorship. True Communism has never existed on this planet. True Communism is entirely free.

I would indeed suggest that Communists cherish what freedoms they are allowed, with the understanding that simply labeling a society communist does not make it so.

To backtrack to your earlier comment as well: Many of those opposing globalization are "freedom loving" Americans.

[Tame]

Well, uh, the "true" Marxists that led the revolution in the USSR believed that a dictatorship is needed to prepare the proletariat for "true" communism.

The reality is that unless everyone in a communist society agrees with the basic premises of communism, then either a.) true communism will not exist as black markets will appear or b.) force will be used by society to make the outliers fall into place.

[gentlemoose]

Well, uh, the "true" Marxists that led the revolution in the USSR believed that a dictatorship is needed to prepare the proletariat for "true" communism.

The reality is that unless everyone in a communist society agrees with the basic premises of communism, then either a.) true communism will not exist as black markets will appear or b.) force will be used by society to make the outliers fall into place.

That's true - and as I stated earlier, a true large-scale communist society has never existed. Dictatorial government control was never meant to exist for the decades it did in the Soviet Union. To call China a communist state is simply absurd, as well. As you said, government control is meant to prepare the proletariat; it's meant to be a very transient period of control.

I'm in no way trying to argue, btw, that communism is a possibility - This all began when I objected to some statement a few posts back about freedom-hating communists, or something like that. People don't hate freedom. Power structures can hate freedom.

[Tame]

Eh, some people can hate freedom. It isn't impossible.