------ Forwarded Message From: Jim Goronson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2005 16:12:41 -0500 To: US-El Salvador Sister Cities Network <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Adam Flint -Binghamton (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Alice Pickett - Concord (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Anne Cowan-ManhattanKS (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Art & Sue Lloyd (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Barbara Schaible - Lawrence (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Bianca Storlazzi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Bob Chessy -Austin (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Dave Schott-Baltimore <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Donna Borden-Rhodes (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Elizabeth Pappalardo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Ellen Eggers - Sacramento (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "ES Staff (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Jane Cunningham - Spokane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Jeff Baker -Austin (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Jen Cox - KWRU (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Jeremy Sites - Binghamton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Jessica-BAJA <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Jim Wallace - Cambridge <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Jo McNerthney -Bellingham (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Joanie Brooks - Philadelphia (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "John Hannan (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Joyce Vandegrift - Wichita (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Karen Volckhausen (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Kates-Chinoy - Bangor (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Mark Larson - Lawrence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Mary Megson -Arlington (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, MASCP <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Michael Ring-SEIU <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Mick Palmer -Lawrence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "MOFGA (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Nancy Nelson -Spokane (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Pat Arvidson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Sara Skidmore - Baltimore (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Sheila Brady - Chicago <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Sue Nye <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Suzanne Geoghegan (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Michael Ring <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Dick Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Cindy Lohrentz (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "David Leaman (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Dozthor Zurlent <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Jerry Pendergast (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Jim Hoover <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "John Poole (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Lezley Jones (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Liz Gurney <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Nadine Zelle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Saul Araujo (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Sheila Brady - Chicago <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Theo Lesczynski (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Tim Lohrentz (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Valerie Busch-Zurlent (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: ACTION ALERT: April 13th is CAFTA National Call-in day
Dear Sister Cities members and friends, Well, THIS TIME it looks like we may be getting close to a vote on (DR-)CAFTA in Congress. The fabulous news is WE CAN DEFEAT CAFTA in Congress!!! Let's help send CAFTA/the FTAA/bush's second term packing by participating in the national call-in day to Congressional reps on April 13th (see below)! In Solidarity, Jim USESSC -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [LAsolidarity] ACTION ALERT: April 13th is CAFTA National Call-in day Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2005 15:31:17 -0400 From: Burke Stansbury <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Organization: CISPES To: lasolidarity <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sorry for Cross-posting - please forward to other lists *URGENT ACTION ALERT: Bush Administration Pushing for CAFTA Vote by May - Congressional Hearings Scheduled for April 13th * (please see www.stopcafta.org for info en espaņol and to download the alert and call-in script) ***************************************************** *APRIL 13th IS CAFTA NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY* Be part of the Global Week of Action on Trade and call your members of Congress to encourage them to vote against CAFTA The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)-which includes Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic-is the biggest free trade agreement Congress has considered in more than 10 years. Unless we can turn this flawed approach to trade around, agreements like CAFTA will put more workers out of a job, jeopardize rur al farmers, threaten the environment, reduce access to life-saving medicines and stifle democracy. The Bush Administration is sending a strong message that they are ready to test whether they have enough votes in Congress to pass CAFTA. This will be done through formal hearings in the House Ways and Means Committee (April 21st) and the Senate Finance Committee (April 13th). Because of "fast track", if either committee decides to send the trade pact to the floor, then there will be a yes or no vote that must be done within 15 days. Take action to help stop CAFTA: call your Congress member in the House of Representatives and Senate Finance Committee members. - Call the AFL-CIO sponsored toll-free number to the Capitol switch board at 1-888-355-3588 (just available on April 13th) - Need help figuring out who your House Representative is? Go to www.house.gov and enter your zip code - If you have a moment, please also call your Senator if he or she is on the Senate Finance Committee see list below or at www.stopcafta.org - Call-in script available below or at www.stopcafta.org - For more Global Week of Action events visit www.april2005.org A CROSS COALITION CALL Visit our websites for more information on CAFTA Alliance for Responsible Trade, Citizens Trade Campaign, Interfaith Working Group on Trade and Investment, Jubilee USA Network, Mobilization for Global Justice, Stop CAFTA Coalition, United Students for Fair Trade, and the US Gender and Trade Network ******************************************************* PRESSURE THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE ON CAFTA! Call the AFL-CIO sponsored toll-free number to the Capitol switch board at 1-888-355-3588 (just avai lable on April 13th) The Senate Finance Committee begins CAFTA hearings on April 13. Though the campaign against CAFTA has thus far focused on the House of Representatives, it is important to target Senators now as they begin the process of presenting CAFTA legislation. If one of your Senators is listed below, then call her or him and use the Call-in Day script to demand a "No" vote on CAFTA. Let the committee know that we won't let CAFTA go to the floor without a fight! Republicans CHARLES GRASSLEY, IA ORRIN G. HATCH, UT TRENT LOTT, MS OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, ME JON KYL, AZ CRAIG THOMAS, WY RICK SANTORUM, PA BILL FRIST, TN GORDON SMITH, OR JIM BUNNING, KY MIKE CRAPO, ID Democrats MAX BAUCUS, MT JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, WV KENT CONRAD, ND JAMES M. JEFFORDS, VT JEFF BINGAMAN, NM JOHN F. KERRY, MA BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, AR RON WYDEN, OR CHARLES E. SCHUMER, NY *************************************************************** SCRIPT FOR CONGRESSIONAL CALL-IN DAY ON CAFTA April 13th, 2005 - Go to www.stopcafta.org for a Spanish version of this script Call the AFL-CIO sponsored toll-free number to the Capitol switch board at 1-888-355-3588 (just available on April 13th) When you call: - Ask to speak to the trade staffer, chief of staff or legislative director - Tell them you are a constituent and want to know your Rep's position on CAFTA (unless you already know) - If the Rep is opposed to the agreement and will vote against it, thank him/her. Ask him/her to make that opposition public, and for a letter stating his/her position. - If the Rep is undecided, say that you oppose CAFTA based on the talking points below (you can offer to email these talking points) and urge them to vote no. - If the Rep is for CAFTA, urge them to reconsider. Inform the office that you intend to spread the word that the Rep is voting against the public interest. SCRIPT/TALKING POINTS Hello, my n ame is _______ and I live in _______. I'm calling to ask Representative _______ to vote against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA); I am deeply concerned about CAFTA and believe that the agreement will have terrible consequences for Central America, the Dominican Republic and our own country. - If passed CAFTA will threaten the livelihoods of millions of small farmers in Central America and the DR, while increasing domination by agricultural monopolies and hurting U.S. family farmers - It threatens to prevent access to affordable life saving medicines in a region where half the population live in poverty. - It will prohibit governments in the region from ensuring that foreign investment serves national development goals, and has a provision like NAFTA?s Chapter 11 that would allow foreign corporations to sue governments that pass strong labor, public health or environmental laws. - It does NOT include adequate enforcement for violations of internationally reco gnized labor and environmental standards. - It includes rules that promote privatization and deregulation of services including education, health care, postal service, construction, transportation and water supply. Such policies have proved particularly devastating for families living in poverty. - CAFTA will pave the way for more trade agreements such as the Andean Free Trade Agreement and the Free Trade Area of the Americas which would extend this flawed model to the whole Western Hemisphere. After 10 years of NAFTA, we know firsthand the devastating effects of this economic model. Expanding it in CAFTA ultimately threatens workers, farmers, women, the environment, and democratic institutions in the U.S. and the region. I strongly urge Representative_________ to stand up for trade justice by voting NO to CAFTA in Congress and sending the message to the Administration that U.S. trade policies must promote fair trade and sustainable development policies designed to reduce po verty in the U.S. and the region. FURTHER BACKGROUND INFO Hundreds of civil society groups representing labor, environmental organizations, family farmers, consumers, Latin American solidarity, and immigrants? rights organizations have already expressed their opposition to CAFTA, and many Congressional Reps have taken this to heart. Though CAFTA has been ratified in 3 Central American countries-despite huge protests and police violence-this strong cross-border opposition to the agreement has prevented the Bush Administration from submitting it to Congress up until now. However, the clock is ticking and with the beginning of Senate and House hearings on April 13, it is clear that CAFTA supporters are pushing for a vote by Memorial Day. The vote on CAFTA is effectively a referendum on NAFTA; if it is defeated, it will be mark a huge step towards stopping other such free trade agreements and open the way for an alternative trade model that truly addresses issues of poverty an d inequality. A coalition of progressive organizations in the US is celebrating an April Week of on Trade by focusing on CAFTA. For more information, www.stopcafta.org or www.april2005.org _______________________________________________ LAsolidarity mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/lasolidarity free hosting provided by http://www.mutualaid.org/ To unsubscribe, send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------ End of Forwarded Message
