fast track

Stopping The Trans-Pacific Partnership Is A ‘Black Issue’

May 12, 2015 Ajamu Baraka, www.popularresistance.org Educate! #BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter (BLM), fast track, TPP, Trade

USA - The Neoliberal assault on U.S. workers continues – this time with a slick move on the part of the 1% to sneak by the people a noxious trade bill called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP. The TPP is just one of measures the elite hopes to conclude using Barack Obama - their most effective weapon since Ronald Reagan for convincing the middle-class and working people to support policies that are objectively against their interests. Like the North American Free-trade Agreement ( NAFTA) concluded under Bill Clinton that promised jobs, balanced economic growth and prosperity but instead created economic devastation in the agricultural sector of Mexico and the loss of jobs in the U.S., the TPP promises more of the same but on a grander scale.

First Senate Vote On Fast Track For TPP On Tuesday

May 10, 2015 Resist! fast track, TPP

It is time to flood the senate with phone calls before the first vote on fast track (trade promotion authority) that would allow the president to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and other harmful rigged corporate agreements into law before Congress or the people see them. We have an excellent chance of stopping fast track and we must stop it, but to do so, people need to call their senators and tell everyone they know to do the same. (Call your senators, tell them “no” on fast track 202-224-3121). We can stop fast track and the TPP. We must do so to save jobs, protect our wages, food safety, internet freedom, right to protect our communities and more. In fact, the trade journal, Inside Trade, is predicting that it is “unlikely that congressional leaders will meet their goal of having Congress pass a Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) bill before it recesses on May 22 . . .” They report that some in the House are saying, it may not be until mid-June for the House to consider it. We are asking you to flood the senate with phone calls! Go to www.StopFastTrack.com for an easy tool that helps you reach your senators.

Newsletter – We Have A Duty To Fight For Our Freedom

May 9, 2015 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Newsletter Barack Obama, Cove Point, fast track, FERC, FERCus, Fracking, Gas, Human Rights, killed by police, Militarization, police brutality, Police violence, TPP

Chelsea Manning writes this week about the lack of transparency and declining press freedom in the United States. Transparency and press freedom are fundamental to democracy. Manning also connects these issues to our right to criticize our government without fear. Assata Shakur, who is currently living in exile in Cuba, says something we've been hearing a lot lately: "It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains."

Act Out! Episode 9 – #FreddieGray, TPP, Justice League & Paul Revere

May 1, 2015 Occupy, www.Occupy.org Educate! fast track, Free Trade, police brutality, TPP

Spring is rising and so are the people. We cover the latest from the front lines, starting with the fight against TPP and Fast Track featuring Bernie Sanders and a giant horse. Marchers from NYC arrive in DC calling for racial justice, and a push to end police violence and stop the militarization of our cops - the same week that Freddie Gray dies from injuries sustained during a police encounter. Striking at the root of systemic evil, Paul Revere takes his horse down to a GOP convention to decry corruption and we give you the upcoming events to watch out for and where to look. Finally, even a drunk guy can affect change. Small acts people, small acts. @ActOutOnOccupy

Trojan Horse Highlights Opposition To Fast Track Of Secret Deal

April 29, 2015 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! fast track, TPP, TTIP

Opponents of fast track trade authority from Popular Resistance, Public Citizen and Friends of the Earth rallied on Capitol Hill to welcome Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe as he came to speak to a Joint Session of Congress with a three story tall Trojan Horse. The theme of the protest was 'No Fast Track for Secret Corporate Trade Deals'. Banners read "No Fast Track for Secret Trojan Treaties" and "Stop the TPP: Transparency Release the Text." There were also signs in Japanese which said: “U.S. citizens stand in solidarity with Japanese citizens against the TPP” and “TPP = Trojan Horse”Fast Track Trojan Horse 3 The Trojan Horse protest was part of opposition to fast track which is growing and escalating its actions. The escalation among opponents is coming at a time when the Republican leadership is admitting it does not have the votes to pass fast track and Republican senators are beginning to come out against fast track.

Newsletter: The Moment Has Arrived, Now Is The Time

April 25, 2015 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.popularresistance.org Newsletter #BlackLivesMatter, Baltimore, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Corporatization, fast track, killed by police, Racism, TPP, Trade

After a more than three year campaign, the moment has arrived, now is the time. We are at the key battleground that will determine whether the TPP and other corporate trade agreements will become law. Fast track trade authority, as expected, passed the two committees of jurisdiction in the House and Senate. The next step is where we have always expected we could stop them, the full US House of Representatives. We must maintain our pressure on them to vote “No” on fast track. We urge you to continue to call your member frequently. You can use www.StopFastTrack.com to do that. And we urge you to organize actions in your local district during the next recess from May 2 to 11. This is a critical recess, if our support grows during the recess, it is unlikely they will be able to achieve majority support. Join the next weekly National Fast Track Resistance call on Wednesday, April 29 at 9 pm EDT/6 pm Pacific.

As Fast Track Moves In Committees, Opposition Builds

April 23, 2015 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.mintpressnews.com Educate! fast track, Free Trade Agreements, TAFTA, TPP, Trade, TTIP

Things are rapidly changing on Capitol Hill around fast track trade authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other corporate trade agreements. The article we wrote below, published in MintPress News, was written a few days ago but there are already important updates. The two Committees are very likely to pass the fast track and related bills. They are dominated by those in favor of fast track and "free" trade, then the real battle begins with the full House. The best estimates, as described below, have a majority of the House opposed to fast track, but pressure will be put on Congress by the White House, Republican leadership and mega-corporations so the movement against rigged corporate trade must escalate its actions. A good place to start is Stop Fast Track where you will be directed how to take action. If you are in the DC area sign up to be part of the rapid response team that Popular Resistance has developed

San Francisco Unanimously Opposes Fast Track

April 21, 2015 Food & Water Watch and Electronic Frontier Foundation, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! fast track, San Francisco, TPP

Another major Pacific port city, San Francisco, has voted against fast track for the TPP. We recently reported on Seattle's City Council unanimously opposing fast track, now the SF Board of Supervisors has also unanimously opposed the bill. The Electronic Frontier Foundation writes about the vote in "San Francisco Opposes TPP Fast Track in New Resolution" and urges people to tweet Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer. Pelosi and Hoyer are key votes on fast track as they tend toward supporting President Obama, but they also do not want to be out of step with the Democratic House members. Pelosi has a history of opposing fast track legislation. The Board of Supervisors vote should help push Pelosi to come out in opposition to fast track. In addition, the ranking member on the Ways and Means Committee, Sander Levin, has also come out in strong opposition saying it is his mission to "defeat the Hatch-Wyden bill," further pushing Pelosi and Hoyer to stay with the Democratic Caucus which overwhelmingly opposes fast track.

Rep. Levin: ‘I’m Out To Defeat The Hatch-Wyden Bill’

April 19, 2015 Michael McAuliff and Jennifer Bendery, www.huffingtonpost.com Resist! fast track, Free Trade Agreements, TAFTA, TPP, TTIP

Levin said that by failing to address Democrats' concerns about the deals, Obama and the sponsors of the TPA legislation had dramatically raised the chances that opponents will seek to block the measure. "The administration has essentially given us the power to defeat TPA," Levin said during a discussion with reporters in which he released seven pages of objections to the fast-track legislation that he said had not been addressed. The Michigan Democrat's comments may be of particular concern to the administration because while Levin had previously been critical of the trade negotiations, he had not come out against granting Obama the fast track. That's no longer the case. After Hatch, Wyden and Ryan culminated negotiations with the White House over TPA that excluded Levin and other Democrats, Levin announced his opposition in no uncertain terms. "I'm out to defeat the Hatch-Wyden bill," he said Friday.

Newsletter – We Demand Accountability

April 18, 2015 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Newsletter Banking, Climate Change, Corporatism, Corruption, Democracy, Empire, fast track, killed by police, Police abuse, Taxes, TPP, Wages, Wealth Ineqaulity, World Bank

On Tax Day, April 15, 61 year old Doug Hughes, a mailman from Florida, landed a gyrocopter on the Capitol lawn to deliver 535 letters to members of Congress in order “to spotlight corruption of Congress and to present a solution to legalized bribery.” Hughes told the Tampa Bay News that "I'd rather die in the flight than live to be 80 years old and see this country fall." He has been released on bond with home detention and returns to court on May 8th to face charges of operating an unregistered aircraft and violating restricted airspace, facing a total of four years incarceration. On Saturday, April 11, 22 year old Leo Thornton shot and killed himself in front of the Capitol. He had a sign taped to his hand that read, “Tax the 1%.” The media ignored him, some called him an extremist and did not report his "radical" message of fair taxes. Protests by individuals and groups become impactful when they ignite others to join, to mobilize in support of the call. We urge you to support protests by participating, spreading the word and mobilizing in whatever way you can.

Fast Track Introduced, Opposition Grows Against Rigged Trade

April 17, 2015 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! fast track, Free Trade Agreements, TAFTA, TPP, TTIP

Yesterday, Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT), Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) introduced a fast track bill that they will be pushing hard to get through the legislative process as quickly as possible. A hearing is planned for next Thursday in the Senate Finance Committee to mark-up the bill and perhaps vote on it. Hatch and Wyden spoke in flowery terms about the bill at a hearing on April 16, 2015 but when all the flowers are removed, not much has changed. The bill is a transfer of constitutional responsibility for trade to the president. The statements were misleading at best and at the announcement people working with Popular Resistance decided we needed to show our opposition. We stood up and turned our back on the committee as US Trade Representative Michael Froman was testifying. We also protested outside of the Dirksen Senate Office building showing our opposition to fast track for rigged corporate trade. One of their talking points is there are nearly 150 congressional objectives in the bill implying this gives Congress a role in setting the direction of the bill. But, the Trans-Pacific Partnership has been negotiated in secret by the Obama administration since 2009 and is nearly complete so how are these 150 objectives going to be met?

Now Is The Time: People’s Block Of Fast Track

April 12, 2015 Staff, www.flushthetpp.org Resist! fast track, TPP

In addition to the actions below in Washington, DC there are actions being planned all over the country on April 18th. Join one or organize one for this International Day of Action, see here. And, in the meantime visit www.StopFastTrack.com and call your representatives. The next three weeks are going to be determinative as to whether we succeed in stopping fast track for rigged trade agreements. The Senate Finance Committee is gearing up to introduce a Fast Track bill next week! The Committee, and Congress in general, are getting lots of pressure (and money) from Obama and the multinational corporations to pass Fast Track. When the bill drops (if it does) there will be a powerful people’s response across the country and around the world. In D.C., we are calling this the “No Fast Track People’s Block,” a constant stream of actions to stop Fast Track and rigged corporate deals like the TPP and TTIP. Here is a preliminary schedule and some ideas.

Newsletter: Shake Off Hypnosis, See Root Causes Of Crises

April 11, 2015 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Newsletter fast track, killed by police, Media, NSA, Privacy, spying, Student Activism, TPP, Walter Scott

An ambitious young journalist who wanted to speak truth to power, Matt Kennard, was writing for the Financial Times. He quickly learned the corporate media was not the place to tell truths that the power structure did not want to hear. Now he has written a new book, “The Racket: A Rogue Reporter Takes on the Masters of the Universe,” which does speak truth to power.Time for Truth Kennard describes the racket as the “global elite’s prolonged war on the people of our world with the sole aim of pumping up their bottom line.” That ‘war’ has come home and is being waged against people. Just as Matt Kennard shook off the hypnosis and saw reality, we must not be afraid to see the truth around us. Once we do the root causes of the crisis become evident. And, in the end we must fight for a revolution of values; values that end the violence of militarism, racism and capitalism; lead to cooperation between people working together for social, economic and environmental justice. And, when we seek that we will quickly recognize we are not alone, millions are already on that path with us.

White House Reveals Desperate Lack of Support for TPP

April 7, 2015 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.PopularResistance.org Educate! Climate Change, Environment, fast track, TPP

WASHINGTON — The White House has published a handful of comments from “environmental groups” implying widespread support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other corporate trade agreements. Yet these cherry-picked comments from some of the most conservative, corporate-funded environmental groups actually reveal the administration’s desperation to find any support for such deals. Indeed, the reality is that scores of major environmental organizations including Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, League of Conservation Voters, Defenders of Wildlife, Union of Concerned Scientists, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, 350.org, and many others oppose the TPP and have spoken out against fast-track trade authority. They recognize the TPP as a backward step for environmental protection that will help push the world over the tipping point for climate change.

Newsletter: Austerity, Debt & Environmental Degradation

April 4, 2015 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.PopularResistance.org Newsletter Austerity, Climate Change, climate crisis, Environment, fast track, Globalization, Living Wage, Neoliberalism, Pipelines, TPP, Worker Rights and Jobs

Last week, we wrote about the epidemic of neoliberalism. This week, as major protests erupt in Canada, Mexico and Belgium, we discuss its sister, austerity. In neo-liberal economics, wealth is funneled to the top through increasing privatization of the public and cuts to social services. This can only occur if those who are not at the top are subjected to austerity measures. Those at the bottom are squeezed, suffer financial insecurity and the inability to meet basic needs. Rather than these realities weakening our ability to stand up we must stand together in solidarity to take care of each other and build our power in the struggle. People are becoming more aware that their individual struggles are against system-wide problems and are seeing that when the people are united, they can win. Let’s keep building solidarity and unity of action so the muscle of people power grows.

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