fast track

Connection Between Rigged Trade & Rigged Government

March 26, 2015 Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Educate! Corporatism, Corruption, fast track, TPP

This week Congressional Quarterly reported that Senator Wyden was holding a fundraiser at Bistro Bis, an upscale restaurant near Capitol Hill. The invitation said “Friends of all industries are welcome to attend.” The day before the event we called for a protest in order to highlight that Wyden was fundraising for industries that would profit from fast track. After our call for a protest, he moved the fundraiser to a still undisclosed location. It was interesting to see how quickly he moved to hide his actions at the big bribe-fest. He’s being tight-lipped not only about where it was held but who attended and how much money was raised. What’s he hiding?

Newsletter: Praise For The Radicals

March 22, 2015 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.popularresistance.org Newsletter Civil Rights, Corporatization, fast track, Globalization, Martin Luther King Jr, Racism, Radicals, TPP

In his recent article, “The Dance of Liberals and Radicals”, the liberal Robert Kuttner writes, “No great social change in America has occurred without radicals, beginning with the struggle to end slavery. Causes that now seem mainstream began with radical, impolite and sometimes civil disobedient protest.” We at Popular Resistance share the view that there need to be people and groups who see the bigger picture, who fight for what is not on the table and who are willing to put their bodies on the line to make change. Those are the people we try to lift up in our daily coverage of the movement because they are rarely recognized and are usually lacking in resources. Yesterday we marched in Washington, DC for Spring Rising with our friends in the peace and Black Lives Matter movements.

Flood Congress – No TPP, No Fast Track!

March 20, 2015 Art Killing Apathy, www.artkillingapathy.com Resist! Congress, Democracy, fast track, Free Trade, TPP

Earlier today, activists lead by Popular Resistance flooded Congress in a silent protest against TPP and Fast Track. Starting in the Dirksen building, activists put on vests noting all the facets of our lives and rights that would be “Silenced” by the TPP and Fast Track. Along with the vests, blue tape was also used to physically silence the groups as we flooded through the halls of Congress. Split into two groups, activists walked by Congressional offices in the Hart building, accompanied by Press and supporters. Police intervened after a banner drop after which the activists headed to Senator Ron Wyden’s office to drop off personally written letters and occupy his office.

Thursday: Flood Congress To Stop Fast Track For TPP

March 16, 2015 Mackenzie McDonald Wilkins, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! fast track, TAFTA, TPP, TTIP

Across the country people are rising up against corporate free trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnerhsip (TTIP). Through continuous organizing and creative action we have shown that we have the power to stop the world's largest corporations, to end their assault on our communities, workplaces, democracy, and environment. But we still have a big fight on our hands, the fight of a lifetime, and no one will lead this battle but us. Join us next week as we "Flood Congress" to express our collective disillusionment with the corporate "free trade" agenda. We will gather next Thursday, March 19, at 11:30 AM in the downstairs food court in Union Station (Washington D.C.) for lunch and training before we head to Congress. Please RSVP to mackenzie@popularresistance.org so that we can keep in touch with you if details change.

Newsletter: Redefining The 21st Century

March 14, 2015 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.popularresistance.org Newsletter #BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Climate Change, fast track, FERC, Internet Freedom, Mass Surveillance, TPP

In his story about how he became aware, Marcus Godwyn writes, "I don’t know about you but when it comes to this 21st century, so far, I’m distinctly not a fan!" It is up to us to redefine what the 21st century ultimately means. To that end, here is what happened this week and what is coming up. The Internet in the 21st Century The new net neutrality rules were published this week and the good news from our friends at Free Press is that the Internet as a common carrier has been restored. Matt Wood says, “These rules are an all-too-rare example of Washington actually working for the people.” This only happened because people organized and mobilized to make it happen. The result was an unexpected one and would not have occurred without a people's intervention.

Fast Track: We’re Winning, Phony Group Created, Repubs Say No

March 12, 2015 Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! fast track, TPP

People across the political spectrum are recognizing that past claims about trade and jobs have been false and it is more accurate to call these agreements "job-killing trade agreements." As the Coalition for Prosperous America writes: "While it's been too slow, the country is now beginning to see that the deals they supported in the past have not produced the growth and job creation that were promised. America was lied to. The promotional trade treaty arguments of today are simply re-runs of past arguments that turned out to be false." Reuters reports: “Nearly 5 million U.S. manufacturing jobs — one in four — have been lost since NAFTA and the various post-NAFTA expansion deals were enacted through fast track.” And, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports: 3 out of 5 displaced workers who found a job are earning less money and one-third took a pay cut of 20% or more.

Stop The Fast Track To A Future Of Global Corporate Rule

March 12, 2015 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.PopularResistance.org Educate! Corporatism, fast track, TAFTA, TPP, TTIP

Several major international agreements are under negotiation which would greatly empower multinational corporations and the World Economic Forum is promoting a new model of global governance that creates a hybrid government-corporate structure. Humankind is proceeding on a path to global corporate rule where transnational corporations would not just influence public policy, they would write the policies and vote on them. The power of nation-states and people to determine their futures would be weakened in a system of corporate rule. The Obama administration has been negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) over the past five years, is currently pushing Congress to pass trade promotion authority (known as fast track) which would allow him to sign these agreements before they go to Congress. Then Congress would have a limited time to read thousands of pages of technical legal language, debate the contents and be banned from making amendments.

Newsletter: At A Critical Juncture, Rise Up!

March 7, 2015 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.popularresistance.org Newsletter Civil Rights, climate crisis, Corporatism, fast track, police brutality, Racism, TPP

We are at a critical juncture in world history. We live in a globalized world. That is the reality. But at present, it is a world that is increasingly dominated by multi-national corporations and big finance capital that controls national policies. The result of this system is exploitation of people and the planet and the use of the security state to oppress those who resist or to gather resources. William Dalrymple reminds us of the serious consequences that can result from such an arrangement in his article about the East India Company. It is up to us to rise together and fight back, to resist the expansion of corporate power and to build new systems that are more democratic, just and sustainable. We are with you in this struggle. People power, applied strategically, can succeed.

Movement Launches Nationwide Actions Opposing Pacific Trade Deal

March 7, 2015 Occupy, www.occupy.com Resist! Democracy, fast track, Free Trade, TPP

These trade agreements are structured solely in the interest of corporate gain. The TPP and Fast Track are bringing together odd bedfellows like in Spokane, Wash., where Tea Party members and Occupiers are coming together in opposition. Eleanor Goldfield, a musician with Rooftop Revolutionaries and activist with the Rolling Rebellion, says passage of the TPP and Fast Track would “turn corporate personhood into corporate nationhood by creating international court systems and trade tribunals that allow corporations to challenge laws enacted by countries in the interest of public health, safety and justice.” With this sovereignty, corporations would hold sway over nearly every facet of our lives, from food to Internet access. As Julian Assange wrote, “If you read, write, publish, think, listen, dance, sing or invent; if you farm or consume food; if you’re ill now or might one day be ill, the TPP has you in its crosshairs.”

Anti-Fast-Track Momentum Builds

March 7, 2015 Dave Johnson, www.ourfuture.org Resist! Democracy, fast track, TPP, Trade

Fast track is a process under which Congress agrees to bypass its duty to define, consider, debate and approve trade deals. Fast track limits discussion and debate and gives Congress only 90 days in which to bring the deal up for a vote. It is a rigged process designed to ensure that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, the “history’s largest trade deal“, is pushed through Congress before the public has time to fully analyze, understand and consider its ramifications and organize opposition if opposition is warranted. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has said that negotiations on a new fast-track trade promotion authority bill are “stuck” and no bill will be introduced before April. On the one hand this is a good sign; there is enough opposition that they are holding back the bill. On the other hand, this could mean that the bill will be introduced with a very short time for legislators to consider its full implications before having to vote on it.

Act Out!: Internet Mobilizes & Wins; TPP Next

March 5, 2015 Eleanor Goldfield, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! fast track, FCC, Net Neutrality, TPP

Act Out! is a new video series we will be highlighting on Popular Resistance. It has been created by musician, activist and author Eleanor Goldfield and appears on the Occupy.com YouTube channel. In this first installment of Act Out!, Eleanor Goldfield takes on a sprawling corporate trade deal and celebrates the national movement that's mobilizing to protect the Internet from corporate interests. Breaking down the Trans-Pacific Partnership, she highlights the work being done by activists around the country – and shows ways that you can get involved, whether through a phone call, a meme or a late night adventure. In recognition of the recent historic victory of people power vs. corporate power in the FCC decision, Eleanor showcases some of the diverse and creative ways that groups worked to raise awareness and defend Net Neutrality, including dance parties, hand puppets, projections – and showing the award-winning documentary Killswitch. From tweets to marching in the streets, this is Act Out! Episode 1.

Fast-Track Trade Bill Unlikely To Come To Congress Before April

March 4, 2015 Krista Hughes, www.reuters.com Resist! fast track, Law, Senate, TPP, Trade

The chairman of the U.S. Senate committee responsible for trade said on Tuesday it is unlikely that a fast-track trade bill will come before lawmakers for consideration before April. Senator Hatch had hoped to introduce Fast Track last week, then this week while the Obama administration said they hoped it would be passed in March. Protests have been mounting. Popular Resistance is holding a “Toast-In” to emphasize his career is toast if he co-sponsors Fast Track because 73% of Oregonians oppose Fast Track. "It does not look like it will come up before April at this point because of all the work that has to be done on budget and such in March," Republican Orrin Hatch said, in reply to a question about when the bill would fit in the legislative calendar. The panel's top Democrat, Ron Wyden, said negotiators are continuing to find common ground.

Join The ‘Toast-In’ To Stop Fast Track!

March 1, 2015 Mackenzie McDonald, www.popularresistance.org Resist! fast track, TPP

The Toast in: From Tuesday (March 3) through Thursday (March 5), 11AM-5PM, we will sit in Wyden's office with plates of toast, signs that look like toast, toast memes, a giant piece of toast, a toaster in the office, and more! We are just developing these ideas so let us know if you have other thoughts. Ideally we will have two or more people in his office at all times for these three days, making our presence felt. It is his D.C. office at 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. If you can participate please email info@popularresistance.org with the dates and times that you are available and what you prefer (how much time, which days, etc) your preferred email and your phone number, and any comments or concerns. If you can't join us in person, call his office during the Toast-In and encourage others to do the same. Forward this message widely so we can fill up his office!

Newsletter: When People Mobilize, We Can Win

February 28, 2015 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.PopularResistance.org Newsletter Climate Change, Cove Point, fast track, FCC Internet, Fracking, Gas, Gas export, Net Neutrality, Reclassification, TPP, Trade

This week was a busy one for Popular Resistance as three key campaigns had major updates. The success of the ten-month campaign to reclassify the Internet as a common carrier under Title II of the Federal Communications Act to ensure net neutrality has been widely reported. While widely reported, not all the reports described how the movement actually achieved it or what it means. We held a three-day sit-in at Senator Ron Wyden’s office. We are focused on Wyden because he is negotiating with Senator Orrin Hatch on Fast Track legislation. If Wyden joins with Hatch he will provide cover to other Democrats by making this a bi-partisan bill. The campaign to save Cove Point from a Dominion Resources fracked gas export terminal had a major event this week when 24 people went on trial.

The Senate Blockbuster Trade Showdown The Media Ignored

February 27, 2015 Dave Johnson, ourfuture.org Resist! fast track, TPP

Eight senators on Thursday let the country know there is going to be a fight over fast-track trade authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took to the Senate floor to speak about fast track, TPP and fair trade. There was apparently not a single report of this in the nation’s news media, continuing the blackout of news on fast track and TPP. A fight is coming because past trade deals have cost jobs and wages, devastated entire regions, and accelerated corporate power and income/wealth inequality – which it is becoming clear was the intent. Whitehouse, for example, said parts of TPP are “a question of pure raw economic power by massive corporate interests being used to make governments knuckle under.” Sanders said, “Enough is enough. This country now is in a major race to the bottom.”

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