ACTION ALERT: April 13th is CAFTA National Call-in day

[Guest guest]

.... (AT) witnessforpeace (DOT) org>

Thu, 07 Apr 2005 10:05:34 -0600

ACTION ALERT: April 13th is CAFTA National Call-in day

 

 

>Greetings!

 

> Witness for Peace is an active member of several of the coalitions

>sponsoring this call to action, please call your members of Congress

on April 13th and circulate this important action alert to others in

your communities.

>Thanks for your continued work towards peace, justice and sustainable

economies in the Americas~

>

 

>URGENT ACTION ALERT: Bush Administration Pushing for CAFTA Vote by

May - Congressional Hearings Scheduled for April 13th

>

> (go to http://www.stopcafta.org for more info)

>

>*****************************************************

>

>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 rural 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 available 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 name 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 recognized 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 poverty 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 and 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

>

>

>

>PLEASE NOTE: the toll-free number was generously provided by the

AFL-CIO, but WITH CERTAIN CONDITIONS:

>

>1) It is absolutely NOT to be posted on ANY web site, or placed in

any newspapers, etc.

>

>2) It can be sent (email or otherwise) to your lists of activists

(but not to generic lists)

>

>3) It is only available for calls to Congress about CAFTA, and only

on April 13.

>

>PLEASE respect these conditions!

>

>The number will connect the caller to an operator who will patch the

>caller

>through to the member of Congress requested.