Mn-prog-events Mailing List: Progressive Calendar 07.29.05

[David Shove (shove001]

             P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R     07.29.05

1. Venezuela panel    7.29 6:30pm
2. Mpls ward 5/MTN    7.29 9:30pm

3. Grand Av/local     7.30 11am
4. Southside festival 7.30 11am
5. Peace games        7.30 1pm
6. Somali resources   7.30 1pm
7. Rice St parade     7.30 5pm
8. Lila Lipscomb/9-11 7.30 7pm
9. Frinj frinj        7.30 9pm

10. Sensible vigil    7.31 12noon
11. Freedom festival  7.31 1:30pm
12. GPSP cc           7.31 4pm
13. KFAI/Indian       7.31 4pm

14. Deborah James - Democracy sold out: CAFTA approved by pork
15. David Sirota  - Targeting the 15 Democratic sellouts who passed CAFTA
16. Joshua Frank  - Blame the Democrats: passing CAFTA
17. ed            - To pass CAFTA (poem)

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From: Becky Ellis <bellis48_205 [at] msn.com>
Subject: Venezuela panel 7.29 6:30pm

In mid June, the government announced it will soon launch the third phase
of Barrio Adentro. This includes repairing and re-equipping the country's
299 public hospitals and building In mid new ones that would offer care
like the clinics operated by Cuban doctors.

Landless peasants in Venezuela won a big victory when the government
announced it will expropriate about half the land on a cattle farm owned
by a large British company.

Initial reports indicate that Washington will use the Venezuelan
government's expressed desire to develop nuclear energy to escalate its
hostile campaign against Caracas.

Panel:  Curtis Wilson - delegate to World Youth Festival in Venezuela in
August; Representative of Twin Cities Venezuela Committee; Tom Fiske -
Socialist Workers Party

Friday, July 29
Dinner 6:30pm * Program 7:30pm
Militant Labor Forum Hall
113 Bernard St E, West St Paul
Donation $10 ($5 program only, $2 students)
For more information call 651-644-6325


--------2 of 17--------

From: Shawn Lewis <lewiss [at] email.com>
Subject: Mpls ward 5/MTN 7.29 9:30PM

Natalie and Don will  be on Art Cunningham's show tonight at 930 pm on MTN
Channel 17


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From: Jesse Mortenson <teknoj [at] gmail.com>
Subject: Grand Av/local 7.30 11am

Saturday 7.30 folks concerned with the next wave of chain stores setting
their sites on Grand Avenue will meet up at 11am at Amore Coffee (917
Grand) to canvass Blooming Day visitors with a pro-local business message.

http://www.metroiba.org/bloomingday

Please consider joining us if you'd like to talk to Grand Ave. visitors
about the benefits of supporting local businesses. We'll be signing up
supporters for more information on long-term solutions to the problem, and
we'll also have citywide size cap petitions on hand for folks who are
excited about Good Business development in general.

Sincerely, Jesse Mortenson
Green Party of St. Paul's Small Is Beautiful Cmte. and (very) small
business owner


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From: List Manager <mplslist [at] tcq.net>
Subject: Southside festival  7.30 11am

Contact: Tiffany Green, tiffany.green [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us;  office
(612) 673-2208

4TH ANNUAL SOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY FESTIVAL & GET OUT THE VOTE CELEBRATION
Saturday July 30, 2005 11am-5pm @ Green Central Park (3400 4th Ave. S.)

(Minneapolis, July 15, 2005) --A community event with the purpose of
bringing neighbors together; increasing awareness of the city, state, and
community resources available to members of the Southside community and to
encourage partnerships between neighbors and organizations.  The primary
focus has always been a voter registration drive. The mission of the 4th
Annual Southside Community Festival and Get Out to Vote Celebration is as
follows:

Mission: To build a community where children feel safe to play and grow;
where diverse families can fellowship and build strong relationships;
where goods and services needed by the community are within walking
distance of home; and where government supports the activities of
residents and provides them assistance to achieve their goals.

Event Highlights: This event will be hosted by Council Member Robert
Lilligren. The featured entertainment is Wayne McFarlane and the Jahz
Band. There will also be entertainment from local acts (tumblers, a senior
dance group, gospel rap, spoken word etc.).  MTN will tape this event and
rebroadcast on public access. PCTV will also tape the event and focus on
youth issues. MADDADS will supply the free food (hamburger, hotdogs,
condiments, potato chips, water, and watermelon). There will also be a
cooling tent. 8 bikes of various sizes and one television will be raffled
off.  There will be games for children, face painting, free toys, and the
wading pool will be open. Local vendors, elected officials and community
organizations will also be participating.

Special Thanks to all of our 2005 Sponsors! GOLD SPONSORS:  8th Ward City
Council Office, MADDADS, Green Central Park & Gym, Central Weed & Seed,
Community Collaborative, Target Foundation, and Minnesota
Spokesman-Recorder SILVER SPONSORS: Xcel Energy, James Ford Bell
Foundation, and Allina Health System BRONZE SPONSORS: Hakeem for Mayor
Campaign, Volunteers for Elizabeth Glidden, Midwest Challenge, Inc.,
Minneapolis Urban League Juvenile Advocacy Program, African American Men's
Project, and Parents In Community Action, Inc.


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From: kevin reich <k.reich [at] rocketmail.com>
Subject: Peace games  7.30 1pm

PEACE GAMES BEGIN THIS MONTH

Estimated 1,500 Minneapolis young people, ages 9-18, to participate in
sports, dance, spoken word, art, music

At a time when the homicide rate in Minneapolis is up by 50 percent, the
PEACE Foundation has launched a community-wide initiative to prevent
violence. The keystone to their PEACE Summer is the upcoming PEACE Games,
which begin on July 30th. The PEACE Games will run for two weeks and give
an estimated 1,500 young people opportunities to participate in sports,
dance, and spoken word.

Competitions begin on Monday, August 1st. The Games will conclude Sunday,
August 13th with competition finals and an evening artistic showcase. The
purpose of the Games is to bring Minneapolis and surrounding communities
together with the Northside to prevent violence this summer.

A stipend leadership team of fifteen at-risk youth from the Northside has
been created to help run the games. These fifteen part-time five week
positions will offer an opportunity for youth to build their leadership
skills and participate meaningfully in positive community activity. The
PEACE Foundation hopes to seek additional opportunities after the Games
for this group of fifteen youth. This component was initiated in
collaboration with Urban Youth Conservation, an emerging organization of
ex-gang members who are working together to reach out to youth currently
at-risk for gang and drug trade involvement.

"Looking ahead five or ten years, I can see the Games as a collaborative
force that will help turn the tide against violence and apathy among young
people in our community," said Sondra Samuels, PEACE Foundation
President. "The PEACE Games are offering at-risk youth on the Northside
what they need to choose a different life - the opportunity to be part of
something positive," said Jimmy Stanback, Urban Youth Conservation
member.

Highlights of the Games include:

Blast Off! Festival & Opening Ceremony - Saturday, July 30th, 1-4pm at
North Commons Park (family and youth festival)

Showcase at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden/Walker Art Center
Thursday, August 11th, 1-4pm cultural festival; 5-8pm art showcase

Youth Street Party - Friday, August 12th, 7-10pm, North Commons

Event Finals, Track & Field Day, Wrestling Tournament - Saturday, August
13th, 9am to 4pm, locations:  North Commons, North High

PEACE Tour Kick Off - Saturday, August 13th, 7 - 8:30pm, North High

Worship Festival - Sunday, August 14th, 4 - 6pm, Outdoor worship service
sponsored by Sanctuary Covenant, Farview Park

All community events are open to the public and are an opportunity for
groups and individuals from throughout the Twin Cities to come to North
Minneapolis and participate in the Games.  Competing teams representing
their Minneapolis neighborhoods will participate in five sports, as well
as spoken word, dance and visual art. The sports will include: Basketball,
Baseball, Softball, Track & Field, and wrestling. A PEACE Village located
at North Commons will be open for youth involvement from Monday, August 1
through Friday, August 5, between the hours of 1-4pm and 5-8pm. Forums,
workshops, and activities are planned for individuals and groups of youth
to participate.  Minneapolis Park and Recreation centers, youth serving
organizations and congregations will sponsor the teams. The PEACE Games
are the work of the PEACE Foundation, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation
Board, and the Walker Art Center. The General Mills Foundation, North
Memorial Medical Center and Hennepin County are major sponsors of the
Games to date.

PEACE Games started in 1957 in Flint, Michigan and Ontario, Canada as
youth participated in an amateur athletic weekend to promote fellowship
and cultural understanding between two cities and countries. The
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board first held its PEACE Games in 2003,
in partnership with 12 agencies, which included a wide array of activities
such as cultural art, games, sports, music, dance, and food representing
diversity in our city. Although the Games are now a two-week competition,
the essence of the initial Park Board event will be preserved at the PEACE
Games Showcase held on Thursday, August 11th at the Minneapolis Sculpture
Garden/Walker Art Center.


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To: humanrts [at] umn.edu
Subject: Somali resources 7.30 1pm

July 30 - Second Annual Somali Family Resource Day.  Time: 1:00 and 6:30
PM.

The Resource Day once again will address a number of the concerns within
the Somali community with regards to education, health, employment and
co-existence in our communities here in Minnesota and in Somalia.

Our mission is to promote and support all Somali families and people
through access to resources and opportunities, and also to promote greater
community awareness about and for the Somalia community. We envision
promoting positive community development to ensure the peaceful
co-existence, global acceptance, and a world community that is both
responsible and productive.

Our main goal of Somali Family Resource Day is designed to increase the
interaction and exchange of ideas and resource. We are committed to
connecting Somali families to one other and to the wider community through
Somali Family Resource Day. Immigrants may come to US "penniless but they
don't arrive with resourceless". Historically new immigrants come with
value, culture, history, language, skills, experiences, positive thinking,
energy and objectives.

Together with friends, volunteers, community members and various other
nonprofit organizations we sent books, computers, printers and other
educational materials in the year of 2004. And recently we sent tents,
first aid kits, medical equipment and bedding to Puntland, Somalia, in
response to the Tsunami affected areas.  We are currently involved in
three major projects:

1.) Somali Family Resource Day

2.) Collaboration with Minneapolis Community and Technical College to
develop a sister relationship with Puntland State University in Garowe,
Puntland, and offer scholarships

3.) Building the first public library in Garowe, Somalia

Somali Family Service's board, volunteers, community and partners would
greatly appreciate if you would consider being a part of our second annual
Somali Family Resource Day.

Somali Family Resource Day is for everyone, especially those who live and
work in communities with Somali refugees. It is for teachers, faculty,
students, immigration officers, employment counselor, MFIP counselors,
police officers, doctors, employers, and service provider, as well as
community members, community leaders and businesses in the community and
those who have direct or indirect relationships with the immigrant
communities.

Two main activities will be taking place, exhibits and conference. Exhibit
will include, booths, food, and networking, sharing information,
socializing, connecting faces with services, empowering communities to
come together and share resources. The conference will include speakers
with expertise regarding community needs, and respond to the questions
about the situations here in Minnesota and in Somalia.

TENTATIVE AGENDA
1:00pm-2:00pm   Registration, Refreshments, and Browse Information Booths

2:30pm-3:30pm   First Session
-Current Situation in Somalia
-Minnesota-Somali Connection
-Financial literacy, how to get money to start your own business or buy a house

3:30pm-4:30pm   Break Session and Networking

4:30-6:00- Second Session

-Minneapolis Community and Technical College new initiative to develop sister
college with Puntland State University and scholarships MCTC will like to offer
students in Somalia.
-Education and Health Issues in Minnesota
-Somalia s in Minnesota and there relationship with law enforcement

6:00-6:30- Dinner and networking

Location: Hubert Humphrey Institute Conference Center, 301 19th Ave South,
University of Minnesota

---
From: Cam Gordon <CamGordon333 [at] msn.com>

This is a note to remind and inform you that Neighbors for Cam Gordon will
have a table at the Somali Family Resource Day this Saturday. Please feel
welcome to join me and us for some or all of the afternoon.  We are also
happy to help distribute any Green candidate or party print info you have.

You can bring it to the event and drop it off after 1 or drop it at my
house before noon Saturday.

Call if you have questions or need directions. 296-0579


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From: Cristy A. DeLaCruz <cristy.delacruz [at] gmail.com>
Subject: Rice St parade 7.30 5pm

Greetings to Dickinson Volunteers and Supporters,

Please join us for the Ninety-Fifth celebration of the Rice Street
Festival and Parade. The Elizabeth Dickinson for Mayor campaign will be
number 102. You may enter the Line Up areas just 2 blocks east of Rice
Street at Sylvan & Atwater Streets. Please arrive by 5:00 for line-up; the
parade begins at 5:30.

Bring friends, family, or leashed dogs (if they behave well around
crowds). A few bikes riding along the Prius would be fabulous. This is the
last big parade of the summer season and we need your help to show the
growing support base for Elizabeth Dickinson for Mayor!

RSVPs appreciated via email or at 651.699.2697.
Cristy A. De La Cruz Volunteer Coordinator Elizabeth Dickinson for Mayor
651.699.2697


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From: wamm <wamm [at] mtn.org>
Subject: Lila Lipscomb/9-11 7.30 7pm

Lila Lipscomb from "Fahrenheit 911" speaks on  "Courage to Change"

Saturday July 30, 7-9:30pm and Sunday July 31, 1-3:30pm. The Black Dog
Café, 308 Prince Street (4th Street and Broadway, Lowertown), St. Paul.
Street parking free at night, plus $1.00 parking in lots immediately east
of the Black Dog Café behind Northern Warehouse.

Lila, the Flint, Michigan mother whose son, Michael, was killed in Iraq,
moved audiences with her poignant and powerful comments about war and loss
in Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 911". Now hear her speak in person about
tragedy and transformation. Good will donations accepted. Sponsored by The
Black Dog Café, Flour Power Rising, and WAMM. FFI: Contact Rhonda at
<rhondadebough [at] earthlink.net>. Also, listen for Lila on Friday, July 29 at
10:00 a.m. on the "Wendy Wilde Show" on Air America 950AM.


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To: Write on Radio <lynette [at] prettyhorses.net>
Subject: Frinj frinj 7.30 9pm

Saturday, July 30
David Daniels & Talkin' Roots Crew perform "Black Hippie Chronicles," and
acoustic reggae, jam, spoken word and poetry, part of the "Frinj of the
Frinj" series, 9 pm at Center for Independent Artists, 4137 Bloomington
Ave S, Minneapolis.


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From: skarx001 <skarx001 [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Sensible vigil 7.31 12noon

The sensible people for peace hold weekly peace vigils at the intersection
of Snelling and Summit in St. Paul,  Sunday between noon and 1pm. (This is
across from the Mac campus.)  We provide signs protesting current gov.
foreign and domestic policy.  We would appreciate others joining our
vigil/protest.


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From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
From: Jane Addams School for Democracy
Subject: Freedom festival 7.31 1:30pm

Freedom Festival to honor 40 new citizens who naturalized in the last year
as well as other accomplishments of Hmong, Spanish, East African, and
Children's Circles.

Sunday, July 31st
1:30-3pm (Potluck to proceed program)

Adjacent to:  Humboldt High School (also rain site of event) 30 East Baker
Street St. Paul, MN 55107
Event entrance at corner of Morton and Livingston--St.  Paul's West Side

*Directions:  *Take I-94 East past downtown St. Paul to Highway 52 South.
Take Highway 52 South across Mississippi River to Concord St.  Exit. Take
a right on Cesar Chavez Street and proceed to second stoplight. At
stoplight, take left onto Robert Street and proceed several blocks up hill
to Morton Street. Take a right on Morton and proceed 1 block and you will
come to a Humboldt High School parking lot at Morton and Livingston.
Outdoor site is at this corner. Alternate rain site is inside
Humboldt-enter through main doors.

*Contact information:  *Derek Johnson 651-209-3519; 612-626-1147 D'Ann
Urbaniak Lesch 651-894-3521 (c)

Immigrant families originally from 20 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin
America are involved in the Jane Addams School. They come together each
week with local college students and other residents to be involved in
Jane Addams. This celebration highlights the work and accomplishments of
all of the people involved in the Jane Addams School.  In a related vein,
the celebration emphasizes the concept of freedom.

One highlight of the program is that all new citizens from the Jane Addams
School will be honored. There are 40 new citizens from the past year, and
several local elected officials are expected to be present to help to
honor them. Others from Jane Addams will be honored for being engaged in
community work and for other accomplishments. A number of musicians and
dancers from the various circles will perform during the program as well.
After the program, there will be interactive cultural displays from all of
the different circles as well as music and dancing.

First, new citizens continually reinvigorate the democratic system of the
United States. In addition, it is significant that diverse immigrant
families at Jane Addams come together with and work with non-immigrant
community members on a regular basis. This is essential to building
community among diverse people in the St. Paul metro area.  Finally, the
work of the Jane Addams School has now been going on for 9 years, and the
Freedom Festival has become an annual ritual to celebrate the
accomplishments of the school and all of its participants.

Bob San University News Service University Relations Phone: (612) 624-4082
Fax: (612) 626-9388 (UMNnews: Read it and reap http://www.umn.edu/umnnews)


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From: David Shove <shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu>
Subject: GPSP cc 7.31 4pm

Green Party of St Paul
Coordination Committee (CC) meeting
4pm Sunday, 10.31
Cahoots Coffee House
Selby Av 1/2 block E of Snelling in StPaul


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From: Chris Spotted Eagle <chris [at] spottedeagle.org>
Subject: KFAI/Indian 7.31 4pm

KFAI's Indian Uprising for July 31st

INTERIOR ASKS CONGRESS FOR POWER TO TAKE INDIAN LANDS via www.indianz.com,
July 23, 2005.  The Bush administration is once again asking Congress for
authority to take "unclaimed" Indian lands and to eliminate its trust
responsibility to tens of thousands of individual Indians.
http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/009350.asp

HOLE REMAINS IN OFFENDER REGISTRY by Larry Oakes, Star Tribune, July 27,
2005 The state of Minnesota cannot require American Indians living on
reservations to register as predatory offenders, the Minnesota Court of
Appeals ruled Tuesday. http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5527749.html

RED LAKE KIDS FORM YOUTH COUNCIL TO IMPROVE LIFE ON RESERVATION by Tom
Robertson, Minnesota Public Radio, July 26, 2005.  Some of the Red Lake
Indian Reservation's brightest young people are coming together to do what
they can to tackle the tribe's problems.
www.news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/07/25_robertsont_redlakeyouth/

ELIMINATE THESE FOODS (sugar, white flour, soft drinks, etc.) to improve
the quality of your life, from Ayme Almendarez, (Nahuatl a.k.a Aztec),
July 27, 2005

Indian Uprising is a one-half hour Public & Cultural Affairs radio program
for, by, and about Indigenous people & all their relations, broadcast each
Sunday at 4:00 p.m. over KFAI 90.3 FM Minneapolis and 106.7 FM St. Paul.
Current programs are archived online after broadcast at www.kfai.org, for
two weeks.  Click Program Archives and scroll to Indian Uprising.


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Published on Thursday, July 28, 2005 by CommonDreams.org
Democracy Sold Out - CAFTA Approved by Pork and a Hill of Beans
Razor Thin Vote Seals Fate Against More Expansion of NAFTA

by Deborah James

At 12:03 am on July 28th, the House of Representatives approved the
Central America-Dominican Republic-United States Free Trade Agreement,
CAFTA. CAFTA, which would expand NAFTA to Central America and the
Dominican Republic, would devastate farmers, privatize essential public
services, and accelerate the race to the bottom on wages in the US and all
over Central America.

At the end of the allotted 15 minutes of voting time the count was 180 to
175 against CAFTA, so the Republican leadership kept the vote open over an
hour, in order to bully legislators into approving the bill. In the final
tally, which was 217 to 215, a full 15 Democrats voted in favor of big
business by supporting CAFTA, while 25 Republicans defied the Bush
Administration and voted against it. Democrats deserving of punishment
include Representatives Bean (D-IL), Cooper (D-TN), Dicks (D-WA), Cuellar
(D-WA), Hinojosa (D-TX), Jefferson (D-LA), Matheson (D-UT), Meeks (D-NY),
Moore (D-KS), Moran (D-VA), Ortiz (D-TX), Skelton (D-MO), Snyder (D-AR),
Tanner (D-TN), and Towns (D-NY). The full roll call vote is available at
http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.asp?year=2005&rollnumber=443.

The Republicans who refrained from voting were known CAFTA opponents who
evidently caved into hard-core bullying from their leadership. Yet stiff
criticism also goes to the Democrats who could have prevented handing Bush
a win on a silver platter by sticking to labor and their environment
rather than corporate interests.

It seems that some Representatives have not reviewed the record of the
massive failure of NAFTA, the agreement that cost a million US jobs and
increased poverty in Mexico. NAFTA also caused the loss of 38,000 US
family farms, while pushing 1.5 million Mexican farmers off their land.
Yet others, like Hilda Solis (D-CA), the only Representative from
Nicaragua, gave a passionate and compelling argument against CAFTA.

CAFTA was approved, and that will be the bottom line for communities in
Central America and the US who will face years of decreasing living
standards, falling wages, eroding environmental protection, and losing
family farms because of CAFTA - not to mention the 275,000 HIV positive
Central Americans who will be cut off from life-saving generic medicines
because of the extremist patent monopolies embodied in the treaty.

In tonight's vote, money values of big corporate interests trumped human
values of worker's rights, fair trade, and environmental protection. Once
again, the people of the US - and the Democratic Party - lost an
opportunity to deliver a crushing blow to the Bush Administration. Yet
House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) predicted that Bush's win on
CAFTA "will be a Pyrrhic victory for him, because we will take our message
to the American people that we are the ones looking out for them."

Twisting Arms Until They Break into a Thousand Pieces

Since CAFTA was so damaging to American workers, the environment, and
Central Americans, it wasn't able to pass on its own merits. CAFTA's
passage was bought by an outrageous amount of pork barrel politics, and
fake side deals that don't amount to a hill of beans. Earlier this month,
Republican leaders - in no secret maneuver - casually linked
transportation and energy bill giveaways to support for CAFTA.

A report issued earlier this month by Public Citizens demonstrated that
89% of side deals negotiated to gain votes for previous trade deals have
been broken. The side deals on sugar, labor, and textiles have all been
exposed as band-aids that hardly cover the festering wounds of job loss
that CAFTA will cause. And the China-punishing legislation hastily
approved to buy another couple of votes was shown by the AFL-CIO to
contain less protections for American jobs that other China legislation
already in committee.

                       Unpacking the Rhetoric

A central tenet of Republican arguments rests on a projected theory that
free trade delivers economic prosperity, ergo CAFTA will deliver
development. Had the situation not been so tragic, it would have been
comic to view Republicans repeatedly claiming that CAFTA would help poor
Central Americans develop because they would have increased access to US
imports. The problem with the theory, is, well, the results of the theory
when applied.

After 25 years of following free-trade doctrine (opening markets,
privatizing basic services, deregulating industry, lowering tariffs,
orienting their production for export, and consecrating intellectual
property) Latin Americans have achieved the lowest rate of economic growth
in their history - less than .5% a year in the last 25 years, compared
with a total of 80% during the previous 20 years. The main issue here is
that so-called "free trade" doesn't actual deliver the promised benefits -
because it really has little to do with free trade, but much to do with
transferring wealth and decision making power from the public to private,
unaccountable elites known as multinational corporations. Until we have a
sea change in what the US public understands by the phrase "free trade" we
will continue to see our democracy turned into a political system of
corporate rule.

                           Specter of 9/11

The US Trade Representative Robert Portman was joined by Vice President
Dick Cheney in working the House floor tonight to secure votes. President
Bush made a highly rare appearance in the House, mostly framing CAFTA as a
security issue. As Bush's polling numbers fall, support for the war in
Iraq recedes, and his top advisor Karl Rove is embroiled in a political
scandal, Bush pushed hard for a "policy win" to attempt to demonstrate
that he wasn't a lame duck.

Bush's primary argument centered around the outrageous argument that CAFTA
would increase our national security. The phrase "fledgling democracy" was
used so many times to refer to Central American countries that you'd think
they had hatched last month, with the help of mother hen USA. Tom Delay
has evidently taken up permanent residence in never-never land to be able
to make arguments like, "It is good for our national security in
supporting these fledgling democracies at our back door. It is good for
our effort against illegal immigration. It is good for our economy."

House Majority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) pushed back hard against the
ridiculous Bush hypothesis that CAFTA would increase national security.
"Trade alone, devoid of basic living and working standards, has not, and
will not, promote security, nor will it lift developing nations out of
poverty," she said. "Our national security will not be improved by
exploiting workers in Central America."

Republicans have been much more adept than progressives at linking issues
of security with trade. We in the global economic justice movement must
learn adapt our rhetoric and strategies to the political changes our
country has undergone post-9/11, and make the argument that fair trade,
not corporate globalization, will increase security. But we also need more
collaboration with the movements for civil liberties and peace to link the
issues, including from our progressive media, who barely covered CAFTA
before it passed.

                        Vision for the Hemisphere

Republicans actually acknowledged that poverty - and a lack of hope for
future economic opportunity - breed insecurity. But they have the math
backwards. CAFTA will not eradicate poverty, but will greatly increase it
The biggest impact of CAFTA, according to the think tank the Center for
Economic and Policy Research, will be to push down wages. And the
Administration continue to frame the issue of free trade and democracy as
two sides of the same coin, rather than acknowledging that one is an
economic platform that a well-functioning democracy may choose not to
pursue.

CAFTA proponents repeatedly baited voters with the specter of an imminent
takeover of Central America by alleged communist forces, harkening back to
the wars and instability of the 1980s. "We can send free trade to Central
America today, or we will be sending troops tomorrow" was a frequent
refrain. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Cuba's Castro were
constantly invoked as being ready to "fill the ideological void" if the
Congress "turned their backs on Central America." It was as if Central
America was an empty vessel, waiting for US leadership to fill. It was the
first time the subject of ALBA, the Venezuelan's Bolivarian Alternative
for the Americas, was raised on the House floor - yet it was portrayed as
a radical attack on America rather than a political and economic program
that embodies a different vision for the future of the Americas based on a
better vision of economic integration among the peoples of Latin America.

                  Stepping Stone to the FTAA Crumbles

The passage of CAFTA is a serious blow to our movement for global justice.
But the vote also seals the fate of the future of NAFTA expansion. If
CAFTA, a deal with the tiniest economies in the region and the least
economic impact on the US possible, squeaked by with only a razor-thin
2-vote margin, the possibility that the Administration could get a deal
approved with economies that would actually impact the US doesn't pass the
laugh test. The Bush dream of a Free Trade Area of the Americas is even
farther away than before the CAFTA vote. The "stepping stone to the FTAA"
has crumbled under their feet.

                      Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

This week, in addition to bribing CAFTA into existence, the Bush
Administration has also been negotiating the expansion of NAFTA to
Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia through the Andean Free Trade
Agreement (AFTA - it, too, rhymes with NAFTA.) AFTA negotiations have
stumbled over crucial chapters on agriculture and intellectual property.
They have also been difficult to continue amidst the popular overthrow of
governments in Ecuador and Bolivia in the midst of negotiations. A recent
round of negotiations in Miami this month ended inconclusively. But most
governments have been waiting to see if CAFTA was going to be approved by
the US Congress. Now that the margin was so razor-thin, negotiators will
likely take the hint that "free-trade" agreements under the same model are
highly unpopular with the US public.

                            Day of Reckoning

Now that the fight is over, we pass into the stage of reward and
retribution. We can, and must, display the political power to not walk of
the playing field now, but to spend the extra effort necessary to back up
our elected officials when they fought for us, and punish those who sold
out their constituents' interests by voting them out of office.

This may be difficult during the week when the labor movement has
experienced its biggest split in 50 years. It should not go unnoticed that
Bush picked the moment when the labor movement, those in the US who will
be most clearly affected by CAFTA, was fighting each other as much as
fighting against CAFTA, notwithstanding the Herculean efforts of the rank
and file - and the AFL's trade program - to organize hard to against the
bill.

                       Where To Go From Here

There are two main agenda items for the next few days. The first is to
call your legislator and reward or punish them for your vote. Let them
know about the deep knot in your gut from witnessing the CAFTA defeat, and
the emptiness on the tables of many workers that will follow. Check out
the link above to find out how your legislator voted, and call the
switchboard 866-340-9281 or 877-762-8762 with your response.

But then, we must pick ourselves up, and fight even harder next time. That
means the current negotiations on the World Trade Organization, which has
a key General Council meeting this week in Geneva, Switzerland. And it
means stopping the expansion of NAFTA to the Andes through AFTA.

But most importantly it means getting involved more than we were this
time. Bush won because they are fighting to win - whatever it takes,
including unethical and undemocratic pork barrel and arm-twisting. Our
side fought very, very hard to win, but we lack control of both chambers
of the legislative branch, and the executive. (That makes the fight to
keep the judiciary balance all the more essential, by the way.) To win on
that unlevel playing field, we have to be more strategic, better funded,
more organized, and get millions more people involved.

Highly strategic, savvy grassroots organizing was carried out by groups
like the Citizens Trade Campaign and Public Citizen, along with key
unions, environmental groups, faith communities, solidarity activists, and
human rights organizations including Global Exchange. These groups are
only as strong as their membership base is active. But they also need your
support. So right after you get off the phone with your legislator, be
sure to check out the groups listed below, and others that have supported
the fight against CAFTA. Become a member, get on their email lists, and
make a donation.

That way, we'll all build a stronger Fair Trade movement, and convert this
legislative defeat into a long term opportunity to build a movement that
will lead us to true victory against AFTA, the FTAA and the WTO the next
time around.

Deborah James is the Global Economy Director at Global Exchange and is
reachable at deborah [at] globalexchange.org.

For more information, to get involved, and to make a contribution:
www.citizen.org/trade
www.citizenstrade.org
www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/cafta
www.stopcafta.org


--------15 of 17--------

Published on Thursday, July 28, 2005 by Working For Change
Targeting the 15 Democratic Sellouts Who Passed CAFTA
by David Sirota

We now know who the 15 Democrats are that each undermined their party and
America's middle class by casting the deciding vote for the Central
American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The bill passed by one vote,
meaning each of the 15 Democrats cast the deciding vote. When 27
Republicans vote against their own party leadership as they did on CAFTA,
Democrats have only these 15 sellouts within their ranks - and groups like
the DLC that pushed CAFTA - to blame for the fact that the Democratic
Party has been relegated to permanent minority status.

The 15 Democratic sellouts were:
Melissa Bean (IL)
Jim Cooper (TN)
Henry Cuellar (TX)
Norm Dicks (WA)
Ruben Hinojosa (TX)
William Jefferson (LA)
Jim Matheson (UT)
Greg Meeks (NY)
Dennis Moore (KS)
Jim Moran (VA)
Solomon Ortiz (TX)
Ike Skelton (MO)
Vic Snyder (AR)
John Tanner (TN)
Ed Towns (NY)

Let's be clear - all of these people should never get a red cent from
labor unions or the progressive community again, and that goes even for
the ones who represent marginal districts. The idea that this was a "tough
vote" for a Democrat who represents a swing district doesn't hold water -
no one is getting voted out of office over voting against CAFTA, and
voting for American workers. Remember, polls show that Americans are sick
and tired of Congress passing these corporate-written "free" trade deals
that sell out ordinary workers.

But, let's further break this down. Which of these 15 Members has
CONSISTENTLY been selling out the Democratic Party and America's middle
class? The way we find that out is by looking at other recent votes on key
economic issues, such as the Bankruptcy Bill, and the bill to limit
citizens' legal rights and protect corporations that abuse Americans.

Starting with bankruptcy, we get the list whittled down to 12: Bean,
Cooper, Cuellar, Hinojosa, Jefferson, Matheson, Meeks, Moore, Moran,
Ortiz, Skelton and Tanner.

Moving to the bill that limits citizens' legal rights and protects
corporations that abuse ordinary Americans, the list gets whittled down to
9: Bean, Cooper, Cuellar, Hinojosa, Matheson, Meeks, Moore, Moran and
Tanner.

These are the 9 Democrats who are the difference between House Democrats
being in the majority and the minority - they are the people who undermine
the vast majority of honest/courageous Democrats who fight for ordinary
people in Congress everyday. They are the ones who make it consistenly
impossible for Democrats to deliver a message that they are the party that
stands up for ordinary working people in this country. The fact is, if
Democrats are going to be in the minority for the forseeable future, it
would be better if these folks were defeated, because they do more harm
than good to a party that desperately needs unity to let America knows
what it stands for.

Again, while I have described why it is ridiculous to give a pass to any
of these 9 because they represent marginal districts, even if you sort out
for that the number barely changes. Winning with 55% or more of the vote
is considered crushing an opponent - and only Melissa Bean falls under
that threshold. The 8 others win by 55% or better, meaning they don't even
have the pathetic/dishonest "I'm a marginal Member so I have to sell out
American workers" excuse: Cooper (69%) , Cuellar (59%), Hinojosa (58%),
Matheson (55%), Meeks (100% - unopposed), Moore (55%), Moran (60%), and
Tanner (74%).

In an earlier post today, I mentioned that Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY) ought to
be frightened of the Working Families Party and the progressive community
in New York City. But he's not the only one on this list that better be
nervous about their job as an insulated career politician. Rep. Jim Moran
(D-VA), for instance, has been dogged by controversy throughout his
career, including actually personally profiting from his previous sellouts
to the credit card industry. Maybe this will be the vote that draws him
the strong primary challenger needed to defeat him in his solidly
progressive district.

To sum up - each of these 15 Democrats ought to pay a price at the polls
for their brazen sell out tonight on CAFTA. They undermined their party
and America's workers. And the 9 Democrats of these 15 that have been
consistently stabbing the Democratic Party in the back - well, they have
shown an unfathomable willingness to disregard anything other than
corporate campaign cash. They are the reason why Americans are so cynical
about the political process, why Democrats can't win key states like Ohio,
and, in general, why Democrats are currently in permanent minority status.

 2005 Working Assets


--------16 of 17--------

Blame the Democrats
Passing CAFTA
By JOSHUA FRANK
CounterPunch
July 28, 2005

The final vote on CAFTA, the free trade agreement between the US and
Central America, rolled out in the wee hours of July 28. It was a tight
vote in the House, a squeaking 217-215, where 15 Democrats crossed over to
support the measure while 27 Republicans voted against it. Supporters of
CAFTA anticipate abolishing custom taxes and undermining labor and
environmental laws over time among the countries involved, which will
consist of the US, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala,
Honduras, and Dominican Republic. CAFTA will eliminate tariffs on 80
percent of US exports to these countries.

CAFTA was first approved in the Senate a few weeks ago when 10 neoliberal
Democrats crossed over to support Bush's obtuse trade legislation, which
slipped by with a 55-45 vote. Twelve Senate Republicans opposed the bill.
It was California's liberal Dianne Feinstein and Oregon's Ron Wyden who
led the way in Democratic support for the legislation. Had the Democrats
opposed the agreement in the Senate, CAFTA would have been defeated. But
the Dems support for CAFTA in the Senate and now the House of
Representatives has handed Bush a major victory.

It's way past due for progressives to hold the Democrats accountable for
their failures. They have turned their backs on labor and the
environmental community for decades. As President Bush lobbied Congress
the day before the House vote, he made it clear that his administration
believes CAFTA is more than a trade agreement, Bush claimed that it was
more importantly a national security matter.

Bush and company believe CAFTA will pull countries out of poverty. He
claims that without CAFTA these countries' democracies will be undermined
and the flow of illegal immigrants into the US will intensify along with
terrorism. It's just too bad that Bush and his Democratic enablers learned
nothing from CAFTA's ugly cousin, NAFTA, which was signed into law in 1994
by President Clinton. Talk about terrorism. Mexico's economy has all but
crumbled, while poverty and unemployment have increased dramatically.

"Had [the original promises] come true, NAFTA would have been an enormous
boom, and we would all be cracking champagne," says Lori Wallach, director
of the consumer rights group Public Citizen. "But instead we have got the
10-year record, and it's pretty damn grim. NAFTA's 10-year record,"
Wallach adds, "demonstrates that under the NAFTA model, most people in the
three countries (Canada, US and Mexico) were losers, while only a few of
the largest corporations who helped write NAFTA were the major winners."

Perhaps the most frightening aspect of CAFTA is that it is the essential
precursor to the neoliberal's (and now the neo-con's) grand vision of the
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which would attempt to open all
borders from Canada to Chile and undermine many labor and environmental
laws along the way. Fortunately there are several countries in South
America, including Lula's Brazil and Chavez's Venezuela, that are not in
favor of such free trade agreements. CAFTA's passage, however, is an
essential component of FTAA's future. When Bush signs CAFTA into law he
may well be ensuring its implementation in the years to come.

So who is to stop this from happening? Not the Democrats. CAFTA could have
been stopped had only three lowly Democrats in the House voted to squash
Bush's trade legislation. But they couldn't even rouse themselves to do
that.

Joshua Frank is the author of the brand new book, Left Out!: How Liberals
Helped Reelect George W. Bush, which has just been published by Common
Courage Press. You can order a copy at a discounted rate at
www.brickburner.org. Joshua can be reached at Joshua [at] brickburner.org.


--------17 of 17--------

 To pass CAFTA you
 HAFTA be DAFTA - or get
 a RAFTA GRAFTA.

   ed - anything for a LAFTA

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   - David Shove             shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu
   rhymes with clove         Progressive Calendar
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