CAFTA supporters are preparing a "November Surprise"
Stop Post-Election Vote in US Congress!
On October 12, tens of thousands of Central Americans took to the streets to protest the US-Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). In El Salvador, protesters shut down highways and bridges, marched to the presidential palace, and held rallies around the capital. Meanwhile, large demonstrations took place in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, with all demanding NO to CAFTA! U.S. citizens, in solidarity with the Central Americans, also protested outside the office of Trade Representative Zoellick. But despite such resistance, many Republicans and their corporate backers are pushing for a November vote on CAFTA. They must be stopped!
Lacking the support in the regular Congress to pass CAFTA, Bush and the Republicans are intent on using dirty tricks to ram through the extremely unpopular legislation. The special "lame duck" session would happen in mid-November. Free trade backers have used the lame duck session to pass controversial trade laws in the past, and are intent to pass CAFTA as soon as possible.
A lame duck CAFTA vote is most likely if Bush wins. In such a special session, the announcement of a vote could happen within 48 hours of the vote itself, meaning that we must start preparing now for emergency mobilizations in November. A lame duck vote would be less likely if Kerry wins, but the battle over CAFTA will be far from over.
Join Central Americans and Dominicans resisting CAFTA by mobilizing to stop a November lame duck vote in Congress!
TAKE ACTION! Contact your member of Congress TODAY!
With the watered down version of the Free Trade Area of the America's leaving the Bush Administration in the uneasy position of actually having to deal with the Global South as opposed to it's usual strong-arm tactics, they are now pursuing numerous bi-lateral agreements with Free Trade friendly countries.
Recently, delegates from 5 Central American nations met with the US Trade Representative to finish negotiating the Central American Free Trade Agreement in Washington DC. During the DC round of talks, Costa Rica balked stating it could not meet the US demands on telecommunications and insurance. The US chose to go forward with the support of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras. The agreement will soon be voted on in the US Congress.
The Central American Free Trade Agreement will damage farmers, labor and the environment. It will also continue the long history of human rights abuses in Central America, as governments will further repress social movements that challenge American led neo-liberalism. Contact the Texas Fair Trade Coalition about getting involved in local grassroots efforts to STOP CAFTA.
Recent anti-CAFTA actionsa recent Houston anti-CAFTA Solidarity Action .
recent DC anti-CAFTA actions
Other ResourcesCISPES I Citizen's Trade Campaign I Nicaraqua Network I NISGUAI Human Rights Watch
Last week trade ministers and business leaders converged behind closed doors in Houston to negotiate the sale of Central America... The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) talks began on Monday, October 20, at the Westin Galleria Hotel & a parallel business conference took place alongside the talks throughout the week in order to offer time for closing the deal.
You were not invited to any of these events, but protests and other activities were well attended by folks from houston and beyond, while the greedy guys and gals were in town! check out indymedia's coverage below:
O2O ! Monday: banner drops, [photos 1 l 2] | Video l at 11 am a spirited group of demonstrators went into the houston galleria near the westin hotel and made a rukus demanding NO CAFTA Report l Photos | Video | | read a communique l at 11:15 a banner was hung from the 23rd floor of the westin galleria hotel which read "Stop Cafta, Vende Patrias!" l Monday Evening a permited demonstration drew more than 200 people outside the hotel where the meetings took place. read report | Photos: 1, 2, 3 | listen to audio | green party statement
| critical mass against cafta * meet at 5, ride at 6 | Anti- Fur Neiman Carcass demo: Photos | Call for an Anti-Kap Mask-(A)-Rade Bloc for O-20!In San Jose, Costa Rica an anti-CAFTA march drew thousands.
Tuesday: no cafta coalition march - report - photos: 1, 2, 3 | Stop CAFTA/anticapitalist bloc |Central American Resource Center (CRECEN) Informational Forum for the Community. 6:30-9 pm. Courtyard by Marriott, 3131 West Loop South
Wednesday: Wednesday evening,Chief CAFTA negotiator for the US, Regina Vargo, enjoied a tasty bannana cream pie, (courtesy of an anti-CAFTA activist). watch video l Press conference organized by CRECEN and Salvadoran-American National Network (SANN). Courtyard by Marriott 3131 West Loop South 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.| Join Maria Domingo, a Guatemalan Maya activist and representative of Network in Solidarity with the people of Guatemala in learning why both Central Americans and Texans are not happy with this extension of the North American Free Trade Agreement's reign of "free trade" * wednesday 7 pm U of H, Thursday UST
Thursday: Maria Domingo, Mayan human-rights activist, spoke on Guatemala and CAFTA at The University of St. Thomas
Friday: early morning stop cafta banner drop downtown! ride cafta out of H-town * 5 pm, met at grady park. Photos | imc party * 8 pm Helios
Helpful links for taking on the Masters of the Free Trade Universe...
Texas Fair Trade Coalition |
National Campaign to Stop CAFTA | CAFTA 101 | Peoples´ Global Action | Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch | Action for Community and Ecology in the Regions of Central America | NEW LINK WITH LOCAL CAFTA DETAILS NO CAFTA or Stop CAFTA
listen to monday night's houston indymedia radio show on KPFT 90.1 FM in houston, 89.5 FM in galveston, for a CAFTA week in review.
Información en espanol
 CAFTA is coming... Are you ready?CAFTA , the Central American Free Trade Agreements, is a proposed commercial pact between the United States and five countries in Central America: El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica. Its modeled after the now-infamous North American Free Trade Agreement, and is anticipated to have many of the same negative effects caused by NAFTA--such as the devastating impact on History
working people in the United States, Canada, and
Mexico --are expected to occur to many people living in countries participating in CAFTA if an agreement is reached.
From Oct 20th to Oct 24th, trade delegates will be meeting in Houston with the Greater Houston Partnership to continue negotiating their CAFTA agenda in secret without any form of public consultation. Civil society groups in Central America and the United States that oppose the CAFTA in its current form - and call for trade that respects , food security, and public services - are organizing protests around the meeting in Houston the goal of action is to STOP CAFTA.
información en espaňol
Contact Info-- hgac@riseup.net or stopcafta@yahoo.com.
You can also check out stopcafta.org, as Houston updates are coming soon to that site.
The NO CAFTA coalition is also encouraging all groups, organizations and civic-minded individuals to educate, organize and act autonomously. Put together a teach-in in your community, at your school, union hall or place of worship. Get a group of friends or like minded folks and distribute flyers, wheatpaste, form a political theater troupe to peform and inform in crowded public spaces or organize a small protest outside a business or public entitity that directly benefits from CAFTA. Solicit your local media outlets to print or air information about CAFTA
This can be as big as you want it. If not satisfied with efforts going on, than make it a Do It Yourself campaign. And of course send us updates that will move and inspire others to take similar actions!!!
September 15th: UH History Professor Bob Buzzanco debates UH Economics Professor/World Band Consultant Tom DeGregori, details tba; The Texas Fair Trade Coalition global justice caravan will be arriving to hold a public meeting on the WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA, FTAA and their impact on the planet.
October 5th: Popular education forum with speakers from The Mexico Solidarity Network ;details tba
October 20-24: The Houston Round of the Cental American Free Trade Agreement will be subverting your planet and democracy somewhere near you. Although, not "everyone" is invited to attend local organizers plan to hold their own forum outside the talks.
October 24th: Houston Indymedia is throwing a party at Helios to celebrate independent media and the close of the Houston CAFTA talks. Free food, music, films and more! Doors open at 8pm.
YA BASTA!
ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE!!!
Last updated: Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800imc-houston
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hey CAFTA, do ya have to give us the SHAFTA???
Pie for Vargo
