THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2005
Take Action Against DR-CAFTA!
[This action alert comes to you from the STOP-CAFTA COALITION, of which the Nicaragua Network is a member. For more information go to: www.stopcafta.org]Help give Bush the first major defeat of his 2nd term!
Momentum has been building in the campaign to stop the US-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), a corporate juggernaut that would be devastating for the six countries involved (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.) CAFTA was signed in May but the Bush Administration has yet to present CAFTA to Congress due to the overwhelming opposition that our movement has worked to build! Now, passing CAFTA has emerged as Bush's central economic program for 2005, and thus stopping it from coming up for a vote would deal the Republicans a huge blow.
In December, CAFTA was passed in El Salvador through dirty legislative tactics, prompting labor unions and social movement groups across Central America to call for coordinated mass actions in the coming months to stop CAFTA from being ratified in other countries. Still, despite tremendous popular opposition to the agreement in the region, the best chance for stopping CAFTA is in the US Congress. Our victory will lie in a coordinated grassroots pressure campaign that confronts the lies of the corporate, pro-CAFTA lobby.
Congressional representatives will be in their home districts 3 times in the next 5 months. These periods are our chance to lobby Reps that are on the fence, shore up support with those who are on our side, and take action against those who blindly support "free" trade. The next Congressional home period is Tuesday, May 31 - Friday, June 3. Other home periods are July 5-8 and August 1 - September 2. Take the opportunity to meet with your representative, do educational outreach, and get the CAFTA debate into your local news. TAKE ACTION TO STOP CAFTA!
1. Organize lobby meetings with your Congressional Representatives. With a possible vote imminent, demand that they take a position NOW!
2. Begin planning for nationally coordinated actions during the Global Week of Action from April 10-16. Bring together a coalition of labor, religious sector, immigrant rights, and solidarity groups in your community to organize an action in April. Check out www.stopcafta.org for ideas and resources.
3. Begin preparing local phone banks to get more people to call their Reps about the CAFTA vote. Check out www.stopcafta.org for information on setting up phone banks.
4. Get creative! Plan some street theater, do a banner drop, organize a NAFTA scavenger hunt, or a "fair trade" bake sail... the possibilities are endless! Go to www.stopcafta.org for more ideas.
Labels: Archives