Rally to Tell Congressman Gibson- No Fast Track for TPP!

We had a great rally in front of Congressman Gibson's Kingston office today. About 40 people from all over the Hudson Valley came to register their opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).
The TPP has been negotiated by multinationals secretly for over three years and it threatens our jobs, food safety, environment, sovereignty and our very democracy. Read more: http://www.clearstreammedia.blogspot.com/2013/08/tpp-opposition-growing-and-what-you-can.html
http://hv4nogmos.blogspot.com/2013/09/tpp-global-monsanto-protection-act.html

Thank you to all who came from near and far! Thanks too to Dutchess County Legislator, Joel Tyner for his interactive rap which was very entertaining!

We have stopped bad treaties before and if we can stop Fast Track for TPP, we can stop this one too. Call your elected representatives (Capitol Switchboard- 202 224-3121) and say "No Fast Track for TPP!" If you haven't yet, send your email to ClearStreamMedia@gmail.com to receive updates.

A copy of the letter signed by 40 at the rally and delivered to the Congressman's office is below.

Ulster County MoveOn Council
New Paltz Women in Black
PO Box 955
New Paltz, NY 12561

September 17, 2013

Representative Chris Gibson
Congressman of the 19th District of New York
721 Broadway
Kingston, NY 12401

Dear Congressman Gibson:

Subject: No Fast Track for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)

Many of your constituents are upset to hear some of the details that have been leaked about the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). The fact that 600 "advisers" from multinational corporations and financial institutions have been meeting behind closed doors for over three years to negotiate this treaty already casts serious doubts on what is being proposed in our names.

We find it interesting that the former trade adviser for the US, Ron Kirk, said if the American people knew what was in this treaty they would rise up in opposition and it would never pass. We agree. Here is brief summary of the parts we find most egregious.

• The TPP would set up foreign tribunals to challenge national, state and local government laws that corporations say would hurt their future profits. Already under NAFTA and WTO, such lawsuits are increasing. The US has lost 95% of them. This could result in a huge transfer of taxpayer money to corporations already experiencing record profits, but even worse, it would have a chilling effect on any government's ability to pass laws for the environment, public health and public safety. Unbelievably, the "judges" in these tribunals would be corporate attorneys and their decisions final. This is a description of corporate tyranny. http://www.flushthetpp.org/
• Under the TPP,  there would be a mad rush to off-shore millions more American jobs to countries where labor is most exploited and environmental regulations the laxest, accelerating a global race to the bottom in wages, benefits and working conditions and worsening climate change.
• The TPP would "harmonize" food safety standards.
  "That means all countries that sign on to the agreement would be required to abide by the lowest common denominator standards of all participating governments. So, for instance, if Vietnam were to allow for higher residues of veterinary antibiotics in seafood than the U.S. allows and Vietnam and the U.S. both sign on to the TPP as trade partners, the U.S. could be forced to lower its standards to allow for imports of seafood from Vietnam or face a lawsuit by the seafood exporter for depriving the company of future sales of its products in the U.S." http://www.alternet.org/food/secret-trade-agreements-threaten-food-safety
• The costs of medicine will increase under TPP as patents are extended for big pharmaceutical companies and there are fewer generics.
• Internet freedom under TPP. "would have extensive negative ramifications for users’ freedom of speech, right to privacy and due process, and hinder peoples' abilities to innovate". https://www.eff.org/issues/tpp
• The TPP would undo the already too weak regulations of Wall Street setting us up for more and even worse financial crashes.
• TPP would ban "Buy American" procurement policies.

The Obama administration is pushing for the Fast Track of TPP, which would only allow Congress to make an up or down vote without requiring an airing of the provisions of TPP through public hearings, or allowing Congress to make any amendments. It is the responsibility of Congress to review and amend treaties. We ask that you not cede this power to the Executive Branch, which we see as a clear violation of separation of powers and antithetical to the spirit of our Constitution. We are asking you to pledge NO to the Fast Tracking of TPP.

We find it shocking that few in Congress have even been able to read the text of the TPP. Rep Alan Grayson was allowed to and he said it is "a punch in the face to the middle class" and added he was not able to even talk about what is in it!

We support Fair Trade that raises standards and protects American workers, the environment, public health and public safety. We ask you to stand up for democracy, for US sovereignty and for your constituents and reject the Fast Tracking of a secret deal that benefits the 1% at the expense of people and the planet.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Signed by 40 attending today's rally 

and here is a photo gallery of other No TPP events. On the second anniversary of OWS, stopping the fast track of TPP was front and center! http://www.popularresistance.org/photo-gallery-from-s17-ows-anniversary/  
http://www.flushthetpp.org/video-were-stopping-fast-track-and-the-tpp

Syria: Six Alternatives to Military Strikes

Please join Women in Black tomorrow for another vigil to say NO to a War on Syria - from 12:30-1:30PM in front of Elting Memorial Library in New Paltz. We have some signs, or bring your own. 

Unlike Afghanistan and Iraq- the American people are with us on this one. Left and right are rising up to say no to military strike that could ignite the entire Middle East.  Our representative Chris Gibson is against an attack, but he is asking constituents if they agree- Give him a call and tell him to stay strong saying no to war - 845 514-2322.

"Any attack on Syria would burn down Israel," said Iran's military chief of staff . Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel would "respond with great force" to any such attack. This is a recipe for WWIII.

Additionally, there are many questions about who actually used the chemical weapons. As I posted before, one reporter was told by rebels that they had accidentally set them off, not realizing what the weapons were. There are also reports that Kerry's testimony is at odds with the intelligence community. 

Kerry says the opposition is growing in moderation, but intelligent analysts say that the al Qaeda Nusra Front is better organized, armed  and trained and growing in influence. And then there is the fact that members of the Nusra Front were captured  in Turkey with 4.5 pounds of sarin gas in their apartments.

Here is an article from Jack Smith about why we should not "attack a seventh Muslim country since 2001" and another good one, "It's Not War, so Stop Saying That" by William Rivers Pitts. Sign the Avaaz petition 

There will inevitably be a political solution in Syria with all sides sitting down to talk. Why not start there, instead of killing more innocents in a display of military might and fomenting more anti-American hatred in the Muslim world? Women in Black has always stood for the force of law- not the law of force. Alternatives to killing below.

 Syria: Six Alternatives to Military Strikes

Many of the legal and diplomatic processes that led to peace in other times of conflict haven't even been tried yet in Syria.

by Sarah van Gelder

posted Sep 05, 2013

Image by Oxfam International / Flickr.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee's approval of military force in Syria makes military strikes against that country more likely. But key questions remain unanswered. Will military strikes help ordinary Syrians or harm them? Will more violence deter the use of chemical weapons and other war crimes in Syria and elsewhere, or exacerbate the problem? Have all other possibilities been exhausted, or are there peaceful solutions that haven't been tried?
A quick review of the options suggests there are at least six strategies that could hold wrongdoers to account, deter war crimes of all sorts, and build peace.
These strategies are based on an idea little discussed but deeply practical for our war-weary country and world. Instead of launching an assault on Syria, the United States could lead a "coalition of the willing" in rebuilding the tattered foundation of international law. This would lay the groundwork for peace, not only in Syria, but in all the lawless regions of the world. And it could do so without adding to civilian casualties, further destabilizing the Middle East, breaking the budget of the United States, and requiring yet more sacrifices by those who serve in the armed forces.
For several reasons, this is the right time to turn to the rule of law. Why? First, this conflict does not lend itself to the cheap story used to whip up pro-war sentiment: the notion that military strikes will help the "good guys" in the opposition defeat the "bad guys" in the regime. The armed opposition in Syria includes many we don't want to support—especially those associated with Al Qaeda and other extremist groups. And the United States, too, has things to answer for—among other things its faulty claims about weapons of mass destruction in the lead-up to war in Iraq, the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, and civilian casualties of U.S. drone attacks in countries including Pakistan and Yemen.
So building a case for war based on U.S. heroics in support of valiant upstarts against an evil despot just doesn't work. Our real choice is this: contribute to lawless violence or turn to the rule of law and civility.
What would we do if we were to choose peace and the rule of law? Here are six approaches that would help build justice and peace in Syria and elsewhere.
1. Bring those guilty of atrocities to justice. With the backing of the U.N. Security Council, those responsible for the chemical weapons attacks and other war crimes should be brought to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for justice, whether they are part of the Syrian regime or members of opposition forces. "The use of chemical weapons by anyone is a war crime, and international law requires international enforcement," policy analyst Phyllis Bennis wrote in an email. "No one country, not even the most powerful, has the right to act as unilateral cop."
The United States should strengthen the ability of the ICC to hold war criminals accountable by signing on and ratifying the statute that created the court in 1998.
Even before bringing Assad and his allies to the ICC, Frank Jannuzi of Amnesty International told YES!, it's possible to punish these individuals with travel restrictions and targeted economic sanctions.

2. Call for a United Nations embargo on arms, military supplies, and logistical support for both Damascus and opposition forces. Stopping the flow of weapons from around the world into Syria is another important step toward peace. But it will involve complex diplomacy that has not yet been attempted. As Bennis writes, "Russia must stop and must push Iran to stop arming and funding the Syrian regime."
But Russia and Iran are not the only culprits. Bennis continues: "The U.S. must stop and must push Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan and others to stop arming and funding the opposition, including the extremist elements." How can we exert pressure on those regimes? "That won't be easy," says Bennis.
But we and the Russians do have leverage. For example, she says, Washington could tell the Saudis and Qataris that we will cancel all existing weapons contracts with them if they don't stop arming the opposition.
3. The U.N. Security Council should hold an international peace conference involving not only the Syrian government and opposition parties, but their backers from outside the country and those affected by the flow of refugees and arms.
Non-state actors with an influence on the conflict should also be included, says a statement by the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker group. This should include Hezbollah, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, they say.
Negotiators should aim for an immediate ceasefire, for the access needed to get humanitarian aid where it's needed, and for an end to the conflict. This is a tried-and-true solution that resolved the wars in Southeast Asia through the Paris Conference on Cambodia, and in the Balkans through the Dayton Peace Agreement.
4. Offer aid and support to the nonviolent movements within Syria, or, at least, don't undermine them. A resurgence in Syria's broad-based nonviolent movement for change that started in March 2011 is still a source of hope, according to Stephen Zunes, chair of Middle Eastern studies at the University of San Francisco.
The opposition's turn from nonviolence to armed struggle resulted in higher civilian casualties, reduced defections from the Assad's forces, and contributed to the rise of anti-democratic elements within the opposition, Zunes says.
He goes on to explain that nonviolent movements have a much better chance of building an inclusive democratic government.
"Military intervention would demoralize and disempower those remaining in the nonviolent resistance who are daily risking their lives for their freedom," Zunes says, "while encouraging armed elements who—with their vanguard mentality, martial values, and strict military hierarchy—are far less interested in freedom and justice."
5. Provide the humanitarian aid desperately needed by the millions of displaced people. Humanitarian organizations are currently able to provide services within Syria only with great difficulty; the United Nations Security Council should insist that Damascus allow them access.
And the international community, not just the countries housing the refugees, should cover the costs of caring for the displaced inside and outside the country. Yes, it's expensive. But a military strike would cost much more, as would the long-term costs society would incur from neglecting traumatized refugees.
6. Force the hand of Russia and China in the Security Council. Many people believe that Russia and China have vetoed efforts in the United Nations to condemn the Syrian regime or to impose sanctions on it. But all these governments have done, so far, is threaten to veto.
Jannuzi says that the other 11 members of the Security Council should take the issue to a vote and force Russia and China to actually exercise their veto power.
"That would at least give the rest of the international community the opportunity to say 'If that's your position, then what are you for?'" Jannuzi says. This would at least help to clarify the positions of these countries, an important step toward peace.

Why the rule of law?

By applying the rule of law through existing international institutions, we can work to isolate the wrongdoers on all sides of the conflict in Syria from their bases of support around the world. We can support those in Syria working for peaceful change and offer humanitarian assistance. And we will move beyond the limitations of responding to lawbreaking with violence.
There's another benefit, too, of relying on the rule of law. Doing so would strengthen the institutions, like the United Nations and the International Criminal Court, designed to settle conflict without violence. That would mean we'd have more effective options available when future despots threaten to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity.
To follow this path with credibility, though, the United States must itself live within the rule of law. That means, at the very least, refraining from launching into a war that violates international law. Only when a country is attacked, or when it has the support of a Security Council resolution, is a military assault on another country permitted.
It might seem naïve to press for peace in a world where there is so much violence. But the belief that a few bombing missions and a quick exit could make a positive difference is in fact the naïve view. And Americans—traumatized, exhausted, and impoverished by war—have no stomach for the protracted military conflict with uncertain aims that is the more likely outcome.
International law—fairly applied, patiently negotiated, with tough sanctions, and help for refugees—is in fact the most practical way to peace and justice for the people of Syria and beyond.

---

Sarah van Gelder wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas and practice actions. Sarah is executive editor of YES!
James Trimarco contributed reporting for this article.

No War with Syria Protest

Thank you to all who joined New Paltz Women in Black yesterday to say NO to a War with Syria. We were a part of demonstrations that took place all across the country and in the world to say no to another war of aggression in the Middle East.

It looks like domestic and world protests are having an effect. Obama announced in the Rose Garden yesterday, he is now seeking Congressional approval for military intervention. As he spoke, reporters said the chants of "No War with Syria" could be heard from protestors in front of the White House. Thanks to ANSWER.org for being out in force and raising the call for protests nationwide. If we do strike, there will be protest the following day, 4 to 6 PM in front of the Stop N Shop Plaza on Main St in New Paltz, organized by the Hudson Valley Activist Newsletter.

To add to number 1 in "11 Reasons Why We Should Not Attack Syria" - we do not know who was responsible for the gas attacks - here is a link that says rebel forces told an AP reporter that they received the chemical weapons from Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia and didn't even know what they had until an accident unleashed the poison gas and killed some of their own.

Multiple US officials have said the intelligence linking Assad to the chemical weapons attack is "not a slam dunk", referring to CIA Director George Tenet in 2002 describing the intelligence that Iraq had  WMDs as a "slam dunk" which of course was totally wrong. Let's not repeat history.

Please sign the petition here- that begins- "We urge you to show real leadership in protecting the people of Syria with a more creative, effective, and prudent approach than military action.  Galvanize world leaders to demand a multilateral cease-fire."

And here is an article in the NY Times 8/31- "Experts Fear US Plan to Striker Syria Overlooks Risks.

11 Reason Why We Should Not Attack Syria

Reprinted from Yes! Magazine 8/29/2013

11 Reasons Why We Should Not Attack Syria

Remember the last time we were told military strikes were needed because a Middle Eastern despot had used weapons of mass destruction?

by Sarah van Gelder

posted Aug 29, 2013

Syrian children photographed in June 2013 in a refugee camp in Lebanon. Photo by Patrick Nicholson Caritas Internationalis / CAFOD / Flickr.

As U.S. political and media leaders prepare for military strikes against Syria, the parallels to the lead-up to the war with Iraq should give us pause. Weapons of mass destruction, we are told, are being used by a cruel Middle Eastern despot against his own people. A military strike is inevitable, media voices say; we must respond with missiles and bombs. The arguments sound all too familiar.

U.S. intervention would play into the hands of the Syrian regime, triggering an outpouring of nationalist support for Damascus.

Meanwhile, weapons inspectors from the United Nations are on the ground investigating evidence of chemical weapons. But U.S. and European leaders are looking at an immediate strike anyway—although Britain's Labor Party, still smarting from popular opposition to its leading role in the invasion of Iraq, has successfully pressed for a hold on military action until the results of the U.N. investigation are in.

There are a great many differences between circumstances in Syria and Iraq, of course. Nonetheless, critics warn that, much as it did in Iraq, a military incursion here could have disastrous consequences. Here are 11 reasons the United States should stay clear of military action:

1. We don't actually know who is behind the chemical weapons attack. An attack employing chemical weapons took place in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21 and killed 355 people, according to Doctors Without Borders . Obama administration officials say the attack was carried out by the Syrian regime, but Institute for Policy Studies analyst Phyllis Bennis points out we haven't actually been given evidence that this is the case. And, while it's unlikely that the opposition was behind the attack, NPR has pointed out that the rebels have an incentive to use such weapons to trigger outside intervention and end the stalemate they've been stuck in since late 2011.

2. A military strike would be illegal under the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Resolution. U.S. military attacks can only be carried out by an act of Congress, unless there is national emergency created by a direct attack upon the United States. The fact that Congress has adjourned doesn't change that. "There is no provision in the Constitution or the War Powers Resolution for a 'recess war,'"says Robert Naiman, writer for Just Foreign Policy. If it was a true emergency, Congress could be called into session to pass a declaration of war.

3. It would violate international law, too. Syria has not attacked the United States, and there is no U.N. Security Council authorization for a strike on Syria. It wouldn't be the first time the United States has violated international law, but doing it again adds to a damaging precedent and contributes to a lawless world.

4. The American people oppose it. Sixty percent of Americans oppose intervention in Syria, according to a recent Reuters poll. Just nine percent support intervention. Even if the use of chemical weapons is proven, just 25 percent of Americans would support intervention.

5. Violence begets violence. According to Stephen Zunes, chair of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco, military interventions actually worsen and lengthen violence in the short term. "Countries whose dictatorships are overthrown by armed groups … are far more likely to turn into new dictatorships, often accompanied by ongoing violence and factionalism," Zunes says in an article in Foreign Policy in Focus. In the long term, he writes, interventions only reduce violence if they are impartial, which would certainly not be the case in any upcoming conflict in Syria.

6. Foreign intervention will deepen nationalist support for the Syrian Baath Party and the Assad regime. Zunes also reports that hundreds of members of the Syrian Baath Party, a key source of support for Assad, have left the party in outrage over the regime's killing of nonviolent protesters. But, he says, "few defections could be expected if foreigners suddenly attacked the country." U.S. intervention would play into the hands of the Syrian regime, triggering an outpouring of nationalist support for Damascus. The same thing happened in 1983-84 following U.S. Navy air attacks on Syrian positions in Lebanon, he says, and in 2008 after U.S. army commando raids in eastern Syria.

Syria has become a venue for a war between the United States and Russia, and between Iran and an allied U.S. and Israel.

7. There are no logical targets. Bombing stockpiles of chemical weapons would be untenable, since many would release poison gases into densely populated neighborhoods, according to Zunes. And there are too many ways of delivering chemical weapons—planes, missiles, mortars, and so on—to eliminate all of them.

8. It will be impossible to control who benefits from Western intervention among the rebels. The Pentagon estimates that there are between 800 and 1,200 rebel groups currently active in Syria, according to USA Today. Among them are ones with avowed affiliations with Al Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra, and other groups the United States considers to be terrorists. While the House Intelligence Committee has said it's ready to accept the risk of providing weapons to such groups, a look at the Iraq and Afghanistan shows how such plans can easily unravel.

9. Civilians will be killed and maimed. Policy analyst Phyllis Bennis points out the obvious: Strike with bombs and missiles, and, whatever your intent, civilians with no involvement in the conflict—including children and the elderly—will be harmed.

10. There is no apparent exit strategy. Once we are involved, it is unclear how we will extract ourselves from a massive, ugly civil conflict that could spread to involve nearby countries such as Lebanon, Israel, and Iran.

11. Yes, there is a better way. Tried, true, and boring though it may be, diplomacy often works. As Bennis told Democracy Now! this week, Syria has become a venue for a war between the United States and Russia, and between Iran and an allied United States and Israel.
What's needed, she says, are peace talks involving not only the parties who are fighting, but their backers as well. We need "all the forces on the two sides coming together to talk," she says, "rather than fighting to the last Syrian child, to resolve these wars."

---

Sarah van Gelder wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas and practice actions. Sarah is executive editor of YES!
Read more:

• Syria: Lamp in the Storm
• Restless Nation: The Real Meaning of Iran's Elections
• Pathway to Progress in Israel Runs through International Law, Local and Global Action

TPP Opposition Growing and What You Can Do

We are starting to see the explosion of opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) that was expected given the radical and sweeping new powers it gives to multinationals over governments, people and  the earth.

From the AFL-CIO, "Corporations are trying to hijack a trade agreement that is currently being negotiated in secret. It's called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and if they're successful, they'll have a say in everything from your rights at work to the prices of your prescriptions and safety of your child’s toys. Working families around the world are going to be affected by the outcome of this legislation". Read their article "Do You Know What TPP Is? You Should. It's Going to Affect You." and sign their petition.

Even Mayor Bloomberg got in  the act this week with an Op Ed in the New York Times excoriating Obama for caving to the tobacco industry in the TPP. As many now know the TPP gives corporations the right to sue governments if they pass health and public safety laws the corporations feel could interfere with future profits. They could sue nations, states and municipalities for millions (this is already happening under NAFTA- and over $13 billion in suits are pending).

The big difference with TPP is that the "judges" who would decide these cases are corporate attorneys. You cannot make this stuff up.

So if a nation, a state or locality passes a fracking ban, a corporation like  Halliburton could come in and sue them for millions because the ban would lessen their future profits. Labeling genetically modified organisms (GMOs) could be revoked saying such labels erected "trade barriers".

In the beginning, the one thing corporations could not sue nations for was their anti-smoking policies. An exception was made because even they had to admit tobacco is uniquely lethal. But tobacco cried and everyone caved and that "safe haven" has been removed.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said that legal challenges against a country’s anti-smoking policies will now be allowed and then he went on to say "it was an important step forward for public health." Say what?! As Mayor Bloomberg correctly states this new stipulation in the TPP will result in more dying from smoking- in fact he says one billion will die of tobacco use by the end of the century if nothing is done.

Bloomberg adds the TPP "that sells out our national commitment to public health, and forfeits our sovereign authority over our tobacco laws, does not merit the support of Mr. Obama; of the Senate, which would have to ratify it; or of the American people"

I'm glad Bloomberg weighed in, but his focus was a very narrow one. Here is a more inclusive article from Jim Hightower "The Trans Pacific Partnership- Corporate Coup d'Etat against Us" He includes a list  of "TPP’s provisos that would make our daily lives riskier, poorer, and less free".

Obama is trying to push Fast Track for the TPP that would effectively make Congress a rubber stamp for a deal done by the multinationals. Congress would have to pass it without any amendments and with little debate. Saying NO to the Fast Track of TPP is the most important step we can take right now to derail this destructive deal.

    Expect many more suits like this one by Syngenta and Bayer if the TPP goes through.  It is not an exaggeration to say it would end life as we have known it and overtime it would end life...period. 

Actions and Things You Can Do:
Sept 3 - rallies in front of Senators Schumer and Gillibrand's offices in NYC- telling them to vote NO Fast Track for TPP

Also, please call them and Rep Gibson and tell them all- "Do not give up your constitutional duty to review and amend trade treaties- NO Fast Track for TPP!" Capitol Switchboard 202 224-3121 . Tell President Obama what you think of his attempt to pass this without debate -  tell him to end the secrecy. White House comment line 202 456-1111.

Sept 17- actions everywhere to expose TPP and say No to Fast Track for TPP. There will be one in the Hudson Valley-stay tuned!

Sign this petition and PLEASE share it! If we get 30,000 names we will get more national support from MoveOn which is needed!
 

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/congress-dont-renew-fast

Thank you to the 35-40 who joined us last Sunday for our Teach-In on the TPP. We will stay in touch! If you want to be a part of the local NO TPP Team please send your email to: ClearStreamMedia@gmail.com Thank you! Together we will stop this.
 
 

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 Vigil for Bradley Manning

Last Saturday, New Paltz Women in Black held a special vigil for Bradley Manning as part of an International Day of Action that happened in 40 cities. Here was another-

Now we know he has been acquitted on the most serious charge of aiding the enemy, but many other charges could still bring him life in prison. This is a travesty. Manning, who wore dog tags that said "humanist" was appalled at the war crimes he saw and felt he could not in good conscience not let the American people know what was being done in their name. There will most likely be an appeal and he still needs our support and funds. Please go to http://www.standwithbrad.org

Here is the flyer we passed out:

            Support Bradley Manning Rally

By New Paltz Women in Black

Bradley Manning is facing life in prison for being a truth teller and exposing war crimes:

The Iraq War logs-  showed that between 2004- 2009, there were 109,000 deaths in Iraq and a shocking 2/3 of them were civilians.

A video showed a US helicopter gunship crew firing on and killing 12 civilians, including two Reuters reporters and two who stopped to help.

 An order in 2004, directed US troops to not investigate 1000s of reports of prisoner torture in Iraq.

US taxpayer money was used for child trafficking. DynCorp, a US contractor, threw parties for Afghan security recruits featuring boys dressed as women who were sold for sex to the highest bidder.

And there is much more information- embarrassing to the US to say the least- but not threatening our national security in any way- 2.5 million had access to the “secrets” Bradley shared with Wikileaks.

Join the international campaign to support Bradley Manning- www.bradleymanning.org

Sign the petition at www.StandwithBrad.org

Follow “Save Bradley” on twitter and facebook.

Speak out in support of whistleblowers!

They are essential to democracy.

                                                      --------------------------------------------

 Want Clean Water and Air? Want Workers' Rights Protected? Want Jobs to Stay in the US?

Then You Do NOT Want TPP

About the TPP and Senator Elizabeth Warren's Petition to Stop It:

For three years, a group of some 600 multinational corporations and trade associations have been quietly negotiating a trade pact IN SECRET that could void American laws that protect workers, jobs, health, and the environment. During negotiations here last summer, news leaked of some of the provisions U.S. trade officials were prepared to approve, and a public outcry derailed the talks. Trade Representative Ron Kirk resigned. Now that Michael Froman has been confirmed as the new U.S. Trade Representative he is pushing to renew "fast track" authority so President Obama can sign the agreement first, and then force a quick vote in Congress without any public scrutiny, floor debate, or revisions.

Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, one of just four U.S. Senators who voted against Froman's confirmation, said of TPP: “I have heard the argument that transparency would undermine the Trade Representative’s policy to complete the trade agreement because public opposition would be significant,” Warren explained. “In other words, if people knew what was going on, they would stop it. This argument is exactly backwards. If transparency would lead to widespread public opposition to a trade agreement, then that trade agreement should not be the policy of the United States.”

The only TPP language made public was leaked in 2012 and shared by Public Citizen. Since then trade officials have kept a tight lid on the negotiations, only recently allowing members of Congress to view (not copy) the text, which remains "classified." Among the most disturbing revelations in last year's leaked TPP language, that seems to be mirrored in the Atlantic version as well: Foreign companies would have "preferred status" – granting them greater rights within our borders than our own companies enjoy. U.S. companies would have more incentives to offshore jobs, and foreign companies would not be bound by the minimum wage and could sue the U.S. if our health, safety, or environmental regulations interfered with their profits. Jurisdiction over such suits would rest not in the hands of elected officials or judges, but with an international business tribunal. Their decisions, which would be binding upon all member nations, would supersede our own laws – including our Constitution.

Please sign Senator Warren's petition here - http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/congress-dont-renew-fast?mailing_id=14329&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=1662546

Our local Ulster County MoveOn is making it a priority to stop TPP, AKA The Terrible Plutocratic Plan. If you would like to know more, come to our next meeting, or learn how you can be a member of the TPP Team- there will be trainings, power points and more- email me at clearstreammedia@gmailcom. Please share the petition with all you know and talk this up- It is a corporate global coup and we have to stop it! Thanks.

Action Alert

Tell John Boehner and Chris Gibson- Do Your Job!

John  (Don't judge us by the bills we pass, but the bills we repeal- Number repealed- ZER-O) Boehner is coming to Ulster County to raise funds for Rep Chris Gibson and we would like many to come out to welcome him with a message he can't ignore and will never forget! Sign up here- https://www.facebook.com/events/621362001231545/?notif_t=plan_user_invited

1 Cablevision Center Liberty, NY August 6, 4:30PM

Join us to tell Boehner and Gibson:
VOTE for Immigration Reform & a Roadmap to Citizenship NOW!
Stop budget cuts that hurt our families!
Make big corporations and the rich pay their fair share!

Jobs, jobs, jobs

We will be meeting at the entrance along Old Rt 17
(Across from the NYS DOT Barn)

For more information, please contact:
Mary Clark 607.723.0110
Kat Fisher 845.637.0174
KFisher@citizenactionny.org

Day 25 of Hunger Strike by 30,000 Inmates

This video begins with a woman talking about her brother who has been in solitary confinement for almost 30 years! She says she last was able to touch him in 1982. Solitary confinement for decades is torture, it is barbaric and a terrible stain, as much as Abu Ghraib was, on who we are as a nation. 

When an inmate needs immediate medical attention, others yell "Man down!" This happened recently at Corcoran State Prison. The guards ignored the plea for help and hunger striker, Billy "Guero" Sill died July 22. People are dying for sunlight, fresh air and human contact.

Prisoners describe solitary as being "buried alive". They are in windowless, concrete boxes approx 11 x 7 for 221/2 hours a day. In Pelican Bay where the strike originated, 500 have been in solitary confinement for over 10 years, 80 for over 20 years and 2 for 40 years. The UN says solitary confinement for more than 15 DAYS is torture.

Call Gov Jerry Brown today- 510 289-0336 and tell him to end this inhumane practice and to negotiate with prsioners on their legitimate demand to end long-term solitary confinement, and three others, like not denying food as punishment.

Go to http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/ to learn more on how you can stand in solidarity and amplify the voices of the prisoners on hunger strike and sign the open letter to Brown here.

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I'll leave you with a victory-

The Non-GMO label for meat and eggs has been approved for US use!

 http://www.nationofchange.org/huge-victory-non-gmo-label-meat-eggs-approved-us-use-1374935368

This brings us one step closer to labeling foods that are GM. Also helping that to happen was the public hearing for GMO labeling in NYS- first hand account here- http://hv4nogmos.blogspot.com/2013/08/first-hand-account-of-public-hearing-on.html

 We have the power- let's use it! Keep Faith.