D5 Mobilization to Portland against the WTO

SOUTHERN OREGON JOBS WITH JUSTICE, 04.12.2009 07:25

SOUTHERN OREGONIANS ARE HEADING TO PORTLAND DEC. 5 TO JOIN THE CONVERGENCE
Vans & Autos will car-pool up and back the same day ($30. roundtrip in a van includes pizza).
Call NOW to reserve a seat 541-482-6988 or email  brain@mind.net

D5: Mobilization Against the World Trade Organization
 http://www.December5.org

Saturday, December 5th * March & Rally * Downtown Portland

12:00 Noon - Gather at Tom McCall Waterfront Park (under the Hawthorne Bridge)
1:00 pm - March to the World Trade Center, Federal Building and Wells Fargo Building
2:00 pm - Indoor Rally and Concert at Portland State University

Democracy Demands It!

As part of the global days of action against the new World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial, people from across Northwest will be converging in downtown Portland to speak out against the proposed expansion of failed "free trade" policies and to demand the prioritization of human needs over corporate greed.

That week, the World Trade Organization will be holding its largest negotiations on international trade and investment in many years. During the new WTO conference, government officials and corporate lobbyists will be promoting the expansion of business-as-usual trade policies as a solution to, rather than a cause of, the global economic and environmental crises. On their agenda is the expansion of pacts that would:

*Cause further offshoring of Oregon jobs

*Prohibit new banking regulations designed to prevent the next financial crisis

*Force global warming policies to conform with restrictive commercial agreements

*Expand agricultural practices that push small farmers off their land and force migration

*Require countries to accept imported foods and consumer goods that fail to meet local safety standards

We need to fight back. This latest WTO Ministerial -- only the fourth in the past decade -- falls on the exact 10-year anniversary of the hugely-successful Seattle WTO protests. It is time to reclaim the "Spirit of Seattle," come together as affected communities and take control over the policy decisions that affect our economic and ecological well-being.

As part of this resistance, a broad coalition of over 60 labor, environmental, faith, human rights and community organizations across Oregon have organized a statewide march and indoor rally in Portland for Saturday, December 5, 2009. Similar actions will be held that week in cities and towns throughout the globe. Join the global movement saying "NO" to the WTO by participating in the "D5." Learn more at  http://www.December5.org.

JOIN THE CARAVAN OF VANS & AUTOS. To get info about the caravan coming from Ashland, Medford and Roseburg, email  ashland@december5.org. For caravan information from the Eugene/Springfield area, write  eugene@december5.org. From the Corvallis area, write  corvallis@december5.org. From Seattle, write  seattle@december5.org. For carpooling from all other areas, please call (503) 736-9777.

VOLUNTEER! We're looking for 30 people to volunteer as march marshals, which involves sporting a cool orange vest, leading people in chants and generally making sure that the march moves forward smoothly. Training will be provided at 11:30 am the morning of the march. To sign up, email  chris@jwjpdx.org. Marshaling not your thing? We're also looking for a few good sea turtles. Volunteer to participate in street theater by emailing  involved@december5.org.

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WTO Teach-In * Eugene Nov. 21 21.11.2009 - 01:59 Eugene, Nov. 21st: WTO 2009 Teach-In Saturday, November 21, 2009 1:00 - 4:00 pm University of Oregon * EMU Fir Room Eugene, OR What is the World Trade Organization (WTO)? What's it up to today? Why should we care? And how do we fight back? These are the topics of the Eugene/Springfield WTO 2009 Teach-In. The fantastic line up of speakers include: Michael Drieling, an overview of the WTO and the Seattle '99 protests Guadalupe Quinn, on trade, migration and racism Samantha Chirillo, on trade and global warming Lauren Reagan, on the legacy of the Seattle protests and the right to dissent Stan Taylor, on the WTO's current agenda and protest against it There will also be break-out discussions that let you ask questions, share ideas and focus on organizing opportunities. "Eugene Says NO to the WTO" Celebration Saturday, November 21 * 6:30 - 11:30 pm The WOW Hall * 291 W 8th Ave "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution." - Emma Goldman Dance the night away with trade activists and others throughout the Eugene/Springfield area as we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Seattle WTO protests! In the world-famous Woodsmen of the World Hall, we'll host an early screening of This Is What Democracy Looks Like, then dance the night away to the musical stylings of the Sugar Beets and the New Mexican Revolution. The beer garden will be open for most of the night. While there, sign up for the caravan headed to Portland for D5 and learn more about how to get involved about current trade fights. EUGENE ADDS NAME TO GROWING WTO RESISTANCE> Homepage:: http://www.december5.org People's Summit in Seattle Nov. 28th and 29th 21.11.2009 - 02:19 Seattle, Nov. 28th & 29th: People's Summit People's Summit Program: See updates at www.seattlePLUS10.org All events FREE or by donation; no registration required. Saturday Nov 28: Opening Plenary & Workshops at Seattle University, 9 - 5pm Saturday Evening: "Reclaiming Community" Plenary, Dinner & Music at New Hope Baptist Church, 6 - 10pm Sunday Nov 29: Workshops, Plenary & Strategy Session on Cross-sector Organizing, at Seattle University, 10 - 5pm Sunday evening: Closing Plenary at Town Hall, 6 - 9pm Confirmed speakers: Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! Leo Gerard, United Steel-Workers President Dena Hoff, National Family Farm Coalition & Via Campesina Eric Holt-Gimenez & Annie Shattuck, Food First Rev. Robert Jeffrey, Black Dollar Days Task Force David Korten (When Corporations Rule the World, Agenda For a New Economy) Thea Lee, AFL-CIO Sylvia Orduño, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization and National Planning Committee, U.S. Social Forum GLOBAL JUSTICE FORWARD> Homepage:: http://www.seattleplus10.org WTO and Which way on financial regulation? 01.12.2009 - 01:12 If the financial crisis has taught us anything, it's that Wall Street shouldn't be expected to police itself. Ordinary people understand this, but has the Obama administration learned this lesson yet? In September, as President Barack Obama hosted the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, he called on his fellow heads-of-state to tighten financial controls. In the G-20 communiqué issued that week, world leaders pledged to "make sure our regulatory system for banks and other financial firms reins in the excesses that led to the crisis." That sounded great, until you read just a little further down, where the G-20 leaders also committed to "bringing the Doha Round to a successful conclusion in 2010." The Doha Round refers to current attempts to expand the World Trade Organization, a body whose binding Financial Services Agreement mandated much of the radical banking deregulation of the 1990s and seeks to prohibit new financial regulations from being enacted. World leaders cannot have it both ways. If they want to prevent banks from becoming "too big to fail," put controls on the trading of exotic derivatives or try to separate out lending institutions from investment firms, then they can't be expanding pacts that are explicitly designed to prevent those actions. Let's be honest. G-20 communiqués are non-binding press releases in which elected officials say things they think the public wants to hear. WTO negotiations are where the rubber hits the road on setting mandatory, enforceable policy. It's time for President Obama to remember his campaign promises for trade reform and demand a turnaround of some of the WTO's worse provisions. If we're ever going to re-regulate Wall Street, trade negotiators need to put down the shovel, stop expanding deregulatory trade policies, and come up with a plan for getting rid of the trade obligations that already tie regulators' hands. As the new chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on International Trade, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden can play an important role in making sure this turnaround really happens. Over the past year, Americans found out the hard way that "the invisible hand of the market" isn't always enough to keep the economy running smoothly. Congress had no problem abandoning market principles when it came time to bail out some of the banking and insurance industries' most reckless speculators. Unfortunately, it was millions of innocent taxpayers, retirees, homeowners, small businesses and the unemployed who were left holding the bill. We need financial controls to prevent that from happening again. The new WTO negotiations are being held on November 30th of this year -- the exact 10-year anniversary of the Seattle WTO protests. Let's hope that Obama and the Democrats learn from the mistakes of administrations past, and that they won't need another Seattle to wake them up to public anger still bubbling under the surface regarding the economy. Arthur Stamoulis is director of the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign.  http://www.citizenstrade.org/orftc.php Arthur Stamoulis> Homepage:: http://