STAY INFORMED - "STOP the FTAA" Newsletter
By STOP the FTAA STOP the FTAA, March 2005
Birchers throw road block at CAFTA!
Promoters of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) have taken their public relations campaign to a new level in the form of a "CAFTA Road Show Tour."* CAFTA, if passed, would be a dangerous steppingstone to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas, or FTAA.
While touting the supposed benefits of their "free trade" scheme at road shows in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, CAFTA promoters had the misfortune of running into some well-informed members of The John Birch Society.
These local members dominated the question and answer sessions. They posed over half the questions in each city; exposed the myths about CAFTA; and asked questions about CAFTA's assault on U.S. sovereignty. It was an uncomfortable scene for the pro-CAFTA people, but not for Birchers! After the session in Raleigh, a representative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Mark Smith, met up with the Birchers in a nearby hallway. "So, we will be seeing you again at our next stop?" queried Mr. Smith. When the Birchers replied, "No, we're just from North Carolina," he responded, "But you have others around the country, right?" "Oh yes, of course," they said proudly.
The CAFTA Road Show is coming to your town and you can repeat the successes of Charlotte and Raleigh. You don't have to be a Bircher to enjoy the rush you get watching these people squirm when you ask them the hard questions! The CAFTA Road Show will be in California from March 8-11, with its first stop in Sacramento on March 8, 2005. Later in the month, the tour will move through Atlanta, Georgia, and Alabama.
ANTI-FTAA RESOLUTIONS HAVE PASSED IN INDIANA AND UTAH!
Utah House Resolution H.R.9 (vote 61-8 on February 18), Utah Senate Resolution S.R.1 (vote 21-7 on February 7)
Indiana Senate Concurrent Resolution no. 16 (vote 25-24 on February 22)
And if that isn't exciting enough -- resolutions in various stages exist in a number of state legislatures including New Hampshire, New Jersey, Arizona, and Montana. Letters opposing FTAA have been drafted by the state governors of Oregon and Wisconsin.
"The Statehouse uprising against trade deals comes at a bad time for President George W. Bush's trade policy…. Such concerns from the heartland are already stiffening the anti-globalization sentiments of those conservative Republicans who view the WTO as an attempt to impose a one-world government.... CAFTA is the most likely victim of this rising resistance." (Business Week March 7, 2005 issue)
March Links for CAFTA:
CAFTA's Fate in Congress is Uncertain: While opposition from the textile and sugar industry loom, passage of CAFTA is seen as key to the Bush administration's plans to eventually gain congressional approval of a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement.
The CAFTA Road Show Stops in Denver: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of the Americas sponsor tour of ambassadors from Central America.
March Links for FTAA:
Small Businesses Fight Back: Small businesses unify in hopes of having their voice heard in big government.
Brazil and U.S. Report Progress on FTAA Pact: Yesterday the Bush administration said it had narrowed differences with Brazil in negotiations over a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement, the first sign of progress in over a year. Negotiators from Brazil and the U.S. plan to meet again on March 29-30 and hope to meet with trade negotiators from all 34 nations in late April or early May.
FTAA Not Flat Lining: Keep up the resistance; The FTAA may appear wounded, but it is certainly not dead.
Letter to the Editor: Each month we post a letter to the editor from newspapers nationwide asking Americans to realize the threat posed by the FTAA.
Order a STOP the FTAA Starter Kit! Would you like a simple, effective way to spread the word about the FTAA threat? The Starter Kit contains everything you need from conversation-starting buttons, to pass-along cards, pamphlets, and a bumper sticker.
Learn more about the "STOP the FTAA" campaign's sponsor: The John Birch Society has influenced millions of Americans toward, "Less Government, More Responsibility, and -- With God's Help -- a Better World" over the past 46 years….
*The CAFTA Road Show Tour is one of the main marketing tools being used by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) for promoting CAFTA.
