The Trans-Pacific Partnership and its sister the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership known as TAFTA, are being negotiated in secret as a way to pursue the WTO agenda through the backdoor. The TPP has been under negotiation for more than three years, and is supposed to be near its final stages. Recently, opposition to it has grown considerably and the process appears to be slowing. A recent study found that the TPP will reduce wages for the bottom 90 percent of people in the US while significantly increasing the wealth of the top 1 percent. The AFL CIO passed a resolution opposing the TPP and Teamster President James Hoffa wrote, “Workers on both sides of the deal get screwed while corporations rake in record profits. Like low-wage workers in the fast food and retail industries, workers must join together to let Congress know that the TPP is not the right path for the U.S.” A broad coalition of groups have come together to stop the TPP. At the Occupy Wall Street protests this week in New York, the TPP was a top theme. In addition to marches and teach-ins focused on the TPP, the Money Wars street theater group performed its epic battle of Princess Laid-Off and the rebels against the TPP Death Star, Emperor Pipeline and Dark Banker. Actions are taking place this weekend and next week in Washington. If we are successful, this will be a huge victory against transnational corporate power. There have been a number of wins recently against top corporations. The Nez Perce tribe and allies took on General Electric and won a case to stop megaloads for the tar sands from crossing their land in Idaho. Exxon was charged for illegally dumping toxic fracking waste in Pennsylvania. And JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon admitted that the bank broke the law. Another important win that is inspiring many in the US took place in Colombia where farmers went on a prolonged strike to win back the right to use their own seeds. The anti-Monsanto and anti-GMO movement is strong here. Thousands of people marched this week in Kauai for a law to protect themselves from pesticides. Marches are being planned for another global day of action against Monsanto on October 12. And, despite an outpouring of money, a vote to label GMO products in Washington State is still holding strong.alternet.org/activism/believe-it-resistance-corporate-power-and-warmongering-growing-all-around-us?paging=off
Posted on: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 14:24:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015