Thursday, November 12, 2015

TPP is public, outrageous, and stoppable ~ @Roots_Action






We can stop the TPP.



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Months ago, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), also known as NAFTA on steroids, looked like a done deal. Now it looks stoppable. The full text has finally just been made public, and it's as bad as anyone imagined. See a wonderful 8-minute video on the page you land on after signing:

Please click here to sign this petition:

To the Speaker of the House and Democratic Party Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Party Leader Harry Reid:

We are writing to urge the Congress to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This agreement would destroy jobs, degrade the environment, undermine the Internet and weaken U.S. democracy and sovereignty.


Research and the history of trade agreements since NAFTA show that these types of trade agreements produce trade deficits, lost jobs, lower wages, and environmental damage.

We've stopped them before. Click here to help stop this one.

The TPP’s scope is too broad. It usurps the legislative authority of Congress by writing rules concerning safety and labeling of foods, access to healthcare and medicine, regulation of banks, rights or workers, future energy sources and so much more. Essentially, its scope is everything.

These are issues that should be considered by Congress not written in secret by trade negotiators. In our representative democracy these types of issues should be publicly debated, hearings should be held and people should express their views before a law is passed.

In addition to undermining the legislative authority, the TPP weakens federal courts by expanding Trade Tribunals through investor state dispute settlement rules. The experience of the TPP indicates that Congress needs to reconsider how trade agreements are developed: trade should put the needs of people and protection of the planet before profits; and trade needs to be negotiated with transparency and participation of the people.

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After signing the petition, please forward this message to your friends. You can also share it from the webpage after taking the action yourself.

This work is only possible with your financial support. Please chip in $3 now.

-- The RootsAction.org Team

P.S. RootsAction is an independent online force endorsed by Jim Hightower, Barbara Ehrenreich, Cornel West, Daniel Ellsberg, Glenn Greenwald, Naomi Klein, Bill Fletcher Jr., Laura Flanders, former U.S. Senator James Abourezk, Coleen Rowley, Frances Fox Piven, Lila Garrett, Phil Donahue, Sonali Kolhatkar, and many others.

Background:
> Economic Policy Institute: What’s Wrong with the TPP? This deal would lead to more job loss and downward pressures on the wages of most working Americans
> Jim Hightower: TransPacific Partnership - Corporate Coup d'Etat Against Us
> Alliance for Democracy: Why People Oppose the TPP and TTIP
> Joan Brunwasser: TPP Fight is Not Over
> Flush the TPP: Call to Action Against Global Corporate Domination


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Monday, October 12, 2015

Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day



cs logo red
Advancing Indigenous Peoples' 
Rights and 
Cultures Worldwide.


Art by Louie Gong.




12 Things to Do to Commemorate Indigenous Peoples
on "Columbus Day"

Christopher Columbus arrived as an immigrant to "the New World." He did not "discover" America. He was not a hero, he was a war criminal. Today, let's remember and celebrate the Peoples who were here first!

Last year, both Seattle and Minneapolis voted to stop recognizing "Columbus Day" in favor of Indigenous Peoples' Day, shifting the holiday's focus from Columbus to the people he encountered in the New World and their modern-day descendants. Inspired by this movement, the University of Alaska Southeast, Oklahoma University and even Fargo, North Dakota recently voted to also embrace Indigenous People's Day.

In the past two months, eight cities got rid of Columbus Day in favor of adopting Indigenous Peoples' Day. Three of those cities adopted Indigenous Peoples' Day this week: Albuquerque, NM, Lawrence, KS, Portland, OR, St. Paul, MN, Bexar County, TX, Anadarko, OK, Olympia, WA, Alpena, MI. Oklahoma City came close to passing it in September and will try to pass it again on October 13th, the day after the holiday.

We can all take example from these cases and take action for change. 

 
1. Watch and Share Reconsider Columbus Day by NuHeightzCinema  

Reconsider Columbus Day
Reconsider Columbus Day


2. Sign a Petition to President Obama to Change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day
take action now


3. Reconsider what you were taught in history class about the "discovery of America" with this short animated film, History vs. Christopher Columbus.




4.  Brush up on your knowledge of Indigenous Peoples. Watch First Light.
"First Light" Trailer

First Light independently documents the work of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the first such task force to investigate issues important to Native Americans. The TRC was dedicated to uncovering and acknowledging the truth about what happened to Wabanaki children and families involved with the child welfare system.

5. Celebrate Indigenous Leaders
Learn about and celebrate some of the incredible Indigenous leaders from U.S. history and contemporary times. Here are some resources to get you started:
            Great Chiefs and Leaders
            Women in Leadership
             Youth Leaders
Show these leaders some love and spread the word! #IndigenousLeaders


6. Take Action by Getting Involved in the Anti-mascot Movement
There are still more than 1,000 high school, university and professional teams that continue to have Native American mascots. Though changes have been made at the high school and college levels, at the professional level there has been virtually no change. Start the change in your community. Check out our Abolishing Racist Native Mascots: A Toolkit for Change.


 
7. Read and share these great articles:
By Indian Country Today.  

 

8. Come to a Cultural Survival Bazaar in Amherst, MA.


The Amherst Bazaar falls on "Columbus Day" weekend, a holiday that many Indigenous Peoples in the US and their allies are working to rename and reframe as "Indigenous Peoples' Day." Celebrate and support Indigenous Peoples on this day by attending the Cultural Survival Bazaar, taste Indigenous foods, listen to Indigenous music and stories, and support Indigenous communities by buying art that benefits their cultures. 

October 10, 11, & 12, 2015
Amherst Common
Boltwood Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002
10am to 5pm

Mayan hip hop performances by Tz'utu Kan, whom we welcome for the first time to perform rhythms that express interpretations of the ancient Mayan calendar through Mayan sounds and intercultural borrowing from Native American, Andean, Rastafarian, hip hop, and dancehall rhythms.


9. Participate in a People's Climate Movement Event

With increasing awareness about the connection between climate change and social and economic inequality, the environmental movement has begun to blossom into a holistic struggle for  justice. This fall, front-line communities impacted by the environmental crisis and climate change, are joining with workers, people of faith, students, immigrants, racial, climate and economic justice activists and other community members, to call for bold action on climate at the local, national and global levels. Look for an event in your area here. 



10. Learn about the American Precolonial Roots of Democracy. 
American democracy was founded on the principles of The Great Law of Peace founded by the Haudenosaunne People (Iroquois) in the Northeast. Read more.

 
   
   
Our work is only possible because of people like you, who believe in and support our mission to advocate for Indigenous Peoples' rights and support Indigenous communities' self-determination, cultures, and political resilience. Please donate today. 
 
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12. Spread the Word!
 One of the easiest and most effective things you can do is raise awareness about Indigenous Peoples. Forward, post this message on facebook, or tweet it! 
#AbolishColumbusDay #IndigenousPeoplesDay

  
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As always, we welcome your comments. Please send your feedback and suggestions to agnes@cs.org.




Cultural Survival advocates for Indigenous Peoples' rights and supports Indigenous communities' self-determination, cultures and political resilience since 1972.  

Learn More
To read about Cultural Survival's work around the world, click here. To explore 40 years of information on Indigenous issues use our Search function.

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For ways to take action to support Indigenous communities, click here.

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We take on governments and multinational corporations -- and they always have more resources than we do -- but with the support of people like you, we do win. Your contribution is crucial to that effort. Click here to do your part.



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