February, 04 2014, 04:00pm EDT
Anti-Fast Track Mobilization to be Extended After More Than Half a Million People Take Action
WASHINGTON
Today, a diverse network of organizations opposing Fast Track legislation announced they are extending their 10 days of activism following massive and widespread public action. Since its inception on January 22nd, more than 100 new groups have joined the effort at StopFastTrack.com, including Coalition for a Prosperous America, Ben & Jerry's, Free Software Foundation, SumOfUs, Democracy for America, Friends of the Earth, Namecheap, and CREDO -- adding to an already impressive, and unlikely, list of groups like reddit, Sierra Club, AFL-CIO, MoveOn, LabelGMOs, and Fight for the Future.
The social-media-fueled campaign has been embraced by more than 120 organizations and coincided with more than 50 rallies and teach-ins across the U.S., Canada and Mexico last week alone. Nearly 600,000 people have signed petitions or sent emails to lawmakers, and members of Congress have already received more than 40,000 phone calls from constituents who oppose Fast Track. A simultaneous social media push known as a Thunderclap reached 5.4 million users and received support from actor Mark Ruffalo, author Cory Doctorow, and tech celebrity Tim O'Reilly.
"When we launched this effort about ten days ago, we had 20 groups participating -- now we have 120," said Evan Greer, campaign manager at Fight for the Future, the Internet freedom group that helped initiate the StopFastTrack.com effort. "It's time for those in power to read the writing on the wall; people from across the political spectrum overwhelmingly oppose anti-democratic Fast Track legislation, and we won't allow decisions that affect all of us to be made behind closed doors."
See the full list of 120 organizations participating: https://stopfasttrack.com
See photos from more than 50 protests and events: https://stopfasttrack.com/#photos
Last week a nationwide, bipartisan poll found that voters oppose fast track authority by more than 2-1. The poll also found that members of Congress who vote to approve Fast Track -- especially Republicans -- are taking a political risk.
The massive mobilization from Fast Track opponents has clearly made an impact in Washington, with Senate Majority leader Harry Reid coming out in opposition to Fast Track, but organizers caution that the fight is not over. They plan a public petition delivery in the coming weeks to increase pressure on Congress to oppose the Fast Track bill.
"The only way we're going to stop the secret corporate power grab known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership is if we stop Fast Track. That's why we're proud to stand with the scores of other organizations who are engaged in this fight," said Becky Bond, Political Director of CREDO. "When so many organizations with diverse backgrounds and concerns stand together, it sends a powerful message. If you think the American people will allow Congress to abdicate its responsibility by passing Fast Track, prepare to be disappointed."
Michael Stumo, CEO of the Coalition for a Prosperous America, stated: "Our members oppose giving President Obama even more executive authority through Fast Track. We need a new trade agenda to balance trade and to prevent further outsourcing our sovereignty to international institutions. We will be watching Tea Party caucus members to make sure they do not favor these global government agreements."
David Cascino, CEO of Thunderclap, stated: "Now that people can rapidly organize around social media, phone call campaigns and targeted emails, it's getting increasingly difficult for politicians to make decisions behind closed doors."
Steve Anderson, Executive Director of OpenMedia.org said: "We know that the TPP will make the Internet more expensive, censored, and policed. That's why hundreds of thousands are speaking out to stop it being rammed through Congress without a debate. It's never been more important to pick up the phone and tell your Member of Congress to stop Fast Tracking a deal that would criminalize your online activity, invade your privacy, and cost you money."
"The breadth of opposition to Fast Tracking the TPP in any form whatsoever shows that the people will not be fooled by rigged corporate trade agreements. The TPP is so bad that it unites people in vehement opposition -- entire cities and towns are already saying that they will not obey laws passed in secret that will harm them. If Congress moves forward on Fast Track, we expect growing resistance that will include disruption of re-election campaigns." said Dr. Margaret Flowers of PopularResistance.org, an outgrowth of the Occupy Movement.
"Rainforest Action Network seeks to challenge corporate power where it undermines the interests of people and planet," said Lindsey Allen, executive director of Rainforest Action Network (RAN)."The TPP is a profit-driven frontal assault on democracy and issues core to RAN's work and in a time where we need every tool necessary to address global climate disruption, it is unacceptable to use an undemocratic shortcut like Fast Track to force through the TPP and usurp the interests of millions."
Communications Workers of America President Larry Cohen said, "Voters across the political spectrum are energized. They know this deal affects everybody - small business, workers, anyone who cares about about the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the jobs we hold. Americans are asking what kind of future do we want? We don't want a trillion-dollar trade deficit. We need to reset our trade policy, so that it works for everyone, not just big corporations."
"The Obama administration's plan to ram two potentially devastating international trade agreements through Congress appears to be slowing down thanks to widespread opposition, but we're not taking any chances," said Ronnie Cummins International Director of the Organic Consumers Association. "We must stop trade deals that would weaken U.S. and world food safety standards, threaten domestic and international food sovereignty laws, and allow transnational corporations to sue governments for alleged future lost profits unless the corporations are allowed to freely peddle their unproven, unsafe goods with reckless regard for existing food safety laws."
Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, said, "The widespread interest in "Fast Track" from across the political spectrum is no surprise. It's only more evidence of what America's workers have known for a long time: America's workforce deserves better than warmed over trade deals, which will do nothing to raise wages or reduce our $540 billion trade deficit. The United States is long overdue for an overhaul of its trade priorities and trade practices and that can only happen with an inclusive process that includes all our voices, not just the disproportionate influence of the 1%."
"With TPP, special interests are gunning for draconian copyright rules that would entrench Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) and chill the development of the free "as-in-freedom" software we need," said John Sullivan, Executive Director of the Free Software Foundation, "We're inspired to be part of such a diverse outcry against the Fast Track. It's clear that people see the damage that TPP's restrictions would do to freedom and culture."
"Fast Track authority takes democratic process away from our elected representatives, striking any discussion or debate on trade agreements in Congress, for example, on the upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership," says Carleen Pickard, Executive Director of Global Exchange. "Fast Tracking" such an agreement without substantive discussion about it's impacts is a bad idea".
"Imports increased three times faster than exports since NAFTA took effect, and our trade deficit is devastating to American workers," said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. "Congress should read every word of these so-called 'free-trade deals' to make sure they help American families and to get rid of special deals inserted by corporate lobbyists."
Elizabeth Warren, MoveOn National TPP Team Coordinator said, "MoveOn's TPP team is committed to fighting Fast Track in Congress. While we long for good news, and it is tempting to be reassured by Senator Reid's comments, we need to differentiate between rhetoric and action. His statements could be the opening salvo in a debate over Democratic amendments to the Baucus bill, or he could be setting the stage for an alternate version of Fast Track - traveling under an assumed name - to be sponsored by Ron Wyden, for example. We must remain focused, and continue pressuring House members until a wide majority unequivocally oppose it - on the record - in ANY form."
"Across the country, Sierra Club members and supporters are ready to stand up for responsible trade that doesn't threaten American jobs, our air and water, and our climate," said Michael Brune, Sierra Club executive director. "The Sierra Club strongly opposes fast track. This bill not only undermines our democracy, it puts American families and our future at risk."
CREDO Action, part of CREDO Mobile, is a social change network of over five million activists, sending tens of millions of petition signatures and hundreds of thousands of phone calls to decision-makers each year. CREDO Action members also participate in meetings, protests and other direct action for progressive change.
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Ahead of Treaty Negotiations, Hundreds March to 'End the Plastic Era'
"As adults who come to Ottawa to negotiate the plastic treaty, you must protect our rights to live in a healthy and safe environment," one young activists said.
Apr 21, 2024
Days before national delegates gather for the fourth and penultimate negotiations to develop a Global Plastics Treaty in Ottawa, Canada, around 500 Indigenous and community representatives, members of civil society and environmental groups, and experts and scientists gathered for a "March to End the Plastic Era" on Sunday.
The protesters, organized under the banner of Break Free From Plastic, called for a treaty that significantly reduces plastic production and centers the frontline communities most impacted by the plastics crisis.
"Delegates must act like our lives depend on it—because they do," Daniela Duran Gonzales, senior legal campaigner with the Center for International Environmental Law, said in a statement. "Our climate goals, the protection of human health, the enjoyment of human rights, and the rights of future generations all rest on whether the future plastics treaty will control and reduce polymers to successfully end the plastic pollution crisis."
"Short-sighted business interests must be out of the room because the only way to achieve equitable livelihoods is when we have a healthy planet."
The official meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to craft a "international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment," will run from April 23 to 29 in the Canadian capital.
Break Free From Plastic called the negotiations a "make or break" moment for the treaty, which is supposed to be completed in late 2024 in Busan, South Korean. However, civil society groups have expressed concern that oil-producing countries and the plastics industry will water down the agreement and steer it toward waste management and recycling, which has been revealed to be a false solution to plastic pollution knowingly promoted by the industry for decades.
The last round of negotiations concluded in late 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya, with little progress made after 143 fossil fuel and chemical lobbyists attended.
Salisa Traipipitsiriwat of Thailand, who is the senior campaigner and Southeast Asia plastics project manager for the Environmental Justice Foundation, said ahead of Sunday's march that it was "crucial for world leaders to step up and put the people and planet at the forefront."
"Short-sighted business interests must be out of the room because the only way to achieve equitable livelihoods is when we have a healthy planet," Traipipitsiriwat added.
On Sunday, marchers gathered for a press conference at 10:30 am ET before marching at around 11:30 am from Parliament Hill to the Shaw Center, were negotiations will begin on Tuesday. Crowds began to disperse around 1:30 pm. Participants carried large banners with messages including, "End the plastic era," "End multigenerational toxic exposure," and pointing out that 99% of plastics came from fossil fuels. The gathering featured live music and art, including a giant tap pouring out plastics and a "Plastisaurus rex" with the message "Make single-use plastic extinct."
(Photo: Break Free From Plastics)
"Now's the time to be bold and push for a treaty that cuts plastic production and holds polluters accountable," Julie Teel Simmonds, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a pre-march statement. "I'm inspired to be joining so many advocates in Ottawa, standing up against the enormous harm the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries are causing to people's health and the planet. I hope to see countries showing ambition this week, and I urge them to remember what's at stake for future generations."
Civil society groups have compiled several demands for an ambitious and effective treaty. These are:
- Centering human rights, especially those of Indigenous communities, young people, and workers most impacted by plastic pollution;
- Protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples throughout the treaty process;
- Dealing with plastics across their entire lifecyle;
- Reducing production as a "nonnegotiable" part of the treaty;
- Eliminating toxic chemicals and additives from plastics;
- Bolstering reuse systems for plastics that are non-toxic;
- Prioritizing first prevention, then reuse, recycling, recovery, and disposal when managing plastic waste;
- Ending "waste colonialism" by strengthening regulations for trading plastics;
- Guaranteeing a "just transition" for people employed across the plastics lifecycle;
- Including "non-party" provisions in the treaty;
- Establishing a mechanism to fund countries so they can fully implement the treaty; and
- Enshrining conflict-of-interest policies as a protection against plastics industry lobbying.
The coalition emphasized the need to tackle the problem of plastic from cradle to grave.
"Plastic doesn't just become pollution when it's thrown away," said Jessica Roff, the U.S. and Canada plastics and petrochemicals program manager for the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. "Plastic is pollution, from the moment the fossil fuels are extracted from the ground to the eternity of waste it spawns."
Chrie Wilke, global advocacy manager for the Waterkeeper Alliance, said "Clearly the crux of the plastic pollution crisis is too much plastic being produced. There is no way to recycle our way out of this. We must face the fact that plastic and petrochemicals, at current production levels, endanger waterways, communities, and fisheries across the globe. Cutting production and implementing non-plastic alternatives and reuse systems is essential."
(Photo: Ben Powless/Survival Media Agency)
Activists also emphasized the environmental justice implications of plastic pollution, and how some communities and groups are more burdened than others, both from the dangers of the production process and from waste disposal.
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Jo Banner, co-founder and co-directer of The Descendants Project, said:"Frontline community members, such as myself, are participating in these treaty negotiations with heavy hearts as our communities back home are struggling with sickness and disease caused by the upstream production of plastic."
"Although our hearts are heavy, they are full with passion urging negotiators to aim for an ambitious treaty that caps plastic production," Banner added. "Areas such as my hometown, located in the heart of Louisiana's Cancer Alley, need a strong treaty now. There is no more time to waste."
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'Obvious Evidence of Genocide': Mass Grave Discovered in Gaza's Nasser Hospital
Palestinian rescue workers said they found hundreds of bodies, some with their hands bound and others with their skin, organs, or heads removed.
Apr 21, 2024
Palestinian civil defense discovered hundreds of bodies buried by Israeli forces in a mass grave inside the complex of Khan Younis' Nasser Medical Complex on Saturday.
Rescue workers said they had removed at least 200 bodies as of 12:00 pm local time on Sunday, and they estimated that at least another 200 remained, Middle East Eye reported.
"We found corpses without heads, bodies without skins, and some had their organs stolen," the director-general of the Government Media Office said in a statement shared by Quds News Network.
"Following the mass graves at Al-Shifa hospital, it looks like Israel is a voracious death machine turning hospitals in Gaza into graveyards."
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) withdrew from Khan Younis on April 7. While they occupied the city, they stormed the Nasser Medical Complex in February, arresting several doctors, damaging the structure with shelling, and rendering it unable to function as a hospital.
Al Jazeera reporter Hani Mahmoud said the bodies found in the Nasser grave included children, young men, and older women. Rescues said that some of the bodies they found had been buried with their hands tied behind their backs, according to Middle East Eye.
"Our teams continue their search and retrieval operations for the remaining martyrs in the coming days as there are still a significant number of them," Palestinian emergency services said in a statement shared with Al Jazeera.
The news came as the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Saturday to send another $26 billion to Israel, including for military aid.
"These mass graves are obvious evidence of genocide and the most unthinkable war crimes. And yet, the House just signed off on $26 billion in weapons to fuel the genocidal Israeli military, while Israel threatens a full scale ground invasion to massacre Palestinians in Rafah," the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights said on social media.
This is not the first mass grave that has been discovered near a Gaza Strip hospital since Israel began its devastating bombardment and invasion following Hamas' deadly October 7 attack on southern Israel. When the IDF withdrew from the al-Shifa hospital earlier this month, Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat reported seeing hundreds of dead bodies outside the hospital, many that had had their hands and legs bound and their bodies run-over by bulldozers. Al Jazeera reported that several mass graves were found near al-Shifa.
"Following the mass graves at Al-Shifa hospital, it looks like Israel is a voracious death machine turning hospitals in Gaza into graveyards. Wake up world!" Palestinian politician and activist Hanan Ashrawi wrote on social media.
Muhammad Shehada, the communications chief for Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, expressed shock that there was not more media coverage of the Nasser grave.
"I CANNOT find a single headline in any mainstream media about this!" Shehada wrote on social media. "Imagine it was Ukraine? or Israel?"
Over the weekend, the the Gaza Health Ministry reported that the death toll from Israel's war on Gaza surpassed 34,000, though this is likely an undercount since several people remain trapped beneath rubble.
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Historic Number of Democratic Reps Vote Against Unconditional Aid to Israel
"Most Americans do not want our government to write a blank check to further Prime Minister Netanyahu's war in Gaza," a group of nearly 20 of the 37 no-voting lawmakers said.
Apr 20, 2024
Nearly 40 House Democrats voted against a measure to send around $26 billion more to Israel as it continues its war on Gaza that human rights experts have deemed a genocide.
While the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act passed the Republican-led House by a vote of 366-58, party insiders said it was significant that such a large number of Democrats had opposed it, with more centrist lawmakers joining progressives who have called for a cease-fire since October.
"Despite the weapons aid package passing, this is the largest number of Democratic lawmakers to vote against unrestricted weapons aid for Israel in recent memory," senior Democratic strategist Waleed Shahid observed on social media.
"If Congress votes to continue to supply offensive military aid, we make ourselves complicit in this tragedy."
Human rights lawyer, lobbyist, and former Democratic National Committee committeewoman Yasmine Taeb posted that it was "incredibly significant that 37 Democrats voted NO and rejected AIPAC's role and influence in the party."
Senior Democrats who opposed the funding included Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.)
The bill earmarks around $4 billion for Israel's missile defense systems and more than $9 billion for humanitarian aid to Gaza, according toThe Associated Press. However, while lawmakers approved of individual expenditures, they balked at giving more unconditional military aid to the far-right government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"U.S. law demands that we withhold weapons to anyone who frustrates the delivery of U.S. humanitarian aid, and President Biden's own recent National Security Memorandum requires countries that use U.S.-provided weapons to adhere to U.S. and international law regarding the protection of civilians," McGovern said in a statement explaining his vote. "To date, Netanyahu has failed to comply. It's time for President Biden to use our leverage to demand change."
Nearly 20 Democratic representatives released a joint statement explaining their vote. They were McGovern, Doggett, Watson Coleman, Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Jesús "Chuy" GarcÃa (D-Ill.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), and Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii).
"This is a moment of great consequence—the world is watching," the lawmakers wrote. "Today is, in many ways, Congress' first official vote where we can weigh in on the direction of this war. If Congress votes to continue to supply offensive military aid, we make ourselves complicit in this tragedy."
The lawmakers clarified that their no votes were specifically "votes against supplying more offensive weapons that could result in more killings of civilians in Rafah and elsewhere."
While they acknowledged that Israel had a right to defend itself, they argued that its greatest security would come from a cease-fire that enabled the release of hostages, humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, and peace negotiations to begin in earnest.
"Most Americans do not want our government to write a blank check to further Prime Minister Netanyahu's war in Gaza," they concluded. "The United States needs to help Israel find a path to win the peace."
Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), who also voted no, said that he "could not in good conscience vote for more offensive weapons to be given to Israel to be used in Gaza without any conditions attached."
Pocan further called the "devastation inflicted upon innocent civilians in Gaza" "unjustifiable" and argued that "further arming Netanyahu and his extreme coalition could only lead us to a wider conflict in the Middle East."
In a speech on the House floor, Lee also criticized the bill for failing to restore funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which provides the bulk of aid to the Gaza Strip. The U.S. paused funds for the agency following Israeli allegations that 12 of its employees participated in Hamas' October 7 attack, but other nations have since restored funding as the veracity of these allegations has been called into question.
"This is a grave abdication of U.S. humanitarian obligations," Lee said. "It is simply nonsensical to provide badly needed humanitarian assistance while simultaneously funding weapons that will be used to make the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worse."
She added, "The United States taxpayers should not be funding unconditional military weapons to a conflict that has created a catastrophic humanitarian disaster."
The bill sending funds to Israel was only one of several measures passed on Saturday as part of a $95 billion foreign spending package that will also provide a long-delayed approximately $61 billion for Ukraine in its war with Russia and around $8 billion to counter China in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Among the bills passed Saturday was one banning popular social media app TikTok in the U.S. if the Chinese company that owns it refuses to sell, theAP reported further.
The package will now go to the U.S. Senate, which could pass it as early as Tuesday. President Joe Biden has promised to sign the measures as soon as he receives them.
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