Ten years ago next month, 50,000 global activists shut down the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial in Seattle. Public Citizen played a key role, going so far as to open up a temporary Seattle office to help organize the protests. History was made when a devastating plan to expand the WTO's reign of corporate globalization was derailed.
On November 30, 2009 - ten years to the day of the Seattle protests - trade ministers and their corporate allies will meet in Geneva to try once again to expand the WTO, in spite of the global economic disaster caused by their failed policies. We can't let that happen. Instead, we must join activists worldwide in demanding that the existing damaging WTO regime be fundamentally transformed!
That's why we're launching a new WTO Turnaround campaign today. We must remind President Obama that true change requires him to deliver on his campaign commitments to create a new American trade model and to fix the old agreements now causing so much harm. Visit the campaign website WTOturnaround.org and sign the petition to President Obama.
Public Citizen started working on "trade" when we realized that agreements like the WTO weren't about tariffs and quotas anymore, but instead were a backdoor attack on key public interest policies. From imported food and product safety to environmental protection and financial services regulation, the WTO places limits on what we can do to solve these problems.
Following the historic events in Seattle in 1999, our work to expose the current globalization model gained widespread prominence and acceptance. We can once again harness the spirit of Seattle to remind our friends and neighbors, as well as President Obama, that the existing WTO terms still are having a devastating impact on our jobs, economic security, food safety and the environment. Rather than expand the WTO's corporate agenda, we must change the existing rules.
To deliver on just about every important issue of our day, from solving the climate crisis to reregulating the financial industry, President Obama will need to repair existing WTO rules to make sure the WTO doesn't get in the way of fixing these urgent problems.
Tell President Obama we're ready to fight for a WTO turnaround plan and to work with him to create rules for a global economy that, as he put it, works for all of us not just large corporate interests. Then, ask your friends to join us.
Support Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch
Thanks for all that you do,
Lori Wallach
Director, Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch division
P.S. Over the next few weeks, you'll hear more about our WTOturnaround.org efforts. We'll be organizing house parties to view the film Battle in Seattle, grassroots rallies and more. But first, you can sign our petition to Obama and urge your friends to do so as well.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Final DOD Appropriations bill MUST include the Franken Amendment, S.A. 2588.
Thanks to help from activists like you, lawmakers passed Sen. Al Franken's (D-Minn.) amendment to bar defense contractors from forcing employees with sexual assault and discrimination claims into arbitration. But now, as the House and Senate negotiate a final version of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (DOD Appropriations bill, H.R. 3326), Senate leaders are considering weakening the amendment by leaving discrimination victims unprotected.
A man crawling across an endless field of contracts toward the scales of justice far in the distance,
Call Sen. Reid today!
Stand up to corporate defense contractors on behalf of victims of discrimination and assault! Call Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) TODAY and tell him the final DOD Appropriations bill MUST include the Franken Amendment, S.A. 2588.
No one -- especially a victim of a heinous, violent crime -- should be denied access to a judge and jury because of a binding mandatory arbitration clause in a contract. Please help ensure that this important amendment is passed and this abuse of power by government defense contractors ends.
Call Sen. Reid today and tell him not to strip out or water down the Franken Amendment! You'll find instructions and talking points on our Web site. Please don't forget to let us know what you hear!
donate Thank you for all you do,
Rick, Angela and Glenn
Your Advocates at Public Citizen
action@citizen.org
P.S. After you speak with your senators or their staff, let us know how it went! Complete the easy form on our Web page after dialing, or send us an email at action@citizen.org.
A man crawling across an endless field of contracts toward the scales of justice far in the distance,
Call Sen. Reid today!
Stand up to corporate defense contractors on behalf of victims of discrimination and assault! Call Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) TODAY and tell him the final DOD Appropriations bill MUST include the Franken Amendment, S.A. 2588.
No one -- especially a victim of a heinous, violent crime -- should be denied access to a judge and jury because of a binding mandatory arbitration clause in a contract. Please help ensure that this important amendment is passed and this abuse of power by government defense contractors ends.
Call Sen. Reid today and tell him not to strip out or water down the Franken Amendment! You'll find instructions and talking points on our Web site. Please don't forget to let us know what you hear!
donate Thank you for all you do,
Rick, Angela and Glenn
Your Advocates at Public Citizen
action@citizen.org
P.S. After you speak with your senators or their staff, let us know how it went! Complete the easy form on our Web page after dialing, or send us an email at action@citizen.org.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Last call? House single payer vote this week Oct.15 !
This is the week!
The Weiner Amendment for Single Payer is expected to go to a floor vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday, October 15.
Please--get busy, get to the phone, and call on your Representative to support single payer. Thanks for all you've done to date... now, we are coming down to the wire!
The Weiner Amendment substitutes a single payer bill for the complicated and fiscally unsustainable legislation being considered by the House. For information on the current single payer bill, HR 676, see this page on Rep. John Conyers's website. Rep. Conyers is the primary sponsor of HR 676, which currently has 88 co-sponsors. Rep. Joe Baca (CA-43) signed up last week, so it is not too late to ask your representative to co-sponsor too!
Don't just get mad that the health [sic] care industry has spent $380 million-plus on lobbying and advertising in just the last few months.... or that the Senate Finance Committee bill was written by a former Wellpoint V.P., now Baucus' principle staffer on health care reform... or that a recent study documented that more than 44,000 Americans die each year for lack of insurance.
Get busy!
* Call your representative and ask that he or she vote to support the Weiner Amendment.
* Ask your rep to also support the Kucinich amendment so state governments can create their own single payer programs.
* On the Senate side, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will introduce two single-payer amendments to the Senate health care bill. One to create a national single-payer plan, the other to allow states to adopt single-payer. Your senators need to hear from you as well. Call them now!
* Finally, forward this email. Tell everyone on your lists to let their voices be heard before it's too late.
As Leonard Rodberg has written, we're being presented with a false choice. Some Democrats and pundits claim we need to pass a plan--any plan--to avoid a Gingrich-style House takeover next year. But the plan, he writes, "is a DOG... Relatively few people will benefit from it, while everyone who has to use health care will continue to experience the mess that is, and will continue to be, the American health care system."
As long as money drives politics, politicians will follow the lead of donors, not voters. As long as health care is a for-profit business for investors, premiums will rise and insurers will cherry-pick the healthiest and wealthiest subscribers.
We say health care is a right and our government should respond to our call for a health care system that respects the people's right to decent, affordable care. We demand single payer, the real cure for ailing health care and a damaged democracy.
Make your call today! Thank you!
As a member or supporter of the Alliance for Democracy, you'll receive a monthly e-mail newsletter to update you on our work and alert you to ways you can act to support it. We will also send you periodic "Action Alerts" that pertain to our campaigns and those of allied groups.
The Alliance for Democracy
PO Box 540115, Waltham, MA 02454
781-894-1179 * JOIN www.thealliancefordemocracy.org
The Weiner Amendment for Single Payer is expected to go to a floor vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday, October 15.
Please--get busy, get to the phone, and call on your Representative to support single payer. Thanks for all you've done to date... now, we are coming down to the wire!
The Weiner Amendment substitutes a single payer bill for the complicated and fiscally unsustainable legislation being considered by the House. For information on the current single payer bill, HR 676, see this page on Rep. John Conyers's website. Rep. Conyers is the primary sponsor of HR 676, which currently has 88 co-sponsors. Rep. Joe Baca (CA-43) signed up last week, so it is not too late to ask your representative to co-sponsor too!
Don't just get mad that the health [sic] care industry has spent $380 million-plus on lobbying and advertising in just the last few months.... or that the Senate Finance Committee bill was written by a former Wellpoint V.P., now Baucus' principle staffer on health care reform... or that a recent study documented that more than 44,000 Americans die each year for lack of insurance.
Get busy!
* Call your representative and ask that he or she vote to support the Weiner Amendment.
* Ask your rep to also support the Kucinich amendment so state governments can create their own single payer programs.
* On the Senate side, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will introduce two single-payer amendments to the Senate health care bill. One to create a national single-payer plan, the other to allow states to adopt single-payer. Your senators need to hear from you as well. Call them now!
* Finally, forward this email. Tell everyone on your lists to let their voices be heard before it's too late.
As Leonard Rodberg has written, we're being presented with a false choice. Some Democrats and pundits claim we need to pass a plan--any plan--to avoid a Gingrich-style House takeover next year. But the plan, he writes, "is a DOG... Relatively few people will benefit from it, while everyone who has to use health care will continue to experience the mess that is, and will continue to be, the American health care system."
As long as money drives politics, politicians will follow the lead of donors, not voters. As long as health care is a for-profit business for investors, premiums will rise and insurers will cherry-pick the healthiest and wealthiest subscribers.
We say health care is a right and our government should respond to our call for a health care system that respects the people's right to decent, affordable care. We demand single payer, the real cure for ailing health care and a damaged democracy.
Make your call today! Thank you!
As a member or supporter of the Alliance for Democracy, you'll receive a monthly e-mail newsletter to update you on our work and alert you to ways you can act to support it. We will also send you periodic "Action Alerts" that pertain to our campaigns and those of allied groups.
The Alliance for Democracy
PO Box 540115, Waltham, MA 02454
781-894-1179 * JOIN www.thealliancefordemocracy.org
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Support Relief for Earthquakes & Tsunamis in Indonesia & Pacific
According to estimates, the most recent earthquake in Indonesia killed upward of 500, and the number is expected to rise. In addition, tens of thousands were forced to leave their homes.
Support relief efforts in Asia and the Pacific. »
Take Action!
Because of the back-to-back emergencies, there's been a significant strain on resources and humanitarian assistance groups need your support.
Their relief and recovery efforts will need to take into account the immediate needs of the children and families affected along with long-term effects of the disasters, including health risks posed by contaminated water, poor nutrition, and psychosocial trauma.
Every day 24,000 children die of preventable causes -- let's make sure these emergencies don't further compound the tragedy of these unnecessary deaths. Pledge to support the humanitarian aid agencies helping the people affected by the spate of natural disasters in Asia and the Pacific. »
Thanks for taking action!
Samer
ThePetitionSite
Support Relief Efforts in Asia and the Pacific
Back-toback emergencies have devastated several parts of the Asia-Pacific region.
Take Action!
Support relief efforts in Asia and the Pacific. »
Take Action!
Because of the back-to-back emergencies, there's been a significant strain on resources and humanitarian assistance groups need your support.
Their relief and recovery efforts will need to take into account the immediate needs of the children and families affected along with long-term effects of the disasters, including health risks posed by contaminated water, poor nutrition, and psychosocial trauma.
Every day 24,000 children die of preventable causes -- let's make sure these emergencies don't further compound the tragedy of these unnecessary deaths. Pledge to support the humanitarian aid agencies helping the people affected by the spate of natural disasters in Asia and the Pacific. »
Thanks for taking action!
Samer
ThePetitionSite
Support Relief Efforts in Asia and the Pacific
Back-toback emergencies have devastated several parts of the Asia-Pacific region.
Take Action!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Discover How You Can INSTANTLY Win 97% Of Your Sports Bets:NFL,MLB,NHL,NBA
Discover How You Can INSTANTLY Win 97% Of Your Sports Bets Using My Proven Sports Betting System!"
Finally... Cornell University PhD Graduate Spills the Beans on the Explosive System He Uses to Make Over $70,000 Every Week Betting On Sports
(No Sports Knowledge Or Betting Experience Needed!)
Real RESULTS! Check out the results from just one of my Sportsbook accounts... In just ONE month of 2009 alone I've banked in $90,710.15 from my online sportsbook. Proof below!SportBettingChamp.com
Cornell University PhD graduate John Morrison at SportBettingChamp.com has discovered a spectacular sports betting system that he has used to produce an astonishing 97% winning rate on all of his sports bets. For the first time ever, John has made his revolutionary sports betting system available to a limited number of individuals.
You can now gain access to the same betting system that has netted him over $2,745,000 over the years. Here’s a look at John’s incredible win-loss betting record since 2003:
NBA Basketball:
2003-04 season: 68 wins – 2 Losses
2004-05 season: 71 wins – 3 Losses
2005-06 season: 66 wins – 2 Losses
2007-08 season: 80 wins – 1 Loss
2008-09 season: 78 wins – 0 Losses
MLB Baseball:
2004 season: 33 wins – 0 Losses
2005 season: 45 wins – 0 Losses
2006 season: 38 wins – 1 Loss
2007 season: 35 wins – 0 Losses
2008 season: 43 wins – 0 Losses
That’s an accumulated record of 557 wins and 9 losses over the last 5 years of betting
John has now finally broken the silence on his ingenious sports betting system. Along with the red-hot system, John will also provide you with a lifetime of free picks, an unheard-of deposit bonus offer, a "No Ifs, Ands, or Buts Personal Guarantee" as well as a dose of other splendid incentives. Head on over to SportBettingChamp.com today to take a look at this limited time offer while it’s still available.
Finally... Cornell University PhD Graduate Spills the Beans on the Explosive System He Uses to Make Over $70,000 Every Week Betting On Sports
(No Sports Knowledge Or Betting Experience Needed!)
Real RESULTS! Check out the results from just one of my Sportsbook accounts... In just ONE month of 2009 alone I've banked in $90,710.15 from my online sportsbook. Proof below!SportBettingChamp.com
Cornell University PhD graduate John Morrison at SportBettingChamp.com has discovered a spectacular sports betting system that he has used to produce an astonishing 97% winning rate on all of his sports bets. For the first time ever, John has made his revolutionary sports betting system available to a limited number of individuals.
You can now gain access to the same betting system that has netted him over $2,745,000 over the years. Here’s a look at John’s incredible win-loss betting record since 2003:
NBA Basketball:
2003-04 season: 68 wins – 2 Losses
2004-05 season: 71 wins – 3 Losses
2005-06 season: 66 wins – 2 Losses
2007-08 season: 80 wins – 1 Loss
2008-09 season: 78 wins – 0 Losses
MLB Baseball:
2004 season: 33 wins – 0 Losses
2005 season: 45 wins – 0 Losses
2006 season: 38 wins – 1 Loss
2007 season: 35 wins – 0 Losses
2008 season: 43 wins – 0 Losses
That’s an accumulated record of 557 wins and 9 losses over the last 5 years of betting
John has now finally broken the silence on his ingenious sports betting system. Along with the red-hot system, John will also provide you with a lifetime of free picks, an unheard-of deposit bonus offer, a "No Ifs, Ands, or Buts Personal Guarantee" as well as a dose of other splendid incentives. Head on over to SportBettingChamp.com today to take a look at this limited time offer while it’s still available.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
North Bridge Alliance for Democracy
Please forward widely!
Date and place set for local member meeting,
but we need a time, and you!
At the last North Bridge Alliance for Democracy/BCA meeting we set a date for our regional member meeting. It will be held on Sunday, November 8, at Mary and Bob White's house, 221 Monsen Road, Concord. Mark your calendars!
Now we'd like your feedback on what time you'd like to get together. Plan on three to four hours for a meeting, pot-luck meal, and some socializing. Would your ideal start time be 3 p.m. or 5 p.m.? Later? Please email Barbara in the AfD office (afd@thealliancefordemocracy.org) with your preference, and with any questions. We'll try to accomodate as many people as possible!
As you remember, this summer, AfD national members voted to give the National Council the option of organizing decentralized local or regional member meetings as an alternative to a single, centralized national convention. Members agreed that local meetings would be more accessible and environmentally responsible, and several are planned so far. For times and places of other regional or local member meetings, see this post on the Alliance for Democracy blog: http://afd-e-news.blogspot.com/2009/09/latest-on-our-regional-meetings-october.html. Check back to see report-backs through October and November.
We hope to see you on the 8th! More information on agendas & speakers coming soon!
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, October 8, 7 p.m.
Friends of Ashland Public Library Documentary Film & Discussion Series presents "Money-Driven Medicine"
Ashland Public Library, 66 Front Street, Ashland
In Money-Driven Medicine, Dr. Donald Berwick, president of the Institute for Health Care Improvement, explains: "We get more care, but not better care." Our fee-for-service system channels resources into the high-tech, high-cost "rescue care" patients need after they become critically ill, while it skimps on the preventive primary care which could keep them out of the hospital in the first place. As a consequence, emergency rooms overflow while family practitioners are becoming an endangered species. Medical students explain that these perverse pay incentives drive them away from primary care into higher-paying specialties.
Medical ethicist Larry Churchill doesn't mince words: "The current medical care system is not designed to meet the health needs of the population. It is designed to protect the interests of insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms, and to a certain extent organized medicine. It is designed to turn a profit. It is designed to meet the needs of the people in power."
Learn more about the "medical-industrial complex" and how to take control of American medicine back from profiteers. Universal coverage is just the first step in a long and arduous battle for comprehensive reform!
Sunday, October 18, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
2009 Massachusetts Relocalization Conference
Reggie Lewis Center, 1350 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA
A day-long conference on relocalization featuring speakers, workshops, discussion, local food, music and action. Speakers include Mel King, Frances Moore Lappe, and Bill McKibben. Alliance members are organizing and facilitating a workshop on democracy and localization. Pre-registration strongly recommended; register online at www.relocalizemassachusetts.org
Date and place set for local member meeting,
but we need a time, and you!
At the last North Bridge Alliance for Democracy/BCA meeting we set a date for our regional member meeting. It will be held on Sunday, November 8, at Mary and Bob White's house, 221 Monsen Road, Concord. Mark your calendars!
Now we'd like your feedback on what time you'd like to get together. Plan on three to four hours for a meeting, pot-luck meal, and some socializing. Would your ideal start time be 3 p.m. or 5 p.m.? Later? Please email Barbara in the AfD office (afd@thealliancefordemocracy.org) with your preference, and with any questions. We'll try to accomodate as many people as possible!
As you remember, this summer, AfD national members voted to give the National Council the option of organizing decentralized local or regional member meetings as an alternative to a single, centralized national convention. Members agreed that local meetings would be more accessible and environmentally responsible, and several are planned so far. For times and places of other regional or local member meetings, see this post on the Alliance for Democracy blog: http://afd-e-news.blogspot.com/2009/09/latest-on-our-regional-meetings-october.html. Check back to see report-backs through October and November.
We hope to see you on the 8th! More information on agendas & speakers coming soon!
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, October 8, 7 p.m.
Friends of Ashland Public Library Documentary Film & Discussion Series presents "Money-Driven Medicine"
Ashland Public Library, 66 Front Street, Ashland
In Money-Driven Medicine, Dr. Donald Berwick, president of the Institute for Health Care Improvement, explains: "We get more care, but not better care." Our fee-for-service system channels resources into the high-tech, high-cost "rescue care" patients need after they become critically ill, while it skimps on the preventive primary care which could keep them out of the hospital in the first place. As a consequence, emergency rooms overflow while family practitioners are becoming an endangered species. Medical students explain that these perverse pay incentives drive them away from primary care into higher-paying specialties.
Medical ethicist Larry Churchill doesn't mince words: "The current medical care system is not designed to meet the health needs of the population. It is designed to protect the interests of insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms, and to a certain extent organized medicine. It is designed to turn a profit. It is designed to meet the needs of the people in power."
Learn more about the "medical-industrial complex" and how to take control of American medicine back from profiteers. Universal coverage is just the first step in a long and arduous battle for comprehensive reform!
Sunday, October 18, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
2009 Massachusetts Relocalization Conference
Reggie Lewis Center, 1350 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA
A day-long conference on relocalization featuring speakers, workshops, discussion, local food, music and action. Speakers include Mel King, Frances Moore Lappe, and Bill McKibben. Alliance members are organizing and facilitating a workshop on democracy and localization. Pre-registration strongly recommended; register online at www.relocalizemassachusetts.org
Monday, October 5, 2009
Tell the FDA to stop cattle companies from feeding chicken waste to cows.
Did you know that cattle are routinely fed the waste from the floor of commercial chicken houses? That's feces, feathers, spilled feed, straw, dirt and anything else on the floor under the cramped birds.
Tell the FDA that we don't want cows eating chicken feces! »
Tell the FDA you want this practice to stop.
Chicken farmers have more chicken waste than they know what to do with. And cattle feedlots are always on the lookout for cheap feed. In fact, an estimated one billion pounds of chicken waste are shoveled in front of cattle on feedlots each year.
The practice of feeding chicken waste to cattle is both disgusting and unsafe. It must end.
Tell the FDA to stop cattle companies from feeding chicken waste to cows. »
Tell the FDA you want this practice to stop.
Thanks for taking action!
Samer
ThePetitionSite
Stop Feeding
Chicken Waste to Cows!
Tell the FDA you want this practice to stop.
Take Action!
Forward to a friend >>
Read the petition >>
Tell the FDA you want this practice to stop.
Tell the FDA that we don't want cows eating chicken feces! »
Tell the FDA you want this practice to stop.
Chicken farmers have more chicken waste than they know what to do with. And cattle feedlots are always on the lookout for cheap feed. In fact, an estimated one billion pounds of chicken waste are shoveled in front of cattle on feedlots each year.
The practice of feeding chicken waste to cattle is both disgusting and unsafe. It must end.
Tell the FDA to stop cattle companies from feeding chicken waste to cows. »
Tell the FDA you want this practice to stop.
Thanks for taking action!
Samer
ThePetitionSite
Stop Feeding
Chicken Waste to Cows!
Tell the FDA you want this practice to stop.
Take Action!
Forward to a friend >>
Read the petition >>
Tell the FDA you want this practice to stop.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)