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Earth Democracy and Corporations v Democracy
Thank you, thank you, and thank you. You've all worked over six years for people, planet and peace over profit, and now we've come to this point when Pres. Obama is giving up on introducing the TPP implementing legislation to the Lame Duck Session of Congress that started Nov. 14 for a vote.
So, for now, it appears, the TPP is on its last legs both here and in other TPP countries. Many leaders of TPP countries were waiting for our Congress to vote, before taking the political risk of submitting the TPP to their legislative bodies for a vote.
As Lori Wallach, Director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, put it recently: people power just beat the untied forces of a U.S. President, congressional leaders, and the entire corporate lobby. Since the signing of the TPP by member countries in New Zealand in February 2016, there never was a majority reliable "yes" vote in Congress to pass it.
To be sure, however, that there are no last minute attempts to bring the TPP to a vote in the Lame Duck Session that started on Monday, please join the National Call-In Days - Tuesday-Thursday, November 15-17. Call your Representative and Senators and thank him/her for their stand on "No" TPP. For those Lame Duck Congress Members who were wavering or a "Yes" vote, make clear you are glad Pres. Obama is giving up and stress that you support fair trade that puts people and the planet first and based on environmental and climate justice, and strong human, labor and civil rights.
Some are writing that Trump that stopped the TPP. But in reality, as Arthur Stamoulis, Director of the Citizens Trade Campaign, makes clear here,
six years of relentless, strategic campaigning led to united international people power beating overwhelming multinational corporate power. It's a huge victory!
This signals that "trade" agreements, drafted in secret by corporate representatives to only serve the interests of the global political, corporate and financial elite, are no longer acceptable. The same goes for the secret international ISDS trade courts that operate outside our regular court system and override national sovereignty and democratic law. Read "The New Rules of the Road: A Progressive Approach to Globalization"
by Jared Bernstein, Vice-President Biden's chief economist, and Lori Wallach.
But, we must stay vigilant - stay on our toes - now and in 2017 to watch out for those strong pro-TPP, TTIP and TiSA and global corporate free trade advocates on Trump's transition team and in the 2017 Congress (especially Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate leader McConnell) now meeting to figure out their strategy to move the undemocratic free trade agenda forward. Stay tuned!
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Women's International League for Peace and Freedom/US Section
11 Arlington Street | Boston, MA 02116 | 617-266-0999 |
www.wilpfus.org
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