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Forwarded by the Joliet Diocese Legislative Advocacy Network. Bishop Alvaro Ramazzine, president of the Secretariat of Central American and Panama Bishops has voiced his opposition to CAFTA.
Dear CRLN Members and Friends, Please circulate widely!
Wednesday, April 13, is National Call-in Day on the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Our brothers and sisters across the hemisphere have called on us to STOP CAFTA! We can do this, but, we need your help! Here is what you can do.
1 - Call the Congressional Switchboard at 202/224-3121, and ask to be connected to your Representative (then Senators).
2 - If you cannot recall the name of your Representative or Senators, please go to www.congress.org, click on "ignore ad", and type in your zip code and address.
When you call:
- Ask to speak to the trade staffer, chief of staff or legislative director . If none are unavailable, ask for their voice mail, leaving the phone script message below!
- Tell them you are a constituent and want to know your Rep's position on CAFTA (unless you already know)
- If the Rep is opposed to the agreement and will vote against it, thank him/her. Ask him/her to make that opposition public, and for a letter stating his/her position.
- If the Rep is undecided, say that you oppose CAFTA based on the talking points below (you can offer to email these talking points) and urge them to vote no.
- If the Rep is for CAFTA, urge them to reconsider. Inform the office that you intend to spread the word that the Rep is voting against the public interest.
Phone Message Script:
"Hello, my name is _______ and I live in _______. I’m calling to ask Representative (Senator) _______ to vote against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). I am deeply concerned about CAFTA and believe that the agreement will have harmful consequences for Central America, the Dominican Republic and our own country. CAFTA has no enforceable labor rights and environmental protections. CAFTA threatens workers, farmers, women, the environment, and democratic institutions in the U.S. and the region. I strongly urge Representative (Senator) _________ to stand up for trade justice by voting NO to CAFTA in Congress and sending the message to the Administration that U.S. trade policies must promote fair trade and sustainable development policies designed to reduce poverty in the U.S. and the region. Please call me at ___your phone #___ this week to let me the Representative's (Senator's) position on CAFTA, and how he/she will vote."
Some points to make if you actually speak personally with a staffer:
- If passed CAFTA will threaten the livelihoods of millions of small farmers in Central America and the DR, while increasing domination by agricultural monopolies and hurting U.S. family farmers
- It threatens to prevent access to affordable life saving medicines in a region where half the population live in poverty.
- It will prohibit governments in the region from ensuring that foreign investment serves national development goals, and has a provision like NAFTA’s Chapter 11 that would allow foreign corporations to sue governments that pass strong labor, public health or environmental laws.
- It does NOT include adequate enforcement for violations of internationally recognized labor and environmental standards..
- It includes rules that promote privatization and deregulation of services including education, health care, postal service, construction, transportation and water supply. Such policies have proved particularly devastating for families living in poverty.
- CAFTA will pave the way for more trade agreements such as the Andean Free Trade Agreement and the Free Trade Area of the Americas which would extend this flawed model to the whole Western Hemisphere.
When you get a reply, please call us to let us know what they have told you.
Gary L. Cozette, Director
Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)
Tel: 773/293-2964gcozette@crln.org
Further background info:
Hundreds of civil society groups representing labor, environmental organizations, family farmers, consumers, Latin American solidarity, and immigrants’ rights organizations have already expressed their opposition to CAFTA, and many Congressional Reps have taken this to heart. Though CAFTA has been ratified in 3 Central American countries—despite huge protests and police violence—this strong cross-border opposition to the agreement has prevented the Bush Administration from submitting it to Congress up until now. However, the clock is ticking and with the beginning of Senate and House hearings on April 13, it is clear that CAFTA supporters are pushing for a vote by Memorial Day. The vote on CAFTA is effectively a referendum on NAFTA; if it is defeated, it will be mark a huge step towards stopping other such free trade agreements and open the way for an alternative trade model that truly addresses issues of poverty and inequality. A coalition of progressive organizations in the US is celebrating an April Week of on Trade by focusing on CAFTA. For more information, www.stopcafta.org www.stopcafta.org or www.april2005.org.
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Copyright 2005 | Peace and Social Justice Ministry
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