TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP UPDATE ON 13 NOVEMBER 2013

Popular Resistance Newsletter ( 13 November 2013) by email

Recently Wikileaks offered a reward for the text of the secret Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). A people's hero must have stepped forward because today Wikileaks released the full text of the chapter on Intellectual Property Rights. Click here to see their report (http://wikileaks.org/tpp/) .

The TPP has been kept secret by the Obama Administration for nearly 4 years because they know that if people find out what is in it, they will strongly oppose it. Their worst fears have been confirmed today with the release of the text, as have our suspicions that the TPP was a huge power grab by transnational corporations. The texts reveal that the United States is isolated in bullying other countries to go against the health and desires of their people and that those countries have been pushing back.

The TPP has been negotiated with the assistance of more than 600 corporate advisers while Congress has been largely excluded from the process. The President is pushing Congress to give him Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority so he can sign the agreement before Congress has a chance to vote on it. Under Fast Track, Congress would have limited time to review and debate the TPP and would not have the power to amend it, only to vote up or down on it.

The Obama Administration hoped to have the TPP signed into law by the end of the year, but momentum is building to keep that from happening. This month, two resolutions were passed in Wisconsin opposing the TPP and other local governments are in the process of doing the same.This week, letters were sent by coalitions of members from both parties in Congress opposing the President's request that they give up their responsibility to oversee commerce and fully review the contents of the TPP. Last night, actions were held in a dozen cities across the country to shine a light on the TPP. In less than a month, on December 3 (http://www.flushthetpp.org/call-to-action-december-3-international-day-of-action-against-toxic-trade-agreements/) , people all around the world are planning actions to oppose the World trade Organization and toxic trade agreements.

We are winning this battle against corporations that put their profits before people and the planet, that are willing to exploit and destroy to amass more treasure. The opportunity is here to insist that trade is fair, just and sustainable. We ask you to help us reach the tipping point by forcing the corporate media to cover the TPP (there has been a virtual blackout on this topic). We can do this by widely exposing the leaked TPP text in the citizen media. As word spreads about this, the corporate media will have to get on board or lose credibility for missing one of the hottest stories today.


** Please join us in sharing the news of the released TPP text in your social media networks.
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1. Share this meme on your Facebook page and other social media. Change your status to say that you insist on transparency and democracy. Release the text of the TPP and no Fast Track. Link to the text at http://www.wikileaks.org/tpp.

2. Tweet about the newly-released text to the corporate media and ask why they aren't reporting on it. Add corporate media handles listed below. Sample tweet:

BREAKING: Wikileaks releases full chapter of secret #TPP (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TPP) . Huge corporate power grab. http://wikileaks.org/tpp/ What's your analysis?

3. Call in to talk radio shows and ask about it. Blog about it. Send letters to the editor. You will find articles about the TPP under the News section (http://www.flushthetpp.org/news/) of FlushtheTPP.org (http://www.flushthetpp.org/) and talking points and other resources on the Tools page (http://www.flushthetpp.org/tools/) .

Together, let's turn the tide on this toxic trade agreement! It's time to Flush the TPP!

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