RALLY & MARCH:

Rep. Joe Crowley: Don't Board the TPP Fast Track!

Friday, Jan 31, 10AM-Noon

Congressman Joe Crowley is one of only two Democrats in New York State who has not expressed opposition to Fast Tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the secretly negotiated 12 nation international free trade and corporate power expansion agreement described as "the end of democracy."  Under TPP, foreign corporations will be able to sue our government for unlimited sums in international tribunals outside the jurisdiction of our court system when they believe our environmental, consumer protection, and other public interest laws interfere with their potential future profits.  Corporations can demand unlimited sums in compensation for money they MIGHT have made in the absence of our laws.  As a result of similar provisions under other trade agreements, Costa Rica is being sued for $1 billion for not allowing a mining company to destroy the nation's rainforest, Canada is being sued over a ban on fracking in Quebec, and Peru is being sued for demanding cleanup of a metal smelter site believed to be one of the ten most toxic sites on the planet.  TPP will also outsource jobs to sweatshops, wipe out family farms while expanding factory farm and genetically modified food exports, threaten internet freedom, endanger wildlife, prohibit vitally needed banking regulations, and raise the cost of lifesaving medications

In order to ramrod this terrible deal through Congress, President Obama has requested Fast Track Authority, which would allow his administration to complete negotiations on TPP and then send the agreement to be voted on in Congress within 90 days.  Under Fast Track, flloor debate is limited and amendments are prohibited, meaning that our elected officials will be unable to rewrite or remove TPP's most destructive provisions.  Fast Track has been introduced in the Senate by Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus, a Democrat, and in the House by Ways and Means Committee Chair Dave Camp, a Republican.  As of yet, the Obama administration has been unable to find a Democratic cosponsor for Fast Track, considered essential to winning the Democratic votes necessary to pass the bill.  As a high ranking member of the House Democratic Caucus and a strong supporter of free trade agreements, Rep. Crowley is a likely candidate to potentially sponsor the bill. Since 2006, Crowley has voted for EVERY trade agreement to come before Congress, despite opposition to these sweetheart deals for the 1% by human rights, environmental, consumer advocacy, and labor rights advocates. Join us to demand that Crowley get on the right track by refusing to sponsor and pledging to vote against Fast Track!

Location: Rep. Crowley's Queens Office, 82-11 37th Ave between 82^th and 83^rd Streets, Jackson Heights, Queens – please arrive on time as we will be moving! If you're late and can't find us, call Wendy at (347) 881-5635 or Carlos at (646) 416-3440.

Directions: 7 train to 82^nd Street-Jackson Heights

Endorsers (list in formation): TradeJustice New York Metro, 350 NYC, Backbone Campaign, Bronx Greens, Coalition Against the Rockaway Pipeline, Crowley Constituents for Trade Justice, Expose the TPP New York, Expose The TPP - USA, Flush the TPP, Global Justice for Animals and the Environment, Green Ecosocialist Movement, Fight for the Future, Food and Water Watch, Mingas NY, MoveOn Long Island and New York City Councils (Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens), NYC Metro Raging Grannies and Their Daughters, Occupy Wall Street Outreach Working Group, Occupy Wall Street Special Projects Affinity Group, Occupy the Pipeline, Occupy Wall Street Trade Justice Working Group, People's Puppets of Occupy Wall St., Peruanista, PopularResistance.org, Sane Energy Project, Sierra Club NYC Group, Socialist Alternative Queens Branch, Student Global AIDS Campaign, United for Action, Wetlands Activism Collective, Veterans for Peace NYC Chapter 34, Win Animal Rights, West Queens Greens, World War 4 Report, and Youth International Party (Yippies).

Organizations: to endorse the march & rally, visit the endorsement form at http://tradejustice.net/cro131form.

Additional Info: Phone: (718) 218-4523 Email: info@tradejustice.net Web: http://tradejustice.net/tpp