From: jerry_levy@verizon.net
Date: Wed Feb 20 2008 - 16:28:34 EST
The following is excerpted from a message I just received. There is a bit of a New York focus to it, but I left that in. It was originally an announcement for a meeting tonight but I deleted that part. In solidarity, Jerry ----------------- Original Message ---------------- 4 FARMERS KILLED PROTESTING PERU FTA! 700 ARRESTED! STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED IN PERU! THE BLOOD IS ON THE HANDS OF CONGRESS, BUSH, THE PERUVIAN GOVERNMENT, AND MULTI-NATIONAL CORPORATIONS! JOIN US TO PLAN A RESPONSE AND HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE! THE PERU FTA MUST BE REPEALED! BACKGROUND: With the US maintaining subsidies on its genetically modified, industrially produced, pesticide treated treated field crops and factory farmed meat, dairy, and egg products, Peruvian family farmers will be driven out of business by the US-Peru Free Trade Agreement, ratified by Congress in late 2007. This will lead to forced migration of farmers, destruction of ecologically sustainable traditional methods of agriculture, increased profits for inhumane factory farms, more farmers growing coca for the global cocaine trade, and rural displacement and unemployment creating a new workforce for sweatshop and corporate plantation exploitation. Peru's farmers are being murdered in the streets as they protest this destructive policy! Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton BOTH supported the Peru FTA! (and McCain supports EVERY FTA!) NYC Reps Gregory Meeks, Charlie Rangel, and Joseph Crowley were among it's strongest supporters! NYC Reps Yvette Clarke, Elliot Engel, Carolyn Maloney, Edolphus Towns, Anthony Weiner, Gary Ackerman, and Vito Fosella joined them in voting for it! Senator Charles Schumer chaired the finance committee-- which released the Peru FTA to the Senate floor! Corporations like Citigroup lobbied hard and paid off the most powerful Reps in Congress to pass the FTA, which will lock in a social security privatization scheme, ensuring that Citi can profit off this system into perpetuity. Join us to take action to hold them responsible! Rep. Mike Michaud, a fair trade HERO, has introduced legislation to REPEAL the Peru FTA. Rep. Michaud's legislation must be supported! -------- Peru Declares State of Emergency on Farm Protests Feb. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Peru's government declared a state of emergency after a farmers' protest left at least four dead and more than 700 under arrest. Farmers called the nationwide protest to push for state subsidies as part of a free-trade agreement with the U.S., for lower prices for fertilizers and for a halt to farm seizures by banks. Peru, the world's largest exporter of organic coffee, asparagus and paprika, boosted agricultural exports to the U.S. and China by 10 percent to $2 billion last year. ``The agreements we'vereached don't establish amounts or deadlines,'' said Enrique Malaga, president of the National Irrigation Board, which is organizing the protest. ``The government has lost all credibility.'' Protesters in the southern Andes blocked the railway line to the Inca citadel of Macchu Pichu, Peru's biggest tourist attraction, yesterday, forcing the suspension of the service, Orient Express Hotels Inc. unit Peru Rail said in an e-mailed statement. <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=ajtlepQBdSAg&refer=lati n_america> http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=ajtlepQBdSAg&refer=latin_america Farmers strike turns violent in Peru; four dead Posted : Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:54:00 GMT Lima - The second day of nationwide protests by farmers in Peru spiralled into violence with two protestors shot by police and another falling to his death trying to elude tear gas shells. Transport was paralyzed in the departments of Ayacucho, Arequipa, Cusco and several other parts of the country because of the strike that began Monday, when police said one farmer was shot by an angry motorist. The unions called the strike to pressure the government . . . . (on) measures to alleviate the impact of a new trade agreement with the United States. <http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/186969,farmers-strike-turns-violent -in-peru-four-dead.html> http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/186969,farmers-strike-turns-violent- in-peru-four-dead.html Three killed in farmers, cops clash in Peru 20 Feb 2008, 0752 hrs IST,AP LIMA: Clashes between police and farmers led to the death of at least three protesters on Tuesday, as a strike against free trade and farm policies seethed for a second day, officials said. Two men died from gunshot wounds after police fired into a crowd of protesters in the Andean state of Ayacucho, opposition congresswoman Juana Huancahuari, former head of the Ayacucho Agrarian Federation, said. Farmers went on strike across Peru on Monday to protest a free trade agreement with the US, demanding that their government invest in irrigation and bail out farmers' debts with private banks. <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Three_killed_in_farmers_cops_clash _in_Peru/articleshow/2797125.cms> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Three_killed_in_farmers_cops_clash_ in_Peru/articleshow/2797125.cms In case you wonder where we get this stuff . . . . _____ From: Google Alerts [mailto:googlealerts-noreply@google.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 4:13 AM To: agussert@citizenstrade.org Subject: Google Alert - peru trade agreement Google News Alert for: peru trade agreement <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Three_killed_in_farmers_cops_clash _in_Peru/articleshow/2797125.cms> Three killed in farmers, cops clash in Peru Times of India - India Farmers went on strike across Peru on Monday to protest a free trade agreement with the US, demanding that their government invest in irrigation and bail ... <http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Wo rld/Three_killed_in_farmers_cops_clash_in_Peru/articleshow/2797125.cms> See all stories on this topic <http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/186969,farmers-strike-turns-violent -in-peru-four-dead.html> Farmers strike turns violent in Peru; four dead Earthtimes - London,UK ... a national law regulating water usage, access to credit and measures to alleviate the impact of a new trade agreement with the United States. ... <http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/sh ow/186969,farmers-strike-turns-violent-in-peru-four-dead.html> See all stories on this topic <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=ajtlepQBdSAg&refer=lati n_america> Peru Declares State of Emergency on Farm Protests (Update1) Bloomberg - USA Farmers called the nationwide protest to push for state subsidies as part of a free-trade agreement with the US, for lower prices for fertilizers and for a ... <http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3F pid%3D20601086%26sid%3DajtlepQBdSAg%26refer%3Dlatin_america> See all stories on this topic <http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/OSH06/80 2190394/1190/OSHopinion> Commentary: Peru an interesting study in free trade Oshkosh Northwestern - Oshkosh,WI,USA The recently signed free trade agreement with the US is one reason why they can hope it won't disappear. Losing their access to our markets, especially for ... <http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/p bcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20080219/OSH06/802190394/1190/OSHopinion> See all stories on this topic _______________________________________________ ope mailing list ope@lists.csuchico.edu https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/ope
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