Take Action February 18-22
Stop the US-Colombia FTA Vote

President Bush is threatening to bypass law-making procedures to force
a vote on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) without approval from
Congressional leadership – once again disrupting the checks and balances
of the system.  8th Day Center for Justice, SOAWatch, Witness for Peace,
Quixote Center, and many other groups have organized delegations that
give witness to what Congressional delegations don’t see:

·    the 3.8 million displaced people forced from their homes, a disproportionate
number are Afro-Colombian and Indigenous people;

·    families of union organizers, rather than labor leaders themselves, murdered
so not to count in the closely watched assassination statistics;

·    purportedly demobilized paramilitaries resurfacing with new names and
intimidating those in the act of defending human rights; and

·    increased extrajudicial executions of civilians by members of the
Colombian armed forces.

Approving a FTA in a country engaged in a five decade conflict will perpetuate
these abuses and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis lived out every day.
Movements are arising all over the world and calling for international trade and
investment systems that respect and promote the dignity of the human person,
foster gender and racial equity and lead to environmental sustainability.
However, the U.S. – Colombia FTA takes us far away from this goal.

ACTION

Call  (202) 224-3121 and ask the Capitol Switchboard operator to connect
you to your member of Congress’ office. Visit http://www.congress.org to find out
who represents you in Congress. Your members of Congress while they are
home for Presidents’ Day recess and ask them to oppose this move by taking
a public position against the U.S. – Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

For talking points click on:
http://www.witnessforpeace.org/campaigns/Colombia_FTA_flyer.pdf