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Environment Action
Alerts for
April 16 - April 23, 2001
from Rainforest Action Network April 16, 2001
In this Post :
#1 Reuters article on day of action
#2 Village Voice article on April 11th and Spank the Bank
camp
also URL for In these Times Spank the Bank camp
article
#3 A sample of reports from around the movement
Congratulations everyone on
making April 11th an amazing day! We've heard
lots of inspiring stories from the day of action but we
want to hear it all!
Every action counts whether it had
hundreds of people or just one so let us
know what you
did on April 11th. Send your reports, cool pictures and media
clips to ORGANIZE@RAN.ORG and we'll put them up on the RAN
website.
We know that Citi really felt the pressure so
all we've got to do now is
keep it up!
_______________________________________________________
#1 Reuters
article
*** let us know if you
saw this article in your local paper! Wire service
articles get distributed all over the planet and its always
helpful to know
exactly where it ran and get copies
from local papers!
STUDENT
PROTESTERS TARGET CITIGROUP IN 12 COUNTRIES
NEW YORK, April 11 (Reuters) - Students in 12 countries
protested at
Citigroup Inc. branches on
Wednesday, attacking the financial services
firm's
alleged funding of environmentally destructive projects, organizers
said.
About 50 students carried a coffin containing a replica of
Earth to
Citigroup's headquarters in New York, threw
the company's symbolic red
umbrellas into the coffin
and nailed it shut while New Orleans-style funeral
music played, student organizer Beka Economopoulos told
Reuters.
Other students
organized similar protests in about 80 cities around the
world, and launched an international boycott of Citigroup
credit cards,
Ilyse Hogue, a spokeswoman for nonprofit
organization Rainforest Action
Network, said. The
network's purpose is to preserve rainforests and fight
causes of its destruction.
"Citi is living richly off of environmental destruction,"
Hogue said.
"Students are outraged, and are standing up
to say, 'Not With My Money!'"
Alleged Citigroup-funded projects that students are
protesting include an
oil pipeline in Chad and
Cameroon, China's Three Gorges Dam, and the
expansion
of palm plantations in Indonesia that allegedly destroy rainforest
habitat for endangered orangutans.
But Citigroup spokeswoman Leah
Johnson said the company did not fund China's
controversial Three Gorges Dam.
"We agree with many of the causes
the Rainforest Action Network supports but
we object to
the group's strategy of spreading false information," Johnson
said.
Citigroup was one of the first companies to set up an
environmental affairs
office several years ago, Johnson
said. The division's work includes
tracking
environmental regulatory and legislative trends that might have an
impact on industries of interest to Citigroup and its
clients
Students also
protested Citigroup's lending record to poor people in urban
areas, as well as the company's sale of World Bank bonds
that allegedly
strap developing nations with debt.
Citigroup came under fire from
community groups when it bought consumer
lender
Associates First Capital. Community groups said Associates unfairly
targeted poor people and minorities with unaffordable, high
interest rate
loans.
Citigroup says it has taken step to change practices at
Associates,
including beefing up compliance and
controls, improving employee training
and amending some
loan terms.
_________________________________________________________________
#2 VILLAGE VOICE ARTICLE
Students Challenge Citigroup. s Hand in Bad Lending and
Environmental
Devastation
Spank the Bank April 11
by Andrew Boyd
In March, student activists from
across the country gathered in Florida for
the Ruckus
Society. s second annual . Alternative Spring Break Direct Action
Training Camp.. Instead of wet-T-shirt contests and drunken
naked beach
parties, . campers. role-played protest
blockades, learned to rappel down
buildings with huge
banners in hand, and developed strategies for opposing
one of the largest banks in the world. Citigroup. Some of
their complaints
against the bank: predatory lending in
U.S. inner cities, environmental
devastation in the
third world, and buying influence in Washington.
Backing up some of these charges, on March 6, the Federal
Trade Commission
sued Citigroup, alleging that one of
its subsidiaries was engaged in
predatory lending that
victimized low-income borrowers by misleading them
into
loans with hidden costs. On April 11 students will launch a national
day of coordinated actions against Citigroup. cutting up
credit cards,
occupying branch offices, and pressuring
college administrators to cancel
exclusive contracts
with the company. Several thousand students on over 50
campuses are expected to participate.
I was invited to the Ruckus camp
as a guest trainer in guerrilla theater
stunts. After a
two-hour drive from the Tampa airport, our van pulled into a
sprawling private campground filled with neat rows of
snowbird trailer
homes. We checked in at the Ruckus .
office. (basically, an overhead tarp). A
pool of cell
phones was spread out on a folding table recharging like a
litter of suckling pigs. I set up my tent in the dark and
then strolled
through the camp. Tents were strewn on
patches of sand and grass. There was
a medical tent and
a vegan field kitchen that the next morning would serve
up oatmeal and miso soup. A couple of local folks had come
over with some
beer, and we sat around talking, among
us John Sellers, Ruckus. s director.
Founded in 1995,
Ruckus trains environmental and human rights organizations
in nonviolent civil disobedience. Behind us, looming
through the moonlight,
was a towering scaffold hung
with rappelling ropes. . So what are you guys
protesting, anyway?. Half a beat. . Greed,. said Sellers.
With 240,000 employees, assets
in excess of $700 billion, and annual revenue
of $112
billion, Citigroup is sixth on the Fortune 500 list. In 1998
Citibank and Travelers Insurance (which also includes the
investment bank
Salomon Smith Barney) merged to create
North America. s largest financial
institution.
Citigroup. The merger violated certain provisions of the
Depression-era Glass-Steagall Act, but Citigroup
successfully lobbied the
Fed for a two-year grace
period in which to operate. Then the bank
successfully
lobbied Congress to repeal Glass-Steagall, which was replaced
by the Financial Services Modernization Act. Since 1977
Citigroup has
tallied $17 million in lobbying expenses,
and over the last two years it has
made $2 million in
campaign contributions to both Democrats and Republicans.
When new legislation that would formally legalize the
merger ran into
resistance, Citigroup enlisted the
support of then secretary of the treasury
Robert Rubin.
In November 1999, the Financial Services Modernization Act was
signed by President Clinton. One month earlier, Rubin had
left the Clinton
administration to become a cochairman
of the newly legalized Citigroup.
Rubin. s year 2000
bonus amounted to $45.3 million in stock, cash, and
options.
Citigroup operates in over 100 countries and, according to
the Rainforest
Action Network (RAN), which is
spearheading the campaign against it, has a
hand in
some of the most destructive development projects in the world. In
Africa, Citigroup acted as chief financial adviser for the
Chad/Cameroon Oil
and Pipeline Project, which will cut
through a rainforest and indigenous
lands. In China,
Citigroup underwrote bonds for the Three Gorges Dam, which
will displace around 2 million people and destroy a rare
river ecosystem.
Leah Johnson,
Citigroup. s director of public affairs, disputes these claims.
. Citigroup is just a convenient target,. she says. . We.
ve been singled out
not because of our record but
because of our size and large customer base..
. As a target, Citigroup is the logical heir apparent to
the WTO,. says
Sellers, referring to the World Trade
Organization, which brought the
anticorporate movement
into the streets of Seattle in November 1999. By
targeting Citigroup, and trying to hold it accountable to
socially and
environmentally responsible guidelines,
activists hope to have an impact on
corporate business
as usual across the globe. In 1999 RAN led a successful
effort that pressured Home Depot to stop using old-growth
timber. Soon
after, a majority of the home-supply
industry followed suit. . The difficulty
is that this
isn. t just another Home Depot,. says Sellers. . We. re taking on
the global financial juggernaut. Not just one product at
one company. To win
will require a fundamental
restructuring of the global economy..
One immediate impact the campaign is seeking is an end to
Citigroup. s
alleged discriminatory lending practices.
In November, Citigroup acquired
Associates First
Capital Corp., a Dallas-based consumer lending company that
is now the focus of the FTC. s predatory-lending suit.
Federal regulators
charge that Associates routinely
deceived and lied to customers, tricking
them into
costly loan refinancing and making hundreds of millions of dollars
of profit in the process.
. Predatory lending is not unintentional,. says Terra
Lawson-Remer, a
cofounder of Student Alliance to Reform
Corporations (STARC) and recent
graduate of Yale. . It
is a purposeful and strategic exploitation of poor
people and people of color.. STARC, which has been on the
forefront of
anti-sweatshop organizing on campuses, has
also recently decided to put the
heat on Citigroup. s
alleged predatory-lending and redlining practices.
Redlining is the selective denial of banking services to
certain
communities. . Long before they bought
Associates, Citigroup was underserving
minority
neighborhoods,. says Matthew Lee, of Inner City Press (ICP), a
grassroots consumer and community group in the South Bronx,
which has been
fighting Citibank since 1992. . There
are 450,000 people living in the South
Bronx, but there
are only three consumer-accessible Citigroup branches
here..
Last November during a hearing held by the New York State
Banking Department
on Citigroup. s proposed acquisition
of Associates, an array of community
groups spoke
against the acquisition. But then later that afternoon, as Lee
tells it, . A gaggle of young, mostly white college
students came to testify
on the community. s behalf and
about the environmental and social impacts of
Citigroup
projects all across the globe. This surprised the heck out of the
regulators..
Citigroup, however, doesn. t seem too concerned. When
queried about the links
between these diverse
complaints, Johnson said, . What links?. Activists have
come to identify unchecked corporate power as their common
enemy. . We
shouldn. t be drawing red lines around U.S.
inner cities,. says Patrick
Reinsborough, grassroots
coordinator for RAN. . We should be drawing green
lines
around the world. s remaining forests.. Johnson refused to comment on
whether this multipronged campaign posed a threat to
Citigroup. s image or
its ability to appeal to new
customers. . Citigroup seeks to maintain
constructive
dialogue with RAN and other groups on relevant social and
environmental issues,. she said. . We disagree with their
pressure tactics,
but we share common goals..
. Companies like Citigroup have
become so powerful that until you start
asking
questions about their global presence, community groups can. t get
their ear,. Lee contends. . Citigroup may not care what
people in the South
Bronx think, but they. ve got to
care about what white students think..
Lawson-Remer
agrees: . As students, we have kinds of leverage that others don
. t.. Besides cutting up Citi credit cards, STARC and the
five other national
student groups that cosponsored the
Ruckus camp are working to divest
university endowments
of their Citigroup holdings and pressing for a jobs
boycott by creatively disrupting Citigroup recruitment
efforts on campuses.
.
Targeting Citi makes sense,. says Dave Casey, a senior from Eastern
Michigan University. He hadn. t heard about the campaign
until the Ruckus
camp but is now planning to make it
the focus of his campus activism. . It
puts a head on
the enemy; it gives us an opportunity to take concrete local
actions on campus. It also helps make connections because
no matter what you
. re already working on, Citi. s
probably involved in it..
The
week in Florida ended with a campwide direct action role-play. Trainers
stood in as police, campus officials, and reporters. A RAN
staffer played
Citigroup. s CEO, Sandy Weill, who was
visiting the mock campus for a
speaking event. In a
scene of organized chaos reminiscent of recent
antiglobalization protests, the campers put into play
almost everything they
had learned that week. One
action team locked their arms through steel
tubing to
the chassis of a van, blocking the CEO. s limousine from entering
campus. Another team went to the auditorium, where three
students locked
themselves together on the stage with
bicycle U-locks around their necks.
. Citigroup is
profiting from racism,. said one of the students hoarsely, as
an aggressive newscaster from . No Content News. stuck a
mic in his face. A
third team scaled the walls of the
administration building. A banner with
Citi. s red
umbrella and a slash through it fluttered high above the ground.
Chants of . Human need! Not corporate greed!. filled the
camp. The chants
finally turned to cheers as the lead
Ruckus trainer yelled out, . OK. Stop!
You guys won!.
It is unlikely that students will hear these words from
Citigroup itself any time soon, but as Reinsborough says, .
This is just the
beginning..
***********************
also for another detailed article
on the Alternative Spring Break Spank the
Bank Ruckus
camp from In these Times magazine check out :
http://www.inthesetimes.com/web2511/winters2511.html
______________________________________________________________
#3 A FEW REPORTS FROM APRIL 11TH
We've heard from dozens of local
organizers who leafleted, demonstrated,
gathered
boycott statements and had fun being a thorn in the side of the
world's most destructive bank. Below are some of
the few we recieved
written write ups
about. We know there's a lot more great day of action
stories out there so send them in!
Let us know what happened in your
community! Send reports to
organize@ran.org! Also if you've got cool
pictures, media clips or ideas
that worked on your day
of action that you want to share with activists
other
places - send them into RAN and we'll put them up on the Citi website!
Mail hard copies to RAN Attn : Citi campaign 221 Pine St.
#500 SF CA 94103
-Haverford University
Students at
Haverford got cell phones donated for the day and gave away free
cookies and muffins to folks who called Mark Rogers,
Citigroup's director of
public affairs. They
had an extended conversation with Mr. Rogers about
Citi's involvement with the China Development Bank--the
bank that is funding
the 3 Gorges Dam project in
China. They collected 168 signatures of
Haverford and Bryn Mawr students who pledges not to work
for Citi until they
have meaningful social and
environmental criteria to evaluate their
financial
projects. They're planning to mail them to Citigroup this week.
-U of Chicago
At the University of Chicago students chalked the corporate
cluster on
campus in front of Citibank with messages
reading "do you know where your
money
is?" They hung a banner from the trees in their plaza that faced the
administration building offices with the words
"Citibank Lives Richly Thanks
to UofC
Students." The university administration sent out a survey on
Tuesday regarding Citibank as the ATM provider on campus,
as apparently
their contract is coming up for review.
Students also made a large chalk
mural in the plaza
that listed all the ills that Citi perpetuates under the
heading "We Want A New Bank!" They passed out
hundreds of flyers and
surveys to passersby to kick off
an intensive campaign to kick Citi off
campus!
-NYC
In
NYC nearly 100 students and activists turned out during lunch hour for a
New Orleans style funeral procession to Citigroup
Headquarters, led by
street preacher and performance
artist Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop
Shopping. Demonstrators dressed as orangutans,
trees and other various
species and impacted
communities danced to marching band jazz music after a
coffin bearing the Earth. The really visited
Citibank branches along the
way, where the question was
asked is Citi going to stop funding destruction
or is
it going to hammer the last nail in the coffin of the planet. Various
speakers brought attention to Citigroup's shameless
track record. Inner
City Press/Community on
the Move addressed Citi's racist lending policies, a
member of the NOW class-action lawsuit raised awareness
around incidents of
sexual harassment and
discrimination at Salomon Smith Barney, and Rainforest
Action Network spoke
out against Citi's funding of
environmentally devastating projects around
the world.
Students from NYU and Wesleyan announced a credit card boycott
and efforts to kick Citi off campus. The rally ended with
demonstrators
liberating the earth from Citi's coffin
and deposited dozens of red
umbrellas into the casket
as Radical Cheerleaders led the crowd in a rousing
version of Dancing on the Ruins of Multinational
Corporations. Much fun
was had and
media attention gained from Reuters, ABC, Financial Times, the
Village Voice, 17 Magazine, and the IMC!
-U of Utah
Students and Green Party members in Salt Lake City
demonstrated at a
downtown Associates Capital Bank to
protest their connection with Citigroup.
They handed
out pamphlets listing grievances and exposing Citi's role in
environmentally and socially destructive
projects. They also distributed
information
the Federal Trade Commission lawsuit against the Associates
First Capital Corporation, owners of Associates Capital
Bank. The suit
spotlight practices of predatory
lending. Students at the University of
Utah
called on their administration to cut ties to Citigroup, as their vice
president of finance and accounting admitted they do invest
in the
corporation. They called on other
student to pressure the university to use
its
shareholding powers now to institute change. They also pledged to
protest Citi's ATM and student union information
booths. They landed a
great article about
the day's events in the Daily Utah Chronicle!
SF -
35 local activists faced a
chilly drizzle to do a tour of 4 different
Citibank
branches. The procession filled the streets with vibrant anti-Citi
chants as over a thousand flyers were handed out. At each
branch a symbolic
deposit was made to show Citi the
true cost of their destructive practices.
A red ribbon
was deposited to highlight Citi's racist redlining
and
predatory lending practices. An orangutan displaced by Citi funding
palm plantations in Indonesia deposited a bag of
sawdust to represent the
threat to biological and
cultural diversity that Citi's investments in
forest
destruction represent. A bottle of oil polluted water (complete with
dead fish) was delivered to remind Citi that their
investments in fossil
fuels are causing global warming
and destroying fragile ecosystems from
Venezuela's Orinoco river delta to the African
rainforests. The final
delivery was of a
giant cut up citi credit card delivered by a student in
graduation cap and gown
who in a
fiery speech (yeah Dana!)declared that not only would students be
boycotting Citi credit cards but they would be boycotting
jobs with Citi as
well. Citi's highly articulate
reponse - "No comment."
Charleston, SC
35 protesters, with
lots of great signs, banners, and someone in an
orangutan suit visited the downtown SSB
office. Lots of info was
distributed, lots
of tourists got the see another side of Charleston and the
protest got tons of media included 3 TV newscasts.
Portland, OR
A marathon roving protest with 4 rallies on 3 different
campuses. A slick
guerrilla theater piece
educated people about the links between Citi and the
growing prison industry. Banners were hung off
buildings including one
which read "Practice What you
Teach: Invest Responsibly, not in Citigroup
destruction". A press conference with speakers
form Portland State
University, Reed and Lewis and
Clark addressed Citi's involvement in the
prison
industry, predatory lending, and environmental destruction and
announced the coalition to kick Citi off all 3
campuses! Activists marched
around campus
chanting "Invest in Education not Incarceration" "PSU, LC and
Reed unite to stop corporate greed" and "Hey hey ho ho,
citigroup has got to
go." To top it all off
copies of the statement and press release where
delivered to the school presidents to let them know that
students don't want
their money going to the world's
most destructive bank!
Vancouver, British Columbia
Over
20 activists from Forest Action Network drummed and danced through the
streets of Vancouver distributing
literature about the evil practices of Canada's largest
bank
Toronto-Dominion (TD). Several branches were
visited
and 72 year old forest defender Betty Krawcyk
(who recently completed a long
prison term for blocking
old growth logging in the Elaho valley)led the way
into
the first branch to educate customers about TD's role in financing
rainforest destruction.
The day
climaxed with mass sticker of TD ATM's and the cutting up of a giant
TD credit card. For more info see www.fanweb.org
from Rainforest Action Network April 16, 2001
Press release from RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK
For Immediate Release, April 16,
2001
Contact: Ilyse Hogue,
415/595-7246 (on site); Shannon Wright: 415/596-7246;
415/398-4404
Activists Hang Banner at CITIGROUP Headquarters:
. HEY CITI, NOT WITH MY MONEY!.
Event Follows on This Week. s
Launch of Credit Card Boycott, Protests in 80
Cities
and 12 Countries
Demonstrations Planned for Tomorrow at CITI Shareholder
Meeting
New York, NY-- During
morning rush hour in midtown Manhattan, commuters were
greeted with the sight of two activists unfurling a 20-foot
banner from flag
poles outside of Citigroup. s (Citi)
headquarters reading, . Hey CITI, Not
With My Money!.
The climbers were drawing public attention to the growing
controversy around Citi. s leading role in financing
environmentally and
socially destructive projects
around the globe.
Today. s
event follows on the heels of the launch of a student led boycott
against Citi credit cards and protests in more than 80
cities in 12
countries last Wednesday, April
11th. Growing ranks of students and
shareholders are joining the campaign to demand that Citi
adopt
comprehensive environmental and social criteria
throughout their lending and
trading business.
. With only 22 percent of primary
forests intact on the planet, there are
certain
activities we can longer afford to fund,. said Ilyse Hogue of the
Rainforest Action Network. . More and more Citi customers
are outraged by the
bank. s leading role in profiting
off rainforest destruction, global warming
and the
displacement of indigenous peoples..
The climbers were David Murphy, 28 of Brooklyn and Scott
Anderson, 27 of
Kentucky. Mr. Murphy
commented, . Citi has a consistent record of
prioritizing short term profits at the expense of long term
health of
communities and the environment. I am here to
send a clear message that Citi
can no longer fund
immoral and destructive activities with MY money..
Representatives from Rainforest Action Network on site
today pointed to
several examples of the company. s
involvement in egregious projects,
including mining in
the fragile Amazon basin, constructing oil pipelines
through indigenous land in Venezuela and expanding palm
plantations in
critical habitat of endangered
orangutans in Indonesia. Protesters also
highlighted
Citi. s policies of redlining in communities and . predatory
lending. in urban areas that disproportionately affect
economically
disadvantaged people and target
communities of color.
The
international campaign targeting Citigroup is working to transform the
funding practices of the corporate financial system. The
campaign is calling
for Citigroup as America. s largest
financial institution, to become an
industry leader in
integrating social and environmental criteria into its
investment decision-making. Rainforest Action Network calls
for an immediate
ban on funding development projects
that result in the destruction of
primary forests
worldwide and a prioritization of lending for renewable
energies and tree-free lumber and paper alternatives.
A broad coalition of groups,
including Rainforest Action Network, NY
National
Organization of Women, Inner City On The Move, and United For A
Fair Economy, will continue their vigilant protest at Citi.
s shareholder
meeting tomorrow morning, April 17 at
Carnegie Hall.
High resolution
digital photos will be available for use by the press at
http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigroup/index.html
- - - - - - - - - -
- - -
- - - - - - -
Beka Economopoulos
Rainforest Action Network
East
Coast Grassroots Organizer
http://www.ran.org
888-840-6416 office
917-560-3609
cell
"Only after the last tree
has been cut down. Only after the last river has
been
poisoned. Only after the last fish has been caught. Only then you will
find that money cannot be eaten."
-- Cree Indian Proverb
from Sierra Club April 17, 2001
SC-ACTION Vol. III, #40
DEFENDING
THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
Thursday, April 12, 2001
-----
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"President Bush's actions would gut the
Endangered Species Act, our
nation's premiere wildlife
protection law."
-- Carl Pope,
the Sierra Club's executive director, on Bush's new plan to
limit citizen input on endangered species.
-----
[1] ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT: Bush Pushes to Make Public
Comment Extinct
President
Bush's proposed budget would gut the Endangered Species Act by
severely limiting money for enforcement. Although the
public could still
sue -- as is common -- to force the
Fish and Wildlife Service to list an
animal as
endangered, by cutting the funds used to enforce the results,
these citizen suits would be rendered ineffective.
To find out more details and keep
on top of the latest news:
http://www.sierraclub.org/politics/bush/
-----
[2] OPINIONS: Public Unhappy With Bush's Environmental
Approach
According to a
just-released Bloomberg poll: "President Bush's approach to
the environment is meeting with disapproval, even among
groups that voted
for him last November..." Though
Bush's general approval rating is up a
bit, to 56
percent, on environmental issues he wins the approval of just 38
percent of Americans. Another 34 percent disapproves of his
environmental
agenda and the remaining 28 percent are
undecided or won't say. "It's not
just tree huggers,"
said Evans Witt, president of Princeton Survey Research
Associates, the company that conducted the poll. "There's a
chunk of his
core supporters who aren't happy" with the
president's actions on the
environment.
To read more results from the
Bloomberg poll:
http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?T=money_nstory.ht&s=AOtRr5hRiVGhlIEJs
-----
[3] FRANKEN-FOOD FIGHT: Monsanto
Triumphs Over Farmer Who Grew GM Crop
Percy Schmeiser, a farmer in Saskatchewan, Canada, owes the
Monsanto
corporation up to $85,000 for growing
genetically-modified Round-Up Ready
Canola. The twist:
it was an accident. According to Mr. Schmeiser's
testimony, GM pollen from a neighbor's farm blew into his
canola field.
Despite the fact that the GM seed he grew
was in effect "pollution," a
Canadian judge ruled that
Schmeiser is liable for licensing fees and
profits on
the crop grown. Canadian environmentalists note that roughly 40
percent of Canada's canola crop is now grown from
genetically-modified
seed.
Learn more about the case:
http://www.percyschmeiser.com
Read a recently-revised Sierra
Club report on genetic engineering:
http://www.sierraclub.org/biotech/report.asp
-----
[4] GREAT LEAKS: Global Warming Likely Cause of Great Lakes
Decline
Falling water levels
in the Great Lakes are trigging renewed debate over
why
the level of the lakes has long been in decline. A new study, reported
in the Detroit News, points to global warming. The study
suggests that
water levels, which have been in decline
for several years, could fall by
an additional 1 to 3
feet over the next three decades. Businesses that
depend on materials transported by barge and boaters who
ply the waters for
pleasure are worried that the
decline could harm the local economy.
To read more about global warming and the Great Lakes:
http://detnews.com/2001/metro/0104/11/a01-210689.htm
-----
[5] TAKE ACTION: Time to Stop POPs
-- Persistent Organic Pollutants
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemicals like
DDT, PCB and
dioxin. Not only are these chemicals
extremely toxic, they hang around in
the environment,
resisting the natural processes that break down some types
of pollution. Even worse: POPs accumulate in human body fat
and are passed
on to babies in the womb and to infants
through breast milk.
The
"Stockholm Convention," an international treaty to reduce the amount of
persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in our environment, is
almost ready to
be signed. This treaty is crucial to
reducing the amount of toxic chemicals
in our
environment -- and our bodies. And the Stockholm Convention is
strongly supported by environmentalists around the world.
The only question then: Will
the Bush administration sign it?
Send a fax to Secretary of State Powell to urge U.S.
support:
http://whistler.sierraclub.org:8080/takeaction/index.jsp
For more information on
the POPs treaty:
http://www.sierraclub.org/toxics/resources/
-------------
Sierra Club Legislative Hotline -
202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters -
415-977-5500
Sierra Club World Wide Web - http://www.sierraclub.org
Sierra Club Vote Watch Website - http://www.sierraclub.org/votewatch/
White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line - 202-456-2461
George W. Bush's e-mail - president@whitehouse.gov
Dick Cheney's e-mail - vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC
20500
US Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121
To contact your senators - http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative - http://www.house.gov/writerep
from Rural Advancement Foundation International April 17, 2001
RAFI News Release
April 11, 2001
The "ETC" Century
Erosion, Technological
Transformation, and Corporate Concentration in the 21st Century
New report warns that after
Terminator, 'Generation 3' biotech, and the Gene Giants, will come
Nanotechnology, Neural manipulation, and the looming 'Binano Republic'.
Jointly published by the Dag
Hammarskjöld Foundation (Uppsala, Sweden) and RAFI (Winnipeg, Canada), the 128
page study by Pat Mooney looks at three major forces that will shape the 21st
century - Erosion, Technological transformation, and Corporate concentration -
'ETC'. The 'ETC' Century goes beyond RAFI's normally broad mandate in
biodiversity, biotechnology, and genomics, to explore a panoply of other
corporate and technology developments affecting our planet.
Divided into four parts, The "ETC"
Century is filled with up-to-date data and historic perspectives drawing from
RAFI's 24-year experience. Although the publication is being released
in April 2001, for technical reasons the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation's journal,
Development Dialogue, bears the date 1999: 1-2.
Erosion: In section
one, the forces eroding our eco-systems, human cultures, and equitable societies
are analyzed. In one-third of Latin America there are no indigenous
languages spoken. Almost half of the world's languages disappeared in
the last century and half of those remaining will vanish with the current
generation. The report argues that with the erosion of language comes the
erosion of our knowledge of the eco-system and our capacity to adapt to climate
change and other environmental pressures. "Our generation is the
first generation in the history of the world to lose more knowledge than we
gain" Pat Mooney insists.
Technological transformation: As the critical elements for
human survival (our biological environment and our cultural diversity) collapse,
powerful new technologies are being brought forward to manipulate our
world. The second section examines current strategies in
biotechnology including biological warfare. Accessing confidential
military documents, the report notes that 1000 kg of the chemical sarin gas used
in a Tokyo subway can only kill 8000 people, a one megaton hydrogen bomb can
kill 1.9 million people and a 100 kg Anthrax "bomb" dropped over a city from a
helicopter can kill three million people. Biowarfare, including
agro-terrrorism and ethnically targeted "bombs" are so inexpensive, anonymous,
and effective that they will be used.
Nanotechnology (the construction of both living and
non-living materials from the atom up), informatics, robotics, sensors,
aerospace, material, and neural sciences are also discussed in Section
Two. Announcing the "dawning of the Age of Liliput" the report
describes nanotechnology as the logical declension or move "down" from genes to
atoms as the critical unit of commerce in the 21st century. OECD
governments are now spending over $1.5 billion per annum on nanotech
development. From no nanotech patents at all ten years ago, the U.S.
Patent Office is granting more than 150 a year now. The key barrier
to nanoscale manufacturing was thought to be the inability of machines to
self-replicate. In 2000, more than a dozen patents were issued for
molecular self-assembly to such powerful research institutions as the U.S. Navy,
and major aerospace, computer, car, and drug companies. The report
documents the power of nanotechnology and suggests that nanotech in 2001 is in
the sam!
e stage of development as biotech in
1987. "Except that information technologies make the pace of progress
enormously faster with nanotech than with biotech," Pat Mooney
concludes.
Looking
at the full set of inter-related new technologies coming onto the
stage, Mooney argues that biotech and nanotech will merge and that
nano-scale technologies will spell the "death of dissent" as sensors,
biocomputers, and miniscule robots render privacy impossible. "The 'right to
privacy' and 'freedom of information' will be inverted into the corporation's
right to privacy and its right to have access to our information," Mooney
suggests, "most scientists have been 'social somnambulists' -
avoiding the social impact of their research while benefiting from
commercialization."
Corporate concentration: In its third section, The "ETC"
Century identifies corporate concentration as a major force. The
erosion of the resource base (including human resources) and the assent of new
technologies (purported to compensate for this erosion) will compel a level of
corporate mergers and alliances cutting across traditional industrial
sectors. In the food sector, input and output enterprises (life
sciences and food processors) may merge with commodity retailers such as
Wal-Mart. The health care industry is already merging the drug makers
with medical service providers as companies recognize that their economic future
lies in making well people dependent rather than making sick people
independent. Further down the road the report conjectures that
nutriceuticals and farmaceuticals could cause a total merger of
biochemistry-based enterprises dominated by the insurance
industry. "No one gains more from knowing and controlling genomics
than your insurance company,!
" Mooney
says, "What happens to genetic privacy when your doctor is also your
insurance agent?"
Returning to
the theme of cultural erosion, this section also poses the merger of the
information and entertainment industries with communications hardware and
software firms - 'conduit' and 'content' become one industry. Even
today, five companies dominate global news, music, cinemas, and
entertainment. The "ETC" Century also concludes that before the year
2030 nanotechnology will bring about the transformation (or elimination) of
mining and heavy manufacture. The new economic order created by
nanotechnology will amount to a 'Binano Republic' in which everything from Big
Macs to GameBoys will be created and controlled by a corporate
oligopoly.
ETC
Solutions: In its concluding section, the report outlines a series of
initiatives for civil society organizations (CSOs) to begin now to address the
"ETC" Century. Pat Mooney, if not entirely optimistic, ends by
offering some hope that the future predicted can still be averted.
To encourage debate on the
trends analyzed in The "ETC" Century, the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and RAFI
will hold a seminar focusing on new technologies at the Foundation's centre in
Uppsala June 25-29, 2001, titled, "What Next in Technological Transformation?"
the seminar will bring together an invited group of 35 activists, scientists,
and academics from around the world to explore the socio-economic and scientific
implications of nano and other technologies. Following this global
gathering, the two organizations will also work with partner organizations in
Africa, Asia, and Latin America to convene regional workshops on the same
themes. The Asian workshop is expected to be held in September 2001
in conjunction with SEARICE (Southeast Asian Regional Institute for Community
Education based in Manila, Philippines). The Latin American workshop
scheduled for November, will be led by CET (Centro Ecologia t Tecnologia based
in Temuca, Chile). Details of the African workshop !
are not yet finalized.
Copies of the publication:
One to
five copies of The "ETC" Century are available at no charge. Ask for
Development Dialogue 1999:1-2, The "ETC" Century from:
The Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation
Dag Hammarskjöld Centre
Övre
Slottsgaten 2
SE-753 10 UPPSALA
SWEDEN
Fax: (46) (18)
122072
E-mail: secretariat@dhf.uu.se
Website: www.dhf.uu.se
A PDF version of the full text can
also be downloaded from RAFI's website at www.rafi.org.
For further information:
Pat Mooney, Executive Director
RAFI
110 Osborne St. S, Suite 202
Winnipeg MB R3L 1Y5
CANADA
Phone: (204)
453-5259
RAFI's "Name-Calling"
Contest: We're changing our name and we're looking for your
ideas! Until May 1, please go to www.rafi.org to see the names others
are suggesting and to add your own.
from National Environmental Trust April 17, 2001
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from League of Conservation Voters April 18, 2001
Come show your support for the heroes who strive to make
sound
environmental protections a
reality. Please join us in Washington, DC on
April 25th for LCV's Rally for the Allies - an event to
celebrate the
members of Congress who make the
environment a priority. Featured
speakers
include Rep. George Miller (CA-7) and Rep. Sherwood Boehlert
(NY-23) and LCV President Deb Callahan. Please
RSVP soon - we hope to see
you there!
For more information, visit: http://lcv.org
from the Nature Conservancy April 18, 2001
Who says you can't change the world?
Every April 22 since 1970,
millions of people just like you have gotten
together
to celebrate Earth Day. The brainchild of Gaylord Nelson, a
U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Earth Day celebrations are now
held in 184
countries. Last year's merriment
saw 200 million people around the
world join together
in the name of environmental awareness.
Here's what's new at nature.org for Earth Day 2001!
* Are you eco-savvy? -
find out by taking our Earth Day Quiz. -- http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a14464a33383a67074702a4
* Like birds? Check out our
bird tips. -- http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a14464a33383a67074702a3
* Of course, Earth Day or not, we're
always hard at work - check out our latest
Success Stories. -- http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a14464a33383a67074702a5
* Spruce up your desktop with some new
wallpaper. -- http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a14464a33383a67074702a1
* Make someone's day - send one of our
new nature e-cards. -- http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a14464a33383a67074702a2
Click on over to
nature.org today -- http://www.you-click.net/GoNow/a14464a33383a67074702a9
Earth Day 2001 - there's no better time to get
involved.
from World Wildlife April 18, 2001
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from Center for Marine Conservaiton April 18, 2001
Your voice this
week is extremely important
for the future of the
Atlantic spiny dogfish (cape
shark)
population.
You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20308B0418112636C190
Visit the web address below
and tell your friends to
take action on this important
campaign!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/Dogfish_Threatened/forward?rk=n7qUq8d1Xpq4W
We encourage you to take
action by April 23, 2001
Cape Shark Conservation Threatened
----------------------
At their meeting, next Monday,
April 23, the Atlantic
States Marine Fisheries
Commission will decide the
fate of the Atlantic spiny
dogfish (cape shark) population.
Your voice is needed
to stop the undermining of federal
conservation efforts
and help save the cape shark population
from collapse.
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE
WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take
action
on this alert by going to the following URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20308B0418112636C190
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA
EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your
email
program, and edit the letter below as you wish.
You
must include the whole letter in your response
including
"-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and "-END
OF LETTER-".
Please do not add your name and address to
your letter.
Our system automatically does this for
you.
We STRONGLY
encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample
letter below, and put the alert talking
points into
your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten
computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of
unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so
please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize
the letter.
Your letter will
be addressed and sent to:
Director Gordon Colvin
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------
As an Atlantic state resident, I
am deeply concerned
about the health of our coastal and
ocean resources.
I am therefore distressed to learn
that, despite strict
federal controls and recent state
emergency action,
Atlantic spiny dogfish sharks remain
at serious risk
from overfishing. I understand that the
Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC)
will discuss this
issue on April 23.
As you may know, an unsustainable
dogfish fishery throughout
the '90s led to severe
depletion of the targeted mature
females and a record
low number of pups - damage that
will now take decades
to repair. The lack of stringent
dogfishing limits in
state waters is derailing the
federal rebuilding plan.
Massachusetts, in particular,
has allowed continued,
excessive dogfish fishing. As
a result, the 2000
federal dogfish quota for these
vulnerable sharks was
exceeded by 67%.
I
feel strongly that the "constant harvest strategy"
that
Massachusetts is proposing for the ASMFC - that
would
more than double the quota allowed by the federal
plan
on depleted mature females - leaves this damaged
public
resource at unacceptable risk.
I am grateful for your recent support of the ASMFC
emergency dogfish closure and remain strongly in favor
of a long term ASMFC dogfish plan that continues to
protect the population in line with the federal recovery
plan. I therefore strongly urge you to attend the
dogfish
management discussion on April 23 and ensure
that our
state votes for:
-- Rejection of the "constant harvest strategy"
for dogfish;
-- Adoption of federally compatible state dogfish
measures;
--
Emergency closures until new, long term
measures are in place.
Thank you for considering my
views.
-------END OF
LETTER-------------------------
from Global Response April 18, 2001
Dear Members of Global Response's "Quick Response Network:"
In January, Global Response
launched an international letter-writing
campaign to
help NGOs in Papua New Guinea maintain a moratorium on new
logging concessions in the country's magnificent
rainforests. Global
Response members sent
letters and faxes to the World Bank and to the Papua
New Guinea government (see Action Alert text at
http://www.globalresponse.org/gra_index/gra0101.html).
Now we can send automatic
emails from the Forests.org website -- and we need
to
do this immediately! Decisions about the moratorium will be announced
in
the next few weeks. Papua New Guinea
environment and development
organizations are sending
out a renewed appeal for international support to
uphold the logging moratorium. Please take a
moment to add your voice to
this critical campaign.
Thanks,
Paula Palmer, Global Response
*****************************
ACTION ALERT!
PAPUA NEW GUINEA TO
ALLOW FINAL CLEARING OF RAINFOREST WILDERNESS
Government and International Donors to
Let Moratorium on New
Logging End
Despite New Evidence of Law Breaking
April 17, 2001
By Forests.org, Inc. at http://forests.org/
TAKE ACTION NOW!
http://forests.org/emailaction/png.htm
Papua New Guinea (PNG) contains
the third largest intact tropical
rainforest wilderness
in the World. In 1999, the PNG government,
World Bank and Australian government committed to a
moratorium on new
logging operations as a requirement
for a new loan program. The
moratorium was
to stay in place until there had been independent
reviews of proposed and existing timber operations, and the
review
findings and recommendations were implemented in
new policy and
legislation. The preliminary
results from the first review found
that incompetence
and illegalities mark the timber allocation
process. Despite months of protest, the World
Bank and Australian
government have yet to announce
whether they still support the
moratorium - and will
withhold further lending if the PNG government
does not
honor its commitments to maintain the moratorium. The final
decision will be made shortly, and through their silence
donors are
signaling that allowing the moratorium to
lapse is acceptable.
Outraged by this betrayal, PNG
forest communities and organizations
are calling for
international support.
Maintaining the moratorium, ending subsidies to industrial
log export
and implementing a new forest management
paradigm that emphasizes
community based certified
forestry and protected areas; will all
prove crucial to
the future of PNG's community well being,
governance,
and rich biodiversity and ecosystems. Please demand that
the moratorium on new logging in Papua New Guinea be
maintained.
Check back frequently as this alert will be
updated bi-weekly.
TAKE ACTION
NOW!
http://forests.org/emailaction/png.htm
P.S. Please forward
this email to friends, family and colleagues.
More Information can be found at
the Papua New Guinea Rainforest
Conservation &
Sustainable Development Portal at
http://forests.org/pngforest.html
********************************
Paula Palmer, Executive Director
Global Response
PO Box 7490
Boulder CO 80306
Tel. 303-444-0306
Fax. 303-449-9794
Website:
www.globalresponse.org
Mission: Global Response empowers people of all
ages, cultures, and
nationalities to protect the
environment by creating partnerships for
effective
citizen action. At the request of indigenous peoples and
grassroots organizations, Global Response organizes
internatinoal
letter-writing campaigns to help
communities prevent environmental
destruction. Global Response involves young
people as well as adults in
these campaigns, to develop
in them the values and skills for global citizen
cooperation and earth stewardship.
from Greenpeace April 19, 2001
US President George Bush has announced that his
administration is abandoning US support for the Kyoto Protocol, the
international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The decision has
sparked outrage around the world and there have been many calls for Bush's
corporate backers to distance themselves from this decision.
On 5 April, Greenpeace launched a
new climate campaign by writing to the 100 largest US corporations, many of whom
funded Bush's election campaign, and asking them to explain their position on
the Kyoto Protocol. As of today, only ExxonMobil, the largest US corporation,
has responded, not with a letter, but by taking out ads in major newspapers
attacking the Kyoto Protocol.
Please help stop global warming by joining our campaign to
force the largest US corporations to take a clear position on the Kyoto Protocol
and greenhouse gas reduction.
1. Download a climate action kit from:
http://cybercentre.greenpeace.org/t/s/collector/getMessage?i=17
which contains a list of
the 100 largest US corporations.
2. Write to the local branches of these companies in your
own community and ask them "Does your company support the ratification and entry
into force of the Kyoto Protocol?".
3. Use the poster, flyer and other information in the
action kit to promote this campaign in your own community.
4. Join the Climate Action Group
at:
http://cybercentre.greenpeace.org/t/s/ag/listGroups
and participate in online
discussions on this campaign.
Please help send a strong signal to George Bush and the US
corporations that support him.
Kevin Jardine
New Media Campaigner
Greenpeace International
VISIT THE CYBERCENTRE
Please don't forget to visit the Greenpeace Cyberactivist
Community at:
http://cybercentre.greenpeace.org/t/s
from Rainforest Action Network April 19, 2001
IN THIS POST
1) Summary of the
week of global protest against Citi!
2) New York Times
blurb on banner hang at Citi HQ
3) press release on
Citigroup shareholder meeting
4) "Sandy"--spoof song:
Barry Manilow's "Mandy"
5) Citigroup Shuts Down Artists
Web Site
____________________________________________________
#1
DEMONSTRATION AT SHAREHOLDER MEETING CAPS WEEK OF GLOBAL
PROTEST AT CITI
CAMPAIGN RAMPED UP, CITI FEELS THE
HEAT!
There is certainly no
question at this point that CEO Sandy Weill and the
rest of the World's Most Destructive Bank are feeling the
heat. After an
incredibly successful and
unprecedented week of events, people of conscience
have
every reason to celebrate.
Demonstrations at the annual shareholders meeting on the
17th capped a
week-long drive to expose Citi's
destructive practices and advocate for a
democratic,
just and ecologically sane economy. Students and protesters
affiliated with the Rainforest Action Network, United for a
Fair Economy,
Inner City Press/Community on the Move,
Student environment action
Coalition and the National
Organization For Women distributed fact sheets
and
fortune cookies with special messages. When shareholders read their
fortunes they were treated to kernels of truth tacked
on to Citi's latest
greenwashing PR campaign - Citi
lives richly of predatory lending...Citi
lives richly
off of rainforest destruction... Citi lives richly off global
warming.
Unfortunately the NY Police Department decided that
Citigroup had the right
to silence the protesters and
threatened to arrest anyone flyering or
handing out
fortune cookies. Pam Martens, a representative of NOW-NY and
one of the original lead plaintiffs on the "Boom Boom Room
Suit" in which
2000 women are involved in a class
action suit to expose Citigroup's
systematic sexual
harassment of female employees - was arrested for handing
out flyers.
Undetered by the flagrant violation of our constitutional
rights,
demonstrators held a press conference where
Adam Hurter from Wesleyan, Liz
Aakhus from Columbia and
Kelly Nagy from SEAC described the national
campaign on
campuses to boycott Citi credit cards. Over 12,000 signed
postcards and pledges to boycott Citi's cards, loans and
jobs were
displayed. Other speakers touched
on shareholder activism and the range of
different
communities that were uniting to confront Citi's systemic abuses.
The world famous Red Dancing Umbrella Troupe performed a
choreographed dance
with Citi's trademark red umbrellas
(adorned with CITI crossed out) while
singing an ode to
Sandy Weill's destructive behavior set to the tune of
Barry Manilow's Mandy. The rally culminated with
2 people (one an inspired
passerby!) spontaneously
cutting up their Citi credit cards in front of the
flashing bulbs of the international financial press. For
pictures see
http://www.ran.org/info_center/press_release/010417.html
Members of the anti-Citi
coalition infiltrated the shareholder's meeting had
an
opportunity to address Sandy Weill and shareholders directly inside the
meeting. After a fiery speech challenging Sandy
on his company's
environmental and social record, Ilyse
Hogue, campaign director of the
Beyond the Bottom Line
Campaign at the Rainforest Action Network was
escorted
out of the building.
An
account of the days events is available online, where you can hear a
transcript of yesterday's Democracy Now! show with Amy
Goodman and guests
Ilyse Hogue of RAN and Matthew Lee
of Inner City Press/Community On the
Move. Check it out at http://www.webactive.com/pacifica/demnow.html.
Unfortunately Citigroup refused to appear on the show since
they said they
were unwilling to debate anyone from the
Rainforest Action Network.
The
shareholder meeting was the final cap to a week-long series of anti-Citi
protests. The day before, activists with RAN
hung a banner in front of the
Citigroup Headquarters
which read "Hey CITI, Not With My Money!". Pictures
can be seen at www.ran.org and
www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigroup/index.html.
On April 11th over 80
demonstrations in 12 countries on 5 continents
provided
a powerful demonstration of global support for an end to Citi's
funding of destruction and for an economy that values
principles over
profits. The message to Citi
is clear : there is a global movement to
transform the
financial system and Citigroup is our first target.
Thanks to everyone who played a role in the past week's
events. We did an
amazing job of getting
under Citi's skin. There is no chance that they are
unaware of a world-wide popular effort to transform the
practices of the
corporate financial
sector. We're in an incredible position to build upon
the links that have been made between different movements
and keep the
pressure on Citi. Whether its a
weekly adopt-a-Citi demo, teach-ins,
regular phone
zapping or non-violent direct actions let's all keep the
pressure up! Citi is learning the hard way that
they cannot ignore this
coalition and that we will no
longer allow them to profit from the
destruction of the
environment, racist lending practices, exploitation of
low income communities or the systematic violation of the
rights of women.
United our movements can force
Citigroup and the rest of the financial
industry to go
beyond the bottomline and create a world where principles
come ahead of short term profits.
Inspired and Invigorated,
RAN Beyond the Bottom Line
Campaign Team
Beka Economopoulos, Ilyse Hogue, Patrick
Reinsborough
- - - - - - - - - -
#2 NEW YORK TIMES
April 17, 2001
MANHATTAN: ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTEST IN MIDTOWN Eight members of an
environmental
group were charged yesterday with reckless endangerment and
disorderly conduct after unfurling a 20-foot-long banner
during the morning
rush in Midtown. Members of the
Rainforest Action Network climbed flagpoles
and
unfurled the banner reading, "Hey Citi: Not With My Money!" at
Citigroup's offices at East 53rd Street and Lexington
Avenue. The group said
it objected to the bank's loans
for projects like mining in Amazon rain
forests. Leah
C. Johnson, a Citigroup spokeswoman, said, "We share some of
their concerns, but we're just not sure what climbing up a
flagpole has to
do with these
concerns." Al Baker (NYT)
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
#3
For
Immediate Release Contact: Ilyse Hogue, 415/595-7246 (on site)
April 17, 2001 Shannon Wright: 415/596-7246; 415/398-4404
CITIGROUP SHAREHOLDER MEETING
ROCKED BY PROTEST
Dramatic Cap
to a Week of Protests Against Banking Giant. s Social and
Environmental Policies
Students Launch International Credit Card Boycott: . Not
With My Money,
Citi!.
New York, NY. Shareholders attending Citigroup. s (Citi)
shareholder meeting
this morning at Carnegie Hall were
greeted by a lively protest with
representatives from
diverse organizations demanding that Citi go beyond the
bottom line and clean up its act on environmental and
social abuses
worldwide. Student
representatives also announced to gathering shareholders
that an international Citi credit card boycott has been
launched.
Calling Citigroup .
the world. s most destructive bank,. students from
national networks also announced their campus campaign to
transfer student
loan balances away from Citi and
challenge university relationships with the
financial
institution.
. Students
customers are the backbone of the Citigroup machine!. declared
Kelly Nagy from Student environment action Coalition. .
We are waking up to
the company. s environmental track
record and policies and proclaiming, . Hey
Citi, not
with my money!.
A broad
coalition of groups, including Rainforest Action Network, NY
National Organization of Women, Inner City of the Move, and
United for A
Fair Economy, held a press conference and
protests outside of the
shareholder meeting at Carnegie
Hall this morning.
Today. s
event caps a week of protests against Citi. s policies in more than
80 cities in 12 countries and a banner hang at the
corporate headquarters
yesterday in midtown
Manhattan. Growing ranks of students and shareholders
are joining the campaign to demand that Citi adopt
comprehensive
environmental and social criteria
throughout their lending and trading
business.
. Students are always on the
forefront of every social change movement, so
its no
surprise that students are leading the way towards transforming the
global financial system,. said Patrick Reinsborough,
Organizing Director of
the Rainforest Action
Network. . Students today understand the connection
between Citi. s leading role in rainforest destruction in
South America,
predatory lending in communities of
color in the South Bronx, and sexual
harassment in the
workplace. They simply will not tolerate their money being
put toward this systemic abuse..
Citi shareholders were also
greeted by the upbeat Red Dancing Umbrella
Troupe.
co-opting Citi. s corporate logo. with campaign messages, while
concerned Citi customers handed out custom-made fortune
cookies decrying
Citi. s environmental and social
negligence.
Representatives
from Rainforest Action Network on site today pointed to
several examples of the company. s involvement in egregious
projects,
including mining in the fragile Amazon basin
and expanding palm plantations
in critical habitat of
endangered orangutans in Indonesia. Protesters also
highlighted Citi. s policies of redlining communities and .
predatory lending.
in urban areas that
disproportionately affect low-income people and target
communities of color.
The international campaign targeting Citigroup is working
to transform the
funding practices of the corporate
financial system. Rainforest Action
Network calls for
an immediate ban on funding development projects that
result in the destruction of primary forests worldwide and
a prioritization
of lending for renewable energies and
tree-free lumber and paper
alternatives.
# # #
- - - - - - - - -
#4
Sandy
(to the tune of "Mandy" by
Barry Manilow)
Cutting trees
and clearing soil,
Building pipes to carry oil,
Dirtying the air,
Nuclear testing,
Citigroup is there,
Always
investing.
Oh Sandy,
You can sleep through the night
without caring,
Cause you're
there at the top.
Oh Sandy,
You've been trashing the planet
we're sharing,
And we need you
to stop!
Oh Sandy.
Propping up corrupt regimes,
Squelching democratic dreams,
Profiting from pain,
But they
never sweat it,
Citigroup is there,
Advancing the credit.
Oh Sandy,
You can sleep through the night
without caring,
Cause you're
there at the top.
Oh Sandy,
You've been trashing the planet
we're sharing,
And we need you
to stop!
Oh Sandy.
by Felonius Ax (aka Cliff Tasner)
_______________________________________________
#5
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17th, 2001
CITIGROUP SHUTS DOWN ARTISTS WEB SITE
Overreacting to a satire of its
web site, Citigroup has issued a notice
under the
Digital Millennium Copyright Act claiming copyright infringement
and demanding that the satirical site be shut down. The
notice also applies
to a satire of the web site of its
subsidiary Citibank. In response to the
notice,
Hostpro, the company hosting the satirical sites, has blocked the
sites from being viewed on the internet and has
de-activated the email
accounts of the artists
responsible.
The sites, work
of the artists collective Together We Can Defeat Capitalism
(TWCDC), were designed as part of the April 11th worldwide
day of action
against Citigroup's socially reckless
practices organized by the Rain Forest
Action Network
(RAN, http://www.ran.org).
RAN is not directly involved with
the satires. The
sites were to stay on the internet indefinitely as public
monuments to corporate greed and hypocrisy.
TWCDC made the satirical artworks
by cloning the web sites CITIBANK.COM and
CITIGROUP.COM
and simply putting them back on the internet under the domain
names CITIBANK-GLOBAL-DOMINATION.COM and
CITIGROUP-GLOBAL-DOMINATION.COM.
The only changes to
the sites were the addition of several links to web
sites documenting Citibank's investments in environmental
destruction,
unfair labor practices, involvement in
predatory lending practices, money
laundering, etc. For
example, a link for Citibank credit cards took
customers to a "cut up your Citibank credit card page" at
RAN; a link for
"private banking" took customers to
moneylaundering.com.
Apart
from such links, the sites were fully functional and customers could
even open legitimate bank accounts with the actual
Citibank. TWCDC liked the
idea that the Citi web sites
would provide customers with the information to
make
informed choices rather than the illusion of choice presented by the
real Citi sites.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, A TWCDC spokesperson
explained that the
web site action was in fact doing
Citibank a favor as now Citigroup had
domain names more
in line with its actual business plan. The spokesperson
added that, "Citigroup is acting aggressively towards our
artwork because it
has a guilty conscience about its
reckless practices. Citigroup's action
shows how big
corporations can just stamp out free speech because they can
afford the expensive lawyers. But we refuse to be bullied
by greed."
Copyright law
allows "fair use" of copyrighted material for criticism and
comment, particularly for non-commercial usage (Title 17,
Chapter 1, Section
107: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html ). TWCDC
believes its
sites are legal under this definition and
the group is seeking to reclaim
its rightful space in
the public realm.
TWCDC
previously tangled with Citibank over a parody advertising campaign
the group ran in San Francisco in 1997. San Francisco State
University had
given permission for its parodies of
Citibank ads to be displayed in kiosks
on campus
property, but Citibank strong-armed the university into removing
them on threat of legal action.
Citigroup's most recent action
against the group underlines how the bottom
line now
dominates everything, everywhere and how difficult it is to
disseminate any contrary views to capitalism which now
dominates globally.
You could
find out more about Together We Can Defeat Capitalism's
controversial projects at http://www.TWCDC.com were it not currently being
blocked by Hostpro.
###
CONTACTS:
Together We Can Defeat Capitalism
415-643-4845
415-370-9245 (cell)
andycox@earthlink.net
(temporary during de-activation,
preferred contact is phone)
Citigroup
Mark Rodgers, Director
of Public Relations
Citigroup New York
718-248-1092
mark.rodgers@citicorp.com
Citigroup Legal Counsel
Mark D.
Rasch, Esq.
703-375-2301
Rain Forest Action Network
Patrick
Reinsborough
415-398-4404
800-989-RAIN
http://www.ran.org
organize@ran.org
Hostpro
Heather Barnes, Abuse
Department
425-974-4715
abuse@hostpro.com
from Rainforest Action Network April 19, 2001
MEDIA
ADVISORY AND FULL SCHEDULE
spread the word
and help build for the U'wa visit by mobilizing
your
community against Plan Colombia and particularly on April 26th
Bernstein/Alliance Capital's investments in Occidental
Petroleum!
___________________________________________________________-
Amazon
Watch * Activism Center at Wetlands Preserve *
Rainforest
Relief * Rainforest Action
Network * Action Resource Center
Media Advisory
For Immediate
Release: April 17, 2001
Contacts:
Atossa Soltani,
310-455-0617 (CA)
Kim Foster, 617-623-2453 or mobile
617-438-2326 (New England)
Adam
Weissman, 212-966-4831 (NY)
Uíwa Tribal Leader Kicks-off U.S. Tour to
Expose the ìCrude Logicî behind the U.S. Drug War in
Colombia
(Los Angeles, CA) --
Roberto Perez, President of the Uíwa people of
Colombia
will arrive today in Los Angeles for his National Tour (April
17-28) to speak out against Plan Colombia and the corporate
interest
behind the so-called ìdrug
war.î The Uíwa people, a peaceful tribe of
5,000 who live in the cloud forests of northeastern
Colombia, have
captured headlines around the world for
their crusade to halt Occidental
Petroleumís (OXY)
exploratory oil drilling operations on land the tribe
considers sacred.
Mr. Perez will speak to audiences in Los Angeles, San
Diego, Boston,
Providence, Stratford (CT), and New York
(see attached schedule) ranging
from corporate
investors to anti-globalization activists, labor unions,
and universities on how U.S. oil interests are served by
the military
aid package.
Just two days after Plan Colombia was passed by US
congress, the U'wa
homeland became heavily militarized
and their peaceful blockade against
OXY was violently
disrupted. Today, several thousand armed soldiers
guard
the area surrounding the drill site. Meanwhile guerrilla bombing
of Oxyís pipeline has dramatically escalated ñ over sixty
attacks so far
this year -- in retaliation to U.S.
military aid. Fearing that this
violence will further
spread to the heart of their territory, the U'wa
say
that they will continue their uncompromising resistance.
The Uíwa chief will speak at the
annual shareholder meetings of
Occidental Petroleum in
Los Angeles and Textron Technologies, the Huey
Helicopter manufacturer in Rhode Island. In addition, Mr.
Perez will
take center stage at demonstrations and
vigils at Bernstein/Alliance
Capital, OXYís largest
investor (New York) and at Sikorsky Aircraft,
manufacturer of Black Hawk. These companies have been among
the most
aggressive lobbyists for the U.S. military aid
package.
In Boston, Mr. Perez
will join Noam Chomsky at the Massachusetts
Institute
of Technology for a forum on Free Trade Area of the Americas
and Plan Colombia, where he will speak out against the
perils of
globalization and the emerging Colombia oil
war.
Each day countless innocent civilians are being
displaced, terrorized,
and assassinated throughout
Colombia by armed groups, many with ties to
paramilitaries and the Colombian Military. This military is
being backed
by powerful US interests: oil companies,
weapons and helicopter
manufacturers.
The tour was organized to foster
growing awareness of the connection
between oil and
Plan Colombia. A major component of Plan Colombia is
securing access to the country. s oil reserves through
protecting current
oil
production as well as "securing" the frontiers in order to tap the
unexplored reserves -- an objective that the U.S.
Government is not
publicly admitting.
# # #
Media Advisory Page 2
Schedule of Key Events for Roberto
Perez, Uíwa Chief
When
What
Where
Contact
Friday
4/20/018:30AM-12:30PM
Demonstration at Occidental
Petroleum Annual Shareholder Meeting Santa
Monica, CA
Miramar Hotel Ocean & Wilshire
Atossa Soltani
310-455-0617202-256-9795 (mobile)
Saturday 4/21/0112:00-2:00 PM
Uíwa
Leader to Speak at Rally Against Free Trade Area of the Americas at
U.S. Mexico Border Mobilizations
San Ysidro, CALarsen Field
Atossa
Soltani 310-455-0617 202-256-9795 (cel)
Event Hotline
626-403-2530
Sunday
4/22/017:00 PM
Forum w/ Noam Chomsky & Roberto
Perez
Boston, MA MIT Bldg. 10 room 250
Kim Foster617-623-2453 617-438-2326 (mobile) or Patrick
Reinsborough
(415) 305-RAIN
Tue 4/24/016:30-8:30 AM
Vigil @ Sikorsky Helicopter Plant (Black Hawk Helicopter
Manufacturer)Stratford, CT Sikorsky Plant
Kim Foster 617-623-2453 617-438-2326 (mobile)Patrick
Reinsborough (415)
305-RAIN
Wednesday 4/25/01 9:00-11:00AM
Demonstration at Textron Technologies Annual
Meeting (Huey Helicopter
Manufacturer)
Providence, RIConvention Center, (corner of Sabin&
Exchange Terrace)Kim
Foster617-623-2453617-438-2326
(mobile)Patrick Reinsborough (415)
305-RAIN
Thursday 4/26/0111:00 AM
Protest Demanding Divestment from Bernstein
/ Alliance Capital (Oxyís
top shareholder)
New York, NY
Bernstein / Alliance Capital 767 5th Ave.
(at 58th St) ManhattanAdam
Weissmann212-966-4831
Saturday 4/28/0111:00AM-6:00PM
EARTHFEST 2001 with WBOS Boston, MA Hatch Shell
Kim
Foster 617-623-2453 617-438-2326 (mobile)Patrick Reinsborough (415)
305-RAIN
from League of Conservation Voters April 19, 2001
TOn March 23rd the Bush Administration asked for public
comments on a
proposal to roll back new BLM hard rock
mining regulations that would have
been more protective
of the environment and the public's health. These new
regulations are the product of a four year rulemaking
process - a process
which involved thousands of public
comments, dozens of public hearings in
cities across
the west, and four different drafts of the rule - and
replaced old regulations that failed to protect our public
lands from
toxic mining pollution. The Bush
administration, led by Interior Secretary
Gale Norton,
now proposes a return to the earlier rules.
Act quickly. The comment period ends on May 7. To have your
voice be
heard, visit the LCV Action Center: http://lcv.org/actioncenter/index.html
_____________________________________________________________
LCV depends on support from its members to help build
America the
pro-environment Congress that it deserves.
Please join LCV in its fight to
prevent the hard-won
progress of the last 30 years from being dismantled.
http://lcv.org/join1
_____________________________________________________________
from the Wilderness Society April 19, 2001
****************************
*
WILD ALERT
* Wednesday, April 18, 2001
****************************
The Upper Missouri Breaks, first written about by Lewis and
Clark,
comprises the last undeveloped portion of the
Missouri River. This wild
stretch of river
meanders through fragrant sagebrush, sandstone castles,
and steep, multicolored cliffs.
The Ironwood Forest National
Monument presents a quintessential view of
the Sonoran
Desert with ancient forests of saguaro cactus and ancient
ironwood trees, which can live beyond 800 years.
These are just two of nearly two
dozen new national monuments that are
being scrutinized
by Interior Secretary Gale Norton, with an eye toward
weakening protections for these national
treasures. Your support of
protections for
these monuments is crucially important.
Take action now by going to our site to send a message to
Secretary
Norton.
http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/national_monuments_action.htm
URGENT: If you
live in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, or Oregon,
and if you have the time, please send a copy of your letter
to your
governor. Here's
how. When you take action from our site, select the
box: "carbon copies to: myself via e-mail" Then,
once you've received the
cc, send it to your governor
(email addresses are below).
****************************
BACKGROUND
****************************
On
March 28, Interior Secretary Gale Norton sent a letter to western
governors, state and local elected officials, and tribal
representatives
asking for their ideas on how to
unravel the protections afforded 19 new
national
monuments designated by President Clinton.
According to a DOI news release, Norton said she wanted "to
hear local
voices and ideas on how best to protect, use
and care for these precious
national treasures for
generations to come." That phrase is omitted,
however, from the actual letter Norton sent to governors
and local
officials. Instead, she asked them
to make recommendations on:
--monument boundaries
--existing
uses within the monuments that should continue
--vehicle use and rights-of-way
--livestock grazing, and
--development such as mining and oil and gas drilling
Such an effort to drum up support
for utilitarian management of our
national monuments is
entirely wrong-headed. These are not mere
commodities for sale to the highest bidder. Just
as the Grand Canyon and
Olympic national monuments
became national icons, these new monuments are
destined
to become some of the most beloved places of the new millenium.
They need protection, not posturing.
That's why we want the Secretary
to hear from you. Your comments are
urgently
needed to counter the development-prone ideas Secretary Norton
will receive from some hostile local elected officials, as
well as the
off-road vehicle crowd, the oil and gas
industry, and others. Take action
now by
going to our site and sending Secretary Norton a fax, or by taking
action below.
****************************
TAKE
ACTION AT:
http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/national_monuments_action.htm
OR
Write to Secretary Norton and urge
her to make protection of the resources
-- not
continued local uses -- her first priority.
Send your letter to:
Secretary
Gale Norton
c/o Tom Fulton
Office of the Secretary
United
States Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240.
If you live in Arizona,
California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, please also
send a
copy of your letter to your governor:
LEARN MORE: http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/national_monuments.htm
***************************************************************
For a full list of Action Items, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm
***************************************************************
An archive of past Wildalerts can be found at
http://www.wilderness.org/wildalert/wildalerts.htm
***************************************************************
WildAlert is an email action alert system brought to
you by The Wilderness
Society to keep you apprised of
threats to our wildlands -- in the field
and in
Washington. WildAlert messages include updates along with clear,
concise actions you can take to protect America's last wild
places. You
are welcome to forward Wildalerts to all
those interested in saving
America's wildlands.
FEEDBACK: Please send your
comments to <action@tws.org>.
If you simply hit "reply" to this
message, please
include your email address in the body of the message.
TO SUBSCRIBE: If you have been
forwarded this message and would like to
subscribe to
the list, send the following message to <lyris@lists.wilderness.org>:
"subscribe
wilderness-alert" (inserted in the body of
the message, without quotes).
Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society works to protect
America's
wilderness and to develop a nation-wide
network of wild lands through
public education,
scientific analysis and advocacy. Our goal is to ensure
that future generations will enjoy the clean air and water,
wildlife,
beauty and opportunities for recreation and
renewal that pristine forests,
rivers, deserts and
mountains provide. To take action on behalf of
wildlands today, visit our website at http://www.wilderness.org
***************************************************************
from World Wildlife Fund April 19, 2001
Wild Forests At Risk
Dear WWF Conservation Action Network Activist:
A little less than 30 percent of
America's national forests remain roadless. Within
the next two weeks, the Bush administration may move to
reverse a critically
important rule that protects these
ecologically valuable lands. Please go to http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ to send a free
message urging the
president to keep these last
unspoiled forest lands largely off-limits to
logging,
mining, and drilling.
Conservation Action Network activists were important
contributors to an
outpouring of public support that
led President Clinton to issue the forest
protection
rule. That rule-known as the Roadless Area Conservation Rule-was
issued in January 2001, ending virtually all logging, road
building, and new coal,
gas, oil, and other mineral
leasing in 58 million acres of the wildest remaining
national forest lands.
But the Bush administration is now taking steps to reverse
the rule, putting at risk
lands that serve as habitat
for threatened and endangered species, provide
recreational opportunities, protect against invasion of
nonnative species, and
ensure clean drinking water.
Regrettably, our national forests
have been crisscrossed by more than 386,000
miles of
roads, enough to circle the globe 15 times. On average, about 10,000
new miles of roads are built each year, primarily for
access to timber.
The roadless
rule protections are a well-balanced policy-they will not disturb
existing oil and gas leasing, but will create an essential
long-term safeguard for
the few wild areas that
remain. Please act today to protect these last undisturbed
national forest lands.
from Natural Resources Defense Council April 19, 2001
Natural Resources Defense Council's
LEGISLATIVE WATCH
April 19, 2001
******************************
Please do not reply to this message. See the instructions
below for how to unsubscribe or contact NRDC with
questions
or comments.
******************************
Contents:
1) Legislative Watch
2) About Our
Bulletins/How to Subscribe & Unsubscribe
3) About
NRDC/How to Contact Us
The
information in this bulletin is also available on our
website at http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp. The
web version links to the text of bills and congressional
web
pages. To take action on these and other
environmental
issues, visit NRDC's Earth Action Center
at
http://www.nrdc.org/action, where you can use our
online
activism tools, or subscribe to Earth Action,
our biweekly
activist bulletin.
1) LEGISLATIVE WATCH
This is a status report on
congressional action on the
environment. To make new or
updated sections easy to find,
we've highlighted them
with:
= N O T E ! =
4/19/01
Congress adjourned for spring recess on 4/6 and is
scheduled
to return the week of 4/23. But before
leaving town,
legislators did manage to pass a fiscal
year 2002 budget
resolution. Democrats successfully
added some of the
critical funding in the budget for
climate change
activities. On 4/9, President Bush
released his budget
proposal, which would deeply slash
funding for key natural
resource and environmental
programs, including federal
enforcement of
environmental laws by the EPA and the
Department of the
Interior.
...
Budget
= N O T E ! =
On 4/9, President Bush submitted his budget for next year,
with significant reductions in funding for
environmental
programs. The cuts would be a serious
blow to environmental
protections and would cripple
environmental programs long
into the future, slashing
overall spending for environmental
and natural
resources agencies by $2.3 billion, or 7.2
percent, in
fiscal year 2002, eliminating nearly $500
million from
the EPA, nearly $400 million from the
Department of
Interior, and more than $600 million from the
U.S.
Forest Service. In addition, the Bush budget would cut
about $450 million from the Department of Energy's clean
energy and environmental clean-up programs and fails to
provide funds to develop management plans for several
national monuments designated by President Clinton.
= N O T E ! =
The president's budget also would slash funds for federal
enforcement at the EPA by $11 million. This proposed
cut has
the potential to seriously hamper the
effectiveness of the
enforcement division, as the
reductions would come almost
exclusively from
enforcement staff salaries. The loss of key
enforcement
officials, estimated at over 8 percent of the
present
staff, would severely undermine the EPA's ability to
enforce compliance with environmental laws when states are
unwilling or unable to do so.
= N O T E ! =
On 4/6, the Senate passed the fiscal year 2002 budget
resolution. Led by Sen. Corzine (D-NJ), Democrats tried to
add $50 billion in funding for key environmental
programs,
but failed by a vote of 54-46. Sen. Kerry
(D-MA), however,
successfully led an effort to restore
funding for important
domestic and international
programs to address climate
change. Sen. Reid (D-NV)
spearheaded a successful effort
that restored funding
for renewable energy research and
development, while
Sen. Boxer (D-CA) and Sen. Nelson (D-NE)
successfully
added money that local communities can use to
address
high arsenic levels in their drinking water. The
Senate
budget resolution, like its House counterpart, made
no
mention of oil revenues from the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge.
=
N O T E ! =
On 3/28, the House passed its $1.98
trillion budget
resolution for fiscal year 2002.
Because of strong
opposition by Democrats and moderate
Republicans, led by
Representatives Markey (D-MA),
Hoeffel (D-PA), and Johnson
(R-CT), the resolution did
not include revenues from oil
drilling in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge.
= N
O T E ! =
On 3/28, the House rejected Rep. Spratt's
(D-SC) Democratic
alternative budget by a vote of
183-243.This budget would
have increased environmental
and natural resources funding
by 4 percent, reversing
the Bush administration's proposed
environmental
spending cuts.
For a
step-by-step guide to our annual odyssey through
resolutions, reconciliations and appropriations, see NRDC's
budget process fact sheet
(http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/fbudg.asp).
...
Campaign Finance Reform
On 4/2, the Senate approved S. 27, Sen. McCain's (R-AZ) and
Sen. Feingold's (D-WI) campaign finance reform bill.
This
bill would ban "soft money" donations from
corporations to
political parties, which currently are
not subject to
federal limits. Huge soft money
contributions from wealthy
corporations have made it
easier for these corporations to
persuade members of
Congress to attach anti-environment
riders to funding
bills, and to gain special exemptions from
environmental laws and regulations. S. 27 also contains a
provision that would increase the amount of money
individuals could give to candidates, which has the
potential to increase the influence of the wealthiest
contributors. Another provision would limit issue advocacy
by nonprofit groups preceding an election (this
provision
may be unconstitutional, however). While
environmental
groups disagree on the merits of this
particular bill, they
generally support efforts to
reduce the influence of
corporate special interests in
the funding of national
elections.
...
Clean Air and Energy
The Democratic energy bill, S. 597, introduced by Sen.
Bingaman (D-NM) on 3/22, would not open the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, but would allow
offshore
oil and gas leases in the eastern part of the
Gulf of
Mexico. Because this area has not previously
been open to
oil and gas exploration, environmentalists
oppose the bill.
In response
to President Bush's 3/13 reversal of his
campaign
pledge to require cuts in carbon dioxide emissions
from
power plants, several members of Congress immediately
introduced bills in both the House and the Senate to impose
mandatory cuts on carbon pollution. With 14 cosponsors,
Sen.
Jeffords (R-VT) and Sen. Lieberman (D-CT)
introduced S. 556
on 3/15. Rep. Boehlert (R-NY) and
Rep. Waxman (D-CA) intend
to introduce their bipartisan
House bill shortly.
On 2/26,
Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Republican
leadership's energy bill (S. 389), which emphasizes
increasing the fossil fuel supply and opening the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. The
bill
contains only a few provisions to increase
energy-efficient
buildings and equipment, and fails to
adequately address the
need to decrease demand for
fossil fuels. The bill also
would effectively exempt
coal power plants from clean air
requirements and turn
over federal oil and gas leasing to
the states.
Environmentalists continue to mount strong
opposition
to this bill and any efforts to open the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, and Sen.
Kerry (D-MA) promises to filibuster the bill if it
includes
plans to drill in the refuge. The Senate has
delayed
consideration of this bill for several weeks.
On 2/8, the Senate approved
Sen. McCain's (R-AZ) pipeline
safety bill (S. 235) by a
vote of 98-0 despite the fact that
it fails to provide
adequate environmental protections.
Although a few
changes were made to strengthen the bill,
including a
requirement sponsored by Senators Corzine
(D-NJ),
Torricelli (D-NJ), Cantwell (D-WA) and Murray (D-WA)
that requires pipeline inspections at five-year intervals,
the Senate bill fails to include any of the key
protections
environmentalists believe are needed to
improve pipeline
safety. These provisions include
holding polluters liable
for releases, requiring
meaningful community right-to-know
data, and allowing
states to require stronger protections
for interstate
pipelines in their state than the federal
government
requires.
NRDC's report, A
Responsible Energy Policy for the 21st
Century (http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/rep/repinx.asp),
outlines the components of an alternative energy policy --
one that can meet the nation's energy needs without
destroying wilderness or rolling back environmental
safeguards.
...
Clean
Water
On 3/28, EPA
administrator Whitman testified before the
House Energy
and Commerce Committee on water infrastructure
needs.
At the hearing, Rep. Waxman (D-CA) criticized
Whitman's
decision to pull back a recent regulation,
approved
during the last weeks of the Clinton
administration, to
reduce the allowable levels of arsenic in
drinking
water. The current standard, once more in place
because
of Whitman's decision, is outdated and harmful to
public health.
...
Coasts and Oceans
On 2/14, Senators Snowe (R-ME), McCain (R-AZ), Kerry
(D-MA),
Hollings (D-SC), and Breaux (D-LA) introduced
S. 328, which
provides funds to states for the
management of coastal
areas. The most significant part
of this bill designates
funding to stem polluted
coastal runoff, the biggest water
quality problem
facing shorelines and coastal ecosystems.
However, the
chairman of the House Transportation Committee,
Rep.
Young (R-AK), objects to this coastal pollution program
and may try to eliminate it when the House considers the
bill.
...
Public Health
= N O T E ! =
On 4/4, Rep. Waxman
(D-CA) introduced H.R. 1413, which would
reinstate the
arsenic-in-drinking-water standard of 10 parts
per
billion (ppb) issued by the Clinton administration in
January and revoked by the Bush administration in late
March. This bill would also provide funding for local water
authorities to bring their systems into compliance.
With 160
cosponsors and the support of environmental
and public
health groups, the bill's supporters are
pushing hard to
quickly bring it to the floor of the
House. In a move also
applauded by environmentalists,
Rep. Sanders
(Independent-VT) has introduced H.R.
1252,a bill that would
establish an
arsenic-in-drinking-water standard even lower
than the
10 ppb standard in H.R. 1413.
On 3/27, Sen. Nelson (D-FL) and Sen. Dodd (D-CT) introduced
separate Senate bills (S. 632 and S. 635, respectively)
to
reinstate the 10 ppb arsenic standard and provide
local
funding for compliance.
A popular bipartisan brownfields
redevelopment bill (S. 350)
is on the verge of approval
by the full Senate. Senators
Smith (R-NH), Chafee
(R-RI), Reid (D-NV), and Boxer (D-CA),
the bill's
sponsors, are anticipating a vote on the bill
soon.On
3/15, the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee
overwhelmingly approved this bill, which provides
increased funding and authority to states to clean up
former
industrial sites known as brownfields. The
bill's sponsors
defeated efforts by Sen. Inhofe (R-OK)
to weaken the bill by
restricting the federal
government's enforcement authority
over polluters. On
3/7, the House Energy and Commerce
Committee also held
a hearing on brownfields, but members of
this committee
have not yet developed a House bill.
...
Public Lands
Two House Resources subcommittees plan to hold a joint
hearing to discuss whether the Forest Service's new rule to
ban roadbuilding in many areas of national forests
would
hinder energy policy. The subcommittees will
review an
energy department study, which found that the
new roadless
rule could have a negative impact on gas
supplies. The
subcommittees also intend to consider the
effect of the rule
on coal mining and other mineral
extraction.
On 4/3, the Senate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee
held a hearing
on access to public lands for oil and gas
drilling. The
committee heard from representatives of the
U.S.
Geological Survey as well as a number of drilling
proponents, such as the American Petroleum Institute.
Although drilling on public lands increased substantially
under the Clinton administration, drilling advocates
are
pushing for access to the 9 percent of public lands
that are
still off-limits. They also complain that
environmental
protections on the lands open to drilling
are increasingly
onerous.
On 3/28, the House Resources Committee approved H.R. 601,
Rep. Simpson's (R-ID) bill to restore hunting in a
portion
of the Craters of the Moon National Monument in
Idaho by
redesignating that section of the monument as
a preserve.
Environmentalists did not oppose this bill,
because the
Interior Department will oversee hunting
activities in the
preserve, and the government did not
intend to prohibit
traditional hunting in the preserve
when the monument was
created.
On 3/21, the House Energy and
Mineral Resources Subcommittee
heard testimony from the
U.S. Geological Survey about its
preliminary assessment
of oil, gas, coal and coal-bed
methane reserves in the
21 national monuments designated by
President Clinton
since 1996.
On 3/15, the House
Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee
considered
access to energy reserves on federal lands, with
witnesses discussing restrictions designed to protect
natural resources. The subcommittee also addressed offshore
drilling for natural gas. Environmental witnesses
pointed
out that restrictions to resources on public
lands serve
important purposes and are compatible with
appropriate
development.
On 3/7, the House Resources Committee held a hearing on
energy supplies and federal lands, but questioned only
witnesses who support increased drilling and mining on
federal lands. Environmental groups object to easing
restrictions on resource extraction in sensitive public
lands, as 95 percent of Bureau of Land Management lands,
and
91 percent of federal Rocky Mountain lands, are
already open
to oil and gas drilling.
On 2/28, key members of both the
House and Senate introduced
bipartisan legislation to
protect the coastal plain of the
Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas drilling by
designating it a wilderness area. In the House, Rep.
Johnson
(R-CT) and Rep. Markey (D-MA) introduced H.R.
770, which now
has the support of 177 cosponsors. In
the Senate, Sen.
Lieberman (D-CT) introduced S. 411
with the support of 24
senators, including Sen.
Jeffords (R-VT) and Sen. Chafee
(R-RI).
...
Regulatory Reform
On 3/15, the House unanimously approved Rep. Burton's
(R-IN)
Small Business Relief Act (H.R. 327). This bill
contains
overly broad and burdensome obligations on
federal agencies
to annually compile a list of each
piece of information they
have requested from
businesses. Because this requirement
would be
incredibly expensive and time-consuming, it could
be
virtually impossible for federal agencies to comply
without severely disrupting their operations.
On 3/6, President Bush nominated
economist Dr. John Graham,
a long-time critic of
protective health, safety and
environmental standards,
to direct the Office of Information
and Regulatory
Affairs in the Office of Management and
Budget. Graham
is the director of the Harvard Center for
Risk Analysis
-- an industry-funded research group that
advocates
pro-industry positions on the regulatory process.
Health and environmental experts warn that, as the
gatekeeper for all federal regulations, Graham would use
his
industry connections, controversial economic
analyses, and
ideological bias against strong
regulatory standards to
prevent new regulations that
are protective of public health
and the environment
from being adopted. Graham's nomination
must be
ratified by the Senate, but hearings have not yet
been
scheduled.
...
For information on the
environmental voting records of
members of Congress,
see the League of Conservation Voter's
National
Environmental Scorecards at
http://www.lcv.org/scorecards/index.htm
...........
2) About Our Bulletins/How to
Subscribe & Unsubscribe
NRDC distributes three bulletins by email. To subscribe to
any or all of them or to join our activist networks, go
to
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/subscribe.asp. If you
already
subscribe and want to change your subscriptions
or update
your email address or other information, go
to
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor (or see
the
unsubscribe information below).
EARTH ACTION is sent biweekly and
calls out urgent
environmental issues requiring
immediate action. To
unsubscribe from Earth Action,
send an email message to
earthaction@nrdcaction.org
with REMOVE in the subject line.
LEGISLATIVE WATCH is sent biweekly when Congress is in
session and tracks environmental bills moving through the
federal legislature. To unsubscribe from Legislative
Watch,
send an email message to legwatch@nrdcaction.org
with REMOVE
in the subject line.
The CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK
ACTION ALERT is distributed
monthly to members of
NRDC's California Activist Network and
provides action
tools to Californians and others concerned
with
protecting the state's natural resources and the health
of its citizens. To unsubscribe, send an email message to
wildcalifornia@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in the
subject
line.
...........
3) About NRDC/How to Contact Us
The Natural Resources Defense
Council is a nonprofit
environmental organization with
over 400,000 members
nationwide and a staff of
scientists, attorneys and
environmental experts. Our
mission is to protect the
planet's wildlife and wild
places and ensure a safe and
healthy environment for
all living things.
For more
information about NRDC or how to become a member of
NRDC, please contact us at:
Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
NY, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General information: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Email subscription questions: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org
Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving
Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural
Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
from Rainforest Action Network April 19, 2001
Rainforest Action Network - Monthly Email Newsletter
April 2001
Welcome! Thank you for
being a partner in Rainforest Action Network's
campaigns. Read on to get the latest news and
learn how you can help
save the world's rainforests.
In this issue:
1.) Boise Cascade and President
Bush Attack Roadless Policy
2.)
Victory! Chile Project Cancelled!
3.) Day of Action puts pressure on Citibank.
4.) Victory! Great Bear Rainforest is Protected!
5.) T-shirt Winner announced! Are you next?
____________Boise Cascade
Attacks Roadless Policy_______________
Written by Laura Fauth, Publications Editor
Timber industry giant Boise
Cascade has emerged as the sole logging
industry
opponent of the Forest Service Roadless Area Conservation
Policy, an initiative that has been widely praised as the
most
significant forest conservation measure of the
last one hundred years.
Adopted earlier this year, the
roadless policy protects 58.5 million
acres of wild,
pristine national forest roadless areas from new road
construction, commercial logging, new oil and gas leases,
and mineral
development.
More Americans participated in the three-year policy
process than in any
other federal rule-making process
ever initiated. The Forest Service
held more than six
hundred public meetings, including several in every
national forest. During the official public comment period,
a
record-breaking 1.6 million Americans submitted
comments, more than 95
percent of which supported the
strongest possible protection for
remaining roadless
areas.
However, neither the
thoroughness of the rule-making process nor the
unprecedented public support for the initiative deterred
Boise Cascade
from attempting to undermine the policy.
Boise Cascade is the lead
plaintiff in a lawsuit
against the policy, and has asked for a
preliminary
injunction barring the policy from taking effect. The
roadless initiative was originally scheduled to take effect
March 13;
however, the Bush administration, in one of
its first official acts,
postponed the date to May 12.
In a court motion filed on March 16, the
administration
offered to postpone that date still further, probably
until at least early summer, effectively granting Boise
Cascade's
request.
Boise Cascade's shameless opposition to the roadless policy
is hardly
surprising given the company's record as one
of the country's top
loggers and distributors of old
growth forest products. Over the past
few years,
hundreds of leading corporations have acknowledged the global
forest crisis and committed to eliminate their purchases of
wood
products from endangered forests. Boise Cascade,
on the other hand, is
working to increase its logging
and distribution of old growth wood in
the United
States and around the world.
As the only logging
company to oppose the roadless policy in court,
Boise
Cascade has once again shown itself to be the dinosaur of its
industry. The policy will preserve some of the world's last
ancient
forests, protect critical fish and wildlife
habitat, and provide an
invaluable source of clean
water, all while affecting only 4 percent of
national
forest timber production. With this in mind, it is time for
Boise Cascade to rethink its outdated business practices
and begin
considering the legacy that we will leave for
future generations.
What You
Can Do
Please call on Boise Cascade to catch up with
public values by dropping
its lawsuit against the
roadless policy, and by committing to a
responsible
forest policy that includes phasing out the logging and
distribution of wood from all old growth forests. Write to
George Harad,
CEO, Boise Cascade Corporation, 1111 W.
Jefferson St., PO Box 50, Boise,
ID
83728. Or go to this link
http://www.ran.org/info_center/aa/aa153_boise.html
Here is a sample letter:
Dear Mr. Harad:
I am writing to express my deep concern about Boise
Cascade's opposition
to the Forest Service Roadless
Area Conservation Policy. I strongly
support the
roadless policy-as do the vast majority of the 1.6 Americans
who submitted comments regarding the initiative-along with
the strongest
possible protection for all of our
remaining old growth forests.
The roadless policy will
preserve some of the world's last ancient
forests,
protect critical fish and wildlife habitat, and provide
Americans with an invaluable source of clean water, all
while affecting
only 4 percent of national forest
timber production. I believe it is
critical that we
protect not just these areas, but all of our remaining
old growth forests.
I urge you to
drop your lawsuit against the Forest Service Roadless Area
Conservation Policy as the first step towards an
ecologically
responsible forest policy that includes
phasing out the logging and
distribution of all wood
from old growth forests. Please respond and let
me know
that I can count on your support for the Roadless Area
Conservation Policy.
Sincerely,
______Victory! Boise Cascade Cancels Cascada Chile
Project_______
Written by
Laura Fauth, Publications Editor
Boise Cascade has disclosed that it is canceling its
controversial
Cascada Chile project in southern Chile
(Action Alert 142). Slated to be
the world's largest
chip mill and Oriented Strand Board (OSB) facility,
the
Cascada Chile project was expected to double the rate of logging in
southern Chile's temperate rainforests.
Intense local and international
pressure from concerned citizens,
businesses, and
environmental groups, combined with legal action in
Chile, had successfully delayed the project for years.
Chilean
organizations Geo Austral, Defensores del
Bosque Chileno, and Renace
were instrumental in the
victory. Many U.S. groups also actively opposed
the
controversial project, which was targeted in a 1999 Rainforest
Action Network Action Alert.
Southern Chile holds nearly one-third of the remaining
temperate
rainforests on Earth. These forests are home
to many unique forms of
plant and animal life,
including the world's smallest deer, the pudu,
which
stands only fifteen inches high; the alerce tree, which lives up
to 4,000 years; and the araucaria, an "archetypal" tree
whose ancestors
date back 200 million years. Ninety
percent of the species found in
Chile's native forests
are found only in Chile.
Boise
Cascade remains one of the top importers of old growth wood from
Chile. The Central Bank of Chile has found that Chile's
unprotected
native forests will be completely gone in
twenty years if current forest
practices remain
unchanged.
___________________Citibank Day of
Action_______________________
Written by Ilyse Hogue, Finance Campaigner
An incredible alliance of
groups-Free the Planet, Student Environmental
Action
Coalition (SEAC), Student Peace Action Network (SPAN), Student
Alliance to Reform Corporations (STARC), Just Act:Youth for
Global
Justice, the Young Democratic Socialists, and
the Ruckus
Society-conspired to bring more than one
hundred student organizers from
around the world (as
far away as Zimbabwe) to spend the week exploring
ways
to steer the global financial sector, and specifically Citi, in an
environmentally sane direction.
After a lot of hard work and lots
of late night brainstorming around the
campfire, our
collective commitment to confront Citigroup's devastating
grip on communities and ecosystems around the world is
stronger than
ever. The students enthusiasm was
apparent in every workshop, from
strategic campaigning
to media to direct action climbing. Each panel
generated inspiring discussions about the negative impacts
of Citi's
lack of vision, and about potential leverage
points for influencing this
giant.
The April 11th Day of Action was
our next big opportunity to show Citi
that we mean
business. Students and communities organized all over the
country! Whether was an informational picket, a teach-in,
guerilla
theater, or a non-violent direct action, the
actions showed Citigroup
that bankers will not tolerate
their destructive practices. Around the
world, hundreds
of millions of people are raising their voices and
demanding a global economy that puts principles ahead of
profits. From
the South Bronx to U'wa territory in
Colombia, we must stop Citigroup's
destruction.
To find your local tentacle of the
Citimonster :
http://www.citibank.com/branches/
http://www.citifinancial.com/branchlocator/
http://www.salomonsmithbarney.com/abt_sb/brnchloc.html
__________________Great
Bear Rainforest______________________
Written by Shannon Wright, Communications Director
On April 4, 2001 the government of
British Columbia, in coordination
with environmental
organizations, logging companies, and First Nations,
announced the largest rainforest conservation measure in
North American
history. Some 3.5 million
acres-an area four times the size of Rhode
Island-of
ancient rainforests will be immediately protected or put into
deferral. This region, referred to as the "Great
Bear Rainforest," is a
wildlife hot spot and is
considered one North America's biological gems.
The agreement culminates what has at times been a
contentious and highly
confrontational dialogue, but
represents a rare example of successful
collaboration
among industry, environmentalists, native peoples, rural
communities, and government.
The consensus agreement package contains a combination of
protected
areas and deferrals amounting to more than
3.5 million acres, plus a new
ecosystem-based approach
to planning, an independent body of scientists
and
economists, government to government protocols and a "managing
change plan" for economic diversification.
ForestEthics, Rainforest Action
Network, and the Natural Resources
Defense Council
(NRDC) have targeted U.S. customers of the B.C. logging
industry in a successful effort to transform the wood
product
marketplace, and stem the tide of wood from
ancient rainforests.
Pressure has also come from major
customers in Europe and Japan. Forest
protection organizations commenting on today's announcement
called on
concerned U.S. corporations to help ensure
that as the plan is
implemented over the next two
years, that it translates into real
protection for the
remaining intact rainforest valleys and the region's
biodiversity.
The Great Bear Rainforest is the largest contiguous
temperate rainforest
left in the world. It is home to
extremely rare and endangered wildlife
including white
spirit bears, grizzly bears, salmon and eagles. Despite
its ecological and recreational value, nearly every intact
watershed on
the B.C. coast had been slated for road
building or clearcut logging
over the next decade.
________________T-shirt Winner
Announced_____________________
RAN is working to reduce the amount of paper we
use. You are helping us
by reading these
Action alerts via email instead of the print version.
If you have a friend or friends you'd like to help get more
involved in
the fight to save the rainforest, send us
their email(s) and we'll sign
them up for our email
updates. You could win a free RAN T-shirt in the
exchange!
This month's T-shirt winner is Komara
Surya. Komara responded to our
recent action
alert and won a RAN T-shirt in a random drawing. We'll
continue giving away one T-shirt a month while supplies
last. Please
only one contest entry per
member.
Email
ranmembers@ran.org with the names and electronic addresses of
those who you know would like to get more
involved. Include T-shirt
contest in the
subject line.
If you'd like to give an additional donation you may do so
online at:
http://www.ran.org/scripts/ran/join_start.pl/
As always, we welcome your
comments regarding this newsletter. Email
ranmembers@ran.org or call Megan at 415-398-4404.
AOL Links:
<a href="http://www.ran.org/info_center/aa/aa153_boise.html">link
to
boise letter</a>
<a href="http://www.citibank.com/branches/">link to find
citibank</a>
<a href="http://www.citifinancial.com/branchlocator/">link
to find
citibank</a>
<a href="http://www.salomonsmithbarney.com/abt_sb/brnchloc.html">branch
locator</a>
<a
href="http://www.ran.org/scripts/ran/join_start.pl/
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainforest Action Network
221 Pine
Street, Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94104
tel: 415-398-4404
fax:
415-398-2732
URL: http://www.ran.org/
from Defenders of Wildlife April 19, 2001
 | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
from Union of Concerned Scientists April 20, 2001
EARTH DAY ACTION ALERT
FROM THE
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS
Tell Vice President Dick Cheney
that renewable energy
and energy efficiency must be a
part of a balanced
national energy policy.
ISSUE:
The president's energy task force, headed by Vice
President Dick Cheney, is expected to release their
recommendations on federal energy policy in the next
few weeks. The recommendations are expected to focus
heavily on increasing energy production but will also
deal with renewable energy, energy efficiency and
environmental concerns.
ACTION:
Please contact the Vice
President this Earth Day.
Contact information is below, but you can also take
action through our website at:
http://www.ucsusa.org/act/act_cleanen_action.html
from Alaska Rainforest Campaign April 20, 2001
Alaska Rainforest Update:
Roadless Rule Under Attack!
By May 4th, President Bush
will determine the fate of the remaining undeveloped portions of America's
Tongass and Chugach National Forests!
It was your participation that encouraged the U.S. Forest
Service to issue the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, earlier this year. Now the
Bush Administration is ignoring you! Your voice is needed NOW to show President
Bush that the overwhelming majority of Americans support protecting our
remaining wild forests.
The
landmark Roadless Rule will protect more than 60 million acres of national
forest land in 39 states, including our two largest national forests- Alaska's
Tongass and Chugach. The rule, which would prevent new road construction and
logging, should have gone into effect in March, but the Bush Administration
delayed its implementation until May 12. Now, even worse, the
Administration has shown its true colors by failing to defend the Rule in court.
The ultimate decision on whether the Administration will develop the wildlands
of our national forests or preserve them for clean water, recreation, and future
generations.
By May 4 the Bush
Administration will state whether or not it will defend the rule in court. This
is why you need to take action today! PLEASE SEND A FREE FAX TODAY
from www.akrain.org to President Bush urging him to protect America's last
unspoiled National Forest lands.
Help Ensure Wilderness for Alaska's Chugach National
Forest:
In the 1920's the
Grizzly Bear of California was driven to extinction, only to survive on a state
flag. We must prevent a similar tragedy in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula by taking
action to protect critical habitat from development threats. Wilderness will
ensure permanent brown bear habitat while also providing for recreation, clean
drinking water and other ecological benefits. The Forest Service has the
opportunity to recommend wilderness in the Kenai Peninsula and across our
northernmost National Forest-- but they need to hear from you to make this
possible.
The Chugach National
Forest -- pristine forests, wetlands, rivers, and fish and wildlife habitat of
the Copper River Delta, Prince William Sound and Kenai Peninsula -- has not one
acre of designated wilderness. Now the Forest Service is proposing recommended
mostly "rock and ice" for wilderness, not the biologically important habitat.
Please contact our Forest
Chief, Dale Bosworth, to let him know you "strongly support wilderness in the
biologically rich areas of Alaska's Chugach National Forest." Ask
that he please consider wilderness recommendations for: the entire Wilderness
Study Area of Prince William Sound, the wetlands of the Copper River Delta,
critical Brown Bear habitat in the Kenai Peninsula, the Twentymile Valley and
the Big Islands of Prince William Sound.
Chief Dale Bosworth
Phone: (202)
205-1661
Fax: (202)-205-1765
Email: dbosworth@fs.fed.us
Want more information? Contact Michelle Wilson at the
ACE (907) 274-3665 or michelle@akcenter.org
To speak with someone directly
please e-mail info@akrain.org or call 907-747-8292.
Thanks for your support.
Alaska Rainforest Campaign Staff.
from Environmental Defense April 20, 2001
You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20409B0420021711C155
Urge your friends to take
action on global warming.
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/globalwarming5/forward?rk=qpqUq8d1Xpa-W
We encourage you to take
action by May 19, 2001
Celebrate Earth Day. Take action on Global Warming
----------------------
Celebrate Earth Day. Take action
on Global Warming.
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action
on this alert by going to the following URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20409B0420021711C155
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA
EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your
email
program, and edit the letter below as you wish.
Do
not delete "-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and
"-END
OF LETTER-". Please do not add your name and
address
to your letter. Our system automatically does
this
for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Senator Charles Schumer
Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------
I am deeply disappointed that
President Bush has gone
back on his campaign promise to
reduce carbon dioxide
from power plants, and rejected
the international agreement
to reduce greenhouse gases.
I am asking you, as my
Representative, to express your
dismay on these matters
to the President.
The science is clear that
greenhouse gases are warming
our earth. The
international community has spent a
decade designing an
international treaty to start combating
this problem.
With a careless wave of his hand, President
Bush has
rejected this effort, and has offered no other
solutions. What is more, while power plants emit 40
percent of U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide -- the
greenhouse gas most responsible for global warming,
Bush has refused to try to reduce their emissions.
Doing nothing on global warming is
unacceptable, and
fake solutions will not work either.
President Bush
must be persuaded to change his mind. In
addition,
Congress can take action now, where clearly
we have
no presidential leadership. In the House of
Representatives,
please cosponsor HR1256, a bill
introduced by Representatives
Waxman and Boehlert. And
in the Senate, please cosponsor
S 556, a bill
introduced by Senators Jeffords and Lieberman.
These
bills will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from
power
plants.
Thank you.
-------END OF
LETTER-------------------------
from the Wilderness Society April 20, 2001
You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20409B0420021711C155
Urge your friends to take
action on global warming.
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/globalwarming5/forward?rk=qpqUq8d1Xpa-W
We encourage you to take
action by May 19, 2001
Celebrate Earth Day. Take action on Global Warming
----------------------
Celebrate Earth Day. Take action
on Global Warming.
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action
on this alert by going to the following URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20409B0420021711C155
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA
EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your
email
program, and edit the letter below as you wish.
Do
not delete "-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and
"-END
OF LETTER-". Please do not add your name and
address
to your letter. Our system automatically does
this
for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Senator Charles Schumer
Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------
I am deeply disappointed that
President Bush has gone
back on his campaign promise to
reduce carbon dioxide
from power plants, and rejected
the international agreement
to reduce greenhouse gases.
I am asking you, as my
Representative, to express your
dismay on these matters
to the President.
The science is clear that
greenhouse gases are warming
our earth. The
international community has spent a
decade designing an
international treaty to start combating
this problem.
With a careless wave of his hand, President
Bush has
rejected this effort, and has offered no other
solutions. What is more, while power plants emit 40
percent of U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide -- the
greenhouse gas most responsible for global warming,
Bush has refused to try to reduce their emissions.
Doing nothing on global warming is
unacceptable, and
fake solutions will not work either.
President Bush
must be persuaded to change his mind. In
addition,
Congress can take action now, where clearly
we have
no presidential leadership. In the House of
Representatives,
please cosponsor HR1256, a bill
introduced by Representatives
Waxman and Boehlert. And
in the Senate, please cosponsor
S 556, a bill
introduced by Senators Jeffords and Lieberman.
These
bills will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from
power
plants.
Thank you.
-------END OF
LETTER-------------------------
from Rural Advancement Foundation International April 20, 2001
RAFI
Rural Advancement Foundation
International
www.rafi.org
GenoType
- April 19, 2001
Frequently
Unasked Questions about the International Undertaking on
Plant Genetic Resources
A new RAFI Communique attempts to address ten unasked
questions
governments and farmers should know about the
draft treaty of the
International
Undertaking. RAFI Communique No. 69 (March/April, 2001)
is available in text or PDF format at RAFI's website
www.rafi.org If
the burning public
environmental issue is global warming and the
collapse
of the Kyoto Agreement, the "hot topic" for poor farmers is
access to agricultural biodiversity and a new treaty being
negotiated
next week in Spoleto, Italy. Crop
genetic diversity makes it possible
for farmers to feed
people and to develop new plant varieties capable of
managing climate change. The International
Undertaking on Plant Genetic
Resources at FAO is
intended to become a legally-binding treaty to
ensure
the conservation, exchange, and enhancement of crop genetic
resources as the best way to address climate change as it
affects food
security. The negotiations are
in trouble. Ongoing for six years now
- the last two years within a 40 country Contact Group,
battle fatigue
is grinding diplomats
down. At the heart of the revised Undertaking
lies a multilateral system (MLS) that would assure
"facilitated access"
within its membership to an
annexed list of food crop species. Despite
endless deliberations, senior policymakers, the media, and
the public
are unaware of the issues involved or their
importance to world food
security. The
major barriers to the agreement are six countries: four
in the "North" and two in the "South". RAFI
believes that some of them
- including the USA - are
not essential to a successful treaty. Just as
with the greenhouse gas agreement in Kyoto, the U.S. will
not join the
global initiative to protect the
greenhouse in Spoleto either.
Issue: The Biodiversity
Convention adopted at the Rio Earth Summit
almost ten
years ago reaffirmed national sovereignty over genetic
resources. But Rio left unresolved the unique
problem of crop germplasm
critical to world food
security, the status of genetic resources
collected
before the treaty, and the central role of Farmers' Rights.
Now the unresolved issues from Rio have come home to roost
in Rome.
Sovereignty, security, benefit sharing, the
role of public science, and
private monopolies seem to
be in conflict. The search for common ground
is being conducted through an obscure but vital
International
Undertaking at FAO. The little
teapot tempest is also threatening to
dominate the
World Food Summit this November. If, as some predict, the
negotiations collapse, food security, farmers, and the
hungry will
suffer terribly.
Economic considerations: Beyond
calculation. Failure is unthinkable.
Policy implications: Negotiations on the revised
Undertaking at FAO will
profoundly affect the world's
ability to respond to climate change.
Failure will lead
to a rapid reduction in the exchange of plant breeding
stocks between countries and
institutions. Agricultural research will
be
severely damaged. The future of the CGIAR's (Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research) 16 centre, $340
million annual
budget, and half million seed samples
along with the CGIAR's work on 30
food crops is also
threatened.
Fora: The FAO
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
and the Contact Group meeting in Spoleto, Italy April 22 to
28, 2001.
Depending on progress, the Undertaking should
be endorsed at the World
Food Summit Five Years Later
("Food Fifth"?) November 9-15 in Rome and
success or
failure, will swing back full circle to the Rio+10 Heads of
State conference in South Africa in 2002.
The full text of the RAFI
Communique No. 69 (March/April, 2001) is
available in
text or PDF format at RAFI's website www.rafi.org
from the Green Party April 20, 2001
TWO IMPORTANT EVENTS!
1. Save the Date!
Fundraiser for
Green Party of New York State with RALPH NADER
Wednesday, May 16
5:30-9 PM
Manhattan, tentatively at the Orensanz Art Center on
Norfolk Street (and Houston) in the Lower East Side
Also Featuring:
- Other Special
Guests
- Green Party Speakers
- Music and food
For New York City Residents:
2. Green City-Wide Candidates Forum
Sponsored by the NYC Greens Search & Screening Panel
Meet the candidates who are looking to run as Greens
for
Mayor, Comptroller and Public Advocate:
- Norman Siegel
- Stanley
Aronowitz
- Mitchel Cohen
-
Lenni Brenner
- Walter Iwachiw
- Christopher Brodeur
Thursday,
April 26
7 - 10 PM
Judson
Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
Trains: A, B, C, D, E or F to West 4th Street:
1,9 to Christopher Street.
from League of Conservation Voters April 21, 2001
Callahan previews LCV "Citizen Guide" at Earth Day "Morning
Newsmakers"
appearance
WASHINGTON (April 20, 2001) -- Today, Deb Callahan,
president of the
League of Conservation Voters, marked
the 31st Earth Day by giving the
Bush administration a
poor environmental grade for its first 100 days in
office. During the National Press Club. s "Morning
Newsmakers" program,
Callahan previewed "Bush and the
Environment: A Citizen. s Guide to the
First 100 Days,"
a complete assessment of President Bush. s environmental
activities.
To read the full review, go to
http://lcv.org/news/releases.htm
_________
LCV depends on support from its members to help build
America the
pro-environment Congress that it deserves.
Please join LCV in its fight to
prevent the hard-won
progress of the last 30 years from being dismantled.
http://lcv.org/join1
from the Green Party April 21, 2001
Green Party of New York State E-News Vol. 1, No. 5, April
21, 2001
In this issue:
1. Introduction
2. Action and
Activity alerts (AAAs)
- Legislative Alert: Minimum
Wage
- Campaign 2001: Support Greens In New York City
Elections
- Support Free Speech, Help Grandpa Get His
Show Back!
- Tell Staples to Stock Recycled Paper!
3. Meetings and Events
- NYC FUND
RAISER FOR THE GREEN PARTY OF NEW YORK STATE WITH RALPH NADER!
- NYC Green Candidates Forum, April 26
- Earth Day 2001, April 22 Rally In NYC
- Earth Day Lobby and Rally 2001, April 23 In Albany
- Stop The Executions! Rally For A Federal And State
Moratorium On The
Death Penalty, May 5 In NYC
4. Featured Local: Tompkins County Greens
5. News, News Links, Resources
-
Greens Target Council Race
- State Green Parties Blast
President Bush's Reversal on Steps to Stop
Global
Warming
- How Low Can You Go Dept.: (Mark) Green Puts
Nader, a Mentor, at a Distance
- Vote Fraud in
Tennessee: Worse than Florida?
- No More Hot Air from
the Democrats
- If Dems Fail, Greens May Strengthen
- Greens See Breakthrough in French Municipal Polls
- Interview with Colombian Senator Ingrid Betancourt
6. Letters: Poetry and Prose, by Ian Wilder and Kimberly
Wilder
1. INTRODUCTION
Welcome to another issue of the Green Party of New York
State's E-News! Our
goal is to update Greens across the
state about important issues, news,
events, and
resources. We hope you will find E-News informative and
entertaining. We welcome your comments, contributions and
assistance. Send
your news, events, and Alerts for
the
next issue to Cathy Sadell at
csadell@prodigy.net and
let us know if you would like to help write the
next
issue. Special thanks to Ann Link, who is now coordinating the News
and Featured Local sections. Note that E-News will print
letters to the
editor from Greens, Nader supporters,
and people with something interesting
to say. Deadline
for submissions to next issue: Friday, April 20, 2001. If
you would prefer not to receive the newsletter, please
notify Masada
Disenhouse at masada@akula.com. To learn
more about the Greens in New York
or to contact your
local Green chapter please visit www.greens.org/ny.
2. ACTION AND ACTIVITY alerts ( AAAs)
Legislative Alert: Minimum Wage
Update
A $6.75-an-hour minimum wage bill passed the NY
State Assembly (A5132 -
Nolan) in early March. In the
State Senate, some are blocking a similar
bill, saying
the Senate should wait to see what the federal government does
on the minimum wage. The Working Families Party is seeking
help in
targeting Senators Hannon and Marcellino on
Long Island; Hunger Action is
planning several
phone-ins and actions on the minimum wage in the next
month, and Greens plan to do a local minimum wage event
(Albany) for May
Day. For more information and to help,
contact Mark Dunlea,
Dunleamark@aol.com, or call 518
286 3411.
Campaign 2001:
Greens In New York City Elections, By Jerry Kann
The
Green Party offers an exciting message of environmental activism and
political renewal - to quote Ralph Nader, "cleaning up the
environment, but
also cleaning up the politics."
Obviously Greens want to hit the ground
running in the
race for New York State Governor in 2002. Certainly an
excellent way to accomplish that is to promote Green
principles and values
to the eight million residents of
New York City in 2001. The Green Party
has three goals
in running candidates for public office in 2001:FIRST, to
elect Greens in those districts where they have a realistic
chance of
victory. SECOND, to train a whole new
"generation" of Green activists in
the practicalities
of electoral politics. THIRD - and perhaps most
importantly - to build the Green Party. The elections will
give Greens a
chance to present their ideas and show
the voters that there is a
progressive, commonsense
alternative to the do-nothing Republicans and
Democrats. Earlier this year, the New York City Greens
constituted a Search
& Screening Panel to recruit
candidates to run as Greens for the citywide
offices of
Mayor, Public Advocate, and Comptroller. On the evening of
Thursday, April 26, at Judson Memorial Church on Washington
Square South,
the Greens will hold a forum to
"audition" a number of potential
candidates. Among
these will probably be such figures as writer and
professor Stanley Aronowitz, former City Council member and
mayoral
candidate Sal Albanese, and Columbia University
scholar and Black Radical
Congress leader Manning
Marable.
Activists such as Julia Willebrand and Mitchel
Cohen may also be seeking
the endorsement of their
fellow Greens for citywide office. At present
there are
nine Green Party candidates for New York City Council. The most
recent candidate-in-considering is poet and performance
artist Penny
Arcade, who recently announced her
intention to run as a Green for City
Council in the 2nd
district in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Running in
the 51st council district in Staten Island is experienced
Green candidate
Hank Bardel. In Queens there are fully
five enrolled Greens running: Lori
Zett (Dist. 24) in
Briarwood; Jerry Kann (Dist. 22) in Astoria; Ann Eagan
(Dist. 26) in Long Island City and Sunnyside; and two very
well-known
Greens, Evergreen Chou and Paul Graziano
(Dist. 20) in Flushing. Running
for borough president
in Queens is Dorothy Williams-Pereira.In Brooklyn,
Michael Emperor, who earlier this year organized a brand
new Green local in
Bay Ridge, will be running in the
43rd district. Craig Seeman, Green Party
state chair
and by far the most experienced candidate for public office
among Greens in New York City, will be running in the 33rd
district. This
area - encompassing Greenpoint,
Williamsburg, DUMBO, Boerum Hill, part of
Park Slope,
and portions of downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights - is
notable for having more registered Green voters than any
district in the city.
Several Council candidates will
be seeking the Green endorsement in their
races -
notably Democrats Jeanette Evans (Dist. 29) and Joan DeCamp (Dist.
30) in Queens, and Independent Gloria Mattera (Dist. 39) in
Brooklyn. A
delegation of Greens helped defeat an
attempt by some current City Council
members to
overturn term limits, a decision made by New York City voters in
two public referendums. There are 36 "open" (term-limited)
seats in City
Council this year. Also, the ghoulish
Rudolph Giuliani will not be able to
run for
re-election as a result of the term limits mandate.Without a doubt,
2001 REPRESENTS A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY FOR THE GREEN PARTY.
Greens can
field a viable slate of candidates to
present the Green message. Surely if
Greens believe in
the Ten Key Values, they ought to be ready and anxious to
talk about those values to their fellow citizens. IT'S NOT
TOO LATE TO GET
INTO THE GAME! Greens from all over the
city still have time to file the
necessary papers and
get out into their communities to spread the word.
Nothing will be gained by sitting on the sidelines and
tsk-tsk-tsking at
the same old corrupt crowd that runs
the city right now. Malcolm X pointed
out a generation
ago that the people in power had misused
their power
and he also understood that those people had to be challenged
directly. Greens can have a tremendous impact this year.
All they have to
do is get out into the political arena
and speak their minds. They are
certain to find people
ready to listen.
Support Free
Speech, Help Grandpa Get His Show Back!
Dear Green
Friends (and I don't mean Martians):
Please think about
helping Grandpa Al Lewis in his current struggle for
Free Speech on WBAI 99.5 FM. Grandpa Al helped put the
Green party on the
ballot in NY. We owe him. We should
also want to help him because he is a
great activist
for trying to reform the prison industrial complex and he
actually helps and writes to prisoners. Grandpa Al has had
a show on WBAI
for many years. I am 99% sure that it is
a
volunteer spot. But, it is so important that he have
a voice and a platform
to preach about politics and
prisons. Because of current anti-democratic
practices
at 99.5 FM WBAI; a very controlling manager; and a National board
which is going corporate, Grandpa
Al has been thrown off the air for violating a "gag rule"
and talking about
the struggle. Please call or FAX the
Interim General Manager, Ms. Utrice
Leid, and demand
that she give Grandpa back his show with NO CONDITIONS.
The station office phone is: 212-209-2800
The station FAX is : 212-747-1698
The on-air phone for when lines are open: 212-209-2900
Please do this little bit for Grandpa Al. Or, if you have
time, learn more at:
www.wbai.net
www.savewbai.tao.ca
www.pacificampaign.org
1-800-825-0055 Concerned Friends of WBAI hotline
1-646-230-9588 Pacifica Campaign (the national struggle)
At the end of this conflict, decisions will be made
about just how free OUR
speech is. Congressman Major
Owens has chimed in on this fight and aligned
it with a
fight to save all non-corporate media. So, it could have
consequences for us in the next round of elections.
Tell Staples to Stock Recycled
Paper
Send an e-postcard to Staples, telling them to
start carrying tree free and
100% post-consumer
recycled, process chlorine free paper in all of their
1,125 locations, but especially in their local store so you
can buy it! A
ton of virgin paper requires 17 more
trees and 7000 more gallons of water
than it takes to
produce a ton of 100% post-consumer recycled paper.
Process chlorine-free paper greatly reduces the release of
the carcinogen
dioxin and other toxins known to kill
aquatic life and damage human health,
particularly that
of low-income people living near paper mills. You can do
2 things, each of which will take less than 2 minutes, to
help this effort.
First, please click on http://cw2k.capweb.net/newdream/letterstate.cfm and
send your own e-postcard to Staples. Second, send this
message to friends
who are interested in forest
protection and responsible paper consumption
(but
please don't spam it).
3.
MEETINGS AND EVENTS
NYC FUND
RAISER FOR THE GREEN PARTY OF NEW YORK STATE WITH RALPH NADER!
MAY 16, 5:30 PM TO 9 PM
Tentative
site: Orensanz Art Center in the Lower East Side
ALL
PROCEEDS TO HELP OPEN A GREEN PARTY OFFICE AND HIRE A FULL-TIME STAFF
PERSON!
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE
THIS A SUCCESS! TO VOLUNTEER, CALL MASADA
DISENHOUSE AT
718 855 2263 OR E-MAIL HER AT MASADA@AKULA.COM
NYC Green Candidates Forum, April 26
On Thursday, April 26, 7 p.m. at Judson Memorial Church on
Washington
Square South, the Greens will hold a forum
to "audition" a number of
potential candidates.
EARTH DAY 2001, APRIL 22 RALLY IN
NYC
March and rally in New York City on Sunday, Apr.
22. March from Times
Square, noon, to Dag Hammarskjold
park at the United Nations. Rally begins
1 pm at U.N.
NO MORE NUCLEAR POWER
FIGHT
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
STOP THE BUSH ROLLBACK OF
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION
BUILD A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
FUTURE
The action is being held in conjunction with the
April 17-30 meeting of the
United Nations Commission on
Sustainable Development (CSD) to determine
what energy
technologies are "sustainable." The U.S., Canada, Britain and
France are pushing the concept that nuclear power should be
considered a
sustainable technology, and its use
promoted across the globe. We need to
tell the CSD that
nuclear power is deadly, not sustainable. We should
encourage the use of clean renewable energy sources and
increased energy
efficiency. We must create the climate
for a sustainable future and we can
only do that by
acting and raising our voices together. Join us. Speakers
include Barry Commoner, Queens College, Harvey Wasserman,
Karl Grossman,
John Passacantando (Executive Director,
Greenpeace USA); Michael Mariotte
(NIRS), Wenonah
Hauter (Public Citizen); Debby Katz (Citizens Awareness
Network), Peer De Rijk (WISE-Amsterdam), Richard
Worthington (Earthlife
South Africa), David Rovics
(renegade singer/songwriter), Craig Michael,
Riverkeepers. For more information and a list of sponsors,
contact Michael
Mariotte or Cindy Folkers at NIRS,
202-328-0002, nirsnet@nirs.org, and
check NIRS'
website, www.nirs.org. We will send bulk flyers to anyone
willing to distribute them.
EARTH DAY LOBBY AND RALLY 2001, APRIL 23 IN ALBANY
There will be an Earth Day Lobby and Rally on Monday, April
23 at the State
Capitol. Genetic engineering will be a
key issue, along with superfund and
energy issues.
Puppets, banners and creative ideas are needed for the rally
at noon. Please also bring information, buttons, etc. for
the Greens table
at Earth Day Lobby Day. Your
participation in Earth Day Lobby Day 2001 will
not only
help the environmental movement, but will also serve as an
important learning experience for those who want to know
more about New
York State government and environmental
issues. Teachers and students are
especially welcome!
THE SCHEDULE*
9:30 - 10:10 am
Registration
10:10 - 10:25 am Welcome Address by Val
Washington, Environmental
Advocates
10:25 - 10:40 am Keynote by Dr. David Carpenter, University
at Albany
School of Public Health - PCBs
10:40 - 11:00 am Speech by Assembly Speaker Sheldon
Silver**
11:00 - 11:20 am Speech by Senate Majority
Leader Joseph Bruno**
11:20 - 12:00 pm Bill Briefings
& Tips on Lobbying
12:00 - 12:45 pm Rally at the
Capitol and/or Lunch with your Lobby Team
(please bring
your own lunch)
1:00 - 1:30 pm Senate Lobby Meetings
1:30 - 2:00 pm Assembly Lobby Meetings
2:15 - 3:00 pm Debriefing and Networking
*Schedule subject to change
**Invited
THE ISSUES
While you are welcome to voice local environmental concerns
to your
legislators, we will all lobby on the following
issues for maximum impact:
ASTHMA
GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS
ENERGY
CONSERVATION
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUPS
HEALTHY SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS
URBAN/OPEN SPACE
REGISTRATION
Registration is $5 (students and those on limited income
are free) and
available via the Web at
http://www.envadvocates.org/public_html/edld01/registration.html
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Laura DiBetta at
1-800-SAVE-NYS
Fax: 518-427-0381
Email: edld@envadvocates.org
Visit: www.envadvocates.org
STOP THE EXECUTIONS! RALLY FOR A FEDERAL AND STATE
MORATORIUM ON THE DEATH
PENALTY, MAY 5 IN NYC
The Campaign to End the Death Penalty is sponsoring a
moratorium rally on
Saturday, May 5 at Union Square in
NYC at 1pm. The East Village Green Party
chapter has
been very involved in this fight to pass a moratorium
resolution in the NY City Council.
Featuring:
- William Nieves &
Darby Tillis - exonerated death row prisoners
- Rick
Van Valkenberg - Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation
- Michael Letwin, president of the Association of Legal Aid
Attorneys/UAW 2325
- Religious leaders, activist,
lawyers, students & more
- Excerpt from the play
"The Exonerated"
Across the country, people have been
protesting the injustices of the death
penalty: from
sleeping lawyers, to lying prosecutors and police, to
racially biased courts. As a result, both Illinois and now
Maryland have
temporarily suspended executions; even
Texas is seriously considering
calling a moratorium.
However, amidst this outcry against the death
penalty,
President Bush plans to continue his legacy of chief executioner
by presiding over the first federal execution in 38 years,
that of Timothy
McVeigh, despite the fact that the
Justice Dept. came out with a report
last Fall about
the great racial and geographical disparities on the
federal death row. Here in NY, City Council Speaker Peter
Vallone is
blocking a resolution pending in the Council
which calls for a national and
state moratorium on the
death penalty. Don't let these pro-death penalty
politicians turn back the clock on our movement! We want a
moratorium on
federal and state executions now! For
more info and a list of sponsors and
endorsers, or to
endorse: contact CEDP at (212) 577-3443 or
cedp_nyc@yahoo.com or NYADP at (914) 946-4456 or
nyadp@bestweb.net.
4. FEATURED LOCAL: Tompkins County Greens
Tompkins County Green Activities - by Dave Breeden
Since the election, the Tompkins County Greens have been
building on our
successes in publicizing the Greens and
Nader's campaign (we're now the
"official" opposition
in Ithaca, having come in second to the Democrats in
city returns for the presidential election). Toward that
end, we've started
to establish our group by writing a
constitution, establishing a website
www.tcgreens.org -
check it out!) and doing outreach to a variety of local
activist groups. We're tabling at local events like Howard
Zinn's talk at
Cornell on April 12, have had members
appear on a local cable TV talk show,
and are generally
working to grow the party. Our next big event will be an
"Open House" on April 11. The idea behind the
open house event is to encourage people to become active
Greens. It's a
get-together for current greens and a
membership drive for anyone willing
to listen. We want
to educate and motivate! There will be literature on
general green policies, topic brochures, petitions, and
other tabling
information. Mark Dunau (former NY Senate
Green candidate) will be speaking
on, "Why become an
active Green?" It hits on the 'act locally think
globally' issue. He will share his personal experience with
us to help
encourage people to jump on the Green wagon!
Also, there will be a table of
information on our
events we are sponsoring for and after earth day! We
have a lot of hope that this will help us find lots of new
members. Greens
from other areas are always welcome to
join us at our meetings. We meet on
the second and
fourth Wednesdays of each month at Beverly Martin Elementary
School in Ithaca. Check the website for further details.
5. NEWS, NEWS LINKS, RESOURCES
GREENS TARGET COUNCIL RACE, by
John Rizio Hamilton
March 19, Brooklyn Courier-Life,
Boro-Politics section
Craig Seeman, chair of the New
York State Green Party, announced that he is
a
candidate for City Council in the 33rd district, covering Brooklyn
Heights, a portion of Park Slope, and
Greenpoint/Williamsburg. Seeman, who
has run for City
Council before, said that the Green Party believes this is
the Council race they can be most competitive in citywide.
"I think it's a
strong district for me to run in," he
said.
There are three Green political clubs in the
district (Park Slope, Downtown
Brooklyn and North
Brooklyn), and when Seeman ran in a 1997 special
election for state Assembly, he received 26 percent of the
vote in the
downtown portion of the district, which is
included in the councilmanic
district. Additionally, he
said, in some northern parts of the district,
Green
presidential candidate Ralph Nader broke 20 percent of the vote."This
Council race will probably be the strongest Council race
the Green Party
could run anywhere in the city," said
Seeman, who acknowledged that he was
an underdog.One
source scoffed at Seeman's assertion, saying that high
turnout due to the mayoral race will swamp the smaller
Green vote."There is
a certain population that is going
to reflexively, with no Giuliani on the
ballot, is
going to vote straight Democratic. Secondly, the Hasidic
community, even if their candidate doesn't win the
Democratic primary, is
probably going to
make their peace with whoever does," said the source.
Seeman is jumping
into a crowded field that includes
District Leaders Steve Cohn and
Elizabeth Rose Daly,
Community Board 2 member Ken Diamondstone, attorneys
David Reiss and Steve Somerstein, and Brooklyn Law School
Professor David
Yassky. [Note from Craig Seeman: I
haven't run for City Council before. I
ran for office
before though, the Greens have run for council before (Sonya
Ostrom '99). Reporter states "Green Party believes this is
the Council race
. ." I said that but he may have
changed it to make the race appear more
important.]
STATE GREEN PARTIES BLAST
PRESIDENT BUSH'S REVERSAL ON STEPS TO STOP GLOBAL
WARMING, CALLING IT A PATENT SELL-OUT TO OIL AND COAL
LOBBIES -- ASGP Press
Release, Mar. 16
The Association of State Green Parties (ASGP) issued a
press release on
Friday, March 16, lambasting Bush's
reversal of White House policy on
reduction of carbon
dioxide emissions and describing it as "reckless in its
disregard of the evidence of worldwide climate change, a
blow against
international efforts to impede global
warming, a sell-out to oil and coal
industry lobbies,
and a facile betrayal of a campaign pledge."
Carol
Miller, a New Mexico Green Party activist and public health expert,
said, "Watching the President so quickly break a
significant campaign
promise is of great concern to the
ASGP. Not only does it demonstrate a
willingness to
protect corporate profits instead of the environment and
public health, it is destructive to democracy itself." She
added, "At a
time when citizens are cynical about
government and turning away from
voting, this action
validates the commonly held belief that politicians
will say anything to get elected." The ASGP press release
described Bush's
new policy as "a second major setback,
after the Clinton-Gore sabotage of
the international
climate change meeting in the Hague, in November 2000"
and called for "drastic reductions in the consumption of
fossil fuels (of
which the U.S. remains the largest
consumer), conversion to alternative
energy sources
such as wind and solar power, sustainable development and
economic policies, and the preservation of forests and
other natural areas
which help process atmospheric
carbon dioxide." The Association of State
Green Parties
is a national federation formed in
1996 and comprised
of 29 state Green parties. For more press releases and a
weekly news circular with published news and opinion about
Green political
issues, see the ASGP website at
www.greenparties.org. How Low Can You Go Dept.
(Mark)
Green Puts Nader, a Mentor, at a Distance for Campaign, By ADAM
NAGOURNEY NY Times.
March 10,
2001-- Mark Green, the New York City public advocate and a protégé
of Ralph Nader, has moved to distance himself from the man
he describes as
his mentor, declaring that Mr. Nader
will not come to New York to campaign
on his behalf in
the mayoral race. Mr. Green said Mr. Nader shared much of
the blame for Al Gore's loss to George W. Bush last year.
"It's not going to happen," Mr. Green said in an
interview when asked if he
wanted Mr. Nader to campaign
for him in this year's four-way Democratic
primary. Mr.
Green said he was unhappy with Mr. Nader's decision to wage an
aggressive campaign for president through the end, and said
he had
repeatedly urged him in conversations to stay
out of battleground states,
where a strong Nader
showing might tip the outcome to Mr. Bush.
The move by
Mr. Green away from Mr. Nader suggests the extent to which Mr.
Nader's stock has fallen among Democrats since last year's
presidential
election: Mr. Green worked for the
consumer advocate for 10 years, and Mr.
Nader wrote an
introduction to one of Mr. Green's books. Just two years ago,
Mr. Green recruited Mr. Nader to campaign with him on the
weekend before the
Democratic primary for Senate,
chartering a jet to fly him from an
appearance in New
York City in the morning to one in Buffalo in the
afternoon. (Mr. Green went on to lose that primary to
Charles E. Schumer.)
Over the years, Mr. Green has
often cited his association with Mr. Nader as
one of
the qualifications he brings to public life.
Mr.
Green's decision to back away from his association with Mr. Nader
reflects concerns by him and his supporters that the
affiliation may be
invoked against him by his opponents
in the months ahead. Voters in New York
City Democratic
primaries tend to the left side of the ideological scale, so
such a line of attack may prove particularly potent. Beyond
that, a number
of Democrats believe that Mr. Green, who
has long been a leader in the
liberal wing of his
party, has been making a calculated attempt to shift to
the center in preparation for his mayoral campaign, and
drawing some distance from Mr. Nader would clearly help him
accomplish that
goal.
In an
interview, Mr. Nader said he was not concerned that someone who had
been such a close associate was now pushing him away.
"Anything that can
lighten my schedule is very
appreciated," Mr. Nader said. He refrained from
directly criticizing Mr. Green, although he disputed Mr.
Green's account of
advising Mr. Nader to stay out of
battleground states. "I don't recall that
he did," Mr.
Nader said. "And if he had said something like that, I would
have remembered."
Mr. Green's
spokesman, Joe DePlasco, said Mr. Green was adamant in his
recollection, and pointed to an article in Newsweek,
published just before
Election Day, saying that Mr.
Green had voiced such concerns in a
conversation with
Mr. Nader. In the interview on Thursday, Mr. Green said
that he felt sorrow about voicing any critical remarks
about Mr. Nader,
given their long association, and that
he was "proud of the decade I spent
with him as a young
lawyer from 1970 to 1980." But Mr. Green noted that he
was one of Mr. Gore's earliest supporters, and said that he
had long
disputed Mr. Nader's assertion that there was
little difference between Mr.
Bush and Mr. Gore. He
also said he was upset that Mr. Nader had been
critical
of the Israeli government for its aggressive response to the
Palestinian uprising in recent months. "As an all-out Gore
supporter, from
1999, I was dismayed that he ran, and
dismayed that he went into
battleground states -
including Florida - at the end," he said. "I urged
Ralph not to run, fearing that he could cost Gore the
election. And then
when he did run, at the end I urged
him to stay out of battleground states
and not to
attack Gore."
Mr. Nader insisted he had devoted hardly
any of his resources to Florida,
which Mr. Gore might
well have won without Mr. Nader in the equation. He
suggested, with a laugh, that he might not be jumping ship
on Mr.Green if
their situations were reversed. "I would
never do that," he said. "Unless,
if somebody becomes
pro-Exxon, that's a different person. If somebody is
caught with his or her hands in a cookie jar, that's a
different person. But
if somebody is as progressive, or
more progressive than me, than that's not
a different
person."
Mr. Green repeatedly refused to speculate on
whether his opponents would use
his association with
Mr. Nader against him. "I'm not going to guess what my
opponents may or may not do," he said. "If that's the worst
they can say,
I'm the next mayor." (NEW YORK CITY
GREENS MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT
THAT! - Ed.)
VOTE FRAUD IN TENNESSEE: WORSE THAN FLORIDA?, by Catherine
Danielson, March
13, AlterNet,
Black voters were told to get behind the white voters. They
were told to
remove NAACP stickers from their cars, or
leave the polling place without
voting. "You know what
it is to stand at the back of the bus," said one
election volunteer. For full article, go to
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10589
NO MORE HOT AIR FROM THE DEMOCRATS, by Molly Ivins, March
22, Chicago
Tribune
AUSTIN,
Texas -- The Democrats in the U.S. Senate have an unusual
opportunity coming up in the next few weeks. One could even
call it unique,
if unique were not a forbidden word in
newspapers. The Democrats can prove
that everybody who
voted for Ralph Nader was right. It's not often that a
party gets to do a thing like that. The McCain-Feingold
campaign-finance
reform bill hit the Senate floor this
week with Democrats wobbling all over
God's little
acre.
Despite the heroic stand of several Republican
senators who have come out in
favor of the bill,
Democrats will get--and deserve--the blame if the bill
fails.
This is one of those rare
moments when the political system has the clarity
of
High Noon. We like to think of political fights as a morality play of
good versus evil, when in reality they almost never are.
Most serious
political fights are over decisions that
are 51-49. This one isn't. It's
about whether there are
two political parties or one--the Money Party.
Either
the Democrats stand for something or they don't, and if they stand
for letting the current system of legalized bribery
continue, then we're
better off voting for Ralph Nader.
The opportunity here for the D's is clear, particularly
since the
Republicans are off to such an incredibly
fast sprint-start in proving the
case for
McCain-Feingold. Gee, what a record. Hard to see how the influence
of campaign contributions on politics could get clearer
than the credit-card
industry's purchase of a harsher
bankruptcy law, industry's purchase of the
repeal of
rules to prevent repetitive stress injuries and High George
Dubya's 180 on CO2. As Joseph Welch once said to Sen. Joe
McCarthy, "Have
you no sense of decency, sir? At long
last, have you left no sense of
decency?"
That McCain-Feingold is an imperfect instrument is beyond
argument. It's not
as though we are accustomed to
flawless legislation from Congress. The truth
is,
unless we start by cleaning up the soft money in politics, we'll never
get anything more done.
One
understands the Democratic money people are in full flower against
McCain-Feingold on the grounds that the D's actually have
an edge in raising
soft money. Are these, by any
chance, the same people who have brought such
distinction to their party via James Riady, a Buddhist
temple, tangled
flow-through schemes and their happy
acceptance of immense donations from
Marc Rich? Think
how much these folks have done to improve the party's
standing with the public. By all means, let's follow their
lead.
President W. Bush, who is so fond of citing the
Texas Legislature as a font
of bipartisan wisdom, will
be interested to learn that last week the Texas
Senate
voted unanimously for the first real campaign-finance reforms in the
state's history. Since Texas is the Wild West of campaign
finance--essentially no rules, absolutely no
limits--this is a startling
development.
True, state Sen. Florence Shapiro's bill is not strong
gargle, but it does
prevent hidden corporate
contributions and forces out-of-state PAC
contributions
into the open.
One of the annual delights of the debate
over campaign-finance reform is the
appearance of new
friends of the 1st Amendment; they spring up like
dandelions in April. With a few honorable exceptions, those
who carry on
over the dire 1st Amendment implications
of campaign-finance reform are
summer soldiers and
sunshine patriots when it comes to freedom of speech.
Their sole interest is in the peculiar proposition that
money is free
speech.
We never
hear from them when anything but big political bucks are at stake:
In those nasty, gut-check fights when freedom of speech has
to protect ugly
and repellent ideas, these Fairweather
Firsters are nowhere to be found. But
their pompous and
condescending lectures on freedom of speech are a treat
for connoisseurs of hypocrisy.
Please believe that all citizens have a role in this fight:
Wobbling
Democrats and heroic Republicans need to hear
a steady drumbeat of support
from the public. From
C-SPAN junkies to Americans so cynical they haven't
bothered to vote for years, this fight is your fight. Speak
up or forever
hold your peace.
IF DEMS FAIL, GREENS MAY
STRENGTHEN, BY John Nichols, March 22, 2001,
Madison
Capital Times
Molly Ivins, the Texan who should have
been elected president last year,
allows as how the big
question of the current political moment is not
whether
George W. Bush is a crooked appendage of corporate America. Not even
Republicans can deny that reality without giggling.
The mystery of the moment is whether Democrats who are
supposed to be
mounting the opposition to Bush are the
other crooked appendage of corporate
America.
Ivins suggests that if Senate Democrat defectors kill
campaign finance
reform in coming days, they will prove
Green presidential candidate Ralph
Nader was right when
he condemned both the Democrats and Republicans as
equally beyond redemption. "It's about whether there are
two political
parties or one - the Money Party," argues
Ivins.
"Either the Democrats stand for something or
they don't, and if they stand
for letting the current
system of legalized bribery continue, then we're
better
off voting for Ralph Nader."
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson
Jr., D-Ill., offers a similar message, suggesting
that
if Democrats do not begin to mount a credible challenge to Bush, they
will prove Nader right. Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich
was even more
blunt, suggesting that the Democratic
response to Bush proves the party of
Roosevelt and
Truman is now officially "dead."
This sort of talk is
music to the ears of David Cobb, a staff attorney with
the Community Legal Defense Fund in Houston and veteran
Bush battler. Don't
get Cobb wrong, as a passionate foe
of corporate excess he wants to beat
Bush and the
Republicans. He just doesn't believe the Democrats will ever
rise to the challenge.
"There are
a lot of good Democrats, progressive people who really believe in
all the right things," says Cobb. "But their views are not
being reflected
by the national Democratic party
leadership. When Democrats in Washington
sell out on
basic issues like campaign finance reform, Democrats at the
grass-roots level start asking: Where is the political
opposition to these
corporations going to come from?"
Cobb is working with Madison's Ben Manski and others to
build the Green
Party as a national political force -
in large part because he has lost
faith in the
willingness of Democrats to stand up to corporate campaign
contributors. (An associate of the Program on Corporations,
Law and
Democracy, he'll speak at 7 tonight at the UW
Memorial Union on how
community groups are challenging
corporations on environmental, sweatshop
and
development issues.)
Like Ivins, Cobb thinks
congressional Democrats face a critical test this
spring. If they fail to mount a credible and consistent
opposition to Bush,
hey will push millions of Americans
to look anew at the message carried by
Nader and the
Greens in last year's campaign.
"When people who want a
populist, passionate opposition to Bush realize that
the Democrats have let them down," says Cobb, "they'll
start to understand
just how much America needs the
Green Party."
GREENS SEE BREAKTHROUGH IN FRENCH
MUNICIPAL POLLS, March 12, Paris (AFP)
With its
impressive result in Sunday's municipal elections, France's Green
party has taken a step closer to achieving its goal of
replacing the
Communists as the second party of the
left, commentators said Monday. The
party scored well
in a number of key cities -- notably Paris, where it won
12.35 percent of the vote -- and immediately struck a deal
with Socialist
front-runner Bertrand Delanoe which
should ensure a strong Green presence
in the city's
municipal council.
The Greens won 15.5 percent in the
northern city of Lille, 12.5 percent in
Montpellier in
the south and 16.5 percent in Besancon in the east -- here
too requiring the Socialists to make an arrangement to
ensure victory in
next Sunday's second round.
The achievement was seen as a vindication of the party's
decision to put
forward separate lists in as many towns
as possible, instead of running on a
joint ticket with
the Socialists -- a move preferred by other parties in
Prime Minister Lionel Jospin's coalition, such as the
Communists.
"The tendency we first saw in 1995 (the
last municipal elections) is firming
up. Wherever the
Greens were able to present a list, they had a vote worthy
of a party with real weight inside the plural left
coalition," a party
statement said."The Greens have
confirmed their progress throughout the
country.
Autonomy has paid off," said Le Monde newspaper. According to the
daily Le Figaro, "the 'ecolos' see as within their grasp
their hopes of
supplanting the Communist Party (PCF) as
the Socialists' main partner."
The Communists fared
badly in Sunday's poll, with Transport Minister
Jean-Claude Gayssot defeated in the southern town of
Beziers, and the towns
of Montlucon and Sens swinging
to the right. After next Sunday's second
round, the PCF
could find itself without any town of more than 100,000
inhabitants, Le Monde reported. "The PCF was happy to
strike a national deal
with the Socialists, but it has
been of absolutely no use," it said.
Under the deal,
Socialist candidates agreed to stand down in a number of
towns to allow the PCF to lead a united left-wing list, but
in no town did
Communists mount a serious challenge to
incumbent right-wing mayors. The
Greens have two
ministers in Jospin's government, including Environment
Minister Dominique Voynet, whose defeat in the eastern town
of Dole was one
of the party's few disappointments. The
Communists have four ministers.
INTERVIEW WITH
COLOMBIAN SENATOR INGRID BETANCOURT
Following is an
interview with Senator Ingrid Betancourt, from the Green
Party of Colombia, Partido Verde Oxigeno. She is planning
to run as a Green
Party Presidential Candidate in
Colombia in the coming election and will be
attending
the Global Green Conference in Canberra. She has just written a
book, La Rabia en el corazón (Frence title "La rage au
coeur"), which is
being distributed in France. During
her visit to Paris to introduce the
book, some of the
media headlines were "Ingrid Betancourt, a woman
threatened with death...", "The woman to kill...", "The
warrior from the
Andes", "The Passionata of the Andes",
"Colombia is governed by mediocrity
and Heroine." The
following interview was made with Diana Rodriguez Rojas.
DRR: Why was the presentation of your book so successful?
IB: The French identified with a struggle motivated by
ideals. They don't
act it out there because they have
everything, but they appreciate that
there is a country
where the struggle is necessary for human dignity. Nobody
before me succeeded in making a best seller of a book that
speaks only about
Colombia. The media here in Colombia
ignore it and there there [sic] is an
interest.
DRR: Ambassador Restrepo said that you promoted yourself at
the expense of
the image of Colombia.
IB: That's a very selfish attitude when the possibility to
inform the rest
of the world what we are experiencing
in Colombia is offered
DRR: What positive result for
Colombia stems from the boom in sales of your
book?
IB: Today, they no longer confuse Colombia with Bolivia.
They now know what
is occurring here and there is an
immense solidarity and willingness to
help. If the
world takes interest, things will not be allowed to continue
this way.
DRR: Why did you write
your book in French and launched it in France?
IB: I
hope it gets to Colombia. I wrote a book two years ago and it was
never published here. It's the punishment towards someone
who speaks without
fear or restrain.
DRR: Will you run for the presidency in 2002?
IB: Yes, I will run in 2002. The time limit has elapsed.
Colombia has the
right to have a radical option, clean,
and free. There is need for a
structure of Government
that is decent and effective and I can't see that
the
present options can do the job.
DRR: Why have you been
absent from Congress during this term?
IB: Congress has
closed all doors for me. I have introduced 15 projects and
they have all been refused. I have requested five debates
and I have not
been allowed not even one. Each time I
request to speak, I am denied. The
challenge is to
succeed in making my voice be heard.
6. LETTERS:
POETRY & PROSE
WAVES by Ian Wilder
for Fritjof
Capra
molding solar ellipses
measuring continental crusts
aching to be still
pointillist
crests
canalizing troughs of sunlight
an emptiness closer to spirit than science
narwhals, seahorses, starfish, plankton
packets of electromagnetic energy
viscera constantly shedding
re-identifying
***
If
you can
read this you
are more qualified
to
be president than George W. Bush
If you can understand this, then you could lead the whole,
free world. And,
why not? You are good and wise and
were taught some small lessons about
democracy at that
school you went to. But, really, don't run for President.
It is a faraway, huge compromise with the greedy rich.
Something ugly like
fame--a beautiful wish that devours
you and causes you to go blithely
through life
trampling on the rights of other people. Instead, take this
great ambition, this desire for good, this inner know-ing
that your will
counts and run for local office. Find
out about your hometown school board.
Consider running
for city council on the Green Party line. Or, become town
dogcatcher and set all the puppies free!
By Kimberly Wilder
from Rural Advancement Foundation International April 21, 2001
RAFI
Rural Advancement Foundation
International
www.rafi.org
GenoType
- April 20, 2001
Supporting
the
Treaty to Share the Genetic Commons
Those on the RAFI list-server are
aware that we try to keep our e-mail
messages as few
and short as possible. Unfortunately, we seem to be in
an especially frantic season with many new developments
coming forward
all at the same time (next week will see
a RAFI News Release that will
send a shock wave through
the biotech industry, for example).
We are taking the unusual step of attaching a draft Treaty
to Share the
Genetic Commons and an accompanying letter
from the international
working group preparing the
Treaty. RAFI, along with 11 other civil
society organizations and indigenous peoples organizations
have been
actively involved in the drafting
work. We believe the draft Treaty
represents
an important policy departure from the positions taken by
many governments and many other intergovernmental treaties
and that it
deserves everybody's careful
attention.
PLEASE
NOTE that this is a "work-in-progress". We believe it should be
discussed by CSOs meeting now in New York at the CSD and
during the
PrepCom for Rio+10 as well as within each
organization and in each
country. The
working group welcomes all advice. In RAFI's opinion, the
final Treaty text need not be finalized within civil
society until the
second PrepCom later this
year.
In the
meantime, signing the note (below) attached to the draft Treaty
(as either an organization or as an individual) signifies
your support
in principle, for the essential ideas in
the draft and your willingness
to participate in the
process. At the end of the day, each party will
have to consider the final text and decide at that time
whether or not
they wish to support it.
Some have already suggested that
the text is less a Treaty than a
Charter. RAFI disagrees. We want this
text to be negotiated by
governments and others and we
want it to have the weight of law - to
become a
legally-binding commitment. We understand how hard this will
be to achieve, but we are not looking for worthless paper
victories. We
hope you will join us in
helping to set this new standard for
international
negotiation and agreement.
An
Open Letter to CSO colleagues follows from the 12 members of the
working group
...
Responses to the following should
go to:
The Treaty Initiative
to Share the Genetic Commons:
Email: Treaty@foet.org
Fax: 202 429 9602
If you need
additional information:
The Treaty Initiative to Share
the Genetic Commons
1660 L Street NW, Suite 216
Washington, DC 20036
USA
Tel (202) 466-2823
Please do not send your
responses to RAFI...
Dear Colleague,
We are writing to you to ask your support in a civil
society process
that will lead to a Treaty to Share the
Genetic Commons, which we
propose to have adopted by
governments and civil society at the Rio+10
Conference
in South Africa next year. A copy of our draft treaty text
is attached as a "work-in-progress". Our hope is
that we will have an
opportunity to discuss the
proposed treaty and the strategy surrounding
its
acceptance both by e-mail and during the PrepCom for Rio+10 at the
UN in New York beginning April
30th.
CONTEXT STATEMENT
We, the undersigned, would like to enlist your active
support in a new
initiative to establish the Earth's
gene pool, in all of its biological
forms and
manifestations, as a global commons to be jointly shared by
all peoples.
Our aim is to prohibit all patents on plant, animal, and
human life
including patents on genes and the products
they code for, in their
natural, purified or
synthesized form, as well as chromosomes, cells,
tissues, organs and organisms including cloned, transgenic
and chimeric
organisms.
We feel the time is right for a broad challenge on all
patents on life
and believe that this initiative can
rally widespread public support
across the entire
political spectrum and among every major social
constituency and interest group.
How does this initiative differ
from current efforts underway - the
Biological
Diversity Convention, the International Undertaking on Plant
Genetic Resources, TRIPS, etc. - to establish a global
regime to govern
and regulate the use of biological
resources? Our initiative adopts
some common
themes but differs in one very fundamental respect. Unlike
the other initiatives, we oppose the extension of
intellectual property
rights to any living thing as
well as the components of all living
things. We believe that our evolutionary
heritage is not a negotiable
commodity. While we hail the good intentions of
both the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD) and
the International Undertaking on Plant
Genetic
Resources (IU), their goal of equitably sharing the earth's
biological heritage can only be realized by prohibiting all
commercial
patents on life.
We agree with the position that
the gene pool and its products are a
global commons - a
position often put forward by the life science
companies and some governments, including the United
States.
Unfortunately, the life science companies have
misinterpreted and
misappropriated the term "global
commons" to claim unlimited access to
the world's
genetic diversity for the purposes of converting it into
private intellectual property. They have failed
to understand that
because the Earth's gene pool, in
all of its biological forms and
manifestations, is a
global commons and, therefore, a product of nature,
it
cannot be claimed, in whole or in part, as intellectual property.
We agree with the position, often
extolled by the group of 77 and China,
that governments
and Indigenous Peoples have the sovereign
responsibility to oversee the biological resources within
their borders
and determine how they are managed and
shared. However, because the
gene pool is a
global commons, it cannot be sold by any institution or
individual as genetic information.
All of the current arrangements
and consultative initiatives, to the
extent that they
are based on the principle of selling "prospecting
rights" to genetic information and extending intellectual
property
protection to life, are unacceptable
mechanisms for governing the gene
pool in the Age of
Biology.
The Treaty to Share
the Genetic Commons is designed to make every
government and Indigenous Peoples a "caretaker" of their
geographic part
of the global genetic commons and to
establish the appropriate statutory
mechanisms to
ensure both national sovereignty and open access to the
flow of genetic information, in the spirit of collective
responsibility
for our shared evolutionary legacy.
It is our intention to reach out
to civil society organizations,
political parties, and
governments around the world to enlist broad
popular
support for this initiative. We are on the cusp of an historic
transformation from the Age of Physics and Chemistry to the
Age of
Biology. It is critical, at the dawn
of this new era, that we establish
our collective
responsibility for stewarding the earth's gene pool.
Those of us writing to you today
wish to express our strong commitment
to the core
message and goals in the draft treaty. We also wish to
assure you and our other colleagues in civil society that
your advice
and input are both needed and welcome and
that we fully expect the
language of the text to be
altered with discussion. In sending you this
draft at this time, we are seeking your ideas as well as
asking for your
support, in principle, for the values
expressed in the treaty. Could
you please
sign and return the enclosed form, and contact us with your
thoughts at: treaty@foet.org ? Could you also
let us know if you or
someone from your organization
will be in New York on April 30th for the
Rio+10
PrepCom and would be available to attend a brief information
meeting on the treaty?
We look forward to discussing this with you by e-mail and
in person in
the days ahead.
Yours
sincerely,
Alejandro
Argumendo, Director, Asociacion Quechua-Aymara ANDES /
Indigenous Peoples' Biodiversity Network (IPBN)
Bill Christison, President, National Family Farm Coalition
(NFFC) /
Board Member, Via Campesina
Neth Dano, Executive Director, South East Asian Regional
Institute for
Community Education (SEARICE)
Benedikt Haerlin, International Coordinator, Greenpeace
Genetic
Engineering Campaign
Debra Harry, Executive Director, Indigenous People's
Council on
Biocolonialism (IPCB)
Randy Hayes, President, Rainforest Action Network (RAN)
Camila Montecino, Centro de Educacion y Tecnologia (CET))
Pat Roy Mooney, Executive Director, Rural Advancement
Foundation
International (RAFI)
Andrew T. Mushita, Director,
Community Technology Development Trust
(CTDT)
Jeremy Rifkin, President, Foundation on Economic Trends
(FOET)
Vandana Shiva, Director, Research Foundation for
Science, Technology and
Ecology
Martin Teitel, President, Council for Responsible Genetics
(CRG)
* Yes, add
our organization as a signatory to the Treaty Initiative.
Signature:
____________________________________
Printed Name: ____________________________________
Title:
____________________________________
Name of Organization: ____________________________________
Address:
____________________________________
____________________________________
Telephone:
____________________________________
Fax: ____________________________________
E-mail:
____________________________________
Please return this form to:
The Treaty Initiative to Share the Genetic Commons:
Email: Treaty@foet.org
Fax: 202
429 9602
If you need additional information:
The Treaty Initiative to Share the Genetic Commons
1660 L Street NW, Suite 216
Washington, DC 20036
USA
Tel (202) 466-2823
-- DRAFT --
THE
TREATY TO SHARE THE GENETIC COMMONS
We proclaim these truths to be universal and indivisible;
That the intrinsic value of
the Earth's gene pool, in all of its
biological forms
and manifestations, precedes its utility and commercial
value, and therefore must be respected and safeguarded by
all political,
commercial and social institutions,
That the Earth's gene pool, in all
of its biological forms and
manifestations, exists in
nature and, therefore, must not be claimed as
intellectual property even if purified and synthesized in
the
laboratory,
That the global gene pool, in all of its biological forms
and
manifestations, is a shared legacy and,
therefore, a collective
responsibility,
And,
Whereas, our increasing knowledge of biology confers a
special
obligation to serve as a steward on behalf of
the preservation and well
being of our species as well
as all of our other fellow creatures,
Therefore, the nations of the world declare the Earth's
gene pool, in
all of its biological forms and
manifestations, to be a global commons,
to be protected
and nurtured by all peoples and further declare that
genes and the products they code for, in their natural,
purified or
synthesized form as well as chromosomes,
cells, tissue, organs and
organisms, including cloned,
transgenic and chimeric organisms, will not
be allowed
to be claimed as commercially negotiable genetic information
or intellectual property by governments, commercial
enterprises, other
institutions or individuals.
The Parties to the treaty - to
include signatory nation states and
Indigenous Peoples
- further agree to administer the gene pool as a
trust. The signatories acknowledge the sovereign
right and
responsibility of every nation and homeland
to oversee the biological
resources within their
borders and determine how they are managed and
shared. However, because the gene pool, in all
of its biological forms
and manifestations, is a global
commons, it cannot be sold by any
institution or
individual as genetic information. Nor can any
institution or individual, in turn, lay claim to the
genetic information
as intellectual property.
-- Draft : Version
7 --
from Center for Marine Conservation April 23, 2001
Your support is needed for creating no-take
Marine
Protected Areas in the South Atlantic to help restore
depleted
fish populations.
You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20568B0423052410C144
Visit the web address below and tell your friends to
take action on
this important campaign!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/South_Atlantic_MPAs/forward?rk=8pqUq8d141q5W
We encourage you to take action by May 21, 2001
South Atlantic
MPA Scoping Hearings
----------------------
The South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council is currently
asking the public to identify
specific marine habitats
that they believe to be important for future
consideration
as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Please help support
the
use of no-take MPAs as a fishery management tool
in the South Atlantic by
responding to this alert and/or
attending one of the nine public scoping
meetings.
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE
WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action
on this
alert by going to the following URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=419220A20568B0423052410C144
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender"
option on your email
program, and edit the letter below as you wish. Do
not delete "-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and "-END
OF LETTER-".
Please do not add your name and address
to your letter. Our system
automatically does this
for you.
We STRONGLY encourage
you to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert
talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth
ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will
still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent
to:
Chairman Fulton Love
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER
BELOW---------
I am a resident of the United States and am very
concerned
about the state of South Atlantic marine fish populations
and
their habitats. Please consider this letter with
any other comments the
South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council receives during the scoping
process on the
establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
Today, 4 of the 15 South Atlantic fish species for
which there are
data are already candidates for listing
under the Endangered Species Act; 13
of those 15 South
Atlantic reef fish are currently overfished. Habitats
crucial to healthy fish populations are being rapidly
degraded. I urge
you and other members of the South
Atlantic Fishery Management Council to
use a scientifically
based network of no-take marine reserves as an
important
fishery management tool to help protect and restore
depleted
fish populations and to conserve essential
habitat.
Marine reserves
are an effective means to help restore
depleted fish populations, protect
essential habitat,
and provide a reference point against which the
ecological
health of fished areas can be measured. A new report
issued
by the National Research Council and a consensus
statement issued by a group
of world-renown scientists
indicated, as have numerous prior reports, that
marine
reserves are a successful management tool. Also, in
many other
parts of the world no-take marine reserves
have proven effective in helping
to restore and protect
fish and important habitats. There is every reason
to believe the use of marine reserves by the South
Atlantic Fishery
Management Council will achieve the
same end.
Thank you for
considering my views.
-------END OF LETTER-------------------------
