TPP Toxicity Grows, We Can Stop It

As some anti-TPP activists in Los Angeles showed in a great street theater action in front of the offices of Rep. Xavier Becerra(D-CA), Fast Track makes Congress unnecessary. They brought the "TPP movers" to his office and outsourced him.  It is important for activists to know what is in Fast Track because the US Trade Representative has been doing its best to mislead the public.

Time to Finish the Job, Make Fast Track for the TPP Politically Toxic

The movement against the TPP has come a long way in the last year from challenging a trade agreement that no one knew about and looked like it could not be stopped; to a trade agreement widely known about in activist circles and which is becoming too toxic for elected officials to be associated with in an election year.

The reason we have come this far is because the TPP effects so many aspects of every person's lives -- food, the environment, workplaces, the Internet, banking and finance, job availability, health care, energy, the list goes on and on.  As people learn about the TPP and what it does they oppose it. While lame ducks like Obama and Baucus who do not have to seek re-election, can ignore angry constituents and follow the demands of big money, those seeking re-election do not have that luxury.

Our task: We need to continue to build opposition and show elected officials they do not want to be associated with these toxic trade agreements.  They need to understand that fast-tracking the TPP could end their career.

A lot is already planned. To stay informed "like" the Flush The TPP Facebook page and follow the twitter feed where we will be regularly publishing new sharable memes to continue to build the stop the TPP movement. If more TPP leaks come out, we'll provide immediate analysis.  If there are hearings we will organize protests to make sure the voices of opposition are heard and share that information.

Every Tuesday there is a TPP twitter storm at 9 PM Eastern.  Follow the hashtag #TPPMediaMarch to participate. There will be a special TPP storm during the State of the Union on January 28.

Scores of organizations have come together in a movement of movements to create a webpage StopFastTrack.org.  We've planned ten key days of pressure on Congress from January 22 to January 31.  During this period, people will be making phone calls to Congress through the website which will provide simple tools to call Congress.  In addition, during this period, people are organizing for the State of the Union on January 28 and an Inter-Continental Day of Action on January 31.

During the State of the Union, people opposed to the TPP plan to stand vigil outside of the Congress beginning at 8:30 so they can be there when the president arrives for the speech that begins at 9 PM.  During the speech a special State Of The Union TwitterStorm will be held from 9-10pm EST, follow #TPPMediaMarch to participate.

On January 31 there will be an Inter-Continental Day of Action against the TPP & Corporate Globalization.  The theme is "No More NAFTA's as this month is the twenty-year anniversary of NAFTA, which has had devastating consequences for working families, small farmers, indigenous peoples, small business and the environment in all three countries and beyond.  The pending Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been described as "NAFTA on Steroids."

We have come an incredible distance and the likelihood of stopping the TPP is stronger than it ever has been.The president and transnational corporations will make an aggressive push to pass Fast Track this month.  It is our job to stop them and make it impossible to bring Fast Track or the TPP up again.  We can accomplish this and when we do it will be a tremendous victory of the people over transnational corporate power!