[Januaryfirst] Meeting tonight at 7:00 pm

[Alex Hemingway]

Hey folks,

I've basically just made a draft by adapting Aaron's excellent call-out
from August. Some details like location and the name of speakers are held
by placeholders that still need to be filled in, since they haven't been
set (as far as I know).

I'm copying in the draft text below.

(And now heading back to the convention, and trying to shake up the labour
establishment! Thomas Mulcair gave a boring speech to the convention
yesterday about how trade is great, and CETA would be fine if only it was
negotiated in a way that was "good for Canadians" - and we can only guess
what he means because he didn't elaborate at all.)

Alex

FTA'S ARE SO 1990'S. JOIN US ON NOVEMBER 20TH FOR A PANEL AND DISCUSSION ON
TRADE!

On November 20, 2013 the January 1st Collective will be hosting an event at
to talk about free trade agreements, neo-liberalism, and building
resistance together, as we approach the 20th anniversary of NAFTA and face
Harper's new CETA deal.

We'll hear from three excellent speakers, including:

1.
2.
3.

Wednesday, November 20 @ TIME, LOCATION, Vancouver, Unceded Coast Salish
Territories.

Space is accessible.

SO WHY TALK ABOUT TRADE?
In a globalized world, international agreements set the stage for how
governments manage resources, invest in infrastructure and social services,
facilitate the growth of industries, and regulate our lives. These
agreements have been constructed to both reinforce and expand the policies
of colonialism that originally established rights of corporations. Most
people assume that governments represent "the will of the people" and, as
such, look out for our best interest. "Free trade agreements" (FTAs) are a
now-old term that reminds us that "the economy" is now global, and rules to
guarantee the flow of capital and resources never stops. We are told by our
own governments that FTAs are necessary for our well-being; necessary for
our society to keep getting better. However, if we track the continued
march of FTAs into nations and communities across the globe, a different
picture emerges.
Capitalism’s quest for the continual breakdown of barriers to capital flow
finds in its discoveries a history of destruction and dehumanization
resulting from a stronger relationship between capital and the state. From
the privatization of resources, to the constant search for lower wages, to
the abdication of the state to look after its own citizenry, FTAs provide
the schematic that guide us away from hopes that lie within the commons and
toward fears left latent in the subtext of propaganda.

The ideological trick of appealing to, for instance "freedom," to justify
austerity and security masks the exceedingly tight grip already formed by
the state (as evidenced by the recent NSA revelations). Buzzwords like
“participation” or “flexibility” build a shared vocabulary for common usage
while simultaneously dissolving the meaning of the words themselves. In the
same way, as trade agreements are negotiated more and more, "corporate
rights" and the language used to promote them become normalized.  This
process of the expansion of capital's powers seeks to limit the popular
imagination about alternative ways to see the world.

Throughout our communities some amazing work is being done. Low-income
folks are standing strong against gentrification and demanding social
housing. Migrant justice organizers and workers are meeting and building
connections to challenge bosses and the government. Indigenous communities
are uniting and engaging in direct action to stop pipeline and tar sands
development. All of these communities, as well as the many not mentioned
here, show tremendous strength in their organizing and actions. We feel
this can only be made better if we all come together and name our common
enemy: capitalism.

FTAs provide us the opportunity for discussion because their scope
encompasses all of our struggles. If we can strengthen our connections they
become harder to break and more formidable when we fight back.

On Monday, October 21, 2013, Alex Hemingway <alexhemingway at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Sorry I haven't gotten back to you yet re: a draft call out for Nov. 20.
I'm at the CUPE national convention, still under the weather, and the
schedule is crazier than I expected - hardly a spare moment. I'm going to
carve out time by the end of tomorrow. Although if anyone were able to take
this on, I'd be forever in your debt!
>
> Alex
>
> On 2013-10-16 6:55 PM, "Alexandra Henao" <alexandrahenaoc at gmail.com>
wrote:
>>
>> Hi, I'll be there at least for the first hour.
>> Thanks.
>> Alexandra
>>
>> On Wed, Oct 16, 2013 at 10:58 AM, Harjap Grewal <harjap at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey folks, if you could please RSVP for the meeting tonight.
>>> Rhizome (317 East Broadway) at 7:00 pm
>>>
>>>
>>> harjap
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> twitter.com/harjap
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
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