[Januaryfirst] call out

[Karin Johnson]

Awesome, thanks Alex and Dave!

I've cut it down a bit more in the version below, hope I haven't taken out
too much. Although, I think it may still be a bit lengthy for the event
call out. I think a longer version would be great to include in the
Facebook page though to provide more background information.

See you Wednesday.

Karin

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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. We are told
that Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), which guarantee the global flow of
capital and resources, are necessary for our well-being, necessary for our
society to keep getting better.


However, these agreements have been constructed to reinforce and expand the
policies of colonialism that originally established the rights of
corporations. FTAs fuse together capital and state interests in an effort
to dismantle barriers to capital flow and this has resulted in destruction
and dehumanization within nations and communities across the globe. 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 further
the dispossession of Indigenous people and undermine collective efforts to
expand the commons.


Yet communities are resisting, and 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.


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 Tue, Oct 22, 2013 at 11:16 AM, Dave Diewert <ddiewertt at shaw.ca> wrote:

> Thanks, Alex, for putting out the draft call out. I did some editing on
> the main text, trying to shorten it a little. Since it's still a draft, it
> would be good if others could add to the discussion and contribute to the
> shaping of it.
>
> see you on wednesday night at Rhizome ... dave
>
> 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 the rights of corporations. ***
> *
>
> Most people assume that governments represent "the will of the people"
> and, as such, look out for our best interest. We are told by our own
> governments that Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), which guarantee the global
> flow of capital and resources, are necessary for our well-being, necessary
> for our society to keep getting better. ****
>
> However, the primary objective of FTAs it to fuse together capital and
> state interests in an effort to dismantle barriers to capital flow.
> Historically, this has resulted in destruction and dehumanization within
> nations and communities across the globe. 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 further the dispossession of
> Indigenous people and undermine collective efforts to expand the commons.*
> ***
>
> The ideological trick of appealing to "freedom" to justify austerity and
> security masks the exceedingly tight grip already formed by the state.
> Using buzzwords like “participation” or “flexibility” ostensibly builds a
> shared vocabulary for common usage while simultaneously dissolving their
> meaning. FTAs legally inscribe and politically normalize "corporate rights"
> and so enhance capital's power to limit popular imagination about
> alternative ways to see the world.****
>
> Yet communities are resisting, and 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. ****
> 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.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Januaryfirst mailing list
> Januaryfirst at lists.resist.ca
> https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/januaryfirst
>
>
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