[Newspoetry] Local activists report back from Seattle this Thursday

[chyn at onthejob.net]

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20 local activist artists joined the protest against the World Trade
Organizaiton last week.  This Thursday they will speak on what they
learned about the WTO.  They will also report on their experiences
protesting in the streets.

THURS.       DEC. 9        8 PM
Allen Hall (Lincoln and Iowa), South Rec Room

....................details follow..............

Free Trade, Fair Trade, Transnational Corporations,
and the World Trade Organization

The massive Seattle protest has succeeded in shutting down the recent
World Trade Organization (WTO) Meeting, but current provisions remain in
place. A group of Champaign/Urbana organizers were there.  They were
tear-gassed and two were arrested and imprisoned. Come hear what they
experienced at a workshop on Thursday, December 9th, 8 PM at Allen Hall in
the South Rec Room.

The World Trade Organization was established in 1995, and is the principle
rule-making body of the global economy.  134 nations have ceded powers to
it that once firmly resided within nations. WTO authority already forces
countries to alter laws that might be impediments to "free trade."  It is
a forum where multinational corporations successfully overturn hard won
laws by invoking "free trade" provisions.

Question? What do the following peoples' rights and protections have in
common?
o Consumer Legislation
o Environmental Regulations
o Health and Safety Laws
o Human Rights Legislation
o Public Education Systems
o National Regulation of Transnational Corporations
o Preferences for Local Businesses
o Programs Against Poverty and Inequality

Answer.  They are all defined as "trade" by the WTO and are therefore
subject to its review.

The WTO meets in secret, and has ruled against every environmental and
public health law brought before it so far. The WTO seeks to make the
world safe for transnational corporations and to overturn social
legislation won by decades of citizens' actions. The WTO widens the gaps
between the rich and poor countries and the disparities between rich and
poor in every country. Come to the workshop.

Thursday, December 9th, 8 PM, Allen Hall, South Rec Room

Sponsored by the School for Designing a Society, Socialist Forum, and the
Student Labor Support Network.  For further information, call Laura Haber
at  244-2317.