Occupy San Diego Stop TPP Week of Actions
Background: From July 2 to July 10, the political leaders of the Pacific Rim nations are meeting in San Diego to turn the Pacific Ocean and its peoples into a giant privatized corporate lake characterized by non-union workers, Wal-Mart supply chain feeders, poisoned, landless agricultural laborers, a dying biodiversity, and rising, drowning sea levels. We cannot and will not let this happen.
Occupy San Diego as part of The Coalition to STOP TPP has been working alongside Global Trade Watch to put plan out several events taking place throughout the week, leading to a march on July 7 as part of a Global Day of Action against the TPP.
Marches & Rallies
Monday, July 2nd * 12:00 noon -Welcome TPP March and Rally
March to rally and support the Labor Council’s noontime rally and press conference at the Hilton Hotel next to the Convention Center
Fourth of July Petitioning
Wednesday, July 4th * Ongoing
Throughout the City
OccupyYourCorner and Soapboxes throughout the week
Saturday, July 7 * 10:30 am
Global Day of Action - Join San Diego for a major march with pots and pans and drums to STOP TPP.
Civic Center (1100 3rd Avenue)
Gathering at 10:30am; march to Hilton leaves at 11:00am
OSD Free Education Collective - The Peoples Conference: A Better World is Possible
Monday July 2nd * 6:30 - *8:30pm
Better World Conference:
Workers’ Rights, Outsourcing, Wal-Mart & Gentrification
Tuesday, July 3rd * 6:00 - 9:00pm
Better World Conference:
IP, GMOs & Healthcare AND Women & the TPP
Centro Cultural de la Raza (2125 Park Blvd)
Thursday, July 5th * 6:00 - 9:00pm
Better World Conference:
Geopolitics & Empire AND Indigenous Rights
Centro Cultural de la Raza (2125 Park Blvd)
Thursday, July 5th * 6:00 - 9:00pm
Better World Conference:
Local Economies & Sustainability AND Biodiversity & Climate Change
Balboa Park
Saturday, July 7 * 3:00 - 5:00pm
Better World Conference:
Fukushima & Nuclear Power
Peace Resource Center (3850 Westgate Place)
Guests and Speakers include -
Gustavo Esteva founder of Universidad de la Tierra (Oaxaca), Maira Stutton - Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fuerza Unida, Fuerza Mundial, Ilana Solomon - National Sierra Club, Sanya Reid Smith of The Third World Network (Malaysia), Colectivo Zapatista (San Diego), National Family Farm Coaliiton, plus speakers from Japan, South America, and more.
Links:
Main Stop TPP Page
Fliers and Info
Events
Endorsement: Thanks to those that have supported us and stood in solidarity
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Occupy San Diego
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Occupy City Heights
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OccupYrCorner
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Women Occupy San Diego
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San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice
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Global Trade Watch - Public Citizen
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International Socialist Organization – San Diego
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OSD Labor Solidarity Committee
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Canvass for a Cause
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In Motion Magazine
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Occupy Santa Rosa
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Bayan USA
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International League of Peoples’ Struggle
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Green Party of San Diego
The words “free trade agreement” should bring to mind the response attributed to Gandhi when he was asked what he thought about western civilization: “it might be a good idea.” Same with “free trade agreements.” Maybe they would be a good idea, maybe not, but the question scarcely arises in the real world. What are called “free trade agreements” have only a limited relation to free trade, or even trade at all, and are certainly not agreements, at least if the people of a country are regarded as its citizens.
The FTAs are investor rights agreements, negotiated mostly in secret by representatives of transnational corporations and the few powerful states that cater to their interests. The public is largely excluded, and often opposed. The agreements include highly protectionist elements, such as the monopoly pricing rights that impose enormous costs on consumers and have no legitimate justification. They interpret “trade” to include actions internal to command economies, as when a giant corporation produces parts in Indiana, ships them to a subsidiary in Mexico for assembly, then sells the product in California, with each border crossing called “trade” — a very large component of world “trade.”
We did not call it “trade” when parts were produced in Leningrad, assembled in Poland, and sold in Moscow, all within the Soviet command economy. The concept of “trade” is further illuminated by events taking place right now. The World Bank has just ruled that the Canadian mining corporation Pacific Rim can proceed with its case against El Salvador for trying to preserve lands and communities from highly destructive gold mining. Under the investor rights agreements, the crime of imposing environmental constraints can be punished on the grounds that it harms potential profits.
Predatory corporations must be guaranteed the right to destroy for profit, whatever the human cost. That is only a tiny sample of what is called “trade,” a category designed, not surprisingly, to enhance the power and privilege of the designers. The public should be concerned, informed, and engaged.”
Noam Chomsky (Contribution to Occupy San Diego on Free Trade Agreements when approached to being part of OSD Free Education Collective Counter-TPP Conference)
