Earth Democracy at the Democracy Convention!

Alliance for Democracy is convening the Earth Democracy Conference at this year's Democracy Convention, and you're invited!

The Earth Democracy Conference is one of nine conferences taking place at this year's Democracy Convention, August 7-11 in Madison, Wisconsin.

 Registration is open now, and early registration is a great way to get on the list for first news about convention logistics.


The Earth Democracy Conference builds on the declaration adopted by the Ecojustice People's Movement Assembly at the 2010 US Social Forum: "We support the conclusion that only by 'living well', in harmony with each other and with Mother Earth, rather than 'living better,' based on an economic system of unlimited growth, dominance and exploitation, will the people of this planet not only survive but thrive, and the ecosystems on which all life depends will flourish."



The Earth Democracy Conference is a place to discuss, debate and strategize to ensure that the growing US democracy movement includes those working on the frontlines of eco-justice. 

Join confirmed speakers at the Earth Democracy Conference who are working to make the declaration a reality:



• Arthur Stamoulis, Citizens Trade Campaign
• 
Michael Vickerman, Renew Wisconsin

• David Newby, Pres. Emeritus, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and Pres. Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition

• Linda Sheehan, Earth Law Center

• Jane M. Goddard, Center for Earth Jurisprudence, Barry School of Law

• Carolyn Raffensperger, Science and Environmental Health Network

• Jill Stein, Green Party Presidential Candidate

• The Pachamama Alliance
• 
John Peck, Family Farm Defenders

• Speakers from Indigenous tribal and local communities on the front lines of resistance to Big Energy, Industry and Ag, and from the Sierra Club John Muir Chapter (Madison)
• others to be announced as confirmed.



These are just some of our planned workshops and sessions:

• Climate and Planet Earth Emergency: Big Energy and Industry/ Big Pollution/Big Resistance: learn the issues and non violent resistance strategies from Indigenous tribal and local communities on the front lines in the fights against the XL Pipeline, fracking sand pits, the Penokee Hills Taconite Mine, and high-capacity water pumping.
• The Pachamama’s Alliance Awakening the Dreamer Symposium: a transformational educational workshop to “change the dream of the modern world" and empower participants to investigate their unique role in transforming humanity’s future.


• Earth Democracy Workshop: Teach-In/Teach-Back: interactive discussion of  community initiatives to protect public health and ecosystems: the Precautionary Principle, rights of nature, guardianship, and more. 
• 

Bees, Butterflies and GMO Crops: Say No to Monsanto and Dow Chemical: challenging corporate-controlled agriculture/creating healthy farmer-controlled food systems, including ordinances to protect local food. 
• 

Hands off Mother Earth: Writing Earth Rights into Law: local, national, and international movements and success stories. Local initiatives to protect springs and rivers.
• 

Declare your Community a TPP-Free Zone to establish local democracy and nature’s rights.  The Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement will accelerate plunder of the earth and seriously harm the health of all beings. Learn the TPP basics; how the TPP protects corporate wealth and property, and why the TPP must be stopped.

In our plenary session we'll debunk carbon markets and the neo-liberal “green” economy and discuss how to create a true green economy grounded in climate and environmental justice for all.

Special activities include a food fair featuring produce and products from local farmers, an urban agriculture bike tour, act activism for children, and more.

About the 2013 Democracy Convention
If you want to strengthen democracy where it matters to you… in your community, school, workplace, economy, military, government, media or the Constitution… you will find inspiration in Madison this August at the second national Democracy Convention.
 
The Democracy Convention houses at least nine conferences under one roof, recognizing the importance of each of these separate struggles, as well as the need to unite them all in a common, deeply rooted, broad based democracy movement.

Please register, sign up your organization, business or union as a sponsor, and spread the word by sharing this post on social media and posting this convention button on your website.

Thank you, and see you in Madison!
Nancy Price, Co-Chair
Alliance for Democracy

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Upcoming hearing on agreement between Nestlé Waters and Fryeburg, Maine

Defending Water for Maine organizer Chris Buchanan writes:
There will be a public hearing in Fryeburg, Maine on Thursday, March 7, 6pm on Nestlé's proposed long term contract with the Fryeburg Water Company, a public utility. The hearing will take place at the Fryeburg Legion Hall on Bradley Street across from the Fryeburg Academy gym next to the baseball field.

Everyone who is concerned about the future of our water resources should be present for this public hearing. If this unprecedented large-scale long-term contract goes through between Nestlé Waters North America (Poland Spring) and the Fryeburg Water Company with the blessing of the Public Utility Commission, it will be a precedent setting standard for corporate water extraction from a public water supply in the United States.

Do you want the Fryeburg Water Company locked into a 45 year contract with Nestlé, the largest food and beverage corporation in the world with such a tarnished track record? The cementing of this contract will effect our region in how our water resources will be allocated for our next generation. We face too many environmental instabilities and other variables on the horizon to responsibly agree to this.

We need you all there! Our future water security depends on you.

Please "Like" our Facebook page to stay connected and educated.

Ten things you should know about Nestle / Poland Spring

1. Bottled water is one of the company's key strategic money makers: Nestlé has an annual turnover of about 114 billion – of which almost 10% is derived from the bottled water business.

2. Nestlé has achieved world dominance in the bottled water business by taking over other leading brands as Perrier.

3. Nestlé is constantly buying up additional valuable groundwater resources in order to satisfy the massive demand it has created for bottled water.

4. Nestlé is taking advantage of the often out-of-date water rights in many locations by operating to the limits of legality, not just in developing countries but also in the USA and elsewhere in the industrialized world.

5. Nestlé spares no effort in exerting financial, legal and political pressure on anyone campaigning for water ownership as a public property and human right.

6. Nestlé is using up precious natural water resources to create and commercialize "new" water.

7. Nestlé promotes bottled water with extensive global marketing and advertising campaigns, undermining awareness for the necessity of a functioning public water supply system.

8. Nestlé promotes itself as a benefactor by donation and PR campaigns at local level. But at the same time it manipulates public opinion into believing that improvements in production and distribution are having a sustainable effect.

9. Nestlé creates dependence on bottled water, in particular where public waters supplies are close to collapse, and notably in developing countries.

10. Nestlé's bottled water business is not simply a business like any other. It is a business with the sole natural resource essential for man's survival.

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Updating the end of year update!

Did you recently read our end-of-year 2012 report? It’s already time for an update! In the last few weeks...

• Our Defending Water in Maine campaign has held four “Stop the East/West Corridor” presenter trainings and raised the alert on using this eastern route to send tar-sands oil to the coast for export.
• Vice Co-chair Bonnie Preston presented a workshop at the Pennsylvania Women in Agriculture conference on using local ordinances to protect farm-to-table sales, traditional foodways and local economies from pro-corporate federal regulations, as successfully done in Maine.
• The Populist Dialogues team has produced new shows on wage theft and workers’ rights, access to public transit as a social justice issue, and money in Oregon politics.
• Co-chair Nancy Price met with other members of the Move to Amend executive committee to shape coalition policy for the upcoming year.
• Members continued to lay the groundwork for public banking in Washington DC and Massachusetts.
• In Portland, OR, chapter members and allies scheduled a hearing on a county resolution calling for our Congressional delegation to send a constitutional amendment to the states to end the twin doctrines of corporate personhood and money equals speech.
• In California, Mendocino chapter members and their allies are discussing an ambitious plan to qualify a state ballot initiative to end corporate personhood and money equals speech. Monterey County members are also laying the groundwork for a county-level resolution.

These are reasons to celebrate. An even better reason is that there's more good work coming in 2013. We hope you'll join with us. We also wish you and your communities a happy, peaceful, and fruitful New Year.

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Stamp out big money politics and political bribery!

Move to Amend is on a roll this fall! The Amend-O-Matic, a mobile money-stamping machine, will be crossing the country this fall, stopping to imprint your hard-earned currency with a strong call for an end to corporate personhood and political bribery.

The Amend-O-Matic is part machine and part vehicle--a public art spectacle, information center and money stamping machine. People can insert dollar bills and receive them back imprinted with messages like "Corporations Aren't People. Money Isn't Speech," "Not to Be Used for Bribing Politicians," and "The System Isn't Broken, It's Fixed." When you spend your stamped money, you send the anti-corporate personhood message out through the country.

The Stampede to Amend 2012 Tour kicks off on October 11 with a press conference in Los Angeles. From there, organizers Ashley Sanders and Renae Widdison will drive the “Amend-O-Matic” across the US. You can see the full tour here, but even better, you can help make the tour a success by hosting a stop, and helping to organize a workshop or training on building the anti-corporate personhood movement.

Hosting the Amend-O-Matic
Ashley and Renae will be driving the Amend-O-Matic to a new community each day, generally arriving around mid-day in order to spend some time in a public location, like a community park, downtown, farmer’s market, or art walk, operating the vehicle to stamp people’s cash and spreading the word about the workshop that evening. They will also be available at this time for interviews with local media. Each evening workshop starts at 6 and lasts an hour and a half. Ashley and Renae are experienced community organizers and trainers who can help your community respond to the impacts of corporate rule and join the Move to Amend campaign or engage more support for the work you are already doing.

Your local Alliance chapter or member network, Move to Amend affiliate, or community group would be responsible for helping to identify a good spot for public stamping, securing a venue for the workshop, hosting Ashley and Renae, doing community publicity and outreach for stamping and workshop, bringing in co-sponsoring groups if you can, passing the hat at the workshop to help fund the tour, and organizing a follow-up meeting about two weeks after the event to keep local organizing going.

The Alliance's Tools for Organizing page has lots of material to share with workshop participants. Other organizing material and publicity tips for mainstream and social media is available from Move to Amend. If you are interested in organizing a Move to Amend event in your community, please email stampede@movetoamend.org with your city and state in the subject.

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Public comment period extended on potential Maine water deal; but a public hearing is needed too

Attention Maine residents... Yes, the good news is that the Maine Public Utility Commission has extended the comment period on the proposed new deal between Fryeburg Water Company and Nestlé/Poland Spring. The new deadline is September 24. You can read our previous alert here.

Thanks to everyone who took action to let the PUC know that the public has a right to more time to speak! We are pleased that the Public Advocate’s office called for an extension and give a special shout out to Nisha Swinton with Food and Water Watch who formally petitioned the PUC for an extension.

Now we have to demand a public hearing to force open the door and let the light shine on the backroom deal that the Fryeburg Water Company has struck with Nestlé/Poland Spring.  We know that a public hearing is not a part of the formal record used to decide the case, but neither are decisions made in a vacuum.  The PUC Commissioners need to know that there is widespread objection to this deal.

All three Commissioners have been far too cozy with Nestlé. In our first alert, we called out PUC Chairman Thomas Welch and Commissioner David Littell who both previously worked at Pierce, Atwood which has a long history of representing Nestlé. We should have also mentioned that the third commissioner, Mark Vannoy, worked as an Associate Vice President in the infrastructure and civil practice group at Wright Pierce where he had close associations with Nestlé.

Nestlé has no right to the water for the next 45 years. Fryeburg Water Company has no right to guaranteed profits from selling the spring water to Nestlé.

As a nun once said to a VP of NWNA when we were invited inside after protesting outside,  “Nestlé Water North America….who says the water belongs to you?  It belongs to God.”  Some might say the water belongs to all life.

Water is a fundamental right for people and nature.  Nestlé’s profit should not come before this fundamental right.

ACT TODAY: Call PUC Attorney Matthew Kaply (207) 287-1368 who is in charge of this case. Thank him for the extension and insist on a public hearing.

You can also call or e-mail Karen Geraghty, PUC Administrative Director to whom formal requests are made.  Again, thank her for the extension and insist on a public hearing. Her phone number is  207-287-3831, or email karen.geraghty [at] maine.gov

As before, you can sign in as a registered public user on the PUC website and post specific comments which will go to the staff and Commissioners. http://www.maine.gov/mpuc/online/index.shtml   Put in Case No. 2008-00052

The pdf of the filed agreement is here.

Thanks for all you do!
Ruth Caplan and Chris Buchanan
Defending Water for Life in Maine

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Sample letter to the editor on the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Letter to the editor are one of the most-read sections of the paper, and an excellent way to get the public informed and interested in issues that might not make it into the mainstream media.

Here's a model letter to the editor on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, written by a member of the Alliance's North Bridge (Concord, MA) chapter--a timely issue since Round 14 of negotiations are underway through September 15 in Leesburg, Virginia.

Feel free to adapt this letter to local concerns--job losses overseas? A congress member who's bad (or good) on fair trade issues? Strong local support for labor or environmental regulations that might be undercut by this agreement?

If you get your letter published, let us know and we'll link to it here and on our Facebook page.

For the past two years, the nations of the Pacific Rim (including the United States) have been negotiating a massive "trade" agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The proceedings have been kept secret from Congress and the public, but representatives of the major multi-national corporations are primary participants. They are developing a new world order that will raise corporate rights above those of people and governments. Leaks reveal it to be a wish list of corporate giveaways like those from NAFTA and the World Trade Organization, only much more so. Its effects would be to:

1. Severely limit the ability of governments at all levels to regulate foreign corporations operating within the United States. Indeed, it would give them greater rights than domestic firms.

2. Provide American companies with even greater incentives to ship jobs overseas to countries with low wages and weak environmental laws.

3. Allow foreign corporations to sue governments for any laws that reduce potential future profits. These include laws for consumer, labor, or environmental protection and that give buy-local preferences. These would be tried in special international trade tribunals whose judges are the same attorneys that work for the multi-national corporations. History so far has shown that the corporations always win these cases in these biased courts.

Just as with similar agreements, the plan is to present it to Congress for a rapid vote before its full implications can be digested and debated. This massive usurpation of our rights to the altar of corporate profits and power must be stopped. Congress and citizens must insist that these negotiating sessions for the TPP be opened up to full public scrutiny and exposed as the giant corporate giveaway that they are.

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Are you a Maine resident? Tell the Public Utilities Commission "no deals with Nestlé in Fryeburg"

Ruth Caplan and Chris Buchanan of Defending Water in Maine report: 
We’ve just learned that the private Fryeburg Water Company wants to seal a deal with Nestlé/Poland Spring to guarantee that Nestlé buys at least 75 million gallons of spring water per year for the next 25 years with the option to extend for up to four additional five-year terms – a total of 45 years.

According to a news story in the Conway Daily Sun on Friday, “The two companies have had a state-approved agreement since 2008, but the proposed changes mean the agreement will need to be reviewed by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.”

The newspaper reports: “The PUC announced it is currently accepting public comment on the proposal. The comment period is open through Sept. 4.”

There are many reasons to oppose a private contract requiring Nestlé to buy "at least 75 million gallons per year." But the first step is to call for an extension of time for public comment and for a public hearing.

ACT TODAY! 

Call PUC Attorney Matthew Kaply (207) 287-1368 who is in charge of this case and demand that the public comment period be extended at least to the end of September. Also call for a public hearing.

You can also sign in as a registered public user on the PUC website and post specific comments which will go to the staff and Commissioners.

Here are a few talking points.
• The public comment period must be extended at least to the end of September. The original period of two weeks during peak vacation time and over Labor Day weekend is totally unacceptable.

• The issues need to be aired in a public hearing, not just hidden away on the PUC website.

• PUC Chairman Thomas Welch and Commissioner Littell should recuse themselves from this case due to their past association with Pierce, Atwood which has a long history of representing Nestlé. Commissioner Littell was an attorney at Pierce, Atwood from 1992-2003, the last four years as a partner.

• Water is a fundamental right for people and nature. Nestlé’s profit should not come before these fundamental rights.

• Only the Fryeburg Water Company will get to decide if there is a water shortage in Fryeburg allowing less water to be sold to Nestlé, not the local residents or businesses. Then only for 60 days! FWC has a financial interest in denying there is any shortage. Town residents and local businesses will suffer while Nestlé will have its guaranteed 75 million gallons per year to bottle and ship around the country.

• This proposed 25-year contract would set a precedent for the state. Nestlé could refer to this in future cases anywhere in the state.

• The PUC must reject this proposed agreement. Here is the pdf of the filed agreement.

Thanks! Ruth and Chris

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Populist Dialogues focuses on energy and environment, plus more resources for the September 22 Global Frackdown

Alliance for Democracy's Portland chapter produces the interview show "Populist Dialogues," hosted by AfD co-chair David Delk, and featuring activists, writers, and educators on an incredible variety of policy topics.

Here are a few of the shows they've done in the past year on energy and environment. If you're thinking of actions that can continue past the Global Frackdown, why not share these with your city through your community cable television station? They're available for rebroadcast free through PEGMedia, or you can request dvds to share at meetings by contacting the Alliance for Democracy office.

There are more video and print resources on fracking at the end of this post, so keep scrolling down!

Solutions to Jobs/Climate Crisis
David Delk interviews Dave King, Portland Jobs with Justice, and Ted Gleichman with Oregon Sierra Club LNG subcommittee on the dual problems of the jobs crisis and the climate crisis. Looks at how the solution to one should be the solution to the other and what some of those solutions are. First broadcast June 3, 2012




There's a coal train comin'! 
David interviews Laura Stevens of the Sierra Clubs campaign to stop using coal and opposing the building of coal export terminals in Oregon and Washington. First broadcast May 13, 2012


Community Based, Rights Based Organizing
Paul Cienfuegos, founder of Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County in California, says that we need to cease being stuck in single issue campaigns and look at how we challenge corporate power. Democratically-instituted rights-based ordinances have challenged the corporate "right" to pollute or extract resources in Maine, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. Here's how they work. First broadcast 1-1-12

 


How do Feed-In Tariff work to rapidly jump start production of renewable energy and produce good paying jobs?


David talks with Judy Barnes, co-founder of Oregonian for Renewable Energy Policy, on the use of Feed-In Tariffs to address the global climate crisis by quickly jump starting the production of renewable energy sources and good paying green jobs at the same time. First broadcast on 5-22-11




And from other groups, elsewhere online: 
In this “Viewpoint” web exclusive, Josh Fox, environmental activist and director of “Gasland,” talks about fracking and his new “emergency film,” The Sky is Pink about the impact of fracking on NY state, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo is considering allowing fracking in just a few counties.

 “Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources: Separating the Frack from the Fiction” by the Pacific Institute, Oakland, CA, is an excellent source for detailed information, charts and maps on the threat of natural gas fracking to our fresh water resources and health.

“Scientists Tell Senate Panel: Climate Change Is Here and Disaster Costs Will Be Huge”

 “Common Sense: Banning Fracking at the Local Level” Go to the Fracking Action Center for:  “How Much Do You Know About Fracking?,” “Why Ban Fracking?,” “Hazards to Drinking Water Aren’t the Only Reasons,” “Ready to Ban Fracking?,” “Your Efforts to Grow the Movement are WORKING,” and much more.

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September 22: Join the Global Frackdown Day of Action

On September 22 Alliance for Democracy joins the growing coalition in the Global Frackdown Day of Action calling for a global ban on fracking.

Join this growing and powerful people’s movement to ban fracking not just in the U.S., but world-wide. This is one big step toward environmental and climate justice that will help secure national and international peace and freedom now and for future generations.

Alliance for Democracy is one of many hundreds of partner endorsing organizations. Sign on here as an AfD chapter, member network, or as an individual. Encourage your union, professional organization, community group or faith group to sign up too.

As a partner organization, we’ll have the opportunity to:

• Have local events featured on the Global Frackdown website with a link to our website and each scheduled event
• Increase media attention locally by tying the local event to the global day of action
• Have sample materials for use on the day of action, including: a media advisory template, events page to track registrations, and editable flyers 
• Create a powerful counter-narrative to the “dirty” energy industry’s PR by having coordinated, unified actions across the world.

Start now to plan a dynamic community action for September 22 
This could be a film screening, a potluck where participants can take photos with signs opposing fracking, a petition-signing to send to local and state legislators, or higher visibility events like constructing a fracking rig in a public space, coming together to make a human sign… just use your imagination. We’ll post your event to the AfD website and Facebook page.

Have a house party and show Gasland the award-winning documentary by Josh Fox. By the DVD on Amazon and use this Home Screening Tool Kit.

Go beyond the call to ban fracking by promoting solutions like Oregonians for Renewable Energy: OREP and the use of feed-in tariffs to jump start locally produced renewable and job creation at the same time. Print out OREP’s “Democratizing the Grid: A Sustainable Energy Future for Oregon”  brochure and distribute at you local September 22 event.

Educate your community on the impact of “dirty fuels” on the environment, public health, and global warming, and the renewable energy alternative now being pioneered by OREP, by requesting that your local public access TV station play these interview programs of leading activists on Populist Dialogues, available for free broadcast through PEGMedia.

This Global Frackdown will focus international attention to the oil and gas industry’s pro-fracking propaganda. Natural gas fracking IS NOT green energy. And with U.S. consumption down due to conservation, fuel-efficient vehicles, and a glut of natural gas that has reduced profits in the U.S., the rush to increase natural gas production in the U.S. is not for “energy independence,” but for export requiring thousands of miles of new pipe and rail lines to the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific with huge terminal complexes planned for Washington and Oregon. Why subsidize “dirty” oil, gas and coal? Why not subsidize a sustained transition to true, green renewable energy, now?

In this “Viewpoint” web exclusive, Josh Fox, environmental activist and director of “Gasland,” talks about fracking and his new “emergency film,” The Sky is Pink about the impact of fracking on NY state, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo is considering allowing fracking in just a few counties.

Suggested reading
“Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources: Separating the Frack from the Fiction” by the Pacific Institute, Oakland, CA, is an excellent source for detailed information, charts and maps on the threat of natural gas fracking to our fresh water resources and health materials take.

“Scientists Tell Senate Panel: Climate Change Is Here and Disaster Costs Will Be Huge” 

“Common Sense: Banning Fracking at the Local Level”

Go to the Fracking Action Center for:  “How Much Do You Know About Fracking?,” “Why Ban Fracking?,” “Hazards to Drinking Water Aren’t the Only Reasons,” “Ready to Ban Fracking?,” “Your Efforts to Grow the Movement are WORKING,” and much more.

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Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 12: Congress to vote on FTAs

It's time to make one more call. Jobs and justice are on the line!

If you have not spoken out against these trade agreements, now must be the time. If you have called, speak out again. Please contact your senators and representative at 1-800-718-1008 and tell them NO Colombia, Panama, or South Korean FTAs.

These three undemocratic and job-killing free trade agreements will be voted on tomorrow by Congress.

We've sent out several alerts as these agreements have worked their way closer to a vote, and we thank you for speaking out against them.

All of these FTAs allow corporate attacks on democratic laws, and will result in the loss of US jobs and the further abuse of communities overseas. And each of the three agreements undermines the democratic process and the common wealth in its own way, whether it's the Panama FTA making it tougher for our government to go after money launderers and tax evaders, to the South Korea FTA creating trade protections for sweatshop-made goods in other countries, to the Colombia FTA "rewarding" those in power for their poor protection of labor rights. For more background information, see these posts on our blog.

Congress needs to hear that the big-budget corporate backers behind these agreements, like the US Chamber of Commerce, don't speak for the majority of Americans. Call Congress at 1-800-718-1008 and demand fair trade policies that promote workplace rights, environmental justice, and democratic governance, create good jobs, and build sustainable local economies. Thank you.

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Demand clean, safe drinking water for all California communities! Call to support SB244 today!

Note new phone number! 

Californians, urgent action is needed on SB 244, one of the four bills in the Human Right to Water package.

These four bills, seeking clean drinking water for all, have passed both houses of the California legislature, but Governor Brown is being pressured to veto SB 244, the bill that will require municipalities and other water service districts to make plans to serve low-income communities that have been “redlined” out of water and sanitation services. Often these communities are islands within a municipality whose residents have safe drinking water.

We need your help to let Governor Brown know that SB 244 is important. Call the Governor today at 916-445-2842 916-445-2841.

Script:  "I am calling to ask Governor Brown to sign SB 244 into law."

 Don’t be discouraged by a busy signal. Dial again. You will have to push through the automated system to record your support for SB 244. Be patient and persistent--you may initially get a busy signal and there will be buttons to push and an operator to speak to!  But continue and complete the process, so that your voice will be heard and your request recorded.

Thanks in advance from AfD's Defending Water for Life campaign!

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Tuesday, October 4: A national call-in to Congress may be our last chance to make our voices heard on FTAs

Right after we sent this out to our email list, we learned that all three FTAs have been sent to Congress. It's time to call now!

Tell your representative and senators that you’ve had enough of "free trade" deals. Now is the time to say “NO” to the Colombia, Panama and South Korea FTAs. Call 1-800-718-1008 today!

• Don’t give corporations more power to attack US federal and state labor, health and environmental laws. Technical Barriers to Trade clauses are undemocratic and favor corporate profits over people and nature. All three FTAs contain investor protection clauses that allow corporations to sue to overturn democratically-enacted laws.

• With 25 million Americans searching for full-time jobs, we can’t afford trade agreements that off-shore jobs, out-source services and manufacturing, and hurt workers and working families. We need jobs here at home.

There's a lot wrong with these FTAs:

• The South Korea FTA is the biggest deal since NAFTA and will displace an estimated 159,000 jobs. In every state, manufacturing, high tech, and green sector jobs will be at risk. The South Korea FTA allows goods to be protected as "Made in South Korea,” even if most of the manufacturing takes place in other countries, for instance, sweatshops in Burma or North Korea—countries notorious for their human rights abuses.

• Colombia is the trade unionist murder capitol of the world, including 55 murdered in 2010. In 2011, 22 have been killed to date, despite promises from the Colombian government to stop these killings.

• Panama has become a haven for foreign tax evaders and money-laundering, but the Panama FTA would make it tougher for the US government to investigate and prosecute those who hide their money there. Don't we need these lost tax dollars to support job creation and to rebuild our failing infrastructure?

Don't believe the hype coming from big business lobbyists like the US Chamber of Commerce, or from Congress members ready to vote for the corporations who fund their campaigns rather than the people of their districts or states.

These agreements won't create jobs or rebuild the economy—but they will benefit the well-off and well-connected few at the expense of communities, democracy and working people here and overseas.

We need fair trade policies that promote workplace rights and safety and build sustainable local economies. The first step toward those goals is to stop these bad deals now. Make the calls and speak out. And thanks for all you do for democracy!

In Alliance,
Nancy Price, David e. Delk, Ruth Caplan and Barbara Clancy

Need contact info?

See this page for Senate contact information, and this page for House members. A phone call carries much more weight than an on-line comment, so we ask you to please take a few minutes on Tuesday, October 4 – National Call-In Day and contact these offices directly. Let us know what response you receive! Email afd@thealliancefordemocracy, or call 781-894-1179.

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Don't give corporations more power to attack US laws

Technical Barriers to Trade clauses are another reason to oppose the South Korean, Colombian and Panamanian FTAs

by David e. Delk, co-chair, Alliance for Democracy
President Obama has recently promoted three Bush regime-negotiated bilateral "Free Trade Agreements" (FTA's) with South Korea, Panama and Columbia. He claims these agreements are essential to creating jobs here in the U.S. In fact, he advocated for these agreements in his job creation address to Congress last week.

From the history of other trade agreements, we know that in fact trade agreements have resulted in a net loss of U.S. jobs. This will be particularly true for South Korea. The economies of Panama and Colombia are so small that very few jobs could possibly result.

Equally important, these bilateral agreements, just like CAFTA and NAFTA, empower corporations to sue our government directly in undemocratic trade tribunals whenever they believe that government regulation or law represents a barrier to trade, especially if future profits are alleged to be threatened!

This means that environmental protection, public health, or laws and regulations in any other area where human needs come into conflict with the corporate bottom line could be challenged and overturned by secret trade tribunals.

I offer the examples below to show the importance of strongly opposing these agreements.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has reached two new decisions this month which further empower corporations, overriding local decision making in favor of decisions made at the international level by privately empowered WTO trade tribunals. A third decision is expected within days.

The three decisions involve the WTO...

Banning the voluntary labeling of canned tuna as "Dolphin Safe"—these labels are illegal because they're restrictive of trade, says the WTO. Mexico won this case against the U.S.

Hindering efforts to reduce teen smoking—the US had, among other actions, banned the sale of clove and other types of flavored cigarettes as being "trainers" by cigarette companies to get youth addicted to smoking. Can't be banned, says the WTO. Indonesia won this case against the U.S.

Banning country of origin labeling of beef and other meat products--the US required country of origin labels after the mad cow and e.coli scares of the 1990s. The WTO is expected to say no dice. Our neighbors Canada and Mexico brought this case against the U.S.

These decisions are based on trade language called "technical barriers to trade" which is part of just about all trade agreements. Health provisions, environmental protection, worker safety—all are technical barriers to trade in the world of "free trade" promoted by these agreements.

Under the WTO, countries have to sue on behalf of their corporations. With bilateral agreements allowing for corporations to sue governments directly, we can expect even more harmful decisions.

Prior to the advent of these trade agreements, American states or the U.S. Congress were able to decide on these types of rules and laws. Now an international trade tribunal decides with no recourse to the American court or legislative systems. With every such decision, our ability to be a sovereign people is diminished. Sovereignty indicates who gets to decide. It is clearly not "We, the People" any more.

Take action now!
Move now to stop the web of corporate power from further attacks on democratic decision making. Call your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and demand that they vote against the U.S.-Korea, U.S.-Colombia, and U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreements.

David e. Delk,
Co-chair, Alliance for Democracy

Need contact info?
You can call the White House at 202-456-1111. See this page for Senate contact information, and this page for House members. A phone call carries much more weight than an on-line comment, so we ask you to please take a few minutes and contact these offices directly. Let us know what response you receive! Email afd@thealliancefordemocracy, or call 781-894-1179.

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So now what?

Mitt Romney's "corporations are people" gaffe spotlights a pervasive political mindset based on expediency: candidates claim that corporations are people because the Supreme Court said so, but mostly because the people who own and manage certain very large corporations give certain candidates a great deal of money with which to campaign and win elected office. And, of course, with the Citizens United decision, a corporation can mount a campaign for a favored candidate on their own, although it's more discrete to funnel the money into a SuperPAC.

So what do real people do?

Why not a flashmob action? Get some friends together. Hold up a sign or pick a well-known local spot so people know where you are. Make noise and chant... "Who Are the People, We are the People, Move to Amend that corporations are not people!"

Post the video online and send us the link, and we'll post it here and on our Facebook page. Or see some of the other street theater action ideas here.

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Franklin the Frog learns how our government works

Franklin the Frog learns about democracy and citizen action! Have you called your Congress members about the Colombia, Panama, and South Korea FTAs yet? Our most recent action alert is here. After you make the call, you can reward yourself by watching this funny video.

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On July 4, declare independence from corporate rule!

What are you doing this July 4th? Need inspiration?

On July 4, 1997, AfD founder Ronnie Dugger and Al Krebs, a former AfD national council member and a great defender of family farms, stood side by side in front of the Liberty Bell. Each read his own version of a "Declaration of Independence from Corporate Rule."

Now, nearly 15 years later, we are still trying to keep "the big corporations and the centimillionaires and billionaires" from turning the halls of government into their private clubhouse, and still building the real democracy we need.

Do your bit! It's not too late to get together with fellow activists and plan your own July 4 action. Check out the ideas sent in by groups and individuals and posted here on the Move to Amend website. Dress as a Supreme Court "In-Justice." Be as outrageous as the idea that corporations are entitled to the same constitutional rights as real people.

Bring along copies of this "Declaration of Independence from Corporate Rule" that Nancy Price, AfD liaison to Move to Amend, helped to write. You can print out a large version or a two-to-a-sheet flier from the Move to Amend's organizing resources, or a four-to-a-sheet version on our "Tools for Organizing" page.

Thanks for all you do for democracy, and have a great 4th!

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What you can do to protect renewable energy development in Oregon

Thanks to strong citizen advocacy and progressive political leadership, Oregon is deservedly known as a national leader in the response to climate change and the transition away from fossil fuels for electricity generation.

All that is now at risk due to proposed state budget cuts, cuts that will drastically impact Oregon's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency funding. But with your help, we can stop these short-sighted cuts to our renewable energy programs.

Oregonians for Renewable Energy Policy (OREP) is working to preserve this funding. Join with OREP's efforts from now through the end of the legislative session in mid-June to continue Oregon's progress toward a sustainable energy future. And support OREP today with a donation, to keep its advocacy strong.

How bad are the cuts? The Tax Credit Subcommittee of Ways and Means and Senate and House leadership want to put a $10 million cap on all types of tax credits. They plan to:

• Cut the available Residential Energy Tax Credit by 97%, from $34 million to $1 million.
• Cut the Business Energy Tax Credit more than 99% (from $300 million for renewables alone in 2009-11 to $2 million to cover both renewables and conservation in 2011-13).

To find out more, read "BETC Facing Massive Cutbacks" here.

Our elected officials need to hear from us NOW!

Short term savings on renewable energy tax credits will cost Oregonians and their economy more in the long term:

• more for oil--including the costs of military actions to secure overseas supplies
• more for public health damaged by air pollution and climate change
• more for climate-related damage to our environment, agriculture, fishing, and forests
• more job loss in our growing green jobs sector

It's time to let your legislators know that support for clean energy is a priority, not a luxury. Fossil fuel is not our future, and the "innovative" extractive projects now underway, like the Alberta Tar Sands, create far more pollution, corruption, and destruction.

OREP has long advocated for a more stable and cost-effective financing method for renewable energy and conservation programs. They still do. It is the same funding tool Germany so successfully used to become the world’s leader in solar energy and is the reason why it can now confidently declare it will shut all its nuclear plants by 2022. Ontario, Canada is also using the guaranteed pricing structure tool (aka feed-in tariff) to shut down all its coal plants by 2014. Use of this policy tool has also created hundreds of thousands of good jobs.

Maintaining a reasonable level of maintenance funding until we have an alternative in place will preserve our prior investment. So severely de-funding the programs that built Oregon’s reputation sends the wrong message to Oregon’s citizens, to our children and the entire nation, who look to Oregon for leadership.

Responsible leadership requires a measured transition to a more stable financing mechanism while not losing our prior public investment.


What you can do!

• Write letters and follow up with phone calls to your state senator and representative asking them to preserve Oregon's commitment to a clean energy future. Also contact House Co-Speakers Arnie Roblan and Bruce Hanna, Senate President Peter Courtney, Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum and Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli. Address: 900 Court St. NE, Salem, OR 97301 PH: 503-986-1000.
• Call Governor Kitzhaber and ask him to play an active role in the State Legislature to retain Oregon's leadership position on clean energy (Comment line: 503-378-4582 )
• Become a Facebook friend to OREP and share these action items with your network
• Support OREP’s work with as generous a donation as you can. OREP’s groundbreaking work on the state’s Feed-In Tariff program has led to real progress in development of local, small-scale solar electric production—“democratizing the grid” to ensure a cleaner, and fairer, energy future. For more information on OREP, please visit their website, OregonRenewables.com

Only the voice of Oregon's citizens demanding responsible leadership will preserve our clean energy future. Please take action now to keep Oregon's renewable energy programs a model for the nation, and to preserve our environment, our economy, and our public health.

Thank you,
Nancy Price, AfD Co-chair
David e. Delk, AfD Co-chair

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Tax Day for us, Tax Holiday for them... unless we say no way!

Another tax season closes and the media is once again full of stories about how major corporations and the few who profit the most from them are ducking their obligation to pay their fair share of taxes.

Between tax shelters and loopholes, creative accounting and squadrons of lawyers, the most wealthy and the corporate elite have made sure that the costs of sustaining "the richest nation in the world" will fall most heavily on the majority--middle and working class Americans, the working poor, and the unemployed.

And to keep us from going broke, despite all that wealth out there, its the poor, elders, the sick, and youth who'll give up the most in cuts to social programs, health care, support for students, and job creation programs.

It’s time for us to raise our voices and our signs. When we pay, and the corporations don’t, it shows how the elite 1% are steering economic and tax policy in a way that benefits private fortunes at the expense of our common wealth. How? By using personhood "rights" to corrupt our candidates and office-holders with big-money donations.

This tax day, have your say. Join an action--there are more than 80 nationwide--starting Friday, April 15 and continuing through the federal tax deadline on Monday April 18. Join with our allies in the Coffee Party in saying that "trickle-down" economics has got to stop. Join with US Uncut http://www.usuncut.org/ in calling for an end to cutbacks until the rich and "corporate persons" pay their fair share.

If you're participating in tax-day protests or actions, or you just want to help spread the word, print out some of these signs. The original pdfs can be copied on ledger size paper or reduced by 61% for letter size home printers.

• "Tax Day for the People, Tax Holiday for the Corporations
• "Tax Corporate Profits"
• "We Won't Pay for Crony Corporate Giveaways"

And check out these organizing materials, for more on the link between corporate personhood, political bribery and a dysfunctional and non-representative government.

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On April 4, Alliance for Democracy calls you to stand up for economic justice and workers rights

Why should "we the people" suffer cuts in services because of the Federal and state budget crisis we did not create? The people and corporations who created this crisis are not paying! Using tax breaks, tax dodges, tax write-offs, and off-shore tax havens pushed through state legislatures and Congress, the wealthy and corporations pay little or zero in state and federal taxes taxes. We must hold them accountable.

Resistance, popular movements and mobilization are growing fast. This past Saturday in London, 500,000 people marched to protest public spending cuts and corporate tax dodgers. In the U.S., there were protests in more than 40 cities to oppose tax cuts for the wealthy, while public services for the poor, the middle class, students, seniors, and the sick are cut.

Join in the movement for economic and social justice and peace
Monday, April 4: "A Time to Break Silence"
Join the "We Are One" Mobilization
On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, where he had come to stand with sanitation workers on strike for more than sixty days. These workers demanded collective bargaining rights, better pay, and an end to discriminatory and dangerous working conditions. 

Now, forty-three years later, workers across the country are fighting for the same rights, especially in states where GOP governors are carrying out drastic budget cuts. 


On April 4, 1967, King's speech at Riverside Church in Manhattan, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,” marked his movement from civil rights to a critique of capitalism.  Read “Beyond Capitalism: A Revolution of Values," in Justice Rising.

King called for a “revolution of values,” a shift from a “thing-oriented” society to a “person-oriented” society.

He envisioned “a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class and nation."

He cautioned, “a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” 



Across the country, beginning with worship services over the April 1 weekend, and continuing through the week of April 4, unions, people of faith, civil and human rights activists, students and other progressive allies will host community- and workplace-focused actions. 



Join or organize a local action--whether it's a march, teach-in, vigil, film screening – a day to be creative, but clear: We are one. Ideas for action are here.

Find a local event or add your own event to the growing list of activities here. Jobs with Justice has resources on their website.

Tuesday, April 5: National Teach-In on Debt, Austerity, Corporate Domination and How People Are Fighting Back
The Teach-in is organized by a coalition of groups and hosted by Frances Fox Piven and Cornel West and over 70 campuses are participating. Find one near you here. This Teach-In will hear from people on the ground fighting and building the movement to resist and roll-back the corporate domination by banks, energy companies and war profiteers.

Listen to the live web-cast Teach-In beginning at 2:00 EDT pm here.

For those in NYC, the event at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, is free and open to the public.

Download or request materials from our "Tools for Organizing" page. And tell us what you did, so that your actions can inspire other AfD members to get involved with the fight for economic justice and an end to corporate rule.

We call on our members to join these events. Add your voice to the millions calling for an end to business-funded attacks on workers' rights. Demand economic justice for the vast majority of Americans, an end to giveaways and subsidies for the corporate elite, and an end to austerity cuts to schools, job creation, public health, and other vital programs.

Thanks for all you do,
For Alliance for Democracy,
Nancy Price and David e. Delk, co-chairs

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Call today to stop South Korean US FTA

Alliance for Democracy, with our allies in the Alliance for Responsible Trade and the Citizens Trade Campaign, urge you to act now to stop the biggest trade agreement since NAFTA.

Last July, more than 100 members of the House of Representatives wrote to Pres. Obama saying: “it is unthinkable to consider moving forward on another job-killing FTA.” And last September over 550 diverse organizations, including the Alliance and the Portland AfD Chapter, joined together to oppose the Korea FTA in a letter to Pres. Obama.

Learn More:
• Need background info? See this post on our blog.
• The Oregon Fair Trade Campaign has an excellent Toolkit that explains the impact of KORUS on that state and links to videos of their Teach-In.
• Watch AfD’s Portland Chapter show, "Populist Dialogues" with David Delk interviewing Arthur Stamoulis, Executive Diretor of the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign

Now is the time to act!

Friday, February 25: National Call-in Day to Local Congressional District Offices

Rumors are that Pres. Obama will soon bring the South Korea Free Trade Agreement to the floor for Congressional approval.

See below for a call-in script. Emphasize that the KORUS, the South Korea Free Trade Agreement, is opposed by both organized labor and tea party people. Left or right, “we the people” know that so-called free trade agreements are disastrous for workers rights and job security at home or abroad.

KORUS will:
• increase job loss
• increase the US trade deficit
• leave both countries vulnerable to attack under NAFTA-like anti-democratic “investor rights” provisions that challenge environmental, health, land-use and zoning laws, public health, financial regulations and more.

If KORUS passes, the Colombia and Panama FTAs, already negotiated by Pres. Bush, will soon follow.

Find information for your Congressperson here and be sure to click to find his or her local (rather than DC) number.

Need a script?
“I urge you to reject any attempts to pass the KORUS Free Trade Agreement with South Korea. Free Trade Agreements are unpopular across the political spectrum and elected officials who support KORUS will certainly alienate voters, including me. Polls by the Wall Street Journal and Pew Research Center show that over 60% of both tea party sympathizers and union members oppose FTAs. KORUS would be the biggest FTA since NAFTA, and is just as bad for working families. I strongly oppose it and the Colombia and Panama FTAs that are also pending. I urge Rep. _________ to do so as well and to support instead the TRADE (Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment Act.”

Thank you for taking action! Let’s stop KORUS as the first step to ending undemocratic “free trade” agreements and building an economy that sustains communities, ecosystems and human rights.

Nancy Price and David e. Delk, Co-chairs

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