Stop "Plan Mexico" (Merida Initiative) : AZ IMC

Hello activists:

We need you to take action to Stop Plan Mexico now.

As you likely know NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) has resulted in the loss of millions of jobs, and restricts U.S., Mexican, and Canadian governments' options to address URGENT health care and environmental problems. Under "NAFTA-plus - the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) - trinational negotiators continue to chip away at our rights and living standards, but now without even public knowledge of the procedures and the decisions that affect our lives.

Yet the U.S. Congress and President Bush - in bed with corporate interests - have ignored popular opposition and passed more Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)! And, under Plan Mexico, Bush wants to send more lethal aid to the Mexican security forces involved in beating and murdering anti-globalization activists.

Take action today to Stop Plan Mexico:
http://www.witnessforpeace.org/mexico/planmexicoactnow.html

FTAs have undermined national government's ability to protect their own citizens from industry's recklessness regarding u.s./mexican health, safety and environmental protection. And as a new report by Public Citizen reveals, many of the promises made by Obama and Clinton regarding Health Care, Labor and Climate Change could be preempted by NAFTA. And growing opposition to NAFTA is not going unnoticed by promoters of corporate-managed trade.

Opposition to NAFTA in Mexico is huge and activists in Mexico are threatened by increased militarization under Bush's Plan Mexico. (see recent crackdown on labor activists http://www.usw.org/usw/program/content/4374.php). Laura Carlsen, the Director of the Americas Policy Program of the Center for International Policy (http://www.americaspolicy.org) has persuasively argued that defeating Plan Mexico is one of the top three challenges this year to attempts to build more just and peaceful relationships with Latin America:

http://americas.irc-online.org/am/4902

And defeating Plan Mexico is within out grasp! It is opposed by United Steelworkers, Global Exchange, Witness for Peace, Friends of Brad Will, and Drug Policy Alliance (among others) in the U.S. and many more throughout Mexico.

Take action today to Stop Plan Mexico:
http://www.witnessforpeace.org/mexico/planmexicoactnow.html

Unlike the behind-the-scenes negotiations of the SPP, funding for the $550 million plan must be approved by the U.S. Congress. We have an opportunity to make our voices heard to our Congressional representatives! Plan Mexico would not effectively support Mexico's fight against organized crime or improve the binational relationship. The "aid" in Plan Mexico goes to corrupt & brutal Mexican security forces and U.S. defense companies!

U.S. citizens and organizations can call their congress people and issue public statements of opposition to Plan Mexico to rally and defeat it!

The stakes are high: as opposition to the NAFTA trade model has swept the Western Hemisphere, recent demonstrations in Peru resulted in police murdering 4 farmers opposed to the Peru Free Trade pact. And activism in Mexico against NAFTA and NAFTA-expansion takes place in an increasingly hostile and dangerous environment.

Anyone have contacts w/health care advocates and climate change people to urge they issue a statement against Plan Mexico which is the first step of NAFTA-Plus?

You can TAKE ACTION TODAY on behalf of U.S. and Mexican anti-NAFTA activists!

Here's a backgrounder and action alert on Plan Mexico:

http://www.witnessforpeace.org/mexico/planmexicoactnow.html

TAKE ACTION THROUGH THE LINK ABOVE. And send us your statements opposing Plan Mexico.

MEET WITH YOUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE"S OFFICE SOON!!!