Welcome to PCASC!
Click here to listen to Naomi Klein speak about he r recent book, "The Shock Doctrine", recorded by KBOO on Friday December 7, at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Portland, OR.
Click here to listen to the panel discussion on the Security and Prosperity Partnership recorded by Jim Lockhart on Tuesday April 8 at the First Unitarian Church in Portland, OR.
Analysis/Opinion: Venezuela's Constitutional Reform Referendum
- Democracy is alive and well in Venezuela. How is it doing in Pakistan? by Daniel Bonham
- Elected dictators ? by John Olmsted
- Reflections from the Venezuela Constitutional Reform Referendum by Carlos Martinez, Global Exchange
- Click here to listen to Shizuko Hashimoto and John Olmsted speaking about the Venezula referendum on Barbara Bernstein's show Locus Fous on 90.7fm KBOO radio.
Upcoming Events!
The Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP): A Critical Look at "NAFTA-plus"
When: Tuesday, April 8 * 7:00 pmWhere: First Unitarian Church, Eliot Chapel (SW 12th and Salmon * Portland, OR)
As the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) turns fifeen, more-and-more people are recongizing its faults and demanding a change. Unfortunately, the NAFTA agenda continues to move forward in unanticipated ways. Most Americans, including many dedicated trade activists, have yet to take a critical look at the Security and Prosperity Partnersip (SPP), which is often referred in neighboring countries as "NAFTA-plus."
In this panel discussion, a team of experts from Mexico, Canada and the United States will dissect the economic and security arrangements being forged behind closed doors under the auspices of the SPP. These backroom deals cover everything from water privatization to energy policy; homeland security to public health; transportation to immigration -- all without any real consultation with Congressional branches of government or the general public. This is a topic that deserves our close attention.
Panelists include Manuel Perez Rocha from the Institute for Policy Studies; Carleen Pickard from the Council of Canadians; and Hector Sanchez from Global Exchange. For more info, contact ORFTC at orftc at citizenstrade.org or (503) 736-9777 or visit: http://www.citizenstrade.org/orftc-event.php
============================================
Investing in Conflict: North American Mining Companies, Trickledown Development and Environmental Destruction
When: Thursday April 10, 7-9pmWhere: Metanoia Peace House (2116 NE 18th Ave., Portland)
Conflicts around Canadian-U.S. mining projects in Central America have accelerated since the first recent open pit mines were initiated in Honduras in 2000. What are the causes of these conflicts? Who benefits from these mining operations, and who pays? What is the role of North Americans – governments, private sector and citizens - in allowing these conflicts to continue, and how can we help bring them to and end?
Dawn Paley is an independent journalist and organizer from Vancouver, currently based in San Marcos, Guatemala. She has been researching and writing about the effects of Canadian and U.S. mining projects on the development, enviro- and human rights of people in Southern Mexico, Central and South America for the last five years. Dawn writes for the Dominion Paper, and recently contributed to "Extraction!"; a graphic novel about Canadian extractive companies around the world.
============================================
Un Poquito de Tanta Verdad (A Little Bit of So Much Truth)
When: Friday April 11, 7-8:30pmWhere: Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd.)
In the summer of 2006, a broad-based, non-violent, popular uprising exploded in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Some compared it to the Paris Commune, while others called it the first Latin American revolution of the 21st century.
But it was the people’s use of the media that truly made history in Oaxaca.
A 90-minute documentary, A Little Bit of So Much Truth captures the unprecedented media phenomenon that emerged when tens of thousands of school teachers, housewives, indigenous communities, health workers, farmers, and students took 14 radio stations and one TV station into their own hands, using them to organize, mobilize, and ultimately defend their grassroots struggle for social, cultural, and economic justice.
============================================
Bolivarian Revolution Dance Party! A celebration of the people's power that toppled the US-led coup attempt in Venezuela in 2002.
When: Saturday April 12, 6-11pmWhere: Liberty Hall (311 N. Ivy St.)
Bring your dancing shoes! Come celebrate the 6th anniversary of the Venezuela people rising up to defend their democratically elected president from a US-backed coup attempt. Delicious Venezuelan arepas, beer, salsa lessons, salsa music and dancing! PCASC fundraiser $2-10 sliding scale.
==============================================
Action Alert!
On Tuesday February 19, three Peruvian farmers participating in a strike against the implementation of the Peru Free Trade Agreement were killed in clashes with police.
For more information on how to take action visit: http://stopperufta.org/
==============================================
News
Trade Analysis:
News from Latin America
Immigrant Rights News:
Democracy is alive and well in Venezuela. How is it doing in Pakistan?