http://www.fairtradewatch.org/fairtradedef.html
I don't know if you have a copy of the Congressional Democrat's letter and if you don't, I would be happy to send it to you.
Here in Ohio, In my humble opinion, I think we are doing all we can do. We have the best leadership at all levels and the most motivated rank&file in the country.
Katha, I'd suggest to you, that you talk to Vic Navasky about moving the Nation's headquarters to the mid-west bible belt; I'll bet Paul Newman might even go for it. After all he is originally from Cleveland isn't he?
You could look at it as a compromise between you and the great Cockburn. The Nation would save money and circulation would probably quadruple in no time.
Tom Lehman
Seth Ackerman wrote:
> Tom, you know that the US government calls the shots as far as the world
> economy is concerned. So the only way we can possibly change the world
> economy in the interests of people other than GE and Citicorp is to apply
> pressure on the government of the USA. But that pressure has to come from
> both inside the US -- meaning the Steelworkers, Naderites, etc. And from
> outside the US -- meaning Brazil, Malaysia, Korea, etc. Otherwise it just
> won't succeed.
>
> How can we keep up our solidarity with those folks if our message is "keep
> out foreign steel" while their message is "open the US market"? Shouldn't
> we start thinking about an agenda that Koreans and Ohioans can both fight
> for? What would that look like?
>
> Seth
>
> Tom wrote:
>
> > Doug, you would probably be very surprised to know what goes on as far as
> > contacts between the Steelworkers and other international unions around
> > the
> > globe.
> >
> > It's not in my place to discuss these type of contacts or what they mean.
> > Don't
> > kid yourself, international relations among labor unions is a dangerous
> > game. A
> > good friend of mine and our finest expert on international relations and a
> > very
> > healthy gentleman came down with a mysterious illness after an
> > international
> > labor meeting in the Middle East a couple of years ago; even at my lowly
> > level I
> > got questions like,"was he poisoned?"
> >
> > Or maybe you recall when the four AFL-CIO conventioneers got machine
> > gunned in
> > Latin America some years ago. Obviously, someone took the four of them
> > for
> > someone serious. If I remember correctly our government wasn't sure
> > whether it
> > was the army or the police of the country they were visiting that did the
> > shooting.
> >
> > Also, here's something to think about did you know that posting foreign
> > news
> > releases is probably illegal under American law; and this has nothing to
> > do with
> > intellectual property rights.
> >
> > I know you cosmopolitans, know all about the world and have spent your
> > summers
> > hiking in Tibet etc.etc.etc.
> >
> > Tom
> >
> >
> > Doug Henwood wrote:
> >
> > > Seth Ackerman wrote:
> > >
> > > >The media have been full of abuse for the Seattle protests. One of
> > their
> > > >favorite debating points has been to claim that the developing
> > countries
> > > >adore the WTO, and fear only that perfidious Northern unions will
> > impose
> > > >labor standards. This of course ignores that the Third World unions and
> > > >development groups have fiercely opposed the WTO agenda accross the
> > board --
> > > >intellectual property rights, investment policy, competition,
> > agriculture,
> > > >government procurement, etc.
> > > >
> > > >However... What to make of the fact that nearly half of the 50,000 who
> > > >braved the Seattle police department were Steelworkers and others from
> > the
> > > >AFL-CIO? On the one hand, as Doug points out, they contributed much to
> > the
> > > >Seattle demos and the success of the protest owes much to them. But
> > > >ultimately, their trade agenda is diametrically opposed to the
> > developing
> > > >world's. They want to keep out cheap Third World imports, while the
> > Third
> > > >World wants access to the US market. How do we reconcile the needs --
> > and
> > > >maintain the rebellious enthusiasm -- of both 1st World *and* 3rd world
> > > >workers?
> > > >
> > > >I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts.
> > >
> > > Steelworkers president George Becker was one of the few people at the
> > > AFL-CIO rally last Tuesday to sing the nationalist song, with dire
> > > invocations of the "imports inundating our shores." Most of the other
> > > U.S. union speakers gave at least rhetorical support to the "we are
> > > one" line (and not just across national borders, but across the old
> > > labor/environmentalist border too).
> > >
> > > What do to about it? More contacts, more solidarity. Have American
> > > steelworkers meet with Russian & Brazlian steelworkers regularly -
> > > not just the leaders meeting in ceremonial rituals, but actual real
> > > contacts among workers. That's one idea. Interested to hear more.
> > >
> > > Yours in rootless cosmopolitanism,
> > >
> > > Doug