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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>PLEASE CIRCULATE:</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV>MASSACHUSETTS ALERT: REPS. CAPUANO, MEEHAN AND OLVER STILL UNDECIDED.
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<DIV>CALL YOUR HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES ABOUT NAFTA EXPANSION TO THE MIDDLE EAST -
URGENT!<BR><BR>Don't let our Congress sell us out on NAFTA Expansion
<BR><BR>After little warning and less time for debate, the U.S. Senate and The
House Ways and Means Committee voted on the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement
(OFTA) on Thursday, June 29. Due to major concerns about labor and human rights
violations, as well as threats to our democracy, national security, and good
jobs here at home, every single Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee
voted against the agreement. <BR> <BR>There is a very good chance that we
can defeat this terrible trade deal on the House floor, where a vote is expected
the week of July 10th . It is urgent that Representatives hear from their
constituents TODAY to know that we have had enough of unfair trade agreements
that threaten jobs, labor rights, democracy and security. <BR><BR>Massachusetts
is a critically important state, and Representatives Capuano, Meehan and Olver
are still undecided, and need to hear from constituents today. You can use the
talking points at the bottom of this email.<BR><BR>**********<BR><BR>CALL YOUR
REPRESENTATIVE<BR><BR>Call his or her DC office and ask to speak to the person
handling trade policy. Tell him or her that expanding NAFTA to Oman is a bad
idea! <BR><BR>Marty Meehan: D.C. Office: (202)
225-3411<BR>
Haverhill Office: (978) 521-1845<BR><BR>John Olver: D.C. Office: (202)
225-5335<BR>
District Office: (413)-532-7010<BR><BR>Mike Capuano: D.C. Office:
(202)
225-5111<BR>
District Office: (617) 621-6208<BR><BR>**********<BR><BR><BR>Not sure who
your member of Congress is? Find out here: <A
href="http://action.citizen.org/getLocal.jsp">http://action.citizen.org/getLocal.jsp</A>
<BR>If you can't find your representative's phone number, you can call the
Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your
representative by simply giving the switchboard receptionist your zip
code.<BR><BR>When you call, ask for a written statement of your congressperson's
position on OFTA to be sent you by email or regular mail. You can also use some
of the talking points below; if you have a local or personal story that shows
the damage caused by a bad trade agreement, use it to illustrate your
concerns.<BR><BR>After you've called, please let us know what you learned! This
is critical to our ability to hold Congress accountable. You can contact Elsie
Flemings at <A href="mailto:eflemings@citizen.org">eflemings@citizen.org</A>
.<BR><BR>Please forward this note to your friends and neighbors. We have to act
fast if we want to make sure Congress puts the kibosh on President Bush's crazy
plans to expand NAFTA to the Sultanate of Oman!<BR><BR>Thank you for all that
you do!<BR><BR>The Global Trade Watch Team<BR><BR>p.s. This agreement even worse
than the NAFTA/CAFTA model, particularly because of the extreme lack of labor
and human rights conditions in Oman. To read the letter of concern and
opposition sent by over 400 unions, environmental groups, religious
organizations, and other concerns citizens' groups, go here: <A
href="http://www.citizenstrade.org/pdf/Oman_Sign-On_Letter,_6-27-06.pdf">http://www.citizenstrade.org/pdf/Oman_Sign-On_Letter,_6-27-06.pdf</A>
<BR><BR>---<BR><BR>Talking Points on the Oman Free Trade Agreement:<BR><BR>*
More NAFTAs mean more lost U.S. jobs. A decade of NAFTA has resulted in the
largest U.S. trade deficit ever-a deficit caused by a flood of job-killing
imported goods and the export of 3 million U.S. manufacturing jobs. Our wages
are flat even as prices rise. We can't afford any more NAFTA-like trade deals.
We need to change this broken trade model! <BR><BR>* Oman bans independent labor
unions! Currently in Oman it is illegal to form independent trade unions.
Workers can only join "representative committees" that include management
representatives. The OFTA, like CAFTA and NAFTA, has strict intellectual
property rights protections with tough enforcement - but no enforceable labor
rights. OFTA merely requires Oman to enforce its own labor laws, and while the
Sultan has promised "reform," OFTA would provide no recourse if he changes his
mind. Under OFTA, there's not even any penalty for weakening this existing bad
law further. <BR><BR>* This Oman FTA will lead to serious human rights abuses.
The majority of the private sector workforce in Oman are foreign-born "guest
workers" from China, Bangladesh and other poor countries. Recent horrific
reports about the results of the U.S. Free Trade Agreement with nearby Jordan
show how labor rights abuses and human trafficking can greatly increase with the
introduction of a free trade agreement. The State Department has noted that Oman
"does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking." <BR><BR>* The Oman FTA gives foreign corporations more rights than
U.S. citizens. OFTA contains the same type of "investor-state" provisions as
NAFTA and CAFTA, which would allow an Omani company (or a company from any other
country incorporated in Oman) to sue the United States government in a secret
tribunal, demanding payment from our tax dollars, if the company feels that any
U.S. government policy is restricting their ability to make profit.
<BR><BR>*OFTA could undermine U.S. national security. The OFTA goes beyond even
CAFTA and NAFTA in explicitly promoting rights for foreign companies - including
government-owned companies - to operate our sensitive infrastructure:
electricity grids, port operations and more. OFTA allows foreign investors to
take the U.S. government to secret tribunals if the profitability of any foreign
investment in these sensitive sectors is threatened by an act of the U.S.
Congress!<BR><BR>For more info about U.S.-Oman FTA, go here: <A
href="http://www.citizenstrade.org/oman.php">http://www.citizenstrade.org/oman.php</A>
<BR><BR>Have you sent a letter to Congress about the Oman agreement yet? If not,
do so here: <A
href="http://action.citizen.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3664">http://action.citizen.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3664</A>
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