Mid-Atlantic Consulta to Shut Down the FTAA

NO FTAA! please forward this widely!

- BACKGROUND:

This November 19-21, The so-called "leaders" of every country in this
hemisphere, excluding Cuba, will meet in Miami to discuss the Free Trade
Area of the Americas (FTAA). The FTAA is a trade agreement that extends NAFTA to 31 more countries. The FTAA gives
corporations and large business the right and ability to
undercut local
businesses all over the hemisphere, puts human rights below the rights
of corporations, lessens corporate accountability, gives corporations
the ability to sue governments for setting up "barriers to trade" (even
if that country's population backs those "barriers", which can include
human rights and environmental laws), and simply brings profit and gain
to the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor and working sectors
of the population.

We stand firmly opposed to any policy, plan, agreement, treaty, or other
program that exploits the poor on behalf of a few people in high
positions of power. The FTAA will only benefit the corporations,
politicians, and the handful of elite who are backing it. The FTAA is
largely opposed by working people all over the hemisphere who realize it's
true and underlying meaning; To establish hemispheric corporate
dominance over almost every sector of production and services, including
water and energy.

For information about the FTAA, please visit the links at the bottom of
this text.

- HELP ORGANIZE TO STOP THIS:

We want and intend to SHUT DOWN these meetings. On November 7th and 8th,
we will be hosting a Mid-Atlantic Consulta to Shut Down the FTAA in Baltimore, MD. This consulta will consist of large meetings
discussing direct action, civil disobedience, and general logistical and
organizational information concerning the protests of the 8th
Ministerial of the FTAA in Miami this November.

We invite and URGE affinity groups, organizers, action groups, and other
interested parties from east coast cities (and neighboring cities) to
attend this meeting.

This will be one of many consultas that have already occurred or are
planned. Louisville, Pittsburgh, Denver, and Chicago, San Francisco have already hosted
consultas, with New Haven and Gainesville hosting
consultas in the future. These simply serve as organizing bases for
folks traveling to Miami in November to join with tens of thousands of
others in protesting this meeting and offering our alternatives to
hemispheric undemocratic systems. See FTAA IMC for more info on the other consultas that have occurred, including notes.

- REGISTRATION/CONTACT:

When you register, we will provide you with more specific details about location and times of the consulta. We will provide housing for everyone who attends, and
provide hot food as well. Please fill out the form on www.maconsulta.cjb.net indicating how
many people will be coming, if you will need housing and for how long,
and any other important information. If the form does not work for you, email us at maconsulta@ziplip.com

This meeting will be a "vouched-for" meeting, so you should come
prepared to explain what group you represent and how you heard about the
call. This is for security purposes only, as we would prefer to meet in
an environment where we can feel comfortable talking with each other
and vocalizing our ideas and preferences.

If you have any questions please email maconsulta@ziplip.com

For further info see:

-NATIONAL-

FTAA Resistance

FTAA Indymedia
Latin American solidarity

Pittsburgh Organizing Group

Stop FTAA

IndyMedia