WNPJ Action Alerts - Week of April 11

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Action Alert 1 - Southwest: Kind takes leading role in push for "Free Trade"
Bakground: Wisconsin Representative Ron Kind, newly-elected co-chair of the "centrist" New Democrat Coalition, has taken a leading role in pushing for corporate-friendly "Free Trade" agreements. Kind recently signed on to a letter urging a "Free Trade" agreement with Colombia, despite the murders of Colombian union leaders and the Colombian government's refusal to investigate the murders. Kind followed this with another letter urging quick passage of a Korea "Free Trade" agreement. A third letter from Kind urged President Obama to quickly sign a trade agreement with Panama, even though Panama is one of the hemisphere's leading hotspots for money laundering and tax evasion. Kind's own website claims that he will only support trade agreements that contain "enforceable labor, environment, and protections for American-made products." None of the agreements Kind is pushing for include these provisions. Read the full text of a letter to Rep. Kind from David Newby, President of President Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition, here...
Take Action: Call Rep. Kind's office (LaCrosse, 888-442-8040, Washington D.C. 202-225-5506) to urge him to withdraw his support of these trade agreements, to be consistent with his own publicly stated position in favor of "enforceable labor, environment, and protections for American-made products" and to help American workers and farmers in their struggle to survive at a decent standard of living.

Contact for more info:  David Newby, Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition, 414 344 1733, John Peck, Family Farm Defenders 608-260-0900

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Action Alert 2: U.N. funding under threat
Background: House Republicans have the United Nations in their sights, as House Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) has proposed cutting $237 million from U.S. contributions to the United Nations and its peacekeeping activities, in a bill released on April 4. Congressional Quarterly reports, "Even though the White House and Senate Democrats called it a non-starter, Rogers' bill, along with similar cuts in the House-passed funding proposal for the rest of the fiscal year (HR 1), demonstrate that House Republicans' anti-U.N. rhetoric could have a real impact on the international body's bottom line."
Take Action: Call your Congressional Representative (Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121, local offices here...) to urge them to understand the value of the United Nations and its peacekeeping mission and to protect funding for U.S. contributions to the U.N.
Contact for more info: United Nations Association--Wisconsin Division, Tom Brown: 262-203-0088 (cell) or 608-441-1944 (office), Sam Romano, sromano@charter.net

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Action Alert 3 - Madison: Join protest against M&I Bank foreclosure
Background: M&I Bank, one of the top contributors to Governor Scott Walker's campaign and recipient of $1.7 Billion in Federal Bailout funds, has announced its intention to foreclose on a home on Madison's southwest side. The residents of the home (who are renting from the homeowner) are calling on the public to protest the foreclosure at the Dane County Courthouse on April 26. The residents, members of Madison-based Take Back the Land, have been organizing to demand that bailed-out banks turn foreclosed homes over to the community.
Take Action: Show your support for the home's residents on April 26 at Dane County Courthouse, 215 S. Hamilton St., 8th Floor, Courtroom 8D. Supporters will meet at 8am outside the courthouse on the corner of S. Hamilton and Doty. 
Contact for more info: Take Back the Land - Madison:  608-616-9468, takebackthelandmadison@gmail.com 

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Action Alert 4: Recruit local businesses to say "The Chamber doesn't speak for me"
Background: The national environmental organization 350.org, dedicated to educating the public about the threat of global climate change, has identified the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as "one of the biggest barriers to climate progress in the entire world." 350.org has found that "the US Chamber spent five times as much money lobbying as the next highest spender -- Exxon Mobil. They spent more money on political campaigning than the Republican and Democratic national committees. And they used all that corporate cash to make sure that the planet kept warming, opposing almost every measure that might have made even a small difference."
Take Action: 350.org is launching a nationwide campaign to get thousands of small businesses across the country to declare that “The US Chamber Doesn’t Speak for me,” to build a critical mass of business voices opposed to the US Chamber's climate denialism. Click here for more details on how to get involved.
Contact for more info:  350.org, 510-250-7860, online contact form here...

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Action Alert 5: Three weeks to go on recall effort
Background: Last week, recall organizers submitted sufficient signatures to force a recall election for two Senate Republicans, Senators Dan Kapanke and Randy Hopper. Organizers were able to make use of the April 5 election to boost their signature count, but still need a final push in remaining districts before the deadline, three weeks from today. 
Take Action: Click here for an online search tool that can find the recall canvass nearest you. You do not have to be a resident of a recall district to participate in signature collection. More info about recall efforts here...
Contact for more info: MoveOn.org, online contact form here, in Wisconsin: Recall the Republican Eight Volunteer Coordinator Nick Niles, nickn@wisconsinprogress.org