Forwarded with Compliments of Free Voice of America (FVOA): Accurate News and Interesting Commentary for Amerika's Huddled Masses Yearning to Breathe Free. NOTE: It's encouraging to see this fusion of two such important energies. -- kl, pp

From: Destroy IMF

This coming fall, the third week of November shapes up to be a busy and exciting few days.

On November 20 and 21, the trade ministers from the countries of the Western Hemisphere (with the exception of Cuba) are scheduled to launch the final stages of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) at a ministerial meeting in Miami, FL. Massive protest actions are being planned to coincide with the FTAA meetings. People from across the country will speak out for economic justice and against exploitative free trade/free market plans that would further corporate control, lower labor standards and hurt the environment. The implementation of the FTAA would also cause an even greater militarization throughout the Americas as repressive military forces (oftentimes trained in the United States at the School of the Americas/WHISC) are consistently being used to suppress dissent and the inevitable resistance to the neo-liberal policy that is leaving so many marginalized.

That weekend (November 22 and 23), thousands will stand in solidarity with the people of the Americas at the 13th annual November Vigil and Massive Protest to close the School of the Americas (renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation) located at Fort Benning, Georgia. Many will participate in nonviolent direct action to call attention to the SOA and the oppressive foreign policy that it represents.

From its beginning, the mission of the SOA has been to train soldiers to protect the interests of multinational corporations and maintain the economic status quo for the few rich and powerful in the US and their cohorts in Latin America. SOA graduates use their skills consistently against community organizers, unionists and others who are a potential threat to corporate interests. The SOA and the FTAA are the flip sides of the same coin. To defeat the system of exploitation and violence, it's not enough to only recognize that the economic and military attacks that are embodied by the SOA and the FTAA are coming from the same source but we also need to fight them as one---we need to unite the resistance.

Those who oppose the globalization of greed and those who work to end US training of repressive foreign armies are linked in one effort. The November Mobilizations to stop the FTAA and to Shut Down the SOA are providing a great opportunity for Latin America Solidarity Activists to organize educational events that spell out the connection between economic oppression and military repression.

Stop Economic and Military Intervention in Latin America and the Caribbean

For more information and to receive resources to organize educational events call (202) 234 3440 and visit: www.SOAW.org, www.StopFTAA.org and www.LASolidarity.org

STOP THE FTAA - SHUT DOWN THE SOA! Fall 2003 Actions - Growing Stronger Together Southeast Uprising: November 20/21 Miami, FL November 22/23 Fort Benning, GA

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