Constituent
Letters
Below
you will find sample letters on various issues. Please
feel free to copy and paste into a word file and update as
necessary. Check back soon for new letters.
Letter
to US Senators asking for debate on funding for Colombia
(Date)
The Honorable__________
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator _______________,
I am writing as a constituent concerned about the impact of
US military aid and fumigation in Colombia. I am also greatly
troubled by the lack of debate taking place in the Senate
over this issue. Please examine the impact of our massive
military assistance package, and debate and change this policy
when the 2004 foreign aid bill reaches the Senate floor.
When
the Senate passed Plan Colombia in 2000, the stated goal was
to curb drug production. Last year, the US mission in Colombia
expanded to include counter-insurgency efforts. Senator _________,
I am very concerned that US policy is spiraling out of control,
and that US goals in Colombia are so broad and vague that
it will be difficult to know when to stop. We have already
given more than $2.5 billion in taxpayer dollars to Colombia,
with few tangible results; where are we going in Colombia,
and how much more money is needed? These questions deserve
serious debate.
We
also need to ask why our approach is not yielding results.
Drugs are just as available on our streets as they were three
years ago, and our fumigation policy has moved drug production
around, now back into Bolivia and Peru. According to the US
State Department, the Colombian armed forces still collaborate
with brutal paramilitary groups, who murder civilians, are
involved in drug trafficking, and are on the US terrorist
list.
I
believe that there are positive ways for the United States
to help Colombia, but not through fumigation or more military
aid. I urge you to support drug treatment and prevention programs
at home, and alternative development programs in Colombia,
so that farmers can switch to growing legal crops.
Given
all that is at risk in Colombia, the lack of debate over this
policy in the US Senate is alarming. I ask that you speak
out strongly when the foreign aid bill reaches the Senate
floor in favor of a new US policy toward Colombia. I look
forward to your response, and to following the debate on the
2004 foreign aid bill.
Sincerely,
(Your signature)
(Your
name and address)
Educate
your Elected Officials on the implications of the Central
American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA
(Date)
The Honorable____________
House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Representative ____________,
I'm writing to express my concerns over the fast pace of negotiations,
lack of transparency, accountability, and democracy in the
Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) negotiations.
When the agreement comes to Congress in the spring of 2004
it is important that our elected officials are educated on
the implications of the plan.
Negotiations for CAFTA have been held behind closed doors,
and have not been opened for public review or debate. Civil
society participation has been limited to token representation.
No drafts of the agreement have been published for the publics
to see or review. Please advocate for their release to public
scrutiny, accountability and widening the amount and types
of groups allowed at the negotiations.
Research on the effects of NAFTA, the model for CAFTA, show
that three major factors - subsidies, financing, and oligopolies
- have created distorted market conditions made-to-order for
the world’s most powerful U.S.-based transnational corporations.
As a result, small farmers south of the border are being driven
off the land. Small business owners, farmers and workers have
been hurt by the free-trade policies of NAFTA, while large
transnational corporations have benefited. Post-NAFTA, the
World Bank claims that 73% of Mexico’s rural population
lives in poverty, a significant increase over the pre-NAFTA
period, while transnational corporate interests have grown
by leaps and bounds under the auspices of the free trade model.
Do not allow this trend to extend farther into Latin America.
The US Trade Representative for Central America has stated
that CAFTA will include the same labor provisions as the recent
US trade agreements with Chile and Singapore. These provisions
only support existing labor standards and do not sufficiently
encourage or require countries to raise their labor standards
and allow workers to organize. Central American labor standards
are not sufficient to protect the rights of their workers.
Regional trade agreements such as CAFTA are a good place to
strengthen these weak labor standards. I urge you to speak
out on the inclusion of strengthened labor standards in the
Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Chapter 11 of NAFTA gives corporations the power to sue governments
for the loss of real and projected income. This provision
jeopardizes the ability of national governments to effectively
legislate on environmental and other policy. The ceding of
national sovereignty to facilitate international trade is
one thing, ceding sovereignty to facilitate corporate power
is quite another and should not be allowed. Stand up against
the corporate consolidation of national authority.
Please discuss the issues among your colleagues and educate
them on the dangers of the current version of the Central
American Free Trade Agreement. I urge you to vote against
the agreement when it comes to the House of Representatives
for a vote. Instead, please consider supporting regional trade
agreements that protect and augment workers rights, the environment,
and development strategies that are sustainable as well as
community/people centered.
Thank you for you attention on this important matter. I look
forward to receiving your response and continued dialogue
on this and other topics,
Respectfully,
(Your signature)
(Your name and address)
Letter
to US House Representatives on Rep. McGovern's bill to close
the SOA/WHISC
(Date)
The Honorable ________________
US House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative_____________,
I am writing to urge you to strengthen your support for human
rights and justice in Latin America by cosponsoring H.R. 1258.
This bill, introduced by Rep. McGovern and co-sponsored by
72 other representative, including Rep. Udall, will repeal
the Defense Department’s statutory authority for the
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation -WHISC
(successor to the School of the Americas -SOA). It provides
for the establishment of a joint congressional task force
to assess the quality of education and training that is appropriate
for the Department of Defense to provide to military personnel
from Latin America.
The US Army School f the Americas, based in Fort Benning,
GA, trains Latin American soldiers and military leaders in
combat, counter-insurgency, and counter-narcotics. Graduates
of the SOA are directly responsible for perpetrating some
of the worst human rights violations in Latin America. Among
the nearly 60,000 graduates are notorious dictator Manuel
Noriega and Omar Torrijos of Panama, Leopoldo Galtieri and
Roberto Viola of Argentina, Juan Alvarado of Peru, Guillermo
Roderiguez of Ecuador, and Hugo Banzer Suarez of Bolivia.
This short list demonstrates the misguided policy and training
objectives of the SOA/WHISC. Please act today to hold our
military leaders accountable for the influence they have for
the safety and security of Latin Americans and the region
by signing on to H.R. 1258.
During these difficult times it is crucial for all of us to
be responsible for the ways in which our national foreign
policy and our military influences the power structures in
Latin America and beyond. Please demonstrate your commitment
to furthering awareness and support of peace and justice in
Latin America by pledging your support of H.R. 1258. I look
forward to hearing from you on this important issue.
Thank you for your time and attention to this issue.
Respectfully,
(Your signature)
(Your name and address)
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