From Jane Clark at [log in to unmask]

There is a coalition forming here in Iowa to organize around the upcoming
meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle. The group wants
to plan activities here in Iowa to raise awareness of what is going on in
Seattle and exactly what the WTO has the power to do. Iowa Citizen's Action
Network has been involved in this effort and would like to spread the word
to other environmental groups.   Included are IEC, Iowa Assoc. of Counties,
Ecumenical Ministeries of Iowa, Trees Forever, Audubon, and wind and energy
groups.  Nationally, Sierra Club has been involved with this.  There was
one earlier meeting that I was not able to attend.  Is anyone interested in
attending?

If you are interested, please contact Jane Clark at [log in to unmask] or
515-223-5047

The next meeting is this Friday, October 29 at 9:00 am at the American
Friends House at 42nd and Grand in Des Moines. Please call ICAN Executive
Director, Rick Kozin, if you have any questions (277-5077 x 14)
========================================================
Dear Jane:

I am writing to see whether you might be interested, or might know someone
from the Sierra Club who would be interested in collaborating with a group
of us trying to plan some local event to draw attention to the World Trade
Organization meeting in Seattle, WA on Nov 29 - Dec 2.  I know that the
Sierra Club nationally has condemned actions of the World Trade
Organization:  for instance, the fact that the WTO has the power to
overrule national environmental protection legislation when it thinks that
such legislation gets in the way of free trade.  One example is that in
1998, the WTO ruled against a U.S. law requiring shrimp fishers to fit
their shrimp nets with "turtle excluder devices" to avoid harming sea
turtles.  As a result, the U.S. law has been shelved and the U.S.
government is searching (but has not yet found) other ways to protect the
endangered sea turtles.

National organizations throughout the country are asking members to travel
to Seattle for the WTO to demonstrate against such WTO actions.  Locally,
an informal coalition of organizations is planning to hold a meeting this
Friday at 9:00am at the Friends Meeting House on 4211 Grand Ave., in Des
Moines, to talk about how we can bring local attention to the WTO.  The
coalition includes labor, faith, agriculture, and peace organizations so
far, and we would be very interested in getting the
environmental-protection
organizations involved.  If you are able to attend, or are interested, or
know of someone else at the Sierra Club I should contact regarding this
matter, please let me know as soon as possible.  Thank you for your
attention to this request.

Ann Naffier
American Friends Service Committee
and Catholic Peace Ministry
4211 Grand Ave.
Des Moines, IA  50312
515-255-8114

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
For SC email list T-and-C, send: GET TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS.CURRENT
to [log in to unmask]