>Information

Obama just signed a law allowing him to fast track TPP and other "trade agreements", allowing him to accept it with just a simple majority.

>What is the TPP?

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a disastrous trade agreement designed to protect the interests of the largest multi-national corporations at the expense of workers, consumers, the environment and the foundations of American democracy. It will also negatively impact some of the poorest people in the world.

Here are the list of nations that will be affected by the TPP:

United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei.

>TPP threatens fair use

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/08/new-leaked-tpp-puts-fair-use-risk

From chan culture to youtubers, this could make bethesda's paid mods something you'd call "good old times".

>TPP will allow a corporation to sue a state over potential losses caused by its legislation

This won't happen in a court of your own country, this will place an international court above your laws. Consumer rights, from food to your favourite hobby, will be raped mercilessly. Think it's bad now? You haven't seen anything.

>TPP will make it easier to outsource labor in Asia

From governmental contracts to code monkeys trough services, you will be competing with third-world slave labor and buying its products. Should you be able to afford it and have some free time as your working hours get closer to those of Vietnam

>AHAHAH I will still be pirating stuff anyway

No you won't. TPP can force your ISP to monitor your activity, and fine you or even send you to jail. It will be possibile to fine you even just for copying a DVD you own to your hard drive. It's SOPA and all that shit right back from the dead.

>I don't believe you OP, I want to read what it says!

Well too fucking bad, because it isn't just secret, it will remain secret for four years after it's accepted. Talk about transparency. However a small part has been leaked, you can read more here:

https://wikileaks.org/tpp-investment/WikiLeaks-TPP-Investment-Chapter/page-1.html

https://wikileaks.org/tpp-ip2/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPIsjH25GHo

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/tpp-trade-deal-will-be-devastating-access-affordable-medicines

https://wikileaks.org/US-Australia-isolated-in-TPP.html

https://wikileaks.org/tppa-environment-chapter.html

https://wikileaks.org/tpp-ip2/attack-on-affordable-cancer-treatments.html

https://wikileaks.org/tpp/healthcare/Analysis-Dr-Deborah-Gleeson/page-1.html

https://wikileaks.org/tpp/healthcare/Analysis-Professor-Jane-Kelsey/page-1.html

https://wikileaks.org/tpp-investment/TPP-Investment-Chapter-Analysis/page-1.html

http://keionline.org/tpp

And some articles:

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/the-trans-pacific-trade-tpp-agreement-must-be-defeated?inline=file

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/kill-the-dispute-settlement-language-in-the-trans-pacific-partnership/2015/02/25/ec7705a2-bd1e-11e4-b274-e5209a3bc9a9_story.html

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/07/only-two-republicans-admit-they-actually-read-secret-obama-trade-deal-both-unsupportive/

http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/06/22/sessions-tpp-nascent-european-union-tpa-surrender-of-congressional-power/

https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2015/05/15/what-law-says-the-text-of-the-tpp-must-remain-secret/

>I'm in EU, who gives a shit!

TTIP is the same shit EU-flavoured and it's going to hurt you.

>What is the TTIP?

TTIP - the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership - is being negotiated between the European Union and the United States. In the case of the EU,the European Commission is at the negotiating table.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a comprehensive treaty currently being negotiated – in secret – between the European Union and the USA. As officials from both sides acknowledge, the main goal of TTIP is to remove regulatory ‘barriers’ which restrict the potential profits to be made by transnational corporations on both sides of the Atlantic.

Yet these ‘barriers’ are in reality some of our most prized social standards and environmental regulations, such as labour rights, food safety rules, regulations on the use of toxic chemicals, digital privacy laws and even new banking safeguards introduced to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis. The stakes, in other words, could not be higher.

This booklet, written by John Hilary, explains what TTIP is and how it will affect the lives of all of us if it comes into force

http://rosalux-europa.info/news/TTIP/

What you can do:

Next post I'll be posting the names of the senators that voted for this. Beside bothering them, you can get #TPP trending and start making some noise. Don't go down without a fight.

EVERYONE HERE ARE THE SENATORS YOU SHOULD BE CONTACTING!!!

MAKE SURE TO FAX THEM:

https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

Alaska

Murkowski, Lisa - (R - AK)

Class III

709 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-6665

Contact: www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact

Sullivan, Daniel - (R - AK)

Class II

702 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3004

Contact: www.sullivan.senate.gov/content/contact-dan

Arkansas

Boozman, John - (R - AR)

Class III

141 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-4843

Contact: www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me

Cotton, Tom - (R - AR)

Class II

124 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2353

Contact: www.cotton.senate.gov/content/contact-tom

Arizona

Flake, Jeff - (R - AZ)

Class I

413 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-4521

Contact: www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff

McCain, John - (R - AZ)

Class III

218 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2235

Contact: www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form

California

Feinstein, Dianne - (D - CA)

Class I

331 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3841

Contact: www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me

Colorado

Bennet, Michael F. - (D - CO)

Class III

261 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5852

Contact: www.bennet.senate.gov/contact/

Gardner, Cory - (R - CO)

Class II

354 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5941

Contact: www.gardner.senate.gov/content/contact-cory

Delaware

Carper, Thomas R. - (D - DE)

Class I

513 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2441

Contact: carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-senator-carper

Coons, Christopher A. - (D - DE)

Class II

127A Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5042

Contact: www.coons.senate.gov/contact/

Florida

Nelson, Bill - (D - FL)

Class I

716 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5274

Contact: www.billnelson.senate.gov/contact-bill

Rubio, Marco - (R - FL)

Class III

284 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3041

Contact: www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Georgia

Isakson, Johnny - (R - GA)

Class III

131 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3643

Contact: www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me

Perdue, David - (R - GA)

Class II

383 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3521

Contact: www.perdue.senate.gov/content/contact-david

Iowa

Ernst, Joni - (R - IA)

Class II

111 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3254

Contact: www.ernst.senate.gov/content/contact-joni

Grassley, Chuck - (R - IA)

Class III

135 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3744

Contact: www.grassley.senate.gov/contact

Idaho

Crapo, Mike - (R - ID)

Class III

239 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-6142

Contact: www.crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

Risch, James E. - (R - ID)

Class II

483 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2752

Contact: www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email

Illinois

Kirk, Mark - (R - IL)

Class III

524 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2854

Contact: www.kirk.senate.gov/?p=contact

Indiana

Coats, Daniel - (R - IN)

Class III

493 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5623

Contact: www.coats.senate.gov/contact/

Kansas

Moran, Jerry - (R - KS)

Class III

521 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-6521

Contact: moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-jerry

Roberts, Pat - (R - KS)

Class II

109 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-4774

Contact: www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailPat

Kentucky

McConnell, Mitch - (R - KY)

Class II

317 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2541

Contact: www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=contact

Louisiana

Cassidy, Bill - (R - LA)

Class II

703 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5824

Contact: www.cassidy.senate.gov/content/contact-bill

Vitter, David - (R - LA)

Class III

516 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-4623

Contact: www.vitter.senate.gov/contact

Michigan

Peters, Gary - (D - MI)

Class II

724 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-6221

Contact: www.peters.senate.gov/content/contact-gary

Missouri

Blunt, Roy - (R - MO)

Class III

260 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5721

Contact: http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form?p=contact-roy

McCaskill, Claire - (D - MO)

Class I

730 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-6154

Contact: www.mccaskill.senate.gov/contact

Mississippi

Cochran, Thad - (R - MS)

Class II

113 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5054

Contact: www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me

Wicker, Roger F. - (R - MS)

Class I

555 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-6253

Contact: www.wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Montana

Daines, Steve - (R - MT)

Class II

320 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2651

Contact: www.daines.senate.gov/content/contact-steve

Burr, Richard - (R - NC)

Class III

217 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3154

Contact: http://www.burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm

North Carolina

Tillis, Thom - (R - NC)

Class II

185 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-6342

Contact: www.tillis.senate.gov/content/contact-thom

North Dakota

Heitkamp, Heidi - (D - ND)

Class I

110 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2043

Contact: www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Hoeven, John - (R - ND)

Class III

338 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2551

Contact: www.hoeven.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-the-senator

Nebraska

Fischer, Deb - (R - NE)

Class I

454 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-6551

Contact: www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Sasse, Ben - (R - NE)

Class II

386A Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-4224

Contact: www.sasse.senate.gov/content/contact-ben

New Hampshire

Ayotte, Kelly - (R - NH)

Class III

144 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3324

Contact: www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=contact

Shaheen, Jeanne - (D - NH)

Class II

506 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2841

Contact: www.shaheen.senate.gov/contact/

New Jersey

Menendez, Robert - (D - NJ)

Class I

528 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-4744

Contact: menendez.senate.gov/contact/

Nevada

Heller, Dean - (R - NV)

Class I

324 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-6244

Contact: www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form

Ohio

Portman, Rob - (R - OH)

Class III

448 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3353

Contact: http://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=contact-form

Oklahoma

Inhofe, James M. - (R - OK)

Class II

205 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-4721

Contact: http://www.inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm

Lankford, James - (R - OK)

Class III

316 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5754

Contact: www.lankford.senate.gov/content/contact-james

Oregon

Wyden, Ron - (D - OR)

Class III

221 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5244

Contact: www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/

Pennsylvania

Toomey, Patrick J. - (R - PA)

Class III

248 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-4254

Contact: www.toomey.senate.gov/?p=contact

South Carolina

Graham, Lindsey - (R - SC)

Class II

290 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5972

Contact: http://lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.LandingPage

Scott, Tim - (R - SC)

Class III

520 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-6121

Contact: www.scott.senate.gov/contact/email-me

South Dakota

Rounds, Mike - (R - SD)

Class II

502 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5842

Contact: www.rounds.senate.gov/content/contact-mike

Thune, John - (R - SD)

Class III

511 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2321

Contact: www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Tennessee

Alexander, Lamar - (R - TN)

Class II

455 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-4944

Contact: www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email

Corker, Bob - (R - TN)

Class I

425 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3344

Contact: www.corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/emailme

Texas

Cornyn, John - (R - TX)

Class II

517 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2934

Contact: www.cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactForm

Utah

Hatch, Orrin G. - (R - UT)

Class I

104 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5251

Contact: www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=Email-Orrin

Lee, Mike - (R - UT)

Class III

361A Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5444

Contact: www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Virginia

Kaine, Tim - (D - VA)

Class I

231 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-4024

Contact: www.kaine.senate.gov/contact

Warner, Mark R. - (D - VA)

Class II

475 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2023

Contact: www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact

Washington

Cantwell, Maria - (D - WA)

Class I

511 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3441

Contact: www.cantwell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-maria

Murray, Patty - (D - WA)

Class III

154 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-2621

Contact: www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme

Wisconsin

Johnson, Ron - (R - WI)

Class III

328 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5323

Contact: www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

West Virginia

Capito, Shelley Moore - (R - WV)

Class II

172 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-6472

Contact: www.capito.senate.gov/content/contact-shelley

Wyoming

Barrasso, John - (R - WY)

Class I

307 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-6441

Contact: www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form

Enzi, Michael B. - (R - WY)

Class II

379A Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-3424

Contact: http://www.enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=e-mail-senator-enzi

Make sure to FAX them:

https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

>Third world

>https://donttradeourlivesaway.wordpress.com/tag/third-world-network/

>Environmentalism

>http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/01/140117-trans-pacific-partnership-free-trade-environment-obama/

>Human Trafficking

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stan-sorscher/tpp-reduces-human-traffic_b_7488536.html

>Net Neutrality

>http://www.exposethetpp.org/TPPImpacts_InternetFreedom.html

>Healthcare

>http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news-stories/briefing-document/trading-away-health-trans-pacific-partnership-agreement-tpp

>The japanese and by extension the weeaboos

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/03/massive-coalition-japanese-organizations-campaign against-tpp-copyright-provisions

>Feminists and lgbt (I know, I know, but shit, they are really good at being heard)

>http://feministmajority.org/fast-track-and-tpp-a-recipe-for-disaster-for-women-and-lgbt-communities/

>Black people, and probably every minority in some way or another.

http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/05/12/stopping-the-trans-pacific-partnership-is-a-black-issue/

>The concept of fair use

>https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/08/new-leaked-tpp-puts-fair-use-risk

>Gamers and Youtubers, specially the modding and hacking community

>http://www.modvive.com/2013/11/13/trans-pacific-partnership-means-gaming/

>Don't know anything about programming to be honest, but open source seems like it would be fucked as well.

>Haven't found anything yet, but this kills rule34 and porn parodies just by existing, so all the fappers or perverts in general should also be contacted. The privacy angle should be considered too

>Hell, even the most basic internet memes, like youtube poop, could be affected by this.

>Veterans

>http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/05/28/the-trans-pacific-partnership-agreement-tpp-brics-and-the-south-african-connection/

>Animal Rights

>http://www.iatp.org/documents/big-meat-swallows-the-trans-pacific-partnership

>Gun control

http://www.truthandaction.org/trans-pacific-partnership-secret-gun-control-gutting-american-sovereignty/ (just an example article, but shows discontent)

TPP BY END OF JULY!

IT BEGINS!

> http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/278271/ministers-set-to-discuss-tpp-in-late-july

> https://archive.is/zs6qb

> Ministers set to discuss TPP in late July

> The United States will host a meeting of trade ministers from a proposed Pacific Rim trade bloc at the end of July.

> The ministers from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will meet in Maui, Hawaii, from 28 to 31 July.

> The controversial and secret TPP talks cover nations that account for 40 percent of the world's economy, including New Zealand.

> With US President Barack Obama now having the power to conclude trade pacts under so-called fast track authority, hopes have been raised a deal can be struck soon.

> http://www.todayonline.com/world/broad-tpp-deal-could-be-reached-end-july-says-japan-minister

> https://archive.is/43FPl

> Broad TPP deal could be reached end-July, says Japan minister

> Tokyo willing to ‘play the last card’ at planned ministerial meeting of Pacific Rim countries on July 28-29.

> One negotiating source said the ministerial meeting will take place for two days through July 29, but Mr Amari said it is undecided how long the negotiations will last.

> Mr Amari told a press conference yesterday that Japan is willing to “play the last card” at the planned ministerial meeting to end the prolonged TPP negotiations, and urged other members of the initiative to do so as well.

> The talks among ministerial-level officials from the 12 countries will follow “several days of meetings there between chief negotiators” for the TPP, according to a report by the Inside US Trade magazine.

> Mr Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Institute of International Economics, said the planned high-level negotiating session suggests officials from most or all the countries believe an agreement is within reach now.

> The US and Japan, which are still at odds over some issues, will resume their talks on Thursday in Tokyo to settle disputes over Japan’s exceptional tariffs on some agricultural products and what the US calls non-tariff barriers in the Japanese automotive industry.

> Mr Obama wants the ambitious 12-nation TPP, which includes Australia, Canada, Vietnam, Singapore and New Zealand, to be a central part of his administration’s foreign policy pivot to Asia and help serve as a counterweight to the economic might of China.

> http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trans-pacific-partnership-talks-canada-japan-at-odds-over-b-c-timber-1.3139750

> https://archive.is/g6DCA

> Canada, Japan at odds over B.C. timber in TPP trade talks, documents show

> Japan is pushing Canada to eliminate or modify the controls it imposes on B.C. log exports — a practice that is restricted by the federal and provincial governments

> One of Canada’s most protected industries — British Columbia timber — has been targeted by Japan in the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, The Canadian Press has learned.

> Japan is pushing Canada to eliminate or modify the controls it imposes on B.C. log exports — a practice that is heavily restricted by the federal and provincial governments, and which drives up their cost to foreign buyers.

> Details of the forestry impasse with Japan are contained in documents from Canada’s Foreign Affairs department that are marked “secret” and that have been obtained by The Canadian Press.

> http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbrinkley/2015/07/07/tpp-still-has-a-long-way-to-go/

> https://archive.is/P7U8b

> TPP Still Has A Long Way To Go

> Congress’s having given President Obama fast-track authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership doesn’t assure that the agreement will enjoy smooth sailing the rest of the way. There are still any number of rocks in the water that could sink it.

> Negotiations

> Negotiations over the TPP among and between the 12 parties to it are not as close to completion as Obama and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman would like you to believe. There are enough unresolved issues in the text to keep the negotiators at the table for a long time.

> To be fair, the 11 other TPP parties know they need to finish it and get it to the U.S. Congress for a vote by the end of the year. If it drags into the 2016 election year, all bets are off. That fact, along with Congress having given Obama fast-track authority, may soften their negotiating positions on some issues.

> Whatever Pharma Wants, Pharma Gets

> The governments of several TPP countries are incensed at the U.S. government’s insistence on protecting American drug patents against encroachment by generics. They say the Obama administration is putting the profits of the American pharmaceutical industry ahead of the protection of public health – a claim that’s hard to refute.

> Politico reported last week that a leaked copy of the TPP’s intellectual property chapter included a provision restricting foreign governments’ rights to approve generic drugs that copy American brands. According to Politico, the provision would allow American pharmaceutical companies to claim patent infringement at the drop of a hat.

> It gets worse. The Affordable Care Act allows the development of so-called biosimilars, which mimic the effects of biologic drugs, but are much less expensive. The FDA approved the first biosimilar for use in the United States in March. Biosimilars are not subject to patent linkage in the United States, but they will be subject to patent linkage in the TPP if Big Pharma get its way, Neas said.

> Congressional and Presidential Politics

> No president has had as much difficulty getting a fast-track bill passed by Congress than Obama had with the one he just signed.

> Trade has traditionally been a bipartisan issue, but that’s changing. A lot of congressional Democrats who support free trade foresee no political benefit to voting for another free trade agreement. What they foresee instead are election-year attack ads and primary challenges.

> If the TPP negotiations drag on so long that the agreement doesn’t get to Capitol Hill until 2016, even more Democrats will abandon Obama. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., led a Democratic rear-guard action to reject the fast-track bill the first time it came up for a vote. So, she is not a taken-for-granted yes vote on the TPP.

> Hillary Clinton supported Pelosi and the other Democratic rebels. With Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., running against her for the Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton has to shore up her defenses on her left flank. She seems to be putting off having to state an unequivocal position on the TPP for as long as she can. But it’s hard to imagine that she will endorse it, even though she spoke in favor of it when she was secretary of state and voted for other free trade agreements when she was a senator.

> http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002270499

> https://archive.is/12o7N

> TPP ministerial meeting seen opening on July 28

> TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Twelve countries participating in Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations for free trade are in talks to hold a ministerial meeting in Hawaii for two days from July 28, sources said Monday.

> The 12 countries, including Japan and the United States, aim to achieve a broad TPP deal at the meeting by settling bilateral and multilateral issues that require political decisions, such as tariffs and rules to protect intellectual property rights, according to the sources.

> Ahead of the ministerial session, the 12 countries will also hold a meeting of their chief negotiators in Hawaii, the sources also said.

> Since U.S. President Barack Obama last week signed into law the “fast-track” Trade Promotion Authority bill, the 12 countries have revved up bilateral discussions to slash or eliminate tariffs on agricultural and industrial products.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/07/new-leaked-tpp-chapter-reveals-countries-converging-anti-user-copyright

> https://archive.is/piOYq

> A draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership's "Intellectual Property" chapter from May 11, 2015 has recently been leaked to journalists. This is the fourth leak of the chapter following earlier drafts of October 2014, August 2013, and February 2011. The latest leak is not available online and we don't have a copy of it—but we have been briefed on its contents.

> In most respects the chapter follows previous drafts pretty closely; for example, the text on DRM circumvention and copyright term are both largely unchanged. But there is one area in which significant progress has been made since the last draft, and this is in the text on intermediary liability rules. Specifically, the new change involves the immunity that Internet companies enjoy from copyright liability, provided that they satisfy certain safe harbor conditions.

> Under the United States' Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), these safe harbor conditions require Internet intermediaries to comply with a “notice-and-takedown” process. This has seen legitimate content taken off the Internet in response to bogus claims of infringement, as in the famous dancing baby case, as well as being misused for political censorship. Until now, one point of contention among the TPP partners has been whether countries that don't already have an equivalent to the DMCA's broken notice-and-takedown rules would be forced to adopt one.

> This latest leak indicates that the negotiating countries are coming closer to consensus on common intermediary liability rules. Although that text may be looking better than in previous drafts, the TPP members' surrender of control over developing such rules to a closed, captured process is not good news. Taken together with the remaining threats from the IP chapter, such as enhanced protection for digital locks, trade secret rules that could be used against journalists and whistleblowers, criminal sanctions for even non-financially motivated but large scale infringement, and the extension of copyright term by 20 years, the case for us to fight the TPP has never been more compelling.

> https://torrentfreak.com/tpp-u-s-may-accept-partners-own-isp-liability-frameworks-150707/

> https://archive.is/0KxYW

> A recently leaked copy of the Trans-Pacific Partnership's 'Intellectual Property' chapter has revealed a United States prepared to accept intermediary liability frameworks already in place in some partner nations. This means that countries like Canada, for example, would not have to adopt a DMCA-style process.

> http://www.marinij.com/opinion/20150706/marin-voice-us-is-paying-the-costs-of-its-trade-agreements

> https://archive.is/C80EM

> Marin Voice: U.S. is paying the costs of its trade agreements

> President Barack Obama mustered enough votes to pass the TransPacific Partnership, the massive free trade agreement involving 12 nations and 40 percent of the world’s GDP. Supporters say that free trade is the best way to create American jobs and prosperity. History might suggest otherwise.

> For most of the 19th century America imposed high tariffs (paid by foreign sellers) on imported manufactured goods. The government was able to pay its bills and debt without an income tax.

> Free from competition by cheap imports, we grew into the world’s leading manufacturer. Woodrow Wilson lowered tariffs significantly. As part of a Cold War strategy, the United States gave its allies in Europe and Asia favorable trading terms to build their industrial base. Twenty-five years after the Cold war ended, the uneven playing field remains. We have gone from our last trade surplus in 1975 to a $500 billion deficit last year. For someone who tries to buy American, shopping today is heartbreaking.

> Reps. Jared Huffman and Nancy Pelosi believe environmental and labor protections are inadequate under TPP. A foreign company could sue the U.S. over laws that might hurt its profits. Environmental laws and food safety laws passed by our elected representatives would be subject to review by an international tribunal. Country of origin labeling and “Buy American” provisions for government projects would be in jeopardy.

> Reps. Jared Huffman and Nancy Pelosi believe environmental and labor protections are inadequate under TPP. A foreign company could sue the U.S. over laws that might hurt its profits. Environmental laws and food safety laws passed by our elected representatives would be subject to review by an international tribunal. Country of origin labeling and “Buy American” provisions for government projects would be in jeopardy.

> China (not part of TPP) and other nations devalue their currency in order to make its exports cheaper and imports more expensive. Such currency manipulation raises our trade deficit by as much as $200 billion and unemployment by 1.5 percent. The TPP does not address this.

TPP allows the president to allow over half a million guest workers without congressional approval.

> The TPP is about 2,000 pages long. President Obama has not revealed the details to the public.

> Sen. Rand Paul says this is a case of “passing the bill so we can read it.”

> Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich called it “NAFTA on steroids.” He believes that TPP is more about protecting corporate profits than free trade.

> Has NAFTA worked out? Ross Perot’s warning of a “giant sucking sound” came true as American jobs went south. They have apparently gone north too.

> Before NAFTA, the trade balance between these countries was even. Twenty years later, the combined trade deficit with Canada and Mexico is over $180 billion and growing. A million jobs have been lost as a result of NAFTA.

> In his debate with Perot, Al Gore assured us that Mexico agreed to improve its labor and environmental standards. We are still waiting.

> Following NAFTA, the U.S. has signed similar free trade agreements with other countries. Each has replaced tariffs with a Value Added Tax. The U.S. hasn’t done this, putting American goods at a competitive disadvantage.

> According to the Economic Policy Institute, trade deficits overall have cost over 5 million Americans their jobs. Stopping currency manipulation and adding a VAT to imports would reduce much of the trade deficit immediately.

> Obama has had six years develop a more assertive trade policy and hasn’t. He has proposed spending tax dollars on a job-retraining program for displaced workers.

> I have a better idea: Keep the jobs here.

> Trade deficits do matter. No country can transfer a half-trillion dollars a year without consequences. Job losses hurt everyone.

> If the president isn’t willing to give American workers a level playing field or make the entire agreement public, how can we trust him to stand up for our national interests?

> http://www.truthandaction.org/trans-pacific-partnership-secret-gun-control-gutting-american-sovereignty/

> https://archive.is/TffSd

> https://archive.is/NRHx1

Trans-Pacific Partnership: Secret Gun Control and the Gutting of American Sovereignty

> The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a secret trade deal Obama has been working on for 6 years and is currently being negotiated among 12 countries: Canada, Chile, Japan, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States.

> This horrific deal has been closed to the public and Congress scrutiny. It not only has gun control measures, but seeks to completely end American sovereignty.

> The TPP first came to light from almost 2 years ago by Wikileaks from someone who hacked a computer at a major corporation. It revealed that the TPP was written by corporations and gives them the ability to override the laws of nations. It is the end of sovereignty for any nation who signs it.

One strong hint is buried in the fine print of the closely guarded draft. The provision, an increasingly common feature of trade agreements, is called “Investor-State Dispute Settlement,” or ISDS. The name may sound mild, but don’t be fooled. Agreeing to ISDS in this enormous new treaty would tilt the playing field in the United States further in favor of big multinational corporations. Worse, it would undermine U.S. sovereignty.

ISDS would allow foreign companies to challenge U.S. laws — and potentially to pick up huge payouts from taxpayers — without ever stepping foot in a U.S. court. Here’s how it would work. Imagine that the United States bans a toxic chemical that is often added to gasoline because of its health and environmental consequences. If a foreign company that makes the toxic chemical opposes the law, it would normally have to challenge it in a U.S. court. But with ISDS, the company could skip the U.S. courts and go before an international panel of arbitrators. If the company won, the ruling couldn’t be challenged in U.S. courts, and the arbitration panel could require American taxpayers to cough up millions — and even billions — of dollars in damages.

If that seems shocking, buckle your seat belt. ISDS could lead to gigantic fines, but it wouldn’t employ independent judges. Instead, highly paid corporate lawyers would go back and forth between representing corporations one day and sitting in judgment the next. Maybe that makes sense in an arbitration between two corporations, but not in cases between corporations and governments. If you’re a lawyer looking to maintain or attract high-paying corporate clients, how likely are you to rule against those corporations when it’s your turn in the judge’s seat?

If the tilt toward giant corporations wasn’t clear enough, consider who would get to use this special court: only international investors, which are, by and large, big corporations. So if a Vietnamese company with U.S. operations wanted to challenge an increase in the U.S. minimum wage, it could use ISDS. But if an American labor union believed Vietnam was allowing Vietnamese companies to pay slave wages in violation of trade commitments, the union would have to make its case in the Vietnamese courts.

> Source: washingtonpost.com

> Of course, no undermining of U.S. sovereignty would be complete for Obama with out gun control being thrown into the mix:

How can a secret trade deal negotiated by President Obama affect the Second Amendment right of all law-abiding Americans to own and use firearms for hunting, shooting and self-defense?

Plenty according to GOA, a gun rights organization that boasts over 300,000 members. In an article published on its website, GOA reminds its’ members:

“Will UN-style gun control be rammed down our throats?” And what about “Gun import bans … Microstamping of firearms … Ammunition bans … The full implementation of the anti-gun UN Arms Trade Treaty … Illegal amnesty which locks in millions of new, anti-gun voters.”

“And this agreement DOESN’T need two-thirds vote in the Senate, as a treaty would. When completed, the agreement is merely subject to a majority vote in both Houses … it can’t be filibustered … it can’t be amended … and the GOP can’t refuse to consider it.”

GOA leaders point to another “approve now, read later” law that Congress passed called the Cromnibus bill in December 2014. Congress blindly passed it without closely reviewing it and only learned later that:

The law included “the largest funding increase in history for the federal gun database,” as well as regulations empowering “states to impose gun bans based on doctor’s orders.”

Michael Hammond, legislative counsel with Gun Owners of America, asked World Net Daily this rhetorical question in an interview:

“Republicans whine about Obama usurping legislative authority, so why in heaven’s name are they thinking of giving him unlimited legislative authority to do anything he can put into a trade agreement?”

Yet Republicans like Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Orrin Hatch support this approach regardless. They argue that it permits “Congress to set goals for an agreement that Obama administration will negotiate.”

Ryan and Hatch think the legislation will box in Obama on what he can and can’t negotiate in a trade deal but these assurances didn’t impress Hammond who pointed out that:

“…the Obama administration has already been negotiating the TransPacific Partnership for six years without any congressional input. So what in the world makes them think that he cares even an iota about their “goals”?