Yesterday the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness sent the following action alert asking Presbyterians to ask Congress to vote NO on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement:
Click here to call your member of Congress and ask him or her to vote NO on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.
The human rights situation in Colombia has not improved since we contacted you last month. The Colombia FTA will only add to the violence, displacement and economic hardship for our brothers and sisters in Colombia. Despite this, the Obama administration is on the verge of introducing the FTA to Congress and both houses are readying themselves to pass the agreement before their August recess.
The Presbyterian Church of Colombia has stated its opposition to the FTA and has called on the PC(USA) to join in advocacy against its passage.
Click here to raise your voice for justice along with the voices of our Colombian brothers and sisters and say NO to the Colombia FTA.
While you are raising your voice to Congress, a coalition of faith-based and secular organizations will be raising their voices in Washington, DC, at a rally in front of the White House asking President Obama not to introduce the FTA to Congress. Executive Director of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship Rick Ufford-Chase (Former Moderator of the PC(USA)) and Director of the Office of Public Witness Rev. J. Herbert Nelson II will join union members and advocates from the US and Colombia to speak out on behalf of economic justice and fair trade instead of free trade.
Click here for more information and to call your Representative.
“Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” – Proverbs 31:8-9
Update: Yesterday in Washington DC, four members of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, including Executive Director (and former PC(USA) Moderator) Rick Ufford-Chase, were arrested at a peaceful protest against the Colombia Free Trade Agreement in front of the White House. Read an article on the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship’s website.