Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Topics:
Segment 1: The Colombia Free Trade Agreement- A coalition of laid-off workers, environmentalists, human rights activists, members of faith communities and others are criticizing Maine Senator Susan Collins for her refusal to take a stand on a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia. The rest of Maine’s congressional delegation has already come out in opposition to the Colombia FTA which is currently pending final approval from Congress.
Sarah Bigney, an organizer with Maine Fair Trade Campaign, Wendall Rafford, a worker from Irving Forest Products in Ashland and President of United Steelworkers Local 1310, and Elsie Flemings an environmentalist from Bar Harbor join us today to talk about the issue.
FMI: www.mainefairtrade.org, www.citizenstrade.org
Segment 2: The next Appropriations Bill to continue funding the Occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan will be voted on soon. And as WERU listeners are no doubt aware, 70% of the country is against the occupation of Iraq. This afternoon Mainers who continue to feel they are not being heard using other means, planned to stage a sit-in at Representive Tom Allen’s office in Portland. We checked in with them just before air time and talked with Bruce Gagnon, who gave us an update— including letting us know why the sit-in was relocated to Senator Susan Collin’s Portland offices.