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Common Dreams reports:
Now that official debate has begun, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wants to pass Fast Track bill before Memorial Day.
[...] The U.S. Senate on [May 14] approved a motion to begin debate on the Fast Track authority President Barack Obama needs to advance controversial trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The measure passed 65-33.
Senate Democrats blocked the first attempt to proceed on the trade legislation on Tuesday, but backtracked in the wake of further negotiations--and intense pressure from the White House.
Boing Boing warns URGENT: Senate backtracks on TPP fasttrack--call Congress to oppose the Trans Pacific Partnership
TPP is a treaty negotiated under extraordinary secrecy--Members of Congress were threatened with jail for discussing its contents--and virtually everything we know about it comes from leaks. One thing we do know is that it contains a provision to let multinational corporations sue governments for passing environmental and labor laws that undermine their profits (similar provisions in other treaties have been used by tobacco companies to sue the Australian government over a law mandating plain packaging for cigarettes). We also know that TPP hardens the worst elements of US copyright, trumping Congress's right to review the term of copyright and the scope of the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA (these are the rules that allowed John Deere to claim that farmers don't own their tractors, because of the copyrights in the software in their engines).
The Electronic Frontier Foundation needs your help to contact your Congresscritter to block this. TPP is a fragile monster, and it can really only pass if the Congress abdicates its legislative authority and lets the President make up laws and legal obligations without Congressional input. The Republican Congress--and many Democrats--is vulnerable to messages from voters opposing the extension of these powers to the President.
Related: Fast-Track Trade Measure Fails Key Test Vote In Senate
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Monday May 18 2015, @03:34PM
I'll admit that came out wrong.
I see it like this: There are those who are making a really big deal over something that they claim will destroy this nation. The news outlets are full of gay rights arguments when it's a non argument. They are a group of people who deserve rights. Just give them their rights and be done with it. Stop fucking around. But no. They know the christians and other hate mongers will vote for whoever says no to gay-whatever. So they blow that up into a really big deal in order to secure votes because it's an easy target to argue about. Meanwhile the real shenanigans, complex ones, which are actively and currently destroying this nation go unchecked. Smoke and mirrors.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 18 2015, @04:28PM