FAX MIAMI MAYOR - STOP POLICE BRUTALITY AGAINST PROTESTERS

E-mail letters to the editor to the Miami Herald at:

Why would it matter for a person from Portland, OR to call the Miami, FL mayor or Police? This is a serious question. All good politicians know who can vote for them and who cant...just wondering others thoughts. Seems like a huge waste of time and effort...but it seems like alot of what is done is...so??????????

DM

I saw on ftaaimc.org that someone from North Carolina was told, "...what makes you think anybody in Miami gives a flying fuck what you have to say?!" when he called the Miami police dept. Well, your federal representatives approved your tax dollars to pay for all this mess, so maybe they deserve a call as well.

I wrote this up for Cleveland IMC before the protests started.

The $87 billion dollar war budget passed this month by both the House and Senate included $8.5 million dollars for the FTAA meeting in Miami. The bill, entitled Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense and for the Reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan, 2004, included many items that have little to do with Iraq. As Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) pointed out during a Senate appropriations hearing, the $292 million for research and development, $930 million for base camp improvements and $6.2 million to replace missiles, are hardly emergencies. The relation of $8.5 million for the FTAA meeting to the war in Iraq is not explained in the bill. The item is a single line under the heading `Emergencies in the Diplomatic and Consular Service' which allows $115.5 million for 'Protection of Foreign Missions and Officials.'

Though Peter F. Allgeier, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, stated in his remarks to the Senate Subcommittee on International Trade in May 2003 that administration of the FTAA will be done in a transparent manner, the sum of federal monies allocated to the meeting has not been accounted for. It is uncertain whether the check is being written to the municipality of Miami and the surrounding 40 cities that are providing law enforcement to the conference or to Florida FTAA Inc, a private organization. Florida FTAA Inc is working towards securing the headquarter site of the FTAA in Miami and is chaired by Charles Cobb, a businessman who served under Reagan and Bush Sr. in the Department of Commerce. Cobb was hired under express recommendation of Governor Jeb Bush.

The Iraq war bill also includes $25 million for the G8 summit to be held in June 2004. President Bush has chosen Sea Island, a privately owned resort island, as the site for that meeting. For more information on the Iraq war bill search for H.R. 3289 on the government website, thomas.loc.gov