ACTIVIST
LERT
• A Grupo Latino de Acción Directa (GLAD) public
safety forum is planned for 5:30 to 7:30 pm Thursday,
Jan. 16, at César E. Chávez Elementary School, 1510 W.
14th Ave. Speakers include Police Chief Pete Kerns,
District Attorney Alex Gardner and others. Find the event
on Facebook.
• “What to Do About Kesey Square” is the topic of
City Club of Eugene at noon Friday, Jan. 17, at the
Downtown Athletic Club, third-floor ballroom. Speakers
include Rob Bennett, John Rowell, Craig Opperman and
Ben Brubaker. $5 for non-members. The City Club’s first
program of the year Jan. 10 overwhelmed the DAC
kitchen, but we hear the food service should be better
this week. Lunch orders can be placed a day earlier with
payment online at cityclubofeugene.org.
• A fundraiser for Friends of Civic Stadium featuring
Kelly Thibodeaux and Acoustic Etouffee will be from 7 to
10 pm Sunday, Jan. 19, at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th Ave. $5
donation requested. See friendsofcivicstadium.org.
• Numerous Martin Luther King Jr. Day events are
being planned for Monday, Jan. 20. See a listing in our
Calendar section this week.
WILL CONGRESS FAST TRACK
SECRET TRADE AGREEMENT?
In a time when government secrecy is becoming both
more prominent and more criticized, it’s no longer hard
to believe that Congress would “fast track” a vote on a
secret document devised by international corporations.
On Jan. 9, Republican Sens. Dave Camp and Orrin
Hatch together with Democrat Sen. Max Baucus intro-
duced the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act
of 2014. The bill would grant the White House fast-track
authority, meaning the controversial and confidential
trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership could
be passed in Congress with a straight up or down vote
— no amendments.
The TPP is a proposed trade bloc between the U.S.
and 12 countries in the Asia-Pacific region that make up
40 percent of the global economy. Rep. Peter DeFazio
opposes the TPP and the fact that it’s being negotiated
in secret by corporations. He also opposes the fast-track
authority that would allow President Obama to sign off
on the legislation before passing it to Congress for a vote.
DeFazio says more people need to know about fast-track
authority and the TPP, which he calls “incredibly destruc-
tive.” The congressman is hosting two forums on the TPP,
in Corvallis and Eugene Jan. 21 and 22, in which he will
discuss the issue along with local experts, including Tom
Chamberlain of the Oregon AFL-CIO and Gordon Lafer
of the UO’s Labor Education and Research Center.
DeFazio says he has only seen the leaked portions of
the TPP document, which has copyright and patent pro-
visions that could affect everything from pharmaceutical
prices in developing nations to intellectual property laws
and the internet. DeFazio says that if he were to see the
classified document he would not be allowed to take notes
on it or talk about it afterward, yet he says that while Con-
• Public hearings on Eugene city budget options
have been scheduled for 5:30 pm Tuesday, Jan. 21, at
Harris Hall and 5:30 pm Wednesday, Jan. 29, at the
Eugene Public Library. Community members will be
asked to respond to a list of Budget Committee options or
suggest their own. Five of the six current options being
put forward present different combinations of service
reductions, while the sixth option calls for a citywide
across-the-board reduction of 2 percent for all
departments. See eugene-or.gov/budget.
• Local climate recovery activists and affiliated
groups are forming a new 350.org group with a meeting
at 7 pm Thursday, Jan. 23, at First United Methodist
Church (small chapel), 1376 Olive St. The group is
“intent on preventing catastrophic climate chaos by
reducing atmospheric CO2 to 350 ppm,” and will use
grassroots organizing, online campaigns and peaceful,
mass public actions in 188 countries. Email
marydemocker@gmail.com or call CALC at 485-1755.
CLOSED FOR MLK DAY
Offices at EW will be closed for MLK Day Monday,
Jan. 20. The deadline for reserving display ad space will
still be 5 pm Friday, Jan. 17, for our Jan. 23 paper. For
more information, call 484-0519.
CONTINUED P. 10 >>>
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eugeneweekly.com • January 16, 2014
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