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Proposal Details

Proposal ID	148
Proposal	Endorsement Sponsorship of BioDemocracy Convergence
Presenter	Green Party of Pennsylvania
Floor Manager	Maya O'Connor
Phase	Closed
Discussion	06/12/2005 - 06/13/2005
Voting	06/14/2005 - 06/19/2005
Result	Adopted
Presens Quorum	32 0.6666
Consens Quorum	45 0.6666 of Yes and No Votes

Background

Coming up June 19 to 22, 2005, the largest consortium of
biotechnology corporations -- the Biotechnology Industry Organization
(BIO) -- is holding its annual international convention in downtown
Philadelphia. Activists from all over are coming too to say NO to BIO's
agenda of genetically engineered (GE) agriculture, medicine for profit & not
healing, and bioweapons proliferation. Activities will include teach-ins,
workshops, a festival, tabling, marches, and direct action.

Proposal

The GP-US will endorse the BioDemocracy 2005 Statement of Unity as well as
become a sponsoring organization of the event. Sponsoring organziations
will be listed in the literature as well as information about the event and
are being asked to donate $500.

=========================

BIODEMOCRACY 2005 STATEMENT OF UNITY
Our survival, well-being, common heritage and democracy are currently under
attack by the biotechnology industry. Without the knowledge or consent of
the public, biotech corporations and government collaborators are making
sweeping decisions about the future of life and human society on earth. We,
a coalition of diverse groups and individuals, call for democratic
participation in all such decisions, and for an immediate halt to the use of
biotechnologies that threaten and harm the natural world, human health, and
our prospects for a sustainable future.

We seek an end to the use and open-field testing of genetically engineered
plants and animals because of their potential to disrupt natural ecosystems,
harm human health and contaminate the world's diverse seed supplies. We
seek to transform a food system that is dominated by corporate profit
margins into one that is democratic, sustainable and provides nutrition and
sustenance for everyone.
We call for a healthcare system that focuses on providing healthcare to all
people, rather than producing large profits for a few corporations. Funding
should be restored to non-genetic medical research and withdrawn from
manipulative marketing schemes and research into exotic or redundant
treatments. We call for a moratorium on genetically engineered bio-pharming
for the production of medicine, as well as the experimental genetic
engineering of humans, misleadingly promoted as "gene therapy.˛

We demand that the precautionary principle be applied to biotech medicines
and treatments, to genetic engineering and to all other biotechnologies.
Whenever a technological process or product raises threats of harm to the
environment or human health, precautionary measures should be taken, even if
cause-and-effect relationships are not yet established by science.
We believe that agricultural and medical research must be conducted with the
highest level of scientific integrity and honesty. Full disclosure of all
potential conflicts of interest is necessary, to guard against misleading
research supported by corporations that stand to gain from particular
results. We call for a stop to the revolving door between industry
representatives and government regulators that has led to the inappropriate
approval of numerous biotech products. We oppose the patenting of human,
animal and plant genetic information.
We demand a halt to the development, production and proliferation of
biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction by the US government, US
corporations and all others. "Defensive" biological weapons programs nearly
always have offensive applications. US development and testing of
genetically engineered anthrax, germ weapons factories, and germ warfare
bombs clearly violate international treaties restricting biological weapons.
We call for a moratorium on all such bioweapons research, and on the actual
use of chemical and biological weapons by the US as an agent of war in Iraq,
Colombia and elsewhere. We demand reparations for civilian victims of past
US chemical attacks in Vietnam, Iraq, Colombia and other countries, and for
criminal sanctions against the government officials and corporations who
authorized and carried out those attacks.

We support the farmers, farm workers, gardeners, scientists and indigenous
people who are practicing and working toward sustainable and ecological
systems of agriculture. We support those who work for an equitable
healthcare system and to provide healthcare to people who presently cannot
afford it. We support the global movement for peace, and all honest efforts
to eliminate weapons of mass destruction, including biological weapons. We
envision and work for a world where everyonešs basic needs are met, where
wealth is equitably distributed, where racial, economic and gender justice
prevail, where indigenous cultures are cherished, where restitution is made
to the exploited, and natural ecosystems are fully protected. We recognize,
celebrate and fight for biodiversity and diversity of cultures and
knowledge. We call for true democracy, where all people participate in the
decisions that affect them, and where human rights are honored everywhere on
earth.
We demand:
A moratorium on the use of genetically engineered plants and animals.
A halt to the production, testing and use of biological and chemical
weapons.
The application of the precautionary principle to biotechnology.
An end to the patenting of life.

We call for:
A healthcare system that provides for everyone.
A sustainable and just food system that provides good, affordable food to
all people.
Scientific integrity in agricultural and medical research.

We support and celebrate:
The complex, diverse and wondrous ecosystems of our planet that make life
possible, as well as the gardeners, farmers, farm workers, scientists,
healthcare workers, activists and indigenous people who are working for a
just, democratic and sustainable future.

Resources

CONTACT: Mike Rosenberg, micro.zen@verizon.net

References

Activity & Action Info:

--
Alert ::: Grassroots Democracy is Growing!
Counter the Annual Convention of the Biotech Industry June 18-21, 2005 in
Philadelphia HYPERLINK www.reclaimthecommons.net www.reclaimthecommons.net
*** HYPERLINK www.biodev.org www.biodev.org

Update # 1 (Forward widely)

>From June 19 to 22, 2005, the Earth_s largest consortium of biotechnology
corporations -- the Biotechnology Industry Organization
(BIO) -- is holding its annual international convention in downtown
Philadelphia. Join us to say NO to their agenda of genetically engineered
(GE) agriculture, medicine for profit and bioweapons proliferation!

Activists in Philadelphia and throughout the East Coast are hard at work
mobilizing a diverse smorgasbord of activities to challenge the biotech
industry with our own vision of peaceful, sustainable and GE-free grassroots
democracy. In this update, we_ll give you a taste of the mouth-watering menu
of events that you can expect to enjoy if you join us in Philadelphia this
June ...

(1) BIODEMOCRACY FESTIVAL
(2) BIODEMOCRACY TEACH-IN
(3) SUMMER SOLSTICE DAY OF ACTION
(4) FOOD NOT BOMBS 25th ANNIVERSARY GATHERING
(5) GREEN AND BLACK URBAN GATHERING
(6) ANIMAL RIGHTS CONFERENCE
(7) GET INVOLVED and DONATE!
(8) UPCOMING MEETINGS

But first ... let us tell you how to help us spread the word!
- Go to HYPERLINK www.reclaimthecommons.net www.reclaimthecommons.net,
download our flyers, print them, and post or wheatpaste them in your
community.
- Take our call to action (HYPERLINK www.biodev.org www.biodev.org) and this
update, post it on your local Indymedia Center and send it out on listservs,
blogs and progressive newswires, and to your friends and family.
- Organize a film screening or benefit party fundraiser! Excellent films
include: "The Future of Food"
(HYPERLINK www.organicconsumers.org/party.htm
www.organicconsumers.org/party.htm) -- "Fed Up! Genetic Engineering,
Industrial Agriculture and Sustainable Alternatives" (HYPERLINK
www.wholesomegoodness.com www.wholesomegoodness.com) -- and _Life Running
Out of Control_ (HYPERLINK www.denkmal-film.com/abstracts/Lakengl.html
www.denkmal-film.com/abstracts/Lakengl.html).
- Be a local point person (we_ll send you beautiful postcards) or contact us
for more ideas! Contact Philadelphia RAGE (Resistance Against Genetic
Engineering): phillyrage(at)riseup.net * 215-222-4711 * or toll-free at
877-806-2871

And now, on with the update ...

(1) BIODEMOCRACY FESTIVAL

Saturday, June 18th, 10 AM to 3 PM

The BioDemocracy convergence will kick off with an open-air festival to
celebrate the diversity of nature and our local communities. In a location
to be determined, the Festival will bring together organic farmers,
community gardeners, alternative health practitioners, artists, musicians,
families, and activists from near and far to share knowledge, give-aways,
food, fun and skills!

The Festival is likely to include the following specific elements ...
and much more!

Green Circus (HYPERLINK www.greencircus.org www.greencircus.org) ::: Saving
the planet one clown at a time, the Green Circus is a collective of
multi-disciplined artists who perform THE CLEANEST SHOW ON EARTH! This free
show is performed in a magical, multi-sensory circus tent which offers the
audience a glimpse into a world that is ecologically sustainable. Through
multimedia, audience interaction, acrobatics, trapeze, and live music, the
circus, which is for audiences of all ages, will illustrate easy, simple
solutions to creating cleaner air, water, and land.

Really REALLY Democratic Bazaar ::: The biotech industry buys, sells and
patents our genetic and natural resources in the name of "free trade".
However, it is clear to us that their so-called "free trade" is a code-word
for a war on democracy, people, and the planet. In response, we proclaim
that a REAL free market is possible. A market in which we are truly free to
give, receive, and to work on our own terms.
A market in which we can fulfill our needs by working together in
communities. A market that values both cultural and ecological diversity.

To celebrate this vision, we invite everyone to join in the creation of a
people's market: the "Really REALLY Democratic Bazaar." We will strengthen
our opposition to the biotech industry by celebrating the alternatives that
already exist. Our vision is a positive, non-confrontational festival of
generosity, healing, and mutual care.
We call for individuals and groups to organize bazaar "booths_ that contain
performances, creative events, items to barter and give away, and other
activities that express our visions of a better world. Some things we hope
to see are natural healing (massage, yoga, capoiera, etc.), stories, music,
dances, arts, crafts, ideas, goods and services.
Contact Desi: desiburnette19(at)hotmail.com

Farmers Speak-Out and Market ::: In our fast-paced, post-modern age of fast
food and packaged produce, the voice of local organic and family farmers is
overrun by the high-priced spin of corporate agribusiness and biotech
profiteers. Yet small farmers continue to struggle and survive! This farmers
speak-out and market will create a forum in which independent, sustainable
and non-corporate farmers can give voice to their experiences, and market
their produce, to a supportive public!
Contact Edmund: somesanite(at)yahoo.com

This is just a sampling ... Stay tuned for more details about the Festival!
HYPERLINK www.reclaimthecommons.net www.reclaimthecommons.net

(2) BIODEMOCRACY TEACH-IN

Saturday & Sunday, June 18 & 19, 2 to 10 pm and Monday, June 20 (all day)
Locations TBA

Designed to educate and inform the general public as well as dedicated
activists about the hazards of corporate biotech and the possibility of
ecological alternatives, this 3-day teach-in will offer something for
everyone!

Saturday and Sunday will feature panel discussions on Genetic Engineering in
Agriculture, Pharmaceuticals and Human Genetics, Biowarfare and Bioweapons,
Sustainable Alternatives, and Scientific Integrity, plus workshops and a
special screening of the film _The Future of Food_ introduced by its
producer and many of the experts interviewed in it. Confirmed speakers
include Medea Benjamin, Ignacio Chapela, Percy Schmeiser, Anuradha Mittal,
Deborah Koons Garcia, Carmelo Ruiz, Sheldon Krimsky, Judy Wicks, Brian
Tokar, Ramona Africa and many more!

Monday will feature workshops, trainings and skillshares oriented for
activists and anyone who desires a deeper look at the problems with biotech
and ecological solutions. Topics will include: local victories against GE
agriculture in Vermont and California; campaigns against GE trees;
nanotechnology; lawsuits vs. Monsanto; the dangers of _Terminator_
technology; the biotech ties of the Carlyle Group; the patenting of life;
biofuels; the politics of alternative medicine; the corporate theft of the
fisheries commons; non-violence and anti-oppression trainings; and radical
urban sustainability skillshares with the Black and Green Urban Gathering
(see below)!

Stay tuned for more teach-in details! HYPERLINK www.biodev.org
www.biodev.org

And read our BioDemocracy 2005 Statement of Unity:
HYPERLINK http://www.reclaimthecommons.net/article.php?id=187
http://www.reclaimthecommons.net/article.php?id=187
Get your organization(s) to endorse it!

(3) SUMMER SOLSTICE DAY OF ACTION

Tuesday, June 21

On the Summer Solstice, rise up in Philadelphia's streets and gardens for
the "Longest Day (of Action) of the Year"! Shine a light on biotech and
pharmaceutical hotspots in central Philadelphia and spark non-violent
resistance to business as usual at BIO 2005. Help us
mobilize: come to action spokescouncils June 18th to 20th!

On June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer Solstice is the first day
of Summer. It_s also the longest day of the year, with more hours of
sunlight than any other day. Since ancient days, the Summer Solstice has
been a time for tribal gatherings, rituals of renewal and transformation,
and celebrations of natural fertility. Activists from the Pagan Cluster will
be present in Philly to facilitate a spirit of connection with these primal
roots and natural rhythms, as we act for a future without corporate greed,
environmental destruction, genetic pollution, and biotech patents on the DNA
essence of life!

As always, stay tuned for details --- and contact PhillyRAGE(at)riseup.net
with action proposals and ideas.

You can also join our list to help plan the action scenario:
june21philly(at)lists.riseup.net

(4) FOOD NOT BOMBS 25TH ANNIVERSARY GATHERING

1980_2005 ::: Celebrate Food Not Bombs!
June 16-21, Philadelphia

Food Not Bombs is one of the fastest growing revolutionary movements active
today and is gaining momentum. There are hundreds of autonomous chapters
sharing free vegetarian food with hungry people and protesting war and
poverty throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Founded in 1980, Food Not Bombs is now celebrating its 25th Anniversary!
Philadelphia_s 2 chapters of Food Not Bombs are joining this celebration by
hosting a 25th Anniversary Food Not Bombs Gathering in Philadelphia during
the BioDemocracy counter-convention. This Gathering will begin on Thursday
and Friday, June 16th and 17th, with workshops, discussions and skillshares.
We'll also brew scrumptious foods for everyone who attends BioDemocracy!
We're excited to open our warm, early summer, sweaty food-filled arms to all
sorts of visitors who believe that access to healthy & tasty food is a right
that all deserve!

Learn more and download our flyer at:
HYPERLINK www.foodnotbombs.net/philly_gathering.html
www.foodnotbombs.net/philly_gathering.html

Philly Food Not Bombs needs your help and COMMITMENT to make this Gathering
happen! We are looking for help acquiring these items on our _Grocery List_:
massive quantities of food (especially DRY GOODS!!
-beans, rice, grains, spices, oils etc. Please be conscious of common
allergen foods like wheat, soy etc.), coolers, big pots/pans, utensils,
bowls and serving devices, hand-cleaning ooze, and bicycles!
We also want help fundraising, finding a friendly lawyer, making and fixing
bike carts, transporting food, and obtaining large-scale cooking equipment
for our still-in-the-works kitchen (which we hope will be up and running by
June). We are open to all kinds of input, so feel free to contact us by
e-mailing phillyfnbgathering(at)lists.riseup.net.

Please visit lists.riseup.net/www/info/phillyfnbgathering to sign up for our
organizing e-mail list, to get involved, and to send us your ideas about
holding this 25th Anniversary Gathering.

(5) GREEN AND BLACK URBAN GATHERING

sous les pavis, la plage!
philadelphia, june 16-21, 2005

As part of this counter-biotech mobilization, we -- the Under the Pavement
Collective -- intend to facilitate the presence of a strong radical caucus
with the perspective to critique biotechnology in the context of our
resistance to all forms of domination. As such, our enemies are not just
GMOs but global capitalism, neo-colonialism, patriarchy, the industrial
ethos, & anthropocentric western science itself, which aim to reduce all
people and nature to orders of coercion and control.

The Green and Black Urban Gathering will include a day for veggie-lovin_
radicals from far and wide to help out a neighborhood
garden: get your hands dirty supporting community food sovereignty and
sustainable local growing! Monday the 20th will be a day of skillshares for
sustainable, post-capitalist urban living. Themes will include gardening and
growing, squatting, bicycle technology and alternatives to car culture,
composting and greywater, d.i.y. physical and mental health, nutrition,
anti-oppression community dynamics, d.i.y.
sustainable energy, post-consumer resource reclamation, urban foraging &
more. We are still actively soliciting ideas for workshops & events.

We are also planning a project called Bikes Against Biotech which will
include a workspace to provide refurbished bicycles for out-of-towners and
at least one Critical Mass-style protest ride against the BIO convention.
The rest of the week will include block parties, music, marches, and maybe
even a few surprises on June 21, the Summer Solstice
-- the longest Day (of Action) of the year! Come to Philly to oppose biotech
and sow the seeds of widespread resistance to industrial capitalism. We can
and will destroy this machine from within _ let_s get busy!

Under the Pavement Organizing Collective, Philadelphia
underthepavement(at)riseup.net _ HYPERLINK www.gbug.org www.gbug.org

(6) ANIMAL RIGHTS CONFERENCE

On June 18th, HUGS FOR PUPPIES will host an anti-vivisection conference in
response to BIO 2005. Not only do animals suffer needlessly from inhumane
experiments --- these experiments are harmful to humans as well. After all,
can we really learn about human anatomy by studying a cat? For every toxin,
there is an animal that is immune to it -- and corporations are constantly
searching for an animal immune to their toxins to protect themselves from
legal liability when their products make people sick. The conference will
take place from noon until 7:30 at the Philadelphia Ethical Society (1906 S.
Rittenhouse Square).
Speakers include Kevin Jonas, an animal rights activist currently charged
with _animal enterprise terrorism_ and facing 23 years in prison for
operating a web site. Other speakers include Dr. Ray Greek, Michelle Rokke,
and Alka Chandna. Contact for more info:
hugsforpuppies(at)riseup.net

(7) GET INVOLVED and DONATE!

We can_t stop the earth-eating insanity perpetuated by greedy biotechnology
corporations by ourselves. We need your help!

Want to join a working group? Check out the list of working groups at this
link -- HYPERLINK www.reclaimthecommons.net/article.php?id=34
www.reclaimthecommons.net/article.php?id=34 -- and contact the point person
of the group(s) you want to be involved in, become a point person for a
group that has none, or create your own working group. Your own unique
talents, experiences, and thoughts are welcome, encouraged, and vitally
important.

Please donate! We work for a world in which finances are not the limiting
factor in the activities people engage in, but are unfortunately not there
quite yet. We need everything we can come up with to transform our
collective vision into a reality that can_t be ignored or denied!

Your tax-deductible contribution will help continue our critical work.
Please give a Gift today. (See below for "in-kind" items we need.) Please
make checks out to ISE Biotech Project and write "BioDemocracy
2005 Project" in the memo area. Then mail your contribution to:

Biotechnology Project, Institute for Social Ecology
1118 Maple Hill Road
Plainfield, Vermont 05667

If every one reading this makes a donation, the BioDemocracy mobilization
can afford to fly speakers to our June 18-20 educational forums, print out
thousands of postcards and posters, do some serious outreach and get a
significant amount of people in the streets & gardens of Philadelphia. We
can stop biotech and corporate power from dominating our government and our
lives. We can pay rent for a Welcome Center (possibly $5,000 - 7,000 /
month). We can create beautiful banners that can reach thousands with
messages of hope and resistance.

So please be generous, but know that donations of any size are appreciated.
What_s authentic democracy worth to you? Take a look at your finances, and
then give as much as you can. If you can't afford a personal donation, then
organize a benefit party! We need all the help you can deliver: This
demonstration will be unlike anything the Philadelphia area has ever seen,
and it_s coming up fast.

Donate your talents, your resources, your stuff! Here_s what we need in
particular right now:

* Donate housing for speakers and activists
* Donate (or loan) computers, copier, printers and telephones
* Donate cell phones, walkie-talkies and video equipment
* Donate used (or new!) bicycles for the mobilization to use
* Donate vans or large vehicles that we can convert to veggie or biodiesel
* Donate printing or copying costs for our postcards, posters, fliers and
newspapers, recycled print paper and ink cartridges
* Donate art supplies and graphic art skills
* Donate warehouse space for a public Welcome Center
* Donate gardening tools/water hoses/drip lines/soil/mulch/straw-bales for
the greening of the Welcome Center and for the various Garden and Eco
Projects we are planning
* Donate plants and seedlings to give away
* Donate goodies for our Really REALLY Free Market
* Donate displays, tables, skills demonstrations, and children's activities
for our Saturday, June 18th alternatives festival
* Donate food, both ingredients and prepared (GMO-Free)
* Donate tables, tablecloths, awnings
* Loan a sound system and technical assistance
* Get your organization to co-sponsor the mobilization or
* Endorse the BioDemocracy 2005 Statement of Unity:
HYPERLINK http://www.reclaimthecommons.net/article.php?id=187
http://www.reclaimthecommons.net/article.php?id=187

To offer any of the items listed above, please contact Nathaniel Miller at
the Student Environmental Action Coalition: 215-222-4711, or
nathaniel(at)riseup.net.

(8) UPCOMING MEETINGS

The best way, however, for you to get involved could very well be by coming
to a meeting! Here_s when they_re happening ...

On the 4th Wednesday of each month, Reclaim the Commons/BioDemocracy
Mobilization has coalition meetings in central Philadelphia from 6 to 9 pm.
Join us April 27th and May 25th! Contact phillyRAGE(at)riseup.net for the
location.

On the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month, Philadelphia RAGE (Resistance
Against Genetic Engineering) holds working group meetings at 7:30 pm in West
Philly. Join us May 4 + 18 and June 1 + 15.
Contact phillyRAGE(at)riseup.net for the location.

Working groups are also holding separate meetings, as needed. Find out about
these meetings by visiting our working groups page and contacting the
appropriate point person:
HYPERLINK www.reclaimthecommons.net/article.php?id=34
www.reclaimthecommons.net/article.php?id=34

Our next National Consulta will be on Saturday, June 4th from 12 to 5 pm in
downtown Philly. Join us! Contact phillyRAGE(at)riseup.net for the location.

And if you can_t attend our meetings, don_t despair! We also have bi-monthly
national conference calls. To find out about the next scheduled call,
contact phillyRAGE(at)riseup.net

Thursday, April 28th ::: PhillyRAGE movie night! Screening "Fed Up!
Genetic Engineering, Industrial Agriculture and Sustainable Alternatives" at
7:30 pm in the A-Space (4722 Baltimore Ave.)

We can_t wait to see you in Philly this June! Stay tuned ... for our next
update in mid-May!

HYPERLINK www.reclaimthecommons.net www.reclaimthecommons.net *** HYPERLINK
www.biodev.org www.biodev.org

BioDemocracy 2005 Statement of Unity:
HYPERLINK http://www.reclaimthecommons.net/article.php?id=187
http://www.reclaimthecommons.net/article.php?id=187

_Because disease and starvation will not be solved by corporations!_

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