It helped a fraction of a fraction of people who lost their jobs from NAFTA and the other free trade corporate give aways. There are just very minimal availble jobs to retrain to.

Say good bye to the remains of the Americn middle class. TAA was just show. It was window dressing and a way to destroy Medicare. It prettied up a ghastly destruction of Amrican jobs.

But at least Obama will get a nice big pot of gold for betraying America.

by some legislative body to be unconstitutional and those who signed on to those treaties treasonous? I mean if Congress, whose individual members must swear to uphold the Constitution, would pass legislation that is clearly not in line with the Constitution, wouldn't that make it invalid and the legislators oath breakers? It seems to me the only way this could be legitimate is to pass an amendment making these deals possible and amendments are very hard to pass.

I just meant I don't think they should be passing these agreements because there is no amendment making it legitimate.

something. It would be great if the courts ruled Fast Track unconstitutional though but yeah we still would need the more permanent solution of a constitutional amendment. I am surprised nobody has suggested a constitutional amendment around here to stop this shit. There are a lot of very bright people around DU so I was surprised when I was the first one to bring that up (well at least from what I know). Yes a constitutional amendment would be very difficult but I am beginning to believe it necessary.

there are citizens of other countries banding together and suing their governments over TPP.

We need to do the same. To move beyond freaking out on a discussion board and prepping for a lawsuit.

board? Or, would it be necessary to start a movement of some sort? Maybe this is something for Occupy to tackle.

they have lawyers that help them with things like the rolling jubilee.

What we need is a lawyer or group of lawyers to get the ball rolling.

somebody started something back in 2012 and got a bunch of lawyers to sign.

they put together an open letter back in 2012 with lawyers from affected country signing.
https://tpplegal.wordpress.com/open-letter/

Below are American lawyers that signed. Seems to me to be a starting point, anyway. Nader is on the list. And one is in in Hallowell ME... I'm about 1 hour from there. So maybe we start by contacting promising looking lawyers, or send a letter to all of them, to see what it would take to sue. And then start looking for supporters -- twitter? gofundme? -- to start a class action type suit.

Bruce Fein JD
Bruce Fein & Associates
Former Associate Deputy Attorney General & General Counsel to the Federal Communications Commission, Reagan Administration
USA

Professor Jerome Levinson JD
Washington College of Law, American University
Former General Counsel, Inter-American Development Bank
USA

Ralph Nader JD
Public Advocate
USA

Professor Jagdish Bhagwati
University Professor, Economics & Law,
Columbia University
Economic Policy Adviser to Director General of GATT (1991-93) and External Adviser to WTO, Member of Kofi Annan’s Advisory Committee on the NEPAD Process in Africa
USA

Sharon Anglin Treat JD
Maine State Legislator
Hallowell, Maine
USA

Professor Antony Anghie BA, LLB, SJD
Samuel D Thurman Professor of Law
SJ Quinney School of Law
University of Utah
USA

Professor Brook Baker JD
School of Law
Northeastern University
USA

Chris Bostic JD
Deputy Director
Action on Smoking & Health (ASH)
USA

Professor James Gathii SJD (Harv)
Governor George Pataki Professor of International Commercial Law
Albany Law School
USA

Associate-Dean Lydia Lazar JD
Harris School of Public Policy Studies
University of Chicago
USA

Professor Martha McCluskey JD, LLM, JSD
Faculty of Law
State University of New York
USA

Associate Professor Kevin Outterson JD
Director, Health Law Program
Boston University
USA

he's been active protesting TPP, with a lot of experience in activism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Zeese

to see what it would take to bring about a coalition to hire a group of lawyers to sue on constitutional grounds if possible, or whatever grounds.

Keep this going, it's a real good list so far-

asking for more transparency. another half dozen or so asked to be added as signatories at the web site.
http://infojustice.org/archives/21137

David S. Levine, Elon University School of Law

Christopher Jon Sprigman, Virginia Law

Sean Flynn, American University Washington College of Law

Brook Baker, Northeastern University Law School

Michael Geist, University of Ottawa

Kevin Outterson, Boston University

Frank A. Pasquale, Seton Hall Law School

Pam Samuelson, Berkeley Law

Susan Sell, George Washington University

David G. Post, Professor of Law, Temple University

Ira Steven Nathenson, St. Thomas University School of Law

Kenneth L. Port, William Mitchell College of Law

Peter Jaszi, American University Washington College of Law

Deborah Tussey, Oklahoma City University School of Law

Rebecca Tushnet, Georgetown Law

Irene Calboli, Marquette University Law School

Jessica Silbey, Suffolk University Law School Rita Heimes, University of Maine School of Law

Shubha Ghosh, University of Wisconsin Law School

Jason Shultz, Berkeley Law

Hannibal Travis, Florida International University

Aaron Perzanowski, Wayne State University Law School

Laura Bradford, George Mason University Law School

Cynthia M. Ho, Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Peter Yu, Drake University School of Law

Annemarie Bridy, University of Idaho and Princeton University

Robert A. Heverly, Albany Law School of Union University

Mark McKenna, Notre Dame Law School

Andrew Chin, University of North Carolina School of Law

Paul Edward Geller, General Editor, Internartional Copyright Law and Practice

David Fewer, University of Ottawa

Dr. Samuel E. Trosow, University of Western Ontario

Alberto Cerda, University of Chile

Renata Avila Pinto, Universidad Francisco Marroquin

Dr. Hong Xue Beijing Normal University

León Felipe Sánchez Ambía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Matthew Rimmer, ANU College of Law, Australia

I'm feeling better about this. With all these lawyers, they're probably prepping already. Just waiting for that piece of shit to get signed into law so they can sue.

I'm just guessing out of the many that are signing on to these, someone, somewhere, must be...

I'm hoping against hope here.

Look what's on the Home Page under Video, Koko's OP on "Bruce Fein on TH, the TPP is unconstitutional!" posted June 3. Coincidence.

Bruce Fein on the TPP, Thom Hartman Program:

well for many are under the rule of neoliberal banks and corporations only to a lesser degree than us I believe. Everything's enmeshed and global now, just the way powers want it. But there is opposition now and it's surfacing all over which is fantastic.

History repeats itself. It's time to end the vicious cycle.

and perhaps roll back some of this crap? Maybe even roll back some of what was put in place with the WTO, etc. too earlier with NAFTA.

Another reason that America needs to hear for electing Bernie Sanders as president!

corporate controlled Republicans. The President could have stopped this but he's for it and I don't know why.

... that Clinton signed in to law back in his day. That was a precursor to a lot of the unconstitutional online spying that is taking place now. Today's courts I don't think would have done us that favor then. They probably should have thrown out the Telecomm Act itself too so that we wouldn't have the screwed up corporate media we have today, but that wasn't going to happen then.

Having Bernie get some newer justices appointed everywhere to reverse this damage is one of the most important things he could do as president, that could help us undo a lot of the damage that has already been done recently.

I really really don't like shit shoved down my throat by a bunch of traitorous corporate lackey politicians!!!!!!!!!!

like? and also are any plans starting up to primary any of the fuckers that sold us out? Also a reminder that this is a good reason to donate to Bernie Sanders at https://berniesanders.com/

... will never be forgotten, or forgiven. I ADORED Obama when he was campaigning. Then he appointed Summers and Geithner and I knew we'd been played like a cheap fiddle. I dug a bit and discovered that he'd been in Goldman Sachs' pocket since before he gave the keynote address in '04. He did some good stuff, too...

But this... No. I promise you, his hustling the snake oil of the Trans-Pacific Partnership will rival the worst of Nixon's evil stunts. it might be legal, which Nixon was not, but the damage done to the American people will be horrendous.

I mean this is a deal that will harm the environment and thus actual wolves and actual wolves are beneficial to nature .

I remember there was a wolf park in Colorado that I went to quite along time ago.... awesome just watching them.

this is a terrible deal

Talking about ammendments way to early folks.

Article V
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to the Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode Of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress;"

This is huge undertaking for any issue. I think the constitution also speaks for itself on this matter:

ARTICLE VI:

All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

could so easily give up the sovereignty of this country and hand it over to Multi National Corporations, and even more stunning is that any person who calls themselves an American could, just for partisan reasons, try to excuse it.

You are absolutely correct that those who betrayed the voters who entrusted them with protecting 'The Consitution of the US against all enemies both Foreign AND DOMESTIC will be primaried.

I used to love Ron Wyden. But nothing will cause me to try to defend him for this, I would like to know what happened to him. HE was the one who WARNED us about this several years ago. NOW he turns his back on all those who listened to him, trusted him and votes FOR it. Shame on him.

Unfortunately he has turned traitor. I do wonder if the 1% of this country with how they take and take and take if they have learned nothing from the French Revolution....there is only so much the poor, the downtrodden can take before the dam busts and it turns into another very bloody chapter of our history. I did not mention the middle class...well that is because if they go far enough to cause a violent revolution there will be no middle class only rich and poor. As I said up thread they are ignoring John F. Kennedy's warning.

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable." -John F. Kennedy.