From The Atlanta IndyMedia Archives

Video

 The time is November, 2003.  George Bush is in the middle of his first term in office.  And Miami has been selected to host the meeting of the F.T.A.A., or the Free Trade Agreement of the America's.  This trade deal is sold as a way to open new markets in Cental and South America, create jobs, and "liberalize" trade rules.  Critics believe that the F.T.A.A.  is nothing less than a way to transfer soverenty

from nation states to multi-national corporations.  Thousands of people from both hemisphere's decend on Miami to stop the FTAA in it's tracks.  They are meet by thousands of militarized police who have orders to protect the ministerial meeting at all cost.  Leading up to this meeting in Miami, a group of musicians come together for an educational tour to shine a light on what the FTAA will create.  They call the tour the "Tell Us The Truth Tour".  Their main focus is the consolidation of power and ownership in the music/entertainment industry as well as news media.  The people behind this tour are Steve Earle, Billy Bragg, Tom Morello, Boots Riley, Mike Mills and Lester Chambers.  The Tour starts in Chicago and plays a variety of cities on their way down to Miami.  About a week before the Miami meetings were to begin, The Tell Us The Truth Tour stopped in Atlanta for a show at the Variety Playhouse.  This film pulled from the Atlanta Independent Media Center's archives, brings you not only excerpts from that performance, but portions of the press conference held that afternoon with Billy Bragg, Steve Earle, and Jenny Toomy, a founder of  the Future of Music Coalition.  

In case you've never heard of the F.T.A.A., don't worry.  It was killed in the streets of Miami.  Thousands of people decended on Miami that week in November of 2003.  Their vocal opposition to this trade deal gave political support to opponents inside the negotiations.  Venezuela, Bolivia, and Equador were able to form a coalition in opposition to the F.T.A.A.  They were able to tell U.S. negotiators 'Not only are we against this plan, but your own people in the streets aren't too crazy about this either."  The talks collapsed, and the F.T.A.A. never became law.  The United States' new strategy is to set up similar trade deals with one country at a time.  So far the only takers have been Columbia, Panama, and South Korea.  Miami was a huge win for the opponents of corporate globalization.

There is a digital glitch at the 47:24 point lasting about 2 seconds due to tape damage.  This couldn't be edited out.