[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 91 (Thursday, June 23, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            THE INTERRELIGIOUS TASK FORCE ON CENTRAL AMERICA

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                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 23, 2011

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the InterReligious 
Task Force on Central America on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.
  Since its inception, the IRTF has strived to promote peace, justice, 
human rights, and nonviolence in Central America by raising awareness 
in Northeast Ohio. It has constantly sought out policies that support 
anti-militarism, environmental human rights, economic justice, ending 
the exploitation of labor, and the promotion of fair trade in Central 
America.
  In 1987, the IRTF started the Rapid Response Network for Human 
Rights, which allowed volunteers to write letters in order to protest 
urgent human rights abuses. Originally conceived to respond to human 
rights abuses in Guatemala, this service is currently available for all 
Central American nations and Columbia.
  The IRTF has also worked to expose the negative effects of 
globalization in Central America. These effects include ecological 
destruction, privatization of utilities and other public services, a 
decrease in labor standards, and the disruption of local populations by 
large multi-national corporations. Through its efforts to promote fair 
trade, Northeast Ohio is now one of the largest markets for fair trade 
coffee in the United States.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the 
InterReligious Task Force on Central America, an organization whose 
policies work to improve conditions for the oppressed peoples in 
Central America, on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.

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