By SHIRLEY PASHOLK Whether from Karl Marx's "Capital" or Charles Dickens' novels and their many theatrical adaptations, most of us have formed pictures of the old English work houses. In the United States, 19th century chain gangs labored in fields and gravel quarries. Even in the 1960s, it was common to see chain gangs … Continue reading Factories in the Prisons
Month: December 1999
Power-Sharing in Northern Ireland – Will it Bring Peace?
The capitalist media and politicians are hailing the new "power-sharing" government in Northern Ireland as an historic event for peace. It is indeed a notable occasion, but one that resembles the feeding of boa constrictors in a zoo. The establishment of the new government represents the swallowing of the political movement of the oppressed people … Continue reading Power-Sharing in Northern Ireland – Will it Bring Peace?
Youth in Action
By ADAM RITSCHER Decatur, Ill., the recent scene of bitter labor struggles by striking and locked-out workers at the Staley, Caterpillar, and Bridgestone Firestone plants, last month also saw the angry raised fists of hundreds of Black and white high school students protesting the unjust expulsion of seven Black students. The seven students, who … Continue reading Youth in Action
Labor Briefing: Voice of Detroit Stikers is Silenced
On July 13, 1995, 2500 newspaper workers in six unions struck the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News. Four months later the striking unions launched a weekly paper, the Detroit Sunday Journal. According to an AFL-CIO news release, "The final edition of the Detroit Sunday Journal will be published Nov. 21, the fourth anniversary … Continue reading Labor Briefing: Voice of Detroit Stikers is Silenced
Teamsters Notebook: TDU Convention Attracts Militants
By CHARLES WALKER Contingents of brewery workers, flight attendants, and meat-packing workers inspired and animated the 400 delegates and guests attending the Teamsters for a Democratic Union's 24th Convention last month. The workers addressed the meeting's main sessions, as well as workshops. Their message was as similar as their daily jobs are different: Teamsters … Continue reading Teamsters Notebook: TDU Convention Attracts Militants
AFL-CIO Marches Against WTO
By CHARLES WALKER SEATTLE-The AFL-CIO strategists had a bold game plan. Hold a mass rally of unionists and their allies at a large Seattle stadium, march to the meeting site of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and then hold a "silent sit-down," blocking the building's entrances and preventing easy access to 3000 WTO delegates. … Continue reading AFL-CIO Marches Against WTO
Roots of the Environmental Crisis
BY ROSE CANARES The intent of this article is to explore the dynamics underlying environmental problems under capitalism, using real-life case-studies as illustrations. The basic dynamics include the following: 1) Environmental problems are inevitably created by the capitalist system. 2) The capitalist system, even with the mitigating efforts of its international bodies, cannot permanently … Continue reading Roots of the Environmental Crisis
Student Protests in Iran
By KAMRAN NAYERI For five days last summer (July 8-13), Iranian students took to the streets of Tehran and other cities to protest the denial of basic democratic rights. These protests, their immediate and underlying causes, the solidarity they generated, and the Islamic Republic regime's response to them offered a way to examine and … Continue reading Student Protests in Iran
Adios, Emilio!
Emilio Anaya Broziak died on Oct. 10. He was the best known trade-union leader of the Liga de Unidad Socialista (LUS), a Mexican revolutionary organization with which Socialist Action maintains fraternal ties. Emilio also played an important role in the development of other social movements. He was adept in applying the tactic of the united … Continue reading Adios, Emilio!
Russian Academics Oppose Chechen War
The following statement by the Russian Association of Academics of Socialism and the Union of Internationalists was delivered Nov. 23 to a conference on the Chechen war in Paris. Our translation is from the French version. The barbarous explosions that killed hundreds of Russian citizens have been used by the regime. Once again, exploiting … Continue reading Russian Academics Oppose Chechen War
Athens Protests Spoil Clinton’s Balkan Show
ATHENS - Clinton's journey to the Balkans was planned by the U.S. government to be a triumphant tour and the crowning of their criminal military activities in Yugoslavia. At the same time, the governments of the countries Clinton was going to visit also hoped to acquire some part of that glory and "triumph." But the … Continue reading Athens Protests Spoil Clinton’s Balkan Show
Profits VS. the Planet
As I write this article, the demonstrations against the global crimes of capitalism are taking place in Seattle. One thing is clear as we approach a new millennium-the future of humanity is in doubt. Even the best estimates project that the catastrophic effects of global warming will occur within 50 years. Fifty years till the … Continue reading Profits VS. the Planet
Socialism and the New Millennium
By MARK HARRIS "The imposing edifice of society above my head holds no delights for me. It is the foundation of the edifice that interests me. There I am content to labor, crowbar in hand, shoulder to shoulder with intellectuals, idealists, and class-conscious workingmen, getting a solid pry now and again and setting the … Continue reading Socialism and the New Millennium
Separatist Movement Destabilizes Indonesian Government
In October, a new Indonesian government was installed in an attempt to put a democratic face on continued neocolonialist rule. Now the stability of the new government is already being threatened by a powerful rise of movements for self-government among various peoples of the diverse island country. These areas were pockets of chronic discontent compressed … Continue reading Separatist Movement Destabilizes Indonesian Government
Prisons for Profit
By SHIRLEY PASHOLK In last month's Socialist Action, Shirley Pasholk described the increased use of prisoners as below-minimum-wage workers and even as strikebreakers by U.S. corporations. Her two-part series of articles continues below. Prison labor is not the only way businesses profit from the soaring U.S. prison population. Another method is through privatization of … Continue reading Prisons for Profit
Cuban Delegations Attend WTO and NNOC Conferences
Cubans focus on case of kidnapped youngster, Elian Gonzalez By JEFF MACKLER "The struggle against the World Trade Organization (WTO) was not only in the streets of Seattle," said Felipe Perez Roque, Cuba's 34-year-old Foreign Minister and head of Cuba's 20-member delegation to the WTO, "it was inside the conference itself." Perez Roque addressed … Continue reading Cuban Delegations Attend WTO and NNOC Conferences
Commentary by Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Shadow of Justice
News Item: Reputed mob figures Al Daidone and "Long" John Martorano were released from prison after 19 years imprisonment, after the Pa. Supreme Court affirmed the earlier decision of the Superior Court reversing their murder convictions in connection with the killing of labor leader John McCollough. A divided court ruled that prosecutorial misconduct in the … Continue reading Commentary by Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Shadow of Justice
FIGHTBACK: The Real Killers Among Us
FIGHTBACK by Sylvia Weinstein The Real Killers Among Us The capitalist class, the drug cartels, and the profit motive have allowed millions to die from the HIV virus. The real killers of those millions are the imperialist capitalists, who profit from drugs that -if made affordable-could arrest the disease that is destroying millions of … Continue reading FIGHTBACK: The Real Killers Among Us
Support Grows for Mumia as Federal Judge Reviews Case
By JEFF MACKLER Philadelphia's daily newspapers carried banner headlines on Nov. 19, when the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus announced its intention to introduce into the state legislature a House Resolution for a new trial for the innocent death row political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. This action by the Black elected officials comes in the face … Continue reading Support Grows for Mumia as Federal Judge Reviews Case
SEATTLE!
By NAT WEINSTEIN An estimated 35,000 to 50,000 trade unionists, environmentalists, farmers and other concerned people, including an unusually high proportion of youth, went to Seattle to protest at the end of last month. The protests were directed against the World Trade Organization (WTO), its so-called "free trade" policy, and against the multinational corporations … Continue reading SEATTLE!