Picket Line & Barricades The right kind of unity I had planned to write this month's column on unemployment. The administration in Washington and their presumed opposition, the Democratic Party, are only glancingly concerned with the disastrous condition of the workers receiving layoff notices. I wanted to make some comments about this, but then … Continue reading Picket Line & Barricades
Month: October 2001
Stop the Racist Attacks!
As working people try to make sense of the recent tragedy that has taken place in New York and Washington, D.C., a very dangerous mood has emerged toward Arabs and Arab Americans as well as other people of western Asian descent and dark-skinned people in general. This is in large part the result of irresponsible … Continue reading Stop the Racist Attacks!
Students Mobilize Against War
By ADAM RITSCHER The bombings of Sept. 11 sent the entire population of this country into shock, both young and old. On high school and college campuses across the country there has been a mass outpouring of sympathy and mourning for the victims of the World Trade Center attack. If you were to watch … Continue reading Students Mobilize Against War
Student Anti-Sweatshop Conference
CHICAGO-Hundreds of students from across the country gathered here on Aug. 2-5 for the second annual national conference of the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS). The conference discussed ways of continuing student involvement in the fight for workers' justice, both here and abroad. The conference began with a mobilization in support of local workers. Students … Continue reading Student Anti-Sweatshop Conference
Anti-Sweatshop Efforts Falter but UNITE Tries Again
By CHARLES WALKER I've got to confess that I haven't been paying a lot of attention to the movement against overseas apparel sweatshops, so I wrongly had the impression that the movement was sort of making some progress. That's probably because the protest rallies, and informational picket lines at apparel stores by UNITE (Union … Continue reading Anti-Sweatshop Efforts Falter but UNITE Tries Again
Portland’s New Mumia Coalition
PORTLAND, Ore.- On Aug. 17, Portlanders responded to the call for an Emergency Mass demonstration for Mumia Abu-Jamal's scheduled Philadelphia hearing. The busy noon crowd at Pioneer Square saw 72 supporters chanting and marching. Volunteers signed up at the rally to participate in a coalition for future events. As a result, on Sept. 5, people … Continue reading Portland’s New Mumia Coalition
Mumia Writes to Duluth Workers
Regarding organizing hotel employees, I am fully in support of such a necessary effort. I think it's both noble and necessary; I salute the brave people who are working to organize several hotels in Duluth, under HERE Local 99. I know it's not easy, but it is necessary. We live in a time of unmitigated … Continue reading Mumia Writes to Duluth Workers
Confession Tape Establishes Mumia’s Innocence
By JEFF MACKLER The fight to free innocent political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal took a dramatic step forward on Sept. 8 when a seven-minute video-taped confession to the murder of Officer Daniel Faulkner was submitted to the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia. The confessed killer, Arnold Beverly, states in the video that he, not … Continue reading Confession Tape Establishes Mumia’s Innocence
Duluth Hotel Workers Organize
By ADAM RITSCHER DULUTH, Minn.-This is a blue-collar city if there ever was one. It is a city with a rich and powerful labor history, revolving around taconite mines, paper factories, steel mills, and the port. The last few decades, though, have been tough on this city. Many of the factories are now abandoned … Continue reading Duluth Hotel Workers Organize
MUSIC: Orishas: ‘A lo Cubano’
Based in Spain and France, Orishas is an Afro-Cuban hip-hop group that represents a new generation of Cuban music. The lyrics on their first CD, "A lo cubano," rapped in Spanish and French, are a celebration of life, with a good dose of reality. "We have destroyed a lot of preconceived ideas of what Latin … Continue reading MUSIC: Orishas: ‘A lo Cubano’
FILM REVIEW: Before Night Falls
By LEONARDO HECHAVARRIA & MARCEL HATCH "Before Night Falls" is not a crude "Reefer Madness" type of scare flick. Instead, it's finely crafted cinema, with strong performances by a top-flight international cast featuring Javier Bardem, Olivier Martinez, Andrea Di Stefano, Johnny Depp, and Sean Penn. This U.S. production, directed by Julian Schnabel and shot … Continue reading FILM REVIEW: Before Night Falls
Terror Bombing Sharpens Economic Crisis
By JEFF MACKLER Only fools believed that the U.S. stock market would head in any direction but sharply downward when trading resumed six days after the horrific Sept. 11 terror bombings in New York and Washington, D.C. But fools there were! The Sept. 14 "Nightly Business Report" on television cited a "gentleman's agreement" between … Continue reading Terror Bombing Sharpens Economic Crisis
Cease-Fire in Palestine But no Solution is Sight
By GERRY FOLEY The unilateral ceasefire decreed by Yasser Arafat Sept. 18 and the subsequent order by the Zionist government to withdraw Israeli troops from the areas ceded to the Palestinian Authority reflect the political pressures fostered by the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Since Arafat apparently got no promises … Continue reading Cease-Fire in Palestine But no Solution is Sight
Immigrant Rights Under Attack
By DAVID BERNT Amidst broader threats to civil liberties in the aftermath of recent terrorist actions, U.S. rulers are attacking the rights of immigrants. Using the events of Sept. 11 as a pretext and the recent wave of xenophobia and racism toward Arabs and Muslims as a base of popular support, the Justice Department … Continue reading Immigrant Rights Under Attack
Bio-Piracy in Chiapas
By VERONICA FAGAN In March 2001, the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) made history when it marched into Mexico City at the culmination of its journey from the southern state of Chiapas. This action was the latest in the long campaign of the Zapatistas for autonomy for the indigenous people of the region ,and … Continue reading Bio-Piracy in Chiapas
Labor Tops Speak Out
Many of America's unions' central leaders issued press releases after the Sept. 11 bombings. All the statements deplored the loss of life and some urged their members to donate to union funds created to help victims and survivors. In general the press releases indicated, at least by implication, that the union officials would line up … Continue reading Labor Tops Speak Out
To Punish Innocent Afghans Would be Immoral
BY CHRIS BUCKLEY Below are excerpts from a statement by a Christian Aid Program officer. I have just returned from Afghanistan, and cannot avoid a growing feeling of dread at what may be about to befall the people I have left there. The bellicose statements being issued by America and her allies about revenge … Continue reading To Punish Innocent Afghans Would be Immoral
U.S. War Drive in Vieques
By DAVID BERNT In its preparation for war, the U.S. Navy has begun exercises at its bombing range on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. The people of Vieques have been protesting the use of the island as a bombing range, exposing its people to severe health risks. The Navy uses the range to … Continue reading U.S. War Drive in Vieques
‘Operation Blowback’ for U.S. Policy
By PAUL SIEGEL The U.S. government is accusing Osama Bin Laden, the Saudi-born millionaire living in Afghanistan, of being the mastermind of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and is preparing to attack Afghanistan. When it does, it will be striking against its own creations, who have turned against it. Bin … Continue reading ‘Operation Blowback’ for U.S. Policy
Cuba Condemns Trade Center Attack
The Cuban government rejected the Sept. 11 acts of terrorism in the United States and immediately offered its condolences to the people and authorities of this country for the loss of life. According to the on-line edition of the Cuban newspaper Granma, Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said that Cuba's historical position is to "totally … Continue reading Cuba Condemns Trade Center Attack
The Terrorist Bombing: Where We Stand
Tragedy Must Not Be Turned Into War! No U.S. Bombing Anywhere! Stop U.S. Intervention! End Racist Attacks on Arab and Muslim Communities! Defend Civil Liberties and Civil Rights for All! The following statement was issued by the Socialist Action Political Committee on Sept. 17. The government that spends trillions on war, has sent more troops … Continue reading The Terrorist Bombing: Where We Stand
Commentary by Mumia Abu-Jamal: WHY?
The woman's voice on the phone was as plaintive as a tear, as she implored the non-responsive talk show host to please tell her, "Why do they hate us so much? Why?" Her voice, while not commonly projected in the current media, resonates in the consciousness of millions of Americans, who look at the carnage … Continue reading Commentary by Mumia Abu-Jamal: WHY?
Who is Bin Laden? What is the Taliban?
By Gerry Foley As we go to press, the world is waiting for a U.S. military attack on Afghanistan. It is clear that the American rulers' objective is to demonstrate their capacity for destruction and their ruthlessness, and to score some general political points based on that. U.S. government spokespersons are increasingly having to … Continue reading Who is Bin Laden? What is the Taliban?
U.S. Gov’t Prepares for War and Assaults on Civil Liberties
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER In the wake of the terrorist bombings of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, President George Bush and a bipartisan Congress are ratcheting up the U.S. war machine with bloodcurdling threats of vengeance. Bush and his top cabinet officers assert that the United States will use the … Continue reading U.S. Gov’t Prepares for War and Assaults on Civil Liberties