Month: June 2011
The Greek Struggle Against Austerity
One year after the imposition of the Memorandum and the antilabor and antisocial measures it brought in its wake, the situation of the Greek economy, even under capitalist criteria, did not only not improve but instead significantly worsened. Salaries decreased, provoking a generalized crisis in the market. At the same time the public debt, which … Continue reading The Greek Struggle Against Austerity
MN Immigrant Rights Activists Protest “Secure Communities” Bill
Tribunal clears N. Ireland security forces of collusion in Nelson murder
A tribunal in Northern Ireland has absolved the state security forces of any collusion in the murder of Rosemary Nelson in 1999. Nelson was a solicitor who was killed by a car bomb planted under her car by loyalists. She represented Irish nationalists, including the Garvaghy Road Residents, who fought a bitter battle against the … Continue reading Tribunal clears N. Ireland security forces of collusion in Nelson murder
Palestinians mark the Nakba with marches to homeland borders
On Sunday, May 15, Palestinian refugees took a step marking a turning point in the century-long struggle against their country’s colonization. On that day tens of thousands of refugees and their allies marched to the borders of historic Palestine and demanded to be allowed back in.The marchers declared that this was the first of many … Continue reading Palestinians mark the Nakba with marches to homeland borders
What’s behind the supposed Obama-Netanyahu dispute?
At the State Department on May 19, Obama gave a long-awaited speech addressing the moribund “peace process,” i.e., the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Despite weeks of speculation that Obama and aides were coming up with a “bold, new peace plan” to present to the parties concerned, no such plan was in evidence, … Continue reading What’s behind the supposed Obama-Netanyahu dispute?
Obama counsels Arab nations to ‘follow Poland’
On his visit to Warsaw at the end of May, President Obama cited Poland as a ‘living example” for Arab nations that are currently in revolt. The U.S. sees Poland as the most successful case of an Eastern European country in which capitalism has been restored.Poland was the only EU country that did not fall … Continue reading Obama counsels Arab nations to ‘follow Poland’
FBI escalates witch hunt against antiwar activists
In an escalation of their McCarthy-style witch hunt of antiwar and trade-union activists, on May 17 the FBI and Los Angeles County Sheriffs raided the home of veteran Chicano activist Carlos Montes. Sheriff SWAT teams broke down the door of Montes’ house at 5:00 a.m.Sheriff’s deputies rushed into the house with automatic weapons while Montes … Continue reading FBI escalates witch hunt against antiwar activists
May Day Around the World
May 1 marked the 125th anniversary of the Haymarket riot (which occurred on May 4, 1886, in Chicago) and International Workers’ Day. Marches and rallies in solidarity with working-class movements were organized across the United States and around the world to commemorate the day and to voice the current demands of the working class. In the … Continue reading May Day Around the World
El Primer De Mayo
El 1ro de mayo, 2011, fue el 125 aniversario de la revuelta de Haymarket (lo cual sucedió el 4 de mayo, 1886, en Chicago) y el Día Internacional del Trabajador. Marchas y rallys en solidaridad con movimientos de la clase obrera fueron organizados atravez de los Estados Unidos y el mundo para conmemorar el día … Continue reading El Primer De Mayo
Mexican electrical workers demand jobs
“...with their fists in the air they chanted in condemnation against the government on all its levels, since the ‘representatives of the people’ have decided to govern in the interests of the business elite, defending at all costs a capitalist republic where basic principals have been exchanged for a dictatorship of business, the freedom to … Continue reading Mexican electrical workers demand jobs
Public Workers Under Attack
This article is based on a presentation by the author to a recent Socialist Action forum in Philadelphia. Marty Goodman is a transit worker in New York City, and a longtime activist in Transport Workers Union Local 100. On May 26 a Wisconsin judge voided the infamous legislation that would have radically restricted union bargaining … Continue reading Public Workers Under Attack
Lock-out looms over NFL season
If the 2011 NFL draft was lacking in dramatic last-minute deals, fans can thank the owners. They have chosen to lock players out, stopping trades and barring players from training camps. If a deal is not reached soon, the league will be forced to cancel at least some preseason games. The traditional rookie symposium in … Continue reading Lock-out looms over NFL season
Chicago teachers union votes to oppose anti-labor law
CHICAGO—The executive board of the Chicago Teachers Union voted on May 2 to oppose a union-busting law passed by the Illinois Statehouse and Senate that would effectively eliminate seniority, make it close to impossible for Chicago teachers to strike, and limit collective bargaining rights.The vote of the executive board, later passed by the union’s house … Continue reading Chicago teachers union votes to oppose anti-labor law
Red Cross workers strike
PHILADELPHIA—On May 24, workers at Red Cross blood donation centers here and across the river in southern New Jersey went on strike. They are striking over their health care as well as unsafe conditions, both for the workers and for the blood they collect. The Health Professional and Allied Employees Local 5103 strike is the … Continue reading Red Cross workers strike
Tunisia: An ongoing revolution
Following are portions of an interview with Jalel Ben Brik Zoghlami, a lawyer and one of the leaders of the Ligue de la Gauche Ouvrière (LGO, Workers’ Left League). He was formerly a leader of the Organisation Communiste Révolutionnaire (OCR, Revolutionary Communist Organisation, Tunisian section of the Fourth International). He was interviewed by Jan Malewski … Continue reading Tunisia: An ongoing revolution
Nowhere to go but up
“Everything Must Go,” starring Will Farrell, Rebecca Hall, and Christopher Gordon Wallace; directed by Dan Rush; adapted by Dan Rush from, “Why Don’t You Dance,” a short story by Raymond Carver. In director Dan Rush’s “Everything Must Go,” an engaging film depicting one man’s quiet desperation, Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell) has a high-paying position at … Continue reading Nowhere to go but up
‘New Jim Crow’ exposes U.S. racial control policies
“The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” by Michelle Alexander. New York, The New Press. $28. “A human rights nightmare is occurring on our watch,” declares Michelle Alexander in her excellent (and first) book, “The New Jim Crow.” In a highly accessible presentation, Alexander challenges us to admit that the policies … Continue reading ‘New Jim Crow’ exposes U.S. racial control policies
Northern Lights
Canada: Defeat Harper Tories in the Parliament of the Streets! Good or bad? May 2 catapulted the NDP into second place, Official Opposition, bearing historic gains. Good. But the total seat tally enabled the Conservatives to eke out a parliamentary majority. That’s bad. So what’s the conclusion? Are we in a four-year holding pattern, … Continue reading Northern Lights