Month: July 2011
Budget Deal: Bosses win, workers lose
Following many weeks of staged political wrangling in Congress, President Obama signed “emergency legislation” on Aug. 2 that projects more than $2 trillion in budget cuts over the next decade. The law also raises the ceiling on the government’s immediate borrowing abilities by $400 billion, with $500 billion more assured in the autumn.Under the new … Continue reading Budget Deal: Bosses win, workers lose
The Politics Behind the Tragedy in Norway
“I’ve just listened to a press conference with Eskil Pedersen, chairman of the Norwegian Labour Party Youth League. Despite his lack of sleep and all tears during the night he had the strength to firmly establish that what had occurred was an attack on the Norwegian labor movement. The horrendous blast in Oslo City and … Continue reading The Politics Behind the Tragedy in Norway
Support Still Needed for Prisoner Hunger Strike!
Mediators from Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity’s Mediation team spoke with hunger strike leaders at Pelican Bay and confirmed the leaders have accepted an offer from the California Dept. of Corrections & Rehabilitation. At the same time, hunger strikers in other prisons continue to refuse food – in at least CCI Tehachapi, Corcoran and Calipatria. It … Continue reading Support Still Needed for Prisoner Hunger Strike!
California Prisoners on Hunger Strike!
At the notorious California super-maximum prison, Pelican Bay, hundreds of prisoners are on a hunger strike. As of July 1, 2011 a number of men ceased eating state meals in protest of horrendously long-term confinement, government repression, lack of programs and the hated gang affiliation rules.According to California Prison Focus, the health of some the … Continue reading California Prisoners on Hunger Strike!
Lessons From the Trade Union Educational League
Many militant workers are familiar with independent union-based caucuses, established largely to restore rank-and-file democratic control of unions, especially at the higher reaches of the trade union hierarchy, which is the center of organized labor’s class collaborative and traitorous relationships with corporate bosses. Following Ron Carey’s 1991 election to lead the Teamsters Union, the Teamsters … Continue reading Lessons From the Trade Union Educational League
10 Things You Should Know About Israel & Zionism
1. Anti-Semitism is a racist ideology directed against Jews. It must be fought be attacking its economic, social, political and psychological roots in society.2. Anti-Zionism is the struggle against the Zionist movement, a movement which was born in the 19th century, and which projected the gathering of the Jews in Palestine to establish a mono-cultural … Continue reading 10 Things You Should Know About Israel & Zionism
The Need for a Revolutionary Youth Group
What a revolutionary socialist youth group is able to do is to centralize all of the experiences and knowledge coming out of all of the different struggles for liberation so we can have a complete outlook and understanding of the world. Let me explain what I mean. If we have women who are engaged in … Continue reading The Need for a Revolutionary Youth Group
Malcolm X: Fighter for Black Liberation
On Feb. 21, 1965, Malcolm X was gunned down by assassins as he was about to give a speech at the Audobon Ballroom in Harlem, N.Y. His assassination was a stunning blow to the Black liberation movement.The circumstances surrounding the death of Malcolm X remain unresolved. Many people believe – and rightfully so – that … Continue reading Malcolm X: Fighter for Black Liberation
Obama prepares re-election bid by posing as antiwar candidate
“Ladies and gentleman, the horses are arriving at the starting gate,” says the announcer at the Kentucky Derby, the first of three famous races that rivet the attention of racing fans around the country in the spring of every year. The “Sport of Kings,” which Congress funds with $128 million yearly in tax breaks, is … Continue reading Obama prepares re-election bid by posing as antiwar candidate
UNAC plans protest at NATO summit
The illusions of many Americans that Obama would turn out to be an “antiwar president” were definitively shattered early last year when he sent 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Since that time, the Obama administration’s attempts to convince the public that the war would soon wind down have proven hollow. Instead, Washington is expanding its … Continue reading UNAC plans protest at NATO summit
No recovery in sight for the jobless
The jobs and unemployment numbers released on June 3 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) paint a grim picture of the situation facing unemployed workers in the United States. According to some capitalist economists, the “Great Recession” supposedly ended in 2009 but the economy remains weak—with the housing, manufacturing, and construction sectors still flat … Continue reading No recovery in sight for the jobless
Bring the War Dollars Home!
The economic crisis continues to strain our city and town budgets. Layoffs, concessions, and budget cuts have become familiar words in many homes. Yet our federal government and President Obama seek to keep the wheels of the war machine grinding on at any cost. Including new wars in Libya and Somalia, our tax dollars fund … Continue reading Bring the War Dollars Home!
Slutwalks spread to Mexico
The first “slutwalk” began in Toronto early this year by women who were angered by members of the criminal justice system continually blaming the victims of sexual attacks. Since then, these colorful protests have spread across the world.While the slutwalks occurring in cities across Europe and the U.S. have faced critique by communities of color … Continue reading Slutwalks spread to Mexico
Toronto: Stonewall is reborn
TORONTO—At least 1000 people gathered in Queen’s Park June 26 to participate in the first Stonewall march to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots in New York City, which were a jump-off point for the gay liberation movement. This date had been opportunistically vacated by Pride Toronto, which moved Pride Day to … Continue reading Toronto: Stonewall is reborn
Court rules against WalMart women
On June 20, some 1.5 million female employees who filed a class-action suit against WalMart for discrimination based on sex were faced with the cruel reality of corporate hegemony and sexism when their case was dismissed by the Supreme Court. Their case constituted the most important class-action case in over a decade.Although there is ample … Continue reading Court rules against WalMart women
Philly cops murder another Black man
PHILADELPHIA—By all accounts, 39-year-old Eric Crawley was a hard-working, dedicated family man. Relatives report that he was dedicated to his four children and fiancée. His sister was a victim of domestic violence. On June 17, during the course of an argument with her boyfriend, she had called on her brother for help. Within an hour … Continue reading Philly cops murder another Black man
Ocean on the verge of mass extinctions
Two consequences of fossil-fuel combustion and the release of vast amounts of greenhouse gases since the onset of the Industrial Revolution are a warming ocean and the acidification of seawater with too much atmospheric carbon dioxide being absorbed by it. Both of these factors are now causing increased hypoxia or oxygen depletion, which initially began … Continue reading Ocean on the verge of mass extinctions
Greece in Revolt
ATHENS—The social resistance against the policy of the “Memorandum” in Greece, which has been imposed on the country since the beginning of last year by the “Troika”—a kind of committee of the ruling classes of the major countries of the EU and the USA, represented by the Brussels Commission, the ECB and the IMF in … Continue reading Greece in Revolt
Massive student upsurge in Chile
On June 16 a wave of students, workers, and teachers covering more than 20 blocks of Alameda Avenue in Santiago, Chile, flooded towards La Moneda presidential palace; they demanded the reconstruction of the Chilean public education system and an end to education policies based on profit. To fund public education, the students call for the … Continue reading Massive student upsurge in Chile
NDP ranks reject turn to right
What began as a tightly orchestrated tribute to Leader Jack Layton and his electoral machine turned into a battleground over socialist policies and principles. In the end, officials of the labour-based New Democratic Party failed to convince a majority of the 1572 delegates to the June 17-19 NDP Federal Convention in Vancouver, British Columbia to … Continue reading NDP ranks reject turn to right
Mass(ey) Destruction
“The Last Mountain,” a documentary film directed by Bill Haney, featuring Robert Kennedy, Jr.As I walked into the theater to see “The Last Mountain,” the ticket taker said, “Enjoy the movie!” then added, “Oh, well, I guess that’s not the right thing to say about this film.” You don’t go to a movie about the possible … Continue reading Mass(ey) Destruction
A fresh look at a basic tactic of the labor movement
Joe Burns, “Reviving the Strike: How Working People Can Regain Power and Transform America,” Ig Publishing (May 31, 2011), 224 pp.Mainstream union officials in what remains the world’s richest country believe the strike is a quaint relic of bygone times, ineffective and even dangerous today. This reinforces their attempts to forge “partnership” with the employers.Some … Continue reading A fresh look at a basic tactic of the labor movement
From Palestine to Perama: Struggle Crosses the Mediterranean
The Greek government has acted to extend Israel’s blockade of Gaza all the way to its own shores by blocking the departure of boats in Freedom Flotilla 2 from the ports of Perama and Piraeus. In this, the Greek ruling class and its “Socialist” Prime Minister George Papandreou demonstrate their class solidarity with the rulers … Continue reading From Palestine to Perama: Struggle Crosses the Mediterranean