Mumia Abu-Jamal is being held in Administrative Custody (“The Hole” or Solitary Confinement) at SCI Mahanoy, Frackville, PA. Mumia’s death sentence has been dropped, and though he is supposed to be in General Population, he has been held in Solitary Confinement – shackled whenever he’s out side his cell (even to the shower), glaring lights … Continue reading Act Now to Get Mumia Out of Solitary Confinement!
Month: January 2012
A World Without Wall Street
The title of this note is from today's "It's the Economy" feature by Adam Davidson in the print version of the Sunday Times magazine.In the online version that title is replaced with the less provocative "What Does Wall Street Do For You?" --a title which is actually more accurate, as Davidson's main contention is that … Continue reading A World Without Wall Street
Occupy, longshore workers challenge anti-union bosses
Time Magazine designated its “Person of the Year 2011” as “The Protestor.” To make clear that its reference was to what the editors considered the most important development of the year, Time added to its cover-page headline: “From the Arab Spring to Athens, from Occupy Wall Street to Moscow.” Its feature story began, “No one … Continue reading Occupy, longshore workers challenge anti-union bosses
After ‘withdrawal’ from Iraq, U.S. seeks new battlegrounds
On Jan. 5, President Obama made a major speech about a coming shift in U.S. military strategy, a strategy that has been described as more “lean” and more “mean.” The fact that the speech coincided with the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq led mainstream commentators to characterize the change primarily as a move … Continue reading After ‘withdrawal’ from Iraq, U.S. seeks new battlegrounds
Defend the Egyptian Revolution!
The military junta ruling Egypt, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), carried out its second wave of murders in as many months, killing at least 14 between Dec. 16 and Dec. 19, when it attacked protesters engaged in a sit-in outside the Cabinet building. As had happened the month before, the murders sparked … Continue reading Defend the Egyptian Revolution!
Obama signs bill allowing indefinite detention of U.S. policy opponents
The kind of repression that can be expected to increase exponentially as a result of the new indefinite-detention rider to the National Defense Authorization Act was illustrated just a week before Obama signed it on New Year’s Eve. On Dec. 20, a Boston jury convicted the pharmacist Dr. Tarek Mehanna of material support to terrorism … Continue reading Obama signs bill allowing indefinite detention of U.S. policy opponents
U.S. Justice Dept. charges Arizona sheriff with discrimination against immigrants
On Dec. 15, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Customs and Enforcement announced they would be canceling Maricopa County’s 287(g) agreement and restricting the Arizona county’s access to the Secure Communities program. This decision was based on findings by the U.S. Department of Justice that the sheriff’s office had been engaging in unconstitutional … Continue reading U.S. Justice Dept. charges Arizona sheriff with discrimination against immigrants
The Passing of Kim Jong Il
The death of Kim Jong Il, on Dec. 17, caught the attention and imagination of the capitalist media hucksters. His death, which wasn’t reported for two whole days, was in many ways symbolic of his life. It was a life that, through the lens of the Western media, was obscured by secrecy and unflattering portrayals. This distorting lens is designed … Continue reading The Passing of Kim Jong Il
Following Teamster election victory, Hoffa seeks limits on members’ rights
Coming fresh off his reelection victory, Teamster President Jimmy Hoffa Jr. is seeking to take away the right of rank-and-file members to elect their international officers.Hoffa was reelected with 59% of the vote against two challengers, reform activists Sandy Pope and former Hoffa ally Fred Gegare. Despite such a large margin of victory Hoffa and other … Continue reading Following Teamster election victory, Hoffa seeks limits on members’ rights
Reviving the Strike — How to win labor’s battles
Book Review: “Reviving the Strike: How Working People Can Regain Power and Transform America,” by Joe Burns, IG Publishing, $15.95. The holiday season may have come and gone, but it’s never too late (or too early) to find the perfect gift for that aspiring rabble-rouser in your life. Before you wrap up Joe Burn’s “Reviving … Continue reading Reviving the Strike — How to win labor’s battles
A visit with Mumia Abu-Jamal
by Johanna Fernandez is a professor at Baruch College, a member of Educators for Mumia, and producer of the film, “Justice on Trial: The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal.”Dear Friends:I visited Mumia yesterday, Dec. 15, in the new prison that houses him, SCI Mahanoy. Even though he has been released from death row, he remains in … Continue reading A visit with Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia’s Message to Occupy Wall Street
Mumia’s Message to Occupy Wall Street, as dictated while in Administrative Custody at SCI Mahanoy in Frackville, PA Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011My Friends of OWS,My message will have to be brief. But let not this brevity take from it, its strength.You are the central movement of the hour. You’re raising questions that are in the … Continue reading Mumia’s Message to Occupy Wall Street
Indiana YSA in the news
The Horizon, a student-produced newspaper at Indiana University Southeast, in New Albany, Ind., reported on a recent forum sponsored by the campus Youth for Socialist Action (YSA) chapter.The writer, Steve Nichols, noted, “For now, the YSA is a study group. However, Christian Litsey, English sophomore and one of the founding members of YSA, said their … Continue reading Indiana YSA in the news
Review of “In the Land of Blood and Honey”
“In the Land of Blood and Honey,” written and directed by Angelina Jolie.I liked this intense film about the war in Bosnia. But I wasn’t sure if Angelina Jolie intended her directorial debut film to be a story about love and betrayal or a depiction of the horrors wreaked against one’s own people. In this … Continue reading Review of “In the Land of Blood and Honey”
Northern Lights
Attawapiskat: Native people suffer while corporations mine richesby Eric Kupka It has been called Haiti at minus 40 degrees celsius. Attawapiskat, an isolated Cree First Nations community located near James Bay in northern Ontario, is enduring a severe housing crisis that is just the latest in a series of tragedies that have affected the health … Continue reading Northern Lights
Statement by Afghan and Pakistani Progressives
The progressive and democratic forces of Pakistan and Afghanistan met here in Lahore for two days [Dec. 21-22] in the first ever joint conference. This is a historic step for the progressive forces of both sides to sit together and share the sufferings of our people at the hands of U.S.-led NATO forces as well … Continue reading Statement by Afghan and Pakistani Progressives
Jamaicans seek change, elect opposition PNP
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica—Car horns blared, orange flags waved, and campaign reggae jingles pulsated. Youthful political celebrants blew vuvuzelas from roving car caravans on the evening of Dec. 29, continuing well past sunrise across this Caribbean island nation.A snap election called by the governing Jamaica Labour Party catapulted the opposition People's National Party into government after … Continue reading Jamaicans seek change, elect opposition PNP