By MICHAEL SCHREIBER An estimated 2 million people demonstrated worldwide on May 25 to protest Monsanto. The corporation, headquartered in St. Louis, is the largest producer and distributor of genetically modified seeds (GMOs)—which are a grave and growing threat to the natural environment, the livelihood of small farmers, and a healthful food supply. GMOs are … Continue reading Millions join protests against Monsanto
Month: May 2013
The real roots of the U.S. economic crisis
By BRUCE PARDOLL I think that a comprehensive understanding of how the present U.S. economic crisis came about, and how things have considerably worsened not only since December 2007—when the Great Recession began—but also since 1974 (when wages for the working class began a steady downward slide) is greatly needed. Marxism is uniquely qualified to … Continue reading The real roots of the U.S. economic crisis
Autonomism: The revolution devalued
By ANDREW POLLACK — Part II: A critique of Marina Sitrin’s “Everyday Revolutions: Horizontalism and Autonomy in Argentina” (Zed Books, 2012). We printed the first installment of this article on May 16. One advantage of the horizontalist view is that one can gaze lovingly across fields of newly sprouted self-managed workplaces, admiring how they’ve spread … Continue reading Autonomism: The revolution devalued
Film: Oblivion
By GAETANA CALDWELL-SMITH "Oblivion" is an entertaining yet thoughtful film that has us pondering what would happen to humans once we kill Earth and all living things by blanketing the precious planet with deadly CO2. It stars Tom Cruise in yet another space, sci fi thriller, written by Karl Gajusek and Michael Arndt, directed by Joseph … Continue reading Film: Oblivion
Pakistan: Elections a win for the right
By FAROOQ TARIQ A right-wing wave swept Pakistan in the May 11 general elections. At the federal level, the conservative Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) will form the government, having won 35% of the vote. Former Pakistani cricket captain Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf, came second with 19% of the vote and surprised many. The … Continue reading Pakistan: Elections a win for the right
Labor must mobilize for the environment
By MARTY GOODMAN The following presentation was given in the labor workshop at the April 20 conference at Barnard College in New York City sponsored by the Eco-Socialist Contingent. The conference was endorsed by 29 organizations, including Socialist Action, and brought together 240 participants in lively debate and discussion concerning an effective strategy to combat … Continue reading Labor must mobilize for the environment
Revolution? No thanks, we’re autonomists!
By ANDREW POLLACK This is the first in a series of critical notes on Marina Sitrin’s “Everyday Revolutions: Horizontalism and Autonomy in Argentina” (Zed Books, 2012). Marina Sitrin is one of the most prolific, visible, and eloquent theorists of “horizontalism” and “autonomy” (hereafter referred to jointly as horizontalist autonomy). Thanks to her years of activism … Continue reading Revolution? No thanks, we’re autonomists!
Women face triple economic burden
By ANN MONTAGUE The economic burdens on women are triple—working in undervalued jobs, domestic work, and cutbacks in social services used by women. In the first place, women’s work continues to be undervalued and underpaid. Women are half the labor force and continue to earn 76 cents on the dollar earned by men. There remains … Continue reading Women face triple economic burden
Chicago school closings challenged
By DAVID BERNT — CHICAGO— Students, parents, and teachers from across the city are fighting back against what could be the largest school-closing plan in U.S. history. Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s handpicked school board has proposed closing 54 public elementary schools, primarily in the heavily African American south and west sides of the city, affecting more than … Continue reading Chicago school closings challenged
Days of Action against Drones
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER April saw a coordinated series of protests against the Obama administration’s steadily escalating drone-warfare campaign. The National Days of Action Against Drones was endorsed by a number of U.S. groups, including United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), No Drones Network, Code Pink, the American Friends Service Committee, and ANSWER. Thousands of people in … Continue reading Days of Action against Drones
Film: Baseball legend Jackie Robinson
By GAETANA CALDWELL-SMITH “42,” written and directed by Brian Helgeland, starring Chadwick Bosemen, Harrison Ford, and Nicole Beharie. “42” is a fictionalized film biography that covers the years 1945 to 1947 in the life of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, when he rose from the Kansas City Monarchs, a Negro League team, to play with the … Continue reading Film: Baseball legend Jackie Robinson
Israel bombs Syria; U.S. signals support
BY JEFF MACKLER No serious observer of Middle Eastern politics believes that the Zionist, colonial, settler, and racist state of Israel makes a single move before consulting with its U.S. benefactors. Indeed, the Israeli army and state depend on the billions annually allocated by U.S. imperialism to maintain Israel as its chief imperial representative in … Continue reading Israel bombs Syria; U.S. signals support
Demand compassionate release for Lynne!
By JEFF MACKLER Civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart, who spent over 30 years defending the poor and oppressed, is confined to a prison cell at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell at Fort Worth, Texas. She has served three years of a 10-year sentence on frame-up charges concerning help she gave to her client, the blind … Continue reading Demand compassionate release for Lynne!
The road to achieving reproductive justice
By CHRISTINE MARIE On April 25, Black women lawmakers, including Representative Barbara Watson, walked out of a Florida state legislative session to protest the introduction of an anti-abortion bill that would prohibit pregnancy terminations based on “race.” The bill, introduced by white Republican lawmaker Charles Van Zant, is typical of a spate of reactionary laws … Continue reading The road to achieving reproductive justice