by Christine MarieOver 300 activists met at St. Mark’s Church in Manhattan on Nov. 6 to launch the United National Antiwar Committee (UNAC) in the Northeast region. People came from up and down the East Coast and the Midwest to begin organizing efforts for the bicoastal demonstrations planned for April 9 to Bring the Troops … Continue reading New York meeting launches April 9 antiwar action
Month: December 2010
Obama, Congress call for austerity; U.S. workers are their prime target
by Andrew PollackWhile their European competitors impose countrywide austerity plans, and their Chinese trade rivals focus on continued state support for booming industries, capitalists here at home seek to boost their global competitive stance, and overcome their profitability crisis, with their longstanding policy of misery by a thousand cuts. That means attacking the U.S. working … Continue reading Obama, Congress call for austerity; U.S. workers are their prime target
Obama finds deep resistance to monetary, trade policies
by Andrew Pollack Barack Obama is beginning to take on an eerie resemblance to Rodney Dangerfield—“I get no respect!” First, his party suffers massive midterm election losses, followed soon thereafter by more in a long series of embarrassing revelations about his puppets in Baghdad and Kabul. Then Benjamin Netanyahu, his partner in the Middle East … Continue reading Obama finds deep resistance to monetary, trade policies
Activists targeted by FBI reject grand jury subpoenas
by David Jones Three of the antiwar, labor, and international solidarity activists whose homes were raided by the FBI on Sept. 24 will have their subpoenas issued at the time “reactivated,” requiring them to appear before a federal grand jury in Chicago. The three, Anh Pham, Tracy Molm & Sarah Martin, all of Minneapolis, were … Continue reading Activists targeted by FBI reject grand jury subpoenas
Report from Greece: Open class war
by Vangelis Itesis Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou recently warned the members of his social-democratic party (PASOK) that “political stability in this country is what we must keep as the apple of our eye.” Six months earlier, the president of the Third Hellenic Republic, Karolos Papoulias, had anxiously admonished Greek society to take a step … Continue reading Report from Greece: Open class war
U.S.-led Afghanistan war loses credibility with liberal journalists
by Gerry Foley It was the bad luck of the war makers that at the same time as they raised the possibility of an unending military intervention in Afghanistan, their claims of negotiating with the insurgents exploded in their faces. The alleged Taliban representative they were talking to turned out to be a swindler.The news … Continue reading U.S.-led Afghanistan war loses credibility with liberal journalists
U.S. applauds (and orchestrates) military coups in Latin America
by Clay Wadena Western writers often write about Latin Americans as some sort of child-like race that “found” democracy late and has had trouble grasping it ever since. They treat them—as they do the oppressed all around the world—with arrogance and paternalism the likes of which one hears in the imperialist logic of “bringing democracy” … Continue reading U.S. applauds (and orchestrates) military coups in Latin America
Harlem Rally for Haiti
by Marty Goodman NEW YORK—On Nov. 20, some 50 protesters gathered in solidarity with Haiti across the street from former President Bill Clinton’s penthouse office on 125th St. in Harlem. Demonstrators chanted, “U.S. out of Haiti! Clinton out of Harlem!” Clinton was appointed United Nations envoy to Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake, which killed … Continue reading Harlem Rally for Haiti
Reformer Sandy Pope to oppose Hoffa for Teamster president
by David Bernt Veteran Teamster reform activist Sandy Pope has announced her candidacy for the union presidency in next year’s election. Pope will face off against 12-year incumbent Jimmy Hoffa Jr. and a slate headed by Fred Gegare, a current vice president who was elected on the Hoffa slate in 2006. A former freight driver, … Continue reading Reformer Sandy Pope to oppose Hoffa for Teamster president
Hundreds march for justice for cleaning workers
by Lisa Luinenburg MINNEAPOLIS—On Nov. 6, over 300 retail cleaning workers, union leaders, people of faith, and other allies marched together down Lake Street to demand improvements in wages and working conditions for low-wage cleaning workers in the Twin Cities. This march was the public launch of the Campaign for Justice in Retail Cleaning organized … Continue reading Hundreds march for justice for cleaning workers
Review of “Fair Game”
by Gaetana Caldwell-Smith Director Doug Liman’s film “Fair Game” is based on Valerie Plame’s eponymous book. The movie stirs up the anger and disbelief we all felt in early spring 2003 when we were fed the lies that led up to Bush’s so-called war. Hopefully, it will spur us once again to act to end … Continue reading Review of “Fair Game”
Update: Hutchinson for Congress
Close to a thousand people voted socialist in Connecticut’s congressional election in November. Socialist Action’s candidate in the state’s First District, Christopher Hutchinson, an art teacher, received 976 votes in a four-way race, including John Larson, the fourth-highest ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives. Five parties held lines on the ballot. John Larson received … Continue reading Update: Hutchinson for Congress
’Tis the season to buy, buy, buy!
by Bronson Rozier’Tis the season to be jolly, or so we are told over, and over, and over again. It’s also the season to go out and buy! buy! buy! At one time the drumbeat to buy started the day after Thanksgiving. That time is long gone. Now with the rush of the capitalists and … Continue reading ’Tis the season to buy, buy, buy!
Die-in for Queer Rights
by Caryn Jensen On Nov. 12 at the State Capitol here, as many as 150 people turned out for a die-in for queer rights. The “Homophobia Kills!” Die-In was planned in response to the increased media coverage of the queer suicides happening across the country and mirrored after two other die-ins that had already taken … Continue reading Die-in for Queer Rights
Irish Government Heeds Bankers’ Demands for Austerity
by Andrew Pollack The epidemic of national crises in the European Union spread in November to Ireland, whose government responded to global bankers’ demands for repayment of debts with a savage four-year austerity plan worth $20 billion. The plan includes thousands of public-sector job cuts, a 12-percent decrease in the minimum wage, steep increases in … Continue reading Irish Government Heeds Bankers’ Demands for Austerity
Do the 2010 elections really represent a right turn in US politics?
by John Leslie Following the Republican victory in last month’s mid-term election, most of the media have pointed to a right turn in U.S. politics. They assume that working people showed by their vote that they reject “big government” and the “liberal” policies of the Obama administration. Some Republicans claim a “mandate” for their reactionary … Continue reading Do the 2010 elections really represent a right turn in US politics?
Latest Development in Mumia Case
by Michael Schreiber [The following article appears in the December 2010 edition of Socialist Action newspaper.] PHILADELPHIA—On Nov. 9, several hundred people rallied outside the federal courthouse here to “Free Mumia!” Inside the building, meanwhile, a three-judge panel deliberated over the fate of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the political prisoner and noted Black journalist who has been … Continue reading Latest Development in Mumia Case