By BARRY WEISLEDER Book Review: Will Ferguson, “419” (Penguin Canada, Toronto, 2012, 399 pages). How are the sins of imperialism visited upon the common people of the “rich” countries? One way is “419.” That is the law against fraud in the criminal code of Nigeria. It is also the title of the Giller Prize-winning book by … Continue reading The con that knows no borders
Month: February 2013
The Legacy of Malcolm X
Part II of Socialist Action’s 1992 resolution, “Black Self-Determination and Socialist Revolution.” Malcolm X’s evolution was a precursor of the coming generalized working-class radicalization. He was clearly influenced by the revolutionary events on a world scale that involved genuine revolutionaries of all colors in a united working-class struggle for emancipation from wage slavery. Symptomatically, in … Continue reading The Legacy of Malcolm X
Oppressed communities & self-defense
By DANIEL ADAM The Newtown, Conn., shooting on Dec. 14 has produced a wave of fear. Like other violent tragedies that shake confidence in humanity and heighten feelings of vulnerability, the shooting has widened openings for reactionary politics that threaten the struggles of working and oppressed people. The two prominent responses to the Sandy Hook … Continue reading Oppressed communities & self-defense
Movement rises against XL pipelines
By BARRY WEISLEDER The movement to oppose Keystone XL is huge in Canada. It ranges from activists and scientists to indigenous peoples of the threatened Canadian plains and boreal forests, where the tar sands are located. It includes rural farmers and ranchers, and important sections of the labour movement. Dave Coles, President of the Communications, … Continue reading Movement rises against XL pipelines
Black self-determination & socialism
To commemorate Black History Month, we are reprinting the first part of the 1992 Socialist Action resolution, “Black Self-Determination and Socialist Revolution in the United States.” African Americans are an integral part of the American working class. They are also an oppressed nationality, and we support their right to self-determination up to and including the … Continue reading Black self-determination & socialism
Obama: Corporate politics in disguise
BY JEFF MACKLER President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address on Jan. 21 represented a verbal departure from the record of corporate subservience that marked his first four years in office. His 2009 inaugural opened with, “I thank George Bush for his service to our nation,” a promise to the corporate elites who run the United States … Continue reading Obama: Corporate politics in disguise
Egyptian regime attacks protesters
By ANDREW POLLACK The regime headed by President Mohamed Morsi shot down dozens in protests in Egypt at the end of January. All the while it continued to meet with International Monetary Fund officials to dicker over the terms of a promised loan, terms that it knows can only be enforced if militancy in the … Continue reading Egyptian regime attacks protesters
Django: Pulp Western look at slavery
By GAETANA CALDWELL-SMITH Django Unchained, a film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. “Django Unchained” takes place in 1858, two years before the Civil War—the year that William Wells Brown published the first Black drama, “Leap to Freedom,” John Brown held an anti-slavery convention, Abraham Lincoln said “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” and … Continue reading Django: Pulp Western look at slavery
Behind the French & U.S. attack in Mali
By CHRISTINE MARIE On Feb. 1, The New York Times published a major article by Adam Nossiter and Neil MacFarquhar entitled “Algeria Sowed Seeds of Hostage Crisis as It Nurtured Warlord.” The warlord in question is Iyad Ag Ghali, who heads Ansar Dine, one of the three Islamic groups that The Times says threatened to … Continue reading Behind the French & U.S. attack in Mali
Prison hinders Lynne Stewart’s cancer care
BY JEFF MACKLER (UPDATED with a new letter from Lynne.) More than two years ago radical attorney and human rights activist Lynne Stewart, now serving the third year of a 10-year prison sentence based on frame-up charges of conspiracy to aid and abet terrorism, was given a clean bill of health following surgery for breast … Continue reading Prison hinders Lynne Stewart’s cancer care