By JAMES FORTIN and JEFF MACKLER As the devastating novel coronavirus (COVID-19) literally threatens the lives of billions of the earth’s people, two truths about the contagion remain unchallenged: All nations are ill-prepared for the arrival of the virus, and once it lands, despite herculean efforts in some cases, little can be done to stop … Continue reading Statement of Socialist Action National Committee: Coronavirus threatens the lives of billions
French Strikes Wane but Not the Outrage
By MARTY GOODMAN The massive strike wave begun Dec. 5 in France against a proposed rollback of pension rights has slowed down. Disruptive strikes and giant marches of mostly public workers across the country topped over 1.5 million, but the leading edge of the movement, city and regional rail and bus workers, announced the end … Continue reading French Strikes Wane but Not the Outrage
Assange: Empire of Surveillance and Imperialism
By KATU ARKONADA The trial against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is a perfect metaphor for how United States imperialism operates in the world today. The Armed Forces, the Department of State, and the CIA caused thousands of deaths in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya or Syria, but it’s the person who showed to the world those crimes who … Continue reading Assange: Empire of Surveillance and Imperialism
System Change, Not Climate Change: Monthly Climate Crisis News Roundup
By JAMES FORTIN Some things change, some things don’t. Yet. Slowly, but steadily, the impact of global warming is becoming so visible and understandable that masses of people are recognizing a problem exists. But as entire countries and populations experience unending devastations, capitalist governments such as Australia, India, Saudi Arabia, Russia, the U.S. and China … Continue reading System Change, Not Climate Change: Monthly Climate Crisis News Roundup
Capitalism vs. Socialism
A critique of “lesser-evil” politics By NICK BAKER Right-wing columnist George Will recently wrote that in American elections “the question is not whether elites shall rule, but which elites shall, so the perennial political problem is to get popular consent to worthy elites.” This is the American capitalist electoral strategy in a nutshell, stated openly … Continue reading Capitalism vs. Socialism
Vote Socialist Action in 2020!
Break with two-party capitalist duopoly! By JEFF MACKLER Glory hallelujah! If the Lord’s “terrible swift sword” had descended from the heavens to witness the Democratic Party’s congressional delegation’s standing ovation in response to Donald Trump’s State of Union introduction of his despicably appointed Venezuelan presidential pretender Juan Guaidó, the Democrats would be dead in the … Continue reading Vote Socialist Action in 2020!
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices challenge Mumia Abu-Jamal appeal rights
By JEFF MACKLER In a blatant attempt to thwart innocent political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal’s Philadelphia Common Pleas Court-ordered appeal of his 1981 frame-up murder conviction of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, four Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices, in late February, ordered a King’s Court petition at the request of Faulkner’s wife, Maureen Faulkner. Pending the outcome … Continue reading Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices challenge Mumia Abu-Jamal appeal rights
UNAC antiwar conference registers gains
By ADAM BIERMANN Some 300 antiwar and social justice activists from 27 states and four nations attended the fifth national conference of the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) at the People’s Forum in New York City over the weekend of February 21-23. Entitled, “Rise Against Militarism, Racism and the Climate Crisis – Building Power Together,” the … Continue reading UNAC antiwar conference registers gains
China Coronavirus Challenge Spreads to World Stage
By JAMES FORTIN As the novel coronavirus continues to dominate the concerns of health officials around the globe, two truths about the contagion have remained unchallenged: Nations are ill prepared for the arrival of the virus and once it lands, cannot readily stop its spread despite herculean efforts in some cases to do so. As … Continue reading China Coronavirus Challenge Spreads to World Stage
International Women’s Day
The worldwide emergence of a fighting women’s movement By ANN MONTAGUE and LISA LUINENBERG In Russia in 1913 working class women used International Women’s Day to demand the right to vote. On March 8th, 1917 women working in the massive textile factories walked off the job in protest. On International Women’s Day they struck to … Continue reading International Women’s Day
Death Row inmate Kevin Cooper fights for his innocence
By DON HARMON Since 1983, African American Kevin Cooper has been incarcerated on Death Row at California’s San Quentin State Prison. Wrongfully convicted during a nationally-covered racist frame-up trial in San Bernardino County, Cooper came within hours of being executed in 2004. But thanks to a broad movement demanding justice and freedom and ever-mounting evidence … Continue reading Death Row inmate Kevin Cooper fights for his innocence
Mumia: Jeff Mackler and the Struggle for a Socialist World
By MUMIA ABU-JAMAL The speech below is a message of support that Mumia sent to Socialist Action's Jeff Mackler 2020 presidential campaign kick-off event Jeff Mackler has spent most of his life in struggles for social justice, from the 1960s till today—and tomorrow. From the early civil rights movement, the imperial war in Vietnam, the … Continue reading Mumia: Jeff Mackler and the Struggle for a Socialist World
System Change Not Climate Change: Monthly Climate Crisis News Roundup
By JAMES FORTIN Paying for the important things first. As his company sped toward bankruptcy that jeopardized worker pension and health plans, the former chief executive of coal mining company Murray Energy set aside nearly $1 million for groups involved in climate change denial. Not knowing when he just might need a solid climate denialist … Continue reading System Change Not Climate Change: Monthly Climate Crisis News Roundup
U.S. vs. Iran: Which side are you on?
By JEFF MACKLER On the brink of war with Iran the Trump administration presented to the American public and to the world the following stated or implied theses: That the U.S. was a civilized nation intent on preventing “terrorist nations” like Iran from destroying the world with nuclear weapons. That as the chief spokesperson of … Continue reading U.S. vs. Iran: Which side are you on?
Worldwide Furor Sparked by U.S. Assassination of Iran’s General Suleimani
By JEFF MACKLER The Trump administration’s January 3 drone missile assassination of Iran’s Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani just outside Iraq’s Baghdad airport brought the world to the brink of yet another catastrophic U.S. war. That the Iranian government would retaliate in a matter of days, if not hours, was unquestioned. But Iran’s response stunned the … Continue reading Worldwide Furor Sparked by U.S. Assassination of Iran’s General Suleimani
Anatomy of Bernie Sanders’ socialism
By NICK BAKER A 2019 Pew Research Center poll of Americans’ political views found that 42 percent support socialism, up from 31 percent found by Pew in 2010. Fully half of youth under 30 indicated their “positive or very positive impression” of socialism. The biggest change that the new poll registered was among those 30–49 … Continue reading Anatomy of Bernie Sanders’ socialism
The Trump impeachment charade
By NICK BAKER The House of Representatives’ almost-exclusively Democratic Party line vote of 232-197 to impeach President Donald Trump is certain to be rejected in early January by a similar Republican Party line vote in the U.S. Senate. Under the U.S. Constitution, the Senate acts as a trial body to determine the validity of House … Continue reading The Trump impeachment charade
UNAC says No U.S. War on Iran!
No U.S. War on Iran! United National Anti-War Coalition Statement on Iran and Iraq The United States drone assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abd Mahdi al-Muhandis, along with eight others, was a war crime by any definition, violating both Iraqi sovereignty and international law. This criminal act carelessly risked sparking a … Continue reading UNAC says No U.S. War on Iran!
UNAC Antiwar Conference: Rise Against Militarism, Racism and the Climate Crisis – Building Power Together
BY JOE LOMBARDO As the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) approaches its 10thanniversary, we are preparing our 5th national conference set for the weekend of Feb. 21-23, 2020 at the People’s Forum in New York City. Antiwar and social justice activists across the country are expected to attend to discuss and debate the key issues of … Continue reading UNAC Antiwar Conference: Rise Against Militarism, Racism and the Climate Crisis – Building Power Together
The great Indian fightback: thousands protest Modi’s racist Citizenship Act
By SUSAN RAM (Originally published in the British journal Counterfire. Susan Ram, journalist/editor, lived in India many years and is currently based in south-west France. Published with permission.) Protests are currently sweeping India, gathering force with every passing day. In every part of this giant canvas from Assam in the north east to Kerala, Karnataka and … Continue reading The great Indian fightback: thousands protest Modi’s racist Citizenship Act
Trans Liberation: A Socialist Action Resolution
We begin with our stance of full support to and respect for transgender people’s fundamental right to self-identify and for the full, unequivocal inclusion of trans people in every aspect of society. Socialist Action has a long history of unequivocal support for trans rights and implacable opposition to any and all forms of discrimination, exclusion, … Continue reading Trans Liberation: A Socialist Action Resolution
Workers Shut Down France to Defend Pensions!
By MARTY GOODMAN On December 5th, French workers walked off the job in massive numbers to protest a proposed attack on pension rights by French President Emmanuel Macron. The proposal would change the age required for public workers to receive full retirement benefits from 62 to 64. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe bluntly told the … Continue reading Workers Shut Down France to Defend Pensions!
“Bullshit!” at Madrid COP25 climate conference
By JEFF MACKLER Socialist Action’s 2020 candidate for the U.S. presidency Some 500,000 climate activists mobilized in Madrid by a broad array of NGO’s around the world demanded that the United Nations-sponsored COP 25 (Conference of Parties) agree on a series of critical measures to halt the world’s march to planet catastrophe. After eleven days … Continue reading “Bullshit!” at Madrid COP25 climate conference
British Election: A Victory for the Far Right. A Crisis for the Left
By NEIL FAULKNER and PHIL HEARSE (Socialist Action publishes this article as part of the ongoing discussion on the meaning of the recent overwhelming Conservative Party election victory and the future prospects of the defeated British Labor Party of Jeremy Corbyn. The article originally appeared in the new publication Mutiny, http://www.timetomutiny.org) The British ruling class has … Continue reading British Election: A Victory for the Far Right. A Crisis for the Left
Prospects for a Fighting British Labour Party
By ANN MONTAGUE On December 12th, 10.3 million people voted for the left Labour Party platform and for radical social change. But the numbers were significantly less than in 2017, which brought Jeremy Corbyn in as leader of the Labour Party. However, this smaller number was still much greater than the number of votes that … Continue reading Prospects for a Fighting British Labour Party