By MARTY GOODMAN As the twin parties of the corporate elite battle it out on whether Trump’s phone call to the Ukrainian president constituted an impeachable “high crime or misdemeanors,” the real crimes, committed daily against the people and nations of the world and inherent in the capitalist system, are nowhere to be seen. Millions … Continue reading IMPEACH THE SYSTEM!
By IAN ANGUS Climate & Capitalism editor Ian Angus spoke at an educational conference organized by Socialist Action Canada in Toronto, on November 16, 2019. His talk has been edited for publication. These sentences are from a recent report on the consequences of climate change: “Sea level rise, changes in water and food security, and … Continue reading Capitalism versus Life on Earth
By MICHAEL STEVEN SMITH Book Review: In Defense of Julian AssangeEdited by Tariq Ali and Margaret KuntslerPaperback, First Edition, 320 pagesPublished 2019 by OR Books Whistle-blowing, truth-telling journalist and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange now sits in solitary confinement in London‘s infamous Belmarsh prison. The Trump administration has asked that he be extradited to Virginia for trial as … Continue reading Book Review: The Trials of Julian Assange
By DON HARMON It is the legacy of our racist nation that yet another innocent African American man found himself — after a rigged and biased trial — about to be executed for a crime he did not commit. This time it is Rodney Reed, now age 51, who has been on Texas’s death row … Continue reading Millions support Rodney Reed’s right to a new trial
By JEFF MACKLER and LAZARO MONTEVERDE On Sunday October 20, Evo Morales was re-elected president of Bolivia with 46.85 percent of the vote against his nearest competitor, Carlos Mesa, who received 36.74 percent. In anticipation of a Morales victory, the U.S. corporate media launched a fake news disinformation barrage nine days earlier, aimed at discrediting … Continue reading Bolivia: Anatomy of a Coup
By DAVID JONES Some 47,897 United Automobile Workers (UAW) ended their six-week strike against U.S. auto manufacturing giant General Motors on October 31. Fifty UAW-organized plants were closed across the country with the union demanding increased job security, a gateway for temporary workers to become permanent, better pay and to retain healthcare benefits. The contract … Continue reading Courageous UAW strike ends with few gains
By JEFF MACKLER Twenty-five thousand Chicago teachers, affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers Local 1, AFL-CIO, returned to work on October 31 following a divided vote of the Chicago Teachers Union’s (CTU) 700-member Delegate Assembly (DA) to end the union’s 11-day strike. The vote to accept the five-year tentative contract was 60 percent in … Continue reading Chicago teachers divided over strike settlement
By NICK BAKER Three Venezuelan Embassy Protectors toured the Bay Area earlier this month in an eight-event, seven-city tour. Kevin Zeese, Margaret Flowers, and David Paul were three of the last four Embassy Protectors remaining in the Venezuelan Embassy when police broke down the embassy doors and arrested them. They stayed in the embassy for … Continue reading Bay Area tours Venezuelan Embassy Protectors
By LAZARO MONTEVERDEReporting for Socialist Action from Valparaiso, Chile It started small. In the week of Monday, October 14 small groups of middle-school and high-school students started to jump the turnstiles and barriers at Santiago metro stations to protest a 30 peso (approximately 4 cents US) hike. The rate hike took place on October 6 … Continue reading Mass anti-capitalist protests rock Chile
By LAZARO MONTEVERDE Reporting for Socialist Action from Valparaiso, Chile Bolivia, Argentina, and Uruguay all held national elections in October. The result, not much change in the Southern Cone of South American. Bolivia Bolivia was the first to hold elections on October 20. President Evo Morales ran for reelection along with his MAS [Movimiento al … Continue reading Elections in South America: Not much changes
It is indeed quite unusual when a political party, such as ours, widely distributes a report that describes a political split from its ranks. How the U.S. antiwar movement should respond to the U.S. government’s ongoing deadly wars of intervention across the globe – from Syria to Iran, Venezuela and Nicaragua – was central to … Continue reading Anatomy of a Split in Socialist Action
By MARTY GOODMAN “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born; now is the time of monsters.” “I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.” “To tell the truth is revolutionary.” — Antonio Gramsci, Italian communist leader and philosopher (1891-1937). “We must stop this brain working for 20 … Continue reading Philosopher Antonio Gramsci: How revolutionary?
By JEFF MACKLER The week of unprecedented massive and worldwide climate mobilizations that began on Friday, Sept. 20, represented an historic breakthrough in the consciousness of the world’s people. An estimated 7.6 million people in 185 countries from every continent on earth except Antarctica mobilized in unprecedented numbers to condemn the governments and politicians of … Continue reading Millions say: Change the system, not the climate!
By JOHN LESLIE Protests have rocked Egypt since Sept. 19 as protesters have taken to the streets demanding the downfall of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi following the revelations of a corruption scandal. Construction magnate Mohamed Aly posted a series of videos on social media exposing el-Sisi, el-Sisi’s wife, and elements of the military for corruption … Continue reading Protests erupt in Egypt
By JOHN LESLIE At a meeting in Philadelphia on Sept. 28, organizers discussed the opening of a new phase in the fight to free Mumia Abu-Jamal, the noted journalist and political prisoner who was convicted on false charges of killing a Philadelphia police officer in 1981. Last year, in a series of court appearances, Mumia’s … Continue reading A new phase in Mumia’s case
By JIM FARRELL At midnight on Sept. 15, the United Autoworkers Union (UAW) contract with General Motors (GM) expired and almost 50,000 workers downed tools and walked off the job. During the recession, the UAW and its members had agreed to deep concessions to keep GM afloat. Now, GM is prospering and CEO Mary Barra … Continue reading Solidarity with the GM strike!
By ANN MONTAGUE After winning the 2019 World Cup, the USA Women’s Soccer Team immediately returned to what could eventually become their biggest win of all. What they were really after was no secret to anyone. Echoing throughout Stade de Lyon, the stadium where they had become world champions, was the explosive chant: “Equal Pay, … Continue reading Sports equity: Women’s soccer and the fight for equal pay
By LAZARO MONTEVERDE VARPARAISO, Chile — Not many radicals from the U.S. know of the Winnipeg and the great poet Pablo Neruda’s role in the event, which is a shame. It is one of many instances of heroism and direct action on the part of the left before and during World War II. Pablo Neruda … Continue reading The SS Winnipeg, Pablo Neruda, and A Long Petal of the Sea
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER The planet is burning, yet governments still express indifference, refusing to undertake the radical steps that will be necessary to avoid climate catastrophe. Accordingly, people around the world, led by students and youth, are taking to the streets in protest, focusing this month on global strikes. The catalyst for the protests took … Continue reading Millions march worldwide to fight climate change
By JEFF MACKLER Rarely a day passes when one or another U.S. ruling-class institution or personality fails to criticize President Trump’s unilateral imposition of ever increasing and broad-ranging protective tariffs against Chinese imports. Trump’s critics include the Democratic Party as well as leading Republicans, the prestigious corporate “newspaper of record,” The New York Times, and … Continue reading Trump, trade, and China: A Marxist assessment
By LAZARO MONTEVERDE Like a chess master who move by move crushes a weaker opponent, the U.S. is again moving against Venezuela. At the urging of Washington., 12 of the 19 nations who are part of the Treaty of Rio, known by its Spanish acronym TIAR [Tratado Internacional de Asistencia Reciproca], voted to invoke the … Continue reading U.S. moves to entrap Venezuela
By LAZARO MONTEVERDE VALPARAISO, Chile — It has been the driest winter in the central valley of Chile in 60 years. June, July, and August are winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and also the rainy season in Chile. Water shortages have been declared in 50 communities and agricultural emergencies in an additional 100 communities. Sheep … Continue reading The Amazon forest burns
By DAVID RIEHLE Socialist Action’s campaign for the offices of United States president and vice president commenced on Aug. 18 at Oakland’s Humanist Hall with greetings and endorsements from a broad and impressive cadre of veteran fighters for justice and human rights. Socialist Action has put forward Jeff Mackler from Oakland, Calif., and Heather Bradford … Continue reading Jeff Mackler for U.S. president! Rally launches socialist campaign
By LAM CHI LEUNG Protests are continuing in Hong Kong, despite the withdrawal of the Extradition Bill by Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Sept. 4. Protesters have raised the slogan, “Five key demands, not one less!” They want direct elections of Hong Kong leaders, an independent investigation into acts of police brutality, unconditional release … Continue reading Report from Hong Kong: The rise and outlook of the mass struggle
By STEVE XAVIER In August, an announced trip by freshman House members Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) to the occupied West Bank drew the ire of President Trump and other GOP politicians. The Netanyahu government decided to bar entry to the two legislators using the urging of Trump, who tweeted that the pair … Continue reading Cancelled “squad trip” to West Bank puts U.S. Israel policy in the spotlight
