Socialist Action welcomes the growing Occupy movement as a hopeful sign that the decades-overdue classwide fightback against the economic crisis may finally be taking off. We salute the bravery and persistence of the occupations in the face of police repression, media lies and politician slanders and/or attempts at cooptation.Beginning, as was the case with similar … Continue reading Support the Occupy Wall Street Movement!
Tag: Barack Obama
Middle East revolt gains force
“Arab Spring, European Summer, American Fall!” So read the huge banner greeting marchers as they returned to New York’s Liberty Plaza, home to Occupy Wall Street, at the end of a 30,000-strong march. This is just the latest example of the constant evocation of the Arab revolution as inspiration by OWS and similar “Occupy” events … Continue reading Middle East revolt gains force
Obama rediscovers the jobs crisis
The August jobs report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics paints another grim picture for the unemployed. The August numbers show little change in the number of unemployed, with the economy creating barely enough jobs to compensate for the 150,000 new workers who enter the workforce every month.According to the BLS, “the number of … Continue reading Obama rediscovers the jobs crisis
White House protest against pipeline
XL is the proposed final stage of TransCanada’s Keystone system of pipelines carrying crude synthetic oil from Alberta tar sands to the USA. Some stages to Illinois and Oklahoma destinations have already been completed. XL would run 1,980 miles (3,190 km) from Hardisty, Alberta, to refineries in Houston and Port Arthur, Texas—with easy access to Gulf … Continue reading White House protest against pipeline
20,000 join New York labor protest
No doubt the Oct. 15 Occupy Wall Street (OWS) rally will add a new coat of paint to many lackluster labor leaders, including national AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who has also pledged to “support” OWS. That’s certainly part of the union bureaucracy’s calculations for staying in office and maintaining their salaries and perks, while continuing … Continue reading 20,000 join New York labor protest
Postal workers rally against concessions
CHICAGO—Thousands of postal workers and their allies held rallies outside 492 post offices across the United States on Sept. 27 to protest the recent announcement by Postmaster General Patrick Donahue that he would seek massive layoffs, union concessions, post office closings, and outsourcing. Postal Service management claims they need to make the massive cuts due to … Continue reading Postal workers rally against concessions
‘Black Power Mix Tape 1967-1975’
“Black Power Mix Tape 1967-1975,” a documentary in English and Swedish with English subtitles, directed by Göran Olsson and co-produced by Danny Glover. “Black Power Mix Tape 1967-1975” is a powerful documentary film, an unprecedented account of a significant era in the U.S. covering assassinations, riots, and the rise of the Black Power movement against the … Continue reading ‘Black Power Mix Tape 1967-1975’
MASSIVE OCCUPATION TARGETS WALL STREET
<!--[if !mso]> <![endif]-->Worldwide economic misery, inequality, and war have sparked an explosion of protests against Wall Street’s super crooks. The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement, which began in New York City, has spread like a wildfire across the United States. Protesters, led mainly by young people, have built encampments in numerous cities, with accompanying marches and … Continue reading MASSIVE OCCUPATION TARGETS WALL STREET
Obama, Fed offer no solutions as capitalism’s crisis deepens
“ZERO JOB GROWTH LATEST BLEAK SIGN FOR U.S. ECONOMY,” reads the lead headline of the Sept. 3 New York Times. The article expresses the deep pessimism of the U.S. ruling rich that no solutions are in sight.The government’s new report on hiring—a better term would be “firing”—released the day before, according to The Times, “provided … Continue reading Obama, Fed offer no solutions as capitalism’s crisis deepens
Documents reveal Gadhafi ties with U.S. government
Documents show that the Bush and Obama administrations were intent on developing firm “military to military” ties with the Libyan regime of Col. Muammar Gadhafi. This was revealed in transcripts of diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks on Aug. 24. In addition, Human Rights Watch has released copies of papers found in Libya’s office of External … Continue reading Documents reveal Gadhafi ties with U.S. government
Imperialist Victory Is No Gain For Libyan People
Tragically, Libya’s short-lived February 2011 “Arab Spring” was rapidly transformed into a six-month imperialist-led onslaught that wrought death and destruction on the Libyan people. The U.S. and other NATO countries are seeking to establish a beachhead in Libya that can be used to derail the mass revolts that have taken place throughout the region and … Continue reading Imperialist Victory Is No Gain For Libyan People
Victory to the Syrian People’s Uprising! US/NATO, Hands Off!
<!--[if !mso]> <![endif]--> Below is a speech delivered on August 20th by Socialist Action Political Committee member Andrew Pollack to a rally of 300 in New York City in defense of the Syrian uprising against Bashar al-Assad:Sisters and Brothers,It is an honor to speak today, and if I stumble over my words it is out … Continue reading Victory to the Syrian People’s Uprising! US/NATO, Hands Off!
Workers in Egypt: Key to Saving the Arab Spring
Throughout the Middle East and North Africa, the U.S. is using every weapon in its arsenal—military, diplomatic, financial, etc.—to try to turn the Arab Spring into a Washington Winter, an endless night of continued poverty enforced by dictatorships.But Egypt’s workers, who initiated the process leading to the mass Arab revolt with their strikes five years … Continue reading Workers in Egypt: Key to Saving the Arab Spring
SlutWalks: confronting the attacks on women’s rights
Feminists across the globe were angered as they learned last month that the former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and French presidential hopeful, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, would likely be exculpated from the charges of attempted rape of a Guinean immigrant working as a maid due to questions about her credibility. Regrettably, Strauss-Kahn’s defense and … Continue reading SlutWalks: confronting the attacks on women’s rights
WikiLeaks lifts lid on U.S. role in Haiti
Documents released by WikiLeaks to the left-of-center Haitian weekly Haiti Liberté, in partnership with The Nation magazine, unveils a cozy U.S. relationship with Haiti’s reactionary, corrupt elite. They also offer insight into the bipartisan U.S./UN occupation mislabeled a “humanitarian intervention.” The revelations show that U.S. policy has changed little since the founding of the world’s … Continue reading WikiLeaks lifts lid on U.S. role in Haiti
Budget Deal: Bosses win, workers lose
Following many weeks of staged political wrangling in Congress, President Obama signed “emergency legislation” on Aug. 2 that projects more than $2 trillion in budget cuts over the next decade. The law also raises the ceiling on the government’s immediate borrowing abilities by $400 billion, with $500 billion more assured in the autumn.Under the new … Continue reading Budget Deal: Bosses win, workers lose
Obama prepares re-election bid by posing as antiwar candidate
“Ladies and gentleman, the horses are arriving at the starting gate,” says the announcer at the Kentucky Derby, the first of three famous races that rivet the attention of racing fans around the country in the spring of every year. The “Sport of Kings,” which Congress funds with $128 million yearly in tax breaks, is … Continue reading Obama prepares re-election bid by posing as antiwar candidate
UNAC plans protest at NATO summit
The illusions of many Americans that Obama would turn out to be an “antiwar president” were definitively shattered early last year when he sent 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Since that time, the Obama administration’s attempts to convince the public that the war would soon wind down have proven hollow. Instead, Washington is expanding its … Continue reading UNAC plans protest at NATO summit
No recovery in sight for the jobless
The jobs and unemployment numbers released on June 3 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) paint a grim picture of the situation facing unemployed workers in the United States. According to some capitalist economists, the “Great Recession” supposedly ended in 2009 but the economy remains weak—with the housing, manufacturing, and construction sectors still flat … Continue reading No recovery in sight for the jobless
Bring the War Dollars Home!
The economic crisis continues to strain our city and town budgets. Layoffs, concessions, and budget cuts have become familiar words in many homes. Yet our federal government and President Obama seek to keep the wheels of the war machine grinding on at any cost. Including new wars in Libya and Somalia, our tax dollars fund … Continue reading Bring the War Dollars Home!
Greece in Revolt
ATHENS—The social resistance against the policy of the “Memorandum” in Greece, which has been imposed on the country since the beginning of last year by the “Troika”—a kind of committee of the ruling classes of the major countries of the EU and the USA, represented by the Brussels Commission, the ECB and the IMF in … Continue reading Greece in Revolt
Mass(ey) Destruction
“The Last Mountain,” a documentary film directed by Bill Haney, featuring Robert Kennedy, Jr.As I walked into the theater to see “The Last Mountain,” the ticket taker said, “Enjoy the movie!” then added, “Oh, well, I guess that’s not the right thing to say about this film.” You don’t go to a movie about the possible … Continue reading Mass(ey) Destruction
From Palestine to Perama: Struggle Crosses the Mediterranean
The Greek government has acted to extend Israel’s blockade of Gaza all the way to its own shores by blocking the departure of boats in Freedom Flotilla 2 from the ports of Perama and Piraeus. In this, the Greek ruling class and its “Socialist” Prime Minister George Papandreou demonstrate their class solidarity with the rulers … Continue reading From Palestine to Perama: Struggle Crosses the Mediterranean
What’s behind the supposed Obama-Netanyahu dispute?
At the State Department on May 19, Obama gave a long-awaited speech addressing the moribund “peace process,” i.e., the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Despite weeks of speculation that Obama and aides were coming up with a “bold, new peace plan” to present to the parties concerned, no such plan was in evidence, … Continue reading What’s behind the supposed Obama-Netanyahu dispute?
Obama counsels Arab nations to ‘follow Poland’
On his visit to Warsaw at the end of May, President Obama cited Poland as a ‘living example” for Arab nations that are currently in revolt. The U.S. sees Poland as the most successful case of an Eastern European country in which capitalism has been restored.Poland was the only EU country that did not fall … Continue reading Obama counsels Arab nations to ‘follow Poland’