People Before Profit blog

To help economy recover, join a union

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:57:00 +0000

Rise in union membership reported

The Labor Department reported Jan. 29 that the number of union members increased by 428,000 in 2008, hiking the total increase in union membership to 750,000 in the last two years.

The percentage of workers who belong to unions also rose from 12 percent in 2006 to 12.4 percent in 2008. The Bureau of Labor statistics described the growth in union membership as “statistically significant.”

Jason Lefkowitz, a spokesman for the Change To Win federation said the news was good, particularly because the gains were made against a backdrop of severe job losses and difficult conditions for those trying to organize unions.

All the nation’s unions are backing the Employee Free Choice Act which, if it becomes law, will make it much easier for workers to join unions. Employers would have to recognize unions as soon as a majority of workers sign authorization cards. Workers would be able to avoid the long, drawn-out company –controlled elections during which employers routinely harass, intimidate and even fire union backers.

Leading figures inside and outside the labor movement see both the growth in union membership and employee free choice as critical to rescuing the sinking economy. The Department of Labor reports that workers in unions earn 30 percent higher wages, taking home $863 a week, compared with $663 for the typical nonunion worker, and are 59 percent more likely to have employer-based health insurance than their non-union counterparts.

“The way to get the economy back on track is to boost the purchasing power of the middle class. The way to do this is to expand the percentage of working Americans in unions,” said Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, in a recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times. “Working families aren’t asking for a bailout or a handout, but they need, and deserve, to have a share of the prosperity they are creating. They need a level playing field and the freedom to bargain for a better life,” Reich added.

Lefkowitz warned, however, that despite the good news regarding growth in union membership, “We still have a lot of work ahead of us to rebuild the power of workers in the United States. When the BLS first started gathering data in 1983, 20 percent of the workers were in unions. If we pass employee free choice we can really build on the gains of the last two years.”

Another cause for concern, he said, is that while the percentage of organized workers grew in 26 states and Washington D.C., it declined in all but one of the rest. Another concern for the labor movement is that half the nation’s union members are still in just six states: California (2.74 million), New York (2.03 million), Illinois (939,000), Pennsylvania (847,000), Michigan (771,000) and Ohio (716,000). Those states, according to the BLS, have only one-third of the nation’s workers.

Another problem is the age of union members: The highest shares of unionization by age were among workers aged 55-64 and 45-54, while the lowest share, 5 percent, was among workers aged 16-24, who are the new entrants to the workforce.

Several states had huge jumps in the percentage of workers in unions or in the numbers of workers in unions, or both. In California 266,000 more workers joined unions and the percentage of those unionized rose from 16.7 percent in 2007 to 18.4 percent last year. Another was Illinois: The percentage of unionized workers rose from 14.5 percent to 16.6 percent in one year, and the number of union members increased by 97,000 to 939,000.

In Missouri both numbers and percentages rose, while both fell in Minnesota. Missouri unions added 10,000 members, to 285,000 and 11.2 percent, up 0.5 percent in one year. In Minnesota, however, numbers of union members, percentages of union members and the size of the overall workforce all dropped. Unions lost 8,000 members there, dropping to 392,000 and to 16.1 percent of the overall workforce, down from 16.4 percent the year before. The state lost 30,000 from its overall workforce.

The sinking auto industry in Michigan caused the state to lose 48,000 union members, down to 771,000. The percentage of workers in unions dropped from 19.5 percent in 2007 to 18.8 percent last year.

Ohio suffered in a similar way. Union members declined by 14,000 to 716,000. The state lost so many jobs, however, that the percentage of unionized workers actually rose 0.1 percent to a total of 14.2 percent.

Oregon was another state where the increased percentage of workers in unions resulted from a sharp drop in employment overall. The number of union members in Oregon rose by 2,000 to 229,000 but the percentage of workers in unions rose sharply from 14.3 percent to 16.6 percent.

Obama as Savior? He'd better be

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:35:00 +0000

So he can't walk on water.

Nor heal the sick with a touch.

His smile won't summon sunrise, nor cause angelic choirs to sing from the skies.

Still. Of all the presidential candidates ever to rise on the world stage, none have appeared more attuned than Barack Hussein Obama to notions of the common good--notions of inclusion, openness, nurturing, forgiveness and reconciliation, in keeping with our best spiritual traditions.

It showed in all the beautiful acts of his first 48 hours in office.

Our savior? On some level he'd better be, else we are lost.

Economically, environmentally, diplomatically, judicially, militarily, culturally and ethically, we have fallen.

Our challenges are existential, not in some mysterious, intellectual way, but in that our existence has been put at risk. And it's been put at risk mostly by forces that spring from the darkness inside our own hearts.

False prophets led us to this abyss mostly by pointing fingers at the alleged shortcomings of others as the source of all our troubles. The result has been ill-advised invasions, torture, deregulation, military budgets that grow insanely, politics of personal destruction, waste, corruption, assaults on personal liberties, the Constitution, our very earth.

To acknowledge we've lost our way, marching off in every direction with drums pounding, violins skirling and banners flying, is to acknowledge the need for salvation. Our civilizaton hangs by a thread. One false move and we risk unimaginable chaos and violence. Business as usual, politics as usual, will not save us. Pandering, blaming others, drawing down dwindling resources, building fierce new weapons and marching off against imagined enemies are luxuries we can no longer afford.

Has anyone challenged such old ways of doing business as Obama has? Of all the presidential candidates I've witnessed, his message has been the most hopeful, at least so far.

So far, he's been about healing. So far he's been about reaching out. So far he's been about uniting tribes.

No, this impulse doesn't show in every appointment, and we must watch such players with vigilance. Still, as teachers from Jesus to Machiavelli have noted, there's wisdom in hugging your opponents close by.

A dinner for his biggest opponent, John McCain, on the eve of the inauguration? Unprecdented.

A place in the new administration for chief rivals Hillary, Biden and others? Outside the political norm.

Gathering both a fundamentalist minister and a gay bishop into inauguration festivities? Unheard of.

His campaign should've prepared us for this. Accused of hatemongering by association with the Rev. Wright, he elevated the conversation in a speech that addressed race honestly and eloquently.

Accused of radicalism by association with William Ayers, he turned the other cheek, refusing to make much of McCain's own radical associations.

When it comes to Obama's fitness to lead, the signs have mostly been good. That's why some, myself included, have gushed at times, 'Please, embrace this sane, rational and decent man.'

Looking back across the landscape of his sojourn, Obama's made a history of embracing enemies, pouring oil on troubled waters, turning the other cheek. All along, he's inveighed against embracing the darkness inside our own hearts, and urged us to.

Oppose unnecessary wars.

Oppose the deliberate cruelty of torture.

Oppose unbridled greed.

Oppose destruction of communities.

Oppose prejudice against women, gays and immigrants.

Oppose the urge so prevalent within the human heart to scapegoat and demonize.

Oppose nuclear proliferation and other forces that endanger the whole earth.

Maybe it's because he is of the Whole Earth generation that he's so attuned to this existential moment. Obama is of a generation that grew up with the Whole Earth as ubiquitous icon. His generation grew up electronically connected and therefore exposed to the cruelties, pieties and generosities of others. He spent times not only at elite universities but also on the streets, driving broken down cars. He took a magical mystery tour as he sought to understand his own mythic family, his own identity. In coming to such understanding, he forged a new politics.

His message of peace, love, hope and community springs from this journey, this seeking, this essence that is Barack Hussein Obama. At last he can proclaim his full name. It's part of a message that recognizes the dignity of others, the dignity of blood, sweat and tears and a world community we all must work to save, lest it fall into the abyss that yawns inside each human heart.

Obama as savior? On some level he'd better be.

Else we are lost.

Don Williams is a prize-winning columnist, blogger, short story writer and the founding editor and publisher of New Millennium Writings, an annual anthology of stories, essays and poems. His awards include a National Endowment for the Humanities Michigan Journalism Fellowship, a Golden Presscard Award and the Malcolm Law Journalism Prize. He is finishing a novel, 'ORACLE OF THE ORCHID LOUNGE,' set in his native Tennessee and Iraq. Along with Greg Palast, Marjorie Cohn, Norman Solomon, Will Durst, James Secor and others, he is a contributing editor to Media With Conscience (www.mwcnews.net) and his commentary frequently leads the page at www.opednews.com. For more information, email him at donwilliams7@charter.net. Or visit the NMW website at www.NewMillenniumWritings.com.

Yes we can!

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:36:00 +0000

From left to right, Sophie Rodenbush and Amber Rose Rodriguez had one message, “Yes we can,” which was the sentiment at this year’s Martin Luther King Day March which the 8th graders from Manhattan Country School hold each year. The march this year was held in honor of Barack Obama’s inauguration. The students said they were showing how young adults, even though they don’t vote, have a right to be heard. Many of the issues which the students felt Obama should address were highlighted during the march. Photo by Kenneth J. BeSaw/PWW.

Senate Dems flex legislative muscle on fair pay

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:03:00 +0000

NewsAnalysis

By a vote of 61 to 36 on Jan. 22, the Senate passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and sent it to President Obama who plans to sign it into law. The bill will let victims of pay discrimination based on sex, race, religion and other reasons sue employers. Passage came after senators beat back a GOP filibuster against the measure a week before.

The measure had support from civil rights organizations, the labor movement and women’s equality groups. All are key Democratic Party constituencies that saw this bill as a top priority.

All 36 senators opposing the bill were male Republicans. All of the House members who had opposed the bill were Republicans. The House, however, approved the measure as soon as the 111th Congress convened.

Senate Democrats of both sexes voted unanimously for the bill and were joined by the four female Senate Republicans and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.).

When Obama signs the bill he will overturn a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that said workers — women, minorities or anyone else — who are discriminated against in pay can sue only within the first 180 days after their hire date. The ruling had the effect of barring almost all suits because, on average, most workers discover discrimination well after their first 180 days on the job.

At Ledbetter’s plant, discrimination based on sex was, ironically, not so noticeable because most women workers there did not suffer from wage discrimination. Ledbetter told the World at a teachers union convention she attended last year, that, unlike supervisors such as herself, most of the women working in her plant were covered by their Steelworkers union contract which mandated equal pay for equal work.

Ledbetter, a grandmother from Gadsden, Ala., did not discover that she was the victim of wage discrimination until she had been on the job for 19 years. She sued and won $3.5 million in back pay and damages. Although that award was later reduced in lower courts, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, threw her case out entirely. The five justices who voted against her were all men appointed by Republican presidents, including two named by George W. Bush.

So, was the floor fight for passage of this bill a test of how well Senate Democrats will do with their new majority? Quite possibly. The obvious difference is the shift in the balance of forces in the Senate after the Nov. 4 election. With a projected total of 59 senators who will caucus with them, Democrats should be feeling more confident about their power.

Still, without the 60 votes needed to block a filibuster, Democrats and their supporters expressed concerns that the Republicans would use the filibuster to stall progressive legislation. Republicans filibustered a record 94 times in the previous Congress. They blocked bills for a withdrawal timeline for Iraq, funds for veterans, fair pay, the Employee Free Choice Act, renewable energy, health care and education.

On Ledbetter, the Republicans put up a fight. They said people who sue for discrimination often make it up. They tried to weaken the bill with one senator even trying to poison it with a national “right to work” amendment.

Despite three Democratic Senators having missed the vote, the bill passed comfortably.

Don’t get too confident, though. The Ledbetter bill’s companion, the Paycheck Fairness Act, is still pending. It creates stiff penalties for employers who punish workers who talk with one another about their wages and tightens restrictions on how employers can justify unequal pay for equal work.

In addition, Republicans have expressed open hostility, rather than congenial opposition, as is traditional among senators, to the Employee Free Choice Act.

It is quite possible that the Democrats will need all 59 of their votes and one or two defectors from the other party to see these bills pass.

More importantly, the progessive movement will have to raise a stink to make sure the bill stays on the agenda. Labor and its allies have begun a massive public relations campaign on a national and state level to mobilize support, especially in states where Republican senators might feel the heat at reelection time.

Even after the victory on Nov. 4 and the celebration on Jan. 20, it is not time to rest. Struggles for passage of additional working-class legislation should not be left up to the Senate Democrats, alone.

John Wojcik contributed to this article.

House passes economic recovery bill

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:46:00 +0000

Original source: Hoping to put the brakes on an economy spiraling downhill and out of control, the House today passed (244-188) an $825 billion economic recovery package that could create or save as many as 4 million jobs. Said President Barack Obama, shortly before the vote:

When we it comes to rebuilding our economy, we don’t have a moment to spare.

With the jobless rate at 7.2 percent and expected to worsen for much of the year, and the loss of 2.6 million jobs last year—the biggest one-year job loss since 1945—AFL-CIO President John Sweeney says:

It would be impossible to overstate the trouble our economy is in. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is absolutely essential to turning around this downward economic spiral. This is no time for weak excuses—Congress must act decisively to create jobs and rescue the economy.

The bill includes $550 billion for investments such as ready-to-go infrastructure projects, help for states that are facing record budget shortfalls that threaten vital services such as education and health, and assistance for the nation’s tens of millions of unemployed workers. It also provides $275 billion in targeted tax relief for families and businesses.

The Senate is expected to vote on its version of the recovery package next week. But the Senate bill is more heavily weighted toward tax cuts rather than job-creating investments. As reported by the Senate Finance and Appropriations committees, it contains $365 billion in targeted investments and some $500 billion in tax cuts.

(Click here to tell senators to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act now.)

In a letter to House members, AFL-CIO Government Affairs Director Bill Samuel says the bill’s $550 billion in targeted investments will create new jobs and prevent others from vanishing.

Investments in infrastructure and energy would provide millions of good-paying jobs that cannot be off-shored, while helping us move toward a cleaner, greener future. Investments in schools would help us educate our children and help struggling school districts make up for budget shortfalls caused by the collapse of their property tax base. States and localities would be better able to meet budgetary pressures caused by increasing demand on the important programs they administer.

A study by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) shows the bill will provide immediate help to the economy. Says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.):

According to the CBO, about two-thirds of the plan’s recovery investments will come on the first 18 months…[it] will create jobs, help end the recession sooner, provide tax relief to millions of Americans and make critical long-term investments to lay the foundation for a stronger economy.

Click here for a detailed summary of the bill.

Today’s vote mostly broke along party lines despite Obama’s call for bipartisanship, including traveling to Capitol Hill yesterday to meet with Republican House and Senate leaders.

French workers protest against cutbacks

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:23:00 +0000

MILLIONS of French workers are set to take to the streets on Thursday to warn the right-wing government that they will not bear the brunt of the slump.

Major union confederations CFDT and CGT and six other union groups have called on public and private-sector workers to strike and rally in what is likely to be the biggest show of working-class strength since President Nicolas Sarkozy was elected in May 2007.

CFDT leader Francois Chereque said: 'Employees feel that they are paying with their jobs, their wages and their labour rights for a crisis for which they bear no responsibility.'

CGT leader Bernard Thibault said that he expects the protests to be bigger than those that took place in 2006.

Back then, three million street protesters forced the government to scrap an amendment to a new youth employment contract that would have made it easier for bosses to fire employees who were under the age of 26.

The eight unions have issued a joint document listing demands from both the government and company bosses.

They insist that any state aid to ailing companies must be conditional on them supporting jobs and not cutting wages.

And they demand that the government immediately drop plans to cut 30,000 public-sector jobs by not replacing some retiring employees.

The unions also want state stimulus measures to be directed at consumers, not just firms, arguing that the government should revive the economy by boosting consumption.

And they want ministers to repeal legislation that has relaxed rules on the 35-hour working week.

Thursday's strike is expected to disrupt traffic on the national railway, at airports and on the Paris metro.

The country is likely to be paralysed as public-sector workers from schools, hospitals, the post office and state media join forces with car-factory workers, helicopter pilots and even ski-lift operators.

According to a poll by CSA-Opinion for the newspaper Le Parisien, about 69 per cent of the French people support the strike, while only 12 per cent of them oppose it.

The European Union predicts that the French economy, Europe's second largest, may contract 1.8 per cent this year.

And France's unemployment rate is expected to hit 10.6 per cent next year.

reprinted from the Morning Star

Business as usual? Federal Reserve keeps interest rates near zero

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:28:00 +0000

Economic news worsened Wednesday as the House of Representatives voted on the stimulus package with the Federal Reserve Board’s Open Market Committee admitting that the “economy has weakened further. Industrial production, housing starts, and employment have continued to decline steeply, as consumers and businesses have cut back spending.”

The bad news continued with Boeing announcing the layoff of 10,000 workers, and both ATT and Wells Fargo showing huge losses in profits foretelling possible additional layoffs.

The Federal Reserve indicated that some liquidity had been restored, but added that consumer credit remained extremely tight. In some areas of the financial sector, banks have resumed inter-bank loans. However according to some analysts’ trouble in the “real economy” is now dragging down the banking sector in a reciprocally downward spiral.

Deflation seems to be an increasing worry of the Federal Reserve, “the Committee sees some risk that inflation could persist for a time below rates that best foster economic growth and price stability in the longer term.”

With rates near zero and little leverage, the Board made no changes, but said it would utilize all available tools. According to the New York Times, “The committee also served notice that it would purchase longer-term Treasury bonds, a move that would drive down long-term interest rates of all types.” The other mechanisms available to it are purchasing mortgage backed securities and Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility to extend credit to consumers, however nothing so far has seemed to work.

Newspapers reported today that the Obama administration is likely to attempt several measures to jump-start the economy in addition to its stimulus package, as opposed to relying on only one. Nationalization of the banking system is a pro-working class option that is being considered in all but name.

Yesterday as reported by the Washington Post, in a letter to Congress Ben Bernanke said the Federal Reserve would use its buyout of billions in foreclosed mortgages to renegotiate loan terms and thereby assisting homeowners.

Some 2 million jobs have been lost in the last four or five months, adding to foreclosure crisis, particularly in California.

'Country needs our help' — progressives urged to rally around recovery plan

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 07:03:00 +0000

WASHINGTON — With more people filing for unemployment than at any time in the past quarter century amid the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the head of a key center for labor and progressive action urged “progressives who helped deliver President Obama’s electoral victory to rally around a historic opportunity to rebuild America.”

Robert Borosage, co-director of the Campaign for America’s Future, called for quick and bold action now to move the economic recovery plan. He assailed conservatives in Congress who are trying to 'delay and dilute' the package.

'America voted for change last year, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act takes a bold first step on the path toward progressive change,' Borosage said in a Jan. 28 statement. 'The country needs our help. Conservatives are trying to delay and dilute the legislation. Quick, bold action on the economy is critical if we are to blunt the accelerating job losses of the Bush recession. 'We are standing at the precipice of an historic period of reform, during which we have an unprecedented opportunity to make lasting, positive change. We can’t back away from the bold initiatives required to make this change. The current economic crisis demands a substantial, strategic and sustained recovery plan. This plan is a down payment on long-term investments in vital, core elements of the nation, including health care, education, infrastructure and sustainable energy. 'Conservatives argue the plan should be smaller and include more tax cuts. This is seriously wrong-headed. If anything, the plan should be larger and contain more public investment. Conservatives have learned nothing from the collapse of their economic policies and the decline of their political fortunes. By staying in obstructionist mode they are placing themselves on the wrong side of history.'

The Campaign for America’s Future describes itself as “the strategy center for the progressive movement.” For the past several years it has sponsored an annual “Take Back America” conference in Washington, drawing leading progressive activists, organizations and political figures. This year, it will hold “America’s Future NOW!” June 1-3, billed as “a conference to take America forward.”

The group notes: “Take Back America helped spark a progressive wave that swept in a change few thought possible.

“Our challenge to realize the progressive vision is nowhere near complete. But we’ve taken a big step, and it is only appropriate that our annual gathering reflects this new era of hope and change.”

House set to vote on economic stimulus package

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:13:00 +0000

With over 75,000 layoffs announced earlier in the week, the House of Representatives is set to vote Wednesday on a $825 billion economic stimulus package, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, HR 1. The plan is said to create or save close to 4 million jobs. The measure is expected to pass relatively easily despite staunch Republican opposition.

At a Tuesday morning Capitol Hill press conference AFL-CIO president John Sweeney said:

“It would be impossible to overstate the trouble our economy is in. We are losing jobs at a rate of half a million a month, real wages have been stagnant for far too long, and our housing and financial markets are in crisis….We cannot afford to let ideological differences kill or gut this economic recovery package. There is too much at stake.”

President Obama spent part of Tuesday meeting separately with Republican House and Senate leaders seeking bipartisan support for the measure. He was accompanied by economic adviser Larry Summers. Republicans while impressed with the president’s communication skills, showed little warmth for the measure, calling for more tax cuts for rich.

The bill has $550 billion in new spending and some $275 billion in tax cuts. A significant part of the tax cuts are aimed at working-class families. Other spending includes, food stamps, highway projects, aid to state governments hit by revenue loss and schools. According to reports, one-sixth of the almost $1 trillion package is dedicated school spending. House Democrats are said to have trimmed the tax cut proposal from the 40 percent originally proposed by the president’s team to 20 percent.

Some lawmakers while supportive of the legislation caution that it is not nearly enough to deal with the scale of the crisis, pointing to the lack of substantial enough infrastructure spending. The Washington Post reports that HR 1 “includes $30 billion for roads and bridges, $9 billion for public transit and $1 billion for inter-city rail -- less than 5 percent of the package's total spending.” Newspaper reports contend that some in the president’s economic team, including Mr. Summers, are skeptical of more infrastructure spending because it is not “shovel ready.”

Administration officials argue the bill should be seen as just the first step, suggesting more will be done later.

Today’s House vote coincides with the opening of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland amid deep gloom about the world economy. There, much hope is pinned on a US recovery. However, in the opinion of some, the scope of the crisis makes it beyond easy remedy. George Soros, for example, remarked to Bloomgburg.com that “You have to realize the size of the problem confronting us today is significantly larger than in the ‘30s.” Toxic assets in the form of foreclosed loans are now held by banks and other institutions all over the world, freezing credit markets bringing lending to a complete halt and rippling throughout other areas of the economy.

“It’s “delusional” to expect the U.S. fiscal stimulus plan crafted by President Barack Obama to “jump start” the economy, Stephen Roach, Morgan Stanley Asia’s chairman, told a panel in Davos today, reports Bloomberg.com.

The Federal Reserve also meets Wednesday and is due to report in the early afternoon on new measures to grapple with the economic crisis with it’s main instruments, manipulating interest rates, now exhausted.

OPINION: A nuke free world?

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:37:00 +0000

When a fully loaded aircraft crash-landed on the river Hudson without loss of life, the people emerging from the plane appeared to walk on water.

Welcome to the era of Barack Obama.

President Obama will need all his miraculous powers if he is to satisfy the aspirations of the people who elected him.

He inherits an economy facing perhaps its biggest ever economic crisis, with collapsing banks, insolvent car-makers, lengthening dole queues and a broken health-care system.

There is growing anger at the handouts to banks and other big corporations whose own greed and folly led to their downfall while ordinary US citizens struggle to save their jobs and their homes.

Obama will be judged not just by his management of the domestic economy but by how far he meets his commitments to tackle climate change and end the war on terror.

During his campaign, Obama often spoke of his vision of a nuclear-free world and his commitment not to develop new nuclear weapons.

This chimes with the growing support across the world for a global treaty to outlaw nuclear weapons.

Former statesmen such as George Schultz, William Perry, Henry Kissinger and Sam Nunn have renewed their calls for steps towards a nuclear-free world in the Wall Street Journal this month.

Across the world, opinion polls have shown widespread support for such an international treaty, including 70 per cent support in the US.

In November, UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon published his Five Steps To A Nuclear-free World.

Since then, Global Zero has been launched, bringing celebrities and major world statesmen and women into the campaign and broadening its appeal.

Further hope that Obama may actually carry out his pledges came from the appointment of John Holdren, a Harvard professor with a long record of support for nuclear disarmament, as science adviser.

And, since being sworn in, the new administration has set out the aim of a nuclear-free world as one of its key foreign policy objectives on the White House website. So far, so good.

But the key to opening up a new disarmament process is constructive negotiations with Russia to make deep bilateral cuts in nuclear weapons.

And, for Russia, there will be two related stumbling blocks - missile defence and the expansion of NATO.

Obama has been ambiguous on the issue of missile defence.

The appointment of Robert Gates as defence secretary does not inspire confidence. From his early career at the CIA to his position as defence secretary for Bush, Gates has been a major advocate of missile defence.

The prime contractors Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are likely to fight hard to stop the programme being cancelled.

The other problem is the expansion of NATO.

Obama has stated that he supports the recruitment of Georgia and Ukraine into the alliance, despite clear opposition from many European NATO members.

The depth of Russia's concern about NATO encirclement was exposed by the short war in Georgia last August.

The appointment of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state could harden Obama's position on NATO expansion.

Bill Clinton's administration oversaw the first round of NATO expansion which resulted in the accession of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland in March 1999 and Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia five years later.

As US senator, Hillary Clinton voted in favour of NATO expansion and co-sponsored a resolution in favour of NATO entry for Ukraine and Georgia.

Obama has emphasised diplomacy and working with allies as an alternative to the confrontational unilateralism of the Bush era.

NATO would seem to be a key vehicle for that - a vehicle in which 26 states of Europe and north America can be bound into an agenda set by the US and add some 'legitimacy' to the future threat or use of military power.

NATO is increasingly acquiring an offensive role and the inclusion of Georgia and Ukraine would provide a gateway to the Black Sea and the Caspian.

But the world has changed. Today, even the 'soft power' of President Obama cannot be sure of holding sway in the alliance.

For the past six years, NATO has been divided and paralysed because of deep differences over the war in Iraq, the role of an EU army, the commitment of individual nations to the fighting in Afghanistan and over current plans to expand NATO.

These cracks could widen if the new administration insists on expanding NATO at the expense of relations with Russia.

If Obama really wants to make progress towards a nuclear-free world, he will have to halt missile defence and the expansion of NATO.

That huge wave of activism which swept him to power is needed now more than ever.

Reprinted from the Morning Star Alan Mackinnon is chairman of Scottish CND. www.banthebomb.org www.scotland4peace.org

UN calls for food aid from rich countries

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:25:00 +0000

THE UN urged rich countries on Monday to stump up the aid that they pledged at a food crisis summit last year after riots had erupted in underdeveloped countries over soaring prices.

UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) director Jacques Diouf and other delegates to an international meeting on food security in Madrid insisted that the global economic crisis must not cause donor countries to ignore the one billion people in the world that do not get enough to eat.

The forum, which was organised by Spain and the UN, is a follow-up to a 180-nation summit in Rome in June, where donors pledged $22 billion (£16bn) in aid to alleviate hunger.

Ministers or other officials from 95 countries are attending the meeting, which is expected to draw up a road map to ensure the enforcement of the Rome agreements and to stimulate agricultural production.

Mr Diouf did not say who had pledged what or accuse any country of reneging. He simply emphasised that 'commitments made must lead to new resources very fast.'

Mr Diouf added that he hopes US President Barack Obama will play a 'leading role' in eradicating hunger, 'starting with the US, an advanced country which has 31 million hungry people.'

The soaring prices for staples like rice that triggered riots in the underdeveloped world last year have come down somewhat, but they remain high compared to levels prior to the crisis.

The FAO food price index in December was 28 per cent above its 2005 level and 61 per cent higher than in 2000.

And a report from London-based think tank Chatham House issued on Monday warned that the uptrend is set to resume in the medium to longer term.

'There is a real risk of a 'food crunch' at some point in the future, which would fall particularly hard on import-dependent countries and on poor people everywhere,' the report said.

World Food Programme director Josette Shearan said that countries dependent on agriculture run the risk of getting left out as the rich world focuses on tumbling stock markets, flagging economic growth and failing banks.

Ms Shearan identified four ways in which the financial meltdown is exacerbating world hunger - remittances to poor countries like Haiti are down, countries that depend on exports of farm goods are suffering because of the economic slowdown in buyer countries, investment in agricultural infrastructure is declining and the credit crunch is particularly painful for small farmers who need to borrow money for seeds and other supplies.

Climate change: Obama signals end to era of denial

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:41:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (IPS) - Environmental activists have hailed the first moves by U.S. President Barack Obama to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions by setting tough new fuel efficiency and pollution standards for the country's cars and trucks, steps that his predecessor, George W. Bush, had rejected or ignored.

In a mid-morning White House appearance six days into his new job, Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider the Bush administration's denial of a 2007 request by California and 13 other states to implement strict new limits on tailpipe emissions that contribute to global warming.

He also directed the Department of Transportation to follow through on Congressional legislation to raise existing fuel economy standards on new cars and lorries by 40 percent beginning in 2011.

Both directives, once the administrative process required to implement them is completed, are sure to have a major impact on the reeling U.S. automobile industry which, along with the major U.S. oil companies, has long resisted the imposition of major new fuel efficiency and pollution standards.

'For eight years, President Bush blocked the country's progress on global warming solutions,' said Steven Beil, Greenpeace's Global Warming Campaign Director. 'At long last, the era of obstruction and denial is over. President Obama's directives recognise that America is ready to tackle global warming.'

Obama's announcement coincided with the appointment by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of a special envoy on climate change, Todd Stern, a senior White House aide under President Bill Clinton and his top negotiator at international talks that culminated in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement that required wealthy countries to reduce their greenhouse emissions below 1990 levels by 2012.

While President Clinton signed the Protocol, he never submitted it to the Senate for ratification, and, shortly after taking office, Bush rejected the agreement on the grounds that its implementation would harm the U.S. economy.

'The time for denial, delay and dispute is over,' Stern said at a brief State Department ceremony Monday. 'The time for the United States to take up its rightful place at the negotiating table is here...We will need to engage in vigorous, dramatic diplomacy.'

Obama's directives were the latest in a series of actions taken since his inauguration Jan. 20 - among them, closing the Guantanamo detention facility within one year; banning coercive interrogation techniques on detainees; and lifting an eight-year by on U.S. funding of overseas clinics and other organisations that support or perform abortions. The swift moves were designed both to fulfill campaign promises and dramatise the difference between the Bush administration and his own.

'This is a clean break from the previous administration's do-nothing approaches on global warming and U.S. oil dependence,' said Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) about Monday's announcements.

He said the decision to permit states to set stricter emission standards was a 'clear indication that the new administration is ready to lead on energy and global warming,' and added, 'With this announcement, President Obama is beginning to make good on his campaign pledge to restore science to its rightful place in federal policy-making.'

In his announcement, Obama stressed that both moves were aimed at reducing U.S. dependence on oil, which he called 'one of the most serious threats that our nation has faced. It bankrolls dictators, pays for nuclear proliferation and funds both sides of our struggle against terrorism,' he said.

And he described the 'long-term threat of climate change' in words that the Bush White House reserved only for its 'global war on terrorism'.

'(I)f left unchecked, (climate change) could result in violent conflict, terrible storms, shrinking coastlines and irreversible catastrophe,' warned Obama who, since his inaugural address, has appeared determined to underline the gravity of the many challenges facing the country and the necessity of confronting them.

'Year after year, decade after decade, we've chosen delay over decisive action. Rigid ideology has overruled sound science. Special interests have overshadowed common sense,' he said. 'Now America has arrived at a crossroads.'

The two directives issued Monday, in addition to his proposed economic stimulus plan that includes billions of dollars for clean energy programmes, should constitute 'the first steps in our journey toward energy independence.'

The first directive requires the Transportation Department, which is headed by a former Republican congressman, Roy LaHood, to proceed with implementing legislation passed by Congress in 2007 - but ignored by Bush - requiring U.S. automobile manufacturers to meet a 35-miles-per-gallon (56 kms) fuel-economy standard, a 40-percent increase over current standards.

Congress originally approved a 2020 deadline for the higher standard, but Obama said he wanted to move that back to 2011. If all automobiles complied with the proposed standard, more than two million barrels of oil a day, or 'nearly the entire amount of oil that we import from the Persian Gulf,' could be saved, Obama said.

The second measure ordered EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to review a request from California and 13 other states to set automobile emissions standards stricter than those required by the federal government.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had asked the Bush administration for the first time in 2007 to 'waive' the application of federal law so that his state could impose the tougher standards to help it comply with Kyoto's requirements, but Bush, backed by the auto and oil industries, refused to grant it. Schwarzenegger last week asked Obama to review his predecessor's decision.

'(T)he federal government must work with, not against, states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,' Obama said Monday with the EPA's Jackson at his side. 'California has shown bold and bipartisan leadership through its effort to forge 21st-century standards, and over a dozen states have followed its lead. But instead of serving as a partner, Washington stood in their way.'

'The days of Washington dragging its heels are over,' he added. 'My administration will not deny facts; we will be guided by them.'

'We believe that the auto industry should have no trouble meeting the challenge set by our new president,' said Ann Mesnikoff, Washington director of the Sierra Club. 'It has the technology and the know-how to comply with both California's standards and new fuel economy standards. It is time for the industry to demonstrate to the American people (who have already given them billions in taxpayer dollars) that they are committed to meeting the standards that science and the President have stated are necessary.'

Indeed, the Auto Alliance, the industry's lobby group, said in a statement that it 'supports a nationwide programme that bridges state and federal concerns and moves all stakeholders forward, and we are ready to work with the administration on developing a national approach.'

People's banquet says, Yes we did it!

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 09:35:00 +0000

CHICAGO – Over a 100 friends, supporters and staff of this newspaper celebrated the heroic efforts made by local election activists in the historic campaign of President Obama at the Parthenon restaurant here on Jan. 11, during the 21st Annual Banquet of the People’s Weekly World under the theme “Yes We Did it!”

The event, also coined, “The Dawn of a New Era” highlighted numerous victories, big and small, in 2008 that culminated in the election of the country’s first African American president, Barack Obama.

James Thindwa, executive director of Chicago Jobs with Justice was the event’s keynote. Thindwa spoke about the fight for living wages, ending the war in Iraq, cutting the military budget and supporting Congress and the Obama administration to pass legislation that guarantees union rights and healthcare. Thindwa added that what working families need, in the midst of a financial crisis, is a people’s bailout that would put people back to work and stimulate the economy.

Teresa Albano, editor of the PWW saluted each honoree and all activists who helped make change, unity, hope and history a reality framing the important contributions made by the American people mandating a new direction in Washington. Albano also noted that the PWW was there, from day one, covering each and every aspect of the 2008 election year making our publication a first class outlet that reports on the side of working people, labor, it’s allies and struggles.

Other Chris Hani/Rudy Lozano 2008 honorees included Republic Windows and Doors workers with the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers Local 1110 who led a six-day occupation at their factory. Republic workers won a $1.75 million settlement in severance, vacation pay and health benefits from their employer who closed the factory with three days notice.

A group from Lake County, Indiana with the Service Employee International Union Local 73 was also honored for their commitment and dedication throughout the Obama campaign making the difference and turning that state blue.

The Chicago Youth Voter Collective was honored for their outstanding work in mobilizing over a thousand youth and students during the 2008 election year.

Also honored were Bruce Embrey, Sheena Patton and Tara Brownlee for their grass roots leadership helping to mobilize delegations of election volunteer doorknockers and phone bankers both in Chicago and Indiana.

The event featured live music, delicious Greek food as well as a silent auction. The Illinois Bureau of the PWW is proud to announce that they reached their fund drive goal and actually went over the top. The bureau asks that all PWW supporters spread our good word and help recruit new subscribers. See you next year.

"Milk" still gives us hope

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 07:42:00 +0000

Movie Review

“Milk”

Directed by Gus Van Sant

2008 U.S., R, 128 min.

The fight for justice, the fight for equality, and the passion to stand up for hope and change were themes racing through my head after seeing “Milk,” directed by Gus Van Sant. “Milk” is by far one of the best films in 2008, inspired by superb acting, superior directing and non-stop dramatic excellence that chronicles the political life of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official. The film documents an important piece of American history, the rise of the gay liberation movement in San Francisco in the 1970s, which continues to have a profound impact in national politics.

In the film Sean Penn plays Milk, a pioneering gay community activist who was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Penn’s performance is pure genius and his wonderful craft brings heart and humanity to the life of Milk who is remembered as a hero in the gay community.

“My name is Harvey Milk, and I want to recruit you.” These were the first words often said by Milk speaking to gay and straight audiences both in the film and in real life.

After serving office for one year Milk along with then-Mayor George Moscone were gunned down in City Hall by their troubled colleague, former Supervisor Dan White, who is played brilliantly by actor Josh Brolin.

The film begins in the early 1970’s where Milk worked as a closeted-gay businessman in New York. He finds love and moves to San Francisco’s Castro district where he and his partner Scott Smith (James Franco) open a camera shop.

Milk becomes a natural leader in the growing gay community and begins to organize gay activists and supporters against anti-gay prejudices practiced by some of the local businesses. Milk soon is dubbed the “Mayor of Castro Steet.” At one point Milk teams up with the Teamsters union and together the union and the gay community successfully boycott Coors beer.

Later Milk decides to run for office and after two unsuccessful tries he finally wins. His determination and drive, not to mention the ups and downs of running a political campaign were beautifully captured in the film.

Back then there were no national gay rights’ organizations and many psychiatrists labeled homosexuality a mental illness. At the time California State Sen. John Briggs pushed for a law, known as Proposition 6, that would have fired all gay public school teachers and their supporters. The California anti-gay referendum was part of a national crusade to repeal local anti-discrimination laws. Singer and Florida orange juice promoter Anita Bryant became the figure head of the anti-gay crusade. Expertly woven into the fabric of the film is the political context of the period with the rise of the religious right and its use of gay-bashing as part of its rise to power in this country. And like many historical films, its message is as much about today as it is about the late 1970s.

Milk always knew his activism would make him a target. Foretelling his fate he prepared a tape-recorded will and testament in the case of his premature death.

“If there should be an assassination, I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out…” said Milk.

“If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door. I ask for the movement to continue. Because it’s not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power… it’s about the ‘us’s’ out there. Not only gays, but the blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us’s. Without hope, the us’s give up. You gotta give’em hope… You gotta give’em hope.”

Go see this movie, it’s inspiring and you won’t regret it.

plozano @pww.org

Michigan notebook: Autoworkers rally for jobs; Calls for justice for child care workers

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 04:46:00 +0000

WARREN, Mich. — Inside the City Hall atrium in this working class suburb of Detroit, 250 autoworkers rallied Jan. 13 to save their jobs. Billed as “Stand Up for American Products and American Workers,” the rally was called by Warren Mayor Jim Fouts at the behest of several autoworkers. Speakers included Ford worker Brian Pennebecke, UAW Local 1248 President Harvey Hawkins, whose local represents several thousand Chrysler workers at the Warren Stamping plant, several General Motors workers and autoworker Tammy Jones, who was recently transferred to a local Chrysler plant after her Huntsville, Ala., plant was closed.

Jones spoke about Alabama’s GOP Sen. Richard Shelby, who led the fight in the Senate to deny the domestic auto industry a bridge loan unless it weakened the union with more takeaways.

“ We know Senator Shelby,” Jones said. “When he was running, he ran as a Democrat and asked for support from the UAW and the Steelworkers, and then he got in office and switched to be a Republican and now he wants to destroy our union.”

Many of the speakers mentioned that the foreign “transplant” companies like Toyota have national health care in their home countries, which gives them an economic advantage. Speakers noted that President Obama has taken a pro-union position. Others called for renegotiating NAFTA and buying union-made American cars to save jobs.

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DETROIT — Interfaith Worker Justice of Metropolitan Detroit held a rally for justice for home child care workers here, Jan. 16 at Madonna Catholic Church.

There are 40,000 home child care workers in Michigan, organized by the UAW and AFSCME. The rally called on the state government to raise the hourly wage from the present $1.93 per hour.

Denise Willingham, an eight-year child care provider and a bargaining team member with Child Care Providers Together Michigan, noted that out of this abysmal wage, the child care providers have to provide food for the children they care for.

Rabbi Ernst Conrad of Temple Kol Ami, who fled Nazi Germany in 1938, estimated how much food could be provided for the children and decent wages and health care for the providers with just one day’s spending on the war in Iraq.

Pastor John Pitts Jr. from Temple of Praise International Church in Taylor, who is president of the Interfaith Worker Justice chapter, spoke of the need for unity of all faiths with the labor movement to work together for justice for the child care workers and all workers.

IWJ is a network of people of faith that calls upon religious values to educate, organize and mobilize the religious community in the U.S. on issues and campaigns that will improve wages, benefits and conditions for workers and give voice to workers, especially workers in low-wage jobs.

Taino Re-Elected Chair of UN NGO Decade Committee

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 04:37:00 +0000

Taino community activist Roberto Borrero was re-elected Chairperson of the NGO Committee on the United Nations International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples this past December. The Committee is a Special Committee of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organization in consultative status with the United Nations (CONGO).

The NGO Committee on the United Nations International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples is currently comprised of 25 non-governmental and community-based organizations. A part of the Committee's mission is to support the UN General Assembly Resolution, A/RES/59/174, calling for the establishment of a Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People and promote the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Committee also assists, wherever possible, in the education of the international community about the concerns and issues facing Indigenous Peoples.

The Committee was formed in 1991 as the NGO Committee on the United Nations International Year of the World's Indigenous People in support of UN General Assembly Resolution 45/164 proclaiming the year 1993 as the International Year for the World's Indigenous People. The Committee operated as such until 31 December 1993, when it became the NGO Committee on the United Nations International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, in accordance with the adoption of GA Resolution 48/163 of 21 December 1993, proclaiming the International Decade.

Borrero, who represents the United Confederation of Taino People and the Wittenberg Center for Alternative Resources, has actively participated within the Committee since its establishment.

OPINION: What happened to me on the way to the inauguration

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:58:00 +0000

When walking down 34th street to pick up train tickets to the Washington Inauguration on Monday, MLK Day, I heard someone shout out the N word. Looking up it turned out to be a white person yelling it at another white person. Really! Enraged, bitter, full of hate, the man spit the word out in the course of several other obscenities. Initially I thought I heard him wrong, but then, he said it again! “That’s a first,” I muttered resisting the urge to scream out F-you in response while still within shouting distance. “No, not today” I appealed to my better angel, but then immediately felt ashamed at not saying anything.

“What’s gotten into you?’ I argued with myself going below ground into the lobby adjacent to the Amtrak ticketing section. But then, stepping off the elevator, I heard the word again said jokingly by two young people at first glance of indeterminate race working behind a donut counter. They could have been Asian, Arab, Latino, perhaps even African American, definitely people of color, but of a hue difficult to easily or quickly place in this increasingly multi-cultural morass called New York.

This time, though there was no surprise: one of the unfortunate by-products of hip hop culture (which ironically played an enormously understated role in getting Barack Obama elected president) is the easy and frequent use of the N word in urban street discourse.

I just couldn’t get away from it - and this on the day celebrating Martin Luther King’s life and legacy.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Not long after Election Day, a group of young thugs from Bensonhurst, enraged by Obama’s victory, went out with baseball bats searching for easy victims. In fact, after the November success, hate crimes were up, as were gun sales despite the economic hardship spreading across the land. Victory at times can be more dangerous than defeat, proving vigilance is neglected at everyone’s peril.

I was surprised therefore to read Monday morning of a King celebration in San Francisco where a pastor suspended the traditional King march in favor of an in-door program, emphasizing the celebratory quality of the moment, claiming now is not the time to protest.

“Was that appropriate?” I wondered with mixed feelings, knowing full well that The Dream while drawing closer remains far in the distance for most. On the one hand, appropriateness of time and place is an issue. Part of me understood the minister’s bent of mind and the desire to give pause and praise the moment. Surely, the millions who assembled on the Washington Mall on Tuesday came not in protest but in jubilee celebration of what for most was a Juneteenth moment, a joyful collective shout of huge accomplishment and Yes We Can, a positive affirmation of love for everything that is great and wonderful in America.

But as if I needed a reminder, here as I was on my way to celebrate was an epithet of genocide, torture and hate tossed now with brine (at a white person no less), and then a moment later, easily and with a laugh on a sacred day of reverence and memory, on the eve of a history none of us ever dreamed.

Take a pause for the cause? Maybe. But the body that breeds hatred and despair seems never to rest and when set back can grow even more dangerous.

Yes a great and wide plateau has been reached, but the mountain still looms. Today we celebrate: tomorrow we march.

OPINION: Onward for a more responsible U.S.

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:39:00 +0000

The world can breathe a little easier now that the new president of this country, my country, urges our people to take responsibility for this new age with grave challenges – to meet the challenges of climate change, unbridled militarism, economic and social and political disruption and inequalities globally. Past policies have been insane, threatening life as we know it on this planet.

I was struck by his call for us to choose our better history -- such insight, poetry. But we can do so only by being aware of the bad parts of our history. I understand it is his job to uphold the Constitution of this country and that this was the focus of the Inauguration. We need to remember that our Constitution is both revolutionary and an extension of common law, common law that has been developed worldwide and on this continent for tens of thousands of years, too much of which our 'founding fathers' ignored, or rejected unjustly.

Our Declaration of Independence speaks of the people's need, responsibility and right to change our government when it is wrong. We have freedom of speech and assembly. So part of our responsibility is to raise criticisms as we see them. Constructive, from the better part of our history and conscious of the bad.

The 'West' was settled before people packed up and came across oceans. Some people walked here long ago and continue walking, later some rode burros, horses -- who are the 'we' who settled here, laid the foundations of humanizing this hemisphere, who had the misfortune to be discovered as 'heathens.' They were soon seen as obstacles to development, adversaries, terrorists or weaklings in need of our protection for whom we had a noblesse oblige, a sacred responsibility to take care of their business. It was called leadership too, responsibility, Manifest Destiny, Monroe Doctrine.

Perhaps from this perspective we might gain some insights about our predicament in our economy 'depending' on fossil fuels: that it is in our interest to seek mutual interest with those peoples whose lands contain such resources and work to not be adversaries or even competitors.

I believe the responsibility Obama speaks of and is open to includes seriously looking at this perspective and that, yes, may all America and all the earth be blessed, not just our United States.

Comics at the movies Which Spirit is it?

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:17:00 +0000

Dear Older Brother

Sometimes, one has to turn to older siblings to try to understand things that would otherwise keep us dazed and dumbfounded. Fortunately, I have you.

Last weekend, my movie buddy and I went to see the new film “The Spirit.” There were a lot of things that I lack the background to understand.

When we were children, we used to read, from time to time, a comic book called “The Spirit.” I believe it was sometimes linked together with Plasticman.

The Spirit was a former policeman. He kept a secret headquarters in a cemetery. The reason he had to wear a mask and keep his real identity secret was that everybody thought he was dead. He wasn’t dead, but wanted to help fight crime as The Spirit.

He wasn’t a super hero. In fact, he was a little bit of a nerd. he always wore a black “Lone Ranger style” mask, blue suit, blue hat, red tie, and high-top tennis shoes. Commissioner Dolan, who wanted The Spirit’s help but usually criticized him all the way through the story, was a really funny-looking guy. I have always thought that Will Eisner, the real-life cartoonist who created The Spirit, probably looked like Commissioner Dolan. He had wispy white hair, with more of it growing out of his ears than off the top of his head. Both Dolan and The Spirit were extremely awkward, and were usually drawn as if they were reeling off balance. They solved crimes and escaped serious harm by luck and accident. That’s the way I remember it.

Interestingly, in the 1940s and while the Super Race was dominating Europe, The Spirit was Jewish!

In the movie, though, The Spirit is a super hero muscle man. He has the same black mask, but his suit and hat are also black, not the friendly blue from the comics. He actually was dead, brought back to life by a super-criminal as an experiment. He recovers from shootings and stabbings, as does the criminal, because they were both dosed with the same secret formula. In the movie, The Spirit is a tough, gritty guy. Women can’t resist him, and his libido overfloweth. That probably bothered me more than anything, because no self-respecting children would want to read a comic about a man who gets distracted by girls.

I think The Spirit in the comic book was not really dead, but Will Eisner is, so there’s nobody to ask but my older bud.

So, is the movie Spirit the same one as the comic Spirit? I don’t think so. I think they just stole the name.

— love, Jim

Spidey and Obama team up in Washington

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:11:00 +0000

When I was a kid I used to love it when my mom would drive me to the comic book store where I would rack up on my favorite super-heroes. Reading comic books at a young age eventually nurtured my love for reading as a young adult. Occasionally I still collect comics and Spider-Man by far has always been my favorite. Spidey and others helped me as a child escape into a fascinating and imaginative world where the good guys always saved the day.

That’s why I was delighted to hear that the amazing web-slinger was teaming up with the next U.S. president Barack Obama in a special Inauguration edition #583, released Jan. 14, called “Spidey Meets the President.” The six-page story was written by Zeb Wells and illustrated by Todd Nauck and Frank D’Armata.

When Obama was a child he too read comics and has previously stated that Spider-Man was one of his favorites. Cool, huh?

Last year Obama told Entertainment Weekly, “I was always into the Spider-Man/Batman model.” Obama added, “The guys who have too many powers—like Superman—that always made me think they weren’t really earning their superhero status. It’s a little too easy. Whereas Spider-Man and Batman, they have some inner turmoil. They get knocked around a little bit.”

Marvel Comic’s Editor in Chief Joe Quesada finds it fitting to honor the next president with the Spidey-Obama special edition.

“When we heard that President-elect Obama is a collector of Spider-Man comics, we knew that these two historic figures had to meet,” said Quesada in a press release. “Historic moments such as this one can be reflected in our comic books because the Marvel Universe is set in the real world,” added Quesada. “A Spider-Man fan moving into the Oval Office is an event that must be commemorated.”

So this is how it all goes down in the comic world. The story takes place in Washington D.C. on Inauguration Day where the villainous Chameleon, one of Spidey’s oldest foes who can change identities, attempts to sabotage the swearing in ceremony of Obama who is set to become the 44th U.S. president both in the comic world and in real life.

During the scheme Peter Parker, Spider-Man’s alter-ego, who is at the celebration taking pictures, notices there are two Obamas and so he changes clothes and attempts to interrupt the Chameleon as Spider-Man. In the issue Spider-Man uses a basketball to determine who the real Obama is. In real life Obama is a big basketball fan and athlete.

At one point Obama tells the Secret Service to “get the wall-crawler out of here.” But then comes to his senses and invites Spider-Man back to do what he does best.

Spider-Man acts quickly responding, “Ya hear that, Chameleon? The president-elect here just appointed me Secretary of ‘Shuttin’ You Up!’”

Anyway, I thought this was so cool and I know Obama is going to need all the help he can get in the next period. It’s nice to know Obama can count on the support of Spider-Man, even if it’s just in the comic world.

Since everyone is getting into the Obama-marketing act, why not comic books. So if you’re a fan of Spidey and/or Obama, don’t miss out on this collectors’ copy. I like to think Obama and I have more in common than being in Chicago. We’re both comic book geeks.

Web you later.

plozano@pww.org