Cuba in the news
Dissidents assemble in Havana, no restrictions imposed; Hemingway enthusiasts gather in Havana; Cuban Americans’ right to visit Cuba is on the Congressional docket.; End of an era? Cuba reduces dependence on foreign entrepreneurs; Cuba holds international conference on anti-terrorism; Caribbean-wide disaster preparedness
Exposing the machinery of death
With expectations rising that Chief Justice William Rehnquist will retire at the end of the current Supreme Court term in June, blocking an extremist Bush nominee is an epic battle facing the American people. One of the worst legacies of the Rehnquist court is the elimination of legal protections allowing the death penalty to operate unhindered. Rehnquist is famous for having said, “It’s too bad that drawing and quartering has been abolished.”
Mobilizing to fix the media
Last month, the media activist group FreePress held the second National Conference for Media Reform in St. Louis, Mo. I was fortunate enough to attend along with over 2,000 other media activists from across the country. The sheer number of attendees was inspiring. It feels good to know that so many other people feel that corporately owned media is doing the public a great disservice.
Reflections on the debate in labor
My Mac is about the size of a soapbox so I thought I would use it as such today (May 29). I just took a look at the home pages for the AFL-CIO and then the four big unions challenging its leadership.
Totalitarianism: the big lie
A recent New York Times article by Roger Cohen echoed 1950. Titled “1945’s Legacy: A Terror Defeated, Another Arrives,” the article asserted that communism and fascism were both “totalitarian” monsters and suggested that communism may have even been the greater evil, and that many in the “West” still have illusions about communism. Cohen was recycling redbaiting homilies to provide fanfare for Bush’s recent speeches abroad. His assertions are not only false but also a justification for imperialist aggression.
Socialism, women and girls
Socialism USA will open up many opportunities for women that currently are not available to all.
Editorial: Class matters in America
In his speech to the Take Back America conference in Washington, June 3, Bill Moyers described a November 2003 episode of his PBS show, “Now, With Bill Moyers.” He said he interviewed working people who spoke of their yearning for livable wage jobs and national health care — dreams deferred as the nation’s wealth streams instead into corporate bank accounts. Watching the show was Kenneth Tomlinson, president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and a close ally of George W. Bush.
Editorial: Restoring real safety and security
Let’s see if we have this straight. Let’s give unlimited powers of spying, harassment and imprisonment, targeting U.S. residents and citizens of other countries, to U.S. agencies which have committed documented acts of torture, jailed thousands for years without so much as an indictment, and compiled files on millions of Americans.
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists: Building labor-community unity for progress
The People’s Weekly World interviewed William (Bill) Lucy, president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, at its 34th annual convention in Phoenix, May 29. Martin Frazier, contributing editor, conducted the interview.
Conference asks: Is Wal-Mart good for America?
LOS ANGELES — The UCLA Labor Center here held a special conference on Wal-Mart, June 4. It was educational. It was emotional. And it was packed. Conference participants asked simply, “Is Wal-Mart Good For America?”
