North Carolina pork packers undeterred
On the same day that hundreds of Smithfield workers in the company’s Tar Heel, N.C., plant boldly wore union T-shirts to work in a show of solidarity, 75 community supporters turned out in support at a supermarket in nearby Fayetteville, July 21.
Calif. agency probes insecticides
SACRAMENTO (AP) — California’s pesticide agency is conducting a review of popular insecticides because many are ending up in urban streams and killing tiny aquatic creatures. The review could lead to restrictions and even bans on many products used on lawns and gardens.
FBI mosque raid sparks united outcry
PITTSBURGH — As the mostly African American and Latino congregation was preparing for weekly Friday prayers at Light of the Age mosque here on June 30, a dozen FBI agents raided the building and lined up worshippers outside at gunpoint.
Guantanamo disgrace
“No question,” President Bush said June 14, “Guantanamo sends, you know, a signal to some of our friends — provides an excuse, for example, to say, ‘The United States is not upholding the values that they’re trying to encourage other countries to adhere to.’” No kidding.
Cuba, Venezuela bring medical care to Bolivia
In early February, a week after Evo Morales was sworn in as Bolivia’s president, Cuban doctors arrived in the country to care for survivors of devastating floods. Seven hundred Cuban medical professionals are still there. They’ve cared for 500,000 Bolivians and set up 20 fully equipped hospitals. They work in 180 municipalities and nine provinces.
Pro-labor candidate to oppose Schwarzenegger
Labor and progressive forces scored significant victories and mounted important challenges in California’s June 6 primary election.
EDITORIAL: Memorial Day
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, was proclaimed in 1868 by Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Civil War veterans. Logan designated the day “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country.”
EDITORIAL: A special May Day in Bolivia
Bolivia’s working people had a special reason to celebrate International Workers Day this year, as their new government, headed by President Evo Morales, chose May Day to announce nationalization of the country’s hydrocarbons resources.
Wal-Mart blocks port security
A lobby group dominated by Wal-Mart has successfully blocked efforts in recent years to increase security measures in U.S. ports wherever those measures might cut into the company’s profits, a report delivered to members of Congress by the AFL-CIO April 5 stated.
Burst Alaskan pipeline damages tundra
A leak in an Alaskan pipeline operated by BP (British Petroleum) has resulted in one of the worst oil spills to afflict the region since the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989. News reports say more than 260,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into a remote area of tundra that is home to a variety of Alaskan wildlife.
