Elections in Colombia
In an election where only 45 percent of the electorate went to the polls, the right-wing candidate, Alvaro Uribe, was elected president of Colombia on May 26. Uribe, a dissident from the Liberal Party, is opposed to the peace negotiations between the government and the leftist guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC) and the smaller National Liberation Army (ELN). He campaigned on a promise to end the political violence by increasing military actions against the FARC and the ELN.
Greek CP leader subpoenaed
The Central Committeee of the Communist Party of Greece, in an allusion to the events preceding the fascist takeover of Greece in the 1960s, yesterday called a subpoena served on a Central Committee member and former parliament deputy by the Attika police “new state terrorism” and has placed responsibility on the government’s minister of public order appointed by the ruling socialist party.
Remembering June 5, 1967
TEL AVIV – June 5 is the 35th anniversary of the day Israel’s “Defense” Army crossed the 1949 armistice lines, recognized by the world as Israel’s borders, to invade Egypt and Syria, the Jordanian-occupied Palestinian West Bank including the Arab part of Jerusalem, and the Egyptian-held Palestinian Gaza Strip. Israel thus opened what was later called the “Six Day War” – which has already lasted over 12,500 days. The Israeli government’s drive to conquer all of Palestine from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean coast, while cleansing it as much as possible of the indigenous Palestinian Arab people, still undermines any hope for true and lasting peace.
Commentary: Invest in our children
The single most important factor in determining the future of this nation is our children. If we fail to invest in today’s young people, we can be sure that tomorrow’s adults will not live up to their fullest potential.
Port police attack workers
PIRAEUS, Greece – Striking sailors and other port workers at the Greek port of Piraeus were viciously attacked by hundreds of Special Port Corps police and Navy Special Forces “frogmen” May 29, in an action reminiscent of the assault on longshore workers in Charleston, S.C., over two years ago.
International notes
Palestinians protest forced isolation of West Bank communities/China comments on NATO-Russia Council/Argentina: Protests vs. gov’t handling of crisis/Protests set for South Korean unionists/Metalworkers vow to continue strike/Long-term dangers from India-Pakistan war
Who pays the costs of empire
New military spending is coming so fast, and in so many forms, it is difficult to know the total cost. The administration is officially proposing an increase of $46 billion, bringing the total to $437 billion – but we can assume that this is a minimum figure. The U.S. is now spending almost as much on arms as the rest of the world combined!
Whats behind Justice Dept. lawsuits in Fla.?
A year and a half after the “battle of Florida” ended with the installation of George W. Bush in the White House, the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) is charging that “voter irregularities” marred the 2000 election in at least three Florida counties.
Execution of juvenile offender draws criticism
The May 28 Texas execution of Napolean Beazley drew sharp criticism from many human rights groups. Beazley, an African American man, was 17 when he shot and killed John Luttig, a wealthy white businessman whose son is a federal judge. Texas is one of seven states that has carried out an execution of a juvenile offender.
1,000 protest health insurance privatization
LANSING, Mich. – Nearly 1,000 union retirees and seniors gathered here May 28 to protest a scheme to privatize Blue Cross/Blue Shield (BCBS). Republican state legislators and lame duck Republican governor John Engler are pushing for privatization of the insurance company.
