Elections 2020: Who Will Decide Our Future?
Many people are looking at the primary election on March 3, Super Tuesday, as a way to change the situation in this country. They want to get rid of Trump – given who he is, what he has done, and …
Articles
Canadians Show us our Collective Power!
Massive protests by indigenous Canadians and their allies have shut down many of the main railway lines across Canada – in solidarity with the resistance of the Wet’suwet’en Nation to an oil pipeline being built on their traditional land. The …
The Latest in the Harvey Weinstein Case
Jury negotiations began for Harvey Weinstein’s multiple allegations of rape on Tuesday, February 18th. Though more than ninety women have come forward claiming they were sexually harassed or assaulted by the movie mogul, only two cases have been brought before …
Housing is a Human Right!
Five Oakland women took over a vacant house in November so they and their children could sleep with a roof over their heads. The owner of the house, a southern Californian company named Wedgewood, invests in housing in 18 states. …
New NAFTA is a Climate Disaster: Why does Warren Vote Yes?
Elizabeth Warren’s campaign messaging proclaims that she will take climate change seriously. Her campaign website decries, “… right now, Washington refuses to lift a finger without permission from the fossil fuel industry. That’s dangerous and it’s wrong. We need a …
Super Bowl: Bringing People Together
A feeling of excitement was in the air for some of us in the Bay Area as the 49ers tried to win their sixth Super Bowl titles against the Chiefs, and their first since 1995. While the 49ers played well for …
Australia in Flames
The fires raging in Australia since December are the most recent face of the climate crisis. Still burning today, at least 30 people have been killed, thousands have fled their homes, and the air has filled with dark, choking smoke. …
MLK Day: The Struggle Continues
On January 20 working people around the country will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The holiday remains a symbol for one of the most profound struggles in the history of the U.S. – the struggle of the Black …
No to US War on Iran!
The U.S. drone strike on January 3 that assassinated Iran’s top military general, Qassim Suleimani, along with five other commanders of the Iran-backed militias in Iraq, has led us to the brink of war. Iran launched a careful response – …
France: All Together, Against Macron and his World, Against the Power of the Rich
Translated by Speak Out Now: www.speakoutsocialists.org Translated from Convergences Révolutionnaires – Special Issue; December 2019; www.convergencesrevolutionnaires.org At the Élysée and Matignon palaces, the officials residences of the government officials, December 7-8 was “hot”: Édouard Philippe summoned his main executives in …
All together: General strike shuts down France
On Thursday, December 5, hundreds of thousands of workers in France went on strike against the proposal of French president Emmanuel Macron to raise the age of retirement and carry out cuts to workers’ pensions. Strikers included workers in the …
The World in Upheaval!
Workers, students and other exploited and oppressed people are fighting back against those who rule them all over the world. People have taken over the streets, gone on strike, or done whatever it takes to say “NO!” to their victimization …
DACA: The Supreme Court Will Not Decide Our Fate!
The Supreme Court began hearing arguments to determine whether the Trump administration can end the program known as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which provides protection from deportation for about 700,000 people, often called Dreamers. The Trump administration tried …
Iraq: Protests Erupt, Government Scrambles
The population of Iraq flooded into the streets of Baghdad this October, calling for a better life; the life that was promised to them when the US invaded Iraq in 2003. This invasion was supposed to replace a dictatorship with …
California Fires: Profiting from Destruction
Last week, California was on fire. Again! Of the state’s 58 counties, 43 were under a “Red Flag” warning, which means a severe danger of wildfires. At one point 12 separate wildfires were raging across the state, which have burned …
Who are the Kurds? Why is Turkey Trying to Kill Them?
Following Trump’s order for the U.S. military to withdraw from Kurdish territory, attention has been focused on the Kurds in Northern Syria. To understand what’s at stake, and what’s behind Turkey’s attacks, it’s important to understand the history of the …
US Government Decides More Will Go Hungry
The government has cut $4 billion from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as subsidized school lunch programs for 2020. Imagine living off of $25,750 for a family of four (maybe you don’t have to imagine)! This is …
Revolt from Below: From Chile to Lebanon
Sometimes people take matters into their own hands and make history. When they do, anything is possible. In the last weeks, revolts have erupted across the globe, with some of the biggest protests ongoing in Lebanon and Chile. The divisions …
The Greatest Purveyor of Violence in the World
As Dr. King said, the US is “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world”. Today the US government maintains nearly 800 military bases in more than 70 countries. If we include troops stationed at embassies and black sites around …
PG&E: Our Lives vs. Their Profits
Over two million people in Central and Northern California recently had their power abruptly shut off by the utility company Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). Most residents had less than 48 hours notice that their power would be shut off …
Stop the Murderous Assault on the Kurdish People!
After a phone call with Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President Trump ordered U.S. troops stationed in Northern Syria to withdraw. This small detachment of U.S. troops had been collaborating with and provided some cover for the Syrian Democratic Forces …
PG&E: Capitalism’s Revenge on the Customer
PG&E itself sure doesn’t trust the infrastructure it’s in charge of maintaining. It’s not surprising that they tell us we can expect more of these massive power outages in the future. This is capitalism’s revenge on the customer: PG&E gets …
A Blow to the NCAA Profit Margin
The NCAA is an intercollegiate association that regulates and organizes all college sports and enjoys non-profit status by awarding scholarships to student athletes. For as long as it’s existed, the NCAA has prohibited these athletes for being compensated for their …
Impeach The Whole System!
The media is full of talk about impeaching President Trump. Why? Trump held up promised military aid to Ukraine. Then, in a recorded phone conversation, he asked the Ukrainian president for a “favor” – to investigate and give him damaging …
1949: When China Shook the World
“China has stood up!” Those were the words of Mao Tse-Tung, leader of one of the greatest popular revolutions in history – the Chinese Revolution of 1949. October 1st marks the 70th anniversary of the revolution when China fought against …
Environment on the Brink
In June thousands of mussels literally cooked in their shells along Bodega Bay, just north of San Francisco. Climate catastrophe is not about some far away future. The past five years have been the world’s hottest ever recorded. This past …
Everything to Lose – A World to Win
On September 20 an estimated four to five million people in 185 countries, mostly young people, took the streets in protest against fossil fuels, pipelines, and the banks and politicians that fund them. Parts of the world are on fire …
The U.S. Border Crisis: A Crisis of the Capitalist System
download .pdf The capitalist system has created an international crisis of displaced people due to a convergence of factors. The global economic crisis is now coupled with accelerating ecological disasters and intensified military conflicts. In 2018 there were an estimated …
American Factory: An insight into industrial America
The new documentary on Netflix called American Factory gives a vivid picture of a story that we’re all familiar with. The auto-factory that was the economic lifeblood for Dayton, Ohio closes after the 2008 crash. This displaces about 10,000 workers …
Hong Kong: A People’s Storm Over Asia
Since March, Hong Kong has been rocked by mass demonstrations. The protesters opposed a bill that would allow people in Hong Kong to be sent to mainland China for trial. Hong Kongers feared that the Chinese government would use the …
Labor Day 2019 – We Have Something to Celebrate!
What is Labor Day? It’s an official U.S. holiday that supposedly celebrates working people. Politicians and union officials make speeches praising hard work. Some workers may get the day as a paid holiday, but many workers don’t, with businesses open …
The Only Minority We Should Oppose is the 1%
Trump’s anti-immigrant and racist rants have been the centerpiece of his campaign rallies, tweets and press conferences. He portrays immigrants from Mexico and countries to the south as rapists, criminals and gang members. He says these immigrants are an invasion, …
Nuclear War – A Threat to Our Existence
More and more people are concerned about the possible end of the world as we know it, posed by climate change. But humanity also continues to face a long-standing threat – that of nuclear war. August 6 marks the 74th …
Puerto Rico – The Power is in the Streets!
In the past two weeks the people of Puerto Rico have stood together against the corrupt government that has dominated their lives. In an island of 3.2 million people, 500,000 took to the streets. Workers waged a general strike shutting …
Stop the Abuse! Close the Camps!
Imagine your three-year old child being ripped from your arms and caged in a prison with other terrified children. Your kidnapped child is then sent to live with a family of total strangers for several months, or even years. They …
Fight Back Against Attacks on Women’s Rights!
Women’s rights are under attack! When Trump ran for president, he promised anti-abortion activists that he would work to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized a woman’s right to have an abortion. In the first few months …
Trump and Iran – Recklessly Threatening a Bloody War
Last week, tensions escalated between the U.S. and the Iranian governments, with President Trump claiming that he had been just ten minutes away from ordering a strike on Iran. The Iranian government responded by saying it would retaliate with force …
Pride! Recapture the Spirit of Stonewall!
June is Pride month, we see rainbow displays in store windows and pride flags hanging from buildings and cars. The Pride Parade at the end of June transforms San Francisco into a colorful festival. Many who come to Pride don’t …
NBA Finals: More Than a Game
It’s the NBA finals. The Golden State Warriors are facing the Toronto Raptors, Canada’s only NBA basketball team, a team that has never made it this far. But if the Warriors win, it will be three championships in a row, …
The U.S Government – Bully of the World
In response to the supposed threat of Iran’s plans to attack U.S. forces or personnel, the U.S. military recently ordered non-emergency personnel out of Iraq and updated its military plans which now includes the possibility of sending 120,000 more troops …
We Should Work To Live, Not Live To Work
While the US economy has grown nearly 60% in the last few decades—bringing in record profits for corporations—workers’ wages have remained stagnant at best. Nationally, workers earn a median income of $44,500, not much more than what we made 40 …
May Day Is Still Our Holiday!
Workers around the world celebrate every May Day (May 1st) as International Workers Day, not just to honor working people, but to commemorate our struggles against capitalist exploitation. This workers’ holiday began in the United States in the 1880s during …
Failing Schools or a Failed System?
Almost everyone who is involved in education knows that it isn’t working the way it should be. School days can be spent racing from class to class with no time to think. Many just wait for the day to end. …
Faced With a Climate Catastrophe, What Will We Do?
April 22, Earth Day, is a day to celebrate the natural world for its wonder and beauty, and the life that it provides for all living species. The activists, who created Earth Day 49 years ago, knew that if we …
Tax Day – Who Works and Who Keeps the Money
April 15 is approaching and that means it is a dreadful time of year for most workers. For most of us filing a tax return is nothing but a headache, a time when we see how much money was taken …
Homelessness – Putting Profits Before People
Homelessness has become so common in the U.S. that many people see it as normal. An estimated 3.5 million people will be homeless at some point during this year, about 1.35 million of whom are children. A new study found …
The U.S. Government Won’t Grant a Green New Deal – Our New Deal Will be a New System
More than one million young people around the world recently took to the streets demanding an end to the massive disruption of the world’s climate. They know the forces of nature won’t wait for those in power to respond. Greta …
The Liberation of Women Will Mean the Liberation of Us All
In response to the ongoing attacks on women by Donald Trump and other men in power, the #Metoo movement organized ongoing protests against the harassment, discrimination and violence that women face in the U.S. But to get rid of this …
The Fight for Education in Oakland – A Beginning
On March 3, Oakland teachers ratified a contract with the Oakland School District. Their union leaders claimed that the contract was a victory for students and teachers, with significant gains in class size, teachers’ wages, school closures and staffing levels …
Oakland Teachers Strike to Defend Public Education
Oakland schools are under attack and teachers, students and parents are fighting back. The Oakland Unified School District claims that it doesn’t have enough money to provide even the most basic education for the young people of Oakland. Those who …