One of the great unexamined questions of our times is why there is so much suffering, despair, misery and rage in the midst of unimaginable wealth. Naturally, pundits and politicians wish to avoid this question because an open public discussion of the widening wealth gap can impart critical insights into the nature and logic of the capitalist system they’ve worked so hard to … [Read more...] about A Runaway Inequality Problem
We Are All Jakarta
A review by David Swanson Vincent Bevins. The Jakarta Method: Washington’s Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World. Public Affairs (May 19, 2020), Hardcover, $28 (320p) ISBN: 978-1541742406 The war on Vietnam plays an infinitely larger role in history in the common understanding of a typical U.S. citizen than does what the U.S. government … [Read more...] about We Are All Jakarta
They Helped Destroy Mussolini!
by Anne Colamosca In 2020 the rising angst against a resurgent fascism took on an urgency not seen for a century. In the U.S., Brazil, Hungary, India and Italy, fascism was appearing in various forms, all of them profoundly worrying. And in some of these countries, a familiar angry cry went up: “Antifa!” One hundred years earlier — where fascism first appeared, that same … [Read more...] about They Helped Destroy Mussolini!
May Day History: The Haymarket Riot
by Lenny Flank In the early United States, labor unions were outlawed—they were considered to be illegal conspiracies in restraint of “free trade.” That changed in 1842, when, in the Hunt case, the courts ruled that collective bargaining was legal and that workers could form unions and associations. At first, labor unions were small, weak, and rarely extended beyond the … [Read more...] about May Day History: The Haymarket Riot
Is The New York Times Trying to Foster Working Class Consciousness?
by Gary Olson There is only one thing the ruling circles have always wanted — and that’s everything.— Michael Parenti A recent lead editorial in The New York Times reads “Another Way the 2020s Might Be Like the 1930s.” Written by Jamelle Bouie, an African-American millennial (age 33) on the paper’s editorial staff, the piece contains the following opening and closing … [Read more...] about Is The New York Times Trying to Foster Working Class Consciousness?
Introduction to The Manifesto & a reprint of abridged version of Das Capital
by BoB WeicK In a café in Paris in 1844 two young, brilliant revolutionary thinkers met, spent ten days in spirited wine-soaked debate and formed a lifelong bond. A friendship that would last 40 years. Their body of brilliant economic and philosophical writings would inspire revolutions, shake the foundations of political economy, and thereby change the course of … [Read more...] about Introduction to The Manifesto & a reprint of abridged version of Das Capital
Letter from Rose, niece of a local resident living in Portland, Oregon
Feeling pretty mentally fried at the moment – so forgive me if this is not super concise or coherent – but I wanted to share some general musings on what is currently happening in Portland. I’ve been a little hesitant to post firsthand accounts in the past months because protesters are being targeted by surveillance, and because I remain unsure whether centering my own … [Read more...] about Letter from Rose, niece of a local resident living in Portland, Oregon
Transnational Feminist Activism in Latin America and Beyond
by Rachel O’Donnell Transnational feminist movements have made a profound contribution to a realization of global feminist politics and international development more generally. Since these movements are not often recognized or covered in mainstream media, it can be difficult to gather a complete understanding of the ways in which gender equality is gaining ground globally, … [Read more...] about Transnational Feminist Activism in Latin America and Beyond
A poem by Raymond Nat Turner
Shooting and looting started: 400 years ago Shooting, looting, scalping, lynching, Raping, torturing their way across the continent — 400 years ago — Colonial settler thugs launched this endless crimson tide rolling down on Today... Colonial settler thugs launched this endless crimson tide leaving in- visible yellow crimescene tape crisscrossing Tallahassee to … [Read more...] about A poem by Raymond Nat Turner
How Che Guevara Taught Cuba to Confront COVID-19
by Don Fitz Beginning in December 1951, Ernesto “Che” Guevara took a nine-month break from medical school to travel by motorcycle through Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela. One of his goals was gaining practical experience with leprosy. On the night of his twenty-fourth birthday, Che was at La Colonia de San Pablo in Peru swimming across the river to join the … [Read more...] about How Che Guevara Taught Cuba to Confront COVID-19