University of Michigan students walking out in protest of a visit by two Israeli soldiers.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Declassified documents expose U.S. planning for nuclear strikes against the DPRK
The following article was taken from Liberation News (PSLweb.org linked to on left).
An Oct. 9 Associated Press article on declassified documents demonstrates once again the militaristic and aggressive nature of the U.S. military and government towards the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Korean people.
An Oct. 9 Associated Press article on declassified documents demonstrates once again the militaristic and aggressive nature of the U.S. military and government towards the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Korean people.
Some of the previously secret documents were released by the CIA, others were obtained by the private National Security Archive research group under the Freedom of Information Act, and still others were found in the National Archives and provided to AP by intelligence historian Matthew Aid. On this 60th anniversary year of the U.S. war of aggression against the people of Korea, the documents expose that for over half a century the U.S. military has prepared plans to attack the DPRK with nuclear weapons. This exposure lends support to the right of the DPRK to develop a nuclear arsenal in response.
The preparations for nuclear war against the DPRK began not long after the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which signaled the end of World War II. The U.S. war against Korea began on June 25, 1950, and a ceasefire (armistice) was signed on July 27, 1953, though the war has never formally ended.
The documents reveal that the Pentagon made repeated contingency plans to drop massive quantities of nuclear bombs on North Korea as the war dragged on. Areas targeted included those bordering the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union, both of which supported North Korea in its war to liberate the Korean Peninsula from U.S. occupation in the south.
The occupation came about as a result of the military and political division of the Korean nation after the defeat of Japan at the end of World War II. The U.S. Air Force even carried out trial drops of dummy nuclear weapons on the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, during the war. The AP article adds that in the late 1960s, nuclear-armed U.S. warplanes stood by in South Korea on 15-minute alert to bomb the north. Recently, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates affirmed that "all options are on the table,” the U.S. code phrase for its “right” to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against an adversary.
Today, the U.S. government hypocritically slams North Korea’s nuclear weapons program as being “provocative.” Six-country talks held between 2003 and 2009, involving Japan, Russia, the United States, France, South Korea and the DPRK, focused on ending North Korea’s nuclear program. The talks failed due to the belligerent response of the U.N. Security Council and U.S. after the DPRK launched a satellite in 2009 that the imperialists claimed was a test of a nuclear missile. At the behest of the United States, the U.N. then imposed additional sanctions on North Korea.
Later that year, the DPRK detonated a nuclear device underground, adding to its military means of deterrence of imperialist aggression and drawing further condemnation from the U.S. government.
In light of the long campaign of aggression by U.S. imperialism, the DPRK has the right of self-defense. The right to develop and use nuclear weapons in this context is a right that must be defended by revolutionaries, especially as the recently released documents lets the world see once again that the U.S. is an imperialist aggressor with no respect for the rights of the oppressed.
Richmond Protest Against Police Brutality
Richmond, VA - Protesters took to the streets Friday night for the 15th annual National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality (and the criminalization of a generation). A small crowd of people met up on 11th and Main Street where they were quickly addressed by the organizer.
The protesters then marched into the streets of Shockoe Slip and right into the InLight Richmond festival (a light-inspired art exhibition that consumed a good portion of the Shockoe Slip area). The speaker again addressed the crowd and people on the street. He went over a list of instances where police killed or brutalized people and explained the purpose of the protest.
The Special Events unit of the Richmond Police were not very happy about this, but allowed the protest to continue without amplified sound. When the speaker finished, the protesters chanted the names of police murder victims. They also held banners saying "Tear down all jails," and "police murder everywhere." One protester had an anarchist black flag and another had a red communist flag.
Over the course of the protest, a few pro-fascist people made a big stink about having their event interrupted. One drunk, old woman, who had clearly slobbered all over herself, was upset because "children didn't need to see this." Clearly she is in favor of sheltering her kids from the realities of protests, politics, and bad cops. Then two scrawny, pencil-neck art nerds said if the police weren't present they'd run off the protesters. In reality, we all know these kids have never thrown a punch in their life, let alone have the ability to run somebody off. There were also people who seemed to understand the reasons behind the protest, and one policeman even seemed to agree with the protesters that police brutality should be stopped.
Click here to read the call to action of the protest organizer.
This article is an edited version of what appeared on The Richmond Spark.
The protesters then marched into the streets of Shockoe Slip and right into the InLight Richmond festival (a light-inspired art exhibition that consumed a good portion of the Shockoe Slip area). The speaker again addressed the crowd and people on the street. He went over a list of instances where police killed or brutalized people and explained the purpose of the protest.
The Special Events unit of the Richmond Police were not very happy about this, but allowed the protest to continue without amplified sound. When the speaker finished, the protesters chanted the names of police murder victims. They also held banners saying "Tear down all jails," and "police murder everywhere." One protester had an anarchist black flag and another had a red communist flag.
Over the course of the protest, a few pro-fascist people made a big stink about having their event interrupted. One drunk, old woman, who had clearly slobbered all over herself, was upset because "children didn't need to see this." Clearly she is in favor of sheltering her kids from the realities of protests, politics, and bad cops. Then two scrawny, pencil-neck art nerds said if the police weren't present they'd run off the protesters. In reality, we all know these kids have never thrown a punch in their life, let alone have the ability to run somebody off. There were also people who seemed to understand the reasons behind the protest, and one policeman even seemed to agree with the protesters that police brutality should be stopped.
Click here to read the call to action of the protest organizer.
This article is an edited version of what appeared on The Richmond Spark.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Labor Opposition to the FBI Raids and Grand Jury Grows
The following article was taken from Fight Back News (linked to on left).
Minneapolis, MN - A growing number of trade unions are taking a stand against the recent FBI raids and grand jury witch hunt against anti-war, international solidarity and labor activists. Ten of the 14 people subpoenaed are trade unionists who have been active members of AFSCME, SEIU, Teamsters, and Education MN. They’ve been on the front lines and picket lines supporting their sisters and brothers during strikes, contract campaigns and workplace struggles. They have been vocal supporters of workers’ rights around the globe and they’re now under attack for speaking out against U.S. foreign policy. But in the spirit of “an injury to one is an injury to all,” the labor movement is coming to their defense.
On Oct. 1, the convention of AFSCME Council 5, representing 46,000 public employees in Minnesota, unanimously passed a resolution objecting to the recent FBI raids in Minneapolis and Chicago. On Oct. 14, delegates to the Duluth Central Labor Body (DCLB) unanimously adopted a similar resolution and “resolved that the DCLB forward this resolution to Midwest-area labor councils and the AFL-CIO and urge these organizations to similarly condemn FBI and DOJ attempts to intimidate and disrupt grassroots social movements.” Likewise, the San Francisco Central Labor Council delegates meeting voted on Sept. 27 to denounce the raids and “participate in the ongoing movement to defend our civil rights and civil liberties from FBI infringement.”
Chicago Teamsters Local 705 passed a resolution on Oct. 17 condemning the raids and noted that among those subpoenaed were, “Teamster Brother Mick Kelly from Minneapolis, as well as our Brother Joe Iosbaker, Chief Steward of SEIU Local 73, who has walked our ambulatory picket lines for the ‘Pain Ice Strike’ at University of Illinois-Chicago.”
On Oct. 18, the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council unanimously passed a resolution brought forward by the San Jose, California Local 6157 of the American Federation of Teachers. The resolution says the raids “mark a new and dangerous chapter in the protracted assault on the First Amendment rights of every union fighter, international solidarity activist or anti-war campaigner, which began with 9/11 and the USA Patriot Act.”
Cherrene Horazuk, chief steward of AFSCME 3800, stated, “The labor movement has been on the frontlines of fighting for freedom of speech and freedom to assemble. Our sisters and brothers, including four members of AFSCME 3800, are under attack for speaking out against U.S. government policy abroad and we need to take a stand against these attacks. Our local is calling on all unions and labor activists to demand an end to this witch hunt.”
Minneapolis, MN - A growing number of trade unions are taking a stand against the recent FBI raids and grand jury witch hunt against anti-war, international solidarity and labor activists. Ten of the 14 people subpoenaed are trade unionists who have been active members of AFSCME, SEIU, Teamsters, and Education MN. They’ve been on the front lines and picket lines supporting their sisters and brothers during strikes, contract campaigns and workplace struggles. They have been vocal supporters of workers’ rights around the globe and they’re now under attack for speaking out against U.S. foreign policy. But in the spirit of “an injury to one is an injury to all,” the labor movement is coming to their defense.
On Oct. 1, the convention of AFSCME Council 5, representing 46,000 public employees in Minnesota, unanimously passed a resolution objecting to the recent FBI raids in Minneapolis and Chicago. On Oct. 14, delegates to the Duluth Central Labor Body (DCLB) unanimously adopted a similar resolution and “resolved that the DCLB forward this resolution to Midwest-area labor councils and the AFL-CIO and urge these organizations to similarly condemn FBI and DOJ attempts to intimidate and disrupt grassroots social movements.” Likewise, the San Francisco Central Labor Council delegates meeting voted on Sept. 27 to denounce the raids and “participate in the ongoing movement to defend our civil rights and civil liberties from FBI infringement.”
Chicago Teamsters Local 705 passed a resolution on Oct. 17 condemning the raids and noted that among those subpoenaed were, “Teamster Brother Mick Kelly from Minneapolis, as well as our Brother Joe Iosbaker, Chief Steward of SEIU Local 73, who has walked our ambulatory picket lines for the ‘Pain Ice Strike’ at University of Illinois-Chicago.”
On Oct. 18, the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council unanimously passed a resolution brought forward by the San Jose, California Local 6157 of the American Federation of Teachers. The resolution says the raids “mark a new and dangerous chapter in the protracted assault on the First Amendment rights of every union fighter, international solidarity activist or anti-war campaigner, which began with 9/11 and the USA Patriot Act.”
Cherrene Horazuk, chief steward of AFSCME 3800, stated, “The labor movement has been on the frontlines of fighting for freedom of speech and freedom to assemble. Our sisters and brothers, including four members of AFSCME 3800, are under attack for speaking out against U.S. government policy abroad and we need to take a stand against these attacks. Our local is calling on all unions and labor activists to demand an end to this witch hunt.”
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Massive doctor shortages expected
The following article was taken from Liberation newspaper (click its link on the left in the "news" section or visit PSLweb.org).
A recently released report by the Association of American Medical Colleges projects that the U.S. health care system will be facing a shortfall of 63,000 doctors in 2015. This will more than double to 130,600 by 2025 if no action is taken.
The outrageously high tuition at medical schools is a major cause of the predicted shortage. The average debt at graduation in 2009 was $156,456. Insufficient government funding for these institutions is also a factor. For example, nursing workforce development programs are facing a financial shortfall of over $23 million.
Some blame the impending lack of doctors on the recently passed health care “reform” law. Considering that the U.S. government spends hundreds of billions of dollars on imperialist wars and Wall Street bailouts, it is absurd to argue that the resources to avoid this shortage aren’t available. The real culprit in this situation is the irrational capitalist system, which is incapable of long-term planning to meet human needs.
A recently released report by the Association of American Medical Colleges projects that the U.S. health care system will be facing a shortfall of 63,000 doctors in 2015. This will more than double to 130,600 by 2025 if no action is taken.
The outrageously high tuition at medical schools is a major cause of the predicted shortage. The average debt at graduation in 2009 was $156,456. Insufficient government funding for these institutions is also a factor. For example, nursing workforce development programs are facing a financial shortfall of over $23 million.
Some blame the impending lack of doctors on the recently passed health care “reform” law. Considering that the U.S. government spends hundreds of billions of dollars on imperialist wars and Wall Street bailouts, it is absurd to argue that the resources to avoid this shortage aren’t available. The real culprit in this situation is the irrational capitalist system, which is incapable of long-term planning to meet human needs.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
National Conference on Socialism 2010-- Stand Up & Fight Back!
Join us on November 13-14 in Los Angeles for a National "Fight Back" Conference on Socialism hosted by the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Find out what socialism is, what we aim for, and why socialism is the only answer to the misery created by capitalism.
Register today! Visit: www.PSLweb.org/conference
The conference will feature speakers, panels, organizing strategy sessions, entertainment, and discussion on topics related to the fight against capitalist exploitation, war, racism, and imperialism. We'll discuss what comes next for the people's movement.
SOCIALISM: THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE TO CAPITALISM
In the United States, the richest 400 people have as much wealth as 50 million households combined. The criminal occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq have cost the lives of over a million innocent people, and thousands of U.S. troops, while costing trillions of dollars. The richest banks and corporations have been bailed out by the government to the tune of $14 trillion, all on the backs of working people.
Working people worldwide are being squeezed for every last penny so that Wall Street can maintain its profit margins, and the environment is being destroyed by Big Oil and corporate greed. The epidemic of police brutality, checkpoints and immigrant bashing is intensifying as the capitalist state seeks to protect the class it serves. This is the reality of capitalism.
This is the reality of capitalism. Is this the way it has to be? No. Socialism is an alternative to this irrational and increasingly barbaric system. It is a system that puts human needs over private profits.
Conference Topics and Workshops Include:
• Why socialism is needed in the United States
• The evils of capitalism: mass layoffs and foreclosures
• What’s driving rising food prices?
• Rebuilding the organized workers’ movement
• Why Cuba’s revolution stands strong
• Black liberation and socialist struggle
• Seize BP!: capitalism vs. the people and planet
• Making universal health care a reality
• What can stop the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq?
• Organizing veterans and active duty troops
• Students and youth fight back
• Why is the Pentagon targeting Iran?
• Civil rights and civil liberties under attack
• Stopping the military-industrial complex
• Can we win affordable housing for all?
• Immigrant rights: the case for legalization
• Stop racism: defeating Arizona's SB 1070
• Fighting back against the Tea Party and the ultra-right
• Renewing the women’s rights struggle
• Real equality for the LGBT community
• Venezuela and Latin America’s leftward shift
• Stop colonialism: Puerto Rico, Haiti, Philippines...
• Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire
• China and the global capitalist economy
• Why the U.S. is threatening North Korea
• Africa: Imperialism’s hidden interests
• The prison and police brutality epidemic
• Building a revolutionary workers’ party
www.PSLweb.org/conference
The location is:
University of Southern California, Davidson Conference Center
3415 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA
Register today! Visit: www.PSLweb.org/conference
The conference will feature speakers, panels, organizing strategy sessions, entertainment, and discussion on topics related to the fight against capitalist exploitation, war, racism, and imperialism. We'll discuss what comes next for the people's movement.
SOCIALISM: THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE TO CAPITALISM
In the United States, the richest 400 people have as much wealth as 50 million households combined. The criminal occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq have cost the lives of over a million innocent people, and thousands of U.S. troops, while costing trillions of dollars. The richest banks and corporations have been bailed out by the government to the tune of $14 trillion, all on the backs of working people.
Working people worldwide are being squeezed for every last penny so that Wall Street can maintain its profit margins, and the environment is being destroyed by Big Oil and corporate greed. The epidemic of police brutality, checkpoints and immigrant bashing is intensifying as the capitalist state seeks to protect the class it serves. This is the reality of capitalism.
This is the reality of capitalism. Is this the way it has to be? No. Socialism is an alternative to this irrational and increasingly barbaric system. It is a system that puts human needs over private profits.
Conference Topics and Workshops Include:
• Why socialism is needed in the United States
• The evils of capitalism: mass layoffs and foreclosures
• What’s driving rising food prices?
• Rebuilding the organized workers’ movement
• Why Cuba’s revolution stands strong
• Black liberation and socialist struggle
• Seize BP!: capitalism vs. the people and planet
• Making universal health care a reality
• What can stop the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq?
• Organizing veterans and active duty troops
• Students and youth fight back
• Why is the Pentagon targeting Iran?
• Civil rights and civil liberties under attack
• Stopping the military-industrial complex
• Can we win affordable housing for all?
• Immigrant rights: the case for legalization
• Stop racism: defeating Arizona's SB 1070
• Fighting back against the Tea Party and the ultra-right
• Renewing the women’s rights struggle
• Real equality for the LGBT community
• Venezuela and Latin America’s leftward shift
• Stop colonialism: Puerto Rico, Haiti, Philippines...
• Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire
• China and the global capitalist economy
• Why the U.S. is threatening North Korea
• Africa: Imperialism’s hidden interests
• The prison and police brutality epidemic
• Building a revolutionary workers’ party
www.PSLweb.org/conference
The location is:
University of Southern California, Davidson Conference Center
3415 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Phoenix Police Kill Unarmed Man
About a week ago a Phoenix, Arizona police officer got away with murder after shooting an unarmed man and his dog in his own home.
Daniel Rodriguez, 29, now deceased, was pepper sprayed and tasered twice by Phoenix police officers when they entered his trailer.
His mother, Elvira Fernandez, called the police on him because he was yelling at her and breaking items inside of their home. The mother left the trailer, also her home, out of fear. She was unharmed.
According to reports, the mother had asked the police not to hurt her son.
"I said [to the police] just ask him to leave," Fernandez said. "They killed him for no reason. They just shot him. It's wrong what happened. It's not right the way it went down."
Policemen Richard Chrisman, 39, and his partner Sergio Virgillo, arrived on the scene and confronted Rodriguez. Rodriguez demanded that the police leave because they did not have a warrant. A heated exchange began, which provoked Chrisman to remove his pistol, place it to the 29 year-old's temple, and say, "I don't need no warrant, mother fucker."
Officer Virgillo has gained media attention recently for stating that Rodriguez wasn't a threat to the officers and that he saw no reason for his partner to use his gun. The officer has also said he thinks more than one shot was fired and he never saw a weapon in Rodriguez's hands.
After Chrisman put his pistol away, he tried to arrest and detain Rodriguez. He was met with fierce resistance, prompting the use of tasers and pepper spray. Neither of them were able to subdue Rodriguez, which has caused many people in Phoenix to suspect Rodriguez was abusing drugs.
Chrisman gunned down a pit bull that was also in the trailer. According to Virgillo, the dog was barking but never tried to attack.
The cop and the 29 year-old began arguing over why the dog was shot. Rodriguez tried to leave his trailer, but received a fatal gunshot for his efforts.
Chrisman was jailed for this, but was recently released on a $15,000 dollar bail. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Thanks to the help of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA), Chrisman was able to leave jail and obtain the bond money.
Over one hundred Phoenix protesters gathered outside of their city Police Headquarters to show their outrage over the killing of Daniel ("Danny") Rodriguez. Many activists and members of the Hispanic community feel that the shooting was racially motivated and that Chrisman should be charged with murder. The protests are growing, and activists are attempting to escalate them. Local officials are now fearing anti-police riots may soon erupt.
State Senator Richard Miranda provided the local CBS news with a copy of the Maricopa County's Brady List. The lists contains the names of police officers who have tampered with evidence in the past and lied in court or in reports. Chrisman is on that list.
The fact that this policeman is getting off with a mere slap on the wrist for purposely killing an unarmed, nonthreatening man for simply resisting arrest, as well as the fact that the PLEA has refused to condemn Chrisman's actions, shows that a major injustice is (yet again) being committed against the civilian and minority communities.
Phoenix pigs made the news earlier this year for attacking one of their city councilman for no reason. Click here to read that article.
Throughout history and the present, you can find organizations that have done many things to counter police brutality, including documenting police crimes and bringing them to the attention of human rights groups, teaching the people how to use weapons in self-defense against the police, patrol to keep police out of their neighborhoods, and set up neighborhood organizations that are meant to replace the cops and keep them away. It is up to the people in every city and town across the world to decide what they think is best to prevent police brutality, but the worst thing they can do is nothing.
No justice, no peace! Fuck the police!
Daniel Rodriguez, 29, now deceased, was pepper sprayed and tasered twice by Phoenix police officers when they entered his trailer.
His mother, Elvira Fernandez, called the police on him because he was yelling at her and breaking items inside of their home. The mother left the trailer, also her home, out of fear. She was unharmed.
According to reports, the mother had asked the police not to hurt her son.
"I said [to the police] just ask him to leave," Fernandez said. "They killed him for no reason. They just shot him. It's wrong what happened. It's not right the way it went down."
Policemen Richard Chrisman, 39, and his partner Sergio Virgillo, arrived on the scene and confronted Rodriguez. Rodriguez demanded that the police leave because they did not have a warrant. A heated exchange began, which provoked Chrisman to remove his pistol, place it to the 29 year-old's temple, and say, "I don't need no warrant, mother fucker."
Officer Virgillo has gained media attention recently for stating that Rodriguez wasn't a threat to the officers and that he saw no reason for his partner to use his gun. The officer has also said he thinks more than one shot was fired and he never saw a weapon in Rodriguez's hands.
After Chrisman put his pistol away, he tried to arrest and detain Rodriguez. He was met with fierce resistance, prompting the use of tasers and pepper spray. Neither of them were able to subdue Rodriguez, which has caused many people in Phoenix to suspect Rodriguez was abusing drugs.
Chrisman gunned down a pit bull that was also in the trailer. According to Virgillo, the dog was barking but never tried to attack.
The cop and the 29 year-old began arguing over why the dog was shot. Rodriguez tried to leave his trailer, but received a fatal gunshot for his efforts.
Chrisman was jailed for this, but was recently released on a $15,000 dollar bail. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Thanks to the help of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA), Chrisman was able to leave jail and obtain the bond money.
Over one hundred Phoenix protesters gathered outside of their city Police Headquarters to show their outrage over the killing of Daniel ("Danny") Rodriguez. Many activists and members of the Hispanic community feel that the shooting was racially motivated and that Chrisman should be charged with murder. The protests are growing, and activists are attempting to escalate them. Local officials are now fearing anti-police riots may soon erupt.
State Senator Richard Miranda provided the local CBS news with a copy of the Maricopa County's Brady List. The lists contains the names of police officers who have tampered with evidence in the past and lied in court or in reports. Chrisman is on that list.
The fact that this policeman is getting off with a mere slap on the wrist for purposely killing an unarmed, nonthreatening man for simply resisting arrest, as well as the fact that the PLEA has refused to condemn Chrisman's actions, shows that a major injustice is (yet again) being committed against the civilian and minority communities.
Phoenix pigs made the news earlier this year for attacking one of their city councilman for no reason. Click here to read that article.
Throughout history and the present, you can find organizations that have done many things to counter police brutality, including documenting police crimes and bringing them to the attention of human rights groups, teaching the people how to use weapons in self-defense against the police, patrol to keep police out of their neighborhoods, and set up neighborhood organizations that are meant to replace the cops and keep them away. It is up to the people in every city and town across the world to decide what they think is best to prevent police brutality, but the worst thing they can do is nothing.
No justice, no peace! Fuck the police!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Half of Romanians Want Communism Back
Surveys show that half of Romanians feel they were better off under communism. This video is from the Maoist Rebel News.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUjbLjLIuQw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUjbLjLIuQw
Female, Former Red Pepper Employee Arrested and Tortured
The following was taken from the website of Red Pepper magazine (www.redpepper.org.uk).
Last Friday, during the No Border Camp: a convergence of struggles aiming to end the system of borders that divide us all, Marianne Maeckelbergh (US citizen and professor at the University of Leiden, Netherlands), a former Red Pepper worker, current contributor and a long-time global justice activist and the author of ‘The Will of the Many: How the Alterglobalisation Movement Is Changing the Face of Democracy’, was arrested for taking pictures while police were making arrests in Brussels, Belgium.
Having just entered Belgium, some two hours earlier, she witnessed violent arrests on the street. When Marianne began taking pictures, she was arrested. She was taken into police custody where she was violently dragged by her hair, chained to a radiator, hit, kicked, spat upon, called a whore, and threatened with sexual assault by the police. She also witnessed the torture of another prisoner also chained to a radiator.
This did not take place in a dark corner of the police station but out in the open, directly witnessed by police station authorities, who gave the impression that this was standard practice. Police removed her ID card, USB stick, the camera with the photos on it, as well as 25 euros in cash - to date they have refused to return her property.
Roughly 500 people were arrested, many preemptively, including people involved in the No Border Camp and other protest activities including an alleged attack on a police station. Marianne has now been released but as of Wednesday 6 October, 2010 at least four people are still incarcerated.
Your help is needed to secure the release of the remaining prisoners and to demand that the police are held accountable.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Call, email or fax Belgium’s UK Ambassador, H.E. Ambassador Johan Verbeke to demand the immediate release of all prisoners and express your outrage at the torture, abuse, and unjust incarceration of Marianne and others.Ambassador’s Secretariat Tel: 020 7470 3700
-----The Partisan believes that all high-ranking police officers, and many rank-and-file policemen, should be arrested and put on trial for things like human and civil rights violations and regular murder. If found guilty, they should be executed. This applies to all police everywhere.
No justice, no peace! Fuck the police!
Protest at the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Convention
The 2010 Virginia Tea Party Patriots convention, being held on October 8th and 9th, began at the Richmond Convention Center today, and The Partisan was on the scene.
Having arrived early to protest against the Tea Party, this writer noticed significantly less people were in attendance than expected, and only saw one bus bringing in people from out of town. It would seem that with all of the hype given to the Tea Party by the Richmond Times-Disgrace and other media, you can safely assume that the real number of attendees was significantly less than what the mainstream media will say.
Our small protest group gathered on the sidewalk by the media vans. We immediately pulled out our signs and tried to get in the background of the news broadcast. The signs read, "Greasy Old Perverts" with the letters G,O, and P in bold. Another sign said, "Tea Party = Corporate Media Shills." The best one of all said "Don't step on me," and had a picture of a turd, obviously a parody of the Gadsden flag ("Don't tread on me"). One of our fellow protesters was wearing a taco costume.
Some of the workers inside of the convention center waved at us in support of our anti-Tea Party signs.
Sam Brock from CBS 6 approached us and asked us to avoid getting in his camera shot. When we refused, however, he became angry and said something rude, having to be dragged away by his coworker. Maybe we misheard him, but he was, in our group's opinion, acting unprofessional. It is apparent that the media wants to censor and stifle those who disagree with the mainstream and discourage activism that isn't backed by the rich.
Later on, one of our group's members, Chris Dorsey, tried to get himself on the live broadcast again by maneuvering himself behind Sam.
We then went to another sidewalk with more cars and Tea Party members. We held up a 3x5 foot red Che Guevara flag. Chris held another sign saying "End the Federal Reserve." It is worth stopping here to explain how we put Che and anti-Fed sentiment together. The Federal Reserve is the monetary source for American capitalism, and although it might be replaced with something just as bad if it were brought down, it is still worth targeting along with other scum like the Republicans.
At the beginning of our protest, the Tea Party attendees just laughed at our signs (they were pretty funny), but this Che flag really angered them. One person across the street, claiming to be a Cuban-American, yelled her disagreement with the flag. I responded that she was a "worm," and flipped her off. Just because someone lives in a country doesn't mean they know what is/was really going on there, which is why there are so many ignorant people in America today. The same applies to anti-socialist people claiming Cuban ancestry. This isn't to say all criticisms of Cuba and Che are invalid, certainly there are many good ones that can be made.
Another person, an older man, yelled at us and I told him to "suck it." He didn't like this and said, "I'm going to break your face, bitch." I responded, "do it, I'd love an excuse to sue you." Say what you'd like, I wouldn't mind going to high levels of hypocrisy to screw over a right-winger, especially if I can take his money. I eventually told him to "get cancer." We said similar things to each other when he came around again in his car.
Threatening people with violence right away is a sign of poor mental health, and yet, it is something the conservatives love. With that in mind, only people who are messed up in the head would turn to hardcore right-wing ideology like that of the Tea Party. To be fair, I don't know that anti-Che individual, and this paragraph isn't meant to be a comment on his mental state in particular.
The thing is, this old man probably couldn't fight anyway given the shape he appeared to be in. He was just a trash-talker like every other conservative. If right-wingers weren't wimps and could actually fight, then Bush would have finished everything in Afghanistan within two terms.
At the end, we pulled out a large sign that read "9/11 was an inside job," and "follow the money." A lot of people seemed to like it.
Throughout the time of the anti-Tea Party protest, a few people stopped to have conversations with us. We discussed things such as how the Tea Party movement was being hijacked from the libertarians by the Neo-Conservatives (click here), and how similar things have happened to left-wing movements in the past. The awful two-party domination of American politics was also discussed, as well as the unfair parts of the health care legislation. One thing they told us was that certain mainstream Republicans didn't receive a warm welcome from the convention goers.
Click here to go to the blog of the protest group. Keep in mind that this entry is a personal account of the event, and the insults said here don't reflect the group's official line. The members agree on most things, but not everything (which is normal).
Also visit our sister website, The Richmond Spark.
Having arrived early to protest against the Tea Party, this writer noticed significantly less people were in attendance than expected, and only saw one bus bringing in people from out of town. It would seem that with all of the hype given to the Tea Party by the Richmond Times-Disgrace and other media, you can safely assume that the real number of attendees was significantly less than what the mainstream media will say.
Our small protest group gathered on the sidewalk by the media vans. We immediately pulled out our signs and tried to get in the background of the news broadcast. The signs read, "Greasy Old Perverts" with the letters G,O, and P in bold. Another sign said, "Tea Party = Corporate Media Shills." The best one of all said "Don't step on me," and had a picture of a turd, obviously a parody of the Gadsden flag ("Don't tread on me"). One of our fellow protesters was wearing a taco costume.
Some of the workers inside of the convention center waved at us in support of our anti-Tea Party signs.
Sam Brock from CBS 6 approached us and asked us to avoid getting in his camera shot. When we refused, however, he became angry and said something rude, having to be dragged away by his coworker. Maybe we misheard him, but he was, in our group's opinion, acting unprofessional. It is apparent that the media wants to censor and stifle those who disagree with the mainstream and discourage activism that isn't backed by the rich.
Later on, one of our group's members, Chris Dorsey, tried to get himself on the live broadcast again by maneuvering himself behind Sam.
We then went to another sidewalk with more cars and Tea Party members. We held up a 3x5 foot red Che Guevara flag. Chris held another sign saying "End the Federal Reserve." It is worth stopping here to explain how we put Che and anti-Fed sentiment together. The Federal Reserve is the monetary source for American capitalism, and although it might be replaced with something just as bad if it were brought down, it is still worth targeting along with other scum like the Republicans.
At the beginning of our protest, the Tea Party attendees just laughed at our signs (they were pretty funny), but this Che flag really angered them. One person across the street, claiming to be a Cuban-American, yelled her disagreement with the flag. I responded that she was a "worm," and flipped her off. Just because someone lives in a country doesn't mean they know what is/was really going on there, which is why there are so many ignorant people in America today. The same applies to anti-socialist people claiming Cuban ancestry. This isn't to say all criticisms of Cuba and Che are invalid, certainly there are many good ones that can be made.
Another person, an older man, yelled at us and I told him to "suck it." He didn't like this and said, "I'm going to break your face, bitch." I responded, "do it, I'd love an excuse to sue you." Say what you'd like, I wouldn't mind going to high levels of hypocrisy to screw over a right-winger, especially if I can take his money. I eventually told him to "get cancer." We said similar things to each other when he came around again in his car.
Threatening people with violence right away is a sign of poor mental health, and yet, it is something the conservatives love. With that in mind, only people who are messed up in the head would turn to hardcore right-wing ideology like that of the Tea Party. To be fair, I don't know that anti-Che individual, and this paragraph isn't meant to be a comment on his mental state in particular.
The thing is, this old man probably couldn't fight anyway given the shape he appeared to be in. He was just a trash-talker like every other conservative. If right-wingers weren't wimps and could actually fight, then Bush would have finished everything in Afghanistan within two terms.
At the end, we pulled out a large sign that read "9/11 was an inside job," and "follow the money." A lot of people seemed to like it.
Throughout the time of the anti-Tea Party protest, a few people stopped to have conversations with us. We discussed things such as how the Tea Party movement was being hijacked from the libertarians by the Neo-Conservatives (click here), and how similar things have happened to left-wing movements in the past. The awful two-party domination of American politics was also discussed, as well as the unfair parts of the health care legislation. One thing they told us was that certain mainstream Republicans didn't receive a warm welcome from the convention goers.
Click here to go to the blog of the protest group. Keep in mind that this entry is a personal account of the event, and the insults said here don't reflect the group's official line. The members agree on most things, but not everything (which is normal).
Also visit our sister website, The Richmond Spark.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Fed Calls US Economy "Unsustainable"
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gave a speech in Rhode Island on Monday. Bernanke warned the audience of the Annual Meeting of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council that the state of American finances is "unsustainable."
Bernanke is quoted as saying:
"Let me return to the issue of longer-term fiscal sustainability. As I have discussed, projections by the CBO and others show future budget deficits and debts rising indefinitely, and at increasing rates. To be sure, projections are to some degree only hypothetical exercises. Almost by definition, unsustainable trajectories of deficits and debts will never actually transpire, because creditors would never be willing to lend to a country in which the fiscal debt relative to the national income is rising without limit."
He went on:
"The budgetary position of the federal government has deteriorated substantially during the past two fiscal years, with the budget deficit averaging 9-1/2 percent of national income during that time. For comparison, the deficit averaged 2 percent of national income for the fiscal years 2005 to 2007, prior to the onset of the recession and financial crisis. The recent deterioration was largely the result of a sharp decline in tax revenues brought about by the recession and the subsequent slow recovery, as well as by increases in federal spending needed to alleviate the recession and stabilize the financial system. As a result of these deficits, the accumulated federal debt measured relative to national income has increased to a level not seen since the aftermath of World War II."
"Economic conditions provide little scope for reducing deficits significantly further over the next year or two; indeed, premature fiscal tightening could put the recovery at risk. Over the medium- and long-term, however, the story is quite different. If current policy settings are maintained, and under reasonable assumptions about economic growth, the federal budget will be on an unsustainable path in coming years, with the ratio of federal debt held by the public to national income rising at an increasing pace. Moreover, as the national debt grows, so will the associated interest payments, which in turn will lead to further increases in projected deficits. Expectations of large and increasing deficits in the future could inhibit current household and business spending--for example, by reducing confidence in the longer-term prospects for the economy or by increasing uncertainty about future tax burdens and government spending--and thus restrain the recovery. Concerns about the government's long-run fiscal position may also constrain the flexibility of fiscal policy to respond to current economic conditions."
"It would be difficult to identify a specific threshold at which federal debt begins to pose more substantial costs and risks to the nation's economy. Perhaps no bright line exists; the costs and risks may grow more or less continuously as the federal debt rises. What we do know, however, is that the threat to our economy is real and growing."
It was obvious throughout other parts Bernanke's speech that he was blaming much of the future economic difficulties on the cost of state benefits and services to average people. The solution one would assume Bernanke implied is one that involves doing away with millions of people's jobs, health care, retirement benefits, and unemployment aid. Doing this will only make the economic situation worse because it will throw more people in the unemployment line and stop money from circulating. As you can see from the quotes, the Chairman also took this into consideration.
It should be obvious that these capitalists and their bankers are unable to get the US, and the world, out of this hole that they have dug. Of course, we should question whether or not they are actually trying. Perhaps the troubling economic hole they've put us in isn't just any hole, but rather a mass grave for the average person!
Bernanke is quoted as saying:
"Let me return to the issue of longer-term fiscal sustainability. As I have discussed, projections by the CBO and others show future budget deficits and debts rising indefinitely, and at increasing rates. To be sure, projections are to some degree only hypothetical exercises. Almost by definition, unsustainable trajectories of deficits and debts will never actually transpire, because creditors would never be willing to lend to a country in which the fiscal debt relative to the national income is rising without limit."
He went on:
"The budgetary position of the federal government has deteriorated substantially during the past two fiscal years, with the budget deficit averaging 9-1/2 percent of national income during that time. For comparison, the deficit averaged 2 percent of national income for the fiscal years 2005 to 2007, prior to the onset of the recession and financial crisis. The recent deterioration was largely the result of a sharp decline in tax revenues brought about by the recession and the subsequent slow recovery, as well as by increases in federal spending needed to alleviate the recession and stabilize the financial system. As a result of these deficits, the accumulated federal debt measured relative to national income has increased to a level not seen since the aftermath of World War II."
"Economic conditions provide little scope for reducing deficits significantly further over the next year or two; indeed, premature fiscal tightening could put the recovery at risk. Over the medium- and long-term, however, the story is quite different. If current policy settings are maintained, and under reasonable assumptions about economic growth, the federal budget will be on an unsustainable path in coming years, with the ratio of federal debt held by the public to national income rising at an increasing pace. Moreover, as the national debt grows, so will the associated interest payments, which in turn will lead to further increases in projected deficits. Expectations of large and increasing deficits in the future could inhibit current household and business spending--for example, by reducing confidence in the longer-term prospects for the economy or by increasing uncertainty about future tax burdens and government spending--and thus restrain the recovery. Concerns about the government's long-run fiscal position may also constrain the flexibility of fiscal policy to respond to current economic conditions."
"It would be difficult to identify a specific threshold at which federal debt begins to pose more substantial costs and risks to the nation's economy. Perhaps no bright line exists; the costs and risks may grow more or less continuously as the federal debt rises. What we do know, however, is that the threat to our economy is real and growing."
It was obvious throughout other parts Bernanke's speech that he was blaming much of the future economic difficulties on the cost of state benefits and services to average people. The solution one would assume Bernanke implied is one that involves doing away with millions of people's jobs, health care, retirement benefits, and unemployment aid. Doing this will only make the economic situation worse because it will throw more people in the unemployment line and stop money from circulating. As you can see from the quotes, the Chairman also took this into consideration.
It should be obvious that these capitalists and their bankers are unable to get the US, and the world, out of this hole that they have dug. Of course, we should question whether or not they are actually trying. Perhaps the troubling economic hole they've put us in isn't just any hole, but rather a mass grave for the average person!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
For Those Supporting the Arrests
This post is for all of the pseudo-revolutionaries that are either apathetic to, or supportive of, the recent FBI raids on anti-imperialist, anti-war activists in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and other leftist organizations that were targeted.
To those who spit on the victims of the raids due to their support for the FARC:
http://kasamaproject.org/2010/07/29/colombia-the-real-farc-ep-inside-and-out/
To those who spit on the victims of the raids due to their ideological and historical view of Stalin and Mao:
- Stalin and Bureaucracy
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/06/stalin-and-bureaucracy.html
-Stalin and Ukraine
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/06/stalin-and-ukraine.html
-Stalin: Politics and Power
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/06/stalin-politics-and-power.html
-Stalin's Purge of the Soviet Military
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/04/stalins-purge-of-soviet-military.html
-Moscow Trials and Great Purge
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2009/10/text-to-moscow-trials-and-great-purge.html
-A Response to the Socialist Worker (on Mao Zedong)
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/03/following-is-response-to-socialist.html
-The Era of Mao
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/03/era-of-mao.html
-Excerpt from Wild Swans and Mao's Agrarian Strategy
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2008/12/excerpt-from-wild-swans-and-maos.html
-Review of Mao the Unknown Story:
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/03/review-of-mao-unknown-story.html
To the wimps who spit on the victims due to their acceptance of violence:
http://zinelibrary.info/pacifism-pathology
To those who spit on the victims of the raids due to their support for the FARC:
http://kasamaproject.org/2010/07/29/colombia-the-real-farc-ep-inside-and-out/
To those who spit on the victims of the raids due to their ideological and historical view of Stalin and Mao:
- Stalin and Bureaucracy
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/06/stalin-and-bureaucracy.html
-Stalin and Ukraine
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/06/stalin-and-ukraine.html
-Stalin: Politics and Power
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/06/stalin-politics-and-power.html
-Stalin's Purge of the Soviet Military
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/04/stalins-purge-of-soviet-military.html
-Moscow Trials and Great Purge
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2009/10/text-to-moscow-trials-and-great-purge.html
-A Response to the Socialist Worker (on Mao Zedong)
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/03/following-is-response-to-socialist.html
-The Era of Mao
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/03/era-of-mao.html
-Excerpt from Wild Swans and Mao's Agrarian Strategy
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2008/12/excerpt-from-wild-swans-and-maos.html
-Review of Mao the Unknown Story:
http://partisan-news.blogspot.com/2010/03/review-of-mao-unknown-story.html
To the wimps who spit on the victims due to their acceptance of violence:
http://zinelibrary.info/pacifism-pathology
Old Man Shoots Teen Over Pants
A 45-year old man in Memphis, Tennessee recently shot at two teenagers due to his dislike of their fashion sense. One young man was injured when the older man shot his rear-end.
The two boys were walking down the street when Kenneth E. Bonds, 45, yelled at them for wearing sagging pants. The three began to argue and Bonds drew his semi-automatic pistol and threatened to open fire on the teenagers.
The two youths ran away, but one was injured from Bonds' gunshot. The injury isn't critical, and the other youth is unharmed.
It is unclear if Bonds has a lawyer. He is charged with aggravated assault, which is a Class C felony in his state.
The Partisan, as a critic of culture and adult-chauvinism, dislikes the current corporate-created culture that is pounded into the minds of youth. This includes drooping pants. However, the chauvinism of older generations and their attempt to control the free will and identity of youth is just as bad, if not worse given that it constitutes a form of age prejudice. The Partisan would like to wish a speedy recovery to the young victim, and also to issue the most harsh and hateful condemnation to the old scumbag.
The two boys were walking down the street when Kenneth E. Bonds, 45, yelled at them for wearing sagging pants. The three began to argue and Bonds drew his semi-automatic pistol and threatened to open fire on the teenagers.
The two youths ran away, but one was injured from Bonds' gunshot. The injury isn't critical, and the other youth is unharmed.
It is unclear if Bonds has a lawyer. He is charged with aggravated assault, which is a Class C felony in his state.
The Partisan, as a critic of culture and adult-chauvinism, dislikes the current corporate-created culture that is pounded into the minds of youth. This includes drooping pants. However, the chauvinism of older generations and their attempt to control the free will and identity of youth is just as bad, if not worse given that it constitutes a form of age prejudice. The Partisan would like to wish a speedy recovery to the young victim, and also to issue the most harsh and hateful condemnation to the old scumbag.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
GOP Rally
The following was taken from The Richmond Spark (richmondspark.wordpress.com).
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) addressed nearly 3,000 Republicans and allies on Saturday.
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) addressed nearly 3,000 Republicans and allies on Saturday.
“This is the first time I’ve seen this,” said an excited Cantor. “This economy is in dire shape, and people are really scared,” he said, conveniently forgetting that the economic troubles began under a Republican President.
“In a rush to pop champagne corks, Republican leaders like Eric Cantor have failed to account for how fatally flawed their candidates are and just how much the American people are rejecting their agenda to outsource jobs overseas, privatize Social Security and dismantle Medicare and repeal new checks on Wall Street,” said Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee member Ryan Rudominer.
What supporters of both Republicans and Democrats forget is that both parties are responsible for the economic troubles. Republicans, if in power, will most definitely continue the destructive policies that helped cause the crisis that began under the Bush Administration. Virginia has a Republican governor, but unemployment is on the rise here. Keep that in mind!
The Democrats are not better. The Richmond Voice newspaper once criticized Obama for pushing a stimulus package that was reminiscent of the Jim Crow era.
Both of these capitalist parties are criminal. It’s time for a Marxist alternative!
VA Schools Suffer Budget Cuts
The following was taken from The Richmond Spark (http://richmondspark.wordpress.com/)
Due to state budget cuts, parents in various Virginia school divisions will be holding fundraisers to acquire money for extracurricular programs.
Some schools decided to keep these programs, but charge fees to the families that enroll their children in programs like sports.
Across the Old Dominion, schools cut much of their funding for 2010-2011. Some believe these cuts are permanent.
With this being said, we must be outraged. What kind of society allows their children to suffer due to the mistakes of the older generations? If Virginians are to be put back to work, then spending on education must increase. According to a University of Massachusetts study, one of the best ways to create jobs is to spend money on education.
Due to state budget cuts, parents in various Virginia school divisions will be holding fundraisers to acquire money for extracurricular programs.
Some schools decided to keep these programs, but charge fees to the families that enroll their children in programs like sports.
Across the Old Dominion, schools cut much of their funding for 2010-2011. Some believe these cuts are permanent.
With this being said, we must be outraged. What kind of society allows their children to suffer due to the mistakes of the older generations? If Virginians are to be put back to work, then spending on education must increase. According to a University of Massachusetts study, one of the best ways to create jobs is to spend money on education.
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