Derrick Jensen, a prolific (and well known) anti-capitalist and environmentalist has written a pretty good argument for the need for political change on a system wide basis. Forget Shorter Hours (subtitled “Why personal change does not equal political change”.) Jensen, who writes from a radical environmental perspective, says: Part of the problem is that we’ve been victims of a campaign of systematic misdirection. Consumer culture and the capitalist mindset have taught us to substitute acts of personal consumption (or enlightenment) for organized political resistance. An Inconvenient Truth helped raise consciousness about global warming. But did you notice that all...
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The occupation of the Republic Window and Door factory in Chicago has ended. Certainly this has been an inspiring event. One hopes the sit-in will inspire even more inventive methods of fighting for working people. However, we must also take into account what was “won”. The workers received the monies owed them. They lost their jobs. The employer had taken monies from the Republic plant and bought a competitor in Iowa. That’s a victory? Perhaps in the present conditions it is. But it’s rather sad to crow success when you are getting what’s legally owed you. Now the UE...
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One of the most laughable aspects of Trotskyist politics is the continual trotting out of laundry lists of demands. Stalinist/Maoist demands and tactics tend to be cynically practical – e.g.. the alliance of the USSR and Nazi Germany between 1939-41. Trotskyists, on the other hand, make demands that are so unreal they make Charles Fourier’s expectation of sea-water turning to lemonade under communism seem likely. At least Fourier’s most bizarre proposals were “based on a brilliant world outlook“. Certainly more brilliant than the remnants (ruminants?) of Trotsky’s organization. Socialist Action (SA) is the current orthodox Trotskyist group in the...
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So Wall Street has their cake and gets to eat it too. No surprise. And the politicians of all stripes wring their hands and make grandiloquent sound-bites of how they should be listened to. It’s just so much noise. Both Democrats and Republicans are shocked. SHOCKED! So much for the reputation of Ivy League education being excellent. Most of us could have seen it coming. Most pathetic are the various leftist groups coming up with more and more ludicrous slogans and demands. They call themselves “socialist” but advocate for the government to administer capitalism, an option which...
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The WSP got a an e-mail recently from some right-wing blogger for the New York Times who asked if we considered Barak Obama a socialist and if we supported his tax plans. blah, blah, blah. We won’t pass judgement on an article which may or may not see the light of day. But most likely this was another piece attempting to get someone calling themselves socialist to endorse Obama or one of his policies. Once that confession is procured, it will be widely touted as proof of Obama being a socialist, an elitist, etc. But is Obama...
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On the anniversary on the birth of the famous scientist Stephen Jay Gould, who sadly died in 2002 at the young age of sixty, readers might like to see what Socialists have to say about his work, evolutionary theory and related matters: Gould v. Dawkins Dawkins wars (1 & 2) Socialism & Darwinism Why Gould was wrong, and why Dawkins might be even more wrong Are we prisioners of our genes?
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Title: Manchester, UK – The Great Bank Bail-Out Location: Unicorn, Church Street, City Centre, Manchester, UK Start Time: 20:30 Date: 2008-11-24 End Time: 22:30
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Zimbabwe inflation has reached an estimated 2.2 million percent per year. Shown here is a Z$500 million note. If our rulers are to be believed, high wages cause inflation. If this was true, it would make sense that Zimbabwe’s working class is the most affluent in the world. Instead the poverty rate is over 80%. Wages are subject to the “law” of supply and demand, right? So if high wages cause inflation, Zimbabwe’s workers are the most in demand in the world. So why are we constantly bombarded with propaganda that higher wages cause inflation? The answer is obvious,...
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Title: Portland – Marxian Economics for Workers Location: Portland, OR Description: WSP member FN Brill will present a workshop on \”Marxian Economics for Workers\” at the Portland Radical Bookfair. Time:tba Liberty Hall, 311 N Ivy, Portland, OR Start Time: 12:00 Date: 2008-12-06 End Time: 17:00
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Why The Economic Crisis?
The WSP has produced three leaflets (in pdf format) meant to aid working people to understand the causes of the current economic crisis: “Booms and slumps – what causes them?” – Discusses in plain terms the causes of economic cycles and why “Ultimately, it is the economy that controls politicians and not the other way around.” “Bubble Troubles” – Deals specifically with the housing market collapse. Good Cap, Bad Cap discusses how capitalism is structured and why economic crisis cannot be blamed on “bad” capitalists. Crises And Depressions Pt 1, Pt 2 We highly recommended this talk given by...
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