Welcome to Obamaville: Homelessness and the Crisis of Capitalism In an uncharacteristic break from the focus on “Obamamania,” the mainstream media recently cast a cautious spotlight on the plight of America's “newly homeless” and a phenomenon that should send a chill through anyone even remotely familiar with the history of the Great Depression: the return of the shanty town.
Canada: Marxists at May Day Marxists in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver were active in intervening at May Day rallies this past weekend. We publish here reports and pictures from the three cities.
Swine flu: No panic, No indifference - Calderon is responsible for the health crisis! Epidemics and natural disasters occur throughout the world and to some extent are unpredictable. Why, however, despite the H1N1 virus spreading to several countries, are people only dying in Mexico? Here are some answers.
Canadian Perspectives 2009: The Failure of Capitalism and the Need for a Socialist Alternative (Draft) The Fightback Editorial Board is presenting this draft document for discussion amongst Canadian workers, youth and revolutionaries. Here they explain how Canada is not immune to the crisis of capitalism. The task of this document is to gauge the impact of the economic crisis on consciousness and politics so that revolutionaries may orientate their forces for maximum effect.
Cuba: Freedom of Expression & Socialism We have received this article from Ron Ridenour, which was originally published in the Havana Times. The article is a report on a series of workshops that have been held in Cuba, such as one held under the title, "The significance and meaning of the revolution in our lives", where different opinions are expressed. We publish it for the interest of our readers.
US: We Need a Working Class Program for the Economic Crisis The economic crisis has now dragged on for months and there is no end in sight for U.S. workers. Worst of all, we workers, our children and grand children, will have to pay all of this debt back – with interest – and will have received nothing of any real substance in return. Enough is enough! We say, make the rich pay for their crisis!
US: A Working Class Program for the Economic Crisis The Workers' International League's working class program for the current economic crisis.
Obama’s Auto Task Force Preparing Worst Cuts in Decades As President Barack Obama visits Europe following the G-20 summit in London, Obama is no longer addressing auto workers in terms of “Change” but rather with the cold vocabulary of Wall Street: Viability, Profitability and Liability. The administration’s recent restructuring plan is backed up with factory closings, mass layoffs, wage and benefit cuts and possibly the closing of entire companies.
Canadian Workers Occupy Auto Parts Factory On Tuesday, March 17th, a group of 80 workers in the industrial town of Windsor, Ontario, occupied the Aradco auto parts plant. This occupation marks the re-awakening of the occupied factories movement in Canada and is an important turning point in the ongoing crisis of the North American auto industry.
US: Why the UAW Should Fight for Nationalization The incoming Obama administration has begun putting new bailout plans into action for nearly-bankrupt auto companies GM and Chrysler. The most recent “rescue packages” have come with more than a few strings attached. As the economic crisis deepens, the bosses will seek to unload the burden onto workers’ shoulders. This underlines the need for militant, class struggle policies in the unions to place the burden of the crisis where it belongs: with the bosses!
Obama's Foreign Policy Speech: Imperialism as Usual On Friday, February 27th, after a round of congratulations for the imperialist war leaders, Barack Obama explained the course that the Iraq War would take under his administration. Far from an honest depiction of the war, Obama's speech glorified the war, painting it in the language of poetic nationalism and with heroic lingo.
Salvadorian workers and peasants defeat electoral fraud and win presidential election A major clash between the classes has taken place in El Salvador. One of the most reactionary ruling classes in Latin America has been kicked out of office. The masses once again defeated the scandalous electoral fraud that was being prepared by ARENA, the reactionary right wing party founded by anti-communist death squad leader Roberto D'Aubisson. The ruling class, reluctantly, had to concede the victory of the left wing FMLN in order to prevent a revolutionary explosion.
Support the struggle of Olympia de Mexico SA de CV On January 15, the workers at Olympia de México SA de CV in Edomex, México, went on strike to protest against the fact that the company had not paid them bonuses agreed in the collective bargaining contract. Faced with the lack of interest of the bosses in solving their just demands, the workers have now decided to struggle for nationalisation under workers' control.
[Leaflet] From Venezuela to Chicago: "A Factory Closed is a Factory Occupied!" The labor leadership needs to mobilize the workers to demand an economic recovery plan to re-open and capitalize closed factories, to nationalize them under public control, to be run under democratic workers’ control. And as they say in the occupied factory movement in Latin America: “A Factory Closed is a Factory Occupied!” A new leaflet from the WIL. Also available in Spanish.
USA: January 2009 - More Soldiers Commit Suicide than are Killed in Combat In 2008, the number of suicides in the U.S. armed forces increased yet again, to 128 confirmed and 15 pending further investigation, having risen every year since 2004. All indications are that things will only continue to get worse in 2009. What is perhaps most disturbing is that Lt. Col. Mike Moose, who is a spokesperson for Army personnel issues, claims that, “we have not identified any particular problem.”
