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Letters from our readers

On “Fifteen Years of the World Socialist Web Site: 1998-2013

While I don’t have complete political unity with your site, I do support the site because of its left views. I must tell you, 15 years is a lot of work and I found your consistent critical views of Obama more than refreshing. For history is on our side, but not time... To the real struggle against internal left opportunism...

MSO

16 February 2013

On “The war was always in the back of my mind; I wanted to know what happened

I understand, and having been born in your neck of the woods, thank WSWS for opening up this site to such testimonials, an act of revolutionary genius. There are so many of us with your background, sir. We are many. Lots of differences among us which are contained in ourselves, until we discover our own experience with others, which transcend slight barriers of race and nationality. “Do I contradict myself/ Very well, I contradict myself/ I contain multitudes.” (Walt Whitman). We should negate ourselves to find as I have in your letter, my brother.

AL

Toronto, Canada

17 February 2013

On “Disabled cruise liner arrives in Alabama after days at sea

In 2005 my son and I took a Carnival cruise that ran the same route as this cruise. Our ship had a mechanical problem and could not get up to full speed. Because of this, they had to change our port of landing, but when we finally arrived it was too turbulent and we weren’t allowed to dock. Ultimately, it was billed as a “cruise to nowhere”.

Customers protested in the halls until the ship’s captain came out to listen to complaints. We were given a 50 percent credit of our ticket, which we pretty well spent on board during the time that we weren’t going ashore.

The people who had it worst were the workers on the ship. Many were from Eastern Europe and were highly intelligent. Most spoke many languages and had high degrees, but worked on the cruise ship because it paid better than their professions did at home. Our cabin maid confided that with nobody going ashore, they weren’t allowed any time off at all and weren’t getting paid a bit more for it.

I see that Carnival has continued to funnel profits into the owner’s pockets instead of investing more in maintenance and pay for their employees. I will never take a cruise again on one of their ships.

Troy J

16 February 2013

On “Letters from our readers

Jason of NY’s letter about part-time workers getting hours reduced to 28 is probably true. My wife works at Sam’s Club. Her hours used to be 32-36 per week, but now are only in the 20s. Is this a nationwide policy? I don't know, and her fellow workers are like little islands. No worker-to-worker communication.

Rick

16 February 2013

On “Massive police mobilization ends in killing of Christopher Dorner

“The massive simultaneous coordinated mobilization of all of the agencies of the state and the wholehearted collaboration of the media with their dirty business are a measure of the underlying social tensions that are emerging.”

A valid measure it is, although an indirect one.

But this incident also provides for all the repressive powers of the state a useful war-games exercise. Not least, it’s a timely warning of the violence and slander that will be unloosed against the working class in the coming social conflicts.

“Reaction all down the line.”–Lenin

CH

Texas, USA

16 February 2013

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When Martin Luther King denounced the US government for “being the greatest purveyor of violence in the world,” he was hardly exaggerating; now Obama brought it to fruition with his “kill lists”, drone warfare, the “pivot” and police state measures in America itself. Can Washington go any further? Of course, all the metrics point that way, unless there is a massive popular resistance, and there are precious signs of that! The state was able to mobilise a massive force of thousands with attendant technologies of surveillance and repression to hunt to kill a single fugitive. An impressive show of power and violence as a warning to the whole population: “all resistance is useless!”

Mirek

NSW, Australia

16 February 2013