On “Obama boasts of assassinating American citizen in Yemen”
The war that President Obama started in Libya was illegal; he never even got approval from Congress. Why isn’t anyone holding him accountable and talking about this? Obama has the United States involved now in more war conflicts than under Bush yet he ran in 2008 as an anti-war candidate.
Michael
USA
2 October 2011
***
This act marks the de-facto end of the Rule of Reason and the installation and restoration of the Rule by Absolute and Arbitrary Will. Any concept of a Republic is d.o.a.
We are back in the Age of Empires.
Gracchus
2 October 2011
On “Libya: ‘the jewel in the crown’”
Thank you, Bill Van Auken, for your fine analysis. One important point that is highlighted for the reader is that imperialists prop up dictators in other countries in order to exploit their resources. When such stooge rulers become unpopular to the extent that they cannot be defended by very same imperialists who brought them to power, support is shifted to rising struggles in order to ensure the establishment of regimes servile to them. In other words, imperialists manipulate socio-political movements in neo-colonial countries. This is very much abetted by the pseudo-left. Concerned layers of the international working class should be made aware of this vicious cycle. The SEP is doing that and I am happy as a reader of the news bulletin.
IVE
Sri Lanka
30 September 2011
On “Unite the working class to defend public education!”
Your call for teachers to unite is interesting, well written and convincing. There are two challenges to the strategy, one is that teachers represent a broad swath of the middle class and to a lesser extent people who have made the leap to the middle class or are on the cusp of living wages through professional credential. Because of class position, this is one incredibly conflicted group within empire, one that has never (in my lifetime) shown any great potential for organizing for power in the midst of atomized self interest. As long as you frame this simply to teachers you are also continuing a long standing “class” conflict within the whole of education workers, which is much more of a conscious working class body when put together as a whole. Which leads me to the second point, which is that all of public education is under attack, janitors are being outsourced, TAs are being replaced by subsidized volunteers, kitchen staffs are being privatized... Resistance to all of it now and forever should be your clarion call to teachers.
Tim O
30 September 2011
On “Alabama adopts extreme anti-immigrant legislation”
This immigration law, set by Alabama, originated in California with Prop.187. As always, the Republican Party has blamed illegal immigration for the nation’s economic woes, among other things. Overall the reason these laws are occurring is for legal/illegal immigration, but more of a demographic threat that the Republican Party sees from Hispanics; the Republicans do this for election purposes too. But the American people don’t realize that white supremacists support the immigration measures that are occurring in Alabama and Arizona, among other states.
Jacobo M
1 October 2011
On “The deaths of three hockey ‘enforcers’: The tragic contradictions of professional sports”
I very much enjoyed this article for several reasons.
First, it came as a sort of a nice break between more serious, analytical stuff, and shows commitment to a wide range of topics.
Second, coming from SE Europe and not being too interested in mainly spectator sports, I knew next to nothing about ice hockey and only heard about lacrosse recently. The article provided a vivid historic outline of both sports, explaining social background and pressures that brought about their development. I really feel like I learned something new, something of value here.
Lastly, I read this article right after I turned off the tele, for the millionth time disgusted by a new cultural low that is being presented. (Just a usual gossip talk show really.) Even if I don’t buy the knee-jerk misanthropic “argument” that it’s what people want that gets broadcast, it surely is reassuring to be reminded sometime that:
“Underneath the façade of resoundingly patriotic speeches, the ruling elite has nothing but utter contempt for the mass of human beings. Through their control of the media and the sport itself they serve up the kind of entertainment they decide the people want.”
Spot on! And what are we to do about it?
“Working people need to seize control of sports and culture at every level out of the hands of the wealthy and parasitic elite. Sports must promote true courage and daring in participants and spectators alike, nurture a variety of athletic skills and develop healthy competitive striving based on fair play and sportsmanship. These are human qualities that the socialist society of the future will require in abundance.
“A capacity for ritualized thuggery will be consigned to the dustbin of history, along with the class whose selfish interests such performances perpetuate.”
Thank you, thank you and thank you!
Mirko L
26 September 2011