Freedom without Equality is Only Half Freedom (tags)
Social security guaranteed by welfare state institutions ensures security and freedom. Security is one of those resources that guarantees autonomy. Whoever can lead life free from anxiety is freer. Material privileges lead to a privileged access to power. Wealthy lobbies can buy laws today and normal citizens feel cut off.
A letter to Katha Pollitt of The Nation Magazine (tags)
A letter to Katha Pollitt of The Nation Magazine
BTL:Jim Hightower Urges Progressives to Stand Up and Take Action After GOP Election Gains (tags)
BETWEEN THE LINES - A four-time winner of the Connecticut Associated Press Broadcast Award for Best Feature in the non-commercial category, this syndicated, half-hour program provides a platform for individuals and spokespersons from progressive organizations generally ignored or marginalized by the mainstream media. Between the Lines covers a wide range of political, economic and social topics.
David Swanson Lays Out 16-Point Plan for U.S. Left (tags)
Activist David Swanson spoke at the First Unitarian-Universalist Church in Hillcrest July 15, ostensibly to promote his book “Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union,” but actually to deliver a 16-point plan for revitalizing the American Left. His speech was full of withering scorn not only for President Obama but also for progressives who supported him in the campaign and still believe in his good intentions.
Dump the Health Insurance Bill (tags)
With the death of the “public option,” the Medicare buy-in and everything else in the proposed health insurance “reform” bill that might actually serve the public good, the bill is now nothing more than a giant, $1 trillion-plus corporate welfare program for the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries. Its meager promises of reform in the way the health insurance industry does business — no total caps on coverage or exclusion of “pre-existing conditions” — are likely to be flouted in practice. The progressive community made a serious mistake by not staging their own protests and disrupting Congressional town-hall meetings to demand single-payer and other progressive reforms — and as a result it will be the Republican Party and the Right in general which will reap the benefit of the putrid piece of corporate welfare the Democrats are trying to palm off on the American people as “health reform.”
The economy elected Barack Obama President, and it will make or break his administration. Right now it seems likely to break it, as Obama's announced appointees to staff his government come almost exclusively from the moderate administration of Bill Clinton, thereby assuring the ruling class that "change you can believe in" means "change the rich and powerful won't have to worry about." Without a mass Left movement on the order of the socialists and communists who in the 1930's pushed Franklin Roosevelt to the Left, Obama's Presidency is likely to be yet another suck-up to corporate America and its anti-labor, anti-environment, anti-worker "free trade" agenda.
An Open Letter to White Progressives and Activists- AWARE-LA (tags)
The Ballot Box and Beyond: White Anti-racists stand for social justice
Rabbi Lerner Reports -- 150,000 Protest in DC on 1/27 (tags)
Rabbi Lerner on the protest of 150,000 in DC on 1/27
The Vile and Self-Defeating Betrayal That is Bipartisanship (tags)
The Democrats finally had a plan to put a wrench in the Republican juggernaut—a shutdown of the Senate. And what did they do? Let a bunch of sell-out DLC-types blow it with a bi-partisan compromise that will just put more right-wing judges on the appellate bench. ----------------
Slaving for the Progressives (tags)
For all its political rhetoric, Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. is like any other business, but instead of the profits going to the shareholders, they go to the Democratic Party. In Marxist terms, GCI was able to hand over $22 million to the party instead of the targeted $5 million by extracting surplus labor value from its workers.
Bush Has Grasped the Third Rail; It's Time to Turn on the Juice (tags)
Now that Bush has admitted his plan is to cut Social Security for the middle class, it’s time for progressives to take him down. No compromises, no cutbacks, and a call for the rich to pay Social Security taxes on all income, not just the first $90,000. ---------------------
Testimony: The Maria Guardado Story - Film Screening (tags)
She survived the torture and death squads in El Salvador; now she tells her story in an award-winning documentary. Runs 1:30 with discussion afterwards.
Progressive Film Festival - Long Beach (tags)
The CSULB Campus Progressives present three free screenings of progressive films at the Beach Auditorium, Mondays at 5-7pm: Feb. 28th, Mar. 7th, and Mar. 14th.
Tubbs Jones-Boxer Rebellion in Congress a Big Progressive Win (tags)
Despite the betrayal by conservative Democrats, Kerry and a slimy Democratic leadership, the successful protest in Congress delaying confirmation of Bush’s electoral win is a major progressive victory, permantly staining Bush’s second term with the stench of illegitimacy.
Time to Crash the Party (tags)
Instead of bemoaning the Bush election victory and calling Canadian Immigration, progressives should be busy organizing and planning to take over the Democratic Party, so this kind of debacle will not happen yet again.
Who is smearing Ralph Nader? Corporate law firms and lobbyists tied to big business! (tags)
The progressives and peace activists who are helping to stop Ralph Nader and Peter Miguel Camejo don't realize it but they are being used by people who represent the corporate interests, especially the military-industrial complex, of the two major parties.
Repost:Defend Grassroots Democracy in Venice (tags)
This was posted yesterday but inaccessible due to server overload(?). Election is today. Keep Venice cool. Vote today!
Defend Grassroots Democracy in Venice (tags)
Progressives defend their election from lies, slander and sabotage.
Racism, the Left, and Pacifica Radio (tags)
The writer ,a staff candidate for DC's WPFW's listener station board and a member of the DC Justice and Unity Caucus, gives a summary of the recent history of conflict within Pacifa radio network and some of the issues in its ongoing elections.
Cracking the Media Walls (tags)
A key advantage held by the Right is a "mass-media echo chamber," from which stories are spun via outlets like the Washington Times, Rush Limbaugh, the Wall Street Journal editorial page, the Weekly Standard and Fox News. Progressives have nothing comparable at the national level.
Schwarzenegger Threat: Progressives Debate What To Do Now (tags)
KPFA hosted an hour long discussion/debate on the subject of what progressives should do now that Arnold's poll numbers are strengthening. A variety of positions are aired, and while some of the arguments are the sort you would expect the debate is nonetheless thoughtful.
Sherman Austin Court Documents (tags)
If you want to come to a conclusion on your own.
Why you should vote for Al Sharpton.
Go to Long Beach Protest (not LA) (tags)
Long beach is where its at!
A new national directory to link together progressives working in communities across the nation.
It's a trap: Don't fall for it! (tags)
"Terror" is a trap set by the national security state. Progressives are walking right into it like sheep. Stop it!
Rev. Jesse Jackson announced today he is back