by Shamus Cooke If one were to honestly assess Occupy’s current strengths and weaknesses as a movement, confusion must be the inevitable result. This is because Occupy is not one movement, but an umbrella term that encompasses several different groups that have varied aims, organizational structures, and gaping theoretical differences. Occupy may not be dead,…
Category: Essays & Letters
What Kind of Job Creation Do We Need?
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by Mark Vorpahl In this presidential election year, when the outcome hinges on the economy, the phrases “job creation” and “job creators” are quick to roll off the candidates’ tongues. It is not hard to see why. With up to 24 million unemployed and underemployed, and those working subject to the downward pressure this creates…
Jessica Hollie aka Bella Eiko speaks to the Oakland City Council
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This is from the Occupied News Wire. It originally appeared in the Occupied Oakland Tribune. Transcribed by @MrEJFox Can I get the technician to put this image up for a couple of minutes? It’s a close-up of what Bridget was holding just a second ago, so you guys can actually see the reason of us needing this. And…
Standing Up to Islamophobia
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by Wael Elasady At Portland State University, more than 50 students and community members participated in a demonstration to protest a presentation by Islamophobe and Israeli-apartheid apologist, Erick Stakelbeck. Protesters entered the presentation with tape over their mouths, holding signs that read, “Show Racism the Red Card”, “Your Bigotry is Showing”, and “Free Palestine.” Twenty…
Resistance in the Police State: Anti-NATO Protests in Chicago
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by joyofresistance Chicago, during the anti-NATO protests May 18-21, was a stark reminder that we already live in a police state. It’s a chilling fact that the ruling elites and this government which serves them have the power and resources to turn any city in the US into a police state overnight. Out in the…
“You Will Hang” and Other Things You Don’t Want to Hear on a Saturday Afternoon
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by Kip Silverman photos by J. Michael Author’s Note: There’s an interesting internet experiment called The Listserve ( http://thelistserve.com/) where people opt in to get one email from a member each day. The members are randomly selected and have 48 hours to submit their entry. It can be on any topic and often is and…
From the Chilean Winter to the Maple Spring
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by Andrew Gavin Marshall On the night of May 16, thousands of Montréal students and supporters took to the streets for the 23rd consecutive night of protests, this time spurred on by the Government of Québec’s announcement that it would legislate an end to the 14-week student strike which has gripped Quebec for the past three…
Can Obama Stop Casino Capitalism?
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by Shamus Cooke The recent JPMorgan scandal where billions of dollars were lost in risky bets has re-ignited the move to properly regulate the U.S. banking system. Among those asking for new regulations is Robert Reich, former labor secretary to Bill Clinton. Recently Reich made a plea of sorts to President Obama, whom he wishes…
Real Lessons from the Age of Industrial Violence
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The Gilded Age is very much in the news. In early April, President Obama derided a budget proposal favored by Mitt Romney as “thinly veiled Social Darwinism,” referring to ideas usually associated with such men as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. During his campaign to secure the Republican nomination, Newt Gingrich derided child-labor laws…
The First Domino Falls in Greece
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by Shamus Cooke After the last Greek elections rejected austerity and caused a global uproar, early polling indicates that the next Greek elections — scheduled for June 17 — will do the same, albeit with more fury. Greece’s situation is not an isolated event, but a bellwether for the industrial world and beyond. The fallout…
