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The Catholic Left 45 Years Later

Ted Glick Ted Glick's Future Hope
John and Bonnie Raines played an active role in the Media action that uncovered the FBI Cointelpro files. That they were willing to take this risk even with their responsibilities as parents of three young children is very moving, very inspiring. They were clearly about a much higher responsibility to their children, the responsibility of providing an example of someone who is willing to take reasonable risks for justice, peace and the common good.

The Israel Boycott Movement and Controversy - Differing Views

Omar Barghouti; Linda Gordon; Robin D.G. Kelley; Sydney Lev
Debate over Israeli policy on settlements in the occupied lands;, the on-going discrimination against Palestinians and Jews of color within Israel; negotiations with the Palestinian state; and peace with Iran are now hot items on campuses, in academic organizations and within the Jewish community. While there are disagreements on the tactics of BDS, this debate and discussion should be welcomed. Here Portside presents four different views of the BDS campaign.

Tidbits - January 9, 2014

Portside
Reader Comments - Pardon for Snowden; BDS and Israel; Turkey; NAFTA; North Carolina; Bill de Blasio; John Handcox; Philadelphia schools; Art Spiegelman; Obamacare; Announcements - Memorial for Steve Kindred -NYC -Feb.8; Pete Seeger gets first Woody Guthrie Award -NYC - Feb.22; Student activists scholarships available; Preserve Mother Jones monument in Illinois; Save the Village photo exhibit -NYC; This week in history - largest slave revolt in U.S. history

I Wear the Badge of Socialist With Honor

Kshama Sawant The Nation
The full text of the new Seattle city council member's inauguration speech. Despite recent talk of economic growth, it has only been a recovery for the richest 1%, while the rest of us are falling ever farther behind. To begin to change all of this, we need organized mass movements of workers and young people, relying on their own independent strength. That is how we won unions, civil rights and LGBTQ rights.

Racism, Sexism, And The 50-Year Campaign To Undermine The War On Poverty

Igor Volsky Think Progress
Beginning in 1964 and stretching through today, conservative leaders systematically undermined the programs that shaped Johnson’s War on Poverty, frequently deploying racist and sexist arguments to take away public assistance from the poorest Americans. Their rhetoric didn’t directly undo these social programs, but it chipped away at their foundation and altered Americans’ perceptions about the proper role of government.

Koch-backed Political Coalition, Designed to Shield Donors, Raised $400 Million in 2012

By Matea Gold Washington Post
The resources and the breadth of the organization make it singular in American politics: an operation conducted outside the campaign finance system, employing an array of groups aimed at stopping what its financiers view as government overreach. Members of the coalition target different constituencies but together have mounted attacks on the new health-care law, federal spending and environmental regulations.

Profits Over Pupils: Philadelphia's True Priorities

George Bezanis From the Teacher's Desk
Should public school educators be as optimistic about the coming year as the rising stock prices of our numerous Fortune 500 corporations? Not so fast. As those entities earning record profits continue to shirk their responsibilities, the District is forced to balance its budget on the backs of the only individuals they have some sort of control over - their teachers.

How Seattle Elected a Socialist

Black Sheep - A Socialist Podcast
Socialists in Seattle: Kshama Sawant's Campaign Assistant Anh Tran interviewed by Andrew Sernatinger and Tessa Echeverria