Portside

Events appear to be moving toward a political solution to the East-West standoff over Ukraine. But as Clausewitz once noted: "Against stupidity, no amount of planning will prevail." Conn Hallinan looks at the possibility of a resolution to the standoff in Ukraine.

On March 28 Brooklyn rock band The Shondes were disinvited from the Washington Jewish Music Festival, at which they were scheduled to perform on June 2, due to band members' views on Israel and Palestine. Jewish groups are now asking artists: "On behalf of the Jewish people, are you now or have you ever been a signatory to a boycott of Israel?" Shondes members, singer Louisa Rachel Solomon and violinist Elijah Oberman, wrote this open letter in response.

If you want to understand why it's the case that on the one hand, the U.S. public and the majority of Congress turned against the war in Afghanistan a long time ago, and yet on the other hand, it's been so hard to end the war, this week's warmonger media storm against the diplomatic rescue of U.S. prisoner of war Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been very instructive.

Reader Comments - Edward Snowden, NSA and NBC; Police Crimes; U.S. Cuba Policy; Tiananmen Anniversary; Ralph Fasanella's Art; Prisons and Solidarity Confinement; Workers and Labor; Taxes and Economic Growth; Carbon Pollution; New Populism; Sexual Harassment; Sexual assault of women protestors in India; Les Orear - R.I.P.

Corporate interests have taken credit for reducing private-sector unions to a fraction of their former strength, and for eroding public-sector collective bargaining, especially since the 2010 “Tea Party midterms.” A resurgence in low-wage worker organizing, sparked by growing inequality in the United States, promises to help defend the rights—and paychecks—of vulnerable workers. But corporations and their paid shills aim to snuff out the movement before it catches fire.

From 1978 to 2011, Corporate CEO's pay rose 725%. The pay of workers rose 5.7% during that same period. Is there something wrong with this picture?

Workers, students, and other participants had the same goals in the spring of 1989. They all wanted the ruling Chinese Communist Party to open itself up to dialogue with society over issues of corruption, reform, rule of law, and citizens’ rights.

Even with the inflation of the 2013 school performance scores, RSD has no A schools and very few B schools. In fact, almost the entire RSD– which was already approx 90 percent charters– qualifies as a district of “failing” schools according to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s definition of “failing schools” as C, D, F schools and whose students are eligible for vouchers.

It is long past time to learn the lessons of World Wars I & II and of global warming which, more gradually than nuclear weapons, threatens the human and other species. The commitment to unending economic growth is killing the planet, and the competition for resources, markets and financial wealth is the driving force of military competition, arms races, and ultimately murderous war.

All great religions instruct their followers on how employers should treat their workers. Living wages are at the center of our deepest moral and faith traditions.