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A Force Unto Itself: A Military Leviathan Has Emerged as America’s 51st and Most Powerful State

William J. Astore TomDispatch
From retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel William Astore, a powerful portrait of how, in the decades after the Vietnam War, a post-democratic U.S. military became a reality and of the kind of permanent war making it freed Washington to be involved in. It couldn’t be a more vivid account of the ways in which such a military encouraged privatization, cashing in, and secrecy as a way of life and how that way of life rose to such prominence and power in Washington.

Berry Farmworkers Toil 12 Hours A Day For $6. Now They’re Demanding A Raise.

Esther Yu-Hsi Lee ThinkProgress
For the past three years activists have been fighting hard for unionization efforts for farmworkers supplying berries for Driscoll’s in the United States and in Mexico. In 2014, workers in Washington state went on strike after complaining that the piece-rate wage was set too low. Sakuma Farms allegedly brought in hundreds of guest workers under a H-2A visa program to replace the strikers, The Progressive reported.

New Labor's Debt to Saul Alinsky?

Mike Miller CounterPunch
Jane McAlevey is a union organizer and a critic of what is generally thought of as the U.S. “labor reform” movement. In this review of her article, I separate her criticism of labor—which I think has merit—from its attribution to Saul Alinsky—which I find without merit.

The Powerpuff Girls Are Back - And Their Timing Is Perfection

K.M. MCFARLAND Wired
Upending the patriarchy was always a part of Powerpuff storylines, as trio demolished villain after cackling villain en route to saving the bumbling Mayor of Townsville (voiced by Tom Kenny). That’s not going to change. If anything, the new series will go further, providing commentary both nostalgic Millennials and younger viewers can grok.

The U.S. Working Class - Two Quick Snapshots

Robert E. Scott and David Cooper / Cherrie Bucknor and Dean Economic Policy Institute
1) Still Working Hard: An Update on the Share of Older Workers in Physically Demanding Jobs 2) Almost Two-Thirds of People in the Labor Force Do Not Have A College Degree

How Montanans Stopped the Largest New Coal Mine in North America

Nick Engelfried Waging Nonviolence
The coming together of ordinary people — first in southeast Montana, then an ever-growing number of communities throughout the Northwest —to oppose the Otter Creek mine says much about how land defenders and climate activists are learning to fight back against the planet’s biggest energy companies. The roots of this recent victory go back more than 30 years.

The CTU’s Strike for Democracy

Lois Weiner Jacobin
The Chicago Teachers Union’s strike today is a challenge to the rest of labor to break anti-union rules.

Not Chicago 1968, but Berlin 1932; 2016 is Unique

Robert J. S. Ross; response by Ethan Young The American Prospect
If left leaning activists are serious about their characterization of Trump as a fascist, then they better get serious about the problem of unity...For better or worse, this is not Germany 1932, nor is it Nixon vs Humphrey in 1968. 2016 is unique. There is a political crisis, but nothing like the end of the Weimar Republic. To begin with, it's a stretch to compare the 2016 race to Germany 1932.