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After Defeating Democrats, Will Ohio Unionists Form a New Labor Party?

Amien Essif In These Times
Whether the split between labor and the Democratic Party in Ohio is temporary or permanent, the ongoing peace talks between the Democrats and labor leaders haven’t quelled labor’s urge to become the dominant political force in the county. Activists are aware that labor support for an independent mayoral candidate in 2015 could burn another bridge back to the Democratic Party.

Tidbits - October 9, 2014

Portside
Reader Comments - Towards a Socialist America; War on the Islamic State; Ferguson New Voter Registration; Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism; Economy - Still Failing; People's Climate March; War and Climate Change; Berkeley Free Speech Movement; Crime Fiction; Work, Leisure, & Consumption; Israel 'Blacklist'; An Israel Equal for All; Importance of Brazil's Elections; Announcements - Race, Policing & Civil Rights-Oct 14; Paint the Town Red-Oct 22-both Brooklyn

The Rules - Making Sense of Race and Privilege

Lawrence Otis Graham Princeton Alumni Weekly
Herein lay the difference between my son's black childhood and my own. Not only was I assaulted by the n-word so much earlier in life - at age 7, while visiting relatives in Memphis - but I also had many other experiences that differentiated my life from the lives of my white childhood friends. There was no way that they would "forget" that I was different. The times, in fact, dictated that they should not forget; our situation would be unavoidably "racial."

BRICS and the SCO: Let A Thousand Poles Bloom

Conn M. Hallinan International Policy Digest
BRICS and the SCO are the two largest independent international organizations to develop over the past decade. What role these new organizations will play internationally is not clear. Certainly sanction regimens will be harder to maintain because the SCO and the BRICS create alternatives. South Africa, for instance, announced that it would begin buying Iran oil in the next few months, an important breach in the sanctions against Iran.

Run, Karen, Run! - Chicago Teachers Union leader Karen Lewis is eyeing Mayor Emanuel's job

Gary Younge The Nation
Rahm Emanuel is vulnerable. True, he cleared the snow in the winter, the Chicago equivalent of making the trains run on time. But beyond that, his neoliberal policies have made him a lot of enemies. The ramifications of an Emanuel defeat go beyond Chicago. He has been central to the Democratic Party's rightward swing since the Clinton years. The potential for a Lewis victory is as yet unclear. The election is just five months away - she has yet to declare her candidacy.

Voter Suppression - 2014

Dr. Julianne Malveaux, PhD, BC Editorial Board Black Commentator
Voter suppression is not new. We've seen grandfather clauses, poll taxes, and literacy tests as historical barriers to the vote. Now, we see a reduction in voter flexibility, with more ID requirements, fewer early voting days, and stricter rules about voter registration.

Silicon Valley, Meet Organized Labor

Kevin Roose New York Magazine
After a long absence organized labor is attempting to unionize workers in Silicon Valley. The teamsters have aimed their campaign Facebook drivers. Previous campaigns in 1992 and 2008 ended in failure.

Humpty-Dumpty and the Fall of Berlin's Wall

By Victor Grossman Portside
Did East Germany fall because it was totally foul? Was it given an outside push or two? And did that downfall represent simply the glorious revolution of a folk yearning for freedom - or is the matter more complicated? This is still very relevant, for many similar uprisings have since occurred - and are still occurring.