A mistaken and illegal war: US soldier refuses to go to AFGHANISTAN

By aporrea.org, RNV Published 14 AUG 09

Sergeant Travis Bishop, from Fort Hood, Texas 15 AUG 2009 - A US Sergeant refused to go to Afghanistan, because he considers it a mistaken and illegal war. Sergeant Travis Bishop, from Fort Hood, Texas, joined another soldier of the same rank who refused to go to Afghanistan. Bishop, who spent 13 months in Iraq, was inspired by Sergeant Víctor Agosto, who previously had refused to go to that war in the central Asian nation. "The morale of our troops is low; many soldiers go to war because of money or being forced to do so, but not because of patriotism," Sergeant Bishop said. James Branum, the lawyer defending these soldiers, also stated his position and indicated that the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan is immoral and illegal. According to US Department of Defense figures, desertions in the US armed forces have increased by 80% in recent years.

Remember Hiroshima, Remember Vietnam: Democratic Party, we know which side you're on!

The key to understanding contemporary "leftist" politicians like the contemptible thug Chavez or his fellow pro-capitalist "progressives," like Lula or Evo Morales, is grasping the truth that those clowns are in power to prevent fundamental social change, not lead it. This is immediately obvious in Venezuela, where Chavez has been in power for over ten years, and the country is *still* a market economy, still a place where impoverished workers are exploited by fat cats, just as they are in Brazil and Bolivia.

The election of charlatans like Chavez, or our own two-faced liar Obama, who campaigned against "Don't ask, don't tell" and against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), but, as President, sends his "Justice" Department lawyers to intervene in defense of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and DOMA, shows that "democratic" elections under capitalist rule are meaningless: working people vote for "progressives" or "leftists" who, once in power, invariably, and usually immediately, betray those that supported them.

A corollary of this truth is that, in the US, at least, all existing "social movememts" are simply extensions of the Democratic Party, and the real purpose of those "movements" is **not** fundamental change, but merely guaranteeing the re-election of Democratic Party hacks. An outfit called MERI, allegedly in favor of marriage equality for gay people in Rhode Island, recently used its blog to praise Bill Clinton, the Democratic Party politician who instituted "Don't ask, don't tell" and signed DOMA into law, and then boasted about that on Christian radio.

If MERI really wanted to win marriage equality, it would have to confront the homophobic Democratic Party of Bill Clinton, John Kerry, John Edwards, Obama (all of them opposed to gay marriage) and their fellow bigoted hacks; in the same way, if the "antiwar" movement were really about ending US aggression in the Middle East, that "movement," which disappears every other year, so as not to get in the way of Obama and the other pro-war Democrat multi-millionaires, would have oppose the Congressional Democrats, who go on appropriating tens of billions to ensure that the US military can continue to slaughter vast numbers of Muslims in the Mid-East. Of course, the "anti-war" "movement," being completely invertebrate, and utterly subservient to its masters in the Democratic Party, will never confront anything. It's just there to raise money for Democrat politicians and provide them with a platform for their lies, like Obama's promise to withdraw from Iraq. The bottom line is, the Democrats are an awful big part of the reason why there is never fundamental change in the US.

The only thing that counts is class struggle, independent action by workers in our own interests. Everything else, like elections or the 100% bullshit, Democrat-owned "movements" is just a swindle and a trap for hard-working proles like us. -- Yosef M

U.S. loses equivalent of every job created in decade

[More change under Obama -- YM]

U.S. loses equivalent of every job created in decade

By Alia McMullen, Financial Post

Published: Thursday, July 02, 2009

The U.S. economy has lost the equivalent of every job created in the past nine years.

All job growth since the final year of the dot-com bubble, its recovery from the bust, and the ensuing six years of consumer-driven boom is now gone, leading some economists to fear an outright decline in wages will be next. Others believe the United States is on track for a painful "jobless recovery."

"This is the only recession since the Great Depression to wipe out all jobs growth from the previous business cycle, a testament both to the enormity of the current crisis and to the extreme weakness of jobs growth over the business cycle from 2000 to 2007," said Heidi Shierholz, an economist at Washington-based think tank The Economic Policy Institute. "It is apparent that, despite the substantial positive impact of the February recovery package, the economy's dramatic deterioration from November to March was even greater than anticipated."

Non-farm employment fell for the 18th consecutive month in June, dropping by a worse-than-expected 467,000, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures showed Thursday. The decline marked the longest run of job destruction in the post World War II period.

Since the recession began in December 2007, the jobs market has shrunk by 6.5 million positions, pushing the unemployment rate up 4.6 percentage points to 9.5% -- the highest rate since 1981. Nine million part-time workers are in want of full-time jobs, and a record 29% of unemployed have been jobless for more than six months ....

Read the whole story at <http://www.financialpost.com/working/story.html?id=1752178>

Milwaukee USA— College students support UE strikers

[From Fight Back News]

Milwaukee students support UE strikers

Members of Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) demonstrated June 23 in front of the downtown Wells Fargo building after UE Workers at Quad City Die Casting in Moline, Illinois called for a national day of action to be held outside Wells Fargo banks nationwide.

Kas Schwerdtferger, an SDS member at the rally, said, "As students, we know it's important to show support for workers fighting for their jobs. We're in this economic crisis together and are ready to do whatever it takes to fight back against unjust cuts."

Milwaukee SDS is prepared to support these workers in whatever actions are called.

Union supporters take anti-corporate action in CHICAGO

NEXT REPUBLIC: Solidarity with UE Workers at Quad City Die Casting
June 23, 2009

Over 75 supporters of UE members at QCDC marched on Wells Fargo Home Mortgage on North Avenue in Chicago, IL. Protesters cordoned off the area with crime scene tape, accusing Wells Fargo of JOBicide and HOMEicide. Wells Fargo, in addition to foreclosing on the homes of thousands of families nation-wide, is cutting financing to small businesses like Quad City Die Casting, leaving hundreds of workers unemployed. Protesters drew chalk outlines of workers affected by the bank's actions. Union members from SEIU Local 73, Teamsters Local 743, UFCW Local 881, The Graduate Employee Organization at UIC, AFSCME DC 31 and others came out to show support. Support also came from Chicago Jobs With Justice, ARISE Chicago, Interfaith Worker Justice, South Austin Coalition, Immigrant Solidarity DuPage and many others.

Photos of the union backers' action against Wells Fargo are at:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=89024&id=90707982093&ref=nf

Shout it from the rooftops! Workers in IRAN support the mass movement against Ahmadinejad!!

Reports on the web indicate that on Thursday, June 18, the Vahed Bus Drivers union, representing one of the most combative groups in the workers' movement in Iran, issued a statement in support of the mass movement. This union statement recognizes “the magnificent demonstration of millions of people from all ages, genders, and national and religious minorities in Iran” and states clearly that “the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company fully supports this movement of Iranian people to build a free and independent civil society and condemns any violence and oppression.”

In addition, workers at the gigantic Khodro auto factory, the biggest in the Middle East, having almost 100,000 workers, took action on Thursday, June 18, in support of the mass movement. The striking autoworkers' statement follows:

“We declare our solidarity with the movement of the people of Iran.

“Autoworker, Fellow Laborers (Laborer Friends): What we witness today, is an insult to the intelligence of the people, and disregard for their votes, the trampling of the principles of the Constitution by the government. It is our duty to join this people's movement.

“We the workers of Iran Khodro, Thursday 28/3/88 in each working shift will stop working for half an hour to protest the suppression of students, workers, women, and the Constitution and declare our solidarity with the movement of the people of Iran. The morning and afternoon shifts from 10 to 10:30. The night shift from 3 to 3:30.

“Laborers of Iran Khodro”

Thus, class-consicous workers in Iran have answered all those who claim the heroic mass movement in that country is somehow a result of imperialist manipulation. -- Yosef M

Once again, Chávez embraces Ahmadinejad

[From www.presstv.ir]

Chavez congratulates Ahmadinejad

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:22:33 GMT

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File photo of the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (L) and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has congratulated his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the success of his re-election bid, in yesterday's poll.

In a telephone conversation with the Iranian president, Chavez said, "The victory of Dr. Ahmadinejad in the recent election is a win for all people in the world and free nations against global arrogance," Iran's Presidential Office reported. Chavez usually uses the term "global arrogance" to refer to Venezuela's arch-foe the United States.

The call came after preliminary results were announced by the Interior Ministry saying that Iran's incumbent president has won a landslide victory, gaining more than 64 percent of the votes.

Chavez also noted that the Venezuelan people and government always stand behind the Iranians.

In his reply, Ahmadinejad said that, "Despite all pressures, the nation of Iran had completely won (the election) and indeed this victory shows the clear road for the future.”

Before the start of the election too, the socialist leader had wished Ahmadinejad good luck in his re-election bid.

Speaking to supporters Thursday, Chavez called the Iranian president "a courageous fighter for the Islamic Revolution, the defense of the Third World, and in the struggle against imperialism.”