The Threat Heard Round the World

Jesse Jackson has got to be the boldest left wing politician in the US, not that that is saying much in the larger scheme of things, but I am still very proud. Consider his statements on his current visit to Venezuela regarding US policy towards Chavez's government and comments by the likes of Pat Robertson.

"We must make it clear that talk of isolating Venezuela, talk of assassinating its leader, this is unacceptable, and it must be denounced roundly by our president and by our secretary of state," Jackson told The Associated Press in an interview shortly before meeting Chavez.

-and-

"The Pat Robertson statement was the threat that was heard around the world," Jackson said. "It reinforces ancient fears because the U.S. has had a policy of eliminating leaders in this region, in Guatemala, in Chile."

Don't forget El Salvador and Panama, to name a few (more), Jesse!

It is refreshing to see Jackson continue to take a strong left of center position (as I have previously highlighted) and renews my faith in a Socialist revival in the US.

CAFTA 15

Working Life blog has an ongoing section on the CAFTA 15, the fifteen Democrats who voted in favor of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, to the detriment of working people everywhere and specifically their own constituents.

Worth Watching

The always excellent blog Working Life posted this yesterday. Perhaps many have already seen this, but if not please view it and sign the petition.

http://afsc.org/iraq/movie.htm

Wobblies! A Graphic History

This week, In These Times brought to my attention this gem, check it out:

A vibrant history in graphic art of the “Wobblies,” published for the centenary of the founding of the Industrial Workers of the World.

The stories of the hard-rock miners’ shooting wars, young Elizabeth Gurly Flynn (the “Rebel Girl” of contemporary sheet music), the first -sit-down strikes and Free Speech fights, Emma Goldman and the struggle for birth control access, the Pageant for Paterson orchestrated in Madison Square Garden, bohemian radicals John Reed and Louise Bryant, field-hand revolts and lumber workers’ strikes, wartime witch hunts, government prosecutions and mob lynching, Mexican-American uprisings in Baja, and Mexican peasant revolts led by Wobblies, hilarious and sentimental songs created and later revived—all are here, and much, much more.

The IWW, which has been organizing workers since 1905, is often cited yet elusive to scholars because of its eclectic and controversial cultural and social character. Wobblies! presents the IWW whole, scripted and drawn by old-time and younger Wobbly and IWW-inspired artists.

Order your copy today! I know I am going to!

www.versobooks.com

Protesters Murdered During Anti-Pollution Demonstration

Brother Sean over at To The Barricades brings us this news:

"Cuzco, Peru - Thousands of protesters have occupied the British-run Rio Blanco copper project in an effort to close down the operation. Police have killed seven of the demonstrators while trying to drive them from their positions. Another 40 people were injured, six or eight are missing, and 32 were arrested. One police officer was shot and injured when his wrested from him. Area residents have demanded that the London based Monterrico Metals to abandon the site after they polluted area streams with toxic chemicals and in the process destroyed people's farm land. Both the Peruvian Government and the Catholic Church are attempting to end the disruption through negotiations. The mine managers say that they do not have any plans to leave the site and plan to make it the second largest mine in the country." - Original article at: Bombs and Shields

López Obrador Launches Mexico Presidency Bid

On Friday, Andres Manuel López Obrador stepped down as Mayor of Mexico City. After months of fighting charges trumped up by the Fox government to disallow López Obrador from participating as a candidate in the 2006 presidential elections, the highly regarded social democratic populist was cleared and allowed to seek the office.

Read more at the Uncapitalist Journal

Hugo Chavez Says CAFTA Is 'Perverse'

The AP brings us this story:

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez criticized a trade deal that eliminates barriers between the United States and Central American countries, calling it a misguided deal that will harm the region's small economies.

Chavez, a frequent critic of the U.S. government, also said he had read reports of President Bush "putting money in circulation to buy votes and to blackmail, through the so-called (U.S.) intelligence agencies, to approve an initiative which is perverse."

More...

CAFTA should be yet another wakeup call to the masses the bourgeious democracy does not and CANNOT take into account the voice of the majority. It is a government of the business, by the business, and for the business.

Massive worker protests across Central America were supressed, sometimes violently. Guatemala has seen demonstrators killed, wounded and beaten by police officers (more...). In El Salvador, riot police attacked a student protest in San Salvador on July 5, seriously injuring several demonstrators, in a country with a less than stellar human rights record.

In the US, many Democrats and Republicans who claim to represent the working people of their districts voted to approve CAFTA (for a list, check here...), even after seeing how NAFTA has destroyed working class jobs and made manufacturing in the US a dream of the past. The US labor movement stood firm in its opposition to CAFTA and let Congress know, to no avail. Note also that there was a a lot of horse trading on the Republican side. Several Republicans were able to save face by voting no to CAFTA, but only after the party leadership was able to ensure that the deal, er legislation, would go through. These politicians do not represent the people.

Chavez calls it right - this trade pact is truely 'perverse.'