_Strange and desperate attempt to divide growing union movement _
On March 3, notorious right-wing FOX TV personality Glenn Beck launched a 12-minute attack against Fight Back! News, the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and many individual labor and anti-war activists associated with these projects. The purpose of his attack was to try to sow division among the many forces that have united in Wisconsin to boldly fight back against the anti-union agenda of Governor Scott Walker.
Editor’s note: A flood of commentaries are appearing in the press to mark the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan. The following is an editorial evaluating the Reagan legacy that we published in 2004.
On Friday, April 23rd, Republican Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona signed SB1070. This law makes it a crime to be an undocumented immigrant and requires police to stop and arrest people who they suspect of being undocumented. While the law will not go into effect for more than three months, some police and sheriffs in Arizona are already stopping and arresting Latinos, including native-born citizens.
En el primer año de la nueva administración hubo cambio pero no progreso
Hace un año, los chicanos, mexicanos y centroamericanos celebraron el fin de ocho años de la administración de Bush. Además de lanzar dos guerras y provocar la mayor crisis financiera desde la Gran Depresión, la administración de Bush intensificó la represión contra los inmigrantes. Las redadas y deportaciones de los obreros por el Servicio de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) se duplicó, y luego se duplicó nuevamente con Bush. El gobierno de Bush implementó el programa conocido como 287(g), en el que ICE trabaja junto con la policía local y permite que racistas como el alcalde Joe Arpaio de Arizona hostigue a los chicanos, mexicanos y centroamericanos. La ley de octubre de 2006 “Secure Fence Act” intensificó la militarización de la frontera con México, contribuyendo a la muerte de más inmigrantes intentando entrar a los Estados Unidos.
March 8, 2010 will mark 100 years of International Women’s Day. Around the world people will celebrate the contributions of women in the movements to end inequality and exploitation, to insist on the complete liberation of women and to look forward to the day when oppression of all kinds has become a thing of the past.
_Year One of the New Administration Saw Change but not Progress _
One year ago Chicanos, Mexicanos and Central Americans celebrated the end of the eight years of Bush administration. In addition to launching two wars and ushering in the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression, the Bush administration stepped up repression against immigrants. Raids and deportations of workers by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) doubled, redoubled and then doubled again under Bush. The Bush administration implemented the notorious 287(g) program, where ICE teamed up with local police and sheriffs allowed racists such as Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio to harass Chicanos, Mexicanos and Central Americans. The October 2006 “Secure Fence Act” stepped up the militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border, contributing to the deaths of more and more immigrants trying to enter the United States.
In September of 2008 the New York Federal Reserve gave the U.S. insurer American International Group (AIG) an $85 billion loan as part of the bailout of Wall Street. The NY Fed told AIG to pay big banks in full the $62 billion AIG owed for credit default swaps. In addition, the NY Fed told AIG not to tell the public how much they owed or who they were paying off. The government bailout of AIG has been increased three times since then and now totals more than $180 billion.
En todo el país, mas trabajadores estamos perdiendo nuestros trabajos y nuestras casas. Cada semana, la cantidad de personas que llegan al fin de sus beneficios del desempleo crece. En cada estado, están cortando los presupuestos de las escuelas publicas y los programas que sirven a los pobres y a los trabajadores. La salud esta en crisis y el congreso esta debatiendo un rescate para las corporaciones de seguro medico. Las nacionalidades oprimidas – la gente afro-americana, los chicano y latinos, los asiáticos y los nativo-americanos son los mas fuertemente golpeados por la crisis económica.
La Organización Socialista del Camino de Libertad denuncia la escalada de la guerra sangrienta e injusta estadounidense en Afganistán. Condenamos la decisión por la Casa Blanca y el Pentágono para la ‘oleada’ de mas de 30.000 fuerzas de EE.UU. y la OTAN en Afganistán en un intento de estabilizar un régimen fallado de la ocupación.
Across the country, more working people are losing our jobs and our homes. Each week, the ranks of those running out of our unemployment benefits grow. In every state, public schools and programs that serve poor and working people are being cut. Health care is in crisis and congress is debating another bailout for the insurance companies. Oppressed nationality – Black, Chicano, Latino, Asians and Native Americans – are hit the hardest by the economic crisis.
Freedom Road Socialist Organization denounces the escalation of the bloody and unjust U.S. war in Afghanistan. We condemn the decision made by the White House and Pentagon to ‘surge’ over 30,000 U.S. and NATO forces into Afghanistan in an attempt to stabilize a failing occupation regime.
In September, the U.S. government released its annual report on health insurance coverage, showing a continuing decline in private health insurance and the huge number of people who had no health insurance for all of 2008. That same month Democratic senators released their proposal for health insurance 'reform.' However, this proposal could end up as more of a bailout of the for-profit health insurance corporations than a solution to people's health care needs. The best solution for working people, a government run, single-payer health insurance program, was endorsed by the AFL-CIO national convention in September. But this single-payer health insurance plan has been largely excluded from the health care debate by the Obama administration and the corporate media.
La Organización Socialista Camino de Libertad (Freedom Road Socialist Organization) lamenta el fallecimiento del líder palestino Yacer Arafat (1929 – 2004). Expresamos nuestro pesar por la sensible perdida de un luchador por la libertad que trabajo incansablemente por la emancipación de Palestina.
We are saddened by the death of Manuel Marulanda, commander in chief of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP). At the same time, we are inspired by the powerful example of his life and work. Marulanda embodied the struggle of the Colombian people for national liberation and socialism. He was both a Colombian patriot and an internationalist – a persistent advocate for a united Latin America free from domination by U.S. imperialism. Marulanda was a Great Liberator, in the tradition of the Simon Bolivar.
!["Tax the rich" protest in Minnesota.](https://i.snap.as/K4EGkIJq.jpg "\\"Tax the rich\\" protest in Minnesota. \(Fight Back! News\)")
![La manta proclama "EEUU fuera de Afganistan ya!"](https://i.snap.as/XURFlM4a.jpg "La manta proclama \\"EEUU fuera de Afganistan ya!\\" \(Lucha y Resiste\)")