DOCSLIB.ORG

National ID Proposal Threatens Our Liberty from Heroes to Landfill

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
National ID Proposal Threatens Our Liberty from Heroes to Landfill VO L.111 NO. 9 DECEMBER 2001 50 CENTS IN THIS ISSUE National ID Proposal GE Continues to Resist Hudson River Cleanup Threatens Our Liberty Page 2 s President Bush prepared to sign the Patriot Act of 2001 into law in October, The People noted that provisions of the newly enacted law “expand previous federal encroachments on Union Boss Backs War A civil rights and liberties and further grease the skids toward a police state in the United With Pledge of Support States.” Given the post-Sept. 11 social environment in which Congress found it feasible to pass the Page 3 draconian act, Bush found it easy to hail its provisions as merely “new tools” to fight terrorism. Momentum now appears to be and updates wouldn’t be free). would be used by such a system. Li b - building for another “tool” that would On Sept. 27, a Bush administration erals like Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D- Edi t o r i a l— be very useful to a police state—a spokesman rejected the notion, claim- Calif.) and Harvard professor Al a n Hunger in America national identity (NID) card system. ing “We are not even considering the Dershowitz have also lent their sup- Page 4 Since Sept. 11 the public waters have idea.” But an Oct. 7 article in The New port to a NID system. been continuously plumbed for polit- York Tim e s noted that “at least one By the time this issue of The People ical support for a system of identifi- company that makes scanners has went to press, hearings on the subject Bin Laden Family ca tion similar to the worker ID or “in - reportedly said several federal agen- were being convened in the House, Cuts Its U.S. Financial Tie s ternal passport” systems that once bol- cies had been in touch about using the and a New York State antiterrorism st e r e d apartheid in South Africa, fas- devices in connection with ID cards.” committee had reportedly already call- Page 8 cism in Germany and bureaucratic By mid-October, Oracle’s Ellison ed for the creation of such a system. state despotism in the former Sovi e t said in an interview with the Me r c u r y No matter what the reason for a Union and its satellite nations. Ne w s that he had already “met with NID system—as a hedge against ter- Capitalists and their propaganda U.S. Attorney General John As h c r o f t rorism, crime, drugs, illegal immigra- SLP FINANCIAL CRISIS mills have had a field day with the and officials at the CIA and FBI in tion or merely against inefficiency in idea—in the name of antiterrorism. Washington, D.C....to discuss the distribution of government services, For ‘ Peace on Earth’ The week after the attack, the Pew idea.” On Nov. 8, according to a Re u t - all of which have been used as ratio- Research Center released poll results er s news report, the Bush administra- nales for various identification card “T o plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these that it claimed showed “seven of 10 ti o n ’ s special advisor on cyber-s e c u r i t y , schemes, workers should lend them things they misname empire; and when they Americans favored a requirement that Richard Clarke, conceded “that the no support. Whether the cards are for make a desert, they call it peace.”—Tac i t u s citizens carry a national identity ca r d administration doesn’t yet have a for- particular purposes—such as board- at all times to show a police officer mal position on the concept.” ing airplanes—or for universal identi- We are approaching that time of the year upon request.” A week later, a Ne w Others have jumped on the national fication, they cannot serve workers’ called the season of peace and good will. York Tim e s /CBS News poll reported ID card bandwagon—including, of in t e r e s t s . But the Christmas season changes nothing 56 percent supported the notion an d course, the CEOs of other companies Proponents claim that everyone will under the barbarous capitalist system. The a CNN/Tim e poll reported a similar that stand to gain financially if such a gain personal safety and security, spirit of peace and good will hailed in song figure. system is established in the United albeit with “a little less privacy.” But and story remains a fata morgana—a mirage That week also found Oracle soft- States. As a SiliconVal l e y .com article such schemes actually work to de c r e a s e that only conceals the source of violence ware chieftain Larry Ellison, as a Sa n headlined “Support Grows for Ellison’s individual security while doing noth- and destruction. We know this is true, des- Jose Mercury News report put it, National ID Card Proposal” put it, one ing to curb the activities of terrorists pite appearances and claims to the contrary. “calling for the United States to cre- estimate says “the U.S. government and criminals. Any NID card system It was certainly true during the violent and ate a national identification card sys- could end up spending more than $3 conceivable would do far more for cor- tumultuous 20th century, when “peace” was tem—and offering to donate the soft- billion on computer chips, hardware, porate bottom lines and the possibili- nothing but a brief hiatus between wars. ware to make it possible” (although software and services that go into cre- ties for police-state repression in the And it already seems that the 21st century he later admitted that maintenance ating so-called ‘smart’ ID cards” that (Continued on page 3) will bring more of the same. Nonetheless, preachers will chant about the peace that surpasses all understanding NEW YORK FIREFIGHTERS PROTEST (which “peace” certainly does under rapa- cious capitalism) and hold out the promise of rewards “in the hereafter.” From Heroes to Landfill Politicians will mouth pretty phrases By John-Paul Catusco workers who died on Sept. 11 would ute to their brave comrades has dried about the “peace” they are shaping, while Many Americans were shocked on be reduced to a token crew of 75: 25 up. “Yesterday my husband and his they go on creating and using deadly instru- No v . 2 by the images of New York City from the FDNY, 25 from the NYPD friends were heroes, today they’re land- ments of mass destruction. firefighters staging a massive and vio- and 25 from the Port Au t h o r i t y . These fill,” said Theresa Regan, the widow of The hired “opinion makers” of the capital- lent protest at “ground zero” in lower workers would not be taking a direct a missing firefighter. ist media will spin their yarns about the Manhattan. Most Americans were un - part in recovery efforts but would be The firefighters and their normally beauties of this monstrous war- and poverty- aware of the events of the previous day, waiting in holding pens for cranes to conservative union know this is the breeding system, while capitalism’s deadly which prompted the militant protest. dig up the bodies of their comrades. case. They know that Giuliani’s deci- fruits are being served up with increased A summary of those events follows: The cranes have been operating at sion to scale back the recovery opera- fury and frequency. On Nov. 1, Mayor Rudolph W. full speed and have sent the torsos of tion is not about safety concerns, as Reformers will wring their hands in des- Giuliani announced that more than several firefighters in dump trucks to the mayor and Fire Commissioner pair and blame their failures on the alleged $230 million worth of gold and silver the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Is- Thomas Van Essen have stated. It is “stupidity” and “blindness” of “the people,” bars that had been stored in a huge la n d . The speedup has disgusted the about money. the supposed object of their solicitude and bomb-proof vault owned by the Bank FDNY rank and file and other work- When firefighters went to the WTC affection. In truth, however, it is they who of Nova Scotia had been unearthed by ers everywhere. The speedup is part of site on Nov. 2, they were banned from have contributed to the evil by helping to recovery crews at the ruins of the Gi u l i a n i ’ s plan to have the site cleaned entering what to them is hallowed strengthen the cause that make the people World Trade Towers. Markets every- up before he leaves office to add anoth- ground. One of them punched a police what they are. As John Milton said: “Th e y where celebrated the news. er credit to his already inflated legacy. of f i c e r , but union officials were quick to who have put out the people’s eyes, reproach The bodies of five New York City On Nov. 2, the recording secretary for point out that most of the 18 firefight- them of their blindness.” firefighters were also recovered from the Uniformed Firefighters As s o c i a t i o n ers arrested (including five union offi- Shall we, then, despair of attaining peace, the rubble on Nov. 1 by their hard- (which represents New York City’s fire- cials) did nothing more than chant pl e n t y , and the liberty that can only fl o u r i s h working comrades at ground zero— fighters) said that when Giuliani said “U.S.A.” and cross a police barricade.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Americanism of Socialism
    University of Central Florida STARS PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements 1-1-1946 The Americanism of socialism Eric Hass Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/prism University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Book is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation Hass, Eric, "The Americanism of socialism" (1946). PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements. 524. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/prism/524 Socialism By ERIC HASS The Americanism of Socialism By Eric Hass Socialism is international. Yet, it i3 not un-American. Indeed, as this work by the Editor of the WEEKLY PEOPLE shows, the principles and aim of the genuine So- cialist movement are in complete harmony with the forward-looking traditions estab- lished by the rebels of 1776. Revolt against the tyranny of a foreign ruling class was American. Loyalty to a foreign king was un-American. Even the rcactionists of the present day are forced to admit that-in order to prove their "Americanism." 8Similarly, the Socialist demand for the end of modern capitalist despotism is American. The times call for it. The needs of the working class majority demand it. The threat of civilization's collapse makes it imperative. Read this pamphlet. It refutes a host of lies spread by the capitalists. It demon- strates that Socialist Industrial Unionism is the bearer of new freedom for the Amer- ican people.
    [Show full text]
  • By Eric Hass
    Fascism is Still a Menace! By Eric Hass Published Online by Socialist Labor Party of America www.slp.org June 2006 PUBLISHING HISTORY PRINTED EDITION .................................. December 1948 ONLINE EDITION ............................................ June 2006 NEW YORK LABOR NEWS P.O. BOX 218 MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94042-0218 http://www.slp.org/nyln.htm Foreword The title of this pamphlet, “Fascism is Still a Menace,” may be somewhat confusing to the superficial reader to whom fascism merely means the brutal dictatorships of which Hitler and Mussolini were the outstanding symbols. The popular conception of fascism is that it is a creation of evil, power-drunk men, and that it can be done away with by destroying the evil men. Hitler and Mussolini are destroyed — the particular despotisms symbolized by them are crushed, gone, as if they had never been. Yet, fascism is rampant in the modern world. Fascism, Nazism, call it what you will, is not the reflex of wicked, brutal and power- drunk individuals. Rather, it is the reflex of a dying social system, a system of society that can no longer operate under the old laws and rules normal to its existence. Fascism, in its recent and current manifestation, represents the almost instinctive effort of a society in a state of social dissolution to ward off social anarchy and complete social disintegration. Capitalism has long since reached the end of its normal development. Technologically it prepared society for the classless, stateless Socialist society of production for use. It has pointed the way to the transition from rotten-ripe, chaotic capitalism to the sane new order of Socialism; it organized the workers into industrial battalions, trained and drilled them for the exercise of industrial self- government, and laid the foundation and supplied the framework of the Socialist Industrial Republic.
    [Show full text]
  • W. Z. Foster--Renegade Or Spy?
    University of Central Florida STARS PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements 1-1-1932 W. Z. Foster--renegade or spy? Arnold Petersen Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/prism University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Book is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation Petersen, Arnold, "W. Z. Foster--renegade or spy?" (1932). PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements. 164. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/prism/164 NEW YORK-LABOR NEWS CO. NEW Y0RK.N.Y- < 9 W. 2, F-R- or Spy? Bgr AddPeteraen, The saarcbo--t mierobc m der the microscope. The careex of a ' sip- target. Bodd-D~mo- ctatic reformer day befare ywbr by; -fsr- -I ~;4*war~d kiBad d-an h&dgM; dnarmd ref+- to- day. 'J:--h - HEWS CO. ew York City W. Z. Foster-Renegade or Spy? BY ARNOLD PETERSEN With what knot shall I hold this Proteus who so of ten changes his countetlasce? Horace. 1982 NEW YORX MORNEWS CO. 46 Rose St,, New York City ma=' . The worker must one day capture political power in order to found the new organization of labor. He must reverse the old policy, which the old institutions maintain, if he will not, like the Christians of old who despised and neglected such things, renounce the things of this world. But we do not assert that the way to reach this goal is the same everywhere.
    [Show full text]
  • LP001061 0.Pdf
    The James Lindahl Papers Papers, 1930s-1950s 29 linear feet Accession #1061 OCLC # DALNET # James Lindahl was born in Detroit in 1911. He served as Recording Secretary for the UAW-CIO Packard Local 190 and edited its newspaper in the 1930s and 1940s. Mr. Lindahl left the local in 1951 feeling that the labor movement no longer had a place for him. He earned a Master's degree from Wayne State University in Sociology in 1954 and later earned his living as a self-employed publisher in the Detroit area in various fields including retail, banking, and medicine. The James Lindahl Collection contains proceedings, reports, newspaper clippings, and election information pertaining to the UAW-CIO and its Packard Local 190 from the 1930s into the early 1950s. It also contains Mr. Lindahl's graduate school papers on local union membership and participation. The collection also contains publications, including pamphlets, books, periodicals, flyers and handbills, from many organizations such as the UAW, CIO, other labor unions and organizations, and the U.S. government from the 1930s into the early 1950s. Important subjects in the collection: UAW-CIO Packard Local 190 Union political activities Union leadership Ku Klux Klan Union membership Packard Motor Car Company 2 James Lindahl Collection CONTENTS 29 Storage Boxes Series I: General files, 1937-1953 (Boxes 1-6) Series II: Publications (Boxes 7-29) NON-MANUSCRIPT MATERIAL Approximately 12 union contracts and by-laws were transferred to the Archives Library. 3 James Lindahl Collection Arrangement The collection is arranged into two series. In Series I (Boxes 1-6), folders are simply listed by location within each box.
    [Show full text]
  • The Old Order and the New
    THE OLD ORDER AND THE NEW By ARNOLD PETERSEN Published Online by Socialist Labor Party of America http://slp.org August 2007 The Old Order and the New By ARNOLD PETERSEN An address delivered before the Bulgarian Socialist Labor Federation Convention, Detroit, Michigan, December 27, 1941 “The chief business of statesmen,” remarked the reactionary Frenchman, Talleyrand, “is to find new names for old institutions, which, under their old names, have become odious to the public.” The old order of poverty amidst plenty, trade wars and military conflict, has become odious to the mass of impoverished mankind. Alive to this revulsion against things as they have been, rulers everywhere promise their exploited people a “new order.” In this document the “new order” of the rulers is subjected to a Marxian analysis and shown to be the dame old, obsolete system of private property and class rule camouflaged with glittering generalities. The New Order, the society of peace and abundance for all, in short, Socialism, is attainable. It is the mission of this pamphlet to illuminate that glorious goal and to point the way to the exploited workers for achieving it. The Old Order and the New By Arnold Petersen PUBLISHING HISTORY FIRST PRINTED EDITION .................. MARCH 1942 SECOND PRINTED EDITION ........ FEBRUARY 1944 ONLINE EDITION .............................. AUGUST 2007 Transcribed and edited by Robert Bills for the official website of the Socialist Labor Party of America www.slp.org NEW YORK LABOR NEWS P.O. BOX 218 MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94042-0218 Collectivism, deprived of the fundamental principles of fraternityCollectivism, and deprived self-government, of the fundamental is by the principles very nature of offraternity things a and liberty-sapping self-government, doctrine.
    [Show full text]
  • Americanism of Socialism
    ›- CC The CL Americanism CC of C=i Socialism C/) By ERIC HASS A`' cn The Americanism The Americanism of Socialism Of Socialism By Eric Hass Socialism is international. Yet, it is not en-American. Indeed, as this work by the Editor of the,WEEKLY PEO5g shows, the principles anraThVb1"thrsgeintine So- cialist movement are in complete harmony with the forward-looking traditions estab- lished by the rebels of 1776. Revolt against the tyranny of a foreign ruling class was American. Loyalty to a By foreign king was un-American. Even the reactionists of the present day are forced Eric 1-lass to admit that—in order to prove their "Americanism." Similarly, the Socialist demand for the end of modern capitalist despotism is American. The times call for it. The needs of the working class majority demand it. The threat of civilization's collapse makes it imperative. Read this pamphlet. It refutes a host of lies spread by the capitalists. It demon- strates that Socialist Industrial Unionism is the bearer of new freedom for the Amer- ican people. 48 pp.-5 cents 61 Cliff Street, New York City. 1942 NEW YORK LABOR NEWS COMPANY 61 C1i Street, New York, N.Y. (Printed in the United States of America.) CONTENTS Spurious vs. Genuine Americanism Hamiltonism vs. Jeffersonism 11 Free Speech—Weapon of Truth 16 Throttle Minorities at Your Peril! 20 Anti-Militarism—American Tradition 24 The Constitution and the Right to Revolution . .31 Industrial Feudalism or Industrial Democracy? .36 Twenaeth Century Democnacy 48 First Printing November 1941 Second Printing
    [Show full text]
  • 1916 — 14Th NATIONAL CONVENTION
    Fourteenth National Convention Socialist Labor Party April 29–May 2, 1916 Minutes, Reports, Resolutions, Etc. Published Online September 2011 Socialist Labor Party P.O. Box 218 Mountain View, CA 94042-0218 Proceedings of the 14th National Convention Socialist Labor Party April 29–May 2, 1916 World Building, Room 506, New York City MORNING SESSION, SATURDAY, APRIL 29 National Secretary Arnold Petersen opened the convention at 10 A.M. Temporary Organization Arthur E. Reimer of Massachusetts was elected temporary chair- man; Albert Schnabel of Wisconsin was elected temporary secretary; Donald Munro of Virginia was elected temporary vice-chairman. Chairman Reimer requested the delegates to rise in honor of our beloved Comrade De Leon, which request was cheerfully complied with. The Reception Committee of Section New York welcomed the dele- gates in the name of the Section. Credentials Committee The following Committee on Credentials was elected: Richard Koeppel of Ohio, Charles H. Seaholm of Scandinavian Federation of S.L.P., and William Cox of Missouri. A recess of 10 minutes was taken to await the report of the Creden- tials Committee. The Credentials Committee reported and recommended that the following delegates be seated: California: 1. Ernest Pfister; 2. Robert Roadhouse.1 Illinois: Frank Zermann. Indiana: John J. Burkhardt. Maryland: Worden H. Mills. Massachusetts: 1. Oscar Kinsalas; 2. Arthur Reimer. Michigan: Herman Richter. 1 The names of the California delegates were stricken because they did not attend the convention.—Secretary. Socialist Labor Party 2 www.slp.org FOUR TEENTH NATI ONAL CONVENTI ON Minnesota: Gerald J. Sherwood.1 Missouri: William H. Cox. New Jersey: 1.
    [Show full text]
  • By ARNOLD PETERSEN
    Reviling of the Great By ARNOLD PETERSEN Published Online by Socialist Labor Party of America www.slp.org January 2007 Reviling of the Great By Arnold Petersen The text of an address delivered at the Daniel De Leon Commemorative Meeting, New York City, December 14, 1947. PUBLISHING HISTORY PRINTED EDITION .......................................... June 1949 ONLINE EDITION ....................................... January 2007 NEW YORK LABOR NEWS P.O. BOX 218 MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94042-0218 http://www.slp.org/nyln.htm INTRODUCTORY “Audacter calumniare, semper aliquid haeret.”—Hurl your calumnies boldly; something is sure to stick. (Ancient Latin proverb.) Mr. Chairman, Comrades and Friends of the Socialist Labor Party: Once more we are gathered to commemorate the birthday of one of America’s great men, the outstanding social scientist and Marxian scholar, Daniel De Leon. In addressing you on this occasion it has seemed to me to be fitting to devote some time to a brief review of some of the trials and tribulations of this foremost twentieth-century Proletarian Emancipator, and to point to parallels of similar trials and tribulations in the lives of other great men who gave their all in the service of social progress and of mankind. In paying tribute to De Leon on these occasions, we do so, not merely out of reverence for a great and noble character, but above all because only in the principles and program of De Leon do we find the answer to the grave and throbbing social question of our age—the question that is really the crucial one in any age, and particularly in great social crises.
    [Show full text]
  • The Socialist Party in Dixie, 1892-1920
    University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1999 Rebels of the New South : the Socialist Party in Dixie, 1892-1920. Brad A. Paul University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Paul, Brad A., "Rebels of the New South : the Socialist Party in Dixie, 1892-1920." (1999). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 1269. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/1269 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REBELS OF THE NEW SOUTH: THE SOCIALIST PARTY IN DIXIE, 1892-1920 A Dissertation Presented by BRAD A. PAUL Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfilhnent of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY September 1999 The University of Massachusetts/Five College Graduate Program in History 1999 (£) Copyright by Bradley Alan Paul All Rights Reserved REBELS OF THE NEW SOUTH: THE SOCIALIST PARTY IN DIXIE, 1892-1920 A Dissertation Presented by BRAD A. PAUL Approved as to style and content by: Bruce Laurie, Chair Department of History To the Memory of Eva Florence Potts (1912-1998) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Over the past several years my personal and professional debts have far exceeded any reasonable line credit. of On so many occasions 1 have enjoyed the good fortune of being in the just the right place to benefit from the guidance and inspiration of a wonderful collection of friends, mentors, and colleagues.
    [Show full text]
  • Library of Social History Collection
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt900021c7 No online items Register of the Library of Social History Collection Finding aid prepared by Dale Reed Hoover Institution Archives 434 Galvez Mall Stanford University Stanford, CA, 94305-6010 (650) 723-3563 [email protected] © 2003, 2013, 2016 Register of the Library of Social 91004 1 History Collection Title: Library of Social History collection Date (inclusive): 1894-2000 Collection Number: 91004 Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Archives Language of Material: English Physical Description: 307 manuscript boxes, 2 card file boxes, 1 oversize boxes(158.2 linear feet) Abstract: Serial issues, pamphlets, leaflets, internal bulletins, other internal documents, and electoral and convention material, issued by Trotskyist groups throughout the world, and especially in the United States, Latin America and Western Europe, and including some materials issued by non-Trotskyist left-wing groups; speeches and writings by Fidel Castro and other Cuban leaders, and printed matter relating to Cuba, with indexes thereto; speeches and writings by Nicaraguan Sandinista leaders; and public and internal issuances of the New Jewel Movement of Grenada and its leaders, and printed and other material relating to the movement and its overthrow. Collected by the Library of Social History (New York City), an affiliate of the Socialist Workers Party of the United States. Does not include issuances of the Socialist Workers Party. Physical Location: Hoover Institution Archives creator: Library of Social History (New York, N. Y.) Access Collection is open for research. Publication Rights For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Archives. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Library of Social History collection, [Box no.], Hoover Institution Archives.
    [Show full text]
  • Labor Conscription Involuntary Servitude of Labor
    Labor Conscription Involuntary Servitude of Labor By Arnold Petersen and Eric Hass Published Online by Socialist Labor Party of America www.slp.org November 2006 Labor Conscription: Involuntary Servitude of Labor By Arnold Petersen and Eric Hass PUBLISHING HISTORY FIRST PRINTED EDITION ................. September 3, 1943 SECOND PRINTED EDITION .......... September 18, 1943 THIRD PRINTED EDITION ................... October 16, 1943 FOURTH PRINTED EDITION .............. January 15, 1945 ONLINE EDITION .................................... November 2006 NEW YORK LABOR NEWS P.O. BOX 218 MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94042-0218 http://www.slp.org/nyln.htm Labor Conscription Involuntary Servitude of Labor By Arnold Petersen ARNOLD PETERSEN (1885–1976) Here we stan’ on the Constitution, by thunder! It’s a fact o’ wich ther’s bushils o’ proofs; Fer how could we trample on’t so, I wonder, Ef ’t worn’t thet it’s ollers under our hoofs? —James Russell Lowell. I. DISTORTING DEMOCRACY. T IS AXIOMATIC that in times of extreme crises in class-ruled societies the conflicting interests of the classes are brought into sharp relief, the struggle is IIintensified, pretense is cast aside, and that which formerly was merely implicit in the reactionary proposals and measures sponsored by the ruling class is now being presented unblushingly, though, even so, the reaction may render the last tribute to the spirit of progress by applying nice-sounding phrases and terms to the reactionary proposals. And, of course, ruling class spokesmen are careful to make such proposals in the name of “the people,” “the people” obviously being “our very best people”—the 13 per cent who own 92 per cent of the country’s wealth.
    [Show full text]
  • 2002 50 CENTS in THIS ISSUE War on Terrorism Can’T Private Capital Eyes Workers’ Social Security Bring Lasting Peace Page 2 Ept
    Published by the Socialist Labor Party Established in l89l VOL.111 NO. 10 JANUARY 2002 50 CENTS IN THIS ISSUE War on Terrorism Can’t Private Capital Eyes Workers’ Social Security Bring Lasting Peace Page 2 ept. 11 has been described as a turning point in the history of Sthe world. We are not the same Health Care Benefits today as we were before the terrible Louis Fisher Pounded by Layoffs events of that day. 1913–2001 Page 3 No doubt the perception most work- Louis Fisher, presidential candidate ing-class Americans have of the world of the Socialist Labor Party in 1972, has undergone dramatic changes Editorial — died on Nov. 28 following a lengthy ill- since Sept. 11. The ancient concept of ness. Military Tribunals a “fortress America” impregnably shel- Fisher was born in Baltimore, Md., in Page 4 tered behind the breadth of oceans 1913. His parents moved to Chicago finally went the way of its former jus- while he was still a child, but stayed tification. However, no great grasp of only a few years before moving on to A Picture of history or of modern technology is Chicago, where he graduated from Socialist Government needed to understand why the mate- Riverside High School in 1931. He joined Section Milwaukee in 1935 when Page 8 rial foundation that once propped up he was 22. that idea had dissolved decades ago. Fisher was the SLP candidate for governor of Wisconsin in 1940. Soon Now we know that Sept. 11 was thereafter, however, he moved to Chicago and transferred to Section episodic rather than epochal.
    [Show full text]