Glenn Beck Calls Unemployed “Un-American”

www.peoplesworld.org August 27, 2010

Glenn Beck calls unemployed “un-American”

By Pepe Lozano

ccording to Glenn Beck the nations to military families. 1.4 million Americans who have been The controversial talk show host said it was out of work more than 99 weeks are “a “divine providence” that the rally happens to be A bunch of un-American losers.” scheduled on the anniversary of King’s famous Beck went on tirade this week against people speech. who can’t find work and feed their families. However civil rights groups and social justice “I’d bet you’d be ashamed to call them Ameri- activists are denouncing Beck’s event and ques- cans,” said Beck on his conservative talk show. tion his motives for choosing the date. The date “Go out and get a job. You may not love the of King’s speech is historically symbolic of the na- job. Work at McDonalds. Work two jobs... two tion’s civil rights movement, they add. And Beck’s years is plenty of time to have lived off your neigh- bor’s wallet,” he said. t h i s w e e k : Beck went on say jobless workers are “anti- capitalist and socialist.” • Glenn Beck calls unemployed “un-American” Critics note Beck’s anti-worker rhetoric is • Editorial: 90 years of women’s suffrage simply ignorant and unequivocally misguided. • Record jobless numbers trigger new alarm Beck is planning an August 28th “Restoring • Trabajadores no sindicalizados van a la huelga Honor” rally, with Sarah Palin among the scheduled speakers that will take place on the steps • Disabled student sues Special Olympics of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., 47 read more news and opinion daily at www.peoplesworld.org years to the day after Martin Luther King Jr. deliv- ered his “I Have a Dream” speech there. Beck claims he was unaware of the King an- comments in the past are consistently disingenu- niversary. ous and racially insensitive, activists note. In November he announced plans to reveal a In 2009 Beck said President Obama harbors “100 year plan for America” at the Lincoln Memo- “a deep-seated hatred for white people or white rial. More recently he said the August 28th event culture.” is to restore the country’s “values” and pay tribute Prior to Beck’s announcement of his rally,

Page 1 civil rights groups had been planning marches U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is and demonstrations the same day. among some of the participants scheduled to be Marc Morial, president of the National Urban present.“For Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin to have League recently said August 28th is a special day a march, they have the right to do so,” said Sharp- NAACP President for all America.“It is a day that means something ton. Benjamin Jealous said in American history because it was the demon- Meanwhile NAACP President Benjamin Jeal- his group along with stration in the United States in support of civil ous said his group along with 200 others is plan- 200 others is planning rights,” Morial said to the Washington Post. ning a major jobs rally at the nations capital on a major jobs rally at Beck’s plans are “an effort to embarrass and Oct. 2 “to pull America back together and put the nations capital on poke a finger in the eye of the civil rights commu- America back to work.”Jealous notes, “On that Oct. 2. nity because Glenn Beck and his public utterances day we will reflect Dr. King’s true legacy and his don’t necessarily demonstrate a consistency with determination to eliminate poverty, racism and the vision of King,” he added. hatred in all forms,” he said.Some organizations Rev. Al Sharpton is one of the civil rights are staging “counter-events” against Beck’s rally leaders helping to organize a march to commemo- on the Mall Aug. 28th including a grass-roots rate King’s legacy. Sharpton said Beck’s counter network of artists, community organizers and rally contradicts what King truly stood for. social activists calling themselves “Celebrate the Sharpton said the planning of his “Reclaim Dream.” As a memorial to King an original 77 feet the Dream Rally” began in April and will consist wide and 37 feet tall sculpture is expected to be of a march and rally at the King memorial on the unveiled, artists say. Mall. The event is being supported by the NAACP, the Urban League and Martin Luther King III. Pepe Lozano writes for the People’s World.

90 years of women’s suffrage

By PW Editorial Board

xactly 90 years ago women finally won victories. the right to vote. Of course, as is the case with all But there is still more to be done; the struggle E rights, suffrage wasn’t won by waiting is far from over. Women still earn less than 80 As always, the for those in power to grant it. Without the de- cents for each dollar men make on average, and fight for women’s cades of struggle that women and their male allies also face hurdles men don’t even need to consider. rights is the fight waged, the right would not have been won. The Women are still bravely leading the fight for- for all rights. first women’s suffrage convention, a regional af- ward and they have an ally in the White House, fair of 240 women and men in Seneca Falls, New President Barack Obama, who signed the Lily York, took place more than 70 years prior. Ledbetter Fair Pay Act almost immediately upon Even after the success of Seneca Falls, the fu- entering office. ture of the fight was far from certain. As always, the fight for women’s rights is the Quite obviously, we’ve made progress; wom- fight for all rights, something recognized long en occupy positions near the top of the political ago. Sojourner Truth connected the fight against ladder: While we still have yet to see a female slavery to the fight for women’s equality, and the president, we did see, for the first time in 2008, convention resolved that “the trampled women of a woman leading the ticket of a major political the plantation” deserved the same rights that the party, and both the Secretary of State and Speaker women of the convention were demanding of the House of Congress are women. Women, We celebrate all the achievements women because they fought and continue to fight, have have made, and look forward to celebrating future made huge strides forward in the workplace. They victories. have many times led union struggles and won big

www.peoplesworld.org Page 2 Record jobless numbers trigger new alarm

By John Wojcik

espite economic forecasts to the con- trary jobless claims rose last week by 12,000 to 500,000, the third straight D weekly increase and the first time in nine months that they hit the half-million mark. Economists say the figures, released Thurs- day, indicate the pace of firing and layoffs is in- creasing and show that either the economic “re- covery” has stalled or that the Great Recession could be headed for a “double dip.” This week’s news was particularly gruesome, not only because of rising unemployment but also because jobless numbers never fell low enough for a period of job creation to begin. The economy must add 125,000 jobs each month just to keep up with population growth. Saddled with Republicans and Blue Dog Dem- signed into law last week. ocrats in the Senate who repeatedly stall meaning- Christine Romer, chair of the Council of Eco- ful jobs legislation, President Obama used the re- nomic Advisers, said the jobless report “empha- lease of the figures to press for passage of a $30 sizes just how important the additional job mea- billion small business lending bill. sures before Congress are. The economy “The jobless report compels us to act,” the Progressives say stubborn GOP opposition to must add 125,000 president said late Thursday. Another Labor De- creation of a $30 billion fund to encourage banks jobs each month partment report, issued one day before the job- to lend to small businesses, which, when com- just to keep up less claims figures were released, said small busi- bined with bank leverage, could result in $300 bil- with population nesses are bearing the brunt of the recession. The lion in actual loans, is best explained by Big Oil’s growth. report noted that companies with fewer than 50 opposition to the bill. employees accounted for 61.8 percent of all job The bill, they say, should make honest defi- losses in the fourth quarter of 2009. cit hawks happy because it pays for itself. The “And yet the obstruction continues,” Obama Democratic backed bill would do this by repealing declared outside the White House on Thursday. a section of the tax code which allows five big oil “It’s obstruction that stands in the way of small companies to deduct 60 percent of their income business owners getting the loans and the tax cuts from oil and gas production from their tax liabil- they need to prosper. It’s obstruction that defies ity. The repeal would only apply to the five largest common sense.” corporations with more than $1 billion in before- Although no one in government has been tax income. pushing for a massive, government-run public As one of five oil companies with a combined works program along the lines the labor move- pre-tax income of $25 billion, BP is one of the ment has been proposing, the White House has companies lobbying against Obama’s small busi- argued that jobless rates will go down if Congress ness aid bill. passes bills like the state aid bill the president

www.peoplesworld.org Page 3 local news l O c a l c o n ta c t [email protected] Trabajadores no sindicalizados van a la huelga

Disabled student Por John Wojcik sues Special n una acción sin prec- ganancias,” declaró Joseph Murphy, Olympics edente en su industria, los empleado del hotel. “Fuimos a la trabajadores en un hotel huelga para mostrarlos que sabemos By Marco Elizondo E no sindicalizado salieron a cuáles son nuestros derechos, y esta- una huelga de un día el 9 de agosto mos hartos. Exigimos un cambio”. enny Youngwith, who is 17 years para protestar contra años de serles Rachelle Smith, que ha trabajado old and attends Community High negado el derecho de tomar breves en la mesa de recepción del hotel du- School in West Chicago, just wants descansos durante el día laboral. rante más de dos años, dice que a vec- J to play basketball. She has been do- Los trabajadores en el Embassy es tiene que esperar hasta para usar ing this safely for years, but a decision made Suites Hotel en Irvine, California, el baño porque no nadie que pueda by “someone” is keeping the special needs salieron a una huelga de un día sola- tomar su lugar ni por unos minutos. student from hitting the court. mente una semana después de haber “He tenido que ir más allá de mis cin- The group Equip for Equality, which metido quejas con el estado de Cali- co horas para tomar mi lonche porque is an advocacy organization, filed a federal fornia argumentando que se les han estaba tan ocupada y no había gente lawsuit on Youngwith’s behalf. The lawsuit negado de manera sistemática los suficiente,” dice. claims the high school and the Special Olym- descansos de 10 minutos a los cuales Leigh Shelton, vocero del Local pics are preventing Youngwith, who has ce- tienen derecho por ley estatal. 11 de Unite Here, dijo que las quejas rebral palsy from playing basketball with Dicen los trabajadores que un 50 fueron hechas y firmadas por más de other disabled students. por ciento de los 60 empleados no ge- 30 trabajadores y que en su mayoría Youngwith uses a service dog named rentes del hotel firmaron la queja. Es se trataban de quejas sobre descansos Simba to carry a four-pound oxygen tank una acción que muestra su militancia de 10 minutos perdidos. Dijo ella que she needs. The girl’s mother, Janice, says y valentía, dicen dirigentes del sin- hay 60 trabajadores no gerentes en el Special Olympics states that it’s “not appro- dicato que representa a trabajadores hotel y algunas de las violaciones rel- priate” for her to be on the basketball court hoteleros. Un grupo de empleados del acionados con descansos negados son with her dog Simba or with the oxygen tank. hotel han montado una campaña para de hace hasta 10 años atrás. But Youngwith and her dog aren’t new sindicalizar el sitio bajo auspicios de “La huelga de 24 horas fue un to the sport. They’ve been playing basketball esa unión laboral, Unite Here, Local paso gigantesco para estos traba- in gym class at her high school for two years. 11. jadores no sindicalizados que jamás To add fuel to the fire, her family says Los trabajadores formaban una habían hecho nada semejante antes they’re not getting a good answer as to why línea de piquete frente al hotel, exi- de ahora,” dijo Shelton. she can’t play. giendo $180.000 en salarios atrasa- Una empleada de limpieza que “We asked them why and they just say, dos. Regresaron al trabajo después de dice que tiene 22 años trabajando allí ‘Because’,” explained the 17-year-old se- un día, pero han mantenido una línea dice que gana apenas $10.85 la hora, nior’s father, Dick Youngwith to NBC.com de piquete a diario frente al hotel des- y paga $184 por mes para beneficios “We’re essentially asking that Jenny be de entonces. de cuidado de salud, beneficios que allowed to participate using Simba, her ser- “Esta compañía nos ha robado solo cubren a ella misma. vice animal, and her oxygen tank and be able nuestro tiempo para sacar mayores to fully participate in basketball games and track and field events,” said Jenny’s attorney Alan Goldstein. Youngwith managed to win a gold med- n at i o n a l c o n ta c t al in a state championship softball throw. Editorial: (773) 446-9920 Business: (212) 924-2523

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