Graphic Artist: David Dees

Heres a couple of cute images from David Dees

Video: Michael Parenti 2002 speech about capitalism and poverty

“Their fighting against every bit of political Democracy and every bit of Democracy and every bit of economic Democracy that benefits the people”

“if they had their way our kids would still be working 14 hours a day in factories”

“Their goal is a third-worldization of everywhere, their goal is to get us back to 1900”- Michael Parenti on capitalism

Speaking to a packed church house in 2002 at the Terrorism, Globalization and Conspiracy conference. From Google Video:

OCTOBER 9, 2002, VANCOUVER: Dr. Michael Parenti, one of North America’s leading radical writers on U.S. imperialism and interventionism, fascism, democracy and the media, spoke to several hunded people at St. Andrews Wesley Church in Vancouver. Dr. Parenti has taught political science at a number of colleges and universities in the United States and other countries. He was written 250 majro magazine articles and 15 books and is frequently heard on public and alternative radio.

Michael Parenti at WikiPedia on racism:

Parenti argues that western racism is systemic and historical in nature and should be regarded as more than just an attitudinal problem. He claims western racism has its origins in imperialism and slavery: To justify the colonial plunder of another nation or entire continent (as in the case of Africa) as well as the enslavement of conquered populations, imperialists and/or slave traffickers dehumanize their victims and define them as moral inferiors and subhuman.

Parenti maintains that racism serves several functions for ruling interests in the United States:

1. It divides the working class against each other.
2. It creates a “super-exploited” group of people who are forced to work at below scale wages thereby depressing wage levels for the entire workforce.
3. It distracts the (United States) white population from its own legitimate grievances by providing an irrelevant scapegoat in the form of minority populations

Now we have a new slave class that divides us even more. The undocumented worker.

Big thanks to Common Man News for the heads up to the story

AFL-CIO Turn around America video contest, go and vote

It’s time to vote in the AFL-CIO’s Turn Around America video contest. From Mike Hall at the AFL-CIO Blog (6/16/08):

The 12 finalists in the AFL-CIO’s “Turn Around America Online Video Competition“ have been selected. Now you can pick the winner of the contest’s Our America Award.

The dozen finalists from around the country grabbed their cameras and harnessed their creativity to answer the question: How do we “Turn Around America” in this time of a failing health care system, stumbling economy, stagnant wages, disappearing jobs and an endless war? How do we go from the wrong track to the right direction?

Click here to see the entries of the 12 finalists and then cast your vote for the video that you believe best answered the question. Votes will be counted through 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 19. All winners will be announced June 24.

Here’s my choice
I can’t believe it, it’s me.

While there were many good ones, I couldn’t pass this one up, it would get my attention.
From DogfishProductions

Heres the rest
go pick your favorite

Minneapolis, MN	Bloomfield Hills, MI	Saint Paul, MN
Montclair, VA	Boston, MA	Chicago, IL
Rodeo, CA	New Hyde Park, NY	North Hollywood, CA
Brandon, FL	Chicago, IL	Cincinnati, OH

Ohio: Locked-out Kongsberg workers, solidarity rally

Original story at Union Review: Ohio: Kongsberg Automotive Holding locks out USWA workers, hires temp. workers and the fear of global environment (4/5/08):

Yesterday, I asked my readers over at Union Review to get me some of the information about the rally in Van Wert for the locked out Steelworkers at Kongsberg Automotive. Michelle obliged, from the Van Wert Independent (6/16/08) :

Kongsberg workers who are members of USW Local 1-524 march on Central Avenue this past Saturday following a rally in Fountain Park. Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent

t was a day for union solidarity and community support,
but also one of bitterness and frustration,
as members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1-524 held a rally in Fountain Park Saturday to thank supporters.

Hundreds of people, some of them union officials – including other USW locals and district officials, United Auto Workers officials and even representatives of the Van Wert Federation of Teachers – turned out to provide support, both emotional and financial, for the locked-out workers of Kongsberg Automotive’s Van Wert plant.

Donations from union representatives totaled between $10,000 and $15,000 on Saturday.

Several speakers angrily denounced Kongsberg management officials for what is perceived as a failure to bargain in good faith with local union officials. Kongsberg President Peter Spencer was depicted by a person in a rat’s costume as those at the rally clapped and cheered.

Van Wert Mayor Louis Ehmer, who had taken some heat earlier for not doing enough to support Kongsberg workers during a City Council meeting, spoke at the rally and said the community was behind the workers, while also commending the local union for its demeanor on the picket line.

“You people have demonstrated that you are out there in a dignified way trying to protect and secure your jobs,” the mayor said to applause, adding that he was a bit surprised at union workers’ good behavior since he was originally from Detroit, Mich., where union disputes often turned violent.

Aaron Collins, the 37-year-old president of Local 1-524, bitterly denounced both company officials – most specifically former human resources manager Tom Herman – and government officials who have allowed workers to be exploited by domestic and foreign companies.

Collins talked about how, as a child, he thought it was neat that astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, was from nearby Wapakoneta. “It seemed like, as a child, anything was possible” in America, Collins said, adding, though, that “the American Dream is slipping away from us right now as we speak.”

He angrily criticized both major political parties for their lack of support for U.S. workers, noting: “Both sides are out to get us, both are out for themselves,” and adding that a third party dedicated to middle class Americans may be the answer to make changes at the federal level.

However, he did have praise for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, who has phoned and written letters to Kongsberg company officials in support of local workers.

John Ryan, Senator Brown’s state director, attended the rally and had words of support for the locked-out workers. Ryan outlined the senator’s actions in support of the local workers, commended non-company employees attending the rally for their support of the locked-out workers and also used the USW’s fighting slogan, “One Day Longer,” in saying the senator would back the workers “one day longer than you need” until Kongsberg returns to the table to bargain in good faith.

USW District 1 Director Dave McCall also spoke during the rally, and later to media representatives, about Local 1-524’s struggle to get back to the bargaining table. McCall said the union was working on a couple of fronts to put pressure on Kongsberg to resume negotiations. Those include a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that accuses Kongsberg of bad faith bargaining, illegal surveillance and failure to provide necessary financial documentation to union negotiators.

McCall said the NLRB had investigators in Van Wert last week to take depositions related to the complaint.

The USW district president also said the USW was working with international unions doing business with Kongsberg to put pressure on the company to resume negotiations from outside the United States. A return to the bargaining table is all union officials want, he said.

“We stand ready and prepared to go back to the table and bargain for a fair and just contract,” McCall added.

He added that the situation in America today, with companies “outsourcing” operations to Mexico, China and other countries, needs to stop.

“Workers have had enough,” McCall said. “Companies cannot continue to exploit workers like this.”

Following the rally, local union members and supporters staged a peaceful march through downtown Van Wert.

My apologies to The Independent for clipping the entire article, it just seems that this is so totally ignored, I wanted all the information I could get.

These American workers are getting screwed for corporate quarterly profits at any cost.

Video: James McMurtry "We can’t make it here" – live and acoustic

Now I’m stocking shirts in the Wal-Mart store
Just like the ones we made before
‘Cept this one came from Singapore
I guess we can’t make it here anymore

Lyrics – Beware of pop-ups

Video: James McMurtry "We can’t make it here" – live and acoustic

Now I’m stocking shirts in the Wal-Mart store
Just like the ones we made before
‘Cept this one came from Singapore
I guess we can’t make it here anymore

Lyrics – Beware of pop-ups

Video: James McMurtry "We can’t make it here" – live and acoustic

Now I’m stocking shirts in the Wal-Mart store
Just like the ones we made before
‘Cept this one came from Singapore
I guess we can’t make it here anymore

Lyrics – Beware of pop-ups

Video: James McMurtry "We can’t make it here" – live and acoustic

Now I’m stocking shirts in the Wal-Mart store
Just like the ones we made before
‘Cept this one came from Singapore
I guess we can’t make it here anymore

Lyrics – Beware of pop-ups

Video: James McMurtry "We can’t make it here" – live and acoustic

Now I’m stocking shirts in the Wal-Mart store
Just like the ones we made before
‘Cept this one came from Singapore
I guess we can’t make it here anymore

Lyrics – Beware of pop-ups

Video: James McMurtry "We can’t make it here" – live and acoustic

Now I’m stocking shirts in the Wal-Mart store
Just like the ones we made before
‘Cept this one came from Singapore
I guess we can’t make it here anymore

Lyrics – Beware of pop-ups