Alternative News

Articles from non-mainstream as opposed to corporate for profit sources.

The Work Ahead, No Matter Who Wins

Details: Published on Sunday, 01 November 2020 01:14; Written by editor

The Work Ahead, No Matter Who Wins

Sanjiv Gupta interviews Sam Gindin. They talk about how to transform America whatever the outcome of the US election. They discuss socialist visions, Syriza, racial solidarity in the US, and the need for widespread socialist education.

Sanjiv Gupta is the host of Socialism in the Time of Corona.

Sam Gindin has served as director of research for the Canadian Auto Workers union from 1974 to 2000, and Visiting Packer Chair in the political science department at York University. With co-author Leo Panitch, he has written extensively about the US state’s role in globalizing neoliberalism. Most recently, he co-authored The Socialist Challenge Today: Syriza, Corbyn and Sanders. He is also a contributing editor of the Socialist Register.

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A $3.50 donation from PAOV would be huge

Details: Published on Saturday, 31 October 2020 08:26; Written by editor

PAOV,

590,000 barrels of tar sands oil every day.

215,350,000 barrels of tar sands oil every year.

For 50 years.

But only if we let the Canadian government get away with publicly funding the Trans Mountain Pipeline:

That is why we are organizing our supporters and climate activists to come together to demand that Trudeau defund the Trans Mountain pipeline and invest in a Green New Deal.

There's only a few weeks left until our massive Day of Action on November 17 where we'll host actions at MP offices and CBC buildings across the country.1

We are counting on a large number of contributions today so we can grow our organizing efforts around the country and send a message too loud for Trudeau and his fossil fuel lobbyists to ignore. That is why I am asking:

Can you make a $3.50 contribution today so we can organize to defund the Trans Mountain Pipeline and dismantle the fossil fuel industry? We’re going to put that donation right to work organizing our massive Day of Action.

Not only are we up against the entire fossil fuel industry, but in a global pandemic,...

How Can Socialists Help Stop Trump?

Details: Published on Saturday, 31 October 2020 03:48; Written by editor

How Can Socialists Help Stop Trump?

Eric Blanc interviews Leo Panitch about the upcoming presidential election in the US.

Eric Blanc (EB): I would love to hear your take on the question of whether or not socialists should be voting and/or campaigning for Joe Biden.

For me, I’ve really had a hard time squaring the circle on this, because on the one hand, it seems clear to me that another Trump presidency would be a disaster for our side and, on the other hand, I don’t really clearly see how we can advocate a vote for Biden without going against the grain of our overall project of class formation, trying at all times to polarize and organize workers versus bosses. Maybe the best we can say is that this presidential moment is so exceptional that we...

Canadian company to frack in Colombia despite protests

Details: Published on Wednesday, 18 November 2020 13:22; Written by editor

We did it!

Details: Published on Friday, 30 October 2020 23:32; Written by editor

We did it!

Last Thursday, some of the world’s biggest banks met in Paris for a ‘Climate Finance Day’, a huge public relations stunt designed to convince investors that the financial institutions are climate-friendly.

But we know these banks do not care about our climate, just their profits -- the likes of HSBC, BlackRock and AXA finance tens of billions of dollars to agribusiness corporations that destroy the Amazon rainforest.

Thanks to SumOfUs members like you, our friends at Reclaim Finance, Canopée and Friends of the Earth were there to call out their Amazon-killing investments with a huge billboard, right at the entrance of the event!

Activists from Reclaim Finance, Canopée and Friends of the Earth in front of the entrance of the Climate Finance Day event

Our friend Lucie from Reclaim Finance, who attended the event, said the billboard was THE topic of discussion for participants. As people filed into the building, journalists and clients alike were snapping photos of the action and sharing it on social media.

Our message...

Read more: We did it!

Ecosocialism: The Strategic Debate

Details: Published on Friday, 30 October 2020 02:18; Written by editor

~~~~~~~~~~~~(((( T h e B u l l e t ))))~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2229 ... October 30, 2020
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Ecosocialism: The Strategic Debate

Socialist Resistance

Those of us who inhabit planet Earth in the 21st century face a huge problem. Our own species, homo sapiens (modern humans), are trashing the planet at an ever increasing and more destructive rate.

If this continues the ability of the planet to sustain life (human life in particular) could be gone within decades. We are the first with the information to understand the full depth of this crisis, and we are likely be the last with the chance to do anything about it. No other generation has faced such a challenge or such a responsibility.

Science is telling us that we have 10 years to hold the global temperature increase to a maximum of 1.5°C. After that dangerous and irreversible feedback process could take control.

Temperature records continue to be broken with frightening regularity. Floods, droughts and wild fires are more intense and more frequent. At the time of writing the West coast of America was facing catastrophic wildfires that had consumed over 3 million...

Mark Zuckerberg: Do Your Job

Details: Published on Friday, 30 October 2020 00:18; Written by editor

Violent extremists are using Facebook to intimidate voters, and preparing to rally their troops if Trump doesn't win the election. That's why a huge coalition of civil society groups is pushing Facebook to adopt some simple policy changes -- like banning incitement to violence -- ahead of the vote. Add your name:

Sign the petition

Violent extremists are using Facebook to intimidate voters and rally support for an armed revolt if Trump doesn't win the election.

With the final result expected to take weeks, it's a recipe for disaster -- but we have a plan.

Civil society groups around the world are joining together asking Facebook to take simple steps to prevent an election disaster -- like banning ads and other content that incites violence. It could take away these extremists' ability to create chaos. Will you join us?

Facebook: prevent violence, protect the vote!

Last time this big a coalition of groups came together, they created the...

We didnt know it was dangerous

Details: Published on Thursday, 29 October 2020 15:22; Written by editor

‘We didn’t know it was dangerous’ r1 ...

You're a Trans Mountain shareholder

Details: Published on Thursday, 29 October 2020 08:40; Written by editor

Paov,

Today marks 500 days since the Trudeau government declared a climate emergency. Today also marks 501 days since they called into question the sincerity of that move when they approved the Trans Mountain pipeline.

We know the climate crisis is accelerating and we know the fossil fuel era needs to come to an end as soon as possible. That’s why we’ve been pushing so hard for the government to defund TMX.

This week we have an opportunity to raise the stakes. Trans Mountain, the Crown corporation the government created when they nationalized the TMX pipeline, is holding their Annual General Meeting on November 17th. We just found out that they’re accepting questions from the public, but only until November 3rd.1

Will you take a moment to send them some tough questions? We’ve created an online tool that lets you submit your question in less than a minute.

There are only 3,350 days until the end of the decade. That might sound like a lot, but it really isn’t. Think about the fundamental transformations we need to undertake as a society by then, think about how deeply we need to...

Fire RCMP Head

Details: Published on Thursday, 29 October 2020 04:04; Written by editor

The head of the RCMP stood idly by while commercial fishers terrorized Mi'kmaw lobster fishers in Nova Scotia.

Email the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to fire the RCMP commissioner immediately.

Email now

It’s disgusting -- while commercial fishers consistently escalated violence against Mi’kmaw lobster fishers out East, Brenda Lucki, head of the RCMP, did nothing to intervene. Not until a massive fire burned through a Mi’kmaw lobster pound did Lucki even blink, despite rising tensions for over a month.

This inaction in Nova Scotia is just one incident in a long stream of indifference and violence towards Indigenous People by the RCMP. A few months ago a Mi’kmaw man, Rodney Levi, was shot and killed by the RCMP. And Chief Allan Adam was brutally assaulted by RCMP officers earlier this summer.

This much is clear -- Lucki has no idea how to address the racism that persist within the force -- this summer, she admitted that...

Read more: Fire RCMP Head

Escape from America? Well need international solidarity to fight emerging fascism

Details: Published on Thursday, 29 October 2020 02:38; Written by editor

~~~~~~~~~~~~(((( T h e B u l l e t ))))~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2228 ... October 29, 2020
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Escape from America? We’ll need international solidarity to fight emerging fascism

Jonathan Rosenblum

We’ve now reached the quadrennial moment on our shared Turtle Island when some Americans begin to proclaim, "If so-and-so is elected president, then I’m going to Canada." In the past, it’s been easy to dismiss those announcements as impetuous and ungrounded. I certainly remember hearing these declarations years ago in the wake of Bush or Reagan victories. Very few people acted on them. But this year is different, and I’m not referring to the current border closure.

As Leo Panitch aptly noted in "Will Escaping Americans Test Canada’s Capacity for Sympathy?" the presidential "debate" on September 29 removed any façade on American political discourse. It has decayed precipitously, not just in its coarseness but in the danger it represents to many, especially working class activists.

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Thanks for your donation!

Details: Published on Wednesday, 28 October 2020 13:52; Written by editor

Hi there A,

Thank you so much for your donation. I can’t tell you how much it means to us here at SumOfUs. By donating, you’re leading the charge to stop big corporations from behaving badly. Now more than ever, this is work that needs to be done.

Your donation will help protect the bees -- paying for top notch lawyers and other resources that the beekeepers need to win in court against Bayer. We’ve included the receipt below.

We do not accept money from corporations or governments. That is why your support is so critical. Together we are building a movement that demands that people are always put above profit. We stand toe to toe against the world’s most powerful corporations to protect our rights and our democracy.

Thanks so much for all that you do,

China and the team at SumOfUs

Donation receipt

Thanks so much for your donation to SumOfUs of CAD1.00 on October 28, 2020 via PayPal!

PS - SumOfUs is a registered 501(c)4 non-profit incorporated in Washington, DC, United States. Donations to SumOfUs are not tax deductible. For further information or if you have any questions about this donation, please reach out at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

...

Arson in the Amazon

Details: Published on Wednesday, 28 October 2020 11:26; Written by editor

A, I wouldn’t usually email you twice in one day, but today is different.

Tomorrow morning, our climate-defender friends are heading to a critical finance event in Paris. Our goal: stop banks like HSBC, BlackRock and AXA financing the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

We’re inches away from raising the money we need to pull off a big stunt in Paris to name and shame these banks for wiping out the Amazon. Can you help get us over the line in these crucial final hours?

If you’ve saved your payment information with SumOfUs, your donation will go through immediately:

Donate CA$92 now Donate another amount

Thank you for everything that you do,
Leyla and the team at SumOfUs

Here's the email I sent earlier today, with more information about the stunt and why it's important:

The Amazon is burning. And banks from HSBC to BlackRock are fanning the flames even more.

Will you chip in to stop these...

Read more: Arson in the Amazon

Its baaaaaccck

Details: Published on Wednesday, 18 November 2020 13:22; Written by editor

Arson in the Amazon

Details: Published on Wednesday, 28 October 2020 05:46; Written by editor

The Amazon is burning. And banks from HSBC to BlackRock are fanning the flames even more.

Will you chip in to stop these arsonists of the Amazon?

If you’ve saved your payment information with SumOfUs, your donation will go through immediately:

Donate CA$92 now Donate another amount

Big banks are choking the Amazon to death.

Every day, ancient magical trees are slashed or burnt down to make way for hectares of soybean farms. And every day, HSBC, BlackRock, and AXA pour more cash into the companies holding the chainsaws.

You can stop the destruction: tomorrow the world’s biggest banks are meeting in Paris. It’s a huge PR stunt designed to convince investors that these banks are climate-friendly.

And now picture this: while hundreds of attendees queue to get in, a heartbreaking video of the Amazon burning is rolling on billboards right outside the event, linking it directly to the likes of...

Read more: Arson in the Amazon

Policing the Poor and Minorities as Counter-Insurgency

Details: Published on Wednesday, 28 October 2020 03:10; Written by editor

~~~~~~~~~~~~(((( T h e B u l l e t ))))~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2227 ... October 28, 2020
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Policing the Poor and Minorities as Counter-Insurgency

Justin Podur

The Minneapolis City Council’s attempt to defund police may have fizzled out for the moment, but the problem of police violence across the United States is unresolved -- and much of it stems from the institution’s colonial, counterinsurgency roots.

Here are seven counterinsurgency features of policing and the inequities in the criminal justice system.

1. Counterinsurgency Tactics Are Everywhere

In the Canadian province of Ontario, when the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) changed its public transportation fare collection method from tokens to the Presto card, users had a strange experience. Sure, the fare booth was predictably replaced by an inhuman and unforgiving terminal that malfunctions all the time (despite the steep price the province had paid for it). But instead of having less human interaction, TTC passengers found they had more -- with fare inspectors who corral passengers into small spaces at stations to test everyone’s cards. In counterinsurgency terms, this is called a cordon-and-search operation.

Another counterinsurgency concept, that of "hearts and...

Every Vote Counts: A Celebration of Democracy is THIS THURSDAY!

Details: Published on Tuesday, 27 October 2020 12:34; Written by editor

Tune in this Thursday!

Hi Paov,

Donald Trump

Details: Published on Tuesday, 27 October 2020 05:48; Written by editor

If Trump loses, he may refuse to concede. And worse still -- he could use Twitter to incite violence. But there's one simple measure Twitter could take: place a delay on Trump's tweets so they can be reviewed first.

The idea is quickly gaining momentum -- let's tell Twitter to act before it's too late.

Sign the petition

The election is 7 days away. If Trump loses, he may refuse to concede. And worse still -- he could take to Twitter to incite violence as we’ve seen him do before.

That would be catastrophic. But there’s one simple measure Twitter could take immediately: place a delay on Trump's tweets so they can be reviewed first.

This could stop a call to violence going viral before it snowballs, and it could keep the election and the public safe. The idea is quickly gaining momentum -- let's tell Twitter to act before it's too...

Read more: Donald Trump

The Threat of Fascism Won't End with Trump

Details: Published on Tuesday, 27 October 2020 03:02; Written by editor

~~~~~~~~~~~~(((( T h e B u l l e t ))))~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2226 ... October 27, 2020
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The Threat of Fascism Won’t End with Trump

Betsy Hartmann

Is Donald Trump a fascist?

In the increasingly perilous build-up to the November 3 presidential election, that question is on many people’s minds, including my own. Four years ago, when Trump was first elected, I read up on German and Italian fascism to prepare myself for such a possibility here. While historical comparisons are difficult to make -- Hitler and Mussolini’s rise to power took place almost a century ago -- there are some striking parallels. These include the following:

The strategic deployment of fear and loathing -- The fascist project defines itself in opposition to both internal and external enemies who ostensibly threaten the purity of the community/race and very survival of the nation. Fascist propaganda uses demonization, dehumanization, and disinformation to spread hate and justify violence against the Other. Conspiracy theories feed the frenzy. Sound familiar? Just as European fascists drummed up fear of communists to secure political power, the Trump administration’s current bogeyman is antifa. The Justice Department recently named...

Alternative News

The Work Ahead, No Matter Who Wins

A $3.50 donation from PAOV would be huge

How Can Socialists Help Stop Trump?

Canadian company to frack in Colombia despite protests

We did it!

Ecosocialism: The Strategic Debate