Tidbits for November 7, 2011

1. 'Build a future which reflects our dreams' 
Angela Davis addresses Occupy Wall Street
2. Re: The 99%, the 1%, and Class Struggle
3. Re: Occupy Veterans Movement Growing Across U.S.
4. Re: Bravo Papandreou!
5. Re: Southern California Carwash Workers Win First-Ever
Contract
6, 7, 8, 9 : Re: Why Isn't the Anti-War Movement Claiming Victory for
Withdrawal From Iraq?

===
1.
'Build a future which reflects our dreams' 
Angela Davis addresses Occupy Wall Street

Author, activist and member of the Committees of
Correspondence (former Communist Party USA) Angela
Davis spoke at Occupy Wall Street in Washington
Square Park, New York City, on Sunday, October 30,
2011. 

"We say no to big banks. We say no to corporate
executives making millions of dollars a year. We say no
to student debt, we say no to evictions. We say no to
global capitalism. We say no to the prison industrial
complex. We say no to racism, we say no to class
exploitation, we say no to homophobia, we say no to
transphobia, we say no to ableism. We say no to
military occupation. We say no to war ...

http://links.org.au/node/2578

====
2.
Date:  	Mon, 7 Nov 2011 
From:  	Cyril Robinson 
Re: The 99%, the 1%, and Class Struggle

Note that in both cases the income share is 1%.But
capitalists control the economy and make the rules on
how capital may be accumulated. There is a reason the
system is called Capitalism. It important for workers
to form unions but unions can be corrupt or
ineffective.  In the 1930s, there were Worker schools
where workers could study to be leaders, to govern and
tomake labor-friendly policies. in other words, it is
necessary to set up a structure that can lead to these
policies.It also requires capital (sic) to construct
and continue these policies. Cyril Robinson, professor
emeritus, Southern Illinois University. 

===

==========
3.
Re: Occupy Veterans Movement Growing Across U.S.

One turning point in the movement against the Vietnam war
was when soldiers and ex-soldiers began to speak up
strongly.  Imagine what might happen if large numbers of
soldiers were willing to defend civil liberties against the
state as below.  I don't want to be overly optimistic but I
can't help remembering the Portuguese revolution of 1975 in
which the combined action of draftees and civil society
brought about  a democratic revolution.

Meredith Tax

==========
4.
Re: Bravo Papandreou!

Excellent piece.  The financial elites and their media
cronies are making themselves ridiculous with indignation at
Papandreou's introduction of democracy into the equation.

John Talbutt

==========
5.
Re: Southern California Carwash Workers Win First-Ever
Contracts

That's a wonderful victory-the car washers' organizing! In
1962-1963, I worked for the NYS employment service. In the
early mornings, I sent potential car washers out to those
very low paid jobs. - sometimes had to give them money to
take busses to the car washes. I am so happy to hear that
they organized and got a union. CONGRATULATIONS!

Harriet Tanzman

===
6.
Re: Why Isn't the Anti-War Movement Claiming Victory for
Withdrawal From Iraq?

Marilyn, have "we" really won?  Isn't the "other" war still
raging?  And will the so-called 40,000 troop withdrawal
really bring all of them "home"?  I heard/read somewhere
that they will be moving to Kuwait.  Out of Iraq, yes, but
home?  Victory seems like a bit premature, much as was
"mission accomplished."

Ezra Shahn

====
7.

I take your larger point re the need to recognize victories
big and small (as the right does even when they have no
cause to). However, in this case part of the explanation for
the  low level response among anti-war progressives is the
understanding by many of us that the decision did not stem
so much from the principled moral positions Obama has taken
in the past re the Iraq war in 2002 and during the campaign,
but from the political circumstances foisted on him by the
failure to negotiate future military arrangements with the
Iraqis. That is different from,   for example Spain's
president Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero who two months  month
after his election in 2004  complied with a campaign pledge
and withdrew Spanish troops from Iraq.  Obama wanted to stay
in Iraq with 50,000 troops (and the Pentagon still does); he
just couldn't swing it.

I agree, however, that even so,  progressives should respond
positively to this event-- if no other reason than to
counter the right-wing attacks on the decision.

Robert P. Matthews
Madrid

====
8.
Maybe we don't believe it and we have gotten so cynical that
when we discovered that private contractors will remain, and
possibly the troops will just be moved to Iran, what is
there to celebrate?

Peggy McCormack

====
9.
With all due respect to Marilyn Katz:

I regret to suggest that neither the antiwar movement nor
Obama had much to do with the decision to withdraw US troops
from Iraq, though both may claim credit for it.  The
administration had to withdraw the troops, because they
insisted on immunity of US troops from any criminal charges
brought by Iraqi courts.  This was a demand that was refused
by the Iraq government, which is apparently strong enough
now, or has sufficient popular support, to refuse.

This was much the same reason US bases and troops were
totally removed from the Philippines some time ago.  It was
politically untenable to stay.

What will happen if Karzai (or more likely, his successor)
does the same in Afghanistan?

Dave Ecklein

==========

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