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By Socialist Appeal USA
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Monday, 28 April 2008 |
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Inflation in the USA is rising across the board. And
it's not just housing, gasoline, heating, transportation, health care and
education. The cost of that most basic of all necessities - food - is now also
quickly rising for American workers and their families.
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By US Socialist Appeal Editorial Board
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Monday, 31 March 2008 |
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Almost overnight, the media, corporate CEOs and government officials
have gone from proclaiming that the U.S. would somehow avoid an
economic slump, to all but recognizing that the country has probably
already entered a recession. They are simply acknowledging what
millions of workers have known for months and even years: the economy
is in trouble, and working people and the poor are being hit hard.
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By Shane Jones in the USA
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Monday, 31 March 2008 |
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Many people are looking to the Democrats, and in particular
to Barack Obama for a real change, especially when it comes to the Iraq war. But
on the question of war and foreign policy, does Obama really differ from the
current White House administration, or from his party mate Hillary Clinton, or
for that matter, from the entire DC political establishment?
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By Harry Whittaker
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Friday, 28 March 2008 |
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The year was 1776 and it was time for Americans to sever
links with Britain
and assert their independence. Thomas Paine set himself the task of writing
what was to become the biggest-selling, most widely read and successful
political pamphlet in history: Common
Sense.
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By US Socialist Appeal Editorial Board
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Thursday, 06 March 2008 |
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The situation in the USA is one of increasing crises. The wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan continue to trail on, costing nearly $275 million per
day. The situation at home is one of increasing unemployment and continual
crisis in the housing and credit markets. US workers will be called on to
go to the polls to elect a party of big business, but this era of crises will
only serve to cause more people to question the world in which they live.
Editorial for Socialist Appeal Issue 37.
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By Alan Woods
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Thursday, 06 March 2008 |
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Alan Woods' introduction to the latest book from Wellred USA. The book
includes four Marxist classics: the Communist Manifesto, Socialism:
Scientific and Utopian, State and Revolution, and the
Transitional Program. It is intended to introduce readers in the
USA to the most fundamental aspects of Marxist theory. Available from Wellred USA.
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By Luiz Bicalho in Rio de Janeiro
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Friday, 22 February 2008 |
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Obama may
well end up being the official Democratic candidate in the US Presidential
elections. But what kind of an alternative is he? Luiz Bicalho, a leading
member of Esquerda Marxista in Brazil,
explains that Obama promises many things but remains a defender of capitalism.
The answer is not Obama. The answer is an independent party of the US working
class fighting to change society.
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By Shane Jones in the USA
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Wednesday, 13 February 2008 |
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For those following US electoral politics right now, it
is clear that the big business candidates are presenting their respective
religiosities as credentials of a sort to prospective voters. The open pandering
to the "faith vote" displays the cynical depths the representatives of the
ruling class are willing to go to win votes. This is not simply a harmless
phenomenon but a noxious indication of the rottenness of the
system.
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By Ed Riley in the U.S.
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Thursday, 07 February 2008 |
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The vast majority of the 300 million people in the
USA are workers and their families. Just
as they have learned that if we band together at work into a union, where
our strength is united into a single force, we can more effectively fight the
boss, if we band together into a political party, created by and under the
democratic control of the labor movement, we can better fight the government of
the employers.
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By John Peterson in the U.S.
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Thursday, 07 February 2008 |
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The U.S. election cycle is in full swing a full nine months before voters actually go to the polls on November 4th. On "Super Tuesday" registered voters in 24 states came out to vote in caucuses and primary elections.
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By the Editorial Board US Socialist Appeal
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Monday, 14 January 2008 |
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Editorial for US Socialist Appeal 36: The campaign to elect the
next President of the United States is in full swing. The Democratic
and Republican primaries and caucuses have begun, accompanied by a
media frenzy intended to make it seem as though there truly are
significant differences between the candidates, and to distract working
people from the pressing problems we face. As we go to press, the race
to nominate the next presidential candidates of big business is still
wide open. But the real question is, who will represent the working
class majority of American society?
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By Shamus Cooke
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Tuesday, 18 December 2007 |
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The Democrats have continued to support the Iraq War, and
have colluded with the Republicans on many key matters. It is not a question of
this or that individual. It is one of common class interests shared by both
parties. We, the working people in the USA, need to begin the process of
building our own political alternative.
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By Zach McCall
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Tuesday, 18 December 2007 |
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A large part of the US arms industry is now openly
backing Hilary Clinton for President, a further confirmation that there is no
fundamental difference between the Democrats and the Republicans.
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By Shane Jones
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Tuesday, 18 December 2007 |
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Does Republican Congressman Ron Paul offer anything that can
truly be called a "revolution", or is he more of the same from the capitalists'
ranks? Should workers and students in the anti-war movement, or in general,
give him support in any way?
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By The Editorial Board US Socialist Appeal
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Tuesday, 11 December 2007 |
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The world situation is one of increasing political and economic instability, social polarization, and the ravages of war and famine. Across the planet, layoffs, cuts in social services, and the merciless squeezing of the working class and poor is on the order of the day. But there is an opposite side to these counter-revolutionary tendencies: the revolutionary movement of millions of people who are saying “enough is enough!”
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By John Peterson
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Thursday, 18 October 2007 |
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After
Blackwater USA’s recent street shoot out in Baghdad, the role of mercenaries in Iraq has
received extra attention in the media. Although they have played a key
role in the occupation of Iraq, these
“private security contractors” have for the most part flown under the
public radar. During the 1991 Gulf War, the troop-to-private
contractor ratio was about 60 to 1. Now they outnumber uniformed
troops, more than doubling the actual size of the occupation force.
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By US Socialist Appeal Editorial Board
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Thursday, 18 October 2007 |
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Most working people would agree that quality jobs, health
care, education, housing and infrastructure aren't too much to ask for.
Instead, capitalism gives us war, racism, economic turmoil, and
unemployment. It’s not as though the money isn’t there – over $2
billion is spent each week just on the occupation of Iraq – it’s a
matter of priorities. Just imagine how many badly-needed schools,
bridges and hospitals could be built, providing quality jobs for
millions of people in the process.
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By Shane Jones - www.socialistappeal.org
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Friday, 12 October 2007 |
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Millionaire trial lawyer, one time Senator, and former VP hopeful John
Edwards, is now seeking the U.S. Presidency. Like the rest of the
candidates, he seeks to differentiate himself from Bush and even from
many in his own Party, as there is a much-deserved disgust with the
political rulers in Washington. But is Edwards fundamentally any
different from the rest of the bosses’ candidates?
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By Mark Vorpahl - www.socialistappeal.org
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Thursday, 20 September 2007 |
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The
Iraq War is taking place in a different historical period than the Vietnam War. The U.S. is
by far the largest imperialist power, but its economic and political
foundation are more unstable then was the case during the Vietnam War.
Furthermore, it is now clearer to tens of millions of Americans that
the Iraq War is being accompanied by a war on workers’ historic gains,
living standards, and democratic rights here at home. The situation
today is potentially far more combustible then it was even at the
height of the Vietnam War.
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By Socialist Appeal USA - www.socialistappeal.org
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Thursday, 20 September 2007 |
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Like the Katrina disaster two years ago, the collapse of the I-35
bridge in Minneapolis, MN is yet another reminder of the real effects
of the capitalist policy of “guns before butter”. A recent opinion poll showed
that Americans are as concerned about corruption in government and the
economy as they are about the war in Iraq. This is an indication of
things to come, as opposition to the war begins to shift to domestic
issues.
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By Fred Weston
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Tuesday, 11 September 2007 |
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Today the death of nearly 3000 people during the September 11 attacks will
be officially commemorated once again. But will anyone at those commemorations
mention how those deaths were cynically exploited by the Bush administration to
carry out a plan hatched by the US oil lobby for its own greedy interests?
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By Workers' International League - www.socialistappeal.org
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Friday, 20 July 2007 |
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Last spring, millions of immigrant workers, their families, and allies
took to the streets of the U.S. in a spontaneous movement against the
draconian anti-immigrant measures being proposed in the form of the
Sensenbrenner Bill (HR4437). But this was only the spark that lit up
the inflammable material that had accumulated for decades.
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By the US Socialist Appeal
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Monday, 09 July 2007 |
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In their never-ending pursuit of profits, the capitalists are
aggressively dismantling U.S. industry and shifting their investments
to other countries and the services sector. This has led to the
decline of organized labor, which has been losing ground for the last
30 years.
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By Workers' International League - www.socialistappeal.org
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Tuesday, 03 July 2007 |
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The Workers International League enthusiastically endorses ANSWER's May
31 call for a peaceful, legal, united front antiwar demonstration. The
basic unifying slogan "End the War Now!" can effectively mobilize the
millions of workers and youth who want the war ended immediately.
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By Workers' International League - www.socialistappeal.org
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Tuesday, 03 July 2007 |
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After weeks of political show-boating, the Democrats have voted to continue the war in Iraq.
Editorial for the American Socialist Appeal no. 31.
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By Workers' International League - www.socialistappeal.org
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Tuesday, 03 July 2007 |
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After years of Bush’s open-ended war on working people at home and
abroad, many on the “left” are desperate for an alternative. For many,
that alternative is Barack Obama, a Democratic Senator from Illinois. However,
far from being a “progressive” alternative, Obama is at his core a
typical representative of the bosses’ political parties.
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By the US Socialist Appeal
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Monday, 02 July 2007 |
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Since 2001 the US economy has limped along,
never really taking off as it did in the 1990s. This "jobless" expansion has
been based entirely on the relentless squeezing of the US and world working
class. Worker productivity and profits have increased tremendously while wages
and job growth have stagnated or fallen behind. Overall GDP has continued to
grow, very little has "trickled down" to the mass of the population. Things are
far worse now for the majority than they were just 25 years ago.
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By the US Socialist Appeal
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Thursday, 28 June 2007 |
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Control over Iraq's oil was one reason for the
invasion, although not the main factor. Overall strategic control of the region
and teaching a "lesson" to any country that dares "step out of line" was the
main objective. But none of US imperialism's political, economic, or military
objectives have been achieved. Far from demonstrating its power, US imperialism
has demonstrated the limits of its power. The results will be far-reaching both
internationally and within the U.S. itself.
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By Alan Woods
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Monday, 25 June 2007 |
 The
war in Vietnam, which completely transformed the situation in the
U.S.A., did not begin in a planned way. The U.S.A. was sucked into it
almost by accident. Originally published in the book Marxism and the USA, published by and available from Wellred.
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By Workers' International League - www.socialistappeal.org
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Monday, 25 June 2007 |
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This
year’s U.S. Perspectives will bring up to date key aspects of last
year’s extensive World and U.S. Perspectives documents. In the past 12 months, the
contradictions of the world capitalist system have continued to build
up, resulting in violent explosions of the class struggle in one
country after another, and preparing even more explosive developments
for the coming period.
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By Socialist Appeal
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Monday, 28 May 2007 |
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On the weekend of May 12th & 13th, over 30 members and guests
gathered in St. Louis, Missouri for the National Congress of the
Workers International League. As well as in-depth discussions on the
economic, political and social perspectives for the world and the U.S.,
those present discussed the political and organizational tasks flowing
from these perspectives.
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By Workers' International League - www.socialistappeal.org
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Wednesday, 02 May 2007 |
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In the U.S., Labor Day is officially celebrated in September, and
has all but lost its original political and class character. But the real
origins of May Day can be traced right to the United States and
the bitter struggles of working men and women for better wages, rights,
conditions, and the eight-hour day.
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By Terry McPartlan
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Tuesday, 01 May 2007 |
We wish all our readers a red May Day! Here we briefly look at the historical origins of this day of struggle.
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By Alan Woods
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Friday, 23 March 2007 |
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On February 9, 1950 Senator
Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin claimed that there were no fewer than
two hundred Communists in the State Department. This outrageous allegation
unleashed a witch-hunt against everyone who was even slightly "tainted"
with left wing, progressive or even vaguely democratic opinions in public
life.
Originally published in 2005 in the
book Marxism
and the USA,
published by and available from Wellred.
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By Socialist Appeal USA - www.socialistappeal.org
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Monday, 19 March 2007 |
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The war in Iraq is the most
important issue on the minds of American workers and youth. There is an entire generation
whose world-view has been entirely shaped by the epoch of war, revolution,
and counter-revolution through which we are living. Are the Democrats really doing anything to change the situation?
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By James Holt - www.socialistappeal.org
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Monday, 19 March 2007 |
 In
the recent election for union leadership, members of the Teamsters
union were confronted with a choice. On the one side stood Jimmy Hoffa
Jr., who campaigned on the basis of forming a
“partnership” with the employers. On the other side stood the
challenger, Tom Leedham, who has pressed for mobilizing the membership
to act in their own interests and strike in
order to win gains.
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By Alan Woods
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Friday, 16 March 2007 |
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The
end of the 19th century saw the birth of imperialism. Germany, France,
Britain and Belgium struggled to gain possession of markets, territory,
raw materials and spheres of influence. Originally published in the book Marxism and the USA, published by and available from Wellred.
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By Alan Woods
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Friday, 09 March 2007 |
 This
was the period of the most violent labor conflicts in the history of
the United States. The first of these occurred with the Great Rail
Strike of 1877, when rail workers across the nation went out on strike
in response to a 10-percent pay cut. Originally published in 2005 in the
book Marxism
and the USA,
published by and available from Wellred.
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By David May & Tim Kaminski - www.socialistappeal.org
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Monday, 05 March 2007 |
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Last month, the DaimlerChrysler
AG Corporation announced sweeping plant closings and job cuts for its
U.S. operations which will go into effect in 2008 and 2009.
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By Alan Woods
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Friday, 16 February 2007 |
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In order to understand the ideas of Marxism, it is first necessary to
approach them without prejudice. This is difficult, because until now,
the great majority of Americans have only heard of Marxism in
connection with that monstrous caricature that was Stalinist Russia. Originally published in 2005 in the
book Marxism
and the USA,
published by and available from Wellred.
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By Alan Woods
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Friday, 09 February 2007 |
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The colossal potential of the United States is destined to play a
decisive role in the future socialist world order. At the present moment in
world history, the role of the USA
on a world scale does not reflect its real potential for good, but only the
rapacious greed of the big multinational companies that own America and
control its actions in their own selfish interests. Originally published in 2005 in the
book Marxism
and the USA,
published by and available from Wellred.
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By Alan Woods
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Friday, 09 February 2007 |
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Ever since September 11, Americans have been trying to make
sense of the kind of world that could produce such horrors. Suddenly all the
contradictions in the world situation were brought home to bear in a most
brutal manner. Originally published in 2005 in the
book Marxism
and the USA,
published by and available from Wellred.
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By Alan Woods
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Friday, 09 February 2007 |
 Two years ago Alan Woods wrote a book,
"Marxism and the USA", in which he applied the Marxist method to the
history of the United States, looking at the events that shaped modern America
from a class point of view. Here we publish the Introduction to the book. The
book will be serialised over the coming period. The first two parts are
The U.S.A. and the World and
Europe and America.
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By Workers' International League - www.socialistappeal.org
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Monday, 05 February 2007 |
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A report on the January 27th anti-war demonstrations which took place
across the United States. The Workers International League participated in
several of these demos. Here are some comments and images from the
participants.
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By the Workers’ International League (USA) - www.socialistappeal.org
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Monday, 22 January 2007 |
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A statement by the Workers’ International
League on the Wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
Also available as a flyer you can
download and print.
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By El Militante Sin Fronteras
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Friday, 10 November 2006 |
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On the morning of Wednesday, November 8, some 50 Twin Cities residents
rallied outside the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul, MN.
The protestors demanded that Ulises Ruiz be removed and that all power
be transferred to the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO).
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By Mark Vorpahl - www.socialistappeal.org
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Thursday, 09 November 2006 |
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With the occupation of Iraq
spiraling out of control and growing increasingly unpopular among the
majority of Americans, military recruiting would seem to be as winning
an endeavor as selling tickets to get on board a sinking ship. It therefore
comes as no surprise that military recruiters have been falling well
short of fulfilling their quotas.
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By the Socialist Appeal Editorial Board - www.socialistappeal.org
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Thursday, 09 November 2006 |
 This
year's mid-term elections mark yet another change in the consciousness
of the U.S. working class. Workers' consciousness is
not fixed in stone. We can't have a one-sided approach to what is an
infinitely complex process, especially in a country as rife with
contradictions as the U.S. This brief, initial analysis will be
followed by a series of articles in the coming days and weeks, which
will examine various aspects of the elections and their aftermath.
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By the US Socialist Appeal Editorial Board - www.socialistappeal.org
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Tuesday, 07 November 2006 |
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Although they may differ with the Republicans on this or that secondary issue, on all fundamental questions, the Democrats consistently defend the interests of big business against the interests of working people. How could it be any other way? They are directly funded by the employing class and most of them are extraordinarily wealthy themselves. |
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By James Holt - www.socialistappeal.org
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Thursday, 19 October 2006 |
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With its 1.4 million members, the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters could well be America’s strongest union. This fall, Teamster
members will be able to vote for either Jimmy Hoffa Jr., current
president of the Teamsters, or Tom Leedham. A victory for Leedham could potentially be a starting point to build a
more militant union, run from the bottom up.
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By Karl Belin -www.socialistappeal.org
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Thursday, 19 October 2006 |
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The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan take a toll out on workers both in the
US and overseas. How much more can the world working class take?
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By Josh Lucker - www.socialistappeal.org
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Thursday, 19 October 2006 |
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This November, millions of American workers will go to the polls to
exercise their democratic right to vote. But since in most cases this
means selecting which of the two bosses' candidates will rule their
district, millions of others will stay home, unable to stomach such
"choices."
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Visit www.socialistappeal.org, the website
of the US Marxists, and subscribe to
Socialist Appeal.
And be sure to visit the Youth for International Socialism
website as well.
