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A Vote for Biden is a Vote for Trumpism

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Liberals and a host of self-described socialists argue that, deficient as his party and his personal record may be, people must vote for Joe Biden in 2020 because Trump and the Republicans are that much more odious. Once again, working people are urged by these pitiable strategists to vote for the least worst corporate candidate. Rather than weighing the full impact of lesser evil voting, its advocates pretend the scheme has only an up and no down side. But as we will see, the costs of lesser evil voting far outweigh any presumed benefits. Without a doubt, Trump’s policies and actions have been despicable – from his support for criminal aggression against Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Palestine, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Bolivia, Yemen and elsewhere; his racist attacks on immigrants and people of color; his tax cuts for the rich at the expense of programs for working people; his deadly mismanagement of the Covid-19 crisis; his eagerness in the wake of the pandemic to bail out corporation...

Are You Now or Have You Ever Been a Believer in Biological Sex?

The left shares blame for new McCarthyism ** This article was published on OffGuardian   February 12, 2020 ** In the 1940s and 50s, advocating Karl Marx’s critique of capitalism could get you fired from your job,  blacklisted , deplatformed and even  imprisoned . Though communists and  socialists  were  instrumental  in the struggles of the 1930s and 40s that built the industrial labor movement in the U.S., by the late 1940s those radical ideas were vilified and virtually outlawed. Communism was purposely conflated with the crimes of Stalin. Communists and socialists were driven out of the unions. A layer of union bureaucrats that supported the witch-hunt was promoted. For fear of reprisals, many radicals kept quiet and self-censored. Some “recanted” socialist beliefs. Some fingered others to save themselves. The poison unleashed by that witch-hunt dealt a body blow to the labor movement and its devastating effects are felt to this day. It’s no ...

When Rights Collide

** This article was published on Redline   December 19, 2019 ** The left in the U.S., Canada and Europe – ranging from militant radicals to tepid reformers – has exhibited remarkable silence regarding certain aspects of transgender ideology and their deleterious effect on other social movements. Everyone defends the concept of civil and human rights for all, including trans people. But some go a step further, demanding not only the right of each individual to their own personal preferences, behaviors and lifestyle, but also the right of a few to impose their beliefs on others. Those beliefs, when codified in law and public policy, materially affect the rights of women, gays, lesbians and more. Presumably, all can agree that the following should be defended for every person regardless of sex, sexual preference, gender expression, race, religion or ethnic origin: Oppose all bigotry, chauvinism, intolerance and bias directed against them. Denounce all bigoted violence direct...

Free Julian Assange! Defend Freedom of the Press!

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** This article was published on  SocialistAction  April 11, 2019 ** On April 11, 2019 the Ecuadorian government revoked asylum protection for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Within minutes, British gendarmes entered the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, arrested Assange and seized his computers, documents and other materials. He is now being held in London’s Belmarsh prison for bail violation. That spurious charge stems from a withdrawn Swedish extradition request that arose from a now defunct investigation into sexual misconduct. No charges were ever filed against the WikiLeaks founder in the Swedish case. Assange sought asylum in 2012 due to a well-founded fear of rendition to the U.S. for activities related to WikiLeaks’ publishing. At the time, rumors were circulating of a sealed indictment against him. On April 13, 2017, then CIA Director Mike Pompeo raised the stakes by describing WikiLeaks as a “non-state hostile intelligence service.” Then, on November 16, 2018, th...