The Coming Storm

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 ...

** 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...