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16 February 2005
Volume 2, Issue 4
Free Voices
eZine of the People
Made possible by Contributions from our sponsors:
Jenn Samimi
Max Absher
Denver, Co
Telling the Truth....
Report on the Resistance Against the 2005 World Economic Forum
By Thomas
Davos, Switzerland
The World Economic Forum started in 1971 as a private meeting for managers and politicians in the Swiss mountain town of Davos, with the purpose of facilitating networking and the discussion of developments in business and politics. Slowly, it became famous and more and more powerful and rich people attended. Today, its Managing Director can boast of: “This year, as every year, the Annual Meeting will have a strong business component. With more than 500 chairmen and CEOs form the world’s leading companies, and more than 120 companies from the Fortune 500 actively taking part, the Annual Meeting once again will allow business to play a key role in shaping the agenda.” The second largest number of participants are politicians. Militant resistance
against the powers accumulated at the WEF started in 1998 under the slogan of 'Wipe out WEF'. Continue Reading
Demanding Academic Freedom
Young Peoples Socialist League - University of Colorado at Denver
Denver, CO
In light of the recent media attention brought upon professor Ward Churchill, of our sister campus in Boulder, we are calling on YPSL members and students Nationwide to come together to resist the assault on Academic Freedom. We believe that the attack on Prof. Churchill is a deliberate diversion from the broader right-wing agenda of undermining young people in the U.S. today. We believe that this agenda, which has been well implemented in Colorado and is spreading throughout the country, includes the deliberate dismantling of the public higher education system. Colorado Governor Bill Owens has been instrumental in spearheading this campaign. Recently, Owens stated that he believes he should be in charge of making higher education decisions in Colorado, and that he does not agree with the CU Board of Regents being selected by democratic election. Instead, he would like to select the Board himself. Owens is also calling for legislation that would remove the current tenure policy for Colorado professors, which is currently set by Universities, and instead create a legislative body that would control policy. Owens states that tenure shouldn’t protect professors from being fired. We take this to mean that Owens believes any statement a professor makes, in or outside of the classroom, can be used to fire that professor. Continue Reading
Building an Anti-Capitalist Organization and an Anti-Capitalist Front
By Joaquin Cienfuegos
Los Angeles, CA
As we build a movement for radical change the question is always posed, what should be the "dividing line" or what should people unite under. Generally the idea for mass organizations or organizations as a whole is to have the largest numbers out there in a rally or protest. The argument is made that in order to build the Anti-War Movement or the Anti-Globalization movement we can't and we shouldn't call out Capitalism as the root cause or we shouldn't be upfront about the economic infrastructure of power. The idea put forward is that we should be first anti-war or anti-corporate and then anti-capitalist, meaning first win people to resistance of what the ruling class is carrying out, and then take on the power structure which carries out the injustices in the first place. I want to put these questions out there not to be sectarian, but to increase unity on a correct basis in building a revolutionary movement, which is much needed today. We need a broad, diverse revolutionary movement made up of autonomous organizations and cohesive networks to not only challenge the power structure, but to once and for all get rid of it and realign society from below. Continue Reading
Race Wars
By Margaret Kimberly
New York, NY
The media behaved predictably. They all asked if the Maryland community was racist. The answer was a resounding no. White residents said “not us,” black residents confirmed a feeling of comfort with their neighbors. Despite any and all protestations to the contrary, one suspect owned up to feeling “southern pride” and thought slavery wasn’t so bad. Another said that blacks “have to die.” The arsonists knew which homes had been purchased by blacks and started the fires on those lots. At this point in the story everyone relaxes. The suspects are in custody and under federal indictment, black and white proclaim they are relieved. Whites aren’t guilty. Blacks aren’t nervous. They should be. Continue Reading
Women Deserve More Social Security, Not Less
By Martha Burk
The Center for Advancement of Public Policy
Washington, DC
As we all know from the State of the Union speech, the prez is pushing hard -- on his own party as well as the Democrats -- to privatize Social Security. While some of his folks know carving private accounts out of the present system is a non-starter, they’re still trying to figure a way to please their president and still get re-elected next year. Representative Bill Thomas, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee and a heavy-hitter in the debate, recently floated the idea of "gender and race adjusting” benefits. Thomas strongly implied that since women live longer than men, their checks should be reduced so an equivalent amount of money would stretch over the additional years. Great. Women already have lower benefits than men because they make less over their lifetimes due to pay discrimination and years spent out of the workforce caring for kids and elderly parents, so Thomas’ idea adds insult to injury. But putting aside the fact that gender or race-based benefits would be against the law, Thomas ought to consider some “adjustments” that would really be fair to women. Continue Reading
Contest!!!!
Free Voices is looking for Creative Expressions of our slogan "Shout the Truth" for promotional materials and the website. Do you have a photo of yourself shouting what everyone needs to know? Maybe you have a design that would look good on a t-shirt? Let us know! Send all entries to theangryearth@yahoo.com with the subject line "contest." Our favorite entries will be displayed in the eZine and the winners will receive, at the very least, a Free Voices t-shirt. The deadline for this contest is March 28.
Backtalk....
Someone is Stealing the Children!
RE: Young Marines: Militarizing America's Children
By Vincent Fisher
Jersey City, NJ
Thanks for the informative article, "Young Marines: Militarizing America's Children." It is a great piece of investigative journalism, which is well researched along with relevant historical antecedents/analogies. I hadn't heard of the group before. The article called to mind two articles I did for NJ IMC. There are other organizations in addition to the "Young Marines" which are preparing urban and poor youth to be both cannon fodder and part of the American Stasi. Continue Reading
Crying Art....
The Orange Revolution
Kiev, Ukraine
At the end of 2004, the results of a disputed election between incumbent Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich and his challenger Viktor Yushchenko triggered a series of protests in the capital city Kiev that quickly became known as the Orange Revolution. One of the protesters was kind enough to submit photographs of the Orange Revolution for publication in Free Voices. Here they are! Continue Reading
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