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Introduction: Welcome to the online home of Youth for Socialist Action! We
are a national multi-racial network of young workers, students, feminists
and activists. Our goal is to build
a revolutionary movement that can effectively fight on behalf of young and
working people, and link the politics of socialism to the struggles of all
progressive social movements. By socialism we mean a world where human
needs come before profits, and that is free of exploitation, racism, sexism
and homophobia. We are
revolutionaries who are confident in the power of our ideas, and our ability
to change the world! We have set up
this website to introduce you to our group, our ideas, and our campaigns -
and to invite you to join
us!
Check out Socialist
Action’s New Blog!
This Month’s
Editorial:
 Mumia’s Appeal
for a New Trial Rejected: In a shocking
decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit rejected all
Mumia Abu-Jamal's demands for a new trial.
Socialist Action calls on all our readers and supporters to throw
themselves into organizing emergency protests. Actions are being held around the country. Call the NYC Free Mumia Coalition at (212)
330-8029 for East Coast protest info., and the SF Mobilization
to Free Mumia at (510) 268-9429 for West Coast info. You can also find the latest Mumia news
at the Mobe’s website at www.freemumia.org/
Socialist
News & Commentary:
What Next for
the Antiwar Movement? The fifth anniversary of the
war and occupation of Iraq came and went in the US with only a tiny
percentage of those opposed to the war mobilized in the streets. Yet in the
hundreds of cities and towns where events occurred it was clear from the
mood of protesters that much more could have been done to organize antiwar
sentiment. continued
Why Socialist
Feminism? Feminists believe in women being treated as equals
to men and socialists believe that the wealth and resources of the world
should be equally distributed among all people. Clearly these two ideologies have a similar thread in the
fight for equality. However, with
all the feminisms in the world why should anyone be a socialist
feminist? Is capitalism really all
that bad? continued
La Vida y
Muerto de Victor Yara: La vida del cantante y revolucionario
Víctor Jara es una historia llena de inspiración, esperanza y
lágrimas. En solamente cuarenta
años hizo muchas cosas, pero quizás más importante fue que a ayudó
desarrollar una tipa de música, que se llama La Nueva Canción, que se
extendió en muchos países en Latina América. Su lucha por justicias para los campesinos y trabajadores de
Chile fue admirable y las letras de sus canciones son poderosas. En fin, él era un hombre sincero,
valiente, y tan creativo que vivió como un poeta y guerrillero. continued
A Reply to
Howard Zinn on the Elections: Howard Zinn, in his column
for “The Progressive” (March 2008), has written a political analysis that
deplores the current “election frenzy.” In its place he offers a guide to
action based on the understanding that presidential elections, in and of
themselves, do very little to solve social problems. Unfortunately, his overall argument is
flawed by its inability to break free from the lure of the two-party system
in general and of the Democrats in particular. continued
Turmoil Erupts
in Tibet: Tibet is again the topic of conversation around the
world. And this time it’s not the
result of some Hollywood movie, but rather the bloody clashes that have
broken out there between Tibetan protesters and Chinese police. While a lot of details are still hazy as
a result of a systematic attempt by Chinese authorities to control the news
coming out of the region, the clashes appear to have begun with a series of
demonstrations organized by Tibetans to mark the 49th
anniversary of the failed 1959 uprising against China. The demonstrations began on March
10. By March 14 the demonstrations
appear to have evolved into riots in which non-ethnic Tibetans were
attacked, and numerous shops, cars and other properties, including a
mosque, were set on fire. continued
U.S. Balancing
Act in Iraq Becoming More Precarious: Despite all the hype about the
effectiveness of "the surge," that is, the deployment of
additional U.S. troops in Iraq, the major U.S. success has been the
achievement of an alliance with local Sunni gangs against al-Qaida and
other insurgents. However, this relationship has been unstable from the
beginning because of a number of basic problems. continued
Ammunition for
Immigration Activists: Under the North American Free
Trade Agreement and World Trade Organization policies, more than 1.5
million Mexican farmers have lost their sources of income and have been
forced to sell or abandon their farms. Under these U.S.-supported
neo-liberal (so-called free trade) policies, the real purchasing power of
the Mexican minimum wage fell by more than two-thirds from 1980 to
1996. continued
First Open
National Anti-war Conference: The U.S. war and occupation
of Iraq is the central issue in world politics today. The war exposes in
bold relief the fundamental contradictions in U.S. and world capitalism. It
is, simultaneously, an imperialist war of conquest and a geopolitical war
for U.S. hegemony in the region against its imperialist competitors. continued
Is Obama an
“Antiwar” Candidate? Credit Senator Barack Obama
and his staff for running an enormously successful primary campaign.
Shrugging off a disappointing defeat in New Hampshire, he has, by late
February, beaten former frontrunner Hillary Clinton in 11 straight primary
and caucus elections and is poised to capture his party’s nomination for
president. continued
What John
McCain Stands For: A good way to discover the
truth is to compare the mistruths and lies. Recently, the likely Republican
presidential nominee, Senator John McCain, let slip a prediction that the
American military would remain in Iraq “for a hundred years.” continued
Crisis of
Leadership in Immigrant Rights Mov’t: A
month ago, a crowd of 8000 people—almost all immigrant workers from
Danbury—surrounded City Hall here to oppose a motion to deputize police as
local proxies for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It is believed
to have been the largest protest in Danbury since a famous hatters' strike
in 1915. continued
Why Mass Action: The broad outlines of Socialist
Action's views on the centrality of mass mobilizations in building an
irresistible antiwar movement have been published in previous issues of
this newspaper (see Jeff Mackler's article in our November 2007 issue).
But some additional elaboration can be helpful at a time when activists are
today discussing concrete measures to overcome the present impasse. continued
Chavez’s Defeat in Referendum Opens Up
Debate: The unexpected defeat of the constitutional changes backed by President
Hugo Chavez in the Dec. 2 national referendum has provoked deep-going
discussion in the Venezuelan left. Much of it is expressed on the website
Aporrea, which is operated by a Venezuelan current of Trotskyist origin
linked to the Movimiento Socialista de los rabajadores (MST) in Argentina.
In general, this current identifies itself with Chavez but it does offer a
broad forum for the left, including groups and individuals critical of
Chavismo. continued
“Charlie Wilson’s War” Celebrates U.S.
Imperialism: “Charlie Wilson’s War” begins
and ends with America’s clandestine establishment honoring Democratic
Congressman Charlie Wilson (played by Tom Hanks) for his successful efforts
to deliver U.S. aid and arms to the Afghan mujahideen in their war against
the Soviet Union during the 1980s. continued
Kenny Richey, Free at Last! It is
with great joy that Socialist Action is announcing that former Ohio death
row inmate Kenny Richey has been freed from prison. Richey was convicted in 1987 of an arson
attack on a block of apartment in an Ohio town, in which two-year-old
Cynthia Collins died. During this whole time though Richey has maintained
his innocence. After his release,
Richey thanked all those who "never doubted my innocence" and
said he was looking forward to going home to Scotland.
Eyewitness Palestine: Crossing into Bethlehem from Israel nowadays you are met with a scene from the pages of
Orwell. The Israelis have removed anti-apartheid graffiti from the wall and
erected two murals. One states in
three languages, "Go in peace," and the other describes the
relationship between the annexed city of Jerusalem and the occupied city of
Bethlehem as one of "peace and love." continued
Farm Worker March Hits Burger King’s
Greed: A November 30th demonstration of more than 1500
farm workers and supporters marched in Miami to the
national headquarters of the giant Burger King corporation to demand that
it pay farm workers in Immokalee, Florida one more penny a pound to
pick tomatoes and improve working conditions. Observers have called conditions
in this Central Florida town,
"modern day slavery." Many of the Miami marchers
wore T-shirts with "Exploitation King" imposed over Burger King
logos. continued
The Russian Revolution & the
Struggle Against War: To understand the
Russian Revolution in its relationship to World War I, we need to start
with the origins of WW I, not as it is taught--as a response to German
aggression--but as it actually was. The assassination of the Austrian crown
prince by a Serbian nationalist is insignificant and the catalog of German
military aggression an evasion. Attributing all guilt to Germany is a ruse
to cover up the class nature of WW I along with the culpability of all the
imperialist powers. continued
Worldwide Protests Needed to Save Gaza:
The cuts in fuel deliveries to Gaza ordered by the Israeli army on
Oct. 28 marked a new escalation of the Zionist siege of the ruined
territory. They also demonstrate a new height of Israeli hypocrisy. The
Zionist authorities had announced earlier that they intended to cut
electricity supply in retaliation for the firing of home-made rockets
across the Israeli border. continued
Should We Look to Democrats to End the
War? On Sept. 26 the Democrat-controlled Congress passed its second blank
check for war in Iraq. Three days later in a debate between leading
Democratic presidential candidates, Clinton, Obama, and Edwards were each
asked to commit to withdrawing all U.S. troops from Iraq by 2013 if elected
president. All said that they could not.
continued
Statement on the Jena 6: Some
issues are complicated. Some issues are crystal clear. For Socialist
Action, what's going on in Jena
is very simple and very clear. The worst traditions of the racist "Old
South" have raised their sheeted heads. They must be stopped and
stopped now. continued
download as a leaflet
Cuba’s Take on Climate Change: Enemies and allies of Cuba
alike can probably come to agreement on one thing: Cuba is by far leading
the fight against climate change, internationally. Armando Choy, a key figure in the Cuban
Revolution, and today head of the massive environmental cleanup operation
in Havana Bay, explained, “This is possible because our system is socialist
in character and commitment, and because the revolution’s top leadership
acts in the interests of the majority of humanity inhabiting planet
earth—not on behalf of narrow individual interests, or even simply Cuba’s
national interests.” continued
SICKO & the U.S. Health Care
Industry: “Sicko
is Boffo!” screamed the Daily News.
Michael Moore’s latest film – an acute dissection of the U.S. health-care
“system” – is taking the country by storm. Not only because it’s one of his
best efforts as a director, but also because once again he’s struck a raw
nerve, in this case the anger over care denied in order to keep medical
profiteers wealthy. continued
For a Democratic, Secular
Palestine: The
historic sponsorship by United for Peace & Justice, the country’s
biggest antiwar coalition, of a rally against U.S. support for Israeli
policies [June 10 in Washington D.C.] has fueled an already hot debate over
“one state” and “two state” solutions, amid increasing recognition that
Israeli “peace offers” are covers for the permanent ghettoization of
Palestinians. continued
Is Iran the Next Target? By his decision to
increase the numbers of U.S. troops in Iraq, President Bush is not only
escalating the counterinsurgency war that the American military has been
conducting there. He is also threatening to widen the war by picking fights
with new adversaries, the most important of which is Iran. continued
A Visit With Lori Berenson in Peru: I first saw Lori standing at the gate inside
Huacariz prison of Cajamarca, Peru, a slender figure in a white bib apron
over jeans and a black turtleneck sweater. She greeted her father and me
with a warm hug. continued
Why Nuclear Power is Not the Answer: An alarming number of so-called
environmentalists in the United States are taking the position that more
nuclear power generation is the way to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions
that are contributing to global warming.
continued
No Blood for Coal: Nearly 48 hours after a conveyor fire broke out at Alma No. 1 Mine
in Melville, West Virginia, rescuers recovered the bodies of two missing
miners. These victims brought the total of American coal miners killed on
the job during the first three weeks of January to 15. This figure exactly
equaled the number of GIs killed in Iraq over the same time span. continued
Intelligent Design - An Attack on
Science: The heated national debate
between so-called intelligent design and Charles Darwin’s theory of
evolution has been spotlighted during the recent six-week trial in a
Pennsylvania federal court concerning the legality of actions by the Dover,
Pa., school board. The trial’s final arguments were delivered on Nov.
4. continued
How to be Effective in Abortion Clinic Defense: Clinic defense is as simple as it sounds: it is the physical defense
of the doors of a clinic so that clients can enter and leave. It is
irresponsible, and at times dangerous, for pro-choice activists to turn
their backs to the doors in order to dance and chant. If a pro-choice
activist is not concerned with protecting the doors of a
clinic, she or he is not providing clinic defense. continued
Why We Need a New Environmental
Movement: Human beings knew about the
harmful effects of breathing filthy, polluted air even before the
Industrial Revolution. Smoke and soot from the burning of coal plagued England over 700
years ago. London recorded air pollution problems even in the Middle Ages.
Due to a wood and charcoal shortage in Europe, people stepped up the use of
coal for heat in the early 17th century. continued
 Malcolm X’s Advice to Young People: Malcolm X, born May 19, 1925, would have been 80 years
old this month had he not been assassinated 40 years ago. Now, decades
later, safely buried, Malcolm X has become respectable. This transformation
has been some years in the making, but there can be little doubt of
the result. continued
Women on Death Row: Today in America there are 47 women throughout 23
different states who have been condemned to death, segregated from society,
and forced to endure daily humiliation, intimidation, and abuse at the
hands of prison guards who are often men. Two other women have had their
death sentences reversed and are now awaiting final disposition. continued
Which Way
Forward for the GLBT Movement?
In 1947 the
state of California made a historic move and struck down that state’s ban
on interracial marriages. At the time, 48 states had bans on interracial
marriage. According to some polls
from the time, approximately nine out of 10 Americans said that they
opposed interracial marriage. It
seemed that the battle for fundamental civil rights could never be
won. continued
Socialist
Political Theory:
What is Socialism?
Socialists obviously don't have
a monopoly on compassion, however. What distinguishes socialists from other
socially concerned people is that we do not view these problems as normal,
natural, eternal, or an inherent feature of the human condition. We believe
that these problems are historically and socially created and that they can
be solved by human beings through conscious, organized political struggle
and change. continued . .
.
How to Make a Revolution:
First
of all, you have to have clear in your mind the meaning of the word
“revolution.” Many people have a stereotyped picture of what a revolution
is like. They say a revolution is when people come with guns, when they
surround a fortress or take over a city. What they do is they confuse
revolution with insurrection. Insurrection is just one stage of revolution.
Revolution is a lot more. It’s a long process. continued . .
.
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