I don't think I saw Anklebiter mention this so:
Did UPS Discriminate Against A Pregnant Worker By Letting Her Go?
So, if I'm reading that right, female employees at UPS should only have sex while at work and on the clock so their pregnancy is an at work incident for disability purposes.
Waiting for Mr. Comrade to pick me up so we can go promulgate the word of revolutionary socialism and read this one.
F@*!in' bullshiznit, of course, but I wish the article made at least some mention of what the Teamsters did. 'Cuz, that shiznit would never fly in Local 25. And why didn't she at least apply for FMLA? She wouldn't have gotten paid, but she wouldn't have lost her insurance.
Man, the Teamsters ain't what they used to be.
F+&+ the ghost of Jim Casey!
For fully paid maternity leave!
And paternity leave, too, I don't care!
For woman's liberation through socialist revolution!
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ElfquestAre you talking about Elfquest elfquest, or some other questing elf?
I ask because the original graphic novels warped my young mind, and provided much inspiration when I colored comics later in life (including ones drawn by a guy who did books 7-8). I also happen to live a short train ride from the creators.
http://www.elfquest.com/
I didn't know it was a comic - I'm pretty sure I had the RPG at some point, unless I've just imagined that...
Combining two themes, An interesting article about sex studies, from a blog run by Trotskyites of unknown provenance
NFSW, since they've decided to illustrate it with some early 20th century porn.
I've never read anything by Wilheim Reich (who was in the KPD, very early on). Maybe the library can get it.
There's a great big chunk about him on that BBC doc, The Century of the Self, that I've posted about here and there. It's pretty interesting. German commie thinking more orgasms are the key to human happiness. What a weirdo.
Also, there's that scene in Sleeper with Diane trying to get Woody in the orgasmatron.
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Noon on the picket line, the evening "dying in" in Davis, Porter and Harvard Square, just another Friday in gobboland.
Some speaker testifying at one of the pauses in the march:
"I'm f%%@ing sick of our people dying for capitalism!"
Vive le Galt!
In completely other news, after two or three days of exquisite mental torture and the most intense f+%~ing with me, Mr. and Mrs. Comrade let slip that Female Comrade likes me, too.
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Go to the commie Day School yesterday dressed to kill (in a kufi), kick ass and take names all day, have a blast, go to the after party, get approached by not one, but TWO women (not at the same time), am too smitten with daydreams of snuggling with Female Comrade to reciprocate.
F#*&ing women.
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So, anyway, we've been really talking Comrade Omar up to him, how they're both "sand brothers" (one of Comrade Omar's terms), telling him about Omar's shady past and how they should hang out so that Omar can teach him how to meet girls and get laid, etc.
Finally got Comrade Omar and the Commandant together yesterday, and today I see the former giving the latter advice about affairs of the heart on Facebook.
Man, this organizing shiznit is easy.
More paternal pride:
When the Hollaback! thread was going on, I was so enraged by that racist filth getting a pass that I went on an internal education drive about the racist history of feminism (suffragettes and white supremacy, rape culture and Emmett Till, Hollaback! and stop-and-frisk). I was so successful that both the Commandant and Mrs. Comrade (a former socialist-feminist who has been won over to the Marxist anti-feminist position thanks to years of dedicated struggle; I still remember the International Woman's Day a couple years ago where she yelled at me for suggesting that complimenting someone's hair at work wasn't an example of the sexist patriarchy in action) started posting on Facebook about the racist double standard in the Bill Cosby rape scandal, which, truth be told, made even me uncomfortable.
Regardless, in between the Day School and the after party, Mr. Comrade, the Commandant and I were undecided whether we were going to attend the latter and, as we milled about undecidedly, the Commandant sez:
"Well, we could always go find some women and catcall them."
Hee hee!
I didn't copy and paste your non-link, Farael, because I am lazy.
I do, however, recommend the following for the interested:
Got in touch with my friend from Bobby Joe Ebola thanks to the powers of the internet. Huzzah!
He was, indeed, interested in meeting Ms. Roller Derby, surprise surprise.
Now I just gotta get her to return my calls...
Got in touch with another of my old high school friends. He's got some music-technology project he's working on, Slyde, I don't really understand what it is or what it does, but the video uses our old garage band from high school, The Spam Rockets, as an example.
Made me laugh. We did covers but we did write one original, "I Love Drugs More Than My Family." I don't think any of us had even smoked weed yet.
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Anti-OSCE Protesters Clash With Riot Police in Switzerland
from Vice News
I saw the second-to-last photo in the article, and thought of you!
I like how they were not only spray painting F--k the OSCE, but they even had a F--K OFF banner that seemed to be of very high quality!
I also like the last paragraph or two. With children's songs like that, no wonder the Swiss know how to protest!
Spent all day flirting with Female Comrade on Facebook. Best use of a day off evah!
Anyway, I think I'm going to steal the first kiss gambit from Annie Hall. 'S a classic; my only concern is that she'll recognize it. She's already corrected my pronunciation of "kvetch."
Various Links
#BlackLivesMatter founders: Things haven't changed
Jacobin: Yes, the French Revolution Was Necessary
UE Local 279 Strike and Defense Fund
Help Striking FairPoint Workers, Donate to IBEW-CWA Solidarity Fund
Cornel West Reflects On The 'Artistic Genius' Of John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme'
45 minutes with West and Archie Shepp and various white dudes whose books I own!
What would a world without money look like?
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What would the world after the return of my former Lord and Master look like?
Not much this week, comrades. Spent yesterday hanging out with the Commandant. He has started referring to Comrade Omar as Uncle Omar and Mrs. Comrade as Tia Stefanie, which is the cutest thing evah.
Doin' up the Weir Valve rally in a couple of hours. Who are we? UE! Who are they? Liars!
In other news, Mrs. Comrade has arranged for Female Comrade to come back for Christmas. She is the best Branch Organizer evah!
In related news, I didn't weigh in on that Affirmative Consent thread from a whiles back, but we talked about it (and tons of other feminist issues) when Female Comrade was in town. My new line on AC is:
I gave [Female Comrade] affirmative consent, and she didn't do anything with it. Feminism sucks!
Went to the UE rally to find out it was a victory rally! Who are we? UE!
Vive le Galt!
Was overjoyed to be introduced around the 100-150 person rally as "Commie [Doodlebug]," met the Commandant's parents and brother, directed a Facebook video that started with Comrade Omar speaking to the rally, did a pan around as the crowd chanted "We'll be back" and ended with me flirting with Female Comrade and then posted it on her page; it made her blush. (A shout out to Mr. Comrade's natural skill as a cinematographer.)
Today was pretty cool.
Rally For Striking Weir Workers UE(United Electrical) Local 279
(No fears, no goblin courtship dances in this one.)
If anyone's got any cool articles/vids of Ferguson protests this weekend, please, feel free.
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Disgusting Tales of Goblin Love
posted it on her page; it made her blush.
After posting the video, a comrade in Worcester shared it. She blushed more and private messaged the comrade that I had made the video for her and she wasn't sure I'd want it to be shared. Comrade replied that he didn't think I was very shy. Meanwhile, UE local president comes along and shares the video again. Goblin love gone viral! She blushes more.
After I posted the video, I left the Comrades' house where their ADHD-diagnoses means they are constantly on the internet and fled to the Free NH Goblin Hideout to confer with Comrade Omar and the Black Goblin, whom I haven't seen in a few weeks. While there, Comrade Omar keeps getting messages from Tia Stefanie. "She wants to know if you're here." "Ignore her." "Oh look", [reads stuff Female Comrade has written under my loveonthepicketlineagram, then turns to me and smiles]. "You're in like Flynn." Which was weird, because I was watching The Sea Hawk earlier in the week.
Anyway, stopped by the Comrades' on the way to work and Mrs. Comrade tells me that Female Comrade was talking about me all night. "Do you want to know what she said?" "No, no, well, okay, maybe one thing..." "She loves your 'dreamy Italian eyes.'" "I have 'dreamy Italian eyes'?" I ask, before I pass out.
After I come to, Mrs. Comrade congratulates me. "I wasn't going to say anything, but it was a pretty bold move. But you pulled it off. I wasn't sure whether she was going to like it or not." "Pfft. It couldn't have failed. How was she not gonna fall in love with a sexy commie with dreamy Italian eyes makin' a pass at her on Facebook via a victorious union rally video? She didn't have a chance." Mrs. Comrade gives me a look. "All right, don't let it go to your head, Casanova..." "Don Juan!" shouts out Mr. Comrade from the other room, "Don Juan de Doodlebug!"
Come home from work and find a series of private messages about her day ending with "You know what I hate? You working Sundays."
Talking on the phone was a lot more nervewracking, but even more exciting!
Man, I should've done this years ago!
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True Love Waits
I got to say to Female Comrade Principessa Francesca on our second phone call after she complained that she couldn't see me until Christmas. (F~$! yeah!)
I know, I know, you're thinking recycling lines about Ariel the Sexy Roller Derby Chick for Principessa Francesca isn't very cool, but, during the course of the conversation I was telling her a non-sexy story that started, "So, I was talking to my friend, Ariel..." and she interrupts "Is Ariel the girl you rubbed your penis against?" [Silence] "Ha, ha, you forgot you told me that story, didn't you?" [I had] She then told me funny stories about her loser ex-lovers. (Not that Ariel is a loser, no, no, no.)
Anyway, I imagine it might be obnoxious to come into a thread purportedly about international proletarian socialist revolution and have to read post after post about the courtship rituals of commie goblins, so I will try to not post about Principessa Francesca until something noteworthy happens, like, maybe, the consummation of our relationship, which, she assures me (I didn't even ask) will happen soon.
Socialism will get everybody laid!
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[Gets off the phone with the Principessa]
[redacted redacted redacted redacted redacted redacted. redacted redacted? redacted! redacted redacted redacted redacted. redacted!]
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Noteworthy event
Apparently, Principessa Francesca had an anxiety attack yesterday because she couldn't believe something as "good as [me]" could happen to her.
[Shakes head in amazement] Man, I'm good!
Tales from the Shop Floor
So, back when The Black Goblin got a new girlfriend and I was dallying with roller derby playing hussies, The Black Gob went into work and was having a typical Teamster New England ball-busting sessions with his boss. At some point, The Black Gob sez, "No, no, I've got a girlfriend now." Black Gob's boss responds: "Is his name [Doodlebug Anklebiter]?"
Anyway, fast forward a couple of days and I'm working with the Britishiznoid National Teamster and he's complaining about the way a boss was treating him. "Look," I say, "Bosses are like pedophiles" [Teamsters love this analogy] "They can look over a crowd of workers and instantly figure out which one they can get away with picking on. So you gotta stand up for yourself and develop a rep, and then they'll leave you alone." As I'm saying this, I see the Black Goblin's boss walk by. "Watch this...HEY! [BOSS]!" [Boss sees me and smiles] "What's this I hear about you going around saying [The Black Goblin] and I are gay?!?" Boss blushes brightly and hurriedly walks away. "I'm filing a complaint with H.R.!" He disappears. "See", I say to Britishiznoid Teamster, "That's how you do it."
Two weeks later, when I was hiding at the Free NH Goblin Man-Cave, I told the Black Goblin the story and he busts out laughing. "So, that's what that was all about?" "Huh?" "He came up to me yesterday and wanted to know why you were going around saying the he had said that we were gay." We both laugh for a while. "Hee hee! He waited two weeks to say anything? What a coward! So what did you tell him?" "I told him, 'Because that's what you f%@#in' said!" [Laughter] "What he did say?" "He just blushed and ran away."
Hee hee!
Alright, class struggle fans, sorry I've been away, but, uh, can't really say I'm sorry.
Anyway, as near as I can tell the strike at Weir Valve was an almost complete success* with attacks against seniority and subcontracting being warded off. The economic gains were modest (5%, 3%, 3%) but, I think, only by ultra-left standards, and, as the striking workers stressed over and over to everyone who would listen, it was never about the money, it was about the language.
The history of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers (UE) can best be illustrated, I think, in the following anecdote:
I was standing at the rally, beaming, being introduced to 150 New England union activists as "Commie [Doodlebug]" when Comrade Omar pulls out his smartphone and laughs. "Some right-wing troll just buzzed the 279 page. She's goin' on about 'Did you know your union was kicked out of the CIO during McCarthyism because they were led by Communists?' And Jimmy McBagodonuts just writes back 'Hail Mother Russia!'"
Anyway, in other news, I have no f%+%ing idea what's going on in the world. The CIA raped boys in Abu-Ghraib? Los Estatounidenses normalized relations with Cuba? DiBlasio turned out to be a right piece of shiznit, like Comrade Anklebiter predicted? I have no idea, I've been up all night four nights running talking to la Principessa.
But I am going to a FairPoint rally in Concord today.
One day longer!/One day stronger!
For workers revolution!
---
*Ultra-left quibble: The workers accepted increases in health care. As they spun it, they "successfully controlled" increases in health care. Normally, I wouldn't be so pedantic, but: When I initially announced victory via union-rally/catcall video on Facebook, the contract hadn't officially been signed yet. It was done so later in the week, but before that, a certain comrade may have scoffed at the strike, adding, "It sounds like they didn't really win anything." When this was relayed to me second-hand, I fumed and shouted "Oh yeah?!? Go do another f!~$ing non-binding ballot referendum, [redacted redacted redacted]!"
Los Estatounidenses normalized relations with Cuba?
Didn't even know, until the ride to Concord, that the last of the Cuban Five had been released. Huzzah!
Either way, huzzah! Free all class-war prisoners!
The Concord rally was much more demoralized and subdued than either of the other two that we went to. But in other ways it was more fun. There were a few of the same faces from the UE rally, including a woman who hailed me again as "Commie [Doodlebug]!" and then introduced me to a Chief Business Agent for one of the locals (forget which now) who, prepped I'm sure, thanked us for our generous donation to the strike fund (it was only a hundred bucks). Mr. Comrade was interviewed by the local press. I listened as he gave the interview, it was pretty awesome, but, alas, the reporter (who, btw, was smoking hawt) pared it down to one sentence.
Ten weeks in, striking FairPoint workers, supporters rally on State House lawn
I had noted in another thread, that Paizo.com has helped me develop my lethal skills in the arts of seduction (The Crimson Masque would be so proud!), I also noticed another benefit from my years on these boards:
I was walking the picket line next to guy I recognized from the UE rally. Older, reticent, wallflower-y type. He asks where I work. I say UPS. I ask how his week was. He says it was good, asks in return. I go for it, and tell him an abbreviated version of the latest tale of disgusting goblin love that I spun over in the Charlie Manson thread. When I get to the "mild mouse...raging lion...Holy shit, kid, etc." he's laughing his ass off. Later, Mr. Comrade talks to him some more and comes back. "He's in the Newspaper Guild! Holy shiznit, you made another labor contact!" "It's all because of the love of la Principessa," I reply....[derail into more disgusting goblin love]
Anyway, find an old Occupy NH comrade, kind of weird dude, quiet and awkward, used to be a yogic monk or some shiznit, now is a staffer at the AFSC, and I regale him with stories of snubbing Al Gore and other tales from my sordid past. He friends on me Facebook. Later, I realize that if I shamelessly self-promote at picket lines and leftie meet-ups and tell funny stories, people think that we are cool and interesting and friend us on Facebook and then we get access to even more people to tell funny stories to and infect with revolutionary socialism.
Anyway, point is, I often find myself re-telling stories that I've posted on Paizo, so, I guess, in its way, even this den of imperialist stooges can be used to prepare for the class war.
Vive le Galt!
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Alas, the thread with my tale of trying to get Young Black Teamster to go to Black Lives Matter-esque protests was in a thead that has since been locked, but if it were still active, I'd post the following under it: Two Women Who Met As Ferguson Protesters Get Married
Hands up, don't shoot!
Finish the Civil War!
Socialism will get everybody laid!
Vive le Galt!!!
In a fit of incredible irony, Comrade Anklebiter's hawt new NY schoolteacher girlfriend on Brooklyn radio:
(I'm only up to the 13 minute mark; I take no responsibility for anything she says)
16 minute mark: She throws down the Leninist position on the state and "cops aren't workers". That's my girl!
Around 37 minute mark, she says "F@*# that!" and invokes the Chicago Teachers strike in defiance of the Taylor Laws. Vive le Galt!
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Love among the Ultra-Lefts
After la Principessa made the ridiculous, but incredibly ego-boosting, claim that my voice has sonorities unmatched by either Barry White or Isaac Hayes, I kicked it to her.
"So, maybe we should talk about that. It's kind of like the kufi, and, uh, cultural appropriation."
"What, you mean, like, sexually repressed white people riffin' off the earth soul brother, 'black people are more in touch with their primitive nature', Kate Winslet mucking about on the lower decks of the Titanic to rejuvenate herself through dalliances with the proles, noble savage/Norman Mailer/"The White Negro" hipster chauvinism?"
"Oh, wow. Yeah, that."
"Lemme holler atcha, baby."
I can't wait 'til Tuesday!
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Love among the Ultra-Lefts
After spending the week in the basement with my hawt multi-orgasmic commie NY schoolteacher girlfriend, I have come to mistrust pc feminist codes of sexual etiquette even more than I did before. I'll spare you the gory details, but after one session of rutting on the futon mattress I said to her, "Baby, don't get me wrong: that was really f#&$ing hawt. But, uh, maybe you should talk to your therapist about this?" She looked at me, moaned softly and purred "I don't need to talk to my therapist, I only need you."
I'm sold.
Anyway, back when la Principessa was young, she was a big Star Wars fan. She bought the "Star Wars D&D" book, memorized it, found a group in her school that played, asked them if she could join, was subjected to a Star Wars trivia quiz in which she did better than any of the other participants and was still refused a seat in the game because she was a girl. :(
Tonight we're driving up to Goffstown to play We Be Goblins.
Yay commie nerd love!!
Haven't really done any commie shiznit lately, alas. Going to a lecture in Boston on the POUM and their betrayals tomorrow, though.
Haven't really done any commie shiznit lately, alas. Going to a lecture in Boston on the POUM and their betrayals tomorrow, though.
My senorita's rose was nipped in the bud
From Barcelona to Brooklyn: Down with Collaboration with the Bourgeoisie!
For workers revolution here, there, and everywhere!!!
Vive le Galt!
[Cries]
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Haven't been up to much commie shiznit, alas. Was supposed to go to a rally for postal workers this past Friday, but it was snowing in NYC and it was cancelled the day prior. Went to a Branch Meeting in Queens but,
a) did a bunch of childcare for a comrade's rambunctious son that I had met earlier in the week; this was a bit disturbing because I only met the kid once and he came running right over and sat in my lap and started tugging on my beard and trying to steal my nose; la Principessa later beamed that the kid never does that with people that he's just met. The disturbing part is that now la Principessa is running around, beaming, thinking kids love me. Great.
b) We had to leave early in order to get me on the Chinatown bus and back to New England.
Sounds like the NH comrades were busy while I was gone, going to Black Lives Matter-esque events, making more contacts with NH labor types and getting into squabbles with Comrade Longears' American co-thinkers.
Anyway, due to a dearth of commie postings in this thread of late, I bopped around my archives to find the first mention on these boards of Principessa Francesca:
Here's the thing about "not all cops": I don't care.
There are too many bad cops. Maybe you didn't see them where you worked, maybe there weren't any. I still don't care.
As long as there are bad cops, cops get to deal with a reputation that includes their bad actions. If you want a clean reputation, go Serpico on their asses.
A comrade of mine is a member of the New York UFT local. The UFT endorsed Sharpton's march against police brutality in the wake of the killing of Eric Garner, which, apparently, provoked quite a storm of outrage among New Yorkers in general, and the rank-and-file in particular.
Anyway, a lot of her co-workers gave her crap along the lines of "Why are you so anti-cop? My brother-in-law is a police officer, he's a good guy, why are we going to an anti-cop march?" To which she responded, "This is a march against police brutality. If, in your mind, anti-police brutality equals anti-police, which of us has the lower opinion of police officers?"
Which was clever, I thought.
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A couple of events that I will be attending/organizing over the next two weeks:
Black Power Mixtape showing and Potluck Fundraiser
Pretty decent flick if you haven't seen it.
The following week should be fun as Lowell, Massachusetts gets its first Black Lives Matter-esque event, complete with commies and anarcho-syndicalists on the steering committee. I was still in Brooklyn for the first planning meeting (and will be returning to Brooklyn this week and will also miss the second one) but Mr. Comrade assured me that it was wicked exciting and there was even an undercover cop. Makin' a name for ourselves, woo hoo!
Rally Against Police Brutality and Racial Discrimination Lowell
Also attended a meeting of the Nashua Labor Council last night. It was fun, rubbing shoulders with various labor bureaucrats and Democratic party shills and nearly avoiding a meltdown with the head of the IBEW local of Raytheon workers over police brutality. It was rather comical, she was trying to make some comment about her son being a cop and then she blended Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamar Rice and two or three other incidents into one account. "He was killed by a black cop. How come no one knows about that case?" "You mean the case that everyone at this table just said they knew about?" "Yeah, but they didn't know he was killed by a black cop." "But he was still killed by a cop, right?" "Yeah, but it was a black cop. There are more black racists than white racists, you know." I'm about to explode when Mr. Comrade comes back from the bathroom. (Mr. Comrade is always going to the bathroom because he drinks, like, 4 liters of Diet Pepsi a day.) "What the hell did I walk into?" "You don't wanna know."
Anyway, ran into the Newspaper Guild dude I impressed with my tale of yelling at UPS supes for my love at the FairPoint rally in Concord; turns out he is dating the IBEW retiree who always hails me as "Commie [Doodlebug]" and is now trying to arrange giving us her former mentor's books about Eugene Debs and whatnot. I'm convinced they're all secret commies.
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At Nashua Labor Council meeting:
Former (? I think) Democratic state representative talks up NH Rebellion "get-money-out-of-politics"/lame-ass/Lawrence Lessig bullshiznit;dances around the issue that last year (?) they gave money to local Libertarian candidates or something. "Yeah, there's some people in there I don't like, but, you know, unity..." [Paraphrase]
Labor Newsletter Editor: [Paraphrase] I'm kinda skeptical. I mean, yeah, I want to get money out of politics, too, but when they start talking about the SEIU, I get real mad.
Newspaper Guild: [Paraphrase] F+~# them. They are liars and scabs. I will never work with them again.
Mr. Comrade: F%#@ them. Shills for the Free State Project.
Democrat Hack: [Shamefacedly] Yeah, okay...
LNE: [Paraphrase] Yeah, f@&$ them. I mean, I want to get money out of politics, too, [rambles] "...and get back to what this country originally stood for, you know, where everybody gets a voice."
Me: "Yeah. And slaves."
[Table laughs with varying levels of nervousness, except for Racist Raytheon Grammie who narrows her eyes and shakes her head]
Rally Against Police Brutality and Racial Discrimination Lowell
While I was down here dallying with my lady fair in Brooklyn, the NH comrades are at it, as busy as bees. For communism!
A young high school comrade appeared on right-wing Lowell talk radio where he appeared alongside some racist [redacted] who is apparently organizing a Lowell-area pro-cop rally. Whether in direct reaction to our demo, I don't know, but I like to think so.
Anyway, I guess there was some big deal with protesters blocking I-93 this morning. Beats me, I haven't been paying attention. One of my comrades, though, a freelance photojournalist, got his pix picked up and spread around the internet, so that's always fun. Don't really know what's going on, otherwise. I suppose I should stop having sex all the time and start following the news again. Or...
In the f!@$ing Guardian actually...
Boston protesters 'united against racism' shut down highway during rush hour
MLK Day Week should be fun, huh?
Finish the Civil War!
For communism!
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And like a good communist, I don't look at the news, I start reading an article from over 50 years ago:
The revolutionary answer to the Negro problem in the United States
A report delivered by C. L. R. James in presenting the draft resolution on the Negro Question to the Thirteenth Convention of the Socialist Workers Party (US), July 5, 1948
I might be off by a bit, but I think today is Day 91.
---
Dear friends,
As week 14 of our strike begins, we wanted to share a quick update on our progress. We are incredibly grateful and appreciative of every person and organization who has contributed to our Solidarity Fund. We continue to update the Thank You page on our website, http://fairnessatfairpoint.com/thank-you-from-fairnessatfairpoint/
Picketing Continues
Despite the sub-zero temperatures, members continue to hold the line and demonstrate a heroic commitment to our fight for a fair deal. Picketing continues across the three states and we encourage you to join us on the lines. We always appreciate warm beverages or snacks, but more than anything we welcome your fellowship. You can see a list of picketing locations at http://fairnessatfairpoint.com/picketing-locations/.
Return to Negotiations
On Sunday, January 4th, leaders of our bargaining team returned to the table under the auspices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Negotiations are continuing, and neither side will make comments to the press or discuss the details of negotiations until they conclude.
Solidarity Fund
Thanks to the generosity of organizations and individuals all over the world, we’ve received more than $200,000 in donations to the Solidarity Fund. These donations help striking members pay for heating oil, emergency health care, and housing and car payments.
Each state has a committee of rank-and-file members who administer the fund and review requests for aid. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to help so many of our members, and we are thankful for the time and energy they volunteer to manage the Fund.
You can donate to the Solidarity Fund by sending a check to:
IBEW-CWA Solidarity Fund
℅ IBEW Local 2327
21 Gabriel Drive
Augusta, ME 04330
Or you can give online at this link: www.gofundme.com/IBEW-CWA-Strike-Relief. Please spread the word and share this link. Every little bit helps.
You can continue to stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook at facebook.com/fairnessatfairpoint/ and visiting our website, FairnessAtFairPoint.com.
Thank you for standing with us in our fight for good jobs and quality service for New England.
In Solidarity,
F@F
a) did a bunch of childcare for a comrade's rambunctious son that I had met earlier in the week; this was a bit disturbing because I only met the kid once and he came running right over and sat in my lap and started tugging on my beard and trying to steal my nose; la Principessa later beamed that the kid never does that with people that he's just met. The disturbing part is that now la Principessa is running around, beaming, thinking kids love me. Great.
Kid frickin' out-Bolsheviked me today!. While I was lazing, rolling around with la Principessa, he was out trying to smash racist police terror.
For communist youth leadership!
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Kshama Sawant Gives #SocialistResponse to Obama’s State of the Union Address
Six years ago, Obama was elected on the hope that he would represent the millions, not the millionaires.
When Obama delivered his first State of the Union address, Democrats occupied majorities in both the House and Senate.
Today, after massive disappointment and disillusionment for the American people, he faces Republican majorities in both branches of Congress. Six years later, will millions of Americans finally get the president they voted for?
Some of the proposals Obama made tonight point in the right direction:
On taxing the rich, on providing free community college education, paid sick and maternity leave, and municipal broadband.
But how does Obama plan to overcome the inevitable Republican obstruction?
How will Obama get any serious measure to tax the wealthy or against climate change past the entrenched and undemocratic power of Wall Street and big business?
There is no answer to this from Obama.
He talked about the economic recovery.
But the truth is for the vast majority of us this has been a joyless recovery.
Americans face the highest levels of inequality in almost a century.
Under Obama the gap between rich and poor has only widened.
But the last two years have seen the shaping of the kind of forces that can reverse this stunning inequality – the historic grassroots movements for a $15/hour minimum wage by heroic low-wage workers taking strike action.
And we won a $15 minimum wage in Seattle – the first major city to do so – by building a movement of low-paid workers together with unions, community organizations, 15 Now, and others.
Critical for $15 in Seattle was the election of an independent working class candidate who boldly championed it, which forced the political and business establishment to reluctantly make a concession on this issue.
In contrast, Republican and Democratic politicians, rather than fighting to raise the minimum wage as we did, have instead been taking donations from the same fast food companies that workers are striking against.
Obama is pushing international trade agreements undermining environmental and labor standards that will further fuel inequality and environmental destruction.
This year also saw a $15 ballot initiative passed by a huge margin in San Francisco, and statewide ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage pass by super-majorities, including Republican dominated states.
Our task is clear – we need to continue to build this movement and democratic organizations like 15 Now to make 2015 the year we win 15 across the nation.
Obama spoke about helping the middle class. He spoke about housing issues.
Yet while cities like Seattle have to deal with astronomical rent increases and gentrification, we are simultaneously facing cuts to federal funding for low-income housing.
Here in Seattle I along with public housing tenants and community activists just led a successful battle to stop a 400% rent hike for low-income housing in Seattle.
I hope this example of resistance and struggle can spread nationally where other cities are confronted with similar attacks.
Socialist Alternative, tenants, and I are campaigning for emergency measures like rent control to address this spiraling crisis.
But emergency measures will not be enough. The so called “free market” has miserably failed to provide affordable housing.
We need urgent public investment to build new affordable housing for working families.
I am working on a plan for the Seattle city government to build thousands of high-quality publicly owned houses to rent at below market rates.
But to win any of this, tenants and homeowners need to build their own housing justice movement, acting locally, but connecting nationally.
Obama´s pledge to say No to Keystone XL and to cap methane emissions are necessary first steps.
But let’s be clear: he has utterly failed to take on the power of the 90 companies who are responsible for almost two thirds of the climate emissions in history.
Instead he brags about being the “Fracking President.”
As Naomi Klein said, this is about capitalism versus the climate.
We need to act here and now. But we can only deal with climate change if we break the power of the giant oil and car companies who are determined to extract every drop of oil from the ground.
Addressing climate change means organizing society around the interests of the 99%, rather than around profits and fiercely competing nation states.
We need a democratic socialist society based on international cooperation.
Real progress is only won by millions stepping into action. We saw that with the tremendous People´s Climate March which had half a million people rallying in New York City. We need to take this forward and demand concrete action. In Seattle, we are pushing forward to ban oil and coal trains from passing through the city.
Last year saw the beginning of the most important movement against racial injustice in decades.
Every 28 hours, a Black person is killed by police or vigilantes in this country.
We live in the age of mass black incarceration.
The age of unindicted, unprosecuted, widespread police brutality against black people.
This is the age of economic racism, where the average income of a black person is one third less than a white person.
After hundreds of thousands of Black workers and youth campaigned to elect Obama, he has provided no vision to address racism in our society.
Why can’t Barack Obama say “Black Lives Matter”?
Black people, people of color, indigenous people deserve action.
They deserve action now:
•For full prosecution of all acts of police brutality like those against Mike Brown and Eric Garner!
•For an end to economic racism, for a $15 / hour minimum wage nationally.
•To finally address the gaping income inequalities that define race and gender in the U.S.
The Republicans elected in the mid-terms last fall would like to think they have a public mandate.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
The pro-corporate, right-wing agenda of the Republicans is being roundly rejected in poll after poll. This was also evident with the many progressive voter initiatives that passed in the same election that gave Republicans their majority.
The only reason Republicans won is that working people, youth and people of color are deeply disappointed after years of the Democrats doing the bidding of corporations.
This is why millions stayed home with the lowest voter turnout since the 2nd World War!
Is Obama now prepared to challenge Republicans and big business?
I fear not.
Unfortunately, the financial aristocracy that funded Obama’s election campaigns and promoted him to the presidency have their tentacles firmly wedded in to every nook and cranny of the White House.
Let us not forget Obama has carried out unprecedented unconstitutional spying, drone strikes, and a ferocious crackdown on brave whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning.
This is why independent working class challengers will be needed.
Candidates who refuse corporate donations, who are financially and politically independent of big business and their two parties.
We need to build our own political voice, a mass political party for working people.
Despite Obama’s speech today, bitter experience has shown we cannot rely on him to deliver.
We must work to build independent movements of working class people, of young people, of women and people of color, and the LGBTQ community.
To fight towards affordable cities, health care and education for all.
Towards a society based on economic justice, equal rights, compassion and an end to racism.
To challenge the domination of the 1%.
Solidarity!
Worcester: Police weighing charges in Black Lives Matter protest in Kelley Square
Meanwhile, young high school comrades have saturated the Lowell-area with flyers for our Saturday protest.
Turn up/Tear it down! We do this for Mike Brown!
And, finally, my favorite article about the Charlie Hebdo massacre thus far:
Hands off the Boston School Bus Union Five!
MLK Message from the Fired Leaders of Local 8751, Boston School Bus Drivers
Down with Veolia, Transdev, whatever they're called now!
For tankie-led unions everywhere!
HELP IWW MEMBER JASON BEAT THE FRAME-UP
An injury to one is an injury to all!