Published bimonthly since 1986, Against the Current is a Solidarity sponsored analytical journal for the broad revolutionary left. The July/ August ATC begins with an editorial on the two Obamas--the one whose approach fills voters with expectations that U.S. policy can be different, and the centrist Democrat that Obama's record suggests he is. Jack Rasmus writes about the new phase of the economic crisis, Nomi Prins comments on the housing mess and Lesley Gill discusses implications on the transfer of the Colombian paramilitaries to U.S. custody. Jeffery Webber's review essay takes up the themes of Socialist Register 2008: empire, religion and liberation, particularly in Latin America and the Middle East.
is the monthly English-language magazine of the Fourth International. IV is a window to radical alternatives world-wide, carrying reports, analysis and debates from all corners of the globe. Correspondents in over 50 countries report on popular struggles, and the debates that are shaping the left of tomorrow.
A dictator gone but not his policies: People across Pakistan celebrated the departure of president and dictator Pervez Musharraf on 18 August 2008. As he announced his resignation in an unscheduled nationally televised one-hour speech, private television channels showed instant responses of jubilation in all four provinces. Read More...
Burmese Cyclone: Wave of Burmese solidarity forces regime to retreat on cyclone, by Marc Johnson
"Venezuela: the Referendum and the Revolution" collects four contributions reflect a partial cross-section of the rich and complex discussion taking place in the Venezuelan and international left just before and immediately after the narrow defeat of the Constitutional referendum in December 2007.
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As part of the preparation for our 2008 Convention, members of SOLIDARITY have begun a political document describing some perspectives for socialist renewal in the twenty-first century. We welcome responses to this initial draft of the document. Some of the themes here have also been developed in Solidarity's Founding Statement and our 1997 pamphlet, “Socialist Organization Today.”
New from Solidarity! Long time transit worker activist Steve Downs has written a pamphlet charting the twenty year story of New Directions, a rank and file caucus in New York City's transit union that he helped build and develop - including the challenges of keeping the rank and file democracy movement alive after New Directions won control of the local.
Elissa Karg Chacker, a longtime member of Solidarity and previously the International Socialists (IS) in Detroit, died Sunday, May 11 from injuries suffered in an accident a week earlier. Riding her bicycle home after a Solidarity meeting, she was struck by a car and never regained consciousness. Read more...
From Abortion Rights to Reproductive Justice
New from Solidarity's Feminist Commission, this leaflet responds to the right wing attack on reproductive freedom and argues that the movement must go beyond "pro-choice" to true reproductive justice. This socialist and anti-racist feminist agenda would take up issues such as access to health and child care, forced sterilization, and the division of "productive" and "reproductive" labor. Download the pamphlet...
Dr. Sami Al-Arian Unjustly Indicted!
Government abuses grand jury system to punish prominent civil rights activist
Sami Al-Arian
Alexandria, Virginia, June 30, 2008
Last Thursday, three months after refusing to testify before a third grand jury, Dr. Sami Al-Arian - whose trial has been the single most important test case of the PATRIOT Act - was charged on two counts of contempt of court. Dr. Al-Arian refused to testify not only because the plea agreement he concluded with the government in 2006 clearly exempts him from having to do so, but also because it was a clear perjury trap.
The Assistant US Attorney who sought his testimony and who brought the contempt charges, Gordon Kromberg, has made no attempt to hide his bigotry towards Arabs and Muslims. Furthermore, Kromberg has publicly and in no uncertain terms declared his alleged right to use legal loopholes to punish people he cannot convict for any substantial crimes. (Click here for more information on this rogue prosecutor).
Criminal contempt has no maximum penalty; if convicted, Dr. Al-Arian, a loving father of five, could be sentenced for life.
These charges are an outrageous abuse of the grand jury system and a naked attempt by the government to punish an innocent man for exercising his first amendment rights. For more information on the indictment, click here. This video summarizes Dr. Al-Arian's case:
PLEASE ACT!
2 phone calls + 1 fax = BIG difference!
Friends, please stand with us against this act of tyranny by doing these two simple things:
1. Call Senator Patrick Leahy ((202) 224- 4242) and Congressman John Conyers ((202) 225-5126) - the Judicial Committee chairmen of the Senate and House respectively - and ask them to meet with the Attorney General and have him stop Assistant US Attorney Gordon Kromberg from going forward with this unlawful indictment. Even if you are not their constituent, they are obliged to listen to your opinion since their duties extend to all Americans.
2. Fax a letter to the Office of Professional Responsibility at the US Department of Justice: (202) 514-5050. Click here for a letter template.
There are other very important things you can do to help out! To find out more, please visit this page.
Donate to Dr. Al-Arian's Legal Fund!
Dr. Al-Arian's talented team of attorneys urgently need funds to provide a full defence. Click here to donate online through PayPal or here to find the address to send a check.