Author: icsswpadmin

On Feb 4, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with China’s President Xi Jinping at the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing They released a 5000-word document, “Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development.” This document expresses the views of two of the world’s largest nuclear powers, both permanent members of the UN Security Council. As such, it merits full discussion and we are inviting a panel to lead our discussion.

1. Myth: Russia’s “Special Military Operation” (SMO) is an unprovoked war of conquest
2. Myth: Russia miscalculated its military strategy in its invasion of Ukraine Russia is losing the war.
3. Myth: the claim that Ukraine is natizified is a Russian propaganda ploy
4. Myth: the world is united against the “Russian aggression” in Ukraine, Russia is isolated and growing more isolated.
5. Myth: the economic sanctions against Russia are working, the Russian economy is a shambles, Putin is isolated, and the sanctions will eventually topple the “Putin regime”

Instead of an hour presentation followed by a discussion, we will split the session into discussions of each of the above US-Narrative talking points, one by one. Several of us will prepare and briefly comment on one or more of the above narrative talking points

Even the corporate press pronounced Biden’s recent Summit of the Americas meeting in Los Angeles as a flop, while the balance between red states (and we don’t mean Republican) and blue states south of the Rio Grande is tipping to the left. Most recently, Colombia elected its first left leaning president, following similar victories in Chile, Peru, and Honduras, which in turn followed Bolivia, Argentina, and Mexico. And the frontrunner in Brazil’s presidential contest slated for October is a leftist. Meanwhile Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela – countries led by explicitly socialist parties – remain in the crosshairs of US imperialism, suffering from severe sanctions also known as unilateral coercive measures. What does this mean for US hegemony?

Speaking will be Roger Harris who is with the Task Force on the Americas, on the executive committee of the US Peace Council, and active with the #FreeAlex Saab and Sanctions Kill campaigns. Roger recently returned from the Workers Summit on the Americas in Tijuana, which was organized as an alternative to Biden’s summit as a place where countries besieged by and barred from the US could participate and meet with militants from workers, peace, human rights, and solidarity organizations (see Roger’s June 17, 2022 article in Counterpunch at:

https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/06/17/summit-of-the-americas-flops-while-workers-summit-exposes-cracks-in-the-imperial-facade/

Our speaker, John Parker began his trip to the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine on April 27 as part of a fact-finding mission organized by Struggle-La Lucha newspaper in the U.S. to gather eyewitness observations and testimony of Lugansk residents. He also visited Russia, where he conducted interviews and was present at the May 9 Victory Day parade, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany and honoring the 27 million Soviet people who died fighting fascism.

John Parker was a candidate for U.S. Senate in the June 7th election. He recently returned from Russia and the Donbas region on a fact-finding mission and to expose U.S.-NATO war aims and alliances in the region. He is the Coordinator of the Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice and on the Organizing Committee of the Socialist Unity Party.

Often we only see the border from the U.S. side, despite the fact that many more people live in the border region south of the wall than north of it.  Despite the media’s fascination with the wall, people live their lives and organize vibrant social movements that are virtually invisible in the U.S. Yet they have a direct impact. From winter strawberries to flat panel televisions, people north of the border consume what’s produced just a few miles south of it.  This presentation, with photographs, will probe more deeply into the lives of the people of the border itself, rather than simply see it as a wall, or a place people try to cross to enter the United States. It will pay particular attention to the rich history of the social movements in border communities, challenging often oppressive conditions.  The presentation is based on the new book, More Than a Wall / Mas que un muro, a book of photographs and oral histories created during 30 years of covering the people and social movements of the Mexico/U.S. border.  

Speaker: David Bacon,   a photojournalist, author, political activist, and union organizer who has focused on labor issues, particularly those related to immigrant labor. He has written several books and numerous articles on the subject.