Past Posts by Descending Date

American public discussion of socialism arguably hit a new level when Wally, the coffee-drinking, do-nothing character in Dilbert, the daily comic strip send-up of office politics, declared his conversion to that point of view. Unfortunately, as Wally's case reminds us, much of this increased socialism talk comes from people who don't like and/or understand the idea. That more of it needs to come from the actual left is clear. Less clear is exactly what we should say when we talk the talk. Simultaneously, a series of recent foreign elections -- most notably Germany's -- have prompted talk of a global ...

working class environmentalism - dave mckee, people's voice Sun, Oct 3, 2021: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Pacific TResources: ...

Why the Cuban Revolution has Endured: A Marxist Assessment of Cuba’s Historic Break with Capitalist Rule and its Lessons for Today - Jeff Mackler Sun, September 26, 2021: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Pacific A young Fidel Castro and his July 26 Movement cadre faced critical questions immediately following their defeat of the Fulgenco Batista Army and Batista’s U.S.-backed dictatorship in 1958-59. Initially, Fidel, previously an attorney from a wealthy family, was characterized as a moderate reformer and past member of one of Cuba’s two main bourgeois parties, the Orthodox Party. Pledged to restoring Cuba’s 1941 constitution that dictator Batista ...

Afghanistan - Between Two Cold Wars  -  Sunday September 19 2021 10:30 AM Pacific Time - Dr. Bahman Azad Our program will trace US involvement in Afghanistan back to the 1950s Cold War to exert strategic control of the Soviet Union’s borders, especially after the Iranian Revolution. Combatting terrorism was not the issue. Rather, the US nurtured politicized Islamic jihadists in the form of the mujahedeen and the Taliban to destroy the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. From 1978-1992, the socialist-oriented government instituted modernization, emancipation of women, literacy, and land reform programs, only to be reversed.. From 1978-1992, the socialist government ...

North And South Korea In The Context Of The US Military Empire In The Asia-Pacific - Tim Shorrock Sunday, September 12, 2021: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Pacific time Tim will be speaking about the two Koreas in the context of the US military empire in East Asia and tie the discussion to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Many reporters have called Afghanistan America's longest war, but they forget that the US has been at war in Korea for over 70 years. Yet in the wake of the US collapse in the Middle East, President Biden has said that "there's ...

Marx vs Lenin: The Character of Marxism and the nature of Blue Revolution. Sunday September 5 2021 10:30 AM Pacific Time - Michael Gilbert IWe have invited Michael Gilbert to speak on this topic.Marx and Engels left a legacy of social and economic theories which have influenced the world in numerous ways. However, there are some significant theoretical gaps for which they left little guidance. These gaps include the 'withering away of the state' and how exactly it occurs, the true nature of the ‘communist Party’ and its relationship to the state, the 'dictatorship of the Proletariat', the consciousness of ...

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Join us for what will be an excellent panel discussion with: Gloria La Riva - ANSWER Coalition Message from Pablo Menendez - North American musician and bandleader resident in Cuba since 1966 Cheryl LaBash - co-chair of the National Network on Cuba Sun, aUGUST 22, 2021: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Pacific Resources: ...

THE STRUGGLE FOR IDEOLOGICAL HEGEMONY -  THE ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS (AND THE MEDIA): The Case of Purdue University Harry Targ, Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, Purdue University, Blogger at Diary of a Heartland Radical, co-chair of CCDS, and author of books and articles on international relations, Cuba, and the labor movement. Sunday, august 15, 2021: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Pacific time The attacks on “critical race theory” are part of an assault by sectors of the capitalist class who seek to shape who and what is taught in educational systems. This talk will address ideological struggles, the ...

The imperative need to develop a Leninist United Front to combat the menace of Fascist and White Supremacist attacks in today’s US Sunday, August 8, 2021: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Pacific time Speaker: Elazar Friedman The presentation will use two models as diagnostic tools. 1.) The Ernst Meyer led KPD’s model of United WC Front and the lessons of abandoning this powerful model in the third period and then zig zagging to class collaborationist coalition People’s Fronts-betraying Proletarian class independence 2.) The 1984 United Front like action at SF Pier 80 led by Howard Keylor Longshore of the Trotskyist ...

Sunday, July 25, 2021: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Pacific What Is the Crisis of Soviet History of the Stalin Period, and What Should We Do About It? Professor Grover Furr The history of the first workers’ state, the USSR, during its heroic period, when it was led by Joseph Stalin – that history is withheld from us. It is somothered by lies from influential, dishonest sources. In my talk, I will discuss the following topics: How do we know this is so? What is the situation? Who are the liars? How important is this? And most important: What should ...

Secretary Blinken has recently asserted that conflict in the South China Sea (SCS) between the Philippines and China could justify US war against China, due to a mutual defense treaty. This pronouncement comes as the US rallies its allies to form a bloc against China, escalates economic war, and heightens rhetoric against China. This presentation will explain: Why the SCS--and the Phillipines--are critical to US global geostrategy The SCS arbitral tribunal decision that the US claims as justification for Phillipine claims The history & context of the current cold war against China How the war would unfold Sunday, July 18, 2021: ...

ICSS group discussion: the communist manifesto Sunday, July 11, 2021: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Pacific  We will go through this foundational work of Marxism reading selective paragraphs  with ample opportunity for discussion after each selection. Be prepared to voice, and defend, your views!    Our discussion will be led by ICSS member Gene Ruyle. In preparation, please re-read the Manifesto itself, and if there are particular passages you want the group to consider, please send the full text of those passages to <cuylerluyle@mac.com> by Saturday morning so they can be included—and bring your own copy to our Zoom meeting (available on the Marx-Engels Internet ...

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ICSS 20210627 Norman Finkelstein on Gaza, Palestine & Israel in the shifting sands of US & World Politics  Sun, june 27, 2021: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Pacific Israel has become increasingly militarily stronger ever since its founding in 1948 approved by the UN Commission. It's founding was opposed by the Palestinians, Arab countries, India and many other countries. The US, Britain, France, and the USSR had supported the founding of Israel, though the USSR had initially supported a secular state with both the Palestinians and Jews as having equal rights. Palestinians have since split between the secular PLO which ...

Sun, June 20, 2021: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Pacific time Working on documentary film “Déjà vu”, the team of Bedabrata Pain, Sristy Agrawal, Rajashik Tarafder & Rumela Gangopadhyay, took a 10,000 km journey through the heart of rural America. They met farmers across the spectrum covering dairy, grain, poultry, beef and hog along the mid-western agricultural states. They found out why rural people supported Trump. A surprised discovery was that the American farm landscape, like India’s, is dominated by small farmers. They make up 90% of all farms, but produce only 25% by prices of products and that farmer ...