Feb 8, 2003

Former presidents Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Jimmy Carter of the United States added their voices to the millions demanding that George W. Bush halt his drive toward war against Iraq and give the UN inspectors time to complete their work.

DALLAS, Texas – Even as the nation and the world mourn for astronauts Rick Husband, Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Michael Anderson, William McCool, and Ilan Ramon, people here and around the world seek answers to questions about the loss of the Shuttle Columbia, Feb. 1.

As this paper has written about once before, in 1994, the city of Seattle became home to a Lenin statue that had originally been constructed in Slovakia. It was placed in the Fremont neighborhood, known by locals as “The Center of the Universe.”

NEW YORK – Across the city and the nation there has been a surge of activity as unions, community organizations, churches and individuals organize for what is shaping up to be the largest mobilization yet against the Bush administration’s plans for war on Iraq.

The AFL-CIO added its voice to the growing opposition to war with Iraq last week when federation President John Sweeney joined with John Monks, general secretary of the British Trades Union Congress, to urge President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to give UN weapons inspectors in Iraq “adequate time” to complete their work.

President Bush’s $2.23 trillion budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 is loaded with more than a trillion dollars in tax breaks for the rich, increased spending for the military-industrial complex and cuts in funding for many social programs. It drew an angry response from AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – As snow fell here at noon on Jan. 27, hundreds of Yale workers rallied for a new union contract outside the hotel where negotiations were taking place.

DULUTH, Minn.: Freighters iced in: Peace marchers free

Lake Superior shipping is locked by ice and -13 degree weather but on January 25, 3,000 residents filled the streets of this port city demanding peace with Iraq.
Families and contingents from local unions, active and retired iron ore miners, religious groups, professionals, doctors and lawyers, seemed to appear from nowhere, organizers said. With all their organization banners fluttering, the groupmarched five blocks to the Federal Building for a short rally.

WASHINGTON (PAI) – Energized by rousing speeches and armed with reams of data about the impact of U.S. factories’ decline, 3,700 industrial union delegates lobbied lawmakers on Feb. 4 on several key goals: universal health care, revitalizing factories and labor law reform.