National

Supporters of First Lt. Ehren Watada rejoiced over a federal judge’s injunction last week barring a new court-martial for the officer who refused to serve in Iraq. But they also urged stepped-up pressure to drop all charges and release Watada from the Army with an honorable discharge.

NEW YORK — Members of the Communist Party USA national committee meeting here Nov. 10 heard Sam Webb, the party’s chairman, say that “in the struggle against the ultra-right we are at the cusp of a political conjuncture which could shift things in favor of the working class.” After “a quarter century of domination,” he said, the right is finally losing momentum.

Provocaciones y violencia racista están creciendo y son motivo de mucha preocupación. El racismo representa un peligro muy grave para nuestra nación.

WASHINGTON — Los republicanos en el Congreso sostuvieron al veto del presidente Bush al Programa de Seguro de Salud Para Niños (SCHIP por sus siglas en inglés) por segunda vez en tantas semanas, haciendo caso omiso a un nuevo reporte que dijo que en 21 estados, los fondos del programa se agotarán en 2008 al menos que el Congreso apruebe el programa con un gran aumento de fondos.

Recently Sam Webb, national chair of the Communist Party USA, remarked in one of his reports that in the national elections the working class has to fight for that inch of space where it can have room to organize for further gains. Nowhere is this more illustrated than on the subject of health care.

In the 2008 elections, the reactionaries are hoping to divide our progressive class with the immigration “wedge” issue. From what I have seen around North Texas so far, it is working pretty well for them. If one looks at history, it’s easy to see how the old pogroms against Jews were cooked up.

Wall Street wizard Robert E. Rubin, former Clinton treasury secretary, is stepping in to clean up Citigroup, which recently forecast losses of $13 billion due to its role in the subprime mortgage racket. That bubble has burst, sowing misery as millions of hard-pressed homeowners are forced into foreclosure.

A related but less publicized UN report issued in November 2006 was titled “Livestock’s Long Shadow — Environmental Issues and Options” by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN. The report presents an in-depth scientific analysis of the impact of agriculture on the ecology of the planet.

WASHINGTON — The Senate defied President Bush, Nov. 2, and approved for a third time a new version of the SCHIP children’s health care program by a 64-30 vote. Meanwhile, House leaders struggled to win over enough Republicans to pass the measure with bipartisan support in the face of yet another veto threat.

For every two people detained in immigration enforcement operations, one child is left behind, according to a recent report, “Paying the Price: The impact of Immigration Raids on America’s Children,” released by the National Council of La Raza and the Urban Institute.