Aug 21, 2004

The National Council of Churches, along with 100 other organizations, has sent the clarion call to everyone protesting the anti-people policies of the Bush administration and its congressional allies.

PINE BLUFF, Ark. (PAI) — Another “remote-controlled” train accident could have been a terrible catastrophe, but wasn’t, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen newspaper reported.

The National Council of Churches, along with 100 other organizations, has sent the clarion call to everyone protesting the anti-people policies of the Bush administration and its congressional allies. The familiar health themes will be featured at the protest rallies at the Republican National Convention: People Before Profits, Health Care is a Human Right, No Profits in Health Care, Health Care not Warfare, Stop Privatization in Health Care, Stop Drug Company Greed, Universal Health Care for All, Why is the U.S. the Only Country Without Health Care for All?

The province of Darfur in western Sudan is the newest global hot spot. All of a sudden our corporate media are full of reports by U.S. and UK-based human rights organizations alleging mass murder, rape and ethnic cleansing.

The Olympic Games
Chilling dissent

Perhaps this convention season’s most under-reported story is the outpouring of thousands of activists into Boston during the Democratic National Convention for conferences, teach-ins, strategy sessions, get-out-the-vote trainings, religious services and cultural events including a hip hop conference of 5,000.

President George W. Bush’s call for “flex time” and “comp time” is really about giving America’s corporations the flexibility to cheat their workers out of overtime pay after 40 hours a week.

Bush is going after workers when they are hurting most. In a period of high unemployment, growing length of unemployment, cuts in wages and benefits, and increased job insecurity under globalization and outsourcing, working people need to know that there is a safety net that will not allow them to fall into dire poverty.

Cibola, El Dorado, the Shining City on the Hill, Camelot? Such are the ideals for which people have been yearning from the days of Sir Thomas More to the American utopian colonies. While these concepts are a reflection of human desires that flow from the inequities of life, they are not rooted in reality.