May 10, 2008

Barack Obama became the likely Democratic nominee for president May 6 after a blowout victory over Hillary Clinton in North Carolina and his squeaker of a loss to her in Indiana.

Reflecting the holiday’s origins, when immigrant workers played a big part in the fight for the eight-hour day, this year’s observances melded workers’ struggles for decent wages and conditions with the struggles of largely working-class immigrant communities for human and civil rights. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants were joined by many union contingents as they marched in cities throughout the country.

BALTIMORE – “It’s an eye-opener.” That’s how my 17 year old grand-daughter Erin reacted after viewing “Girls Rock,” a recently released documentary film by Shane King and Arne Johnson about the Rock & Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, Oregon.

New York City

The quagmire of the Rev. Wright is media-generated. They mercilessly crucified him by spinning big lies about his sermons. The effect included threats on his life and family and bombing threats on his church. His congregation, 8,000 strong, is being hounded and church services are disrespected.

In the big immigrant marches that swept the country on May Day in 2006 and 2007, one sign said it all: “We are workers, not criminals!” Often it was held in the calloused hands of men and women who looked as though they’d just come from work in a factory, cleaning an office building, or picking grapes.

McCain is the enemy

New Deal for people, not Wall Street

Prison spending stats

McCain, wrong again

The one message voters are sending with the unprecedented upsurge in the primary turnouts is that they are determined to turn the page on 35 years of ultra-right control of their destinies.

Last week’s Supreme Court decision allowing states to require a photo ID to be able to vote is a big step in the wrong direction.

A billion people are at risk of starvation this year, according to United Nations estimates on the impact of rapidly rising food prices. Over half the increase is in major U.S. agricultural commodities like corn (heavily subsidized by U.S. government policy), arising from the conversion of production to “biofuel” products like ethanol. The latter has been championed by George W. Bush — his simple-minded solution to reliance on Mid-East oil. Actually it costs as much energy to make biofuel as is produced when it burns. Fill up an SUV with ethanol and you will consume enough food to feed a child for a year.