Jul 13, 2002

Fresh questions were raised about the viability of Afghanistan’s new government following Saturday’s fatal ambush of Vice President Hajji Abdul Qadir. Qadir, one of five Afghan vice presidents, died as two gunmen sprayed his vehicle with bullets as he was leaving his Kabul office.

How does revolution begin? When will revolution occur? These questions are discussed in Leo Tolstoy’s last book, Resurrection.

What did he know and when did he know it are perennial questions given new life by the recent revelations about intelligence reports to George W. Bush, the Resident, the Shrub-man, Juniorness personified, prior to last Sept. 11. But these may not be the right questions.

WASHINGTON – Hammered with questions about his links to corporate crime, President George W. Bush hastily travelled to Wall Street July 9 and vowed to crack down on CEOs who enrich themselves through fraud while employees lose their jobs, pensions and health benefits.

The use of the Sept. 11 tragedy against organized labor hit a new stage when Tom Ridge, head of Homeland Security, phoned James Spinosa, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) to tell him that President Bush was watching its contract negotiations with the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) very closely.

I deeply regret the U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the use of public tax dollars to pay the tuition at private and religious K-8 schools within the City of Cleveland. Voucher programs are an example of poor education policy, and irresponsible economic policy.

PITTSBURGH – Retired workers reporting the results of their RxExpress bus trips to Canada shone a spotlight on naked profiteering by prescription drug corporations.

Three months pregnant, Norma Rodriguez Amado had watched her husband, Paez Martinez, as he left his home in Morales, Mexico, for the United States. He would support his family from afar, working in the states of Tennessee and Florida. After almost two-and-a-half years of living and working in these faraway places, Paez returned to Morales to see his son, Alexander, for the first time.

The West Coast International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) received support at several East Coast ports from the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) on June 27 as part of a united front of solidarity with the ILWU as it engages in a fierce contract battle with the Pacific Maritime Association. (See page 16 for story on West Coast solidarity events.)

A real solution/The times they are a-changin’