Jul 13, 2002

As the 20th century began, American capitalism turned its continental empire into a hemispheric one, fighting a war against Spain to “liberate” Cuba in 1898, which it made into a protectorate, as it turned the Philippines and Puerto Rico into colonies. U.S. marines regularly invaded Nicaragua, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and other Central American and Caribbean nations to defend the local dictatorships that were sharing the spoils with U.S. corporate interests.

In his keynote speech to the NAACP convention, held in Houston July 7-11, President Kweisi Mfume reminded the 6,000 delegates that “both war and recession have traditionally correlated into diminished civil rights for the masses of Black, Latino and Asian Americans.”

“Under God” is a phrase that’s gotten some attention since the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declared the phrase (inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954) unconstitutional.

PHILADELPHIA – As the temperature soared, 300 people rallied at City Hall here July 4, calling for freedom for Mumia Abu-Jamal. The crowd then marched to the Liberty Bell to protest Secretary of State Colin Powell receiving the Liberty Bell Award. At the rally, the first annual Liberation Award was presented to four recipients.

PHILADELPHIA – On July 3, 500 people gathered at the site of the future Liberty Bell Pavilion here to demand that the National Park Service erect a memorial honoring the eight enslaved Africans owned by President George Washington and housed at that very spot.

WASHINGTON – Dos autobuses amarillas escolares, parte de la 13 Caravana Friendshipment a Cuba, trajo manifestantes para protestar afueras del edificio del departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos el 8 de julio. Los activistas prometieron a entregar las autobuses más toneladas de ayuda humanitaria a Cuba, en desafío al bloqueo de 42 años contra la esa isla nación.

DALLAS – Have the Bush years caused you to become a little bit cynical about American democracy and concern for other human beings? Are you starting to think that nobody cares? If so, it’s too bad that you weren’t able to attend the National Education Association’s (NEA) 2002 Representative Assembly, July 2-5, here. It would have fixed you right up!

VIEQUES, Puerto Rico – El Comité Pro Rescate y Desarrollo de Vieques (CPRDV) sigue con su acostumbrada agenda cargada de actividades en pro de la Paz para Vieques. En el Campamento de Justicia y Paz (CJP), sede del CPRDV, se celebraron varias actividades en junio.

Imagine that your boss stopped you and said, “We are now increasing your workweek to 80 hours and, sometimes, to 120 hours. Sometimes you will have to work 36 hours straight. And lest I forget – you’ll only be paid for 40 hours.”