SPEAK OUT NOW News For Working People January 2014 www.SPEAKOUT-NOW.org 25¢ 2013 - A Year of Hardships and Possibilities Looking back on 2013, we see a volatile world, a world of increasing misery but also explosive anger. Cynicism and despair can erupt into anger and resistance at any moment. In this period nothing is predictable and anything is possible. The Robbery of the Working Class The capitalist class has enriched itself in record amounts by robbing the working class. Companies are making more money than at any time since 1947. Bank profits broke the records for the last three years, making about 175 billion dollars last year. In the U.S. the wealth gap is larger than at any time in history. The richest one percent own 42 percent of all the wealth, and the richest ten percent owns 85 percent. The CEOs earns 380 times the average worker – it takes a worker two months to earn what a CEO makes in an hour. The rich have gotten richer only because workers have gotten poorer. Companies have fired workers, cut our overall pay or benefits, and pushed more work onto fewer of us. Today fewer Americans are working than at any time in the last forty years. Meanwhile in 2012, for the first time ever, global corporations invested more in foreign markets than in the U.S. And even more in 2013. The consequences for much of this investment has been intensified misery for the international working class, and a decrease in wages and living standards for everyone. Ravaging the Planet Global energy production has continued to increase in every major category – oil, coal, and natural gas, dumping more carbon into the atmosphere and accelerating the warming of the planet. Like the U.S., world energy companies have resorted to the most destructive methods available in their race for the dwindling reserves of energy – including blowing up mountaintops, more dangerous deep water drilling, going after reserves in the newly melted arctic, and poisoning water supplies through the polluting gas-extraction process known as fracking. Profits Before People The policies of the capitalist class and their political servants aim at one goal – profit. This is true even when they promise to solve real problems. For example, under the Affordable Care Act, what was promoted as affordable health insurance has only become a way to force people to pay for very expensive insurance and medical care. The profits of the health care industry are expected to more than double in the next two years. Health care costs have increased by over 27 percent in the last two years. This law may have provided some small benefit to working people, but it has been a gold mine for the health care industry. Last year we saw the true priorities of the politicians. The Democrat and Republican parties could not agree upon how large to make the cuts to social services. Last March, $85 billion was cut from programs funding education and other social services, forcing hundreds of thousands of government workers to take unpaid furloughs. Over 600,000 children from poor families were cut from food assistance, and about 125,000 families were cut from federal housing assistance. And when politicians couldn’t agree upon another round of deep cuts, they instead provoked the temporary so-called government shutdown, disrupting the lives of millions of poor and working class families by canceling funding, laying off workers, and closing down programs. The priorities of the government couldn’t be any clearer – they put the profits of the corporations first. The consequence of all of this is our lives are even more difficult, especially for the poorest sections of society. A young Black male in Oakland has an equal probability of being killed than going to college. Oakland has nearly twelve robberies per day, has the highest crime rate in California, and leads the country in the number of robberies per 100,000 people. And Oakland is in no way unique. In 2012, there were 131 homicides in Oakland, 513 in Chicago, 500 in Los Angeles, 414 in New York, 410 in Detroit, 324 in Philadelphia and 200 in Baltimore, totaling 2492 deaths in these cities alone. Without hope and the chance to live a decent life, the level of violence will not go away. In this climate, would anyone be surprised if there were explosions of anger coming from any of these cities? The Resilience of the Working Class Despite all of the attacks, there is still resistance in the working class not just around the world but in this country too. In every major country from South Africa, to Egypt, Brazil, Indonesia, China, India, and South Korea, workers have been waging struggles to resist exploitation. And in the U.S., coal mining towns have seen dozens of actions blocking the destructive practice of mountain top removal. Native American organizations along with other activists in different states have worked together to block further oil extraction on ancient lands and in wildlife areas, protesting the proposed Keystone pipeline. Citizens in dozens of cities across the country have blocked energy companies from carrying out fracking, polluting the air and making their water supply toxic. Last year we also saw increased determination by hundreds A Year of Environmental Catastrophe The level of environmental destruction caused by the system of capitalism is becoming more and more obvious to anyone reading the headlines. Last year in 2013, we saw some of the absolute worst disasters caused by climate change. This past year 20,000 people were killed in natural disasters – nearly twice as many as in 2012. And these numbers don’t include those who will die from hunger, disease, and exposure to the elements after their homes are destroyed. Here are some of the worst disasters from this past year: • In the Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan caused massive destruction. This typhoon is the largest in recorded history. It killed over 7,000 people and forced one million out of their homes. • Winter storms in Europe reached their highest levels in 60 years. Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and the U.K. faced hurricane-force winds causing billions of dollars in damage. • In the U.S., the Midwest was battered by 74 tornadoes including a massive one in Moore, Oklahoma which killed 24 people and caused $3.5 billion in damage, making it the most expensive tornado in history. • In December, the polar weather system, disrupted by rising temperatures, sent cold air much further south than in recent years, resulting in temperatures below freezing across the U.S. This cold spell, known as the “Polar Vortex,” has killed 21 people across the U.S. These disasters are just the most extreme examples of the results of climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report this year that predicts famine due to temperature changes, farming to become impossible due to of undocumented immigrant youth. Young people who have grown up in this country undocumented have begun to openly demand full citizenship rights, defying deportation, protesting in front of immigration buildings. In workplaces we have seen small signs of resistance. This year, some of the lowest paid workers in the fast food and service industry began organizing to increase the minimum wage and win the right to have a union. In the Bay Area ,workers at BART and AC Transit refused to just go along with the attacks of management. At AC transit, workers voted against a concessionary contract twice. And BART workers engaged in two limited strikes against the arrogance of BART management, showing the Bay Area the potential power of transit workers on strike. These struggles hinted at the potential that could be unleashed if workers are able to organize their forces together. While these struggles have been very small and have not led to any major victories, they show that despite the difficult times we are living in, that not all workers are not passive in the face of these attacks. We can’t expect the assault by the ruling class around the world to let up. They are confident they can take more from us, amassing even more wealth. But at the same time, we can be sure that the potential for workers to stand up and fight together is also within reach. 2014 and the coming years will be the time for workers to begin to come together, joining our struggles, standing up to these attacks, and fight for a world that is run for our interests, the needs of the vast majority of the people, not the interests and wealth of a narrow few. lack of water, ecosystems becoming uninhabitable for wildlife, along with more extreme storms, floods and temperatures. The world’s most powerful countries, led by the U.S., are doing nothing to put a stop to any of this. In November, the United Nations held a climate conference in Warsaw, Poland, reporting that all efforts to regulate pollution have been a failure. Temperatures are rising at nearly double the rate the U.N. hoped to achieve by regulation. By the end of the 21st century, temperatures will increase by nearly five degrees celsius – an increase promising catastrophic environmental destruction. Just 90 corporations worldwide are the source of two-thirds of all greenhouse gases. These corporations and the governments who serve them have decided that their profits are worth more than our planet’s future. It’s up to us to change the story in the coming years by organizing to fight against the polluters and their system before it destroys all of us! Aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan - Philipines U.S. Drone Strikes: Terrorizing the World The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Iraq has not meant an end to U.S. military violence against people in the Middle East and other parts of the world. The U.S. government’s latest strategy is to bring terror by launching attacks from unmanned drones. Supposedly these strikes are meant to target so-called “terrorists” but in fact the strikes are a form of terrorism by the U.S. meant to intimidate and enforce its power. In 2013, the U.S. launched 55 drone strikes in Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia, killing over 271 people. Since the program of drone strikes began in 2004, 3,520 people have been killed. Many people have been caught by the drone strikes while going about their daily lives. In November a drone strike destroyed a seminary in Pakistan. In early December a drone strike hit a wedding party in Yemen killing 13 people including a pregnant woman and three children. The U.S. government and the Obama administration continue to claim that they are waging the so-called “War on Terror,” however the death of innocent civilians in these drone strikes reveals the real goal of the program of unmanned military drones – to terrorize the people of the Middle East, of Africa, and of other regions of the world where U.S. corporations have economic interests at stake. Some of the Fight Backs of 2013 The following is just a short list of some of the social struggles that were waged across the world in 2013. January – France Hundreds of workers at the Citroen plant in the town of Aulnay north of Paris disrupt production demanding permanent contracts. They are struggling to keep their jobs after the closure of their factory, part of Citroen’s layoff of 8,000 workers. June – Brazil From June 6-30th in Brazil, there was a massive movement of hundreds of thousands in response to fare increases for public transportation, cuts to other programs and police repression. Brazil is one of the most unequal societies in the world. São Paulo and Rio are among the 15 most expensive cities in the world to live in. Chris Kluwe: Athlete of 2013 Egypt India February - India For two days starting February 20, workers from all across India went on strike. The strike was only a demonstration of strength, but involved 100 million workers making it the largest strike in human history. Certainly this shows the immense power of the Indian working class if it decides to mobilize its strength all together. March – Worldwide Farmers in countries around the world from Argentina to the United States began holding ongoing protests called “March Against Monsanto,”protesting the big agribusiness company who is responsible for the creation and sale of genetically modified foods. July – Egypt In early July Egypt saw the biggest mass protests since the Egyptian revolution in 2011. The mass demonstrations were followed by a military coup against the Muslim Brotherhood government led by Muhammad Morsi. August – U.S.A. In Washington D.C. over 1,000 people were arrested protesting the Obama administration’s intention to allow the extension of the Keystone XL pipeline, a massive project which would open up the tar sands of Alberta, Canada to oil drilling. Scientists believe this oil extraction would cause a massive release of atmospheric pollution, dramatically increasing global warming. September – Mexico From September 14th-20th, Mexican teachers occupied public buildings and shut down access the airport in Mexico City for several hours protesting harsh education cuts and degraded working conditions. For several days, 30,000 teachers and supporters occupied the main public square in Mexico City. October - Indonesia From October 31 to November 1st, over 50,000 workers across industries, from textiles to metalwork, went on strike for two days to demand higher pay to cope with the rapidly rising costs of fuel and other living essentials. China April – Hong Kong Dock workers at the Kwai Tsing container terminal engaged in a 40 day strike for higher wages were joined by protesters for a mass demonstration on April 7th. The workers won an agreement for ten percent higher wages against the company which runs shipping in 71 ports worldwide. November – Ukraine Protesters begin camping out in the main square of Ukraine’s capital, Kiev. This ongoing protest is in reaction to the government’s relationship with Russia, and the brutal and arbitrary police methods it uses to enforce it’s will. The protests involved over a million people, showing a deep discontent with the current regime. May – Turkey Beginning May 28th, For several months in Turkey, there were major protests focused in the capital Istanbul’s Taksim Square over the government’s privatization and handing over Taksim Gezi Park, one of the last remaining public parks, over to urban developers to make it into a shopping mall. South Korea Brazil December – South Korea From December 9th-30th, close to 8,000 railroad workers, almost one third of the entire staff, were on strike to protest the government’s efforts to begin the process of privatization of the railways. The workers continued to fight despite the government declaring their strike illegal and arresting union leaders and firing teargas in union offices. The movement also sparked protests in the general population against government corruption. Where We Stand The world we live in today is increasingly ruled by prejudice and fear, under a system of widespread violence and war, where exploitation and oppression are the rule, with the many dominated by the few. The name of this system is capitalism. The Force For Change Exists Today Everywhere, working people’s labor makes society run. Working people have the power to bring this system to a halt and bring about the changes needed. Like slavery, feudalism and other systems that enriched the minority at the expense of the majority, capitalism’s removal is long over due. The time for socialism has come. Contact us: www.SpeakOut-Now.org Chris Kluwe was the punter for the Minnesota Vikings for eight years. In May 2013, the Vikings fired him for defying the coaches and owners by speaking out in favor of same-sex marriage rights. In a recent article, “I Was An NFL Player Until I Was Fired By Two Cowards And A Bigot,” Kluwe retells the story of what happened to him. During the summer of 2012, he spoke out against what was known as the Minnesota Gay Marriage Amendment, which tried to define marriage as “only a union of a man and a woman.” After getting approval from the Vikings legal department, he did several radio announcements and a talk at a dinner for Minnesotans for Marriage Equality. After Kluwe spoke out, he received silent support from team members and other players in the NFL. Soon Baltimore Ravens linebacker, Brendon Ayanbadejo, spoke in favor of a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland. A Maryland state legislator, Emmett C. Burns Jr., wrote to the owner telling him to “inhibit such expressions from your employee.” In response, Kluwe wrote a letter of his own defending Ayanbadejo. As soon as that letter was published, it went viral. The first lines of the letter read: “I find it inconceivable that you are an elected official of Maryland’s state government. Your vitriolic hatred and bigotry make me ashamed and disgusted to think that you are in any way responsible for shaping policy at any level.” Soon afterwards, the Vikings coaching staff began to put more pressure on him not to speak out. The Vikings head coach told him he “needed to be quiet, and stop speaking out on this stuff.” He told Kluwe, “a wise coach once told me: there are two things you don’t talk about in the NFL – politics and religion.” And another Vikings coach, Mike Preifer, the specialteams coordinator, had it out for Kluwe. According to Kluwe, “Priefer would use homophobic language in my presence…He would ask me if I had written any letters defending ‘the gays’ recently and denounce as disgusting the idea that two men would kiss.” Kluwe wrote that during one meeting with Priefer and several players, “as we sat down in our chairs, Mike Priefer, in one of the meanest voices I can ever recall hearing, said: ‘We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows.’” Kluwe continued to express his opinions openly, refusing to be silenced, and eventually he was kicked off the team in May, 2013. The idea that politics and sports don’t mix is nonsense. Sports are part of this society, and banks and corporations never hesitate to use athletes and sports to push whatever agendas they choose. At every turn, companies use athletes for advertisements to make more money. But when athletes refuse to go along with this and express their own opinions, they are told to shut up, and their careers are threatened. When players use their platform as athletes, in the public eye, to stand up against bigotry of any sort, or to give support to important social struggles, it’s important – it can have a small impact, and it can be encouraging. The more athletes who stand up and speak out like Chris Kluwe the better. We Stand For Socialism • A world based on peaceful collaboration and international cooperation of working class people -- not the exploiters who rule today. • The common ownership and sharing of the world’s resources and productive capacity. • An egalitarian and democratic government, organized and controlled from the bottom up. • Protection of the world’s ecological systems, putting science to work to sustain life, not destroy it. • A society where human relations are based on respect, equality and dignity of all peoples, not racism, sexism or homophobia. Email: [email protected]