Category: Communiqués

September 28, 2010

http://socialistworker.org/2010/09/28/join-the-socialist-contingent

We March for Jobs, Peace, Justice and the Socialist Alternative That Can Win Them

Hundreds of thousands of Americans organized by labor and civil rights organizations will gather in Washington, D.C., on October 2 to demand a change in the direction that our nation is heading.

We are proud to join this march to demand jobs, to demand an end to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and for a society that is fairer, more equal and more just. We believe it important to be in the capital on that date to help create a counterweight to Glenn Beck, the Tea Party and Republicans, their reactionary politics, ruthless economics and their racism.

We do not, however, share the goals of the AFL-CIO, the NAACP and other organizations which hope to achieve jobs and justice by supporting Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in the national elections on November 2.

We believe that it has become quite clear now that neither Democrats nor the Republicans are capable of solving the country’s three great crises–the economy, the environment and the wars–in a way that will be good for the American people. The goals of a full-employment economy, real environmental sustainability and peace cannot be achieved by our capitalist system and the corporations motivated only by profit. We need a new direction toward a new system.

The two major parties have failed us. During the past two years, the Democrats and Republicans have failed to represent us, but they have done a fine job of representing the banks, insurance companies and corporations. They saved the banks for the bankers–not those whose homes are still threatened with foreclosure or collapsing value. They saved the auto industry for the auto CEOs–not for the workers whose plants have been closed, whose health insurance contributions have been raised and whose wages have been lowered. They have saved the health insurance companies by forcing millions of Americans to buy their policies, while denying us a single-payer plan and leaving prices remain uncontrolled. They have saved them, but they have not saved us.

We join the movement for this march, excited and enthused to see the labor unions, the African American and Latino populations, the women’s, gay and lesbian and environmental movements taking to the streets. But we know that change can only be brought about as it has been in every period of American history by independent social movements. And such independent movements must find political expression first in independent candidates and then in a party of working people and all in our society who suffer exploitation, discrimination and oppression.

The organizers of this march have called it “One Nation.” The truth is we are two nations. One nation of corporate CEOs and Bankers and their legions of high level executives, the very wealthy of our country, and another nation of working people, many of them now jobless. We are two nations: the corporations who run this country and the working people who make this country run. We will be marching with the working class to end a system dominated by corporations. We march because we believe that those working people who make the country run should run the country.

We know from American history and the history of the world that great and progressive changes come about only from below. We know that in modern times working people, who stand at the center of our economy and represent the majority of our population, represent the crucial force capable of making the changes we need. We also know that if we only organize movements and fail to create an independent political force, the Democrats will harvest all of our organizing. The fruits of our labor will be turned against us in Congress.

So we march. We march for jobs. We march for single-payer health care. We march for free public education from K to Ph.D. We march for an end to our racist and class-biased injustice system, and for equal justice for all. We march for women’s rights. We march for legalization of all the undocumented. We march for LGBT rights. We march for an end to the destruction of our environment. We march for an end to the U.S. wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. We march for an end to US support for Israel’s occupation of Palestine and blockade of Gaza. We march knowing that the things we march for can only be achieved by abolishing capitalism and creating a democratic socialist society. We invite you to march with us. Join the Socialist Contingent on October 2 in Washington, D.C.

ORGANIZATIONS:
Dan La Botz, Socialist Party campaign for U.S. Senate, Ohio
International Socialist Organization (ISO)
Solidarity: a democratic, revolutionary socialist, feminist, anti-racist organization
Socialist Alternative
Socialist Action
Socialist Party of New York City
Socialist Party of Central Virginia
Action for a Progressive Pakistan

PUBLICATIONS:
New Politics: A Journal of Socialist Thought

INDIVIDUALS (*Organizations listed for listed for identification purposes only):
Cindy Sheehan, “Peace Mom,” founder, Peace of the Action; Steve Early, author of Embedded With Organized Labor, National Writers Union/UAW member; Jerry Tucker, former member, UAW International Executive Board; Nativo Vigil Lopez, national president of the Mexican American Political Association; Fred Magdoff, author of The Great Financial Crisis and Professor Emeritus, University of Vermont; Mike Davis, author of Planet of Slums, Professor, Department of Creative Writing, U.C. Riverside; Camilo Mejía, Iraq war veteran and resister and member of IVAW; Naseer Aruri, author of Palestinian Refugees: The Right of Return and Chancellor Professor of Political Science (Emeritus), University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth; Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Joanne Landy, New Politics; Victor Agosto, Afghanistan war resister and member of IVAW; Billy Wharton, co-chairperson, Socialist Party USA; Jason Schulman, New Politics, Democratic Socialists of America National Political Committee; Paul Street, author of The Empire’s New Clothes: Barack Obama in the Real World of Power; Dave Zirin, sports editor of the Nation Magazine and author of A People’s History of Sports; David McReynolds, former chair of War Resisters International, Socialist Party USA presidential candidate in 1980 and 2000; Dahr Jamail, author Beyond the Green Zone, independent journalist; Anthony Arnove, author of Iraq Logic of Withdrawal, editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Michael Hirsch, New Politics: A Journal of Socialist Thought editorial board, member Democratic Socialists of America; Greg Albo, Socialist Project and York University; David McNally, professor of political science at York University; Sandy Boyer, co-host of WBAI’s Radio Free Eireann and campaigner to free Irish political prisoners, including the Guildford 4 and Birmingham 6; Sebastian Budgen, editorial board, Historical Materialism; Paul D’Amato, author of The Meaning of Marxism and managing editor of the International Socialist Review; Julie Fain, editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Sam Farber, retired professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College; Phil Gasper, editor of The Communist Manifesto: A Roadmap to History’s Most Important Political Document and editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Joel Geier, associate editor of the International Socialist Review; Thomas Harrison, New Politics; Ron Jacobs, author and library worker; Brian Jones, performer of Marx and Soho and editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Deepa Kumar, author of Outside the Box and member of AAUP-AFT, Rutgers*; Micah Landau, New Politics; Paul LeBlanc, antiwar activist and author of Marx, Lenin and the Revolutionary Experience; Jesse Lemisch, professor of History Emeritus, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York; Tom Lewis, editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Traven Leyshon, president, Green Mountain Labor Council*; Alan Maass, editor, SocialistWorker.org; Scott McLemee, New Politics; Nagesh Rao, Ph.D., assistant professor of English, The College of New Jersey, AFT Local 2364*; Bill Roberts, editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Jennifer Roesch, editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Herman Rosenfeld, Socialist Project and Labour Studies, McMaster University.; Eric Ruder, journalist for SocialistWorker.org and editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Kristin Schall, National Committee member, Socialist Party USA; Michael Schwartz, author of War Without End: The Iraq War in Context and professor of Sociology at State University of New York at Stony Brook; Helen Scott, editor of The Essential Rosa Luxemburg and editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Lance Selfa, author of The Democrats: A Critical History and editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Stephen R. Shalom, editorial board, New Politics; Ahmed Shawki, author of Black Liberation and Socialism and editor of the International Socialist Review; Ashley Smith, editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Sharon Smith, author of Subterranean Fire and Women and Socialism; Zelig Stern, labor commissioner, Socialist Party USA; Elizabeth Terzakis, editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Jeff Webber, author of From Rebellion to Reform in Bolivia, professor of Political Science at the University of Regina; Lois Weiner, New Politics; Chris Williams, author of Ecology and Socialism and adjunct professor of Chemistry and Physical Science, Pace University, NYC; Vice President, Union of Adjunct Faculty at Pace; NYSUT Local 37-960*; Sherry Wolf, author of Sexuality and Socialism and editorial board of the International Socialist Review; Julia Wrigley, New Politics; Annie Zirin, editorial board of the International Socialist Review