The End of Capitalism

Review of “We Want Freedom: A Life in the Black Panther Party”

January 24, 2008 in Book Review, Empire, Organizing, Philly, Racism, Resistance | Leave a comment

“We Want Freedom: A Life in the Black Panther Party”

by Mumia Abu-Jamal

2004 South End Press

This is a great history of the Black Panther Party, Mumia Abu-Jamal’s early life, and even a great overview of the history of black resistance movements from the first slave rebellions – which he says the BPP fits into as an integral piece.

Mumia does a great job explaining the origins and philosophies of the party, as well as covering its history succinctly but in a sweeping way that other books have failed to do. There is a chapter on women in the party, which is of mixed quality, but other chapters, like the ones on COINTELPRO and snitches in the party, are absolutely vital.

Don’t miss the pictures of young Mumia working in the BPP (at age 14…)

Review of “Bakunin on Anarchy”

January 8, 2008 in Book Review, Capitalism, Democracy, New World, Resistance | Leave a comment

“Bakunin on Anarchy”

Mikhail Bakunin

1972 A.A. Knopf

Collection of some of Bakunin’s most important writings and essays. Having not really read much Bakunin before, I’m a little disappointed, I must say. Not for what he says, but what he doesn’t.

He tended to repeat his own ideas a lot, which are of course valid (the state must be destroyed, not reformed; revolution must be decentralized and spontaneous by the masses of people, not handed down by a privileged elite), but also simplistic and formulaic. Overall, Bakunin’s writings are not very useful in contexts beyond the theoretical and philosophical, and you can take them more as guiding and grounding principles rather than any kind of program for revolutionary action.

Then again, there’s some important stuff here, especially about Bakunin’s relationship with Marx and other socialists of his day, the nature of the First International being especially interesting. Recommended but not by much.

Oil Hits $100, Jolting Markets

January 5, 2008 in Capitalism, Climate Crisis, Dollar, Economic Crisis, Empire, Oil | Leave a comment

See this awesome Graph-Presentation.

Originally published in the Wall Street Journal.

Boom Cuts U.S. Clout,

Revives Middle East;

Dark Days for Detroit

By NEIL KING JR. , CHIP CUMMINS and RUSSELL GOLD

January 3, 2008; Page A1

The surging price of oil, from just over $10 a barrel a decade ago to $100 yesterday, is altering the wealth and influence of nations and industries around the world.

These power shifts will only widen if prices keep climbing, as many analysts predict. Costly oil already is forcing sweeping changes in the airline and auto sectors. It is intensifying the politics of climate change and adding urgency to the search both for fresh sources of crude and for oil alternatives once deemed fringe.

The long oil-price boom is posing wrenching challenges for the world’s poorest nations, while enriching and emboldening producers in the Middle East, Russia and Venezuela. Their increasing muscle has a flip side: a decline of U.S. clout in many parts of the world.

Steep gasoline prices also threaten America’s long love affair with the automobile, while putting strains on many lower-income people outside big cities, who must spend an increasing share of their budgets just on fuel to get to work. Read the rest of this entry »

Issue #2 of the SDS News Bulletin is Here!!!

December 21, 2007 in SDS | Leave a comment

Issue #2 of the SDS News Bulletin is Here!!!

PRINT and DISTRIBUTE to your CHAPTER, CAMPUS and COMMUNITY!

The SDS News Bulletin working group is proud to bring you our second issue, much improved over the first issue in our humble opinion. We amped up the articles, poetry, art and layout from Issue 1, and you made it all possible by sending in your work, thoughts, ideas and love. Here is the result.

There is only one version of the document, which you can download by clicking HERE.

(You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view the PDF file, which is FREE software you can download from this website:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)

Enjoy! and Distribute widely!

Send us your stuff to be published in Issue 3! – sds.bulletin@gmail.com

Want to join the bulletin working group? Get involved by signing up for our email listserv – sds-news-bulletin@googlegroups.com

–
SDS News Bulletin Working Group

SDS Northeast Convention – ZNet Article

December 19, 2007 in Democracy, Organizing, Philly, SDS | Leave a comment

Originally published on ZNet.

By Robin Markle (Drew SDS) and Becca Rast (Lancaster SDS).

On December first and second, over 150 youth converged on the campuses of the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University for the new Students for a Democratic Society’s fourth Northeast Convention, hosted by Philly SDS. This convention was a landmark event for northeast SDS. Since SDS reformed as a national youth run and led organization in March of 2006, with over 50 chapters in the northeast alone, we have been engaged in a gradual process to come together under common goals, theory and practice. Additionally, many of our members are new to the concept of strategic activism and organizing. It is important to SDS that we organize for and with the people around us in our communities and campuses. The members of SDS are not just activists; they are change agents who realize that there must be a long term struggle for their beliefs. In order to reach this we must engage those around us. The members of SDS are going through a collective process of learning to organize together. Not only was this convention the region’s most well-attended to date; the planners also used the space to explore some daring new approaches to organizing and collective liberation strategy. Their efforts paid off in what was undoubtedly the northeast’s most successful convention yet. There were a multitude of workshops, times set aside for networking, a report-back from the summer’s national convention, voting plenaries for action proposals, and new approaches to liberatory work. Members who stayed through Monday also took part in a successful direct action at a recruitment center. Read the rest of this entry »

DC SDS New Orleans Solidarity Action

December 14, 2007 in Housing, Organizing, Racism, Resistance, SDS | Leave a comment

D.C. SDS's Solidarity Action Against the H.U.D. Public Housing Demolitions in New Olreans, LA
Photo by Alex Wong, Getty Images

Today, as part of a solidarity action with folks struggling to save public housing in New Orleans, members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) helped to organize a civil disobedience as a part of a larger demonstration outside the D.C. office of Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) organized by the Hip Hop Caucus and the Advancement Project. At the culmination of the rally where the crowd demanded the right of return for New Orleans residents, 6 members of SDS and a local high school student rushed into a nearby intersection and laid down, effectively blocking traffic at three intersections in northeast D.C. When it was clear that the cops were taking their time, the folks lying down, with the support of the rest of the protesters who were standing with them, picked up and moved further into the intersection, shutting down a total of six intersections around the HUD office. After an hour of disrupting busy D.C. streets, folks stretched out on the ground declared victory as the demonstration concluded with protesters marching through the lunchtime streets.

Residents of New Orleans public housing have called on folks from around the country to come down to Louisiana to support their efforts directly or to organize actions in their own cities. The recent Northeast Convention in Philly endorsed this call. This particular D.C. action, due to short notice, was only endorsed by the George Mason University (GMU) chapter of SDS, although members of most local chapters were in attendance. The fight is still going on down in Louisiana, so organize a demonstration in your city to support folks at this critical point in their struggle to return to their homes.

Check out the USA TODAY article for a picture of local SDSers and more details on the situation in New Orleans.

Here is the New Orleans Indymedia article on the D.C. action.

Article by Jasper Conner, GMU SDS

Philly SDS transforms Army Recruitment Center into Community Center!

December 7, 2007 in Organizing, Philly, Resistance, SDS | Leave a comment

On December 3rd 2007, the Philadelphia chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) transformed the recruitment offices of 125 N. Broad St. into a functioning community center. Dozens of local students built an interactive art exhibit in front of the recruitment station, raising a banner over the recruitment office that read “Philadelphia People’s Community Center”. The students cheered “Replace this base with community space!” and passed out leaflets with career alternatives to military recruitment.

Recruitment, the students argue, drains valuable resources from the Philadelphia community. “Army recruitment offices are taking concerned Philadelphians away from Philadelphia,” said Alessandra Lobasso, member of Philly SDS. “The youth that actively want to make a difference are being lured away from their community by the false promises of military recruiters.” According to the New York Times, approximately one in five United States Army recruiters were under investigation in 2004 for threatening and coercing applicants. More pictures… Read the rest of this entry »

150 Attend SDS Northeast Convention in Philly

December 7, 2007 in Organizing, Philly, Resistance, SDS | Leave a comment

Philadelphia Students for a Democratic Society has just hosted the fourth Northeast Regional Convention at UPenn!

Over 150 SDSers from 40 chapters all over the northeast gathered together in Philadelphia to share victories and plan for the coming year.

We held workshops and learned new skills, we brainstormed new organizing opportunities, we started working together on joint actions and campaigns, we built student power at the root. Read the rest of this entry »