Month: February 2024

Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Twenty-Seven: Homelessness and the Working Class

This is a continuation of a series of posts on summaries of articles, mainly on education. When I was a French teacher at Ashern Central School, in Ashern, Manitoba, Canada, I started to place critiques, mainly (although not entirely) of the current school system. At first, I merely printed off the articles, but then I … Continue reading Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Twenty-Seven: Homelessness and the Working Class →

The Idealization of International Law by the Social-Democratic or Social-Reformist Left: The Case of the Genocide of the Palestinians by the Israeli Government, Part Two

Julius Arscott, union executive for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and member of Socialist Action, recently posted part of a blurb for support for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling concerning Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank from The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), the second largest … Continue reading The Idealization of International Law by the Social-Democratic or Social-Reformist Left: The Case of the Genocide of the Palestinians by the Israeli Government, Part Two →

Evidence of Persecution of Pro-Palestinian Individuals and Organizations in the United States by Accusing Them of Being Terrorists, Terrorist Organizations or Supporting Terrorism

Just as the term "communism" was used during the 1950s and later to stamp any opposition to the class power of employers, so now those who express pro-Palestinian sympathies are being painted as "terrorists" of one form or another. Although dated, the following article from the Jacobin (November 3, 2023) still applies: A Tidal Wave … Continue reading Evidence of Persecution of Pro-Palestinian Individuals and Organizations in the United States by Accusing Them of Being Terrorists, Terrorist Organizations or Supporting Terrorism →

Ontario Public Services Employees Union (OPSEU): A Message of Hope or an Ideological Message?

The following link refers to the 2023 end-of-year and 2024 beginning year messagefrom, among others, J.P. Hornick, president of the Ontario Public Services Employees Union (OPSEU) https://opseu.org/?fbclid=IwAR1bt-U4H3GRhStElusvLT2tGMBWnYDCbFic5mqWZFHjvi5a47Z1gdshwIA . In the video, they refer to the creation of seven new equity seats for the executive board. The seven are: Seven Equity Board Members: to represent seven … Continue reading Ontario Public Services Employees Union (OPSEU): A Message of Hope or an Ideological Message? →

Protesters block road access to Port of Vancouver to Protest Export of Arms to Israel and and Import of Arms from Israel

The following link shows a short video on a protest held at an access point to the port in Vancouver, British Columbia, yesterday (February 2, 2024), to protest the export of arms to Israel and the import of arms from Israel to Canada: Protesters blocked access to the Port of Vancouver on Friday morning, saying … Continue reading Protesters block road access to Port of Vancouver to Protest Export of Arms to Israel and and Import of Arms from Israel →

Socialism, Part Ten: What It May Look Like, or Visions of a Better Kind of Society Without Employers: Child Support Laws, State Oppression and the Left

Introduction Mr. Gindin, a self-proclaimed socialist in Toronto, claims that the state in a socialist society will expand its services rather than wither away--in opposition to Marx's and Engels' views on socialism (from Socialism for Realists): The expectations of full or near-full abundance, added to perfect or near-perfect social consciousness, have a further consequence: they … Continue reading Socialism, Part Ten: What It May Look Like, or Visions of a Better Kind of Society Without Employers: Child Support Laws, State Oppression and the Left →

Organizing within Unions to Fight Against the Genocide in Palestine

James Hutt recently published an article in Midnight Sun on unions and resistance to the genocide in Palestine (https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/moving-unions-to-fight-for-a-free-palestine/): 1. 29. 2024 Moving Unions to Fight for a Free Palestine James Hutt On December 12, Canada voted in favour of a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. Despite … Continue reading Organizing within Unions to Fight Against the Genocide in Palestine →