The Need to Develop Connections Between the Critique of Daily Life and International Affairs, Part Two

John Clarke, former organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, posted the following recently without comment: John Clarke · "This goes well beyond the question of Palestine and Israel to the fundamental ability of a university to foster free inquiry and debate." From Dawn. I Was a Target of Academic Censorship Over My Work on … Continue reading The Need to Develop Connections Between the Critique of Daily Life and International Affairs, Part Two

Equity and Social Justice as Buzz Words Among Liberal and Social-democratic Educators

Introduction The use of the terms "social justice" and "equity" are often used by so-called progressive educators, but such references are often vague and, through such vagueness, fail to link up to the class nature of contemporary society--in particular the class power of employers and the exploitation and oppression of workers by that class.  Equity … Continue reading Equity and Social Justice as Buzz Words Among Liberal and Social-democratic Educators

Palestine Action Permanently Shuts Down Israeli Military Contractor Elbit Plant in UK

  The above is the title of an article (https://socialistproject.ca/2024/03/palestine-action-permanently-shutdown-israeli-military-contractor-elbit/) published on the Socialist Project's website. I copy the content below:  March 31, 2024 Relentless direct action has secured another victory in the fight against Israel’s arms trade, as Elbit Systems are forced to sell their ‘Elite KL’ factory in Tamworth, England. The company had … Continue reading Palestine Action Permanently Shuts Down Israeli Military Contractor Elbit Plant in UK

Management Rights and the Lack of Criticism of Such Rights Among the Social Democratic Left, Part Three: Private Sector, The United States

Introduction The power or employers to dictate to workers is hardly confined to Canada, of course. Various countries dominated by the class of employers have the right to dictate to workers except as limited by the collective agreement (and, of course, certain legislative acts). Collective Agreement Between Aimbridge Employee Service Corp. and UNITE HERE! Local … Continue reading Management Rights and the Lack of Criticism of Such Rights Among the Social Democratic Left, Part Three: Private Sector, The United States

Exaggeration of the Socialist Tendencies of Resitance Against Exploitation and Oppression

John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted the following on Facebook: When we think of the class struggle, we usually focus on major strikes, social upsurges or big attacks from employers or the state. However, it's important to note that the cut and thrust of the struggle is … Continue reading Exaggeration of the Socialist Tendencies of Resitance Against Exploitation and Oppression

Direct action confronts Canada-Israel arms trade–but the Idealization of International Law Limits Its Effectiveness

The above title is taken from the following article published in the Canadian social-democratic magazine Canadian Dimension (  https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/direct-action-confronts-canada-israel-arms-trade   ). Although its tactics of direct action against arms manufacturers that produce arms for Israel is, in general, a better tactic than merely protesting against the genocide occurring in Gaza and the West Bank, it, like much … Continue reading Direct action confronts Canada-Israel arms trade–but the Idealization of International Law Limits Its Effectiveness

Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Twenty-Eight: The Reduction of Human Beings to Their Brains

This is a continuation of earlier posts. 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 started to provide a summary of the article along … Continue reading Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Twenty-Eight: The Reduction of Human Beings to Their Brains

The Poverty of Academic Leftism, Part Ten

Introduction It is interesting that social democrats express themselves in different ways. Thus, Professor Noonan, a professor at the University of Windsor (Ontario, Canada), who teaches Marxism, among other courses, presents a few truths that give credence to a number of distortions and silences in his recent post on his blog (see https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/25539351/posts/5759). Distortions and Silences … Continue reading The Poverty of Academic Leftism, Part Ten

Further Oppression of Those Who Work in the Medical Field Due to Their Support of Palestine

The Breach published the following (https://breachmedia.ca/abuse-of-power-hospitals-med-schools-crack-down-on-palestine-advocacy/) on March 9, 2024: ‘Abuse of power’: Hospitals, med schools crack down on Palestine advocacy Immediate suspensions, harsh repercussions plague health-care workers advocating for Palestine, a Breach investigation has found by Brishti Basu At least six doctors and healthcare workers were suspended at Toronto’s SickKids hospital for social media posts supporting … Continue reading Further Oppression of Those Who Work in the Medical Field Due to Their Support of Palestine

To Attend or Not Attend Adolph Reed Jr.’s Talk on the Fascist Threat and What It Means for Working-Class Politics in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I debated whether to attend personally the talk by the alleged Marxist Adolph Reed Jr's talk on the fascist threat and its implications for working-class politics. I suspected that it would be posted online on YouTube--and I was right (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2LonZNB1c0&list=LL&index=12&t=2458s). I did not attend. I had heard of Reed from Sam Gindin, a so-called … Continue reading To Attend or Not Attend Adolph Reed Jr.’s Talk on the Fascist Threat and What It Means for Working-Class Politics in Toronto, Ontario, Canada