Category: Labor

Labor, Politics, Trump

The Mythical Land of Deep State

Donald Trump pledged to “drain the swamp” when he took office in 2017. Steve Bannon went further, calling for “deconstruction of the administrative state” itself with aims to “destroy all of today’s establishment.” Trump, Bannon and their followers believe that American society is controlled by the “Deep State,” an evil conspiratorial cabal. A vast army of conspirators embedded throughout the federal bureaucracy and judiciary is … Continue reading The Mythical Land of Deep State

Bob Laycock (He/Him)Leave a comment
Climate Change, Labor, Politics

Only the Working Class Can Defeat Climate Change

As I see it, there are two dimensions to the climate crisis facing humanity: conquering global warming in the long term and managing its consequences in the short term. Both are critically important. Conquer Global Warming The New York Times and other media are reporting on a document released this week by the United Nations in preparation for a conference this Fall in Glasgow of … Continue reading Only the Working Class Can Defeat Climate Change

Bob Laycock (He/Him)2 Comments
Cuban Revolution, Labor, Politics

Speeches by Fidel Castro Responding to 9/11

Official Statement of the Cuban GovernmentIssued September 11, 2001 During a speech delivered on September 11, 2001, Cuban President Fidel Castro read an official Cuban government statement issued in response to the terrorist attacks that day against the United States: The Government of the Republic of Cuba has learned with grief and sadness of the violent surprise attacks carried out this morning against civilian and … Continue reading Speeches by Fidel Castro Responding to 9/11

Bob Laycock (He/Him)Leave a comment
Labor, LGBTQ+, Politics, Transgender

Bone of Contention: Socialists & the LGBT Community

An Epilogue updating this post appears at the end. Back in college one of the organizations on campus was the Revolutionary Student Brigade (RSB), a short-lived youth group aligned the Maoist Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP). Being a socialist and gay, I inquired about their position on gay rights. I can’t recall what they said exactly, but it was something along the lines that homosexuality is … Continue reading Bone of Contention: Socialists & the LGBT Community

Bob Laycock (He/Him)1 Comment
Cuban Revolution, Labor

Cuba Marks Two 60th Anniversaries

Title image taken on April 19, 1961, shows the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces supported by T-34 tanks in counterattack against CIA-trained mercenary troops near Playa Girón during the Bay of Pigs invasion. (Photo: Rumlin) 1. The Bay of Pigs Invasion This past week marked 60 years since a decisive battle took place in Cuba that resonates to this day. Determined to overthrow the popular democratic … Continue reading Cuba Marks Two 60th Anniversaries

Bob Laycock (He/Him)2 Comments
Labor, Politics

The Proven Power of Labor

I recently stumbled upon some videos on YouTube so timely and important I decided to share them here. They present compelling lessons about power of labor, something that might strike some as an oxymoron. Labor? Powerful? It is not a crisis of the capacity of workers to struggle. It is a crisis of union leadership. Farrell Dobbs Just under 11% of workers in the United … Continue reading The Proven Power of Labor

Bob Laycock (He/Him)Leave a comment
Labor, Politics

The Truth Must Not Only Be The Truth, It Must Also Be Told

An exciting new resource for working people is now available with the launch this week of a new website for Pathfinder Press. The title to this post is a quote from Cuban Revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and is Pathfinder’s motto. The publishing house distributes over 800 titles covering the history and lessons of working-class and revolutionary movements. Pathfinder is unique from other publishers in its … Continue reading The Truth Must Not Only Be The Truth, It Must Also Be Told

Bob Laycock (He/Him)Leave a comment
Labor, Politics, Trump

So Much Drama, So Little Change. Time for a Labor Party

A violent mob invades the U.S. Capitol leaving people dead and wounded. The House votes an historic second impeachment. A raucous, divisive presidency ends. Pandemic deaths reach 400,000 while vaccinations sputter. 27.5 million have no health insurance. 12.6 million are unemployed, with millions more bureaucratically excluded from this official count. Over half a million are homeless. All this didn’t start with the election of Donald … Continue reading So Much Drama, So Little Change. Time for a Labor Party

Bob Laycock (He/Him)Leave a comment
Labor, Politics

Book Review: ‘In Defense of the US Working Class’

The presidential debate between Trump and Biden on Tuesday night was a dumpster fire next to a train wreck. It’s all the talk now on cable TV, but really more was revealed than what most commentators are focused on. To me the debate exposed vividly the total bankruptcy of the two-party system. The two parties and the system they serve — the employers and their … Continue reading Book Review: ‘In Defense of the US Working Class’

Bob Laycock (He/Him)Leave a comment