We have indeed been in the struggle. The recent immigrant rights mobilizations across the country were a great inspiration. The breadth of organizing was astounding, and in many places the numbers on the streets were the largest ever, invigorating our movements with new life and energy. We are inspired not only by the huge Latino movement of families and youth that hit the streets, but also by the long-term organizing of many immigrant communities that have been doing base-building work for decades in increasingly hostile environs since 9/11.

Since the mobilizations, the Senate has passed a modified version of HR 4437 and it now goes to committee. While immigrant rights groups around the country have different visions of what would constitute a victory, it is certain that the current proposals - including those from Democrats - would make life worse for the majority of immigrants. The militarization of the border, continued exploitation of immigrant labor (whether as indentured servants disguised as "guest workers" or other undocumented workers forced into the underground economy), and criminalization of everyday life for immigrants, from schooling to health care to driving, is an assault against any real rights for immigrant communities. The fight continues and the next national day of action is set for July 8th. Meanwhile, a new generation of activists is making noise, organizing walk outs in their schools, unionizing their workplaces, marching in the streets, and starting their own initiatives.

In this issue we are also exicted to announce the first installment in a series on the Black left. This initial forum has raised many questions on what the concept of the Black left means today, and we look forward to exploring these questions further in future issues.

Also check out the special interview with Lt. Ehren Watada. As the highest-rnaking officer to refuse to participate in the Iraq war, his stand constitutes another victory in the fight against war and militarization.

For the past twelve years, the Zapatistas' struggle for democracy and indigenous rights in Mexico has been a major inspiration to social justice movements throughout the world, particularly the Americas. The initial uprising in January of 1994 became a global reference point for the resistance to the policies of neo-liberalism and corporate globalization.

The Zapatistas are now in the midst of their largest grassroots mobilizing effort, La Otra Campaña (The Other Campaign), which is seeking to build a grassroots movement "from below and to the left" uniting struggles throughout Mexico's 31 states. Recently the campaign has come under serious attack from the Mexican government, including mass arrests, torture, rape, and several murders.

From June 19-21st we want to invite local activists and organizers to a conversation with a diverse group of US based activists who have all recently traveled to Mexico to cover the Other Campaign and the Zapatistas movement. We will be discussing the current state of the campaign and what this means for those of us in the US looking to expand our own movement building efforts. One thing that the Zapatistas have always asked of us is that we "be rebels where we are," which means building our own movements here in the "brain of the monster."

The event will also serve as a celebration for the five-year anniversary of Left Turn magazine, a movement publication which has featured the writings of several of the presenters.

featuring: Ashanti Alston, Kristin Bricker, Walidah Imarisha, RJ Maccani

added June 8, 2006

Ehren Watada is a 27-year-old First Lieutenant in the United States Army. He joined the Army in 2003 during the run-up to the Iraq war. He turned in his resignation to protest the war in Iraq in January 2006. He expects to receive orders to deploy in late June and will become the first Lieutenant to refuse orders to deploy to Iraq, setting the stage for what could be the biggest movement of GI resistance since the Vietnam War. He faces a court-martial, up to two years in prison for missing movement by design, a dishonorable discharge, and other possible charges. He says speaking against an illegal and immoral war is worth all of this and more. Journalist SARAH OLSON spoke with Watada in May.

SARAH OLSON: When you joined the Army in 2003, what were your goals?

LT. EHREN WATADA: 2003 was a couple of years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I had the idea that my country needed me and that I needed to serve my country. I still strongly believe that. I strongly believe in service and duty. That’s one of the reasons I joined: because of patriotism. more

FEATURED ARTICLE

Canadian Union Takes Important Step Against Israeli Apartheid
by Adam Hanieh

added June 2, 2006

At the annual convention of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario, held 24-27 May 2006 in Ottawa, the union passed a resolution of historic importance. Resolution 50 -- adopted unanimously by the 900 delegates at the largest convention in the union's history -- expressed support for the global campaign against Israeli apartheid. The union stated that it would educate its members on the apartheid nature of the Israeli state and Canadian political and economic support for these practices. It also declared that CUPE Ontario would participate in the international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel until the realization of Palestinian self-determination. Most importantly, the union highlighted the significance of the right of return of Palestinian refugees as a critical component of Palestinian self-determination.more

Send a Note of Support to CUPE Ontario:
There is a lot of pressure being waged, and certainly going to be waged, against the CUPE resolution from conservative forces in the media, in government, and even the labour movement. Please send of note of support to the Ontario head of CUPE, Sid Ryan, at sryan@cupe.on.ca . Alternatively send on support through the CUPE Ontario fax number at: (416) 299-3480 or through the website at http://www.cupe.on.ca/.

Click here for a list of recent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Initiatives from around the world

To lend your support and become active in the Boycott Israeli Apartheid campaign e-mail: endapartheid@riseup.net

FEATURED ARTICLE

5 Reasons Tomorrow's Election Doesn't Matter
by Jordan Flaherty

added May 20, 2006

Friday, May 19, 2006

Local and national media have proclaimed that tomorrow New Orleanians will participate in a historic election. Scores of media from around the world have descended on our city to cover the results, and two mayoral debates have been broadcast nationally. However, in a city where elections are always a major production, many organizers' opinions on the candidates begin with a resigned shrug. more

FEATURED ARTICLE

EU Hypocrisy and the Forgotten Palestine
by Nick Dearden

added May 19, 2006

The justifications put forward by European powers for their failure to reign in Israel’s defiance of international law usually centres around Israeli security or the corruption of the Palestinian leadership. A vote in the European Parliament, over a little known conflict in North Africa, shows these reasons up for the flimsy excuses they are.

Western Sahara has been occupied for 30 years by Morocco, after the latter signed a secret and illegal deal with the territory’s colonial master Spain, in the very final act of the Francoist government. Every year the UN reaffirms the right of Western Sahara to self-determination and they have had a Mission on the ground for nearly 15 years to organise a referendum. 165,000 Saharawi refugees have created a democratic and educated society in exile in the Algerian desert, laying down their arms, denouncing forever the use of terrorism, simply asking the international community to help them return to their homeland. Yet instead of championing this seemingly exemplary resistance movement, the European Union has continued to arm the Occupier while building ever closer economic and political ties. more

FEATURED ARTICLE

From Soldier to Resister: Jose Vasquez
interviewed by Francesca Fiorentini and Steve Theberge

added May 18, 2006

Born in the Bronx, Jose Vasquez grew up in San Bernadino, Calif. In 1991, a junior in high school, he enlisted in the Army’s Delayed Entry Program. During his four-and-a-half-year tour of duty, Vasquez was stationed in Hawaii, Louisiana, Thailand, Florida, and California. After completing his tour, Vasquez trained and began working as a medic and a nurse. In spring 2003 he received his bachelor’s degree from the City College of New York in Harlem, and by fall he began studying anthropology at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center.

In January 2005, just days before his unit was to be mobilized for deployment to Iraq, Jose Vasquez turned in an application for conscientious objector status. In June 2005, he became a member of Iraq Vets Against the War (IVAW). He is currently the president of its New York City chapter and represents IVAW on the steering committee of United for Peace and Justice. more

LEFT TURN EXCLUSIVE

The Iraq War’s Oil Timeline
by Antonia Juhasz

added May 12, 2006

Amid all the talk of training Iraqi soldiers, heading off a civil war, and protecting Iraq’s fledging democracy, one overriding agenda has been ignored in the debate over the time-table for bringing US troops home: President Bush will not withdraw US forces until US oil companies have secure access to Iraq’s oil.

The process of securing this access involves four steps. The first, restructuring Iraq from a state to a market-controlled economy, was implemented and well underway within the first few months of the invasion. The second, put into motion with the December 15, 2005 election, is the formation of a legitimate Iraqi government with the authority to, among other things, sign contracts with foreign oil companies. The third step is the completion and passage of a new national Petroleum Law which is set to take place this year. The fourth, having enough security on the ground for US oil companies to get to work, is uncertain, and therefore the timeline for full US troop withdrawal remains unknown. more

FEATURED ARTICLE

Right to Torture: The Erosion of Legal Remedies
by Sean Sullivan

added May 11, 2006

It is hard to make habeas corpus sound sexy. Consequently, it is perhaps the most important legal tool that no one knows about, and the Bush Administration is busy ensuring that fewer and fewer people will be able to use it. more

FEATURED ARTICLE

Police Brutality in Mexico
by John Gibler

added May 10, 2006

At 7 AM this past Wednesday, May 3rd, state police blocked 60 flower vendors from setting up their stands at the Texcoco local market in the State of Mexico, about 20 miles east of Mexico City. The police beat and arrested those who resisted. The flower vendors called to the residents of neighboring San Salvador Atenco for help and the Atenco residents blocked the highway that borders their town and leads to Texcoco.

The police response was overwhelming: hundreds of state and federal police, most clad in riot gear, arrived to lift the blockade. Atenco resisted, with machetes, clubs, Molotov cocktails and bottle rockets. The police tried to lift the blockade five times throughout the day, and five times they were repelled. more

Donate to the Atenco prisoner solidarity fund

UPDATE: Police Terrorize San Salvador Atenco, At least 2 Dead, 50 Injured, More than 200 Jailed
by Mary Ann Tenuto Sanchez

FEATURED ARTICLE

Enemies, Heroes, and the Justification for War: A Review of "United 93"
by Colin Asher

added May 8, 2006

During war time you need: Enemies, heroes, and justification– more or less in that order. I was reminded of this triple imperative as I watched United 93, which supplies these ingredients, more or less in this same order.

United 93, the first of several major media releases to deal with the events of September 11th 2001, has been the cause of much debate, most centered over whether we as a nation are ready to be re-traumatized. Thus far the debate has not been over whether to, or why to, but when to mine the day’s events for the big screen. I would like to present some different questions about the intent and effect of this movie. more

CALL TO ACTION

Tell Chipotle & McDonald's: Farmworkers Want "Work With Dignity"
by Student/Farmworker Alliance

added May 2, 2006

Farm workers who pick tomatoes for McDonald's hamburgers and Chipotle's burritos earn about 45 cents for every 32-pound container of tomatoes they pick, working from dawn to dusk without the right to overtime pay. The 45-cent piece rate has not changed in nearly 30 years. Annual income for farm workers is extremely low--averaging $7,500 to $10,000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The vast majority of farm workers receive no benefits—no health insurance, no sick leave and no vacation pay.

Last year, Taco Bell signed an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to pay an additional one cent per pound for tomatoes it purchases. But McDonald's and Chipotle, initially a subsidiary of McDonald's and now a publicly traded company in which McDonald's is the controlling shareholder, have refused to sign a similar agreement to raise wages in the fields. more

STORIES FROM THE OTHER CAMPAIGN

PART 2 OF 3:

Thoughts on Marcos and Leadership
by RJ Maccani

added April 23, 2006

On February 9th, my last night in Mexico, Marcos came to speak in the Zócalo (city center) of Oaxaca City. It was a moment for which organizers and activists throughout the state had been preparing for over a month. Oaxaca’s corrupt and repressive Governor, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, had, since assuming office amidst charges of electoral fraud the year prior, moved the seat of executive power out of Oaxaca City and outlawed demonstration or protest in the Zócalo. The organizers’ decision to hold Marcos’ public address there was bold…and up to that point, being the most popular leader in Mexico, government forces had been afraid to touch him. The Oaxacan movements were employing Marcos’ visibility to reclaim this most important and public space of resistance. more

MORE COVERAGE OF THE OTHER CAMPAIGN:

Narco News carries regularly updated coverage, as well as this background piece: "What is the Sixth Zapatista Declaration?".

Daily updates on the Other Campaign can also be found at the EZLN's own site Enlace Zapatista as well as Indymedia Chiapas.

Part 1 of RJ Maccani's Stories from the Other Campaign can be found here.

THE OTHER CAMPAIGN IN THE U.S.:

La Otra Campaña en el Otro Lado: L.A.-based collective of Chican@s and Mexican@s participating in La Sexta/La Otra

Encuentro Nueva York: A site dedicated to realizing the Sixth in New York City

FEATURED ARTICLE

Privilege Meets Protest at Duke University
by Kevin Prosen, David Zirin

added April 22, 2006

In Durham North Carolina, a scant three miles separate Duke from historically black North Carolina Central University (NCCU), but the divide more resembles a canyon. The seismic shock of the recent and now notorious rape charges levied against the Duke Lacrosse team has upturned this complex cultural cocktail of a city, occupied by an aloof and narcissistic private school catering mainly to wealthy students rarely seen outside the gothic cloister of their campus. Tuition at Duke is $43,000 per year, more than four times the cost of NCCU and about $3,000 more than the median joint family income in Durham. more