Unbossed and unbought news and information you can use
Vol.
8 Issue 35…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…September
2, 2005
By Woody
Guthrie (1912-1967)
Take
a trip with me in nineteen thirteen
To
Calumet, Michigan, in the copper country
I'll
take you to a place called Italian Hall
Where
the miners are having their big Christmas ball
I'll
take you through a door, and up a high stairs
Singing
and dancing is heard everywhere
I
will let you shake hands with the people you see
And
watch the kids dance round that big Christmas tree
You
ask about work and you ask about pay
They'll
tell you that they make less than a dollar a day
Working
the copper claims, risking their lives
So
it's fun to spend Christmas with children and wives
There's
talking and laughing and songs in the air
And
the spirit of Christmas is there everywhere
Before
you know it, you're friends with us all
And
you're dancing around and around in the hall
Well,
a little girl sits down by the Christmas tree lights
To
play the piano, so you gotta keep quiet
To
hear all this fun you would not realize
That
the copper-boss thug-men are milling outside
The
copper-boss thugs stuck their heads in the door
One
of them yelled and he screamed, "There's a fire!"
A
lady, she hollered, "There's no such a thing!
Keep
on with your party, there's no such a thing"
A
few people rushed, and it was only a few
"It's
only the thugs and the scabs fooling you"
A
man grabbed his daughter and carried her down
But
the thugs held the door and he could not get out
And
then others followed, a hundred or more
But
most everybody remained on the floor
The
gun-thugs they laughed at their murderous joke
While
children were smothered on the stair by the door
Such
a terrible sight I never did see
We
carried our children back up to their tree
The
scabs outside still laughed at their spree
And
the children that died there were seventy-three
The
piano played a slow funeral tune
And
the town was lit up by a cold Christmas moon
The
parents they cried and the miners they moaned
"See
what your greed for money has done"
About Me: Songwriter and performer Woodrow
Wilson Guthrie was born July 14, 1912, in Okemah, Oklahoma. Sporting a guitar
inscribed, "This machine kills fascists," Guthrie wrote of the
marginalized, disenfranchised and oppressed people with whom he struggled to
survive despite all odds. The song above refers to a 1913 incident in Calumet,
Michigan in which thugs hired by the copper company broke up a striker's
Christmas party by shouting, "Fire," and then barring the door. In
the ensuing panic, 73 children were smothered to death. (Sources: www.unionsong.com and www.woodyguthrie.org)
The
Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro is rapidly maturing. Like all growing
young men, he has needs that invariably can only be met with money, whether it
is the feel of a few dollars in his pockets to buy junk at school or to save
for a larger purchase later. He recently requested an allowance, even suggested
chores he could perform to earn extra money. We have been here before, but this
time, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro seems serious saying, "Grandma, I will work
for money!"
US Department of Labor
Congress
first created a Bureau of Labor in 1884 under the Department of the Interior.
In 1888, the Bureau of Labor was established as an independent agency with its
department head reporting directly to the president. When Congress created the
Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903, the agency regained its
bureau status. A decade later, the bureau became an independent executive department
headed by a member of the president's cabinet. Established by act of Congress
on March 4, 1913, the Department of Labor became the ninth executive department
of the federal government of the United States of America.
The
Department of Labor's duties are diverse. As defined in the enabling
legislation, its primary functions are "...to foster, promote and develop
the welfare of the wage earners of the United States, to improve their working
conditions, and to advance their opportunities for profitable employment."
While the department is charged with the administration and enforcement of
laws, which protect the nation's workers, it has numerous other
responsibilities that have been assigned to it through legislation and
executive order.
The
department's diverse functions are carried out through a number of offices and
agencies, which range from the Administrative Review Board (ARB) to the Women's
Bureau (WB). One of its responsibilities is the collection and analysis of data
via its Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which serves as the government's
fact-finding agency in the field of labor economics. Statistics collected and
analyzed by BLS include labor force participation, unemployment, earnings,
industrial injuries, price trends and costs, standards of living, etc.
In
1913, President Woodrow Wilson appointed William Bauchop Wilson the first
Secretary of Labor. Appointed by George W. Bush and confirmed January 29, 2001,
the current Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chou, is an immigrant and the first
Asian American woman to serve in a presidential cabinet. As the 24th
Secretary of Labor, Chou has overseen significant regulatory reforms as part of
the Bush administration's pro-business agenda. Reforms include updating the
Fair Labor Standards Act to exempt millions of white-collar workers from
receiving overtime pay and changing union financial disclosure regulations.
(Sources: www.dol.gov and Encyclopedia Americana)
By
Yohannes Sharriff Smith
Sunday
(8-28-05) Hurricane Katrina came ashore and rolled over New Orleans burying it
under a devastating wall of water. Several levees gave way; now the city is a
lake of human misery. Days after this disaster thousands along the Gulf Coast
cling to life by a thread and wonder when help will arrive. News reports show huddled masses
underneath bridge overpasses, trapped on roofs, camped on highways or staked
out on whatever dry space they can find.
The
Mayor of New Orleans has decided to evacuate the city. This means the thousands
of poor people without transportation, who could not leave before the storm,
are stuck in a cesspool of death and debris.
Spending
a billion dollars a week fighting an unjust war in Iraq, will George W. Bush
spend that kind of money to help New Orleans? Skeptics do not believe such an
all-out response to save lives is likely. Federal and state authorities seem
more concerned about looting than saving lives. Hurricane Katrina has wiped out
employment for most people in the region. Those left behind have no way to
acquire basic necessities because everything is closed. Most people, those
breaking into convenience stores, are doing what it takes to survive. The vast
majority of victims trapped in this situation are black and poor. They are crying
out to the world for help.
Poets
for Peace is sending out a distress call to all peace loving people around the
world on behalf of the devastated people of New Orleans. We hope to start a
dialogue among spoken word artists, hip hop icons, actors, athletes, producers
and promoters around the world to aid the poor homeless people of New Orleans.
This
situation demands a "We Are The World" response similar to what
Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones did to aid Africa. I am offering my services
to any group to work in any capacity to assist the people of New Orleans. We
need organizations such as Good Works International, which has raised money to
help people around the world, or a Tom Joyner, who speaks to the world each
morning on his syndicated radio program, to facilitate the New Orleans relief
effort.
We,
in the Diaspora, should lead and let everyone else follow. The situation in
News Orleans is dire. Time is of the essence; contact me for ideas and
suggestions at thedish@ga.net.
Working
Families in Poverty
A
recent CBS News poll found that 52 percent of respondents disapproved of George
W. Bush's handling of the economy. After months of touting US economic strength,
oftentimes despite anemic job growth, Treasury Secretary John W. Snow finally
conceded in early August that the fruits of this strong economic growth are not
spreading equally among US citizens. Specifically, Snow mentioned the declining
incomes and wages of less educated people. However, conditions on the ground
belie this and other assertions that discount alarming increases of
homelessness, poverty and hunger in America that is not limited to the less
educated.
Millions
of Americans are feeling helpless to change their economic situation. Even
those with college educations are finding it increasingly difficult, if not
impossible, to replace lost high income jobs, when the only employment
available is at companies like Wal-Mart and McDonald's, which pay wages no
higher than the $10 per hour usually offered by temporary agencies.
Bush's
rising disapproval rating is amplified by Voices of the Lost and Forgotten, a
five part series by Jay Shaft, freelance writer and founding Editor of
Coalition For Free Thought In Media. It offers cogent evidence that all is not
well with the American economy. Moreover, the series suggests that conditions
are rapidly moving in the wrong direction for many Americans.
Part
four of the five part series, Families In Poverty, is filled with the personal
experiences of a cross-section of families and statistics that show why so many
Americans disapprove of Bush's handling of the economy. Like the other
installments, it is an outlet for people living through an overwhelming crisis.
In their words, families explain "how bad it really is, and how terrible
day-to-day living conditions have become," as many have joined the growing
ranks of the working class and low-income due to outsourcing, cutbacks and
unanticipated layoffs, particularly in manufacturing.
Shaft's
series also deals with housing and presents stories of families that double up
to make ends meet. Other installments catalog the travails of children living
on the streets and single mothers among the working poor unable to secure the
necessities of life in the land of plenty for themselves and their families.
For the full report on the scope of hunger and homelessness in the USA, see
USCM-Sodexho 2004 Hunger and Homelessness Survey at www.usmayors.org.
To read the homeless/poverty series by Jay Shaft, see www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0308/S00011.htm.
This series should be required reading for all US citizens. Contact its author
Jay Shaft at cftmeditor@yahoo.com.
Wal-Mart,
USA
Much has been written about Wal-Mart, the world's biggest discount retailer.
Recent articles have dissected its ability to deliver on its promise of
everyday low prices to consumers by squeezing suppliers and exploiting
employees in the US and abroad. Other news stories have chronicled communities'
opposition to Wal-Mart moving into their neighborhoods. Generally, when
Wal-Mart moves into a community, it successfully undercuts and drives out
smaller local competitors.
The Arkansas-based company is the largest US employer. On average, Wal-Mart's
1.2 million employees earn less than $10.00 per hour. Most cannot afford health
insurance on such low wages. While Wal-Mart offers health benefits, its
full-time employees do not automatically qualify for health care coverage. They
must be on the job for six months. An even higher eligibility hurdle exists for
Wal-Mart's part-time employees.
Many Wal-Mart employees number among the growing pool of working poor and
homeless that rely on federal and private assistance, including food stamps and
Section 8 vouchers, to feed and house their families.
Current and former Wal-Mart employees have filed numerous lawsuits alleging
abusive labor practices and racial and sexual discrimination. Wal-Mart denies
it engages in any abusive practices or discriminates against its employees on
any basis.
Wal-Mart is known for opposing labor unions. Its efforts to prevent employees
from organizing to demand higher wages, better benefits and improvements in
working conditions are legendary. To punctuate its commitment to preventing
employees from organizing, Wal-Mart recently closed its Quebec, Canada store
after employees there joined a union.
While Wal-Mart is the largest, it is by no means the only company that engages
in exploitative employee practices. Given its sheer size, Wal-Mart simply
epitomizes the negative employment situation for wage earners in the United
States. It is the schoolyard bully, because poor workers have few employment
choices; either accept Wal-Mart's abuse or do without a job.
Disgruntled says:
In Crimes Against
Nature: How George W. Bush and his Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country
and Hijacking Our Democracy (HarperCollins, 2004), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
wrote, "While communism is the control of business by government, fascism
is the control of government by business. My American Heritage Dictionary
defines fascism as 'a system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the
extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership
together with belligerent nationalism.' Sound familiar?" Kennedy and
others cite credible evidence that suggests the USA is a fascist state. It has
weak labor unions and a government willing to collude with management to
discourage organized labor activities. Under the Patriot Act and the post-911
panic and patriotism, there is a decline in civil liberties. The US is
effectively a one-party state as Democrats are too Republican-like to offer
genuine opposition to any of the current administration's action, no matter how
drastic. Coupled with unending warfare and the post 9-11 anti-Muslim racism, we
have fascism.
Disgruntled
feels: Disorganized! As
we prepare to celebrate Labor Day this first Monday in September, organized
labor is in disarray. We can lay the blame for this miserable state of affairs
for American workers squarely on the doorstep of the Bush White House. Big
business never had a better friend, nor labor a worse enemy than the Bush
administration. It has bent over backwards to destroy the ability of unions to
organize and recruit new members. Disorganized labor means workers have no
effective defense against exploitative employers, including the government. It
means labor can no longer act as a source of organized opposition to anti-labor
candidates in future political campaigns.
Disgruntled
wants to know: Since
Mexico's President Vicente Fox claimed illegal aliens from his country crossed
the border to take jobs in the USA that even blacks do not want, there has been
considerable commentary on the merits of his assertion. In cities across the
country, Mexicans and other illegal immigrants do jobs formerly performed by
blacks. However, with economic conditions rough and not getting better for
workers, black and white, are blacks really offered, but turning down,
opportunities to work on construction crews, in poultry plants and at other
jobs being performed by illegal immigrants?
Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and Telephone Calls
Email clayborne@aol.com Loyola
University economics professor Thomas J. DiLorenzo wrote, "When most
people hear the word "fascism they naturally think of its ugly racism and anti-Semitism
as practiced by the totalitarian regimes of Mussolini and Hitler. But there was
also an economic policy component of fascism, known...as
"corporatism," that was an essential ingredient of economic
totalitarianism as practiced by Mussolini and Hitler. So-called corporatism was
adopted in Italy and Germany during the 1930s and was held up as a
"model" by quite a few intellectuals and policy makers in the United
States and Europe. A version of economic fascism was in fact adopted in the
United States in the 1930s and survives to this day. In the United States these
policies were not called "fascism" but "planned
capitalism." The word fascism may no longer be politically acceptable, but
its synonym "industrial policy" is as popular as ever.
Email
www.michaelparenti.org Hidden Holocaust,
USA... "I've had grown men wet this floor with tears, begging for a job.
We have to pray with some to keep them from killing themselves. So many say
they just want to die," says Charlie Tarrance, director of a private
social agency. His deals with growing lines of despairing people looking for
jobs, housing and food. The place is Gadsden, Alabama, but it could be anywhere
in the United States.
Email
www.cnn.com Unemployment in the high-tech sector
remains stubbornly in double digits. The Department of Labor currently has job
postings for almost 52,000 jobs, most of which are for high tech positions.
That's how many applications that have been filed by companies seeking to hire
foreign workers holding H1-B visas. The programmers’ guild wants the
Labor Department to post these jobs so US workers can see who's hiring, but
according to the Department of Labor, the law doesn't allow it. A spokesman for
Labor told CNN, "We do everything that the law allows us to do. The
department didn't write the law, Congress did." Under the law, companies
looking for H1-B visa holders have no obligation to hire American workers.
Email
www.chron.com According to eyewitnesses, Stacy Clay
Driver, 30, of Cleveland, Ohio suspected of shoplifting goods from an
Atascocita Wal-Mart-including diapers and a BB gun- begged employees to let him
up for the blistering pavement in the store's parking lot where he was held,
shirtless, before he died. Driver was a master carpenter with a 2-month old
son.
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