Lenosphere Round Up 7/3-7/10

Jesseray (U.S.) blogs:

Not that the 4th is a typical gift giving holiday, but the Pentagon decided to take the initiative.
The US Government to the troops: Happy Independence Day, your tours are extended!

He also writes:

The Nation is carrying an absolutely brilliant article by Kai Wright on how the mortgage crisis (it seems like we have a lot of crises these days, doesn’t it?) is affecting Black America. It’s a painful article in many ways, detailing the tremendous transfer of wealth taking place from the Black community to various banks and investors (estimated by United for a Fair Economy to be between 164 and 213 billion dollars). What I appreciated most about the article was his utter demolition of the myth of the “predatory borrower” bandied about by Michelle Malkin and other running dogs of Wall Street.

And also gives us an important post on the blog Stuff White People Like:

If you’re an even moderately internet savvy American these days, you will doubtless have been told by some friend of the hilarious new site “Stuff White People Like”(SWPL). A collection of short encyclopedia style entries on various things adored by the white man, ranging from sweaters to organic food to religions their parents don’t belong to, the site is basically a big send up of urban liberal multiculturalism (a lifestyle which doubtless deserves some critique).

…

I could go on listing examples of how reactionary this site is, but I think it’s more valuable to pursue a discussion of what actually is wrong with liberal multiculturalism as practiced by Lander’s targets.

The Partisan (Australia) has a great fucking idea that could be benneficial to the Lenosphere.  A reading group!

I’ll be missing in action for the latter months of 2008. When I return, I’d like to set up an online reading group. I envisage that this would be set up on another blog, and would possibly be a group blog. The idea would be for a group of us (and a small group is fine) to work through some meaty texts. Debate and discussion of the text would be encouraged (though not idiotic trolling unrelated to the text), individuals from different backgrounds would be welcome to contribute.

Does anybody have any interest in this sort of idea? If the answer is yes, do you have any proposals as to what it might look like?

John Mullen (France) points us to an article on Islamaphobia in England:

cet article en anglais parle de l’islamophobie en Angleterre. 8 sur 10 des musulmans anglais considèrent qu’il y a davantage de préjugés contre les musulmans en Angleterre depuis quelques années (et la guerre en Irak). Des élus musulmans reçoivent des menaces; les médias se déchaînent… à lire si vous lisez l’anglais.

And to an article on the rising suicides by U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan:

Cet article (en anglais) dans Socialist Worker, journal américain, explique que les suicides, chez les soldats qui reviennent de l’Afghanistan, sont sans doute plus nombreux que les morts au combat. Et Sarkozy qui veut envoyer chaque fois plus de jeunes français!

John also blogs on the formation of a new anti-capitalist party:

Je ne suis pas d’accord avec l’ensemble du texte; notamment je trouve qu’il a tendance à diluer le conflit fondamental entre salariés et capitalistes dans une série de conflits assez vagues (libération du temps contraint etc) qui ne prennent pas toujours en compte la réalité de la dictature réellement existante du profit sur nos viez et sur notre planète.

Néanmoins, le texte constitue une contribution intéressante.

Lenin (U.K.) blogs on the exploitation of Irish workers:

Found on the Marxmail mailing list, this little beauty from the Irish Times. It tells us that the average Irish worker produces 48,500 euros of profit per year for the owners. These figures were produced by the Unite union to disprove the idea that profits for Irish capitalists are somehow ‘too low’ or being squeezed by unjustifiably higher wages. Actually, it suggests an extraordinary rate of exploitation. According to the Industrial Development Agency [pdf], the average wage in Ireland was 627.24 euros per week in 2007, which is just over 32,000 euros per year. This figure is offered by the IDA as an instance of how competitive the Irish labour market is for foreign direct investors. It boasts of a skilled, educated labour force capable of the production of a great deal of value at lower cost than German or Dutch workers (but, interestingly, a bit more expensive than the average UK worker). According to Unite: “In total terms, profits in the sector increased by over €5.6 billion in the five-year period [2000 - 2005], while total wages – despite a substantial increase in employees [over 50,000] rose by well under half”. Some industrial sectors experienced a rate of profit as high as 40%, which is well above average, comparable to the UK Continental Shelf (north sea oil) in recent years.

Lenin also blogs on Marxism 2008:

A good meeting at Marxism yesterday involved a discussion of what happened to the Italian left in the recent elections, at which the right not only won massively, but the far right groups and particularly the racist Lega Nord made real increases in their vote. The Lega increased its vote by a third, while the left vote organised through the ‘rainbow coalition’ collapsed so much that for the first time since WWII, the communists have no representation in parliament. This is the third time, meanwhile, the Lega Nord have been participants in a Berlusconi-led government. The focus of the discussion by Tom Behan, and Cinzia Arruzza of Sinistra Critica (formerly a critical marxist group within the Rifondazione Comunista that broke away in December last year to form a new party when it was clear just how much the RC had broke with radical policies), was mainly on the horrendous strategic errors of the radical left. The coalition with a neoliberal government saw the Rifondazione vote to send troops to Afghanistan despite the fact that it had been elected as an antiwar party. As one speaker put it “we went from ‘Another World is Possible’ to ‘it isn’t even possible to vote against the war’”: a drastic contraction of vision…

Juhani (Finland) blogs on how to help Roma within his area:

Monista tarvikkeista kuten patjoista on kuitenkin pulaa. Jos pidät toimintaa tärkeänä ja haluat tarjota edes pientä konkreettista apua, tuo ylimääräisiä patjoja, keittiövarusteita, ruokaa tai muuta vastaavaa talolle Rajasaareen.

Jos olet kiinnostunut tulemaan mukaan projektiin, ota yhteyttä. Talolla tarvitaan ihmisiä. Voimme kertoa tarkemmin kuvioista puhelimessa, sähköpostilla tai paikan päällä.

He also shows us a video of a speech by journalist Mohammed Omer on life in Palestine:

Palkittu nuori toimittaja Mohammed Omer kertoo, millaista voi elämä piiritetyssä Gazassa olla. Omer palasi äskettäin Gazaan Lontoosta, jossa vastaanotti Martha Gellhorn -palkinnon. Tarkastusasemalla hänet pahoinpideltiin sairaalakuntoon.

Hossam (Egypt) has his speech that he gave during Marxism 2008 on the class struggle in Egypt.  Photos of some of the speakers.

And blogged:

Marxism 2008’s Final Rally took place yesterday… There is nothing that can describe the euphoria when one knows that his or her struggle is part of a bigger global fight for a better world… For days I listened to comrades from around the globe debating ideas, sharing experiences, discussing strategy and tactics… It was very enlightening, and boosting for the morale…

And also blogs:

The Alexandrian textile strikers issued two statements, which you can find here and here…

mpkellogg (Canada) blogs:

One small correction I would like to make. Sara calls the events of 9/11 “the most horrific act of violence ever on North American soil.” I have in front of me William H. Prescott’s classic History of the Conquest of Mexico and History of the Conquest of Peru.[2] The first few hundred pages of the book amount to a dry tale of the utmost brutality carried out by the European armies of Cortés against the people of what is today Mexico, culminating with his barbaric assault on the capital.

John Molyneux gives us his article he wrote for International Socialism, a quarterly journal:

About twenty years ago I spoke on ‘Marxism and Religion’ at the SWP Easter Rally in Skegness. I began, roughly, with the words, ‘Today, in Britain, religion – fortunately – is not a major political issue’. Unfortunately this is no longer the case. Today religion, or rather one religion in particular, namely Islam, is at the centre of political debate.

Internasjonale Sosialister (Norway) posts a video of Black Panther David Hilliard’s speech at Marxism 2008.

Sean Purdy (Brazil) blogs:

For Portuguese readers, check out the latest issue (n.126, julho de 2008) of the revista Cult where you’ll find an article of mine about the student rebellion in the United States in the 1960s. There are also articles on 1968 by Ruy Braga, Alvaro Bianchi, Luiz Bernardo Pericás, Elísio Estanque, Carlos Guilherme Mota and Franklin Leopoldo e Silva.

Roobin (U.K.) blogs:

In 2004 I attended a head-to-head between Alex Callinicos and John Holloway at the London ESF. What I remember Holloway made his common point about turning your back on the state. In the discussion I got up and countered that, in Iraq, if you turned your back on the state the state would shoot you in the back.

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He is a man who works with the Zapatistas. In theory they confirm Holloway’s ideas. They rose up in January 1994 and expelled the Mexican state from the Chiapas, creating an autonomous space, where there can be free practice away from the effects of capital. But, in taking up arms as a class, nation or oppressed group, in what sense are you not creating your own organised authority? More importantly why can’t your authority be different than that of capital?

Socialist Students – Cairo University (Egypt) posted a documentary on the Mansoura-Espana strike in Egypt, the video also features Hossam.

Mashahed (Egypt) blogs on the weavers and spinners strike in Al-Amriya:

بذلك ظنت الإدارة أنها تكسر ارادة العمال وتضعف عزيمتهم … الا أن رد العمال جاء بالإضراب عن العمل للمرة الثانية – البيان الأول للإضراب تجدونه هنا -كما ذكر البيان الثاني للعمال – تجدونه هنا - أنهم سيبدأون اضراباً عن الطعام حتى تحقيق مطالبهم كاملة بالإضافة الى إعادة المفصولين أو الموت من الجوع

Colin F Saint-Denis (France) blogs on his experience at Marxism 2008:

Je reviens d’une semaine à Londres pendant laquelle j’ai assisté à Marxism 2008, l’événement annuel du Socialist Workers Party (Grande-Bretagne). Selon les organisateurs, il y avait cette année environ 4 000 participants, le chiffre le plus élevé depuis cinq ans. Ce qui m’a particulièrement impressionné était le nombre de délégations internationales : des Français comme nous (je suis allé avec un groupe d’une dizaine d’étudiants parisiens), dont des membres de la LCR, des Espagnols, des Turcs, des Polonais, des Tchèques, des Américains, des Hollandais, des Allemands, des Grecs. Des Africains sont venus entre autres du Ghana, du Zimbabwe (malgré les énormes difficultés dans ce pays), de l’Afrique du Sud … D’autres (du Nigéria par exemple) n’ont pas pu obtenir un visa.

Lebanese Socialist (Lebanon) blogs:

Israelis are intending to sue banks who they say helped fund Hezbollah by letting two of its alleged front organizations perform money transfers prior to and during Lebanon’s 33-day war with Israel in 2006, reports Canada.com.

The front groups in question are the Yousser Company for Finance and Investment and the Martyrs Foundation, both of which have been identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as terrorist financiers.

Renegade Eye (U.S.) blogs:

On June 26, at around 10.40pm, comrade Ángel Humberto Martínez Cerón was assassinated just a few metres from his home. He was the General Coordinator of the “January 24″ Revolutionary Socialist Students Block (known as BERS-24). The political activity this revolutionary young militant was involved in was the reason why the ruling class decided to silence him.

Mustafa Mahmoud (Egypt) waxes nostalgic and leaves with the music video for “Where is the Love”

ما عجبنى فى الاغنية انها تستعرض الاحداث المؤسفة فى العالم من حروب وعنصرية واضطهاد وحروب تشن على الشعوب باسم الحرب على الارهاب وتطرح تساؤل مهم …مالذى حدث للبشر ؟ وما الذى يؤدى بهم الى هذا الجنون ؟ وتبحث عن الحب الذى يوحد الزنوج مع البيض و شعوب الشرق مع شعوب الغرب والذى يؤلف بين قلوب البشر …اترككم مع الاغنية