India today: where the unimaginable actually exists through a human society near total collapse. As Indian commentator and activist Arundhati Roy put it: “The system hasn’t collapsed…. What we are witnessing is […]
The US Civil War and Reconstruction Presented by Irene Kellogg Irene writes: The Civil War and the Reconstruction Period were the most powerful periods of American history. Four million slaves liberated themselves […]
Are we in an interregnum, a pause before we plunge into the abyss? Is the Joe Biden presidency just a temporary respite, the lull before the storm? In the pre-Trump era such […]
The ending of the Derek Chauvin trial means that this will be the last week where that holds “first place” as a separate category in this week’s news summary. Police, Derek Chauvin […]
Video of April 24 Milk Tea Alliance protest in San Francisco. Also see Oaklandsocialist articles: Myanmar in Struggle: Workers of the World Unite! and: General Strike in Myanmar: Don’t Forget the Rohingya! […]
The conviction of Derek Chauvin is worthy of celebration. It also shows the capitalist class’s desire to rein in police, but that threatens to open up a huge crisis as the cops […]
Crisis looms as capitalists struggle to rein in police. It certainly was a beautiful sight: Derek Chauvin being led away with his hands cuffed behind his back, and millions celebrated it […]
For me, this last week was dominated by watching the Chauvin trial, and working on Burma/Myanmar solidarity and finally getting into shape the interview/discussion with Kieran Knutson and Cheryl Zuur. (See main […]
In the second half of this interview with CWA Local 7250 president Kieran Kieran Frazier Knutson, we focused on labor’s political role. As the Derek Chauvin trial was ongoing at the time, […]
This is the first part of a two part interview with recently elected president of CWA Local 7250, Kieran Frazier Knutson. In this first part, Kieran mainly discusses how he sees his […]
Here are some comments on the Derek Chauvin trial as it was unfolding plus comments on some other news, for the week ending April 11. Where I have included a few comments […]
Also see Oaklandsocialist’s articles: Myanmar in Struggle: Workers of the World, Unite! General Strike in Myanmar: Don’t Forget the Rohingya!
What is happening here that workers in the Amazon distribution center in Bessemer Alabama voted down the union by almost 2-1? It’s not that unions in general are unpopular. On the contrary, […]
Zoom Meeting Saturday, April 10, 9:00 a.m. Pacific Coast Time: What are the latest developments in the movement in Myanmar, what are some of the problems and complications, and how can we […]
Oaklandsocialist spoke at this Free Burma rally in San Francisco. We drew the links between the struggle in Burma/Myanmar, the global struggles for democratic rights, and the struggle here in the United […]
Note: Oaklandsocialist will try to have a regular weekly article with comments on events of the previous week. Last week, all the stars aligned to focus attention on the trial of Derek […]
Zoom Meeting The Derek Chauvin Trial: Remember George Floyd! Hear a first hand report from Linda Mann in Minneapolis on the Derek Chauvin trial. Linda will discuss last year’s uprising and the […]
President Trump may be out of office, but his drive to eliminate (capitalist) democracy is not. It has just taken a new route: Vastly increased voter suppression. So far, over 250 voter […]
Zoom meeting: Myanmar in struggle A huge movement against the military coup continues in Myanmar. The army there, which previously carried out atrocities against the Rohingya people, is now using similar methods […]
183 killed, 74 last Sunday, March 14, alone. 2,175 reported arrested, many facing charges that could mean execution. Yet tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions continue to pour onto the […]
PERSPECTIVES FOR THE USA A Workers’ International Network meeting introduced by John Reimann (Oakland Socialist) and Tia Kurtisnger-Edison (Kentucky Alliance) The USA has entered a period of turmoil and instability. What […]
Here is a recording of the Zoom meeting we announced, the discussion on what is happening in the British Labour Party. Presenters were Tina Werkmann, Pam Bromley and John Dunn. The discussion […]
Here is a podcast of the discussion on the British Labour Party.
Zoom meeting Saturday, March 6 What is happening with the British Labour Party? When left wing Jeremy Corbyn won the leadership of Britain’s Labour Party, millions of workers and young people were […]
Here is a documentary of Fred Hampton in his own words, unedited and revolutionary. The second half is a documentary investigation of his murder. Overall, this video not only shows the fearless […]
(Recently there has been denials on the left of reports of repression of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang Province in China. Here, Aaron Ruby, an avowed communist, who visited Xinjiang Province […]
I wrote once before about these weird deep state hearing aids that I got. As I noted then, if truth is stranger than fiction sometimes, then fiction can be truer than truth. With […]
A political vacuum of unprecedented proportions has opened up in the United States. Not since the US Civil War has the US capitalist class faced such a political crisis. It spent four […]
They poured out onto the streets in the millions. They have brought the country to a virtual standstill. This is Myanmar today – workers, youth, small business people, opposing the military coup […]
Police open fire on protesters in Mogadishu by Mohamed Abdi Nour General Secretary, Somali Public Trade Union Gunfire erupted in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, Friday morning after security forces cut off a […]
Republican Party Declares War on Black & Latino Voters Union Activists Can Organize to Stop Them The Republican Party has declared war on black and Latino voters. That is what happened when […]
On the second day of the senate trial for Trump’s second impeachment, Democratic impeachment managers showed chilling video of the marauding mob rushing through the Capitol building, looking for various politicians. At […]
As the impeachment hearings approach, it pays to look back at the what lead up to the January 6 lynch mob/coup attempt and what lessons can be learned. An article in the […]
The lack of a mass working class party in the US is the key to the crisis workers are facing. If and when that starts to build, that will transform US and […]
Brian Taylor is the author of the article ” PROSECUTE and JAIL KILLER COPS! A Tale of Mis-leadership: Why ‘Black Lives Matter: Cincinnati’ Changed Its Name” Here he explains this issue. We […]
Marxism is so marginalized that it is just a drop in the ocean of the wider working class. Because of this, we tend all too often to just think only of ourselves […]
We Can’t Wait New Orleans was one of the only groups in the US to hold a rally demanding real economic relief. Here is a video of a discussion they organized around […]
Although things are very much in flux, the dim outlines for the next two years are starting to emerge from the mist. Executive Orders Whatever the reason, Biden’s Covid relief proposal goes a […]
My speech at an anti-fascist rally earlier today. One of the groups that was a main organizer is a group that supports Assad, so I had to speak on that issue, among […]
Senator Everett Dirkson once said “You take a billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you come up with serious money.” So, what in the world has come over Joe Biden? […]
For 150 years the US capitalist class has ruled through alternating the power between one of its two parties. The secondary differences in their roles helped assure the stability of that system […]
We have received the following message of solidarity from the Somali Public Trade Union. Such solidarity is what is needed. In sending this message, the SPTU is setting an example for the […]
What will happen over the next 13 days is not a slam dunk. Trump is on the retreat as he has never been before. Even some Republicans are talking about impeachment or […]
In Munich Germany in 1923, Adolph Hitler instituted the “Beer Hall Putsch”. This attempted coup was a total failure as far as seizing power and it resulted in Hitler’s arrest. After a […]
A couple of off-the-cuff thoughts on the state of affairs in US politics: (As this is being written, there are reports of a minimum of 30,000 Trump hysterics and various bigots gathering […]
Introduction: Nowadays truth is stranger than fiction and fiction is truer than truth. Keeping that in mind… I got a set of hearing aids the other day, but I think the hearing […]
Sisters and Brothers, we hope you as an individual and/or your political group or union will sign onto this call: Call to Action The Covid relief bill passed by the Democrats and […]
From John Dunn in Britain, who is starting off the new year right I did my best to have a good Christmas, as I always enjoy commemorating the birth of an imaginary […]
As 2020 comes to a close, two old stories are put to rest. Or so the cops and capitalist politicians hope. Those are the stories of Tamir Rice and Breonna Taylor. Tamir […]
Twas the week before Christmas and all through the hood, A man was walking who meant no good. He was posting a note on many a door, Telling the folks they would […]
Pay close attention to the “debate” on the Senate floor over whether that body will take up the one time only $2000 payment. It’s a reminder that those who control the agenda […]
A long time comrade of mine in Britain was comparing Boris Johnson to Trump. “Johnson’s less grotesque, but he’s also completely incompetent, unprincipled and narcissistic,” he wrote. After a bit of back […]
Oaklandsocialist interviewed Leda Victoria, revolutionary socialist, feminist and member of MAS (Movement Towards Socialism) in Mexico. She discusses her candidacy as part of an Anticapitalist United Front that is preparing to run […]
History matters, whether it is the history of 10 years ago or one hundred . That is especially true for the process of revolution and counter revolution. If we completely misunderstand those […]
A recent article in the NY Times plus some articles by scientist Dale W. Harrison help us understand what the three new Covid-19 vaccines apparently can and cannot do. Sterilizing vs. Disease […]
by Michael Frank Primaries in American politics have often been referred to as “money primaries,” meaning that big money determines who the final candidates are. Those candidates who fall behind their competitors […]
The capitalist talking heads are celebrating. “It’s been five weeks now, and the institutions of our democracy held against this onslaught,” said constitutional lawyer Ben Ginsburg on CNN on Friday night. “Our […]
Oaklandsocialist launches its powerful new Marxist time machine to bring you this news report from February, 2021: Congressional Republicans walk out as President Biden addresses joint session of congress February 30, 2021 […]
(By John Reimann, Oaklandsocialist administrator and reprinted from Left Voice.) There is currently a record 90,000 hospitalized with Covid-19, and over a quarter of a million people in the United States have […]
The assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was almost certainly carried out by Israel. Nor is it likely to be any coincidence that they did it before Trump leaves office […]
Not just food “insecurity”, but absolute hunger is stalking America. A community food bank in Rhode Island reports a 26% increase in those seeking assistance and they estimate that one in four […]
A friend and comrade of mine has been urging me to put together a bibliography of some of the books I have in my “library”. Here it is. I have put in […]
The news of this new method of producing vaccines may be just as ominous as it is welcome. Of course, we welcome a vaccine that can provide protection against Covid 19. But […]
Every thinking worker, every worker who cares about other people (or the planet), every worker who understands the need for working class solidarity will be breathing a sigh of relief that Trump […]
Just when we thought things were settling down in the US, Trump has provoked a new crisis with his refusal to accept the election results. What does this crisis tell us about […]
In refusing to accept the verdict of 75 million voters, Donald Trump and his Trump-owned and operated Republican Party (Team Trump) may be sowing immediate confusion. They may be creating further conditions […]
Thought for the day: The two greatest prominent leaders of the last 75 years were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. What made them great was their willingness and ability to […]
The coming removal of Bigot-in-Chief DonaldTrump from the White House was met with dancing in the street across the country. Rightfully so. However, we should also keep this exchange in mind: “You’re […]
Watching the election results, and like the overwhelming majority of thinking workers, yes, I do hope that Trump loses. That is starting to look like it is more possible and it’s turning […]
The police pepper spraying of the marchers in N. Carolina who were marching to support Black Lives Matter… The Trump vigilante car caravan interference with the Biden campaign bus in Texas… Trump’s […]
After 50 years of never voting for any “lesser evil” Democrat, I voted for Joe Biden the other day. I waited for weeks to fill in the little circle by his name. […]
Oaklandsocialist has been mistaken. We have said for several years that Trump is out of the control of the mainstream of the US capitalist class. No. He is out of the control […]
Oaklandsocialist interviewed Joe Burns, author of Reviving the Strike and Strike Back. Joe is the head of bargaining for the Association of Flight Attendants. The main thesis of both books is that […]
Eric Blanc, one of the leaders of DSA, has published an article urging DSA to campaign for Biden. His point is that this time it’s different (which is also the title of an […]
Oaklandsocialist was interviewed recently on New Jersey Revolution Radio. The whole show is interesting, but my part starts at 37:20 in.
The elevation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and the fact that that court will now have five Trump thinkalikes; the role of the armed and dangerous “militias” and […]
CNN reported an interesting result regarding last night’s Biden/Trump debate: One reporter of theirs watched the debate with ten “undecided” voters in North Carolina. As a result of the debate none of […]
In 1935, John L. Lewis, president of the coal miners union, famously punched right wing president of the Carpenters, Bill Hutchenson, in the jaw, walked out of the AFL, and formed the […]
It now seems increasingly likely that Trump will be gone come January 20. In order to understand where we might be headed, we have to consider what Trump represents. We are in […]
Here’s my talking heads, political junkie analysis of last night’s debate between Pence and Harris: I think the Democrats’ strategy during last night’s debate was simply “don’t screw up.” In other words, […]
Kieran Knutson and Cliff Willmeng are long time fighters for working class people and all the oppressed. They are also anti-capitalists who both live in Minneapolis and are running for […]
The news of Trump’s testing positive for Covid 19 has largely overridden discussion of his bullying behavior during the debate with Biden. This positive test is no accident. By continually engaging in […]
Equating the Proud Boys with white supremacy has some serious limitations. That’s because they actually have black members and they don’t campaign against black people per se. Despite their denials, however, they […]
An article from Atlantic magazine is drawing considerable notice. The publishers considered the article so important that they published the October issue of their magazine (which contains the article) before its scheduled publication […]
The current issue of the popular “left” magazine Jacobin has an article Why Won’t the US’s Largest Labor Federation Talk About a General Strike? But the author doesn’t even ask a lot “smaller” […]
The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg will probably decisively end an entire era in the role of the US Supreme Court and how it is seen by the great majority of Americans. […]
It’s important for workers to understand the history of social democracy, known as “democratic socialism” in the US. Like elsewhere in Europe, in Denmark it arose as part of the working class […]
It was dark and eerie all day as smoke from wildfires all the way from upper Washington down through Oregon and Northern California hovered over Oakland. A young woman told me “it […]
I want to leave California. In 1969, when I first arrived in this state, already much of nature was being destroyed, but it was still beautiful. We used to take trips up […]
“Those of us who are radicalized often accept the premises of our enemies…. But we arrive at a moment when we understand that those who are running things are a bunch […]
Here is the first part of a two-part series of Rob Wallace speaking on capitalist development and Covid 2. This was recorded from a meeting hosted by the Workers International Network. For […]
First of two parts of the presentation of Rob Wallace on capitalism and Covid 19. Also see posts as video.
A major split is opening up within the US capitalist class. This split has implications for the already-existing movement from below. Two columns in the September 3 NY Times show what is […]
COVID 19, HABITAT DESTRUCTION AND FACTORY FARMING A Workers International Network Meeting Sunday 6th September at 7 p.m. British Summer Time/ 1pm US Central Time Speaker: Rob Wallace Rob Wallace is an evolutionary epidemiologist with the Agro-ecology and Rural Economics Research […]
Oaklandsocialist distributed this leaflet at the Oakland protest against the shooting of Jacob Blake. We got a good response. Let’s hope something comes of it, especially since the pro athletes are setting […]
Here is an interview that this blog site’s administrator, John Reimann, did with popular radio host Davey D Cook on the environmental causes of Covid 19 – how this and other viruses […]
A central feature of the events in Belarus is going more or less unreported: Fully one half of the Belarusian economy is through state-owned enterprises. This fact has given Belarus dictator Alexander […]
A month ago, Oaklandsocialist carried a report of the strike of Haft Tapeh strikers in Iran. We also wrote the following letter of support: “We send our comradely greetings to the Haft […]
A recent column in the Washington Post, entitled Trump Keeps Pretending to be Dictator, explained that presidents are “constrained by Congress and the courts and the law and international treaties, not to […]
My interview with Davey D of Hard Knock Radio. How Covid 19 is spread through unsafe factory farming For more detail on the environmental issues, see this article: Covid 19, capitalism […]
“Belief in science is the worst form of superstition ever”… a medical doctor in Germany. “Listen up Numb nuts This whole mask thing is a psyop to condition you to comply with […]
WSJ editors suggest Trump withdraw from race Trump’s troubles with his own class – the US capitalist class – continue to worsen. They see him as too unreliable, too destabilizing of their […]
It is past time for a movement in the streets to demand the continuation and in fact the expansion of the $600/week federal unemployment subsidy! The US economy in free fall, declining […]
By a member of the UFCW and anti-racist activist Friday July 17th 2020 This protest was organized in response to the attacks on Main St businesses with Neo Nazi propaganda. Contrary to […]
The strategy of the Trump reelection campaign is starting to come into more clear focus. That strategy is to combine widespread repression with voter suppression in order to return Trump into office […]
John Lewis, long time civil rights icon and then member of the House of Representatives has died. Many on the left will remember him for his role as an establishment liberal. I […]
A short note on the Covid-19 economy: If you think things are bad now, you ain’t seen nothing yet. While there was a slight pickup in May, which continued into June to […]
From Aman Kafa of the Hekmatist Party (official Line) – Organization Abroad July 14, 2020 Four representatives and speakers of Haft Tapeh workers, Youseff Bahmani, Ebrahim Abassi, Mohammad Khanifar, Moslem Cheshm Khavar […]
Compared to the lies of Trump and the religious mysticism of Mike Pence, Anthony Fauci seems like a breath of fresh air. He bases himself on science, after all. Why, then, has […]
When a big game hunter goes after a large and dangerous beast, he had better understand how that beast functions, or else the hunter can become the hunted. The same is true […]
Friends and comrades, “Police reform” is one of the major issues of the day. For liberals and social democrats, the question stops there. Marxists have to have clarity on the question. We […]
By a Minneapolis union member and anti-racist activist The crimes of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) against the people of Minneapolis are many. This is an organization charged with upholding an unjust […]
What do we make of Trump’s claim that he was never briefed on the US intelligence belief that Putin’s government had placed a bounty on the heads of US soldiers in Afghanistan? […]
The Republicans’ November election strategy is starting to emerge. Yesterday the US Supreme Court made an important but lightly noticed ruling on Texas voting law. They allowed Texas to prohibit all mail-in […]
Hold up! What is that sound we’re hearing? Is it the sound of the air being let out of the Trump balloon? Trump’s moves to consolidate his grip on the various branches […]
Some photos of yesterday’s event: Next is the march over the overpass towards downtown Oakland Next in front of OPD headquarters and at Oscar Grant Plaza I always feel that some […]
Short video from the Juneteenth Port of Oakland shutdown. Also see leaflet Oaklandsocialist distributed. Also see still photos here. Make it a movement
by a worker at Seward Co-op On June 16th nearly the entire staff on shift at Seward Co-op’s Franklin Ave. store in Minneapolis walked out for a 9 minute work stoppage to […]
Abolish the Police Pt. 1 What is the MPD and why it can’t be made into something for us . . . By a Minneapolis union member and anti-racist activist (This is […]
Trump is in deep trouble, but the outcome is uncertain. His national approval ratings are sinking like a stone, down from 41% approval, compared to 55% disapproval as of June 11. This […]
Two weeks after George Floyd was choked to death by the Minneapolis police, the AFL-CIO has issued a full statement on this crime. They should have waited two years. “The scourge of […]
When the police make a high-profile arrest, they make him or her walk in public through the throng of reporters. It’s called a “perp walk.” On June 6, Minneapolis’s reform minded young […]
This leaflet is based on the previous article on the need for a program. If you like it, please use it!(Note:pdf at bottom.) ungovernable movement needs program
We have marched, we have sat-down, we have occupied freeways. And yet the wave of murders of black people by the police continues. It has unleashed a rage. From Bronx New York to […]
A short video of the protest in Oakland on Friday, June 5. If you like the video, we urge you to check out our blog. See, for example, Minneapolis and the Crisis […]
Video of the protests in Oakland over last few days. Also see articles on Minneapolis and the crisis of US capitalism, and other related articles including a solidarity letter from the Somali […]
Photos from Oakland protests. The top ones are from the aftermath of the first night of protests here.
The Somali Public Trade Union sends this message of solidarity to the protesters in the US and to the family of George Floyd. Please distribute widely. A pdf of this message is […]
Leaflet I’m distributing. Also see: George Floyd murder shows need to completely transform the unions.
Divided, led by a demented and out-of-control president who is absolutely despised and has no credibility whatsoever among wide layers of society, with out-of-control police forces across the country, the US capitalist […]
Oaklandsocialist has received the following appeal: SPTU, Is an Independent trade union based in Somalia. is shocked and outraged by the barbaric killing of seven healthcare workers and one civilian at the […]
Kieran is a union member and a long-time activist in Minneapolis. Here he explains who it is who has been out in the streets, how the police and the politicians are reacting […]
Essential Work by Raymond Nat Turner We’ll always need Race car drivers roaring down streets where children chase balls; like We’ll always need peaceful protesters pepper sprayed like cockroaches; And We’ll always […]
“Science and socialism go hand-in-hand” Felicity Dowling In today’s NY Times, the bard of neoliberalism, Thomas Friedman, wrote about how Trump cannot defeat “Mother Nature”, which as he explained “is entirely made up […]
Podcast of Oaklandsocialist introduction to Zoom meeting of this title. The meeting was hosted by the Workers International Network (WIN).
More Mengele Medicine from Boss Tweet and the1% “As to diseases, make a habit of two things — to help, or at least, to do no harm.” ― Hippocrates “It is very […]
Covid-19, the rise of new zoonotic* diseases, and the capitalist disaster Saturday 23rd May at 9 a.m. Pacific Time [* Zoonotic = diseases transmitted from other species to humans] The Covid-19 pandemic […]
Oaklandsocialist talks with ER nurse Cliff Willmeng. Cliff was terminated for fighting for safety on the job. For more on the worker fightback, see our article Strike wave without precedent which can […]
With each twist and turn in events, with each step he takes, Trump is driven ever further down the road of one-man authoritarian rule. His recent steps in that direction have flown […]
So, here’s a little bit of personal history, a mistake that I made, that maybe we all can learn from: In 1999, some 2000 SF Bay Area carpenters went out on a […]
How does the sound of “President Franklin Delano Cuomo” grab you? Like it or not, Cuomo is already in effect running against Trump. Every day he’s on national TV, giving a fact-based […]
A wave of strikes and walk-outs that is unprecedented in numbers is sweeping the United States. It’s largely flown under the radar because the capitalist press in general isn’t reporting on it […]
“The daily death toll [from Covid-19] will reach about 3,000 [nearly double the official White House prediction] on June 1, according to an internal [CDC] document obtained by The New York Times…” […]
Here is a short video of May Day, 2020 in Oakland. We end this video with a call to support all those workers who are working under unsafe conditions, but especially the […]
MAY DAY GREETINGS! We’re celebrating May Day 2020 in extraordinary times. The flimsy tissue of capitalist “civilisation” has been torn asunder. So far a quarter of a million people have died worldwide, […]
New oaklandsocialist pamphlet Covid-19: The capitalist pandemic Introduction As the capitalist class loses control over society, a new workers’ movement seems to be breaking out. Already, workers have conducted over 100 […]
John Ioannidis is at it again. He’s got an article that is making the rounds in scientific circles which claims that the actual mortality rate for Covid-19 is far lower than thought […]
Is Donald Trump cracking up? An article in Thursday’s NY Times describes him as being “in a sour mood after his morning marathon of television” (which he watches for five or six […]
Please sign the petition and pass it on. Grocery workers are essential workers and their health and safety is as important as anybody else’s. Yet in this Covid-19 emergency, the stores are […]
This notice is being posted in SaveMart and Lucky’s food stores, at least in Northern California. The information on the particular store where this has been posted is blacked out to protect […]
The back-to-work/business as usual protests of far right fanatics is a threat to your health and safety. Consider: At Safeway’s distribution center in Tracy, CA, 51 workers were found to be infected. […]
In response to the calls of the Trump idiots and of the Idiot in Chief himself to go back to work, there have been conversations on various construction worker Facebook pages. Here’s […]
By Raymond Nat turner coronavirus is coming across treacherous food deserts—their Red Lined decades of diabetes— over hills of hypertension; steep mountains of medical neglect; over shattered ruins of poverty like a […]
The Covid-19 pandemic is but the most striking example of how the laws of nature are affecting the lives of ordinary working class people. As we will show, we as workers cannot […]
