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? […]
Biden’s Covid Relief Plan: Not Just Neoliberal “Austerity”
Crisis of Republican Party Is Crisis of US Capitalist Rule
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 […]
Somali Public Trade Union Sends Message of Solidarity
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 […]
The Next Twelve Days (and Beyond)
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 […]
The DC Riot: Lessons and Perspectives
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 […]
The Next Four Years: More Reality TV
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 […]
My Deep State Hearing Aids
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 […]
Call to Action for January 20
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 […]
Hedge of Insanity
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 […]
Remember George Stinney, James Taylor, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor….
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 […]
A “Revolting” Christmas Poem
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 […]
The $2000 vs. the Real Issue
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 […]
Trump Going off Rails: Danger (and Possibilities) Ahead
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 interviews Leda Victoria, Candidate for House of Deputies in Mexico
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 […]
Video: 100 Faces of Human Solidarity
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 […]
The Covid 19 Vaccines: What They Can and Cannot Do
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 […]
The Role of Money in Politics
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 […]
Supreme Court and US Military: Saviors of “Our Democracy”?
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 […]
Congressional Republicans Walk Out on President Biden
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 […]
Book Review: “Dead Epidemiologists” by Rob Wallace
(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 […]
Assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh: Israel the Likely Culprit
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 […]
Hunger in America: Where Are the Protests?
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 Reading list
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 […]
New Vaccine both Welcome and Ominous
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 […]
The Post-Trump Era: Program and Perspectives for the Workers’ Struggle
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 […]
Zoom Meeting Saturday, November 14
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 […]
US Election Aftermath: Peering Beneath the Surface of the “Smooth Transition” Crisis
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 […]
What Really Made Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Great
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 […]
President Joe Biden: “The Dog that Caught the Car”
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 […]
US Elections: Preliminary Results
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 […]
Zoom Meeting on Wednesday
Stop Trump! Stop Trumpism!
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 […]
Why I voted for the “lesser evil” – AKA Joe Biden – this time
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. […]
The Elections, A “Batshit Crazy” President and the US Capitalist Class
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 […]
Interview with Joe Burns
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 […]
The hour is late, but not too late
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 on New Jersey Revolution Radio
Oaklandsocialist was interviewed recently on New Jersey Revolution Radio. The whole show is interesting, but my part starts at 37:20 in.
Supreme Court, the Second Amendment and the Real History of the US Constitution
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 […]
A Few Thoughts on the Second Biden-Trump Debate
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 […]
Sara Nelson: The 21st Century’s John L. Lewis?
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 […]
US Elections: Some Background and Perspectives
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 […]
Kamala Harris debates Mike Pence
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 & Cliff Willmeng: Two fighters run for union office
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 […]
Donald Trump: Different from Previous Republican Presidents
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 […]
BLM leader gives cover to Proud Boys
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 […]
Labor vs. Fascists
U.S. Elections: Is a “Shitstorm” Coming?
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 […]
“Why Won’t AFL-CIO Call a General Strike?”
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” […]
Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies: What comes next?
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. […]
Video: Social Democracy in Denmark
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 […]
Video: “Feels like the end of the world”
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
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 […]
Rob Wallace Speaks to Workers International Network, Part 2
“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 […]
Rob Wallace Speaks to Workers International Network, Part One
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 […]
Podcast: Rob Wallace Speaks to Workers International Network, Part 1
First of two parts of the presentation of Rob Wallace on capitalism and Covid 19. Also see posts as video.
Are “Hong Kong” and “Belarus” Coming to America?
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 […]
Rob Wallace to Speak Sunday, September 6
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 leaflet: “Where are the unions?”
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 […]
Hard Knock Radio/Davey D interviews John Reimann on environment and Covid 19
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 […]
Belarus: The last act has not been written
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 […]
Oaklandsocialist support for Iranian strikers distributed in Iran
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 Constitutional Path Towards Dictatorship?
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 […]
Davey D interviews John Reimann of Oaklandsocialist
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 […]
Covid-19 denialists: An explanation of their thinking
“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 […]
Trump’s Troubles Deepen Still Further
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 […]
Defend, expand $600 federal unemployment subsidy
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 […]
Report from Placerville, CA
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 […]
Trump’s not-so-secret war: Voter suppression and how to fight it
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 […]
RIP John Lewis
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 […]
Economic train wreck coming
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 […]
Strike of Haft Tapeh workers in Iran
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 […]
Trump, Fauci and Ecomodernism
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 […]
Russian bounties, WMD’s and big game hunters
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 […]
Reform the police? A serious discussion needed
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 […]
The Crimes of the Minneapolis Police Department
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 […]
Trump headed for a crash?
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? […]
Republican election strategy starting to emerge
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 […]
Is Trump deflating?
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 […]
Juneteenth Port of Oakland shutdown photos
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 […]
Video: Juneteenth Port of Oakland shutdown
Short video from the Juneteenth Port of Oakland shutdown. Also see leaflet Oaklandsocialist distributed. Also see still photos here. Make it a movement
Grocery workers walk off in solidarity with #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd!
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 […]
History of the Minneapolis Police Department, Part I
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 in trouble, the future is uncertain (to say the least)
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 […]
AFL-CIO statement on George Floyd: A suggestion for a rank and file resolution to be introduced at the local level
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 […]
Minneapolis City Council votes to “disband police” – will they?
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 […]
Oaklandsocialist leaflet for a program
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
Our ungovernable movement needs a 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 […]
Video: Oakland protest Friday, June 5
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 Oakland protests
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 […]
Oakland protests photos
Photos from Oakland protests. The top ones are from the aftermath of the first night of protests here.
Solidarity to protesters from Somali Public Trade Union
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 […]
Are you a union member?
Leaflet I’m distributing. Also see: George Floyd murder shows need to completely transform the unions.
Minneapolis and the crisis of US capitalism
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 […]
Health Care Workers Murdered in Somalia
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 […]
“It’s a beautiful thing”: Interview with Minneapolis Activist
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 […]
Killer cops doing “Essential Work” – a poem
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 […]
Covid-19, the rise of new zoonotic diseases and the capitalist disaster
“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: Covid-19, the rise of new zoonotic diseases and the capitalist disaster
Podcast of Oaklandsocialist introduction to Zoom meeting of this title. The meeting was hosted by the Workers International Network (WIN).
Poem: More Mengele Medicine
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 […]
Zoom Meeting Saturday, May 23
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 […]
Interview with ER nurse Cliff Willmeng
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 […]
Trump, Covid-19, and new steps towards authoritarian one-man rule
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 […]
When my fellow carpenters surprised me
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 […]
President Franklin Delano Cuomo?
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 […]
Strike wave without precedent for decades: What is to come?
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 […]
Fauci, Birx and the union leadership: Accommodating capitalism
“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…” […]
May Day 2020 in Oakland
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
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, […]
Pamphlet: Covid 19 – the capitalist pandemic
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 […]
Covid-19 and the science we need to understand it: Rob Wallace and Theo Colborn
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 Trump cracking up?
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 […]
Urge UFCW President Perrone to act: Please sign petition
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 […]
Notice in SaveMart and Lucky’s food stores
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 […]
Back-to-work protests a threat to all workers’ health and safety!
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. […]
Prayers, guns and “freedom”
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 […]
Poem: Now’s the time
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 […]
Coronavirus, mortality rates and environmental factors
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 […]