I was (unofficially) expelled from a small socialist group I helped found over 15 years ago and was very active in for many years. How that happened is a cautionary tale. The […]
“Go along to get along” – a cautionary tale
oaklandsocialist
The administrator of this blog site, I am a lifelong socialist and a retired carpenter and the former recording secretary and an expelled member of Carpenters Local 713. I was expelled for my leading role in the 1999 SF Bay Area carpenters wildcat strike as well as for his opposition to the union bureaucracy in general. I was one of the founding members of a small group called Labor Militant, which was the forerunner to Socialist Alternative. Along with a small group of others, I was expelled when that group started to adapt to the union bureaucracy. I have also visited the workers' movement internationally, including in Pakistan, Egypt (during the Arab Spring), Britain, Mexico and Chile (during the uprising there in 2020). Unless otherwise specified, I am the author of the articles that appear here. Although I am the main author, Oaklandsocialist welcomes articles on any issue that relates to the working class. Contact us at Oaklandsocialist@gmail.com.
Yesterday as today, the policy of appeasement has only led to disaster!
by Yorgos Mitralias Introduction by Oaklandsocialist: On November 19, a variety of US “peace groups”, plus speakers like former British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Green Party candidate for president […]
Kavita Krishnan on “peace”
by Kavita Krishnan You may have come across mention of a “Peoples Forum” in New York, calling for “No to War-Yes to Negotiations” in Ukraine. I’ve signed a petition drafted by the […]
Biden military representatives hold press conference: Read between the lines.
Something I learned from my years of activity inside the union: Pay close attention to exactly what the union leadership is saying… and also what they’re not saying. That’s because they are […]
Analysis of the 2022 US election results
The partial setback for the MAGA Republicans follows a similar event in Brazil, where the Brazil style Donald Trump – Jair Bolsonaro – was narrowly defeated. But just as in Brazil, this […]
Message to those who voted for the Oaklandsocialist for mayor
Here’s what I posted on my Facebook page for my mayorial campaign: Election results and the potential: Friends, as of now I got 521 votes in the first round, meaning that so […]
What I learned campaigning as the working class socialist candidate for Oakland mayor
I ran for mayor of Oakland as the “working class socialist candidate” in this election cycle. Along the way, I learned a lot and, I believe, set some examples for future similar […]
Fascists are not “interesting” or funny
Peter Liu is a candidate for Oakland mayor. He sends around emails about “crooked Jews” and “dirty Jews” and says an admirer of Hitler (rapper “Ye”) is a role model for him. […]
Assault aimed at Nancy Pelosi a combination of social isolation, MAGAism, and misogyny/ageism
The assault on Paul Pelosi, husband of Congressional House leader Nancy Pelosi, says a lot about the direction of US politics. The alleged attacker is a man named David DePape. (From all […]
From Trump to Bolsonaro and back again: The drive to overturn election results
As of this writing, Trump surrogate in Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has not accepted his election defeat by Lula da Silva. Immediately following his loss, he was reported as meeting for hours with […]