Thursday, September 24, 2009

09.24.2009 Young Communist League Weekly Update

Young Communist League | Youth Unite and Fight

Este es un mensaje bilingue. This is a bilingual message.

"Politics begin where the masses are, not where there are thousands, but where there are millions, that is where serious politics begin." -Vladimir Lenin

Mass Action: Tell your Representative and Senators to support the DREAM Act

Thousands of students across the country are participating in the National Back to School DREAM Act Day of Action urging their Representative and Senators to support the DREAM Act that would allow thousands of immigrant students the ability to attend college. The United States Student Association (USSA) has a script you can use to email your Rep and Senators with (link to word "script" http://www.usstudents.org/our-work/legislative/dream-act-take-action . You can also find our more information and the importance of the DREAM Act here (link to word here http://www.dreamactivist.org/ ).

In the News: Obama opposition based on racism, Jimmy Carter says

Obama opposition based on racism, Jimmy Carter says
by Pepe Lozano

Former president Jimmy Carter, 84, believes much of the opposition directed at Barack Obama since his election stems from deep-seated roots of racism and a fear that an African American is at the head of the U.S. government. To read the full article, check the People's Weekly World Website (link to word "website" http://www.pww.org/article/view/17011 )

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. How much of the opposition to Obama's healthcare plan and other legislation do you think is fueled by racism? Obama himself has stated that he was "black before the election" as a response to the conservative opposition. Do you think that Obama would be able to say that the conservative opposition is fueled by racism?

2. Do Democrats and progressives gain/lose anything by focusing on racism over the the issues such as the role of the federal government and the need for the public option?

3. What happened to Van Jones? Why did he resign from office? What factors were at play?

Eastern Regional Collective

The Eastern Regional Collective first met on September 19th, 2009 in Boston, MA. This collective is comprised of leaders and members of the YCL from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. This collective focuses on the triad of Culture, Education and Mobilization, with the emphasis on Cultural Work. They plan to hold Regional Marxism Schools, Music/Live Art Showcases, and to work together to build locally. At their first meeting, they demonstrated their advanced understanding of the current political climate, and displayed a high level of organizing skills.

WATCH OUT FOR THEIR BLOG: ycleast.blogspot.com, and if you want to get involved, email them @ ycl.east@gmail.com

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Este es un mensaje bilingüe. Este es un mensaje bilingüe.


"La política comienza donde están las masas, no donde hay miles, pero donde hay millones, que es donde la política seria empezar". -Vladimir Lenin

Acción: Dígale a su Representante y los Senadores a apoyar la Ley DREAM

Miles de estudiantes de todo el país participan en la Vuelta a la Escuela Nacional de DREAM Act Día de Acción insta a su representante y los senadores a apoyar la Ley DREAM que permitiría a miles de estudiantes inmigrantes la posibilidad de asistir a la universidad. La Asociación de Estudiantes de Estados Unidos (USSA) tiene una secuencia de comandos que puede utilizar para enviar su representante y con los senadores (enlace con la palabra "script" http://www.usstudents.org/our-work/legislative/dream-act-take- acción. También puede encontrar nuestros más información y la importancia de la Ley DREAM aquí (enlace a la palabra aquí http://www.dreamactivist.org/).

En las noticias: La oposición de Obama basada en el racismo, Jimmy Carter, dice

La oposición de Obama basada en el racismo, Jimmy Carter, dice
por Pepe Lozano

El ex presidente Jimmy Carter, de 84 años, cree que gran parte de la oposición dirigida a Barack Obama desde su elección se deriva de las raíces profundas del racismo y el temor de que un afroamericano está a la cabeza del gobierno de EE.UU.. Para leer el artículo completo, consulte el People's Weekly World Web (enlace con la palabra "sitio web" http://www.pww.org/article/view/17011)

Preguntas de discusión:

1. ¿Qué parte de la oposición al plan de salud de Obama y otra legislación crees que es alimentado por el racismo? El propio Obama ha declarado que era "negro antes de la elección", como una respuesta a la oposición conservadora. ¿Cree que Obama sería capaz de decir que la oposición conservadora está alimentada por el racismo?

2. Los demócratas y los progresistas de ganar-perder nada por la lucha contra el racismo en el de las cuestiones como el papel del gobierno federal y la necesidad de la opción pública?



3. ¿Qué pasó con Van Jones? ¿Por qué ha cesado en su cargo? ¿Qué factores estaban en juego?





Colectivo Regional del Este

El Colectivo de la Región Oriental reunió por primera vez el 19 de septiembre de 2009 en Boston, MA. Este colectivo está compuesto por líderes y miembros de la YCL de Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Nueva York, Maryland, Filadelfia y Nueva Jersey. Este colectivo se centra en la tríada de Cultura, Educación y Movilización, con el énfasis en la obra cultural. Que planean celebrar el marxismo Regional de Escuelas, Música / Live Art vitrinas, y de trabajar juntos para construir a nivel local. En su primera reunión, que han demostrado su comprensión avanzada de la actual clima político, y muestra un alto nivel de capacidades de organización.

¡OJO CON SU BLOG: ycleast.blogspot.com, y si quieres participar, them@ycl.east correo electrónico @ gmail.com

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Why is Pat Buchanan Defending Hitler?

Link

MSNBC conservative commentator and former Republican presidential candidate Pat Buchanan has a history of insensitivity to issues surrounding the Holocaust. Yet again, with the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II, Buchanan posted a telling column on his own website and on Townhall that seems to blame Poland for World War II.

In a piece titled "Just how crazy is Pat Buchanan," Ethan Porter writes on his blog, "Mr. Obama's Neighborhood," that Buchanan's latest comments reflect "revisionism that comes perilously close to denial:"

Despite his current position, as a friendly sparring partner with Rachel Maddow and in-house winger on MSNBC, the guy has been a very-thinly veiled fascist sympathizer for decades. And in his column this week, he all but removes that veil.


Available here, the column is titled "Did Hitler Want War?" Buchanan believes the answer to be no. He pins the blame for World War II on Poland, and Britain's guarantee of protection to it. As evidence, Buchanan points to a string of inexplicably dumb decisions made by Hitler-so dumb that, to Buchanan, they negate the myths about the war and the man thought by nearly all sentient beings to be its instigator.

You might think that Buchanan would have stopped using this sort of unrepentant rhetoric as his career moved from a Republican firebrand to a commentator on one of the nation's top cable news channels - but you'd be wrong.

Buchanan has the sort of history that has earned him an entire page on the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) website. The ADL goes so far as to describe Buchanan as one who "publicly espouses racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and anti-immigrant views." The site features a sampling of more than 2,000 of Buchanan's own words, but maybe more telling are the thoughts of the late conservative intellectual William Buckley, who was included in a Newsweek's article "Is Pat Buchanan Anti-Semitic:"

Buchanan also wrote that if the United States went to war, the fighting would be done by "kids with names like McAllister, Murphy, Gonzales, and Leroy Brown." Buckley, in his usual opaque writing style, argues that this amounts to charging Jews with starting a war they wouldn't fight in a genuine slur against them. He adds: "I find it impossible to defend Pat Buchanan against the charge that what he did and said during the period under examination amounted to anti-Semitism, whatever it was that drove him to say and do it: most probably, an iconoclastic temperament."


These are rough words coming from Buckley, who goes to great pains to distinguish between anti-Semitism and simply voicing criticism of Israel.

It is hard to be surprised by a man who has written many columns concerning World War II revisionism, but this may be his worst yet.

However, what may be most surprising is why Buchanan still has a job.

Actually, there is a place on MSNBC where he may belong - you would have to ask Keith Olbermann about that one.

UPDATE: MSNBC is currently promoting Buchanan's column on MSNBC.com. This is beyond ridiculous. The National Jewish Democratic Council just issued a statement that says: "This sort of historical revisionism is deplorable. Buchanan's latest column should be removed immediately from MSNBC.com, and no worthy news organization should employ a commentator who engages in such vile fiction."

UPDATE II: Within an hour of our press release, MSNBC has removed Buchanan's column, "Did Hitler Want War," from their website. Here's a response from David A. Harris, NJDC's President: "MSNBC took the responsible action and removed Pat Buchanan's column defending Adolf Hitler from their website, but no worthy news organization should employ and promote a commentator who engages in such vile fiction."

Follow Aaron Keyak on Twitter: www.twitter.com/akeyak