Revolutionary thought of the day: Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission of exploitation, there will be socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears, and vitalized by agitation. It will also be found unfurling its class-struggle banner, and proclaiming its mission of emancipation. Love and labor in alliance, working
Continue readingTag: Socialism
Writings of J. Todd Ring: Who Are The CIA?
Who are the CIA? This will tell you everything you need to know. Here’s where things really started to go wrong: 1947, the National Security Act, which created the National Security Council and the CIA, giving the CIA sweeping, ultra-secretive, unconstitutional powers, and near limitless budget through the legalized, covert
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Eric Hobsbawm’s Century
Eric Hobsbawm during a lecture at the Central European University, 1993. Photo from Twitter. Were the British Marxist historians a coherent lot, congealed in the sameness of their affiliation to historical materialism? How like-minded were Eric Hobsbawm, E. P. Thompson, Dorothy Thompson, Rodney Hilton, Maurice Dobb, George Rudé, John Saville,
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Solidarity and Trauma in the 24th Century: The Politics of ‘Star Trek: Picard’
Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard. Image by James Dimmock/CBS Interactive. Star Trek is back, and its new series Picard, starring Patrick Stewart, asks explicitly political questions. What does it mean to be alienated from society? What does it mean to be a stranger to yourself? These are old questions, asked
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: political graphic nonfiction: wobblies, studs terkel’s working, people’s history of american empire
Continuing the series, started here. I’ve decided not to review these books, but instead to post a cover image and a quote. It was difficult to choose quotes for these books, since they are books about ideas and events, with hundreds of different people quoted and referenced. After flipping through
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: In Memoriam: Mark Golden
Mark Golden, professor emeritus in the Department of Classics at the University of Winnipeg (1948-2020). Image created by Krishna Lalbiharie. Father. Professor. Partner. Friend. Son. Mentor. Ally. Scholar. Teacher. Uncle. Blue Jays fan. Music lover. Zaida. These are all words that could describe Mark Golden, who on April 9 died
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: political graphic nonfiction: emma goldman, muhammad ali, eugene v. debs
I have been collecting graphic nonfiction with leftist political themes. I just love these books and am indulging myself in buying them. I was planning to review them, but I’ve decided to simply post images of the covers, the names of the books and the creators, and a quote from
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Sanders & The Terror Of Socialism, vs The Real Dangers
A note to those on the right: Universal public health care is considered a basic human right in Canada, the UK, Europe, and every civilized country. It aslo happens to cost less than the private profit-driven US system – a lot less. So let’s not be too dogmatic. The
Continue readingwmtc: how to afford a real social safety net: tax corporations, tax the rich, reduce u.s. military spending
As waves of shelter-in-place orders sweep over the continent, Canada and the US must figure out how to support an entire population thrown into unemployment and in need of food, fuel, shelter, and in the US, health care. A brief dip into recent history provides two very simple answers. Demand
Continue readingwmtc: coronavirus exposes, part 2: there is a bright side, and it’s socialism in action
A reader pointed out that my previous post is very negative, and doesn’t mention any of the very positive responses to the pandemic that are being rolled out. So: A prohibition on evictions. Water and electricity not being cut off for nonpayment. Student loan forgiveness. A relaxation of rules for
Continue readingwmtc: coronavirus exposes the darkest sides of unchecked capitalism and the gaping holes in our society
We’re all struggling to take in the magnitude of coping with a global pandemic. Personally I’ve had to cancel a long-awaited vacation to vist family, and with libraries closed, I may soon be applying for EI. The shelves at our local supermarket are empty; we’re hoping folks who did the
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Why Keynes was a socialist
In an important new book Keynes Against Capitalism: His Economic Case for Liberal Socialism (Routledge, 2019) James Crotty argues that Keynes was a socialist who advocated a much more radical economic agenda than most mainstream economists and political analysts realize. Based on a very close reading of Keynes’ work, Crotty
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Ezra Klein discusses the socialist ethic behind Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. And Umair Haque writes that the antidote to Donald Trump’s authoritarianism is a far stronger recognition of the need for collective action. – Meanwhile, Shree Paradkar notes that the vilification of
Continue readingwmtc: help nominate tommy douglas as the face of the next $5 bill
There’s a movement to put the face of Tommy Douglas on the next Canadian $5 bill. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? And wouldn’t it be a kick in the pants to those who seek to privatize our health care system? Go here to nominate Tommy Douglas.
Continue readingwmtc: help nominate tommy douglas as the face of the next $5 bill
There’s a movement to put the face of Tommy Douglas on the next Canadian $5 bill. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? And wouldn’t it be a kick in the pants to those who seek to privatize our health care system? Go here to nominate Tommy Douglas.
Continue readingwmtc: help nominate tommy douglas as the face of the next $5 bill
There’s a movement to put the face of Tommy Douglas on the next Canadian $5 bill. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? And wouldn’t it be a kick in the pants to those who seek to privatize our health care system? Go here to nominate Tommy Douglas.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Derek Thompson discusses how the U.S.’ capitalist system has been designed to squeeze younger workers – leading to many of them being open to systemic change. And in the context of UK Labour’s leadership campaign, Grace Blakeley writes about the need for socialists
Continue readingwmtc: #climatestrike vs my brain: i am struggling with pessimism and hopelessness
I started writing this post in September, after the global Climate Strike. It was exciting to see that so many people — millions around the globe — understand the urgency and are willing to take to the streets. I thought, This is beautiful! This is amazing! … and This won’t change anything.
Continue readingwmtc: #climatestrike vs my brain: i am struggling with pessimism and hopelessness
I started writing this post in September, after the global Climate Strike. It was exciting to see that so many people — millions around the globe — understand the urgency and are willing to take to the streets. I thought, This is beautiful! This is amazing! … and This won’t change anything.
Continue readingwmtc: #climatestrike vs my brain: i am struggling with pessimism and hopelessness
I started writing this post in September, after the global Climate Strike. It was exciting to see that so many people — millions around the globe — understand the urgency and are willing to take to the streets. I thought, This is beautiful! This is amazing! … and This won’t change anything.
Continue reading