Defund the Pentagon
Representative Barbara Lee wants to slash America’s bloated military budget. It’s a necessary move that’s long overdue.
19134 Articles by: Benjamin Case
Benjamin Case is a researcher, educator, and organizer living in Pittsburgh.
The Supreme Court’s LGBT Decision Is a Victory for the Left, If We Make It One
The Supreme Court is a deeply conservative institution, stocked with conservative jurists. But this week’s Bostock decision was a win for LGBT justice — and it opens up new possibilities for emancipatory change.
The Freedom Rides Made the Most of a Multiracial Activist Base
Today’s protests for racial justice are strikingly multiracial. Civil rights organizers have historically considered this an asset and often used it creatively and strategically to their advantage, as they did during the Freedom Rides through the American South in 1961.
Workers at No Evil Foods Say the Vegan, Progressive Company Busted Their Union Drive
No Evil Foods markets itself as a left-wing, “revolutionary” food company. But its workers say the company recently busted their union drive and fired organizers.
The First Woman to Lead a Political Party Was an Italian Communist
Born this day in 1889, Camilla Ravera led the Communist Party of Italy through its first difficult years under Fascist tyranny. Her story shows how a generation of women became political leaders — by tying their liberation to that of the working class as a whole.
The Social Service Employees Union Was a Model of Public-Sector Unionism
In the 1960s, an upstart union of New York City social workers forged alliances with welfare recipients while fighting to improve public services at the bargaining table. They’re a model for public-sector unions today, which should be pushing for better services and struggling to democratize the state.
Mitt Romney Is Not Your Friend
Mitt Romney and a host of anti-Trump Republicans are rebranding themselves. But don’t be fooled by the rhetoric — they still hate the poor and working class as much as ever.
Why Unions Should Support Black Lives Matter
The Black Lives Matter movement doesn’t just need allies who condemn the murder of George Floyd — it needs comrades in the fight against racial injustice. Trade unionists have to join that fight.
Neil Gorsuch Is Still Not Your Friend
Neil Gorsuch’s leading role in expanding employment discrimination protections to LGBTQ people has prompted some praise for the hard-right Supreme Court justice. But before the hagiographies start, we should recall his full record — one that includes backing Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, opposition to unions, homophobia, and more.
A View of the Green New Deal From Argentina
The Green New Deal is gaining prominence internationally, with transformative green programs that respond to the specific needs of national economies. In debt-laden Argentina, leftists are arguing for a new Gran Pacto that implements a basic income and suspends all external-debt payments.
We Need Solidarity, Not White Guilt, to Fight Racism
To win substantive change, we don’t have to disavow personal education or introspection. But we do have to set our sights much higher — on dismantling the institutions that entrench racial inequality and violence.
We Aren’t Entering Into an Economic Recovery — Another Crash Is Coming
Stock markets across the world are rallying as lockdowns lift and central banks pump money into the economy. But the economy isn’t on the mend — on the contrary, this will likely be a calm before the storm of yet another devastating crash.
The Cops Can Be Defeated — But Not by Taking Obama’s Advice
Barack Obama recently lectured protesters about the need to move past protesting and focus on electing Democrats. The former president misunderstands the power of protest, which is not just to “raise awareness,” but to actually disrupt the institutions that control policy and force them to make concessions.
Frances Fox Piven on Why Protesters Must “Defend Their Ability to Exercise Disruptive Power”
Just last month, social movement scholar Frances Fox Piven predicted “waves of mass protest” in the US. She was right. In an interview with Jacobin, Piven discusses why disruption must be central to protests, the thorny questions of violence and property destruction, and how organizers should and should not see their role in the streets.
Australian University Unions Shouldn’t Be Voting for Wage Cuts
Academics across Australia are being asked to swallow deep wage cuts to stave off redundancies amid the economic fallout from the pandemic. But asking workers to foot the bill is backward and unnecessary — there are better solutions for saving higher education.
We’ve Always Had the Money for Medicare for All — We’ve Just Given It to Corporations Instead
Since 2008, the US has spent $20–35 trillion on corporate bailouts. It’s about the same “unaffordable” amount that Medicare for All has been projected to cost — used for lining corporate pockets instead of providing health care to people who need it.
Police Departments Are Parasites on the Public Purse
By aggressively pushing for higher budgets and salaries, police officers have insulated themselves from accountability while draining resources from essential public programs. It’s long past time to defund them.
Nationalize the Means of Transportation
The airlines are in crisis. But instead of just bailing them out, we should use this opportunity to invest in rail and bus services and put transportation firmly in the hands of the public.
Teachers’ Unions Are Demanding Police-Free Schools
A major lesson from the recent teachers’ strike wave was the necessity for unions to bargain for the common good of the entire working class. By joining the nationwide protests against police brutality and demanding police-free schools, teachers’ unions have taken that lesson to heart.
Eugene Debs Was an American Hero
On June 16, 1918, Eugene Debs gave the anti-war speech that would soon send him to prison. His arrest sparked a nationwide movement to secure his release — and forced the government to finally recognize the free speech rights of wartime dissenters.