Destroying Antiracist Art Will Not End Racism
San Francisco’s school board is destroying an important antiracist mural created by a communist in the 1930s. And progressives at places like the Nation magazine are applauding for some reason.
21035 Article(s) by: Jonathan Sas
Jonathan Sas has worked in senior policy and political roles in government, think tanks, and the labor movement. He is an honorary witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. His writing has appeared in the Toronto Star, National Post, the Tyee, and Maisonneuve.
Decriminalize the Border? Obviously. But Then What?
In the recent Democratic debate, Julián Castro raised the idea of ending the criminalization of crossing the border. It’s a good idea: prosecuting border crossings is stupid, cruel, and has a sordid, racist history. Let’s do it — then go much further.
“We Need to Put Public Housing Back on the Agenda”
Shaun Scott is a DSA member running for Seattle City Council. We talked to him about his bold platform: building public housing, taxing the rich, and pushing for a municipal Green New Deal.
Rashida Tlaib Wants to Tax the Rich, Save Detroit, and Free Palestine
Rashida Tlaib talks to Jacobin about her family’s struggles, fighting giveaways to Detroit’s mega-rich developers, trespassing (allegedly) to stop environmental racism on the waterfront, ending poverty, justice for Palestine, and why Congress should impeach Trump.
The Mainstream Media Is Aiding Trump’s Saber-Rattling
The corporate media is freaking out about Iran’s nuclear provocations. But the only reason Iran is violating the nuclear deal is because Trump already ripped it up.
The Billionaires Are Against Bernie — and the Rest of Us
Bernie Sanders just released a list of all the billionaires and plutocrats who can’t hide their hatred for him. The “anti-endorsements” underscore his campaign’s core message: it’s the oligarchs versus the rest of us.
“The Task Ahead Is Enormous, and There Is Not Much Time”
Now in his 90th year, Noam Chomsky is still blessing us with his insights. Here he is on climate change, US empire, antisemitism, Venezuela, and much more.
Hobsbawm at the Margins
Histories of Marxism frequently imagine an essentially European body of thought spreading around the world. Yet, as Eric Hobsbawm’s work shows, revolutionary breakthroughs in the “periphery” could profoundly reshape Western Marxists’ own thinking.
Labour Must Become a Socialist Party
The stakes at this UK Labour Party conference are high: can it secure a parliamentary party willing to support a transformative socialist government?
Bernie Sanders: The Boss’s Worst Nightmare
Since 2018, Bernie has publicly taken on the CEOs of Amazon, Walmart, Delta, McDonald’s, and more — and he shows no sign of relenting. His willingness to pick fights with ultrarich executives paying poverty wages sets him apart from other Democratic candidates.
Chile’s Nationwide Teacher Strike Has Thousands Taking to the Streets
Eighty thousand public school educators in Chile are out on an indefinite strike. Their target is the country’s neoliberal education system — a cruel legacy of the Pinochet dictatorship that overthrew Salvador Allende.
Joe Biden Was One of the Iraq War’s Most Enthusiastic Backers
Joe Biden didn’t just vote to invade Iraq — he worked hard alongside George W. Bush to persuade the public to back it. Biden holds significant responsibility for the bloodshed that has engulfed Iraq and the surrounding region since the invasion.
The Never-Ending Story
Labour’s left-wing leadership has mounted unprecedented efforts to expel antisemites from party ranks. Yet for some of Jeremy Corbyn’s critics, such moves will never be enough — their reasons for hating him have nothing to do with antisemitism at all.
Why We Need Free College for Everyone — Even Rich People
Centrists claim free college is a giveaway to the rich. That’s just a smokescreen for their opposition to universal social programs.
Give Us AOC’s 70% Tax Rates — But Save the 1950s Nostalgia
Pining for the high marginal tax rates of the 1950s doesn’t do us any good. The rich still avoided paying taxes in those days — and the taxes they did pay went to funding Cold War militarism, not domestic spending.
Greece’s Long Road Ahead
Alexis Tsipras’s government imposed years of suffering on Greeks, only to let the conservatives back into power. Rebuilding the fight against austerity could take years — and will be impossible without a direct confrontation with the European Union.
The US Government Should Declare Climate Emergency
The havoc that will soon be wrought by climate change is unfathomable. It’s a crisis — one which Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Sen. Bernie Sanders demanded yesterday the US government recognize. It’s a needed step towards winning a Green New Deal.
Bernie Sanders’s Campaign Is Different
A new video from the Bernie Sanders campaign is proof: Sanders has used his bully pulpit to amplify workers’ struggles around the country, in a way no national politician in the United States has done before now.
Freezing Workers of the World, Unite!
Millions of you are suffering in overly air-conditioned workplaces right now. This isn’t about remembering to bring an extra sweater to work — it’s class war. Workers should be in control of office temperature, not bosses.
Grocery Workers Stand Up
In 2003, California grocery workers launched the longest grocery workers’ strike in history — but failed to win their demands. Now, having authorized a strike in late June, they’re coming back to finish the job.