The US Created MS-13
The depictions of MS-13 as animals are as simplistic as they are dehumanizing. And they obscure what spawned the violent gang in the first place: US imperialism.
21041 Article(s) by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
Bernie Sanders Could Be the Best Arts President in US History
State support for the arts in the United States pales in comparison to arts funding overseas. Bernie Sanders could change that.
The Amazon Is Burning — and It’s Bolsonaro’s Fault
Rapacious capitalists are blazing a trail of staggering destruction across the Amazon rainforest — enabled by Brazil’s reactionary in chief, Jair Bolsonaro.
Was Sweden Headed Toward Socialism in the 1970s?
Sweden’s extraordinary wave of reforms in the 1970s, an era of explosive radicalism, reveal the achievements — and the limits — of social democracy.
Bernie Wants to Seize the Means of Electricity Production
Bernie Sanders’s Green New Deal proposal isn’t just the boldest proposal to save the planet that any candidate has made yet. It also includes the United States moving to 100 percent public ownership of our power grid.
Tony Blair Made Me Hardcore
The “rave nostalgia” film Beats provides an image of collective joy with politicized resonances in the present.
Keep the Pressure on ICE
ICE has not let up on its horrors and barbarities against immigrants and their families. Luckily the movement to abolish ICE has racked up victories that other activists can learn from.
“Socialism From Above” and the Capitulation to Fascism
In 1930s Europe, Hendrik de Man’s bid to replace class struggle with state planning led to a deadly embrace with fascism. His attempt to graft nationalism onto socialism offers a terrible lesson for social democrats today who adapt their politics to far-right ideas.
“Poor Whites Have Been Written out of History for a Very Political Reason”
From the antebellum period to today, Southern white elites are terrified of poor whites and black workers joining hands — because they know it’s an existential threat to their power.
Puerto Rican People’s Assemblies Shift From Protest to Proposal
Following the resignation of Governor Rosselló, a series of people’s assemblies have emerged throughout Puerto Rico to keep the conversation — and the popular movement — going.
Why Are We Even Responding to John Delaney?
John Delaney is completely insignificant. But he’s echoing common talking points about the Green New Deal. They’re all lies.
The Sunset of Neoliberalism
To anyone who lived through the Clinton years — or merely remembers the Obama era — the discrediting of neoliberal ideas that were once sacrosanct among Democrats is nothing short of astonishing.
For Humanity, David Koch Died Decades Too Late
David Koch was an evil man who dedicated his life to evil. Humanity will be coping with the damage he did for centuries.
Who Is Ayn Rand?
An upsurge in business activism joined with libertarians and conservatives to usher in neoliberalism’s dominance by the 1980s election of Ronald Reagan. A key piece of that dominance: Ayn Rand’s philosophy of optimistic cruelty, nearly perfect in its immorality.
Socialism, a Queer Eye Makeover for the Masses
Queer Eye is a preview of the world to come. Under socialism, with more free time and shared prosperity, people will walk with their heads held higher — not by the ones and twos, but by the millions.
The Limits of “Experiencing” the Climate Crisis
While most of the world bakes, burns, and floods, the US East Coast, the cockpit of American capitalism, has largely avoided extreme weather events, lulling many into a false sense of security. Confronting the climate crisis requires thinking beyond our everyday experiences.
After Releasing His Incredibly Strong Labor Plan, Will Unions Back Bernie Now?
Bernie Sanders just unleashed the most pro-union platform in recent history. The labor movement should finally wake up and endorse him.
Bernie Sanders’s Green New Deal Is a Climate Plan for the Many, Not the Few
In his just released Green New Deal proposal, Bernie Sanders brings the kind of bold, large-scale plans as well as the moral fury we need — not just to save the planet, but to create a just and equitable world.
Care Work Should Be Public-Sector Work
Today, thousands of private families control the wages and conditions of domestic workers in the United States. But work like childcare, eldercare, and home health care should be provided by the state, and by union workers.
Portraits of the Kurdish Struggle
A new collection of photography captures the Kurdish struggle against ISIS — and their efforts to build a radically egalitarian society based on principles of peace and democracy.