1/26: Reform or Revolution Educational Meeting UPDATED LOCATION

THURS, Jan 26
7-9PM 
UPDATE: Univ of Washington Thomson Hall Room 211 (campus map)

RSVP on facebook

Written by German socialist, Rosa Luxemburg, in 1900, Reform or Revolution discusses the relationship between reforms under capitalism and the revolutionary goal of a new economic and social order. As socialists, we support both! The Occupy movement raises questions about what's next and the question of the role of movement demands. Join us for this exciting and timely discussion!

While reading the book is strongly encouraged, it is not necessary to join in the discussion.

The book is available online through the Marxist Internet Archive or for purchase from Haymarket Books.

UW The Revolutionary Ideas of Karl Marx Series

Join the UW ISO for our series of talks and discussions about the revolutionary economic and political ideas of one of the world's most controversial and influential philosophers. 

The discussions will take place in Thomson 211 at UW on the following dates:

January 12th 5:30PM - Socialism Not Capitalism: Capitalism is a system set up by and one that benefits the 1%. Socialism is a society based on workers collectively owning and controlling the wealth their labor creates.

January 26th 7:00PM - Reform or Revolution: We support reforms to improve our lives under capitalism, but they won't end inequalities. Capitalism must be replaced by a democratic workers state based on councils of workers delegates.

February 9th 5:30PM - Worker's Power: Workers of the World Unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!" Socialism is working class self-emancipation. Only mass struggles of workers can put an end to capitalism. 

February 23rd 7:00PM - Equality and Liberation: Capitalism divides the working class based on sexual, gender, racial and other distinctions. The liberation of the oppressed is essential to socialist revolution and impossible without it. 

March 1st 5:30PM - Revolutionary Party: To achieve socialism, the most militant workers and students must be organized into a revolutionary socialist party. The ISO is committed to playing a role in laying the foundations for such a party. 

1/5: UW Meeting

Welcome back from Break! We'll have our first meeting of the quarter at 5:30pm this Thursday in Thomson 211. 


Agenda:
1. Intro to the UW ISO (30 min)
We'll talk about what the UW ISO hopes to accomplish this quarter and answer questions about how our group works on campus and off.

2. Labor War in Longview (45 min)
A labor struggle of national importance is taking place just two hours south of us in Longview by members of ILWU Local 21 and the union busting grain conglomerate EGT. Solidarity is urgently needed as EGT is expected to unload a scab ship in late January or early February. Hear about organizing plans in Seattle including a solidarity meeting this Friday (see announcement below).


Read more about the struggle:
Labor war in Longview
Rallying support in Longview
The battle of Longview
ILWU Local 21 Facebook Page

3. UW General Assembly (30 min)
Next Tuesday UW will be having it's first General Assembly to talk about what we want for our campus, outside bureaucratic channels.We'll discuss the GA and how to help organize for it.


Check out  http://uwgenassembly.org/ for more info

Haymarket Books for the holidays!

Haymarket Books is offering a fantastic discount for the holidays!

Fill your bookshelf or check off your holiday gift list with 40% off and free shipping through December 15 with the code OCCUPY40.

The discount applies to any title including recently released titles like Too Many People? by Ian Angus and Simon Butler, On History by Tariq Ali and Oliver Stone, and A Time to Die: The Attica Prison Rebellion by Tom Wicker.

12/15 District Mtg

THURS, Dec 15

7-9PM

UW Savery Hall Room 130

(Campus Map)

This Thursday we will be getting together all our comrades from the Puget Sound area for a district organizing meeting before taking two weeks off for the holidays. Our next meeting will be Thursday, January 5, 2012.

NBC report back and Dec 12th & 14th assessments
The National Branch Council, a body of representatives from ISO branches in over 50 cities across the country, will be having a conference call this Tuesday to assess the state of the occupy movement nationally.  We will assess the actions in Seattle this week, including the Dec 12th West Coast port shutdown and the Dec 14th student walkouts as well as what's next for the Occupy movement nationally.


Building the ISO across the Puget Sound
2011 has been an incredible year for activism, and as a result the audience for socialist politics has never been greater. In addition to experiencing growth in the Seattle branches and the launching of a new Everett branch, we have met people in other cities and on other campuses. We will discuss a proposal to reach out to these areas by building study groups and speaking events culminating with the a one-day Puget Sound Socialist Conference sometime in March.

 Fundraising
We will vote on a district goal and fundraising plans for the annual Center for Economic Research and Social Change fund drive. CERSC is the publisher of Haymarket Books and the International Socialist Review which have been key tools for arming a new generation of activists with ideas for changing the world. In addition we'll be discussing fundraising parties, trivia night, t-shirt sales and more!

12/8: UW Brainstorming for next Quarter & Doodle Poll

  This Thursday is our last meeting of the Quarter. 
Since folks are busy studying for finals we're going to keep the meeting to an hour and just do a casual brainstorm of ideas for next quarter.

Thurs 7-8pm
Savery 130

Feel free to join us even if you haven't been able to be involved yet this year, it's not too late to contribute your ideas and get involved next quarter. 

And on that note we've know a number of people weren't able to make our meetings this quarter with their class schedule, soooo it's time for the......

....Doodle Poll

http://www.doodle.com/5gximm9y78vk36h9

We'd love to find a time that works better for everyone that wants to be involved so please fill out the Doodle Poll -- just enter your name and check off the times that work for you for a weekly meeting next quarter. 

UW meetings & events through the end of Nov

Hello UW folks  -- with midterms and Thanksgiving coming up and several special events we won't be holding our regualr Thursday meetings until the end of the month. There's plenty going on so please join us at these upcoming events:

WED 11/16 7-8:30pm, Gowen Hall 301
Join us for our yearly Debate with between the ISO, the Young Democrats, the College Republicans, Young Americans for Liberty (libertarians)!  

 
The topic of discussion will be the Obama administration's proposed jobs plan.
Info and RSVP on facebook

SAT & SUN 11/19-20

Northwest Marxism Conference in Portland!
With workshops on:

• Why Marx Was Right
• No Power Greater: Marxism and the Centrality of Class
• The Roots of Racial Oppression
• The Minneapolis Teamster Strike: A Case Study in Working Class Power
• Theories of Womens' Oppression
• Workers' Democracy: A Society Worth Fighting For  
• Sexuality & Socialism
• Capitalism in Crisis: A Marxist Analysis of the Current Economic Situation 

RSVP on facebook   Check out the full schedule and register online
Interested? Need a ride? Email info@seattleiso.org to carpool with us.

MON 11/28

Occupy The Capitol! Stop Cuts, Make the 1% Pay!
Supporters and occupiers of Washington State, Unite to protest at the start of the special legislative session pushing $2.7 billion more in deadly budget cuts.

Info and RSVP on facebook  Email  info@seattleiso.org to carpool with us.

We'll resume normal meeting on Thursday December 1st!

11/7: Strikes and Occupations: A Radical History of Seattle's 99%

 Join the UW ISO for this Forum & Discussion

Monday 11/7

7-9pm, Savery Hall 132

RSVP on Facebook and Like our New UW ISO page

We are the 99%! The Occupy Wall Street movement has spread to over 1,000 cities in the U.S. and around the globe. Millions are discussing why this movement is important, what it's demands are and how to build it bigger. But Occupy Seattle is only the latest in an incredible history of radical struggle in Seattle.

In 1919 a General Strike of 100,000 workers saw workers run the city for 5 days. Sit-ins led to the formation of the Black Student Union at the UW in 1969. Protests against the WTO rocked the city for a week in 1999.

Join us for a discussion on what lessons we can learn today from the history of strikes and occupations throughout Seattle's radical past.

11/3: John Carlos & Dave Zirin

Instead of our normal Thursday UW & City branch meetings we'll be going to
The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World
Discussion & Book Signing

Thursday 11/3. 7pm

Northwest African American Museum

2300 S Massachusetts St.Seattle 98144

Seen around the world, John Carlos and Tommie Smith’s Black Power salute on the 1968 Olympic podium sparked controversy and career fallout. Yet their show of defiance remains one of the most iconic images of Olympic history and the Black Power movement. Here is the remarkable story of one of the men behind the salute, lifelong activist, John Carlos.

Join John Carlos and his co-author, Nation sports editor Dave Zirin, for a book discussion and signing to celebrate the release of "The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World."


Please purchase tickets though CD Forum at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/205183 Tickets are $10 each regular and $8 if you use discount code: NAAMCARLOS
 
Check out this great video: John Carlos & Dave Zirin Speak at Occupy Chicago



For more information, please contact:
Brian J. Carter | 206-518-6000 x 103 | bcarter@naamnw.org

10/27: UW Branch Meeting Agenda

The UW Branch will meet 
THURS 7-9pm, Savery Hall 130
(If you're looking for the city branch meeting click here)



This Week's Agenda:

1. Meaning of Marxism Discussion, One hour
Chapter Four "How Capitalism Works and How it Doesn't" on Marxist Economics.

2. Branch details--40 minutes
a.) Update on RSO registration process.
b.) Next public meeting? If we want to do it, how should we build it?
c.) Quick update on Occupy UW organizing.
d.) How do we want to set up future branch meetings?
e.) branch roles (who is doing what? are we missing anything?)


3. NW Marxism Conference  -- 20 mins
This year's NW Marxism Conference will be THE place for progressives, socialists and activists to debate and discuss. Occupy movements have roared to life in cities and towns across the US. In order to build the movement bigger and stronger we must learn lessons from other cities and share our own. We must also deepen our political understanding of the economy, the state and the power of the working class to build a new society. We'll discuss political and logistical preparation for the conference, happening in Portland, OR.

Full schedule, registration and more information at the conference website.

10/20: UW Meeting Agenda

The UW Branch will meet 
THURS 7-9pm, Savery Hall 130
(If you're looking for the city branch meeting click here)



This Week's Agenda:

1. Club details 10 mins

• RSO and ECC registration club registration
• Tabling schedule

2. Meaning of Marxism Discussion, 40 mins
Chapter Three "The Marxist View of History"

3. Occupy Movement Discussion, 35 mins

Last week we voted to discuss the following article on labor participation on the Occupy Movement:
Same struggle, same fight

4. Northwest Socialist Conference - 5 mins
Sat Nov 19th, we'll be heading down to portland for the Northwest Socialist conference, one of six regional socialist conferences nationwide that are dedicated to arming a new generation of rebels, activists and organizers with arguments and ideas for a revolutionary socialist alternative, learning our history of rebellion and resistance, and discussing strategies for building organization and winning struggles for real change. Check out all the conference details here

5. Next week's agenda - 5 mins

10/13 UW meeting: The Meaning Of Marxism, Occupy Seattle & Fall Plans

The UW Branch will meet 
THURS 7-9pm, Savery Hall 130
(If you're looking for the city branch meeting click here)

1. For the First part of our meeting, we’ll discuss the Introduction and first two chapters of The Meaning of Marxism by Paul D’Amato (26 pages total)

• Intro: The Relevance of Marxism
• Ch 1: From Millenarianism to Marx
• Ch 2: Marx’s Materialist Method

So pick up the book and join the discussion! If you need a copy of the book please contact us isouw@uw.edu

2. Occupy Seattle -- After our political discussion we’ll discuss developments in the Occupy Seattle movement, including Wed’s student walkout as well as next steps.

3. Brainstorm activities, meetings, actions etc that we may want to do this quarter!  Bring your ideas about things you want to learn, how we can spread the word on campus, and what social-justice campaigns we should to get involved in.

10/6: UW Fall Kickoff Meeting

Join the UW Socialists for a  forum & discussion on
The International Youth Revolt &
Why Socialism is back on the Agenda

Thurs 10/6 7pm 

UW, Savery Hall 130
RSVP on Facebook 

"We are the 99%". This sentiment highlights the feelings of millions of people in the U.S. that stand in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protests taking place in New York City and around the U.S. The super-rich destroy the economy and receive $16 trillion in bailouts. Wars for oil are fought for the rich, not the rest of us. Whether it's the racist execution of Troy Davis, restrictions on women's right to an abortion or the continued denial of gays and lesbians the right to marry, the rich and their government use oppression to keep people down and to attempt to prevent the "99%" from uniting. However things are changing. From the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, to mass student protests in Britain, Spain and elsewhere, to the protests in Madison, WI, to the Occupy Wall Street protests, millions of people around the world are fighting back.

As socialists we want to help lead these struggles, but also understand how the problems in this world stem from the system of capitalism. We need to end capitalism. This can only be done by the active participation of millions upon millions of workers and students around the globe. We aim to build an organization of revolutionaries with these goals in mind. Join us for a discussion about the growing international revolt against the injustices of capitalism and why we think the fight for a socialist society is back on the world agenda! 

There will be a short presentation followed by group discussion & refreshments!