9/1 - Fundamentals of Marxism Study Series #4: The Politics of Social Classes

This week is discussion #4 in our Fundamentals of Marxism Summer Study Series 

The Politics of Social Classes

The Class Struggles in France was Marx’s first attempt to explain a piece of contemporary history -- the 1848 French Revolution -- by means of his materialist conception, on the basis of the prevailing economic situation.  He continues to analyze France in The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, a pamphlet looking at historical events leading up to Louis Bonaparte's coup d'état of December 2, 1851—from the viewpoint of his materialist conception of history. Together with Marx's contemporary writings on English politics, the Eighteenth Brumaire is the principal source for our understanding of Marx's theory of the capitalist state.

Recommended prerequisites:

• We recommend that for folks to follow the historical allusions, to use wikidedia as a reference for this period http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution_of_1848
• Trotsky on 1848 (From Results and Prospects):
  http://www.marxistsfr.org/archive/trotsky/1931/tpr/rp03.htm
  

Main Reading:

• Engel’s introduction to The Class Struggles in France
  Introduction (18 pages): http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1895/03/06.htm
• Marx’s The Class Struggles in France: 1848 to 1850
  http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1850/class-struggles-france/index.htm

If you prefer to buy the books: The Class Struggles in France


We'll continue the politics of social classes in 2 weeks with a discussion on  The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte,

8/25 Organizing for Fall quarter

Join us for our Bi-weekly organizing meeting as we continue to discuss and plan for the fall quarter.

1. Socialist roundup of current events
We'll kick off the meeting with a discussion of socialist take on recent events & headlines: from the "withdrawal" of us troops from Iraq, to challenging the anti-Muslim racists backlash that has erupted over the proposal to build an Islamic community center in lower Manhattan near the site of the World Trade Center; to the developing trends in the ongoing economic crisis --including homeless and hungry college students.
 
Check out some of the lastest articles at socialistworker.org and bring your thoughts on the news and events of the the week.

2. Campus Movement Work
In this discussion we'll assess last spring's activity and plan for our involvement in the fall in the campus moments. We'll focus primarily on the anti-budget cuts organizing and the Yes on 1098 ballot initiative campaign that would tax the rich and raise $2billion for health care and education in WA state.  Help us discuss lessons lear from the spring as well as new ideas for organizing around these issues this fall.

3. Topic Brainstorming for fall meetings
in the last few weeks we decided on broad topics for our fall meetings. This week we'll get more in-depth into the first two topics: "Why you should be a socialist: What is socialism and how do we get There" and "How capitalism works--and how it doesn't: a Marxist primer on the great recession" we'll discuss what we hope to cover in each meeting, how to pitch it to folks on campus and what we want to get out of it. Bring your ideas!

8/18 - Fundamentals of Marxism Session #3: Marx’s Political Economy Primitive Accumulation

Marx’s Political Economy
Discussion #3 in our Fundamentals of Marxism Summer Study Series


For most people economics is a mystery better left unsolved, but Marx rescued economics from the economists and turned it into a tool for explaining inequality, exploitation, and crisis--as well as a way to end all three. And the current economic crisis makes study of this topic even more pressing!



Recommended prerequisites:

• Paul D’Amato, The Meaning of Marxism, chapter 4, Marxist Economic: How Capitalism Works and How it Doesn’t
• Phil Gasper, The Classics of Marxism: Capital Volume 1  http://www.isreview.org/issues/49/capital.shtml 

Main Reading:

• Capital, Vol 1, Part VIII Primitive Accumulation (chapters 26 - 32) (55 pages) http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/

If you prefer to buy the books: Capital, Volume 1

Leftwing Communism, socialist perspectives on current events & more

Wed 8/11 7-9pm
UW School for Social Work Room B12 (corner of 15th N.E. and N.E. 41st)

We have a full schedule for this week's organizing meeting! Join us to discuss a socialist take on the pressing issues of the day, a political strategy for change, and help us figure out how to put it into practice!

1. Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder

How do revolutionaries operate in non-revolutionary times? This is the central question discussed in Lenin's classic pamphlet, Leftwing Communism. Join us for a discussion on how this relates to the movements we're involved in today. Full text of the book can be found online, but all are welcome regardless if you've had the chance to read it. Also see this overview of the book in the International Socialist Review

2. Socialist roundup of current events

Discuss and hear a socialist take on recent headlines: from the victory over Prop 8 in California, to Wikileaks and the war in Afghanistan, to rising unemployment and what the prospects of a Democratic defeat in November means for the left. Check out some of the lastest articles at socialistworker.org and bring your thoughts.

3. Outreach and fall plans

We'll be discussing upcoming plans for tabling and outreach on campus, other events we're planning to attend, and a schedule for meetings in the fall.

Fundamentals of Marxism Discussion #2: Marx's Political Economy

This the second session in our summer-long Fundamentals of Marxism Study Series Check out the full series and readings.

For most people economics is a mystery better left unsolved, but Marx rescued economics from the economists and turned it into a tool for explaining inequality, exploitation, and crisis--as well as a way to end all three. And the current economic crisis makes study of this topic even more pressing!



Recommended prerequisites:

• Paul D’Amato, The Meaning of Marxism, chapter 4, Marxist Economic: How Capitalism Works and How it Doesn’t
• Phil Gasper, The Classics of Marxism: Capital Volume 1 http://www.isreview.org/issues/49/capital.shtml

Part 1: Value, Price and Profit -- Wed 8/4

• Marx, Value, Price and Profit (43 pages)
  http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1865/value-price-profit/index.htm

If you prefer to buy the books: Wage-Labour and Capital and Value, Price, and Profit

Jorge is headed to Arizona !!

Seattle ISO member Jorge is headed to Arizona for the SB1070 protests.
Check back for more updates from Jorge in the next few days!

Read more about AZ and SB1070 from SocialistWorker.org

The real crime in Arizona 
Immigrants are targets of a deadly campaign of border militarization and racist scapegoating in Arizona--but activists are ready to take a stand. 

This is a fight for all of us 
Today's young activists are following in the footsteps of past civil rights struggles.

The myth of the anti-immigrant majority
Supporters of immigrant rights can make a difference by organizing and activism
.

Column: Dave Zirin  Protests at the park

With 28 percent of its players born in Latin America, Major League Baseball has a special obligation to stand up against Arizona's anti-immigrant SB 1070.

7/21 - Fundamentals of Marxism Discussion #1: Historical Materialism

This our first session in our summer-long Fundamentals of Marxism Study SeriesCheck out the full series and readings.

A few years ago millions of Americans voted for “change”—but instead so far we have more of the same: more war, more economic hardship, more ecological destruction. All this raises the urgent question: is real change possible and if so how?

Marxists are variously accused of being hopeless utopians or mechanical determinists, but the ideas laid out by Marx and Engels are neither.  Historical materialism, their understanding of the way human society changes, remains an incredibly relevant framework not only for understanding the world, but for changing it.

In The German Ideology, Marx and Engels discuss the role of ideas in relation to the material world, the way in which human society has transformed along with the development of the forces of production, and why they came to see the working class as a revolutionary force capable of overthrowing capitalism and founding a socialist society.

Join us to unpack and discuss these crucial ideas, their historical context, and the relevance for our work today!  

You can still join us if youv'e not read the The German Ideology -- check out this short introductory article by Phil Gasper, The Classics of Marxism: The German Ideology
http://www.isreview.org/issues/33/germanideology.shtml

7/14 - Spring Quarter assesment and Fall planning

Wed 7/14 7-9pm
UW School for Social Work Room B12 (corner of 15th N.E. and N.E. 41st)

Join us as we assess our spring quarter activities and begin brainstorming ideas for organizing in the Fall! Come and bring your ideas about what the ISO can do on the UW campus and in Seattle.

Fundamentals of Marxism Summer Study Series

For Marxists, there is an indissoluble interrelation between ideas and what we do: theory and practice. The theory of Marxism draws upon the historical experience of the working-class movement; and that theory in turn informs our practice. Practice without theory is rudderless; theory without practice is academics.

This summer join us as we dig into the fundamentals of Marxism -- grounding us in some of the basic tenets of Marx and Engel’s thought on historical materialism (Marx’s view of history and social change); on the economic structures of capitalism; and on the political and social dynamics of class struggle.

We've planned six meetings, paired with the readings below. These discussions will run on wed nights, bi-weekly for the duration of the summer, interspersed with organizing meetings.  Anyone can participate, but these are not introductory texts, so we recommend that folks familiarize themselves with some basics (listed in each section) before moving on to the main texts.

Historical Materialism
Session One: The German Ideology -- Wed 7/21

The German Ideology was the first work in which Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels sketched out the framework for understanding history and society that was to guide their theoretical and practical activities for the rest of their lives. Understanding historical materialism and how change is made throughout history is key to our understanding of how we are actually capable of bringing Socialism about.

Recommended prerequisites:

• Paul D’Amato, The Meaning of Marxism, Chapter 2 Marx's Materialist Method and Ch. 3 The Marxist View of History
• Phil Gasper, The Classics of Marxism: The German Ideology
  http://www.isreview.org/issues/33/germanideology.shtml

Main reading:

• Marx and Engels, Preface and First chapter of The German Ideology (83 pages) http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/german-ideology/
• Marx and Engels, Theses on Feuerbach (3 pages)
  http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/theses/index.htm
• Engel’s: Letter to J. Bloch: (2 pages)
  http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1890/letters/90_09_21.htm

If you prefer to buy the books: The German Ideology or The Marx-Engels Reader


Marx’s Political Economy

For most people economics is a mystery better left unsolved, but Marx rescued economics from the economists and turned it into a tool for explaining inequality, exploitation, and crisis--as well as a way to end all three. And the current economic crisis makes study of this topic even more pressing!



Recommended prerequisites:

• Paul D’Amato, The Meaning of Marxism, chapter 4, Marxist Economic: How Capitalism Works and How it Doesn’t
• Phil Gasper, The Classics of Marxism: Capital Volume 1  http://www.isreview.org/issues/49/capital.shtml

Session Two: Value, Price and Profit -- Wed 8/4

• Marx, Value, Price and Profit (43 pages)
  http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1865/value-price-profit/index.htm

If you prefer to buy the books: Wage-Labour and Capital and Value, Price, and Profit

Session Three: Primitive Accumulation
Wed 8/18

• Capital, Vol 1, Part VIII Primitive Accumulation (chapters 26 - 32) (55 pages) http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/

If you prefer to buy the books: Capital, Volume 1

The Politics of Social Classes

The Class Struggles in France was Marx’s first attempt to explain a piece of contemporary history -- the 1848 French Revolution -- by means of his materialist conception, on the basis of the prevailing economic situation.  He continues to analyze France in The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, a pamphlet looking at historical events leading up to Louis Bonaparte's coup d'état of December 2, 1851—from the viewpoint of his materialist conception of history. Together with Marx's contemporary writings on English politics, the Eighteenth Brumaire is the principal source for our understanding of Marx's theory of the capitalist state.

Recommended prerequisites:

• We recommend that for folks to follow the historical allusions, to use wikidedia as a reference for this period http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution_of_1848
• Trotsky on 1848 (From Results and Prospects):
  http://www.marxistsfr.org/archive/trotsky/1931/tpr/rp03.htm
  

Session Four: Class Struggles in France 
Wed 9/1

• Engel’s introduction to The Class Struggles in France
  Introduction (18 pages): http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1895/03/06.htm
• Marx’s The Class Struggles in France: From the February Revolution to the Paris Commune
  (87 pages)
  http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1850/class-struggles-france/index.htm

If you prefer to buy the books: The Class Struggles in France

Session Five: Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis
Bonaparte -- Wed 9/15

• Engels’ preface to Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (2 pages) 
  http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1885/prefaces/18th-brumaire.htm
• Marx, Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (82 page):
  http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1852/18th-brumaire/index.htm

If you prefer to buy the books: The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte or The Marx-Engels Reader

Session Six: The Paris Commune -- Wed 9/29

Anyone Reading The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels can't help but be amazed at the pamphlet's relevance after 150 years. But already by 1872, on one critical point, Marx himself was convinced that the Manifesto was "out of date." The occasion for this revision, not just in the Manifesto, but in one of the fundamental tenets of Marxism, was the epic struggle in 1871 of the Paris Commune, a mass movement of workers and the poor that for the first time in history established a short-lived workers' government in Paris. Although ultimately unsuccessful, the Commune was a spectacular demonstration that the future belonged to the world's working class.

The central lesson of the Commune, which had Marx and Engels scrambling to rewrite Marxism's founding document, is of such importance that socialism is ultimately impossible without it. "One thing especially was proved by the Commune," writes Marx. "That the working class cannot simply lay hold of the ready-made state machinery and wield it for its own purposes." In order for workers to govern themselves, the workers must first assure that the bourgeoisie cannot simply use their military forces to repossess what they have temporarily lost.

Recommended prerequisite:

• Elizabeth Lalasz, The Classics of Marxism: The Civil War in France
  http://www.isreview.org/issues/34/civilwarinfrance.shtml

Main Reading:

• Marx, The Civil War in France: The Paris Commune (45 pages)
  http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1871/civil-war-france/index.htm 

If you prefer to buy the books: The Civil War in France: The Paris Commune

6/23 -- The Democrats and 1930's Social Movements & Socialism 2010 Conferece prep!

Wednesday at 7pm, Room B102 

in the UW School of Social Work (Corner of 15th N.E. and N.E. 41st)

In this last meeting before we break to attend our summer socialism 2010 conference in Oakland we will have one section to discuss the Democrats - focusing on the history of the 1930's social struggles, then we will prepare for the conference with time to discuss which workshops we will attend, and begin to brainstorm for summer activities when we return from Oakland.

It's not too late to register and attend the Socialism 2010 conference with our group from Seattle. We still have a few hotel spots open in our rooms, airfare is still fairly cheap, and we may have some people driving. The Socialism Conference and is designed to give people on the left a forum for discussing today's movements, analyzing political and economic developments around us, debating what we can do about it, and learning more about the alternative of socialism.Don't miss one of the most exciting and important left events of the year. If you are interested in attending or would like to set up a meeting to talk about the logistics of going email info@seattleiso.org

Socialism 2010:

Ideas for Changing the World

Oakland, CA, July 1–4  Oakland Marriott

http://www.socialismconference.org/

 for all details and to register

 Is capitalism working for you?  If not, register today for the largest radical conference on the West Coast this year.  Choose from 60 workshops, discussions and speeches on a huge range of topics. Plus cultural events and dance parties!  

Over 900 people attended last year’s conference in San Francisco.  This year we’re hosting it at the unionized Oakland Marriott in solidarity with Unite-HERE Local 2’s call to boycott major San Francisco hotels until they agree to give their workers a fair contract. 
 

Here are just a few of the speakers and topics:

Chris Hedges, ex-New York Times writer - How U.S. Corporations Are Destroying Democracy;  Sonali Kolhatkar – The Truth About the Occupation of Afghanistan;  David Zirin and Nativo Lopez – Here Comes Los Suns: Sports, Resistance & Arizona’s SB 1070;  Sherry Wolf – Sexuality, Socialism and the Fight for LBGT Liberation;  Wallace Shawn – reads from his new book Essays;  Liliana Segura, AlterNet staff writer – Fighting the Criminal Injustice System;  Jeffrey St. Clair, CounterPunch editor – BP, Obama and the Disaster in the Gulf;  Heather Rogers – A Critique of Green Capitalism;  Sal Roselli and Brian Cruz - Class Struggle Unionism:  Can it be Revived?;  Joshua Frank – Clean Coal and Other Myths

PLUS:

A special tribute to Peter Camejo with Matt Gonzalez, Nativo Lopez, Aimee Allison and Todd Chretien to celebrate the release of Peter’s autobiography North Star.

AND:

A Friday night mass meeting:  Breaking the Siege of Gaza with Eyewitness Paul Larudee, co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement and the Free Palestine Movement and participant in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla that was attacked by Israel in international waters; along with Dr. Jess Ghannam, Sherry Wolf, and Wael Elesady.

And here are just a few of the dozens of other meetings:

A People’s History of the Russian Revolution  ***  Marxist Economics  ***  Art and Revolution  ***  Trotsky’s Fight Against Stalin  ***  What Would Socialism Be Like  ***  Introduction to the ISO  ***  Education and Liberation – Radical Pedagogy for Teachers  ***  Students and Resistance  ***  San Francisco’s 1934 General Strike  ***  Anarchism – Theory and Practice  ***  Sex Wars:  from McCarthyism to Prop 8 ***  Zapata and the Mexican Revolution  ***  Defending Abortion Rights and dozens more sessions!

What better way to spend your Fourth of July weekend than revitalizing the revolutionary traditions of struggle for social justice.  


Register today!  www.SocialismConference.org

Free child-care.  Limited scholarships available upon prior request.  Wheel-chair accessible.
 

Sponsored by the Center for Economic Research and Social Change (publisher of the International Socialist Review and Haymarket Books).  Co-sponsored by the International Socialist Organization (publisher of Socialist Worker newspaper and Obrero Socialista)

6/9: From the BP Disaster to Israel's Massacre -- World Politics in Review

Wed 6/9, 7-9pm

HUB 2nd floor lounge
Due to finals we are unable to have our usual room in the School for Social Work

The sum total of events that have taken place over the last six weeks is stunning -- Israel’s attack on the Freedom Flotilla; the Arizona laws and the protests movement against them; the BP oil spill still gushing into the Gulf; the Eurozone economic crisis which threatens another global recession; the Greek strikes against austerity -- all these events have exposed the system at its ugliest and politicized society in general. The current situation has further polarized US society, while increasing the radicalization already underway. 

Come discuss all these issues and what it means for organizing a radical left at UW and in the US as a whole.

Recent news and opinion from Socialist Worker

• An act of state terrorism  Gaza Freedom Flotilla Eyewitness Interview with Kevin Ovenden, who was aboard the lead ship of the Flotilla
• Remembering is not enough Interview with Holocaust survivor and Palestine solidarity activist Hedy Epstein
  
• Comment: Joshua Frank Fines didn't deter the polluters  
• A catastrophe waiting to happen

• 
  
  Laws that need breaking
• Marching with pride for immigrant rights
• A proud spirit of defiance From every corner of the U.S., people streamed into Phoenix to be part of a national day of action to protest against Arizona's racial profiling law.
  
• No surrender in Greece
• Journal: Egypt's brewing revolt
• A different kind of strike The struggle that has shut down the University of Puerto Rico has become a popular symbol of opposition to a right-wing government
  
• Disaster socialism 

Recent news and opinion from our new Critical Reading blog which features other media, both mainstream and independent, that you should see.

• Republicans and Democrats attack organized labor
• BP: serial environmental criminal
• More Israeli lies exposed
• Profits vs. the planet
• Corporations avoid billions in taxes

Protest Israel's unprovoked attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla

We join activists around the world in condemning Israel's unprovoked attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in the pre-dawn hours of May 31-- and we support the call from Palestinian activists for worldwide emergency protests.
Even by Israel's ferocious standards, this military assault and massacre of civilians is an act of barbarism that merits international opposition on a grand scale. Israel has refused to supply the names and the numbers of the dead and injured, but the assault reportedly killed up to 20 civilians and injured 50 more.

Read the full International Socialist Organization statement  Protesting Israel's act of barbarism

Check out the Freedom Folitilas web page for the most recent updates on their situation http://witnessgaza.com/

NEWS: SocialistWorker.org coverage of the attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla

Comment: Alan Maass
ISRAEL'S LIE MACHINE GOES INTO OVERDRIVE
No smear is too crude and no lie too outrageous in Israel's attempt to justify the murderous commando assault on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.
http://socialistworker.org/2010/06/02/israeli-lie-machine

STANDING AGAINST ISRAEL'S WAR CRIMES
Pro-Palestinian protesters infuriated at Israel's attack on a flotilla of humanitarian aid workers turned out to emergency actions in cities across the U.S.
http://socialistworker.org/2010/06/04/standing-against-israels-war-crimes

Statement
PROTESTING ISRAEL'S ACT OF BARBARISM
We join activists around the world in condemning Israel's unprovoked attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and support the call for emergency protests.
http://socialistworker.org/2010/06/01/protesting-an-act-of-barbarism

Column: Mark Steel
THE ACTIVISTS WERE ASKING FOR IT
Politicians and commentators understand that Israel sent commandos to confront unarmed activists, yet they blame the dead.
http://socialistworker.org/2010/06/04/activists-were-asking-for-it

Column: Dahr Jamail
ANOTHER VICTIM OF ISRAELI PIRACY
More than 40 years after Israel attacked a U.S. Navy ship in international waters, the survivors are still seeking justice.
http://socialistworker.org/2010/06/03/another-victim-israeli-piracy

SEATTLE PROTESTS:
Tuesday, June 1st - Rally for Palestine
In response to May 31st, 2010's act of piracy and violence against a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to blockaded Gaza, Tues. June 1st at 5 pm beginning at Westlake Center [ending at the Federal building downtown], there will be a march protesting these acts of violence as well as protest against continued U.S. support of Israel.  4:30pm - Gather for rally at Westlake in downtown Seattle -- 5pm, march from Westlake to the Federal Bldg
 
Thursday, June 3rd - 11am-1pm -- Gaza Flotilla Peace Vigil hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine
    Univ. of Washington - Red Square
    Silent Vigil - Please wear black and bring candles

Saturday, June 5th - 12 noon -- Rally for Gaza
   Westlake in downtown Seattle
   Sponsored by Voices of Palestine and Palestine Solidarity Committee


RESOURCES Check out the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation's new Gaza Freedom Flotilla web section for updates & Resources
* Download our new one-page fact sheet on Israel's attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla for distribution at protests and educational events.

* Download a petition to Congress calling on it to end military aid to Israel for use in collecting signatures at protests and educational events.

* Sign up for an organizing packet with postcards, petitions, fact sheets, and flyers to end military aid to Israel by clicking here. (Note: please allow one week for processing and delivery.)


Special meeting at Socialism 2010 BREAKING THE SIEGE IN GAZA
http://www.socialismconference.org/

Chicago | June 17-20 | Palmer House Hilton
Oakland | July 1-4 | Oakland Marriott

These conferences will feature several meetings on the fight for Palestinian rights and will bring together activists organizing on the front lines of these struggles. Speakers include: author and activist Tariq Ali; Gilbert Achcar, author of The Arabs and the Holocaust: The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives, and Ahmed Shawki, editor of the International Socialist Review. Meetings include: How Can Palestinian Liberation be Achieved?, Breaking the Siege in Gaza, and Israel: Colonial Settler State.

Register today for Socialism 2010:
http://www.socialismconference.org/

Join us for the Socialism 2010 Conference

The Socialism Conference and is designed to give people on the left a forum for discussing today's movements, analyzing political and economic developments around us, debating what we can do about it, and learning more about the alternative of socialism.

The annual Socialism conference is becoming an important meeting place and forum for those interested in rebuilding the left and looking ahead to the struggles of the future. Check out the FULL SCHEDULE of workshops and the LIST OF SPEAKERS online.


We'll be taking a group of activists and socialists to the conference from Seattle - For more info on attending the conference with our group email info@seattleiso.org or call 206-612-6137.


Socialism 2010 - Ideas for Changing the World - Long Version

Among the featured speakers this year will be Greek socialist Antonis Davenellos on the workers' revolt gripping that country. Two veterans of the movement in Europe, Tariq Ali and Gilbert Achcar, are slated to speak, as are socialists from Latin America.

Leading voices from the immigrant rights struggle such as Nativo López, Justin Akers Chacón and Orlando Sepúlveda will discuss the new stage of the movement, and among the well-known LGBT activists set to speak is Sexuality and Socialism author Sherry Wolf.

There are scores of writers and authors due to speak on political developments in the U.S. and around the world, including Anthony Arnove, Mike Davis, Anand Gopal, James Green, Chris Hedges, Fred Magdoff, Salim Muwakkil, John Riddell, Heather Rogers, Jeremy Scahill, Liliana Segura, Sharon Smith and Dave Zirin, to name a few. Plus socialists from around the country will introduce discussions on the long and rich history of the socialist tradition, and the ideas of Marxism.

You can find out more at the Socialism 2010 Web site.

6/2: Tax the Rich! Support Initiative I-1098

ARE THE BUDGET CUTS INEVITABLE?
Currently, the top fifth of our state’s population pays 3% of their income in taxes while the bottom fifth pays 17% making Washington’s the most regressive tax structure in the nation. The newly introduced Initiative 1098 would partially level the playing field by taxing couples with adjusted gross incomes greater than $400,000 annually, or incomes of more than $200,000 for individuals. It also would cut the state property tax by 20 percent and increase the business-and-occupation tax credit to $4,800. It is estimated this initiative would bring in about $1 billion per year for education and health programs.

JOIN US FOR A FORUM ON WHAT I-1098 IS ALL ABOUT AND HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED!

Wednesday 6/2  at 7pm, Room 26 

in the UW School of Social Work (Corner of 15th N.E. and N.E. 41st) 

Featuring John Burbank, Executive Director of the Economic Opportunity Institute, speaking on behalf of the I-1098 campaign, and Adam Sanchez, an activist involved in the successful campaign for Tax measures 66 & 67 in Oregon!

Download posters:
Tax the Rich - Support I-1098 Panel 11x17
Tax the Rich - Support  I-1098 panel - half sheets

5/26: A People's History of the UW

Wednesday May 26, 7pm

Bagley 131, University of Washington (map)

Free for UW students, $3 General Public

This May marks the 40th anniversary of the 1970 student strike in which thousands of UW students demonstrated to protest the  war in Vietnam in the wake of the Kent State shootings. Two years earlier the Black Student Union at UW occupied administration buildings in a successful campaign to increase opportunities for minority students. These were just a few high points from the exciting history of activism on the University of Washington campus.

As a new generation of activists organize against the budget cuts and other issues affecting us, come hear the inspiring stories from those who helped build the movement during this high point of student activism, discuss lessons for today, and get involved in the myriad of campaigns for social justice that are being organized on campus by the event's sponsors!

Speakers:

Aaron Dixon was co-founder and Captain of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party and played a key role in the formation of the Black Student Union (BSU) and the Seattle Chapter of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Watch an interview with Aaron Dixon on the The Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project website.

Steve Ludwig was a member of the University of Washington chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and helped organized the May 1970 student strike and many other protests on campus. Watch an interview with Steve Ludwig on the The Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project website.

Larry Gossett was active in Seattle’s Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1967, and co-founded the University of Washington Black Student Union (UW BSU) in 1968. Through the BSU, Gossett helped push the UW to create a Black Studies Program. Watch an interview with Larry Gossett on the The Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project website.

Dean Patton came to campus in 1970 and worked at the UW Daily during the first half of that tumultuous decade. He was Daily editor in 1975 and spearheaded an antiwar action with the UW football team that is chronicled in A People's History of Sports in The United States. 

PY BATEMAN was a member of SDS and later joined a nascent women’s liberation movement that made great strides in making it possible for women in this state to obtain abortions legally. She founded the Anna Louise Strong Brigade with other women who left the Seattle Liberation Front (SLF). Py went on the found the Feminist Karate Union.

Moderated by Jessie Kindig UW History PhD student and Associate editor of PNW Civil Rights and Labor History Projects 

More Speakers TBA. 

Raffle and Silent auction

As part of the historic occasion of the 40^th anniversary of the UW student strike we will be holding a raffle and silent auction featuring items from the exclusive photo collection of SDS activist Steve Ludwig.  Ludwig’s photos—documenting everything from the struggle for Black studies, the 1970 student strike, and the women’s rights movement—vividly capture the determination of a young generation of activist struggling against racism, war, and oppression.  Proceeds will be used to help today’s UW activists in their many struggles for social justice.  So bring your cash and checkbooks --you don’t want to leave without a memento of the some of the greatest struggles our campus has ever known!

For more info or to endorse: isouw@uw.edu 

UW International Socialist Organization, UW Black Student Union, UW Campus Antiwar Network, UW Students Organizing for LGBT Equality (SOLE), UW College Greens, The Q Center, ASUW, MEChA de UW, First Nations, UW Student-Worker Coalition

Download Posters:
People's History of UW - half sheets
People's History of the UW 5/26 - 11x17

5/19: The Democrats - A critical Book Discussion

Join us for a Book Discussion
on "The Democrats:
A Critical History" by Lance Selfa

Wednesday at 7pm, Room 26 

in the UW School of Social Work (Corner of 15th N.E. and N.E. 41st) 

http://www.haymarketbooks.org/pb/The-Democrats-A-Critical-History

In Part one of our meeting we'll discuss "The Democrats" by Lance Selfa p1-86  (part two of the book will be discussed 6/16).


The November 2006 and 2008 general elections represented a strong rebuke against George W. Bush and the Republican Party in general.  With the historic win of Barack Obama to the presidency, and with both houses of Congress firmly in the Democrats control, the sense of true "hope and change" abounded to many on the left.  At last, the "populist" Democratic Party would forever end Washington's corrupt,venal policies and its inextricable ties to corporate, big business interests. However, will the Democratic Party ever be the political institution that will bring about these sweeping reforms? In part one of this book discussion we'll begin to look at the history of the Party and it's role in the capitalist system.

In the second half of our meeting, we'll discuss local organizing. We'll hear an update from our LGBT rights committee on local and national actions for the Harvey Milk Day of Action (May 22) and other organizing to win Full federal Equality.  And we'll discuss our Socialism 2010 Conference in Oakland and our efforts to organize a contingent of Seattle activists to attend as a group.

5/18: Speak Out against Arizona’s racist immigration laws!

Come join the Student Worker Coalition and the International Socialist Organization for a Speak Out against Arizona’s racist immigration laws!

Tuesday May 18th, on the HUB lawn, University of Washington 11:00am-1:00pm

Arizona’s State Bill 1070 will have disastrous impacts on immigrants and their communities. It makes it illegal for documented and undocumented immigrants to not carry their papers, and allows police to stop and question anyone “suspected” of illegal immigration. SB 1070 enshrines racial profiling into law enforcement. To add insult to injury the Arizona Governor signed a law that will ban Ethnic studies programs from any educational institution that receives state money. This is an attempt to bury the histories of people of color and further sanction the kind of racism and vitriol that we have seen recently, like the attack by the Seattle Police on a local Latino man recently.

In 2006 a similar law at the federal level was defeated by mass demonstrations and protests. Help us talk to the UW community about Arizona’s law and about immigration issues in the United States. Join the ISO and SWC on the HUB Lawn on Tuesday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to speak out against this law. We welcome anyone to share their thoughts and stories relating to these issues.


Learn more about SB 1070 and the fight for immigrants rights in the U.S.:

http://socialistworker.org/2010/05/03/todos-somos-arizona

http://socialistworker.org/2010/04/30/juan-crow

http://socialistworker.org/2010/05/05/resisting-arizona-apartheid

http://socialistworker.org/2010/05/14/reason-to-protest-arizona

5/12: Political News Round up Discussion and Organizing meeting

5/12: 7pm UW School of Social Work, Room 26

     
For the first part of this weeks meeting we'll have a political roundup discussion centering on the May print edition of Socialist Worker Newspaper.

There's tons to discuss, ranging from Inside the Goldman Sachs scam & The banker robbers to New challenges for the Immigrant Right movement and  Anger builds over Arizona law to The 40th anniversary of the massacre of students at Kent State to Supreme Court appointments and the role of the court as Supreme guardians of the status quo and much more. Join us for a free flowing political discussion of the socialist perspective on the last months news!
 

In the second half of the meeting we'll discuss and plan for upcoming events like -- the I-1098 campaign to tax the rich, our Socialism 2010 Conference in Oakland, and our People's History of UW panel. Come get involved!!

4/28 Heather Rogers - Green Gone Wrong

4/28 Green Gone Wrong

A Public Forum and Discussion with

Heather Rogers

Journalist and Author of the new book

GREEN GONE WRONG: How Our Economy Is Undermining the Environmental Revolution

7pm, Thomson 101 (Click for map)

As consumers take environmentalism into their own hands, a dynamic green marketplace has exploded in the West: the trade in organic food has continued its surge despite the economic downturn; hybrid automobiles and biofuels are now in full production; and an increasing number of companies offer the service of neutralizing consumers’ CO2 emissions.

Implicit in these efforts at “going green” is the promise that global warming can be stopped by swapping out dirty products for “clean” ones, with little disruption to daily life. But can earth-friendly goods really save the planet?

To piece together a global picture of a global problem, Rogers reports from places including Detroit, Paraguay and Indonesian Borneo. Come discuss the realities behind the products and practices that pledge to remedy our environmental woes and hear what’s happening in the name of today’s environmentalism.

Sponsored by
Demos and Haymarket Books.  

Co-Sponsored by the UW International Socialist Organization and Not A Number, Seattle's Political Gift Shop

To Co-Sponsor email info@seattleiso.org.

Heather Rogers is a journalist and author. She has written for The New York Times Magazine, Mother Jones, and The Nation. Her first book, "Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage", traces the history and politics of household rubbish in the United States.

4/27 Panel: What Can You Do to Stop the Cuts?

PANEL:

What Can You Do to Stop the Cuts?

Tuesday, April 27 – 7 PM Miller Hall 301

What’s the big deal about ‘budget cuts’? • What was March 4th all about? • How will the budget cuts affect me? • How will the budget cuts affect others on campus? • What can I do to help stop the budget cuts?

The University of Washington is balancing its budget on the backs of students and workers – increased tuition, cuts to academic resources, lay-offs, speed-ups. Students are paying more for a lower-quality education, and workers are being paid less for more work. The administration says they’re not to blame – but should they be held responsible? Despite what President Emmert tells us, another budget is possible. Come and find out where we can get the money to stop the cuts. Presenters will include students and campus workers.

Join us for this informal panel on April 27th – listen, ask questions, discuss. Then strike on May 3rd to defend your education!


Sponsored by the UW Student/Worker Coalition