Page 625 – Toward Freedom

Uprisings: From the Middle East to the Midwest

Amy Goodman February 23, 2011 Amy Goodman

As many as 80,000 people marched to the Wisconsin state Capitol in Madison on Saturday as part of an ongoing protest against newly elected Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s attempt to not just badger the state’s public employee unions, but to break them. The Madison uprising follows on the heels of those in the Middle East. A sign held by one university student, an Iraq War vet, read, “I went to Iraq and came home to Egypt?” Another read, “Walker: Mubarak of the Midwest.” Likewise, a photo has circulated in Madison of a young man at a rally in Cairo, with a sign reading, “Egypt supports Wisconsin workers: One world, one pain.” Meanwhile, Libyans continue to defy a violent government crackdown against masses seeking to oust longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, and more than 10,000 marched Tuesday in Ohio to oppose Republican Gov. John Kasich’s attempted anti-union legislative putsch. read more

Experiments in Democracy: Egypt, Tunisia and the US

Joseph Gainza February 23, 2011 Joseph Gainza

Events in the Middle East over the last nine years, but especially in the last month give us an opportunity to examine how best to establish democracy. Analysis of what has recently taken place in Tunisia and Egypt can be measured against the ongoing tragedies of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Governing by Obeying the People: Bolivia’s Politics of the Street

Benjamin Dangl February 22, 2011 Benjamin Dangl

From across North Africa to Wisconsin, activists are navigating a new terrain of global protest and relationships with their governments. Whether in ousting old tyrants or dealing with new allies in office, the example of Bolivia holds many lessons for social movements.

Creating a Different Haiti: Land, Housing and Reconstruction

Ronel Thelusmond and Beverly Bell February 21, 2011 Ronel Thelusmond and Beverly Bell

Land in Haiti is characterized by two issues: social injustice and insecurity. I say social injustice because land hasn’t been equitably divided, and less than twenty percent of the population in Haiti owns any.

Walker’s Wisconsin Approach

Roger Bybee February 18, 2011 Roger Bybee

Source: Common Dreams

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker proposed last week to suddenly erase 50 years of collective-bargaining rights for Wisconsin’s public workers within a week, to be backed up by calling up the National Guard (Walker spokesmen later clarified that the Guard’s role would be limited to replacing prison guards).

Walker’s plan drew a crowd of 30,000 to 50,000 public workers and their supporters Wednesday at the State Capitol in Madison, united in their opposition to Republican plans to almost entirely take away their rights to union representation. read more

Hip Hop as Resistance: Planeta Rock from the South Bronx to South America

Andalusia Knoll February 17, 2011 Andalusia Knoll

In Santiago, Chile a week long Hip Hop Festival called Planeta Rock celebrated all the five elements of hip hop; knowledge, break dancing, graffiti, mc'ing, and djaying