Society is going through a revolutionary transformation
We live in a country and a world that are being transformed before our eyes. The America that once was seen as a beacon of hope and opportunity is quickly disappearing. Our democracy is being trampled upon. Our freedoms and the aspirations of our children are in grave danger. And our schools, streets and workplaces are being transformed into cauldrons of violence, hate, and repression.
Without the proper guideposts and an understanding of the epochal forces changing our world forever, we can easily lose our way.
IMMIGRANTS AND DREAMERS
In this issue you will hear the voices of resistance and newly found empowerment of immigrants and Dreamers facing betrayal by the only country most of them have ever known. They fight being used as pawns in an extortion scheme to build Trump’s border wall (See Pages 4 and 5).
MASSIVE SCHOOL WALKOUTS AND VIGILS
You will hear the clarion call of youth whose innocence was cruelly yanked away when they lost friends to yet another mass killing at their school (See Pages 6 and 7). They have inspired and are leading massive school walkouts and vigils around the country protesting the power of arms manufacturers over politicians.
SANCTUARY STATE
You will read in these pages of the assault on the Sanctuary state status of California (See Pages 11 and 12). Federal Attorney General Jeff Sessions was recently in Sacramento, California addressing the Peace Officers Association in an effort to undermine the sanctuary designation of the state. He announced a lawsuit against California for failing to cooperate with federal ICE agents. He chastised Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf for warning her city of imminent raids by ICE, that have since taken place.
SANCTUARY UNION
California is not alone. Teamsters Joint Council 16 represents 120,000 workers in metro New York City, the Hudson Valley and Puerto Rico has designated itself a sanctuary union (see Page 10), as have hundreds of churches, towns, and localities around the country, including in Red states such as Texas (See articles on Texas, Pages 11 and 12).
The attack does not end with immigrants. The power of unions is under attack with the Janus case, where public sector employee unions would be seriously weakened by making membership and dues collection voluntary (See Page 10).
ROBOTICS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REPLACE WORKERS
Clearly, we are in an epoch of revolutionary transformation. We see the social and political aspects of it in the articles referenced above. However, in the article on Bangladesh textiles, the economic changes underlying all of this are revealed. If robotics and artificial intelligence can replace Bangladesh textile workers, no one’s job is safe (See Pages 8 and 9).
We are coming to a fork in the road. One road leads to a police state, repression, war, and more suffering. The other leads to harmony and prosperity for everyone if what is produced benefits society’s members, and not make billionaires wealthier. We need to take back our country from the corporations and those who serve them. The youth are pointing the way. We need to follow their example.
