Symptoms of Terminal Capitalism

The President of the United States has sent armed Federal Police agents into cities and threatens to send them across the country to suppress the massive protests against police violence in response to the murder of George Floyd and many other Black men and women.

On July 17, 2020, after Trump sent Federal troops to Portland, Oregon to suppress the ongoing protests there, Nancy Pelosi tweeted:

“Unidentified stormtroopers. Unmarked cars. Kidnapping protesters and causing severe injuries in response to graffiti. These are not the actions of a democratic republic. @DHSgov’s actions in Portland undermine its mission. Trump and his stormtroopers must be stopped.”

She sounds horrified but makes no mention of what she and the rest of the Democratic Party are going to do about it—because they will do nothing—as usual. That’s because they support capitalism more than they dislike Trump.

Minneapolis Bus Drivers Side With Protesters

As protests continue to sweep Minneapolis and St. Paul over the police killing of George Floyd, police have arrested a significant number of people.   Finding themselves out numbered by an enraged citizenry the police have attempted to get the Minneapolis Transit Authority to help them transport arrested protesters.  An increasing number of bus drivers however, in a show of solidarity with the people in the street, are refusing to haul arrested protesters for police.  

Similarly, some bus drivers have refused to transport police officers. 

No National Guard in Minneapolis!

The Democratic Party Mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, called for the National Guard to be deployed to the city. At the same time, National Guard troops were sent to harass peaceful protesters outside the suburban house of Officer Derek Chauvin, who murdered George Floyd on May 25.

Socialist Resurgence opposes any use of National Guard troops in Minneapolis or other cities. The presence of the Guard will only inflame the situation. These troops cannot be trusted to act as anything but goons for the state. This is especially true given the fact that just a couple of days ago some Guard members were disciplined for racist remarks made on Snapchat.

Essentia Health is far and away the largest employer in Duluth, MN. It’s sprawling main campus is a neighborhood unto itself, and its clinics and other facilities spread out across region into almost every community of more than a few thousand people.  It’s very well paid CEO and other top executives have overseen year after year of dramatic expansion, and are currently in the process of building a new state of the art $800,000,000 hospital.  Business has certainly been good for Essentia Health.

Hold Cops Accountable!

On May 25, an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, was murdered by Minneapolis cops. In a video shot by a bystander, Floyd is heard saying, “Please, please, please, I can’t breathe. Please, man,” as a cop knelt on his neck and two other cops held him down. After Floyd went silent and motionless, the cop continued to kneel on his neck. Several people shot video of the incident and can be heard telling police to let him breathe and to check his pulse, and pointing out that he had become non-responsive.

Pandemic Causing Major Crisis for Hog Farmers

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the meat industry hard in the United States. Ten thousand workers, who have to work shoulder to shoulder in the packing and processing plants, have been infected with the virus. Dozens have died. So many workers have gotten the virus, that many processing plants have had to close. By last count, 38 plants have had to close at one point or another since the pandemic began.

Ultra-Right Protesters Push to ‘Re-Open’ the Economy

Protests continue to call for the reopening of the economy, with demonstrations in Michigan, Massachusetts, Texas, California, and other states. Many of the protesters are armed with rifles and handguns.

In Michigan, for the second time in two weeks, an “American Patriot Rally” took place on the state capitol steps on April 30. The event was initiated by Michigan United for Liberty and joined in by other right-wing groups. The thuggish Michigan Liberty Militia provided “security” for the action. Hundreds of armed protesters moved into the halls of the statehouse and crowded into the gallery of the state Senate after first demanding to be allowed on the House floor.

Meat Industry Plants Closing as Trump Urges Re-Openings

Early this week Tyson Foods announced it will be closing its meat processing plant in Madison, Nebraska indefiently due to a COVID-19 outbreak there.  Over 1,200 workers are employed at that plant. 

Tyson has announced that their sales have dropped 15% and continue to fall as plants get shut down across the country, and the meat industries supply chain is beginning to break down.

COVID-19: Don't Let State and Local Governments Off the Hook

The current response of the cities and states to the corona crisis is not surprising. They are taking small initiatives to ameliorate the effects of the crisis to ward off unrest. None of them cost much and will likely have little effect though they are better than nothing. They are also preparing for or implementing cuts in non-COVID-related social programs.

The responses of the mayors and governors are rational within the logic of the system. The hiring freezes, cutbacks, and potential layoffs will result in more unemployment and suffering. These austerity measures will likely hurt workers and the poor more than the small positive measures they are taking now.

Bus Drivers Have Been Striking for Their Lives

All eyes are on essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic, as individuals, companies and even the federal government make a point to thank them for their heroic action: working. Frontline workers have received plenty of symbolic accolades, but many are working without proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and hazard pay, and are scared for their health and safety. Public transit workers, who shuttle other essential workers to and from work, have been sounding the alarm about poor safety standards at their jobs since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), which represents 200,000 workers in the United States and Canada, told In These Times that nearly 1,000 of its members have been infected with coronavirus, and almost 40 have died. In response, the union has taken action by setting up coronavirus test sites, sharing information about safety gear, and lobbying both the federal and state governments to do more to protect transit workers. It has also partnered with the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) to increase its strength.

Fighting the Plagues of Locusts and COVID-19

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, parts of Africa, South East Asia, and the Middle East are facing another plague. A dangerous outbreak of locusts has ravaged multiple countries since last year, laying waste to crops and threatening millions of people with food insecurity. The current wave of locusts is the second this year and scientists predict it will not be the last.

Currently, the hardest hit area is East Africa, where in February eight countries faced an initial swarm and now are hit by a second wave of the voracious insects. It is the largest locust infestation in the region in 70 years. This pestilence arose from the perfect storm of climate change, war, austerity, and imperialism.

The Shameful Tragedy of the Smithfield Processing Plant

The Smithfield pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is a massive facility. It boasts that all by itself it processes up to 5% of the pork products consumed in the entire country. Well, now it can boast another distinction—it has become the nation’s largest single hotspot for COVID-19.

To date, over a thousand people connected to the plant are confirmed to have contracted the virus. Over 800 of them are plant workers and the rest are family members and other folks in the community whom they came into contact with. So far, four of the workers have died.

Duluth Building Trades Picket O'Reilly Auto Parts

Since early April the Duluth Building Trades have been picketing the O’Reilly Auto Parts store on Hwy. 53 in Hermantown.  O’Reilly is building a new building on their property, and is refusing to use local union labor.  Instead they have brought in an out of town non-union contractor to do the work.  The Building Trades have responded with daily pickets in front of the construction site.  We urge all of our supporters and readers to support this picket line.  Join it if you can, otherwise be sure to drive by and honk your support.  Working class people need to stick together!

The Meaning of the Anti-Quarantine Protests

An anti-quarantine protest organized by rightist groups in Michigan on April 15 drew a large crowd to the state capitol in Lansing. Waving Trump and confederate flags, the crowd of protesters, who police estimated at close to 4000, clamored for the reopening of the economy and demanded a return to work. Many of the protesters in Michigan carried firearms.

The proto-fascist Proud Boys, militia members, and groups linked to the far right DeVos family, the Kochs, and other rightist figures participated in this mobilization. At one point, protesters’ cars blocked access to a hospital and delayed an ambulance reaching the ER for 10 minutes. Organizers supposedly cautioned participants to stay in their cars to maintain social distancing, but this was ignored by hundreds who streamed onto capitol grounds.

Chernobyl Forest Fires Threaten to Unleash Radiation

April 26 marks the 34th anniversary of Chernobyl, the worst nuclear disaster in history. By some estimates, the ruins of the Chernobyl reactor will remain highly radioactive for 20,000 years. Decades after the catastrophe, the dangers of radiation persist as forest fires rampage across the exclusion zone. The recent forest fires are only the latest in recent years to threaten the region with radioactive ash and smoke. This problem is compounded by the dual impacts of climate change and capitalist profit motives.