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November 1, 2002 | Issue 428
FRONT AND BACK PAGES
Protesters tell Bush:
We don't want war on Iraq
People across the U.S. joined antiwar activists around the world last weekend in resounding opposition to Bush's war drive against Iraq--with more than 200,000 rallying in Washington, D.C., San Francisco and other cities on October 26.
Port bosses out to break ILWU
This is union busting!
An unprecedented alliance of transnational corporations and politicians of both parties is behind the U.S. government's attempt to break the West Coast dockworkers' union.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Speaking out on October 26
"It was time to add our voice"
The demonstrations in Washington and San Francisco on October 26 were some of the largest since Vietnam. Here, Socialist Worker talks to the people who participated in this milestone for the antiwar movement.
An issue for the movement
Should we back UN inspectors?
People who oppose the Bush war drive are rightly fed up with the White House's snubbing of the rest of the world. But some believe that activists need to support a call for UN weapons inspections in Iraq as an alternative to war. Are they right?
How the movement against the Vietnam War took shape
A struggle that stopped a war
More than 25 years after the end of the Vietnam War, America's rulers are still dealing with the effects of the worst defeat ever suffered by U.S. imperialism.
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WHAT WE THINK
Democrats sweating over outcome of midterm elections
Why won't they stand up to Bush?
A deteriorating economy. A war drive that most people have grave doubts about. A corporate crime spree. The Republicans ought to be worried about losing the upcoming midterm elections in a landslide--but it's the Democrats who are worried.
An honest look at Wellstone's legacy
Of course, no one in the Washington establishment was going to speak ill of the dead. But you couldn't help but notice last week that people who despised Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.)--or at least his liberal principles--suddenly had nothing but good to say about him.
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NATIONAL NEWS
Politicians use case to push their personal agendas
Exploiting the sniper tragedy
As soon as police announced the name of the suspected Washington, D.C., sniper, the media circus began. Pundits speculated that John Allen Muhammad must have a connection to terrorism--simply because he took a Muslim name in 2000.
For-profit school scheme
Using students as free labor
Schools should be run like businesses--and kids should be sweatshop workers. At least, that seems to be the theory of Edison Schools, Inc., the for-profit education company that runs dozens of schools in several cities across the country.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
RUSSIA
Dozens of hostages die in gas attack
Putin's terror in Moscow
More than 100 hostages died a horrific death when Russian special forces used a poison gas during the storming of a Moscow theater last weekend.
BRAZIL
What next after Lula's victory?
Left-winger Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva of the Workers' Party won Brazil's presidential election in a landslide last weekend. His win puts a left-wing party at the head of Brazil's government for the first time in 40 years.
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COLUMNS
READING BETWEEN THE LINES
The real history of a Nobel winner
In the wake of former president Jimmy Carter's selection as Nobel Peace Prize winner, some seem ready to nominate him for sainthood. But the "peacenik" Carter was the president who brought back the military draft in 1979--and started the New Cold War.
WHAT DO SOCIALISTS SAY?
What happened to socialism in Russia?
The revolutions in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the ex-USSR have been cited many times as evidence of the "death of socialism." But the question depends, above all, on whether these societies should be called socialist.
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ON THE PICKET LINE
Boston janitors score a victory after four-week strike
"We won respect"
After a month of work stoppages and protests, janitors are expected to return to work this week with a new contract. The Service Employees International Union Local 254 declared victory last week after reaching an agreement with major cleaning companies.
United threatens bankruptcy to squeeze more from unions
Airline bosses push for concessions
United Airlines announced 1,250 layoffs October 21, the first wave of deep cuts in its operations. The furloughs come on the heels of the company's third-quarter financial report, which cites a net loss of $889 million, the second worst loss in United's history.
Labor in brief
Azteca Foods; Overnite; Plainfield, Ill., teachers
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REPORTS FROM THE STRUGGLE
When protesting becomes a crime
"The Bushes must truly love the poor, they've made so many of us." That was the sign retired steelworker Bill Neel was arrested for carrying when George W. Bush came to Pittsburgh last Labor Day.
Reports in brief
Stop Washington's war machine; Abolish the death penalty
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SW READERS SPEAK OUT
We can't trust the courts to defend our rights
We need to organize
There's a lot to learn from some of the Supreme Court decisions handed down this year.
A candidate in New York worth voting for
There's currently an election campaign going on for the governor of New York state that makes you want to run screaming from politics. However, there is a candidate worth voting for.
Other letters
This war is about more than just oil; Democrats won't stop Bush's war; Making a fascist into a saint
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REVIEW
Michael Moore explains the "unexplainable"
Why America is so violent
In his new film Bowling for Columbine, left-wing filmmaker and author Michael Moore asks the questions that the media doesn't. Where does the violence come from? Just what is it about America that makes it such a dangerous place to live?
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