NOTE:
You've come to an old part of SW Online. We're still moving this and other older stories into our new format. In the meanwhile, click here to go to the current home page.

July 9, 2004 | Issue 506

FRONT AND BACK PAGES

Nightmare in Bush's "new" Iraq
Fourteen months after the U.S. occupation began, conditions in Iraq are hellish. And even the U.S. government admits it.

Workers' living standards slipping further behind in...
A recovery for the bosses only
The latest employment statistics showed that just 112,000 jobs were created in June--less than half of the expected number and a falloff from the recent pace of new job creation.

SW SPECIAL FEATURES

What's at stake in Election 2004?
The political issues of Election 2004 couldn't be more urgent. But will voting in the presidential election offer the chance to make a difference on these issues?

With the military stretched thin...
Are politicians planning to bring back the draft?
The floundering occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan may be giving a renewed sense of urgency to the White House's plans to reinstitute the draft.

25 years on
Revolution in Nicaragua
The Nicaraguan Revolution, which took place 25 years ago this month, was an inspiration to workers and the poor throughout the world.

WHAT WE THINK

The shape of Election 2004
Millionaire vs. billionaire
For most liberals and even radicals, Election 2004 has been elevated to the "most important election of our lifetime." But the truth is that the election won't change that much about U.S. politics.

Cosby's tirades blame the victim
Bill Cosby's diatribes blaming Blacks for the social crisis gripping their communities wouldn't have sounded out of place coming from a racist talk radio "shock jock."

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

VENEZUELA
Signs of new effort against Chavez
Is the U.S. getting ready for a coup?
Is the U.S. trying to mobilize its allies in the right-wing Colombian government to aid in the overthrow of President Hugo Chávez in neighboring Venezuela?

AFGHANISTAN
U.S. delays elections again
Rule of the warlords in Afghanistan
The Bush administration is trumpeting Afghanistan as a model for Iraq. But if Afghanistan represents a victory, that only illustrates how miserably the U.S. "war on terror" is going.

U.S. stingy on funding for women's health
The toll in women's lives
More than 1 million women have died around the world in the last decade because wealthy nations didn't keep their promises.

NATIONAL NEWS

Death penalty law overturned
Executions halted in New York state
New York's highest court ruled that the state's death penalty law is against the state's constitution--putting a temporary moratorium on executions.

Making shelters in NYC "less inviting"
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled a new "plan" to reduce the city's homeless population--by making shelters less appealing.

COLUMNS

READING BETWEEN THE LINES
Bipartisan "regime change" in Cuba
Just as American politicians can never seem to be pro-Israel enough, they can't seem to be anti-Castro enough.

ON THE PICKET LINE

Pickets tie up ports from South Carolina to California
Port drivers sting bosses
Shouts of "Shut it down" and "Go home" greeted port truck drivers attempting to move cargo at the Columbus Street Terminal at the port of Charleston, S.C.

SEIU and AFSCME oppose war
The conventions of the two biggest unions in the AFL-CIO last month voted to call for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq and to bring the troops home.

Labor in brief
Chicago Teachers Union; New School; Maytag; Providence, R.I., teachers

NEWS OF OUR STRUGGLE

News and reports
End the occupation of Iraq; We demand homes for the homeless

OUR READERS SPEAK OUT

The everyday brutality of New York City police
"It's a war on the poor"
Summer is here, and New York City cops are hungry for blood--as we learned recently when we were getting ready to sell Socialist Worker in Harlem.

Lying about Tillman's death to sell their war
When Army Ranger Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan, military officials thought they had the perfect script to attract new recruits.

Other letters
Cheerleaders for empire; Supporting the right to resist; Corporate cash for Kerry; Backing Cobb was the right move; The U.S. needs to get out of Iraq

REVIEWS

OBITUARY
How we should remember Marlon Brando
Not afraid to take sides
The Brando I want to remember is the actor who focused on the civil rights movement and broader struggles against war and oppression.

And who is going to save us from them?
Saved is a movie about characters who do things because they believe Jesus told them to. Pretty scary stuff if you think about who's in the White House.

Home page | Back to the top