Act to prevent war against Iran and Syria

Imperialism is targeting Syria and Iran

By Darrell Rankin, People's Voice

     The Middle East is the epicenter of the militarization of relations between China and Russia on one side and NATO's imperialist, or advanced capitalist countries, on the other. Imperialist countries which twice plunged the world into war in the last century are getting ready for round three. The arms race is growing around the globe and the battle lines are getting clearer.

     Even without considering the potential for a new global war, fear and tension are flowing from the threat of smaller wars of regime change and occupation in Iran and Syria. Positions are hardening on both sides of the intervention issue. So far, China and Russia will veto any UN Security Council resolution that may trigger military action, but that may not be enough.

     It may be only a matter of weeks or months before imperialism targets Syria or Iran, adding to its list of imposed regime changes which are not approved by the UN. For the Security Council to even talk about military action against sovereign countries signals that imperialism (NATO and Japan) dominates world politics. And if imperialism acts outside the UN, as in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti and Libya, it is another nail in the coffin to the actual words of the UN Charter.

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Jobs or profits?

Young workers have the highest levels of
unemployment of any age demographic 

People's Voice Editorial

     With the next federal budget looming, the question must be asked: will the Harper Tories put jobs or profits first?

     The so-called "recovery" from the crisis of 2007-08 is sputtering to a halt across the capitalist world, including in Canada. Yes, stock prices and corporate revenues have rebounded, but the ominous signs of slowdown are mounting, including an alarming loss of full-time employment.

     Officially, unemployment in Canada ticked up to 7.6% in January, significantly higher than the 6% levels in mid-2008. This figure only includes the 1.4 million who are "actively looking" for work. Add in those waiting for a recall from a previous employer, who have given up looking for non-existent jobs, or who are stuck working part‑time, and the real unemployment level would soar to 10.6%, or some two million people.

   

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CETA Talks -- what is the big rush?

This download is one of the many documents
that you can read about the CETA agreement

PV Vancouver Bureau

     Like a freight train racing downhill without brakes, the "Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement" negotiations between Canada and the European Union (EU) are picking up speed, yet most Canadians have little idea of CETA's potential impact on our lives. Groups like the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Council of Canadians are trying to stop CETA before it's too late, but a ninth round of negotiations has been completed. The federal government says that "significant progress has been made across the board, including the areas of goods, services, investment, government procurement and many others. The negotiating text is now well-advanced, with many chapters closed or parked pending further development, and issues in the remaining chapters narrowed down to key differences where solutions are now being actively explored."

     Stressing their goal of "resisting protectionist pressures in challenging economic times," the Harper Tories want to wrap up talks quickly, with the aim of concluding CETA this year.

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Yinka Dene Alliance to China: raise human rights with Harper!

Members of the Yinka Dene Alliance protest the
Northern Gateway Pipeline

The Yinka Dene Alliance, a group of five First Nations that represent several thousand people in north-central B.C., has sent open letters to Chinese President Hu Jintao and to the Chinese media.

“We are writing to you to request that you raise our human rights concerns with Canada's prime minister, Stephen Harper,” says the letter to Mr. Hu.

“From previous reports we know that Prime Minister Harper always challenges your country on the human rights record.”

Sing Tao, Hong Kong's second-largest newspaper with offices across Canada, confirmed it will be covering the story through its Vancouver bureau. The letter to Mr. Hu has been sent to his office as well as to the Chinese embassy in Ottawa.

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What is included in the Greek austerity measures? What should the people do?

The austerity measures demanded by the EC, the IMF and the European Central Bank (the so-called troika) equal about 7 per cent of gross domestic product over three years. The cutbacks would see 15,000 government jobs disappear this year and tens times that many by 2015. The minimum wage would fall by 22 per cent, though first-time workers would see the wage fall by 32 per cent. Pensions, pharmaceuticals and the military would all be cut back.

Konstantinos Katsigiannis, the Athens lawyer who is president of the Hellenic-Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said he supports the austerity programs ... “The back of the entitlement mentality has to be broken,” he said.  (!!!)

From The Globe and Mail


The President (and the ruling coalition) are common extortionists... The Communist Party of Greeks calls urgently to make your work place, every agency, every department, every university, technical colleges and school  into a castle, a fortress impregnable... to overthrow the government. 

Put aside the traitors, and compromised redeemed labour leaders, afraid to fight the capitalist bosses, the unions, associations, clubs, everywhere, from the bottom upwards to reverse this negative correlation of forces...

From the KKE website

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The Class Assassins – Equalize X Distort The Studio 3 Sessions

The Class Assassins – Equalize X Distort

In November, 2011, punk rockers The Class Assassins recorded an eight song set live in studio at CIUT FM in Toronto. Now the tracks are available as Equalize X Distort, The Studio 3 Sessions.

The album contains six renditions of Class Assassins tracks from previous albums, and two great covers; Breaking the Law by Judas Priest and Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Included amongst the original Class Assassins tracks is the exceptionally catchy Treason, from the recently released The Treason 45 EP.

The great thing about this album is that the tracks are presented in their raw form without any fancy studio wizardry. This accomplishes two things. First, the album feels real and gritty, and preserves the classic Class Assassins sound. Second, it shows just how talented this band really is since it sounds pretty clear from the first track that all these guys need to kick ass is their instruments, and a spot to play them in.

If you are already a fan of The Class Assassins this is a must hear, but if you don’t know them yet this wouldn’t be a bad place to start. Apparently only 100 copies are being released on CD, but the album is also available as a digital download on the bands Bandcamp page.

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