The Digital Dispatch

From NOEBIE.net

Curated Links

Ten Classics: The Communist Manifesto

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Socialist Worker published a series on ten classics of the socialist tradition back in 2008 and 2009. I think that these works would form the basis for a marvelous book club or discussion group, which I may eventually attempt to organize.

In the first installment, Todd Chretien writes about the Communist Manifesto.

Liberal and conservative historians want you to believe that society has always been divided between the rich and the poor, the weak and the strong, men and women, etc. — division based on money, race, nationality is built into our human nature.

The Manifesto takes a radically different view: Humans lived for thousands of years in what Marx and Engels called “primitive communism” — by which they meant societies that existed in every part of the world where cooperation and mutual reliance, and not competition, formed the basis of survival. At the time, this was based on cutting-edge anthropological research that was very controversial, but today, all but a few right-wing cranks accept that this is the truth about pre-class human society.

Read the article: The Communist Manifesto | SocialistWorker.org.

Read the book: Manifesto of the Communist Party | Marxists.org.

Railroad Workers Reach Out

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With public attention focused on the railroads in a way it hasn’t been for decades, the cross-craft solidarity group Railroad Workers United is seizing the opportunity to teach the general public “railroading 101”—and teach rail workers “environmental politics 101.”

Read More: Rail Workers and Environmentalists to Teach Each Other | Labor Notes.

Charade of the Union

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Eric Ruder weighs in on SOTU 2015.

“Memories of another second-term Democratic president came flooding back. During Bill Clinton’s presidency, when Democrats controlled Congress during his first term, Clinton didn’t mention raising the minimum wage in his public statements. However, once the Republicans swept into Congress in 1994–riding a wave of discontent with Clinton’s broken promises–Clinton regularly used the issue to put the Republicans on the spot, trapping them between a broadly popular measure and their corporate backers who detested the idea.”

via Obama’s Charade of the Union | SocialistWorker.org.

Pointless And Utterly Pointless

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From Doug Mataconis:

“Last night’s State of the Union Address was about what everyone expected it would be. The President set a broad, ambitious agenda that Congress will promptly ignore, Republicans put out another sacrificial lamb to tackle the worst job in America, and, after reading through the speech, it became clear that my instinct to skip the speech altogether was the right idea after all.”

via An ‘Ambitious’ Yet Pointless State Of The Union, And An Utterly Pointless Response.

SOTU 2015 Full Text

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Do these words from last night’s State of the Union Address ring true to you?

“America, for all that we’ve endured; for all the grit and hard work required to come back; for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this: The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.”

Read the speech: President Obama’s State of the Union Address — Remarks As Prepared for Delivery — Medium.

Delusion and Deception in the SOTU

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From Patrick Martin:

“Aside from the delusional character of the speech, perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of Obama’s remarks was the fact that, for the vast majority of the population, it was a non-event. Obama stands at the head of a state apparatus that, increasingly, is talking to itself.”

Read the full article: Delusion and deception in Obama’s State of Union – WSWS.

What’s At Stake in Greece

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The Coalition of the Radical Left, or SYRIZA, is favored to win parliamentary elections on January 25, giving it a strong chance to form a new government that could confront the catastrophic austerity agenda that has plunged Greece into severe economic and social crisis. Lee Sustar answers your questions about the rise of SYRIZA and what a victory for it on January 25 would mean.

Read it: Why the whole world is watching Greece | SocialistWorker.org.

All Eyes On Greece

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Alexis Tsipras, the person who looks destined to be the next Greek prime minister, speaks about history and prospects.

“While the mainstream parties led people on — rather brazenly, I might add — we were vehement that austerity would have severe negative consequences and lead to recession; these policies simply weren’t sustainable. We supported grassroots initiatives, including major demonstrations and the social solidarity movement. Lastly, our political emphasis has been on uniting the Left. This was critical — and it really resonated with people.”

Read the interview: A Historic Opportunity | Jacobin.