A revolutionary New Year’s greeting for 2007 >From the Freedom Socialist Party As the new year arrives, some welcome glimmers of light brighten the horizon. Activist spirits are lifted by radical attorney Lynne Stewart and her supporters, who thwarted the 30-year sentence Stewart faced for aggressively representing a client accused of terrorism; by the Mexican teachers and parents defending public education who repulsed govern- ment troops from their protest site in Oaxaca; by civil liberties champions in Canada who forced the Royal Mounted Police commissioner to resign for lying about the kidnapping and torture of Maher Arar, the Syrian-born Canadian deported by the U.S. to a Syrian prison; and by the determined advocates of women’s rights who stopped South Dakota from outlawing all abortions and kept open the last clinic providing abortions in Mississippi. Around the world in 2006, brave working people stood up against the mightiest armies and the most powerful ruling classes in history. Resistance from within and without stymied the efforts of the U.S., Britain and Israel to effectively occupy Iraq and Palestine. A broad grouping of Australian unionists fought Premier John Howard’s venal new work rules. Immigrants in the U.S. marched with their allies by the millions and staved off legislation that would have magnified their oppression as a disposable workforce. Militant labor organizations in Costa Rica continued to keep CAFTA at bay; workers in China unionized Wal-Mart, proving it can be done; and thousands of California hotel employees wrested a decent contract from a fearsome employers’ bloc. In the elections for U.S. Congress, voters showed their revulsion at war and corruption. As a result, the balance of power shifted from the Republicans to the Democrats, the only presumed alternative most voters saw. As the Democrats inevitably show their real capitalist colors during the coming year on issues like the war, immigrant rights, abortion, and big business vs. workers, 2007 promises to be a time of exciting opportunity to agitate for change. But what kind of vision for the future is capable of truly inspiring and galvanizing working people? The FSP believes such a vision has to go beyond the misplaced hopes of the Green Party and others of reforming a rampaging profit system aimed at self-destruction. Let’s set ourselves a revolutionary agenda to strive for in 2007: freedom for Mumia Abu-Jamal, open borders, an end to all the imperialist wars and occupations, a healthy planet, and feminist and workingclass solidarity among all of us struggling for liberation across the globe. The coming year marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Che Guevara. Let’s commemorate Che’s optimism about humanity and selfless dedication by putting the goal of party-building for socialist transformation in the forefront of everything we do. We can make a start by turning out in mass numbers against the war in Iraq on January 27 and on March 17/18 in the U.S., in May at the Talisman Sabre 07 war games in Australia, and all antiwar actions throughout the year in other international venues. The FSP wishes you a very happy and insurgent new year, and hopes to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in the streets! ___________________________________________________________ Freedom Socialist Party U.S. Section 4710 University Way NE, #100 Seattle, WA 98105 USA Australian Section PO Box 2066 Brunswick, VIC 3055 Australia ___________________________________________________________ To subscribe to the Freedom Socialist newspaper, or see the booklist at Red Letter Press, or to find out more about the Freedom Socialist Party, go to _www.socialism.com_ (http://www.socialism.com/) , or reply to this message. We would love to hear from you! ___________________________________________________________ To subscribe to this list send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) with Subscribe in the subject box. P.S. If you prefer not to receive future mailings, please reply with Remove in the subject line and we will take you off our list.
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