Summer Issue Commentary
Another hot summer, but apparently not hot enough. Those who profit from the denial of climate change remain as defiant in the face of overwhelming evidence as the shills for empire who desperately try to spin "victory" in Iraq from the raw, bloody, quivering reality of catastrophe. As working people we recognize that this society is built on layers of lies and rob-us-blind deceit. We know that the so-called "free" market is based on brutal exploitation and obscene duplicity. Whenever stock values dip, the lies start flowing to create "consumer confidence." Just like the news -- never mind the facts.
We who toil have words of our own. Our words, unlike those of our employers and their representatives in government and media, ring with the power of truth. We must hone them as weapons in our struggle against the madness that threatens our lives and our future.
This issue emerges at a time when the American Empire is a failing delusion of a bankrupt ruling class. Its broken military is held responsible for innumerable atrocities while soldiers are being over extended, abused, poisoned and abandoned upon discharge. Long neglected, U.S. infrastructure is crumbling and what's left of our looted and squandered economy is being kept afloat by our main creditor -- China.
Our summer issue has the underlying inseparable themes of ecology and war. In this issue we are proud to announce the stalwart winners of the Working People's Poetry Contest. This year's winner is Erika Meyers for her poem "Response Abilities." She receives the prize of $100.00, a year's subscription to this journal, and an online posting of her poem for the year. The high quality of entries in this year's contest made choosing a winner a difficult decision, so we have two runners up: "At the Checkpoint" by Stephen Fuller, and "Truth Is . . ." by Diane LeBlanc. They each receive a year's subscription and online posting of their poems. These winning poems appear in this issue.
Times are grim but we hope this journal inspires and awakens a consciousness of class, of solidarity, and of our potential. Our real working class values and unity are the hope of the world.
We who toil have words of our own. Our words, unlike those of our employers and their representatives in government and media, ring with the power of truth. We must hone them as weapons in our struggle against the madness that threatens our lives and our future.
This issue emerges at a time when the American Empire is a failing delusion of a bankrupt ruling class. Its broken military is held responsible for innumerable atrocities while soldiers are being over extended, abused, poisoned and abandoned upon discharge. Long neglected, U.S. infrastructure is crumbling and what's left of our looted and squandered economy is being kept afloat by our main creditor -- China.
Our summer issue has the underlying inseparable themes of ecology and war. In this issue we are proud to announce the stalwart winners of the Working People's Poetry Contest. This year's winner is Erika Meyers for her poem "Response Abilities." She receives the prize of $100.00, a year's subscription to this journal, and an online posting of her poem for the year. The high quality of entries in this year's contest made choosing a winner a difficult decision, so we have two runners up: "At the Checkpoint" by Stephen Fuller, and "Truth Is . . ." by Diane LeBlanc. They each receive a year's subscription and online posting of their poems. These winning poems appear in this issue.
Times are grim but we hope this journal inspires and awakens a consciousness of class, of solidarity, and of our potential. Our real working class values and unity are the hope of the world.
posted by Jaded Prole at 2:03 PM
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