Yeh, why give people free money directly? they'd just waste it on useless things like food, housing, medicine. Why not give it, instead, to poverty pimps and corporate vultures, who convert those public dollars into huge profits, subsidies, and tax write-offs.

Today in Labor History August 14, 1850: A squatters' riots occurred in Sacramento, California. At the time, Sacramento was an unincorporated territory, seized from Mexico as a spoil of the Mexican-American War. Many people had moved to the region for the gold rush, resulting in land speculation and skyrocketing rents. The squatters challenged the right of John Sutter's Mexican-era claim to the Sacramento Valley and vowed to defend their claims by force. They created their own militia, consisting of dozens of men. The property owners called in the regional militia, with over 500 men. 2 squatters and 3 militiamen died in the battles, as well as 2 bystanders. #workingclass #LaborHistory #squat #housing #sacramento #massacre #riot #gold #speculation #landlords #homeless #rent

Today in Labor History August 12, 2017: Heather Heyer was killed and dozens were injured in a white supremacist terrorist attack in Charlottesville, Virginia. Heyer was an antifascist organizer and one of thousands of people who came out to protest against a Unite the Right rally of neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan activists and other white nationalists. A 20-year-old Nazi deliberately plowed his car into the crowd, causing the injuries and death of Heyer. President Donald Trump described the neo-Nazis as "very fine people." There have been numerous similar attacks on antifascists since then, killing or injuring 100 more activists. At the same time, Republicans in 15 states have attempted to introduce laws that would either legalize vehicular terrorist attacks against activists, or at least protect the attackers from legal liability. #workingclass #LaborHistory #fascism #antifascism #antifa #heatherheyer #kkk #nazis #trump

Today in Labor History August 12, 1936: The First International Brigades arrived in Spain to fight against Franco. Organized by the Communist International, between 40,000 and 60,000 men and women from around the world fought on the Republican side against the fascists. 10,000 of them died. Thousands more international activists joined anti-Stalinist forces, like the socialist POUM, or anarchist groups, like the FAI, CNT and the Durruti Column. Americans defied federal law to participate in the International Brigade, as members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Famous Lincoln participants included Avant Garde composer Conlon Nancarrow, labor organizer Delmer Berg, scifi author Theodore Cogswell, novelist William Herrick. The Tom Mooney Company, named for San Francisco labor organizer, Tom Mooney, who was wrongly imprisoned for the WWI Preparedness Day bombing, was commanded by African American labor organizer Oliver Law, the first African-American to command an integrated American military unit. Many African-Americans joined the anti-franco forces. Langston Hughes, who was writing for the Baltimore Afro-American, said: "Give Franco a hood, and he would be a member of the Ku Klux Klan." There was also a George Washington Battlian, and a John Brown battery. Once the U.S. entered World War II, the FBI recommended that none of the veterans of the Spanish war against fascism be given any promotions within the U.S. military, to prevent the “rise of communists” in their ranks. The House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) blacklisted all American veterans of the Spanish war. You can read my complete article on Tom Mooney here:

Michael Dunn

Tom Mooney and Warren Billings - Michael Dunn

Share via: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More On July 22, 1916, someone set off a bomb during the pro-war “Preparedness Day” parade in San Francisc...

#workingclass #LaborHistory #lincolnbrigades #spain #fascism #antifa #antifascism #anarchism #communism #socialism #stalin #fai #cnt #durruti #tommooney #oliverlaw #union #books #author #writer #composer #Blackmastadon @npub1wceq...lzu8

Today in Labor History August 7, 1971: Jonathan Jackson, aged 17, brother of imprisoned Black Panther George Jackson, raided a Marin County, CA courtroom with an automatic weapon, and freed prisoners James McClain, William A. Christmas and Ruchell Magee. He took a judge, Deputy DA, and three jurors hostage. He demanded the release of the "Soledad Brothers," including his brother. Police killed 3 of the hostages as they attempted to drive away from the courthouse, as well as Jonathan Jackson and the freed inmates. Angela Davis, who owned the weapons used by Jackson, was jailed for 2 years, but was later acquitted of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder. Prior to the escape attempt, Davis had organized a defense committee for the Soledad Brothers which included Noam Chomsky, Pete Seeger, Marlon Brando, Jame Fonda, the scientist Linus Pauling, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg. In 1970, George Jackson had published his book, “Soledad Brother,” a collection of his prison writings from the 1960s, including numerous letters he had written to his then kid brother Jonathan. He also wrote critically about racism and white supremacy, class, and the brutality of the prison system. The Soledad brothers were George Jackson, Fleeta Drumgo and John Clutchette, accused of murdering a prison guard at Soledad Prison, in California, in retaliation for the murder of three black inmates by prison guards three days prior. Clutchette and Drumgo were later acquitted. Jackson never got his day in court. He was murdered by prison guards, at San Quinten Prison, California, before his trial, exactly two weeks after his brother’s murder in the botched escape attempt. George Jackson had originally been imprisoned for the crime of stealing $70 from a gas station in 1961. #workingclass #LaborHistory #georgejackson #angeladavis #blackpanthers #soledadbrothers #riot #sanquinten #prison #murder #police #policeabuse #conspiracy #racism #books #writer #author @npub1wceq...lzu8

Today in Labor History August 7, 1890: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn was born in Concord, New Hampshire. Flynn joined the IWW in 1907, two years after its formation, and quickly became one of their best organizers. She was instrumental in the Patterson Silk Strike (1913). In 1909, during the Spokane Free Speech fight, she chained herself to a lamp post to delay her arrest. Jess Waters portrayed her role in the Spokane struggle in his 2020 novel, “The Cold Millions.” John Updike also fictionalized her in his book, “In the Beauty of the Lilies,” (1996). Flynn was a socialist early in her life, but later joined the Communist Party USA, rising to its chair in 1961. She was also a founding member of the ACLU, where she played an important role in the defense of Sacco and Vanzetti. Additionally, she was a feminist activist, fighting for birth control rights and women’s suffrage. In 1934, despite her poor health, she actively supported the West Coast Longshore Strike. She was also a prolific writer, including the 1916 book, “Sabotage: the Conscious Withdrawal of Workers Efficiency.” The famous IWW bard, Joe Hill, wrote the song “Rebel Girl” (1915) for Flynn, and the photograph of a woman, holding a red flag, on the cover of the sheet music, bears a striking resemblance to Flynn. #workingclass #LaborHistory #eliazabethgurleyflynn #IWW #union #organizing #strike #sabotage #communism #socialism #anarchism #aclu #writer #author #books #fiction #novels @npub1wceq...lzu8