Dear Sisters and Brothers,

You are invited to participate in the upcoming “Rally against Republicans, Who are Hurting Us!” on Saturday, February 28, at 2 pm, on the sidewalks at the intersection of Harrisburg and Macario Garcia (Hwy 90) in Houston.

The purpose of the Rally is to expose the Republicans and the Far Right for their increasingly dangerous attacks on workers, people of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQ communities, and the masses as a whole—and to help develop the kind of independent working class political action which will be required to stop these dangerous attacks. This event is being organized by the Houston Socialist Movement.

We are resolutely opposed to the Republicans and the Far Right harming the working class and the masses of people by

• * further militarizing the border
• * supporting racist militias on the border
• * repealing in-state tuition for undocumented college students
• * attempting to end DACA and executive relief for undocumented people,
• * harassing Texas legislators who oppose “Open Carry”
• * making openly racist attacks on people of color, Muslims, and other minorities
• * refusing to expand Medicaid
• * attempting to cut Security and Medicare
• * refusing to adequately fund public schools
• * refusing to adequately fund veterans care
• * opposing improved services for the disabled
• * opposing measures to reduce unemployment
• * opposing a living wage for all workers
• * constantly adding to the legal and economic privileges and rights of the very rich
• * calling for new wars in Iraq, Syria, and Iran
• * giving Latin American governments taxpayer money to repress their people under the  guise of fighting the drug trade

…and more!

We are committed to helping workers and democratic-minded people of all nationalities understand that these problems are rooted in the capitalist system and that socialism here in the United States and around the world is the answer to these problems.

We hope you will plan to join us for the Rally on Saturday, February 28. If you would like more information, please call (832) 692-2306.

In Solidarity,

Houston Socialist Movement

Hi,

President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and Senator John McCain have dishonored the people of the United States by their support of the fascist government in the Ukraine. Any military assistance to the anti-Semitic, anti-worker government in the Ukraine would be an act of provocation towards Russia. Working people do not need a war with Russia which without doubt would be catastrophic to Europe and the United States at the very least. We must not forget that we can all be cremated equally!

That’s why I created a petition to The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Barack Obama, which says:

“We oppose sending military support of any kind to the fascist government in the Ukraine!”

Will you sign this petition? Click here:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/no-to-war-with-russia?source=c.em.mt&r_by=8638452

Thanks!

http://act.credoaction.com/sign/Bernie_Sanders_TPP?

Republicans in the new Congress have already launched a backdoor attack against Social Security and moved to gut Wall Street reforms with more bailout for big banks. And now they are working with the Obama administration for the next big item on their agenda – a titanic corporate power grab called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

We need to fight now to ensure the American public, which has purposefully been kept in the dark about the TPP, knows exactly what is in it.

Fortunately, Senator Bernie Sanders is fired up. He is championing the public interest by demanding the Obama Administration make public the content of all trade agreements such as the TPP.¹ And, this is a key moment for us to stand with him.

Tell President Obama: Make the full text of all pending trade agreements public.

Trade agreements such as the TPP are being negotiated behind closed doors by the governments of a dozen countries (including ours) in collusion with corporate interests. This secret “trade” deal would eviscerate broad swaths of regulations that protect consumers, workers, the environment and the soundness of our financial system. And it would set up a legal regime where corporate profits trump the policy priorities of sovereign governments.

Under a trade agreement such as the TPP, more American jobs would be offshored. Internet freedom would be a joke. Developing countries would lose access to lifesaving medicines. Unsafe foods and products could pour into our country while we’re powerless to stop them. Gone would be the days when the United States could regulate coal exports. The excesses of our crazy intellectual property laws that privilege corporate control over innovation would be both exacerbated and extended internationally. And, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Soon congress will be taking up “Fast Track” legislation which would short-circuit the typical legislative process when trade deals like the TPP come up for a vote. In fact, the reason the corporate lobby is pushing hard for Fast Track is that they know the TPP could not get through Congress without this extraordinary power grab.

You might think a far-reaching proposal such as the TPP would be subject to intense public debate. But the text of the proposed deal is considered classified by our government and even members of Congress have been given extremely limited access to it.

The little we do know about the deal we know because drafts of some of its chapters were leaked last year.

Yet, while the government has kept the public and Congress largely in the dark about the TPP, it has given 600 corporate advisers access to the full text of the proposal. As Senator Sanders has demanded, President Obama’s trade negotiators must “stop operating in the shadows and come clean with details of an agreement.”²

Tell President Obama: Make the full text of all pending trade agreements public.

Senator Elizabeth Warren has warned that trade deals like the TPP could provide an opportunity for “banks to get something done quietly out of sight that they could not accomplish in a public place with the cameras rolling and the lights on.”³

Indeed, leaked chapters of the TPP included provisions that would majorly hamstring the ability of governments to stem the next banking crisis.⁴

Other provisions would allow multinational corporations to sue governments in foreign courts that are staffed by corporate lawyers when governmental regulations cut into corporate profit.⁵

It would be outrageous for the Obama Administration to allow the Republican leadership and their corporate allies within the Democratic party to ram through Fast Track, without allowing all members of Congress, their staff, and the American public to read what is in trade agreements such as the TPP.

This is why Senator Sanders is demanding the Obama administration to at least follow the example of the European Union which has already published the full text of a separate proposed trade agreement with the United States.⁶

Stand with Senator Sanders by demanding President Obama to immediately release the full text of all pending trade agreements.

Thank you for speaking out. Your activism matters

1. Senator Bernie Sanders’ letter to United States Trade Representative, January 5, 2015.
2. Senator Bernie Sanders’ press release, “Sanders Contrasts U.S. Trade Secrecy to EU Transparency,” Sanders.senate.gov, January 7, 2015.
3. Kate Davidson, “Elizabeth Warren: Trade talks could weaken bank oversight,” Politico, May 8, 2013.
4. Zach Carter, “Obama Faces Backlash Over New Corporate Powers In Secret Trade Deal,” Huffington Post, Dec. 08, 2013
5. Ibid.
6. Senator Bernie Sanders’ press release, “Sanders Contrasts U.S. Trade Secrecy to EU Transparency.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAaWvVFERVA&sns=em

Published time: February 02, 2015 11:41
Edited time: February 03, 2015 06:57 

http://rt.com/news/228495-maduro-venezuela-us-coup/

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro (Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)

The US is behind the attempted coup in Venezuela – that is the accusation President Nicolas Maduro has leveled amid widespread protests back home. And it’s none other than Vice-president Joe Biden who’s behind the entire operation, Maduro alleges.

This is the first time a direct accusation of this gravity was made in front of thousands of cheering spectators and the world at large, despite an earlier Friday statement, when Maduro struck out at several US federal agencies for allegedly plotting against Venezuela.

“The northern imperial power has entered a dangerous phase of desperation, going to talk to the continent’s governments to announce the overthrow of my government. And I accuse Vice-president Joe Biden of this,” the head of state said, addressing the people at the 198th anniversary of the birth of a Venezuelan hero general Zamora in Cua, Miranda state.

He also questioned US President Barack Obama publically, whether he was “aware of these plans to promote violence and a coup in Venezuela” and “appealed to his consciousness.”

“There are US diplomats in Venezuela contracting military officials to betray their country, looking to influence socialist political leaders, public opinion leaders and entrepreneurs to provoke a coup,” the head of state went on.

READ MORE: Venezuela accuses Kerry of murder and inciting violence

The President addressed the nation on Sunday in order to strengthen its resolve in times of what he called “a bloody coup”, as demonstrators flooded the streets demanding his resignation amid an economic crisis that is hitting the food sector first, just as the voices of thousands of others could be heard cheering him on, as they smiled and waved flags.

But according to Maduro, this is no ordinary crisis. “I appeal to the people and the patriots among the officials who are on high alert, as a bloody coup is underway in Venezuela.”

“The people must be prepared to rescue their democracy, the Constitution and their revolution” at times like these, the head of state warned.

READ MORE: The US is behind the current drop in oil prices – Bolivia’s president

The New York Times pointed out on January 2 that an unnamed official had said Maduro was interested in improving his relationship with Biden, and the Venezuelan leader said after the meet that he “told Vice-president Biden, and have said it 1,000 times in public and in private, we want respectful relations, nothing more.”

But as the price of oil – which accounts for 95 percent of its export earnings – begins to plunge, so do Maduro’s public ratings, which are now at little more than 20 percent, according to local media.

READ MORE: Venezuela plunges into recession with record inflation

With the situation changing, Maduro said that it’s difficult to imagine, despite earlier promises, how to maintain diplomatic relations with the US, in light of its constant attempts to subvert the Venezuelan leadership and sink the country into a crisis.

“They [the opposition] say that the revolution is over, that the people no longer support it. They say they will overthrow the people and the revolutionary government that I chair. But I say to the conspirators – stay out of Venezuela, let us live in peace.”

READ MORE: Venezuela adds new currency market to save ailing economy

Washington and Caracas have been at odds regularly after iconic former leader Hugo Chavez had come to power in 2000. The US had already been accused of trying to undermine the Venezuelan government in 2002, when a coup saw Chavez ousted from office for 47 hours, before order was restored.