Big Brother is Already at Work

by Giorgos Mitralias

July 29, 2024
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Image Source: Screenshot from AzPost Video

A highlight of the Olympic flame’s peregrinations through France was its meeting with a “102-year-old former Resistance fighter”, which was celebrated by the country’s media, who were quick to see it as an apotheosis of the flame’s… humanist and pacifist virtues. All the more so as this otherwise very sympathetic old lady declared that she wanted to carry the Olympic flame “in the name of the values of friendship between peoples that she defended during the Resistance”. Obviously, the old resistance fighter, like the majority of her compatriots, would have had diametrically opposed feelings if the authorities and their media hadn’t hidden the terrible truth from them, if they had explained to them that this Olympic flame had been invented by Joseph Goebbels, one of the greatest criminals in the history of mankind, that its first course paved the way for the Second World Butchery by delineating the future Third Reich, and that the current Olympic circus has its origins in the Berlin Olympics (1936) of triumphant Nazism… (1)

The conclusion is frightening: what was supposed to be the symbol of racism, chauvinism, obscurantism and the most extreme exterminating barbarism is presented to us as the symbol of humanism, friendship between peoples and pacifism! In short, we’re already immersed in a nightmarish reality reminiscent of that described by George Orwell in his brilliant “1984”, where “War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength”.

In fact, there’s every indication that this Orwellian “Newspeak” is catching on, and that it’s becoming a school of thought among our neoliberal rulers of every stripe and color. Take, for example, the President of the French Republic himself, when he declares loud and clear that he “had no winners” in the recent legislative elections, thus insinuating that the 160 elected from his camp or the 143 from the extreme right equal the 195 elected from the New Popular Front (NFP). And this despite the fact that Mr. Macron suffered three crushing electoral defeats in the space of a few weeks, and that the united left of the NFP came out ahead of the other formations, even significantly improving its parliamentary representation. And why all this? Quite simply, to deny the NFP its right to form the next government as the winner of the elections and the leading parliamentary force, allowing Mr. Macron to continue governing as if nothing had happened. Conclusion: 160=195 and beware of those who think otherwise…

Like, for example, those who persist in thinking that denouncing the genocidal Netanyahu is not anti-Semitism. They risk being accused of… anti-Semitism and “apology for terrorism” and publicly lynched by the French political establishment, its media and above all by… notorious anti-racists and humanists such as the leaders and deputies of that far-right party founded by Waffen SS and other torturers, the Rassemblement Nationale. But beware, there’s much worse to come: to bring the Orwellian circle full circle, we have just witnessed the birth in France (but also in Germany and elsewhere) of a veritable “thought police” (the famous Orwellian Thought Police) which goes so far as to summon the “accused” and open investigations for “apologie de terrorisme” and “provocation à l’antisémitisme” even against leaders and deputies of the political opposition who dared to express their support for the victims of the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza and denounced the Israeli genocidaires, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity!

But these notorious racists and patent anti-Semites, who are currently leading the hunt for so-called left-wing “anti-Semites”, are not just French. They are everywhere, forming a network, if not an outline, of the Brown International, and include in their ranks such first-rate figures known for their… humanism as Hungarian Prime Minister Orban, former US and Brazilian Presidents Trump and Bolsonaro, Indian Prime Minister Modi, Italian Prime Minister Meloni and his minister Salvini, and dozens of others of the same ilk. In short, the world upside down...(2)

It’s exactly this topsy-turvy world that the media (led by the French) are trying to make us accept when they establish and perpetuate their new hierarchy of “values” day after day, which means, for example, that for months they have said and shown absolutely nothing about the daily hecatomb of Palestinian civilians killed, or rather massacred, by Israel in Gaza. In fact, on the very rare occasions when they deign to devote a few seconds to these unfortunate martyrs, they still use words and expressions straight out of Orwellian “Newspeak”: there are never any bombardments, only “strikes” of usually mysterious, unspecified origin, always aimed at Hamas leaders and other terrorists. And as for the defenseless victims of these “strikes”, which are really just target practice, they can’t complain too much, because their homes and towns are still home to terrorists, and Israel is “only defending itself”.

So it’s not at all unimportant to learn that the only time one of these “humanists” who govern us dared to tell the truth, he was censored by both sides, by the unconditional supporters of Israel who massacres the Palestinians and by the friends and sympathizers of Mr. Putin’s Russia who massacres the Ukrainians. We’re talking about Mr. Putin’s right-hand man and Russia’s irremovable Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who not only noted that “Israel pursues goals similar to those of Russia”, but also explained that “the complete destruction of the Hamas movement” and “the elimination of all extremism in Gaza” are similar to the “demilitarization” and “denazification” that Moscow has been pursuing in Ukraine since the start of the offensive in February 2022! “ (3) These didactic statements by Mr. Lavrov, which would normally be “front-page news” in the international media, have nevertheless been totally ignored and eloquently silenced, and the very few (no more than 2-3) articles that have picked them up have been censored by mutual agreement (!) by one side or the other, not just in France, but all over the world! And what is even more revolting is that they have been censored by the Left, because there is only a minority of this international Left who have the courage to say and do what should be the most elementary duty of people on the Left: to be without mincing words and without self-interested pseudo-pacifisms, for both the Palestinians and the Ukrainians until their final victory against their Russian and Israeli oppressors and mass murderers!…

So here we are, ready to conclude with these pseudo-pacifisms which, these days, are the prerogative of all those around the world who make, prepare or support war without daring to say so openly. First of all, the wars in Ukraine and Palestine, where they preach a lame “peace” without the aggressor withdrawing and being punished for his crimes. In fact, their “peace” seems to come straight out of Orwellian Newspeak, since it is tantamount to rewarding war, encouraging those who would wage it, and also accustoming us to the fact that the right of the strongest is the rule that should govern relations between human beings. Clearly, our current world is beginning to resemble more and more closely the dystopian world that Orwell created 76 years ago, to warn us of what awaits us if we don’t react in time to those who dream of a totalitarian world where the absolutism of Big Brother clones reigns. So it’s up to us to react and resist…

Notes

1. See The Olympic Flame Scam: a Wonderful Idea From Dr. Goebbels!

2. See “ When Einstein Called “Fascists” Those Who Rule Israel for The Last 44 Years… “: https://janataweekly.org/when-einstein-called-fascists-those-who-rule-israel-for-the-last-44-years/

3. See “Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister: ‘Israel pursues objectives similar to those of Russia’: https://againstthecurrent.org/sergei-lavrov-israel-pursues-objectives-similar-to-those-of-russia/

Teamsters Über Alles?

by Joe Allen

 July 30, 2024
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Teamster General President Sean O’Brien’s speech before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee was a public relation’s fiasco. His fawning praise for former President Donald Trump (“one tough S.O.B”) to his shout outs to Josh Hawley and JD Vance, two U.S. Senators closely aligned with European Fascism and anti-union politics, along with the enthusiastic applause from fascist-friendly commentator Tucker Carlson, are unforgettable. Scenes like these and a prime time speaking slot are usually reserved for rising stars of the far right, not union leaders.

Even before O’Brien took the stage in Milwaukee, John Palmer, the only dissenting voice on the Teamsters General Executive Board (GEB), told the Guardian:

“It is unconscionable for any labor leader to lend an air of legitimacy to a candidate and a political party, neither of which can be said to have done, or can be expected to do, anything to improve the lives of the workers we are pledged to represent. The Teamsters conducted a poll of which the majority of members chose not to support Donald Trump.”

Few followed Palmer’s lead before the convention and many others waited to see what O’Brien had to say. Notably missing from O’Brien’s speech was any reference to former President Donald Trump’s attempted presidential coup on January 6, 2022, or the widespread support among the delegates for his coup plotting and threats to be “a dictator.” No reference to curtailing voting rights or Trump’s threats of mass deportations of refugees and immigrants. His silence on these critical and unavoidable issues, along with his reference to the “American worker” gave the impression that the Teamsters and Trump were on the same page.

Soon after he concluded his speech, condemnation of him came quickly. Liz Shuler, the President of the AFL-CIO, the main trade union federation that the Teamsters are not affiliated with, released a statement that said, “Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are on the bosses’ side. We won’t be fooled.” Matthew Biggs, president of the 90,000-member International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, told the Washington Post:

“It’s disappointing to see a national labor leader speak like that at the GOP convention. Make no mistake about it, their intent is to crush federal unions and have mass firings of federal employees and turn the government into an at-will employer where people are hired and fired based on their political leanings.”

Other union leaders and Teamster rank and file activists piled on. Labor journalist Hamilton Nolan called O’Brien a “patsy,” while fellow labor journalist and activist Talia Jane called him a “scab.” O’Brien responded to public criticism by further demonstrating his support for Josh Hawley by tweeting in support of Hawley’s article (“The Promise of Pro-Labor Conservatism”, where he condemned corporate initiatives around diversity, equity, inclusion, and transgender workers. Hawley wrote in the fascist-leaning Compact magazine, the day after O’Brien spoke at the RNC:

The C-suite long ago sold out the United States, shuttering factories in the homeland and gutting American jobs, while using the profits to push diversity, equity, and inclusion and the religion of the trans flag.

O’Brien tweeted “@HawleyMO is 100% on point.”

Some O’Brien supporters on social media tried to deflect criticism by pointing to him calling out corporate greed and condemning major non-union corporations, such as Amazon. But, many of these same, not all, corporations are the targets of the mainstream and far right for their “woke capitalism” or what used to be called corporate liberalism. One brave Teamster staffer with access to the union’s social media attacked O’Brien:

“Unions gain nothing from endorsing the racist, misogynistic, and anti-trans politics of the far right, no matter how much people like Sen. Hawley attempt to tether such bigotry to a cynical pro-labor message. The message this sends to Teamsters of color, Teamster women, and LGBTQ Teamsters is that they are not welcome in the union unless they surrender their identity to a new kind of anti-woke unionism. You don’t unite a diverse working class by scoffing at its diversity.”

It was later deleted.

When O’Brien received an email from Chris Fuentes, the national President of the official Teamsters LGBTQ+ caucus, expressing his concern about the tweet in support of Hawley, his mealy mouthed response was totally disingenuous. O’Brien wrote:

“My resharing of the article was meant to further highlight the call for bipartisanship labor reform and was in no way intended to support negative criticism of social issue.”

“It is certainly regrettable that my retweet has caused consternation and confusion among members of the LGBTQ+ Caucus.”

Then why did O’Brien say Hawley was 100% on point?

With the Teamsters and O’Brien coming under heavy criticism, a siege mentality has gripped the union with pressure on well-known Teamster activists to demonstrate loyalty to O’Brien. Many changed their social media profile to display pictures of them arm-in-arm with him, while a new hashtag has appeared — #usagainsteverybody — promoting T-shirts that boldly proclaim “Teamsters vs. Everybody.” O’Brien on his Facebook page displayed an American Flag with the same hashtag in response to pro-Palestine demonstrations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, D.C. The Teamsters are one of the few major unions that have not called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Left and O’Brien

Has the tide turned against O’Brien? It wasn’t very long ago that there were only a handful of voices speaking out against O’Brien and his administration. The sharp turn against O’Brien includes Labor Notes and Jacobin magazine, who up until recently were his boosters. So, it’s good see Labor Notes editor Alexandra Bradbury taking O’Brien straight on:

Union leaders, though, should lead. They owe it to their own members — and to every member of the working class who would be harmed by a second Trump administration — to fight to keep anti-worker politicians out of office.

We get why union leaders want “access”; they’ve been shut out of real influence for so long. But it’s delusional to think that Trump might swap out his anti-worker — really, anti-humanity — policies; they are at the core of his being. One more person kissing his ring won’t change that.

I was really happy to see her address his rank xenophobia, Bradbury wrote:

The most ominous theme in O’Brien’s speech was nationalism. He hammered on the phrase “American workers” and said Amazon’s worst crime is a lack of allegiance to the United States — aligning nicely with right-wing “America First” talking points. Yet his audience was the same party that opposes warehouse safety bills, opposes bills to make it easier to organize a union, and opposes the joint-employer rules that would hold Amazon accountable.

Alex Press writing in Jacobin captured the bewilderment of many rank-and-file Teamsters:

For Teamsters members who understand it as such, many of whom devoted countless hours to helping O’Brien win the union’s presidency over James P. Hoffa’s chosen successor, watching their elected president assist in such a project is excruciating.

Working-class independence is indeed the only way workers will wrest power and resources from employers and the many elected officials who do their bidding. Flattering the GOP, however, is anything but that.

As O’Brien put it on the RNC stage, union leaders cannot keep pursuing the same strategies as their predecessors; their members cannot allow them to do so. O’Brien and Fain [Shawn Fain, UAW President] are offering two versions of what “different” entails. One is a path to greater working-class independence. The other? To greater working-class humiliation.

Yet, Bradbury wrote that him speaking at the RNC “was a bad move,” while “much of the speech would have been fine if he had delivered it somewhere else.” Maybe so, but I think we have to speak more clearly about the sinister plotting that is going on here by O’Brien. Bradbury leaves out that Fain endorsed Biden and will likely endorse Vice-President Kamala Harris, this is not independence but the traditional trap of mainstream Democratic Party politics in the U.S.

What is also missing from Bradbury and Press’ reevaluation of O’Brien is any accountability for the role the left played in promoting him. Soon after he was elected General President of the Teamsters, he was welcomed uncritically at the 2022 Labor Notes conference. Despite his private meeting with Trump in Mar-a-Lago in January and Trump’s meeting with the union’s executive board, O’Brien was welcomed again at this year’s Labor Notes conference, where he did a major fundraiser for the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU).

The TDU, the former reform group that has roots in the rank and file movements in the 1970s, has traveled very far from its radical origins as a political project of the International Socialists. Today, it is a comfortable part of the O’Brien administration and serves as an attack dog against critics, especially those on the left, while defending some of the worst practices of the leadership. TDU’s leadership, notably Ken Paff and David Levine have a special animus towards former allies and the left, regularly preventing socialist activists from attending the TDU convention. O’Brien shares their animus, he threw the RNC delegates some red meat when I told the crowd, “the left call me a traitor” for agreeing to speak in Milwaukee.

Tom Leedham, a three-time reform candidate for the leadership of the Teamsters supported by TDU each time, and Dan LaBotz, an historian of TDU, wrote:

“In the past, Teamsters for a Democratic Union would have taken up issues such as those raised above [automation, racism]. But TDU’s “coalition” with O’Brien has led to the organization’s total loss of independence and subordination to the O’Brien administration.”

TDU has clearly reached the end of the road as a project of the left in the United States. Sean O’Brien’s speech at the RNC wasn’t about demonstrating the independence of his union or promoting bipartisanship, it was about coddling up to the far right in the Republican Party and making common cause with many of its most prominent fascist-leaning politicians. A new left needs to be built in the Teamsters.

JOE ALLEN is the author of The Package King: A Rank and File History of United Parcel Service.