ISO Pittsburgh: October 2012

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Breaking the Chains: a public forum on the Presidential Election

The system is rigged - can it be changed?

Please join us this Tuesday evening and share your thoughts as we discuss the Presidential Election
and the limits of electoral politics. We will begin with the debate between “progressives” Michael Eric Dyson and Glenn Ford on Democracy Now, followed by an extended open conversation on Obama, the Democrats, and party politics.

Are these our only options? What about third parties?

Is it better to vote for the lesser evil? Does my vote matter?

Tuesday October 30^th

7:30 – 9:00pm

Thomas Merton Center

5129 Penn Avenue

(Free Admission)

isopgh@gmail.com @isopittsburgh

Monday, October 8, 2012

MIDWEST MARXISM CONFERENCE

Ohio State University

in The Ohio Union

Saturday, December 1

9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

http://socialistworker.org/marxism-conferences-2012

Speakers include: Ahmed Shawkey, Shaun Harkin, Haley Swenson, Bill Mullen, Tithi Bhattacharya, Paul Le Blanc, Pranav Jani, Tom Alter

Opening Plenary: 9-9:45 a.m. "World in Crisis, World in Struggle"

Breakout session #1: 10:00-11:30
Lunch time session: How to Build Strong Branches 11:45-1:15
Breakout session #2: 1:30-3:00
Breakout session #3: 3:15-4:45

BREAK-OUT SESSION TOPICS

Marxist Theory of Crisis

Why the Working Class?

Race and Class

Is Marxism Reductive?

Lenin and the Revolutionary Party

Movement Building and the United Front

Closing Plenary: 5-6 The Need for Revolutionary Organization (panel discussion)

Sliding-scale donation for participation in conference: $5 - $20

(Lunch provided by Ohio University -- $10 . . . or bring your own)

TRANSPORTATION: Pittsburgh is about 3.5 hours from Columbus, Ohio -- which means we will have to drive in on Friday (ideally at 5:00 or 6:00 p.m.) in order to participate in the full conference. Sleeping arrangements for Friday night and Saturday night are being made, though some of us may wish to drive back on Saturday, at 6:00 p.m. in order to get home by 9:30 Saturday night.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Paul Le Blanc

412-760-9716 or leblanp1@laroche.edu.

Who We Are

We are the Pittsburgh branch of the International Socialist Organization. Our members are involved in helping to build a number of struggles: the movement to stop American wars abroad, fights against racism and anti-immigrant scapegoating, the struggle for women's rights like the right to choose abortion, opposing anti-gay bigotry, pushing for environmental justice, and standing up for workers' rights. We are committed to building a left alternative to a world of war, racism and poverty.

Read our "Where We Stand" pamphlet for more information.

Why Socialism?

The misery that millions of people around the world face is rooted in the society we live in--capitalism, where the few who rule profit from the labor of the vast majority of the population.

In the U.S., a tiny proportion of the population enjoys fantastic wealth, while millions of people live in desperate poverty, and many more live paycheck to paycheck. Yet we have the resources to feed, clothe and educate everyone on the planet.

A world free of exploitation--socialism--is not only possible but worth fighting for. The ISO stands in the tradition of revolutionary socialists Karl Marx, V.I. Lenin and Leon Trotsky in the belief that workers themselves--the vast majority of the population--are the only force that can lead the fight to win a socialist society. Socialism can't be brought about from above, but has to be won by workers themselves.