The Politics of Food

Thanksgiving is in less than a week, and ISO Pittsburgh member Russell Pryor has put together a fantastic presentation-and-discussion event entitled "The Politics of Food" that we'll be hosting on Tuesday, November 23rd at 7:30 p.m.

Below is a preview of Russell's presentation.

The modern food industry is inherently inhumane and unsustainable. The herbicides, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and, increasingly, genetically modified crops that make the modern industrial agricultural system run hurt most everyone and everything involved. The production process destroys groundwater and soil and disrupts local ecosystems while simultaneously poisoning farm workers, rural communities, and, eventually, consumers. Much of the grain produced in this agro-industrial system ends up in antibiotic-laced feeds for livestock and poultry. "Confined animal feeding operations" (or CAFOs, as these factories are called) produce millions more tons of waste than rural ecosystems can take on, and serve as ideal breeding grounds for pathogens. Debt-strapped contract farmers operate under the iron hell of fewer and fewer corporations, and the men and women who catch and process their animals work in some of the lowest paying, most dangerous jobs in the country. The regulatory system in this country is, in many ways, a cruel joke. More than anything, it provides us with a false sense of security.

On the retail and restaurant end of the system, millions of workers, many of them young and virtually all of them underpaid and highly exploited, cook and serve our food, stock the shelves, or ring us up every day. Obesity and related diseases have reached epidemic proportions, along with other eating disorders. Nicely arranged supermarket aisles, colorful, eye-catching advertisements, and pleasant, seemingly sterile packaging obscure all of this from view. Chicken McNuggets, after all don't have a backstory; they're just Chicken McNuggets... Not so much.

Join the Pittsburgh branch of the International Socialist Organization for a presentation and discussion about how we all got into such a sad state and, most importantly, how we work to remake our food system.

Ecology and Socialism

We're excited to announce that longtime environmental activist Chris Williams will be taking part in an event on Saturday, November 6th entitled ECOLOGY AND SOCIALISM. Williams is professor of physics and chemistry at Pace University and chair of the science department at Packer Collegiate Institute. In addition he is a frequent contributor to the International Socialist Review (ISR) magazine. Ecology and Socialism is his first book, and ISO Pittsburgh is happily hosting him to speak on the issues that it raises.

Williams writes, in the first part of his 2008 piece "Hothouse Earth: Capitalism, climate change, and the fate of humanity":

Solving the problem of global warming requires understanding the relationship between capitalism and the environment, examining the solutions on offer within the framework of the system, and determining whether those solutions are up to the task of preventing a runaway greenhouse effect. The world system of capitalism has been, and will continue to be, largely impotent in the face of climate change, not because there are evil, uneducated, backward individuals in power--though this is arguably true in many cases--but because capitalism's own social relations prevent effective solutions from being realized. The blind, unplanned drive to accumulate that is the hallmark of capitalist production--the profit motive--has created the problem of climate change, not individuals' profligate natures or overpopulation. Therefore, the system of economic production and distribution needs to be transformed or we will be living on a much less hospitable planet.

The intersection of environmental issues and economics is especially relevant to us as Pittsburghers--our region's natural resources and the multifaceted industrial history of the area have exposed generation after generation to the realities of the nature of capitalism. From the early days of glass production, to the steel industry that swept over a huge swath of northern Appalachia and then sharply contracted, to the nascent growth of high-tech and "green industry" that could be reshaping the Rust Belt, Pittsburgh has reflected America's economic and industrial pulse.

Currently, the issue of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") has come to the fore, as numerous energy companies vie for leasing rights to drill into the ground and pump rock deposits with chemicals that release natural gas. The chemicals--kept as trade secrets--are flammable and toxic. In a piece for Socialist Worker entitled "Don't frack with Pittsburgh", ISO Pittsburgh members Russell and Nick outlined the issues surrounding fracking from a region-specific perspective: "Energy corporations are again on the prowl in rural Pennsylvania."

ECOLOGY AND SOCIALISM will be held on Saturday, November 6th at 4:00 p.m. at University of Pittsburgh's Frick Fine Arts Building, room 202.

Socialism In Our Time, a day school event

On Saturday October 23rd, we are hosting a comprehensive event that we call a "day school"--three engaging talks by three active members of the ISO, all under the heading "Socialism In Our Time." The work shop-style event will focus on Marxist ideas and experiences to effect social change. It's to take place from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Frick Fine Arts Building, room 202. But come whenever you can, and stay as long as you're able! We'll have pizza delivered for lunch, and all of our literature to peruse and purchase will be on hand. The following is our schedule for the day:

10:30 a.m. Ashley Smith will speak on "The Revolutionary Ideas of Karl Marx"

1:00 p.m. Sherry Wolf will speak on "Overcoming Divisions in the Working Class"

2:45 p.m. Paul Le Blanc will speak on "Marxist Perspectives on Revolutionary Organization"

And here's a bit about each of our featured speakers:

Ashley Smith is an activist, co-founder of the Burlington, Vermont Anti-War Coalition, secretary of the Vermont chapter of the United Writers Union (UAW 1981), northeast regional organizer for the ISO, editorial boardmember of the International Socialist Review magazine, and contributor to the Socialist Worker newspaper, among other publications. Check out this video of a presentation entitled "Socialism 101" he gave recently at the Burlington, Vermont branch of the ISO.

Sherry Wolf is a member of the ISO, associate editor of the ISR magazine, long-time activist for LGBTI equality, and author of "Sexuality and Socialism: History, Politics and Theory of LGBT Liberation," which was named one of The Progressive's favorite books of 2009. She was a leading organizer for the 2009 National Equality March, as well as a founding organizer of the resulting Equality Across America coalition. She keeps a blog here, and you can see a video of her talk "Sex Wars," given at the Socialism conference in 2010, here.

Paul Le Blanc is a professor of history and a life-long revolutionary socialist activist based in Pittsburgh. He serves as the national coordinator of the ISO's anti-war fraction. He is the author of several books, including Lenin and the Revolutionary Party, A Short History of the U.S. Working Class, and Black Liberation and the American Dream, and most recently co-edited Leon Trotsky, Writings from Exile, which comes out in 2011.

Hope to see you there!

We'll be at the Pittsburgh Flea this Sunday

ISO Pittsburgh will be at the Pittsburgh Flea this Sunday, October 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Flea is a Pittsburgh standby, with vendors from all over the region selling a variety of wares, and this will be our first time there. We will be selling used books donated by branch members. The proceeds of the day's sales will go toward hosting more events with guest speakers this fall.

This will be the first time ISO Pittsburgh sets up at the Flea, and since Sunday's forecast is looking sunny with a high of 75º, you have to come out and take a look!

The Flea takes place at 21st Street and Railroad Street, behind the Society for Contemporary Crafts building. Check out Pittsburgh Flea's website for more information and photos from past events.

Join the Socialist Contingent at the October 2nd One Nation Rally!

Hundreds of thousands of Americans organized by labor and civil rights organizations will gather in Washington, D.C., on October 2 to demand a change in the direction that our nation is heading.

We are proud to join this march to demand jobs, to demand an end to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and for a society that is fairer, more equal and more just. We believe it important to be in the capital on that date to help create a counterweight to Glenn Beck, the Tea Party and Republicans, their reactionary politics, ruthless economics and their racism.

We do not, however, share the goals of the AFL-CIO, the NAACP and other organizations which hope to achieve jobs and justice by supporting Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in the national elections on November 2.

We believe that it has become quite clear now that neither Democrats nor the Republicans are capable of solving the country's three great crises--the economy, the environment and the wars--in a way that will be good for the American people. The goals of a full-employment economy, real environmental sustainability and peace cannot be achieved by our capitalist system and the corporations motivated only by profit. We need a new direction toward a new system.

Read more at SocialistWorker.org.

So, Pittsburghers, join the socialist contingent at the rally!

One group that is providing free same-day bus services to D.C. and back is the NAACP. These buses will leave from the Hill House at 1835 Centre Avenue at 4:00 a.m. and will return to Pittsburgh immediately following the march, with an expected return of about 10:30 p.m. To reserve your free place on the bus, e-mail taylor.celeste@gmail.com, or contact Celeste at 412.670.0937. More information about their generosity at naacp-pittsburgh.org.

Once in D.C., the ISO will be marching within the socialist contingent, with a meeting place of 12th and Constitution Avenue (NW) at 10:00 a.m.

After the rally's events, the ISO will be holding a forum entitled "Socialism for the 21st Century." Join us at 5:00 p.m. at Busboys & Poets, at 2021 14th Street (at V Street). Featured will be Dan La Botz, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, and others.

To meet up with ISO Pittsburgh's group in D.C. on Saturday, contact Paul at 412.760.9716, or look for our banner among the socialist contingent. It'll be an exciting, energized day, and we hope to seeing you there. We have a world to win!

"Workers' Republic" Documentary Screening

Next Tuesday's meeting, September 28th, will feature a screening of Workers' Republic, a documentary telling the story of the workers of the Republic Windows & Doors plant in Chicago, who, when laid off without severance in 2008, staged a sit-in with the help of the United Electrical (UE) workers union and won their due compensation.



The screening starts at 7:30 p.m., with a presentation and discussion by Al Hart, editor of UE News.

Sponsored by the Economic Justice Committee, a project of the Thomas Merton Center, and with support from University of Pittsburgh's ISO group, this event will take place at ISO Pittsburgh's usual meeting place in Dining Room A at the William Pitt Student Union Building.

RSVP to our event on Facebook.

Pakistani Flood Relief Show at Shadow Lounge

This summer, monsoon floods swept over Pakistan, killing thousands and displacing millions. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN, called it the "worst disaster" he's ever witnessed. The Washington Post reported that "more than 8 million people are in need of emergency assistance."

Springing to action, the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign has launched Revolutionary Flood Relief and Protest Committees across Pakistan, especially in the intensely affected areas, to conduct an efficient and effective rescue and relief effort. Fifty seven camps of this campaign have been set up in various regions and is appealing for help.

Locally, the PTUDC is co-sponsoring a benefit show featuring a number of bands:

Edhochuli
Masochrist
The Edukators
The Pheromones Underground
Old Accusers
Code Orange Kids

The show is taking place at the Shadow Lounge at 5972 Baum Boulevard on September 26th, starting at 5:00 p.m. Cover is $5, which is going to this urgent relief effort.

Co-sponsoring the show along with the PTUDC, is the Workers International League, the Campaign for a Mass Party of Labor, the Economic Justice Committee of the Thomas Merton Center, University of Pittsburgh's branch of Students for a Democratic Society, and ISO Pittsburgh.

Read more about this natural disaster and what can be done to help.
RSVP to our event on Facebook.

Pittsburgh to Chicago: Socialism 2010

With the economy in shambles and with wars and occupations continuing, the challenge to change these conditions confronts us all. More than a year ago, millions placed their hopes in Barack Obama and the Democrats to solve these problems. But after months of broken promises and concessions to conservatives, jobs are scarce, the banks are unregulated, and full equality for LGBT people remains elusive.

Socialism 2010—to be held in both Chicago and Oakland—will provide an unparalleled opportunity for new and veteran activists and scholars to explore questions about how we got into this mess and how we can get out of it.

Last year, more than 1,800 people turned out to explore the history of struggles of ordinary people, to learn about radical figures who led social movements and to debate theoretical questions that can help us change the world.

Join us for more than 100 talks on issues such as: What is the Real Marxist Tradition?, Race in the Obama Era, Capitalism, Climate Change, and the Future of Humanity, Abortion and Women’s Liberation, and Building a New Left in the Obama Era.

Want to go with us? Contact us at isopittsburgh@yahoo.com for details and so we can make plans. For all other information, click here.