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UNITED STATES: FBI targets anti-war movement

BY DALE MILLS US civil liberties groups have reacted with alarm to a leaked FBI memo which equates demonstrations in the USA with terrorist activity. The memo, released by the New York Times on November 23, was dated October 15. Its purpose is to

Loose cannons

Executive action "Six former Kmart executives charged the company for nannies, luxury cars and private chauffeurs even as the discount retailer fought a losing battle against bankruptcy, creditors said in a lawsuit... [f]ormer chief executive and

Patrick dispute ends in compromise

BY SHANE BENTLEY A five-day dispute between Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) maintenance staff employed by Patrick Stevedores at Port Botany in Sydney and Fisherman's Island in Brisbane ended on the afternoon of November 21 after union members

NSW government lies about rail

BY GEOFF PAYNE NEWCASTLE — There is mounting pressure on Premier Bob Carr's Labor government to retain rail services throughout NSW, as people organise to defend public transport. In the face of this, the government and its lackeys can only lie

Labor's deckchair shift cannot hide its bankruptcy

BY PETER BOYLE Simon Crean has gone, but is his replacement any better? The answer was a foregone conclusion even before the December 2 Labor caucus vote. The main options delivered by ALP powerbrokers are: Kim "Bomber" Beazley, Mark

AFGHANISTAN: US occupiers face sea of hostility

BY LESLIE FEINBERG General John Abizaid, top gun in charge of Pentagon forces in the Middle East, summoned his senior commanders to a meeting the week of November 18 at Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to discuss strategy for

John Loh: A principled unionist

BY MICK BULL Former Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) activist and Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) organiser Johnny Loh has died after a long battle with illness. Born in 1953, "Lohie", as he became known, grew up in the

Yaluritja Clarrie Isaacs passes away

BY FEDERICO FUENTES PERTH — The fight for Aboriginal rights, and for a better world, received a blow on November 26, with the passing away of Yaluritja Clarrie Isaacs. Clarrie, an Aboriginal activist, trade unionist, artist and fighter for

Socialist Alliance condemns violence and smear campaign

BY LISA MACDONALD The November 18 assault on Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) national secretary Doug Cameron has generated a torrent of speculation in the corporate media about who committed the assault and why. Despite there being

WA public servants strike

BY CHRIS LATHAM PERTH — On November 27, public servants escalated their campaign for a new certified agreement (CA) with a 24-hour stoppage. The government attempted to put off the strike by making a late offer on November 25. Community and

March protests land clearing

BY JIM MCILROY BRISBANE — On November 27, 200 people marched through city streets demanding an end to uncontrolled land clearing in Queensland. The marchers rallied outside the state parliament on the last day of sitting for the year. At the

I know when Blair and Bush are lying - their lips move

BY JOHN PILGER Shortly before the disastrous visit to Britain by US President George Bush on November 19-21, British Prime Minister Tony Blair was at the Cenotaph on November 11 to mark Remembrance Day. It was an unusual glimpse of a state killer