Understanding and Responding to the Global Economic Crisis, September 8, 2010

Talks, Teaching/Lectures, Writings

Presented in Thessaloniki, Greece, September 8, 2010 at the A-Fest, Festival of the Anti-Authoritarians
We are living in a world where the people of most countries are suffering from high unemployment, heightened job insecurity, continuing and obscene inequalities of wealth and income both within most countries, and between the global North and global South, with widespread hunger and poverty. Most of the corporate and government elites are claiming that the major economic problem right now are large government deficits and government debt; and that government spending for pensions, for public sector wages, and for social programs must be cut back. Greece, which you know much more about than me, in order to get loans from the IMF and European Union is consciously following these austerity policies. By cutting consumer, business and government demand, these inhumane and unnecessary austerity policies are causing the already high unemployment and poverty to worsen and grow towards 15-20% in the next few years with output, GDP, and real incomes and wages also falling…

Read full talk:
Understanding and Responding to the Global Economic Crisis

Recent Writings on the Economy

Reflections on Current Events, Writings,

Here are three articles that Robin Hahnel and I wrote in Summer, 2010 on the continuing high unemployment problems faced by working people in most countries, and the the negative effects of their restrictive fiscal  policies. We explain why these harmful programs are usually promoted by these governments chief economics and political advisers. Read our commentaries in the 2010 section of this website at My Writings page.

Why I Support the Boycott of Israeli Goods from the Olympia Food Coop

Reflections on Current Events, Talks,

by Peter Bohmer, August 23, 2010

The decision by the board of the Olympia Food Coop to not buy Israeli made goods and boycott them is a positive and important contribution towards  ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine. It is part of a global grassroots boycott, divest and sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure the United States and Israel to fundamentally change their policies. I strongly support this courageous and important decision made by consensus by the Olympia Food Coop board on July, 15th, 2010. My support for the Olympia Food Coop’s Boycott of Israeli Goods

Brief Reflection on U.S. Social Forum

Reflections on Current Events, talks

Peter Bohmer

July 12, 2010

Going to the U.S. Social Forum (USSF), reinforced my understanding that  we/I are part of economic and social justice movements that are active in every part of this country; it made me feel  part of a movement(s) that is alive and not insignificant  nationally. It  inspired me and gave me more hope. For example, I knew about the unemployment and poverty statistics for Detroit before arriving but much less about the activism and organizing, the fight back going on in Detroit.  I really valued the racial and age diversity at the USSF.

The contingent from Olympia, Washington numbered about 70 and we hope to share our diverse experiences at the Social Forum with each other and the broader Olympia community in the near future.

At the social forum, it was hard choosing among the many workshops and tracks.  I found very valuable attending and participating in workshops dealing with ALBA (the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas), on the Cochabamba  Climate Change Conference and organizing for the Climate Change meetings in Cancun later this year, and on connecting and building solidarity between social movements in the United States and Latin America. There were some really inspiring organizers from Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela and from Latino/a communities in the United States at these workshops.  I also attended a few insightful workshops dealing with developing strategies about how to get to a society that is not capitalist and the key institutions and structures of this alternative, e.g., the workshops put on by the Organization for a Free Society.

My favorite activity was the spirited march the first day of the United States Social Forum, Tuesday afternoon, June 22nd.  What stood out to me during this powerful march were the large contingents from the Domestic Workers organization and the Restaurant Workers organizing (ROC) group.  There was definitely a presence of low wage workers and good discussion about their organizing at the Social Forum.

From the people, I spoke to while in Detroit and with others whom I talked to since returning who had attended the USSF, some good networking took place, and people feel energized and with renewed purpose. Everyone is glad they attended.  On the other hand, there does not seem to have been much progress in developing a program or  strategy for moving forward towards a better society nor was the weakness of the U.S. anti-war movement addressed in any depth.

Challenging Israeli Version of Attack on Gaza Flotilla

Reflections on Current Events

by Steve Shalom: “But What Could Israel Do” from a very good resource, the Israeli Occupation Archive. This is one of the best critiques I have seen of the Israeli and New York Times version of what happened Monday, May 31, 2009 when Israel killed nine people on the Mavi Marmara, who were bringing humanitarian supplies to  Gaza.  Steve Shalom’s article places Israel’s attack in the context of the ongoing Israeli aggression and blockade of Gaza.

A comprehensive account on the Israeli murders

Reflections on Current Events

Here is  a quite comprehensive version from the British newspaper, the Independent  June 6th, 2010  on what happened,  early Monday morning, May 31, 2010 as the Mavi Marmara and the other five  ships headed towards Gaza with humanitarian supplies.

The brave men and women who sailed for Gaza and are continuing to do so are contributing   in a major way to the breaking of the illegal and immoral Israeli blockade of Gaza.  Thank You! It is an important time for all of us to act and educate in support of the end of the collective punishment of the people of Gaza and for Palestinian  self-determination.  Joining, supporting the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) campaign against  Israel until it totally withdraws from the occupied territories is a concrete way to do something.

Protest the Israeli murders of brave solidarity activists

Reflections on Current Events

Here is the video by Elliot  Stoller of the protest, May 31st in Seattle against the outrageous Israeli actions, There was also a demonstration in Olympia, called at short notice to express our outrage at the latest Israeli murders of people from around the world trying to  break the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza by bringing humanitarian supplies there.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbVrsjVRKhw[/youtube]