This is the full 2-21-11 episode of the Labor Express Radio program.
The past week has been one of those weeks in which I wished Labor Express aired 2 or 3 times every week. There is no way we can do justice on todayâs program to all the important developments of the past week. Of course tomorrow is election day in Chicago and, as promised I will bring you my interview with Mike Klonsky on Rahm Emmanuelâs policy positions on public education. Weâll hear that in the second half of the program.
But the truly exciting news of the past week was the spread of revolution well beyond the borders of Egypt. In the last week pro-democracy demonstrations have broken out in Iran, Libya, Algeria, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Morocco, Djibouti, Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine and Bahrain. Many of these protests have been meet with sever state violence. But despite the violence the protestors have vowed to fight on. And the spirit of revolt is not confined to the Middle East. When Wisconsin Republican governor Scott Walker announced his intention to ram through the state legislature a bill that would not only slash state workers wages and pension benefits, but rob them of their right to collectively bargaining rights, a labor revolt followed, the likes of which we havenât seen in this country in a long time. Weâll hear more about that today as well.
And the mainstream media has conducted a virtual blackout on an interesting court case in Arizona. Last Monday, Shawna Forde a leader in the minuteman anti-immigrant movement in that state was convicted of the murder and attempted murder of a entire Mexican immigrant family. Weâll air some audio from a press conference held here in Chicago by NALACC (National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities) on the verdict.
Labor Express Radio is Chicago's only English language labor news and current affairs radio program. News for working people, by working people. Labor Express Radio airs every Monday morning at 10:00 AM on Chicago's Sound Alliance, WLUW, 88.7 FM. For more information, see our website at: www.laborexpress.org and our homepage on Archive.org at: http://www.archive.org/details/LaborExpressRadio or page at Radio4All.net⦠http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Labor+Express+Radio