Tom Hayden's Blog, page 54

Pressure Mounting on Apple to End Sweatshops

After two decades of student-led protests of global sweatshops, it appears that the Big Apple — producer of Macs, iPads and iPhones used by the younger generation – is feeling the bite. A major Apple supplier, Foxconn, which also supplies Amazon, Dell and Microsoft, has pledged to improve wages, hours and working conditions in their Chinese sweatshops in a one-year time frame.

Participatory Democracy: From the Port Huron Statement to Occupy Wall Street

This is the fiftieth anniversary year of the Port Huron Statement, the founding declaration of Students for a Democratic Society, issued as a "living document" in 1962. The SDS call for a participatory democracy echoes today in student-led democracy movements around the world, even appearing as the first principle of the Occupy Wall Street September 17 declaration.

With San Onofre Down, What's Up?

It may take a Fukushima-type nuclear disaster to force California away from its reliance on two aging, dangerous nuclear plants at San Onofre or Diablo Canyon. The Fukushima catastrophe has virtually stopped the nuclear industry in Japan, and moved enlightened Germany to phase out its nuclear dependency. With the virtual disappearance of the robust anti-nuclear movement of the late 1970s, public opinion is adrift and state officials are focused on other crises like the budget for education.

El Salvador in Peace Process with Gangs?

The New York Times reports that El Salvador's political establishment is "rattled" at speculation that a secret deal has been made with imprisoned Mara Salvatrucha leaders to halt the long wave of street killings in that country. Perhaps in return, thirty top mara leaders are being moved to less-harsh prison conditions where they will enjoy family visits.

Honduras President Demands Legaliztion of Drugs and US Compensation

In the end it was left to Guatemalan president Otto Perez Molina to deliver the message alone.

Following Vice President Joe Biden's trips to Mexico and Central America on March 6, during which he promoted the drug war and hesitated to accept regional proposals for narcotics legalization, Central America's presidents insisted they would meet again on March 24 to further discuss legalization as an alternative. However, when the time for the meeting came, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador all pulled out at the last minute with vague excuses. Can one speculate that Biden's recent tour of the region involved backdoor tampering? Time will tell.

Leading Neo-Con Urges "Limited Role" for US Military in New Focus on Mexico

Criticizing over-attention to Syria while Mexico burns, a leading neo-con strategist writes, "Mexico will affect America's destiny in coming decades more than any state or combination of states in the Middle East."

Eyewitness Report: "A Real Test of This Generation" in Florida

The case of Trayvon Martin may become a turning point in America's debate over racial profiling, stop-and-frisk policing, and prison time for millions of young people of color since the neo-con crusade against "super-predators" began two decades ago. But first there will be a major pushback from advocates of hard-line law-and-order tactics.

Is the Killer of Trayvon Martin a Police Informant? Feds Must Investigate Sanford Police

We do know how badly he wanted to be a cop and normal people don't get away with attacking a police officer so it is certainly suspicious, which is why we want the feds to investigate the whole Sanford PD. One of the reasons this police chief was brought in (the one who just stepped down) was because a lieutenant's son was on video beating a black homeless man and nothing was ever done about it.

A Neo-Con Vision of Myanmar: "Another Afghanistan" Under Military Rule

The mainstream media, the State Department, humanitarian and women's groups have recently lauded the democratic transition in Myanmar as a historic human rights victory. But how does Myanmar fit into the emerging Cold War with China and the global scramble for resources? Now we may know.

The License to Kill in Florida

When I spoke to hundreds of students in central Florida last week, only one mentioned the recent murder of Trayvon Martin, a story now blazing across the global media. "You have no idea how bad it is down here," the student told me in a one-on-one conversation. "They have a license to kill you if they think you're a threat to them, and that's what happened in Sanford," he said. He expected no justice, nor even publicity, about the case.