Liberation Audio

Urgent action is necessary. It is impossible to quarantine in the context of incarceration. Every prison, jail, juvenile facility, and immigrant detention center will become an incubator of the deadly corona virus. Social distancing is physically impossible in lower security facilities. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/arrest-the-virus-free-the-prisoners/ We cannot allow the capitalist ruling class to turn a blind eye to the plight of the incarcerated population — not in general, nor in the particular circumstance of the global pandemic of Covid-19. In the U.S., there are 2.3 million human beings in state, federal, and county jails and more than 52,000 in immigrant detainment camps. Because the media pounds away at the population with such negative coverage of prisoners — diverting attention from the real capitalist criminals — the idea of many people being freed from the prisons, jails, and immigrant detainment centers could cause a negative reaction. But liberation is nothing to fear. What is truly scary is the idea that this racist mass incarceration system could be one large mass grave in the context of a global pandemic.

Jael Castro grew up in San Diego near the U.S.-Mexican border. Now she is a bilingual educator in San Francisco, active within the United Educators of San Francisco union, and a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Here is her story. My father was undocumented while I was growing up. Although I was born here in the states, my household dealt with the issues faced by undocumented people. Read more: https://www.liberationnews.org/undocumented-during-a-capitalist-crisis/ Now, I see the cycle of capitalism’s crisis starting again. Capitalism fails us in the broadest sense and in the most personal way. It is inherent in capitalism to have recessions and depressions. We are seeing people losing their jobs. All of this is made worse by the outbreak of COVID19. We see people who are not able to quarantine or practice social distancing because they don’t have a home. We see people that can’t apply for unemployment because of where they were born. At the same time, we see Wall Street being bailed out with trillions of dollars. This cycle of events will continue as long as we allow it to. The time is now. In this time, when capitalism is proving unwilling to meet our needs in a time of crisis, we need to stand shoulder to shoulder and demand for something different. We need to demand for dignity! We need to demand free housing! We need to demand the elimination of student debt! We need to demand free and quality health care! We need to demand the bailout of the people!

The emergency decrees and executive orders of federal, state and local governments are not addressing the real needs to combat the disease and help the people. Tens of millions are already one paycheck away from destitution and homelessness. Without sweeping economic measures, a catastrophe of monumental proportions stands to affect tens of millions of people. As it stands, people across the United States are left to fend for themselves. Universities are closing down and evicting students from their dorms. Mass layoffs are already happening, in addition to workplaces being transferred to home work. Many workers are sent home with no pay, schools are closed, and parents scramble for childcare. The United States has enormous productive capacity to resolve every human being’s needs in the country, employment, housing, health care, education, childcare, secure retirement, a complete overhaul of infrastructure, culture and overall well being. Literally every person could enjoy a full life. What stands in the way is the system of private ownership. Under capitalism, every essential need for life is in the hands of the capitalists, who only produce if they can make a profit. And yet it is the working class that produces all the wealth. With socialism, instead of profits as the motive force of society, the common ownership and distribution of wealth allows the working class to run society for the good of all. Today, the virus crisis requires emergency measures of national proportions. How will it all be paid for? Rescind the trillion-dollar tax giveaway to the rich! Use that wealth, shut down the Pentagon budget and use the massive wealth to fight the virus and protect the people, both at home and abroad. Read the full article: www.liberationnews.org/covid-19-now-a-pandemic-capitalism-exacerbates-crisis

The podcast explores the attacks against the Bernie Sanders campaign from the Democratic Party and media. It discusses the need for a mass movement for radical change and the potential impact of Sanders' campaign on sparking this movement. The chapter also delves into Sanders' foreign policy and the importance of building a working class movement for necessary reforms.