US Dockworkers close down all US West Coast Ports to protest Iraq War

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ripley

Well-known member
Speaking of industrial action...Not getting the coverage it could, for some strange reason.

But all ports from San Diego to Seattle were shut down today by the ILWU. and two ports in Iraq closed in solidarity (by the Iraqi Dockworkers union)

I was at the rally today, it was pretty interesting.
 
R

ripley

Well-known member
secretagentgel said:
Holy crap. Why is this not all over my news?
Click to expand...

I know, right? It's pretty momentous in terms of labor actions in the US.

dockworkers have been doing pretty well in recent weeks - it was South African dockworkers who stopped the Chinese ship full of weapons for Zimbabwe. (of course they were the folks who had the power to do it, but it's pretty cool that they did).
 
vimothy

vimothy

yurp
Didn't know where to put this. It strikes me as being both a very bad idea and fundamentally un-democratic.

Revealed: Secret plan to keep Iraq under US control

A secret deal being negotiated in Baghdad would perpetuate the American military occupation of Iraq indefinitely, regardless of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November.

The terms of the impending deal, details of which have been leaked to The Independent, are likely to have an explosive political effect in Iraq. Iraqi officials fear that the accord, under which U.S. troops would occupy permanent bases, conduct military operations, arrest Iraqis and enjoy immunity from Iraqi law, will destabilize Iraq's position in the Middle East and lay the basis for unending conflict in their country.​
 
vimothy

vimothy

yurp
Apparently, this story is over-egged in The Independent. The US and Iraq are trying to implement a Status of Forces Agreement and a Strategic Framework Agreement that would replace UN Security Council Resolution 1546, which authorises MNF-I presence because Iraq is a threat to international peace. The Iraqi government originally wanted to replace UNSCR 1546 with a bilateral agreement.

The Sadrists protested and span it as an attempt at permanent occupation. It seems like The Independent has done the same. However, for reasons that are not totally clear (but can probably be guessed), even Maliki has started to complain.
 
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