Join Open University of the Left on Saturday July 14, at 2:30 pm at the Lincoln Park branch of the Chicago Public Library at 1150 W. Fullerton Ave. (at Sheffield) Chicago, free parking, wheelchair accessible (Bus route: 74 Fullerton, RedLine: Fullerton)

Dr. Lee Artz presents: Bolivarian Venezuela in Defiance of the US Empire

Nicolas Maduro was reelected President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on May 20, 2018. Maduro received a landslide 67.7% of the total vote cast. His nearest challenger received about 21%. This result occurred despite a unrelenting disinformation and sanctions campaign in the country. This campaign was conducted by the United States-OAS- and internal Venezuelan opposition. The deceit of the US government here has not been lost on observers who have noted that the United States government has been attacking Russia at the very same time for allegedly interfering in the 2016 US elections while the United States has been working overtime to delegitimize and disrupt the just completed Venezuelan elections.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has served as an inspiration for much of the struggling people’s of the world. Since 2015, the US has unleashed illegal sanctions on Venezuela as a form of economic warfare. These sanctions are illegal under international law because they impose a collective punishment upon the Venezuelan people for the actions of their government.

Now we learn that the President of the United States has raised the question of the invasion of Venezuela. Polling has indicated that the vast majority of Venezuelans are against sanctions and any outside military intervention. The poor and formally dispossessed also have nothing too lose by resisting any attempted right wing takeover of Venezuela. The international community must also reject any outside interference in Venezuela.

Dr. Lee Artz is the Director of the Center for Global Studies at Purdue Northwest. He teaches media and culture in the graduate program at PNW. Lee is a former steelworker and machinist. He has participated in Latin American solidarity activities for decades.

P.S. Bring a bag to pick up some free books from the personal library of the late Dr. William Pelz.

All Open University of the Left event are free of charge and open to all.

Join the OUL low traffic email announcement list (yahoo group) at:
[email protected] (Includes future OUL events calendar)

View prior videos of OUL programs on our YouTube page:
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OUL NEW Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/Open.University.of.the.Left/    

June 1st through June 3rd saw the reconvening of the Left Forum. The event was held as it has been for the last five years at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York in New York City. This event is the largest annual gathering in North America of the U.S. and International Left. The Left Forum was founded in 1981 and was originally called the Socialist Scholars Conference. In brief, the Left Forum brings together intellectuals, academics and activists whose purpose is among other things, to share their perspectives, experiences, strategies and visions.

What follows for your consideration are eight sessions conducted at the conference out of a total of about 270 scheduled events.

http://www.youtube.com/user/OpenUnivoftheLeft/

These programs are but a small sample, yet represent a broad perspective of current left political thinking. The thoughts and ideas heard and seen here serve not only as a critique of capitalism but by extension, also serve and  promote radical alternatives to the existing system itself.
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Left Forum 2018, Democracy: Liberal, Radical, Socialist, Socialist Register, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung – New York Office John Jay College, CUNY, 6-3-2018, Greg Albo, York University, Alex Demirovic, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Berlin, Nancy Holmstrom, Leo Panitch, York University, Socialist Register
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Left Forum 2018, Negative Economics – its Pedigree and History, John Jay College, CUNY, 6-2-2018, New York City, NY., Institute for the Study of Long Term Economic Trends, UMKC, The Real News Network, Michael Hudson, Institute for the Study of Long Term Economic Trends, UMKC, The Real News Network, Michael Perelman, California State University, Paul Sliker
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Left Forum 2018, Imagining an Authentic 21st Century U.S. Left, John Jay College, CUNY, 6-3-2018, New York City, NY. Paul Street, Truthdig, Chris Hedges, Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report, Bruce Dixon, Black Agenda Report
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Left Forum 2018, Money Matters! Why Monetary Theory and Policy Is a Critical Terrain For the Left, The Democracy Collaborative, John Jay College, CUNY, 6-3-2018, New York City, NY. Stephanie Kelton, Sanders Institute, Stony Brook Univ., Gar Alperovitz, The Democracy Collaborative, Michael Hudson, Pavlina Tcherneva, Bard College, Levy Economic Institute, Raul Carrillo, Modern Monetary Network, New Economic Project
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Left Forum 2018, The Marxist “Transformation Problem” in the 21st Century: Why Does It Matter? Science & Society, John Jay College, CUNY, 6-2-2018, New York City, NY. David Laibman, Science & Society, Fred Moseley
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Left Forum 2018, Russiagate: Muzzling the Black Left and the March to War
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Left Forum 2018, The Panthers Can’t Save Us Now- Confronting the Prison State and the Limits of “Black Exceptionalism” John Jay College, CUNY, 6-2-2018, New York City, NY, Cedric Johnson, University of Illinois – Chicago, Nancy Holmstrom, Rutgers University, Jay Arena, College of Staten Island – CUNY
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Left Forum 2018, W.E. B DuBois: What His Life and Work Can Teach Us Today. Left Forum, Democracy at Work, John Jay College, CUNY, 6-1-2018, New York City, NY, Richard Wolff, New School, Democracy at Work, Left Forum, Chris Hedges, Tim Schermerhorn, Democracy at Work, Labor Notes, Black Workers Rank and File Network

All prior video programs are viewable on our YouTube page

http://www.youtube.com/user/OpenUnivoftheLeft/

Open University of the Left event are free of charge and open to all.

Join the OUL low traffic email announcement list (yahoo group) at:
[email protected]

Now up on YouTube, Kevin Ovenden, “The Rise of the Far Right in Europe, and the Left’s Response.”

The YouTube video of Saturday May 12, 2018 is now available for viewing on the YouTube channel of the open university of the Left.
Technical difficulties were experienced in the recording of this video.

https://www.youtube.com/user/OpenUnivoftheLeft

All prior video programs are viewable on our YouTube page

Join the OUL low traffic email announcement list (yahoo group) at:
[email protected] (Includes future OUL events calendar)

2:30 pm, Saturday, May 12
Logan Square Branch of the Chicago Public Library
3030 W. Fullerton Ave, Chicago
Free parking; wheelchair accessible
Near the “Logan Square” stop on the Blue line & the #74 Fullerton bus Sponsored by Open University of the Left (note to OUL regulars, this is not our standard location)

Recent years have seen the growth of neo-fascist movements in parts of Europe on a scale not seen since the Great depression.

Large demonstrations of neo-fascists have become common, with predictable results: those who are not members of the “master race” – Roma, Muslims, immigrants, gays, Jews and others – are subject to violence, and open discrimination against them is acceptable.

As many face few economic opportunities, mainstream parties have moved ever rightwards, openly embracing anti-immigrant and other racism, and even forming coalitions with explicitly fascist parties. Virulently far right parties now have firm locks on the governments of Poland, Hungary and Austria, and have bent judiciaries and the media to further marginalize the left.

Come to a special Open University of the Left presentation by writer and activist Kevin Ovenden, who for three decades has been a campaigner over various progressive issues, including anti-war, Palestine solidarity, LGBT+ rights, and efforts to develop the coordination of the movements against racism and the far right. He has helped lead six convoys to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, and was aboard the Mavi Marmara aid ship when it was attacked in May 2010 by Israeli forces, resulting in the deaths of 10 passengers.

He writes frequently for progressive publications in Britain and Europe, with a regular column in the Morning Star newspaper. Many of his articles can be found at his blog:
kevinovenden.wordpress.com

All Open University of the Left event are free of charge and open to all.

Join the OUL low traffic email announcement list (yahoo group) at: [email protected] (Includes future OUL events calendar)

View prior videos of OUL programs on our YouTube page:
https://www.youtube.com/user/OpenUnivoftheLeft

The YouTube video of Saturday, March 24, 2018 is now available for viewing on the YouTube channel of the Open University of the Left.

https://www.youtube.com/user/OpenUnivoftheLeft

All prior video programs are viewable on our YouTube page.

Join the OUL low traffic email announcement list (yahoo group) at: [email protected]  -includes calendar of future events

The Following Alternative Location Has Been Scheduled For This OUL Event:

Join Open University of the Left on Saturday March 24, at 2:30 pm at the Logan Square Branch of the Chicago Library 3030 W. Fullerton Ave. Chicago, free parking, wheelchair accessible (Bus route: 74 Fullerton, Blue Line Logan Square)

Stansfield Smith presents: “Bolivarian Venezuela: Subjected to a continual US disinformation campaign while caught in an economic crisis and US sanctions”

Bolivarian Venezuela has been an inspiration for much of the struggling people’s of the world. Now it is suffering under US economic sanctions, military threats and an internal opposition known for violence. In the US, there is a constant stream of disinformation on Venezuela coming from the corporate media. Venezuela has been damaged by opposition economic sabotage and the Maduro government has not demonstrated the capacity to deal with the worsening economic crisis that has seriously affected the average Venezuelan’s standard of living. Still, the Chavista government has shown the political skills in combating all the US-OAS-Opposition efforts to overthrow this government.

Currently, the US who has been attacking Russia for allegedly interfering in US elections has itself been working overtime to delegitimize and disrupt the Venezuelan presidential elections upcoming on May 20th. Despite these problems, Nicolas Maduro is expected to be re-elected. Moreover, the communal movement and the revolutionary Chavista base remains active and ready too defend their gains against the opposition and the meddling US interference. This movement is the real target of the US. The continuing existence of this radical movement is the key to the survival of Latin America’s progressive changes in this century.

Stan Smith was active for over a decade in the Chicago Committee to Free the Cuban 5. His work is now on ChicagoALBASolidarity.wordpress.com. He has written on Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador for the Council on Hemispheric Affairs and on North Korea for Counterpunch and others.

All Open University of the Left event are free of charge and open to all.

Join the OUL low traffic email announcement list (yahoo group) at:
[email protected]

View prior videos of OUL programs on our YouTube page:
https://www.youtube.com/user/OpenUnivoftheLeft

Join Open University of the Left on Saturday February 24 at 2:30 pm at the Lincoln Park Public Library 1150 W. Fullerton Ave. Chicago, (at Racine), free parking, wheelchair accessible, (Red Line: Fullerton)

Vince Emanuele presents: “Red State Rebellion in the Age of Trump”

On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was sworn into office. Immediately following, millions of people took to the streets across the U.S. Since then, millions more have joined progressive organizations, including many people in so-called “Red States.”

What do these struggles look like in a state such as Indiana? What’s working? What’s not working? How can we build a more progressive Great Lakes Region? How can ordinary folks in the Midwest connect with progressive organizations and movements across the U.S. and globe?

Open University of the Left welcomes back community organizer and writer Vince Emanuele for a discussion on these topics. Vince is the co-founder of P.A.R.C. (Political Art Roots Culture), a non-consumerist space for activists, artists and community members. He is a member of the National Writers Union and Veterans for Peace.

All Open University of the Left event are free of charge and open to all.

Join the OUL low traffic email announcement list (yahoo group) at: [email protected]

View prior videos of OUL programs on our YouTube page:   https://www.youtube.com/user/OpenUnivoftheLeft

Open University of the Left mourns the passing of long-time Chicago activist, friend, OUL presenter and author William (Bill) Pelz, 1951-2017.

He will be greatly missed.

Now Up on YouTube, Dr. Paul Street, “Trumped? How the United States Became a Banana Republic.”

The YouTube video of Saturday, December 16, 2017, is now available for viewing on the YouTube channel of the Open University of the Left.

https://www.youtube.com/user/OpenUnivoftheLeft

All prior video programs are viewable on our YouTube page

Open University of the Left event are free of charge and open to all.

Join the OUL low traffic email announcement list (yahoo group) at:
[email protected]