In this episode, Tripp Fuller of Homebrewed Christianity podcast joins to talk faith that's beautiful enough to be called good news, a process vision of socialism, fiction and popculture as the fullest expressions of humanity, and miscellaneous nerdiness. Join us October 17–19 in Denver for theologybeer.camp ! Use the coupon code TAKEHEARTHOBBIT for $50 off your ticket. Email us at religioussocialism@gmail.com if you plan to come, we'd love to meet up.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, July 17 (5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Phonebank for Extreme Dean (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Wednesday, July 17 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): What is DSA? (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Thursday, July 18 (5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Phonebank for Extreme Dean (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Thursday, July 18 (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.): Palestine Solidarity Anti-Imperialist Working Group (Zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister)

Friday, July 19 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Saturday, July 20 (10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.): Extreme Dean Door Knock Mobilization (Meet at Jefferson Square Park, corner of Turk & Laguna)

Sunday, July 21 (10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.): Team Jackie Mobilization w/ California Nurses Association (Meet at Precita Park, 3200 Folsom)

Sunday, July 21 (1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.): No Appetite for Apartheid Work Session (Zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister)

Monday, July 22 (6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Homelessness Working Group Meeting (Zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister)

Monday, July 22 (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Labor Board Meeting (Zoom)

Saturday, July 27 (10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.): Team Jackie Mobilization w/ Harvey Milk Club (Meet at TBD)

Saturday, July 27 (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.): Homelessness Working Group Platform / Education Meeting (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Sunday, July 28 (10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.): Extreme Dean Door Knock Mobilization (Meet at TBD)

Monday, July 29 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Ecosocialist Monthly Meeting (Zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister)

Monday, July 29 (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Organizing 101 (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Check out https://dsasf.org/events for more events and updates.

Events & Actions

Extreme Dean Door Knock Mobilization

Come out to knock doors for the Dean Preston campaign this Saturday, July 20th! We’ll meet at Jefferson Square Park (corner of Turk & Laguna) at 10:00 a.m. 

Jackie Fielder Mob with California Nurses Association

We’re so proud to have received CNA’s endorsements! Come out next Sunday, July 21st with your favorite nurses of CNA to talk to voters in Bernal! We’ll meet at Precita Park (corner of Precita & Treat) at 10:00 a.m.

No Appetite For Apartheid Mobilization

Join the Palestine Solidarity Anti-Imperialist Working Group in launching an SF No Appetite for Apartheid campaign! We’re meeting next on Sunday, July 21st from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 1916 McAllister.

Inspired by long-standing Palestinian boycott tactics and the BDS call, we are canvassing local stores and asking them to pledge to become Apartheid Free by dropping products from companies complicit in the genocide of Palestinians and colonization of Palestine. It’s time to turn up the heat on this apartheid regime and take apartheid off our plates with the #NoAppetiteForApartheid campaign.

Sign the BAD! Petition

Bay Area Divest! (BAD!) is a new coalition that believes we must invest our public funds in our communities, NOT in repression, war, or genocide! DSA SF officially endorses BAD!, along with East Bay DSA, AROC, Palestinian Youth Movement, AFSC, Palestinian Feminist Collective, JVP, CodePink, and several other great organizations. Please sign the petition to join BAD! in refusing to allow our public funds to go towards supporting genocide and occupation:

Behind the Scenes

The Chapter Coordination Committee (CCC) regularly rotates duties among chapter members. This allows us to train new members in key duties that help keep the chapter running like organizing chapter meetings, keeping records updated, office cleanup, updating the DSA SF website and newsletter, etc. Members can view current CCC rotations.

To help with the day-to-day tasks that keep the chapter running, fill out the CCC help form.

In the last week of its term, the Supreme Court decimated the regulatory state, declared open season on the unhoused, and crowned the president king. There is no way out of this crisis other than winning the battle for democracy against the capitalist regime.

The Constitution establishes a political order explicitly designed to enshrine rule by elites. It divides the working class across state boundaries and constricts their representation to a small number of representatives selected through constrained political processes dominated by wealthy donors. The Supreme Court, using the self-conferred reactionary power of judicial review, takes this even further.

The unelected Supreme Court is rearranging an already undemocratic government into a collection of authoritarian states presided over by a monarch “elected” through a byzantine anti-democratic process. Congress is a fig leaf on plutocracy, now so gridlocked they can only agree on rubber-stamping more war spending.

The Democratic Party protects the power of the Supreme Court, paving the way for the next Trump administration’s program of crushing the workers movement and waging war against China. DSA demands an end to judicial supremacy, putting power into the hands of the people.

We do not live in a democracy. To fully end the fascist threat, the working class needs to fight the capitalist political system, which is enabling a transfer of near-absolute power to Trump. We need to win the battle for democracy.

This is why DSA is putting forward the For Our Rights program: an economy for the working class, an end to war, and a democratic constitution. 

Become a DSA member today to join the fight!

The post Statement on the Recent Supreme Court Rulings: Fight for Democracy! appeared first on Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

On March 14, 2024, ROC DSA unanimously passed a resolution calling on our members and comrades within the movement “to submit a blank vote for the [New York] presidential primary.” This “Leave it Blank” campaign was organized by DSA chapters across the state as part of a nation-wide effort to demonstrate the lack of popular support behind President Joe Biden, by electing “Uncommitted” delegates to the Democratic National Convention. In Rochester, 11% of Democratic primary voters turned in blank ballots.

As a result of the Democratic Party’s refusal to hold an actual presidential primary, this form of protest was all that remained available to register dissent within the nation’s prescribed democratic pathways. At the time, the “Uncommitted” campaign was heavily criticized by Democratic Party operatives, suggesting it could hand the election to Donald Trump. Yet now they cannot deny what we have seen all along: Biden is unfit for office.

At Biden’s first presidential debate against Trump, who he has frequently presented as a threat to democracy, Biden floundered. He failed to articulate meaningful opposition to Trump’s policies, went out of his way to attack migrants, and appeared generally unwell. Following the debate, Biden’s poll numbers continue to cave, all but guaranteeing a Trump victory in November.

While the pundit class focuses on this demonstration of cognitive decline, Biden’s real unfitness for office comes as a result of his material and moral support for genocide. As he boasted at the debate, “We are providing Israel with all the weapons they need and when they need them,” and “We are the biggest producer of support for Israel than anyone in the world.” Even before the debate, Biden’s poll numbers were crumbling on account of this stance. No supporter of genocide is a “decent man,” despite the media’s insistence.

It is clear: In order to defeat Trump, Biden must withdraw from the contest. As DSA’s National Political Committee recognized, “If Biden is the nominee in November, Trump will be president in January.” In addition, due to his failure to stem the flow of Palestinian bodies, he should resign. We are disappointed by nominal “socialists” who have attached themselves to this legacy.

As socialists, we realize we cannot rely solely on electoralism. Too often we have seen capitalist governments respond to socialist electoral victories with brutal repression. But to build a mass movement we need space to maneuver. Trump presents a particular threat to socialist organizing, and a destructive outlet for the alienation of the working class. His campaign’s response to the attempt on his life shows foreboding signs of violent retaliation against the left.

ROC DSA will continue to focus on building a better world in our backyard. We will support projects for community vitality, protect access to abortion, and seek relief from predatory corporations. These campaigns will help us to solidify a block of the working class able to take back power from the oppressive capitalist class. Ultimately, we must organize beyond the two-party system. If you agree this is necessary, we call on you to join DSA.

If Democrats believe their own rhetoric regarding the danger of a second Trump term, they too must follow through with action.

Click here to read the statement from DSA’s National Political Committee: Drop Out Biden.

The post Still Uncommitted: President Biden Remains Unfit for the Job first appeared on Rochester Red Star.

No one believed in and embodied the labor movement’s transformative power more than organizer, strategist, and writer Jane McAlevey.

The post We’re in a Class War. Jane McAlevey Actually Acted Like It. appeared first on EWOC.

Aziz Rana’s new book, The Constitutional Bind, provides a blueprint for the Left to return to agitating against the constitutional order. We should follow it. 

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East Bay DSA recently concluded a two-part political education series about the Constitution’s undemocratic structural provisions and the Left’s rediscovery of democratic republicanism. Discussion topics included the malapportioned Senate, the obstructionist Article 5 amendment process, the political demands in DSA’s platform, and YDSA’s scintillating 2023 resolution, “Winning the Battle For Democracy.” Questions abounded, including the relevance of constitutional obstacles to socialist organizing, the reasons for constitutional reverence, and how to make the United States an actual democracy. 

Aziz Rana addresses many of the above questions in his latest book, The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document that Fails Them. Rana is a professor of law and government at Boston College. He has written for Jacobin, spoken at the annual Socialism Conference, and been interviewed for Class, the National Political Education Committee’s podcast. With The Constitutional Bind, Rana has succeeded in creating a resource for all interested in critically exploring the framers’ creation.

An important question sits at the heart of The Constitution Bind: why has constitutional veneration remained “a naturalized, unremarked-upon feature” of American life? In search of an answer, Rana explores US history using the first (1887) and second (1987) centennial celebrations as reference points. The first centennial celebration was underwhelming. The Civil War and increased economic inequality during the Gilded Age made the founders appear less than sagacious. Criticism increased in the leadup to World War I, as seen in the popularity of the Socialist Party of America (SPA), whose national party platforms consistently called for the abolition of the Senate, the direct election of federal judges, the termination of judicial review and the presidential veto, and the convening of a second constitutional convention to make its democratic demands a reality. The SPA-affiliated paper, Appeal to Reason, ran regular constitutional polemics. Prominent party members across the political spectrum, including Eugene Debs and Victor Berger, denounced the Constitution as “in every sense a denial of democracy.”

Socialists, grounded in the democratic republicanism of Marxism and the homegrown democratic republicanism of Thomas Paine and Radical Republicans, used to discuss the Constitution prolifically. Rana writes that their “rhetorical bashing of courts, constitutions, and judges knew few bounds.” Many socialists, like Crystal Eastman, who co-founded the parent organization of today’s American Civil Liberties Union, defended civil rights as innate human rights endangered by the Constitution’s denial of universal and equal suffrage. Eastman’s defense of civil liberties intentionally avoided praise for the Bill of Rights. She and her socialist co-thinkers wanted to “uproot the existing mode of constitutional decision-making” and ensure “meaningful control by working people over the constitutional system as a whole.” 

Criticism of the Constitution changed when nearly a century of war, hot and cold, provided a much-needed boost to the document’s public image. Rana writes: 

By the early 1940s, issues of fundamental reform no longer shaped the constitutional discussion. Instead, conversations reflected a consolidating faith that the document was central to an anti-totalitarian American way of life, which culturally and politically safeguarded citizens from dictatorship. 

War shrank the parameters of political imagination. Americans were presented with three choices: fascism, communism, or constitutional republicanism, which went by the name of democracy. The Constitution looked increasingly attractive, and many previous skeptics, including iconoclastic historian Charles Beard and legendary organizer A. Philip Randolph began to have a change of heart. The United States wasn’t flawless, but constitutional critiques were too dangerous during times of “Stalinist purges” and “fascist tyranny.” By the second centennial, the “constitutional creed” appeared rock-solid. A few dissenters remained, including W.E.B Du Bois and later Afeni Shakur and Huey Newton. Still, these holdouts were increasingly isolated and had stopped critiquing the structural denial of universal and equal suffrage (with the notable exception of Du Bois). 

The past six years have now led to a revival of constitutional criticism. In a recent interview, Rana explained how contemporary events shaped the creation of The Constitutional Bind. At first, the book was constructed as a wake-up call, an attempt to spread indignation by presenting the little-known history of constitutional disloyalty. However, several events, including Donald Trump’s Electoral College victory and a host of Supreme Court rulings, threw the legitimacy of American political institutions into crisis. Constitutional veneration was fading, and a document once capable of hiding in plain sight was becoming increasingly conspicuous. As a result, The Constitutional Bind in its finished form is less a wake-up call and more a resource for those already looking to free the country of its constitutional chains and escape what many have called a second Gilded Age.  

Significantly for our organization, Rana references DSA’s platform and its constitutional analysis two times. First, as an exception to the otherwise “limited nature of the current reform conversation.” While most discussions are “largely centered on particular, if valuable, procedural adjustments,” DSA alone calls for the abolition of the Senate and Electoral College and a second constitutional convention. Second, and most notably, Rana calls the platform a “conscious effort to update the 1912 SPA legal-political agenda for the present day.” 

Rana’s words should be taken as a challenge, not flattery. While tens of millions will vote for Biden in November, far fewer believe the Democratic Party is in any way a champion of democracy. Today, there is an obvious need for precisely what Rana describes as a modern version of the SPA’s platform. Will DSA make that effort? Regardless, The Constitutional Bind is essential to the struggle for a democratic constitution — one that can fully live up to the principles of one person, one equal vote.

The post Book Review: The Constitutional Bind by Aziz Rana appeared first on Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

On Sunday, June 23rd, the DSA National Political Committee (NPC) voted to endorse Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) so long as she fulfills the following conditions: 

• Publicly opposes all funding to Israel, including the Iron Dome
• Participates regularly in the DSA Federal Socialists in Office Committee
• Publicly opposes all criminalization of Anti-Zionism, such as bills advancing the IHRA definition which conflates criticism of Israel with anti-semitism
• Publicly supports BDS (Boycott, Divest, and Sanction) to end Israeli settler-colonialism

This initial endorsement request was considered upon request of New York City DSA’s Steering Committee (NYC-DSA SC). Earlier this week, the NPC received a request from NYC-DSA SC to withdraw the endorsement because it took place after the New York Democratic Primary and they did not expect a conditional endorsement or feel it was strategic. Because we have not seen evidence of AOC meeting these conditions, and at the request of the NYC-DSA SC, the NPC is withdrawing our conditional endorsement of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, although she will remain endorsed by our New York City chapter. 

In the last several months, thousands of DSA members provided input about the prospect of a national endorsement through town halls, meetings, and engaging in their chapters’ discussions, and AOC was invited to speak at a member forum. Many members have supported national endorsement while at the same time demanding that AOC demonstrate a higher level of commitment to Palestinian liberation, self-determination, and the immediate end to the heinous genocide in Gaza committed by Israel that aligns with DSA’s positions and expectations of socialists in office. 

We recognize that AOC has taken many courageous positions on Palestine such as co-sponsoring several House Resolutions (3103, 786,  496), naming Israel’s genocide as well as opposing House Resolution 894. However, members have raised their concerns regarding a number of her votes, including a vote in favor of H.Res.888, conflating opposition to Israel’s “right to exist” with antisemitism. AOC also co-signed a press release on April 20, 2024, that “support[s] strengthening the Iron Dome and other defense systems” 

Finally, AOC recently hosted a public panel with leaders from the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, lobbyists for the IHRA definition of antisemitism. On this panel, anti-Zionism and antisemitism were conflated and boycotting Zionist institutions was condemned. This sponsorship is a deep betrayal to all those who’ve risked their welfare to fight Israeli apartheid and genocide through political and direct action in recent months, and in decades past.

A national DSA endorsement comes with a serious commitment to the movement for Palestine and our collective socialist project. We must endorse candidates who enthusiastically seek a relationship with DSA, and the National Political Committee as the highest body of the organization between conventions is responsible for setting the criteria we establish for national endorsements. Chapters have a responsibility to make this clear to their endorsed candidates when applying for a national endorsement.  The NPC is committed to ensuring that all of our elected officials are unabashed in their support for Palestinian freedom. To build a socialist movement that’s capable of defeating capitalism, we must demand more from leaders in our movement. 

Correction: “She conflated anti-Zionism with antisemitism” was edited to read “On this panel, anti-Zionism and antisemitism were conflated” after the statement was posted.

The post Status of DSA National Endorsement for Rep. Ocasio-Cortez appeared first on Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

Two Dead at the Hands of Lazy Cops in Kent County

In the Greater Grand Rapids Area, the police have now twice used a dangerous car chase maneuver against an unarmed, fleeing individual, leading to their death. These individuals were wanted for nonviolent crimes and should have been detained using standard protocol. To be clear, the car maneuver we’re talking about is the PIT maneuver, in which a pursuing vehicle swerves into a fleeing vehicle’s back tire in order to cause a spin out. It was never designed to be used against humans, and even the police have even admitted that the maneuver was used incorrectly in both cases. They just aren’t going to do anything about it.

The first instance was April 8th, when Riley Doggett (17) was a passenger in a stolen vehicle being pursued by the police. The driver crashed, and Riley got out of the car and fled until the police caught up and swerved into the fleeing teenager, fully running him over. He died from his injuries days later. The Kent County Sheriff’s office callously remarked that “[Riley’s] actions unfortunately placed him at high risk for a deadly encounter, whether with a citizen or law enforcement. It was fortunate for the community that a Kent County Deputy was the one to confront Mr. Doggett during his crime spree.” Apparently, we as citizens of Grand Rapids should feel safer knowing that our cops are slaughtering people without a trial. The footage of the event can be viewed here, though viewer discretion is advised due to the disturbing content.

The second instance was on the morning of April 17th, when Samuel Sterling (25) was filling up his tires and officers from multiple agencies showed up at his house with a warrant for breaking his parole. A chase ensued, and Samuel was eventually caught by an officer using a PIT maneuver to pinch Sterling against the side of a Burger King. The driver reversed, and Sterling fell to the ground. He can be heard saying to the officers, “I got no gun, bro…why you hitting me like this?” The cops then cuff him, take his belongings out of his pockets, and stand around his body, doing nothing to help him. An officer can be heard telling two firefighters to keep his cuffs on because he was a “wanted, violent felon.” This isn’t true. Samuel’s three felonies were for carrying a concealed weapon and theft, all nonviolent crimes. You can watch the video here, though again, viewer discretion is advised. Samuel died just a few hours later in the hospital. 

To add insult to injury, only the offending officer in the second instance is being charged with murder. This is likely due to the fact that this crime falls under the jurisdiction of our progressive state attorney general, Dana Nessel, because the offending officer was a member of the state police. The Kent County Sheriff’s Deputy Josiah McMains is left in the hands of the extremely conservative Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker, so they get off much easier. This is further evidence that the divide between “criminals” and non-criminals is not only socially constructed, but arbitrarily enforced. Becker is throwing the book at Riley’s friend, charging him with Fleeing and Eluding Causing Death, and attempting to try him as an adult. Meanwhile, the blood-thirsty thugs in blue will seemingly continue their vehicular rampage until they’re forced to stop by a higher power, because it saves them time and effort during a chase. What sort of a justice system is that?

All of this feels familiar when we remember the doorbell footage from April 4, 2022 which showed Grand Rapids Police Officer Christopher Schurr struggle to detain Patrick Lyoya, get frustrated, and unceremoniously end the struggle with a bullet to the back of Patrick’s head. At the time Chris Becker assured us that, despite his work being so closely aligned with the GRPD, he did not know Officer Schurr personally and wouldn’t need to recuse himself. More than two years later, and we’re still waiting for that trial to happen and Patrick’s family is still waiting for justice.
And as if this isn’t bad enough, the Grand Rapids police are now campaigning for the right to sue their detainees in civil court; even though they can beat an innocent man without fear of being charged. This means that after arresting you, an officer will be able to steal from you via civil suit. It’s vital that we organize now to rein in our out-of-control law enforcement before it becomes too late. Fight police oppression by protesting any chance you get and vote against this dishonest “Back the Blue” initiative, we can’t afford to give these thugs any more power to oppress us.

The post If the Police Can’t Catch their Criminals, They’ll just Kill Them Instead appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.