Views in brief

Fighting the cuts in Tennessee

IN RESPONSE to "Fighting the cuts at UVM": Here at Middle Tennessee State University, students from Students for a Democratic Society and Middle Tennessee Solidarity have started working with a variety of students and teachers (from conservative groups to the Anthropology Society) to form "Save Our Schools" (SOS) to fight deep budget cuts.

We have been threatened with decertification--that is, the largest school in Tennessee, bigger than the University of Tennessee at 23,000 students. Also, the Board of Regents has threatened firing all tenured faculty, as well as having juniors and seniors teach freshmen and sophomores, and making graduate courses available only online.

At graduation, the SOS group handed out literature and had a less-than-successful meeting with the head of the Tennessee Board of Regents. The next stage of action is being planned. (An attempted protest at the headquarters of the Board of Regents in Nashville failed due to threats from the Board that they would call the police, and no one was prepared to get arrested at that point--but that has definitely changed.)

We must work together across state and national lines to fight this neoliberal attack against education. Students and teachers are workers too! Workers of the world unite!
Jase Short, Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Thanks for the Republic sit-in coverage

I WANT to thank Lee Sustar for the excellent coverage of the worker-community action at Republic Windows & Doors. Tonight, I am distributing copies of his article, "Victory at Republic!" at a meeting of coworkers.

Towards the confidence, consciousness and unity of working people so that they may lead humanity to overcome the capitalist epoch of history,
Erek Slater, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, Chicago

Ron Carey's legacy

THE ARTICLE on Ron Carey is beautifully written and, thankfully, truthful ("Remembering Ron Carey")! The power of the media is often sad and damaging. Ron will be missed by so many. I knew his family well, and have loving and fond memories of Ron as an amazing family man.

He was passionate about his work and rooting out corruption in the union. He adored his wife, Barbara, and pushed all of his children to become successful! Ron loved life and had the funniest sense of humor of anyone I have ever known. He made an impression on so many, and I am saddened by his loss.

Thank you for this wonderful reflection on Ron's life with truth about his desire to make a positive difference with the Teamsters. My prayer is for the family that I know is grieving.
Kelly Coughlin, Las Vegas

Quebec is not oppressed

THANK YOU SocialistWorker.org for spotlighting Canada's fight to get rid of our "Republican Party" and put in something more progressive, but I have a few small complaints about your article ("Brewing crisis for Canada's Conservatives").

Canada is a progressive country that is having trouble voting for a progressive government in our elections because there's one united party on the right, but four parties on the left that split the vote. Also, the separatist party in the House of Commons is not called the Parti Quebecois, but the Bloc Quebecois.

I disagree wholeheartedly about you calling Quebec an oppressed nation. They are not. Marginalized? Sure, but oppressed no. Oppression is a strong word that needs to be used in the right context, such as Black South Africans being oppressed by white South Africans, or how the Palestinians are treated by the Israelis. Even in Canada, our aboriginals don't use such strong language to describe so many of the injustices to them in our history and present day.

Ironically, after Prime Minister Stephen Harper shut down parliament, five days later, Quebecers would have been going to the polls to vote in who should be in charge of their province. During the 35-day campaign in Quebec, the separatist Parti Quebecois didn't even bother talking about the issue of sovereignty. In fact, it didn't bother with it the last election either.

Polls show 33 percent want independence, and the other 67 percent don't. (The last time I checked, usually when you're oppressed, you want to be liberated, not remain in the country that is supposedly oppressing you.)

On December 8, the Federalist Party (the ones who "believe in Canada") won a majority government. The issue of Quebec is a sensitive one in my country and especially in Quebec. I just hope that the next time you write an article about my country and mention the separatists, you do a little more research so that you realize that most Quebecers don't view themselves as oppressed, and neither should your readers.
Bonnie, from the Internet