Re: Labor Day vs May Day

[Jim Jaszewski <jjazz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 4 Sep 1995, Zodiac wrote:

>                        BREZHNEV NEVER SLEPT IN CHICAGO
>                            Another Labor Day gone

        Great article!  So, you work for the Star, eh?  :>


> Labor Day never meant a thing in our family's existence, which seems
> standard in Canadian society. Canada has around 40 per cent of its
> workforce unionized. I always wondered why Labor Day signified nothing.

        One thing I've always faulted the Canadian Communist Party on was
not fighting tooth and nail to hold the REAL Labor Day.  I'm sure I'd get
lotsa excuses, but they'd be just that.

        I'm all for the BIG PUSH to have May Day declared as the real
Labor Day -- to hell with the State.  I'm sure the pig and military
marching bands and rightwing unions would protest it and boycott it -- but
that would be JUST TOO BAD, wouldn't it??  :>


> Well, it's because Labor Day is bullshit. May 1 is "international labor
> day" every where in the world -- except Canada, the US and South
> Africa.

        I was in the Hamilton Labor Day parade.  It was, if anything, MORE
pathetic than usual... There were the regular union contingents in their
matching T's and caps, the pigs smirking together behind their sunglasses
off to the side... The parade was WAY too short, yet again (the local CPC
political candidate didn't see why I was so disgusted by that (but then,
there're a lot of things he doesn't get) and the speeches in the park were
perfunctory -- even though the Ontario Federation of Labor boss, Gord
Wilson raised his clenched fist, along with the local former NDP
Attorney-General of Ontario (_my_ MPP and a useless political idiot I've
had a few nasty exchanges with!), and they all sang what part of
`Solidarity Forever' they could remember before wandering off to the real
business of drinking beer and eating hotdogs... Like I said, it was truly
pathetic...

        I left right then, and intended to join some group hanging around
a big red banner proclaiming a new workers' arts center (or something) --
and suddenly realized that the fucking Tory MAYOR was hanging around there
too (he's a real political whore -- he'll show-up ANYWHERE), along with
various municipal NDP sycophants. He saw me looking at him and went into
his `Queen routine' (in more ways than one, if you know local politics),
before he realized that I was snarling at him to fuck right off...

        Some Spartacist had collared me B4 the parade and sold me a
Spartacist Canada and a Workers' Vanguard, so after this I sat in a donut
shop and read about the very Labor jerks I'd just seen...  Whatever the
faults of the Sparts and others, they are right-on in writing things like:

        "Now that the [provincial] election is safely out of the way,
various labor skates are posturing as born-again militants.  As news of
the Tory sweep came in, Ontario Federation of Labour president Gord Wilson
cynically promised "less dialogue in the boardroom and more struggle in
the streets.""

        I'd seen it myself just moments before...


> _That's_ why I grew up never hearing about Haymarket. _That's_ why I
> grew up thinking May Day was some parade where dour-faced, overstuffed,
> medal-festooned, sea walrus Russian Commucrats, perched atop concrete
> embattlements, wave emphysemically at shiny artillery.

        Actually, May Day is my _birthday_!!  As a kid, I always got a
kick out of watching all those Ruskie commies having a big parade, just
for me..!!  :>


> It's enjoyable to occassionally do more than merely report _on_ the
> net, but contribute _to_ the net.
>
> So here's the deal: you can read the complete autobiographies of the
> Haymarket Eight in _eye_'s web site. That's right, we transcribed them
> -- no small amount of work, easily 100 hours. But worth it.
>
> It takes traditional publishing one step further. No way _eye_ hardcopy
> can print 'em all. And not everyone is walking distance from the Metro
> Reference Library. So we put 'em on your virtual bookshelf. You -- and
> anyone else around our beautiful blue planet -- can read the stories of
> the Haymarket Martyrs.
>
> In their own words...
>
> Lest we forget... http://www.interlog.com/eye/Misc/Labor/Haymarket

        You've done working people a GREAT service!  I HEARTILY suggest
that you communicate with Ken Z. (the _other_ Zodiac) at the Colorado
Marx/Engels site and put your work at the world's disposal.




-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
    ++++++++++++++++ stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal ++++++++++++
    +++++++++ if you agree copy these 3 sentences in your own sig +++++
    ++++ more info: http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/sigaction.htm ++++
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Those who would give up essential Liberty,              Benjamin Franklin
to purchase a little temporary Safety,                  Pennsylvania Assembly
deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.                     Nov. 11, 1755
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Jaszewski <jjazz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
http://www.freenet.hamilton.on.ca/~ab975/Profile.html
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=





     --- from list marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---

     ------------------