Obama’s inaugural: Corporate politics in disguise
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Tony Savino / Socialist Action President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address on Jan. 21 represented a ver bal departure from the record of corpo rate subservience that marked his first four years in office. His 2009 inaugural opened with, “I thank George Bush for his service to our nation,” a promise to the corporate elites who run the Unit ed States that Obama’s policies would differ little, if at all, from those of the previous Republican administration.
But this time, Obama’s speech writ ers, for the “historic record” and for those who retain illusions that the first Black president could actually become a champion of the poor and oppressed, portrayed Obama as a man of the people, vitally concerned with human rights, democracy, world peace, and prosperity for all—immigrants and gays included!
“Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitu tion. We affirm the promise of our de mocracy,” said Obama, who neglected to review his record in signing on once again to the anti-democratic Pa triot Act, his personal “kill list,” the mass interrogation and harassment of 700,000 Muslim-Americans since 9-11, racist stop and frisk laws, and the increasing obliteration of voting rights for Blacks across the country. The violations of fundamental democratic rights became the common currency of state and federal policy during his ad ministration, notwithstanding the few words of “concern” that he uttered.
“The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob,” Obama declared. But under his administration the distribution of the Tony Savino / Socialist Action (Photos) Despite Obama’s rhetoric about “democracy,” he has signed onto numerous infringements of civil liberties, including systematic harassment of Muslim Americans.
nation’s wealth was nothing less than Robin Hood in reverse, with the .001 percent ripping off a greater percent age than anytime in the modern era.
“Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free,” Obama stated, claiming a piece of the Lincoln legacy. Yet today’s increasingly privatized U.S. prison-industrial complex incarcer ates the largest number and percent age of the country’s population in the world. The majority of prisoners are Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Ameri (continued on page 4, in “Why oppressed communities need to safeguard their right to bear arms”)
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Health-care unions — 2 Black self-determination — 6 Right to bear arms — 3 Books: Purity Myth — 8 Spain / Egypt — 4 Honduras — 8
Films: Django, Les Mis’ — 9 Tar sands / Canada — 10 Lynne Stewart / Greece — 11
MALI See page 12 .