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Some of the media elites gave old-fashioned patriotism a clout to the jaw on May 1, May Day.  When a reporter for a major American television network calls Fidel Castro “Cuba’s revolutionary hero,” without a hint of irony, you know that somebody’s confused about what’s honorable and patriotic.In May Day reports from Havana, CBS correspondent Liz Palmer managed to utter the oxymoronic phrase not once but twice, on CBS’s The Early Show and again on the CBS Evening News.  Palmer also praised new dictator Raul Castro’s efforts to “improve workers’ lives.”Leaders of communist revolutions are not heroes.  Without exception,...

The MSM focused on the diminished numbers of May Day protesters earlier this week, but those who did turn out were as militant as ever. Blog correspondents from across the country sent in their coverage. Here's a taste of what you missed–with thanks to all the bloggers, photographers, and readers who sent in their submissions.

Today is May 1, 2008. As many of my readers know, today is "May Day" or "International Workers Day" - a day when most of the world has its equivalent of the American "Labor Day" holiday. If this sounds Stalinist to the average American, their instincts would be correct. Americans do, after all, have a nose for this type of thing as, for all true Americans, the very thought of living behind the iron curtain of communism is nothing short of hateful. In recent years, Americans have been given a new reason to hold their nose on May Day as...

Post-May Day depression is a growing malady that affects many progressives and pro-Communists each year, usually beginning late in the afternoon on May 1 and continuing until the morning of the next May Day. For some, it is a result of too much sign-making and short-range marching with very few people giving a crap. Many left-wing agitators in the United States and other free nations have mild symptoms, but others are subjected to an almost paralyzing agony. This article shows how dejected collectivists around the world can combat May Day depression by just taking a few simple precautions. * Realize...

It appears as if the illegal’s support is running out of steam here in Dallas. The link is to video I shot of the "protest march" staged by criminal illegal alien Border and immigration law violators. They marched and nobody cared. VIDEO

In numbers that were notably light, immigrant workers and their supporters gathered in downtown Los Angeles this afternoon for a May Day march to demand legislative reforms and an end to blanket raids on work sites. Two years ago, the May Day march drew more than 500,000 supporters registering their protest of recently scuttled plans to make being an illegal immigrant a felony. Last year, the crowd was estimated at 35,000 and today police estimated about 8,500 protesters from two main marches converged on City Hall in the late afternoon.

MAY DAY 2008 Unity grows among immigrants, Black community and labor By Teresa Gutierrez Published Apr 30, 2008 9:47 PM May Day press conference, April 28, New York City. Third from the left is Teresa Gutierrez. WW photo: Deirdre Griswold April 27—On April 25 when the not guilty verdict against the cop killers of Sean Bell, a 23-year-old African American was announced, immigrant rights activists and many immigrants spontaneously joined the progressive movement in a demonstration in Queens, N.Y., to protest the racist verdict. ... (big snip) "Workers World Party Secretariat members Teresa Gutierrez and Fred Goldstein will deliver papers...

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of illegal immigrants are expected to join supporters in a four-mile march through downtown Seattle at the height of rush hour today, proclaiming they're not illegal or undocumented — but workers. And at the same time, many more are expected to stay away, fearful of drawing the attention of immigration authorities or frustrated by the failure of Congress to fix the immigration system even as raids and deportations continue. "Two years ago, there was legislation in Congress and a tangible reason to turn out," said Louis DeSipio, an expert on Latino politics and associate professor of political...

CHICAGO (AP) - Thousands of chanting, flag-waving immigrants and activists rallied in cities across the country Thursday, attempting to reinvigorate calls for immigration reform in a presidential election year in which the economy has taken center stage. From Washington to Miami to Los Angeles, immigrant rights activists demanded citizenship opportunities for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. and an end to raids and deportations. "We come here to fight for legalization. We're people. We have rights," said Eric Molina, an undocumented factory worker who immigrated to Zion, Ill., from Mexico. Molina, his sister and his 13-year-old daughter...

Today, I stood outside our county courthouse, in Bradley County, Tennessee, from 9-3 PM holding a sign which read.. ILLEGAL ALIENS GO HOME As I did last year, I acknowledged the comments of the Americans with thanks, and tried to ignore the illegal alien enablers. The hundreds of American passers-by honked, waved and gave me "thumbs up". The encouraging words and thanks are worth the hours of standing in the sun, and getting odd looks, in a town that does not protest. One of the best comments came from a well educated, sharp looking American, who told me that he...

Illegal immigration activists and anti-war activists will lead the parades today, but May Day attracts all grievance-mongers.

The ILWU: Back to its Marxist Roots March 12, 2008 At a time when even Russia and China are rejecting their Marxist past, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union still plans on celebrating the birth of communism by taking “May Day” off. These are people, by the way, who earn six-figure incomes, generous benefits, and pensions for putting in fewer hours on the job than their dock-working comrades anywhere in the world. That measure of failed solidarity notwithstanding, the ILWU is also asking the AFL-CIO to join them in the work stoppage. Is it any wonder why many shippers are...

On May 1, a coalition of organizations will take to the streets in what has now become an annual march for the rights of undocumented immigrants. Many of the groups participating in the march say they will demand an end to the Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) raids and the legalization of millions of undocumented residents. The March 25th Coalition, the Coalition for Immigrant Human Rights (CHIRLA) and Hermandad Mexicana Transnacional, and several other groups are organizing the event and are calling on the immigrant community and all workers to come together in unity and participate in the “Super Thursday...

Led by Mexico’s government, illegal immigrants across the nation are planning disruptive May Day marches demanding that the U.S. government halt immigration raids and that Congress pass laws to legalize them. Hundreds of thousands of rowdy illegal aliens flooded the streets of major cities last year demanding amnesty and other rights, while threatening to shut down streets and launch economic boycotts. They burned U.S. flags and wielded racist, anti-American signs as they chanted for “derechos” (rights) in Spanish. Although many local groups helped promote those marches, they were mainly organized by an umbrella group called National Mobilization to Support Immigrant...

Pro-immigrant groups across the country are preparing to stage a series of marches May 1, pressing the White House and the Homeland Security Department to halt immigration raids and move forward on comprehensive immigration reform. “Change is in the air,” Juan Jose Gutierrez, director of the Los Angeles-based Latino Movement USA, promises. This year marks the third grass-roots-organized May Day event with two unique factors: — The marches are being guided by a national coordinating committee — The First Parliament of Mexican Migrant Leaders Living in the U.S.A. — This is the first time that the marches will be held...

Arriving in the Port of Oakland at 6 a.m. last Thursday, the grey-blue colossus auto carrier Century Highway No. 3 carries enough cars to fill all the parking lots surrounding the Giants stadium — a mere fraction of the average 368 million annual tons of autos, toys, and other goods moving through the 29 ports along America's Pacific coast. Could there be a force of man or nature powerful enough to interrupt this perpetual merchandise tsunami? Would you believe — San Francisco radical peaceniks? On May 1, the usually bustling ports along the West Coast will become still, as members...

In a major step for the U.S. labor movement, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has announced that it will shut down West Coast ports on May 1, to demand an immediate end to the war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Middle East. In a February 22 letter to AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, ILWU International president Robert McEllrath reported that at a recent coast-wide union meeting, "One of the resolutions adopted by caucus delegates called on longshore workers to stop work during the day shift on May 1, 2008 to...

The clash between LAPD officers and demonstrators at a May 1 immigration rally will likely result in multimillion-dollar legal judgments that will be a "waste" of taxpayer dollars, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said today. The mayor's comments came during an appearance on KNBC and nearly two weeks after a televised altercation showed police wielding batons and firing rubber bullets at protestors and journalists in MacArthur Park. As the LAPD and Police Commission investigate the melee, the city has asked participants and witnesses to come forward with information and any video or photos. Villaraigosa said evidence provided by bystanders will be a...

Spring in Iran was marked by the outbreak of protests nationwide by virtually every sector of Iranian society, beginning with demonstrations and strikes by tens of thousands of workers in March. By April and May, the level of discontent had escalated dramatically as tens of thousands of workers kept their pledge to turn out en masse. More than one hundred thousand staged a rally in Tehran on May Day, making it one of the largest protests in Iran in the past two decades. Chanting "death to oppressors" and "freedom is our inalienable right," they displayed their burning desire for change....

The first scapegoats in the May Day melee walk the plank. By Jack Dunphy On Friday, word circulated through the Los Angeles Police Department that a protest rally was being planned for the following day in MacArthur Park, the scene of last Tuesday’s May Day melee. A colleague asked me if I would be interested in adjusting my schedule and working crowd control at the rally. I declined. The rally turned out to be a spectacular dud, as it happened, attracting far more cops and reporters than protesters, but staying clear of it was nonetheless the wiser course. In fact,...

In a show of solidarity with families confronted by police during Tuesday's immigrant rally at MacArthur Park, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told Cinco de Mayo audiences around Los Angeles on Saturday that action would be taken against officers found to have violated the law. The mayor stepped up to a downtown pulpit Saturday night and vowed, "There will be consequences.

Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton on Sunday offered his strongest apology yet for the actions of an elite platoon of Metropolitan Division officers who swarmed a May Day immigration rally in MacArthur Park, and said that those officers are off the streets until he finds out what went wrong. Saying he watched extensive videos of Tuesday's incident, which left several reporters and rally attendees injured by batons and rounds of foam bullets and sock-like projectiles, Bratton called the officers' conduct indefensible. "I feel comfortable apologizing…. Things were done that shouldn't have been done," Bratton told a group of...

LAPD Acts Against Elite Police Squad Los Angeles Police Chief Says Elite Officers In May Day Melee Off The Street, Will Face Consequences LOS ANGELES, May 7, 2007 This video image provided by KVEA/Telemundo shows KCAL cameraman Carl Stein on the ground during a police response during an immigrants rights rally, Tuesday May 1, 2007, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/KVEA/Telemundo) (AP) Police Chief William Bratton said Sunday that up to 60 members of an elite squad that swarmed into a park and fired rubber bullets during a May Day immigration rally are no longer on the street. Bratton said he spent...

The FBI will open a civil rights inquiry into the Los Angeles Police Department's actions at an immigration rally where officers cleared a city park by wielding batons and firing rubber bullets. The preliminary inquiry seeks to determine "whether the civil rights of protesters taking part in the May 1st immigration rally were violated," according to an FBI news release issued on Thursday. Police Chief William J Bratton had said earlier on Thursday that he planned to meet next week with the FBI to see whether a bureau probe of Tuesday's clashes at MacArthur Park was possible. "I have no...

LOS ANGELES -- Police Chief William J. Bratton said Thursday he would meet with the FBI to discuss the possibility of a federal inquiry into his officers' use of force to break up an immigration rally this week. Bratton told a news conference he had talked with the head of the FBI's Los Angeles office Thursday morning and would meet with him next week to "speak to the issues that occurred May 1 and also the idea of possibly having the FBI take a look at this." The chief said he hoped a federal review would show the department has...

Iran labour protest against president, "Death to the oppressors" By Shahriar, N. - Persian Journal May 1, 2007 Hundreds of Iranians took part on Tuesday in a demonstration in Tehran to mark labour day, accusing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government of failing to improve their working conditions. The workers converged on a stadium in central Tehran in the officially sanctioned demonstration to mark May Day but were dispersed by anti-riot police when the march moved out into the street, witnesses said. "Some 600 workers demonstrated at the exit to the stadium and shouted slogans against the minister of labour," Mohammad Jahromi,...

<p>Tuesday was given over to illegal aliens and their supporters to demand forgiveness for using fraudulent documents and assisting others in entering this country illegally.</p> <p>What a day for illegal aliens and their supporters to demand not only amnesty but also the end to immigration raids and deportations. May Day was a peculiar choice for their demonstrations, a day in many countries in which international socialism is celebrated and a reminder of those old Soviet military parades.</p>

This year, as ever, campuses nationwide are sponsoring or supporting May Day demonstrations on behalf of immigrants in America who may or may not be here legally. Google the phrase “campus May Day demonstrations” and we will get 32,400,000 entries. Federal officials charged with enforcing U. S. immigration law, meanwhile, are sending up their own distress signals. “Immigration-related felony cases are swamping federal courts along the Southwest border, forcing judges to handle hundreds more cases than their peers elsewhere,” Jennifer Talhem of the Associated Press reports. “Judges in the five, mostly rural judicial districts on the border carry the heaviest...

HAVANA - There was no sign of a convalescing Fidel Castro as hundreds of thousands of Cubans marched through Havana's Revolution Plaza to celebrate May Day, casting new doubts on his recovery and whether he will return to power. Tuesday marked only the third time in nearly five decades that Castro has missed the sweeping International Workers' Day festivities — a major celebration here and around the world. While recent images of Castro meeting with Chinese leaders indicated he had improved considerably since undergoing emergency surgery nine months ago, his absence at the parade through the Revolution Plaza raised questions...

(CBS) LOS ANGELES Violence broke out between immigration rights advocates and police officers Tuesday after a day of peaceful marching through downtown Los Angeles. About 10,000 people waving American and Mexican flags marched from City Hall to MacArthur Park, including 1,480 Los Angeles Unified School District students. Organizers had predicted lower turnout, blaming stepped-up immigration raids, frustration that Congress hasn't passed immigration reform, and an effort by many groups to shift their focus from street mobilizations to citizenship and voter registration drives.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1676468.php FACE OFF: Raymond Herrera, left, a spokesman for the Minuteman Project, and Jorge Armando Diaz, a counselor for the Latino Family Institute argue up close and personal in front of the Mexican Consulate, Santa Ana. Diaz was trying to tell Herrera that he was wrong to stand with the anti-illegal immigration protesters because he was of Mexican descent. Herrera called him a racist.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--America was founded by patriots who risked their lives to bring freedom to our Nation. Today, our citizens are grateful for our Founding Fathers and confident in the principles that lead us forward. On Loyalty Day, we celebrate the blessings of freedom and remember our responsibility to continue our legacy of liberty. Our Nation has never been united simply by blood, birth, or soil, but instead has always been united by the ideals that move us beyond our background and teach us what it means to be Americans. We believe deeply in freedom and self-government, values embodied in our...

HAVANA - Hundreds of thousands of cheering workers marched through Cuba’s Revolution Plaza on Tuesday but Fidel Castro was nowhere to be seen. The 80-year-old communist leader was not watching from his usual perch atop a viewing platform and has not been seen in public since emergency intestinal surgery forced him to step down temporarily nine months ago. Castro has attended the annual International Workers’ Day march for decades. Cuban officials had refused to speculate on whether he would use this year’s event to make his first public appearance since undergoing surgery and temporarily ceding his duties to his 75-year-old...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hispanic and other civil rights groups wrapped up plans for immigration reform marches and rallies Tuesday in dozens of cities, but conceded that a replay of last year's huge turnout was unlikely. Associate Director of Development, Jorge-Mario Cabera, of the Central American Resource Center gives a flyer to Na Hee Won, with her daughter Grace Won, 1, of Los Angeles, to Tuesday's multi-ethnic immigrant workers May Day march, Monday, April 30, 2007 in Los Angeles.(AP Photo/Gus Ruelas) Still, organizers said the demonstrations reflect a robust movement determined to win a path to citizenship for the estimated...

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/bdaz01/1c18042.jpg[/IMG] TRANSLATION: For the moment we have the backing of ten states of the American Union who stand against the roundups. These states are clearly part of the campaign against roundups. These states are, Rhode island, Massachussets, California, Texas, South Carolina, Kentucky, Nevada, Atlanta Georgia, New mexico, Florida, and we expect that in the following days we will be joined by more states, organizations, politicians, syndicates, churches, businesses, in this noble cause that concerns all of us. The 22 institutions, organizations, media, churches, syndicates, politicians, businessess and more...YES WE CAN!!! Julio César Aragón Presidente de la Asociación Social, Cultural y...

"LOS ANGELES, April 29 (UPI) -- Los Angeles is bracing for massive traffic jams Tuesday when May 1 rallies are to be held for immigration reform and labor rights."

Latinos poured onto the streets in astonishing numbers a year ago to demonstrate for immigration policy reform, but as May 1 -- the National Day of Action -- approaches, marches this year have drawn far fewer people. Organizers admit it is unlikely that they can again inspire the flood of humanity that brought home the issue for those far removed from their immigrant roots."It was spontaneous," Madison organizer Alex Gillis said of the flood of demonstrators -- officials put their number at 10,000; organizers at twice that -- who marched up West Washington Avenue to the Capitol last April 10...

Shaken by a nationwide barrage of government workplace raids, immigrants and their advocates acknowledge their political movement has lost influence but insist it's not a one-hit wonder. Attempting a repeat of last year's surprisingly massive rallies and marches calling for an overhaul of the U.S. immigration system, they will stage rallies and marches in many cities Tuesday, including San Antonio. But the thousands of arrests and deportations of undocumented workers in ongoing raids have muted immigrant advocates, who readily admit they don't expect turnouts similar to last year. Federal immigration agents don't make random arrests, said Nina Pruneda, spokeswoman for...

May 1st, International Workers' Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world, and is recognized in every country except the United States, Canada, and South Africa. This despite the fact that the holiday began in the 1880s in the United States, with the fight for an eight-hour work day. In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions passed a resolution stating that eight hours would constitute a legal day's work from and after May 1, 1886. The resolution called for a general strike to achieve the goal, since legislative methods had already failed. With workers...

Los Angeles (AP) -- Immigration activists are calling for a repeat of last year's massive boycott and march that drew more than 1 million people to the streets in dozens of cities nationwide. The so-called "Great American Boycott II" was being planned for May 1, organizers said Monday. The first protest, which occurred May 1, 2006, temporarily shuttered businesses and schools across the country as people took to the streets in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and other cities. The boycott was fueled by anger over federal legislation that would have criminalized illegal immigrants and fortified the U.S.-Mexico border. The goal...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2007 – Thanks to the efforts of Silver Star Families of America, Indiana and New Mexico have proclaimed May 1 as “Silver Star Day” to honor the nation’s wounded servicemembers. Silver Star Families of America is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting the ways Americans are supporting the nation’s servicemembers. “What we really want to do is have a nationwide event that day,” Janie Orman, the group’s vice president, said. She added that the proclamation had been sent to every state. The group, which would like to establish May 1 as...

First cancellation for A380 as FedEx orders Boeing 777 Freighters, ditching Airbus A380F Flight International 11/07/2006 Author: Justin Wastnage FedEx Express has placed an order for up to 30 Boeing 777 Freighters, replacing its initial order for 10 Airbus A380s. The deal, which consists of 15 firm orders and 15 options, will see the first aircraft join the cargo operator's fleet in 2009. "We're looking forward to working with FedEx on this new chapter in our relationship," says Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of sales for the Americas Ray Conner in a statement. "The 777F will have unmatched capacity for...

Fedex has cancelled its order for Airbus aircraft and switched its order to rival Boeing instead. Fedex Express said it had cancelled its order for 10 Airbus A380-800F superjumbo because of delivery delays. Instead it has ordered 15 Boeing 777 freighters - to be delivered between 2009 and 2011 - and has an option to take a further 15 aircraft. Airbus said it regretted the decision but understood Fedex's "need to urgently address capacity issues". Shares in Airbus owner EADS closed more than 3% lower on the French stock exchange on the news. 'Best decision' "The availability and delivery timing...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - FedEx Corp. said Tuesday it has canceled its order for 10 Airbus A380 jets, the new jumbo double-decker plane that has been dogged by numerous delays. The company's FedEx Express unit has ordered 15 Boeing Co. 777 Freighters, and has options to purchase an additional 15, FedEx said in a news release. The company cited Airbus' production delays as the reason for the decision.

An anti-communist May Day coup Bumped off Letná, the KSÈM regroups By Iva Skochová Staff Writer, The Prague Post May 03, 2006 Communist Youth Union members gather at Výstavištì May 1. Letná Park in Prague 7 has always been a popular gathering place for communists on May 1, or Labor Day, since it was traditionally the site of regular party rallies during the Cold War, scenes of pomp and circumstance where the virtues of the worker were extolled. So when the Confederation of Political Prisoners (KPV), an anti-communist group, managed to get a permit for its own demonstration on Letná...

The Tucson Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying a female protester who kicked an officer in the face during the April 10 pro-immigration rally. After closely reviewing video footage from the rally, police have been able to single out the female who they say intentionally kicked Officer Nathan A. Tullgren, 26, as he was on the ground making an arrest, said Tucson police Chief of Staff Capt. Brett Klein on Friday. Police say she could face a charge of aggravated assault on a peace officer. According to Klein, Tullgren had just pulled a male off of...

Political atomic wedgie By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Every political storm has its wedge issue. This is a social issue used by a campaign to split the opposition's base supporters from the flock. Immigration reform is the wedge issue for the midterm elections, escalating to new heights with all the grace of a wedgie gone atomic. (You know the kind, where someone's boxers are unnaturally lifted above his shoulder blades.)

Reuters - CRUISE LINER WITH 708 ABOARD ON FIRE 20 MILES OFF SOUTHEAST ENGLAND-SKY TV

**** I am outraged that persons illegally in our country are determined to change its laws....Fairfield, Conn. **** On May 1.....there was not one nationally recognizable, elected political official speaking on behalf of amnesty. Even super-panderers Kennedy, Schumer and Clinton, high-profile speakers the last time, were nowhere to be found. East Setauket **** Illegal immigrants are out of control and, sadly, are causing upset within our country......enough is enough. If they're not happy with the way we do business in the US, they should go home...... Illegal aliens work off the books, drive around without auto insurance and licenses and...