Carnival of Socialism # 5

Welcome to the Carnival of Socialism # 5! Big thanks to John Angliss for starting it up and giving me the chance to host this one. There is a bunch of thought provoking stuff this time around. Enjoy!

-See why one blogger calls himself "Red Christian."

-David Osler at the blog Dave's Part contemplates IBM and corporate totalitarianism.

-In a review of Richard Heinberg's The Party's Over , Samuel at Ecosocialism takes on Heinberg's arguments and NeoMalthusianism from an ecosocialist perspective.

-Mike Schafer of Think Socialist responds to a recent Newsweek column by Ruchir Sharma, "This Chavez Thing is Over," with a post called "This Anti-Imperialist Thing Isn't Over." Mike says that what "Sharma and his corporate allies fail to recognize is that this "Chavez thing" isn't about Hugo Chavez at all - it's about liberating Latin America from the grip of multinational corporations and empowering them to determine their own destinies."

-Did you know that there's a Labor Party in the United States? Ben Burgis of The Debsian has some thoughts about it.

-Save the Ribble is a blog that was set up to oppose development plans that will damage the ecology and community around the Ribble River in the UK. In this particular post, Riversider makes the point that blogging can reach the places other campaigning methods cannot go. It's an interesting example of local activism and the potential power of blogging.

-I'll end the Carnival with this poem by Andrew Rihn of And time yet for a hundred indecisions.

What’s the Matter with Socialism, Johnnie?

By Andrew Rihn

What’s the matter with socialism, Johnnie?
Are you afraid to sit at the table with me?

You still have not announced the menu.
There are people begging for it, Johnnie.
I can’t see what’s taking you so long to prepare.
Don’t you hear the dinner bell ringing?

It’s sound trades echoes with the emptiness
growling in the people’s bellies
while they wait in line for sustenance.
If you don’t take care of this someone else will.

I want to break bread with you, Johnnie,
and cut this kulturekampf with a knife.
We could spread your ideas like warm butter
if you would only bring them out to us.

I will pass you a plate of my ideals, Johnnie,
and we can season it with your brass tacks.
I’m asking for universal healthcare and an end to war
but I just don’t know about you, Johnnie.

Don't bow your head and criticize me with you silence.
There is a hair in my soup and it's one of yours.
I am choking but you don't know the heimlich.
You're no help to me and you're not my only choice anymore.

I want you to stand up at the head of the table and tell me
what’s the matter with socialism, Johnnie.