When beloved labor singer/activist
Anne Feeney passed earlier this month, memories of her work and ties to Madison poured in from around the city, state and country. WORT is honored to share these vivid, heartfelt contributions from a number of those who were proud to call her a comrade and friend.
(featured photos from Solidarity Sing Along by Jon Miner)
Anne Feeney remembered
On February 3, legendary folksinger and labor activist Anne Feeney died of COVID-19 pneumonia at the age of sixty-nine. Feeney was a skilled singer and organizer in the musical tradition of Joe Hill and Pete Seeger, and the labor movement tradition of Eugene Debs, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, and Mother Jones. In 2015, she performed in the centennial celebrations of labor singer Joe Hill. Feeney’s songs like “Have You Been to Jail for Justice” inspired activists and fueled protests.
by David Rovics / February 5th, 2021
On February 3rd, 2021, Anne Feeney died in the hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her children at her side. She was 69 years old. She was a cancer survivor in poor physical health when she fell and broke her back a month ago, and in the hospital she contracted Covid-19, then pneumonia.Although Anne died too young, she lived a long life. She lived many lives during those 69 years, really, and she cheated death at least a couple times during her last decade on Earth.
As I set out to write some words about my old and very dear friend, colleague, and fellow worker (that’s Wobbly for comrade), I feel compelled to note first that this is only going to be one of many remembrances of Anne Feeney that will be written, by many different people. Anne personally knew many thousands of people around the world. Many of them she spent a lot of time with over many decades, and knew very well. A much larger number of people have listened to
Our Mixed Economy Is a Mixed Blessing
Socialism promises much, penalizes many
Commentary
A century ago, by stealth and circumstance, socialism crept into Canadian society. It has since become entrenched, part of our ethos, for we’re proud of our mixed economy, our medicare, our bailouts, our social safety net, and our Crown corporations.
Yet they come at a cost. Big government, the nanny state, the welfare state call it what you will isn’t free, and federal and provincial tax rates attest to this, forcing many of us to hand over half the income we make so that others, less productive and able perhaps, can enjoy the services and benefits of modern Canada. Our national debt has ballooned to over a trillion dollars, forcing much of Ottawa’s budget toward paying interest costs to foreign lenders rather than improving our roads and military security.
Inside Canada’s political parties: The Socialist Party of Canada
Some believe that the
for an
alternative: Socialism. The Socialist Party of Canada wants to define what socialism really means.
’At several demonstrations in Toronto, this journalist has come across a lot of members of the Socialist and Communist Parties of Canada. The representatives hand out information on certain events occurring and their stance on the issue.
It was time to finally speak with the party and understand their points of view.
At several demonstrations in Toronto, this journalist has come across a lot of members of the Socialist and Communist Parties of Canada. The representatives hand out information on certain events occurring and their stance on the issue.
about everybody else. so a shutdown would be completely irresponsible. it would be an unforced error, a fumble on the goal line. a number of football references for that crowd up there in beantown as the nfl season gets set to kick off. one quick labor note i want to share with you before i go, leland. you may have read this week the nlrb, the national labor relations board voted 3-2 to al vow some industries to unionize. among them fast food workers, for example, and that s something the white house has been pushing for quite some time because they feel like that will benefit them in the long run. in fact, in the ride up to boston today on air force one the president was joined by a number of big labor leaders. a number of big labor leaders on the plane but one big union not that at that event in boston, the boston police officers union, very upset with the president during that time. kevin corke at the white house. thanks, kevin. patty ann has more you bet. as we mentioned, t