1) 2005 INTERNATIONAL UNION OF SOCIALIST YOUTH CAMPAIGNS
              2) UPDATE ON MARCH 11-13 YDS CONFERENCE IN NYC
                 3) POST INAUGURAL ANALYSIS: MORE 'BS' FROM BUSH
                 4) SOCIALISTS CHALLENGE WAL-MART TO DEBATE                
                 5) DEBATES IN THE LABOR MOVEMENT: 'NUP' FOLDS
                 6) MARCH 19TH ANTI-WAR PROTESTS/UFPJ ASSEMBLY
                 7) NEW RESOURCE FOR SOCIALISTS: 'BUILDING THE NEXT LEFT'

1) 2005 INTERNATIONAL UNION OF SOCIALIST YOUTH CAMPAIGNS
The International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY--the largest youth political coalition in the world--of which YDS is the only U.S. member organization) has launched a number of new campaigns for social justice.  Campaign materials for "Home is where? Rights for refugees!", "Stop trafficking women!", "Fight AIDS - not people with AIDS!" and "Fair Trade Now!" are available from the IUSY website: http://www.iusy.org.  If you or your YDS chapter are interested in working on any of these campaigns at your school or in your community, please contact the YDS National Office and we can offer assistance.


2) UPDATE ON MARCH 11-13 YDS CONFERENCE IN NYC
The upcoming YDS conference, "When Bush Comes to Shove: Youth Organizing Against Right-Wing and Corporate Power" is less than 7 weeks away!  We hope that you are planning to attend and can help spread the word.  There will be workshops and trainings on youth activism, the feminist movement, anti-racist organizing, democratic socialism, conducting popular education, challenging right-wing ideology, student/labor solidarity, understanding capitalism, counter-military recruitment, and much more!  Check out the following link on the YDS website for conference updates and to print out and distribute flyers. 
http://www.ydsusa.org/confs/nyc_0305.html


3) POST INAUGURAL ANALYSIS: MORE 'BS' FROM BUSH
The Inauguration Speech: Consolidating the Empire
by Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies prepared for United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ)
http://www.ips-dc.org/comment/Bennis/tp28inaug.htm

Human rights not hollow words: An appeal to President George W. Bush on the occasion of his re-inauguration
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR510122005?open&of=ENG-USA

A look at last week's inaugural festivities by the numbers:
$40 million: Cost of Bush inaugural ball festivities, not counting security costs.
$2,000: Amount FDR spent on the inaugural in 1945…about $20,000 in today's dollars.
$20,000: Cost of yellow roses purchased for inaugural festivities by D.C.'s Ritz Carlton.
200: Number of Humvees outfitted with top-of-the-line armor for troops in Iraq that could have been purchased with the amount of money blown on the inauguration.
$10,000: Price of an inaugural package at the Fairmont Hotel, which includes a Beluga caviar and Dom Perignon reception, a chauffeured Rolls Royce and two actors posing as "faux" Secret Service agents, complete with black sunglasses and cufflink walkie-talkies.
400: Pounds of lobster provided for "inaugural feeding frenzy" at the exclusive Mandarin Oriental hotel.
3,000: Number of "Laura Bush Cowboy cookies" provided for "inaugural feeding frenzy" at the Mandarin hotel.
$1: Amount per guest President Carter spent on snacks for guests at his inaugural parties. To stick to a tight budget, he served pretzels, peanuts, crackers and cheese and had cash bars.
22 million: Number of children in regions devastated by the tsunami who could have received vaccinations and preventive health care with the amount of money spent on the inauguration.
1,160,000: Number of girls who could be sent to school for a year in Afghanistan with the amount of money lavished on the inauguration.
$15,000: The down payment to rent a fur coat paid by one gala attendee who didn't want the hassle of schlepping her own through the airport.
$200,500: Price of a room package at D.C.'s Mandarin Oriental, including presidential suite, chauffeured Mercedes limo and outfits from Neiman Marcus.
2,500: Number of U.S. troops used to stand guard as President Bush takes his oath of office
26,000: Number of Kevlar vests for U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan that could be purchased for $40 million.
$290: Bonus that could go to each American solider serving in Iraq, if inauguration funds were used for that purpose.
$6.3 million: Amount contributed by the finance and investment industry, which works out to be 25 percent of all the money collected.
$17 million: Amount of money the White House is forcing the cash-strapped city of Washington, D.C., to pony up for inauguration security.
9: Percentage of D.C. residents who voted for Bush in 2004.
66: Percentage of Americans who think this over-the-top inauguration should have been scaled back.


4) DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS CHALLENGE WAL-MART CEO TO DEBATE  
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has challenged Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott to defend the content of its multi-million dollar PR blitz in a public debate. In a January 13th letter to CEO Scott DSA National Director Frank Llewellyn writes, "Your assertion that 'Wal-Mart is working for all Americans' is not born out by the facts. The truth is that your business practices are bad for America and most Americans…. We challenge you to defend and debate your message--Wal-Mart is working for all Americans--your facts against our facts in front of any impartial audience, or for any impartial institution willing to host such a debate."

Wal-Mart announced a new national advertising campaign responding to its critics on January 13th.  DSA has been a leading critic of Wal-Mart charging that Wal-Mart uses its economic power to drive down wages in the communities and industries in which it operates.  DSA maintains a special section on its web site, www.dsausa.org, devoted to Wal-Mart. Many of its members have published material critical of Wal-Mart and worked in local campaigns in opposition to the opening of new Wal-Mart  stores. "It is simply amazing the CEO Scott describes a Wal-Mart job as a good job. American's know that a good job provides real benefits and a middle class living standard. If Wal-Mart continues to expand without changing its culture and business practices there is a real danger that there won't be any good jobs left in the retail sector," said DSA Natonal Director Llewellyn in announcing the challenge. "Wal-Mart should welcome this opportunity to debate its critics without advertising gimmicks in front of an impartial audience," he continued.
             

5) DEBATES IN THE LABOR MOVEMENT: 'NEW UNITY PARTNERSHIP' FOLDS
Time's Up for the NUP: A union-reform alliance folds its tent
by Harold Meyerson (DSA Vice Chair, writer for L.A Weekly, Washington Post & American Prospect)
http://www.prospect.org/web/view-web.ww?id=9054


6) MARCH 19TH ANTI-WAR PROTESTS/UFPJ ASSEMBLY
March 19-20 marks the two-year anniversary of the U.S. bombing and invasion of Iraq. After all of the death and destruction, and with the Bush administration claiming a mandate to continue their war, there’s a new urgency and a stronger determination within the global antiwar movement to bring the troops home now.

UFPJ (of which YDS is a member organization) is calling on supporters of peace and justice in every corner of the country, in communities large and small, to organize local protests against the war on Saturday, March 19. These can take many forms: vigils, rallies, marches, nonviolent civil disobedience. We especially encourage creative efforts to put the spotlight on the institutions of militarism at home by organizing actions outside military bases or military recruitment offices. List your activities on the UFPJ website calendar at http://www.unitedforpeace.org/events (select “March 19” under Event Type).

On the first anniversary of the war, at least 319 cities and towns across the United States organized protests. This year there is the potential to organize even more demonstrations, and to bring more people than ever out into the streets. The Bush Administration will soon ask Congress to pump as much as $100 billion more into the war; March 19 is an opportunity to call for an end to this disaster, and to demand that the billions be allocated instead for rebuilding our communities at home and paying for the damage in Iraq. 

There will be March 19 organizing materials at the YDS national conference in NYC from March 11-13.

Second National Assembly of United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ)
February 19-21, 2005 St. Louis, MO
If you are interested in attending the UFPJ National Assembly as a YDS delegate, please contact us ASAP.  There is limited space, and discount registration prices are available only for a short time.
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/assembly


7) NEW RESOURCE FOR SOCIALISTS: 'BUILDING THE NEXT LEFT'
DSA announced the re-publication of "Building the Next Left", the most recent political perspective
statement of the organization, with a short introduction putting the document, approved several years ago, in historical context. "Building the Next Left" is available as a free download in pdf format here: http://www.dsausa.org/pdf/Next_Left.pdf




 
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