Vol. 77/No. 23 June 17, 2013
June 17, 1988
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Speaking at a rally here of 1,000, mine union President Richard Trumka announced that every union-organized mine in Alabama would be idled June 9. The action, he said, will voice miners’ opposition to impending changes in federal mine safety standards.The call for United Mine Workers members to take action to defend health and safety on the job was greeted with enthusiasm by unionists and other activists participating in the June 4 Jobs with Justice rally.
Among the proposed changes is a modification in the regulation governing the amount of methane allowed in an underground mine. Methane is an explosive gas that is a common cause of mine explosions. Another proposed change would allow the operators to get away with lowering standards for mine ventilation.
June 17, 1963
It is ten years now since Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were railroaded to the electric chair at the height of the witch-hunt and cold-war hysteria. On June 19, 1953 they were electrocuted despite their pleas of innocence and world-wide appeals for clemency from such notables as the pope and the president of France. This was the first peace-time execution on espionage charges in U.S. history. It is an ineradicable blot on this country’s record.At the same travesty of a trial, and on even flimsier evidence, Morton Sobell was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for “conspiracy to commit espionage.” Despite constant appeals, his case has never been reviewed and he still languishes in prison. Doctors, emphasizing his poor health, have joined many prominent persons in urging his release. Though he is eligible for parole, it is denied him.
June 18, 1938
Under the leadership of its newly-formed “War Cabinet,” Japan is making a desperate effort to push its robber war in China to a rapid conclusion.The chief manifestation of the new drive was 16 days of unremitting aerial bombardment of the thickly-crowded civilian quarters of Canton. Nearly 4,000 men, women and children were killed by this merciless aerial offensive which continued without let-up while the powers delivered so-called humanitarian protests to Tokyo.
Chiang Kai-shek left Canton to its fate. Not a single Chinese airplane rose to repel these unprecedented attacks. There were only the feeble puffs of futile anti-aircraft batteries which were no menace at all to the attackers.
In Tokyo, effort is being pushed to hasten plans for the immediate economic exploitation of North China.
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