Editorial ¡Reparaciones climáticas! 12 Crisis climática y la clase obrera 12

Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! workers.org Vol. 61 No. 40 Oct. 3, 2019 $1

Global climate strikes Earth crisis arouses millions By Minnie Bruce Pratt fools.” Slogans in England pointed out “Disaster capi- march, was recently nominated for the International talism = climate apocalypse” and called for “System Children’s Peace Prize for her work as Anishinabek In Montreal, Quebec province, Canada, more than change, not climate change.” In Scotland, angry signs Nation Chief Water Commissioner. 500,000 people marched on Sept. 27 in an effort to halt proclaimed: “The rich get richer, the planet gets poorer” Indigenous peoples in close relationship with the Earth the climate crisis, in the largest strike in the city’s his- and “Save the bees or I’ll break your knees!” have led in protection of the environment for millennia tory, according to organizers. The leadership of Indigenous peoples in protecting before the “green movements” of the 20th century. The This and other Global Climate Strike events ended a the Earth and its beings was highlighted in Montreal, intensified exploitation of the planet in the last century week later, when 7.5 million people participated in 6,135 where Indigenous youth led the march. Rosalie LaBillois has seen heightened measures led by Indigenous people. actions in 185 countries, along with over 70 national and (Mi’kmaw), co-chair of the Assembly of First Nations The Sacred Stone camp created in 2016 to block the international unions, and more than 800 organizations National Youth Council, said: “We must ensure that our pathway of the Dakota Access Pipeline became an inter- endorsing and marching. The Sept. 20-27 global mobili- lands, waters, non-human beings, medicines and sacred national rallying site for environmental activists. zation was the largest turnout ever of people determined sites are protected now and for the seven generations to Indigenous environmental activists in Central and to defend the planet against exploitation and destruc- come.” (turtleislandnews.com) South America have been battling settler and corporate tion. (globalclimatestrike.net) AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde, AFN Yukon seizure and exploitation of their lands for centuries, long Many marchers emphatically indicted the capitalist Regional Chief Kluane Adamek and other leaders, includ- before the Amazon began burning. economy, corporate profit-making, and bought-and- ing Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, Many activists have lost their lives in that struggle, sold politicians as responsible. In the U.S., some signs marched with the Indigenous youth. Autumn Peltier including Berta Cáceres of Honduras, winner of the declared “Capitalism created climate crisis” and “Fossil (Wikwemikong), who marked her 15th birthday at the Continued on page 9 Bigot Trump’s real crimes Let us count the crimes the current U.S. the Central Park 5, Black and Latinx president has committed against the work- youths railroaded to jail on false accusa- ing class and all the oppressed masses. tions of raping a jogger, who were finally His campaign vili- exonerated. In office, he fied Mexicans and other railed against “s—​thole Central American migrants Editorial countries,” all of which and refugees, calling them were countries in Africa or Indigenous youth lead massive Montreal Climate Strike, Sept. 27. PHOTO: TURTLE ISLAND NEWS gangsters and rapists. In office, he shut inhabited by people of African descent. down legal asylum, jailing migrants and Among other things, this president has separating parents from children, and insulted people with disabilities for their restricted entry for Muslims. disability, has tried to bar trans people All his life, Trump wore his misogyny from the military, and with all the above openly, boasting of groping women. In has committed grave crimes against the office he appointed misogynist judges to working and oppressed masses. federal courts and even the Supreme Court. Yet the charges that the Democratic Long before he ran for office, Donald Party and various ruling-class sectors Trump waged a racist campaign against Continued on page 10

Racism—then and now 3 Justice for Anthony Hill Legacy of Sugar Land 95

WW PHOTO: GLORIA RUBAC Brown Berets fight racism in Houston, Sept. 28. Read more on page 5. Workers won’t back down 4 GM strike in third week SEIU 32BJ vs Philly bosses

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Street ______City / State / Zip ______Haitians rebel 10 Workers World Weekly Newspaper workers.org 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10011 212.627.2994 Space imperialism 11 Page 2 Oct. 3, 2019 workers.org ‘Stop the wars, save the planet!’ this week By Makasi Motema New York

Activists with the People’s Mobilization ◆ In the U.S. to Stop the U.S. War Machine gathered at Herald Square Sept. 22 to denounce U.S. Bigot Trump's real crimes ...... 1 imperialism and its role in the current climate ‘Stop the wars, save the planet!’ ...... 2 crisis. People’s Mobilization is a coalition that Legacy of the Sugar Land 95 ...... 3 includes Code Pink, the Venezuelan Embassy Justice for Anthony Hill! ...... 3 Protection Collective, the International Action Center and many anti-war, environ- SEIU 32BJ members #BuildingJustice ...... 4 mental and other organizations. Big pharma + big money = no blame ...... 4 The demonstration was scheduled to coin- Brown Berets march against white supremacy . . 5 cide with the opening of the 74th session of NYC declares: Independence for Puerto Rico! . . .5 the United Nations General Assembly. About 200 demonstrators correctly NYC activists welcome Bolivarian leader . . . . .5 pointed out that the U.N. has often been a Scapegoating the homeless for climate crisis . . . 8 tool of U.S. imperialism, thereby completely Title X gag rule will increase need for abortion . . 8 failing to uphold its “three pillars:” peace and Workers march to end climate crisis ...... 9 security, human rights and development. In actuality, the U.N. has either closed its eyes Makasi Motema at Sept. 22 rally. WW PHOTO: G. DUNKEL ◆ Around the world or been an active participant in the escalation of imperialist wars, decades of human rights Global climate strikes—Crisis arouses millions . . 1 violations in Palestine and the underdevelopment of the an international incident in the Strait of Hormuz as a pre- GM strike and the global working class ...... 4 global South (countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and text for war with Iran. Climate justice, system change & the working class 6 the Caribbean) for the benefit of Western finance capital. Now the U.S. has targeted the Chinese economy through Haitians demand president leave ...... 10 Many of the activists in attendance also pointed out that an escalating trade war. And through all these hostile—​ the Pentagon is one of the planet’s leading polluters, emit- though half-baked—​stratagems, the U.S. has wielded Astronomical imperialism! Part 2 ...... 11 ting more greenhouse gases from its military operations deadly sanctions like a cudgel against any government that ◆ Editorial than many industrialized nations. U.S. wars pose an immi- challenges its hegemony. nent threat to civilians in targeted countries, but they also During the rally and march from Herald Square, orga- Bigot Trump’s real crimes ...... 1 pose an existential threat to the entire biosphere, as the nizers raised all these issues and ended their demonstra- Biden’s time in Ukraine ...... 10 planet careens closer and closer to climate catastrophe. tion in front of the U.N. The challenge offered was clear: The demonstration coincided with the U.S.’s increas- “Stop the wars, save the planet.” The leadership at the ◆ Noticias en Español ing hostilities against Venezuela, China and Iran. Flailing United Nations has shown that they lack the vision and Editorial ¡Reparaciones climáticas! ...... 12 from one target to the next in a futile attempt to shore up courage to take actions necessary to ensure the survival its deteriorating legitimacy, the U.S. policy of “maximum of the species—but​ the people do. With each new gener- Crisis climática y la clase obrera ...... 12 pressure” can be more accurately described as “maximum ation, popular outrage against imperialist warmongering belligerency.” grows. Only the power of the masses can stop the U.S. war First, there was the attempt to topple the Venezuelan machine. And that power is growing every day. government and replace the democratically elected leader- Motema spoke at the rally on behalf of Workers World ship with a U.S. puppet. Then, the U.S. sought to fabricate Party. Workers World 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10011 Join us in the fight Phone: 212.627.2994 E-mail: [email protected] for socialism! Web: www.workers.org Vol. 61, No. 40 • Oct. 3, 2019 Workers World Party is a revolutionary Marxist-Leninist people are gunned down by cops and bigots on a regular Closing date: Oct. 2, 2019 party inside the belly of the imperialist beast. We are a basis. multinational, multigenerational and multigendered orga- The ruthless ruling class today seeks to wipe out Editor: Deirdre Griswold nization that not only aims to abolish capitalism, but to decades of gains and benefits won by hard-fought strug- Managing Editors: John Catalinotto, Martha Grevatt, build a socialist society because it’s the only way forward! gles by people’s movements. The super-rich and their Monica Moorehead, Minnie Bruce Pratt Capitalism and imperialism threaten the peoples of the political representatives have intensified their attacks on Web Editors: Ben Carroll, John Steffin world and the planet itself in the neverending quest for the multinational, multigender and multigenerational ever-greater profits. working class. It is time to point the blame at—and chal- Production & Design Editors: Gery Armsby, Sasha Capitalism means war and austerity, racism and repres- lenge—the capitalist system. Mazumder, Scott Williams sion, attacks on im/migrants, misogyny, LGBTQ oppres- WWP fights for socialism because the working class Copyediting and Proofreading: Paddy Colligan, sion and mistreatment of people with disabilities. It means produces all wealth in society, and this wealth should Sue Davis, S. Hedgecoke joblessness, increasing homelessness and impoverishment remain in their hands, not be stolen in the form of capi- Contributing Editors: LeiLani Dowell, G. Dunkel, and lack of hope for the future. No social problems can be talist profits. The wealth workers create should be socially K. Durkin, Teresa Gutierrez, Betsey Piette, Gloria solved under capitalism. owned and its distribution planned to satisfy and guaran- Rubac The U.S. is the richest country in the world, yet no one tee basic human needs. has a guaranteed right to shelter, food, water, health care, Since 1959, Workers World Party has been out in the Mundo Obero: Alberto García, Teresa Gutierrez, education or anything else—unless they can pay for it. streets defending the workers and oppressed here and Carlos Vargas Wages are lower than ever, and youth are saddled with worldwide. If you’re interested in Marxism, socialism Supporter Program: Coordinator Sue Davis seemingly insurmountable student debt, if they even make and fighting for a socialist future, please contact a WWP Copyright © 2019 Workers World. Verbatim copying it to college. Black, Brown and Indigenous youth and trans branch near you. ☐ and distribution of articles is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. 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Killer cop on trial Legacy of the Sugar Land 95 Justice for Anthony Hill!

By Dianne Mathiowetz Atlanta

On March 9, 2015, promising musi- cian and singer Anthony Hill was killed by DeKalb County Deputy Robert Olsen in the parking lot of Hill’s Chamblee apartment complex. Hill, 27, an African- American veteran of the Afghanistan war, had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD as a result of his mil- itary experiences. When the drugs pre- scribed by the Veterans Administration caused his jaw to lock, along with other Anthony Hill debilitating effects, he had stopped tak- ing them. (tinyurl.com/y2hhhv5c) The graves of the Sugar Land 95. PHOTO: FBISD That night, Hill and his fiancee, Bridget drew his gun, and, as Hill came closer, By Mirinda Crissman Demanding respect for enslaved Anderson, had plans to celebrate their yelled for him to stop and fired two bul- Houston laborers worked to death anniversary. But in the early afternoon, lets into Hill’s body. Anthony Hill died at Hill showed up at the apartment complex the scene. At the school board meeting, Kofi leasing office, wearing only shorts and no Olsen maintains he feared for his life The Sugar Land 95 are the 95 unnamed Taharka of the NBUF listed the ways the shoes, knocking on the door asking for and was forced to shoot the unarmed man. African-American people buried in school board had failed to do right by the help. It has taken four-and-a-half years for a unmarked graves in the city of that name, 95—​before being escorted out by police The office staff, accustomed to a polite, jury to hear this testimony, following an 30 miles south of Houston. The peo- for going over his allotted three minutes well-mannered tenant, were concerned indictment of Olsen on multiple charges, ple were buried on property sold to the of speaking time. about his erratic behavior and unsteady including two counts of felony murder Fort Bend Independent School District Taharka stated: “We come before you posture. They then called 911 seeking and violation of the oath of office. (FBISD) by the Texas prison system. The not to appeal to your moral, political or help for him. Two maintenance work- The jury of 12 DeKalb County residents, graves were unearthed during the sum- legal conscience. For you have proven ers responded to his pleas that he didn’t seven women and five men who reflect the mer of 2018 as construction workers through your actions, relative to the know where he lived and took him back diverse composition of the metro Atlanta were building a school. (See “Sugarland: A Sugarland 95, that you have none.” He to his apartment. county, was seated Sept. 26, and the trial Crime Against Humanity,” WW, Sept. 10, went on to list ways in which FBISD had Within a short time, Hill emerged of Robert Olsen finally began. 2018.) failed: not listening to Reginald Moore’s from his second floor balcony naked and Each witness, whether the leasing On Sept. 23, the Houston Chapter of the warnings, not conducting proper sur- proceeded to climb down and wander office staff or the maintenance workers, National Black United Front, along with veys before construction, fighting legal around the grounds, sometimes crawl- affirmed that Anthony Hill did not in any community members, activists, scholars oversight and failing to enlist culturally ing in a military style, peering around as way threaten or frighten them and that and allies gathered at Fort Bend’s school competent help. He noted FBISD had if in a battle zone. Again, the two workers they called 911 to get him help. board meeting to call attention to the disparaged the communal descendants approached him, urging Hill to go home The long-awaited trial is expected to ongoing, unjust treatment of the Sugar of the dead with insulting comments and before the police came. To which Hill last another week or more. Land 95. The NBUF has been involved in by including them only in surface discus- responded, “That’s OK. The police are A guilty verdict on the murder charges the struggle to bring justice to the Sugar sions without allowing real input. Before my friends.” would be unprecedented in Georgia Land 95 since 2005. being “escorted” out, Taharka called on That is when Olsen, who is white, where almost no police, regardless of the Around the time of the Emancipation Superintendent Charles Dupre to resign. showed up in his patrol car, and Hill, evidence, are ever punished for killing Proclamation in 1863, Sugar Land and sur- Taharka and several other speakers with his arms raised, moved at an uneven a civilian. WW will continue to report rounding areas were called “The Hell Hole called on FBISD to test the bodies for DNA pace toward him. on the trial of Robert Olsen. Justice for on the Brazos” due to the inhumane condi- to link them to their descendants before the Deputy Olsen got out of his car and Anthony Hill! ☐ tions for enslaved Black people working on reinterment process. Community activists plantations. After Emancipation, convict Swatara Olushola said, “For a district to leasing was put in place, a system designed feel comfortable with making end-all-be-all to keep freed Black people in “legal” slav- decisions regarding these victims of crimes ery. This was sanctioned through a clause against humanity without the commu- Fight the power! Build Workers World! that still exists in the 13th Amendment to nity, without their families, without their the U.S. Constitution. names, against the wishes of the court, is As a newspaper that pro- Under this system, the Texas disgusting to me. You should be ashamed motes revolutionary social- Department of Corrections hired out of yourselves.” ism, it’s essential to welcome prisoners—​who were often Black and Another speaker, Salvador Herrera, change—​especially long arrested by law enforcement for very began: “I’m actually here about [con- overdue change. Like throw- little or no reason—​to plantation own- ditions at] James Reese Career and ing Christopher Columbus ers as laborers. Convict leasing could be Technical Center, not about the Sugar into the dustbin of world his- even worse than slavery because those Land 95, though I stand in solidarity tory with other false idols of exploiting the labor of the leased people with their efforts.” He went on to bring to colonialism and imperialism. had no economic stake whatsover in their light FBISD’s outrageous wage violations. A movement has been well-being, even in keeping them alive. Workers building the technical center had afoot for several decades to According to historian Robert proof of wage theft and brought that to the eliminate Columbus Day, the Perkinson in “Texas Tough: The Rise of Design and Construction Division, which is second Monday in October, America’s Prison Empire,” more than in charge of constructing buildings on city and rename it Indigenous 3,500 leased prisoners died in Texas property. The workers were told they had Peoples’ Day. This country, between 1866 and 1912. Perkinson calcu- “insufficient evidence.” Herrera called out from the Atlantic Ocean to lated there were more deaths under con- FBISD for their unjust practices and asked the Pacific Ocean, was built vict leasing than lynchings in that period. how they would go about doing right by on stolen lands. Indigenous WW PHOTO: MONICA MOOREHEAD Activist and historian Reginald Moore their construction workers in the future. Peoples’ Day calls atten- found a report in 2001 that FBISD FBISD has continually and incorrectly tion to U.S. genocidal policies of war- year’s subscription to WW, a monthly planned to build a new school at the loca- insisted their intentions and actions are fare, massacres, smallpox blankets and letter about timely issues and five free tion where there had previously been a grounded in seeking dignity and respect forced assimilation. subscriptions to give to friends for a convict camp. As early as 2003, Moore for the 95. The school district’s track Indigenous Peoples’ Day also com- donation of a minimum of $75 or $100 began warning FBISD there were bodies record speaks otherwise. memorates and honors the great his- or $300 (only $25 a month). Workers at that site, likely those of prisoners forced Reginald Moore reminded everyone torical, cultural, social, economic and World appreciates your generosity! into virtual slave labor. at the meeting: “[The Sugar Land 95 political contributions that Native Write checks to Workers World The FBISD persisted despite many are] being treated today in death the way nations and peoples have made across and mail them, with your name and warnings. When construction began on they were treated when they were alive.” this country. address, to 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Floor, the James Reese Career and Technical Despite all that was brought up in the If you agree that it’s essential for New York, NY 10011. Or donate online Center, the bodies were discovered and heated meeting, FBISD voted to pay a Workers World to salute the importance at workers.org/donate/; it’s easy to unearthed. Now the remains of the 95 are funeral home $284,375 to re-inter the 95 of change this month, then it’s time set up monthly deductions. Know still in cardboard boxes at the construc- bodies without any DNA testing or input to join the Workers World Supporter we’re grateful for your help in building tion site, according to FBISD attorney from descendants. But the fight to do right Program, which since 1977 has helped Workers World—for today and for the Robert Scamardo. by the Sugar Land 95 is far from over. ☐ put out the paper. Members receive a future! ☐ Page 4 Oct. 3, 2019 workers.org GM strike and the global working class

By Martha Grevatt Distractions, intimidation solidarity with strikers here, Lordstown, Ohio fail to break resolve realizing that raising produc- The federal government, along with tion in their plant would be September 29 marked two weeks on GM bosses, may have hoped to distract used to offset U.S. production the picket line for nearly 50,000 General strikers with the corruption scandal losses due to the strike. Motors workers. This was the second involving UAW leaders, who allowed GM workers and their unions “Solidarity Sunday,” with supporters concessions in the past. But plant work- in Brazil, Canada and elsewhere joining picket lines around the country. ers know their primary battle is with the have also sent solidarity mes- Rain did not stop non-GM UAW mem- company. Not trusting Washington’s sages. What’s needed is for the bers and union staff from joining the lines motives, especially under the anti-labor UAW to reciprocate and sup- outside plants in metro Detroit. Trump administration, which recently port struggling autoworkers Outside the Lordstown, Ohio, assem- appointed right-winger Eugene Scalia as worldwide. That will really give WW PHOTO: SUSAN SCHNUR bly plant, idled since March, there was no Secretary of Labor, their attitude toward GM bosses and the sharehold- sign that workers would go back to work ers on Wall Street something to Retired FCA worker, Martha Grevatt, second from the bribe-taking and misappropriation of right, with GM strikers and their family at GM without a decent contract. They want their worry about. ☐ funds is “Let us clean up our own house.” Lordstown, Ohio plant. plant—​and three other plants GM has Strikers were not intimidated when GM closed or plans to close—​kept open with abruptly canceled their health insurance a product that will assure job security into when the walkout was barely underway. What is ‘two tier’ and where did it come from? the future. They want to protect health This created serious hardships during the care benefits without the steep increases process of switching to union-paid insur- There was a time when “concessions” struck over a range of issues, primarily in worker costs GM is demanding. ance. The suspension of benefits blew up referred to contract gains that labor working conditions. President Ronald Strikers want raises that keep up with into a public relations disaster for GM wrested from management—some- Reagan fired everyone who refused to inflation. Perhaps most importantly, and CEO Mary Barra, who were seen as times after long strikes. The United return to work. they want to see wage and benefit parity, heartless. Auto Workers contracts with Ford, The breaking of PATCO put labor on which means eliminating tiers and giving On Sept. 25 GM informed the union General Motors and Chrysler (now the defensive and givebacks became “temporary” workers permanent status. that company-paid coverage would FCA) once set the bar for what workers commonplace. Two-tier language began But GM wants to up the percentage of resume. Whether this would only be until across the country, even non-unionized to appear in contracts, starting with contingent workers, who are paid less, the end of September or indefinitely while workers, could expect in terms of pay the airline and grocery unions. Future have bare-bones benefits, work flexible negotiations continue is still unclear. and benefits. The UAW led the way in workers hired after a certain date—​the schedules (from the company’s stand- This about-face led to some specula- winning employer-paid health insur- second tier—​were locked into a lower point), cannot accrue seniority and can tion that a tentative agreement might be ance, which many workers still take for pay scale. Workers made different be fired with little recourse. imminent. But until then solidarity on the granted. wages while doing the same work side- Making even less money are janitors lines remains strong. Now concession bargaining means by-side; two-tier made for a divided and others who work in the plants but are the opposite—​unions giving up hard- union membership. employed by Aramark, Caravan Knight Global strike, global solidarity fought improvements to supposedly The pitch made then to the rank and other third parties. Aramark work- On Sept. 9, over 10,000 South Korean keep a company solvent, competitive and file by class-collaborationist union ers at five GM plants are also on strike. autoworkers waged a three-day strike at and/or profitable (or to cut costs in bureaucrats was along the lines of “It Signs reading “Everyone tier one—​ all of the country’s GM plants, following the public sector and at “non-prof- won’t hurt your paycheck.” Now two- Solidarity forever” and “Temps lives that with partial strikes at selected plants. its”). During the first federal bailout of tier language, in UAW contracts with matter” are now carried alongside the The strike is continuing, with primary Chrysler in 1979, the UAW took big pay the Detroit Three since 2007, has been generic “UAW on strike” signs the union demands for higher wages and perma- cuts, gave up paid time off and made replaced by multi-tier language. The provided. Hip-hop videos from the picket nent status for temporary workers. other givebacks to “save” the company. temporaries employed by the Detroit lines, with lyrics addressing the mistreat- The Korean Metal Workers Union, Labor’s backward slide accelerated Three, now about 7 to 10 percent of the ment of temps, are going viral. which represents GM workers, sent a after the 1981 air traffic controllers workforce, are a third tier. The rank and file is fed up, and every- letter of support to the UAW. In Mexico, strike was broken. The Professional one is striking for the betterment of the five GM workers were fired after refusing Air Traffic Controllers Organization — Martha Grevatt lowest paid. to increase productivity. They did so in SEIU 32BJ members #BuildingJustice Big pharma + big money = no blame

By Mumia Abu-Jamal ghetto and tenement streets of America. For this they have been attacked by This commentary was originally police and federal agents with all the posted on prisonradio.org on Sept. 15. ferocity of war. In fact, it was a war, and people were treated like enemies of the In recent days, we’ve heard of pro- state, and cast into prison for at least posed settlements in civil suits involv- decades—some​ for life. ing big pharmaceutical companies, the Enter Big Pharma, which launched very sources of opioid products (like drugs upon America on an industrial OxyContin®, for example) that have scale and made billions to boot! Thousands of Service Employees union (SEIU) 32BJ members held a spirited march left tens of thousands of people gripped Consider this simple fact: In one year, and rally through Center City Philadelphia for #BuildingJustice on Sept. 26. Three in the hold of addiction. more Americans have died from corpo- thousand workers, who clean 120 office buildings across the city, are threatening Similarly, these products have led rate opioid products than the number of to strike on Oct. 15 unless the wealthy owners of buildings, such as Comcast, PECO to tens of thousands of deaths, some Americans who died in Vietnam, after Energy Co. and the chemical manufacturing company FMC Corp., come to an agree- 70,000 annually, according to some 10 years of war! ment on a new contract. reports. For retail sellers of drugs, decades “Philadelphia shouldn’t just be a city for the rich,” said Alisa Johnson, a cleaner and No man or woman on death row has in prison await; for wholesale drug SEIU 32BJ member, at the rally. “We live and work here too. We are a part of this town come close to such a tally, and no cor- merchants, civil suits are the states’ too and we deserve living wages, benefits and respect. All we are asking for is for us to porate exec, no matter his legal liability, responses. be able to take care of our families.” has come even close to such a fate. Since when is the killing of thousands Despite the largest commercial real estate boom Philadelphia has seen in decades, This is especially vexing when we of people a civil tort? employers have proposed dramatic cuts to the cleaners’ benefits. Recognizing that consider the ravages of the drug war, When we witness the parameters of most of those jobs are held by African Americans and migrants, SEIU 32BJ President which has fueled mass incarceration the drug war, we see it had nothing to Kyle Bragg said, “We are going to put a dent in Philadelphia’s high poverty rate by mak- for decades. do with drugs—​and everything to do ing sure that cleaning and building service jobs can truly become middle-class jobs.” Young men, wearing hoodies and with state repression of the People, baseball caps turned backwards, engage those from the ghettos and barrios of — Report and photo by Joe Piette in retail sales of untaxed drugs in the America. ☐ workers.org Oct. 3, 2019 Page 5 Brown Berets march against white supremacy

By Gloria Rubac if the w-tb--k can swim,” the cops said. establish a new sustainable economic sys- Houston Revolutionary poetry by Torres’ tem that serves the needs of the people nephew, Johnny Torres, was warmly and not the desires of a handful of rich The Brown Berets held a National Day welcomed. One poem was based on the people sitting on their hoard of stolen of Action across the country on Sept. Mexican legend of La Llorana, a mother treasure.” 28. Events were held from Fresno and who out of desperation drowned her chil- • “Spiritual—​We believe in the spiri- Sacramento in California to Chicago, dren and then spent the rest of her life tual ways and practices of our indigenous Oklahoma City, Houston and El Paso. crying and looking for them. ancestors. We must boycott and pro- The focus was on white supremacy and “This is for every Indigenous mother test leaders of the faith community that solidarity with the families who lost loved who has lost her child in the crossfire of support white supremacist policies and ones in the racist killings in El Paso. In this war. Our mothers never sleep, they the attacks on our people, whether doc- each city the seven key points of unity still roam the night, looking for their umented or not. This includes support agreed to last summer by La National missing children. ... They can’t fight this for our LGBTQ+ communities whom for Mesa de los Brown Berets were read war alone. The president terrorist dam- decades have been the target of religious aloud. (See end of article.) aged all the mothers’ hearts with one bigots. Ya Basta!” Here in Houston, as the march passed stone. Some people don’t ask about the • “Science/Environmentalism—​ WW PHOTO: GLORIA RUBAC stores and gas stations, chants rang out of lost children, but La Llorona does.” Houston march, Sept. 28. Mother Earth is under attack. Climate “Viva la Raza!” and “Viva Zapata!” People Greetings of solidarity were given by change is real! We believe that unless we on the streets responded with raised fists: Chiwo Luzolo of the African People’s How people from Europe invaded this play an active role, we as humans will be “Que viva!” Socialist Party. Members of the Nation of land. How this land was chopped up and destroyed. Ya Basta!” Cynthia Rivera read: “Brown Berets, Islam, the Museo Guadalupe Aztlan and sold through a capitalist system and how • “Electoral power—​Politicians who leftist allies and members of our com- Workers World Party were in attendance. today the U.S. imperialist nation contin- wish to deny us the rights they are so munities have had enough. ... We must The names of each person murdered in ues to profit from our labor, our incarcer- proud to hold, who still steal from us, unite! The Indigenous people of this the El Paso Walmart on Aug. 3 were read, ation and even our death because we do and who seek to deny us our human- land, regardless of what the United States followed by a moment of silence. The rally NOT have an educational system that is ity must be held accountable for their labels us, must come together and fight ended with Milin Andy Cuetzpalin drum- teaching the truth!” hypocrisy and inhumanity. If nothing for our children who today sit in cages. ming and singing an Indigenous Mexican • “Culture—​We should not be is done, then there is only one solution. We must fight for our families who today song asking for strength and protection. ashamed of our communities, languages, REVOLUTION! We have had many great are being ripped apart, fight for our chil- The points of unity of the Brown Berets, food, music and artistic impressions. We revolutionaries throughout our history. dren who today are being shot, not just by per their press release, include: encourage our communities to express And to quote from Emiliano Zapata, ‘If white supremacists but by police officers. • “Armed self-defense if necessary to themselves and tell the true story of the there is not justice for the people, let there ... It is time to fight back! Ya basta!” protect our families, our children and our Chicana and Chicano community.” be no peace for the government.’ We call Moving testimony was given by Janie communities from white supremacists.” • “Economics—​Under capitalism on our allies, from Brown Berets nation- Torres, the younger sister of Jose Campos • “Education—​We are advocating for our people have been subjugated and wide, to other leftists to unite, organize, Torres, who was beaten senseless by a real education that teaches the children exploited for hundreds of years while and mobilize our gente, to join us in Houston cops in 1976 on Cinco de Mayo who they truly are and how enriching serving the white ruling class whose luxu- this struggle because we are all in this and thrown into a bayou to die. “Let’s see their history is. How this is stolen land! ries were bought with our blood. We must together.” ☐ In NYC, movement declares: NYC activists welcome Independence for Puerto Rico! Bolivarian leader Jorge Arreaza, minister of foreign affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, was greeted with cheers and applause on Sept. 26 as he entered Holyrood Episcopal Church/Iglesia Santa Cruz in the Washington Heights neigh- borhood of Manhattan. Arreaza spoke at the invitation of the church’s Ministry of Solidarity with the Peoples. The occasion Puerto Rican activists, Sept. 21. WW PHOTO: TERESA GUTIERREZ Jorge Arreaza. was a welcoming meeting in sol- idarity with the Venezuelan delegation to He noted that Venezuela is a coun- By Teresa Gutierrez resistance, including the formation of the the United Nations General Assembly. try full of many riches, including gold, New York inspiring Young Lords in the revolution- The event was organized by a broad petroleum and other minerals. While it ary period of the late 1960s and 70s. coalition of anti-war and anti-imperi- has been oppressed by Britain, Spain and It is a fact that the oldest colony in the On Sept. 21, over 600 Puerto Ricans alist organizations to show support for the U.S., “We are going to be completely Americas is Puerto Rico. It stands to rea- and their supporters marched under the Venezuela as it faces deadly U.S. sanc- independent,” Arreaza affirmed. son, therefore, that one of the longest banner of the Frente Independentista tions and the threat of military interven- He noted that Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia resistance struggles against U.S. imperi- Boricua (Boricua Independence Front) tion. Arreaza described the history of U.S. and Venezuela are resisting U.S. eco- alism is Puerto Rican. from Columbus Circle to the United intervention in Latin America and the nomic war, defending their sovereignty That fact came to life again this year as Nations. coups it has backed. and the freedom of the Latin American event after event led to a massive uprising The Frente is a united coalition com- The United States is now trying to and Caribbean region. that resulted in toppling the corrupt gov- prised of A Call to Action in Puerto Rico, get other countries to invade Venezuela Gail Walker of IFCO/Pastors for ernment of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. Committees of the Boricua Resistance, after the recent activation of the Inter- Peace, who chaired the meeting, said the This people’s movement on the island ProLibertad, Patria y Cultura, Nationalist American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance Bolivarian Republic is now under the came in the wake of the disastrous con- Party–Junta de NY and NJ, NY Socialist (TIAR), also known as the Rio Treaty, by same kind of attack that Cuba has faced. sequences of Hurricane Maria, which Front, Comité del PIP de Nueva York, the Organization of American States. A “As we have stood in solidarity with Cuba, devastated the island in September 2017. Virtual Boricua, Puerto Rican Workers’ 1947 agreement among many countries we stand in solidarity with Venezuela,” About 3,000 people died in that hurri- Revolutionary Party (PRTP - Macheteros) of the Americas, including the U.S., the she stated to applause. cane, and thousands more became cli- and NY Boricua Resistance. treaty states that an attack against one Father Luis Barrios, pastor of Holyrood mate refugees as they were forced to flee This new umbrella of groups reflects member is to be considered an attack Church/Iglesia Santa Cruz, gave a warm the island. growing unity in the movement and a against all. But it is the U.S. that is attack- welcome to the crowd, declaring “La The governor’s corruption had been determination to fight for independence ing Venezuela! Venezuela hasn’t attacked lucha sigue”—​the struggle continues. well known, but when leaked chats till victory. any nation. Roger Wareham of the December 12 exposed vile homophobia, misogyny and Lorraine Liriano Chavez told Workers Arreaza said other belligerent actions Movement, who introduced Arreaza, con- elitist contempt even for hurricane vic- World: “El Frente Independentista of the U.S. government, along with invok- nected the situation in Venezuela to that tims, the people said basta—​enough. Boricua is committed to the indepen- ing the TIAR treaty to go after Venezuela, in Zimbabwe and other countries facing This rise in the movement was recently dence of Puerto Rico and will continue are causing the people of Venezuela to U.S. sanctions. reflected in New York City. A large to educate, organize and protest. We will appeal to the people of the U.S. to “stop number of Puerto Ricans have histori- support the struggle of our sisters and the war against Venezuela, stop the war — Report and photo by Brenda Ryan cally resided here, with a rich history of Continued on page 10 against Iran.” Page 6 Oct. 3, 2019 workers.org Climate justice, system change and the working class

The following is a slightly edited talk the part of the socialist bloc led by the given by WW editor Deirdre Griswold Soviet Union. They were predicting that at a Sept. 28 forum titled “The Climate the end of the Cold War would usher in a Crisis, A Marxist View,” organized by the period of great world stability and pros- Boston branch of Workers World Party. perity, led by the self-proclaimed “dem- ocratic” capitalist countries of the West. As you all know by now, a 16-year-old And they were saying that, with the named Greta Thunberg recently crossed downfall of the USSR and Eastern the Atlantic by herself on a solar-powered Europe, then China, socialist North Korea sailboat to dramatize the need to end the and Cuba would be next. world’s dependence on fossil fuels. Her At the same time, they were anger helped inspire millions of other pooh-poohing what climate scientists young people, who marched all over the were telling them about global warming. world last weekend demanding action to The propagandists for capitalism were turn back the climate crisis. triumphantly declaring the beginning of This is a global movement, because cli- a new era of “freedom.” But what it really mate change is global. And it can affect meant was the freedom of the giant cor- people of all classes. But certainly not to porations to go almost anywhere and the same extent. The poorest people face exploit the natural resources and the dying just for lack of water. They have to workers of the world. endure factory or field work in 115-degree The imperialist countries, the U.S. Deirdre Griswold WW PHOTO: LIZA GREEN heat with no shade or air conditioning. If foremost among them, then proceeded to they survive one of the terrible storms “open up” whole areas of the world, like revolution, and that has changed every- of people around the globe have lost their that are the new normal, like the ones prying open an oyster, to be devoured in thing. I’ll get back to China again later. lives—​from drought; from killer hurri- that have devastated Puerto Rico and one gulp. The powers that be—in​ Marxist terms, canes, cyclones and tornadoes; from land- part of the Bahamas, they see their flimsy And where there was resistance to the capitalist ruling class—​are now try- slides and flooding; from raging wildfires. homes blown away. being “opened up,” the imperialists ing to stay on top of this dynamic young Species are disappearing. Indigenous But the better off can jet away from invented excuses for unending wars, mil- climate movement that has sprung up. peoples, who have contributed the least horrible weather, moving from one man- itary occupations and so-called “police This movement is demanding action to global warming, are feeling its effects sion to another. actions” for control of areas rich in car- now to hold off and hopefully reverse the most. Anger has grown around the world, bon resources like oil and gas, partic- growing climate disaster—​which threat- So it was inevitable that a mass move- especially toward the United States gov- ularly in Southwest Asia and Northern ens every living thing on this planet. ment would eventually take to the ernment and corporations, which have Africa. Think of the wars and attacks Ignorance is not the reason global tem- streets over this life-and-death question. historically contributed by far the most on Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, peratures are rising. Scientists and scien- And it has, with the very young now in to global warming and have done little to Yemen—​most of which continue to this tific agencies have been raising the alarm the spotlight, after the recent global change. day. with the U.S. government for more than demonstrations. This newly invigorated movement of All this has taken a terrible toll on the 40 years. In the U.S., the big corporations and young people versus climate disaster is planet, but it seldom gets mentioned, That’s how long climate scientists have financial institutions keep an iron grip on very vocal and inspiring. They are the including the fact that the Pentagon is been meeting with political leaders, brief- the government and state power in order ones who will live long enough to experi- the world’s biggest polluter—​something ing them and pleading with them to do to guarantee that nothing interferes with ence this ominous future. But they are up our comrade Sara Flounders has writ- something to stop this impending train their private profit. They see with alarm against a system that will pat them on the ten about extensively in Workers World wreck. these changes in mass consciousness. head and sing their praises while knifing newspaper. And it has absolutely been proven that Their response? them in the back. But now that period of triumphalism the country responsible for the largest They undermine anything that would So they must be prepared not only for is over. We’re living in a different time. accumulation of greenhouse gases in the hurt their profits. But at the same time the effects of climate change, but for the Confidence in this system has been shat- atmosphere is the U.S. It is also true that many give lip service to going green. How huge political and economic struggle that tered by many things, including climate this country has done the most to sabo- many polluting energy companies have is needed to turn things around. change, but also the precarious nature of tage and prevent any meaningful inter- added some green or a cute bug or flower capitalism itself, with its boom-and-bust national agreements on climate change. to their logos? How many expensive ads How imperialists ‘opened up’ the world cycles. For months now the stock mar- Conference after conference has been have they taken out patting themselves on Let’s go back in history several decades kets have been jittery over an anticipated held involving many world bodies as the the back for doing so little? to the period of the early 1990s. It’s not crash of the global capitalist economy. impact of global warming has become And then there is the billionaire presi- too long ago, but it’s at least a decade And investors are particularly worried ever more alarming. Some 30 years ago, dent of the United States, Donald Trump, before today’s fighters for climate justice about the impact of Trump’s trade war when George H.W. Bush was president, who promotes climate denial and has were even born. That’s when scientists with China. he actually signed into law something packed his cabinet with the worst pollut- first began alerting the world to the dan- Imagine, the whole U.S. financial struc- called the Global Change Research Act. ers. That’s what he should be impeached gers of climate change. ture being dependent on the market in It established a program to “understand, for!! That and his racism, sexism, bigotry And it’s also when the promoters of China for U.S. commodities! China used assess, predict, and respond to human-in- and torture of immigrants. capitalism used their powerful media to to be one of the very poorest of the large duced and natural processes of global Of course, he’s an easy target for the trumpet the victory of their system over countries in the world. But it had a great change.” progressive movement. But once he’s What happened after that? Nothing. gone— ​and he will be gone eventually—​ A few fig leafs were pasted on to keep the class of billionaires who put him there the scientists quiet, but business went on will still control the economy and the as usual. The fracking industry, which government. breaks up shale rock deep underground That is, until there’s a huge work- to extract oil and gas, became a new ing-class upsurge, bigger than anything booming business in the U.S. And when we’ve ever seen in this country. And it’s Indigenous people and their allies tried to coming. stop the Dakota oil pipeline from crossing What can we do to help develop this their lands, they were violently attacked upsurge? by local and federal police. Large marches of hundreds of thou- Class unity and social change sands of people demanding the phasing We are revolutionaries. We are for the out of greenhouse gases have come and overthrow of this capitalist system, root gone—​but the huge energy corpora- and branch, and the establishment of a tions continue to dominate the political new, socialist order where the working agenda on both a federal and local level. class holds the power and makes the deci- They have blocked any meaningful efforts sions about the economy. to limit global warming. They have also We know that one of the biggest tasks conspired to spread outrageous lies in the in preparing for any revolutionary move- mass media, pushing climate denial and ment among the workers is to overcome pooh-poohing environmentalists. the divisions that demagogues like Trump use to divide the working class. Every With disasters, mass movement grows issue he harps on—whether​ it’s blaming Climate change has become more and immigrants for the broken-down system Boston climate protest, Sept. 20. WW PHOTO: LIZA GREEN more destructive. Hundreds of thousands of social welfare, or attacking people of workers.org Oct. 3, 2019 Page 7 Climate justice, system change and the working class

color while defending racist, fascist ele- ments like the neo-Nazis—​everything is aimed at keeping our class from uniting and fighting billionaires like him. Why does he focus his anger so much on im/migrants? We should never forget that it was immigrant workers, mostly Latinx, who revived the fighting spirit of May Day back in 2006, when a million demonstrated instead of going to work that day. That scared the pants off the bosses. Immigrants have been organiz- ing low-wage workers all over this coun- try, showing what real unions can do. Trump wants vulnerable whites to blame immigrants for their problems, instead of uniting with immigrants to fight their real enemy: the bosses. By the way, many of the migrants seek- ing asylum in the U.S. and in Europe are doing so because their home countries have been devastated by imperialist wars, by right-wing repressive governments put in power by the imperialists—​and by cli- mate change, which is already making vast areas of the world uninhabitable, from Central America to central Africa. And when Trump isn’t blaming China for the loss of jobs here, he’s blaming the Global Climate Strike march, New York City, Sept. 20. WW PHOTO: G. DUNKEL environmental movement for the layoffs of coal miners and other workers in pol- less than a bandaid on a gaping wound. decisions have to be made to please the its cities and has become the world’s big- luting industries. We can’t let Trump and And that’s why, in recent years, slogans investors and stockholders, or the com- gest producer of electric cars. his ilk make a show of bonding with coal for “System change, not climate change” pany is allowed to die and the capital But we are still left with a world that miners who are losing their jobs. We have and signs that denounce capitalism have behind it goes elsewhere. is mostly ruled by capitalists and that is to demand that any program for cleaning become increasingly popular, especially headed toward even greater destruction. Economic planning is the key up the environment must include a guar- with young people. The great thing about the growth of a antee of jobs and retraining for any work- Is it so difficult to guarantee coal min- It is impossible to reverse the momen- movement is that it shows there is hope—​ ers who are displaced. ers that they will get help finding other tum toward disaster without economic that we don’t have to accept a fate that We also need to point out that the jobs, and thereby win them over to the planning. would mean the end of everything. No coal companies which have pulled out need to shut down the coal mines? China In order to have sustainable develop- matter how dire the situation is, we can’t of Appalachia and left mining fami- didn’t think so. It did close down most of ment, a country has to have a plan for give in to pessimism. Changing condi- lies struggling to survive didn’t just fold its coal mines, and it did help the miners its economy. There are only a few coun- tions do change people’s consciousness, their businesses. They started laying off resettle and be retrained for new jobs. tries today with planned economies, i.e., and that new consciousness is moving thousands of coal miners when they dis- So let’s talk about China and what it socialist economies. Most notable are in the direction of revolution against the covered that mountaintop removal was has been able to accomplish in greening China and Cuba. Cuba’s tremendous powers that be. cheaper and required less human labor the environment. achievements in sustainability are well There is an historical analogy I want to than underground mining. And many But first, let’s dispel some of the lies known. But what about China? bring up. It’s a grim one, but it shows how of these U.S. coal companies also moved about China’s record on combating cli- People’s China is not capitalist. It is great disasters can be the spur to needed their operations to Australia and other mate change. a socialist country born out of a great, social change. countries where they could rake in even We hear again and again that China earth-shaking revolution. It started out In the 14th century, from 1347 to 1351, bigger profits. is the world’s worst polluter. What’s extremely poor and underdeveloped. But Europe was ravaged by the bubonic The environmental movement has in completely left out of the equation is after much internal struggle, the leading plague. the past been regarded as mainly a mid- that China is the world’s most populous Communist Party in recent decades has In just those four years, one-third of dle-class movement, not a working-class country. When you look at greenhouse allowed capitalist enterprises to operate Europe’s population at the time—​some movement. In fact, demagogues like gas emissions per person, China drops to there in order to stimulate the growth of 25 million people—​died of the plague. Trump claim to be friends of workers who number 16 in the world, not number one. its economy. Since then, according to the This terrible disease had already wiped could lose their jobs in a green economy. What are the top polluting countries World Bank, China has lifted more than out a similar proportion of the peoples of That’s ludicrous coming from this boss per person? Saudi Arabia, which has a 850 million people out of extreme pov- East and Southeast Asia. who became famous on television for fir- very small population, Australia and the erty—more​ than two and a half times the Europe had been stagnant for centu- ing people. But we have to remember this U.S., which continues to contribute the entire population of the U.S. ries under the oppressive system of feu- very important fact: Many workers in this lion’s share of global emissions per capita. It is now a much more powerful and dalism. But so many people of all classes, country are having a really rough time. But there’s another huge factor that developed country. And while this devel- especially the peasants, died from the Even as the costs of housing and educa- must be considered in order to evaluate opment of capitalist relations within plague that the manor system, the struc- tion and health care have soared, and the what China has to do to be sustainable. China has brought significant internal ture of feudalism, fell apart. incomes of the super-rich have hit the China is now the world’s largest exporter problems, it has not overwhelmed the It must have seemed like the end of stratosphere, real wages for workers have of manufactured goods. U.S. corporations state, which continues to be controlled the world. But many of those who sur- declined and many newer jobs are just have moved a lot of their factory produc- by the Communist Party, a party with 90 vived left the manors, looking for work. part-time and extremely precarious gigs. tion to China and other countries where million members. What this means is that And because there was such a shortage of So the first consideration for many wages are lower. That is the main reason Chinese economic development, espe- laborers, they were able to demand higher workers is: Will I have a job? How can that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions as cially the infrastructure, continues to be wages. It was the beginning of the end for I think about what might happen to the a whole are now slightly below China’s. centrally planned, which accounts for its feudalism. Eventually, upheavals brought planet tomorrow when I have to think But per capita, the U.S. emissions are still enormous successes. to power a new class system, capitalism, about paying my bills today? About put- almost four times those of China. It is not the U.S. but China that now which revolutionized the means of pro- ting food on the table today. Reducing emissions requires the abil- leads the world in scientific-technological duction and produced the working class ity to plan and control production, which development. By 2016, China exceeded on a world scale. Make the bosses pay, not the workers! China can do, and a capitalist country like the U.S. in the number of scientific papers We are faced now with a tremen- In the climate justice movement, we the U.S. just can’t do. released, according to the Nature Index. dous existential crisis, even bigger than have to struggle for solutions that don’t If a profit can be made from some- China develops five-year plans for eco- the plague. We shouldn’t underesti- put the financial burden on the - work thing, big business will go for it. If that nomic development with built-in mech- mate the suffering it will bring. But we ing class. Can we be for a carbon tax, for something also helps the environment, anisms to reduce greenhouse emissions. cannot lapse into despair and passiv- example? It’s the billionaires who got us the bosses will be sure to get the govern- These plans are not wish lists. They ity. Let it be the spur to a revolutionary into this mess. They must pay, not the ment to throw them some extra money. are carried through, and they have made transfer of power to this great worldwide workers. But capitalist business is driven by the a huge dent in pollution. China leads the working class, which must take place if But the problem has now become so bottom line—​by how much profit can world in production of solar panels—one​ we are to bring human economic activity huge that these so-called “solutions” to be made. There is no meaningful plan- of the imports now taxed heavily by the into harmony with life on our beautiful the climate crisis are totally inadequate, ning for the future. Each day corporate Trump administration. It is electrifying planet. ☐ Page 8 Oct. 3, 2019 workers.org Scapegoating the homeless for climate crisis

By Judy Greenspan were met by a firestorm of anger from San out that homelessness has been increas- Bay Area, Calif. Francisco’s environmental and home- ing much faster than services. It is well less activists and even elected officials. known that housing costs have skyrock- Two weeks ago, when President Donald David Lewis, executive director of Save eted in the Bay Area, so that most work- Trump flew to California for two days to the Bay, said, “Trump has less standing ing people, even those with two incomes fundraise for his election campaign, his to complain about pollution and home- in their family, cannot afford to live in trip was shrouded in secrecy. No one knew lessness than pretty much anybody, since San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley or until the last minute where he was going to his administration is actively gutting the nearby communities. be. Yet in that short amount of time, Trump Clean Water Act and other environmental Lack of real affordable housing is the was able to attack and scapegoat poor and laws that protect us all from pollution.” main reason for homelessness. While Bay homeless people in San Francisco and Los (mercurynews.com, Sept. 19) Area mayors were incensed with Trump’s Angeles with racist and false allegations. Save the Bay and three other local envi- anti-homeless remarks, their adminis- One of the first statements out of ronmental organizations have just filed a trations have been part of the attacks Homeless in San Francisco. Trump’s mouth when he returned to major lawsuit against Trump’s EPA to on homeless communities. Throughout Washington, D.C., was that the home- save California’s wetlands, which have the Bay Area, homeless encampments used his visit to viciously attack some less population of San Francisco was been stripped of protection by Trump. have been taken down and destroyed of the most vulnerable of the working responsible for pollution, and they had If Trump had done his homework, he by the police; homeless people are cited class—the​ homeless population. to be stopped. He said he would direct would have learned that the Bay Area has and arrested for sleeping outside; and Save the Bay’s Director Lewis said it the Environmental Protection Agency to one of the safest and most effective water people’s cars and RVs are routinely tick- clearly in a statement to the media: “The cite the city of San Francisco for violating systems in the country, which filters out eted and towed. Bay Area mayors, while way to reduce the impacts from homeless environmental rules by allowing home- all solids before sewage waters reach the administering poorly funded services to encampments is to reduce homelessness.” less people to dump their “used needles” bay. According to San Francisco Mayor the homeless community, have received In other words, people need homes. in storm drains leading to the ocean. This London Breed, Trump’s claims are ridic- major contributions from developers and Clearly the capitalist system does not president, who pulled out of the Paris ulous. He told the Mercury News that business interests. have solutions to the environmental or Agreement on climate change last year, is “absolutely no debris flows out into the Homelessness is a crisis of monumen- the homeless crisis. Socialism, a system suddenly concerned about pollution and Bay or the ocean.” tal proportions in California, perhaps the that puts people’s needs before company environmental damage! Homeless advocates also attacked wealthiest state in the country. Trump profits, is the only system that can provide Needless to say, Trump’s comments Trump’s comments. Advocates point visited the rich while he was here and homes for everyone and save the Earth. ☐

While rate of abortion declines Title X gag rule will only increase need for abortion

Bulletin: A poll released Sept. 30 by two-abortion-pill regimen in 2000. The ‘When contraception is limited, harm. However, the American Journal of Hart Research Associates shows that first pill, mifepristone, blocks pregnan- more unintended pregnancies’ Public Health reports that in conservative about two-thirds (62 percent) of voters cy-enabling hormones; the second, miso- The reactionary, racist, misogynous states abstinence-only education actually nationally believe Medicaid should cover prostoil, causes uterine contractions. While Trump-Pence administration aimed to increased teen pregnancies. abortion as part of comprehensive repro- the first pill is tightly controlled and only reduce access to abortion by exercising ductive health care. In some congressional dispensed with a physician’s prescription, Appeals court hears state power over reproductive health arguments on gag rule districts, support for Medicaid coverage of the second is sold over the counter in many care for 4 million low-income women and abortion is stronger, with 7 in 10 voters countries, including Mexico. When both gender-oppressed people, predominantly Eleven judges in the Ninth Circuit favoring it. Congress passed the Hyde pills are taken during pregnancies up to 10 people of color, youth, rural residents, Court of Appeals on Sept. 23 in San Amendment banning Medicaid coverage weeks, they are 98 percent effective. The immigrants, people with disabilities and Francisco heard arguments request- of abortion in 1976. This is a monumental second taken alone is 80 percent effective. survivors of domestic violence. ing a preliminary injunction against shift in the struggle to overturn the ban, Meanwhile, access to abortion varied By significantly adulterating the rules for the gag rule, brought by 23 states and a headed by young women of color, particu- based on regions and states. The number Title X of the Public Heath Services Act—​ number of reproductive rights organi- larly All* Above All, and supported by the of clinics declined in the Midwest by 6 per- passed in 1970 during the Nixon era—​the zations, including Planned Parenthood entire reproductive justice movement. cent and in the South by 9 percent, while revamped regulations, which went into and the American Civil Liberties Union’s the number increased in the Northeast by effect on Aug. 19, do not allow providers Reproductive Freedom Project. By Sue Davis 16 percent and the West by 9 percent. Some enrolled in the Title X program to conduct The Sept. 24 Rewire News reported that 89 percent of U.S. counties have no clinics abortions alongside their other services or government lawyers tried to downplay the The Guttmacher Institute issued a that provide abortion services, imposing to offer patients abortion referrals. consequences of the Title X changes. They report Sept. 18 that the rate of abortion in hardships for 38 percent of reproduc- The primary target of what is popularly argued that of all Title X grantees, only the U.S. declined 8 percent between 2014 tive-age women (15-44) living there. referred to as the “domestic gag rule” is 18 have left the program, representing 20 and 2017. It’s now at an historic low since Guttmacher noted an increase in Planned Parenthood, which has been percent of providers. However, Planned abortion was legalized in 1973. self-managed abortions, reported by the largest private provider of essential Parenthood, which refused to accept the Despite abortion foes’ passage of hun- nonhospital clinics—​from 12 percent in reproductive health services like con- new regulations, provides about 40 percent dreds of state restrictions during those 2014 to 18 percent in 2017. However, the traception, testing for cancers, treating of all Title X’s services. years, the institute concluded that such authors concluded that it was “unlikely sexually transmitted infections and abor- Countering government arguments, laws were not the main reason for the that an increase in self-managed abortion tions. Planned Parenthood stood up to Ruth Harlow, ACLU senior staff attorney decrease. Rather increased use of contra- could account for most of the national the Trump-Pence assault by opting out of in its RFP, stated that five states are no ceptives accounted for the decrease, espe- decline in abortion incidence during this Title X on Aug. 19. longer in the Title X program, and Title cially long-acting reversible birth control study period.” As part of the administration’s reaction- X funding has ended completely or has methods, free under the Affordable Care A Sept. 20 New York Times article, ary agenda, it opened up participation in funding gaps in 28 states. More than 500 Act as essential preventive health care. ”Why America’s abortion rate might be Title X to religious-based groups, which Title X service sites have closed. Harlow Guttmacher issued a statement in honor higher than it appears” speculated that disapprove of most methods of birth stressed that the consequences of the gag of Sept. 26, World Contraception Day, stat- the decline in clinically supervised med- control and do not offer comprehensive rule are still being revealed. Other law- ing that the “vast number of unintended ical and surgical abortions is due to the reproductive health care. The administra- yers for the plaintiffs focused on the harm pregnancies, in both the U.S. and abroad, “invisible” increase in self-managed care. tion also promotes so-called “conscience the gag rule was causing, including higher are among people who are either not using “You can go online,” said Abigail R.A. clauses,” under the guise of religious free- fees and long delays in obtaining services. any contraception or are using it inconsis- Aiken, a professor at the University of dom, so health care providers can deny cer- In accordance with a 1991 Supreme tently.” However, it noted that 91 percent Texas at Austin, “and you can fill out a tain services, such as pharmacists refusing Court ruling, agency decision making of U.S. women are dissatisfied with many form and you can get this safe and effec- to dispense emergency contraception. A must be “reasoned and rational rather methods of contraception, citing side tive technology delivered to your home.” Sept. 19 Rewire News article noted that than arbitrary and capricious” based on effects and lack of sexual pleasure. Aid Access, a service set up by a Dutch “when contraception access is limited, the full administrative record. But even The institute stressed that “attempts doctor, offers online counseling by a there are more unintended pregnancies.” government lawyers had to concede that to ‘reduce abortion’ through coercive doctor along with mail-order pills. The Trump’s misnamed Department of such a record did not exist at this time. A restrictions are a direct violation of peo- service reported 21,000 requests for Health and Human Services has increased ruling is expected in several weeks. ple’s dignity, bodily autonomy and repro- self-induced abortions last year. Plan C, funding for abstinence-only programs Obviously, if the court rules in favor ductive freedom.” which provides how-to information about (now referred to as “sexual risk avoid- of a temporary injunction, that will go a Guttmacher reported a 25 percent self-managed medical abortions, reports ance”) and only sanctions sexual expres- long way to restoring reproductive health increase in medication abortions, which about 40,000 visitors a month. Social sion in opposite-sex marriage. The DHHS services to 4 million low-income people. accounted for 39 percent of all abortions media is spreading the word of how to defines methods of birth control by their But if it doesn’t, then those who support under clinical supervision. The Food protect privacy, lower costs and help pre- failure rates and demonizes abortion as reproductive justice will need to raise and Drug Administration approved the vent shame with self-managed care. causing lifelong emotional and physical holy hell. ☐ workers.org Oct. 3, 2019 Page 9 Workers march to end climate crisis By Minnie Bruce Pratt IndustriALL represents 50 million work- Other unions, trades ers in 140 countries in the mining, energy councils and federa- That climate crisis is a workers’ and manufacturing sectors, giving it the tions from around the issue was emphatically affirmed by power to challenge multinational compa- world declared their the IndustriALL Global Union when it nies on a global level. support for the cli- called on all affiliates to take part in the Founded in 2012, the organization mate actions, includ- September Global Climate Strike actions. brought together former worldwide union ing those in Australia, federations and affiliates of the Britain, Canada, France, International Metalworkers’ Germany, Ireland, Federation; the International Italy, New Zealand Federation of Chemical, Energy, and the U.S. The South Mine and General Workers’ African Federation of NYC march, Sept. 21. WW PHOTO: G. DUNKEL Unions; and the International Trade Unions and the Textile, Garment and Leather Federation of Unions of Workers’ Federation. South Africa, together In issuing a global call on Sept. representing 1.3 million 19, IndustriALL’s general secre- workers, signed on. tary, Valter Sanches, stated: “The Eight U.S.-based climate crisis is real, it is urgent, unions endorsed local and it is a threat to working peo- participation in the ple and communities. The crisis Climate Strike, including has social and economic dimen- the Service Employees sions, not just environmental union (SEIU), repre- ones. The bridge to a sustain- senting nearly 1.9 mil- able future and a stable climate lion members; the Amazon workers, Seattle. is a Just Transition that protects Massachusetts Teachers workers, their families, and the Association; and United communities that depend on Electrical Workers (UE). The UE mem- the Communication Workers, the New them.” (tinyurl.com/y3vcbt3c) bers joined Warehouse Workers For York State Nurses Association and the Beyond participation in Justice in Chicago at a Sept. 20 rally Professional Staff Congress of the City Climate Strike week, IndustriALL to support Amazon tech workers who University of New York. recommended actions affiliates walked out to protest the company’s giant On Sept. 27, rank-and-file autoworkers PHOTO: KAREN HAMMER Environmental activist Darryl E. Jordan (Eastern can take, like putting pressure on carbon footprint. joined with Detroit environmental activ- Michigan Environmental Action Council) on the left companies responsible for global Labor participated in force in New ists to rally outside General Motors’ world and FCA UAW worker, Erin Kennedy, on the right. warming to pay for remediation York City’s Sept. 20 march of a quarter of headquarters and express solidarity with demonstrating outside GM world headquarters and a sustainable transition for a million people, including 1199 SEIU, the the worldwide climate strike and with GM September 27. workers and communities. Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, workers striking in the U.S. ☐

Global climate strikes—Earth crisis arouses millions

Continued from page 1 part of city. After blocking traffic and taking arrests commitment to stop producing fossil fuel or polluting there, they moved on to the Midtown Business District. the air in poor communities around the bay. prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2015. Once again they blocked a major intersection, taking 19 Her death was linked to U.S.-trained Honduran special arrests in all. The youthful multinational group kept up Also contributing to this article were Kathy Durkin, forces. Cáceres was opposing an internationally funded their spirited action on a day with a record heat level Judy Greenspan and Jimmy Raynor. hydroelectric dam. (See “Behind the murder of Berta in the high 90s. Cáceres,” WW, March 19, 2017.) On Sept. 25, climate strike activists closed down the The Sept. 27 Global Climate Strike actions swept from main streets in the San Francisco Financial District and Sweden to Morocco to Canada, from New Zealand to blocked entrances to major banks. Carrying signs and India to Italy. In Argentina, people marched in Buenos banners and chanting, “People, yes! Profits, no! Big Aires to the Plaza de Mayo, location of historic resis- Oil has got to go!” they shut down Wells Fargo, Chase tance to oppression in that country. Around the rim of Manhattan, Citibank and Bank of America for several the imperiled Amazon, rainforest people demonstrated hours. Seven people were arrested for blocking all the in Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay. doors and driveways of Wells Fargo, one of the biggest financial supporters of Big Oil. U.S. part of global actions Workers World Party participated in and helped In the U.S., there were many determined rallies across organize a march from one of the blocked street the country, typified by two actions that took place on intersections to a local Immigration and Customs the East Coast and the West Coast. Enforcement headquarters. Led by QUIT (Queers In Atlanta, more than 200 people marched Sept. Undermining Israeli Terrorism), the group blocked 27 in a militant demonstration calling for immediate the driveway used by ICE buses and strongly made the solutions to the climate crisis. The group Extinction connection between the climate crisis and intensifying WW PHOTO: JIMMY RAYNOR Rebellion chanted and took over streets, concentrat- attacks on im/migrants. On the way to Atlanta’s Midtown Business District, Sept. 27. ing first on the Buckhead Business District, the ritziest On Sept. 27, hundreds of young people and their supporters picketed at the gates of Chevron’s corporate headquarters in San Ramon, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area. The young demonstrators not only called for Chevron to stop using fossil fuel, the youth demanded that Chevron stop poisoning the air and endangering the lives of poor communities of color surrounding their plants. Many banners held Chevron responsible for funding and profiting from wars for oil around the world. A delegation of Youth Vs. the Apocalypse, the main organizer of the event, was invited behind the gates to

meet with Chevron officials. The delegation reported WW PHOTO: JUDY GREENSPAN back that, unsurprisingly, Chevron would not make any Closing the street, San Francisco Financial District, Sept. 25.

“Unnatural Disasters” Workers World articles on the climate crisis, 2001–12 PHOTO: UNITED NATIONS Autumn Peltier (Wikwemikong) addresses the U.N. General Available at tinyurl.com/y5y6nhwh/ Assembly on World Water Day, March 22, 2018. Page 10 Oct. 3, 2019 workers.org Bigot Trump’s editorials real crimes Continued from page 1

have attempted to use against this president have been those most isolated from the working class and people Biden’s time in Ukraine facing oppression. First, they investigated POTUS’s relations with the That Joe Biden’s interaction with Ukrainian leaders The 2016 Foreign Affairs article noted Biden’s “long Russian president, attempting to link him with aiding has become a central question in the attempt to impeach track record of promoting a robust American role in Trump’s election. That failed. the well-hated Donald Trump should mislead no one Eastern Europe—​from supporting NATO’s enlarge- Now the impeachment charges involve Trump’s attempt about the former vice president’s virtues. Biden is a faith- ment to pushing for U.S. military intervention in the to use a U.S.-installed Ukrainian regime against Biden, ful servant of U.S. imperialism, and nowhere was that Balkans in the 1990s.” one of the more likely Democratic candidates for presi- more clear than with his role intervening in and interfer- In other words, Biden was, and is, an imperialist dent next year. ing with Ukraine’s politics to benefit U.S. finance capital. politician, with a record of supporting U.S. and NATO The first year of the Trump administration brought The establishment magazine, Foreign Affairs, made expansion eastward, and he took an active part in U.S. smiles to the faces of the ruling class as he cut taxes for the this clear in an Oct. 30, 2016, article: “No one in the U.S. warmaking, subversion and political intervention. From rich and the corporations and opened up new areas of the government has wielded more influence over Ukraine 2014 to 2016, Biden acted as an old-time colonial gover- Earth to the wanton exploitation of natural resources. Now than Vice President Joe Biden.” The article even called nor for the U.S. in Ukraine. He got the new government they are smiling less. Business is shaky, and the boast to Biden “the Obama administration’s point person on a $17.5 billion International Monetary Fund package “make [U.S.] America great again” has cost the U.S. stra- Ukraine policy.” and guided the reorganization of the gas industry and tegically and economically. At the time Biden worked in tandem with Hillary the police force there. Impeachment seems possible, perhaps also to Trump, Clinton, who was secretary of state when the U.S. He oversaw privatization and austerity in service to who exploded against those Democrats attacking him. In boosted the anti-Russian grouping in Ukraine leading finance capital, including raising the retirement age for his usual blatantly racist style, he called those Democrats up to the “Maidan revolution” there. Victoria Nuland, workers. He helped introduce fracking. His son Hunter heading the House investigation against him “savages,” the State Department’s agent in Ukraine, boasted that Biden became an executive in the gas production com- singling out Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and the rest of the U.S. poured $5 billion into subverting Ukrainian pany, Burisma Holdings. “the Squad,” plus Adam Schiff and Jerrold Nadler—​four politics in that period. Trump tried to show that Biden threatened the women of color and two Jewish men. The president also Biden’s role was to rally support for the regime in Kiev Ukraine’s leaders to serve the narrow interests of his hinted that his impeachment might bring on a civil war. against Russia and the regions in eastern Ukraine that family. That’s the kind of corruption Trump under- These verbal crimes are worthy of a mass mobilization rebelled against the U.S.-backed, right-wing regime. It stands. It is no less a crime against the Ukrainian peo- to get rid of the president. But what’s really needed is not was in his hands to withhold aid if the competing forces ple, however, to threaten that country’s leaders into a legal maneuver that replaces blatant Trump with subser- in the new Ukrainian regime strayed from serving U.S. imposing policies serving the general interests of U.S. vient Mike Pence, but one that sweeps out the whole racist, corporate and strategic interests. monopoly capitalism. ☐ bigoted, money-grubbing gang. ☐

In NYC, movement declares: Independence for Puerto Rico! Continued from page 5 the beast’ that will bring our decoloniza- toppling of Gov. Rosselló. tion and freedom at last.” Spurred by the victory of brothers in the archipelago. We recognize Another Frente organizer Nephyr bringing down a corrupt that our struggle for liberation is within a Rodriguez added, “It was evident, the governor, the people of larger framework of justice against cap- growing number of youths that partici- Puerto Rico are now hold- italism and imperialism. Our solidarity pated demonstrating great pride in their ing serious discussions with working-class communities in the identities of being Puerto Rican.” He throughout the island of U.S., Latin America, Africa and Asia is continued, “These youth are supporting what’s next to keep the paramount to our liberation.” our right to have a free and independent movement going through Also for the Frente, Ana M. Lopez told nation.” these peoples’ assemblies. WW: “Our former political prisoners that The Frente is not stopping after It is clear that no cor- participated in the march and rally on this successful march. On Oct. 5, the rupt government, no hur- Sept. 21 were by and large living or born movement will hold the Third Peoples’ ricane, no U.S. imperialism in the U.S. They dedicated their lives for Assembly from 3:30 until 5:30 p.m. at the can stop the yearning of the independence of Puerto Rico. Already Overthrow, 256 Grand Street, Brooklyn. the Puerto Rico people Former political prisoner, Oscar Rivera, second from left, two-thirds of our people live in the U.S., These assemblies mirror the peo- for independence. Si se with Workers World Party members Marsha Goldberg, thus we are the engine within the ‘belly of ples’ assemblies that emerged after the puede! ☐ Teresa Gutierrez and Richard Kossally at Sept. 21 rally. Haitians demand president leave By G. Dunkel Haïtiens de Montréal contre l’Occupation Haitians hungrier and angrier. Scarcity of Saint-Marc was occupied by demonstra- d’Haïti) cites sources estimating that the fuel means less food in the markets and tors, who took arms, bullet-proof vests, Beginning in the middle of September, cops have killed dozens of Haitians and less electricity. shields and office supplies. tens of thousands of Haitians have taken wounded hundreds. On Sept. 28, when protesters seized the to the streets in the capital, Port au Prince, Starting early in 2018, Haitians began Haiti erupts in protest in late September police station in Cité Soleil, the poorest as well as in Saint-Marc (Artibonite), looking around their neighborhoods for The protesters in the streets made it neighborhood in Port au Prince, they took Cap Haïtien (northern Haiti), Jacmel any concrete results from the $4.3 bil- clear that they blamed President Moïse. not only what was inside the building and Cayes (southern Haiti) and Gonaïves lion that Venezuela had provided to Haiti And they were more than willing to take but also its tin roof, according to a video (central), in a boiling rage demanding in low-cost loans covering oil sales from on those who support him. shown on France’s TV5. In Delmas and President Jovenel Moïse leave office. Petrocaribe. They didn’t find any. They Sen. Jean Marie Ralph Fethière of Carrefour, both better-off neighborhoods, Even after the police used live ammu- began asking: “Kot Kòb Petwo Karibe a?” Moïse’s party—​called the Party of Bald there was some looting, car windows nition to disperse the protests and admit- (“Where is the Petrocaribe money?”) Headed Haitians (PHTK)—was​ confronted were smashed and a few were burned. ted to killing six people, thousands have Two massive national demonstra- by demonstrators while leaving Parliament The supermarket Rois des Rois, a short stayed in the streets. A group of Haitian tions last October and November pro- on Sept. 23. He drew his pistol, firing into distance from the National Palace, was exiles in Montreal (Le Regroupement des tested government corruption and huge the air and then the ground. A parliamen- also looted and burned. In Cap Haïtien, price hikes for fuel. This year, tary security guard was shot in the stomach the cops armed vigilantes who shot up protests and demonstrations, and a well-known Associated Press photog- demonstrators who were demanding the strikes, petitions and public rapher was hit in the cheek. resignation and imprisonment of Moïse. meetings have focused on the Demonstrators later surrounded the On Facebook and YouTube, some of severe gas shortage, combined Parliament and disrupted its proceedings the protests in Haiti have been covered with double-digit inflation and by pounding on lampposts with rocks and in real time with uncensored interviews. unemployment. chanting. Some even managed to slip into While everyone wanted Moïse to leave, a The lack of a government the building and confront the parliamen- number of protesters raised the issue of budget for over two years, tarians directly. the Haitian bourgeoisie’s support of for- along with widespread strikes While the cops were killing dem- eign intervention, the lack of education, demanding unpaid wages—​ onstrators, there were also reports of health care, the need for jobs and secu- from hospitals to the courts, police stations being sacked. Vant Bef, a rity, and the right to protest peacefully. from tax offices to local gov- Haitian internet news service, reported The spirit of the people comes across in Port-au-Prince, Sept. 28. ernment agencies—​have left on Sept. 27 that a police station in Continued on page 11 workers.org Oct. 3, 2019 Page 11 WW Commentary Astronomical imperialism! Part 2 By Janet Mayes the National Aeronautics and Space astronauts to the station at $82 million Administration to stake out claims a seat. Part 1 ran in the Sept. 26 issue of starting in 2020. Workers World newspaper. Read the The British-based Asteroid Profiteers plan to plunder solar system entire article online at workers.org. Mining Corporation, after touting To mine for extraterrestrial gold, pri- its benign motives, boasts: “[W]e vate companies are setting their sights on Contemporary scientists and the will also gain a much deeper under- exerting dominance over the moon and public are fascinated by the possible standing about humans as a species other areas of space, as so-called “explor- existence of life on other planets and and as a civilisation [sic], find- ers” plundered and grabbed Indigenous their satellites, and have built huge ing answers to ... questions, such lands around the globe. Employing well- telescopes that examine the origin Asterank's database lists over 600,000 asteroids. as ‘Are we alone in the Universe?’ funded research and development, they are of the universe by peering back- Using that information, Asterank, owned by Planetary and get incredibly rich in the pro- mapping out areas to occupy, first on the ward in time. Moon landings and Resources, explains, “[W]e can estimate the costs and cess.” (tinyurl.com/y58jpvzf) The moon and then on Mars. Their sights are stories about projected colonies on rewards of mining asteroids.” company predicts asteroids will be far-ranging, perhaps extending to estab- and beyond Mars stimulate people’s mined by 2030. lishing societies on a moon of Jupiter or imaginations. almanac, unless they provided food for Britain, France, India, Iran, Israel, Saturn. The history of rampant imperialist his crew. British colonialists renamed the Japan, Luxembourg and Russia are also in ecological destruction precludes the pres- Astronomical science age-old island Jamaica. the space race. These countries, along with ervation of these solar bodies. However, in reality, astronomical sci- European conquerors steered their China and North Korea, are parties to the Shockingly, Musk has advocated explod- ence has been around ever since humans ships using celestial navigation. Right Outer Space Treaty that covers cooperation ing nuclear bombs on Martian poles to looked skyward. For tens of thousands of after Galileo perfected the telescope, he and peaceful utilization of space. It forbids chemically warm its atmosphere for human years, Aboriginal peoples in what is now showed the Doge (leader) of Venice how national appropriation of celestial bodies habitation. (Business Insider, 2019) “Australia,” have handed down through to identify enemy ships 10 times farther but allows a state to maintain jurisdiction Martin Elvis, astrophysicist, and Tony storytelling their knowledge about the away than they previously could. over a space object. The treaty does not Mulligan, philosopher, propose, in the constellations to accurately predict the “Accessory to War: The Unspoken protect against space tourism, estimated September issue of Acta Astronautica, seasons, when to plant and more. Pacific Alliance Between Astrophysics and the by Swiss bank UBS to be worth $805 bil- that humans use up only one-eighth of Islanders navigated the Pacific Ocean Military,” a book written by astrophysi- lion by 2030, nor does it cover mining by the resources available in the solar sys- by the stars, passing down their knowl- cist Neil deGrasse Tyson and historian private and public entities. tem—i.e.,​ for ownership and plundering, edge through song from generation to Avis Lang, chronicles the historical use It is not surprising that China and with the rest set aside as “wilderness.” generation. of astronomy for war and conquest up to North Korea have developed sophisti- (tinyurl.com/y5qrz6v8) But the historical Ancient and Indigenous peoples stud- the present day. cated space programs for their own eco- encroachment on U.S. public lands shows ied the stars for timekeeping, design- nomic and strategic protection. Their how profiteers will grab any land they can ing calendars and predicting eclipses. The space ‘Gold Rush’ leaders know the U.S. history of breaking to make super-profits. These include the East African peoples Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter treaties, going back to the plundering of No corporate land grabs anywhere! of Nomoratunga, the Sumerians and lies the asteroid belt replete with precious Indigenous lands and resources, and are Akkadians of ancient Mesopotamia, the metals, including iron, nickel, gold, cobalt quite cognizant of corporations’ financial Environmental exploiter-in-chief Minoans, Indus Valley peoples and peo- and platinum. Tyson suggests the first tril- motives and imperialist governments’ Trump issued a proclamation that ples living in China as early as 3,000 BCE. lionaire will be an asteroid miner. Space military and strategic goals. opened over 2 million acres of Bears Ears In the Western Hemisphere, the Aztecs mining companies, including Planetary Because China has now landed two rov- and Grand Staircase-Escalante National developed a complex calendar and the Resources, estimate the asteroid Davida ers on the moon, with the third scheduled Monuments in Utah for corporate mining Incas used their knowledge of astronomy is worth $100 trillion, over five times the for December 2019, Washington has rat- and drilling in December 2017. A long- in agriculture. For the Papago Indigenous U.S. gross domestic product. cheted up funding to establish dominance time struggle by five Native nations won of Arizona, Sicangu Oyate Lakota and other How will countries and private aster- over the moon as quickly as possible. Some national monument status for the park to Indigenous peoples, their knowledge of the oid prospecting companies get there? corporate profiteers may be concerned that protect Indigenous cultural sites in 2016. skies played a major part in agriculture and When split into hydrogen and oxygen, China is exploring the potential of obtain- These nations, joined by scientific organi- other essential areas of their lives. water becomes rocket fuel. So, the first ing helium-3 to make it available on Earth zations, conservation groups and others Astronomical developments occurred order of business is to mine for water on before Western companies and govern- are legally contesting Trump’s action. in the Muslim world, as early at the 9th the moon, eventually using it as a launch- ments can obtain the gas and reap mega- It is intriguing to imagine possible life century CE, in the Middle East, Central ing pad for reaching nearby water-laden profits from its sale—​and predominate on on exoplanets and their moons which Asia and North Africa, mostly written in asteroids from which to travel farther. the moon to protect their assets. could be in the habitable “Goldilocks Arabic. Ulugh Beg, a 15th century Muslim According to Science Focus, Planetary zone”—meaning​ not too hot and not too Billionaires invest in space ventures sultan, known for his precise astronom- Resources aims “to bake the water out of cold. The newest, projected telescopes are ical measurements, built in Samarkand, these rocks, turning them into Space Age Billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, well-equipped to locate such entities for Uzbekistan, the largest observatory in petrol stations.” (tinyurl.com/y4pebs7w) has invested in multimillion-dollar space future settlements. These telescopes are Central Asia at the time. Not to mention plucking water from the ventures. His SpaceX ticket to the moon not just designed for “pure” science, even In 1609, Galileo perfected the telescope icy rocks in Saturn’s rings. is estimated to cost $35 million. His though the literature about the projected and proved that Copernicus was right: However, the biggest payload is nearby company recently signed a $1.6 billion Thirty Meter Telescope claims otherwise. The earth revolves around the sun. The and plentiful for the scooping. Lunar dust, contract with NASA to facilitate space Significantly, the Kānaka Maoli people Vatican found him “suspect of heresy” the upper layer of the moon’s regolith settlement and travel to Mars. In prepa- in Hawai’i are protesting TMT’s installa- and put him under house arrest for life. (layer of unconsolidated rocky material ration for Hurricane Dorian, SpaceX tion on Mauna Kea because it is a sacred In another example of science for its covering bedrock), abounds in helium-3, coordinated with its partners at Cape site for all Pacific Islanders, a conserva- own sake, scientists recently substantiated an estimated 1 million tons. When brought Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy tion site and the watershed for Hawai’i, Einstein’s theory of general relativity using to Earth and processed, it is theorized that Space Center to protect its facilities there. the Big Island. the Keck Observatory, Gemini Observatory 25 percent of lunar helium-3 might provide Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg is on It is not unreasonable to assume that and Subaru Telescope in Hawai’i. an alternative clean energy source for the the board of Starshot, whose mission is to some obscenely wealthy individuals Historically, however, astronomical entire Earth for five centuries. It is valued reach Alpha Centauri within a generation. are planning their “escape route” from science has not always advanced scien- at an estimated $5 billion a ton. Alpha Centauri is the closest planetary Earth’s impending climate catastrophe. tific knowledge, but has been harnessed system to the solar system—​4.37 light- Searching for new sites in space on which for warfare, plundering and colonizing. Companies vie for riches years or 25.7 trillion miles from the Sun. to establish these “elite” societies would In 1504, Columbus successfully threat- Among the companies vying for Other billionaires who have invested appeal to them more than pooling their ened Indigenous people of Xaymaca with the booty are Moon Express and millions of dollars in space ventures resources to save this planet. a lunar eclipse, predicted by his mariner’s NanoRacks. Some have partnered with include Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, who However, to combat the growing climate established the Blue Origin company; crisis, the focus should be on stopping cap- Richard Branson, whose spaceflight com- italist degradation of this planet. Everyone Haitians demand president leave pany Virgin Galactic is part of the Virgin who is concerned about this growing disas- Group; and Google co-founder, Larry ter should join the protests to confront Continued from page 10 IDs and the government was very slow in Page, backer of the space-mining company global warming caused by greenhouse replacing them. Still, the United States Planetary Resources. They make massive gases. Ultimately, system change is crucial these videos. They are confronting cops endorsed the election. Even though seri- investments in these projects rather than for the sake of all life on planet Earth. who shoot to kill, but still they run and ous charges of corruption have been made pay decent salaries to the workers whose dance through the streets, to the sound against Moïse and his predecessor, Michel labor they exploit to make them rich. Janet Mayes, an amateur astrono- of rara (festival) bands, waving leafy Martelly, and their party, the PHTK—even​ In June, NASA announced it will open mer, authored a science fiction novel branches of hope and demanding that though the rights of Haitians to peacefully the International Space Station to non- about U.S. hegemony in space, “Beyond President Jovenel leave. In Gonaïves, protest have been denied—​the U.S. gov- NASA employees to conduct “commer- the Horse’s Eye, a Fantasy Out of Time,” bands of protesters waved machetes. ernment and ruling class still support their cial and marketing activities” to fund under the pen name Janet Rose. A review Moïse was elected in 2016 in a process guy in Port au Prince. ongoing missions on the station. Boeing can be found at tinyurl.com/y6fzefun. marked by very low turnout. Hundreds of Without such support, he and his gang and SpaceX are slated to replace Russian- Kathy Durkin contributed to this thousands of Haiti’s citizens had lost their would be blown away. ☐ made rockets that currently carry article. Correspondencia sobre artículos en Workers World/Mundo Obrero pueden ser enviadas a: [email protected]

¡Proletarios y oprimidos de todos los paises unios! workers.org Vol. 61 Núm. 40 3 de octubre 2019 $1

MO FOTO: MONICA MOOREHEAD 'No hay planeta B', Battery Park, Nueva York, 20 de septiembre. ¡Hagamos a las corporaciones, bancos y el Pentágono pagar por las reparaciones climáticas!

Cuba, China lideran el camino; el es el capitalismo, un sistema incapaz de su liderazgo en la organización para la capitalismo EE.UU. frena el progreso planificar cualquier cosa que pueda dismi- vida del mundo, desde Standing Rock en En 2016, la Federación de Vida nuir las ganancias de la clase propietaria los Estados Unidos hasta Brasil, India y editorial Silvestre Mundial reconoció a la Cuba de los medios de producción. Los merca- Honduras. socialista como el único país del mundo dos de acciones y bonos se mueven hacia Las reparaciones deben abordar el La huelga climática global del 20 al 27 en lograr un desarrollo sostenible, con su arriba y hacia abajo según las proyecciones racismo ambiental dirigido a las perso- de septiembre exige un examen inquebran- firme compromiso con la salud ambien- de ganancias. Las ganancias para el 1% tie- nas de color en el Sur Global, así como en table de las raíces de la crisis climática. A tal, incluidos los años de esfuerzo en la nen prioridad sobre todo lo demás, incluso los EE.UU., desde las personas negras y pesar de las afirmaciones que niegan las reforestación. (tinyurl.com/yyh6nqxs) si eso significa matar la tierra y sus pueblos. morenas inundadas por los desechos cor- razones del cambio de la clima, la evidencia Además, incluso la revista de nego- La solución a esta crisis es el socialismo, porativos de granjas porcinas durante los científica masiva muestra que la liberación cios Forbes de este año tuvo que admitir: en el que la propiedad pública de los medios huracanes en Carolina del Norte, hasta de emisiones de gases de efecto inverna- “China se convertirá en la superpotencia de producción permite a la sociedad lle- las comunidades afroamericanas, como dero, principalmente la quema de com- mundial de energía renovable”. China ha var a cabo una planificación a largo plazo Uniontown, Alabama, utilizados como ver- bustibles fósiles, ha desestabilizado tanto demostrado su compromiso, afirmado para el bien del 99% de la humanidad y la tedero de desechos para plantas a carbón. el sistema de autorregulación de la Tierra en 2014, para detener la crisis climática. supervivencia del planeta. Especialmente Las reparaciones deben ir a países ente- que la humanidad ahora está sufriendo una Un ejemplo de muchos es que en cuatro para los jóvenes, qué sistema controlará el ros devastados por la guerra de los EE.UU. cascada de catástrofes no naturales. años redujo la contaminación del aire de futuro es una pregunta apremiante. y las sanciones por el petróleo y las ganan- En los últimos años, hemos visto nive- las plantas de carbón en un 32 por ciento cias, contra Corea del norte, Vietnam, Irán, les históricos de destrucción y muerte en Una demanda inmediata: Irak, Libia, Siria y Venezuela, y para com- en promedio en las ciudades afectadas. reparaciones climáticas el hemisferio occidental, recientemente en (Workers World, 23 de abril) pensar el sabotaje económico y los esfuer- las Bahamas, Puerto Rico y la costa este Mientras tanto, Estados Unidos se ha Claramente, es necesario derrocar zos de cambio de régimen emprendidos de los EE.UU. Todos los días escucha- retirado del Acuerdo Climático de París, al capitalismo para poner fin a la crisis por los EE.UU., incluidos Cuba y América mos sobre una nueva tragedia climática aunque este acuerdo es solo un primer climática. Pero, ¿qué acción es posible Central. El impacto de muchas de estas en otras partes del mundo, desde incen- paso débil para reducir las emisiones de ahora, aquí dentro de las entrañas de guerras ha producido refugiados, incluidos dios que devoran las selvas tropicales del gases de efecto invernadero. Y la adminis- la bestia, mientras seguimos el camino los refugiados climáticos que ya no pueden Amazonas y África Central, tormentas e tración actual, con su propiedad sin control hacia el socialismo? mantener la vida en sus países de origen. inundaciones más intensas, glaciares que por parte de las grandes empresas a pesar Podemos exigir y atacar ahora por Durante años, los Grandes Monopolios y se derriten rápidamente, hasta el 41 por de la apariencia “populista” de Trump, reparaciones climáticas. Los delincuen- la Gran Máquina de Guerra han visto acer- ciento de las especies de insectos globa- está revocando rápidamente las regula- tes climáticos deben pagar de inmediato carse la crisis climática y han estado ela- les que disminuyeron en la última década, ciones sobre la contaminación. Desde el miles de millones. Estos son los Grandes borando sus propios planes privados sobre lo que amenaza “consecuencias catastró- gas metano hasta el vertido de químicos Monopolios, las corporaciones contami- cómo mantenerse ganando beneficios. ficas tanto para los ecosistemas del pla- y las emisiones de los automóviles a los nantes y los bancos que financian la des- El Poder Popular de la huelga climática neta como para la supervivencia de la desechos tóxicos del Pentágono, Estados trucción del medio ambiente, y la Gran tiene sus propios planes para el futuro y [humanidad]”, según la revista Biological Unidos es, con mucho, el mayor contami- Máquina de Guerra, el Pentágono y el com- puede exigir miles de millones en repara- Conservation. (tinyurl.com/yxkhbbqc) nante del mundo. plejo militar-industrial que libran una gue- ciones que el capitalismo le debe al pla- Pero si bien esta es una crisis global, Por un lado, tenemos un gobierno de rra por el petróleo y las ganancias. Luchar neta. Esos miles de millones pueden ser no tiene que convertirse en una catástrofe EE.UU. comprado y destinado al beneficio por las reparaciones sería un retroceso sig- aprovechados por los líderes indígenas, mundial irreversible. Hay evidencia de que capitalista, al infierno con la humanidad y nificativo contra el capitalismo mientras por los organizadores de las comunidades se puede avanzar en esta grave situación, todas las especies de vida. Por otro lado, luchamos por el cambio del sistema. locales negras y morenas, por los trabaja- que no es causada por los “seres huma- están estos dos estados obreros, Cuba y Las reparaciones deben ir a los pueblos dores que unen su lucha contra los patro- nos” en general, sino por un sistema eco- China, que están demostrando que las indígenas de todo el mundo, quienes han nes con la lucha por el medio ambiente, nómico global insostenible: el capitalismo, economías socialistas planificadas pueden estado a la cabeza para proteger el pla- por activistas y científicos dedicados a la propiedad privada y la producción de colocar a las personas por delante de las neta mientras enfrentan siglos de depre- aprender de los triunfos de Cuba y China. cualquier cosa que pueda venderse para ganancias, y eso debe incluir la salud del dación en sus tierras y vidas. Las mujeres Debemos exigir reparaciones climáti- beneficio privado, donde la línea de fondo planeta. indígenas y las personas de dos espíritus cas, ¡para construir un futuro global en el supera todas las demás consideraciones. El motor que impulsa la crisis climática deben ser especialmente reconocidas por camino hacia el socialismo! ☐ Crisis climática un problema de la clase obrera, ¡y la clase obrera tiene el poder de detenerla! Esta declaración fue distribuida en mayor huella. corto plazo sin tener en cuenta la enorme escuelas sino también en el trabajo, en acciones de huelga climática por la Red ¿Puede el capitalismo solucionar los huella de carbono que están dejando sus los sindicatos, en nuestras comunida- Internacional de Solidaridad con los problemas que crea? acciones de toma de ganancias. Solo ellos des. Y debemos luchar contra el racismo Trabajadores. Algunos en el movimiento climá- tienen los medios para escapar de las ambiental, defender los reclamos de tie- tico simplemente culpan a la “actividad consecuencias. rras indígenas y exigir la autodetermi- Todos estamos enojados. Todos en humana” sin ponerla directamente en el Solidaridad de la clase trabajadora para nación para las naciones oprimidas que estas acciones en todo el mundo sabemos gran petróleo, el gran carbón, la indus- salvar el medio ambiente sufren los impactos más graves. que nuestro futuro depende de enfrentar tria automotriz, las empresas de servicios Los activistas ambientales, en su mayo- La crisis climática es un problema de la el cambio climático. La conversación que públicos y los bancos de los que toman ría jóvenes, hicieron un llamado para clase trabajadora. Nosotros entendemos importa ahora es: ¿Quién es responsable prestados o el mayor contaminador del “huelgas climáticas” el 20 y 27 de septiem- esto. Es por eso que varias organizacio- de ello y quién puede solucionarlo? mundo, el Pentágono. bre. Este es un verdadero paso adelante. nes laborales de la ciudad de Nueva York Aquí y en el extranjero, el impacto recae Y algunos incluso sugerirían que ape- Las huelgas han ganado salarios más altos, están instando a los miembros del sindi- desproporcionadamente en los más opri- lar al motivo de las ganancias (conven- pensiones, reconocimiento sindical y simi- cato a apoyar las huelgas climática. Es por midos: comunidades de color, especial- cer a los capitalistas de que abandonar lares. Pero también hay huelgas políticas, eso que los trabajadores de Amazon están mente pueblos indígenas, personas con los combustibles fósiles es bueno para como el Primero de Mayo de 2006, cuando saliendo para protestar por la forma en discapacidades, mujeres y oprimidos por los negocios o someterlos a “precios cli- millones de inmigrantes y sus partidarios que la compañía ha contribuido a la crisis género, la comunidad LGBTQ2S+ y los máticos”) puede resolver la crisis. Ese forzaron la derrota de un proyecto de ley climática. jóvenes. La mayoría de nosotros somos es un pensamiento ingenuo. Los capita- antiinmigrante en el Congreso. Tenemos el poder de proteger la vida en trabajadores, incluidos jóvenes y estu- listas causaron el calentamiento global Mantengamos viva la conversación el planeta. ¡Nada se mueve sin nosotros! diantes. Los patrones climáticos salvajes y difícilmente se puede confiar en rever- sobre la huelga climática más allá del Y las acciones de masas son las que traen y los desastres no naturales nos dejan su tirlo. Calculan la ganancia económica a 20 al 27 de septiembre, no solo en las un cambio real. ☐