U.S.-Backed Terrorists Attack Nicaragua Ports
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Viet~am: deadly effects of Agent Orange • • • 6 THE Nicaraguan rightists oppose election laws • . • 8 Interview with leader of British miners . 11 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 48/NO. 13 APRIL 13, 1984 75 CENTS Prove cops, U.S.-backed terrorists right wing attack Nicaragua ports murdered BY MICHAEL BAUMANN Cuban COR INTO, Nicaragua-U.S. -financed terrorists have turned the harbor here, Nic BY ROBERTO KOPEC aragua's largest port, into a battleground. A prominent Puerto Rican senator, a The more than ·half a dozen international right-wing exiled Cuban businessman, and cargo vessels berthed here, either unload a former police official conspired to kill ing or waiting to unload, have become the Carlos Muniz Varela, shot to death in San latest target in Washington's undeclared Juan, Puerto Rico, on April 28, 1979. war against Nicaragua. Muniz was a founder of the Antonio The Liberian freighter Inderchaser, ex Maceo Brigade, an organization of young porting molasses, was struck by a· CIA Cubans residing in the U.S., Puerto Rico, planted mine while leaving the harbor and other countries, committed to lifting March 28 . the U.S. blockade of Cuba and encourag The Panamanian freighter Homin, ing ties between the Cuban revolution and docked and loading sugar, was machine the Cuban community abroad. Muniz ran a gunned the same day by a "pirana" speed~ travel service to Cuba, and participated in boat - one of the 60-mile-an-hour the first of the Brigade's tours to the island launches the CIA has provided the counter in 1977. This earned him the hatred of revolutionary forces . Cuban counterrevolutionary terrorist or On March 30, the Japanese freighter ganizations as well as their U.S. chiefs. Terushio Maru struck a ~ine one mile According to reports leaked to the Puerto from the docks as it tried to enter the harbor Rican press last week, a current FBI inves to deliver a cargo of auto parts and con tigation of widespread police corruption on struction materials. That same day, the Puerto Rico has uncovered links between Homin was attacked again, this time by high police officials and Cuban counterrev "piranas" and helicopters. olutionary terrorist organizations. The re This brings to a total of six the interna . Barricada International/Mateo Brack ports indicate that cops testifying in closed tional vessels that have been damaged by Nicaraguan fishing boat sunk by mines planted by CIA-backed terrorists. Counter meetings have accused a well-known · - Continued on Page 9 revolutionaries have stepped up attacks on Nicaraguan ports with mines, speedboats. member of the Puerto Rican Senate of rais ing funds from people in the Cuban com munities of Miami and New Jersey during 1978-79. With the money collected, a Coal miner fights for W.Va. ballot spot right~wing Cuban businessman hired a high police official to organize the assassi BY BRIAN WILLIAMS secution for signing SWP pet1t10ns and. explained Radin. "I, like miJlions of other nation of Mufiiz with the aid of other cops. CHARLESTON, W. Va.- West Vir then voting in the primaries. A grand jury people in this country, am the victim of and Other intended victims of the police-ter ginia Secretary of State A.J. Manchin was convened in Jackson County to hear feel the effects of an economic system that rorist connection, a San Juan newspaper launched a major slander campaign against evidence against petition signers. It refused puts profits before human needs. also revealed, have been Juan Mari Bras, the Socialist Workers Party March 27. to indict anyone. ~ "To say that because I am a coal miner, general secretary of the Puerto Rican Manchin announced to the media that he To answer Manchin's latest charges, the I'm well off and financially stable flies in Socialist Party, and another party leader, was requesting the prosecuting attorney to socialists called an emergency news con the face of reality. ·I, like many of my sister Pedro Baiges ChapeL Death squad activity investigate whether the SWP candidates ference . for March 29. Radin explained and brother coal miners, am trying to make is not new in Puerto Rico; Mari Bras' son, should be prosecuted for any false state how these filing fees are like a poll tax ends meet after months and months of un Santiago, was killed in 1976. And in 1978, ments on the financial forms they filed with against working people's right to run for employment forced on us· by the coal com two proindependence fighters were execu the state. office. Seven hundred dollars for the panies. Before being called back to work a ted by cops in what has become known as Manchin made this statement after the senatorial race means nothing to a mil few months ago, I was unemployed much the Cerro Maravilla scandaL SWP announced its plans to place its pres lionaire coal boss like John D. Rockefeller, ofthe time for over a year. The Antonio Maceo Brigade, as well as idential and vice-presidential candidates, IV, but it is a lot of money to a coal miner. "Manchin 's distortion of the actual fi prominent Puerto Rican organizations, Mel Mason and Andrea Gonzalez, on the "I, like thousands of other people in nancial situation of myself and, in fact, that have demanded that all the facts ofMufiiz's ballot here. The SWP also announced it West Virginia, was laid off from work of many other coal miners fits in with the assassination be revealed, and that those will run Dave Ferguson for governor and when the economic crisis hit this state," Continued on Page 4 responsible be arrested and tried. Joan Radin for U.S. Senate. At the time of filing their declaration to run, candidates are required to pay filing fees equal to I percent of the salary of that Socialist campaigners set 'Militant'-'PM' drive office. Fees for the four SWP candidates would come to more than $5,300. BY PEGGY BRUNDY other countries in favor of ruling-class ma but other articles on workers' and farmers' Saturday and Sunday, April 14 and 15, However, a 1980 court ruling struck neuvers to make big-business more profita struggles of interest to them. down filing fees for candidates who cannot supporters of the Socialist Workers Party ble. They are the newspapers of the Demo-. The Militant and PM's consistent stand presidential ticket will mobilize to kick off afford to pay them . The socialists submit cratic and Republican party candidates. in favor of working peoples' interests ex ted the appropriate financial forms as part an intensive eight-week effort of selling the In this election period the newspapers of plains why the papers support the socialist Militant and Perspectiva Mundial and of their request that the filing fees be other labor and radical organizations say candidates in this election. And the interest campaigning for Mel Mason and Andrea waived. Manchin agreed to waive the fees, that working people must "dump Reagan at in the campaign and the newspapers' ideas Gonzalez for president and vice-president. any cost." .This strategy Is based on seeing point to the timeliness of organizing an ag but used the occasion to slander the SWP. In particular, he singled out Radin, a coal The aim is to sell between 35-40,000 Reagan the individual as the problem, not gressive effort to reach out to new readers. miner, as someone he thought should have Militants and PMs during the eight weeks. the ruling-class offensive that Democratic Militant and PM supporters will be or The final cumulative total will be based on ganizing to sell the papers at election cam been forced to pay this fee. and Republican politicians have spear . sales goals accepted by branches of the headed since long before Reagan was paign meetings and candidates' debates; at Radin is a working coal miner and a SWP and by other distributors of the Mili elected. plant gates and in working-class com member of United Mine Workers of Amer tant and PM. This total .and a scoreboard The Militant and PM offer a radically munities; on high school and college cam ica (UMW A) Local 2271 . Her opponent in will be printed in an upcoming issue of the different, proworker source of news and puses; and wherever workers, farmers, the senatorial race is the state's current Militant. · analysis which is welcomed by workers Blacks, Latinos,. women and young people governor, Democrat John D. Rockefeller, The Young Socialist Alliance, which to thinking out how to fight back against war, are discussing what kind of a government IV. gether with its newspaper the Young union-busting, and attacks on our hard we need to protect ourselves from the boss Ferguson, a 28-year-old National Com Socialist is actively supporting the Mason won democratic rights. es' offensive. mittee member of the Young Socialist Al and Gonzalez campaign, has also decided When the United States invaded Gre A special focus of the drive will be the liance, will be challenging Republican to participate in the Militant and PM sales nadalast October, Militant readers through use of the· socialist press as part of the mas Arch Moore and Democrat Warren effort. We urge all readers of the Militant special 'efforts sold 12,000 copies of the sive petition drives that the Socialist Work McGraw. Ferguson is a laid-off member of to get involved in this campaign. issue protesting the invasion and explain ers Party must undertake to get its candi the UMW A and currently a member of the The drive comes at a time when working ing the gains and lessons of the Grenada dates on the ballot.