Feb. 19, 2004 Vol. 46, No. 7

50¢ Impacto del Foro Social Mundial 12

BLACK HISTORY Setback to racist death penalty MONTH Kevin Cooper execution halted

Graphic: Sahu Barronn Protesters cheer news at San Quentin gate GI resisters during By Bill Hackwell Vietnam War 6 San Quentin State Prison California

In a dramatic change of events on Feb. 9, less than four SAME-SEX hours before his scheduled execution, Kevin Cooper was MARRIAGE granted a stay from death by lethal injection. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals earlier in the day had ruled nine to A matter of two to send the case back to a federal judge in San Diego simple justice 3 because a significant amount of information had surfaced indicating that San Bernardino police had planted and tam- pered with evidence in order to get a conviction of Cooper in the 1983 deaths of four people. GROCERY STRIKE Prior to the ruling, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, Workers dig in heels 4 a Democrat, began an appeal process to petition the Supreme Court to overrule the stay. The San Francisco office of the ANSWER Coalition immediately activated its phone fax and email network, flooding the Attorney General’s office to A COMMON demand he not appeal the lower court’s decision. Despite the stay, opponents of the death penalty continued THREAD their mobilizing efforts to Janet Jackson, march on San Quentin, The joy outside the Cubans where Kevin Cooper was in a deathwatch cell 12 and the Grammys 10 San Quentin by feet from the execution LeiLani Dowell chamber. It had become clear when Gov. Arnold 5 - Schwarzenegger denied HAITI Cooper even the customary clemency hearing that the state of Masses resist coup 8 California was hell bent on following through with the execu- tion, despite the growing evidence of Cooper’s innocence. In recent weeks the Cooper case has galvanized progressive forces around the state and has also become a focus of national BUSH ON attention as sentiment against the death penalty gains momentum. Demonstrations have taken place all over DEFENSIVE California, including protests at Schwarzenegger’s mansion in Los Angeles. Full-page ads by the Committee to Stop the It all starts catching up 9 Execution of Kevin Cooper appeared in the New York Times

Continued on page 5 WW PHOTO: BILL HACKWELL NO TO FTAA Final resolution of Havana meeting 11

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Workers World Newspaper 55 W. 17 St. NY, NY 10011 (212) 627-2994 www.workers.org read it online WW PHOTO: JULIA LA RIVA Protesters in San Francisco (top) and Los Angeles rallied into the night to stop the execution. Page 2 Feb. 19, 2004 www.workers.org

RUTHIE WEEKS

Fighter for a just society National Kevin Cooper execution halted ...... 1 By Steven Ceci and Ruthie Weeks: Fighter for a just society ...... 2 Renee Washington Same-sex marriage rights struggle is on ...... 3 Baltimore Oakland community fights racist school closures . . . . 3 Baltimore lost a fighter and Grocery strikers dig in heels, step up picketing . . . . . 4 champion for poor and working Seniors under attack on many fronts...... 4 people’s rights on Jan. 25. Ruth LeiLani Dowell on the death penalty ...... 5 Weeks, more affectionately know Black History Month: GI resistance ...... 6 as “Ruthie,” passed away from can- Black students struggle for voting rights ...... 7 cer after a year-long battle against Free Leonard Peltier ...... 7 the disease. Ruthie was an active member of the All Peoples Con- Janet Jackson and Cuban artists ...... 10 gress and Jesus Saves Church for All People, and attended many International Workers World Party activities. Mass resistance in Haiti ...... 8 Ruthie graduated from Mumia on democracy, dictatorships and empire . . . . . 8 Frederick Douglass High School, Bush on the defensive ...... 9 received an Associate of Arts degree at the Community College Havana meeting says ‘no’ to FTAA ...... 11 of Baltimore, and later received her Thousands protest NATO conference ...... 11 Bachelor of Science at Coppin State

College. She worked as a teacher’s WW PHOTO: SHARON BLACK Editorials assistant for Chimes of Baltimore, a non-profit organi- What Iowa proves...... 10 zation serving the disabled. Ruthie always had a smile and a word or song of ... about fighting the draft ...... 10 So many things could be said about Ruthie that it is encouragement for everyone. Many times she would sing, hard to know where to start. Ruthie was a leading organ- “This Little Light of Mine, I’m Going to Let It Shine.” That Noticias En Español izer in campaigns to stop utility shutoffs and lower the song sort of sums her up. She would give whatever she gas and electric rates. She participated in a sit-in at the could for justice and people’s rights, regardless of her per- Impacto del Foro Social Mundial ...... 12 office of Constellation Energy in which eight people were sonal situation or the tough times she might be going arrested, including her son, Tony Weeks. through. WW CALENDAR She was active in building the Korea Truth Ruthie Weeks’ legacy will continue through her two CHICAGO. Haiti, the world’s first Black republic; Commission, which in June of 2001 heard evidence of sons, Tony and Reggie Weeks; her two daughters-in-law, Leslie Feinberg on Massachusetts same- sex marriage ruling. 7 p.m. (Dinner at U.S. government war crimes in Korea. Ruthie traveled to Angela and Anita Weeks; five grandchildren—Andrea, Thu., Feb. 19 6:30) At 55 W. 17 St., 5th Fl., Silencing Dissent: Political Repression Manhattan. For info (212) 627-2994. New York City for the hearing and helped build a solidar- Shaylin and Amina Weeks, Nikisha Reid and Marquette and the Patriot Act. A Forum on the ity event for the commission in Baltimore at Dr. Kwame Payne; her great-grandson, Montas Flood; her sister, Future of Civil Liberties. Keynote Fri., Feb. 20 Speaker: Michel Shehadeh, L.A. 8 Black History Month forum: Socialism O. Abayomi’s church. She marched in all the major anti- Antoinette Turner; her brothers Robert Darby Sr., Ralph defendant, National Council of Arab and the struggle for Black liberation. 7 Americans, Free Palestine Alliance. p.m. (Dinner at 6:30) At 55 W. 17th St., war protests called by ANSWER after Sept. 11, 2001, and Darby, Larry Darby and Joseph Darby; and her cousin, Additional panelists: Stan Willis. National 5th fl., Manhattan. For info Council of Black Lawyers; Michelle (212) 627-2994. served as a bus captain on many different trips to Roy Miller. But her legacy extends beyond her family and Morales, Borique Human Rights Washington. Ruthie saw unity as a very important con- stretches out to all those who worked and struggled with Network; Emma Lozano, Pueblo Sin Sat., March 6 Fronteras; Suzanne Adely, Arab Fightback Conference on the Economic cept and advocated it all the time. Ruthie to make this world a just society. American Action Network; Emile Oppression of Women. Sponsored by Schepers, Chicago Committee to Defend IWD Committee of IAC. 10 a.m. to 6 the Bill of Rights. Sponsored by the p.m. At P.S. 41, 11th St. & 6th Ave. For Chicago Coalition Against War and info (212) 633-6646. Racism. 7:30 p.m. At Depaul Univ.-Loop Campus, Lewis Law Center#241, 25 E. Jackson(at Wabash). For info (888) 471- SAN FRANCISCO. 0874 or e-mail [email protected]. Make a commitment to keep truth alive Sun. Feb. 22 ANSWER benefit dinner. Recognizing LOS ANGELES. Those on the Front Lines of the Join the Workers World Supporter Program Struggle Against War and Racism with Every Friday Cynthia McKinney, Stephen Funk, Michel Workers World Party weekly meetings at Shehedah and many more special Workers World Supporters receive a year’s subscrip- tribution, or $10 a month, Sponsors also get a book 7:30 p.m. Dinner at 7. guests.Reception 5 p.m., dinner 6 p.m. At 422 S. Western. To purchase tickets (415) 821-6545. tion to the newspaper, five free trial subscriptions to of their choice from WW Publishers. And for $300 a Phone (213) 500-0529 for info. give to their friends and a monthly letter with new year-as little as $25 a month-Sustainers get to pick Fri., Feb. 27 Celebrate Black History Month and com- publications, buttons and brochures. For a $100 con- five books or videos as well. NEW YORK. memorate the 200th anniversary of the Haitian Revolution. With Pierre Fri., Feb. 13 Labossiere, Haiti Action Committee; Enclosed is my donation for the year: $75 Supporter $100 Sponsor $300 Sustainer Demonstrate against a new coup in Glenn Nance, S.F. African-American Haiti. Noon. At Dag Hammarskjold Historical Society; LeiLani Dowell, Peace Plaza, 47th between 1st & 2nd Aves, & Freedom Party congressional candi- Enclosed is my first monthly donation: $6 Supporter $10 Sponsor $25 Sustainer Manhattan. For info (212) 633-6646. date. 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By Frank Neisser Civil unions only provide a small num- general election, at the earliest in Nov- parents are bad for children’s physical and Boston ber of these and, as the Feb. 4 Massachu- ember of 2006, to become part of the con- mental wellbeing. setts court ruled, create an inferior sec- stitution. However, since November, progressive The battle lines are drawn here in ond-class status. Groups that have organized rallies, forces have rallied in defense of same-sex Massachusetts over the rights of lesbian, media conferences and other mobiliza- marriage rights and against any constitu- gay, bisexual and trans people to be ‘Separate is not equal’ tions include the Freedom to Marry tional amendment. treated as equal human beings under the After the November state court ruling, Coalition of Massachusetts, Religious On a national level, other state legisla- law. the first act of the Massachusetts Legis- Coalition for the Freedom to Marry, Gay tures, with Ohio in the lead, are consider- Since the Supreme Judicial Court of lature was to ignore the plain language and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders ing legislation or constitutional amend- Massachusetts handed down its ruling on of the decision and to instead move to (GLAD)—which brought the suit to state ments against same-sex marriage. Feb. 4 that a compromise institution for pass a “civil union law” as an alternative. court that won this decision—Civil Liber- President George W. Bush—with an eye same-sex marriage rights was not equal- But on Feb. 4, the court decided that the ties Union of Massachusetts, Massachu- towards his reactionary political base in ity, Massachusetts has become the flash- legislature’s civil unions proposal would setts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, an election year—has attacked the Massa- point for an anti-LGBT hate campaign by establish “an unconstitutional, inferior Human Rights Campaign, National Org- chusetts court decision. He has publicly the religious right and the political estab- and discriminatory status for same-sex anization for Women-Massachusetts’ declared that he will make the battle to lishment. And it has also become a rally- couples,” adding, “separate is seldom, if Chapter and others. block same-sex marriage rights a pillar of ing point for all those who love justice, ever, equal.” The president of the 400,000-member his re-election campaign. decency, solidarity and fair play. The legislature scheduled a special ses- strong Massachusetts AFL-CIO sent a let- Bush has supported the “Federal The SJC had ruled in November that it sion on Feb. 11 to consider an amendment ter to the legislature in support of same- Defense of Marriage Act,” which seeks to is unconstitutional for the state to deny to the state constitution that would define sex marriage and against the amendment. override progressive state rulings like the same-sex partners the same right to marry marriage as between a man and a woman. Unions representing 200,000 workers one just won here. And he is expected to that other couples have. The day before, on Feb. 10, thousands across the state have endorsed same-sex support an anti-LGBT amendment to the That state ruling followed on the heels of supporters of same-sex marriage marriage, seeing it as a matter of equal U.S. Constitution defining marriage as of the momentous U.S. Supreme Court rights—including labor unionists, progres- rights and key to expanded benefits for “between a man and a woman.” decision last June that overturned anti- sive religious groups and others—filled the their thousands of LGBT members. Democrat front-runner John Kerry, gay “sodomy” laws. Nurses Hall and surrounding corridors Endorsing unions include the Service who claims to support “gay rights,” has These decisions were tremendous, inside the State House, the State House Employees Industrial Union Locals 509 declared he’s against same-sex marriage hard- won victories that showed how far steps and surrounding streets, opposing and 2020, the Massachusetts Teachers and might support an amendment to the the LGBT movement has come in the any state constitutional amendment that Association, National Association of Gov- Massachusetts constitution to bar this struggle to overcome centuries of bigotry would deny same-sex marriage rights. ernment Employees, the Massachusetts right. and to educate and win over working peo- Following that protest, legislators pro- Nurses Association, the United Auto The attacks on same-sex marriage are a ple by the millions to the demand of equal posed a “compromise”: a constitutional Workers of Massachusetts and an electri- wedge that can also be used to try to rights for all. amendment that would limit marriage to cal workers’ union—IBEW Local 1505. reverse or outlaw civil union benefits and Both before and after the SJC’s Novem- a man and a woman, but would also estab- domestic partner benefits that have ber decision, for example, people in Mas- lish civil unions for same-sex couples. It Flashpoint of a national struggle already been won. The right to civil mar- sachusetts supported equal marriage would also retroactively convert to civil The right wing and the political estab- riage is a democratic right and state func- rights. The polls showed about 59 percent unions the marriages of same-sex couples lishment have been pulling out all stops to tion. Based on separation of church and supporting and about 35 percent opposed. who marry before the amendment goes fan the flames of bigotry and hatred and state, this has nothing to do with religion. The right to marry is a basic question into effect. Such an amendment would use this issue to turn back the clock on civil All progressives should rally and mobi- of equality. There are more than 1,000 create an inferior second-class status and and human rights. lize to defend same-sex marriage rights as benefits on the state and federal level would be unconstitutional. The Catholic Church and the religious a question of fundamental justice and associated with marriage that are cur- The legislature will take the matter up right have held rallies around the state and oppose attempts to write bigotry, discrim- rently denied to same-sex partners, for a vote that could come as early as Feb. taken out full-page ads in the Boston ination and curtailment of rights into fed- including numerous tax, insurance, hos- 11. It would have to be passed by two con- Globe spreading hate messages, including eral and state laws and constitutions. pital visitation and bereavement rights. secutive legislatures and be approved in a the myth that lesbian, gay, bi and trans The struggle is on. Community fights racist school closures By Nancy Mitchell education budgets and union-busting in Oakland, Calif. California. Ward was brought in to Oak- land in June, when the state of California Parents, teachers, students, community took over the economically struggling local members and their supporters rallied out- school district and stripped the school side the State Office Building here on Feb. board of its authority. According to 4 to fight the projected closing of five pre- research done by Oakland activists, his first dominantly African American and Latino act was to impose a 4-percent wage cut on public schools. Oakland teachers and lay off more than 60 The closing of the four elementary school custodians. Ward’s austerity pro- schools and the one elementary/middle grams during his six-year reign in the Los school would force approximately 1,000 Angeles Compton schools froze the wages students to travel long distances from of the lowest-paid teachers in the area and their homes to new, already overcrowded, busted the school bus drivers’ union. schools. Working parents would have to In 1998 he imposed on the majority- fear for the safety of their children, who Latino Compton schools one of the harsh- would have to cross some of Oakland’s est implementations in the state of the anti- busiest streets. immigrant Proposition 227 law. Ward has All five schools are part of Oakland’s also been a registered member of the right- “small schools” program, implemented by wing libertarian American Independent the community in 1999 to help raise stu- Party, which advocates stripping away dent achievement levels. Each has raised affirmative action and bilingual education. its test scores over the past three years. Ward makes over $250,000 a year in The Coalition Against School Closures has his new Oakland position. He was recom- formed to fight the closure and raise the mended by Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, community’s demand for equal quality the magnate of the racist gentrification of education. Oakland’s oppressed communities. Ward Despite the public outcry, state school is rumored to be planning a sell-off of the administrator Randolph Ward insists the Oakland Public Schools Administration schools must be closed in the name of “fis- building, which sits on valuable lakeside OAKLAND, CALIF. . cal solvency.” property, to Oakland developers. 'No to the closing of our school.' Activists have focused attention on The Feb. 4 rally marched to City Hall to Parents and students demonstrate exposing Ward, the unelected trustee of meet with Jerry Brown, but security against school closures. Oakland schools, and his role in slashing Continued on page 8 WW PHOTO: BILL HACKWELL Page 4 Feb. 19, 2004 www.workers.org

As grocery chains refuse union offer Workers dig in heels, step up picketing

By Ian Thompson press conference were paign to help the UFCW win the strike. Los Angeles UFCW local presidents Unions and people all over the U.S., Connie Leyva, Rick Icaza from Baltimore to Seattle, are realizing Four months into the historic strike and and Greg Conger. They that the struggle of 70,000 multinational lockout of grocery workers in Southern were joined by the Rev. grocery workers in Southern California to California fighting against supermarket Jesse Jackson, Los Angeles save hard-won healthcare benefits is their giants Vons, Ralphs and Albertson’s, the Mayor James Hahn, offi- struggle, too, and are carrying out solidar- members of the United Food and Com- cials from unions working ity actions at Safeway stores. mercial Workers remain militant on the in solidarity with the On Feb. 5 in New York, 1,000 grocery picket lines and steadfast in their UFCW, and representa- workers, union members and community demands to maintain healthcare benefits tives of various community activists marched on Wall Street in soli- and decent wages. support organizations, darity with the Southern California gro- Community support for the 70,000 including the Community cery workers. They protested investment strikers is also as solid as ever. Unions and Action Project to Support firms and stockbrokers who are instruct- activist groups are strengthening picket Labor (CAPSL), a project WW PHOTO: MARSHA GOLDBERG ing rich investors to buy stock in Vons lines at grocery stores throughout of the International Rally on Wall Street. 'No peace, no profits!' (Safeway), Ralphs (Kroger) and Albert- Southern California and holding solidar- ANSWER Coalition. son’s in order to artificially inflate their ity actions across the U.S. Under the terms presented by the kets arrogantly rejected the union’s offer, financial profiles. In fact, these greedy On Feb. 4, just days after a 20,000- union, an arbitrator to be selected jointly demonstrating the bosses’ true motives. supermarket chains have each lost hun- strong march and rally in Inglewood, by the union and the bosses would hear They do not want to end the strike and dreds of millions of dollars in sales during Calif., to support the grocery workers, the evidence and arguments from both sides lockout on anyone’s terms but their own. the strike and lockout. Why urge investors seven UFCW local unions involved in the and then render a final decision to settle They want to drastically slash healthcare to buy now? Because Wall Street and the strike and lockout held five simultaneous, the strike and lockout. In addition, during benefits and force a permanent two-tier super-rich corporate interests it repre- coordinated press conferences to the arbitration process all striking and wage system on these low-paid workers, sents stand to profit if the grocery work- announce their offer to enter into binding locked-out workers would return to work all to increase the massive profits the com- ers lose this strike. arbitration with the supermarkets as a for the supermarkets and the scabs would panies already enjoy. More than that, the Like Wal-Mart, the company that the means of ending the strike. be fired. bosses are ultimately striving to bust this supermarket bosses have invoked Among those present at the Los Angeles Less than one hour later, the supermar- union of multinational workers and drive throughout the strike as the main reason wages into the ground. they need to lower wages and cut health- The night of the press conferences, one care, the supermarkets are not above vio- of the striking locals held a spirited rally lating federal and state laws to further at a Vons in Culver City, attended by over their anti-union interests. This week, the 300 workers and community activists. union revealed that Ralphs hired at least UFCW picketers—joined by members 200 people to work under phony names of the Screen Actors Guild, CAPSL, the and Social Security numbers during the National Lawyers Guild, the Peace & lockout. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Freedom Party and the Los Angeles Angeles is currently investigating these Striker Solidarity Organization—marched serious charges. around Vons chanting, “One day longer, The supermarket and Wall Street one day stronger,” and hounding the few bosses fully intend to win the strike and customers who dared to cross the picket smash the union by breaking the law with line. All rally participants vowed to con- impunity, refusing to negotiate, and starv- tinue the fight for healthcare and union ing out the workers. They believe they can rights and to strengthen the picket line at set a nationwide precedent by making another L.A.-area Vons every week until workers pay for their healthcare benefits. the union prevails. But the determination of the workers and community stands in the way of the Solidarity coast to coast supermarkets’ greedy aspirations. As a National solidarity actions are also on striking grocery worker stated while pick- the rise. eting outside a Vons store this week, “We In late January the AFL-CIO announ- are going to stay out here as long as it takes Stikers shout slogans to mostly empty store. WW PHOTO: JULIA LA RIVA ced it would coordinate a national cam- to win this whole thing.” Seniors under attack on many fronts

By Heather Cottin generated by the Social Security system. company-paid health benefits for retirees, from retail prices on many drugs. A model of Bush’s proposal was created forcing many older workers to bear the The drug program is as bogus as the rest Washington and Wall Street are cam- in Sweden in the 1990s and went into bulk of health-care costs themselves. of the new Medicare law, which is about paigning relentlessly to loot seniors in the effect in 2000. A recent report showed James Norby, president of the National privatizing Medicare, charging people United States. Since most workers will live that Swedish workers lost between 30 and Retiree Legislative Network, said compa- “more money for less health care and tak- to be seniors someday, this full court press 40 percent of the money they were forced nies have stopped paying health benefits ing away the core guarantees of Medi- is really an attack on every worker. to place in the system in the first two years to people who have been retired for 15 or care,” according to Diane Archer of the President George W. Bush and his sup- of the program. The money didn’t actually 20 years. Medicare Rights Center. porters have never ceased their campaign disappear. As with any loss in the stock This is the wave of the future, says Uwe Even Medicare’s administrators admit against Social Security, the one social pro- market, capitalists got it. Reinhardt, a health economist at Prince- the new drug cards are confusing. A New gram that has helped to keep millions of And the United States isn’t Sweden. In ton University. “Twenty years from now, York City pharmacist said, “The reim- seniors out of poverty. addition to Social Security, Sweden has a no company will offer retiree health care.” bursements are very poor”—a signal that Backed by right-wing and libertarian “guaranteed pension” that provides a min- The results are devastating for retired pharmacies may soon try to wriggle out of think tanks, the Bush administration imum income above the poverty line to workers. TXU, a Fortune 500 company, accepting the discount cards. claims the Social Security system is anyone with little or no private pension forces retirees to come up with 60 percent But drug companies are ecstatic. “The under-funded and doomed to fail in its income. (“Retirement Lessons From of their health premiums. For Elise Bolt— government expects to spend $1.8 trillion present form. Sweden,” New York Times, Feb 5) forced to take early retirement—medical on drugs over the next 10 years,” said Alan Although establishment institutions In the U.S. only one employee in four insurance costs went from $100 a month Spielman, general manager of federal pro- such as the Brookings Institute have has a pension guaranteed by an employer. to $725. Another retiree’s health premium grams at Medco Health Solutions, a big demonstrated the mendacity of this pre- (Boston Globe, May 15, 2002) went to $2,066 on Jan. 1, dwarfing his pharmacy benefit manager. “It is a major diction, conservatives continue to press The plan to swindle money from every $1,276 monthly pension. (New York growth opportunity for us.” (New York for reforms that would “allow” workers to worker who pays into Social Security is Times, Feb. 3) Times, Feb. 6) place their Social Security taxes in a “per- one method the capitalists and their gov- Some companies are already eliminat- Meanwhile, poverty among seniors is sonal retirement account.” Some of the ernment stooges have come up with. They ing retiree health benefits—especially growing. According to the Census Bureau, money could then be invested by the pri- don’t have their hands on that dough yet. prescription drug coverage. They didn’t 16 percent of elderly women and 9 percent vate sector in the stock market. But the ruling class is plundering sen- even wait for the Medicare drug discount of elderly men live below the official In other words, the capitalists want to iors right now. cards to begin next June. The cards will poverty line. For elderly Blacks the rate is get their hands on the billions of dollars Most major corporations have cut back provide discounts of 10 to 25 percent 33 percent and Latinos 22 percent. www.workers.org Feb. 19, 2004 Page 5

JOY OUTSIDE SAN QUENTIN ‘Cooper will not die tonight’

By LeiLani Dowell ties he didn’t want a last this case, I share your frus- San Quentin Prison, Calif. meal. He refused to roll up tration that closure to this his sleeves to do a pre-exe- chapter of your lives has e have won a victory. cution check of his veins. been delayed.” Kevin Cooper is still alive. W We arrive at the rally Schwarzenegger seems On Monday a federal court responded alongside highway 580, on to have taken his action- to intense pressure from people on the the west side of San hero antics into the streets to stay his execution. While the Quentin. There is appar- gubernatorial seat. battle is by no means over, it is impera- ently another large crowd Rather than allow even a tive that the movement take a moment on the other side of the hearing on the case, to claim and honor this victory. prison, where the main rather than investigate We sit on pins and needles all day. rally will be held. Signs the death penalty process The word comes in the middle of a read, “End the racist death in California itself—which morning meeting: “The Ninth Circuit’s penalty” and “Free Kevin recent studies show does granted a stay.” Fifteen minutes later: Cooper.” Chants include, not offer even the most “Attorney General Lockyer’s ‘weighing “It’s racist, it’s anti-poor, basic safeguards against his options’ on whether or not to we won’t take it anymore” malfeasance—he would appeal the stay.” We stop everything, and “U.S. justice is rush into “closure” by send emails out nationwide asking folks a lie, Kevin Cooper must killing another Black to flood Lockyer’s office with not die.” man. calls/faxes/emails. As far as the justice Cooper has been clear system being the “best in Spend the rest of the day running that this struggle is not just WW PHOTO: BILL HACKWELL the world,” he’s right. It is around, getting last-minute carpools about his case. It’s also about Mumia the best in the world when the goal is the arranged, logistics done, receiving non- Abu-Jamal, the Cuban Five, Leonard LeiLani Dowell repression of dissent, the control of a stop calls: “What’s going on with the Peltier, Nanon Williams, Shaka Sankofa, population that faces few options, a pop- case? Are we still rallying tonight? Amadou Diallo, Donovan Jackson, ulation facing rising unemployment, What can we do right now to help?” Timothy Stansbury Jr., the first slave links the execution he faces to the decreasing social services, and endless The case of Kevin Cooper—a poor, brought off the ship, the last person slaughter of Native Americans—”the war—at home and abroad. A population African American man—illustrates not lynched in the South, and every person very first people to experience our death that realizes more and more every day the exception but the rule of the death who’s ever been beaten up, locked up, or penalty”—and to attacks and murders on that the virus causing all these symp- penalty in the United States. When we shot up by the so-called U.S. “justice” gays and lesbians, women, the poor and toms is capitalism. hear that: system. people of color. He says, “If you look at Every time this system attempts to • 73.7 percent of the people on death We march alongside the dark high- who the first people were to be executed execute one of us—be it through police row in California in 2003 were people way, flashlights and the lights atop in this country, and who is being exe- brutality, executions or imperialist war— of color; media cameras guiding our path. The cuted now, we all look alike. Those who our resolve must become stronger to • the overwhelming majority of those cops are forced to block the highway have historically done the executing in fight back. And we will continue to fight on death row in the U.S. were con- at one point to allow us to cross. Cars this country all look like you [addressing until we are satisfied that Cooper has victed for murders of whites, although all along the way honk their approval President Bush]: rich, white, powerful received a fair trial, that all the evidence 50 percent of all murders are against and support. and self-righteous.” surrounding his case has been pre- Black people; Cooper knows that working people are The rally lasts until around 10:30 sented, that the case will be handled in a • most of those on death row could not being sent to execute other working peo- p.m. Speakers vow to continue to fight, way that is not permeated with racism. afford to hire a lawyer to represent ple of color in Iraq. He says it best: “War denounce the system of torture that is And then we will fight until the racist them; and the death penalty cannot be sepa- the prison industrial complex and and anti-poor U.S. death penalty and we know this is nothing short of mod- rated. ... We who are poor, no matter death penalty, lend their poetry to the prison system is finally laid to rest. ern-day, legalized lynching, an outright what our race, religion, gender, sexual moment, and yell to the crowd when Cooper: “Some of this death isn’t even attack on the poor and people of color. orientation or nationality, are all targets. the sound system dies. Speakers vow to physical. It is mental, emotional and As we begin to pile into cars and The so-called upper class sees to this, continue to fight. psychological. But nonetheless it is a vans, the word comes through again: and are unapologetic about it. These so- I refuse to believe the victory is real death that no human being has the right “Lockyer’s appealed the stay of execu- called high society people look down on until the next morning. to inflict on any other human being. ... tion.” I wonder, as crazed as we’re all us and dehumanize us. Doing so makes We claim this victory as ours, because We must put aside our differences that feeling, how Cooper must feel as each it much easier for them to kill us, to it is not the victory, or even the result, of we may have and unite as one solid new piece of information comes over wage war on us, to execute any and all of sympathetic judges in the court system. force. ... After all, it is our side, we poor the wire. us poor people. They do this at any given This victory shows that a significant people, that is having crimes against Like Malcolm X, Kevin Cooper’s time time, and this is the reality of living in a change in consciousness is taking place humanity inflicted upon us.” in prison has been spent becoming more capitalist society.” on the question of the death penalty. As we celebrate Black History Month, politicized and more conscious of the At some point near the end of the And that change is the result of our we should take pride that the legacy of forces at work in the U.S. death penalty march, I notice folks hugging, slapping efforts, our vigilance, our militancy. the struggle continues with Kevin and prison system. As the execution date each other on the back. The final word For his part, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cooper, and with the movement to free approached, he refused to participate in as the marchers file into the rally: the California’s new governor, released a him and end the death penalty. what he called the “sick rituals” of the court knocked down Lockyer’s appeal. statement on Monday that reads, “I LeiLani Dowell, a Workers World Cooper will not die tonight. death penalty. He refused to choose his believe that our legal system and judicial Party member, is the Peace & Freedom “preferred” method of execution—lethal In an article entitled “Exactly What review are the very best in the world. ... To Party candidate for the 8th Congress- gas or lethal injection. He told authori- People Is He Talking About?” Cooper the survivor and families of the victims in ional District in San Francisco. Execution of Kevin Cooper is halted Continued from page 1 Rafael Bridge, which crosses San that Kevin Cooper was still alive signals struggle across the nation to remove a and several California newspapers. Francisco Bay. The loud and militant that people see the death penalty as not system that is flawed.” Actors and well-known progressive fig- demonstration forced the California just a flawed system from a technical Gloria La Riva, speaking for the ures—including Denzel Washington, Highway Patrol to stop traffic in the point of view but one that is a racist instru- ANSWER Coalition, drew thunderous Mike Farrell, Danny Glover, Anjelica westbound lane of the bridge. ment of repression against the poor. applause when she said, “It’s George Bush Houston, Angela Davis, Noam Chomsky The march had large contingents from Several former death-row prisoners who should be sitting on death row for his and many others—have lent their names the Campaign to End the Death Penalty spoke, including Shujaa Graham and war crimes in Iraq, Palestine and Afghan- to stop the execution. Legislators from all and the ANSWER Coalition. When the Juan Roberto Melendez, a Puerto Rican istan and for killing over 150 prisoners over Europe spoke out against the execu- protesters got close to the gate of San who had been on death row for 17 years while the governor of Texas.” tion, including the mayor of Schwarzen- Quentin, they were met by another 100 and was the 99th person to be exonerated. Although buoyed by the victory, acti- egger’s hometown in Austria. cheering anti-death penalty protesters Melendez said, “The judicial system vists left San Quentin knowing that Kevin As media trucks lined up in front of who had just heard that the U.S. Supreme makes so many mistakes that an innocent Cooper’s reprieve, which gives him at least the west gate to San Quentin, hundreds Court had refused to intervene to block the man can easily get killed.” 40 days before the state can issue another of protesters started to march the one stay of execution. Jesse Jackson, who had met with death warrant, is a period in which the and a half miles from the Larkspur Ferry Speaker after speaker reiterated that Cooper several times in the previous struggle must not just continue to exist but to the main gate near the Richmond-San this was a victory for the people. The fact week, told the crowd, “This is part of a must grow. Page 6 Feb. 19, 2004 www.workers.org

GI resistance during the Vietnam War By John Catalinotto

“Keep asking me, no matter how long BLACK On the war in Viet Nam, I sing this song I ain’t got no quarrel with them HISTORY Viet Cong.” — Muhammad Ali MONTH

Heavyweight champion boxer Muham- mad Ali stunned U.S. ruling-class opinion Muhammad Ali When morning came, however, ambushed a unit of U.S. troops they would when, as a member of the Nation of Islam, Military Police arrested 43 of the troops let the Black troops live with the appeal, he refused to go into the army in 1966 and The next day 18 Black Marines were for failure to report for reveille. Twenty- “Why do you fight us, Black soldiers?” spoke publicly against the war on ordered to fall out and proceed to the five of the 43 were combat veterans; eight Vietnam. His comments both reflected the Company Office. They were threatened had been decorated for bravery. Billy Dean Smith developing consciousness among African with mutiny charges, then harassed and The news quickly reached the outside In Vietnam, another form of struggle Americans and contributed to spreading intimidated. The brass singled out two world this time. An ASU member at Fort arose alongside passive resistance and and deepening Black resistance to this Black men, George Daniels and William Hood called the ASU office in New York. mass assembly. It involved a sort of oppressive war. Harvey, and arrested them on Aug. 17. A Black MP supplied the names of the 43 counter-terror to the power the officers Between 1965 and 1969, the U.S. land The brass couldn’t make the charge of soldiers. Within three days the Emergency had to order you into dangerous combat forces grew to over 500,000 troops in promoting disloyalty stick on Harvey, but Civil Liberties Committee and the ACLU zones in Vietnam. Vietnam, but the Vietnamese revolution- still found him guilty of “disloyal state- were supplying legal help while the ASU It was “fragging,” that is, killing your aries continued to fight and to win battles. ments” and sentenced him to six years in went to the base to visit the arrested troops officer or non-commissioned officer by Both passive and active resistance within prison. For allegedly saying that “the and get the stories for publicity and to throwing a fragmentation grenade in his the ranks of the U.S. military grew along Black man should not fight in Vietnam build support. tent at night. By 1970, this was being done with the civilian struggle here against the because he would have to come back and The courts-martial took place in groups so often it could not be considered an act war. Black troops often took the lead. fight the white man in the United States,” of five or six soldiers. The six troops the of individual terror. An Associated Press Such military resistance was wide- Daniels received the maximum sentence military brass considered the ringleaders article at the time said the Army investi- spread in Vietnam by 1970. The French of reduction to the lowest rank, forfeiture of the assembly were tried at the end of gated 96 alleged fraggings in 1969 and 209 daily Le Monde reported that over four of all pay, dishonorable discharge and 10 October 1968. Their civilian attorney was in 1970, totaling 101 deaths. GIs said this months, 109 soldiers of the First Air years in military prison. top ECLC lawyer Michael Kennedy. Life told only a small part of the story. Cavalry Division were charged with Daniels and Harvey received heavy Magazine’s Roger Vaughn was at the trial On March 15, 1971, another fragmenta- refusal to fight. “A common sight,” Le prison terms simply for what they said. covering the case. tion grenade exploded, this one in an offi- Monde reported, “is the Black soldier, The Marine brass tried to keep the case The Army would have liked to put the cers’ barracks in an Army artillery unit in with his left fist clenched in defiance of a secret. But news got through to the troops away for the kind of sentence the Vietnam, killing two lieutenants and war he has never considered his own.” American Servicemen’s Union, which Marines gave to Daniels and Harvey. With wounding a third. The unit commander, A chronicle of Black military resistance broke the story in the June 11, 1968, issue so much attention on the case, however, a Capt. Rigby, and First Sgt. Willis, who would require a book of its own. At first of its newspaper, The Bond. too-harsh sentence could backfire. usually slept in these barracks, decided individuals spoke up, then there were Melvin L. Wulf of the American Civil The brass settled on giving short sen- they knew who did it. mass refusals to obey orders and even Liberties Union, with Edward F. Sherman tences and letting many of the GIs off on They would blame a Black GI who had strong actions against the hated officers, of the Harvard Law School and attorney a technicality. They saved face without been giving them trouble, Billy Dean often racists, who gave those orders to go Conrad Lynn, began preparing appeal discouraging further resistance. In the Smith. Smith was outspoken against into battle. briefs. On March 7, 1969, the New York October trial, two were given three-month racism and against the war. He objected Many of these hundreds of struggles Times reported that the appeals, pre- sentences and bad-conduct discharges, to the segregated bars and clubs in occurred with little written comment at sented the day before to two Navy appeals two got just bad discharges, and two were Vietnam. He was for taking decisive action the time. This article will focus on three boards in Washington, D.C., were “a test acquitted. against uncontrollable racist officers and that wound up in court battles and defense of the military’s power to punish enlisted One of the GIs, Pfc. Guy Smith, had was accused of threatening Rigby and campaigns that left a paper trail, but were men who dissent against the Vietnam spent his last two months in Vietnam in Willis. born of struggle. War.” Daniels and Harvey won and the the stockade for refusing the order of a There was no physical evidence against two were released by that September. racist non-commissioned officer who Smith. But Rigby and Willis had him Harvey assigned him guard duty when he was due charged with the murder and he wound up and Daniels The Fort Hood 43 for time off. Smith told the court, “I spending almost a year in solitary await- On July 23, 1967, a In 1968, the Tet Offensive shook U.S. demonstrated against Army policy here ing trial. Smith pleaded not guilty to the rebellion in Detroit’s African American forces in Vietnam, leaving thousands and in Vietnam. ... There is racism and charges. community began. U.S. troops from the killed. A workers’ general strike nearly led prejudice here. General Boles said he What was significant was the amount of 82nd Airborne Division were sent in. to revolution in France. At home, Dr. would do something about it, but nothing support Smith was able to attract, both Forty-three people were killed and thou- Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated has been done. ... Too many Black people inside and outside the military. Daniels, it sands injured. and Black rebellions erupted in 160 U.S. are taking too much now.” (Workers should be remembered, in 1967 first got a On July 27, four days into the rebellion, cities and towns. Among the forces used World, Nov. 22, 1968) 10-year sentence simply for what he said. Corporals Bill Harvey and George Daniels to suppress these rebellions were 15,000 The Army prosecutor’s only answer The leaders of the Fort Hood assembly in were with the Second Infantry Training Army and 45,000 National Guard troops. was, “This United States Army, this 1968 got a few months for organizing. Regiment of the U.S. Marine Corps in Following King’s killing, some 5,000 United States cannot survive without law In 1971 the U.S. military was so much Camp Pendleton, Calif., where thousands GIs from Fort Hood, Texas, were sent to and order.” on the defensive that they had to at least of young men were preparing for combat Chicago. There the notoriously racist Instead of the obedience implied by that make it look like Billy Dean Smith would duty in Vietnam. Mayor Richard Daley, a Democrat, plea for “law and order,” the Pentagon got get a fair trial. He was moved to Fort Ord That day at lunch the Marines began ordered “looters and arsonists” shot on more “assemblies” of the Fort Hood type, in California. He received effective legal discussing the war in Vietnam and that sight. At least nine Black civilians died. from Europe to Vietnam. One, which support. And in the end, he was acquitted other war, the one against Black people in By August 1968, Chicago was preparing became known as the Darmstadt 53, for lack of evidence connecting him with the United States. Many Black Marines for massive anti-war demonstrations set wound up in a victory for the troops. Four the fragging. knew they could be sent to the cities of the to confront the Democratic National of the Black troops even got to visit Paris Though he was found not guilty of frag- U.S. and ordered by their officers to shoot Convention. And Fort Hood was prepar- and meet with the famous Vietnamese ging, Smith nevertheless became a symbol down Black people these troops saw as ing to send troops from the First Armored negotiator Madame Nguyen Thi Binh. of the militant resistance to racism and the brothers and sisters in the struggle against Division, many of them combat veterans The Vietnamese revolutionaries—the war that fragging usually represented. racism. recently returned from Vietnam, to “Vietcong” with whom Muhammad Ali Released from prison and the Army, he Some of the troops wanted out of the Chicago. There they were to be ready to had no quarrel—fought like hell against joined the ASU as a veteran, and also vis- Marine Corps. Others were reported to use maximum force in the Black commu- any units that fired on them. But they had ited Cuba to show solidarity. have stated that under no condition would nity, should it join the protests. a political approach to the war. They knew Under those conditions, it is no surprise they bear arms against the Black people. When Black troops heard of these there was a difference between the rank- that the U.S. military had to leave Vietnam Some wouldn’t fight in Vietnam. orders, they spent the night of Aug. 23, and-file U.S. soldiers and their officers. and the Vietnamese finally liberated their They asked for a “mast,” a formal meet- 1968, in an all-night assembly of protest. And they knew that Black people were country. ing with the commanding officer, to dis- General Boles, commander of the divi- oppressed in the United States and were (Catalinotto was a civilian organizer cuss these questions. The Marine officers sion, pleaded with the troops to disperse. more likely to sympathize with another for the ASU from 1967 to 1970. He helped considered this request a first step toward He even offered to allow them to discuss oppressed nation. Stories spread in the organize the defense of the Fort Hood mutiny. They decided to crack down. the question all night. services that sometimes when guerrillas 43 and attended the October 1968 trial.) www.workers.org Feb. 19, 2004 Page 7

WALLER COUNTY, TEXAS. Black students struggle for voting rights By Gloria Rubac a letter in the local newspaper threatening Houston to prosecute persons who failed to meet his definition of having a legal voting On Feb. 5, four 18-year-old students, address. attending the historically Black Prairie According to the lawsuit, only Prairie View A & M University 40 miles north- View students failed to meet his definition. west of Houston in Waller County, filed The federal lawsuit seeks to put a suit against the county’s district attor- Kitzman’s office under a 1978 federal ney in federal court because they fear court order that forced the Waller County being prosecuted for simply registering registrar of voters to register Prairie View to vote. students. The four students who filed the suit Yolanda Smith, a spokesperson for the were Neothies Lindley Jr., K. Thanes Houston NAACP, met with about 50 stu- Queenan, Vivian Spikes and Brian Row- dents last week. Many were afraid to reg- land. The Prairie View Student Gov- ister and felt threatened, she announced ernment backs the lawsuit. at a press conference at the attorneys’ The lawsuit was filed a day after Texas office after the suit was filed. Attorney General Greg Abbott issued an Attorneys from the American Civil opinion that Prairie View students must Liberties Union, the NAACP, the Lawyers’ Thousands of Prairie View students marched six miles to demand right to vote. be allowed to register in Waller County Committee for Civil Rights and People for using their campus address. the American Way are representing the The development comes on the heels of four students. same house for 20 years.” Rodney Ellis of Houston. a massive and militant Jan. 15 protest Houston NAACP President Fran Gen- “I took a 78-year-old woman to vote and State Rep. Garnet Coleman, chair of the march and rally by over 5,000 of the try said Kitzman would not have threat- when she was told she had already voted Texas Legislative Black Caucus, issued a 7,000-member student body. They cele- ened to prosecute Prairie View students if absentee, she vehemently denied that she statement from Austin in support of the brated Martin Luther King’s 75th birthday the school were predominately white. had voted. So I had to carry her downtown march, saying, “It is unfortunate that, in by marching six miles from their campus The lawsuit notes that some Prairie to straighten it out and then take her back the year 2004, people still have to march to the Waller County Court House to View students were actually indicted in to the poll. How many people have the for their right to vote in their county of demand the right to vote where they 1992, accused of illegal voting based on time or transportation to do that? So, in residence.” attend college. where they lived. The charges were effect, there’s a conspiracy to stop poor During the 2000 presidential elections, In a massive show of force, the students dropped later that year. people from voting. it seemed hard for some to believe that took over U.S. Highway 290 for hours, The basic right to vote has been a “We see it every election. They change there was such obvious fraud in Florida. backing up traffic for miles. The march problem not just at Prairie View Univer- the voting place to someone’s garage and It seems even more unbelievable that in was led by student leaders, Herschel sity. Everyone remembers that George don’t tell anyone until the day of the elec- 2004, the struggle continues for such a Smith of the Waller County Leadership W. Bush was selected to be president by tion. They deny our people the right to cast basic, democratic right—one that rich, Council, State Rep. Al Edwards of the U.S. Supreme Court after the voting a challenge vote when they’re told they’re white propertied men won following the Houston and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee fiasco in Florida, where many African not on the rolls. This is widespread and it’s so-called 1776 War for Independence. of Houston. Americans were denied their right to not just Blacks but a lot of working peo- The students at Prairie View deserve First-year student Ashley Moody of vote by his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush. ple,” Parker said. the support of all progressives and work- Houston, who was shocked and excited to But that didn’t happen just in Florida. In neither the Democratic Party in ers in order to strengthen anti-racist, be with so many students, said, “But it’s And it doesn’t just happen at Black Texas nor the Republican Party have any class solidarity. sad, too, that it has to revolve back to universities. leaders stepped up to the plate to con- The nationally oppressed youth in this something like this.” According to veteran activist and exec- demn the attacks on voting rights in country, as demonstrated so clearly by the The issue of students’ voting was utive director of the SHAPE Community Waller County. This is no surprise. If they Prairie View students, have the knowledge decided in a 1979 U.S. Supreme Court rul- Center in Houston, Deloyd Parker, “Our cared about Black students being able to of their history and the courage of their ing that said the Prairie View students community has historically had a hard vote, they would not only have expressed forefathers and foremothers and will not could vote in Waller County. Yet students time voting. They are always trying to steal outrage but would have taken concrete allow a racist district attorney to deny say that registering to vote there has our votes. Many of our elderly are turned action. them their basic right to vote. When they always been a struggle. away at the polls. Our people try to go vote African-American Democratic politi- chanted “Here we come, Kitzman, here we In November of last year Waller County and are told at the poll that they already cians did participate in the march on come,” they let this racist county official District Attorney Oliver Kitzman, who is voted absentee. Or they’re told they’re not King’s birthday, including U.S. Rep. Lee, know that they’re ready and willing to white, sparked controversy by publishing on the list even though they’ve lived in the State Rep. Sylvester Turner and State Sen. fight the power.

Some 500 people marched and rallied for freedom for Native warrior Leonard Peltier in Tacoma, Wash., on Feb. 7. The action, to mark an International Day in Solidarity with Leonard Peltier, marked the 28th year of his imprisonment. Just as international energy companies have helped foment war to exploit the oil of Iraq, they also sought to exploit energy resources on land of the Lakota people in 1975. Leonard Peltier and the people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota stood in their way. The demonstration was organized by the Tacoma ‘‘FreeFree LeonardLeonard PPeltieeltier’ Leonard Peltier Support r’ Group and Northwest American Indian Movement. —Jim McMahan Page 8 Feb. 19, 2004 www.workers.org

Mumia Abu-Jamal from death row Democracy, Haitian masses resist dictatorships & empire right-wing takeover here is a profound contradiction at the Theart of American political life: the By Pat Chin claim to a democracy, and the bitter strug- Anti-government fig- gle to deny it to almost everyone else in ures from the bourgeois With the Haitian masses coming out the world, all in the name of “bringing elite are not just sweat- democracy” to the world! into the streets as much to oppose the shop bosses. They also If there is one constant in American past reactionary “opposition forces” as to sup- own and control most and present history, it is the determination port the government of Jean-Bertrand of Haiti’s media. “They of the powerful elites in this country, to Aristide, the capitalist U.S. media are are active players in the impose their will upon those of other showing signs of nervousness that they U.S. campaign to desta- nations, against the wishes of the majority may have provoked a struggle with unfore- of people in foreign nations. bilize Haiti’s constitu- seen consequences for them. Words like The American Empire utilizes force, bru- tional government,” tal and terrifying, to intimidate the popula- “thugs” are beginning to appear in the says freelance journal- tions of other nations, and this, when establishment media here to describe ist Kevin Pina. alloyed with the mesmerizing power of the those trying to take over in Haiti. Until “They circulate exag- corporate press, serves to whitewash what now, the media have referred to them only gerated reports of vio- is actually taking place. as the “democratic opposition.” Pro-Aristide rally Feb. 7 in capital. lence by Lavalas [Aristide’s party], turn a When one looks at the present situation It was only weeks after Haiti celebrated in Iraq, when the U.S. (on behalf of the blind eye to violence on the part of the the bicentennial of its victory over slavery Haiti’s business elite and the big landown- whole world, we are assured) invades a sov- opposition, and underreport the size and ereign nation—which has not attacked the and colonial rule that the opposition, ers, of trying to mount a coup. He called frequency of Lavalas demonstrations U.S.—topples its government, bombs cities, which has been backed by Washington, on them to stop the violence. According to demanding President Aristide fulfill his and installs a puppet regime, we are escalated its push to topple the Aristide the BBC, “An opposition spokesman five-year term in office. They regularly assured (once again!) that this is done for government. denied backing the unrest and called for produce and air commercials calling upon the Iraqis, “not American corporations!” On Feb. 5, an armed gang, “The Gon- foreign intervention to avert civil war.” the population to ‘claim their democratic We have been here before—scores of aives Resistance Front,” took violent con- Haiti’s National Popular Party has long times! rights’ by joining anti-Aristide street trol of Haiti’s fourth-largest city. Seven warned that the sole purpose of the oppo- In 1915, the U.S. invaded nearby Haiti, actions. Just as in Venezuela, where local ostensibly to deal with “violence” on the people were reportedly killed and scores sition’s destabilization campaign was to elites use their media to spearhead the island. It dealt with it, by bringing more. The wounded. According to unsubstantiated provide a pretext for foreign intervention. opposition to President Hugo Chavez, the U.S. Marines forced the Haitian Legislature reports, the armed wing of the anti- clear objective in Haiti is to throw the con- Amalgam of Duvalierists to select the candidate the U.S. invaders Aristide opposition, made up of Duval- stitution in the trash and force President wanted as president. When Haiti refused to and social democrats ierists and former soldiers like ex-army Aristide to resign. declare war against Germany, the Americans colonel Himmler Rebu, took control of St. Aristide was Haiti’s first popularly dissolved the Haitian legislature! The “Here’s how it works,” explains Pina, Marc, Ennery, Gros Morne and Grand- elected head of state. He first won the Americans then pushed a sham referendum referring to the various Haitian and over- for a new Haitian constitution—one far less Goâve, in addition to Gonaives. presidency in 1990 in a flood of mass sup- seas media outlets: “Metropole reports a democratic than the instrument it replaced. The Duvaliers—”Papa Doc” and “Baby port that was also a rejection of the well- fabrication; AP and RFI pick it up for their As for the so-called “referendum,” under Doc”—were a U.S.-supported dynasty funded White House-backed candidate wire services, then Kiskeya and the others U.S. bayonets it passed, by a ridiculous that ruled Haiti through extreme terror Marc Bazin, a former World Bank official. report it again in Haiti backed by the cred- 98,225-to-768. for 29 years. Nine months later, Aristide was ousted in ibility of the international press. The pos- When Haitian nationalists rose up to As of Feb. 11, however, the government a bloody CIA-instigated coup d’etat. He oppose the northern invader some years itive feedback loop of disinformation for is reported to have retaken some of these returned to Haiti from exile in 1994 and later, the U.S. let loose a bloodbath, killing the opposition is now complete.” some 3,000 Haitians in the infamous Cacos cities. And in the northern port of Cap- was re-elected president in 2000 with 92 (www.blackcommentator.org, Jan 15) Rebellion. George Barnett, a U.S. Marine Haitien, “Aristide supporters set up blaz- percent of the vote. The opposition boy- “Imperialism and its lackeys are trying general, would complain, ing barricades, blocking the city for a sec- cotted that election but now claim it had to engineer another coup and foreign mil- “Practically indiscriminate killing of ond day against a possible rebel incur- “irregularities.” itary occupation of Haiti,” says Ben natives has gone on for some time.” Barnett sion.” (New York Times, Feb. 11) Since then, a well-funded campaign to Dupuy, secretary-general of Haiti’s found this violent episode “startling” [See Complicity of Haiti’s 4,500-member vilify and destabilize the government has James Loewen’s “Lies My Teacher Told Me”, National Popular Party (PPN). “This is the police force, which has divided alle- been unleashed. It is backed by the U.S. (Touchstone, 1996), p. 25-26]. only way they can hope to take back con- American troops put these proud people giances, was evident in some of the and several European countries, including trol of the country.” who fought two European powers (France takeovers. For instance, the police in St. France, Haiti’s former colonial ruler. The PPN and the popular movement and England) to surrender, in shackles on Marc, under the command of an officer These imperialist powers have given continue to mobilize against the cheap road crews, and dismantled Haitian home- linked to opposition leader and former financial and other support to the opposi- labor re-colonizing schemes of the Bush steads to make room for large plantations. soldier Dany Toussaint, abandoned their tion, including the Democratic Conver- administration and anti-Aristide opposi- As Piero Gleijesus observed, “It is not that post, leaving all their weapons and ammu- gence, a front whose groups range from [President] Wilson failed in his earnest tion. This is truly a struggle for Haiti’s sec- nition behind. social democratic to neo-Duvalierist, and efforts to bring democracy to these little ond independence—this time from U.S. According to the Feb. 9 Miami Herald, countries. He never tried. He intervened to the bourgeoisie’s Group of 184, headed by and capitalist domination. impose hegemony, not Jean Tatoune leads Force 86, which took sweatshop magnate Andy Apaid. Democracy.” (Loewen, p. 25) part in the Gonaives assault. “Tatoune was An aid embargo has also been in force, Indeed, this is not a Haitian tale alone; convicted of involvement in the 1994 slay- creating tremendous hardships for the for the U.S. invaded Cuba four times, ing of Aristide supporters in what became poor majority. Other dirty tricks include Community fights Nicaragua five times, Honduras seven times, known as the Raboteau massacre and was diplomatic meddling, the fomenting of the Dominican Republic four times, Haiti one of more than 150 inmates who escaped violence in Haiti’s shantytowns and small- school closures twice, Guatemala once, Panama twice, Mexico three times, and Colombia four from the Gonaives prison in 2002.” scale contra-style terrorist guerrilla Continued from page 3 times—this, in the 36 years between 1898 to On Feb. 7 Aristide told a huge crowd of attacks. These have escalated with the 1934 alone! hundreds of thousands of his supporters in armed takeover of Gonaives, the city guards promptly blocked the doors to They went, not to plant democracies, like the capital, Port-au-Prince, that the gov- where on Jan. 1, 1804, Gen. Jean-Jacques shield the mayor from the community. it’s some kind of tobacco plant; but to ernment would “disarm the terrorists.” In Dessalines declared Haiti’s independence As the capitalist elimination of jobs and *remove* democracies, to prop up dictators, the southern town of Jacmel and in the from France. lowering of real wages leads to local bud- and to support repression. Canape Verte and Carrefour areas near the Aristide has made many concessions to get crunches across the country, more and Iraq is an inheritor to a grim and dark his- more cities are implementing cuts in vital tory, that began in the Americas, spanned capital, supporters set up roadblocks and IMF and World Bank restructuring the Caribbean, and touched the region prepared to defend their neighborhoods. demands, which have cost him some pop- services, including school closures—from before. It brought the ignominious reign of Some were armed. They also struck back ular support. But the U.S. is not satisfied Boston to Detroit to San Jose. the Shah to the “peacock throne” of Iran, in Grand-Goâve on Feb. 8 by burning a and has been supporting the opposition. The Oakland school closures are esti- tossing out a democratically-elected presi- school headed by a coup advocate. In Cap- Aristide has agreed to disarm political mated to save $1.28 million. Meanwhile, dent, Muhammed Mussedegh. Mussedegh’s Haitien on Feb. 7 the relay station of Radio gangs and to jointly appoint a new prime by contrast, the corporations that domi- great offense? He dared to nationalize the Vision2000, which had agitated against minister with the opposition forces. He nate downtown Oakland continue to reap vast oil resources of Iran. For this affront to huge profits. Golden West Financial/ the American oil merchants, the U.S. Aristide, was burned down. has pledged to call legislative elections. But imposed the brutal and repressive dictator- On Feb. 9 Prime Minister Yvon the opposition has threatened a boycott World Savings made $953 million in prof- ship of the Shah—Reza Pahlevi, who turned Neptune accused the opposition, led by and demands no less than his resignation. its last year, and Clorox made $320 mil- the nation into a private fiefdom, and a tor- lion. Clorox also won a $8.79 million con- ture chamber. Indeed, it was hatred of the tract in the U.S.-occupied Iraq. Shah that launched the Iranian Revolution, HAITI: A SLAVE REVOLUTION After 1,000 angry parents and com- and put the Ayatollah Khomeini in power munity members turned out to a hearing there. 200 years after 1804 on Jan. 8, Ward backtracked and took Similar forces are mobilizing in the eight of the 13 proposed schools off the Persian Gulf today, to wipe out the Western- THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THIS BOOK backed dictatorships that sit above chopping block. But the community is unhappy, and unstable quasi-states. Read it now at www.iacenter.org/haiti/. $19.95 continuing the fight to save the remain- Buy it for $19.95 (shipping included) at Leftbooks.com for a discount Americans, if they have any inkling of his- www.leftbooks.com/online-store/scstore/p-biac2004hsr.html. ing five schools, kick Ward out of tory, can no longer claim ignorance, when or write to the IAC, 39 W.14 St., #206, NY, NY10011. Oakland and realize their demand for it happens again. n Include $5 for shipping equal education. www.workers.org Feb. 19, 2004 Page 9

Lies, economy and Iraq catch up with him The general dilemma of the ruling class is that, on the one hand, they Bush on the defensive have an administration that gives them every- By Fred Goldstein quickly surfaced. George Tenet of the CIA class. However, this charge should not be got himself off the hook on charges of allowed to whip up military patriotism thing they want; on the The attitude in the capitalist media “failed intelligence” by declaring that the against those who righteously resisted the other hand, their greed toward President George W. Bush and his CIA never said there was an “imminent war. administration has come a long way from threat.” Colin Powell said he would not In the midst of the various crises and endangers the system the obsequious authority worship that have recommended war if he had known. revelations over Iraq, Bush had to submit as a whole. prevailed beginning with the post-Sept. 11, Then everybody got back in line after dis- his $2.4-trillion budget, in which he gave 2001, period, through April 2003 after the tancing themselves from the dirty deeds massive increases to the military and invasion of Iraq, and into the early stages that they each had played a crucial part in homeland security—and cutbacks for at agribusiness have been given tens of bil- of the occupation there. covering up. least 65 social programs. His budget came lions in subsidies. With the growth of the Iraqi resistance Bush met the rising demand for an under attack from the right wing, which On the other hand, their greed endan- and a steady rise in U.S. casualties in both investigation of his administration’s han- demanded more cuts in social spending, gers the system as a whole. Iraq and Afghanistan, plus the continued dling of intelligence by changing the sub- and from progressives for his attacks on This is a permanent contradiction jobless recovery, the atmosphere of war ject. He appointed a commission and the workers and the poor. between the class and its government. fever and fear has been diluted, if not instructed it to investigate how spying can But the budget, combined with the tax When the individual monopolies and fin- totally superseded, by skepticism and dis- be better carried out against Iran, North cuts for the rich, will widen the deficit. And anciers get everything they want as corpo- content among the population. Korea and around the world in general. this just weeks after the International rate entities, it tends to undermine the The skepticism and disillusionment of From an inquiry into the criminality of his Monetary Fund issued a dire warning that capitalist system and imperialism as a the workers, the oppressed and a section administration, it became a war-like witch U.S. deficits are undermining the stability whole. Everything they want is at the of the middle class should be differenti- hunt against countries resisting a U.S. of the dollar and consequently of the expense of the workers and the oppressed; ated from the skepticism and discontent takeover. entire world capitalist economy. at the expense of humanity as a whole. It within sections of the ruling class, which The growing willingness of the media to tends to provoke social unrest and rebel- is now being reflected in the media and The ‘war president’ criticize Bush, and the use of the lion and, ultimately, revolution. parts of the political establishment. But his numbers in the polls were still Democratic Party primary campaign by They may complain about Bush. But Bush’s fortunes have been steadily falling. Karl Rove and his political strate- the media to point out the crisis of jobs and not one of them wants to give up their tax declining since the resistance in Iraq gists decided to send him to NBC’s “Meet the general discontent of the masses, cut. Not one wants to spend a nickel to broke out and it became clear that the Press” for an hour on Sunday, Feb. 8. shows a growing concern about the con- preserve the environment and save the Washington had become bogged down in Tim Russert put questions to him about duct of the Bush administration. globe if not forced to. Not one wants to a quagmire—one that it is open ended, the Kay revelations, the deficit, jobs and give back their government subsidy. Not costing billions every month, and is only the economy and—about his military O’Neill: ‘Bush’s one wants to oppose the seizing of Iraqi yielding profits for a tiny group of corpo- record in the National Guard during the Praetorian Guard’ oil. To be sure, the ruling class hasn’t rate billionaires close to the inner circles Vietnam War. The recent best-selling book “The Price given us any sign that they want to aban- of the Bush administration. In the interview Bush signaled that his of Loyalty” by Paul O’Neill—former secre- don Bush as of now, even though they Things really started to plunge when it political campaign was going to be based tary of the Treasury for the first two years criticize him. surfaced that the Bush timetable to hand upon reviving fear, belligerence and war of this administration—charges Bush with The Democratic politicians—John over nominal authority to a puppet regime fever. Early in the interview he stated: being a malleable, shallow-minded presi- Kerry, John Edwards, Howard Dean and in Iraq by June 30 was going to fail in the “I’m a war president. I make decisions dent, surrounded by a “Praetorian Guard” the others vying to get control of the cap- face of widespread resistance. It was clear here in the Oval Office in the foreign-pol- of ideologues. O’Neill demonstrates how italist state—want to fix imperialism so to the ruling class and everyone else that icy matters with war on my mind. ... And the most far-reaching decisions—tax cuts that it works better. Their goal is to the only basis for the timetable was the the American people need to know they for the rich, the war in Iraq, the environ- strengthen the system of exploitation. schedule of Bush’s election campaign got a president who sees the world the way ment, and other matters—are based They will promise jobs and the world. But effort. It forced Bush to go hat in hand to it is. And I see dangers that exist, and it’s almost entirely on ideology and for the if they get to Washington, they will do the ask Kofi Annan and the UN to pull important for us to deal with them.” political advantage of the governing group. bidding of the same corporate ruling class Washington’s irons out of the fire. During the rest of the interview Bush This grouping never permitted the broader that has poured $170 million into the cof- The Bush administration dangerously lied, evaded and repeated himself without interests of the ruling class to impinge fers of the Bush 2004 election campaign. subordinated political and military strat- really being pursued by Russert, who upon their ideological position or their They may have more circumspect and egy in the explosive arena of Iraq to his allowed the president to make obviously narrow political agenda. Among other moderate tactics, but their strategic goals election strategy—even though they are in coached statements. Bush called Saddam things, O’Neill showed how the group dis- will be the same, to strengthen the domi- direct conflict with one another. The Hussein a “madman” numerous times to missed the objections of Alan Greenspan, nation of U.S. imperialism world-wide. administration showed its bungling. It justify going to war, particularly when head of the Federal Reserve Bank, to the Bill Clinton dumped his jobs program was humiliated. It is looking for a way to confronted with the lack of weapons of sweeping second round of tax cuts for the and became a deficit hawk once he got pull back. Considering that U.S. imperial- mass destruction. He talked about rich to the tune of a trillion dollars. into the White House. He inaugurated the ism has so much on the line as a world weapons “capabilities” and ridiculously While coverage of the book lasted only anti-gay “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” in def- power, this must have pushed alarm bells said that you have to go to deal with a few news cycles, it has been read by erence to the Pentagon and the right wing. in the ruling-class establishment. threats “before they become imminent.” everyone in Washington. References to it He joined with Newt Gingrich to destroy He spoke about the “good momentum are sprinkled in editorials, columns and the welfare program and plunged millions Kay: Mission impossible when it comes to the creation of jobs.” He talk shows. For those who think about the deeper into poverty and destitution. Just as this crisis was momentarily eas- defended his tax cuts for the rich by fortunes of U.S. imperialism and worry Clinton initiated many of the so-called ing, David Kay, Bush’s hand-picked chief declaring it to be an “economic stimulus about how to protect the political, military “anti-terrorist” laws that are being used weapons-of-mass-destruction inspector plan.” and financial dominance of Wall Street today by John Ashcroft. He passed the returned from mission impossible and and the Pentagon, everything tends to Effective Death Penalty provision that announced that there were no weapons of AWOL—right and wrong substantiate O’Neill’s view: the Iraq crisis, drastically curtailed the rights of poor, mass destruction after 1991 and that there To the Bush administration’s distress, the rapid buildup of the massive deficit, mainly Black and Latino people, on death was no imminent threat to the U.S. the capitalist media seized on the Demo- the diplomatic damage, the near crisis row. He initiated the policy of regime Kay, a hawkish true believer who was cratic Party’s charges that Bush avoided over steel tariffs. The fact that O’Neill is a change in Iraq. And he carried out the naïve enough to take a job looking for his National Guard service in 1972 when rock-ribbed conservative and government merciless war against Yugoslavia, bomb- something that the Bush administration he was in Alabama working on an election technocrat, formerly the CEO of Alcoa ing civilians and committing well-docu- had not produced one shred of credible campaign. This secondary issue has Corp., whose deep and abiding goals are mented war crimes. evidence for in two years, was on all the become a major point of contention. the preservation of the interests of U.S. And Clinton was fundamentally no dif- talk shows, testified before Congress, and Of course, every worker or working- imperialism, only serves to lend credibil- ferent than any president of U.S. imperi- was quoted in the media. class youth has the absolute right to use ity to his interpretation. alism, Republican or Democrat, liberal, Every U.S. representative in every mis- any means to avoid becoming cannon fod- moderate or conservative. They have sion, embassy and consulate around the der in an imperialist war—to avoid fight- The ruling class and its gov’t served to enhance the interests of U.S. world had to face the music and explain ing for the interests of their own capitalist But the entire situation only points out imperialism, through intervention, war, away this globally embarrassing fraud class against the people of another coun- the general dilemma of the ruling class. financial manipulation or any other that had been perpetrated by the Bush try. Hundreds of thousands of youth did On the one hand, they have an adminis- means. The only time they have made sig- group. In London, Madrid and Rome, the just that during the Vietnam War. tration that gives them everything they nificant concessions to the masses was underlings of Washington—Blair, Aznar, It is another thing for the sons of the want. They had a war to conquer oil and when the people mobilized for struggle: Berlusconi, and all the other stooges that rich to stay home while the children of the recolonize the Middle East; they had a during the Depression, the civil rights supported the war—collectively cringed. working class are dying on the battlefields huge transfer of wealth with trillions of movement, the anti-war movement and In Paris, Berlin, Brussels and all the cap- to protect the transnational corporations. dollars in tax cuts; they have been so on. itals of the rival imperialists, there was If Bush did stay out of the war, and did go relieved of all obligation to spend any If the Bush administration gets in trou- triumphal vindication. This was a diplo- AWOL, it is positive only insofar as there money to preserve the environment; they ble, the last thing the movement should do matic and political disaster of truly global was one less soldier to fight the have money shoveled into the coffers of is run to the camp of the rival imperialist proportions. Vietnamese. But it also reveals his charac- the military-industrial complex; the party, the Democrats. The thing to do is The split lines in the administration ter in that he would not go fight for his own pharmaceutical companies, the HMOs, step up the struggle on all fronts. Page 10 Feb. 19, 2004 www.workers.org

Janet Jackson & Cuban artists What Iowa proves ... The common thread By Monica Moorehead to alcohol to sex and everything in storm of protest in Iowa and Bruce Nestor, a Minneapolis lawyer between. Women’s bodies are especially across the country has torpedoed for the NLG, filed court papers that day Who says that politics and mass cul- enriching the multi-billion dollar music the federal government’s asking that federal investigators be com- A ture don’t mix? Consider two issues tied industry. attempt to investigate four peace pelled to explain their actions. “To the to the Grammy awards that aired on Feb. Janet Jackson’s sexuality has been activists and Drake University in extent that the grand jury is being 8 on CBS. exploited, as has Mariah Carey’s, Des Moines. employed for the purposes of ... intimi- The prestigious Grammy awards for Beyoncé’s and Madonna’s—to name just a In early February, Polk County dating and harassing supporters of the music are presented each year in a televi- few—by music executives. This exploita- Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Warford served peace or anti-war movement,” he wrote, sion extravaganza. Millions of people tive relationship has become the norm and grand jury subpoenas on the activists “the grand jury has clearly overstepped watch this show here and around the world not the exception. and Drake officials. The business cards its authority.” to see if their favorite artists will win or per- Also consider the fact that the Super he left behind identified him as a mem- As indignation and anger spread like form. In recent years the criteria for win- Bowl was virtually one big “erectile dys- ber of an FBI-Joint Terrorism Task wildfire, the grand jury appearances of ning a Grammy have been mainly based on function” commercial ad. The cameras Force. The four activists had taken part the four activists were postponed. And record sales and the popularity of an artist, lingered on scantily outfitted women in an anti-war conference at Drake on then, on Feb. 10, the subpoenas were rather than the depth of talent. cheerleaders throughout the game. Nov. 15, hosted by the National Lawyers dropped altogether. “We made them A performer overflowing with talent is Television programming itself—and not Guild. want to stop,” Brian Terrell, leader of the Janet Jackson. She was scheduled to pay just cable shows—is all sexually explicit. Federal authorities ordered the uni - Catholic Peace Ministry and one of the tribute to ailing rhythm and blues singer Degrees of nudity are everywhere in the versity to turn over any security records four targeted by the federal probe, told a Luther Vandross on the Grammy show. movies, tabloid press and the Internet. containing descriptions of or observa- crowd of about 100 cheering people out- She had to cancel her appearance because And what about the action of a white tions from the conference, including side the federal courthouse. “We’re here of what had occurred during the half-time Southern male—Timberlake is from Ten- “any records of persons in charge or in to make them want to never let it hap- show at Super Bowl XXXVIII on Feb. 1. nessee—stripping an African American control of the meeting and any records pen again.” Signs in the crowd read, “Say Jackson opened up that show singing her woman in public? Isn’t it reminiscent of of attendees of the meeting.” no to political grand juries,” “You can “Rhythm Nation” hit, which raises a num- centuries of brutal rape and sexual humil- The subpoena also required university subpoena us, but you will not silence ber of social injustices, including racism. iation of Black women on this continent? officials to deliver membership informa- us,” and “Investigate Halliburton, not During the finale, during a duet per- So why is Janet Jackson being casti- tion for the Drake chapter of the Iowans.” formance, Justin Timberlake ripped her gated and held up as responsible for what National Lawyers Guild. Federal officials This struggle has much more political outfit, baring Jackson’s right breast for a happened to her during the half-time said publicly on Feb. 9 that the grand significance than the much-ballyhooed few seconds as they were performing show? Why should she be treated in such jury inquiry was focusing on whether a Iowa caucuses. It shows that, through before tens of millions of viewers around a demonized manner? Nov. 16 anti-war protest in which uncompromising independent political the country. Whether this was orches- It was public knowledge that she was activists trespassed at Camp Dodge was action, this right-wing government can trated or just an accident, the main issue ordered to “quit or be fired” as a presen- “planned” at the conference at Drake. be pushed back. is the tidal wave of controversy that has ter at the Grammys, unable to even show evolved. her face at the public event. By the night The Federal Communications Commis- of the event, the official statement was that sion is opening up an “investigation” after Jackson was not allowed to perform ... about fighting claiming to have received 200,000 calls because she refused to publicly apologize. and e-mails of complaint. Timberlake, on the other hand, was A lawyer in Tennessee is filing a class- awarded two Grammys within the first the draft action lawsuit against CBS and Viacom, hour of the program. The real culprits are let off the hook: the burgeoning anti-war movement is a plan while they’re on the campaign the Super Bowl promoters. She is basing capitalists who make profits off of selling needed to force Washington to trail. Instead, they’ve arbitrarily her legal argument on the claim that those women’s bodies as commodities, but who back down on its attempts to extended the tours of duty of GIs in who witnessed Jackson’s breast were sub- A at the same time preach and promote restate a compulsory military draft, too. Afghanistan and Iraq—which of course is jected to “outrage, anger, embarrassment bourgeois morality. Behind the scenes, in this election equivalent to a compulsory draft. This and serious injury.” (New York Times, Feb. 8) year, $28 million has been added to the has caused great rage among the rank- Illegal ban of Cuban artists— The entire half-time show, inspired by 2004 budget of the Selective Service and-file—a sentiment reflected by their where is the outrage? System for a draft that could reportedly loved ones at home. the youth-oriented network MTV, was There’s another issue associated with begin as early as June 15, 2005. The courage and tenacity of the Iraqi criticized by many as “lewd.” the Grammys that has received qualita- Like the scurrying of rats, the Penta- people’s resistance has continued to con- And while Timberlake was also criti- gon brass has launched a campaign to fill front the foot soldiers of the occupation. cized for his action—although not as all 10,350 draft board positions and And anti-war sentiment in the United intensely as the criticisms bestowed on 11,070 appeals board openings. States, now smoldering, could become a Jackson—he was still welcomed to perform Don’t look for a Democrat to say “Hell conflagration as the war drags on. at the Grammys, while Jackson was not. no, they won’t go.” Congress moved twin It was the resistance of the Vietnamese A clear double standard is involved. bills—S. 89 and H.R. 163—forward this people and the terrible human toll there It is, however, important to put year that are entitled “The Universal that ignited sentiment among U.S. sol- this particular incident into a broader National Service Act of 2003.” They diers and civilians against that war. The political context. would require all young people between rising level of anti-war sentiment and the We live under a system where almost the ages of 18 and 26, including women, organizing among rank-and-file soldiers everything is bought and sold as a com- modity, all for making profits for big busi- to “perform a period of military service forced Washington to sign a peace treaty Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer, left, and ness. Tragically, women’s bodies are also or a period of civilian service in further- in 1973 and scrap the draft. It still took Deputy Culture Minister Abel Acosta ance of the national defense and home- another two years before the last U.S. viewed as commodities to be used and speaking at Feb. 4 press conference in land security, and for other purposes.” forces were driven out of Saigon and it abused to sell everything from cosmetics Havana denouncing the visa denials These active bills are currently before the became Ho Chi Minh City. armed services committees. Just such a movement must force the These and other ominous moves indi- Commander-in-Chief, from whichever Racism, national oppression & the right to self-determination Larry Holmes cate that the U.S. ruling establishment is party of big business, to not only cancel a Ma r xi sm Black labor from chattel slavery to wage slavery getting ready to revive the draft if it feels planned military draft, but to bring the Sam Marcy it needs to mobilize large-scale troops for troops home. Reparations & Black Liberation Monica Moorehead its “endless war” of colonial expansion. All out for the March 20 day of protest REPARATIONS Harriet Tubman: woman warrior Mumia Abu-Jamal (Guest Commentary) But best-laid plans often go astray. against war and occupation in Iraq, & T H E Black Black labor & the fight for reparations Neither the Republicans nor the Palestine and everywhere! Bill Cecil Democrats are going to implement such Freedom Alabama’s Black Belt: Legacy of slavery, sharecropping and segregation Struggle By Consuela Lee (Guest commentary) Black farmers demand justice Monica Moorehead

Greetings from Mumia Abu-Jamal to the 3rd UN Subscribe to Workers World World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrim- ination, Xenophobia & Related Intolerance

SPECIAL TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION Nigerian women take over Chevron Texaco $2 FOR EIGHT WEEKS (NEW SUBSCRIPTION) $25 for one year Monica Moorehead Nigerian women’s takeover ends in victory Name______Phone number______Monica Moorehead

Address______Edited byEDITED Monica BY MONICA MOOREHEADMoorehead . Causes of turmoil in Jamaica Pat Chin PART I PART II PART III City/State/Zip ______Order online at Leftbooks.com The driving force behind the land seizures Workers World Newspaper 55 West 17 St. NY, NY 10011 (212) 627-2994 where the price is $4.50 Monica Moorehead www.workers.org Feb. 19, 2004 Page 11

Final Declaration tively less press. Renowned Cuban artists invited to attend the Grammys were once again denied visas to travel to the U.S. for Havana meeting political reasons. “Something as noble as music is being converted into a policy against Cuba,” said Abel Acosta, Cuban vice minister of cul- says ‘no’ to FTAA ture and also president of the Cuban Institute of Music. (Associated Press, Feb. Some 1,230 people from the 35 countries of popular fights of resistance against the • To rise up to defeat the FTAA, fighting 5) in the Western Hemisphere met in different forms of the neoliberal war, of simultaneously against bilateral and Acosta stated further, “This policy is Havana Jan. 27-30 to oppose U.S. which “free commerce” is one of the main regional treaties, agreements and really hypocritical. It’s the most arbitrary imperialism’s attempt to impose the weapons. Above all, the Bolivian people plans and redoubling in our countries in the world. They give visas to whom Free Trade Area of the Americas on the carried out a true popular rebellion and on a continental scale the they want when they want to.” hemisphere. Below are excerpts from against the loss of sovereignty and natu- campaign against the FTAA. ... The institute called the U.S. action a the final document issued by the ral resources and against the FTAA that • To exert pressure on the national con- “new offense against Cuban culture and meeting. finally threw out of power the puppet the gresses to put them on the side of their people.” (French Press Agency, Feb. 6) United States maintained as Bolivia’s peoples in the fight in defense of The Cuban official and some of the To all the peoples president. ... sovereignty. aggrieved artists held a media conference of our America: Meanwhile, the government of the • To mobilize with all those in the world in Havana where they showed the letters Men and women, of all races, rich in our United States is working every day to who will go out next March 20 to of denial dated Feb. 4 from the U.S. diversity of origins, cultures and beliefs, impose bilateral or regional treaties and demand the end of the occupation Interests Section. representatives of social and political mega-projects, for example, the “free of Iraq and to stop U.S. war and The letters cited Section 212f of U.S. organizations of the 35 countries of our trade” agreement between the United aggression. Immigration and Naturalization Law, States and Central America, with the continent, we have met here, in the land • To mobilize April 24 against multilateral which states that the U.S. president can threat to continue with the Andean region, of Martí, filled with the memory of the acts financial institutions and the external deny entry to those whose visit is deemed with the exception of Venezuela. To stop of Bolívar and San Martín, Zapata and debt. “detrimental to the interests of the Sandino, of all those who fought to give the advance of these plans and treaties is • To conduct simultaneous actions with United States.” Forty-five Cuban artists sovereignty and dignity to our peoples, to also to block the way to the FTAA. ... the August 29 protests against the were reportedly denied visas. (New York make our Third Hemispheric Encounter The other face of these economic re-election of Bush to be carried out Times, Feb. 9) of Struggle against the Free Trade Area of calamities at this time of war neoliberal- in New York on the occasion of the Those who have been denied the right the Americas. We stand against this proj- ism is militarization; with the pretext of Republican Convention. to come to the U.S. include the Grammy ect, which if carried out threatens to bring the fight against drug trafficking and now • To add us to the mobilizations that on winner Ibrahim Ferrer, guitarist Manuel the misery of our peoples, the injustices terrorism, militarization is the indispen- key dates are summoning diverse pop- Galvan, pianist Guillermo Rubalcaba, and the inequalities that we experience in sable partner of “free trade.” Plan Colom- ular forces and which include our plan percussionist Amadito Valdes, lute our countryside and cities, to its highest bia, Commando North and the “coopera- of action of struggle against the FTAA. player Barbarito Torres and singer level, and to subordinate once and for all tion” in general of our governments with Eugenio Rodriguez. Ferrer, a multiple the future of our nations to the interests the hawks of the Pentagon are the other • To build a great continental day of Grammy winner, is a member of the of the giant U.S. corporations. side of the pincers of the policy of eco- struggle as our central action of this Buena Vista Social Club, which gained Since our last encounter, millions of nomic integration that subordinate our year as of the first day of the ministe- worldwide fame and popularity several inhabitants of the continent were added to nations to North American interests. ... rial meeting on the FTAA scheduled in years ago after the showing of an Oscar- the popular consultations speaking out Sisters and brothers of our America, Brazil in 2004. ... nominated documentary. against the creation of the FTAA. In this Negotiations concerning the FTAA From this free territory of America, Cuban artists were also denied visas to period, we organized important mobiliza- have entered the final stretch, and bilat- which we supported and for which we attend the Latin Grammys held in Miami tions against the badly named “free trade,” eral and regional treaties are the favored demand the end to the blockade and last year. like the battle of Cancún against the roads leading there. No longer is there respect for its sovereignty, we say: These artists are the latest victims of World Trade Organization, as well as the time. For that reason it is from this land, Our America is not for sale! the 43-year-old anti-communist block- one we carried out in Miami against the a worthy example of resistance, and Popular sovereignty yes, FTAA no! ade of Cuba by the U.S. Despite this FTAA in spite of the gigantic repressive inspired by the revolt of the Bolivian peo- Neither war nor free trade criminal U.S. foreign policy, Cuban apparatus there. In this same year, we saw ple, we make the following CALL to all the Together let us build the other music has gained popularity here. all over the continent multiple examples peoples of the continent: America that is possible! Washington knows that Cuba, a country with a population of 11 million people, poses no military threat to the people of MUNICH, GERMANY. this country. In fact, it is the Bush administration that is intensifying mili- tary threats against Cuba, which the peo- Thousands protest NATO ple there are taking very seriously. The only “threat” that Cuba poses is as a beacon of awareness for the U.S. pop- conference ulation, showing the achievements of a socialist society like free health care, free By John Catalinotto Germany and Austria. So were ATTAC- of the German Armed Forces can be education and a rich culture free of cap- Germany and some of the more progres- expected in Iraq, he said. italist profit and exploitation. Some 10,000 people surrounded by sive unions and religious organizations. The singer-songwriter Konstantin The illegal travel ban imposed on 3,500 police demonstrated on Feb. 7 Talks at the rallies attacked the aggres- received loud applause when he asked Cuban artists and others, like the Rev. against the NATO Security Conference in sive war policies of the United States and soldiers in case of war to “disobey the gen- Raul Suarez of Ebenezer Baptist Church Munich, Germany. The demonstrators the European Union, according to the erals’ orders.” in Havana, by the Bush administration demanded the “withdrawal of occupation Berlin daily, Junge Welt, of Feb. 9. Anti- The day before German police had used certainly merits a public outcry. troops from Iraq.” They were also protest- militarist Tobias Pflüger of Tübingen, clubs to attack a group of demonstrators The common thread between Janet ing the German government’s plans to who made one of the major talks, said “the blocking a street near the meeting. Jackson and the Cuban artists is that increase its and other European Union stated military strategy of the European Pflüger, who is a candidate of the Party of they are all victims of U.S. imperialism, military intervention all over the world, Union is ‘together we will struggle for Democratic Socialism for election to the a racist, sexist, homophobic, pro-war starting in Afghanistan. good,’ but its true goals are aimed at gain- European Parliament, had his neck economic and political system that is Left groups were there, including immi- ing more power and economic influence to injured when police arrested him. In all causing so much poverty and suffering grant groups from Turkey and Kurdistan the detriment of the people of the South.” 259 demonstrators were arrested on Feb. worldwide. and working-class organizations from A larger role for NATO with participation 6, then released the next day at noon. A few dozen war opponents were able to confront U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during his dinner with Impacto de Mumbai en el Foro Social Mundial high-ranking NATO generals. Rumsfeld was defending Washington’s decision last Continua de pagina 12 Muchos de los grupos asistentes en agudizar el debate político para fortalecer March to go to war on Iraq. declaración de la asamblea contra la otras partes del FSM, palestinos y otros las fuerzas anti-imperialistas en todo el Rumsfeld downplayed differences with guerra tuvo referencias para Palestina. grupos árabes, los trabajadores indios gri- mundo, para oponerse incondicional- the U.S.’s European allies regarding last Algo importante fue que mucha gente, tando contra la guerra de EEUU en Iraq mente a la ocupación de EEUU y defender year’s invasion of Iraq as unimportant. He al ver que en mi tarjeta de identificación en la parte exterior, y otras fuerzas marx- el derecho total de los palestinos a la welcomed the European NATO states’ de delegada ponía ANSWER —la coali- istas y del Tercer Mundo que estaban autodeterminación, es más importante participation in the so-called “war on ter- ción Actúa Ahora para Parar la Guerra y expresando posiciones claramente anti- que nunca. El mismo debate que continúa ror.” German Defense Minister Peter Poner Fin al Racismo— me ofrecían imperialistas en estas reuniones, no esta- dentro del Movimiento contra la Guerra Struck asked that starting in August an mucho apoyo, especialmente gente de ban representados, desgraciadamente, en en EEUU sigue también adelante en todo international colonial force made up of EEUU. Virtualmente, todas las personas la asamblea contra la guerra. el mundo como se ha visto en el Foro troops from Germany, France, Spain, reconocían a ANSWER y hacían comen- El debate sobre estos temas confirmó Social Mundial. Belgium and Luxembourg be sent to take tarios positivos y pedían información. internacionalmente que la lucha para the lead in the occupation of Afghanistan. Iraq: Impacto de Mumbai en el Foro Social Mundial Entrevista a Gloria La Riva del International Action Center

Por John Catalinotto Resistencia de Mumbai (RM), con país. Tan solo por esa cuestión y por el for- renos, a menudo unos junto a otros o mez- reuniones al aire libre fuera del FSM que talecimiento de su causa, mereció la pena clados. Traducción: Sinfo Fernández tomó en su declaración final abiertas posi- que el FSM se celebrase en la India, así Ramsey Clark, Denis Halliday y yo ciones de solidaridad con la resistencia en como para dar publicidad a la lucha de las hablamos también en el taller sobre las Un redactor de Workers World/ Iraq, por ejemplo. En esas reuniones par- masas indias en su conjunto. Por parte de Sanciones Económicas organizado por la Mundo Obrero entrevistó a Gloria ticiparon unos cuantos miles de personas. todos los participantes en el Foro, tanto de Instituto Cubano de Filosofía. Winnie LaRiva, coordinadora estadounidense Algunos portavoces, como Arundhati Roy, la India como extranjeros, hubo mucho Mandela habló brevemente en ese taller. del Comité Nacional para la Liberación hablaron tanto en el FSM como en la RM. respeto y reconocimiento hacia la lucha de Y recordó una reunión que mantuvieron de los Cinco de Cuba y líder del Ella hizo un llamamiento a la gente en las los Dalit. Ramsey Clark y ella hace treinta y cuatro movimiento contra la guerra en la Costa intervenciones que realizó en ambos foros La India está bajo las garras de una pri- años, cuando estaba bajo arresto domicil- Oeste, sobre el Foro Social Mundial que para que ofrecieran resistencia frente la vatización masiva y de un descenso drás- iario en el régimen del apartheid tuvo lugar del 16 al 21 de enero en ocupación de Iraq por EEUU. tico de las condiciones de vida de traba- sudafricano. Mumbai (India). El evento del FSM al aire libre fue una jadores y campesinos. Dada la absorción Clark habló también en el taller del reunión puertas afuera de 100.000 per- creciente de sus industrias por capital de Mundo Árabe que fue presidido por Rania Pregunta (P.:): Usted ha estado pre- sonas, un acontecimiento muy emotivo, EEUU, está claro que el destino de los tra- Masri. Hubo también un orador palestino sente en el cuarto Foro Social Mundial con unos cuantos oradores importantes y bajadores estadounidenses está enlazado y una mujer siria hablando allí. Clark dijo (FSM), el primero que se celebra después música. Algunos de estos oradores fueron con el de las masas indias. que es imperativo deshacerse de Bush, de Porto Alegre. Como participante activa, Arundhati Roy y Shabana Azmi de la P.: ¿Puede describir algunos de los pero enfatizó que la gente no debería ¿cuáles fueron sus impresiones sobre esta India, Shirin Ebadi, la ganadora del foros en los que tomó parte? esperar nada de los demócratas. Dijo que reunión? Premio Nobel de la Paz de Irán, y Mustafa R.: El Tribunal de Mujeres tenía 2.000 ellos son parte del problema, que es el sis- Gloria La Riva (R.:): El FSM tuvo Barghuti de Palestina. asistentes cuando empezó a las 10 de la tema y la plutocracia de EEUU los que lugar en el espacio de la exposición P.: ¿Cuál fue el impacto que tuvo todo mañana, y duró casi doce horas, con mucha engendran la guerra. En el taller de las NESCO situado al norte de Mumbai. Era esto en la India? personas de pie durante horas. Esta Sanciones Económicas declaró que a par- un campo muy grande, rodeado por un R.: Uno de los aspectos más impor- reunión fue consistentemente anti-imperi- tir de sus observaciones el socialismo es un muro, como si fuera el terreno de una tantes de la reunión fue el de incremen- alista, abarcando las luchas de Palestina, sistema más humano y racional que el cap- feria. Teniendo en cuenta los recursos tan tar la conciencia del movimiento progre- Iraq, Puerto Rico; Corea contó con dos italismo. limitados del país fue un desafío consid- sista de todo el mundo sobre las luchas representantes de Corea del Norte, tam- Denis Halliday habló en las mismas erable alojar 1.200 talleres, salas de de las masas indias, con objeto de ali- bién había dos conferenciantes de Cuba, reuniones que Clark. Tuvo una interven- exposiciones, mítines y reuniones. mentar una solidaridad mayor entre los (por mi parte, yo representaba a los Cinco ción militante pidiendo el fin de la Los talleres del FSM acogieron desde pueblos. Para ir desde el hotel hasta el de Cuba), de Filipinas, la luchas de Hawai, ocupación. unas pocas docenas a varios miles de par- lugar donde se encontraba el FSM, la anterior representante de EEUU P.: ¿Qué pasó en las discusiones contra ticipantes. Uno de los más amplios fue el teníamos que conducir a través de unas Cynthia McKinney, que habló sobre la la guerra? ¿Apoyaba el FSM el lla- Tribunal de Mujeres sobre los Crímenes cuantas calles y pudimos contemplar opresión de la comunidad afroamericana mamiento a las acciones del 20 de marzo? de Guerra de EEUU, donde Ramsey Clark montones de personas en una situación en EEUU, anti-globalización, Irlanda, la R.: Hubo una “Asamblea Contra la y yo fuimos invitados a intervenir. Hablé económica desesperada… Hay familias Organización de Derechos por el Bienestar Guerra” que mantuvo una reunión que en los talleres sobre los cinco prisioneros viviendo en chabolas rudimentarias, en de Kensington, Vietnam y otros treinta duró todo el día para discutir diversos políticos cubanos en EEUU conocidos tiendas de campaña y gente viviendo oradores. puntos de vista sobre la guerra de EEUU como los Cinco de Cuba. También repre- simplemente en el suelo, sin nada, nada Asistieron centenares de indios convir- contra Iraq. La manifestación del próximo senté a la coalición ANSWER en algunos más que harapos, sin ni siquiera una tiendo probablemente al Tribunal en la 20 de marzo atrajo el mayor interés y en encuentros importantes de grupos contra manta para sentarse encima ni un portal mayor mezcla de muchedumbres indias y la declaración final del FSM se apoyó esta la guerra. donde poder dormir. Una vuelve a casa extranjeras que podía darse, aparte de las fecha como un día de acción internacional. Hasta donde pude observar, la gran con la necesidad urgente de hacer la rev- reuniones al aire libre. Ramsey Clark, que Hubo también un seminario acerca el mayoría de las más de 100.000 personas olución. Se entienden mucho mejor las habló en la inauguración y en [la sesión de] Tribunal Internacional sobre Iraq. asistentes era de nacionalidad india junto estadísticas que escuchamos acerca de la conclusiones y que fue presidente del Asistí al encuentro principal, en el que a un número menor procedente de otros pobreza por todo el mundo, acerca de los Tribunal, fue un orador destacado junto estuvo discutiendo el programa del 20 de países del sudeste asiático, como Pakistán, 800 millones de personas que se van a la con el ex representante de NNUU Denis marzo y la Declaración de la Asamblea Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, cama con hambre. Aquí en la India, Halliday, Fatima Meer y otros. Clark pro- Contra la Guerra. Hablé allí el 19 de enero, etc., y algunos miles más que llegaban de como en otros países que padecen opre- nunció un gran discurso de apertura sobre durante la asamblea que duró todo el día. Europa, EEUU, Latinoamérica, África, siones parecidas, mucha gente se muere la necesidad de levantarse contra la agre- A lo largo del mismo hubo entre 200 y 300 Australia, y de otros lugares del mundo. literalmente de hambre. sión estadounidense en cualquier lugar asistentes. La mayoría eran de Europa, de Había entre 130 y 150 países representa- En el FSM hubo muchos acontecimien- del mundo. América del Norte y del Sur, así como de dos. tos cada día alrededor de los temas bási- Entre las reuniones en solidaridad con Japón y del sur de Corea. Muchas reuniones tuvieron lugar en cos: contra la guerra, anti-globalización, Cuba hubo un taller celebrado por Inicia- Al tratar sobre la posición y las peti- docenas de estructuras similares a tiendas sobre las mujeres, contra el racismo, espe- tiva Socialista con Cuba, un grupo de ciones de ANSWER acerca del 20 de de campaña, hechas de harpillera, aglom- cialmente sobre los Dalit —conocidos Bélgica. Muchas de las casi 400 personas marzo, pedí de forma firme al Movimiento erado y harpillera y suelo de tierra. Las principalmente por el término negativo de que asistieron eran del sudeste asiático, contra la Guerra que había que situar a reuniones más amplias, como la Corte de “intocables”—, lesbianismo, bisexualidad, así como de varios países europeos y lati- Palestina en el punto central por el fin Mujeres o el Tribunal en el que Ramsey transexuales, movimientos campesinos, noamericanos. Hablé allí sobre los Cinco incondicional de la ocupación y transmití Clark y yo participamos, tuvieron lugar en comercio justo, medio ambiente, cultura. de Cuba con un representante del Partido que muchas grupos árabes, musulmanes locales parecidos a almacenes que lle- Los sindicatos indios, como el sindicato de de los Trabajadores de Bélgica y con dos y palestinos de EEUU y de todo el mundo garon a albergar alrededor de 4.000 per- trabajadores del ferrocarril, el sindicato de representantes cubanos, que hablaron apoyan el llamamiento. sonas. los trabajadores de bancos en lucha con- sobre los avances de la revolución cubana. La palestina revolucionaria Leila Jaled El liderazgo político del FSM está com- tra la privatización de los bancos indios, Los participantes en el taller hicieron una que también asistió a la Corte de Mujeres puesto principalmente por partidos los trabajadores militantes de la General marcha por los terrenos del FSM en soli- tuvo una intervención muy emocionante social-demócratas y ONGs y no por orga- Electric —a los que han dejado en la calle daridad con Cuba. e inspirada acerca de la necesidad de que nizaciones comunistas o anti-imperialis- hace seis meses— todos ellos fueron tam- Desde el segundo hasta el último día, el movimiento contra la guerra defienda a tas. Alguna gente ha criticado con dureza bién una parte importante en las hubo una reunión popular sobre Cuba Palestina, incluido el Derecho al Retorno al FSM por recibir fondos de la Fundación reuniones. patrocinada por algunas organizaciones de los refugiados. Ford, de la Fundación Soros y de otras Muchas luchas en la India se formulan marxistas indias. La organizaron fuera del Al final, los organizadores manifes- instituciones parecidas que ciertamente alrededor de temas muy básicos: la lucha campus, dirigida por la delegación taron que la principal exigencia es que las pueden llegar a influir en la perspectiva de de las mujeres contra la opresión y la vio- cubana, con 1.200 personas aplaudiendo tropas [de ocupación] se vayan de Iraq y los organizadores. Sin embargo, el FSM lencia doméstica, como en los casos de un llamamiento entusiasta de solidaridad que sean los grupos nacionales los que atrae a mucha gente comprometida con la asesinatos por la dote, las palizas etc…, y con Cuba y los Cinco de Cuba. cubran sus propias demandas. Evitaron lucha y creo que la mayoría de los que la lucha de los Dalit contra siglos de opre- Cada día, diferentes grupos llevaban a tomar una posición internacional que asistieron son conscientemente anti- sión originada por el sistema de castas. cabo reuniones y marchas de tamaño clarificara el tema dejándolo en manos de imperialistas. Hubo muchas organizaciones Dalit que reducido y medio. Grupos diferentes se los grupos nacionales de ese país. La Hubo también un [Foro de la] llegaron en carromatos de todas partes del reunían y marchaban a través de los ter- Continua a pagina 11