· AUSTRALIA $1.50 · canada $1.00 · france 1.00 euro · new zealand $1.50 · sweden kr10 · uk £.50 · u.s. $1.00 INSIDE Raúl Castro explains Cuba’s economic challenges — PAGE 7

A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE vol. 74/no. 37 October 4, 2010 Socialist candidates Washington Poverty up back workers’ fights tightens as end of its noose recession is around Iran announced by cindy jaquith BY ANGEL LARISCY Divisions among Iran’s rulers are Poverty in the working-age popu- sharpening as economic sanctions take lation of the United States increased their toll on growing layers of the popu- in 2009 to its highest level in almost lation, and the U.S. and Israeli govern- 50 years. One in seven people now ments prepare for military action if Teh- lives below the official poverty line of ran does not stop enriching uranium for $21,954 for a family of four, accord- its nuclear program. Washington and ing to U.S. Census Bureau statistics Tel Aviv contend the enriched uranium released September 16. will be used to make a nuclear weapon, The figures show the impact on which Tehran denies. working people of increased unem- The former head of Israel’s Mossad ployment, rising prices, and cuts in spy agency, Danny Yatom, said Sep- services and benefits, despite the Na- tember 12 that “the price Israel will pay tional Bureau of Economic Research’s Militant/Betsy Farley when Iran has a nuclear bomb is immea- announcement that the recession offi- John Hawkins, left, Socialist Workers Party candidate for Illinois governor, talks August 26 with Teamsters on strike at ProBuild lumber mill in Yorkville, Illinois. surably heavier than what we will pay if cially ended in June 2009. someone carries out an attack on some The poverty threshold is an arbi- of Iran’s nuclear sites.” U.S. officials trary figure established by the gov- Illinois socialists Protests answer have acknowledged discussions with ernment. It is primarily used to set Tel Aviv on launching a military strike levels for means testing that restricts call for labor party L.A. cop brutality Continued on page 5 Continued on page 9 BY Laura Anderson by Naomi Craine CHICAGO—“Working people and Arlene Rubinstein should oppose the layoffs and cut- LOS ANGELES—The September Drive opens to get out ‘Workers backs that Mayor Richard Daley is 5 killing of Manuel Jamines by police setting the stage for in his 2011 bud- here sparked several days of protests get,” John Hawkins, Socialist Workers and an ongoing discussion about cop Power’ book, ‘Militant’ weekly Party candidate for Illinois governor, brutality in the working-class neigh- said to a crowd of 500 at a September borhood of Westlake. Jamines, a 37- 16 public hearing on the city budget. year-old day laborer from Guatemala, Hawkins was responding to plans was shot twice in the head by Los An- outlined by Daley that place the bur- geles Police Department officer Frank den of the economic depression on the Hernandez. The killing took place on Continued on page 9 Continued on page 9 Gains by tea party unnerve Republicans and Democrats BY seth galinsky “We are mad as hell,” Paladino said NEW YORK—Tea party–backed in his victory speech September 14. real estate millionaire Carl Paladino “The people have had enough.” routed former congressman Richard Like other tea party candidates, Lazio to win the Republican nomina- Paladino emphasized fiscal respon- tion for governor in the September 14 sibility and opposition to big govern- primaries here. While shaking up the ment and its meddling in individual’s Republican establishment, Paladino’s private affairs. He didn’t say much win and other tea party victories also about his opposition to legalizing have sections of the Democratic Party undocumented workers and abortion Militant/Dan Fein Militant support Francisco Cambero selling Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to on edge. rights, as well as his views on other Workers Power in Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, September 18. In Delaware, tea party candidate social issues. Christine O’Donnell won the Repub- As the U.S. economy falters and BY paul mailhot lican nomination for U.S. Senate. She unemployment continues to clobber Supporters of the Militant finished handily beat Michael Castle, a con- working people—and in the absence the first week of the fall campaign to Also Inside: gressman since 1993, who had the of forces moving in the direction of sell 1,800 copies of the book Malcolm support of state and national Repub- a mass working-class party indepen- X, Black Liberation, and the Road to ‘Everybody in Cuba has lican leaders. These follow earlier tea dent of the Democrats and Republi- Workers Power, by Jack Barnes, and access to culture’ 2 party victories in gaining Republican cans—the tea party wins a hearing 2,100 subscriptions to this newspaper. Party nominations in Alaska, Colo- for voting out incumbents from both The drive, which began on September Australia elections reveal rado, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, parties. According to the Washington 11, runs through November 9; so far, impact of economic crisis 3 Nevada, and Utah. Post, “poll after poll” shows that both 127 copies of the book and 225 sub- Channeling the resentment felt by the Democratic and Republican par- scriptions have been sold. Iowa socialists gain many middle-class voters and some ties are “deeply unpopular with the In the United States, socialist work- media attention 4 workers, Paladino promised to “clean electorate looking for something new ers in Des Moines, Iowa, are lead- out Albany with a baseball bat” to and different.” ing the way in reaching out with the Conditions decline for all dislodge what he calls “the ruling While the tea party is a heteroge- Workers Power book and the Mili- workers as crisis deepens 6 class.” Continued on page 9 Continued on page 4 ‘Everybody in Cuba has access to culture’ BY CAROLINE BELLAMY classes in working-class neighborhoods AND ÖGMUNDUR JÓNSSON in their hometown of Holguín when tens LONDON—Aida Bahr, a prize-win- of thousands of young people went to ning fiction writer, literary critic, and the countryside to teach peasants how screenwriter in Cuba, recently spoke at to read and write. “1961 was the year of two universities in the United Kingdom the Bay of Pigs and young literacy vol- on “Culture and the Cuban Revolution.” unteers were targeted by counterrevo- On September 10 Bahr spoke as a lutionaries,” she explained. “A number guest lecturer at a meeting of 70 people lost their lives for what they were doing hosted by the Hispanic Studies Depart- but many times more volunteered to re- ment at the University of Edinburgh in place them.” Scotland. The event was chaired by Dr. At the same time, institutions were Fiona Mackintosh, a university lecturer created to promote culture. Today “ev- Militant/Anne Howie in Latin American literature. The next ery municipality has a library, theater, Aida Bahr (right), prominent writer in Cuba, speaks on “Culture and the Cuban Revolution” at day more than 80 heard Bahr at the Uni- cinema, gallery, art school, and muse- University of Edinburgh, Scotland, September 10. Dr. Fiona Mackintosh (left), chaired event. versity of London’s Birkbeck College. um,” including in municipalities made “Some of our best writers were mar- When the deep crisis hit in the 1990s, The events were broadly sponsored by up of scattered villages, Bahr said. “So ginalized because they dealt with sub- with the collapse of the Soviet Union and bookshops, artists and other cultural everybody has access to culture. Not ev- jects like homosexuality that were con- the abrupt ending of favorable trade and figures, students, and trade unionists. eryone becomes a performer, but every- sidered taboo. The Beatles were judged aid, it was “not a setback for creation, Bahr is director of Editorial Oriente, one is able to enjoy culture.” to be ‘decadent’!” but for the material means of creation.” a publishing house based in Santiago de These policies were later reversed. Writers started to deal with “unpleasant Cuba. Actor and screenwriter Andy de Shift in cultural policy “Some refer to the ‘grey five years’ subjects,” such as prostitution. la Tour, who chaired the London event, Bahr gave a vivid description of the from ’71 to ’76, while others speak of the noted that Bahr is also one of the orga- shifting trends of cultural life in Cuba whole decade as the ‘dark period.’ Both Paper shortage nizers of the annual Havana Interna- from the 1960s up to the present. are right,” she said. In 1976 the National Cuba continues to face economic tional Book Fair, which he attended in “In the ’60s many things were go- Council of Culture was disbanded and challenges today. There is a shortage February. “It was the high point of my ing on; there were lively debates and the Ministry of Culture founded. “This of paper. “Oriente plans to publish 42 trip to Cuba this year,” he said. “It’s not many magazines. Books were sold for was not just a change of institutions, but books this year, with 27 already edited a publishers’ and agents’ love-in like the 40 cents. The quality was poor, but a change of policy.” and ready for printing. But only three Frankfurt and London book fairs . . . but we wanted to read them, not look at “So ‘grey five years’ refers to the of- have been printed,” she said. a truly mass event.” them. It was a time of massive par- ficial policy,” she explained. “But you Oriente publishes a wide range of Bahr described the watershed in ticipation.” also have to change the people. Many titles, both fiction and nonfiction. “We Cuban culture opened by the 1959 Bahr was taking her first steps as a in official positions still held to the dis- try to balance genres and tendencies and revolution, as working people used the writer in the ’70s, at a time when “we credited policy.” have both experimental and traditional conquest of state power to eliminate became dependent on economic aid Armando Hart, one of the historic writing,” Bahr said. “Every year we try capitalism on the island and take ever- from the Soviet Union and with that leaders of the clandestine revolutionary to publish some unpublished writers. greater control of society. The 1960–61 came considerable Soviet influence on struggle against the Fulgencio Batista We’re not worried how well the books campaign to eliminate illiteracy was key cultural policy,” she explained. “Social- dictatorship in the 1950s, became min- sell. We have to select the best.” and “one of the greatest achievements of ist realism was emphasized; art was ister of culture in 1976. Bahr explained Lively question-and-answer peri- the revolution,” she said. considered in official policy as a means that Hart called for a return to the inclu- ods followed the presentations at both Bahr described how her mother gave to ‘form the population.’ sive cultural policy of the early years of events. the revolution, captured in the slogan: The Edinburgh meeting was spon- “Within the revolution, everything. sored by the Screen Academy Scotland; Against the revolution, nothing.” Joy Dunn, president of the Scottish “In the ’80s there was a new debate, Trades Union Congress; Elaine Smith, a new openness,” Bahr said. “A critical member of Scottish Parliament; Coun- eye on Cuban art and fiction was devel- cillor Gordon Munro, Labour spokes- oping.” There was an abundance of lit- person on culture in Scotland; and many Working-class view of mosque debate erary festivals and writers’ workshops. others. She described organizing book presen- Sponsors of the London event in- In social and political con- tations in the streets and in factories. In cluded dancer and choreographer Car- troversies, the ‘Militant’ starts one case she and a colleague brought a los Acosta; actors Charles Dance, Susan with what is necessary to de- few copies of a book to present in a shoe Wooldridge, and Roger Lloyd Pack; fend the interests of the work- factory, but the workers kept coming writer Pauline Melville; and general ing class. up to buy them, so they had to go back secretaries of the journalists and broad- The paper explains the twice for more. casting trade unions. importance of freedom of speech, worship, and assem- $85, drawn on a U.S. bank, to above address. bly to protect working people The Militant Africa, Asia, and the Middle East: For Militant/Doug Nelson Vol. 74/No. 37 one year send $85 drawn on a U.S. bank to above address. from the capitalist govern- Demonstration opposing attempts to block Closing news date: September 22, 2010 construction of mosque in Manhattan. Canada: For one year send Canadian $45 to ment. Don’t miss an issue! Editor: Paul Mailhot the Militant, 7107 St. Denis #204, Montreal, Managing Editor: Martín Koppel Quebec H2S 2S5. Business Manager: Angel Lariscy United Kingdom: Send £26 for one year Editorial volunteers: Róger Calero, Seth by check or international money order made SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Galinsky, Cindy Jaquith, Angel Lariscy, out to CL London, First Floor, 120 Bethnal Omari Musa, Doug Nelson, Jacob Perasso, Green Road (Entrance in Brick Lane), Brian Williams London, E2 6DG, England. Republic of Ireland and Continental NAME Published weekly except for one week in NEW READERS January, one week in July, and one week in Europe: Send £75 for one year by check or September. international money order made out to CL ADDRESS London at above address. q.$5 for 12 issues The Militant (ISSN 0026-3885), 306 W. France: Send 76 euros for one year to 37th Street, 10th floor, New York, NY Diffusion du Militant, P.O. Box 175, 23 rue 10018. 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2 The Militant October 4, 2010 Australia elections reveal Montreal forum hears SWP candidates impact of economic crisis BY RON POULSEN tions, with well over 1 million not voting SYDNEY, Australia—After 17 days or casting a blank ballot. of negotiations following national elec- The Labor loss of seats was heaviest tions here, incumbent Labor Prime in Queensland and New South Wales. Minister Julia Gillard cobbled together a Here state Labor governments have be- minority government September 7 after come increasingly unpopular due to the mustering a one-vote majority with the deterioration of public services like hos- support of one Green and three “inde- pitals and transport. pendent” members of parliament. The For the first time, the Greens won decline in Labor’s popularity over the the balance of power in the Senate, with past year or more and the challenges in nine seats. A Green candidate also won forming a government now take place a formerly Labor-held lower house seat as the unfolding global depression has in middle class inner-city Melbourne. slowly but surely begun to hit here. Elsewhere the ranked voting system Homelessness and indebtedness are meant that most Green votes flowed to growing. The cost of living is rising Labor candidates. After the election, Militant/John Steele MONTREAL—Harry D’Agostino, speaking, and Kevin Dwire, Socialist and social services are being cut. Offi- Gillard secured an agreement for Green support to a Labor government. Workers Party candidates for lieutenant governor of New York and Massachu- cial unemployment is relatively low at setts governor respectively, addressed 21 people at a special Militant Labor A few months ago the Labor party 5 percent but long-term unemployment Forum here September 19 about the class struggle in the United States and the changed its leadership in an attempt to has grown by more than one-third in the response to the SWP campaigns for the November 2 mid-term elections. past year. Unemployment for Aborigi- stem the loss of public support under D’Agostino described the broad interest of workers on the streets of nals and all teenagers are both more then prime minister Kevin Rudd. On New York City to the Pathfinder book Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and than 18 percent. June 24 Gillard, the deputy leader, was the Road to Workers Power by Jack Barnes. During a break in the animated The federal elections August 21 re- backed to depose Rudd and become discussion period, an appeal was made for the Can$11,000 Communist sulted in a deadlock in which no party prime minister. League fund drive that brought in another Can$280, taking the Canada- won the needed majority of 76 seats in The new prime minister made a deal wide campaign that ends September 26 over the top. the 150-seat House of Representatives with key mining magnates from big cor- —JOHN STEELE to form a government. Labor got 72 porations like BHP and Rio Tinto lower- seats with the conservative Liberal and ing Rudd’s controversial resources tax. National coalition gaining 73. This is the Gillard has also moved to match the from China . . . could cause a sharp de- editorial said, “Complacency about con- first “hung parliament” at a national lev- opposition’s populist rhetoric against cline in the Australian economy.” tinued prosperity is the biggest risk.” It el since 1940, during the Second World immigrants arriving by boats seeking Some capitalist spokespeople have warned that the new government would War. political asylum. (See accompanying ar- expressed concern that the new govern- be “judged” by its success in delivering The economy here escaped the worst ticle on this page.) ment may not be strong enough to in- “services, economic stability and long- of the international economic crisis in The rating agency Standard & Poor’s creasingly foist more of the burden of the term reforms,” referring to the employ- 2009, buoyed by an ongoing mining recently warned, “A faltering global deepening crisis on the backs of work- ers’ drive to depress wages and press boom. Increasing revenues from energy economic recovery or softening demand ing people. A September 11 Australian “productivity” through speedup. and mineral shipments, especially iron ore and coal to China and elsewhere in Asia, now make up more than one-third of the value of exports from Australia. Immigrants in Australia fight detentions Labor’s support slumped as it car- BY BOB AIKEN and-a-half-hour protest by the main by the Australian Department of Im- ried out an anti-working-class course SYDNEY, Australia—About 90 highway outside the complex. migration, 37 percent more than the little different from policies under the Afghan asylum seekers held at the im- Their main banner declared, “We official capacity of its detention cen- 1996–2007 conservative coalition gov- migration detention center in Darwin, are homeless, defenceless and we seek ters. The largest immigration jail is on ernment. Only 4.7 million out of the the capital of Australia’s Northern Ter- protection.” One of the men told re- Christmas Island, south of Java in the national turnout of more than 13 mil- ritory, pushed through two electrified porters, “I want to go out to talk with Indian Ocean, where more than 2,400 lion voted Labor as first choice under security fences September 1. Fearing you, all of the population of Australia. are held, nearly 1,000 in tents. the country’s preferential voting system. they were about to be deported back I need your help.” There are now more than 200 Indone- Voting is compulsory in Australia. But to Afghanistan, they staged a seven- The following day 82 of the protest- sian fishermen in immigration detention abstention was higher than past elec- ers were transferred to the Curtin de- in Australia, facing trial under “people tention center near Derby in Western smuggling” laws. Conviction for crew- calendar Australia’s far north. ing a boat with five or more refugees The Afghani action erupted a couple carries a penalty of up to 20 years in militant new zealand days after a two-day protest by some jail and a A$220,000 fine (A$1=US 95 Auckland 120 Indonesians, held in a different cents). The minimum sentence for first- Free the Cuban Five. Oppose Attacks on labor Cuba. Speakers: José Luis Robaina Garcia, part of the Darwin immigration pris- time offenders is five years in jail. Cuba’s ambassador to New Zealand; Jane on. Widely reported as “rioting,” the Operation Resolute also targets “il- Kelsey, law professor; Keith Locke, Member protest involved most of those detained legal fishing” in the waters between forums of Parliament, Green Party; Mike Treen, Na- Australia and Indonesia. california tional Director, Unite union; Cuba Friendship for crewing boats that have brought Society; Annalucia Vermunt, participant in several thousand asylum seekers to Indonesian fishermen have also San Francisco 2009 meeting in solidarity with the Cuban Australian territory over the last year. been hit by a massive oil spill in the No to Government Interference with Five held in Havana. Thurs., Sept. 30, 7 p.m. Mosque in N.Y.C. Fri., Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m. Do- Room B15, library basement, Alfred St., Uni- Television coverage showed a fire on Timor Sea last year that has devas- nation: $5, unemployed $1. 5482 Mission St. versity of Auckland. Ausp.: International Af- the grounds of the immigration jail and tated fishing grounds. At the same Tel.: (415) 584-2135. fairs Officer, Auckland University Students about a dozen men on a roof brandish- time the Indonesian government has Association. Tel.: (09) 309-0789. ing long poles. The inmates eventually cut fuel subsidies. Some 90 percent of pennslyvania agreed to end their action. Indonesia’s 15 million fishermen live Philadelphia Both groups of detainees have been below the country’s poverty line. The Fight Against Police Brutality. Speaker: ATLANTA Osborne Hart, Socialist Workers Party candidate held for as long as 10 months waiting for The protests by the two groups of pris- for U.S. Senate. Sat., Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m. Dona- Marianas in Combat their cases to be processed. An emer- oners took place shortly after a federal tion: $5. 3701 Pulaski Ave. Tel.: (215) 225-1270. Teté Puebla & the Mariana Grajales gency rally of 40 was held September election campaign in which both major Women’s Platoon in Cuba’s Revolutionary War, 1956-58 3 by the Refugee Action Coalition in capitalist parties vied to be the toughest Texas Sydney to support the protests. on “border protection” and the “people Houston Speakers: Mary-Alice Waters, China’s ‘Economic Miracle’ and the World president of Pathfinder Press; Since 2008 some 150 boats carrying smuggling” of asylum seekers. Capitalist Crisis. Speaker: Jacquie Hender- Bahati Kuumba, PhD., professor of asylum seekers, mainly from Afghani- During her campaign, current prime son, Socialist Workers Party. Sat., Sept. 25, Women’s Studies, and associate direc- stan and Sri Lanka, have been detained minister Julia Gillard proposed setting 7:30 p.m. 4800 W. 34th St., Suite. C-51-A. Tel.: tor, Women’s Resource and Research under the Royal Australian Navy’s Op- up a new regional immigration jail in (713) 688-4919. Center, Spelman College. eration Resolute. The refugees often pay East Timor. But with opposition from Washington thousands of dollars to “people smug- the government of East Timor, the Saturday, Sept. 25, 3:00 p.m. Gillard government announced Sep- Seattle glers” based in Indonesia to make the Defend Democratic Rights—Hands Off New Sponsored by Auburn Avenue Research Library dangerous journey in small vessels. Fish- tember 17 that it would instead double York City Mosque; No to Antigay Discrimi- on African American Culture and History ermen are generally hired to crew the the capacity of the detention center in nation. Speaker: representative, Socialist Work- boats for a few hundred dollars each. Curtin and establish a new immigra- ers Party. Fri., Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m. Donation: $5. 101 Auburn Ave. NE As of September 10 there were a tion jail near Weipa in the remote far 5418 Rainier Ave. South (Brandon Street stop For more information: (404) 730-4001, ext. 100 on bus no. 7 or 9). Tel.: (206) 323-1755. total of 4,903 people held in custody north of Queensland.

The Militant October 4, 2010 3 Iowa socialist candidates gain attention in media BY MAGGIE TROWE the country illegally,” and he calls for DES MOINES, Iowa—Workers and a vague “path to citizenship” for some. farmers in Iowa can now learn about the Republican challenger Brad Zaun says, positions of the Socialist Workers Par- “I do not support amnesty or a path- ty candidates along with those of their way to citizenship for people that have opponents by going online to the Des entered the United States illegally. That Moines Register’s “Compare the Candi- policy simply encourages people to con- dates” feature. tinue to break our laws.” The Web site shows the views of in- “I support the full legalization of all cumbent Democratic Party governor immigrants, now,” Williamson says. “I Chet Culver, Republican challenger join with the millions who have poured Terry Branstad, SWP candidate David into the streets in cities and towns all Rosenfeld, and candidates from the Lib- over the country the past several years ertarian and Iowa parties, along with calling for a halt to immigration raids, their photos. Also shown are the views deportations, and ‘no-match’ letters. I Militant/Helen Meyers of the candidates for U.S. Congress also join those who oppose calling these Rebecca Williamson (center), Iowa SWP candidate for U.S. Congress from Third District, campaigns at September 11 festival in Evelyn Davis Park in Des Moines, Iowa. from Iowa’s Third District, including fellow workers criminals, scapegoat- SWP candidate Rebecca Williamson. ing them for capitalism’s problems. The ter.com/dmr/iowa-politics/. the police.” The “Compare the Candidates” feature Democratic and Republican politicians The September 16 Register published The Register has also received a letter was compiled from answers submitted and other anti-immigrant forces want a letter from Rosenfeld denouncing the from Williamson, describing what she by the candidates to a survey. to obscure the source of the social prob- effort by Des Moines police to publicly learned in discussions with workers in On the question of immigration, for lems we face. I oppose any delays, fines, accuse Black youth of carrying out a northern Iowa who have worked at the example, incumbent Congressman or requirements to speak English.” “beat whitey night” during the recent Wright County Egg company, owned by Leonard Boswell states, “We have to The “Compare the Candidates” Iowa State Fair. Jack DeCoster, a capitalist food produc- register those individuals who are in page is at http://data.desmoinesregis- Noting that “the police have had to er with a record of labor and food safety admit there is no evidence” that any violations. of their allegations about “racially mo- “The recent sickening of more than ‘Workers Power’ campaign tivated” African American youth are 1,000 people from salmonella-contami- true, Rosenfeld wrote, “The only part nated eggs, many traced to DeCosters’s Continued from front page Local areas have adopted more am- of this whole affair that clearly was ra- farms, highlights the need for working tant, as SWP candidates there run a bitious goals for the campaign over cially motivated was the demonization people to demand safe and healthy con- spirited election campaign to present a the past week. Quotas are now higher of young Black people by the police.” ditions for workers in the food industry working-class alternative. The Militant based on discussions about the politi- He continued, “The rush to judgment and products free of contamination and and the book are promoted as cam- cal openings to reach out to workers and the slanderous characterization of disease,” Williamson wrote. “This be- paign literature for any worker, farm- and youth, taking advantage of social- the fights during the state fair were a re- gins with union organizing.” er, or student who is interested in the ist election campaigns, and the fact flection of the mode of operation of the She ended, “Democratic and Repub- ideas of the candidates. Several inter- that many socialist workers are in big police.” lican administrations support capitalists national areas have also gotten off to factories with more coworkers who ex- “I have campaigned for governor contemptuous of workers rights and food a good start. press interest in working-class answers in Black communities in Des Moines, safety and can’t be relied upon to enforce to the capitalist crisis. Waterloo, and other areas of the state,” existing safety legislation. Working peo- One reader of the Militant, Rosenfeld added. “I have heard ac- ple need a labor party, based on a fight- campaign to sell Jay Rothermel, sent us a sug- counts of brutality, abuse, racial profil- ing union movement, which will act in gestion to offer to other read- ing, and discrimination carried out by the interests of the laboring majority.” ‘Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the ers to help in this campaign: Road to Workers Power’ & ‘Militant’ “I recently purchased the Workers Power book from Sept. 11–Nov. 9 (week 1) the Pathfinder Web site. It is Higher local quotas push up an exciting and very acces- ‘Workers Power’ books ‘Militant’ subscriptions sible book. I work in a call SWP fund goal to $98,000 Country quota sold % quota sold % center in Cleveland, Ohio. by tom fiske contributed to the fund the previous year UNITED STATES “The book cover sparked The Socialist Workers Party has have made higher pledges this fall. Des Moines 110 18 16% 125 14 11% a lot of comment in the break raised the goal for its fall party-build- The D.C. branch has announced a room. Most of my cowork- Chicago 130 12 9% 130 11 8% ing fund from $95,000 to $98,000. This fund meeting on October 9 featuring ers are young Black women. advance comes after party branches Róger Calero, the SWP candidate for New York 375 32 9% 325 29 9% After I finished the book, it adopted quotas that total $97,800— U.S. Congress in New York’s 15th began making the rounds. Twin Cities 100 8 8% 135 18 13% $2,700 more than the original goal. District. One coworker has borrowed Philadelphia 65 5 8% 75 17 23% The fund is organized to help finance Contributions to the fund can be it for the weekend already the work of the party to reach out to sent to SWP, 306 W. 37th St., 10th Houston 50 3 6% 50 9 18% and may purchase a copy of working-class struggles in the United floor, New York, NY 10018. Make out Miami 50 3 6% 65 7 11% her own. She found it easy to States and around the world. It began start reading because she be- checks to SWP. Los Angeles 135 6 4% 120 9 8% on September 11 and will continue un- gan with the captions in the til November 9. The fund runs concur- Boston 45 1 2% 65 8 12% many splendid photo sec- Party-building fund Atlanta 110 0 0% 140 15 11% tions, which emphasize a po- rently with a campaign by supporters litical understanding of what of the Militant newspaper to sell 1,800 Sept. 11–Nov. 9 San Francisco 130 0 0% 155 16 10% copies of Malcolm X, Black Liberation, the photos are depicting. City Quota Seattle 130 0 0% 140 7 5% and the Road to Workers Power by She was particularly moved Atlanta $7,800 Washington 145 0 0% 125 14 11% Jack Barnes and 2,100 subscriptions to by the photos of Black leg- Boston $3,600 Total U.S. 1575 88 6% 1650 174 11% islators in the South during the Militant. The fund depends on the Radical Reconstruction. ‘I contributions of workers and other sup- Chicago $10,000 UNITED KINGDOM didn’t know anything about porters of the communist movement. Des Moines, IA $2,700 London 90 18 20% 90 13 14% this. I really have to educate The Washington, D.C., SWP branch Houston $3,000 is setting an example of organizing to Edinburgh 25 4 16% 35 7 20% myself,’ she said. Los Angeles $8,000 make its quota of $7000. “We had a dis- “This book is a power- Miami $3,000 Total UK 115 22 19% 125 20 16% ful tool. My advice to those cussion and decided to reach out broadly to ask for contributions from working New York $20,000 Canada 50 13 26% 70 13 19% who have purchased their copy already is to take it to people,” said Omari Musa, a leader of Philadelphia $3,600 New Zealand 25 1 4% 60 9 15% work, be seen reading it, and the fund effort there. “Our members in San Francisco $13,500 be ready to hand it around. the factories have been selling copies of Seattle $8,600 Australia 25 3 12% 55 8 15% Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the What better reason is there Twin Cities, MN $7,000 to go to work?” Road to Workers Power to coworkers. Sweden 18 0 0% 22 1 5% Any readers who would They plan on following up with each Washington, D.C. $7,000 one to discuss the book and also ask for a Total 1808 127 7% 1982 225 11% like to help can contact a Total $97,800 distributor near them. They contribution to the party-building fund.” National goal $98,000 Should be 1800 225 13% 2100 263 13% are listed on page 8. Musa noted that many workers who had

4 The Militant October 4, 2010 on the picket line Teachers in New Zealand Airport workers in Israel march to press contract fight strike one day over pensions AUCKLAND, New Zealand— Airport workers at Ben-Gurion Chanting “When education is under International Airport in Israel con- attack, stand up, fight back,” 2,000 ducted a one-day strike September 13 teachers marched through central demanding that the government guar- Auckland September 15. Earlier in antee their pensions. The walkout oc- the day the teachers had distributed curred after talks between the general leaflets explaining their fight at street workers’ union, the Histradrut labor corners and shopping centers across federation, and the Israel Airports the city. In Wellington, the nation’s Authority failed to resolve the issue. capital, 1,000 teachers rallied outside “Workers feared the government Parliament. would raid their pension fund to cov- The actions were part of a nation- er other debts, including hundreds of wide, one-day strike by 16,000 public millions of dollars in compensation high school teachers from 450 schools. owed to people living near the airport Contract negotiations between their over noise complaints,” reported As- union, the Post Primary Teachers sociated Press. The Israeli Finance Association, and the government are Ministry announced that day a deal currently stalled. The teachers are had been reached. Finance and Trans-

demanding a 4 percent pay raise and port Ministries promised the workers Militant/Terry Coggan government action to limit increased that their pensions would be secure. Some 2,000 teachers march in Auckland, New Zealand, September 15 as part of nationwide class sizes and workloads. —Brian Williams one-day strike in fight for new contract without increases in class size and workloads. —Terry Coggan Cambodia: Garment workers strike over minimum wage U.S. government tightens noose around Iran Tens of thousands of garment Continued from front page to enrich uranium are having a big ef- shipments to Tehran last spring. In workers in Cambodia struck for three against Iran if it appears close to having fect. Forced to conduct financial trans- September the government announced days September 13–15 demanding nuclear weapon capacity. actions primarily through Asian banks, it was converting all the country’s pet- the minimum wage be raised to $93 a The Sunday Times of London report- Tehran suffered a big blow when both rochemical facilities into refineries to month. In July the government had set ed that the government of Saudi Arabia Japan and South Korea decided to en- produce gasoline to supply consumers, the wage at $61. Ken Loo, secretary has agreed to let Israeli bombers fly force sanctions. while oil for the strategic reserves will general of the Garment Manufactur- over its territory to attack nuclear sites Meanwhile, the government of the continue to be imported. ers’ Association, dismissed the work- in Iran. Washington is offering to sell United Arab Emirates (UAE) has cut Also in September the government ers’ demands as “impossible.” Riyadh up to $60 billion in F-15 com- off another source of trading for Tehran announced a ban on importing more According to Kong Athit, secretary bat jets, Apache attack helicopters, and by freezing the bank accounts of 41 Ira- than 40 different food items. According general of the Cambodian Labour Black Hawk troop transport helicopters. nian entities and individuals. “We have to the online Asia Times, in the last year Confederation, more than 68,000 “The deal has been put together in quiet also interdicted dozens of ships and in- milk and yogurt prices doubled, and workers from 53 factories struck on consultations with Israel,” reported the spected hundreds of shipments of Iran- chicken and lamb went up 75 percent. the first day. He also told the media New York Times. The paper pointed out bound cargos . . . and have coordinated Unemployment is at least 20 percent. that another 52,000 workers had been that with the weapons purchase come closely with American and international A senior cleric, Grand Ayatollah prevented by their employers from U.S. trainers. authorities,” the UAE ambassador to the Nasser Makarem-Shirazi, sharply criti- participating. Many others joined the Iranian military commanders contin- United States, Yousef Al Otaiba, de- cized the government September 10. walkout over the next couple of days. ue to argue that Iran can withstand any clared proudly. “Officials report every day that infla- The garment industry in Cambodia attack. “Every U.S. warship is within the The official stance of Iranian president tion has dropped but this is contrary to employs some 345,000 workers and reach of the coast-to-sea missiles of our Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah what people are witnessing,” Press TV accounts for more than 70 percent of armed forces,” Maj. Gen. Yahya Rahim Seyed Ali Khamenei, the clerical leader reported him saying. “If you give people the country’s exports. Safavi said September 17. of the country, is that sanctions have no false figures about inflation, they will In a similar development, millions “The one who’s bluffing is Iran, effect. “Even if the U.S. administration not turn pessimistic about the facts on of textile workers in Bangladesh which is trying to play with cards they increases the sanctions . . . 100 times the ground; they will become pessimis- walked out in August, reported the don’t have,” said Daniel Ayalon, Israel’s more . . . we in Iran are in a position to tic about your figures.” Financial Times. The workers were deputy foreign minister. “All the bra- meet our own requirements,” Ahma- Former Iranian president Akbar Hash- demanding the minimum wage be set vado that we see and the testing and the dinejad told NBC News September 15. emi Rafsanjani gave a speech attacking at $73 a month, up from $43. very dangerous and harsh rhetoric are But at the same time Tehran is taking Ahmadinejad September 14. “Through- —Brian Williams hiding a lot of weaknesses.” radical steps in its economy. Iran lacks out the revolution we never had so many Sanctions levied against Iran by the sufficient refining capacity to produce sanctions and I am calling on you and all United Nations, Washington, and major enough of its own fuel and several ma- officials to take the sanctions seriously for further reading European governments for continuing jor foreign suppliers of gasoline stopped and not as jokes,” he said. New International no. 12 Capitalism’s 25, 50, and 75 years ago Long Hot Winter Has Begun by Jack Barnes October 4, 1985 October 3, 1960 October 5, 1935 U.S. Federal Judge F. Owen Eagan An unscrupulous maneuver by the The armies of Italian Fascism, af- Today’s sharp- has denied bail to Hilton Fernández Democratic party to restrict the [New ter months of deliberate preparation, ening interim- and Luis Colón, two of the 13 Puerto York] state ballot to the two capital- have now launched their attack upon perialist con- Rican independence activists arrested ist parties received a decided setback the Ethiopian peoples. Driven by the flicts are fueled in recent FBI raids in Puerto Rico, the yesterday when the office of the Sec- intolerable strains of internal social by the opening United States, and Mexico. retary of State in Albany upheld the and economic contradictions, Mus- stages of what The judge cited the 1984 Bail Reform independent nominating petition for solini and the Italian bourgeoisie seek will be decades Act, which restricts the right to bail for the presidential ticket of the Socialist a solution in open imperialist aggres- of economic, those the U.S. government considers Workers party. sion against the last of the indepen- financial, and “dangerous.” Eleven of these activists The challenges were made by Mon- dent nations of Africa. $16 social convul- were arrested in a paramilitary FBI at- roe Goldwater of New York, Chair- The outbreak of war in Africa demon- sions and class battles. Class- tack in Puerto Rico on August 30. man of the Democratic State Legal strates that the conflicts of world impe- struggle-minded working Some 200 FBI agents entered Puerto Commission. rialism have reached the stage of armed people must face this historic Rico, raiding 38 homes and offices of Despite the fact that the SWP filed struggle for a re-making of boundaries, turning point and draw sat- independence activists. 23,197 signatures, nearly twice the and a re-division of territories and co- isfaction from being “in their All were charged with participating in 12,000 required by law and more lonial possessions. The war in Ethiopia face” as we chart a revolution- the $7 million robbery of a Wells Fargo than doubled the requirement of 50 must be understood as the prelude to the ary course to confront it. armored truck in Connecticut in 1983. signatures from each of 61 counties new imperialist world war. The U.S. government claims that these in the state, Goldwater charged that The Workers Party calls for the de- activists are members of the Machet- neither minimum requirement was fense of the Ethiopian peoples against pathfinderpress.com eros, a pro-independence organization. met. Italian aggression.

The Militant October 4, 2010 5 Conditions decline for all workers as crisis deepens

Below is an excerpt from the recent- hind bars. Altogether some 14 percent ly published book Malcolm X, Black of Black men in their twenties were in Liberation, and the Road to Workers jail or prison at some point in 2004. Power, by Jack Barnes, national sec- The numbers soar when you add in retary of the Socialist Workers Party. those on parole, probation, or doing The excerpt is from the chapter titled “community service.” “The Cosmopolitan ‘Meritocracy’ At the same time, in the years since and the Changing Class Structure of 1980 there has also been a threefold the Black Nationality.” Copyright © increase in the imprisonment rate of 2009 by Pathfinder Press. Reprinted white men in their twenties. Three by permission. times greater. Working people in the United AP/Adam Lau by jack barnes States, especially those with the low- Jobs fair at Los Angeles Mission in June. “Working people in the United States, especially those with the lowest incomes,” said Barnes, “are being hit by the disastrous consequences of the The gap in economic and social est incomes, are also being hit hard rulers’ drive over the past quarter of a century to float their rate of profit on a sea of debt.” conditions between workers who are by the disastrous consequences of white and those who are Black has the rulers’ drive over the past quar- tal accumulation, the rulers have held toilers in the semicolonial world. narrowed since the 1960s. But not ter century to float their rate of profit back expenditures for the expansion Since the mid-1980s, Washington because times have gotten better for on a sea of debt, in which we are left of productive capacity and large- has not only flushed trillions of dollars most African Americans. The reason to drown. With real wages slowly scale employment of labor. In order to into the banks but throughout the im- is that wages and living standards declining throughout this period, it counter this stagnation, the political perialist financial system has encour- have declined for a growing majority became more and more difficult for servants of the propertied rulers in the aged a degree of leverage that would of workers of all skin colors. workers to cover the cost of basic White House and Congress—Demo- make Las Vegas blush. The U.S. rul- While the rate of births to unwed necessities without relying on credit. crats and Republican alike—together ers have intervened continually in teenagers has risen sharply among This has reached the point in recent with the Federal Reserve Board, have world markets to keep interest rates both whites and African Americans years where growing numbers of us expanded the use of credit on a mas- at historically low levels. In combina- since the 1960s, for example, the gap have little or nothing left at the end sive scale. They have done so not only tion, these measures have kept banks between young women who are Black of the month to pay off interest and by increasing the amount of funds on in the United States awash with funds and those who are white has dropped principal on loans. We simply can’t loan to previously unheard-of levels, they needed to lend in order to boost from a twelvefold difference to about pay the bills. but also by spreading the use of credit their profit rates above those of com- two to one today. deep into the working class, including petitors worldwide. The result has A comparable driving down of the Fettering working people with debt those with the lowest incomes. As the been a cascade of bank-driven “debt conditions facing all working people, How did this situation come about? old Tennessee Ernie Ford song goes, crises.” Among the earliest targets of with African Americans hit the hard- Since the late 1960s the capitalists many workers over the past century the banks were working farmers in the est, is registered in the colossal increase have confronted pressure on their av- and more have “owed our souls to the United States and the governments of in the size of the U.S. prison popula- erage profit rate, which has gradually company store,” but never before in oppressed nations across the Ameri- tion over the past three decades. As of been trending down. The first post- history has such debt spread its entan- cas, Africa, and Asia—who were in- 2005 more than 700 U.S. residents out 1930s worldwide recession occurred gling roots so widely throughout the creasingly pushed toward default, and, of every 100,000 were in prison or jail in 1974–75. In face of this more than working class as in recent years. Nor in the case of farmers, into foreclosure in this country. With only 5 percent three-decade-long slowdown in capi- so extensively throughout layers of and the loss of the land they tilled. of the world’s population, the United States holds nearly 25 percent of all prisoners on earth—more than 2.2 million people! The highest incarcera- Cop interrogations force false confessions tion rate of any country in the world— BY seth galinsky University of Virginia law professor 16 years in prison, explained that be- yes, any country! And if you sum up Since 1989 more than 250 people Brandon Garrett. lieving “in the criminal justice system all those behind bars, on parole, or on who were convicted of crimes in “False confessions do not happen and being fearful for myself, I told probation, the total comes to more than the United States have been exoner- simply by happenstance,” Garrett them what they wanted to hear.” 7 million people—more than 3 percent ated by post-conviction DNA testing. concludes. “They are carefully con- According to Garrett, pressures of the adult U.S. population. Forty-two of them had “confessed.” structed during an interrogation and brought on the accused ranged from The largest increase has been Sixty percent of those exonerated are then reconstructed during any crimi- “threats combined with offers of leni- among African Americans. Some Black. nal trial that follows.” ency, to threats of physical force. Many 577,000 Blacks were in prison or jail “How could innocent people con- Garrett details how cops feed facts described harrowing interrogations in 2005, a 58 percent increase just vincingly confess to crimes they to the accused to get them to make lasting many hours or days.” This was since 1990. Black men are eight times knew nothing about?” asks a recent statements that will stand up in court. sometimes combined with denial of more likely than white men to be be- article in the Stanford Law Review by While the Virginia law professor food or sleep deprivation. In almost all states that police who obtain false of these 42 cases, the defendants later confessions “may not have done so asked the court to suppress the confes- intentionally or recklessly,” the facts sions. Each time the judge refused. Special offer he cites tell a different story. To get a person to confess, the cops Some of the confessions were sometimes falsely stated they already Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and wrung from the accused before they had physical evidence or eyewitness were informed of their Miranda right testimony proving the person was the Road to Workers Power by Jack Barnes to remain silent. The cops claimed the guilty. That was the case in the 1989 “This is a book about the dictatorship of interrogations were being conducted “Central Park Jogger” case where five teenagers were framed up on charges capital and the road to the dictatorship before the person was officially in their custody. of raping and beating a woman. Their of the proletariat. A book about the last One of the cases described is the convictions were overturned in 2002. century and a half of class struggle in the frame-up conviction of Jeffrey Des- Garrett provides proof in case after United States—from the Civil War and kovic, 17 at the time, for rape and case how the cops, once they forced Radical Reconstruction to today—and the murder. Deskovic “was interrogated an admission of guilt, worked, and unimpeachable evidence it offers that work- for hours over multiple sessions, in- reworked, the statements to tell the ers who are Black will comprise a dispro- cluding a session in which police had story they needed for conviction. portionately weighty part of the ranks and a tape recorder, but turned it on and In the latest case, Phillip Bivens leadership of the mass social movement that off” whenever it suited them, the ar- was freed from prison in Hattiesburg, will make a proletarian revolution. . . .” ticle says. Mississippi, September 16 after 30 DNA tests conducted before the years in prison for a rape and murder trial provided strong evidence that he did not commit. DNA evidence Available for only $15 Deskovic was not involved. The dis- exonerated Bivens and two codefen- or for $10 with Militant trict attorney told the jury to ignore dants, one of whom died in prison. subscription from one of the the DNA evidence. Bivens had confessed after he was distributors listed on page 8. Deskovic, who is suing for viola- told he could get the death penalty if tions of his civil rights after spending he did not plead guilty. PathfinderPress.com 6 The Militant October 4, 2010 ‘Spending beyond income jeopardizes revolution’ Raúl Castro explains Cuba’s economic challenges to communist youth congress

The following is an excerpt from an lation, instead of depending so much on address by Cuban president Raúl Cas- importing products that could be grown tro to the closing session of the Ninth in Cuba. Congress of the Union of Young Com- Without people feeling the need to munists (UJC) in Havana April 4. The work to be able to live—if they are pro- speech addresses challenges in forging tected by excessively paternalistic and proletarian leaders from the youngest irrational state regulations—we will generations in Cuba today, cadres who never be able to encourage the love of lead by example, imbued with habits of work or solve the chronic shortage of discipline and self-sacrifice. construction, farm, and industrial work- In the excerpt printed here Castro fo- ers; teachers; police; and other indis- cuses on the centrality of confronting the pensable trades that little by little have country’s economic challenges, which been disappearing. are made ever more difficult today by Without a firm and systematic social the combined effects of Washington’s rejection of illegal activities and various decades-long embargo and the world displays of corruption, more than a few capitalist depression. Detailed informa- will continue to enrich themselves on tion on Cuba’s economic situation was the sweat of the majority while spread- distributed to 30,000 members of the ing attitudes that directly attack the es- UJC following discussion on these mat- sence of socialism. AP/Prensa Latina/Ismael Francisco ters in the Communist Party leadership, If we keep inflated payrolls in nearly Cuban president Raúl Castro addresses Union of Young Communists in Havana, April 4. National Assembly of People’s Power, every field of national life and pay wages and various levels of government. that have no connection to results, in- As we have already explained, that is the is the same thing, the destruction of the We print this selection as major capi- creasing the amount of money in circu- only reason why we decided to postpone revolution. talist dailies have been featuring articles lation, we cannot expect that prices will for a few months the celebration of the More than half a century of perma- on recent decisions by the Cuban gov- stop their constant climb, which reduces Party Congress and the National Con- nent combat has taught our people that ernment to implement aspects of the people’s purchasing power. We know that ference that will precede it. hesitation is synonymous with defeat. economic course Raúl Castro outlines. government departments and govern- This is the biggest and most impor- We will never yield to blackmail from Through combination of deliberate ment-funded enterprises have hundreds tant challenge we face in order to en- any country or group of nations, no mat- misrepresentation, reporters’ ignorance, of thousands of workers in excess; some sure the continuity of the work built in ter how powerful they might be, and re- and wishful thinking, the articles have analysts estimate that there are more these five decades, that our youth have gardless of the consequences. We have invariably presented these necessary than one million excess positions. This is assumed with full responsibility and the right to defend ourselves. Let them moves by the Cuban government as mo- a very sensitive issue that we should face conviction. The theme of this Congress know that if they try to pen us in, we tion toward capitalist restoration. Raúl firmly and with political sense. is “Everything for the Revolution,” and know how to defend ourselves, first of Castro’s speech, however, makes clear that means, foremost, strengthening and all with truth and principles. Once again they are part of a working-class trajec- ‘Will not leave anyone defenseless’ consolidating the national economy. . . . we will be firm, calm, and patient. Our tory aimed at maintaining the proletar- The revolution will not leave anyone Cuban youth are called upon to take history is rich in such examples! . . . ian revolution and defending it against defenseless. It will strive to create the over from the generation that estab- its class enemies led by Washington. necessary conditions for every Cuban lished the revolution. Leading the great Effects of Soviet Union’s collapse Translation and headings are by the to have a decent job, but this does not strength of the masses requires a van- More recently, the Cuban people gave Militant. mean that the state will take charge of guard that convinces and mobilizes on an indelible example of their capacity for resistance and their self-confidence  placing everyone in a job after they re- the basis of authority that comes from ceived several work offers. The citizens personal example; led by firm, capable, when, as a result of the demise of the By Raúl Castro themselves should be the ones most in- and prestigious leaders; real leaders, socialist camp and the disintegration of Today, more than ever before, the eco- terested in finding socially useful work. not improvised ones, who have passed the Soviet Union, Cuba suffered a 35 nomic battle is the main task and the fo- In summary, to continue spending through the irreplaceable forge of the percent drop in its gross domestic prod- cus of the ideological work of the cadres, beyond our income is tantamount to eat- working class where the most genuine uct; an 85 percent cut in its foreign trade; because the sustainability and preserva- ing up our future and jeopardizing the values of a revolutionary are cultivated. the loss of markets for its main exports tion of our social system depend on it. very survival of the revolution. Life has eloquently demonstrated the such as sugar, nickel, citrus, and others Without a sound and dynamic econ- We are facing realities that are not at dangers that come with violating that whose prices plummeted by half; the omy and without eliminating superflu- all pleasant, but we will not close our principle. loss of credits on favorable terms with ous expenses and waste, it will not be eyes to them. We are convinced that we Fidel said it clearly in his closing re- the subsequent interruption of numer- possible to raise the living standard of need to break away from dogmas and marks at the 2nd UJC Congress, on ous crucial investments like the first nu- the population nor preserve and improve firmly and confidently take on the on- April 4, 1972, and I quote: clear power station and the Cienfuegos the high levels of education and health going upgrading of our economic model “No one will learn to swim on the Refinery; the collapse of transportation, care guaranteed to every citizen free of in order to lay the foundations of the ground, and no one will walk on the sea. construction, and agriculture with the charge. irreversibility of Cuban socialism and A man is shaped by his environment; a instant loss of the supply of spare parts, Without an efficient and robust ag- its development, which we know is the man is made by his own life, by his own fertilizer, feed, and raw material for in- riculture that we can develop with the guarantee of our national sovereignty activity.” dustry, which caused the shutdown of resources available to us—without and independence. And he concluded: “It is by creating hundreds and hundreds of factories and dreaming of the large allocations of the I know that some comrades some- that we shall learn to respect what work led to the sudden quantitative and quali- past—we can’t hope to maintain and in- times get impatient and wish for imme- creates. We shall teach respect for those tative deterioration of food supplies for crease the amount of food for the popu- diate changes in many areas. Of course, goods by teaching how to create them.” our people to levels below those recom- I mean those who do this without any in- This idea that he stated 38 years ago, mended for adequate nutrition. tention of playing the enemy’s game. We and that was surely received with an We all suffered those warm summers Cuba and the Coming understand those concerns that, general- ovation by that congress, is another clear of the first half of the 1990s, when the ly, stem from a lack of understanding of example of things we agree to but then blackouts exceeded 12 hours a day due American Revolution the magnitude of the work ahead of us, do not carry out. . . . to the lack of fuel for electrical genera- by Jack Barnes of its depth, and of the complexity of the Meanwhile, it would seem that the tion. And, while all this was happening, The Cuban Revolution interrelations between the different ele- standard-bearers of the so-much-trum- scores of Western press agencies, some of 1959 had a ments of society’s functioning that need peted freedom of the press have forgot- of them with unconcealed jubilation, worldwide political to be modified. ten that the economic and trade block- were sending their correspondents to impact, including on workers and youth in the Those who ask us to advance more ade against Cuba and all of its inhumane Cuba with the intention of getting the imperialist heartland. rapidly should bear in mind the series of effects on our people is in full force and first reports of the final defeat of the As the proletarian- issues that we are studying, of which I is being intensified; that the current revolution. based struggle for Black have mentioned only a few today. In try- U.S. administration has not stopped in Amidst this dramatic situation, no one rights was advancing in the U.S., the social ing to solve a problem, we should avoid the least its support to subversion; that was left to their own fate; the strength transformation fought causing a greater one as a result of haste the unfair, discriminatory, and med- stemming from the unity of the people for and won by Cuban or improvisation. With regards to issues dling common position adopted by the when they defend just ideas and works toilers set an example that of strategic importance for the life of the European Union, sponsored at the time built with so much sacrifice was evi-   $10 socialist revolution is not dent. Only a socialist regime, despite its Also available in only necessary—it can be entire nation we cannot let ourselves be by the U.S. government and the Spanish French, Spanish made and defended. carried away by emotion and act with- right wing, is still in force demanding deficiencies, can successfully pass such Pathfinderpress.com out the necessary comprehensiveness. regime change in our country, or what a gigantic test.

The Militant October 4, 2010 7 Sankara: ‘We are heirs of the world’s revolutions’ Below is an excerpt from We Are us in doing away with aid. But in gen- Heirs of the World’s Revolutions. The eral, welfare and aid policies have only Spanish edition is one of Pathfinder’s ended up disorganizing us, subjugating Books of the Month for September. us, and robbing us of a sense of respon- The book contains several speeches by sibility for our own economic, political, Thomas Sankara, who led the 1983–87 and cultural affairs. We chose to risk revolution in Burkina Faso. In Oc- new paths to achieve greater well-be- tober 1984 Sankara addressed the ing. We chose to apply new techniques. United Nations General Assembly. His We chose to look for forms of orga- presentation, which is excerpted here, nization better suited to our civiliza- explains how the peasants and work- tion, flatly and definitively rejecting all ers of this West African country estab- forms of outside diktats, in order to lay lished a popular revolutionary gov- the foundations for achieving a level of ernment and began to fight the hunger, dignity equal to our ambitions. Refus- illiteracy, and economic backward- ing to accept a state of survival, easing ness imposed by imperialist domina- the pressures, liberating our country- tion. Copyright © 2002 by Pathfinder side from medieval stagnation or even Press. Reprinted by permission. Margaret A. Novicki/Africa Report regression, democratizing our society, Literacy class in Kamboince, Burkina Faso, March 1986. In the former Upper Volta the opening minds to a world of collective illiteracy rate was 98 percent. “The diagnosis was clearly somber,” stated Sankara. “The root of the disease was political. The treatment could only be political.” responsibility in order to dare to invent Books of the future. Shattering the administra- the minds of others. We had to give an its significance, or raise demands in the tive apparatus, then rebuilding it with a ideological soul to the just struggles of interests of our people. new kind of government employee, im- the month our popular masses as they mobilized In his book, Le Sahel demain [The mersing our army in the people through against the monster of imperialism. Sahel of tomorrow], Jacques Giri, with productive labor and reminding it con- by thomas sankara The passing revolt, the simple brush- a good deal of common sense, analyzes stantly that without patriotic political We had to take the leadership of the fire, had to be replaced forever with a table published in 1983 by the Sahel education, a soldier is only a potential peasant revolts, signs of which were the revolution, the permanent struggle Club, and draws the conclusion that be- criminal. Such is our political program. visible in a countryside that is panic- against all forms of domination. cause of its nature and the mechanisms On the level of economic manage- stricken by the advancing desert, ex- Others have explained before me, in place, aid to the Sahel helps only with ment, we’re learning to live modestly, hausted by hunger and thirst, and aban- and others will explain after me, the bare survival. Thirty percent of this aid, to accept and impose austerity on doned. We had to give meaning to the extent to which the chasm has wid- he stresses, serves simply to keep the ourselves in order to be able to carry brewing revolt of the idle urban mass- ened between the affluent peoples Sahel alive. According to Jacques Giri, out ambitious projects. . . . es, frustrated and weary of seeing lim- and those who aspire only to eat their the only goal of this foreign aid is to To all of you listening to me, allow ousines driving the elites around, elites fill, quench their thirst, survive, and continue developing nonproductive sec- me to say: I speak not only on behalf that were out of touch, succeeding one preserve their dignity. But no one tors, saddling our meager budgets with of my beloved Burkina Faso, but also another at the helm of state while offer- can imagine to what extent “the poor unbearably heavy expenditures, disor- on behalf of all those who are in pain ing the urban masses nothing but false man’s grain” in our countries “has ganizing our countryside, widening our somewhere. solutions elaborated and conceived by fattened the rich man’s cow”! balance of trade deficit, and accelerat- I speak on behalf of the millions of In the case of the former Upper Volta, ing our indebtedness. human beings who are in ghettos be- the process was even more striking. We Just a few images to describe the cause they have black skin or because SeptemberBooks represented a wondrous condensation, former Upper Volta: 7 million inhabit- they come from different cultures, of the Month the epitome of all the calamities that ants, with over 6 million peasants; an and who enjoy a status barely above have ever befallen the so-called devel- infant mortality rate estimated at 180 that of an animal. PATHFINDER oping countries. The example of foreign per 1,000; an average life expectancy I suffer on behalf of the Indians who

READERS CLUB 25% aid, presented as a panacea and often limited to 40 years; an illiteracy rate have been massacred, crushed, hu- discount SPECIALS heralded without rhyme or reason, bears of up to 98 percent, if we define as lit- miliated, and confined for centuries on eloquent witness to this fact. Very few erate anyone who can read, write, and reservations in order to prevent them Nous sommes les héritiers countries have been inundated like mine speak a language; 1 doctor for 50,000 from aspiring to any rights and to pre- des révolutions du monde with all kinds of aid. Theoretically, this inhabitants; 16 percent of school-age vent them from enriching their culture (We are heirs of the world’s revolutions) by Thomas Sankara aid is supposed to work in the interests youth attending school; and, finally, through joyful union with other cultures, In five speeches Sankara, leader of of our development. In the case of what a per capita Gross Domestic Product including the culture of the invader. the 1983–87 revolution in Burkina was formerly Upper Volta, one searches of 53,356 CFA francs, or barely more I cry out on behalf of those thrown Faso, discusses the challenges facing in vain for a sign of anything having to than 100 U.S. dollars. out of work by a system that is struc- the popular revolutionary govern- do with development. The men in pow- The diagnosis was clearly somber. turally unjust and periodically un- ment in overcoming the legacy of decades of imperialist domination. er, either out of naiveté or class selfish- The root of the disease was political. hinged, who are reduced to only $10. Special price: $7.50 ness, could not or would not take control The treatment could only be political. glimpsing in life a reflection of the of this influx from abroad, understand Of course, we encourage aid that aids lives of the affluent. Teamster Rebellion by Farrell Dobbs $19. Special price: $14.25 if you like this paper, look us up Nothing Can Stop the Course of History Where to find distributors of the MINNESOTA: Minneapolis: 1311 1/2 CANADA by Fidel Castro Militant, New International, and a full E. Lake St. Zip: 55407. Tel: (612) 729-1205. QUEBEC: Montreal: 7107 St. Denis $22. Special price: $16.50 display of Pathfinder books. E-mail: [email protected] #204 H2S 2S5. Tel: (514) 272-5840. E-mail: [email protected] By Any Means Necessary UNITED STATES NEW YORK: Manhattan: 306 W. 37th by Malcolm X St., 10th Floor. Zip: 10018. Tel: (212) 629- CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles: 4025 S. 6649. E-mail: [email protected] FRANCE In 11 speeches and interviews, Western Ave. Zip: 90062. Tel: (323) 295- Malcolm X presents a revolu- Paris: P.O. 175, 23 rue Lecourbe. 2600. E-mail: [email protected] San PENNSYLVANIA: Philadelphia: 3701 Postal code: 75015. 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In the last two years the city has cut more than $400 relief from unemployment and an end to cutbacks in Union officials organizing the October 2 marches million in spending. Many city workers’ wages have social services. You can help campaign at these ac- hope to turn them into rallies for the election of Demo- been cut through unpaid holidays, mandatory unpaid tions with Socialist Workers Party candidates and crats in November, to convince workers to join with furloughs, reductions in health care, and compensat- their supporters, reaching out to demonstrators with them in hustling votes for capitalist politicians. For ing overtime work with extra time off instead of pay. the book Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road vanguard workers, on the other hand, October 2 offers Dozens of working people spoke at the hearing to Workers Power, by Jack Barnes, and with a special a chance to talk with thousands of unionists and other held at the North Grand High School. Several ar- subscription offer to the Militant. workers about how the economic crisis is rooted in gued for the city to redirect its priorities to qual- The October 2 demonstrations, called by the the profit system and why the revolutionary overturn ity affordable housing, especially for the elderly. NAACP and major trade unions, demand jobs, jus- of capitalist rule and the conquest of state power by Others spoke of the need to improve city-funded tice, and education. Workers will be marching be- the working class is needed. As Barnes writes in the mental health facilities, which have deteriorated cause capitalism’s depression is continuing to hammer Workers Power book, “that new state power provides because of budget cuts in recent years. them, and the government is taking no measures to working people the mightiest weapon possible to wage “The proposals these Democratic and Republican reverse the loss of jobs and social services. The lat- the ongoing battle to end Black oppression and every party politicians are making for job combinations and est U.S. Census Bureau statistics underscore this: by form of exploitation and human degradation.” reductions in city services show that the living stan- the government’s own contrived figures poverty in the Join in the effort! Contact Militant distributors near- dards, wages, and working conditions of Chicago’s working-age population in the United States increased est you (see page 8) or look for the SWP campaign working class are not their priorities,” Hawkins said. in 2009 to its highest level in almost 50 years—one out table at the October 2 demonstrations. “They try to convince us that their spending pro- posals are in the interests of everyone. But that’s not true. Their priorities are in the interests of one class— the capitalist class—and not in the inter- ests of our class—the working class,” emphasized Poverty up as recession’s end announced Hawkins. “That’s why about 20 percent of their Continued from front page own income, their poverty rate would be 44.2 per- $3.4 billion budget goes to service the debt owed to access to various social benefits. cent,” said David Johnson, chief of the Housing and a tiny handful of bondholders. The economic crisis has hit Blacks and Latinos Household Economic Statistics Division of the U.S. “We need a labor party, based on a fighting hardest. More than a quarter of African Americans Census Bureau. The rate falls to 17 percent when union movement, that puts workers’ interests first. and Latinos live below the government’s poverty based on the resources of all household members. That’s a course toward taking political power from line. More than one-third of those labeled as living in Close to half of the households in the United States the capitalists who exploit us. poverty are children. Almost 40 percent of families have someone receiving government benefits such as “The Socialist Workers Party urges the union move- headed by single women now live in poverty—more Social Security, subsidized housing, or unemploy- ment and all working people to join us in demanding: than half of the 6.6 million families counted as poor. ment—the highest percentage ever recorded. The No cuts in city services; No layoffs of city workers; The situation for female-headed households has number of people receiving food stamps increased 45 Give city workers back the 24 furlough days; Hands worsened since the passage of the 1996 Personal Re- percent in the past two years. off the pensions of city workers.” sponsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Food pantries around the country report an in- In response to Hawkins’s comments on the fur- Act, during the presidency of William Clinton. The crease in those requesting help. Approximately one lough days, several workers in the audience ex- law eliminated Aid to Families with Dependent Chil- and a half million people in New York City rely on claimed, “That’s right!” Many applauded after he dren and put a lifetime limit of five years on welfare food pantries, soup kitchens, and federal food stamps finished speaking. Several stopped to take campaign payments a family could receive. This was the big- in order to get enough to eat. literature and buy copies of the Militant as they left gest success to date in the U.S. government’s effort to The Census Bureau is now planning to change the the hearing. erode Social Security and other measures fought for way poverty figures are calculated, claiming this will The morning before the hearing the socialist candi- and won by working people from the labor struggles create “an improved understanding of the economic date joined a picket line and rally outside state attorney of the 1930s to the civil rights battles of the 1960s. well-being of American families.” The government general Lisa Madigan’s office demanding immediate While acknowledging the increase in poverty, will start counting food stamps and tax credits as in- hearings for 23 African American and Latino men in President Barack Obama claimed that because of his come under the new rules. Almost 8 million addition- Illinois prisons convicted on the basis of false confes- policies “millions of Americans were kept out of pov- al people would have been removed from the poverty sions extracted from them by cop torturers. erty last year.” figures in 2009 if the new methods had been used. Millions of workers were kept out of the poverty The decision to recalculate how to measure poverty statistics—because they moved in with their parents is similar to the Clinton administration’s 1994 move or other families and were included in the total house- to only count those unemployed workers who had L.A. cop brutality hold income. been looking for a job for less than a year as part Continued from front page The number of multifamily households increased of the workforce. With this measure, he was able to a busy street corner on a Sunday afternoon. dramatically in the last year. “If the poverty status erase millions of jobless workers from the official The day after the shooting hundreds of residents of related subfamilies were determined by only their unemployment figures. gathered and marched to the Ramparts police station in protest. The police responded in full riot gear, and attacked demonstrators. Hernandez and two other cops claimed they had Tea party gains unnerve ruling parties been called because a man was threatening people Continued from front page “Labor leaders, alarmed at a possible Republican with a knife, and that Hernandez fired when Jamines neous grouping, its supporters often rail against takeover of one or both houses of Congress, promise raised a knife and moved toward him. Ana, a school the Republican “establishment” as much as they to devote a record amount of money and manpower to cafeteria worker who only gave her first name to the do against the Democrats. “George W. Bush and helping Democrats stave off disaster,” the New York media, said she saw the shooting from across the street. many incumbents, including President Obama, are Times wrote September 17. Jamines “had nothing in his hands,” she insisted. the reason we even have the Tea Party movement,” “The problem for us is to really re-excite the rank Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa vigorously defended said Fox news commentator Andrea Tantaros, a tea and file to the greatest degree possible,” Gerald McEn- the cops. “We’ve got to go through an investigation,” party proponent. She complained that Bush was re- tee, president of the American Federation of State, he said. “But when it’s all said and done, I’ll guarantee sponsible for “open borders, tax cuts that expire, County and Municipal Employees, told the Times, you what’s going to come out is that these guys are Medicare Part D, and busted budgets.” noting that union members were “disappointed” at the heroes, and I stand by them.” Paladino’s “combative style” has unnerved his op- lack of government action, “especially to create jobs.” “The cops definitely do not ‘protect’ the commu- ponents. Paladino challenged Democratic gubernato- “We heard everything was going to change,” Mike nity. They do the opposite. They abuse the law,” said rial nominee Andrew Cuomo to “come out and debate DeGasperis, a steelworker from Martins Ferry, Ohio, Danny Cruz, 23, a restaurant worker who lives a few like a man.” Cuomo, so far, has skirted Paladino’s told the Times, referring to the election of Obama. “But blocks from where Jamines was killed. “The media is challenge. there hasn’t been much change and the unemployment using this as another opportunity to criminalize His- “I’ve been saying everything you just said from the is still bad and the area we live in is still really de- panics.” beginning of this campaign,” Cuomo told the New pressed.” He said he had not decided which candidates Eleanor García, Socialist Workers Party candidate York Post, referring to Paladino’s economic propos- he will support. for U.S. Congress in District 33, has joined the rallies als. “You’re going to have to cut the programs because Union officials and the NAACP are pulling out and vigils to protest the killing by police. “The capital- you’re not going to be able to pay the amount.” the stops for the October 2 march for “jobs, justice, ist politicians defend the cops and the entire ‘justice’ Some Democratic Party tops are hoping that the and education” they have called for Washington, D.C. system that they use to punish and control working fracture lines in the Republican Party will bolster their They hope the event will convince unionists and other people,” she said in a campaign statement. “Police chances in the November elections. But many union workers to get out the vote for the Democrats. March brutality is inherent in their system. officials and others see the tea party successes as a organizers say they are expecting hundreds of thou- “Working people need to mobilize to demand threat to the Democrats too. sands to turn out for the action. the jailing of these killer cops!”

The Militant October 4, 2010 9