Antidraft Conference Backs Labor March .On Harrisburg, Pa
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FEBRUARY 27, 1981 75 CENTS VOLUME 45/NUMBER 7 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY /PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WORKING PEOPLE Antidraft conference backs labor march .on Harrisburg, Pa. -PAGE 3 Militant/ Agnes 1,200 people attended Detroit antidraft conference February 13-15. Right, part of audience during standing ovation for representative of El Salvador's Revolution ary Democratic Front. Inspiration for Young Rebels Today MALCOLM X -PAGE 14 In Our Opinion VOLUME 45/NUMBER 7 FEBRUARY 27, 1981 CLOSING NEWS DATE-FEB. 18 promised pie in the sky in 1985 (after his term Partly, this is simply sleight-of-hand. expires): 13 million new jobs, an 8 percent "Although the Sandinist leaders have pub increase in real wages, a balanced budget, and licly denied such a role," says Riding, "they rapid economic growth. Workers know what have reportedly told Salvadoran guerrillas in such promises are worth. private that ·they could not risk a permanent Reagan's bipartisan congressional audience cut-off of American economic aid by providing applauded the most openly reactionary parts support for a new offensive" (emphasis added). of Reagan's speech. These well-fed crooks were To give added weight to predictions of doom particularly ecstatic over his promise to deeply for the Salvadoran guerillas, Riding quotes cut the food stamp program. Nicaragua's Interior Minister Thomas Borge The Republican and Democratic legislators as agreeing that the offensive had failed. jumped to their feet to hail his description of Borge categorically denied having made any this antilabor, racist program as "our plan." It judgement at all on the military situation iii El is their plan, the plan of big business and its Salvador. parties. Riding quotes Borge as saying that Nicara gua favored a "political solution" in El Salva Reagan challenged critics to provide an dor. If true, this hardly constitutes pressure on alternative. He knows that the Republican and the Salvadoran fighters. They have long said Democratic officeholders neither can nor de they are open to such a solution. sire to do so. Neither the Nicaraguan people nor their But the working class isn't swallowing Rea leadership have retreated from their support to gan's poison. The fight against the big El Salvador. Their plan business program has already begun with the For example, the week of February 15, 1,120 call by major unions for a rally March 28 in volunteers setting out to help with the cotton and ours Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, against nuclear harvest agreed to donate their pay to a fund In a report to Congress February 18 Presi power, for jobs, and in solidarity with the for El Salvador. dent Reagan laid out proposals to escalate the United Mine Workers Union. In a statement to the Militant in Managua, attack on working people. Painting a picture of the Times slander was sharply attacked by The working-class alternative to Reagan's high unemployment, double-digit inflation, and Irving Davila, the representative of the Sandi proposals is simple: No to the war budget! falling real wages, he promised that all would nista National Liberation Front's Department Human needs before profits! be set right if his program was adopted. of International Relations. His "solution": deep cuts in social programs, "The position of our government toward El tax cuts that will further shift the burden of Salvador," Davila declared, "is solidarity, taxation onto the shoulders of working people, political and moral." and a massive increase in military spending. Media diversion Referring to Nicaragua's alleged call for a He proposed cuts in Medicaid, school negotiated settlement, Davila said, "Our lead lunches, education, and the Trade Adjustment on El Salvador ers have no reason to tell the Salvadorans how Assistance payments that help tide auto work The capitalist media is waging a divide-and to do things.... We have never suggested ers and steelworkers over layoffs. demoralize campaign against the revolution any kind of solution." The proposed cutbacks will hit Blacks and ary struggle in El Salvador and its supporters Nicaragua's solidarity, he emphasized, Latinos most savagely. The racist themes of internationally. "maintains itself in spite of all the pressures of , Reagan's propaganda were evident in his use North American imperialism." For instance, in a February 11 dispatch from of code words about "welfare," "fraud," and Nicaragua's real stand is a far cry from the Managua, New York Times correspondent "state's rights." cynical distortion passed along by Riding. It Alan Riding suggests that Nicaragua's revolu He proposed reducing government regula was summed up by Commander of the Revolu tionary government, alarmed by the suspen tion-that means further devastation of the tion Daniel Ortega February 13: "We are not sion of U.S. economic aid, is now pulling back environment and of workers' job safety. going to sell ourselves for bread or for $15 from solidarity with the Salvadoran liberation Despite campaign rhetoric about balancing million or a $1,000 million." fighters. the budget, a White House "fact sheet" admit Davila put his finger on the purpose of the ted that the national debt will rise $122 billion Four days later, in a report from Mexico Times reports: "This is a campaign to under in the next three fiscal years. City, Riding pronounced the "failure" of the mine confidence or split the solidarity groups." The main cause of this is the fast-rising revolutionary offensive against the Salva While Washington asserts that the revolu arms budget, which will make up 32 percent of doran dictatorship. He asserted that as a tionary offensive has "failed" in El Salvador, the budget (up from 24 percent) if Reagan has consequence, several Latin American govern it belies its own assertion by its hastily accel his way. ments are reconsidering their "previous uncon erated shipment of weapons to the beleaguered Reagan's budget will mean more inflation ditional support" to the Revolutionary Demo junta. and deeper economic difficulties for working cratic Front, which leads the insurgent forces Similarly, the antidraft and solidarity move people. in El Salvador. A careful reading shows no ments must accelerate their efforts to mobilize To make sacrifices more palatable, Reagan concrete evidence for the assertions . against stepped-up U.S. intervention. The Militant .Militant Highlights This Week Editors: CINDY J AQUITH ANDY ROSE Business Manager NANCY ROSENSTOCK 4 Grenadian leader attacked in Barbados Editori al Staff: Nan Bailey , Nelson Blackstock. Fred Feldman. Nelson Gonzalez, Will1am 6 Unionists hit company spying Gottlieb. Sue Hagen. Suzanne Ha1g. O sborne 7 Interview with Lockheed worker Hart. Diane Jacobs, Harry R1ng . Vivian Sahner. Pnsc1lla Schenk. Stu S1nger. 8 New premier in Poland Published weekly except two weeks in 21 Why militant feminist joined SWP August, the last week of December. 22 Support grows for Iranian socialist and the first Week of January by the 23 Nicaragua strengthens militias International Socialist Review Militant (ISSN 0026-3885), 14 Charl es 24 'Plain Dealer• publishes socialist view Guatemala: A People Awake Lane, New York, N.Y 10014. Tele An fbal Yanez describes the struggle for phone: Editorial Office. (212) 243- 7 Socialist Fund human rights and socialism against one of 6392; Business Office, (21 2) 929-3486. 23 Solidarity with Central the most repressive regimes in this world. Correspondence concerning sub America and Caribbean He traces the roots of this brutal scriptions or changes of address should be addressed to The Militant 25 The Great Society government and the revolutionary struggle By Any Means Necessary Business Office, 14 Charles Lane, What's Going On back to the events leading to the CIA New York, N.Y. 10014. 26 As I See It organized coup in 1954. Page 11. Second-class postage paid at New Our Revolutionary Heritage York, N.Y Subscriptions: U ·s $24.00 27 Letters a year, outside U.S. $30.00 By first If You Like This Paper . .. class mail: U.S , Canada, and Mexico 9-20 International Socialist Review $60.00. Write for airmail rates to all other countries. S1gned art1c les by co nt r~ b ut or s do not neces sarily represent the Mli1tanrs VIew s These are e• pressed m ed1tona1s 2 1,200 attend Detroit antidraft conference By Suzanne Haig war buildup!" "Fund human needs not I 1"\ .• .,,,.. ~ '\J ~ \J · ~ o_strich and i~ore the jobs fight of mil- DETROIT-Some 1,200 high school war!" and "U.S. out of El Salvador!" \ • '~~~-- . ~. ~ ~ hons of Amen cans. and college students, Blacks and Lati were cited as demands for the action in ·-- #\Jf1 . Iii · :'~ · ·~ . · .· . ·. "~e have_to tie together jobs with nos, trade unionists, and other antidraft the joint proposal. antldraft, w1th nuclear power, and all activists gathered here February 13-15 The conference also voted to build lo ' ~- ~..~ --\~~-'. .\· ~-\ t.~· ~.. '-\~ · ~ ~f\\· . \~1•.!. th~ other issues," he said to loud, sus- for the first National Antidraft Confer- cal antidraft actions April 4-11 and to ~ ate . ~ tamed applause. ence. Sponsored by the National Com participate in the national days of pro Bokeba Enjuenti, Detroit co-coordina mittee Against Registration and the · test against U.S. military involvement tor of the National Black Independent Draft (CARD), the conference was held in El Salvador, March 24 and April18, Political Party, was continually inter at Wayne State University. called by the U.S. Committee in Solidar rupted by cheers and applause. A proposal for action, jointly submit ity with the People of El Salvador. Addressing the struggle against the ted by Detroit CARD, national SANE, Opposition to U.S. military interven draft and for jobs in the Black communi the Young Socialist Alliance, the Young tion in El Salvador and solidarity with ty, he said, "We feel there is a direct re Workers Liberation League, and the De the workers and farmers in their strug lationship between economic recession, mocratic Socialist Organizing Commit gle against the murderous junta was a high unemployment, and the military tee, was overwhelmingly approved.