Koppel for NY Mayor!
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AUSTRALIA $1.50 · CANADA $1.50 · FRANCE 1.00 EURO · ICELAND KR100 · NEW ZEALAND $2.00 · SWEDEN KR10 · UK £.50 · U.S. $1.00 INSIDE How Washington imprisoned Japanese-Americans in World II — PAGE 6 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 69/NO. 15 APRIL 18, 2005 Iowa bosses Socialist Workers Party: use ‘no match’ letters to fire Koppel for N.Y. mayor! immigrant Socialists offer working-class alternative in 2005 elections BY PAUL PEDERSON meat packers NEW YORK—Martín Koppel, BY EDWIN FRUIT nominated as Socialist Workers Party AND KEVIN DWIRE candidate for mayor of New York City PERRY, Iowa—Working with the U.S. at an April 4 party conference here, Department of Homeland Security, the joined two dozen striking Westches- bosses at the Tyson slaughterhouse here ter County bus drivers and mechanics fi red or forced out some 40 workers dur- on their picket line the next day. He ing the last week of March. The company expressed support for the month- claimed that the Social Security numbers of long fi ght by members of Transport the meat packers—mostly immigrants from Workers Union Local 100, who are Mexico and Central America—could not be resisting the employer’s demand for verifi ed. Many have worked at the plant for high penalties for early retirement years. Some have children in local schools and increased employee payments for and own homes in the area. Many also have health-care coverage. families in their native countries that depend “You’re setting an example for other on the money these workers send home in working people who face similar as- order to survive. saults by the bosses,” Koppel told a Militant reporters interviewed a number group of pickets. “We need to be or- of meat packers here April 2 who described ganized in unions and use union power the company attack. to beat back these attacks on our job José Vera, originally from Mexico, has conditions and living standards. That’s worked in the United States for 10 years, right at the heart of what the Socialist about eight of them at the Perry plant. Workers campaign is about.” “Life here has gotten worse, much more Many of the strikers were eager difficult in recent years,” he said. “The to talk about their struggle with the company called me into the office and socialist campaigners and to exchange Militant/Willie Cotton said, ‘Is this you?’ referring to the Social ideas on a range of issues—from social Martín Koppel (left), just nominated as the Socialist Workers Party candidate for New York conditions in the semicolonial world City mayor in the November elections, joins April 5 picket line of bus drivers and mechanics Continued on Page 4 to the fact that they have confronted on strike against Liberty Lines/Bee-Line in Westchester County, New York. strikebreaking efforts by the local big-business media, politicians, and Wolfowitz as police. Socialist Workers launch campaigns across U.S. “We’re presenting a working-class World Bank head alternative to the Democrats, Repub- Atlanta: James Harris for Mayor Pittsburgh: Brian Taylor for Mayor* licans, and all other capitalist candi- dates,” Koppel said. Boston: Margaret Trowe for Mayor Seattle: Chris Hoeppner for Mayor* will push “The problem we face is capital- Laura Garza for City Council ism. It’s not a particular mayor, or Saint Paul, MN: Jacob Perasso for Mayor ‘Bush doctrine’ Cleveland: Romina Green for Mayor Rebecca Williamson for City Council a president, or one or another party. BY ARGIRIS MALAPANIS The problem is the profi t system it- Detroit: Ilona Gersh for Mayor The SWP will also nominate candidates for local U.S. deputy defense secretary Paul Wol- self, which is based on the rule of a or statewide offi ces in Craig, CO; Des Moines, New Jersey: Angela Lariscy for Governor* fowitz, one of the spokespeople for U.S. handful of billionaire families at the IA; Hazleton, PA; Miami; and Omaha, NE. imperialist foreign policy as reshaped expense of workers and farmers, who Michael Ortega for State Assembly District 28* *petitioning planned to win ballot status by the current administration—often produce all the wealth, along with New York City: Martín Koppel for Mayor* referred to as the “Bush doctrine”—was Continued on Page 3 unanimously confi rmed March 31 as the new president of the World Bank. NOW AVAILABLE! Wolfowitz will begin his fi ve-year term Miners build June 1, in a post that has always been held TWO NEW ISSUES OF ‘NEW INTERNATIONAL’ by a U.S. offi cial since the World Bank was New Mexico founded after World War II. Special offer — $25 for both! The appointment will further weaken “multipolarity” within this imperialist From ‘New International’ no. 12 conference on institution, which is based in Washington, D.C., and has been dominated by the U.S. “One of capitalism’s infrequent long winters has working women government since its founding. It will also begun. Accompanied by imperialism’s accelerating exacerbate conflicts between capitalist drive toward war, it’s going to be a long, hot winter.” BY KATHERINE BENNETT powers in Europe and among imperialist —Jack Barnes AND TERI MOSS powers around the world. PRICE, Utah—“Most of us think that we Wolfowitz’s ascension to the World Today’s sharpening interimperialist confl icts are fueled are going to have a full house,” said Rosie Bank “will extend and shore up the Bush both by the opening stages of a world depression— Kellywood about the Changing Woman Doctrine,” said an editorial in the Investor’s what will be decades of economic, fi nancial, and social Conference to be held April 18 at the Civic Business Daily on March 17, the day after Continued on Page 10 convulsions and class battles—and by the most far- Center in Farmington, New Mexico. Kellywood is a member of the Inter- reaching shift in Washington’s military policy and national Union of Operating Engineers organization since the late 1930s, when the U.S. rulers (IUOE), which initiated the conference prepared to join the expanding Asian and European and is cosponsoring it with the University wars, transforming them into World War II. of New Mexico School of Law. “At fi rst Also Inside: we were tailoring this for women miners,” Class-struggle-minded working people must face this Air India crash frame-up historic turning point for imperialism, this cataclysmic Kellywood said, “but I think that a lot of other women workers and women in the unravels in Canada 2 crisis for “the West” and for “Christendom.” And draw community will attend.” satisfaction and enjoyment from being “in their face” According to IUOE offi cers, this is the Iraqi National Assembly as we chart a revolutionary course to confront it. fi rst conference of its type and they have appoints new gov’t offi cials 3 accommodations for 100 attendees. Kel- lywood said that the response at work the UMWA presses for dismissal New International no. 12 (In Spanish: Nueva Internacional no. 6)—$16 fi rst week of April, however, is exceeding of Utah mine bosses’ lawsuit 4 organizers’ expectations. “We expect about New International no. 13 (In Spanish: Nueva Internacional no. 7)—$14 50 coal miners just from the BHP mines Texas City workers describe here—both women and men—to attend,” For new readers: get each new ‘NI’ issue for $10 how bosses’ profi t drive she said. “We may need additional space.” caused deadly refi nery blast (or both for $20) with an introductory ‘Militant’ subscription Kellywood is a heavy equipment opera- 4 Continued on Page 2 Canada: Air India crash frame-up fails BY JOE YATES rallied to protest the racist murder. TORONTO—A frame-up “antiterror- In his ruling for the acquittal of Bagri ism” campaign by the Canadian government and Malik, Judge Ian Bruce Josephson failed March 16 when a judge acquitted Aja- said, “Justice is not achieved…if persons ib Singh Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik. are convicted on anything less than the req- The two had been accused of killing 329 uisite standard of proof beyond a reasonable people in the crash of an Air India plane and doubt. The evidence has fallen markedly two people in a June 23, 1985, explosion at short of that standard.” Narita airport in Japan. The media claimed The two defendants spent well over four from the beginning that a bomb caused the years behind bars in a case that was based on crash. The claim was never proven. circumstantial evidence. “The prosecution Bagri and Malik were arrested and had no witnesses with fi rsthand information charged on Oct. 27, 2000. They were held or any physical evidence that could be tied without bail until their acquittal almost four directly to either Mr. Malik or Mr. Bagri,” Frame-up victim Ripudaman Singh Malik (center) leaves with supporters March and a half years later. The trial lasted from the Toronto Globe and Mail reported. The 16 from the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver, Canada, after he was April 2003 to December 2004. judge found that several witnesses who found not guilty of an alleged bombing in the crash of an Air India fl ight in 1985. The Air India investigation was launched claimed they had heard the defendants by Ottawa as part of a campaign backed by admit to the crime lacked credibility. the Indian government against forces ad- “I have been accused of horrendous on an airplane, nor does he know who did use of a national-security certifi cate against vocating independence for Punjab, a state crimes and have been imprisoned for over or did not do so.” Reyat had previously Mohamed Harkat.