Obama Plan Offers No Relief for Jobless
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· AUSTRALIA $1.50 · cAnAdA $1.00 · fRAnce 1.00 eURo · new zeALAnd $1.50 · Sweden kR10 · Uk £.50 · U.S. $1.00 INSIDE Malcolm X is relevant for fighters today — PAGe 9 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE vOL. 74/NO. 35 SEPTEmBER 20, 2010 Obama plan offers September California: no relief for jobless protest to Court voids Gov’t bank to boost business profits back Black antigay farmers nuptial law BY SUsaN LAMONT BY BETSEY STONE WASHINGTON—Black farmers San Francisco—The debate plan to gather here September 21–23 on same-sex marriage is intensify- to protest the U.S. Senate’s continued ing nationally. At issue is the right to refusal to approve $1.25 billion in equal treatment under the law. funding to settle long-standing claims Five states and the District of Co- of discrimination by the United States lumbia now allow same-sex marriag- Department of Agriculture (USDA). es. Thirty-nine states have laws that “The Black farmers’ lawsuit was prohibit them. cut short after 1999 and many farm- At the federal level, the Defense of ers were left hanging,” said Robert Marriage Act, signed into law by Wil- Binion, 56, a farmer and long-time liam Clinton in 1996, defines marriage civil rights activist from Clanton, as a union of a man and a woman. In Alabama, in a telephone interview July, a federal judge in Massachusetts with the Militant. “We should have ruled that this law is unconstitutional. finished the job back then.” The federal government has not indi- “Our gathering in Washington is cated whether it will appeal. urgent,” continued Binion. “When A recent CNN poll found that a ma- AP Photo/Paul Sancya the Civil War ended, they told us we jority of U.S. residents support same- Job fair in Southfield, Michigan, August 25. State has one of highest jobless rates in country. would get ‘40 acres and a mule.’ But sex marriage by a narrow margin. BY BRIAN WILLIAMS stiff challenges because of the grind- all we’ve had is empty promises and On August 4 Federal District Court At a Labor Day speech in Milwau- ing economic crisis. It calls for spend- more promises. We’re not asking for a Judge Vaughn Walker struck down kee September 6, President Barack ing $50 billion over the next year to handout, but for simple, equal justice. Proposition 8, California’s law ban- Obama announced a jobs plan to re- set up an “infrastructure bank” run Both the Democrats and Republicans ning gay marriage. The measure was pair the country’s transportation in- by the government that would seek are responsible for this situation. It’s adopted by referendum in 2008, win- frastructure. Even though he rolled up investments from banks and other fi- Continued on page 8 Continued on page 11 his sleeves to suggest he was getting to nancial institutions. work, there is likely to be little impact The bank will “focus on the smart- on unemployment or the deterioration est investments,” based on “competi- South African public workers of roads, railroads, and runways. tion and innovation,” said Obama. He Obama announced the plan on the promised that it will “not only cre- eve of midterm elections when in- ate jobs immediately” but “make our press wage demands on gov’t cumbents in both parties are facing Continued on page 6 White House policies aimed against Cuban Revolution BY SETH GALINSKY son William Burton said that Obama The Barack Obama administration would “continue to do things . that recently leaked news that it may ease help to create a more democratic en- some restrictions on travel and com- vironment and expand freedoms for munication with Cuba. These mea- the Cuban people.” sures, like the ongoing U.S. economic According to the August 6 Miami embargo, seek to foster internal oppo- Herald, the key change is the expan- sition to the Cuban government and sion of existing “purposeful” educa- subvert the Cuban Revolution. tional, religious, and cultural travel While refusing to confirm the de- between Cuba and the United States. tails, deputy White House spokesper- U.S.-Cuba flights, currently al- Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko lowed only from Miami, Los Ange- Public-sector workers in South Africa on strike in capital Johannesburg August 26 les, and John F. Kennedy airport in Drive opens: Sell New York, could be permitted from BY BRIAN WILLIAMS some 35 U.S. airports. The measures A three-week nationwide strike ‘Workers Power’ would also make it easier to pay in the by some 1.3 million public workers Also Inside: United States for telephone and other in South Africa was suspended by services, the Herald said, “in hopes of union officials for 21 days September Stem cell ruling aims to and ‘Militant’ increasing communications between 6. Workers will consider again a re- undercut abortion rights 5 BY PAUL MAILHOT the island and Cuban exiles.” vised government offer that the larg- Supporters of the Militant news- Washington has been stepping up est unions had voted down earlier. Chile mine owners never paper begin an eight-week campaign its aid to counterrevolutionary groups The government, led by the African fixed unsafe conditions 6 September 11 to sell some 1,800 cop- in Cuba. Some $15 million for the National Congress (ANC) and headed ies of Malcolm X, Black Liberation, “Cuba Democracy” programs of the by President Jacob Zuma, has cam- Glenn Beck rally in D.C. and the Road to Workers Power by U.S. Aid for International Develop- paigned against the workers’ walk- prompts counterprotest 7 Jack Barnes, alongside a Militant sub- ment (USAID) were released in June, out. scription drive to sign up some 2,100 including $3 million for “groups that The strike began August 18 after the Justice Dept. drops probe new and returning readers. The cam- are particularly marginalized” to help federal government refused union de- of fifty killings by Klan 8 Continued on page 4 Continued on page 3 Continued on page 11 Workers in Peru force gov’t to lower gas prices BY JorGE Lertora coal because they can’t afford the gas After a 13-day strike and a series of produced on the land where they live. demonstrations, thousands of work- Carlos Quispe, leader of the Commit- ers and peasants of La Convención, a tee to Defend the Interests of Kiteni, province in the Andes mountains of denounced the gas companies for hir- Peru, forced the Peruvian government ing local residents “only for seasonal to pledge it will build a natural gas jobs and unskilled labor.” plant and lower the price of gas for On the 11th day of the strike, hun- domestic consumption in the region. dreds of students, peasants, and work- Prime Minister Javier Velásquez ers marched on Cuzco to call a halt said August 9 that one of the gas fields to gas exports from Camisea. Peo- in La Convención will be exclusively ple carried posters saying, “Gas or for domestic use. Before, local resi- Death!” “Enough of the gas robbery!” dents had to spend between 20 and and “Peru’s natural resources are not June demonstration in Cuzco, Peru, protesting higher price of natural gas and underde- 40 soles (1 sole = US 35 cents) more for sale!” velopment in countryside where gas reserves are located. than what people pay in Lima, the capital of the country, for a standard tank of approximately 20 pounds. A large part of the gas extracted from Rights in elections weakened by court ruling the Camisea reserves in La Conven- BY JOHN Studer fortable” conversations with those These included precedents won by the ción is exported. By an 8-1 vote, the U.S. Supreme who had signed in their area. Socialist Workers Party protecting cam- Under the agreement, gas will cost Court struck a blow against the rights On August 11 U.S. District Judge paign contributors from having their no more in La Convención that it does of working people to engage in electoral Benjamin Settle issued a temporary names publicized by the government, in the capital. The government also activity. The June 24 ruling opens the order barring Washington State from providing an “enemy’s list” to govern- agreed to look at alternatives than door to attacks by government agencies releasing the names of the petition sign- ment agencies, employers, and rightists would prevent damage to the Megan- and political opponents on those who ers. He acted on the basis of a “narrower for harassment and victimization. toni Nature Sanctuary, where the gov- sign ballot petitions. The decision, writ- challenge” allowed by the June 24 Su- The Supreme Court ruling mandat- ernment plans to run a gas pipeline. ten by Chief Justice John Roberts, ruled preme Court ruling that making public ing disclosure was hailed by the New During a town meeting to discuss in favor of a Washington State law re- the names on this particular petition York Times, which ran an editorial the agreement people gathered to dis- quiring public disclosure of the names would violate the right to free speech, “Full Disclosure,” stating that “the cuss the issues in the fight, accord- and addresses of anyone who signs a pe- because individuals might be subject to Supreme Court was right . to rule ing to Peru’s La Primera newspaper. tition to put a referendum on the ballot. “violence and harassment.” that there is no constitutional right to Some brought their black cooking The ruling involved a ballot petition The big majority on the Supreme hide in the shadows when signing a pots to demonstrate that they are using for a referendum challenging a new state Court who endorsed releasing names referendum petition.” law in Washington that extends legal and addresses of petition signers to the At issue in this fight is the right of the rights to same-sex domestic partners.