PERIODICO ESPAÑ OL ADENTRO

volume 42 no. 3 february 3, 2010 suggested donation $.50 Racist Imperialists Looted Haiti for 500 Years: Capitalism+Earthquake =Mass Murder

The following is a leaflet in Creole distributed by PLP: Kapitalis Rasis Se Yon Reyèl Desas en Ayiti Genyen yon bagay tou piti se “natirèl” desas ki pase an Ayiti a. Kou wè Katrina, tsunami ak yon santèn lot desas “natirèl” sanble tèt koupe ak en- peryalis la – espesyalman US kapitalis la ki mete klas travayè yo an Ayiti anba kalite tèwib lanmò ak destriksyon ke yo resevwa nan tranbleman tè sa a. Anba kapitalis la profi vini anvan tout bagay. Se travayè yo ki travay di pou fè bòs yo fè pwofi. Men pou bòs yo travayè yo se voryen. Bati lotèl liksye pou touris yo, se sa ki pwofitab pou bòs yo, se nan bi sa a yo bati yo. Bati kay pou pòv travayè yo pa pwofitab pou bòs yo, konsa an Ayiti santèn milye moun ap viv nan bidonvil. Pratik konstriksyon rasis la fè dizèn milye moun mouri an Ayiti. Yon tranble- men tè ki sanblab ak 7.0 nan zòn San Francisco Kalifornya Ozetazini an 1989 se “sèlman” 63 moun ki te mouri. Kapitalis la kòs desas sa a an Ayiti. Yo sipote diktatè asasen kou wè Divalye. Lè travayè ayisyen yo, revolte yo enstale yon Aristid koronpi ak akolit siksesè li yo. Bòs yo enterese nan travayè y’ap peye a bon mache ap pwofi y’ap fè an Ayiti. Nan Workers in Haiti collect food and supplies from lane 1993 prezidan Disney Michael Eisner fè $203 a destroyed supermarket milyon nan mèm tan travayè aysiyen kap koud py- jama Mickey Mouse fè 12 santim a lè. Ajoute a batay kont opresyon ki inspire lòt peyi oprese yo tout sa plis 50% moun pap travay, kay ki pa solid, U.S. Rulers Enforced Racist Poverty, nan le mond posibilite pou yon demen miyò. Frè yon swen sante ki ki pa ekziste. Sa nou wè la se Magnifying Quake Death Toll ak sè nou yo an Ayiti ap soufri anpil anba britalite pa yon desas “natirèl” men, se rasis kapitalis ak kapitalis la, depi kolon espanyol yo te anvayi zile enperyalis eksplwatasyon an. Profit-hungry — mainly U.S. — racist capi- a depi 500 zan yo te masakre popilasyon indyen talists, having looted Haiti for 100 years, have Kounye a, frè ak sè nou yo bezwen èd nou. Yo an e yo te fè vini 700,000 esklav nwa pou travay condemned more than 200,000 of its working bezwen lajan, sekou, manje, rad, sekouris ak doktè, nan rekòl nan kann ak kafe. Apre revòl esklav yo class to die in the recent earthquake. Just as enfimyè ak teknisyen. Nou tout dwe ede chèche an 1791, kolon yo te pèdi batay la, Repiblik Day- disgustingly, these same bosses, led by liberal bezwen ki pi nesesè pou travayè ayisyen yo, en iti te pran nesans, konsa esklavaj la te fini. Men, phony Obama, seek military and political pay- mèm tan n’ap bati yon sistèm kominis mondyal ki nouvo Repiblik Dayiti a te kontinye ap swiv model offs from the slaughter through media-hyped pral detwi sistèm kapitalis rasis sa a. Nou dwe lite kapitalis franse a. Konsa nouvo Repiblik Dayiti a “relief” efforts that benefit their own class far pou genyen yon solidarite nan mitan klas travayè te ouvri biznis ak tout peyi kapitalis dan le mond, more than they do workers. yo ki mare ansanm lit nou an nan peyi isit ak lòt peyi a te ouvri vant li bay peyi kapitalis yo pou ek- (A Times’ op-ed article (1/14) re- travayè toupatou sou latè. Gouvènman ameriken splawte travayè yo. Enperyalis ameriken yo vle fè ported: “Money that private aid organizations an genyen pwoblèm nan distribisyon dlo, men yo pi gwo pwofi. Konsa li te sezi sistèm bank aysyen rely on comes from the United States govern- kapab voye 4,700 solda trè vit. Yo vle “kontrole” an e li te voye Marin an Ayiti. Li te kontrole Ayiti ment, which has insisted that a great deal of distribisyon an. Yon lòt kote, Pat Robertson (pastè 1915 a 1934. Apre yo te pati, gouvènman amerik- the aid return to American pockets — a larger legliz fondamantal) ak jounalis David Brooks (New en an te kontinye garanti pwofi yo an Ayiti, lè yo percentage than that of any other industrial- York Times) ki deja bay manti ki sanble degout dlo ankouraje ak kenbe o pouvwa yon seri diktatè ak ized country….Many projects…serve not im- ak lide rasis lan. Robertson di Aysyen yo sinyèn gouvènman poupetwèl korompi ki toujou deside poverished Haitians but the interests of the kontra ak diab, lè yo te pran indepandans yo anba pou kopere e kolabore ak bòs yo ki se gouvènman people administering the projects.”) la Frans. Brooks di Ayiti genyen kilti ki pa kapab fè ameriken an, chèf enperyalis la. pwogrè. New York Times te byen kontan pibliye The first wave of killings came on January Kounouye a, nou deside pou nou travay pi di opinyon rasis sa a ki se yon pil fatra. Kombyen de- 12, when shack-like homes in overcrowded pou nou ede frè ak sè nou yo, li lè, li tan pou mou- sas “natirèl” n’ap pran avan pou nou wè kapitalis shantytowns collapsed on desperately poor vman kominis la kapab bati tout bon vre, se li sèl la entere pa klas travayè yo ak yon revolisyon kote and mostly jobless workers and their families. ki kapab derasine sistèm kapitalis la, yon fwa pou travayè yo pral dirije le mond. Konsa, rasis la ak Public buildings cheaply constructed with no tout. eksplwatasyon ap bani. concern for workers’ safety also fell. Tens of Pibliye pa Progressive Labor Party — www.plp. Vrèman, nou konnen byen tout mensonj Rob- thousands of lingering deaths follow, due to org J ertson, Brooks ak latriye, Ayiti genyen yon istwa continued on p. 2 page 2 • CHALLENGE • 3 february 2010 Capitalism + Earthquake= Mass Murder continued from p. 1 Rockefellers’ Oily Hands In Haitian ‘Relief’ “bottlenecks” hindering Obama’s “humanitar- ian” aid effort, which, in fact, fronts for yet an- The private U.S. relief groups at work in Haiti are channeling sincere compassion towards imperial- other U.S. invasion of Haiti. ist goals. The U.S. arm of Doctors Without Borders, which the media keeps trumpeting as a worthy recipient of donations for Haitian aid, is headed by Richard Rockefeller, MD, another crown prince of Haiti’s Working Class: A Super- U.S. imperialism. His father David, heir to the vast Standard Oil fortune (now Exxon Mobil, Chevron, exploited ‘Reserve Army of Labor’ and BP), ran both Chase Bank (now JP Morgan Chase) and the Council on Foreign Relations The horrific destruction of Haiti’s slums re- (CFR) think-tank. sults directly from U.S. rulers’ and their allies’ ex- In David’s heyday, the CFR drafted blueprints for President Kennedy’s, Johnson’s and Nixon’s geno- ploitation of the country’s almost entirely black cide in Vietnam and provided “geniuses” like the Bundys and Kissinger to execute it. Today “altruistic” population as what Marx called a “reserve army Dr. Richard chairs the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the CFR’s main bankroller. of labor.” Keeping one group of workers jobless The CFR, with help from its mouthpiece at the New York Times, cooked up the “Weapons-of-Mass- and/or grossly underemployed and, when work- Destruction” lie “justifying” Bush’s 2003 Iraq invasion. This has since led to Exxon’s partially-successful ing, grossly underpaid, helps imperialist capital- seizure of Iraqi oilfields at the expense of a million Iraqi deaths. “Healer” Richard’s CFR contributed ists hold down wages throughout their sphere mightily to crafting the Bush-Obama killing surges in Iraq and Afghanistan. of influence. U.S. rulers’ racism super-exploits black, Latino and Asian workers in Africa, Asia and Latin-America. But their racism reaches new UN’s “Special Envoy to Haiti,” shilling for them, airport and sent warships steaming to Haiti’s heights in Haiti, a more effective wage suppres- and backed by an Act of Congress, lured work- shores. While the Navy flotilla includes a hospi- sor for U.S. and allied bosses than even Africa is ers to Port-au-Prince with promises of sweat- tal ship, it also boasts two guided missile cruis- for their European and now Chinese rivals. shop jobs at less than $2 a day. All but one of ers, which, bristling with weapons, deal only in Haiti’s textile plants — which accounted for 90 death. The Progressive Policy Institute reports per cent of its exports — were in Port-au-Prince. The day after the quake, Douglas Fraser, the (5/1/08): “Haiti’s per capita income is $450 per And U.S. interests destroyed what there was of year. This is barely a tenth of the $4,045 figure U.S. general in charge of the Haiti operation, Haiti’s farm economy (see page 3), increasing made it clear that wielding power, not providing for Latin America and the Caribbean, and well migration from the countryside to the capital. below the $746 average for sub-Saharan Af- relief, was Job One: “We’re focused on getting rica....Between 200,000 and 350,000 of Haiti’s “In the 1980s and 1990s, under pressure from command and control and communications.” nearly nine million people have permanent paid international financial institutions and the United Delays in relief have caused thousands of work.” States, Haiti lifted tariffs that protected the live- needless deaths. Pentagon brass blame Port- lihoods of its rice farmers, leaving local produc- U.S. policies deliberately enforce Haitian au-Prince’s battered one-runway airport and the ers unable to compete with heavily subsidized “logistical nightmare” of distributing food and workers’ perpetual impoverishment and largely U.S. agribusiness.” (Boston Globe, 5/5/08) jobless urbanization, which both boost U.S. rul- water. What nonsense! During World War II, U.S. ers’ profits and vastly magnified the earthquake Clinton Aids U.S. Rulers’ ‘HOPE’ for construction battalions would build mile-long airstrips in days while under enemy fire. And to- death toll. U.S. Coast Guard and federal immi- a Permanently Poor Haiti gration cops brutally deter immigrants from Hai- day, the remotest U.S. Afghan outposts get reg- Last April, Haiti’s U.S. puppet prime minister ti, towing their rickety boats back out to sea and ular supplies of food —and ammo — by the ton. Michele Pierre-Louis told NY garment manufac- jailing those who do make it to U.S. shores. Saving Haiti’s workers is simply not a priority for turers they could count on “250,000” ultra-low- the U.S. war machine. U.S. garment bosses, with Bill Clinton, the wage factory workers in Haiti “before 2011.” She One positive thing coming from the Haiti hor- was touting the Haitian Opportunity through ror is the outpouring of working-class solidar- Partnership Encouragement Act, or HOPE, ity for the victims. But it will all go for nothing passed by Congress in 2006 and strengthened without a class outlook. Applauding Obama’s in 2008. It guarantees U.S. bosses investing in militarizing “relief” or giving to Doctors Without OUR FIGHT Haiti “duty-free status and lower labor costs LProgressive Labor Party (PLP) fights to smash Borders (really, Capitalists Without Scruples) can [our emphasis, Ed.]...for the next 10 years.” capitalism — wage slavery. While the bosses and only bolster U.S. imperialism. (Women’s Wear Daily, 4/14/09) their mouthpieces claim “communism is dead,” The class solidarity and militancy of Haiti’s In September 2009, Bill Clinton, pushing capitalism is the real failure for billions all over the workers amid the catastrophe shows the way. HOPE in Port-au-Prince, spoke of 100,000 gar- world. We must unite with them in solidarity by rais- ment jobs while betraying his true class loy- ing the above ideas in unions, shops, on cam- LCapitalism returned to the Soviet Union and alty: “All of our efforts will have to be judged puses, in barracks, churches and community China because socialism failed to wipe out many by...whether we perform for the investors organizations. And we must expose the real aspects of the profit system, like wages and divi- and make them a profit.” (CBS-TV, 10/1/09) looters — U.S. bosses — while collecting aid to sion of labor. Blatantly imperialistic, HOPE forbids Haitian send directly to Haiti’s workers on the streets, L subcontractors to “engage in activities that Capitalism inevitably leads to wars. PLP organ- by-passing the phony relief groups serving U.S. undermine United States national security or izes workers, students and soldiers to turn these imperialism. wars into a revolution for communism — the foreign policy interests.” dictatorship of the proletariat. This fight requires a These workers are battling the U.S.-led “se- U.S. Military Invasion, Cloaked in mass Red Army led by the communist PLP. curity” apparatus to get food and water to share ‘Humanitarianism’; Half-baked ‘Re- with their communities. What’s needed even LCommunism means working collectively to build lief’ Pales Beside U.S. War Efforts more is an internationalist party that embraces a society where sharing is based on need. We will When the quake hit, geopolitics suddenly such struggle with the outlook of eventually abolish work for wages, money and profits. Every- replaced economics as Obama & Co.’s chief eradicating the life-sucking billionaire class in a one will share in society’s benefits and burdens. communist revolution. That’s what the Progres- concern in Haiti. Warmaker-in-Chief Obama J LCommunism means abolishing racism and the immediately grabbed the chance to assert U.S. sive Labor Party is building. Join us. concept of race. military dominance over the Caribbean Basin,

LCommunism means abolishing the special op- dispatching 10,000 Marines and soldiers un- pression of women — sexism ­— and der humanitarian cover, to quell any potential traditional gender roles created by class rebellion by angry, starving, jobless workers. society. As a warning to Venezuela and Cuba, and their Chinese and Russian pals, U.S. forces LCommunism means abolishing nations and immediately summarily seized the capital’s nationalism. One International working class, one world, one Party.

LCommunism means the Party leads every aspect of society. For this to work, millions of workers — eventually everyone — must become communist Why Articles Are Not Signed organizers. Join Us! The fact that CHALLENGE/PLP articles are not signed grows from PLP’s criticism of PROGRESSIVE LABOR PARTY the cult of the individual in the former social- P.O. Box 808 NY 11202 ist Soviet Union and China. We do not want • www.plp.org to encourage the possibility of building up a • email: [email protected] “following” around any particular individual. • blog: challengenewspaper.wordpress.com While an article may be written by one per- • 718-630-9440 son, the final version is based on collective CHALLENGE/DESAFIO (ISSN 0009-1049) published bi-weekly by discussion and criticism. Many times this Challenge Periodicals. 1 issue $.50. One Year: $15. Six months: $10. Send collective discussion even precedes an indi- address changes to CHALLENGE Periodicals, GPO Box 808 Brooklyn, NY vidual’s writing of an article. 11202, February 3, 2010. Volume 42, No. 3 3 february 2010 • CHALLENGE • page 3 Bosses’ U.S. and European Profit Drive Imperialists Looted Wrecked Haiti for 500 Years Haiti 1492 — Columbus lands and claims the tion, eliminating the prohibition on foreign own- whole island for Spain. In the following years ership of land. When Haiti’s parliament refuses the indigenous population was nearly com- to ratify the new constitution, the Marines, led Haiti Before the Earthquake pletely wiped out by disease, enslavement and by General Smedley Butler, dissolve the parlia- Electric service was working only an hour a murder. ment and enact the State Department’s consti- day. No potable drinking water. Roads had 10- 1606 — British, French and Dutch pirates tution through a rigged election limited to 5% foot potholes. Totally inadequate sewage sys- establish bases to attack Spanish ships. of the population. tems. Few public services. Unemployment over 1934-1947 — The Marines leave but the U.S. 60%. Millions with no satisfactory homes, or are 1664 — France takes control of the west- retains control of Haiti’s finances. homeless. ern part of the Island; began importing slaves in 1670. Slave insurrections were frequent. Some 1995-present — U.S. and UN troops invade, Before French colonization, 97% of the land slaves escaped to the mountains and settled initially to help Jean-Bertrand Aristide return to was forested. The French cut and seized the most with the few remaining indigenous people. power. In 2004 the U.S. kidnaps Aristide and re- valuable wood. By the 1800’s, only 60% of the moves him from office. land was forested. In recent years, desperate 1791 — A slave revolt begins the Haitian peasants cut the remaining trees for fuel. Cur- Revolution. Former slaves establish a govern- General Smedley Butler, ‘A ment. rently, only 2% of the land is forested. Wholesale Racketeer for Capitalism’ deforestation of the island has caused erosion of 1796 — The British invade and are defeat- “I spent most of my time being a high-class large parts of the arable land. ed. muscle-man for Big Business, for Wall Street This, in turn, sent huge amounts of sandy soil 1802 — Napoleon sends a massive invasion and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, into the sea, killing the coral without which the force, including 40,000 troops from other Eu- a gangster for capitalism. fish population dies, thereby impoverishing those ropean countries. France gains control of part “I helped make Mexico, especially Tampi- making a living from fishing. of Haiti and tries to reestablish slavery, but are co, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I defeated after a brutal war that killed tens of Port-au-Prince’s population has grown from helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place thousands of Haitians and ended with over one million in 1988 to over three million today. for the National City Bank boys to collect rev- 30,000 French and European troops dead. Po- Two million impoverished rural people moved enues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen land’s military force refused to fight; about 100 to the capital seeking jobs. There were at most Central American republics for the benefits of joined the Haitians to fight Napoleon’s forces. 60,000 factory jobs at the peak of production in Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. Afterwards the Poles were the only whites al- the early 1980’s. Hundreds of thousands stood I helped purify Nicaragua for the international lowed to remain in the country. on the streets, desperate for work. banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. 1804-1825 — France, Britain and the U.S. Imperialism Destroys Local Agricul- I brought light to the Dominican Republic for impose a crippling embargo, destroying Haiti’s American sugar interests in 1916. In China I ture economy and force Haiti’s government to pay helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its Imperialism has thrown most small farmers out 90 million gold francs to France as compensa- way unmolested. of business. First, agribusiness shipped cheaper tiontion for “lost property,” i.e., the slaves. The “During those years, I had, as the boys in foreign-grown rice to Haiti. Second, the 1970’s government is forced to take out high interest the back room would say, a swell racket. Look- “food-for-work” program was used to give Hai- loans from U.S. banks, taking until 1947 to pay ing back on it, I feel that I could have given Al tians free foreign-produced rice in return for road off the debt. Capone a few hints. The best he could do was construction work. Third, another 1970’s-1980’s 1915-1934 — U.S. Marines invade at the re- to operate his racket in three districts. I oper- policy, “PL480,” under dictator Jean-Claude Du- quest of U.S. banks holding Haiti’s debt, to pre- ated on three continents.”('War is a Racket,' vallier, gave aid to local governments in the form vent Germany from establishing a naval base. Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler) J of food; the local governments distributed this The Marines dissolve Haiti’s government. The food, selling it below cost on the market. Fourth, U.S. State Department writes a new constitu- in the 1990’s, the USA and Haiti lifted tariffs on foreign-produced food; this policy, initiated un- der military regimes, has continued under Aris- tide, Lavalas and Préval. Poor local farmers could Reprinted from CHALLENGE, not possibly sell their products under these con- ditions. 7/29/09 Finally, recent global food price increases have meant mass starvation in Haiti. Many now eat “dirt cookies” — dirt mixed with sugar and water and sold as “food” to stave off hunger. J

(We just received this message from a friend in Haiti, a militant trade unionist fired for or- ganizing but still in the struggle.)

Brothers, sisters, comrades and friends: Haiti has just been struck this 12th of January by a violent earthquake, largely destroying the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince and causing, without exaggeration, at least 200,000 deaths. The country was already half-dead, torn to pieces, the prey of crises both manufactured and real, forced down onto its knees before the blind application of the policies of struc- tural adjustment imposed, or at least enabled, by the often cynical behavior of callous rulers. This violent earthquake seems to have ended any hope NEW YORK, NY, July 9 — International working-class solidarity was on display as that Haitians still had. But the working class of Haiti cannot a group of PLP’ers occupied the main office of the Haitian Consulate. They demanded die. Just as the Haitian revolution showed the way, break- immediate release of political prisoners detained in the Rene Preval regime’s fascist ing through to the road of freedom [against slavery], so will crackdown on workers and students in Haiti who are fighting for an increase of the it come through in this situation. minimum wage. Our class brothers and sisters from Haiti nodded their heads in ap- Haiti’s motto — the world’s first black independent re- proval as we chanted “same enemy, same fight, workers of the world unite” and were public — is “L’Union Fait la Force” (“Unity is Strength”). So glad to receive the latest issue of CHALLENGE. Every opportunity we have to empha- your unity, solidarity with us in Haiti will be most warmly size and reinforce the bond we share with workers in struggle around the world is a welcomed. great opportunity and privilege to partake of. In this period of sharpening economic Help us face up to this tragic situation. crisis it is crucial that we hold up militant responses to the bosses’ attacks on workers as examples to be followed, no matter where in the world our class is fighting back. A Friend in Haiti page 4 • CHALLENGE • 3 february 2010

Developing Communist Leadership in Heat of Oaxaca Class Struggle

OAXACA, MEXICO, January 13 — Last the Party’s line of organizing a movement of unions and mass organizations — and see PLP December, 37 comrades attended a commu- workers and students with the long-term goal as an alternative. Recently a group of families nist school here. A broad discussion included of communist revolution, we get results. who regularly read CHALLENGE and gave mass an analysis, with examples, exposing the evils Fighting for PLP’s politics in the heat of the leadership in these struggles agreed to meet of capitalism, studying political economy, and uprising wasn’t easy. Internally Party members with PLP. Another positive aspect was the pres- stressed the urgency of continuing to build a disagreed. Some thought our main role should ence of new youth, creating the potential for base for communism. But, in a new dynamic, we be to support the uprising while others felt it future leaders among young workers to build formed work-groups to answer such questions was more important to sharpen and develop the Party. as: At an afternoon dinner at • Why does poverty exist? some comrade’s home, we • Why are there wars, and continued discussing what can they be avoided? ...if we fight consistently for the Party’s communism is and how it will work. Despite the fatigue of • What is communism and those who had traveled all how does it work? line of organizing a movement of work- night to come to the schools, • Why do we need a party to our enthusiasm lasted well build communism? ers and students with the long-term goal into the night. • Why should we fight di- An older comrade, whose rectly for communism, not of communist revolution, we get results. activity had been somewhat for socialism? distant from the rest of the Then each work-group re- Party’s, asked for support to ported on its understanding of these questions, carry out the Party’s political work in his com- enabling the majority to participate. It was en- the ideological struggle for communism. We munity, which we’ll be planning shortly. concluded that they aren’t necessarily oppo- couraging to hear some of the new participants In order to gain greater ability to carry out sites — we were part of many of the actions, in- explaining that war is inevitable due to the na- the Party’s politics among the masses and de- cluding proposing more militant workers’ strug- ture of capitalism or that the only war that will velop new political leaders who will guarantee gles — if we focus the action on our communist exist under communism is one against hunger, building for communism, we’re planning three outlook and expose the illusions in reforms and racism, sexism, etc. communist schools in 2010. reform leaders. Discussions focused on the lessons of the Greetings to all comrades worldwide as we This produced results: recently some com- 2006 uprising against the Oaxaca state govern- advance qualitatively and quantitatively this munities who were among the most militant, to- ment and its murderous Governor, Ulysis Ruiz. year in the fight for the international working day are disillusioned with APPO — a coalition of One lesson was that, if we fight consistently for class. LONG LIVE COMMUNISM! J

Seizing Opportunity to Build PLP in Fight vs. Budget Cuts

NEW YORK CITY, January 3 — The recent attacks on the working class. PL teachers and self. Obama Nobel Peace Prize award and wide- students in the school had already decided at Though the chapter leader had the best of spread budget cuts have opened the door to an earlier PLP club meeting to call for a demon- intentions, she wanted to postpone the rally build the Party at our school. Our goal as com- stration in front of the school. So at the union until the media could be called. This could munists in PLP is to link the cuts to the bosses’ meeting PL’ers raised the need to fight back have been disastrous since it might have re- massive war budget for Afghanistan and Iraq, through a rally. The chapter leader liked the enforced the ideology of “we can’t do any- to expose the inter-imperialist wars and rival- idea so it was agreed that a union action would thing.” This thinking of “let’s not do anything ries dominating the world and to expose the be set for the following Tuesday. PL’ers envis- until every ‘t’ is crossed” and “let’s rely on the nature of the cuts as racist, an attack on the aged bringing students since only by building media” are bad ideas. They hold us back from overwhelmingly black and Latino student pop- worker-student unity can the Party and the struggle and make us dependent on part of ulation. fight for communism be advanced. our enemy — the bosses’-owned and -control- A PL teacher had already planned to teach One teacher who has previously participat- led media. a unit on Afghanistan as part of the World ed with the Party took leadership, made the We must constantly do everything we can, Literature curriculum. As soon as he heard flier and posted it for the event on Monday. within the limits of our circumstances, to mo- that Obama was sending even more troops, The event could not have happened without tivate our co-workers towards increased strug- he seized the opportunity to discuss it in the her help and initiative. gle and understanding of communist ideas. classroom. The PL teacher didn’t do enough to build Many students who later heard about the The comrade discussed the pipeline (see for it, but at 5:30 AM the alarm rang and he rally were excited about it and wanted to par- CHALLENGE, 12/23/09) and explained that showed up alone, in the cold, to be met by ticipate in another one. Two signs that the stu- capitalism is little more than organized crime other teachers. Several others showed sup- dents made were posted in the hallway adja- — whoever controls the product, controls the port, and one asked to join the action commit- cent to a classroom and many students read streets. When the class was asked what prod- tee to help plan larger future events. Several them with pride. This will be the first of many uct was being fought over, they shot back “oil students walking by joined the rally. Within ten actions we will organize, becoming schools for to control the world.” minutes, a group of four teachers and ten stu- communism to bring down the system. dents were rallying outside the school chant- The students were informed that they would The following Thursday the union chapter ing, “Budget cuts mean, we gotta fight back.” soon be watching the film “Afghan Women” leader noted that a recently-closed school had One teacher in particular was impressed and and that a comrade who had served in Iraq just organized a large rally, saying we should inspired as she did not believe the students would be visiting the classroom to discuss the do one in solidarity with them. She said that would be so loud. war. Integrating Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize since the Tuesday rally went so well, we should with the current escalation of the pipeline war, Though the rally was small, it raised spirits have a larger one in front of the school, invite combined with proper classroom planning, cre- at the school. Now people there want to hold students and parents and notify the media. ated the opportunity to build closer ties with another one. Aspects of the Party’s politics This action clearly illustrates how the working the students and raise class struggle and con- were clearly present as workers and students class leads the way and that we have much to sciousness. united under communist leadership to fight for learn from them. our class. Years of patient CHALLENGE distri- That same day, the school’s union chapter (Continued next issue; stay tuned) J was meeting to discuss the budget cuts, the bution and struggles inside the classroom as fact that the bosses want to remove tenure and well as hours spent afterwards at local taverns fire teachers after ten years as well as other bore fruit when the opportunity presented it- 3 february 2010 • CHALLENGE • page 5 Algeria: Wildcat General Strike Paralyzes Ports, Auto, Steel Plants ALGIERS, January 15 — A massive wildcat force their way general strike of nearly 20,000 auto, steel, port through police road- and public health workers is in its twelth day and blocks. On January 6, is spreading across Algeria, amid repeated pitched 2,000 workers head- battles with thousands of cops and security forces. ing from their factory Workers are not only striking against their compa- gates to Rouiba were nies but also directly against the government, de- stopped by police, fying its ban on public rallies and demonstrations, who injured three stemming from a “state of emergency” declared in workers. The next the early 1990s. day, 5,000 marched Strikers are demanding a wage hike, and in a on Rouiba, when two political challenge to the government, changes more were injured in the minimum wage and tax laws. They’re also in clashes with thou- denouncing the sweetheart deal signed by their sands of riot police. union misleaders which raises the retirement age The latter are trying from 50 to 60 for workers doing difficult and dan- to prevent different gerous work, some of whom began working at age groups of factory 17. strikers from joining together in these One worker declared, “For years they’ve been demonstrations. promising us significant wage increases. Algeria is On the same raking in hundreds of billions of dollars in oil profits The worker has a sign reading “grève” which means “strike.” but the citizen still has to contend with indescrib- day, workers tried able poverty.” to force their way The boss says “Believe me, we have the same train of life through roadblocks In condemning the union sellouts, one worker [standard of living]... only you are in the economy class car.” leading to the Mob- told the press: “I began to have doubts when all -from El Watan, January 18, 2010. sco factory on the the parties said they were satisfied with the meet- main roads in the ing of the UGTA [the union], the government and industrial zone. Then Steel Goes Out; Port Paralyzed the bosses. Three speakers, each of whom is de- when hundreds of gendarmes armed with wooden fending his interests, cannot all be equally satisfied On January 12, 7,200 workers at Arcelor-Mittal, clubs resembling pickaxe handles rained down unless it is on the backs of the workers.” the giant multi-national outfit, began an “unlimited blows on the front ranks, barring the route. The strike” to prevent the company from closing its El- Strikers Battle Cops workers chanted slogans exposing the govern- Hidjar plant near Annaba and force it to renovate ment and the union confederation and its chief On January 3, 5,000 SNVI auto workers wild- to keep it open. The next morning, the steelworks, sellout, Sidi Said. catted near Rouiba, to be joined within 24 hours the depots and warehouses, and port installations by workers in Hussain-Dey near Algiers, in Annaba When the union misleaders tried to pacify the were totally paralyzed. Two days later a massive to the east and in Tiaret in the southwest, as well angry workers, they began throwing stones at the march of steelworkers went from company offices as by thousands in the industrial zone east of here. cops’ roadblocks. to the guard post at the steelworks. The cops blocked marchers there by massing all- “We work under difficult conditions and we This uprising of basic industrial workers in Al- country vehicles, troop transport vans, tear gas can’t even manage to feed our children,” declared geria is a model for all industrial workers to fol- grenades, water cannon and sanitation trucks to one worker. “The oil money is shared by the [gov- low. But the bosses still hold state power and will occupy strategic intersections in the zone. One ernment] and their zealous servants, while the use this apparatus, helped by their lieutenants worker said it was ironic since it is the workers who worker is condemned to live a hell on earth.” “leading” the unions, to attempt to either crush had produced all these vehicles. Another said, “Despite the repression, we or divert these militant workers from their just de- Workers from Anabib, Mobsco, Hydroame- aren’t going to stop demonstrating if the authori- mands. What is needed is communist leadership nagement and Enad also walked. All told, 11,000 ties do not announce concrete measures to im- to head the workers’ movement in the direction of had struck. prove our purchasing power.” revolution, to destroy the bosses’ state power and establish workers’ power, the only answer to the Marching workers have been attempting to continuing hell created by capitalism. J

France: Undocumented Strikers March, Call for Greater Unity

PARIS, January 9 — About 6,000 people “We’ve been trying to achieve unity around Continuing its attacks on the undocumented marched here today in the cold and snow de- the rue Baudelique [see below], but it hasn’t workers’ movement, the French government manding “across-the-board ‘legalization’ and been easy to organize,” said Djibril Diany, a has gone to court to force the village of Billière the abolition of the ministry of shame,” that is, spokesman for the CSP 75 collective. “Since [the (population 25) in southwestern France to blot the Ministry of Immigration and National Iden- 1996 occupation of the church of] Saint Bernard, out a fresco, “The wall of the deportees,” that’s tity. Simultaneously, there were calls for greater the undocumented workers’ movement has not painted on their community center. It’s dedicat- unity among the organizations defending undoc- been unified. But unity is very important so that ed to the memory of deported undocumented umented workers, 6,000 of whom have been on we can be strong and solid against the govern- workers and their children. In 2009, France de- strike since October 12. ment.” ported 29,000 undocumented immigrants. The march included 14 undocumented-work- The “rue Baudelique” is a complex of empty Today’s demonstration proclaimed an aim to er collectives from the Paris region, plus the CSP buildings in Paris which has been occupied since protest “laws that create undocumented work- 59 collective from Lille in northern France. The last July by thousands of undocumented work- ers.” It’s clear, however, that demonstrations latter group chanted, “We have marched from ers led by the CSP 75. They’ve renamed the and strikes cannot end such laws, because capi- Lille to Paris to remind Mr. Sarkozy [France’s complex the “Ministry of Legalization of All Un- talism needs the super-profits it makes by super- president] that it’s because of the IMF [Interna- documented Workers.” Roland Diagne, a CSP 59 exploiting undocumented workers. Only commu- tional Monetary Fund] and the multi-nationals spokesman, said: “Today, Paris is the center of nist revolution, which will smash all borders and that we left our countries.” (The chant rhymes in the struggle, which has taken on two forms: the the capitalists who create them, will emancipate French.) Other chants were: “I’m here, I’m stay- strikes of undocumented workers and the Min- these and all workers. J ing, I won’t leave!” and, “We are in danger, we istry of Legalization. These two forms overlap aren’t dangerous!” and they have to come together. We need the Massed anti-riot police stopped the marchers broadest possible united front of resistance to from reaching the French presidential palace. the government.” page 6 • CHALLENGE • 3 february 2010 LETTERS PLP Students, Teachers Lead of the importance of work in industry and the mili- two possibilities.) Action vs. Fare Hike tary. Only one article mentioned the growth of a The unfolding of the recent MTA (Metropoli- There were connections made in the Sum- movement that questions the official story. PLP tan Transportation Authority) protest was a classic mer Projects between Party members of different apparently has no presence in that movement, example of how strategy and tactics need to be generations and different cultures. Allowing as there are no articles about any political strug- based on objective reality. A PL teacher in another people from different countries and different states gles going on within the “911 truth movement.” school told me we were planning a protest the fol- to meet and interact with the new PLP members Since PLP believes in joining mass movements to lowing Tuesday against NYC MTA bosses’ plan to and friends is very important. It influences not only win people to the Party’s understanding of world take away free student Metrocards. We both un- PLP members but also workers in different indus- events, why is PLP not active in the so-called 911 derstood the need to sharpen the class struggle by tries who are getting exploited more and are not truth movement? Does PLP regard the movement leading students and teachers to protest this attack taking the “sugar-coating” but becoming cynical as unalterably misguided, not a mass movement against our class. and angry and thus being more open to fascism worth investigating, or not important? or communism. And even though great things I told my classes on Thursday about the Tuesday Many architects and engineers have pointed have happened inside and outside PLP, more raids, protest. On Friday morning a student said that there out that the physical evidence presented to justify check-points, budget cuts, and layoffs have been would be a massive protest on Monday organized the official story violates the laws of physics. An occurring. Also, there’s more war. Not only have the through Facebook. I talked to another comrade international team of scientists published a peer- cuts affected the workers themselves, but also the who informed me that the massive protest was on reviewed article in a scientific journal proving that sons and daughters of the working class. The Sum- Monday and had been on the local news that morn- nanothermitic explosives brought down the build- mer Projects gave workers, soldiers, and students ing. A few phone calls later, and the protest that ings on 9/11. It is puzzling to watch an organization the solution to these attacks. This work can’t be was planned for Tuesday was moved to Monday so that was quoting the Hart-Rudman Report before underestimated. It represents one of the big gains that we could centralize our forces. 9/11 stand on the sidelines of the 9/11 truth move- of 2009. ment. On Monday, PL’ers made a concerted effort to Also, we had a forum recently where we stu- tell their friends and classes about the protest. Sev- Skeptical engineer dents presented a slide show and explained how eral students had been inviting their friends over the war in Afghanistan is linked to the budget cuts Facebook, and they were struggling with them to and exploitation of millions of workers. We showed CHALLENGE Comment: We appreciate the let- go to the protest. Ironically, student PL’ers who how all the attacks made against the working class ter and agree that based on the Hart-Rudman re- rarely miss events could not make the protest, but are used to pay for the bosses’ crisis and wars. port and past ruling-class lies, we feel there is a lot several students and a teacher came to what was Students not only want to help fight to stop the more to the story of 9/11 than the “official” ruling- their first protest. attacks on the working class but want to change class version. We lean towards the idea that, at a Watching students — who had a week earlier the whole system that makes everyone except the minimum, the ruling class had some idea this was marched outside of our school — invite friends bosses suffer. Our presentation helped show that going to happen. We remain open to other possi- and protest in front of the MTA was inspiring. One the solution is to fight for communism. bilities. student grabbed a bullhorn and led chants, as did Students from L.A. We have not been active in the 9/11 truth move- the teacher who was at her first protest. ment because we have limited forces. We feel that Even though the rally was supposedly organ- ‘Why isn’t PLP in 9/11 Truth at this time the liberal wing of the ruling class is ized through Facebook by others, it was our Party Movement?’ the main enemy. Therefore, we’ve concentrated that provided on-the-ground tactical leadership. our forces in the unions and factories and anti-war, I researched issues of CHALLENGE going back We brought the bulk of the students, parents and campus and community organizations being built to 9/11/01. I found 28 articles mentioning the teachers that stayed, and if it weren’t for our Party, by this wing of the ruling class. events of 9/11: 17 uncritically the political misleaders would have hijacked the accepted the “official” story, demonstration. The demonstration foreshadowed that the attack was carried out how our Party will some day be able to lead mil- by Al Qaeda and fire brought lions away from the bosses’ political misleadership, down the buildings. Seven ar- how well we can coordinate our actions and how ticles accepted the idea that we can change our actions based on a strategic un- the U.S. rulers knew about the derstanding of changing objective circumstances. attack, but let it happen on Red Teacher purpose (LIHOP theory). Two articles mentioned the idea Summer Projects Were Important that the U.S. rulers could have Steps in 2009 planned the attack and carried In a club meeting of a group of PLP teenage it out on purpose (MIHOP the- students, we read and discussed the latest edi- ory). One article (the editorial tion of CHALLENGE. We read the article about on 9/12/01) took no position. the highlights of 2009. We felt that overall in 2009 Four articles downplayed the there were great advances in the Party’s work, both significance of 9/11 as com- internationally and also locally, especially the Sum- pared to other mass murders, mer Projects in Seattle and . We felt wars, etc. carried out by the the Projects should have been covered in the article capitalist class at other times “2009 Marked by Capitalism’s Crisis, Workers’ An- and places. (The total adds ger and Fight-Back.” These were important steps up to 31 articles instead of 28 Seattle Boeing Summer Project Participants in sharpening the Party’s work and understanding because some stories mention Militant Healthcare Workers Need Broader Unity vs. Racist Bosses BROOKLYN, NY, January, 12 — Healthcare to gain or retain the crumbs the bosses offer. care workers need to unite with patients and other workers at three of nine healthcare centers run by Today members of SEIU 1199 HealthCare East union workers in a common struggle that can build a private medical group here are furious and fight- picketed one of the three health centers whose working-class solidarity and confidence in the pow- ing back. They face cuts in paid holidays, loss of contract had expired. (The nine centers have dif- er of our class. paid days off, longer work-days and no increase in ferent contracts and different unions.) The arrogant Union retirees came to today’s picket line to their meager wages. Their struggle mirrors those managers from Pivot had also unilaterally begun in- offer solidarity. We spoke to workers and learned of workers from coast to coast as U.S. bosses at- creasing the work-week and lowering paid days off about their struggle and exchanged experiences. tempt to lower labor costs as international capital- during contract negotiations. They had also locked One retiree explained to the receptive picketers ist competition intensifies. This is especially intense out workers today for daring to picket this center. that workers and patients have the same enemy and for black and Latino workers, who, because of racist Workers angrily chanted, “Bosses say cut back, we the same fight in battling the healthcare bosses. discrimination, suffer super-exploitation. say fight back!” and, “The workers, united, will nev- Today’s militance and reception to solidarity was Here, these mainly low-paid black and Latino er be defeated.” At this center, where a previous a positive step. Communists in Progressive Labor women workers are counting on their union to lead march to the administrative office had resulted in Party will build support for this struggle in unions, this fight. The reformist unions, however, are unwill- suspension of 17 workers, none were intimidated. schools and community organizations. In the class ing to challenge the system that can only survive by The union has planned a three-day strike at the struggle we can all learn to fight and fight to learn. squeezing extra profits from the racist and sexist three centers, but it has not organized to spread This is an important part of building an army that exploitation of black, Latino, immigrant and wom- the fight to the other six centers in the medical can rid us of the racist, exploitative capitalist sys- en workers. Workers need to fight for a system, group. The cuts healthcare workers face are part of tem. J communism, that is organized around meeting our an attack on the working class as a whole. Health- needs or we will never get off the treadmill of trying 3 february 2010 • CHALLENGE • page 7

U.S. Communists, Stalin Crucial in Busting ’s Jim Crow

Among the best-kept secrets about the battle campaign, establishing picket lines and circulating vigorous efforts” to end the color barrier “came against U.S. ruling-class racism is the huge 10-year petitions outside major league ball parks, collecting from the communist press.” anti-racist campaign conducted by communists in tens of thousands of signatures and sending them This campaign was part of the communists’ busting the 50-year exclusion of black players (and, to the blatantly racist baseball commissioner Kene- tremendous effort in that era to combat racism for the most part, by extension, Latino players) saw Landis. throughout capitalist society. But it also must be from professional baseball. Rodney and the DW actually forced the Bos- noted that Rodney and the CP, while exposing rac- The subject arose recently in obituaries upon the ton Red Sox to try out three players, which coin- ism, did it largely from the vantage point of “ex- death at 98 of Lester Rodney, the first sports edi- cidentally included . But the Sox tending American democracy” to black people, tor of the Communist Party’s newspaper the Daily dismissed them out of hand. (Perhaps, if they had rather than from a communist perspective of ex- Worker (DW). Brooklyn Dodger president Branch signed them, Boston would not have had to wait posing racism as integral to the profit system. They Rickey is credited with breaking this barrier, signing nearly another 40 years to win a World Series.) were advocating it as a reform to make capitalism Jackie Robinson to play for the Dodgers in 1947. One of the Negro League club owners offered “more democratic,” not as part of a revolutionary But Rickey, who had run a virtual slave operation the Yankees four player contracts, including Willie fight to overthrow it. when heading the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system, Mays, Robinson and Josh Gibson, probably base- This writer, when a 19-year-old long-time DW was as profit-driven as any boss. ball’s greatest catcher, but the racist Yankee owners reader, encountered this weakness in 1949 when Given the anti-racist sentiment flowing from the turned them down. writing to Rodney disputing his characterization fight against Hitler, Rickey figured black players Meanwhile, Rodney interviewed major league of the Dodgers as “the proletariat’s team,” while would eventually be signed so he might as well get players for their reactions. In 1937, Yankee great marking the Yankees as representing “corporate the profit jump on his rivals. Joe DiMaggio, who barnstormed with Negro America.” That was before the players’ union and As it happens, the Village Voice (6/10/1997) re- League teams after the season, told Rodney that, multi-million-dollar salaries; most players had to ported, “The Seventh World Congress of the Com- “Satchel Paige is the greatest pitcher I’ve ever bat- work in the off-season to make ends meet, were munist International…, presided over by Joseph ted against.” While other reporters heard him, only sent one-year contracts and if they refused, they Stalin in 1935, played a significant role in Jackie Rodney printed DiMaggio’s comment about, argu- simply didn’t play. I maintained what I felt was a Robinson suiting up for the Brooklyn Dodgers on ably, the greatest pitcher that ever lived. “class view,” that the Yankee and Dodgers players had much more in common with each other than April 15, 1947. Landis and the club owners dismissed the anti- either had with their bosses. “It was decided at the Congress that the Daily segregation campaign as “a communist ploy.” The Worker, the feisty newspaper of the American Com- white baseball reporters joined the owners’ efforts Rodney somewhat accepted this analysis, even munist Party, should focus…attention on sports…in in a “conspiracy of silence.” Meanwhile, the base- offering me the paper’s press passes to cover the an attempt to make the paper more appealing” to ball establishment refused press credentials to re- two teams that summer. But ultimately, he and the the working class. And the vantage point for this at- porters for the black newspapers, denying them CP took the reformist road, Rodney quitting the tention was the fight against racism. A DW editorial access to the players. party in 1958 following Soviet leader Khrushchev’s anti-communist condemnation of Stalin. contrasted baseball’s Jim Crow with Hitler. But while the “mainstream” sportswriters re- So on August 16, 1936, the DW pronounced: mained silent, helping prolong baseball’s Jim Crow, While the CP and Rodney played an outstand- “Jim Crow baseball must end.” In the next two the communists never let up, furthering the long ing role in fighting racism in sports, it is still wide- years Rodney produced over 150 articles pushing struggle against racism generally. spread there and in all of society. Racism can only be eliminated when capitalism, which spawns rac- the campaign. And over the next decade, the DW In “Baseball’s Great Experiment: Jackie Rob- ism, is destroyed by communist revolution. Then condemned the club owners for banning black play- inson and His Legacy,” Jules Tygiel wrote that the athletics will involve the entire working class, and ers and criticized the bosses’ press for ignoring the and Rodney “unrelentingly attacked not be a conduit for bosses to make billions in prof- issue. the baseball establishment,” forcing the issue be- its while workers suffer mass racist unemployment The DW, joined by the CPUSA youth group the fore the public. And Arnold Rampersad wrote in his and all the other evils of capitalism. J Young Communist League, organized a grass-roots 1997 biography, “Jackie Robinson,” that “the most

specialists in India lies a dispiriting picture: a multitude of educated but unemployed young men…. Rising education rates have led to higher aspirations. At the same Below are excerpts from mainstream newspapers that may be time, governments have of use for our readers. Abbreviations: NYT=New York Times, often cut the public- GW=Guardian Weekly, LAT=Los Angeles Times sector jobs upon which educated people de- Religions help ruling-class sexism pended…. NYT — The New Testament quotes St. Paul The scale of the prob- (I Timothy 2) as saying that women “must be si- lem is staggering. There lent….” An Orthodox Jewish prayer thanks God, are regularly more than “who hast not made me a woman.” The Koran stip- 10,000 applicants for a ulates… that a woman’s testimony counts for half single government post a man’s…. in Meerut. Students say Abuses — along with more banal injustices, it is necessary to possess like… paying women less for their work — arise “source” (social connec- out of a social context in which women are, often, tions) and “force” (the second-class citizens. That’s a context that religions money for bribes). have helped shape…. Immigration jails Human brain not anti-communist! “Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths, creating an environment cover up deaths NYT, 1/3 — We are born with a highly-struc- in which violations against women are justified….” NYT, 1/10 — As one man lay dying… jail medi- tured brain. But those brains are also transformed cal personnel had falsified a medication log…. by our experiences, especially our early experi- “The belief that women are inferior human ences. More than any other animal, we humans Silence has long shrouded the men and women beings in the eyes of God… gives excuses to the constantly reshape our environment. We also have who die in the nation’s immigration jails…. Few brutal husband who beats his wife, the soldier who an exceptionally long childhood and especially plas- facts were available about who these people were rapes a woman, the employer who has a lower pay tic young brains. Each new generation of children and how they died. scale for women employees, or parents who decide grows up in the new environment… and each gen- to abort a female embryo.” But behind the scenes, it is now clear, the eration of brains becomes wired in a different way. …Religion [is] one of the “basic causes of the deaths… generated thousands of pages of govern- The human mind can change radically in just a few violation of women’s rights.” ment documents, including scathing investigative generations. reports that were kept under wraps, and a trail of In unplanned economy, many adrift confidential memos and BlackBerry messages that show officials working to stymie outside inquiry. GW, 1/8 — Behind the image of tech-savvy IT MORE ITEMS AVAILABLE ONLINE: www.plp.org page 8 • CHALLENGE • 3 february 2010 ‘Avatar’: Mysticism Masquerades As Militancy

James Cameron’s nium has been discovered on Pandora where the voked by the unification of multiple Na’vi tribes. On new movie Avatar Na’vi live and the U.S. Marines attack the Na’vi for screen and in real life, the unity of workers is what is on its way to be- the profit of a U.S. company. Replace the Na’vi with scares the bosses more than anything. The movie coming the highest- Iraqi and Afghan workers and unobtanium with oil also demonstrates the futility of pacifism. The mili- grossing movie of all and the movie would be about contemporary U.S. tary is relentless and brutal and only by actively time. In many ways, imperialism. fighting back do the Na’vi have any hope for vic- the content of the Avatar has many aspects that PLP members and tory. movie is secondary. friends can use to further the discussion: The film The movie is draped in a mysticism that gives In a capitalist society depicts soldiers who turn the guns around and fight the movie an overall pro-religious feel. There is a it is perfectly accept- against their commanders. Importantly, however, “Great Spirit” that connects all of the living things able for someone to this is not a mass, military-wide movement. Only on Pandora. In the end, the inhabitants of Pandora spend $500 million two soldiers rebel and they make no effort to re- rely on this Spirit to overcome the imperialist army. making a movie that cruit other soldiers to their principled fight. One In other words, it is religion, not the collective will bring in many bil- of these two soldiers is a powerful Latina character might of the Na’vi that make the difference. Reli- lions of dollars, while and there is an anti-sexist message. The main fe- gion, however, is a pacifying not a liberating force billions of workers male Na’vi character is a warrior who fights side-by- for the working class. Only a militant working class, suffer every day. The side with her male partner. organized around communist dialectical principles, content of the movie is important, however. The Toward the climax of the movie the army attacks can guarantee it’s own freedom. J movie clearly takes place in an advanced imperialist the natives with their full force, an attack that is pro- society. A precious natural resource called unobta- Bosses Use Calif. ‘Master Plan’ for Education to Prepare for War

CALIFORNIA — The fight against racist budget viet Union after Sputnik (the first satellite, launched Imperialism And Ideology in cuts is heating up in schools and colleges. Students into space by the Soviet Union in 1957). The “first- Higher Education are growing angrier and more committed to stand- tier” University of was expanded mainly Today’s budget crisis — an aspect of the gener- ing up to police attacks. They are open to see that for war research. For example, atom-bomb scien- al crisis of capitalism — allows the capitalist class to its not just bad management. Capitalism and its tist Herbert York was called from Livermore Labora- reshape education to meet its needs as it prepares inevitable imperialist wars are to blame. Many are tory into President Eisenhower’s new Science Advi- for intensified global competition and, increasingly, questioning a system that cuts education, health sory Committee in 1957, and then to the Pentagon. wider war. Colleges starved for funds are rushing care and jobs for wider imperialist war and bailing Three years later he became the first chancellor to qualify for new federal funds that are specifically out banks. of the new UC-Irvine campus, building it up with directed toward workforce development. Most stu- Union leaders and some students are trying to new federal funds from NASA and DARPA (Defense dents will increasingly be pushed into job-training divert mass anger into an electoral campaign to Advanced Research Projects Agency). programs tailored for the employers, including reform the California budget process. The liberal The California State University system became some in defense aerospace. PLP has the opportu- Vasconcellos project draws student activists to ally “tier two,” training teachers and social workers as nity to reach out to students in these programs with with “legislative, business and community leaders.” well as cops and others whom the bosses are fight- the revolutionary fight to end racist exploitation. In contrast, PLP’ers in mass organizations are build- ing to win to keep the rapidly-expanding working- We shouldn’t be nostalgic for “liberal arts” ing a worker-student-soldier alliance for class strug- class in California under their control. However, an- programs, which serve mainly to push the bosses’ gle and revolution: “Strike against a system that gry students in the California State University (CSU) ideology. Education under capitalism teaches some can’t meet our needs and has to be destroyed!” system now facing huge cuts are fighting back. useful skills and a lot of illusions! Working-class The call for mass action on Thursday, March 4, More are eager to talk about the link between the students are made to feel that if they don’t suc- is spreading across the U.S. “Save education!” But cuts, imperialist war, capitalism and communist rev- ceed they have only themselves to blame, while the only the Progressive Labor Party is asking the criti- olution. system is stacked against them. Many struggle val- cal questions: Not only education “for whom?” but The “third-tier” junior colleges “guaranteed” iantly to maintain full-time status (needed to qual- also education “for what?” access to higher education for everyone in what ify for financial aid) while working 30, 40, or more was then a 90% white population, promoting the hours a week to support themselves and often their Education Conforms to cold-war ideology of capitalist “freedom” and “op- families. But more students are joining with PLP to Bosses’ Needs portunity.” New colleges (including LA Southwest fight against these attacks, and to join the lifelong Public education in California has shifted rapidly and West LA Colleges) opened after the Watts re- struggle to get rid of the system based on racism, to meet the bosses’ changing military and econom- bellion, with increasing numbers of black and Latino exploitation and war. ic needs. In the 1930s, teachers were sent to Civil- workers filling jobs in California’s growing economy. As we fight the current round of devastating ian Conservation Corps camps to organize evening Yet the system remained racist to the core. “It was budget cuts our job isn’t to “restore the luster” high schools. Adult education grew to include 10% a sorting system for human capital management of capitalist education (LA Times, 12/28/09) but of California adults, providing a safety valve in an in an open society,” according to CSU Northridge to fight for communist revolution that will, for the era of mass unemployment. provost Harold Hellenbrand. The current racist cuts first time, let us create the educational system we During World War II, nearly a million California are heavily affecting the schools that the majority of need.J workers were trained for jobs in war industry. In black and Latino students attend. the 1950s, K-12 education was reorganized with a vocational- technical emphasis to serve the bosses’ need for workers with new skills. During the eco- nomic slump of the early 1990s, K-12 shifted to SUBSCRIBE or RENEW! college-prep, leaving “career-technical education” mainly to the community colleges. All the communist politics, news, and We are now seeing another seismic shift as the bosses prepare for World War III. Today, as U.S. struggle from around the world! imperialism is in decline, the bosses are pushing ••••$15 individual 1 year education for the next war. But this system of mis- education, even if well-funded, can never serve the ••••$35 for institution 1 year needs of the working class. Name______‘Master Plan’ For Education Serves The Capitalist Masters Address______The California Master Plan for Higher Education City______State______Zip______(1960) responded directly to sharpening inter-impe- rialist rivalry between the United States and the So- Make check or money order to: Challenge Periodicals, PO Box 808, Brooklyn, NY 11202 LLLL