Imperialist War in Afghanistan Intensifies
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· AUSTRALIA $1.50 · CANADA $1.50 · FRANCE 1.00 EURO · ICELAND KR100 · NEW ZEALAND $1.50 · SWEDEN KR10 · UK £.50 · U.S. $1.00 INSIDE Five years after 9/11: Oppose U.S.-led wars, curbs on rights — EDITORIAL, PAGE 9 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 70/NO. 36 SEPTEMBER 25, 2006 5,000 rally in San Francisco Imperialist war in Washington: Chinatown ‘Legalize all Afghanistan intensifies celebration: British general: Fiercest combat since Korean War immigrants!’ ‘Socialist revolution BY PAUL DAVIES BY DOUG NELSON brought equality for LONDON, September WASHINGTON—“U.S. Congress, 10—Eight British soldiers were legalization now!” read a banner facing Chinese-Cubans’ killed in combat in Afghanistan the U.S. Capitol held up by 25 partici- in August, and another 20 in pants in a September 7 march and rally BY BETSEY STONE the first 10 days of September, at the National Mall. The protest drew SAN FRANCISCO—People from bringing the year’s toll to 36. some 5,000 workers, unionists, and San Diego to Vancouver, British Lt. Gen. David Richards, com- immigrant rights activists demanding Columbia, filled an auditorium in the mander of the NATO forces in legalization for undocumented immi- heart of Chinatown here September 9 the country, called the combat grants and an end to deportations. for a panel discussion of Our History Is under way the worst sustained It was one of a series of immigrant Still Being Written: The Story of Three fighting the British military rights demonstrations held during the Chinese-Cuban Generals in the Cuban has faced since the 1950–53 week of Labor Day in a number of cit- Revolution, a book-length interview Korean war. The casualties are ies. Among the participants were labor with Armando Choy, Gustavo Chui, the highest the British armed union contingents from UNITE HERE, and Moisés Sío Wong. forces have suffered since the Service Employees International Union The program was sponsored by the 1982 war against Argentina to (SEIU), and the Laborers union. Chinese Historical Society of America maintain colonial control of the Speakers at the rally included together with Pathfinder Press, the Malvinas islands off the South NAACP president Bruce Gordon, Ja- book’s publisher, and Eastwind Books American coast. net Murguia, president of the National of San Francisco. NATO forces are engaged in Council of La Raza, UNITE HERE The audience of 180 people brought the largest military operation president John Wilhelm, and Eliseo together students, workers, academic since the imperialist alliance Medina, international vice president figures, and activists in Chinese, Japa- took command from Wash- of SEIU. Several prominent Demo- nese, and Filipino-American organiza- ington of the occupying forces crats also gave speeches, including Sen. tions. Some 40 percent of the audience in southern Afghanistan in Edward Kennedy, Congresswoman were of Asian origin, and translation into July. The battle is raging in the Crown Copyright via Getty Images/Cpl. Mike Fletcher Sheila Jackson-Lee, and Congress- Cantonese and Spanish was available for southern province of Kandahar against the Taliban, the former British soldier watches the aftereffects of airstrike Continued on page 4 Continued on page 6 during fighting August 24 in southern Afghanistan. ruling party that was toppled in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. The Taliban commander, called for reinforcing the Pennsylvania town 400 subscribe to have reportedly taken control of at least 19,000-strong NATO force in Afghani- one town in the area. stan by an additional 2,500 soldiers. passes new, harsher ‘Militant’ at start On September 7, James Jones, the U.S. Washington has another 20,000 troops anti-immigrant law of circulation drive general who is NATO’s supreme allied Continued on page 7 BY JOHN STUDER BY ARGIRIS MALAPANIS PHILADELPHIA, September The Militant’s fall circulation cam- 12—At a hastily scheduled special paign is off to a good start. We began Majority in Iraqi parliament meeting on September 8, the city counting subscriptions on August 24, council in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, when the issue came off the press fea- propose a federated state passed on first reading a revised and turing the letter by Socialist Workers BY SAM MANUEL country into three autonomous regions revamped “Illegal Immigration Relief Party national secretary Jack Barnes within a substantially weakened federal Act.” The aim of the ordinance, accord- on Israel’s murderous war on Lebanon WASHINGTON—The majority state. Pressures in this direction have ing to Mayor Louis Barletta, who has (see “We are for whatever strengthens bloc in Iraq’s government—the United mounted steadily since 2003, when the championed the measure, is to “rid the the confidence and capacity of the toilers” Iraqi Alliance (UIA)—has submit- U.S. military toppled Saddam Hussein’s city of illegal aliens and protect legal in September 4 Militant). Between then ted legislation that would divide the Baath Party regime. American workers.” and the September 9–10 weekend, when The plan would divide Iraq into a Another special meeting took place the eight-week drive began, nearly 400 Kurdish region in the north, a Shiite Arab today to hold both the second and third people subscribed. Tel Aviv lifts region in the south, and a Sunni Arab readings of the ordinance and pass it These include 66 people renewing region in central and western Iraq. Kurds into law. their subscriptions, some 17 percent of naval blockade Continued on page 3 While no protest was planned at the the total. Militant supporters are working September 12 city council meeting, to keep this rate up or increase it. That would mean winning nearly 500 renew- of Lebanon Anna Arias, a leader of the Hazle- ton Area Latino Taskforce, told the als as part of the international goal of BY PAUL PEDERSON Also Inside: Militant, “We are determined to keep 2,600 subscriptions. Achieving the re- The Israeli government ended its Equatorial Guinea newal quota would be an important step naval blockade of Lebanon September fighting to overturn this mean-spirited graduates its first class in expanding the Militant’s long-term 8, as Lebanese Army troops and con- attack on an important part of our com- of Cuban-trained doctors 2 munity.” readership. tingents of soldiers under the United Efforts to adopt and put into effect an Reports on how this effort is combined Nations banner expanded their pres- Sweden: Communist League with signing-up new readers are begin- ence in the southern part of the country anti-immigrant measure in Hazleton launches election campaign, ning to come in. and the Italian navy began patrolling have been widely reported across the new issue of Marxist magazine 3 United States and copied in a number “On Sunday, September 10, several the coastline. of smaller cities, where local officials of us set up a table at 207th Street and The UN force in southern Lebanon have attempted to place blame for the Broadway, a working-class neighbor- has grown to 3,500 and is expected Republicans take off table social crisis in the country on the back hood in upper Manhattan,” said a note to reach 5,000 within a week, with ‘guest worker’ bill, of undocumented workers. from Alyson Kennedy, a Militant sup- the arrival of hundreds of Spanish push for tightening border 4 These moves have been met with porter in New York. “At one point, Man- and French troops, according to press both political and legal challenges. uel Sánchez and I went door-to-door reports. The Israeli government has Government of Sri Lanka Hundreds have demonstrated in to visit readers whose subs had expired pledged to withdraw its remaining wages war on Tamil Tigers 7 Continued on page 5 Continued on page 4 Continued on page 9 Equatorial Guinea graduates its first class of Cuban-trained doctors BY MARTÍN KOPPEL by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema. AND ARRIN HAWKINS Other speakers included Health Min- Seventy-three students received ister Justino Obama Nve, university their medical diplomas at an August rector Carlos Nsé Nsuga, Cuban vice 1 ceremony in Malabo, the capital of minister of health Roberto González Equatorial Guinea. They were the first Martín, and Cuba’s ambassador to class to graduate from the medical Equatorial Guinea, Víctor Dreke. Also school in that nation in central Africa. part of the Cuban delegation attending The teaching facility, part of the Na- the ceremony was Dr. Alexis Díaz Ro- tional University of Equatorial Guinea, dríguez, dean of the Ernesto Che Gue- is directed and staffed by Cuban inter- vara school of medicine in Pinar del Cuban internationalist medical volunteers, together with university and government nationalist medical personnel. Río, where the Guinean youth studied. officials from Equatorial Guinea, at graduation of first class from Cuban-run medical school Díaz himself was the first dean of the in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. Víctor Dreke, Cuba’s ambassador to the West African country, The 73 included 20 youths who had is in front row, third from the left. To his right is university rector Carlos Nse Nsuga. studied five years at the medical school Bata medical school. in the city of Bata, in the country’s Present for the day’s celebration working in countries throughout Ninety-five Guinean students are continental region, and spent their were many of the 144 members of Africa at the end of 2004. Cuba cur- currently being trained by Cuban final year studying and doing prac- Cuba’s volunteer medical contingent rently has about 20,000 doctors serving teachers at the medical school in tical training in Cuba at hospitals in Equatorial Guinea, headed by in 68 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin Bata, and a larger number are study- in the western province of Pinar del Dr.