No. 158, May 20, 1977
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WfJRKERI ",IN(J(J,IR' 25¢ No. 158 20 May 1977 • • alre• MA Y 16--The supposed invasion of southern Zaire (the former Belgian Congo) may go down in the history books as the all-time classic "war that wasn't." More than any previous armed conflict. the "war" in Shaba province (formerly Katanga) resembles the movie "The Mouse That Roared." In the film, "war" is declared in order to be lost. so that a bankrupt duchy can be bailed out by "reconstruction" aid. In Zaire's real life version, phantom battles are "won" or "lost" in government news handouts for the purpose of pressuring negotia tions in Washington or Paris for increased imperialist aid. Although Western journalists hungry for a story flocked to Kinshasa, Zaire's capital. no one could ever find a front line. For weeks there was no indication whatever of invading troops, proof of alleged Angolan logistical aid and Russian weaponry, and not a single shred of evidence supporting the con- Der Spiegel continued on page 4 Moroccan troops disembarking from French transports in Zaire. Saudi Oil, and German Reactors Imperialist Aims Behind Carter's "Energy Crisis" On April 18 Jimmy Carter umeiled Imperialist rivalries. his program to deal with the so-called Of course, Carter's opposition to "energy crisis." "The cornerstone of our plutonium-fueled reactors allegedly policy." he said. "is to reduce demand aims at curbing the danger of nuclear through conservation." In keeping with terrorists. while fuel cost rises are his "moral" style. the U.S. president supposed to cure a nation addicted to gave the citizenry a mock tongue gas-gu71ling monster cars and electric lashing. inveighing in puritanical tones toothbrushes. But it is easily apparent that "ours is the most wasteful nation on that the rhetoric disguises a drive to earth." Having turned the temperature reassert American dominance within in gO\ernment offices down to 65 the Western "nuclear club" (by tighten degrees during the depths of last winter's ing its near monopoly on the supply of cold snap (and declaring prohibition on reactor fuel) and to assure that the hard liLJuor at the White House). Carter Pentagon will not be subjected to is pontificating like a latter-day version pressure from OPEC oil expo' ,ers in the of Cotton Mather and Carrie ~ation event of another i\ear E'.st war (by lecturing their flocks on the sins of loose lessening U.S. dependen~e on foreign living. energy sources). However. as in the case of his anti communist crusade for "human rights." Sacrifices for the Workers, Superprofits for the "Seven Oil rig in the North Sea. at the base of Carter's "moral" energy policy lie strategic imperialist goals. As Sisters" he put it: Echoing Richard ~ixon's ill-fated "Further delay can affect our strength "Project Independence." Carter's do Dp~ose and our power as a nation. AFt-CID Economic Chauvinism "Our decision about energy will test the mestic energy proposals pursue the - character of the American people and chimera ofenergy autarky in three ways. the ability of the President and the They encourage conversion to coal and Congress -to govern this nation. This fission power, force oil and gas conser difficult effort will be the 'moral vation through steep price increases and Protectionist Drive equivalent of war'...... taxes and provide the energy trusts with The analogy is appropriate. for behind "profit incentives" to develop domestic Threatens Trade War both his domestic energy plan and reserves. In other words, the plan offers U.S. opposition to West European the carrot to the monopolies-and the PAGE 6 plutonium-based nuclear technology is the reality of exacerbated inter- continued on page 8 AFSCME Sabotages _Letter:--. _ Anti-Arab Racism significant that the various bourgeois Atlanta Sanitation "civil rights" and "anti-racist" groups, including specially the hypocritical Jerusalem, Israel church groups, who have falsely pre 21 April 1977 tended to be against anti-Black racism, The Editor of the "Workers Vanguard" did not raise one little finger against the Strike anti-Arab racism, ofthe most crude and Dear Friend, Nazi-like sort, prevalent now for some Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson has ('omprehensive Employment and I want to express my pleasure and years in the USA. Such things do not succeeded in smashing the strike of the Training Act (CETA) funds to rehire satisfaction with your article "Crisis in come by "chance", they are organized city's predominantly black municipal strikers, since CETA monies are not the Zionist Bunker", of your 15 April and commanded from above for a set workers. For the courageous strikers supposed to be used for strikebreaking. issue. It was a very accurate article. end. I want however [to] add two points: who had resisted a month-long assault Yet Jackson had used CETA workers to Finally, I hope that you will be able in The first is a minor one: Under the of mass firings, anti-picketing injunc do struck work throughout the strike! the future to show how the Palestinian "Allon Plan" On(l' "Samaria and Judea" tions and arrests, the final blow came Their regular jobs filled by scabs, workers are being divided from the and not Gaza Strip will be placed under from their own "leaders." On April 27 many returning strikers are being put on Jewish workers by the Zionistic racism King Hussein's rule. More than that his the International office of the American temporary CETA jobs and are being and discrimination prevalent here. For "rule" will under this plan be effective Federation of State, County and Mu placed at entry-level wage scales, entail only by knowing the disease we can fight only in civilian matters, such as educa nicipal Employees (AFSCME) with ing up to 30 percent pay cuts. Local 1644 against it. I enclose one of my older tion etc. The "security supervision" and drew its support of the strike. staff coordinator Ray Reliford told WV publications, whose first article deals specifically the "right" to arrest people, This stab in the back came the day last week that of some 75 workers still with the racism in the construction will under this plan remain firmly in after strikers had sustained ten arrests in not rehired about 50 who live outside trade. hand of the Israeli government. This is a sit-in at the Mayor's office and, that Atlanta are ineligible for CETA fund what is meant by the phrase so often Sincerely yours, evening, overwhelmingly voted down ings and may never get their jobs back. invoked by the Israeli government, but Israel Shahak the recommendation of both the Local In addition strikers have been stripped never explained by the corrupt USA 1644 and International tops to end the of all but 30 days of accumulated sick P.S. I do hope that you are reading my press, "The Jordan river should be the strike and accept a humiliating defeat. leave which, in some cases, amounts to material sent out regularly to you. I Abandoned by the International. with five or six months' pay. security border of Israel". The word certainly read your paper from cover to "security" means in Israel both internal cover and benefit from this! and military security. Annexation (as colony, not as part of the state) was Israel Shahak is a professor of announced by the military governor to organic chemistry at the Hebrew Uni the Gaza town municipal council versity in Jerusalem andchairman ofthe already in February. I enclose their Israel League for Human and Civil telegram of protest (of course many Rights. He is one ofthe mostprominent others were sent to various recipients). and outspoken critics of Zionism in The second point is much more Israel and the foremost spokesman in important, in my opinion: that the defending victims of Zionist situation you so correctly describe, first persecution. from its economic aspect, secondly Dr. Shahak has carefully documented starting from the fact that Israel is the racialist and anti-democratic char brimming over with the most sophisti acter of Zionism, especially regarding cated American weapons, while the the oppression and disenfranchisement Arab states are weaker militarily than in of the Arabs living in Israel and the 1973, all this invites and presages war; a occupied territories. His publications war in which the bankrupt Israeli include the Shahak Papers. which leadership will try to attack the Arab concern the expropriation and whole states like in 1967 (or like in 1956 with sale destruction ofArab villages imme the USA playing the part France and diately after Israeli independence. and England played then). This is a very The Non-Jew in the Jewish State. strong possibility in my opinion, and the As a young boy. Dr. Shahak was a wave of anti-Arab racism so strongly victim of the Bergen-Belsen Nazi con UPI Atlanta cops arrest AFSCME picket outside Mayor Jackson's office during propagated in the USA from 1973-4, is centration camp. He came to Palestine sanitationmen's strike. designed to prevent, during the first after World War II, liVing most ofhis life weeks of such a struggle at least, any in Israel. and became an active anti popular or worker's effective opposition Zionist under the impact of the 1967 to such a war. It is, I think, very war. strike in 1970, Jackson proved as anti and urged the city's (largely black and labor as any Dixiecrat. low-paid) workforce to bolster the Used to relying on liberal Democrats picket lines as the spearhead of a and civil-rights leaders for "support," militant union organizing campaign.