• El movimiento inmigrante • Seguro Social atacado 12

Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! workers.org Dec. 2, 2010 Vol. 52, No. 47 50¢ Rebellion grows against occupiers U.S., U.N. & cholera out of Haiti! By G. Dunkel sion in January make it clear that the U.S. not only FREE directs the work of Minustah, but is prepared to back POLITICAL For more than a week, mass protests against the it up militarily at the drop of a hat. U.N.’s occupation have broken out throughout Haiti, Thousands just came out in Cap-Haïtien, the PRISONERS Leonard Peltier, Lynne Stewart 2, 3 especially in Cap-Haïtien on its northern coast and country’s second-largest city. They threw rocks and Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital. Protests have blocked streets. After riot police fired on demonstra- also taken place in southern cities like Cayes and in tors, police stations at Barrière Bouteille and Pont SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS PROTEST the center of the country in Gonaïve. Neuf were burned. A World Food Program ware- Thousands say ‘Shut it down!’ 8 What fueled these protests, which involved burn- house in the city’s southeastern section was liberated. ing barricades, trenches, trees and rock piles placed Stanley Jean-Mary, a reporter for France 24 news across National Route 1 and city streets, as well as service who is also a leftist and a community leader PLAYING CHESS While Black 7 militant marches, were the raging cholera epidemic in Cap-Haïtien, writes, “For two years, we have had and the widespread belief among the people that to deal with an irresponsible government, which was U.N. troops have introduced the disease into their not prepared. After the earthquake, it gave up. Then MSU STUDENT SIT-IN country. By Nov. 20, more than 1,100 Haitians had there was Hurricane Tomas, followed by the chol- Against rape culture 5 died of cholera, and nearly 20,000 were hospitalized. era epidemic. The situation was falling apart but the However, it was clear from the protesters’ slogans, government did not come to the aid of the people. such as “Down with American imperialism! U.N. and “When my neighbors learned that three people GM PROFITS UP cholera out of Haiti!” that there is an understanding Continued on page 9 Wages, benefits down 4 that while the troops on the ground wear blue hel- mets embossed with ‘U.N.,’ it is the U.S. which calls NEW YORk CITY/ the shots. (French TV5 news, Nov. 18). The U.N.’s official role in Haiti has been to ensure Flashmobs for Jobs demand. stability, which is why its 12,000-member armed force, the Minustah, is officially called the U.N. Sta- extended benefits. bilization Mission in Haiti. Minustah has been the main military force in Hai- ti since June 2004, when it took over from a coali- tion of U.S., French and Canadian imperialist troops that occupied Haiti two months earlier. This was after the second coup against democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, when U.S. Special Forces kidnapped him to the Central African Repub- lic. (See “Haiti: A Slave Revolution.”) When the U.N. command structure was crushed by its headquarters’ collapse during the January earthquake, the U.S. rushed in more than 20,000 troops and seized control of Haiti’s air- and seaports. This kept many emergency supplies for aid organiza- tions from arriving quickly and made a coordinated relief operation harder. Most land-based U.S. troops were withdrawn by mid-March. When Hurricane Tomas threatened Haiti in early November, the Pentagon moved in the helicopter carrier Iwo Jima with “emergency supplies” and a brigade of Marines. Since Tomas spared Haiti from a major catastrophe, the country was spared another U.S. invasion. Both the act of sending the Iwo Jima and the U.S.’s so-called “humanitarian” troop inva-

Subscribe to Workers World Photo:_DiNAE_ANDErSoN Eight weeks trial $4 www.workers.org By Dinae Anderson will, the crowd showed New Yorkers that they were tired One year subscription $25 212.627.2994 of the government ostracizing them and leaving them “Open the vaults, hire the workers.” That was one of hopeless and in despair. Name______many chants heard at the Federal Reserve Bank in New This action came in light of Congress not renewing un- Address______York City on Nov. 20. The 99ers — those who have been employment extension checks due to expire Nov. 30. Two unemployed for more than 99 weeks whose benefits have million workers will be affected immediately, and millions City_/State/Zip______ended — other unemployed and their supporters reen- more will follow in the months ahead. There will be no in- Email______Phone______acted a 1930s breadline, a notable image throughout the come for them and their families, which is especially hard Workers World Newspaper 55 W. 17th St. #5C, NY, NY 10011 Great Depression. With stale loaves of bread and strong Continued on page 7

‘END NATO’ Say 30,000 in Lisbon streets 9 THE WAR PRIZE Nobel & Liu 11 GAZA & THE MEDIA 11 Page_2_ Dec_2,_2010_ workers.org

FREE LEONARD PELTIER! WORKERS WORLD His family accuses U.S. gov’t this week ...  In the U.S. Flashmobs for Jobs demand extended benefits...... 1 of medical neglect Free Leonard Peltier...... 2 f U.S. Senate stalls reparation payments ...... 2 The following press release was issued on Nov. 15 by Commemorate 41st ‘We are all Lynne Stewart’ ...... 3 Delaney Bruce, Legal Team Liaison, Leonard Peltier No profit from injustice...... 3 Defense Offense Committee, P.O. Box 7488, Fargo, ND National day of Mourning Activists remember the homeless who have died ...... 3 58106; phone 701-235-2206; contact@whoisleonard- GM ‘comeback story’ leaves workers behind ...... 4 peltier.info On the U.S. ‘thanksgiving’ Workers need a new WPA jobs program ...... 4 holiday. Many Native Ameri- FREE “A man dies from prostate cancer every 16 minutes in Top Ten on bailout ...... 4 cans do not celebrate the this country. Why does my brother have to wait over a Leonard Peltier A real California tour without Hollywood stars ...... 5 arrival of the Pilgrims and Demand the release of our year to receive even a diagnosis?” Students demand action against rape ...... 5 other European settlers. brother, Native political prisoner Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who main- ‘Thanksgiving’ is a reminder Leonard Peltier. Add your voice Protests beat back bigots...... 5 tains his innocence, was wrongfully convicted in connec- of the genocide of millions to the millions worldwide who Stop attacks on workers of all ages ...... 6 of Native people, the theft of tion with the shooting deaths of two agents of the Federal demand his freedom. Help our Invasive airport body searches elicit mass anger ...... 6 their lands and the relentless Bureau of Investigation in 1977. Imprisoned for 35 years struggle to create a true aware- Labor, parents support special needs children ...... 6 assault on their culture. Hon- ness of Native peoples and dem- — currently at the federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsyl- Fighting racism builds class unity...... 7 or Native ancestors and the onstrate the unity of Indigenous vania — Peltier has been designated a political prisoner struggles of Native peoples peoples internationally. Help Chess-playing while Black in NYC...... 7 by Amnesty International. Nelson Mandela, Desmond to survive today. shatter the false image of the Stop FBI actions Nov. 29-Dec. 4...... 7 Tutu, 55 members of Congress and others — including Join Us Pilgrims and the unjust system Thousands demand School of the Americas’ closing ...... 8 a judge who sat as a member of the court in two of Pel- Thursday based on racism, sexism, the op- Transgender Day of Remembrance commemorated ...... 8 pression of lesbian/gay/bi/trans tier’s appeals — have all called for his immediate release. UAW supports Coca-Cola boycott ...... 8 . people and war. Widely recognized for his humanitarian works and a Nov 25 Noon Musical captures political legacy of Nigerian artist, activist 10 Cole’s Hill, Plymouth, Mass. Contact: six-time Nobel Prize nominee, Peltier also is an accom- (above Plymouth Rock) United American Indians plished author and painter. March through Plymouth, of New England/LPSG  Around the world Sister Betty Solano says Peltier began exhibiting Phone 617-522-6626 Speak-Out, followed by Social U.S., U.N. & cholera out of Haiti!...... 1 symptoms commonly attributed to prostate cancer over [email protected] www.uaine.org Memorial meeting celebrates Lolita Lebrón’s life ...... 8 a year ago. His age (he is 66 years old) and family history The International Action center is sending a bus from New York city. call 212-633-6646. www.iacenter.org NATO summit plans for continued aggressions ...... 9 are risk factors for the disease. Pressured by Peltier’s at- 30,000 protest NAT O Summit in Lisbon ...... 9 torneys, the Bureau of Prisons ran standard blood tests qqqqqqqqqqq The Nobel Peace Prize and Liu Xiaobo ...... 11 in June. Peltier received the results last week, over four “Last week, at the United Nations, the United States The media and Gaza, part 3 ...... 11 months later. A physician only now says a biopsy is need- claimed that it is unequivocally committed to the hu- ed to make a diagnosis. mane treatment of all individuals in detention, including  Editorials Prostate cancer affects one in six men in the United criminal detention. Delaying tests, avoiding a diagnosis, Two tier-wage system & class struggle...... 10 States. Medical experts agree that the cure rate for pros- and preventing proper medical treatment for a poten- tate cancer is high, but only if detected early. tially life-threatening disease is not humane by anyone’s Even if Peltier doesn’t have cancer, the symptoms in- definition,” a spokesperson for the Leonard Peltier De-  Noticias En Español dicate a serious medical condition and one that could fense Offense Committee said. El movimiento inmigrante...... 12 lead to serious complications if left untreated. “Unfortunately, this situation isn’t unique to Mr. Pel- Seguro Social atacado...... 12 A physician who conducted an independent review of tier. Many U.S. prisoners die prematurely because treat- Peltier’s medical records in 2000 concluded that Peltier’s ment is delayed or denied.” Workers World overall medical treatment is below a reasonable standard Family members want the government to release Pel- 55 West 17 Street of care. Decades ago, Peltier suffered a stroke which left tier, who was denied parole in 2009. His North Dakota New York, N.Y. 10011 him nearly blind in one eye, damage physicians say could tribe has twice passed a resolution asking the govern- Phone: (212) 627-2994 have been prevented had he been treated sooner. In the ment to transfer Peltier into their custody. Peltier’s many Fax: (212) 675-7869 1990s, there was international outrage after the BOP supporters believe his release from prison is the only way E-mail: [email protected] botched surgeries to correct a jaw problem. Only then Peltier will receive humane treatment. Web: www.workers.org was Peltier transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota Source: U.S. vs. Leonard Peltier: Evidence of a Vol. 52, No. 47 • Dec. 2, 2010 for treatment. Subsequent procedures were recommend- Wrongful Conviction. From the files of the Federal Closing date: Nov. 23, 2010 ed by a specialist, but never performed by the BOP. Bureau of Investigation. Editor: Deirdre Griswold Technical Editor: Lal Roohk For Native, African-American farmers Managing Editors: John Catalinotto, LeiLani Dowell, Leslie Feinberg, Kris Hamel, Monica Moorehead, Gary Wilson U.S. Senate stalls reparation payments West Coast Editor: John Parker Contributing Editors: Abayomi Azikiwe, By Abayomi Azikiwe In the case involving African-American farmers, an Greg Butterfield, Jaimeson Champion, G. Dunkel, Editor, Pan-African News Wire initial settlement in 1999 failed to compensate tens of Fred Goldstein, Teresa Gutierrez, Larry Hales, thousands of households due to bureaucratic problems. Berta Joubert-Ceci, Cheryl LaBash, A lame-duck United States Senate approved a $4.6 bil- The case stemmed from a suit filed by North Carolina Milt Neidenberg, Bryan G. Pfeifer, Betsey Piette, lion settlement for Native and African-American farmers farmer Timothy Pigford in 1997, accusing the U.S. De- Minnie Bruce Pratt, Gloria Rubac who have suffered decades of discrimination by govern- partment of Agriculture of systematic discrimination Technical Staff: Sue Davis, Shelley Ettinger, mental agencies. The measures were supported by the based on race. Bob McCubbin, Maggie Vascassenno Obama administration in 2009. The 1999 settlement was supposed to provide a mere Mundo Obrero: Carl Glenn, Teresa Gutierrez, Nonetheless, funding for the compensation packages, $50,000 to each African-American farm family that made Berta Joubert-Ceci, Donna Lazarus, Michael Martínez, now known as the Claims Settlement Act of 2010, has a claim of discrimination. However, many families never Carlos Vargas been delayed because of the Senate’s failure to provide received any compensation, which resulted in further liti- funding to make payments to the victims who number in gation and another settlement known as Pigford II. Supporter Program: Sue Davis, coordinator the tens of thousands. Continued on page 3 Copyright © 2010 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of articles is permitted in any medium National Office Buffalo, N.Y. Durham, N.C. Pittsburgh without royalty provided this notice is preserved. join us 55 W. 17 St. 367 Delaware Ave. 331 W. Main St., Ste. 408 [email protected] Workers World (ISSN-1070-4205) is published weekly New York, NY 10011 Buffalo, NY 14202 Durham, NC 27701 Rochester, N.Y. except the first week of January by WW Publishers, Workers World Party 212-627-2994 716-883-2534 [email protected] 585-436-6458 55 W. 17 St., N.Y., N.Y. 10011. Phone: (212) 627-2994. 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Box 57300 contact the branch Fax 617-983-3836 313-459-0777 610-931-2615 Washington, DC 20037 Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., 5th Floor, nearest you. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] New York, N.Y. 10011. workers.org Dec. 2, 2010 Page 3 ‘WE ARE ALL LYNNE STEWART!’ By Dolores Cox As supporters began to march to the Lynne Stewart,” “We’ll continue your Lynne Stewart at New York prison for their outside “visit,” several cop fight,” “Free all political prisoners,” “Never a rally for Mumia Abu-Jamal. cars approached in an attempt to redirect give up hope,” “We love you, Lynne” and November 20 marked the one-year an- them. The marchers, however, continued. “Be like Lynne, struggle to win.” Due to a an impending out-of-state transfer seems niversary of the incarceration of “The Peo- Police harassment and intimidation con- lockdown and possible threats, however, imminent. When that will happen and to ple’s Lawyer,” 71- year-old Lynne Stewart. tinued throughout, but supporters were only an occasional brave prisoner ap- which location is unknown at this time. The U.S. government sentenced her to 10 not deterred. peared at the windows for brief moments. After leaving the prison, Stewart sup- years imprisonment for allegedly “aiding a As darkness came, protesters turned Upon leaving, Poynter shouted his final porters attended a commemoration of the terrorist,” the blind Egyptian Sheikh Omar on flashlights, accompanied by drum- message to Stewart: “Remember, we’re life of another freedom fighter, Puerto Ri- Abdul-Rahman, who is serving a 100-year mers, noisemakers and shouts toward the here for you, Lynne. You will never be for- can Nationalist Party activist Dolores “Lo- sentence for complicity in the first bomb- prison windows. gotten. See ya later. This is not good-bye.” lita” Lebron. She was incarcerated by the ing attack on the World Trade Center. Poynter shouted, “We’re here for you, Stewart’s supporters were all aware U.S. government for 25 years for fighting Apparently, this is the first time a law- Lynne, and all the incarcerated with you.” that their greetings to Lynne might be the for Puerto Rican independence. Lebron yer has been disbarred or criminally pros- Collectively, the group chanted, “Free last chance to “visit” her in New York, as passed away on Aug. 1. ecuted for violating an administrative or- der forbidding the public conveyance of thoughts and words of a client. Stewart’s Supporters of detained immigrants say: conviction is intended to have a chilling effect on other attorneys who dare to fol- low in her footsteps. The government has made her part of the their post-9/11 “war ‘No profit from injustice’ on terrorism.” On Nov. 20 close to 100 activists and in- On Nov. 19 Emily Guzman, with her of legal resources and due process, and immigrant policies carried out at Stewart. dependent media journalists gathered one young son at her side, spoke to 100 or so multiple other issues that characterize the When people approached the barri- more time near the Metropolitan Correc- protesters at the entrance to the Stewart horrendous treatment given immigrants cade, determined to take the protest onto tional Center in Manhattan where Stewart Detention Center outside Lumpkin, Ga. in detention. the prison grounds, eight were arrested, is imprisoned. The mood was both spir- Close to 2,000 immigrants are currently Emily Guzman’s painful yet powerful including Emily Guzman’s mother. ited and somber. Rally speakers expressed detained at the facility in this rural county story evoked a strong sense of outrage The struggle will continue to “Shut their love and admiration for her courage awaiting deportation to Mexico, Jamaica, and commitment among members of the Stewart down” and “Bring Pedro home.” and willingness to fight against injustice, Bangladesh and the Philippines, among crowd to act against the inhumane, anti- — Dianne Mathiowetz to speak truth to power and to turn words many other countries. into action and organizing. They were At times she fought back tears as she there to give strength and words of en- described her spouse, Pedro Guzman, Activists remember the couragement to Stewart and each other, who has been held for more than a year in saying they can’t do enough to repay her. the privately owned and operated prison. Speakers stated that Stewart served as Pedro came with his mother from Mexico homeless who have died a role model to many in the legal profes- when he was 8 years old. He and Emily, a sion, yet too many of her colleagues lack U.S. citizen, have a 4-year-old son, Logan. backbone and principle. They said that Although Pedro was granted bail in one ATLANTA. the job of all of us is to relieve the bur- legal proceeding, he remains incarcer- dens of all subjugated political prisoners ated, separated from his family. residing in the citadels of injustice and its Last year this annual protest, scheduled predatory system. And they asserted that to coincide with the School of the Ameri- we must continue the struggle to protect cas activities in nearby Columbus, Ga., our First Amendment rights, resist U.S. focused on the death of Roberto Martinez fascism and dare to stand up against ag- Medina, who died of a treatable heart in- gression and tyranny. fection while at Stewart. Martinez is just Speakers described Stewart as a woman one of the 114 detainees who have died who joins all great women in history who nationwide while in Immigration and have been punished for making change Customs Enforcement custody. Many of for the betterment of humanity. them died at for-profit facilities operated During the rally Ralph Poynter, Stew- by Corrections Corporation of America Photo:_AL_VioLA art’s partner, received a phone call from and other multimillion-dollar businesses. For the 22nd year, the Metro Atlanta large emergency shelter just north of the California activists who said, “Stay strong. The situations of these two individuals Task Force for the Homeless organized a downtown area, has taken legal actions We are all Lynne Stewart!” highlight the deplorable health care, lack march Nov. 1 through downtown to City against big business leaders and associa- Hall to remember the men, women and tions, charging them with illegally con- children who died without shelter. Sev- spiring to deprive the shelter of public For Native, African-American farmers eral hundred residents of the shelter at and private funding and instigating the Peachtree and Pine took part along with foreclosure on the building. activists from peace, justice and faith- With the eviction blocked, the Peach- U.S. Senate stalls reparation payments based organizations. tree-Pine shelter continues to provide With the message “Homelessness is a thousands of poor people with help get- Continued from page 2 er-increasing role of agribusiness, which matter of life and death” on the lead ban- ting all kinds of assistance; sheltering In regard to the class-action lawsuit in- dominates farming and food production ner, the demonstrators carried three cof- hundreds every night; offering art space volving Native Americans, Cobell vs. Sala- in general. fins past the highrise hotels and office to painters and photography, bicycle re- zar had been filed 15 years prior to the re- Over the last 90 years, African-Amer- towers that flank Peachtree, Atlanta’s ma- pair and computer training; and provid- cent Senate action. Elouise Cobell of the ican farmers have lost over 13 million jor street. Chants demanding housing and ing a performance and meeting space. Blackfeet nation had filed the claim based acres of land, largely in the South, where jobs echoed off the glass-covered build- The Task Force has earned the enmity on the misspending of Native monies by the their ancestors were enslaved for two- ings. Restaurant workers, pedestrians and of the corporate elite by relentlessly chal- Departments of Treasury and the Interior. and-a-half centuries. passing motorists signaled their approval lenging the criminalization of poor people “I want to thank Senators Baucus and Republican senators had held up this as the loud, colorful march passed by. and the privatization of public space, ex- Tester for leading the fight in the Senate bill and similar ones, claiming they would Later that evening at a requiem mass posing the racist and class bias of urban to provide a long-overdue conclusion to only contribute to the national deficit. held at The Cathedral of St. Phillip, the “renewal” in Atlanta. this settlement,” Cobell stated. (Missoula One of the main opponents of approv- names of 48 people who had died homeless For more information, go to www. Independent, Nov. 19) ing the settlements to African-American in Atlanta this past year were called out. homelesstaskforce.org. “Too many Native Americans have died and Native farmers was Sen. Tom Coburn The Task Force, which operates the — Dianne Mathiowetz waiting for justice. My greatest optimism of Oklahoma, who only dropped his ob- lies ahead hoping that today’s news gives jection when it was agreed that monies way to permanent reform in the way the for the bill would be taken from “surplus MarxisM, reparations Departments of Interior and Treasury ac- funds” provided for nutritional programs & the Black Freedom struggle count for and manage Individual Indian for women and children. An anthology of writings from Workers World newspaper. Edited by Money accounts.” At the same time the bill must go back Monica Moorehead. Includes: Racism, National Oppression John Boyd, the president of the Nation- to the House for final approval. This will & Self-Determination Larry_holmes__Black Labor from Chattel Slavery to Wage Slavery Sam_Marcy Black Youth: Repression & Resistance al Black Farmers Association, said of the reportedly take place after the holiday re- LeiLani_Dowell__The Struggle for Socialism Is Key Monica_Moorehead Tom Burell, a Senate bill that “passage of this bill is long cess in late November. Black & Brown Unity: A Pillar of Struggle for Human Rights & Global Justice! member of Black overdue. Black farmers have already died An afro.com article says, “The matter Saladin_Muhammad Alabama’s Black Belt: Legacy of Slavery, Sharecropping & Farmers Agricul- at the plow waiting for justice.” (afro.com, now goes to the House where even more Segregation Consuela_Lee_Harriet Tubman, Woman Warrior Mumia_Abu-Jamal turalists Asso- Nov. 19) recalcitrance is expected from lawmakers Are Conditions Ripe Again Today? 40th Anniversary of the 1965 Watts Rebellion ciation speaks outside USDA Boyd noted, “The amount of money who contend that the settlement adds to John_Parker Racism & Poverty in the Delta Larry_hales office in 2002. will not put farmers back into business.” what they consider excessive spending at a Haiti Needs Reparations, Not Sanctions Pat_Chin What the leader is referring to is the ev- time of federal budget deficits.” (Nov. 19) Available at www.Leftbooks.com and bookstores across the country. Page_4_ Dec_2,_2010_ workers.org General Motors ‘Comeback story’ leaves workers behind By Martha Grevatt union made huge concessions. Now GM’s UAW members. Voting “no,” workers were day of trading that estimate had jumped North American unit has made $4.9 billion told, would mean no loan and thus Chap- to $19 billion. (Detroit News, Nov. 20) “Americans love a comeback story.” in profit in the first three quarters of this ter Seven liquidation. UAW workers voted General Motors CEO Daniel Akerson was year. Per-vehicle profits are estimated to to allow GM to close a significant number Union must break with capitalists referring to his company’s Nov. 18 Initial be around $2,000. The UAW-represented of facilities, but weren’t told which ones Akerson is assuming that, despite ne- Public Offering of preferred and common workforce, who once numbered 500,000, would close until after the vote. gotiating vague language on “equity of stock on the New York Stock Exchange. now hovers around 50,000. It takes about Much of the work has shifted to low- sacrifice,” the UAW will not get back what (Detroit News, Nov. 19) Akerson’s “Amer- 30 hours of labor to build a vehicle. Even wage countries. The prospectus even it gave up. When the CEO rang the bell, icans” — wealthy investors — showed if we take the grossly inflated cost of la- bragged, “Approximately 43 percent of UAW International President Bob King their love by purchasing 451 million GM bor that GM claims — $75 per hour — the our vehicles are manufactured in regions was standing right behind him. “We’ve shares by the end of the day. bosses still get almost as much in profit per we believe to be low-cost locations, such made a lot of sacrifices,” King told the De- The day began with Akerson ringing vehicle ($2,000) as the workers earn in as China, Mexico, Eastern Europe, India troit News. “This IPO shows that was the the bell to signal the start of trading. The wages and other compensation ($2,250). and Russia.” right decision.” confident CEO revved the engine ofa Wages of future U.S. employees are fro- In fact what the IPO shows is that GM sporty new Chevrolet Camaro. The open- Gov’t colludes to shed jobs, slash wages zen at $14 per hour until 2015. Now the has increased the rate of exploitation, ing price was $33 per share. The price With 2007 and 2009 concessions, UAW leadership has allowed GM to recall and done so with UAW leadership’s co- closed at $34.19 and rose another seven shedding tens of thousands of higher- some laid-off workers at the lower wage operation. On the shop floor, the expan- cents the next day. paid workers and hiring 7,000 new work- in a Michigan assembly plant. It’s reason- sion of the two-tier wage scale has led At the time of the 2009 bailout, GM ers at half the pay of “traditional” employ- able to assume that the Treasury put pres- to the erosion of worker solidarity. Until stock sold at a 75-year low of 75 cents a ees, labor costs have fallen dramatically. sure on the union to go along with the 50 King breaks up the decades-old partner- share. What would cause a nearly fifty- Workers are seeing more of the value they percent pay cut. ship with the bosses, the prevalent mood fold increase in value in such a short produce go to profits than to their own It was to effectuate a rapid and drastic among the rank-and-file will be one of time? Did GM suddenly acquire new as- wages and benefits. streamlining of operations — President frustration and demoralization. To make sets that would increase the worth of its That high rate of exploitation was the Barack Obama used the phrase “lean and that break, however, what is needed is re- holdings? On the contrary, 11 plants and major selling point in a two-week “road mean” — that the capitalist state temporar- jection of increased wage exploitation and a number of warehouses, along with some show” in which GM Vice Chairperson Steve ily took control of GM. Now that the task is profits. The entire capitalist system must 1,500 dealerships, have been closed as Girsky and North American President Mark “substantially completed,” the government be challenged. part of the post-bankruptcy restructuring. Reuss gave 85 presentations to potential is in the process of returning the company Despite the orientation of the union Stock prices have little to do with the investors. The company’s pro spec tus stat- to private hands. In two days the federal leadership, some autoworkers are trying real value of a company’s assets. They ed, “We have substantially completed the government’s share of GM was reduced to figure out how to reverse the givebacks are a reflection of how much an investor restructuring of our North American op- from 61 percent to 33 percent. Through the that GM — and Ford and Chrysler — have is willing to gamble that a company will erations, which has reduced our cost base stock sale and payments on the loan GM taken from them. At a Nov. 14 meeting in make profits. In the first three quarters of and improved our capacity utilization and has repaid $23 billion to the government. Toledo, Ohio, a group of anti-concession this year GM has made $4.2 billion in net product line profitability” through “sala- The state orchestrated a “comeback” on activists began planning a demonstration profit. Profits are made by exploiting labor. ried and hourly headcount reductions” the backs of the workers, and this is the outside the North American International When the bosses are able to cut wages or and “labor agreement restructuring.” reason for the bosses’ bravado. In the days Auto Show in Detroit next year. There, and to make more products with fewer work- To “save” GM the federal government leading up to the IPO, Akerson boasted at the national Bargaining Convention in ers, what they keep for themselves in the loaned the company almost $50 billion. that in an improved economy, increased the spring, they will focus on the fight to form of profit goes up. During the bank- The U.S. Department of Treasury de- sales volume would allow GM’s net profits overturn the two-tier wage scale and bring ruptcy process the United Auto Workers manded major contract changes from to rise to $13 billion a year. By the second back equal pay for equal work. Workers need a new WPA jobs program

Following are excerpts from a Nov. What made the 1930s different? Left- would create 88,000 jobs. 13 talk at the Workers World Party wing journalist Mary Heaton Vorse, who Imagine if hours were cut still further national conference by Martha Grevatt, was at many protests then, wrote, “Every — and in the whole economy! Capitalism a 23-year auto worker and United Auto day in the papers there are headlines: ‘Po- is wage-slavery; mass unemployment is Workers activist, now in the Detroit lice disperse unemployment demonstra- its flip side. We need another WPA and a branch. She had been a leading member tions’ … ‘Gas ready for hunger marchers.’ shorter workweek. We need a fighting la- of the Cleveland branch for many years. … The country sees processions of men and bor movement again. women, all demonstrating; a formidable As WW’s editorial stated, “Labor of every t June’s United Auto Workers con- lot of marches on city halls and statehouses hue, gender and creed needs the broadest Avention, AFL-CIO President Richard have occurred this past couple of years.” solidarity at home and abroad to fight this Trumka stated that 40 million work- In the years before the WPA, the un- global system. We must vigorously reject ers are unemployed or underemployed. employed were well-organized, engag- racism, sexism, anti-gay” — and anti- That’s a staggering figure! NAtioNAl coNfErENcE: ing thousands of battles — from blocking lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer Not surprisingly, organized labor, DowN with cApitAliSm, evictions to facing clubs and bullets in nu- — “bigotry, attacks on Muslims and scape- including the UAW, had a strong pres- fight for worlD SociAliSm! merous hunger marches. The ruling class goating of undocumented immigrants.” ence at the Oct. 2 One Nation march, When all working class sectors unite, WW_Photo:_ALAN_PoLLoCk had to give the working class something. where job creation was a central demand. Martha Grevatt But even the WPA was not enough. The when the class struggle is revived, then Two days before the march, it was clear auto industry was — and is — a prime ex- capital won’t be so mighty. Then the boss- it would be big. With much fanfare, the ists found work through the WPA. Three- ample of how the capitalist drive for profit es will be helpless in the face of working- House of Representatives announced a fourths of the $11 billion spent went to leads to fewer workers doing more work class solidarity. new “jobs bill.” What is it? New tariffs are construction projects, benefiting all but for less pay. What else could be done? We’re about making that happen! Pow- being imposed on commodities imported three U.S. counties. A 1930s leaflet directed to autowork- er to the workers and oppressed! from China! Why did the government do this then and ers was headlined: “Six-hour day, eight- Workers World newspaper called that why not now? Some might say Roosevelt hours pay, keep depression away.” The “baloney.” had a big heart, but he never knew poverty. 30-hour week, with time-and-a-half pay Top 10 reasons. What would a real jobs bill look like? Wouldn’t President Barack Obama, who after 30 hours, was fundamental to the The best example in U.S. history was didn’t come from wealth, have an even big- original 1933 version of the Fair Labor the 1935 Emergency Relief Act that au- ger heart for the suffering masses? Standards Act. thorized $5 billion to relieve mass un- The money wouldn’t even need Con- The Black-Connery bill passed the Sen- Bankers say why they won’t spend employment. It was passed in April. By gressional authorization. Job creation ate; it narrowly failed in the House after May, President Franklin Roosevelt had was a stated purpose of the Troubled As- Roosevelt withdrew support. However, $600 billion bailout on the workers created the Works Progress Administra- sets Relief Program. Since most of the the demand was kept alive — from the tion. Within six months, 3 million work- $700 billion has been repaid — by banks 1934 San Francisco General Strike to the 1. $600 billion is only enough for about 600 ers had gotten jobs — building highways, receiving additional government “assis- 1937 Flint sit-down strike. jobs at the going rate for investment bank- airports, schools, hospitals, post offices tance” — that money is available; $600 Millions of jobs could be created if er CEOs. That’s just a drop in the bucket. and housing projects. billion could create 12 million jobs paying Black-Connery were passed today. When 2. Even if we cut our pay by 50 percent, that They did what we call “green jobs” — $50,000 a year. France implemented the 35-hour week in still creates only 1,200 jobs. planting trees and constructing national As General Motors is making billions in the 1990s, 400,000 jobs were created. In 3. There are only so many openings for but- parks. They did everything, from extermi- profits, why can’t the majority sharehold- 1988, a UAW study concluded that if the lers, housekeepers and chauffeurs. nating rats to making books for the blind. er — the government — use that money to Big Three auto companies cut overtime 4. We can only build so many luxury hotels Writers, actors, musicians and visual art- put Detroit back to work? and held the workweek to 40 hours, this for ourselves. workers.org Dec. 2, 2010 Page 5 A real California tour without Hollywood stars Following are excerpts from a Nov. 13 with the destruction and offshoring of sure rate between 1.9 and 2.3 times higher talk at the Workers World Party nation- manufacturing plants in the 1970s. It’s than non-Latinos/as and whites. al conference by John Parker, a leader of not the fault of immigrant workers, nor Instead of blaming immigrant work- the Los Angeles WW branch and a coor- would denying jobs to every immigrant ers, non-immigrant workers in the U.S. dinator of the West Coast International worker in this country change one iota should build unity and expose how bail- NAtioNAl coNfErENcE: Action Center. the dynamic of globalization’s effects on outs for the banks and imperialist war DowN with cApitAliSm, workers here. deny us real government-sponsored jobs fight for worlD SociAliSm! re you ready for your tour of sunny The strength in our demands for jobs programs, like the Works Progress Ad- WW_Photo:_ALAN_PoLLoCk ACalifornia? We could start by talking correlates with the strength of our unity ministration during the Depression. John Parker about the stars on Hollywood Boulevard. and solidarity with immigrant workers. The drive to maintain profits during On our tour, we did not get to rub el- If not, we’ll have to discuss how California That solidarity cannot be sacrificed, and this economic crisis creates a new reality bows with Hollywood stars. But there are leads the nation with 941 charter schools this is uncompromisingly nonnegotiable. for working and poor people, especially some even greater stars, perhaps not from targeting public education and unionized There is a growing movement of mili- Black and Latino/a youth in California Hollywood, but from South Central and teachers. As Marx exposed long ago, capi- tant immigration activists, many of whom who suffer a 40 percent unemployment East LA who are today some of the most talism’s increasingly more technologically are in the Southern California Immigra- rate. And we already know the repression important forces helping to unify and advanced production methods need fewer tion Coalition of which we are a part. They and the incarceration rate for Black and activate our movement, some of whom and fewer educated workers. say that any Schumer-like plans criminal- Latino/a peoples continues to grow. spoke at our regional Workers World con- The real unemployment rate in Califor- izing immigrants attempt to justify the in- The transit cop Johannes Mehserle, ference in Los Angeles. These are activists nia is more than 22 percent once you fac- creasing numbers of immigrants killed at who was videotaped killing Oscar Grant from Union del Barrio, trade unionists, tor back in the underemployed and dis- the border between Mexico and California, in Oakland, will likely spend only seven Central America activists from CISPES, couraged workers. Over the past 30 years which has hit record numbers this year. months in jail. Manuel Jamines, a Gua- people from BAYAN and others. layoffs have become a way of life for the Los Angeles is the homeless capital of temalan immigrant and day laborer, was It is in the interest of all progressive vast majority of workers. Instead of im- the nation. This housing crisis resulted killed by a cop in downtown Los Angeles. organizations and individuals to set the plementing real solutions to unemploy- from the desperate need of financial capi- James Davis, an 18-year-old Black youth example for the movement of building ment, the profit-by-any-means capitalist talists to increase their profits cut by the from Watts, was shot in the back while on nonsectarian alliances with all who have system only allows the option of pitting fundamental and inevitable crisis of capi- his knees with hands raised. The cops de- an interest in abolishing capitalism. worker against worker. talism: overproduction. California has nied him medical care by a nurse on the We need to recruit and build our California is next to the apartheid state the highest real number of foreclosures. scene. Davis died. branches, while at the same time being of Arizona, whose racist legislators try to Empty homes and the homeless sit in tor- The cops’ role is to enforce capitalism’s engaged in the defensive struggles of our justify SB 1070 using the unemployment turous view of each other. attempt to maintain injustice, obedience class. We should understand that it’s the crisis. But the unemployment results As of September, one in eight homes and order while it increasingly and sys- movements of the most oppressed hit the from the total reorganization of produc- is currently in foreclosure in California. tematically takes away the necessities of hardest by the ruling class today that will tion by giant monopolies. This started Latino/a and Black people have a foreclo- life from working and poor people. lead our class into revolution. Michigan State University Students take over president’s office to demand action against rape By Megan Spencer and education. rent education programs that seem to East Lansing, Mich. The coalition is demanding a new edu- be ineffective, given the high number of cational campaign against sexual violence sexual assaults on campus. The Coalition Against Sexual Violence and victim-blaming, as well as demand- The meeting, which went on for more at Michigan State University held a ral- ing that university administrators issue a than an hour, ended with a plan to hold ly outside the Hannah Administration public apology to the survivor and all sur- another meeting between students and Building Nov. 19. Dozens of students and vivors for the administration’s failure to the university, with the administrators community supporters demanded that act and speak out against sexual violence. promising to contact the coalition with- administrators speak out against sexual After students finished reading the de- in a week. violence on campus and take action re- mands, demonstrators began chanting The militant action was the top news garding past assaults, particularly the “Silence is betrayal!” and stormed the story on WLNS TV 6 in Lansing. Work- case of two MSU Spartans men’s basket- steps of the administration building to ers World newspapers were distributed ball players who were accused of raping stage a sit-in inside MSU President Lou to the participants. a woman student in late August and who Anna K. Simon’s office.

remain on the basketball team. The coali- Hoisting posters, activists chanted and WW_Photo:_kriS_hAMEL tion was promised a meeting with MSU occupied Simon’s office for nearly 20 MICHIGAN. officials weeks ago, but administrators minutes before an administrator offered failed to follow through. to meet with students in the nearby board After reading a statement detailing the room. Because of the constant militant protests beat back bigots culture of rape and misogyny on MSU’s chanting, police were unable to order the Hateful bigots from campus and calling out the administra- demonstrators to vacate the premises. Fred Phelps’ Westboro tion for its lack of action, student activists During the meeting with the president’s Baptist Church in To- read a list of nine demands that the uni- diversity advisor and the vice president of peka, Kan., were met versity must meet. Among them was the the university, students voiced their con- by protests on Nov. 18 demand to match men’s basketball coach cerns and outrage over the lack of conse- when they visited sev- Tom Izzo’s recent pay raise of $500,000 quences for acts of sexual violence. They eral Michigan cities. with a fund for sexual assault prevention also expressed dissatisfaction with cur- The group is rabidly anti-gay/lesbian/bi/ trans/queer and infa- mous wherever they Bankers say why they won’t spend travel throughout the U.S. with their mes- By Paul Wilcox sage of hate. They of- $600 billion bailout on the workers ten target the funerals of rank-and-file church-sponsored picket several blocks 5. Why produce more stuff when we already 8. Other countries just don’t seem to do what U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, away, a counterinsurgency of 150 strong have much more stuff than we could pos- we tell them to do any more. For some blaming their deaths on LGBTQ people. rushed the WBC front line and over- sibly use? reason, they seem to think they have rights In Detroit about 50 counterprotesters whelmed the Phelps group with louder 6. Why hire workers to make more stuff when too. gathered near Wayne State University. voices and strength in numbers. they can’t afford to buy the stuff they make? 9. Good thing our working class doesn’t think At a high school in East Lansing, Mich., The bigots were visibly shaken by the There’s no profit in that, so what’s the point? that way … .we hope. some 600 overwhelmed the handful of militant crowd. A threatened protest by 7. The problem really is China, Iran, Brazil, 10. So all this job talk is waaaaaaay overrated. bigots 100 to 1. The counterprotesters di- the WBC at a GI’s funeral later that day India, Pakistan, Greenland, Japan, Germany, vided into two camps. While 450 held a in Marine City, Mich., did not materialize. Email:[email protected] Gilligan’s Island and other countries. — Report and photo by Alan Pollock Page_6_ Dec_2,_2010_ workers.org

N ATIONAL CONFERENCE: DOWN WITH CAPITALISM, FIGHT FOR WORLD SOCIALISM! Stop the attacks on workers of all ages Following are excerpts from the Nov. An Obama-administra- insurance, pensions, paid sick Harvard brings in new managers to 13 talk given at the Workers World tion-appointed commission and vacation days are deferred slash costs by driving out older workers. Party national conference, by Phebe just proposed raising the So- wages that belong to the work- They use a tactic of tracking errors or us- Eckfeldt, a leader of the Boston branch cial Security qualification age ers. ing accuracy rates, telling workers their and a representative of the Harvard to 69, which would rob work- Harvard University union work must be 95 percent to 100 percent Union of Technical and Clerical Work- ers of funds they have earned activists are fighting against accurate. The manager decides what con- ers, AFSCME Local 3650. and deserve. management’s campaign to stitutes an “error,” how the errors are mea- Marxism explains that drive out older workers, which sured, and on whom an error is imposed. e will all grow older. It’s the dialectics employed workers produce began after the big-bank-run They target disabled workers, union repre- wof nature. Some of us haven’t thought a greater value than they re- Harvard Corporation lost bil- sentatives and senior, long-time workers. about this prospect yet. Others are start- ceive back in wages. If one lions in endowment funds after These rates are impossible to meet be- WW_Photo:_ALAN_PoLLoCk ing to ponder it. Many are there already, works a seven-hour day and the stock market crashes. cause the rules constantly change and are a Phebe eckfeldt accepting it or not. produces enough in four To increase profits, Har- trap. By tracking a worker’s every move, by Shouldn’t workers have the right to hours to equal one’s wages, the next three vard has laid off workers, many of them micromanaging and harassing, the work look forward to retirement? Playing with hours are unpaid; the boss gets these for older and many women. In one depart- environment becomes hostile and stress- grandchildren, traveling, sleeping late, free. This is “surplus value.” ment three older women workers were ful, sometimes leading workers to quit pursuing long-forgotten interests and or- Bosses’ profits are directly proportional laid off and replaced with three younger or be fired. A disabled man with eyesight ganizing against injustice. Aging under to workers’ unpaid labor. If workers are white men. Other workers, afraid of pend- problems was run out in this way, and so capitalism can be terrifying, life threat- paid more for their labor, as longer-term ing layoffs, felt forced to take retirement was a 30-year employee. ening, demeaning and degrading. Older workers generally are, the bosses’ prof- plans that they could barely live on. They The managers who are brought in to get workers are expendable, costly and un- its are lowered proportionally. Wage or thought part-time jobs would supplement rid of workers are aptly described in Fred profitable; many are being pushed out, benefits’ reductions means bosses get their incomes, but that became nearly im- Goldstein’s book, “Low-Wage Capitalism”: laid off and fired. more free labor time. Benefits like health possible, due to the depression. “An office clerk may wear the same white collar as a manager whose job it is to see that the clerk gives every last minute of la- bor time to the boss. The clerk has sold her Invasive airport body or his labor power to the boss and the su- pervisor is there to see that this labor power is as thoroughly exploited as possible. The searches elicit mass anger superficiality of the category ‘white collar’ will be revealed the moment the clerk and By Bryan G. Pfeifer Protests have stepped up as the TSA, an tion the scanners may be emitting. other workers demand a raise, try to orga- agency within the Department of Home- Others protesting the new TSA nize a union, or go on strike.” A firestorm of protest and resistance is land Security, hurries to get more body procedures include the Association of Harvard aims to drive out older work- erupting across the U.S. in response to the scanners in place for the holiday seasons. Flight Attendants-Communication Work- ers and replace them with young work- Transportation Security Administration’s There are now 385 scanners at 68 airports ers Local 66, the ACLU and individual ers, paying them one-half or one-third of ongoing implementation of body scan- in the U.S. The goal is to install 450 by the passengers who are increasingly refusing a senior worker’s salary. Management su- ners and invasive body searches. end of 2010 and 500 in 2011. the TSA’s new procedures and starting per-exploits young workers who work the On Nov. 11 the Council on American blogs and websites to spread word of resis- same hours but produce more as they are U.S. ‘security’ a multibillion dollar bonanza Islamic Relations issued “a travel advi- tance. Some are calling for an opt-out day required to know and use many computer sory for airline passengers who may be The U.S.-based “security” industry, like on Nov. 24 when passengers would refuse programs. Because most young people are subjected to new Transportation Security private contractors used in U.S. imperial- body scans and instead request a search to very knowledgeable about computers, one Administration ‘enhanced pat-downs’” ist wars, is a multibillion dollar industry. clog or slow down airports during the busy worker can do the same amount of work as that many who undergo the procedure Former Secretary of Homeland Secu- holiday season. two or three workers did years ago. describe as invasive and humiliating. rity Michael Chertoff heads the Chert- The widespread resistance has forced Harvard is violating the union contract, (www.cair.com) off Group, a security “consulting” firm the TSA to backpedal a bit, and even which states that laid-off workers, mostly The advisory comes after two of the formed in 2009. In a CNN interview Dec. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and older, must be given first preference in country’s largest pilots’ unions urged 30, 2009, Chertoff admitted he has at President Barrack Obama have issued hiring, but management turns away many commercial pilots to avoid both full-body least one client manufacturing full-body statements. But to totally stop the body qualified senior applicants to hire young- scanners and public pat-downs. “Pilots scanners. The first five body scanners scanning and invasive searches, increas- er workers. Harvard’s attempt to drive a have compared the pat-downs to ‘sexual purchased by the federal government ing resistance by travelers and workers wedge between older and younger workers molestation.’ A flight attendants union from Rapiscan were in 2005 when Chert- like Michael Roberts is needed. is insidious. has expressed similar concerns,” contin- off was HS Secretary. A pilot for ExpressJet Airlines, Roberts However, to management’s dismay, ued the CAIR statement. In 2009 the TSA purchased 150 more refused being body scanned and searched there is strong solidarity between younger Under TSA procedures implemented machines from Rapiscan with $25 million at Memphis International Airport on Oct. and senior workers, among union activists Oct. 29 a passenger can be summoned in American Recovery and Reinvestment 22. He told CNN Nov. 9, “ … they’re not on campus and from students. This bodes to go through the body scanner or “opt- Act funds. The use of scanners increased just patting people’s arms and legs; they’re well for future struggles. out” and be subjected to the invasive body rapidly in 2010 as the federal government grabbing and groping and prodding pret- We look to the solidarity among French search. Passengers refusing both won’t be and security firms like Chertoff’s took ad- ty aggressively. I was trying to avoid this workers of different ages in their militant allowed to proceed to their boarding gate. vantage of the 2009 “Christmas Day Inci- assault on my person, and I’m not willing struggles for pensions. The youth will show Passengers refusing to have their con- dent” (an alleged attempted bombing of a to have images of my nude body produced the way. Together, let’s expropriate the ex- stitutional and human rights violated are Detroit-bound flight from Amsterdam) to for some stranger … to look at either.” propriators. being harassed, menaced and threatened make profits. with fines and arrests. In Florida a woman Chertoff and other security CEOs aren’t refusing to be body searched was report- subject to body scanners and invasive edly handcuffed to a chair, surrounded by searches because they fly on private jets Labor, parents support a dozen police and TSA officials, and had or government-owned aircraft. her ticket torn up. Under the racist guise of “fighting ter- The new scanners take a revealing full- rorism” after 9/11, Arabs and Muslims special needs children body X-ray viewed on a monitor. Though traveling to and from the U.S. are subject TSA claims that the images can’t be stored, to racial profiling at transportation por- Shop stewards, who are members of that make them miss many hours of in- saved or transmitted and that they are de- tals. As the economic depression makes Amalgamated Transit Local 1181-1061, struction and needed therapies. leted immediately after an official views it clearer that banks and corporations are showed solidarity with parents of special The bus driver representatives ex- them, this is contested. The body searches the real threat, the repressive state appa- needs children on Nov. 18. The stewards, plained that OPT sets up the overcrowded have been equated to sexual assault be- ratus casts an ever-wider net of oppres- who are from two New York City school buses by routinely cutting more than 300 cause TSA workers are forced to touch sion over broader segments of the popula- bus companies, attended the Citywide routes at the start of each school year. thighs, breast and groin areas of passen- tion. In poor and oppressed communities Council on Special Education meeting Then OPT waits until there are complaints gers searching for weapons. it’s a daily occurrence. that evening. and new students are enrolled before re- Passengers and airline workers report Parents to Improve School Transpor- Resistance growing storing the appropriate number of routes. being traumatized by the searches, espe- tation invited the union stewards who Each driver described ways that man- cially those who have been raped or sexu- In a message to the US Airways Pilots joined parents, school staff members and agement puts them in an unfair position ally assaulted or who watch loved ones, Association, Captain Mike Cleary called disability advocates in confronting the where they have to follow the written especially children, being groped and fon- the pilots’ stance against the scanners guest speaker at the CCSE meeting, Matt route, instead of doing what they know is dled. The pat-downs particularly concern and pat-downs a “fight to restore the dig- Berlin, who is the director of the Office of sensible and kind to the children — or else the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender nity we deserve. … We are not the enemy Pupil Transportation. they risk expensive fines. and queer community because searches and we will not stand for being treated as PIST has been organizing against the The community appreciated their pres- will be done using a same-sex procedure such before each duty period.” (abcnews. denial of educational rights to thousands ence. For more information, visit www. based on what the TSA official thinks a go.com, Nov. 9) The union is also protest- of children who are placed on bus routes pistnyc.org. passenger’s gender is. ing because of unknown levels of radia- — Sara Catalinotto workers.org Dec. 2, 2010 Page 7 N ATIONAL CONFERENCE: DOWN WITH CAPITALISM, FIGHT FOR WORLD SOCIALISM! Stop the attacks on workers of all ages Fighting racism builds class unity

Following are excerpts from a Nov. the oppressed countries. whether Democrat or Republican, serves 13 talk at the Workers World Party But because oppressed nations or peo- the interests of the bourgeoisie, since the national conference given by Monica ple of color exist inside imperialist coun- U.S. president is the head administrator Moorehead, member of the WW Secre- tries based on centuries-old super-exploi- of the capitalist state who must maintain tariat, a WW managing editor and tation and the white supremacist attitudes class rule. editor of “Marxism, Reparations that flow from it, there is a greater degree In “Almighty Debt,” the intervention of and the Black Freedom Struggle.” of suffering in disproportionate numbers the Black churches was raised as a viable among people of color that cannot be ig- solution to foreclosures and layoffs. Our his unprecedented global capitalist eco- nored. There has been a lot written about party would certainly support any source tnomic crisis is devastating the lives of the plight of African Americans and the of immediate economic relief. But this workers not only in the poorer, develop- current economic crisis. Consider these kind of relief is like a bandage trying to ing countries but also in the rich, capitalist devastating numbers: The richest 1 per- cover a growing cancer. It’s not the ulti- countries including the U.S. Almost daily cent of the U.S. population owns close to mate solution. some study is released on how workers are 40 percent of its wealth. The top 25 per- No matter how many trillions of dol- being impacted by unemployment, under- cent of U.S. households own 87 percent. lars the government hands over to the employment, home foreclosures, debt, A recent Brandeis University study banks in bailouts, the present capitalist lack of education and health care, attacks shows that a white family has five times crisis will remain permanent. Capitalism on pensions. The list goes on and on. more wealth than a Black family, amount- cannot be reformed. The capitalists are Just reading all these statistics can eas- ing to a difference of about $95,000. appendages to an irrational system, not ily be a downer and a source of tremen- In a recent CNN documentary called the other way around. Capitalism must be dous demoralization and desperation, “Almighty Debt: Black in America,” it uprooted tooth and nail. especially for the masses who right now was stated that 81 percent of Black col- All revolutionaries must put aside all see no way out of this morass. But for the lege graduates have outstanding loans. ideological differences to unite to build a movement it should have an opposite ef- One out of 10 Black families is losing their WW_Photo:_ALAN_PoLLoCk united front for socialism, a system that fect because as Marxists, our duty and re- homes to foreclosure due mainly to the Monica Moorehead puts peoples’ needs before profits. The sponsibility is not just to interpret and an- predatory subprime loans which singled material conditions are more than ripe alyze the world’s problems but to change out Black single mothers. This current crisis for Black people is to do this. What is missing is the political them. Revolutionaries must be part of the According to the Graduate Employ- rooted in the legacy of slavery, the coun- will to do this. Unity is crucial to reaching solution, not part of the problem. ment Gap: Students of Color Losing terrevolution known as the demise of Re- our class sisters and brothers in an effec- The experts never view these dete- Ground report, the unemployment rate construction, Jim Crow and current insti- tive way with a political program of fight- riorating conditions within the general for 16-to-24-year-old African-American tutionalized racism. back and struggle. Oppressed workers are framework of the decadent, archaic na- high school graduates increased 11 points This economic crisis has caused a po- taking bold actions like the immigrant- ture of the capitalist system, which is since the beginning of the recession in litical crisis as well, especially since the led sit-in by the Republic Windows and driven insanely to make profits at the ex- 2007 to 31.3 percent. The unemployment 2008 election of President Obama. Mil- Doors workers in 2008, which won back pense of providing human needs. rate for white high school graduates, at lions of people, especially people of color wages for them. Black Workers for Justice The workers, as exploited wage slaves, 21.4 percent, is the lowest among Black, and young people, were hoping that the and UE 150 are organizing public sector continue to be a tremendous source of Latino/a and Asian graduates. African- election of the first African-American workers in the low-wage, racist state of profits for the corporate bosses. This ex- American college graduates have an un- president would be the answer to good- North Carolina, and the Black-led ILWU ploitation has laid the basis for global- employment rate of 15.4 percent, up from paying jobs, the eradication of racism and Local 10 recently shut down the docks on ized solidarity as the growing poverty in 8.4 percent at the beginning of the reces- the end of endless war. But just the op- the West Coast to protest the police killing the capitalist countries is moving quickly sion. Almost twice as many Black workers posite has happened — the economic as- of Black youth Oscar Grant. in the same direction as the poverty in are unemployed compared to whites. saults have intensified and so have racism Help us to abolish capitalism! Help us and other forms of reaction. President to build a socialist future! Help us to build Chess-playing while Obama, like every president before him a Workers World! Black in NYC committee to Stop fBi repression is calling for By Dee Knight bar adults from the playground if they Nationally coordinated New York are not accompanying minors. The sum- monses, reported at DNAinfo.com, cited The right to play chess in a public space the men for failing to obey park regulation actions Nov. 29-Dec. 4 became the focus of community organiz- signs. They must appear in Manhattan ing in northern Manhattan’s Inwood Hill Criminal Court on Dec. 28. The Committee to Stop FBI Repression Given the urgency due to reactivated Park over the past month when arbitrary News of the tickets and upcoming court continues to denounce the FBI raids on grand jury subpoenas, the CSFR has actions by police angered many. date were met by outrage at police actions activists in the Midwest on Sept. 24 and asked all concerned people to call on their On Nov. 20 a multinational group of by many community members who sym- to demand an end to the grand jury witch- U.S. Representatives to immediately send parents, children and other residents ral- pathized with the ticketed chess players. hunt. The warrants and subpoenas clearly letters to President Barrack Obama and lied in the park’s Emerson Playground Zaida Grunes, a mother of twins whose violate people’s First Amendment rights U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder con- to support seven African-American men 17-year-old son learned to play chess in to freedom of association — by demand- demning and/or expressing grave con- who were ticketed by police in October for the same place where the men were tick- ing materials like address books and in- cern over FBI raids on peace and justice teaching children how to play the board eted, wrote in the “Manhattanspeak” blog formation regarding “recruitment and activists and the grand jury investigation. game. on Nov. 18, “When my toddler twins are indoctrination” to anti-war, solidarity and For more information about this appeal During the protest, Parks Department old enough, I will be sending them to In- other political organizations. This kind and updates, a listing of demonstrations, workers installed picnic tables in another wood Hill Park, alone, and hope that there of sweeping investigation and grand jury and to send word of actions planned in area of the park for playing chess. Howev- is a caring, attentive individual sitting at a witch-hunt is a dangerous precedent for your area, visit www.stopFBI.net. er, they aren’t specially designed for play- chess table, willing to give my kids their all people of conscience. ing chess. The park’s only stone chess and time and patience to teach them not only backgammon tables are situated in Emer- a game, but a skill.” son Playground where they are separated Inwood parent Jackie Rodriguez-Jones NEW YORk CITY/ from the children’s play area by a fence. said she was incensed over the situation This is where the chess players were on and planned to do what she could to sup- flashmobs for Jobs demand extended benefits Oct. 20 when “the police rolled up on us port the players. “This is about people. like we were drug dealers,” said 49-year- People who did nothing wrong. People Continued from page 1 ship and struggle. Even on the very cold old Y. A. Harrison, one of those who re- that the community sees and passes by during the holiday season. The 99ers or- morning, everyone was all smiles when ceived a summons. (newyorkdailynews. them … people who need to know their ganization, Flashmobs for Jobs, includes they finally realized that their voices were com, Nov. 18) He said he and the other community is aware and concerned for any unemployed. They have stepped up really being heard. players regularly showed kids how to play them,” she wrote on her Facebook page. their struggle, which included a Nov. 12 The next rally will be held on Nov. 30 at the game on Saturdays. (dnainfo.com, Nov. 19) protest that led to some members being 5:30 pm at Rockefeller Center during the “If we were teaching them to pitch pen- The Inwood neighborhood is home to a arrested for blocking traffic. tree-lighting ceremony. Demonstrators nies and gamble, that’s one thing,” Har- multinational working-class community, The courage shown on the bread- will say the working class is fed up with rison said. “But this is chess. We weren’t but gentrification is affecting the area, line was very strong. A crowd of people trillions of dollars being spent on war, and trying to add to the problem.” with wealthier residents along with police stopped to watch, curious about this they want their benefits back now! Rocke- A police spokesperson claimed that of- aiming to push poor people out of parks struggle. As the demonstrators were feller Center is owned by General Electric, ficers were responding to residents’ com- and other public areas. chanting and walking around in front of a giant war profiteer. Please join us in soli- plaints and that they were following New Everyone has the right to use a public the Federal Reserve, you could tell that in darity against the government ignoring York City Parks Department rules, which park, and that right must be defended. everyone’s life there was a story of hard- the needs of the unemployed.

Page_8_ Dec_2,_2010_ workers.org Memorial meeting celebrates Lolita Lebrón’s life By John Catalinotto House of Representatives in 1954. The aim addressed the audience and expressed New York of the attack was to bring the issue of Puer- not only their appreciation for the life to Rico’s colonial status before the world. of Lolita Lebrón, but also their peoples’ People packed the lecture auditorium Arrested and sentenced to prison, she then solidarity with the liberation struggle in at Hunter College in New York on Nov. spent more than 25 years behind bars be- Puerto Rico, which they felt as their own 20 to take part in a celebration of the life fore being released in 1979. She continued struggle. of Puerto Rican independence heroine her participation in the struggle until the Among the speakers were Lebrón’s Lolita Lebrón, who died earlier this year end (see workers.org for a more complete niece, Linda Alonso Lebrón, a member at the age of 90. Many Puerto Rican and history of her accomplishments). of the Secretariat of the Commission for other Latino and Latina activists who The speakers included women politi- Women’s Affairs in the Puerto Rican live in New York or nearby were present. cal leaders who were close to Lolita Leb- Nationalist Party, and Dylcia Pagán, a Lebrón had spent part of her youth in the rón and whose lives were shaped by their former Puerto Rican political prisoner city. There were also representatives of relationship with or admiration for the or “prisoner of war,” the preferred U.S.-based organizations that support in- independence leader. The overwhelming term for those freedom fighters who dependence for Puerto Rico on the basis message from talks, poems, songs and im- have been captured while defending of self-determination. ages was that Lolita Lebrón will live on as their country. There have always been pro-indepen- long as there is one Puerto Rican — and A strong delegation from Work- otto dence activities and organizations of Puer- perhaps one Cuban or one Venezuelan — ers World Party attended, many of AL iN to Ricans in New York, which was reflect- who fights on for liberty and sovereignty whom had come from an afternoon Joh N_ CAt ed in the strong turnout for the meeting. against the imperialist colossus centered demonstration in solidarity with _

Lebrón’s defining action was her lead- in Washington. another political prisoner, attorney hoto: ership role in an armed attack by a group Representatives from the Cuban Mis- Lynne Stewart. Ralph Poynter, Stewart’s life _P WW of four Puerto Rican independence fight- sion to the United Nations and from the partner and also a former political prisoner, also ers from the Nationalist Party on the U.S. Venezuelan Consulate in New York also attended the meeting for Lebrón. 26 activists arrested as Thousands demand School of the Americas’ closing Thousands, mostly youth, amassed participants leaving the area, indiscrimi- at the SOA have been involved in numer- ers, whose president, Bob King, spoke at at the gates of Ft. Benning, Ga., on Nov. nately arresting people who had commit- ous coups, massacres and assassinations. Saturday’s rally. The presence of faith- 20 and 21, to demand the closing of the ted no crime nor engaged in civil disobedi- Charges of torture, false imprisonment based organizations, Palestine supporters, School of the Americas, known through- ence. Three journalists filming the police and other forms of repression continue to anti-war activists, veterans’ groups, im- out Latin America as the School of the As- abuse were also arrested. Two activists be leveled against SOA graduates. migrants, artists, musicians and students sassins. Activists briefly blocked the road who crossed onto the fort were charged The recent overthrow of the democrati- from dozens of campuses characterizes with a sign that read, “Stop: This is the with federal trespass and face up to six cally elected president of Honduras and the broad support for this demand. Soli- End of the Road for the SOA.” months in prison and fines up to $5,000. the attempted coup against the president darity actions took place in cities across Twenty-six activists were arrested and Over the decades of its existence, scores of Ecuador are linked to U.S.-trained mil- the U.S. and around the world in response face multiple charges. Police followed rally of military personnel trained by the U.S. itary members. to a call from the School of the Americas The movement to close the SOA has Watch, organizers of this campaign. grown over the years to include major For more information, go to www. In solidarity with Colombian trade unionists unions such as the United Auto Work- soaw.org. — Dianne Mathiowetz UAW supports Transgender Day of Remembrance Coca-Cola boycott Commemorated Over 120 labor activists met at the By Kris Hamel noted, that LGBTQ communities con- Convention Center in Columbus, Ga., be- East Lansing, Mich. tinue to struggle alongside their allies fore going to the rally at the gates of the for full rights, equality and respect for all Transgender Day of Remembrance was School of the Americas on Nov. 20. They LGBTQ people, so that these types of me- marked Nov. 20 and the preceding week came from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, morials can become a thing of the past. by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and Georgia, Michigan, Florida, the District of TDOR is held in November to honor queer people and their allies in the U.S. Columbia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ala- Rita Hester, whose murder on Nov. 28, and around the world. The day commem- bama and New York, and represented a va- 1998, was the impetus for the “Remem- orates and honors the many transgender riety of service, construction, manufactur- bering Our Dead” Web project and a San people who have been killed because their ing, public sector and educational unions. Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Like gender expression did not conform to a Many students were also in the meeting. most murder cases of transgender peo- bigoted society’s expectations. The largest delegation was from the ple, Hester’s murder has yet to be solved. At Michigan State University a series United Auto Workers. International Pres- (rememberingourdead.org) of activities, including film showings and ident Bob King addressed the meeting According to Roslyn Manley, 100 an art exhibit, took place Nov. 16-20 to and was the featured labor speaker at the transgender deaths were recorded in the commemorate TDOR. An outdoor can- afternoon rally. King announced that the U.S. in 2009: “These include only those dlelight vigil and reflection on the lives UAW was now fully behind the Coca-Cola who are known … by direct community to his nine-year-old daughter. A coworker lost due to gender-based violence, spon- boycott and that all UAW halls and build- reporting or newspaper accounts. There of his saw his son and nephew murdered, sored by Transaction, the LBGT Resource ings would soon be Coke-free. are undoubtedly more. Years ago, re- and his daughter was gang-raped. Center and Edgewood United Church of The UAW showed a video about its searcher Kay Brown calculated the trans- “I have decided not to keep my mouth Christ, was held the evening of Nov. 19. participation over the years in the pro- gender murder rate to be 16 times that of shut,” he said. Other speakers included Names of the dead and their manner of tests outside the SOA. Videographer and the general population and three times SOAWatch Latin America Project Coordi- death were somberly read. Short, heart- retired UAW Local 909 President Frank that of African-American men, the next nator Lisa Sullivan and Alfonso Mayfield, felt speeches followed in the cold night. Hammer stated that repression can also closest group.” (ucccoalition.org) occur in the U.S. itself, as evidenced by president of the Florida SEIU Public Ser- It is important, one of the speakers the recent FBI attacks on progressive ac- vice Workers. tivists on Sept. 24. North Carolina activist The featured speaker was Álvaro Fran- Kosta Harlan spoke about his recent ha- cisco Morales Sánchez, second vice presi- Low-wage CapitaLism rassment by the FBI and pointed out that dent of FECODE, the Colombian teachers What the new globalized high-tech imperialism many of those targeted are labor activists. union. He said that while we have to take on means for the class struggle in the U.S. Ray Rogers, organizer and founder of the SOA, we also have to take on “the intel- An easy-to-read analysis of the roots of the the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke, intro- lectual authors of all of this killing,” whom current global economic crisis, its implications duced a former Coke worker from Gua- he identified as the U.S. banks and corpora- for workers and oppressed peoples, and the temala, José Armando Palacios. Palacios tions. “The empire can be destroyed,” Mo- strategy needed for future struggle. had to seek asylum in the U.S. after Coke rales said. “It is a colossus with feet of clay.” The author is available for lectures & interviews. Available from Leftbooks.com had thugs invade his home and hold a gun — Martha Grevatt Lowwagecapitalism.org and bookstores around the country workers.org Dec. 2, 2010 Page 9 NATO summit plans for continued aggressions By Gene Clancy egy — making Lisbon, in the words of reduce military operations,” Karzai said. litical victory. It appears, however, that Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmus- (Washington Post, Nov. 18) there is a deeper political division within Helicopter gunships patrolled the skies, sen, “one of the most important summits Despite Karzai’s statement, on Nov. 20 the U.S. ruling class over the issue of arms missile launcher ships were anchored in in NATO’s history.” (globalpost.com, the Pentagon announced that it would reduction which cuts across political par- the Tagus estuary, and police with heavy Nov.19) ratchet up its aggression by sending huge, ty lines. machine guns and armored cars were de- Shortly before the summit began, Ras- heavily armored Abrams tanks into the The Pentagon’s intelligence organiza- ployed on the main streets. Heads of state mussen told Britain’s Daily Telegraph battle against the Afghan resistance, a tions, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secre- and government of the 28 NATO member newspaper that NATO had to be prepared first for the U.S. military in that country. tary of Defense Gates have called for the countries were cloistered in the Parque for expeditionary warfare even beyond It is another step up in the U.S. and NATO treaty to be ratified as soon as possible. das Nações, a part of Lisbon that had been Afghanistan: “But we must realize,” he assault on the Afghan people. They point out that the treaty would per- turned into a top-security area similar to said, “that in the modern world we have mit U.S. inspections of Russian military Baghdad’s “Green Zone.” to go beyond our borders to actually pro- The U.S. nuclear threat sites to resume, while minimally limiting The rather sinister gathering’s origi- tect and defend our borders.” (globalpost. Fearing a decline of solidarity among the U.S. deployment of missiles and nu- nal purpose had been to discuss how to com Nov. 19) the NATO members, the U.S. came up clear weapons. withdraw NATO troops from Afghanistan Some of the imperialist powers at the with a rather bizarre mechanism: a mis- According to Paula DeSutter, an assis- beginning in July 2011, a target which Lisbon Summit expressed tactical dif- sile shield over Europe. The alleged en- tant secretary of state in the Bush admin- most of the allies present favored. Shortly ferences. France’s new defense minister, emy in this scenario is Iran, although Iran istration, the absence of a U.S.-Russian before the meeting, however, Washing- Alain Juppé, said flatly this week that is not mentioned specifically because of arms control treaty would mean that the ton abruptly announced that the 2011 Afghanistan is a “trap” for allied troops. objections from the Turkish government. U.S. would need to focus more spy satel- date was being “de-emphasized.” Despite Some analysts see a very grim scenario In reality, it is a slap in the face to the lites over Russia, satellites that otherwise President Barack Obama’s promise last for imperialism in Central Asia. “Success Russian Federation. A similar proposal to could be used to peer on other sites such year, troops would stay in Afghanistan in Afghanistan is almost impossible,” said put missiles in Poland near the end of the as Iraq and Afghanistan. (Washington until at least 2014. Shmuel Bar, a director at the Institute of Bush administration led to icy relations Times, Nov. 18) In other words, the Pen- Another summit goal was to reevaluate Policy and Strategy in Herzliya, Israel. “If with the Russian government, which per- tagon wants the START treaty ratified, NATO’s “strategic concept.” The North At- NATO is making its future contingent on ceived that the so-called shield was di- not to promote peace and disarmament, lantic Treaty Organization was originally victory in Afghanistan, they are not living rected against it. but in order to more efficiently utilize its set up in 1949 to prevent workers’ revolu- in the real world.” (Boston Globe, Nov. 18) Only a day before NATO announced military resources to carry out wars of ag- tions in Western Europe and to threaten Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, President the missile shield, the Republican leader- gression and occupation in Afghanistan the Soviet Union. Since the 1990s, while Hamid Karzai, the leader of the U.S. pup- ship of the U.S. Senate indicated that it and other parts of the Middle East. still maintaining a hostile stance towards pet government, stunned U.S. officials by might refuse to ratify a recently negotiat- Just where the U.S. and NATO will get the Russian Federation, NATO expanded demanding that the U.S.-NATO forces ed nuclear arms treaty with Russia (New the money to pay for all these new missile its aggressive mission to intervene first in should take a “lower profile” and “re- Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty). Some shields, nuclear weapons and spy satel- Yugoslavia, and then in Afghanistan. duce the visibility and intensity of their pundits have speculated that the Repub- lites is another subject avoided by both Now, it is officially updating its strat- military operations. The time has come to licans merely want to deny Obama a po- the NATO summit and the U.S. Senate. 30,000 protest NATO Summit in Lisbon

Some 30,000 people marched through central Lisbon on Nov. 20 to protest the NATO Summit in the Portuguese capi- tal, where leaders of European and North American imperialist powers were plot- ting to use their military forces — which are responsible for two-thirds of the glob- al resources spent on war and prepara- tions for war — to police the world to serve the interests of finance capital. Hundreds of anti-war, anti-imperialist, trade union and other progressive organi- zations throughout Portugal, with support from groups throughout Europe, spon- sored the protest. Its main slogans were “Peace yes, NATO no!” “NATO out of Por- tugal” and “End NATO.” The main Portu- guese trade union federation, CGTP-IN, which participated in strength in the pro- test, is also preparing a general strike for Nov. 24 to fight the government’s auster- Photo:_JorgE_FiguEirEDo ity program. Banner calls Portugal's president and prime minister 'servants of death' and demands an 'end to NATO.' Flag at upper left demands freedom — John Catalinotto for U.S. political prisoner, Mumia Abu-Jamal. rebellion against occupation: U.S., U.N. & cholera out of haiti!

Continued from page 1 passerby. Also, 19 people were injured in lapsed National Palace and then ducking Updated to include Arisitide kidnapping by the U.S. and infected with cholera died overnight, we Cap-Haïtien. Fifteen people were shot at their heads in buckets of water to wash earthquake 2010 had a spontaneous mobilization to bring with bullets. the tear gas out of their eyes and hair. the whole neighborhood into the move- “We’d rather die from bullets than be One demonstrator told TV5, “Down ment. A few blocks from here, another decimated by the cholera epidemic,” Cap- with U.S. imperialism! U.N. and its chol- demonstration ended in a confrontation Haïtien protesters shouted, while throw- era out of Haiti.” Another demonstrator with the riot squad. A police station was ing rocks at the Minustah base. (Alter- angrily said that foreigners want to im- burned and Minustah began firing tear Presse, Nov. 15) pose neocolonial slavery on Haiti, turn- gas. We defended ourselves by throwing French TV5 on Nov. 18 and videos ing back the clock before 1804 — the year New second edition: rocks and building barricades.” posted on AlterPresse, a Haitian Internet Haiti proclaimed itself the first Black re- A Slave Revolution He continues, “We organized a mass site, showed groups of 200 to 400 youth public in the Western Hemisphere after a HAITI: meeting to discuss the significance of confronting Minustah in Port-au-Prince, glorious and hard-fought struggle against 200 Years after 1804 our independence gained Nov. 18, 1802, using the tarp-camp on the Champs des Napoleon’s army. Updates book with new material covering 2004- in the current context. Because Haiti is Mars as a base. The Minustah were very At a recent forum in Harlem, Ray La- 2010. First published in 2004 as a joint project still occupied by foreign powers and by aggressive, breaking out and tear gassing forest, a Haitian-American labor organiz- of the International Action Center and the Haiti the U.N., which they direct.” (observers. crowds of protesters. The youth running er and longtime political activist, called Support Network. This is not a traditional history france24.com, Nov. 19) and dodging didn’t appear willing to leave for all progressive forces to support the book or textbook, but a people’s history. In the preface the editors state: “This book is going to Minustah claimed that six of its sol- the streets, except under major pressure. growing national uprising against the combat 200 years of racist indoctrination and diers were injured and that armed pro- The videos showed parents grabbing U.N./U.S. occupation of Haiti. This event, propaganda about the Haitian Revolution. “ testers fired on troops in Quartier Mo- their children when tear gas was shot into held at St. Mary’s Church, was sponsored New edition: 272 pp., photos. rin, on the outskirts of Cap-Haïtien. Two their tents, running and dodging through by the Black is Back Coalition and the Haitians were killed, one protester and a the warren of tents in front of the col- Harlem Tenants’ Council. Available at www.leftbooks.com Page_10_ Dec_2,_2010_ workers.org

WORKERS WORLD editorial musical captures political legacy two tier-wage system of Nigerian artist, activist By Abayomi Azikiwe Fela’s father was a protestant minister, Editor, Pan-African News Wire the Rev. Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti. & class struggle New York He was an educator and the first president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers. Going ew York Times economic analyst the old-line union leadership. They Over the past two years, the Bill T. back even further, one of Fela’s ancestors Louis Uchitelle’s articles usually became leaders when the workforce Jones and Jim Lewis award-winning was sent to South America during slavery, appear in the business section. was overwhelmingly white and male, N Broadway production FELA! has been but later freed himself and returned to Ni- That his Nov. 20 feature wound up on and when anti-Communist laws pushed captivating audiences in New York City. geria triumphantly. page one means his editors found it espe- revolutionaries out of the unions. They On Nov. 13 another packed house at the Even though Nigeria gained indepen- cially important. see capitalism as permanent, and they Eugene O’Neill Theater sat in utter fas- dence from Britain in 1960, the country As with most Times’ articles, this one accept the ground rules of private prop- cination during the two-and-half-hour remained a neocolonial state that moved is slanted to discourage workers from erty. With workers fearful of losing jobs musical that depicts the life and times of closer to the U.S. during the 1960s. A se- struggling. A Marxist activist reading it, under conditions of high unemployment, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, perhaps the most cessionist war took place between 1967 however, might conclude that working- these union leaders have already given well-known African compos- and 1970, when the eastern region at- class struggle in the United States is inevi- up the battle. er and musician spanning tempted to break away from the fed- table, a new union leadership is abso- WW reporter Martha Grevatt has been the 1970s to 1990s. Fela eral republic that was then under lutely necessary, and this new leadership writing for the last two years about such founded Afro-beat music. military control. The revolt was must refuse to accept private property conditions already imposed on members The audience was di- defeated. and capitalism as permanent. They must of the United Auto Workers at Delphi verse, with expatriate Ni- It was the role of the military instead embrace Marxism, the ideology plants and, under the terms of the 2009 gerians and other Africans in Nigeria that drew Fela’s ire. of class struggle and the need for socialist government bailout, on workers at the from the continent, New His outspoken criticism of revolution. big three car makers. York residents of all back- political repression and This is the only alternative to workers Uchitelle implies that capitalists all grounds and tourists. The corruption under military submitting to a life of grinding poverty. over the U.S. will adopt this strategy: musical covered the pioneering rule resulted in several at- Uchitelle examines the bosses’ strat- Cut wages in half, starting with two-tier and ground-breaking composi- tempts to prosecute him egy of imposing “two-tier” wages in contracts, and make wage cuts and high tions of Fela whose albums on trumped-up charges. the factories in the industrial region of unemployment permanent. sold broadly throughout Af- After Fela released southeastern Wisconsin. This is where the Such a strategy undermines the social rica, Europe and the U.S. Review his world-famous al- cities of Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha and stability in the U.S. working class that has The musical, which won bum “Zombie” in 1977, Brookfield are. It’s where 15 percent of the existed for decades. Even if the decline in three Tony awards, among where the army was ridi- workforce still works in factories and are wages to near-poverty levels fails to pro- FELA! others, in 2009, illustrates culed in an extended rhythmic title track in unions. It’s also where most of Wiscon- voke an explosion of struggle, it creates not only how Fela was shaped by histori- that lasted over 25 minutes, the efforts of sin’s African-American population lives. conditions where young workers have no cal forces in Nigeria, as well as the entire the military government to silence him Most factory workers until recently choice but to re-examine the society they region of West Africa, but how his visit to accelerated. In 1978 a thousand soldiers earned wages and benefits that could face. It is a society that stifles them at the U.S. in 1969 impacted his social con- surrounded his home in Lagos and later provide a family with a home, car, health every turn. sciousness. invaded the residence, attacking and as- care and retirement benefits, according to Only by rejecting the primacy of profits When Fela was in the U.S., he was saulting women, destroying and stealing Uchitelle’s numbers. can workers even begin to wage union heavily influenced by the Black revolu- property. The home was burned down by Factory owners and managers — even struggles. Only by developing a leader- tionary movement of the period. He was the soldiers. at profitable factories — have decided to ship that includes more women and more introduced to the struggles waged by the Funmilayo was living there at the time. increase profits even if they must reduce people of color can they represent the Black Panther Party and others by his She too was assaulted and later thrown sales. They are consciously cutting labor most combative workers. Only by expand- close friend Sandra Izsadore of Los Ange- out of an upstairs window, resulting in costs by reducing wages. They do this by ing beyond the plant can they enlist the les, played in the musical by Saycon Sen- her death. Fela later issued an album hiring “casual workers” at lower wages forces of other oppressed groupings in the gbloh. Video footage of the BPP is shown. about the attacks called “Coffin for a and no benefits. They impose low wages community. Only by going beyond their This musical immediately grabbed the Head of State.” on new hires. region can they unite with unorganized attention of the audience with the women In 1984 when Fela was set to leave Nige- The new wages are half to three-quar- workers in parts of the country where the dancers, known in the musical as queens, ria on a world concert tour, he was arrest- ters the existing rate. This disrupts union bosses threaten to move. Only by viewing moving through the aisles. The actor who ed on the airplane and charged with illegal solidarity, dividing the new and the expe- the U.S. workers as a class can they envi- played Fela, Kevin Mambo, maintained currency possession. He was convicted rienced workers. These wages are too low sion a national strike. Only by embrac- extensive communication and direct dia- and spent more than a year in prison. to allow young women and men to set up ing internationalism can they unite with logue with the audience. An international campaign ensued, de- a household similar to what their parents immigrant workers and understand their A full jazz orchestra, reminiscent of manding his release. Eventually he was could. They create a situation of immedi- common interests with workers around Fela’s own Africa 70 and later Egypt 80, freed from prison in 1986 and traveled to ate frustration. the world. started playing some 15 minutes before the U.S. for a series of concerts. To bludgeon unions into accepting such Only by accepting the goal of ending the curtain rose. These musicians, along In Detroit in 1986, Fela and Egypt 80 bad contracts, the bosses threaten to shut capitalism and replacing it with socialism with actual recordings of Fela, created a played a three-hour concert at the newly the factory or move it, not to China, India can they walk the road to victory. cultural atmosphere. The musical most- refurbished downtown Fox theater which or Mexico, but to areas of the U.S. where For a thorough examination of ly takes place in Fela’s club, The Africa this writer attended. The concert host unions are weaker or nonexistent. the ideas in this editorial, read the book Shrine. On the theater’s walls are pho- Nkenge Zola, a broadcast journalist work- No doubt workers and youth in south- “Low-Wage Capitalism” by Workers tos of Malcolm X, Kwame Nkrumah and ing at the time at the local affiliate of Na- western Wisconsin want to fight this World contributing editor projected articles from the Nigerian press tional Public Radio, who promoted African development. But Uchitelle interviews Fred Goldstein. during the 1970s. music, reminded the thousands in atten- The musical makes reference to the role dance that many people had come by the that international finance capital such as studio in 1985 to sign petitions demanding MUNDO OBRERO. BP, Shell and the International Monetary Fela’s release. Fela traveled to the U.S. two Fund has played in super-exploiting the other times — in 1990 and 1991. His last resources and people in Nigeria. concert in Detroit was in August 1991. Whether the audience remembered the As political repression intensified in Seguro Social y el Medicare real Fela or not, the musical is an excel- Nigeria, Fela was charged with murder lent introduction or reintroduction to one by the military government. The charges Continua de página 12 Pentágono y elevar los impuestos corpo- of Africa’s greatest cultural phenomena of were baseless, but they prevented him banco para que usted pudiera jubilarse con rativos dirigidos a las ganancias y al pago the 20th century. from traveling outside Nigeria to earn a seguridad. Pero no, de súbito, es de ellos excesivo de los ejecutivos. . . [Esto] cor- living and to seek medical treatment for para jugar con lo que usted pensaba que taría casi $430 mil millones del déficit en Social significance of Fela’s life his deteriorating health. era suyo. 2015, cumpliendo con la meta de Obama Fela’s life and family history paralleled Fela died on Aug. 3, 1997, two months Éste es un convenio tan injusto, tan de balancear los gastos e ingresos federa- the anticolonial, national independence shy of his 59th birthday. His funeral was criminal, que ni siquiera todos los miem- les, excepto el interés en la deuda nacio- and Pan-African struggles in Africa and attended by an estimated 1 million people bros de este panel, seleccionados cui- nal”. (Washington Post, 16 de noviembre) within the Diaspora. His mother, Funmi- in Lagos. dadosamente, están de acuerdo. Ella tiene razón. El dinero está allí layo Ransome-Kuti, was a feminist who This production in New York has made La representante Jan Schakowski de para el Seguro Social, el Medicare, y para fought for the liberation of Nigeria from a tremendous contribution to contempo- Illinois está en el panel. Ella sabe que mucho, mucho más. Hay una riqueza British imperialism. rary African culture and its relationship no es necesario recortar los beneficios enorme en los Estados Unidos. Ningún Ransome-Kuti was reputed to have to the broader struggle against repression médicos de las personas de la tercera beneficio social necesita ser tocado. Pero been the first woman to drive an automo- and neocolonialism. This writer hopes edad para balancear el presupuesto. Ella tomará una lucha masiva de todas las bile in Nigeria. She is also known, as not- the production will go on tour around the no puede respaldar las recomendaciones personas afectadas para detener esta ed in the musical, for traveling to China U.S. and eventually to the African conti- de Bowles-Simpson y anunció un plan ofensiva contra toda la clase trabajadora, to meet with Chairman Mao during the nent, where it would undoubtedly be well para “mantener los beneficios del Seguro una ofensiva que es más cruel contra los height of the revolutionary period in that received. FELA! is currently playing in Social intactos, hacer reducciones en el miembros más vulnerables. Asian nation. London. workers.org Dec. 2, 2010 Page 11 The Nobel Peace Prize and Liu Xiaobo

By Deirdre Griswold the cannon fodder and money needed for the war. Debs ran for president from his a man of peace. In fact, he has been an ar- new wars. jail cell in 1920 and got nearly a million dent supporter of U.S. wars. Who is Liu Xiaobo and why was he Nothing better illustrates this corrup- votes, but the Nobel committee wouldn’t Defending George W. Bush and the war given this year’s Nobel Peace Prize? To tion of the popular yearning for peace think of giving him the Peace Prize. in Iraq, Liu wrote on Oct. 31, 2004, in “The understand this, it’s necessary to know than the annual Nobel Peace Prize. The In the years that followed, the prize Iraqi War and the U.S. Election,” that the the history of the prize and how it came prize has been given many times to the went to such luminaries of U.S. imperial- U.S. “led the fight against communist to- about. very individuals responsible for the hor- ist diplomacy as Cordell Hull (secretary of talitarianism in the Vietnam and Korean Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, ror of imperialist wars. state during World War II), Gen. George wars, … helped Egypt to achieve indepen- engineer and the inventor of dynamite, In 1906 the prize was given to U.S. Marshall (Army chief of staff, World War dence, and has consistently protected Is- who made a fortune in the 19th century, President Theodore Roosevelt. His slo- II; secretary of defense, Korean War), rael, surrounded as it is by Arab nations.” becoming known as “The Merchant of gan, “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” Henry Kissinger (secretary of state, Viet- Saying that John Kerry, who ran against Death.” He willed that his huge fortune be fit his own career as leader of the Rough nam War), President Jimmy Carter and, Bush in that year’s election, condoned “evil used to set up a number of prizes, one of Riders, who stormed into Cuba in 1898 last year, President Barack Obama, whose governments,” Liu added: “In response to them for peace. during the Spanish-American War. The election promise to get U.S. troops out of existential threats to civilization such as Nobel decreed that a five-person com- war was supposedly to free Cuba, Puerto Afghanistan has been abandoned. terrorism, the U.S. should not hesitate to mittee set up by the Norwegian Parliament Rico and the Philippines from Spain, but When, facing criticism for ignoring the use force. Only resolute determination should pick the recipients of the annual its real purpose was to bring them under mass movements against war and ruling- will prevent another 9/11, reduce interna- Peace Prize. Norway, a founding member U.S. imperialist domination — as exposed class violence, the Nobel committee did tional terrorism, and reduce the threat of of NATO, today houses several U.S. air by Mark Twain, a member of the Anti- recognize popular figures, it almost always WMDs.” (chinastudygroup.net) bases and has troops in Afghanistan. Imperialist League at the time. coupled them with enemies of the people. How could the Nobel committee even The first Nobel Peace Prize was award- In 1912 the prize went to Elihu Root, Thus, the prize went jointly to Kissinger think of giving Liu the Peace Prize, after ed in 1901. Since that time, the people of who had been secretary of war under Pres- and Vietnamese leader Le Duc Tho in 1973 everything that is known about the Bush the world have suffered from devastating idents William McKinley and Theodore (Tho refused it!); to African National Con- administration deliberately deceiving the wars that together have killed more than Roosevelt. Root established neocolonial gress leader Nelson Mandela and apart- world about “weapons of mass destruc- 100 million civilians and combatants and governments in the three countries men- heid South African President Frederik tion” in order to invade Iraq? laid waste entire countries. The underly- tioned above. He then became president of Willem de Klerk in 1993; and to Palestin- For the same reasons they chose Sakha- ing cause of these wars and the rise of the the Carnegie Endowment for International ian leader Yasser Arafat but also Israelis rov, Walesa and Gorbachev. Liu is a lead- military-industrial complex has been the Peace, set up with money from one of the Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin in 1994. ing advocate for overthrowing the Com- ravenous appetite of the vying imperialist richest robber baron capitalists and strike Once the Cold War began, the Peace munist Party of China, privatizing the powers to conquer new markets and ter- breakers of that time, Andrew Carnegie. Prize was given to figures in the Soviet entire economy, including all the land, ritories for superexploitation and profits. In 1919 the Peace Prize went to U.S. Union and Eastern Europe who facilitat- and returning China to the arms of the So naturally the people of the world President Woodrow Wilson, who had led ed the return of capitalism and imperial- Western imperialists, whom he sees as the want peace. They come out in demonstra- the U.S. into World War I in 1917 in spite ism: Andrei Sakharov (1975), Lech Wale- great liberators of humanity. tions again and again protesting current of broad opposition. That same year, a U.S. sa (1983) and Mikhail Gorbachev (1990). Liu is the main author of Charter 08, wars and new terror weapons. What do socialist and leader of the working class, It is in this tradition that the Nobel which openly declares its counterrevolu- the imperialists do about that? They talk Eugene V. Debs, was sentenced to 10 years Peace Prize for 2010 was given to Liu tionary goals, even as it embellishes them peace and democracy while they mobilize under the Sedition Act for having opposed Xiaobo. It is not because Liu is in any way in the language of “democracy” and “hu- man rights” used so deceptively by capi- talist bloodsuckers in the West. The media and Gaza Liu is not popular in China. Even those on the left who criticize the government’s reliance on the market want nothing to do A military-industrial-media complex with him, recognizing him as an enemy of the workers and of China’s hard-won sov- WW presents here the third installment Currently on Chevron’s board is Donald which is owned by Time-Warner. Boeing ereignty. He is strictly a creature of impe- of “The media and Gaza,” a chapter from Rice, who was Bill Clinton’s secretary of is a major funder of PBS’s “Washington rialism — and of an overblown, complete- an upcoming book on the heroic struggle the Air Force from 1989 to 1993. Week.” ly undemocratic organization that owes of the Palestinian people of Gaza who are The media monopolies are not far be- Some media are actually owned by arms its prestige and power to blood money. fighting for self-determination. hind, as many have interlocking directors merchants. NBC’s parent company is Gen- with big oil. General Electric (NBC) in- eral Electric. GE Aviation makes the pro- n 1944, when the U.S. was becoming terlocks with Mobil, CNN with Chevron, pulsion systems found on U.S. aircraft sold Ithe dominant power in the Middle East, Knight-Ridder with Phillips Petroleum, the to the Israeli Air Force, including the F-16 the U.S. State Department described Mid- New York Times with Texaco (whose par- Fighting Falcon and F-4 Phantom, the CH- dle Eastern oil as “a stupendous source of ent company is Chevron). And some “pub- 53 heavy lift helicopter, the Apache attack strategic power, and one of the greatest lic” television news shows are connected to helicopter and UH-60 Black Hawk utility material prizes in world history.” Big Oil through ad revenues. Chevron is a helicopter, as well as the Israeli-made Kfir Washington’s assessment of that area key funder of the most influential show on fighter plane. Some of the attack helicop- has not changed. PBS, the nightly “News Hour with Jim Leh- ters GE outfits are used in the occupied ter- “The Middle East, with two thirds rer.” (FAIR, Dec. 19, 2007) ritories. GE also makes parts for Hellfire II of the world’s oil and the lowest cost, is This is why Washington officials, Chev- laser-guided missiles as well as T-700 and still where the prize ultimately lies,” said ron and the New York Times speak with 701C jet engines used by the Israeli De- Dick Cheney. This was in 1999, when he one voice. fense Forces. (Seattle Palestine Solidarity was still CEO of Halliburton, the world’s Committee) second-largest provider of equipment and A military-industrial-media complex So when reporters, analysts and guest services to oil and gas companies. Cheney Oil companies are not the only U.S. “experts” at NBC find excuses to justify Is- was George H. W. Bush’s secretary of de- corporations making money hand over rael’s attack on Gaza, they don’t mention edited by fense before his stint at Halliburton and fist. Arms sellers are awash in profits. In that their salaries are paid by a company Joyce chediac later became George W. Bush’s vice presi- 2005, for example, the top military con- that makes a mint providing the very dent. This is not a coincidence. tractors had a record $25 billion to $30 weapons that Israel used. NBC doesn’t Help to publish— “Cheney once drew parallels between billion in cash in their coffers. Lockheed make a cent from exposing the terrible GAZA: Symbol of Resistance his role as CEO of Halliburton and his Martin, the largest arms seller in the toll these weapons have taken. WW compilations, edited by Joyce chediac role as secretary of defense. Addressing world and the biggest supplier of weap- Another way the arms makers influence the Gulf Coast Association of Geological ons to Israel, topped the list. (New York the media is through corporate interlocks The compelling story of how Gazans with- Societies convention in Corpus Christie in Times, May 12, 2005) with media companies that weld together stood blockade and bombardment only to stand tall, refusing to give up the right to 1998, he stated: “In the oil and gas busi- There is an incestuous relationship be- their interests. determine their own lives and to choose ness, I deal with many of the same peo- tween Big Oil, the weapons makers and This relationship between media and their own government; how Gaza’s courage ple.” (CorpWatch, July 25, 2000) the media. Oil companies want a strong the military has become such a fixture inspired a worldwide solidarity movement Understanding the needs and wants of military presence in the Middle East to that it is an integral part of the for-profit determined to break the blockade and the oil companies is a big plus for those protect them from the people whose re- capitalist system. Normon Solomon ex- deliver aid; exposes the forces behind the aspiring to high government office, since sources they exploit. In addition, the mili- plained that “a military-industrial-media punishment of Gaza, and how a growing Washington safeguards these needs and tary machine that protects oil company complex … now extends to much of cor- people’s media is breaking the mainstream wants. Condoleezza Rice prepared for her interests is itself the largest consumer of porate media. … Often, media magnates media’s information blockade on this event. roles as George W. Bush’s national secu- oil in the world. And because the media and people on the boards of large media- This book will be published in December. rity advisor and then secretary of state monopolies interlock with both, they are related corporations enjoy close links — Every aspect of production was done by by first representing an oil company. She in on the take when both make profits. financial and social — with the military voluntary labor. However, the high cost of was on Chevron’s board of directors and How does the military exert its influ- industry and Washington’s foreign policy printing the book cause us to turn to you even headed the oil giant’s committee on ence on the media? establishment.” (War Made Easy: How for donations. Those who give $20 or more will receive a copy of the book. public policy. For one thing, the big media welcome Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Oil companies also mesh with the huge ads from the weapons makers. Lockheed Us to Death, Norman Solomon, Wiley & Send check, name and address to World View Pentagon apparatus that protects them. Martin is a major advertiser on CNN, Sons, 2005) Forum, 55 W. 17th St., 5th floor, NY, NY 10011. Mndo obrero ¡Proletarios y oprimidos de todos los países, uníos! Correspondencia sobre artículos en Workers World/Mundo Obrero pueden ser enviadas a: [email protected] Conferencia nacional: ¡Abajo el capitalismo, luchemos por el socialismo mundial! El movimiento pro derechos de los/as inmigrantes está en una encrucijada Por Teresa Gutiérrez relevancia en la aprobación de nuestro fundador. Entendemos de votación, sino en las calles, a Wall Street, leyes pro-inmigrantes sin una que la autodeterminación al Pentágono y a la Casa Blanca? ¿Quién Los siguientes son extractos de una perspectiva de clase? y nuestro apoyo a los/as proporcionará el análisis para las masas charla por Teresa Gutiérrez el 13 de El voto latino en muchas oprimidos/as es parte de mientras se enfrentan al desempleo, a las noviembre en la conferencia nacional del zonas del país era crucial para todas las luchas. Hay matices ejecuciones hipotecarias y a todo lo demás? Partido Workers World /Mundo Obrero. las elecciones demócratas. La y sutilezas en cada coalición. ¿Quién va a señalar el camino a seguir? Gutiérrez es miembro del Secretariado reelección de Harry Reid es el Nos preocupamos por cuándo y ¿Quién va a apoyar a estos/as jóvenes del Partido y líder de la Coalición 1 mejor ejemplo. cómo se debe criticar y cuándo que anhelan la legalización, pero a la mis- de Mayo pro derechos de los y las Republicanos latinos fueron no hacerlo. Estas son cuestiones ma vez indicarles de la manera más reflexiva trabajadoras e inmigrantes. elegidos en cifras récord. La importantes que tienen que y sensible: ¿Qué pasaría si la ley DREAM se sta conferencia es histórica ya que tiene elección de los anti-inmigrantes hacerse bien para poder avanzar aprobara tal y como está ahora? Elugar en un momento como ninguno Marc Rubio y el gobernador WW_Photo:_g._DuNkEL en la lucha. ¿Qué va a hacer ese o esa joven legali- en el desarrollo del sistema capitalista. republicano Rick Scott en Teresa Gutierrez Una de las novedades más zado/a cuando él o ella sea enviado/a a No hay comunista ni organizador/a o con la Florida hizo que los/as debatidas en el movimiento por Colombia para matar a sindicalistas o a conciencia de clase que se haya enfrentado inmigrantes hablaran con gran temor sobre los derechos de los/as inmigrantes ahora rebeldes en la selva? ¿Qué va a hacer esa a lo que nos estamos enfrentando ahora. su futuro. es la ley DREAM por las siglas en inglés juventud legalizada cuando sea enviada a la El imperialismo y el capitalismo están La historia demuestra que no importa de Desarrollo, Alivio y Educación para frontera mexicana y se le ordene apuntar el en un punto único en su desarrollo. Esta quien se encuentra en Washington, sino Menores Extranjeros. Este proyecto de fusil a una familia de inmigrantes cruzando es una crisis de todo el sistema. Esta no es quien está en las calles luchando. ley introducido en el 2001, proporcionaría la misma frontera que cruzó su familia? la crisis común de auge y caída, sino una En Florida, al igual que en otros lugares, se a los/as estudiantes indocumentados/as ¿Cómo se va a entrar por la puerta para crisis sin absolutamente ninguna respuesta habla de aprobar una legislación similar a la estado legal condicional y eventualmente ofrecer un análisis revolucionario, marxista- al creciente desempleo o a cualquiera de de Arizona. La alarmante implementación la ciudadanía si, entre otras cosas, asisten leninista si se está atacando su lucha? los múltiples problemas que nuestra clase de la 287 (g) — la legislación iniciada por a la universidad o se enlistan en el ejército. A pesar de los resultados de las elecciones, enfrenta aquí y en todo el mundo. Clinton, fortalecida por Bush y ampliada Hay pocas oportunidades de asistir a la no nos equivoquemos al respecto: los latinos Esta es una crisis con una recuperación por el Presidente Obama — ha dado lugar universidad; los empleos están escasos. La y latinas no están en venta. Nuestra historia sin empleos. ¿Significa esto que no podemos a una ola de discriminación racial. Los/ aprobación de la Ley DREAM se reduce está repleta de fervor revolucionario. Sólo ganar puestos de trabajo en este período? as inmigrantes son seleccionados/as a una herramienta de reclutamiento para tenemos que recuperarla. ¡Por supuesto que no! Lo que significa es para ser arrestados/as sin tener sospecha las fuerzas armadas imperialistas, es Cuando lo hagamos no vamos a que tenemos que revivir la lucha de clases, alguna de haber cometido un crimen. El un reclutamiento militar obligatorio de orientarnos a Colin Powell, sino a Mumia junto con la lucha ideológica, para ganar los ser detenido/a por tener una luz trasera nuestros/as jóvenes inmigrantes. No hay Abu-Jamal, no al Partido Demócrata, puestos de trabajo y los derechos que los y rota en su vehículo, o por vender DVDs duda al respecto. sino al Partido Comunista de Cuba, no a las trabajadoras se merecen, incluyendo la en una esquina o por una trágica violencia Pero nuestro partido y las coaliciones Marco Rubio, sino a Fidel Castro, no a la legalización. doméstica, puede conducir rápidamente a con las que trabajamos han apoyado gobernadora Susana Martínez, de Nuevo El movimiento por los derechos de los/ una deportación. a los/as estudiantes y jóvenes en este México, sino a la hermana revolucionaria as inmigrantes, al igual que muchos otros, Es comprensible cómo el temor a la movimiento. ¿Cómo no cuando los/ Lolita Lebrón. está en una encrucijada. Es un ejemplo de derecha, cómo la retórica racista de los as jóvenes indocumentados/as se han Reviviremos las ideas del Che Guevara, lo urgente que es la necesidad de revivir la candidatos/as del Partido del Té impulsó levantado desafiantes declarando: “Soy un gran líder revolucionario de herencia lucha ideológica. Los/as activistas deben a muchos/as a las urnas para votar por el indocumentado y no tengo miedo”. Después latina. El Che dijo: “Hay que tener en cuenta tomar conciencia de la lucha de clases no Partido Demócrata. Pero es un retroceso. de 10 años de luchar por este proyecto de que el imperialismo es un sistema mundial, solo para sobrevivir, sino para empujar la Los demócratas no han hecho otra cosa ley, están muy enojados. la última etapa del capitalismo — y debe ser lucha hacia adelante. más que traicionar al movimiento por los Este es un tema complicado y hasta derrotado en una confrontación mundial”. Jon Stewart atacó el marxismo en su derechos de los/as inmigrantes. doloroso. Pero, ¿quién se va a ganar los Camaradas y amigos/as, iniciemos esa obtuso, pero peligroso mitin en Washington. Entonces, ¿qué hacemos? Organizarnos corazones y las mentes de estos/as jóvenes? confrontación mundial aquí mismo, ahora Pero sólo el marxismo proporcionará las y luchar, eso es lo que hay que hacer. Estos ¿Harry Reid? ¡No si estamos envueltos/as mismo, aquí en las entrañas del monstruo. herramientas para entender y poner fin a son los pilares del trabajo de nuestro en ello! Ha llegado el momento. El momento es la crisis. partido, ya sea en coaliciones u organizando ¿Quién se ganará la lealtad de todos los/ ahora. No hay forma de avanzar, si no es la ¿De qué otra manera pueden avanzar los/ manifestaciones. as trabajadores/as y los/as oprimidos/ revolución. El sistema capitalista ha agotado as activistas pro inmigrantes? ¿De qué otra Nuestro trabajo está guiado por las as? ¿Quién se encargará de que la clase sus posibilidades. No hay otra opción sino forma podemos analizar las elecciones y su enseñanzas de Lenin y de Sam Marcy, obrera esté en marcha, no hacia la cabina abolirlo y construir el socialismo. Panel del gobierno hace el trabajo sucio patronal intentando recortar el Seguro Social y el Medicare Por Deirdre Griswold sus recomendaciones hasta después de gobierno cayeron con la recesión capitalista. Estados Unidos están muy por detrás de las elecciones. Tanto demócratas como La administración echó millones de millones otros países desarrollados en estos campos. Otro gran fraude está siendo perpetrado republicanos vieron con simpatía ese plan de dólares a los bancos y a las corporaciones El otro lado de la moneda — literalmente para que los ricos puedan salirse con la suya. pues ni uno ni otro quiere ser responsable automotrices para rescatarlas. — es la miserable cantidad de impuestos Su arma es el miedo. Los grandes medios por lo que sin duda es la acción más Y el año pasado los ricos hicieron que sus pagados por los ricos, los cuales han sido de comunicación están llenos de expertos impopular en años. políticos a todos los niveles del gobierno cortados y cortados y cortados mientras que explicando que el gobierno debe reducir Los financieros ricos y los líderes votaran para recortar los presupuestos los ingresos netos de los/as trabajadores/as el presupuesto nacional o si no todo se corporativos en los Estados Unidos de servicios sociales — para que entonces se han contraído. derrumbará. ¿Y cómo hay que recortarlo? que componen la clase dominante, hubiera mucho dinero para pagar el interés Más dinero para los bancos, las Atacando el Seguro Social y el Medicare, en han estado a la ofensiva contra la clase a los banqueros por préstamos de años corporaciones y la máquina de guerra. primer lugar. En otras palabras, atacando trabajadora desde hace muchos años. Han pasados y para pagar al complejo militar- Menos impuestos para los ricos. El resultado: a los/as ancianos/as y los/as enfermos/as. reestructurado la industria, remplazando a industrial por todo el costoso aparato usado un enorme déficit. Es muy simple. Ese es el mensaje que sale ahora de los/as trabajadores/as con máquinas. Han para llevar a cabo las guerras e invasiones Pero el panel no lo ve así. Ellos quieren la comisión nombrada por el presidente llevado su capital al exterior para explotar imperialistas. subir la edad de jubilación de los/as Barack Obama para bregar con el déficit a trabajadores/as con paga aún más baja, El gobierno federal está profundamente trabajadores/as en este país a 69 años, y a presupuestario. El panel bipartidista está y luego han exigido a los/as trabajadores/ endeudado y tiene un déficit. ¿Pero por la misma vez recortar nuestros beneficios. co-presidido por el demócrata Erskine as aquí que acepten menos paga o si no qué? No porque los/as trabajadores/as Sí, el mensaje es: trabaje hasta que fallezca. Bowles, ex consejero en jefe de la Casa pierden sus empleos. aquí reciban demasiados beneficios. Dada ¿Recuerda todo el dinero que pagó por Blanca durante Clinton y el republicano Pero con todo eso, su sistema capitalista la tremenda riqueza que existe en este país, su retiro con cada cheque de pago? Usted Alan Simpson, un ex senador de Wyoming. entró en una vorágine hace tres años y es escandalosa la falta de buenas escuelas, pensó que era su dinero, que era parte La comisión fue nombrada el pasado respecto a los empleos, todavía no se ha cuidado de salud, viviendas, pensiones y de su sueldo que el gobierno ponía en el invierno pero se abstuvo de anunciar recobrado. Las fuentes de ingresos del otros servicios sociales estatales necesarios. Continua a página 10