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A Cold Winter in Northern Wisconsin on Page 2 $4 at Newsstands and Bookstores SocialistViewpoint H The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it. —Karl Marx H MARCH/APRIL 2014 VOL. 14 NO. 2 20 degrees below zero, can living wage jobs thaw the freeze? Read A Cold Winter in Northern Wisconsin on page 2. On the Front Cover: s National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa. Read South Africa: Forging a New Movement page 26. From Texas to California, drilling for oil and gas is using billions of gallons of water in the country’s most drought-prone areas. Read Fracking is Depleting Water Supplies in America’s Driest Areas on page 39. Write a Letter Supporting Pvt. Manning’s Request for Clemency! Read how on the inside front cover. A Cold Winter in Northern Wisconsin - Page 2 Workers’ Power, Workers’ Control - Page 3 Inequality of Wealth and the Role of the Unions - Page 5 South Africa's NUMSA Solidarizes with Korean General Strike - Page 32 A conscious, directed effort to save postal services in the United States and Canada should be a priority of the movement for eco- nomic democracy. Read Now is the Moment to Save Our Postal Commons on page 10. Women buried in the Federal Prison System. Read Women in Soli- Vol. 14, No. 2 SOCIALIST VIEWPOINT BC tary Confinement on page 41. Write a Letter Supporting Pvt. Manning’s Request for Clemency! Under the Uniform Code of Military sentence is reduced. The letter Oakland, CA 94610 USA Justice, Convening Authorities are should NOT be anti-military Major General Jeffrey S. Buchanan Com- granted the power to reduce or elimi- and/or anti-Buchanan, as this manding General, U.S. Army Military District nate a convicted soldier’s sentence. will be unlikely to help. of Washington September 12, 2013 They use this power when they feel the • A suggested message: “Pvt. Man- court martial failed to deliver justice. As Dear Maj. Gen. Buchanan, I write to urge you ning has been punished enough to use your authority as the Convening Author- Commanding General of the Military for violating military regulations ity in the case of U.S. v. Bradley E. Manning to District of Washington, Major General in the course of being true to his reduce Pvt. Manning’s 35-year confinement Jeffrey S. Buchanan is the only other conscience. I urge you to use your sentence to time served, and upgrade his “Dis- honorable Discharge.” individual besides President Obama authority as Convening Authority As a former enlisted U.S. Marine Artilleryman, with the power to ameliorate WikiLeaks to reduce Pvt. Manning’s sentence whistle-blower Pvt. Manning’s sen- I understand the military s desire for good order to time served.” Beyond that gen- and discipline. However, this is not an average tence in the immediate future. eral message, feel free to personal- case of misconduct. Instead, Pvt. Manning’s We are now requesting letters from ize the details as to why you believe actions were motivated purely by conscience. professors, law experts, human rights Pvt. Manning deserves clemency. Pvt. Manning took responsibility for violating miscellaneous regulations covering the use of advocates, politicians, artists, veterans, and • Here is an example letter, written by concerned citizens urging Major General classified information. For those actions, he has Jeff Paterson of Courage to Resist already been punished having spent every day Buchanan to reduce Pvt. Manning’s sen- and the Pvt. Manning Support Net- since May 29 2010 in military confinement. tence. These letters will be submitted as work (yes, you can plagiarize).1 Pvt. Manning was subjected to approximately part of an application for clemency from nine months of illegal pre-trial punishment at the • These letters will be formally sub- Pvt. Manning’s legal defense. These letters, hands of the Marine command at Quantico, Vir- once completed, should be sent to emma@ mitted to General Buchanan by Pvt. ginia. Military judge Colonel Denise Lind granted privatemanning.org Manning’s attorney David Coombs Pvt. Manning 112 days confinement credit for as part of a larger clemency packet. this abuse; however, that is clearly inadequate There are some important guide- given the lengthy sentence he was given. • Please send your letter to emma@ lines you should follow to ensure we’re Justice was not served when prosecutors were able to use your letter: privatemanning.org as soon as allowed to trample on Pvt. Manning’s rights to possible. We will review these let- a speedy trial. Additionally, prosecutors were • Your letter should be approxi- ters prior to forwarding them to allowed to change the Charge Sheet to match mately one page long. Pvt. Manning’s legal defense, and the evidence presented—after both the prose- • It should be composed on per- may request that you make cution and defense rested their cases! sonalized letterhead. changes if necessary. Sincerely, Jeff Paterson • The letters must be printed, signed, Courage to Resist, the organization then scanned (so that they have sponsoring the Private Manning the signature) in PDF format. Support Network, has successfully con- • Pvt. Manning’s recently vinced Convening Authorities to reduce Sign the petition to pardon announced that her preferred the sentences of conscientious objec- Pvt. Manning: tors in the past (see the cases of Travis name is Chelsea, and that folks http://www.privatemanning.org/pardonpetition should use female pronouns. Bishop and Cliff Cornell). Pvt. Manning However, she also understands is unjustly imprisoned because the Help us continue to cover 100 percent that for efforts such as these, it is things she witnessed in the Iraq War of Pvt. Manning’s legal fees: most effective for supporters to compelled her to follow her conscience. https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default. use her legal name and military Now, through creating compelling and aspx?wid=38591 rank, “Pvt. Bradley E. Manning,” personal letters, it is time to call upon along with male pronouns. Major General Buchanan to honor his COURAGE TO RESIST conscience in turn. • The letter should focus on your http://couragetoresist.org support for Pvt. Manning, and 484 Lake Park Ave #41 1 Jeffrey Paterson especially why you believe justice Oakland, CA 94610 Project Director, Courage to Resist will be served if Pvt. Manning’s 510-488-3559 484 Lake Park Ave. #41 FC SOCIALIST VIEWPOINT Vol. 14, No. 2 SocialistViewpoint March/April 2014 Vol. 14, No. 2 SOCIALIST VIEWPOINT www.socialistviewpoint.org CONTENTS email: [email protected] (415) 824-8730 U.S. Politics and the Economy Injustice, Resistance Rising in India ..................33 A Cold Winter in Northern Wisconsin ................2 By John Pilger An Editorial Commentary By Joe Johnson Mass Murderer Ariel Sharon is Dead .................35 Workers’ Power, Workers’ Control....................3 By Steven Katsineris By Bonnie Weinstein The Legacy of Ariel ‘The Bulldozer’ Sharon ...........36 Inequality of Wealth and the Role of Unions ...........5 By Jonathan Cook By Jack Heyman Environment Instant Injustice .....................................8 Fracking is Depleting Water Supplies.................39 By Bonnie Weinstein By Suzanne Goldenberg Imagine: If Mayor DeBlasio Really Were a Socialist .....9 Incarceration Nation By Cliff Conner and Michael Steven Smith Mentally Ill in South Carolina’s Prisons ..............40 Now is the Moment to Save Our Postal Commons . 10 By Jean Casella and James Ridgeway By Matt Stannard Women In Solitary Confinement.....................41 A Festival of Lies....................................13 By Victoria Law By Glen Ford American Courtrooms Dangerous Places for Blacks ...43 Black Madness Under Obama .......................14 By Charlotte Silver By Glen Ford Private Probation Companies Extort from Poor .......45 Victory in Seattle Inspires By Aaron Cantú Chicago Socialist Campaign ......................16 Prosecuting Black Victims...........................46 By Andrew Mortazavi By Margaret Kimberley Seattle Teacher Elected to City Council ...............17 Obama, the State of the Union and the Prison State....47 By Mark T. Harris By Bruce A. Dixon Drop the Charges Against Snowden! .................18 A Smoking Gun ....................................49 By Barry Sheppard By Bruce A. Dixon Medicare’s Rollout vs. Obamacare’s Glitches Brew.....20 12th Man ..........................................50 By David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhander By Raymond Nat Turner Your Mind, Privatized ..............................21 Legalizing Oppression ..............................51 By Steven Strauss By Chris Hedges The Menace of the Military Mind ....................22 Abandonment......................................54 By Chris Hedges By Torrey Real End Drone Killing ..................................24 Lorenzo Johnson’s Case . 55 How Low Can Capitalism Sink? .....................25 An Interview by Shuja Moore By Ted Newcomen Is the USA Above the Law? ..........................56 South Africa: Forging a New Movement ..............26 By “Shakaboona” By Leonard Gentle Fighting the Oppressor..............................57 Black South Africa Rediscovers Itself .................29 By Kevin Cooper By Glen Ford Razor Wire Plantations .............................58 Freedom Charter is Key to Struggle for South Africa ...30 By Kevin “Rashid” Johnson By Glen Ford For the Rosa Luxemburg Conference .................62 NUMSA Solidarizes with Korean Gen. Strike..........32 Speech By Mumia Abu-Jamal Presented By His Son at the Conference Half Of Global Wealth Owned By 85 People ..........33 SCI-Mahanoy
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