From Assata Shakur
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vol. 1, no. 2 June-July 1977 POLITICAL JOURNAL OF PRAIRIE FIRE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE $1.00 / K R* US GOVERNMENT FORCED TO RECOGNIZE SOVEREIGNTY 1868 OF GREAT SIOUX NATION IN FORT LARAMIE TREATY "I Q7Q US GOVERNMENT INVADES INDEPENDENT ' OG LALA • *^ • W (SIOUX) NATION AT WOUNDED KNEE SOVEREIGNTY AND SELF - DETERiyiiNffilON FOR INDIAN NATIONS! The Guardian Sets Out to Build INSIDE: Itself a Party (PFOC Critique) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Editorial Statement Introducing BREAKTHROUGH No. 2 by Prairie Fire Organizing Committee p. 1 2. On the Conviction of Leonard Peltier with a reprint of a support statement by the Native Study Group of Vancouver, British Columbia p. 4 3. The Guardian Sets Out to Build Itself a Party a PFOC critique — First of a series p. 9 4. The Guardian on Women's "Emancipation" : —A proposal to move backwards by Flynn and friends P- 15 5. BURNING SPEAR reprints from the African People's Socialist Party on Bourgeois Ideology on the Left and on Women in Struggle p. 22 6. Assata Convicted with a message from Assata p. 31 7. Lenin on Guerrilla Warfare p. 34 8. A Comment on Puerto Rico Solidarity Work by some members of PFOC p. 40 WHO WE ARE Prairie Fire Organizing Committee (PFOC) is a young and growing communist organization situated in the white oppressor nation in the United States. Our politics, revolutionary anti-imperialism, are rooted in dialectical and historical materialism, the science and ideology of Marxism-Leninism. PFOC is committed to building socialist revolution, which is the essential first step toward a worldwide communist society. To achieve this ultimate goal requires the total destruction of imperialism, opportunism and revisionism, and white and male supremacy. Mean- while there must also be a revolutionary communist party or parties within the US in order to bring about the defeat of imperialism. We define party building as the central task for white communists at the present time. Our political journal, BREAKTHROUGH, is joining the struggle for revolutionary anti-imperialist, Marxist-Leninist politics and practice as a necessary part of building communist organization. We understand that all forms of struggle, including armed struggle, are necessary to bring down US imperialism. PFOC's view of working class organizing in this period is to situate ourselves where white and male supremacy and privilege can be clearly identified and struggled against, and where white workers can be won to unite with national liberation struggles and women's struggles. We want to win white working class women and men to understand that these struggles—and their victories—are critical and leading blows against the US imperialist state. It is only through the development of a revolutionary anti-imperialist consciousness and movement in the oppressor nation that we will be able to successfully participate and lead our class to take part in the world-wide revolution that is currently being cont'd to p.48 BREAKTHROUGHIpage 1 INTRODUCING BREAKTHROUGH NO. 2 PRAIRIE FIRE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE The major content of our first issue of male supremacy in all its economic, BREAKTHROUGH (Mar. 1977) was the political and ideological forms, or we Provisional Political Statement of Prairie don't. Either we fight for women's Fire Organizing Committee. We see that liberation and revolutionary women's statement as a significant contribution to leadership by combatting all forms of male the two line struggle that is raging in the supremacy and chauvinism or we will have left, especially the white oppressor nation failed to attack a major pillar of US im- left, in the United States.* Our statement perialism. Either we struggle against gay is a contribution for revolutionary anti- oppression by fighting the system of male imperialist, Marxist-Leninist politics and supremacy throughout the whole structure against the opportunist, revisionist, white of imperialist society or we help perpetuate and male supremacist politics that anti-gayness and women's oppression. No dominate the white left today. other political stand will lay the basis for We published our Provisional Political building revolutionary class struggle in the Statement to break through the jumble of white oppressor nation, or provide the political positions that exist now in the possibility for uniting with the leading white left. Through painful experience struggles of oppressed nations and women over the past couple of years we have learn- against the common enemy—US imper- ed that it is possible to give many forms ialism. No other politics can attack the of left cover to opportunist politics. At bot- structures of white and male supremacy tom, however, there are only two political that have historically led the white left to lines to choose between for women and choose opportunism over revolution. These men who are serious about socialist are not "abstract questions. These are the revolution. choices which Viet Nam, Wounded Knee, Either we unite with the forces inside Attica, Boston and Soweto have con- and outside the US fighting for national fronted us with. These are the politics liberation, sovereignty and self- which national liberation movements and determination, or we fail to support the leaders have raised most consistently and leading forces for world-wide revolution sharply within the United States. and socialism. Either we confront head-on Response to the publication and politics US imperialism's system of white and of BREAKTHROUGH No.l is in its early * Another significant contribution to the stages, but it is encouraging. Many people two line struggle is the pamphlet "The have welcomed the presentation of an anti- Split of the Weather Underground Organ- imperialist line and the reaffirmation of ization" recently published by the John the priority of national liberation struggles Brown Book Club. within the white left. Responses show that . BREAKTHROUGH/page 2 our Statement has begun to challenge the the US: the stepped up FBI COIN- prevailing understanding of male TELPRO assassinations of Native supremacy within the white left. The other American and other revolutionary leaders side of the response (presently larger in and the brutal imprisonment of quantity) are the denunciations from those revolutionary leaders like Assata Shakur, who feel threatened by these politics. This Sundiata Acoli, Leonard Peltier, the RNA also is a sign that we are hitting the target Eleven and Geronimo Pratt; the increased in challenging opportunism. But it is also threat to Native American resources con- an indication of the depth and per- tained in the US government's new vasiveness of opportunism in our move- "energy crisis" rip-off program (oil, coal ment and a reminder of the amount ol and uranium); the frantic deportation and struggle, work and commitment that are harrassment of Mexicano and other un- necessary to assure its defeat. We reject documented workers by the Immigration the criticisms of those who denounce us as and Naturalization Service police via its sectarian and divisive for taking a strong pass system, and the threat of more stand against opportunism. But we accept repression in the form of a computerized and support criticisms that we need to country-wide ID system; the attempt to learn to fight better and harder for revise relations with Puerto Rico and in- revolutionary politics. corporate it more fully into the empire as a Overall we think issue No. 1 of permanent colony; the strong-armed evic- BREAKTHROUGH was a positive first tions of Asian people from their com- step and we will continue to circulate it munities; the increasingly reactionary role and discuss its contents. But we are only of the Supreme Court through its reinstate- at the beginning. We must extend our ment of capital punishment, the over- struggle against opportunism, responding turning of affirmative action in the to those forces that are leading the attack California Bakke decision, and the denial on anti-imperialist politics. We must of disability payments to pregnant women; develop and apply more fully our anti- the building of new maximum security imperialist analysis to the current prisons; the continued murder of Third situation of the US, the oppressor nation World youths in their communities by working class and movement. We must im- police occupation forces; the unceasing at- prove the way in which we present and tacks on Third World women in the struggle for our politics. We must help prisons and in the communities like Joan publicize and support the thinking and Little, Inez Gargia, Dessie Woods and statements of Third World revolutionaries. Yvonne Wanrow; the massive forced Issue No. 2 of BREAKTHROUGH attempts sterilization campaigns against Puerto to move forward in these areas. We also Rican, Native American, Chicana, and understand that line struggle only starts Black women; the renewed activity of with the contents of our journal. Fighting KKK lynch rrjobs and the incarceration of for these politics in practice is the critical the Camp Pendelton 14. It is this reality of test of our commitment and capacity to stepped up genocidal efforts to crush unite with other revolutionary forces. national liberation which Carter el al are Third World comrades have pushed us desperately trying to cover with new forms strongly to take up this responsibility. of double dealing strategies. There is no lack of opportunity to take The Carter administration is moving to up the fight. This is a critical period in US the right faster than Nixon and Ford were history and white revolutionaries face able to. It employs talk about the New pressing choices. US imperialism, dying South, and the neo-colonialism of Andrew from the victories of national liberation Young, to cover its increasingly belligerent and socialism around the world, is lashing and aggressive world politics. "Human out and intensifying its repressive attacks rights" are cynically pushed while Carter against national liberation struggles inside is demonstratively flying in Air Force BREAKTHROUGH/page 3 Strategic Command airships, diving in struggles lead the class struggle in the US, submarines, and threatening to use atomic their victories will push forward socialist weapons on North Korea.