AUSTRALIA $1.50 · CANADA $1.50 · FRANCE 1.00 EURO · NEW ZEALAND $1.50 · UK £.50 · U.S. $1.00 INSIDE Book by Cuban 5 is powerful indictment of capitalist ‘justice’ — PAGE 6 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 80/NO. 19 MAY 16, 2016 Wis. May Day Strikers reject Verizon Workers need action protests offer, receive solidarity international law targeting ‘We’ll stay out one day longer, one day stronger!’ solidarity, not immigrants ‘Americanism’ BY ILONA GERSH The following statement was re- MILWAUKEE — A spirited march leased May 3 by Osborne Hart, So- and rally of more than 1,000 people cialist Workers Party candidate for here May 1, International Work- U.S. vice president. ers Day, demonstrated the self-con- fidence of immigrant workers and Republican presidential candidate youth who are leading a fight against Donald Trump says he’s going to anti-immigrant legislation in the “make America great again.” Demo- state. Many carried handmade signs cratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton and banners in English and Spanish, saying “Keep families together!” “We Socialist Workers Party are all Wisconsin!” “Enough of the migra [immigration cops]!” “Rights campaign statement for immigrants, NOW!” Buses came from Racine, Madison, says America is already great. and Green Bay. Voces de la Frontera Both want workers to think of our- (Voices from the Border), which orga- selves as “Americans,” and to view nized the protest, held a neighborhood Militant/Jane Harris working people across the globe as Unionists on strike against Verizon rally in Jersey City, New Jersey, April 29, rejecting tele- block party before the march with in- communications giant’s “last, best, final” concession-filled offer made the previous day. our enemies. We need to recognize formational tables, music, food, and ourselves as part of a worldwide poster-making. BY CANDACE WAGNER since the last Verizon walkout five working class with common interests There were small contingents of JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The East years ago, is making an impact across and a common enemy: capitalism. home care and nursing home workers Coast strike of 39,000 unionists the country. Clinton is for using U.S. military from the Service Employees Interna- against telecommunications giant Hundreds of members of the Com- might to defend American interests Continued on page 5 Verizon, the largest strike in the U.S. munications Workers of America and argues for more “robust” inter- and the International Brotherhood of vention than President Barack Obama. Electrical Workers rallied here April Trump claims to be the “peace” can- 29 to tell Verizon they weren’t accept- didate who will put America First by Socialist Workers Party joins ing the “last, best and final” offer the building up a strong military and let fights, gets on Colorado ballot Continued on page 4 Continued on page 9 Trump, Clinton debate best foreign policy to advance US imperialism BY SETH GALINSKY around the globe, and the use of mili- As Hillary Clinton heads toward tary might to enforce those interests. clinching the Democratic Party nomi- But New York Times columnist Mau- nation and Donald Trump the Repub- reen Dowd gets at some of their dif- lican nod, there has been increased ferences in an April 30 column, where discussion of their foreign policies. she wrote, “It’s Hillary the Hawk Both defend U.S. imperialist interests against Donald the Quasi-Dove.” Along similar lines the April 24 Times magazine featured the ar- ticle “How Hillary Clinton Became Deaths mount a Hawk” by Mark Landler, the pa- per’s White House correspondent. in Syria as US, He writes approvingly that Clinton Militant/Horace Kerr believes “that the calculated use of Socialist Workers Party vice-presidential candidate Osborne Hart, right, and Joel Britton Continued on page 8 talk with packinghouse worker outside Cargill plant in Fort Morgan, Colorado, April 29. Russian gov’ts BY MAGGIE TROWE ies of the Militant. The Fort Morgan Socialist Workers Party vice-pres- Times ran a front-page photo story on continue talks Inside idential candidate Osborne Hart and the plant-gate campaigning May 3. BY BRIAN WILLIAMS supporters filed papers in Denver The Colorado campaigners stopped Syria’s dictatorial regime of Bashar SWP brings internationalism to April 29, putting him and presiden- to warm up at a cafe frequented by al-Assad, reinforced by Russian air- Indiana plant closure protest 3 tial candidate Alyson Kennedy on the Somali workers, some of whom were strikes and Iranian-backed forces, Colorado ballot. Then they drove to fired by Cargill Dec. 23 after they has escalated attacks in parts of the Framed-up Quebec rail Fort Morgan in a snowstorm to talk walked off the job when the company northern city of Aleppo controlled workers gain union support 4 to workers at shift change at the big began refusing them prayer breaks. by anti-government groups. As civil- Cargill Meat Solutions plant there. “I was fired a week before the oth- ian casualties mount, the two-month Collapse of economic ‘miracle’ Seeing a sign inviting them to “Meet ers,” Abdi Ali told Hart. “I asked for a partial cease-fire cobbled together by at root of Brazil political crisis 7 Osborne Hart, Socialist Workers Par- break to pray and my supervisor said Washington and Moscow has virtu- –On the picket line, p. 5– ty candidate for vice president,” many no. I went anyway and was fired.” ally collapsed. workers driving out of the plant pulled Ali said he is getting unemployment The Russian and U.S. governments, Toronto Teamsters strike over to talk to him and take campaign compensation, but Cargill is appeal- through rounds of talks in Geneva, produce company for wages biographies. Thirty-four bought cop- Continued on page 3 Continued on page 9 Calif. cop to stand trial for killing Andrew Thomas BY ERIC SIMPSON him to carry the weapon. The judge will OROVILLE, Calif. — Former Para- hear arguments on this May 11. dise cop Patrick Feaster must stand Family members gathered outside trial for involuntary manslaughter in the the courthouse called on supporters to death of Andrew Thomas, Judge James “come out and make awareness that po- Reilley of the Butte County court ruled lice brutality is not OK.” April 22. Feaster has pleaded not guilty. Since his death “I feel like I’ve been He was fired in February. punched in the stomach,” Fran Tzugaris, Feaster shot Thomas, 26, as he at- 78, Thomas’ grandmother, told the Mili- tempted to climb out of his car, which tant. In a memorial fund appeal posted crashed while Feaster pursued him in on the Internet to help with funeral ex- a patrol car Nov. 26. Passenger Darien penses, Thomas’ sister Cassandra Roller Ehorn, 23, was thrown from the car and wrote, “I pray that justice is served not died at the scene. only for my brother but for there to be The opening frame of the cop car’s a change and end to police brutality, an Militant/Carole Lesnick dashcam video was projected on the international problem that affects us all Relatives, friends and supporters of Andrew Thomas outside Butte County, California, court- courtroom wall. The video, which has as human beings.” house April 22. Protests led to charges and firing of cop Patrick Feaster, who killed Thomas. been widely seen on the Internet, shows Feaster approaching the overturned ve- hicle with his gun drawn and shooting Thomas through the neck. Feaster then U.S.-Philippine exercises heighten tensions with Beijing searches for his spent shell casing. BY EMMA JOHNSON challenged by the growing economic ing in the sea, turning reefs and islets The courtroom was filled with spec- U.S. warplanes operating out of Clark and military role of Beijing. into islands, and built runways that can tators. Thomas’ parents, grandmother, Air Base in the Philippines flew close Other governments in the region con- host the biggest Chinese aircraft, radar two of his sisters and an uncle were there, by the Scarborough Shoal three times in test the Chinese government’s claim to installations and ports. The U.S. Navy along with family friends and opponents late April, provoking protests from the the vast majority of the sea and its is- has conducted “freedom of navigation” of police brutality who had pressed for Chinese government. Both Beijing and lands. Washington is using these rival- military patrols close to Beijing’s newly Feaster to be fired and charged. Manila claim the grouping of reefs and ries to expand its military ties, from the built islands, leading to protests by Chi- “It’s public reaction that caused [Dis- rocks, which is located off the Philip- Philippines to India. nese officials. trict Attorney Michael] Ramsey to fight pine coast. Washington has just begun Under the new agreement, Wash- “China was the first country to dis- even this hard, which is not enough,” permanently stationing warplanes in the ington can build and operate facilities cover, name, develop and manage the Melissa Burnside, 28, who had been Philippines under a recent agreement at five Philippine military bases for at South China Sea islands,” Foreign Min- part of the protests, told the Militant. “If with the government in Manila. least 10 years, including on the western ister Wang Yi told a news conference the cops have gone rogue, who do you These are among the latest develop- island of Palawan, which has 270 miles in March. “History will prove who is a turn to? The outcry came after the dis- ments as Washington and Beijing jockey of coastline along the South China Sea. mere guest and who is a real host.” trict attorney wasn’t on our side.” for control of the South China Sea, one In the early 1990s, sustained protests by Beijing seized control of the Scar- During the hearing, defense attorney of the busiest commercial waterways.