Dec. 12, 2002 Vol. 44, No. 49

ESTADOS UNIDOS

Guerra no comienza y recortes en presupuestos estatales ya rondan 12

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By John Catalinotto

Washington is taking advantage of its position as thecenter of world imperialism to follow through with itswar preparations against Iraq—with or withoutapproval from its allies and client states.

Even as the Bush administration pays lip service tothe United Nations inspections now taking place inIraq, the Pentagon is proceeding with the militarysteps needed for an invasion. It has moved its CentralCommand to Qatar, with Gen. Tommy Franks expect-ed to arrive about Dec. 8 with a staff of 750.

He will command his forces from the new Qatarheadquarters while connecting with U.S. Marine com-manders in Bahrain, the army commander in Kuwaitand the air force commander at the Prince Sultan AirBase near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

They are set to run an unprecedented exercise calledInternal Look. “The exercise, due to start in about aweek, will be the first war game of its kind conductedoutside the U.S.,” reports the Dec. 3 Sydney MorningHerald. “The command and control procedures prac-ticed would be the same used for a war with Iraq.”

Tens of thousands of troops are in Gulf area bases oron ships in the region. As many as 250,000 reservistswill be called up, according to reports from thePentagon.

Washington warlord Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy sec-retary of defense—along with Vice President DickCheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld andchairperson of the Defense Policy Board RichardPerle—has agitated for an invasion of Iraq for years,

but especially since Sept. 11, 2001. Wolfowitz traveledto Britain and Turkey in the first days of December aspart of a tour to round up further backing for U.S. warplans.

Speaking in London Dec. 2, Wolfowitz referredobliquely to France and Germany as “laggards” in thecrusade to invade Iraq.

Meanwhile, U.S. warplanes flying over Iraqi terri-tory bombed oil installations near Basra, killing fourIraqis and wounding 27. President George W. Bushthreatened Iraq for defending itself against these nowdaily raids.

The empire based in Washington makes use of itssingle central command, which is ruthless and single-minded, to plan and launch a war of aggression. Theworldwide anti-war movement, while it lacks a centralcommand, still has made plans to respond to a massiveU.S. bombing assault or invasion.

Anti-war groups plan response

In the United States, the International ANSWERcoalition—Act Now to Stop War & End Racism—whichinitiated the Oct. 26 marches of 200,000 inWashington and 100,000 in San Francisco, hasannounced mass demonstrations for those two citieson Jan. 18, the weekend of the Martin Luther King Jr.holiday. Already over 100 buses are set to arrive in thetwo cities from 35 states.

Brian Becker of ANSWER told Workers World, “Inresponse to the growing threat of war, the ANSWERcoalition Steering Committee met Dec. 4 and called for

BUSH READIES ATTACK ON IRAQAnti-war leaders call emergency actions

Response to anti-communist caricatures: Where Workers World stands on imperialism

AIDS ACTIVISTS:Health care, not warfare 10

TAKING A STANDDuluth labor says'Hands off Iraq' 4

'Bush wants my momto pay for his war' 7

HISTORIC HANDSHAKECuba, Black U.S. farmers 5

PORTUGALPoised for general strike 9

It's tthe rreal tthing

COCA-COLA ON TRIALMurder of workers in Colombia

Teresa Gutierrez of the Committee to Stop U.S. Interventionin Colombia and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark atmedia conference outside Coca-Cola headquarters in NewYork on Dec. 2. U.S. solidarity delegation is on its way toBogotá to help put Coke bosses in the docket. See page 8

South Korea boiling over U.S. occupationcrimes 8

Shin Hyo-Soon & Shim Mi-Sun

Continued on page 9

PHOTOS: PEOPLES VIDEO NETWORK

Page 2 Dec. 12, 2002 www.workers.org

WW CALENDAR

Workers World55 West 17 StreetNew York, N.Y. 10011Phone: (212) 627-2994 • Fax: (212) 675-7869E-mail: editor@workers.org Web: http://www.workers.org/Vol. 44, No. 49 • Dec. 12, 2002Closing date: Dec. 4, 2002

Editor: Deirdre Griswold; Technical Editor: Lal Roohk; Managing Editors:Greg Butterfield, John Catalinotto, Leslie Feinberg,Monica Moorehead, Gary Wilson; West CoastEditors: Richard Becker, Gloria La Riva;Contributing Editors: Joyce Chediac, Pat Chin,Naomi Cohen, Shelley Ettinger, Teresa Gutierrez;Technical Staff: Rebecca Finkel, Elena J. Peckham,Hank Sambach; Mundo Obrero: Carl Glenn, CarlosVargas; Internet: Janet Mayes

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NEW YORK.

Sat., Dec. 7Bedford-Stuyvesant War isNot the Answer Walk forPeace. Speakers includeLarry Holmes of the ANSWERcoalition, and Rev. HerbertDaughtry, Houe of the LordChurch. 2 to 5 p.m. At FirstAME Zion Baptist Church, 54McDonough St. (nearTompkins), Brooklyn. For info(718) 907-0578.

SAN FRANCISCO.

Sat., Dec. 14Anti-War Teach-In. Stop thewar against Iraq. Featuringspeakers and topics from adiverse group of presenters.Sponsored by InternationalANSWER Coalition. 7 p.m. AtHorace Mann Middle School,3351 23rd St., near Valencia.For info (415) 821-6545.

�� NationalU.S. war drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1WW Web site is a big hit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2National Day of Mourning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Statement from Leonard Peltier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Sharp rise in attacks on Muslims in U.S. . . . . . . . . . . 3NYC’s billionaire mayor takes from poor, gives to rich . 4How Marx anticipated Boeing layoffs . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Duluth Central Labor’s anti-war statement . . . . . . . . 4Cuba and U.S. Black farmers reach agreement . . . . . 5Mumia on “An imprudent democracy” . . . . . . . . . . . 5Imperialism and the anti-war movement . . . . . . . . . 6Bush wants my mom to pay for his war . . . . . . . . . . 6

�� Internat ionalKorea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Coca-Cola’s crimes in Colombia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Portugal poised for general strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9AIDS activists: Money for health, not war . . . . . . . . 10

�� Editor ia lTeed off against sexism & racism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

�� Notic ias En EspañolPresupuesto estatal en crisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Oreros del subterráneo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Sorpresa presupuestaria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

By Leslie Feinberg

Workers World newspaper on theWeb is a big hit—1,180,983 hits overthe last two weeks of November, to beprecise, according to the workers.orgWeb site logs.

More than ever, people cruising theinformation highway are turning toour Web site.

If you’re a frequent visitor, youknow why. With the airwaves anddaily newspapers filled with war pro-paganda, jingoism and poppycock ex-planations for the economic down-turn, Workers World offers the reliefthat only struggle can bring.

You’ll find news about workers inmotion here and around the worldstruggling in their own class interests,anti-war organizing and front line bat-tles against racism and other forms ofbigotry.

But you’ll also find revolutionaryanalysis, theory and a historical per-spective to the growth of capitalism,the evolution of imperialism, andwhat it will take to usher in socialism.

We’ve been publishing WorkersWorld, a Marxist newspaper, since1959. We’ve been on the Web since1995.

In these tumultuous times of socialand economic crisis, we’re seeing agreat deal of activity on our Web site.

After Sept. 11, the number of onlinereaders shot up. And in the followingmonth the WW Web site had over amillion hits.

Since then, workers.org has beenaveraging about 100,000 readersevery month.

But in the last month that numberhas grown to about 80,000 visitorseach day.

Thousands more are getting Work-ers World articles sent to them as e-mail every week. And now that thenewspaper is available in the portabledocument format (PDF), it has en-

WW Web site is a big hit

abled many thousands more to down-load the digital edition of WorkersWorld. That means that those whohave high-speed connections like DSLor cable modems can click on the PDFbutton on the home page of work-ers.org and the pages of WorkersWorld emerge from your own printerlooking the same way as the newsprintedition: headlines, captions, articles,photos—even the page numbers.

For those who are still using dial-up modems, well, as technology gal-lops forward at a dizzying pace it’scomforting to know that WorkersWorld is still available to read free on-line or receive as e-mail. You can ordera print subscription for yourself, too.All this is available by visiting work-ers.org, which is a very “user-friendly”site, and clicking on the clearlymarked instructions.

And while you’re there, considergiving a gift subscription ofWorkers World to a family member,co-worker, neighbor or friend.Another click of your mouse canprovide a much-needed subscrip-tion to a prisoner—a newspaperthat will most likely be handed

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Your help is very much needed. Vol-untary contributions will not onlykeep WW newspaper online it willhelp expand this important coverage.

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There’s a lot of traffic on the infor-mation super highway. But clearlyWorkers World newspaper on theWeb is a well-traveled vehicle forchange. ��

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www.workers.org Dec. 12, 2002 Page 3

By Mahtowin MunroPlymouth, Mass.

More than 500 people, from all the four directions,braved bitter cold to participate in the 33rd National Dayof Mourning in Plymouth, Mass., on Nov. 28. The eventis organized annually by United American Indians of NewEngland (UAINE).

Native people from many nations were in attendance,as well as many non-Native supporters, providing a pow-erful demonstration of unity. The co-leaders of UAINEparticularly acknowledged the presence of Palestiniansupporters, noting that “Their struggle is one with ourstruggle.”

According to Moonanum James, a Wampanaog andco-leader of UAINE, “Our very presence frees this landfrom the lies of the history books, the profiteers and themythmakers. We will honor all peoples’ ancestors instruggle who went before us.”

Several of the speakers honored those who had died dur-ing the past year. All spoke of the true history of the Eu-ropean settlement of the Americas and the importance ofteaching children that truth.

After a speak-out during which many speakers calledfor freedom for Native political prisoner Leonard Peltier,Day of Mourning participants marched through the streetsof Plymouth. During a street rally that blocked traffic onthe waterfront by Plymouth Rock, Raul Ruiz (Mexica), partof the Danza Azteca group that led the march, called uponparticipants to “crush the rock and all that it represents.”

This annual Native American protest of the mythologysurrounding the Pilgrims and “Thanksgiving” first oc-curred in 1970 after an attempt to suppress the truth.

Wamsutta Frank James, an Aquinnah Wampanoagman, had been invited to address a gathering sponsoredby the Commonwealth of Massachusetts commemoratingthe 350th anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims.

Because Wamsutta was going to talk about how thecoming of the Pilgrims and other European colonialistsbrought about the devastation of the Wampanoag andother Native peoples in the northeastern U.S., officials ofMassachusetts demanded that he follow a script that theywould provide.

Wamsutta refused, and as a result Native and non-Na-tive people gathered in Plymouth and declared U.S.“Thanksgiving Day” a National Day of Mourning. UAINEand their supporters have gathered, in good or badweather, every year since.

Sadly, the conditions of racism and poverty inIndian Country that prevailed in 1970 continue today.For example, as Moonanum James pointed out, “ManyNative people are forced to choose every winterbetween heating and eating. As the economy crumblesand social programs are eliminated altogether, theseconditions will only worsen. ” ��

Statement from behind the prison walls

Peltier's strong voiceheard at Day of Mourning

By Leslie Feinberg

The FBI is a big cog in the repressive state machinerythat manufactures the policy of racist profiling. And thepolitical police play a big role in demonizing Arab, SouthAsian and Muslim people as “potential terrorists” in orderto shroud the U.S. military drive to conquer the oil-richMiddle East and Central Asia part-and-parcel.

So when FBI bigwigs admit that hate crimes againstMuslims in this country have shot up steeply, there’s noground for disbelief.

The agency issues an annual report of hate crimes inthe United States. If anything, FBI statistics have beenberated for under-reporting. And victims of hate crimes—an amorphously named legal category for victims of myr-iad forms of oppression—are often loathe to voluntarilywalk into police precincts, fearing additional abuse.

This is especially true for Muslims at this time. Althoughthey are being “disappeared” in silence, it’s no secret thatmany Muslims have been rounded up and imprisonedwithout charges. They fear that the next step is deporta-tion. So oftentimes Arab, South Asian and Muslim peo-ple in this country endure attacks on their persons andtheir property without reporting it to the authorities.

Yet even if the FBI downsizes the actual numbers, thereality of the statistical trend cannot be suppressed: re-ported racist attacks on Muslims in the U.S. last year in-creased by more than 1,600 percent. The number of filedincident reports leaped from 28 in the year 2000 to 481last year.

It’s important to note that while attacks on Muslimshave mounted precipitously during the Bush administra-tion’s war at home and abroad, racism in general is rife in

this capitalist citadel. And other forms of oppression il-lustrate that this is what “democracy” looks like—democ-racy as a form of rule by and for the wealthy elite, that is.

Most of last year’s hate crimes were fueled by racism.These attacks stepped up 45 percent. And the majoritywere carried out against African Americans.

Assaults motivated by prejudice against ethnicity ornational origin jumped 22 percent. Religious bias attacksrose 22 percent. Hate crimes based on perceived sexualorientation were up 14 percent. Anti-disabled offensesgrew by three tenths of a percent.

Virtually every anti-war march, rally and vigil in theUnited States since 9/11 has highlighted the demand tostop the domestic war against Muslim, Arab and SouthAsian people in this country. And at a time of deepeningcapitalist economic and military crisis, combating thissharp climb in bigoted attacks must be a high priority ofthe fight-back movement in order to cement solidarity inthe struggles of workers and oppressed peoples. ��

National Day of Mourning:

'No giving thanks for colonialism'

The following statement was sent by political prisoner Leonard Peltier to the 2002 National Day of Mourning.

Greetings Brothers and Sisters:

The first thing Iwant to do is tosay “thank you” to

the organizers of thisimportant and histori-cal national event. Iknow of the strugglesand sacrifices youhave had to make tokeep this event alive.Your sacrifice andpersistence makesthe world a littlemore aware of us,and our struggles, which continue to this day. Ialso want to thank those who traveled here tostand alongside us in solidarity. And lastly I want to“thank you” ALL for being the kind of humanbeings that care enough to take action and whoare willing to make a sacrifice to ensure that jus-tice applies to all people.

It is a great honor for me to once again be apart of a gathering such as yours. As an Indigenousperson I know first hand what it means to beunwelcome on my own soil. I know first hand ofthe oppressors’ mighty vengeance against thosewho would take a stand and question their laws. Ifought for and protected my people from a govern-ment that wanted us dead or assimilated. My onlycrime is that I did dare to take a stand againstwhat was and still is unjust.

So as you gather here today, I remind you onceagain to encourage each other in this continuingstruggle for justice as you encourage me with yourletters and your love. For without your encourage-ment I would not be able to go on. Your love andencouragement has kept me going through thetimes when I didn’t want to care.

Now it’s my turn to encourage you to stay strongwhen you feel that there is no hope or that you’retoo tired to continue. You must always rememberthose who came before us and how they struggled.Remember the teachings handed down to us fromgeneration to generation. Remember all those whoare imprisoned because they dared to stand up andchallenge oppressive government policies and thecontinuing injustices we see today.

Despite the distance between us I am here withyou today as I have been in the past. And I onceagain thank you for allowing me to participate inthis important and historic event.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,Leonard Peltier“Gwarth-ee-las”

By the FBI's own admission

Sharp rise in attacks on Muslims in U.S.

WW PHOTO: CEMILE CAKIR

Moonanum James, co-leader of UAINE, speaking atNov. 28 Day of Mourning with his son Womsikuk.

Columbus:SINKINGThe Myth

BY MAHTOWIN

This slender pamphlet, in Englishand Spanish, exposes the class truthabout the impact on Native nationswhen colonialism washed up on theshores of North America.

$2 includes shipping/handling

From WW Publishers55 W. 17 St., N.Y., N.Y. 10011

DULUTH Central Labor says:

‘Organize to stop trigger-happy Texan’

Page 4 Dec. 12, 2002 www.workers.org

tified it as an essential step in stanching thedeficit this year.

The average homeowner’s tax bill will goup by about $340 a year. The average co-op owner will pay an extra $496 per year,and the average condominium owner$836 more annually. It won’t immediatelyaffect the majority of New Yorkers whorent—but their landlords will pass the in-creases onto them through their leases,with a little bit extra for profit thrown in.

Since the city and the state intend tomaintain the income-tax decreases passedin the recent flush times, which mainlyhelped the rich, the poor and workers ofNew York are left to pay off the deficit. Ac-cording to an analysis prepared by theWorking Families Party, “For most NewYorkers, the combination of property taxhike and income tax cut will result in highertaxes overall, even while they are beingasked to accept major service cuts.”

According to figures supplied by the CityCouncil, an average renter making$24,000 a year will wind up paying $174more per year after a rent hike and the in-come tax decrease are applied. However,co-op or condo owners, making an aver-

By G. DunkelNew York

New York City’s economy has been con-tracting for seven quarters, starting wellbefore the catastrophe of Sept. 11, 2001.The surpluses of the last two years havenow turned into huge deficits: about $1billion this year and a projected $6 billiondeficit next year. Layoffs, service cuts,higher taxes and fee hikes are finally, afterthe elections, coming home to roost and todepress the living standards of the work-ing and poor people of this city.

Only 11 states have more people thanNew York City. With 8 million people, it ismore than twice as populous as Los Ange-les, the next-biggest city in the country.

New York is not alone in its budgetwoes—almost every state and local gov-ernment is suffering from budget short-falls. Even the federal government hasproclaimed that it will not be giving fed-eral workers their normal raises.President George W. Bush says that “ournational situation [the ‘war on terror’]precludes granting larger pay increases... at this time.”

Taxes lowered for rich, raised for workers

The New York City Council passed awhopping 18.49-percent increase in thereal-estate tax with a scant 11-day noticeand almost no public comment. They jus-

By Jim McMahanSeattle

The Boeing Co. announced 5,000 lay-offs at its commercial airplane division inSeattle on Nov. 20. This attack on theworkers here comes on top of 26,000 Boe-ing layoffs since Sept. 11, 2001.

The bloodletting didn’t begin then, ei-ther. Boeing laid off nearly 30,000 work-ers in 1999-2000 due to worker speedup

and outsourcing jobs. Once the next round of layoffs happens,

Boeing’s commercial airplane employ-ment will have dropped from 117,000 in1998 to 60,000 in 2003. That’s nearly60,000 workers axed with nowhere to goin a recession economy.

Most of these layoffs are in the Seattlearea, where official unemployment hasbeen 7 percent all year long. The job cutsare due to a 50-percent reduction of com-

Billionaire NYC mayor's proposed budget:

The poor will pay, the rich will gain

How Marx anticipated Boeing layoffs

age of $180,000 a year, will pay $1,127 lessin city taxes overall.

At the top of the heap, the owner of a $4-million townhouse with an average incomeof $3.5 million will pay $3,700 more inproperty taxes—but their income taxes willdrop by $31,500, saving them a net of$27,800.

This is how billionaire New York MayorMichael Bloomberg, who owns a town-house, is going to ensure the poor pay whilethe rich gain.

Even with this huge increase in prop-erty taxes, the deficit for next year will stillbe $3 billion, down from $6 billion. The cityis pretending that the state and the federalgovernment will help it cover this hole, butthat is unlikely.

This means that the city officials will tryto resort to layoffs, since personnel costsare a big part of the budget. Bond paymentsto the banks are another big budget item,but these are sacrosanct in a capitalisteconomy. Some 500 layoff notices havereportedly already gone out to adminis-trators and clerical workers in the Depart-ment of Education. A few other smalleragencies have also been immediately af-

fected.Some politicians are predicting bigger

layoffs than in the 1970s. Then, one out ofevery five city employees lost their jobs.

Lillian Roberts, executive director of AF-SCME District Council 37 that represents125,000 city workers, said the city shouldeliminate contractors rather than low-wage workers.

Even before the full impact of the rise inhousing costs has been felt, homelessnesshas been growing here, as throughout theUnited States. The National Alliance toEnd Homelessness estimates that 1 millionpeople in this country lack a place to sleepat night.

New York City is legally obligated to offerevery homeless person shelter. Each nightnow, an average of more than 37,000 peo-ple stay in city shelters. That is the higheston record. About 6,000 to 8,000 of themare in family units; the rest are individuals.

Since Sept. 11 in New York, authoritieshave sealed off tunnels, undersides ofbridges and alleys where homeless peopleonce sought shelter. Police sweep homelesspeople off the streets by arresting them ifthey don’t go to a city-run shelter.

The police department denies that ituses this tactic against the homeless. But alocal advocacy group is suing to stop thispolicy. And one police officer here was re-cently suspended for refusing a direct orderto arrest a homeless man on trespassingcharges. ��

One week earlier, Congress did completelegislation giving themselves a 3.l percentpay raise.

There is no money for jobs or social ser-vices for the unemployed and impover-ished. Why?

Because President George W. Bush isworking to take $200 billion out of the na-tional treasury for a gigantic new waragainst the impoverished workers of Iraq.He’s taken billions out already.

Bush, working for the capitalists, is try-ing to recover the profits that corporationsare losing by grabbing up the heart of theArab world to exploit oil profits. And Bushand the capitalists are trying to divert theanger of U.S. workers onto the Iraqi peo-ple.

This is a war that many workers and stu-dents and others are organizing to stop. ButBoeing, while laying off wholesale, standsto make death-merchant profits from anew war selling Cruise missiles, F-18fighter-bombers and other weapons.

Millions of layoffs, cuts in social servicesand the persecution of immigrants in thiscountry bring the war back home to theUnited States. The capitalists who rule so-ciety are sure to face massive worker anger,which is rising already from these attacks.And as Marx said, the crisis is putting theexistence of the entire capitalist economyon trial. ��

mercial airplane orders and production.But they are also due to Boeing’s mid-1990smerger with McDonnell Douglass andRockwell.

The layoffs have greatly angered mem-bers of the Machinists union. In Septem-ber they voted by just short of a two-thirdsmajority to strike to protest the layoffs.

“We don’t have enough people workingnow,” said Mark Blondin, president of Dis-trict 751. “I’ve got a lot of people workingovertime and weekends. If they’d just usea 40-hour week, you could save jobs evenat smaller production rates.”

Money for war but not for jobs?

The recession crisis people are facingacross the country and the world is thecyclical crisis of capitalist overproduction.Too many airplanes, too much of all com-modities from clothes to computers to of-fice buildings, are produced. The capital-ists can no longer sell them. At this pointmillions are laid off.

Karl Marx said that modern capitalistsociety “has conjured up such giganticmeans of production and exchange, like thesorcerer who is no longer able to control thepower of the nether world whom he hascalled up by his spells.”

He further said that these commercialcrises “by their periodic return put the ex-istence of the entire bourgeois society ontrial, and each time more threateningly.”

This is what is happening now.The same day the new Boeing layoffs

were announced, Congress adjournedwithout enacting extended unemploymentbenefits. Eight hundred thousand unem-ployed workers, including 50,000 inWashington state, face losing their ex-tended unemployment benefits on Dec. 28because Congress wouldn’t act.

The Duluth, Minn., Central LaborBody, which represents all 15,000AFL-CIO union members in theregion, voted unanimously on Nov.14 to pass the following anti-warresolution:

Whereas, the United States andBritain have been bombing Iraq on a vir-tually continuous basis since the end ofthe Gulf War, and

Whereas, the Bush administrationhas presented no credible evidence thatIraq has intentions of harming the citi-zens of this country or that Iraq presentsa threat to the United States, and

Whereas, the Bush administration isseeking any pretext to overthrow thegovernment of a sovereign nation, in vi-olation of international law, and

Whereas, a war with Iraq would re-

quire the re-direction of vital resourcesand funds to a destructive, senseless, andillegal goal while further strengthening anadministration that has restricted the civilliberties of its citizens, and

Whereas, this administration is usingthe so-called “War on Terrorism” to dis-tract the American people from the vitalissues they confront,

Therefore, be it resolved that the Du-luth Central Labor Body goes on recordas strenuously opposing the Bush ad-ministration’s march toward war withIraq without the direction of the UnitedNations,

And be it further resolved that the Du-luth Central Labor Body urge its membersand affiliates to get involved with organi-zations working toward stopping the trig-ger happy Texan’s march toward war withIraq.

Even before the full impact of the rise in housing cost

has been felt, homelessness has been growing in Manhattan

and throughout the United States

Jobs cut here mount as Bush guts billions from the national treasury for a gigantic new waragainst impoverished workers of Iraq

www.workers.org Dec. 12, 2002 Page 5www.workers.org Dec. 12, 2002 Page 5

Cuba, U.S. Black farmersreach historic agreementBy Monica Moorehead

Cuban President Fidel Castro met with represen-tatives of the National Black Farmers Association andthe biggest, oldest U.S. civil rights organization—theNAACP—in early November in Havana to help im-plement a historic trade agreement between Cubaand struggling African American growers.

This historic agreement received hardly a mentionin the big-business press inside the United States orworldwide.

Pedro Alvarez, director of ALIMPORT—Cuba’sfood import company—also met with the farmers.The trade agreement outlines Cuba’s commitment topurchase $10 million worth of soy, corn, rice andchicken directly from U.S. Black farmers.

Once the agreement is signed, Cuba will becomethe NBFA’s first foreign export market. The plan isto divide the payment among several hundred Blackfarmers. This will help bolster their credit rating tosecure loans for the next year’s crop.

This development, along with other U.S. farmers’efforts to trade with Cuba, is a slap in the face to theBush administration’s plans to strengthen the 40-plus-year U.S. blockade against Cuba. Under a newU.S. law, Cuba is prohibited from making cash pur-chases of food items from U.S. farmers.

Since the triumph of its revolution in 1959, Cubahas always promoted socialist international solidar-ity, not only among the oppressed in the developingcountries but in the imperialist countries, especiallythe United States.

John Boyd, president of the NBFA, which has 24,000 members based mainly in the southeast, re-marked on his meeting with Castro: “He gave me hisword that he would do business with African Amer-ican farmers. We’ve had a lot of difficulty competingwith the big boys [U.S. agribusiness] because whenwe bid on a contract they say they can do it cheaper.”

Boyd added that this contract “won’t make any-one rich, but it can help the bottom line.”(usnewswire.com, Nov. 14)

African American farmers face institutionalizedracism on the part of the U.S. government and bankswhen they seek low-interest federal loans to purchasenecessary grain and equipment to grow crops inorder to reach some parity with privileged whitefarmers.

Black farmers recently won a class-action lawsuitagainst the U.S. Department of Agriculture for $600million to settle claims for enduring years of dis-crimination. But the farmers are seeing very little ofthis payment.

During this past summer Black farmers heldtakeovers of local USDA offices in Tennessee andelsewhere to protest the difficulties they still face inobtaining federal loans.

Sixty Black farmers from 12 states took over anagricultural office in Lake Providence, La., on Nov.26. After closing that office, half those farmers movedto another USDA service center in Oak Grove. Theysucceeded in closing that office as well.

“We’re just trying to get justice,” said farmer EddieKennedy.

The Black Farmers and Agriculturists Associationinitiated these two actions.

NAACP sees achievements of Cuban revolution

The NAACP organized a high-level delegation,which included the farmers, to travel to Cuba to gaina better understanding of Cuba’s revolutionary pro-gram in the area of fighting racism.

Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Wash-ington bureau, said: “We’re talking about a countrythat’s 70 percent of African descent that’s 90 milesfrom our shores. Cuba is a country whose leadershiphas shown a great interest for concerns that have con-fronted the African American community. If youcompare the Cuban government to other govern-ments in Latin America, they’re…head and shouldersabove the rest in terms of integration.” (Yahoo News,Nov. 25)

The NAACP delegation visited the HermanosAmeijeiras Clinical-Surgical Hospital, the LatinAmerican School of Medical Services, and the Uni-versity of Information and Computer Science.

Due to socialist planning, Cubans enjoy free healthcare and education. Cuba has the lowest infant mor-tality rate compared to the rest of Latin America andparts of the United States. Cuba also has one of thehighest literacy rates in the world.

The itinerary also included a visit to an agricul-tural cooperative and a scheduled meetingbetween the Women In the NAACP and theFederation of Cuban Women to discuss issuesthat affect the lives of women. ��

Mumia from death row:Mumia from death row:

An imprudent democracy“The people, sir, are a great beast.” —Alexander Hamilton,

organizer of ConstitutionalConvention, 1787

The American propaganda machinealone allows people like George W.Bush and his minions in govern-

ment and the punditocracy of thecorporate media to crow to theworld about “American democracy.”

To hear them tell it, the U.S.intends to wage an illegal and unpop-ular war against the Iraqis, to bringthem “American democracy.”

There’s only one problem with thatseemingly noble sentiment—thereain’t enough here to spread around.

America, at its very inception andin the uncertain, fearful present, doesn’t care about nor prac-tice democracy. It practices the illusion of democracy, and hasa powerful media and the educational system with which toproject this illusion. But in its earliest days up to this presenthour, the leaders of the U.S. government have striven mightilyto avoid any real democracy, by the process of exclusion of, intruth, the majority of the people.

Since at least the 1940s, the majority of the American popu-lation has been women. If this truly were a representativedemocracy, there would be 51 female senators in the U.S.Senate, not the nine or so that are there now. Indeed, accord-ing to UN reports, the U.S. ranks 50th in the world when itcomes to women’s representation in national legislatures.Sweden, which comes first in the world, with 43 percent, isfollowed by Germany, New Zealand, Mozambique and SouthAfrica. The U.S. comes in some 45 states later.

African Americans, roughly 13 percent of the population,should have 13 senators and 56 members of the House ofRepresentatives. As of this writing, there are 0 senators (therehave only been two in the last half century!) and 38 membersof the House.

The same could be said of Americans in poverty, who consti-tute some 12.8 percent of the populace. Who representsthem?

Nobody.The House and the Senate represent the rich, who dispro-

portionately contribute to their campaigns and their warchests for the perpetual election cycle. The average con-gressperson spends well over 50 percent of his or her time inthe tedious business of fundraising. Why? To buy time on thecorporate media.

So, who do they represent? Those that can afford them:Enron, GE, Viacom, the oil companies, the drug companies andWall Street.

Recently, when over a quarter of a million people—over250,000 men, women, students and children—gathered inWashington and San Francisco [on Oct. 26] to denounce theBush adventure in Iraq, how many representatives of Congressdid you see? Unless I missed something, only the noble CynthiaMcKinney, the outgoing representative from Georgia, showedup. One—out of 435 representatives and 100 senators.

What’s that tell you about democracy?The aristocratic, monarchy-admiring James Madison (one of

the other guys considered a “Founding Father” of the“American democracy”) had these ideas about democracy:

“All communities divide themselves into the few and themany. The first are the rich and well born, the other the massof the people. The voice of the people has been said to be thevoice of God; and however generally this maxim has beenquoted and believed, it is not true in fact. The people are tur-bulent and changing; they seldom judge or determine right.Give therefore to the first class a distinct, permanent share inthe government. They will check the unsteadiness of theSecond. . . . Can a democratic assembly who annually revolvein the mass of the people, be supposed steadily to pursue thepublic good? Nothing but a permanent body can check theimprudence of democracy. . . . It is admitted that you cannothave a good executive upon a democratic plan.” [Fresia, J.,“Toward an American Revolution,” Boston: South End Press,1988, pp. 16-17]

You think this guy cared about “democracy”? He and hiscohorts at the Convention feared and dreaded “the people,”who they considered “the Mob” or “the great Rabble.” AsGouverneur Morris, a co-author of the Constitution, put it:“The mob begins to think and to reason. ... I see and see withfear and trembling, that if the disputes with Britain continue,we shall be under the domination of a riotous mob. It is to theinterest of all men therefore, to seek reunion with the parentstate.” [p. 28]

Morris was talking about making up with Britain!And we wonder where Florida came from? The instinct of

politicians is to limit, not broaden voting. The only reason asmany vote as now do (and that’s the minority) is because socialmovements (of women, of Blacks, of “Mobs”) fought for it. Theygot votes, but little representation.

The history of the U.S. is the elites fighting against democra-cy and the people (“the many”) fighting for it.

Shall we export that to Iraq?

�� Racism, national oppression & the right to self-determination Larry Holmes

�� Black labor from chattel slavery to wage slavery Sam Marcy

�� Reparations & Black Liberation Monica Moorehead

�� Harriet Tubman: woman warrior Mumia Abu-Jamal (Guest Commentary)

�� Black Reconstruction: the unfinished revolutionMinnie Bruce Pratt

�� Black labor and the fight for reparations Bill Cecil

�� Alabama’s Black Belt: Legacy of slavery, sharecropping and segregation By Consuela Lee (Guest commentary)

�� Black farmers demand justice Monica Moorehead

�� Greetings from Mumia Abu-Jamal to the 3rd UN WorldConference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination,Xenophobia and Related Intolerance

�� Nigerian women take over Chevron Texaco Monica Moorehead

�� Nigerian women’s takeover ends in victory Monica Moorehead

�� Causes of turmoil in Jamaica Pat Chin

PART I PART II PART III

�� The driving force behind the land seizures Monica Moorehead

Order from Workers World 55 West 17 St., NY, NY 10011 Coming soon to Leftbooks.com

EDITED BY MONICAMOOREHEAD

$6

The news you don’t get in your morning newspaperor the 10:00 news

Page 6 Dec. 12, 2002 www.workers.org

By Deirdre Griswold

What are the issues that define the vari-ous political tendencies on the left today?

Probably the most crucial for the cur-rent struggle of the workers in the devel-oped capitalist countries is an understand-ing of imperialism and how to fight it. Thisissue subsumes not only the question ofthe attitude to take on imperialist wars, likethe war on Iraq, but also how to combatracism in all its forms—a task that is ab-solutely essential if the working class is towin unity in its struggle against the hugepredatory corporations and banks.

This question has long antecedents. The first document of the communist

movement—the Communist Manifesto byKarl Marx and Frederick Engels—called fora new social order, but it differed from ear-lier utopian socialist visions of an ideal so-ciety. Instead of trying to win over the en-lightened elements of the more privilegedclasses to construct a new, more humanesociety, Marx and Engels argued that it wasthe struggle of the working class to protectits own class interests that would be the dy-namo of social revolution.

This class, because of its high degree ofconcentration, organization and skill, andthe fact that it is not a propertied class, wasthe only one positioned to take over thereins of political power in order to reorga-nize economic life. But not just to becomea new ruling class, like the bourgeoisie afterit won its struggle against the feudal lords.The aim of a workers’ revolution would beto abolish exploitation and class oppres-sion. In other words, here was a class whose

historic task was to take the power andbuild a new socialist economic order thatwould eventually abolish class distinc-tions.

That document was written more thana century and a half ago. Capitalism hadonly recently emerged in Europe as thedominant social system after centuries offeudal stagnation. A revolutionary fervorgripped not only the workers but other so-cial classes as well, as they battled the au-tocratic political structures of the old order.

After an age in which church dogma hadgoverned every area of thought, down tothe smallest question—like how manyteeth were in a horse’s mouth—the new at-mosphere of free thought led to amazingadvances in science and technology. It allpromised a brilliant future for humankind,if only the newly created wealth could beshared equitably.

The Communist Manifesto ended withthe stirring dictum: “Working men of allcountries unite!” And indeed, by the endof the 19th century, tremendous workers’organizations had been built on the Euro-pean continent that won significant im-provements in the lives of the workers andexerted great pressure on the bourgeoisparties and governments. In other words,much unity was achieved in the workingclass, as it was then defined. The phrase“working men” shows, however, that fewwomen were considered a socially activepart of the class, although their arduouswork in the home was absolutely essentialto its existence and replication.

The limitations of the 19th-century viewof the working class and the struggle for

world socialism were made even more ob-vious in 1914. The working class organiza-tions of Europe, including most of the So-cial Democratic parties, which claimed touphold the mantle of Marxism, fell in linebehind their capitalist governments andratified what was to become the First WorldWar. In that war of nationalistic fervor, mil-lions of workers were ordered into battle bytheir class enemies. The result was aslaughter of unprecedented proportions.And it set the stage for nearly a century ofimperialist wars in which the only real win-ner has been the class of millionaires andbillionaires.

This colossal setback for the workingclass movement was not just a subjectivefailure of leadership. It didn’t just fall outof the blue. It was the gory proof that cap-italism had reached a new stage.

That war was the ultimate expression ofcapitalism’s transformation from its com-petitive to its monopoly stage. The con-centration of capital in fewer and fewerhands had accelerated with industrializa-tion, but it reached a qualitatively new levelwith the rise of the huge commercial banksand other financial institutions. This greatcollection of wealth couldn’t just sit idle. Ithad to be used in the exploitation of laborso new wealth would be created for its own-ers. But the home markets were saturated;economic contractions known as “panics”were demonstrating that at regular inter-vals.

Capital was increasingly drawn to in-vest in the oppressed colonies, where laborand resources were cheap and super-prof-its were virtually guaranteed. That pitted

each colonial power in Europe against theothers in cutthroat competition that laidthe basis for the war. Soon the UnitedStates joined in the war for spoils.

Of all the Marxists of that period, theone who best understood the new rela-tionship of class forces in the world was V.I.Lenin, a leader of the Russian Social De-mocratic Party. His work on “Imperial-ism—the Highest Stage of Capitalism”showed in detail how the quantitativegrowth of monopoly finance capital had leddirectly to the big powers’ carving up theworld for super-exploitation. A few gigan-tic banks in Europe and the United Stateshad a tight grip on the social surplus cre-ated by hundreds of millions of workers.

Lenin published his book on imperial-ism in 1916, during the world war. He hadalready acted on it, however. He was oneof a handful of European socialist leaderswho had opposed the war from the begin-ning, calling it an imperialist slaughter tore-carve the world for super-exploitation.He called on the workers’ organizations tocounter the reactionary nationalism of thecapitalist governments with revolutionaryinternational class solidarity and refuse tokill their fellow workers in other countries.

In Russia, his wing of the Social Demo-cratic movement, known as the Bolsheviks,organized resistance to the war and calledfor the revolutionary defeat of their ownruling class—which they were able to ac-complish in 1917.

It was Lenin who amended the commu-nist slogan to “Workers and oppressed peo-ples of the world unite.” This was not merewords but was based upon a worldview of

A response to anti-communist caricatures:

By Bev Hiestand

s a political activist and health-care worker, I am aware of therapid decline in health-care de-livery in this country. But it be-

came much more personal in recent daysas I was forced by circumstances to placemy 84-year-old mom—a health-careworker her whole life, too—in an Adult As-sisted Living facility.

It certainly felt like cruelty to anotherhuman being as I ripped my mother awayfrom all those things that were her life andplaced her in an institution in another city,45 minutes from the countryside she lovesso much, her friends and her family.

And why? Because we were told by thatshe could not stay in the hospital anotherday and the administrators could not finda place for her closer to home.

My mom is an elder who has only a So-cial Security check and small pension to liveon. Based on rules established by Medic-aid and followed by the commercial insur-ance companies, she could not be coveredfor her three-day hospitalization withoutpersonally shelling out as much as $2,000a day.

The doctor had determined that her un-bearable pain might be due to a spinal com-pression fracture resulting from a fall. Thisinjury and pain is even more of a care cri-sis because she is unable to walk well or carefor herself. She is nearly blind, has difficultyhearing and has many physical problemsrequiring medications and medical care.

Yet she did not meet the criteria to keep

her in the hospital long enough for an ap-propriate place near her home and lovedones to be found.

After 12 hours of worry, anger and frus-tration dealing with this inhumane sys-tem at the hospital, my mother was forcedto leave. It wasn’t the fault of the health-care workers; they were all wonderful andcaring. Their facial expressions werepained as they said to us: “Isn’t this awful?What’s happened to our health-care sys-tem in this county is a crime!”

They noted that this happens every day.In fact, the elderly woman sharing the hos-pital room with my mom was goingthrough the same thing. She ended up ina town 45 minutes away from her home.Her daughter hopes she will be able to finda place for her closer to home in the not-too-distant future.

Cold, frightened and isolated

So at 7 p.m. my mom and I arrived atthe new facility. We found ourselves sittingin a big, almost-empty room with one in-sufficient ceiling light, a lone bed and adresser. The walls were totally bare andno one had had time to turn up the heatbefore she arrived. So it was cold.

She was devastated. I was too.There was no phone in her room be-

cause we had no time to prepare. She wascut off from her family and all the peoplewho were part of her life.

She was very frightened, afraid shewould not have the assistance she neededfor the most basic activities of daily life.

Just before I left for the evening, an

Bush wwants mmy

A"A spectre is hauntingEurope—the spectre ofCommunism," introducesMarx's and Engels's powerful manifesto. The Manifesto's messagecontinues to haunt thecapitalist world.The opening statementof Karl Marx's famousmanifesto, that the his-tory of mankind is thehistory of class struggle,is really the essence andsum of its message. It isthe second best sellingbook in history.

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For most of the socialistmovement, World War Iwas an unmitigated disaster. The powerfulworkers’ parties ofWestern Europe buckledunder the war fever. But in Russia, Lenin andthe Bolsheviks redou-bled their efforts andused the war crisis toorganize the revolution-ary overthrow of the oldorder.What distinguished theBolsheviks from theother parties in theSocialist International?Was Lenin’s focus onbuilding the party a dis-traction from the anti-war struggle—ora necessary part of it?

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www.workers.org Dec. 12, 2002 Page 7

larly. The needed solidarity betweenthe national liberation struggles andthe working class in the imperialistcountries was minimal, at best.

All this set the stage for an unremittingeffort by the CIA, the Pentagon and otherimperialist agencies to undermine theworkers’ movement internationally alongwith the states building socialism and thenewly liberated nations of the Third World.

But today we are in a new era, when U.S.imperialism, now the sole super-power,has become hated everywhere because ofits ruthless efforts to rule the planet. At thesame time, the workers in all the imperial-ist countries are struggling to surviveagainst a vicious anti-worker offensive.The imperialist metropolises have becomemore multi-national, with large-scale im-migration from the oppressed countries,and it becomes clearer every day thatsuper-exploitation in any part of the worlddrags down the workers everywhere.Under these circumstances, the prospectsfor international class solidarity are onceagain on the rise.

Here in the United States, WorkersWorld Party, an independent Marxistparty that has been consistent in its activeopposition to imperialist war and aggres-sion, has been roundly criticized in the re-cent period by elements of the capitalistmedia and some liberal publications. Theyseem astounded that the party refuses toput an equal sign between the violence ofoppressor and oppressed, whether in Iraq,Yugoslavia, North Korea, Palestine, PuertoRico or anywhere else that resists U.S.domination.

As happens so often in bourgeois jour-nalism, they have created a caricature ofWWP, which they then go on to attack. Ina style seemingly inspired by George W.Bush’s lumping together of such diversecountries as Iraq, Iran and the Democra-tic People’s Republic of Korea as an “axisof evil,” these writers accuse WWP ofeverything from being “Stalinists” to “sim-plistic apologists” for Saddam Hussein andSlobodan Milosevic.

Fortunately, these attacks have spurredinterest in WWP and its political analysesover the years, which can readily be foundon the Web site www.workers.org.

In such a counter-revolutionary countryas the U.S., where the government hasspent literally trillions of dollars takenfrom workers’ taxes over the last half cen-tury to shore up monopoly capitalism, suchattacks are no surprise.

WWP is mindful of the constant propa-ganda from the ruling class here aimed atundermining international solidarity.Whether it’s films or television or the slantof the news, a chauvinist arrogance, ha-

tred and fear of countries that resist impe-rialist dictates is inculcated daily.

This not only facilitates the global spreadof low-wage sweatshops and the subse-quent high rate of profit for investors inso-called “emerging markets,” but it alsodehumanizes the people and their leadersin countries that dare defy the rules set bythe imperialists. How much easier for thePentagon to impose an order satisfactoryto Exxon-Mobil, Citibank or The Gap whenthe people and leaders of a country havebeen reduced to demons in the minds of thepopulation here.

Workers World refuses to participatein or condone the demeaning and insult-ing attacks on Third World leaders thatfill the pages of imperialist newspapersand journals. It will continue to spot-light the source of today’s bloody con-flicts around the world: the system ofimperialism and the billionaire capital-ist ruling class that has nothing to offerthe world but a widening gap betweenrich and poor and an uncontrollableboom-bust cycle. ��

the class struggle that saw the fate of theworkers in the imperialist countries as in-extricably linked to that of the oppressednations under the heel of colonial—andtoday neo-colonial—oppression.

Today’s anti-worker offensive in theU.S. demonstrates the continuing truthof this thesis. The super-oppression ofworkers in the Third World, just likethe systematic racist down-pressing ofAfrican Americans, Latinos and Nativepeople at home, becomes a club usedby the bosses against the standard ofliving won through labor’s struggles.

Leninism came to be synonymouswith international solidarity—not onlyamong the organized workers in thedeveloped imperialist countries, butwith the national liberation movementsfor independence and sovereignty.

These movements reached a highpoint after World War II, when anti-colonial revolutions rocked Asia, theMiddle East, Africa and Latin America.In China, Korea and Vietnam, theleaders of the anti-colonial strugglewere communists who led the massesto victory with a program that com-bined the goal of national liberationwith the overthrow of the old classorder and the building of socialism.

These revolutions, however, tookplace when there was relative prosperi-ty and conservatism in the imperialistcountries; capitalism was rebuildingafter the Great Depression and then themassive destruction of the war. Thecommunist movement was on thedefensive in the United States particu-

WWP is mindful of the constant propaganda from the ruling class

here aimed at undermining international solidarity. Whether it’s films

or television or the slant of the news, a chauvinist arrogance, hatred

and fear of countries that resist imperialist dictates is inculcated daily.

Workers World refuses to participate in or condone the demeaning

and insulting attacks on Third World leaders that fill the pages of

imperialist newspapers and journals.

African American patient-care aidestuck her head in the door and toldMom: “Don’t be scared. I will be here allnight and I am going to look in on youevery two hours to make sure you areokay. I will wake you in the morning intime for breakfast and we will see thatyou get down there in your wheelchair.”

She was very sweet to be so comfortingto my mother—I know how overworkedshe is. I thought about how in spite of theendless oppression from racism and ex-ploitation that people must face daily inthis system they manage to resist the cold-ness that characterizes their oppressors.

I’ve lost a lot of work hours at the hos-pital where I am employed because I’vebeen dealing with my mom’s health cri-sis. As I now face the need to travel longdistances several times a week afterwork to be with my mother and help herto deal with the many aspects of life thatare a challenge for her, I wonder aboutall those who do not have cars or themeans to travel these distances.

It reminds me of all the prisoners whohave been incarcerated far away from theirfamilies. I can’t help feeling angry that mymother and so many other elderly peopleare being housed in institutions in isola-tion, unable to make the contributions tothis society that their experience, wisdomand spirit could offer.

Capitalism: war abroad, war at home

Why is there such a shortage of hospi-tal beds for the elderly? During the last

decade tens of thousands of hospitalbeds have been closed down as corpo-rate health-care organizations and theirpolitical allies have determined thatthese beds are not profitable.

This has moved what used to be hospi-tal care into people’s homes, mainly per-formed by already overworked familymembers, some of them elders themselves.

While it is true that some of the care thatused to be provided in hospitals could beprovided in other settings, the fact is thatthere is a shortage of appropriate facilities.Too many people are being forced out ofthe hospital into situations that compro-mise not only the patients’ safety and well-being but their families’.

Through our unions and progressive po-litical movements we need to demand thatthere be no more closings of hospitals andlayoffs of health-care workers. Open upmore beds as a transition for those who arewaiting to go into facilities near theirhomes. Allow all those who find home caretoo demanding to return to the hospitaland get the care they deserve.

We have been told this is too expensive,that society cannot afford it. However, theBush administration, answering to Big Oiland other capitalist conglomerates, is rush-ing into a war against the Iraqi people that,according to Wall Street Journal estimates,may cost at least $200 billion. This does notinclude the cost of a prolonged military oc-cupation that one economist estimatescould run as high as $1.9 trillion.

Who will pay for this war? Bush wantsmy mother, our families, co-workers and

neighbors to pay. Most state budgets arealready running on a deficit leading tocutbacks in not only health care butfunding for schools, housing, drug reha-bilitation and many other critical pro-grams. Meanwhile, this surplus wealthwe all created is funneled to thePentagon and Wall Street.

Bush wants Iraqi families, workers andneighbors to pay, too. What must it be likefor a daughter in Iraq to try to find care foran elderly mother when the entire infra-structure of the country has already beenbadly damaged by the previous war, theeconomy strangled by U.S.-led economicsanctions and the country facing a deadlyrain of bombs in a full-scale Pentagon war?The U.S. capitalist class wants the Iraqipeople to pay with their oil and the profitsfrom conquest of the Middle East.

And what will happen when many of thehundreds of thousands of soldiers who doreturn from war come back disabled orsick? One in every four soldiers in the firstGulf War reportedly has long-term andsometimes life-threatening illnesses. Thiswill be even more strain on a health-caresystem that is already buckling under theweight of the burden of ever more profits.

That’s why, even though I’m stretchedfor time traveling to help care for mymother and scrambling at my own hos-pital to hold on to my job, I’m workingovertime trying to organize a regionalupstate New York anti-war network.

But despite my political awarenessabout this “profit before human need society,” I find myself at times feeling

responsible for leaving my mom in theseawful circumstances.

One of the hardest things about livingunder capitalism is that it isn’t the rulingclass members themselves who carry outthe terrible crimes against people that thiseconomic system mandates.

Capitalism is an economic machine thatconducts its exploitation and oppressionsilently and often impersonally. Thismakes its victims feel powerless to stop it,and therefore responsible for the toll thatit takes on them and their loved ones.

Because I cannot protect each person Ilove from the cruelty of life under capital-ism, I continue to organize to sweep thisunjust and unequal system into the dust-bin of history and replace it with a rationaleconomy based on planned production tomeet human needs.

It’s a future that I can actually pictureand help fashion based on the brutal expe-rience of living under capitalism. ��

Where Workers World stands on imperialism

mom to pay ffor hhis wwarWhat must it be like for a

daughter in Iraq to try to find

care for an elderly mother

when the entire infrastructure

of the country has been badly

damaged by the previous war,

the economy strangled by

U.S.-led economic sanctions

and the country facing a deadly

rain of bombs in a full-scale

Pentagon war?

Page 8 Dec. 12, 2002 www.workers.org

lion petitions directly to the White House,as the U.S. Embassy in Seoul arrogantlyrefused to accept them. It will also picketthe White House, carrying Korean flags onwhich hundreds of people have written theabove demands in their own blood.

Struggle for ‘sovereignty andself-determination’

“At first most Koreans were silent, ex-pecting the U.S. to take the appropriatemeasures,” the Rev. Hong Kun-Soo told theIAC meeting. “But then came the acquit-

After U.S. military court acquits soldiers

South Korea is ‘boiling’ over crimes of occupation

tals.” Another delegation member, theRev. Han Sang-Ryul, said that South Koreais now “boiling over the struggle for sover-eignty and self-determination.”

He and other Korean speakers linkedthe arrogance of the U.S. military in theircountry to the Pentagon’s war plans in theMiddle East. “U.S. military dominance andneo-liberalism are used to subjugate anddominate around the world,” said Rev.Han.

A solidarity statement from the NewYork Committee for Shin Hyo-Soon and

Shim Mi-Sun referred to the present strug-gle—in which for the first time demon-strators have broken through chain-linkfences and got onto U.S. bases, where theyhave fought with sticks, stones and Molo-tov cocktails—as a “new phase of the move-ment against U.S. occupation.”

Kim Jong Il of the Pan-Korean Com-mittee on the Two Girls Killed by a U.S.Armored Vehicle brought a display of pho-tographs documenting other U.S. crimes.U.S. soldiers have beaten many Koreanwomen to death in the most sadistic andbrutal circumstances. A Korean legislatorwho came to the defense of a number ofyoung women students being harassed byGIs because they were carrying signsprotesting the killing of Shin and Shim washimself beaten around the head and face.

This tremendous upsurge in the move-ment against the U.S. military occupationcomes South Korea comes when the U.S.imperialists are intensifying their propa-ganda against North Korea.

The latest James Bond movie, for ex-ample, is an unabashed propaganda piecedepicting Koreans as brutal torturers. Itwill only further infuriate the aroused peo-ple in South Korea, who know only too wellwho the real torturers are. ��

Solidarity delegation travels from U.S.

Bogotá tribunal to expose Coca-Cola's crimes in Colombia

By Deirdre GriswoldNew York

“Boiling” was the word that kept com-ing up as a delegation from South Korea de-scribed the mood in their country to anoverflow meeting at the International Ac-tion Center here on Dec. 3.

The group had come halfway around theworld to let the U.S. government know thatthe Korean people will not tolerate the ex-treme insult and injustice dealt to them onNov. 22, when a U.S. military court ac-quitted two U.S. soldiers of all charges inthe deaths of two Korean schoolgirlscrushed by a tank on June 13.

Shin Hyo-Soon andShim Mi-Sun had beenwalking on the side of aroad on their way to abirthday party when the50-ton tank came barrel-ing through. Witnesses ina videotape brought bythe delegation said thetank was far exceeding thespeed limit. But the U.S.court wouldn’t find thedriver or the soldier ac-companying him guiltyeven of negligent homi-cide.

This incident seems tohave been the last strawfor millions of South Ko-reans, whose country hasbeen occupied by the U.S.military for over 50 years. Thousands havebeen joining increasingly militant demon-strations at U.S. military bases, and 1.3 mil-lion have signed petitions demanding thatthe U.S. 1) turn over jurisdiction in the caseto a Korean court for the retrial of the twosoldiers; 2) revise the unfair Status ofForces Agreement that governs U.S. mili-tary forces in south Korea; 3) close downCamp Howze, the base where the incidenttook place, and 4) withdraw all 37,000 U.S.troops from South Korea.

The group plans to deliver the 1.3 mil-

By John CatalinottoNew York

Former Attorney General RamseyClark and other supporters of theColombian union movement held anews conference in front of Coca-ColaCorporation’s New York headquarterson Dec. 3 to announce that a solidaritydelegation would be traveling to Bogotáto attend an International Tribunal onDec. 5-7.

The U.S. delegation joins others fromLatin America and Europe in the capitalcity for the event, which will put theCoca-Cola bosses on trial for criminalacts against unionists in that country.

Teresa Gutierrez of the Committee toStop U.S. Intervention in Colombia, asubcommittee of the International

Action Center (IAC), said her group andthe Committee for a New Colombia aresending 22 people. Another six are goingfrom the Committee for Social Justice.

Gutierrez said the U.S. delegation iscomposed of human rights activists, stu-dents, labor lawyers, solidarity activistsand unionists. “The delegates,” Gutierrezexplained, “aim to learn about how Coca-Cola officials not only carry out appallinganti-union practices but also take part inthe ongoing violations carried out by para-military death squads.”

Sinaltrainal—Colombia’s NationalUnion of Food Industry Workers—alongwith the United Steel Workers and theInternational Labor Fund have filed acase in U.S. courts accusing Coca-Cola ofusing paramilitaries to intimidate andassassinate union organizers.

The lawsuit focuses on the murder ofIsidro Segundo Gil and the intimidationof five of his co-workers at a bottlingplant in Carepa.

Gutierrez added, “The IAC is alsoestablishing a response network withtens of thousands of activists in theUnited States and around the worldthrough its web site and e-mail and isasking them to help broaden coverage ofthe tribunal. The IAC plans to publishdaily reports from Colombia on the tri-bunal hearings and demonstrationsagainst Coca-Cola.”

The tribunal is sponsored by Sinal-trainal plus the labor umbrella groupUnited Central of Colombian Workers(CUT) and the Campaign Against Im-punity. The events will begin with a na-

tional protest at the Coca-Cola bottlingplant in Bogotá on the morning of Dec. 5.

In the event of any harassment, repres-sion or obstruction by the Colombian au-thorities against the Colombian unionistsor against the international delegates,Gutierrez said, the IAC’s network “will re-spond with a massive protest campaign.”

Clark, a founder of the IAC, told mediathat the U.S. has more troops in Colombiaat this time than it had in Central Americaduring the 1980s, when Washington wasintervening in El Salvador and Nicaragua.

Other speakers included Rev. LuisBarrios, a professor at John Jay College,and a group of Colombian-Americanhigh school students who gathered toysto send with the U.S. delegation forColombian children. ��

Yoomi Jeong and theRev. Han Sang-Ryul(left) tell of explosionof resistance in SouthKorea to U.S. militaryabuses. Above, NewYorkers join withdelegation from Seoulin front of bannerexplaining theirdemands.

WW PHOTOS: DEIRDRE GRISWOLD

www.workers.org Dec. 12, 2002 Page 9

By John Catalinotto

Tens of thousands of workers marchedin seven major cities in Portugal on Nov. 30in preparation for a major general strikeon Dec. 10.

The General Workers Confederation ofPortugal (CGTP) has called the strike tobeat back what it calls “a broad and violentoffensive” against workers’ fundamentalrights that have been won through years ofstruggle and great sacrifice.

The right-wing government, made upof the Social Democratic and Popularparties, is trying to carry out a policy ofincreased privatization of health care

and education, cuts in social securityand an end to policies protecting work-ers’ jobs.

The CGTP sees the government poli-cies as leading to a general increase inprices, decrease of purchasing power forwage earners, destruction of the systemof public and universal social security,and weakening health care and educa-tion.

As in most industrialized countries,the technological changes over the pastfew decades have brought about signifi-cant changes in the working class. Thereis no longer the same concentration ofindustrial workers and farm workers as

there was a generation ago, but there aremore office workers

While these changes have reduced innumber what were the strongest laborunions, there is still strong unionization inPortugal and strong working-class supportfor the Communist Party (PCP), which issupporting the general strike.

Still, a general strike is a serious chal-lenge of worker consciousness and com-bativeness. To assess the mood, there havenow been two “test” struggles.

The unions carried out a one-day stop-page by public service workers on Nov. 14.

Then on Nov. 30, demonstrations of allorganized workers took place in Lisbon,

Tens of thousands march

Portugal poised for general strike

immediate protests in cities throughoutthe United States should Washingtonunleash the war. If it starts before 5p.m.,” Becker stressed, “the demonstra-tions will take place that same day. Ifafter 5 p.m., it will be held on the fol-lowing day.

For more information see www.inter-nationalanswer.org or call (212) 633-6646, (202) 332-5757 or (415) 821-6545.

ANSWER in San Francisco plans toprotest an appearance of Paul Wolfowitzon Dec. 6. He will be packaging his blue-print for imperial expansion as“Building the Bridge to a More PeacefulFuture.”

United for Peace is planning a day oflocal demonstrations on Dec. 10—International Human Rights Day.(www.unitedforpeace.org) And in NewYork, Uptown Youth for Peace andJustice is organizing a march throughHarlem on Dec. 14. For more informa-tion call Karim at (347) 203-6157 orClaudia at (212) 237-8748.

In Europe, most national movementshave called actions for Feb. 15, followinga call at the European Social Forummeeting in Florence on Nov. 10. The daybefore, nearly a million people took tothe streets of Florence to protest theU.S. plans.

With Feb. 15 more than two monthsaway, many groups are discussing hold-ing an immediate response to a U.S.attack. On the web site of the BritishStop the War Coalition (StWC)—whichheld a demonstration of 400,000 onSept. 28 against war with Iraq and insolidarity with Palestine—the groupsays it will call an immediate nationalaction in response to a massive assault.

The StWC had planned a nationalconference for Dec. 7. This was movedto Jan. 11 after British firefighters,locked in a bitter strike and battle withthe national government, called a day ofsupport demonstrations on Dec. 7. Theanti-war movement is supporting theBritish firefighters, who themselveshave taken a position against the war.

Thousands march in Australia

Two countries whose governmentshave pledged support for Washington—Australia and Turkey—saw militantanti-war demonstrations as Bush’sdeadline neared.

Thousands of anti-war demonstratorsmarched through Australian cities Nov.30 to protest against that country’sinvolvement in a U.S.-led war againstIraq. Many were of Middle Eastern ori-gin.

According to news agency reports, analliance of left parties, peace activists,students and trade unions was trying toconvince a majority of the public tooppose the government’s policy of send-ing Australian troops to fight againstIraq. Rallies took place in Sydney,Adelaide and Canberra as part of anationwide campaign.

Similar protests took place inMelbourne, Brisbane, Darwin and Perthon Dec. 1.

Among those participating wereprominent members of Australia’sArabic and Muslim communities,including the Grand Mufti of Australia,Sheikh Taj Aldin Alhilali. Show-businesspersonalities, political activists, electedrepresentatives, church figures andother celebrities participated in theSydney protest, which was at least10,000 strong.

The head of Australia’s union move-ment, Australian Council of TradeUnions President Sharan Burrow, tolddemonstrators that a clear message hadto be sent to Premier John Howard thatit was unacceptable for Australia to bedragged into a U.S.-led attack on Iraq.

Turkish groups say ‘No to waragainst Iraq’

On Dec. 1 in Istanbul, a coalition ofmore than a hundred organizations helda “No to War Against Iraq” demonstra-tion that attracted thousands. Amongthe organizations arranging and partici-pating in the protest were theConfederation of Workers Unions ofTurkey (Turk-Is), Confederation ofRevolutionary Workers Unions (DISK),Confederation of Public EmployeesUnion (KESK), and socialist and com-munist political parties.

The political parties that entered theNov. 3 elections under the name of theLabor, Peace and Democracy Bloc alsotook part.

The Turkish government providesmajor regional air bases to the Pentagonand has announced plans to invade thenorth of Iraq. This would put it in con-trol of the Kurdish region there and pre-vent any moves toward self-determina-tion among Kurds living under the bru-

Porto, Coimbra, Faro, Evora, Aveiro andSetubal, numbering in the thousands ineach city.

The boss-owned media did their bestto minimize the importance of thesedemonstrations. One late-night, 60-minute television news show gave justthree minutes of coverage 45 minutesinto its programming.

The next big test will be on Dec. 10,the date the union set for the generalstrike. This is the fourth general strikesince the April 1974 revolution thatfinally overthrew the fascist governmentinstalled during capitalism’s greatdepression of the 1930s. ��

Continued from page 1

Istanbul, Turkey, Dec.1. Banner read ‘No to war.’

Bush readies attack on IraqAnti-war leaders call emergency actions

tal control of the Turkish state.Following a meeting with Wolfowitz,

Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis,representing the Islamist party recentlyelected to power, said Dec. 3 that hiscountry would allow the United Statesto use military bases in Turkey for the

war, but only if the United Nationsapproves military action against neigh-boring Iraq. Washington is quietlyoffering the Turkish rulers InternationalMonetary Fund and direct U.S. aid inexchange for using this Moslem countryas a launching pad for aggression. ��

Challenge to Genocide:

Let Iraq LiveRead the truth about the devastating effect ofU.S.-led economic sanctions on Iraq since the GulfWar. It features “Fire and Ice,” a chapter by for-mer U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark.

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Teed off against sexism & racism

As the annual spring Masters golf tournament looms, its host—theAugusta National Golf Club—is still refusing to admit women as mem-bers of its elite fraternity.

This policy is discriminatory, anachronistic and infuriating. And, addinginsult to injury, on Nov. 18 the New York Times editorial board suggestedthat the already legendary and brilliant Black golfer Tiger Woods —who hashis own battles against racism on the manicured courses of Augusta— shouldget the policy changed by refusing to play in the Masters, a tournament hefought hard to be eligible for as a player.

This is an arrogant and conscious deflection of responsibility from thewealthy white men who run the club to Woods. Tiger Woods doesn’t evenhave voting rights at the club. He is an “honorary” member. Black golferswere excluded from the links at the Masters until Lee Elder became the firstin the 1975 competition.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson rightly assailed the Times editorial: “I don’tremember them saying to Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus to boycott theMasters because Blacks are not playing.” Jackson vows that theRainbow/PUSH Coalition will protest the Masters tournament in April if awoman is not a member by then.

The National Council of Women’s Organizations is also gearing up toprotest the exclusion of women as members of this good-ole-boys club.

CBS, which has broadcast this prestigious golf event for 46 years, isn’t lead-ing the charge to demand this sexist policy be upended. In fact, it has beensilent on this issue, apparently hoping that “complaints of the NationalCouncil of Women’s Organizations will be smothered by public indifferenceor backlash against what even some women shrug off as archaic feministprinciple.” (New York Times, Nov. 25)

The demand for equal rights is an archaic feminist principle? This remindsus of the popular bumper sticker that assures, “I’ll be post feminist in the postpatriarchy!”

There’s nothing trivial about this confrontation. It’s not a game. This battlefor women’s rights is an integral part of the class struggle, even if the issueappears to be the right of affluent women to join an all male country club. Ifthese male bosses win the right to discriminate on their days off, the result ofthis struggle will have an impact on the fight for women’s rights across theboard.

This is a battle against the bosses. Even the Times, in its later article, notedthat the tournament is “one of the world’s great attractions for business exec-utives who bring along their most valued customers and clients. During thetournament the city airports are awash with corporate jets, and limos line thestreets.”

Of course this class clarity by the Times appears to have been renderedmore lucid after seven days of outrage against its editorial singling out TigerWoods, in which it had written: “A tournament without Mr. Woods wouldsend a powerful message that discrimination isn’t good for the golfing busi-ness.”

Golfing business is big business. And Augusta is the clubhouse for the scionsof financial and corporate kingdoms. That’s who profit from the unequal statusof women, African Americans and other huge segments of the population whoare burdened by the weight of discrimination and inequality.

And that’s where the slings and arrows of outraged protest should be aimed.

Global AIDS is a Code Red emergency

Activists tell Bush:By Imani HenryWashington, D.C.

It’s Nov. 26, 6 a.m. It’s dark and coldas we wait for the bus to arrive to take usto the AIDS demonstration in D.C. Intotal eight buses will bring people fromNew York City, seven from Philadelphiaand one from Baltimore to join withactivists from the D.C. area.

The buses from New York and Philadel-phia are free, sponsored by various AIDSservice organizations. Riders are providedwith breakfast, lunch and subway tokens.The vast majority of these AIDS activistsare people of color–African American andLatino–reflecting the new face of the epi-demic in the United States and around theworld.

Worldwide, AIDS killed more than 3million people last year—2.2 million ofwhom were from Africa. And accordingto Centers for Disease Control estimates,900,000 people in the United States areHIV-positive, of whom more than 40percent are African American and about20 percent Latino.

There is a high level of political con-sciousness in the AIDS movement here.Most of these activists were formerlyhomeless, or incarcerated, or dependedon drugs. They fight daily against racistgovernment institutions for access totreatment and public assistance money.Over the last 12 years, hundreds of themhave boarded buses and planes to protestslashing of AIDS funding nationally andalso in solidarity with Africa.

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The call for Nov. 26 listed ACT UP NewYork, ACT UP Philadelphia, Africa Action,African Services Committee, Health GlobalAccess Project, Housing Works, NYC AIDSHousing Network, Project Inform and theStudent Global AIDS Campaign as thesponsoring coalition. Another impressivelist of over 300 organizations worldwidesigned on as endorsers.

The uniting slogan and main demand ofthe demonstration was: “Money for AIDS,not for war.”

This in itself is significant. To link thestruggle for funding to fight the AIDS pan-demic with the anti-war movement is ex-actly what is needed. The timing of theprotest could not have been better: an anti-war AIDS demonstration five days beforeDec. 1, World AIDS Day, and weeks beforethe Dec. 8 United Nations Security Coun-cil deadline on inspections in Iraq.

But the fact that President George W.Bush will travel to Africa Jan. 13-17 is whatorganizers really seized hold of.

According to a joint update issued on byUNAIDS—the United Nations AIDS orga-nization—and the World Health Organi-zation on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic,the number of the world’s people livingwith HIV today has risen to 42 million.

The report states: “By far the worst-af-fected region, sub-Saharan Africa, is nowhome to 29.4 million people living withHIV/AIDS,” where 10 million young peo-ple, aged 15–24, and almost 3 million chil-dren under 15 are living with HIV.

“Bush cannot go empty handed whenhe goes to Africa at the end of January,” said

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www.workers.org Dec. 12, 2002 Page 11

launching the fund has been starved of theresources necessary to carry out its work.Leaders coordinating the fund reported inOctober that they now face bankruptcy andmay have to shut down the fund as soon asthe end of this year.

Then, on Nov. 20, Congress shelvedthe Kerry-Frist bill that would haveauthorized $4 billion over the next twoyears to fight AIDS internationally.

However, when it comes to the war onIraq, money is no issue. According to anOct. 21 report on CNBC, the CongressionalBudget Office estimates the cost for occu-pying Iraq might run as high as $4 billionper month. The Kerry-Frist InternationalAIDS Bill asked Congress for the sameamount, but over the next two years.

The CBO goes on to state, “The estimatedcost for a ‘heavy air war’ with one month ofcombat, but no occupation force, was $21billion. Meanwhile, a ‘heavy ground war’with three months of combat, heavyground troops and a five-year occupationforce could total more than $272 billion.”

It is 12 noon when we arrive in D.C. onNov. 26. Close to 1,000 activists are gath-ered in McPherson Square.

There are hundreds of people here fromHousing Works, Inc. Based in New York, itis the country’s largest community-basedAIDS organization and the largest one con-trolled by people of color. Some 50 peoplecame with Stop & Surrender, a substancerecovery program out of North Philadel-phia. The American Medical Student As-sociation has a contingent, along withPhysicians for Human Rights. Many trans-

the war against Iraq and really fight the waragainst AIDS.

He estimates that 1.1 million people cur-rently use intravenous drugs in the UnitedStates. Because it is against the law in 47states to be caught in possession of drugparaphernalia, IV drug users are forced toshare needles out of fear of arrest. This putsthem at high risk for contracting HIV.

Even though much has been done todocument how needle exchanges andother forms of harm reduction decreasethe spread of AIDS, funding and licens-ing of needle exchange programming inthe United States is still an uphill battle.For example, in New York state, whichleads the country in people living withAIDS, as of 1998 there were only 13agencies licensed to exchange needlesfor the entire state.

“We didn’t come here to talk,”Housing Works Executive DirectorKeith Cylar declares. “We’re tired oftalking. It’s time for action”—and 35activists, some chained together, takethe lead banner and charge toward theWhite House.

The banner reads: “AIDS is Code RedEmergency, We Demand Billions toSave Lives.”

Among the longtime AIDS activists par-ticipating in the civil disobedience are EricSawyer, a founding member of ACT UP NY;Africa Action Executive Director SalihBooker; and both Keith Cylar and CharlesKing of Housing Works. They chant,“Money for AIDS not for war,” as they aredragged off into police wagons. ��

Sharonann Lynch, an organizer withHealth Global Access Project.

“This demonstration is scheduled tooccur at the same time that President Bushwill be completing his congressional bud-get request for 2004. The 300-plus orga-nizations from across the United States andfrom every continent have signed a letterto President Bush asking for a presidentialAIDS initiative.”

The main demands proposed for thisinitiative are that the Bush administra-tion:

• provide at least 2.5 billion for globalAIDS spending yearly with a mini-mum of $1.2 billion directed towardthe Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB,and Malaria;

• provide the funding and personnelneeded to implement the WorldHealth Organization’s call to treat 3million people by 2005; and

• ensure policy changes to make genericessential medicines more widely avail-able in developing countries and acomprehensive effort to halt transmis-sion of HIV from mother to child.

Activists also call for canceling develop-ing countries’ debts to the World Bank.

Federal funding earmarked to fightAIDS internationally has been diverted tofund Bush’s “war on terrorism.” For ex-ample, in 2001 the Bush administrationlaunched the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,Tuberculosis and Malaria. It was receive $7billion to $10 billion yearly, but since its

sexual women and other trans activists arepresent, representing another communityhighly affected by HIV.

Two white high school students fromClarion, Pa., are on their way to tour theWhite House as part of their senior classtrip. These two women tell me that whenthey saw the demonstration, they decidedthat marching to the White House wouldbe a better use of their time in D.C. Theyjoin the march.

The first rally speaker is SheliaKibuka, a Kenyan woman representingthe HOPE Africa International. She tellsus how her brother is living with HIVand her nephew is one of millions whodied from the virus.

“We don’t want the drumbeat of war inAfrica. We already have a bigger war tofight,” she says. She holds up a straw bas-ket filled with fruit, and says: “GeorgeBush, don’t go to Africa if you don’t havean envelope with $5 billion. Don’t come tous with your basket empty.”

Salih Booker, executive director ofAfrica Action, reports to the rally crowdabout the impact of AIDS in D.C. He saidone out of 20 people in the city are livingwith the virus, making it fifth amongcities in the United States with the high-est percentage of AIDS cases.

“Clean needles save lives! What peopleneed are options,” shouts Louie Jones, staffmember of the NYC AIDS Housing Net-work and a person living with AIDS. Hecalls for more money for harm reductionprogramming in the United States, andends his talk demanding that Bush stop

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‘Money for AIDS, not for war’

Por Sharon BlackBaltimore

Si la recientes elecciones no hubieransido un absoluto engaño, entonces hu-biera habido un debate honesto y abiertosobre la guerra devastadora que está porlanzarce sobre Irak y el creciente númerode despidos de trabajadores norteamer-icanos a la vez que la recesión capitalistacontinúa.

La crisis de los presupuestos estatalesy lo que significa por las comunidades yobreros hubieran también sido puestoal comienzo de la lista de puntos a con-siderar.

Cuarenta y cinco estados ya hancomenzado a sentir el impacto de déficitsen los presupuestos. Muchos analistasdicen que el año pasado y entrante sonlos peores en la historia. Los $40 billonesen escasez de los presupuestos este añosse espera a que aumente a $50 billonespara el próximo año, según dice el Cen-tro de Presupuestos y Políticas de Prior-idades.

Pero están son estadística secas. Loque esto quiere decir en términos hu-manos es que decenas de miles de tra-bajadores que ya reciben bajos salariosy trabajan duro, perderán sus empleos.Otros perderán sus pensiones de jubi-lación y beneficios de salud.

Las comunidades sentirán el filo de losrecorte a los ya míseros programas. Lasalud, educación, vivienda, programasde rehabilitación y de alimentos todosirán a la guillotina.

La guerra del Pentágono contra Irakpodría pagar por la crisis de los pre-supuestos estatales. Estimados conser-vativos del Wall Street Journal ha puestoel costo de la guerra en $2 billones.

Esto no incluye el costo de cualquierocupación militar prolongada. WilliamNordhaus, economista de Yale estimaque el costo total de la guerra contra Irakpodría ascender hasta $1.9 trillones dedólares si todos los factores son inclui-dos en los cálculos. Y ni un centavo sal-drá de los bolsillos de las compañíaspetroleras.

¿Dónde están los titulares sobre esto,o sobre las consecuencias que los traba-jadores sufrirán con los recortes de pro-gramas estatales como el Seguro Socialy el Medicare que seguramente seránsaqueados?

Existe un lazo directo entre losrecortes en el presupuesto estatal, la mis-eria aquí y la guerra imperialista. Lideressindicales, comunitarios y políticos seunirán a otros activistas anti guerra enWashington el 18 de enero para un con-greso popular pro paz para exigir dineropara empleos, cuidados de la salud,viviendas y educación y no para la agre-sión militar contra Irak.

¡Lucha!

El 21 de noviembre cientos de traba-jadores estatales miembros del sindicatoAFSCME del Consejo 92 es unieron aotros miembros de la Coalición paraAbatir los Recortes Presupuestarios y la

Alianza para Invertir en Maryland parallenar las audiencias legislativa y testi-ficar en contra de los recortes en los ser-vicios, empleos y beneficios.

El déficit presupuestario de Marylandes de $1.8 mil millones. La parte que esteestado debe costear para la guerra con-tra Irak sería el doble de su déficit.

El Gobernador Parris Glendenningha anunciado un plan para balancearuna escasez inmediata de $6 millonesde dólares. El propone un 4.9 porciento en recortes a la mayoría de ser-vicios públicos, salarios, programas desalud para los obreros estatales.Programas como los de la salud men-tal, y de rehabilitación verán sus pre-supuestos profundamente recortadosjunto con muchos otros.

Estos recortes son solo parte de laprimera ola de recortes. Lo que seguiráserá una ola alta cuando el déficit enterotenga que ser revisado en el 2003.

Activistas y trabajadores se están pre-parando. En 1991, la Coalición paraAbatir los Recortes Presupuestarios y elsindicato de los trabajadores estatales,AFSCME comenzaron una lucha pro-longada, primero ocupando las oficinasdel gobernador donde líderes del grupofueron arrestado y luego culminandocon una marcha de 10.000 trabajadoresen Annapolis.

Los activistas se preparan para hacerplanes para esta año—no solo para atacarlos recortes presupuestales sino contrala guerra. ��

Presupuesto estatal en crisis mientras que la guerra aguarda

NUEVA YORK.

Obreros del subterráneo muerenpor falta de equipos de seguridadPor G.DunkelNueva York

Joy Antony murió el 22 de Noviem-bre aplastado por un tren en la vía sub-terránea de la ciudad de Nueva Yorkmientras daba servicios a los equipos deseñal del sistema. Menos de 24 horas de-spués de este incidente, Kurien Babyperdió su vida arrollado por otro trencuando Baby instalaba luces de emer-gencia.

Ambos trabajadores eran parte de pe-queños equipos de mantenimiento e in-spección de las señales del sistema sub-terráneo de la ciudad. Estos equipos detrabajadores no tienen un “flagger” opersona que les advierta cuando un trense aproxima y que a la vez avisa a los op-eradores del tren de que hay traba-jadores en la vía.

El Presidente Roger Toussaint delSindicato de Obreros de Transportación,Local 100, dijo a reporteros durante unaconferencia de prensa: “Nuestros miem-bros son enviados esencialmente a eludir

trenes y rieles y tener la esperanza de re-gresar a sus hogares a final de día. Loque nosotros queremos que salga de estoes que no queremos mas muertes.”

Los oficiales de la AutoridadMetropolitana de Transito (AMT)anunciaron el 23 de noviembre quepor las siguientes 24 horas solo traba-jo de emergencia se haría. La AMTdijo que revisaría sus procesos deseguridad durante ese período.

El sindicato y la AMT están en nego-ciaciones de contrato. Los principalespuntos en las negociaciones son; la se-guridad, salarios y el respeto por lagerencia a los trabajadores.

Pero la seguridad cuesta dinero. Ensu esfuerzos por ahorrar dinero, aunquese comprometa la seguridad de los tra-bajadores, la AMT quiere proponer unrecorte severo en el servicio de autobusesy de subterráneo.

Una segunda propuesta es de unrecorte menos severo, principalmente enlos fines de semana y aumentar el preciodel pasaje de $1.50 a $1.75 por un viaje

de ida.Una tercera propuesta es la de dejar el

servicio como está y aumentar el pasajea $2.00.

En los pasajes semanales y mensuales,la AMT aumentaría el costo de estosaproximadamente el mismo porcentaje.Estos pasajes ofrecen mejores tasas paralos viajantes.

Los más pobres de Nueva York,quienes no tiene alternativa más quela transportación pública, no puedencostear el precio de los pasajesactuales. Por ende, ellos no podránpagar los precios más altos la AMTestá proponiendo.

Los ejecutivos de la AMT dicen estarpreocupados por la seguridad de losobreros. En anuncios del internet ycarteles, ellos exhortan a los pasajeros aque no corran en las escaleras o que seapoyen en las puerta o que no detenganlas puertas. Pero si la AMT falla en ase-gurar la seguridad de sus trabajadores,¿cómo puede esta asegurar la seguridadde sus pasajeros? ��

EDITORIAL.

Sorpresa presupuestaria

La Asociación Nacional de Gober-nadores ha dejado caer una bombasorpresa con la magnitud de Hi-

roshima. Ellos dicen que los estados ahorase enfrentan a su peor crisis fiscal desde laSegunda Guerra Mundial. Ellos culpan estaa descendiente ingresos de impuestos y elincremento de los costos. Lo que esto sig-nifica para los obreros es recortes severosen los presupuestos y despidos masivos delos empleos estatales.

El dolor social será enorme. Entre lascosas que serán recortadas están, las escue-las, los maestros, las librería, los asilos deancianos, los parques, el cuidados de lasalud y mucha otras agencias estatales yprogramas que proveen servicios al públicoque son necesarios para su diario vivir. Amismo tiempo, los precios de estos servi-cios aumentarán agudamente—como lasmatrículas para los colegios y universi-dades estatales.

No hablamos solo de inconveniencias.Hablamos de la vida de las personas, dijoRaymod C. Scheppack, director ejecutivode la asociación de gobernadores., “Ustedesverán grandes recortes en el programa deMedicaid” el próximo año, además de la yaimplementados.

Lo que está pasando no es algún desastrenatural. Es el resultado no natural de labaja económica capitalista, la cual comenzóhace dos años y medio y la dominación delas grandes empresas sobre el sistemapolítico. ¿A caso, los gobernadores nosabían que esto iba a pasar? Es seguro quesi sabían, tanto Demócratas como Republi-canos, pero decidieron esperar hasta de-spués de las elecciones.

Esto confirma una vez más que la únicaarena política que los trabajadores puedenutilizar son las calles. Las elecciones se hanconvertido en una farsa donde las grandescorporaciones manejan las cuerdas mien-tras que los candidatos discuten todomenos los puntos más importantes delpueblo.

Si todos aquellos que están por perderun servicio importante o un empleo conec-tado al estado registraran su oposición visi-blemente y militante, ellos estremecerían elestado existente y crearían un nuevo climapolítico en este país.

Al mismo tiempo que esto está pasandoa nivel estatal, recordemos que la adminis-tración Bush ha anunciado que privatizará850.000 empleos federales entregándose-los a las grandes corporaciones. Esto solopuede complicar la crisis.

Un tiempo de recortes sin precedentepide una organización sin precedente delucha. Los sindicatos de los empleadospúblicos en particular ha sido desafiados ensalir a defender estos empleos. Lo que senecesita es una coalición amplia de todaslas fuerzas progresistas—todos los gruposque se ven amenazados por la pérdida desus servicios junto con los trabajadores ysus sindicatos—para enfrentarse a lostíteres políticos de las grandes corpora-ciones y exigir que los trillones de dólaresrobados por la América Empresarial en laúltima década de alza económica se hagaaccesible para el pueblo para que asíningún empleo o programa estatal sea sac-rificado. ��