This is an archive of the former website of the Maoist Internationalist Movement, which was run by the now defunct Maoist Internationalist Party - Amerika. The MIM now consists of many independent cells, many of which have their own indendendent organs both online and off. MIM(Prisons) serves these documents as a service to and reference for the anti-imperialist movement worldwide.
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THE MAOIST INTERNATIONALIST MOVEMENT
MIM Notes 128 DECEMBER 15, 1996
MIM Notes speaks to and from the viewpoint of the
world's oppressed majority, and against the
imperialist-patriarchy. Pick it up and wield it in
the service of the people. support it, struggle
with it and write for it.
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. ANTI-IMPERIALIST PEASANTS AND SUPPORTERS ATTEND
GLOBAL SUMMIT
2. STATE ATTACKS BROOKLYN POLITICAL ACTIVISTS
3. LETTERS
4. ENVIRONMENTALISM OR AMERIKAN-CHAUVINISM?
5. IMPERIALISTS GIVE SOCIALISTS A PUBLIC OPINION
VICTORY: THE U$A OPPOSES "RIGHT TO FOOD"
6. EUROFOR: NEW IMPERIALIST TERRORISM FORCE
7. MAOIST INTERNATIONALIST MOVEMENT (MIM)
STATEMENT IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE ANTI-
IMPERIALIST WORLD PEASANT SUMMIT
8. APEC SUMMIT: IMPERIALIST MEDIA WHITEWASH
OPPRESSION; MASSES VOW TO FIGHT ON
9. PEASANT UNITY DECLARATION AGAINST IMPERIALISM
10. UHURU MOVEMENT FIGHTS PIG BRUTALITY, ATTACKS
FROM STATE
11. PRISON AWARENESS WEEK CULTURE EVENT
12. UNDER LOCK AND KEY: NEWS FROM PRISONERS AND
PRISONS
13. CULTURE
14. ENGLISH IMPERIALISTS FOLLOW U.S. IMPERIALISTS
ON CRIME
15. A TROTSKYIST OVERHEARD ON THE "MARXISM SPACE"
OF THE SPOONS COLLECTIVE
16. BASEBALL PLAYERS BREAK BANK
17. SICK SYSTEM KILLS MAN
* * *
WHAT IS MIM?
The Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM) is a
revolutionary communist party that upholds Marxism-
Leninism-Maoism, comprising the collection of
existing or emerging Maoist internationalist
parties in the English-speaking imperialist
countries and their English-speaking internal semi-
colonies, as well as the existing or emerging
Spanish-speaking Maoist internationalist parties of
Aztlan, Puerto Rico and other territories of the
U.S. Empire. MIM Notes is the newspaper of MIM.
Notas Rojas is the newspaper of the Spanish-
speaking parties or emerging parties of MIM.
MIM is an internationalist organization that works
from the vantage point of the Third World
proletariat; thus, its members are not Amerikans,
but world citizens.
MIM struggles to end the oppression of all groups
over other groups: classes, genders, nations. MIM
knows this is only possible by building public
opinion to seize power through armed struggle.
Revolution is a reality for North America as the
military becomes over-extended in the government's
attempts to maintain world hegemony.
MIM differs from other communist parties on three
main questions: (1) MIM holds that after the
proletariat seizes power in socialist revolution,
the potential exists for capitalist restoration
under the leadership of a new bourgeoisie within
the communist party itself. In the case of the
USSR, the bourgeoisie seized power after the death
of Stalin in 1953; in China, it was after Mao's
death and the overthrow of the "Gang of Four" in
1976. (2) MIM upholds the Chinese Cultural
Revolution as the farthest advance of communism in
human history. (3) MIM believes the North American
white-working-class is primarily a non-
revolutionary worker-elite at this time; thus, it
is not the principal vehicle to advance Maoism in
this country.
MIM accepts people as members who agree on these
basic principles and accept democratic centralism,
the system of majority rule, on other questions of
party line.
"The theory of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin is
universally applicable. We should regard it not as
dogma, but as a guide to action. Studying it is not
merely a matter of learning terms and phrases, but
of learning Marxism-Leninism as the science of
revolution."
-- Mao Zedong, Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 208
* * *
ANTI-IMPERIALIST PEASANTS AND SUPPORTERS ATTEND
GLOBAL SUMMIT
METRO MANILA, Philippines, 13 November 1996--While
the U.S.-Ramos regime continued its preparations
for the arrival of the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation Forum (APEC) summit, anti-imperialist
delegates from 40 countries concluded a summit of
their own--the first-ever Anti-Imperialist World
Peasant Summit (AIWPS). Following three days of
speeches, discussions, and cultural presentations,
today was a day of mass action. The 60 foreign
delegates and 40 Filipino delegates joined with
Filipino workers, peasants, students, youth and
others in an anti-imperialist march on the U.S.
embassy.
APEC is a forum whose leadership is contested. The
US imperialists have strengthened their hand in
directing APEC, parrying the Japanese imperialists'
challenge. Both imperialist groupings are united,
however, in using APEC as a forum for the
advancement of trade liberalization in the Asia
Pacific region by brandishing the General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and its implementing
arm, the World Trade Organization (WTO), which
requires its participating countries to remove
barriers to free trade. The US and Japanese
imperialists exacted commitment from the other APEC
members to full liberalization by 2010 for
countries with industrial economies and by 2020 for
the others. In the Nov. 25 meeting, each APEC
member country is expected to come up with a
specific action plan to meet this goal.(1)
The AIWPS, in contrast, was a people's summit. The
delegates mainly represented anti-imperialist
organizations of peasants and/or their supporters.
The US delegation included (among others) William
Hinton, representatives of MIM, and mass
organizations devoted to solidarity work with the
Filipino and Mexican people's struggles, notably
including PESANTE, the Philippine Peasant Support
Network. Other countries represented included
Bangladesh, Ecuador, Mexico, Honduras, Germany,
Belgium, Malaysia, Switzerland, Greece, Canada,
Australia, Zimbabwe, Azania (South Africa), Norway,
India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, France, the
Netherlands, Brazil and Japan. In addition to
serving as an alternative to the hype around APEC,
the AIWPS served as a counterforum to the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s
World Food Summit now taking place in Rome, Italy.
Rafael "Ka Paeng" Mariano, chairperson of the
Peasant Movement of the Philippines (Kilusang
Magbubukid Ng Pilipinas (KMP)), a legal, militant
federation of Filipino peasant organizations which
struggles for national democracy, served as
conference chairperson. The conference's global
conveners were the KMP, the Movimiento dos
Trabahadores Rurais sem Terra (MST, Brazil), the
All Nepal Peasant Association (ANPA), the
Bangladesh Agricultural Union (BALU), the Asian
Peasant Women Network (APWN), and the Bangladesh
Agricultural and Farm Labor Federation (BAFLF).
The summit's theme was "Oppose APEC and imperialist
globalization! Land, food jobs and freedom for all
the toiling masses of the soil!" Panel discussions
concerned the trends and impact of globalization,
the effects of globalization on agriculture, the
political and ideological offensives of imperialism
(including the pseudo-environmentalist "sustainable
development" paradigm), and case studies of peasant
struggles and people's anti-imperialist resistance
(including reports from representatives of
struggles in Brazil, Mexico, Zimbabwe and the
Philippines). Generally, the summit was an affair
highlighting unity against imperialism, feudalism,
and the imperialist ideological-political offensive
known as "globalization" and represented by such
entities as APEC.
The summit ended on a note of anti-imperialist and
anti-feudal unity. Yesterday's proceedings ended
with a rousing, multilingual mass rendition of the
Internationale. Today, AIWPS delegates marched as
part of a large, anti-imperialist procession
calling for the junking of APEC. Marchers chanted
in Tagalog: "Imperialismo, Ibagsak! Pyudalismo,
Ibagsak! Byurukrata Kapitalismo, Ibagsak!" (Down
with imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic
capitalism!), Spanish: "!El Pueblo, unido, jamas
sera vencido!" (The people, united, will never be
defeated!) and English: "Hey hey, ho ho, U.S.-Ramos
has got to go!", "Long live international
solidarity!"
NOTE: Tentative Programme for the November 1996
People's Conference Against Imperialist
Globalization (PGAIC), by the Philippines
Organizing Committee for the PGAIC.
* * *
STATE ATTACKS BROOKLYN POLITICAL ACTIVISTS
"Police arrested 35 people" in Brooklyn for
"weapons possession, endangering the welfare of a
minor and assault."(1) MIM condemns the constant
hovering of the state over the activists allegedly
belonging to what the bourgeois media calls the
"Provisional Party of Communists."
In the United States as so organized by the highest
law of the land called the Constitution, it is not
illegal to own weapons. It is written in black and
white and now there are more people than ever able
to read it. The fact that the government attacks
activists for carrying out their constitutionally
defended rights proves clearly what MIM has always
said: there are no rights, only power struggles.
Any so-called government official claiming it is
illegal to own weapons, any judge and any
legislator making this claim is acting unlawfully
to restrict the rights of the people to bear arms.
On this question, the National Rifle Association is
correct. If all these gun control supporters want
to make weapons possession illegal, they are
supposed to amend the Constitution. They cannot
just decide to pass their own local laws or abuse
their judicial powers. The Constitution is very
clear on that.
In fact, the original point of making it a right to
bear arms was to prevent the government from
imposing tyranny on unarmed citizens (of course,
these citizens did not include the ranks of
oppressed nations who were enslaved at the time,
nor did it include wimmin). The original defenders
of the Constitution believed the citizens should be
able to overpower the government, including its
whole army.(2) In that way the government would not
think of acting in a oppressive fashion against
those defined as citizens, or so the founding
fathers thought.
The founding men were not very good at figuring out
that property-owners had concentrated power to
oppress, but they were correct that large
professional government arms of coercion known to
them as "standing armies" are a constant threat to
the people. They believed that the coercive power
of the government should be kept to a minimum so
that the citizens could overpower it when they so
needed. In the Cultural Revolution, Mao led the
people to put into practice the idea that top
government and party officials have to feel the
heat from the people, including possible physical
exposure as a price for having political power.
Those unwilling to pay that price should just get
out of politics and public service--something that
the cops in St. Petersburg, Florida should
consider. Part of the Cultural Revolution was the
setting up of people's militias to replace or
balance the role of the standing armies--especially
in political matters where the role of the army was
suspect.
For example, the people of St. Petersburg are now
rising up against cops and judges who see it as
ordinary to kill Black people on sight. The people
in their just struggle are shooting at the occupier
troops and in essence telling them to get lost. If
it had happened to white people, the framers of the
Constitution would have agreed with those revolting
against tyranny, even if that tyranny be by the
majority. Today, the country supposedly recognizes
that citizens of all nationalities have the same
Constitutional rights.
For its part, MIM does not care one way or the
other about the Constitution. There is little
progressive in arming the population of this
imperialist country. However, the youth, and the
people in militias and the NRA are right to cry out
against the hypocrisy of this government,
supposedly based on a Constitution but making a big
stink in the newspapers about communists owning
guns.
This attack on the Brooklyn activists demonstrates
that it is hopeless to frame our fight around going
back to defending the constitution or other
founding documents as some libertarians, professing
to oppose the oppressive nature of the imperialist
state, argue. Even if we had a constitution of
entirely correct principals, this would not ensure
a just society because those who are in power
decide how to interpret these documents.
Historically the founding documents in this country
have been applied selectively to protect the
"rights" of the oppressor nation while denying
"rights" to oppressed nations and those who
organize in the interests of the oppressed. Even
with the granting of citizenship to non-whites,
this continued as an attack on the Black Panther
Party when they exercised this "right" to bear
arms, and again is demonstrated in this attack on
the Brooklyn activists.
MISTAKE OF ANTI-FASCIST AIDS BOURGEOIS PROPAGANDA
Now an anti-fascist activist named Chip Berlet of
the Political Research Associates
(http://www.publiceye.org/pra) has made a mistake
and attacked the Brooklyn activists and associated
them with the two organizations in Massachusetts.
The Boston Globe dutifully exposed their names and
set off a red-scare for people searching for
communist front groups in Massachusetts connected
to the ones in Brooklyn.
As Chip Berlet should know, the government and the
far-right in this country are not inherently good.
Chip Berlet has done part of his anti-fascist work
exposing the FBI's role in infiltrating and
attacking the Black Panther Party, the Maoist
vanguard in Amerika in the late 1960s. Berlet knows
not only that the government in this country is not
inherently good but that its law-enforcement arms
puts much energy into fabricating evidence against
people who challenge the government. Keeping
secrets from them is necessary and privacy against
them is something that we defend. Some of the same
lunatic Moonie organizations and other militant
rightists tail communists, kill them as in
Greensboro, send death threats and send them
propaganda mail to their houses and so on.
Hence, Chip Berlet was wrong to start the red scare
by telling the Boston Globe that two organizations
in Massachusetts are associated with the weapons
cache in Brooklyn. He called them "dangerous."
Here we see that Berlet's fight against "cults" has
reached its logical conclusion: anyone not within a
narrow range of acceptable liberal politics is
"dangerous." What Berlet has ended up doing is
aligning himself with the forces of conformity.
Even Berlet admits that these activists in Brooklyn
have never used their weapons. So why does he draw
attention to them as opposed to anyone else with a
weapon? Everyone with a weapon is dangerous. Berlet
should consider his personal motivations for
gaining fame by overdoing the cult theme and drop
the anti-cult angle.
The police reference to endangering children and
assault has to do with whispered rumors of child
abuse by the activists in Brooklyn. The social
workers played their usual reactionary role for the
state by looking into this, endangering the people
there by calling in the cops and then by partaking
in the red scare in the national media. It turns
out that medical authorities could find no evidence
of abuse and that the supposedly abused child said
she was OK. In any organization of 150 people there
are going to be some parents punishing their
children. It is hardly a matter worthy of a media
red scare campaign.
Now thanks to this whole setup the people in
Brooklyn will be harassed by all kinds of kooks for
being communists. Thanks to Berlet, some of that
harassment extends into Massachusetts where the
Boston Globe called some people about their alleged
indirect ties to the Brooklyn activists. This same
harassment is no doubt being carried out by news
agencies and individuals across the country who
have picked up this story and are now trying to get
the scoop on "cults" in Massachusetts.
The bottom line is that the bourgeois media and
politicians call anyone with strong or independent
opinions a "cult." We agree that there should be
ideological information made available about the
Moonies etc. so people know what they are really
joining. That's as far as it goes though--
ideological battle. We have strong opinions
ourselves and we make sure that people are aware of
other similar strong opinions before they join us,
because we don't want any would-be Trotskyists or
Moonies in our organization. A vanguard party is
supposed to be an organization of leaders, not a
mutual hand-holding session of weaklings.
If someone is physically prevented from leaving an
organization--that is a crime like any other
physical crime. It should be covered as a crime and
not sensationalized as an action by a "cult." If
everyone who employed corporal punishment on their
kids were called "cult" members in this way, we
would have a large fraction of the population
arrested.
This brings up an additional problem of "equal
protection" under the law. The Boston Globe makes
it clear that the cops basically hover over these
Brooklyn activists and in the past have failed in
their raids to find anything at all. Laws are not
supposed to be enforced only against communists or
alleged "cult" members.
The Provisional Research Associates continually
complain about "harangues" and "political tirades."
This reveals their middle-class conformity yet
again. Having strong opinions is not a crime and
weak-minded people and infiltrator cops who go to
such organizations are not oppressed when they are
being harangued.
The cops infiltrating these organizations have
carte blanche, because of the furor whipped up by
people like Berlet. How many of the complainers
leaving the Brooklyn activist group were really
just cops who made up their stories or actually
started violent fights so that they could claim
they were beaten?
These liberals don't understand that for the truly
oppressed politics is a matter of life and death.
It's typical of the whining nature of this culture
that now it's considered oppressive "coercion" to
be harangued. These wannabe middle-class activists
need to starve, go without a roof and clothing, get
shot with u.s. weapons given to puppet allies and
do without minimal drugs to fight basic infections
and then they can know what oppression is.
BIASED MEDIA COVERAGE
About the only time that the bourgeois media covers
the independent organizations of the people such as
what they are calling the Provisional Party of
Communists occurs when the cops tell them to do so.
Two organizations allegedly tied to that
organization have worked hard in Massachusetts for
more than ten years, but the Boston Globe has not
written any story about them. (See their
www.globe.com web site with search index.)
Now in passing the Boston Globe says that these
organizations provide "small" and "incompetent"
public services. Well--there is a story that should
have been written 10 years ago.
The story run by the Boston Globe does not contain
a single quote from anyone arrested. It's all cops
and mainstream liberals in the story. We urge our
readers to write to the ombudsman at
ombud@globe.com to complain about these ridiculous
smears and the lack of fairness in not even quoting
the people arrested anywhere in the story while
attempting to interview people allegedly belonging
to front-group organizations that Berlet told the
Globe to look into. Copies can also go to
news@globe.com
We also call on the activists arrested to contact
MIM Notes. Our pages are open to their side of the
story, no matter our other differences. We will
turn this attack by the state into a good thing.
NOTES:
1. "Raid said to expose leftist cult in NYC,"
Boston Globe Nov. 14, 1996. p. a3.
2. Alexander Hamilton, "The Federalist Papers,"
(NY: New American Library, 1961), p. 67, 69, 70,
115, 257.
* * *
LETTERS
INTERNET READER PRAISES STALIN ISSUE
Dear MIM,
Last night I read the "Stalin Issue" of your MIM
Theory, and I am writing to say that it was fucking
EXCELLENT! NEVER have I seen such a good and clear-
headed assessment of old Koba. The luke-warm,
white-washed bourgeois infiltrators on the Internet
decide how much to CONDEMN the former USSR for
having supported him, and of COURSE they never get
into WHY what he did was necessary and GOOD.
Personally, I consider him a GREAT leader. So,
CONGRATULATIONS, Comrades! :) :) :)
MIM RESPONDS: Nope, readers, we did not write this
letter ourselves. We publish it here so that you
can get your own selves a copy, just $4.95 to PO
Box 3576, Ann Arbor MI 48106. Find out what the
capitalists/trotskyists never told you about
Stalin.
LATIN KING URGES REVOLUTION
To whom it may concern:
I was reading the "Campaign to hear the oppressed"
and came across a paragraph about the "Latin
Kings".... I am a member of the Latin Kings do
death do me apart!
This is to all proletarian and the members of the
"Almighty Latin King Nation".
We must organize our people in order to get rid of
the system, the oppression. We as a Latin King
Nation must serve as models in our ghettos. The
United Snakes of Amerikkka calls all Latinos
minorities not because there is only 28 million of
us. But they call us minorities because they do not
see us as equal. We are ** discriminated, abused,
used, tortured, imprisoned and exploited ** to the
fullest degree.
One out of every five Latinos in AmeriKKKA is in
prison, two out of every 5 is on parole, country
jail or in prison. The system, Yes! The ruling
class has forced drugs, poverty, poor education,
high dropout from school, public assistance, poor
heath care, illness, diseases, poor housing, low
income jobs, discrimination in college grants, etc.
See, this is the full force of society, all the
abuse and much more. Latinos have been forced in
every war to uphold the so-called freedom of the
United Snakes of AmeriKKKa.
All we seek is our ancient dream, because we are
the continuation of all those who sacrifice their
life for the cause. In honor of Aqueybana,
Aqueybana II, Don Ramon Emeterio Betance, Marian
Bracetti, Lola Rodriquez del Tio, Don Pedro Albizu
Campos, Macheteros, FALN, Young Lords and Almighty
Latin King Nation.
One power, one people, one revolution. Amor de rey
to all my bro's and sis's.
Palante Siempre Palante!!
PS. Could you send me the book called Settlers: The
Mythology of the White Proletariat?
MIM RESPONDS: Revolutionary greetings, comrade!
There's lot's of righteous points in your letter,
both about history and where we go from here. MIM
and RAIL have documented not only the selective
imprisonment of Latinos, but also their repression
once inside. See the article in the current MASS
RAIL, for example, to read about how Latinos are
virtually the sole targets of the "anti-gang"
extra-repression units in Massachusetts. When the
guards get to pick and choose who to label and gang
member, they select by nation.
We are glad that you want to read Settlers, because
it is important that the oppressed know not only
their own history but also that of the oppressor.
Clear lines need to be drawn between friends and
enemies in the struggle so that we can unite all
who can be united without watering down the
politics of the essential national liberation.
One thing that Settlers does not address is
organization. It's author, Sakai, is basically an
anarchist and though it's the best white-nation
history around, it won't give much insight in the
best way to oppose the settlers. MIM has found, by
looking at history, that that best way is through
organizing a democratic-centralist party. Thus we'd
urge you to read the points of the Young Lords for
a Latino model, as well as the successful
revolutions in China and the USSR, to get at that
necessary organization. Within the borders of the
United States MIM is currently the vanguard party
of the oppressed nations. Our Latino comrades
produce Notas Rojas, a Spanish newspaper around
which the Latino nations organize within MIM. But
we see the importance of single nation vanguards
and are working towards the formation of these.
Without a vanguard party, leadership and
organization, they'll beat us down one by one,
group by group.
* * *
ENVIRONMENTALISM OR AMERIKAN-CHAUVINISM?
In 1994, Clinton told Chinese President Jiang Zemin
"The greatest threat to our security that you
present is that all your people will want to get
rich in exactly the same way we got rich."
"And unless we try to triple the automobile mileage
and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, if you all
get rich in that way we won't be breathing very
well."
The majority of Amerika's wealth came from
exploiting other peoples, but here Clinton was
referring to the willy-nilly way in which Amerika
saved some of its stolen super profits by running
all over the environment. The capitalist world
doesn't care if it destroys the environment because
capitalism is only concerned about short term
profits. In addition, the capitalist is only
concerned about his or her private property, and
the global environment does not belong to the
individual capitalist.
On November 24, the Boston Globe carried a front
page article about the struggle of car
manufacturers to produce a car that would be
appropriate for Chinese roads, fuel and cost
requirements.
Beyond environmentalism, Amerika fears that
increased oil consumption by China could increase
funds flowing to states hostile to Amerika such as
Iran, Iraq or Libya; and link China to these
states. Also according to the Globe, China and
other East Asian nations that are large oil-
importers are expected to build deep-sea navies,
which could lead to an arms race to control
shipping lanes. All of this could potentially shake
up the U.S. controlled egg cart in the western
Pacific Ocean.
Notably, the article reported that until 1993,
China supplied oil to its neighbors, but has now
become a net importer of oil. This is even more
evidence of the way in which capitalist restoration
in China has led it to completely abandon the self-
reliance that was so important under socialism.
Amerika hypocrisy is also clear in that its focus
is on selling enviro-friendly cars to China, not
for use here. True, Amerika's cars are cleaner to
run than they were previously, and air quality in
the U.S. has improved since the 1970s even though
there are 50 million more cars on the road. But in
1996, where is the largest energy consumption?
Right here, where increases in energy efficiency
would have a huge impact.
True environmentalist solutions (from larger to
smaller) would include the elimination of
capitalism, the redesign of society and the culture
away from individual towards mass transportation,
or the marketing energy efficient cars like those
proposed for China all around the world, including
here in the United Snakes. Even this smaller
proposal is beyond the comprehension of the Boston
Globe or most Amerikans, let alone banning the
production of gas-guzzlers in favor of more fuel
efficient alternatives.
NOTE: Boston Sunday Globe Nov. 23, 1996, p. A1,
A28.
* * *
IMPERIALISTS GIVE SOCIALISTS A PUBLIC OPINION
VICTORY: THE U$A OPPOSES "RIGHT TO FOOD"
In the third week of November at the UN- sponsored
World Food Summit, the United States government
made it very easy for justice-seeking people
everywhere to understand why socialism is superior
to capitalism. When bourgeois newspapers like the
Boston Globe run headlines trumpeting "US opposes
'right to food'," our public-opinion building is
made easy. The imperialists, who are forever
bragging about the "rights" of their chosen people
bought at the expense of the oppressed, opposed the
rights most important to the oppressed, among them
the right to food.
The ruling and middle classes of most of the
world's countries believe that the right to food is
a human-right. They endorsed it at the World Food
Summit.
Only 15 countries objected out of the 186 that
participated. For most of the world's people it is
almost commonsense that those who deprive others of
food are violating a human-right. The people know
that the profit motive stands in the way of feeding
the people.
In contrast, the U.S. government statement said,
"The United States believes that the attainment of
any 'right to adequate food' or 'fundamental right
to be free from hunger' is a goal or aspiration to
be realized progressively that does not give rise
to any international obligations nor diminish the
responsibilities of national governments toward
their citizens." MIM agrees only in the sense that
it is the responsibility of those national
governments to kick out the u.s. imperialists so
they can feed their own people. Here within U.S.
borders it is our responsibility to point this out
and bring down the system that starves the world's
people at a rate of 14 million a year.
Instead of recognizing that social justice is
necessary for all people to have food, Amerika went
the other way at the summit advocating expansion of
those genocidal food policies that fill its
pockets. It said that "free trade" of
"biotechnology" would decrease hunger. In fact, the
destruction of Third World biodiversity in the name
of lots of for-export monocrops has created more
food for the imperialists (and their horses and
dogs) while increasing the hunger for the people
who grow, but cannot eat, these pesticide-heavy
pest-attracting plants. The products of
biotechnology are hugely expensive for Third World
farmers because as soon as a white man in a white
lab coat has altered a plant oppressed people have
been selectively breeding for centuries, the
"rights" of the imperialists to "intellectual
property" supersedes the right of the oppressed to
food.
At the same time the U.S. government was opposing
the right to eat, it was launching a media campaign
for the Secretary of State's next trip to China. As
usual the U.S. government promised to twist China's
arms on questions of "human-rights." In other
words, the U.S. government wants China to release
the activists who advocate an open bourgeois
republic in China to replace the phony communist
system.
The skewed priorities of the rich are to guarantee
the "free speech" of the pro-capitalist minority in
the world while denying a guarantee to the right to
food. According to the imperialists, if one is rich
enough to survive, one should have the right to
advocate capitalism.
The world's people already know that the
imperialists have it all backwards. "Free speech"
to say stupid things like "food is not a right"
doesn't do any good if one is already dead from
starvation. Absolute and non- negotiable human-
rights exist for food, shelter, clothing, drugs and
a livable environment. Things like the
"intellectual property rights" that the U.S.
government is going to bother China about are
secondary. The vast majority of the world's people
already know this and it is only the job of the
vanguard parties to harness that correct sentiment
in the most efficient way possible to make so-
called human-rights reality.
When a person's non-negotiable human-rights are
violated, the use of force is justified to obtain
those human-rights. That is the essence of
dictatorship--organized force. Anything less than
dictatorship to enforce such "human-rights" as they
are called in the West amounts to admitting that
those rights are negotiable.
Currently the bourgeois dictatorship uses force to
keep people from eating. Proletarian dictatorship
simply takes the opposite stand. People who stand
in the way of non-negotiable rights must be
repressed ruthlessly until that day when it is as
unthinkable to deny food as it is unthinkable to
own a slave.
NOTE: "US opposes 'right to food' at summit" & "US
aide to press rights in China," Boston Globe Nov.
18, 1996, p. a2, and The Baltimore Sun, Nov. 18,
1996, p. 9A.
* * *
EUROFOR: NEW IMPERIALIST TERRORISM FORCE
On Saturday November 9th, in Florence, Italy, the
empires of Spain, France, Italy, and Portugal
announced the formation of a joint 10,000 man rapid
reaction force to intervene in crises in North
Africa and the Middle East. The new force, called
Eurofor, is headquartered in Florence. The alleged
purpose of this force is humanitarian and
peacekeeping missions.(1)
Libya's leader, Muammar Qaddaffi, called the
formation of Eurofor a "declaration of war by
Europe" against the North African people. Qaddaffi
utterly rejected Eurofor, correctly calling it a
"new international terrorism". In response to this
act of imperial aggression, Qaddaffi said he should
intervene in the war between Britain and the IRA.
"We could also have a force to intervene in the
Balkans and another to intervene in the European
states" he said.(1)
On Sunday November 10th, Libyan Foreign Minister
Omar Mustafa al-Montasser summoned the French,
Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian ambassadors and
demanded an explanation for the formation of
Eurofor. Montasser said that Eurofor "could not be
accepted in the 21st century". Meanwhile, Libyan
Secretary for Unity Affairs, Jomaa al-Fezzani, met
with diplomats from Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia
to stress the importance of reaching a unified
stance against Eurofor. He told the three diplomats
that Libya "totally rejects it (Eurofor) because of
the dangers it entails and which threaten the
independence of the Arab Maghreb Union states." The
Arab Maghreb Union is the five nations of Libya,
Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Mauritania.(2)
Also on Sunday, Qaddaffi gave a speech to the
Libyan people in which he said "Libya will probably
begin to prepare a force to resist the European
forces."(2)
The Libyan response to Eurofor was clear, quick,
and direct. By refusing to roll over and play dead
when threatened with European imperialism and
moving immediately to act against it, Qaddaffi may
have temporarily foiled Eurofor. If successful in
uniting the Arab Maghreb Union states against
Eurofor, Libya may well be successful in preventing
Eurofor from ever invading any of those five
nations and preserving their independence.
MIM supports the efforts of the Arab countries to
resist imperialist domination. While we know that
none of these Arab countries are socialist, they
are oppressed by imperialism and their struggles
deal blows to the imperialists. Qaddaffi's attack
on Eurofor reveals the hypocrisy and double
standards applied by the imperialists who think it
is fine if they act as global cops protecting the
wealthy. It is only through socialist revolution
will we be able to replace the system of
imperialist world domination with a dictatorship of
the proletariat that acts to protect the interests
of the majority of the people against the
bourgeoisie.
NOTES:
1. The Times, Nov. 13, 1996.
2. Reuters World Service Nov. 11, 1996.
* * *
**The following statement was submitted by MIM to
the AIWPS secretariat**
MAOIST INTERNATIONALIST MOVEMENT (MIM) STATEMENT IN
SOLIDARITY WITH THE ANTI-IMPERIALIST WORLD PEASANT
SUMMIT
The Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM), a
revolutionary communist party based in North
America, is honored to be one of the many anti-
imperialist grassroots organizations represented at
the Anti-Imperialist World Peasant Summit.
MIM wholeheartedly supports this conference's
theme, "Oppose APEC and Imperialist Globalization.
Land, Food, Jobs and Freedom for all the Toiling
Masses of the Soil!"
Within U.S. and Canadian borders there is no longer
a peasant class--with the exception of Puerto Rico
which remains semi-colonial and semi-feudal.
Nonetheless, there is a strong basis for solidarity
between the oppressed peoples within U.S. and
Canadian borders and the world's peasantry.
The Black, Chicano, and indigenous peoples of North
America struggle side by side with the world's
peasantry for land, food, jobs, freedom and
national liberation.
Like the peasantry, the indigenous peoples of North
America struggle against multi-national
corporations which seek to dispossess them of their
land for profit's sake. Like the peasantry, the
indigenous peoples of North America struggle
against imperialist governments which give these
multi-national corporations the green light to
plunder the land. As a concrete example, the Mohawk
First Nation of North America, Mexican peasants in
Guerrero, and Filipino peasants have all struggled
against the creation and expansion of golf courses
onto their lands. Likewise, the Lakota First Nation
of North America and the Filipino peasants of the
Cordillera region both continue to struggle against
the destructive multi-national mining corporations.
The Black and Latino peoples, too, are joined with
the peasantry against imperialist domination. Their
history is one of struggle against dispossession
and for the control of their land. Even now, in
urban areas, the Black and Latino peoples struggle
against dispossession and state repression.
Chicano and Asian-descended people who toil the
land to feed North America surely know that the
world's peasants are their brothers and sisters in
solidarity and struggle against national
oppression.
These groups, which are internal colonies of the
U.S. empire, are united with the world's peasantry
in the struggle against imperialist domination.
The struggle against imperialism goes hand in hand
with the struggle against oppressor-nation
chauvinism. Oppressor-nation chauvinism has a
material basis in the extraction of superprofits
from the world's neo-colonies.
As a result, the majority of the imperialist
nations' populations cannot be realistically
expected to rise up against imperialism at this
time.
Nonetheless, MIM will continue to work among all
sectors to unite all who can be united against
imperialism. Among white people, we look to the
youth in particular as a strata whose class,
national and gender interests are malleable. We
organize oppressor nation youth along
internationalist lines to fight imperialism from
within the belly of the beast. The advanced
elements from the oppressor nations know that the
future of humanity lies with the international
proletariat and peasantry.
Oppressed peoples of the world unite!
Long live the anti-imperialist struggle!
Long live Marxism-Leninism-Maoism!
* * *
APEC SUMMIT:
IMPERIALIST MEDIA WHITEWASH OPPRESSION; MASSES VOW
TO FIGHT ON
Before and during President Clinton's participation
in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
summit the amerikan media flattered the u.s.-Ramos
regime in the Philippines, calling it an "aspiring
Asian Tiger"(1). USA Today cited the 7% growth in
the Philippines' GNP as proof of the effectiveness
of President Ramos' economic policies.(1)
These lies and half-truths mask the fact that the
u.s.-Ramos regime exists to defend and extend the
political and economic system which robs the people
of the Philippines of their sovereignty and keeps
them in poverty. Even USA Today admits that for the
poor in the Philippines "[t]hings are still the
same: no good."(1) More than 75% of the people in
the Philippines live below the government-defined
poverty line.(2)
EXPLOITATION AND POVERTY
About two-thirds of the 7% growth in the GNP in the
Philippines came from overseas workers--that is,
workers who could not find jobs in the
Philippines.(3) More than 113,000 workers lost
their jobs in 1995 and the first quarter of 1996 as
a result of government policies catering to
imperialist dictates. BAYAN International estimates
that at least 40% of the total labor force is
unemployed.(2) The share of the GNP accounted for
by domestic agriculture and industry actually
decreased in 1996.(3)
The u.s.-Ramos regime's economic strategy depends
on remittances from overseas workers, who face
extreme exploitation and oppression. The much
touted "growth" in the Philippine economy is
actually a desperate attempt to rustle up cash at
the expense of the people. It does not develop
Philippine agriculture or industry to serve the
needs of the people (only the development of self-
reliant socialism could reliably do that).
As we reported in the last MIM Notes, the u.s.-
Ramos regime is so desperate to put forward a
healthy and "growing" image that it forcibly
evicted as many as 500,000 squatter families from
Metro Manila.(4) According to USA Today, "the
government has erected walls around some slums and
bulldozed others... [t]o keep such eyesores from
APEC bigwigs."(1) In a statement, the League of
Urban Poor for Action said: "The APEC summit today
is a swearword for the urban poor and the entire
people. The shameless government cover-up of their
inhuman poverty is the backdrop to the otherwise
opulent reception of the foreign delegates, who
will only see a sanitized Metro Manila."(3)
Urban poverty in the Philippines is a result of
concentration of land ownership and subsequent
peasant evictions and IMF-dictated anti-labor
policies. By seeking to cover up or bulldoze away
the urban poor, the u.s.-Ramos regime is admitting
that it cannot solve the contradictions in
Philippine society.
AMERIKAN MILITARY BASES AND "COVERT OPERATIONS"
The APEC summit also provided the amerikan military
with an excuse to base fighter planes at Clark
Field again. A nation-wide movement to remove the
amerikan military bases from Philippine soil closed
the air base and Subic Bay naval station (where the
APEC summit was held) in the early nineties. The 17
u.s. jets at Clark Field participated in "covert
operations" during the summit.(3)
MIM Notes 121 documented how the u.s.-Ramos regime
used APEC summit to step up the military harassment
and repression of political activists.(5) The
Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), a militant legal
organization of trade union activists, reports that
u.s.-Ramos regime also revived the hated Civilian
Armed Forces Geographical Units (CAFGUs),
paramilitary units designed by Ramos which are
internationally notorious for their human rights
abuses.(3) The CAFGUs and similar organizations are
an important part of the u.s.-designed "total war"
being waged against the revolutionary movement and
the people of the Philippines.
ANTI-APEC DEMONSTRATIONS REFLECT STRENGTH OF THE
MASSES
Of course, the imperialist media's whitewash
campaign has not fooled the masses in the
Philippines. Organizations like the KMU or the KMP
(Peasant Movement of the Philippines) have been
carrying out anti-APEC and anti-imperialist
agitation throughout recent months. Many
demonstrations targeted the summit itself. The KMU
Correspondent describes a militant rally which took
place in late August:
"The rally denounced the continuing domination of
U.S. imperialism in the country. A power dance
symbolic of the two contending forces of U.S.
imperialism and of the Filipino people was
presented amidst hushed silence. The lone voice of
a woman singing the patriotic lyrics of a pre-war
poem was heard.
"As the last line was rendered, "and with a bullet
you shall break the old fetters!," a thunderous
applause broke, the U.S. flag burned and fiery
speeches followed.
"The rallyists vowed to fight on."(3)
NOTES:
1. USA Today, Nov. 20, 1996.
2. The Truth About the Ramos Regime, BAYAN
International, August 1994.
3. KMU Correspondence, September-October 1996.
4. MIM Notes 127, Dec. 1, 1996.
5. MIM Notes 121, Sep. 1, 1996.
* * *
PEASANT UNITY DECLARATION AGAINST IMPERIALISM
2nd draft (the most current draft available to MIM
at press time)
We, participants to the ANTI-IMPERIALIST WORLD
PEASANT SUMMIT representing peasant and
farmworkers' movements from Asia, Latin America and
Africa and farmers' organizations and solidarity
movements from Europe, North America, Japan and
Australia are gathered today to reaffirm our
collective and resolute stand to fight imperialism
and unshackle the persisting feudal fetters of
peasant enslavement.
Landless and poor peasants, farmworkers, indigenous
peoples, subsistence fishermen and rural women
comprise sixty percent of the world's labor force.
With our sweat, brawn and caring hands, we produce
food for humanity and raw materials for industry.
In spite of our significant contribution to our
national and the world's economy, it is not us who
reap the fruits of our labor. Instead, we suffer
from abject poverty and hunger. Most of us have no
lands, no security of tenure, no housing
facilities, no medical care, no education. Our
rights are trampled upon. Our children are out of
school and at their tender age are pushed to work
in order to survive.
Since the linking of most economies to the world
capitalist system, the role of the peasantry has
been to produce raw material exports for the ever-
expanding industries of the North. Imperialism
maintained landlordism and feudal social relations
in colonies and neo-colonies to keep the local
landlords and comprador bourgeoisie their reliable
partners in extracting surplus from the peasantry.
Imperialist economic designs were carried out on a
global scale by imperialist states and agencies in
connivance with servile third world governments run
mostly by local landlord-compradors.
Today, the crisis of overproduction and cut throat
competition among imperialist powers--mainly, the
United States, Japan and European Union--put them
in a frenzied rush to reconquer neo-colonies under
the emblem of "free trade/free market" and
"globalization" even as they scramble against each
other to consolidate their own national and
regional markets and penetrate each other's secure
markets.
Through multilateral treaties such as the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade-World Trade
Organization (GATT-WTO) and regional free trade
blocs such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC), North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA), Southern African Development Community
(SADC), European Union, MERCOSUR and so on, the
exploitable resources of third world economies are
forcibly opened to the operations, control and
manipulations of imperialist states and their own
transnational conglomerates. This is made possible
also through structural adjustment programs imposed
by multilateral imperialist financial institutions
like the International Monetary Fund and the World
Bank.
This kind of so-called economic interdependence
through "globalization," trade liberalization,
privatization and deregulation simply means greater
integration into the clutches of international
monopoly capital.
Along with this plunder, imperialism tries to
conceal its economic aggression and subversion of
national interests by deceiving people to look at
problems from a blurred supraclass viewpoint and
standpoint. Their propaganda machines churn out
concepts like "sustainable development" and
"empowerment of civil society" which constricts
analysis of the development problem to pure
environmentalism, confines people's participation
to the narrow NGO frame of lobbying or intervention
in parallel forums and co-opts the so-called "civil
society actors" into being mere bitplayers in the
whole imperialist gambit. Thus, the solution to the
people's miseries is reduced to the village level
or "bio-districts," isolating it from the socio-
economic political terrain and negating the
structural causes of underdevelopment and
maldevelopment.
The consequences of this renewed imperialist
offensive are disastrous to us, peasants, to the
working class and all oppressed peoples and
nations. These spell massive landlessness, worse
forms of feudal and capitalist exploitation,
evictions, unemployment, urban and overseas
migration for the displaced rural folks. For the
entire economy, rapid deindustrialization and
bankruptcy of local enterprises lead to workers'
retrenchments, wage freezes, "flexibilization" of
labor and trade union repression. With deregulation
and privatization, state social services are almost
absent while military budgets increase and heavy
taxes are imposed. Likewise, prices of prime
commodities shoot up while income levels drop.
In the homegrounds of imperialist countries, it is
the working class, oppressed minorities and the
small family-based farmers that bear the brunt of
the current capitalist crisis. The state is cutting
social and welfare benefits for the people,
unemployment is on the rise, workers' rights are
attacked, state violence against and discrimination
[against] migrants is rampant, and small family
farms are eaten up and displaced by large-scale
corporate farms.
Faced with this situation, peasants, workers and
peoples take on the road of militant mass actions,
general strikes, land occupations, peasant
uprisings and people's revolutions. But in the face
of people's discontent and resistance, imperialism
and its local agents among third world states
always respond with overt and covert forms of
political repression and counter-resistance. These
repressive measures take different forms ranging
from massive arrests and detention, indiscriminate
bombings and hamletting of rural villages to
economic embargo and direct military aggression
against sovereign nations by the U.S. and U.N. or
NATO "peacekeeping forces" under the guise of
"anti-terrorism" or "preserving democracy".
As imperialism wantonly penetrates national
boundaries to bleed profit from its people and
land, the exploited and oppressed are also brought
together to face a common enemy and share common
aspirations and struggles.
We, the participants of this Anti-Imperialist World
Peasant Summit, therefore resolve to:
* pursue the democratic aspiration of landless
peasants and rural workers for land by persisting
in the struggle against domestic feudalism which
imperialism has supported to suit its global
economic interests;
* reaffirm our collective and resolute opposition
to any and all imperialist machinations and
instrumentalities and persevere in our struggles
for national liberation and class emancipation;
* build a strong anti-imperialist unity among the
oppressed toiling masses. We shall link up, develop
and forge strong solidarity relations between and
among us and with other anti-imperialist and
progressive organizations to further advance the
world's anti-imperialist movement;
* oppose all forms of subjugation against women and
national minorities and vow to pursue their
particular struggles within the context of
liberating the exploited classes and oppressed
nations;
* resist all forms of political repression and
imperialist military aggression. Take courage from
the heroic sacrifices mad by our befallen comrades.
We also vow to free our comrades behind bars, the
political prisoners, and seek justice for all
victims of human rights abuses; and
* as advocates of the peasants' struggle for land
and the right of nations to be free from foreign
domination, we from religious groups and cultures,
academ[ia], professional sector, youth and students
and other democratic sectors of the middle class,
pledge to direct our skills, resources and time to
continue supporting the cause of the oppressed and
be one with them in the struggle.
United, we shall become a formidable force
determined to build a prosperous society together
with all the working peoples of the world and put
an end to imperialism.
As proof of this anti-imperialist solidarity, we
hereby affix our signatures on this 12th day of
November, 1996 in Quezon City, Philippines.
MIM COMMENTS:
The Anti-Imperialist World Peasant Summit (AIWPS)
secretariat produced two draft documents for
participants to discuss, redraft and sign. The
above 2nd draft also reflects the input of many
AIWPS delegates. MIM signed the other document, the
Position Paper for the World Food Summit, "End
World Hunger and Poverty, Oppose Globalization and
Renewed Imperialist Domination!" Unfortunately, MIM
was unable to sign the "Peasant Unity Declaration
Against Imperialism," despite our unity with its
general thrust (which is anti-imperialist and anti-
feudal) and virtually all of its contents. As a
demonstration of our overall unity with the
statement, we reprint it here with a response to
clarify our disagreements.
MIM refused to sign because the statement includes
a generally incorrect passage asserting that
imperialist country workers and farmers "bear the
brunt of the current capitalist crisis," which is
simply not the case. MIM did not argue to replace
this paragraph with one correctly stating that
these workers and farmers "reap the fruits" (more
accurately, a share of the fruits) of imperialist
superexploitation. After all, the presence of
imperialist-chauvinist revisionist parties from the
imperialist countries would have ensured a
deadlock. Instead, MIM sought a compromise position
which would have left the statement silent on this
question by removing the contentious passage. MIM's
compromise position was rejected, so MIM was unable
to sign the statement.
The passage whose inclusion prevented MIM from
signing is the following from paragraphs 9-10 of
the above statement:
"For the entire economy, rapid deindustrialization
and bankruptcy of local enterprises lead to
workers' retrenchments, wage freezes,
"flexibilization" of labor and trade union
repression. With deregulation and privatization,
state social services are almost absent while
military budgets increase and heavy taxes are
imposed. Likewise, prices of prime commodities
shoot up while income levels drop.
"In the homegrounds of imperialist countries, it is
the working class, oppressed minorities and the
small family-based farmers that bear the brunt of
the current capitalist crisis. The state is cutting
social and welfare benefits for the people,
unemployment is on the rise, workers' rights are
attacked, state violence against and discrimination
[against] migrants is rampant, and small family
farms are eaten up and displaced by large-scale
corporate farms."
MIM recommended that the words "For the entire
economy" be dropped from the ninth paragraph, and
asked that the tenth paragraph be scrapped
altogether.
For activists in the imperialist countries, the
question of the nature of the class forces in the
imperialist questions is a dividing line. Those in
the imperialist countries who are genuine Marxists,
and thus scientific socialists, recognize that one
of the most basic facts about the class forces in
the imperialist countries is that the majorities in
the imperialist countries do not suffer
economically from imperialism, and in fact are
bribed with a share of the superprofits extracted
from the neocolonies by the imperialists. Those in
the imperialist countries who claim to be Marxists
and deny this basic fact are in fact revisionists.
This question is of the same level of importance in
the imperialist countries as the question of the
semi-feudal and semi-colonial nature of the
Philippines is in the Philippines. The difference,
however, is that the correct position on the basic
political-economic nature of the Philippines has
hegemony within the broadly-defined Filipino left,
while MIM still has much work ahead of it to win
hegemony for the correct position on the basic
political-economic nature of the U.S. settler-
empire and the imperialist countries generally
within these countries.
To this end, MIM distributes a number of reading
materials supporting our position, some by MIM and
some by non-MIM authors. Readers interested in
studying this question are encouraged to write to
MIM with questions and/or requests for reading
materials. Those who are interested in
understanding the basis for MIM's position in the
Marxist classics can start by looking at what Lenin
said was the basis for the opportunism which split
the Second International.
* * *
UHURU MOVEMENT FIGHTS PIG BRUTALITY, ATTACKS FROM
STATE
In St. Petersburg, Florida, members of the National
People's Democratic Uhuru Movement have been
leading the attack against the pigs whose two white
officers, Jim Knight and Sandra Minor, recently
murdered 18-year-old Black youth, TyRon Mark Lewis.
The courts found these pigs innocent of murder. In
response to this pig brutality the people have been
taking to the streets in protest and riot.
And in response to these protests, the pigs and the
city government are threatening to take the Uhuru
Movement to court for inciting a riot. Police Chief
Darrel Stephens believes Uhuru political speech --
which encourages Black revolutionary struggle
against the white power structure-- "contributed to
the atmosphere" of racial tension and violence. He
says their speech fomented both nights of rioting.
From MIM's point of view the injustice fomented the
righteous rebellion and it's typical of the
slavemaster attitude to blame his injustices on the
oppressed.
This case deals with an important issue for
activists--free speech. MIM understands that there
is no such thing as free speech: there are only
power struggles and those in power have "rights"
and those oppressed by people in power have no
rights. Members of the Uhuru movement repeatedly
warned the city of St. Petersburg that their
attacks against Blacks were going to lead to
violence. They correctly predicted the interests of
the people in fighting the pigs and the state. And
they understood that increased repression will lead
to increased resistance. For this, and for
organizing a revolutionary movement and calling on
the people to get involved, the Uhuru movement
leaders may be arrested and thrown in prison.
Activists should take a lesson from the Uhuru
movement whose spokespeople correctly understand
the importance of acting just inside of the legal
system at this time in our fight. They carefully
worded statements so that they never directly
threatened to commit or incite violence. According
to the law, it must be demonstrated that violence
occurred as a direct result of speech in order for
that speech to be considered "inciting a riot." "We
said it, just like (Uhuru member) Alvelita
(Donaldson) said in March 1996. She said it twice.
The city's gonna go up in flames if y'all don't
stop making war against African people in this
city."
But even this caution on the part of the Uhuru
movement leaders is not enough to avoid pig
repression that comes down against activists
organizing against imperialism. Shortly after the
murder of the youth, several Uhuru members were
arrested on minor charges and the Uhuru
headquarters was tear gassed.
NOTES: St. Petersburg Times, Nov. 20, 1996, P. A1.
* * *
PRISON AWARENESS WEEK CULTURE EVENT
On November 22, RAIL and MIM held the final event
of Prison Awareness Week at the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst. It was designed to be a
Revolutionary Cultural event and fundraiser for the
MIM books for prisoners program.
While the event did not meet up with our
expectations in terms of turnout and fundraising
for a variety of reasons, we did have an active
struggle over the importance of producing
revolutionary culture and the meaning of the works
presented.
One RAIL comrade performed a song by Bob Dylan
about George Jackson and his murder by prison
guards at San Quentin prison in California. This
sparked a discussion about why MIM calls all
prisoners political prisoners. George Jackson was
imprisoned for a small time crime--the theft of
$70. Within the walls he became a revolutionary
leader, and joined the Black Panther Party. He
wrote 2 books that were very influential to the
revolutionary movement of the late 1960s and early
1970s. George Jackson was causing Amerika too many
problems with his anti-imperialist organizing so
they had him killed.
When MIM says that all prisoners are political
prisoners, we do not mean that all prisoners were
arrested for openly political acts or are openly
political. What MIM looks at, however, is the
unjust political system that calls some people and
their actions "criminal", and calls other people
who harm their global neighbors to greater degree
"chairman of the board" or "President of the United
States." A system that enforces poverty for a
targeted population has no legitimacy to complain
about the lack of morality in people breaking the
imposed rules. Furthermore, MIM would call the
daily war against the Third World, be it in the
form of IMF imposed starvation, Clinton raining
bombs on Iraq, or Union Carbide poisoning the
people of India the largest crimes in the world.
Stealing seventy bucks doesn't even come close to
this level of "crime."
The next performance was Doctress Neutopia who read
an essay about her being denied access to the UMass
computer system last year. Doctress Neutopia is a
post-modern Internet activist, known for starting a
pacifist religion and promoting "lovolution" over
revolution. The December 1 issue of MIM Notes
covered a talk by the Doctress that was ostensibly
about human rights in Turkey. As MIM has already
spelt out its differences with Doctress Neutopia,
we chose to instead focus at the event and in this
article on issues that come up more often: the role
of intellectuals and the future of socialism.
Last year, Doctress Neutopia had an Internet
account at UMass to use for research purposes,
although she was no longer affiliated with the
school. When she took some copyrighted news
articles from one part of Usenet (a network of
discussion groups within the Internet) and posted
it to another, she had her Internet access revoked.
UMass pays for access to some wire service news
reports from ClariNet, and the Doctress spread a
few articles around the world for free. ClariNet,
the owners of the information, demanded "justice",
so UMass pulled her plug.
MIM has no doubt that the Doctress was turned in to
the owners of the material because some vigilante
didn't like her politics, and that the University
found her politics distasteful and therefore choose
the most severe of the possible penalties. But that
doesn't mean that we want to get caught up in
arguments about her "deserving" Internet access.
There are no rights, only those things we can
organize to seize and maintain. We expect nothing
from Amerika except its eventual defeat.
As MIM as explained previously, copyrights and the
ownership of ideas is a reactionary part of
capitalism that holds back progress. ClariNet has
useful information, but withholds access to it to
only those who pay for it. This keeps information
away from those who can use it productively.
This is why MIM Notes is given free to those--
principally prisoners--who can not pay for it. MIM
Notes is not copyrighted for a similar reason. Some
libraries restrict the photocopying of archived
literature in order to protect the publishers
copyright. While some capitalist publications might
want to withhold information, MIM would like to see
our information spread as widely as possible, so we
explicitly do not copyright material and encourage
people to copy it.
Neutopia is correct that in a just society people
would have equal access to the tools of mass
communication, including the Internet. So in that
sense, a criticism of Amerika's Internet policy for
excluding the great majority of the world would be
correct. At best, it's opportunism of the worst
sort for someone with a Ph.D. to scream oppression
because they have to pay for Internet access. Part
of the Doctress's defense is that she gets "only"
$900 a month from her father so that she can sit
around and develop reactionary lovolution
philosophies with her time.
The Doctress responded to this criticism by
demanding Internet access for the world. When RAIL
hammered Doctress Neutopia to admit that food, safe
water and getting imperialist nations out of their
country were important, she meekly said of course,
and then added "and Internet access", with the
emphasis on the Internet access.
Fundamental behind Doctress Neutopia's line is an
intellectual elitism. She believes she deserves to
sit around all day and philosophize about future
societies, archologies and the lovolution. She
wants peasants to slave in the fields all day so
she can jet around the world to criticize
revolutionary movements where she can't even speak
their language.
A RAIL comrade explained the Maoist view that the
division of labor in society is social. This
comrade posed a rhetorical question, asking if the
Doctress thought that some people dug ditches and
plowed fields, and others sat around in coffee
shops talking about philosophy because of
biological differences. The Doctress exposed her
belief in biological determinism answering that
some people are big and like physical work, and
some people don't.
MIM does not waste time developing reactionary
philosophies that lead the people of the world down
dead ends. Instead we organize for socialist
revolution to liberate the people of the world from
the oppression and exploitation of imperialism. One
of the most important stages in global liberation
will be the former parasites of the united states
and other imperialist countries paying reparations
to the Third World. Such a scenario would offer
great material aid to the Third World, and lower
the standard of living for Amerikans to something
globally sustainable. For an Amerikan to do
physical labor all day and end up with the
Doctress's "oppressive" $900 a month might be quite
lucky indeed.
* * *
UNDER LOCK AND KEY: NEWS FROM PRISONERS AND PRISONS
UNWANTED SEXUAL ADVANCES BEHIND TEXAS PRISON WALLS
PLEASE LISTEN
A women was sexually assaulted and harassed by her
boss...not such "new" news in today's society...but
to be punished for reporting it is - a punishment
resulting in prolonged imprisonment...sad but
true...it happened to me!
The incident that occurred could have happened to
anyone, in prison or out. Obviously, though, I am a
much more "captive audience" if you will. Had I
been an employee in the average corporation, I
would have been considered a hero for blowing the
whistle. An inmate, however, is still portrayed as
the villain, not the hero. I want to "tell all"
simply because I don't ever want another female or
male to go through the degradation I have been
subjected to by the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice. This is what I have to say.
I am an inmate in the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice in Gatesville, Texas. I have a twenty year
sentence for drugs and I have been locked up since
February 1992. With my good behavior and status, I
had a pre-approved parole date for February 1994.
(Contrary to the article published in the
Gatesville newspaper). Until, that is, I started
working for a certain ranking captain - Captain
Franco. Subsequently, my life got thrown into a
series of injustices.
My dark past and my struggle to find myself are the
very reasons I landed in prison. As devastating as
prison can be, I honestly thought this was to be my
new start. I could put the past behind me and begin
with a clean slate, something I was looking forward
to very much. Since I have been in prison, I have
been subjected to worse things, done to me
illegally, by figures of authority than what I did
to get sent here in the first place!
I believe I can show the public a whole new light
on what prison is all about. After all, I was the
average citizen for several more years than I was a
convicted felon. I too used to think prison was
where people went to get their lives straightened
out...not ruined! Sure - prison should not be fun,
but the people running these places are more
corrupt than most inmates. Honestly, its a free-
for-all: sex, drugs, abuse, even stealing. They are
protected in doing these things because the system
does not want the public to know what really
happens behind these walls.
In August 1993, just months away from my freedom
and paying the final debt to society for my
mistakes, I was sexually assaulted by my
supervisor, who was a Ranking Captain with 10 years
in the Criminal Justice System. I was a Trusty,
which is a difficult status to obtain in the Texas
prison system. Upon reporting the incident, I was
subjected to some very harsh and cruel treatment
and transferred to a different facility where no
help was available.
Instead of the captain being punished, it seems as
though I have been given a whole new sentence for a
crime I didn't commit. I begged for some relief due
to troubled sleeping patterns and severe nightmares
of the assault. I also began acquiring several
disciplinary cases which in turn caused me to lose
my date to go home. All of this was a direct result
of asking for help with a situation I wasn't sure
how to handle. My reputation as a model inmate with
Trusty status was flawed forever, never to be
obtained again.
I was told I would get a polygraph but had to force
the issue until finally six months later I was
granted one in which I passed and Captain Franco
failed. It was then another six months until
Captain Franco was fired. However, I was not
restored to my original status...just harassed and
retaliated upon even more than before.
At this point I filed a civil lawsuit. I was at my
wit's end as to how to stop all the harassment by
Captain Franco's peers. The punishments grew more
frequent and more severe following the lawsuit. All
I wanted was justice and to be allowed to go home
to my three children.
Now that things are down to the wire on the civil
suit, I've been locked down and stripped of all
personal property, including family photos and any
means of outside news. I am having to sneak this
letter out and hope that it will be mailed. They
have attempted to strip me of my dignity and self
respect. I've been ostracized and belittled among
other inmates. It has been hard to keep focused on
my goals and to keep a positive picture of freedom
one day.
My hope for justice has been my strength; this
letter as my appeal for public knowledge and
support. Officers constantly say nasty comments
about me to other inmates in hopes that they will
hurt me mentally or physically. I am a nervous
wreck just trying to keep this from affecting me
any further. It is a daily struggle.
I truly believe this could be a good story. Several
people can testify to hair raising incidents! Men
and women alike! I am honestly voicing my opinion
when I say that the Texas Prison System is run by
the "real criminals". I'm sure with all the proof
and documentation I have, this story could open an
ugly curtain on Texas prisons. It would also set
the record straight about the incident that has had
a domino effect on my life.
My civil suit is still pending. Captain Franco has
been a hard man to locate. An attempt has been made
to serve him papers regarding the civil suit. His
last known whereabouts were at a U-Haul in Killeen.
That, however, has proven to be a dead end. His
comrade Lt. Rhea, the main investigator who was the
acting Internal Affairs man, tried to cover
everything up and sweep it under the rug. Much to
my dismay, he was running for the sheriff of
Gatesville when the authorities tried to serve him
papers. Everything came back to me saying they
could not locate these men. The last knowledge I
have of Mr. Franco's whereabouts was that he fled
to Tennessee and has not been heard from.
As you know, he is basically protected by immunity
of Code of Color of State. However, I still expect
him to be at the trial to answer for his behavior
as well as my prolonged stay in a corrupt prison.
But it seems I am fighting a losing battle against
deception and cover-ups, while I continue to fade
into non-existence in the Texas prison system. I am
forced to represent myself in litigation since I
have twice been denied council by the local Federal
Courts. I am a Pro Se litigant with very little
knowledge of the law.
In 1994 there was a Federal case [Women Prisoners
Vs. District of Colombia] in which they ruled that
regulations were to be in order in the hiring of
correctional officers. These regulations were to
weed out all sexual deviants and to identify
without a doubt those individuals capable of
holding a position in a correctional institution.
As I look around at the employees of this
institution, I realize that the State of Texas is
more concerned with building prisons than they are
screening their applicants. With the nation's
largest prison expansion program, less focus has
gone into the hiring of capable individuals.
Instead they allow inexperienced, sheltered country
folk, (whose county has won the bidding for new
prisons, therefore new job opportunities) to be put
in positions of power with authoritarian status.
Generations of correctional officers fill the
system. They protect their own at all costs. It is
somewhat a code of honor it would seem. They have
run things in this manner for years...the last
thing they need is a convicted female felon who
believes in justice and insists on being heard.
I am deeply concerned that you may never get this
letter. Whether you are interested or not in
investigating my story, please at least acknowledge
receipt of my letter. Otherwise I will be left to
assume my mail has been tampered with as usual.
Anxiously Awaiting a Reply
--A Texas Prisoner, 12 October 1996
ARIZONA: CHAIN GANGS, SLAVE LABOR AND STARVATION
Dear Comrades:
I really enjoyed M.I.M! Your articles were right on
target, this administration needs to be put between
the cross-hairs!! The September issue on KKKlinton
was a bulls-eye! I want you to know that I will put
your newsletter into circulation here in the
Arizona State Prison, ...
Here in Arizona, prison chain gangs and slave labor
are the common practice. I've been incarcerated
just over 10 years and in the last few years
Arizona prisons have done everything in their power
to provoke riots and unnecessary discontent. Who
are the real crooks? As of November 1, 1996, a
$2.00 a month appliance charge will be deducted
from inmates' money account, money that is usually
sent in by our family members for personal hygiene
items, etc. I hope they choke on that $24.00 a year
debit. I believe they are trying to put money back
in accounts they have previously stolen from. There
is an unsubstantiated rumor that there are a lot of
Federal indictments ready to be handed down against
the corrupt Arizona Government starting at the top
with Governor Fife Symington, and everyone under
his umbrella. Let's hope so.
Also, the administration has been cutting back on
the required portions of food and diets will be cut
back from 2250 calories to 1800. They are starving
us. No-one has had any new clothing since over a
year ago, they say they can't afford to even
provide us with socks, yet they won't let our
families send us clothes. In the meantime, they are
financing and building tents to house more
prisoners, and an internal departmental report
claims the inmate population is subsiding.
Something is contradictory here.
Arizona is notorious for slush funds, their "black
hole" money pits where a lot keeps going in and
"disappears" before it gets a chance to be used to
finance something. Somebody is making out good in
this state, but that is another story in itself.
Well, when times get hard its easy to oppress the
oppressed, and that's how the ball and chain gets
its evil rest.
Thanks for having open ears. Keep up the good work.
--An Arizona Prisoner, 23 October 1996
NEW YORK CENSORS MIM NOTES
Dear MIM,
This is to acknowledge that MIM Notes September 1 &
15 and August 1 & 15 of 1996 arrived here addressed
to me. However, the facility media review committee
has censored and denied me the receipt of the
September 1 and 15th issues. Presently I am
appealing the decision to central office and I am
also contemplating a federal court challenge to the
practice, since I have been consistently
experiencing the same with other publications.
As you suggested, in the coming days I will be
posting you articles about the conditions in the
prison here. Thanks for your attention and
courtesy.
Yours in Struggle
--A New York Prisoner, 2 November 1996
Letters of Protest can be sent to: Central Office ,
Attica Correctional Facility, PO Box 149, Attica,
NY 14011.
MORE ARTICLES ABOUT DEATH ROW NEEDED
Dear MIM,
I would very much like to continue receiving your
great paper. I appreciate you letting me have
access to such a great Mat. filled with so much
info.
I would live to see more articles dealing with
Death Row issues. I have been on Florida's Death
Row for 8 1/2 years with a full evidentiary hearing
coming up in January. I hope to prove what I have
stoodfast over 9 years that I'm totally innocent.
Evidence was withheld, witnesses were forced to lie
and it's all coming back to bite the state's ass
now.
Keep up the great work!
Florida just executed a good friend of mine on 21
October 1996 at 7:09 pm. John Earl Bush.
--A Florida Prisoner, 25 October 1996.
MIM RESPONDS:
The death penalty in Amerika is an extremely
important issue. Especially since most of the
people killed are from the oppressed nations, even
though they represent a small percent of the
population within Amerikkkan borders. The death
penalty is another tool the oppressive imperialist
state uses to control and legally kill people.
Under Lock and Key prints the letters of prisoners
and their concerns. So please write and send UL&K
articles about death row, the conditions, current
prison events and struggles. Some of the most
accurate and telling information comes from within
the walls. If you want to read about it, write
about it.
--RCG1 23 November 1996
PRISONERS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE IN FLORIDA
Comrades,
Our struggle here in Florida continues, but each
day the Brothers in Arms are becoming more and more
discouraged. The fight moves us ahead one step and
the system knocks us back another two. In Palm
Beach County, Florida, things are really out of
hand. Our captors have cut back on the quantity of
food we get, and they are now illegally charging us
to stay in jail so we can not afford to buy snacks
or even hygienic supplies. As of now I owe the jail
over $100.00 and it grows daily. The courts won't
hear my civil action to fight the charges, because
the Sheriff won't serve the papers on themselves
and their fellow corruption squad who runs the
jail. Even the white, redneck politicians aren't
safe here either. Just this week, the court ordered
a candidate for state senate jailed for thirty days
for saying a judge was corrupt. How can the poor or
minority people be treated fairly if a white, rich
politician's right to free speech is taken away?
At least I'm getting my copies of MIM Notes again.
Our racist state controlled media won't share a
portion of the truths we can find in your paper.
Though our hope is diminished, it is not gone. We
must stand and fight the racist, corrupted
government, courts, and oppressors of all people.
Continuing in Struggle!
--A Florida Prisoner, 5 November 1996
NEW JERSEY PRISONERS PRACTICE TEACHINGS OF MAO AND
MALCOLM X
"If you ever think about me and if you ain't gonna
do no revolutionary act, forget about me. I don't
want myself on your mind. Let me say peace to you
if you're willing to fight for it." Fred Hampton
Chairperson, Illinois BPP.
Revolutionary Greetings & Clenched Fist Salute....
As a politikal konscious New Afrikan here immured
in one of NJ's kkkorruptional slave plantation,
infamous known as trenton state prison. First, let
me say that, i've received your Aug. lst & 15th and
Sept. lst & 15th issues. 4 in all to be exact and
along wit' a letter from one of your RAIL komrads'
a week thereafter. The prisonkrats (pigs) no doubt,
thoroughly molested (screened) them on de way
through "enemy checkpoint" (mailroom) because, it
was given to me 5 days from the initial date it was
received, so, no doubt it was thoroughly
molested(screened).
I'm not surprised that MIM NOTES wasn't
konfiscated, disapproved, and/or returned,
something that happens often when it komes to any
such "revolutionary ideas", etc. However, i'm
already on de prison- kkkrats "STG" files along
wit' a number of other komrads' who subscribe to
revolutionary ideas/practices/ideology. As a
result, we're konstantly being singled out &
harassed & being yanked wit' our mail.
All we've done was to set up study groups, P E
klasses, kultural klasses (history) etc.. As Mao
Tse-Tung said;" To overthrow a political party, it
is necessary, first of all, to create public
opinion, to do work in the ideological sphere."
Thus, that is exactly what we tend to strive
towards, by disseminating revolutionary ideology
partikularly to lumpen klass here.
As Bro. Malcolm said; "I, for one, believe that if
you give people a thorough understanding of what it
is that confronts them, and the basic causes that
produce it, they'll create their own program; and
when the people create a program, you get action."
We started by exposing the oppression and inhumane
konditions as well as, like i said, set up a study
group of cadres and the prisonkrats have/are
stepping up the repression.
As komrad George once said; " Power responds to all
threats. The response is repression". But ,as i
say, "the more the repression, the more the
resistance".!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep the papers koming.
I'll kontinue to stand firm, faithful and no doubt,
full of fight.
In struggle, In resistance,
--a New Jersey Prisoner, 28 October 1996
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN TRIGGERS TRANSFER TO FEDERAL
PENITENTIARY
Dear MIM Distributors,
While incarcerated at Waupun State Prison in
Wisconsin, I submitted to you a manifesto for
publication wherein said manifesto calls for a
boycott of Wisconsin for Human Rights.
Though I am serving no Federal time, Wisconsin
banished me to ADX Florence, United States
Penitentiary.
I would greatly appreciate it if you would place my
name on your mailing list.
Thank you very much.
Struggle.
--A Wisconsin Prisoner in Colorado, 24 October,
1996
PIG CENSORSHIP OF MIM THEORY 4
Dear Comrades
I've recently received a contraband slip from this
pig infested administration telling me that I can
no longer receive the literature that is sent to me
by you. The pigs even had the audacity to tell me
in bold letters to "remedy this situation to avoid
further problems."
I am enclosing a copy for your review. What these
pigs fail to realize is that I do not allow them to
dictate what I can and can't receive so as they
choose! I fully intend on bringing this matter to
the attention of the head swine: Ronald
Duval,(porky himself) whom is referred to as
Superintendent at this racist/repressive
institution. In the interest of preserving the
latitude of receiving your literature on a regular
basis as I have. I think it would be in the
interest of the struggle to have you also put the
pigs on notice that their reasoning is off center?
I know for a fact that once the pigs read the
personal letter you enclosed with the literature,
it became the determining factor in their
repressive decisioning. (smiling) Keep the free
flow of the revolution on a move!!!
In strength and struggle,
--A Massachusetts Prisoner, 2 November, 1996
Letters of Protest can be sent to: Ronald Duval,
Superintendent, PO Box 100, South Walpole, MA
02071.
YOUNG MEN INTERESTED IN THE STRUGGLE
If there is no struggle, there can never be any
progress. I have no mercy nor compassion for a
society that will crush people and then penalize
them for not being able to carry the weight.
Dear Comrades,
Power to the people. As I walk around inside the
belly of the pale- man's beast, I have begun to see
the oppression placed on us by the united snakes of
Babylon.
I am now in a desperate struggle to educate myself
and others about what is going on in Amerikkka. I
just received my first copy of MIM Notes and I must
say that I never knew that so many different people
were involved in the struggle.
I am only 25 years old, but I am very eager to
learn because I found that there are those younger
than me who are deeply involved in the struggle.
Plus I hate and I'm against oppression no matter
what form it appears in.
There are a few of here who are trying to prepare
ourselves both mentally and physically for the
struggle as well as for the revolution, but we are
young so therefor we lack knowledge of the struggle
which is why we've turned to you for guidance.
We know very little about the struggle or about
revolutions. We only know what we have been
fortunate enough to hear or sometimes read. We need
your help in setting up a study group, we have the
people but we lack the materials and the literature
to educate ourselves.
I noticed in the letter sent with my MIM Notes,
where you stated that you could provide study
materials, literature and books to prisoners who
were willing to learn. We would very much
appreciate a chance to take advantage of your
offer, but due to our incarceration we are unable
to pay for what you send.
We realize that there are a lot of prisoners who
you donate books, literature and other study
materials to, but if there is any way that you
could fit us in we would truly appreciate it, as
well as study it to the best of our ability. And we
promise to teach others with the hope that we may
make a difference in the struggle for Liberation. I
have been chosen as group leader, so all study
materials can be sent to me to keep down cost.
We've learned to share so we can work with whatever
you send. We just need your support and donations.
Please keep in mind that none of us are over the
age of 25 years old, so this is all somewhat new to
us. We don't know any names of famous people who've
been involved in the struggle nor do we know the
names of any of their books. Don't get me wrong, we
are familiar with the Black Struggle, but we've
learned that it's a peoples struggle and this is
what we want to familiarize ourselves with. We want
to start at the beginning and go from there. We
will keep you updated on you progress as we grow
with monthly or by-monthly letters....
In Struggle Stiff Resistance!
--A Texas Prisoner, 7 October 1996
MIM RESPONDS:
This letter speaks to the tremendous need for more
resources for MIM's Books for Prisoners program. We
will send what literature we can to this comrade
but we operate at a loss and need donations of
money and revolutionary books. These comrades in
Texas, and many others like them, need the
materials to educate themselves so they can help to
build the revolutionary movement. Those fortunate
enough to be on the outside should contribute
generously.
CALIFORNIA CENSORS MIM NOTES
Dear Representative;
I write to you concerning the banning of your fine
publication at the institution which I am
confined...
In their disapproval, the authorities cite sections
of the Director's Rules found in California Code of
Regulations, Title 15, which have been recently
changed to allow wider discretion to ban
publications which they view as '"disruptive" from
their point of view.
I am currently pursuing the Inmate 602 Appeals
process, and intend to pursue this issue into court
as a violation of free speech and religion, if
necessary. I wish to send someone in your
organization Xerox copies of my work, to keep you
posted on the circumstances. Do you have any
litigation personnel within your company whom I
might be put in contact with? I believe also, as
publishers of a news periodical, the company and
inmates such as myself should consider joining in
civil litigation to end this intrusive ban ability
which the Department of Corrections has chosen to
implement. There are many cases where the press
have been erroneously denied their reporting
function, so this just isn't an issue of "prisoner
rights" as to what they can receive while
incarcerated.
Obviously, I believe, and have so alleged, that the
banning is political in nature because of the
content and political and religious views portrayed
within your publication. As you can see from the
institutions responses, the ban is based upon such
content they view as being "anti-government" and
"anti-law enforcement". This is wrong, and must be
stopped.
...The official institution address is: California
Correctional Center, P.O. Box 790, Susanville, CA
96130-0790, telephone (916) 257-2181
Inquiries should be directed to the Warden's office
for response. The personnel who do the actual
"reviewing" and "disapproval" are the Mailroom
Staff.
Solidarity,
--A California Prisoner, October 15, 1996
MIM RESPONDS:
We are glad to hear you are fighting this
censorship and we agree with you that this is a
winnable battle. We receive many letters like this
from comrades behind bars who are having their MIM
Notes and other MIM literature censored and we are
currently putting together a short guide to help
prisoners taking on these legal battles. It will
include information on where to look for similar
cases, legal resources, and suggested strategies.
If anyone has information that would be useful to
include in this anti-censorship resource guide for
prisoners, please send it to us.
***WHAT NON-PRISONERS CAN DO TO SUPPORT
PRISONERS***
*1. Struggle with, work with, finance and join MIM.
The best way to support prisoners is to overthrow
the system under which capitalists profit from the
exploitation of prisoners. History shows that the
best way to do this is to build a Marxist-Leninist-
Maoist party. The oppressors will not give up their
power without a fight.
*2. Finance MIM's prison work. Our biggest bill
each month is postage. Most of the prison comrades
who read MIM Notes have no way of paying for it. So
if you have money, send what you can afford. Every
cent helps, and stamps are as good as cash to us.
*3. Distribute MIM Notes and Notas Rojas. Bring the
voices of prisoners and their supporters to as
large and wide an audience of people as possible.
Contact MIM for bulk rates and distribution tips.
*4. Start or join a prison support group. MIM can
provide advice and resources to help you build
public opinion for prisoners and their struggles.
*5. Fight censorship, beatings, torture and other
fascist outrages. Under Lock and Key often features
the addresses of prisoners' friends and enemies.
Work with the friends and let the enemies know
you're watching. (Don't expect to win the fascists
to the side of humanity, however. See #1 in this
list).
*6. Stay in touch. Keep us informed of pro-prisoner
work you do. Our readers might find it educational
or inspirational.
***WHAT PRISONERS CAN DO TO BUILD MIM***
*1. Start a study group. This is the best way to
share materials and ideas. In groups, prisoners can
better benefit from the limited resources MIM has.
*2. Get MIM Notes and MIM Theory into your library.
This allows one copy of the paper to be seen by
many comrades.
*3. Contact people on the outside. MIM needs
comrades and allies everywhere. Maybe you know
people on the outside who want to subscribe to MIM
Notes or distribute it.
*4. Share materials. If MIM sends books or
periodicals, please make sure that as many people
as possible get a chance to read them.
*5. Write MIM at least every three months.
Otherwise, you will be dropped from our mailing
list. There are many cases where your keepers throw
out MIM Notes, so we need to know that you actually
get it. Also, comrades are moved around a lot,
especially those who are known to be political.
Please let us know of any address changes as soon
as you know them.
*6. Make MIM Distributors an official distributor.
Many prisons require registration before MIM can
send books or other materials. Usually we can
comply with these bogus rules. It helps immensely
to have someone there do the reasearch and send us
the proper forms.
*7. Send money or stamps. Our biggest bill each
month is postage. Most of the prison comrades who
read MIM Notes have no way of paying for it. So if
you have money, send what you can afford. Every
cent helps, and stamps are as good as cash to us.
Please make all checks payable to "MIM
Distributors."
*8. Write for MIM Notes or Notas Rojas. Prisoners
write almost all of Under Lock & Key. We don't
care if you know how to spell or write good English
or Spanish. Write on any topic you like, it does
not have to be a prison story.
*9. Translate. If you can read and write English
and another language fluently, let us know. Any
translation work you do will help us make Maoist
ideas accessible to more people.
*10. Fight censorship. When you know of censorship
of books or newspapers, investigate. Write to MIM
to confirm what has happened, then see what you can
do about it.
*11. Keep in touch after your release. Many
comrades stop doing political work after their
release. Write to MIM as soon as you know where
you'll be so we can hook you up with comrades on
the outside.
* * *
CULTURE
ROMANCE OR RADICAL?
A new song by the band Stabbing Westward is hitting
it big on the airwaves. In August the band opened
for the Sex Pistols along with Gravity Kills.
At a Massachusetts concert the band's lead singer
said, "I don't understand not playing with the Sex
Pistols. Who wouldn't open for the Sex Pistols?" in
reference to the fact that another band turned down
the chance. So Stabbing Westward looks up to the
Sex Pistols which indeed did not get shown up by
Stabbing Westward or Gravity Kills being some poor
rehash of its old self.
The Sex Pistols of 1977 and 1978 were the epitome
of punk rock. Now, without their old bass player,
they still sound like their records of the old days
and they didn't play any love songs at their
Massachusetts appearance this August. What the Sex
Pistols do say about love in their songs is
scathingly sarcastic.
However, Stabbing Westward's song brings us back to
the decadent romance culture with a vengeance.
"What I was died with your belief in me. . . I
don't know what's true emotion. HOW CAN I HAVE SEX
WITHOUT YOU!". This last sentence is yelled
staccato and screams for our militant submission to
the romance culture. According to Stabbing
Westward's lead singer, he doesn't know emotion or
sex without his lover.
In any kind of popular music in the imperialist
countries, a central criterion is can the music
entertain without relying on and reinforcing the
romance culture? For MIM, Stabbing Westward's
energies are misplaced and sold-out to the romance
culture. There is much that needs to be said and
done with a vengeance, writing more love songs is
not one of them.
It is typical in the decadence of imperialism that
the strongest feelings of the youth concern the
romance culture. The system reinforces the idea
that there seems to be nothing of importance to
engage the youth with otherwise. The imperialists
have no forward-looking agenda to tap the energies
of youth, except offering bought off complacence
into the oppressive culture. Because the
imperialist education and media system does not
allow youth to learn of or gain contact with the
life-and-death struggle of the international
proletariat, romance culture seems like the only
alternative. MIM sees, as a principal contradiction
within the white nation, an antagonism between
youth and imperialism. The limited offerings from
imperialism are a short lived existence of
environmental degradation and world-wide
oppression. To the pent up anger and vengeance of
Amerikan youth, MIM says to organize with the
internationally oppressed, and build a real
movement against imperialist limitation and
oppression.
* * *
VH1'S "RIGHT ON" CULTURE LIKE MIM WOULD DO IT, OR
CLOSE TO IT
VH1, an Amerikan music video cable channel recently
broadcast a documentary called "Right On," about
Black music of the 1970s. This program approaches
music the way MIM would like to see more people
approach culture generally: as a product of and a
response to current political realities. Naturally,
VH1 shares the limitation of other big Amerikan
cultural producers in that it refuses to engage the
politics it exposes, but this program still takes a
giant step ahead of other Amerikan media
productions by emphasizing and explaining the
necessary role of politics in shaping culture.
The program talks about R&B and Soul developing
into their greatest popularity in the context of
the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s and
'60s and through the early 1970s. One band leader
talks in the film about how he came to music having
been a member of the Black Panther Party, so at
first everything he did was political. Gladys
Knight recounts how she and her generation of music
artists remember MTV, Music Television, when MTV
stated as policy that it would not have Black
artists appearing on the station; this segregation
of the music industry naturally shaped how Black
artists related to the industry. Berry Gordy,
founder of Motown Records, recalls his trepidation
about putting out such a political album as Marvin
Gaye's "What's Going On?"
All the artists and executives interviewed for this
documentary remembered Marvin Gaye as one of the
strongest song writers for talking directly about
ghetto life and Amerikan political backwardness in
relation to Black people. Gaye convinced Berry
Gordy to produce "What's Going On?" on the Motown
label saying he wanted to put out an album which
would force people to think about themselves and
their material conditions in relation to the world
around them.
MIM applauds both Marvin Gaye's style of cultural
production and this VH1 production for opening an
analysis of that production. We don't see either
one of these things as a substitute for organized
political activism. Individual song-writing cannot
compete with the organization of a vanguard party
for building up the masses' theoretical level and
their level of activism. But we do see a place for
culture in revolutionary propagandizing. Music,
art, poetry and film can popularize political
messages in a way that a newspaper can't, and so it
is important for people who have access to those
media to use them for political purposes.
* * *
RADIO STATION PROFITS FROM OPPRESSION
BOSTON, MA--The second week of September found WAAF
(107.3 FM) radio disc-jockey "Rocko" returning WAAF
to its tried-and-true strategy--gay-bashing and
"Jap"-bashing. On September 15, within a few
minutes of his saying so, dozens of callers called
Rocko to guess which band was the band that "really
sucks," "that you would hate," and that is gay
which started its first American tour in 1979 that
same day.
To describe how bad the band was, Rocko kept
saying, "no, it's more gay than that." None of the
radio-callers corrected Rocko for gay-bashing; they
all just wanted the free Pearl Jam tickets for
guessing the band correctly. WAAF is the most
consistently hard-rock station in Boston, so
listeners in that niche have little choice on the
radio but to put up with this kind of spew.
It may surprise readers to know that there are many
political and social calculations that go into
positioning for the markets of major radio
stations. In its ancient rivalry with WBCN (104.1),
WAAF has always started with a base of young men
that WBCN cannot attract, because WBCN plays less
driving rock. The WAAF strategy over the years goes
through cycles. In the down cycle, which WAAF is in
again as we speak, it emphasizes pornography on the
radio by bringing in strippers and phone-sex
workers to the station. At this time, in the low-
cycle, we also hear "Opie and Anthony" bash the
Black and Latino parts of town again and again. The
up-cycle happens when WBCN moves so far into dance
music and top 40 that WAAF gets a larger share of
the rock music audience.
When the same owner who owns the "classic rock"
station bought WBCN, it forced WBCN to put Howard
Stern on in the morning for libertarian "shock-
jock" remarks. This left WAAF as the only "new
rock" station other than WFNX (101.7 FM). When the
competition is weaker WAAF behaves itself better,
keeps its mouth shut and plays more music. WFNX
currently has a full-page ad in its affiliated
newspaper the Boston Phoenix. It prominently
features the anarchy symbol of a slashed "A." The
image of the "lawless" willing to play "bootleg"
music has great potency in the music world. In
reality, WFNX is moving in on the
grunge/alternative rock scene and there is no
profound anarchism behind its station, unless one
thinks that playing a mish-mash of music is
anarchism. Meanwhile, after taking a beating from
WAAF and going to talk radio with Howard Stern,
WBCN initiated a "rock revolution." This change of
music programming allowed WBCN to go after the
grunge and hard-rock crowd WAAF had had to itself
for a while. Now we have WAAF moving to solidify
its young, white male base again by turning itself
into radio-sex instead of phone-sex and by bashing
any "minority" group it can find.
* * *
ENGLISH IMPERIALISTS FOLLOW U.S. IMPERIALISTS ON
CRIME
There is a prison-building craze in England despite
record levels of imprisonment. While politicians
could not agree on anything else regarding crime
and rights, the legislature did agree in this
session to build and allow more private prisons:
"Criminologists, including David Faulkner, the
former Home Office head of criminal justice policy,
warned that the measures would add 25,000-30,000 to
the record 57,000 prison population. A further 22
private jails will be needed to house the
increase."
Despite being at record levels, the English
imprisonment rate is under one quarter what it is
in the united states. England also has only a
fraction of the u.s. rate of street violence
involving guns, knives and the like used by the
common people. Gun control advocates point to the
success of gun control in Europe in stopping
ordinary crime as defined by the police. We at MIM
believe that neither gun control nor gun ownership
can solve the sickness of imperialist society; only
the gun ownership of the peoples oppressed by u.s.
imperialism will finally help the people of the
imperialist countries to overcome their sicknesses
of crime, drug abuse and parasitism.
The English ruling class and mainstream newspapers
like the Guardian are able to discuss crime more
rationally than counterparts in the united states:
"The Archbishop of Canterbury, the retired Lord
Chief Justice, senior judges and criminologists
have all warned that Mr. Howard's American-style
proposals are based on 'flimsy and dubious
evidence' and will not cut crime. They point to
Home Office research showing that a 25 per cent
increase in the prison population is needed to cut
crime by 1 per cent."
In the united states when nationalism comes into
play, it's white nationalism opposing the 20
percent of the population of First Nation or Third
World heritage. In England, the dominant nation is
much less threatened internally because minorities
are smaller, though white nationalism is certainly
prevalent and targeted against both internal
minorities and oppressed nations around the world.
When nationalism comes into play, sometimes it is
the nationalism of the sort that says England is
superior to the United States:
"Mr. Howard's sentencing package has already
attracted warnings from the Archbishop of
Canterbury, George Carey, of the dangers of
'revenge-driven punishment that we see in wild
frontier societies'. It will spark a constitutional
clash with senior judiciary and Peers."
The above "wild frontier societies" would include
the united states. We believe this quote hits the
nail on the head. In any class society, the ruling
class is vicious toward the lower classes and
labels a portion criminal to keep the lower classes
as docile workers. However, in settler societies
such as the united states, white South Africa and
Israel, a white nationalist viciousness adds to the
viciousness of the ruling imperialists. In such a
situation, there is no rationality in discussion of
crime whatsoever and the oppressor nation is
perpetually ripe for fascism.
NOTE: Guardian (England) Oct. 23, 1996.
* * *
A TROTSKYIST OVERHEARD ON THE "MARXISM SPACE" OF
THE SPOONS COLLECTIVE
A Trotskyist said, "I posted some stuff a while
back that Sharon Smith of the ISO did in her talk
at Marxism 96. She argued that class consciousness
in the US today is higher than at any time since
the 1930's. She argued that this was the result of
the naked corporate greed, and the huge and
increasing gap between rich and poor. She quoted
people saying things like 'Jobs ? There's plenty of
jobs around. I've got three !'."
In response, a Filipino wrote on November 15 on the
"Marxism-International" list, "I'm not sure if
there is a 'revolutionary potential' of the western
proletariat -- much less, the left academics in the
west of different strains (neo-Marxist, western
Marxist, pomos, and all). There is too much talk,
no action. Where is Marxist praxis?
"A revolution is going on today in the Philippines,
which includes revolutionary talk and revolutionary
action.
"Marx said: 'All philosophers have hitherto
described the world; the point is to change it.'
"I'm sorry, I'm not convinced of the revolutionary
potential of the proletariat in Australia, New
Zealand, U.S., Canada, or Western Europe. There is
revolutionary KINETIC in the Philippines now,
today. A revolution is going on.
"The test of the pudding is in the eating."
MIM agrees with the Filipino comrade. The
Trotskyists constantly attack Stalin for abetting
"nationalism," but here we have the gross
nationalism of the oppressor nation being expressed
by the Trotskyists as pride in the class
consciousness of the workers in the imperialist
countries. If this is advanced class consciousness
in the united states, then Hitler can hardly wait
to see the revolution.
These Trotskyists have no sense of reality and they
advocate the demands of the labor aristocracy thus
attempting to lead Marxists down a false path. Not
surprisingly, the same Trotskyist author has taken
up MIM's question in the Iron Law of Degeneration
for the imperialist countries: Was it Stalin's
fault or the fault of a class? The Trotskyist finds
that a man dead since 1953 is to blame, just like
the bourgeois media still does as if Stalin were
with us today, not just in Russia, but also in
Eastern Europe and the imperialist countries. These
Trotskyists bought into the Cold War Stalin as all-
powerful bogeyman theory.
On a related note, a Filipina interviewed on NPR
said, "I think we take politics so seriously
because life is so hard here. We're more involved
than Americans, because in general they're
content." MIM has done extensive work exposing the
privileged status of the amerikan working class,
which leads to docility and sometimes outright
reaction (see MIM Theory 1 and MT10).
Allies of the international proletariat should not
flatter the amerikan working class by giving
credence to its narrow demands or ignoring its
chauvinism. Rather, they should be upfront about
the privileged status of the white working class
and unite all those who oppose the violence of
imperialism and the extreme exploitation of the
broad masses of humanity to overthrow imperialism.
NOTES: Marxism-International (To get there via
gopher on the INTERNET go to
jefferson.village.virginia.edu, choose
publications, discussion lists, Spoons and Marxism-
International.)
* * *
BASEBALL PLAYERS BREAK BANK
The New York Yankees won the World Series in 1996.
The Yankees were the highest paid team in baseball.
The Atlanta Braves who the Yankees defeated in the
World Series had the highest pay in their League.
In the playoffs, the Yankees beat the Baltimore
Orioles, which had the second highest payroll. Not
every year will the highest paid teams win every
playoff series, but at $11.7 million for a payroll
compared with the Yankees' 61.5 million annual
payroll, the Milwaukee Brewers don't stand much
chance. Teams like the Pirates, Expos, Brewers and
Tigers all pay less than $20 million. They are
doing the other teams a favor by staying in
existence as fall-guys. Their only chance is to
discover new talent before other teams snatch it
up.
To win requires a wealthy owner--or a city willing
to put tax money into building nice stadiums that
attract lots of fans to pay tickets for salaries of
millionaires.
Professional baseball players average $1.1 million
in salaries as of 1996. True, there is a minority
of players that receives salaries more like that of
upper-crust labor aristocrats or managers, but in
general, the ballplayers are bourgeoisie, because
they own the means of production-- not in baseball,
but in other businesses.
Virtually none of the organizations in the united
states calling themselves "Marxist" could keep from
supporting the baseball players' strike. They don't
understand that at $1 million a year, a person is
being paid in the means of production. The players
can put that money into stocks or bonds and then
live off of dividends and interest their whole
lives.
In the imperialist countries, the so-called
Marxists are far removed from labor. They think
everyone could be paid a million dollars if
capitalism didn't exist. At the same time, they
cannot find the strength to support the real
proletarian movements of the Third World.
NOTE: USA Today Nov. 14, 1996, p. 5c.
* * *
SICK SYSTEM KILLS MAN
John Passalacqua, "35, died of a heart attack last
year a few hundred yards from a fire station
equipped with life-saving equipment. . . . A police
dispatcher first routed the call to the Boston
Police Department. A second call was forwarded to
an EMS dispatcher, who never alerted firefighters."
The root cause of the tragedy was the crazy
capitalist system which allows cut-throat
competitive practices even in life and death
matters: "The city's rescue agencies have been
feuding for the past year as the Fire Department
has pushed aggressively to respond to more
emergency calls. With the number of fires
declining, the department is looking to expand its
other services."
The article goes on to explain that the Fire
Department nearly took over the EMS and the mayor
stopped it, but EMS workers are still afraid for
their jobs. "Members of each agency allege the
other is trying to monopolize calls to the
detriment of the public."
That's the illness of imperialist parasitism. When
the capitalist system is on the upswing, people
look forward and progress with the system. In the
current system, people fear for their job security
and this cost Passalacqua his life, because EMS
workers took 19 minutes to get to him.
Under socialism everyone is guaranteed a job. These
destructive political tangles pitting health
agencies against each other would not exist. There
will still be power struggles, but not that kind.
Eventually under communism, all antagonistic power
struggles we be completely abolished.
NOTE: Boston Globe Nov. 26, 1996, p. B1.
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