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 129 JANUARY 1, 1997
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. FILIPINOS FILL STREETS MILITANTLY OPPOSING
IMPERIALISM
2. BURMESE STUDENTS PROTEST FASCIST SLORC
3. SETTLERS ATTACK AFFIRMATIVE ACTION WITH PROPOSITION
209
4. "COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING" PROGRAM MEANS MORE
PIGS IN AMHERST
5. NEW CIA CHIEF IS A BIG PIG (SURPRISED?)
6. DECLARATION OF THE PEOPLE'S CONFERENCE AGAINST
IMPERIALIST GLOBALIZATION
7. PEOPLE'S CONFERENCE COUNTERS IMPERIALIST
GLOBALIZATION
8. WILLIAM HINTON: CHINA'S "MISGUIDED OLD FRIEND"
9. GAY MARRIAGE ALMOST LEGAL IN HAWAII
10. RCP-USA'S RAYMOND LOTTA SPEAKS ON U.S. STRATEGY AND
POLITICAL ECONOMY
11. MARXISM-LENINISM-MAOISM ONLINE
12. UNDER LOCK & KEY: NEWS FROM PRISONERS AND PRISONS
* * *
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
* * *
FILIPINOS FILL STREETS MILITANTLY OPPOSING
IMPERIALISM
THE PHILIPPINES, November 1996 -- Students,
peasants, workers, women, religious and human
rights activists, fisherfolk, academics, and
activists of all sectors organized several
lightning rallies(1), the all day march and
demonstration against the United Snakes' Embassy in
Manila following the Anti-Imperialist World Peasant
Summit and the People's Caravan during Novemeber
1996 to demonstrate the force and strength of the
masses in their opposition to imperialist
globalization and economic domination through the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
The Filipino people as well as the international
activists supporting their struggle for genuine
agrarian reform and National Democratic liberation
took to the streets, chanting, singing and standing
up to expose the lies of the U.S.-Ramos regime and
to oppose the imperialist attacks by the Japanese
and Amerikan governments.
In 1994, when the U.S.-Ramos regime argued that
entry into GATT would improve the situation of the
Filipino People, it promised an annual agricultural
trade surplus of $3.4 billion. What actually
happened in 1995 was that the trade deficit climbed
to $2.21 billion. The regime promised an increase
in 1995 of P7.6 billion in export earnings. What
actually happened was a decrease of P0.43
billion.(2)
Lies. Lies. Lies.
The Ramos regime has facilitated the destruction of
the Filipino people by opening up the economy for
the dumping of cheap foreign imports, the
superexploitation of Filipino labor and the
extraction of natural resources to benefit
transnational corporations and the entire chain of
imperialist parasites. In 1995, agricultural
imports rose by 43%. Unemployment in the farm
sector increased by 154,000, though the promise was
to have 500,000 new agricultural jobs.(2)
The masses see through these lies meant to cover up
the benefits which Ramos receives from cowtowing to
imperialist interests. The masses have been
organizing all sectors to fight against
imperialism, bureacrat capitalism and feudalism.
The masses are organizing a strong National
Democratic movement to achieve national
industrialization and genuine agrarian reform with
a socialist character. The events of November 1996
highlight this strong opposition against
imperialism and its lackeys.
LIGHTNING RALLIES DEMONSTRATE OPPOSITION TO THE
PILLAGE OF THE PHILIPPINES
One lightning rally was staged on 22 November by
students in front of the Cultural Center of the
Philippines Complex on Roxas Blvd. The spokesperson
for the PCAIG said "We oppose globalization mainly
because the schemes it promotes worsen rather than
abate the uneven development of nations and the
exploitation of people."(3)
The 100 activists stormed past police and came
within a block of the site where cabinet members
were meeting. The protesters entered the Cultural
Center complex and were almost to the Convention
Center -the site of the APEC meeting -- when the
police barricaded the path. Two loads of riot
police with batons stopped the protesters from
reaching the complex where 3,000 police and
soldiers were guarding the complex.(4)
Hundreds marched to denounce APEC on 21 November.
They were stopped by the Makati riot police who
prevented the protesters from getting through to
the presidential palace. Protesters sang and danced
at Don Chino Roces Bridge before being dispersed by
the police. The rally was sponsored by BAYAN Bagong
Alyansang Makabayan - New Patriotic Alliance.(5)
Police used cars and towing vehicles to block the
peaceful protesters. After a standoff for two
hours, baton-wielding police chased the protesters
and two were arrested.(6) One point emphasized at
the rally was that globalization threatened the
conditions of Third World peoples because the
governments cut all social programs in order to
entice foreign investment.
GOONS ASSAULT ACTIVISTS AT OLONGAPO CITY RALLY
14 November, 500 activists headed toward Olongapo
City - the site of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation Summit -- in order to hold an
ecumenical service and rally to work and organize
among the masses. Organizing the masses in the area
had already been curtailed by the regime's decree
that the area would have a strict curfew and
vehicle check points.
The Manila Bulletin (15 November 1996) said that
the rally, led by priests and nuns, was stopped one
km away from the gates of Subic in a clash with 200
angry residents. This version of the story was
mirrored on local television stations. The police
(the ones in their uniforms) stood aside as the
protesters were attacked saying that the
'residents' of Olongapo were very emotional about
the issue.
However, Olongapo residents informed BAYAN that
they saw two Victory Liner buses at the back of the
roadblock unloading about 100 men just minutes
before the marchers arrived. The provocateurs
attacked the peaceful demonstrators and injured 50
of them. It was not regular residents who assaulted
the activists but "plainclothes police and military
men, barangay tanods, and political aids and
bodyguards of Richard Gordon, chair of the Subic
Bay Metropolitan Authority."(7) Gordon's goons
appeared again later on the National Day of Protest
in Subic where they threw pig shit at peasant and
student activists who oppose APEC.
LEADERS ARRESTED IN ANTI-APEC CRACKDOWN
Two officers of BAYAN were arrested on 22 November.
Freddie Cunanan, the vice-chair of BAYAN chapter in
Orion, was arrested for alleged possession of live
ammunition. His brother Antonio, was arrested for
alleged possession of subversive documents.(8)
Sonia Soto, the BAYAN secretary general said that
"The massive curtailment of the people's democratic
rights to monitor the wholesale of national
sovereignty and patrimony through the APEC summit
has been the order of the day."
Central Luzon Aeta Association (CLAA) said that
ground troops from Basa Air field have tracked down
two leaders of this indigenous people's
organization. Guiao and Abuque have been outspoken
leaders against mining operations in areas which
are ancestral land in Floridablanca and Pora. The
military warned the CLAA not to join the APEC
People's Caravan.(9) (see MIM Notes 127 for more
information on the crackdown including death
threats to stop the People's demonstration against
imperialist globalization.)
NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST ACROSS THE NATION
Protest rallies on 25 November were held in Luzon,
the Visayas and Mindanao. The Luzon rallies were
held in Baguio, San Fernando and Angeles in
Pampanga, Tarlac, Olongapo, Metro Manila, Lipa in
Batangas, Calamba in Laguna, Camarines Sur and
Sorsogon. In the Visayas, strikes were held in
Bacolod, Dumaguete, Cebu, Iloilo, Tacloban and
Tagbilaran. In Mindanao, protests were held in
Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan, Kidapawan and
General Santos.
Ramos concentrated 50,000 troops in Central Luzon
in preparation to stop the protesters.(10) To fill
the space left from troops leaving for Subic,
security guards filled in for the police in other
provinces.(11) In addition to the military,
undisclosed numbers of uniformed and plainclothed
police, another 100,000 goons were organized from
village guards to pump up the security for the
conference.
The Chief of the APEC organizing committee gave the
low down in the preparation for security and was
summed up in an article entitled "APEC security
prepared for war." Seven back-up planes included
the biggest military aircraft, the C-5 Galaxy Star
Lifter from the US beefed up security for u.s.
President Bill Clinton. The Star Lifter has the
capacity of airlifting one battalion of troops and
their equipment. Military officials said that the
C-5 might be carrying Marines, their tanks, armored
jeeps and helicopters. In addition the u.s. brought
along three Boeing 747 jet liners, two cargo c-20s
and one C-141.(12)
A PNP intelligence officer also said that there are
enough technicalities in the laws to prevent the
protesters from pushing through with the
motorcades. Technicalities and downright lies were
used to delay the People's Caravan in Central
Luzon. Hundreds of jeepneys (jeepsmodified in the
Philippines for use as small buses) carrying
approximately 15,000 protesters were stopped on the
way to Subic by about eight different police
charades.
On the North Expressway between Caloocan and Quezon
City, the police blocked the highway and were
backed up by fire trucks with water cannons and
other vehicles. This stop caused traffic to
massively back up. People in the surrounding
barangays (communities) gathered to watch the
interaction of the police and the protesters.
At first, the thousands of masses on the sides of
the highway and on the overpass close to the point
at which the police had created the barricade were
only observing. Student organizers spent the hours
stuck at the barricade circulating fliers about the
People's Caravan and the impacts of APEC on the
Filipino people both to the people along the sides
and the people in vehicles stuck in the massive
traffic jam caused by government schnanagans.
The people slowly joined in, supporting the
speakers on top of the semi-truck which traveled
with the caravan serving as the platform for
speeches and songs. On the semi-truck platform,
revolutionary music rang out and further enticed
the masses to join in the ad hoc rally. Families
standing on roof tops beat pots and pans with the
revolutionary rhythm. The masses in the crowd
cheered the speakers and started to join in the
chants of solidarity against APEC.
As the rain poured down, some of the masses started
to leave. Then, they slowly returned and filled the
spaces along the road with umbrellas and tarps to
continue to lend support to the protesters in the
pouring rain. One man from a nearby barangay was
near the police barricade and started to raise a
clenched fist in the air, hung up a "JUNK APEC"
poster along the cement wall and cheered in support
of the People's Caravan.
Speakers at the rally pointed out to the barricade
that the police were standing in the rain without
protection or food and emphasized that the support
of the masses had provided the protesters with both
protection from the rain and food.
Additionally, at each police barricade, the
speakers and protesters invited the police to hand
over their guns to the side which truly represents
the interests of their people - the Filipino
people. The police were invited to join the
struggle like retired Army General Raymundo Jarque
who is now a military consultant for the National
Democratic Front. The speakers warned the police
that they should join today because tomorrow it
will be too late.
One time that the police stopped the people was on
an off ramp. Right before the curve, the military
had pulled a large semi across the ramp. The PNP
told the story that the truck was broken down and
that people had to take another route to Subic - a
much longer route which would have military
sniveling around attempting to stop the protesters
as well. The PNP also told the story that people
could not use the ramp because a bridge not far
away had collapsed.
Finally, after legal negotiation backed by fierce
chanting by the protesters, the semi was removed
and the Caravan pushed through. Because the
military had been continuously playing these games,
the people were all out of the jeepneys, marching
into town, leading the way for the jeepneys to come
through peacefully.
The Caravan met up with thousands of additional
supporters from BAYAN-Bataan. As the two groups
met, cheers of "Ang tao, ang bayan, ngayon ay
lumalaban!", "The people united will never be
defeated!" rang out in Spanish, English, Tagalog
and many other languages simultaneously. The
brothers and sisters greeted one another with
raised fists and marched on.
Soon, the People's Caravan reached the bridge which
had supposedly collapsed. It was fully intact and
revealed yet another lie which the military had
used as a tactic to stall the people.
The military let the people marching through, but
the jeepneys were stopped. This tactic forced the
marchers to stop until the jeepneys were secured.
The People's Caravan was delayed in Dinalupihan,
Bataan for the majority of the night with jeepneys
not moving all until about 5 am.
Despite the reports which stated that it was the
local residents countering the protesters, local
residents supported some in the Caravan with water,
tea, crackers and milk and said that they would
have done more if they would have known the
activists were going to be stuck in that spot
overnight.
Early the next morning, some 300 police were forced
to step aside and allow the People's Caravan to
proceed.
Finally, the People's Caravan stopped about 20 km
away from Subic in order to start the rally. The
police had stopped the Caravan with a barricade,
but by that time, major sections of the economy had
been brought to a stand still, thousands of people
were organized in the streets across the country
and press from around the world recorded the
protests. Other sections of the Caravan which had
planned to meet up at Subic converged with the
protesters in Bataan to start the very powerful
rally.
The militant organizations outlined the need for
continued and fervent struggle against imperialist
globalization which aims to round off completely
free trade by the year 2020. At the end of the
rally, delegates - including MIM - signed the
Manila Declaration which rejects "the APEC process
of global economic integration in service to a
corporate agenda at the expense of the human
rights, dignity and well being of the peoples of
this region." The declaration states that the
people "are not human resources to be mined,
exploited and depleted."
Some protesters were able to get inside to the site
of the APEC summit. They staged lightning rallies
and were met by Gordon's goons who threw pig shit
and attacked activists with steel pipes and
baseball bats.
Though the main part of the People's Caravan was
not able to reach Subic, the Caravan was a success.
Nathaniel Santiago, secretary general of BAYAN said
"Considering the large number of our enemy, we will
not sacrifice our bodies, we will not sacrifice our
force because that will be suicide." The
organization of the militant activists in the
Philippines has built massive public opinion
against APEC and imperialist globalization both
among the Filipino people and internationally.
The rallies organized by BAYAN and the People's
Conference Against Imperialist Globalization were
widely accepted as the most successful amongst the
different anti-APEC groups. This is not surprising
since the rejectionists - those who broke away from
the New Democratic movement during the struggles
over the rectification campaign -- had already
shown that opposing imperialist globalization was
not their principal priority. The leader of the
yellow (pro-imperialist) union Buklurand
Manggagawang Philipino (BMP), Felimon "Popoy"
Lagman, was arrested on 12 November for an alleged
murder. In response, 200 labor unions associated
with the sell-out BMP promised to drop plans of
mass actions against APEC if the government freed
Lagman.
SUPPORT THE JUST STRUGGLE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE
The National Democratic movement of the Filipino
people is waging a just struggle against
imperialism. It is a struggle to liberate the
people to develop their own national industry and
to create genuine agrarian reform. The goals to rid
the country of imperialist rule, feudal relations,
and bureaucrat capitalist regimes are concentrated
goals which unite the broad masses of the people on
a path toward genuine liberation.
NOTES:
1. Lightning rallies are unannounced rallies which
quickly converge on one area, show the force and
strength of the masses and are dispersed by the
police or their goons.
2. The Manila Chronicle, 23 November 1996. pp.
A1&A9.
3. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, 22 November 1996.
pp. A1&A4.
4. The Manila Chronicle, 22 November 1996. pp.
A1&A8.
5. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, 16 November 1996.
p. A1.
6. The Philippine Star, 23 November 1996. p. 4.
7. Ibid, 23 November 1996. p. 4.
8. APEC Watch & Dispatch, PCAIG Media Release #27.
9. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, 14 November 1996.
p. A3.
10. Ibid, 20 November 1996. p.A1.
11. Today, 26 November 1996. p.1.
12. The Philippine Star, 20 November 1996. p.A1.
* * *
BURMESE STUDENTS PROTEST FASCIST SLORC
by a MoRAIL comrade
Rangoon, Burma -- 6 December 1996 - Students staged
one of several recent militant protests against the
fascist ruling State Law and Restoration Council.
Protesters marched through the Thamai intersection
and were cheered on by the entire work force of the
Thamai Textile factory. The demonstration grew and
reached about 10,000 as the masses joined in
opposition to the SLORC.(1)
On 3 December, at least 1,500 Burmese students from
Yangoon demonstrated, waged sit-ins at Yangoon
University and a 10-hour sit-in at a major traffic
intersection. They demanded action against police
officers who brutalized students during an October
demonstration, the release of prisoners jailed by
the military authorities and the right to form
their own union.
The military arrested 300 demonstrating students.
The military claims that it as treated the students
"gently" and merely escorted them back to their
residences.(2) It's not clear whether they are
telling the truth that no students have been
detained or brutalized. The police beat and
detained a Burmese journalist despite the fact that
he had obtained permission from them to cover the
demonstrations.(3)
Gentle treatment in one situation by the military
can only be seen as an attempt to cover for its
history of brutal repression of the people of
Burma. Burmese military officials said that they
don't want a replay of the political uprisings of
1988 when thousands protested against Burmese
demonitarization -- which made 80% of Burmese
citizens' banknotes worthless. The government
responded with repressive measures, killing more
than 1,000 protesters. Subsequently, 10,000 -
20,000 students fled to the countryside to live
with the masses. Many of them became armed
guerrillas and helped form the Democratic Alliance
of Burma.(4)
US IMPERIALISTS TRY TO COVER FOR SUPPORT OF
FASCISTS
Bill Klinton's recent remarks in a November tour of
Southeast Asia suggests that the United Snakes no
longer sees the SLORC as a viable puppet for
imperialism. "The role of drugs in Burma's economic
political life and the regime's refusal to honor
its own pledge to move to multi-party democracy are
really two sides of the same coin, for both
represent the absence of the rule of law. Every
nation has an interest in promoting true political
dialogue in Burma, a dialogue that will lead a
fight against real crime, corruption and narcotics
and a government more acceptable to its people."(5)
More importantly for Klinton is that the
imperialist nations have an interest in building a
facade of democracy in order to ensure a steady and
secure supply of superprofits flowing to the
imperialist countries.
The United Snakes makes broad criticism of the
SLORC for being undemocratic and lawless. But
Klinton et al. don't publicly denounce the SLORC's
military-enforced use of slave labor to build
roads, pipelines and hotels. And Klinton certainly
does not criticize multinational corporations who
reap huge superprofits in Burma. The Amerikan oil
company Unocal's joint venture with Total of France
and Burma's state-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas
Enterprise is an example of this. The SLORC
forcibly relocated villages and supplied forced
labor for the project.(6)
Klinton's wringing of hands and pledge to fight
drug trafficking in Burma is disingenuous, given
Amerika's track record in Burma. In the 1950s, the
CIA helped the anti-communist Chinese Nationalist
Amy settle in Burma's northern Shan Province and
build a multi-million dollar heroin operation. The
CIA provided the KMT with arms to force the Burmese
hill tribes to expand opium production, provided
them with business contacts in Laos and Thailand,
and provided C-47 cargo planes and other vehicles
to transport opium and heroin.(7)
While the CIA was helping to create the world's
largest heroin trade in Southeast Asia from the 50s
to the 70s, CIA intelligence teams reported that
the Chinese communists in the Yunnan province,
which borders Northern Burma, had "transformed the
patterns of hill tribe agriculture" and had
virtually eradicated opium production.(7)
The CIA still encourages heroin production in
Burma. U Saw Lu, a leader of the Wa people in Shah
province, reported SLORC involvement in heroin
trade in Wa territory to the US Drug Enforcement
Administration. He was tortured for 56 days for
that. Undaunted, he submitted a drug eradication
plan (entitled "The Bondage of Opium: The Agony of
the Wa People, A Proposal and Plea") to DEA special
agent Richard Horn. Horn planned on working with
the Wa people to implement Lu's proposal. But CIA
Chief of Station Arthur Brown sabotaged the effort
by giving a copy of the proposal to SLORC military
intelligence officer Col. Kyaw Thein. Horn was
subsequently forced out of Burma by the State
Department under pressure from the CIA in September
1993.(8)
Just like their imperialist master, the SLORC is
cultivating an image of actively eradicating heroin
operations in Burma. The SLORC publicly bragged
recently that drug kingpin Khun Sa had
"surrendered" to them. Gen. Maung Aye, recently
promoted to Vice-Chairman of the SLORC, has been on
Khun Sa's payroll for years. Khun Sa's "surrender"
basically amounts to a closer working relationship
between Khun Sa's people and the SLORC in heroin
production in the Shan province.(8) Khun Sa, got
his lucrative heroin operations off the ground with
help from the CIA, according to Jack Blum of the
San Jose Mercury News.(9) According to The Nation,
the state-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise
(MOGE) launders millions of dollars of revenues
from heroin production.(8)
It is likely that Burmese fascism will be brought
to a halt through a bourgeois democratic
revolution. Burmese students should be credited for
rousing popular discontent and opposition to the
SLORC. Liberal
activists group can also take credit for
internationally agitating public opinion against
the SLORC.
MIM and RAIL support the fight against fascism in
Burma. We oppose imperialism and its puppets which
resort to brutal repression to maintain the
superexploitation of the masses. But only a
democracy led by the proletariat in alliance with
the peasantry will put an end to the oppression of
the Burmese people. This democracy can only be
achieved through Maoist revolution. We must
continue to expose the Amerikan role in propping up
fascists as well as expose the ways in which the
imperialists attempt to create a facade of
democracy when the masses take to the streets. But
we also must be clear that the battle is not over
if a bourgeois democratic revolution is won. The
masses will demand an end to exploitation and
oppression and for this communist revolution is the
only answer.
NOTES:
1. soc.culture.burma , "Current News in Burma"
2. Agence France Presse, 3 December, 1996.
3.soc.culture.burma, "The BurmaNet News" 4 December
1996.
4. BURMA TODAY: Land of Hope and Terror (December
1991) by Eric Kolvig (available on the internet at
gopher://gopher.igc.apc.org:2998/7REG-BURMA, Search
"Democratic Alliance of Burma")
5. http://www.soros.org/burma/clinton/html
6. See RAIL Notes (Fall 1996)
7. Al McCoy ''The Politics of Heroin in Southeast
Asia'' (Harper & Row, 1972).
8. The Nation, 16 December, 1996.
9. San Jose Mercury News, 23 October, 1996.
* * *
MIM RE-LEASE PROGRAM
MIM doesn't have a Re-Lease program, but you are
the one who is going to make that change. Help ex-
prisoners get a new lease on life. Mao said we in
the imperialist countries would have to fight long-
-dare we say it?--tedious legal battles in the
imperialist countries. MIM channels the anger of
the oppressed into revolutionary politics.
We aim to set up independent business institutions
of the oppressed so that prisoners can make a
living in this rotten system--legally--while
staying true to the revolutionary cause. Find out
how you can participate with no financial loss to
yourself.
Contact MIM.
* * *
SETTLERS ATTACK AFFIRMATIVE ACTION WITH PROPOSITION
209
by BayRAIL comrades
Settlers in kalifornia passed proposition 209,
ending all affirmative action programs in the state
while making it possible for businesses and
colleges to discriminate in hiring policies and
admissions on the basis of biological sex. Although
the implementation of prop 209 has been temporarily
halted by a judge, there is much to analyze in the
actions taken against 209 to mobilize the masses to
eradicate national oppression in the so-called
united states.
Settler masses and the creators of 209 claim that
the proposition aims at disregarding race as factor
in hiring and admissions programs. They claim that
the initiative was drawn up as a way to end reverse
discrimination because they felt that they were
getting a raw deal with affirmative action.
First, races do not exist. Race is a social
construction manipulated to perpetuate privileges
for the oppressor nations. Different nations exist
within the borders of the so-called united states.
These nations have separate histories, cultures and
material interests. The white settler nation
dominates oppressed nations within Amerikan borders
just as imperialists reap the benefits of Third
World labor, steal Third World natural resources
and dominate Third World economies, political
structures and cultures.
Second, settlers are not victims of national
oppression. Though settlers supporting prop 209
pose as victims getting a raw deal, they are
protecting their national interests in continuing
inadequate education and opportunities for
oppressed nations.
BayRAIL supports affirmative action because it
benefits the oppressed. These benefits help to
lessen great inequalities between nations within
the United Snakes. However, we do not delude
ourselves into thinking that the oppressor will
create laws that truly liberate the oppressed.
The oppressed cannot expect to make real gains by
participating in the imperialist's elections. Under
the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, elections are
always rigged in the favor of the oppressor. Since
the oppressors wish to maintain capitalist
production relations, they will not concede an
equal status to the oppressed without a fight. The
oppressed need to build independent institutions
and strengthen the anti-imperialist United Front in
order to kick the oppressors out and seize state
power. Unfortunately many groups posing left spread
the petty bourgeois myth that the oppressed can
rely on imperialist electoral politics to make
substantial gains. The events following the
November election at the university of kalifornia,
berkeley serve in exposing this type of reformism.
BAMN! BUILDING TAKEOVER
On November 6th a coalition of students forcibly
occupied sather tower, a prominent structure of the
uc berkeley campus. They issued demands from the
tower entrance and hung banners calling for
revolution. As the event progressed, they were met
with straight out fascist repression by the pigs
and were removed by brute force.
BayRAIL opposes this fascist repression. Repression
from pigs and growing white chauvinist oppression
illustrate the necessity of the left and its
leadership to oppose imperialism and to forge the
most correct path forward to gain liberation.
The coalition of students were led by the Coalition
to Defend Affirmative Action by Any Means Necessary
(BAMN!).(1) (BAMN! is a front group of the
Revolutionary Workers League (RWL), an adventurist,
Trotskyist organization). BayRAIL opposes the
misleadership of BAMN! because its strategy kowtows
to white nation workers despite these workers
interest in maintaining settler hegemony.
BayRAIL supports the masses in taking over
imperialist buildings because they are enemy
institutions. The masses are justified in taking
such actions against imperialism. But the key to
turning such tactics into victories is correct
leadership and correct line. These actions must be
taken at the appropriate time in the struggle when
the masses can win rather than face increased
repression from pigs who are much stronger. And
these actions must be part of a larger anti-
imperialist united front led by the proletariat.
BAMN! SEEKS MEDIA COVERAGE TO INSPIRE SETTLERS
BAMN! claimed that the media would cover the
occupation and that the people of the world would
see and be inspired by the students. BayRAIL
pointed out that the majority of the media which
cover these actions serves the bourgeoisie and its
agenda. Instead, BayRAIL works with the masses in
building independent institutions including
independent media rather than attract repression in
the name of bourgeois publicity.
BAMN! expected that coverage of the occupation of
sather tower would inspire Amerikans to take
militant action against 209. Settlers support the
repression of progressive actions because squashing
movements for change is in their interests. As in
the LA Rebellion, settlers would not be motivated
to take action on behalf of the oppressed if they
saw resistance on CNN.
UNITY WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS?
BAMN! believes that some politicians who oppose 209
are progressive. BAMN! wishes to ally itself with
these politicians to show that the "masses" stand
united against 209.
There is a mass base for fascism in the united
snakes because the workers BAMN! so adamantly
supports as the "working class" understand their
privileged settler nation status and want to
maintain the status quo. Most politicians in
Amerika do not oppose 209 because their supporters
created 209.
Some politicians dissent to appeal to the "left"
voters. And it would be a mistake to disregard
concrete actions of some bourgeois elements which
can actually further the causes of the oppressed.
As long as a fierce anti-imperialist strategy is
maintained, temporary alliances with these
politicians on some issues is correct. We can use
the contradictions between bourgeois politicians to
defeat attacks on affirmative action while
maintaining strong proletarian consciousness and
leadership (2).
BAMN! also claims that the politicians who support
209 want to make uc berkeley the bastion of
reaction. BayRAIL thinks that the university of
kalifornia has always been the bastion of reaction
and that there is no sense in trying to deny this
or making it appear as if at some point the
institution was "pure" or dedicated to progressive
ideals. The university of kalifornia is a military
institution built on stolen land by stolen labor.
REVOLUTION IS IN THE HANDS OF THE OPPRESSED MASSES
- NOT THE LABOR ARISTOCRACY
BAMN! members revise Marxism to defend their
tactics. BAMN! claims that oppressed masses need to
unite with the labor aristocracy and that a
successful revolution would have to be supported by
the white working class.
Objectively, the white working class will not
support the liberation of the oppressed masses
given that they benefit and hold a privileged
settler status due to the exploitation of those
masses. The oppressed do not need the labor
aristocracy to win liberation and should not make
concessions in the interests of the labor
aristocracy at the expense of genuine liberation.
BAMN! defined exploitation as any difference in
earnings. When the contradictions in this
definition were pointed out, BAMN! changed their
position andsaid members of the working class who
earn only enough to be kept alive have
revolutionary potential. To this BayRAIL pointed
out that Amerikan workers own homes, two or three
autos and have fat pension plans and more than what
is necessary to survive.
REVISIONIST REFORMISM WILL NOT WIN NATIONAL
LIBERATION
Because BAMN! is revisionist in theory and
materialist analysis, it is reformist in practice.
Because BAMN! has delusions of bourgeois democracy
and rallies behind the white working class, its
actions naturally cater to that class. BAMN! works
against real revolution for the world's oppressed
and objectively feeds the mouths of the
imperialists with reformism. BayRAIL must say that
the proletariat makes revolution. Concerning the
proletariat, this is what the Comintern in Lenin's
time had to say:
"The imperialist super profits of the advanced
countries enabled and enable them to bribe the
upper strata of the proletariat, to throw them
crumbs of these super profits drawn from the
colonies and from the financial exploitation of
weak countries, to create a privileged section of
skilled workers . . . without fighting not only
against the trade union bureaucracy but also
against all petty bourgeois manifestations of the
craft and labor aristocracy . . . without calling
in the lower strata, the broad masses, the real
majority of the exploited, there can be no talk of
the dictatorship of the proletariat."(3)
In Amerikkka the "real majority of the exploited"
are Black, Latino, and First Nations and immigrants
from the Third World. To say otherwise is first
world chauvinist sentimentality, not Marxism.
DOWN WITH REVISIONISM
BayRAIL does not propose avoiding all reforms. But
we will not replace proletarian consciousness and
leadership with bourgeois leadership. In the short
run, revolutionaries may benefit from bourgeois
reforms (in the form of free speech laws,
Affirmative Action, etc.). The important element,
as Lenin said, is to make sure that when forming
alliances with bourgeois elements in order to hold
the bourgeoisie to its own laws, or to fight a
winnable battle for some reform that will
concretely benefit the revolutionary cause, the
revolutionaries are always free "to reveal to the
working class that [the revolutionaries'] interests
are diametrically opposed to the interests of the
bourgeoisie."(4)
BayRAIL wants the oppressed not to give in to
bourgeois ideology but rather seek to destroy it.
With access to information and correct leadership,
the oppressed will not choose the road of
revisionism and reformism but will instead work for
genuine change and greater goals than single-issued
reforms. The oppressed must build a front against
the principal contradiction between imperialism and
oppressed nations. This can be done by working with
RAIL in exposing the crimes of Amerikkkan
imperialism and building public support for the
struggles of the oppressed here and abroad,
building independent proletarian media, and by
expanding the political consciousness of the
masses.
NOTES:
1. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action by Any
Means Necessary (BAMN) hotline + voice mail (415)
267-30672.
2. For more on this see MIM Theory 7, "The
Anarchist Ideal" pp.25-31, and MT6, "The Stalin
Issue", pp.75-78. Both are available from MIM for
$6.
3. Jane Degras qtd. in MIM Theory 10, "Coming to
Grips With the Labor Aristocracy", p.24. Available
from MIM for $6.
4. Lenin, V.I. What is to be Done? International
Publishers, NY: 1943, p.21-22. Available from MIM
for $5.
* * *
"COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING" PROGRAM MEANS MORE
PIGS IN AMHERST
by a RAIL comrade
AMHERST, MA - Early November, 1996 -- A RAIL
comrade attended a community policing meeting. Town
officials, cops and committee members outnumbered
community members by at least two to one and youth
were completely unrepresented. The meeting was an
attempt to build a partnership between Amherst
citizens and the police department.
Many Amerikans - specifically from oppressed
nations -- do not trust or respect the police and
are pissed about brutality and corruption. The
police realize this and try to win public support
through the community policing programs which are
sweeping Amerika. The police agencies do this by
co-opting the community by making them part of the
police force. This strategy reduces the level of
resistance from the public and further enables the
pigs to serve imperialist interests with a helping
hand.
BENEVOLENCE HIDES PIGGY PROLIFERATION
The focus of the meeting was on the mission
statement, police training, community training, the
problem of youth and crime prevention.
"The mission of the Amherst Community Policing
Council is to create an interactive approach to
problem solving and problem prevention based upon a
partnership between Amherst citizens and the
Amherst Police Department. We will use a practical
approach, and respect for the dignity of each
individual and the diversity of our community, to
broaden communication and collaboration between
Amherst citizens, neighborhood organizations, the
Amherst Police Department and other departments, in
serving and strengthening our community."
It sounds good, but what does it mean in practice?
First, Amherst is planning to increase its police
force. For the town government policing team, it is
planning on having three officers to cover North,
South and Downtown, plus a D.A.R.E officer, a Youth
officer, three mounted patrol, two bicycle patrol
and other officers as needed or assigned.
Second, the police are recruiting members of
oppressed nations to pig on their own people. One
discussion pertained to the difficulty of hiring
and retaining female officers and officers from
oppressed nations. The pigs tried everything --
with a test/without a test -- but "minorities" just
don't seem to be qualified.
Now they work with NOBLE (New England Black Law
Enforcement Officers) to recruit pigs from
oppressed nations within US borders.
While the cops attempt to co-opt more oppressed
nationals, they sidestepped the issue of cultural
sensitivity training, making the excuse to avoid
even this liberal band-aid because the expenses are
too high.
Third, the pigs will happily train random citizens
to serve as community cops. The pigs present were
eager to provide the community members with a
citizen police academy. This academy would meet one
evening a week, for about 8 weeks. The Town
Manager, explained how it's "easy to get hooked" on
the details of crime fighting.
It costs about $3,500 for 20-30 people to attend
this pig academy. The chief of police was ready to
take down names and sign people up. It's to the
police's advantage to co-opt the community members
early on.
COP TARGETS THE UNREPRESENTED YOUTH
One of the most important issues at the meeting was
that of youth. There were no youth at the meeting
and none were on the committee. However, this is a
large focus of community policing -- especially
after "the incident" this past summer. Six youth
were verbally and physically assaulted and arrested
by police. Very few details of the incident or
police brutality were mentioned at the meeting.
Participants explained afterward that several youth
were arrested at an outdoor movie program. One
youth was allegedly handcuffed then hit in the eyes
with pepper spray at very close range. The youth
said that he was then denied medical treatment,
kicked into a cell and hosed down 'like an animal'
until his clothes were soaked.(1)
There have been several cases reported of police
brutality -- mostly against oppressed nation youth.
One womyn said that people are not addressing the
need of kids. This launched a discussion about how
youth don't have proper values, are not in school,
and just hang around causing trouble.
From there, participants talk about crime
prevention and what options there were to get kids
off the streets. One individual asked for specifics
to prevent crime or issues with youth. "Lock up the
bad guys" one pig quipped, "Heh, Heh."
The police chief said that any law enforcement
officer knows that information is key. In order to
prevent it we have to know about it. Then he called
for pigs in the schools. The Town Manager said that
the local government couldn't force pigs in the
schools, but thinks that they should talk to them
about it.
When it was pointed out that youth were being
discussed without anyone to represent youth,
committee members said that it was already tried
and it didn't work. This group which in print
"respects the dignity of each individual"
completely disregarded the youth as citizens. The
youth were viewed as trouble-makers who only cause
chaos. The solution to dealing with them is to have
more police and hopefully even get police in the
schools.
Community policing is the up and coming wave of pig
oppression. The police and local governments bill
it as community control of police and a cooperative
effort to fight crime. In practice, COP enables the
pigs to infiltrate the neighborhoods in increased
numbers and round up more youth and oppressed
nationals to ensure that the status quo is
maintained.
COP makes everyday people part of the police
machinery. With these co-opted citizens, the pigs
have an a better ability to arrest, harass and
control more people. Essentially this means that
more oppressed nationals within US borders will be
confined within prisons across Amerikkka.
One sentiment which MIM agrees with from the
meeting is that people and communities have power.
The police would love to take that power and use it
to serve the imperialist interest of further
smashing the strength of oppressed nations and
youth within the United Snakes. MIM urges people to
use community power to organize and work against
the Amerikkkan system of imperialist oppression.
Make the cops less effective, and work for
revolution.
NOTES:
1.) Daily Hampshire Gazette, 24-25 August, 1996.
* * *
NEW CIA CHIEF IS A BIG PIG (SURPRISED?)
In December, Clinton proposed that Anthony Lake be
the new head of the CIA. Lake is stepping down as
National Security Advisor, from where he crafted
Amerikan foreign policy. Lake is an appropriate
choice for Amerika's first post-Cold War president,
because Lake is firmly focused on World War III
against the Third World.
Lake is well known for his theory of "rogue states"
-- those Third World nations that challenge U.S.
hegemony in their regions. He views these nations,
such as Iraq, Iran, Libya, north Korea and Cuba as
the main enemies of the United Snakes.
As National Security Advisor, the Joint Chiefs of
Staff and the CIA reported to him. So in that
sense, this could be seen as a demotion for Lake,
although given the extreme autonomy of the CIA from
the rest of the Amerikan military establishment,
MIM doubts that this is any form of punishment from
Clinton. It's just a different job with that will
allow Lake to be a little more hands-on in the
killing of Third World peoples.
In 1993, Lake said speaking for the Clinton
Administration: "... we do not seek to expand the
reach of our institutions by force, subversion or
repression." This is a blatant lie. His
predecessors in the CIA supported the overthrow of
elected Haitian president Aristide. Later, these
new puppets were discredited internationally, but
the CIA continued to train their repressive army.
Eventually, Lake oversaw the armed invasion of
Haiti to replace the puppet leaders with more
respectable ones.
Lake has overseen the bombing of Iraq as well as
numerous CIA operations against the Iraqi regime.
His "theory" of "rogue states" holds that "such
reactionary, 'backlash' states are more likely to
sponsor terrorism and traffic in weapons of mass
destruction and ballistic missile technologies.
They are more likely to suppress their own people,
foment ethnic rivalries and threaten their
neighbors."
In reality, the United States, with more than
30,000 nuclear weapons, is capable of destroying
the world many times over and is the only country
that has used nuclear weapons against another
country.(2) The United States refuses to promise to
not use nuclear weapons first and has threatened to
use nuclear weapons over 20 times.(3) The U.S. has
also fielded tactical nuclear weapons during
combat, and since the late 1970s has actually had a
policy committing the U.S. to a "First use" nuclear
policy.(4)
Many of the so-called "backlash" states are
objecting to Amerika's insistence that they renew
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty, which
preserves the inequality between the nuclear haves
and have nots. In 1993, the United States led the
world in the export of weapons and weapons
technology to the Third World, with 76% of the
market.(5)
As far as "ethnic rivalries", Amerika imprisons
Blacks at four times the rate apartheid South
Africa did(6), and has carried out many murderous
repression campaigns against domestic revolutionary
and dissident movements.(7)
Instead of being a warrior against the most
dangerous backlash states, Lake is one of the top
leaders of the #1 backlash state, headquartered
right in Washington, D.C.
NOTES:
1. Anthony Lake's remarks at John Hopkins
University September 21, 1993, p. 1.
2. Gerson, The Deadly Connection: Nuclear War and
the U.S. Connection, p. 36.
3. Gerson, p. 15, 39-40.
4. Gerson, p. 10, 15.
5. Peace Action Education Fund Fact Sheet;
Grimmett, p. 51.
6. "Penal Reform International using data from the
Council of Europe and
the Australian Institute of Criminology," in
William Dan Perdue, Systemic
Crisis: Problems in Society, Politics and World
Order (NY: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich College Publishers, 1993), p. 515, 516.
7. See Agents of Repression: The FBI's War against
the Black Panther Party
and the American Indian Movement by Ward Churchill
and Jim VanderWall.
In 1995 MIM and RAIL led a protest against the
selection of then National Security Advisor Lake as
Commencement Speaker at the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst. Write for copies of the
pamphlet "The politics of Commencement 1995:
Anthony Lake, U.S. Imperialism & the University"
send stamps to RAIL to pay for postage of a small
bundle.
* * *
DECLARATION OF THE PEOPLE'S CONFERENCE AGAINST
IMPERIALIST GLOBALIZATION
Quezon City, Philippines, November 21-23, 1996
We, participants in the People's Conference Against
Imperialist Globalization, representing people's
organizations, nongovernmental organizations,
solidarity groups, movements, networks and
individuals from 34 countries in Asia-Pacific,
Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, North
America and Europe, have come together to confront
a common danger and respond to a common challenge.
Monopoly capitalists, frontlined by
multinational/trans-national corporations
(MNCs/TNCs) backed by their respective states, are
in haste to expand and tighten their rule in the
world. They have created the bandwagon of
"globalization" with its three elements: trade and
investment liberalization, deregulation and
privatization. These monopoly capitalists,
invariably called modern-day imperialists or
neocolonial powers, use globalization to extricate
themselves from three decades of recurring
prolonged recessions induced by the international
debt crisis and the crisis of overproduction.
In the post-Cold War era, the traditional
imperialist powers that have long divided the world
among themselves -- the United States, the leading
states of the European Union, and Japan -- are
colluding more than ever. They connive, using their
MNCs/TNCs, to exploit and oppress the peoples of
the Third World and of the former Soviet bloc, and
their own workers too. But in the inevitably
intensifying rivalry, each power plots to penetrate
and take over the other's domains and redivide the
world.
Thus, the promised "new world economic order" of
prosperity and peace is far from coming. Emerging
instead is a new world disorder far more
destructive of the lives of billions of peoples, in
industrial and non-industrial countries alike. The
prescribed path, free trade, is not free at all.
To advance their unified goal, the major
imperialist powers have harnessed various
instrumentalities. Chief of these are the United
Nations Security Council, the International
Monetary Fund- World Bank tandem and its nefarious
structural adjustment programs, the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, lately restructured
as the World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as
international, regional and bilateral military
alliances and agreements. Reactionary regimes,
particularly of imperialist client-states in the
Third World, have conspired with imperialism to
further this goal.
The major and minor imperialist powers are using
regional free trade blocs -- principally the
European Union, the North American Free Trade Area
(NAFTA), and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) -- to speed up the WTO trade and investments
liberalization timetable. Meantime, they secure
their national and regional markets. With NAFTA in
its tight grip, the US has seized the initiative in
APEC to regain economic preeminence over Japan in
Asia-Pacific, check China's growing influence, and
consolidate American geopolitical hegemony in the
region.
In face of this situation, we, participants in the
People's Conference Against Imperialist
Globalization hereby resolve collectively to oppose
globalization in every way and by every means
possible in our respective countries and worldwide.
We denounce and oppose the subservient client-
states for selling out their peoples' interests.
They connive with imperialism in promoting
distorted concepts of "democratization," "civil
society empowerment," and "sustainable development"
in a bid to disarm the people and co-opt their
organizations into the imperialist stratagem.
We oppose imperialist globalization because the
schemes it promotes worsen the uneven development
among and within nations, intensify the
exploitation of peoples, and deepen inequality and
social polarization. They accelerate the
concentration of wealth in the handful of
imperialist states, their MNCs/TNCs and the
billionaire-owners, and drive the majority of
nations into deeper impoverishment. These schemes
also foster mindless consumerism and trash Western
culture that warp, marginalize or efface the
cultures of Third World peoples and debase their
humanity.
Globalization schemes are wiping out jobs and
livelihoods in industry and agriculture, both in
industrial and non-industrial countries. Evidence
we have seen undoubtedly show that globalization is
causing mass layoff of workers via "downsizing,"
"labor flexibilization," "labor-only contracting"
and other management designs; massive landlessness
and worsening forms of feudal and capitalist
exploitation of peasants and farm workers;
displacement, commodification and modern-day
slavery of women; eviction of the urban poor;
deprivation of indigenous peoples of their
ancestral lands and patenting of their human genes;
wanton human rights violations and political
repression; commodification of migration; razing of
the environment; de-industrialization and
bankruptcy of small and medium enterprises; cutdown
or total absence of state social services; rising
costs of consumer goods and services and declining
levels of income and standards of living of the
majority of the people. They also aim to deprive
the toiling masses of their capacity to organize
and effectively fight for their rights and survival
and to resist imperialist domination.
No wonder workers and peasants of many countries,
men and women alike, have raised their banners in
defiance. They and their fellow oppressed
represented in this conference -- indigenous
peoples, women, youths and students, intellectuals,
the middle classes, among others -- are determined
to shatter the myths and expose the false promises
of globalization by showing its all-too-real
adverse impacts on peoples' lives and environments.
More than that, they are waging varied forms of
struggles to frustrate globalization.
By its own rapacity and cupidity, monopoly capital
is fast bringing together the world's exploited and
oppressed peoples to share their common pains as
well as their common struggles and aspirations. In
more and more countries, they are developing new
means of struggle or taking up proven ones,
including the revolutionary recourse to armed
struggle. Having resisted and survived state
reaction and brutal repression, the people are
resolved to win.
We hereby resolve to carry out the following
actions:
Fully expose and vigorously oppose the deceptive
slogan, destructive schemes, and the programs and
policies of globalization in our own countries and
worldwide;
Junk APEC, NAFTA, the European Union and the WTO
as imperialist instruments to further subjugate and
exploit the toiling masses and peoples of the
world;
Fight for the dismantling of imperialist military
alliances, the abrogation of Cold-War vintage
security agreements, and the withdrawal of overseas
US military bases and troop deployments.
Struggle to establish a social, economic,
political and cultural order in our countries that
shall ensure freedom from foreign domination and
domestic exploitation and oppression. Develop our
natural and human resources for our peoples' well-
being. Foster international cooperation based on
equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit.
Resist imperialist economic, political, military
and cultural aggression, political repression by
reactionary states. Campaign for the freedom of all
political prisoners, and demand justice for the
victims of all human rights violations;
Strengthen our anti-imperialist solidarity,
perseveringly build our national organizations and
alliances and enhance our capacities to carry out
both independent and coordinated action programs.
Forge strong solidarity links among ourselves and
with other anti-imperialist and progressive
organizations to further advance the world's anti-
imperialist movement.
MIM COMMENTS:
Unfortunately, MIM was unable to sign the
"Declaration of the People's Conference Against
Imperialist Globalization," despite our unity with
its general anti-imperialist thrust 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.
We want to hear from our readers who are eager to
advance the struggle against imperialist
globalization and would like to prepare for next
year's People's Conference.
MIM did not because the statement includes an
incorrect statement in the third paragraph that the
imperialist powers "exploit and oppress...their own
workers...." and one further down which says,
"Globalization schemes are wiping out jobs and
livelihoods in industry and agriculture, both in
industrial and non-industrial countries." As a
group, imperialist country workers are not
exploited, meaning they are not paid less than the
value of their labor. In fact, imperialist country
workers are paid more than the value of their
labor, a bribe from the imperialists made possible
by the imperialists' superexploitation of the
peoples of the neocolonies. And while industrial
jobs are being wiped out in the industrialized
imperialist countries, they are being replaced by
managerial and other white-collar office jobs.
While the world's majority suffers, imperialist
country workers benefit as a group from imperialist
globalization.
MIM did not argue to replace these passages with
ones correctly stating that imperialist country
workers in fact materially benefit from the
exploitation and oppression of the world's majority
(albeit at the price of their humanity). 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
words "and their own workers too" from the third
paragraph and removing the words "both" and
"industrial and" from the other contentious
passage. MIM's compromise position was rejected, so
MIM was unable to sign the statement.
Before discussion on the topic was closed, MIM's
presentation of its position prompted criticisms of
MIM from an imperialist country activist who said,
"Workers of the world should unite, not divide."
and by an activist from the U.S.-based Freedom Road
Socialist Organization (FRSO), who repeated the
first critic's comment and added that MIM's
position is unscientific. In response to the first
comment, it is true, the workers of the world
should unite. The question is, on what basis? The
workers of the world should unite on an anti-
imperialist basis, but wishing it will not make it
so. It is an unfortunate fact that imperialism has
created a split in the working class, one whose
basis Lenin was able to pinpoint in his time.
Lenin's analysis of the basis of opportunism even
explains the willful amnesia on this point suffered
by so many of his supposed followers in the
imperialist countries. Ultimately, the kind of
unity the critics were advocating is the kind where
the proletarians unite with the labor aristocracy
on the latter's terms. No thanks! As for the FRSO
activist, who professes to support Maoism, he
should have followed Mao's admonition, "No
investigation, no right to speak!" When questioned
later, the FRSO activist admitted he had not read
MIM's theory journals on the subject. In fact, MIM
is confident enough of the scientific validity of
its position that the pages of MIM Theory are open
to our critics. We hope that the FRSO or the
individual FRSO activist will inform us in writing
of their criticisms of MIM Theory #1 and #10.
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 the U.S. settler-empire and the imperialist
countries generally.
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.
* * *
PEOPLE'S CONFERENCE COUNTERS IMPERIALIST
GLOBALIZATION
METRO MANILA, Philippines, 23 November 1996 --
While the U.S.-Ramos regime hosted the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, 200 anti-
imperialist delegates held a summit of their own --
the People's Conference Against Imperialist
Globalization (PCAIG).
PCAIG delegates came from 34 countries spanning six
continents. Today was the last of three days of
speeches, discussions, workshops and cultural
presentations which exposed the imperialist
strategy of globalization to further superexploit
the peoples of oppressed nations.
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 GATT and its
implementing arm, the World Trade Organization --
which requires participating countries to remove
barriers to free trade -- the imperialists are
furthering their interests in the domination of
Third World economies.
The US and Japanese imperialists exacted commitment
from the other APEC members for full liberalization
by 2010 for countries with industrial economies and
by 2020 for the others. In the APEC meeting, each
member country is expected to come up with a
specific action plan to meet this goal.
The PCAIG, in contrast, was a people's conference.
The delegates mainly represented organizations
which share the anti-imperialist sentiments of the
world's oppressed majority. The US delegation
included (among others) Joseph Gerson of the
American Friends Service Committee, William Hinton,
and representatives of MIM and mass organizations
devoted to solidarity work with the Filipino and
Mexican people's struggles, including PESANTE, the
Philippine Peasant Support Network.
The conference's theme was "Strengthen
International Solidarity and Advance the People's
Struggle Against Imperialism." A few speakers
tackled such broad themes as the role of
multinational corporations in APEC and
globalization, while most focused on the struggles
in specific countries or regions.
Workshops addressed the relationship of imperialist
globalization to the struggles of immigrants,
workers, peasants, wimmin, indigenous peoples,
students, youth, educators, progressive
environmentalists, and opponents of U.S.
militarism.
MIM unites in the struggle to oppose imperialist
globalization. We work to build support from the
imperialist country masses for Third World people's
struggles and also to build revolutionary movements
amongst oppressed nations within the belly of
imperialists beasts.
Under the banner of "globalization," the
imperialist powers seek to pry open the economies
of the world's neocolonies. These same powers
oppose true internationalism -- proletarian
internationalism. They pose as internationalists
developing a global economy while they intensify
their political, legal, and military attacks on
immigrants from the neocolonies to the imperialist
countries.
By campaigning against immigrants, imperialist
demagogues cater to an oppressor-nation chauvinism
which is deeply rooted in the majority of the
imperialist country populations. This oppressor-
nation chauvinism has a material basis in the fact
that the imperialists extract massive superprofits
from the people of the neocolonies and give a share
of these superprofits to the imperialist-country
majorities in order to pacify them.
Proletarian internationalists in the imperialist
countries go against the tide of oppressor-nation
chauvinism. Proletarian internationalists
everywhere seek a world without borders while
simultaneously supporting the struggles of the
oppressed nations for genuine national liberation
and independence.
As the imperialists unite to exploit and oppress
the world's peoples under the banner of
"globalization," the world's peoples must unite
under the banner of proletarian internationalism by
applying anti-imperialist principles to their own
respective national conditions.
While proletarian internationalists in the
neocolonies fight imperialism principally by
struggling for national liberation and
independence, proletarian internationalists in the
imperialist countries fight imperialism principally
by struggling against oppressor-nation chauvinism.
Well-armed with rational knowledge, most conference
participants will spend the next two days taking
the anti-imperialist message to the streets with
20,000 others participating in the People's Caravan
which is part of the National Day of protest, the
high point of the People's Conference's 5-month
campaign against imperialist globalization and
APEC.
NOTE: Additional information about the PCAIG is
available at
http://www.sequel.net/~bayan/conferen.htmFurther
information on the legal, militant organizations
organizing the conference and caravan can be found
at http://www.sequel.net/~bayan
* * *
WILLIAM HINTON: CHINA'S "MISGUIDED OLD FRIEND"
One of the highlights of both the Anti-Imperialist
World Summit and the People's Conference Against
Imperialist Globalization was the presence of
William Hinton, author of some of MIM's favorite
books: Fanshen, Shenfan, Turning Point in China (an
excellent primer on the politics of China's Great
Proletarian Cultural Revolution (GPCR 1966-76)),
and Hundred Day War. MIM has unity with Hinton on
some questions of great importance: MIM and Hinton
both defend China's new democratic, socialist and
cultural revolutions while opposing the comprador-
capitalist Deng Xiaoping regime which currently
rules China. Hinton is officially regarded by the
Deng regime as "a misguided old friend."
Hinton explained that while China still is about 80
percent peasant (with the remainder mainly
proletarian), it is no longer semi-feudal, because
there are no landlords. Hinton believes that the
current road forward for the Chinese people is not
new-democratic protracted people's war as it was in
the 1930s and 1940s. Instead, he believes that the
anti-feudal new-democratic revolution has been won,
that the anti-capitalist socialist revolution
instead is thus on the agenda, and that the
struggle is likely to take the form of insurrection
or even a military coup.
Hinton pointed out that the current Chinese regime
is comprador-capitalist, meaning that the comprador
bourgeoisie is dominant over the national
bourgeoisie. Hinton thus sees a neocolonial status
as a likelihood for China in the near future. When
fascist compraor Deng Xiaoping dies, Hinton
believes comprador Jiang Zemin will maintain power
for 1-3 years, "so don't be too optimistic." In
looking at the long-term, however, Hinton has
strategic confidence. Even now, he said, "there is
great ferment in China" due to capitalist crisis,
and the masses already dislike the Deng regime. As
capitalism develops in China, that system's
internal contradictions will become increasingly
acute. Among the contradictions Hinton noted as
already in evidence is the displacement of
unemployed peasants and the underemployment of
other peasants on the one hand, and the existence
of millionaires in the countryside on the other
hand. Maoists in the misnamed Communist Party of
China have no success; they are either demoted or
expelled. Hinton provided a list of readings he
recommended on the current situation in China
(write to MIM for a copy of this list).
* * *
GAY MARRIAGE ALMOST LEGAL IN HAWAII
HAWAII, 3 December - A Circuit Court Judge ruled
that the state had failed to show a "compelling
reason" for denying marriage to gay couples -
specifically in the case of three couples who sued
the state in 1990 because they were denied marriage
licenses. While this is progress towards
recognizing marriages between gay and lesbian
couples, the state is appealing the ruling and in
the mean time marriage is still not an option for
gay and lesbian couples anywhere in the United
Snakes.
MIM views this court ruling as a progressive step
towards eliminating one small form of gender
discrimination. While benefits and a higher
standard of living in the united snakes primarily
comes from exploitation of Third World masses,
there is no basis for believing that straight
couples deserve special privileges that other
couples do not. While marriage under patriarchy is
far from a perfect institution, the financial and
health benefits along with the social recognition
that come with this institution should not be
denied to any couple.
The "Defense of Marriage Act" that Clinton signed
in September allows states to decide individually
whether to honor gay marriages from other states.
Since that time, 16 states have passed legislation
refusing to accept out-of-state gay marriages. Even
if Hawaii ends up allowing gay and lesbian
marriages, other states are not obligated to
recognize such marriages.
The Hawaiian Constitution makes explicit the right
to privacy and a ban on gender discrimination,
unlike the US Constitution. This is the basis for
Hawaii taking the lead among states in recognizing
gay marriages. Hawaiian courts have ruled that any
law making a distinction between homosexuals and
heterosexuals must be supported by a "compelling"
state interest.
State sponsored reforms that advance the acceptance
of equality for all people come with a danger that
the state will appear to be a vehicle for
progressive change. MIM works for reforms within
the system that will relieve some oppression or
advance the cause of equality of all people, but we
always do this in the context of revolutionary
organizing. The recognition of gay marriages is
progressive as it advances the acceptance of gay
couples, but this acceptance is only into the
patriarchal institution that exists under
capitalism and does not involve a critique of the
reactionary social standards that exist under the
patriarchy.
While MIM understands the usefulness of the
institution of marriage to gain financial benefits
as well as the social pressures that help keep
relationships together, we work towards a future
where relationships will not involve the
eroticization of power differences. True gender
equality can only exist in a society where no
gender has power over another and where no aspect
of gender or sex is valued as superior to another
as straight couples are considered morally superior
to gay couples.
Under capitalist patriarchy MIM views monogamy as
the best practice for people engaging in sexual
relationships because of all the power games played
in relationships which are only worsened by people
holding the possibility that they may leave a
relationship over their partner's head. And for
this, marriage can be a useful social tool to
reinforce that two people intend to stay together.
It is revealing that the Hawaiian constitution is
unique for including a ban on gender
discrimination. A ban on all discrimination,
oppression, or power of people over others, should
be the basis for human interactions. But even in a
country where wimmin have gained considerable power
relative to the rest of the world's people, banning
gender discrimination is not explicit.
The fact that it is so difficult to legalize gay
marriage and the strong resistance by many in this
country makes it clear why people believing in the
equality of all people need to be fighting for
revolution. Under imperialist patriarchy, gender
discrimination is a part of the system. We need to
eliminate the basis for gender discrimination by
creating a society where gender does not contain
inherent power differences. Join MIM in this
revolutionary struggle to overthrow the imperialist
patriarchy.
NOTES: Boston Globe, 5December, 1996. p. A1.
* * *
RCP-USA'S RAYMOND LOTTA SPEAKS ON U.S. STRATEGY AND
POLITICAL ECONOMY
Raymond Lotta of the crypto-Trotskyist
Revolutionary Communist Party, USA (RCP-USA) spoke
at both the Anti-Imperialist World Peasant Summit
(AIWPS) and the People's Conference Against
Imperialist Globalization (PCAIG). Despite our
disagreements with the RCP-USA, we had no
significant disagreements with his speech at the
AIWPS on "Imperialist Globalization, Imperialist
Crisis, and the Revolutionary Way Forward." During
the question and answer session, however, he made
some remarks which merit comment. Lotta said the
"U.S. empire is in crisis," but then correctly
clarified that "the U.S. is not in revolutionary
crisis today." In MIM Theory #10, MIM explains that
the standard of living for most U.S. residents is
improving. The crisis of capitalism has been
contained in the oppressed nations. In contrast,
Lotta spoke of huge layoffs (a fact in the
industrial sector, but one made up for by the rise
of white-collar employment in the U.S.) and
supposed downward pressures on the U.S. workers and
even the U.S. middle classes, hinting at impending
crisis even though he had to admit there was no
crisis today.
Lotta gave the clearest explanation MIM has heard
from the RCP-USA of its general strategic line.
While MIM sees the national liberation struggles of
the Black, Latino and First Nations as principal in
the U.S., and believes that these struggles have a
new- democratic (though not anti-feudal) character,
the RCP-USA sees a single socialist revolution.
Lotta sees the force for this revolution as being a
united front against imperialism composed of three
main groups: (1) the supposed single multinational
proletariat in the lead, (2) the oppressed
nationalities, the second of the two "core
elements" of the united front and (3) significant
sections of the middle class which can be won to a
revolutionary line. Lotta admits that "the U.S. has
a very large middle class." What he does not
explain is why the proper approach to winning the
middle class to a revolutionary line is by
flattering it and its demands the way the RCP-USA
does. Furthermore, the Lotta/RCP approach to the
united front seeks to unite with the oppressed
nationalities while opposing their main struggle,
which is for national liberation.
Despite its errors, Lotta's discussion of the class
forces in the U.S. empire was more straightforward
and accurate than the usual RCP-USA fare. In
addition to admitting the existence of a "very
large middle class," he differentiated between that
class, the labor aristocracy, the bourgeoisified
workers, and the proletariat. Lotta said that the
labor aristocracy occupies a position between the
bourgeoisified workers and the middle class. MIM
does not agree that there is a basis in the Marxist
classics (Lenin is the key reference on this
question) for Lotta's distinction between the
bourgeoisified workers and the labor aristocracy.
We believe Lotta is confusing the labor bureaucracy
(professional trade union misleaders) with the
labor aristocracy (bourgeoisified workers).
Bourgeoisified workers, for Lotta, refers to
better-paid sectors of the US working class such as
those found in the steel and auto industries. Lotta
correctly acknowledged that not all US workers are
proletarians. We would like to hear the RCP-USA say
explicitly one thing which this implies: that some
U.S. workers are not only better-paid, but are paid
more than the value of their labor, a super-wage
made possible by the fact that these labor
aristocrats share in the superprofits which the
imperialists extract from the superexploited
workers and peasants of the neocolonies. Lotta
attributed the existence of a better-paid sector of
the working class in U.S. borders to the labor
struggles of the 1930s, but that is only one part
of the picture, and not the most important part for
people to understand and for a true vanguard party
to explain.
Even where he erred, Lotta deserves credit for his
efforts to explain his party's line clearly. In
this, Lotta was an improvement over the RCP-USA's
usual public face, which resembles cheerleading
more than science. On the other hand, Lotta also
reflected the opportunistic RCP-USA tendency to
avoid precision. Repeating an old RCP-USA standby,
he said "there are tens of millions of oppressed
proletarians in the United States." This could mean
20 million or it could mean 200 million. In other
words, it could mean less than 10% of the U.S.
population, or it could mean 80%! MIM focuses its
main energy on the bottom 20% of the U.S.
population, in which the oppressed nationalities
are overwhelmingly concentrated. MIM seeks greater
clarity from the RCP-USA in the latter's analysis
of the political economy of the U.S.
This question is an important one, but Lotta was
out of line when he brought it to the floor of a
summit whose focus was on the peasantry. MIM of
course has opinions about the class forces in the
U.S., but we deliberately avoided using the main
floor of AIWPS as a forum for airing them. (A
meeting of delegates from Canada and the U.S. was
another matter.)
In his speech at the PCAIG, "Global Crisis and the
Struggle for a Different Future," Lotta repeated
his old line that the imperialists leading the USSR
and the US were on a "collision course to World War
III" until the USSR collapsed. The RCP-USA should
bag this old line, but to do so properly would
require self-criticism. For opportunists, that
simply won't do. It was one thing for the RCP-USA
to overemphasize the contention between
imperialists. By doing so, the RCP-USA
underemphasized both the collusion between the
imperialists against the masses, and the struggle
of the masses against imperialism. But to hold this
line in the 1980s as the RCP-USA did was one thing.
To cling now to the line that the US and USSR were
heading for inter-imperialist war is ridiculous. It
is now a matter of historical record that the
Soviet social-imperialists responded to their
system's crisis not by resorting to nuclear war,
but by liquidating their empire relatively
peacefully. Clearly, collusion, not contention, was
the principal aspect of the US-USSR relationship.
In fact, World War III is on, but not as the RCP-
USA foresaw it. The imperialists are currently
waging a hot war--a World War III--against the
world's oppressed nations, including the U.S.
empire's internal colonies. For the Soviet social-
imperialists, this war took precedence over inter-
imperialist war.
* * *
M-L-M ONLINE
***MIM posted an article called "State Cracks Down
on Brooklyn Activists" (MIM Notes 128, p. 1) to our
Web site. One Internet reader, apparently quite
familiar with MIM literature, wrote in to advocate
the following focoist line:***
I read the What's New section and would like to ask
you a question. Thirty-five people were arrested
for marching and carrying and/or concealing
weapons. Instead of bringing up the Constitution
issue afterwards, why didn't you just shoot at the
police and finish it off. Now they must all stay in
a prison cell and probably prison for years to come
because of not firing or striking. This is the only
way to effect revolution and militant social
protest - the "anarchy of the deed" (Bakunin, as in
your MIM's Anarchist Wind) [See "MIM's Anarchist
Wind" MIM Theory 8, 1995 --ed.]. Otherwise why
carry arms at all, just step back, pick up a
democrat card and smile at the police and then get
a hot dog. After all, once they get you in there
(inside a cell) there's no getting out again.
MIM RESPONDS: MIM prints this letter because there
are a couple of important points the writer raises.
The first issue raised is the reason to bring up
the Constitution in this case. The second raised is
the implication that we should carry and take up
arms now, rather than concede to arrest and
imprisonment. Or, in MIM's view, rather than build
public opinion until the revolutionary forces are
strong enough to take on the powerful organization
of the state and win.
As for the Constitution, as we ultimately concluded
in the article, we don't care about the
Constitution one way or the other on the question
of the "right" to have weapons. We were simply
pointing out the blatant hypocrisy of the
government, and its spokespeople in the bourgeois
press, for turning this into a story about
Communists owning guns -- rather than honestly
presenting it as suppression of a subversive
political line. Our point was that the Amerikkkan
government supposedly has a Constitution to
determine the legality of people owning guns or not
-- and to wage public opinion war against the
Brooklyn activists because they owned guns proves
that bourgeois law and "justice" is not neutral as
the bourgeoisie claims.
As for the question of armed struggle now, we know
nothing about the political line of the so-called
Provisional Party of Communists, so we cannot speak
to that. We do know, however, that armed struggle
can only be led effectively by the vanguard party
with the correct political line, and, in the
imperialist countries, only when the bourgeoisie is
truly weakened. Since we do not see the bourgeoisie
as truly weakened, we do not agree with your
assessment that the "Provisional Party of
Communists" should have fired their guns or struck
first at police. Victory for Maoists means the
mobilization of the oppressed masses for a military
defeat of the bourgeoisie and the construction of a
socialist government and the dictatorship of the
proletariat. Without a chance of this kind of
victory in Brooklyn, surely the activists would
have risked even greater repression -- at no more
political gain -- than as it happened.
Instead, the political gain that can be made in the
wake of this state attack is for the revolutionary
forces to expose the hypocrisy of the state and its
bogus regard for equality under the law. We further
expose the hypocritical claims that incidences of
child abuse and strong political opinions was
evidence that the Brooklyn activists were a "cult,"
when MIM knows that the oppression of children is
endemic to the imperialist patriarchy and this
group was clearly being singled out because of
their political views. (See MIM Theory 9,
"Psychology and Imperialism.") That was MIM's
intent in that article, as well as to open the
pages of MIM Notes to anyone involved in the group
to tell their side of the story.
* * *
WORLD WIDE WEB REVIEWS
Hatewatch
(www.hatewatch.org)
Hatewatch proposes to keep Internet users up to
date on "hate" groups, defined as "an organization
or individual that advocates violence against or
unreasonable hostility towards those persons or
organizations identified by their race, religion,
national origin, sexual orientation or gender also
including organizations or individuals that
disseminate revisioned or historically inaccurate
information with regards to these persons or
organizations."
Hatewatch is upset because the Internet is more
democratic than other media. They say: "Prior to
the advent of the Web, hate groups had limited
influence due to financial constraints and their
own geographical isolation.
"Now the situation has changed. The Internet has
eliminated these natural barriers and allowed hate
groups to disseminate their propaganda
inexpensively and to vast and growing audience."
MIM says, bravo! The Internet lets MIM and other
revolutionary groups reach many people for the same
reason it lets the small-time reactionaries do it.
What Hatewatch does not care about (or list), are
the big-time reactionaries and imperialists who are
the real "hate" groups in the world. So they list
the Black Panther Coloring Book
(www.cybergate.com/~bpcb/index.html) as a "hate"
publication, but don't list the CIA
(www.odci.gov/cia/), the U$ Army, etc.(1)
Most of the groups on the "hatewatch" are
despicable racists and reactionary nationalists,
and at least communists are not included. But the
site is fuel for censorship and the backhanded
defense of imperialism. On the Internet, MIM is
glad to take the bad with the good.
NOTE:
1. In fact, the Black Panther Coloring Book was
rejected by the Panthers as projecting a too-
violent image. The FBI COINTELPRO made the book
even more violent. The FBI distributed thousands of
copies anonymously or under fake organizational
letterheads. Making sure it got in the hands of the
middle forces who were providing support to the
Breakfast Programs, the FBI was able to undermine
this support. Hatewatch does not make this
distinction, and hence implicates the Panthers
(incorrectly in this case) as a "hate group." Info
from War at Home; Covert Action Against U.S.
Activists and What We Can Do About It, by Brian
Glick, South End Press, Boston, 1989, p.46.
* * *
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES IS ON
THE WEB
http://www.geocities.com/~cpp-ndf/ndf.htm
MIM was thrilled to see the National Democratic
Front of the Philippines publish its new Web site
in November -- a comprehensive revolutionary
information and activist resource on the just
struggle of the masses of the Philippines, led by
the CPP and the NDF, against the fascist U.S.-
Ramos regime.
The site is new and still under construction, so we
encourage readers to check back often, as the NDF
builds up the links to its publication Liberation
International, and to the theoretical journal of
the Communist Party of the Philippines, Rebolusyon.
The site contains a history of the NDF, a list of
its participants and program; a link to the CPP
containing important documents of and about the
rectification campaign which began in the early
1990s; and current statements of solidarity to the
People's Conference on Imperialist Globalization.
Readers can also find updates on the arrest and
detention of NDFP consultant Danilo Borjal on 21
November -- in violation of the Joint Agreement on
Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).
(http://www.geocities.com/~cpp- ndf/peace5.htm)
There are also current articles from Free
Philippines News Service, and revolutionary poetry
by CPP founder Jose Maria Sison.
With the Web becoming more filled with decadent
commercial advertising and government propaganda,
it is important to remember it is still a valuable
way to publish revolutionary literature and build
far-reaching public support for the struggles of
the oppressed. By providing history, theory and
current agitation materials in a well-organized
site, the NDF is making excellent use of this
technology.
* * *
MIM UNLEASHING FINANCE CAMPAIGNS
Writing, editing, distributing media, protesting,
debating and holding talks--no one doubts that a
revolutionary movement must do these. Yet Mao
taught us that leadership and participation are
possible in an infinite number of areas, including
finance, where there is a science to carrying out
people's finance for inevitable victory.
The people can build their own business
institutions and do so with greater foresight and
social cooperation than the imperialists can. In
fact, some of the masses and comrades will
specialize in making just such business
contributions to the revolution, which is in line
with the fact that there are an infinite number of
possibilities for doing successful revolutionary
work, one winning battle at a time.
The Rightist Liberals say that victorious struggle
is impossible. Meanwhile the ultraleft is
constantly talking about the permanent crisis of
the imperialist countries as if revolution were
right around the corner.
MIM opposes both the rightist cop-out and the
ultraleft's competition with Rev. Moon and the
other millenarians. We are not here to tell you
revolution will succeed tomorrow on a grand scale
in the imperialist countries. However, there is no
doubt that it is possible to win a number of small
battles one at a time and build the independent
institutions of the oppressed within our overall
strategy of what Mao called "long, legal battles."
It's not headline grabbing struggle, but it is
nonetheless glorious struggle, especially to carry
it out right here in the belly of the u.s.
imperialist beast. What we need are some
persistent, hard-headed comrades willing to do the
toil of the small details.
Even for those not on the front-lines of armed
struggle there is never an excuse for not carrying
out the most exceptional work. Contact MIM to learn
how to help build independent business institutions
of the oppressed with no financial loss to
yourself. Those of us not dodging bullets can still
make a contribution to the cause of the
international proletariat without sweating bullets.
Even greater contributions are possible from those
willing to take small risks compared with the
comrades in Peru, Turkey, India and the Philippines
putting their lives on the line for revolution
every day.
* * *
UNDER LOCK & KEY: NEWS FROM PRISONERS AND PRISONS
MIM ON PRISONS AND PRISONERS
MIM seeks to build public opinion against Amerika's
criminal injustice system, and to eventually
replace the bourgeois injustice system with
proletarian justice. The bourgeois injustice system
imprisons and executes a disproportionately large
and growing number of oppressed people while
letting the biggest mass murderers -- the
imperialists and their lackeys -- roam free.
Imperialism is not opposed to murder or theft, it
only insists that these crimes be committed in the
interests of the bourgeoisie.
MIM does not advocate that all prisoners go free
today; we have a more effective program for
fighting crime as was demonstrated in China prior
to the restoration of capitalism there in 1976. We
say that all prisoners are political prisoners
because under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie,
all imprisonment is substantively political. It is
our responsibility to exert revolutionary
leadership and conduct political agitation and
organization among prisoners -- whose material
conditions make them an overwhelmingly
revolutionary group. Some prisoners should and will
work on self-criticism under a future dictatorship
of the proletariat, in those cases in which
prisoners really did do something wrong by
proletarian standards.
LIFT UP THE REVOLUTIONARY BANNER
Dear Comrades,
I was hoping I haven't been taken off the list.
Maybe I wrote you all too much, huh? I hope not. I
justed wanted to write what was on my mind about
the system. Did I say anything wrong? Have I been
taken off the list or what?
I need to know if these people are messing with my
mail or not. I haven't received a paper since
June/July. I have a lot of supporters and we look
forward to your notes.
How many stamps we need to hussle up? Is everything
alright? I'm truly devoted to you all and I'm
fighting the courts tooth and nail basically for
the main reason to join you all and work hard
around the clock to lift up what we represent. I
have no kids, no husband, no tie downs. And when I
was in the game in the streets... I truly in my
heart wanted to find people like you all.
The gang I was in was strong, old players in the
crip world. But had nothing solid. We really stood
for --the guns--our character, had no solid
foundation. I fought only to survive, but I felt
empty. I knew something was missing I knew I would
belong to something strong, that would lift up a
banner that represented more than just survival, a
few dollars in my pocket and wake up.
Anyway, I hope to hear something soon. You can rest
assured, I am a strong sister. In struggle.
-- A Texas Prisoner, 14 October, 1996
MIM does not stop sending MIM Notes because someone
writes too much. Writing too much is not possible.
We have been sending MIM Notes to you, so if you
are not receiving them you are being censored by
that prison. Please continue to keep in touch with
MIM and tell us what is going on
where you are.
--RCG1, 11Dec96
Letters of protest can be sent to the warden or
mail officer: Skyview Unit, P.O. Box 999, Rusk, TX
75785
DELAWARE PRISONERS DEFEND THEIR LIVES
Dear Comrades,
Let me first apologize for not getting back with
you sooner. Believe me, it had nothing to do with
me forgetting about you, but rather things have
just been terrible and ugly here lately. The
situation is getting worse. This pigs are coming
down hard on us and we have been very busy with
trying to defend our Lives. In short to stay alive!
Repression and racism is what rules here and for
all those who do not accept this, more repression,
isolation, control units, maximum security units,
brutality, transfer, trumped-up charges, more time
added to your sentence, death threats or even death
itself, is what awaits you. Revolutionary activism
carries with it consequences and if one is not
aware of this before getting involved, then he/she,
is in for a rude awakening.
Nothing that happens to me, or happens around me,
or anything that my "keepers" happen to do in the
way of maintaining control over the downtrodden,
surprises me anymore. I now know that we are
dealing with a vicious, treacherous, heartless and
merciless "pig" who cares little or noting about
the unfortunate mass of people who are the victims
of this pigs' corruptness, madness and
destructiveness. To get in the business of opposing
this individual, or this power elite, one must
clearly understand the sacrifices and hardships
that will come with this job. There is no sense in
involving yourself in something that you are not
willing to give up your life for. Nothing of any
value, and especially freedom, comes without the
strain and hard work of struggle.
At present I remain in M.S.U. (Maximum Security
Unit) where me and my comrades, or in fact,
everyone else as well -- Blacks, Whites, Latinos,
etc.-- are the constant victims of unjustifiable
and sadistic attacks by the prison officials. The
conditions as well as the treatment are horrendous
and inhumane. We are kept locked up twenty-three
hours and fifteen minutes each and everyday. We are
fed in our cells. We are kept separated from one
another.
On one side of this unit the prisoners' trays are
given to them under the door. Everyone else's trays
are slid to them through a slot in the door. Just
the other day there was and incident involving one
prisoner who was being attacked by 6 or 7 solider-
guards that were equipped with batons, shields,
body armor, pepper gas, and so on. While this
prisoner had to resort to grabbing the mop to
defend himself. Because of this incident we are no
longer allowed to use the broom or mop to clean our
cells. What they give us now are a handbrush and a
sponge. This means we have to get on our hands and
knees, as well as our stomachs to clean the floor,
to reach under the bed.
Yes, the shit is coming down hard on us all. From
reading the MIM Notes and other revolutionary
publications, I can see that the situation inside
these prisons are the same all over Fascist
Amerikkka. The things are becoming much worse in
here and at the rate it is going, before the year
2000, we are going to see even more destructiveness
taking place here. The Amerikan ruling class has no
intentions of easing up or doing away with its
repressive and murderous policies.
The oppression and suffering of the masses of
people in Amerikkka means nothing to the powers
that be if it has anything to do with the
dismantling of capitalism and imperialistic
hegemony. They will never willingly relinquish this
dominion for the sake of sharing or distributing
the wealth and power equally. They do no believe in
"people's government". For them to sit down and
even debate it is out of the question. Capitalism
and capitalist man just do not operate on this
premise.
We are just going to have to get ready for the task
of marching onward to educate, unite and organize
the working class, the Lumpen-Proletariat to heed
the call to arms. Revolution means change, and so
as it may be, Let us get on with the business of
creating revolution in Fascist Amerikkka.
Please continue sending me the MIM as it is an
inspirational uplift to all of us here. Very, very
informative, to say the least. It works wonders
with aiding us in politically educating the
apolitical. Build to Win!
--A Delaware Prisoner, 6 October 1996
HOLD YOUR FIRE, EDUCATE AND ORGANIZE
Comrade RAIL,
Upon receiving my first subscription of Under Lock
& Key, thus your personal scribe, my interest in
writing articles for MIM has grown taller than from
my first inspiration.
I try not to deal with the emotional aspect of how
I truly feel towards these pigs because we have the
interest of the people at heart. What I mean by
this is in part, of what you stated in your letter
to me which read, "MIM holds that this struggle
will not end until armed revolution with the help
of the third world proletariat..."
I couldn't agree with you more but lets take a
closer look my comrade. Do you really think that we
are actually ready to go to war right now at this
point in time? These pigs stay target practicing on
their farms on the firing range or just straight up
for hobby. How many do you know exercising the same
talents on our side? Giving the benefit of the
doubt, very few...
So many arms are flowing in the streets, but are
being misused thus taken for granted & still who
are the ones putting the arms out there? Plain
insult if you ask me. The nucleus of our struggle
is not just taking up the gun but learning how to
use it effectively. How do you see it? Something to
sit and ponder, thus scrutinize because it's
real....
In struggle
--A New York Prisoner, 24 October, 1996
MIM agrees that now is not the time to wage armed
struggle. As you correctly argue, the other side is
much more powerful militarily. MIM's line is that
eventually armed revolution will be needed to
overthrow the imperialists, because they will not
give up power willingly. MIM also agrees that now,
is the time to educate and organize ourselves for
revolution. That means exposing the torturous
conditions of prisons as well as the military
tactics of the imperialists.
--RCG1 9 December 1996
WE HAVE THE STRENGTH AND POWER OF THE PEOPLE ON OUR
SIDE
MIM,
I'm writing this letter to further expound on the
article written by one of my Brothers in Arms,
entitled "Latinos persecuted in New York". I myself
am a member of the Glorious "Almighty Latin King
Queen Nation" so I feel bounded by honor to shed
some further light regarding our struggle within
these walls.
The reason why this rule 105.12 was brought about,
was to try and stop those of us within the confines
of hell from educating and manifesting the truth to
our fellow Latin people. The imperialist have
continually attempted to prevent any unification
from formulating within these walls.
They are secretly aware that we have the strength
as well as the man-power here to make changes. So
every chance they get, they persecute us to
discourage those who exist in a state of ignorance,
if you will, from listening to our massage and
coming into the light of self-realization. But the
struggle continues.
For we as Kings have an obligation to break the
chains of mental entrapment which many find
themselves in. Whenever there is a King the light
of rightness illuminates the path. We must continue
to push on in the struggle against these cowards in
gray, blue and green.
--A New York Prisoner, 22 October 1996
DETERMINED TO USE INCARCERATION FOR REVOLUTION
Dear Comrades,
First I hope, pray and anticipate that this finds
you well and strong...
To begin I am writing for I am very interested in
your thoughts as I so understand them; and the
reading of MIM Notes are very thought provoking and
enlightening and a blessing at this stage of my
development. I am writing you in hopes of acquiring
any free books and literature on the principle
program of MIM that would be of some viable help to
me in my growth and rehabilitation. I am not at all
financial secure in fact I am indigent but I am
rich in my thirst for information.
Due to a lot of misinformation and a lack of
working knowledge my incapacitation as a captive
soul is compounded. And these imperialist,
capitalists do not help prisoners' growth at all.
In fact from past experience, they attempt to
impede on the growth of political prisoners. I am
really tired of sport, play and games of chance,
therefore, I am earnestly, humbly and sincerely
requesting any books for productivity. However, I
would like to know more about the philosophy,
creed, and objective of MIM so any information,
literature, suggestions, contacts or support you
can offer and indigent prisoner would help me a
great deal. I am determined to use my incarceration
in a manner that will arm me for revolution. But as
you can imagine, I am a bit limited in what I can
do on my own because of my current position. Please
assist me in any way that is within your means
before they begin this censoring garbage in the
Mikkkigan department of Incorrection.
I thank you for your concern, time, understanding
and in advance for your cooperation.
--A Michigan Prisoner, 23 October 1996
PRISONERS WORK TOGETHER TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE
OUTSIDE
Dear MIM,
I am writing this in regards to the subscription of
...[my fellow prisoner].... The reason I am writing
this is 'cause we are currently on lockdown status
and he had no postage supplies in the house when we
got locked down. And he had too much money on his
books to make use of the indigent postage system we
have here. You've got to have $5.00 or less on your
books to qualify, and I believe ...[he] ... had
around $7.00. So, as it is, he's basically being
held incommunicado, as most other people on this
unit who are in the same situation.
He would write this himself, but the "postage
police" over here try to make a major offense out
of acts like that. I guess they figure that we were
trying to get over on them with 38 cents or
something like that. They call it abusing the
indigent supply system.
Anyway, as it stands now, he's hollering across the
dayroom to me, giving me the run down on what to
write down. He got his second set of MIM Notes
today. The September issues I believe. Also, along
with it came the final notice about writing to
y'all. Please, take this letter as confirmation
that's he's been receiving his issues of MIM Notes,
and wishes to continues receiving your newsletter,
as long as possible.
We should be coming up off lockdown soon, and he
says he's gonna write to y'all himself as soon as
he can get his hands on some postage supplies.
Thanks a lot for your time and understanding in
this matter.
Sincerely,
-- A Texas Prisoner, 24 October 1996.
PRISONERS FIGHT CENSORSHIP IN AMERIKKKAN GULAGS
Greetings,
I am writing today to inform you the latest package
sent to me here at the KKKamp in Pendelton, Indiana
was rejected and confiscated by the staff here. If
you would continue you to send them I would like to
see the effort done to evaluate the consistency of
this investigation of allegedly "threat to
institution order", and will I'll keep you updated
and/or cancel the prescription.
We all know that this oppressive struggle will only
be liberated with armed combat, strong minds and
God's blessings. So I salute you brothers on that
end for your vigilant source of support. In any
even long live life in truth.
--An Indiana Prisoner, 3 November 96
Letters of Protest can be sent to C.I.F., PO Box
601, Pendleton, IN 46064
Dear Publisher,
Enclosed you will find documents relative to the
rejection of your paper, which consists of ten (10)
pages.
This writer has exhausted all Administrative
remedies in an effort to obtain the paper, all in
vain. It's my contentions and belief that the
Prison Officials are in violation of the publisher
and this prisoner's First and Fourteenth Amendment
Rights. As well as their own policy, which requires
written notification be sent to the publisher in
order to appeal the warden's decision.
The Cain case referred to in the grievance has
absolutely nothing to do with communicating with a
publisher, it deals with catalogs.
It is my wish to file suit in the federal court and
I hope that you are able to assist with this legal
matter.
Thanks for you time and consideration and may I
hear from you in the immediate future.
-- A Michigan Prisoner, 6 October 1996
Letters of Protest can be sent to, Ms. J. Smagacz,
Mail Room Supervisor, Lakeland Correctional
Facility, 141 First St, Coldwater, MI 49036
Dear MIM
I pray to the almighty father that everyone stays
strong for the struggle. I enjoy the MIM Notes and
I let everyone that is interested in reading them,
read them.
I received all your notes and I would like to thank
you. The Beast tried to take them as well as my
lessons of the A.L.K.Q.N. They got a serious
surprise for I fought against them all. They gave
me [back] the right to receive MIM Notes.
Now they are starting some new stuff. They are
saying that the Notes must come from the
distributor. The Beast is complaining about the two
different addresses on the envelope. He saw the
article on Bill KKKlinton and said that it was
cute. I said no, it's reality.
I have set a meeting with the man that runs the
library to see if we can get MIM Notes in the
library. Also we have a lot of Brothers that want
to start a study group. I have a lot of literature
on the POW's of Puerto Rico. Pedro Albizu Campos
was a great leader and teacher. As well as Lolita
Lebron, who on March 4, 1954, they stopped the
United Snakes in making Puerto Rico a state. The
Beast is always raping other peoples land. It's
time to put it to a stop. I'd like to thank you for
the MIM Notes and tell everyone to stay strong in
the struggle.
-- A New Jersey Prisoner, 22 October, 1996.
***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.
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