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 135 APRIL 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. AMERIKAN WAR AGAINST OPPRESSED NATIONS: BULK UP
SPENDING ON MILITARY AND PRISONS
2. MASSRAIL PROTESTS CONTINUED CRIMINAL INJUSTICE
AS STATE ADDS 140 MORE PRISONERS TO TEXAS
GULAGS
3. LETTERS
4, NIGERIAN PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE CONTINUES
5. U.S.-RAMOS REGIME MURDERS DURING CEASE FIRE
NO SURPRISE!
6. ISRAEL INVADES EAST JERUSALEM
7. MUMIA CENSORSHIP REVEALS MYTH OF FREE SPEECH IN
AMERIKA
8. UNITE ALL WHO CAN BE UNITED TO FIGHT FOR
FREEDOM TO DO CAMPUS ORGANIZING
9. FREEDOM OF SPEECH ONLY FOR AMERIKAN WARMONGERS
AT UT DALLAS
10. FIGHTING FASCISTS THE PROLETARIAN WAY
11. ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE
12. DEFEND REVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF OPPRESSED
NATION STUDENT CENTERS
13. FISHERS IN INDIA STRUGGLE AGAINST IMPERIALISTS
14. IMPERIALIST POPULATION CONTROL CONTINUES
15. STUDENTS SEIZE BUILDING FOR MIXED BAG OF
DEMANDS
16. MARXISM-LENINISM-MAOISM ONLINE -- LETTERS AND
WWW REVIEWS
17. POST-MODERNIST AND CONSERVATIVE LOSERS FIGHT IT
OUT
18. REVISIONIST CHINA DROPS PIECE OF SOCIALIST
FACADE
19. NEW EDITION OF "PHILIPPINE SOCIETY AND
REVOLUTION" PUBLISHED
20. 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
* * *
AMERIKAN WAR AGAINST OPPRESSED NATIONS:
BULK UP SPENDING ON MILITARY AND PRISONS
by MC45
Between 1987 and 1995, Amerikkka increased its
spending on prisons by 30% while decreasing its
spending on higher education by 18%, says a study
by the Justice Policy Institute.(1) In 1994-95, the
U.S. Federal government spent less than one-quarter
the amount of its military budget on Aid for
Families with Dependent Children (AFDC, or
welfare),(2) student financial aid,(3) and the
Environmental Protection Agency (2) combined.
All this happened in a period when Amerikkka has a
supposedly liberal president, who supports
equality, whose wife is supposed to be a big
children's rights advocate, and who is not supposed
to be a war monger. These figures show that Klinton
like any other imperialist leader is about making
war on the oppressed in the form of the military
and prisons, and denying the oppressed their basic
human rights (food, clothing and shelter through
AFDC, and education through student aid).
MIM writes this article to point our comrades who
have already been won over to anti-imperialism in
the direction of some potential further research
and agitation areas. We also take this opportunity
to call again on our more pacifist friends who
believe that change is possible within this system
to look seriously at imperialist priorities and
tell us: isn't it time you started doing anti-
imperialist political work with MIM and RAIL?
BEEFING UP THE WAR ON CRIME AT HOME
The Justice Policy Institute report is apparently
researched and authored by liberals. The report
demonstrates that in 1995, state spending on
prisons increased by $926 million -- an amount
almost equal to the decrease in building colleges
and universities. Justice Department statistics for
the period from 1980 through 1994 show the adult
prisoner population tripling from 320,000 to
992,000.(1)
While the number of students attending colleges and
universities rose slightly during that same period,
from 12 million to 14.7 million, priorities are
clearly on repression rather than education. Since
1984, the state of California has built 21 new
prisons and one new university.(1)
MIM calls the study writers liberals, for
researching and presenting this study in a way that
makes the inequalities among people clear, and in a
manner that clearly advocates greater social
equality through more education and less
imprisonment for non-violent offenders. But they
are Liberals because their recommendations for
improving the situation in Amerikkka say nothing
about revolution, which means resting on the status
quo of capitalist so-called freedom rather than
working for genuine liberation.
Vincent Schiraldi, director of the Justice Policy
Institute and first author on the study said of his
research "these findings prove that, in the funding
battle between prisons and universities, prisons
are consistently coming out on top." The text of
the report, which Schiraldi authored with Tara-Jen
Ambrosio, states that "prisons are not only costly
and ineffective for most nonviolent offenders, they
also siphon funding from vital programs such as
higher education."(1)
The report goes on to suggest that all new prison
construction be stopped, and that the nonviolent
prisoner population should be reduced by 50 percent
over the next five years.(1) But this is sheer
ineffectual liberalism, which studies and
identifies a systemic problem and then fails to
make useful recommendation for dealing with the
problem because it cannot stomach systemic change.
Faced with these facts to back up what they know to
be poor living conditions and daily repression, the
oppressed who are living on welfare or living in
prison can clearly see that the problem here is not
that there are too many people in prison or that
the balance between governmental charity and
imprisonment is skewed. The problem with prisons
and education is that the wrong people are in
prison and imperialism has a genuine and desperate
interest in denying education for the oppressed.
BEEFING UP THE WAR ON THE OPPRESSED ABROAD
While Amerika is busy denying education to people
who can't pay tens of thousands of dollars per year
for it, its military feeds on 17 times the combined
military budgets of Iraq, Libya and north Korea --
the countries with which the Pentagon says it must
be prepared to go to war.(4)
A Boston Globe special report noted that Amerika is
probably increasing the odds of war by spreading
U.S.-made arms all over the world.(5) The U.S.
imperialists are still spending 90% as much money
on the military as they did from 1950-1990, during
the so-called Cold War.(6)
MIM knows that these facts alone are not enough to
convince anyone of which political party to join.
But we do hope they will get some people thinking
about which side of the struggle they should really
be on, and that some folks will even come over to
the side of the international proletariat as they
read this issue of MIM Notes. A government and a
political-economic system which prioritizes war
over food, shelter and education is not worth the
people's support or patience, it is worthy of being
overthrown by revolution.
NOTES:
1. Washington Post 24 February, 1997, p. A12.
2. Statistical Abstract of the United States.
3. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
4. "World Military Expenditures and Arms
Transfers," US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency,
1996.
5. "Armed for Profit," The Boston Globe, special
12-page report. 11 Feb., 1996.
6. "U.S. Military Spending, 1945-1996," fact sheet
by Martin Calhoun, Center for Defense Information,
2 April, 1996.
* * *
MASSRAIL PROTESTS CONTINUED CRIMINAL
INJUSTICE AS
STATE ADDS 140 MORE PRISONERS TO TEXAS GULAGS
Prison guards woke up 140 prisoners in the middle
of the night March 8th, put them in leg irons and
handcuffs, and took them to the airport for a
charter flight to Dallas Texas: to a prison system
with conditions even worse than Massachusetts, far
from family and friends.
Back in 1995, Governor Weld took the first 299
prisoners hostage in his budget publicity stunt to
get more money to build more prisons. Weld sent
these prisoners away from their families down to
the Texas control units where conditions are even
worse than in Massachusetts prisons. One has
already died of AIDS (he was refused his medicine
in Texas) and others developed serious health
problems that went untreated. Meanwhile their
families are left in Massachusetts wondering how
they are going to afford to make visiting hours in
a Texas prison.
The DOC manufactured the overcrowding crisis and
claims it is so severe they had to send another 140
prisoners to Texas "indefinitely." There are empty
beds in Massachusetts prisons but because the state
of Massachusetts classifies its prisoners into
higher security units than necessary, they end up
with overcrowded high security prisons. Add this
over-classification to the ever increasing number
of people put behind bars in the so-called war on
drugs and it's no surprise that Amerika is number
one in the world in incarceration per capita.
The undersecretary of public safety, Robert
Krekorian, admitted that these transfers are bad
for prisoners and their families. 80 of the
original transfers were returned to Massachusetts
over the weekend and Krekorian tried to claim that
this was because of the kindness of the criminal
injustice system: "We're trying to rotate the
inmates down there, if you will, precisely for the
reasons that people have suggested that when you
send an inmate to Texas, for all intents and
purposes you sever their family ties."
Conditions in Massachusetts prisons are not good by
any standards, and the criminal injustice system
does not work. While we fight to change the system
we are also fighting for smaller reforms. We demand
that these prisoners be returned to the state where
their families live. The RAIL Prisons Activism
Group held a petitioning protest on March 15th, put
up copies of a protest flyer all over Boston and
Cambridge and encourages people interested in
fighting against this and other criminal injustices
to get involved by contacting mim124@mim.org or
writing to the address on this paper.
* * *
LETTERS
ENVIRONMENTALISM AND YOUTH DISCUSSED
Dear MIM,
I recently read the Feb. 15th edition of your
newspaper. I agreed with the vast majority of the
statements, but I thought I should write a letter,
simply asking you to clarify a few issues addressed
in MIM Notes.
My first concern of this kind was with the issue
about the "amerikan envirobowl." What was printed
was useful, but incomplete. Statements such as
'eating fast foods' or 'healthier food without the
preservatives' seem intentionally vague and
unwilling to address a key issue; meat consumption.
Regardless of your opinion on this issue, meat
consumption (indeed in wasteful, environmentally
harmful packages) is extremely common at mass
sporting events. Secondly, it is mere fact that the
production of animals for food is a major
contributor to imperialistic environmental
destruction. That fact could have helped forward
your argument, yet you chose to ignore it.
On the opposite page was the article about youth
empowerment which I enjoyed but did have to take
exception to points concerning the materialist
interest of revolution in white amerikans. It is
stated that "Within the white nation, the youth has
the greatest material interest in overthrowing the
system." Though the case for this is extremely
valid, it is somewhat lacking. You have forgotten
some statistics about the make up of our society.
50% of the world is female - they have an
incredible material interest, no matter what nation
they are from - in overthrowing the system. 10-15%
of amerikan society is homosexual - they have no
need for capitalism to alienate them for their
sexual desires. Also, environmental concerns
certainly affect each and every one of us.
Admittedly, many wimmin profit from imperialism, or
do not recognize the nature of patriarchy. Many
gays and youth could fall into the trap of amerikan
indoctrination (skool) and yearn for a place in the
imperialist workforce...etc. Well, perhaps the
youth do have the greatest material interest in
revolution.
These questions of material interest aside -- must
there always be selfish reasons to adopt
compassionate revolutionary ethics? It is only a
question, I don't know either way.
-- A comrade in struggle
MIM RESPONDS: First with regard to the question
about meat consumption, this comrade is correct
that the wastefulness of meat consumption at
sporting events bolsters the point in the article
about the Amerikan Envirobowl. The production of
meat products for first world consumption is
environmentally destructive and wasteful both in
packaging and in the quantity of grain used to feed
animals when people are starving. Specifically it
takes 16 pounds of grain and soybeans to produce
one pound of beef. This example shows that catering
to First World tastes for beef soaks up resources
otherwise more useful to keep humans from
starving.(1)
This comrade raises an important question about who
has an interest in revolution. MIM believes that on
a global scale the majority of the world's people
have an interest in revolution because they are
exploited and oppressed by imperialism. We agree
that the patriarchy places wimmin in an oppressed
group and that the patriarchy also perpetuates
heterosexism and the oppression of anyone who does
not fit the "norm." But we have to look at the
situation of groups of people in the world as a
whole. For instance, First World wimmin overall
benefit from the patriarchy and so they don't have
an anti-patriarchal interest in overthrowing this
system of oppression.
Within this country the majority of the workers and
the majority of wimmin are benefiting from
patriarchy and imperialism and currently do not
have an interest in revolution, in fact these
groups have a material interest in perpetuating
imperialism. Within the united snakes, the main
group of people with an interest in revolution are
from the oppressed nations. Within the white
nation, we believe that the contradiction between
the youth and the destruction and alienation of
imperialism means that youth as a group have the
greatest interest in overthrowing imperialism. This
is admittedly not as compelling an interest as
exploitation or national oppression, but because
youth are not yet tied down to imperialism, they
are more likely to take action against
environmental destruction and other aspects of
imperialism that affect their future while also
having the freedom to act on their conscience and
against their economic, gender and national
material interests.
There does not always have to be a selfish reason
to take up revolution and MIM calls on all people
to commit class, nation and gender suicide and join
the majority of the world's people in fighting
imperialism. But we do see from history that those
who have a material interest in revolution are the
ones who take up the revolutionary struggle. Join
MIM in the fight against imperialism and for
communism.
NOTE: Robbins, john. Diet For a New America.
Stillpoint Publishing 1987.
MORE ON BROOKLYN POLITICAL ACTIVIST
REPRESSION: MIM ADDS TO RESPONSE OF LETTER
PRINTED IN MIM NOTES #132
In our response to the letter writer who questioned
the article in MIM Notes "State attacks Brooklyn
political activists" (MN128) there were several
points that MIM did not address. We'd like to take
on those points here. The article we are discussing
involved government repression of activists in
Brooklyn for having guns and MIM's exposure of the
government's hypocrisy for not even upholding its
own constitutional second amendment which gives
citizens the right to bear arms.
In a discussion of the history of the second
amendment, the letter writer agreed with MIM that
(at least one of) the founding father's purpose
behind the second amendment was to allow the people
to protect themselves against the state.
While it appears that the letter writer has some
disagreements with MIM's understanding of this
history, the federalist papers clearly point out
that the people must keep the militia well
regulated (i.e. so that the militia does not get
out of hand). That's the people defending
themselves against the power of the state. The
founding men were clear that the citizens should be
able to overpower the government, including the
army.
MIM neglected to address the letter's discussion of
historical advances in the U$ and in particular the
role of the Black Panther Party. The letter writer
said "the Black Panthers, Branch Davidians, and
drug dealers had guns and these guns didn't protect
them from a tyrannical government.
It will not affect the relationship between the
State and the citizenry whether U.S. citizens allow
each other to own any type of weapon anyone wants,
or if we set restrictions based upon the type of
weapons available." But in fact, the very ability
of the BPP to carry guns was one of the things that
scared the Amerikan government into making
concessions to the civil rights movement. While the
letter writer claims: "The greatest events in U.S.
history -- African- American civil rights, women's
rights, labor union, and the anti- Vietnam war
movements -- got their strength not from armed
struggle [but] from mass mobilization," MIM would
counter that it was the radical left organizing
that gave centrist movements their ability to
negotiate concessions out of the government.
The letter writer said "I will go this far with
MIM: armed struggle cannot be ruled out (I'm not a
pacifist), but I can't say that it is inevitable."
But MIM will go further and say that armed struggle
is inevitable because we must pick up the gun in
order to put down the gun: the imperialists will
never put down their guns without a fight and it is
the imperialists who are far and away the biggest
murderers.
* * *
NIGERIAN PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE CONTINUES
Municipal elections in March in Nigeria focused
media attention on the so-called democratic process
in this country run by the brutal military regime
of General Sani Abacha. The elections appear to
have been won by the two parties supporting Abacha.
A number of protests against election fraud
propagated accusations that Abacha supporters
rigged the elections. Vote fraud protests were
dispersed by the army and students calling for the
release of the jailed winner of the 1993
presidential elections, Moshood Abiola, stormed a
polling station.(1)
Since Abacha had no qualms about seizing power
after losing the elections in 1993, there is no
reason to believe that he would allow free and fair
elections to take place now. And in the context of
the military dictatorship and the control
multinational corporations exercise over the
country, it is not possible that Nigeria could now
have suddenly turned to democracy.
Much attention in the past has focused on the
struggle of the Ogoni people in Nigeria because of
their vocal opposition to Shell imperialism. This
struggle continues to this day although it is much
less publicized. Daily the Ogoni people protest in
the streets. Protesters are killed, tortured and
jailed by the Nigerian dictatorship in its effort
to make Ogoniland safe for imperialism.
Dr. Owens Wiwa, brother of Ken Saro- Wiwa, leader
of the Nigerian Ogoni people's struggle against
Shell imperialism, recently spoke in Boston. The
Nigerian government hung Ken Saro-Wiwa to punish
him for his leadership in the popular mass
movement.(2) Dr. Owens Wiwa was forced to flee
Nigeria after his brother's execution.
Many Ogoni activists are now in exile or
underground but they are continuing the struggle
and bringing it to a wider audience, both within
their country and around the world.
March 12th, the Nigerian government charged Wole
Soyinka, an exiled playwright critical of the
Abacha dictatorship, and eleven other critics with
treason in connection with a series of bombings of
army installations. The critics arrested within the
country are members of the National Democratic
Coalition or Nedeco. Soyinka was exiled in 1993
after organizing the people to stop paying taxes
when election results were nullified by the Abacha
dictatorship.(3) The dissidents asked a court to
dismiss treason charges against them. The lawyer
for these activists said that his life had been
threatened.(1)
DELTA FORCE EXPOSES IMPERIALISM
A documentary, Delta Force, about the Ogoni
struggle against oil corporations which destroy the
land and take away the people's livelihood was
shown before Owens Wiwa's talk. Delta Force exposes
multinational corporate ravaging of the environment
and stealing of natural resources. It shows the
military repression by the Nigerian comprador
dictatorship and its complicity with imperialism.
The movie shows how 35 years of oil drilling
yielded $30 billion (or more) in revenue for Shell
and destroyed the land of the Ogoni people.
Shell installed pipes running through the middle of
farms and villages. On average, four oil spills a
week destroyed crops and polluted the air and water
on the Delta -- mostly as a result of the
corporation refusing to repair equipment. Pipes
would break and spill and waste the land, and gas
flares close to the houses were burning all the
time releasing poisonous fumes.
Delta Force shows soldiers repressing the non-
violent mass protests taking place in Ogoniland.
The Movement for Survival of the Ogoni People
(MOSOP) was founded to harness the power of the
mass protests against the corporations and the
government. (Ken Saro-Wiwa was the president of
this organization until he was murdered by the
government.)
In 1993 Shell was forced to stop oil operations in
Ogoniland in response to the mass protests. The
government of Nigeria has since stepped up
repression of the people in an attempt to force
them into accepting the exploitation and oppression
of Shell imperialism.
One government tactic is the attempt to play
neighboring villages against one another. Ogoniland
is a small area in the South East of Nigeria. There
are many other indigenous peoples who have taken an
example from the Ogoni struggle but the activism
remains strongest in Ogoniland. The government has
been carrying out attacks on Ogoni villages
pretending to be coming from neighboring villages
in the hopes of getting the Nigerian people to
fight one another. Then the government blames these
attacks on MOSOP to justify more violence. To fund
this increased repression, the military asked for
money from oil companies to pay for repression to
make Shell operations possible.
MYTH OF IMPERIALIST DEVELOPMENT DEBUNKED
Dr. Owens Wiwa began his talk by pointing out that
what is happening in Ogoni is not very different
from what is happening to many oppressed nations
within u.s. borders. Imperialism is destroying the
lives and the environment of the oppressed nations
both here and around the world. He stressed that
"transnational corporations are supplying arms to
leaders to kill their own people, destroy the
environment and so subject people to the worse kind
of poverty." And he reminded us that Senator Mosley
Brown (the supposedly progressive Black womyn
senator) supported the dictator of Nigeria in her
visit there: Amerikan imperialism does its best to
support transnational corporations and imperialism
around the world.
Imperialists claim that multinationals bring
progress to Third World countries by helping with
development. Owens Wiwa dispelled this myth. The
main so-called development Shell has supported in
Ogoniland involved building roads between oil
wells. These roads are useless to the people
because they do not connect villages or other
travel routes of the people.
It cost Shell $3 to produce a barrel of oil in
Ogoni which was sold at $18-20. The profit was $6
more than in other countries because the metal used
is cheaper (more likely to break) and because they
don't have to do any environmental cleanup. This is
an example of the "benefits" of multinational
corporations to Third World peoples: the profits
leave the country and the people get nothing but
poverty and environmental destruction. There is no
electricity or water in Ogoni for the people, yet
the oil refinery and fertilizer complex used
electricity. 70% of the population was unemployed
while Shell was there. Schools closed for nine
months at a time because teachers were not getting
paid.
The United Nations has shown its complicity in
imperialism when, after Ken Saro-Wiwa was hanged,
they recommended the government pay compensation to
the families of those who were hung. Owens Wiwa
correctly condemned this token protest as
meaningless smoke that attempts to obscure murder
at the hands of imperialism.
OGONI PEOPLE FIGHT BACK
In 1970 the first protests against oil took place
in Ogoni after an oil well exploded spewing a
fountain of oil into the air. People were told not
to light fires to avoid increasing the hazard. The
land is not cleaned up to this day. The villagers
took the oil company to court and had to sell their
land to pay for lawyers and still have not won
reparations.
In 1990 the Ogoni bill of rights was produced out
of a meeting of intellectual activists. They
demanded political autonomy within Nigeria. There
are many organizations within MOSOP demanding their
rights peacefully including the National Union of
Ogoni Students, the Federation of Women's
Association and the Council of Ogoni Professionals.
3000 Ogoni people have been killed (out of a
population of 500,000)and 30 villages destroyed in
three years. Two months before the talk many people
were out on the streets protesting and more were
shot, raped and imprisoned.
The repression in Nigeria certainly is not limited
to Ogoniland. In 1993, Moshood Abiola, who was
widely believed to have won the presidential
elections, was locked in jail and remains there to
this day. According to his daughter Hafsat Abiola,
who spoke recently in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
Abiola has been held in solitary confinement, he
can't speak to anyone, and he has been tortured so
that he lost the use of his legs. His wife was
killed when she went on a tour in the country
speaking against his imprisonment.
Owens Wiwa asked that people don't let the
sacrifices of the Ogoni people go in vain. He
pointed out that the media here just talks about
"ethnic clashes" rather than exposing the evils of
the Nigerian dictatorship; and, it is important
that people work to get information out to the
public about what is really going on there. He
called on people to boycott shell stations because
it is involved in genocide. Although Shell left
Ogoniland in 1993, they continue to operate in
other parts of Nigeria and are pressing to return
to Ogoniland. The government of Nigeria is killing,
jailing and exiling Nigerian people. Owens Wiwa
said that the taking of oil is "armed robbery" of
Nigeria and that Americans should not buy stolen
property.
Ogoni people want their land cleaned up and they
want respect. "If the oil companies do not want to
deal with us like human beings then they can go
away." And calling for the Ogonis' right to self-
determination, Owens Wiwa said that "The Ogoni
people may not want any more oil exploration on
their land."
MOSOP is not against the oil corporations creating
wells; and, this is a contradiction in their
overall anti-imperialist analysis of the situation
in Nigeria. Owens Wiwa correctly pointed out that
the problem is not just the Nigerian military, it
is also the transnational corporations. But his
solution was to "change the behavior of the
transnational corporations" to make them support
the process of democracy.
If imperialism and multinational capitalist
corporations continue to exist the achievement of
self-determination and true democracy for the
people of Nigeria is not a possibility. As long as
there is a possible profit to be made from
imperialism, the corporations and their lackeys
will not back down unless they are forced. The
situation in Nigeria demonstrates why it is
necessary to overthrow imperialism in Nigeria. As
long as foreign oil corporations create wells, they
will not change their behavior to support
democracy. This is not profitable. The Ogoni
people's struggle for self-determination will only
be won when imperialism is overthrown.
NOTES:
1. A.P. 17 March, 1997.
2. MIM Notes 108 covers the November 10, 1996
murder.
3. The New York Times, 13 March, 1997. p.A7.
* * *
U.S.-RAMOS REGIME MURDERS DURING CEASE FIRE
NO SURPRISE!
by Otis
"We the CPP-NPA of the Cordillera condemn the
attack on our comrades by elements of the 45th IB
in Balbalan, Kalinga on January 29, 1997. This
incident happened during the two-month unilateral
cease fire or suspension of military operations
(SOMO) declared by Ramos from December 1, 1996 to
January 31,1997."(1)
State forces raided a revolutionary encampment
around 3:00 a.m., murdering two (Ka Rayos and Ka
Ren) and wounding two others (Ka Marshal and Ka
Victor) who died eventually. Once again we see
imperialist forces flaunt their violence and
insincerity.
"The recent martyrs in Kalinga died at the height
of their most productive service to the National
Democratic Revolution. They have all been with the
NPA for years, conducting revolutionary organizing
and education work among the masses." This is
undoubtedly the motive behind the state murder. The
past shows that countless times the bourgeoisie and
its lackey comprador regimes have resorted to
violence or deception to dismantle successful
insurgency.
The Filipino people are fighting for autonomy over
their land; in opposition to foreign capitalists
who are fighting for monetary profit. "Imperialist
mining firms such as Newmont and Newcrest have
already staked out mining claims on half of the
Cordillera's total land area because of the Mining
Act of 1995." No one, not the united snakes, not a
U.$.-funded fascist, no one, is justified in the
exploitation and theft of another's land. The
peasants in the Philippines wish only to live with
the right to self-determination and control of
their own destinies and land. Despite this fact,
the fascists are willing to kill during a cease
fire, simply to maintain their economic
stranglehold over the people of the Philippines.
The National Democratic Front (NDF) sees the
current imperialist rape of their land as
justification for armed warfare against the U.$-
Ramos regime. MIM agrees with analysis and offers
full solidarity to the revolutionary movement. MIM
urges people in the First World to recognize that
the amerikan government is a brutal imperialist
power that maintains world-wide repression and
exploitation and to oppose the growing trauma that
majority of the world's people now endure.
In the words of CPP-NPA spokesperson Ka llian Liga:
"January 29 was a day for the fascist troops.
Tomorrow shall be the victory of the people's war."
Note: ndf website: http://www.geocities.com/~cpp-
ndf/news.htm
* * *
ISRAEL INVADES EAST JERUSALEM
by RC68
Beginning on March 5th the united snakes-backed
Israeli settler government ordered the closure of
four Palestinian offices in East Jerusalem. Israel
claims the offices are run by the Palestinian
Authority and therefore violate the interim peace
agreements.(1) Redeployment of Israeli troops from
Gaza and the West Bank is another condition of the
interim peace agreements. Apparently Israel
interprets this to mean redeployment to Palestinian
East Jerusalem.(2) March 17th Israel moved heavily
armed troops in to protect the construction of the
new Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem.
Imperialist puppet Yasser Arafat expressed worries
that if Israel continues with such outrageous
provocations, the collaborationists in his clique
will not be able to stop Palestinian resistance.
The Palestinian people have every right to be angry
about the Israeli invasion of East Jerusalem. The
proposed 6,500 new Israeli homes to be built in
Jebel Abu Ghneim(3) will create a barrier between
the Palestinian populations of Bethlehem and
Jerusalem.(4) This is a blatant divide and conquer
strategy on the part of the Israelis.
It is outrageous enough that Israel was built on
stolen Palestinian land. Israel has controlled
Jerusalem since the 1967 war and claims the right
to build anywhere in the city that it wants. But
only the United Snakes government recognizes
Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.
French and Amerikan disapproval of these newest
terrorist acts of Israeli expansionist aggression
only serves to cover up their real intentions in
the region. The imperialists do not support
Palestinian self-determination. If that were the
case, they would stop arming Israel. However, the
empires of France and the United Snakes know well
that if Israel persists in such outrages, intifada
will come back to Palestine. Israel is already
heavily extended militarily with invasion forces
still occupying parts of Syria and Lebanon. Amerika
and France are involved in many other conflicts.
Neither wants to bail out Israel in the event of a
renewed Palestinian resistance. The peace
agreements and the cooperation of the sellout
government of the Palestinian Authority had
perfectly secured the interests of the western
imperialists. Now further Israeli expansionism and
Palestinian resistance could ruin it for the
superpowers.
Even many Amerikans now admit that Palestinian
resistance to Israeli expansionist aggression is
completely justified.
RAIL knows that not only would revolution be
justified, but it is necessary. Israel's most
recent actions, as well as most previous Israeli
actions, prove that Israel's greatest desire is for
expansion and empire, not peace and stability.
Israel will never voluntarily recognize true
Palestinian autonomy. The United Snakes will
continue to ensure that no amount of international
pressure will stop Israel. The collaborationist
Palestinian Authority is powerless to do anything.
A self-sufficient highly organized armed
revolutionary struggle for Palestinian national
liberation is the only way Palestinians will put an
end to Israeli occupation and move forward on the
road to independence.
NOTES:
1. Los Angeles Times. 6 March 1997.
2. CNN 17 March 1997.
3. Jebel Abu Ghneim is the region of Palestinian
land that Israel is invading and renaming Har Homa.
4. New York Times 6 March 1997.
* * *
MUMIA CENSORSHIP REVEALS MYTH OF FREE SPEECH
IN AMERIKA
Over one million people heard radio commentaries by
Mumia Abu-Jamal on February 24th. Produced by the
Prison Radio Project, the show included recordings
of Mumia reading his essays and was broadcast daily
for two weeks by Pacifica Radio's "Democracy Now!"
program. This program was broadcast around the
country but was censored in Pennsylvania.
Just moments before "Democracy Now!" was scheduled
to air, Temple University's WRTI-Jazz FM canceled
its subscription to all Pacifica programming. This
cancellation eliminated all Pacifica broadcasts in
Pennsylvania since this station serves as a relay
for programming to the state's other affiliate
stations.
The decision to yank the program came from the
Temple University administration after WRTI staff
ran public service announcements all week urging
people to tune to the Mumia readings. The
University's Vice President of Public Relations
admitted that the inclusion of Mumia's commentaries
was pivotal in the decision to cancel WRTI's
contract with Pacifica.
It appears that the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of
Police (a.k.a Fraternal Order of Pigs, FOP) lobbied
heavily for this cancellation and because Temple
receives much state funding, the FOP was successful
in its pressure campaign.
MIM knows that there is no such thing as free
speech under Imperialism. Speech is available for
purchase from the imperialists who own and control
it. The myth of impartial reporting is exposed when
shows like "Democracy Now!" are yanked off the air
in response to FOP lobbying and state and
university politics. Because of this, MIM says that
there are no rights, only power struggles. If we
want the voice of the people to get out to the
people, it is our responsibility to set up
independent media that can not be controlled by the
political and financial interests of the
imperialists.
We applaud Pacifica's efforts to bring Mumia's
words to its audience. The experience in
Philadelphia only reinforces the need for the
people to set up media independent from the
bourgeoisie. We call on our readers to support
MIM's work to set up independent newspaper, radio,
Internet and television media. If you are
interested in getting involved in supporting
independent people's media, either financially,
with technical skills, or as a contributor of news,
information, art, or anything else, get in touch!
Note: Press release from Equal Justice USA and
Prison Radio Project.February 24, 1997. Quixote
Center P.O. Box 5206, Hyattsville, MD
20782.quixote@igc.apc.org.
* * *
UNITE ALL WHO CAN BE UNITED TO FIGHT FOR
FREEDOM TO DO CAMPUS ORGANIZING
MIM Notes 132 (15 Feb 1997) contained a story
entitled "Students: Seize the Time! Defend ability
to organize independent of administrations." It was
a general story about trends in the student
movement with concrete examples from UMass Amherst.
The story overall was correct, but the organizing
behind this story was problematic leading to some
incorrect statements in the story.
The article described efforts of RAIL supporters to
get a student government to fight the
administration for more freedom for student
political organizing. The article said "The CCSUC
is not cured of its lackey nature yet." The article
also speculated on CCSUC motives for its retreat
made against student protest of postering
censorship, and called the CCSUC "a good puppet" of
the administration.
As the article explained, First World students are
a contradictory population. On one hand they come
from a parasitic class position and will likely
join that existence as they get older. On the other
hand, they are not yet fully tied into parasitism
and they have much to gain in terms of eliminating
the patriarchal romance culture and ending
environmental degradation, etc. The article
correctly pointed out that within the white nation,
youth are the group with the most revolutionary
potential.
The article also correctly pointed out the reasons
why student leaders may waver as they are offered
numerous bribes from the administration -- from
paychecks to prestige.
The error in the recent organizing behind this
article was in expecting leaders of a parasitic,
but contradictory social group (students) -- who as
individual leaders are in the process of being
bought off by the administration -- to act like
committed proletarian revolutionaries. Instead of
getting frustrated that the first open letters and
articles didn't turn them into Maoists and then
attacking CCSUC as hopeless, the correct thing
would have been to turn up the pressure via open
letters and an unleashed mass movement. As MIM
Notes and RAIL Notes have reported in the past,
such pressure works.
In addition, the organizers made the mistake of not
seeking out other contacts within the student
government who would be more receptive to
independent student organizing. Labeling CCSUC as a
complete enemy, as the article subtly did, was
incorrect and premature. It is perfectly fine to
call out individual opportunists by name, but
damning the whole student government without
adequate testing by fire is ultra-left and amounts
to setting back the struggle.
To rectify this error, the RAIL supporters took up
the struggle of "isolating the enemy, winning over
the middle forces". The article correctly said that
the only time such wavering forces as CCSUC will
"serve students [is] when there is a bottom up
pressure to counter that of the administration."
The RAIL supporters took this idea to the streets
of the campus with a petition that read simply:
"The ability of students to independently organize
and communicate with each other should be a
priority for student governments. In particular,
the loss of Campus Center/Student Union bulletin
boards in 1995 and 1996 was a serious blow to
student power. We urge the Campus Center/Student
Union Commission to return bulletin board space to
at least the 1995 levels."
Easily, RAIL supporters (and group of people
supportive of RAIL's position on this issue)
gathered just short of 250 signatures, many of whom
noted student organizational affiliations on the
petition. The idea behind the petition was to make
it clear to the CCSUC that it was more than just a
few individuals who valued independent
communication. The wording of the petition was
deliberately written around a political point
without specific instructions as to bulletin board
placement so as to let the student leaders figure
out themselves how to solve the various
diversionary issues such as fire hazards.
To the knowledge of this writer, a grand total of
five people refused to sign this petition. Three
were affiliated with CCSUC or SGA (another student
government body) and either objected to the process
of educating the student body and using that
mobilized force to pressure our student leaders; or
claimed they wanted to remain neutral until they
could "study" the issue more. While a definite
minority (3%) of those we spoke to, this is a
troubling response, especially in light of the fact
that the petition is asking students to endorse a
theoretical point about the importance of
independence of the administration, and is asking
our student leaders to provide leadership on
applying this principle. When student leaders balk
at organizing students, that's a problem.
RAIL comrades want not only remove impediments to
RAIL's political work, but also spark a anti-
administration-control movement amongst the student
body. Such a movement would give revolutionaries
considerable space "within which to swim." RAIL and
MIM publications will continue to inform the world
about the local UMass struggles in the hopes of
spreading such movements.
Don't get frustrated with wavering elements!
Unite all who can be united to defeat the common
enemy!
Written: 17 March, 1997
* * *
FREEDOM OF SPEECH ONLY FOR AMERIKAN
WARMONGERS AT UTDALLAS
A student working on the government's nuclear
projects at the University of Texas, Dallas
confirmed the fact that there is only freedom of
speech in Amerika for the bourgeoisie.
The student told a MIM distributor that s/he could
not take a copy of MIM Notes or Maoist Sojourner
because s/he had signed an agreement with the
government to refuse any communist propaganda if
offered. Furthermore, h research position would be
at risk if s/he obtained communist materials
inadvertently -- like finding an old issue on h car
windshield -- and did not immediately report it to
the FBI.
The student, from a Third World country, agreed
that this was a type of censorship but that the
censorship was necessary to protect Amerikan
democracy and freedom. The flaw in this logic (read
Amerikan propaganda) goes beyond the contradiction
between freedom of speech for the bourgeoisie and
repression of organization for the proletariat.
Speech and organization that the government
represses expose the economic exploitation and
military domination of the vast majority of the
world's people. Students like this one must study
the reasons that the most educated leave Third
World countries and provide intellectual services
for the imperialists. They must question the
hypocrisy this censorship shows as the Amerikan
government justifies all of its actions with the
rhetoric of democracy.
To distribute MIM Notes in your neighborhood or at
your school write the address on page two and send
$20 (or whatever you can afford) for a bundle of
MIM Notes.
* * *
FIGHTING FASCISTS THE PROLETARIAN WAY
by an Ann Arbor RAIL comrade
10 March, 1997 -- A RAIL comrade found several
fascist propaganda fliers posted all over Ann Arbor
by the People's United Nationalist Council
Hallelujah!(PUNCH!) and the Fascists Insurrection
Student Tribe(FIST). The fliers called for people
to open their eyes. The fascists opened their text
with an apocalyptic quote from the book of
revelation and express extreme anger at the left,
mostly Maoist, propaganda which covers the campus
at the University of Michigan. The nazis accused
MIM and two pseudo-leftist trotskyist factions
(SPARK and NWROC) of twisting the truth. Knowing
that they could never win a rational debate with
revolutionaries, the fascists ended their tirade
with threats of violence.
MIM responded immediately and by the next day
fliers had been posted all over the UM campus and
town letting people know that our eyes were already
wide open. It is no surprise that fascists openly
recruit in the UM campus. This is an outgrowth of
increasing militarism to support Amerikan
interests. Fascist ideology grows from the
perceived threat the oppressed people of the
international proletariat pose to the white nation,
especially the white working class. This myth was
conjured up and propagated by the bourgeois media
with the aid of fake revolutionaries in the
numerous troskyist factions.
The fascists, in their flier, claim that the
"Fasces of Justice is on our side!" As we point out
in our flier, this is very true. Black people
comprise 51% of the prison population while making
up only 14% of the total population. Latinos are
390% more likely to go to prison than whites. 46%
of the female prison population is Black. 90% of
the women in prison are single mothers. Within ten
years of its founding, the Black Panther Party was
nearly completely wiped out by police infiltration,
assassinations, and imprisonment and the war
against oppressed nations continues. Some Panthers
are still interned in Amerikan concentration camps
on trumped up charges.
On the other hand, the KKK has existed in Amerika
for over 130 years and to this day holds rallies at
government buildings with police protection. Unlike
the trotskyists, MIM and RAIL understand that the
rise in the characteristics of fascism -- like
prisons run as industries or u.s. military support
to fascist comprador governments -- constitute more
of a threat than the white supremacists on the
sidewalk quoting the bible. This is why we place
building independent institutions of the oppressed
to build revolution as a higher priority than high
profile one-day-activism sensationalist anti-Klan
rallies.
On March 12th, an article pertaining to the
fascists' fliers appeared in the Michigan Daily.
This article was seriously flawed which is not
surprising since the Daily's claim of objective
journalism leads it to serve the bourgeoisie and
tail fake radicals to kept some foothold on its
liberal appearance. Within the article, the heavily
quoted NWROC never addressed the issue of Amerika's
just-us system or the U$ creation of and support
for fascist dictators. This is no surprise
considering they never do organizational work
against prisons and seem to think that revolution
can be made by asking city hall for permission as
they did when led by kop escort in a march against
the Klan last summer.
NWROC also said the fascists' threats were directed
mostly at themselves because "NWROC is the most
active of those organizations named in the flier."
This is not even close to the truth. MIM and RAIL
have four regularly published and internationally
circulated newspapers as well as a theoretical
journal. NWROC has no press at all. MIM and RAIL do
organizational work with prisoners interned in
Amerika's concentration camps, including providing
them with free literature. NWROC has not even
attempted to do such things.
For years MIM has worked in the interests of the
oppressed building Serve the People programs from
agitation and organizing work, to books and release
programs for prisoners, to a food program feeding
the poverty stricken oppressed masses incorporating
this with political education. NWROC has no such
programs. And when their campaigns seemingly
address the masses' concerns, it amounts to tailing
reformist demands other liberals take up anyway.
The solution for the trotskyists' lies and national
chauvinism, the fascists' threats, and Amerikan
imperialism is all the same -- proletarian
revolution. By working to build independent
institutions of the oppressed, MIM and RAIL are
building the mass base necessary for revolution. As
long as we remain true to the people and continue
to apply the revolutionary political science of
comrade Mao Tse-Tung, we will continue to grow in
numbers and strength until the great and powerful
tide of proletarian revolution will sweep aside all
reactionaries and enemies of the people. By
crushing the forces of Amerikan imperialism the
proletariat will finally eliminate the material
basis for fascist organizing and permanently
liberate the oppressed masses.
* * *
ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
Santa Barbara, CA -- Over 200 people attended a
special screening of "All Power to the People!" at
the University of California sponsored by the
Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League and 100 Black
College Men. Director Lee Lew-Lee introduced his
film, which documents the rise of the Black Panther
Party and its subsequent repression by the FBI, and
led a discussion afterward. The event was clearly
inspirational. The film received a three minute
ovation; Lew-Lee received a standing ovation after
the discussion; and many people committed
themselves more deeply to the struggle to defend
Amerika's political prisoners and expose the
genocidal Amerikan injustice system.
"All Power to the People!" tells the story of the
FBI's bloody COINTELPRO campaign against the Black
Panther Party and other Black nationalist
organizations. The film consists almost entirely of
contemporary footage and interviews with former
Black Panther Party members, such as Bobby Seale
and Kathleen Cleaver. Much of the old footage used
is extremely rare. Lew-Lee has done a great service
preserving it in this film.
To all those present (and those reading this
newspaper), the Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist
League (RAIL) says: Get active and get organized!
As Lee Lew-Lee made clear, important information
like that contained in "All Power to the People!"
is effectively banned from the Amerikan mass media.
That means it's up to us to get this information
out there.
Furthermore, we can't expect Judge Sabo or the
Fraternal Order of Police to mobilize people to
defend Mumia, nor can we depend on Gil Garcetti to
defend Geronimo. We have to do it ourselves.
Beyond the struggle defend prisoners, there are the
struggles of oppressed nations -- Black, Latino,
First Nation and other oppressed communities -- for
freedom from police brutality and for economic
self-determination. And beyond Amerikan borders,
there are the struggles of the vast majority of
humanity, who demand freedom from an economic
system which kills more than 10,000,000 children
every year by denying them access to food and basic
health care.
The Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League plans to
expand its work exposing the crimes of Amerikan
imperialism and militarism, and encourages people
to see where they can fit in. Maybe you can help
out by collecting signatures on petitions, or by
putting up flyers, or by writing articles for RAIL
Notes -- whatever, every little bit counts! Contact
your local RAIL branch for information about
upcoming campaigns and events.
NOTE: Review: "All Power to the People!," MIM Notes
133.
* * *
DEFEND REVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF OPPRESSED
NATION STUDENT CENTERS
During a recent trip through the East Coast, a
student leader approached a MIM Notes distributor
as s/he was freedropping. The conversation quickly
centered around the George Jackson Center.
The student leader was unaware that George Jackson
was a Black revolutionary who was killed by guards
in prison in 1971. The distributor explained a
little about Jackson and explained that cultural
centers on academic departments for oppressed
nations within the u.s. grew out of revolutionary
student struggles in the late 1960s and 1970s.
The student leader criticized the practice of
freedropping, as "There are only about 20 people on
my campus that are politically conscious." However,
MIM and RAIL publications are not just for the
politically advanced but for all people who are
interested in struggling over politics and changing
the current oppressive system. MIM publications
have radicalized many people not previously
political.
George Jackson was not political before he went to
prison for a $70 has station theft. In prison, he
came to the conclusion that prison was one part of
systematic oppression of Black people. He became a
Communist and a revolutionary and joined the Black
Panther Party. He wrote "Soledad Brother" and
"Blood in My Eye". He strongly indicted Amerikan
colonialism against Black people, although
incorrectly supported a focoist line that raised
armed struggle to a principle.
Jackson supported starting armed struggle
regardless of the conditions. History has shown
that not building the necessary popular support
first leads to unnecessary death, imprisonment and
ultimately the failure of the revolution.
In 1969 he was charged with killing a guard in
Soledad prison. The event of the guard's execution
followed the murder three unarmed Black prisoners
shot down by a tower guard. No evidence linked
George and his co-defendants (collectively called
the Soledad Brothers) to this murder. The three had
previously been identified as revolutionary and
were targeted for the empty charge. Shortly before
the Soledad Brothers trial was to begin, Jackson
himself was shot down and killed by prison guards.
It's not surprising that in the 1990s an
influential student leader would be unaware of this
important history. The bourgeoisie has an interest
in sanitizing the history of the oppressed. We can
not let this white-wash continue and so we use our
publications to sum-up history for the oppressed so
as to direct the struggles of the present and
future.
There is a similar re-writing of history at Rutgers
University where the Black Cultural Center is named
after Paul Robeson, who is not only a famous sports
alumni, but also a famous actor, musician and
political activist. Robeson lost his career to
McCarthyite blacklisting of Communists and their
supporters.
According to the Daily Student Paper at Rutgers,
Robeson is being considered for a postal stamp. The
student newspaper interviewed the director of the
Robeson Center, and asked about his radical past,
and whether that should disqualify Robeson from
being on a stamp.
The director replied that Robeson was a supporter
of "the working class" but that he "never joined
the Communist Movement." This is incorrect.
According to both sympathetic biographers and the
FBI, Robeson never joined the Communist Party, but
we can definitely place him within the larger
Communist Movement of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
Robeson openly supported the Soviet Union under
Stalin and supported all oppressed people in their
struggle against Amerikan imperialism. He opposed
the McCarthyite anti-Communist witch-hunts, and
lost his passport and career for refusing to answer
the House Un-American Activities Committee's
questions about whether he was a member of the
Communist Party.
While he never joined the Communist Party, he
worked very closely with them and did consider
himself a Marxist and a scientific socialist. When
the leaders of the Party were arrested under the
anti-Communist Smith Act, he offered to publicly
join the Party in defiance of the Smith Act. The
Communist Party leaders turned down this offer as
too dangerous.
MIM would like to see Robeson on a postage stamp,
as he is an important political figure whose true
legacy should be popularized. But in order to see
Robeson's face on a stamp, we wouldn't be willing
to sell out his history, nor are would we
prioritize a struggle to put Robeson on a stamp.
Postage stamps are, after all, Amerikkkan currency.
Help get MIM publications out to the people. Order
a stack of new or old newspapers to distribute in
your community.
Notes: Duberman, Marin Bauml, Paul Robeson. New
York: Alfred A Knopf, 1988. See page 420 for his
offer to publicly join the Party. For his support
of Marxism, see page 489 amongst others. Soledad
Brothers, the Prison letters of George Jackson
* * *
FISHERS IN INDIA STRUGGLE AGAINST
IMPERIALISTS
by MCB52
On March 6, as part of two days of massive protests
across India, Indian fishers blockaded three main
ports and demonstrated in the capital. They
demanded that the government revoke licenses which
allowed joint ventures between imperialist and
Indian companies. The government eventually granted
the demand.
The blockades took place in Bombay, nearby Kandla,
and the southern city of Vishakapatinam, and were
part of a mobilization of the 8 million fishers in
India who are unionized.(1) This mobilization was
the culmination of protests that have taken place
since the government authorized the licenses in
1991 as part of the liberalization of the economy.
The imperialist fishing ventures involve large-
scale fishing which depletes Indian deep-sea
resources. According to a spokesperson for the
demonstrators, "The depletion of the fish resources
is posing a threat to (Indian) fishworkers and
their families."(2) The Indian government -- a
comprador regime which listens to the International
Monetary Fund and other imperialist rule-makers
rather than the needs of the Indian people -- was
not going to revoke the licenses it had issued. But
mass protests changed its tune.
Large imperialist corporations oppress the vast
majority of the people of the world as part of
their quest for profit. Mass protests such as this
one show that oppressed people have an interest in
leaving the imperialist system behind and are in
fact struggling against imperialism. The most
effective form of struggle against imperialism for
oppressed nations is protracted peoples war for
national liberation and socialism. Only under
socialism will allocation of resources be made in a
just way.
NOTES:
1. Inter Press Service, 6 March 1997.
2. Agence France Presse, 6 March 1997.
* * *
IMPERIALIST POPULATION CONTROL CONTINUES
by an RC
The U$ Senate passed a resolution opening up $385
million for family planning programs in over 100
countries. The programs will include contraceptive
distribution, family training and centers.(1)
This "family planning aid" boils down to greater U$
support and funding for population control of the
Third World. The justification for this spending
included a goal of "500 million fewer people" and
an attempt to reduce the high mortality rate from
child birth experienced in Third World countries.
But the supporters of greater us patriarchy and
imperialist hegemony failed to mention both the
real reasons why wimmin are dying and how reducing
the population of oppressed people benefits U$
foreign domination(2).
The major government rational is that this
imperialist-labeled aid would save lives of both
wimmin and children by providing people with family
planning devices. They argue that if wimmin aren't
having children, then they and their children can't
die from childbirth. Rather then address
imperialism, the root cause of poor medical care,
malnutrition and a need for large families because
of high infant mortality and economic security, the
U$ places blame on birth rates and pumps the Third
World full of IUD's, test birth control pills and
sterilization. Though the reports mention
distribution of condoms, the most effective, and U$
favored, birth control comes through forced
sterilization and testing on oppressed wimmin.
The most effective way to improve the health of a
population, provide medical care, and particularly
to improve reproductive choice and health is by
overthrowing patriarchy. But the U$ imperialists
prefer to uphold the patriarchy by attacking the
womyn in oppressed societies, forcing birth control
and sterilization on them and as a result, the
backbone of most Third World families, the womyn,
frequently becomes either sterile or sick.
But given Amerikan imperialism, why would the U$
want to wipe out a wealth of cheap labor? The main
reason lies in control. Family planning aid doesn't
destroy entire populations, but attacks mostly the
"unskilled", unemployable, and many revolutionary
lumpen proletarians. By slowing down and limiting
the births of the oppressed people in the world,
the U$ tries to prevent revolutionary uprising and
shrinks the number of mouths that would need the
food and resources that U$ imperialism steals while
still being able to use their cheap labor until
they are destroyed.
Will more Democrat votes or wimmin in government
help? The vote was disproportionately a Democrat
sponsored resolution, initially presented by
Klinton, with republicans only objecting to the
possible use of funds for abortion(3). Also
Madeline Albright herself supports the bill, even
though she claims to be a feminist fighting world
child abuse. This "aid" is clearly a case of U$
imperialism digging its fangs deeper into the lives
and choices of the Third World with all sides of
Amerikan politics supporting eventual genocide of
oppressed people.
The answers don't lie in further U$ AID or
imperialist involvement, but in the ability of all
people to feed, cloth and house themselves without
the oppressors hand on their throat or in their
uterus. Through national self-determination
struggles the imperialists will loose their control
and choices affecting a society's people will be
decided by and in the best interest of the people
within that society. Support national self-
determination and the end to imperialist control.
(For more information on imperialist population
control policies, see MIM Theory #12 "Environment,
Society and Revolution")
* * *
STUDENTS SEIZE BUILDING FOR MIXED BAG OF
DEMANDS
On 3 March 180 students seized the financial center
of the University of Massachusetts, Goodell Hall.
The five-day takeover protested the failure of the
administration to honor the 1992 ALANA agreements.
Initial protest demands specifically included the
agreement not implemented in 1992 that the
percentage of oppressed national and minority
students be raised to 20%. Other demands specified
ways the administration should recruit and retain
students to reach this goal. The students also
added in more general demands for more financial
aid and child care and the abolition of tuition
late payment fees.
In 1992 the Black Student Union (BSU) led a series
of protests against the administration's weak
response to the racist beating of a Haitian
Resident Assistant. The administration claimed it
committed itself to a series of reforms designed to
increase "non-white" enrollment and retention. The
U.S. Justice department, having viewed the nearby
city of Holyoke as one of the cities most likely to
riot, was looking to decrease the number of racial
sparks in Holyoke's vicinity and intervened at
UMass. Despite the involvement of the Just-us
department and a legally binding agreement, the
administration did not uphold its side of the
bargain.
ALANA stands for "Asian, Latino, African and Native
American." While we support oppressed nations and
national minorities organizing together to achieve
greater access to education, MIM does not lump all
oppressed nations and groups of national minorities
together as one political unit as the proponents of
"people of color" and "ALANA" do. The ALANA
formulation does not distinguish between these
different groups with separate and sometimes
opposing material interests and political
objectives.
MIM supports the demands to increase enrollment of
oppressed nation and national minority students
because more access to higher education for the
oppressed is progressive. Using a formulation
lumping all these different groups allows the
university to pick-and-choose which populations it
wants. Because university administrations are
notorious for their treachery in implementing
agreements that will advance the cause of the
oppressed, it is important to be very precise in
what we demand. Already some student activists have
a glimpse of this based on the administration's
number crunching since 1992.
DEMANDS FOR ALL STUDENTS
Many of the student leaders of the takeover
stressed over and over again that "This is not an
ALANA issue!", reflecting many of the demands which
were not nationalist and were new ground not
covered in the 1992 agreements. MIM obviously
supports oppressed nation students getting support
from whites; but we disagree with watering down
your own struggle to the point of feeding white
self-interest in order to get that support.
Demands for all students need to be clearly
designed to advance oppressed nation issues. These
issues can include demands for greater ability to
carry out political organizing on campus,
increasing numbers of and funding for oppressed
nation students, or increasing overall student aid
at the expense of funding of prisons or militarism.
MIM views the principal contradiction -- the one
struggle that resolving will do the most to resolve
all other contradictions -- within the united
snakes as that of imperialism: the Black, Latino
and First nations against the white Amerikan
nations. Struggles for more oppressed nation
enrollment, against more cops or against the prison
system are struggles against imperialism. Within
the white nation, we see youth as the group with
the greatest inclination to ditch parasitism and
work for revolution. But it is important that
struggles that involve calling for more privileges
for white youth are linked to anti-imperialist
struggles. With this anti-imperialist line in
command, advancing the political position of all
youth, or under some circumstances even just white
youth, can increase the potential for splitting off
large sections of the white youth for the
revolutionary struggle.
MIM does not help students oink to the system for
more gravy at the expense of the oppressed, as the
system already trains them well enough to do that.
But proletarian leadership can turn the demand for
more student aid into something progressive. In
many states, the leading competitor to education
spending is prison construction and maintenance. If
college students and bureaucrats start attacking
the police state in order to shift imperialist
gravy away from prisons, that's something that
objectively aids the anti-imperialist struggle.
Such complicated trades can only be successful
under clear proletarian leadership. How imperialism
spends its stolen super-profits is not a zero sum
game, and much care needs to be taken to keep such
a movement from turning into "Fund education AND
prisons!" Proletarian leadership of such struggles
is vigilant against all attempts to compromise the
struggle.
In the past five years less complicated UMass
struggles have failed to achieve their goals. Many
struggles and victories have been erased by
opportunist student leaders or anti-student
administrators who take advantage of the high
turnover of students to re-write the past.
CONTINUE THE FIGHT FOR EDUCATION FOR THE
OPPRESSED NATIONS
The administration's reaffirmation of the 20%
"ALANA" enrollment target as the most politically
important outcome of this protest, and we salute
the students who won this victory but warn students
to beware of the problem they have created in using
the term ALANA and allowing the administration to
pick which nationalities from this group of
students they want to increase.
MIM encourages students interested in ending
oppression once and for all in the most effective
way possible to work with MIM and RAIL. For those
unwilling to move beyond reformism, there are many
ways that we can work together to make a world
that's better for the world's majority. We
encourage students to get involved in MIM and
RAIL's fight against the criminal injustice system.
In particular students can help us get educational
materials and programs into the prisons, greatly
increasing the access to education for oppressed
nations. Pushing public universities to set up
education programs in the schools is an important
way that we can take these struggles for increased
access to education outside of the gates of the
university.
LEARN YOUR HISTORY, TAKE UP THE REVOLUTIONARY
SCIENCE, AND GAIN REVOLUTIONARY EXPERIENCE!
This story was written on 18 March 1997.
NOTE:
See MIM Notes 71, December 1992 for coverage of the
struggle leading up to the 1992 ALANA Agreements.
MIM Notes was the only publication to report on the
hotel "rewards" given to the assailant's hosts.
Available at:
gopher://gopher.etext.org:70/00Politics/MIM/MIM.ess
ays/umass.racists
* * *
MARXISM-LENINISM-MAOISM ONLINE
READER WEIGHS IN ON USE OF "THIRD WORLD"
Dear MIM:
I'm writing in response to another e-mailer [MIM
Notes 133, March 1, 1997] who had a problem with
the use of the term "Third World." Usually this
hysteria about semantics & word politiks is not my
thing, but in this case I think its worth replying
to. Use of "third world" has been accepted by many
activists/scholars of anti-imperialism because it
connotes a separate, functioning WORLD of its own.
Like a world, this term makes clear that these
super-exploited parts of the world are capable of
functioning in an independent, self defined, self
determined system, not dependent upon the 1st and
2nd worlds. However, it is a world excluded from
the power & profit of these other two. To say that
using "Third World" implies that the 1st world is
something to aspire to is to succumb to the
vertical, hierarchical mindset of the Kapitalist
mainstream of this kountry (besides, 3 IS the magic
number).
Fight the mind kontrol!
Strength&Unity
-- Internet Reader
MIM RESPONDS: While MIM too defended our use of
"Third World" we do so for different reasons than
this reader. (We are also not aware of any anti-
imperialist literature that advances this "self-
contained world" argument.) Although MIM has
criticized the "world systems" theory for denying
any internal dynamic and contradiction within the
oppressed nations, this letter writer goes too far
in the other direction -- ascribing a self-
determination to the Third World that does not
exist under imperialism. That self-determination is
in fact the goal of proletarian revolution. The
masses of the oppressed nations are not only
capable of self-government but of moving mountains
-- once imperialism, which holds back advances in
production and social relations, is destroyed.
SURREALIST LIKES MIM ARTICLE ON INTERNET
CRIME
Dear MIM: Because I am a surrealist, I strictly
oppose most of the positions in MIM Notes; many
even when I can see to some degree the line of
thinking behind them, I believe are
flabbergastingly farfetched. Often, the premises
are sensible but on slender foundations blanket
structures are erected.
Nevertheless, I appreciate (as I have my own Web
page) most of the article "Internet Crime Hype
Fuels Government Repression" [MIM Notes 131,
February 1, 1997]. I am not interested in the ins
and outs of the bickering between the MIM, the CSRP
and the RCP, but MIM has done a very valuable thing
in attacking "the Amerikan media and U$
government"'s scheme to end all semblance of "free
speech" on the Internet.
This kind of thing turns the stomach. The
lickspittle Washington Post, which must never worry
about "freedom of speech" because it is in bed with
the Establishment, the government and the ruling
class, obviously believes that everyone will have
an allergic reaction to radical groups because they
are radical (never mind a discussion of ideas,
never mind they might be telling the truth), and
that the government has a right to spew its
"unfiltered propaganda" but all other statements
should be cleared by the F.B.I.
Let the coy "State Department Staffer" discuss the
governments terrorism (which is legal "in this
country")! All these "concerned [international]
citizens" propping up the fascist Peruvian
dictatorship, with their "legitimate law
enforcement concerns" (secret policy plots) can go
to hell.
At this stage, the rulers attitude is motivated by
sour grapes; they have yet to squash this new, free
medium, and it will be difficult to do so. Their
tactic is demonization of the Internet to the
degree "it is so efficient a means of reaching so
many people" -- they present it as principally a
vehicle for exchanging child pornography.
Against threats like the Unites States Parole
Commissioners restrictions, all revolutionists must
unite in the defense of electronic communications
against bourgeois interference!
--a reader in the east February 1997
MIM RESPONDS: We're glad to see that the forces
opposed to government censorship and political
repression are strong, and this reader makes a good
point that talk of child pornography is simply a
diversionary government tactic to strengthen their
control of speech on the Internet. It is not that
the government is afraid of an "allergic" reaction
to revolutionary ideas -- but a revolutionary
reaction! They are afraid of youth having access to
communications and publishing, and to radical
ideas. It's too bad, though, that this reader did
not provide any argument or evidence that MIM is
wrong or that our thinking is "farfetched" for us
to respond to. We invite them to write a serious
piece about surrealism vs. materialism for us to
debate in the pages of our literature.
WORLD WIDE WEB REVIEWS:
REVOLUTIONARY INFORMATION PROJECT SENDS
GREETINGS
Greetings Revolutionary Comrades of the Maoist
International[ist] Movement,
We have seen your publication MIM Notes and found
it a valuable resource for information about the
anti-imperialist and socialist struggle worldwide.
Specifically, your coverage of the struggle by the
Filipino people against American Imperialism is
excellent. We also have seen your reviews of
culture and cyberculture from a Marxist-Leninist-
Maoist perspective. We would appreciate your
thoughts on our effort against imperialism on the
world wide web at:
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/3791/
Revolutionary Information Project (RIP) is
dedicated to educating people about anti-
imperialism and socialism. Our slogan is, "ONE
ENEMY, ONE FIGHT!"
We provide an unofficial page on the Popular Front
For the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and their
people's war, an unofficial page on the Popular
Revolutionary Army (EPR) and their people's war
against imperialism in Mexico. We also provide
information on the struggle by the Philippine and
Kurdish peoples.
We provide links to anti-imperialist and communist
struggles world wide. As imperialist capitalist
globalization intensifies, so does the protest
against it in cyberspace. We are dedicated to
expanding our links to our sisters and brothers in
struggle worldwide.
We provide a FAQ for the UNDERNET chat-channel
#communism, an art gallery of cultural revolution
posters, and a list of progressive mailing lists.
Thank you for your interest.
In Struggle,
Revolution Information Project, USA
MIM RESPONDS: Thank you for alerting us to your
valuable site -- with news from and links to anti-
imperialist organizations around the world, and a
great collection of Cultural Revolution artwork.
RIP is indeed an excellent, non-sectarian, anti-
imperialist resource on the Internet, and we are
pleased that you link to our site.
We do not know if you are familiar with MIM's
struggles against the phony "MPP-USA" that you also
link to. While MIM respects your desire to be non-
sectarian, we have published numerous articles
explaining that the "MPP-USA" is not a sectarian
issue -- they are cops pure and simple, attempting
to split and wreck the international support for
the People's War in Peru. One such article is
available on our web site -- others can be ordered
from Maoist Sojourner. We urge you not to lend them
legitimacy by linking to their web site under the
heading "People's War in Peru" as they claim.
We will be adding a link to the RIP site at MIM's
web site that will include this review.
* * *
REVOLUTIONARY MAILING LIST NOW AVAILABLE FROM
THE MAOIST INTERNATIONALIST MOVEMENT!
Subscribe to mim-news and get news and feature
articles from MIM Notes, the bi-monthly newspaper
of the Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM). mim-
news contains anti-imperialist global and local
news coverage, letters from revolutionary prisoners
in Amerikan gulags, reviews of Internet politics
and sites, and cultural analyses -- all from a
Marxist-Leninist-Maoist perspective. (mim-news is
not a discussion list.)
To subscribe, just send an e-mail message to:
majordomo@mim.org
In the body of the message, write:
subscribe mim-news
* * *
POST-MODERNIST AND CONSERVATIVE LOSERS FIGHT
IT OUT
by MC5
Two frauds in Australia in March reveal the
bankruptcy of prize-fighting for the bourgeoisie in
academia and the arts.
For the last several years, a battle has raged in
academia and the professional arts between post-
modernists and conservatives. On the one hand, we
have the post-modernists claiming who one is is
more important than what one does and that science
is a useless enterprise.
On the other hand, we have the conservatives
claiming that their myopic Christianity and Western
culture is the ultimate intellectual wisdom.
In this battle between King Kong and Godzilla, we
look on with disgust. We would like to favor the
post- modernists for pointing out how rich white
men dominate the arts and sciences to the exclusion
of legitimate contributions from oppressed people,
but the post- modernists put forward the equally
noxious neo-colonial view that wimmin and oppressed
nationality people are incapable of universally
accepted achievements in science and art. Hence,
MIM says to hell with both the post-modernists and
the conservatives. Two white people in Australia
claimed to be oppressed peoples in painting and
autobiography. The post-modern establishment --
a.k.a. prize- fighters for the bourgeoisie- -
promptly awarded the frauds for their excellent
work in painting and autobiography. "My Own Sweet
Time" fraudulently represented as the autobiography
of an aboriginal womyn Wanda Koolmatrie won "best
first work by an Australian womyn writer" in 1995.
Another award followed in 1996. The real author was
a white man. A painter who claimed to be an
Aboriginal "Eddie Burrup" turns out to be an 82-
year-old womyn of Irish-descent. She had put her
work successfully in museums and galleries. To
cover their tracks, the post-modern establishment
said the following: "As we now discover, it is a
pack of lies because it is actually a fiction and
not autobiographical, which I think immediately
devalues its literary merit." In other words, the
book stinks now that we know who wrote it according
to the post- modern establishment. MIM pulls this
trick on its opponents from time to time too. We
will repeat something someone said to us only to
find that the same person now opposes the statement
because we said it.
Communicating with people who only pay attention to
who is speaking and not what is said is a waste of
time. They do not appreciate science or truth yet.
The bourgeoisie funds these prizes and allows all
kinds of mysticism to pass as achievement, because
it serves the rule of the capitalist class to keep
the people ignorant. We follow Engels in his
"Ludwig Feuerbach" on suspicion toward seeking the
prizes of bourgeois academia. We need independent
institutions of the oppressed and we must pursue
the truth in spite of academia and the professional
experts. "Only among the working class does the
German aptitude for theory remain unimpaired. Here
it cannot be exterminated. Here there is no concern
for careers, for profit-making, or for gracious
patronage from above. On the contrary, the more
ruthlessly and disinterestedly science proceeds the
more it finds itself in harmony with the interests
and aspirations of the workers."
Not only are wimmin and oppressed nationalities
capable of developing universal science and art,
they are in a position to lead this development. It
is within the struggles of oppressed nations for
national liberation that we find the most fertile
ground for non-compromising science.
NOTE: Boston Globe 14 March 1997. p. A2.
* * *
REVISIONIST CHINA DROPS PIECE OF SOCIALIST
FACADE
by MCB52
Revisionist China recently abandoned the formal use
of the terms "political crimes" and
"counterrevolutionary crime." The vice-chairman of
the Congress Standing Committee who announced the
new legal codes explained: "Revision of the crimes
of counterrevolution is made out of consideration
that China has left the era of revolution to enter
the era of construction." MIM believes that the
state-capitalists in charge of the Chinese state
left the revolutionary path twenty years ago and
turned terms like counter-revolutionary crime
upside down long ago.
The capitalist-roaders overthrew the socialist
"Gang of Four" in 1976. Since then Deng Xiaoping
and his ilk overturned socialist structures in
China and implemented capitalism. For example, Deng
et al reversed the collectivization of agriculture,
and have allowed imperialist exploitation of
Chinese workers in special "Free Enterprise" zones.
But for many years the Deng clique went to great
lengths to justify their capitalist "reforms" in
the name of socialism. The prestige of socialism
was too great among the Chinese people. If Deng had
said, "I am restoring capitalism," the people would
have rebelled.
But keeping up a socialist facade hampers the
capitalist-roaders efforts to fully restore
capitalism. That is why the Chinese state has been
steadily dropping socialist practices and
terminology like "counter-revolutionary." MIM is
happy to see the Chinese state drop its socialist
pretensions, since it makes it clear to everybody
that China today is capitalist, not socialist. Like
Malcom X, MIM prefers wolves to foxes. The wolf is
honest about the fact that he wants to eat you,
while the fox tries to pretend to be your friend.
The discussion of this announcement in the Amerikan
imperialist media deserves a couple of comments.
According to the New York Times,
"Counterrevolutionary crimes, widely used in the
past to prosecute political categories, have been
criticized for years by Chinese legal experts as a
form that has no basis in modern legal theory." MIM
says, well of course the anti-Communist, capitalist
experts in legal theory find the notion of
counterrevolutionary crimes ridiculous, even
threatening. That is because the bourgeois law
serves the capitalist class and justifies the
capitalist mode of production.
In particular, liberal bourgeois legal theory hides
the oppression of groups by other groups by
pretending that all groups are equal. For example,
the bourgeoisie claims that a worker in the
Philippines freely chooses to work for $5 per day,
never mind that she would starve if she didn't or
would be beaten and thrown in jail for organizing
for higher wages.
This idealist theory approaches the law as an
abstract idea somehow above the people who write
and implement it. There are some things which are
intrinsically wrong, and anybody will be punished
if they do them -- so the story goes. But
materialists know that this is not the case. For
example, Mumia Abu-Jamal is on death row for
allegedly killing one person in self-defense, while
warmongers like Bill Clinton, George Bush and
Ronald Reagan prosper in freedom. But materialists
know that this is not the case.
That is why MIM attacks the notion that the
bourgeois courts measure crime using a non-
political, objective standard. Defining what is and
what is not a crime is a political act.
NOTES: New York Times. 7 March 1997, p. 1.
* * *
NEW EDITION OF "PHILIPPINE SOCIETY AND
REVOLUTION" PUBLISHED
***"Integrating Marxist-Leninist theory with
Philippine practice is a two-way process. We do not
merely take advantage of the victories achieved
abroad so that we may succeed in our own
revolution. But we also hope to add our own victory
to those of others and make some worthwhile
contribution to the advancement of Marxism-Leninism
and the world proletarian revolution so that in the
end mankind will be freed from the scourge of
imperialism and enter the era of communism" --
Amado Guerrero***
MIM hails the publication of the new edition of
Philippine Society and Revolution by Amado
Guerrero. This is essential reading to understand
the basic principles of the national democratic
revolution in the Philippine. Philippine Society
and Revolution is a shining example of concretely
applying the correct principles of Marxism-
Leninism-Maoism to the specific characteristics of
a society. MIM highly recommends this book and
commends the Philippine Information Network Service
for its work in getting the book re-published.
Amado Guerrero (the nom de guerre of Jose Maria
Sison, founding chairperson of the Communist Party
of the Philippines) wrote Philippine Society and
Revolution in 1970. The book presents the main
strands of Philippine history and the basic
problems facing the Filipino people today:
feudalism, bureaucrat capitalism, and imperialism.
Philippine Society and Revolution also presents the
basic tasks of the people's revolution, emphasizing
(1) the leadership of the Communist Party and the
struggle against modern revisionism, (2) protracted
people's war and Chairman Mao's strategic line of
encircling the cities from the countryside, and (3)
the revolutionary united front.
This new edition of Philippine Society and
Revolution also includes Specific Characteristics
of our People's War, Our Urgent Tasks, and several
contemporary articles by Jose Maria Sison. The
first two works were written in the 1970's and
expand the fundamental analysis of Philippine
Society and Revolution, summing up the first few
years of political organizing and armed struggle.
The contemporary articles show that the basic
analyses Philippine Society and Revolution apply
today -- the Philippines is still semi-colonial and
semi-feudal, and protracted people's war and the
eventual development of socialism are still the
keys to true national liberation.
In the late 80's and early 90's, "left" and right
opportunist forces sought to derail the
revolutionary movement by changing the basic
analyses and perspective of the movement. The
Second Great Rectification Campaign, launched in
1992, largely succeeded in reaffirming the guiding
principles laid out in documents such Philippine
Society and Revolution. The publication of a new
edition of Philippine Society and Revolution will
help to thoroughly defeat the "left" and right
opportunist lines and ensure that the revolutionary
movement remains on the correct path.
Revolutionaries here inside Amerikan borders can
learn several lessons Philippine Society and
Revolution. On the one hand, we can increase our
knowledge of the specific characteristics of the
Philippine situation and better expose and combat
the crimes of Amerikan imperialism in the
Philippines. On the other Philippine Society and
Revolution provides us with an excellent
introduction to some of the basic principles of
Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, and serves as an
inspiration to take these principles and apply them
to the concrete conditions here. Ultimately, we can
best serve the revolutionary movement in the
Philippines and all other societies by making
revolution here.
***The new edition of Philippine Society and
Revolution is available from MIM for $20. Write to
MIM Distributors, PO Box 29670, Los Angeles, CA,
90029-0670.***
* * *
UNDER LOCK & KEY: NEWS FROM PRISONERS AND PRISONS
EMERGENCY RESPONSE REQUESTED
The Committee to End the Marion Lockdown (CEML) has
received letters from two Black prisoners at Marion
who report that they have been set up by guards for
fights with White prisoners. Once the fight takes
place, then the Black prisoners are also set upon
by the guards, and are then the only ones punished.
CEML is requesting that all interested people
immediately write, phone, or fax the prisoncrats
listed below and demand that these practices be
stopped immediately. One of the correspondents
writes: "It is not only that the guards are beating
black brothers constantly but they are allowing
white racist prisoners to beat on us and jump on us
while we are handcuffed. . . .
On January 2, 1997 the blacks and whites had a big
fight on the recreation yard. They beat many of us
with billy clubs but did not allow us to get
medical attention until they were finished
providing help to the white prisoners. Now the
staff here has put brothers in a kill or be killed
situation. . . .
They are taking strong brothers off the tiers, and
even putting single blacks on tiers with all other
white prisoners. . . . Please let our oppressors
know that we brothers have someone who will stand
strong and let them know that their malicious acts
will not be tolerated." The other correspondent
writes: "The white boys in the population unit had
the nerve to tell the brothers that they couldn't
sit down on the bench, saying that this was a white
bench.
Whenever you get into a fight with a white guy, the
officers beat us but won't bother the white
prisoner. When there was a fight on the yard on
January 2 the police broke one brother's wrist and
slammed another's head into the wall several times.
These people are trying to kill us fast. We need
your help. Our families do not even know what is
going on. As soon as we try to tell someone over
the phone, then the phone is disconnected. Please
respond as soon as you can."
Protest to: Kathleen Hawk, Director, Federal
Bureau of Prisons, 320 First Street, NW,
Washington, D.C. 20532, tel. (202) 307-3250, fax:
(202) 514-6878
Patrick Kane, Director, North Central Region,
Federal Bureau of Prisons, Tower II, 8th Floor, 400
State, Kansas City, KS 66101, tel. (913) 612-3939,
fax: (913) 551-1094
Mr. William Hendricks, Warden, USP Marion, Box
1000, Marion, IL 62959, tel: (618) 964-1441, fax:
none, we're told. Please make certain to report
back to this emergency response network (ern)
whether you have sent a message and whether you
have received a response from the prisoncrats. This
type of feedback to us is essential in
understanding how the ern is working. You can email
us directly or carbon copy us at: ceml@aol.com
Thank you.
A CALL TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST TORTURE IN TEXAS
STOP COMPLAINING AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
TDCJ (Texas Department of Criminal Justice) is soon
to be heard in Federal Court, the issue to get out
from under the Ruiz v. Scott, et, al., No. H-78-
987, United States District Court for the Southern
District of Texas. Donna Brorby is the Lead Counsel
for us the plaintiffs.
I hear a lot of lip service. But now we have a
chance to voice all the wrongs and how TDCJ
violates their agreement with Ruiz. Write Donna
Brorby at 390 Hayes St. Suite #2, San Francisco, CA
94102.
Speak of the beatings you saw, the lock up with no
court, tell of all medical care and how little we
get. Speak up now or be ready for the old days to
come back. I ask all in Texas Prisons to write
Donna, not silly things such as Vita Pro, that
issue is up in another suit.
This is the best notice I can give. I wrote Donna
of medical threats that I have been subject to on
this unit. Along with many other things that deal
with Ruiz. If we don't speak up now, we will pay.
You think TDCJ is bad now, you should see TDCJ's
plan s for us if they out from Ruiz.
In the Struggle!! From Price Daniel Unit
--A Texas Prisoner, 11 November 1996
MISSOURI PRISONER DETERMINED TO ORGANIZE IN
THE FACE OF TORTURE
***The following is a composite of several letters
written by a Missouri Prisoner and submitted to ULK
by a MORAIL comrade***
Greetings Comrades, . I write this to respond to
your letter which i received last week. First let
me thank you for your concern and encouragement. It
is assuring knowing there are those like your self
who are fighting for the liberation of the people
and who have not condemned brothers in prison.
Answering your letter, prison officials have me in
the hole for "Out of Bounds" and "unauthorized
Organizations" But what it is this, myself and
others teach a class which aids other inmates to
learn basic Constitutional Rights and how to
protect them self! Also I been doing a of talking
about how we (prisoners) need to stop fighting one
another and focusing on our true enemy, the
Administration. Are you familiar with the riots we
had in Sept.? Well, myself and others, Brothers
were able to wake a lot of people up. Crips,
Bloods, Aryan Brotherhood, Muslim etc., united for
13 whole days and terrorized these goons.
I believe that to be the true reason for me being
in the hole. I have a lot of influence towards a
lot of people and they (goons) are afraid I will
cause a repeat of Septs. riot. Though they won't
say this, I believe to be true.
(2) They have me on the following medication,
THORIZINE 50 mg. x2 Daily HALADOL 75 mg. x 2 Daily
TRASADONE 75 mg. x 2 Daily
They say they are helping me stay calm, but I don't
take that shit. When I refuse it, they refuse to
feed me until I do though. Can you tell me what I
can do on that?
(3)Yes, I'm a non-violent offender, stealing and
fraud, serving 5 yrs. in a max. security Prison,
the worst in Missouri. I have a "good" conduct
record. So what sense does this make? I really want
to do something that will expose what these
assholes do to us. Especially in the hole. Here are
a few things: I'M DENIED ALL VISITS. I haven't been
allowed NO shower in almost 3 weeks. I have no
light except daylight. No hot water. I DON'T get to
eat unless I let them DOPE ME UP.
I can go on and on. Thank you for writing my mom-
... I will remain in touch- But I believe these
people are going to try and set me up and have
someone DO something to me- So if you don't hear
from me next month, I ask that you contact
investigators and check on thins.
I remain strong,
--A Missouri Prisoner, 1 December 1996
..."Ever since it has been said that my release
from lock up was being considered, guards, even the
associate warden has come to me asking "Are you
going to keep your mouth shut, and stop causing
trouble?"
Hell no! I will just be more careful. In fact, I'm
determined to organize people, Black, Latin, etc.,
unite all of us together. And Help these people
open their eyes and clean their ears out, and FACE
REALITY. It is my duty to my people to help in the
struggle in Raising awareness towards the
oppressor, and support for the third world
revolution, the struggle of the oppressed here in
Amerikkka's prison system.
Ain't no lockdown cell, mind altering drug going to
make me or my ideas submit in defeat. I will
continue in our struggle as long as I have heart
and air to breath....
I remain struggling,
--A Missouri Prisoner
MORAIL, To bring you up to date on things happening
in reference to my struggle:
1.On Dec.19, 1996, I had a hearing in reference to
my release from Administration Segregation (the
Hole) and they did decide to let me officially go
from the Hole.
2.On Dec. 20, 1996, I was informed that there is
presently no bed-space available in population and
I will remain in the Hole until bed space becomes
available. So in conclusion to all of this, I have
been released from the Hole because they have no
"legal" reason to keep me, but as we know how these
people are able to do some sly things and yet
protect themselves. They have invented the story
that there is no bed space available and therefore
are able to keep me in the Hole and NOT RISK
themselves to any trouble. In summary, my struggle
continues as does my strength continues to
increase. So that I may eventually be victorious in
my struggle. I will not surrender my beliefs or my
will. I will fight for however long it takes. For
to give up is to admit defeat and agree to be
oppressed.
In struggle,
--A Missouri Prisoner [Excerpt from letter 1
January 1997]
TEXAS PRISONER EXPOSES THE MURDER AND
BRUTALITY IN PRISON
...The Murder of a Mexican National, Daniel
Avellaneda happened on July 19th, 1996, the Jones
County Grand Jury was empaneled to hear the case
against the prison guard Neal Harms who claimed
that the Prisoner was "Running backward trying to
escape". Over 40 prisoners witnessed the Murder and
state that Harms ran a huge horse that he was on
into the prisoner, the prisoner became frightened
and ran approximately 5 yards. At which time Harms,
fired a warning Shot. The Prisoner was already
stopped and had both hands in the air when the
guard rode up to the prisoner firing one shot form
a .357 handgun striking the prisoner in head above
the left eye.
All other Prisoners were ordered back to work while
a utility van came. to the sight where the prisoner
was taken "thrown in the van like a dead animal".
The remaining prisoners refused to return to work
and the unit was placed under emergency lock down.
During the lock down the prisoners who were near
the deceased at the time of the Murder were called
out to talk to the Internal affairs division
investigators and senior wardens and threatened and
coerced. Witnesses were told to "Pick a Unit you
want to go to and keep your mouth shut. If you give
a statement you will go visit that fucking wet
back"
This information is developed by the Texas
Prisoners Labor Union members and the Unions
Committee On Human Rights established to
investigate the Murder and the Brutality of the
French Robertson Unit. The committee has also
uncovered a lot of practices of unthinkable
sadistic brutality by guards on the Unit called
"Black Patches", as well as a Practice of Sport
fighting Prisoners in a dried up pond that has been
described as Terror Dome. [This is] where prisoners
were forced to sit in a circle around a pond (The
Terror Dome) with Guards on looking. The guards
would "...ride up next to a prisoner and throw him
a pack of cigarettes and then the same to the
opponent. These prisoners would then descend into
the dome and fight until there was a winner. Many
times prisoners were beaten into unconsciousness,
receiving no medical attention whatsoever, other
than what was administered by other Prisoners."
These sick bastards that call themselves "Public
Servants" are the worst scum on the earth and
should be placed in chains and whipped daily. These
so-called public servants are responsible for the
well being of prisoners, prisoners whom are
allegedly being rehabilitated. Warden Hubert Scott
was sent to the Unit to Transfer (Not Fire) the
most "Obviously" brutal guards.
The Texas Prisoners Labor Union will not cease in
our investigation until we have the whole truth and
a Federal Grand Jury issues Indictments against
these bastards. We are seeking your assistance. We
need detailed information concerning all aspects of
treatment, Brutality at the French Robertson Unit.
We want to Present the Federal Grand Jury with
enough evidence to send these bastards to jail. (I
want Harms for my cellie, I will see how tough that
bastard is without the pistol). There is an ongoing
conspiracy to cover the Murder. This is a RICO
violation and these bastards cannot hide behind the
States Immunity skirts. And when called before an
investigative body, will start snitching on each
other to try to save their own asses. When you
contact us with information send one copy of the
"Sworn Affidavit" to the Mexican Consulate and one
to me (via MIM) at the addresses below:
Mexican Consulate, General Counsel, 511 Ohio St,
Suite 121, Midland, Texas 79701
Together we can make a difference. Don't allow the
administration to divide and conquer using Race,
political affiliation or religion which are their
most common ploys.
-- A Texas Prisoner, Founder & Chairman of the
Texas Prisoners Labor Union, 1 January 1997
PIGS FACILITATE STABBINGS ON THE RECREATION
CHAIN
Sitting here in the Lucasville Maximum Security
Prison....I would like for someone to tell me if
this is a maximum security prisoner then tell me
how is it possible that there are so many stabbings
on the Rec. [Recreation] Chain of the
Administrative Segregation [Ad-Seg] blocks?
I have never been afraid of anything in my whole
like, not even death. But i'm like all men, i will
not go out without a fight. But here in Ad-Seg
there's no fighting for your life. You're just a
target for the next man.
Let me make myself clear on what i'm talking about.
Like i said, i'm in Ad-seg. That means you're hand
cuffed everywhere you go. You are allowed one hour
of rec. a day. You are stripped of everything you
have on in your cell, in front of the rec. officer.
He will then shake you clothes down then watch you
put them back on. After this he will then cuff you
behind you back, then put leg cuffs on you. Then
you are put in a chain that runs through you arms.
You might have 10-15 inmates on a chain with only
two rec. officers.
...Now after all this is done, how is it possible
for an inmate to come out of his handcuffs and have
a razor or ice pick and attack you???
Now remember what i said, you were stripped and
cuffed in front of an officer. So tell me, where
are the razors and ice picks coming from? It makes
you wonder? I don't go to rec. anymore because i
refuse to get hit on this rec. chain and not fight
back. I've been in Ad-Seg for one year now and I've
seen six stabbings on this rec. chain.
It's never a black inmate hitting a white inmate.
It's the whites hitting the blacks. There's not one
black rec. officer working the rec. chain. We
brothers have addressed this to the warden and
Columbus. I'm trying to make it home alive.
--An Ohio Prisoner, 11 December 1996
NEW FEDERAL TORTURE DEVICE
...I also got something to say, about the KKK's
Feds. You can print this in your MIM Notes (from
Prison Life Magazine).
Looks like the Federal Bureau of Prisons has
approved a new vehicle of torture: the Remote
Electronically Activated Technology, R-E-A-C-T-STUN
BELT. How long did it take them to make up that
acronym? A program statement dated September 30,
1994 from the US Amerikkkan Imperialist KKK's
Department of Justice outlines the various uses of
the device which is designed to prevent pri$oner$
from escaping while being escorted to court, the
hospital or another prison. First the gory details
as explained in the document.
The custody control belt discharges 50,000 volts of
electricity by means of a remote transmitter. An
attending officer has the ability to activate the
stun package attached to the belt thereby causing
the following results to take place.
1. Immobilization, causing you to fall to the
ground. Possibility of self-urination. Only maximum
custody convicts "requiring greater security than
can be afforded through conventional restraints"
can be forced to wear the stun belt. The document
states that the officer in charge of the escort
detail "must exercise sound judgment when making a
decision to activate the custody control belt", but
it goes on to say that "verbal orders are not
required if the staff member reasonable believes a
danger of death or grievous bodily harm is
imminent". In addition prisoners can be stunned if
they tamper with the belt, fail to comply with
staffs' verbal order to halt or if the officer in
charge experiences "any loss of visual contact with
the prisoner".
Hmm, Guess the days of handcuffs and shackles are
over. What a toy, America people think that violent
punishment is the solution. I mean the system is
fucked up. Really these people enjoy to see others
in pain just for entertainment, like the shows,
amerikkka's most wanted, cops, and crimestoppers.
Yeah, right, they are straight up killers - the
only thing different is they have a license to
KILL. Permission to do it from the KKK. ...The real
criminals make the laws...
--A Michigan Prisoner, 5 January 1997
NOT SURPRISED BY ST. LOUIS POLICE BEATINGS
...I recently received your publications of No. 125
and 126. I was not surprised by the article about
the St. Louis police beating a former prisoner to
death. Since my incarceration in ^Ñ90, I have been
part of and witnessed plenty of my unconscious
brothers [correction officers] beat [prisoners]
into a state of comotose for simply protesting the
actions of the Ferguson Units' Tom and his hired
henchmen.
The Texas prison system prides its-self on
brutality on prisoners, just a Chief Williams does
of the LAPD. The way that it thrives is to send
hired hands out against its own race. And if the
brother [prisoner] lives to make it to court, then
they send [one of] your own race into that snake
den to discredit any type of defense that you [the
prisoner] have. [The Uncle Tom discredits the
prisoner] by saying that you have a history of
attacking them or inciting riots, and they are only
trying to do their job and serve the public.
However, it may be the Brothers of the struggle
will continue to fight the powers that be and make
this kkkountry a real land of the free. And a home
to the brave Brothers and Sisters who have the
vision to overthrow this government and institute a
true government of Marx-Lenin-Maoist ideology.
...
A true Brother of the Struggle,A Texas Prisoner, 11
December 1996
PRISONER POETRY WANTED
Free Lunch Arts Alliance, A California Not-for-
Profit Corporation, is planning a publication of
poetry from prisoners in U.S. correctional
institutions. This will be either a special issue
of the magazine, or a larger chapbook of about 36
or more pages. We have not yet determined a
publication date, but it will probably be in late
1997 or early 1998. We hope to have poetry from
inmates from across the U.S.
Guidelines for Special Free Lunch Issue of Prisoner
Poetry:
Prisoners should submit up to three previously
unpublished poems. The poems can be hand printed,
typed, or computer-generated. If the submission
includes more than three poems, it will be
discarded and the poems will not be considered. For
this special publication, prisoners do not need to
include a self-address, stamped envelope. If we
wish to get in touch with the prisoner regarding a
submission (for correction, clarification, or
possible revision) we will supply the postage for
this. Please place the letter I on the envelope you
send, or indicate in a cover letter that the
submission is for the special Inmate Issue. Cover
letters are not necessary, however, although it is
always interesting to receive them.
Submissions will not be returned. So original
copies of work should not be sent. If a poem is
selected for publication, we will notify the
prisoner. To this end, we ask that you provide an
alternate name and address where you can be
contacted. Often prisoners are moved around and
mail is not always forwarded. So an alternate name
and address is helpful. All those whose work is
published will receive two copies of this special
issue and a free on-going subscription to the
magazine. Additional copies will be available to
contributors at a cost plus postage basis.
As for what type of poetry we are looking for, we
are not interested in traditional greeting card
verse, which is typically rhymed and contains some
kind of moral or message. On the other hand, we are
not opposed to traditional rhymed poetry. We like
poetry that relies on figurative language image,
simile, metaphor, rhythm, sound, etc. We do not
care for flat, prosy work that is really prose and
is chopped up into lines to look like poetry. There
is no limitation of subject matter or the type of
poetry (experimental, protest, lyric, narrative,
etc.).
We look forward to seeing your work.
--Ron Offen, Editor of Free Lunch, 29 January 1997
Submissions can be sent to: Free Lunch Arts
Alliance, PO BOX 7647, Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-
7647.
MIM ADDS: We also encourage prisoners to keep
sending poetry and art to MIM as well as news and
theoretical articles.
***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.
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