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 136 APRIL 15, 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. ANTI-CRIME HYSTERIA ON CAMPUS BOLSTERS
NATIONAL OPPRESSION
2. EXPANSIONIST AGGRESSION AGAINST PALESTINIANS
INCREASES
3. LETTERS
4. MASSACHUSETTS PROPOSES MORE REACTIONARY BILLS
ON PRISONS
5. HYSTERIA THREATENS USE OF INTERNET FOR OPPRESSED
6. AMERIKAN IMPERIALISM CONTINUES AGAINST EAST
TIMOR VIA INDONESIAN HAND
7. IMPERIALISTS PREPARE FOR NUCLEAR WAR
8. NDFP CONDEMNS PHILIPPINE ARMY ATTACKS ON
CIVILIANS; CALLS RAMOS' PEACE INITIATIVES
PSYWAR GIMMICK
9. MIM CELEBRATES THE 28TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEW
PEOPLE'S ARMY
10. ITALIAN ANTI-IMPERIALIST CONTINUES FIGHT FOR
RELEASE
11. REVOLUTIONARY CULTURE: SLINGBLADE REVIEW AND
POEM
12. HETEROSEXIST WIN AT PENN STATE
13. CIA PRETENDS TO CLEAN UP ITS ACT
14. PSEUDOFEMS TAIL IMPERIALIST MOUTHPIECE
15. CLINTON WANTS MORE DIRECT BOURGEOIS CONTROL OF
JUDGES, LESS OF ELECTIONS
16. SETTLER GOVERNMENT SET TO EVICT DINEH FIRST
NATION
17. STONEY POINT STRUGGLE FOR SELF-DETERMINATION
CONTINUES
18. BOWING TO WORLD BANK ANDHRA ENDS PROHIBITION
19. PSEUDO-ENVIRONMENTALIST DEBATE FALLS SHORT
20. THE AGENDA OF THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS
21. UNDER LOCK AND KEY: NEWS FROM PRISONS AND
PRISONERS
* * *
WHAT IS MIM?
The Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM) is a
revolutionary communist party that upholds Marxism-
Leninism-Maoism, comprising the collection of
existing or emerging Maoist internationalist
parties in the English-speaking imperialist
countries and their English-speaking internal semi-
colonies, as well as the existing or emerging
Spanish-speaking Maoist internationalist parties of
Aztlan, Puerto Rico and other territories of the
U.S. Empire. MIM Notes is the newspaper of MIM.
Notas Rojas is the newspaper of the Spanish-
speaking parties or emerging parties of MIM.
MIM is an internationalist organization that works
from the vantage point of the Third World
proletariat; thus, its members are not Amerikans,
but world citizens.
MIM struggles to end the oppression of all groups
over other groups: classes, genders, nations. MIM
knows this is only possible by building public
opinion to seize power through armed struggle.
Revolution is a reality for North America as the
military becomes over-extended in the government's
attempts to maintain world hegemony.
MIM differs from other communist parties on three
main questions: (1) MIM holds that after the
proletariat seizes power in socialist revolution,
the potential exists for capitalist restoration
under the leadership of a new bourgeoisie within
the communist party itself. In the case of the
USSR, the bourgeoisie seized power after the death
of Stalin in 1953; in China, it was after Mao's
death and the overthrow of the "Gang of Four" in
1976. (2) MIM upholds the Chinese Cultural
Revolution as the farthest advance of communism in
human history. (3) MIM believes the North American
white-working-class is primarily a non-
revolutionary worker-elite at this time; thus, it
is not the principal vehicle to advance Maoism in
this country.
MIM accepts people as members who agree on these
basic principles and accept democratic centralism,
the system of majority rule, on other questions of
party line.
"The theory of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin is
universally applicable. We should regard it not as
dogma, but as a guide to action. Studying it is not
merely a matter of learning terms and phrases, but
of learning Marxism-Leninism as the science of
revolution."
-- Mao Zedong, Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 208
* * *
ANTI-CRIME HYSTERIA ON CAMPUS BOLSTERS NATIONAL OPPRESSION
The so-called "anti-crime" movement continues to spread to
college campuses. Campuses across the country are spending
more on their own police forces and gates and fences to keep
out people.
In the arsenal of the delirious fascist anti-crime movement
is the increasingly regularized statistical reporting of
campus crimes. Every time the statistics come out, the
rednecks prey on parents' fears by asking for more cops,
guns and steel doors on campus.
Opportunist fascists amongst college administrators also
take advantage of the hysteria to prevent students from
linking up with people "outside the university community"
and in fact regularly arrest "outsiders" "trespassing" at
universities, all of which have some of their tuition and
overhead funded by federal tax-dollars.
This is despite the fact that no study has shown that having
a campus police force (and the associated costs of insuring
it for instance) reduces crime rates. Not only is prison-
building eating into state budgets that should go to
education, but also, once the public and private
universities do get some state funds, the money again goes
to "fighting" crime, not education!
USA Today has run numerous stories on this question, but
none have addressed what proof there is that cops on campus
improve the crime situation. No article has ever shown that
there is a single effective thing that can be done within
this rotting system.
Instead, the repeated drone of USA Today that never even
raises that question is "Activists' groups said the
government's figures were false because many crimes are
reported to deans instead of the security offices."
It is bad enough that the United $tates is the world's
leading prison state per capita, but the imperialist media
is not alone in its agitation for counting more things as
crime. People alleging to fight gender oppression believe
that entire bureaucracies should be built at universities to
work with cops on the fight against rape. Students need to
confront the fascist anti-crime delirium gripping this
country. They need not travel to the prisons or the state
courts: the battle starts right on campus.
NOTE: USA Today 17 March 1997, p. D1.
* * *
EXPANSIONIST AGGRESSION AGAINST PALESTINIANS INCREASES
by RC68
written 30 March 1997
On Monday March 17th, Israeli armed forces and construction
crews invaded the Palestinian land known as Jebel Abu Ghneim
and began leveling it to replace it with 6,500 new Israeli
homes. Palestinian protesting and resistance have not ceased
since that day. This outrageous act of expansionist
aggression against the Palestinian people has been met with
worldwide contempt and Amerikan support.(1)
On Friday the 21st the U$ vetoed, for a second time, a UN
resolution to stop Israeli construction plans in
Palestine.(2) This vote came only hours after an act of
desperate resistance by the Palestinian Hamas in which one
Palestinian on a suicide mission killed three Israeli
settlers in Tel Aviv. Israel and the United Snakes label
this an act of terrorist aggression because the bomber
killed civilians. But Israeli soldiers have been firing on
Palestinian civilians all year long. How come the New York
Times does not call this terrorist aggression? The bourgeois
media double standard is clear as they tail the u.s. state
department line.
Hamas had temporarily suspended military operations despite
disapproving of the "peace" process. These newest acts of
U$-backed Israeli expansionist aggression have put the
Palestinian people under a heightened state of siege and the
collaborationist Palestinian Authority (PA) is helping
Israel. The Hamas is an anti-imperialist force fighting for
the self-determination of the Palestinian people against
Amerikan backed Israeli occupation.
Fighting also broke out in Hebron the same day in March.
Palestinians threw rocks and Molotovs at Israeli occupation
troops. The Israelis fired at the Palestinians with fully
automatic assault rifles and tear gas. The Israeli soldiers
charged at the demonstrators and arrested three people.
Palestinians bombarded the soldiers with rocks forcing them
to release the prisoners. Palestinian police did their part
to quiet the rebellion by attempting to keep Palestinians
away from Israeli occupied areas. Others instead evacuated
people who had been tear gassed by the Israelis.(2) One
Palestinian policemen chose to join the stone throwers and
was ordered to leave by his "superiors". The next day
fighting worsened and over 100 Palestinians were injured.(3)
Similar incidents also occurred in Bethlehem, Nablus, and
Ramallah.
As usual, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is
blaming the break down in the peace talks and the renewed
Palestinian resistance on Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian
Authority. On March 23, the Israeli cabinet urged the
Palestinian Authority to crack down on militant Palestinian
groups. To prove Netanyahu wrong, Arafat and the
collaborationist Palestinian Authority have done their best
to curb Palestinian resistance and show their Amerikan and
Israeli masters what good Arabs they can be. The day before
the Israeli cabinet meeting, Palestinian police arrested
Hamas leader Ibrahim Maqadmeh and detained him for several
hours. The Palestinian police also arrested five other Hamas
members the night of the 21st.(3) On the 23rd, Palestinian
police formed a human chain and fired into the air to
protect Israeli occupation troops from understandably angry
Palestinians during the clashes at Hebron.(4) These actions
make it crystal clear who Arafat and the Palestinian
Authority really serve. Netanyahu and Clinton should give
their dog Arafat a nice bone.
On March 26th, the United Snakes decided to launch a mission
to save the "peace". This is some of the most audacious and
hypocritical Orwellian doublespeak imaginable. As RAIL has
previously pointed out, if the U$ really was concerned with
peace, it would stop arming Israel and stop protecting
Israel in the UN. The Amerikan "peace" mission has three
objectives, to seek a clear statement from Arafat to
Palestinian militants to cease resistance to Israeli
expansionist aggression, to urge Netanyahu to ease tensions,
and to restart negotiations between Arafat and Netanyahu.
What the United Snakes means by saving the peace is a
continuation of Israeli expansion and a cessation of
Palestinian resistance. The Palestinian people are not
fooled, even if most Amerikans are. The Palestinian response
to Amerikan plans was more protesting and burning U$ and
Israeli flags.(5) The Amerikan envoy, Dennis Ross, met with
Arafat in Morocco on the 27th. The next day he also met with
Netanyahu in Jerusalem.(6) As of the 31st, the White House
had to admit that no breakthroughs had been made.(7)
In fact, there is now considerable division amongst the
Amerikan and Israeli imperialists and the collaborationist
PA as to what course to take. Israel continues to use brute
force while the U$ and Arafat prefer more diplomatic
methods. While on the one hand the United Snakes wants to
ensure that stability is reestablished for Israel, Amerika
also wants to be the only outside force involved in the
discussion, thus preserving Amerikan interests. Arafat is
also seeking help from the outside. He has now started
calling the Israeli invasion a declaration of war on the
Palestinians. Although this is true, Arafat is saying this
for reasons of political opportunism, seeking to put
diplomatic pressure on Israel to force a stop to the recent
provocations.(8) If this trick works, it could put the
"peace" talks back on track.
It is likely, however that no amount of Israeli aggression,
Amerikan intervention, or Arafat's treachery are going to
stop the revived militancy in Palestine. The Palestinian
people already knew not to trust Amerika or Israel to
respect Palestinian independence. Now they also know better
than to follow Arafat since the sellout PA has shown its
true colors. It is now clear to all Palestinians that the
only people that they can rely on to secure their liberty
are themselves. The people of Palestine will not gain self-
determination until Israeli imperialism is overthrown and
Palestinian sovereignty over their homeland is restored.
NOTES:
1.MIM Notes #135.
2. CNN 21 March 1997.
3. Washington Post 22 March 1997.
4. CNN 24 March 1997.
5. CNN 26 March 1997.
6. CNN 28 March 1997.
7. NPR News 31 March 1997.
8. CNN 30 March 1997.
* * *
LETTERS
RC DISAGREES WITH MIM RETRACTION
Dear MIM Notes:
I disagree with MIMs retraction of the statement "JUNK
APEC". I do not think that the reason is a good one. It's
true that the right also opposes free trade, but I do not
think that we have to worry about them rallying around MIM
and RAIL. I would also argue that the right is far from
asleep in this country. In fact it is active and organized.
But my main reason to disagree on the question is that it is
not consistent with the rest of MIM's line and practice. The
right opposes integrationist ideas, but we've never worried
about waking them up by opposing integration for our own
better reasons.
And there is a strategic advantage to be gained by doing
informational work based on the true nature and results of
NAFTA, GATT, and APEC. Our most controversial line is that
the white working class is not truly exploited because their
wages come from super profits stolen by the imperialists.
Now that we have a real live example that people are
familiar with, we can use it to explain what we have been
saying all along. I doubt that by doing that we would find
much if any unity with first world chauvinists than we have
in the past by opposing integrationism.
In struggle,
--a RAIL comrade
MIM RESPONDS: This comrade is right that the danger is not
in the Right rallying around MIM and RAIL. If that were
expected, we could truly expect to LEAD a progressive
movement against APEC, GATT or NAFTA. But in fact we do not
have the power in this country at this time to lead such a
movement and so any propaganda put out opposing free trade
will only be drowned in the reactionary Amerika-first free
trade propaganda already put out by the labor aristocracy.
The very fact that the Right is already active an organized
around this issue, as this comrade points out, speaks to the
danger of adding fuel to their fire in anti-free trade
organizing. We recognize that certain demands may be
progressive when coming from revolutionaries but are
reactionary when coming from national chauvinists, and when
the revolutionary movement is not the stronger of the two,
as is the case in Amerika today, revolutionaries must take
care not to unleash an even stronger reactionary movement.
The comparison to integration is a useful one. While the
APEC demand that MIM rejected was to junk APEC, the anti-
integrationist demands of the white nation include closing
the borders, stealing the land from the oppressed nations,
and building a white empire. It is exactly the reactionary
anti-integrationist demands which are unleashed in an anti-
free trade campaign in this country. But MIM, on the other
hand, takes on integrationism in the context of opening the
borders, giving back stolen land to oppressed nations, and
supporting national liberation struggles. There is no danger
that these demands will in any way reinforce the national
chauvinism of the powerful anti-free trade and anti-
integration movements in this country.
The key here is to look at the material forces unleashed.
The letter-writer is saying the KKK also opposes
integrationism, but that doesn't stop us there from also
opposing integrationism for different reasons. The letter-
writer is correct intellectually-speaking, but we have made
an additional calculation: let the KKK put forward our line
and MIM put forward its line. On a global scale the KKK is
going to lose by succeeding with putting forward
nationalism. In addition, we within the u.s. borders make
the maximum possible contribution to global revolution by
raising the revolutionary nationalist banner, because the
oppressor nation cannot win a straight-up fight against the
world's majority of people. This has a lot to do with the
principal contradiction as we define it being between the
oppressor nations and the oppressed nations.
When it comes to GATT, we are still saying: Third World
workers should oppose GATT. However, what force are WE
mobilizing in the imperialist countries? By opposing GATT,
we risk becoming pawns of neo-colonialism. Look at what
happens to the people who will be the main force within u.s.
borders: we will be encouraging the oppressed nations to
line up with bought-off workers against the Mexicans and
Japanese in particular. It's not that the Black Panthers
were in danger of not seeing through the KKK on
integrationism. There is no danger there, but with the GATT
and NAFTA issue and the Prop. 187 issue, where we saw 60
percent of Blacks and Asian-descended people go for Prop.
187--we are at risk of having the internal colonies really
join up with the rednecks with no difference. This would
muddy the principal contradiction.
When deciding which demands we want to organize a united
front around, it is important to always evaluate both the
demands and the organizing potential of the demands. For
instance, we could come up with ideologically correct free
trade demands which would have the practical effect of
furthering a fascist movement. When MIM puts forward demands
around which we build a United Front, we are careful to pick
the winnable battles. We do not want to put our energy into
a movement which will be usurped by the strong reactionary
Right.
* * *
MASSACHUSETTS PROPOSES MORE REACTIONARY BILLS ON PRISONS
The Massachusetts congress will soon be voting on a number
of new bills to enhance the criminal injustice system and
further oppress prisoners. Among the most noteworthy of
these bills is one that will require prisoners to pay $5 a
day for every day they stay in prison and one that creates
prison industries enterprises.
Amerika sends more Blacks to prison than to college, in
spite of the fact that it would be less expensive to send
prisoners to college instead of jail. The state of
Massachusetts, one of the top imprisoners of Blacks relative
to whites, has proposed to charge the prison population for
the privilege of being locked up: five dollars a day.
House Bill No. 3709 would require all prisoners in
Massachusetts to pay this rent or go into debt and pay it
upon release. Five dollars may not sound like much but
imagine you serve a mandatory ten year sentence for drugs,
at $1825 a year, that's $18,250 you owe the state upon
release. Now you are a convicted felon, and you need to find
work when very few people will hire someone with a criminal
record. The state would be authorized to snag up 25% of a
convicts salary so it would take eight years to pay back
this debt. And that's eight years of earning less than
minimum wage while former prisoners are trying to support
themselves and often a family as well.
Adding a spouse and children to this scenario only makes
things worse. Prisons already take young men and wimmin away
from their families, often destroying relationships as a
result. Now they are going to add a huge debt to these
families as a reward for sticking together through the
imprisonment. Families that endure the imprisonment do not
need additional hardship. This bill will contribute to
divorce, and make life after release even harder in a
society where an ex-prisoner can not get a job, find
housing, and often is without any social support.
SLAVERY IS LEGAL IN PRISON
The Massachusetts government wants to create prison
industries enterprises (PIE) to make it easier to profit off
of prison industry products and other work prisoners are
forced to do for slave wages. The PIE's will also allow the
prisons to act as profit making financial institution which
can invest its money much like a corporation. Part of the
bill proposing the creation of these industries says that
the prisons can "expend any part of inmate earnings to
satisfy the victim and witness assessment." The remaining
earnings are distributed as follows: "For those inmates
employed by companies participating in the federal Private
Industry Enhancement (PIE) program, so-called, twenty
percent shall be deposited into the Victim and Witness
Assistance Fund; the remainder shall be allocated as the
commissioner sees fit among the following uses; to offset
the costs associated with the inmate's incarceration, for
purchases within the institution by the inmate, and for
deposit into an interest-bearing account."
Inmates not participating in the PIE must give 10% of their
income to the Victim Fund, 10% to costs of incarceration,
and they get to use 40% in prison and 40% is saved for when
they are released.
But this is not all. There is a clause in the bill that says
that at the commissioner's discretion, if the prisoner is a
"sexually dangerous person" or is serving a life term, 50%
of the earnings can be taken away for cost of incarceration
and the remaining 50% given to the Victim and Witness Fund.
Keeping in mind that the US constitution says that slavery
is legal in prisons, this bill is consistent with the
purpose of the US criminal injustice system. Inmates earn
far less that minimum wage in prison jobs: The average wage
for prison labor in this country is between $.23 and
$1.23.(1) And now Massachusetts is going to take away even
more of their small salary. This bill will also make it
possible for private businesses to employ inmates and to
contract with private companies to manage prison-based
businesses. While wages paid by these companies must be
market rate, the commissioner can deduct from the wages
"financial contributions sufficient to qualify said business
under the eligibility requirements" which in the end means
the prisons can take what they want of the prisoners wages.
It is worth noting that in addition to losing all or most of
their wages to the prison system, prison laborers are not
protected by the FAIR Labor Standards Act or by OSHA (the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration) which means
that conditions of work in prisons are virtually
unregulated.(1)
FIGHT THE CRIMINAL INJUSTICE SYSTEM
It is no accident that slavery is legal in prisons and that
the majority of prisoners are from oppressed nations.
Prisons in Amerika are used for social control. These new
Massachusetts bills will just further the ability of the
government to control the overwhelmingly poor population
that is sent to prison along with their families who will
follow them into debt.
We need to fight against reactionary legislation like this
but we have to keep a revolutionary anti-imperialist
perspective. Even if these bills are defeated, the criminal
injustice system in Amerika will still hold more people per
capita than any other country's prison system. This is a
system that can not be reformed away: only by overthrowing
imperialism can we create a true justice system that serves
the people, not the imperialists.
NOTE: 1. American Friends Service Committee public testimony
on March 26, 1997.
* * *
HYSTERIA THREATENS USE OF INTERNET FOR OPPRESSED
by MC45
A Minnesota prisoner already serving time for molesting
children is being threatened with an extended sentence. The
pigs say he uses the Internet and the prison's computers to
plan more molestations. Much discussion around this case has
centered on the extent to which computers and the Internet
can be used to break the law.(1)
As the state builds up the case that the Internet can be
used to commit crimes, and to commit them anonymously, these
cases can become legal justification for limited privacy on
the Internet. While these public cases are about sexual
abuse, the state's general interest in limiting secure and
anonymous access to the Internet is to prevent the oppressed
from using the Internet as an organizing tool.
In this Minnesota case, the prisoner allegedly used the
Internet in unspecified ways to compile a database of
potential girl-child victims to molest. He also used an
anonymous remailer in Finland to exchange e-mail. The pigs
have no proof that he used the Internet to distribute this
list, yet they publicly suggest the possibility that he
could do this.(1)
MIM agrees with the ACLU analysis of this case and the
pertinent law to a point. The ACLU said: "It's a fallacy
that the Internet allows you to do illegal things that you
couldn't otherwise do. ... There's nothing you can get off
the Internet that you can't get in the local library."(2)
While we agree the Internet does not house a special brand
of information unavailable elsewhere, we would not so
quickly dismiss its power as an organizing tool. The net
makes being in contact with activists across continents and
oceans as cheap and easy as being in contact with activists
within a given city. But unlike what the pigs claim, this is
a qualitative difference in information distribution, not in
the information itself.
One early penal response to this type of case came from the
United States Parole Commission, which holds the honor of
being the first parole authority (no states have done this)
to attempt to control crime on the Internet. The Commission
has said that it will take steps anywhere from "prohibiting
offenders from owning a computer to installing monitoring
equipment on their computers that will keep tabs on where
they roam on line."(2)
To assure revolutionaries that they have good reason to be
concerned about these new regulations, a u.s. parole
commissioner said that this regulation is directed at people
"with histories involving either pedophilia or hate crime
activity, the illegal use of explosives, those kinds of
things."(2)
MIM and all our prison correspondents know that our work is
frequently described as that of a "hate group" by prison
officials trying to keep prisoners from reading our
publications. The logic for calling us a hate group is that
we hate oppression and work to end the supremacy of groups
over other groups. For this we are classified as hating
white people, men, and Amerikans. MIM responds to this
charge: if the shoe fits, either take it off and join us in
the struggle against oppression, or acknowledge that those
who defend oppression are the real hate criminals and quit
slinging mud in our direction.
NOTES:
1. New York Times. 28 March 1997, p. A15.
2. New York Times. 5 January 1997, sec. 4, p. 5.
* * *
AMERIKAN IMPERIALISM CONTINUES AGAINST EAST TIMOR VIA
INDONESIAN HAND
by MC17
This year, the US congress has allocated an additional $4.5
million in aid to the Indonesian dictatorship, with $100,000
expected to be aimed at military training alone.(1)
Indonesia occupies East Timor, an occupation infamous for
the brutality and oppression the East Timorese have
undergone. With over 1/3 of the population massacred since
the Indonesian invasion in 1975, the ongoing resistance of
the Timorese people is testimony to the will of the
oppressed to fight for their lives.
In the 22 years of the occupation, repression has been a
daily reality for the East Timorese people. In spite of
this, a strong resistance movement continues to fight for
self-determination. In February, at least 137 East Timorese
people are believed to have been arbitrarily arrested, and
up to four people shot, following days of unrest in the
Uatulari sub-district in Viqueque. The prisoners are
reported to be extremely frightened and hold grave fears for
their own safety. As with all East Timorese prisoners taken
by the Indonesian regime, torture and even death are very
likely.(2)
A Republican in the US congress, Patrick Kennedy, is
sponsoring a bill to cut off an estimated $26 million in
military aid because of Indonesia's human rights record.(3)
At the same time, the United Snakes is planning to sell
Indonesia at least 9 more F-16 military airplanes. Congress
is threatening to postpone delivery on human rights grounds,
citing the situation in East Timor and Jakarta's July 1996
crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. Nevertheless, the
deal is still scheduled to go through.(4) Clinton banned the
selling of small arms to Indonesia on the grounds that it
was these that are used against the East Timorese people but
his political manipulations and hypocrisy are clear in light
of the other military aid still being given to Indonesia.
In all, the United States has sold more than $1.1 billion in
weaponry to Indonesia since its 1975 invasion of East Timor;
the sales have gone on in Republican and Democratic
administrations alike, regardless of the rhetoric espoused
by the President at the time. According to the U.S. Arms
Control and Disarmament Agency, from 1992 to 1994 (the most
recent years for which full data is available), Indonesia
received 53% of its weapons imports from the United States.
If the proposed sale of the F-16s goes ahead as planned, the
Clinton Administration will have approved roughly $270
million in arms sales to Indonesia in just over 4 years, or
an average of over $67 million per year. This represents
more than twice the level of arms sales to Indonesia
concluded during the Bush Administration, and allowing for
inflation, it represents the highest level of U.S. sales
since the second Reagan term or the early Carter period.(5)
There is a growing movement in the United Snakes fighting
against Amerikan imperialism and its Indonesian arm
oppressing East Timor and supporting the East Timorese right
to self-determination. This pressure is certainly the cause
of the sudden u.s. congress interest in human rights
violations that have been obvious since 1975.
While any cuts in U.S. aid to military dictators around the
world represent progress for the nations fighting for self-
determination, historically it has not been effective to
lobby the u.s. congress to achieve these gains. While we put
pressure on the u.s. government to cut off support to
imperialism world-wide, we must recognize that imperialism
will not be reformed and any such victories are only meant
to pacify protests. The people of East Timor and the other
occupied nations of the world deserve our support here in
the belly of the beast and we have a responsibility to
continue this fight with the understanding that we will not
win until imperialism is overthrown.
NOTES:
1.http://amadeus.inesc.pt:80/~jota/Timor/TimorNews/Mar97/Ind
o.not.concerned.with.US.proposal.to.stop.aid
2. http://www.peg.apc.org/~etchrmel/Urgent.htm
3. WORLD NEWS FROM RADIO AUSTRALIA, Tuesday 18th March,
1997, 7.15pm
4.
http://amadeus.inesc.pt:80/~jota/Timor/TimorNews/Mar97/Indo.
mil.cr iticises.move.to.cut.american.aid
5.
http://amadeus.inesc.pt/~jota/Timor/TimorNews/Mar97/US.arms.
transfers. to.Indo.I
* * *
IMPERIALISTS PREPARE FOR NUCLEAR WAR
by MC49
**"I have said before that all the reputedly powerful
reactionaries are merely paper tigers. The reason is that
they are divorced from the people. Look! Was not Hitler a
paper tiger? Was Hitler not overthrown? I also said that the
tsar of Russia, the emperor of China and Japanese
imperialism were all paper tigers. As we know, they were all
overthrown. U.S. imperialism has not yet been overthrown and
it has the atom bomb. I believe it also will be overthrown.
It, too, is a paper tiger."**
-- Chairperson Mao Zedong, 18 November 1957
**"Riding roughshod everywhere, U.S. imperialism has made
itself the enemy of the people of the world and has
increasingly isolated itself. Those who refuse to be
enslaved will never be cowed by the atom bombs and hydrogen
bombs in the hands of the U.S. imperialists. The raging tide
of the people of the world against the U.S. aggressors is
irresistible. Their struggle against U.S. imperialism and
its lackeys will assuredly win still greater victories."**
-- Chairperson Mao Zedong, 12 January 1964
The U.S. government (USG) stopped making nuclear bombs in
1989, but it has by no means given up on the idea. Public
pressure around serious safety and environmental problems,
combined with the disappearance of the Cold War excuse for
warmongering, forced the shutdown. Since, the USG has honed
its pro-war propaganda line, and is hoping to resume nuclear
bomb production by 2003.
The imperialists, principally the U.S. imperialists, are
currently waging a hot war -- World War III -- against the
world's oppressed nations, including the U.S. empire's
internal colonies. Nuclear blackmail has been a key part of
the imperialists' strategy in this war. Despite USG fear-
mongering about "Third World terrorists" and the like, the
USG is the only government to ever actually drop nuclear
bombs onto civilians' heads. In 1945, the USG dropped
nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki. John Hershey's book, Hiroshima, provides some idea
of the horror of this USG crime against the people. And
that's the whole point. The USG's goal was not to stop
Japanese reaction, but to terrorize the world's peoples into
submission. This remains the goal of the USG's nuclear
weapons program. Fortunately, it is people, not things,
which are decisive. We fully expect that the world's
oppressed majority will destroy imperialism before
imperialism destroys humanity.
In 2003, the USG hopes to be ready for sustained production
of up to 50 nuclear bombs a year, in order to maintain a
stockpile of about 6,000 terror-bombs. To reach this goal,
the USG's Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los
Alamos, New Mexico is scheduled to outfit a new bomb-
manufacturing plant and train skilled technicians of death.
LANL's role in the USG's nuclear terrorism is given the
false appearance of civilian endorsement by the University
of California's willingness -- a willingness bought and paid
for by the USG -- to play an oversight role.
Likewise, the USG's warmongering is cloaked by such
euphemisms as "defense" and "national security," and by such
mechanisms as putting the nuclear terror-bomb-making under
the jurisdiction of the "Department of Energy," possibly the
only federal USG agency as sorely misnamed as the
"Department of Defense" and the "Department of Justice." The
USG plans to spend $40 billion to keep its terror-bomb
stockpile in tip-top shape, and it plans to mask this as an
"Energy" expense. The money will go to new scientific
instruments, industrial plants, terror-bomb components, and
terror-bombs.
Also with an eye towards its 2003 goal, the "Energy
Department" wants LANL to demonstrate the ability to make a
fully certified plutonium pit in 1998. A plutonium pit is
the nuclear trigger that sets off fusion reactions in
terror-bombs. Rocky Flats nuclear plant in Colorado built
all of the USG's plutonium pits until public concern over
serious safety and environmental problems forced the plant
to shut down in the early 1990s. Only four people within
U.S. borders are currently capable of fabricating a
plutonium pit. All four work at LANL.
Most of us humans like humanity. We want peace. But we are
going to have to fight to get it.
NOTE: Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb 1997, p. A4
Also see: John Hershey's Hiroshima, Bantam Books, New York,
1986.
* * *
NDFP CONDEMNS PHILIPPINE ARMY ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS;
CALLS RAMOS' PEACE INITIATIVES PSYWAR GIMMICK
Press Release
23 March 1997
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP)
condemned today the recent operations of the Philippine
military against the residents of Sta. Cruz, Zambales. The
military's ruthless strafing and bombing of the community
has forced residents to flee their homes.
Through Fidel Agcaoili, chairman of the NDFP's Reciprocal
Working Committee on Human Rights and International
Humanitarian Law (RWC on HR and IHL), the NDFP declared this
attack on civilians as a clear violation of international
humanitarian law and the Ramos regime's self-declared
ceasefire, the so-called Suspension of Offensive Military
Operations (SOMO).
"It is indeed ironic that these operations are taking place
while the panel of the Government of the Republic of the
Philippines (GRP) is supposedly negotiating peace with
NDFP," Agcaoili said. He added: "More ironic is the fact
that the two parties are currently negotiating a
comprehensive agreement on respect for human rights and
international humanitarian law."
The two panels resumed talks last March 18 in Breukelen, the
Netherlands.
Human rights advocates said that troops from the Army's 68th
Infantry Battalion had been conducting military operations
in several villages in Sta. Cruz to flush out guerrillas of
the New People's Army (NPA). On March 19, it was reported
that two Huey helicopter gunships hovered above the village
and dropped eight bombs. During these operations, several
villages were cordoned off and local residents were
prevented from leaving their homes. One resident who managed
to escape and the first to report the incident to human
rights groups said that Army soldiers took his watch, his
money, and the family's food supply. A number of residents
were also arrested and interrogated and were forced to admit
that they were NPA supporters.
Soldiers also reportedly opened fire at the villagers'
houses. Reports on the casualties are yet to be known
pending results of a human rights fact-finding mission.
Agcaoili: "The barbarity by which government soldiers attack
the civilian population belies once again the sincerity of
the Ramos regime in wanting to conduct negotiations with the
aim of attaining a just and lasting peace in the country. It
shows that its peace initiatives are nothing but a mere
psywar gimmick. How can the Ramos regime claim it is serious
in negotiating peace when it cannot even abide by its
unilateral ceasefire declaration nor its signature on
international covenants?"
Earlier, Luis Jalandoni, chair of the NDFP Negotiating
Panel, had also called the Ramos government's SOMO as "false
and hypocritical", after government soldiers launched
several surprise attacks on NPA guerrillas in Kalinga and
Sorsogon. He said that the NDFP had received reports of
repeated military operations by the Armed Forces of the
Philippines in various parts of the country, even as GRP
President Fidel Ramos has announced a further extension of
the SOMO earlier this month. The SOMO is supposed to end on
April 6.
"Such perfidious acts of the GRP under cover of a deceptive
SOMO are totally contradictory to the spirit and letter of
carrying out goodwill and confidence-building measures in
accord with The Hague Joint Declaration of September 1992,"
Jalandoni said.
Agcaoili warns the Ramos regime that the NDFP "considers
these grave breaches of international humanitarian law as
provocations and threaten the very continuance of the peace
talks."
SOURCE: http://www.geocities.com/~cpp-ndf/sison12.htm
* * *
MIM CELEBRATES THE 28TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
29 March 1996
MIM enthusiastically salutes the anniversary of the New
People's Army (NPA). Soon after its own re-establishment on
Dec. 26, 1968, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)
organized the NPA on March 29, 1969. The NPA started with 60
Red fighters armed with only nine automatic rifles and 26
single-shot rifles and handguns. The NPA has grown
significantly since then.
The CPP established the NPA under the guidance of Marxism-
Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought and along the general line of
the new-democratic revolution. Under the absolute leadership
of the Party and its Marxist-Leninist-Maoist line, the NPA
wages a protracted people's war, made possible and dictated
by the chronically crisis-ridden semicolonial and semifeudal
conditions of the Philippines.
By waging the Protracted People's War, the NPA correctly
follows the guidance of Comrade Mao Zedong, who said, "We
are advocates of the abolition of war, we do not want war;
but war can only be abolished through war, and in order to
get rid of the gun it is necessary to take up the gun."
Imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism
ruthlessly oppress the Filipino people. The oppressors
repeatedly demonstrate that they will not give up their
power without a fight. The masses can only liberate
themselves from oppression by organizing themselves under
the leadership of a communist party to seize power through
armed struggle. Only by fighting until total victory can
there be a just and lasting peace.
Under the leadership of the Communist Party of the
Philippines, the Commanders and fighters of the NPA have
expanded and consolidated their mass base for carrying out
the national-democratic revolution through protracted
people's war. With the support of the broad masses of the
Filipino people, the CPP and NPA can expect to lead the
intensification of guerrilla warfare and the mass movement
in due time.
Comrade Mao Zedong said, "The correctness or otherwise of
the ideological and political line decides everything. When
the Party's line is correct, then everything will come its
way. If it has no followers, then it can have followers; if
it has no guns, then it can have guns; if it has no
political power, then it can have political power." The
NPA's history has shown this to be true. From 1987 to 1992,
an incorrect political-military line dominated the NPA's
work. This adventurist line called for a strategic
counteroffensive. It dichotomized military work from
political work. The NPA's incorrect abandonment of mass
political work led to a diminishment of the NPA's mass
social base. The NPA's incorrect abandonment of political
study consolidated these errors. Under the influence of the
adventurist line, the NPA failed to educate, mobilize, and
arouse the masses. The NPA became isolated from the masses.
Many heroic fighters were martyred as a result of these
errors.
Since 1992, under the leadership of the CPP, the NPA has
been undergoing a rectification campaign. The goal of this
campaign is to reaffirm the Party's Marxist-Leninist-Maoist
principles, rectify errors, and rebuild strength which was
diminished as a result of the erroneous line. Today, the NPA
studies the classics of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao,
and opposes the adventurist line. This movement has been an
overwhelming success, and it demonstrates the universal
significance and importance of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
The NPA's continued and growing success demonstrates the
continued relevance of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism as a tool for
liberating the oppressed. MIM wishes continued success to
the NPA and the national democratic revolution it advances.
MIM contributes to this success in the best way it can-by
preparing the masses of North America to make anti-
imperialist revolution.
LONG LIVE THE NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY!
LONG LIVE THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES!
VICTORY TO THE FILIPINO PEOPLE'S WAR!
LONG LIVE MARXISM-LENINISM-MAOISM!
* * *
ITALIAN ANTI-IMPERIALIST CONTINUES FIGHT FOR RELEASE
by MC53
The government of the United Snakes of Amerika has
imprisoned, detained and tortured Silvia Baraldini for over
14 years. Amerika has denied four petitions from her and the
Italian government to transfer Silvia to an Italian prison.
Silvia is a staunch anti-imperialist revolutionary activist
and as her lawyer has said, "Her fourteen year imprisonment
and her forty three year sentence were imposed not because
of what she did but because of what she believes."
MIM and RAIL have been building up an anti-imperialist,
anti-settler colonial campaign to expose the fact that
Amerikan prisons are used as a tool for social control. This
campaign comes from the understanding that Amerikan prisons
serve to protect the interests of the settler imperialist
government of the united snakes. Silvia Baraldini's case
shows that the Amerikan government uses prisons to suppress
the struggles against settler and imperialist domination.
Learn more about the case of Silvia, support her in her
struggle to be released, and fight against imperialism and
for the eventual overthrow of this increasingly repressive
state of imperialist warmongers.
Prisons are primarily used as a method for national
oppression. The majority of prisoners in Amerikan gulags are
Black despite the fact that the Black nation is a small
percentage of the united snakes. Amerika has increased the
capacity of the gulags to house more prisoners and continues
to perpetuate the oppressive material conditions of the
internal colonies, immigrant laborers and urban poor. It is
because of conditions of poverty, piss-poor education and
lack of real opportunities that street crimes are committed.
So the Amerikan government polices the streets looking for
offenders of small crimes while the real criminals guilty of
aiding military dictatorships and guilty of sending arms to
slaughter peasants fighting for self-determination remain
within the government and corporate offices.
Silvia Baraldini was a radical in the 1960s and 1970s
fighting to expose the Amerikan government's agenda of
imperialism and national oppression. She acted with the
interests of internationalism at root, fought against South
African apartheid, worked to expose the illegal workings of
the FBI's COINTELPRO, and supported the Black Panther Party
and the Puerto Rican independence movement. It is no
surprise that the Amerikan government would move to repress
Silvia's radical actions. That is exactly why we must
overthrow the government and its militarily which works
against struggles fought for self-determination.
Silvia was accused of having aided members of the Black
Liberation Army in a conspiracy against the United Snakes.
In reality, she participated in the escape of Assata Shakur,
a Black revolutionary in exile in Cuba. She was convicted of
this and convicted of an attempted robbery that never took
place. She received forty years for this.
She also received another three years added to the sentence
because she refused to testify against Puerto Rican
independence activists. Silvia's supporters emphasize that
none of these acts were committed involving weapons or with
any injury resulting to anyone. Her tremendously long
sentence is solely because of her political beliefs.
While imprisoned in Amerika, Silvia was one of the wimmin
used in the experimental control unit in Lexington. Through
the Wire, a documentary MIM and RAIL show at political
educational events, shows the conditions of the control
units. Beyond the general use of prisons as a method to
repress national liberation, Lexington was an experimental
torture prison constructed to sap the revolutionary energy
out of the wimmin held. (Write to MIM for help in setting up
a showing of Through the Wireas an educational event.)
MIM opposes the way that prisons are used in general in the
United Snakes. That's why we expose who's in there and why.
We also support the struggles of prisoners to use the legal
system to fight winnable battles. The parole guidelines
specify 40 to 52 months imprisonment for the crimes which
Silvia was convicted. She has served more than 167 months.
Silvia is facing a parole board hearing in July 1997. MIM
wants people to look at this case and all imprisonments to
see why we need revolution. As you are doing that, help out
the supporters of Silvia to make campaigning for her return
home a winnable battle.
Check out: http://www.justice-for-silvia.org/ for the most
recent information. The Release Silvia! Committee to Return
Silvia Baraldini to Italy at 3542 18th Street #30, San
Francisco, CA 94110 sent us information to be publicized and
is the snail contact for more information. The committee is
asking that people write letters to request that Silvia
receive parole addressed to:
Commissioner John R. Simpson, US Parole Commission 550
Friendship Blvd., Suite 420 Chevy Chase, MD 20815
But mailed to her attorney: Elizabeth Fink, Esq. 294
Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn, NY 112201
* * *
REVOLUTIONARY CULTURE
REVIEW: SLINGBLADE
The film Slingblade by director/actor Billy Bob Thorton
takes a pretty good stab at the social concept of sanity and
just what constitutes murder. Beginning in a mental
institution, Karl, the middle aged main character who is
being released, tells that he was put there because at
eleven he killed his mother and the man he thought was her
rapist, but who was really her lover, with a sickle type
blade. The response from the head doctor on his day of
release is that Karl seems "cured" and besides, the funding
ran out for him to stay.
Objectively looking at Karl's early actions, was it so
"insane" for him to kill a man whom he thought, from the
banging and screaming, was raping his mother? Was it so
strange for him to next murder his mother after she had
locked him up in a dirt floored shed his whole life, fed him
made up stories and then proceeded to yell at him for
murdering her rapist/lover? Psychology showers itself in
definitions of sane and insane yet fails to look at the
social access to power that creates our social beings. Those
that accept the status quo are sane. Those who have been
socially relegated to a disempowered position and thereby
can't be a part of that status quo are deemed insane or
delinquent.
In the film, Karl, portrayed as a mentally disabled man,
makes friends with eleven year old Frank. Frank, moves into
his garage and gets a job with Karl who is an ingenious
engine mechanic. His capacity as an ace mechanic gives us a
glimpse of the social reality behind mental retardation. In
current society the unequal distribution of goods and
necessities is based on an un-regulated competition economy
and ideology. When someone doesn't do certain things as well
or learn as fast as everyone else, they are considered
"retarded".
The fact that Karl was trapped in a shed his whole childhood
life, was forced to bury his infant brother alive, and was
imprisoned for seemingly saving his mother from a rapist is
not taken into consideration. He's still considered
retarded. The society calls his mechanical genius a fluke,
and ignores that he was only allowed contact with lawn mower
engines in the shed, contributing to his ability. This movie
shows why socialism is a more rational system than
capitalism. Socialism uses the state ownership of production
and distribution to break down the competition and
individualistic mindset that holds back peoples potential.
At the same time it encourages people to help each other
with the realization that no one benefits unless all can
benefit. As we build communism, we build a society that will
unleash the potential of all people.
When people in the town began to find about Karl's past,
they said things like "I would of killed the bastard too",
referring to his mother's lover. This exposes exactly what
it means to be "sane" since the majority of the town would
have done exactly what Karl did if they had the chance but
for much less rational reasons, like not liking the man.
Later in the film Karl's friends try to set him up with the
"other slow" womyn in the town, managing to show how the
romance culture is the mainstay for Amerikans lives. Romance
was the last thing on Karl's mind and he spent the majority
of his days working and talking with Frank.
Frank's mother was dating an abusive drunk who beat up
anything from his wheelchair bound "friend" to Frank. From
night after night of apologies for being violent, Frank's
mother allowed the boyfriend to move in. The boyfriend got
more abusive and threatened to kill Frank. The rest of the
town went on with their individual business, in true
amerikan style. Seeing no choice for the mother or Frank,
Karl decided to give them his money, send them to the
mother's friend's house and kill the boyfriend with a lawn
mower blade.
This part of the movie plays into the helpless image of
wimmin that the patriarchy propagates. MIM would have
preferred to see Frank's mother decide to take control of
her life and move in with her friend on her own. While
abusive relationships like this one are certainly very
difficult to get out of, Amerikan wimmin do have the
resources to escape and do not need other men to make them
escape. It is the patriarchy that reinforces this
helplessness of wimmin and encourages them to see themselves
as unable to act.
Though Karl's action will not change the world that created
the abuse, it is still a rational response considering the
social conditions. The problem with Karl's response is that
it assumes abuse is an individual problem rather than
recognizing that removing one problem man will not eliminate
the patriarchy. Instead of individualizing the abuse and
ending up in the pigs prisons or mental institutions, the
oppressed need to organize. In reality, the distinction
between a "healthy" relationship and an abusive one is very
blury under the patriarchy where violent sex is considered
erotic and power games are the norm. The only real way to
end gender abuse and oppression is by overthrowing the
patriarchy.
THIRD WORLD WAR
by an RC
Strugglin with arms from Peru to the Philippines
Changin Nightmares to Dreams the ends justifies the means
Where the ballot or the bullet is bullshit
They just put their finger to the trigger & Pull it
& try to pull shit, off with the barrel of a gun
Cuz that's where power stems from
not which candidates run
Before you lay the gun down, you gotta pick it up
Fight fire with fire before your home flames up
In Peru its Gonzalo they follow
Cuz watchin their children starve is hard to swallow
24 hours a day, enslaved he's teenaged feeling middle aged
No minimum wage, no raise, dying for a days pay
Imperialism got him locked in a cage
Neo-colonialism creates hate & rage
No future in sight
No voice for the choiceless
Till they stand up & Fight
No choice for the choiceless
Not seen or heard
So voice for the voiceless
We bleed the Third World
No choice for the choiceless
World War 3 ain't on your TV
Just their views of news & shit-coms & Disney
Makes you dizzy, so you can't see what's goin on
Right under your nose A silent Vietnam
Across the globe countries explode
Culture erodes while we grow old
Heads role in the land you stole
Life is hell under capitalist control
& You just want to know who's gonna win the superbowl?
They suppress the oppressed with your support
So I say wake up! or get tried in their court
People in the Third World are dying in a Third World War
Settle the score, arm the poor
U.N. & U.S. Playin chess with armed forces
Got the Third World in check securing the theft of Natural
Resources
With Dictators & Puppet Regimes
Put in place by United Snakes schemes
From CIA hit men to comprador Death squads
They kill their own just to beat the odds
Everyday from the USA Death is imported
& The Daily News they choose not to report it
Corporate Capitalists, Cash flow fills their need
Death Grows where they sow their wicked seed
Board rooms filled with Hitler clones
Committing Genocide wi' money sittn' high on Thrones
Just demons behind a desk fighting paper wars
Against people slavin for him, Livin on Dirt Floors
& Scrap metal walls so revolution calls
While we spend their stolen Money in the shoppin malls fuck
that
You shoulda' asked before you crept in
Now you better make the bed you slept in or never sleep
again
No future in sight
No voice for the choiceless
Til they stand up & Fight
No choice for the choiceless
Not seen or heard
So voice for the voiceless
We bleed the Third World
No choice for the choiceless
First Work Villain better stop killin in the Third World
before
shit unfurl
First Work Villain better stop killin in the Third World
before
shit unfurl
First Work Villain better stop killin in the Third World
before
shit unfurl
First Work Villain better stop killin in the Third World
before
shit unfurl
MIM responds: Overall this is an excellent revolutionary
song but the one thing it is missing is the Maoist message
that we need to organize systematic revolutionary struggle.
In fact, the First Work Villian is not going to stop killing
in the Third World but instead the people of the Third World
will be organized into revolutionary organizations that
fight winnable battles until we overthrow imperialism once
and for all. These lyrics stop short in that they call for
arming the masses but don't point to the direction for our
organizing. As we have seen throughout history, taking the
correct line and strategy in organizing means the difference
between victory and defeat.
* * *
HETEROSEXIST WIN AT PENN STATE
by MC45
In a conciliatory move towards anti-gay politics, a combined
student-faculty oversight board at Pennsylvania State
University approved the formation of a student group called
Students Reinforcing Adherence in General Heterosexual
Tradition (STRAIGHT). An all-student judiciary board
initially denied STRAIGHT the right to organize as a
University-sponsored group -- a decision MIM supports and
which demonstrates again that Amerikan youth have a better
understanding of oppression than their elders and will be
more progressive.
Groups like this anti-gay group at Penn State cite the First
in defense of their right to organize. But MIM and the
student board at Penn State know that anti-gay politics are
already fully sanctioned by the Amerikan government and
society. These groups don't need extra protection.
In this case, STRAIGHT was approved in spite of the
University's policy against discrimination, which includes
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The
student board used the University policy as the basis for
its decision, but the student-faculty board decided that
"STRAIGHT exists to articulate a viewpoint, not to engage in
improper conduct."
Within the white nation, youth have the least developed
interest of white nation supremacy and oppression and are
more willing to support reparations to oppressed groups. The
student board decided that no pro-heterosexual group is
needed to support the heterosexual lifestyle.
Superstructural supports ranging from legal provisions like
marriage to social pressure like movies and music already
drum up straightness as the only romantic option.
While STRAIGHT claims that it is not anti-gay, but pro-
straight, MIM and honest progressives everywhere know this
to be a lie. Reactionary Amerikans like to yell
"persecution" when the oppressed try to gain equal rights,
and STRAIGHT's only reason for existence is to protect an
already over-protected lifestyle. All progressives should
work with MIM and RAIL to unabashedly support better than
equal rights for the oppressed at the expense of the
oppressors.
NOTE: The Chronicle of Higher Education. 21 March, 1997, p.
A44.
* * *
CIA PRETENDS TO CLEAN UP ITS ACT
by MC17
In March the CIA purged a number of agents who the
mainstream media described as "unsavory". This action merits
comment because we know there is no significant difference
between those agents let go and the ones still on the
payroll. Regardless of the individuals involved, the main
purpose of the CIA is to wage war on the world's nations by
means of covert operations involving economic warfare,
rigged elections, assassinations and genocide. Its goal is
to maintain U.S. control over Third World peoples and
economies.
The New York Times reported: "After decades of cavalierly
recruiting foreign agents, including killers, torturers,
terrorists and other assorted miscreants, the agency has
belatedly stopped to see if the caliber of their work for
America outweighs their sordid records. In many cases the
answer appears to be 'no,' and the agents have been
dismissed."(1)
The explanation that the Amerikan government is suddenly
cleaning up and putting the history of murder behind it is
at best naive. Whether the reason for the dismissals was to
make the agency more efficiently run or the result of
political power struggles does not matter significantly.
Possibly these particular agents did not use enough
discretion when carrying out the Amerikan sanctioned
murders. Lack of discretion could be too much for the
Amerikan government to contend with as it tries to keep
clean the name of bourgeois democracy and disguise its
agenda of imperialist hegemonism.
Altogether, the CIA fired some 1,000 foreign informants,
about a third of its total roster. The review of foreign
agents and establishment of recruiting standards was pressed
by John Deutch during his 20-month tenure as CIA chief. The
New York Times wrote that "While the standards are not as
tight as they could be, they represent a significant
improvement over the ethical vacuum that existed. Mr. Deutch
deserves the thanks of his countrymen for insisting on their
adoption."
But really there is no such thing as a cleaner, kinder CIA.
The history of the CIA is a history of attacks against Third
World peoples, installation of Amerika-friendly
dictatorships, murder, theft, and deceit. It makes no
difference if a few agents were tossed: those who prove
useful to further imperialist aims will be retained, often
because of the murder and torture they carry out as this is
an essential part of the CIA's work.
The fact that some congressional oversight committees have
revealed that the CIA knowingly paid killers and torturers
will not change the nature of this imperialist agency. The
CIA has privatized its covert operations removing them from
the public eye. When Carter purged CIA thugs, they remained
in the business of imperialist domination though picking up
jobs in the private sector politics, arms and narcotics
businesses. To think that individuals booted from the
thuggery in the public sphere no longer will carry out work
of thugs, or to think that the CIA is now committed to
peaceably gathering information instead of murdering the
masses is to ignore reality.
NOTES:
1. The New York Times, 4 March 1997, p. A22.
2. The New York Times. 3 March 1997, p. A12.
* * *
PSEUDOFEMS TAIL IMPERIALIST MOUTHPIECE
by MC206
The February issue of "Off Our Backs" (OOB) contains a clear
example of pseudo-feminist apology for imperialism. The
article "Albright takes helm at state dept." shows two of
the reasons pseudo-feminists end up doing imperialist public
relations. One: Pseudo-feminists only pay attention to who
is speaking or acting, and not what is being said or done.
Two: Pseudo-feminists approach the oppression of wimmin from
a supra-class and supra-nationality position, and therefore
miss the real causes for the oppression of the majority of
world's wimmin -- those in oppressed nations. Any analysis
refusing to address imperialism cannot truly address the
oppression of wimmin.
OOB writes that Albright is now "the highest ranking woman
ever to serve in the federal government... Albright spent
the last three years in as the U.S. representative to the
United Nations. Although she was required to hold up a
number of questionable positions on human rights in the UN
Security Council, she does know a considerable amount more
about the global oppression of women and other groups than
her predecessors at the State Department." OOB doesn't say
exactly what "questionable positions on human rights"
Albright upheld as u.s. attack dog in the UN.
MIM, however, recalls that Albright was a strong supporter
of continued economic sanctions against Iraq, which were
responsible for widespread hunger, disease, and a vast
increase in the infant mortality rate in Iraq. Albright also
used the her position in the UN to hypocritically attack
other countries for their poor "human rights" records, while
apologizing for or denying u.s. crimes, from genocidal
invasions to the exploitation of prison labor.
Further on in the article, OOB gets specific: "[Albright's]
most recent comments on the international situation were on
the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan stating that decrees
regarding women would 'essentially deprive women of all
rights, except the right to remain silent, indoors, and
invisible.' Now that's the kind of analysis the U.S. needs
in formulating its foreign policy." That's rich. Somehow,
just because Albright poses left on one issue, we are
supposed to forget the CIA's long involvement in the proxy-
war fought in Afghanistan, and the resulting suffering
imposed on the people of Afghanistan, men and wimmin.
OOB completely buys into the lie that Albright is a "human
rights activist" who will tailor foreign policy to higher,
altruistic goals. This lie enables the imperialists to put a
"left" gloss on their sanctions, bombings, invasions, and
wars. But of course the real motive forces behind u.s.
foreign policy are still securing "stable investment
climates" in the oppressed nations and ensuring that
Amerikan imperialism remains competitive with other
imperialist powers. So -- whether or not Albright is
Secretary of State -- Amerikan foreign policy preserves a
system which oppresses the vast majority of the world's
wimmin and men.
* * *
CLINTON WANTS MORE DIRECT BOURGEOIS CONTROL OF JUDGES, LESS
OF ELECTIONS
"According to figures compiled by the Alliance for Justice,
a Washington-based interest group, 34.1% of Clinton's judges
have been millionaires, compared with 32.5% of President
Bush's judges, 21.4% of President Reagan's and 3.9% of
President Carter's."(1)
The average net worth of the 25 people Clinton is trying to
get Congress to approve in 1997 for the U.S. District Court
and Court of Appeals is $1,798,670.(1)
"By contrast, the average net worth of Clinton's 1996
judicial appointees was $1,024,188, a record at the
time."(1)
In the small world of the wealthy, one of Clinton's nominees
is married to someone who raised over $2.5 million for
Democrats.
We pity President Clinton in his difficult job: there are
only so many millionaires and only a small percentage of
those have law degrees. It must be difficult to find enough
appointees like the one who rents her house to Hollywood at
$13,800 a year and has the address of "Beverly Hills
90210."(1)
Many Amerikans think we do not live in a class dictatorship,
but the rich fund the campaigns of the Clintons of the world
who then pick the judges. And of course Clinton is no
different in essence than Bush, Reagan, and the whole lot of
bourgeois politicians. These figures from the Alliance for
Justice show that the rich reward each other with judge
posts. Only the naive believe we have achieved a society
where true individualism reigns, where membership in a group
(like the group "millionaires") does not matter at all.
Meanwhile, the bourgeoisie has been so kind as to make a
backhanded admission of its dictatorship. By a vote of 61-38
the Senate turned down a law that would have allowed states
to set spending limits in state and local elections and
would have amended the federal constitution to let Congress
set spending and contribution limits for federal
elections.(2) President Clinton favored the minority
position.
Journalists have speculated that an ordinary law setting
campaign spending limits would be overturned by the Supreme
Court. The bourgeoisie has argued on its own behalf that it
should have the "free speech" to spend its money as it
pleases. Setting campaign spending caps limits the free
speech of those who would like to buy more TV commercials
etc.
This is an admission that "free speech" depends on wealth.
Those who cannot afford to buy million-dollar TV spots do
not do not have the same access to "free speech" as those
who can. (And, of course, those who choose to speak out
against the abuses of Amerikan imperialism or speak up for
revolution have their "right to free speech" militarily
suppressed.)
In France, bourgeois rule has a slightly different flavor.
The bourgeoisie there has rejected the argument against
campaign spending caps, because the French capitalist class
believes that bourgeois rule can be more indirect as long as
the bourgeoisie has the property and means to bribe the
labor aristocracy with superprofits. The French bourgeoisie
rules by letting the labor aristocracy speak out on a more
equal footing than in the United $tates, where workers are
already on a more equal footing with the capitalist class
than in the workers of oppressed nations are with their
capitalist class.
MIM is happy to let the bourgeoisie have one stance or the
other but not both. If there is more free speech when people
are allowed to spend money, then it also follows that when
people are prevented from spending money, their free speech
is also limited. That does not happen only under the
proposed spending-cap laws, but it happens to most people
because they don't have money.
The whole issue is an embarrassment to the bourgeoisie.
Currently the class believes that it must defend its rights
by arguing that yes, free speech does depend on money, so
let the bourgeoisie spend it. On the other hand, if free
speech does depend on money (and MIM agrees it does), then
what does that say about the people with no money? The
current system is not class-neutral: it supports the
liberties of the bourgeoisie. Under the dictatorship of the
proletariat, people will not be allowed to make tremendous
sums of money from owning things in the first place, and
those who happen to come upon large financial gains will not
be allowed to spend more money than a set amount accessible
to the average person.
NOTES:
1. USA Today 17Mar97, p. 3a.
2. USA Today 19Mar97, p. 8a.
* * *
SETTLER GOVERNMENT SET TO EVICT DINEH FIRST NATION
by MC53
written 30 March 1997
In Black Mesa, Arizona, the people of the Dineh First Nation
face forced eviction and relocation from their land. The
people of the nation were given a choice by the
imperialists. Either they sign the Accommodation Agreement
by March 31st or the people will be forcibly removed from
their land by US Marshals on April 1st. About 250
traditional Dine families still live on the land. Clearing
the people from this land clears the road for Peabody
Western Coal Company to extend its mining operations in the
area. "They resisted relocation because they live self-
sufficient traditional lifestyles, and relocation to a
totally different surrounding and culture would mean the end
of their own culture."
Already the Peabody Western Coal Company through its
operation of the world's largest strip mine has robbed the
First Nation's land of much of its natural resources and
created heavy pollution. Livestock have been killed and
water has been contaminated as a result. The Dine residents
of the land suffer from health problems due to the large
amounts of coal dust.
After previous relocations, which affected 11,000 Dine and
100 Hopi members, many of the people could not afford to pay
their mortgages in the relocation settlements and became
homeless. The designated area for resettlement was part of a
land fraud involved in a Congressional investigation. The
area is contaminated by 1.5 million tons of uranium ore that
was processed and left in contaminated waste piles covering
72 acres.
The settler position on this relocation of the Dineh nation
claims that the United Snakes government is helping to
resolve a "Navajo-Hopi land dispute." This land dispute was
manufactured by the Amerikan government's forcible
relocation of one people onto another's land and is just
another ploy in the genocidal war against the First Nations
that has been going on since the settlers arrived.
"The Sovereign Dineh Nation, and its political arm, Dineh
Alliance, have rejected the Accommodation Agreement
outright. Acception of the Accommodation Agreement will mean
a violation of Freedom of Religion and of Speech for the
traditional Dine."
"We stand unified one with another in our opposition to this
unjust and unfair law that was created to remove us from the
land by any means and at any cost."
"The voice of the people must be heard for justice on Black
Mesa to ensure the protection and survival of the people.
The struggle is to protect sacred land, religion, and the
survival of a traditional way of life from corporate
interests. Relocation is genocide."
Forced relocation has been the means for expansion since the
beginning of the settler nation's history. Even without
knowing the precise aspects to the Accommodation Agreement,
MIM opposes the u.s. government's use of force to back First
Nation peoples into a corner. Each First Nation has the
right to self-determination to control its own land, to
develop its own economic base, to teach its history in its
own school system and to carry on its own traditions and
culture. MIM supports the Navajo people of the Dineh nation
and Hopi nation in their struggle against imperialist
expansion.
We also call upon self-proclaimed leftists to investigate
the struggles of First Nations for their land before
implementing back to nature commune type activism. Some
settler nation activists who oppose various aspects of the
current system think that it is possible to go off to some
piece of land and create a self-sufficient utopia which
escapes the evils of the amerikan empire. The struggles of
the First Nations to control their land should serve as an
example that settler expansion through any means and for
whatever reason is stealing land and contributing to the
genocide of entire nations. It is not possible to build a
utopian society without first destroying imperialism. Fight
with MIM and RAIL to stop imperialist expansion and to
support national liberation of the oppressed nations to gain
reparations and self-determination.
NOTE: Information taken from a press release at:
http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/emerg/Dineh.html For
further information, contact: Sovereign Dineh Nation - Dineh
Alliance P.O. Box 1042, Hotevilla, AZ 86030
* * *
STONEY POINT STRUGGLE FOR SELF-DETERMINATION CONTINUES
by MC53
In late March several trials against activists from the
Stoney Point Nation began in Ontario, Kanada. All of the
trials spring from a 1995 confrontation between First Nation
activists and the Kanadian state. In the Summer of 1995, the
First Nation activists re-occupied land that was taken from
them in 1945 by the Kanadian government. In particular, the
activists occupied a military training base and part of the
Ipperwash Provincial Park.
One young activist is charged with dangerous driving and
assaulting police for driving a school bus at police as they
beat First Nation activist Bernard George on 6 September,
1995. George, who is from the Kettle Point Nation, was re-
occupying Stoney Point Nation when OOP pigs attacked him
with batons. The young activist drove the bus towards the
pigs in order to stop their attack.
Another case involves Glenn Morris George, a Stoney Point
Nation member who attempted to remove tire-slashing
barricades set up by the Kanadian police on Stoney Nation
territory. "This case is not about justice," the defense
attorney for George said. "One side controls the laying of
criminal charges, the other has nothing to say about it. So,
while it is illegal to block a road and it is illegal to
slash tires, that is not for consideration here."
These charges are part of the Kanadian government's quest to
deny the Stoney Point Nation its land -- in this case using
so-called legal means. They make it clear that courts only
serve to protect the rights and privileges of the settler
nation. These courts charge the oppressed masses with the
"crime" of struggling for self-determination and ignore the
fact that the real criminals are the pig occupying forces.
And as MIM Notes readers well know, the Kanadian government
has not shied away from using openly violent means to keep
the Stoney Point Nation off of their land. On September 6,
1995 police attacked unarmed men, wimmin and children at
Stoney Point and murdered Anthony O'Brien "Dudley "
George.(See MIM Notes 105)
A public investigation of the murder of Dudley George is
scheduled to begin April 1st. Previously, Ontario Premier
Mike Harris ignored calls for a public inquiry into the
murder of Dudley despite evidence contradicting police lies
that activists fired the first shots. At a news conference
March 3rd, lawyers for the family of Dudley released leaked
documents that say a policeman fired the first shot. They
also released a Sept. 5 ministerial briefing note, obtained
under the Freedom of Information Act, that calls into doubt
the provincial government's claim that it had no part in the
decision to assemble 200 pigs to attack the demonstrators.
The 1995 re-occupation was a response to the Kanadian
government's genocidal actions towards the Stoney Point
people. In 1942, the Kanadian government forcibly removed
the Stoney Point people and their houses from their land.
The Stoney Point Nation was literally picked up and placed
upon the land of the nearby Kettle Point First Nation.
Although this "relocation" was supposed to be temporary, the
Kanadian government has denied the Stoney Point Nation's
right to its land ever since.
According to the "Stoney Point People's Support" web site,
"The media have portrayed the Stoney Point people as a break
away group without any legitimate claim to the land. They
have attempted to portray the conflict between Kettle Point
and Stoney Point as an internal issue." Of course, the idea
that the struggle for stolen land is somehow an "internal
issue" misses the point. If the Kanadian government had not
forced the Stoney Point People off of their land in the
first place, there would be no "issue." The Kanadian
government uses this as a diversionary ploy to explain its
interference in and domination of First Nations.
The Kanadian and Amerikan governments have no business
managing the affairs of the First Nations, or deciding who
speaks for the First Nations. Only the First Nations
themselves should have the authority to manage their own
affairs and choose their own representatives. Imperialist
military intervention and economic oppression and blackmail
keep the First Nations from realizing self-determination.
Anti-imperialist revolution -- including armed struggle --
will ultimately be necessary to liberate the First Nations.
Note: http://www.execulink.com/~hkoehler/stonsups.htm
* * *
BOWING TO WORLD BANK ANDHRA ENDS PROHIBITION
by MCB52
Wimmin's organizations responded with mass protests when the
southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh repealed the ban on
liquor the organizations had fought hard for. The government
elected on promises that it would end the state's
profiteering on the sale of liquor is now responding instead
to World Bank demands that it increase its revenue.
MIM Notes #130 contained a review of a film documenting the
wimmin's struggle against the state selling liquor in
Andhra. Though hardly thought of as a wimmin's issue by
pseudo-feminists who ignore the majority of the world's
wimmin, these organizers found it imperative to stop the
state's hypocrisy -- "public service" announcements against
liquor at the same time that the state reaps profits from
the liquor.
The wimmin used literacy programs to education and
politicize and the state subsequently canceled these. The
wimmin's organizations then proceeded to build up mass
marches and take direct action blocking liquor from their
communities to get the state to ban liquor. Finally, they
won their demands and the state lost its money from the
poison.
The reversal of the popular demand is the result of the
comprador state's desire to get in with international
capital. "The government's step to do away with prohibition
is nothing but bowing down to pressure from the World Bank
and a complete reversal of the state government's electoral
pledges of 1994, which brought it to power," said K
Ratnamala, an activist of a wimmin's organization.
The organizational power of the wimmin of southern India is
immense, especially because of their constant reference to
imperialism as the enemy of the world's wimmin.
Note: Asia Week. 2 April 1997.
* * *
PSEUDO-ENVIRONMENTALIST DEBATE FALLS SHORT
by MC206
An article in April's Scientific American has caused quite a
stir among Amerikan pseudo-environmentalists. In their
article, "Can Sustainable Management Save Tropical
Forests?", Richard Rice, Raymond Gullison, and John Reid
argue that forest management -- a conservation strategy
which calls on large capitalist logging forms to restrain
from cutting too many trees and invest in planting seedlings
-- cannot work, because it is not profitable for loggers.
They offer several alternative strategies, all of which
amount to waiting around doing nothing until Third World
economies catch up to First World economies.(1)
Die hard supporters of forest management have criticized
this article, saying that it focuses on only one type of
logging.(2) Both of these camps are trapped within the
framework of imperialism. The forest management advocates
try to make environmentalism profitable (an impossible
task), while Rice, Gullison, and Reid simply give up and
admit profits come before everything else. As a result,
neither camp can stop the destruction of the natural
resources in Third World countries, and both camps end up
doing public relations for the imperialists.(3)
Rice, Gullison, and Reid argue that multi-national companies
"face a choice between cutting trees immediately and banking
the profits or delaying the harvest and allowing the stand
to grow in volume and value over time." They then show that
the first strategy offers a 17 percent annual return, while
the second strategy offers at most a 5 percent return. The
logging companies obviously figured this out long ago, since
less that one-eighth of one percent of all commercial
logging involves "forest management." So Rice, Gullison, and
Reid are absolutely correct that talk of "forest management"
under imperialism is a pipe dream.
At the same time, Rice, Gullison, and Reid provide much of
the information needed to show that their own alternative
plans will not work. For example, Rice, Gullison, and Reid
suggest that "green labelling" -- where consumers pay more
for products made using "sustainable" methods -- is a viable
conservation strategy. But according to their own numbers,
"current patterns of unsustainable logging can be as much as
five times as profitable as a more sustainable alternative.
Yet consumers appear willing to spend, at most, 10 percent
more for certified timber than the price they would pay for
uncertified products. The gap is enormous." Rice, Gullison,
and Reid also suggest banning or heavily regulating logging
in tropical forests, after earlier pointing out that Third
World governments do not have enough funds to support
adequate regulation. MIM would also point out that many
Third World governments are more than willing to sell
logging rights to foreign logging concerns in exchange for
foreign currency.
The destruction of the environment of the oppressed nations
is a direct result of the economic and political system of
imperialism, which places the profit and prosperity of a
handful above the long-term interests of the vast majority
of the world's peoples. In the words of the Communist Party
of the Philippines: "It is pure hypocrisy and chicanery for
anyone to speak of environmental concerns without criticism
and repudiation of the monopoly bourgeoisie and
imperialism."(4) The best way for people living within u.s.
borders to help stop the destruction of the world's
environment is to support the liberation of oppressed
nations from imperialism and make anti-imperialist
revolution here in the belly of the beast.
NOTES:
1. R. Rice, R. Gullison, and J. Reid, " Can Sustainable
Management Save Tropical Forests?" in: Scientific American,
April 1997, v. 276(4), pp. 44-49.
2. Weekend Edition (Saturday), 22 Mar 97.
3. See, for example, "Mainstream groups earn imperialist
credentials," in: MIM Theory 12, 1997, pp. 39-44.
4. "On the Issue of the Environment in the World and in the
Philippines," in: MIM Theory 12, p. 55.
* * *
THE AGENDA OF THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS
The majority of the people of the world would say that the
struggle to gain asylum for Prof. Sison and his family or
the struggle against death for Mumia Abu Jamal are more
important than details of the oldest and biggest trees in
Ann Arbor, MI. But not Agenda. Agenda's masthead proclaims
it 'Ann Arbor's Alternative Newsmonthly.' Though MIM Notes
is published twice a month and distributed across the
continent and around the world, we submitted articles
pertaining to Sison and Mumia to Agenda so that they could
reach an even broader audience. Both articles were rejected.
And though we asked for an explanation, Agenda has not given
one.
Instead as the April issue hit the streets, we saw that
Agenda chose to devote the cover and two inside pages to an
article detailing that "Ann Arbor, however, is known for her
trees." The story primarily covers the "democratically
created hall of arboreal fame." While caring about the
longevity of trees and Ann Arbor's progressive policies to
limit the destruction of trees is meaningful if you want to
adjust to imperialist exploitation and murder world-wide and
find some nice things to think about, we urge people to take
a more global and anti-imperialist perspective on local,
national and international events.
What good are progressive policies toward the environment in
one city, and old, big trees, if the Amerikan government and
Amerikan multinational corporations are destroying whole
forests around the world in the name of increased profits,
leaving the people without land to farm and without homes.
And in comparison to the destruction of millions of lives
through the prisons system right here in this country,
prioritizing a story praising local government for saving a
few trees is an insult to the oppressed peoples of the
world. This government continues to use prisons as a form of
social control against the masses most willing to change the
system and Mumia's case should make it obvious to the
editors of Agenda that the prisons and the courts are used
to repress leaders speaking out against the general
conditions of oppressed nations within the united snakes.
The u.s. is using similar repressive tactics to pressure the
government of the Netherlands to deport Prof. Sison and his
family because of Sison's past leadership in the
revolutionary war against bureaucrat capitalism, feudalism
and Amerikan imperialism in the Philippines. The threatened
deportation is a tactic of the psychological warfare being
waged against the toiling Filipino masses in their struggle
for national democracy and liberation.
For a self-proclaimed alternative paper to choose to write
about Ann Arbor's trees given the alternative of news on the
above topics fights the bourgeoisie's war for it. Turning
away from struggle and supporting seemingly easy causes like
saving a few trees in a rich town like Ann Arbor does
nothing to fight against the government or imperialism in
general. It is good that Agenda is honest and does not call
itself anti-imperialist, but with this choice of stories,
MIM has to ask what exactly Agenda is providing an
alternative to?
Another, though much shorter, piece in this month's issue
hypes the Detroit newspaper strike and urges the readers to
re-energize the boycott of the two daily papers. MIM works
in the interests of the international proletariat and is
building revolution first to liberate oppressed nations
against imperialism, we don't fight struggles aimed at
earning higher wages for the labor aristocracy within the
imperialist countries.
People on the streets have said that they have no time to
support the struggles of prisoners or support the fight of
the Filipino masses in their armed and legal struggles
against Amerikan imperialism, specifically because they are
working to gain higher wages for the newspaper strikers --
workers benefiting from imperialism. Agenda reiterates the
point that it too is not interested in fighting against
imperialism and settler colonialism.
MIM publishes our own papers to ensure that information
about struggles against oppression get printed. We've never
thought that the bourgeoisie and imperialists would give the
proletariat and the oppressed nations space in their papers.
But don't be fooled into thinking that self-proclaimed
alternative papers intend to be an alternative to the news
that the bourgeoisie puts out or in this case, does not find
fit to print.
* * *
UNDER LOCK & KEY
CENSORSHIP IN AMERIKAN PRISONS
WASHINGTON PRISONER FIGHTS STATE CENSORSHIP POLICY
Eldon Vail, Assistant Director Division of Prisons
Washington Dept. of Corrections P.O. Box 41123 Olympia, WA
98504-1123
Dr. Mr. Vail:
I am appealing a 3/1/97 Offender Mail Rejection notice for
MIM Notes. The notice was signed by Sgt. Sutton and the
reason given was: "Rejected by Director of Prisons.
Advocates to Seize Power Through Armed Struggle'."
I believe the publication is being rejected for its
political content, not merely because of the slogan cited on
the rejection notice. The publication does not direct
prisoners to take up arms against their captors. The
publication does not contain specific instructions as to how
prisoners could thus arm themselves. It does not contain
plans to escape, nor does it describe procedures for
constructing weapons, bomb, incendiary devices, etc.
There are no articles in the publication which specifically
incite prisoners to rebel against their captors. The
publication is no more radical than the Declaration of
Independence, which also advocates the seizure of state
power, by armed struggle if necessary.
To claim that the publication's slogan (buried in fine print
in the info box on page two) presents "a threat to
legitimate penological objectives" is to imply that
preventing prisoner from reading political material that
runs counter to the political beliefs espoused by the DOC or
its employees is a "legitimate penological objective."
If you or the Director of Prisons, of the DOC think that
prisoners may feel directed to manufacture weapons and begin
the seizure of state power -- merely because they read such
a slogan -- is to stretch credulity far beyond the bounds of
sensibility. I have read the slogan "Go Seahawks!" a
thousand times. It has yet to incite me to watch a Seahawk
football game, much less root for the team.
I ask they you reconsider the rejection of MIM Notes or
explain to me precisely how you think the slogan in question
is a legitimate threat to the penological objectives of TRCC
or the DOC.
-- A Washington State Prisoner, 6Mar97
Letters of Protest can be sent to: Eldon Vail, Assistant
Director, Division of Prisons, Washington Dept. of
Corrections, P.O. Box 41123, Olympia, WA 98504-1123
CENSORSHIP IN FLORIDA CONTINUES
Comrades,
Despite my last letter to you, the censorship of MIM Notes,
along with two other publications, continues. While my
appeals to get the paper and requests for a reason why it's
being denied go unanswered.
I've now been told that issues 127 and 128 were sent to me
"by mistake" and may be taken as contraband. And, while I
had been told issues 125 and 126 were sent to the "Captain"
for approval, our mail room staff claim to know nothing
about them. I mailed you the form saying they'd been denied
and put in my property.
Today I learned you are not alone. After much complaining
property brought me my previously denied publication, which
I thought were MIM Notes. Unfortunately, what they brought
me was not MIM Notes, but 2 items from the Justice
Department, 3 issues of Workers World and two issues of
Weekly News Update on the Americas. All had been denied me
without notice, nor reason, until approved by the
administration.
I would please ask you to call or write our Jail Director
Halsteadt, and ask her to stop the random censorship of a
legitimate newspaper, and to have y previously seized copies
of MIM Notes returned to me, or provide both of us a
legitimate reason of why (exactly) they can not be since,
I've received other issues of the same paper....
In Struggle, but with hope!
--A Florida Prisoner, 9 Jan 97
Letters of Protest Can be sent to: Jail Director Halsteadt,
Palm Beach County Jail, 3228 Gun Club Rd., West Palm Beach,
FL 33406, or call her at: (561) 688-3000.
LATINO PRISONERS ALSO CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE IN FLORIDA
First of all let me make my brothers aware that here in
Florida they have taken the movies and the weights from us.
And they are building and have built a "Close Management
Cell Block" in most of the prisons. I find myself in such a
predicament. Locked up 24 hours a day with 3 showers a week
and only two hours of sunshine a week.
But we are also in our struggle with the red necks that run
the Florida prison system. They have made rules about
letting us only receive on newspaper subscription and one
magazine subscription. Well I have 3 magazine subscriptions
and the "Miami Herald", but I'm stopping the Miami paper in
order to receive MIM, and I'm losing money my family paid
for my magazines.
But I'm keeping faith that someday we shall overcome these
pigs in these close management units. They mace us with gas
and they handcuff us, plus put shackles on our legs when we
leave the cell all the time....
The money that was paying for the movies and weights is our
money that they made from the inmate canteen, but the
taxpayers complained that we had it made and that the
weights were turning out "super-prisoners". Now they charge
us for medical care, for legal copies. It is so bad that the
weaker prisoners are giving up hope.
... I'm Cuban and I served in the US Marine Corps in this
country and they treat me like shit. Also I'm HIV positive
and they are denying me the new AIDS medication called
Protease inhibitors. [They say it's] because it costs too
much but, there are white prisoners who are receiving this
treatment here in this prison.... So keep the fight going
and may we overcome the pigs and their injustice system.
Respectfully,
--A Florida Prisoner, 21 Jan. 97
MAIL TAMPERING IN NEW YORK
People of MIM,
...I have been meaning to write you. In fact I did write to
you once, but the pigs intercepted it, opened it, and sent
it back to me. They told me that business mail must not be
sealed. Needless to say, I tried to argue against their
policy.
According to several law cases, the prison officials are not
supposed to stop outgoing mail without following a set
standard of procedure. But, because many of the prisoner in
this prison system are uneducated in the law or plain old
spineless, these pigs get away with murder, yes even
literally.
Needless to say, I went everywhere over everybody's head
trying to find justice in this so-called justice system, and
ran into nothing but brick walls. It's really hard to veat
these people, but I and prisoners such as I will keep
trying....
--A New York Prisoner, 6Dec97
PRISONER GIVES CENSORSHIP ADVICE
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
I am writing this letter to let you that I have received the
December 1st and 15th issues of MIM Notes, and also, to
comment on several letters I read concerning the censorship
of the paper by prisoncrats around the country.
As a prisoner who has been involved in litigation against
prison administrators for nearly thirty years, I would like
to suggest that you urge any prisoner denied access to MIM
Notes to first exhaust their administrative remedies, and
then pursue their compliant in their local federal district
court. The law is quite clear as to what publication review
committees may reject, and the content of the paper does not
meet that standard.
Also, it is more than a tad expensive for the prison's
lawyers to defend a lawsuit, especially when the con learns
to use the federal rules of civil procedure to obtain
discovery materials; not only do you cost the state money,
but additional benefits can be derived by publicizing the
petty actions by these prisoncrats, while tying them up with
answering your written interrogatories and submitting to
oral depositions. These people (?) are used to being in
control, and they get very uptight when they are put on the
defensive. Lastly, it should be noted that if enough
convicts sue a particular warden, his supervisors will
eventually take notice that even by their standards, he is
doing something wrong, and they may decide to order him to
back off.
I would strongly recommend that every prisoner should obtain
a copy of the Prisoners' Self-Help Litigation Manual, and
study it from cover to cover. A revolution cries out for
each individual to step forward and make those advances for
the cause that each person is capable of accomplishing.
Every person confined within these walls is capable of being
a royal pain in the ass to every employee of the prisons
system merely by continuously bringing complaints of illegal
behavior to the attention of the court system. From
censorship to disciplinary matters, the system rarely
follows the law -- it is up to us to challenge the system
each and every step of the way, to ensure that our
constitutional rights are not taken away arbitrarily by
those who are supposedly teaching us to "respect the law".
Finally it is important for each and every one of us to
realize that we should immediately refuse to accept any job
assignment which furthers the objectives of the prison
system. The gulag system itself would come to a screeching
halt if we refused to work as plumbers, painters,
carpenters, electricians, and cooks. While they may force me
to push a broom, I refuse to share my knowledge with my
captors, and I will do nothing that a free-world civilian
should be doing. I will do everything within my ability to
confront the system till my last dying breath, and then,
hopefully, I will have inspired at least one person to
continue to follow in my footsteps.
-- An Illinois Prisoner, 7 Jan 97
HOW TO FIGHT PRISON CENSORSHIP:
A GUIDE FOR PRISONERS
Prisons in Amerika exist as institutions of oppression with
more resources than progressives currently have. The courts
are also on the side of the oppressors and the criminal
injustice system serves imperialism. With this in mind, it
is easy to see why it is hard for progressives to win court
battles, and why it is particularly hard for prisoners to
win. But based on experience, MIM still considers legal
battles to be potentially winnable and we are distributing
this resource guide because we know that some cases have
been won by prisoners who have done the necessary research
and leg work. With that said, we recognize that the only way
to destroy imperialism is through revolution and we
encourage our comrades in prison to work with us in more
than just legal struggles.
If your subscription to MIM Notes, or other literature or
letters sent to you in prison is being censored, this guide
is written to help you. There are not enough progressive
lawyers working with us to help everyone fight these
battles, but as a prisoner you have the information and
resources you need to fight censorship on your own. If you
are not already educated about the law and court battles,
you will need to do a lot of research, but this is a
worthwhile cause and if you win this battle you will be
helping both yourself and other prisoners.
FIRST STEP:
FIND OUT WHY YOUR LITERATURE IS BEING CENSORED
The prison administration has to tell you why they are
withholding your mail. Insist that they tell you what
regulation, statute or law your mail violates. They have to
detail specifically how your mail violates the rules. Once
you have this information, look up the regulation they claim
you are violating. Violations could be of several types:
prison regulations, state regulations, federal regulations,
or constitutional law. There is a Federal code of
regulations book and a State code of regulations book that
you should be able to reference in your law library. One
note on regulations: There is a regulation in all prisons
that says prisons can censor material if they have a
"legitimate security interest." Many censorship cases of MIM
Notes involve fighting prisoncrats who have defined MIM
Notes as a security threat. We need to force them to explain
this and we need to fight this classification.
If you are not experienced in using the library or if you
are intimidated by doing this research on your own, now is
the time to try to find legal help. If there are jailhouse
lawyers in your prison, ask them for help. If you have your
own lawyer, go to him or her, or try to find a friendly
lawyer who will help out. We encourage you to learn to do
this research for yourself even if you don't have any past
experience; it will serve you well in the future. Overcoming
intimidation about the legal research may be difficult at
first, but it does not take any special knowledge or
education to learn how to fight your own legal battles and
we have many comrades who serve as inspirations having
trained themselves as jailhouse lawyers from scratch.
Everyone planning on doing legal research should check out
the Prisoners Self Help Litigation Manual if it is in your
prison's legal library. This is the BEST resource for
prisoners and has general sections on research as well as
more specifics on fighting legal battles. Read all sections
in this manual that are relevant to you. (If this is not in
your library, prisoners can buy it for $29.95 (includes
postage and handling); non-prisoners $39.95 plus p & h;
Oceana Publications, Inc., 75 Main STreet, Dobbs Ferry, NY
10522, (914) 693-1320.
SECOND STEP:
RESEARCH RELEVANT CASE LAW
At this point you need to search for relevant cases or laws
regarding the regulation the prison claims you are violating
that would support your claim that the prison is wrong. If
your case goes to court you will have to decide whether to
file in federal or state court (see below), but at this
point you should research both federal and state case law.
The following are some of the best resources:
1. Prisoners Litigation Manual: This has federal case law.
2. Federal Practice Digest 4th edition. Go to "P" for
prisons. Look for information on censorship. This will give
info on cases already decided on this issue. This digest
will refer you to Federal books for more information on the
cited cases 3. Shepards Citation: similar to above, gives
info on federal cases relevant to your topic. 4. CJS:
National digest of law. Lists federal cases relevant to your
topic. 5. American Jurisprudence: similar to CJS. 6. State
digest: This would be named the California digest or the
Massachusetts digest or whatever your state's name is. Go to
"prisons" and check out relevant state cases.
THIRD STEP:
EXHAUST ALL POSSIBLE REMEDIES WITHIN THE SYSTEM
The next thing you have to do is exhaust all possible
remedies within the system. It is important that later you
are able to demonstrate that you tried to go through these
channels before taking the case to court. This means you
have to follow the grievance procedure in your prison or
write to the relevant authorities. When you write up your
grievance you want to make an argument about why the
regulation the prison claims your mail violates does not
apply to you. Citing other cases that support your argument
about this regulation is a good thing to do too. Be sure you
keep copies of everything!
FOURTH STEP:
DECIDE WHERE TO FILE YOUR CASE
You need to decide whether to file your case in state or
federal court. There are two main things on which you should
base this decision: 1) Where is the case law strongest and
2) Which judge is most favorable to prisoners rights. You
may also want to consider how fast the court system will
deal with your case. You need to do some research into these
issues. Talking to jailhouse lawyers and lawyers on the
outside who are in your state is a good help. You should
have already looked out relevant court cases (cases similar
to yours) to see what recent decisions have been in favor of
prisoners rights. You can cite relevant federal law and
supreme court cases in state court and you can sometimes
cite relevant state law in federal court where federal law
does not address an issue. To look into judges you can read
"Lawyers Weekly" to find out recent info on judges
decisions, but the best resource is going to be jailhouse
lawyers, lawyers, and local organizations in your state like
the ACLU or the National Lawyers Guild.
FIFTH STEP:
TRY TO GET LEGAL HELP
At this point you have done a lot of research on your own
and it's a good idea to try to get some help from people
more familiar with law if you can. This is where MIM can try
to help. We have compiled a list of jailhouse lawyers and a
few lawyers on the outside willing to help other prisoners.
If you exhaust the resources below and still can't find the
help you need, write to us and we will try to put you in
touch with someone who can help. But before you contact us,
try the following:
#Jailhouse lawyers in your own prison. Ask around and see if
anyone there can help you.
#Your state American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
#National Lawyers Guild chapter in your state
#Other organizations in your state that do progressive legal
work for prisoners (ask other prisoners for info on these
resources in your state if you don't know of any).
#ACLU's National Prison Project (located in Washington DC)
Law schools in your state (these sometimes have programs to
help prisoners with research)
Note that MIM will not be handing out lists of jailhouse
lawyers to prisoners who have not done any research on their
case on their own because there are not enough people with
legal experience and too many prisoners who need legal help.
MIM would rather have legal resources go to the cases that
prisoners are most likely to follow through, do research on,
and win. (You are welcome to make a case for why you need
legal help if you can not do this research yourself.)
SIXTH STEP:
FILE YOUR CASE
If you are filing in State court contact the Clerk of
Superior Court in your county, or look at the State Rules of
Court or The Prisoners Litigation Manual to find out the
process you need to follow.
If you are filing in Federal court you need to write to the
Clerk of US district court in your district and ask for
Civil Rights complaint forms. The court will send you a
whole packet of stuff and a letter indicating the process.
The Prisoners Litigation Manual gives more details on this.
SEVENTH STEP:
THE LEGAL BATTLE BEGINS
In both state and federal cases the defendant will generally
file a motion to dismiss the case by writing some legal
defense of their actions. You must respond to this with your
own memorandum describing why they are wrong and what case
law you have backing you up. If you do not do this, there is
a good chance your case will be dismissed by the judge. See
The Prisoners Litigation Manual for more information on
where to go from here.
Note on the importance of follow through Your court case may
be a long legal battle and it is important that you follow
through on this. Once you have filed a case, what happens
has repercussions for other prisoners, not just for
yourself. If your case is dismissed because you decided not
to respond to the prisoncrat's request to have it dismissed,
they will then cite this example in future cases and the
judge may be more likely to follow this example and dismiss
future similar cases. And even if you do fight the case
through to the end, if you don't do a good job of it and
lose the case because of lack of adequate research,
prisoners filing similar cases may lose because of this
precedent you set. For this reason, it is important to do
the best job you can in fighting prison repression through
the courts.
This resource guide is produced and distributed by MIM. We
are compiling information on relevant cases, particularly
those that succeed in fighting civil rights violations so
that others can benefit from your work so please send us
copies of any information that you think would be useful to
other prisoners.
* * *
MIM ON PRISONS AND PRISONERS
MIM seeks to build public opinion against Amerika's criminal
injustice system, and to eventually replace the bourgeois
injustice system with proletarian justice. The bourgeois
injustice system imprisons and executes a disproportionately
large and growing number of oppressed people while letting
the biggest mass murderers - the imperialists and their
lackeys - roam free. Imperialism is not opposed to murder or
theft, it only insists that these crimes be committed in the
interests of the bourgeoisie.
MIM does not advocate that all prisoners go free today; we
have a more effective program for fighting crime as was
demonstrated in China prior to the restoration of capitalism
there in 1976. We say that all prisoners are political
prisoners because under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie,
all imprisonment is substantively political. It is our
responsibility to exert revolutionary leadership and conduct
political agitation and organization among prisoners - whose
material conditions make them an overwhelmingly
revolutionary group. Some prisoners should and will work on
self-criticism under a future dictatorship of the
proletariat in those cases in which prisoners really did do
something wrong by proletarian standards.
***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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