MIM(Prisons) is a cell of revolutionaries serving the oppressed masses inside U.$. prisons, guided by the communist ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
Under Lock & Key is a news service written by and for prisoners with a focus on what is going on behind bars throughout the United States. Under Lock & Key is available to U.S. prisoners for free through MIM(Prisons)'s Free Political Literature to Prisoners Program, by writing:
MIM(Prisons) PO Box 40799 San Francisco, CA 94140.
The study group that I started and lead is a very small one – only three
of us. The most challenging aspect I have encountered thus far is
attracting members. In Florida conditions are somewhat different from
what I have read about in other states. First, our prisons are highly
integrated, but as prisoners we are not, with like nations hanging out
with each other. However, there is virtually no gang activity and any
activity there is is highly localized and disorganized. Secondly, I am
at a “re-entry” camp where 80% of the population has less than five
years left to serve and the bourgeois brainwashing is in overdrive. And
lastly, I am euro-Amerikan (which necessitates class suicide).
I found that by openly acknowledging that I am a Marxist/Communist,
dialogue is opened with others. I have been branded “that godless
Marxist bastard,” an epithet I wear as a badge of honor. As a White
revolutionary I must be especially fearless in this regard. The majority
of prisoners that open dialog about Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM) with
me are so conditioned with misinformation and myth that they eventually
give up rather than consider that what they have been told all their
life is a distortion or outright wrong. Once they are able to consider
what I say and/or the MIM literature I show them, then comes their
metaphysical ideology.
In my experience gaining a study group member comes down to a three-step
process. I make myself known as a MLMist. Then I must be able to
overcome the hystorical myths and mysteries of communism – particularly
as they concern Stalin and Chairman Mao. To this end the article “Myths
About Maoism” published in Fundamental Political Line of
MIM(Prisons) (pp. 20-28) is a good start. If they are willing to
consider this different view of hystory then the third step is to move
into an understanding of materialist dialectics (Marxism) to counter any
metaphysical ideology.
MIM Distributors supplied me with the books Fanshen and
Settlers. For my study group a new member reads
Fanshen first. This is to give a sense of the meaning and power
of political consciousness as opposed to simple “unity,” and to further
dispel hystorical myths about the role of the Communist Party in China
under Mao. Next they read Settlers. This puts Amerikkkan
hystory in a materialist dialectical perspective and demonstrates what
is meant by a settler nation. It is an extremely powerful text for
euro-Amerikans who have come this far in the study group.
Our group meets three times a week to discuss any questions on a topic
that a member might have. We like to take current world events and
discuss them from a MLM/Third World viewpoint. For us, the ULK Writers
Group supplemental reading is very helpful. For example, the rise and
gains of Maoism and the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) in
India has been a current focus.
If I had to name the major hurdle I face in educating a study group then
it would be what MIM has called lumpen metaphysics – that conditioned
ideology that continually rears its ugly head in debates, discussions,
etc. In leading a study group one must be wary as that is a subtle path
that leads to many wrong and irrational conclusions. As a project we are
currently working on an essay for the ULK Writers Group on how to
identify a lumpen metaphysical argument when it is posed so that its
irrationality can be exposed via materialist dialectics. I only hope
that all comrades will take an active role and critique it, helping to
push its development further.
“Theory without practice ain’t shit” and that practice starts with an
action. My most fearless action, the action that started my practice of
forming a study group, was to proclaim myself a communist and believer
in Maoism as a better way of democracy. From that point forward I had
joined the Struggle.
MIM(Prisons) adds: Everyone should keep in mind that the tactics
used by a comrade in one facility might not be what’s appropriate for
the conditions where you’re at. While it seems useful for this author to
be very public about their political views, for many other subscribers
to ULK, that same act can easily get them validated as a member
of a “security threat group” or otherwise harassed by prison
administration.
We appreciate how this author laid out how they structure their initial
recruiting, and how they are making use of materials we’ve sent to them.
The “supplemental reading” they refer to is a packet of articles from
the web on various news and theory topics, which is sent regularly to
participants in our advanced correspondence study group, the ULK Writing
Group. In order to join the ULK Writing Group, you must complete both
levels of our introductory study group, have a high level of political
unity with MIM(Prisons), and be a regular contributor to ULK.
We encourage everyone who can’t set up a study group wherever they’re at
to join our introductory study group – or do both!
Revolutionary greetings to all kaptives inside the gulags of the united
snakes of a-murder (U$A). Because of the constant oppression we face by
the fact that imperialism won’t let up as long as capitalism exists, we
must continue to create effective ways of fighting capitalism,
ultimately bringing an end to all forms of oppression and the system
(capitalism/imperialism) in its entirety.
Prisons and prison guards (pigs) are mere extensions of the system and
operate as a form of social control against the upward mobility of
oppressed nations. However, kaptives here, in the past, have done quite
a bit in the way of agitation and resistance to some of the injustices
carried out by these pigs. I have personally been surprised at what even
the slightest bit of unity amongst kaptives can/has gained in the form
of concessions from the pigs. But i have also been dismayed at how
quickly unity can dissolve back into parasitism and apathy, when not
nurtured, and followed up by those kommitted and dedicated to educate
and uplift.
Again, September 9 is soon upon us. Three years ago a lumpen
organization (LO) that was a part of United Front for Peace in Prisons
(UFPP) initiated the September 9 Day of Peace and Solidarity. This is to
coincide with 9 September 1971, when pigs and their overseers stormed
Attica and slaughtered 32 kaptives (and 10 of their own pigs). Kaptives
had besieged the prison after demands to improve living conditions had
not been met, and the murder of comrade George Jackson at San Quentin on
21 August 1971. Comrade George was a formidable force in pushing the
anti-imperialist movement amongst kaptives, all the way up until the
moment he was slaughtered.
Organizers call on kaptives to take this day to promote the UFPP by
building unity with fellow kaptives, and to demonstrate resistance to
the criminal injustice system by fasting, refraining from work, engaging
only in solidarity actions, and ending kaptive-on-kaptive
violence/hostilities.
MIM(Prisons) said the number of reports were down in 2014 compared to
the previous years, where they’d seen a growing interest and more
involvement by kaptives on this day of protest. It is due both to the
significance of the work put in by our comrades at Attica (and
elsewhere), and the fact that imperialism is still krushing the upward
mobility of the lumpen and oppressed nations, that we can not slack off
on our duties organizing, agitating, campaigning, educating and building
our own independent institutions to remedy our problems.
We are 44 years and many kaptive uprisings later, but the oppressive
conditions remain the same. And, as back then, Maoist study groups are
being formed; calls to unite kaptives are being heard; and of course
oppressors are still oppressing. So let us both memorialize this day and
use it as a catalyst to push leaders forward – as we “seize the time”
because we have had E-NUF.
MIM(Prisons) adds: Write to request a September 9 study pack to
help understand the history of this day of struggle and build for Peace
and Solidarity in your prison.
We, under the union of the United KAGE Brothers, joined with the
Prisoners Political Action Committee (PAC), welcome you to our
communion. We aim to unite and unionize internationally the peace
movement – under the Agreement to End Hostilities – as an ad campaign
from prison to the street.
As people of all colors, races, creeds, genders and sexualities, we
stand in solidarity with the following pledge:
Contribution to Peace
I contribute to peace when I strive to express the best of myself in my
contacts with others.
I contribute to peace when I use my intelligence and my abilities to
serve the good.
I contribute to peace when I feel compassion toward all those who
suffer.
I contribute to peace when I look upon all as my brothers and sisters
regardless of race, culture or religion.
I contribute to peace when I rejoice over the happiness of others and
pray for their well-being.
I contribute to peace when I listen with tolerance to opinions that
differ from mine or even oppose them.
I contribute to peace when I resort to dialogue rather than force to
settle any conflict.
I contribute to peace when I respect nature and preserve it for
generations to come.
I contribute to peace when I do not seek to impose my conception of God
upon others.
I contribute to peace when I make peace the foundation of my ideas and
philosophy.
The Cesar Chavez Peace Plan
The National Coalition of Barrios Unidos Summit in San Antonio, Texas,
produced the Cesar Chavez Plan in April 1996. It has become the central
organizing vehicle for the Barrios Unidos Movement.
Development of community peace agreements and truces.
Implementation of a viable violence-prevention model.
Creation of “barrio enterprise zones” for youth-centered economic
development.
Public policies to create alternatives to incarceration and the root
causes of youth violence and police brutality.
Organization mobilization of youth-centered network to access resources
for violence prevention.
MIM(Prisons) adds: We are glad to see two groups coming together
to develop plans for building peace in prisons. They sent us the above
in response to the United Front for Peace in Prisons and the 3-year old
Agreement to End Hostilities in California prisons. The agreement was
formed by and for the major lumpen organizations (LOs) in the California
prison system. It has been historic in bridging the divide between the
LOs and the various political organizations, who are all echoing the
call and working to build the prison movement in the interests of the
oppressed.
At the end of 2012, Tecumseh State Correctional Institution (Tecumseh
SCI) made a drastic change. The administration decided to use a very
poor excuse of violence to lock the entire yard down. I believe five
fights happened in 24 hours, nobody got stabbed, cut or really messed
up. They used this as a reason to lock the entire yard down. Everyone
was only allowed to come out of their cells to eat meals, shower, and
make one phone call per day. After months of this and many grievances,
day room time became available, but any outside facilities like gym,
ball courts, or ball field were slowly added on a rotating schedule. One
hour you could go to the gym with your unit, then come right back; a
couple days later maybe an hour at the ball fields then back. We no
longer were confined only to our cells but could pretty much be in the
day rooms all day except of course during count. Eventually it shifted
to let us use the recreational facilities once per day, like ball field
Monday morning, gym Tuesday afternoon, ball courts Wednesday morning,
ball field Thursday afternoon and so on.
Recently they started a “wellness league” in which people who stay out
of the hole for one year, and refrain from misconduct reports for 6
months to a year could be allowed to “walk the yard” for a few hours
each day. This sounds good but there are administration loopholes. Like
if their snitches got in a fight and went to the hole, as soon as the
snitch got out of the hole they would be back out walking while the
other person would be in the hole another half year and then have to
wait another year just to be qualified to be on “wellness league.” Of
course any petty write-up would keep you off wellness league, and it was
a cold day in hell if any homies could make it onto wellness league. And
everyone else not on wellness league was stuck on dayroom and could
access a “mini yard” attached to their building which was basically a
fenced in half basketball court. That was life for a while.
Well Mother’s Day this year the shit hit the fan. A last minute
non-violent protest was set in motion. I say last minute because if a
protest has any planning here the yard gets locked down cause snitches
tell administration. So the protest started, simple walking around the
yard refusing to lock down until our petitions and major complains were
heard. However near the start of this a few prisoners got into it with a
couple pigs. Of course we all complied when they said “get down.” We
cooperated when asked to show our IDs and when we were told we could get
up we got up and continued marching to our protest.
Some protesters got locked in the gym so a plan to break them out to
join the protest was set in motion. A short while later staff fired a
live round with no warning into our group, going through one captive and
hitting my good friend, and they both fell onto me. Our group was
totally shocked. No chemical agents were used first, no “less than
lethal,” no pepperballs, and the guy who had the shot go through him was
bleeding bad. We put a tourniquet on his wound to slow the bleeding,
then as one huge group we carried him to medical, left him in front of
medical and moved halfway across the yard so they would come out and get
him.
Once he was safe the tension broke, the call went out, and the prison
literally started to burn. Every single faction was on the same team, us
versus the pigs. Staff got chased to the tower, everything that could be
burned was burned, bulletproof glass burned, fences came undone, people
got shot with less-than-lethal and lethal ammunition alike; only one
more live round was fired that I know of. The entire prison banded
together, offices burned, treatment files burned, office desks burned.
If the glass couldn’t be broken it was melted to allow access for other
captives. We had total control of a whole housing unit, the gym, and
half of another housing unit. We had the facility until the next morning
when finally we surrendered.
Now, for the press, the administration is trying to say this was planned
for months, because it was so exact in its execution, and that we burned
down walls only to get “targeted individuals”. Yeah right, they are
saying we did all this so we could get two people? How ridiculous!
Our new director is from the Washington state prison system. He is the
only one with a clear head. He says (in a memo sent to the whole prison)
that he couldn’t believe we didn’t do this sooner with the lockdown and
all, and never in his life has he seen such unity to get something like
this done. The warden and even the governor now believe that the
facility should permanently stay on lockdown, forever, allowing at most
minimal day room time and mini yard time if you qualify for wellness
league. Everyone else is to remain locked 2 per cell (was 3 per cell for
a while until housing unit 2 became livable again) for 24 hours a day
getting 20 minutes, twice a week for showers and telephone calls. I mean
20 minutes total, to shower and use the phone, once every 3 days. It’s
so fucked up out there.
Down here in the hole we live better than the people on the yard. We get
at minimum 3 showers a week and at minimum mini yard 5 days a week. I
assume I will be down here for a few years, hell a simple fist fight (my
first in the prison) back in 2012 landed me 13 months in isolation. This
one’s gonna be years. And I’m not the only one. Some 240 people are
getting charged. I don’t even know how many of us are now stuck in the
hole but we won’t be going anywhere any time soon.
MIM(Prisons) responds: Prisons in the United $tates are populated
with an inherent contradiction. As tools of social control targeting
oppressed nation lumpen, the people locked up are easily shown the need
for resistance and organizing against the criminal injustice system. The
powder keg of oppression and abuse in many lockdown units is easily set
off when people get together to turn their anger and pain into
resistance. This contradiction between the imperialists’ desire to
control oppressed nations, and the actual conditions of confinement
breeding resistance is just one example of how oppression creates
conditions for social change.
Protests like this one in Nebraska are steps forward in unity and
resistance. But as this comrade describes, no real change resulted, and
the active folks are now in long-term isolation. As revolutionaries we
need to figure out how to turn the righteous anger of the masses into
organized protests that can help achieve meaningful change. Sometimes in
prison we won’t get anything more than a bit of publicity and a
temporary outlet for anger, but we can do some things to increase the
chances for success. This starts with building unity and educating
people well before actions are initiated. We can run study groups behind
bars, discussing the basics of political theory and then applying what
is learned to conditions in the prison. And we need to build independent
media to report on actions in prison from the perspective of the
prisoners, so that we don’t leave it to the pigs to interpret our
actions to the public as “riots.” This preliminary work will also help
with follow-up after a protest. Even if something like what this writer
describes is set off spontaneously, it will be important to have
discipline and unity both during and after the action if we’re going to
effect any change within the system.
And for revolutionaries it is important that we help people see that we
won’t ever win this battle until we dismantle the criminal injustice
system entirely. We need to draw the connection between the prison
system and imperialism. While our current work focuses on prisons, we
can’t lose sight of the system that is behind the criminal injustice.
Our education work needs to include these connections as we help raise
the awareness of all potential future protesters and revolutionaries.
Every article in ULK
44 is on point!
“Baltimore:
Contradictions Heightening” leaves me hoping there are boots on the
ground to guide the demonstrators into an organized resistance. It seems
from historical examples that destruction of property and forcible
removal of merchandise gets results, e.g. Rodney King, whereas candles
and prayer obtain imperialistic praise, e.g. Trayvon Martin in Florida.
When a kkkapitalist suffers economic harm, imperialist forces will crush
a few of their own thug enforcers to restore the facade of calm. Destroy
the property of the bourgeoisie and the killers of oppressed citizens
get arrested.
Loco1’s article on the
sovereign
citizen movement does much to dispel myth and urban legend. But
often the hope of fallacy is stronger than the cold fist of truth.
Recently a rumor has spread that prisoners may file a 42 USC 1983
petition for just $35 if they tell the clerk to “file it in the green
file without the protection of admiralty law.” Even though I’ve shown
men an order from a magistrate judge, and a letter from the court clerk,
both stating $400 is the filing fee ($350 if in forma pauperis
is granted), prisoners still insist they only have to pay $35. I even
showed them an order denying a prisoner’s request to “file his petition
for $35.”
As for the sovereign citizen rubbish, it is historical fact that even
when a legal remedy does provide liberation, the supreme court of the
united snakes devises methods to make it inapplicable to the oppressed.
Look up Dred Scott. Consider that “a prison inmate … is not an employee
within the meaning of the [Federal Labor Standards Act].”(1) Does anyone
honestly believe that an imperialist court of pig justices would uphold
the sovereign citizen argument? Even if the argument was rooted in sound
legal principles (and your articles shows it is not), the imperialist
powers in the court are not going to say the government that empowered
them is a fraud and void.
And
Rashid
is incorrect, especially on the subject of the labor aristocracy. First,
MIM’s definition can be validated by simply engaging in discussion with
prison staff, including teachers. Those people do not identify with the
workers in other nations. Recently a teacher told me that his gas prices
should be lower because “Iraq owes us their oil in exchange for our
blood in liberating them.” When I replied that I don’t recall any Iraqis
ever asking us to invade their country and plunge it into civil war, he
said, “You only hear what you want to hear.” I was also informed it is
fair for a factory worker in India to earn 46 cents an hour because
“Amerikkka and England built that country for them.” Really? And second,
just because members of revolutionary groups are possibly from bourgeois
or aristocratic backgrounds, it does NOT mean those groups as a whole
will support revolution. But neither does it automatically exclude one
from the fight. There were Germans who fought against the nazis. And
Americans who fought for the bastards.
The vast majority of the governments in the world lack popular support
because they serve the oppressive interests of U.$./European/Japanese
imperialism. Popular elections in Palestine (for Hamas) and Honduras
(for Zelaya) have been rejected by the United $tates, who put their
chosen leaders in power. Meanwhile, Afghanistan and Iraq are the most
hypocritical examples of U.$. “democracy building.” A decade of military
occupation, with all the murders, secret prisons and torture that
entails, and even the imperialists can’t claim any victory. Iraq has
split into multiple states, all of which are engaged in an ongoing hot
war. And a recent U.$. government audit of the $1 billion dollars spent
in Afghanistan over 10 years concludes that they have been largely
unsuccessful in establishing “the rule of law,” not to mention
“democracy.”(1)
Of course, that’s not to say that certain imperialist interests have not
been served in these projects. A destabilized Third World nation is
certainly better than a unified one, because the inherent interests of
the Third World are opposed to those of the imperialist nations. Any
successful organization of Third World nations to serve their own
interests is a blow against imperialism. And the ongoing wars grease the
gears of the military industrial complex.
Looking at the Middle East, West Africa or Central America, we cannot
say that the oppressed nations are winning. But the objective conditions
for successful resistance are certainly there and developing. Our
strategic confidence in the victory of the proletarian nations over the
imperialist nations comes from these objective conditions, principally
that the proletariat nations far outnumber the imperialist ones.
Honduras: Mass Protests and Collective Farming
10 July 2015 – tens of thousands of Hondurans marched in the capital of
Tegucigalpa with torches held high to call for the resignation of
President Juan Orlando Hernandez.(2) These protests have been going
strong for seven weeks, and they are the continuation of a six-year
struggle against the forces behind a coup d’etat backed by the United
$tates in 2009.
In this same period a movement to seize land by collectives of
campesinos has been ongoing. These collectives are highly organized and
participate politically in the national assemblies behind the mass
protests. In the countryside, these collectives have provided improved
housing, education and pay for their members. They are class conscious,
and addressing gender contradictions as well. The documentary
Resistencia (2015) shows the regular harassment and
assassinations these collectives face.(3) One community had all their
houses bulldozed while attending a rally in Tegucigalpa, yet they pull
together and rebuild, as one campesino says, because they have nowhere
else to go. While some collectives seem to have armed guards, generally
they depend on non-violent resistence at this time.
The United $tates recently deployed 280 Marines to Central America, with
most going to Honduras as part of their ongoing militarization of the
country in face of this continued mass resistance.(2) Meanwhile, many of
the top military personnel who are allied with the large landowners in
Honduras have been trained in the terrorist training camp known as the
School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia.(3) For decades,
graduates of this school have carried out the most atrocious and brutal
military campaigns in Central America on behalf of U.$. interests.
Today, Honduras is considered the murder capital of the world.
Imperialists Slaughter Yemenis in Desperation
The United $tates has been waging low-intensity warfare in Yemen since
shortly after 11 September 2001. In that time they have carried out over
100 drone strikes in the country.(4) In mid-May of 2015, U.$. troops and
ambassadors were pulled out of the country following a popular
insurgency that threw out the U.$. puppet regime of Abdedrabbo Mansour
Hadi in late March. Hadi has since remained outside of Yemen with no
sign that he will be able to return.
Since the removal of Hadi, an intensified bombing campaign in Yemen has
been described as a “Saudi-led” effort, yet U.$. Deputy Secretary of
State Antony Blinken is behind the coordination center in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia and the United $tates expedited weapons deliveries to their ally
who they’ve already provided with a strong, modernized military.
On 6 July 2015 over 30 civilians were killed when invaders shot a
missile into a small market in the village of Al Joob. Other recent
strikes in the region killed 30 in Hajjah, and 45 just north of Aden.(5)
“In addition to some 3,000 Yemenis killed since March, the war has also
left 14,000 wounded and displaced more than a million people, according
to the [United Nations].”(6) Close to 13 million are lacking food due to
the war and the blocking of shipments into Yemen by the imperialist-led
coalition. Meanwhile preventable diseases like dengue, malaria and
typhoid are spreading.(6)
Like the people of Honduras, these horrific conditions leave the people
of Yemen with no choice but to keep fighting. In April, “19 Yemeni
political parties and associations rejected the UN Resolution 2216 [an
attempt to appease the resistance], stating that it encourages terrorist
expansion, intervenes in Yemen’s sovereign affairs, violates the right
of self-defense by the Yemeni people and emphasized the associations’
support of the Yemeni Army.”(7) In June, Najran tribes, in a Saudi
border region, declared war against the Saudi regime because of the
Saudis killing innocent people. This occurred after the House of Saud
attempted to bribe tribal leaders to support their war efforts in
Yemen.(8)
Yemen’s relationship to Saudi Arabia is similar to those of Mexico and
Central America to the United $tates. Yemen was once a nominally
socialist state after a Marxist-inspired national liberation army took
control after British colonialism ended in the region. So like Central
America, Yemen is no stranger to socialism and Marxism. Yet, while
militarily conditions are more advanced throughout the Middle East, we
do not see the class-conscious subjective political forces that exist in
places like Honduras.
Yemen risks falling into inter-proletarian conflict as has been ongoing
in Syria and Iraq. Yet, reports from the ground indicate a strong
recognition that the ultimate blame for their plight falls on the United
$tates (this is true in Honduras as well). Chaos does bring opportunity
for the objective forces of proletarian class interest to rise to
prominence. While conditions are dire in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, they
lend themselves to building dual power and ultimately delinking from
imperialism, which is what the oppressed nations must do to improve
their conditions. While there are multiple competing powers in Syria and
Iraq right now, no sustainable dual power can develop that is not built
on the class unity of the exploited classes as exists in Honduras. At
the same time, dual power must be defended, and the imperialists will
always respond to efforts at delinking with military intervention. It is
this military power that is lacking in Honduras to make their
collectivization efforts sustainable.
These are just some of the hotly contested areas of the world today. The
battle is between the imperialists and the exploited majority. While the
imperialists are the dominant force today, the exploited majority are
the rising aspect of this contradiction. As they rise in more regions of
the world, they undercut capitalist profits and imperialist militaries
become overextended. That is how the exploited majority will become
victors and gain control over their own destiny.
Iraqi-American oncologist and kapitalist Rafil Dhafir is serving a
22-year sentence in Amerikkkan prisons.(1) Being a wealthy kkkapitalist
did not prevent the united snakes from convicting Mr. Dhafir for his
charitable contributions to the people of his native country in
violation of economic sanctions during the U.$.-led attacks of 1991 and
2003. During that time Mr. Dhafir was an outspoken public opponent of
the U.$. war against Iraq.
Mr. Dhafir continues to experience harassment inside the white man’s
dungeon. Last year, just before Ramadan, he was moved to isolation and
had privileges revoked for several weeks for an “investigation” of
allegations that were eventually proven to be maliciously made and
utterly false.
But hypocrisy is a common trait of the imperialists. It is common
knowledge that the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and other
occupied territories are illegal. They are in violation of United
Nations resolutions as well as treaties brokered by the united snakes.
Yet as far back as 1982 the united snakes knowingly sent tax dollars to
I$rael. Billions of dollars in U.$. economic aid went to fund those
Jewish settlements. From 1978 through 1982, Israel received 48% of all
U.$. military aid and 35% of U.$. ekkkonomic aid.(2) The united snakes
gives grants, low-interest loans, and weapons free and at reduced prices
to I$rael. Additionally, citizens such as Alan Dershowitz, Arthur
Goldberg, and hundreds of thousands of others regularly send charitable
contributions to I$rael that are used to fund these settlements, knowing
these settlements are a major cause of conflict in the Middle East.
Amerikkka claims that peace in the region is “vital to our security
interests.” If this is true then why aren’t the supporters of I$rael
charged and convicted for economically supporting these illegal
settlements?
August is approaching rather quickly and before I address the September
9 Day of Peace and Solidarity, I want to address the making of such a
day of global recognition.
Black August is the representation of struggle. Black August is a clear
representation of the resistance exhibited by the oppressed who fought
not to return the deed of enslaving their unfortunate captors, holders
or those who sought their demise; but, rather, to end the slave economy.
Black August is the awakening of the poor of all nationalities to stand
up and fight to end the oppression we encounter on all levels.
This fight doesn’t entail the necessary requirement to pick up guns.
Violence only begets violence. To bring peace, unity, growth,
internationalism and global independence, we are to share our
experiences to come up with a solution to prevent these unfortunate
encounters from being transferred to our youth. The key is communication
and patience. Black August is for all who seek programs of productive
change to participate. We welcome all who are indeed sincere in change
to engage in this growth.
Our commemoration of the 9 September 1971 Attica uprising should be a
somber day of triumph and, more importantly, solidarity. The Attica
uprising ignited not too long after the untimely demise of our beloved
revolutionary comrade George Jackson, who was shot to death by tower
guards in the San Quentin maximum security prison on 21 August 1971 –
one year and two weeks after the death of his little brother Jonathan
“Manchild” Jackson who was gunned down on 7 August 1970.
Much sorrow is attached to the Attica uprising, for the physical loss of
so many brothers. The purpose of the Attica uprising was for better
conditions of prisoners (i.e. education, cleaning areas, an end to
racial discrimination, etc.). The courage these comrades displayed never
will be forgotten. It is up to us to see that their memories are
honored, and the first step to this effort is learning and then teaching
those who wish to learn.
I currently reside in Attica and I teach as much as I possibly can
regarding the law and history. It’s the key to our liberation and only
us (united soldiers) can be held responsible for the new surge of our
youth entering the prison system at such young ages. We are their keys
to betterment, provided we aim for better conditions ourselves.
During Black August fast till sundown. From September 9-13 fast as well
from sun up to sundown in true solidarity of our comrades.
MIM(Prisons) responds: As we see in other articles about the
September 9 Day of Peace and Solidarity, there are many ways to organize
and recognize this day. Some will choose to fast, others will choose to
engage in education towards greater unity, still others will spend the
day in quiet contemplation and study. What you do will of course be
determined somewhat by your conditions. But whatever your action, be
sure to emphasize the building of peace and unity. In general, we don’t
agree with this writer that “violence only begets violence.” We know
that the oppressors won’t put down their guns and stop killing those
they oppress without physical force. But our current stage of struggle
is a peaceful one. We echo this comrade’s call to cease all violence on
this day, and instead build between the groups that might otherwise stay
apart. Talk about ways you can work together against the common enemy of
the criminal injustice system. However you commemorate the Day of Peace
and Solidarity, send in a report on what you did to Under Lock &
Key on September 10 to be included in the next
issue.
I thought I’d share how it works up here in Ad-Seg. I trip on how I’ve
been going at it since the end of September. I’m doing what I’m supposed
to do, from request forms, to 22 [inmate request] forms, to 602 [inmate
appeal] and no good results. The appeals here are quick to catch a
mistake and return it. First off, I am not a lawyer, second I’m a CCCMS
mental health prisoner. But that does not mean anything here.
Anyhow, I wrote Sacramento, letting them know that I never wanted to do
a 602 but it concerns my back brace and prescription glasses. And
they’re in my property at the property room. I had to pay for those 2
items in state and I needed them so I was OK with that. Now I’m just
asking for what’s mine and it’s a need. I use a cane and have a vest. I
bought some glasses from another prisoner who wanted hygiene, but I’m
not supposed to do that.
Nobody listens here and the 602 process is meaningless. I don’t know
what else to do.
MIM(Prisons) responds: California was where the demand for
grievances to be addressed began five years ago. It has since been taken
up by comrades in a dozen other states. The focus is on petitioning
state and federal officials responsible for the care of prisoners. In
doing so, comrades are attempting to rally prisoners together as a group
to defend their basic rights, like the ones the writer above describes;
basic medical care and property rights.
But there are reasons why the arms of the injustice system are so
unaccountable. Their central task is to control certain populations, and
they must be given leeway to achieve that task. If their task was about
justice, then obviously injustices like the ones above would not be
tolerated. So we must rally together to ensure the rights of all are
respected. Yet, ultimately, we must build a system that serves the
interests of those who are oppressed and exploited by the current
imperialist system that dominates our world. Petitions will not prevent
these ongoing abuses.
Los E$tados Unido$ y Cuba recientemente acordaron restaurar sus lazos
diplomáticas después de medio siglo de hostilidad, tomando pasos para
finalizar uno de los últimos enfrentamientos en el mundo de la Guerra
Fría. El anunciamiento del Presidente Obama, hecho en coordinación con
el Presidente Raúl Castro, declaró que estos países alejados por largo
tiempo volverán a comenzar cooperaciones en una serie de temas
económicos y de viaje y el restablecimiento de la embajada Amerikana en
La Habana, la cual fue cerrada después de la revolución Cubana en 1961.
Aunque la Revolución Cubana fue un golpe contra del imperialismo
Amerikano, el cual mantuvo bajo llave a la economía Cubana, Cuba se
volvió dependiente del estado capitalista de la Unión Soviética después
de la revolución de 1959. Para entonces una nueva burguesía había subido
en la Unión Soviética y se había alejado de su orientación socialista
hacia el estado capitalista. En vez de construir socialismo en Cuba,
Castro y su gobierno terminaron por construir una colonia satélite de la
Unión Soviética.(1)
El rechazo Amerikano de asociarse con Cuba fue una reacción al exitoso
alto de la denominación Amerikana de parte de la gente Cubana y una
concesión a los tantos inmigrantes Cubanos ricos que se fugaron a los
EE.UU. después de la revolución, en vez de una postura política seria.
Los imperialistas Amerikanos no han dudado en asociarse con gobiernos y
países que son fuertemente anti-Amerikanos cuando los beneficios
económicos de la relación son imperiosos.
Los recientes cambios de póliza forjan lazos económicas significantes
entre los dos países permitiéndole a instituciones financieras de EE.UU.
abrir cuentas con contrapartes Cubanas, facilitando restricciones en la
exportación de equipo agrícolas y telecomunicaciones a Cuba, permitiendo
que los ciudadanos Amerikanos usen tarjetas de crédito y débito en la
isla. El mayor alzamiento a corto plazo de los cambios vendrá por
remesas, las cuales permitirá a los parientes de Cubanos mandar $2,000
al mes a sus tierra natal, que del limite presente de $500. Las remesas
son la fuente más grande de ingreso económico de la isla. En efectivo y
productos (aparatos y ropa), cuentan por 5100 millones de dólares al año
en ingresos, casi el doble de lo del turismo que cuenta por unos 2600
millones de dólares.(2)
Los beneficios inmediatos para el país son obvios. El gobierno Cubano
reportó que el crecimiento económico para el 2014 fue al rededor de
1.4%, y que aproximadamente 40,000-50,000 Cubanos emigraron en el año
pasado. Por razones económicas, Cuba está hambrienta por efectivo, y su
mayor socio de comercio, Venezuela, está enfrentando una crisis
económica debido a la reciente caída de precios del aceite. Los
analistas dicen que la posibilidad de perder la ayuda Venezolana tal vez
jugó un papel en el alcance del acuerdo con los EE.UU.
Abundan Oportunidades de Negocios
La restauración de lazos comerciales beneficiará a la economía EE.UU.,
permitiéndole a compañías unirse a otros países que han operado por
décadas en Cuba y hecho sus propias incursiones capitalistas, como
Canadá y estados miembros de la Unión Europea. Agricultores Amerikanos,
ya ayudados con el levantamiento parcial del embargo a productos de
agrícolas, tendrán nuevas oportunidades de exportación. A pesar de las
fuertes regulaciones y limitaciones estrictas, las exportaciones de
productos agrícolas Amerikanos a Cuba crecieron de 4 millones de dólares
en el 2001 a 547 millones de dolares en el 2010.
Grupos que van desde la Agencia de la Federación Agricola Amerikana
(Amerikan Farm Bureau Federation) hasta la cámara de comercio de los
EE.UU. apoyan fuertemente el levantamiento del embargo porque ven a Cuba
como a un mercado de exportación significante. Las oportunidades abundan
en otras partes, como en la telecomunicación, la reventa, el turismo, y
recursos naturales. “Cuba necesita todo lo que hacemos en los Estados
Unidos,” dijo el director de relaciones del gobierno de Caterpillar,
Inc. La compañía espera pronto instalar una concesionaria en Cuba.
“Hemos estado pidiendo una póliza nueva hacia Cuba por 15 años.”
Compañías de hospitalidad Amerikanas también están deseosos de hacer
negocios en Cuba cuando puedan. “El minuto que sea disponible, estaremos
allá,” se reportó que dijo el Jefe Ejecutivo Oficial de Choice Hotels
Internacional, Inc.(3)
Todo esto es evidencia del sistema capitalista en Cuba. Las compañías
Amerikanas quieren acceso a este mercado que corporaciones basadas en
otros países han estado disfrutando por años.
De Yanqui a Imperialismo - Social Soviético: Negligencia de Alternativas
Socialistas
Con la revolución de 1959, Cuba buscó desmantelar la hegemonía económica
que los EE.UU. tenía sobre el país. La nacionalización parcial de
ciertos sectores de la economía, seguida por confiscaciones completas de
propiedades de propietarios extranjeros, fueron enfrentadas con fuerte
oposición de EE.UU., pues muchos ciudadanos Amerikanos mantenían grandes
inversiones allí. El tres de enero de 1961, el Presidente de EE.UU.
Dwight D. Eisenhower rompió relaciones diplomáticas con Cuba después de
que Castro culpó a la embajada Amerikana en La Habana de ser un centro
de actividades contra-revolucionarias en el país. En febrero de 1962, el
Presidente John F. Kennedy proclamó un embargo en la mayoría del
comercio de los EE.UU. con Cuba. La economía Cubana en ese tiempo estaba
en serio peligro. Las plantas industriales, confiscadas después de la
revolución y ahora en un estado destartalado, necesitaban los materiales
principales para seguir operando. Partes para los equipos de las
fábricas y vehículos motorizados hechas en EE.UU. ya no estaban
disponibles. Las cosechas eran pobres, y la racionalización de alimentos
inició en marzo de 1962. En contra de este foro, Cuba firmó un acuerdo
de comercio con la Unión Soviética por 700 millones de dólares, seguido
por un crédito de 100 millones de dólares y un acuerdo de entregar una
gran porción de azúcar dos años atrás. A mediados de julio de ese mismo
año, miles de consultantes económicas y militares iban en su camino
hacia a la isla.
Aunque fue un mejoramiento sobre el estado neo-colonial que tenía bajo
EE.UU, la nueva alianza que Cuba forjó con la Unión Soviética fue apenas
simbiótica en naturaleza. Esta relación con deudas-pendientes también
afectó a Castro en su manejo para diversificar la economía Cubana
atravéz de industrialización, cual al último comprobó ser sin éxito.
Históricamente, la cosecha mas valiosa de Cuba ha sido la caña de
azúcar. Bajo la tutela de EE.UU, más de la mitad de la tierra de cultivo
era dedicada a esta cosecha para exportarla a los mercados de EE.UU.
Poca cambió después de la revolución, y la azúcar contaba por casi dos
tercios de todos los réditos de exportaciones. Esta gran dependencia en
una sola cosecha continuó a obstruyendo la economía Cubana. Cuba
necesitaba azúcar para cumplir su tratado de comercio con la Unión
Soviética y sus aliados, y como resultado, su diversificación
agricultura y su habilidad de alimentar a su gente sufrió. La economía
de Cuba se mantuvo estancada, y se volvió muy dependiente en la ayuda
Soviética. Eventualmente con la caída del bloque Soviético, Cuba fue
herida económicamente severamente.
Además, la ayuda material dado a Cuba fue inferior en calidad, y no
estaba equipada para las necesidades y condiciones climáticas del país
Caribeño. La abrogación temprana de revolución violenta por todo
Latinoamerica de Castro lo puse en desventaja y debilitó las relaciones
de Cuba con la Unión Soviética. Los Soviéticos por su parte acortar la
ayuda económica cada que el gobierno de Cuba cruzara la raya, como fue
el caso cuando Cuba se opuso a la invasión y de Checoslovaquia por la
Unión Soviética y sus países en 1968. Después de una ronda torciendo en
brazo económica, Castro tomo una estancia más neutral.
A diferencia de una aparente cooperación económica de la
Soviética-revisionista, la linea de China comunista en esa época en
consideración a la ayuda material y financiera socialista estaba basado
en cooperación mutua y aconsejó que debería hacerse a la medida de la
necesidad de ambos países con la meta hacia una economía
auto-suficiente. De ninguna manera debería de ser condicional y llevar
altos intereses, lo cual perpetúa el cielo de endeudamiento en el país
recipiente. La ayuda de material debería de ser de primera calidad y no
anticuado tecnológicamente. También deberá servir sus condiciones
materiales. Implementaciones agrícolas Soviéticos exportadas a Cuba, por
ejemplo, causaron mucho daño en los campos de caña de azúcar.
¿Principios Socialistas?
En el último discurso sobre el tema de normalización de relaciones, el
Presidente Raúl Castro dijo que Cuba “no dejará sus principios
socialistas.” A pesar de su aserción nosotros contendemos que él y Fidel
ya lo habían hecho desde 1961. Ellos aceptaron la falacia de que uno no
puede tener producción sin incentivo, instituyendo varias medidas
agrarias y industriales del estilo Soviético, como la implementación de
incentivos de trabajo y diferenciales de sueldos para alzar mejor las
cuotas de producción. Viendo las implementaciones de Mao Zedong de los
incentivos morales para recompensar los logros de producción por encima
de lo normal de la fuerza laboral en China, pudieron haber sido una
alternativa viable a esta. La lucha de clases también fue puesta al
margen con su enfoque en rendimiento económico como medida del éxito del
país en construir socialismo, la cual constituye un fracaso de
deshacerse de la teoría de las fuerzas productivas - una póliza que ha
llevado a muchas revoluciones socialistas a sus perdiciones
revisionistas.
Esta es una razón crítica por el cual la Revolución Cultural en China
representa el mayor avance hacia el comunismo en la historia: teorías y
prácticas capitalistas no van a desaparecer así nada más bajo el
socialismo y deben de ser combatidos activamente. De otra manera una
nueva burguesía se levantará desde las fuerzas proletarias anteriores y
intentarán tomar el poder en contra de los intereses de las masas. Esto
pasó en la Unión Soviética, y su trato a Cuba demuestra claramente como
los capitalistas del estado ignoraron las necesidades de la gente
cubana.
Desde que Raúl Castro tomó el control de su hermano Fidel en el 2008, el
gobierno Cubano se ha tomado una serie de reformas económicas tentativas
para mover al país de un estado capitalista de cuadro a un sistema
capitalista totalmente desarrollado.
Manteniendo Solidaridad con Cuba en Perspectiva
Habiendo soportado siglos de repetidas intrusiones imperialistas, Cuba
se les ha ingeniado para alcanzar un grado de independencia y soberanía
sobre sus asuntos. Apoyamos el derecho de auto-determinación de Cuba, y
aplaudimos el notable éxito del gobierno Cubano de proveer servicios
educativos y médicos a todos los segmentos de la sociedad Cubana. La
estancia anti-imperialista de Cuba en una serie de asuntos se mantiene
fuerte, y en una confrontación con imperialismo, Cuba se merece nuestro
apoyo. Más sin embargo Cuba no es socialista, y la gente de Cuba sabe
que su gobierno hasta este punto de su historia no es un gobierno
revolucionario, sino un pragmático. Es nuestra esperanza que la gente de
Cuba experimenten un florecimiento de conciencia revolucionaria y que se
organicen por sus derechos en los años venideros conforme la intrusión
capitalista pone a su país en la mira para futura explotación económica.