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.
Greetings brothers and sisters at MIM(Prisons). I salute you all for
your revolutionary work in educating/liberating the minds of the world’s
incarcerated. I am another hostage being held for profit in the
Marquette Branch Prison max facility and student of communist thought.
I’m presenting you a paper I wrote for my group in light of my studies
and reflections on Native American history. I hope it may be of use to
you to shed a new light on early American colonization and evoke
discussion and further study as it has in my circle.
I attend, along with several other brothers, the “Native American
traditional ways” service, and recently when we finally came together
meaningfully to build, and to the dismay of the institution, asserting
ourselves, our 1st and 14th amendment rights have come under attack. Not
that we have any faith in a constitution that still sanctions slavery,
but our struggles should raise some alarm in certain communities,
specifically Native American, since this is an age-old war in
suppressing native traditional ways and customs. We sought to resolve
our complaints through administrative remedy; letters, grievance etc.
But this is the enemy we’re dealing with and they control the entire
grievance process. The same fascist agents that interrupt our service
with remarks such as “we speak English in America” addressing brothers
praying in their native tongue. We are regularly released from our
cell-blocks late and often can not conduct formal service. When we tried
to obtain basic allowable items to conduct service in its proper manner,
the chaplain decided to confiscate our sacred feathers – brothers has to
search for new ones on the yard!
These petty tyrants further prevent attendance with intimidation, if you
make any request to attend service you will first receive a visit from a
“gang” worker who will inform you that the service is conducted by gang
members, and that if they participate they’ll likely be placed on a
security threat group (STG) investigation. And for those already on STG,
they are also urged not to participate under threat that they will not
be let off the designation since attending religious service is a form
of gang activity.
We’ve been reaching out to the local nations here in the U.P. for
outside support but sadly we have yet to see a trace of Native American
solidarity. Nevertheless our circle is strong and we come together
weekly to exchange cultural, intellectual, spiritual, and revolutionary
seeds. We have debates, discussions, essay assignments, and give oral
presentations etc. We hope to have a relationship with MIM(Prisons) and
will keep you updated with our affairs and material from our
revolutionary thinkers.
Why are we afraid to call it what it is in Texas concerning capital
punishment: the death penalty. It’s murder, plain and simple. Texas, the
state with the highest execution rate in these United Snakes, since the
death penalty was put back in effect in 1977. Texas, the republic so
bent on killing prisoners that it remains one of two states refusing to
place a moratorium on the death penalty from concerns over whether
lethal injection is cruel and unnecessary pain on a prisoner before s/he
dies. State governor Rick Perry’s spokesperson says “executions will
continue” unless the supreme court rules otherwise.
This “will continue” mentality of Perry’s is the same mentality of the
ruling class that has executed a disproportionately large number of
Blacks and other oppressed nationalities. How does this matter? When you
look at statistics of the Justice Department and see the higher rate of
execution of Blacks vs. whites for the same offense, this leads you to
draw a long line connecting slavery to the period of reconstruction to
the present day, right here in good ’ole amerika.
The decision that the Supreme Court must make is how to administer a
better method for execution. For public relation purposes. Their intent
is to kill any who stand in the way of their hold on power. This is a
tactic of social control as well as instilling fear and punishment in
those who would disagree with amerikan politics. It should be said the
entirety of the justice system is an arm of the state that functions to
oppress the people. So the saving of comrade Kenneth Foster’s life from
execution on August 30th should be applauded just for this comrade’s
life being spared, but it does not change the mentality of our
oppressors or change this justice system. Only revolution will do that.
Recent stirrings in Tibet bring up an opportunity to expose the
white-washed history of that part of the world presented in the
imperialist countries, and could potentially help build the
multinational anti-imperialist movement in China. But there is much
interference on the part of the oppressor nations that threaten genuine
people’s movements there.
The disproportionate attention paid to Tibet by the bourgeois press is a
product of a decades long campaign by the CIA to destabilize China,
dating back to when the country was a stronghold of socialism in the
world. Today, China’s rise towards an imperialist competitor keeps the
Tibet card a useful one in the hands of a meddling Uncle $cam.
The imperialists are encouraging divisions within China, nothing new
there in the last 50 years. But why are amerikkkans, in the name of
humyn rights, waving the Tibetan flag and demanding change in China?
More importantly, why are these same white people not waving the flag of
the Lakota people who recently declared sovereignty from a state that
actually committed large-scale land grabbing and genocide against them?
Why are these same white people not crying out at the injustice of a
system that imprisons young Black men at rates far above any other
country in humyn history?
Last year the China scare was about toy safety, not Tibetan humyn
rights. Amerikkkans fear Chinese toys, just like they fear Mexican labor
and work hard to secure their share of stolen Aztlán by militarizing the
border with Mexico and filling u$ prisons with Mexican citizens. Is it
any wonder that only 10% of Mexicans have a positive view of the United
States? (1)
As upper class Tibetan wimmin stated in 1960, “Those people in Tibet who
talked about ‘independence’ always had some foreign connections. Why do
so many British and American writers concern themselves with Tibetan
‘independence.’ Is it for the good of the Tibetans or for their own
good?” (Strong, p. 113) This question remains very relevant today. And
while we cannot give a good analysis, nor less offer short-term
solutions, for the conflicts between Tibetans and Uighurs and Hans in
China today, we can warn against those who have the historical honesty
to condemn Tibetan feudalism, but will fuel the flames of conflict
between the various peoples of China.
With the largest population of any country, China is still a
predominately peasant society with a rapidly growing proletariat. The
interests of these oppressed classes are the same; in opposition to the
current capitalist regime and to foreign imperialism. Teaming up with
foreign intelligence agencies to pit one group of oppressed against
another does not liberate anyone. Anti-Han propaganda was the tool of
the slave owners in the 1950s, and to this day remains beneficial to
those who wish to exploit all the people of China.
Popular calls taken up by the white nationalists in relation to Tibet
are those of local control and preserving the culture. New Age hippies
claim to feel spiritual connections to the cultures of the Himalayan
region with little regard to whether the people who live there are
better off or not. It is hard to see what they find so appealing about
the worship of god-kings, the starvation of serfs and the physical
torture of humyn slaves that made up the social systems of Tibet and
Nepal in the 20th century. But white people will vehemently defend the
“right” of these cultures to stay frozen in time. In commentary on a BBC
article on Tibet today, a Kanadian writes about the inherently peaceful
nature of the people of Tibet, ignoring decades of history of struggle
against starvation, oppression and torture. Unlike this Kanadian, we do
not believe that races exist, nor that some are born more peaceful than
others, we believe all people strive for peace and will resist when they
are oppressed.
Today, the construction of the railway through Tibet is one topic of
controversy, with opponents saying it will only help exploit the region
and will not benefit the people. This is a likely outcome in a
capitalist country that has fully developed into its role as the
sweatshop and dumping ground for the First World. But isolation and
localism is not the answer, despite the hippies’ dreams. We do not wish
to witness a repeat of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and
Yugoslavia, which has led to horrible losses for the oppressed people of
those regions on both sides of local conflicts.
A comparison to events in the Soviet Union also gives an interesting
lesson in the differences in handling national conflicts between a
socialist state that serves the people and an imperialist state claiming
socialism but really exploiting them. The Dalai Lama claimed that
amerikkka offered to finance a holy war against Communist China in the
early 1950s (see Strong, p.45), similar to what the amerikkkans did in
Afghanistan to fight the Soviet Union decades later. The defense of
Afghanistan from the social-imperialist Soviet Union was a successful
rallying cry for the people of the region, even with u$ backing. In
contrast, the resistance in Tibet to a socialist China, serving the
interests of the people, was never made up of more than a minority of
aristocratic Tibetans and their slaves. Even the Dalai Lama opposed this
interference by the CIA.
Defending the socialist legacy
The bourgeois press repeatedly mentions the “liberation” of Tibet in
quotation marks. Yet if we do a very cursory comparison of China’s role
in the liberation of Tibet and the United $tates role in the
“liberation” of Iraq we see that it is really the “liberation” of Iraq
that is a farce. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) didn’t interfere
militarily in Tibet until they had the full support of the people in
defeating the feudal clique, and even waited 8 months after defeating
the Tibetan military to negotiate an agreement before stepping into
Tibet proper. (Strong, p. 44) Large sections of the rebel armies even
joined the PLA instantly, as they had been forced by warlords to fight.
The rebels in Tibet were carrying out a terrorist campaign on the people
and waging armed conflict against the PLA in its struggle to maintain
the social hierarchy of Tibet under the Dalai Lama. They were rebelling
against the changes that were taking place in Tibetan society, changes
that communists in China understood to be the natural resolution of
internal contradictions within that society. It was that understanding
that led to Mao’s successful policy in Tibet and the PLA truly being a
force of liberation in supporting the will of the people. It took
another 8 years after the official “liberation” for the feudal
government’s power to crumble within Tibet, ending in the rebellion of
1959, which the PLA easily quelled with the support of the masses.
Within a year of that battle the former serfs and slaves were active
participants in local government, learning to read and write, organizing
production both as independent farmers and collectives, none of which
they had ever done in previous history. (Strong pp. 57-60)
In contrast, Amerikkkans claimed that they would be welcomed by Iraq
with open arms, and yet 5 years later Iraqis have bombed the Green Zone
multiple times in the last week, killing 3 u$ soldiers in the attack
today. The Green Zone is where agents of the foreign occupation (or
“liberation”) are forced to cordon themselves off to feel safe from the
people of Iraq. Amerikkkan soldiers must patrol outside the Green Zone
and fear for their lives every time they drive down the street.
Meanwhile, the country continues to be in violent chaos with economic
security at the lowest it’s been in decades.
The current Chinese regime only helps to promote historical amnesia in
relation to the accomplishments of socialism in China. The politically
lazy can look at the riot police in Tibet right now and confirm what
they’ve been told about political totalitarianism in China since 1949.
Even self-identified anarchists are choosing the former slave-owning
god-king (whatever happened to “No gods, No masters!”?) Dalai Lama over
Mao Zedong who encouraged the mobilization of millions of people with
his call to “Bombard the Headquarters” during the Cultural Revolution.
Once again, white nationalism trumps political consistency.
Freedom of Religion
One common complaint against the current Chinese regime is the
repression of religious groups, or any large organization independent of
the government. This is used by the bourgeois press to feed into the
myth of the abolishment of religion under the Communist Party of China.
One “Living Buddha” had this message for the people of the world:
Here in Tibet, people used religion to exploit other people. Living
Buddhas thought how to get more lands and serfs and treasure. This is
not the Buddha’s teaching. When the big monasteries oppress the small
ones, and the upper lamas oppress the poor lamas, this is not freedom of
religion… We are now learning that only by abolishing exploitation can
we abide by the teaching of Sakyamuni. It was through the Communist
Party that the people got freedom of religion. Because of this I can now
serve the people and follow truly the teachings of Buddha. (Strong,
p. 96)
Material Conditions
Prior to the liberation of Tibet, the population was 90% serfs and 5%
slaves, most of whom faced starvation, malnutrition, physical abuse and
lacked any persynal freedoms. (Strong, p. 52) As the class structure was
transformed under socialism, the production of grain and livestock both
doubled from 1959 to 1970 following reorganization and the introduction
of science.(3) Not only were persynal freedoms greatly expanded via the
abolition of slavery and feudalism, but questions of life and death were
dealt with in an effective way.
And we remember now how the lords told us tales of the Communists and
the tales were not true… We began to know it when the PLA first built
the highway. The lords said the highway was only for the good of the
Hans. But the working people found the highway a benefit, and those who
worked on the road got paid in money wages, as well as food and clothes
and shoes, and they bought themselves golden ear-rings and mules.
(Strong, p. 150)
This quote comes from a time when capitalism and trade had much
potential for bringing progress to the region. This may not be true
today, as the productive forces of the region were unleashed with the
land reforms and reorganization following 1959. More likely, increased
access to Tibet by the current Chinese regime will mean more stealing of
resources and dumping of toxins in the region. But it does go to show
that utopian isolationism is not in the best interest of Tibet, or any
other nation in the world.
Those who take up the anti-Chinese banner calling for a return to
theocracy for Tibet are supporting a backward step to feudalism for that
country. Even people pretending to oppose feudalism but stoking the
flames of nationalist conflict between Tibet and China are serving the
interests of the CIA. Revolutionaries need to focus on the
anti-imperialist struggle and avoid pitting oppressed nations against
each other.
As MIM points out: “With China capitalist now, the possibility exists
for Han Chinese to really exploit the Tibetans. However, the ‘Free
Tibet’ movement wants to increase exploitation even more to make Tibet a
semi-colony of the United $tates, England and the rest of the ‘West.’”
I would like to give a salute to thank you MIM for the MT and its many
issues. Due to it and it’s very meaning, I was brought back to the
experienced life I was given, or forced to live (better said). I want to
express myself on this issue.
My struggle, as I came to live it, was through many twists and turns in
life. I was born in 1979 in Wichita, Kansas to poorly educated migrant
working parents. My father was born and raised in Puerto Rico and
migrated to the U$ in the 60s to find a better life and hoping one day
to build a family. The poverty-stricken conditions on the island forced
him to the U$A. My mother was born in Texas in one of the country’s
poverty stricken regions in the Rio Grand Valley. Her parents migrated
to the U$ from Mexico to find the so-called “American Dream”.
To these two courageous parents, four boys and two girls were born into
the struggle in different parts of the U$, some in Michigan, some in
Florida, and me, Kansas. I was born into the revolution, my physical
presence as a kid in the field under the hot and endless days brought
rebellion into me. Throughout the eighties and early nineties I
experienced pain, hate, anger, racism, confusion, puzzlement, stress,
oppression, etc.
This rebellion grew in me due to my surroundings and seeing my people
oppressed and stigmatized. For me to see how my parents, who I love,
would suffer due to the cruel and unequal government and its corporate
allies. I remember waking up at 5 or 6am to go to work at the age of 9
or 10 years old until the sun seemed to sit behind the dark blue sky
with its shadowy background. This would happen during the summertime
when school was out and it was not cold. When it did get cold in the
winter we would travel from Michigan to Florida and start all over
again. This would keep me from advancing in school and so everyone else
seemed to be getting a good and healthy education.
The moral of my life story goes that the economy and the government does
not give a damn who it hurts. I came to Texas when I was in second grade
and to my surprise I was brought back to first grade because the
Michigan educational system was not meeting the Texas educational
standard. I was 10 years old and in first grade. Crazy right?!
Did I choose this life? No! This life chose me and I became a
revolutionary from birth. I was born in the fields, I was born to know
no other life but blood, sweat and tears. I have the understanding now
of who I am. I became a part of a movement that stresses the importance
of unity and communication to build and sustain a strong front:
internationalism and to becoming the vanguard. To help teach our people
to become leaders and not followers, in all that we do we represent one
another. We must educate and prepare ourselves, for that day is near.
I am presently witnessing my parents suffering from their labor and the
pesticide that was routine and sprayed on those fields. Since their
births over 60 years ago they were migrant working people and
contributed their energy to provide food for those upper class and rich
bourgeoisie. My mother suffers from numbness over her body and this I
think is due to the chemicals that were sprayed over those fields. My
parents receive a monthly so-called support check. Between both of them
they receive $600 dollars a month. Honestly, this is not much because
the gas has gone up, and property taxes are not far behind. My parents
barely can come to see and visit with me and my younger brother who is
doing two life sentences. Texas is a big state and we both are up by
Dallas while our parents are at the border between Mexico and Texas.
This is my struggle and my way of learning who I am and why I am and why
I became who I am.
Kern Valley State Prison is a new prison that hasn’t been open even ten
years yet and it is already dragging its prison population through the
dirt. The Blacks have been on lockdown since October 2007 and I was just
recently told (word of mouth) that the lockdown will be extended for
four more months. Now understand, I said word of mouth vs. an official
departmental memo (as CDC policy regulates).
As of now we basically have no movement at all, besides escorted
movement to medical or court. We have no yard, no religious services, no
reading material, no visits or nothing, and as I become more educated
with litigation and the U.S. constitution I understand that they are in
clear violation and someone has to hold them accountable for the things
they are doing wrong.
Alcohol facts: the biological effects of a given drug (alcohol) may vary
from person to person with factors such as the person’s weight, gender
and age, which may influence the intensity of the drug (alcohol) effect.
Whether the drug (alcohol) is taken on a full/empty stomach or in
combination with other chemical substances. A person’s racial background
differences may affect how a drug (alcohol) is metabolized. An estimated
14 million Amerikans have serious alcohol problems and suffer from
social, occupational, and health problems. A survey conducted by the
substance abuse and mental health services administration found that
some 11 million people aged 12 and older were dependent upon or abused
alcohol. Another 2 million people abused alcohol and one or more
chemical substances.
The purpose of this statement is not to perpetuate a personal attack on
any individual, or their chosen lifestyle, as that would be a form of
liberalism, which is not conducive to nation building and undermines the
true principles of unity. However, the purpose of this statement is to
engage the New Afrikan Black communities in a discourse of dialectics,
by pointing out and addressing some fundamental distinctive
contradictions that are prevalent in the oppressed communities, as it
relates to alcohol abuse/additions. As the saying goes “the highest form
of consciousness is magnified in the individuals day to day social
practice.”
The principles of foco theory is the catalyst for this initiative. For
those who may be wondering as to what foco theory is, it is simply the
nucleus for making all material subjects/things move. Just as Fidel
Castro was the foco for the build up of the Cuban revolution. Foco
theory can be effective only when it does not allow itself to be
isolated from the people. Foco may well be the best tactic to mount the
motor of the people’s will for real freedom. But the foco will need a
long period of preparation and intensive organizational work, that will
not only generate an atmosphere for real freedom by focus, but will also
guarantee our logistics of communication/planning for survival programs,
etc, such as this initiative “the new Afrikan prisoners: anti-alcohol
campaign”
As a people, we must commit ourselves to a higher standard of living, if
we are to one day achieve our ultimate goal of total liberation. We can
no longer afford to hide behind the well to do excuses of putting the
blame solely on the U.$. government, regarding the social dilemmas that
plague our communities, in particular, as it relates to matters that we
can control and change on our own. Our day to day social practices is a
manifestation of what we believe in, think about, and consume into our
bodies. So we must be mindful of this truth 24-7. Instead of engaging in
the nuisances of alcohol abuse, we must begin to utilize our time and
energy more constructively by exercising our minds towards the central
task of achieving some positive goals in the areas of community
healing/building. Through our collective will and with the application
of self-discipline, this can be easily accomplished. If we allow the
truth to be our guide in pushing forward principles of righteousness,
then we should also realize that the objective of community
healing/building cannot be achieved if our mental facilities are being
overwhelmed with the toxins of alcohol. Meaning that the social wounds
of oppression that the social system of U.$. imperialism has inflicted
upon our communities will remain a prominent fixture. Our power as a
people is unlimited, once we take control of and refine the focus of our
minds.
Now consider these factors:
Alcohol depressed that activity of the brain and impairs cognitive
abilities, such as concentration, memory, speech, and physical abilities
such as muscle coordination/balance. As blood levels of alcohol rise,
more brain activity is impaired, until the person loses consciousness.
If blood alcohol levels continue to rise, death can occur because the
brain’s respiratory center can no longer function. Furthermore, many
drug experts offer the following:
• Alcohol abuse has the highest social cost of all drug addictions •
Alcohol is involved in at least 50% of all homicides, assaults, and
highway fatalities • Approximately two thirds of all cases of spousal
abuse and violent child abuse involve alcohol use • Drinking by
pregnant women is the leading cause of birth defects and mental
retardation
In light of the above mentioned scientifically proven factors, now ask
yourself, what real benefits does an individual have in continuing on
with the social practices of alcohol abuse? None, if you ask me!
However, it cannot be overlooked that we have been conditioned to
believe that alcohol consumption is harmless, on account of the large
magnitude of alcohol advertisements that we are bombarded with in our
communities and with the convenient access to alcohol at social
gatherings, corner liquor stores, etc. Thus making it too easy for the
common New Afrikan Black sista/brotha to abuse alcohol, in effort to
escape the dilemma of a personal discrepancy, whether it be going
through an untimely divorce with our once beloved better half, getting
laid off from work, unable to pay bills on time, or just trying to cope
with the unfortunate struggles of everyday life. As part of
growing/healing as a community, the onus is on us to live responsible by
making critical thinking a constant in all that we do. Because by
thinking critically, we will be able to formulate/develop some
formidable alternatives, that are conducive to resolving whatever
personal social dilemmas that we may be experiencing, as opposed to just
running to and hiding behind the quick fix solutions of this liquid
monster.
This initiative is still in its early stages of development, so there is
still a real need for outside coordinators/facilitators in order to
bring this initiative to life and amongst the people. So if interested
in getting on board, you may contact me at tashiri@gmail.com
MIM(Prisons) responds: We agree with this comrade that alcohol abuse, as
well as the abuse of other drugs, gets in the way of the fight for
national liberation. In fact the government had a hand in this as a
tactic to diffuse the revolutionary movements of the 1960s and 70s when
drugs became widely available on the streets, and then imprisonment for
drug use grew dramatically. Alcohol is in some ways more insidious than
illegal drugs because it is legal and so widely available, but as this
comrade points out, it is physically destructive and addictive just like
illegal drugs. We do differ from this comrade on the theory of focoism
which suggests that a small cell can spark a revolution (or even
accomplish a revolution) without the participation and support of the
masses. Maoism is the more steady, methodical process of developing the
most advanced theory and raising the mass consciousness through struggle
and seizing power one calculated battle at a time.
These capitalist lapdogs in California had my native ass locked away in
the gulag within the gulag for inciting and when that didn’t work they
got “kites” detailing my supposed involvement in a plot to assault the
spiritual adviser. How utterly ridiculous! #1. We (my spiritual advisor
and I) had no such animosity between us. #2. Said actions on my part,
should they reflect anything based in reality, would get me banned in
Indian country (the native community). #3 Said materials only came on
the heals of their failed attempt to ship me out of the joint in
response to paperwork filed against them for failure to adhere to
federal mandates in regard to native american spiritual services. The
contemptible bastards!
Anyway, as you may notice, they finally succeeded in transferring me to
San Diego. Ha! They have inadvertently done a great service, for in so
doing, they have placed me in an environment ripe for political
agitation. A healthy population of natives and the imperialist lackeys
here are in compliance with J. vs. Martinez and other such censorship
cases.
I have, however, during my fight, lost my revolutionary literature. All
the books I had received or acquired through other comrades, all MIM
Notes, the manifesto of the Communist Part, MIM Theory #9, and my What
is MIM pamphlet. Anything you comrades can aid me with would be very
appreciated. I’ll be in a position to blast some stamps your way for
some books rather soon. I’m really missing the dialectical materialism
book as I’d just got a hold of it and hadn’t really been able to get
into it.
Critics of amerika’s unprecedentedly high incarceration rates have
stressed that increased imprisonment does not correspond to less crime.
And despite decreasing crime rates, imprisonment continues to rise. How
is this possible?
A recent report from the JFA Institute describes how the increase in
prison populations is a result of a change in laws and policies in
enforcement. (1) We have been in the era of “tough on crime” politics
for decades, but most amerikans will still hide the fact that this
translates into increased control and repression of the internal
semi-colonies. At the same time, millions of amerikkkans are supporting
these laws as a means of securing the jobs and livelihood of themselves
and their families. While white people like to look at slavery and
genocide as things in the past, the amerikkkan nation has probably never
been so deeply entrenched and invested as a nation of oppressors as they
are today with millions serving as cops, spies and military personnel.
And while the white media would have you believe that “tough on crime”
policies are protecting amerikans from murderers and sexual predators,
about two-thirds of the 650,000 prison admissions each year are people
who have violated their probation or parole. And half of these
violations are technical, in other words, they’re going to prison for
things most people could not be put in prison for. (1) The demand for
more incarceration is putting hundreds of thousands of people in prison
each year for doing things not generally considered crimes under u$ law.
Who’s Profiting?
The progressive groups opposing the prison industrial complex like to
condemn so-called “prisons-for-profit.” But it isn’t primarily corporate
profits behind the three decades long prison boom and the so-called
“tough on crime” legislation. It is amerikan cops and bureaucrats
maneuvering for government funds (money that comes from taxing amerikans
whose wealth comes from the exploitation of labor and resources from the
Third World). And it is career politicians catering to a white
nationalist vote. “Tough on crime” stances aren’t tolerated in amerikan
politics, rather, they are demanded by the voting public. Politicians
who have attempted to go against the tide can attest to this.
Other than “prisons are big business” the other popular argument
explaining the surge in incarceration is that it is “modern day
slavery.” As an economic force behind imprisonment, this too is largely
a myth. If the motivation for being the number one imprisonment country
in all of history was exploiting labor then you would see the majority
of prisoners engaged in productive labor. While some sources claim half
of all prisoners work, one study from 1994 found less than 10% are
involved in work other than maintenance and housekeeping. (2) More
recent statistics by state indicate industrial employment at similar low
rates. (3) The estimate of half of prisoners working seems reasonable if
we acknowledge that most of those prisoners have part-time jobs doing
upkeep of the prison. While also dated, MIM cited statistics from 1995
showing that only 6.4% of sales stemming from prison labor in the united
$tates was private in MIM Theory 11: Amerikkkan Prisons on Trial.
Generally, if prisoners work for an outside corporation and produce
goods for interstate commerce, then they are legally required to receive
amerikkkan exploiter level wages. The benefit to the companies is that
they can skimp on benefits and don’t need to give raises. Small business
owners have fought to limit the benefits of those who use prison labor,
since they lack the capital to take advantage of such competitive
advantages. The petty bourgeois interests here keep those of the
imperialists in check. (4)
Therefore, most prison labor is done for the state, who can pay whatever
they want, and increasingly garnish most of the wages to pay for the
prisoners’ own imprisonment. These prisoners are either working to run
the prison and therefore allowing the amerikkkans in charge of the
prison to work as well-payed bureaucrats and not have to worry about
cooking and cleaning, or they are working for government industries that
supply state agencies and therefore subsidize the tax money of the state
as a whole by reducing state expenses. The National Correctional
Industries Association says state industries contributed $25 million by
garnishing inmates wages, not a very large contribution to the cost of
the u$ prison system. However, one estimate done by MIM 10 years ago
indicates the savings in wages overall (not including benefits) could be
on the order of 10% or more of current overall state expenditures on
corrections (5), which have risen sharply (see graph).
Some state industries export products to other countries, but interstate
commerce has largely been restricted by the efforts of small business
interests and amerikan labor unions. Since the 1980s, the federal
government has tried to embrace the model of “factories with fences.”
But the free market for slave labor continues to be hampered by state
laws. This year, Alaska passed a law that allows the Department of Labor
and Workforce Development can enter into contracts with private
companies or individuals to sell them prison labor,
provided that the commissioner consults with local union organizations
beforehand in order to ensure that the contract will not result in the
displacement of employed workers, will not be applied in skills, crafts,
or trades in which there is a surplus of available gainful labor in the
locality, and will not impair existing contracts for services. A
contract with an individual or a private organization must require that
the commissioner be paid the minimum wage for each hour worked by a
prisoner.” (10)
Clearly this has nothing to do with prisoners’ rights, but it is crafted
for the protection of labor aristocracy jobs and small businesses. And
as many states do, Alaska allows for the wages to be garnished before
disbursing them to the prisoner. So there is no law that the prisoner
must be paid a certain wage.
What about the one industry that does have unfettered access to prison
labor? Theoretically, private prisons could collect fat contracts from
the state and let prisoners do much of the work to run the facility. But
after 3 decades of prison boom, still less than 5% of prisons are
privately owned, at least partially due to an inability to remain
profitable. (4) It is often pointed out that it costs more to keep a
persyn in prison for a year than send them to college. (The difference
for sending youth to a correctional facility compared to grade school
can be differences in order of magnitude). This is a price that largely
tax-averse amerikkkans are willing to pay.
State Bureaucrats and National Oppression
Strictly speaking, prisons are a net loss financially for the amerikkkan
nation. And the boom cannot be blamed on any major corporate interests.
What a beefed up injustice system does offer economically is a means of
employing millions of people at cushy exploiter wages. It is a means of
shuffling the super-profits around the pigsty and maintaining a consumer
population. These millions of people provide a self-perpetuating demand
for more prisoners, and more funding for various law enforcement
projects.
One example of this self-perpetuating bureaucracy dates back to 1983
when James Gonzalez became Deputy Director of the California Department
of Corrections. He immediately expanded the department’s planning staff
from 3 to 118 and began focusing on modeling that would forecast
increasing needs for expansion into the future (it’s not just COs
getting the jobs). (6) Since then California has built 23 major new
prisons, expanded other prisons and increased its prison population
500%. (7) With more prisons, come more prison guards, creating the
31,000 strong California Correctional Peace Officers Association with
yearly dues totaling $21.9 million. (8) This is the same union that
earned itself a raise following the exposure of gladiator fights staged
by guards at Corcoran State Prison, where many prisoners were murdered.
The very same that was behind the 3 strikes laws to put people away for
25 to life for petty crimes, and that has campaigned repeatedly to
eliminate educational programs for prisoners.
The CO’s are partners with the private industry that has boomed off of
an economy based on war and repression. A visit to the American
Corrections Association conference will tell you it’s not just a few
imperialist suits in a smoke-filled room. It is a getaway for a large
mix of salesmen, cops and CO’s; just regular amerikkkans. (9)
In the united $tates there are laws that prevent the military from
lobbying the government as a safeguard against war being carried out in
the interests of the warmakers. There are no such limits on the police
and correctional officers (COs), allowing the war on gangs to go on
perpetuating itself both politically and economically. The NYPD and LAPD
have arsenals and capabilities that rival many nations’ armed forces,
and they are allowed to influence politics on the local, state and even
federal level both directly and indirectly.
On the local level police departments have undermined trends toward
so-called “community policing.” Where youth in the community have been
effective at reducing violence through dialogue and organizing, the
police have rejected these programs in favor of community
representatives who will rubber stamp their continued strategies of
suppression and harassment of oppressed nation youth. When street
organizations came together to form peace treaties in Los Angeles and
Chicago in the 1990s, the police responded immediately through the white
media saying it was a hoax and it would never last. Let there be no
confusion, the police created these wars and the police will not let
them stop.
In the late 1990s, the New York Times reported that most white residents
of New York City were comfortable with police behavior, while 9 out of
10 Blacks believed brutality against Blacks to be frequent. The regular
“stop and frisking” by police that was then practiced under Mayor
Giuliani, was found to be directed at Blacks and Latinos 90% of the
time. (11)
Politically, the rest of the oppressor nation is willing to go along
with the job security plans of the police and correctional officers as a
means of protecting their collective privilege. One of the few things
amerikkkans can agree to spend state money on. With that, the injustice
system becomes an important part of the national culture in rallying the
people in material support of the imperialist system that they benefit
from.
Who’s being locked up?
While the question of who is profiting from the prison industrial
complex is a bit cloudy and controversial, everyone knows who is being
locked up. In a half century, amerikan prisons have gone from white
dominated to Black dominated in a period where the Black population has
increased less than 2 percentage points to its current level of about
12%. And yet amerikkkans are not outraged.
As
we
recently reported, Blacks are imprisoned at rates 10 times those of
whites for drug charges and the increase in drug-related prison
sentences was 77% for Blacks compared to 28% for whites. (12) So, the
increase in sentences that is behind the current prison boom is
targeting certain populations.
The JFA Institute report references research indicating that
incarceration often encourages crime. In their summary of literature,
they point to evidence that people will leave criminal lifestyles when
given opportunities. No shit? Stopping crime isn’t exactly rocket
science. While communists know how to put an end to crime, the pigs and
their fans have demonstrated that they aren’t really interested in that.
That would involve destroying their own privilege. In it’s advanced
stage of parasitism, the amerikkkan nation has a well-entrenched sector
of pigs who get job security and pay raises from perpetuating crime and
imprisonment.
Interestingly, the report also points to a number of studies indicating
that government run programs have very marginal effects on reducing
recidivism. This conclusion is supported by reports we get from
comrades
criticizing government programs. (13) Apparently, the literature
also supports the need for programs like MIM(Prisons) Prisoner Re-Lease
on Life program, because the only programs that seem to be effective in
treatment and rehabilitation are independent from the government. (1)
The people aren’t stupid, they know what the state is there to do.
Large population counties across the United $tates continue to imprison
Blacks for drug offenses at a much higher rate than whites, in spite of
similar rates of drug use, according to a report released December 4 by
The Justice Policy Institute. The report underscores the fact that
“Whites and African Americans report using and selling drugs at similar
rates, but African Americans go to prison for drug offenses at higher
rates than whites.”
The study used data from the National
Corrections Reporting Program and other census and government sources,
focusing on 2002 because that is the most recently year of NCRP data
available. In 2002 there were approximately 19.5 million drug users and
1.5 million drug arrests (1 in 13 drug users). These arrests resulted in
175,000 admissions to prisons; 51% of these new prisoners were Black.
The 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that rates of drug
use were similar between whites and blacks: 8.5% of whites compared to
9.7% of Blacks. Given the economic disparities and national oppression
within Amerika, it is not a surprise that there is a slightly higher
rate of drug use among Blacks.
These rates of drug use translate into about 14 million white drug users
in 2002 compared to 2.6 million Black drug users (in the month prior to
the survey). This means there are roughly 5 times as many white drug
users as Black drug users. But Blacks were locked up in prison for drug
offenses at 10 times the rate of whites: 262 per 100,000 for Blacks and
25 per 100,000 for whites.
Underscoring the fact that these lock up rates are not a result of
Blacks using more potent or dangerous drugs, the Drug Use survey found
that 24% of crack cocaine users were Black while 72% were white or
“Hispanic,” but over 80% of people locked up for crack use in 2002 were
Black.
The JPI report focused on 198 counties with populations over 250,000.
They found that “Despite similar rates of drug use across counties, drug
admission rates vary substantially.” The correlation is not between drug
use and imprisonment but rather JPI found that drug imprisonment was
directly correlated to the per capita policing and judicial budgets in
each county. The JPI explains that the bottom line is resource-driven
discretion by local police:
To further substantiate these results, JPI conducted a multiple variable
analysis that controlled for the crime rate, region of the country, the
poverty and unemployment rates, and the percent of each county’s
population that is African American. The results strongly suggest
that the resource-driven discretion that local police forces have is the
engine driving the wide variation in local drug imprisonment rates. This
relationship is evident in this study’s finding that policing budgets
are positively associated with the drug imprisonment rate—even after
controlling for the crime rate.
The JPI report looked at likely causes for this disparity in
imprisonment rates. They cite mandatory minimum laws as contributing to
a growing disparity because Blacks are already more likely to be locked
up for drug use, and they are now also more likely to be incarcerated
under a mandatory minimum sentence - increasing the length of time they
spend in prison. Between 1994 and 2003, the average time Blacks spent in
prison for drug offenses rose 77% compared to a 28% increase for whites.
They also noted disparate policing, disparate treatment before the
courts, differences in availability of drug treatment, and punitive
social spending patterns.
These are all important factors but they are not the whole picture. All
of these discrepancies in treatment between Blacks and whites are
symptoms of an underlying system of national oppression in the United
$tates. Studies have repeatedly shown that imprisonment rates are not
correlated with crime rates. The fact is that prisons are used as a tool
of social control and disparate arrests, sentencing, imprisonment,
access to education, health care, financial loans, job opportunities,
and more are part of this system of social control that maintains the
supremacy of whites in a society that pretends to offer equality to all.
The JPI report concludes with the recommendation of a “more
evidence-based approach to drug enforcement.” They want to hold the
criminal injustice system to standards enforced by statistical analysis
of arrest and imprisonment rates. This is probably the best that we can
hope for from an institute like the JPI. The fact that there is
currently no science behind the actions of the criminal injustice system
is a striking indictment of Amerikan society overall. But the problem is
not just in the police and the judicial system. Both of these systems
are part of a larger political infrastructure that props up a massive
imperialist state. We can not expect one aspect of this state to change
and grant equality to oppressed nations while all other aspects remain
the same.
Locking up more whites would be progress - if the whites in question
were those in the government who are responsible for more death and
destruction than all the 2 million people in U.$. prisons combined. In
the end, progress of this sort, or progress towards a more equitable
justice system will only come through revolutionary struggle.
I am in receipt of your letter, entailing your response to my initial
letter commenting upon the article featured in the April 2007 issue of
MIM Notes entitled “War Criminals Kill Saddam Hussein.” …
The criticisms in your letter were both appreciated and mostly
straightforward in style and language. However, they failed on a number
of points which I will enumerate as follows: 1) Your statement, “… So
the reader’s claim that the author is not aware of Iraqi history is
clearly due to his own poor attention to the original article…” was
false. I never stated or
meant to imply even that the author was not aware of Iraqi history in general. Rather, I
suggested that the author’s knowledge of the history of Hussein’s
Baathist regime’s government specifically is insufficient.
Otherwise, how could the author describe Hussein as a martyr for Third
World independence- especially after admitting that Hussein killed
thousands of communist-minded Iraqis (an admission for which I commend
the author for here)? Research of the record of Hussein from the time
that Hussein carried out those killings up until the time he himself was
killed will reveal that he never renounced this act or
any of his counter-revolutionary acts, held himself accountable to the
people of Iraq for such acts, or sought to reform himself thereafter.
Never. If you can find even so much as a quote of Chairman Mao whereby
he at least insinuates the merit of eulogizing leaders who behaved and
died as Hussein did, please do share it with me; otherwise, it is just
bad “radical chic” propaganda.
Moreover he did not die in the struggle for the national liberation of
Iraq. Remnants of his executive and military apparatus fought and
perished (including his sons) while he took cover. The image of Saddam
Hussein leading a heroic fight against the U$ and Brit invaders simply
does not fit the real person or actual curse of events. If you fight an
invading force that seeks to occupy and oppress your nation only so that
you can re-establish a rule that is equally if not more oppressive, it
is NOT a struggle for liberation- it is power struggle between two
oppressive forces! Only those who fought and continue to fight against
the occupation with the desire to establish a state that is just and
beneficial for the people can be referred to as struggling for national
liberation. He did not “stand up” to anyone- he was captured while
cowering in a hole. He neither fought for nor died for the liberation of
the Iraqi people. Stop calling him a martyr.
[MIM responds: Hussein died because he refused to allow u$
imperialism to determine Iraq’s future. If he was willing and able to
provide the imperialists with what they wanted they would not have waged
a war to kill him. He stood up for Iraqi independence and was killed for
it. HIs motivations are irrelevant to a scientific evaluation of
history.]
Your statement, “What we’re criticizing the stupid liberals for was
failing to recognize that Arabs ranked Hussein as the fourth most
respected world leader, tied with bin Laden…” is almost as confusing and
troubling as the original statement in the article. I did not choose to
ignore the “fact,” but was simply stressing the point of Hussein’s prior
service as a U.S. lackey (who never reformed but simply reacted to
circumstances he helped to create) excludes him from being considered a
revolutionary or martyr for Third World independence. But the statement
is as misguided as a Scud missile nevertheless. The article reads:
The stupid liberals on National Public Radio (NPR) said that Arab
reaction to the hangings indicated the “confusion” of the Arab people,
instead of the chauvinism of white liberals. According to Zogby, Egypt
went from 74% negative opinion of the United States to 98% negative in
the two years between 2002 and 2004, because of the u$ invasion of Iraq.
(3) The overall survey of Arabs showed Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin
Laden tied for fourth as the most respected world leaders.
Now are you saying the NPR conducted the survey poll, or are you
referring to the same Zogby poll that is cited by the Washington Post?
Maybe I am just as stupid as those liberals and cannot comprehend plain
English. I now that such survey results would have served the Bush
administration quite well in whipping up anti-Arab fervor to keep the
war machine going. And of course considering the rogue’s’ gallery of
what constituted leadership in the middle east (or the world for that
matter) back in ’02-’04 - Mubarak, Jordan’s Abdullah, Bashir al-Asad,
and Ariel Sharon to name a few- one can hardly accept such a rating
without some exasperation (wonder who ranked first).
I do not consider myself
to be an American. I am a citizen of this country by birth, not by
choice of patriotic allegiance (or even sentiment). Since I was not born
in the 1960’s, I was not afforded the chance to protest Hussein’s
murdering of the communists. But I can and will continue to use the fact
that he was u$-funded against both him and the u$. In fact, I was using
it against him and the u$ in debates before he died, even while he was
still in power.
[MIM: All of the data cited is from the Zogby poll, which
demonstrated the divide along the principal contradiction quite well.
While most Amerikkkans see Hussein and bin Laden as enemies, they are
largely admired by Arabs. So here we have science playing out again in
facts. Not only was it a fact that Hussein fought for independence from
u$ imperialism at the end of his life. That fact is reflected in the
fact that he is admired by Arabs as a group; a group which happens to be
oppressed by u$ imperialism. (Jacques Chirac of France, Gamal Abdel
Nasser former nationalist leader of Egypt, and Hasan Nasrallah of
Hezbollah in Lebanon were the top 3 leaders).]
Your statement, “Clearly our reader has not done much research into
the current conditions in Iraq nor compared them to Iraq in the past…”
was inappropriate, a distraction from the real purpose for my mentioning
that quote of Mao. I am very well informed and aware of the horrible and
extraordinarily oppressive conditions created and perpetuated by the
invading u$-led coalition/mercenary occupation forces, thanks to NPR,
PRI (Public Radio International) and publications such as your own. Let
me state first and foremost that I oppose vehemently u$ imperialism (and
all imperialism and capitalists) and the occupation of Iraq and
Afghanistan, and that I support and commend the Iraqi (and Afghan)
people who adopt armed struggle against the occupation forces.
My point in citing that quote of Mao was to outline the revolutionary
principle of paying “close attention to the well-being of the masses.”
Mao was not referring to material aspects only. Nevertheless, it is a
revolutionary principle and only a slain revolutionary can be regarded
as a martyr for Third World independence. However, the fact remains that
even before the first Gulf War Hussein used the distribution of
resources in Iraq arbitrarily to oppress dissenting groups (including
the communists, Shiites, and Kurds) and to consolidate his own power
base while enriching his cronies. I agree the u$-led embargo and
invasions have made conditions worse. But never forget that Sadr City
was a festering slum prior to the invasions, and that before Abu Ghraib
was used by the u$ as a torture factory in Iraq, it was used for the
very same purpose by Saddam Hussein and his regime [MIM adds: who were
at the time were also working for the u$].
[MIM: So our reader admits, h real purpose for quoting Mao was
to draw a line of ideological purity rather than to assess the actual
material conditions of the masses. We agree with
Mao’s
revolutionary principles, but we are not assessing Hussein for
induction into a communist party. Rather we are assessing imperialism as
the number one enemy and killer of oppressed people. You think their
fascist puppet states are bad, wait until they come in with their
cracker foot soldiers and economic sanctions.]
Now the MIM discussion that filled out and closed the letter really missed the mark. I
cannot be classified in any of the components of the “wrong side of the
contradiction” you describe. It appears that you made some very wrong
assumptions about me due to your interpretation of aspects of my letter
and your blinding desire to defend a statement in the article that was
inappropriate. Also, my letter does not mention anything about Osama bin
Laden, the Taliban, or the occupation of Afghanistan. Let me dispel some
of those assumptions right here:
Your statement about “fake Maoists” seemed to be intended to include
myself. Well, I am not
and never have been a
Maoist. Do I have to be a Maoist to respect some of the ideas or work of
Mao, or of those who tried to implement his ideas (like the Black
Panthers), or to quote Mao- even to debate with a “real” Maoist? … I am
a muslim who believes that muslims must strive to establish an Islamic
government amongst themselves derived from the Islamic sources of
guidance- to enforce the shari’ah (Islamic law) and preserve the safety
and integrity of the muslim community. Moreover, I believe that muslims
have a right if not a duty to wage armed struggle against anyone
(especially the imperialists) who prevent them from accomplishing this.
[MIM: As explained in the article, it is addressing a much
greater context of people trying to side against the oppressed (in
Afghanistan, Iran, etc) and the imperialists at the same time; the class
position of the petty bourgeoisie. Some of these people even call
themselves Maoists. ]
… If Mussolini did not have the finance capital to carry out his fascist
agenda but still harbored and espoused the same fascist way of thinking
does the lack of finance capital make him any less fascist? If so,
enlighten me. The racist anti-Persian rhetoric Hussein used to influence
Iraqis during the Iran-Iraq War of the ’80’s suffices for me as a
reflection of his fascist tendencies, for now.
[MIM: Maoists use a scientific definition of fascism that
includes finance capital and this debate is the perfect example of why
this is crucial. There are many revolutionaries and internationalists
who manage to fall into the trap of talking about fascism of the
oppressed independent of imperialism (the writers renunciation of h
amerikkkan citizenship indicates h might be in this camp).]
…It is not opposition to descriptions of men like Hussein as martyrs
that creates confusion and disunity amongst the various elements of the
oppressed in this struggle. Rather it is the description itself tat
causes such confusion and disunity and undermines the struggle overall.
The resolution of contradictions in achieving unity of the masses seems
to lie in dialogue and practice. This is the ultimate purpose of my
initial letter and this one. I am still very eager to learn more about
Maoism and to discover the means of solidarity with other
revolutionary-minded persons and movements. Despite my issue with the
article aforementioned and discussed, I commend MIM for its courageous
and poignant journalism and literature. I thank you for your persistent
efforts to expose the oppression of prisoners here in the u$ and abroad.
Please respond to this letter if you like, and provide me with a list of
books you have available for purchase as well as the issue of MIM Notes
that features the article that critiques my initial letter of
commentary.
[MIM: The resolution of contradictions among the oppressed can
best take place in struggle against the oppressor. That is why it is of
primary importance to distinguish who is the oppressor and who are the
oppressed we are trying to unite. ]