>All this occurred while Juan Miguel Gonzalez was prevented
>from speaking to reporters.
>
>The Wall Street Journal ran an editorial on May 26
>describing the move as a victory for Cuba. It also
>denounced the release of recent Elian photos. This goes
>along with Miami Cubans who were up in arms about the
>photos.
>
>The photos were of Elian and his schoolmates attending
>classes, wearing the conventional uniform worn by Cuban
>children. Miami right-wing Cubans declared this an example
>of "brainwashing" by Cuban Communists.
>
>Cuban American elected officials in Congress also
>denounced the school gear. They said it is proof that the
>Justice Department had given visas to "individuals to
>conduct classes in indoctrination."
>
>Rep. Bob Menendez from New Jersey said that this
>"indoctrination" begins with the ABCs in Cuba. "A is for
>arms, B is for battalion," he said.
>
>But it is in the United States, not Cuba, where children
>go to school in a climate conducive to "arms" and
>"battalions." In Cuba, children learn solidarity and
>cooperation.
>
>It is in the United States, not in Cuba, where tragic
>incidents such as the shootings at Columbine occur.
>
>And it was in the private school where Elian was sent
>while he was held hostage in Miami that he would have
>learned about division and repression. The curriculum at
>this Christian fundamentalist school is promoted as super-
>patriotic and anti-gay.
>
>While it is a step forward that Elian and his brother
>Hianny, his father Juan Miguel Gonzalez and his stepmother
>Nercy Carmenate now have easier access to friendly people,
>it remains a crime that they are still in the United
>States.
>
>The family and its entourage remain under the control of
>federal marshals. The marshals are charged with monitoring
>their movements to make sure they don't violate the federal
>court order forbidding Elian to leave the country.
>
>Elian is still forbidden to go to any place beyond the
>jurisdiction of the court--such as the Cuban diplomatic
>mission--until his case is resolved. He and his father are
>under an Immigration and Naturalization Service departure
>control order that forbids them to leave the United States
>until the INS gives permission, regardless of the court
>case.
>
>The ruling class and the media continue to portray the
>government as benevolent caretakers, under attack from the
>right wing. But it is the government that holds Elian
>hostage. And the capitalist government is working overtime
>behind the scenes to assure that Elian and Juan Miguel
>Gonzalez stay in the United States by any means possible.
>
>The decision pending in federal court could take weeks.
>The progressive movement must continue its pressure on the
>U.S. government to let Elian and his family go home.
>
> - END -
>
>(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to
>copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but
>changing it is not allowed. For more information contact
>Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail:
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message
>to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org)
>
>
>
>Message-ID: <054d01bfcda4$e80c15e0$0a00a8c0@home>
>From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: [WW] Strikers bring protest to museum door
>Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2000 17:44:33 -0400
>Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>-------------------------
>Via Workers World News Service
>Reprinted from the June 8, 2000
>issue of Workers World newspaper
>-------------------------
>
>NEW YORK: STRIKERS BRING PROTEST TO MUSEUM DOOR
>
>Hundreds of fired-up union members and supporters joined
>the Museum of Modern Art's striking staff--members of Auto
>Workers Local 2110--for a strong rally May 25 in front of
>the New York institution. The workers struck on April 28 in
>a struggle against substandard wages and health-care cuts,
>and for job security and the right to a union shop.
>
>Because several unions sent support, the rally had the
>strength to take a militant turn. Instead of keeping the
>protest across the street from the museum--where police and
>the bosses wanted them--the MoMA strikers led the
>demonstration right to the entrance of the museum to seek
>support and urge visitors not to cross the picket line. The
>strikers' fighting spirit was also illustrated by their
>displays of creative props showing the unfairness of their
>wealthy bosses at the museum, which was founded by the
>Rockefellers.
>
>--Anne Pruden, delegate, 1199 Health & Human Service
>Employees/SEIU
>
> - END -
>
>(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to
>copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but
>changing it is not allowed. For more information contact
>Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail:
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message
>to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org)
>
>
>
>Message-ID: <055701bfcda5$1016f0a0$0a00a8c0@home>
>From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: [WW] Pretext for war in Kosovo was a hoax
>Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2000 17:45:40 -0400
>Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>-------------------------
>Via Workers World News Service
>Reprinted from the June 8, 2000
>issue of Workers World newspaper
>-------------------------
>
>PRETEXT FOR WAR IN KOSOVO WAS A HOAX:
>REPORT FINDS NO EVIDENCE OF "RACAK MASSACRE"
>
>By John Catalinotto
>
>A team of Finnish pathologists sent to Kosovo in January
>1999 to investigate the so-called Racak massacre has at
>last publicized its findings.
>
>The result is further proof that the U.S. government
>manipulated both events in Kosovo and media coverage of
>them as part of its effort to justify U.S./NATO aggression
>against Yugoslavia.
>
>The NATO powers prevented the truth from being publicized
>before or during the war. The reason is obvious.
>
>U.S. manipulation of the Racak incident was an essential
>step in initiating the war.
>
>On Jan. 15, 1999, Serbian police--accompanied by observers
>from the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission and an Associated
>Press video team who were French citizens--had entered the
>village of Racak, a stronghold of the so-called Kosovo
>Liberation Army. A firefight ensued, in which the Serb
>police bested their attackers.
>
>The next day, KLA members led William Walker, the head of
>the OSCE mission, and journalists of the international
>media to a gully at the edge of the village. Walker was
>also serving as U.S. ambassador to Yugoslavia at the time,
>and had a record of not exposing but covering up heinous
>crimes earlier when he was U.S. ambassador to El Salvador
>and Nicaragua.
>
>The KLA took them to the bodies of some 20 people lying
>there, and another 20 throughout the village.
>
>Before the international media, Walker immediately accused
>Serbian security forces of having committed a massacre of
>ethnic Albanian "unarmed civilians." He declared, "I don't
>hesitate to accuse the Yugoslav security forces of this
>crime."
>
>The story was spread worldwide. U.S. President Bill
>Clinton condemned the "massacre" in the most absolute
>terms. He spoke of "a deliberate and arbitrary act of
>murder."
>
>The German foreign ministry proclaimed, "Those responsible
>have to know that the international community is not
>prepared to accept the brutal persecution and murder of
>civilians in Kosovo."
>
>The Yugoslav government categorically denied the
>allegations and called the incident a manipulation. It
>accused the KLA of gathering the corpses of its fighters,
>killed in the preceding day's battle, and arranging them so
>as to resemble a mass execution of civilians.
>
>The "Racak massacre" was without doubt the trigger event
>that made NATO's war against Yugoslavia a certainty. The
>Washington Post of April 18, 1999, described Racak as
>having "transformed the West's Balkan policy as singular
>events seldom do."
>
>NATO immediately convoked an emergency meeting. On Jan.
>19, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called for
>bombing Yugoslavia as "punishment." The punishment was
>delayed, however, as Washington went through the charade of
>talks in Rambouillet, France--at which it imposed demands
>that it knew the Yugoslav government could not accept.
>
>In the meantime, teams of forensic experts arrived in
>Racak from Belarus, from Yugoslavia and-sent by the United
>Nations-from Finland.
>
>In February 1999, the Belarus and Yugoslav experts both
>said there had been no massacre. But the Finnish
>spokesperson gave a vague report that allowed Walker's
>unsupported charges to stand.
>
>Now, after the most brutal war in Europe since World War
>II, the same team of Finnish pathologists isn't sure there
>was a massacre after all.
>
>CBC Radio News learned and reported on May 22 that the
>Finnish pathologists' autopsy report reveals no evidence
>that the 40 bodies were intentionally mutilated. Only one
>of them showed any sign of being killed at close range.
>
>The doctor in charge of the autopsies is expected to
>release a full report within a few weeks. But the most
>reasonable conclusion is that there was a firefight, that
>KLA fighters were killed, and that the United States and
>NATO kept the report suppressed to help confuse public
>opinion.
>
>There was no massacre--other than NATO's massacre of the
>Yugoslav people.
>
> - END -
>
>(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to
>copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but
>changing it is not allowed. For more information contact
>Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail:
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message
>to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org)
>
>
>
>Message-ID: <055d01bfcda5$36969780$0a00a8c0@home>
>From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: [WW] South Africa general strike
>Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2000 17:46:45 -0400
>Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>-------------------------
>Via Workers World News Service
>Reprinted from the June 8, 2000
>issue of Workers World newspaper
>-------------------------
>
>SOUTH AFRICA: GENERAL STRIKE OPPOSES UNEMPLOYMENT
>
>By Johnnie Stevens
>
>On May 10, the Congress of South African Trade Unions led
>a general strike in South Africa. COSATU estimated that 4.5
>million workers answered the call to stay away from work
>and to rally.
>
>This May 10 general strike of 37 percent of the total work
>force redefines the relationship of forces within the basic
>contradiction in a capitalist society like South Africa--
>which is between labor and capital.
>
>Willie Madisha, president of COSATU, said the main reason
>for the strike was to protest the massive destruction of
>jobs--780,000 have disappeared over the last 10 years.
>
>Madisha demanded the amendment of the Labor Relations Act
>to make layoffs "a mandatory issue for negotiations with
>the union." It also called for changing the Insolvency Act
>to protect workers "in cases of company liquidations" and
>to "halt the unilateral restructuring (i.e., privatization)
>of government or state-owned companies."
>
>COSATU also wants to "put an end to the accelerated tariff
>reduction program to bring South Africa in line with our
>own WTO commitments."
>
>Madisha reiterated COSATU's opposition to the Growth,
>Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) policies, a market-
>friendly strategy of the African National Congress
>government. "The ANC strategy," said Madisha, "is aimed at
>wooing foreign investors and has led to cuts in state
>subsidies and services, privatization of state-owned
>companies and lowering the tariff barriers."
>
>Madisha continued: "GEAR is not working. We need jobs
>now!"
>
>The South African Chamber of Busi ness said the
>manufacturing sector was the hardest hit by the strike,
>with 60 percent of the workers staying away. More than half
>the country's gold, platinum and diamond mines reported
>significant stay-aways.
>
>According to COSATU, marches supporting the strike took
>place throughout the country. Some 120,000 marched in
>Johannesburg, 50,000 in Pretoria, 50,000 in Cape Town,
>20,000 in Port Elizabeth, 10,000 in Netspruit and 5,000 in
>East London.
>
>A COSATU executive committee meeting on May 16-17 found
>the strike proved its ability to mobilize its members and
>win support from the public.
>
> - END -
>
>(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to
>copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but
>changing it is not allowed. For more information contact
>Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail:
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message
>to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org)
>
>
>
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