>the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico and became an active >member. She was arrested that year for fundraising for Pedro >Albizu Campos' legal defense. Albizu, founder of the >Nationalist Party, was repeatedly arrested for his militant >actions on behalf of Puerto Rico's independence. Undeterred >by the arrest, Dona Vera continued the campaign amidst >fierce repression, getting arrested again, until 1948 when >she was put on a list of those prevented from working in >Puerto Rico. > >This situation forced her to move to the United States. As >soon as she arrived she started working with the Movimiento >Libertador, an organization based in New York closely linked >with the Nationalist Party. Her work with the group and >later with other pro-independence and socialist >organizations continued throughout her life, in New York and >in Puerto Rico. > >Dona Vera was a fierce fighter who became a fixture at all >events demanding that the U.S. stop bombing the Puerto Rican >island of Vieques, even when her participation endangered >her own health. She marched and carried banners in the worst >weather, under difficult conditions, even as her illness >advanced. > >Only at the very end was she unable to attend some events, >particularly Fidel Castro's recent speech in New York. Dona >Vera remarked from her bed how unhappy she was that she >could not participate. But the struggle was brought to her >by the voices and stories of all those who shared her life. > >Dona Vera demanded that all events in her name were done for >the good of Puerto Rico's independence and in the name of >the struggle. We can safely say that when Dona Vera closed >her eyes for the last time, she did not think of herself, >but thought about the awakening of the Puerto Rican people >to a future of freedom and social justice. > >A memorial for Dona Vera will be held on Dec. 2 at the >Martin Luther King Labor Center, 330 West 43rd Street in New >York, at 6:00 p.m. > >--Monica Somocurcio > >- 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: <005301c048f4$1f10f900$0a00a8c0@linux> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] 600 from U.S. to attend Cuba solidarity conference >Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2000 14:51:29 -0500 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Nov. 9, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >600 FROM U.S. TO ATTEND SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE: >WHY THEY'RE GOING TO CUBA > >By Nancy Mitchell >San Francisco > >In defiance of new restrictions on travel to Cuba, 600 U.S. >activists are going there in early November to meet with >thousands of people from around the world and map a plan of >action to deepen solidarity with revolutionary Cuba. From >Nov. 10-14, the Second World Meeting of Friendship and >Solidarity with Cuba in Havana will provide an historic >opportunity for activists to come together to share their >struggles, show anti-imperialist solidarity and work to end >the U.S. blockade. > >Kate Wendelsdorf, a 16-year-old student participating with >the International Action Center delegation to Cuba, told >Workers World: "I'm excited about the Cuba solidarity >conference because I want to learn what's going on in Cuba, >what activists there are doing. I've heard a pro-capitalist >view all my life, and now I want to see what the Cubans are >doing. > >"I learned about the delegation through interning with the >Peace for Cuba project," Wendelsdorf said. The IAC's >International Peace for Cuba Appeal is organizing the >largest U.S. delegation, with 90 people coming from all over >the country, including New York, Arizona, Alaska, Minnesota >and California. > >Rene Washington, an activist with the All-Peoples Congress >in Baltimore, will see Cuba for the first time with the >delegation. "I want to learn about their hospitals, the way >they take care of their people, the fact that they have no >homeless people. They live very differently from us. > >"I'm involved in the struggle against police brutality and >for basic justice, and I want to share this information with >my organization." Washington's fianc�, Joseph Wilbon, was >the victim of a police killing in Baltimore. > >'I WANT TO SEE SOCIALISM' > >San Diego activist Gloria Verdieu said she wants to see >Cuba's connection to Africa firsthand. "I want to see how >life is for people of color in Cuba, because I know that >they're trying to get people of color into more positions of >power and respect," she told WW. > >"I also see in Fidel's speeches their outreach to Africa-- >sending doctors to Zimbabwe and the Gold Coast and trying to >set up educational programs between their peoples. These >policies are so profound, so open, and I want to see them up >front, in person. > >"And," Verdieu added, "I want to see socialism, a system of >government where you're encouraged to be everything that you >can be." > >"I want to come back and tell people in the U.S. about how >Cuban society is, especially people who have misconceptions >about it," said Magda Miller, a San Francisco IAC delegate >and union activist. "The Cubans need average people to see >their society and come back and talk to their communities >about it, and this is what I hope to do." > >Delegate Henry Clark, executive director of the West County >Toxics Coalition, said about the trip: "I've heard a lot >about Cuba, a lot of the negative things that our government >has told us, that it's a 'totalitarian society' and all >that. > >"I want to go and see firsthand for myself what their >society is compared to ours and bring that information back >for my community, to shed some light on what type of society >they are building in Cuba." Clark is a long-time fighter >against the Chevron Oil Corp. and environmental racism in >the Black community in Richmond, Calif. > >'LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT CRIMINAL BLOCKADE' > >"Interest in and support for Cuba is at an all-time high in >the U.S., so this conference comes at an extremely important >moment for the Cuba solidarity movement," said Gloria La >Riva, co-coordinator of Peace for Cuba and an organizer of >the delegation. "It's going to be an invaluable chance for >these activists to learn about Cuba and to learn the truth >of the criminal nature of the blockade." > >"We're also very happy to be bringing a strong statement of >solidarity with a shipment of medicines," La Riva added. > >The IAC delegation will bring along the solidarity of >supporters around the United States who donated a shipment >of badly-needed medical aid. This includes 400,000 >metronidazole pills for amoebic and intestinal parasites and >500 vials of the antibiotic cefotaxime--medicines Cuba finds >extremely difficult to acquire because of the U.S. blockade. > >The delegation also sent two tons of medical journals. The >medical journals project of Peace for Cuba works throughout >the year to collect information which is denied to the >Cubans by the blockade. > >- 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: <005b01c048f4$39e98800$0a00a8c0@linux> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Plan Colombia: 'Declaration of war' >Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2000 14:52:14 -0500 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Nov. 9, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >PLAN COLOMBIA: "DECLARATION OF WAR" > >FORCES LINE UP FOR, AGAINST REVOLUTION > >By Andy McInerney > >A revolutionary process is unfolding in Colombia today. >There are two aspects to this process. > >On one side are the forces fighting to transform Colombian >society into one that genuinely reflects the interests of >the vast majority of the country's 40 million people. These >forces are spearheaded by the armed insurgencies, the >Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia- People's Army (FARC- >EP) and the National Liberation Army (ELN). > >On the other side are those forces fighting to preserve the >exploitative social system that has reduced half of the >country to abject poverty. These include the Colombian >political and economic elite and their armed forces, along >with their paramilitary death squads. Their principle backer >is the Pentagon. > >The focal point for this process for the past 20 months has >been the talks between the Colombian government and the FARC- >EP, held in the zone of five municipalities centered at San >Vicente del Caguan. The government withdrew its troops from >this zone in December 1999 as a precondition for the talks. > >The FARC-EP has used the talks to publicize its program of >social change. Tens of thousands of Colombians who had never >had a voice in Colombian society--labor unionists, peasants, >women, students--have taken part in "Public Audiences" to >express their views on the shape of a "New Colombia." > >Today, the fate of these talks is very much in doubt. The >main threat to their continuation is "Plan Colombia," a U.S.- >backed proposal of military and economic aid designed to >bolster the Colombian government in its war against the >revolutionary insurgencies. The Clinton administration has >already earmarked $1.3 billion in counterinsurgency >equipment and training--including the planned deployment of >200 Special Forces "advisers." > >The FARC-EP, the ELN and broad layers of Colombia's popular >movement have called the Plan Colombia a "declaration of >war." > >EU AIDS 'PLAN COLOMBIA' > >On Oct. 25, despite expressing misgivings about the military >emphasis of the plan, the European Union approved $321 >million in non-military aid toward Plan Colombia. The amount >fell short of what Colombian President Andres Pastrana had >lobbied for. > >The FARC-EP insisted that any social aid should be channeled >through the table of dialogues that is taking place at San >Vicente. > >"We demand that the aid be given directly to the table of >peace talks and that those resources be strictly controlled >and invested in plans for social development, not in >financing the war envisioned in Plan Colombia," FARC-EP >spokesperson Andres Paris said on Oct. 26. > >At a recent hemispheric meeting held in Manaus, Brazil, U.S. >representatives failed to convince Latin American Defense >Chiefs to build a regional alliance to back the >counterinsurgency war in Colombia. But Washington has made >some notable inroads. > >One has been the Ecuadoran government's agreement to allow >use of the air base at Manta for flights over Colombian >territory. The U.S. has also strong-armed the Salvadoran >government to build a "Forward Operating Location" to allow >espionage flights from that Central American country. > >Both these initiatives have generated protests. > >While Washington continues to try to generate international >support for its war plans in Colombia, there are signs of an >impending Colombian government military initiative. In the >southern province of Putumayo, right-wing death squads >working in collusion with government troops have begun to >carry out attacks on the civilian population. This is >undoubtedly aimed at preparing the ground for the "push to >the south," spelled out in Plan Colombia and tentatively >planned for the beginning of 2001. > >ELECTIONS AMID WAR > >In the midst of this tense situation, the Colombian >government organized local elections for mayors of the >country's over 1,000 municipalities on Oct. 26. Elections in >Colombia are routinely marred by corruption and fraud. > >In the last municipal elections in 1997, both the FARC-EP >and the ELN called for boycotting the elections. This year, >although neither group would take part in the elections, >neither said they would obstruct the voting. The Communist >Party ran candidates, either in its own name or in coalition >with other leftist movements. > >Candidates with a record of corruption or complicity with >the armed forces were not permitted to run in areas where >the FARC-EP has a strong presence. This policy provoked an >alarm from the ruling class media. "Behind Colombia's >election hoopla, rebels wield power," was the headline of >the New York Times on Oct. 26. > >Death squads targeted local candidates deemed "too close" to >the left. They assassinated 21 candidates and kidnapped at >least 60 others. This was a haunting echo of the period >following the Uribe peace accords in 1984, when government- >organized death squads wiped out virtually the entire >Patriotic Union party. > >The talks between the FARC-EP and the government have >provided the Colombian people a political space not seen in >over a decade, despite the growth of death-squad violence. >It has been matched by a rise in the mass movement, like the >August general strike by public sector workers that shut >down the major cities of the country. > >The growth in confidence by the Colombian workers and >peasants is now in direct opposition to the cycle of war >that the Pentagon's Plan Colombia will make inevitable. As >U.S. "advisors" inevitably become combatants--and then >casualties--in the revolutionary war, calls here for greater >U.S. intervention will increase. > >Activists in the United States need to prepare now to combat >the escalating cycle of military intervention in Colombia. > >- 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) > > > > > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. 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