>Antioch College and campuses and high schools around the >country. > >"Our conference will be a step in building this movement. It >will be a unique educational weekend. The movement must >connect revolutionary activism with theory, history and >analysis," Holmes concludes. > >Many conference participants will have just returned from >Havana, where they attended a world conference in solidarity >with socialist Cuba. More than 4,000 people from 116 >countries participated. > >"The revolution in Cuba took place in an underdeveloped >country ravaged by colonialism," explains Sarah Sloan, a 20- >year-old leader of the International Action Center and a >first-time visitor to Cuba. "Yet the lessons learned from >that revolution are of great significance for activists >fighting for change inside the United States." > >ASSESSING THE ELECTIONS > >Monica Moorehead and Gloria La Riva--WWP's presidential and >vice presidential candidates--will also be featured speakers >at the conference. > >"The political significance of the deadlocked presidential >election will be assessed at the conference from the point >of view of the working class and all oppressed people," >Moorehead told Workers World. > >"The leaders of both the Democratic and Republican parties >represent the tiny U.S. capitalist class. This ruling class >owns the country's vast wealth and dominates the biggest >banks and corporations," she explains. "They are fighting >among themselves to see who will gather the spoils of this >corporate-controlled system. > >"Most of the media coverage over the deadlock conceals that >essential point," Moorehead asserts. > >"But what is also coming out is that the electoral system is >overtly racist. Florida police and other authorities >systematically harassed African American voters. Thousands >of Haitian Americans were essentially disenfranchised. And a >huge number of potential African American and Latino voters >were deprived of their rights through arrests and >convictions. > >"Our conference will help chart an independent path away >from both parties of big business," Moorehead adds. > >'SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY,' SAYS >TRANS ACTIVIST > >"The party conference will be a special opportunity for >lesbian, gay, bi and trans activists to review our struggle >and to connect it with others who are fighting racism, >sexism and war," says trans author and activist Leslie >Feinberg. Feinberg, who is well known for her books and >appearances on college campuses, is also scheduled to speak. > >A key part of WWP's work is the fight to save death-row >political activist Mumia Abu-Jamal. There will be workshops >and strategy sessions to help activists and organizers build >for the Jan. 20 counter-inaugural protest in Washington. The >demonstration is expected to draw people from all over the >country to demand "Stop the death machine" and "A new trial >for Mumia." > >The conference will also feature eyewitness reports from the >rebellious streets of the West Bank and Gaza and the >liberated zones of Colombia. > >There will be panel discussions, workshops and video >displays. A wide array of Marxist literature will be >available. > >To get more information or to register for the conference, >contact WWP at 55 W. 17th St., New York, NY 10011; phone >(212) 255-0352; or send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >- 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: <022a01c05687$d902ffc0$0a00a8c0@linux> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] U.S. Army detains 1,700 at School of Americas >Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 21:31:42 -0500 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Nov. 30, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >Army detains 1,700 at School of Americas > >THOUSANDS DEFY RAIN, CHILL TO RESIST >MURDER ACADEMY > >By Dianne Mathiowetz >Columbus, Ga. > >Thousands of opponents of the School of the Americas at Ft. >Benning in Columbus, Ga., defied a steady downpour and >frigid temperatures to carry out a massive act of political >resistance on Nov. 19. > >>From El Salvador to Argentina to Colombia, graduates of this >U.S. Army training school have been involved in numerous >military coups, massacres, political murders, rape and >torture of prisoners, "disappearances" of civilians as well >as drug-running and other crimes. Washington has supported >all the governments and agents carrying out these crimes. > >Dressed in black shrouds, carrying coffins and crosses >inscribed with the names of those killed by SOA-trained >troops throughout Latin America, over 3,500 people entered >Ft. Benning in a solemn procession. > >After marching nearly a half-mile onto the military camp, >protesters lowered the coffins to the ground and poured red >paint on the shrouded and masked lead contingent, who then >fell to the wet ground, refusing to get up. > >Military police picked them up and placed them on canvas >litters in order to take them to be processed. The hundreds >of crosses put into the ground created a symbolic cemetery >of the School of the Americas' victims. "No mas, no more," >chanted the demonstrators. > >A second wave of protesters, carrying giant paper mache >puppets, crossed onto Ft. Benning. These anti-globalization >activists and puppeteers, whose street theater has enlivened >protests from Seattle to the country's capital, created a >colorful display of popular resistance. > >Randy Serraglio, who spent six months in a federal prison >for trespassing on Ft. Benning in previous years, explained >that they would plant corn seeds on the military property. >"Corn is life," Serraglio said of that powerful Latin >American cultural symbol. "We are talking about hope for the >future." > >LINK U.S. MILITARY TO GLOBALIZATION > >The addition of anti-globalization forces underscored the >expanding awareness of the link between U.S. military policy >and corporate domination in the world. > >Katherine Cristiani, a senior at Oberlin College in Ohio, >explained why she was participating in the action. She said, >"I think the School of the Americas is a symbol of the role >of violence and exploitation that the U.S. has played in >South America." > >More than 1,700 people were held by military authorities, >who established their identities and handed them letters >banning them from the base for five years. > >The U.S. attorney's office will determine if any of the >protesters will be prosecuted on charges of trespassing, >resisting arrest or assaulting law-enforcement officers. In >1999, 65 people were cited out of the over 6,000 who crossed >onto the base. Post Commander Major General John LeMoye said >he decided to cite more demonstrators this year to "give us >an opportunity to engage in dialogue about the school." > >Starting in 1946, with the school located in Panama, the >U.S. began training the militaries of Latin America as part >of its Cold War strategy of containing popular movements. >The 1977 Panama Canal Treaty that turned the waterway over >to the Panamanian government also forced the School of the >Americas to relocate to Ft. Benning. This took place in >1984. > >Close to 60,000 members of the militaries of 22 Latin >American countries have received advanced training at the >SOA in its more than 50 years of existence. > >For Father Roy Bourgeois, founder of SOAWatch, which >initiated the campaign to close the School of the Americas, >it was events in El Salvador that revealed the deadly impact >of this "advanced training." > >SOA-trained soldiers massacred over 900 men, women and >children in the village of El Mozote. They carried out the >assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero as he celebrated >mass. The school's graduates also murdered six Jesuit >priests, their housekeeper and her 15-year-old daughter on >the grounds of the University of Central America in San >Salvador. > >TORTURE AND MURDER 'OPTIONAL' > >Ten years of protest have put a spotlight on the SOA's role >in the repression exercised by military and police >throughout Latin America. > >An SOA training manual openly suggested the establishment of >bounties and the summary execution of suspected "guerillas." >When this manual was discovered, U.S. military officials at >the School dismissed this instruction as "optional." > >While the Pentagon claims that the school offers "human >rights" training and strengthens "democracy," the record >shows that under the rule of SOA graduate Rios Montt of >Guatamala, hundreds of thousands of Indigenous people were >murdered, tortured, disappeared and forced into exile. > >Likewise, in Argentina, when SOA graduate Leopolo Galtieri >led the military, more than 30,000 civilians were killed or >disappeared in what is known as the "dirty war." In >Colombia, where the U.S. has just authorized an additional >$1.3 billion in aid, mostly for high-tech weaponry, half of >those cited for human-rights violations were trained at the >SOA. > >These and many other examples are fueling the movement to >end Congressional funding to the school. > >'NEW NAME, SAME SHAME' > >The U.S. military has attempted to defuse and confuse the >movement by officially closing the SOA on Dec. 15 and re- >opening it on Jan 17, 2001, with a new name, the Western >Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. > >The "new" school will have an oversight board of civilians >and require mandatory human-rights courses. Signs at the >protest saying "New name, same shame" indicate that no one >was taken in by this public-relations ploy. > >The next national action of SOAWatch will take place in >Washington from March 29-April 3 to demand that the new >Congress and president close the School of the Americas for >good. For more information, call (202) 234-3440 or visit the >Web site www.soaw.org. > >- 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: <023201c05688$120a9bc0$0a00a8c0@linux> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] On the picket line: 11/30/2000 >Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 21:33:17 -0500 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Nov. 30, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >ON THE PICKET LINE > >SEATTLE NEWSPAPER STRIKE IMMINENT > >Over 900 Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild members, along >with 180 Teamsters Local 763 members, voted Nov. 15 to >strike against the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post- >Intelligencer. The Guild represents reporters, >photographers, sales and customer service representatives, >composing room workers and others. The Teamsters represent >the mailers--the workers who assemble the newspaper >sections. > >Delivery drivers represented by Teamsters Local 174 and >press operators represented by Graphic Communications >International Union Local 767-M have pledged to honor the >picket lines. > >The Post-Intelligencer is a Hearst Corporation paper. Knight- >Ridder owns 49.5 percent of the Seattle Times and the >Blethen family owns 50.5 percent. Both papers are produced >by the Seattle Times under a joint operation agreement. > >The Guild has set a strike deadline for 12:01 a.m. on Nov. >21. The date was chosen to disrupt production of the >Thanksgiving Day paper, the largest and most profitable >edition of the year. The deadline was announced Nov. 15 at a >rally of hundreds of Guild members, Teamsters and >supporters. It was held across the street from the Seattle >Times' downtown headquarters. > >The Times responded by erecting a chain-link fence around >that facility and the suburban printing plant. Jack-booted >security goons were brought in from Detroit to guard the >hallways and offices. Threatening letters have gone out to >all the workers. > >Rather than intimidating anyone, these measures are >strengthening the workers' resolve. > >A strike headquarters has been set up in the Bricklayers >Hall and pledges of support and material aid are flowing in. >A strike paper--to be called The Union Record--is in the >works. The original Union Record was a radical labor paper >published during the 1919 Seattle General Strike. > >On Nov. 18 the unions held picket-captain training conducted >by Boeing engineers and technical workers. Over 400 workers >attended. The Boeing workers' union is donating its phone >bank and expertise. Boeing workers won a strike last spring >against the giant airplane and weapons builder. > >The newspaper workers have been without a contract since >July 22. Workers at both papers are demanding an end to the >erosion of their wages and the two-tier pay scale. Consumer >prices have gone up 43.9 percent in the Seattle area over >the last 10 years. But the Guild contract minimum wage has >gone up only 21 percent. > >It's not like the bosses are broke. The Blethen family >recently bought a string of newspapers in Maine for $212 >million. They're paying off that investment in five years >rather than the 10 originally projected. A suburban printing >plant was also paid off ahead of schedule. The downtown >Seattle Times facility is currently being remodeled into a >Blethen showcase. Hearst, meanwhile, is involved in a $700- >million-plus takeover of the San Francisco Chronicle. > >Both papers are flush with cash. Their average annual take >is 21 percent profits. Newspaper workers are demanding to >share in the wealth they create. > >-- Charles (Kaz) Suzat >Asst. Chapel Chair >GCIU 767-M >Seattle Times Chapel > >AMAZON.UNION? > >Customer-service workers at Amazon.com's Seattle >headquarters have started a union drive with the >Communications Workers. They call themselves >[EMAIL PROTECTED] The group is working to gather support from >a majority of the 400 customer-service representatives with >the goal of winning union recognition and a collective- >bargaining agreement. The union drive comes at the start of >the holiday shopping season--the on-line bookseller's most >profitable time of year. > >In other local labor news, Seattle-based United Airlines >machinists are slowing down holiday travel to demand justice >from management. Graduate students and teaching assistants >at the University of Washington recently joined the Auto >Workers and passed a strike authorization vote. The >university refuses to recognize the union. > >All of this is taking place as the anniversary of last >year's historic demonstrations against the World Trade >Organization approaches. Protesters plan commemorative >events on Nov. 30. > >--Workers World Seattle bureau > >NEW YORK TEACHERS RALLY > >Raucous and resolute, 20,000 New York teachers rallied >outside City Hall Nov. 16 to demand a new contract. The >United Federation of Teachers, which represents 78,000 >employees of the Board of Education, called the rally. > >The Teachers' contract expired Nov. 15, but the city has >refused to bargain with them since early September. Two days >before the rally, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani threatened UFT >President Randi Weingarten with jail if she called a strike. >Public-employee strikes are illegal in New York state under >the Taylor Law, which mandates that every employee pay a >fine of two days pay for every day on strike. > >Weingarten said that while she has not ruled out any >options, a strike is not under consideration right now. > >The union is demanding a 20-percent pay hike over two years. >This would bring city teachers, paraprofessionals and >clerical staff up to the level of their suburban >counterparts. Teachers are also calling for reductions in >class size that would benefit both teachers and students. >Class sizes in the city are about 20 percent higher than in >the suburbs. > >The city will make its formal contract proposal at the end >of November. Officials claim they will offer a "generous" >pay hike in return for the teachers working an extra one-and- >a-half hours per day, giving up tenure protection and >agreeing to a "merit pay" scheme. > >The union responded that the city's definition of "generous" >was probably different from the members'. > >Paddy Colligan, a high-school librarian, asked, "How can the >city and state pretend they want to educate students when >they keep on cutting our budget and driving good teachers to >the suburbs?" > >A number of labor leaders and elected officials took the >stage to support the teachers. A speaker from the New York >State United Teachers--a joint body of the American >Federation of Teachers and the National Education >Association--said the group would support the Teachers' >efforts to modify the Taylor Law. Weingarten has called for >the Taylor Law's penalties to be reduced in cases where >employers refuse to bargain. > >Barbara Bowen is president of the Professional Staff >Congress, which represents the faculty and staff of the City >University of New York. She said that education for children >of color, children of immigrants and the daughters and sons >of the working class is under attack. She pledged that the >PSC would support the Teachers in resisting this attack. > >--G. Dunkel > >- 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: <023c01c05688$3857e800$0a00a8c0@linux> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Appeal denied in MOVE 9 case >Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 21:34:22 -0500 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Nov. 30, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >APPEAL DENIED IN MOVE 9 CASE > >By Greg Butterfield > >On Nov. 17, Philadelphia Judge Gary Glazer turned down a >post-conviction relief appeal for the eight surviving >members of the MOVE 9. MOVE Minister of Communications >Ramona Africa said, "Once again this system, through its >courts, has demonstrated its contempt for justice and its >obvious intent to keep the MOVE 9 in prison despite their >innocence." > >The eight--Chuck Africa, Debbie Africa, Delbert Africa, >Edward Africa, Janet Africa, Janine Africa, Mike Africa and >Phil Africa--have spent 22 years behind bars, convicted of >killing Police Officer James J. Ramp during a 1978 police >assault on a MOVE house. All are serving sentences ranging >from 30 to 100 years. > >Supporters call the MOVE 9 political prisoners who were >targeted for daring to advocate Black armed self-defense >during Frank Rizzo's reign as mayor of Philadelphia. > >Merle Africa, the ninth member, died in prison in 1998 under >mysterious circumstances. > >When the post-conviction appeal was filed in July 1999, MOVE >9 attorney Paul J. Hetznecker said, "The trial was a >travesty of justice. The result cannot be just if the >process of trial is unjust." He said the original judge, >Edwin Malmed, "acted as an advocate for the prosecution." > >Hetznecker said the nine defendants, who were representing >themselves, were illegally removed from the courtroom. They >were saddled with ineffective court-appointed lawyers. > >Ramona Africa said prosecutors withheld vital evidence, >including a February 1977 secret memo outlining plans for a >police attack to "eradicate MOVE." > >Police finally did attack and bomb the MOVE house in May >1985. The resulting fire killed 11 MOVE members and burned >down 60 homes in the surrounding African American >neighborhood. > >The MOVE 9 have vowed to continue their struggle for >freedom. > >- 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. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
