WW News Service Digest #270
1) June 2 in Cincinnati: Nat'l march to hit racist police killings
by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2) Notice on conference on socialism
by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
3) Labor to rally in Columbia, S.C., in support of Black dockworkers
by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
4) Planning the unthinkable: Meet the new-old Cold Warriors
by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
-------------------------
Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the May 17, 2001
issue of Workers World newspaper
-------------------------
JUNE2 IN CINCINNATI:
NAT'L MARCH TO HIT RACIST POLICE KILLINGS
By Leslie Feinberg
A broad call has gone out for everyone outraged by racist
police violence to march in the streets of Cincinnati on
June 2. More than 200 people from dozens of groups initiated
the call for a massive, militant national March for Justice.
The shooting of an unarmed teenager by a Cincinnati police
officer on April 7 ignited the biggest rebellion in the city
since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cops
arrested more than 800 people during the uprising.
The youth--Timothy Thomas--was the 15th Black male killed by
Cincinnati police since 1995. And he was the fourth African
American in just five months shot to death by local cops.
The call for a national March for Justice focuses on three
demands: Stop police killings and the abuse of police power,
end the police department's racist patterns and practices,
and build social and economic justice.
A major rally is also scheduled for June 1. African
American, white and immigrant groups and individuals have
met in Cincinnati in recent weeks to plan the three-day
protest. More than 200 people from dozens of groups have
taken part.
Endorsing organizations as of May 4 include the American
Federation of Government Employees Local 3840 Executive
Committee, Concerned Citizens for Justice, Coalition for a
Humane Economy (CHE) and Stand Up 4 Democracy.
Black activists and the American Civil Liberties Union
joined forces to sue the city in March. They charged that
the police department had failed to halt 30 years of police
harassment of African Americans, who make up 43 percent of
Cincinnati's 331,000 residents.
In the month since the rebellion, the City Council had to
accept federal court-supervised mediation to resolve the
lawsuit. The city's safety director and the city manager
were forced to resign under criticism.
'SLAP ON THE WRIST'
The cop who shot Timothy Thomas in cold blood was indicted
by a Hamilton County grand jury on May 7. But the panel
declined to indict officer Stephen Roach on murder charges.
Instead, he was charged with two misdemeanors: negligent
homicide and obstructing official business. If convicted of
both, Roach could face probation or at most a maximum of
nine months in jail.
Timothy Thomas' mother, Angela Leisure, told the media, "I
feel it was a slap on the wrist.
"I don't feel like justice was served. I feel it was not
severe enough for the severity of what he did. He took a
life. Negligence--that doesn't cut it for me." (The
Cincinnati Enquirer, May 8)
Roach had been on paid leave since the slaying. But after
the grand jury's ruling, the department announced he would
be returned to desk duty.
The city had widely announced that extra police would be in
the streets to prevent any reaction to the grand jury
decision. But this, and a sudden thunderstorm, did not stop
the many protests.
The Coalition for a Humane Economy held a demonstration of
more than 200 on the steps of the courthouse in the early
evening on April 7 against police brutality and to demand
justice for Thomas' family. More than 150 protesters marched
around the police headquarters the same day.
As night fell, Cincinnati police recorded damage to three
Main Street businesses and a police substation in
Corryville. The rear window of a police cruiser was smashed.
And someone attempted to burn the plywood used to board up
windows at the Cincinnati Police Substation at 220 E.
University.
Windows were broken at three Main Street businesses in Over-
the-Rhine--where Thomas was killed--and two vacant
buildings.
On April 8, a group of demonstrators chanted "No justice? No
peace!" in Fountain Square, the center of the city's
business district.
The same day Mayor Charles Luken told a CBS news broadcast,
"Suffice it to say that there may be a number of flash
points out there over not only the next few days, but over
the summer."
To contact the March for Justice, call (513) 588-8883.
-------------------------
Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the May 17, 2001
issue of Workers World newspaper
-------------------------
CONFERENCE ON SOCIALISM:
IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM WWP
By Deirdre Griswold
Because of the national mobilization against racist police
terror to take place in Cincinnati on June 2, Workers World
Party is postponing the Conference on Socialism it had
scheduled for that date in New York City. The conference
will take place this fall at a time and place to be
announced.
The National Secretariat of WWP said in a statement that it
applauded the anti-racist initiative and was calling on its
members and friends to help build for the event. "This
conflict of dates is a real test of our commitment," said
the Secretariat statement. "Of course, our Party places a
high priority on ideological training and development. There
can be no revolution without revolutionary theory and a
revolutionary party.
"But theory and practice must march hand in hand. The
developing movement of young people that is searching for a
better world will be in the streets of Cincinnati with
members of the African American community outraged at a
brutal string of police killings. This is an important
moment in the ongoing building of a broad, progressive
movement against capitalist exploitation and injustice that
unites the struggles against all forms of oppression.
"We invite everyone to join us in the fall conference, when
we can enrich the discussion of the basics of scientific
socialism with the experiences gained in the streets over
what may well be a long, hot summer."
-------------------------
Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the May 17, 2001
issue of Workers World newspaper
-------------------------
ATTACKED, THEN ARRESTED:
LABOR TO RALLY IN COLUMBIA, S.C., IN SUPPORT OF BLACK DOCKWORKERS
Special to Workers World
The demand to drop frame-up charges against the "Charleston
5" will be the focus of a massive labor and community march
on the state capitol in Columbia, S.C., on June 9.
The Charleston 5 are African American dockworkers, members
of International Longshore Association Local 1422 in
Charleston, S.C. They were hit with felony charges after
resisting a massive police attack on their union's picket
line in January 2000.
The five indicted workers, who include Local 1422 President
Ken Riley, are each facing up to five years in jail.
The case has become a focal point for defense of Black and
union rights in the South. Many see a victory in this case
as key to organizing the historically super-exploited
region. Support has been steadily building around the
country and beyond, with plans for an international
dockworkers' strike to take place on the first day of the
trial.
The South Carolina AFL-CIO has formed a Campaign for
Workers' Rights in South Carolina to build support for the
five.
A May 1 letter from the campaign calling for support for the
June 9 mobilization is signed by Donna DeWitt, president of
the South Carolina AFL-CIO; Rep. Joe Neal, chair of the
state's Legislative Black Caucus; and Local 1422 President
Ken Riley. DeWitt and Neal are co-chairs of the South
Carolina Progressive Network, a 41-member labor/community
coalition.
The letter read in part, "At a picket of a nonunion ship
unloading at the Charleston docks in January 2000, 130
protesting longshoremen were met by 600 riot-equipped
police. The police had armored cars, armored horses, dogs,
helicopters, concussion grenades, tear gas and rubber
bullets to break the picket line. The state's policy was to
keep the port open at all costs.
"After Charleston police arranged to drop the misdemeanor
charges against protesters in return for community service,
the State Attorney General stepped in and indicted five
longshoremen on felony riot charges. Attorney General
Charlie Condon is running for governor and has called for
'jail, jail and more jail' for the union protesters."
Condon was George W. Bush's campaign manager for South
Carolina and also served on his presidential transition
team.
The letter stressed, "If the International Longshoremen's
Association--the oldest and largest African American union
in the state--falls victim to this politically motivated
attack, all workers will suffer."
The predominantly Black Local 1422 played a prominent role
in the struggle last year to remove the racist Confederate
battle flag from the dome of the state Capitol. It was just
after the massive 47,000-strong march in Columbia against
the flag on Jan. 17 that the police attacked the union's
picket line. They had waited until after the march in order
to be able to attack the picket line at full strength.
Riley explained the political nature of the charges in a
recent interview with Dianne Mathiowetz, an auto worker and
member of UAW Local 10 in Atlanta.
"ILA Local 1422 is a predominately African American union,"
he said, "and we are active in the community and in state
politics. Our union hall is used by many community groups in
Charleston for their meetings and events. We are proof that
working under a union contract can provide a living wage and
that being organized means having political influence. That
fact is what has scared those who want to maintain the old
ways."
The full text of the interview is available at
www.iacenter.org/labor.htm, which will also be posting
details about the June 9 solidarity march.
In addition to the case of the Charleston 5, the march will
address the issue of intensified attacks on the labor
movement in South Carolina, which already has the lowest
percentage of unionized workers in the country. With less
than 4 percent of their ranks organized into unions, South
Carolina workers earn an average of 20 percent less than
workers nationally.
In the past two months bills have passed one or both
chambers of the state legislature that would forbid local
cities from enacting "living wage" ordinances, prevent
members of ports-related unions from serving on the State
Ports Authority Board, and strengthen the state's anti-
union laws by making employers liable for fines if workers
complain about union organizing on the job.
The national AFL-CIO is supporting the march, as are the
state AFL-CIO federations of Georgia and North Carolina.
Tentative speakers include national AFL-CIO president John
Sweeney and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
For more information contact the Campaign for Workers Rights
in South Carolina care of the South Carolina AFL-CIO at
(803) 798-8300.
-------------------------
Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the May 17, 2001
issue of Workers World newspaper
-------------------------
PLANNING THE UNTHINKABLE:
MEET THE NEW-OLD COLD WARRIORS
By Fred Goldstein
As it unfolds its plans for a national missile defense
system, space-based warfare, and overall modernization of
the Pentagon's death machine, the Bush administration is
asserting with renewed vigor and determination U.S.
imperialism's drive for world domination.
President George W. Bush in a speech on May 2 made clear
Washington's intention to unilaterally tear up the Anti-
Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972 that outlawed missile
defense systems. The military logic behind the treaty was
that an effective ABM system would be destabilizing because
it would afford an aggressive nuclear power--like the U.S.
government--the capability of making a first nuclear strike
while preventing retaliation. Thus, what was formally
described as an anti-missile "defense" system was, in fact,
a dangerously aggressive, offensive military threat.
When Ronald Reagan threatened to develop the space-based
defense system popularly known as "Star Wars," he evoked a
world outcry. It was rightfully regarded as a complete
violation of the ABM treaty. Even Reagan had to pull back on
it--although research and development did quietly begin.
But in his speech at the National Defense University Bush
"made it clear," according to the New York Times of May 3,
"that he intended to build a network of installations that
would unquestionably violate" the ABM Treaty. "At the
Pentagon," continued the Times, "officials have proposed
moving ahead quickly with deploying a limited system that
would include interceptors launched from Alaska and from
naval cruisers that could be moved into global hot spots, as
well as lasers mounted on Boeing 747 jumbo jets."
SWEEPING OVERHAUL AT THE PENTAGON
Bush's speech was followed five days later by an
announcement by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld of "a
sweeping overhaul of the Pentagon's space program, sharply
increasing the importance of outer space in strategic
military planning," reported the New York Times of May 8.
Rumsfeld announced that a four-star general would be
appointed to oversee the upgraded military space program,
which would be run by the Air Force. Rumsfeld had earlier
headed a congressional commission that studied military
issues in outer space. The commission issued a report
declaring that space warfare should be made a "top national
security priority."
No one has said how much this new generation of weapons will
cost. The limited land-based system that the Clinton
administration experimented with cost $60 billion. A system
based on land, in the air, at sea and in space projected
into the next decade will undoubtedly cost hundreds of
billions.
The Bush and Rumsfeld announcements were indeed threats to
the world. Bush included Russian President Vladimir Putin in
his round of phone calls to heads of state before making his
NMD speech. Putin got 10 minutes of Bush's time. It was a
placating phone call calculated to neutralize the Russian
bourgeoisie and military. Bush reportedly held out some
promise of cooperation.
This phone call was not only for Putin's sake, but also for
the sake of the German imperialists and the European allies,
who fear a new arms race. The German capitalists have
heavily invested in counter-revolutionary Russia.
Furthermore, they have no nuclear weapons of their own. If
the U.S. missile defense plan starts a new nuclear arms
race, German imperialism will once again be under the
protection of the Pentagon. In fact, all of continental
Europe is still trying to recover from the humiliation they
suffered as Washington took overwhelmingly dominant military
control of the war of conquest against Yugoslavia. Although
they were prepared for Bush's speech, it is still a hard
pill to swallow.
Kindly assurances by Washington not withstanding, the U.S.
would still like to weaken Russia. The profiteers of Wall
Street and big oil have their designs on the rich oilfields
of the Caucasus. And their military program is also designed
to secure U.S. domination of the Middle East.
But at the center of this sharp escalation of militarism is
a strategic emphasis on promoting U.S. military, political
and economic control over Asia. In particular, it is meant
to exert massive military and economic pressure on the
People's Republic of China.
STRATEGY OF COUNTER-REVOLUTION IN ASIA
The general historic drive of the U.S. ruling class to
follow up the collapse of the USSR with a counter-revolution
in China has gone from theorizing and sporadic measures to
strategic planning, as revealed by the thinking behind the
military overhaul being proposed by the Bush-Rumsfeld-Cheney
group.
On March 21, Rumsfeld had a 90-minute private meeting with
Bush where he presumably laid out his military program
preparatory to drawing up a Pentagon budget. This meeting
was the long-awaited culmination of a full-scale review of
military strategy. At the meeting was the man who actually
oversaw the review, Andrew W. Marshall, who made the
presentation to Bush.
"All but unknown outside national security circles," wrote
the Washington Post, "the publicity-shy Marshall is
something of a legend within that world, both for his
longevity and for his far-reaching network of acolytes
across the government, academia and the defense industry. At
79, he is said to be the only current Pentagon official who
participated in the entire Cold War, beginning in 1949 as a
nuclear strategist for the Rand Corp., then moving to the
Pentagon as a civilian official in 1973. He has been kept in
his current job by every president since Richard M. Nixon."
"Since the end of the Cold War," continued the Post,
"Marshall has focused heavily on the rise of China,
sponsoring war games that look at possible U.S.-Chinese
confrontations and provoking critics to say that he is
looking for a new enemy to replace the Soviet Union."
Marshall's view is that Asia is the next field of battle for
U.S. imperialism. That requires missiles, long-range
bombers, submarines and "arsenal ships" loaded with land-
attack missiles and small, fast-moving army combat units
ready to be moved great distances.
Marshall has a long relationship with Rumsfeld. His ideas
permeated Bush's major military-policy election campaign
speech, made at the Citadel in South Carolina in September
1999. He was tapped by Rumsfeld to be head of his military
think tank. His unassuming title is "Adviser to the
Secretary of Defense for Net Assessment."
A NEST OF COLD WARRIORS
The entire Bush administration is populated at the top with
old Cold Warriors trying to start a new one with China. The
Los Angeles Times of April 30 disclosed that there is a
group dubbed the "soft hegemonists" which it describes as "a
neoconservative group at the senior deputy level in the
administration. This group, which very likely has the
support of Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld, is busy trying to alter the basic strategic
assumptions of the last 30 years regarding China."
The strategists in this group are considered "soft" as
opposed to the extreme right because they favor trade as a
way to promote political subversion and counter-revolution
in China. However, they are also for pressing the military
hard line, which separates them from the "traditionalists"
like Colin Powell, who supposedly lean more towards
"engagement."
The "soft hegemonists" leader is Paul Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld's
deputy. The group includes Marc Theissen, Rumsfeld's speech
writer and former spokes person for Jesse Helms, among
others. Wolfowitz and his group have the strategic goal "not
simply to prepare for a possible conflict with China over
Taiwan. The goal is the close up containment of China from
the Yellow Sea through the East China Sea and the Taiwan
Strait to the far edges of the South China Sea." (Los
Angeles Times, April 30)
The Rumsfeld space-based war plan has a strong anti-China
component. According to the Washington Post of Jan. 29,
datelined Shreiver Air Force Base, Colo., "the Air Force's
Space Warfare Center here staged the military's first major
war game to focus on space as the primary theater of
operations, rather than just a supporting arena for combat
on earth. The scenario was the growing tension between the
United States and China in 2017."
The war games portrayed the U.S. as "Blue" and China as
"Red" and were complete with military installations in
Alaska and Hawaii, a national missile defense system, a
theater missile defense system and anti-satellite lasers--in
short, all the components now being promoted as part of the
military overhaul by the Bush administration.
The orientation to put pressure on China so permeates the
new strategic thinking that Bruce Blair of the Center for
Defense Information told the Washington Post on April 29 the
"he expects that the Bush administration's new guidance to
the Pentagon on nuclear wea pons needs 'to shift away from
Russia and towards China' with perhaps 'a 50 percent
reduction in Russian targets and 100 percent increase in
China targets.'"
RUMSFELD AND THE 'FULL COURT PRESS'
It is no accident that many of those in the Bush
administration were brought up during the Reagan era of the
"full court press" against the USSR. Rumsfeld actually
anticipated the Reagan administration as Gerald Ford's
secretary of defense. He approved the development of the B-2
bomber, the MX missile, and the Tri dent nuclear submarine
between 1975 and 1977. He actually began the post-Vietnam
military buildup against the USSR.
This military pressure was calculated to draw the Soviet
Union's precious material and human resources away from
socialist construction into wasteful and socially useless
military spending. In addition, the diversion of scientific,
technical and other skills because of the need to respond to
ever-new military threats disrupted conscious social and
economic planning. This constant defensive military spending
was ruinous to the USSR.
Despite the inroads of the market, China as a socialist
country has a broadly guided economy based upon planned
development in different economic categories and regions. In
fact, China is about to inaugurate its tenth five-year plan
for 2001-2005. The new aggressive military program of the
Pentagon is undoubtedly directed at maximum disruption of
the Chinese economy while promoting increased hardship.
The U.S. ruling class has always considered its destiny to
be the control and exploitation of all of Asia--from the
conquest of Samoa, Hawaii and the Philippines at the end of
the 19th century to the struggle with Japanese imperialism
in World War II to the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The
U.S. promoted the "Open Door" policy in China during the
colonial period, which meant it had as much right to exploit
and plunder China as the other colonial powers.
The McCarthyite witch-hunt in this country started when the
right wing demanded to know "who lost China" after the
triumph of the great Chinese Revolution of 1949. According
to the mentality of the U.S. ruling class, China was theirs
to "lose."
Now that the USSR has collapsed, Wall Street considers it
time to fulfill its Asian destiny and is preparing a new
Cold War. This Cold War is only somewhat tempered by the
fact that the Fortune 500 have investments in China and, at
a time of economic crisis here, do not want to give up any
of their collapsing markets.
The political movement and the labor movement in this
country must awaken to the danger that a new Cold War
against China poses for the masses of people of Asia as well
as for the workers and oppressed in the U.S. and the world.
Hundreds of billions that are needed for social services in
this country will be squandered on the military-industrial
complex while poverty grows. And if the economic crisis
grows, the ruling class will be more and more tempted to
resort to its classical diversion of war.
Now is the time to open up an offensive against the Bush
program of militarism, Star Wars and the new Cold War
against China.
