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I heard that the government had made an arrangement with the supermarket owners to allow people to liberate the goods they need for survival. I don't recall the source, but I do remember hearing it, possibly on the Chilean TV news. This news came after reports of "massive looting" as such, particularly in Concepcion. So the government was reassuring the owners they would be recompensed. Of course, I could be totally wrong.... The MIR are usually straight shooters; they rarely exaggerate. So for them to release such a statement is noteworthy and the message should be taken very seriously. Greg On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 8:08 PM, Jon Flanders <jonathan.fland...@verizon.net> wrote: > ====================================================================== > Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > ====================================================================== > > > ---Original Message----- > From: Giltapia <elnuevot...@igc.org> > > Excerpts from Declaration of the MIR of Chile on the earthquake that > took place on February 27th > > Although in this moment what is most needed is concrete actions, small > though they may be, with the families and communities affected by the > earthquake, we also want to point out the following: > > 1. The old highways and bridges made by the State resisted the quake. > The new highways in the capital, no. The highways that were privatized > under the Coalition Government, which were propagandized as > public-private investment, did not stand up to any seismic movement and > are destroyed.In spite of millions in government subsidies, in spite of > contracts, in spite of the daily fees from users, all the bridges, > pedestrian passages have all come down, killing people and wounding many > more.... > > 2. The Christian Democracy, from its control of the Ministry of Housing, > left behind so much scandal and corruption in building low cost housing, > that the Coalition privatized the policy of low cost housing. Now, with > the earthquake, people are being ousted because their homes are > dangerous...Entire housing complexes for the middle class are at the > point of collapsing, as the house of 15 floors in Concepcion which > killed of trapped more than a hundred of the people inside. In real > estate capitalism the business is not in building but > in accumulating capital, which means lowering the quality of > construction, lowering the quality of the materials, falsifying reports > and bribing the tax collectors. > > 3. State institutions have functioned slowly or poorly. > The Hydrographic Services of the Armed Forces has committed criminal > negligence in not knowing how to interpret their own instruments respect > to the flood danger, resulting in a delay of 24 hours before issueing a > warning. As a result of a lack of coordination between the central > government and state institutions, large parts of the country are > completely isolated, without water, without electricity, without > food...In spite of the financial resources, the help is not > arriving where it should arrive: to the People. > > 4. In the Bio Bio region, one of the poorest in the country, where > unemployment is 10.4% and where the majority who work live from day to > day, there is no drinkable water, no electricity, no food. The > speculators in misery are charging 3,500 pesos (aprox $7 dollars) for a > kilo of bread and charging $1,000 pesos (aprox. $2 dollars) for a quart > of water. The people have broken through the barriers into the > supermarkets to obtain what they need to live...It is the > women who began the movement, as often in history, for their children > and families. Although some criminals have engaged in looting, the > reality is that help is not arriving. They have not hurt small business > owners--they went against the large supermarkets. > > 5. The people are turning to direct action to resolve their vital needs. > The mayor of Concepcion has called for military help. The directors of > the supermarkets went directly to the Presidential Palace. almost > magically, the government declared a State of Catastrophe, which allows > for the suspension of constitutional guarantees and fundamental rights, > without needing Congressional approval. The Minister of Defense > announced he was mobilizing 10,000 soldiers. > > The government of Bachelet in this way has become the most repressive > government of the Coalition, not only facilitating the return of the > right wing to government, but also handing over the Maule and Bio Bio > regions over to the military and imposing martial law, for the first > time since democracy, between 21.00 and 6:00. > > We in the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR) are completely in > agreement with the necessity,legitimacy and justice that the people open > the doors of the supermarkets and distribution centers to get their > necessities. Where our members are present, we should be an active part > of this process. > > Facing the lack of support from the bourgeois government, people to the > Streets!To EXPROPRIATE the exploiters IS A PEOPLES RIGHT > Revolutionaries in the front row in recuperating and distributing food, > water, and clothing.The people advance by fighting! > > MOVIMIENTO DE IZQUIERDA REVOLUCIONARIA MIR de Chile February 28, 2010 > (translated by Earl Gilman) > > > > > ________________________________________________ > Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/gregmc59%40gmail.com > ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
