------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Jan. 9, 2003 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
EDITORIAL: IT WASN'T ALL BAD Plenty of horrible things happened last year, and we could spend much more space than just this editorial column summing them up. But let's not. Let's look instead at some good things that happened in the year. And some bad things that didn't. The right-wing, big-business coup attempt last April against the elected Ch�vez government in Venezuela failed, despite obvious U.S. backing. The people stopped it by taking to the streets by the hundreds of thousands. When was the last time anything like that happened? Not that the struggle is over. But it did show that Bush & Co. can make big mistakes. An Axis of Good emerged in Latin America as governments more independent of U.S. dictates swept into office in Brazil and Ecuador. The vote was a repudiation by the masses of the neo liberal economic policies pushed by the IMF that have impoverished workers and bankrupted governments like Argentina's. Cuban President Fidel Castro met with the National Black Farmers Association of the U.S. and agreed to purchase $10 million worth of agricultural products directly from Black farmers. The farmers have been struggling to survive in an industry where the lion's share of U.S. government subsidies and loans go to huge agribusiness corporations. U.S. dockworkers stood up to government intimidation. The International Longshore Workers Union didn't run scared when Tom Ridge, in the name of "homeland security," threatened to call out the National Guard in the event of a strike. Instead, they organized impressive demonstrations of solidarity. Transit workers in New York faced down the billionaire mayor, the millionaire governor, and the attack press, who threatened to break their union with Taylor Law fines. Like the dockworkers, they didn't win everything, but they got a contract they could live with after threatening to strike. Nobody suggested cloning Donald Rumsfeld. California, Washington, Connecticut, Oregon, Nevada and Oklahoma all said they might have to release many non violent offenders and elderly inmates from prison because they haven't got the money to keep them in jail. The U.S. has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, and spends more money locking people up than it would take to give them a first-rate college education. The biggest, broadest anti-war movement in decades mushroomed up all over the world in response to the Bush's administrations global threats and predations. Millions of people demonstrated, from London to Rabat to Washington, from Rome to San Francisco to Seoul. The common thread was rejection of U.S. imperialism's attempts to dominate and subjugate the world with its formidable military might. Nobody suggested cloning Dick Cheney. And, oh yes, Workers World web site--www.workers.org--got 27 million hits from all over the world, many of them after heavy red-baiting attacks on us in the U.S. media. As P.T. Barnum said to his critics, "Just make sure you spell my name right." - END - (Copyright 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] Subscribe wwnews- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
