MIM Notes ***

MIM Notes 276 · February 15, 2003 · Page 1

manufacturing the appearance of north

Korean aggression by claiming that the

north's army was concentrated near the

demilitarized zone between north and

south Korea--without noting (a) that this

was not out of the ordinary or (b) the

south's army and the 37,000 Amerikan

troops in Korea were also concentrated

near the demilitarized zone (pp. 468-

470). Compare that to the recent wire

report "U.S. Satellites See N. Korea

Activity," which contained no new

information but alleged the north had

"11,000 artillery pieces" "that could rain

between 200,000 and 300,000 shells per

hour on South Korea." No mention is

made of south Korean firepower or the

fact that the Amerikans have access to

MIM Notes

February 15, 2003, Nº 276

The Official Newsletter of the Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM)

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INSIDE: Huey's internationalism * Toledo's circus* Una Página en Español...

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Quality,

not just

quantity

Message to radical

reformists and the

anti-war movement

n Montreal, a marcher witnessing

MIM's newspaper distribution on

January 18th turned around while

still marching forward to say we should

not give MIM Notes to marchers but

instead the people on the streets just

watching. While we did give out papers

to anyone passing by and gawking, we

do not agree with the "you're preaching

to the converted" line.

`State of

Union' is

old news

Bu(ll)shit detector:

Former inspector

Ritter explains details

by MC5, January 30 2003

ush's "State of the Union"

address January 28th and

subsequent war-mongering on

dutiful CNN and other media outlets may

have had some effect on public opinion.

It appears that the public is not used to

hearing George Bush attempt to argue

facts of weapons of mass destruction in

Iraq, and many have momentarily given

him the benefit of the doubt now that he

has mentioned some concrete details.

However, the points being addressed

by Bush and the media lapdogs have all

arisen before. On points of politics and

history, Bush claims to want Hussein out

for using chemical weapons in the past,

but Reagan and Bush Sr. gave Saddam

Hussein aid and took him off the list of

countries sponsoring terrorism, precisely

when he used chemical weapons against

his internal enemies and Iran as Marine

Scott Ritter notes on page 20 of his new

book, " War on Iraq: What Team Bush

Doesn't Want You to Know" (Context

Books, New York,2002).

Ritter's book also anticipated all the

detailed questions on weapons coming

up right now. On points of weapons of

mass destruction, for example, using

what is for it an unusual pop-up ad on its

website on January 30, the New York

Times raised questions concerning

anthrax, botulinum toxin, sarin, mustard

gas and VX nerve agent.

The New York Times has failed to

provide any context while mentioning

these horrible weapons:

*Ritter says there was VX nerve agent,

but it would have degraded by now if

Hussein had hidden it. He would need a

new factory and he does not have it.(pp.

36-7)

Amerika marches toward

Our politicians try hard to convince us

that voting every two years is what

politics is. On the one hand, electoral

politics bore people to death. On the

other hand, lever-pulling also provides

simple enough release for those who

want to return to uninterrupted shopping

and Nintendo.

Likewise, marching is not the goal in

itself. By participating in a march, one

does not free oneself from greater

Review by mim4@mim.org

2 February 2003

Reading of the standoff between the

Clinton administration and north Korea

over the latter's nuclear reactor at

Yongbyon in Bruce Cumings' 1997 book

Korea's Place in the Sun, one is reminded

of Mao's dictum, "Make trouble, fail,

make trouble again, fail again... till their

doom--that is the logic of the

imperialists and all reactionaries..."

Cumings quotes extensively from

bourgeois-mouthpiece editorials written

ten years ago that could have appeared

today, as they use the same, tired, non-

specific invective.

For example, Cumings chides the

fishwrap hacks of the early nineties for

n u c l e a r

artillery shells

(and missiles

and bombs). A

shorter follow

up story,

"Pentagon: N.

Korea Not

M o b i l i z i n g

Army" repeats

the "11,000

Korea: Déjà vu all over again

artillery pieces" mantra verbatim.(1)

More striking--and more disturbing

for those of us who don't want to see the

capitalists nuke the humyn race into

oblivion--Cumings' book reminds us

that the earlier conflict also sprang from

Amerikan nuclear threats. In January

1993, Bill Clinton authorized "Team

Spirit" military exercises in Korea, based

on a plan to invade the north which called

for tactical nuclear strikes on "hard

targets" like underground bunkers. Then

the United $tates announced it was

retargeting nuclear weapons from the

former USSR to north Korea. North

Korea responded by withdrawing from

the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty--

justifiably, since "it is a basic principle

of the nonproliferation regime that

countries without nuclear weapons not be

threatened by those that possess them."

North Korea rejoined the Treaty after

"Team Spirit" stopped (pp. 474-475).

The Bush Administration made similar

public threats in its Nuclear Policy

Review, leaked last March.(2) The

Review named north Korea as a potential

nuclear target and talked of the need for

Continued on page 4...

Continued on page 6...

Continued on page 8...

MIM Notes 276 · February 15, 2003 · Page 2

What is MIM?

The Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM) is the collection of existing or emerging

Maoist internationalist parties in the English-speaking imperialist countries and their English-
speaking internal semi-colonies, as well as the existing or emerging Maoist Internationalist
parties in Belgium, France and Quebec and the existing or emerging Spanish-speaking
Maoist Internationalist parties of Aztlan, Puerto Rico and other territories of the U.$. Empire.
MIM Notes is the newspaper of MIM. Notas Rojas is the newspaper of the Spanish-speaking
parties or emerging parties of MIM. MIM upholds the revolutionary communist ideology
of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and is an internationalist organization that works from the
vantage point of the Third World proletariat. MIM struggles to end the oppression of all
groups over other groups: classes, genders, nations. MIM knows this is only possibly by
building public opinion to seize power through armed struggle. Revolution is a reality for
North America as the military becomes over-extended in the government's attempts to
maintain world hegemony. MIM differs from other communist parties on three main
questions: (1) MIM holds that after the proletariat seizes power in socialist revolution, the
potential exists for capitalist restoration under the leadership of a new bourgeoisie within
the communist party itself. In the case of the USSR, the bourgeoisie seized power after the
death of Stalin in 1953; in China, it was after Mao's death and the overthrow of the "Gang
of Four" in 1976. (2) MIM upholds the Chinese Cultural Revolution as the farthest advance
of communism in humyn history. (3) As Marx, Engels and Lenin formulated and MIM has
reiterated through materialist analysis, imperialism extracts super-profits from the Third
World and in part uses this wealth to buy off whole populations of oppressor nation so-
called workers. These so-called workers bought off by imperialism form a new petty-
bourgeoisie called the labor aristocracy. These classes are not the principal vehicles to
advance Maoism within those countries because their standards of living depend on
imperialism. At this time, imperialist super-profits create this situation in the Canada,
Quebec, the United $tates, England, France, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Italy, Switzerland,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Israel, Sweden and Denmark. MIM accepts people as
members who agree on these basic principles and accept democratic centralism, the system
of majority rule, on other questions of party line.

"The theory of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin is universally applicable. We should

regard it not as dogma, but as a guide to action. Studying it is not merely a matter of
learning terms and phrases, but of learning Marxism-Leninism as the science of revolution."

- Mao Zedong, Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 208.

Editor, MC206; Production, MC12

Letters

MIM Notes

The Official Newsletter of The Maoist Internationalist Movement

ISSN 1540-8817

MIM Notes is the bi-weekly newsletter of the Maoist Internationalist Movement. MIM

Notes is the official Party voice; more complete statements are published in our journal,
MIM Theory. Material in MIM Notes is the Party's position unless noted. MIM Notes
accepts submissions and critiques from anyone. The editors reserve the right to edit
submissions unless permission is specifically denied by the author; submissions are
published anonymously unless authors insist on identification (prisoners are never
identified by name). MIM is an underground party that does not publish the names of its
comrades in order to avoid the state surveillance and repression that have historically
been directed at communist parties and anti-imperialist movements. MCs, MIM comrades,
are members of the Party. The Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League (RAIL) is an anti-
imperialist mass organization led by MIM (RCs are RAIL Comrades). MIM's ten-point
program is available to anyone who sends in a SASE.

The paper is free to all prisoners, as long as they write to us every 90 days to confirm

their subsciptions. There are no individual subscriptions for people outside prison.

People who want to receive newspapers should become sponsors and distributors.

Sponsors pay for papers, distributors get them onto the streets, and officers do both
distribution and financial support. Annual cost is: 12 copies (Priority Mail), $120; 25
(Priority Mail), $150; 50 (Priority Mail), $280; 100, $380; 200, $750; 900 (Express
Mail), $3,840; 900 (8-10 days), $2,200. To become a sponor or distributor, send
anonymous money orders payable to "MIM." Send to MIM, attn: Camb. branch, PO Box
400559, Cambridge, MA 02140. Or write mim3@mim.org.

Most back issues of MIM Notes are available free on our web site. The web site con-

tains thousands of documents, with ordering information for many more.

MIM grants explicit permission to copy all or part of this newspaper for any reason, as

long as we are credited.

For general correspondence, contact:

MIM

P.O. Box 29670

Los Angeles, CA 90029-0670

eMail: <mim@mim.org>

WWW: <http//www.prisoncensorship.info/archive/etext>

Dear MIM:

I am an economics professor in Beijing.

On the one hand the students, all seem to

know what happened at the 16th

Congress. On the other hand there is no

real forecasting that communism will

spread greatly again. I know that Chinese

communism has evolved in many ways.

The view of students is that the

Communist Party of China is improving

China. The students are also realistic

enough to point out problems. (They all

know the rumors about the leaders'

different girlfriends. So nothing is really

secret.) Any one I have asked believes

Nepal will eventually be communist.

Though I have read one time in the

Western media that China does not want

that. But I very much doubt that idea.

--December 2002

International Minister replies: There

are times when capitalist countries enjoy

sustained booms. The province of

Taiwan, southern Korea and Japan did

in the post- World War II era. For the

students to observe that this is the case

in state-capitalist China may be correct.

We do not say at MIM that capitalist

countries never have booms. Once a

country has had thorough land reform, a

boom is possible. In China's case, the

post-Mao leadership managed to make a

deal with the u.$. imperialists for a

profitable trade relationship.It is part of

the imperialists' strategy of "peaceful

evolution" of China and in our opinion it

has worked already.

With regard to Nepal, it's not a matter

just of the Western press. It's China's own

official press calling the revolution in

Nepal "ultraleft" and "terrorist." When

it suits China or Putin's Russia, they

would sell anybody to the u.$.

imperialists. However, some day in the

future, when the Chinese people are sure

they've had as much capitalist boom as

they can enjoy, they will turn to socialism

again, and at that time, they will know

what Mao meant when he said socialism

was "the only way out" for China.

MIM Notes has seen a big spike in

circulation since the "war on

terrorism" began. It's not surprising:
MIM Notes is a free and independent
newspaper. Yes, there are especially

now knee-jerk patriots who believe
everything Bush says and pass by a
chance to read MIM Notes. There are

other patriots and internationalists
who realize that at this time papers
like MIM Notes can undo the huge

spectacle that Uncle Sam is creating
for its own benefit.

Sure, you have seen MIM Notes

around, but MIM Notes needs people
to do two simple things: 1) Pay for it
(postage and printing), 2) Distribute

it!

MIM is looking for sponsors,

distributors and officers. Sponsors pay

for papers; distributors get them onto
the streets and officers do both
distribution and financial support.

Distribute # Cost per year

12 (Priority Mail)

$120

25 (Priority Mail)

$150

50 (Priority Mail)

$280

100

$380

200

$750

900 (Express Mail!)

$3,840

900 (8-10 days)

$2,200

If you know you have some good

places to do distribution, we suggest

starting at 200 and working your way
up higher. If you are not willing to do
distribution, just send money. If you

are not willing to pay, then request
papers after somehow proving to the
party that you are serious (words

won't count). You who will cough up/
raise the money to distribute 900
papers each issue and then do the

distribution, you are what drives this
party forward.

A call for MIM Notes

sponsors and distributors!

Make anonymous money orders payable to "MIM." Send to MIM,

attn: Camb. branch, PO Box 400559, Cambridge, MA 02140. Contact

MIM in regards to this campaign by writing mim3@mim.org

Chinese professor writes in

MIM Notes 276 · February 15, 2003 · Page 3

A New Jersey Prisoner brought to

RAIL's attention a Bill that, if passed,

would increase the oppression of

prisoners and further consolidate national

oppression. In essence, the bill would

make prisoners responsible for paying for

their own incarceration, and if unable,

would give the state the right to seize and/

or sell the property of inmates to cover

the expenses.

An explanation of the bill, in typical

bourgeois terminology states that NJ

Senate Bill No. 373 "would make adult

inmates in State correctional institutions

responsible for their own support and

maintenance and authorizes the State to

place liens against the property and

income of these inmates for the total cost

of their care and maintenance."(1)

The explanation of the bill goes on to

say that based on 1999 statistics, every

year spent in prison would mean a debt

of $25,000 to the state. It also mentions

that "it would be necessary to enforce any

liens placed against the inmate's property

and financial assets." That is, those who

cannot afford to finance their own

oppression would be forced to pay

through confiscation of property etc.

Since the majority of New Jersey

inmates are Black (63%), and since

"Hispanics" make up 18% of inmates,

(2) New Jersey incarceration, just like

incarceration throughout the rest of the

country, represents one of the pillars of

the oppression of the internal semi-

colonies. Further, the fact that most

inmates are poor or have relatively low

incomes means that these debts will

make it even more difficult for released

prisoners to be able to survive.

Because of the rapid growth of the

prison industrial complex and the

increasing costs of keeping large

numbers of people locked down, the state

is seeking a way to alleviate its financial

burden by passing it on to most

oppressed and impoverished sections of

the population. This absurd "solution"

highlights the hypocrisy of the

humanitarian rhetoric of the u.$.

government and proves the futility of

liberal "anti-crime" efforts. Obviously if

rehabilitation were part of the imperialist

prison system, the state would not send

released inmates back into a situation

where, owing to their huge debts and lack

of income, they would be forced to

commit crimes again. This situation

would be further heightened if Bill 373

passes since it would mean 5-digit debts

for every year of prison.

RAIL looks to the Chinese socialist

prison system under Mao Zedong as an

example of how prisons can be used for

rehabilitation--not national oppression.

The Maoist prisons relied on study and

self-criticism, and job training, to

transform inmates who committed real

crimes against the people, into productive

members of society. RAIL understands

that a real solution to crime cannot be

attained under imperialism since

Amerika's prisons main purpose is to

perpetuate national oppression--not deter

crimes.

RAIL is launching a campaign to stop

Bill 373 from passing in the New Jersey

Senate. See our petition on MIM's

Website (3), or contact the following

people to demand that the bill not be

allowed to pass:

Senator Nicholas J. Sacco (primary

sponsor):

9060 Palisade Avenue

North Bergen, NJ 07047

(201) 295-0200

SenSacco@njleg.org

Senator John H. Adler (primary

sponsor):

231 Route 70 East

Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-2421

(856) 428-3343

SenAdler@njleg.org

Senator Anthony R. Bucco (co-

sponsor):

75 Bloomfield Ave.

3rd Floor

Denville, NJ 07834

(973) 627-9700

SenBucco@njleg.org

Senator Peter Inverso (Chair of the

Senate Law and Public Safety

Committee):

3691 Anottingham Way.

Hamilton, NJ 08690

(609) 586-1330

SenInverso@njleg.org

Notes:

1. www.njleg.state.nj.us/2000/Bills/

S0500/426_F1.HTM

2. www.state.nj.us/corrections/

o f f e n d e r _ s t a t i s t i c s / 2 0 0 1 /

2001_annrac.pdf

3. www.prisoncensorship.info/archive/etext/

agitation/prisons/campaigns/nj/nj.html

Paying For Oppression

New Jersey prisoners may have to pay for incarceration

MIM and RAIL, working with other

prison activist groups, have been waging

a battle against the torture units called

Security Housing Units (SHU) in

California prisons. The SHU is

segregation housing where prisoners are

kept in their cells 23 hours a day, for

years at a time. The SHU is used as

punishment for prisoners who fight for

their legal rights and protest guard

abuse. Thousands of men are locked up

in the SHU in California. Our petition

campaign has already yielded thousands

of signatures. And we are gaining support

across the state.

Recently a former SHU prisoner

contacted us to get involved. He

scheduled a protest date at his college

and sent us the following report:

"As for the petitions I only got to do it

for about a hour, because I had to go see

my parole officer. In that hour I did get

about 54 signatures! Most people were

real responsive to that and there were

those who are sadists. I had one

Corcoran C/O tell me that she hated that

place because of all the horrible things

that go on in there! She signed it! One

lady told me that we had that coming and

was glad there was such a place to put

us in. Straight Nazi!"

This activist also sent the following

report on life in the SHU to help expose

conditions there and build the campaign

to abolish the SHU.

Life within the Department of

Corrections is not what most people

think. It is a cruel and violent

environment, full of manipulation tactics,

scare tactics, and physical abuse. The

average person will probably say, "Good,

that's what they get", "put a bunch of

convicts together and they'll kill

themselves." Truth be told this is not only

done by the inmates, more commonly by

the guards on orders of the

administration officials.

Due to my constant struggle to fight

the oppressive conditions, I was given

an Indeterminate SHU term. In the

process I was robbed by the CO's. They

took all my valuable property, TV,

Wedding Ring, Clothes, and other stuff.

More than likely it was given to their

snitches. I filed a 602 [grievance] only to

be given a 115 for forgery. A good way

to clean up their crimes, blame me for it.

Isn't that the story of my life.

Well, in the year that followed I

received accommodations in a unlawful

AD- SEG. Housed in a temporary AD-

SEG for a year, only because I contested

every infraction and injustice committed

by the guards. Most of the 602s never

made it out of the building, those that did

were largely ignored. Every dirty trick

they could think of was used to keep us

quiet. For the most part it worked on

those who have no self-dignity.

Food served as a form of punishment

on a daily basis. The games played with

our food ranged from not giving us our

food while it was still hot to withholding

it from us. The guards allowed the food

to sit there and collect dust from the vents

or pass it out without wearing gloves or

hair nets. Then there's always a little

something extra in there for you to snack

on (finger nails, dirt and what not).

These by no means are the real abusive

Former security housing inmate exposes Cal. prison brutality

Even mistaken, Huey

Newton was better than

contemporary pseudo-

communists

The Huey P. Newton Reader

David Hilliard & Donald Weise, eds.

NY, NY: Seven Stories Press 2002

363 pp. hardcover

reviewed by MC5, January 2003

Huey Newton's wife and David

Hilliard own the copyright to this book.

Because not long ago it was very difficult

to find the Black Panther writings in

book form, we are thankful that yet

another book has come out, even if it is

$35.

Most of the material is old and the new

material comes from the period in which

we at MIM believe the Black Panthers

were already in serious decline. A number

of difficult turns in the struggle from 1969

found the Black Panthers increasingly

disoriented, and if we are to believe

Hilliard and others, Newton was

persynally disoriented by drugs in

addition to the murders of his comrades

and the confused interventions of the

Vietnamese comrades at the time.

Having said all that before in previous

MIM literature and having dealt with

much of the current book in our

document "On the internal class

structures of the internal semi-

colonies,"(1) I would like to approach

this subject from another angle. Hilliard's

introduction makes the valuable

observation that Huey Newton's writings

on inter-communalism presaged

"globalization" discussion today. In fact,

Huey Newton's observations are more

pointed and far-sighted than those today

by authors of Empire Hardt and Negri.(2)

In the 1980s, the "Revolutionary

Communist Party" was busy denigrating

the Black Panthers, but today now that

Newton is dead, they tend to most often

mention the Black Panthers as having

offered their leader Avakian secret

membership. Another important claimant

to the legacy is the African People's

Socialist Party (APSP), and this book

New book sheds light on Huey's internationalism

Continued on page 5...

Continued on page 8...

MIM Notes 276 · February 15, 2003 · Page 4

political responsibility to oneself and the

world. Nor should the apathy of others

justify one's own self-satisfaction with

marching. A progressive outlook requires

non-stop efforts at self-improvement.

The marchers in the anti-war

movement are often new to politics. Not

much separates them from those not

marching. More importantly, even

relatively political people can raise their

level of political participation and skills,

their quality of politics so-to-speak.

In politics, most people are all used to

blaming leaders and doing nothing. This

actually leaves the ruling class in place

and even makes organizing difficult for

non-rulers as well. An example is the

Boston Phoenix coverage of the DC

demonstration against the war. Posing as

"alternative" bourgeoisie while having

links to the Democratic Party, the Boston

Phoenix said that the mentions of the

Leonard Peltier case and Mumia Abu-

Jamal's case at the DC rally were "self-

indulgent" by the neo-Trotskyist activist

leaders of the rally, who we at MIM

disagree with but not the way the Phoenix

does. Political cynicism has spread so far

that now working on behalf of Leonard

Peltier or Mumia Abu- Jamal is "self-

indulgent." Listening to the Boston

Phoenix cynics, one would think that

these two political prisoners were writing

checks or sending bon-bons to the

activists who mention them at anti-war

rallies. In contrast, we would argue that

people supporting Leonard Peltier and

Mumia Abu-Jamal just happen to know

something about politics that the Phoenix

liberals do not.

The Phoenix has made it clear in past

articles that 911 has separated its writers

from the world's radicals. The Phoenix

called on Bush to turn to a liberal

internationalist base in this period of

turmoil to conduct war. Now the Phoenix

is opposing the Iraq War, or is it? Where

were they when Bush started the whole

"pre-emptive" strike schtick--still trying

to get Bush's pragmatic internationalist

ear? The Phoenix sang a different tune

after 911, but now it tells us that it was

"left" all along: "On one side are purists

who believe that almost any projection

of US military and economic power

beyond no-strings foreign aid and debt

forgiveness is wrong. To many of this

persuasion, the Al Qaeda attacks were

`blowback'--deeply tragic, but

inevitable and thoroughly

comprehensible. On the other side of the

American left are pragmatists who can

decipher the public mood and draw

distinctions between a war of defense

against Al Qaeda and the impending

conflict against Iraq." What can we say

but that the Phoenix is deeply out to

lunch, raising the usual: "Will purists turn

off deeper public opinion?"(1)

Alternative soul brother of the Phoenix

the Village Voice said, "If the last march,

in October, was the largest antiwar

protest since the Vietnam era, Saturday's

Message to the anti-war movement

Continued from page 1...

march was easily as big?-or bigger. The

networks nearly ignored October's demo,

while several liberal critics, such as

David Corn, called it `a pander fest for

the hard left' and expressed concern that

the organizer of both marches, the

International ANSWER Coalition, would

`prevent the antiwar movement from

growing.'"(2)

Fellow alternative travelers at the LA

Weekly piped in that defending

"convicted cop killers like Mumia Abu-

Jamal and H. Rap Brown as Workers

World does, we said, was hardly the way

to win over the millions we need to stop

Bush." LA Weekly columnist Marc

Cooper has made criticizing those who

would dare connect 911 to Amerika's

crimes abroad in any way something of

a cottage industry.(3)

Yet, if the "alternative" bourgeoisie

making its money on escort services and

persynal ads equaled the activity of more

dedicated anti-war people, there would

no longer be an issue to discuss. Bush

would have to back down and reorganize

for a future fight. So we have to ask

"pragmatic" toward what end, toward

ending the war or selling newspaper ads

or getting Democrats into power. We

would suggest the Phoenix and Voice are

often more concerned with the latter

causes while drawing distinctions that are

useful only in electoral politics, not in

solving the actual problems facing the

world right now.

Perhaps the "alternatives" should note

that in just the past month, the United

$tates threatened to attack a nuclear

power in Korea; following U.$. logic,

India's Defense Minister said India could

afford to absorb some nuclear hits while

Pakistan would be wiped out in such a

war and people across the world are

saying that an invasion of Iraq will trigger

more terrorism and war. In such

circumstances, it hardly matters if we

turn off "deep" American public opinion.

What matters is that we achieve the goals

we have-- peace. If Amerikkkans are not

ready to hear it, it does not mean we can

afford to dump the goal! Amerikkkans

may find learning internationalism

extremely painful--and we believe so

painful it is only possible amidst

violence--but it remains true that

peaceful internationalism is necessary for

species survival. That's either true or not.

Getting a majority of Amerikkkans on

one's side does not necessarily do

anything. Already a majority opposes

intensifying the existing Iraq war without

UN backing. Yet, that has done no good.

If every half-assed liberal or neo-liberal

did half as much political work as the

average radical, there'd be nothing to

discuss: The Iraq War could not happen.

The Phoenix has admitted that the more

numerous but lazy liberals have not much

anti-war activism to their credit: "Gitlin

argued that the `cynics of the hard left

have moved to the front of the current

antiwar movement.'" MIM would say it's

true: a tiny minority has led the

movement and liberals have made few

contributions except to provide big

names from Hollywood and Jesse

Jackson to show up at rallies and give

speeches.

The Democratic and Republican

parties do not dominate by the ardour of

their political activists. In fact, strictly by

the numbers, the Democrats,

Republicans, Libertarians and people

calling themselves "socialist" are four

camps of people with roughly equal

numbers. Looking at Yahoo! group

memberships, one can see that the largest

are not necessarily the Democrats and

Republicans. These two parties dominate

through use of their government power,

money, media and habit. The Libertarians

recently pointed out that their website

gets more traffic than the Democratic

Party's.

That's right: let's be clear there is an

issue of quality. Tens of millions pull the

levers for Democrats and Republicans,

but that fact is of no use to the peace

movement. If 200,000 people had shown

up in DC waving Mao's Red Book while

calling for an end to the war, we can be

sure the overall political situation would

be such that there'd be some concerted

efforts by Bush to compromise on the war

with the Boston Phoenix wing of the

"alternative" bourgeoisie, a.k.a. an

underground section of the Democratic

Party. They'd be working on how to save

face, not coercing the entire UN into

going Bush's way. After all, Bush is less

likely to send the military abroad if half

a million Maoists could stroll into DC in

the meantime. It's sad that MIM has to

spell that out, but after generations of

television and softcore pornography

"reading," the country has forgotten the

relationship established since the

American Revolution of 1776 between

demonstrations and power.

The Boston Phoenix and others are

constantly calling for watering down

without regard for what is necessary in

these dangerous, imperialist- militarist

times. Kudos to Adrian Brune for

recognizing that she preferred to go home

on the "Peter Pan bus that screened a

shiny, happy teen flick" instead of a

political activist bus. Now if she would

only wonder why even teen flicks are

more interesting than politics, she would

know why Phoenix liberals cannot be

taken seriously when the goal is peace.

We can only give the Phoenix's

Richard Byrne credit for his analysis of

the media: "On the ABC affiliate, the

three dozen counter-protestors received

more airtime than the approximately

110,000 antiwar marchers. Coverage

time on the local CBS affiliate was

roughly equal." We do not mind adding

that some "alternative" city papers did

not cover the DC rally at all--the

Philadelphia "City Paper" and the

Baltimore "City Paper," judging by their

web pages for instance. Byrne concludes

we have to compromise with the

mainstream media so they do better next

time. We at MIM conclude we have to

build our own.

That brings us to the next point. If the

people in just one of the many marches

gave as much money to print MIM Notes

as we MIM members do, MIM Notes

circulation would already be one billion.

It again raises the question of depth of

commitment beyond marching

occasionally and voting. If the

mainstream media chooses to give equal

time to a small knot of yahoos, it does

not have to matter. MIM Notes with a

circulation of a mere 20 million would

cover things correctly and politics would

suddenly look a lot different, and that's

not to mention the other institutions MIM

is building.

Compromising when you do not have

power is not pragmatic: it is completely

unrealistic. Bush is not going to give in

because he receives a mixed message

from people who vote sometimes. The

lesser-evil as the Phoenix perceived by

covering the radical versus liberal split

more than the counter-protestors is to side

with the most radical internationalists to

be found.

People who want to see Bush and the

Democrats forced to turn in a different

direction are going to have to see the

MIM pole grow to a position of public

prominence: that is pragmatism. Getting

weasel words together is not pragmatism:

it does nothing to improve the people and

their movements. Until we can guarantee

everyone an honest living under

socialism, do not take away the job of

bourgeois politicians: leave the weasel

wording and compromises to them and

join the people working for

thoroughgoing internationalism, the only

real guarantee of security and peace. If

you want to go on voting for liberals and

attending silent candle-light vigils, do it,

but give us your money. That would be

real pragmatism.

Notes:
1. www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/
news_features/top/features/documents/
02664251.htm
2. www.villagevoice.com/issues/0304/
kaplan.php
3. www.laweekly.com/ink/03/04/dissonance-
cooper.php

If every half-assed

liberal or neo-liberal
did half as much
political work as the

average radical,
there'd be nothing to
discuss: The Iraq War

could not happen.

MIM Notes 276 · February 15, 2003 · Page 5

On January 21st, the Washington Post

desperately slandered the anti-war

movement and Stalinism in an article by

Michael Kelly titled "Marching with

Stalinists." The Washington Post is one

of the premier political newspapers of the

United $tates and certainly should know

things about history, such as Trotsky,

Stalin etc., right? Think again.

Editor of the "Atlantic" and

Washington Post columnist Kelly said,

"International ANSWER (Act Now to

Stop War and End Racism) is a front

group for the communist Workers World

Party. The Workers World Party is,

literally, a Stalinist organization. It rose

out of a split within the old Socialist

Workers Party over the Soviet Union's

1956 invasion of Hungary -- the

breakaway Workers World Party was all

for the invasion."

The New York Times echoed the

sentiment on January 24th in an article

by Lynette Clemetson: "Some of the

group's chief organizers are active in the

Workers World Party, a radical Socialist

group with roots in the Stalin-era Soviet

Union."

On January 23rd, MIM wrote the

ombudsman at the Washington Post the

following letter:

"Dear Washington Post Ombudsman:

"We defenders of Stalin at the Maoist

Internationalist Movement are deeply

aggrieved by your naming the Workers

World Party `Stalinist' for their support

of the invasion of Hungary in 1956 in

Michael Kelly's column: http://

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/

articles/A25043-2003Jan21.html We

would have written Kelly, but we do not

see his email address.

"Bush Sr. supported Stalin's attack on

Hitler: does that make Bush Sr. a

`Stalinist'? When the West invaded

Germany after World War II did it

become `Stalinist'? Would the Allies

have reacted favorably if a Nazi

movement stirred to seize power in their

zones of Germany in the 1950s? Do you

think Eisenhower would have stood there

and allowed it to happen to avoid your

calling him `Stalinist'? Were you aware

that Hungary also sided with Hitler

during the war?

"Hopefully you realize that one foreign

policy decision does not make one

`Stalinist.' The Workers World Party is

descended from a Trotskyist party and to

this day refers to Trotsky favorably, not

Stalin. If you need proof, read their

documents such as: http://

www.workers.org/marcy/perestroika/

glossary.html They also quote the

bourgeois and Trotskyist line on the

Hitler-Stalin pact here: http://

w w w . w o r k e r s . o r g / m a r c y / 1 9 9 1 /

sm910627.html

"You can call us schismatic, but if you

are going to try to get into the details, try

to get the schisms right! As it stands, your

article is the crudest sort of red-baiting.

"Sincerely, International Minister

Maoist Internationalist Movement"

As of February 2nd, there was no reply

from the Washington Post, so we sent

another letter:

"Dear Washington Post Ombudsman:

"On January 23rd, I sent you the

message below and I have heard no reply

from anyone.

"You can check the Workers World

Party website for yourself. Here is an

example: `Khrushchev's report placed

Stalin in the dock of history as a mass

murderer, as one who had exterminated

hundreds of thousands of loyal

communists, leading cadres of the party

and of the military, and had resorted,

through his agents, to physical torture,

mass deportations, and the destruction of

inner-party democracy, among many

other crimes. ...

"`Of course much, in fact most, of what

Khrushchev had reported on had long

been known in the West and certainly in

the Soviet Union.' http://

www.workers.org/marcy/cd/samclass/

class/pcnvrt02.htm

"The Workers World Party has never

been `Stalinist.' You should admit that

you are simply out of your waters when

it comes to these questions.

"Sincerely, International Minister

Maoist Internationalist Movement"

It was obviously Kelly's intention to

scare people into not supporting the anti-

war movement. Yet in trying to get

involved in the issues he revealed either

an astonishing ignorance or an equally

astonishing willingness to lie. The fact

that the New York Times joined in on

the inaccurate politics shows that the East

Coast Establishment political

newspapers do not know what they are

talking about. People should rely on the

Internet as opposed to mainstream

newspapers. It's possible to get accurate

information on the Internet.

Wash. Post invokes Stalin to oppose anti-war movement

goes further to justify the kind of eclectic

politics that the APSP has taken up. More

and more material from the BPP in the

mid-1970s shows up as the background

for the APSP. (We at MIM are not able

to verify all this material, not having seen

it before.)

Newton himself came to refer to the

period that we at MIM uphold as

"revolutionary cultism." Hence, in this

collection we see the whole justification

for a right-ward turn in strategy in the

1970s as a matter of getting back in touch

with the people-- going to church,

working with Black capitalists to

promote their businesses and pushing

candidates.

Although he increasingly focused on

his theory of intercommunalism, Newton

continued to have scattered quotables on

other questions such as "democracy."

"Democracy in America (bourgeois

democracy) means nothing more than the

domination of the majority over the

minority. . . .Our children still die, our

youth still suffer from malnutrition, our

middle-aged people still suffer from

sickle-cell anemia and our elderly still

face unbearable poverty and hardship

they reach the twilight period of their

lives with nothing to sustain them

through these difficult times. Where is

the democracy in any of this for Black

people?" (p. 212)

As we noted before,(1) Huey Newton

believed that the lumpen-proletariat was

going to become the majority of society

and make revolution. It's 2003 and it has

not happened yet, but the strategy of the

1970s hinged on that analysis of Huey

New book sheds light on Huey's internationalism

Newton's. With such a force coming

forward, Huey Newton believed it was

important to stay in touch with the Black

people and not get too far ahead of them.

He believed he was responsible for the

party's getting too far ahead in the 1966

to 1969 period. Nonetheless, just as he

evaluated the 1966 to 1969 period, we

can sum up today the aftermath and we

hope that all dialectical materialists

following Huey Newton's thought will

recognize and account fully for the fact

that the lumpen did not become the

majority, and thus by Newton's own

analysis, there was no majority

revolutionary vehicle. We also then have

to question whether his strategies

accomplished what he wanted or merely

ended up catering to the enemy classes,

since no lumpen majority arose.

Newton thought that most people of his

day were bought off but that the lumpen

was going to increasingly dominate

inside u.$. borders. In this sense, the

sense of reality as it actually developed,

MIM remains in line with Huey Newton's

thought. At the same time, even in

decline, it stands out that Huey Newton

was leagues ahead of people like Avakian

and the APSP.

Today, Avakian's party says the

majority of surplus-value comes from

within u.$ borders and opposes the

dictatorship of the proletariat by placing

its hopes on the labor aristocracy

majority. In contrast, Huey Newton went

too far with his inter-communalism

theory, but it was much more correct--

even basically correct--when we

compare it to what the white nationalists

(RCP) and Black nationalists (APSP) are

saying today as they rename labor

aristocracies "proletariat."

We at MIM still call ourselves

"internationalist" while Newton said it

was time to move beyond

internationalism. Yet we will point out

that Avakian calls himself internationalist

while Newton was actually moreso in his

theory of intercommunalism.

Huey Newton was correct that times

had changed from the era of colonialism

and nations containing land masses that

were difficult to reach from other nations.

Newton pointed out that the whole globe

can now be circled in less than a day with

modern transport, so it became possible

for u.$. imperialism to truly dominate the

whole world and make one global

"empire."

"In order to plan a real intercommunal

economy we will have to acknowledge

how the world is hooked up. We also

have to acknowledge that nations have

not existed for some time. . . . I do not

believe that history can be backtracked.

. . .The United States, in order to correct

its robbery of the world, will have to first

return much of which it has stolen. I don't

see how we can talk about socialism

when the problem is world distribution.

I think this is what Marx meant when he

talked about the non-state." (pp. 172-3)

Since in that speech at Boston College

in 1970 and several other places Newton

made it clear that his theory of

intercommunalism started from the

standpoint of asking how to abolish

exploitation, we recognize his work as

basically correct. In contrast, Avakian

and open social-democracy is not

working to end exploitation, because it

does not acknowledge exploitation's

existence as part of its tactics pursuing

the exploiter majority.

While Newton made an ultra-left error

in saying Mao did not have a state, that

organized armed force was not a state and

that world distribution necessitated a leap

to communism's "non-state," his focus

on u.$. empire and ending its exploitation

was correct and made it possible to count

his theory as friendly to MIM's. What

he called a non-state and "uniting against

a common enemy" we called "joint

dictatorship of the proletariat of the

oppressed nations over imperialism."

MIM is talking about the same thing, just

without the idea that there is no state

except the U.$. state that Newton pushed.

Newton's idea on states went too far, but

on the other hand, his instinct that most

people using the word "socialism" meant

national socialism of one kind or another

was correct. None but the National

Bolsheviks (neo-Nazis) are better fitted

to benefit from Avakian-type "theory."

Notes:
1. www.prisoncensorship.info/archive/etext/contemp/
internalclass3.htm
2. www.prisoncensorship.info/archive/etext/bookstore/
books/commie/hardt.html

Continued from page 3...

MIM Notes 276 · February 15, 2003 · Page 6

bunker-busting nuclear weapons. North

Korea cited this "open declaration of

nuclear war" when it again withdrew

from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty

on January 10 of this year.(3) Thus, in

each case, Amerikan saber-rattling

preceded any discussion of a north

Korean nuclear weapons program. (It

wasn't until last November that U.$.

Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly

claimed north Korean officials told him

they were developing nuclear weapons--

something the north has strongly denied

(4), although you'd never know that

reading the New York Times.)

Cumings does a public service

reviewing the history of U.$. nuclear

weapons in Korea, which the United

$tates acknowledges were there at least

from 1958 to 1991 (pp. 477-483). This

sordid story includes several near-misses,

including after the famous 1976 axe fight

in the demilitarized zone. Evidently the

commanding U.$. general received

permission to delegate authority to

launch artillery and rocket strikes,

"yielding the possibility that tactical

nuclear weapons might be used without

central command and control" (p. 481).

Cumings also mentions the "formidable"

south Korean nuclear weapons program

begun in the seventies, something

government mouthpieces fail to note

when they rail against north Korea's

alleged program (p. 482). Cumings

quotes Amerikan government sources,

making it clear that "Korean lives were

hostage" to American nuclear policy

aimed at containing north Korea, China,

and even its allies in south Korea and

Japan (p. 480).

Cumings is a bourgeois internationalist

and believes economic cooperation

between north and south Korea and the

United $tates can avert war. There is

some truth to this--at least as far as

cooperation between the north and south

is concerned--and this makes Cumings

preferable to say, George Bush. However,

Cumings overlooks the inherent

rapaciousness of U.$. imperialism. This

leads him (for example) to overestimate

the significance of the 1994 "Agreed

Framework" deal where north Korea

promised to shut down its nuclear

reactors in exchange for fuel oil, more

modern reactors, and peace negotiations

from the United $tates. "[By the turn of

the century, i.e. now] if all goes well, the

United Stats and the DPRK [north Korea]

should finally have established full

diplomatic relations and the North's

energy program should be in full

compliance with the energy regime."(p.

486)

The United $tates reneged on almost

every promise it made in the "Agreed

Framework."(4) Nuclear reactors which

were supposed to go on-line this year are

far from completion (only the concrete

foundations are there). No peace talks or

talks on normalizing U.$.-north Korea

relations have been held. The United

Korea: Déjà vu all over again

$tates had been supplying north Korea

with fuel oil (when the north shut down

its reactors it became dependent on

outsiders for its energy needs) but the

Bush regime stopped these shipments at

the end of last year--another factor

behind north Korea's decision to restart

its reactors.

Cumings' rosy predictions have failed

because the United $tates saw an

opportunity in the north's distress, caused

in part by loss of subsidies from the

former Soviet Union and natural

disasters--and exacerbated by U.$.

policy. For example, due to lack of

electrical power, the north's fertilizer

production fell by more than 80% in the

nineties, severely hampering its modern

agricultural sector.(4) Why compromise

when you can starve `em out and have it

all? Notably much of the foot dragging

on the "Agreed Framework" occurred

during the Clinton administration.(5)

Although Clinton may have been too

clever to put north Korea in the "axis of

evil" or whine about how much he

"loathes" north Korean leader Kim Jong

Il, his fundamental policy towards north

Korea was not much different than

Bush's.

Nor are the Amerikans' aggressive

moves solely aimed at the north. These

provocations provide them with an

excuse to keep increasingly unpopular

Amerikan troops in south Korea--or

even increase them.(6) The Amerikan

imperialists also seem to be wary of a

unified Korea as a competitor. MIM has

argued that the Amerikans are willing to

share their booty with European and

Japanese imperialists in order to promote

"peaceful" joint exploitation of the Third

World--but that's no guarantee the

Amerikans are willing to offer that deal

to emerging capitalist powers in Asia.(7)

Some imperialists clearly do not want

that. Since the "Asian financial crisis"

the United $tates has withdrawn some of

the privileges granted south Korea and

Taiwan (e.g. in terms of access to the U.$.

market), and even called for the IMF to

break up some of Korea's large capitalist

firms.

Ironically, however, U.$. machinations

may drive the north and south together

but out of the U.$. orbit--a possibility

which has some at the New York Times

nervously wringing their hands.(8)

Completion of railway links between

north and south will give south Korean

capitalists greater access to Chinese and

Russian markets, while strengthening

north-south ties. Not coincidentally, the

United $tates has obstructed the

completion of these railway links.(9)

Aside from these contemporary issues,

Korea's Place in the Sun provides a

useful overview of the Korean war and

south Korea's economic development.

Cumings line on the Korean war is

basically correct: it began as a civil war

with roots in indigenous social conflicts

(e.g. peasants vs. landlords) and was

transformed into an Amerikan war of

aggression (p. 298). The puppet south

Korean regime had almost completely

collapsed by the time the United $tates

landed its troops in Pusan (pp. 267-268).

Cumings also devotes a sub-chapter (pp.

243-247) to Amerikan support for the

unpopular Rhee regime during the

guerrilla war in south Korea that

preceded the conflict with the north.

MIM has written elsewhere (9) that one

of the reasons for the capitalist economic

success of the "Four Tigers" (e.g. Korea

and Taiwan) was communist-inspired

land reform (in the case of Korea, the

Korean Communists actually carried out

much of the land reform during the war).

Cumings' chapter on the post-war south

Korean economy (pp. 299-336) gives

another reason for its particular success:

war profiteering. Then-president Park

Chung Hee essentially sold the United

$tates south Korean troops to use in

Vietnam. "After several months of

negotiations, the Koreans squeezed a

large pile of cash and aid commitments

out of Washington, estimated at $7.5

million per division... [A]bout $1 billion

in American payments went to Korea in

the period 1965-1970. Scholars estimated

that this arrangement annually accounted

for between 7 and 8 percent of Korea's

GDP in the period 1966-1969 and for as

much as 19 percent of its total foreign

earnings...

"Vietnam became a frontier for Korean

enterprise... Vietnam absorbed 94 percent

of Korea's total steel exports and 52

percent of its export of transportation

equipment... All this underlines the way

in which warfare in East Asia was

handmaiden to economic growth in the

period 1935-1975."(pp. 321-322)

Cumings later argues that the Korean

path to capitalist success is a model for

other Third World nations (p. 325). He's

missed the point of his own research,

however. Most countries will not be

given tons of dough by Uncle Sam along

with access to Amerikan markets. South

Korean leaders were fortuitously able to

extract a "rent" from the Amerikans,

basically because they were on the front

lines of the revolutionary struggle. Other

countries (e.g. the Philippines) have tried

to do follow the Korean path and failed.

As inflated as it is, the U.$. market is not

big enough to suck up surplus product

from more than a few select countries.

Although he's somewhat sympathetic

to the Korean Communists' struggles

against feudalism and foreign domination

up to the Korean war, Cumings' chapter

on post-war north Korea is mostly

disposable. More than two-thirds of the

chapter is devoted to gossip, psy-war and

psychoanalysis--the same kind of "to

understand north Korea you have to

understand Confucianism" crap that he

correctly dismisses out-of-hand in the

case of the south (pp. 300, 398-419). We

do learn some interesting facts from the

other third. For example, contrary to

Cumings own claims about the

bankruptcy of the "self-sufficient model"

for economic growth, the north Korean

economy grew faster than the south's

from the end of the war until the middle

seventies (pp. 423-424).

Bruce Cumings, Korea's Place in the

Sun, New York: W.W. Norton & Co,

1997. 527 pp. hb.

Notes:
1. Associated Press, 31 Jan 2003.
2. MIM Notes 255, 1 Apr 2002.
3. Korean Central News Agency, 10 Jan 2003,
www.kcna.co.jp.
4. www.zmag.org/elich_korea.htm
5. Cumings also misread Jimmy Carter's 1994
peace mission which led to the "Agreed
Framework." Cumings suggests that by
announcing a potential deal live on CNN, Carter
placed pressure on then Korean leader Kim Il
Sung. Gregory Elich, on the other hand, argues
persuasively that the live broadcast was meant
to put pressure on the Clinton administration,
which was gunning for war. "A State
Department official later reflected, `The
shocking thing about the Carter visit wasn't that
people were disappointed that someone was
going. It was when he got the freeze, people
here were crestfallen" (see note 4).
6. "Admiral seeks deterrent force in Korea
crisis," New York Times, 1 Feb 02.
7. "Imperialism and its Class Structure 1997,"
http://www.prisoncensorship.info/archive/etext/mt/imp97/
index.html.
7. "Seoul looks to new alliances," New York
Times, 26 Jan 2003.
8. See e.g. MIM Theory 4.
9. "U.S. Accused of Blocking `Sunshine
Policy,'" Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan 2003.

Did you know?

There are more

than 200 back

issues of MIM

Notes available

on the MIM

website? Not only

can you browse

more than 15

years of the

newspaper, you

can also keep up

with the very

latest on MIM

agitation

campaigns,

prisoner news, all

the latest on the

U$ war, and much

more. MIM's

website is an

indispensable tool

for the

revolutionary

movement. Get

involved!

www.etext.org/

Politics/MIM

MIM Notes 276 · February 15, 2003 · Page 7

Korea's Place in the Sun: A
Modern History
by Bruce Cumings
W.W. Norton & Company, 1997
527 pp. pb.

MIM solicited and edited the following

review from a Pennsylvania prisoner. We

provided the prisoner with the book free

of charge, thanks to a donation from a

supporter. A review by MIM focusing on

recent events starts on page 1 of this

issue.

While most of the world only knows

of Korea with the beginning and ending

of the Korean War, Cumings explores the

pre-Korean War period including the

interests and power struggles of other

nations affecting Korea, and the post-

Korean War period including two

military coups and several popular

rebellions.

Cumings starts with an early history of

Korea and in just the first two chapters

covers in more detail of Korean history

than is readily available in most history

books. Korea has long been known as the

"Hermit Kingdom," but most historians

do not discuss the reasons why Korea

struggled to become and stay the "Hermit

Kingdom." Instead, they simply gloss

Koreans "xenophobic." Cumings

concludes Korean desire for isolation

was the direct result of past foreign

incursions into Asia, including examples

such as "the Little War with the Heathen"

(as the New York Herald called it), which

involved one hundred French and

Amerikan marines. Such invasions dating

back as early as China's Opium Wars of

1839-42 molded Korea's attitudes

towards foreigners.

Cumings third chapter covering 1905

to 1945 or the pre-Korean War period is

perhaps the most thought-provoking part

of the book. It details the deliberate

undermining of Korea by other nations

(China, Russia, Japan, British and the

United $tates), all wanting a division of

the Korean Peninsula into spheres of

influence. When these negotiations

failed, in 1904 Japan launched a surprise

attack on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur.

This led to the treaty signed in 1905,

brokered by Theodore Roosevelt.

Diplomatic notes exchanged between

Roosevelt and the Japanese

acknowledged a trade-off between the

Philippines and Korea: Japan would not

question American rights in its colony,

and the U.S. would not challenge Japan's

new protectorate. As long as the direction

of Japanese imperialism was toward

Korea and Manchuria, which pushed it

away from the Philippines or the many

British colonies, it had the blessing of

London and Washington. Korea was

simply used as a bargaining chip.

The Korean independence movement

was so strong that the Japanese realized

their repressive rule was out of date and

began a "cultural policy" of tutoring

Koreans for a distant day of

independence (much as the United $tates

did in the Philippines). This, of course,

was only a tool of subversion, so the

Japanese could corral, co-opt, and

moderate independence activists. Despite

the many hardships Korean militants

founded such groups as the Korean

Communist Party (KCP), Uibyong,

Korean Provisional Government (KPG)

and many more, all practicing

internationalism and resistance.

Cumings points out that this resistance

was not monolithic. "Japanese progress

attracted many Koreans before 1905 and

enticed or subverted all too many

thereafter; colonial officials used divide-

and-rule tactics, although more so after

1919 than before; far more Koreans

serviced the colonial dictatorship than

most would like to admit."

Modernization and exploitation went

hand in hand under Japanese colonialism,

which led to Koreans eating millet while

exporting high quality rice to Japan.

Korean enterprises were held back (the

Japanese directly owned 70% of the

businesses in Korea). The Japanese also

used slave labor and forced 100,000-

200,000 women and girls into sexual

slavery as "comfort women."

Cumings dispels the notion that U.$.

involvement in Korea began with the war

that came in 1950. The critical period that

led to national division and opposing

states that still exist today was the years

from 1943 to 1953, after WWII when

Korea gained independence from Japan.

There was no Korean justification for

dividing Korea. Again the United $tates

used Korea as a bargaining chip, this time

as a buffer between them and their Cold

War enemies, the USSR. The Amerikans

ignored Koreans' needs to such a degree

that they used the Japanese in Korea to

retain control. South Korean opposition

was suppressed and the peasant tenants'

needs of redistribution of land blocked.

The United $tates backed the landowning

class, who during the colonial period

profited while everybody else suffered.

While Amerikan "history" textbooks

blame the North for a "sneak" attack and

invasion, Cumings correctly concludes

the Korean War was a civil war is based

on internal contradictions of land, wealth

and ideologies.

The Korean Communists fought a war

on all fronts: Conventional, guerrilla, and

political war over the people's

committees and land reform. In other

words, this was a people's war, like the

subsequent war in Vietnam, and it also

called forth an appalling American

response. From the first days of war the

Americans contemplated the use of

atomic weapons in this "police action."

The North has always been under the

threat of nuclear annihilation, including

the use of high radiation cobalt bombs

for the effect of creating a "no-mans

land" for at least 60 years cutting the

Korean peninsula in half with a radiation

band.

Regarding China's participation in the

war, Cumings argues that China entered

the war not just to protect its border.

Rather, Mao Tse-tung determined early

in the war that if the North Koreans

faltered, China had an obligation to come

to their aid because of the sacrifice of so

many Koreans in the Chinese revolution

and the anti-Japanese resistance.

In conclusion, Cumings notes: "The

true tragedy was not the war itself, for a

civil conflict purely among Koreans

might have resolved the extraordinary

tensions generated by colonialism,

national division and foreign

intervention. The tragedy was that the

war solved nothing, only the stats quo

ante was restored, only an armistice held

the peace. Today the tensions and

problems remain."

South Korea's economy was based on

the U.S. willingness to indulge countries

like Korea sitting on the fault lines of the

cold war. Cumings points out that

Syngman Rhee was a master at

wheedling so many direct grants out of

the U.S. that by the end of the 1950s they

accounted for five-sixths of all Korean

imports. The largesse of the U.S. was

extreme, accounting for $12 billion in the

years of 1945-65, and for 100 percent of

the ROK government budget in the

1950s. Rhee used the U.S. funds to create

a modernized Korea and used anti-

Japanese rhetoric to deflect attention

away from the many Japanese

collaborators who served in his

government.

However the U.S. always wanted a

"normalization" between Korea and

Japan in an effort toward economic

stability amongst its allies in Northeast

Asia. It wasn't until Park Chung Hee's

1961 coup that this was realized. In this

normalization, and at a time when

Korea's exports were 200 million, the

ROK received from Japan a direct grant

of 300 million, loans of 200 million, and

private firms put in another 300 million

in investments. Park used this influx of

funds to realize his slogan "Chol un

Kungnyok" (steel= national power). Park

was also very adept at wheedling grants

and loans exploiting such situations as

the Vietnam War (see parallel review by

MIM on page 1).

Those who praised South Korean

development rarely spoke of the dark side

of Korea, that despite having "the

Miracle on the Han" South Korea had

one of the most repressive and unstable

political systems in the world. Park

Chung Hee came to power in a coup and

was ousted by a coup. Chun Doo Hwan,

his replacement and head of the Military

Intelligence, reinstated full martial law.

Chun later agreed to permit election of

the next president by direct popular vote

but only after massive protests calling for

democratic reforms. Roh Tae Woo was

elected. However, under Roh the military

co-existed with the ruling bloc while it

exercised veto power over opposition

groups. Roh arrested dissidents using the

National Security Law at a rate of 3.3

per day during 1989. Roh's successor

jailed Roh and Chun for the coup in

December 1979 and the Kwangju

massacre, where the military (with U.$.

backing) killed over 1000 anti-

dictatorship protestors. Present day

Korea still has the National Security Law,

under which any person who praises or

encourages "anti-state activities" can be

prosecuted, and North Korea remained

defined as an "anti-state organization."

Book review: Korea's Place in the Sun

CAMBRIDGE, MA, January

20--Celebrating Martin Luther

King's birthday, over 300 people

demonstrated in freezing

temperatures in Central Square

before attending a sermon at Saint

Peter's Episcopal Church on

Massachusetts Avenue. MIM

handed out over 100 copies of

MIM Notes.

The demonstrators carried signs

especially appropriate for Martin

Luther King Day, such as "Stand with

King in the spirit of peace." Another

demonstrator carried a sign saying "war

sucks."

The rally was an example of many

events that continued over three days at

a pace not seen outside of occasional

student outbursts such as that at nearby

Harvard University on behalf of the 10

dollar an hour minimum wage. There are

many movements that can sustain a one

Cambridge rallies

continue over three days

demonstration event, but sustaining

energy over consecutive days is more

difficult. If the situation with Iraq

continues into the spring without decisive

U.$. victory, we can predict that it should

be a hot one politically based on the

upswing in determination and numbers

seen in the streets.

A Cambridge banner.

MIM Notes 276 · February 15, 2003 · Page 8

* Regarding biological weapons, if the

united $tates were so concerned it would

not have supported Richard Butler and

Dick Spertzel in their refusal to conduct

biological weapons inspections because

of fear they would prove Iraq right.(p.

43)

* Iraq has anthrax somewhere as Bush

mentioned in his "State of the Union"

speech, but it is useless.(p. 42) Bush was

disingenuous when saying that the

anthrax could kill millions of people. Not

accounting for it does not change the fact

that it cannot be effective anymore. Most

of his details in the speech refer to things

from the UN inspections up to 1998,

things already addressed by Ritter.

The New York Times also talks about

some aluminum tubes and attempted

uranium purchases by Iraq,(1) but Ritter

points out that a real nuclear weapons

program is not a matter of some

aluminum and uranium. It takes tens of

billions of dollars and Ritter says the

process emits substances detectable by

Big Brother--U.$. spy technologies.

Talking about how "high intelligence" in

England supposedly caught someone

trying to buy uranium makes great

theater, but it is dishonest when that same

"high intelligence" knows that more goes

into making a nuclear bomb. What the

New York Times leaves out is discussion

Former inspector Ritter explains Iraq arms details

of whether or not Ritter is correct that

the Uncle $am would have to know if

Iraq were producing nuclear weapons.

The New York Times is also not talking

about the context for why no one believes

there is an Iraq and Al-Qaeda connection.

No where does it mention that Iraq's laws

call for a death sentence for proselytizing

for Bin Laden's religion.(p. 49) The

failure to at least mention the facts

suggesting the unlikely nature of an Al-

Qaeda/Iraq connection proves the

"biased" nature of most of the

mainstream media ready to put forward

sensational connections between people

who have sworn to kill each other in the

past.

It's a measure of the fear-mongering

times that conservative Republican Scott

Ritter who voted for Bush in 2000 has

been called a "traitor" in what is a conflict

between conservatives and neo-

conservatives. Ritter believes that

politically the u.$. imperialists should

stick with the old formula of allying with

monarchies in the Arab oil-producing

countries. Throwing out Hussein and

really allowing democracy would make

Iran too powerful, says Ritter, because

the majority of Iraqi people (unlike

Saddam Hussein) come from the same

religious group as Iran. Neo-

conservatives talk about occupations and

"revolution" in the Middle East and they

have the upper hand in the form of

Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Pearle and

Paul Wolfowitz.(p. 66)

MIM does not put forward the line that

weapons proliferation is impossible in

Iraq. Quite the contrary, we hold that

capitalism makes weapons proliferation

a global inevitability. Ritter, Bush,

Cheney--despite their intra-ruling class

fight--all have what we could call the

"Sum of All Fears" paradigm, to mention

a movie that the public may be more

familiar than the politics involved behind

the Iraq War.(2) An example would be

Ritter's statement: "The manufacture of

chemical weapons emits vented gases

that would have been detected by now if

they existed. We've been watching, via

satellite and other means, and have seen

none of this. If Iraq was producing

weapons today, we'd have definitive

proof, plain and simple." (p. 37) For these

rulers, it's a matter of tracking individual

weapons and plants, the same way a

department store has video cameras to

watch shoplifters.

All of this makes interesting reading.

For example, Ritter explains how Butler

designed some inspections to have no

value other than provoking the Iraqis so

that the united $tates would have an

excuse to bomb Iraq in 1998.

Ritter ends the book saying he puts

U.S. interests first and not sympathy for

the Iraqi people. Yet, he should know that

the world is now too small for there to

be a meaningful difference between Iraqi

and U.$. people when it comes to

weapons proliferation and war. As he said

himself, "if either the United States or

Israel were to use a nuke against Iraq, I

guarantee within ten years the United

States would be struck by a terrorist

nuclear bomb."(p. 65) Ritter says Iraq,

Iran and Pakistan will cooperate with

terrorists and give them nukes if the

United $tates pushes too hard. That is

exactly the sort of reason amongst many

others like it that world citizens need to

arise-- proletarian internationalists.

Nations trying to exist at the expense of

other nations will inevitably produce the

final extermination of the species.

Notes:

1. See countless articles parroting

Bush's line on the nefarious aluminum

tubes. In a report issued the weekend

before Bush's speech, the head of the

International Atomic Energy Agency

(IAEA) said he found no evidence that

Iraq had processed the tubes for use in a

nuclear program. He noted that the tubes

had immediate uses in conventional

weaponry. The Washington Post (29 Jan

2003) devoted three paragraphs at the end

of an article to the IAEA's analysis; the

New York Times (27 Jan 2003) gave it a

half sentence.

2. See MIM's review in MIM Notes

275 or online at www.etext.org/Politics/

MIM/movies.

conditions they impose. For all the hard

work I put in to stop the oppressive

conditions, I suffered several torture

sessions. Around May 2001, my cell mate

and I were placed on the yard for over 4

1/2 hours in 104 degree heat with no

shade or a way to cover up. Our protests

were ignored by the guard who told us

"you punks want yard well here it is." I

suffered severe sun burns to my back,

arms, legs and chest. Unable to move for

a week I kept asking for medical

attention, only to be told it's about time

you get some color. I had not seen sun

light in about 4-5 months prior to that.

Even the MTA just walked by laughing

at me.

Once I was better I filed a 602 for

medical attention (to date the 602 has still

not been responded to). I filed many

602's in the year that followed only to

be ignored. For my complaints I was

treated the same again a few months later,

but this time it was a 10 hour stint. The

only good thing is that it was not as hot

that day or who knows, I could have died!

The 602 process is in dire need of

revamping and implementation of some

type of monitoring system.

In the SHU we hardly go out to the

yard, but once a week. That's if the

guards aren't acting like pricks and

holding the cages. The law is that we are

to get something like 10 hours a week,

however that is not the case at Corcoran

Former security housing inmate exposes Cal. prison brutality

SHU. There one is lucky to see the light

of day twice a month.

The worst injustice in Corcoran SHU

is the taking of books! It not only is an

injustice to the Prisoners, but to the

community as well. By taking the books

CDC hope to keep the inmate population

underfoot and ignorant to the injustices

that they face on a daily basis. It is a plain

attempt to impede the rehabilitation of

any inmate who wishes to better himself

though education. With no educational

material CDC hopes to keep the inmates

preoccupied with mind dulling nonsense.

What do they fear that the inmate might

learn? A better form of living for himself

and his family? That is one question that

we all need to ask ourselves, Why is

education so dangerous to these people?

It is job security that's what it is! Keep

them locked up or coming back, anything

to have that next check.

While I was in the SHU I had several

books and [drawings]. These items are

often up for grabs when one leaves the

cell. I went to yard one day to have my

artwork stolen by a guard who I would

not give one to. He had asked me for one

for some time, but I would rather use it

for T.P. than to give it to one of them.

Well, this C/O went in to my cell and took

them all when I was at yard that day. I

tried to file a 602 only to be told that it

was contraband and that, that C/O did not

work my unit that day. I and others say

We constantly update MIM's

coverage of the U.$. war on

our web site, with news and
opinion, agitation materials,
articles in English, Spanish,

French, Chinese and

Russian!

Read and distribute the

newspaper -- and get the

latest:

www.etext.org/ Politics/MIM

him in the unit, but who is going to

believe us?

Thank god for the military training I

have or else I do not know if I could have

handled that SHU's total lack of human

contact (out side the ass beating by the

guards). I was not in contact with another

person since 2000. I can only say that I

am so happy to be out of there and don't

have to go through that again. I could sit

here and tell you all the horrible thing

that go on in there, but I would rather

forget some of them.

MIM Notes 276 · February 15, 2003 · Page 9

By El Diario Internacional

Translated by Studies for the

Liberation of Azltan and Latin

America

A brief description of the participants

In theory there is no problem

demonstrating that the electoral process

is a mere tool of manipulation for the

groups holding state power. We have thus

stated that elections are periodically

staged for the purpose of concealing the

unpopular character and anti-democratic

essence of the State and the imposed

political system. We've also said that the

different types of elections, presidential,

parliamentary, local and by referendum

are intended as the crux of State schemes

and campaigns which are designed to

alienate and swindle the poor masses.

Depending on the specific conditions of

each country, the electoral process serves

as an escape valve for the great social

tension within the system (El Diario

Internacional No. 62).

In particular, an ingenious plan for

controlling the population and above all

for covering up the severe crisis which

the government of Alejandro Toledo is

currently undergoing is the call to elect a

mayor and the municipal elections held

on November 17, 2002. There is little

doubt that this Sunday's elections

function to distract the masses in the

midst of immense accumulated social

strife which continues to mount and can

only result in a time-bomb that will

detonate in the face of those who

currently control the State. These

elections whose participants are ex-

fujimoristas, known traffickers in politics

and all manner of fugitives bear the same

characteristics as those carried out by the

previous mafia government. For

example, the elections are marked by the

militarization of the country, where the

military continues to be the seat of power.

According to the Minister of the Interior,

almost 95 thousand police have been

mobilized to "safeguard the comedians."

The Minister Gino Costa said that

surveillance would "be intense by air and

land employing MI-17 helicopters,

Yankee-12 planes and video"

(Declarations, Gino Costa Santolalla,

November 16, 2002). Another example

is the aberrant fact that the corrupt and

criminal military will be one of the

institutions charged with safeguarding

the purity of these elections. To achieve

this goal and by edict of the National

Council on Elections the military will

receive copies of each electoral ballot.

And in further coincidence with the

fraudulent elections in the times of

Fujimori and Montesinos, a delegation

of 60 "observers" from the OEA were

moved to Peru in order to "certify"

electoral "purity."

The Candidates

If someone fails to grasp swindling and

manipulative nature of these elections or

happens to harbor doubts about the

criteria used in judging their character he

need only review the history of the

principal candidates. To begin with we

must mention Michel Azcueta who is the

principal candidate of "Possible Peru," a

political group owned by Alejandro

Toledo. Azcueta has a robust political

curriculum and in 20 years has walked

in and out of every political group in

Peru. He was part of the organization

known as "United Left". As a member

of the "Left" he rallied votes for the

presidential campaign of Alan Garcia

Perez in 1985. Also with the "Left" he

supported the electoral campaign of

Alberto Fujimori (1990) and was in the

service of the State when the Fujimori

Mafia seized power. Later he appeared

as a militant in the organization "Unity

for Peru", which was led by Javier Perez

de Cuellar and when this international

functionary failed a presidential

candidate, Azcueta had no problem

declaring himself a militant of "We are

Peru," an electoral organization led by

right-winger Alberto Andrade, currently

Mayor of Lima. Then in the midst of the

crisis facing the Fujimori mafia, Azcueta

changed sides again and emerged in

support of the candidate Alejandro

Toledo (2000). But the story doesn't end

there as Azcueta still has time to affiliate

himself with the party of "Camotillo el

Tinterillo" [Stage name for candidate; see

below -Trans.] who is now a candidate

for the district of Lima.

Rolando Breña Pantoja is another one

of the candidates and leader of what is

known in Peru as "Patria Roja." This

figure is the candidate of the movement

called "New Left Movement" which is a

second helping of whatever is left over

from "United Left." It is well known, and

we have treated it as such in an earlier

article (El Diario Internacional No. 62)

that "Patria Roja" is part of the legal and

official left in the country and that like

Michel Azcueta, Pantoja was travel

companion to Alan Garcia Perez and

Alberto Fujimori. The leaders of "Patria

Roja" don't hold anything back when

proclaiming that they've been at the

forefront of organizing the paramilitary

bands (both urban and rural tours) used

by the military as part of their

counterinsurgency campaigns. For

"Patria Roja" the electoral manipulation

of the masses is something necessary to

their miserable political existence in the

official field. Their proclamation that

"political power grows from the barrel

of a gun" is something like a musical

verse which serves as topping for their

electoral campaigns. For these elections

"Patria Roja" has forged an alliance

which corresponds to its unscrupulous

and mobster-like nature. It has united

itself with something calling itself "the

communist party of Peru" (Unity) . This

organization survives because of

deception and swindling. The CPP-Unity

climbed on the bandwagon of General

Juan Velasco in 1968 and said that this

military figure led the people of Peru

"towards socialism." They have traded

in all popular struggles and different

governments have found in this

organization their greatest ally in

breaking up worker's struggles. This

party was on the side of Garcia Perez and

Alberto Fujimori. It supported the

electoral campaign of Alejandro Toledo.

During the 60's they survived from

money from the ex-Soviet Union and

when the Soviet Union collapsed, they

officially declared bankruptcy.

Of the remaining candidates we can

only say that they stem from Fujimorismo

and from the filthiest right-wing trenches

in the country. Here we'll find "Andean

Renaissance" led by the comedian Tulio

Loza, known by his stage name

"Camotillo el Tinterillo." This character

Peru: Toledo's Electoral Circus

Militarism is war-mongering or the

advocacy of war or actual carrying out

of war or its preparations.

While true pacifists condemn all

violence as equally repugnant, we

Maoists do not consider self-defense

or the violence of oppressed nations

against imperialism to be militarism.

Militarism is mostly caused by

imperialism at this time. Imperialism

is the highest stage of capitalism--

seen in countries like the United

$tates, England and France.

Under capitalism, capitalists often

profit from war or its preparations.

Yet, it is the proletariat that does the

dying in the wars. The proletariat

wants a system in which people do not

have self-interest on the side of war-

profiteering or war for imperialism.

Militarism is one of the most

important reasons to overthrow

capitalism. It even infects oppressed

nations and causes them to fight each

other.

It is important not to let capitalists

risk our lives in their ideas about war

and peace or the environment. They

have already had two world wars

admitted by themselves in the last 100

years and they are conducting a third

right now against the Third World.

Even a one percent annual chance of

nuclear war destruction caused by

capitalist aggressiveness or "greed" as

the people call it should not be tolerated

by the proletariat. After playing

Russian Roulette (in which the bullet

chamber is different each time and not

related at all to the one that came up in

previous spins) with 100 chambers and

one bullet, the chance of survival is

only 60.5% after 50 turns. In other

words, a seemingly small one percent

annual chance of world war means

eventual doom. After 100 years or turns

of Russian Roulette, the chances of

survival are only 36.6%. After 200

years, survival has only a 13.4%

chance.

What is militarism?

has played the jester to each regime in

turn and in between jokes and buffoonery

of every kind he put himself on the side

of each leader. Another of the candidates

in these elections comes from "National

Unity," a right wing group whose

candidate for the mayoral chair in Lima

is non other than Luis Castañeda Lossio,

and ex-high functionary of the Fujimori

government, accused of having looted

Peru's social security. Alberto Andrade

also appears as a candidate in these

elections, current mayor of Lima and

leader of the group "We are Peru."

Andrade, who declares himself an

admirer of Toledo seeks a re-election and

gives but a sideway glance at accusations

that link him to corruption in Lima's

municipal fund. As competition, "Unity

for Peru" created by Javier Perez de

Cuellar also appears.

El Diario Internacional Brussels,

November 16, 2002

MIM Notes 276 · February 15, 2003 · Page 10

MIM on

Prisons & Prisoners

MIM seeks to build public opinion

against Amerika's criminal injustice sys-

tem, and to eventually replace the bour-

geois injustice system with proletarian jus-

tice. The bourgeois injustice system im-

prisons and executes a disproportionately

large and growing number of oppressed

people while letting the biggest mass mur-

derers -- the imperialists and their lack-

eys -- roam free. Imperialism is not op-

posed to murder or theft, it only insists that

these crimes be committed in the interests

of the bourgeoisie.

"All U.S. citizens are criminals--

accomplices and accessories to the crimes
of U.$. oppression globally until the day
U.$. imperialism is overcome. All U.S.
citizens should start from the point of view
that they are reforming criminals."

MIM does not advocate that all

prisoners go free today; we have a
more effective program for fighting
crime as was demonstrated in China
prior to the restoration of capitalism
there in 1976. We say that all prisoners
are political prisoners because under
the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, all
imprisonment is substantively
political. It is our responsibility to
exert revolutionary leadership and
conduct political agitation and
organization among prisoners --
whose material conditions make them
an overwhelmingly revolutionary
group. Some prisoners should and will
work on self-criticism under a future
dictatorship of the proletariat in those
cases in which prisoners really did do
something wrong by proletarian
standards.

Under Lock & Key

News from Prisons & Prisoners

ABC report ignores
facts about NY prisons

The following is a letter from a prisoner in

NY addressed to ABC television reporter John
Stossel regarding an issue that has been of
continued concern in New York prisons, the
"loaf." As detailed below, the loaf is used as
a tool of social control in NY prisons. MIM
supports the prisoners who took this issue to
court as we support the guarantee of
adequate food to all people. While this issue
has been mocked in the bourgeois media, we
take this opportunity to provide the other side
of the story in the people's media. For more
reporting on this topic, from a revolutionary
perspective, see MIM Notes #118 and #253
(available on MIM's web site at
www.prisoncensorship.info/archive/etext).

John Stossel
ABC-Amerikkan Broadcast
Network
New York, New York
www.abc/john stossel.com
December 5, 2002

Mr. Stossel:
Your recent manipulation of a "SERIOUS"

issue "the loaf..." is appalling. This draconian
torture method directly effects prisoner's
health and your interview was deficient, and
insultingly unprofessional by (NOT) bringing
both positions of DOCS and Prisoners'
concerns to the Public. Your interview further
insults the intellect, integrity and sense of
responsibility your profession is supposed to
have whenever reporting on an issue. As well
as, the viewers whom watched and voted on
an issue without "FULL DISCLOSURE OF
THE FACTS."

In many instances, prisoners are being

abused with this form of torture by guards
whom claimed to have been assaulted by
prisoners. Your praising the sample loaf
provided, which was probably fresh and
warmed especially for your visit, is
despicable. Usually, the loaf is baked 3-4
times a year and stored frozen. You made no
mention that each prisoner on the loaf MUST
be medically assessed daily for heart rates,
blood pressure and weight. You further
neglected to state to your viewers that single
portions unit loafs are served "once" daily.
No other food or portions are provided.

Yet, "You seemed surprised!" As a result

of your reprehensibly inferior broadcast,
viewers were duped into making comments
like, "The Founding Fathers of the USA (I
hope they are in heaven) must be looking
down at us aghast at this perversion of what
they meant as (cruel and unusual)!" Are these
the same Founding Fathers that condoned and
propagated Slavery for more than 400
years??? I think so. Also, to systemically and
automatically agree with an Agency
(Department Of corruption) which has a long
history of abuse, lies, and inhumane atrocities
since its inception is sloppy, unworthy
journalism. Where was the prisoners view in
this report???

One example of deception for profits: The

Department Of Corruption lied publicly in
seeking approval to build "Upstate Prison
Complex." It was reported in Court
documents that "Upstate" was to house the
`Most Dangerous' in the NYS prison system.

Since its completion, Upstate plantation has
not housed, "The Worst of the Worst." It has,
however, housed many non-violent
infractions such as; drug-use, minor out of
place and movement violations, minor
disobeying direct order infractions. All
contrary to its official statement to the
Legislature and Courts for permission to build
and its "alleged" purpose.

Furthermore, the Department of Corruption

continues to violate Correction Law, New
York Code of Rules and Regulations, and
State Directives on criteria for placement and
housing of Special Housing Unit (SHU)
Prisoners by forcing SHU prisoners to Double
Bunk with general population KEEP-LOCK
status, regular cell confinement, prisoners.
The contradictions in SHU verses Keep-Lock
status are many. They range from the Right
to Contact Visitations, Possessing Personal
Property, and the Use of Mechanical
Restraints; ie: Hand-cuffs, Waist-Chains and
Leg Shackles whenever SHU prisoners exit
the cage. Even during visitations. Thus,
arbitrarily imposing additional sanctions not
stipulated in administrative dispositions
violates the RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS of
prisoners for the sole purpose of filling
Upstate. By doing this, the State creates
additional liabilities upon tax- payers by
housing the Non-Violent with the Violent.

In closing, "Where is professional

journalism on these issues?" Noticeably
absent! Upstate remains operational and
under capacity without regard for the
appropriate humane treatment of prisoners in
order to boost the Northern tier economy on
the backs of minority youth from the inner-
cities. I'm sure your viewers would appreciate
the truth concerning these issues? Looking
forward to your professional journalistic
response.

A prisoner of Consciousness...
PS: 20/20 aired this piece on September

13, the anniversary of Attica Riots. It should
be remembered that NO prisoners killed the
guards at Attica. ALL WERE KILLED BY
STATE TROOPERS. NOT PRISONERS.
SAD, BUT TRUE! May the spirits of the
many prisoners that sacrificed so much be
forever remembered with reverence.

EPA head supported
CO rampage

All, or virtually all, politicians are down

with the government's prison program. Here
in NJ the former governor was an eyewitness
to prisoners being dragged from their cells
and savagely beaten by "GOON SQUADS"
in one of the state prisons, and she (Gov.
Christie Whitman) turned a blind eye. The
prison was on a lock-down status at the time.
Now this barbaric bitch is Bush's cabinet
leader of the EPA on Capitol Hill. Those pigs
terrorized that NJ prison for 30 days non-stop,
randomly selecting prisoners to beat down,

because of the action of ONE prisoner who
allegedly killed a pig, who was a known racist.
DOZENS of prisoners who were beat have
filed a joint civil suit against the state DOC
for that pig rampage.

The same governor, during her tenure,

secured the NJDOC vendor (commissary)
contract for her husband's vendor business
for all NJ state prisons. This commissary
consists of generic products at inflated prices,
much of which is past its expiration date. To
top it off, we are charged a 10% surcharge
for this overpriced garbage. Plus they charge
us a 50 cent transaction fee for all money
transactions. In addition they have cut back
our inmate pay wages and before doing all of
this, they take a cut of all our money, state-
pay and incoming money, if you get it.
Meanwhile the price of living continues to
rise. They also charge us a $5.00 medical co-
payment to see the doctor, which 95+ is a
complete waste of money cause they don't
do NOTHING for you.

To illustrate this, in a recent NJ newspaper

article, it was disclosed by the NJDOC
commissioner, that out of the 24,000+ inmates
in NJ, approx. 25% (ie. 6000) have Hepatitis
C, and this was already known and nothing
was being done about it. Of all these inmates
ONLY ONE is right now being treated, and
ONLY because that inmate filed a lawsuit to
get treatment.

Ain't nothing else needs to be said. These

actions against humanity can never be
justified. Forget politics and litigation,
compromising and negotiation, only one thing
is going to stop this merry-go-round from
hell... it's all out revolution... We can't alter
history, but we can determine the future...

--A NJ Prisoner, December 2002

Indiana prisoners
fight repression

History has time and time again showed us

that oppression breeds resistance. This means
that if you continue to mistreat a person, group
or race of people and deny them their
fundamental rights as human beings, they will
eventually rise against the tyrant that created
these conditions.

This is what happened at the Indiana State

Prison (ISP) on January 9, 2003 in the
Administrative Segregation Unit in D-
Cellhouse on the Eastside in D- A/S. Over
40 prisoners in one of the units came out of
their respective cells for recreation on their
tier. None of these prisoners were armed (did
not carry any weapons), and they were caged
into and locked on the tier. These prisoners
expressed that they were fed-up with the
abuse and relentless cruelty being inflicted
on prisoners in their unit on a daily basis at
the hands of racist and sadistic prison
officials. These prisoners demanded to see a
prison captain to address violations prisoner
human, civil and constitutional rights.

Instead, Major James Kimmel shows up

and when prisoners attempted to talk to him,
kimmel told them to fuck themselves and that
he had nothing to discuss with them. He
warned that if they didn't lock themselves
back up in their cells the prison officials
would use force. Kimmel then ordered guards
to shoot tear gas canisters and rubber-coated
bullets at unarmed prisoners who were clearly
NOT a danger to the guards (they were locked
up in the tier!). This particular unit was then
placed on lock-down.

The racist Michigan City Newspaper

printed an article in their January 11, 2003
issue about this incident, but from the article
it appears the officials at ISP once again
misinformed the public about the real causes
behind the incident: It was the ISP
administration who created the conditions that
caused prisoners to stand against officials.

Since 1998 prisoners have filed hundreds

of complaints with the ISP administration,
with IDOC Central Office, with state
representatives and congresspersons -- each
complaint about the many and endless

MIM Notes 276 · February 15, 2003 · Page 11

Facts on U$ imprisonment

The facts about imprisonment in the United $tates are that the United $tates has been the world's leading prison-state per capita for the last

25 years, with a brief exception during Boris Yeltsin's declaration of a state of emergency.(1)

That means that while Reagan was talking about a Soviet "evil empire" he was the head of a state that imprisoned more people per capita.

In supposedly "hard-line" Bulgaria of the Soviet bloc of the 1980s, the imprisonment rate was less than half that of the United $tates.(2,3)

To find a comparison with U.$. imprisonment of Black people, there is no statistic in any country that compares including apartheid South

Africa of the era before Mandela was president. The last situation remotely comparable to the situation today was under Stalin during war
time. The majority of prisoners are non-violent offenders(4) and the U.S. Government now holds about a half million more prisoners than
China; even though China is four times our population.(5)

The rednecks tell MIM that we live in a "free country." They live in an Orwellian 1984 situation where freedom is imprisonment.

Notes: 1. Marc Mauer, "Americans Behind Bars: The International Use of Incarceration 1993," The Prison Sentencing Project, 918 F. St. NW, Suite

501, Washington, DC 20004 (202) 628-0871 Reference: SRI: R8965-2, 1994
2. Ibid., 1992 report.

3. United Nations Development Programme, "Human Development Report 1994,:" Oxford University Press, p. 186.

4. Figure of 51.2 percent for state prisoners there for non-violent offenses. Abstract of the United States 1993, p. 211.
5. Atlantic Monthly December, 1998.

violations carried out at this unit. But nothing
has been done to stop them.

Here are some of the violations that

prisoners have reported:

(1) Low quality (unwholesome) and

inadequate sustenance.

(2) Collective punishment
(3) Excessive retaliatory lock-downs
(4) Retaliation for filing suits, exercising

speech and engaging in social and progressive
activities.

(5) Religious persecution
(6) Censorship of mail
(7) Inadequate hygiene, clothing and

bedding.

(8) Substandard medical care
(9) Indefinite administrative segregation

without objective means of procuring release.

(10) Denial of recreation without statutory

authorization and denial of lavatory access
during recreation and inadequate recreation
time.

(11) Arbitrary denial of visitation and

telephone access.

(12) Denial of education and rehabilitation

programs.

The prisoners in this unit are denied the

rights of basic human existence by the
officials in both IDOC and ISP. This is why
prisoners harbor resentment and why they
acted with a sense of desperation in hopes of
drawing attention to the human rights abuses
being inflicted upon those housed in D-A/S.

On January 9, 2003 the Michigan City

News dispatch did not report our side (the
prisoner's side of the story), denying us the
right to give our voice to the public.

Treating prisoners in this unit like animals

and not as human beings is not conducive to
rehabilitation. ISP prison officials are not in
the right. They are wrong and go about lying
to the public about why prisoners resist. Their
lies are against the public interest and
prisoners have a right to peacefully demand
better treatment. But the racist News-Dispatch
refused to report the truth and seems to want
to help prison officials look as if they are in
the right.

Respectfully,
--A prisoner in Indiana, January 2003

Education: verboten!
No real schooling in
OK prisons

Trying to get higher education while forced

to suffer decades of sensory deprivation in
prison? Get set for eternal bureaucratic
runaround because you can't get there from
here. When prisoncrats say "education" they
mean "GED". They pay lip service to

education, then make it impossible to get any
beyond the three "R's". They want you to be
able to sign confessions and receipts, but not
much else.

This prison is typical: two teachers service

2000 captives. They have to provide "library"
services too, (place discarded pulp fiction just
out of reach of the cages.) They have to act
as guards during mass ransacking of cages,
sit on classification boards and vote in the
guard's "courts," etc.

They have a $70,000 per year school

administrator to see that both teachers do their
4-hour per day jobs correctly. He also presides
over correspondence courses. He has the
catalogue/price list of permitted courses
available from the state's colleges. No one
can afford the price due to enforced poverty
and forbidden business opportunities, but the
gesture is there.

The office of correctional education

division of the U. S. Department of Education
is worthless. Their job appears to be to enjoy
bloated federal paychecks to send form letters
advising prisoners that no programs of any
kind exist for state prisoners.

If you do manage to get past the money

barrier, here are some courses you will not
be permitted to complete and the excuses used
to forbid them, often after you have paid for
course and book: Chemistry (Drugs! Bombs!
Poisons!) Electronics (you could unlock our
solenoid operated gates!) Accounting (Tax
fraud scams!) Non mainstream History/
Sociology (Revolution! Subversion! Riot!)
Writing (Subversion! Publicity! Profits!)
Business (Business! Profits!) Math/Computer
science (Secret codes/messages about drugs
or escape plans!) Biology, Genetics, Physics,
Earth science, (see Chemistry).

You get the idea. They fear you will rise

above janitor and become smart enough to

compete with them. They also suffer jealousy,
envy and resentment. They have a mail guard
who is the "literary review committee." He is
an ignorant, spiteful person carefully schooled
in suspicion and on how to create plausible
scenarios of security risks from your attempts
at activity. The guards and prisoncrats don't
want you to have a pencil stub; they damnsure
don't want you to learn to use one effectively.

Why? You'd blow their sadistic little gravy

train vocation. You'd describe to others the
mental atrocities guards perpetrate daily.
You'd gain friends, empathy, benefactors and
empowerment. You'd gradually get their
harassment, torture, deprivation and mindless
cruelty replaced with something worth living
for, like education, arts, humanities and
humane treatment. You might even make a
profit, buy a time cut and change their rotten
system from massive overkill to a modicum
of fairness and honesty. Of course, nothing
changes until you make the effort.

--an Oklahoma prisoner

CA prisons deny legal
material

I am a prisoner with an active appeal in

process. I have been in Administrative
Segregation since July 12, 2002. I have made
numerous requests to receive my legal
property so I can submit my writ of habeas
corpus before my time constraint is up. I did
not know my exact date of my legal deadline
or my case number by memory so I was
denied my legal property. I wrote an inmate
appeal CDC 602 complaining about my legal
material and even asked the "appeal
coordinator" to treat this matter as an
emergency appeal being that my deadline is
close, my time constraint could be up without
me knowing, and my appeal will be lost
because of the slow methods of regular CDC
602 appeals process. I was denied this by the
appeals coordinator.

I then sent my CDC 602 to the informal

level so the matter could be resolved. I spoke
to Administrative Segregation Sergeant
Ramose, when I was interviewed I explained
to him that if the property officers would bring
my legal material to Ad Seg I can show
officers my legal deadline. But instead of
doing what I requested Sgt. Ramose had me
fill out some more request for legal property
which were denied because I did not know
my case numbers or my deadline that was
needed in the request and to add to that, Sg.
Ramose never returned the CDC 602 to me
after the informal level time constraints was
up. This forcing me to write another CDC 602
and waste away more time that was needed

in preparing my writ of Habeas Corpus.

After getting into a pen battle with the

appeals' coordinator about how I've already
been to the informal level in this matter and
that ad seg sergeant never returned CDC 602
to me, the CDC 602 was sent back to the
informal level to be heard by another sergeant.
I then wrote a complaint against the Appeals
Coordinator for hindering my appeals
process. But I never received a response from
him and when I send complaints to appeals
coordinators superiors I still don't receive a
response. When I did receive my legal
material it was incomplete and a week away
from my court appointed deadline. So I was
forced to fight for my freedom by submitting
to the courts an incomplete writ of Habeas
Corpus.

Property officers told me upon giving me

my legal material that "my legal material that
I didn't get is under investigation by CDC
because it was altered." I asked when it would
be returned. Property Officer said "I may
never see that legal work again." I still have
a CDC 602 in on trying to obtain my legal
material. This is a great injustice because
CDC officials has held on to my legal property
up until a week before my deadline and then
they still hold on to my legal material claiming
that it has been altered so they are
investigating it and I may never see that legal
work again.

This is denying me my right to fight for my

freedom completely by holding on to my court
transcripts. It makes you wonder if the
transcripts they are holding has the only
evidence to free you of your conviction so
it's under investigation because it's altered,
how long will this investigation keep you from
fighting for your freedom? And if you never
receive this evidence you are a free man
spending the rest of your life in prison for a
crime you never committed making you a
product of a "Great Injustice." It is a constant
battle, not only am I fighting the courts for
my freedom, I'm also fighting "California
Department of Corrections" for the material
to fight for my freedom which is my personal
property they refuse to let go to let me have.

I as well as others could lose all appeal

rights because of correctional officers
deciding what legal work you can and can
not have and what they will take to investigate.
You fill out these forms and the only way the
correctional officers can find your legal
property is if they read your personal property
documents. So your right to privacy is being
violated by correctional officers because of
their unsupervised search for your legal
material.

It shouldn't be this way, instead of CDC

rehabilitating prisoner's to function better
when we're free, they fight us hard to keep
us in chains. Constantly, we are forced to
either pick up the pen, the sword and or act
like animals in the system to get anything done
(Accomplished) by CDC officials. We must
always remember that we are the struggle and
as long as we stay strong the struggle will
continue.

--a prisoner in CA, November 2002

MIM Notes 276 · February 15, 2003 · Page 12

Notas Rojas

feb 15, 2003, Nº 276 Fragmento del Periodico Oficial del Movimiento Internacionalista Maoista

Gratis

¿Que es el MIM?

El Movimiento Internacionalista Maoísta (MIM) es un partido revolucionario

comunista que ejerce el Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoísmo. El MIM es una organización
internacionalista que trabaja desde el punto de vista del proletariado del Tercer Mundo;
es por esto que sus miembros no son amerikanos sino ciudadanos del mundo.

El MIM lucha para acabar con la opresión de todos los grupos sobre cualquier otro,

naciones por naciones, clases por clases, y géneros por géneros. La revolución es una
realidad para los Estados Unidos mientras su ejército continúa extendiendose en su
esfuerzo por asegurar la hegemonía mundial.

El MIM difiere de otros partidos en tres puntos basicos: (1) El MIM sostiene que

después que el proletariado conquiste el poder estatal, existira aún el potencial para una
restauración de tipo capitalista, bajo la dirección de una burguesía nueva dentro del
mismo partido comunista. En el caso de la Unión Soviética, la burguesía se apoderó del
gobierno después de la muerte de Stalin, en 1953; y en China después de la muerte de
Mao y del derrocamiento de la llamada "banda de los cuatro' en 1976. (2) El MIM
sostiene que la Revolución Cultural en China es la fase ms avanzada a la que llegó el
comunismo en la historia. (3) El MIM afirma que la clase trabajadora blanca de los
EE.UU. es primordialmente, una élite trabajadora no revolucionaria en el presente. Es
por esto que no es el principal vehículo para avanzar el Maoísmo en este país.

El MIM acepta como miembro a cualquier individuo que esté de acuerdo con estos

tres puntos basicos, y que acepte al centralismo democrtico, el método de gobierno por
la mayoría en lo que se refiere a cuestiones de línea del partido. El MIM es un partido
clandestino que no publica los nombres de sus miembros para evitar la represión estatal
dirigida históricamente contra los movimientos revolucionarios comunistas, y anti-
imperialistas. Si Ud. desea una suscripción para cualquiera de nuestros periódicos o
libros teóricos, en español o en inglés, por favor mandar dinero en efectivo o un cheque
al nombre de MIM a esta dirección:

MIM · P.O. Box 29670 · Los Angeles CA 90029-0670

4 de diciembre, 2002

Traducido por Células de Estudio

para la Liberación de Aztlán y

América Latina

Los coreanos del sur continúan

protestando contra la absolución de

dos soldados americanos que habían

aplastado a dos estudiantes coreanas

con su vehículo militar en junio (1) a

pesar de las disculpas tardías de Bush.

Entre los manifestantes que han

participado en las protestas están unos

jóvenes militantes que lanzaron unos

recipientes de cocktail Mólotov

contra una instalación militar yanqui

la semana pasada, y unos grupos

religiosos que marcharon ayer en

Seúl. (2)

Aunque no todos los manifestantes

reunidos en torno a este incidente

trágico más reciente creen que las

35,000 tropas americanas que se

encuentran en el terreno coreano

deberían marcharse- un dueño de un

restaurante tomo la decisión de no

poner en la ventana un póster diciendo

"!Yanquis, váyanse a su casa!" porque

el mensaje era "demasiado fuerte" y,

en cambio, puso un póster diciendo

"Los americanos no están

bienvenidos aquí" (3)- más y más

gente está viendo esta conexión. Un

sacerdote anglicano entrevistado

durante la protesta de ayer dijo: "En

vez de ser asesinado por un vehículo

militar estadounidense, preferiría

morir por mano de nuestra propia

gente en la Corea del Norte si es que

hay guerra". (2)

Como mencionamos en la última

edición de MIM Notes, la opinión

pública en la Corea del Sur se está

volviendo en contra de EE.UU.; hasta

bandas de música pop coreanas sacan

videos antiamericanos. Tan sólo un

tercio de los coreanos del sur

entrevistados recientemente tenían

una opinión favorable de EE.UU.

compradando con casi dos tercios, en

1994. Más de 50% de la gente piensa

que Bush está metiendo en líos a la

Corea del Norte con el fin de vender

aviones de caza al régimen títere de

la Corea del Sur. (4)

Los norteamericanos deberían hacer

mucho caso de lo que están diciendo

sus ex-amigos en la Corea del Sur. No

debería haber ninguna razón para que

los coreanos sospechen una

intervención con fines lucrativos en

sus asuntos por parte de Bush, aunque

lo más probable es que sus sospechas

tengan razón. Es bastante difícil

llevarse bien tal como están las cosas.

Los norteamericanos tienen que

afrontar a sus líderes probélicos; hasta

entonces no tienen porque quejarse de

los dueños de restaurantes que les

impiden disfrutar su barbacoa favorita

en Seúl.

De hecho, los norteamericanos

corren suerte si lo único que tienen

que enfrentar son insultos en la calle

o un boicoteo en un restaurante. Este

año unos soldados norteamericanos

fuera de guardia se enfrentaron con

unos coreanos del sur que se

encontraban camino a una protesta en

contra del asesinato de las estudiantes.

Aunque los testimonios de lo que pasó

varían- según los coreanos, los

soldados se burlaron de sus volantes

y atacaron a un señor viejo que acabó

en el hospital- lo importante es que

los manifestantes forzaron a uno de

los soldados a atender la

manifestación y leer una declaración

pidiendo disculpas por la muerte de

las niñas y el ataque contra los

manifestantes.

Por un lado, es probable que aquel

soldado en particular no tenía nada

que ver con la muerte de las niñas y

no había sido más que un "testigo

inocente". Por otro lado, todo el

personal militar había sido mandado

a Corea como un ejército ocupante lo

cual lo convierte en un obvio blanco

del resentimiento por parte del pueblo

coreano. El MIM responde a los

Se intensifican las protestas del pueblo

coreano contra las tropas estadounidenses

militares estadounidenses que se

sienten atrapados: "pues sí, están Uds.

atrapados". Los imperialistas se

pueden dar el lujo de permitir que

unas cuantas personas sufran las

consecuencias de sus sistema.

Aquellos militares que reconocen que

son parte de un sistema bélico

deberían intentar dejar de serla por

medio de oponerse a algunas de (o

todas) las responsabilidades.

Definitivamente no deben permitir

que su rabia afecte a los coreanos.

El MIM no se opone al intento de

los manifestantes coreanos del sur de

organizar campañas educativas

esporádicas. Teóricamente, estaban

haciendo lo mismo que hizo el

gobierno revolucionario de China al

encarcelar a Allyn y Adelle Rickett

por su actividad de espionaje justo

antes de la Guerra Coreana. Según lo

describen los Rickett en su libro

Priosioneros de la Liberación, su

encarcelamiento y autocrítica forzada

les obligó a deshacerse de sus

presunciones chovinistas sobre la

superioridad de las vidas

norteamericanas e intereses

personales frente a las de los coreanos

o chinos.

Fuentes consultadas:

1. MIM Notes 261, 1 julio 2002;

MIM Notes 262, 15 julio 2002.

2. Video AP, 3 diciembre 2002.

3. Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov

2002.

4. MIM Notes 272, 15 diciembre

2002.

El militarism amerikano trae muerte y la destrucción a la gente del mundo.