MIM Notes 192 August 15 1999
United Struggle from Within leaders study and build 

MIM publishes the following essay to demonstrate the strengthened 
organizing efforts of prisoners fighting oppression. This essay is 
written by a comrade who is a member of United Struggle from 
Within (USW), an anti-imperialist prisoner mass organization 
within the MIM-led United Front. 

The essay is a response to the first study pack active leaders of 
USW across the Snakes received from MIM's Serve the People Free 
Books for Prisoners Program. The USW study group builds 
theoretical and historical understanding which prisoners leading 
USW then apply to organizing. 

In the context of anti-imperialist revolution, USW comrades 
conduct study groups within prisons, educate outside masses about 
prison conditions, and organize with MIM to build independent 
institutions of the oppressed like the Serve the People Prisoner's 
Legal Clinic. The writer of this essay has experienced repression 
and severe censorship because of his political organizing. But in 
spite of this, he struggles to analyze from an historical 
materialist perspective and develop the most correct and quickest 
path to ending oppression. 

-- MIM Prison Minister 

In studying the material sent me, Mao's "Three Essays on 
Philosophy," I am now better able to understand MIM's position 
regarding 'building public opinion' and taking on 'winnable' 
battles when looking at issues to confront. The essay "On 
Practice" makes clear why MIM operates methodically rather than in 
haste of the immediate moment.

On page 69, [Mao states]: "[L]ogical knowledge differs from 
perceptual knowledge in that perceptual knowledge pertains to the 
separate aspects, the phenomena and the external relations of 
things, whereas logical knowledge takes a big stride forward to 
reach the totality, the essence and the internal relations of 
things and disclose the inner contradictions in the surrounding 
world." 

I think this is a good analysis and point to grasp and understand. 
Many of us who are locked down are coming from, not only desire to 
change our immediate condition (NOW), but we also have the non-
revolutionary tendency to be emotionally charged and impulsive. We 
want instant action and results to a condition we face. But coming 
from this premise, we are acting from impulse. ... We are in the 
grips of emotionality. We aren't in the best position to make 
concise, clear and rational decisions, thus we place ourselves and 
others in jeopardy. [S]erious and heavy consequential mistakes can 
be made from impulsive and emotional decision making. 'Perceptual 
knowledge.' 

Whereas, 'logical knowledge' would have us deal with a condition 
in a methodical, very calculated and systematic way so that when 
we address the problem, it is fully addressed and rooted out. I 
think this is probably one of the sound reasons why MIM chooses to 
gain the 'public's opinion' and support so the battle can be won 
in numbers. Needless to say, I've had my fights with MIM about 
issues that were 'emotionally' moving to me, but I now believe MIM 
is correct to go about dealing with conditions that can affect 
many in a logical and planned-out way. 

The emphasis on practice is important. The first line of growth is 
to have patience and this requires practice. It requires being 
able to endure while ... gather[ing] all the facts needed to know 
the essence -- the inner workings of an action and why the action 
moved as it did. Impulsiveness won't allow us this ability. 
Chairman Mao Zedong recognized this and struggled with the people 
about this. MIM is following the lead of Chairman Mao Zedong and 
so applies their moves on this principle by their practice not to 
be over-reactive. 

Many of us who are incarcerated want to 'go to war' right now 
against our oppressors, though ill-prepared and without a real 
plan. A beginning plan, a middle plan and an end plan. This is 
dangerous and suicidal as well.... to go to war, we must build our 
infrastructure and insure we have other tactical needs in place 
before launching into any type of war situation. This takes 
patience and planning and now is the proper time to practice this, 
and to study the nature of our enemy so that when it is suitable 
to attack, we will have success. 

However, I will not suggest that I agree with every point of MIM 
or all MIM ideas on handling some matters or pretend that MIM is 
all-knowing. No, MIM is not all-knowing which is why MIM always 
suggest that YOU and I come forward in our knowledge to put our 
knowledge together and work together in a cohesive way that would 
be beneficial to THE PEOPLE at large and not just one or two 
people. 

Another point Chairman Mao Zedong made in his "On Contradiction" 
essay -- and which I believe MIM practices is: "[T]o lead the 
revolution to victory, a political party must depend on the 
'correctness' of its political line and the solidarity of its own 
organization."[emphasis added] 

What is being said here is that the organization that is leading 
the people, the party that leads the people, must be sure that 
their positions are correct. That their ideas and plans are well 
thought-out and conducive for the people or else it will not pass 
the test. IF the organization of the party does not have their 
line of political consciousness raised to a high level and does 
not live to a high set of principles, then that organization or 
party cannot lead the people. ...[T]he people will not listen. 
This is the same thing we must do now if we want the people 
outside of these prison walls ... to hear us. To fight with us. We 
must make sure that our position is correct. [T]o be sure that our 
lead[ship] and positions are correct means we must be developed in 
our politics and that means practice. 

I can see that MIM labors at having a correct line within its 
politics and this is healthy and a must. And this is done through 
practice, intense study, debate, criticism and purging what is 
unhealthy or incorrect. 

What I propose is for us to have a coalition of collective minds 
to begin constructively working on the issues we find most 
offensive and build from there. In other words, many of us suffer 
from censorship. There should be a specific team that deals only 
with this area. This coalition should deal with no other area but 
that of censorship. All of our dedication for the party should be 
concentrated on making sure we have communication with one 
another. 

Another idea is for us to have a coalition that concentrates their 
efforts in prison health issues. They should deal only with this 
and bring to the party what they have learned and gathered in ways 
that would help all of us when we are trying to maintain our 
health in these prisons but are often denied. We need to know if 
the prison has an outside privatized company working [it]. If so, 
the name of the company? What are their procedures and how does 
the prison system cooperate with that privatized health care 
facility. 

It is tedious work, but with this type of data we can lead the 
public in knowing what we have gathered... which could win their 
support. And then such information filters to MIM to [use] for 
public opinion. 

These are just examples, but they are examples in terms of 
building and in terms of practice. [These are] vital ... for any 
structure to maintain itself. In this way, we maximize, as MIM 
illustrates, on what we can effectively use and minimize what 
can't be effective at this particular time but could be (possibly) 
used at a later date. ... 

We also must place greater emphasis on changing our thinking from 
an individualistic point of view to a masses' point of view and 
even thinking along the lines of having a party specified in 
dealing with x or z issues. We do this only by being willing to 
purge ourselves of the 'I' and concentrate on collectiveness. Mass 
building. To MIM's credit, this is how MIM operates. Not from an 
isolated perspective but from viewing what is good for all rather 
than for a few. Studying theory and placing that theory into 
actual practice can only lead to action. And that is how we can 
accomplish our many issues and make our task much easier. But to 
do that implies serious dedication in practice, and from that 
practice, we move from perceptual knowledge of a thing to logical 
knowledge in winning over a thing.

In the trenches, 

 -- a Michigan prisoner, 8 July 1999. 

MIM Prison Minister adds:

To activists on the outside, this essay should demonstrate the 
importance of theoretical and historical study. Through study, 
revolutionaries can learn historical materialist analysis. The 
correct approach to specific campaigns and struggles is determined 
by a correct analysis of political line. Many on the outside say 
study is not important. But without study we will waste time 
engaging in work that is not effective. 

Readers on the outside can support the work of prisoners. One 
small contribution everyone can make is sending money to support 
our STP Free Books for Prisoners Program. You can also work with 
MIM to fight censorship, provide support for the Prisoners' Legal 
Clinic, or get involved with MIM to spread the words of prisoners. 

The prisoner suggests that others form a coalition for various 
efforts. MIM currently helps USW leaders to build an organization 
that radicalizes prisoners, helps prisoners meet their own needs 
better than the system does, and to organize against INjustice 
system repression in the context of anti-imperialism. MIM does not 
use the term coalition to describe this work. Instead we a 
building a United Front. A United Front necessitates proletarian 
leadership whereas a coalition typically refers to a leadership-
less conglomeration of organizations and individuals. MIM 
recognizes that there is always leadership in movement, we require 
the leadership be proletarian to ensure the movement direction is 
forward. 

USW contains individuals that are not communist but do support the 
anti-imperialist goals of USW. Some USW members are interested 
only in specific types of work. While the Party addresses all 
types of proletarian work, individual focus on one campaign is 
welcome in USW. There are prisoners within USW working together to 
build the PLC, their efforts can be seen in MIM Legal Notes 
articles, MIM's web pages, and the assistance they have given to 
fellow prisoners. Also some prisoners are working solely on health 
issues. The topics to expose Amerika's oppression are endless. MIM 
leads USW to underline all work against prisons within the context 
of anti-imperialism. 

Lastly, MIM agrees with this prisoner's comments on needing to 
organize rationally. We are currently waging a protracted legal 
struggle against imperialism. MIM is not engaged in armed 
struggle. Prior to waging armed struggle, it is necessary to build 
ideological unity, theoretical understanding, and independent 
institutions of the oppressed as well as a mass base capable of 
taking on the enemy and winning.