This is an archive of the former website of the Maoist Internationalist Movement, which was run by the now defunct Maoist Internationalist Party - Amerika. The MIM now consists of many independent cells, many of which have their own indendendent organs both online and off. MIM(Prisons) serves these documents as a service to and reference for the anti-imperialist movement worldwide.
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THE MAOIST INTERNATIONALIST MOVEMENT
MIM Notes 159 APRIL 1, 1998
MIM Notes speaks to and from the viewpoint of the
world's oppressed majority, and against the
imperialist-patriarchy. Pick it up and wield it in
the service of the people. support it, struggle
with it and write for it.
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. PUERTO RICO: SHAM "SELF-DETERMINATION" BILL PASSES U.S.
HOUSE
2. EXPOSE AND OPPOSE THE VISITING FORCES AGREEMENT AND ALL
SCHEMES TO PROMOTE US IMPERIALIST INTERVENTION AND
AGGRESSION!
3. LETTERS
4. FORMER ANTI-IMPERIALIST BETRAYS THE STRUGGLE (AGAIN)
5. NO DENYING IT: CAPITALIST CRISIS HITS SOUTH KOREA
6. PEOPLE'S HISTORY CENSORED IN MICHIGAN KKKAMP
7. DOC TRANSFERS AND SETS UP PRISONER
8. TREE, CRITICAL MASS, KILL THE HOSTAGES PLAY RAIL BENEFIT
9. REVOLUTIONARY HIP HOP; A LETTER FROM CRITICAL MASS
10. DENNIS BRUTUS PROMOTES BOOKS FOR PRISONERS PROGRAM,
DISCUSSES SOUTH AFRICAN NEOCOLONIALISM
11. UNDER IMPERIALISM THERE IS NO FREE SPEECH
12. POLITICAL ASYLUM FOR THE SISON FAMILY NOW!
13. PIRAO NEWS
14. MLM ONLINE
COLLEGE TERM PAPER SALES REVEAL EDUCATION HYPOCRISY
15. INDONESIA'S ECONOMY COLLAPSING;
IMPERIALIST BAIL-OUT REJECTED
16. UNDER LOCK AND KEY: NEWS FROM PRISONERS AND PRISONS
17. GOVERNMENT REPORT CONFIRMS INCREASED NATIONAL OPPRESSION
* * *
WHAT IS MIM?
The Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM) is a
revolutionary communist party that upholds
Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, comprising 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
Spanish-speaking Maoist internationalist parties
of Aztlan, Puerto Rico and other territories of
the U.S. Empire. MIM Notes is the newspaper of
MIM. Notas Rojas is the newspaper of the Spanish-
speaking parties or emerging parties of MIM.
MIM is an internationalist organization that works
from the vantage point of the Third World
proletariat; thus, its members are not Amerikans,
but world citizens.
MIM struggles to end the oppression of all groups
over other groups: classes, genders, nations. MIM
knows this is only possible 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
human history. (3) MIM believes the North American
white-working-class is primarily a non-
revolutionary worker-elite at this time; thus, it
is not the principal vehicle to advance Maoism in
this country.
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
* * *
PUERTO RICO: SHAM "SELF-DETERMINATION" BILL PASSES U.S.
HOUSE
On February 4th, the u.s. House of Representatives narrowly
passed a bill that would hold a referendum in Puerto Rico
this year to determine whether the nation continues with its
current commonwealth status, becomes the 51st state of the
u.s., or gains independence. This is being called an
opportunity for Puerto Ricans to exercise self-
determination. But it is not possible for a people who are
under u.$. military occupation and whose economy is
controlled by the u.s. imperialists to truly have self-
determination. Even within the wording of the congressional
bill, provisions can be found which make the referendum not
really binding on the u.$. Congressional approval of any
change would be required.
On this 100 year anniversary of the u.s. colonization of
Puerto Rico, the u.s. is trying to put a democratic face on
its occupation of the island. Almost four million people
live in Puerto Rico, and about as many Puerto Ricans live on
the u.$. mainland. Many have gone to the u.s. since 1917,
when Puerto Ricans were granted a limited form of u.s.
citizenship. The economy of the island, where the average
wage is far lower than in the u.s., suffers from high
unemployment and low paying jobs. Since the Puerto Rican
people have never had the opportunity to develop a self-
sufficient economy, their livelihood is dependent on the
many foreign (mostly Amerikan) corporations that set up shop
for the cheap labor and good tax deals. As an amerikan
colony, Puerto Rico has provided the u.s. a very strategic
military base, a resource of cheap labor for manufacturing
plants, and a vacation resort close to home. U.$
corporations control 90% of the Puerto Rican economy.
None of the Puerto Ricans living on the mainland would be
allowed to vote in the referendum. An amendment to allow
them to vote was rejected in the House. This alone
demonstrates that Puerto Ricans are not being offered true
self-determination. The u.$. government has no right to
decide who should and should not be allowed to vote in the
referendum. Furthermore, Amerikans receive the right to vote
in Puerto Rico after only three months of residency. This
means Amerikans could vote on the future of Puerto Rico.
Currently Puerto Ricans are u.s. citizens but cannot vote in
presidential elections.
Puerto Ricans were granted u.$. citizenship *against their
will* in 1917, so that the u.$. army could recruit them to
fight in WWI. The Puerto Rican government voted against u.$.
citizenship for Puerto Ricans.
This limited citizenship has allowed the u.$. government to
pass out some meager reforms in an effort to quell
opposition. In particular, the opportunity to receive
welfare has pacified many Puerto Ricans so that the
overwhelming majority support maintaining affiliation with
the united snakes, split evenly between statehood and
commonwealth status. About 60% of Puerto Ricans receive some
kind of welfare. But this popular sentiment should not be
confused with an absence of aspirations for self-
determination. While many Puerto Ricans have the short
sighted desire to maintain their wealth relative to the
Third World through affiliation with the united snakes, the
opposition to u.s. imperialism is still strong from the
anti-NASA protests to the opposition to u.s. military
activity.
The strong national identity, even among Puerto Ricans
living in the u.s., speaks to the potential for an upsurge
of revolutionary nationalism that the u.s. imperialists fear
enough to offer Puerto Rico statehood. Just as citizenship
was offered in 1917, statehood is being offered in 1998 to
bolster the image of u.s. imperialism. The colonization of
Puerto Rico has even come under scrutiny at the United
Nations as a violation of the right of all nations to self-
determination. The 100 year anniversary of colonialism in
Puerto Rico offers anti-imperialists the opportunity to push
the issue to the forefront of international attention.
The House voted down an amendment that would have declared
English the official language in Puerto Rico. It is possible
that they foresaw the tremendous opposition they would have
faced even among Puerto Rican imperialist lackeys if this
amendment passed. The debate within Puerto Rico over the
issue of English only and other related issues of statehood
will force the discussion of what really constitutes self-
determination and nationhood. These debates can serve to
raise the consciousness of Puerto Ricans and turn the
referendum into a tool to educate the people about u.s.
imperialism. Anti-imperialists must use this opportunity to
expose the lie of self-determination at every turn. We must
remain strong in our demand for complete u.s. withdrawal
from the island of Puerto Rico. And we urge Puerto Ricans to
boycott imperialist referendums.
INTERVIEW WITH MAOIST YOUTH IN PUERTO RICO
[MIM does its own agitation with regard to Puerto Rico and
publishes the newspaper of the Spanish-speaking internal
colonies called Notas Rojas. We have started a discussion
with a Maoist youth in Puerto Rico who may have some
differences with MIM. The Socialist Front and the National
Hostosian Congress mentioned below contain a wide variety of
ideologies within and cannot be said to be just Leninist
organizations.]
MIM: Do you think you face an uphill battle against
statehood?
Maoist youth in Puerto Rico: Fortunately, the statehood
movement has lost ground. When it was the strongest in 1993,
it lost the plebiscite by a 2% margin. After that they are
down 10% or more. Consequently, the supporters of the colony
(officially Commonwealth) have been influenced by its inner
left wing, and have adopted a more liberal and progressive
line, and are considering dumping the pro-colony policy and
supporting the associated republic (free association). We in
the independence movement, both the Socialist Front and the
CNH (National Hostosian Congress), see this as a giant step
forward. The lines between liberals and left-wingers and
autonomists and "independentistas" have narrowed down, and
it has been them who have changed and met us halfway. We are
considering the free association as another step onto
independence. The battle uphill is not against statehood,
but the right wing of the Popular Democratic Party
(autonomy) and the right wing of the Independence followers
(nationalists). We believe that an alliance between us and
the "populares" can be achieved.
MIM: Do you think it's a step forward for the U.$.
government to at least offer statehood as an option?
Maoist youth in Puerto Rico: Our worst enemy is statehood,
for it is merely a colony at a greater degree. The present
political status at least gives the people the freedom to
speak the language in private and government; the right to
preserve the culture; to participate in international events
and maintain our identity as a latin-american hispanic
nation and people. Under statehood we would have the same
situation of subversion under colonialism without being at
the very least, Puerto Ricans.
MIM: How does the support for statehood breakdown by class?
What do the most exploited workers think? Who are the die-
hard supporters of statehood? Who supports the
"commonwealth" colony idea?
Maoist youth in Puerto Rico: (a) The statehood movement is
quite peculiar. The ones that REALLY support it to the death
and represent the movement's leadership are the highest of
the high economically: bankers, industrialists and high
paying professionals. Until the 1970s statehood was behind
in support for this fact. But, the New Progressive Party
(statehood) elected a charismatic leader (current Resident
Commissioner Carlos Romero Barcelo') that drew up a new
plan: "Statehood for the poor." He, using the million dollar
donations from the rich, convinced the lower class that
their misery would disappear with welfare and food stamps
under statehood, instead of salaries and work we promised.
They preferred to be dependent for many reasons EXCLUDING
laziness. The problem is that PR education (public) is the
worst in the Caribbean and the best job a poor person can
get is at McDonalds, not a promising career. So, the
statehood movement won the low class support. But still
they, especially under the new governor who is labeled as a
fascist neoliberal (he does not deny the latter allegation)
answer to the rich class.
(b) The workers are split. Unemployment has skyrocketed
because of mass privatization. At first they supported the
neoliberal cause. But, 5 years after the election of the NPP
government, and witnessing the results of privatization and
austerity, they have rebelled. Strikes, assemblies and even
a nation wide stoppage in protest to the privatization of
the phone company (150,000 workers in the street) have been
a part of every day life. Support among the working class,
especially the unions, has diminished. More recently, the
legislature passed a bill which called for the
"unionization" of public workers.
It's a fraud and the workers know it. The elimination of the
constitutionally given right to strike is, for example, one
of the measures taken by the NPP. Many have, publicly,
including the head of the coordinator of ALL unions,
denounced it. The government is cracking.
(c, d, e) Unlike the other nations of the world, the
political scenario is not broken down by class. You have
rich people supporting the three alternatives; middle class
and poor people do the same. That is why the SF is turning
away from the national issue and instead will address the
social issues. In this strategy we have been able to elect
socialist oriented people to head the unions, and have
garnered many workers' support and specially the
intellectuals AND the students (The latter ones have staged
mass rallies sponsored by us in defiance of the conservative
government). Step by step the political arena is beginning
to change from that of status to that of social
preoccupation. We have addressed both issues, for both are
vital to the survival of the Puerto Rican nation and people.
* * *
EXPOSE AND OPPOSE THE VISITING FORCES AGREEMENT AND ALL
SCHEMES TO PROMOTE US IMPERIALIST INTERVENTION AND
AGGRESSION!
[MIM gladly reprints excerpts from this article by the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines
(CPP) in order to expose the machinations of the u.$.
imperialists in the Philippines and support the
revolutionary struggle led by CPP.]
After two years of secret negotiations, the US and Ramos
governments signed on February 10, 1998 the Visiting Forces
Agreement (VFA), a bilateral executive agreement that
defines the legal treatment of US forces in Philippine
territory, paving the way to the resumption of joint RP-US
military exercises in the Philippines.
The VFA is a thinly disguised version of the Status of
Forces Agreement (SOFA), which US imperialism has imposed on
other nations as well. It is an assault against Philippine
sovereignty and territorial integrity more flagrant and
pernicious than the RP-US Treaty of Friendship, Security and
Cooperation which the Filipino people roundly rejected in
1991.
Along with the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement
(ACSA) secretly adopted and put into effect since 1992, the
VFA sets the stage for unbridled US military presence and
activity in the Philippines. These military agreements
virtually transform the entire country into one big US
military base where US vessels, war materiel including
nuclear weapons, and military personnel can enter and leave
at will; and where US personnel can commit crimes with
impunity, beyond the reach of the Philippine judicial
system.
SOFAs, access agreements, and similar bilateral arrangements
between the US and its client states serve the US global
military strategy of pre-positioning US military forces in
staging areas around the world without incurring the
economic and political costs of maintaining permanent
military bases. They also make possible strong US military
presence and activity in the host countries.
The continuing US military presence in the Philippines via
the bilateral treaty on mutual defense, the executive
agreements on military assistance, ACSA and VFA, is in the
context of the US global strategy of rapid deployment of
forces, the US strategy in the Asia-Pacific region, the US-
Japan security partnership updated by new guidelines and the
array of US military bases in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and
the Philippines.
US imperialism has always wielded a strong and active
military presence in the Philippines in order to prop up its
puppet regimes and violently suppress the revolutionary
movement. US forces in the Philippines ensure that the
reactionary Philippine government and its military and
police forces get ample US doctrinal, strategic, logistical,
intelligence, troop and moral support in waging
counterrevolutionary war against the Filipino people.
The most outrageous provisions in the VFA are those
surrendering Philippine jurisdiction over crimes committed
by US personnel in the Philippines. While the US and Ramos
governments babble over supposed reciprocal rights of
jurisdiction, the VFA categorically obligates the Philippine
government to waive its primary right of jurisdiction over
US personnel upon the request of the US government,
regardless of where or when the crime was committed.
The US and Ramos governments are lying to the Filipino
people in saying that the VFA is "related" to the 1958
Bohlen-Serrano Agreement and the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT)
of 1951, which supposedly provide the basis for the conduct
of joint US-RP military exercises in the Philippines. The
fact is that joint exercises are not stipulated in the MDT,
and that the unrestricted entry of foreign troops and war
materiel into Philippine territory violates even the
constitution of the reactionary government.
Further, the Agreement bars Philippine authorities from
conducting inspections of any kind on American vessels and
facilities, and makes such inspections the exclusive right
and function of US officials. This imposition, formulated as
an innocuous provision on health and quarantine measures,
throws Philippine territory wide open to incursions by US
ships and aircraft carrying nuclear weapons.
The Communist Party of the Philippines condemns the VFA as a
blatant relentless act of intervention and a long-term tool
of aggression by US imperialism, as well as a shameless act
of treason by their local puppets headed by General Fidel
Ramos.
Assisted by their local puppets, the US imperialists insult
the Filipino people and adopt one more mechanism to counter
the rising struggle for national liberation and democracy...
The growing number of successful tactical offensives by the
New People's Army in the countryside and the resounding
victories of the militant protest movement in the cities
have compelled the US-Ramos regime to adopt more barefaced
anti-national and anti-people measures like the VFA and ACSA
at the risk of greater political isolation. In this
connection, the Party calls on the people to increase their
vigilance, unite and defeat all maneuvers by US imperialism
and its local puppets to subvert their will and violate
Philippine sovereignty and territorial integrity.
There is a solid basis for the formation of a broad united
front against these US schemes of interference, intervention
and aggression. Coming as it does in the wake of the
people's rejection of the RP-US Treaty of Friendship,
Security and Cooperation, and close on the heels of the
centennial of the 1896 Philippine Revolution, the VFA has
encountered strong public opposition.
The US-Ramos regime fears the current Philippine Senate
could succumb to popular pressure and reject the Agreement
as did the Senate in 1991. Thus, despite US pressure for an
early approval of the VFA, the submission of the Agreement
to the Senate for ratification was deliberately delayed by
the Ramos government to avoid the risk of its rejection.
The US-Ramos clique will certainly intervene in the coming
senatorial elections to ensure the needed majority for
Senate ratification of the VFA. The coming reactionary
elections therefore becomes an arena for exposing and
opposing the VFA and those candidates who favor its
ratification. As in 1991, a broad united front demanding
the rejection of the Agreement from outside the halls of the
Senate can frustrate and defeat this US scheme when it is
submitted for decision within.
The signing of the VFA by the US and Ramos governments
sends an unmistakable signal to the presidential aspirants
in as to what the US wants. General Ramos, in a shameless
display of subservience, wants to prove to his American
commanders that he is still their most reliable lieutenant,
indicating he still dreams of holding on to power.
The Communist Party of the Philippines is neither deceived
by the feints and denials of the Ramos government, nor is it
intimidated by the muscle-flexing and saber-rattling of the
US imperialists. The revolutionary forces fighting
imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism are
stronger than ever. The Second Great Rectification Movement
has engendered greater unity within the Party, raised the
fighting capability of the Party and New People's Army, and
forged the closest links between the Party, the people's
army and the masses.
The Communist Party of the Philippines is determined to lead
the revolutionary forces in the national democratic
revolution through people's war against US imperialism and
its local reactionary stooges. In this context, the Party
and the people resolutely and militantly expose and oppose
the VFA, ACSA and all the schemes of intervention and
aggression by the US.
Central Committee,
Communist Party of the Philippines
February 27, 1998
* * *
LETTERS
NEW PRICE FOR SETTLERS
Dear MIM Notes:
I really enjoyed your article in support of indigenous
peoples, "Pigs Mark Settler Holiday...", in your January 1,
1998 issue. But I noticed that at the end of the article you
offer the book Settlers for sale at $12. This surprised me,
since the retail price of our book is $8.95. Obviously MIM
would never be into ripping people (besides imperialists,
that is) off, but we are curious as to the price increase.
Rebuild! Sakai
MIM responds:
We're printing this letter to let our readers know that the
price for Settlers is now $10. Until recently, we had been
paying $10 for the books ourselves ($10 plus $2 for postage
an a little extra equals $12). Now we buy them cheaper, so
the new price is $10, which includes postage.
For any of our readers not familiar with the book, Settlers:
The Mythology of the White Proletariat (written by Sakai) is
an excellent account of the history of the united snakes
from the perspective of the oppressed nations. It goes a
long way towards dispelling the myth that white workers are
oppressed and fighting alongside the oppressed nations. This
history helps to round out MIM's argument that white workers
in this country are a labor aristocracy as a class, not
exploited proletarians.
MIM does try to charge a dollar or two more for the books we
sell than we paid for them. This policy is based on our
desire to expand the work we do. When people contact us
unable to afford literature, we happily arrange an
affordable price or an exchange for labor. And we send in a
tremendous number of books, newspapers and magazines free to
prisoners. Because of the scope of our work, we are
constantly operating at a loss. But rather than be satisfied
with this, we are expanding our work to expand our financial
resources. To do this we obviously can't just rely on a few
dollars from the sale of a few books, but it's important not
to take a loss when we don't have to.
We also look to the analysis in Settlers and the work that
MIM has done demonstrating that white workers, as a group,
are not exploited, to bolster our argument that the majority
of people in the united snakes can afford the cost of a book
if they want it. They are willing to spend $8 to see a movie
(plus another $10 on popcorn, soda and candy), $4 for a
beer, $12 for a CD, and 50 cents a day for the local
newspaper. So we argue that the majority of people living in
this country should be paying $10 or even more for a book
with so much valuable history as can be found in Settlers.
And of course, if someone truly can not afford this price,
we have many possibilities for exchanging labor for books.
UNIONS PROGRESSIVE?
Dear MIM,
My interest in the AFL-CIO comes from my interest in the
syndicalist movement... I am always for the rights of the
workers. If you have time, could you enlighten me about the
activity of the AFL-CIO in third world countries? This is
something that I have really never heard about.
It seems to me like unions, in general, tend to be more of
an anti-imperialist thing, not necessarily explicitly
though. I do see that in conjunction with free trade
agreements, such as NAFTA, unions could drive up wages,
which would lead to the exploitation of foreign, third world
countries in sweatshops, etc. but are unions the primary
evil? I do not believe so. It is the free trade laws that
are the evil, which enables the exploitation and coercion of
people in these underdeveloped nations. These laws benefit
no one but the corporate elite.
I also think that unions have been very beneficial in the
past, more so than now, with basically the emergence and
maintenance of a middle class. I think that the disparaging
spread of economic wealth domestically would be more
devastating if it were not for labor unions. I guess I don't
know if you just feel the way you do about the AFL CIO or of
unions in general....sorry if I rattled about stuff you
really don't care about.
--a student in the Midwest
MIM responds:
We're printing this letter alongside the one above from
Sakai as an advertisement for the book "Settlers: The
Mythology of the White Proletariat". As mentioned in the
response to the letter from the author, Sakai, this book
does an excellent job of dispelling the myth that labor
unions and the AFL-CIO in particular have historically been
a progressive force within the united snakes.
Unions are not evil because they drive up wages. In fact,
unions in the Third World are very progressive and often
essential to the survival of the workers who need a little
more job security and slightly higher wages just to get by.
But in the united snakes, unions historically have been a
tool for the betterment of the white nation at the expense
of the oppressed nations. The history of the AFL-CIO is
particularly bad. As Sakai wrote:
"Just as in the 19th Century, the Euro-Amerikan bourgeoisie
both watered-down class contradictions and reinforced its
settler garrison over the continental Empire by absorbing
immigrant European nationalities fully into the U.S.
oppressor nation. This 20th Century cycle had begun in the
anti-Communist 'Americanization' campaign of the World War I
period; it reached its decisive point in the accommodation
between the imperialist State and the dependent,
settleristic CIO unions of the 1930s. The process was sealed
by the post-World War II imperialist feast, finally laying
to rest the class contradictions of the period of industrial
unionism. While the deproletarianization of the white masses
was a historic pacification, it led to an increase in
decadence and parasitism that has today reached a nodal
point."
For the detailed history of this deproletarianization and
the national contradictions within u.s. borders, order this
excellent book for $10 from MIM.
MIM NOTES GETS AROUND
Dear MIM:
I was pleasantly surprised by an incident -- an Hispanic
person from X (where that hunger strike was) passed a copy
of MIM Notes to me at work. I had to laugh -- it was one of
the copies I passed out originally! So, the stuff gets
around. You sent Spanish issues sometimes and my contact on
the island makes sure that Hispanic speakers from X that
work there get the copy. Haitians work there too. They in
turn XEROX parts of it. I hope you don't mind the xeroxing.
But it's free and we do pass them out for free too. There is
nowhere we can "put" them, like in a store, no paper can do
that (I mean, like local boondock home-style papers). . . .
We fear if we don't hand them PERSONALLY to contacts that
they'll be thrown out. Y reads them too, and even if he does
NOT agree, he passes his copy (one copy) along.
--Southern reader February, 1998
MIM replies: Of course we do not object to xeroxing. We just
want people to have the contact information for MIM so
readers know who wrote the articles.
It may not be necessary to xerox, if people will pay for
postage for shipping or if they give MIM the impression of
doing serious organizing work.
Your example will inspire others.
* * *
FORMER ANTI-IMPERIALIST BETRAYS THE STRUGGLE (AGAIN)
Katherine Ann Power, a Vietnam War activist who took part in
a bank robbery in 1970 in which a police officer was killed,
abruptly withdrew her bid for parole on March 3rd after
hearing the testimony of the surviving relatives. This case
has been used by the media to portray anti-imperialists as
fanatical murderers, an image that Power has contributed to.
MIM does not endorse the focoist actions of the activists
Power worked with who decided to rob a bank to fund anti-war
activities. We understand that now is not the time for armed
struggle and such actions only lead to needless death and
imprisonment.
Power lived on the run under assumed names since the
robbery, but she turned herself in after 23 years. In her
statement she said "I was guilty of ethical failures,
compulsive rebelliousness, and wrong thinking..." suggesting
that her anti-war activities and views were some kind of
mental "compulsive" illness. Power's wrong thinking was not
in opposing u.s. imperialism, it was in failing to study
line and strategy and instead jumping into the first
"revolutionary" organization that came her way. Instead she
should have studied the past failures of focoism and
understood that the process of opposing imperialism requires
the revolutionary line and strategy that can win the long
struggle not just fight a few small battles.
Within the u.s., financial battles should be fought legally
by building independent institutions of the oppressed. We
can think bigger than risking our comrades lives for a bank
robbery in a state where we are likely to lose, because the
state is so much stronger than the revolutionary forces.
Power said "We were drenched with dangerous romanticism and
saw ourselves as noble warriors for a great cause. We
thought there was glamour in gun-toting violence..." In fact
this is a problem in the revolutionary movement within the
united snakes. Some people, particularly white people,
consider the whole anti-imperialist struggle a romantic
adventure rather than a serious battle of life and death for
the majority of the world's people. These romantics tend to
burn out and give up after they realize that the majority of
the people in this country are not rallying to their side
and after their focoist actions don't gain them any
following.
Power expressed remorse at the life of the police officer
lost as a casualty to her bank robbery. But she expresses no
remorse for the lives lost at the hands of the pigs every
day as they patrol the inner cities beating up the Abner
Louimas and killing the Ben Schofields. Instead she focused
on the officer's family who certainly do feel a loss from
his absence. MIM values all human life but we recognize that
the system of imperialism is murdering thousands of people a
year from starvation alone, stealing thousands of lives,
principally among Blacks and Latinos, to skyrocketing
incarceration, and bombing and torturing the Iraqi people,
the people of Latin America, the Filipino people and
oppressed people around the world.
If Power truly regrets taking one human life we hope she
will also learn to regret wasting her life instead of
fighting for the hundreds of millions human lives lost,
shortened, or in some way harmed by imperialism every year.
Killing this one police officer did not contribute to the
anti-imperialist struggle and for that reason it was a
needless death. But MIM is not blind to the violence
perpetuated by imperialism which will not stop with a few
peaceful pleas. It will take a violent revolution to smash
imperialism and only through this armed revolution will the
people of the world achieve self-determination and an end to
oppression.
NOTE: Boston Globe, March 4, 1998.
* * *
NO DENYING IT: CAPITALIST CRISIS HITS SOUTH KOREA
The bourgeois media will go to great lengths to blame
oppressed nation workers for their own oppression.
An article in the Los Angeles Times on 2 March starts out by
saying that a recent push by south Koreans to save more and
spend less "may choke an economy that is already swan diving
into recession." The south Korean government's massive
foreign debt, the threat of currency devaluation, and other
IMF austerity measures are certainly creating a rush of
voluntary saving among the petit-bourgeoisie. According to
the Times, "IMF" has become synonymous with "cheap" in
Korean.
If only Koreans didn't save so much, says one u.$. diplomat,
then domestic demand would rise and the south Korean
recession would be over.
But you have to read to the end of the article to get the
bigger picture: Most south Koreans really don't have a
choice whether to save or not. The money is simply not there
in the first place. Per capita income is predicted to shrink
by 37% this year, and the official jobless rate will double
from 2.1% to 4.5%. Because the government undercounts
unemployment (if you work two hours per week you are
employed, according to them), the actual unemployment
figures may top 20%. There is no state-sponsored safety net
for unemployed workers in south Korea. Homelessness in Seoul
has also increased dramatically since last fall.
So the bourgeoisie has its pipe dreams - "If only people
shopped sensibly then capitalism would be sustainable." But
the fact is that crisis is built into the system.
"Capitalist economic crises are crises of overproduction.
But this so-called 'over-production' is not an absolute
overproduction; it does not mean that the things produced by
a society are more than the masses can consume...
[C]apitalist overproduction is relative overproduction. In
other words, social production is excessive only in relation
to the purchasing power of the masses. During economic
crises, inventories pile up in the warehouses of the
capitalists for lack of demand... On the other hand, the
broad laboring masses are too poor to afford food and
clothing and are struggling on the verge of starvation."
NOTE: Fundamentals of Political Economy, Shanghai People's
Press, 1974.
* * *
PEOPLE'S HISTORY CENSORED IN MICHIGAN KKKAMP
by MIM
On March 9th, MIM received word from under lock and key that
Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat is being
censored in the Marquette Branch Prison in Michigan.
The rejection letter from the parasitic prison pigs states
that "Settlers, the true story of the white nation [sic]"
... "is on the restricted publications list." After the
list of alleged choices that prisoners get to deal with the
restricted material e.g. return to sender, destroy, request
a hearing, the prison pigs wrote "This is only
informational. Once a book or other publication is on the
restricted publication list, no hearing is necessary."
There are many battles which the people face to end the
disgusting oppression of the masses which puffs up the
imperialists' bellies. MIM is told of beatings, rapes,
unjust transfers and even murders that are perpetrated by
the prison pigs against masses held in Amerikan gulags. We
struggle to build revolution as this is the only means that
will put an end to oppression and exploitation of the
people. On the communist road to building national
liberation of oppressed nations and socialism, we run into
censorship from the postal pigs, the prison pigs and the
pigs following us around throwing away the people's paper.
Censorship is a hurdle that we're constantly dealing with
because the enemy does not want the truth to be spread. In
this case, prison pigs won't allow in a book which details
settler nation genocide against First Nations, against the
Black nation and which discloses the history of white nation
chauvinism against Amerika's internal colonies. Surely it is
because the pigs understand that information is a powerful
tool that is necessary for us to tear apart their system.
But this example of censorship is clearly an example of the
contradiction in Amerika which states that this kkkountry is
all about freedom.
Settlers is a great resource. MIM requests that readers do
two things: (1) send money so that we can buy more copies to
send to prisoners. (About $10 for each prisoner), and (2)
Write to Marquette Branch Prison, P.O. Box 779, Marquette,
MI 49855-0779 and oppose this censorship.
* * *
DOC TRANSFERS AND SETS UP PRISONER
by MIM
At the beginning of March, MIM was notified that a dedicated
friend of the struggle for liberation and revolution was
transferred from one state gulag to another one. Now,
transfers happen all the time in the DOC because it's a way
for the prison pigs to reinforce the fact that they are in
control and can twist and turn the lives of human beings
however they want. The pigs transfer prisoners all the time
to ensure that they are far from their families and
supporters, and they transfer prisoners when it suits the
political campaigns of the bourgeoisie. But in this case,
the prisoner was transferred weeks just before his/her
parole hearing. And s/he was transferred to a facility where
his/her life is in danger. Additionally, the prisoner has
been denied very necessary contact with the outside
supporters.
One hour before the prisoner was transferred to a gulag to a
hick town far away from supporters, s/he was notified of the
bureaucratic control tactic. Then after arriving at the
second gulag, the prisoner's life was threatened from other
prisoners who have been led to believe that the prisoner is
a snitch. This comrade is no snitch and has been a valuable
part of building for revolution. But it's in the pigs'
interests to have prisoners kill this leader of the people
so that the pigs don't have to do it directly themselves.
Years back, the prisoner faced a situation where the pigs
told other prisoners that this prisoner had given the pigs
information on another prisoner. Following that campaign of
disinformation, the prisoner's life was threatened and s/he
was stabbed. After the pigs interrogated the prisoner and
s/he refused to give them information about the stabbing,
the prisoner was placed in lock up. Now, many prisoners
understand that this leader was totally set up by the pigs,
but that's not the case in the current place where this
person has been transferred.
Previous to the most recent transfer, this person did not
face threats. S/he was close to parole and was near friends
and supporters. Now, the pigs see that they need another
reason to keep this leader locked up longer. The pigs have
set up the conditions for this prisoner to be forced to
defend his/herself against attacks. The pigs have delayed
his/her parole hearing de facto because of the transfer and
have also made it more difficult for this prisoner to get
words out of the walls to supporters.
The specifics of the case are not listed here because of
security concerns for this person's life currently under
attack both by the state and misled prisoners. This is one
example of many of the ways in which the Amerikkkan prisons
are in no way set up to help people; they are only set up to
control the oppressed. They don't even deal with criminals
-- the biggest criminals in this case are the ones spreading
the lies which could lead to this woman/man's death.
* * *
TREE, CRITICAL MASS, KILL THE HOSTAGES PLAY RAIL BENEFIT
On February 27th RAIL hosted a benefit concert at Boston
University to help fund the Massachusetts RAIL contingent to
the Jericho '98 march and RAIL teach-in in Washington DC.
The concert featured rockin' music from local bands Tree and
Kill the Hostages and the New Jersey group Critical Mass.
Jericho '98 is a march to free prisoners incarcerated for
their political views and activism. RAIL is sending a
contingent to this march (March 27th) and hosting a teach-in
on the criminal injustice system the next day (March 28th).
Kill the Hostages lead off with a hardcore anti-
authoritarian set. RAIL had not heard their music before so
we can't offer a commentary on the politics of Kill the
Hostages but we encourage our readers to check them out
since they were willing to play for a fund-raiser to help
fight the criminal injustice system.
In between performances we had an open mike. RAIL members
read letters from prisoners and offered commentary on the
nature of the criminal injustice system as well as the
larger issues of how and why we need to fight imperialism
with communist leadership. Other folks performed poetry and
read essays or made announcements about upcoming events.
The second act was Critical Mass (see review in MIM Notes
#156 and letter and response on this page). They performed
some excellent political hip hop that focused on the
criminal injustice system and the evils of capitalism.
Critical Mass is touring the country promoting the Jericho
march and RAIL has hosted a few concerts with them. Most of
the audience came to see the local bands but many people
were drawn in by the compelling music and politics of
Critical Mass who had a large crowd shouting "Off the
fucking Pigs" while the cop (who the university requires at
all concerts on campus) stood outside to "keep the peace".
Da Wizard, one of the members of CM, made a point of making
the cop uncomfortable because "when cops are near me they
make me uncomfortable so let's make sure he knows he is not
welcome here."
Critical Mass promotes anarchism as the solution to
imperialism. RAIL disagrees that this is an effective
position: only with military force will we be able to keep
the imperialists from coming back to power after they have
been overthrown. But even with our disagreement with their
anarchist positions, the overwhelming majority of Critical
Mass' music has an excellent political message and our unity
in fighting the criminal injustice system made Critical
Mass' performance an excellent addition to the concert.
Headlining the concert was Tree, a popular Massachusetts
band with 3 CDs out and a large following. Tree is also
promoting the Jericho march and played the benefit to help
with our efforts to fund the RAIL contingent to the march.
Tree does a lot of environmentalist work and also features
some good anti-imperialist politics.
In their song "Homefront" they say "I raise my fist for
Justice/I feel unmade/I feel betrayed/in the U.S.A." This
song salutes the I.W.W. and Tree seems to go along with the
pro-white working class line that white folks in this
country are, on the whole, exploited by the capitalists.
RAIL doesn't buy this when we can see that even though white
workers make less than their bosses they still earn quite
enough to be bought off and supporting imperialism as a
group. Tree's song "X-Communicated" features lyrics
attacking religion as an opiate of the masses: "Reaching for
the bible/like a junkie for the needle/Fucked up
fundamentally, you're fucked up/Leaning on your church/like
a cripple on a crutch/There's a white devil among us." They
go on to point out the connection between religion and
capitalist authority of the white nation: "I hold all you
right wing christians in suspicion/There's a white devil
among us/There's a white devil in office/Devouring all the
stupid fucks."
A lot of the youth who came to see Tree were not into the
music for the politics. But this provides an excellent
opportunity to influence youth and we salute Tree for
keeping the politics in their music and hammering on the
messages. RAIL made sure to insert a strong political theme
into the show and we challenged all the youth to check out
our literature, find out the facts about the system for
themselves and take seriously the task of changing society
for the better.
The benefit was a big success: we raised over $500 and
everyone who attended seemed to enjoy the show. And, of
course, we made sure they all got copies of MIM and RAIL
literature.
* * *
REVOLUTIONARY HIP HOP
A LETTER FROM CRITICAL MASS
Critical Mass is the smallest number of people necessary to
sustain a revolutionary movement. When Critical Mass arrived
in Boston on February 27, 1998 and read the review of our
tape in the last issue of MIM Notes we were upset because we
felt misrepresented. We felt that the authors of the review
focused too much on what we don't agree on and too little on
what we do agree on.
Currently, Critical Mass is on a ten stop tour to promote
Jericho '98. Jericho '98 is a march on Washington on March
27, 1998. Throughout the tour we have placed all ideological
differences aside and have organized Jericho shows with
Maoists , Socialists, Anarchists, Nationalists and community
based organizations. This is why we were upset about the
ideological debate that was initiated in a tape review.
First off it's a tape review; why include the party line? We
felt that this debate was initiated without our input. The
author pulled out isolated phrases and debated them. For
example, the idea that we need to initiate armed struggle in
order to tear down this racist, sexist, homophobic,
oppressive, imperialist government that many of us call the
United Snakes of America. We as Critical Mass understand
revolutionary theory and also understand that revolution is
a process and now we may not be able to take up arms and
send foot soldiers to the front line in March of 1998, but
to ignore it as a goal and to neglect the necessary
preparations that need to be made today is
counterproductive.
Further on this point the author of the review pulled out
isolated statements and created a debate. Hip hop is an art
form no matter how many krackers believe it is not. Within
the broader culture of hip hop, the lyrical delivery is
known as rap. What individual MCee raps, like in any art
form, attempts to raise an emotional response. Therefore
when we say "Got to start shooting cops in the back/of the
head/face full of lead/the only good cop is one that's
dead." We are attempting to articulate the rage that we feel
and have the audience or listener identify with our rage and
our struggle but the author of the review ignored the fact
that s/he pulled out isolated statements, out of context. We
flip metaphors and metaphors are not intended to be
interpreted literally. Besides, I can not see how
politically conscious individuals do not see that we are in
a war, like police are an occupying army and my people are
the ones taking the casualties. Therefore when a pig dies I
have no sympathy.
"Gentrification is about the elimination of the poor/This is
a war and I know what I am fighting for." In this war I
sometimes use a staplegun or spraypaint as my weapon but to
ignore the possibility that some pig or government agent
might someday kick my door in and attempt to injure myself
or my family would be ignoring the history of movements that
came before us. If a pig is kicking in my door and its me or
him. Well I don't need to state which one of us is going
down.
In conclusion, we as Critical Mass does not feel it was
proper to initiate ideological debate within a lyric review.
We also feel that it was not correct to pull out isolated
phrases that were being used as metaphors and use this out
of context phrases as our sole voice in the dialogue. We
appreciate the opportunity to respond. We also appreciate
the work put into the shows. We are also planning to work
with RAIL again in the future. Critical Mass's next tour
will begin Fall of 98 into Spring of 99 and the focus once
again will be political prisoners. The ideas is to have a
local group, i.e. RAIL, pick a political prisoner that they
correspond with and/or support and have a benefit show for
them. Dedicate that night to that political prisoner. Tell
their story, speak of their issues and personalize it for a
lot of people who see political prisoners as an abstraction
and not real flesh and blood.
We need to all attend Jericho 98, March 27, 1998 and demand
freedom for all our freedom fighters who are rotting in the
dungeons of the U.$ prison system. FREE ALL POLITICAL
PRISONERS NOW!!!!
For more information on our next tour, tapes, booking, or
anything else, contact:
Critical Mass c/o The Little Ruckus
72 Van Reipen Ave Suite 192
Jersey City, NJ 07306
Voicemail: 973 693 1860
MIM responds:
We offer you thank you for offering your criticism and
congratulations on what is becoming a successful tour.
We review culture in at least every other issue of MIM Notes
because of culture's important role in shaping public
opinion. We review the reactionary culture, like movies seen
be millions, and rebut the reactionary garbage they put
forth. We also have a special duty to promote the culture of
the people which does not have the same promotion machine as
the big corporations. For that reason, we printed your
contact information, which we would never do for say, the
Batman movie.
This doesn't negate our role to provide leadership, as
cultural works don't all fall into the category of 100%
reactionary or 100% revolutionary. In particular on the
latter issue, we believe there to be a science to
revolution, and that we have a duty to find the most direct
way to successful liberation. Therefore, we attempt to put
forward our views while being open to criticism. We took the
politics of your work seriously enough to criticize it.
MIM should also add for those who missed the original
review, that only about 2/5ths of the review was a criticism
of Critical Mass. The remainder of the review used the
strongest words of praise we have used in culture reviews in
recent memory.
We aren't sure who you are criticizing for denying that the
pigs are at war with the people, as our review positively
quoted a statement from the tape on that question. It's
certainly true that many deny this war, and that's where
educational efforts like Critical Mass and MIM Notes come
in.
MIM continues to uphold that now is not the time for armed
struggle, although self-defense is an acceptable tactic in
some circumstances. We are also not so dogmatist as to argue
that metaphors can not be used in art or anywhere else.
But we do encourage our cultural leaders to be clear on
which strategies they endorse for today, and which
strategies are for the future. The dangerous of confusing
the two is a real one, as it was the armed-struggle-now line
which allowed the pigs to lock up and kill far too many
revolutionaries in previous decades.
We again applaud the efforts of Critical Mass to raise
consciousness around the issue of the imprisonment of
revolutionary leaders, and prisons in general. We look
forward to working with you on your next tour.
* * *
DENNIS BRUTUS PROMOTES BOOKS FOR PRISONERS PROGRAM,
DISCUSSES SOUTH AFRICAN NEOCOLONIALISM
The recent speaking tour of southern California by anti-
imperialist activist and former South African political
prisoner Dennis Brutus succeeded in building awareness and
concrete support for MIM and RAIL's Free Books for Prisoners
Program. The tour, which was organized by the Maoist
Internationalist Movement (MIM) and the Revolutionary Anti-
Imperialist League (RAIL), raised close to $350 for the Free
Books Program. More than one dozen books were donated on
very short notice at one of the speaking events as well. The
tour also gave Dennis Brutus and his audiences a chance to
discuss the current situation in Azania (South Africa).
In all of his speeches, Dennis Brutus emphasized the
importance of the Books for Prisoners Program. After
discussing how the Amerikan prison system in ultimately a
tool of social control, Brutus said:
"We cannot be satisfied only with the demand for someone
like Geronimo. We cannot be satisfied only to make a demand
on behalf of Mumia. We cannot be satisfied to make a demand
on behalf of Leonard Peltier. Or other people who are
subjected to pressure in various way, whether they be
threatened with deportation, extradition, or whatever. Our
obligation I, believe, is to mobilize our protests to demand
the release of those people, and to challenge the whole
system of injustice. It seems to me that there are various
ways in which we can do it. Jericho is one way, but it seems
to me also that the Books for Prisoners Program is one other
very specific, very practical way, in which we alleviate the
hardships of those people; we work with them; we understand
their predicament; and we demonstrate our sympathy with them
in that predicament. And I believe out of the prisons will
come many of the people who have learned the hard way the
nature of oppression and the ability to define oppression
and the ability to challenge oppression. Those are our
allies, and we have to understand that when we work with
them, we assist them in the expectation that they will be
part of our struggle for a new social order."
Brutus led by example: He donated all of the (small)
honorarium RAIL was able to raise from university funding
sources to the Program.
Neocolonialism in Azania (South Africa)
Dennis Brutus had harsh words for the Mandela regime in
Azania and many of the leaders in the African National
Congress (ANC) and revisionist South African Communist Party
(SACP). Although he had high hopes for the new government
when it took the place of the old apartheid regime, he said
that now sees that the transfer of power to the ANC was a
"cosmetic change."
Government promises to the masses have gone unfulfilled. For
example, the new government's Reconstruction and Development
Program called for new housing for millions of people. To
date, only a few thousand have been housed, and Brutus
explained that homelessness has actually increased under the
new government. The Mandela regime's Growth, Employment, and
Redistribution (GEAR) program promised 126,000 jobs, but
during its first year over 100,000 jobs were lost. Brutus
joked that the masses have taken to calling the program
"reverse GEAR."
Dennis Brutus argued that the Azanian masses remain
impoverished and exploited because the economic system still
served the local (white) ruling class and foreign monopoly
capital, in the forms of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and World Bank. He described how the current regime
accepted and promoted the IMF's "conditionalities," such as
a ban on strikes, other strong limitations on the rights and
freedoms of trade unions, a harsh fiscal policy which would
encourage "necessary" bankruptcies and plant closures,
reduced funding for social services, etc., etc.
Brutus outlined two reasons why the new regime remained an
instrument of the exploiting classes: (a) The leading
representatives of the exploiting classes were still
important members of the government (DeKlerk, last leader of
apartheid South Africa, was the first vice-president of
post-apartheid South Africa), and (b) Leaders in the anti-
apartheid movement had sold themselves to the highest
bidder. Former activists who are now in the pay of multi-
national corporations will not want to carry out fundamental
changes. Even if they did, as long as people like DeKlerk
were in the government, any real changes which threatened
the economic interests of the ruling class could be vetoed
outright or subtly covertly sabotaged.
Lenin wrote, "for a long time after the revolution the
exploiters inevitably retain a number of great practical
advantages: they still have some money; some movable
property - often fairly considerable; they still have
various connections, habits of organization and management,
knowledge of all the 'secrets' (customs, methods, means and
possibilities) of management; superior education, close
connections with the higher technical personnel (who live
and think like the bourgeoisie); incomparably greater
experience in the art of war (this is very important), and
so on and so forth."(1) This is why it does not suffice to
merely seize power, it must also be consolidated, through
the dictatorship of the proletariat.
To illustrate how people formerly on the left had sold out,
Dennis Brutus told the story of a leader in COSATU (the
Confederation of South African Trade Unions). This person
was involved in the anti-apartheid struggle and even spent
time in prison for his activism, but now he serves on the
board of directors of Anglo-American, the largest mining
concern in Azania. At a recent meeting, his fellow
capitalist cronies introduced him saying, "We used to call
him Comrade, but now we call him Chairman of the Board."
While Brutus was somewhat surprised to see that people who
"lived and breathed" Marxist classics would sell out and use
their alleged knowledge of Marxism to sell IMF programs to
the people, MIM is not surprised at all. This is just one
more example of how the enemies of revolution will flatter
revolutionaries and adopt revolutionary rhetoric and
appearances when the revolutionary movement is strong. In
particular, this shows the influence of Soviet revisionism
on both the SCAP and the ANC. Soviet revisionism opposed the
leadership of the proletariat in the anti-colonial struggle
and also opposed dictatorship of the proletariat itself.
Instead it called for the "seizure of power" via the
parliamentary path, sharing power for a time with the
representatives of the exploiters. Armed struggle plays a
secondary role in such a scheme. The current situation in
Azania is the poisonous fruit of such traitorous pseudo-
Marxist ideas.
Dennis Brutus likened the so-called power sharing agreement
in Azania to recent developments in Palestine and south
Korea. In south Korea, former anti-dictatorship politician
Kim Dae Jung was elected president, but he named the founder
of the notorious Korean secret police as his Prime Minister.
Kim also accepts and promote the schemes of the IMF and the
World Bank.
Strategic and tactical confidence
Dennis Brutus spoke of several of the many battles he waged
and won against South African apartheid and its Amerikan
backers - from the successful struggle to stop Amerikan
Universities from investing in South Africa to his struggle
for political asylum here in the u.$. He emphasized that
students living inside Amerika could wage - and win -
important battles on behalf of the oppressed people in
Azania and other oppressed nations. For example, he
estimated that the divestment struggle cost the South
African regime $3 billion, and claimed that played a large
role in the end of apartheid.
MIM was glad to see Brutus discuss such victories from the
not-too-distant past and stress that many similar victories
lie within our reach. Many people who came to anti-
imperialist activism after the Gulf War have not
participated in such victories themselves. Brutus' first-
hand testimony of recent victories and optimism were
inspiring. Indeed, this speaking tour itself was a small
victory, within another small but important struggle: The
Books for Prisoners Program.
NOTES:
1. Quoted in Stalin's "The Foundations of Leninism."
* * *
UNDER IMPERIALISM THERE IS NO FREE SPEECH
Taking government control of so-called free speech to new
heights, a California rap artist has been sent to prison
because lyrics on his new album are "anti-law enforcement."
Shawn Thomas, known as rapper C-BO, was charged with
violating a parole agreement in early March. Tip Kindel, a
spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections,
said that officers got an advance copy of C-BOs new album,
"listened to it and transcribed the lyrics." Their
conclusion: "...the album promotes a gang lifestyle,
promotes criminal behavior, and promotes violence against
law enforcement."
According to police, the album, "Til My Casket Drops", has
one song that explicitly suggests that a Sheriffs Department
spokesman be shot, and another that attacks Governor Pete
Wilson for his support of California's "three strikes" law
on convicts.
This case demonstrates that free speech does not exist in
this country which pretends to uphold the right of people to
rise up against tyrannical and unjust governments.
Not having heard the album yet, MIM can't cite the exact
lyrics but from this police report it sounds like C-BO
promotes some progressive politics but incorrectly advocates
focoism rather than organizing systematically to bring down
the system.
Pete Wilson should be attacked for supporting the "three
strikes" laws which have contributed to the skyrocketing
prison population in the u.s. But we would not advocate
anyone taking up guns against the state right now because
the state is far too powerful. Now is not the time for armed
struggle and isolated militarist actions against the pigs or
other representatives of the state is not an effective
strategy. Instead we need to organize to systematically
smash the imperialist state. Individuals attacking the state
and the pigs alone will be killed or imprisoned so everyone
truly interested in ending the criminal and unjust system
should work with MIM to overthrow it.
NOTE: Boston Globe 3/5/98. P. A22.
* * *
POLITICAL ASYLUM FOR THE SISON FAMILY NOW!
MIM and RAIL are soliciting signatures on postcards
demanding political asylum for the Sison family. Jose Maria
Sison, a leader in the national democratic movement in the
Philippines and consultant to the National Democratic Front
in its peace negotiations with the Manila Government,
currently resides in the Netherlands and has been denied
political refugee status. The postcards were printed by
BAYAN International USA (a legal national democratic
organization) and Friends of Prof. Joema Sison and Family.
They will be mailed to the Dutch Prime Minister.
Jose Maria Sison founded the anti-imperialist Kabataan
Makabayan (Patriotic Youth) in the 60s, and was instrumental
in launching the national democratic movement in the
Philippines, which fights for true self-determination for
the Filipino people. He was incarcerated by the u.$.-Marcos
regime and was forced into exile by the u.$.-Aquino regime.
The u.$. government has put pressure on the Dutch government
to deny Sison political refugee status, even though the
Dutch government itself recognizes that he is indeed
apolitical refugee.
The Dutch governments refusal to grant the Sison family
refugee status is an attempt to sabotage the current peace
talks and force Sison to return to the Philippines, where he
faces the threat of violent attack or unjust imprisonment by
the u.$.-Ramos regime. As such, it is an attack on the
aspirations of the Filipino people for a just and lasting
peace in the Philippines and should be opposed by all those
who support the Filipino people's right to self-
determination.
Contact you local distributor for copies of the postcards to
sign and mail, or write to one of the addresses on page 2.
Or you can write to: BAYAN International USA, PO Box 862546,
Los Angeles, CA, 90086-2546.
* * *
PIRAO NEWS
by PIRAO chief
March, 1998
New accountability rules
Comrades and PIRAO (People's Internationalist Rear Area
Organization, an unarmed organization) members and
supporters should all propose or accept PIRAO initiatives
with the PIRAO directly. PIRAO infrastructure projects
should not go through local branches and no one in the party
is authorized to carry out the finalization of agreements on
such projects. The party and PIRAO are to work as far as
possible in a self-reliant way, but no promises regarding
PIRAO should be accepted at the local branch level.
Communications on setting up projects involving three digit
or more sums of money should be made directly with the PIRAO
chief, through the mail. Requests for PIRAO aid may continue
through any channel, but we warn readers that we are as yet
a weak organization. PIRAO irregulars, officers and
supporters should not accept anything but contact with the
PIRAO chief in the event of finalization of PIRAO projects.
PIRAO-like projects of the local party branches and
individuals may continue, but they should not claim the name
of the party or PIRAO unless the finalization and agreement
is approved by the PIRAO chief in writing. The party
comrades must not represent their own PIRAO-like projects as
party or PIRAO projects to the non-party masses. Likewise,
the PIRAO members should not represent their own personal
projects as PIRAO projects.
There have been no problems to require these new rules from
past practice, but we are attempting to prevent problems
from arising. The key to accountability is not claiming to
have a party infrastructure or PIRAO project without
approval of the PIRAO chief.
MS suspended
In the past we have reported setbacks to PIRAO work, many
failures. Although we are now winning some victories, the
Maoist Sojourner has been suspended, possibly six months for
lack of funds. Although it is a terrible setback, we are
confident that MS will return with reinvigorated political
leadership, which is also lacking. It is PIRAO's
responsibility to see to MS funding and the party's
responsibility to find its political leadership.
1997 successes
People's bonds taken out by the PIRAO went into initiating
and completing successful PIRAO projects in 1997. Loans
given by three PIRAO irregulars and three party members were
completely paid back within the year they were taken out by
PIRAO.
Army officers inducted
The PIRAO used 1997 and early 1998 to finish projects and
induct two army officers to protect PIRAO gains. We are
shooting to have approximately five army officers by the end
of 1998; although there is no way to predict an exact number
for certainty. This is the modest pace we have based on
self-reliance.
We inform our agitation oriented comrades in RAIL and the
party that their work helps to speed our work as well. There
is nothing saying our advances could not be 1000 times
greater this year, if the party or RAIL or MSG meet the
masses with the proper motivation and resources. Even and
especially masses not interested in working on agitation may
nonetheless have crucial support to give to PIRAO.
The PIRAO has its eyes on making the "Prison Re-Lease"
program a reality in 1998. This is another reason to step up
to the plate with assistance and ideas for how to come up
with resources.
Opposing parasitism
The continuing struggle against parasitic thinking proceeds
in the PIRAO. Revolutionary infrastructure does not drop out
of the sky. Large-scale U.$. government programs may seem to
drop out of the sky, but even those are the results of
powerful labor aristocracy lobbying.
PIRAO officers and irregulars are "workers." They seek to
grab their share of the imperialist surplus-value, not to
buy another VCR for their bathroom, but to carry out
internationalist duties. Even in China, Mao saw to it that
the People's Liberation Army was not a burden on the people.
PLA soldiers worked in the fields.
Such an ideological burden of the army is double in the
imperialist countries. Creating a burden on the people in
this case means parasitism, becoming middle-class and
draining internationalist aid. In China, there was
relatively little danger that masses of soldiers could rest
on the backs of the people as a middle-class. Not working
simply did not mean a middle-class lifestyle. Here the
danger is much greater as there is no middle ground between
petty-bourgeoisie and lumpen-proletariat.
Medical aid
A founding member of the MIM who ceased his/her original
political activity has nonetheless agreed in principle to
help PIRAO with medical aid. There are many who know that
Maoism is right, who should likewise render material aid
through the PIRAO. Such supporters that we call irregulars
are crucial to the success of the united front and the
PIRAO. Already this irregular has rendered medical aid to
the party and has promised further assistance. Let the
direct aid and service of this irregular be an example on
which to build.
PIRAO studies
Since our last report, the masses have assisted us with
studying the situation of Kabila in Africa. We also took up
further examination of the united front, the Black Panther
Party and one thesis of Comrade Gonzalo in Peru with the aid
of MC5.
Conflicting reports about Kabila keep coming in. Recently,
we have received two strongly negative reports and one
positive report on Kabila. With regard to all requests
regarding Africa, PIRAO asks that they go to the party at
the political level first, simply because PIRAO has no hard-
nosed sense of the true Maoists and anti-imperialists in
Africa. MIM and PIRAO do not claim to be operating on the
ground in Africa. We invite suggestions on how to determine
who the genuine forces in Africa are. At this point, our
best information comes from the www.ptb.be page of the
revisionists led by Ludo Martens.
The united front also came up in PIRAO practice with an ex-
convict. PIRAO is an important concrete way of building the
united front with the masses. There are many people who
assist the PIRAO who do not otherwise help the party. The
support that can be built in this way is limitless.
We are struggling with ex-convicts to work toward being army
officers and carrying out the united front. Ex-convicts and
prisoners have the political habit of eclecticism, built out
of the necessities behind the bars. Wishing to receive the
publications of all groups calling themselves socialist and
wishing to have their cases promoted by all political
organizations, many prisoners side with no one political
organization and build their own united fronts against the
state. While in prison, such an approach is not all bad.
Once out of prison ex-convicts may continue in their
incorrect coalition approach to the united front. One danger
of such an approach is a chaotic, lumpen lifestyle not
taking a single and unified approach to the essentials of
daily life. Mao taught us that it is necessary to blend in
with the masses like the fish in the sea. Many ex-convicts
are not prepared to do so, partly out of political confusion
spread by labor aristocracy organizations. These
organizations identify the labor aristocracy as
"proletariat" and ask the lumpen-proletariat to take up the
"proletarian" lifestyle. This causes prisoners to reject
proletarian politics and take up a directly lumpen view.
In contrast, PIRAO sees conformity in lifestyle questions as
blending in with the fish in the sea as Mao taught.
Conformity with the middle-class lifestyle in the
imperialist countries is not "proletarian" as the
revisionists say, but it is necessary. What makes us
revolutionary is not our lifestyles, but our work to build
the public opinion and independent institutions of the
oppressed to seize power. We need to break with drugs,
"principled" homelessness and anything else that prevents us
from having a law-abiding lifestyle. We should only fight
those battles which will always win or at least come with
the lowest socially necessary danger of imprisonment. While
many prisoners and ex-convicts value their own lives lowly,
they must also remember that they risk demoralizing the non-
lumpen part of the movement seeking forces and allies in the
lumpen-proletariat. Whether they feel it or not, the
convicts and ex-convicts must attach a high value to their
lives and their lives being out of prison. That is what Mao
taught about People's War and that is how we regard our
people today. Although not all of us carry weapons, there is
no doubt that the enemy is waging war on us.
According to forthcoming MIM Theory reviews by MC5, the
Black Panthers started out helping the lumpen-proletariat
make a break with some of its ways by reaching for the
"clean" living taught by the Muslims and the Maoists. As
time went on, the leadership developed a severe drug problem
and went down an ever constricting road, like a trap. The
lumpen-proletariat is correct that the law-abiding middle-
class lifestyle is boring and a symptom of imperialism, but
we urge it anyway. We make up for our boredom elsewhere, not
in our lifestyles, but in our class struggles.
The Black Panthers had a militarized structure in accord
with the fact that it has picked up the gun. This structure
was appropriate as long as the leadership stayed on course.
Once it was smashed by the state, the Black Panthers'
militarization was a drawback in terms of making a comeback
and avoiding the lumpen lifestyle.
Comrades Gonzalo and Luis Arce Borja have discussed the
thesis of the "militarization of the party." We believe that
such a process weeds out vacillators in the party ranks, and
tempers the remainder like a steel forge. This also makes
the job of infrastructure building like PIRAO does much
easier. The masses take the party more seriously when it is
armed, whether the masses are conscious of that or not.
Independent of the leadership, taking up even the lower
stages of People's War creates a more taut atmosphere in the
party and inspires the masses to greater clarity and
contributions to the revolutionary struggle.
We cannot deny that the Black Panther Party makes all the
organizations in imperialist North America today look like
Paper Panthers. Similar organizations are found only among
the Mohawks and other Iroqois peoples. Nonetheless we
believe it is possible to achieve their level of
infrastructural organization without picking up the gun. To
do so, we will have to find ways of stretching ourselves to
the limits and tempering ourselves and learning to become
more efficient and effective revolutionaries. As we at PIRAO
do not risk our lives at the rates proletarian armies do, we
ask instead for risks of the ego, career, lifestyle and
business enterprise as our means of creating a taut
atmosphere and forging a people's army, united front and
Maoist party.
* * *
MLM ONLINE
COLLEGE TERM PAPER SALES REVEAL EDUCATION HYPOCRISY
by MC12
A1 Termpaper, on the Internet, offers: "'Karl Marx's
Dialectical Materialism: An examination of Marxist
materialism,' a Marxist view about money, and Marxist
philosophy of the bourgeois." This paper, written in 1980,
is 18 pages, with 13 footnotes from 4 sources. It costs
$161.10, and you can't read it before you buy it.
One of the most revolting aspects of the private property
system is the idea of "intellectual property," by which
ideas are privately owned for the benefit of their owners.
For example, a piece of computer software on a disk can be
copied for $0.39, but capitalism says you have to pay
someone $400 for it. That keeps the software out of the
hands of many people, and helps make the richest people in
the world even richer.
Recently there has been a increased flap among bourgeois and
mainstream college administrators and professors about the
proliferation of term papers for sale or available for free
on the Internet. Many college students get term papers from
Internet sites and turn them in for credit in their classes.
Some states have laws against selling intellectual property
to people if you know they will use it for plagiarism --
that is, claiming they wrote it themselves. Boston
University recent sued eight term paper companies under this
law in Massachusetts.(1) Texas also has a new law against
profiting from plagiarism. An administrator at one Texas
college is threatening prosecution of paper sellers.(2)
To try to cover their tracks legally, the paper sellers act
like they're just helping people with research.
allpapers.com says, "The intended purpose of our example
term papers is that they be used as study aids or as models
of what a termpaper should look like. We encourage students
to use our reports to help them in quickening their
research. Pursuant to New Jersey Statutes 2A:170-17.16-18
and similar statutes that exist in other states, The Paper
Store Enterprises, Inc. will NEVER offer its services to ANY
person giving ANY reason to believe that he or she intends
to either wholly or partially submit our work for academic
credit in their own name...Plagiarism is a CRIME!"
However, these shameless hypocrites make it clear just how
good these "model" papers are supposed to be: "Our
philosophy is simple: It is only by reading a letter-
perfect, properly-formatted report that students will be
able to successfully create their own paper in accordance
with all of their professor's requirements." This is just
one more way that rich people get ahead while doing less
work. What did you expect?
However, some sites, such as schoolsucks.com, offer term
papers for free, and do not appear to be breaking any laws.
Of them, Schoolsucks.com has gotten the most attention.
Schoolsucks offers free, unedited term papers turned in by
anyone on many subjects, of any quality. The owner of the
site claims he offers the "checks and balances" of the
education system. If these papers are good enough to pass
muster in class, the system is in trouble, he believes, so
the site is supposed to be a warning to the system. Of
course, it's really just a place for students to get free
papers. Schoolsucks makes an estimated $5,000 per month from
advertising -- some of it from commercial term paper
sellers.(3)
The main reform the owner of Schoolsucks wants is for all
college teachers to have a degree in education. "Unlike the
rest of the real world, the education system has no checks
and balance," he says. "By forcing mediocre professors, who
have been giving the same assignments since the Truman
administration, to rethink their assignments -- and maybe
even add a bit of creativity to them, School Sucks IS
Education's check and balance." If the papers on the site
suck, he says, professors have no one but themselves to
blame.
He is right that if generic papers get good grades, the
classes are probably not very educational. But MIM cares
what people learn, not just how much they learn. Unlike MIM,
Schoolsucks does not seek to replace the bourgeois education
system with a free system to educate all people for
liberation and revolution. Instead he says "Our high school
system is the joke of the West. Those responsible need to
wake up. We're way behind."
College administrators and professors are suddenly all upset
about the availability of term papers on the net, but people
have been paying for plagiarism for years. One idealist
critic believes the trend is a "threat to education." She
says, "By making it easier to plagiarize, downloadable term
papers undermine the purpose of assigned papers. Instructors
assign written work not to test the students' abilities to
obtain papers, but to encourage students to engage in
certain kinds of intellectual work. This intellectual work
is what facilitates the students' educational development."
In fact, MIM believes that students who do a good job of
finding and submitting good plagiarized papers to get
through college will be well prepared to succeed in the
Amerikan economy, where corruption, laziness, dishonesty and
opportunism are all highly-prized traits.
The oppressed people of the world, denied access to the
resources of U.$. colleges, resent the rich and lazy
students who buy term papers instead of taking advantage of
their libraries and really learning something. However,
those "upstanding" students who study hard in order to
successfully mimic the opinions of patriarchal imperialism,
applying their own "creative thinking" to build better
weapons for use against the oppressed, are no better.
MIM urges students in Amerikan colleges to study hard, and
take advantage of the resources available to them. Anyone
who can read can get a good education at the library if they
have the time, but students usually have more time for this
than other people, and access to better resources. Use these
resources for the good of the people instead of for selfish
advancement and furthering oppression.
The Internet is a great resource for educating each other,
and people who spend time writing good papers on important
topics should try to let other people read them. It really
is stupid for people to write good papers just to get a good
grade and then drop the paper in a file. Maybe your paper
should be submitted for publication in MIM Theory or on the
MIM web site? In fact, why not work with MIM to coordinate
your time in school or doing research to support
revolutionary development?
We don't care if people plagiarize some papers along the way
to get through some courses. We invite people to use all MIM
publications for their education research, although we
believe that giving credit where it is due is an important
political principle, because it lets people evaluate the
whole source and make educated decisions based on that.
NOTES:
1. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Oct 31, 1997.
2. The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 13, 1997.
3. New Republic 23 March 1998.
* * *
INDONESIA'S ECONOMY COLLAPSING; IMPERIALIST BAIL-OUT
REJECTED
by a comrade
In July, 1997 the Indonesian currency, the rupiah, dropped
dramatically in value, causing widespread panic and even
more poverty and unemployment. Interest rates have soared,
and the imperialist world watches the Indonesian economy
with worried eyes. The International Monetary Fund (IMF),
with u.s. support, has formulated a $43 billion "bail-out"
package for Indonesia.(1)
Since last July the rupiah continues to fall. Most
Indonesian banks and companies are now technically bankrupt,
and the private sector owes foreign debts of over $70
billion.(1) People cannot even get powdered milk for their
babies, as food shortages become more severe. The Indonesian
masses are rioting and burning and looting businesses for
food. The army is deployed in Jakarta to keep the masses
from increasing their protests against the repressive
Indonesian regime.
Recently, Indonesia's president Suharto has come up with a
plan that would fix the rupiah against the u.s. dollar.
Clinton and the IMF oppose this plan, claiming that it would
cause greater unrest, violence and looting in Indonesia.
The IMF is threatening to withdraw its proposed bail-out
package if Suharto implements his plan to fix the rupiah.
Suharto plans to create a currency board which would require
the monetary base to be backed by a reserve of u.s. dollars.
This means it would be impossible to issue new rupiah
without an inflow of foreign currency.(1) Suharto, along
with Amerikan economist Steven Hanke who is in Jakarta
advising Suharto, claim that this will bring interest rates
way down.(1) Suharto and his family control the economy of
Indonesia, and the proposed currency board would serve to
allow Suharto and his family to exchange their current
massive rupiah holdings to dollars at an artificially high
rate.(1)
The economic crisis in Indonesia is threatening other East
Asian markets, including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and
Hong Kong.(2) The united snakes government and corporations
are worried about keeping these markets stable in order to
preserve their interests in plundering labor and resources
from these countries.
The interests of both Suharto and the imperialist IMF/united
snakes are clear: Suharto wants to retain his control over
the Indonesian economy and masses by further consolidating
his economic power. The united snakes, while it has provided
military and other aid to Indonesia for years (which, in
part, goes to support the repression of East Timor) (see,
for example, MIM Notes 144) is not willing to let Suharto
implement a plan to increase his power while at the same
time thumbing his nose at u.s. aid. The united snakes sent
former vice-president Walter Mondale to Jakarta to talk with
Suharto and his economic advisors. Mondale's message:
"Install a bunch of I.M.F.-bashing cronies and your economy
will be washed into the South China Sea."(3)
Amerika does not want to lose this foothold in the East
Asian economies which allows u.s. companies to sell products
at greatly inflated prices, and buy materials and labor
power at greatly reduced prices.
NOTES:
1. The Economist, Feb. 21-27 1998, pp. 37-38.
2. The Washington Post, Feb. 17 1998, p. D1.
3. The New York Times, March 8 1998, Section 4.
* * *
GOVERNMENT REPORT CONFIRMS INCREASED NATIONAL OPPRESSION
[NOTE: MIM MADE SELF-CRITICISM FOR THIS ARTICLE IN MIM NOTES
161, P. 3. BECAUSE THIS ARTICLE FAILS TO FIGHT BOURGEOIS
ANALYSIS.]
by a RAIL Comrade
A report released on March 1 by the Milton S. Eisenhower
Foundation confirms that "our [sic] nation is moving toward
two societies, one black, one white-- separate and unequal."
This statement was made thirty years ago when the foundation
was set up to do research in response to urban uprisings
across the u$. While the report acknowledges Blacks'
increasing roles in government, business, and membership in
the middle class, it asserts that racial inequality is
becoming more deeply rooted in Amerikan society.
The report stated many statistics that MIM has quoted in the
past to show the systematic use of national oppression
within u$ borders. For example, most adults in inner cities
don't work in a typical week while the economy is booming.
Even the as the wealthiest country in the world, the u.$.
manages to hold the title for greatest inequality. The top 1
percent in u.$. borders has more wealth than the bottom 90
percent. In order to maintain such inequality the u.$. also
has the highest incarceration rate than any country, with
1.5 million prisoners, who are disproportionately members of
oppressed nations. One of three young Black men are in
prison, on parole, or probation.
Reactionaries respond by saying they are "color blind" and
claim that such pessimism is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Other people claim that blacks and whites have become much
more socially integrated in the last three decades. A member
of the original panel that produces these reports replied to
such subjective statements by saying, "You can't argue
[against] the facts." He also claims that while civil rights
movements brought short-term progress, inequality has
worsened since the 1970s.
However, after identifying and describing the problem the
panel failed to come up with effective solutions. They claim
that it is only a matter of investing the right amount of
money in programs that "we know will work," such as well-
structured after-school programs, targeted job training and
community-sensitive police strategies. MIM does not know if
the report details why such efforts would be successful, but
we don't need to in order to know that they are wrong. These
are the failed programs the Amerika has tried over the last
thirty years, after all. Specifically, job training programs
are rarely effective in raising incomes by any significant
amount, and often result in increased expenses when children
are involved. MIM has also reported extensively on the
ineffectiveness of "community policing" which only serves to
legitimize the national oppression that the police serve to
perpetuate.
MIM often relies on government reports for statistics since
their resources are far greater than ours. But even an
accurate and useful report such as this will never provide
the answers when it continues to resort to reformism. The
inequality described in this report is inherent to an
imperialist system based on profit and national oppression.
As long as such a system exists this inequality must
necessarily exist, even within the wealthiest imperialist
powers.
NOTE: Washington Post.1 March 1998.
* * *
UNDER LOCK AND KEY
For more information about joining RAIL's contingent to the
Jericho '98 march and the RAIL Teach-In:
P.O. Box 3576
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-3576
mim136@mim.org
734-930-6452
End the Amerikan Lockdown! Free the People's Leaders!
HUMILIATION TACTICS AND BRUTALITY IN MICHIGAN
Dear MIM:
Being a politically active prisoner, I'm often the target of
DOC [Department of Corrections] criminals. In April 1997,
during operation Clean-Sweep at the Kinross Correctional
Facility, a sergeant used that opportunity to engage in his
usual sexual deviant behavior by forcing me to: (1) strip
for a female guard, (2) bend over, and (3) spread my
buttocks for her.
I filed a grievance stating a male sergeant X forced me to
strip for a female. The DOC response is a weak attempt to
justify the sergeant's behavior. The grievance is currently
in State Representative Y's office in Lansing, Michigan.
In mid-April, the sergeant told me, if I don't drop my
complaint, he will see to it that I NEVER get out of prison.
From mid- April to June 1997 the sergeant and seven guards
would enter my room, make me strip, bend over and spread my
buttocks. They would then search my property and leave.
Never finding any contraband, in early June they changed
strategy. After the usual bend over and spread 'em routine,
the sergeant and his crew proceeded to destroy my personal
property. After one hour and a half, the shakedown ended,
and I was allowed back into my room. I discovered my ring
was missing and reported it. The guard, instead of making
out a thief report, said he thought I could possibly be
planning an escape. I returned to my room. The guard
followed me and pushed me and struck me with a chair. There
were no witnesses to how the fight started.
The guards charged me with "Assault with intent to murder"
which carries a life sentence. Not being a capitalist, I
don't have money, or a lawyer, as I had to fire my state
appointed lawyer. I am currently representing myself against
the judge, prosecutor and prison guards. Every single thing
the guards write or speak is a lie. I ask my comrades for
two things: a Lie Detector Test and a lawyer. If you know
one or both who have an interest in justice, please have
them contact me [via MIM]. I can't afford their fees, but my
situation stinks with lies. Without a Lie Detector Test, I
will continue to fall victim to the guards' lies.
Sincerely, -- A Michigan Prisoner, 4 December, 1997
MIM Responds:
Thank you for your important and insightful letter. We at
MIM are behind you every step of the way. A MIM or RAIL
comrade will write to you personally about our legal
resources.
Many prisoners are skilled jailhouse lawyers and paralegals.
We ask you, what advice would you give to this prisoner? Any
suggestions on how he can go about getting these guards to
take a Lie Detector Test?
I WON'T BE THEIR SLAVE
...Just received your newspaper from October [1997]. I just
received them due to the fact that they had to be approved
by the Iowa Department of Corruption's "Publication Review
Committee" and I was transferred to another Koncentration
Kamp...
Let's talk about the many chain gangs being formed across
this Settler's Nation. Just before I was transferred back to
this particular Kamp, I was at Anamosa State Prison. Right
before I left, I was in the hole and had to serve
approximately ten days.
This pig came to my concrete tomb and tells me to get ready
to go to Chain Gang. I explained to him that I'd rather not
be their slave for a day. Then the head pig threatened to
bring their Gestapo (K-9) Unit in to bring me out and force
me to go. Since I don't believe in letting somebody, or
rather about ten cowboys, come in to my cell to "extract" me
I said I would go.
When they began to take the [Chain Gang] group out there, I
observed the others gleeful to be a 1997 slave, willingly.
It sickened me. When we got to the place, ironically a
graveyard on a medium sized river, I explained to the slave
driver and the gun wielding gestapo overseers that like I
said in the cage, I'm not being their slave and that is the
final decision.
So in an attempt to punish me and me an example to the rest
of those watching, they wouldn't take none of their hardware
off me. They had me stand for approximately eight hours in
shackles, waist chain with my hands in cuffs attached to the
belly chain and a black box over the cuffs, which makes the
cuffs almost impossible to move. So I stayed like this
outside in the sun.
At various times the pigs would ask me "Are you ready to
work?" Like the way they kept whipping Kunte Kinte in
"Roots" until he said his name was "Toby". However, there
was a change in the story. "Toby" doesn't exist in me, and
each time they asked me the stronger I became. Within a
week, I was transferred back to this Koncentration Kamp. I
guess they figured out I wouldn't be their slave and pick
cotton.
-- An Iowa Prisoner, 23 December, 1997
LOCKED DOWN BECUASE REFUSED TO BE A SNITCH
...I am locked down in the Delaware (Un)Correctional Center
(DCC) in Smyrna, Delaware. I am locked away for 22 hours a
day in their Behavior Modification Unit for not becoming an
administrative snitch when I was caught dirty. They (the
administration) has been trying to get me for eight months.
Constantly harassing me, tearing up my living quarter,
handcuffing me and sitting me in interview room, with no
access to a bathroom and still handcuffed behind my back,
for four to five hours at a time.
For months they had no luck. All of the harassment came as a
direct result of my trying to get an Asshole Pig moved from
our living area because of his continuous unprofessional
behavior. For example he would stand in the middle of the
dormitory shouting, "You're all a bunch of pussies, punk-
faggots, etc. You can't beat me" and so on. We should have
stomped his monkey-ass. However, I elected to utilize the
new found grievance procedure, "Not!" It has been corrupted
by the Good ole boy system that oversees us. Nothing was
done to the officer, and I became a target.
...He [the pig] ran up on me while I was in the shower. He
said I was smoking a joint. They again cuffed me, left me in
the room, and went through my personal belongings.
Only this time, after being cuffed for three and a half-
hours, refused water and the bathroom, I was taken into the
Lieutenant's office. They said they found a gutted ink pen
and a book of matches in the shower. I got a disciplinary
write-up. I was told if I didn't plead guilty I'd go to
lock-up. I said, "Yea Right."
Then this pig sits in front of me and says, "You're a player
her, a major player. You know all the rest of 'em. Tell us
who they are and we'll let you slide." I told them to kiss
my ass, and if they gave me a pen, I'd give them my mother's
number so she could tell them to kiss her ass!
They threatened me "Do it or you'll go to lock-up." My only
reply was, "We haven't left yet?" They were pissed.
I came to lockdown. I'm here a week and a half. My old
counselor comes to re-classify me. Said my urine was
positive for pot, but that I shouldn't be here. So he put in
paper work for me to go to medium security. Ha, big joke!
The paperwork got lost. My children's pictures, my
certificates from college, other rehabilitative program
certificates and my legal work were all thrown in the trash,
because I wouldn't comply with these assholes.
Now I gotta do 90 days in lockdown, then come up for
reevaluation to see if I can get back into population. As
far as I'm concerned, they can leave me here until I max
out, because I'd die before I ever snitch on my fellow
inmates....
-- A Delaware Prisoner, 18 January 1998
FEARING FOR MY LIFE
I'm writing you to hopefully gain some insight on dealing
with the miscarriage of justice, which continues to haunt
inmates here in the Delaware Correctional Center.
On a daily basis, myself and many others are being faced
with out of control correctional officers. Some of us are
being handcuffed and beaten. And most of us being called
names like Nigger, Bitches and a host of other names. When
it is written up by way of grievance, there is no answer.
Then we are harassed by the officers. Many of the inmates
fear being moved to another state, so there is not much done
by prisoners as a whole.
However, I am one who refuses to keep being oppressed. So I
am looking for ways to get outside help, because my family
is in another state and I stand alone here in this small
wonder of Delaware. Where the KKK are placed in correctional
jobs. I try to express to my brothers that we must stand
tall and fight the powers that be, yet so many of them are
at peace with their situation. Or perhaps they feel there is
nothing they can do.
So my people in the struggle I need your support and some
sound ideas to fight the powers that be.
Much Respect, -- A Delaware Prisoner, 26 January 1998
MIM Responds:
Continue to struggle and remember you are not alone. Keep
talking to your fellow prisoners. Don't give up on them yet.
There are other brothers in Delaware who agree with you (See
above letter), so hopefully you can find them.
You have taken a good step by putting the oppression down in
words so it can be exposed to the public at large. Keep up
the struggle and continue to work for revolution.
PRISONER'S FAMILY HARASSED
...Enclosed is the Administrative Remedy Request that I
filed against this institution. [Printed below -- MIM]...
Mr. Commissioner,
On January 11, 1998, my family came up here to visit me.
Upon entering this institution, they were stopped and asked
who they were coming to see. My name was then given. The
officers sent the dog around the car and told them to pull
over because the dog indicated narcotics in the car.
My family knowing that this was another attempt to harass
them decided to leave instead. They were then told that if
they left they could never return to this institution again.
So they consented to the search.
The police were called and the car was vigorously searched.
No narcotics were present, so none were found. They came
across a tobacco butt from the astray that they thought was
drugs. The police officer, after examining it, then
determined that it was in fact tobacco. He then gave his
opinion that some residue may have been in the astray.
My family was then told that my visit was terminated and
they could not come back. After a verbal confrontation
(which my family almost got arrested for) they were told
that the visit was terminated for that day but they could
come back anytime after that day..
Now the institution had no right subjecting my family to any
type of search, whether it be by an officer or a dog. Unless
they had reasonable suspicion that contraband was present
before any type of search was conducted. It was only after
my family said that I (who has been on disciplinary
segregation since September) was the one they were visiting
that they were searched for contraband.
I would like this matter investigated a copy of the reported
incident [sent to me]. I would like the harassment of myself
and my family stopped, and disciplinary action taken against
the correctional officers involved. [In addition I want]
adequate compensation, in the form of monetary funds, for my
family and I.
-- A Maryland Prisoner, 20 January 1998
RESTRICTING PRISONERS ACCESS TO MONEY
...They've made it as of January 15, 1998, that prisoners
from this facility cannot spend more than $58 dollars off
their books in a ninety-day period. If you buy any
commissary then they deduct that off and limit your
capabilities of spending more off your books.
They claim they're trying to cut down on the racketeering.
And since they've taken all tobacco products off prison
ground one can't predict the pigs' next moves.
Anyway, we here at P-Town salute you and commend you and
your work toward the struggle!
-- An Indiana Prisoner, 25 January 1998
SPARKING INTEREST IN REVOLUTION
...Officially we can't form any study groups but about 5 of
us prisoners read books to each other on the gate (cell
doors) and then speak our opinions about them. I have spoken
with these prisoners and have gotten agreement to read any
material you send.
Another good point of reading the materials on the gate is
that even though everyone on the gallery isn't participating
in the reading but everyone is listening to us read. As they
listen there might be some who didn't have any interest in
the subject, but our reading has sparked an interest. This
is how I became interested in a lot of subjects and
materials (including revolutionary ones).
So maybe you could publish this idea in one of your issues
so that those readers, who never thought of trying it, might
be able to try it....
I have also spoken to people in other galleries and have
sent over your address so that they could also subscribe to
your newsletter and pass on the news.
I am enclosing three stamps as a form of a donation to the
cause so that maybe it'll help you get a couple more
prisoners informed about what's going on in this very
abusive system....
Keep up the good words, which tell of what this system is
trying to keep hidden from the public eye. Thank you for
your newsletter and your time.
-- A New York Prisoner, 11 January 1998
MODERN DAY EXTERMINATION IN AMERIKA
In the land of the free, there are more people locked up
than in the most oppressive societies. But what do you
expect when you run a prison-for-profit.
This country has designed a foolproof system to make immense
profits off of its poor peoples suffering. While at the same
time slowly exterminating two of the fastest growing
segments of its population. Sometime within the next decade,
Hispanics said to become the most numerous minority in
Amerika. Why does this fact scare the present regime? Is it
because Hispanics are unpredictable? Hot blooded?
Uncontrollable? And most importantly, what plans are in
effect to counter this massive population explosion of
Amerika's most dreaded peoples? Like any other regime worth
its salt, this one came up with a long-term plan to make
unfathomable profits while at the same time exterminating
their biggest threat. The blueprint for massive prison
expansion was put into effect in twelve-year increments.
Back in 1985, I started reading different reports that were
issued by the Injustice Department. Even back then I fully
understood the vast implications of this literature. It
explained how to go about raising the money for immense
prison expansion, do away with parole, and in some cases
media manipulation. A good example is the scarce tactics
that are presently in effect to pull the wool over the
unsuspecting tax/extortion paying public's eyes. Things that
will whip them up into a prisoner bashing feeding frenzy
that makes the pain of squeezing even larger amounts of
money a little more palatable.
But we're only scratching the surface here; let us delve a
little bit deeper. All these band aid approaches (like
building more prisons) aren't crime prevention at all, but
in reality are after-the-fact-lock-em-up- and-throw-away-
the-key-and-let's-make-money- prevention. They couldn't care
less about your safety because it flies in the face of the
prison/industrial complex. Everyone knows that there are
better ways for before- the-fact-crime-prevention. These
reports also stated how in twelve years, they were going to
reach a nation-wide prison population of six and a half
million people. Which is where we're currently at. Right on
schedule according to the blueprint. It also goes on to
explain about how in the next twelve years they were going
to raise the current prison population of six and a half
million to twelve and a half million, then the next twelve
year installment, and so forth. I'm sure you get the
picture. According to this plan, within the next 24 years,
there will be close to 20 million people in our nation's
lock-ups. A very frightening thought indeed.
Prison bureaucracies are already way out of control, hiding
their corruption behind the public's uncaring attitudes, and
not to mention blank checks. Presently, there is no
accountability for the excessive amounts of capital that
simply disappears once it gets behind these prison walls.
It's as if everybody's minds bump into an impenetrable
barrier that are put up by these prison walls. Out of sight,
out of mind, right.
But, all that is another matter. It's a very complex issue
that doesn't have an easy solution. One thing is certain
though. With 20 million minorities in prison, who will be
left out there to propagate our races? Will we just be
eradicated by this systematic form of ethnic cleansing?
No matter what size, shape, or form it comes in, Genocide is
Genocide. And we as a people need to stop all this before
it's too late and we're obliterated from Amerika's promised
land.
-- A Texas Prisoner, 9 December 1997
NOTHING WILL CHANGE UNLESS WE CHANGE IT
Now on with the story: Oppression and struggle at the "X"
Unit. Of all the other Prisons I've been in, I have never
seen anything like the Texas Prison System.
I have seen more Mental and Physical Abuse here at the "X"
Unit than one person would believe possible, and it is said
that the "X" Unit is the best unit in the Texas system.
Here at the "X" Unit, it's bad for the Death Row Inmates,
and I've witnessed with my own eyes, when I had worked on
Death Row 3rd shift in the kitchen taking breakfast to Death
Row, but now no population inmates are allowed on the Death
Row wings. I pray for my brothers on Death Row, all races,
us in White Prison Clothes have to stand together against
the Administration.
The slave labor is unreal here. There is no pay, and the
Good Time that we are getting means nothing. Because when
you get a Disciplinary Case your Good Time Credits are taken
away, of which is illegal, and you get set off at your
parole hearing for 1, 2, 3, and even up to 6 years at a
time. Anything more than a year is illegal.
We are now being charged for non emergency medical treatment
and you are allowed one pair of poorly made work boots
within a 90 day period. If our work boots come apart from
working in mud and water before the 90 day period is up, we
have to pay $16.95 for another pair. But still we receive no
pay for our labor, how can this be legally done.
These correctional officers (CO III's) seem to think that it
is all right to assault inmates at will, they gang up and
really hurt the inmates, then say the inmate did something
like "talked in the hallway" and asked for it. This is
usually done by the 2nd shift between the hours of 2:00 p.m.
and 10:00 p.m. every day. The investigations are a joke and
are conducted by the same prison officials that call all the
shots. We are harassed and retaliated against, taken to
disciplinary hearings and found guilty in their kangaroo
court, no matter how much proof we have, the officer is
always right and we are always wrong.
We even have a warden here at "X" Unit that is the head of a
Racism Group calling themselves "The White Horse" with
beat'em up squads, and who questions an Assistant Warden,
Nobody.
Nothing will change unless we change it. I for one am down
for the count.
- A Texas Prisoner, 12 December 1997
DON'T-SEE-ANYTHING-LAND
...Now about the labor, well, here on the "X" Unit, inmates
don't get no money for their labor. Some get good time if
they're a line one and above in class. But I was told that
"Y" Unit and some female Units pay some inmates for working.
The ones on "Y" Unit are some death row inmates, and the
female Unit, they have about 75 or 100 females getting paid
for working. The state of Texas says they don't have the
money to pay inmates so they give them good time which is no
good to inmates. If an inmate catches a major case, they can
take good time from the inmate.
Now here's a dog trick; if they were paying inmates, they
can't take the money from the inmates.
Now let's move to the part about medical. If an inmate sends
in a request for medical attention that's not a life
threatening situation, it will cost $3.00.
...This new law about charging inmates, first you must
understand that Texas adopted this law from other states,
but this is the part they left out on the adoption; they
left out the part by paying inmates. They did it on purpose.
Now I look at it like this: our family as well as other
working peoples already pay state taxes and that money is
supposed to be used to take care of inmates in state
prisons. Now if we look on the other hand, the federal
government, they give the state a little money in some way
or another. Now the federal prison's been paying inmates for
their labor, also paying their medical and educational
expense and so on. Why is it that the state can't and won't
pay their prisons?
I am going to tell you this. They took tobacco and it
products out of this system in Texas -- making the inmates
go cold-duck without anything to help them stop using
tobacco products. Right then, the inmates show them they can
do anything they like to them.
...But right now, officers still walk around with dip in
their mouth. Also, they smell like smoke. There have been a
lot of people who lost their jobs by bringing tobacco in
here to inmates to sell for $20. For two packs, that's an
$18 gain.
...There are games these people play. If an inmate gets
jumped by an officer and the inmate stands up for himself or
his cell, at times, they try to give the inmate some more
time.
Also back here in "don't-see-anything-land" ad-seg, there
are some officers going into inmate cells and taking their
stamps and there's nothing being done about it. Also,
inmates get slammed while in handcuffs in there. There is
not a thing done about it. Too many inmates are too lazy to
try to fight back with pen and paper. Even if they have
trouble reading or spelling, it's good to try than not try
at all.
- A Texas Prisoner, 5 January 1998
* * *
GOVERNMENT REPORT CONFIRMS INCREASED NATIONAL OPPRESSION
by a RAIL Comrade
[This article was retracted in the next issue of MIM Notes.
This is the statement withdrawing the article:
In the MIM Notes #159, the article entitled "Report
confirms increased national oppression" presented an
incorrect analysis concerning conditions within imperialist
countries. Publication of this incorrect article supported
the way in which the bourgeoisie twists empirical data to
support imperialist and reformist anti-proletarian
interests.--MIM]
A report released on March 1 by the Milton S. Eisenhower
Foundation confirms that "our [sic] nation is moving toward
two societies, one black, one white-- separate and unequal."
This statement was made thirty years ago when the foundation
was set up to do research in response to urban uprisings
across the u$. While the report acknowledges Blacks'
increasing roles in government, business, and membership in
the middle class, it asserts that racial inequality is
becoming more deeply rooted in Amerikan society.
The report stated many statistics that MIM has quoted in the
past to show the systematic use of national oppression
within u$ borders. For example, most adults in inner cities
don't work in a typical week while the economy is booming.
Even the as the wealthiest country in the world, the u.$.
manages to hold the title for greatest inequality. The top 1
percent in u.$. borders has more wealth than the bottom 90
percent. In order to maintain such inequality the u.$. also
has the highest incarceration rate than any country, with
1.5 million prisoners, who are disproportionately members of
oppressed nations. One of three young Black men are in
prison, on parole, or probation.
Reactionaries respond by saying they are "color blind" and
claim that such pessimism is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Other people claim that blacks and whites have become much
more socially integrated in the last three decades. A member
of the original panel that produces these reports replied to
such subjective statements by saying, "You can't argue
[against] the facts." He also claims that while civil rights
movements brought short-term progress, inequality has
worsened since the 1970s.
However, after identifying and describing the problem the
panel failed to come up with effective solutions. They claim
that it is only a matter of investing the right amount of
money in programs that "we know will work," such as well-
structured after-school programs, targeted job training and
community-sensitive police strategies. MIM does not know if
the report details why such efforts would be successful, but
we don't need to in order to know that they are wrong. These
are the failed programs the Amerika has tried over the last
thirty years, after all. Specifically, job training programs
are rarely effective in raising incomes by any significant
amount, and often result in increased expenses when children
are involved. MIM has also reported extensively on the
ineffectiveness of "community policing" which only serves to
legitimize the national oppression that the police serve to
perpetuate.
MIM often relies on government reports for statistics since
their resources are far greater than ours. But even an
accurate and useful report such as this will never provide
the answers when it continues to resort to reformism. The
inequality described in this report is inherent to an
imperialist system based on profit and national oppression.
As long as such a system exists this inequality must
necessarily exist, even within the wealthiest imperialist
powers.
Note: Washington Post.1 March 1998.
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