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.
Maoist Internationalist Movement

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         THE MAOIST INTERNATIONALIST MOVEMENT

  MIM Notes 161                 May 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.  CLINTON PUSHES IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA
2.  AMERIKA PRESSURES CUBA TO CAPTURE ASSATA SHAKUR
3.  LETTERS
4.  END AMERIKAN COLONIALIST DOMINATION OF PUERTO RICO: 100 
YEARS IS TOO LONG
5.  ASSASINATION IN COLOMBIA; PEOPLE'S WAR NEEDED
6.  CORRECTION: MIM NOTES 159 ARTICLE FAILED TO FIGHT 
BOURGEOIS ANALYSIS
7.  SIERRA CLUB PUKES FIRST WORLD CHAUVINISM
8.  WHY BIOLOGICAL WIMMIN USUALLY ESCAPE THE DEATH PENALTY
9.  United Nations passes resolution on death penalty
10. RAIL HOLDS SUCCESSFUL CONTINENT-WIDE TEACH-IN ON THE 
CRIMINAL INJUSTICE SYSTEM
11. RAIL CONTIGENT JOINS JERICHO MARCH TO DEMAND:
FREEDOM FOR OUR REVOLUTIONARY LEADERS!
12. ATTENTION PRISONERS:
ANTI-IMPERIALIST PRISONER MASS ORGANIZATION NOW FORMING!
13. WEST COAST RAIL RALLIES OPPOSITION TO IMPERIALISM
14. MARXISM-LENINISM-MAOISM ONLINE:
BUDDING WORKER-ARISTOCRATS:
WORK WITH MIM BEFORE YOU SELL YOURSELF TO IMPERIALISM
15. MISSISSIPPI SPY COMMISSION:
PUBLIC DISCLOSURE WON'T WASH THE BLOOD FROM OFF THE STATES' 
HAND
16. AMERIKKKAN PRISONS ON TRIAL CONFERENCE:
INJUSTICE SYSTEM GUILTY OF GENOCIDE AND NATIONAL OPPRESSION
17. UNDER LOCK AND KEY: NEWS FROM PRISONS AND PRISONERS


* * *


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


* * *


CLINTON PUSHES IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA

by RC784

U$ President Bill Klinton recently returned from a six 
nation, 12 day tour of the African continent. Heralded as an 
important historical first by the bourgeois media, the true 
nature of this visit was not to show Africa that "Amerika 
cares," but to extend Amerikan imperialism. Savvy students 
of U$ imperialism know that Klinton cannot and will not 
offer the revolutionary steps necessary to liberate Africans 
from their oppression and poverty; he just has different 
snake-oil sales techniques from previous Amerikan heads of 
state.

There's nothing accidental about the timing of Klinton's 
visit. It comes at a time when the U$ and African 
politicians are debating the "Africa Growth and Opportunity 
Act," which passed the House of Representatives on March 11. 
Section 7 of this bill would establish a free trade zone 
between the U$ and 48 southern African nations similar to 
the Mexico-U$-Kanada NAFTA treaty while doing nothing to 
protect human rights, the environment or workers. The bill 
is also known as the Sub-Sahara Africa Trade Bill.

The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act has supporters within 
the Black nation inside u.s. borders, especially among the 
Black compradors serving their white master. One of its co-
sponsors is Rep. Charles Rangel (D - NY), who worked closely 
with Speaker of the House, Rep. Newt Gingrich (R - GA) to 
push this bill through the House following only six hours of 
debate. Amalgamated Publications/Bloomberg Financial, a 
Black-owned media/financial services company, has been 
taking out ads in Black newspapers and using Rep. Rangel's 
name to encourage the bill in the Black nation in the united 
snakes of imperialism. This is a case of the Black comprador 
bourgeoisie trying to pitch the further exploitation of 
their African sisters and brothers to the Black masses. MIM 
recommends J. Sakai's Settlers: The Mythology of the White 
Proletariat especially sections 4 & 5 of chapter IX and 
chapter XIV for the historical antecedents of this type of 
treachery.

But the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act also has its 
detractors within the Amerikan Black nation, who have dubbed 
it the "Africa Re-Colonization Act." Randall Robinson, 
President of TransAfrica, has recognized it for what it is:  
legislation for the advancement of U$ imperialism.

The majority of the Black Congressional Caucus oppose it, 
too. The United Needletrades Industry and Textile Employees 
(UNITE) and the United Auto Workers also oppose the bill, 
but MIM questions their motives. This opposition is less a 
part of an overall anti-imperialist strategy on the part of 
these unions and more a tactical defense for the 
preservation of labor aristocratic privilege.

MIM recognizes that textile workers are among Amerika's 
lowest paid workers, and, like all workers, deserve a living 
wage, but, like all Amerikan unions, their organizational 
efforts are not revolutionary. This is a result of the huge 
labor aristocracy in this country which exerts a strong 
influence on the unions, pushing for a bigger piece of the 
imperialist pie. The few unions which do represent the 
oppressed need strong revolutionary leadership to pull them 
away from the imperialist influence and to the side of the 
world's people in the struggle against imperialism.

From the perspective of the champions of Klinton's visit and 
the Africa Re-Colonization Act, the U$ has neglected and 
ignored Africa for too long. This is a serious distortion of 
history. It gains credibility from the fact that Africa was 
colonized by European nations (Spain, Portugal, UK, Germany, 
France, Belgium and the Netherlands), and, until the end of 
World War II, the main focus of U$ imperialism was Latin 
America with some notable exceptions (China, Philippines, 
etc.)

But to say that the U$ has "ignored" Africa is a lie. The 
value of trade between just sixteen sub-Saharan African 
nations and the U$ exceeds the value of trade between the U$ 
and all of the former Soviet republics combined.(1) The 
African masses certainly would be better off today if U$ 
banks, corporations, military and CIA would have entirely 
ignored Africa! For a summary of a few of these 
interventions, MIM recommends William Blum's Killing Hope: 
U$ Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II 
(Monroe, Maine: Common Courage Press, 1995).

U$ Imperialism in Uganda

One of Klinton's visits was to the East African nation of 
Uganda where he promised millions of dollars in aid. MIM 
recommends Mahmood Mamdani's Imperialism and Fascism in 
Uganda (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 1984) for a summary 
of imperialism in that nation from its late-19th century 
British inception through 1978. Mamdani highlights the U$ 
role during the Idi Amin years (1971-78). From its 
independence in 1962 until the victory of the National 
Resistance Movement in 1986, Uganda was governed by 
comprador bourgeoisie masquerading as true nationalists who 
required rigged elections or outright military rule to 
maintain imperialist domination of Uganda.

But the victory of the National Resistance Movement, headed 
by Uganda's current president, Yoweri Museveni, filled many 
Ugandans, other Africans and anti-imperialists with great 
hopes. The NRM established a political system which appears 
to be radically democratic:  although political parties are 
banned, all adult Ugandans are free to participate in their 
village-level Resistance Council (RC) and elect a village 
executive committee, who in turn serve on a Parish 
Resistance Council. This process of executive committee 
elections proceeds through subcounty, county, district 
levels up to the chief legislative body, the National 
Resistance Committee (NRC). No one can be excluded from the 
political process, and thus one finds Marxist-Leninists, 
republicans, and monarchists within the NRC.

This system seems to have the support amongst a broad 
section of the Ugandan masses.(2) The involvement of the 
Ugandan masses was also solicited in the effort to rewrite 
Uganda's 1962 constitution, but as of 1995 at least, the 
constitution remained unwritten and the NRM-established 
structure remained in place (MIM has no more recent 
information).

Despite its radically democratic selection process for 
legislative duties, the Museveni government has succumbed to 
imperialist pressure. The regime accepted the international 
debt it inherited from previous regimes, and, despite 
initial wariness, has signed on to additional structurally-
adjusted IMF loans. Structural adjustment requires the 
subordination of the oppressed nation's sovereignty through 
demands that it open its doors wide to international 
capitalist penetration.

Structurally adjusted IMF loans to other sub-Saharan African 
nations have proved to leave them in worse economic shape 
than they had been before.(3) As Mugyenyi put it, "the NRM 
has lived with the reality that the IMF is a reflection of 
the global distribution of power."(4)

Economic inequality within Uganda still runs high, and the 
Museveni government has done little to change that. Phares 
Mutibwa, author of Uganda Since Independence: A Story of 
Unfulfilled Hopes (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 1992) 
stated that "corruption is a way of life," and those with 
access to greater thefts (high-ranking bureaucrats) are less 
likely to be punished than workers and peasants guilty of 
petty thefts (pp. 197-8).

It is clear that Museveni and the National Resistance 
government has not put the Maoist goal of the government to 
serve the people into practice. Reporters covering Klinton's 
visit have heard the Ugandan masses complain that Klinton's 
audience was hand-picked by the government and they were 
closed out from the address. The government cleaned the 
streets and removed the homeless from Klinton's view -- 
things they never did for their own people. They expressed 
outrage at the IMF policies which have severely hindered 
government spending on employment and social services.(5)

Ghanaian Masses -- Colonial Mentality?

Bourgeois news sources reported that over 100,000 
enthusiastic masses showed up for Klinton's public 
appearance in Ghana. Although the U$ government has been 
known to stage fake rallies in oppressed nations as a public 
relations gimmicks (George Bush in Panama following 
invasion), MIM has no evidence that either Ghanaian or U$ 
governments pulled that trick. What can account for what 
appears to be a strong vote of confidence for Klinton 
amongst the Ghanaian masses?

A comrade visiting Ghana has given us some insight. S/he has 
despaired in a number of personal letters that years of US 
Information Agency propaganda, Christian missionaries, and 
thousands of Peace Corps volunteers have duped the Ghanaian 
masses into believing "if it's white, it's right." Pictures 
of a European Jesus are everywhere, and Ghanaians will 
immediately give up a seat on a bus or a spot in a line for 
a European. Apparently, the comprador government of Jerry 
Rawlings has intentionally forgotten to teach the Ghanaian 
masses that their former President, Kwame Nkrumah, a nominal 
socialist who expelled the Peace Corps from Ghana, was 
overthrown by CIA-backed military coup! When this same 
comrade sought out the current Nkrumahist's headquarters, 
s/he found a dispirited bunch. No surprise given the 
colonial mentality of so many Ghanaians.

A Socialist Africa?

Clearly, Bill Klinton, the leader of the imperialist world, 
offers nothing but further exploitation of Africa's people 
and resources. Is their hope for a socialist Africa?

An African historian, Ali Mazrui, made famous for his 
documentary, "The Africans: A Triple Heritage " (1985-86) 
has suggested that there are both favorable and unfavorable 
prospects for socialism in Africa. But the clearest obstacle 
to socialism, Dr. Mazrui has stated, is "the primacy of 
ethnicity as against class consciousness."(6) The map of 
modern Africa is the product of European imperialism:  at 
the 1885 Berlin Conference, representatives of competing 
European imperialist nations carved up Africa to prevent war 
between themselves. While most African nations were gaining 
nominal national independence in the 1950-70s, most African 
independence leaders agreed to keep these borders as they 
were to prevent civil war. Previously existing ethnic 
rivalries were heightened by imperialist-created 
occupational divisions.

MIM and RAIL are interested in working with any Africans in 
the U$ who want to see imperialism overthrown, ethnic 
divisiveness overcome, and an a shining path of Maoist 
socialism build in the African motherland. Struggle with MIM 
and RAIL for proletarian liberation!

NOTES:
1. Commentary by Salih Booker on National Public Radio's 
"All Things Considered" Program, April 3, 1998. Booker is 
the Senior Fellow & Director of the African Studies Program 
at the Council of Foreign Relations, an international 
imperialist "think tank."
2. For further details on the structure of the contemporary 
Ugandan government, see Uganda: A Country Study, Washington, 
D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 1992.
3. Joshua B. Mugyenyi, IMF Conditionality and Structural 
Adjustment under the National Resistance Movement, Changing 
Uganda: The Dilemmas of Structural Adjustment & 
Revolutionary Change, London: James Currey Ltd., 1991, p. 
66.
4. Ibid. p. 74.
5. NPR News, 25 March 1998 6. "Privatization versus the 
Market: Cultural Contradictions in Structural Adjustment," 
in Changing Uganda, p. 368.


* * *

AMERIKA PRESSURES CUBA TO CAPTURE ASSATA SHAKUR

In late March, New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman 
announced a $50,000 reward for the return of escaped Black 
Liberation Army leader Assata Shakur, whom the pigs call 
"Joanne Chesimard." Whitman is preparing a radio address to 
be played on the Amerikan anti-Castro station "Radio Marti" 
to demand Assata's return.

Assata Shakur was a member of Black Panther Party and the 
Black Liberation Army. She was captured in an ambush on the 
New Jersey turnpike 25 years ago, on May 2, 1973. It's 
relevant that she was not convicted on any of the 
indictments that made her "wanted" and worthy of stopping on 
the Turnpike. Assata Shakur did not handle a gun during the 
ambush and was then shot with her hands raised. Despite 
this, in the courts of the white nation Assata Shakur was 
convicted of aiding and abetting in the murder of the New 
Jersey State Trooper who ambushed them. Sundiata Acoli was 
convicted for killing the Trooper. Assata escaped from 
prison in 1979, and was granted political asylum in Cuba 
five years later.

The Black Liberation Army (BLA) was a revolutionary Black 
nationalist organization fighting for the independence of 
the Black nation. It existed mainly in the early 1970s. The 
BLA engaged in armed struggle against the Amerikan 
government and carried out bank expropriations to fund its 
political work.

Mao and MIM argue that armed struggle should not be carried 
out until the enemy is "truly helpless." This was not the 
case in the Black nation in the early 1970s, where the 
masses were not ready to support the armed struggle, and the 
Amerikan government was too strong. This incorrect strategy 
is why Assata is forced to live in exile away from her 
people. Taking up armed struggle before strategically 
correct is the reason that the imperialists were easily able 
to murder or imprison hundreds of revolutionary leaders.

The pressure on Cuba and Assata have been increasing. 
Recently, the New Jersey State Police asked Pope John Paul 
II to request her extradition back to the United Snakes 
during his recent trip to Cuba. The economic disintegration 
of Cuba now that it is no longer a neo-colony of the Soviet 
Union also increases the chances that Assata could be forced 
from Cuba, and possibly back into custody.

Whitman may also be trying to recruit anti-Castro elements 
to kidnap Assata and return her to the United Snakes. 
Whitman launched her campaign after seeing an interview with 
Assata on New York's WNBC-TV. MIM has not seen in the 
interview in question, but we have heard other interviews 
with Assata and read many of her writings. Whitman no doubt 
targets Assata because her freedom serves as an important 
political symbol of revolutionary resistance. Radio Marti 
offered air time for Whitman, after Whitman wrote to Clinton 
and Janet Reno asking for additional help in recapturing 
Assata.

Strangely, Whitman announced that the reward money will come 
out her entertainment budget. Whether that money was 
intended for Whitman's entertainment or that of her guests, 
it's clear that the immediate effects of this ploy is 
entertainment for the pro-police white masses and further 
political repositioning by Whitman. As Assata pointed out 
about Gov. Whitman:  "She's trying to present herself as a 
pro law-and-order, right-wing governor."

The longer term effects of this Whitman campaign are much 
more significant and should not be ignored. Assata said "Of 
course, I'm concerned. It's a character assassination." 
Whitman is building a campaign against Assata, but the 
people must rise up to say "Imperialism must be stopped from 
imprisoning the people's leaders!" Just as MIM supports the 
demand of freedom for the revolutionary leaders behind bars, 
MIM supports the demand of amnesty for Assata so she can 
return from exile.

Notes: http://www.challengegroup.com 31 March 1998. 


* * *


LETTERS TO MIM

EX-PRISONER SAYS "SYSTEM STINKS, SIGN ME UP!"

Dear MIM,  I'm writing you this letter because I am very 
unhappy with the way things are; especially here in 
Amerikkka and, I too believe in socialist revolution. These 
fascist, Capitalist-Imperialist pigs should be destroyed 
utterly, without hesitation, and exposed to the masses for 
what they really are.

I'm 26 years old and I've spent most of my entire life in 
and out of concentration camps (prison). It's been almost 
one whole year now since I've been released from hell. And 
to be honest with you, I still can't find a place for me in 
this forever-consuming, forever-selling, materialistic 
society. I'm so tired of the way things are that I rather 
spend time plotting against the real enemy of humanity: 
Imperialism & Capitalism.

This barbaric society is based on individualism, greed and 
private property. In fact, it places private property above 
humanity and, as long as it continues to exist, there will 
always be unhappiness, hunger, crime and poverty. Therefore, 
I would like to become an active participant and follower of 
Maoism

While being in prison for almost 4 years, I've read 
intensively in the fields of Marxist economics, political 
theories and development, geography and guerrilla warfare. 
I've read a lot of books on Marx, Engels, Lenin, Luxemburg, 
Mao, Che Guevara, Debray Regis and even Carlos Marighela. 
And to be honest, I AM READY TO PASS ON THE TORCH AND TAKE 
MAO'S GREAT LEAP FORWARD!!!

I know what a socialist revolution is and what it means to 
us as a people, but I still don't possess a very clear 
Marxist way of thinking. In fact, I still need major help in 
understanding Dialectical Materialism. If I can only get a 
clear and thorough understanding of Marx-Maoism and be able 
to express my political and economical views, I'm quite sure 
that I can become more effective, join the class struggle 
anywhere around the world, in destroying the real enemy of 
humanity: Imperialism and Capitalism.

Help me prepare myself, so that I can answer to the cry of 
liberation and build a future for those that have been made 
the floor-mat of the world, along the side with our comrades 
in arms and the proletarians. Long live the revolution and 
armed struggle!!

Revolutionary yours,

-- a new Comrade in the East March 25, 1998

P.S. Send me any information on how to become a member of 
MIM. Also, I would like to subscribe for MIM Notes and RAIL 
newspaper. And if you can send me some reading material, I 
will greatly appreciate it.

MIM responds:  A clenched fist salute, comrade! We are 
excited to hear from you. Letters such as yours are rarer 
than they should be, as many good comrades from under lock 
and key fail to hook up with us once they are on the 
outside. This is a double setback since the outside is where 
comrades can be the most effective. This is why MIM stresses 
that all prisoners who have release dates within two years 
should immediately contact MIM and begin to prepare a 
political work plan for their release. MIM is steadily 
building work with prisoners to meet the needs of re-leased 
prisoners so that they can continue and intensify work once 
released.

As this comrade so aptly demonstrates, there is little room 
in this sick society for the politically conscious, and even 
less room for politically conscious ex-prisoners. All of 
those, ex-prisoner or not, who reject this sick Amerikan 
society should work with MIM for revolution.

To become a member of MIM, you must agree with and show a 
commitment to, the principles in the "What is MIM?" box 
printed on page two of every MIM Notes. The Revolutionary 
Anti-Imperialist League (RAIL) is a mass organization for 
anti-imperialists who believe that revolution is necessary 
to overthrow imperialism. RAIL does not have any other 
ideological requirements. RAIL is for people who do not 
fully agree with Maoism but are genuinely anti-imperialist 
and who agree to be open about MIM's leadership of RAIL.

As for publications, MIM Notes comes out twice per month and 
is available for $20/year. The continent-wide RAIL Notes and 
the Massachusetts RAIL's MASS RAIL are available for 
$10/year. As you probably know -- but many of our student 
supporters from the parasitic classes can never understand 
-- MIM is not in the "forever selling" business. Rather, we 
operate at a loss because of the tremendous volume of the 
literature we give away, especially through the very 
expensive U.$ post office. We recognize the financial 
situation of most prisoners is tight, and will happily take 
whatever you can afford, including trades of labor for 
literature. As you've probably noticed, we need additional 
help in your city with literature distribution. How many MIM 
Notes can you distribute every two weeks?

There are a number of projects you can get involved with us 
locally on:

a) Preparing for the 5th Annual Prison Awareness Week in 
November at a large University in the area. (We just 
completed a month long series of preparatory events and sent 
a large RAIL contingent to the Jericho March Against 
Political Imprisonment and RAIL teach-in in Washington D.C.) 

b) Building for an event in the center of your town about 
the Revolutionary Legacy of Malcolm X.

c) We are also trying to recruit more people to help us 
answer letters from prisoners. As you know, second to the 
recruiting prisoners do amongst each other, this the most 
important way we have to raise the consciousness of 
prisoners.

d) RAIL is also building a study group in this part of the 
region, and would be happy to expand it to your area. We 
would be happy to try extending it to your city. There is 
also a continent-wide RAIL study group on email. You can 
contact rail@mim.org for more information on that. Study 
groups are the best way to advance your theory.

e) Anything else. We are always looking for new ideas and 
new ways to expand our work. 

Enclosed with this letter are several back issues of recent 
MIM and RAIL publications, as well as the "What is MIM 
pamphlet" and flyers for some upcoming meetings and 
activities. Please send whatever money you can afford for 
the enclosed literature and subscriptions along with your 
comments and criticisms of the literature. We hope to hear 
from you soon, or see you at the upcoming events.

In struggle,

MIM


* * *

END AMERIKAN COLONIALIST DOMINATION OF PUERTO RICO: 100 
YEARS IS TOO LONG

by MC5

1998 marks the 100th anniversary of the U.$. invasion of 
Puerto Rico. We seek to make it a year of progress toward 
the end of colonialism. 

Uncle Sam uses the carrot and the stick to keep Puerto Rico 
under U.$. rule. One important carrot is U.S. citizenship. 
Economic pressure in Puerto Rico only builds up so much 
before emigration to the U.$.A. Puerto Ricans arrive in the 
U.$. not as illegal immigrants but as citizens. 

U.$. government programs also bring money to Puerto Rico. 
These programs dull the nationalist passion of the Puerto 
Rican people. 

Finally, as for carrots, there is the U.$. dollar itself 
binding Puerto Rico to the U.$.A. Since Puerto Rico does not 
have its own currency, it benefits fully from U.$. 
imperialist manipulations of international exchange. The 
masses of Puerto Rico enjoy the same prices for goods that 
mainland U.$. residents do.

For the stick, the U.$. puppet regime in Puerto Rico still 
does not allow unionization of workers. As we speak, tepid 
legislation is coming to pass to allow government-approved 
unions.

This unique combination of circumstance makes Puerto Rico a 
microcosm of imperialism and its relationship to oppressed 
nations. Using the carrot more than in most oppressed 
nations, U.S. imperialism has created a "split in the 
working class" in Puerto Rico. The workers are not all sub-
minimum wage proletarians and they are not all labor 
aristocracy. As an island, Puerto Rico would be the poorest 
U.$. state, but there are parts that certainly resemble the 
Mainland states, especially in the urban and suburban areas 
where living conditions are very similar to those in the 
Mainland U$A.

When the people rise up against colonialism, the U.S. 
Government cracks down with killings and imprisonment. Even 
though Puerto Rico is not the 51st state, the U.S. 
Government calls some actions of the Puerto Rican patriots 
"sedition" and convicts Puerto Rican patriots in U.S. 
courts.

MIM upholds both the peaceful and armed actions of Puerto 
Ricans against U.$. domination. That is what all Marxist-
Leninist-Maoists must do to uphold the right of self-
determination in Puerto Rico.

Hence, we call for the unconditional release of all Puerto 
Rican prisoners of war. As of yet, the same U.$. government 
founded by George Washington has yet to uphold international 
treaties and recognize the prisoner of war status of the 
anti-colonial freedom-fighters in Puerto Rico

All Puerto Ricans in prison are political prisoners; 
although not all are prisoners of war. Puerto Rican 
political prisoners should all be released to be tried by 
Puerto Rican justice systems. Some prisoners are truly sick 
and will be incarcerated by the will of the Puerto Rican 
people, but most are victims of the world's leading prison 
state per capita -- the U$A. The majority will readily 
redeem themselves given a chance in a socialist system.

MIM seeks to uphold the Maoist tradition of the Young Lords 
Party -- Puerto Rican Maoists organized here in the U$A with 
the inspiration of the Black Panther Party. It is our duty 
to render material aid to the organization of a Maoist party 
that will conduct the People's War in Puerto Rico.

It is also our duty given the actually existing conditions 
to call on the Euro-Amerikan settlers moving to Puerto Rico 
to do business or retire to respect the national aspirations 
of the Puerto Rican people. We expect that land currently 
held by Euro-Amerikan settlers will be returned to the 
Puerto Rican people through revolution.

MIM supports all peaceful and armed efforts of the Puerto 
Rican patriots against the U.$. government. There are two 
mistakes to avoid through this line. One is to avoid 
opposing the right to self-determination. The Puerto Rican 
people are entitled to fight any way they choose. Some will 
fight better than others, but we must uphold the rights of 
all Puerto Ricans to fight for their independence. All 
Puerto Rican patriots are our friends.

The other mistake MIM seeks to avoid is relativism and 
subjectivism. MIM is itself a collection of Maoist parties 
and pre-parties. It would not be correct for it to treat all 
Puerto Rican political organizers equally. It is natural 
that we should support the Maoist Puerto Ricans the most. 
Right opportunists and post- modernists believe that MIM 
should not favor the Maoist Puerto Ricans above other 
patriots. They would also oppose our criticizing Puerto 
Rican revisionism. However, we at MIM believe that 
Khruschev, Gorbachev and Yeltsin were the bourgeoisie in the 
party in the Soviet Union and that fact is the same no 
matter one's national background. Fighting revisionism is a 
scientific matter that comes before asserting one's unique 
national identity. The cardinal principles upholding the 
Cultural Revolution in China and opposing old Soviet-style 
revisionism are cardinal principles everywhere in the world.

MIM calls on non-Maoists in the U$A to support their 
counterparts in Puerto Rico seeking independence. It is 
MIM's duty to assist with the establishment of a Maoist pole 
in Puerto Rico. With the Young Lords, other organizations 
and amongst individuals in Puerto Rico there is already a 
strong Maoist tradition on which to build.


* * *


ASSASINATION IN COLOMBIA

PEOPLE'S WAR NEEDED

An INTERNET report says that the Colombian state killed a 
mayor of a town in Colombia called Fortul, Arauca on March 
29th. He was at home when assassinated.

An organization calling itself the Communist Party of 
Colombia has asked for an international exposure of this 
crime against legal opposition in Colombia.

Colombia has long had a movement on the boundary of 
reformism and revolution. The view of armed struggle there 
has long been to use it as a bargaining chip in 
negotiations.

The assassination of a mayor claiming to be communist is 
proof that only a People's War is a true guarantor of 
people's democracy. Democracy is meaningless when the 
communists are killed or the people have their arms twisted 
so as not to vote communist.

The history of Latin America is one where U.$. imperialism 
invades or starts civil wars if the people elect someone 
Uncle Same doesn't like. There has never been a true 
democracy, not in slave-owning Greece or Rome and not now in 
imperialist Amerika. That is why People's War is still 
necessary.


* * *


CORRECTION

MIM NOTES ARTICLE FAILED TO FIGHT BOURGEOIS ANALYSIS

by MC53

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.

Specifically, the article uncritically stated that "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."

While the statement concerning the concentration of wealth 
in the hands of the top 1% is something that social 
democrats and supporters of the labor aristocracy often 
repeat ad naseum, this statistic itself lacks the correct 
analysis that MIM has put forward concerning who will make 
revolution.

If 100 Amerikkkans eating greasy McDonalds have 10,000 Big 
Macs to divide between them and one person hoards 5,050 Big 
Macs for himself, that leaves the other 99 people with 
4,950. Some of the Amerikkans might eat a little more or 
less than the 50 per Amerikkkan that is left. But the real 
question is the comparison between what the average Big Mac 
eater snarfs down compared to the pittance that the majority 
of the world's people are consuming. This analysis and the 
analysis of value created by the snarfers versus the 
exploited mass of the Third World is answered in detail in 
MIM Theory #1, #10 and various other MIM publications.

The purpose of the Criminal INjustice System in Amerikkka is 
not to control the snarfers who have an average of 40-80 Big 
Macs to chow. In fact, as we have explained elsewhere, the 
labor aristocrat middle class settlers gain from the 
proliferation of prisons in Amerikkka because they are 
provided with yet more parasitic jobs. The primary purpose 
of the gulags in Amerikkkan is to perpetuate the dominance 
of the white settler nation over the masses of the Black, 
Latino and First Nations of Amerika's internal semi-
colonies. Gulags are used as a systematic tool of social 
control and national oppression, but this tool is not used 
against the labor aristocracy which the article includes as 
somehow having an unjust proportion of the imperialist pie.

While the report of the Eisenhower foundation contained some 
useful statistics, just as the Justice Bureau produces some 
useful statistics, it is the responsibility of the vanguard 
and the editors of its official newspaper to present these 
statistics in a manner which leads the masses on the 
quickest path to the door of revolution:  Maoism.

Without describing the problem accurately - the problem of 
exploitation of the world's majority by imperialist nations 
- the presentation does the same thing as the report 
constructed by the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie tailors its 
analysis of statistics to support imperialism. And MIM must 
struggle vigorously to expel political line and analysis 
which fakes left but does the work of imperialism. Such 
Menshevism has led so-called radicals and so-called 
socialists in the imperialist countries to cater their 
demands and struggles to the parasitic desires of the labor 
aristocracy. And this crucial question is one that sets MIM 
apart from revisionists and sets MIM on the side of the 
world's majority.


* * *


SIERRA CLUB PUKES FIRST WORLD CHAUVINISM

Amerikkka's largest so-called environmental organization is 
in the news for an internal proposal to endorse "net 
reductions in U.S. immigration." The Sierra Club chauvinists 
are arguing that keeping out oppressed nationals will keep 
Amerika ivory-clean. In 1996, the Sierra Club took a "no-
position" position on immigration. Amerikan chauvinists, 
including "Worldwatch Institute president Lester Brown and 
Galylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day," argue that more 
Third World people moving to the United Snakes will hurt the 
environment.

MIM has long criticized a reformist, Amerikan-chauvinist 
environmentalism that concretely organizes against Third 
World peoples while ignoring the issue of First World over-
consumption. The Sierra Club is amongst the so-called 
environmentalists that endorse Third World population 
control. They paint a picture of Third World peoples 
breeding out of control and their numbers destroying the 
environment. If population growth is a problem (which MIM 
has argued against) then the solution is for these First 
World chauvinists is clearly in education for Third World 
wimmin and girls. But this Sierra Club analysis ignores the 
fundamental question of resource control and consumption. To 
pick just one example, the greatest consumers of 
nonrenewable resources are Amerikans, but the Sierra Club 
wants to see imperialist money going to sterilize poor women 
in the shantytowns of the Third World.

The next step for the Sierra Club's racist image of Third 
World hordes breeding out of control and overrunning Amerika 
is the efforts of current activists to get the Sierra Club 
to oppose immigration. Unwilling to think of the environment 
as a global problem, the Sierra Club want to keep Amerika's 
stolen wealth to themselves.

Some cadres working with MIM and RAIL started out in First 
World chauvinist environmental organizations attempting to 
stop environmental destruction. But these organizations only 
push for higher quality parasitic existence of the 
imperialist country dominators, they do nothing to 
fundamentally stop environmental destruction. And as seen 
with the push to oppose immigration, these settler 
chauvinists have a core agenda which supports and 
perpetuates imperialism. And imperialism is the worst enemy 
of true environmentalists - revolutionary environmentalists.


* * *


WHY BIOLOGICAL WIMMIN USUALLY ESCAPE THE DEATH PENALTY

Florida has not executed a womyn in 150 years. This we learn 
as one is planned for the electric chair as we go to press 
-- Judy Buenoano.

The public attitude toward wimmin is that they do not and 
are not capable of committing murder. For this reason, the 
USA Today was only able to find 72 victims of death row 
wimmin total.(1)

This absurdly low number is the product of a judicial system 
that puts the romance culture above any consistent idea of 
justice. According to this culture, wimmin are dainty 
creatures that should be available for sex. When it comes 
time to seeing the violence of wimmin, the culture looks 
away or fails to believe.

As we showed in MT#13 and contrary to popular myth, the 
average sentence for a womyn convicted of the same crime as 
a man is lower. In some areas, most notably drug use, wimmin 
seem scarcely patrolled by the state, judging by their 
relative arrest and conviction rates. Thus the real 
inequities are not in the sentences for the same crimes, but 
the fact that the same crimes are called different things or 
that suspicions against wimmin rarely add up as quickly as 
they do for men.

Since the death penalty came back 22 years ago, only one 
womyn has been executed. No persyn in Texas has ever gotten 
out of the death penalty, but Christian born-again 
television-evangelist Pat Robertson asked Governor George 
Bush to commute the death sentence of a confessed womyn 
murderer who found God in prison -- Karla Faye Tucker. She 
was executed anyway, but the point remains that few wimmin 
are executed and it is controversial for the 
reactionaries.(2)

One in eight people arrested for murder are wimmin, but only 
one in 70 people on death row are wimmin. That shows that 
the courts regularly find reasons not to convict wimmin.

Texas executed 37 men last year, but it has not executed a 
womyn in 135 years.

This fact demonstrates what MIM has said before, that gender 
oppression is not strictly additive to class and nation 
oppression. Many calling themselves "Marxist" and "feminist" 
believe that there is a simple matter of "triple 
oppression."

When it comes to the bourgeois state, wimmin are more likely 
to have illusions about it, because of a relative lack of 
prison and military experience. If the United $tates policed 
everyone the way it polices wimmin, we would no longer be 
close to being the world's number one police state. This 
reveals the political bankruptcy that goes into decisions of 
justice in this country. As we show elsewhere, the state has 
admitted that the death penalty is applied in a racist 
manner, but it still supports having the death penalty. 
Likewise, there is irrationality when it comes to gender, as 
our sick system is not capable of any consistent justice.

In a similar matter, in Massachusetts in mid-March, the 
courts had to deem a womyn insane for stealing a wallet. The 
womyn was a famous convict -- a member of the Framingham 8 
released early for killing their batterers by then Governor 
Bill Weld. Since her release she has gained notoriety for 
entering another battering relationship and for stealing the 
wallet and getting caught.

Black womyn Shannon Booker had served less than five years 
for the murder, (how much less is not clear from the Boston 
Globe article). Rather than face that this womyn might 
actually be aggressive, might actually have bought into 
Amerikan consumerism that said she should steal for her 
boyfriend's Lexus payments and might actually be the 
batterer herself, the judge decided she must be temporarily 
insane.

Judge Herbert Hershfang decided that the "battered woman's 
syndrome" defense was not applicable, but he deemed Booker 
insane anyway.(3) As MIM has explained before in MT2/3, the 
means of social control for wimmin are different than those 
for men. Wimmin are targeted with psychology by the state. 
They are not directly confronted with armed power nearly as 
often as men, because they are viewed as non-threatening and 
valuable outside prison. Besides which, the abuse of 
repression might spoil their hair and lipstick.

Another side benefit to the patriarchy of its policy is that 
it gives oppressed nation wimmin a reason to opt for pseudo-
feminism. Pseudo-feminists loudly advocate that even serving 
one year in prison is too much for womyn, because they only 
kill their batterers. Shannon Booker is an example of a 
Black womyn benefiting from an alliance of pseudo-feminist 
liberals and paternalist Republicans who released her from 
prison to promote a certain view of wimmin.

All across the country the message is the same:  
conservative Republicans will make exceptions to their 
"crackdown" on crime for wimmin. New Hampshire conservative 
Governor Stephen Merrill also pardoned a womyn named June 
Briand for killing her husband while he slept. She served 
eight years, (4) while other murderers receive life without 
parole or the death penalty.

If gender oppression were additive or if wimmin were the 
vanguard activists against the state, we would expect to 
find more wimmin in prison than men. That is not the case, 
and although reality is surprising and dialectical, it is 
wrong to see gender oppression as completely parallel to 
class and national oppression but dialectically obscure.

The real gender oppressed people of the imperialist 
countries are children, the forcibly sterilized as in Puerto 
Rico, those who have sex-related pharmaceuticals tested on 
them like guinea pigs in the Third World, prisoners and 
anyone of whatever genitalia murdered in the name of the 
romance culture. The pseudo-feminists never speak for these 
groups and instead focus on the rights of the gender 
aristocracy -- adult white wimmin.

Pseudo-feminism is a crucial prop of the patriarchy. While 
saying that even more men should go to prison for battering 
and rape, pseudo-feminists also hold the romance culture as 
so important that wimmin should have the right to shoot men 
in their sleep.

For MIM this is all sickness. Judges and pseudo-feminists 
have decided in advance that some must die or serve long 
prison sentences, so that the rest of us may continue to 
believe that romance is worth it. The rest of us must 
continue to believe that romance is worth risking life and 
limb for or it would not be very exciting.

When it comes to inhaling second-hand smoke, opposing 
increased highway deaths from higher speed limits or banning 
boxing because it causes death, there are critics available 
to say it would be better to change the rules than to 
tolerate more deaths. When it comes to gender though, what 
we see is the patriarchy encouraging more deaths in order to 
purify the romance culture of evil. There is no way to link 
this fact to an economist view. If men are more economically 
valued through discrimination, then why does the state let 
wimmin kill them in their sleep and serve less time than 
men? Clearly there is nothing economic to this logic.

The real logic behind patriarchy and battering is that adult 
biological wimmin receive real power in the romance-related 
world. They still win nearly all court custody battles 
against men. They can earn money from divorce as the ex-wife 
of Donald Trump proves;  they earn more money in 
prostitution and modeling than men do and they can even 
legally kill some portion of men for getting out of line in 
romance life. These are not phony privileges:  they are real 
power restricted to a certain sphere, as if calculated to 
interest wimmin only in that sphere. It reflects the 
interest of the patriarchy to keep wimmin focussed on 
romance culture as a life-and-death matter worth sacrificing 
prison terms and murders for. These are not economic powers 
granted wimmin. They are powers to govern leisure-time.

In the class situation, imperialists want the loyal troops 
and peaceful political homefront and hence they appreciate 
settlers. When it comes to gender, the patriarchy wants 
adult biological wimmin to be fully focussed on providing 
pleasure;  hence, the patriarchy grants adult wimmin, 
especially white wimmin, certain privileges, the degree of 
which indicate the rank or level of sexual privilege of 
these wimmin.

For the same reason that imperialists ally with settlers, 
the patriarchy of men allies with the gender aristocracy 
receiving the above-mentioned powers. The ruling men believe 
they receive even more pleasure in their leisure-time by 
keeping wimmin focussed on romance. In fact, the patriarchy 
is willing to tolerate imprisonment and death of a certain 
percentage of men, especially lower-class and oppressed 
nationality men, to pay the price for the ruling men's 
extremes of romance pleasure.

NOTES:
1. USA Today 23 March 1998, pp. 1-2.
2. Charles Zewe, "Texas Prepares to Execute Woman," CNN, 
Jan. 15, 1998. 
http://cnn.com/US/9801/15/texas.execution/index.html
3. Boston Globe 20 March 1998, pp. 1, 16.
4. http://www.mnsinc.com/petrus/wanderer/week2.htm 
Alternatively, see January 27, 1997 issue of the Wanderer, a 
national Catholic weekly. For a positive mention of the 
celebrated case of the Framingham 8 turned into heroes, see 
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/artmuseum/orig_visions.html


* * *


United Nations passes resolution on death penalty

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights passed a 
resolution against the death penalty in early April. The 
United States of Imperialism, along with 13 other countries, 
voted against the resolution while 26 countries voted in 
favor. A top U.N. investigator said the way the death 
penalty is applied in the United Snakes violates several 
international treaties.

MIM does not think that a U.N. resolution is going to change 
the way the death penalty is applied in the united snakes 
because we know that the u.s. and other imperialist powers 
control the United Nations and would never use it against 
themselves.

Waly Bacre Ndiaye, a Senegalese expert on executions who 
visited death rows in the U.$., said the use of the death 
penalty "seems to continue to be marked by arbitrariness." 
He said race, ethnic origin and economic status are key to 
determining who is put to death -- as is politics, 
especially during election campaigns.

This underscores the reason that MIM opposes the death 
penalty in the united states of imperialism. The entire 
criminal injustice system is a tool of social control for 
the ruling class. The death penalty is one more tool in the 
arsenal of the criminal injustice system which locks up and 
kills a higher proportion of Black men than in Apartheid 
South Africa.

Join the fight to smash the imperialist state and its 
criminal injustice system so that we can establish a system 
of justice for the people not for the ruling class. Until 
that time, we must oppose any move to lock up or kill more 
people under the imperialist criminal injustice system.

Notes: Associated Press, 3 April 1998.


* * *


RAIL HOLDS SUCCESSFUL CONTINENT-WIDE TEACH-IN ON THE 
CRIMINAL INJUSTICE SYSTEM

Washington, D.C., March 28 -- On the day after the Jericho 
'98 March Against Political Imprisonment, RAIL held a 
successful teach-in on the Criminal Injustice System. RAIL 
distributed thousands of leaflets about the teach-in at the 
Jericho march, and succeeded in getting many people to stay 
in the city overnight to attend the teach in. Participants 
came from California, Florida, New York, New Jersey, 
Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and 
other states.

The teach-in contained panel discussions about various 
aspects of the criminal injustice system. Some talks focused 
on the battle outside the prisons, such as the cops war 
against youth and gangs, and others focused on battles 
within the walls, such as slave labor in prisons and 
censorship.

A RAIL comrade made the opening address. S/he put the 
Jericho 98 struggle to free revolutionary leaders in the 
context of the national liberation struggle. While the 
Amerikkkan government has backed off its COINTELPRO actions 
against the leadership, the masses are increasingly being 
locked up. S/he said "Prisons have two main purposes. First, 
they take dissenting groups or individuals off the streets 
weakening their ability to crush Amerika's systematic 
domination. Second, prisons serve to break up existing 
structures, be they communities, families, or 
organizations." S/he explained the need to unite all who can 
be united against the common enemy: imperialism in general 
and prisons in particular.

Included in the teach-in presentations was a discussion of 
the war on drugs as a war on oppressed people. The speaker 
went through the various aspects of this war and led the 
audience to the only logical conclusion:  the government is 
locking up and killing the oppressed within u.s. borders in 
the name of a war on drugs. A presenter from St. Louis 
discussed the fight RAIL has been leading against police 
brutality in that city where cops are regularly beating and 
killing Black youth. RAIL put this fight in the context of 
the criminal injustice system under imperialism where cops 
are the occupying army in inner cities.

Small group discussions focused on what we can do to build 
the fight against the criminal injustice system were very 
productive. After many sessions we had a hard time getting 
people to move in to the next activity because they were so 
caught up in the important discussions going on. Part of the 
goal of the teach in was to build concrete ideas for future 
work fighting the criminal injustice system. RAIL is working 
to summarize the results of these sessions and using these 
ideas to expand our work. For written copies of these 
summaries please write to us at the address on page 2. 
Readers can look to MIM Notes and RAIL Notes for news as we 
implement some of the ideas from the teach-in and expand our 
work around the criminal injustice system.

A number of prisoners sent greetings and messages to the 
teach-in. A statement from Ohio-7 prisoner Jaan Laaman who 
was incarcerated for his political activism was read during 
the first panel. He wrote: "The fight for human rights and 
freedom for political prisoners is closely tied to the 
overall struggle against the U.S. prison system. With over 
1.7 million people in prisons and another 4 plus million on 
bail, parole or probation, prisons and the entire so called 
justice system in America is becoming an ever more important 
and ugly part of the repressive machine that keeps this 
system rolling." The messages from other prisoners (which 
can be found at MIM's website) reflected the same theme and 
prisoners called on comrades on the outside to get involved 
in the struggle both on the smaller scale to free our 
incarcerated leaders and on the larger scale to fight the 
entire criminal injustice system as a part of the battle 
against imperialism.

Part of building the revolutionary forces necessary to 
overthrow imperialism and take down the criminal injustice 
system is the long slow struggle to educate and organize the 
people. The productive discussions and educational 
presentations as well as the numerous books, magazines and 
newspapers that were purchased during the teach-in 
demonstrate the success of this one day. Work with RAIL to 
build on this success and fight the criminal injustice 
system.


* * *

RAIL CONTIGENT JOINS JERICHO MARCH TO DEMAND:
FREEDOM FOR OUR REVOLUTIONARY LEADERS!

Washington, D.C., March 27 -- The Revolutionary Anti-
Imperialist League (RAIL) organized a contingent to attend 
the Jericho 98 March Against Political Imprisonment. RAIL 
organized buses and vans traveling from over 500 miles away 
to attend the march and participate in RAIL's teach-in the 
following day. Thousands of people came out for the rally 
and marched through the streets of Washington D.C. shouting 
slogans, holding up signs and banners, and distributing 
literature.

RAIL came out in force to support the principal demand of 
the march: U.$. recognition of and freedom for our 
incarcerated political leaders. Comrades who have been 
imprisoned for their political activism deserve special 
attention in the fight against the criminal injustice system 
and we must actively and vocally demand their release. We 
also took the opportunity to add our analysis of u.s. 
prisons to the march by offering MIM and RAIL literature to 
all who attended. We struggled with other activists and 
rallyers over the need to indict the entire criminal 
injustice system.

While we agree with the demand for freedom for the specific 
prisoners targeted by the Jericho march, MIM and RAIL take 
the analysis further and declare that all prisoners are 
political prisoners. We say this because incarceration under 
imperialism is political. Starting with the cops on the 
streets through the courts and into the prisons the system 
is stacked against oppressed nations and white nation youth 
and political activists. The court system of the white 
nation should not even have jurisdiction over the oppressed 
nations. And even behind the bars prisoners are refused 
parole and placed in control units for political activism. 
This system politicizes all imprisonment.

RAIL organizers from within D.C. got hundreds of signatures 
on a petition demanding an end to the transfers of D.C. 
prisoners to distant states. This is one campaign of many 
that RAIL is working on that attempt to win a battle for the 
oppressed, while also helping us to increase the strength of 
the proletarian forces for the inevitable revolution.

Many copies of RAIL Notes and MIM Notes were distributed to 
the crowd as people eagerly snatched up literature offering 
important information and analysis about the criminal 
injustice system. Folks who had been reading MIM Notes in 
prison were glad to get a copy again on the outside. People 
from across the country recognized and were pleased to see 
our literature and it was clear that the years of prisons 
activism by both MIM and RAIL have paid off in a strong base 
of support.

There was no coverage of the Jericho rally on the D.C. 
evening news, nor in the Washington Post the next morning. 
In fact, the rally does not seem to have made it into any 
mainstream media across the country. This limits the number 
of people who will know about the Jericho event, but it is 
also a sign of the people's strength that the march and 
rally were entirely ignored by the bourgeoisie's media. It's 
not possible for the bourgeoisie to respond to the issue of 
political incarceration without blatantly lying, so they 
took the simpler route of suppressing the rally's existence. 
This is why MIM and RAIL build our own presses so that we 
can effectively speak in our own words without having to be 
filtered through the pigs.

D.C. pigs repress progressive struggle

At the rally in Lafeyette Park across from the White House, 
MIM and RAIL distributors of literature were continually 
harassed by SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) officers. The 
pigs said there were rules against furniture (tables, 
chairs) and that selling things in the park was banned. MIM 
generally requests donations for our literature, and there 
are a few items that are almost only available by donation. 
This put a severe cramp in our fundraising potential. For a 
while we were able to walk interested purchasers of 
literature to a spot outside the park where the cash could 
change hands, but the pigs leaned on the Jericho organizers, 
forcing them to ask us to not display items that we wanted 
donations for. The pigs were afraid of the way in which 
various progressive activists exposed the pigs hypocrisy to 
large numbers of people. Apparently, the Jericho organizers 
feared that the cops would attack activists like MIM, the 
masses would defend us, and then a battle would ensue that 
the people were not equipped to win.

It was especially ironic that just a few hundred feet from 
the global center of capitalism's political arm, what could 
arguably be called a "small business" was suppressed by the 
armed force of pigs. This is just more evidence that 
capitalism's freedom only exists for those at the top of the 
pinnacle.

Build on the successes of Jericho

The attendance at Jericho did not reach numbers seen at more 
mainstream rallies for issues like abortion access, but this 
should not surprise anyone who understands that the criminal 
injustice system is a fundamental part of Amerikan 
imperialism and most people in this country have a material 
interest in supporting imperialism. It should be no surprise 
that while the vast majority of the people at the abortion 
access rallies are white, the composition of the Jericho 
marchers more closely reflected the make up of the prisons 
where a majority are Black and Latino.

Although most people within u.s. borders are not going to 
oppose the criminal injustice system or even demand the 
release of all people incarcerated for political activism, 
we can win battles to get our political leaders out of 
prison. Geronimo ji Jaga (Pratt), who spoke at the rally, is 
one example of these potential victories. He was released 
after 27 years in prison because the government was finally 
forced to admit it had set him up by using an FBI agent as a 
witness against him in the original trial.

We must continue to vocally demand the release of all people 
who were incarcerated for their political activism. 
Organizing locally to educate people about these cases and 
organizing continentally to put pressure on the government. 
This work helps to expose the prison system for the 
Injustice system that it is. And in this context we can 
build an anti-imperialist movement prepared to overthrow 
imperialism and establish socialism and justice of the 
people. While a few speakers at the rally suggested that now 
might be the time to take up armed resistance of various 
forms, MIM knows that it is this kind of focoism going up 
against a government we are not strong enough to defeat that 
led to the imprisonment of many of the comrades who were the 
focus of this rally.

Those speakers who declared that now is the time to educate 
and organize for revolution were on target. And this 
organizing needs to be led by a Maoist party with the 
history of the revolutionary struggles of the world to build 
on. We can't afford to waste time repeating old mistakes:  
Maoism is the most effective tool for revolutionary change. 
Work and struggle with us if you are serious about fighting 
the criminal injustice system.


* * *


ATTENTION PRISONERS:

ANTI-IMPERIALIST PRISONER MASS ORGANIZATION NOW FORMING!

by MIM Prison Minister

For over a decade now, the Maoist Internationalist Movement 
has been developing structures to expose the systematic 
repression and genocide of the oppressed through Amerikkka's 
prison system. Stemming from the work to expose systematic 
gulag injustices, MIM has developed structures to serve some 
needs of prisoners under lock and key. The primary method to 
serve the needs of oppressed prisoners is the publication of 
news by prisoners and about prisons within MIM Notes. 
Without that starting point, our comrades' words are heavily 
censored and ignored. With the help of the Revolutionary 
Anti-Imperialist League and progressive allies, MIM has been 
increasing prisoners' ability to receive legal and political 
materials from the Serve the People Books for Prisoners 
Program. And with the leadership of the People's 
Internationalist Rear Area Organization (PIRAO, the MIM-led 
army), we work to increasingly met the needs of re-leased 
prisoners.

Now it is time for prisoners to organize a prisoner mass 
organization to strengthen the MIM-led United Front against 
imperialism and to further expand prisoners' ability to 
organize under lock and key. The primary purpose of the 
prisoner mass organization is to consolidate and strengthen 
prisoners' ability to agitate against imperialism and 
Amerikkka's principal tool of national oppression - the 
Criminal INjustice System.

As prisoners strengthen unity and fierce agitation against 
oppression, your comrades in RAIL will be working in a 
parallel manner to take your words and spread them on the 
outside. The intention is a more effective organization of 
prisoners to build stronger campaigns against the Amerikkkan 
prison system and imperialism in general. Prisoners face 
specific conditions which differ from those comrades face on 
the outside. And because of immediate oppressive conditions, 
many prisoners are willing to step forward to build 
revolutionary struggle without being timid. The anti-
imperialist prisoner mass organization will be structured so 
that prisoners can discuss organizing concerns specific to 
those under lock and key which will strengthen the MIM-led 
United Front struggle against imperialism.

The prisoner mass organization has the same general 
principles as the Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League. It 
is anti-imperialist, led by MIM and won't champion struggles 
which are not in the interests of the international 
proletariat. The mass organization must retain anti-prisons 
and anti-imperialist focus and it must not dilute that focus 
with incorrect goals. The mass organization should work 
independently but cooperatively with the Revolutionary Anti-
Imperialist League to build public opinion and independent 
institutions which increase support for revolution. 
Whereever possible, the mass organization should generate 
funds from supporters to help focus agitation work against 
prisons.

We invite all anti-imperialists languishing within 
Amerikkka's gulags to submit organizational and tactical 
proposals to build this mass organization solidly toward 
meeting the needs of prisoners and the world's oppressed 
majority.

Immediate needs of prisoner mass organization:

1.)	Prisoner leadership. All prisoners interested in 
developing the structure and goals of the mass 
organization should write to MIM with their proposals. 
Proposals could be about goals for prisoners in your 
state or for a continental campaign of prisoners. Make 
your argument for why these particular goals would help 
build unity among prisoners and target winnable, yet 
important struggles which are inhibiting prisoners' 
ability to organize or which will improve prisoners' 
material conditions.

2.)	Name. The mass organization needs a name which 
explains its purpose and direction. One suggestion is:  
PAI BAKK (pronounced pay back) (Prisoners Against 
Imperialism Battling Against Koncentration Kamps). 
Another suggestion is P-RAIL (Prisoner-Revolutionary 
Anti-Imperialist League) or RAIL-ULK (Revolutionary Anti-
Imperialist League Under Lock and Key.) Creative comrades 
under lock and key... Submit your proposals for a name for 
the prisoner mass organization.

3.)	Art. Creative comrades need to come up with a logo for 
the mass organization which illustrates its fierce 
opposition to imperialism and the oppressive Amerikan 
prison system. Additionally, we need art which speaks out 
against the Amerikkkan prison system in general which can 
be used alongside articles and agitation which prisoners 
write.

4.)	Article submissions. Article submissions for MIM Notes 
should reflect existing MIM line as spelled out in the 
classics or MIM Theory. Article submissions for RAIL 
Notes can contain information with less of a worked out 
theoretical content. Both types of articles should either 
build opposition to imperialism or build opposition to 
Amerikkka's imprisonment of the oppressed.

5.)	Study group leaders. We've got the books both for 
study and review. We need prisoner leaders in each gulag 
to step up and be the contact for your prisoner study 
group. At this point in time, prisoner study groups are 
covering a variety of different material. Be the contact 
for your study group and work with MIM to get the books 
through to your comrades. 

6.)	Fuel for the fire. We need prisoners to conduct 
research and sum up information which will better help 
your comrades on the outside build support for prisoners' 
struggles. All information about conditions are welcome, 
though research and summaries prioritized should be on 
campaigns which we can use to organize more support.

First.... RAIL and MIM are celebrating May Day in some 
locations by holding events about slave labor in Amerikkka's 
prisons. The May Day celebrations will focus on building 
support for prisoner workers who we know are not paid the 
value of their labor. We have some information to use for 
the educational events, but we will continue the work of 
exposing slavery in prisons following May Day and organizers 
on the outside need your help. We need more information 
about forced labor in your state.

Second... RAIL and MIM have run into many problems with the 
pigs censoring letters and books for prisoners. We need 
information on censorship policies in your state. We need 
prisoner volunteers to coordinate the struggle against 
censorship in your state. 

If you're a prisoner who is against the hegemonic domination 
of Amerika over other nations and you believe that 
imperialism is the primary struggle to fight against...

If you believe that the Amerikkkan INjustice System is the 
most fascistic aspect in Amerikkkan society and is a tool 
perpetuating national oppression and social control...

And if you want to see stronger organization and unity 
against Amerikkkkan domination....

Write to MIM and start building the prisoner pole of the 
United Front against imperialism.


* * *


WEST COAST RAIL RALLIES OPPOSITION TO IMPERIALISM

LOS ANGELES - Close to 100 protesters turned out in front of 
the Criminal Courts building in Los Angeles to join in the 
Jericho '98 protests. The protesters chanted "1 2 3 4 - Free 
our Political Prisoners of War! 5 6 7 8 - Open up the Prison 
Gates!" and "Free our Freedom Fighters now!"

The LA Rally was principally organized by a coalition which 
included the nationalist Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and 
veteran anarchists from People Against Racist Terror. Some 
protesters drove more than two hours to come to the rally. 
The RAIL contingent carried banners and passed out flyers 
promoting RAIL and MIM's "Free Books for Prisoners Program" 
and spoke in support of freeing the people's leaders and 
abolishing Amerikkkan domination over oppressed nations.

The freedom of freedom-fighters like Mumia Abu Jamal, Mutulu 
Shakur, Alejandrina Torres, and hundreds more is indeed 
worth struggling for. Not only is it important to the 
revolutionary movement, but it is also linked to the 
question of true democracy for the oppressed nations within 
u.$. borders. As long as the u.$. government can harass, 
lock up, and kill political leaders from the oppressed 
nations with impunity, then the much lauded Amerikan 
democracy is obviously a sham.

Furthermore, the continued imprisonment of these leaders 
goes hand in hand with the expansion of the Amerikan 
injustice system. Kalifornia's Three Strikes law and federal 
sentencing guidelines for cocaine disproportionately target 
Blacks and Latinos. The high incarceration rates for petty 
so-called crimes and the courts complicity with police who 
harass and arrest people from oppressed communities on 
trumped up charges show that the Amerikan injustice system 
is not about stopping crime, rather it is about social 
control. Meanwhile the biggest criminals - the cops 
themselves and politicians an militarists like the coke-
importing CIA - these criminals go unpunished.

After the formal protest was over, RAIL supporters began to 
collect signatures supporting the political asylum case of 
Jose Maria Sison. Sison is currently a consultant to the 
National Democratic Front of the Philippines in its peace 
negotiations with the Manila government and was formerly 
imprisoned by Marcos for his revolutionary activities. The 
protesters responded enthusiastically though the success was 
cut short by the arrival of riot pigs. Once the pigs showed 
up across the street from the protest, the protesters 
dispersed.


* * *


MARXISM-LENINISM-MAOISM ONLINE

BUDDING WORKER-ARISTOCRATS:
WORK WITH MIM BEFORE YOU SELL YOURSELF TO IMPERIALISM

by MC45

We organizing in the imperialist countries are in a constant 
race with the reactionaries to win the hearts and minds of 
youth. On the Internet, MIM struggles to promote 
revolutionary politics and to reach those young 
intellectuals of all nations who still have the class 
flexibility to embrace revolutionary politics. But at the 
same time, the reactionary forces of private property and 
ownership of the global information network are tempting the 
youth towards personal wealth over politics.

In March, Fortune Magazine ran an article enumerating the 
grotesque levels of salary and benefits young people in 
Amerika with technical skills can expect to bring home. 
According to Fortune Magazine, people with Internet-related 
skills are some of the most likely to pull down big 
salaries. To the cheerleaders of capital, the outrageous 
compensation Amerikans receive for shuffling large piles of 
paper is evidence of the wonders of U.$. know-how and 
business acumen. To MIM, this salary information about 
Internet workers is the flip side of Internet privatization. 
Just as large corporate owners of the Internet 
infrastructure can seriously limit access to the Internet 
hardware, these same companies are handing out incentives to 
Internet users to only use their skills for financial gain.

MIM has written about the Internet before as a location of 
clashes between proletarian and bourgeois interests and 
forces. This global data network is at once a resource of 
endless capacity for distributing the people's literature, 
and a hot new media frontier for capitalist advertising and 
enterprise. MIM and other revolutionary and progressive 
organizations can take advantage of cheap access to the 
Internet to reach the masses in great numbers. But at the 
same time, capital seeks to shut down this massive 
information resource and reserve its potential for profit-
making.

As professionals go, people with Internet-related skills are 
young; many are under 30. This group is working with 
technology that was only invented shortly before they were 
born, if not after. Because such young people are being 
wooed into high-paying careers, the corporations doing the 
wooing usurp much of youth culture to attract employees. 
Netscape, most famous for its Web browser software, paints 
itself "a cool place to work." Microsoft tells prospects 
that may be wary of signing away their lives to a career: 
"don't work for a living, work for a reason."

But building operating system software doesn't seem like a 
whole lot of reason to MIM. If we had a slogan for how 
working people in this country should choose their careers 
it would be "work for the paid vacation time; spend it 
opposing imperialism," or "work to gain skills; use them to 
foster independent institutions of the oppressed," or "make 
lots of money; use it to build revolutionary politics."

Of course, high tech companies do much more to build morale 
among their staff than throw catchy slogans around. 
According to Fortune Magazine, "during the 1996 University 
of Michigan football season, companies spent between $500 
and $2,000 to sponsor tailgate parties for MBA students. In 
1997, the minimum spent by a company was $2,500." Many 
companies have stock option plans for regular employees. As 
Intel's website advertises, employees "can own a part of the 
company by purchasing stock at a discount price."

The handwriting is too big for U.$. economists calling 
themselves Marxists to ignore. Since we first studied J. 
Sakai's Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat in 
1987, MIM has demonstrated in great detail that white 
workers in Amerika are not a proletariat but a labor 
aristocracy, bought off with the spoils of imperialism. U.$. 
workers as a group are paid the full value of their labor 
and usually more, to the point where they can now own 
portions of the companies they work for. This is not the 
alienation and exploitation Marx spoke of.

When MIM talks about targeting the young people of the 
imperialist nations for political struggle, we are talking 
about those who have yet to seize the legacy of the 
exploiting classes. Like their parents, the imperialist-
country youth have the potential to become vicious abusers 
of the international proletariat. But at the same time, they 
have yet to outgrow their own rebellious perspective, which, 
in combination with the fact that they personally do not own 
much (relative to their parents) allows them to see the 
contradictions in their parents' lives. Seeing the 
contradictions inherent in this system of private property 
encourages youth to question whether they will accept and 
learn to be happy under capitalism. MIM targets the youths' 
ability to see contradictions in capitalism. By emphasizing 
these contradictions with them, we work to win the youth 
over to the side of revolution -- to resolve the 
contradictions of capitalism in the only way possible, 
through anti-imperialist and then socialist revolution.

MIM fully expects that the majority in the imperialist 
countries will be entrenched in career paths of one sort or 
another by their mid-twenties. This is why we target the 
youth for recruitment to revolutionary politics, because 
they have not yet signed up for their share of the 
imperialist plunder and are still flexible in their plans. 
But with younger people being targeted by capital, MIM must 
focus its efforts evermore. To those youth who find the 
Internet exciting:  contact MIM and ask how you can learn 
first-hand the joy of putting your skills to work building a 
revolutionary presence on the World Wide Web. Visit our 
website at www.prisoncensorship.info/archive/etext/ and see what 
contributions you can make -- as we build more pages to 
support pro-prisoner agitation, proletarian feminism, and 
more. MIM can also help you put your high-level programming 
skills to the service of the international proletariat -- 
building information systems to organize MIM and Maoist 
literature in this crucial time of building public opinion 
for socialism. Work with us while you have the freedom to do 
so, and find out what you may be missing if you fail to make 
a place for anti-imperialist politics in your life.

Gone are the days when Trotskyists and other labor 
aristocrat advocates could continue to blindly muddle along 
claiming to work in the interests of the so-called 
proletariats of their own imperialist countries. We are not 
talking only about workers within United Snakes borders 
either. Intel boasts again that "our Israel sites provide 
child-care 'kindergartens' on or near the Intel facility." 
And "in Munich, employees can turn to an external agency 
called the Kinderbureau for assistance in locating child-
care resources. The agency's searches in behalf of Intel 
employees are entirely funded by the corporation."

Under socialism, MIM would organize child-care as part of 
the work of normalizing work and home relations for men and 
wimmin, and importantly as a first step to relieving 
children of their property relationship with their parents. 
But this does not mean that highly paid workers in the First 
World need to have free child-care for their offspring as a 
matter of survival. If child-care isn't enough of a perk for 
you though, Netscape keeps concierges on its payroll to 
arrange such basic chores as *dog grooming and gift buying* 
for its employees. Netscape also offers work-place car-
maintenance and in-office massage for its chair-bound 
'workers.'

MIM says that the rising salaries, perks and ownership 
stakes in these corporations demonstrate the ease of upward 
class mobility for Amerikans. MIM does not try to hide these 
rosy conditions for First World nationals. Our first duty is 
to the international proletariat and so we seize on every 
opportunity to expose the inflated wages of imperialist-
nation workers. We also take the petty bourgeois pressures 
on the imperialist country youth seriously because we have 
tactical respect for the imperialists' efforts to recruit 
the youth to the ways of reaction.

If it is possible for younger people to make more ridiculous 
sums of money, then this just means MIM has to get to them 
first before they sign over their lives to the bourgeoisie. 
We aren't even saying not to take the jobs -- just spend 
your loot, free time and your skills to build revolution.

Notes: Nina Munk, "The New Organization Man" Fortune 
Magazine, March 16, 1998. Microsoft website: 
http://www.microsoft.com/ Intel website: 
http://www.intel.com Netscape website: 
http://www.netscape.com Iomega website: 
http://www.iomega.com 


* * *


MISSISSIPPI SPY COMMISSION:
PUBLIC DISCLOSURE WON'T WASH THE BLOOD FROM OFF THE STATES' 
HAND

In March, by order of Judge Barbour of the United States 
District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, the 
documents of the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission were 
officially made public, concluding a more than 20 year 
lawsuit against the state by the Mississippi American Civil 
Liberties Union (MSACLU).(1)

The spy commission papers have gotten considerable attention 
in the bourgeois press -- as a dark, supposed exception to 
the usual state of democracy in the U.$., and as an 
opportunity for the imperialists to congratulate themselves 
that the democratic process triumphed against the backward 
ideology of a few maverick politicians in the Deep South.

Thirty years later, civil rights workers also inspire more 
sympathy among the liberal press than, say, MOVE or the 
victims of COINTELPRO. And the more attention they give to 
public disclosure of these records, the more they obscure 
the ongoing repression of activists for Third World 
revolution and self-determination for the oppressed nations.

The Sovereignty Commission was founded in 1957 as a state 
agency to collect and disseminate information on civil 
rights activists and others suspected of supporting 
integration. According to MSACLU:

"The commission hired agents to investigate civil rights 
rallies and marches as well as the individuals who sponsored 
voter registration drives and sit-ins. Some of these agents 
were spies, paid to infiltrate organizations and report 
details of organizational plans and of the lives of members, 
and some were full-time employees who reported rumors and 
observations in Mississippi towns. The commission would warn 
local officials prior to boycotts, meetings, and voter 
registration drives. Its agents harassed individuals who 
assisted organizations promoting desegregation or voter 
registration, and would suggest job actions to employers, 
who would fire the targeted moderate or activist. The 
commission maintained and distributed lists of people 
reported to be supporters of civil rights organizations or 
who supported public measures toward moderation or 
desegregation. These lists were made available to other law 
enforcement agencies."(1)

Time Magazine reports that "Commission investigators 
documented the whereabouts, finances and sexual habits of 
civil rights leaders. They fed some of the information to 
the targets' employers and the Ku Klux Klan. Untold numbers 
of people were fired and others beaten and perhaps even 
killed after the commission targeted them. " (2)

The Commission stopped getting state funding in 1973 but its 
files remained available for use by the pigs until 1977 -- 
when the Mississippi legislature ordered the Commission's 
destruction. (1)

That same year, the MSACLU filed a class action suit on 
behalf of the investigated to keep the records from being 
sealed or destroyed. The state cleverly added an amendment 
to its vote, saying that the records would be sealed until 
2027, with "criminal penalties for disseminating information 
in the files." The substance of the MSACLU lawsuit was to 
make the records public information to expose the crimes of 
the state, but some plaintiffs were divided about the 
disclosure of personal names, along with the information the 
state collected about them. Some called for the blacking out 
of names of Commission victims (and its agents and 
informants as well), unless there was permission granted for 
third party access to that information.(1)

A member of the MSACLU and the leading plaintiff of the 
subclass calling for privacy were both interviewed for 
National Public Radio in early April. The story focussed on 
the issue of privacy and the public "right to know."(3) How 
revealing that the settler Amerikkkan press, including its 
left-liberal components, is as concerned over the invasion 
of citizens' privacy as it is about the potentially fatal 
leaking of information to the Ku Klux Klan, or the 
Commission's funding of the White Citizen's Councils, or its 
documented tampering with the jury of Medgar Ever's murderer 
Byron De la Beckwith!

The Mississippi Sovereignty Commission should be understood 
for what it was -- part of an ongoing history of state-
sponsored terrorism against oppressed nations, in defense of 
imperialism and white supremacy. It was not an exception, 
and it does not represent the worst of its kind.

NOTES:
1. MSACLU Web Site on the Sovereignty Commission

2.  John Cloud, ""The KGB Of Mississippi" Time Magazine. 
March 30, 1998 

3. NPR Morning Edition, April 3, 1998.


* * *


AMERIKKKAN PRISONS ON TRIAL CONFERENCE:
INJUSTICE SYSTEM GUILTY OF GENOCIDE AND NATIONAL OPPRESSION

submitted by RAIL

The Amerikkkan Prisons on Trial Conference was organized on 
the east coast during February and March by a student 
organization allied with RAIL to sharpen support for 
struggles against the Amerikan prison craze. Many 
organizations and individual allies contributed financially 
to this successful conference.

RAIL recognizes that prisons and the police are key weapons 
in Amerikkka's war on the oppressed nations. The United 
Snakes imprisons four times greater a percentage of its 
Black population than the old apartheid South African 
regime. This trend shows no sign of abating. If current 
trends continue, there will be 10 million people behind 
bars, with almost half being Black. This would represent 
almost 10% of the Black population, and a much higher 
percentage of young Black men.(1)

Many of the students who helped organize the events became 
interested at an earlier showing of a video about the 
framing of former Black Panther Mumia Abu Jamal. These 
students advertised extensively and spent dozens of hours 
tabling. The students distributed literature that advertised 
for the conference, recruited for the march and teach-in in 
DC and educated people with information on prisons and 
prisoners incarcerated for political beliefs and actions. 
This information was posted in every residential bathroom 
stall on one campus. The agitators were disturbed to see 
that University repression had started to keep the dorms 
locked 24 hours a day, with some dorm wings themselves 
locked off. This greatly slowed down the process of 
political agitation. This is a University plan to increase 
the control of the police and administration over the 
physical and political movements of students. By isolating 
students in their rooms with cable television, the 
University gets more passivity from the students as a whole.

The first conference event exposed control units and the 
torture inflicted upon the politically conscious who are 
sent to these units. The video showed contained a short 
interview with a local college alumni who became 
revolutionary and was sent to Marion.

The second day of the conference, "All Power to the People: 
The Black Panther Party and beyond" was shown. This 
documentary puts the Black Panther Party in the context of a 
world-wide anti-imperialist upsurge. The Black Panthers were 
inspired by the successful Chinese revolution and the heroic 
struggle of the Vietnamese people for self-determination and 
liberation. Likewise, the American Indian Movement and the 
Young Lords Party were inspired by the theory and practice 
of the Black Panthers.

The Black Panther Party came up with a materialist 
assessment of the short and long term needs of the Black 
semi-colony -- the 10 point program. They then met those 
concrete needs as part of building revolution to permanently 
end the political subjugation of the Black nation.

The Amerikan government took this awesome movement for what 
it was -- a threat to Amerikkkan dominance. The Black 
Panthers were labeled "Enemy Number 1" by the J. Edgar 
Hoover's FBI. This video breaks new ground as it shows not 
only how the FBI, CIA and the police used military force to 
kill and incarcerate the Panthers, but how the FBI was able 
to destroy the most important asset of the Panthers:  their 
political line.

Two people arrived so late that they missed RAIL's initial 
presentation and 75% of the film. They then launched into an 
attack upon RAIL for saying that the Black Panther Party was 
fighting colonialism. What these students were arguing for 
was unclear, but they were not able to offer an alternative 
explanation of the BPP's Program point #10: "... And as our 
major political objective, a United Nations supervised 
plebiscite to be held throughout the black colony in which 
only black colonial subjects will be allowed to participate, 
for the purpose of determining the will of black people as 
to their national destiny. "

A later event featured two former prisoners who were 
incarcerated for political beliefs and actions and sent to a 
variety of supermax prisons. These former prisoners vividly 
described the torture within these prisons.

On February 25, a People's Tribunal Against the Criminal 
Injustice System was held, at which evidence was presented 
to convict this system for the crimes of genocide and 
national oppression. This event sparked the most politically 
effective discussions of the conference so far.

On March 5, a Rally Against Political Incarceration was 
held. The organizing students called the rally a success 
because many people stopped to listen to the speeches and 
took information about RAIL, prisons, and our contingent to 
the Jericho March. Various speakers put political 
incarceration into a context of Amerika's war on dissent & 
national liberation struggles. One speaker spoke about the 
killing of the Rosenbergs in the 1950s, and the need to 
support the families of political people repressed by the 
state. Another explained why the Amerikan government killed 
George Jackson and talked about the cases of those still 
languishing behind bars. Many others read letters from 
prisoners about their conditions, or letters about how the 
incarceration of all prisoners is in fact political.

On March 6, a benefit concert featuring Critical Mass was 
held. The hip hop band sang about the incarceration of 
revolutionary leaders.

The conference was already a success with several weeks to 
go. Each of the events expanded the number of people who 
know about RAIL's contingent to the Jericho March and D.C 
teach-in as well as deepened their understanding of the 
importance of struggling against the criminal injustice 
system. This includes not just the new people we have met 
who have become close allies, but also those people who 
consider themselves part of the student organization allied 
with RAIL.

Notes: 1. See MIM Notes 137 for calculations and base 
sources.

MIM adds:  The RAIL comrades and students working with RAIL 
demonstrate in the above example many tactics to build more 
support for prisoner struggles and struggles against 
imperialism. MIM strongly urges those critical of the system 
to hook up with RAIL, drop the excuses and start with basic 
agitation which will further build opposition to Amerikan 
gulags.


* * *


UNDER LOCK AND KEY

EXPOSE THE INJUSTICE SYSTEM'S BRUTALITY

Dear MIM, Your paper stated you accept submissions and 
critiques from anyone. If I send you two different stories 
[will you print them?]

One involving this Institution describing the medical 
conditions and they way women are being allowed to die and 
become disabled because of REFUSAL of medical treatment.

The other story of my own arrest in 1985 in another state 
where I made over 133 murder confessions, which were 
obtained through brutal force, rape, and being forced to 
watch my own 11 year old son being raped by the detective 
whom arrested me. I received several broken bones over a 
four month period. I was given and became addicted to a 21 
class A narcotic. 

...I am currently serving two Natural Life Sentences. My 
sentences run consecutive. Natural Life in this state means, 
"until you die". I was cleared of all my charges in [the 
other state] except for a criminal mischief charge and 
extradited to Louisiana on two murder charges. I was 
convicted here based on my confessions only. Louisiana is a 
state where a confession will override physical evidence in 
a Capital Murder case. The evidence was on someone else....

Sincerely,

 -- A Louisiana Prisoner, 19 January 1998

MIM Responds: Please send us your stories of your struggle 
with prison brutality. We would be glad to print your first 
hand experience with the oppressive ways of U$ Prisons. 
Under Lock and Key is dedicated to the exposing the 
injustices that prisoners face daily. It is important for 
the masses to know about the horrendous atrocities that go 
on behind the walls in Amerikkka's prisons.

We encourage everyone to submit to Under Lock and Key 
regardless of spelling or handwriting. At the same time, the 
more legible and concise your letter is, the easier it is 
for us to print it. Tell your friends and comrades to write 
about their struggles.

BRUTAL ASSAULT IN TENNESSEE

...I am incarcerated at Riverbend Maximum Security 
Institution in Nashville, Tennessee. It's the typical 
oppressive kamp in amerikkka. What I mean by typical: 
inadequate medical care, racist pigs, rental kops, and 
manipulative administrators.

Recently I had an incident. I'm on maximum security, locked 
down twenty-three hours a day. When I move from my cell it's 
in handcuffs, and leg irons. Anyway I'm in my cell, it's 
about 5:30 p.m., dinner has just been served. The inmate in 
the next cell over gets into an argument with the officer 
working the housing unit.

The Sargent is called. The shift commander enters the 
housing unit, walks over to this inmate's cell and has [the 
prisoner] place his hands through the pie flap (an opening 
that food trays, cleaning supplies, and other items are 
passed through). Anyway, the inmate's hands are cuffed, and 
the shift commander enters this man's cell. The housing 
officer follows along with the sergeant and two corporals.

I'm in my cell, and I can pretty much hear the conversation 
through the air duct that connects the two cells. Okay, they 
start questioning the inmate about the incident between him 
and the officer, and I clearly hear the shift commander say 
that they are going to give that inmate a disciplinary 
infraction for an assault on staff. Now remember, we're 
maximum security inmates.

I holler through the air duct and tell the inmate if they 
are going to give him a disciplinary infraction he does not 
have to say anything. Which is an institutional rule: you 
have a right to an inmate advisor before questioning. The 
reason I know this is because I am a legal aid, not 
recognized by the administration, my politics are too 
radical.

The shift commander comes to my cell door, and tells me I 
better keep my damn mouth shut. I tell him, "I can say 
anything I want to as long as I'm not cursing or being 
disrespectful. Remember the First Amendment?!"

About 15-20 minutes later, after they have finished their 
interrogation of my next door cell partner, the shift 
commander comes back to my cell with the sergeant and this 
corporal. He tells me to stick my hands out to be 
handcuffed. I'm being moved. Now this is just a move to 
isolate me, yet I don't resist, argue or anything. 

I'm handcuffed and the shift commander opens the door, and 
tells me to step back towards my bed. I state, "I'm by my 
bed." At which time he sprays mace in my face and closes the 
cell door. I start spitting in the toilet, and the whole 
nine yards from the mace, running eyes, runny nose. He opens 
the door again and sprays me with mace again. I guess just 
for good measure, and closed the door again.

The third time he opens the door, he runs in the cell and 
grabs me in a strangle hold around my neck and drags me for 
about thirty yards out of the housing unit. During this 
time, I've not struggled or broken any institutional rule. 
When I'm dragged out into the hallway, the same shift 
commander starts banging my head against the cement wall. 
Other officers are standing around, not saying or doing 
anything.

I'm then dragged out into the visiting area, and thrown into 
a cubicle. I am left there for a few minutes before the 
shift commander comes back. He snatches me out of the 
cubicle and drags me out of the unit, bringing me to another 
unit. When we get to the other unit, my head is banged 
against the wall some more, just for laughs.

When one unnamed corporal the shift commander and myself get 
inside the unit I'm just looking at this stupid, brain dead 
moron. He says don't look at him, but I look anyway for a 
closer inspection of this insect. I'm slammed onto the 
floor, and his foot is placed across my neck, like I'm some 
trophy or big game animal he just dominated.

Some more officers come. I'm lifted off the floor and told 
to strip. These dehumanizing games get old. I refuse, I'm 
still a man, prisoner or not. So king imperialist hits me so 
hard I'm knocked onto a table. At which time he jumps on top 
of me and jams his radio into the family jewels. Only one of 
the officers intervened. I was then walked into another 
housing unit.

There happened to be a nurse in the unit, so I saw the nurse 
and my swelling and bruises were noted. The next day I'm 
really sore. I sign up for sick call, and it's not until 
four days later that a nurse practitioner shows up and 
orders me some motrin -- the cure-all. Three days later, 
they were kind enough to bring my property. I guess this is 
the price you pay for speaking up and convicted of a felony. 
Anything goes!

 -- A Tennessee Prisoner, 12 February 1998

PAROLE DENIED IN RETALIATION FOR LAWSUIT

The parole board has denied me parole this time for 18 
months. What is interesting is that last year, before I had 
been raped by a pig and exposed the Michigan Department of 
Corruptions in the media, I was only denied for 12 months.

This year, with above-average reports, a better parole 
guideline score, and an attorney representing me at the 
hearing, I was given an 18-month denial. This is nothing 
more than retaliation for exposing the sexual abuse that is 
an everyday affair in these gulags. It is simply punishment 
for filing a million dollar lawsuit....

 -- A Michigan Prisoner, 5 January 1998

MIM responds: Sexual abuse of prisoners by guards is an 
integral part of the criminal Injustice system, which exists 
to repress and not to rehabilitate. One of the Attica 
prisoners said in 1971 that guards "treat" prisoners' 
hostility with their own hostility -- those who had 
committed violent or hostile crimes were then reinforced in 
their behavior by guards who treated them just as they had 
treated others. The prison guards are in a position (both in 
terms of their authority over prisoners and their impunity 
in the face of the law) to abuse prisoners who have never 
been abusive to anyone. The system is thus set-up so that 
prison will further worsen the conditions for prisoners who 
were already in bad shape, and degrade the conditions of 
those prisoners who are reasonably healthy mentally and 
physically before they are imprisoned. It is always to the 
credit of the prisoners who struggle against this system, 
never to the credit of the system itself when prisoners 
survive in spite of it.

LOCKED UP FOR RESISTING PIG HARASSMENT

The pigs here at ECI [Eastern Correctional Institution] will 
not let me have the November and December 1997 issues of MIM 
Notes. They say that the material contents constitute a 
violation of institutional policy. But I wrote to the warden 
here at ECI. He told the mailroom to go ahead and give me 
the four MIM Note newspapers that they were holding from me. 
So I got the MIM Notes now.

...By the way I want you to know that I'm on lock-up for 
fighting with a pig. I had on handcuffs, and this pig kept 
on pushing me. So I told this pig to stop pushing me, but he 
kept on. Then I came out of one of my handcuffs. I tried to 
take his hold off me.

So about twenty pigs fucked me up. But I'm well now and 
everything. I got 330 days lock-up for fighting the pig. But 
all together I have 980 days on lockup.

I got the other lock-up time because the pig over here on 
lock-up was playing a game with the Brothers' food. So a few 
other guys, and me stayed on the walk and did not lock in. 
So the pig gave the guys their food, but they still gave us 
time on lock-up. So now I got 980 days on lock-up. 

...By the way, the pig here is taking me to court in 
February 1998. I may get one or two more years but no more 
than five years. I'll keep you up-to-date. Keep up the good 
work.

 -- A Maryland Prisoner, 10 January 1998

NEW YORK BRUTALITY

...These racist, spineless, jellyfish, crackers continue to 
harass, degrade and downpress prisoners here at Southport 
Incorrectional Facility. In May 1997, while in handcuffs and 
waist chains going out to the recreation kages, the pigs 
wantonly assaulted me because I refuse to speak like a foot 
shuffling ass kissa.

This and similar incidents continually happen to defenseless 
prisoners because of the mechanical restraints. The racist 
pigs continue to lie to the Elmira County Community so that 
after a brother prisoners is assaulted the pigs can easily 
take them to the towns to be convicted by other ignorant 
crackers, already brainwashed by these shit kicking pigs in 
here.

Secondly, I was again accused of assaulting a pig in July 
1997 in another incorrectional facility. After the alleged 
misbehavior report was dismissed the racist white scum took 
me to kkkourt claiming he sustained abrasions on his finger. 
The ... judge wants me to plead guilty to assault in the 
second degree and pay a surcharge. This way I'll remain 
longer in prison and give up money to build the raggedy ass 
town.

...Thirdly during the past five months I've been on a 
religious alternative meal (RAM) which is non-meat eating. 
After being out to kourt for four days these bastards refuse 
to feed me a RAM tray and respond with racist remarks. When 
I brought this to the attention of the sergeant and the 
lieutenant that continually camouflage their efforts to do 
nothing with a bucket of bullshit.

This letter is not just to reveal the injustice but in hopes 
that families will call and inquire about the well being of 
their family members. For communities to get together and 
strengthen their concerns for prisoners -- or else these 
fine people may be in the same situations. "Prisoners are 
also are families."

 -- A New York Prisoner, 14 January 1998

LAZY PIGS AND EXACTING RULES

I'm another warrior from Africa, born here in this prison 
called Amerikkka. It's been a while since I've communicated 
with anyone; mainly because these haters have locked me up 
in their so-called Special Housing (the hole) for an offense 
I never committed. They've taken all my merchandise, 
studying material, stamps, personal hygiene stuff, and left 
me without anything -- just a sheet and a blanket only.

I'm in a Federal Prison in Oakdale, Louisiana. They're so 
corrupt in this system they even made a law pertaining to 
underwear. No inmate can go out to the recreation area with 
his underwear hanging down or he will be written up on a 
charge! I know that's not fair.

It's about one hundred degrees all the time here in the 
South and we have to wear a jumpsuit while outside. It's 
really just so they won't have let anyone out for "Rec" 
[recreation]. So they [the pigs] can smoke and sit around 
talking most of the day.

I've just gotten in the federal system and I've been written 
up so many times on stupid violations. Most of them I've 
never even done. And the corrections officers who gives you 
your sentencing in the DHO is another one who doesn't like 
Afrikans born in Amerikkka. He has taken all my good time 
for no major reason. Not for one year but for two years -- 
that's one hundred and eight days! That's not fair! They 
hate mer here so much. I better end [this letter] before 
they make rounds to find out why it's so quiet on the Range 
in Lockup!

I've told the brothers here that we must stick together and 
demand to be treated fairly!...

A brother in the struggle,

 -- A Federal Prisoner, 17 February 1998

SEND CHILDREN TO SCHOOL NOT PRISON

Just a note to touch base with everybody from Oakdale FCI 
[Federal Corrections Institution] which is also an 
Institutional Detention Center for the Federal BOP [Bureau 
of Prisons].

Kops are using us against each other, conducting mass lock-
ups of 10 - 20 people sometime, at the slightest hint of 
trouble. The people on Disciplinary Status were not given X-
mas packages. Some inmates here have been in lock-up over a 
year. Some mutilate themselves and others go insane without 
help from staff. Staff only slap inmates with more write-
ups. There are some good staff but the bad ones prevail 
regarding treatment [of prisoners]. The psychologist is a 
joke.

We have more "kids" as federal prisoners. Most of them have 
their priorities misplaced scamming on other prisoners, 
drugs, racism. Racism has NO place in a prison setting. When 
it does, it's the old divide and conquer setting:  us 
against each other and the cops and we always lose.

They should send the children to school not prison. People 
from all over the world are represented here. We should all 
come together as friends instead of being hateful to each 
other...

Snitches need to be checked and if they don't quit should be 
made to leave. By snitches I mean the ones who sit in the 
police office all day talking. We have one who sits behind 
the kop desk and even smokes his pipe behind it.

Needless to say a lying Rat crossed me out. Now I'm doing 
solitary with about one year to do. All because a bunch of 
Rats crossing each other out....

It's a sad shame our prisons have come to this. All 
prisoners need to work to help each other get educated and 
stay outta here! It's up to you!

 -- A Federal Prisoner, 14 February 1998

UNDERGROUND CONTROL UNIT

...I'm a 28 year old Native American who is incarcerated in 
the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, a maximum security prison. 
I'm currently housed within a Behavior Modification Unit 
called H Unit, which is underground. It also houses Death 
Row inmates.

I've learned a lot about our struggles against the 
government from one of the best teachers, Prisoner X. This 
is an elder brother who has touched many lives. It is my 
hope that younger brothers and sisters are able to come 
across such as tremendous teacher as I have had....

In solidarity and Resistance against the system,

 -- an Oklahoma Prisoner, 15 February 1998

EVERYDAY OPPRESSION IN TEXAS

As a modern day slave in Texas prisons we are required to 
perform toil labor for no pay. S-4 status to Line 2 status 
receives good time and work time credit to be utilized for 
parole purposes. Line 3's are required (compelled) to work 
with receiving good time or work time for their slavery 
performance. 

Good time and work time earned by your roil labor in the 
fields, factory, etc. can be taken for disciplinary reasons. 
Needless to say when paroled, you are compelled to sign a 
contract with the state relinquishing your good time earned.

January 1, 1998 all offenders are required to pay a $3.00 
fee to visit the infirmary except for emergency situations, 
but at the oppressor's arbitrary decision to warrant the 
visit emergency or non-emergency. If you don't have the 
money in your account upon visit, you will be accepted but 
that $3.00 fee will be notified to your account awaiting for 
when a loved one sends you some funds.

T.D.C.J.-I.D. administrators here have taken the tobacco 
products out of the system for the offenders, yet officers 
are allowed to go outside in the smoking zone and smoke on 
state property. We no longer wear pants with a zipper or 
pockets in the front but pants where we have to pull down to 
even urinate. 

Law library books delivery have decreased for inmates in 
Administrative Segregation or close custody housing from 5 
days a week to 3 days a week, from 5 books to 3 books, 
instead of keeping the books until the next day we are only 
allowed 8 hours now.

For as censorship goes, an African American in Texas Prison 
will most likely be denied cultural development. A Majority 
of African American author's books are denied to enter the 
system. Holloway House Publication Co. books are 
discriminated against not all, but the majority. When a 
black author publishes a book detailing about what the 
Europeans are doing to the African American, it will be 
denied by the system.

Of course in conclusion, the prison library is a farce, 
especially for the African American. Hope I was of 
assistance to you all and feel free to get in touch with me 
at any time.

 -- A Texas Prisoner, 9 January 1998

MICHIGAN LABOR RATES

The average prisoner, in Michigan, earns between 20 and 30 
dollars a month and the cost of living is such that even a 
modest lifestyle would require 3 times that much. I work as 
a clerk for X department, with a schedule of 8:30 to 8:30 
six days a week and only make about $35 a month, which isn't 
enough to cover my monthly mailing expenses.

 -- A Michigan Prisoner 15, December, 1997

 ...The labor situation is very bad for higher custody 
prisoners, like myself. The jobs are limited to only 
porters, yard crew, tutors and recreational porters. These 
jobs do not pay enough -- especially if you have no help 
from the outside world. An inmate makes an average of $5.00 
to $7.00 a month. 

The prices in the inmate store are outrageous. It will cost 
me $1.75 for a tube of toothpaste, 60 cents for one bar of 
soap. A Ramen noodle soup that is normally sold in the 
outside world will cost me only 15 cents, in here I am 
paying 25 cents. That's 10 cents more than the outside 
world. If I get sick and I need to go to health care -- that 
will cost me $3.00 each time I request to see them....

 -- A Michigan Prisoner, 2 January 1998

MIM responds: We thank these prisoners for providing the 
specifics on their own rates of pay. If other Michigan 
prisoners who are working can do the same, we will compile 
the pay information and print accurate figures on how much 
money prisoners in Michigan are paid per hour, and for what 
type of work. As was printed in RAIL Notes recently (January 
15, 1998), we know that the Michigan Department of 
Corrections is putting out false figures on how much it pays 
prisoner workers. With your help we will publish the real 
numbers and expose the DOC lies.

Attention Prisoners:

Remember to write to MIM once every 90 days to maintain your 
subscription. And if you have only written us once, you need 
to write within 30 days to keep your sub going. This is 
because we see the pigs moving prisoners around all the time 
and want to make sure that you are receiving the material 
that you need, not that the material is ending up being 
thrown out by the pigs.

Also, if you are being released within the next two years, 
write to MIM and let us know. We want to work with you after 
you get out of Amerikkka's gulags to overthrow this 
imperialist system!

Last thing, if you are interested in writing a book review 
for MIM Theory, write us, let us know what your interest is 
generally or if there is a specific book that you would want 
to review.

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