MIM Notes 208                   April 15, 2000

PAPER TIGERS

All reactionaries are paper tigers. In appearance, the 
reactionaries are terrifying, but in reality they are not so 
powerful. From a long-term point of view, it is not the 
reactionaries but the people who are really powerful.

--Mao Zedong Amerikan "environmental protection" a sham

More examples of Amerikkka's environmental destructiveness 

Koch Industries stopped inspecting its pipeline operations, 
one of Amerika's largest, during the 1990s. This negligence 
resulted in leaks of at least 3 million gallons of oil 
products in 300 separate reported incidents. So-called 
accidents of the pipeline operations contaminated water 
supplies and damaged wetlands. In response, the Environmental 
Protection Agency slapped Koch with a fine of $30 million.

The EPA fine will be shared by the federal government, 
allegedly to go toward clean-ups, and by Texas, which has not 
stated where the funds will go. With about $33 billion annual 
gross revenues, Koch is one of the largest privately held 
companies in Amerika. A family collectively worth $6 billion 
owns Koch. So a $30 million fine amounts to only 0.1% of 
Koch's annual revenue -- less (proportionately) than many 
Amerikans pay in parking tickets.

Amerika started to enact penalties against corporate 
environmental irresponsibility only recently. Environmental 
protection under capitalism comes toward the bottom list of 
capitalist priorities; the profit tops the list. Amerika puts 
imperialist profit ahead of the environment and people: 
witness Union Carbide's poisonous genocide in Bhopal; Shell's 
destruction in Nigeria; muti-national strip mining in the 
Philippines; and environmentally destructive and murderous 
bombings in Iraq and Yugoslavia.

Fining corporations which ignore already lax environmental 
regulations is a token gesture. Despite its efforts to appear 
"green," Amerikan imperialism is the most destructive actor 
when it comes to affecting humyns, land, and natural 
resources.

--MC53

Note: The New York Times, 14 January 2000, p. A21.


Mexicans back UNAM strikers

On March 6 supporters of the student strike at the National 
Autonomous University of Mexico seized a building on the 
UNAM's main campus in Mexico City. Students have been on 
strike at UNAM since April 1999 in what began as a protest of 
a tuition increase. As the strike progressed, students 
expanded their demands to include greater economic equality, 
student control of the University, and greater access to the 
school. In early February, Mexican police violated their own 
constitution and invaded the campus, arresting protestors. At 
the recent protest, protesters demanded that the 
administration drop charges against the 181 strikers still in 
prison. Fifty students occupied the building for two days 
until a meeting of the General Strike Council decided to end 
the action.

Similar demonstrations were held in other cities throughout 
Mexico. In San Cristobal a group of 200 marchers managed to 
take over the state-owned radio station, Radio Uno, for an 
hour. They broadcast denunciations of the government and the 
military. One womyn, holding a baby in her arms, broadcast the 
message: "Many of us, the [indigenous] women, don't know how 
to read or write; for this reason, we've come here so that you 
can hear us. We want you to know that we haven't gotten used 
to these soldiers." 

As the protest at UNAM was ending, on March 8 16,000 people 
marched in Chiapas to celebrate International Wimmin's Day. 
The marchers demanded the withdrawal of government troops from 
the state. MIM supports the people of Mexico against the 
corrupt, U$ controlled Mexican government. We urge Mexican 
revolutionaries, and their First World supporters, to learn 
the lessons from history and take up the banner of anti-
imperialism and Maoism--which teaches that it is necessary to 
wage a people's war to defeat the reactionary army and replace 
the government of the oppressors with a government of the 
oppressed

Notes: Weekly News Update on the Americas, Issue #528, March 
12, 2000.


Argentine government caves in to monopoly capital pressure

On February 24, Argentina's Chamber of Deputies passed a 
"labor reform" bill as part of a deal with the International 
Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF recently gave Argentina $7.4 
billion in credit over three years. In return Argentina 
promised to undertake the "reforms" suggested by the IMF.

The IMF and its lackeys in the Argentine government claim this 
bill will reduce attract new jobs to the country and reduce 
unemployment. But the bill simply opens the country up to 
increased exploitation by foreign monopoly capitalists. As one 
art teacher who attended a demonstration against the bill in 
Buenos Aires put it, "The government gets into debt and the 
workers pay."

Over 20,000 people attended this demonstration on February 24. 
The main labor federation in Argentina, the General Workers 
Confederation (CGT) backed the labor reform bill, but this 
just revealed their allegiance to the pro-imperialist 
government. 

Labor reform bills required by the IMF are notorious for 
hurting the people of the Third World in order to provide 
money for the imperialist IMF. The IMF helps Third World 
countries get into debilitating debt which ties them to the 
imperialist-backed banking institution and directly to 
imperialist countries. These Third World countries have to 
give up any semblance of control over their social programs 
and internal policies as the IMF mandates structural 
adjustment programs to ensure the economy serves imperialism. 

Notes: Weekly News Update on the Americas Issue #527, March 5, 
2000.


U.$. tries to buy Puerto Rican island of Vieques

The U.$. House of Representatives approved $40 million in 
"aid" for the Puerto Rican Island of Vieques. This "aid" is 
conditional on the removal of protesters who still occupy 
lands owned by the U.$. Navy. 

The bill states that most of the aid "shall not become 
available until the Secretary of the Navy has certified to the 
Director, Office of Management and Budget, that the integrity 
and accessibility of the training range is uninterrupted, and 
trespassing and other intrusions on the range have ceased."

The Navy stole the land on Vieques from the Puerto Rican 
people. Now that the people are demanding its return, the U.$. 
is attempting to buy it. With Governor Pedro Rosello securely 
in the pocket of the u.s. imperialists, the U.$. is confident 
that it can retain control of this colony with a little 
bribery. 

Ten thousand people marched on February 21 in San Juan to 
demand an end to U.$. Navy occupation of Vieques. Two weeks 
later, Governor Rosello's political party held its own rally 
to counter the "anti-american message" of the Vieques 
protests.

Rosello's rally was held on March 5 to commemorate the 
anniversary of the Jones Act which, in 1917, made Puerto 
Ricans u.s. citizens. Tens of thousands of people also 
attended this rally, demonstrating the draw of the Amerikan 
carrot. 

Although the Puerto Rican people want the U.$. Navy out of 
Puerto Rico, many middle class people also support continued 
ties with u.s. imperialism. The united $tates has taken 
advantage of the strategic economic and military importance of 
Puerto Rico, bombing its lands and using the labor and 
resources of its people. But at the same time, with a colony 
so close to home, the u.s. has offered some economic 
advantages to Puerto Rico in its attempt to keep the colony 
under control and prevent the people from rising up in armed 
revolution. 

The offer of economic aid to the island of Vieques in exchange 
for its use as a Naval training base is yet another chapter in 
the saga of the u.s. colonization of Puerto Rico. MIM joins 
the Puerto Rican people in demanding that the u.s. Navy get 
out of Puerto Rico. And we demand an end to u.s. colonialism 
around the world.

Notes: Weekly News Update on the Americas, Issue #528, March 
12, 2000.