I N T E R N E T ' S M A O I S T BI-M O N T H L Y = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = XX XX XXX XX XX X X XXX XXX XXX XXX X X X X X X X XX X X X X X X X V X X X V X X X X X X X XX XXX X X X X X X XX X X X X X X X XXX X X X V XXX X XXX XXX = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = THE MAOIST INTERNATIONALIST MOVEMENT MIM Notes 117 JULY 1 1996 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. DON'T VOTE FOR IMPERIALISM 2. FIRST NATIONS WIN VICTORY AGAINST CANADIAN TAXES 3. LETTERS TO MIM AND RAIL 4. PRISONER, FOCUS OF RAIL RALLY, IS RETURNED 5. ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY: NEW TWIST ON ENGLISH-ONLY 6. TERRORISM AGAINST BLACK COMMUNITIES GOES ON; WHITE POWER HAS NO SOLUTIONS 7. REACTIONARY NATIONALISTS WIN AT INDIAN POLLS 8. UNDER LOCK AND KEY: NEWS FROM PRISONERS AND PRISONS 9. MARXISM-LENINISM-MAOISM ON-LINE: DEFENDERS OF CRIMINAL INJUSTICE ATTACK MUMIA; OPPOSITION CRUSHES WHITE POWER NEWSGROUP 10. PENOBSCOTT NATION RESISTS AMERIKKKAN DOMINATION: MIM NOTES TALKS TO PENOBSCOTT NATION DISSIDENT ON TAXES 11. AMERIKA VIOLATES FIRST NATION FISHING RIGHTS 12. PSYCHOLOGISTS PUSH THEIR WHITE WAYS ON ST. MARY'S 13. FATHER OF RAILROADED LATINO YOUTH SPEAKS OUT 14. ALL IN A DAY'S WORK: D.C. COPS KILL TWO * * * 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 * * * DON'T VOTE FOR IMPERIALISM As the imperialists heat up their 1996 electoral campaigns, MIM and RAIL are taking them on with a campaign of our own. We say to everyone who agrees with us that there is something very wrong with this system: don't vote, organize! All our lives Amerika teaches us that we live in a democracy. Part of this so-called democracy includes everyone having the right to vote so that we can decide who will have the power to make decisions about local, state, Federal, and international issues. We have been taught that this is the greatest and most democratic country on earth. Some of us learn that this democracy does not work for kids growing up in the projects where basic education is not a right that everyone has. And in neighborhoods where people are shot at by the cops for being Black or Latino, democracy starts looking like it is only for some people. We also need only look at the criminal injustice system and see the disproportionate conviction of Blacks and Latinos to know that this so-called democracy is not for everyone. When we look around the world at all the countries that Amerika invades, or countries in which Amerika installs puppet dictators, murdering or overthrowing popularly elected leaders, this democracy doesn't work. And when we look at countries where Amerikan corporations use the cheap labor of the starving people and steal the natural resources because puppet dictators have enacted laws saying this is OK, we know that's not democracy for the oppressed. People in these countries did not vote for Amerikan imperialism to invade their country. They did not vote for Amerikan imperialism to install a puppet dictator. They did not vote to allow the CIA in to kill off the revolutionaries and keep the dictators in line. And they certainly did not vote to starve to death, to die from preventable diseases, to die in labor because the medical facilities are only open to people who can pay, or to die fighting a war against the imperialists over whether wealthy Amerikans get to exploit their country or whether they themselves can take control. When we see all of this we know that democracy is only for the few. We live under an imperialist government. This government receives donations from multinational corporations as well as political lobbying groups that have lots of money. The corporations, the CIA, and the military industrial complex are all very powerful parts of the government that don't answer to anyone and they force the "elected" officials to answer to them. As long as these institutions of imperialism exist, an individual elected to president, senator, representative or governor is not going to make a difference. In fact, as long as we live under this imperialist system the only people who can even run for office are the people who already have the support of these wealthy, powerful organizations. It takes a lot of money to run an electoral campaign. So even if you had wonderful ideas and a brilliant plan that you thought all of the people of this country would support, it would not matter because you couldn't get elected unless you were independently wealthy (like Ross Perot), and if you were independently wealthy it came at the expense of the international proletariat and you probably have no interest in the oppressed (like Ross Perot). PROGRESSIVE PEOPLE VOTING? Many progressives organize around elections because they believe that this is the way to make change. These people genuinely want change, both inside and outside of this country. But they are convinced that there is no alternative for action and they believe that democracy works. Living in this country it is tempting to believe in voting. It is easy to ignore the plight of the rest of the world and just focus on problems at "home." And if you really think narrowly and you are a part of the very large white middle class, you might vote for the president/senator/representative who does not want to cut Medicare so that when you retire you will be better off than if the other guy wins. The fact is that there are differences between candidates, but these differences are very minor and generally come down to tactical tweaks in domestic policy issues that benefit one section of the middle class or the other. For all the people who believed that Clinton would be better for gays, this should be obvious. For all the people who thought that Clinton would be better for the poor, the imprisoned, the victims of police brutality, a quick look at the increase in numbers of cops and prisons under Clinton should also make it clear that the Democrats are not really different from the Republicans. WHAT ABOUT LOCAL ELECTIONS? A lot of people who agree with us that voting for a president, representative or senator does not mean anything, still organize around state level elections. They believe that by working on a more local scale, they will be able to exert slow steady pressure for change. A recent conversation with a woman who is very active in local electoral work makes this clear. She kept pointing out the great work done by a woman in the state senate. When it was pointed out that this state Senator has never taken a stand on imperialism and the gross things that Amerika does around the world the woman responded that "of course she hasn't because that would cause her to lose her legitimacy". But we don't even have to look so far away at international policy, we can see that these same officials don't take progressive stands on prisons and instead vote to build more prisons and put more cops on the streets to put more Blacks and Latinos in prison. It is possible that in elections to city hall, some small battles can be won locally that won't mislead people into believing that electoralism works within the non-democracy of Amerika. For instance, if there were several candidates running for city hall who supported putting up public bulletin boards all over town and making public space available for revolutionaries to hold educational events, it might be worth supporting them. But we should never confuse these potentially winnable battles with support for candidates who operate at the state or continental level and who support imperialism both in words and in practice. WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES? Many people believe that the advances made in the past century for women, national minorities, and others in our society were the result of the electoral power of these groups. But in fact, most of the progressive reforms won in this country in the past century were the result of organizing and agitation outside of the electoral arena. Just think back to the Black civil rights movement and remember the role the Black Panther Party played, outside of the ballot box, in forcing the government to make concessions out of fear of this armed revolutionary organization. Unfortunately there is no tidy little alternative to the bourgeoisie's vote. The vote is so appealing because it only takes a few minutes in a ballot box once a year (or once every 4 years). But real change does not come easy. MIM and RAIL are working to educate people about the effects of imperialism and to organize people for the only way in which progressive change is possible: revolutionary struggle. This means that we fight winnable battles against things like prison repression, police brutality and other reactionary policies. But at the same time we organize for a larger movement against imperialism. Even before winning the revolution there is a lot that this movement can achieve. The article in this issue (see page 3) about the Massachusetts prisoners released from Texas prisons back to MA is one example of a battle recently won through agitation outside of the ballot box. There are many more such battles that need to be taken on by progressives. We can't let people be brainwashed by the imperialist's Vote 96 campaign. We need to get the truth out there and make it clear to people that voting for one imperialist candidate or the other is not the way to make real change. Join us in the people's Campaign 96: Don't vote for the imperialists! Organize against the imperialists! BOYCOTT U.S. ELECTIONS! ROCK THE BOAT, NOT THE VOTE! DON'T VOTE, ORGANIZE! DON'T LEGITIMIZE THE SYSTEM, CHANGE THE SYSTEM! SMASH ELECTORALISM, BUILD INDEPENDENT POWER! For more information on how to get involved, write to your local distributor or MIM, P.O. Box 3576, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. * * * FIRST NATIONS WIN VICTORY AGAINST CANADIAN TAXES On May 29, the First Nations enclosed within Canadian borders won a victory when "the New Brunswick Court of Appeal ruled 1993 tax notices forcing status Indians to pay the 11 percent provincial sales tax on off-reserve purchases contravened the Federal Indian Act." The First Nation peoples blocked roads in Red Bank and Kingsclear when the New Brunswick province first imposed the tax. They ended their blockades through negotiations. The First Nation peoples' struggle over taxes parallels the struggle between New York State and the Iroqois people MIM reported on in the February 1996 MIM Notes (#109). The First Nations people are now rightly asking the government to reimburse them for the tax money they paid over the last three years. A Micmac nation trader MIM spoke with said that the First Nations still pay the "G.S.T." (Government Sales Tax), which is another heavy sales tax levied all over Canada. Total sale taxes for the First Nations in New Brunswick amount to almost 30 percent when the provincial sales tax is added in. MIM's position is that First Nations should not have to pay the G.S.T. to Canada anymore than Belgium should have to. The autonomous First Nations should not be under Canadian jurisdiction any more than any country outside Canadian borders would be. For those First Nations people who want to integrate into Canada, they can pay Canadian taxes. But for those seeking to maintain what national sovereignty they have left, there is no reason they should pay Canadian taxes. Writers wishing to cover topics related to the rights of First Nations within Amerikan and Canadian borders should send their articles to MIM. There is a need for those who believe in the alliance of First Nations with other oppressed nations and anti-imperialist whites to step forward and work in this multinational organization. NOTE: The Times-Transcript (Moncton, New Brunswick) May 30, 1996, p. 1. * * * LETTERS TO MIM AND RAIL "ALL SEX IS RAPE" MASKS POWER DIFFERENCES WITHIN SEX Dear MIM/RAIL, Jen and Laura disagree with "MIM Comrades" proclamation that all sex is rape and all rape is sex (MIM Notes, May 15, 1996, "Pseudo-feminism supports oppression"). If this statement is based on the oppression of all women by all men, then now does MIM account for people in same sex relationships? Jen and Laura ask MIM what about other kinds of power relations, i.e. inter-racial relationships? Jen and Laura question if MIM is implying that no women can enjoy any form of sex. Jen and Laura wonder if MIM thinks masturbation is a form of internalized oppression. Jen and Laura feel it is important that women don't have to feel guilty about enjoying healthy sexual relationships. Sexual abuse is an act of violence. To say that all sex is rape is to trivialize real survivors of sexual abuse. Jen and Laura agree that police have no place at Take Back the Night rallies. Jen and Laura would like to point out that many Sexual Assault Centres have integrated an analysis of all forms of oppression including colonialism, racism, sexism, homophobia. Implying that women can't handle criticism because they found your views inappropriate has offended Jen and Laura. We don't need MIM's forgiveness and RAIL didn't die for our sins. Signed, Jen and Laura Anti-Colonial Action Alliance MIM RESPONDS: As we said in the article, "Pseudo- feminism supports oppression" (MIM Notes 114) rape is defined as coerced sex. MIM contends that in a patriarchal society in which men as a group have power over women as a group, there can be no sex free from coercion. Women do not consent to lack of political power, or to lack of control over their sexuality and reproductive labor. Given that, how can we speak of their meaningful consent to sex? There is a material basis for women's oppression that cannot be wished away by the ideal of subjective "consent." So we are working for the liberation of women through the overthrow of imperialism and patriarchy, and we criticize supposedly feminist activism which calls for anything less. (And, in the case of Take Back the Night, actively promotes the repression of oppressed nations by the police in the process!) Imperialism conditions gender relations to change the correlation between biological sex and gender. We say that First World women and men have class, nation and gender privilege relative to Third World women and men. So when we talk about rape, or gender oppression--the appropriation of sexuality and the exploitation of reproductive labor--we are not always talking about a biological male exerting power over a biological female. Same sex relationships, similarly, do not disprove our position. Imperialist patriarchy socializes people to eroticize power or their lack of it. This socialization is present in same sex relationships, and manifests in the same ugly ways it does in heterosexual ones -- including battering and power struggles. As for other hierarchies between people, including nation, income, and age, these differences exacerbate a dynamic which is already inherent in gender relations under patriarchy, and often further eroticize that power dynamic. MIM has never made the subjective claim that women do not enjoy sex. It is only our critics who ever bring this up. We do say that subjective experience in the context of material oppression--and powerful, imperialist patriarchal ideology--does not negate women's oppression. We are not principally concerned with the enjoyment of sex, but the abolition of power. Similarly, MIM is not about getting women to feel guilty about sex or masturbation--but rather to seize real power over their lives to create a new society free of group oppression. MIM has also never claimed that all sex is equally violent or traumatic. Clearly there are different levels of violence. But neither will we ever trivialize the everyday oppression of women that gets passed off as romance culture or so-called healthy relationships. We're glad to have anti-police presence at Take Back the Night rallies as a point of unity with you. But we argue that the best practice for a genuine analysis of class, nation, and gender oppression means working for proletarian feminist- led national liberation and the overthrow of imperialism. That's what we are organizing to do, and that's the message with which we are struggling with feminists who dedicate their activism to stopping one kind of rape. Finally, MIM never implied that women can't handle criticism. That's what we accuse our critics of arguing, when they attempt to censor us from events by calling our presence or our political line "inappropriate." We think women, youth and other groups socialized to feel powerless can engage our ideas and argue with us if they disagree. We thank you for writing with your criticism, and would be interested in struggling with you about other aspects of your and our work and political line. In struggle, MIM ISRAELI MASSACRES ARE NO ACCIDENT Dear MIM Comrades, I read the article on the Israeli massacres of Lebanese civilians in MIM Notes 114. MIM's analysis of the situation and the facts that back it up are all true and correct. However, there is more to the story. I would especially like to give some background information regarding the origins of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the heroic resistance put up by Hezbollah. Since MIM already has a correct analysis of the current Lebanese crisis, this is more for the readers of MIM Notes than the MIM Comrades themselves. The Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League (RAIL), has organized a new current events discussion group in Ann Arbor. Our first topic was the war between Israel and Hezbollah. We thoroughly researched the topic and, although I am sure there is still much we do not know, we found out a lot more than what was on the news during the most recent rounds of fighting and negotiations. Anybody interested in coming to future current events discussions can meet us at Angel Hall at 6pm every Monday. First of all, after the Israelis shelled a UN base in Qana, Lebanon which the Israelis knew was a shelter for Lebanese civilians already forced from their homes by Israeli bombs, the Israelis claimed to have shelled the base accidentally. UN investigations, however, proved that an Israeli reconnaissance drone had been spotted over the refugee camp shortly before the shelling incident. Upon further investigations, the UN stated that it was doubtful that the Israeli military had made any mistake.(1) Making Israel's official story even less believable, RAIL found out that in August 1995, a similar incident occurred. Israel shelled a Lebanese town, killing two young girls, one 11 and the other 16. It was also discovered that Israel was using anti-personnel weapons which has been prohibited under international conventions pertaining to warfare. Israel denied using the weapons and once against claimed that the shelling was a mistake.(2) Any sensible person has to wonder how the Israeli Defense [sic] Forces can one day brag about their abilities to do precision strikes with extremely destructive high tech weaponry supplied by the United Snakes and then on the next day claim that everybody that they murdered was killed accidentally. This crisis is nothing new to the Lebanese people either. Israel first invaded Lebanon in 1970 under the pretext of pursuing PLO freedom fighters. Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon has been a reality since 1978, when Israel seized part of southern Lebanon in retaliation for PLO raids. Though the "security zone", as it is now called by Israel and its imperialist partner the United Snakes, was originally much smaller than it is now, Israel was not timid about pursuing its expansionist ambitions. Violently and savagely attacking the Lebanese, Israel was able to occupy almost the whole south of Lebanon by 1985. At one point Israeli occupation came to within 30 miles of Beirut, the Lebanese capitol. The combination of international pressure and the guerrilla war waged by Hezbollah are what turned the IDF back south towards Israel. Currently, Israel still occupies a 9 mile deep strip along the entire border of southern Lebanon. This strip is 850 square kilometers total which is 8% of the entire land mass of Lebanon. In 1978, UN resolution 454 demanded the complete withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Lebanon. Israel never did comply but waited until 1985 before they had the audacity to claim to have a right to occupy southern Lebanon.(3) Israel's murder of Lebanese civilians is deliberate. The Israelis have no intention of giving up the Lebanese territory they have occupied since 1978. The armed Israeli terror aimed directly at Lebanese villages rather than military targets is designed to force a massive exodus of Lebanese civilians to accommodate Israeli imperialist expansion. In April 1996, it was Operation Grapes of Wrath. In August 1993 it was called Operation Accountability. In both cases, Israel intentionally targeted villages, ambulances, hospitals, water towers and other civilian targets. During Operation Accountability, Israel murdered at least 130 people, maimed almost 500 more and forced 250,000 people to flee their homes. Operation Grapes of Wrath has similar and even more devastating results. In just six days, 1000 Israeli air raids (using Amerikan supplied F-16s) and 11,000 Israeli shells killed over 160 and maimed another 1000 Lebanese. More than 450,000 Lebanese were forced to run from their homes in more than 50 Lebanese villages just to save their lives. In both of these "operations", almost all of the victims of this barbaric slaughter were innocent Lebanese civilians.(4) Another force in the Lebanese crisis is the South Lebanese Army (SLA). The SLA is a pro-Israeli Lebanese militia armed, trained and financed by Israel.(5) These mercenaries are regularly used by Israel to combat Hezbollah freedom fighters north of the "security zone" and also frequently reinforce IDF troops both in and out of Israeli occupied Lebanon. Using native mercenaries to fight against native freedom fighters is exactly the same thing the US did (and is still doing) in Vietnam, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Philippines and elsewhere. Apparently Israel has learned a lot from big brother imperialist partner Amerika. Hezbollah, on the other hand, is quite a different story. Over the years, Hezbollah has matured and grown in several ways. Hezbollah is now a major threat to Israel and Israeli plans to annex Lebanon will probably never be realized because of the Hezbollah resistance. Hezbollah has stopped doing random suicide attacks and has begun using very sophisticated military maneuvers to slowly decimate Israeli and SLA forces. Using the strategies of protracted guerrilla warfare will allow the Hezbollah to continue to gradually build strength, mass support and momentum until they can completely eliminate Israel's presence in Lebanon. Scarcely a week goes by without the IDF murderers or the treacherous mercenaries in the SLA taking casualties as a result of Hezbollah attacks. Hezbollah is not just a military force either. While the US-backed Israelis destroy hospitals, the Hezbollah have managed to build them instead. Besides providing large modern hospitals, the Hezbollah has also provided social programs for the Lebanese people.(6) It is no wonder the US and Israel find it necessary to stop these 'terrorists' before it is too late. Who knows how many Lebanese were victimized by the Hezbollah's vicious free health care system. Besides if the Lebanese people were liberated from US-backed Israeli imperialism, who would defend free enterprise in Lebanon? RAIL studies this and all anti-imperialist struggles because we believe that defeating imperialism is the first step towards revolution, liberation, socialism, and communism. For this reason we strive to build public opinion in favor of all progressive anti-imperialist struggles from Mexico to the Philippines and any place in between. As part of putting theory into practice we made a poster supporting the Hezbollah freedom fighters and denouncing US/Israeli imperialism. If you would like a copy of this poster to use in your area or to find out more about RAIL and other ways you can help, write to RAIL c/o MIM at P.O. Box 3576 Ann Arbor, MI 48106-3576 In struggle, a RAIL comrade NOTES: 1. National Public Radio 2. Facts on File 1995 p.591 3. A to Z of the Middle East p. 176 4. TIME and Newsweek both 8/9/93, New Statesman & Society 4/19/96, Global Relief Foundation, Holy Land Foundation 5. A to Z of the Middle East p. 176 6. TIME 8/9/93 p.33 June 1, 1996 * * * PRISONER, FOCUS OF RAIL RALLY, IS RETURNED Bob Lena, a Massachusetts prisoner with poor health and subjected to appalling lack of medical care in Dallas Texas, has been returned to Massachusetts. His story was highlighted on the cover of MIM Notes 114. His return is a victory for the activists who gathered in the rain to mark the six month anniversary of the transfer of 299 Massachusetts prisoners to Texas and all who have taken action around this issue. Bob Lena wrote a letter to Jill Brotman, head of the Criminal Justice program at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). AFSC cosponsored the May 4 rally and has led many other actions to protest the transfer: "If possible, please thank all of the men and women who attend meetings; protest in front of Gov. Weld's house; make phone calls; and, write letters for their support. I am proof that such efforts can be successful."(1) Of the 299 originally transferred, 278 remain in Texas.(2) No one seems to know all the numbers, but one prisoner died of AIDS, a few finished their sentences and were deported directly, a few finished their sentences and were returned to Massachusetts, and a few have returned apparently for health reasons. Lena closed his letter with the imperative: "Let's bring all the men back soon."(1) RAIL will continue to struggle for this success as we confront the criminal injustice system. Notes: 1. Letter from Bob Lena to Jill Brotman, dated May 25, 1996. 2. Jill Brotman, speaking at the June 5 meeting of the Coalition of Prisoner Family and Friends. For more information about the meetings, call Jill at (617)661-6130. * * * ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY: NEW TWIST ON ENGLISH-ONLY Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada -- On Sunday June 2nd, students from a program studying English at St. Thomas University were sitting in the courtyard relaxing between classes--reading MIM Notes and Maoist Sojourner--when junior administrators pounced. Administrators of the English-language program said that MIM could not hand out MIM Notes and Maoist Sojourner "to our students." The reason given--the students are "not allowed to have anything but English." When MIM objected, saying that the publications MIM Notes and Maoist Sojourner were in English, the junior pig administrators pointed to a photo on the cover of Maoist Sojourner and said, "then what's that?" There was a slogan on a banner written in Filipino. MIM replied, "you're trying to tell me that none of your literature at this university has a picture from a foreign country? Right!" The junior pig administrators tried to surround the MIM distributor to stop her/him from handing out papers to eager students. Then MIM started yelling, "get the newspaper they don't want you to read!" Even more students started taking the newspaper and paying attention. Then the junior pig administrator acting in charge said, "we're not trying to have a confrontation!" Next, a woman junior pig administrator kept nodding her head in goose-step with the Aryan pig administrator. As the students approached MIM for more papers, she said "Go directly to your classrooms, now!" The students ignored this administrative order and continued to approach the MIM distributor and get copies of the newspapers. The administrators were around college age themselves. The fact that such young administrators learned so quickly to regard students' non-academic lives as their property shows how readily fascism and conformity come to the culture. MIM targets youth within the oppressor white-nation as the most likely potential white nation allies of the international proletariat. Youth, who have not yet secured a place within parasitic settler society, are more likely to work against their own material interest and in the interest of the majority of the world's people. These young administrators demonstrated how quickly white people grow up and take their place among their fellow oppressors; propping up national oppression for their own material benefit. * * * TERRORISM AGAINST BLACK COMMUNITIES GOES ON; WHITE POWER HAS NO SOLUTIONS Last issue, MIM Notes reported on the rash of terrorist attacks on Black churches across the South. A total of thirty-two cases of arson have been documented in the past 18 months. Since the article two weeks ago, several more churches have been burned, including one in Charlotte, NC and two in Greenville, TX.(1) In response to the arsons and to complaints from pastors about Federal investigation tactics, a meeting was held June 10 in Washington. About 30 pastors met with Attorney General Janet Reno and other pig officials. The pastors voiced their discontent with Federal harassment of church members, but also asked for continued help in solving the crimes. In defense of Federal tactics, one Justice Department spokesperson said they were committed to solving the arsons, "even if that means giving church members lie-detector tests and searching church records"(2) And these are just the kinds of things investigators did. The head of a non-profit group that researches racism said that after a fire in Knoxville, TN, Federal agents "polygraphed pastors, fingerprinted church members, showed up unannounced at job sites and homes, and implied that church members burned their church." Such contradictions are inevitable when the oppressors are asked to stop crimes against the oppressed. There is a certain amount of protection, aid and equality the oppressors will lend to national minorities to prevent them from demanding real equality. But there will never be complete legal or economic equality for Blacks and other oppressed nations under the jurisdiction of Amerikkka. Only national liberation will give oppressed nation people a chance at true justice. Some liberals will cheer for the efforts of whites in aiding the arson victims, like the white man in North Carolina who wrote a check to the pastor of a burned church there. The man stated that he and his wife "just want to show their support, both moral and financial. This can't be allowed to tear the community apart."(1) MIM knows nothing of the motives or politics of this individual, but we do not support any such conciliatory measures unconditionally. Concessions are a way to curb the revolutionary potential of the oppressed nations, not an attempt to bring about real equality and an end to national oppression. Money from white people is great, as long as it is recognized for what it is. Unless the money is in support of national liberation for oppressed nations, those working for justice must be sure not to confuse pacification tactics with genuine demonstrations of friendship toward the nationally oppressed. The Macedonia Baptist Church in Georgia is filing a civil law suit against the Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan for the burning of their church. The Center for Constitutional Rights is one of the organizations working on the civil suit. Appealing to the courts will not stop attacks on oppressed nation people. Vice president of the Center for Constitutional Rights stated "if the Klansmen and the Nazis find their property tied up in litigation they will be less likely to engage in these acts. The American way is that if you want people to change their conduct, then make them pay for it."(4) While MIM would prefer that the Klan be bankrupt, and does sometimes support legal tactics on the part of prisoners seeking meager amelioration, there is little historical precedent for the white-nation criminal injustice system to be on the side of the oppressed. The law is on the side of the Klan. Both liberals who call for "better" investigations and those who think they will stop the attacks by tying up the assets of white-supremacist organizations are ignoring the nature of the white- nations institutions. They are designed to maintain the oppression of the Blacks and will never bring about national liberation for oppressed nation people. Federal Investigators claim they are looking for evidence of a national conspiracy, but thus far state there is no evidence proving one. MIM does not need to investigate to know there is a "national conspiracy" behind the burnings. That conspiracy is national oppression, implemented and maintained by every facet of the government, including the FBI, the courts and the extralegal KKK. The reality of national oppression produces and tolerates violence against oppressed nation people. Whether individual whites, KKK members, or other terrorist groups collaborated on the burnings, the perpetrators are most likely united by their oppressor-nation status. They will also be shielded, directly or indirectly, from paying for their crimes by both the investigators who supposedly look for them and the court which tries them if they are found. If it were white churches which had been burned, there would be oppressed nations people paying, whether or not they were guilty. NOTES: 1. NYT 6/10/96 p. A10. 2. NYT 6/10/96 p. A12. 4. NYT 6/8/96 p. 6. * * * REACTIONARY NATIONALISTS WIN AT INDIAN POLLS Elections in India seem at first glance to mark a stark change from the past. The Congress(I) party has ruled for most of India's independence from Britain, and it suffered a quite resounding defeat. While bourgeois elections never make a long term difference, the medium-run meaning of this election is still unclear. The winner of the plurality of votes, the Hindu nationalist BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party, or Indian People's Party), decided not to face a vote of no confidence and stepped down before even assigning a cabinet. The Congress(I), the logical second-choice for the government because it had the second-most votes, decided it was also too weak to take power, and decided instead to support the alliance of phony leftists to form a government. This maneuvering was smart on the part of the BJP and Congress(I), because the phony leftist government is a shaky alliance of diverse parties and is sure to fall shortly for lack of cohesion. Then there has to be an election within six months. The BJP can then rally for a mandate, and the Congress(I) for a return to its corrupt stability. Whether the BJP does return from the turbulence with a majority to institute a stable government or whether the Congress(I) returns to power, imperialism will not be threatened. Though the BJP does try to rally the people's support by preaching economic nationalism, whenever it goes abroad it changes its stripes and assures everyone that investments are safe in India. This is not far from what the Congress(I) did when it rose to power in the course of the national liberation struggle. But Indians weaving their own cotton at home will not end imperialist domination, nor will some celebration of Indian commodities. Unless the imperialists are really booted out, it is all the more neo-colonialism. If the BJP is not yet as corrupted as the Congress(I), imperialists dollars should secure that in no time. Meanwhile, the BJP will make a great show out of celebrating Indian commodities while ignoring the intrusion of multinationals in infrastructure and dirty, hazardous for-export industries such as chemicals manufacturing. The BJP's main importance is its role in what in India is called communalism. Communalism is the fanning the flames of rivalries between different oppressed groups within India diverting them from the principal struggle against imperialism. For example, supporters of the BJP destroyed a 500-year old mosque at Ayodhya because it claimed that a Hindu temple had been there prior spurred riots across India in 1993. This Hindu nationalism is reactionary nationalism, because it is nationalism in opposition to oppressed groups. Its supporting allies, regional Hindu nationalist parties, are even more communalistic. For example, the Shiv Sena (named for the Hindu god, Shiva,) which rules the highly industrialized state of Maharashtra fanned much of the 1993 rioting, making Bombay's death toll several hundred. Even though the BJP claims that its nationalism is pan-ethnic, and is fundamentally "Indian," that is a lie. The word it uses for the culture it celebrates is "Hindutva," and the presence of the word Hindu is no accident. It has a reified concept of culture that denies the ever-changing nature of all living cultures as it denounces traditions thriving in India for centuries as "foreign," and that includes those of Muslims and other religious minorities. It's a sort of back-to-the-turn-of-the- millennium notion of cultural growth. This is untenable, however, as all cultures change in a global context that changes. So only those reactionary elements that the BJP likes, such as dowries and self-sacrifice of widows, are part of Hindutva. Meanwhile huge oppressive multinational intrusions, such as the World Bank baby the Narmada dam near Bombay which will displace hundreds of thousands of indigenous people if their activism does not prevent it, are not relevant to the BJP's understanding of culture. The rise of the BJP as a new fascist movement in India should not be used as an excuse for supporting the Congress(I). Congress(I) is not without its fascist side. During Indira Gandhi's "Emergency" in the 1970s, all democracy was suspended as the Congress(I) used terroristic secret police to squelch opposition to its rule. After she was assassinated by Punjabi Sikhs, more terror was unleashed. It was also the Congress(I) that presided over inaction over the Bhopal genocide and countless other wrongs against the Indian people by the imperialists. The parliamentary left including the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) are no respite from imperialism. They are built on the model of Soviet revisionism, and though they may be a little more critical of the economic liberalism rage their policies cannot be much better as state capitalism is unsustainable. The only thing that could save them would be colonies, which India is not in the position of acquiring. and so they are weak and trembling before the imperialists, ever toning down any hint of progressive measures. The fact is, there is no good alternative within the mainstream of Indian politics. The Indian people should not allow the very bad reality that is the BJP to distract them from the need for alternatives beyond the mainstream parties. MIM supports revolutionary politics in India by printing articles from Maoist Indian comrades in Maoist Sojourner. Get a copy and hear some positive voices for change. * * * UNDER LOCK AND KEY: NEWS FROM PRISONERS AND PRISONS PLEASE ADDRESS ALL LETTERS, NEWS ARTICLES, CORRESPONDENCE anything having to do with Under Lock & Key to our new address: MIM Distributors P.O. Box 29670 Los Angeles, CA 90029-0670 URGENT ALERT! NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT TO SAVE THE LIFE OF ZIYON YISRAYAH (TOMMIE SMITH) Ajamu Nassor (slave name (s/n) Gregory Resnover) was unjustly executed by the State of Indiana on December 8, 1994. This was documented by a special investigation of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. If we do not act now, Ziyon Yisrayah (s/n Tommie Smith) will be unjustly executed as well, for he has an execution date set for June 14, 1996. On December 11, 1980, a pre-dawn raid on the home of Ziyon, Ajamu and Kondo Nassor (s/n Earl Resnover), left one man wounded and one man dead. The wounded man was Ziyon, who along with Ajamu and Kondo were politically active. The three had a history of exchanges with the local police because of their stand against social injustices perpetrated against Blacks in the community. The dead man was a police officer who had participated in the raid. It was determined at the time that the police officer had been shot in the back, and that the bullet that killed him did not come from one of the two guns within the house, which were fired in self-defense. Until he was shot, the officer had been facing the defendants. Clearly he was killed by someone behind him, and only the police were in that position. The men and women in the house were asleep when the police kicked in their door, threw tear gas inside, and set the couch in the corner of the front room on fire--Rambo-ing and Waco-ing their way in, indiscriminately firing on anything inside with the obvious intent to kill. A No-Knock-Murder-Plan that failed. Due to the state public defenders assigned to the defendants misrepresenting them at trial, Ziyon and Ajamu were condemned to be executed. The evidence that would have absolved them of this death was either suppressed, ignored, or overlooked by the parties bent on malice and wrongful revenge. This whole event was clearly a police cover-up. The evidence that was presented at their appeals trials was ruled inadmissible, since under Indiana law, any evidence which was obtainable by using "due diligence" before the original trial cannot be used at a later date. These men had one public defender who was an alcoholic, and an appeals lawyer who never even bothered to go to meet her client. Necessary willing witnesses were not called to testify, lies were made and accepted in the court room, and the holes in the prosecution's case were never questioned. The court, by following its letter-of-the-law rules in the technical aspects of the case, overrode the consciences and moral duty of the people who had administered the death....A horrifying barbaric death blow yielded in the most possible bloodthirsty way through execution...by a cold-blooded system which has the blood of an innocent man on its hands. Many individuals and organizations waited until the last minute to attempt to save the life of Ajamu Nassor. And there were others who fought to the end, and are continuing to fight to help save the life of Ziyon Yisrayah. This is the legacy Ajamu left to all of us...and it must be done now! Send donations for legal fees in care of Paula Resnover- Terry, P.O. Box 191, Indianapolis, IN 46206. Write letters to Governor Bayh and demand that he exercise his authority to provide Ziyon (Tommie Smith) with a fair new trial, so the evidence which will exonerate him can be introduced and accepted. Tell Governor Bayh that he was responsible for the death of an innocent man. Tell him to stop the legal lynching now or to resign from office. Tell him to either use his power of clemency or forfeit it... WRITE TO: Governor Evan Bayh, Office of the Governor, The State House, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Phone: 317- 232-4567. Fax: 317-232- 3443 Clemency Board: Raymond Justak (Chairman), Thomas McKenna (Vice Chair), Patricia Ravinet, Thor Miller, Miguel Rivera, RE21, IGCS, 302 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204 Sincerely, --Kondo Nassor/Resnover, May 16, 1996 THIS JUST IN--ZIYON YISRAYAH WINS TEMPORARY VICTORY: As MIM Notes goes to press (June 13), we are pleased to have just received the following note: Ziyon Yisrayah has been granted a temporary stay of execution from the U.S. Supreme Court. I don't know all the details just yet, but from what I understand it goes like this: 1. The Court will either take Ziyon's case or decide to allow Indiana to go ahead with their wicked plans. 2. This decision could take from 48 hours to 2 months to come down. That's all I know at the moment .... A temporary stay is nothing but a temporary victory--let's get Ziyon's name in the media--there shouldn't be a "revolutionary" paper out there that doesn't carry this courageous man's name. --BCAC, June 13, 1996 TEN INDIANA STATE PRISON COMRADES SHIPPED TO MCC CONTROL UNIT An Indiana prisoner is back inside the hole for an investigation of "engaging in or encouraging others to demonstrate." It's a bogus fishing expedition. He and two others were arrested. One of the others was listed as being under an investigation for "threatening bodily harm towards another." Supposedly someone sent this prisoner a kite internally that was intercepted. The message allegedly mentioned brother Ziyon Yisrayah who is set to be executed June 14 and as a result the prison staff panicked. This Indiana prisoner was arrested Tuesday, May 28 at approximately 1:30 p.m. On Memorial Day [Monday, May 27 --MIM], the other half of D Cell House, which is about 150 people, went to the kitchen and no one spoke a word! 100% participation! Of course the staff panicked. The protest was to show support for Ziyon and to protest the conditions in D Cell House. The assumption is that [the prisoncrats] are reacting to the protest, which was not organized by any of the accused. All of [the accused prisoners'] property was sent to the investigator and is being gone through with a fine tooth comb. Once that is complete, ain't no telling what kind of evidence they will manufacture. This Indiana prisoner believes that even though they ain't got anything on him, he may be shipped out soon. The only place they can rotate him is deep south or to the Maximum Control Complex in Westville. An investigation can last up to 45 days, and because they are refusing to be interviewed by the investigator it will probably drag out the full 45. This Indiana prisoner is currently in IDU.... June 7, 1996 Update: Based on investigation they shipped ten prisoners including the three mentioned above. The prison officials are already in violation because there is not supposed to be any temporary "warehousing" of prisoners at MCC. The prison administration is panicking over their upcoming assassination of Ziyon Yisrayah who remains of death row at ISP. The original lawsuit stipulated that prisoners who were part of the class action against MCC would not be shipped back there. Commissioner Debrun oversees the entire Indiana prison system. There is a request for folks to call and/or write Commissioner Debrun and demand that this bogus investigation be discontinued, that all the prisoners' personal property be released, and more specifically that the prisoners be given all their legal materials, personal hygiene items and reading and writing material and underclothes. Several of the ten shipped have already served time at MCC and should not be back there. The investigators have nothing on the ten shipped--it is strictly their panic-ridden conscience gone wild. Write to Commissioner Debrun at: Indiana DOC, E 334 Indiana Government Center, 302 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204, or call him at: 317-232- 5715 Ask for Commissioner Debrun. You will most likely just be asked to leave a message for him--so please ask for a response. Send copies of letters, faxes or phone call transcripts to Lawyer Kashani Hamid who represented the original class action at MCC: 445 N. Pennsylvania St. Suite 800, Indianapolis, IN 46204, FAX: 317-632-5520 --Three Indiana prisoners, June 7, 1996 KHALFANI KHALDUN'S MURDER TRIAL APPROACHES Greetings Editors/Comrades, I am writing to thank you for spreading and allowing the word to come out on my case. I'm Khalfani X Khaldun, the political prisoner here in Indiana who was accused of the murder of a prison neo-colonialist pig at the state prison back in Dec. 1994. [The guard was allegedly killed in retaliation for Indiana's execution of Ajamu Nassor. --MIM]... My trial for this murder begins July 8, 1996.... --Khalfani X Khaldun, Apr. 23, 1996 On July 8, 1996 the murder trial of comrade Khalfani X Khaldun (s/n Leonard McQuay) begins in St. Joseph County. This is after being changed from Laporte County in Michigan City due to a hostile prisoncrat strike picketing the prison for safer work conditions and calling for the my immediate execution. The actions of such a move caused fear and emotions in the guards and eventually 17 guards resigned from their jobs. Political prisoner Khalfani has been under constant harassment including attacks on his life and character from corrupt prison investigators and ranking officials in Indiana. But he has continued his work even at MCC. He has published two pamphlets and a selection of poems that will be in circulation through advertisement on revolutionary circuits. He has through his collective support of the comrades at MCC, come forward with a national prison front called the National Prisoners Legal Front (NPLF). NPLF is geared toward furthering legal and political awareness at MCC, in an attempt to solidify the unity and responsibility of all men at the facility. In recent months, rumors have surfaced about the Department of Corrections [sic] wanting Khalfani dead for what he is accused of doing. Which is no real surprise. We just want the people to know what's going on and to ask that you participate in exposing the case and write letters of support to our brother. He's got a heavy load on his plate, yet he remains diligent and studious in his responsibilities and commitments. Letters of support should be sent to: Brother Khalfani X Khaldun Freedom Committee, P.O. Box 1513, Gary, IN 46402. Justice for Khalfani is Justice for us all. --an Indiana prisoner, Apr. 23, 1996 WOMEN FORCIBLY DRUGGED IN JAIL BEFORE TRIAL Every person accused of a crime in America has the right to be present at every stage of the proceedings free from the influence of mind- altering drugs. Yet, many California inmates have been heavily, illegally, and forcibly medicated with drugs that they did not want or need. Many of these were women who accepted plea bargains not in their own best interests while under the influence of mind-altering drugs. Now more than 40 women imprisoned in California are trying to overturn their convictions, claiming that powerful anti-psychotic drugs impaired their judgment, interfered with their ability to defend themselves in court, and made a negative impression on jurors. Nearly half of the women in the group say they were medicated without reason in Los Angeles County jails, and the other half say they were wrongfully medicated in jails and detention centers in Indio, San Diego, Auburn, Bakersfield, Milpitas, Modesto, Clear Lake, Santee, and Riverside. I would also like to point out that these medications were prescribed by nurses. This is against the law, as only a medical doctor can prescribe drugs. I have cases pending with the medical and registered nurses board. I am one of those women. Currently incarcerated at the California Institution for Women, serving a life sentence for the accidental shooting of a friend. I was deprived of a fair trial by the administration of both excessive and mind-altering medications without a doctor's orders, without informed consent, and without due process of law. I had no previous mental condition or arrest record. One hour after I was booked into the county jail, I was approached by a nurse who told me to get a cup of water. She then handed me a paper cup full of pills and said, "This will calm you down." I had not requested any medical attention, nor had I been examined or evaluated by medical personnel. I was not hysterical or out of control, but rather sitting off to the side of the cell weeping quietly. Within the hour, I became nauseated, agitated, frightened and confused. My vision blurred, my muscles began to twitch, and I began to rock back and forth uncontrollably. The first cup of pills was the beginning of a nightmare that haunts me even now, five years later. My jail medical records disclosed that I received massive amounts of drugs throughout the period of time that I was in custody, although I did not see a doctor for the first eight months. On the occasions that I refused to take the medication, I was stripped of all my clothing and placed naked in the "rubber room," where I remained until I agreed to take the medication. In the coercive and frightening jail atmosphere, I quickly learned to do as I was told. I began suffering severe and terrifying side- effects from all the medication I was ingesting, such as audio and visual hallucinations, tremors, drooling, loss of coordination and memory, disorientation, anxiety, confusion, restlessness, paranoia, hives and headaches. My behavior in the courtroom was completely inappropriate for the situation and the jury was adversely impacted by it. I did not understand much of what was happening, and I spent the days crying uncontrollably or rocking back and forth. On the day that I took the witness stand, I thought that the jurors' faces were melting, and that the District Attorney had animals crawling on him. I was unable to assist in my own defense and no defense was presented for me. The jury quickly reached the predictable verdict. When I arrived at the state penitentiary, I went into withdrawal, and it took two years for me to completely recover from the massive amounts of drugs that had been forcibly administered to me. I also learned that I was not the only pretrial detainee who had be forcibly medicated with unnecessary mind-altering medications. We formed an ad hoc group for which I am currently the spokesperson, and many of the women now have their medical records that document this illegal and unnecessary drugging. None of us are seeking to avoid responsibility for the underlying acts for which we were originally arrested. What we are seeking is the fair trial to which all Americans are entitled and which was denied to us by the involuntary drugging we were subjected to. If you don't think this is happening in your county and your state, just check the invoices of drugs ordered at your jail! Every American accused of crime has the right to a full, fair, drug-free trial and to be able to be present during all proceedings and at all stages of their trial, to defend themselves against their accusers and to call witnesses in their own defense--without the State of California drugging them for an easy and wrongful conviction. --a California woman prisoner, June 1994. MIM replies: Your letter of course shows that what "rights" Amerikkka gives you on paper and what "rights" you have in practice are entirely different matters. Since such "rights" are not always there when you need them, MIM talks in terms of power struggles instead of in terms of "rights." Between "rights" in the abstract and power in the concrete, there is no comparison. Thanks for writing, and please keep us posted. SURVEY: "GETTING HIGH IN JAIL": LEGAL VS. ILLEGAL DRUGS Can you answer yes to any of the following questions? 1. Did you swallow, or were you injected with any kind of drug (medication) after you were taken into custody by the police, through the time you were sentenced for your current commitment? 2. Was this a "mind-altering" drug? Did it make you feel different from the way you normally feel? 3. Was this drug given to you before or without your signing a written "informed consent" form? 4. Was this drug(s) given to you by a medical doctor or a psychiatrist? 5. Before being arrested, were you taking these same medications or just after you were arrested? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, please write to the two addresses below and state who you are, what state and county you're from, and what drug(s) were administered to you in jail. It is illegal to take a defendant to court under the effects of mind-altering drugs without due process of U.S. and state laws. Write to: B. Buechler, 825 Battery St., 1st Floor, San Francisco, CA 94111 or B. Yaley, 1606 Milvia Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709. Thank you for your help and participation in this survey. ***WHAT NON-PRISONERS CAN DO TO SUPPORT PRISONERS*** *1. Struggle with, work with, finance and join MIM. The best way to support prisoners is to overthrow the system under which capitalists profit from the exploitation of prisoners. History shows that the best way to do this is to build a Marxist-Leninist- Maoist party. The oppressors will not give up their power without a fight. *2. Finance MIM's prison work. Our biggest bill each month is postage. Most of the prison comrades who read MIM Notes have no way of paying for it. So if you have money, send what you can afford. Every cent helps, and stamps are as good as cash to us. *3. Distribute MIM Notes and Notas Rojas. Bring the voices of prisoners and their supporters to as large and wide an audience of people as possible. Contact MIM for bulk rates and distribution tips. *4. Start or join a prison support group. MIM can provide advice and resources to help you build public opinion for prisoners and their struggles. *5. Fight censorship, beatings, torture and other fascist outrages. Under Lock and Key often features the addresses of prisoners' friends and enemies. Work with the friends and let the enemies know you're watching. (Don't expect to win the fascists to the side of humanity, however. See #1 in this list). *6. Stay in touch. Keep us informed of pro-prisoner work you do. Our readers might find it educational or inspirational. ***WHAT PRISONERS CAN DO TO BUILD MIM*** *1. Start a study group. This is the best way to share materials and ideas. In groups, prisoners can better benefit from the limited resources MIM has. *2. Get MIM Notes and MIM Theory into your library. This allows one copy of the paper to be seen by many comrades. *3. Contact people on the outside. MIM needs comrades and allies everywhere. Maybe you know people on the outside who want to subscribe to MIM Notes or distribute it. *4. Share materials. If MIM sends books or periodicals, please make sure that as many people as possible get a chance to read them. *5. Write MIM at least every three months. Otherwise, you will be dropped from our mailing list. There are many cases where your keepers throw out MIM Notes, so we need to know that you actually get it. Also, comrades are moved around a lot, especially those who are known to be political. Please let us know of any address changes as soon as you know them. *6. Make MIM Distributors an official distributor. Many prisons require registration before MIM can send books or other materials. Usually we can comply with these bogus rules. It helps immensely to have someone there do the reasearch and send us the proper forms. *7. Send money or stamps. Our biggest bill each month is postage. Most of the prison comrades who read MIM Notes have no way of paying for it. So if you have money, send what you can afford. Every cent helps, and stamps are as good as cash to us. Please make all checks payable to "MIM Distributors." *8. Write for MIM Notes or Notas Rojas. Prisoners write almost all of Under Lock & Key. We don't care if you know how to spell or write good English or Spanish. Write on any topic you like, it does not have to be a prison story. *9. Translate. If you can read and write English and another language fluently, let us know. Any translation work you do will help us make Maoist ideas accessible to more people. *10. Fight censorship. When you know of censorship of books or newspapers, investigate. Write to MIM to confirm what has happened, then see what you can do about it. *11. Keep in touch after your release. Many comrades stop doing political work after their release. Write to MIM as soon as you know where you'll be so we can hook you up with comrades on the outside. * * * MARXISM-LENINISM-MAOISM ONLINE: DEFENDERS OF CRIMINAL INJUSTICE ATTACK MUMIA In June, MIM jumped into a (mostly fascist-leaning and pro-lynching) discussion thread about Mumia Abu-Jamal on several leftist Usenet newsgroups. They were mostly debating the evidence used against Mumia: that he was armed, whether it was his gun that killed Officer Faulkner, and whether there were credible witnesses. With a witness stepping forward in May to reveal in a sworn affidavit that she lied on the stand--coerced by the threat of imprisonment--the anti-Mumia crowd has to work harder to justify his execution. Before MIM stepped in, people were arguing that even if it wasn't Mumia who pulled the trigger, he should "pay the price" anyway for being at the scene and refusing to give anyone up to the pigs, since if he didn't do it he must know who did. MIM understood this as clear evidence that the persecution of Mumia--like other political leaders and revolutionaries, and like the other masses of oppressed nation peoples who disproportionately fill Amerikkka's prisons--is politically driven by support for imperialism and repression of revolutionary nationalism. One participant argued that even if Mumia was not the killer, he should be executed for impeding the investigation of a cop killer. S/he argued: "Regardless of what that truth is. There is a hell of a lot more proof that Mumia and his brother are conspiring to keep the secret of who killed Danny than there is proof that the entire Philadelphia establishment is trying to frame Mumia." This comment is typical of the reactionary liberal lie that Amerika is a "free" country and that Mumia and his brother have as much power as "the entire Philadelphia establishment," and their actions can be compared in this way. MIM always takes on the Mumia debate on two levels. First, we dispel the supposed parity of the self-defense actions of the oppressed with imperialist aggression. We wrote: "If Mumia didn't kill the pig who was engaged in beating a Black man, whoever did is not a criminal, but a righteous defender of the oppressed against the imperialist state. MIM does not engage in armed struggle, or promote it, at this stage in imperialist countries, because it is a losing battle. But that doesn't mean that people who do are "criminals." The real criminals are the cops and their imperialist backers, responsible for millions of deaths per year. So, the argument about whether or not Mumia is responsible for the death of the pig is not about guilt or innocence." One reader challenged our formulation of criminals: "'The' real criminals? In the whole of the United States, there is only one crime organization, and all activity committed by anyone not connected to the state is totally legitimate?" MIM clarified that while there may be other "real" criminals besides the state and imperialists, "people who commit murders for no reason, for example," we were referring to "the worst" criminals--"you know, the ones who have killed literally millions of Iraqi children through the war and subsequent embargo." A second reader simply called MIM "honest" but "insane." (MIM knows it's doing well when reactionaries can only resort to psychological name-calling in defense of their positions.) This person concluded with a racist joke about how the MIM writer's dreadlocks must be "cutting off the blood supply to your brain" and that MIM had written the post during "exercise period." (No, the pigs do not provide adequate food, housing or health care in prison, much less Internet access-- where they would certainly be afraid of what such a politically advanced population would do with a global communications medium.) MIM continued, "It's amazing that these so-called defenders of 'law and order' are eager to execute a man who may be guilty of keeping a secret. They actually suggest he should be executed even if he didn't do it, because he knows who did. This is pure fascism and political persecution. If you applied such a standard to white collar criminals or corrupt politicians, you'd be thrown out of civics class. In the case of Mumia, of course, that makes you a decent law-abiding citizen. "The saga of coerced witnesses, lying pigs changing their stories, doctored or distorted evidence, all in the name of a well-known political agenda against Mumia and MOVE and the Black Panther Party, are all standard procedure when the goal is to get the potential leaders of the oppressed out of the way. The ditto-heads on the Net and in the Fraternal Order of Pigs and the media play their ideological role of backing up the most farcical police concoctions with protestations about law and order. The 'truth' about what happened could not be less relevant in the political power struggle over silencing the voices of the oppressed." MIM concluded that "Mumia and all members of the oppressed nations behind bars are political prisoners," to which the first reader challenged that it was probably news to "common criminals...that their crimes had any political aspect." "Their crimes may not have had any political aspect," MIM responded, "but the definition of their actions (those that did what they are accused of) AS crimes, and the machinations of the injustice system -- ARE often news to people in the system and especially in prison. Look at Malcolm X, to choose a popular example. His 'common crimes' were not political in intent, but when he got a good look at the belly of the beast, he saw clearly the political nature of his whole situation. If you read Under Lock & Key over the years, you will see letters from many other people who gained political consciousness only after being locked away. So one reason we stress the political nature of prisons is exactly because so many people are MADE political in the process. At that point it doesn't really matter what they were convicted of. (At the same time, we believe that people who committed crimes against the people by proletarian standards -- which is a small proportion of all those locked up -- do need to engage in self-criticism and rectification, even though they are very minor criminals in a thoroughly criminal system.)" In our anti-prison agitation, part of which includes defending imprisoned leaders like Mumia, MIM demonstrates the use of prison as social control for the broad masses of the oppressed in Amerika. Those who don't have a political practice going in are still (if organized) potential gravediggers of imperialism. This Usenet discussion reveals a small piece of what we're up against. Contact MIM or RAIL to join the campaign to End the Amerikkkan Lockdown! OPPOSITION CRUSHES WHITE POWER NEWSGROUP IN VOTE In early June, Aryan Resistance Movement leader Milton John Kleim, Jr.'s proposal for a new Usenet discussion group--rec.music.white-power--was defeated by a vote of 33,030 to 592.(2) The group was to be devoted to "all issues relating to the genre know as White Power music, since its inception until the present, covering all languages and nationalities of performers, and all themes of pieces."(1) Anyone with an e-mail address is allowed to vote for or against the creation of a newsgroup. In an atypical display of giving a damn--facilitated by the ease of this kind of organizing on the Internet--there were many more votes cast on this Usenet group than on most others. One vote tallier complained that his system crashed trying to handle the volume of participation.(2) The group's proposed charter stated that "Rec.music.white-power is an unmoderated newsgroup for the entertaining and enlightening discussion of revolutionary new forms of rock, country, and other sub-genres having racist/nationalist themes."(1) White power music has been growing in popularity in the United Snakes and Canada, at least as measured by the number of record labels carrying it. Resistance Records, based in Detroit, was co- founded by a Canadian and Amerikan in 1994 (so the fascist Canadian could take advantage of more lenient speech laws in Amerika).(4) Fascist youth is the biggest consumer group of white power music and literature. Resistance Records is trying to reach out to a broad group of fascist youth, organizing in the "metal scene" as well.(4) White power bands and performances are popping up all over the U.S. and Canada. While their numbers are marginal, their fascist, anti-immigrant, racist politics are only more extreme and obvious versions of mainstream patriotism in Amerika. Kleim immediately declared the defeat a victory for the bourgeois media attention won by his group and the publicly available list of voters against the group. Usenet votes are not anonymous--names had to be signed and verified. Kleim wrote, "We now have a comprehensive list of Enemy agents who are active on the Net. Aryan Corps Counter-intelligence is now undertaking a classification and cataloguing project which will make our counter-espionage much more effective." He said his goal was to "facilitate counter-espionage and prevent many instances of 'anti-racist' activism."(3) MIM hopes that this is more bravado than anything else, but Kleim's comments do reveal something about voting--in this case against a fascist newsgroup--as political activism. While MIM is pleased to see such strong opposition to the white power music group, we also know that fighting and defeating fascism cannot be accomplished through voting. Five hundred neo-Nazis are a drop in the bucket of anti-prisoners, pro-police and pro- imperialist representatives on the Internet (there are still Usenet groups devoted to fans of Rush Limbaugh, after all). It's easy to vote against a Nazi--we'd like to see more people "vote" against Amerika itself. MIM urges all readers to get on- line with revolutionary politics! Check us out at: http://ursula.blythe.org/mim. NOTES: 1. Rec.music.white-power Charter, Call For Votes on news.announce.newgroups. 2. All Things Considered, NPR, June 4, 1996. 3. Statement Regarding rec.music.white-power from Milton Kleim, June 6, 1996. 4. "The New Frontier -- The Growth of White Power Rock in the USA and Canada." Fighting Talk #13, March 1996 (via Antifa Forum). * * * PENOBSCOTT NATION RESISTS AMERIKKKAN DOMINATION: MIM NOTES TALKS TO PENOBSCOTT NATION DISSIDENT ON TAXES PENOBSCOTT NATION--MIM interviewed a Penobscott person who calls himself a "dissident." MN: Do the Penobscott traders pay a state tax to Maine do you know? Dissident: No, but they get you on wholesale trading. You have to get a license with Maine. It's a sort of blackmail. [One trader] said, 'I'm not an employee of the state, so why should I collect taxes for Maine?' MN: Is anyone mobilizing against this situation? Dissident: I don't know what their position is. We don't have much to do with the administration. MN: Is there anyone setting up a parallel authority to the [governor], and challenging it? Dissident: No, no one has much to do with it. We think they are government whores; they'll do anything for the federal dollar, even sell their own people. It's all done with grants and contracts. MN: We noticed the Penobscotts have some of their own institutions. Some of these programs are meant to develop dependence on the white man, so the white man can take away the land. Dissident: Yah, we have a health clinic with an astronomical budget ... and nothing for services. They say it has to be "life threatening" for them to do anything about it. They have three categories of health problems. They only do anything if it's in one of them. They are all on salaries. They're not MDs; they decide; they get $30,000-40,000 a year. MN: From the white man. Dissident: We call them "the governor and the 12 apostles." It's the haves and have-nots. The haves keep getting it and the people get nothing. We have this super-bingo that he says gives money to the tribe, but the tribe never sees it. MN: Do you know about any other issues or news we should report for MIM Notes? Dissident: There's also an agreement for cutting timber since the land settlement. The tribe sees nothing of it. MN: The governor says that they are taking out dams at Howland and Great Works. Dissident: It's inane. They took one out at Howland, but they put in another one in Enfield. It's a brand new dam. I know this one fellow; they flooded his land; he got a settlement... It'll never fly. It [the agreement with Bangor Hydro] isn't going anywhere. They don't realize, the federal government isn't going to keep sending money in here. All those federal houses, they're in need of repair now... . It's through a community development grant. It ain't an even thing; the director's favorites are the ones getting all the help. We never get any help and we don't ask for any help. MN: One Penobscott told us that the Penobscott people are pacifists historically, is this true? That they never killed; they would sneak up behind Mohawks and knock them out but never kill anyone? Is it true? Dissident: Yes, otherwise the Jesuits couldn't have such a foothold here... . MN: Would you say it's tough times for the Penobscott economy, businesses closing? Dissident: [Nodding yes.] The Pequots wanted to buy [one trader's crafts]. They said they wanted twelve dozen of this and twelve dozen of that; they wanted all these vendor numbers and licenses and all the paper work. She didn't want a vendor's number; she made it into a store. [Another First Nation people with a casino] asked for twelve dozen of this and twelve dozen of that. She said, 'I'm not a factory; you're missing the point. I'm not doing this for the money; it's not for the money; I want to do it because it's my heritage.' She wanted to do it because she was showing people we can do it. MIM agrees with those traders who refuse to do business with those who require licenses from the white man. But MIM makes a distinction between business and manufacturing which is run in a reactionary manner (i.e. for profit), and business and manufacturing which is run by the people and for the people. Development of the means of production can be progress and is one part of the dialectic which pushes society forward. MIM has nothing against large-scale manufacturing in and of itself. It's the ownership of the means of production that is principal in determining the relations among people, not the means of production themselves (though they also play a role). The First Nations have a long history of adapting to change and not all change is bad. * * * AMERIKA VIOLATES FIRST NATION FISHING RIGHTS Penobscott Nation--On May 31, the Governor of the Penobscott people Richard Hamilton, told MIM that he will sign an agreement with Bangor Hydro over water rights the first week in June. According to Hamilton, the original treaty written in English by the U.S. Congress says that the U.S. government would not "impede fish" for the Penobscott people by diverting the waters that the Penobscott people fish in. In return for signing the agreement, Bangor Hydro agreed to take out dams at Howland and Great Works. "It took a lot of meetings and a lot of time and negotiating over three years and I think we prevailed," said the governor. Asked if there were any issues that MIM Notes should report on, he said he was still meeting with the government about the dumping of dioxins in the water, but he had no conflicts or struggles to report to MIM Notes. The dioxin issue is "nothing new" and it's a problem with other First Nations too. * * * PSYCHOLOGISTS PUSH THEIR WHITE WAYS ON ST. MARY'S St. Mary's Band of Indians--On April 20, 1996, the St. Mary's Band of Indians (Malecite or Maliseet people) were the recipients of a seminar teaching adjustment to white-nation oppression of the First Nations. The talks were held right in the building of the local Indian leadership. Under the guise of fighting drugs and violence, the talks--with no proven value in fighting either drug addiction or violence--had titles such as "Mood Swings and Mayhem: The Onset of Adolescence," "Assertiveness and Self-Esteem in the Teen Years" and "Setting Limits and Resolving Conflicts." All the lecturers were women who were trying to infect the First Nation people's minds with the white man's culture. It's not surprising that white-nation psychobabblers are called on to try and corrupt the thinking of First Nation peoples. After all, convincing oppressed nation people that problems in their society and among their people are individual, rather than the result of group oppression (of which the white-nation is the oppressor), teaches them to channel their energy inward, instead of out at the oppressor, leaving imperialist domination intact. But the oppressors can only delay their destruction for so long. * * * FATHER OF RAILROADED LATINO YOUTH SPEAKS OUT "There is no justice. You have to be a millionaire to have justice." This statement summarized the talk given by Mario Vasquez which was organized by MIM on May 31. Mario is the father of Salomon Vasquez, a young Latino man who was wrongfully sentenced on March 15 to 45-85 years in prison. MIM Notes 113 (May 1, 1996) detailed Salomon's case and the local organizing that followed his conviction. Mario started the talk by explaining that his family moved to the United Snakes from Honduras to start a better life. Oppressed economically by U.S. imperialism in Honduras, his family's lives were also in danger because of his involvement in human rights defense organizations. Oppressed by capitalism within U.S. borders, the family also experienced discrimination as Latinos. Salomon's mother added that family members and friends have been harassed by the Ann Arbor cops because of their political activity in Honduras and because of their struggle to support Salomon. In one incident, the police pulled over cousins of the Vasquez family and asked if they too were revolutionaries. In another incident, all of the occupants of the car were asked for their papers to prove citizenship. Pig harassment also included Mrs. Vasquez being told--before Salomon Vasquez was convicted--that she will be crying the rest of her life. This case serves to show why MIM supports the oppressed nations setting up their own security forces and courts, so that justice can truly be served by "a jury of one's peers." The white nation courts are interested in scapegoating and exterminating the oppressed and so can not be seen as tools of justice. White nation courts must be evicted from oppressed nation territory. JUSTICE FOR SALOMON STRUGGLE EXPLAINED The Vasquez family has to wait 3 months before they can file an appeal, and the case will take about 1- 2 years to come up for retrial. In the meantime, Salomon is being held in maximum security despite the fact that the gun which he used to defend himself at the scene of the shooting was not the gun that killed Tamara Stewart. As a result of a 1995 Michigan law, three of Salomon's siblings who are minors are not allowed to see him. Salomon has limited phone privileges and if he goes over the time limit, he is given penalties that result in taking away his limited gulag privileges. Although there were others involved in the shoot-at which took place at a barbecue last July in Ann Arbor, Salomon was the only person convicted. He was not convicted for shooting Stewart, but of committing a felony (shooting a gun at the scene of a murder). The others were not Latino. The police were not able to show evidence of who shot Stewart, but had to convict someone of something. APPEAL WILL EXPOSE FALSE TESTIMONY The basis of the appeal is the validity of the main witness against Salomon. During the preliminary hearing, Damon Brown testified against Salomon and placed him at the scene of the shooting. However, Salomon's inadequate defense at the pretrial did not expose the fact that Brown made inconsistent and contradictory statements to the police. And according to Brown's father, he was not even in Michigan--let alone at the barbeque--at the time! The Vasquez family explained that Brown had six charges including three felony charges at the time that he made the statement against Salomon. In addition, Brown was not able to be found by the police to appear at the trial (though the Vasquez family explained that a private investigator could find him easily.) Instead of appearing for court and being available for cross examination, Brown's statement was read at the trial and was the basis for Salomon's conviction. This case is one more example of the way in which the Amerikan dream protected by the "war on crime" and the "war on gangs" is at the expense of oppressed nationals. From the pigs, to the judge, prosecutor and the Ann Arbor News, Salomon was used as a scapegoat to show the Amerikan settlers that gangs are being put down and safety is protected for all settler parasites. The Vasquez family knows that their son was not involved in a gang (and gang membership was not proven in court) and that the portrayal that he was only served the purposes of using him to set an example. The audience added that the police and the courts merely assume that everyone that lives in that neighborhood (the west side of Ann Arbor) belongs to a gang. (Even if he were in a gang, it would make no difference because MIM knows that the most dangerous gang is the one that wears the blue suits.) Responding to an audience question, Mario said that the Ann Arbor News does not put in information from the family and just prints information from the police. This is easily seen in the article "Vasquez: Convicted gunman makes tearful apology."(1) The article confuses the issue by first saying that Salomon was sentenced for the shooting death of Stewart and then meekly stating later that the trial did not prove that he fired shots that hit her. It also serves as the cops' mouthpiece in repeating that the "shooters were from a gang called the West Willow Crips". The article also repeated the ridiculous words of the pig in the black robe when he said that Salomon should have run away from the shooting instead of grabbing a gun. This "advice" ignores the fact that Salomon grabbed a gun to defend himself after being shot in the leg and grazed in the ear by a bullet. To raise funds for Salomon's defense, the Vasquez family is planning a picnic to sell food, a garage sale, a barbeque in July and the mother is planning on writing and selling a cookbook. The family is in need of funds and legal help (preferably help that is bilingual). MIM organized this informational event in order to rally people to fight for justice for Salomon and against settler domination of oppressed nations within Amerika. MIM and RAIL will continue to work with the family through building public opinion to expose injustice. We want more people to get involved in Salomon's support as well as in exposing the fascist white chauvinist nature of Amerikan police and their counterparts in the courts. If you would like to help, write to MIM at the address on page 2 or Vasquez, PO Box 970511, Ypsilanti MI 48197 for more specific ways in which you can struggle to support Salomon's appeal. NOTE: Ann Arbor News, March 16, 1996 p. A1 and A13. * * * ALL IN A DAY'S WORK: D.C. COPS KILL TWO Washington, D.C., June 10 -- D.C. police killed two people in one day yesterday, or, as the Washington Post put it (on the inside of section two), two people died in "incidents involving D.C. police." They shot one man, 19-year-old Eric Anderson, in cold blood as he sat in his car in Southeast Washington. The other, Raymond Tyler, apparently in the middle of seriously freaking out, died suddenly of an apparent heart attack after being handcuffed and stuffed into a police car. D.C. police pulled over Anderson in the middle of the night during a "routine roadblock" (in one TV reporter's phrase) in the Black ghetto, at 50th and C streets SE. Police say Anderson stopped but refused to turn off his car engine. Policeman Terrence Shepherd shot Anderson once and he died a half hour later. Police said they found no weapons in Anderson's car. According to the Post, the cops were "stopping cars at certain locations to check whether drivers had valid licenses and registrations and were complying with seat-belt laws. Police said they have used roadblocks in the past to issue tickets and make arrests for traffic violations and also have recovered drugs or weapons." MIM adds: Well, if it has worked so well in the past to randomly stop and search people, in such a "routine" way then why not turn the whole city into a police state? Oh, too late -- they already have, at least for Blacks and Latinos. The murderer in this case has been sent on paid vacation while the police try to cover up the facts. In Tyler's case, witnesses and police said he was freaking out naked in the street in Southeast Washington when police happened by. Police say he assaulted them when they tried to calm him down and they restrained and then handcuffed him. While they waited for a transport to take him to the mental hospital, he died. People in such state's as Tyler's -- police report he was yelling about snakes -- need immediate care and attention from people concerned about their well-being. Being assaulted by cops and handcuffed is obviously not going to help such a person calm down. This second case of murder reflects the role of the police as adversaries of certain kinds of messed up people. Rich people hallucinating on their estates -- like the imperialist mogul DuPont in recent months -- are not immediately jumped, handcuffed, and then left to die while the police wait for the paddy-wagon. But poor people in oppressed-nation ghettos who hallucinate are treated as "criminals" and dispensed with accordingly. The murderers in this case remain on active duty. NOTES: Washington Post, June 6, 1996, p. B3.