Build independent anti-imperialist institutions of the oppressed

21 September, 1998
In December, 1994 the Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League (RAIL) was founded to support struggles of oppressed nations against imperialism. RAIL sees that nations must have the power to determine their own destinies without the claws of imperialism stuck in their backs. We fight for the liberation of all oppressed nations from imperialist military, political, economic and social domination. Oppressed nations have every right to throw off the yoke of imperialism and determine their own political systems, land and human resource management, equitable economic structures, just judicial systems, equitable gender relations, pro-People educational systems and health care. Liberation from imperialism is necessary to any people determining the course of their own lives. Our activism takes the form of educating and agitating around u.$. occupation of Third World countries abroad, and occupation of the internal colonies cordoned by u.$. territory.

In the Philippines, the United Snakes dictates much economic policy. Under the Phlippines 2000 plan, U.$. and other multi-national corporations enjoy special perks of land use. The direct result of multi-national investments in the Philippines is poverty and worsening living conditions for the Filipino people. Their land is stolen in favor of industrial corridors-which turn into slave plantations on which the people who should rightfully be owners are lucky to work for less than subsistence wages. Stripping land from the peasants results in 40% unemployment for them. 40% of the Filipino population cannot afford to eat three meals each day, and 75% lives below the government-defined poverty line.

As RAIL continues the daily work of building support for the national liberation struggle of the Filipino people, the United Snakes is promoting a Visiting Forces Agreement with the newly-installed President Estrada of the Philippines. The VFA will grant the U.$. direct military control over Philippine territory by allowing Amerikan forces to conduct operations throughout the Philippines, by granting military access to many Filipino ports, and through special legal provisions for military personnel who commit crimes while in the Philippines. Because of this theft, enforced poverty and outright violence, RAIL works to expose and propagandize against u.$. imperialism. The Filipino people are not free to determine their national destiny when Amerika controls large segments of their land through industry and military grants.(MIM Notes no. 169, 9/1/98)

Living within u.$. borders, we bear responsibility for the actions of a military and government that act in our name. Activists in this country must learn more about the struggles of the national democratic movement of the Philippines and learn from its successes in organizing the masses in fervent opposition to imperialism. We must learn from our Filipino brothers and sisters and work to build opposition here, in the belly of the beast, to imperialist control which kills Third World masses while plumping up imperialist nation coffers.

RAIL sees militaristic control here as well, on the streets of this so-called democratic country. The military in the Philippines is much like the pigs on the streets in Amerikkka's cities-both are occupying forces which do not represent the interests of the masses.

Today there are more than 1.7 million people in Amerikkka's prisons. Hundreds of them are leaders of revolutionary struggles-from the Maoist Black Panther Party, the Puerto Rican independence organization FALN and the American Indian Movement. Hundreds of leaders are in prison because their nations' liberation struggles threatens the Amerikan standard of living and hegemonic position internationally.

The Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League will work with any individual or organization that opposes all or part of Amerikkkan imperialism. We will work with you for an hour on our Sison Family Defense Fund which is important to the Filipino struggle for national liberation. We will spend two hours with you, collecting funds for the Serve the People Books for Prisoners Program. If you want to give prisoners material aid, you can help out with typing and distributing briefs for the Prisoners' Legal Clinic. We also encourage you to participate in regular RAIL educational events on issues that are most compelling to you.

As the imperialists suck more and more resources, labor and life out of the oppressed nations, we work to build a better society which does not build itself off the backs of the oppressed. As we criticize and expose the treacherous imperialist attacks on the one hand, we work to build independent institutions which both meet the needs of the people which the system currently ignores and helps to politicize and organize the people on the other hand.