*----------------------------------------------------------* | | | x x x x x x x xx xxx xxx xxx | | xx xx x xx xx xx x x x x x x Issue #12 | | x x x x x x x x xx x x x xx xxx | | x x x x x x x x x x x x 05-06/85 | | x x x x x x x xx x xxx xxx | | | |----------------------------------------------------------| | Newspaper of the Maoist Internationalist Movement | *----------------------------------------------------------* [dated sometime mid-May to June 1985] CIA ADMITS BOMBING ROLE IN BEIRUT: OVER 80 MADE IN USA DEATHS "A car bombing in a Beirut suburb that kileed more than 80 people on March 8 was carried out by people hired by a Lebanese counterterrorism unit that had been working with the Central Intelligence Agency, Congressional and Administration sources said today." (NYTimes, 5/13/85, A1) The State Department took its standard position of no comment on intelligence matters. The CIA denied its role. (NYTimes, 5/14/85) The target of the operation escaped. This led to questioning from Senator Patrick Leahy. "It's almost a Keystone Cops type of action. There is nothing to deter terrorists if they see us kind of bumbling around." The CIA bombing raises several issues. First, who are the real terrorists in Lebanon? The CIA trained one Lebanese group which hired another which attacked another. The CIA had knowledge of the bombing plans. Once completed, Reagan ordered the CIA to cut back its contacts and operations. Thus, the CIA covered its tracks much the way a criminal does. Secondly, Senator Leahy raises the question of competence. Is the issue here really how well the CIA murders Lebanese people? Rather than questioning the Mid-East role of the U.S., Leahy and liberals are apt to criticize the inefficiency of the murders. When the bombing first occurred Lebanese put up a huge sign that said "Made in the USA" over the bombed out space of the building. The U.S. Administration considered pulling out its diplomatic corps at that time because "these things have a funny way of tracing themselves back to us." PHILIPPINES GETS FASCIST STYLE JUSTICE Plainclothes police roam the streets of Manila. In the last week they have accused, judged and executed at least 14 people. The government hired thugs are justified as a crackdown on crime. Should there be charges of arbitrary "justice," the police are also assigned to investigate themselves. (NYTimes, 5/13/85, A3) Meanwhile, Philippino witnesses testified that they saw govern- ment troops shoot Aquino--the leader of the bourgeois opposition. Having suspended Chief of Staff Gen. Fabian Ver in connection with the turmoil, dictator Marcos claims that "the Philippines does not want to appear to be the pet dog of any western power." (Iran in Resistance, Jan-Feb. 1985, 11) In other words, since it is the U.S. pushing for a shakeup in connection with the Aquino assassination, Marcos is going to rally nationalism to his side against U.S. attempts to replace or prettify Marcos. As Marcos is increasingly exposed in the murder investigation, he has no choice but to claim communist and American subversion. DENG'S CHINA MAKES SECRET MILITARY TIES TO ISRAEL Jane's Defense Weekly revealed that China and Israel have secret military relations and signed agreements worth over $3 billion. (Iran in Resistance, Jan-Feb. 1985, 11) China needs the secrecy because of its posturing in favor of the Palestinian cause. Diplomatically, China would be hurt by world opinion if it openly tied itself to Israel. At the same time, Israel has ties to China's enemy-- Taiwan's government. Although China has softened its stance towards Taiwan in the hope of reunification at the price of leaving Taiwan as it is--a capitalist and independent economy--Taiwan maintains a hard line against China. ETHIOPIA ADMITS STARVING TIGRAY A report of the Ethiopian Relief and Rehabilitation Commission admits that 78% of Tigray's people receive no relief aid because they are beyond the reach of the Ethiopian government. Tigray is a colony of Ethiopia. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) controls areas that the Ethiopian government wishes to starve out or ignore. (Adulis, March 1985, 13) Money to aid 1.5 million drought-affected people unreached by the Ethiopian regime in Eritrea, which is another Ethiopian colony bordering the Tigray, can be sent to: ERITREAN RELIEF COMM., INC., PO BOX 1180, GRAND CENTRAL STATION, NY, NY 10163. Donors should also send us news of their donation so that we might publish the anonymous results of the campaign to aid the Eritreans. Donations are tax- deductible. GM AND CHRYSLER BEAT THE JAPANESE ADVANTAGE "If you can't beat'em, join 'em." When profits are at stake, the corporations push for tariffs and employee and consumer loyalty. When the capitalists can not win this way, they can try to invest in the winners. A threatening Chrysler lobbyist explained to the House Ways and Means Committee: "Up to this moment, Chrysler has been advocating a freeze for ourselves and other importers of Japanese vehicles at current levels. However, given the running rules dictated by GM and the administration, it is now clear that Chrysler will have to make the hard choice of adopting a parallel "Far East strategy" of its own. It's apparent to us that GM wants a lion's share of the auto trade deficit. Well, I'm here to say that Chrysler is forced to demand its share of the trade deficit, too." Now Chrysler is not demanding tariff protection against Japanese imports. It just wants a share of the car part imports. By importing Japanese parts and putting an American label on them, the Americans can share in the exploitation of Japanese and other foreign labor. Chrysler need not "save American jobs" to make a profit. PHILADELPHIA POLICE FIREBOMB 60 HOUSES Using what they called an "incendiary device," Philadelphia police attacked a house of an apparently armed group called MOVE. The fire spread to up to 60 houses in the neighborhood. Why did the Philadelphia police start a shootout and then bomb the MOVE group? "A number of neighbors complained that the house is infested with rats and roaches. Some nearby residents alleged that members of the group have beaten several neighbors. The neighborshood's anger was aggravated last year when MOVE members blocked residents' access to an alley behind their house by building an animal shelter." (NYTimes, 5/14/85, A1, A16) The neighbors also mentioned electric bullhorns and political lectures from the MOVE group as disturbing. Other than this, the mayor gave no real reason to evict the group, not to mention bomb it. The mayor said the group was bent on violent confrontation, but did not say that the house members had engaged in violence before the police shootout and bombing; although, the media harped on the death of a policeman involving different MOVE members in 1978 in a similar (but undetailed in the media) shootout. An assistant to a city councilman who took part in the police raid justified the bombing by saying "they've said they're willing to die for whatever happens." Furthermore, "this is a group of people whose philosophy is based on conflict and confrontation." (Ibid., A16)The lying rationalizations came to be exposed when police simultaneously raided another MOVE home in Chester, PA. One woman and six children were taken into custody. USA Today did not find it necessary to give any reason for the teargassing and arrest of the second MOVE home. (USA Today, 5/14/85, 1) The same neighbors who were cited as rationalization for the Philadelphia bombing had second thoughts. Indeed, bystanders witnessing the assault chanted "Murderers!" while the police carried out their operations. Others complained "It's not fair for the whole neighborhood to be destroyed." "This is a travesty." "This is not what we expected when we elected Wilson Goode mayor--bombs, houses burning." (USA Today, 5/14/85, 3A) 60 homes were completely ruined by the bomb. ADDENDUM: The New York Times backed off its description of the bomb as an "incendiary device" and left open the nature of the weapon. (p. B9) It still at least said that the bomb caused the fire, despite convenient rumors that arose after the fire that the MOVE group poured gasoline on its house or stored gas on the roof. So far six dead bodies have been found. At least two were children. At least three were in the basement of the building. (USA Today, 5/15/85, 1) While three armed men escaped the police cordon, it appears so far that the only victims have been women, children and neighbors. ONE TRILLION SPENT ON MILITARY IN FOUR YEARS $1,007,900,000,000 have been spent in the last four years on the military. The Defense Department's own figures show that this spending is only matched in the post-WWII era by the Korean war in real dollar terms. The spending surpasses that of the Vietnam era, which shows that the U.S. ruling class has more use for its military now than during the 1960s. (NYTimes, 5/14/85, A1, A20) What the Defense Department of course neglected to relay to the public is that the U.S. is already involved in WWIII by proxy around the world--e.g. Beirut, the contras in Nicaragua, the support of the South African colonial regime against the native people etc.As usual the media's discussion of the Defense budget is narrowly conceived in terms of efficiency and not purpose. General Electric Corporation has been scapegoated to the tune of a $1.04 million fine and $800,000 restitution for fraud. (NYTimes, 5/14/85, A1) Clearly militarism is "worth it" for American corporations who profit from war hysteria. The only problem that the NYTimes and the liberals have with military spending is that it is too wasteful. The liberals champion the cause of getting the warmakers to make smaller profits and better bombs. According to the NYTimes, the problem is not the profit-system, just that GE is fraudulent and inefficient. "The biggest peacetime military buildup in modern American history is coming to an end, and the nation is asking whether it has been getting its money's worth." ("As Arms Buildup Eases, U.S. Tries to Take Stock," 5/14/85, A1) Lest anyone take the New York Times seriously, the talk in the capital is still to increase the military budget at a 3% real annual rate. At best, the government will freeze the military budget at its current wartime level while using up $280 billion in past appropriations that the Pentagon could not even manage to spend yet. (Ibid., A20)