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 152 DECEMBER 15, 1997 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. END GENDER OPPRESSION THROUGH REVOLUTION! IMPERIALIST PATRIARCHY DOMINATES MEXICAN WIMMIN 2. NEW STALKING REPORT SHOWS STRENGTH OF PATRIARCHY 3. LETTERS 4. PIGS CELEBRATE SETTLER HOLIDAY BY ATTACKING ACTIVISTS 5. WHITE NATIONALISTS CLAIM LABOR PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH 6. MUMIA UPDATE: HANGING JUDGE SABO FORCIBLY RETIRED 7. EAST COAST ROUNDS-UP PARENTS 8. MICHIGAN SCHOOLS TO OUST YOUTH 9. IMPERIALISTS MILITARIZE GULF TO FEED AMERIKAN PARASITISM 10. DOES THE UNITED SNAKES HAVE POLITICAL PRISONERS IN ITS GULAGS? 11. ARIZONA JAIL TORTURES INMATES 12. IMPERIALIST-LED GROWTH STRATEGY COMES HOME TO ROOST: ASIAN CRASHES BRING MORE MISERY TO THE MASSES 13. INTENSIFIED MILITARIZATION OF THE FILIPINO COUNTRYSIDE 14. ENVIRONMENTALISM WITHOUT ANTI-IMPERIALISM SERVES OPPRESSION 15. SO-CALLED DIVERSITY IN ACADEMIA SUBVERTS LIBERATION 16. LAZY USE OF STATS DOESN'T ADVANCE FEMINIST REVOLUTION 17. UNDER LOCK & KEY: NEWS FROM PRISONERS AND PRISONS * * * 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 * * * END GENDER OPPRESSION THROUGH REVOLUTION! IMPERIALIST PATRIARCHY DOMINATES MEXICAN WIMMIN Some maquiladores in Mexico demand proletarian wimmin to present their sanitary pads each month as proof that they have not become pregnant. This humiliating act is used to ensure that the company does not have to pay maternity leave. If the wimmin do not submit to this dehumanizing intrusion or if the company doctors are not satisfied with the results of merely inspecting the pads, the doctors and nurses feel the workers' abdomens with their fists to confirm that the wimmin are not pregnant. This practice has been publicized in Amerikan bourgeois press in one particular factory, Macopel, but many companies partake in this very sick practice. Macopel initiated this practice because it did not want to pay the three months maternity leave that was company policy. They started checking sanitary pads after one womyn protected herself to avoid discrimination. She had told Macopel that she was not pregnant when she was hired. But it was difficult to disguise the pregnancy and she was eventually given paid maternity leave. After that case, Macopel mandated pregnancy tests on all female workers. Marcopel made 28-day work contracts, the average period of wimmin's menstrual cycle. If a womyn became pregnant during that contract time, it would not be renewed. Macopel is now defunct, but Amerikan corporations continue this revolting practice. Zenith Electronic Corp. and General Motors admit their practice of pregnancy screening. Additionally, the comprador regime of Mexico enforce the imperialist-led control of wimmin's reproduction in other sectors. Petty-bourgeois wimmin in the sectors of the press (La Reforma), department stores, supermarkets and the secretary of public education are subjected to pregnancy screenings. Some people will argue that the womyn who becomes pregnant is to blame because she has access to contraceptives. In fact contraceptives are not widely available to poor wimmin in the Third World. Instead, Third World wimmin have repeatedly been used as guinnea pigs only for the benefit of contraceptive advances for First World wimmin. But even when contraception is available, forcing wimmin to use birth control is one tactic of imperialist genocide. This case shows what type of "freedom of choice" exists under the alleged Mexican democracy that is propped and led by imperialism. Apologists for imperialism try to explain away these forced pregnancy tests by arguing that wimmin have legal recourse if they don't want to submit to the tests. Rather than be examined by doctors, allegedly the wimmin can protest the practice under the labor agreement of NAFTA. The trade act states that corporations must respect the labor laws of each country. The law of the reactionary Mexican state allegedly considers the practice a violation of wimmin's rights as it states that there can be no discrimination based on biological sex. The Mexican Constitution prohibits this discrimination, but the simple fact that lackeys in the government remain aloof while this practice is common in their country lets us know whose interests they truly represent. The Mexican comprador regime represents the interests not of the oppressed, but of the imperialists and the foreign corporations who don't pay for maternity benefits to keep their production costs down. The so-called labor regulations of NAFTA that the bourgeois press believes should be upheld in Mexico are a dirty joke. The press places the blame of labor violations exclusively on the shoulders of Mexican government pimps. The National Association of Democratic Lawyers, the International Labor Rights Fund, and Human Rights Watch accuse the Mexican government of not enforcing the labor laws of their country. Under NAFTA, the signatories (Canada, u.s., and Mexico) are all required to uphold their own labor standards. But the reality of history shows us that Mexico's labor standards have always been a piece of trash. Although it is important to demonstrate the hypocrisy of all these governments by holding them to their own treaties and words, it is poisonous not to give valid solutions to the problem. Saying that Mexico is to blame for these practices for having a corrupt government is limiting because it does not show the yankee influence, as well as the influence of imperialism in general. The government of Mexico is corrupt because it is a servant of Amerikan imperialism. It is trapped in its own contradictions and its principal intention is subservience to U.S. imperialism. So-called human rights activists believe that the problem is exclusively a national one, meaning that it is only the product of a corrupt government and by extension of people whose culture is inferior. By confusing the people with their protests to parliamentary bodies such as the U.N. and the NAFTA labor commission and giving the people false hopes, they objectively support imperialism. REVOLUTION IS ONLY SOLUTION TO GENDER OPPRESSION Without a job and with a baby in their arms, what are a womyn's options? In a country that does not give unemployment services there is little recourse for these wimmin. The puppet state is not going to be reformed into eliminating the patriarchy: they have a strong material interest in perpetuating the patriarchy in service to their imperialist masters. The only solution is revolution. The Mexican masses need a protracted people's war led by a vanguard Maoist party to defeat the imperialists. This means a national liberation struggle unifying all forces willing to fight u.s. reaction. In this case there is an overlap of the three strands of oppression of class, nation and gender. The principal strand of oppression at this stage is national oppression by yankee imperialism and its running dogs. In the case of pregnant wimmin losing their jobs, it is important to promote communist-led national liberation with the struggle for feminist liberation an integral part of this revolutionary battle. In more just systems without the motivation of capitalist gains, factories would not worry about giving wimmin free leave of maternity. Under socialism in China (from 1949-1976) wimmin were allowed rest during pregnancy without risk of losing their jobs. MIM and RAIL urge sympathizing people in the u.s. to expose the brutality of imperialism and the parasitism of the white settler nation. Work with MIM and RAIL to prepare the coming of revolution inside the united snakes, so in that way we can better help the Mexican masses and the entire world in the fight against Amerikan imperialism. NOTES: "It's pregnancy tests-or else- in Mexico", San Francisco Examiner 16 November 1997, p.A-26. * * * NEW STALKING REPORT SHOWS STRENGTH OF PATRIARCHY One in 12 wimmin in the u.s. are stalked according to a telephone survey conducted by the National Institute of Justice. Researchers contacted 8,000 wimmin and 8,000 men and defined stalking as "a course of conduct directed at a specific person that involves repeated physical or visual proximity, nonconsensual communication, or verbal, written, or implied threats." 8.1% of wimmin surveyed and 2.2% of men reported that they had been stalked at least once. Among the wimmin, 59% said their stalkers were either husbands, boyfriends, or people they had lived with. 80% reported they were assaulted by the stalker. These statistics underscore the importance of eliminating the patriarchy so that we can do away with unequal power relations between people based on gender. This report also highlights problems with romantic relationships under patriarchy and how cultural differences can lead to one person perceiving harassment. Our patriarchal culture trains both men and wimmin in the ways to approach romantic relationships and this leads people to eroticize power differences. But people also have different views of the perfect romantic relationship based on different cultural backgrounds. Some wimmin may find aggressive, dominating men attractive while others consider this behavior harassment. Similarly, some men have been socialized to believe that they deserve any wimmin they want and will pursue those wimmin until they win. Some so-called feminists go with whatever wimmin feel to label behavior. But this subjective approach only means that cultural differences will be the basis for defining rape and harassment. Consequently, the current disproportionate lockup of Black and Latino men for raping and harassing white wimmin will only get worse. Even the statistics reported in this article demonstrate that most rape and harassment is done between people already in relationships. Since the vast majority of relationships are between the same nationality, it is clear that the pseudo-feminist method of catering to white wimmin's subjective fears of stranger rape or harassment will only further national chauvinism, and not effectively combat the problem of rape or stalking.. The fact that the definition used in this study has much room for subjective interpretation should be a good indication of the problems inherent in measuring gender oppression. MIM takes a more scientific approach than the government and the pseudo-feminists. We are clear that all romantic relationships under the patriarchy involve power inequalities and these make consent impossible. For this reason we call all sex rape and we then move on to the task of fighting the patriarchy. MIM does see different degrees of rape and harassment and we look to the day when we can expand our work to serve wimmin dealing with domestic violence, rape, and stalking so that they will have a safe place to go and the opportunity to turn their pain into an attack on the cause of gender oppression: the patriarchy. Such Maoist-led programs for wimmin are necessary as the current domestic violence and rape programs only perpetuate patriarchy and the myth that wimmin are helpless. These same programs serve as enemies of the people when they call for more cop protection, hence intensified national oppression. (MIM Theory #2/3 addresses these issues, send $5 to MIM for a copy.) NOTES: Boston Globe 14 November 1997, p.A18. * * * LETTERS GREETINGS FROM EUROPE DEAR MIM: A lot of revolutionary greetings from Paris/France/Europe! We are a group of communists which produce a paper XY. It deals with Maoism, autonomy of the working class, political prisoners, social fights, and what we call triple oppression--capitalism, patriarchy, racism. We have very good contacts with the revolutionary groups from Turkey/Kurdistan and some of them gave us your MIM Theory #6 (about psychology) and MIM Notes #138 (15 of May, 1997). It seems very interesting! The fact that you deal with genders, racism, that you see that the white working-class is not revolutionary, all what we saw in the two papers sounds great. The only thing that is strange to us, is that you see "armed struggle in the imperialist countries" as "a serious strategic mistake." The only people in Europe that are not anarchists or Trotskyists are revolutionary because they see the militant fights in the 70/80s as very important. . . . The real revolutionaries in Europe don't say that, thinking of the political prisoners (52 in Spain, 500 from the Basks, 80 in Italy, etc.) We can't speak about U$A, even if we think that it must be terrible for you in the heart of the beast, but revolution was possible in Europe in the '70s, and so, if you wanna make a revolution. . . you know that power comes from the barrel of the gun. About us: we are pretty young comrades: the Maoist movement died in France in the early '80s. You maybe know the book from autonomedia about it ("the Maoist and Trotskyist movements in France"; there are some errors and some things missing but it's ok). So your production is very interesting for us, to learn Maoism! With the great hope that you answer soon, and that we can learn from you in the future, "hasta la victoria siempre"! -- French comrades November, 1997 MIM REPLIES: We were delighted to hear from you. We hope to become fraternal organizations united in theory and practice. The question of armed struggle is not a cardinal question for MIM, and obviously at some point, for communism to come about, there must be an armed struggle in the imperialist countries. However, we point you to the Selected Works of Mao, volume II, "Problems of War and Strategy," in which Mao says very clearly that the imperialist countries should not launch armed struggle except in times of war and fascism or if the bourgeoisie is "really helpless." At this time, we must do our share of the work as a contingent doing legal but semi-underground work behind enemy lines in France and other imperialist countries. The Basques are not imperialist countries. Maybe Spain is imperialist, but it had fascism until recently. In imperialist Italy we do not agree with launching the armed struggle, except to stop fascists from seizing power. We only say no armed struggle in the imperialist countries without fascism. We look forward to hearing from you again. MASS CONTRIBUTES TO TIBET DEBATE AND QUESTIONS PARASITISM DEAR MIM NOTES: I read the last article by the PIRAO chief. When s/he refers to a situation where someone had very poor judgment as to where to put their money, s/he nearly exactly describes something very stupid I did not too long ago. I am going to be thinking about that for a while. I also think s/he is exactly correct in pointing out what we are capable of achieving in the rear areas, as long as we can stop acting like we are insignificant. I am also going to be thinking on that for a while. My head is busy today. This article also made me want to study Nkrumah. I do not know very much about this guy. But it seems like there are some very applicable ideas to be pulled out of his head. Is there anyway I could get some help in finding some of his writings? I also have something to say about the Tibetan movie article. The author is very correct on the significance of Harrer's membership in the SA in 1934 and SS by 1938. But I am not certain the author realizes how significant this is. The SA was founded by Hitler early on as an unprofessional armed organization that was completely the creation of the nazis and its purpose was to spread the nazi ideology and protect the nazi leaders as well as to fight the enemies of fascism. Originally the SS was an elite segment of the SA. The leader of the SA was Ernst Rohm. Rohm was the only real challenge to Hitler's leadership of the nazi party. In 1934 Rohm and his closest associates were purged by Hitler and the SS in an incident known as the Night of The Long Knives. Harrer was obviously sympathetic to the Rohm faction and only went to the Hitlerite faction when Rohm was dead and the SA had little purpose. As far as I know, in 1938 there were no conscripts in the SS as it was considered to be the elite of the German military and had the same mission as its predecessor the SA, except that the SS by 1938 was a very professional fighting force. The differences between Rohm and Hitler are hard to understand because they are two slightly different concepts of fascism which is vile no matter how it is interpreted. But one point that they differed on significantly was gun control. Hitler believed that only the Third Reich and its organs of state power should have the right to bear arms. Rohm thought it would be better to arm the entire German population in the service of national socialism. See any parallels in contemporary settler politics? Rohm was NRA all the way. Harrer was obviously just a German redneck. It is highly unlikely that he would have supported the Dalai Lama, an Asian, without ideological reasons. In other words Harrer saw obvious similarities between the ideals of German fascism and Tibetan Bhuddism, like the idea that it is perfectly ok for one group of pigs to live in extreme leisure because another group of human beings is enslaved and is harshly repressed. No wonder the Red Army found it necessary to destroy the Dalai Lama's power. Vive Le Guillotine! They should have done it French Revolution style because then there would never have been an exiled [Tibetan] nobility to start a bunch of shit in this fucked up country where the real slogans had ought to be "Free Puerto Rico," " Free the Seneca Nation," "Free Hawaii," "Free Guam," you get the idea by now and I don't have all day to list them all. -- a friend in the Midwest, November 1997 MIM REPLIES: We are glad that activists are looking to take up the financial struggle seriously, and that some are able to recognize and accept correct criticisms of their financial practice. This letter writer is correct in pointing out that activists in the United Snakes must take their own financial responsibilities more seriously if we are to be victorious in the struggle for socialism. We also appreciate this comrade adding to the discussion on Tibet. But MIM does not raise the slogan "Vive Le Guillotine!" because this slogan is a bourgeois one and runs counter to the principles of proletarian justice which say that every human life has intrinsic value, if it can find a place in the struggle for socialist revolution. It is true that the Chinese Communist Party did support some executions in cases where the people demanded death as the penalty for crimes against the masses. But Mao also said that "People's heads are not like leeks. When you cut them off, they will not grow again."(1) In some instances, the masses in Tibet may have demanded retribution in blood from the nobility, and MIM would not condemn this. But we must consistently guard against the idea that a reactionary class can be destroyed simply through the killing of its members. NOTE: Chairman Mao Talks to the People, P. 78. * * * PIGS CELEBRATE SETTLER HOLIDAY BY ATTACKING ACTIVISTS On what the white settler nation calls Thanksgiving Day, hundreds of First Nations members and supporters gathered around the statue of Massasoit in Plymouth Massachusetts overlooking Plymouth Rock for a Day of Mourning. Earlier in the day, a group of Amerikan settlers reenacted the alleged first Thanksgiving. This is an annual white nationalist event called Pilgrims Progress which was canceled last year in the face of First Nation protest. But when the Day of Mourning participants, led by the United American Indians of New England, attempted to march down the same street, they were met with police violence and arrest. The pigs sprayed mace pepper spray directly into several people's eyes. Twenty to 25 people were arrested. One protester warned RAIL that the cops take any disruption of their white nationalist propaganda event very seriously. According to the Associated Press, Plymouth Police, State Police and the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department were used against the protesters. In settler mythology, Thanksgiving is a story of cooperation between the settlers and the First Nations. The dominators and exploiters perpetuate this myth to obtain cooperation from the oppressed today and prolong the collapse of the oppressive system. Progressives must expose these imperialist fairy-tales for the snow job they are rather than perpetuate the myth that Amerikan wealth was not built off the backs of the oppressed. NOTES: CNN 28 November 1997, Springfield Union-News 28 November 1997, p. B5. * * * WHITE NATIONALISTS CLAIM LABOR PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH The latest figures on the bourgeois concept of labor productivity prove once again that the role of white-collar work in the economy is hype. The July-September quarter of 1997 showed U.$. labor productivity as measured by the capitalists, up 4.5 percent as an annual rate. However, within that 4.5 percent growth, white-collar work played almost no role even by bourgeois calculations. The gain was 9.8 percent in manufacturing which led the productivity growth as a whole. The U.$. Government and bourgeois economists measure "productivity" as dollar of product (not unit of product in physical terms) divided by the number of hours worked by U.$. workers. It does not count the contributions of foreign workers. Hence, as the trade with the Third World expands as it has been in recent decades, the composition of output changes. While the imperialist country workers don't change at all, they can appear to be more productive by bourgeois standards, because of the changes in use of inputs from the Third World. In the last 15 years, surplus-value sucked out of East Asia by imperialism has exploded. The bourgeois economists and media propagandists focus their attention on the growth of computer-use throughout the economy, because of the white nationalist myth that workers here must be getting more productive. Yet even the bourgeois statistics show again and again that computer use has not resulted in increases in productivity. "The October leap reignites hopes productivity gains will resume rising 2.5% a year, ending a mystifying 10-year era of puny 1% annual gains in worker output per hour." NOTE: USA Today 14 November 1997, "U.S. workers' productivity jumps 4.5%," p. b1. * * * MUMIA UPDATE: HANGING JUDGE SABO FORCIBLY RETIRED A tactical advantage may have been realized by the defense for Black revolutionary on death row Mumia Abu-Jamal. The blatantly biased Judge who presided over Mumia's trials and his so-far unsuccessful appeals is being forcibly retired on December 31 for budgetary reasons. Mumia was framed for the righteous killing of a Philly cop engaged in an act of police brutality in 1981. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that Philadelphia must reduce its number of Senior Judges from 14 to 10. Senior Judges are judges past the mandatory retirement age of 70, but are allowed to work part-time for $324 per day. Sabo and three other judges (one recently dead) were given the ax. No reason was given for the selection of Sabo was given, and there are older judges being allowed to remain. MIM sees no reason to support mandatory retirement programs, but we can celebrate the removal of particularly dangerous pigs by whatever means brings about their removal. Sabo is responsible for sending more people to death row than any other. Judge. Sabo is known as the "hanging judge" and a prosecutor once referred to Sabo as "a prosecutor in robes." His extreme bias against Mumia is one of the key aspects of Mumia's appeals. It is possible that the people responsible for selecting which judges to forcibly retire found Sabo's courtroom antics embarrassing to the charade of fairness in the Injustice system. It is also possible that some other factors were involved. Regardless, MIM hopes if further appeals hearings at the lower court level are required, that Mumia's defense can use a different judge to their tactical advantage. NOTE: Prison Activist List 26 November 1997. * * * EAST COAST ROUNDS-UP PARENTS Fed up with a growing number of parents who are thousands of dollars in arrears in their court-ordered child support payments, Maryland, Virginia and D.C. officials are organizing to arrest people across usual jurisdictional boundaries. Nearly 200 people (mostly dads, but some moms) were dragged off in handcuffs the week of November 3, 1997 when this initiative began. It used to be that crossing the state lines meant that you could not be arrested for failure to pay child support. Several men arrested said they never got any papers telling them they had a court date. MIM doesn't want to see people -- mostly young Black men -- who are underemployed be arrested for failure to pay child support. MIM believes that it is incorrect for individual parents to be solely responsible for their children. We also see that the solution to ensuring that children have adequate care is putting an end to patriarchy and poverty. While wimmin are left to take care of children, going out and arresting the fathers is not going to change the fundamental reason for inadequate care of children. Additionally, the way that child support is currently calculated, children of poor parents are not taken care of adequately anyway - the amount of child support is figured based on parents' income. Under socialism the state will take responsibility for children, including providing communal daycare and basic necessities so all children are provided for, and parents can go to work without getting arrested for failure to pay child support. NOTES: The Washington Post 8 November 1997 p. B1. * * * MICHIGAN SCHOOLS TO OUST YOUTH October 22, the Michigan state Senate passed legislation which approves the expulsion of students who allegedly assault teachers or school employees. The Senate also passed a bill which will allow prosecutors to seek tougher penalties against students who allegedly vandalize schools or allegedly assault school personnel. This is one small, typical part of the growing war against youth. First, the education system is not interested in teaching youth the true history of Amerika. The youth who are most affected by Amerika's miseducation system are oppressed nation youth. Black youth don't learn about the way that it was their nation that built the wealth of this kountry through slavery. First Nation youth don't learn the history of genocide against their peoples. Latino youth do not learn that it is super-exploitation of masses' labor that has made Latin America poor. Oppressed nation youth also are not taught by the Amerikan education system that the Black Panther Party, the Young Lords Party, the Brown Berets and the American Indian Movement were leaders of proud struggles against oppression. Instead, oppressed nation youth learn about white slave owner's and Christopher Colombuses. Learning lies and mythical explanations for why your people are poor and oppressed are not compelling reasons for oppressed nation youth to sit quietly by in schools. Second, prosecuting youth with harsher sentences assumes that the youth actually committed an assault or vandalized property. There is no basis for MIM to agree with that assumption considering that teachers and principles and parents are not systematically stopped from raping, assaulting, abusing and teaching lies to youth. Instead, adults are typically seen as infallible and normally are considered correct in a dispute between youth and parents. By working diligently to imprison more youth instead of helping youth become productive members of a more equal society, the Amerikan values of patriarchal power over youth and power grabbing are taught well. By ousting more youth who are challenging adult power or worst, are just charged by adults of committing crimes, the Michigan school system is denying more youth equal education and opportunities. This does not surprise MIM, but it's one of the reasons that we consistently hold educational events and provide the people with information. We must build a better system that meets the needs of the people, including youth. Through doing this there will be more students able to go to school, more who are willing and interested in learning and those who are not will be dealt with rationally instead of just thrown out and thrown into a life with little opportunity. * * * IMPERIALISTS MILITARIZE GULF TO FEED AMERIKAN PARASITISM by MC53 and MC44 MC45 contributed to this article written 27 November 1997 ***In what the bourgeoisie and its media has called a provocation for war, Iraq ordered all Amerikans working for the United Nations arms inspection team out of the country within one week of October 29,1997. Since that date, the United States of Imperialism has militarized the Persian gulf and worked diligently to build support for another invasion of Iraq. As MIM Notes #152 goes to press, the United Snakes is preparing yet another U-2 spy mission thereby pushing military conflict and the Iraqi people are preparing to defend their nation.*** Following a u.s.-led UN resolution which threatened further penalties and sanction against Iraq, Iraq's Parliament recommended on October 27 that Iraq suspend its cooperation with the United Nations Special Commission (Unscom) until the UN set a clear timetable for the lifting of the deadly economic sanctions.(1) The embargo against Iraq reportedly will only be lifted after the imperialist's weapons inspectors state that Iraq has relinquished all of its long-range missiles and destroyed any facilities that could produce chemical, biological or nuclear weapons as well as destroy any of these weapons currently existing.(2) The government of Iraq initially demanded that Amerika halt all U-2 flight spy missions. The flights were temporarily suspended during the first week of November. The u$ officially reports that it spends $26.6 billion annually on spying to ensure Amerikan hegemony. In part, this spying continues the war against the Iraq people and is an attempt to stop the people from arming and defending themselves from imperialist attack.(3) On November 4, Iraq stated that any flights which took place over Iraqi territory would be attacked. Despite this declaration, the United Snakes responded by saying that it would not even temporarily halt the spy missions, knowing full well that if shot down, the U$ could easily justify its desire to attack. The U$ insists that Iraq's ability to successfully shooting down a U-2 is very low. Out of its other mouth, the u.s. uses Iraq's threat in propaganda to build the myth that Iraq is a severe enemy and needs to be stopped militarily. The United $tates has increased its military presence in the Persian Gulf to emphasize to Iraq and UN imperialists that Amerika is prepared to use military force to protect its interests. Before even allowing Iraq to diplomatically address the Security Council, the U$ placed a formidable arsenal in the Persian Gulf including 20,000 troops, two aircraft carriers, "dozens of warships capable of launching cruise missiles into Iraq, two cruisers, four destroyers, three frigates and an attack submarine. There are also more than 200 fighter aircraft stationed aboard the Nimitz or at bases in Saudi Arabia."(4) In addition, the US has sent more F-16s to Turkey to militarize the north territory. On October 30 and November 2, Iraq barred the entrance of additional Amerikan inspectors. Sent by the UN, a delegation then went to push Hussein to permit Amerikan involvement in Unscom inspections. The UN delegation explicitly emphasized imperialist demands and pushed for 100% compliance from Iraq. Democrat and Republican leaders of the House and Senate said they supported an invasion of Iraq before the negotiating team even landed on Iraqi soil, yet Amerika portrays Iraq as the warmongering nation. The Amerikan imperialists wanted to push the UN Security Council to agree that Iraq was in a "material breach" of the 1991 cease-fire because that declaration is a green light for military action. The UN envoys returned without the concessions they had wanted. Instead Iraq sent a letter back saying that Iraq should be allowed to have talks with the security council. Iraq attempted to use the standoff as a chance to address the UN directly. If the imperialists truly wanted to deal with the problem peacefully as they claim, they would allow Iraq to participate. Instead the imperialists only wanted to back Iraq down to the situation prior to October 29. In that situation, Iraq had little leverage to defend its nation and people. On November 12, the UN voted to stiffen economic sanctions against Iraq. Seeing that the UN, led by Amerikan imperialism, sought no peaceful resolution and had no intentions of talks to end sanctions against Iraq, Iraq expelled the Amerikan members of Unscom on November 13. The UN then halted remaining Unscom activities in a gesture of loyalty to Amerikan domination. Following the expulsion, Amerikan imperialism bolstered support for military attack and claimed that Iraq was in the process of creating more weapons while Unscom activities were halted. Amerika even used the Iraqi people's preparation for defense against attack as propaganda to further dirty the image of Hussein. The military of Iraq placed all units on maximum state of alert and prepared the troops to defend against an attack. Massive anti-imperialist demonstrations were held by the Iraqi people. Yet Amerikan reporters said these demonstrations were staged and that Hussein was "hiding behind the skirts of wimmin and children." What imperialism mocks will lead to its demise: anti-imperialism will be fought successfully because of the power of the people despite the massive imperialist war machine. After three weeks of potential imperialist attack, on November 22, Amerikan weapons inspectors/spies returned and Unscom resumed documentation of Iraq's defense capabilities. The resumed investigations came after Russia negotiated with Iraq to advocate that the UN declare Iraq nuclear free and closer to meeting weapons restrictions. "But the United States is expected to oppose any certification that Iraq has met the requirements to have sanctions lifted, and it has the power to veto action by the Security Council." (5) The United Snakes of Imperialism plans to go back to square one, saying that more monitoring is needed because of the possibility that Iraq created more weapons during the halted inspections. It is similar speculation which the United Snakes used to justify stronger sanctions against Iraq back in October. These sanctions lead to the death of Iraq masses. MASSES SUFFER FROM CRUEL U.$. SANCTIONS Earlier in 1997, Iraq was allowed by the imperialists to start trading only $2billion every six months for food and medicine for civilians. The bourgeois press reported that this "only whetted Baghdad's appetite for larger oil sales."(2) MIM argues that it is important to look at the toll ravaged against the masses of Iraq to see that Iraq's demand to end economic sanctions is a necessity as sanctions are a form of economic warfare targeted at the poorest classes of Iraq by the imperialists. Iraq is merely fighting to regain control of its economic power which has been choked by Amerikan imperialism. The press of the imperialists portray the struggle to end economic sanctions as an Iraqi maneuver to unleash a dangerous animal. MIM sees the demand to end economic sanctions as a just call to help end the suffering of the people. In addition, we would like to see the development of Maoist revolutionary economic strategies which would better enable the Iraqi people meet their own needs. Current estimates of the direct death toll from sanctions imposed on Iraq after the 1990 war, resulting in a severe lack of medicine and food, run as high as 1.5 million people -- the majority of whom are children under five years old.(6) "According to UNICEF, about 4,500 Iraqi children have been dying each month from a variety of illnesses, compared with 600 a month before the Gulf War." (7) Since the impositions of the economic embargo against Iraq, "health experts report 4 fold increases in some types of cancer, and the reappearance of diseases eradicated 30 years ago [by a relatively advanced government-run health care system sustained by the once-healthy oil economy]. Malnutrition effects most of the population and water born infections are rampant. This is happening at the same time that medicines are unavailable." (8) As has historically been the case with third world countries ravaged by imperialism (Cambodia, Vietnam, Nicaragua, e.g.) -- the aggressors claim that the Third World leaders are responsible for the peoples' suffering. In November, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights had the audacity to report that "despite some improvement in Iraqi citizens' access to food and health care, human rights abuses have continued in Iraq over the past year." (9) Particularly hypocritical is the U $ - U.N. claim that the Iraqi criminal justice system is "arbitrary." MIM knows that the United Snakes couldn't care less about arbitrary imprisonment -- it leads the world in incarceration and police, prosecutorial and judicial brutality. IRAQI ECONOMY & U.$. IMPERIALISM According the the CIA, oil exports, which used to account for 95% of the foreign exchange earnings in Iraq, are now at less than 5% of their pre-1990 levels. "Consumer prices more than doubled in both 1994 and 1995 because of the economic embargo."(10) "Iraq's national oil company (INOC) ranked second in the world in oil reserves in 1995. ... 'INOC (Iraq) appears to have 350 years of oil the ground. [compared to Kuwait's 120 year supply]'"(11) With U.$. imperialists invested in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait -- including a joint venture between Exxon and the Kuwaiti state oil company -- they are interested in destroying the Iraqi government and economy in order to take it, and its oil supply, over. Although the U.$. only imports about 10% of its oil from the Persian Gulf,(12) Iraq's oil industry, the U.$. imperialists argue, if it were allowed to fully function, would seriously affect the world market price for oil, and the U.$. needs to protect its investments in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. IMPERIALISTS PROTECT PARASITIC INTERESTS IN IRAQ During the middle of November a CNN poll reported that over half of Amerikans agreed with attacking if Iraq decided to shoot down Amerikan spy planes which are in themselves an attack and invasion of Iraq. In the same poll, over 40% of Amerikans supported an Amerikan invasion even before Iraq took any actions against Amerikan spy missions. Amerikan public opinion supports imperialist domination over the people of Iraq because of material economic interests. Yet the material interests are disguised as concern that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction. If the imperialists and the Amerikan majority were truly concerned with weapons of mass destruction, they would be talking about the death toll inflicted against the Iraqi people in 1991 and since. Through perpetuating the mythological threat posed by Iraq, Amerika hides the fact that more than 200,000 Iraqis were murdered during the Gulf War by the Amerikan led death machine, of which the Red Crescent Society of Jordan estimated that 60% were children. In addition, approximately 10-20,000 residential dwellings and thousands of vehicles were destroyed and 80% of oil refineries, 26,000 facilities and vast sections of the Iraqi infrastructure were demolished. (13) The forty-two day military bombardment during 1991, almost seven years of death-causing economic sanctions, continued imperialist intervention and spying and now increased militarization of the Persian Gulf are all part of imperialism's war to increase imperialist nation profits and imperialist and labor aristocrat standard of living. The majority of the people in the world are dominated by imperialist nation economic, political and military control. This contradiction becomes more acute and closer to its end as the majority of the world's people organize for national liberation and socialism. MIM looks forward to the day when the Iraqi people take up the study of Mao and build a revolutionary, Maoist anti-imperialist struggle. Until that day, MIM supports the Iraqi people in their struggle against imperialism, principally u.s. imperialism. We organize in the United Snakes of Amerika to expose the atrocities committed by the illegitimate white settler nation government and build public support in favor of anti- imperialist struggle. This is a formidable task considering that the majority of Amerikans support the massive imperialist death machine. Join us to expose and oppose the murder of the masses by the guns of a few. NOTES: 1. The New York Times 28 October 1997, p.A5. 2. The New York Times 30 October 1997, pp. A1 & A9. 3. The New York Times 16 October 1997, p. A17. 4. The New York Times 8 November 1997, p. A1. 5. The New York Times 22 November 1997, p. A6. 6. "Behind the U.S. War Threats Against Iraq: Who Gets Rich, Who Dies?" International Action Center, November 17, 1997. 7. Associated Press, August 1, 1996. 8. "Health Care May Be Up For Sale in Iraq," http://www.al- bushra.org/iraq/health.html 9. "Iraq human rights situation still unacceptable, Rapporteur says," US Information Agency (USIA), November 12, 1997 http://www.reliefweb.int 10. CIA World Fact Book For 1996, http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/nsolo/factbook /iz.htm 11. www.shell.com 12. "In Focus: U.S. Oil Policy in the Middle East," http://www.zianet.com/infocus/mideoil.html 13. For more information on Amerika's crimes against Iraq, see War Crimes: A Report on United States War Crimes Against Iraq by Ramsey Clark et al Maisonneuve Press: 1992. Also, ask MIM for back issues of MIM Notes during 1990 and 1991, $1 each. * * * DOES THE UNITED SNAKES HAVE POLITICAL PRISONERS IN ITS GULAGS? ***The following letter was printed in a university newspaper after that paper ran a relatively honest article covering a Prisons Awareness Week (PAW) organized by MIM and RAIL at that university. The parts cut out are attacks on the history of Maoist and non-Maoist revolutionary struggles. While these are worthwhile criticisms to address, there is not sufficient space here to go into these criticisms. Interested readers can look for the complete letter and a more thorough response in the next issue of MIM Theory. MIM's response follows.*** The issue of "political prisoners" is, and always has been, quite a complex issue simply because of the fact that it involves the incarceration of an individual based on his or her ideology. At this point, I must strongly disagree with organizations such as the Maoist Internationalist Movement on their interpretation of what is a "political prisoner" based on their "goals." First of all, the goal of ending all oppression by building "public" opinion to seize state power through armed struggle smacks of "think like us or suffer the consequences" mentality, the same mentality which led to China's so-called "Cultural Revolution" - in which "intellectuals" (the same people the Khmer Rouge had a problem with), some of whom even helped the late Chairman Mao seize power, were treated as common criminals simply for possessing the potential to express an opposing point of view. With this said, we now come to MIM's criticism of the U.S.' current prison system when it comes to the treatment of "political prisoners." Much worse charges can be leveled at any Marxist-Leninist- Maoist state. Now, here in the U.S. you don't get jailed for ideology as one would in a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist state, and the fact that organizations such as MIM exist prove this. However, you can be arrested for committing actual physical crimes which involve theft, endangerment or hurting and/or killing someone. Stockpiling illegal weapons and explosives, or acts of assault, are illegal acts - regardless of ethnic or racial background or political belief - and there's a consequence for those actions: jail. Based on the charges leveled at the U.S. prison system by groups such as MIM and the Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League, it would seem that most of the complaints are based on the fact that someone got caught doing something physically illegal and then tried to explain the act as supporting their ideology. Practices involving the incarceration of "draft dodgers," the only true "political prisoners" in recent U.S. history, have stopped with the end of the Vietnam war, and one fine book on this subject that I can recommend for anyone to read is Going to Jail(Grove Press Inc.) by Dr. Howard Levy and David Miller, both true political prisoners. In this book they describe the experiences they faced as political prisoners in the U.S. jails as a result of their beliefs. One point they make extremely clear, though, is that while it does suck to be thrown in jail for espousing a certain ideology, incarceration in a U.S. prison is MUCH better than prison in another country, especially a Marxist-Leninist- Maoist state. You can almost equate MIM and RAIL's view to that of a freshman bitter at the police because he or she got an MIP while walking down the street with an open container - but this would be making a petty issue of the cause of true political prisoners throughout this world. They do exist, unfortunately. It would be so nice if we didn't need police, judges, sentences, jails and prisons, but unfortunately we do have real criminals in human society, so what to do? If you truly do care about the issue of political prisoners, then get involved with Amnesty International, because they stand for ALL political prisoners of conscience everywhere. Don't use the plight of real political prisoners to fuel a long-dead ideal. Yes, it's true that the U.S. justice and the prison system are not the best, but there's much worse, and some of the worse ones hold more political prisoners than real criminals (murderers, rapists, thieves, and thugs), and in most cases the political prisoner doesn't get a fair trial, if one at all. One aspect of the U.S. prison system that does make it a hellhole is the treatment of prisoners by prisoners, but I'm sure that's a topic that the Prison Awareness Week covered, as well as abuses by guards who are no better than the criminals they police... but then would we need them if there was no crime? In any case, my only request of organizations such as MIM and RAIL is to please refrain from considering someone who has committed a physical crime, such as shooting a police officer in "self-defense," a prisoner of conscience. There's simply no comparison, since an act is deadlier than an idea, even if the idea follows the "goals" of MIM. -- Idealist critic THE TRUTH ABOUT POLITICAL PRISONERS: OUR IDEALIST CRITIC MISSES THE POINT Our idealist critic claims that "here in the U.S. you don't get jailed for ideology." This is just not true, as our idealist critic would have learned if s/he had attended any of the PAW events. For example, Geronimo JiJaga Pratt, a former leader in the Black Panther Party, spent twenty-five years in prison on trumped-up murder charges. Despite the fact that the average sentence served for murder in the u.$. is 4 1/2 years, Pratt was consistently denied parole, because, in the words of LA Assistant District Attorney Dianne Vanni, "[Pratt] is still a revolutionary man." Pratt's conviction was recently overturned because the main witness against him was a paid FBI informant, a fact which was hidden by the prosecution during Pratt's trial. Furthermore, here in the u.$. your ideology can not only get you jailed, it can get you killed. Dozens were killed by the FBI's infamous COINTELPRO program in the late sixties and seventies. Chicago police gunned down Fred Hampton, chairperson of the Chicago Black Panthers, while he slept. And this extra-legal violence is not a thing of the past. Within the last decade, the FBI bombed environmental activist Judy Barri and then had the nerve to say that Barri blew herself up. Our idealist critic is at best naive if s/he thinks that the u.$. government is going to admit that it imprisons people on the basis of their politics. No, it imprisons political activists on alleged civil crimes, or it ignores the legal system and covertly "neutralizes" the activists. Another example. There are currently scores of Puerto Rican activists in u.$. prisons because of their belief that Puerto Rico should be a free and independent, and not a u.$. colony. Many of these prisoners are kept in so-called control units, a particularly brutal from of solitary confinement condemned by many international human rights agencies - including our idealist critic's cherished Amnesty International. True, some of these prisoners were charged with acts of violence or weapons possession; so by our idealist critic's allegedly objective criteria, if they are guilty, they belong in prison. But our idealist critic's claim that s/he is not taking sides breaks down. Evidently it was OK for George Washington and his gang to pick up guns against an oppressive colonial power, but it's not OK for Puerto Rican independistas to do the same. Evidently it's OK for the u.$. to seize and control Puerto Rico by force of arms, but when the people of Puerto Rico respond to armed occupation by taking up arms themselves, it's a crime. But MIM also believes that many non-activists imprisoned for social crimes are also political prisoners._ Why? Let me give an example. The amount of powder cocaine needed to trigger a mandatory 5-year minimum sentence is 500 grams, while the amount of crack cocaine needed to trigger a mandatory 5-year sentence is only 5 grams. Now thanks to uneven police enforcement 90% of those arrested for crack cocaine use are Black (despite the fact that 53% of crack users in 1994 were white), and at the same time 75% of those arrested for powder cocaine use are white. The result is that Blacks are disproportionately receive harsher sentences for drug use. Now the fact that the laws against crack and powder cocaine differ, the fact that enforcement and prosecution differ between whites and Blacks, and the fact crack cocaine is readily available in poor Black neighborhoods - these are results of the current political situation in the u.$. On a deeper level, why does simple possession crack cocaine carry a sentence of five years, while the CIA can mastermind the shipment of tons of cocaine (and heroin etc.) into inner cities with impunity? Politics. As other speakers besides MIM and RAIL pointed out at PAW events, the u.$. prison system is not about deterring or rehabilitating criminals; it's about the social control of oppressed people in general and making profits (via the exploitation of prisoner labor). This is the best explanation of why Black men are seven times more likely to end up in jail than white men, and why one-third of all young Black men are on probation, in prison, or on parole. If our idealist critic attended any of the PAW events maybe s/he wouldn't have misrepresented MIM's position on this question. MIM does recognize that rape, murder, drug- pushing, and theft are crimes against the people, and that people who commit these crimes need to make amends. But MIM contends that the u.$. injustice system is unfit to judge these crimes and does nothing to combat the social roots of these crimes. Our idealist critic's typical anti-Communist rantings to the effect that commies will lock up everybody who doesn't dress like they do are also indicative of our idealist critic's naivete. (If our idealist critic ever read MIM's publications, s/he would know that we devote considerable space to our critics). Lenin, Stalin, and Mao were honest about the fact that the dictatorship of the proletariat was indeed a dictatorship - a dictatorship of the majority over the minority of former oppressors who wanted to restore oppression. But the bourgeoisie cloaks its current dictatorship (dictatorship of the minority of oppressors over the majority of oppressed) in so-called democracy - a pathetic joke considering that even in the u.$. only the rich have access to the mainstream media or can afford to run for office. Indeed, MIM believes that in practice Chinese society during the Cultural Revolution was the most democratic modern society. For example, people who attended the screening of the film "Breaking With Old Ideas" saw how the Cultural Revolution was able to give everybody access to higher education, not just the rich or the elite. Finally, it is worth stressing that although MIM does recognize that anti-imperialist revolution ultimately requires armed struggle, MIM does not engage in or advocate armed struggle in the u.$. at this time. To do so now would only give the u.$. government an excuse to lock us up or worse with the blessing of the likes of our idealist critic. Our struggle now is purely a legal one. MIM invites all people, communist or not, to get involved in the struggle to increase public awareness around the issues of explicitly political prisoners and prisoners in general. * * * ARIZONA JAIL TORTURES INMATES by a friend of RAIL Phoenix AZ -- Progressive people know that Amnesty International, which claims to be a non-partisan human rights group, often furnishes imperialist propaganda against progressive third world regimes, as was most shamefully done prior to the Gulf War. When Amnesty International turns against its imperialist masters, we know something must be seriously amiss. In June of 1996, an inmate of the Maricopa County Jail, Scott Norberg, died of asphyxiation while tied to a restraining chair. This incident prompted an investigation into conditions at the Maricopa County Jail by Amnesty International. Some of the conclusions of the recently released report following the investigation are ridiculous, including one that the inmates are "not guarded well enough". Other conclusions are obvious, including that the inmates in the tent city endure excessively hot conditions (a no-brainer for anyone familiar with summer weather in south-central Arizona). Some conclusions were more rational and useful, however. Amnesty International condemned the excessive use of restraint chairs, pepper spray and stun guns by guards, and also documented 12 cases of excessive use of force during an 18 month period, including one incident that sparked the riot of November 17 1996. Amnesty also criticized the chain gang as "a publicity stunt with no penological value." Sheriff Joe Arpaio was angered by this overly mild criticism of his policies and reminded Amnesty International of its primary duty to support imperialism, oinking, "Go sniff around countries that really need your attention, like North Korea, Iraq and Iran before you unleash your rabid propaganda on this Sheriff's Office." It is worth noting that the inmates enduring this cruelty are not even felons labeled by the injustice system as dangerous criminals. Instead, the people enduring this abuse include those awaiting trial and those convicted of misdemeanors, many of whom are homeless people arrested for the "crime" of finding a place to sleep. Norberg died after being arrested for disorderly conduct. His death came to public attention because he was white and his parents are wealthy. Consider how many third world people have had their suffering in the county jail unnoticed by the media. NOTE: The Arizona Republic 9 October 1997. * * * IMPERIALIST-LED GROWTH STRATEGY COMES HOME TO ROOST: ASIAN CRASHES BRING MORE MISERY TO THE MASSES by MC12 The real news out of crashing Asian economies should be the incredible increase in the hardship coming to the majorities in such countries as the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The news should be focused on the women working in a Taiwanese factory in Vietnam, making Nike sneakers 65 hours a week for $10 -- that's $0.15 per hour -- while being exposed to carcinogens, dangerous work materials and poor air quality.(1) In fact, across Amerika in November, kitchen table conversation did briefly turn to Asia -- and the quick sells by mutual fund managers to bring home huge profits accumulated over the last few years. Amerikans are earning this money the old fashioned way: by sitting on their asses while oppressed nation workers do the hard work of the world. The economic crises in Asian countries illustrate the greedy economic interests of the Amerikans and other imperialists in the region, as well as the role of the comprador corporate leaders and political puppets who run these countries. The currency crashes in a number of countries mean huge real losses for the masses and hard times to come. The imperialist response, organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is predictable: the "aid" is more debt, and the conditions for this "aid" are lower wages paid in money that is worth less -- to produce more exports. At the same time, the crisis helps show the potential for revolution in the region, and the fearful looks in the eyes of the Asian paper tigers. RAKING IT IN ON THE CRASH Sixty-three million U.$. residents are invested in mutual funds -- group stock-ownership plans -- including those invested indirectly through pensions. The number of households that own mutual funds directly increased from 5 million in 1980 to 37 million in 1997. From 1992 to 1996 alone, the assets of U.$. mutual funds just in retirement plans tripled, to $1.24 trillion. Only 10% of U.$. mutual funds are directly invested in Third World country stock markets; so fund managers have the flexibility to move their money around if the going gets tough in any one country.(2) Most mutual fund money is in Amerikan corporations, many of which operate in Third World countries, instead of in Third World companies. In this system, tens of millions of Amerikan families can sit back and watch the money roll in at the expense of others -- for now. The crash of Asian economies reflects their vulnerability to the whims of the imperialist economies, built up over years of development based on foreign capital and control. For example, from 1980 to 1996, the combined foreign investment in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia rose from $18 billion to $121 billion. Don't be fooled: the concept of return on investment means the imperialists only invest on the condition that they get back more than they put in. And that hit home this year. In the first nine months the value of these stock markets fell 42% (Indonesia), 52% (Malaysia) and 53% (Thailand).(3) That reflects a sell-off, a profit-taking for all that imperialist investment. The sell-off hit south Korea as well: in October alone, foreign investors sold off more than $1 billion worth of stocks there. To try to bring back investment, the government increased the amount of local companies that could be owned by foreigners from 23% to 26% in November, the second increase in the limit this year.(1) Their debts are huge. South Korea has $110 billion in foreign debt, but they are in better shape than other ASEAN countries, who average external debts of almost 60% of their economic output per year.(1) Because they borrow money in dollars or other imperialist currency, but take in money in local currency, when the local currency falls they can't afford to make their loan payments. The graph shows the collapse of local currencies that has taken place this year. From the south Korean won, which fell 22% from 1 January to 19 November, to the Thai baht, which fell 55%, the value of the local money has almost vanished. That hurts their central banks, and also local companies. As the Washington Post reported, "the decline in currencies such as the Thai baht and Indonesian rupiah is adding enormously to the debt burdens of companies in those countries, many of which borrowed large amounts of dollars on overseas markets in recent years."(4) Because companies can't make their payments, banks start going out of business, too.(3) Bad loans in Southeast Asian banks could peak at $73 billion.(4) That quashes the possibility of the national bourgeoisie gaining its own strength and independence, and it increases the dependency of the comprador bourgeoisie at the same time. The "good" news -- for imperialists, is that "a cheaper currency can help boost a nation's exports by making its products more competitive."(4) "More competitive" just means real wages are lower, as foreign companies can pay the same wages in local currency for a fewer dollars, and real prices rise, especially for imports, which have to be paid at dollar levels. One cause of the current crash is the "more competitive" industries in capitalist China, where new factories have lower wages than those in Thailand, for example.(5) This is how the currency crisis makes things worse for the masses; it leads to unemployment as companies close, pension and welfare cuts as governments try to meet IMF conditions, and higher prices all around.(6) For Thailand, manufacturing activity shrank 5% in August, the first contraction in six years.(4) Toyota stopped production at its two car plants in Thailand at least for the rest of 1997.(7) Automobile sales in Thailand were down more than 70 percent in August and September from the previous year (4, 7); Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi cut production, and most laid off workers; figures on unemployment will soon show these increases.(7) The grotesque myth perpetrated in the bourgeois media is that the crisis reflects a "problem of over-building and over-investment [that] afflicts a wide range of industries - - semiconductors, cars, high-rise office buildings, among others."(7) This means that in Bangkok, for example, "You have roughly 300,000 empty residential units," according to an analyst in Hong Kong."(4) This "over-production" just means the people can't afford to buy what's there -- MIM is sure these empty apartments in Bangkok could be put to good use in a country that poor, if the economy were run in a rational fashion for the benefit of the people. The irrationality means that these empty buildings and factories decline in value, and the companies that own them have to fire people and spend all their money paying off their debts. The fired workers can't buy as much, and the cycle deepens. 'AID': MORE DEBT AND MORE EXPORTS Fortunately for the international bourgeoisie, they have a plan. They say "a painful period of eliminating excesses will be required."(4) These "excesses" include the starvation wages paid in the export industries across Southeast Asia. International bourgeois spokesman Jeffrey Sachs, whom the international proletariat remembers for his inventions of "shock therapy" and "stabilization" of Third World economies, has spoken out on the current crisis. He said it was inevitable that the Asian countries would run into competition from lower-wage factories. "It became clear that if the Asians were going to compete, their currencies would need to fall against the dollar so their costs of production would be lower." In other words, they had to lower wages. He says the governments there need to "let the Asian currencies float downward, so that these countries' exports will be cheaper and therefore more competitive."(8) The comprador-lackey regimes don't have much choice. Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and now south Korea have run to the International Monetary Fund for "bailouts" - - more "aid" to further enslave themselves. And the conditions will be set to meet Sachs' "advice." To get their "bailout," in August Thailand prepared an "austerity plan" and "complete revamp of its financial sector" before getting an IMF pledge for $17.2 billion worth of chains around their necks.(3) Indonesia followed in October and south Korea in November. THE FUTURE: REVOLUTION The plight of the masses might be ignored in the mainstream U.$. media, but the bourgeoisie and the lackey governments know the trouble this leads to. According to the Far Eastern Economic Review euphemisms, Asian governments face "a new struggle -- to maintain political and social stability in the face of economic dislocation." They need increased repression to ram the IMF plans down the masses throats. Their first example is the Philippines, which brought in more foreign investment in the last five years than in the previous 20. There, "20,000 marched on the presidential palace in late October to protest -- with communist-style slogans -- 'the people's hardship due to the government's imperialist- dictated economic policies.'" Now Ramos has to worry that "his legacy of economic liberalization could be eroded by a populist-led backlash against globalization, already apparent across the country." As strikes hit Manila and Mindanao, none of the politicians running for president will even say the word "globalization" any more.(1) In a poll of top executives from the Philippines, 96% acknowledged the inequality from the government's sell-out, answering "no" to the question: "Have the benefits of economic globalization been equitably distributed among all sections of society in your country?" In the same survey, more than three-quarters of executives from Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia said "yes" to the question: "Is economic globalization contributing to social tensions in your country?" The imperialists are worried, too: "The World Bank, for instance, has said that while reforms have seen the rise of a small, mainly urban, lower-middle class and of a tiny super-elite, there has also been an increase in the ranks of the 'poorest of the poor.'"(1) Resistance is well organized in the Philippines, led by the National Democratic Front, the Communist Party of the Philippines, and the armed resistance of the New People's Army. But there is trouble for the imperialists in other countries, too. On 11 November, for example, 40,000 workers struck for higher wages in an Indonesian cigarette factory.(1) The imperialists know they can only complete their greedy schemes as long as the masses are repressed and excluded from decision-making. At an elite social function, two diplomats were talking about Indonesia. "'Don't quote me,' said the Western ambassador, looking around conspiratorially, 'but thank God this place isn't a democracy."(1) The people of the oppressed nations of Asia need not only democracy but also national self- determination and socialism, if they are to break the billions of dollars worth of chains paid for by imperialist "aid" and investment, by lackey-comprador regimes at the beck and call of the Imperialist Monetary Fund, and by the parasitic masses of the imperialist-country labor aristocracies, who wear the clothes, eat the food, buy the sex, and watch the TVs produced by the oppressed nations in Southeast Asia and around the world. NOTES: 1. Far Eastern Economic Review 20 November 1997. 2. Washington Post 9 November1997, p. C1. 3. Washington Post 12 October 1997. 4. Washington Post 3 November 1997. 5. Washington Post 24 October 1997, p. A34. 6. Washington Post 22 November 1997, p. C1. 7. Washington Post 6 November 1997; p. D01. 8. Jeffrey Sachs, New York Times 3 November1997, p. A27. * * * INTENSIFIED MILITARIZATION OF THE FILIPINO COUNTRYSIDE ***This is the second half of an by the New People's Army (NPA) of the Philippines. MIM printed the first half, which described the expansion of NPA forces and actions, in the last issue of MIM Notes. This half provides further details of the continuing anti-people violence in the countryside conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines(AFP). Readers should keep in mind that the Philippine military is funded and trained by the u.$. More than 80% of the budget for the AFP comes from u.$. aid, and virtually every high- ranking officer in the AFP has undergone advanced training in the united $tates. For example, the current president of the Philippines, General Fidel Ramos, graduated from West Point and served under the u.$. in both Korea and Viet Nam. He designed the current "total war" being waged in the countryside with the help of his u.$. advisors. "Total war" attacks the NPA by attacking their base of support -- the peasantry -- and involves forced relocation of entire villages, as well as assassination and intimidation. (Note: "Support the National Democratic Front of the Philippines," RAIL Pamphlet, p. 3)*** The AFP intensified its national campaign, "Oplan Unlad- Bayan," by launching fascist violence and bigger military operations. It also launched "special operations" of the special unit of the AFP and PNP [Philippine National Police]. October 8 -- Governor Rudolfo Agbayani and the provincial board members of Nueva Vizcaya formed a committee to investigate the killing of Marlon Fernandez (Ka Pepsi). He was betrayed by the mayor of Dupax del Norte to the enemy troopers and subsequently "salvaged" (summary execution), contrary to the report of Col. Tutanes of the 54 IB that Ka Pepsi was killed in an encounter on September 24 in Barangay Belance, Dupax, Nueva Vizcaya. October 1 -- One soldier went berserk and killed 3 of his fellow soldiers in the HQ of the 29th CAFGU Cpy. in Barangay Tawa, Balbalan, Kalinga. This is a manifestation of the low morale and lack of discipline of government soldiers in the field. [The CAFGUs or Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units are paramilitary units infamous for their savage attacks on the people, especially political activists. - MIM] September 23-25 -- The 8th Scout Ranger Cpy. of the army arrested and tortured 5 farmers in Sito, Tibonong, Kabangkalan. They were forcefully used as guides in their military operations between the town of Moises, Padilla and Guihilingan, Negros. September 16 -- The troopers of 72 IB occupied two sitios of "Lumads" (indigenous Filipinos) in Natanpud and Butay, Barangay St. Nino, Talaguinod and drove 25 families further into the forest. August 22 -- The PNP in Bataan arrested 8 farmers in Barangay Balut, Pilar, Bataan [who] were accused of being members of the NPA. July 12 -- More than 81,000 Moro people evacuated their homes and land during the 12 day military offensive "Oplan Tugis." The division-size operation was launched by the AFP and the PNP against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the surroundings of Liguasan Marsh in the towns of Pikit- Carmen, Maguindandoao and North Cotobato last July. In this 12 day battle in Central Mindanao, the MILF reported killing 130 AFP troopers, destroyed 6 armored personnel carriers and other military vehicles. The AFP used artillery and mortar shelling and air bombings to attack what they called Raja Muda which is a barrio in Pikit, Maguindanao. The NDF Southern Mindanao castigated the US-Ramos regime in its desire to clean up the surroundings of the 53,000 hectare marsh lands to explore oil of the PNOC in Liguasan Marsh. The NDF also lambasted the mining operations of Western Mining Corporation, an Australian Co., and the parallel military operations of the AFP in Sultan Kudarat- North Cotobato, Davao del Sur-Saranggani. April-May -- Intensified brigade sized military operations were launched by the 1st Army Division in the four towns of Zamboanga del Norte to protect the Toronto Venture Inc. (TVI), a mining company operating in the towns of Siocon, Balaguian, Saraway, Sebuco. The military used the issue of MILF and the Abu Sayyaf activities to justify their operations. But the truth is that they are trying to scare the Subanon tribe to protect the Canadian Mining Corporation. February-April -- The 6 IB in Aklan and 6th Special Force Battalion were moved and replaced by a whole Negros Island Police Task Force (NIPTF) with 3,000 troopers of the 1st Special Action Force Brigade that is composed of seven companies of PNP, HQ Camp Krame. The Regional Mobile Force Battalion and another 3,000 CAFGU in the island of Negros were also placed under the 1st Special Action Forces Brigade. March-July -- The 4 ID and PNP launched brigade operations, "Oplan Unlad-Bayan." The 401 Brigade and PNP Regional Command (RECOM 13) attacked Barangay Buhisan, San Agustin and Barangay San Isidro, Lianga, all of Surigao del Sur. The troopers of 67 IB destroyed the homes of the farmers and looted their belongings. March-June -- The 703rd Brigade and PNP RECOM 3 launched Brigade operations between Pangasinan and Zambales-Bataan and other parts of Bulacan against the NPA. The 68 IB launched bombing operations and mortar shelling and hamletted farmers in Barangay Ocupan, St. Cruz, Zambales. They also put up military camps in suspected NPA military areas like Mayantoc in Tarlac. New People's Army October 14, 1997 * * * ENVIRONMENTALISM WITHOUT ANTI-IMPERIALISM SERVES OPPRESSION RC35 At the end of October, imperialist bureaucrats met in Germany for preliminary discussions of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, scheduled for December 1 in Japan. The talks reportedly are aimed at revising the 1992 standards to reduce greenhouse gases. The imperialists argue that it is these gases, from unregulated industrial production, which cause global warming. MIM reminds people that it is the global mode of production -- imperialism -- which contributes the greatest amount of damage to the people's earth. Amerika wants to require industrialized countries to reduce emissions to pre-1990 levels.(1) This is a change from the treaty signed in Rio at a U.N. previous conference. That treaty called for voluntary reduction to pre-1992 levels.(2) Amerikan carbon output is estimated to be 23% of the world's total. Because of massive energy consumption, Amerika carbon output has risen 2.8% since the Rio conference. Amerika has larger per capita output than China and Japan combined, ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively.(2) This shows the gross resource hoarding and environmental destruction by Amerikan imperialism. Individualist Amerikan ownership of every resource available, mainly by stealing from other nations, leads to overconsumption, massive pollution and waste. While Amerika boldly talks about reducing emissions, it only mouths false promises. Imperialists are incapable of stopping environmental destruction because it is specifically in imperialist interests to reap profits from the masses and hoard and consume natural resources. Some imperialists argued that if industrialized countries are required to reduce their emissions while developing nations are allowed to put off such controls, the U$ economy would suffer.(2) Since emissions from Third World nations have risen 30% since 1990,(2) U$ capitalists fear that unchecked emissions would allow these nations to out-compete regulated imperialist nation production. Imperialists conceal the fact that competition between First and Third World nations is vastly more complicated than environmental regulation policies. The export of capital to Third World nations for imperialists' profit investment denies Third World national industrialization on a broad scale. Comprador lackey governments allow cushy imperialist investment which disable Third World capitalists from competing. Comprador policies push cash crop economies which benefit only the comprador class and imperialists. Denied the development of national industrialization and agriculture in the interests of the oppressed nation's people, Third World capitalists also face the wrath of imperialist policies under the pretense of environmentalism. The imperialists hoard and limit newer, more environmentally friendly technologies from Third World use. Also because of profit motive and a continuous need to quiet Amerikan consumers with new so-called green products, old products fall out of use which then are shipped to the Third World for sale. The Third World is left with out-of-date and environmentally harmful technologies.(4) MIM argues that without addressing imperialism, any talk of saving the environment is just carte- blanche for imperialist domination. It is necessary to put the environment into a framework that serves the majority of the world's people, not a selected few in the imperialist countries. This means working for self-determination of all nations by forcing out imperialism in places like the Philippines where over 80% of the companies' earnings are repatriated to the U$, and whose greenhouse gas emissions are growing at a faster rate than any other country's. Under socialism when the means of production are controlled by the oppressed, people can develop new technology and focus on production for necessity -- not profit -- and serve the needs of the people. NOTES: 1. The New York Times 1 November 1997, p.A7 2. http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/est/97/nov/nations.htm l 3. MIM Theory #12 pp. 20-24. 4. MIM Theory # 12 "On the issue of the environment in the world and in the Philippines." by the Communist Party of the Philippines. Also see RAIL's Philippines packet for $1 available at the address on page 2. * * * SO-CALLED DIVERSITY IN ACADEMIA SUBVERTS LIBERATION On November 14, Stefan Kossinsky spoke at Harvard University. Kossinsky is one of seven gay Holocaust prison camp survivors to be identified by a Los Angeles agency that seeks out survivor stories. Kossinsky wrote a book and lectured about his first love: a Nazi soldier who occupied his home town of Torun. Instead of focusing on atrocities committed under fascism, Kossinsky lectured about a love relationship with a murderer. College campus administrations have plunged into the task of defeating righteous progressive and nationalist student struggles. One of the primary ways of doing this is by preaching so-called diversity and multiculturalism. These serve to equate all forms of oppression. In the process, subjectivism and integrationism throw out all debate of truly ending the oppression of groups of people by other groups. Administrators and pseudo-feminists, pseudo-gay rights activists and pseudo-environmentalists only end up sponsoring and funding talks given to confuse the real issues at hand. These groups aim for so-called diversity education because it serves each and every subjective interest as opposed to working for real change by defining the principal contradictions. Kossinsky's lover was likely actively involved in the search, round up, deportation to concentration camps and the execution of Jews in the area. He was a police officer, and one of their main duties was the implementation of genocide. Most police officers were volunteers and participated in the genocidal activities willingly. (See Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust) Kossinsky does not address what should be his main point: the terror and genocide committed by the Nazis. When the lover was sent to the Russian front, a letter from Kossinsky was intercepted by the Nazis and Kossinsky was arrested. After the War, Kossinsky searched archives in Germany, Austria and Poland but found no trace of his lover. "In Nazi Germany, homosexuality was punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and love letters could be considered evidence. Homosexuality among German police officers was punishable by death." William Stetson is making a film about Kossinsky's story, but what he told the Boston Globe shows he's missing the real story as well. He said, "It's an extremely compelling love story that happens to be about gay men." The story here should not be about Kossinsky's life without his lover, or his guilt that his love letters may have cost the lover's life, but the fact that Kossinsky's lover was a Nazi who conquered Poland. NOTE: Associated Press in [Springfield, MA] Sunday Republican 16 November 1997, p. A15. * * * LAZY USE OF STATS DOESN'T ADVANCE FEMINIST REVOLUTION On November 6, the Daily Collegian, the student newspaper at UMass, published an article by the editor of the Women's Issues Page that asked "How safe are women on campus?" In the first paragraph, it answered: "According to statistics compiled by the Everywoman's Center Counselor/Advocate Program, not very."The article summarized statistics from the Everywoman's Center report. However, the facts did not support the position of the editorial. This article served to fan the flames of fear on the predominantly white campus while misrepresenting the reality of crime. The end result of such pseudo-feminism is a call for greater police presence to protect supposedly helpless white wimmin. This means increased national chauvinism which is not an advance for feminism.First, crime reports to the police and social service agencies are highly subjective and therefore not necessarily indicative of what is actually happening. All that can be generalized from this report is what things students report. For example rape is reported ten times more than attempted rape, while it would seem likely that rape -- by the bourgeois definition -- is attempted more often that completed. But statistics on rape are also subjective because they are based on the individual's definition of rape. Most wimmin do not report incidents of coerced sex because that does not fit the patriarchal definition. According to the Collegian, there were 241 reports of gender crime against wimmin reported in response to a survey. Of these, 197 were "first time reports" (meaning that they were not reported to UMass before). But the article fails to explain that almost half (47%) of these first time reports were about incidents that occurred before the previous year. Assuming that the 17 year olds were not in college and that all 18 year olds were, at least 25% of these previous reports are from before the wimmin students arrived at UMass. Even that number is too low, as it assumes that all older students, faculty, and staff who reported previous incidents were reporting things that happened while they were affiliated with the University or doing things that the school had any control over anyway. Of assaults in the last year, 27% were not on UMass property. Only 3% of past assaults occurred on UMass property, although 16% didn't answer the question. It is very irresponsible to use these statistics to generalize about the state of crime on campus. There are almost 12,000 wimmin students at UMass, plus thousands of wimmin on the faculty and staff. Such reports are highly subjective, meaning that they represent only what people want to report, not what actually happens.The Collegian article ended with a lot of questions: "What do these statistics mean? ... What must be done? ... What is UMass doing? ... What can women do to protect themselves from attacks on campus?" It is important for activists to look at what statistics mean before using them. At least 50% of these assaults occurred where UMass had no jurisdiction. The most common types of assault reported were obscene phone calls (28%), rape (20%), and voyeurism (15%). The patriarchy wants college women to think of themselves as residents of the Warsaw Ghetto, and so equating an obscene phone call with rape helps to generate scarier statistics.Even if all this crime actually occurred on campus, there is little the police could do about it anyway, since the great majority of the most dangerous violence--physical violence--occurs between people who know each other. The authors of this report, and the Collegian writer who followed their lead, are trying to whip up fear amongst the predominately privileged students. This fear is useful to the patriarchy because it keeps wimmin from taking control of their own lives by giving that power to the police--who have no interest in ending sexual assault.The Collegian wrote of assaults committed in the last year: "more than half (57 percent) occurred in residence halls. Alarmingly 36 percent of reported assaults occurred in the Southwest residence area alone." Actually, there is nothing alarming about this as Southwest is the largest residence area and houses 47% of the students. If this survey was 100% accurate measure of sexual assault, we could expect 47% of the 57% that occurred in residence halls, or 27% to be in Southwest. For such a small unscientific survey, that's statistically the same as 36%. What MIM suspects is behind the Collegian's "alarmingly" is the pseudo-feminist idea that some social cultures in Amerika are patriarchal while their own sexual relations are coercion-free. Southwest is generally considered to be the "party" residence area with a lot of drinking.. MIM concludes from the statistics in the survey conducted by the Everywoman's Center that the patriarchy is alive and well in Amerikan society. Wimmin on college campuses are relatively safe compared to the majority of the world's wimmin who fight against the violence of starvation, violence at the hands of employers, and lack of health care. But wimmin everywhere will always face the danger of patriarchal assault until we eliminate the patriarchy. This assault takes the form of billboards telling wimmin to starve themselves to be beautiful, unwanted sex, and murder at the hands of jealous partners. All of these forms of gender oppression make the world unsafe. The most important question is how to fight it. First world women must recognize the ways in which they benefit from imperialism and patriarchy, and not make the mistake of confusing their position with that of Third World women living under the constant threat of death.The only solution that can liberate the wimmin of the world is overthrowing the patriarchy. In this struggle we take inspiration from our wimmin comrades in the world's greatest feminist revolutions, including the Chinese Revolution, in which women went from foot-binding and suffering under the open ownership by their parents and spouse's family to being 23% of the highest governing body in the country.The fight against the patriarchy will not be won overnight but by educating people and building a revolutionary movement eventually the people will succeed.Notes: Massachusetts Daily Collegian 6 December 1997, p. 9. Total student population from Office of Institutional Research. Housing capacity by residential area from Housing Assignment Office. * * * UNDER LOCK & KEY: NEWS FROM PRISONERS AND PRISONS WHY NO STATE OF EMERGENCY NOW? I am sitting here reading the July 20, 1997 of a Revolutionary Worker. And as I read about the struggles of my brother Geronimo Ji Jaga -- something he stated in which he asked the people, took me with such force and emotion that I have to ask the same question -- "Why isn't there a state of emergency right now?" Yes! Our Black Nation of children is being locked up under this white man's Amerikkka system of injustice; and the People are sitting around like a bunch of punks while this great injustice continues. ... I welcome any and all responses from the readers out there. My intention is to build dialog on this subject that we can unite together and start doing something about this great injustice. I have done my part holding myself responsible for the crimes I have committed against myself and my people out of my ignorance. I have gone one step further by starting a non-profit organization/corporation for our children. Now I need help from my brothers and sisters in Michigan and across the states to help me build my programs up for the children. I need people to give their time and experiences to the cause and struggle we all face in the threat to our children's future. ... I am sick and tired of their lies and injustice and that I've committed the rest of my life to expose and do something about their evil and wicked injustice. Every conscious person in Amerikkka of color should be organizing to stop prison incarceration of our men, women, and children. White America is making a profit off of our oppression and imprisonment. It's SLAVERY on a new level. Until the next time, I am forever raising to struggle in unity with all my brothers of struggle of all colors. -- A Michigan Prisoner MIM RESPONDS: The imperialists declare a state of emergency when the masses are organized in rebellion. The masses in the United Snakes do not yet have sufficient political and ideological unity to pose a strong, organized threat to the imperialists. But MIM does argue that World War Three -- the war of the imperialists against the oppressed nations - - is ongoing. In the United Snakes, this war is being carried out in part through the proliferation of prisons, and the militarization of the oppressed nation territories with more police. Maoists maintain that the contradiction between imperialism and oppressed nations is principal. Part of building the solid foundations for a successful attack against the white settler nation, and national liberation in general, is to build political unity through struggle. You mentioned that you read about Pratt in the RCP's Revolutionary Worker. First, remember that there are people organizing on the outside to rewrite the history of the Black Panther Party. These revisionists portray the Panthers as reformist charity workers -- rather than the Maoist, proletarian revolutionary nationalists and internationalists that they were in their years as vanguard of the Black nation in the late 1960 and early 1970s. We strongly suggest starting a study group with prisoners to understand the history and legacy of the Maoists of the 1960s and 1970s -- namely the Black Panther Party, the Puerto Rican Revolutionary Workers Organization/Young Lords Party. MIM has a free revolutionary Books for Prisoners Serve the People Program which can help you set up prisoners with relevant reading materials. Second, we strongly encourage you to study the differences between the RCP and MIM. For starters, check out MIM Theory 1 and 11, which focus on the white labor aristocracy and the material interests of the white nation in Amerika. MIM argues that the white working class is not revolutionary at this time and in fact benefits from imperialism and settler nation colonialism. We argue that it is necessary to end the flow of super-profits which benefit not only the imperialists, but also the labor aristocracy. This is the path through which the masses will achieve national liberation -- a claim the RCP denies in favor of an opportunistic integrationist line that panders to the majority of settler Amerika. By contrast, MIM and RAIL work toward genuine national liberation -- struggling without compromise against imperialism and against the integrationist line as one component of the system of oppression. TOBACCO BAN CREATES TENSION ... I am writing to inform MIM that the racist prisonkrats have taken away the tobacco from all the inmates and staff here a Pendleton. We are currently on a 30 day institutional lockdown because the new warden got scared that a major uprising was about to occur after all the inmates walked off their jobs Oct 15, 1997. I don't know what's going on in their minds but right now everything here at P-Town is very shaky. Official are scared and in turn many prisoners are paying the price. I don't know why they've taken all of the tobacco products but something's got to be done before someone's really hurt. Offenders are extremely violent right now. Some are even scared for their own lives. You should see the tension here not to mention the extortion. A can of tobacco, 1 buglar regularly $3.30 is now going for $150.00 - $200.00 dollars. If they've ever done anything to oppress the people and upset the staff this is it. Could you please give some advice? -- an Indiana Prisoner, 19 October 1997 MIM RESPONDS: The entire prison system is a tool to perpetuate oppression and social control. To further control prisoners, prisoncrats implement policies which restrict privileges. Smoking stinks and kills, but prisoncrats are not attempting to help prisoners kick addictions, they are exerting control to anger prisoners and instigate fighting between prisoners. We encourage you to organize others to study Maoism and to develop support for genuine anti-imperialism. Studying Maoism will show that under socialism, the prison system is used to truly make society better, it is not used to oppress. Likewise, when the people have the power, capitalists are no longer allowed to create industries which profit off deaths of the people. Socialist revolution will smash the economic basis for such death industries and the power of the people under socialism will help to eradicate addiction. Under socialism, the people are encouraged to kick addictions for the betterment of themselves and society. China was able to smash addictions by creating a productive society in which the people's needs were met and participation and creativity were promoted. Until the people smash Amerikan domination, MIM and RAIL work with comrades to kick addictions, though on a limited basis at this stage. We direct comrades to use their time and money to promote revolution and engage in productive mass work. We urge you to struggle with other prisoners to develop the understanding that the target is imperialism and white settler nation domination, not one another. Ask other prisoners to write about the lockdown. Prisoners' articles which expose the pigs' justifications for lockdown and the conditions under lockdown will help to educate people on the outside. Urge other prisoners to use their creativity in organizing the people to smash oppression. HERB LAWSUIT UPDATE The Arizona Prison officials are not allowing members of First Nations to use specific herbs in their ceremonies. For more information about the below see MIM Notes Issue #146. ... Well I guess the suit of the herbs is coming along slow. We still need money and information to show that cedar, sage, and sweetgrass are not in any way toxic. We know they aren't but the pigs ain't going to hear us. They like fucking with us skins. If any readers have information of the importance of these herbs and on the non-toxic smoke, please send typed notarized statements to: [Send to MIM, we'll forward to this prisoner]. -- An Arizona Prisoner, 16 October 1997 HIS NAME WAS BREEDLOVE, MAY HE REST IN PIECE One April 28, 1997, I was awakened from sleep by the constant sounds of c/o's [correctional officers] attempting to awake Prisoner Breedlove. The c/o's failed, which resulted in the shift supervisor entering Breedlove's cell, in an attempt to get physical movement from him. This unsuccessful attempt brought the supervisor to call the medical department. Approximately 10 minutes later, medical personnel arrived to the unit with a stretcher. As they exited, Breedlove appeared to me, not to be moving, breathing, nothing. Approximately 30 minutes later, a c/o entered the unit with yellow crime scene tape and places it across Breedlove's cell. ... it was obvious to conclude that Breedlove had passed on... Since April 18, 1997, Breedlove complained of lightheadedness, nausea, stomach pains, and throwing up - all resulted in no professional response from staff. ...On April 28, 1997, Inmate Breedlove died as the result of the system of [the] neglectful state whose employees strive (past and present), using their oppressive, suppressive and repressive method toward mental and physical destruction of the inmates who occupy the $tate run dungeons. I personally did not know Breedlove, but we did share on thing in common. We were both locked up and witnessed the atrocities going on within Northern Correctional Institution's walls. And then Breedlove feel victim to the cruelty. I witnessed the sounds of cries, coming from the mouths of Breedlove, Brothers, people, boys. Those shedding tears in frustration and rage. Hardened individuals praying to false gods to open these cells. Knowing if that false god sprung those cells, the c/o's on the tier would go straight to hell. Four months later, Breedlove is not forgotten. There is not a day that goes by that I wonder when it is gonna happen to me. And [you] can't tell me others don't think this way. How hard can it be to kill us off? Shit, we're locked in a cell. They can mess with the food, mess with the air vents, etc. Northern C. I. is the only Connecticut SuperMax, which opened in 1995. We're locked down 23 hours a day, [recreation] in full restraints (leg, hands behind back) and we shower ... in full restraints. Those who want to shower. Well, Breedlove, you're not suffering any more. These devils can't mess with you. You take it easy and R.I.P. "All men must die, but death can vary in significance." -- A Connecticut Prisoner, 28 August 1997 THREE YEARS OF DENIED CARE ... About 3 years ago, i was infected with a fungus that infected 3 of my finger nails to the point where the nail have been infected into the core and are rotten with a green and black discoloration. There are two reasons why i need legal support: 1) Because of the cause of the infections. 2) Because medical staff willfully and deliberately denied me treatment. (1) THE CAUSE OF THE INFECTION Because of my struggle, my political stand against The System, I have been oppressed with every method and tactic by these corrupted servants of the system. They have used every measure to break me, and if physically necessary destroy me through various means. One example is the physical break down of my health and hygiene. After an inmate's spirit has been broken, the inmate could result to stooping down so low by playing with his own feces. Thereby spreading his feces all over his cell: on the walls, door, window, air vent, heat vent and the floor. After this sick deed was done the wicked prison staff removed the inmate from the cell. And for retaliation purposes against me they would move me into the cell with the stinky, nasty smell of feces smeared everywhere! Thereby forcing me to live under unsanitary health hazard conditions. Refusing me sanitary cleaning supplies. Causing me to live like this or to clean up another mans stink, with no gloves, no supplies, nothing. My requests for such supplies were constantly denied. Therefore i had no choice but to clean it up, as i was only able. As a result, i became infected with fungus of the fingernails. CAUSE (2): The willful and Deliberate Denial of Medical Treatment. For the last 3 years, I have been infected with this fungus. Medical staff joined the wicked servants of the (MDOC) to further oppress me by denying me treatment. Only very little but inadequate and ineffective treatment was provided in the early stages. For the last full calendar year no treatment whatsoever has been provided. The fungus has rotted way into the core of my nails. Medical staff have falsified my medical files and made it clear to me that they will not give me any treatment. I have written letters and grievances all the way to the MDOC director's office in lansing, michigan. But all of my complaints and requests were denied. I have copies and return responses of medical kites, grievances. I don't know anything about litigating my lawsuit. i'm poor, and don't have any money or family support to afford a lawyer. Everyday, i am forced to live with this fungus infection, with not way of treating it. Because these devils are doing their best to make sure i don't get any treatment. They think I will never have the proper support i need to sue them and put each and everyone of them out of work. That's what the devils do best: Take advantage of the helpless and support-less. But i never fail to pray everyday that some day support and help will come my way. ... -- A Michigan Prisoner, 29 July 1997 "LOCK 'EM UP" ADVOCATE GETS A TASTE Just a succinct letter apprising you that the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADOC), had been allowing your periodicals in with no problems, and I have been promptly receiving them. Ever since I filed that suit and won, they have given me your publication. Though the case did not go to court, the authorities conceded and gave me the periodical. That is all I basically requested in the suit. I did not ask for financial compensation. I did suffer some repercussions behind the suit but the repercussions are hard to prove. I did not pursue a retaliatory suit. Now I'm in a different prison and they have not bothered me, yet. I put nothing past ADOC. A couple of weeks ago Fife Symington, former Governor of Arizona, was found guilty of seven criminal counts. He stepped down from his position and will be sentenced on November 10th of this year, supposedly. While it is unfortunate that anyone must come to prison, the prisoners of Arizona are ecstatic over Symington's demise and look at as a sort of poetic justice. Here is an ex-governor whose advocacy of locking them up, taking everything away from them while they are in prison, and throwing away the key, will be going to prison. The unjust ramifications of his conviction are: (1) He gets to take an extensive vacation before sentencing (money). (2) He will not go to a federal penitentiary or federal correctional institution but probably a federal camp. The exclusiveness of the camp will not privy him to a true prison experience like the one he advocates. (3) He will probably get less time than I did ... even though he stole over 25 million dollars. (4) Though he has been replaced, things remain the same and will probably continue to get worse as they did under Symington. I did not include my sentence for sympathy, I am just using it as a comparative point. I did not steal millions but was caught with millions in contraband. ... Don't think I condone my former line of work. I don't. I did not need to sell drugs. I am a college graduate who was about to procure a Master's. I was just not enthusiastic about working nine to five making someone else rich. So I threw the karmic dice and lost. I thought I had an agenda, which if correctly implemented, I could have provided for my family until my death. Anyway, Symington threw the dice and lost but in the end he still wins... -- An Arizona Prisoner, 13 September 1997 MIM RESPONDS: Congratulations on your censorship victory and thank you for your continuing coverage of Fife Symington. While, it is true that Symington is a criminal, just because he is being charged with crimes does not mean that the Amerikan Injustice system goes after all or even a significant section of imperialist criminals. Even if he were sent to a federal penitentiary, his conviction in no way vindicates the Amerikan system. It may be gratifying to see him get a small taste of his own medicine, but we agree with your assessment that things will not change after his conviction. He will only be replaced by another imperialist who will continue to oppress the masses. This is proof that revolutionary work is essential and that reforms or targeting of one or two imperialist crimes is not going to serve the interests of the masses. With regard to the rest of your letter, MIM discourages people from selling drugs because it is harmful to the masses and distracts people from the revolution. We also struggle against individuals committing illegal acts because we need revolutionaries on the outside, not under direct control of the pigs. Selling drugs can be profitable, but as with other ventures under the current system, profits are made off the backs of the masses. Instead, it is much more valuable to build Maoist revolution and people's liberation. UNRELENTING ABUSE AT GULF I am an incarcerated inmate at Gulf Correctional Institution in Florida. Inmates are being abused and our mail is being discarded and no one is concerned. I have written DOC, Fed's and the Civil Rights Justice division in Miami, Florida and received no reply or assistance. I have been physically abused by an officer here. Other inmates here have been and are still being abused as well. I was just introduced to an old issue of "Under Lock & Key" and decided to write this brief notation so is could be printed. The untold story is as cruel as they come, and it's really ruff in the Gulf. A little assistance would be a great deal of help to us abused inmates that have none at all. Where is the justice when the law is being broken by their own kind? They make it so they can brake it, until the right assistance comes along. -- A Florida Prisoner, 12 October 1997 DENIED MEDICATION IN MISSOURI I am your comrade in the struggle against imperialism. I am writing you in regards to my plight here at the Cross Roads Prison Facility. I am suffering from a lack of medical attention. I am being denied my high blood pressure medication which was prescribed for me at another prison unit. My medical situation is such that if I miss taking my medication for a long period of time it is a possibility that I will suffer kidney failure, have a stroke, or heart attack. I've not had my medication in 18 days and I am vomiting blood. I also saw traces of blood in my urine and defecation. I can not file a prison grievance because the warden of this prison unit does not allow the prisoner in administrative segregation to have grievance forms. I am not allowed ink pens, writing paper, or envelopes to write the courts. I am not allowed to have stamps or access to any legal material. I am not allowed to have any law books or assistance from any paralegal. I was fortunate to borrow this ink pen and paper from a prison guard who sympathized with my conditions. I have civil rights complaint already prepared for the courts, but my problem now is purchasing stamps and envelopes. I am not allowed to purchase the things from the prison canteen that I need to contact a judge or magistrate. I need some outside support in dealing with this issue. My voice alone will never be heard by the medical staff or prison personnel. These are the people who need to be contacted: Dona Schrino, Prison Director, Missouri Department of Corrections, 2729 Plaza Drive, PO Box 236, Jefferson City, MO 65102, phone: (314) 751-2851 Governor Moe Cornahan, State Capital Building, Jefferson City, MO 65102 phone (314) 751-3222 -- A Missouri Prisoner, 15 September 1997 PEPPER SPRAY ATTACK I am a Prisoner in the Texas Penitentiary. Several months ago I was assaulted by an officer on another unit for refusing to house in a dorm with other inmates. What I mean by assaulted, I was sprayed with pepper gas four times, covering most of my body. Then carried to the dorm where I refused to go. The reason I refused is because I am a minimum-security inmate and the dorm I was in was assigned to all medium security inmates. What is so sad about the whole thing, is the officers had the balls to video tape the whole thing. One officer spraying me with the chemical agent and three more in full riot gear escorting me to the medium custody dorm. Needless to say I was moved from that unit. I've filed several grievances. Internal Affairs is supposed to be investigating the matter. It's been nine months now and no answer. I've also filed a federal lawsuit. But I'm not too good with civil action suits.... -- A Texas Prisoner, 18 October 1997 BRUTAL SHOWER ATTACK ... I am a Prisoner of War her in one of the many Texas prisons, called the "Wynne Unit". Since I've been kidnapped from society and brought through this racial judicial system, I have witnessed and fell victim to some of the atrocious ways of these korrectional officers, in both mental and physical aspects. On March 5, 1995, I was being escorted from a shower by two Ad Seg [Administrative Segregation] Officers (Ricky Nelson Timothy Skeide). And for no apparent reason at all, Officer Nelson grabbed me from behind and threw me to the ground and I was then physically assaulted! So, as usual, I was given a major case (disciplinary report) for "threatening" an officer, placed on level III and I lost good time credits. But to my surprise, another officer (Co. III P. Perry) had written a statement on my behalf stating that officer Nelson has planned to "slam" me when I returned from the shower. And that she witnessed the entire incident. But nevertheless, I was still found guilty at the disciplinary hearing by Captain Boyd. Even though I had an officer speaking of my innocence! This is just an example of the true meaning of the Texas Department of Criminal Just-Us System! -- A Texas Prisoner, 15 October 1997 * * * MIM ON PRISONS AND PRISONERS MIM seeks to build public opinion against Amerika's criminal injustice system, and to eventually replace the bourgeois injustice system with proletarian justice. The bourgeois injustice system imprisons and executes a disproportionately large and growing number of oppressed people while letting the biggest mass murderers - the imperialists and their lackeys - roam free. Imperialism is not opposed to murder or theft, it only insists that these crimes be committed in the interests of the bourgeoisie. MIM does not advocate that all prisoners go free today; we have a more effective program for fighting crime as was demonstrated in China prior to the restoration of capitalism there in 1976. We say that all prisoners are political prisoners because under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, all imprisonment is substantively political. It is our responsibility to exert revolutionary leadership and conduct political agitation and organization among prisoners - whose material conditions make them an overwhelmingly revolutionary group. Some prisoners should and will work on self-criticism under a future dictatorship of the proletariat in those cases in which prisoners really did do something wrong by proletarian standards. ***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