From jdav@noc.orgWed Nov 1 00:10:42 1995 Date: Wed, 1 Nov 95 14:03 GMT From: Jim Davis To: pt.dist@noc.org Subject: People's Tribune (10-30-95) Online Edition ****************************************************************** People's Tribune (Online Edition) Vol. 22 No. 32 / October 30, 1995 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 Email: pt@noc.org ****************************************************************** +----------------------------------------------------------------+ The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE is now available on the World Wide Web at http://www.mcs.com/~jdav/league.html +----------------------------------------------------------------+ INDEX to the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE (Online Edition) Vol. 22 No. 32 / October 30, 1995 Page One 1. THE MILLION MAN MARCH: TIP OF THE ICEBERG OF AMERICA'S DISCONTENT Spirit of the Revolution 2. JESUS PEOPLE FIGHT POLLUTION News and Features 3. 'OUR DREAMS FOR YOU LED US TO THE PICKET LINES': TWO DETROIT STRIKERS WRITE TO THEIR NEW-BORN SON 4. WELFARE FOR THE RICH NOT THE POOR: D.C. PROTESTERS SAY 'STOP THE STADIUM!' 5. COMMUNITY HOMELESS ALLIANCE FIGHTS EXPLOITATION 6. THE WINDS OF CHANGE ARE COMING TO NEW MEXICO 7. BREAK THE MEDIA BLACKOUT 8. A TIME TO RISE: CELEBRATE THE RICH HERITAGE OF LATINOS IN THE AMERICAS 9. U.S. WOMEN DELEGATES MEET CHINESE LEADER AT NGO FORUM 10. NGO FORUM IN CHINA SHOWS: WOMEN ARE KEY TO THE FIGHT FOR A JUST WORLD 11. FROM THE CAMPUSES: MIT CONFERENCE TO FIGHT FOR CHANGE 12. NEW BOOK BRINGS SOFTWARE DESIGNERS AND HOMELESS ACTIVISTS TOGETHER TO DISCUSS A FUTURE FOR ALL OF US 13. 1995 APHA CONVENTION: WHAT HEALTH WORKERS CAN DO TO END THE HEALTH CARE CRISIS American Lockdown 14. INMATE HITS CORRUPTION: 'TAXPAYERS ARE PUNISHED, TOO' >From the League 15. IT'S TIME TO SPEAK OUT -- AND MONEY TALKS >From the Editors 16. 'RACE RELATIONS': PEOPLE WANT UNITY AND JUSTICE DESPITE MEDIA LIES 17. ABOUT THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE ****************************************************************** 1. THE MILLION MAN MARCH: TIP OF THE ICEBERG OF AMERICA'S DISCONTENT The Million Man March is a political watershed. The political and organizational leaders cannot turn the clock back after this march any more than they could after Watts in 1965. Watts was the opening round of a massive social struggle that grew into a movement to secure peace and extend equality to many groups that had been marginalized or simply cut out of the concept of democratic equality. Even before the Civil War, the struggle of the blacks for justice had been the cutting edge and the spark plug that fired up the struggle for democracy on the part of the rest of America. For example, the fight of the blacks against their slavery pulled the democratic people into the fight against the tyrannical slave power and into the Civil War. The struggle of the African Americans for equality was in the past, and is today, the cutting edge of the mass movement to extend democracy. A new movement of the women, the youth and the oppressed nationalities developed as a result of the Watts uprising despite the government's attempt to isolate it and portray it as "black rage." They are trying to do the same thing today. Try as they may, it is not possible to treat a gathering of a million human beings as if they do not belong to economic classes as well as an ethnic grouping. Objectively, it was much more than a "black man's march." It was a massive demonstration against the continued deterioration of the economic, social and political standards of life in our country. This is what is frightening the government and the ruling class. They know that the march was the objective tip of a sullen iceberg of nationwide discontent and rebelliousness. In the immediate sense, the march, as with all great events, poses both opportunities and danger. The opportunity is that the massive support for the march was the death knell to the traditional leadership that is tied to and dependent upon the liberal wing of the white ruling class. Neither the leading organizers of the march, nor any other grouping today has control of this growing movement of the African Americans for equality and justice. The danger lies in the separatist tendency of some of those who organized the march. They have worked out a comprehensive plan to attempt to find dignity and justice through separation and the building of an economic infrastructure that would eventually bring justice and dignity to their communities. We support any effort to expose the government's role in and call a halt to the drugs and violence that are destroying not only black communities. In doing so, we cannot and will not blame the victims for the crime. Just as white America cannot disengage from the blacks, black America cannot disengage from the whites. The industrial downsizing has also cut the ground from under millions of non- black Americans. They suffer the same economic and social destruction as do the blacks. The key to victory is to organize along economic as well as color lines. Victory comes from massing the greatest possible force against an isolated enemy. Only an organization capable of carrying this message throughout America can contribute to this grassroots struggle which is now well under way. ****************************************************************** 2. SPIRIT OF THE REVOLUTION: JESUS PEOPLE FIGHT POLLUTION [Editor's note: Below we print the latest contribution to our regular column about spirituality and revolution. We encourage readers to submit articles to this column. We would also appreciate any comments readers may have on the articles which appear here. The article below is a statement from Jesus People Against Pollution, a not-for-profit group in Mississippi. The statement was given to representatives of the People's Tribune attending the NGO Forum on Women in Beijing, China in September.] We are a community-based, non-sectarian environmental justice organization that was formed three years ago in response to the exclusion of our community from Superfund clean-up efforts. In 1977, the Reichhold Chemical plant, located in the midst of our low-income African American and white community, exploded and burned. Residents were evacuated for less than a day. There was never any testing or attempt to determine if anyone needed medical treatment. The fire destroyed the Reichhold plant that was located in the center of Columbia, a town with a resident and surrounding population of more than 26,000 people, but left behind more than 4,500 drums of chemicals that were soon buried in an 81-acre field at the plant site or abandoned on flats at ground level. The drums leaked, allowing chemicals to seep into the soil (most drums were not removed until the Superfund efforts began, years later, and others have been recently discovered). Subsequent floods spread the toxins into surrounding farmlands, rivers, swimming holes and streets. Residents contacted the Environmental Protection Agency without any effective response. Finally, after considerable efforts by the local civil defense director, the EPA designated the area a Superfund Clean-up Site. Still, years lapsed before the EPA began the clean-up that still continues. We have reason to conclude that the drinking water supply has been and is being poisoned. During the period of near-silence on the part of federal and state authorities, there were fish kills, 200 head of cattle died, and the ground literally caught fire. For a brief period in the 1980s, the site was occupied by Stogner Trucking Company. Blood analysis of Stogner's employees revealed that all workers at the site had high levels of toxic chemicals. Now, community residents continue to show high frequencies of cancer, premature death, respiratory diseases, immune deficiency disorders and skin and coloration problems. In March 1992, Charlotte Keys led the efforts to form Jesus People Against Pollution, also known as JPAP (pronounced "jay-pap"). We became aware that the community had suffered two tragedies. The first was the Reichhold pollution; the second was a cover-up by local and federal officials that kept us from knowing the danger we are in and the possible effects of the toxins we have breathed and ingested over the years. Our goal at JPAP is to become the prototype for reasonable and just responses to communities of poor minority people who have been polluted and poisoned by industries in their midst. Our objectives in Columbia are: * To educate community residents about the dangers to our health through meetings, home visits and newsletters. JPAP is recognized by the community, government agencies and the current leadership of Reichhold as the community's representative. We have annual dues-paying members of over 400 community residents, and we have collected and updated nearly 20,000 health surveys from local residents. * To design a plan for relocating 150 to 200 family units from their homes and trailers surrounding the Reichhold site and for creating a safe community with economic and educational opportunities for all. * To create lifetime medical services and monitoring for these and other persons affected by the pollutants. * To maintain a community voice in the continuing clean-up effort that involves tracking the barrels of chemicals and polluted soil to those sites in surrounding communities where they were again buried and monitoring toxin levels at the Reichhold site. JPAP is the community's advocate. [For more information, write to Jesus People Against Pollution, P.O. Box 765, Columbia, Mississippi 39429 or call 601-736-0686.] ****************************************************************** 3. 'OUR DREAMS FOR YOU LED US TO THE PICKET LINES' TWO DETROIT STRIKERS WRITE TO THEIR NEW-BORN SON [Editor's note: Nikolas Daymon Hartley was born October 5 at William Beaumont Hospital near Detroit. His mother, Margaret Trimer-Hartley, is a striking Detroit newspaper reporter. His father, Daymon J. Hartley, is a striking photographer. Both worked at the Detroit Free Press. Nikolas' father has 12 years seniority; his mother has 10. A 9-pound, 5-ounce boy, Nikolas entered the world 14 days overdue. Clearly, he's as determined and stubborn as his parents!] By Margaret Trimer-Hartley and Daymon J. Hartley Detroit Journal staff writers -- and new parents DETROIT -- Welcome to the world, Nikolas Daymon Hartley -- finally!! You so stubbornly delayed your appearance, we couldn't help but wonder if you didn't want to be born because you'd already figured out that life on the outside can be brutal. If it's true that babies can hear and sense things from the serenity and safety of the womb, you know of the pain and frustration we endured nearly every waking moment this summer, waging a fierce and frightening fight for fairness on our jobs. We didn't have to engage in this war against two corporate giants determined to squash the life out of unions and middle-class livelihoods. Many around us chose not to. We could have spent our summer brushing up on fairy tales and recalling old nursery rhymes. Or we could have bought every infant goodie and gadget on the market so that you'd start life in luxury. Or, like some of our colleagues, we could have talked ourselves into believing that it just wasn't convenient or smart to stand up for our beliefs now. What about our home? Health care? Food? Baby clothes? Diapers? But when we asked ourselves, "What about our boy's future?" we knew we couldn't just turn our backs on your generation. Settling for a short-term deal loaded with concessions this time would not have solved our problems at the Detroit News and Free Press. We knew we would have to fight now or fight later or, worse yet, cave in and let your generation fight for itself. This was our first real test as parents. And we knew we owed you more than a simple and selfish solution to what seems to be an increasingly complex economic, social and political crisis. The three-month-old newspaper strike is just one round in this war. We don't know yet if we'll win. But we have to persevere because we don't want you to grow up in a world in which changing with the times means giving up the American Dream. We don't think that progress for some should come at the expense of others, particularly the children of the working class. We imagine a day when advancing technology and workplace efficiency would be used to make your life easier and richer, instead of less secure and more threatening. So our dreams and hopes for you led us to the picket lines where you heard anger and violence instead of sweet lullabies. Our love for you gave us the strength to weather uncertainty, betrayal and threats to our lives and livelihoods. And our responsibility for you instilled in us the resolve to teach you about working-class heroes such as Sojourner Truth and Malcolm X, Big Bill Haywood and John Brown, instead of capitalists such as Horace Dodge and Henry Ford, and their servants Frank Vega and Bob Giles. Our heroes don't make millions, have bodyguards or exploit people. Rather they live to liberate all of us from oppression and injustice. They break unjust laws when necessary, make segments of society uncomfortable and often suffer greatly for standing up for the principle of human dignity. They and all the heroes that we've met on our own picket lines this summer have taught us -- and hopefully will teach you -- to defend dignity, justice and democracy and to give more than a damn about the well-being of fellow workers. And most of all, our heroes have shown us that talking about making the world a better place is worthless if you turn your back when the fight begins. So yes, Nikolas, the world can be cruel. But you needn't be afraid. You're surrounded by heroes who will give you -- and us -- strength and power. And don't worry. We won't let you miss out on hearing your fair share of fairy tales and nursery rhymes along the way. [Reprinted with the permission of the Detroit Journal, a publication of the striking Detroit journalists of the Detroit News and Free Press. The Detroit Journal is available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.rust.net/workers/strike.html.] ****************************************************************** 4. WELFARE FOR THE RICH NOT THE POOR D.C. PROTESTERS SAY 'STOP THE STADIUM!' By Rick Tingling-Clemmons WASHINGTON -- On Monday, October 2, 1995, the National Capital Planning Commission of the District of Columbia held hearings on the ill-advised, poorly planned proposal to build a sports arena on the backs of the poor, in downtown Washington. At the same time, angry demonstrators led by the D.C. Statehood Party, the Citizens Planning Coalition, workers and some homeless protesters picketed in front of the building that houses the commission. Demands of "No Corporate Welfare!" "Tax the Rich, Not the Poor!" and other slogans echoed off of the surrounding buildings, drawing hundreds of supporters. Protests were organized to highlight the contradiction of city officials offering both to foot the bill for constructing a sports arena in downtown Chinatown and provide tax breaks to billionaire Abe Pollin, owner of the Washington Bullets, while at the same time that the city's financial control board competes with the city council in imposing austerity measures on a population already reeling from fiscal pain. These hearings are being held in the shadow of our city's worsening financial condition. According to Sam Jordan, chair of the D.C. Statehood Party and one of the leaders of the demonstration, in an article entitled, 'D.C. Resists Federal Control Board,' instead of resolving the District's fundamental financial problems, "the control board will produce the same results experienced by the five often-cited control board cities -- New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Cleveland." Jordan further remarked that based on the experience of these other cities, the District's financial control board can be expected to: fire as many public employees as possible; cut wages, pension and benefits for those remaining, privatize or contract our public services; raises taxes, fees and fines; and reduce public services. Already, 2,000 city workers have been laid off, as well as 400 teachers. Efforts are underway in the City Council to take over the Board of Education, which became the first elected body in the District some 30 years ago. The District of Columbia, already in fiscal crisis in large part as a result of the Congress' line item budget veto authority and financial mismanagement of District resources by Congress, needs more democracy, not less. The D.C. Statehood Party, founded by the late Julius Hobson who was also the first chair of the District School Board, seeks statehood for District residents, to ensure them the same rights to self- determination and citizenship that other Americans have. The determination to saddle the city with the costs of the sports arena will once again subvert the interests of the people to meet the interests of profit and profiteers. Against this backdrop, the sports arena as proposed will cost District residents the equivalent of $95 million on a parcel of land with $5 million in tax exemptions per year for at least 30 years -- a minimum of $245 million in value; $63 to $90 million in loans to be serviced by taxes dedicated at the rate of $9 million per year for perhaps 20 years, plus security costs -- raise the total to $480 million. Against this $480 million contribution, $16 million annually, the District will earn $8.1 million per year in new spending downtown. While it is suggested that this figure may rise to as much as $10 million in the out years, we will be subsidizing the Pollin group at $8 to $9 million per year. And -- you guessed it -- the control board and the Congressional committee that oversees operations in the District support the idea. Already, District residents pay more taxes than those of 49 other states per capita, lose more of its young people to U.S. wars of aggression than any other state, and provides numerous uncompensated services to the federal government in the form of basic sewer and water services, emergency services, security and transportation. In return, the federal government occupies 55 percent of D.C.'s taxable real estate for free, provides a federal payment that does not even cover the costs of the services we provide, disallows us to tax out-of-state commuters, denies us a vote in the body that enacts the laws that we must live under and retains a line-item veto over our entire budget. And, Congress has never assumed any responsibility for it role in the city's fiscal crisis! So much for personal responsibility! On October 11, a temporary injunction was issued in Superior Court to stop the arena based on the city's failure to follow proper procedures in awarding the project to Pollin. Robert L. Johnson, founder of the Black Entertainment Television cable network, has been actively lobbying to build the arena for more than a year. While he has offered to foot the cost of the project, and does have support, he does not have any ownership of the teams -- Pollin does. While the injunction was lifted that same afternoon, Pollin is now offering to underwrite the $175 million in construction costs, which most credit to Johnson's lobbying and offer to do the same. While this is a slight improvement, it appears that the moneyed interests in the District will, like the rest of the country, once again prevail. Stop The Arena Now! The World Can No Longer Afford The Rich! Robin Hood Was Right! +----------------------------------------------------------------+ IT'S UP TO US TO CREATE AN AMERICA FOR US ALL The U.S. Senate has passed the most sweeping "welfare reform" legislation of our time, cutting off millions of Americans who have little or no other means of survival. This isn't the only outrage to come down on the American people from the people who control the political power in this country. It's likely that more and worse things will follow. What's certain is that the destruction of "welfare as we know it" is also a destruction of America as most of us have known it during the past few decades. It is time for America to remake itself, but as what depends on who calls the shots. Right now, the millionaires and billionaires are remaking this country to do what they have always made this country do: suit their needs. Today, that means abandoning millions of people they no longer need to work for them. That means destroying the many social, medical, educational programs we relied on to become hirable by the capitalists. The old "social contract" between worker and boss has been broken forever. The technology the capitalists use to enrich themselves while we starve, can actually end poverty when we the impoverished use it to meet our needs. Imagine an America where, no one is sleeping in the street; no one is living in a squalid slum; no one is dying for lack of medical care. An America where if you need a home, a coat, a meal, it's yours, with no questions asked and nothing to pay. We, who are now impoverished, can remake America. We can make an America that can and does take care of all of its people, one that will never again turn its back on anyone in need. We know that the capitalists will not make that kind of America. It's up to us. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ****************************************************************** 5. COMMUNITY HOMELESS ALLIANCE FIGHTS EXPLOITATION By Sandy Perry SAN JOSE, California-- In a sign of the times, union members here did not march in a parade on Labor Day, but the homeless did. The march was part of a two-month campaign by the homeless for the Montgomery Hotel, a vacant, city-owned building in the downtown area. The action began on August 22. A group of 75 homeless men, women and children attempted to sleep outside together in Fairmont Plaza. Ordered out by the police, they sought sanctuary on the steps of St. Joseph's Cathedral. After they made it through the first night without arrest, they returned again and again. By their action, they established a safe haven for homeless people sleeping outside in San Jose for the first time since 1990. Churches had been approached before and letters had been written, but the responses had always been unsatisfactory. Now united action succeeded where entreaties had failed. When St. Joseph's later did call the police to evict them, they simply moved on together to another church. In the course of August and September, they were evicted by four different churches -- once by two churches in a single night. First Christian Church finally offered them indefinite sanctuary three nights a week. The evictions were politically motivated. The homeless did not sit around in the daytime. Led by the Community Homeless Alliance, they marched and rallied -- not only on Labor Day, but earlier on July 25 and August 29, and afterward on September 13, September 19, September 26 and October 2. They demanded housing, not shelters. They pointed out that the city had plenty of money -- but instead of using it to meet human needs, it was spending it on luxury redevelopment projects to line the pockets of wealthy investors. Unable to respond to this criticism, the city retaliated with a campaign of hatred against the homeless. Newspaper editorials called for a crackdown, and the city sent bulldozers to destroy homeless shacks on Chestnut Street and Lenzen Avenue. Plainclothes cops swooped down on St. James Park and confiscated shopping carts. Media reports and some church officials characterized the homeless as dirty, smelly, law-breaking drug addicts and alcoholics. But the Labor Day marchers were perfectly clear on what was the real problem -- unemployment, low wages and the high cost of housing. "I make a little over $600 a month on SSI," said Al Barlow, "but apartments here rent for almost $600. There's no way I could pay that rent and still have money for food and utilities." Said Jon Tranbarger, "I work 10 to 12 hours a day for A-A Distributors. Because I'm a contract employee, they only pay me $25 a day." Others of the homeless sell flowers for $10 to $15 a day, or take day-labor jobs at Labor Ready or Labor Connection. Others are between jobs or disabled after working all their lives. The one common denominator they all share is exploitation by employers and/or landlords. A battle is on for the hearts and minds of the people of San Jose. Who is the real problem -- the people who have been put out of work, denied education and forced to become homeless -- or the wealthy few who make millions and billions of dollars off the misery of the rest of us? ****************************************************************** 6. THE WINDS OF CHANGE ARE COMING TO NEW MEXICO By Caroline Lucero ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico -- As I sit here on my beat-up and worn living room couch, I ask myself the tough questions. Why do people forget how difficult life can be? Why do they choose to make it more difficult for some? Have they forgotten where they came from? For some reason or another, our senators have. Some, like our career politician Sen. Pete Domenici (of New Mexico) have survived the Great Depression with a family as large as 12. Haven't they remembered the times when all they had to eat were potatoes? If they were lucky they might have survived on bread. Can't they remember a time when they tugged on their mother's dress to ask for one more morsel or crumb because they were still hungry? Can't they remember how they kept hearing mom say "No, we have to make it stretch until Tuesday when your father gets paid"? Well, it's not completely similar to this scenario these days, but somewhat. These days, it's "Well, you need to wait for the rent, Mr. Barry." I don't get paid enough assistance because they have sanctioned me because I can't find a job that will cover my rent, child care and food for the month. Not to mention my lights, gas and repairs to my car to look for a job. This situation is similar to that of the past only now the fathers of the children are not present and are more likely unable to find work that supports them and their children. Many think that doing away with parts of our government (downsizing) and doing away with certain programs they deem to be useless to them are ways to "balance the budget." However, they have "forgotten" that the downsizing of government means a loss of jobs. Not to mention the fact that those who have government jobs are highly skilled individuals. When they lose their jobs, the competition will double for higher-paying positions such as that of, let's say, "a career politician" Sen. Pete Domenici. Many people have also "forgotten" or "choose to ignore" the fact that without environmental regulations such as the Clean Water Act people will lose jobs protecting our environment. These are people trained with special skills. Where will they find jobs with no environment to protect? Many have "forgotten" or "choose to ignore" the fact that when choosing to gut programs such as the social welfare net, people will also lose jobs. Such as social workers, a group of individuals who are highly educated with skills some of our senators have forgotten how to use. All of the money spent on welfare recipients subsidizes the people who work for other businesses such as landlords, those who work in light companies, gas companies, grocery stores, department stores and many other people. Well! I guess that might mean that our landlords, and many other less skilled workers might lose their jobs, too. Well, more competition for that one job I'm seeking at the corner market. I think it's time we remember that everything we do will have an effect on everyone. Might our senators want to rethink their position on the "Contract on America"? Because, I'll tell you, the winds of change are coming to the state of New Mexico, and I'm not talking the change of season to fall, either. I hope you know what kind of people you as senators are up against. You are up against people who care enough to give the shorts of their body to support someone who has a hole in her skirt so that she may go and confront you, Mr. Domenici, at a "United We Stand" meeting. That's what I call community responsibility. With support like that, there are no losers. ****************************************************************** 7. BREAK THE MEDIA BLACKOUT By Aflamu Hatoo MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The practice of denying access to grassroots organizations has long been an organized conspiracy of the power system in total. What's worse is when a black-owned radio station (WXVI) in Montgomery, Alabama (out of all places) censors and fires its talk radio show host who articulately speaks out on issues affecting the disenfranchised citizens of Alabama. Tracy Larkin was fired because he was a brother who spoke the truth and called those who perpetrated wrongs on the community to task. At issue is that those of us in the struggle should be aware of the media blackout and how it is manifesting itself in 1995. It's all right to have a right wing "Rush" type spitting out untrue sound bites a mile a minute, but it's not all right to have a talk show that speaks to the needs of the underclass. Anytime the rights and needs of a community are threatened, we must speak out and speak loud so that our voices are heard. No longer will black- owned media concerns be exempt from protest or chastisement if they practice oppressive tactics against those reporters and talk show hosts who write and speak out on issues mainstream media refuse to cover. In the case of WXVI, which is owned by Neil Wright, the son of the owner of First Tuskegee Bank, the word on the street is that a large lending institution (a trusting white Southern bank) which First Tuskegee Bank and WXVI are beholden to raised questions concerning the tone of Tracy Larkin's talk show. In other words, the black man is too revolutionary ... and even though "Jim Crow" is now referred to as "Mr. James Crow," some white folks still don't appreciate non-shuffling and non-headscratching revolutionary black folks down in these parts of the woods. What the WXVI radio station protest speaks to is a situation that can be repeated and is being repeated all over America. We must fight the media blackout! In Houston, Texas (August 18-20, 1995) at the second national convention of the National Welfare Rights Union, one of the major planks of the conference was a call to "Break the Media Blackout." Every organization in America that is about the business of social justice should make a concerted effort to educate and dedicate their constituency to breaking the media blackout. We must push at all levels to get our word out to the masses. For our struggle is one of truth and social justice for all ... even for those who despise us and deny us the right to be heard. But we will be heard in Alabama, and in Chicago, and in Harlem and in East Los Angeles. Our voices must be heard. The power of the people is in the truth of our words and deeds. We must continue to unite and struggle in love and justice for the entire global community. ****************************************************************** 8. A TIME TO RISE: CELEBRATE THE RICH HERITAGE OF LATINOS IN THE AMERICAS By Elizabeth (Betita) Martinez Nenna, the Chicana rapper from Watsonville, California, has written a powerful rap called "Chicano Nation" that says "after 500 years of straight-up lies/ take note, the wise/ Chicano nation's on the rise." The rap also advises, "decolonize your mind/ and let the truth be told." Her words point to a basic truth about Latino history that we would do well to remember as we strategize for our struggle today. That truth begins with October 12, the day called "Columbus Day" by the dominant society of the United States, but "Dia de la Raza" in Latin America. In recent defiance of those who write colonialist history, it has been further renamed Indigenous People's Day. And so it should be. Latinos in the United States represent a wide variety of nationalities--over 20--as well as cultures and languages. From tiny El Salvador to giant Brazil, our lands vary greatly in both size and racial composition. But we all share one kind of experience: colonization and neo-colonization. Spain, Portugal, France, Britain and the Netherlands were the first direct colonizers; later came U.S. neo-colonialism and other forms of foreign control. The new masters may not have flown their flags over the Americas but they have wielded, and still wield, great power over the local economies and thus over the politics of Latin American countries. The lives of Latinos here have been profoundly shaped by the colonial experience, and often continue to be determined by U.S. neo-colonialism. Puerto Rico remains the most classic example of direct U.S. colonization, with Cuba a clear example of U.S. neo- colonialism (after independence from Spain). The oldest example of Latinos colonized by the U.S. is the people of Mexican origin, whose original homeland was cut in half as a result of the 1846-48 U.S. war. Before that, Mexico and the U.S. had been almost equal in size and population; afterward, the U.S. encompassed a huge, internal colony. The people of the new colony-- Mexicanos, later called Chicanos and Chicanas--provided a vast supply of cheap labor to create giant wealth for the Anglo occupiers, generation after generation. As a result of poverty created in Mexico by U.S. neo-colonialism in the form of dominant foreign investment together with big Mexican landowners and other capitalists, millions of Mexicanos moved north to work. Not for nothing did the saying go, "Poor Mexico--so far from God and so close to the United States." As we hear today's scapegoating of immigrants (meaning primarily Latinos) for economic problems here, we should remember just how and why they got here. The same holds true for people from Central America. If close to half a million Salvadorans now live in Los Angeles, it just might have something to do with the fact that U.S. government support for Salvadoran dictators drove refugees northward by the thousands, to survive. U.S. support for the contras of Nicaragua and decades of U.S.-funded repression in Guatemala had similar effects. Working people in the U.S. today, told to blame their woes on "all those immigrants," have been denied an understanding of the reasons for the growing Latino presence. Whether by direct colonization, indirect neo-colonialism, or imperialist foreign policy, Latinos in the U.S. share old, deep roots. We must see our linkages, for they are the beginning of why we should work in closer collaboration against common problems of racism, exploitation, and an internalized lack of self-respect that can undermine unified, militant action. We also need to see the oneness of all indigenous peoples' struggle. Those who remain most colonized today are so clearly the nations and tribes that stretch from the Sioux of South Dakota to the Mapuche of Chile. To one degree or another, all Latinos are indigenous. To one degree or another, we also share an African heritage--from the millions of Africans brought as slaves (an estimated 250,000 to Mexico alone). To be Latinas and Latinos in the U. S. today, then, means to share a history rich in common roots and common experience. Our collectivity is large and beautiful. [Elizabeth (Betita) Martinez writes on social movements in the Americas, teaches Ethnic Studies, and has been an anti-racist activist since 1960. Now living in San Francisco, she recently completed a video "Viva la Causa!" based on her bilingual book 500 Years of Chicano History, published in New Mexico. To obtain copies of the video contact the SouthWest Organizing Project at 211 10th Street SW; Albuquerque, NM 87102. Phone: 505- 247-8832. Fax: 505-247-9972. (Reprinted from the October 16 issue of the Tribuno del Pueblo, our bilingual sister publication.)] +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ON MOVEMENTS AND DREAMS [Our bilingual sister publication, the Tribuno del Pueblo asked Ron Rodriguez, a former Brown Beret and MEChA member who is now a teacher active in Los Angeles, for his thoughts on the Chicano Movement. Below we publish excerpts of his response.] The Chicano Movement gave me a chance to right some wrongs. No more did being Mexican bring ridicule, but pride in realizing that in my veins ran the history of an ancient and proud people. In those days of the Chicano and Anti-War movement, we thought we only had to unite all our people, elect Chicano/Latino leaders and we would win. We marched, picketed and organized for years, a variety of student, women and political groups. We won some victories and lost others. It makes me sad that all the dreams we had in the movement did not happen. But I am happy for the new awakening and movement of the American people now. No longer is it just a black or brown people's movement, but a movement of all nationalities, regardless of race. More and more people are realizing that we need a revolution that unites working people for a common good and the chance for a decent life for us and our families. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ****************************************************************** 9. U.S. WOMEN DELEGATES MEET CHINESE LEADER AT NGO FORUM By Laura Garcia After one workshop at the NGO Forum on Women, held in September in Huariou, China, women from the U.S. delegation talked with Ghuo Shu Zhi, the director of the Chenyan Women's Federation of China and a member of the All-China's Women's Federation. Zhi was accompanied by two interpreters. She was excited as the six of us huddled in the hallway of the main conference center. We must have been a sight! There we were: a white woman, four African Americans, a Mexican-Chinese woman and a Chinese-Swedish woman from the United States -- talking to three Chinese women. Before we could say anything, Zhi began asking us as many questions as we had wanted to ask her. She wanted to know about the United States and the status of women here -- why we came, what our goals were, and what our impressions of China were. After we answered, it was our turn to listen to what this lean, five-foot-tall woman with a gentle smile dressed in a powder-blue suit had to say: "My name is Ghuo Shu Zhi. My job is being the president of the Women's Federation in Chenyan. I am also a member of the All- China's Women's Federation. "As to the status of women in China: First of all, women in China are as equal as men. Women, just like men, can receive education, from primary school to the university. A woman can do any job like men, with the same pay since our labor laws stipulate equal pay for equal work." "Is education free?" asked Jean, a retired school teacher from New York. "Yes." "What about health care?" interrupted Jean, before our host could go any further. With a smile, Ms. Zhi answered: "Yes, we have special institutes for women and children. Every year, women in our country can get a free check-up." Then it was my turn to ask, "What about women in the work force?" Zhi's answer was simple. "Ninety-five million women account for 40 percent of the work force. Women retire according to the different jobs they have. If a woman is a leader, she can retire at age 64- 65. If she is a worker, she can retire at 50 or 55. Next year, I will retire. I'll be 60 next year. "As far as maternity leave goes, a woman can work most of her pregnancy, but she has to pay attention to her health. She does not do heavy work. When she is seven or eight months pregnant, she can stay at home. After she has the baby, she can rest 105 days if she lives in the countryside. If she lives in the city, she can rest for 150 days." In chorus, we all asked: "Why?" She looked at us and said, "I don't know. They, themselves, the women in the cities, set that policy." "What about the involvement of women in politics?" asked Sue Ying, an artist from Chicago. "I'm not sure for the whole country. But I can say for our city, in northeastern China, 23 percent of the members of the Congress are women." Ethel Long-Scott, the director of the Women's Economic Agenda Project in Oakland, California, asked Zhi our last question: "What do Chinese women expect to accomplish from the NGO Forum?" Zhi replied: "We want to use it to search for peace, development and equality. We prepared a lot for this conference. The fact that the NGO Forum was held in Beijing is very good. It has already been successful because we have met women from all over the world, women who have come to discuss many problems. We want to develop friendship with you." With that gracious ending, we all hugged, exchanged addresses and took turns taking pictures of each other. Without exaggeration, I can say that this was one of the highlights of my trip. And I would venture to say that the other women there felt the same way. [Laura Garcia is the editor of the People's Tribune.] ****************************************************************** 10. NGO FORUM IN CHINA SHOWS: WOMEN ARE KEY TO THE FIGHT FOR A JUST WORLD By Sue Ying The NGO (Non-governmental Organizations) Forum on Women held in Huariou, China in September was extremely significant. There, some 40-50,000 women met. This was eight times the number of participants who attended the First U.N. Women's Conference 20 years ago. The NGO Forum represented thousands of non-governmental organizations of women coming together to resolve their unequal position. The meeting confirmed that women are key in the social and political struggle and that because of their bottom-of-the-ladder social and economic position, they are more politically progressive than men. Their participation and leadership are essential for social change. Whether as workers, homeless people, jobless people, or consumers of health care and education, women face double and triple burdens of exploitation and oppression. All preceding class societies have been patriarchal, as is the capitalist society that we now live in. (For instance, the U.S. Constitution does not provide for women's equality under the law.) The U.N Development Report, the year's most comprehensive global report card, points out: Men receive the lion's share of income and recognition for their economic contributions -- while most of women's work remains unpaid, unrecognized, and undervalued. Most of the world's poorest people are female and the number is growing. (Seventy percent of the world's poor -- an estimated 1.2 billion to 1.3 billion people -- are women.) Mahbub ul Haq, a special adviser to the U.N. Development Program, said, "The most telling finding of the report is that women's unpaid work, if valued at market prices, would amount to $11 trillion. This is an unwitting conspiracy on a global scale to undervalue women's work. If women's work was accurately reflected in national statistics, it would shatter the myth that men are the main breadwinners of the world." * Most of the world's illiterates are female and their number is growing. (Two-thirds of the world's 1 billion illiterate adults are women.) * Women's health remains disproportionately at risk. * Three-quarters of women's burden of ill health can be attributed to pregnancy and women are still the silent victims of violence within the home -- and outside of it. * From 85 million to 115 million girls and women have undergone genital mutilation and suffer from its adverse health effects. The Fourth U.N. Women's Conference and the NGO Forum on Women set the conditions for change with the theme of "Equality, Development and Peace." Let's take the banner forward for the fulfillment of the reality! [Sue Ying, an artist who lives in Chicago, was a delegate to the NGO Forum on Women in China.] ****************************************************************** 11. FROM THE CAMPUSES: MIT CONFERENCE TO FIGHT FOR CHANGE BOSTON -- This column reports on the battle of ideas that is emerging on college and university campuses everywhere. We believe that this battle is part of the revolutionary response to the societal crisis, one that can only be resolved by building a cooperative society free from poverty, homelessness and backbreaking labor, where learning is a central, joyful part of life. Professors Abdul Alkalimat of Northeastern University and Jonathan King of MIT are among the organizers of a conference, "Processes of Change: In Nature, Technology and Society," scheduled for November 10 to 12 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The People's Tribune recently interviewed them. PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE: What is happening to higher education in this country? ABDUL ALKALIMAT: Higher education in the United States is being undermined. If the present trends continue, fewer and fewer young people will have access to any kind of advanced education as we enter the 21st century. Newt Gingrich and his corporate backers are working overtime to cut student loans, funds for laboratories and libraries, teaching and research assistants and continuing education. Right-wing state governors and legislators are following suit, cutting support for state and community colleges. All this is happening at the same time that politicians and policymakers are loudly proclaiming the need for greater numbers of highly educated workers. A century ago, it was radical to propose that all children should have the opportunity to attend and graduate from high school. Though blacks, Hispanics and low-income whites still have a tough fight to achieve this, we are at the stage of human history where every member of society needs access to a higher and continuing education, a level of education that will let them share fully in the world's knowledge, and develop their own skills and talents. PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE: Then why are the cutbacks occurring now? JONATHAN KING: The answer lies in the changing needs of the corporations. The application of computers, robotics and biotechnology to production has sharply increased manufacturing and service sector productivity, systematically reducing the number of workers needed -- so-called downsizing. With only a small number of highly trained workers needed to run factories and offices, corporations are no longer interested in educating the majority of people. And despite what Secretary of Labor [Robert] Reich may claim, there is no shortage of highly trained workers in our country, compared to the number of jobs actually available for them. For example, the level of unemployment among electronic engineers is the highest in 50 years. One hundred years ago, leaders of the machine tool industry in Massachusetts supported the social reformers pushing for public education -- including such subjects as trigonometry. They needed skilled workers who could read blueprints and set up a drill press. Similarly, after World War II, the High Technology Council in Massachusetts supported the expansion of higher education in the state, to ensure an adequate supply of computer scientists for their expanding industry. Now that these technologies have been applied to production, the need for a growing number of people with an advanced education has disappeared. Supporting higher education through taxes becomes a prohibitive cost of production. In a globalized economy, the competition in Malaysia does not provide general education. The conditions that colonial policies and transnational corporations have long maintained abroad are now being brought home and the ruling class, acting through its representatives nationally and locally, is actively trying to reduce access to education. The High Technology Council in Massachusetts now advocates cutting the education budget. PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE: Do the new technologies open up new possibilities? JONATHAN KING: From the beginning of the electronics revolution, it has been clear that these technologies opened new horizons for education -- the absolute expansion of knowledge. An individual with access to the Internet can access most of the world's bodies of knowledge with a click of a button. It's also clear that a person's ability to reap these benefits requires access to them and a knowledge of how to use them -- in other words, more education. Both those things have to be fought for. We no longer need physical access to a large university library in order to obtain particular forms of information. Increasingly, this information is becoming electronically available through the Internet. Unfortunately, the technology is being implemented as a way to lay off thousands of teachers, researchers, teaching assistants, librarians and others. This is very different from using it to expand education and enhance the teaching/learning experience of professors and students. PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE: What role are students playing in the fight for higher education? ABDUL ALKALIMAT: Students have always played leading roles in periods of social change. They are less tied to old ideas, and more interested in the future. Their battle for education is a battle for survival. The CUNY students in New York, the UC students in California, have been in the leadership of resisting the cutbacks in higher education. The recent Anti-Columbus Day rallies initiated by the California student group in response to Proposition 187 is an important continuation of these efforts. The students gathering at MIT will be trying to figure out how to link their struggles on the campus with the struggles for survival in the community. They know that the prison cells being built all across this country are a danger to all young people. PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE: Where does the Processes of Change Conference fit into this? We notice that it honors Mel King, who was an elected official for many years. ABDUL ALKALIMAT: The first step in getting people together to defend education is the recognition of what is happening in the world today. Technology has changed, the economy has changed and our response to it has to change. This conference is one effort to bring people from different campuses and scholarly backgrounds -- both teachers and students -- to summarize the changes taking place. If we can get some clarity and some agreement, we can begin to discuss where to go next. JONATHAN KING: Mel King was first elected to office in Massachusetts in the battle over access to education by black youth in Boston. He has continued to fight for expanding access to education in the ensuing decades. The struggle to expand education to all can't be won in the classrooms alone, though some of the tools will be new textbooks, new curricula, new journals that face the future. It will need to be fought out in the political arena at a new level, and we hope this conference will begin to map a strategy for that emerging struggle. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ABOUT THE CONFERENCE By Jonathan King BOSTON -- The MIT conference is intended as a gathering of concerned people seriously trying to understand the nature of the changes under way in the world around us, and hoping to tackle collectively the problems we face through critical analysis, shared information and cooperative action. Conference sessions include: * The revolution in telecommunications * Technological transformation and the future of work * Higher education under siege * Higher education for all * Technology for democracy * Resisting the attack on affirmative action * The end of want * Visions of a sustainable future. A student summit organized by Students Together Ending Poverty will take place in conjunction with the conference. For more information, contact MIT Conference Services, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307, or Jonathan King, 68-330, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139. E- mail: jaking@mit.edu or telephone 617-253-4700. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ****************************************************************** 12. NEW BOOK BRINGS SOFTWARE DESIGNERS AND HOMELESS ACTIVISTS TOGETHER TO DISCUSS A FUTURE FOR ALL OF US Job-Tech: The Technological Revolution and Its Impact on Society, Proceedings of the March 1995 Midwest Conference on Technology, Employment and Community, Abdul Alkalimat, Douglas Gills and Kate Williams, eds. (Chicago: Twenty-First Century Books, $17.95) CHICAGO -- If you've got a home computer and an Internet hookup, you're already "wired." But what does high tech have to do with the rest of us? In a new book, software developers and biotechnologists, Latino organizers and black scholars, trade union members and police brutality fighters lay it out. "Job-Tech" examines today's jobs crisis and political confusion to show that society is in the midst of a technological revolution and because of that we have an opportunity to determine whether our children will live in a sci-fi nightmare or a world of plenty. Can we seize that opportunity? The editors of the book, who helped organize a conference the book is based upon, have this to say: "The American Dream, a vision based on past realities, is no longer sustaining us. The development of a vision that represents and comes from the majority of people, working and poor people, is one of the most difficult and yet precious historical moments. "We saw at the Midwest job-tech conference that presenting the facts and the issues of technology, employment and community is a terrific starting point for people to envision their future and come together around practical proposals." In the book, autoworker Claire McClinton of Flint, Michigan, describes how it's "good to get out of the fumes, but is the guy who stands at the mall with a sign reading 'Laid-off GM worker, will work for food' " one of the ex-welders replaced by robots? "We must declare that prosperity be ours," she concludes. People's Tribune and Tribuno del Pueblo readers will appreciate hearing familiar voices in this book -- Dino Lewis, Nelson Peery, Lourdes Silva, General Baker and others -- in discussion with Jeremy Rifkin (author, The End of Work), Dan Lane (a striking Staley worker now on hunger strike in Decatur, Illinois), biologist Jonathan King and many more. The book includes a course outline and "how-tos" on planning job- tech conferences. The editors are also using the Internet (e-mail tcbchgo@aol.com) to help support continuing community and campus education and debate. ****************************************************************** 13. 1995 APHA CONVENTION: WHAT HEALTH WORKERS CAN DO TO END THE HEALTH CARE CRISIS By Salvador Sandoval, M.D. Historically the American Public Health Association has taken a forthright stance in promoting the nation's health, having endorsed universal health care for all, and promoting the health care of the underserved, amongst many other achievements. This year's APHA Convention however, comes at a time of great change and danger. At this time the nation, including in particular the state of California, faces some of the most severe cuts in social services ever proposed, drastic restructuring of the health care system, and massive layoffs of health care providers. These proposed changes occur in the context of Presidential election campaigning and posturing. For example, when faced with the draconian Medicare and Medicaid cuts proposed by the Republican dominated Congress, some say that in comparison President Clinton's ill-fated proposal from last year wasn't so bad after all. However, it pays at such a time as this convention to step back and look at the big picture. This helps to place the situation that we face in the proper context in order to plan appropriate action. Electronics and computer technology have revolutionized production to such a degree that many talk of workerless factories. We face the contradiction of increased productivity and profits at the cost of layoffs and growing unemployment in the industrial sector. Although there is talk of re-inventing government and keeping government out of private lives, there is a shift of public monies to private hands, particularly defense contracts, prisons and corrections -- $104 billion given to businesses. There is a proposed $350 billion tax cut, of which 50 percent will benefit the 12 percent of the population which makes more than $100,000 per year, while only 16 percent will go to those that make less than $50,000. There is a growing polarization between the rich and the rapidly growing poor sections of society. Conscious decisions are being made to weaken the safety net, in order to free up capital for reinvestment. As a consequence, education, health care, programs for jobs, food and housing, etc., are suffering. Since a healthy and educated workforce is no longer needed in order to insure profitability, these programs are being sacrificed. In order to cloud the true picture, divisions are fostered such as the anti-immigrant Proposition 187 and the affirmative action attacks to keep people divided and confused. Repressive, measures such as three-strikes laws, greater police powers, more prisons, etc., become the stick to enforce, whereas the carrot is drying up. It is in this context that we need to view the changes going on in health care today. The Los Angeles County situation is a case in point. LA County-USC Medical Center, the nation's busiest county hospital, had been asked to slash outpatient services by 90 percent. This would affect 800,000 patient visits per year. Some 6,700 pink slips were to be handed out on October 1. Slated for eventual closure would be four hospitals, including Harbor UCLA, Olive View, Rancho Los Amigos and High Desert Hospital (serving autistic and cerebral palsy children). Sara Rosenbaum, co-director of the Center for health Policy Research at George Washington University stated: "What's extremely worrisome about Los Angeles is that the [poor] health status indicators we see there are those connected to communicable diseases ... which means if you wanted to expose the entire county to public health danger, there's no more surefire way to do that than by shutting down the ambulatory systems." The medically underserved would be hurt the most. Los Angeles County has the largest number of medically indigent of any county in the United States, approximately 5 percent of the nation's total of medically underserved. Although county supervisors, among others, claim that the private sector would absorb those shut off from the county system, this is highly doubtful. Michael Cousineau, Ph.D., of the UCLA Center for Health Policy, states, "Patients with Medicaid will probably do OK [with privatization], but the larger number of folks served by the county who don't have coverage of any kind will have a much more difficult time getting care." Private hospitals expect to be inundated by the uninsured. Undisclosed sources claim that staff at a local private hospital have been getting inservice training on what to do in case of riots. One has to ask, why these drastic measures? Certainly the recession that has assailed California has had a major impact on the Los Angeles area. Job losses have dropped property values and there has been an erosion of the tax base. Added to this has been the shifting of over $1 billion to the state capital at Sacramento by state officials. If it can be done in Los Angeles, it can be done anywhere in California. If it can be done in California, it can be done anywhere in the country. This is the significance of the health care crisis today. The American people are being conditioned to accept a deteriorating standard of living. Major restructuring of the health care industry preserves only what is still profitable. This is what privatization and managed care really mean. The rest is written off as expendable to diseases, prisons, margination. And Los Angeles is opening up a view of what else becomes expendable -- those that care for expendable people. This is what is new and has to be grasped. The recent bailout of Los Angeles by President Clinton will likely help his re-election chances more than it will help LA County. "Under even the most optimistic scenario, an infusion of federal dollars couldn't be stretched far enough to prevent some outpatient closures," according to county health officials. In the long run, those with the most to lose are the only ones that can be counted on to "do the right thing." These are the victims of the downsized health care system themselves. And currently no one is really speaking for them, or allowing them to speak. Health care workers of the American Public Health Association need to join efforts with health care workers currently facing layoffs. However, they need to also work shoulder to shoulder with the patients that are being denied and limited in getting health care. This is the significance of the new time. ****************************************************************** 14. INMATE HITS CORRUPTION: 'TAXPAYERS ARE PUNISHED, TOO' By Dave Profitt [Editor's note: Below we print excerpts from a statement we received from a prisoner.] MENARD, Illinois -- Regardless of the publicized claims of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), the unspoken departmental policy is to encourage the return of inmates to prison. The reasons for this attitude include the bureaucratic mentality that equates huge budgets with political clout, the need for a sense of job security among departmental employees and the continuing use of penal system jobs and contracts as political patronage prizes. A repeat offender is job security for IDOC employees, and especially among those employees whose job it is to "rehabilitate" (an inappropriate word; it implies returning to a previous state and not a change for the better) there is a theoretical understanding that a job well done results in the loss of that job! Correctional counselors spend more time currying favor than counseling. These people know who signs their paycheck and don't fight the system for the inmates they are ostensibly paid to represent. Their unwritten purpose is to dissuade inmates from invoking their rights. Counselors and teachers, along with security and administration staff, routinely find inmates guilty in the absence of any evidence on a conduct violation report, also known as "CDR." Penal system jobs have always been ripe plums for political patronage positions. In the past 10 years the inmate population in Illinois has more than doubled. In the same period of time, Gov. Jim Edgar's prison building program has tripled. At a cost of $50 million apiece, in addition to an annual operating budget of $20 million per institution, is it a surprise to any of us to discover that the construction firms and suppliers winning these contracts are major contributors to the Republican Party campaign fund? Hello?! Or that these prisons, filled predominantly by inmates from Chicago and its environs, are built in downstate Republican counties that are hurting economically but can guarantee solid voting blocs at election time? Are we shocked when we learn that these new prisons are extensively staffed with loyal Republicans? We find entire families and extended families employed by the IDOC. Although "rehabilitation" is still mentioned in the media and criminology dialogues, almost no one in the department takes it seriously. It's a shame that politics, incompetence and corruption work together to punish the taxpayer as well as the criminal element. ****************************************************************** 15. IT'S TIME TO SPEAK OUT -- AND MONEY TALKS By the National Office of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America Despite all the hullabaloo about an economic recovery, new statistics show that the richest section of the population continues to increase its wealth while the vast majority of people slip backward in terms of real wages and income. Anyone who will listen can hear the sounds of discontent rising across the country. With production up, employment down and wages falling, it is clear that we are already in an economic and social crisis -- and slipping deeper into it. Politics is also moving toward a crisis. As the 1996 election nears, Clinton and the Republicans cannot help but pull the covers off of each other. This mutual political exposure is bound to draw the masses into a level of activity we haven't seen in decades. The ruling class is aware of the dangers. America's rulers are attempting to paper over the polarization of wealth and poverty. They are trying to unite the white majority by using the age-old tactic of attacking the African American as the "outsider." The media is using the verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial to virtually call for a race war. Today, one of every three black males in his twenties is under some kind of control by the courts -- in jail, on probation or on parole. The economic revolution is attacking every sector of life. This is the first stage of a revolution that will end with the reconstruction of our society. Our answer to history's call to prepare for that inevitable social revolution was to form the League of Revolutionaries for a New America. We are now completing the difficult qualitative changes required to stabilize the League. We currently have most of the prerequisites of an organization of revolutionaries: We have our own theoretical understanding. We have a correct political line. We have an expanding core of cadre. We have an effective and correct press. Despite our small size, we are perhaps the most influential revolutionary organization on the Left. We have a right to be proud of these accomplishments, but this is no time to rest on our laurels. In revolutionary work, as in life, the closer one gets to a goal, the more difficult the task becomes. We are now facing the last two hurdles: stabilizing the League ideologically and financially. These two tasks are intertwined. They cannot be approached separately. If we do not incorporate their successful completion into the foundation of the League, all else will be lost. By "ideology," we mean a commitment to the aspirations, the ideals and the historic mission of the new class being formed by the electronic revolution in production. This ideological conviction can only be expressed as a commitment to the League since we collectively built this organization to carry out an indispensable role in the fight to secure the goals of this new class. The word "revolutionary" is a proud and time-honored title. In our country's past, the revolutionaries -- the Tom Paines, the John Browns, the Harriet Tubmans and the Joe Hills -- were distinguished by their singleness of purpose. Once they understood the demands of history, they stepped forward to offer everything, often giving their all to guarantee the success of the fight. During the last 50 years, imperialist bribery has eroded the steadfastness and singleness of purpose that should characterize revolutionaries. In times of great mass struggle, almost anyone is capable of heroic but short-lived activity. The mark of a real revolutionary is the ability to maintain commitment even when the masses are passive. The "good times" are coming to an end. We are not facing a second edition of the militant but acceptable reform struggles of the '60s. This time the battle is for real -- and for keeps. We must hook into the ideological outlook of those countless numbers of American revolutionaries whose sacrifices stayed the hand of slavery, fascism and reaction and created the possibility of our victory. We must incorporate this outlook into the League. Commitment and money are inseparable. Thanks to major, continuous contributions from a few conscious comrades, we secured the minimum physical requirements necessary to create the League. Today, our rapid expansion has totally outrun our financial base. We must either raise the money necessary to sustain this organization or go out of business. This is not a financial problem. It is a revolutionary problem, a question of our commitment and seriousness. The struggles to create our theory, organization and politics were more difficult than this one. We approached those fights in a revolutionary manner and won them. We approach this fight with the same militancy and determination. We dare not retreat. We must sustain and expand our press. We must secure the funds necessary for League representatives to travel to the various areas where the League has chapters and strengthen our infrastructure. An organization trains itself to overcome the difficulties of tomorrow by overcoming the difficulties of today. To paraphrase that great revolutionary Tom Paine, if ever there was a need for winter soldiers and for Chicago blizzard patriots, it is now! We have come this far by demanding little more from people than the contribution of time. From now on, the revolutionary calling, the tree of liberty, will demand more -- much more. Now is the time for all of us to express our commitment to the struggle concretely -- by becoming conscious of the central, revolutionary role of money. Every meeting must set aside some time to discuss what the ruling class is doing and, consequently, what the League must do. Then there must be a discussion of how we get the wherewithal to do it. Every meeting must be a fund raiser. Every League chapter must hold regular socials to draw our contacts closer and to raise money. Forums and discussion circles must be held regularly to recruit and raise money. An appeal for donations must accompany the distribution of the People's Tribune and the Tribuno del Pueblo. There is plenty of money available from the people we work with. They understand that nothing is possible without money and expect to contribute it. Let's move forward to complete the formation of the League. The task is urgent. The time is short. ****************************************************************** 16. 'RACE RELATIONS': PEOPLE WANT UNITY AND JUSTICE DESPITE MEDIA LIES >From the editors All across America, it seems, people are talking about "race relations." The O.J. Simpson trial and verdict have brought the issue to the fore. The media have bombarded us with poll results, telling us that a majority of people of all colors and nationalities believe the Simpson verdict "has hurt race relations." The purpose of all this media propaganda should be clear: To divide the people of this country along lines of color and nationality in a time of crisis, by attacking the African American population. The little class of millionaires and billionaires that owns this country is in trouble. They can't provide a job for everyone who needs one, and they can't pay a living wage to a huge mass of those who are working. There is plenty of government money to subsidize their businesses and line their pockets, but not enough, it seems, to feed destitute women and children, or provide us with health care, or end the national shame of homelessness. The crisis is polarizing society, with the billionaires on one side and the utterly destitute -- black and white -- on the other. Most of us are still somewhere in between, but the great majority of us face the threat of unemployment, poverty and homelessness, no matter our color. The people are getting angry and organized, and the ruling class knows it. That's why the billionaires are working so hard -- through the media and the other means at their disposal -- to divide America along the color line and create a "herd mentality" where everyone lines up with those of their own color or nationality. The growing anger and organization of the people is a threat to the very system that gives the billionaires their power and privilege. That's why the ruling class is desperate to divide us. And the herd mentality they're creating can only lead to one thing: a fascist dictatorship of the billionaires. Because the economic crisis crosses the color line, people are beginning to unite across that line, on the basis of their common humanity and economic interests. We must do everything we can to nurture these seeds of unity, by educating the people as to who their real enemies are. This fighting unity of the people will be the basis of a new society where there is truly "liberty and justice for all." ****************************************************************** 17. ABOUT THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE, published every two weeks in Chicago, is devoted to the proposition that an economic system which can't or won't feed, clothe and house its people ought to be and will be changed. To that end, this paper is a tribune of the people. It is the voice of the millions struggling for survival. It strives to educate politically those millions on the basis of their own experience. It is a tribune to bring them together, to create a vision of a better world, and a strategy to achieve it. Join us! Editor: Laura Garcia Publisher: League of Revolutionaries for a New America, P.O. Box 477113, Chicago, IL 60647 (312) 486-0028 ISSN# 1081-4787 For free electronic subscription, email: pt.dist-request@noc.org To help support the production and distribution of the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE, please send donations, letters, articles, photos, graphics and requests for information, subscriptions and requests for bundles of papers to: PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE P.O. Box 3524 Chicago, IL 60654 pt@noc.org Reach us by phone: Chicago: (312) 486-3551 Atlanta: (404) 242-2380 Baltimore: (410) 467-4769 Detroit: (313) 839-7600 Los Angeles: (310) 428-2618 Washington, D.C.: (202) 529-6250 Oakland, CA: (510) 464-4554 GETTING THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE IN PRINT The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE is available at many locations nationwide. One year subscriptions $25 ($50 institutions), bulk orders of 10 or more 15 cents each, single copies 25 cents. Contact PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE, P. O. Box 3524, Chicago, Illinois 60654, tel. (312) 486- 3551. WRITING FOR THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE We want your story in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE. Send it in! Articles should be shorter than 300 words, written to be easily understood, and signed. (Use a pen name if you prefer.) Include a phone number for questions. Contact PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE, P. O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654, tel. (312) 486-3551. ****************************************************************** We encourage reproduction and use of all articles except those copyrighted. Please credit the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE depends on donations from its readers -- your generosity is appreciated. For free electronic subscription, email: pt.dist- request@noc.org ******************************************************************