****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.mcs.com/~league ****************************************************************** +----------------------------------------------------------------+ The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.mcs.com/~league +----------------------------------------------------------------+ PAGE ONE: 1999: GOOD MORNING, REVOLUTION It's a new year, and as we review the state of things, a passage in Langston Hughes' poem "Good Morning Revolution" comes to mind: Good Morning Revolution, you're the very best friend I've ever had. Yes, the American people are certainly in dire need of very best friends. Particularly, as we look at the ruling class's moral conduct in 1998. The ideological right demanded in a frenzied pitch the impeachment of Bill Clinton for lying about his indiscretions with Monica Lewinsky. To make matters worse, Clinton, in an effort to save himself, ordered our sons and daughters to strike swiftly and mortally against the women and children of Iraq. For four days in December, U.S. missiles pounded Iraq, supposedly to teach President Saddam Hussein a lesson. Yet, Hussein remains untouched as the people of Iraq bury their dead. What's ironic is that Mr. Clinton ordered the air strike against Iraq while he was flying back from the Middle East where he went to promote "peace." This immoral conduct of our rulers reflects their economic interests. Today, we're witnessing the unraveling of the economic, moral and political fabric of America. This began with the process of consolidation of wealth on a global scale. This accumulation of wealth, for example, has produced an oil baron's dynasty; the merger of Exxon and Mobil is the largest merger in history. This consolidation of wealth is incompatible with democracy. The result: a fascistic world order. The world is in transition from a morality and a political order that once fitted democracy to one that best fits the new global economic interests -- fascism. The owners of the accumulated wealth in the world are prepared to attack civil liberties worldwide. National boundaries can't hold them back; they owe allegiance to no flag. We, the people, are the only ones that can stop their onslaught on humanity, but we have to be clear on our vision and purpose. What is it going to be? Our rulers' vision of the world, which will lead to destitution and poverty for the majority of humanity? Or do we need to break with our rulers and their morality and fight for our own vision of a peaceful and orderly world? Yes, the American people are in need of very best friends. Friends who will stand on the side of revolution. New revolutionaries -- visionaries -- who will sound the alarm as to the impending catastrophe. Revolutionaries need to gather their forces, multiply their numbers, and go among the people to teach them not to be pawns in our rulers' chess game. So 1999, Good Morning Revolution, you're the very best friend I've ever had. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ INDEX to the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 Editorial 1. MEGAMERGERS AND THE THREAT OF A GLOBAL POLICE STATE News and Features 2. WHY IS THE FAMILY BEING DESTROYED? 3. LABOR PARTY'S GROWTH KEY TO FIGHT FOR A NEW AMERICA 4. VOICES FROM THE LABOR PARTY'S FIRST CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION 5. STRUGGLE FOR ECONOMIC HUMAN RIGHTS, POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE CONTINUES 6. HOW THE GOVERNMENT WILL RESPOND TO OUR DISCONTENT 7. GUEST-WORKER PLAN FOR FARM LABOR TO BE RE-INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS 8. "180" -- A NEW STUDENT MOVEMENT TO TURN THINGS AROUND Spirit of the Revolution 9. HOW TO APPEAL TO HIGHER PRINCIPLES? American Lockdown 10. LIBERATION RADIO BROADCASTER SENTENCED; SUPPORTERS VOW TO FIGHT ON Announcements, Events, etc. 11. SPEAKERS FOR A NEW AMERICA: AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH SPEAKING TOUR, 1999; PLUS LEAGUE PRODUCES MONTHLY RADIO PROGRAM! [To subscribe to the online edition, send a message to pt- dist@noc.org with "Subscribe" in the subject line.] ****************************************************************** We encourage reproduction and use of all articles except those copyrighted. Please credit the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers -- your generosity is appreciated. For free electronic subscription, send a message to pt-dist@noc.org with "Subscribe" in the subject line. For electronic subscription problems, e-mail pt-admin@noc.org. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 01-99 Edit: Megamergers and global police state ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.mcs.com/~league ****************************************************************** 1. EDITORIAL: MEGAMERGERS AND THE THREAT OF A GLOBAL POLICE STATE There are giants beginning to stalk the earth and they threaten to crush humanity beneath their feet. They are the gigantic supranational corporations that are being created by the megamergers that we hear announced almost daily. What are the political implications? And what can we do about it? Huge companies whose interests span the globe are being created by these blockbuster deals in banking, finance, manufacturing and telecommunications. It turns out that 1998 was a record year for mergers and acquisitions, with more than $1 trillion worth of such deals announced in the United States alone. The acquisitions of Citicorp by Travelers Group, of Amoco by British Petroleum, and of Chrysler by Daimler Benz are among the most recent examples. These megacompanies see the world as their oyster; they have no loyalty to any country or to any particular group of workers, and they are more powerful than the governments of most countries. They want to be able to move about the world at will, shifting investment wherever it is most profitable. The appearance on the world scene of these giant companies is one more manifestation of the consolidation of capital, of wealth, in the hands of a few at the top of society. The reflection of this at the bottom of society, meanwhile, is rapidly growing poverty and misery. To see all the implications of this polarity of wealth, we have to put these developments in the context of a growing worldwide economic crisis and the political crisis that will necessarily result. The "Asian crisis" continues to spread and it is only a matter of time before humanity is engulfed in a worldwide depression. Every day we read about more layoffs in Europe, in the United States and elsewhere. Already, there are food riots and street fighting in places like Indonesia. As full-blown economic crisis hits the major pillars of the global economy -- Japan, the United States and Europe -- and these regions become increasingly unstable, the capitalist system itself will be threatened. People will demand their right to the necessities of life, and this is a right that capitalism cannot guarantee. The megacorporations will necessarily pressure the governments of the world to crack down in order to preserve the existing system. Out of the coming global crisis will come an effort to impose a global fascism. This drive toward fascism is rooted in the needs of the megacompanies. This global police state probably won't take the same form as the fascism of the 1930s, but it will be just as real. Those who understand the danger must rally people against this tidal wave of tyranny that threatens to overwhelm us. People are resisting. This fight takes many forms, including organizing cross-border trade unions and various other forms of resistance to globalization. But the process of creating these megacorporations is a historical one; the global economy is upon us and the corporate giants have to grow larger and larger in order to compete. How can these global giants be successfully resisted when they can easily move jobs and capital from one area of the world to another and when the governments of the world do their bidding? In the end, we will either have to submit to the dictates of the corporations (meaning we'll become less free and more poor) or we are going to have to take them over and run them ourselves, in society's interest. The choice is ours. One thing that is needed immediately is an organization of revolutionaries, dedicated to the purpose of arousing and awakening the people to the danger that confronts them. The League of Revolutionaries for a New America, publisher of the People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo, is dedicated to this purpose. We call on all those who understand the necessity of educating people about the nature of the struggle that confronts them to join the League. ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.mcs.com/~league Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 01-99 Why is the family being destroyed? ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.mcs.com/~league ****************************************************************** 2. WHY IS THE FAMILY BEING DESTROYED? By Steve Miller The destruction of the family includes: the ever-increasing number of single-parent families; the vicious pace of a life to make ends meet; alienated youth, runaways and anti-social behavior (not to mention the terrible crimes against youth); and skyrocketing child-care costs. Now, electronics guru Don Tapscott has finally let the cat out of the bag. In discussing the electronics-based post-industrial society that is busily reorganizing every facet of global life, Tapscott states that the "worker [human molecule] functions as a business unit of one" ("The Digital Economy," page 53). He reports that corporate visionaries consider this a true revelation. Tapscott recognizes that, with electronics, human productivity is vastly greater than ever before in human history. The frightening question lurking behind his comments: What is the minimum size of the family when the economic production unit is one? Families, like every other institution of society, change when the technology changes. In the early 20th century, experts noted that most Americans lived in extended families and on farms. The extended family was the essential production unit in an agriculturally based society that had used pretty much the same technology for a thousand years. Back in those days, a whole family could actually survive and thrive on the father's wages alone. After World War II -- and coinciding with a tremendous leap in industrial production -- the nuclear family evolved. In fact, it was no longer "cost effective" to have all those extra cousins and uncles hanging around. The mass media spread this idea. Early television sitcoms like "Leave It to Beaver" enthusiastically championed this new form of social organization while extended families were ridiculed in shows like "The Beverly Hillbillies." By the 1970s, both parents had to work to sustain most working- class families. The nuclear family was being shattered and the single-parent family was evolving. Partly this was because women finally had real economic independence (since they had to work) and could end abusive relationships. Family has always been the unit of reproduction, and not just of the species through child rearing. Historically, the family has been the unit of reproduction of the laborer as well. Tapscott raises issues that lurk on the dark side of our society. Productivity with electronics is so high that it is reversing the economics of scarcity that most of us think defines the way things must be. It really is true that it is no longer socially necessary to produce a family in order to reproduce labor. But this should liberate society, not lead to the destruction of the family. That this occurs is neither the fault of the family nor of technology. In a capitalist society, what is considered socially necessary is subordinated to private profits. Capitalism values only what it can exploit. It's even completely legal to make a profit by exploiting other people's misery! Productivity is narrowly defined by how it benefits billionaires. What is unproductive has no value. From the point of view of families, there are no unproductive people. What price do you put on a baby's laugh or the gentle wisdom of an elder? Humans need love, families and social relations that match and support our vast potential. Americans recognize this and are not passively witnessing the crumbling of the nuclear family. New impulses toward families are always springing up. Posses, crews and gangs provide the support and love that allow people to develop. Homeless people and welfare moms band together to win a common set of goals. This ain't gonna stop. It does demand, however, a new definition about what is considered socially necessary. The entire world is searching for new social relations that are in synch with our goals: to live comfortably, be well-educated, make contributions, enjoy culture and the people we love. That is what is socially necessary, first and foremost. Electronics is already transforming every institution of our society. How this transformation takes place is up to us. This is the central political battle of our lives. ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.mcs.com/~league Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 01-99 Labor Party's growth key to fight for a new America ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.mcs.com/~league ****************************************************************** 3. LABOR PARTY'S GROWTH KEY TO FIGHT FOR A NEW AMERICA [With its recent First Constitutional Convention, the Labor Party has taken another step forward and further stabilized itself in the political life of the United States, ushering in a new era for politics and new hope.] The Labor Party was founded in June 1996 in Cleveland. At the 1996 convention, the party adopted its program and constitution. Its "Call For Economic Justice" established the Labor Party as a party of the working class -- of both employed and unemployed. At the founding convention, the Labor Party decided not to endorse candidates, choosing instead to pursue education around its program. Many critics said it wouldn't survive. Indeed, it has. The Labor Party convened its First Constitutional Convention in Pittsburgh in November. The convention was attended by close to 1,300 delegates, the majority of which were union members. The convention established an organizational plan. The thrust of this plan is three-fold. First, there is a shift to local organizing committees based in smaller territorial areas than the chapters -- roughly corresponding to precincts or wards. Secondly, four campaigns are to be used as educational work for chapters and committees. Thirdly, a strategy was formulated aimed at setting guidelines for participation in elections. The crucial element of the convention was a continued focus on education and recruitment. The convention was held against the backdrop of a growing worldwide economic crisis threatening the stability of whole nations and of capitalism. There is an escalating frustration with the electoral process and the distortion of political debate in this country. There is a growing spontaneous movement toward political independence that everyone on the political spectrum is trying to take advantage of. This movement is made up of the poor caught in a downward spiral of poverty and destitution, the marginally employed, and the employed that are being faced with downsizing and dramatic cuts in their standard of living. The disenfranchisement of the working class expresses itself in the growing frustration and discontent in America. The far right is one element attempting to impose its morality and reactionary ideology on this movement that has no political voice. At the same time there are populists that seem to represent down home logic who are trying to take advantage of the situation. This is a dangerous situation that can lead various sectors of the population to move against their own interests as a class. The founding and growth of the Labor Party is happening at a crucial moment when the working class desperately needs leadership. The crying need of the times is for a party that will educate the working class -- employed and unemployed -- about its interests as a class, and that will bring in and represent all the organizations of the working class, especially those fighting against the attacks perpetrated by a capitalist class that is trying to maintain a dying system. There are many dangers to the fledgling party from many quarters. There will continue to be attempts at isolation and attack against those leaders that serve as the organizational core of the party. However, the Labor Party has all the elements to survive and succeed. Its continued growth is of the utmost importance to the struggle to build a just and prosperous America for all. ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.mcs.com/~league Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 01-99 Voices from Labor Party Convention ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.mcs.com/~league ****************************************************************** 4. VOICES FROM THE LABOR PARTY'S FIRST CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION [During the Labor Party's First Constitutional Convention, held in Pittsburgh in November, the People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo interviewed several of those attending the convention. Below are excerpts from these interviews.] BALDEMAR VELASQUEZ, farm labor organizer Baldemar Velasquez is director of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC). FLOC is an organization seeking to organize farm workers that has been part of the labor struggle for close to 30 years in this country. They have won major contracts for workers in Ohio and Michigan with companies like Heinz, Campbell's Soup and Dean Foods. Their work also involves organizing across the border into Mexico. PT/TP: We are present at a very important convention of the Labor Party, something that represents a new direction for the workers of this country and the possibility of a new political party. What does the Labor Party mean to FLOC and the immigrant worker? BALDEMAR VELASQUEZ: Well, I see it as an opportunity. It is the first time that I feel a different attitude and politics in this country is being established and that it accepts the immigrant worker and the struggle for the rights of these workers in this country. I hope that the labor movement takes the issue of immigration as an issue of the labor movement itself. PT/TP: How have the workers of FLOC accepted the Labor Party? Are they becoming part of it? BV: I think they are waiting. They are waiting and observing what direction the leadership will take and how they will treat the issues that affect them like immigration, the struggle with the INS and the politics of the borders. We are trying to develop all of these points. I always speak to these issues; [at] every convention when I intervene on their behalf with these issues, we are well received. But everything must be done in writing, in resolutions and become part of the constitution of the Labor Party. All of this will come with time. I am waiting for all of this to develop and the workers are waiting to see how all of this will conclude. The other thing we are all waiting for -- that the whole world awaits -- is to see when we will have the conditions to run candidates. When all the regulations are in place to run candidates, then we will develop a campaign among the farm workers, Mexican workers, to begin to register them to vote. To date, we have never run a campaign to register voters to the only alternatives the current leadership offers, which are the Democrats and Republicans. I don't want to register voters so they [the Democrats and Republicans] can have their vote. We are waiting for the candidates to begin this kind of work. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ JERRY ZERO, Teamsters Local 705, Chicago PT/TP: Give us your thoughts about the convention. JERRY ZERO: The convention is very calm, very orderly, sometimes too orderly -- sometimes I think too orderly for my blood. This convention, this time around, is basically to set the groundwork for the next convention, which I'm certain will involve running some candidates. Even the people that last time were against running candidates and thought we had to go slow, after they saw what happened at the recent election, there are a few places that we could run a candidate and do quite well. PT/TP: What was the most controversial point at this convention? JZ: Basically -- and it's still ongoing if you hear everything that is going to be added to the wording -- it's to make it easier to run candidates. I think running candidates is still the main thing. PT/TP: How can the Labor Party be built in the future? JZ: It has to be organization, organization and organization. Like with the unions you can't stop organizing ... because a certain amount of people leave every year, no matter what, they're going to lose interest. We have to make a much bigger effort to get young people involved. Our local has about 18,000 members, a big, big percentage are in their 20s -- 25, 26. I would like to see them get involved. And it's not easy to attract people that young. If we're going to remain a viable party we have to get young people involved in a bigger scale. PT/TP: Do you think the campaigns that are being proposed -- Just Health Care, the 28th Amendment and others -- can attract new members into your ranks? JZ: I would hope so, particularly if we pass living wage ordinances and health care, among other things, it would help us to get new members. The campaigns are hard to argue with. Who's against a livable wage or Just Health Care? PT/TP: Do you think the founding of the Labor Party was a good thing for this country? JZ: Absolutely. There are several other parties -- if they can ever get together, though I'm not advocating that immediately -- but there are other parties like the New Party, the Green Party and several other parties, who are a little bit to the left of center. If they could ever get together, there's a good chance, like [Ralph] Nader said today, of "a real strong party." +----------------------------------------------------------------+ JAMES TODD, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Fresno, California PT/TP: How did you become involved in the Labor Party? JAMES TODD: It was presented to us [SEIU] at our last executive board meeting, that there was a formation of the Labor Party which I was unaware of; I thought there was no labor party in the United States. We [SEIU members] were asked if we wanted to be in attendance and I decided it would be a good thing to do, basically for the reasons that labor has no real political voice in this country. Recently, in our local we just ratified an amendment to our by-laws to include a political action plan, so politics is on our minds, a lot more than previously. So it [the Labor Party] tied in really well for me with priorities. PT/TP: What did you think of the convention? JT: I thought it was very enlightening. That is kind of a general term, but it was. I learned a lot about not only the Labor Party itself, but the constituents that are going to make the Labor Party up. I had no contact before with trade unions and Labor Party chapters. There are just a lot of different groups. I am just used to service unions because that is basically what we have out there, out west. And so for me the best part was being exposed to the broader labor movement; getting a perspective of what that is and how we can kind of fit that within our area. PT/TP: What are your thoughts on the Just Health Care campaign that was adopted by the convention? JT: It's great. To me it points to the division of work in the Labor Party, the people that make it up and the fact that they are the only party that is really listening to working people. Our international did a very widespread poll in which health care was polled at the highest level of anybody's concern -- above education, above anything else the major parties address. No one [of the two major parties] addresses health care. And the campaign is a decisive issue, especially for us [SEIU], being in a health care union. I think it's an issue that can win elections for us. More importantly than that, the campaign represents the interests of the people, of the country, of the real people. I mean the working people, the majority out there. And they are not being listened to, obviously, because like I said, health care was not addressed. We can address that; we can listen to that. As a result we are going to have people come up for the elections, voting. PT/TP: Any last comments? JT: Yes, to me the Labor Party means a lot of different things to a lot of different people and that is what I found out this weekend. And being here where there are so many different interpretations and directions that people want this party to go into; basically I think the best direction our party can go into is remembering its charter, always keeping in mind that it does represent the people, it has to represent the majority of working people. And if it does that, it is going to be the most relevant party out there. And I think, just like there is so much activity in the labor movement right now, there is much opportunity, so much potential, We have to grab onto that. We have to harness it. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ TIM DOWLIN, Kensington Welfare Rights Union, Philadelphia PT/TP: What are your thoughts about the Labor Party's First Constitutional Convention? TIM DOWLIN: It's been pretty cool. It's been fun. It's been a lot to absorb. I'm sort of new to politics, so -- well, really not new to politics -- but the more and more I learn about politics in general, the less I like them. I think, about the Labor Party in general, I am especially getting a real, inside feel for where it [the Labor Party] is at, where it's going and where it's coming from. It is definitely the right movement to be supporting the people. It's the first party that I have ever seen that's organized by the regular workers -- the workers doing it for themselves. I think that's where any movement that is going to be effective has to come from -- from the people that are affected by the issues. The Democrats and the Republicans do not deal with the issues that we deal with on a day-to-day basis -- living, struggling, trying to earn a livable wage. So they [Democrats and Republicans] have no interest in our issues, because our issues are not their issues. I'd say over 85 percent of Congress are millionaires, so it just does not make sense for them; their own issues are taken care of. I am very impressed with the organizational fashion, just the way that the Labor Party goes about their business -- the Robert's rules and such. They are taking votes as we speak. It's pretty cool. PT/TP: Could you tell me about the March of the Americas? TD: Coming up this October 1999, we [the Kensington Welfare Rights Union] are going to march for 30 days from Washington, D.C., turning our backs on the capital and walking to the United Nations in New York City. This is definitely the largest march we have ever done. This is the continuation of the March for Our Lives, which went from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, our state capital. And then a year later (in 1997) we marched a continuation March For Our Lives, from Philadelphia to the U.N. in New York. This year, 1998, we had the Freedom Bus Tour; we went on a bus around the country, and had sort of minimarches. We marched in every town that we went to and took documentation of economic human rights violations for the United Nations. We ended up at the U.N. with that. We then marched through New York, where we had a big eight-mile march on July 1. So we are sort of building a momentum with our economic human rights campaign, and this is definitely going to be our biggest yet. And the biggest thing about this one, other than being the largest and farthest we have walked: It's the March of the Americas. We are including our brothers and sisters from Canada and our brothers and sisters from Latin America to come and walk with us; presenting their stories to the United Nations as well, and to form the early stages of our international strategy. Because poverty is hitting across all borders, all lines of race and gender and even across all borders in the United States -- urban, rural and suburban poverty exist. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ GALEN TYLER, Kensington Welfare Rights Union, Philadelphia PT/TP: While you were working on the 28th Amendment Campaign for the Labor Party during the KWRU Economic Human Rights Campaign Bus Tour, what was the people's response? GALEN TYLER: When we were on the bus tour, it was a way of engaging peoples -- to introduce them to the Labor Party program and to the idea that a right to a job at a living wage should be guaranteed. People's response to the campaign itself was very accepted. They were quick to sign the petitions that we had on the jobs amendment and they were looking for more information on the Labor Party so that they could pretty much understand the Labor Party and learn as much as possible about the 28th Amendment campaign and see how they can help in the process. We did not have too many oppositions on our way around the 28th Amendment. And I just would like to say, as far as the signatures on the petitions, that's good but people have to follow up. You know what I mean? When you follow up, people are even more interested in more things around the Labor Party and how far the campaign is actually going. PT/TP: Which of the Labor Party campaigns can you relate to the most? GT: I would say the Just Health Care campaign, because right now, myself, I don't have health care. I don't have no type of health care insurance or anything like that right now. And I know that the statistics say there's like 43 million people walking around without health care. And I see that if we have universal health care, we here in the United States, just as well as they have in Canada, there will be a way of people being able to seek a lot more medical attention that they might need, instead of them having to worry about the cost or medical bills or the overcrowded emergency rooms. Because people without, like me, myself, when I have a health problem, I usually go straight to the emergency room, because I do not have any type of insurance. PT/TP: What are your thoughts, overall, of the convention? GT: I think the convention is going pretty well. A lot of issues are being raised that pretty much need to be heard so that people have a full understanding of the Labor Party. Not that any questions or amendments or oppositions to things, to resolutions that have been recommended by the committee, should be ignored. I think that people should be encouraged to speak up on their opinions, so that everybody can get a real clear view on exactly what the Labor Party program is and how this party as a political party stands. ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.mcs.com/~league Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 01-99 Struggle for economic human rights ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.mcs.com/~league ****************************************************************** 5. STRUGGLE FOR ECONOMIC HUMAN RIGHTS, POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE CONTINUES By the Greater Philadelphia Area Office of the LRNA The impeachment process, the defeat of Fast Track legislation concerning free trade and other developments in the political arena indicate the intensification of the struggle within different wings of the capitalist class, represented on the one hand by the ruling globalists and on the other hand by arising nationalists around the U.S. home market. We can expect this struggle will escalate as the worldwide economic contraction continues to play itself out as currently manifested in the Asian, Russian, African and Brazilian crises. Like in other historical periods, each section of the capitalist class will attempt to win political support from the masses of the American people. For example, we can see this in the slogans "unite and fight the right" and "building the third sector global civil society" of the political center and their "new Center Left Consensus," representatives of global capital, as well as in the populist appeals of the political right -- including the Republican right, the militant right, and the religious right -- representatives of nationalistic capital. Thus, this global economic crisis and the formidable political fight emerging out of it were the backdrop for the world's yearlong commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1998. With worldwide attention focused on the issue of human rights, both of the two major sections of the capitalist class moved to define the question of human rights in their own interests. Yet beneath their rhetoric, we should be clear that neither section of capital, both wallowing in extreme wealth, give a damn about the growing economic insecurity and squalid conditions of existence of the majority of humanity in the United States and throughout the world. The economic system which allows the privileged few to benefit from their private ownership of the social means of production is at the root of our problems. Both sections of capital proclaim that their private ownership and control of the means of all of society's existence must be protected as "individual human rights" no matter the resulting toll of growing human misery and death. Thus, only a society organized around our basic economic human rights defined as the rights to food, housing, clothing, education, and health care will resolve our problems. This means all the more we have to fight for the consciousness, political independence, unity and organization of the growing new class of the poor and dispossessed. The struggle for economic human rights being developed out of the newly organizing sections of the poor across this country is a reflection of such an effort. Part of this fight will include defining what economic human rights means in accordance to the program of the growing new class. As the year 1999 plays out, with rising unemployment as a result of increased downsizing and rising numbers of evictions as a result of welfare cuts, this program will be shaped both by the needs of the new class and its fight to secure its basic necessities. Through such struggle, the words economic human rights must come to mean the right to "an existence worthy of human dignity." (Article 23, Universal Declaration of Human Rights) These rights are addressed in articles 23, 25, and 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and can provide an effective means of uniting and organizing the increasingly impoverished and insecure sections of the American population. Such unity and organization will form the basis of a movement that has the strength to define and dictate the values and human rights around which our society should be organized. This is a project to which all serious revolutionaries must lend political assistance. The task of revolutionaries will be to clarify the alignment of forces and to ensure, through the struggle for consciousness, that a program truly independent of the capitalists as a class, whether they be "moderates," "left/progressives" or right-wing, becomes the basis for the unity and organization of a powerful mass movement to attain human happiness and human dignity for everyone. Such a program can only be the program of the new class of the poor and dispossessed. ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.mcs.com/~league Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 01-99 How the government will respond to our discontent ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.mcs.com/~league ****************************************************************** 6. HOW THE GOVERNMENT WILL RESPOND TO OUR DISCONTENT By Sista Shiriki [The writer is co-owner of Kansas City Black Liberation Radio.] As more and more corporations merge and become the largest whatever in the world, millions of people will lose their jobs because of these mergers and many will NEVER find a job comparable to the one they lost. Technology continues to consume more and more jobs such as bank tellers, where ATMs and automated phone lines take their place, and if you need to speak to a hue-mon teller, your account can be charged as much as $3. What the people of this kountry fail to understand is that no man/woman is an island and no man/woman stands alone. What happens in Afrika, Asia, Japan and other kountries will sooner or later affect you. An example is when Asian kountries canceled their contracts with Boeing for airplanes. Boeing in turn had to lay off employees. As the so-called middle klass begin to fall from their comfort zones because of downsizing and outsourcing (use of prison labor), chaos will fill the streets. When this group of working poor turns to the government for some type of assistance -- be it general assistance, AFDC, food stamps or Section 8 vouchers -- they will find very little, if any, assistance. This group NEVER thought they would need this assistance, which is why they voted in favor of welfare reform for the millions across this kountry who may have maxed-out with unemployment or general assistance, can't get food stamps because they don't have an address, or are the mentally ill being released from mental hospitals because of Medicare cuts. What do you think is in store for the people when they become discontent about their conditions and the lack of domestic policy to address their concerns? Let me tell you what your government has planned for our discontent. According to sociologist Pete Kraska, there are 30,000 heavily armed, military-trained police units in the United States. These tactical units are no longer used as emergency-response teams. They are becoming a part of everyday policing. SWAT teams that would have handled a barricaded suspect now conduct routine drug raids. A housing project in California had a first-hand experience with this paramilitary policing. This past October, some 90 law-enforcement officers raided a housing project which they had under surveillance. As you would guess, this project was predominately Black. The police said gang members of the "Knock Out Posse" lived at this housing project. Therefore, they planned and executed a raid on this ENTIRE housing project simply in order "to put fear in the hearts" of this gang? Stop for one minute and think about that statement. If police say there are gang members living in your housing project, apartment complex, trailer park or even on your residential block, does this alone give police the authority to plan and execute a paramilitary raid on your residence? California is not the only state where this has happened. Chicago and New York have experienced this type of terror as well. This past summer, the Marine Corps top brass convened in major cities (first in Chicago) to study the terrain of inner cities in order to learn how to fight urban wars. Are we so deep in the forest that we can't see the trees? Are we so consumed with the illusion of makin' it and gaining material things that we don't care about the perfecting of the police state in this kountry? What is happening and what is going to happen in good old Amerika will make Hilter blush!! The nationwide database for law-abiding persons who purchase a gun is anotha way this government is attemptin' to track who owns how many and what guns. Think about that. Why would the government need a nationwide database for the people who obey the law? The criminals are not going to use this process to purchase their guns, so what is the purpose? Coupling that with the military learning the terrain of the inner cities of this kountry should send everyone's red flag wavin'. Do y'all remember when the military was in Somalia? Their mission was to practice disarming of the citizenry. Are you beginning to see the picture? Wouldn't you say that we are a Populace Under Siege? ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.mcs.com/~league Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 01-99 Guest-worker plan for farm labor ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.mcs.com/~league ****************************************************************** 7. GUEST-WORKER PLAN FOR FARM LABOR TO BE RE-INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS By Sal Sandoval An expanded Guest Worker Proposal for farm labor (H-2C) will be introduced in the 106th Congress, which starts in January 1999. This measure would greatly expand the existing, limited H-2A Guest Worker Program. It will likely resemble legislation introduced in 1998 by Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore. -- legislation that was defeated by the combined efforts of farm workers and their advocates. Depending on the point of view (agribusiness, organized labor and others), this measure would either "make life easier" for farmers by easing real or anticipated labor shortages, or it would profoundly depress wages and worsen working and living conditions for farm laborers and their communities on both sides of the Mexican-U.S. border. A guest-worker program for U.S. farm labor at the end of the 20th century is bound to be very different from the Bracero Program that ended in 1964. With the North American Free Trade Agreement in full force, the 1996 Welfare Reform law and workfare-to-farm labor proposals, the situation is vastly different. The issue merits deeper study. In this first of two articles on the proposed guest-worker program, the "grower point of view" will be presented. Growers argue that with current and anticipated INS crackdowns on undocumented farm labor, they fear labor shortages and crop loss. Growers further state that the increasingly enforced employer- sanctions provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 unfairly penalizes them (though they are not required to prove that the documents submitted to them as proof of eligibility to work are in fact authentic). Thus, they claim they need a ready supply of "legal" workers not otherwise available. Furthermore, with the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch in Central America, even more illegal immigration to the United States is anticipated. Some grower-related think tanks and independents such as Don Villarejo from the California Institute of Rural Studies point out that there is in fact some evidence of a labor shortage with smaller crews this year and vacancies in migrant-center housing. They point out that many of the farm laborers legalized under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker provisions of IRCA have left farm labor, being replaced by very recent immigrants who are more likely to be undocumented -- 40 to 50 percent of them in some samplings. Often these potential workers come with very convincing (false) documents. This points out another consequence of IRCA -- a lucrative black market in false documents and forgery. In one instance, a director in a state department of motor vehicles was implicated in the sale of fraudulent drivers licenses. And cases of INS officials selling green cards have periodically surfaced in the media. Yet in December 1997 the Government Accounting Office stated that there is "no national agricultural labor shortage." Also, a July 1998 report by the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation showed that, in just the 18 major crop-producing counties studied, a quarter million legal U.S. workers were looking for work. And furthermore, in 1998 a USDA Small Farm Commission urged the repeal of the H-2A program (the existing, limited guest-worker program), let alone expanding any such program. So what is the situation? In the next issue, farm workers and their advocates will critique the proposals. And we will delve further into what some call a "slave labor" proposal means in an era of globalization and the end of welfare. ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.mcs.com/~league Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 01-99 "180" -- a new student movement ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.mcs.com/~league ****************************************************************** 8. "180" -- A NEW STUDENT MOVEMENT TO TURN THINGS AROUND Campus Democracy Convention vows to reach out to all youth activists By Richard Ducatenzeiler MADISON, Wisconsin -- After many months of heavy organizing and coordinating, the Campus Democracy Convention took place on November 5-9 on the University of Wisconsin campus here. Students from all regions of the United States and from Canada and Puerto Rico attended the convention, whose purpose was to form a new national student organization and to plan teach-ins on the role of corporations. The convention was a continuation of the Democracy Teach-In which has taken place on college campuses for the last two years. The convention took place not long after a federal court barred the University of Wisconsin from using student fees to fund "ideological" or "political" organizations. The convention recognized the important role that campus groups play in society as a whole and set out to protect student activism by creating a national student organization. After all, "the students have always been the spark to ignite the fire," as one student representing the University of Puerto Rico put it during a convention discussion. For five days, students and teachers took part in workshops dealing with such issues as the role corporations play in education and the importance of student movements throughout history. Students took direct action in the form of caucuses and break-out sessions where the image of a national student organization began to emerge. Jerome Chavez, a Democracy Teach-In Council member from the University of New Mexico, said: "Things have been a little hectic, but the movement is really positive. We've done some really constructive things through our discussion and break-out sessions. We need some type of organization to deal with issues on a national scale. All together, we could be a powerful force." From these sessions, a plan of action began to take form around what became the convention's unifying theme: democracy and education. The plan of the new organization consists of the following: * to coordinate direct actions by the organization itself; * to plan a third wave of Democracy Teach-Ins on March 23-April 6, 1999; * to produce an internal paper or web bulletin; * to hold another Campus Democracy Convention in 1999. The convention felt that it was extremely important to reach out to those youth not represented by four-year universities and those not attending school at all. The name of the new student organization was decided on the convention's final day. The students wanted something both clear and "curious sounding." They came up with "180 Movement for Democracy and Education." Ben Manski, one of the convention's organizers, said the number 180 means "we're going to turn things around." The need for a new student organization is a sign that capitalism is affecting a student's ability to organize in a way that threatens the status quo. Just as millions of youth have already been affected through the criminalization of young people, now we are beginning to see a new group being affected by the disease called capitalism. In many of the revolutions that have taken place throughout the world, it has been the students and youth who have been responsible for leading. What better way to prevent this than by attacking their organizations and movements? Preventing students from forming organizations is not only an attack on students, but on our intelligence and ability to envision a new America. The League of Revolutionaries for a New America welcomes the formation of the 180 Movement for Democracy and Education. We encourage readers of the People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo to participate in the next round of the Democracy Teach-In on March 23-April 6, 1999. For more information about the Democracy Teach-In this spring, or to contact 180 Movement for Democracy and Education, write to 180 Movement for Democracy and Education Clearinghouse, 731 State Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53703, or phone 608-262-9036. ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.mcs.com/~league Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 01-99 Spirit of the Revolution ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.mcs.com/~league ****************************************************************** 9. SPIRIT OF THE REVOLUTION By Sandy Perry The Spirit of the Revolution column recently began circulating a proposed mission statement to various readers and contributors. In this and the upcoming issues, we will be printing some of the responses we have received. If you have something to say about it, please send it to us at: Boxholder, P.O. Box 2166, San Jose, California 95109. E-mail may be sent to: spirit@noc.org +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Reader asks: HOW TO APPEAL TO HIGHER PRINCIPLES? ... By Jonathan B. Krogh Thank you for your mission statement for "Spirit of the Revolution." I commend your work. Just a few personal caveats. There is a tension between affirming every true religion as defending justice; the difficulty is that every true religion also defines justice. How do we appeal to higher principles of justice which transcend religious difference without implying the superiority of one religion over another? We cannot. I would merely suggest we define according to our own lights, suggesting that a "Christian" view of justice is my view which speaks to what I perceive to be injustice found in other systems, e.g. fundamentalism, capitalism, communism, etc. I have an additional concern over aggressive criticism of capitalism, not because I do not feel there are injustices in the system, but, as a Protestant, I affirm the injustice implicit in every human order. We are, after all, constantly in a state of sin. So our job is not to seek perfectibility (I break with those who preach a sanctification model), it is merely to seek better ways, without living under the tyranny of a utopian vision. Finally, I'm not sure to whom you are speaking. The rhetoric would certainly steer those in power away from your message. Is the document intended for the choir? If so, that's a good thing. Certainly the choir needs practice. But we must also develop ways to be heard for the sake of transformation. Jonathan B. Krogh is the former deputy director of Protestants for the Common Good. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ... OFFER HOPE, ENERGY AND INSPIRATION! by Sandy Perry It is undeniable that there is a very real (and sometimes bloody) conflict between peoples of the various religious denominations in the world. However, these conflicts generally violate rather than reflect the spirit of the religions involved. The underlying contradiction is common to all of them. It is between their moral teachings and the corruption of years (and even centuries) of collaboration and compromise with the "powers and principalities" of the world. Americans have seen this happen in Christianity, but it has also taken place in Islam, for example. In "A History of God," Karen Armstrong writes: "The early moral message of the Koran is simple: it is wrong to stockpile wealth and to build a private fortune, and good to share the wealth of society fairly by giving a regular proportion of one's wealth to the poor. Alms giving accompanied by prayer represented two of the five essential 'pillars' or practices of Islam. Like the Hebrew prophets, Muhammad preached an ethic that we might call socialist as a consequence of the worship of the one God." Mahatma Gandhi, a Hindu, always emphasized the essential similarity of the social teachings of the great religions. From "Yeravda Mandir": "I became sufficiently familiar for my purpose with Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Hinduism. ... I read each sacred book in a spirit of reverence, and found the same fundamental morality in each." Gandhi himself fell to an assassin's bullet rather than permit Hindu suppression of Muslims in India. Likewise, "aggressive criticism of capitalism" -- or any unjust social order -- is intrinsic to all the major religions. The Hebrew Bible consistently condemns oppression not only by Pharaoh and by Babylon, but by the Israelite ruling class itself. "Your hands are covered with blood," wrote Isaiah, "wash, make yourselves clean. Take your wrongdoings out of my sight. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow." Injustice may be implicit in every human order, but this does not negate the fact that some social orders are more just than others. Few would deny that wage labor was an advance over slavery. Furthermore, socio-economic systems that are effective under some conditions may become unjust when conditions change. For decades, most Americans believed the capitalist economic system was fair enough. Now, automation, globalization and worldwide instability are causing many to question it. We too should re-examine the market system. Does modern technology allow us to replace it? Is it finally possible to build an economy based on compassion and cooperation instead of naked self-interest? The various religions diverge on the question of original sin. My own Protestant religious tradition -- Quakerism -- argues that if we were unable to become perfect, Jesus would never have directed us to do so. Whatever one may think on the question, it is undeniable that the more extreme concepts of human depravity and selfishness have been used for centuries by tyrants and exploiters to paralyze resistance to their rule. As long as people were hammered with the idea of their unworthiness, and the futility of reorganizing society, they remained despondent and passive. People of faith have a responsibility to do the opposite: offer hope, energy and inspiration. God does not will human suffering. When the innocent are abused, they are not being "tested" by God. It is we who strive for spirituality who are being tested: will we stand by and allow it to happen, or will we intervene? A utopian vision will not help anyone. What is needed is a realistic vision, based equally on high moral principles and on a scientific estimate of what is practically possible. Audience is an important question. Jesus addressed all elements of society, but particularly the poor. If we follow his example, this is not preaching to the choir, because America's poor -- like the majority of Americans -- hold widely divergent and even conservative opinions. If we can unite the American people around a vision of social justice, then no ruling class on earth can withstand the power of the movement that will follow. ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.mcs.com/~league Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 01-99 Liberation Radio broadcaster sentenced; supporters vow to ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.mcs.com/~league ****************************************************************** 10. LIBERATION RADIO BROADCASTER SENTENCED; SUPPORTERS VOW TO FIGHT ON By Chris Mahin In the latest round of a long battle with local and state authorities, Napoleon Williams, the co-founder of Black Liberation Radio in Decatur, Illinois, received probation for two counts of felony eavesdropping late last year. On December 17, Macon County Associate Judge Scott Diamond sentenced Williams to 30 months probation, 120 hours of community service, and a fine of $2,000. The sentence also stipulates that Williams cannot operate Black Liberation Radio. Authorities in central Illinois have waged a relentless campaign against Black Liberation Radio, the micro-power radio station founded in 1990 by Williams and his wife Mildred Jones. Local police and state officials have raided their home several times. An Illinois state agency took custody of the couple's older daughter, Unique Dream, in 1992, and of their younger daughter, Atrue Dream, in 1994. For eight years, Black Liberation Radio has exposed police brutality, official misconduct, and government attacks on the African American community in central Illinois, an area dominated by giant corporations like Archer Daniels Midland, Caterpillar Tractor Co., Firestone, and Staley Manufacturing Co. The station's programming has brought together mostly white workers from the area's major employers with unemployed and low- income people -- both black and white. Williams' eavesdropping conviction stems from an incident in 1996 when he placed a phone call to a worker with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services while broadcasting live. When Williams demanded to know why his children had not been returned to their parents, the social-service worker admitted on the air that the case did not have merit. As a result of this conversation, Williams was indicted. He was charged with violating an extremely dubious Illinois statute against "felony eavesdropping." This law is so overbroad that prosecutors admit that it could even apply to a parent who accidentally records a private conversation while videotaping their child's Little League baseball game. The years of official harassment against Black Liberation Radio have provoked outrage around the country. Williams' attorney, Scott Ealey, told the People's Tribune that he plans to appeal the conviction and challenge the constitutionality of the Illinois eavesdropping statute. Supporters of Black Liberation Radio vow that the station will continue to stay on the air. We urge our readers to speak out against the harassment of Black Liberation Radio. Donations for Black Liberation Radio and messages of support for Napoleon Williams can be sent to: Mildred Jones, 629 E. Center Street, Decatur, Illinois 62526. For more information, call Black Liberation Radio at 217-423-9997. Mildred Jones and other speakers familiar with the issues in this case are available for speaking engagements through the People's Tribune Speakers Bureau. For more information, e-mail the Speakers Bureau at speakers@mcs.com, call 773-486-3551, or visit the web site at http://www.mcs.net/~speakers ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.mcs.com/~league Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 01-99 Speakers For A New America ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.mcs.com/~league ****************************************************************** 11. SPEAKERS FOR A NEW AMERICA AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH SPEAKING TOUR, 1999 Nelson Peery tours California in February and March 1999. "Today, poverty, the equalizer, is breaking racial unity and making class unity possible. The fight for political unity where there is economic equality is the revolutionary, monumental task of 1999." -- Nelson Peery Nelson Peery will be speaking in California on the following dates February 20-21: Inland Empire February 22-27: Los Angeles February 28-March 11: San Francisco; Oakland; Merced; Nevada City Audiotapes of Nelson Peery's speeches are available. Send $5 to the address below. For speaking locations or to book speakers call 773-486-3551. E- mail speakers@noc.org or write to PT/TP, Box 3524, Chicago, Illinois 60654. Women's History Month in March is just around the corner! Call today to book one of our outstanding women speakers. Speakers for a New America travel the country, much like the anti- slavery fighters of yesteryear. They talk about the possibility of building a new, cooperative America and world. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ LEAGUE PRODUCES MONTHLY RADIO PROGRAM! People's Tribune Radio debuts in February 1999. The theme of the first show is African American History. People's Tribune Radio is a new monthly radio program produced by the League's Radio Committee. Each program will provide the League's analysis of current and historical events, news, features and commentaries in a 30-minute format. If this type of radio show is what you'd like to hear, contact your "Community" Radio Station and let them know about People's Tribune Radio. Promotional Packets Available: Call 800-691-6888, 773-486-3551 or email mikdon@oro.net or speakers@noc.org. -- From the League Radio Committee +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 1/ January, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.mcs.com/~league Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ******************************************************************