People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (07-99) Online Edition .TOPIC 07-99 PT Index .TEXT .BODY ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org ****************************************************************** +----------------------------------------------------------------+ The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.lrna.org +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Page One: Let real freedom ring: Will property keep us from life and liberty? It began like a bumper sticker, like a T-shirt slogan, like a headline. "We hold these truths to be self-evident." Copyright pending. What is "freedom" and what is blocking our attainment of it? Put another way, how are the laws protecting and upholding private property standing in the way of our attaining real freedom? Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted by the Congress and officially proclaimed on July 4, 1776. They said that there would be freedom. A big problem was evident. Many Americans were clearly omitted from the "small circle of united interest" drawn by the Declaration: Native Americans, black slaves, and women. Nevertheless, the sentiment embodied in the word "freedom" was sold to the people in order to mobilize certain groups of Americans to the cause of the "small circle." What arose was freedom for a small circle of capitalists to enrich itself. The Declaration states: "That to secure these rights [the rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness], Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government." Freedom is defined here as that "thing" created from the people. It is a genuine yearning to live life to its fullest. Today, a sentiment is building among the people. The people find themselves struggling for freedom from the harsh living conditions that the government perpetuates. Because the laws of private property still organize the relations within society, the majority has no wealth and many have no economic means of survival. "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" are being blocked for more and more Americans throughout the entire continent. The "Form of Government" is becoming destructive "of these ends." That form of rule through the upholding of the laws of private property, capitalism, has run its course. Private property laws can be summed up in two ways: one, maximize your profits by any means necessary; and two, those who cannot work cannot eat. Because the new global economy uses new methods of production, fewer workers are needed. Robotics, in the form of private-property-controlled computer technology, is replacing more and more people. Make no mistake about it. Global capitalism is coming apart at the seams. Increased homelessness, under- and unemployment, as well as the crumbling of our educational institutions, are just symptoms of the more profound problems that are inhibiting our ability to live life to its fullest. A new class of people, those that are striving for freedom from want, is developing. Their actual need is for the wealth produced by society to be distributed according to need and not according to how much money one has in his pocket. Its existence is the embryo of a new society, a communist society. It has been said that the wonders of electronics promise a world in which goods can be produced without labor. It is backward thinking to continue to organize society around the outdated laws of private property. We must declare our freedom from the old ideas and relations of capitalism. Yes, there exists a spirit and promise of that "Declaration of Independence." It reminds us we must be of the opinion that our lives belong to the whole community, not just to the few, for as long as we live. Our mindset should actually be that it is our privilege to do for the community what we can. Today, our role is to emancipate ourselves from the shackles of a system that would see us starve and would allow untold wealth to be concentrated in the hands of a few. Human history has yet to begin. Let real freedom ring. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ INDEX to the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 Editorial 1. WHY WE CALL OURSELVES 'REVOLUTIONARIES FOR A NEW AMERICA' News and Features 2. DO WE SEE THE SOCIAL CHANGE GOING ON BEFORE OUR EYES? 3. STATEMENT BY THE LEAGUE OF REVOLUTIONARIES FOR A NEW AMERICA ON THE US-NATO INVASION OF THE BALKANS 4. KOSOVO AND THE REFUGEES 5. CRISIS AT ATLANTA HOSPITAL SYMPTOM OF SICK SYSTEM 6. POLICE VIOLENCE: NOT JUST BAD COPS, BUT A BAD SYSTEM 7. LRNA WELCOMES STUDENT CONVENTION TO PLAN FIGHT AGAINST SWEATSHOPS 8. WAR ON L.A.'S POOR CLAIMS ANOTHER VICTIM American Lockdown 9. PREPARATION FOR LEGAL MURDER: THE IRONY OF IT ALL Spirit of the Revolution 10. "WE DON'T FIGHT JUST TO FIGHT, WE FIGHT TO WIN" Young Revolutionaries 11. UNIVERSE-SOUL GENERATIONS Announcements, Events, etc. 12. SPEAKERS FOR A NEW AMERICA / PT RADIO 13. CORRECTION [For information about the PEOPLE's TRIBUNE, see the "Purpose of this Conference", topic 1 in the peoplestrib conference.] [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 07-99 Edit: 'Revolutionaries for a New America' .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 1. Editorial: Why we call ourselves 'Revolutionaries for a New America' July 4 is the anniversary of our revolutionary war for independence. As such, it is an opportunity for groups and leaders across the political spectrum to restate their goals and beliefs and answer a few of the most often asked questions. Why, given the American revolution is 200 years old, did we choose the name, "League of Revolutionaries for a New America?" Do we need a new America? Why can't we fix the one we've got? Why did we choose the term "Revolutionaries?" Can't we work within the existing structure for change? Let's start with the first questions, "What is America and why do we need a new one?" America has always been a capitalist country and it has functioned better than most capitalist systems. Why? Because the first 100 years were spent expanding into a continent- sized country. The economic benefits of this expansion hid its often forgotten blood-stained foundation. This foundation was the genocide of the Native Americans, the expropriation of their land, the wide-spread brutal enslavement of the African, and the unprovoked war against Mexico that ended with the seizing of half its territory. This prevented the contradictions within the system from erupting. Then, with the rise of the Robber Barons, giant industries, and the shifting of power into the hands of millionaires, came a period of economic consolidation. The war against Spain and World War I marked the shift of the United States from a hemispheric to a global power. Each stage of expansion and consolidation was made possible by scientific discoveries and new tools. America stayed on the course of world domination and has achieved it with computerized tools, tools that mean the end of the system. The automated production and control that the computer makes possible is spelling the end for the old America. Global production and distribution, global concentration of wealth and global political polarization are inevitable. These are the ingredients of world revolution and, though underground, it is underway. The conditions that created and matured the old America are gone forever. If we are to survive as a human race, we must change society to be compatible with the new reality. Yes, we need a new America. When we say a new America, we mean a new economic foundation upon which to construct a new society. We cannot "fix" this ramshackle system. There are no reforms left within the political framework of our country. Fighting and winning a struggle against police brutality or for a wage increase is not reform. This is a fight for concessions. They can and should be won. Reform means to restructure and there is no further restructuring possible on the existing foundation. Any further restructuring and democratizing of our society requires reforming or reorganizing the foundation, the property relations. That, of course, is what revolutions are all about. We took the term "Revolutionaries" because this is precisely our intent. The ruling class has succeeded in implanting the picture of the revolutionary as a wild-eyed, bomb thrower, bent on destruction. No person or group can tear down a society. That happens because of contradictions that are inherent in the system. Revolutionaries are the builders of new societies when the old becomes untenable. Revolutionaries are not sectarians wedded to an unchanging theory or ideology. Since they are revolutionaries, they first of all constantly change themselves and their theories to conform to the constantly, rapidly changing world we live in. Only a new revolutionary movement can create a new revolution on the basis of this new economy. The League of Revolutionaries for a New America has set out to gather together all who agree that this profound economic revolution will inevitably bring social revolution. Only then can we democratically determine how to make reality from the visions of our revolutionary history. Happy Birthday America! .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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 07-99 Do we see the social change going on before our eyes? .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 2. Do we see the social change going on before our eyes? By Jonathan King, Ph.D. [Editor's note: The author, an internationally known molecular biologist, is available to speak through Speakers for a New America at 773-486-3551 or speakers@noc.org] One of the features that separates human societies from those of animals and plants is the capability for rapid change. This reflects the basic biological fact that human behavior -- unlike most animal behaviors -- is not encoded in genes, but transmitted through language and learning, culture and technology. Advanced forms of human culture -- modern electronic technology and biotechnology -- provide striking examples of this rapid rate of societal change. For example, the most advanced equipment in human history -- computers, VCRs, cell phones -- is now produced in hundreds of millions of copies, in factories situated throughout the world. Tens of millions of people watch videos on VCR machines that were unknown just one generation back. Millions tap into bodies of knowledge through the Internet that 20 years ago were only accessible to a handful. Through the advent of genetic engineering and biotechnology, one facility in Indianapolis produces enough human insulin -- made in bacteria -- to treat the entire U.S. population of diabetics. The notion that these goods, once scarce and in short supply -- and therefore only available to a few -- are still scarce, is clearly false. The technological revolution has made it possible for every human being to have what they need in terms of material goods, and -- absent corporate greed -- to do this in a sustainable manner. Yet most people have difficulty seeing this social change coming about. But rapid change is not limited to machines and technology. The human brain is a far more advanced organ than the most sophisticated computer. As a result, human societal relationships are also capable of changing very rapidly. Surprisingly, many people who are directly experiencing rapid technological change find it difficult to conceive of rapid social change. Yet this is the lesson of human history: Many forms of social organization, once dominant, have been disposed of by most human societies -- serfdom, slavery and monarchy, to name a few. These forms of organization could not compete with more inclusive forms, because they relegated too many of their people to inferior and oppressed roles. This kept them from fully participating in building the society. As technology advanced, as learning spread, the people came to recognize that these were backward systems imposed on the majority by a small ruling minority. Though it took sharp struggles to push aside these regimes, the key step has always been the development and communication of the clear understanding that there was a better way. It is not always easy to understand underlying forces at work, whether in nature or in society. Humans had observed the sun rise and set from the dawn of human history. It seemed obvious that the sun was rotating about the Earth. With closer observations of the moon and the planets it became harder and harder to account for their motions. When Copernicus recognized and described clearly that in fact the Sun was the center about which Earth and the planets rotated, this truth spread rapidly through society, despite fierce opposition from a wing of the church. During the Industrial Revolution, workers in the new factories toiled for 12-14 hours a day, six days a week, earning enough to allow them to survive. At the same time the owners accumulated enormous wealth. However, the millions who toiled in the factories were initially unclear on how the owners were amassing such wealth. Karl Marx and Frederick Engels finally discovered the Law of Surplus Value -- that the workers were paid much less than the value they created during their hours of work. The workers' own unpaid labor was the basis of the owners' accumulation of wealth. This clarity of thought was a cornerstone of the great labor movements that produced significant reforms throughout Europe, and later in the U.S. In the present period we see once again the emergence of a great disparity between the rich and the poor, with a handful of billionaires accumulating as much wealth as the rest of the population. It is still difficult for most Americans to recognize that such accumulation of wealth by a few depends in the long run on the impoverishment of the majority. In the 21st century there is no reason to do without essentials needed for a full and fulfilling life. What holds back the development of a society that fulfills everyone's needs is that the economy continues to be organized to protect private property, rather than the public welfare. The telecommunications giants neither created the atmosphere, nor electromagnetic waves, yet they essentially own the airwaves. Individuals trying to broadcast community programs are jailed. The biotechnology industry did not invent human genes, but they gain patent monopolies on them, so that working people have to pay outrageous prices for therapeutic drugs. The insurance cartels know nothing about human disease, but they control our access to health care. Public ownership and control of these technologies would allow them to be developed for the benefit of the majority, not the superprofits of a few. The ongoing technological revolution has created enormous increased capacity for human communication -- e-mail, cell phones, music videos. The next step is, through increases in human social cooperation, to harness these advances to move to a new level of human fulfillment and interaction. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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 07-99 LRNA statement on the US-NATO invasion of the Balkans .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 3. Statement by the League of Revolutionaries for a New America on the US-NATO invasion of the Balkans [Editor's note: This is an edited excerpt of a longer statement issued by the League of Revolutionaries for a New America. To schedule a speaker on this issue, call 800-691-6888.] The ultimate aim of the U.S. ruling class is permanent global domination. The occupation and the political and economic control of the Balkans is part of a larger strategy that involves destroying all remaining vestiges of socialism; encircling and containing Russia; and securing control of the energy wealth of Central Asia. Since the control of oil is key to controlling the world, the U.S. seeks to control the Middle East and the oil and gas reserves of Central Asia's Caspian Basin. To accomplish this, the U.S. seeks to organize an arc of predominantly Muslim states, from the Balkans into Central Asia and the Middle East, under Turkish-U.S. leadership and control. Turkey is key to this process since it connects the Balkans to the Middle East. We are seeing the U.S. strategy played out in various ways: through the enlargement of NATO, bringing it right up to the borders of the former Soviet Union with the addition of Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic; in the use of NATO as an offensive force outside NATO's traditional area of operations; in the conquest of the Balkans, thus securing the southern flank of Russia and the southern anchor of the arc of Muslim states that leads into Central Asia; in the fact that the U.S. has already conducted joint military exercises with former Soviet Republics in Central Asia, bringing them into the "Partnership for Peace," a prelude to full NATO membership; and in the fact that U.S. (and European) oil companies have already negotiated deals with these same Central Asian governments. The war has set dangerous precedents. One is the posturing of the U.S. as the world policeman for "human rights, democracy and prosperity" (read: capitalism). Another is the use of NATO as an offensive alliance, and to give cover to U.S. aggression. A third is a war-fighting strategy that involves the destruction of the target country's economic infrastructure, rendering it militarily weak and economically dependent on its enemy. Finally, the U.S. action in circumventing and manipulating the United Nations has essentially rendered the UN impotent as an international organization. If we project the current tendencies, we see the danger of war with China. China resists becoming economically dependent on the U.S., and over the next 15 to 20 years will surpass the U.S. economically and militarily. We are already seeing a military and propaganda campaign designed to bully, isolate and provoke China. This has included the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, the allegations of Chinese espionage, "human rights" issues, Taiwan, Tibet, etc. It is not far-fetched to speculate that at least a section of U.S. capital might favor a pre-emptive attack on China some time in the future to cripple its military and industrial base. And surely Russia must at some point be forced to respond to U.S. provocations, although it may be years before it has the economic and military wherewithal to do so in a non- nuclear way. Speculation aside, one way or the other, the capitalists have once again set humanity on the path to world war. The risk of nuclear war is rising. What we are seeing is the death throes of a dying capitalist system. It is imperative for revolutionaries to play their role of raising consciousness. The program of the bourgeoisie is increasingly clear: war abroad, and fascism at home. The revolutionaries have the moral high ground. We can show that the capitalists' wars of destruction are part of the process of capitalism destroying itself. We can show where this system is headed, and why it has to be replaced before it destroys us all. We can offer a vision of the world that the new technology has made possible -- a vision of humanity organized in peaceful, prosperous, cooperative societies, in a world without poverty, repression or war. Revolutionaries in the U.S. have a particular responsibility to humanity that can only be fulfilled by doing what is necessary to rally the American people to this vision of a new world. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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 07-99 Kosovo and the refugees .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 4. Kosovo and the refugees By Dan Mattson It is hard to find any good guys in this war. It is easy to find victims. To get a handle on the current crises and all the TV pictures, it's necessary to see the whole picture. The major players include the pacifist Kosovo-Albanian nationalists; the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), armed Kosovo- Albanian nationalists; the Serbian army and government (at this point synonymous with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia); and the imperialist powers of NATO, in particular the United States. The victims are the civilian population of Yugoslavia, including Kosovo. The overall situation is so complicated that no one version can contain the complete truth. While this is drawn from many sources, I can only vouch for its general accuracy. The overriding truth seems to be the United States/NATO desire to create a weak, subordinated, and economically disintegrated Yugoslavia. At first, Slobodan Milosevic was a team player. The breakup began in 1989, when Serb troops entered Kosovo and disbanded the autonomous government, thereby suspending the 1974 Yugoslavian Constitution. Already, at this time Yugoslavia was feeling pressure. As early as the 1960s, loans from the International Monetary Fund were taken out in order to increase consumption and begin privatization. I suppose, for a thriving, relatively independent socialist economy, this was like selling your soul to the devil. From the end of World War II to the end of the 1980s relative prosperity kept simmering and nationalist tensions relaxed, though Kosovo lobbied for autonomy, which was granted in 1974. In 1990, the United States Congress passed an act that sanctioned Yugoslavia. Further aid would require separate elections in each of the republics and aid only to individual republics. Combining the death in 1980 of Tito, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the rise of Serb nationalism, and pressure from the West because of outstanding loans, the formerly strong economy of Yugoslavia began to collapse. Simultaneously, the United States/NATO began supporting right-wing nationalists in all the republics and autonomous regions. During 1991-93, about 1 million Kosovo Albanians left Kosovo, many because of economic collapse, some because of the political situation. The pacifist and nationalist leaders of the disbanded government remained in Kosovo to lead civil society and maintain infrastructure even while under the military. Thus an uneasy truce existed until the spring of 1998. At that point, it appeared that the pacifists and Milosevic were ready to agree to have Kosovo return to autonomy. This was unacceptable to the West. After all, this would reduce tensions, strengthen an independent economy and upset plans to disintegrate the former Yugoslavia. Thus aid was increased to the KLA and they went on the offensive in the summer of 1998. From then until March 24, 1999, while violence increased, it was largely taking place between the Serbian military and police and the KLA, with violence against real and alleged supporters of both sides. A high-ranking official in the German foreign ministry has anonymously released information that says NATO is lying about ethnic cleansing. That there was no evidence of genocide during that time. What choice do ordinary people have but to leave if they can? Since the bombing began, the whole population of Kosovo in particular, as well as all of Serbia, has been terrorized. In addition to this, the Serbian military in Kosovo has taken the opportunity to kill or turn into refugees as many Kosovo Albanians as it can, while the KLA follows the path of forced conscription into its ranks. Some reports indicated that the Serbs were doing this to make use of the farm buildings and houses to camouflage military supplies and equipment to be used against a ground war. Remember, the Serbs, on their own, successfully resisted the German army during World War II. The United States/NATO has no humanitarian intent in this bombing. It is in the business of creating suffering, creating an "independent" Kosovo that will be an economic colony of the United States and a Serbia too weak to do anything about it. Not to mention the creation of a world afraid that something similar will happen in another country. But the world does care. A recent article from the Washington Post Foreign Service told of a world in protest against the bombing, even making links between the bombing and their own struggles with Western imperialism. Since World War II, the United States has always been on the wrong side -- that is against the well-being of ordinary people. It has used or supported the use of terror to get its way all over the world, including in the wars of the middle 1990s in Yugoslavia, which created over 1 million refugees. Now the United States is showing off to the world it newest weapons of terror: graphite bombs that can disrupt an entire electrical grid; depleted uranium artillery, first used in Iraq in 1990 and responsible for suffering there to this day, and linked to "Gulf War Syndrome"; and spreading across Yugoslavia cluster bombs the size of a tennis ball that look like a toy! The latter will be live ammunition just lying around to go off at a touch for the foreseeable future. The only solution is to be found in ending the bombing, ending militarism, ending imperialism and going forward to create a world where people cooperate, with all their ethnic and cultural differences, to create diverse and sustainable economies that are based on need, not greed. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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 07-99 Crisis at Atlanta hospital symptom of sick system .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 5. Crisis at Atlanta hospital symptom of sick system By John Slaughter Grady Hospital in Atlanta was once the jewel of a New South on the rise. The best doctors practiced there; interns clamored to be accepted into practice there. It was also the largest public hospital in the Southeast. If you were sick it was the place everyone wanted to go. Today Grady's image is tarnished by the swirl of controversy that surrounds its demise. It stands now as symbol and substance of a failed system. The crisis of a national health-care system that can deliver to fewer and fewer has become painfully acute at Grady. The crisis erupted in heated protest when Grady decided to address budget shortfalls by raising copayments for the indigent from $.50 to $10.00. This almost 2000 percent increase was more than the community could bear. On May 11, at a packed Dekalb County Commission meeting where over 100 protesters gathered, 30 were arrested, including Stewart Acuff, president of the Atlanta Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO; Vincent Fort, Atlanta City Council representative; Ed Loring of the Open Door, which ministers to the homeless and poor; and the Reverend Tim McDonald. The politicians were forced to consider measures other than enforcing the budget cuts they had already considered. What they really did was to postpone the inevitable. They put off a vote until later, hoping the protest would just go away. Grady has actually been in decline for a number of years. From 1992-1998, both metro counties, Fulton and Dekalb, have cut funding for the uninsured by $23.4 million. Recently, Professor Samuel Newcom, who taught at the Emory Medical School, was fired because he spoke out about the reduction in the number of doctors at Grady because they had been transferred to the Emory hospital, where it was "more lucrative." Emory supplies much of the medical staff at Grady. Dekalb and Fulton counties may have been systematically reducing their contributions to the Grady budget, but the financial pinch is itself the result of a national process. First there was the 1997 Welfare Reform Act. Families USA recently released a study that shows that 675,000 former welfare recipients have lost their health insurance, adding to the 42.5 million who are already uninsured. In metro Atlanta, there has been a 25 percent increase in the number of uninsured directly as a result of the Welfare Reform Act. Then came the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. One result has been a $71 billion reduction in Medicare payments projected for 1998- 2002. Georgia has already lost $100 million in Medicaid reductions. While hospitals like Grady are hit hard, the worst affected are the rural hospitals. Seven out of 10 hospitals are expected to lose money. Fifty of Georgia's rural hospitals lost money in 1997, and Joe Parker of the Georgia Hospital Association says, "They can't sustain themselves much longer." In 1998, Grady lost $21 million as a result of the Welfare Reform Act and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. In the next five years, Grady is expected to lose $42 million in Medicare and $13 million in Medicaid payments. Grady's President Edward Renford says that the hospital has just enough cash on hand to cover the bills for about 15 days at a time. The only thing they can think of as a solution is "more belt-tightening." Atlanta was recognized earlier this year as the city that is leading the country in economic growth, this in a time when the national economy is supposedly booming, when the stock market sets new records almost every day. If there is so much wealth being created, so much money being made, why is the health-care system failing because it can't pay the bills? Why are millions going without health care and why are there more calls for belt- tightening when others are becoming obscenely rich? The answer is obviously because the health-care system is caught up in the throes of a growing disparity between rich and poor in this country. The economic boom is not for everyone. Jobs are being eliminated every day, just as health benefits are being reduced. The health-care system is in crisis, but it isn't that no money is being made. That is precisely the problem. Health care is being run as a for-profit industry, and in the most expensive health-care system in the world, millions are being made. But in order to maintain and increase these profits for the few, millions face higher costs, and even the denial of health care. Grady Hospital is in crisis, and the politicians have no cure, either quick-fix or long-term. But the problems at Grady are but symptoms of a much larger, national problem that requires a national solution. Every person has a right to quality health care. The Labor Party, as well as other organizations, recognizes that the current system of for-profit health care for the rich must be replaced with "Just Healthcare" for all. Just Healthcare is the proposal for replacing private, for-profit health care with a national "single payer" system that provides universal and comprehensive health care for all. The trial of the leaders in the fight to save Grady is on August 2, and their struggle will continue. The health-care system itself is on trial, and we cannot rest until it is replaced with a just health-care system. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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 07-99 Police violence: Not just bad cops, but a bad system .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 6. Police violence: Not just bad cops, but a bad system By Rich Capalbo Chicago police brutality is in the news. Two unarmed motorists were shot to death in separate traffic stops. An unarmed, suspected drug dealer was killed by a beating and choke-hold incident. In yet another incident, a young man with cerebral palsy was gunned down (but not killed) by police who misidentified him as someone who shot a police officer. Witnesses say the cops drove up and opened fire, clearly set on assassination-for-revenge. Mayor Richard Daley is wallowing in platitudes, defending the "majority" of good cops, lamenting the deaths and wishing this black eye would just go away. Police Superintendent Hillard is constantly in the news, either in front of City Council or reporters, promising sensitivity training, a review of procedures and video cameras in the squad cars. Both are downplaying police "profiling" as the problem. Fraternal Order of Police Spokesman Nolan has somehow managed to put the blame for the killings on the media, politicians and "agitators." To most Chicagoans, especially the poor ones, this bloody month reinforces an existing fear and distrust of the police. Long-time fighters against police injustice see the incidents as a continuation of the bloody history of an infamously corrupt and brutal enemy. While the Chicago Police certainly do have a corrupt and brutal history, we can not pass these incidents off as evidence of the "same old same old." What is being called the biggest economic boom since the end of World War II is also creating an unprecedented gap between the rich and poor. As more of us lose our economic standing, we lose our rights. As the gap widens, the government shows itself, more than ever before, for what it really is -- the protector of wealth and property. In Chicago, where developers and the mayor clamber to make over the city as a hub of the new global economy, there are no plans for the poor, the unemployed or the unemployable except to sweep them out of the way. Thousands of people in Chicago are speaking out against these incidents because we should expect and demand justice. But the fundamental injustice today is that the value of human life is reckoned by money in the bank. The current incidents will pass. Some of the police involved may even be punished. Feeble reforms will be instituted. Then, as long as the system remains the same, we will await with foreboding the next injustice by the cops. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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 07-99 LRNA welcomes anti-sweatshop convention .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 7. LRNA welcomes student convention to plan fight against sweatshops During the 1998-99 school year, student activists across the United States staged sit-ins, held conferences, and passed out reams of literature as part of an effort to force their colleges to oppose production of school apparel in sweatshops. This "no sweat" campaign received unprecedented publicity. Building on this success, student activists will meet in Washington, D.C. this summer to take the fight to "the next level." From July 9-11, the United Students Against Sweatshops will hold a National Organizing Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference takes place at a significant moment. The fight against sweatshop labor is part of a fight being waged all over the world in response to a profound economic and social revolution sweeping the globe. For the first time in history, technological changes have made it possible for society to produce an absolute abundance. Today, food can be grown virtually overnight and homes can be built in just hours. However, the new wealth generated by these changes is not being shared by all. Instead, obscene riches are being accumulated at one pole of society, while a more and more brutal poverty is created at the other. As a result, a confrontation between the world's rich and the world's poor is gathering momentum. Across the globe, a new class of propertyless people is in the process of being created. Millions of people are being thrown out of industry; their labor is being replaced by computers and robots. Millions of others are being forced to work in conditions resembling slave labor -- like the sweatshop workers who manufacture campus apparel. But the same electronic technology that brings misery and hunger when it is controlled by a tiny handful of exploiters also offers the capacity to free everyone from hunger, homelessness and backbreaking labor. The League of Revolutionaries for a New America seeks to join with all who want to challenge the ruling class on the immorality of its brutal destruction of countless lives, both inside and outside the United States. We support every effort to appeal to the morality of the American people to oppose the brutal exploitation by a tiny handful of millionaires and billionaires. We welcome the convening of the United Students Against Sweatshops conference and wish it every success. We urge the conference's participants to use the pages of our newspaper, the People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo, to reach out to our diverse readership. To assist the fight against sweatshops, we offer the voices of the speakers available through the People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo Speakers Bureau. -- The Development Committee of the National Office of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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 07-99 War on L.A.'s poor claims another victim .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 8. War on L.A.'s poor claims another victim By Steve R. Teixeira LOS ANGELES -- Kosovo came to Los Angeles on May 22. By killing a 54-year-old homeless woman on May 22, the Los Angeles Police Department has exposed the truth -- a global war against the poor is going on! Margaret Mitchell was just as much a victim of this war as the civilians killed in Yugoslavia. Though the ranks of the homeless keep growing from Kosovo to America, no one talks about that. Instead, government leaders beg people to line up behind them along ethnic lines: American, Albanian, or Serb; black or white. As they battle for power or for oil, they hide their motives behind pretty slogans like "defending human rights" or "defending the race." Those lies won't work this time. This time, two minority cops killed a minority woman. This time, one of those cops was a woman. This time, they made it clear that only capitalist property mattered -- they asked if her shopping cart was stolen, she pulled out a screwdriver to defend her only possessions and they executed her. Another truth of this case is that cuts in health care are like a death sentence. Margaret Mitchell was a college-educated bank worker, had a mental breakdown, and ended up on the street. She refused treatment, and today's stripped-down mental-health system had no authority or resources to help her. "She went to college -- I think it was Cal State L.A.," said Sly Randolph, at a shrine set up on the shooting site. "People think it will never happen to them." He and others have a petition calling for a federal investigation. (They can be reached at 310- 797-0459.) There have also been protests at police headquarters, where members of the Catholic Worker organization pushed a shopping cart filled with flowers. And on June 6, the Labor Party kicked off its national Just Health Care campaign, to pull the many cases like Margaret Mitchell's into a mighty national movement. "This was a very smart woman," her son Richard told the media, "Something happened to her to make her this way." This something is happening to more and more of us -- our health care and our lives are being dumped by the system that we worked for and once believed in. Like in Kosovo, that system is at war with the masses of poor in Los Angeles. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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 07-99 Preparation for legal murder .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 9. Preparation for legal murder: the irony of it all By Rudy Rosales Huitziloxipe [Editors note: This is the final installment from the author's journal entries during his stay in the Nebraska State Maximum Security Penitentiary hospital in January. Randy Reeves, who was being prepared for execution at the time these entries were written, remains on death row pending appeal.] Sun., Jan. 10, 1999, 1 pm Today I hear that Randy might be receiving a visit from Senator Ernie Chambers, so all staff should be on their best behavior, and no joking around. It's funny how ignorant the prison staff is. They walk to the side of the hospital out of earshot of Randy and murmur these things. Don't they know that there are prisoners who will take a stand when they hear what they've said? They are concerning themselves with Randy committing suicide, so the prison staff has one prison-staff dietitian prepare his meals in the kitchen. This is a point of interest. Randy will have to eat prison food as his last meal. However, he can pick anything from the prison's menu with no special last-meal requests with a nice prepared meal from outside. I'm sure this really isn't an issue with Randy. Randy's cell is completely empty. The cell next door to him has all his personal property where during the day he can sit in this cell with two high-ranking prison-staff members and spend time listening to music or watching TV. Randy cannot be left in a cell alone with any of these things. After all, he might kill himself by whatever means a TV or radio can provide aid for such an act. At night, Randy wheels his TV in front of his cell so he can watch late-night TV through his hatch. He must crouch down as he sits on a chair to do this. I overheard one of the death-squad staff explain to a Nebraska state bigwig from the Attorney General's office that even if Randy suffers a massive heart attack, it is the state's obligation to save his life and bring him back into shape so they can execute him. So the state needs to keep good watch over him and make sure that he does not commit suicide or die of natural causes. The State of Nebraska has to execute Randy. Nebraska must not be deprived of the pleasure in executing Randy. I wish I could go over and visit with Randy and play cards or chess with him. I am by no means close to him. After all, we only know each other by sight and glances, but word gets around. I have been at NSP since 1993. Death row is separate from the general population, yet when the prison administration decided to punish me for my political views -- challenges of the prison officials on racism, corruption, exploitation, collusion, and conspiracy -- they placed me into Segregation Classification status. This placed me in a unit near death row and I got to know most of the solid death-row convicts the best I could. I can only imagine what Rudy feels -- the injustice, the uncertainty. Many death-row convicts have written articles and books on their experiences and journey until the final solution of execution/murder. Many journalists (free people) have also written articles, books and the like, yet much goes on that neither of the two are able to witness. Much is kept from Randy -- the snickers, the flagrant joking, the remarks by the prison administrators, guards, and the death squad. There is no free-world visitor, attorney or journalist who can write about such things, but it is the prisoners who have the window of opportunity to witness this and then decide to write about it and give names, tell the truth, and not fear the retaliation of the prison officials. I have to say something and let people know that this goes on and that I do not fear retaliation from prison officials. I stand on firm ground in hope that this will allow those who claim to be opponents of the death penalty to help organize within the prisons which still kill people by the law. I do this in order to expose the death squads who participate in these travesties. The people involved here in the execution of Randolph Reeves are prison employees and staff who are chosen, and who have the option not to be partakers in the death squad (some even volunteer). This time the Department of Correctional Services has made sure that minority staff be recruited into the death squad. Ironically enough, these sellouts have agreed. It truly saddens me to know that three Mexicans and one African- American can partake in this. They are truly partakers of this plot to execute minority/person of color, indigenous brother Randolph Reeves. They were hand-picked by the bigwigs of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, so it would appear to be politically correct. It's sick. These men and women are no better than any other convicted murderer. In fact, they are less than a convicted murderer. They are paid henchmen and assassins regardless if they are white, brown, red or black. They are merciless murderers. I can only pray for Randolph Reeves. I embrace his spirit and will try to absorb some of his pain and fears, so that he can cross over and be received by his great ancestors who were also massacred, murdered and executed by government assassins. I have a piece of bitterroot and a stash of sage. I will burn them for Randy on Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 13, 1999) the day before he is to die. I will be wheeled out to the prison yard for fresh air. I do not smoke, but I do burn sage for peace, healing, and now, for Randy who will die in irony, yet serve as an incandescent symbol of courage. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ 'The State of Tennessee killed my son through lack of medical care' By S. Reid "We would not deny an animal the right to medical care if they were sick, and yet that is what we are doing to our own people," said Shirley Dicks, mother of Jeff Dicks, who died May 10, 1999 while a prisoner on Tennessee's death row. Jeff had a heart condition, and Shirley feels strongly that his death resulted from lack of proper medical care. The coroner's report was not completed as of this writing, but, said Shirley, based on "a pathologist's report on the medical records so far, they did not do anything that was supposed to have been done to keep him alive." Some months ago, said Shirley, "The state let Jeff sit in his cell for three days suffering from a heart attack, of which I have proof, and it wasn't until he collapsed, did they send him to the hospital. For three days they gave him Maalox." Jeff Dicks spent 22 years in prison ministering to the needs of less fortunate people, teaching GED classes and doing legal work for others. "I depended on Jeff to protect me and the other level C's from prison officials bent on mistreating us," said Richard Taylor, a death-row inmate. "Jeff would stand up to the prison officials about us. He was immune from whatever pressure or tactic [the guards handed out]." Jeff Dicks was sensitive to anybody, regardless of their background, regardless of how evil or how good, said his mother. "I could not save my wonderful son, but perhaps some other mother won't lose her child if we band together to fight the system to get care for our children who are incarcerated," said Shirley. Vowing to insure that every "guy and girl in prison gets medical care and to keep fighting the death penalty," Shirley has set up the Jeff Dicks Medical Foundation. "How many nameless faces have died behind the walls of society's indifference?" she asked. "How many more will have to die before we say enough is enough? Anyone with a loved one in prison or who cares about the medical abuses in the prison system, please join us," she urged. Visit http://members.xoom.com/medicalfound/index.html to continue the effort to gain medical care for every prison inmate. Subscribe to the e-mail list at jeff-dicks-subscribe@egroups Shirley Dicks has written six books on capital punishment, including her life story. She is available to speak through Speakers for a New America. Call 773-486-3551 or send e-mail to speakers@noc.org +----------------------------------------------------------------+ .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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 07-99 Spirit of the Revolution .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 10. Spirit of the Revolution: "We don't fight just to fight, we fight to win" By Adam Welch That day in the park, an overcast gloom permeated the air. A friend passed me this oblong-shaped magazine, with an equally oblong name, "blu." I was at first skeptical of this funny magazine I was handed, but then, as I began following the issues, I had to admit it was beginning to catch my attention. Blu is the latest of political magazines, but maybe a first in its sense of chic artistic design and fresh outlook. The magazine is published in New York by the youth of the Bruderhof collective, a community of non-violent Christians, with a surprisingly radical bent. The magazine seeks to combine the artistic, with its artsy layout, and insightful revolutionary politics -- including interviews, stories, poems and now a CD. With just its third issue out, blu has managed to line up an impressive amount of celebrity interviews and articles. The second issue has an interview with Desmond Tutu, chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of post-apartheid South Africa. The third issue boasts an impressive, varied lineup: an exclusive article by Mumia Abu-Jamal, U.S. death row inmate and political prisoner; a short fable courtesy of Subcomandante Marcos, spokesman for the Zapatistas, a group of Southern Mexican peasant revolutionaries; and an interview with Assata Shakur, a Black Panther member living in exile in Cuba. The latest two issues have included a CD with a wide variety of music and artists -- ranging from the political hip-hop group The Coup from Oakland, which I like very much myself, to Latin Samana. The youth of the Bruderhof also lay down a track of vocals accompanied by piano, but this is just too reminiscent of Catholic school hymns for me. There is also poetry mixed in, both in English and Spanish, that is relatively entertaining; and chilling accounts of police brutality and murder straight from family members. There has been a steady improvement in each issue. The first blu had strange drawings on the cover that would have made me overlook it as just another artsy magazine with empty content. While interesting as far as reading, the inside layout made it hard to read, the art overshadowing the content. The second issue is never a dull moment, as each page is something new to look at. The kind of poetry that moves you and inspires you, rather than bores you, is definitely a highlight throughout this and the third issue. I especially like the lead article "Learning from the Old-School," about the Young Lords, a revolutionary Latino youth group of the 1960s. It is accompanied by interesting pictures, which I think is missing from much revolutionary history, as the pictures capture the moment and the real people behind the revolution. Although it is hard to call the Young Lords "old-school," the '60s being only 40 years ago. But learning from revolutionaries from the past is a must. The third issue tops them all, from cover to cover. Blu's introduction begins with the inspiring phrase "Fight to Win," from political prisoner Russell "Maroon" Shoatz. The optimism is recurring throughout the entire issue, which I think gives blu a "fresh" feel to it, if one could say that. There is a definite prison theme throughout the third issue (and the whole magazine) with articles on Mumia, Shoatz, and Assata, all U.S. political prisoners, plus an article on a Japanese Mumia supporter. A Sacramento state prisoner writes on the horrors of abuse and torture in state prisons, shedding some light on how thousands of prisoners live their daily lives behind bars. Another article highlights the work of the New Jersey Anarchist Black Cross, a political-prisoner support group dating back before the Russian Revolution. All in all, the third issue is highly interesting and artistic and I'm waiting to see what comes out next. So if you see this tall magazine on a rack in your neighborhood, you might want to consider picking it up for the shelf price of $5. A one-year, six-issue subscription is $27. To reach blu or the Bruderhof community, call 800-778-8461 or e-mail revcenter@hotmail.com or visit: www.revolutioncenter.org. Write to: blu, Revolution Center, Box 517, New Paltz, New York 12561. Peace. [Adam Welch is a member of Students for Justice at De Anza College and Food Not Bombs in San Jose, California.] .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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 07-99 YRS: Universe-soul Generations .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 11. Young Revolutionaries: Universe-soul Generations By Roger Cavazos Through the years, the development that has come to be known as "Hip-Hop" has gone through different stages and growing pains. Many have been absorbed into the whole "rap" scene with million- dollar videos and popular hype. Through it all, the true have remained rooted and have made important contributions on their own terms. The "underground" has been crazy active, independent and international in the 1990s. CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT The campaign to commercialize and exploit Hip-Hop in the 1980s was for the most part a success; it still exists. But as time has advanced, so too have the skills and the seniority of today's B- boys/girls. Some have been through three decades of dedication to their craft. Others just came up a few years ago. There has never been a more intergenerational and global culture of artistry within Hip-Hop than there is now. It is this broad range of influences and experiences that make up this "youth culture." At a time when the United States scene was a little hazy, Hip-Hop overseas was enjoying a pivotal period of organized international B-boy competitions (with B-girls present of course). The "Swat Jam" in Berlin, Germany has been going on since 1991. Another well-respected, pioneering event out of Berlin is known as the "Battle of the Year." Both of these events still exist. They started at the beginning of this decade and would be important influences on B-boys/girls to organize here in the U.S. It was around 1994 when the "B-boy Summit" kicked off in California. Complete with panel discussions as well as battles and showcases of all sorts, this was one of the first events to bring together an international community of B-boys/girls all on the same mission in the U.S. Be it "mic control," "turntabalism," "can control," or "street dance," events like this provide an environment for progressive youth to come together and preserve their art forms. One of the key organizers of the "B-boy Summit" was actually a B-girl who goes by the name of "Asia One." A quote from an article she wrote (from Rap Pages magazine, 1996) reveals her B-girl activist reasoning: "Many girls come to the B-boy Summit, peep out the circle and ask questions at the panels, showing their sincere interest. If we truly care about our younger sisters, we need to offer them something else besides the hoochie element." For reasons too lengthy to examine here, the "B-boy Summit" only lasted a few years. Still, it was a key influence on others in the U.S to organize at the grassroots. Other important jams to come up would be "Radiotron" (held every two or three months), "Freestyle Sessions," and "Culture Shock" '95 and '96, from up north. DISTRIBUTION UNDERGROUND STYLE I was fortunate enough to attend the recent "Pro-Am," which was held in Miami from May 20-23. Organized by B-boys "Speedy Legs" and "Zulu Gremlin", this event has blown up in the last few years. It has continued to provide an international platform for serious competition. From the moment one arrives at an event like this, it's plain to see the artistic diversity and community that exists. Heads from London, Japan, different parts of Germany and the U.S., to name a few, have come to flex their skills. Piecebooks are being exchanged all over the place. Mixtapes, records, all kinds of art is being issued out like a resume. Each day has a different focus and a different address, which is revealed by calling a voice mail. The success of this "underground" organizing is due largely to the fact that these events are totally conceived and controlled from within by B- boys/girls who want to pass their culture on to the next generation. As one panelist, "Break-Easy," explained: "I am an accountant in the day time, but when I get home I hit the floor. Every Tuesday-Thursday we hold free clinics all over New York City. All kind of heads come through, some visiting from other countries, to practice moves or just vibe with the others. I like working with kids, but sometimes at the sessions it can be hard to get them to stay focused. Still, this is how we can keep the art alive." Programs such as these reveal the power within the organization of today's operative B-boys/girls in the "underground." Respect to all those organizers keeping things interesting and independent. Respect to those pioneers that made the trip and participated in panel discussions, battles, showcases, or just spread knowledge at the "Pro-Am." Of course, I can't forget about the B-girls, whose respect in this movement has been earned from the jump. "Poet" from Miami, "Cubana" from Orlando, much respect, don't stop that body rock. Also to "King Uprock" (upholding the original Brooklyn Rock style), "Fast-Break" (from "Beat Street"), my man "Break- Easy," "L-Boogie," and "Shock-a-Lock," glad to make the connects. Keep it movin. Peace. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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 07-99 Speakers for a New America / PT Radio .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 12. Speakers for a New America Our speakers bring a vision of a new, cooperative world. Send for a free listing of all of our speakers. Call 773-486-3551 or e-mail speakers@noc.org +----------------------------------------------------------------+ "International regulations on genetically engineered organisms are needed. These novel organisms pose clear risks to the environment and there are also human health considerations associated with their consumption." [Doreen Stabinsky, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, founding member of the Labor Party Science and Technology Committee.] +----------------------------------------------------------------+ "Drug testing of welfare recipients is a smokescreen to blame entire populations for the failure of the system. Millions of poor people are on welfare. The majority are blue-eyed, blonde children whose mothers are trying to get education and jobs to feed their kids." [Maureen Taylor, chair, Michigan Welfare Rights Union, speaking on Black Entertainment Television about Michigan's new law requiring welfare recipients to get tested for drugs.] +----------------------------------------------------------------+ "Globalization describes capitalism in the age of electronics." [Jim Davis, co-editor of the book "Cutting Edge: Technology, Information, Capitalism, and Social Revolution," has a new article in the journal Race and Class.] +----------------------------------------------------------------+ "Poverty is not the fate of a marginalized 'underclass.' Poverty is an experience that will touch the vast majority of Americans during their adult years. This has revolutionary implications for society." [Tom Hirschl, sociologist at Cornell, co-author of a new study called "The Likelihood of Poverty Across the American Adult Lifespan" that appeared in Jet Magazine and other newspapers.] +----------------------------------------------------------------+ People's Tribune Radio People's Tribune Radio is a monthly news and information program produced by the League of Revolutionaries for a New America. For a free copy to take to your local radio station, call 800-691-6888, e-mail flr@jps.net or speakers@noc.org .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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 07-99 Correction .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 13. Correction Due to an editing error, a student organization at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana was identified incorrectly in the article on the "Millions for Mumia" march in our June edition. The organization -- UNITE! -- is an independent student group, not part of the trade union which goes by the same name. The People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo regrets the error. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 7/ July, 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. ******************************************************************