PROGRESSIVE STUDENT NEWS A PUBLICATION OF THE PROGRESSIVE STUDENT NETWORK CONTACT PSN ON INTERNET AT GWPSU@GWUVM.GWU.EDU ************************************************* VOLUME 9, NUMBER 4 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1992 ************************************************* The Progressive Student News is a compilation of stories written by members of the student movement across the nation. The Progressive Student News will not intentionally publish anything of a racist, sexist or homophobic nature, and is committed to respecting the dignity, self- determination and autonomy of all those groups involved in the struggle for fundamental change. PRODUCTION AND CIRCULATION Christopher Babiarz * Scott Boswell * Mark Hamann * Shani Rachel Handel * Robert McClure * Joe Mingle * John E. Peck * Kristin Zeitzer CONTRIBUTORS Babz Babiarz * Silvia Baraldini * Scott A. Boswell * Marilyn Buck * J. Burger * Dan Grunfeld * Mark Hamann * Shani Rachel Handel * Kawone Harris * Christine Jones * Erik Joslyn * Jaan Laaman * Meredith Lerner * Robert McClure * Kate Misurek * Joe Mingle * Tom Pearce * John E. Peck * Susan Rosenberg * David Sharp * Bob Stint * Amie Weinberg * Laura Whitehorn THE PROGRESSIVE STUDENT NEWS is published quarterly by the National Progressive Student Network. Four thousand copies are circulated from more than 40 campuses in the US. Bulk copies of the News and individual subscriptions (see page 7) are available at reasonable rates (free to prisoners in the US). Drop us a line at the address below. Large supplies are kept at these outposts: University of Wisconsin/Madison; University of Minnesota/Minneapolis; University of Illinois/Chicago- Circle; University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign; Illinois State University/Bloomington-Normal; Illinois Wesleyan University; Northwestern University; University of Louisville; Kent State University; University of Pennsylvania/Philadelphia; George Washington University- DC; Baylor University; University of Louisiana-Lafayette; University of Houston; Georgetown University-DC. YOUR STORIES of fewer than 1000 words are welcome in the Progressive Student News. Coverage or analysis of campus activism is preferred. Stories should be clearly hand-printed or typed on double spaced lines. At the top of page one, please include the authors name and affiliation as they desire them to appear in print. We would also appreciate two descriptive headlines (1 short, 1 longer) that succinctly encapsulate the story. At the bottom of the last page, please include a brief (1 to 3 sentence) biography of the author. Consider including a graphic to run with the story as well (see below). If you've taken the time to write the story on a computer, please save us the effort of retyping it by submitting a diskette (Macintosh or IBM compatible..... please use tabs (not spaces) to indent paragraphs and indicate the program used to create the file on the label). We can not guarantee publication, but someone will try to make contact. Deadline for the Jan./March. '93 issue is Dec. 8 for hard copy (i.e. faxed, handwritten, or similar stories that will need to be keyed into the computer). The deadline for items submitted on a diskette is Dec. 15. Graphics are always appreciated. Newspaper print is kinder (more forgiving) to pieces that are black-and-white and of high contrast. Avoid using the color blue (it is invisible to the reproduction process) or transparent tape (which is not invisible to the reproduction process) unless, of course, this is the desired effect. Your works should be marked clearly on the reverse with the artists name (as it is to be published), a brief description (including dates, location, persons depicted etc.... this is especially important for photos), and an address (if you want the originals to be returned). Deadline is Dec. 15. Money is always in short supply. Subscriptions and advertising do not come close to covering the costs associated with producing the paper (~$700 an issue for supplies, printing and postage). We are an all volunteer team (although some of us actually end up paying for the privilege: As we went to press with the issue you hold in your hands, our bank account was tapped down to $5 and four of us had to chip in $20 a piece to pay off the printing bill from the last issue. Some how we need to scounge up another $200 to mail this issue to our subscribers and send bulk copies to our affiliates.... Oh yeah, how could I forget... we'll also need to pay off the bill for this issue by the end of the year). But hey! Come through with a donation of $25 or more and we'll give you a commemorative Gulf War T-shirt (Factory sealed and beautiful..... just out of date so we have trouble selling them). All contributors will be gratefully acknowledged in the upcoming issue. Deadline is Dec. 31. DISPLAY ADVERTISEMENTS are accepted at $5 per column inch. Deadline for the Jan./March. '93 issue is Dec. 15, 1992 for a letter of intent and Dec. 31 for hard copy. The News staff will happily design your ad for a nominal fee. Send all correspondence to: Progressive Student News 731 State Street Madison, WI 53703. Phone (608) 257-7562 email: markh@cae.wisc.edu Printed with soybean ink on recycled paper by the University of Wisconsin-Extension Printing Services, whose workers are represented by AFSCME Local 171. ) 1992 by the National Progressive Student Network. In the interest of furthering the Revolu... er, ahh Movement, contents of The Progressive Student News may be republished without the written consent of an editor. Please give an appropriate citation. ************************************************* What is the PSN? ************************************************* The 1990's promise to be an era of continued and growing activism among students across the country. Now more than ever students need to find common ground and share both their experiences and resources to have the greatest impact on the future of this nation. The Progressive Student Network is committed to being a part of these struggles and building the ties among the growing movement of progressive youth. Since its founding in 1980, the Progressive Student Network has always sought to build the student movement both as a national force and at the local level. Rooted in the anti-nuke, anti-draft, and environmental movements of the late 1970's, PSN has been a part of many of the struggles in which students were active throughout the last decade. The PSN seeks to reach out to student activists and build the movement through many of its activities. The PSNews is intended not only to reach out to new activists but also inform all of us about the important battles that students are waging across America. PSN also builds ties among students on different campuses by sponsoring annual meetings, conferences, and demonstrations. Every fall, the PSN organizes a conference for student activists to educate themselves and each other about issues of common concern [see story page 1; registration form/poster below]. In the spring, PSN hosts an annual membership meeting to analyze the conditions that the movement faces and strategize about the work we are doing. At these meetings, all members of affiliated groups have the opportunity to have their views and ideas heard and discussed. Between the fall conference and the Spring membership meeting, PSN has Steering Committee meetings in both the winter and late summer. PSN's Steering Committee is composed of two representatives from each local affiliate who meet to discuss upcoming activities, future projects, and other topics. Everyone is welcome to attend these meetings which are intended to make sure all of us stay in contact between other annual events. PSN also tries to build support for national demonstrations and events that occur throughout the year. Many of these provide further opportunities for students from different campuses to meet and forge stronger ties. At all of its events and activities, PSN attempts to strengthen ties within the different sectors of our movement by providing space for caucuses. For example, PSN has consistently had meetings of a women's caucus at our conferences and events. This caucus allows women from different places to share experiences and unite to fight against male supremacy not only in society but also within our movement itself. The caucuses are usually accompanied by an alternative group for other participants. The men's alternative group meetings have often provided a unique opportunity for male activists to learn about the oppression of women and examine their own attitudes and actions. Currently, PSN has active queer, women's and people of color caucuses. Besides acting as a source of empowerment for their members, these caucuses also often provide crucial leadership to the larger organization. PSN is open to any and all student groups and activists who share our goals of struggling for change and building the student movement. If you are not already a part of this growing force, we'd like to invite you to come on board. PSN is unique both because of its long history of activism and because it is a network of autonomous groups. There is no centralized organization telling you what to do or think, every group has the final say over what they do and how. But what PSN does do is to put you in touch with literally hundreds of other activists across the country who are part of the growing student movement. Through the network you can learn from others who are involved in the same struggles and share your experiences and ideas. Participation in PSN can not only provide inspiration and strength but also give you a sense of the struggle beyond your campus. If you haven't already, affiliate now with the Progressive Student Network. All that is required is the interest and desire to plug into the larger movement and a nominal affiliation fee (waivers available). All affiliates and members receive the PSNews to distribute to activists in their area, notice of upcoming meetings and conferences, and other mailings as they are needed. Affiliates also have the right to send representatives to steering committee meetings and help define the goals and plans of the organization. As we enter the 90's, students are once again called to join the fight for peace and social justice, don't fight alone; join the PSN.................... ************************************************* Stop the Masquerade! ************************************************* George Washington University PSU Marvin Center Box 6 800 21st Street NW Washington D.C. 20052 Fellow Student activists and Transient Revolutionaries, Screw the treats! Come to DC on Halloween and play a trick on George and his buddies! You are cordially invited (begged) to attend the Fall 1992 Progressive Student Network Conference (Oct. 31 & Nov. 1) in Washington DC at the George Washington University It is time to stop the masquerade. It's time for Reproductive Freedom! It's time to recognize 500 years of resistance! The conference is an excellent opportunity for student activists throughout the country to share ideas and experiences, network with other students, educate ourselves, and have lots and lots of fun! There will be a panel discussion entitled "Racism: From Columbus 1492 to LA 1992," a variety of interesting workshops [see sidebar], a wimin's caucus, a queer caucus, a people of color caucus, and a protest to "discover" the White House. Anyone with other workshop topics, or who wants to facilitate a workshop, please contact us. The Conference will be held at the Marvin Center (see address above). The fee is $10 for pre-registration [see form on page 2] and $12 at the door. This includes breakfast both days. We have arranged housing for Friday and Saturday night (Hillel Center, corner of 23rd and H St., NW) so bring a sleeping bag, a few bucks and arrive between 11 pm and 3 am (after-hours arrivals contact the GWU PSU office when you get into town 202-994-7284). A party is planned! Saturday evening the G.W. Lesbian Gay and Bisexual Alliance are having their Annual Halloween Bash. There will be funky music, tasty food and drinks. Special PSN prices have been arranged: All you can eat & drink $5. Wear your costumes, pack your Jack-O-Lanterns, and bring everyone you know on your broom so we can spook the politicians out of Washington! Questions or deed information, please call us: (202) 994-7284 Study & Struggle, G. W. PSU P.S. Don't keep this Conference a secret! Tentative Agenda Saturday October 31, 1992 8:30 Registration 9:30 Introduction 9:45 Keynote speaker (TBA) Panel Discussion: Racism: From Columbus 1492 to Los Angeles 1992 *Adrian Gurza Consejo Estudiantio Universitario de Mexico *Rukiya Dillahunt Black Workers for Justice *Juliet Ucelli Italian-Americans Against Columbus *Angela Sembrano Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador 11:15 Workshop Session I 12:30 Lunch 1:15 Gather, pre-demo info. 1:45 Demonstration: "Discover" the White House 2:45 Queer caucus & Alt. Group 4:15 Workshop Session II 5:45 People of Color Caucus & Alternative group 7:15 Reassemble, evening info. 7:30 Dinner 9:00 Halloween Dance Sponsored by the G.W. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Alliance. Benefits the GW Gay Scholarship Fund. Sunday November 1, 1992 9:00 Student Speaker (TBA) 9:30 Wimmin's Caucus & Alt. Grp 10:30 Workshop Session III 11:45 Closing Session/Caucus Reports 12:30 PSN Steering Committee GO HOME Tentative Workshops (Have another workshop topic? Want to facilitate a workshop? Please contact us) Anti-Racism *Students Fight Police Brutality Mnpls PSO; Champaign/Urbana PSO *Native Am. Struggles& Student Support Louisville, KY PSL *Struggling to Diversify University Faculty Louisville, KY PSL *Rap Music in the 1992 Election: Racism and youth culture Scott MX Turner *Wining an African-American Studies Prog GW BPU & GW PSU *Student Response to Rodeny King and the LA Rebellion ISU Bloomington/Normal Reproductive Rights *Building a Campus Pro-Choice Movement UI-Chicago PSN *Reproductive Rights & the Supreme Court Facilitator Needed *Menstural Extraction GW Women's Issues Now The Environment *Environmental Strategies for the 90's: Beyond Recycling Facilitator Needed *Ecofeminism GW SEA *Environmental Racism Madison PSN Various Workshops *Students and Labor Organizing AFL-CIO Organizing Institute, DC *How to Organize a Student Newspaper Madison PSN *Political Prisoners in the US Madison PSN; Irish-Am. Stdnt Org.,Chicago *DC in '93: The March on Washington for Queer Rights Facilitator Needed *NAFTA: What it Really Means INSTEAD *Socialism J. Leazer *Irish American Student Association Minneapolis ************************************************* Why decommemorate Columbus? As if you didn't already know! ************************************************* The following statement was Adopted by the Progressive Student Network National Steering Committee August 9, 1992. A Legacy Of Pain The Progressive Student Network is calling upon students at all universities, colleges, and high schools, to Decommemorate Columbus and the so-called "Discovery of America." We do not believe that the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the terror and pain he brought to indigenous peoples, the practice of enslaving Africans that followed, or the forced migration of peasants and working people from Europe itself, is something to be celebrated. The Legacy of Christopher Columbus is one of greed, rape, theft, genocide, enslavement, and oppression. There are no positive aspects to what Columbus and his supporters who held power in Europe did in the Americas. They Should Be Ashamed Today we live in a society where there are those who are celebrating the arrival of Columbus to these shores. The White House, Congress, and other levels of government are spending millions of dollars of our tax money to celebrate. Many corporations and business interests are spending hundreds of thousands to celebrate. All sorts of museums and universities are spending education dollars on parties to promote the 500 year anniversary of "The Discovery." We need to challenge this celebration. It is the continuation of a mind set which places a priority on accumulation of material wealth and not on human relations. Racism And Lies What is at the core of the "celebrations" is Racism. Racism against African- Americans, Puerto Ricans, Chicanos, Asians, and Indigenous Peoples throughout the Americas, north to south, east to west, and beyond. Those who celebrate the European conquerors conveniently ignore the contributions of Oppressed Nationalities to our current society. Celebrating Columbus today means celebrating all that is "WHITE" about the current society within the borders of the U.S. The message is loud and clear that WHITE = GOOD. The legacy of Europeans is held up high, despite the fact that it is a twisted, revisionist history that is propagated. Twisting Reality Italian Americans, for instance, are flooded with propaganda about the great achievements of Christopher Columbus and his contributions to the establishment of the "New World." Italians are told of his great navigation skills (he was lost), his fearless leadership (his crew almost mutinied), and his religious devotion (enslaving humans in the name of the Holy Trinity). Italian Americans, who faced discrimination in the U.S. when they first arrived and were called WOPS (With Out Papers), are being asked to forget their history and adopt a "new and improved" version. Children are forced to behold Columbus as a role model to be emulated. Will children be asked to celebrate the legacy of Al Capone in another 450 years? The Legacy Today Today the main question in U.S. society is still Racism, or National Oppression. Those who are not white experience the most brutal lives and are victimized on a daily basis. Oppressed Nationalities, in this society, are the most highly exploited in the work place, the most often ostracized in social settings, the least likely to have health insurance, the most ignored in the college classroom, and the most likely to be harassed, attacked, and murdered by the police. This is an every day occurrence in the America "founded" by Christopher Columbus. In America today, the lives of Oppressed Nationalities are seen as only worth as much as they can produce for someone else's profit. Not much different than 500 years ago, only gold is not the only commodity. From Columbus To Rodney King The LA Rebellion in the wake of the Rodney King Verdict was the only avenue of response open to the disenfranchised. The burning and looting in LA by African-Americans, Chicanos, Mexicans, whites, and political refugees from El Salvador was a response to the Columbus Legacy. When working and poor people have their lives looted on a daily basis and are degraded by bosses, societal institutions, the government, and the police because of their nationality and skin color, they respond in the only way available to them. The only way that they will be heard. People did not burn down "their" neighborhoods, destroy their own property, set flame to their own homes. They mainly burned down Radio Shack, Standard Oil, and McDonald's. The Rulers who celebrate Columbus in 1992, were not dismayed when the cops who brutalized Rodney King were let off. They only got worried when they saw property destroyed. People adjusted the tax system so there was no loop hole for the rich this time. Students Respond To LA On the campuses we saw student marches, rallies, and demonstrations at police stations. Most student protests were lead by African-American students with other students following their leadership. This was the biggest response on campuses since the Anti- Apartheid/Divestment Movement of the early 1980's. Thousands of students turned out to protest the racist system in the US. Students in Atlanta marched through the subway system smashing store fronts. High school students in Chicago marched miles to hold a spontaneous rally downtown. An overwhelmingly white campus in Iowa turned out over 5000 people to protest the Verdict. African-American students at Northwestern held a march from their campus to a community center and sent a care package to LA. 800 students at Illinois State University marched to the police station to confront police on several issues of local racist attacks, including police brutality against African-American students. The slogan "No Justice, No Peace" rang throughout the land and students spoke to linking the past with the present. As one African- American woman at Illinois State said in a speech at police headquarters, "It's just like the Progressive Student Union says 'Fuck Columbus, He Was Lost!'" Continue The Fight! We are asking students to join the Progressive Student Network in protesting the myth of Columbus. We are launching the Campaign to Decommemorate Columbus: Fighting Racism from 1492 to 1992 and beyond! We are asking students to organize on the campus to change institutional racism, to relate the campus struggles to the community, and to study the real story of Columbus. We must struggle to force changes in the racist power structure on campus. If we struggle, we can win! ************************************************* AIM counts coup in '92 ************************************************* by Tom Pearce Kentukiana Native American Support Group, Louisville, KY At this year's American Indian Movement Powwow, a historic gathering took place. Many AIM warriors, male and female, were reunited after many years of separation following the FBI's Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) assault to divide them. People who fought at Wounded Knee, took over the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, and occupied Alcatraz in 1968 are today throwing blood on the legacy of Columbus. It was humbling to see the Bellecourts and the Means together in solidarity. At the AIM conferences, Clyde Bellecourt spoke of a new unity echoed by Russell Means, Charlene Teeters, Bill Means, Vernon Bellecourt, Mike Haney, and others. Vernon Bellecourt said that "there is no way I was going to miss this meeting." There was an excitement in the air that has been brewing since the beginning of 1992. This gathering was similar to the one in Louisville which brought Dennis Banks (co-founder of AIM), Vernon Bellecourt, and Mike Haney together for the first time in many years. There is a sense in the movement that it doesn't matter if the rest of America is supporting us, that the important fact is that we're supporting each other. The circle is beginning to mend and the old wounds are slowly beginning to heal. Across the country there are many who have, with establishment posts, decided to stand alone and march for Columbus or collaborate with football franchises. It is vital that people recognize that these are individuals, not tribes; individuals, not leaders. By and large tribes are standing for dignity, and the movement (AIM) is fighting for it. People should start to see that the ones manufacturing polystyrene tomahawks are dictating over their people, not representing them. These are the same ones that allow nuclear waste sites on the Eastern Cherokee reservation. There is a new sense of who is fighting for the people's survival and who is collaborating to seal our fate. People should look harder at the truth. Our leaders are fighting against nuclear waste sites on Prairie Island [see story page 12], not doing jigs at football games. Our leaders are standing up against the desecration of Sacred burial sites, not hanging out with the descendants of Columbus. Our leaders are people who "vote with their bodies" and have lobbied from jail cells. Native Americans from Alaska to Ecuador have created a unity which is hemispheric in scope. Native people marched together demanding justice with one voice at the Ecosummit in Brazil. Has this ever been the case? A unified political struggle that is unprecedented is opening up. Native people in South Dakota are educating their people about the resistance in Guatemala. Miskitos in Nicaragua are in solidarity with Ojibwas in Minnesota. I met a 19 year old Native from Colorado this Summer who has traveled and lived in El Salvador three months at a time. He traveled with the FMLN and was present when the cease fire celebrations commenced. Likewise, his community has been the host of a yearly delegation of Salvadorans. Many Native peoples have a united consciousness. The exchange routes existing many years ago between North and South America have been revived (no, I don't mean the free trade agreement). This has not been the case in the 500 years that their system has been interrupted. I wonder if Amerikkka understands the future implications of these developments. The circle is being mended. It has been a struggle, though, to accomplish this while all of America had some idea of where Indian people were supposed to fit in their lives. Some Americans wanted us to be mascots while others wanted us to reconcile within interfaith communities. Some wanted us to say Apache helicopters were o.k. while other expected the "bionic Indian" as Vernon Bellecourt once expressed it. Others wanted to become us, without the pain of being us. They wanted to sell pseudo-Indian ceremonies, jewelry, and books, but they didn't want to live on reservations. It seemed everyone wanted to make a buck off of us and everyone saw the trendy movies written by and starring some white guy about us. It seems that we made our agenda fighting for immediate survival and sovereignty while everyone else argued about who had made it hard for Indians to survive and be sovereign. It has been a strange year. I came into this year thinking, "This will be the year America will march on Washington in droves demanding justice for the Native people." I was naive. I thought it would be the year the Black Hills would be returned to the Lakota. I must have been dreaming. This has been an unprecedented time in which many have helped to bring about some reality therapy, though. This is the year that three ships turned away from San Francisco because they were extremely and dangerously unwelcome. This is the year thousands marched against a team called the Redskins. This is the year when Leonard Peltier was on 60 Minutes, It has been 500 years of resistance this year, just like the 500 years before it. It has been a year of resistance for the earth when a volcano destroyed a US army base in the Philippines. A time when hurricanes have humbled us all. Mammoth fires, a cold summer, floods, typhoons, and through this we watched a city burn in an uprising against the oppressive unnatural conditions there. All in all, Native people have reminded AmeriKKKA that we're still here. We aren't going anywhere, and we've always been here. It seems that 1992 has been the indispensable step towards the possibility of real survival. This year the warriors of the Western hemisphere have met and are seeing a collective vision of the future. African warriors, Chicano Warriors, Islamic Warriors, Working class Caucasian Warriors, Native American Warriors, womyn Warriors, and Asian Warriors have unified for common goals against their oppressors. It has been a time when many started to see that singing "Black and White" (for "We Shall Overcome") together was awkward when a native person was standing next to them. A fitting end to this year would be George Bush leaving the White House. I hope I'm not dreaming. ************************************************* Arab professors beat U of L's racist game ************************************************* by Tom Pearce Louisville PSL After a year-and-a-half long battle for justice in the cases of two Muslim/Arab professors (Ibrahim Imam and Ahmed Desoky, who were denied tenure by racist forces in the Speed School at University of Louisville deans office), the professors, students, and community activists proclaimed victory in June. For months the Progressive Students League, Student Coalition Against Racism (SCAR), and the Committee to Defend Imam and Desoky, had increased pressure on President Donald Swain and the board of trustees. Aside from leafleting the school and gathering petitions, students began to wage a struggle to be heard at several board of trustees meetings. On many mornings, graffiti adorned the campus proclaiming "Justice for Imam and Desoky" and the student newspaper The Louisville Cardinal was stuffed with SCAR's version of the news: The Louisville Criminal. When SCAR spoke at the meeting, represented by Christine Jones of the PSL, Kenneth Bryant of the Association of Black Students, and myself representing SCAR, SCAR reminded the trustees that with the current consensus against discrimination evidenced by the LA riots, they were bordering on sending a dangerous message to students and the community about U of L's hiring practices. SCAR also reminded them that the business of trustee members could be more effectively protested during summer if they were unwilling to address the issue. Finally, at the May trustee meeting, Professor Imam's case, along with President Swain's assault on their rights, was heard in a jam-packed room full of students, community, and press. The trustees were taken by surprise at students' ability to mobilize forces in summer months. After deliberating for a record length in closed session, the trustees had the gaul to delay the vote until more trustees could research the issue (13 of 20 attended that day. Roumor had it that the real reason was the professors win on a straw poll). SCAR members sat on the floor and refused to allow the trustees to finish their unrelated business. Students made a statement to the press that regardless of the outcome of the vote, they would not take no for an answer. At June's trustee meeting, the historic vote was taken, again amidst a packed room. Scar vowed to resist a no decision. After deliberating for a short time, the trustees returned with a vote against the President (for the first time ever) and for the immediate promotion and granting of tenure for Imam and Desoky. Never in the history of the state had anyone won reversal in a tenure dispute. U of L's legal council walked by students when leaving and proclaimed "guess we know who establishes policy on this campus now." It is very important to note that during this struggle, President Swine moved to eliminate U of L's religious studies program, which happened to be chaired by the renowned Islamic Feminist Riffat Hassan, who, along with Imam, was active against Bush Gulf massacre. SCAR was able to head Swine off by linking the elimination of religious studies to the tenure struggle. Professor Syed, a professor in biology of Indian origin, who was active against the war, was also the victim of a discontinuation of contract. Students wish they did establish policy on this campus, but this victory is one drop in a bottomless bucket. Needless to say, the governor's panel just replaced nine of the twenty trustees, increasing the amount of African-American trustees by 25% and women trustees as well. It looks like the Swine are on the run temporarily. This case is proof that every once in a long while, when students wage an intelligent, well-researched struggle, we can win. Out of this struggle came an active working vehicle, SCAR, by which African American, Muslim/Arab, Native American, and progressive white students can fight the system. We cannot devalue the impact of struggle even when victory is seldom. SCAR would like to thank now editor of The Louisville Cardinal and, at that time , journalist Lorraine Lawson for printing the truth through all the repressive tactics the university an former editor Donna Hedgespeth used to twist the story. We applaud your patience and today your editorship of the paper ************************************************* Madison boycotts the University Book Store ************************************************* By Kate Misurek The Daily Cardinal Over the course of the summer, over two dozen political, civil rights and student organizations on the UW-Madison campus have joined in a boycott of the University Book Store. The Ten Percent Society, Madison's lesbian, gay and bisexual student group, called for the boycott after a lesbian employee was fired without explanation after two years of employment with the Book Store. Former bookstore employee Lois Corcoran has filed a complaint with the Madison Equal Opportunities Commission alleging discrimination on the basis of age and sexual orientation. The Ten Percent Society has organized an informational picket line in front of the University Book Store, and the Wisconsin Student Association (WSA) has canceled all Book Store accounts. In addition, several WSA members will help inform both professors and students of alternative locations to purchase texts, WSA co-president Victor DeJesus said. John Epple, Book Store general manager, has said he will make efforts to improve sensitivity toward gay and lesbian concerns. Charles Squires, Ten Percent Society co-president, said the immediate goal of the picket is to draw the public's attention to what they called the store's discriminatory policies and inform students of alternative locations to buy their books. "We also want to see substantial improvement in the Book Store's policies towards gay, lesbian, bisexual and minority employees," said Squires. DeJesus said the WSA decision to support the boycott came after the Ten Percent Society presented evidence that the Lois Corcoran case was not the first incident of discrimination at the Book Store. Squires said several cases of discrimination towards gay employees have come to his attention, and it is common knowledge that it is not safe to be "out" if employed at the Book Store. "The publicity of the Corcoran case is what focused our efforts on the boycott, but we've been aware of the problem for about a year," Squires said. Squires said two other objectives are to get the Book Store to extend all family benefits to same-sex registered domestic partners, and obtain the assurance that all employees have access to their performance evaluations. Along with these objectives, Squires said he hopes to get a public statement of the Book Store's non-discrimination policy, aggressive promotion of diversity in their work force, sensitivity training programs for management and employees and hiring of a Human Resource director. This story originally appeared in a slightly altered form in The Daily Cardinal, UW-Madison's student newspaper. Not many are aware that The University Bookstore is a national chain. Check into their practices on your campus! ************************************************* Columbus lied Thank god our leaders don't follow in the grand tradition! ************************************************* By Jaan Laaman "Columbus lied Columbus lied He told everybody he discovered America, What a whole lot of fantasy. Maybe he thought the Indians were fantasy. Columbus lied Columbus lied..." So goes the first verse of a popular calypso song heard not only in the Caribbean islands, but increasingly across the US as well. It is but a small part of the opposition to the upcoming government-sponsored celebrations of Columbus' arrival in the Americas. The "official" festivities sponsored in the U.S., Spain, the Dominican Republic, and other countries primarily seek to glorify Columbus as a discoverer. They also want to highlight the benefits that European culture brought to the Americas then and the fruits of that "discovery" now - namely the modern United States. Columbus certainly did lie. He lied to his sponsor, the Spanish monarchy, about just how much gold he was finding. While huge mineral wealth did exist in places such as the Incan Empire of Peru, the Caribbean islands where Columbus plundered were not especially rich in gold or precious stones. More importantly, Columbus lied to the people who welcomed him to their land, the Native Americans. While telling them of the power and mystery of the Spanish crown and the Christian church, he was already scheming about how to take the Indians' wealth, land, and enslave the people themselves. In short order, Columbus and his men were stealing gold, seizing land, raping women, enslaving people, and killing anyone who resisted - all in the name and greater glory of Spain and the Vatican. Columbus, in fact, was a conqueror and plunderer, not a discoverer. The pillaging of Columbus occurred five centuries ago. World history has many examples of conquest and plunder, so one may ask, what is the contemporary significance of this 500th anniversary? Truth, historical authenticity itself, would be reason enough to put many of the Columbus myths to rest. More significantly, though, while Columbus is long dead, his legacy is not. Columbus' exploitative spirit lives on - with a vengeance. It is for these reasons that many people in the U.S. and worldwide are demanding a revision of , if not outright opposition to, the "official" 500th anniversary. The European conquest of the Americas was not just about incorporating one piece of land into some empire after war or imposing a new ruler on some people. It marked the rise of Europe as the principal world power, the accumulation of wealth necessary for capitalism and the large-scale pursuit of slavery, including the kidnapping and dispersal of millions upon millions of Africans. It was all founded on the theft of resources from the indigenous peoples of this land in what is surely one of humanity's bloodiest genocides - the extermination of millions of Native Americans. Within 50 years of Columbus' arrival on the island of Hispaniola, there were literally no Taino Indians left alive! It is estimated that up to three million Tainos may have lived there prior to his "discovery." For the Americas as a whole, perhaps over 100 million indigenous people died as a result of the European invasion. In the United States there are less than two million Native Americans today, whereas 500 years ago it is estimated there were between 20 and 60 million. Slavery, occupation, and genocide - these are the foundations of Columbus' legacy and the European conquest. They continue today as part of colonialism, neocolonialism, and imperialism - as part of the "New World Order." Just as Columbus did not regard the customs and lives of the Tainos as worthy or relevant, so too today in the West and in the U.S. in particular, the culture and existence of nonwhite people are considered inferior and inconsequential. This is true whether they are Native Americans, Puerto Ricans, Salvadorans, South Africans or Third World people anywhere. It began with Columbus' arrival and it continues with the myths and lies about him and the entire history of European colonialism since. The upcoming government-sponsored 500th anniversary events are but a continuation of this lie. Columbus himself may or may not have been much of a man or a leader. We know he was an inept governor, not a good businessman, and a poor soldier. He was an accomplished sailor, however, and became the "point man" for Spanish expansion, and ultimately European expansion as well. The meeting of Europe and the Americas was a momentous event in world history. The last 500 years of a European and U.S. dominated world has seen incredible advances in many areas of life. It has also seen incredible suffering, murder, and waste. The pillaging of the earth and most of its people, as was initiated by Columbus on his first arrival, continues today. Whether we have already gone beyond reparable limits is unknown. What we do know is that the planet and the majority of its people can not stand another 500 years in the tradition of Columbus. Jaan Laaman is a member of the Ohio 7, and is serving his sentence in Leavanworth, KS. ************************************************* Everyday Activism ************************************************* by Shani Rachel Handel Being "political" is more than just ideology or philosophy. It is more than protests and forums. Politics can and should be a way of life that effects every aspect of one's thoughts and actions. This does not mean that everything one does is controlled; rather, while fighting the system one can also open oneself up to the creative and exciting alternatives that already exist. The foods we eat, the places we shop, even the way we nurse the common cold, are all potentially "political" acts making just living inherently revolutionary. Eating is something everyone must do but it is also an empowering activity. Activists in all movements can add to their productivity by eating responsibly. If one is a Socialist it follows suit to buy foods from smaller companies or farmers. Huge multi-national corporations control our economy and persecute the workers of the world. Activists fighting for economic change can remove themselves from this systematic oppression by spending their money on produce grown by local organic farmers and products made by collective or cooperatively run companies. Environmentalists will want to follow these same practices because it is large producers that use toxic growing methods and wasteful packaging. Local organic farmers use safe growing methods, and smaller bakeries and business' often use recycled packaging. Buying bulk saves money and eradicates wasteful packaging altogether. Anti-war activists or anti- imperialists will want to put their money behind their activism by boycotting food companies that are a part of the military industrial complex. How often do I see busy activists sucking down a fast food meal in between meetings or rallies. With each bite a worker is exploited, a piece of rain forest is destroyed and another weapon is built. This is not to say that eating at McDonald's should be outlawed. I place the full blame of destruction on the system, not on the individual, keeping in mind that alternatives are not available to everyone. What I am saying is that along with other activist work, some of us can sit down, eat a delicious meal of seasonal fruits and veggies, while saying "FUCK THE SYSTEM" at the same time. How, you might ask, can getting a cold turn into a political act. First of all, eating correctly can have a huge influence on illness. Processed, refined sugar, which our huge corporations spend much of their energy(apart from destroying the earth and exploiting workers) marketing, deplete vitamins such as C which can actually help to boost the immune system. Instead one is forced to go to the store and purchase a remedy produced by a huge pharmaceutical company. These "medicines" actually harm the body by suppressing symptoms so that the immune system fails to fight off the root illness. One becomes ill again and the process repeats. When one visits the doctor one doesn't usually think of him/her as a part of the medical industry. It is however, just that, an industry largely controlled by pharmaceutical and other companies. Many drugs such as anti-biotics are needlessly prescribed and in the long run do more harm than good. There are many naturally found anti- biotics, herbs, body work, and dietary factors that can improve and strengthen the body. Activists can stop supporting these huge companies that are a part of the military industrial complex and destroy the environment. The refusal of the medical industry to explore "alternative" health methods (such as "non-traditional" acupuncture.....Chinese civilization being so, ahem....young and inexperienced... is what keeps health care costs so high and unavailable to so many people. In other words not only should health care be available to everyone no matter what the cost, it actually doesn't have to be a huge burden on the economy. Activists should organize, rally, protest, write etc. for universal health care while taking advantage of what options we have to stay strong and healthy at the same time. Living politically is in NO WAY meant to replace strong activist work!!!! The system cannot be broken down by seeking alternatives alone. Activists must fight to change the entire structure. Also, because of that structure, these alternatives are not available to most people. It would be counter-revolutionary to take advantage of alternatives without fighting to make them available to everyone. In doing both, activists can break down the oppressive society that exists while creating a new, just, society at the same time. ************************************************* I, too, can hate ************************************************* by Kawone Harris Black Student Union President, Illinois State University-Blommington/Normal (on hearing '92 South Central LA riots) for Rodney King and Howard Caesar* i ...And this is what I heard in class "Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty." It was at this moment I truly felt hate. I hated every white person that ever struck, killed, lynched or raped a black person just for the color of their skin. I hated police officers for having the power, authority, and now license to kick and kill at will. I hated the American justice system for its outright failure, from Emmitt Till, and now, to Rodney King. I hated blacks for submitting themselves to the abuses of white America. I hated my mother for bearing, not just one, but two children into this racist, bigoted, polluted, corrupt country. And I hated myself - for not being able to ensure that justice in America served any and all persons. But most of all... I just hated America, for making me - a black man. I am the black man I am the hated, the shunned, and the feared. I am the mocked, overlooked, and the leered. I am the opposite of all that is good. I am the endangered - still not understood. I am the human with feelings so real. I am still beaten - most sure to be killed. I am the exotic, a whore to be sold. I am the black man - still slave to them all. ii And for no more than a couple of hours I came to understand what "the hate that hate produced" truly was - me. Yes, now I know where I stand in America. And if only for those brief hours, I fully understand the pain and the rage of being black in America. But what I hated the most followed. Everywhere and everyone around me always taught me not to let hate stay - and I didn't. Not because I didn't want to either. No, I have painstakingly perceived that the only way I can survive in America is to love white America; to embrace it wholly and fully. While underneath all of the smiles and the laughs and the hugs for my white brethren lay over 500 years of sadness, anger, and pain. Pain, because they will not allow me to be a man in America, even today, I forever have this pain. *On June 8, 1992, Howard Caesar, defenseless, was critically shot and wounded by six Newark, New Jersey police officers for driving a stolen vehicle. They lied in their police reports, but did later reveal the truth. Fearing police harassment, no witnesses came forward. The city investigated, but only in the wake of the LA riots. ************************************************* The Vote's In and Suharto Sucks: Congress Finally Cuts Military Aid to Indonesia ************************************************* By John E. Peck PSN-Madison Friday Oct. 2 was a sad day for corporate drones in Washington and goon squads in Jakarta alike, as a House-Senate conference committee struck down a $2.3 million International Military Education Training (IMET) package for Indonesia. In a letter to constituents, Sen. Bob Kasten (R-WI), diehard supporter of the Suharto dictatorship, tried to peddle the IMET funding as "human rights related." Yet, hundreds of outraged citizens knew otherwise and bombarded his office with phone calls. While the grassroots effort failed to change the mind of the right-wing degenerate, it did tip the overall Congressional balance in favor of cutting U.S. aid. Unfortunately, given Indonesia's existing weapons stockpile and previous donor contributions, liberation movements such as FRETILIN in East Timor, OPM in West Papua, and AM in Sumatra still face a grueling uphill battle for self-determination. Congressional debate over U.S. collaboration with one of the world's most heinous dictatorships just so happened to coincide with the visit of Allan Nairn, a reporter for New Yorker magazine, to the UW- Madison campus. Nairn, along with Pacifica Radio correspondent Amy Goodman, narrowly survived an Indonesian military attack on a Catholic funeral procession last Nov. 12 in Dili, the capitol of East Timor. An estimated 146 people were shot and/or beaten to death out of a crowd of over 5,000, including Kamal Bamadhaj, a visiting student from New Zealand. According to Nairn, Kamal's bereaved parents have since filed suit against several Indonesian commanders who were apparently "rewarded" for their efficient handling of the massacre with "scholarships" to Harvard's Business School. Nairn recounted the gory details of last year's incident before a packed audience with a slight tinge of irony in his voice - after all, his own skull was fractured by U.S.-supplied rifles in the hands of supposedly U.S.-trained troops. Political tensions had been building in East Timor for month's in anticipation of a tour by a joint Portuguese/U.N. delegation. In a crude attempt to stifle criticism, the Indonesian military circulated death threats and prepared mass gravesites. A young Timorese activist, Sebasti Gomez was killed on Oct 28 during an army assault on the sanctuary at Matael Catholic Church where preparations for the fact- finding team's visit were taking place. When the Bush administration suddenly intervened to cancel the trip, the frustrated Timorese chose to use the Nov. 12 memorial service for Sebasti as an opportunity to tell the world of their hope for independence. Obviously, such free expression is poorly tolerated by the Indonesian regime. The White House has aided and abetted Suharto ever since 1965 when the CIA engineered a bloody coup d'tat against the Sukarno government and provided names of prominent leftists for liquidation. Over 500,000 people were eventually killed in an effort to purge the country of "communist sympathizers." Ten years later, Suharto took advantage of the collapse of the Portuguese colonial empire to invade East Timor where the Frente Revolucionria do Timor Leste Independente (FRETILIN) had already won a popular revolution. The day before Indonesian shock troops stormed the newly independent nation, President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger met with Suharto in Jakarta to grant tacit U.S. approval of his self-proclaimed tanah air or land-and-water fatherland. Since then over a third of East Timor's population - in excess of 200,000 people - have been killed as part of a thinly-veiled campaign of cultural genocide. While the U.N. has never recognized Indonesia's claim to the territory, continued U.S. military and economic support, to the tune of $70 million last year alone, has certainly bolstered the desired impression of a fait accompli. Suharto's expansionist dream has been a horrid nightmare elsewhere in the region, as well. The rigged plebiscite and subsequent "annexation" of West Papua in 1969 actually served as s "dry run" for the invasion of East Timor. Over a quarter of West Papua's estimated 800,000 inhabitants have since died at the hands of occupying Indonesian forces. The Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) or Free Papua Movement continues their war for liberation despite amazing odds - their indigenous bows and arrows pitted against modern napalm and aircraft. On the other end of the archipelago, the Aceh Merdeka (AM ) or Free Aceh Movement is spearheading the self-determination struggle in Sumatra. Since the 1970's, though, thousands have perished on the island due to the merciless counter insurgency operations of the Suharto dictatorship. With demise of the Cold War and collapse of the "Evil Empire," it is tempting to think that there is little reason left to bolster dictatorships under Bush's "New World Order." Yet, if the real national security objective is to promote big business profit then there is still a lot of money to be made from oppression. Military suppliers such as GE and ITT have always been vocal proponents of weaponry and training for the Suharto dictatorship. In a recent full page New York Times advertisement, Mobil applauded Indonesia's "aggressive development" policy and boasted of it's own $3 billion investment in the Arun gas fields of Sumatra. Shell is just one of many oil companies that have already signed lucrative agreements with Jakarta for exploration rights off the southern coast of East Timor. Meanwhile, Scott Paper has unveiled plans in West Papua to evict 25,000 people and clear-cut 2 million acres in order to establish a massive eucalyptus pulpwood plantation. Elsewhere on the island, Freeport-McMoran is busily extracting copper and gold from a 10,000 acre strip-mine, reducing indigenous workers to debt servitude and poisoning water supplies with toxic waste - all under the watchful eyes of occupying Indonesian troops. Not to be left out of the action, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and other multilateral lending agencies are also pouring funds into Suharto's coffers ~$4.5 billion in 1990 alone. By far the most infamous example of "development assistance" to Indonesia is the Transmigration Scheme, perhaps the largest engineered movement of human populations since the slave trade. In order to marginalize unruly minorities, landless peasants are being transplanted from overcrowded Java and Bali to volatile areas where Indonesian rule is still disputed. West Papua alone is slated to receive 500,000 immigrants, who will have to displace indigenous peoples from an estimated 8 million acres in order to establish homesteads. In a nation where per capita income is a mere $900 per year, foreign donors are nonetheless willing to spend ten times as much on relocating an impoverished family to the forest frontier as pawns in a ruthless campaign of colonization and pacification. In a response to reporters shortly after the Oct 2 vote Rep. Obey (D- WI), longtime critic of the Suharto dictatorship, termed it "absolutely outrageous" that U.S. taxpayers should be expected to bankroll such a murderous military. The present situation is not unique to Indonesia, however, nor is the record of past complicity by the United States. The IMET package represents just the tip of a much more insidious iceberg - namely the Bush administration's benighted foreign policy program. As long as this country continues to sacrifice human dignity on the altar of corporate greed, then one can expect similar massacres like that in East Timor to haunt the collective consciousness of humanity well into the future. ************************************************* Pin the Tale on the Jackass: ************************************************* A woman is like a tea bag. Nancy Reagan I owe nothing to Women's Lib Margaret Thatcher A women's place is in the home looking after the family, not out working. Pope John Paul II They have the right to work wherever they want to -as long as they have dinner ready when you get home. John Wayne We've made a lot of mistakes. A couple of them you've caught. Most of them you haven't. And I'm not going to tell you what they are. There have been doozies you've missed. John Sununu People that are really very weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history. J. Danforth Quayle I don't think of myself as naturally imperialistic or paternalistic, but there are certain things I like to do my own way. William F. Buckley Jr. I think we must prefer our own people first to other people. Pat Bucannan The American Library Association is the chief purveyor of child pornography Phyllis Schlafly You're going to scoff and say, 'that guys a nut' " Jesse Helms Stop the liberals from spending taxpayers money on perverted deviant art. Jesse Helms A little rape is good for man's soul. Norman Mailer Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Henry Kissinger Sex education classes in our public schools are promoting incest. Rev. Jimmy Swaggart Human beings are not animals, and I do not want to see sex and sexual differences treated as casually and amorally as dogs and other beasts treat them. I believe this could happen under the ERA. Ronald Wilson Reagan I listen to the feminists and all these radical gals - most of them are failures. They've blown it. Some of them have been married, but they married some Casper Milquetoast who asked permission to go to the bathroom. These women just need a man in the house. That's all they need. Most of these feminists need a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead them home. Rev. Jerry Falwell The battle for women's rights has been largely won. Margaret Thatcher I think contraception is disgusting -people using each other for pleasure. Joseph Scheidler, director, Pro-Life Action League. I don't think Christians should use birth control. You consummate your marriage as often as you like and if you have babies, you have babies. Randall Terry It's very healthy for a young girl to be deterred from promiscuity by fear of contracting a painful, incurable disease, or cervical cancer, or sterility, or the likelihood of giving birth to a dead, blind, or brain-damaged baby (even ten years later when she may be happily married). Phyllis Schlafly Imagine me going around with a pot belly. It would mean political ruin. Adolf Hitler Well, I've gotta take ol' Jumbo here and give him some exercise. I wonder who I'll fuck tonight. Lyndon B. Johnson What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Ornot to have a mind J. Danforth Quayle The bombing starts in 5 minutes Ronald Wilson Reagan ************************************************* Kitchen corner ************************************************* "If you try to please your guests as you would your family, you'll realize that it is not necessary to do something extravagant to impress. Simplicity, using good ingredients well, is usually more impressive than a lot of fancy cooking that is sometimes too much to handle..." -Fanny Farmer Yes, sometimes the simplest ingredients in the right combination can have amazing results. Whether it's mixing yeast and sugar for bread or nitroglycerin and nitrate for dynamite, even the novice cook is but a few short steps away from the kitchen revolution. Having already satisfied your hunger [see kitchen corner in vol. 9 nos. 1 & 2], this time Fanny aims to quench your thirst. Brandy Sidecar An always appropriate apritif for the truly sophisticated bomb- thrower activist. Ingredients: 5 parts brandy (Korbel if you can afford it, obviously) 1 part Cointreau (Triple-sec in a pinch) 1 part lemon juice Shake well with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glasses, either straight-up or over chipped ice. Garnish with twist of lemon or maraschino cherry. Flaming Shots Brighten any party with this sure-fire hit. But drink fast! The longer the burn the lower the alcohol level. Ingredients: Wide mouthed shot glass Your favorite 100+ proof spirit Zippo lighter or equivalent Pour, light, toast* & suck it down. [A word of caution: Those with facial hair may find it prudent to suffocate the flame before consuming]. *"up the rebels" is always a good one. Molotov Cocktail Thanks to industrial society's pervasive dependence of fossil fuel, this has become a "party favor" the world over. Ingredients: empty quart bottle old rag cork gasoline, oil Fill the quart bottle with two-thirds gasoline and one third oil. Stuff a gasoline-soaked rag into the mouth of the bottle and cork so as to leave one end free for a fuse. Once lit, toss at your preferred target [billboard, vehicle, building, etc...] and hope that the bottle breaks so as to ignite the fuel. Avoid spilling any molotov cocktail on yourself unless you are prepared to become a human torch. Remember - water can not douse petroleum. Suffocate any wayward flames instead. ************************************************* Letters to the editor ************************************************* Dear Friends, Thank you for sending me your terrific paper. As soon as I get my finances in order I will send you a contribution. I think your work is very important-especially at a time like this, when "family values" and a variety of Mr. White Potatoe Heads are dominating the scene. For those of us locked away from the progressive movements, your paper is a lifeline to the struggle beyond the walls. So I thank you and send along my solidarity. Please note my new address, sigh [see "Outta control @ Lexington," page 4. eds]. no justice, no peace Venceremos Laura Whitehorn Marianna, Florida Dear PSN people, Red greetings - hope these words are catching you in positive and rebellious spirits. I've received the last couple of issues of your paper -including the summer issue. I'm pleased to see it ( + of course progressive literature gets passed around in here). Hope many people were able + ready to "Unite + Conquer" in + after Houston. In general, it is heartening and instructive to see younger sisters and brothers, like you all, strugglin, raising issues, joining in efforts and of course organizing and educating at campuses and other areas. I became politically active as a teenager and student; worked on New Left Notes and other papers in and through SDS [Students for a Democratic Society -eds.] and other formations in the 60's and on. So it especially energizes me to see your work. As you see I've enclosed a copy of an article i wrote on Columbus and all that jazz - you may find it useful or interesting [see Columbus Lied, page 8] Keep me on your sub list - and best hopes and expectations on all your work - with this bush-clinton game revving up big time, there's lots + lots of work for us to do. If there is anything i can do in any way to assist or support your work, feel real comfortable asking - Take care. In Solidarity, Amandla! Jaan Laaman Ohio-7 political prisoner Leavenworth prison To my friends at PSN, The length of time it has taken me to write demonstrates my current sense of bureaucratic disarray. The good news is that despite myself I am graduating next month. It sounds like you are doing exciting/interesting things. I miss working with you all. If I can be of any help, please let me know. Good luck to you all. I hope we will be in touch in the future Amanda Newton Chicago, IL ************************************************* NAFTA: The Big Lie! ************************************************* by J. Burger and Amie Weinberg INSTEAD What do the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the Quincentennial of Columbus all have in common? They all play a role in the recently forged "New World Order," reaffirming the mentality of the last 500 years of genocide, exploitation, and imperialism that has dominated the world. In October 1992 global leaders will be celebrating the discovery of America (read re-colonization of people and the world) at the same time as they are finalizing GATT and NAFTA. U.S. negotiators of these agreements have been authorized by Congress to work in secret without public scrutiny. This authority subverts the pretense of democracy in this country and undermines the sovereignty of peoples and nations around the world. This trend will also destroy citizens' collective capacity to create economically and ecologically sustainable policies. With the future of GATT delayed due to effective opposition worldwide, the NAFTA proposal becomes the imminent threat. Both political parties have aligned themselves in support of this measure (read: danger!) What About NAFTA Anyway? In reading the papers or listening to radio and television sources, one is led to think that NAFTA has been passed. Don't believe the hype! The media has fallen prey to free trade ideology, even to the point of aggrandizing NAFTA as the savior of North America's economy. Governments and corporations professed the same promises about the Canadian-U.S. Trade Agreement (CUSTA). They just forgot to tell citizens (read withheld information) that both economies might suffer major downturns as a result of signing CUSTA. A recent report now claims that Canada lost over 700,000 manufacturing jobs since 1989. Canadian culture (music, art, media, etc.) has also been invaded by U.S.-based transnationals as a result of the weakening of laws designed to enhance and further Canadian autonomy and identity. In general, the only thing "free" about free trade is that it freely trades away the freedom to live in a democratic and just society. NAFTA is not so much about trade as it is about strengthening the ability of transnational corporations to do as they please -i.e. earn profits regardless of the impacts on people and the environment. We hear from "official" sources that NAFTA will increase the competitiveness of U.S. companies. This assumption is based on projected figures of increased Mexican consumption of U.S.-made goods, and it is unrealistic considering that the average wage in Mexico is under $2.00 per hour. This leaves most Mexicans unable to play the U.S. consumer game. Just a glimpse at the track record of Corporate America should convince most citizens that their arguments can not be trusted. Looking at Mexico gives us plenty of clues as to the real consequences of NAFTA. The maquiladoras, or "free trade" zones as they are called, are factories right over the border where U.S. corporations exploit people's labor for $4.00 per day and pollute the surrounding area by dumping untreated toxins straight into rivers. This model of maldevelopment is expected to continue and even expand under NAFTA. Mexico has strong environmental, labor, health, and safety laws on record - it just so happens that these are conveniently not enforced. Some of this is based on the fact that corruption pervades almost every level of government. Putting aside for a moment our own country's lousy record of trustworthiness, one would still expect U.S. negotiators to demand political responsibility from the other governments involved in the agreement. As well, there has been little analysis to date on the links between the rise in racially-motivated attacks in cities across the continent and the ongoing free trade negotiations. We should start to look at the potential impacts on communities when millions of recently unemployed people are uprooted from their homes in search of decent work and a better life. NAFTA must be held accountable to all the peoples of North America. How Does NAFTA Affect Students? As students we must understand the direct threat that NAFTA poses not only to employment, democracy, and the environment, but also to education. The Canadian, Mexican, and U.S. educational systems have been increasingly under attack the last few years. Funding to the Canadian post-secondary educational system has suffered $3.2 billion in cuts since 1986. In Canada, just as in the U.S., when federal moneys are cut from university budgets, private sources (read large corporations) gain greater influence over the direction of institutions. As Catherine Remus with the Canadian Federation of Students explains, "For students, reading about NAFTA is like being thrown an anchor when you are drowning. Here we are fighting for restoration of adequate funding levels and we learn that the Canadian government is struggling to keep the ability to fund education at all." Education is just one part of the overall social welfare program jeopardized by NAFTA. Having fewer employment opportunities, environmental regulations and democratic rights will also adversely affect students everywhere. What Are Students Doing About Free Trade? As students win more and more battles against privatization and corporatization of their institutions, the grassroots movement for citizen control is bolstered. Since the mid 1980's students in Canada and Mexico have taken direct action against this trend and more recently are connecting this issue to the larger problem of NAFTA. This past summer in Mexico, students successfully mobilized thousands of classmates to resist a government plan that would have required tuition at public universities. (In Mexico access to free education through college is a constitutional right, something we need to fight for here in the U.S.) Students from all over Mexico have been marching and protesting to voice their opposition to the government's economic policies including NAFTA. For the past few years, Canadian students have also been staging protests using such organizing tools as teach-ins, political art, and street theater to build broader coalitions. In June 1992 students from Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. came together for a three day meeting in San Diego, CA to discuss how to best address and take action against NAFTA. After much exchange of information and ideas, the students realized the need for a continent-wide student network. On November 27-30, 1992 youth from Canada, Mexico, the U.S., and indigenous nations will gather in Guadalajara, Mexico for the first Continental Student Conference to open dialogue about NAFTA. The gathering will discuss strategies to fight free trade and create a future based on justice, equality, and ecology. We will also educate each other about the possible consequences of NAFTA, GATT, and global economic integration for our respective nations. If we are to work together effectively, we must have a clear understanding of the cultural, economic, and other aspects that make organizing in each country unique. Students have finally realized that the time for concerted action is now! Action to Take Against NAFTA. In order to get things rolling in your group and on your campus, the first priority should be to educate yourself and others about trade issues. Last year students in the U.S. formed the International Student Trade Environment and Development program (INSTEAD). Among other things, INSTEAD has created and gathered together a wide variety of educational materials about free trade and its impact on education, environment, economics, human rights, etc. We have a resource bibliography, video collection, and numerous pamphlets that are available to students. We have also created a "Campus Action Guide to Free Trade" with a list of speakers, contact groups, and ideas for organizing. A sure fire way to educate people at your school is to put on a teach-in including trade unionists, environmentalists, economists, student activists, and professors. Set up the agenda to include workshops and allow plenty of time for questions. Also, help support events that shed light on the "Big Lie" of Columbus' discovery of America by showing how NAFTA is nothing but a tool to insure 500 more years of the same unjust and genocidal mentality that has plagued this continent for centuries. NAFTA will give overwhelming power to a handful of transnational corporations, continuing the western legacy of world domination. If we are to have sufficient force to counteract their plan, we must also organize across the same international borders that they wish to control. The continental meeting in Guadalajara will thus be a major step towards unifying students around common goals to wage a successful struggle against free trade. For more information on INSTEAD and how you can participate in the Guadalajara Conference, please refer to the ad on this page.. For more information on groups already working against free trade in your area, please call Don Weiner of the Fair Trade Coalition at (312) 341-4713. To learn more about the complexities of NAFTA, read "Trading Freedom, How Free Trade Affects Our Lives, Work and the Environment" edited by John Cavanagh, Institute for Food and Development Policy, (415) 864-8555 or "Look Before Your Leap, What You Should Know About NAFTA" prepared by the Development Group for Alternative Policies, (202) 544- 2600. ************************************************* Native Americans Under Siege in Lawrence Kansas ************************************************* by Christine Jones and Tom Pearce, Louisville-PSL Haskell Indian Junior College student Christopher Bread was walking home one night near a Lawrence, Kansas club frequented by skinheads, when he was struck and killed by an automobile driven by Marvin Schall. Numerous witnesses recalled in court that they heard Schall bragging on the C.B. radio that he had just hit "an idiot Indian." Schall's passenger testified that they went back to hide the body, but he later recanted his testimony. To date, Schall has only been charged with leaving the scene of an accident where bodily injury occurred. This is the same charge he would face for having hit a dog. Seven other Indians have been murdered in the Lawrence area in the last three years: several were killed by hit-and-run drivers, two were found in the Kansas River with lacerations on their bodies, and one was shot. Another five - all hit-and-run victims - survived, but were unable to convict their assailants. Two were women who were strangled, one from Trinidad, one of Puerto Rican origin. They may have been perceived to be Indian. Of the total 13 victims, nine were or are Haskell students. The parents of Bread, Christopher Bread and Cecil Dawes, teach at Haskell. Another victim's parents were on the Board of Directors of the American Indian Center in Lawrence. When the Lawrence Police Chief was asked by the Wall Street Journal about the unsolved killings, he said that they were all isolated incidents. The Journal reporter was surprised to see two Nazi war helmets on the Police Chief's desk. Greg Sevier was sitting at home depressed about an argument with a female friend, when his parents found him in his room with a butcher knife. They were afraid he was going to hurt himself, and called the police to ask for assistance. Four minutes later, Greg had been shot six times by the officers who answered the call. The officers claim that they shot in self-defense. Not many people believe that it took six shots for them to defend themselves. Not many people believe it was self-defense. Greg's body was found lying on his bed, indicating that he was not acting aggressively when he was killed. Neither of the officers have lost their jobs. The Sevier family is now pursuing a suit against the Lawrence Police, and a book has been written about Greg's murder. This summer in Lawrence, Native students at Haskell and Kansas University came together with the American Indian Movement (AIM) and Louisville Progressive Student League members, to fight against the overt racism that has been plaguing the town in recent years. PSL members, together with Mike Haney (an AIM representative), first went to Lawrence after hearing that Christopher Bread's murderer would be tried on May 25, the day after the annual protest for Leonard Peltier in Leavenworth. We went to help with a protest outside the Lawrence courthouse. About 100 Native Americans protested there. Mike and others reminded the press that, given the current anger toward racial injustice that spawned the L.A. uprising, insensitivity toward the blatant racism pervading the community bordered on the reckless. Marvin Schall was found guilty of "leaving the scene of an accident where bodily injury occurred." Unfortunately, there had been a mistrial on charges of reckless homicide, due to intimidation of Bread's family and supporters by friends of the assailant's family. Large men shadowed Bread family supporters in the lobby of the courthouse, and one went so far as to lean inside a phone booth used by Bread supporter Ruth Kyle while she made a call. During that trial, it became known for the first time that Marvin Schall's father was a high-ranking Klansman in Missouri. Since then, stories about the case have appeared in the New York Times and the Lakota Times, a national Native newspaper. On July 10, Schall was to be in court again. Mike Haney, Clyde Bellecourt (Executive Director of AIM), the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, the Kansas University Native American Student Association, the newly-formed Lawrence Committee for Native American Justice, and Tom Pearce all participated in a week of action in Lawrence to try to bring the issues to the public. Two panel discussions were held in which the community began to express the rage that had built up from the unanswered violence in Lawrence. Participants said they were scared to walk at night. They felt as if the white community did not even know that people were dying. Students from Haskell said they weren't sure they wanted to come back to school. Some expressed anger, but said they weren't afraid. On July 10, another protest, led by Clyde Bellecourt, was held at the Lawrence courthouse. Bellecourt spoke about the perception he had that an Indian life was not worth as much as a white one in Lawrence. Mike Haney said, "An Indian is the same as a dog in the Lawrence legal system." Marvin Schall will be sentenced for his standing conviction after he is retried for vehicular homicide in the coming months. In the days following AIM's visit, Haskell student Verland Edwards formed a group along with the Sevier family, Haskell students, and community members to plan a course of action. Currently, Native activists in Lawrence and nearby Kansas City are forming AIM chapters. We must not let these deaths go unanswered. No justice, no peace. ************************************************* NSP to take dump on Prairie Island? ************************************************* by Meredith Lerner psn - madison Once upon a time on a sandy island, on the flood plain of the Great Mississippi River, 700 meters from the Prairie Island Mdewakanton Sioux community, there was... AN OUTDOOR HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE DUMP. What's wrong with this picture? Northern States Power (NSP) operates three nuclear reactors in Minnesota, two of which are located near the Mdewakanton Dakota reservation on Prairie Island. Now NSP wants to build outdoor on-site storage casks to dump radioactive waste which will overflow their indoor storage pools. Tribal representatives testified at the Certificate of Need hearings for the dump that NSP has and continues to treat the Mdewakanton Community "less than honorably." If a solution for waste placement cannot be found, the Prairie Island reactor will have to shut down between now and the year 2000. In April of this year, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who led the Certificate of Need hearings found that other utility management options exist. The options include cost effective conservation and renewable energy. He recommended that the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) reject NSP's proposal. However, NSP called on the Bush Administration to pressure MPUC into allowing for the dump, and on June 26, MPUC threw out the ALJ's report and gave NSP permission to store 17 casks. A strong backlash is being pushed by the Prairie Island Coalition and the Mdewakanton Community to gain support for the State Court of Appeals process, and for legislation to stop the dump and develop conservation and renewable resources instead. What you can do to help stop the dump? Contact the Minnesota state legislators and urge them to reject NSP's proposal and support legislation based on the efficient use of renewable energy. Also contact MPUC and urge them to reconsider their decision and reverse it. MN House of Representatives State Office Building St. Paul, MN 55155 Minnesota Senate State Capitol St. Paul, MN 55155 MPUC 700 American Center Building 150 East Kellogg Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55101 The Prairie Island Coalition Against Nuclear Storage (PICANS) P.O. Box 581669 Minneapolis, MN 55458 ************************************************* Fiscal managers turn phlebotomists! Healthcare workers to be bled for fun & profit ************************************************* by Robert McClure PSN-Madison One of the crown jewels of the University of Wisconsin at Madison is the U.W. Hospital and Clinics (UWHC), a nationally recognized research and health facility located at the western end of campus. Besides conducting research and serving as a training ground for doctors and other health professionals, UWHC has traditionally provided a large share of health care to those on Medicaid and Medicare, and others who are least able to pay. To hear hospital administrators tell it, these several missions have put a serious drain on the institution's profitability and threaten to send it into the red. (Curiously, the hospital has shown millions of dollars in profits over the past several years). Whatever the case, rather than turn to the state for fiscal help, hospital administrators are seeking to make the facility more profitable on the backs of the workers. A plan by University officials to "privatize" the hospital was first revealed in 1991, the result of an unpublicized (read "secret") several-year study by a private consulting firm. Billed as essential because it would have expedited purchasing, construction and hiring processes, the privatization would also have taken all of the facility's several-thousand non-professional staff off of state civil-service rosters and made them employees of a private corporate entity. The union-busting implications of this were not lost on the hospital employees, who - as state workers - enjoy relatively reasonable pay levels and good benefits, at least by private-sector standards. In early 1992, the several unions which represent hospital nurses, clericals, maintenance and other staff blocs, were able to successfully band together and- with the help of other grassroots support-kill the privatization plan. Unfortunately, a new plan to "restructure" the hospital has now been put on the fast-track by the University, and is flying rapidly toward the state legislature for approval. (The UW -Madison Chancellor and State Board of Regents have already rubber-stamped the plan; hospital staff were scrupulously excluded from the approval process.) Though the restructuring would not make the hospital private in the strictest sense, it would have many of the same negative consequences as privatization, particularly for hospital employees. A two-tiered staffing system would be implemented, with new, non-state employees coming on board beside current state civil-servants. Since the newer employees would not be guaranteed civil-service benefits, serious division between workers would be fostered, crippling coordinated worker action and effectively breaking the unions. The hospital - seeking to expand outpatient services - might also begin gobbling up outlying, small-town clinics, with questionable consequences for the local autonomy of those clinics, as well as the rights of their workers and the cost of care. It is unclear how restructuring would affect the hospital's delivery of care to the poor, but repeated concerns by fiscal managers of wanting to get "more 'paying' patients into the patient mix" have not left anybody particularly reassured. The insidious trend of privatization of public institutions over the past decade has seen a corresponding decrease in public service from those institutions, and a concomitant increase in concern for profit generation, the pocketing of funds by management, and other reprehensible capitalist behavior. Together with deregulation of already- private institutions, privat-ization has marked a more general tendency in America to move institutions and other collective undertakings of our society out of public oversight and into the hands (and behind the closed doors...) of a smaller and smaller number of people in power, whether in government or the "private" sector. In this way, privatization and deregulation are related to such other more overtly frightening developments as the deepening secrecy of the intelligence and surveillance agencies, the repeated blows against the Freedom of Information Act, and the eroding of habeous corpus statutes. By demonizing public oversight as "burdensome" and "costly," those in power have played upon America's worsening economic condition to enhance their own level of control, while at the same time denigrating what stands at the very heart of democracy - active public participation and control of civic life - so as to continue our metamorphosis from meddling and uproarious citizenry into passive and preoccupied consumers. It is now in the hands of progressive folk at the UW to deconstruct "restructuring" and call it what it is: a surreptitious attempt to bring about the most dangerous aspects of privatization without raising a public stink. And, as the proposal sails on toward the state legislature, it becomes increasingly incumbent upon the larger Wisconsin citizenry to actively denounce this restructuring attempt as anti-worker and bad public health care policy. Rob McClure is a clerical peon at UWHC, and a member of AFSME Local 2412. ************************************************* Rationality & Pro-Life strategy ************************************************* by Mark Hamann PSN - Madison In biological evolution there are several ways to enhance one's fitness, hence one's chances at reproductive success. (Though reproductive success is the driving force of evolution, homosexuality is entirely consistent with evolution, but that requires concepts that aren't taught to most people. Perhaps that will be a subject of some future article.) Some are physical such as harder shells, quickness, etc., while some are behavioral. One fitness enhancing behavior is called spite. Spite is a possible result of the emotion of envy. The idea is that by denying another organism of some fitness, one's own fitness increases relative to that of the other organism. In other words, improve your own chances by knocking someone else's down. This, I believe, is a major though unconscious motivation of the 'prolife' movement. They are obviously not out to protect the sanctity of life because they vote for those responsible for the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of people from the United States itself to East Timor to the Middle East to Latin America. I started formulating the following hypothesis when I noticed that whenever there was a debate on TV between a prolife woman and a prochoice woman, the prolifer was, according to our society's conventional standards, more often than not, not as pretty as the prochoicer. It is certainly unfair to judge a woman by how pretty she is alone; however, my observations led me to believe that looks seemed to be a reliable (perhaps statistically significant, but I only kept track mentally) indicator in predicting which was on which side in a debate between two women over abortion. In fact, looks are very important, because, whether we like it or not, they are integral in our formation of our self images starting from puberty. As we begin to judge where we rank while we're still in grade school, we begin to access our chances at finding a good mate. From a biological point of view, a mate is a resource, and the competition for that resource begins. There are a number of strategies in the competition. Some people start wearing expensive clothes; some fight; some give easy access to themselves; some go into denial that external appearance is important; some try to reduce the probability that others will be successful (remember spite from above?). In tenth grade, when I was still a conservative geeky misfit, I adopted the last two strategies. I didn't believe that people should engage in sex before marriage. Yet, I still couldn't help but feel that even tough I didn't believe in it, I would have done it at the very first time the opportunity presented itself. I showed the characteristic inconsistency of a prolifer. My stated reason was some stupid ideal. My real reason was that I wasn't attracting girls. And if I can't get laid, why should I be complicit in other people getting laid? Keep in mind that the previous question is a question that seems to be asked in the unconscious, not the conscious. The prolife movement is a synergetic collection of people whose unconsciousnesses are asking these types of questions. It is composed of geeky misfits who couldn't get laid and anti-sex fundamentalist Christians who pretended that they didn't want to get laid. The leaders are, of course, men, but these phenomena are found in both women and men. Of course, this doesn't account for 100% of the prolife movement, but I believe it accounts for a significant amount. The problem is that such behavior is perfectly natural. Indeed, it is wise! It is much easier to compensate for a problem than to solve it, and prolifers are compensating for their past or present perceived inability to seek/find mates who meet their criteria. At an unconscious level, they win because you lose. What is the solution if my hypothesis is correct? Political strength doesn't seem to be the answer. Though those who are better off have access to abortion, those belonging to politically/economically weak groups don't. Frankly, I don't know what the solution is. Mark is an unorthodox progressive. ************************************************* Outta control @ Lexington ************************************************* by Laura Whitehorn On August 12-14, 1992, the first sustained act of resistance by women prisoners in the u.s. federal prison system in 20 years took place. Here's What Happened On Wednesday night, August 12, there was an argument between two prisoners in the central yard area ("Central Park") at about 8:30. It was over quickly, and everyone was walking away, towards the housing units, because we have to be inside at 9:00. A lieutenant came running to see what had happened - pulling on his black leather gloves. He yelled "Hey you! Stop!" When no one stopped, he grabbed the first Black woman he saw, lifted her in the air, and body-slammed her to the ground. Other women yelled at him that she wasn't even involved in the argument, but he kept on attacking her - putting his knee in the back of her neck and smashing her face to the pavement. He pulled her hands behind her back, cuffed her, dragged her to her feet, and another guard took her to the lieutenant's office. This was witnessed by about 100 women. They were very upset by it and they gathered to talk to the Captain. At 9:00, all but about 15 returned to their housing units after being assured that the beaten woman would be released back into general population, and that a thorough investigation would be undertaken. But on Thursday morning, it turned out that the woman had not been released, and that some of the women who had witnessed the incident had been put in the hole ("segregation") as well. And, despite the promise of an investigation, by 3:00 p.m. prisoners were told that the investigation was completed and no further statements would be taken. This was not the first instance of physical brutality at Lexington - nor, certainly, of racism. The male guards have been putting their hands on us more and more - both in frequent pat searches, and whenever they want us to move, or to stop, or whatever. This particular lieutenant had threatened several women with brutality. The normally high level of racism had also recently heightened, following the L.A. verdict and the uprisings there. Several Black women who had complained of prejudice had been put in the hole for "inciting to riot." But this time, it all struck a nerve. On Thursday, word traveled: Don't go in at 4:00 p.m. (the major daily "standing count" throughout the Bureau of Prisons). Stay out in Central Park and demand that the women be released from the hole - and the lieutenant suspended. At 3:50 p.m., when the hourly "movement" began, the scene in Central Park was tense and exiting. Usually, it's rush hour - 1900 women, in the largest women's prison in the world, rushing to the units to try to get a few things done before the 4:00 count. On this Thursday instead, it was like gridlock: everyone moved slowly, if at all, waiting to see what would happen. At 4:00 p.m., an announcement ordered us all to go inside for count. Many did, but 90 of us stayed out and moved into the center of the Park. We sang Bob Marley's "Stand Up for Your Rights," and chanted "Stop Police Brutality," "We Want Justice," "Let Them Out Of Seg," and "Figueroa [the lieutenant] Must Go." Ringed by guards - including a Special Operations Rescue Team in full regalia - we demanded to speak to the Captain. While we demonstrated, we heard shouts of support from the windows of the housing units, and at least two "all available officers" codes to different units - meaning that the women who had returned to the units for count were doing some kind of support action too. We had to shout the Captain down when he finally came to talk to us because he was telling too many lies. Finally, he said that the lieutenant would be back at work on Monday, and we all knew there was no point in any further discussion. We were hand-cuffed and escorted to seg - most of us being taken to the old High Security Unit, which has been out of use almost entirely since the BOP was forced to close it in 1988. Seven women to a cell, no blankets, no water - it was payback time. The next day, 12 of us were taken out and chained up on a bus to Marianna, Florida (The new women's high security unit). As each of us was taken out of Lexington, the whole place was locked down. But it was midday, so there were over a hundred women in Central Park on their lunch breaks. As each of us was escorted through the Park, we were cheered - loudly, enthusiastically, joyfully - by everyone there. I've since learned that while we were in transit to Marianna, a smaller group of women repeated the action in Central Park at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. There were also quite a few small fires set in various housing units during the night. And a number of women were shipped out to Pleasanton [California] after we 12 were shipped here to Marianna. It was the first active resistance in a federal women's prison in the u.s. in 20 years. WHAT IT FELT LIKE: For a few bright moments, we felt free. As we moved into Central Park, defying the daily, grinding regulations and control of prison life, we were liberated from the fear that holds prisoners in check. We had the power of justice on our side - and in our eyes as we looked at one another. The most common thing you hear people say at Lexington is "If the men [prisoners - the place used to be co-ed] were here, the police wouldn't get away with this. Women don't stick together, so the prison can put anything they want on us." But we proved that that's not true. The racism and brutality that go down every day just didn't go down on this day. We'd had enough, and we trusted and respected ourselves and one another enough to stand up together. The demonstration was international - inspired primarily by Jamaican, Haitian and African-American women, it was joined by Latina women and some white women as well. It was clear, for once, that if the police could continue to attack Black women (as they do every day - for example, at any given time the hole holds more Black women than any other nationality), then no one would be safe. Anger is a constant reality in prison, and the entire prison system is designed to ensure that anger is turned inwards, to destroy one's self- respect and humanity, instead of being turned outwards toward the system and the oppressors. It took courage to resist all that, in the context of the total control, abuse and disrespect of women that constitutes women's prison. We had to trust one another, that we would not be standing out there alone. As we looked around at one another, we knew that our demonstration was a victory, no matter what punishment might follow. A small flame of power, sisterhood, and dignity had been rekindled. Laura Whitehorn is a North-American anti-imperialist political prisoner. We salute her -not only for her participation in the Lexington uprising - but also for being the only contributor this issue to get a story in under deadline. ************************************************* Shawnee Control Unit for Women ************************************************* by Anti-Imperialist Political Prisoners Marianna, FL In May of this year, a nationally coordinated mobilization against control units took place. The call was issued by the Puerto Rican and New Afrikan national liberation movements, the Committee to End the Marion Lockdown (CEML), and other solidarity organizations on the twentieth anniversary of the Attica Rebellion. The first control unit was also built 20 years ago, as part of a wave of repression carried out by the government against the upsurge of revolutionary and progressive movements in that period. The mobilization condemned the "Marionization" of prisons and the proliferation of control units. In the preceding months, a process of education by the sponsors focused on: *The use of control units as tools of political repression. A past warden of Marion has stated: "The purpose of Marion control unit is to control revolutionary attitudes in the prison system and society at large." *The fact that national oppression and white supremacy of U.S. society determine who is incarcerated in these units. * The brutal physical and psychological conditions in the control units. There was no mention of women and women's control units in the mobilization's propaganda. The history of the use of control units against women, - including the current federal incarnation, the Shawnee Unit at Marianna, Florida - was ignored. A false picture was projected - that women are exempt from placement in control units; that Shawnee is not a control unit because it doesn't use the same physical brutality as men's control units. This view undermines the struggle against control units. Important milestones are overlooked: the mobilization against the Cardinal Unit at Alderson, WV, and the national campaign to shut down the High Security Unit (HSU) at Lexington, KY. These efforts were significant because of the explicit political mission of these units: targeting women political prisoners and Prisoners of War from the Puerto Rican Independence Movement and white anti-imperialist movement. Sidelining women as equal participants in the struggle to close all control units has deeper implications. It diminishes the importance of women's resistance. It ignores the brutality of psychological methods of control and behavior modification. It plays into the government mythology that women are more submissive and open to manipulation. And because a number of political prisoners and POW's have spent the majority of our sentences in control units, this omission further distances us from our movements, indirectly playing into the principal objective of the government: isolation. By isolation we don't mean the physical barriers created by any incarceration, but rather the lack of an organic relationship to the very movements and struggles that we were part of - the activities for which we are imprisoned. By isolation we mean the turning of political prisoners into symbols to be remembered as historical leftovers of a more militant past, while ignoring them as continuing participants in today's progressive movements. The government relies on secrecy and silence to accomplish its goals. This paper was written to break with the secrecy and silence on Shawnee Unit; to recognize women as equal participants in the struggle to shut down all control units; and to be responsible to ongoing political struggle. Shawnee is a Control Unit CEML, in "Walkin Steel" [CEML's semi-yearly publication; eds], defines a control unit as a "combination of physical conditions, the policies which determine who is sent there, and the overall purpose of the unit." Shawnee Unit was opened by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in August 1988, after the small group isolation experiment at Lexington HSU was shut down. The political and security mission of Shawnee is the same as that of the HSU: to control, isolate and neutralize women who, for varying reasons, pose either a political, escape or disruption threat. Neutralization insures that the women imprisoned here will never leave prison with the full capacity to function. Central to the mission is the understanding that Washington can decide at any point to transfer any woman political prisoner or Prisoner of War here. It also serves to maintain control over all women in BOP prisons: in less than 24 hours, twelve women who were targeted as leadership of the recent demonstration by women at Lexington against police violence were transferred here (see sidebar). Psychological Control To wash away the brutal image of the HSU, the BOP has created the deception that life Shawnee is normal, not designed or manipulated. The physical plant is designed to deflect any concern from the outside about human rights abuses - it looks comfortable and attractive. This appearance is a lie. The women of Shawnee live in a psychologically assaultive environment that aims at destabilizing women's personal and social identities. This is true of the prison system as a whole; here it has been elevated to a primary weapon, implemented through a physical lay-out and day-to-day regimen that produces inwardness and self-containment. The unit is a small triangle with a small yard. Within this severely limited space, women are under constant scrutiny and observation. In the unit, cameras and listening devices (the latter installed in every cell) insure constant surveillance and control of even the most intimate conversation. The intense physical limitations are compounded by a total lack of educational, training or recreational programs. The geographical location of Shawnee makes contact with family and community an almost impossible task. Gradually, women here begin to lose their ability to relate to the outside world. As time moves on, frustration sets in, accompanied by alienation and despair. The result is the creation of dysfunctional individuals who are completely self-involved, unable to participate in organized social activities, and unprepared for eventual reintegration into life on the outside: women who resist less, demand less, and see each other as fierce competitors for the few privileges allowed. Competition and individualism become the defining characteristics of personality distortion here. The staff seeks out the most needy personalities and molds them into informants. Unit life has been rocked by a number of internal investigations begun when individual prisoners "confided" in ambitious staff members. Snitching and cooperation are the pillars of the "justice system." Those that refuse to accept this standard of behavior are isolated and targeted by those that do. In the tiny world of the unit, this can have a massive effect on one's daily life. A system of hierarchical privileges governs the unit and destroys any potential unity. Small comforts, such as personal clothing, have become the mechanism through which cooperation and collaboration are obtained. The latest wrinkle is the institution of "privileged housing" - the designation of a limited number of cells on the upper tier as a reward for acceptable behavior. This is classic behavior modification. White Supremacy and Racism There are close to 90 women imprisoned at Shawnee: 1/3 Black women from various parts of the world, 1/3 Latin women, 1/3 white women, and a very small number of Native American women. As outside the walls, a permanent conflict exists between Black people and those in power. Prisoners experience, and are affected by, the sharpening of conflict on the outside and the increasing national oppression experienced by Black people in particular. Events in California have given focus to the discontent and heightened the contradictions. Since May, an unprecedented number of Black women have been put in the hole - more than the total for the past two years. Currently, five women from the unit are in the hole; all are Black. And while the prison administration says they do not deal with gangs, "Boyz 'N the Hood" and "Jungle Fever" were banned from the prison after the Aryan Brotherhood protested. Racism governs how religion can be practiced. Islam, Judaism and Native American religions are either totally ignored or marginalized. One cannot help but notice this since there is a daily diet of fundamentalist Protestant and Catholic services, seminars and retreats. Women's Labor Superexploitation Like B block at Marion, there is no productive labor at Shawnee besides UNICOR. [UNICOR is a private corporation that profits from the essentially slave-labor conditions inside the prison system. Oftentimes - as is the case with the "pre-release" B unit at Marion - what is produced are components for the military-industrial complex. eds.] Unit life is organized to facilitate the functioning of the Automated Data Processing (ADP) factory. Nearly 40 women work here, twelve hours a day and five more hours on Saturday. The forced rhythm of this work has made the ADP factory the most profitable UNICOR operation in the BOP for its size. The complete lack of any other jobs, the need for funds, the lack of family support, the enormous expense of living in Shawnee, all push women into UNICOR, into intense competition and into acceptance of their exploitation. Unlike general population prisoners, Shawnee prisoners are not even permitted to work in jobs maintaining the physical plant. Removing productive labor is an element in destroying human identity and self-worth. Misogyny and Homophobia All women's prisons operate based on the all pervasive threat of sexual assault, and the dehumanizing invasion of privacy. Throughout the state and federal prison system in the U.S., invasive "pat searches" of women by male guards insure that a woman prisoner is daily reminded of her powerlessness: she cannot even defend her own body. In the control unit, there is absolutely no privacy: windows in cell doors (which cannot be covered) , patrolling by male guards, and the presence of the bathrooms in the cells guarantee this. The voyeuristic nature of the constant surveillance is a matter of record: in the past year alone, there have been three major internal investigations of sexual harassment and misconduct by male officers - including rape. Programs that exist in other women's prisons, addressing the needs of women, are deemed frivolous at Shawnee. Most women here are mothers, but no support at all is given to efforts to maintain the vital relationship between mother and child. Similarly, if Shawnee were not a control unit, then education, recreation, religious and cultural programs should be on a par with those at Lewisberg, Leavenworth and Lompoc (three men's high security prisons). But not a single program available in those prisons is available here. The median age of the women here is 37 - a situation distinct from any other women's prison. Menopause is the main medical problem in the unit. Menopause is an emotional as well as physiological process. Ignoring this is a pillar of misogynist Western medicine. In the repressive reality of Shawnee, refusal to recognize and treat the symptoms of menopause becomes a cruel means of punishment and an attack on the integrity of one's personality. Security determines all medical care. Two women who have suffered strokes here were both denied access to necessary treatment in a hospital: a life-threatening decision, made solely for "security reasons." Intense isolation and lack of activities mean that the loving relationships that provide intimacy and comfort to women in all prisons are of heightened importance here. Until recently, a seemingly tolerant attitude towards lesbian relationships was actually a form of control. For lesbian relationships to function without disciplinary intervention by the police, the women had to negotiate with, and in some instances work for, the staff. This tolerance was viewed as necessary because the relationships served as a safety valve for the tensions and anger in the population. As a result of the system of police-sanctioned tolerance, people tended to elevate the individual relationships above any collective alliances that might endanger the administration's rule over the unit. This situation has served to increase the already intense homophobia in the population. A new administration has now ended the tolerance, and lesbian women are now suffering greater harassment and discrimination. Together with racism, misogyny and homophobia define conditions here. When coupled with the repressive practices of a control unit, psychological disablement can result - fulfilling the Shawnee mission. Conclusion Partly as a result of the astronomical rise in the number of women in prison and the resulting public interest in women's prisons, and partly as a result of the struggle against the Lexington HSU, the BOP has to be very careful not to appear to be brutal in its treatment of women prisoners. The investigations of the HSU by Amnesty International, the Methodist Church, the ACLU and others struck a nerve in Washington. The experiment carried out within the walls of the HSU failed because of the personal and political resistance of those inside and outside the walls. But this defeat did not deter the BOP from its stated goals. It just drove them to hide them cosmetically behind a veneer of new paint and the momentary elimination of the most notorious abuses. The BOP always denies the truth of its workings. It denies the existence of control units and this unit in particular, not even listing it in the BOP Register of Prisons. Nevertheless, Shawnee is the present women's version of the Marionization of the prison system. The next one is supposed to be open in North Carolina in 1994. The movement should not fall into the trap and ignore the particular control strategy aimed at women. Uncovering and exposing the reality that Shawnee Unit is a control unit will contribute to the movement against all control units. Silvia Baraldini, Marilyn Buck, Susan Rosenberg, and Laura Whitehorn are anti-imperialist political prisoners incarcerated at Shawnee control unit, Marianna, Florida. ************************************************* World Bank's Fig Leaf Hides Nothing ************************************************* By John E. Peck PSN-Madison Euphoria over the Earth Summit may be fading , yet the World Bank's public relations machinery is still in high gear. In particular, they are peddling the portrait of a "new and improved" agency - more "culturally sensitive" and "ecologically aware" than ever before. Don't believe the hype: the World Bank remains just as undemocratic and irresponsible as ever. A case in point is the World Bank's continued support of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in the Narmada River Valley of India. Over $900 million to date, with a substantial contribution from U.S. taxpayers, has already been squandered on the scheme. If completed, the dam will inundate 58,000 acres of forest and farmland, as well as displace 100,000 people. Indian authorities have responded to grassroots protests with flagrant human rights abuses. In the wake of mass beatings, arrests, and detentions, thousands of villagers have still vowed to drown rather than leave their homes. A recent independent review revealed other glaring inadequacies. For instance, no comprehensive environmental impact assessment was ever completed for the project. Technicians greatly exaggerated the irrigation benefits of the dam, while planners ignored the increased threat of waterborne diseases such as malaria. Yet, as far as World Bank econocrats are concerned in their posh Washington suites, the end still justifies the means half way around the world. It is high time activists in the United States joined their counterparts in the developing world and held the World Bank accountable for its negligent behavior. Impolite letters in opposition to the Sardar Sarovar Dam can be sent to: Lewis T. Preston, President World Bank 1818 H St. N.W. Washington, DC 20433 Better yet, send him anything else that also adequately expresses your opinion.