As Pentagon sends more troops ALL OUT ON APRIL 25 Battles rage · Battles rage across Iraq...

ies—security guards recruited from theUnited States, Europe and South Africaand working for American companies—have been killed in the past eight days inIraq. ... At least 18,000 mercenaries, manyof them tasked to protect U.S. troops andpersonnel, are now believed to be in Iraq,some of them earning $1,000 a day. ...[A]lthough many of the heavily armedWestern security men are working for theU.S. Department of Defense—and most ofthem are former Special Forces soldiers—they are not listed as serving military per-sonnel. Their losses can therefore be hid-den from public view.” (The Star, April 13)

The intransigence of the Bush adminis-tration, and the absence of any real oppo-sition to this hideous war of conquest fromwithin the U.S. capitalist political estab-lishment, makes it clearer than ever thatit will be ended only through the com-bined efforts of the Iraqi resistance andthe massive anti-war movement aroundthe world.

Huelga general paraliza a Nepal 12

April 22, 2004 Vol. 46, No. 16

50¢

In the United States, where a call torestore the draft is already creeping intoeditorial and opinion columns in the cor-porate media, and where disillusionedveterans are starting to return from thebattlefields—many facing the threat ofbeing sent back to fight again—theprospect of another militant, Vietnam-

By Deirdre Griswold

April 14—The stakes keep gettinghigher. Even as George W. Bush wastelling a news conference at the WhiteHouse last night that now his lofty goal inIraq is to “change the world for the better,”the Pentagon was making plans to sendoverseas another 10,000 to 20,000troops. And Iraqis of all backgrounds weresaying they would fight to the death to winback their country.

In the past week there was fierce fightingbetween U.S. troops and the Iraqi resist-ance in Baghdad, Falluja, Ramadi, Kerbala,Kufa, Najaf, Kut, Mosul and Nasariyah,and clashes in many smaller cities. Thedeath toll among Iraqis has been horrific.In Falluja alone, the head of the main hos-pital reported 600 dead in less than aweek—mostly the elderly, children andwomen. This account and many eyewitnessreports refute the claim of the Pentagonthat it only targets “fighting men.”

U.S. forces have sustained their largestcasualties since the end of the “official”war a year ago. In the first 13 days of April,at least 82 U.S. troops were killed andmore than 560 wounded. (The Sun [UK],April 14)

However, this tells only half the story.According to Robert Fisk and PatrickCockburn, “At least 80 foreign mercenar- Continued on page 11

1920 revolt & Iraqi resistance today 8

U.S. escalation sparksworld outrage 9

INTIFADA: A word for the world EDITORIAL10

Brooklyn, Detroit rallies: Truth behind Haiti coup revealed 6-7

WW PHOTO: G. DUNKEL

ALL OUTON APRIL 25‘Stop war on women’ demands anti-war contingent 3

WAL-MARTEnemy of the people! 4

NOW EAST COASTGrocery workers’victory 5

7 MONTHS PICKETINGD.C. laundry workers win 5

CALIFORNIA70-mile march against cutbacks 3

i B U L L E T I NiFROM VENEZUELA‘We are obliged to win’ 10

BRAZILLandless seize estates 10

Subscribe toWorkers WorldTrial subscription: $2 for 8 weeks One year subscription: $25

NAME

PHONE

ADDRESS

CITY/STATE/ZIP

Workers WorldNewspaper55 W. 17 St. NY, NY 10011 212-627-2994www.workers.org read it online

WW PHOTO: BILL HACKWELL

San Francisco.

WW

PH

OTO

:SH

ARO

N B

LACK

As Pentagon sends more troops

Battles rage across IraqResistance broadens after Pentagon atrocities

Brooklyn, N.Y.

April 22, 2004 www.workers.org

JOIN US. Workers WorldParty (WWP) fights on allissues that face theworking class andoppressed peoples—Blackand white, Latino, Asian,Arab and Native peoples,women and men, youngand old, lesbian, gay, bi,straight, trans, disabled,working, unemployedand students.If you would like to knowmore about WWP, or tojoin us in these struggles,contact the branch near-est you.

National Office55 W. 17 St., New York, N.Y. 10011 (212) 627-2994; Fax (212) [email protected]

Atlanta P.O. Box 424, Atlanta, Ga. 30301 (404) 235-5704

Baltimore 426 E. 31 St., Baltimore, Md. 21218 (410) [email protected]

Boston 284 Armory St.,Boston, Mass. 02130 (617) 983-3835; Fax (617) [email protected]

Buffalo, N.Y. P.O. Box 1204Buffalo NY 14213 (716) [email protected]

Chicago P.O. Box 06178,Wacker Drive Station,Chicago, Ill. 60606 (773) 381-5839; Fax (773) 761-9330;[email protected]

ClevelandP.O. Box 5963Cleveland, OH 44101phone (216) [email protected]

Detroit5920 Second Ave., Detroit, Mich. 48202 (313) 831-0750; [email protected]

HoustonP.O. Box 130322, Houston, Texas 77219 (713) [email protected]

Los Angeles269 S. Western Ave.,Room 110, Los Angeles, Calif. 90004 (213) [email protected]. Box 9202, Philadelphia, Pa. 19139 (610) 453-0490; [email protected], Va.P.O. Box 14602, Richmond, Va. [email protected], N.Y.2117 Buffalo Rd., PMB.303, Rochester, N.Y. 14624 (716) 436-6458; San Diego, Calif.3930 Oregon St., Suite 230San Diego, Calif. 92104 (619) 692-4496

San Francisco2489 Mission St. Rm. 28, San Francisco, Calif. 94110 (415) 826-4828; fax (415) 821-5782; [email protected] E. Cherry #201, Seattle, Wash. 98122 (206) 325-0085;[email protected] College, Pa.100 Grandview Rd.,State College, Pa. 16801 (814) 237-8695Washington, D.C.P.O. Box 57300, Washington, DC 20037,[email protected]

NationalAnti-war/reproductive rights contingent . . . . . . . . . . . 3Oakland march to docks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3March to protest education cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Wal-Mart: Enemy of the people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4On the picket line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4UFCW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Angry Detroit workers picket City Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . 5D.C. laundry workers win union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Rally in Brooklyn denounces U.S. coup in Haiti. . . . . . 6Detroit meeting on Haiti. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Internat ionalBattles rage across Iraq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1The revolt of 1920 and Iraqi resistance today . . . . . . 8World movement protests U.S. escalation in Iraq . . . . 9Word from Venezuela. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Brazil’s landless seize property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Editor ia lsIntifada: A word for the world. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Notic ias En Español

Huelga general paraliza a Nepal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

¿Qué es lo que empuja al imperio? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

WW CALENDAR

Workers World55 West 17 StreetNew York, N.Y. 10011Phone: (212) 627-2994 Fax: (212) 675-7869E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.workers.orgVol. 46, No. 16 • April 22, 2004Closing date: April 14, 2004

Editor: Deirdre Griswold; Technical Editor: Lal Roohk; Managing Editors: John Catalinotto, Leslie Feinberg, MonicaMoorehead, Gary Wilson; West Coast Editors: Richard Becker, Gloria La Riva;Contributing Editors: Greg Butterfield, Pat Chin, Fred Goldstein, Teresa Gutierrez;Technical Staff: Shelley Ettinger; Maggie Vascassenno;Mundo Obrero: Carl Glenn, Berta Joubert-Ceci, Carlos Vargas; Internet: Janet Mayes

Workers World-WW (ISSN-1070-4205) is published weeklyexcept the first week of January by WW Publishers, 55 W. 17 St.,N.Y., N.Y. 10011. Phone: (212) 627-2994. Subscriptions: Oneyear: $25; foreign and institutions: $35. Letters to the editormay be condensed and edited. Articles can be freely reprinted,with credit to Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., New York, NY 10011.Back issues and individual articles are available on microfilmand/or photocopy from University Microfilms International,300 Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48106. A searchable archiveis available on the Web at www.workers.org.

Selected articles are available via e-mail subscription. Send an e-mail message to [email protected].

Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Sendaddress changes to Workers World-WW, 55 W. 17 St., 5th Floor,New York, N.Y. 10011.

CHICAGO.

Thu., April 22Internationalism—The Legacy ofMalcolm X. Featuring: SuzanneAdely, Palestine Solidarity Group;Larry Holmes, Steering CommitteeInternational ANSWER; AyindeJean-Baptiste,Ad-Hoc Committeeto Protect ConstitutionalDemocracy in Haiti; Sarah Smith,Chicago Youth Delegation toCuba; Thick Routes PerformanceCollage; Music of the primeridan;Sanabel Palestinian Debka Group.Sponsored by: International ActionCenter-Chicago; ChicagoVolunteers for InternationalANSWER; and the Malcolm XCollege Student Government. 7p.m. At Malcolm X College, 1900W. Jackson Blvd.-Auditorium. Forinfo (773) 250-7006 [email protected].

LOS ANGELES.

Every FridayWorkers World Party weekly meet-ings at 7:30 p.m. Dinner at 7. At 422 S. Western. Phone (213) 500-0529 for info.

NEW YORK.

Fri., April 16Workers World Party meeting fea-tures Ben Dupuy, secretary gen-eral of the National Popular Partyof Haiti and founder of HaïtiProgrès, speaking on the perspec-tive now in Haiti following thecoup. 7 p.m. (Dinner at 6:30) At55 W. 17 St., 5th Fl., Manhattan.For info (212) 627-2994. ,

Sat., April 17Native History for Today's Youth.Hosted by People's Video NetworkYouth Camp. Donation. 6:30 p.m.At 39 West 14th St., Rm. 206. Forinfo (212) 633-6646 ext. 24.

SAN FRANCISCO.

Every SundayWorkers World Party weekly meet-ings. These educational meetingscover current events as well asstruggles of the peoples from allover the world. 5 p.m. At 2489Mission St., No. 28. For info (415)826-4828.

2004 marks Mumia’s 22ndyear on PA’s death row

Be in PhiladelphiaSaturday, April 24on Mumia’s 50th Birthday for a

MARCH & RALLY

For more information visit www.mumia.org www.Millions4mumia.org www.iacenter.orgFor transportation from New York call the Int’l Action Center 212-633-6646

Abolish the racist death penalty • Free Mumia & all political prisoners!

Nothing short of his freedom will do!22 years in prison are 22 too many! A new book by Mumia, an

historical account of the BlackPanther Party, will be releasedon April 24. Cover shows ateenaged Mumia in Phila.Black Panther Party office in the early 1970s.

10:00 am Rally Gather atMalcolm X Park in West Philadelphia, 52nd &Pine St. for a rally

11:30am Begin march through West Philadelphia neighborhoods

1:00 pm Arrive at the KingsessingRecreation Center located at 50th andKingsessing Streets for an indoor and outdoorprogram. The program will be a fundraiserand feature live music and dance perform-ances, an art show and auction, food, and much, much more.

HearPAM AFRICAleader of the InternationalConcermed Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal whowill give an update on the

APRIL 24 MOBILIZATION

Tuesday, April 20 at 7 pmat the office of the International Action Center39 West 14th St., Rm. 206New York, N.Y. 100011For more information call:212-633-6646

TOFREEMUMIAAbu-JamalNOW!Join tthe AANSWER ccontingent

www.workers.org April 22, 2004

By Minnie Bruce Pratt

The International Action Center willmarch in Washington on April 25 with ananti-war contingent sponsored by theInternational ANSWER coalition—ActNow to Stop War and End Racism.

Contingent organizers stress: “Comeout to march for women’s reproductiverights and against the economic oppres-sion of women and end the war abroad—and at home!”

The historic march on Washington iscalled to oppose the Bush administration’saccelerated attacks on women’s reproduc-tive rights, including access to abortion,contraception and sex education.

Organizers of the overall march includeBlack Women’s Health Imperative,Feminist Majority, NARAL Pro-ChoiceAmerica, National Latina Institute forReproductive Health, National Organi-zation for Women and Planned Parent-hood. This coalition has stated that thegoal of the April 25 mass march is to up-hold “choice, justice, access, health, abor-tion, global and family planning.”(www.marchforwomen.org)

Activists from around the country aremobilizing to take part in April 25, includ-ing hundreds of groups representingwomen, people of color, labor, lesbian/gay/bi/trans communities, civil rights andsocial service groups, students, AIDS acti-vists and religious organizations, as well ashealth clinic workers and service pro-viders across a wide political spectrum.

Women fight back against war,racism, poverty

ANSWER’s April 14 call stated, “TheBush administration and the ultra-rightare working to overturn the gains thewomen’s movement has made over thelast thirty-five years. Women have theright to control their own bodies andtheir lives.”

An IAC statement linked governmentattacks on women with U.S. repressionagainst working people, both at home andabroad. Domestic services are cut back asmilitary spending increases astronomi-cally. Women within the U.S. lose moreand more of their reproductive choiceswhile the U.S. invades or overthrows anycountry asserting any degree of self-deter-mination.

The IAC demands “full reproductiverights for all women, with all of the socialand economic programs required to exer-cise those rights,” including safe, legalabortions on demand; government fund-ing of quality, accessible health care,childcare, and housing; social services forall who need them; and jobs at decent pay.

In its call, the IAC affirms the connec-tion between the struggle for reproductiverights, the end to attacks on immigrantwomen and people of color, and the exten-sion of full rights, including marriage andadoption rights, to lesbian/gay/bi/transpeople.

Central to all these struggles is “anend to the U.S. government’s program ofpoverty, racism, sexism, homophobia,and repression at home, while pursuingwar and occupation abroad from Iraq toHaiti.”

The anti-war contingent will organize attwo meeting locations before assemblingon the Mall: (1) 7th St. between MadisonDr. and Constitution Ave. NW and (2) 7thSt. between Jefferson Dr. and Indepen-dence Ave. SW. Activists can also meet upwith the contingent at the main assemblyarea on the Mall on the southeast cornerof 7th St. and Madison Dr. NW.

Activists who want to take part in theanti-war contingent are urged to look forthe anti-war banners of the IAC andANSWER.

For more information about the anti-war contingent, call (202) 544-3389 inWashington, call (212) 633-6646

in New York, or visit the websiteswww.iacenter.org andwww.internationalANSWER.org

War and reproductive rights

The Bush administration cynically jus-tified its wars on Afghanistan and Iraq asalso “liberating women”—while U.S. polit-ical strategy devastated conditions forwomen in both countries.

U.S. military attacks continue to killAfghan and Iraqi people, most recentlyover 600 in the city of Falluja, the major-ity women, children, and elderly people.(Associated Press, April 11)

The U.S. exerts imperial control overwomen worldwide with tactics like denialof funds to United Nations agencies thatdistribute contraceptive information anddevices. The result? A projected 2 millionunwanted pregnancies, 800,000 inducedabortions, 4,700 maternal deaths, and

77,000 infant and child deaths, in coun-tries where from 40 percent to 60 percentof pregnancies are unwanted. (PopulationFund)

Impoverished women in the U.S. havebeen denied abortion funding throughMedicaid since 1976, with the passage ofthe Hyde Amendment. Federally fundedabortions are also denied to many othergroups including federal prisoners andmilitary personnel.

A U.S. woman soldier, like those recent-ly sexually assaulted by fellow soldiers,would have to prove rape or pay for herown abortion if she found herself preg-nant, while the women of Iraq watch theirchildren and loved ones die from depleteduranium armaments dropped by theU.S.—or from the resulting cancers.

The Bush administration’s war on theworld for profits is also a war on womenand their reproductive rights.

Washington, D.C., April 25 contingent will demand:

‘Stop the war on women!’

On April 7, the first anniversary of abrutal attack by the Oakland, Calif.,Police Department on anti-war protest-ers, hundreds returned to the scene ofthe attack on the Oakland docks. Lastyear, police had arrested many of thosemost seriously injured in the attack.Twenty-five protesters are now awaitingtrial.

After a rally outside police headquar-ters, demonstrators retraced the marchroute to the port—home to shipping com-panies that are profiting from the brutaloccupation of Iraq through Pentagon con-tracts.

During the 2003 attack, police injured50 demonstrators by indiscriminately fir-ing shotguns filled with wooden dowelsand shot-filled beanbags as the crowdwas leaving. Many protesters were hospi-talized. So were members of Interna-

tional Longshore and Warehouse UnionLocal 10 who were reporting for work.Some injured protesters were then runover by cops on motorcycles.

As a result, there has been a flurry oflawsuits against the police department.

The Oakland P.D.’s violence was sogreat that it was recently cited for itsactions on April 7, 2003, in a letter issuedby the United Nations Commission onHuman Rights in Geneva. In its report thecommission characterized the attack as“one of the world’s worst cases of gov-ernment defamation and violence againstactivists in 2003.”

Meanwhile the U.S. Department ofHomeland Security has quietly rewardedOakland over $424,000 to pay for policeovertime during the early weeks of thewar against Iraq.

—Story and photo by Bill Hackwell

70-mile march to protesteducation cuts

By LeiLani DowellRichmond, Calif.

With an April 9 rally send-off, activistsin Richmond, Calif., began an eight-day,70-mile march to protest severe budgetcuts in education and disparity of educa-tional funding throughout the state.

The April 9 action was attended by sup-porters from across the Bay Area andthroughout the state, including union,anti-war and environmental justiceactivists. Grupo Cuahutonal, an Aztecdance troop from Berkeley, opened therally. Speakers included parents, elemen-tary school students, teachers and collegeactivists.

Students from elementary, middle, highschools and colleges—along with parents,teachers and other community activistsfrom West Contra Costa County inCalifornia—will spend this year’s springbreak walking about 12 miles a day fromSan Pablo to the State Capitol inSacramento.

They will sleep in schools, parks andchurches, and pick up activists with sim-ilar concerns in the cities of Vallejo,Vacaville, Dixon and Davis along the way.They are scheduled to participate inspeaking events on campuses and a rallyat Solano Prison.

Marchers are demanding full fundingof Proposition 98, passed in 1998, whichestablishes minimum state-funding levels

for schools and earmarks a large portionof state revenue for education. While ini-tially promising to fully fund Prop 98, Gov.Arnold Schwarzenegger cut $2 billion ofthe $4 billion increase schools were owedunder that initiative in his Januarybudget.

Marchers are also demanding Schwarz-enegger relieve the county of its 1991 debtowed the state—the county pays about $1.8million on it annually—and provide equityin funding for schools across the state. TheWest Contra Costa School District receivesless money for average daily attendancethan many others in the state.

Struggling with an extreme budgetdeficit, the School Board voted in Marchto cut $16.5 million from its 2004-2005budget. To do this, the board has elimi-nated libraries and sports and music pro-grams, and given layoffs notices to alllibrarians, library assistants and psychol-ogists, as well as some elementary schoolprincipals, music teachers and others.

Following a trend that is being seenincreasingly throughout the Bay Area, thedistrict has asked parents to make dona-tions to subsidize sports programs. Whilethe district has received over $600,000 inoverall donations since the announce-ment of the budget cuts, communitymembers are clear that this is only a tem-porary solution and they express outragethat they should have to beg for educationfunding at all.

CALIFORNIA.WW PHOTO: BILL HACKWELLOakland march to docks,

site of police attack


By Milt Neidenberg

It could have become a city within a city.Maybe they would have called it Walton,after the patriarch Sam Walton—foundingfather of Wal-Mart, the largest retailsupermarket in the world. But it didn’thappen.

Wal-Mart had tried to ram through a71-page ballot initiative that would haveturned the city of Inglewood, Calif., popu-lation 112,000, over to this global, preda-tory behemoth, which has surpassedExxon Mobil as the world’s biggest corpo-ration. Wal-Mart wanted at least 60 acresof land, the size of 17 football fields, tobuild a supercenter. The voters—halfLatin@, half Black and 20-percent unem-ployed—rejected Wal-Mart’s demands forbroad exemptions from environmentalordinances, zoning laws, public hearingsand state law.

It was truly a David vs. Goliath struggle.Wal-Mart spent over $1 million on mail-ings, telephone calls, newspaper ads, radioand television, and door-to-door can-vassing. The campaign cost the companyabout $100 a vote, yet the referendum wasrejected by 61 percent of the voters—anastonishing feat for a coalition of labor,community groups and churches pittedagainst a transnational corporation with$250 billion in sales and a captive work-force of 1.3 million. For the moment, Wal-Mart’s plan to build 40 supercenters inCalifornia has suffered a setback.

From megastores to supercenters

Wal-Mart’s supercenters have gener-ated huge profits. The stores offer gro-ceries and general merchandise. By plac-ing more than 100,000 products in onelocation, the company can entice thosepeople who frequently come in and buycheap groceries to also roam the store formany other products. According to CEOH. Lee Scott, Wal-Mart studies 300 sitesfor each of the 200 supercenters it plansto build. As the supercenters try to grabland and resources within city limits, theywill face repetitions of the Inglewoodstruggle.

During a four-month bitter strike/lock-out that pitted 70,000 grocery workersagainst four grocery chains in SouthernCalifornia, one of the four, the union-buster Safeway, donated $300,000 to thecampaign to beat back Wal-Mart’s effortsto build the supercenter in Inglewood. Itwas not out of generosity, but self-inter-est. Two of these large grocery chain storesclose for every new supercenter thatopens.

Wal-Mart has led a technological revo-lution in retailing, installing computerizedordering and distribution. It has sostreamlined its on-time deliveries thatproducts are often sold at retail evenbefore the wholesale distributor gets paidfor them. The company has also loweredwages and benefits by almost 6 percentcompared to its competitors.

Wal-Mart has topped the Fortune 500list for the last three years. Five of the 10richest people in the world in 2002 weremembers of the ruling Walton family ofthis vast retailing empire, according to For-bes magazine. With a total of more than$100 billion in personal assets, the infa-mous five have become the beneficiariesof a global structure and a primary leaderin the drive to lower wages and benefits.

In the five weeks ending April 3, Wal-Mart sales exceeded $20 billion, fargreater than the combined total of the next10 largest retail giants.

sed. This is globalization in thehands of predators like Wal-Mart.

Biting off more than it can chew?

Is spreading their super-centers nationally and interna-tionally potentially too ambi-tious, and too far reaching?Michael Exstein, a retail equityanalyst for the Wall Street bro-kerage house of Credit SuisseFirst Boston, stated in a March3 report that the “corporatelandscape is littered with com-panies that have mistaken lead-ing market shares for dominantmarket share. ... Wal-Mart maywell be at one of those inflectionpoints. ... The end result forshareholders could be a stockthat may not reflect near-termeconomic performance but ...focuses on an increasingly hostile publicenvironment.”

In “Socialism, Utopian and Scientific,”Frederick Engels clarified the bankruptcyof capitalism on this critical issue. Writingabout capitalist crises, he said they“demonstrate the incapacity of the bour-geoisie for managing any longer modernproductive forces ... [and] show howunnecessary the bourgeoisie are for thatpurpose.”

Wal-Mart has harnessed and usurpedthe high-tech revolution in retailing in away that serves only to deepen the exploit-ation of the masses. It is only under social-ism that the forces of production, appro-priation and exchange can be harmonizedwith the socialized character of labor sothat the vast production of goods and serv-ices worldwide can serve all humanity.

Labor opens up the struggle

Since the late 1990s, the United Foodand Commercial Workers have steppedup efforts to organize Wal-Mart workers.They help employees file complaints onissues such as the company’s violations ofovertime, refusal to pay for healthcare andits discriminatory practices againstwomen. Dozens of class-action suits havebeen filed.

If Wal-Mart is to be organized, theUFCW can’t do it alone. It will have tomarshal forces that include the Black andLatin@ communities, other oppressednationalities, youth, seniors, women’sgroups and the lesbian, gay, bi and transmovement. To change the relationship ofclass forces, there must also be unity withthe movements of immigrants, of environ-mentalists, against globalization and theever-growing anti-war movement to fos-ter the growth of an independent class-wide movement. It will take shape onlyfrom the bottom up.

Wal-Mart represents all that is endemicto monopoly capitalism—private owner-ship by a few of all the productive forces,and the insatiable appetite for amassingprofits. Cycles of imperialist wars and eco-nomic depressions are always at theexpense of the workers here and the poorand oppressed abroad. Internationalismwill flourish as fierce battles break outbetween labor and capital.

The Inglewood victory could be a tick,a turning of the clock toward a long andprotracted war against Wal-Mart andeverything the predatory retailing giantstands for.

Wal-Mart views the Inglewood setbackas short-lived. It wields enormous eco-nomic and political power in Washington.Democratic Party presidential candidateJohn Kerry, while he publicly denouncesWal-Mart’s labor practices as “disgrace-ful,” holds an undisclosed amount of stockin the company. (Arkansas DemocratGazette, March 7)

According to the Center for ResponsivePolitics, a non-partisan organization thattracks political funding, Wal-Mart’sPolitical Action Committee has becomethe second-largest donor of political hand-outs. Over 80 percent of Wal-Mart’schecks have been sent to the Bush electioncampaign. Nearly 20 percent of its 60,000“domestic managers” have been intimi-dated to finance the PAC through payrolldeductions of at least $8.60 a month.

Don’t call them workers!

From the moment the workers—called“associates” and primarily women—clockin, they are at the mercy of their bosses.Their time sheets are often manipulatedby Wal-Mart managers to cut down whatare already poverty wages. They begintheir day with a pep rally. Managers, act-ing as cheer leaders, begin the chants:“Gimme a W.” The “associates” mustrespond enthusiastically. “Gimme an A,”shout the cheerleaders. And so it goesuntil Wal-Mart is spelled out. They rushto their work stations and their “happy”stressful day begins and ends under thestrong-arm tactics of management.

The average “associate” is rewardedwith an annual salary of $13,861 for full-time work, according to a February 2004report from Rep. George Miller of Cali-fornia. But about 70 percent of the “full-time” workers average only 28 hours aweek, making their gross average wageless than $11,000 a year. The nationalpoverty-level wage for a family of three isaround $16,000. It is clear that the work-ers can’t live on what they earn, leading toa turnover that has reached 150 percent inmany of the megastores.

According to the United Food and Com-mercial Workers, the majority of Wal-Mart employees don’t have healthcarecoverage, which would cost them 20 per-cent of their wages. Family coveragewould cost more than twice that. The Univ-ersity of California at Berkeley reportedthat California taxpayers subsidize Wal-Mart employees by a total of $20.5 milliona year in healthcare costs.

Wal-Mart’s power goes far beyond itsdomination of the retailing industry. It hasintervened in the public school crisis torecruit candidates for its low wages. Itwithdrew $20 billion from the tax-freeWalton Family Foundation to bankroll aprogram to privatize the public school sys-tem through school vouchers. It has joinedwith the infamous Bradley Foundation ofMilwaukee, which first introduced theslave-labor workfare programs, to broad-en the voucher program.

Wal-Mart has begun to dominate theretailing industries of other countries. InMexico, its practice mirrors the U.S.takeover of Mexico’s trade infrastructure.Wal-Mart Stores Inc. accounts for morethan half of all Mexican supermarketsales. (Wall Street Journal, March 31)According to the World Trade Organi-zation, Wal-Mart has negotiated withChinese government officials to increaseits megastores in China to 35, with plansto build more. And it continues to combthe globe for areas where U.S. capital hascreated the most favorable climate forexploiting the working poor and oppres-

Have they bitten off more than they can chew?

Wal-Mart: Enemy of the people

Mushroom pickerswin union after 17 years!

Persistence pays off. That’s the lessonof the Pictsweet workers’ 17-year strug-gle to win a union contract with thelargest mushroom grower in SouthernCalifornia. Though the 300 workers atPictsweet Mushroom Farms in Venturahad voted in the United Farm Workersin 1987, the company refused to recog-nize the union. But on Feb. 13 theCalifornia Agricultural Labor Relationsruled that the company had to accept athree-year contract.

The strong UFW contract includesbetter pay, employer-paid family healthcare coverage, paid holidays and vaca-tions and a union plant safety commit-tee. Up to now Pictsweet workers made$6.50 an hour picking mushrooms indark, dank rooms lit only by lights onthe workers’ helmets. Workers withunion contracts doing similar workmade $3 per hour more.

What helped turn the situationaround was legislation passed in 2003that mandates mediation when growersunfairly delay contract negotiations withfarm workers who have voted for aunion. Even though agricultural workersin California have been able to formunions since 1975, growers routinelystall negotiations to deny workers theirrights. Before passage of the law, only185 companies had signed union con-tracts since 1975 out of 428 where farmworkers had voted for the UFW. Thatmeans 57 percent of farm workers whowant to unionize are still struggling forrepresentation.

New School contests adjunctunion vote

The New School in New York City mayonce have been a progressive institution.But the fact that it’s contesting a uniondrive by adjunct faculty members who

ON THE

PHOTO: UFCW

UFCW Local 789, St. Paul, Minn.


West Coast strike paves way

East Coast grocery workers’ victory Council and community groups like theAll Peoples Congress successfully shutdown Safeway during the course of week-end picketing. Council President ErnieGreco was arrested. More aggressiveplans were in the offing.

In Washington, the AFL-CIO Council,which represents about 150,000 union-ized workers, organized 24 communityunits composed of 400 people whoengaged in leafleting inside and outside ofGiant and Safeway stores for weeks.

Both locals began printing picket signs,selecting strike captains, setting up strikefunds and establishing food banks to pre-pare for the possibility of a strike.

Negotiations were conducted jointly witha general committee.

But what cannot be ignored is the con-tribution of the Southern California work-ers. As a result of the workers’ resolve,Safeway, Kroger and Albertson’s lost anestimated $2 billion during the five-month strike. In simple terms, they worethe grocery bosses’ butts out.

At the contract ratification meeting inWashington the workers did the rightthing when they acknowledged the sacri-fices made by the Southern California gro-cery workers by giving them a standingovation. Workers’ history will also salutethem.

Angry Detroit workerspicket City Hall

The reaction was swift. Detroit MayorKwame Kilpatrick announced layoffsand cutbacks in his April 12 budgetaddress. By 4:30 p.m., angry city work-ers picketed outside City Hall.

The April 12 announcement follows3,000 layoffs in Detroit’s underfundedschool system. United Auto WorkerLocal 2334 President David Sole stressed

that every bomb that falls on Iraq isfalling on Detroit, too. As Martin LutherKing Jr. said of Vietnam, resourcesneeded for cities here are being divertedto a war abroad.

On April 21 at 4:30 p.m., workers andcommunity activists will picket and packa budget hearing at City Hall.

—Cheryl LaBash

average $2,700 per course without bene-fits puts it into the same anti-labor campas Wal-Mart.

And make no mistake about who isleading that effort: the New School presi-dent is former Democratic Senator BobKerrey, who currently sits on theCongressional 9/11 Commission.

In a mail-in vote on Feb. 27 a majorityof 1,600 eligible part-time faculty mem-bers cast ballots, voting to be represent-ed by the United Auto Workers. Kerreyasked on March 5 that the results bethrown out, because the vote wasn’t “sufficiently representative.” Of 65 per-cent of the adjuncts voting, 530 voted forthe union, with 466 opposed. Such elec-tions are normally binding on employ-ers, though corporations increasinglycontest them.

Joe Haske, who has taught drawing at Parsons School of Design for 22 years,told the March 17 Village Voice thatKerrey’s rejection of the vote was undemocratic. “Do you think if we’d lostthey’d want to overturn it?” he asked.

Haske and other adjunct faculty mem-bers said they viewed unionization as theonly effective way to have a voice at theschool. “In all the years I’ve been here Ihave never found a way to address prob-lems or complaints without worryingabout losing my job,” he said.

Last month’s vote followed a nine-month- long hearing process at theNational Labor Relations Board, whereNew School lawyers succeeded in knock-ing out a substantial number of would-be bargaining unit members, saying theywere either managers or barred fromunionizing under previous rulings.

During the tense days leading up tothe vote, New School students presentedKerrey with 1,000 signatures from class-mates who support the faculty’s right toorganize.

Meanwhile, part-time faculty mem-bers are also organizing at other areacampuses, including Pace University.And adjunct teachers at New YorkUniversity, who voted to be representedby the UAW in 2002, are considering awalkout this spring to protest NYU’s fail-ure to agree to a contract.

By Sharon BlackBaltimore

The big business media rarely illumi-nates the possibilities or the lessons ofworkers’ struggles. The impact of the five-month-long Southern California groceryworkers’ strike and the discussions it hasopened up inside the labor movement areno exception.

On March 31, close to 30,000 Baltimoreand Washington, D.C., grocery workersoverwhelmingly approved a new four-year contract. Ninety percent of UnitedFood and Commercial Workers Local 27members voted to approve it after weeksof tough negotiations by UFCW Locals 27and 400.

It also followed aggressive preparationsfor a strike by both locals and broad com-munity support.

While it’s important to report on theexact settlement, it’s also critical to get areading on how the workers themselvesviewed the vote and the contract. In thiscase it is clear that the vast majority felt

that the union scored a huge victory. Every settlement and strike must also

be looked at in the context of the generalclass struggle. Are the workers on thedefensive? Is capitalism intensifying itsattacks?

Safeway opened negotiations askingfor the same concessions the companyattempted to ram down the throats of theSouthern California workers: eliminationof health-care plans and major cuts inevery area. Giant Food and Krogerannounced that they would lock the work-ers out in the event of a strike at Safeway.

Under the new agreement, health carebenefits will remain intact with an increasein the deductible from $100 to $200. Pen-sions are preserved and the workers willreceive a $1.25/hour wage increase overfour years. This was a defeat for the dread-ed bonus system that has been a thorn formany workers in the labor movementrecently. Bosses would much rather give aone-time bonus than a general wageincrease.

On the other hand, new workers willreceive lower holiday and Sunday wagesthan the current workers. This was a con-cession. The original demand of Safewaywas to extend this to all workers.

The weeks and months leading up to thepotential showdown between workers andgrocery bosses brought with it sincereconcerns and discussion on how to pre-pare. It is hard to describe the genuine fearas the union and workers scrambled tolearn the lessons of the strike on the WestCoast and prepare for a possible difficultand lengthy East Coast battle.

Key to union activists’ preparation for astrike was community support, includingmore aggressive tactics, and unity bet-ween both locals. Serious discussions ofthe union’s weaknesses and strengthswere begun in weeks prior to the contractnegotiations at packed union meetings—which were punctuated by passion, laugh-ter and sometimes deafening silence.

The importance of community sup-port both in Baltimore and Washingtonwas clearly understood, not only interms of the support for Southern Cali-fornia, but also how it would impact thelocal contracts.

In Baltimore the AFL-CIO Labor

After 7 months on picket line

D.C. laundry workers win union, contractBy Sharon BlackWashington, D.C.

Sterling Laundry’s owner boastedpublicly that he would rather burn downhis business than allow his workers tojoin a union. In a show of arrogance andracism, he referred to the mostly immi-grant women workers as “cows.”

But he had to eat his words on April 7. After enduring a seven-month-long

strike in bitterly cold weather, Sterlingworkers won union recognition and theirfirst contract. An aggressive campaignby the workers and their supporters todeny Sterling local laundering contractsresulted in a three-year contract provid-ing workers with a pension plan, healthcare and the largest wage increase incompany history.

These workers will join the more than2,300 other industrial laundry workerswho are protected by UNITE contractsin the mid-Atlantic region.

AFL-CIO Metro Washington CouncilPresident Jos Williams stated, “Thisresounding victory by laundry workersadds to the unstoppable momentum forsocial justice in our community that wewitnessed in the recent supermarketworkers’ campaign. Solidarity, persist-

PICKETLLIINNEEBY SUE DAVIS .

ence and creativity work!”The Rev. Graylan Hagler, minister of

the Plymouth Congregational Church,provided almost daily support. TheBaltimore All Peoples Congress collectedfood and formed car caravans to showits support.

Laundry striker and the Rev. Graylan Hagler. WW PHOTO: SHARON BLACK

WW PHOTO: CHERYL LABASH


2,000 rally in Brooklyn toBy Monica MooreheadBrooklyn, N.Y.

Dynamic. Spirited. Unprecedented.These words describe a truly historic rallythat took place on April 7 in the WhitmanTheater at Brooklyn College. A multina-tional crowd of 2,000, mainly people fromHaiti and the English-speaking Carib-bean, packed the hall to hear a programentitled “An Evening with Friends ofHaiti: The Truth Behind the Haiti Coup.”

A broad range of speakers and culturalperformers ignited the stage for three-and-a-half hours to express heartfelt anti-imperialist solidarity with the besiegedCaribbean country. Haiti has once againsuffered a horrific atrocity with the U.S.-orchestrated kidnapping of its democrat-ically-elected president, Jean-BertrandAristide, on Feb. 29.

This is the second time that Aristide wasforcibly removed from office due to bla-tant interference by U.S. imperialism. Thefirst time was in 1991 under the firstGeorge Bush administration. In 1994,Washington was forced to return Aristideto Haiti due to the pressure of the Haitianmasses. He was reelected president in2000. His term was to expire in 2006according to the current HaitianConstitution.

The Feb. 29 coup came on the heels ofthe bicentennial celebration of Haitianindependence in 1804, which followedthe successful slave revolution againstFrance led by the legendary general,

Toussaint L’Overture. “Two hundred andone years ago today, ToussaintL’Overture died in a French prison cell forthe crime of having freed his people fromslavery,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, fromHaiti Support Network (HSN).

Right now, over 1,000 U.S. Marinesalong with other foreign troops occupy theisland. They are there on behalf of animperialist-backed alliance of formerleaders of outlawed paramilitary deathsquads—including the despised TontonMacoutes—and the Haitian capitalistclass. Together, they have illegally takenover the reins of government.

‘Illegal, illegitimate’ regime

The rally was co-chaired by Kim Ivesand Karine Jean-Pierre with Pat Chin andSara Flounders from the InternationalAction Center (IAC). La TroupeMakandal, a Haitian drum group, was anintegral part of the rally as they providedpowerful African rhythms after eachspeaker. Behind each speaker or per-former on stage were large still photos ofthe Haitian masses in struggle.

Ives remarked, “Washington has goneto great lengths to give the present Haitiancoup a constitutional color. But with everypassing day, one thing becomes everclearer to the world: The government setin place by U.S. Marines in 2004, just asin 1915, is illegal, illegitimate and foistedon the Haitian people. Their coup isdoomed to fail.

“We are here tonight to seek the truth

about the hidden hand and shadowyforces behind the Feb. 29 coup d’état.”

Distinguished African American actorOssie Davis captivated the audience as heread an 1893 speech by Frederick Doug-lass, the former slave and first U.S. ambas-sador to Haiti. Douglass’s propheticspeech said in part, “My subject is Haiti,the Black Republic... Her proximityshould alone make us deeply interested inher welfare, her history, her progress andher possible destiny, yet we turn the coldshoulder. The reason for coolness betweenthe countries is this: Haiti is Black, and wehave not yet forgiven Haiti for beingBlack... I regard her as the original pioneeremancipator of the nineteenth century.”

Dr. Luis Barrios, a Dominican priest inNew York, explained the Haiti Commis-sion of Inquiry’s findings. The commis-sion, comprised of HSN and IAC repre-sentatives, recently sent a delegation tothe Dominican Republic to help bringworld attention to the reactionary rolethe Dominican government played inthe Feb. 29 coup.

Barrios stated, “Our investigation hasproven beyond a doubt that the territoryof the Dominican Republic was used fortraining and arming the so-called Haitianrebels, with the knowledge of the nationalauthorities, and that their attack waslaunched from Dominican soil... In pressaccounts, U.S. military officials have con-firmed that 20,000 M-16 rifles were givenby the U.S. to the Dominican military afterNovember 2002.”

Teresa Gutierrez, a leader of the NewYork Committee to Free the Cuban Fiveand a Commission of Inquiry delegate,spoke on how the Bush administrationwould like to repeat in socialist Cuba andVenezuela what it did in Haiti. Sheexposed Bush’s so-called war on terrorismby raising the case of the five Cuban patri-ots languishing in U.S. federal prisons fordaring to defend Cuba’s sovereigntyagainst right-wing Cuban-American ter-rorists based in Miami.

Waters: ‘I salute Haiti’

Rep. Maxine Waters, who came fromCalifornia, electrified the audience as shespoke with great passion about her ongo-ing contacts with Aristide by cell phone ashe was being kidnapped by U.S. forces andsent to the Central African Republic. Shewas part of a delegation that later traveledto CAR to accompany Aristide to Jamaica,where he and his wife Mildred are nowguests of the government.

Waters focused much of her remarks onthe complicit roles that Secretary of StateColin Powell and National SecurityAdvisor Condoleezza Rice played. Shestated, “Aristide was elected by the people.Rice was not elected by anybody.” Sheended her rousing remarks with, “I saluteHaiti! I salute Aristide! I salute Lavalas! Isupport real democracy!”

Ben Dupuy, secretary-general of theNational Popular Party (PPN) in Haiti,told the audience, “U.S. Secretary of StateColin Powell calls investigations into the

HHAAIITTII A SLAVE REVOLUTION –200 YEARS AFTER 1804The Haitian Revolution is a singular event in history.Never before or since has an enslaved people risen up,broken their chains, and established a new state. Haitiwas a beacon of hope and inspiration to the enslavedAfricans of the United States.

Haiti’s history has been turbulent, but not for the rea-sons given by mainstream historians. Racism underliestheir charges that the first Black Republic lacks “demo-cratic traditions and is prone to violence.”

Drawing from a wide range of authors, experts, and his-torical texts, this book challenges these stereotypesand counters 200 years of cultural myths. It exposesdisinformation about Haiti from the 18th century untiltoday. Above all, it reveals the intertwined relationshipbetween the U.S. and Haiti, and the untold stories ofthe Haitian people’s resistance to the U.S. aggressionsand occupations.

Includes Ramsey Clark, Edwidge Danicat, FrederickDouglass, Ben Dupuy, Paul Laraque, Mumia Abu-Jamal,Pat Chin, Greg Dunkel, Sara Flounders, Stan Goff, KimIves, Fleurimond Kerns, Maude Le Blanc, Sam Marcy,Franz Mendes & Steve Gillis, Felix Morriseau-Leroy andJohnnie Stevens.

225 pages, photos, bibliography and index $19.95

Order online from Leftbooks.com for a discountor write to the IAC, 39 W.14 St., #206, NY, NY10011 and include $5 for shipping and handling

Pat Chin Ossie Davis Teresa Gutierrez Ramsey Clark


denounce U.S. coup in Haiti

Rep. Waters keynotes meeting on HaitiBy Abayomi AzikiweDetroitExcerpted from a Pan-African NewsWire article

Speaking to a capacity audience at theWayne State University Law SchoolAuditorium on April 8, CongresswomanMaxine Waters called for the return ofousted Haitian President Jean-BertrandAristide to the Caribbean nation of Haiti.

“Let me make it clear. I support Presi-dent Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the peo-ple of Haiti,” stated CongresswomanWaters.

The meeting was sponsored by theMichigan Emergency Committee AgainstWar & Injustice and the Ground Work forJust World organization.

Congressman John Conyers ofDetroit, the ranking member of theHouse Judiciary Committee, co-spon-

sored the meeting and welcomedWaters, who was accompanied by herhusband, Ambassador Sydney Williams,who served as the United States envoy tothe Bahamas under the Clinton adminis-tration.

Ms. Waters described her trip to Haitiin January for the 200th independenceday celebration. She pointed out that theopposition forces to President Aristideattempted to sabotage the ceremonies bystaging violent demonstrations wherethey burned tires to prevent guests fromtraveling in the nation’s capital and othercities throughout the country. When arriv-ing in the northern city of Gonaives,Waters and Ambassador Williams wereprotected by the security forces accompa-nying President Aristide.

“When we were planning to travel toHaiti, we were informed by the StateDepartment that we should not go because

they could not guarantee our safety,” saidthe Los Angeles based representative whowas the former chairperson of the Con-gressional Black Caucus. “Yet we made adecision to go anyway despite the clearthreats from the opposition to spread sto-ries that we were financed by Aristide.”

Sara Flounders, co-director of theInternational Action Center in New YorkCity, helped lead a delegation to theCentral African Republic to demand to seethe ousted President Aristide in earlyMarch. Aristide was eventually allowed tohold a press conference and leave thecountry to take up temporary residence inneighboring Jamaica.

Flounders, who is co-editor of a newbook on the history of the country entitled“Haiti: A Slave Revolution—200 YearsAfter 1804,” outlined over two centuriesof blockades and military interventions byboth the United States and France against

latest Haitian coup, even that called for byCARICOM, a waste of time. This showshow much they fear the truth getting out.To add insult to injury, the U.S. is promot-ing diversionary investigations intoAristide’s alleged drug trafficking, humanrights abuses and corruption.

“Meanwhile, to carry out their coup,Washington is collaborating with death-squad leaders and soldiers universallyrecognized as corrupt, drug-dealinghuman-rights abusers.” He calledAristide’s ouster a “coup-napping.”

Sara Flounders and People’s Video Net-work coordinator Johnnie Stevens trav-eled to the CAR along with Ives in Marchto break the media blockade. Theydemanded to see and interview Aristide.

Flounders told the cheering crowd,“CARICOM, representing the 15 Carib-bean nations... and the 53-nation AfricanUnion have demanded an inquiry intothe coup. What a courageous stand! Allthe U.S. plans for Haiti are unravelingbecause people are so outraged at thiscriminal act.

“Just as we see in Iraq today, there isgrowing resistance to U.S. plans. Brutaloccupation is being met with a level ofresistance never thought possible,” Floun-ders said. “The U.S. tanks rolling into Port-au-Prince, Haiti, are no different than theU.S. tanks rolling into Fallujah, Iraq.”

‘Reparations must be paid’

Stevens talked about the neocolonialconditions that still exist in the CentralAfrican Republic, where Aristide was heldunder U.S. orders: “There is one flight aweek to Central African Republic on AirFrance. French newspapers are the onlyprint media available. The population of

3.6 million lives on land that contains awealth of diamonds—making up 54 per-cent of the CAR’s exports. Yet their aver-age life expectancy is 42 years, with infantmortality close to 100 per every 1,000 livebirths. Nearly half the people cannot reador write.

“Who is profiting from the diamondmines?” Stevens asked. “While most peo-ple survive by growing their own crops, thecountry is paying high interest on an $881million foreign debt, mainly to French-and U.S.-controlled banks. ... The conclu-sion to this story is that reparations mustbe paid.”

Former U.S. Attorney General RamseyClark, who founded the first Haiti Com-mission of Inquiry in 1991, declared, “Ifyou don’t stand up for Haitians, for theirrights and their freedom, you don’t see theurgent need of the world.”

Omar Sierra, representing the Boliva-rian Circles in Venezuela, recalled theimportant support national liberationleader Simon Bolivar received from theHaitian people in the 19th century. He saidit is crucial for all Latin American peoplesto come to Haiti’s aid today.

Other speakers included Alina Sixto,Family Lavalas New York/Tri-State Area;Rep. Major Owens of Brooklyn; MarioDupuy, Aristide’s state secretary of com-munication; Don Rojas, Amy Goodmanand Bernard White, WBAI-Pacifica Radio;Ray Laforest, Haitian labor organizer,District Council 1707; Brian Concannon,human-rights attorney; Brooklyn Collegestudent Starr Bernard; Serge Lilavois,Support Committee for PPN; Los Angelesanti-police brutality activist MichaelZinzun; Dominican activist Marc Torres;and Haitian performers Marguerite

Laurent and Phantoms. New York City Councilmember Jose

Serrano and Baltimore City Council-member Kwame Abayomi sent solidaritymessages.

Acclaimed filmmaker Katherine Keanpresented a video she made of Aristidespeaking in CAR. An audio message fromdeath-row political prisoner and journal-ist Mumia Abu-Jamal was played.

The rally was sponsored by the Coal-ition to Resist the Feb. 29 Coup in Haiti.This coalition includes Ajoupa, HaitiAction Committee, International ActionCenter, International ANSWER, KomiteBeton, Lavalas Family, Leve Kanpe,OBNH, Patisan Jezikri and PPN SupportCommittee.

Pat Chin, co-editor of the book “Haiti:A Slave Revolution,” told Workers World:“The response to this rally shows that allthe confusion that once divided the move-ment is being swept away. As we get theinformation out there, more people arebeginning to understand that Aristidewas ousted because even though he madenumerous concessions to the Internation-al Monetary Fund’s ‘death plan’ for Haiti,he still didn’t go far enough to pleaseWashington.

“His ouster is not about alleged human-rights violations or corruption—thingsthat the U.S. is known for worldwide. It’snot just Aristide, but the popular move-ment he symbolizes, that’s in imperial-ism’s crosshairs.”

the Caribbean nation.At the WSU Law School, Flounders con-

demned the actions of Assistant Secretaryof State for Latin American Affairs RogerNoriega, who she said had coordinated thecoup against President Aristide.

Congressman Conyers, who is theleader of the Congressional Black CaucusHaiti Task Force, praised those in atten-dance, saying “a new movement to sup-port the democratic process in Haiti hasbeen born.”

Others attending the meeting includedDetroit Councilwoman JoAnn Watsonand Wayne County Clerk Kathy Garrett.Representatives of the National Con-ference of Black Lawyers and the NationalLawyers Guild were also in attendance. Astatement from the NCBL was circulatedexposing the role of the Bush administra-tion in the overthrow of a democratically-elected government in Haiti.

Johnnie Stevens Sara Flounders Ray Laforest Ben DuPuy WW PHOTOS: G.DUNKEL

Congressperson Maxine Waters WW PHOTO: G.DUNKEL


The revolt of 1920and Iraqi resistance todayBy Richard Becker

“Give us the signal and we will resumethe 1920 revolt,” chanted supporters ofMoqtada al-Sadr at a demonstration inBaghdad on April 1. If the U.S. militarycommanders in Iraq didn’t shudder athearing that chant, their British co-occu-piers surely did. It was in the year 1920that the people of Iraq rose up togetherafter learning that they had become colo-nial subjects of the British Empire.

The April 1 demonstration came at themidway point in a week that transformedthe occupation of Iraq into a crisis of thefirst magnitude for Washington. The pre-vious Sunday, March 28, the CoalitionProvisional Authority (CPA) headed byU.S. dictator L. Paul Bremer had ignitedthe crisis by shutting down a newspaperreflecting the views of al-Sadr, a Shia reli-gious leader. The shutdown led to a seriesof mass protests. When the U.S.attempted to crush the protests with bru-tal force, a popular uprising erupted inmany Iraqi cities beginning on April 4.

At the same time, the U.S. occupationforces were preparing an all-out assault onFalluja, an industrial city of about300,000 located west of Baghdad, whichhas been a center of the Iraqi resistancesince the beginning of the occupation ayear ago.

Falluja is a working-class city whosepopulation is predominantly, but notexclusively, Sunni Muslim. Sunnis consti-tute about 85 percent of the world’sMuslims, and are divided into four majorbranches. In Iraq, Shiites (the other majorbranch of Islam) constitute around 60percent of the population.

Who is the Iraqi resistance?

While it may not be possible to answerthis question exhaustively at present, it isclear that the resistance in Falluja andthroughout Iraq is very diverse in its polit-ical makeup. In a Jan. 31 interview by theAnti-Imperialist Camp with resistanceactivist Jabbar al-Kubaysi, who identifiedhimself as a “left Baathist,” a question wasasked about the components of the resist-ance that might form a common politicalfront.

Al-Kubaysi replied: “There are fourmain currents spread throughout thecountry. There is ourselves, Iraqi PatrioticAlliance, which I can roughly describe asanti-imperialist, Arab nationalist, strivingfor democracy and social justice as well asrespecting and defending our Islamic her-itage.

“There is the Sunni Islamic Committeewhich regroups the main Islamic leadersbeing strongly opposed to the MuslimBrotherhood which is collaborating withthe enemy. They are ready to work witheverybody who is resisting includingChristians and Communists.

“The third force is the Nasserites whoare about to reorganize. And finally thereare the anti-imperialist communists of theCentral Command who are long-termfriends of us who we are hoping to be ableto convince.” [The Central Command is asplit from the official Iraqi CommunistParty, which is collaborating with theoccupation and is a member of the puppetIraqi Governing Council.]

When asked about Shia participation inthe resistance, al-Kubaysi answered:“First of all Shiite people are well repre-sented in most of the forces named, insome they are even the majority. You haveto overcome the idea spread by theAmericans that the Shia society is its own,fully separated entity. Most of the Shiapeople consider themselves Arab Iraqisand participate as such in political life.”

It is worth noting that this interviewwas done two months prior to the currentuprising.

Al-Kubaysi’s comments point to a real-ity about Iraq that has been left out of mostof the corporate media coverage: Iraq,especially urban Iraq where more than 60percent of the population today resides, isnot neatly divided by religion or national-ity. The process of capitalist developmentin Iraq, like in so many other countries,has led to a breakdown in the old feudalstructures and a massive rural-to-urbanmigration over the past century.

Washington’s depiction of Iraq, echoedin the mainstream media, features aKurdish north, a Shia south and a “SunniTriangle” in the center.

The term “Sunni Triangle” is, in fact, arecent propaganda fabrication. Includedin the “Triangle” is Baghdad, although itis at least one-third Shiite and also is hometo large numbers of Kurds, Assyrians,Turcomens and others. Excluded from the“Triangle” is the north of Iraq, despite thefact that a big majority of Arabs, Kurdsand Turcomens are Sunnis.

Washington seeks weak anddivided Iraq

The falsification of Iraqi reality by U.S.leaders and their complicit media is nei-ther accidental nor benign. The occupiersare relying on a divide-and-conquer tacticto maintain control, a strategy of pitting

Iraqi against Iraqi. Under the new U.S.-drafted “constitu-

tion,” Iraq would become a federativestate with a weak central government. Thelong-term aim is to transform the entireoil-rich and strategic Gulf area into aregion of weak states that can be easilydominated by U.S. imperialism.

While it would be a mistake to ignorethe religious aspect of the resistance, thecapitalist media’s relentless characteriza-tion of the resistance in religious termsmust be seen as part of the larger divide-and-rule strategy.

Commenting on the differences inreporting on Iraq by most U.S. media ascompared to Arab sources such as Al-Jazeera TV, Nabil Dajani, professor ofcommunications at the AmericanUniversity in Beirut, said: “Every reporteris influenced by his or her cultural back-ground. They still look at what is going onin Iraq as terrorists. They still look at it asa Sunni triangle or as Shiites. They can’tsee Iraqis as Iraqis...

“Americans have the right to look at itin terms of the Sunni-Shiite and Al-Jazeera has the right to see it as resistanceto occupation.”

An April 9 Washington Post articlereported that, “The Sunni-Shiite divide,already narrower in Iraq than in someparts of the Muslim world, is by allaccounts shrinking each day that Iraqisagree their most immediate problem is theoccupation.”

The same article quoted MohammedNajem Mausoumi, as he donated blood forFalluja in the predominantly ShiaKadhimiya community of Baghdad. “Wedon’t need a call from the mosque.”

“Like others in the cheerfully crowdedtent,” the Post article continued, “he bris-tled at being asked whether he was Shiiteor Sunni.”

Falluja has emerged as a symbol ofnational resistance and pride for Iraqisacross the political and religious spec-trum. Thousands of Baghdad residents incars, buses and on foot formed a giantrelief convoy into the besieged city onApril 8, defying U.S. armor to enter.

Sunni and Shia mosques in the Iraqicapital organized many of the partici-pants. This conscious and increasing coor-dination poses a potentially insolubleproblem for the occupation, just as it didwhen it first emerged 84 years ago in theRevolt of 1920.

Revolt of 1920

In May 1920, the Arabs of Iraq, Syria

and Palestine rose in mass revolt whenthey discovered that rather than achievingindependence after hundreds of years ofOttoman (Turkish) rule, they had insteadbeen incorporated into the largest colonialempires of the day, the British and French.

Syria and Lebanon became Frenchcolonies, according to the agreementsigned in San Remo, Italy, on April 24,1920. Iraq, Palestine and Jordan weretaken over by Britain. All of this was doneunder the cover of “mandates” from theLeague of Nations—forerunner to theUnited Nations.

As part of this backroom deal, U.S. oilcompanies were given a 23.75 percentshare of Iraq’s oil, with equal amountsawarded to Britain, France and theNetherlands. Iraq owned exactly zero per-cent of its vast oil resources.

The British approach in Iraq, which itmilitarily occupied in 1918, was similar tothat employed throughout its empire; i.e.,to secure its control by pitting differentsectors of the colonized people againsteach other, while seeking to co-opt theelites of each community or nationality. InIraq, this meant fomenting antagonismbetween Shia and Sunni, and betweenArab and Kurd.

But to the surprise of the British some-thing very unusual for the time took place.Marxist historian Hanna Batatu wrote ofthe 1920 revolt: “For the first time in manycenturies, Shias joined politically withSunnis, and townsmen from Baghdad andtribesmen from the Euphrates made com-mon cause.

“Unprecedented joint Shia-Sunni cele-brations, ostensibly religious but in real-ity political, were held in all the Shia andSunni mosques in turn ... the proceedingsculminating in patriotic oratory andpoetic thundering against the English.

“Indeed, it would not be going too far tosay that with the events of 1919-20, andmore particularly with the bond, howevertender, that was created between Sunnisand Shias, a new process set in: thepainful, now gradual, now spasmodicgrowth of an Iraqi national community.”(“The Old Social Classes and Revolu-tionary Movements of Iraq,” PrincetonUniversity Press, 1978)

It took the powerful British militaryseveral months to put down the Revolt of1920. More than 10,000 Iraqis werekilled, as well as 2,000 British troops,including their commander. Tens of thou-sands more were wounded, at a time whenthe population was barely 3 million peo-ple. Winston Churchill, then in the British

colonial office, orderedthe development of poi-son gas bombs to be usedagainst the revolt, and in1925 dropped thosebombs on rebellingKurds in northern Iraq.

The history of Iraqunder British rule from1920-1958 was the his-tory of one rebellion afteranother, rebellions inwhich the people of allcommunities and reli-gious affiliations joined.

That tradition of deter-mined opposition to for-eign occupation anddomination is emergingonce more in the newIraqi resistance.


One person held a picture of hisbrother, asking that he and the other sol-diers be brought back from Iraq. Anothercarried a sign, “Long live Falluja.”

Speaking for the Free Palestine Allianceand ANSWER, Eyad Kishawi remindedthe crowd that “The slaughter of hundredsof Iraqis in Falluja by the U.S. is takingplace on the 56th anniversary of the mas-sacre of 250 Palestinians at Deir Yasin byIsraeli death squads. We will commemo-rate the massacre of Deir Yasin, the mas-sacre of Jenin and the massacre of Fallujaas we continue to rise up in the face ofimperialism.”

Pierre Labossiere of the Haiti ActionCommittee condemned the U.S. occupa-tion of Haiti. “What did the Haitians do forthe U.S. military to come down on them,besides having a democratically electedpresident?”

In New York, 700 to 1,000 peoplemarched through mid-town Manhattan inrush hour on April 9, which was the GoodFriday holiday. A protest of 500 took placeat the same time in Los Angeles.

In Washington, D.C., where 500marched on April 10, people came out ofrestaurants, homes and businesses to joinwith the marchers. Chants of “ImpeachBush” echoed through Lafayette Park atthe opening rally across from the WhiteHouse. Another 500 demonstrated inBoston that day.

In downtown San Diego April 10, sev-eral hundred people held signs and ban-ners and, led by ANSWER leaders CarlMuhammad and David Tworkowski,chanted against U.S. aggression in Iraq.Protesters also attended a rally, whosespeakers included Fernando Suarez deSolar, the father of a soldier killed in Iraq.Activists then marched to the San DiegoFederal Building, where they joined forceswith a large group of Somali people whowere demanding the release of their com-munity leader Omar Abdi Mohammed,held by Immigration and CustomsEnforcement officials, a victim of post-9/11 racial profiling.

Dozens of demonstrations occurredthroughout the U.S. in other big cities likeChicago, Atlanta and Birmingham. InSeattle at least 100 people turned out andcars driving past on Second Street honkedin support of the demonstrators.

In small cities, too

Protesters also turned out in mediumand small cities and towns—includingFayetteville, Ark.; Ferndale, Mich.;Pocatello, Idaho; and Gettysburg, Pa.Over 70 anti-war activists and supportersgathered in downtown Buffalo on April 12at supper time, with many joining theirfirst antiwar protest.

In Charlotte, N.C., 200 had come out onApril 5 to protest a Bush appearance at afund-raising luncheon. A march started atCentral PiedmontC o m m u n i t yCollege, where Bushhad the nerve to givea speech on theeconomy and job re-training. Many stu-dents joined themarch. A favoritechant was “What dowe want? Regime

change. Where do we want it? The WhiteHouse.” Many joined another protest onApril 10 to protest the escalation in Iraq.

Over 150 antiwar protesters took part ina picket line, rally and march in the smallcity of Kingston, N.Y., on April 10. The daybefore over 40 people had attended a rush-hour demonstration at Mason SquareTriangle in the heart of the working-classand oppressed communities in Spring-field, Mass., on only 24 hours’ notice.

In Europe, Japan

European countries were in the midst ofEaster holidays. Nevertheless, protestactions were scheduled in cities in theSpanish state, in Milan, Italy, and in Brus-sels, Belgium. In Germany, where pacifistmarches are often planned for Easter,some protests also reflected the newdevelopments. There was also a protest inMelbourne, Australia.

Perhaps the most dramatic protestswere in Japan. In reaction to the deadlyU.S. offensive, members of the Iraqi resis-tance had seized many foreigners in theircountry. Three of those seized were youngJapanese known back home as anti-waractivists.

The resistance fighters who seized themdemanded that Japanese troops leaveIraq. TheJapanese anti-war movementagrees with thisd e m a n d .Thousands ofprotesters havebrought thedemand daily toPrime MinisterJ u n i c h i r oKoizumi’s office.

The movement puts the responsibility forthe safety of their three comrades clearlyon the Japanese government.

The Japanese groups described the sit-uation to Muslim religious activists in theinternational anti-war movement. Afterbeing reached through the Arab televisionnetwork Al-Jazeera, the resistance groupthat seized the three agreed to let them go.However, Koizumi was about to meet withU.S. vice president and chief warmonger,Dick Cheney. Playing tough, the Japaneseprime minister insulted the resistancefighters by claiming Japan would “neveryield to terrorists.” Apparently this insultput the turnover of the three on hold.

Meanwhile, the Japanese movement iscontinuing to demand that the govern-ment act in good faith by removing itstroops from Iraq. The movement holdsU.S. and Japanese imperialism responsi-ble for putting the three activists’ lives atrisk. It is hoping that the strength, courageand mercy of the resistance fighters canbring about a good end to this story.

Bill Hackwell, Brenda Sandburg, Bob McCubbin, Jane Cutter, DavidDixon, Bryan Pfeiffer, Jack Smith, BevHiestand and an ANSWER news release contributed to this report.

World movement protests U.S. escalation in IraqBy John Catalinotto

The murderous Pentagon onslaughtthat began April 6 against the people ofFalluja and the newly liberated cities insouthern Iraq aroused an immediateangry reaction from the anti-war move-ment around the world.

The biggest demonstration was inBaghdad itself on the Moslem Sabbath onApril 9. Some 200,000 people, includingthose from both Sunni and Shiite commu-nities, came out in solidarity with theresistance. In other mostly Moslem coun-tries, demonstrations started after Fridayprayers.

The quickest reaction was perhaps thatin Montreal and Toronto, where demon-strations took place April 7 during theevening rush hour.

The most widespread actions, however,were those in the land of the perpetratorof war crimes in Iraq, the U.S. itself.Groups in 60 U.S. cities hit the streetsbetween April 9 and April 12, respondingto a call from the ANSWER Coalition—ActNow to Stop War & End Racism—toprotest the latest U.S. escalation.

ANSWER showed its strength by actingdecisively in a crisis, issuing its call toaction in the wee hours of April 7.Founded in mid-September 2001, follow-ing the 9/11 attacks, to oppose Bush’sannounced march to war, ANSWER hastaken the lead at critical moments to standup against U.S. imperialism.

Whether the protests were large orsmall, the people understood the impor-tance of taking action.

Standing in front of the federal court-house in Minneapolis April 9, protesterMeredith Aby said what many demon-strating believed: “We knew it was moreimportant to take a stand and say this waswrong than building up a larger turnout.”

The protests both measured andexpressed the changing mood of the U.S.population, which now for the first timeregisters a clear majority opposing theoccupation of Iraq in the polls. Also for thefirst time George Bush was behind in anelection poll by 50-43 percent, a drop insupport strongly related to the Iraq warand Bush’s loss of credibility.

Many articles in the corporate pressmore fairly described the demonstratorsas regular people and did not distort theirviews as much as in the past. Before, muchof the media had attempted to marginal-ize the protesters.

Along with the growing number of peo-ple now passively opposing or at leastquestioning the war on Iraq, a section ofthe anti-war movement was beginning toexpress a more open solidarity with theIraqi resistance. They could still marchtogether with those who identified withU.S. soldiers whose lives are also on theline. Both marched under the slogans,“End the occupation and bring the troopshome, now!”

Another slogan ANSWER promotes—”Money for jobs, health care and educa-tion, not for war and occupation”—appeared throughout the weekend’sprotests.

From coast to coast

The largest U.S. protest was in SanFrancisco on April 10, where 3,000 peo-ple rallied in United Nations Plaza. Itsmajor sentiment was in support of thegrowing popular resistance by the Iraqipeople. The crowd included relatives ofU.S. soldiers in Iraq and veterans.

San Francisco

WW PHOTO:BILL HACKWELL

New York WW PHOTO:

JOHN CATALINOTTO

Tokyo


INTIFADA:A word for the world

ost often, due to the dominance of U.S. imperialism, Englishwords are imposed on the world. Superman. Internet.

But there’s one very important word that an oppressednation, the Palestinians, have brought from Arabic to the rest

of the world’s languages: Intifada.When the first Palestinian uprising broke out in 1987 against years of

brutal treatment from the occupying Israeli police and army, intifada wasthe Arab word to describe it and began to be used interchangeably withuprising in the rest of the world.

But four to six years of the first Intifada, and now more than three ofthe second—or Al-Aqsa Intifada—have given it a particular meaning and acapital letter.

It has come to mean an uprising with deep roots in the population, anuprising of people who possess little in the way of weapons compared tothe oppressor state and lots of courage and determination. Indeed, thefirst Intifada became identified with young people throwing stones atIsraeli troops in tanks.

It also means a revolt that can die down for a while and then spring upagain. In Palestine, there was relative quiet between the Oslo Accords in1993 and Ariel Sharon’s provocation at the Al-Aqsa mosque in the fall of2000. But then the Intifada sprung up again. In this one, the Palestiniansare still lightly armed compared to the U.S.-armed Israelis—a rifle againsta helicopter gunship. But the struggle exhibits the same courage, the samewillingness to sacrifice, the same deep support among the populationfighting for national liberation.

Now it seems to have jumped to another country. With the jump, theword’s meaning will also grow, but it will still fit.

The world watches on television as Iraqis armed with assault rifles goup against tanks, helicopters and planes with artillery, rockets and bombs.U.S. troops in armored cars wearing flak jackets face Iraqi youths in shirtsand pants, standing in the streets and firing their weapons without cover.

There are more trained soldiers on the Iraqi side than in Palestine.Everyone seems to have weapons. But the courage, the depth of support,the anger against the oppressor is common.

During the siege of Falluja the world’s think tanks made their pundit-like comments on the situation in Iraq. Jane’s Information Group sug-gested that 500,000 U.S. and allied troops would be needed to repress theIraqis. Stratfor suggested that the rising by the Mehdi Army would soonwear down.

But a spokesperson from the Cato Institute made the following com-ment: “What we’re seeing now is the result of overstaying our welcome.What we [the U.S. occupiers] have now inherited, it seems, is our ownversion of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank—only with a muchlarger piece of real estate.”

The word is already international. U.S. rulers now fear that the slogan,“globalize the Intifada,” is becoming more of a reality.

By Andy McInerney

When former trade union leader Luiz Inacio“Lula” da Silva was elected president of Brazilin January 2003, landless peasants were keyallies to Lula’s Workers Party victory.Expectations ran high that with a worker in thehighest governing position in Latin America’sbiggest, richest and most populous country, theextreme poverty faced by millions of Brazilianswould finally be addressed.

Today, the Landless Movement (MST)—rep-resenting 4 million of Brazil’s poorest peas-ants—is mobilizing again. MST leaders chargethat Lula’s government is moving too slow toaddress the concerns of the landless. Across thevast country, peasants are seizing property ofwhat they call “unproductive estates,” as wellas seizing government offices and blockadingroads.

Ninety percent of Brazil’s land is owned by20 percent of the population, while the poorest40 percent of the population own just 1 percentof the land. Some 50 million of the country’s 175million people live in poverty.

Beginning in mid-March, peasants seizedsome 50 estates and began farming the landthemselves. Most notably, the peasants seizedthe Veracel eucalyptus tree plantation in thenortheastern Bahia state. Veracel is half-ownedby a Swedish-Finnish paper company and isone of the largest private investors lured toBrazil by Lula’s government—so foreigninvestors took note.

“No one can live on eucalyptus,” an MSTspokesperson told the German Press AgencyDPA. Peasants uprooted 10 acres of the treesand planted vegetable gardens on the plots.

On April 6, thousands of peasants took overgovernment offices and blockaded roads inanother northeastern state, Pernambuco. Twomore farms were seized in Sao Paulo state on

April 11. Dozens of MST activists have beenkilled in clashes with police, government troopsand rightist paramilitary gangs armed bylandowners in the past year alone.

The recent actions are part of a campaign tostep up pressure for land reform. During thefirst week of April, MST leader Joao PedroStedile called for the movement to set Brazil“ablaze” with protest, provoking panickyreports in the newspapers of Brazil’s elite andforeign investors.

Lula has responded cautiously, trappedbetween the interests of those who elected himand the interests of the domestic and interna-tional agribusiness concerns whose state heserves. In an effort to pacify the peasant move-ment, his government set aside $500,000 topurchase land for landless families and pledgedto provide land for 355,000 by 2006. The MSTcalls for providing land for 1 million peasantsover the next four years.

“At the rate at which the government is work-ing, our goal will never be reached,” UPI quotedMST regional leader Claudiomir Viera sayingon April 7. “We have to take over the land.”

Lula also cautioned the peasants not to stepover the bounds of legality—in this case, theproperty rights of Brazil’s powerful economicelite. “Agrarian reform in this country will becarried out because of social justice and betterdistribution of productive land so that our peo-ple have the opportunity to work,” he said. “Butit won’t be carried out by force, neither by theworkers nor those that oppose it.”

Lula’s government has generated enthusi-asm across Latin America, in part because hehas resisted U.S. political and economic planson the continent and in part because he hastaken friendly stands toward socialist Cuba andthe progressive Venezuelan government. Hisbiggest test, though, will be whether his govern-ment can be a vehicle for the aspirations ofBrazil’s poor peasants and working class.

M

Brazil’s landless seize property, demand land reform

SPECIAL TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION $2 for eight weeks (new subscription) $25 for one year

Name __________________________________________________Phone __________________________

Address ______________________________________________________

_____________________________________________City/State/Zip_________________________

Workers World Newspaper 55 W. 17 St. NY, NY 10011 (212) 627-2994

WW

PHO

TO: JO

HN

CATALINO

TTO

Bulletin from Venezuela

‘We are obliged to win’By Teresa Gutierrez & Berta Joubert-CeciCaracas, Venezuela

Two years ago the U.S.-backed oligarchy inVenezuela attempted to oust the popularlyelected president, Hugo Chávez Frias. Thefailed coup was commemorated this yearamidst a growing and thriving revolutionarymovement of the Venezuelan people.

To commemorate the failed coup, the SecondEncounter in Solidarity with the BolivarianRevolution was organized in Caracas withapproximately 200 invited internationalguests. The event will end on April 17. But thehighlight was when Chávez spoke on April 13in Miraflores—the presidential palace—to awaiting crowd of Venezuelans from the neigh-borhoods. Although there had been no plans fora mass event—the focus was on seminars,invited guests and a thorough discussion ofmajor Latin American and world events—thousands spilled into the streets and waitedfor hours to hear Chávez. It was a glaring exam-ple of the kind of support Chávez has among thepeople.

People in the crowd held pictures of CheGuevara and Simon Bolivar and held signs read-ing, “Con Chávez y sin miedo” (with Chávez andwithout fear) and “Yankees go home.”

Chávez’s stirring two-hour talk hit the U.S.government and Bush administration veryhard. He correctly pointed out that the coup

that failed two years ago was designed in Wash-ington. He gave a moving account of how theVenezuelan people, the heroic and firm peopleof Simon Bolivar, had wrested him from theclutches of the pro-U.S. oligarchy two yearsago. Chávez said he had thought he might haveto be in prison or out of office for six months ora year, and that he never expected to be back inMiraflores within 48 hours. The affectionatesupport of the masses for their leader was veryclear for the world to see.

Chávez vowed, “I have not gotten this far tobetray the people!” And he made it clear, tocheers in the crowd, that this revolution was notgoing back; the gains of the last two years,including improved education and health care,would not be reversed.

Chávez reaffirmed that he does not recognizethe current puppet regime in Haiti, after theU.S.-backed coup.

He also spoke about world events. Heexpressed Venezuela’s solidarity with the peo-ple of Iraq. He talked about how the collapse ofthe Soviet Union emboldened the imperialempire—but stressed that the empire was notthe end of history and the mass struggle wasproving this.

Chávez called on the Venezuelan people tostrengthen unity and consciousness. He con-cluded that the battle will be long “but we haveno other option,” he told the people. “We areobliged to win.”


As Pentagon sends more troops

Battles rage across Iraqtype anti-war resistance is on the horizon.

Sunni-Shiite unity dismays Pentagon

The sharp escalation of the fightingcame after a Shia Muslim cleric, Muqtadaal-Sadr, called on his followers to rise upagainst the U.S. occupation. The Pentagonhad already targeted al-Sadr. U.S. troopshad closed his newspaper, al-Hawza, onMarch 28 and then put a price on his head.

The strategy of U.S. and British imperi-alists has long been to try to foment antag-onism among various sectors of Iraqi soci-ety. While U.S. overseer L. Paul Bremer IIItalks about “nation building” and the “pro-tection of minority rights,” the invadershave tried to pit Sunni and Shiite Muslimsagainst one another. But that strategy wasdealt a strong blow when the Shiites in awide area rose up just as the Pentagon waslaying siege to the city of Falluja, in a pre-dominantly Sunni area.

Jonathan Steele and Rory McCarthyreported from Baghdad about a huge sol-idarity rally there:

“Up to 200,000 Iraqi believers, many ofthem Shias, crowded into the precinct ofBaghdad’s largest Sunni mosque yester-day to denounce the American occupationand pledge solidarity with the people ofFalluja as well as the uprising led by theShia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr. It was thelargest show of joint support by Iraq’sSunni and Shia communities.

“‘Long live Moqtada, long live Falluja,long live Basra, long live Kerbala,’ theyshouted, naming the various cities whereShias have attacked coalition forces. Manypunched the air with their fists.

“‘It is a year since America with its ally,the British devil Tony Blair, launched itsattack. The Americans invaded the land ofIraq, but they did not penetrate its peopleor their souls,’ Dr. Harith al-Dhari, themain preacher at the Umm al-Quramosque thundered into a loudspeaker, asthe overflow crowd sat on the lawns andconcrete concourse.

“‘A year has passed and where is thedemocracy they promised? Instead, wehave terror and censorship and rivers ofblood,’ he went on.” (The Guardian [UK],April 10)

Faced with such widespread opposi-tion, the U.S. claims to be seeking negoti-ations, both in Falluja and with al-Sadr inNajaf, all the while moving in fresh troops.Anticipating an assassination attempt bythe U.S., al-Sadr told Lebanon’s al-Manartelevision, “I call on the people not to allowmy death to cause the collapse of the fightfor freedom and an end to the occupa-tion.”

Guerrillas show ‘new sophistication’

A report by Thomas E. Ricks, appear-ing in the Washington Post of April 14,quotes U.S. military sources in Iraq as say-ing that the resistance in the south isshowing a “new sophistication” in its tac-tics. Guerrillas successfully destroyedthree bridges on the route taken by a U.S.convoy moving south from Baghdadtoward Najaf, the Shiite holy city where al-Sadr is holding out.

“‘The dropping of the bridges was veryinteresting, because it showed a regionalor even a national level of organization,’[Army Col. Dana J.H.] Pittard said in aninterview. He said insurgents appeared tobe sending information southward, com-municating about routes being taken by

U.S. forces and then getting sufficientamounts of explosives to key bridgesahead of the convoys.

“With occupation forces battling Sadr’sShiite militiamen south and east ofBaghdad and Sunni Muslim insurgents tothe north and west, the timing of theIraqis’ tactical development is nearly astroubling for U.S. forces as its effect. Butthe explanation for the change is not yetclear, military commanders said.

“Here in southern Iraq, which is over-whelmingly Shiite, U.S. officers say thebest guess is that former soldiers whoserved under President Saddam Husseinhave decided to lend their expertise andcoordinating abilities to the untrainedShiite militiamen.

“‘It’s a combination of Saddam loyalistsand Shiite militias,’ Maj. Gen. John R.Batiste, commander of the 1st InfantryDivision, said ... .”

Naomi Klein reported on this remark-able unity from Baghdad:

“For months, the White House has beenmaking ominous predictions of a civil warbreaking out between the majority Shiites... and the minority Sunnis ... . But thisweek, the opposite appeared to have takenplace. Both Sunnis and Shiites have seentheir homes attacked and their religioussites desecrated. Up against a sharedenemy, they are beginning to bury ancientrivalries and join forces against the occu-pation. Instead of a civil war, they are onthe verge of building a common front. Youcould see it at the mosques in Sadr City onThursday: Thousands of Shiites lined upto donate blood destined for Sunnis hurtin the attacks in Falluja. ‘We should thankPaul Bremer,’ Salih Ali told me. ‘He hasfinally united Iraq. Against him.’” (LosAngeles Times, April 9)

U.S. snipers target ambulances

Klein described the U.S. atrocities thathad precipitated this unity:

“At Al Thawra Hospital, I met RaadDaier, an ambulance driver with a bulletin his abdomen, one of 12 shots he sayswere fired at his ambulance from a U.S.Humvee. At the time of the attack, accord-ing to hospital officials, he was carrying sixpeople injured by U.S. forces, including apregnant woman who had been shot in thestomach and lost her baby.

“I saw charred cars, which dozens ofeyewitnesses said had been hit by U.S.missiles, and I confirmed with hospitalsthat their drivers had been burned alive. Ialso visited Block 37 of the ChuadirDistrict, a row of houses where every doorwas riddled with holes. Residents said U.S.tanks drove down their street firing intohomes. Five people were killed, includingMurtada Muhammad, age 4.”

This, multiplied by thousands of othertragic stories, is what the occupation hasdone, and this is why the Iraqi people areso furious and will attack anyone they seeas part of it.

What the U.S. military and theirCommander-in-Chief continue to deny,but is attested to by hundreds of reportersand other observers, and by the facts onthe ground, is that the Iraqi people as awhole have grown to detest the U.S. occu-pation. It has brought them nothing butdeath, destruction and the transfer of con-trol over their country and resources to thepredatory billionaire corporations favoredby the Bush clique.

The administration, which invaded acountry that had done absolutely noth-ing to the U.S.—despite Bush’s desperateuse of innuendo to somehow blame Iraq

for 9/11—is now in a deadly spiral ofanswering the people’s resistance withmore violence, which merely increasesthe resistance.

In his news conference, Bush restatedhis administration’s plan to hand over“sovereignty” to Iraqis on June 30. WhichIraqis? The ones installed by Washington,of course. Yet even they are so shaky thesedays that bourgeois critics are demandingthe president explain how his plan is goingto work.

Iraqi soldiers refuse to fight

The U.S. is finding it impossible to buildan Iraqi puppet state that can be relied onto carry out its demands. This was madevery clear when, according to theWashington Post of April 11:

“A battalion of the new Iraqi armyrefused to go to Falluja earlier this weekto support U.S. Marines battling for con-trol of the city, senior U.S. Army officershere said, disclosing an incident that iscasting new doubt on U.S. plans to trans-fer security matters to Iraqi forces. It wasthe first time U.S. commanders hadsought to involve the postwar Iraqi armyin major combat operations, and the bat-talion’s refusal came as large parts of Iraqisecurity forces have stopped carrying outtheir duties.

“The 620-man 2nd Battalion of theIraqi Armed Forces refused to fightMonday after members of the unit wereshot at in a Shiite Muslim neighbor-hood in Baghdad while en route toFalluja, a Sunni Muslim stronghold,said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton,who is overseeing the development ofIraqi security forces. ...

“Eaton said members of the battalioninsisted during the ensuing discussions:‘We did not sign up to fight Iraqis.’

“The refusal of the battalion to performas U.S. officials had hoped poses a signif-icant problem for the occupation. The cor-nerstone of the U.S. strategy in Iraq is todraw down its military presence and turnover security functions to Iraqis.

“Over the past two weeks, thatapproach has suffered a severe setback asIraqi security forces have crumbled insome parts of the country. In recent daysperhaps 20 percent to 25 percent of theIraqi army, civil defense, police and othersecurity forces have quit, changed sides, orotherwise failed to perform their duties, asenior Army officer said Saturday.”

Coalition of the not-so-willing

In this heroic uprising, untrained Iraqicivilians armed only with rifles or stones

picked up from the street are facing downhelicopter gunships and troops armedwith tanks, mortars, rockets, machineguns and night-vision equipment.

The fighting has been accompanied bya rash of kidnappings of foreigners insideIraq, especially aimed at countries thathave bowed to Washington’s pressure andsent troops there.

As a result, a number of countries haveannounced they may be pulling back theirpersonnel. Russia is sending seven planesto Iraq on April 15 to begin the evacuationof 800 contract workers from Russia andother former Soviet republics. The presi-dent of the Philippines, Gloria MacapagalArroyo, says she is considering withdraw-ing Philippine troops and aid workers—ademand of anti-war forces at home.Thailand and Spain say they intend towithdraw their troops this summer.

The 9/11 commission

Even as this volcano of resistance haserupted in Iraq, the commission investi-gating 9/11 has been grilling Bush andClinton administration officials on whatthe government knew about threats fromal-Qaeda and how prepared it was for ter-rorist attacks. It has drawn out much tes-timony showing that Bush and his Cabinetbadly wanted a war on Iraq and werefocused on that objective when the 9/11attacks occurred.

However, in approaching the questionof the “security” of the United States, thebipartisan commission is not asking anyquestions about the many egregious atroc-ities committed for decades around theworld by U.S. imperialism’s military andsecret police, which were bound to antag-onize millions of people. It is only askingquestions that will lead to restructuringthe executive branch of the government inorder to make it more efficient at carryingout repression.

In the age of jet planes and the Internet,no wall, no matter how fortified, is bigenough to isolate this country from therest of the world. The best security for theworkers here is to resist the aggressive warpolicies of this government—and of theDemocrats, too, who are calling for moretroops to Iraq—and build solidarity withall peoples around the world fighting forjustice and self-determination.

Putting Bush and his co-conspiratorson trial for war crimes would do more toprotect the people of this country than anynew intelligence super-agency of the typethat is likely to come out of the 9/11 com-mission.

Continued from page 1

200,000 in Baghdad April 9 rally in solidarity with the people of Falluja.

Huelga general paraliza a NepalPor Deirdre Griswold

Abril 7—¿Debía ser sorprendente de que la admin-istración de Bush esté apoyando al reino del ReyGyanendra de Nepal, con dinero y equipo militar, aúncuando virtualmente la población entera se ha alzanen contra del déspota monarca?

Nepal, un país de 24 millones de habitantes en lasalturas de la Himalayas, está en medio de un com-pleta crisis política. El 6 y 7 de abril se reportó que elpaís entero “se paralizó” cuando una huelga generalorganizada por el Partido Comunista de Nepal(maoísta) cerró “ todas las tiendas, escuelas, negociosy fábricas.”

La huelga se organizó en protesta a los asesinatos,arrestos y desapariciones de líderes de grupos activis-tas e individuales.

Los Maoístas han estado a la cabeza de una cre-ciente insurgencia en el país. En meses recientes,ellos han lanzados importantes ataques contra lasestaciones policiales y otros objetivos gubernamen-tales, incluyendo la residencia del Ministro delInterior, Kamal Tapa. El 5 de abril ellos entregaron ala Cruz Roja Internacional 37 agentes de la policía,soldados y oficiales del gobierno que habían captura-dos el 21 de marzo después de una batalla de 12 horasen el pueblo de Beni, a 180 millas al oeste deKatmandú.

Los rebeldes han estado exigiendo la libertad parados de sus líderes, Matrika Pasad Yaday, miembro delburó gobernamental y el jefe regional Sureh AleMagar, quienes fueron capturados en India y entre-gado al régimen de Nepal.

El mismo día, cientos de rebeldes contra el gob-ierno atacaron la estación de policía en Yadukuwa enel centro de Nepal, según Xinhua, la agencia deprensa de China. A la misma vez, otras fuerzas políti-cas continúan con protestas diariamente contra lamonarquía en varias ciudades. En Katmandú, la cap-ital, decenas de miles de activistas comenzaron aunirse desde el 1 de abril, para protestar cerca delpalacio. El siguiente día, la policía atacó a los mani-festantes con garrotes y por primera vez dispararonen contra de los manifestantes hiriendo a por losmenos 205.

El 3 de abril, un mitín público se dio lugar en la cuallos principales oradores fueron el presidente de laasociación de abogados de Nepal, el presidente de laasociación por los derechos humanos más grande deNepal, el presidente de la asociación de profesores deNepal y el presidente de la asociación de doctores deNepal. Este mitin moderado fue atacado por la policíacon gas lacrimógeno.

Al día siguiente, 10.000 personas regresaron abatallar con la policía frente al palacio. Las manifesta-ciones continúa en Bhaktapur, un pueblo de la edadmedia en las afueras de Katmandú y la ciudad occi-dental de Pokhara.

La fuerza política de estas manifestaciones, convo-cadas por cinco partidos parlamentarios, incluyendoel Partido Comunista de Nepal (Unificado Maxista-Leninista), para estar cambiando. Mientras que elUML solo pide una monarquía constitucional, lasdemandas de los manifestantes son de una república.

El presidente rey tomó el poder en el 2001 despuésde su hermano, el monarca constitucional KingBirendra, y la mayor parte de la familia real fuemasacrada. Los asesinatos misteriosos fueron atibuí-dos al principe coronado, pero él también murió,supuestamente de heridas hechas por el mismo,preparando así el camino para Gyanendra. El nuevorey abandonó las reformas constitucionales hechas

una década antes y ha estado robernando virtual-mente por decreto desde que el hizo a un lado el gob-ierno elegido en el 2002.

Washington ha esta suplienda al régimen deGyanendra con armas de fuego modernas y equiposde visión nocturna para combatir al crecientemovimiento guerrillero, el cual tiene el apoyo delcampesinado.

La cadena noticiera inglesa BBC reportó en abril 6que los Estados Unidos estaban invirtiendo $17 mil-lones de ayuda militar en el Ejército Real de Nepal.

“Ahora que el Rey Gyanendra ha perdido el con-trol total de 40 de los 75 distritos del país, la admin-stración de Bush cree que si hay razón de preocu-parse,” dijo el reporte.

“Esta a decidido que la única manera de prevenirque Nepal se torne en un ‘estado fracasado’ o aún peor‘una nación defraudada’ es de incrementar el flujo deayuda militar.”

Hace diéz años el Partido Comunista Unido deNepal fue por un breve período el partido político másgrande de Nepal en el parlamento y formó el gobiernobajo el Rey Birendra. Sin embargo, fue una coalicióncon el partido monarca y no pudo lograr ni siquierala más modesta reforma de tierra en el país donde lagran mayoría de la gente son campesinos empobre-cido y la servidumbre todavía es legal.

El fracaso de lograr nada por medio de las elec-ciones produjo una división entre la izquierda parla-mentarista y los Maoístas, quienes comenzaron unalucha armada por una república socialista dos añosdespués, en 1996.

A finales de agosto el gobierno comenzó a negociarcon los Maoístas, pero ellos abandonaron las mesascuando el gobierno se rehusó a aceptar las demandaspara tener elecciones para una nueva asamblea con-stituyente.

La BBC reportó en 6 de abril que “a solo diez díasantes del colapso de las negociaciones de paz enagosto anterior, el ejército mató a 21 personas en eldistrito oriental de Ramechhap. Las víctimas fueronobligados a formar una línea para ser ejecutados alfin del conteo. El reporte por la Comisión Nacionalpor los Derechos Humanos de Nepal sobre esteasesinato concluyó en que casi todos los cuerposmostraban evidencia de haber sido disparados en lacabeza a muy corta distancia. Esta culpó a la ERN(Ejército Real de Nepal).”

Ahora, algunos de los partidos que estaban al ladodel gobierno están en las calles, apoyando la huelgaconvocada por los Maoístas. La Agencia de PrensaFrancesa reportó el 6 de abril que “Los maoístas,quienes controla gran parte del campo publicaron susdeclaraciones de apoyo por la huelga por los partidos,los mismos con quien las guerrillas regularmentechocaban cuando Nepal tuvo un gobierno elegido.

“El líder maoísta, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, mejorconocido como Prachanda, o ‘El fiero,’ convocó la‘unidad entre todas las fuerzas políticas” en contra delrey.”

EDITORIAL.

¿Qué es lo que empuja al imperio?E

n los 90 años desde el comienzo de la conflagraciónmundial entre las potencias imperialistas que se dio aconocer como la Primera Guerra Mundial, el capital

financiero de los Estados Unidos ha afilado sus justifica-ciones por guerra.

Según esta vuelta ideológica, el problema siempre des-cansa más allá de las playas de América del Norte. El prob-lema siempre es externo. Y el Pentágono nunca es el agresor,es su defensor.

La “interminable guerra contra el terror”, aprobado yfinanciado tanto por los Republicanos como por losDemócratas, ha sido pintado como una respuesta a losataques del 9/11. Pero las evidencias ya han comprobado quela guerra contra Afganistán ya estaba en camino meses antesde septiembre. Y la guerra para controlar a Irak comenzócon el papi Bush y continuó durante los ocho años de laadministración de Clinton.

Haití, Palestina, Colombia. Donde sea que Washingtonenvíe sus tropas o armas la excusa es siempre que losEstados Unidos necesitan resolver los problemas de “allá”.Pero sus problemas son de efecto y no de causas.

El centro de los problemas mundiales está aquí, en elvientre de la bestia. Muchos aquí se oponen a la campañamilitar de los Estados Unidos correctamente caracterizán-doles como “una guerra por el imperio.” Pero, ¿cuál es lafuerza motora de la campaña por el imperio?

V.I. Lenin, el líder Marxista de los comienzos del siglo 20,de la Revolución Rusa, desarrolló el más profundo y cientí-fico análisis del imperialismo en su libro escrito en 1916,“Imperialismo: La más alta Fase Capitalismo.” El escribió,“Si fuera necesario dar la más breve definición de lo que es elimperialismo, tendríamos que decir que el imperialismo esla fase monopólico del capitalismo.”

El monopolio nació de la competencia y la concentracióndel capital que comenzó durante las temprana fase del capi-talismo en Europa, los Estados Unidos y después en elJapón. Esto sentó las bases para el nacimiento de las gigan-tescas industria monopolizadas de hoy, fundidas con el capi-tal bancario. Estos gigantes juegan un papel decisivo en lavida económica y política. En vez de exportar productos, elimperialismo está exportando el capital—arrastrando con-sigo a cientos de millones de personas a la relación socialentre los explotadores y los explotados. La interminablabusca por más y más ganancias es la fuerza motriz detrás dela globalización capitalista.

Una vez que el globo fue repartido por las potencias impe-rialistas en sus esferas de dominación económica, unaguerra entre ellos re divide las partes explotadas en 1914.Desde entonces, ya sea que los imperialistas haya enviadosus ejércitos a pelear entre sí en combate abierto, o batallarpor la hegemonía con sus títeres locales, o luchado en guer-ras para conquistar como en Afganistán o Irak, es el impera-tivo por dentro del monopolio capitalista el de expandir susmercados o morir lo que alimenta la guerra imperialista.

Pero esta “interminable” guerra está creando una tor-menta de fuego de resistencia por aquellos que están bajo lasbotas de la ocupación por el Pentágono. Y la concentraciónde los monopolios también ha creado una clase mundial obr-era. Esta es la clase, incluyendo sus más oprimidos sectores,que pueden dar fin a las guerras imperialistas de una vez portodas cuando se deshagan de las contradicciones detrás deestos—la apropiación privada de los vastos mecanismos dela producción creada por la labor colectiva.

Lenin afirmó que los monopolios, estos mismo productosde la labor de los trabajadores en todo el mundo, están listospara que las clases laborales y los oprimidos se lo tomen ylos manejen ellos mismos. Solo esta clase puede transformarla apropiación privada en la propiedad social.

Al deshacerse del motivo de ganancias retirará el gatillode la guerra imperialista. Para estar realmente contra laguerra, nosotros debemos estar contra el imperialismo yluchar aquí mismo contra el dominio de los gigantescosmonopolios.

SUBSCRIBETE A MUNDO OBRERO$2 por 8 semanas de prueba $25 por un año

WW Publishers, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011

Nepal

As Pentagon sends more troops ALL OUT ON APRIL 25 Battles rage · Battles rage across Iraq...

Documents

Transcript of As Pentagon sends more troops ALL OUT ON APRIL 25 Battles rage · Battles rage across Iraq...