Challenge, Vol. 35, No. 36, May 26, 1999
Editorial:
Union Honchos Hail Stormtrooper
Cops; Rally Reveals Workers’ Anger, Fertile Ground For Fighting Fascism
GI’s Buck Brass, Rap Bosses’ Balkan War
Life In Alexander Factory Is No Doll House
Communism—The Only Way For Youth And The Whole Working Class To Get A True Scientific Education
Dominican Republic: Turn General Strikes Into Schools For Communism
U.S. Bases In Latin America Aimed At Workers Not Drug Mafias
Challenge Is A Mass Organizer!
Learning Bosses’ Fascist Ideas Through Pop Culture
KKKlinton Follows Hitler’s Humanitarian Footsteps As Cover For Bosses Inevitable Oil War
Clinton’s ‘Humanitarian’ Genocide And Its ‘Human Rights’ Apologists
Using The Big Lie, An Old Tactic
Letters
Youth Made A Difference At May Day
Communism In The Belly Of The Beast
We Must Increase Challenge Sales
Guarantee The Education Of Our Youth
Labor March Resembled Deutschland Über Alles
On Training And Development Of Youth
Editorial: Union Honchos Hail Stormtrooper Cops; Rally Reveals Workers’ Anger, Fertile Ground For Fighting Fascism
NEW YORK CITY, May 12—Upwards of 50,000 angry unionized workers demonstrated today against the continued erosion of real wages and benefits and the threat of service cutbacks and layoffs due to budget cuts. But the top honchos of the labor movement—in a true "liberals-welcome-fascists" style—allied themselves with one of the bosses’ chief oppressors of workers, the cops!
The main rally organizers were the United Federation of Teachers, Local 1199 Hospital and Health Care Workers, and AFSCME’s DC 37 representing city workers. They joined with liberal democratic politicians in the New Century Coalition (NCC). This was the largest union-sponsored protest rally since workers in the construction trades took over the streets of Manhattan last year in a militant display of anger at the use of non-union private contractors working for the Metropolitan Transit Authority.
There were no specific demands at the rally, only a general one for "A Fair Share for Working Families." Discussing the rally with participating co-workers, a veteran union activist in PLP was asked, "Did we [workers] win or lose?" He answered that the demonstration showed both the opportunity and dangers lurking in the unions.
The opportunity was easy to see. Six thousand PLP leaflets were grabbed eagerly by the angry demonstrators who were looking for answers as to why they face the problems they do and what they can do about them. Scores of Challenges were also distributed. A PLP member was able to lead a discussion among a busload of 1199 members, raising aspects of our Party’s ideas. Workers helped carry banners and placards urging struggle against slave labor Workfare, war in Kosovo and racist police terror. Members and friends of the PLP can see how a mass communist PLP can be built among angry workers who want very much to fight against their oppression.
The danger is more veiled. Previously, Challenge has reported that the Rockefeller wing of the U.S. ruling class, with Senator Richard Gephardt as a major spokesperson, was trying to win unionized workers to support U.S. patriotism and capitalism. Today’s demonstration was an example of that strategy at work. Think about this. None of the speakers, not the leaders of the UFT, 1199, DC 37, AFSCME, the State or City AFL-CIO nor liberal Democrats mentioned the war in Kosovo. None talked about the police murder of Amadou Diallo, an issue that has rocked NYC for months.
Cops’ Real Job Is To Serve Bosses And Terrorize Workers
On the contrary, in a move reminiscent of Nazi Germany, the NCC allied with the cops, inviting the Police and Sergeants Benevolent Associations to address the throng of workers. Imagine—the heads of the New York State AFL-CIO, the New York City Central Labor Council and the three largest city unions put the head of the minuscule, 1,500-member police sergeants "union" front and center. Weingarten, head of the UFT, even ended her speech praising the cops at the rally because "they fight crime." A few hours earlier, one cop was testifying at the Abner Louima trial about how other cops had sodomized and tortured this Haitian immigrant.
This fooled one "long-time activist" (as quoted in the Daily News), Chick Donahue of the Sweathog union (these are the workers who dig the tunnels): "The cops were always there at our rallies, but with their nightsticks," he said. "This is better."
But, in fact, several hundred cops kept the demonstrators tightly fenced in like cattle on Broadway. They not only kept other demonstrators away by forcing them to walk blocks to find a way into the rally, but manhandled some in true cop style (see photo).
The Rockefeller wing of the capitalist class wants to win workers to the illusion that workers can have a "good life" with a fair share of the capitalist pie. They want us to fight and die for their oil war profits; to sit idly by as police terrorize some of us; to accept the growth of slave labor in the prisons and among those of us receiving welfare benefits.
The bosses don’t want us to fight back against the growing fascism in the U.S. They want to us to fight in Kosovo for their oil profits. PLP is building a movement to destroy the bosses and their system. To do so we have to bring our ideas into mass movements like the unions. We want to turn the shops, offices, schools, hospitals and union halls into battlegrounds between the bosses’ ideas and our communist view of the world. We are confident workers will embrace communism as the cure for the ills capitalism creates.
GI’s Buck Brass Rap Bosses’ Balkan War
U.S. ARMY BASE — "There’s nothing we can do [about how they treat us]" was a popular phrase before last Wednesday. Wednesday things got kind of crazy. Now you can really see the potential for recruitment.
The First Sergeant started the day yelling at us rank-and-file soldiers: We were complaining too much about our status. We were always late for formation. We should shut up and clean the latrines.
"We’re ain’t taking no mo’ crap," shot back a private, to the Sergeant’s amazement.
"GET IN THE BARRACKS AND CLEAN," he ordered.
A soldier began taking names of those wanting to see the Colonel about our held-up orders. We wanted out of this hellhole. Nearly the whole company signed up. Soon the First Sergeant came back threatening: "You’re going to stop talking to people or we are going to make life miserable!"
The Captain followed. He played the "good cop." "The Fort Commander was working on the situation. We are doing all we can," the Captain pleaded.
The new commander happened to walk through the building. He couldn’t help notice all the commotion.
"What’s going on?" he demanded.
"We’re all going to see the Colonel," we boldly answered.
Daily Struggle
I’ve been trying to win my fellow soldiers to confront the Sergeants and officers as a group for a while now. The NCO’s and the officers have been preaching teamwork. Well, we’ve finally learned. Thank you, First Sergeant!
The threats have diminished since last Wednesday, but I continue to struggle every day. "They give us guns and teach us how to use them. We have the power to do things our way," I’ve reasoned with a group in my company. "Just as capitalism creates its own grave diggers, so too does the army."
Discussing The Bosses’ War
Naturally, this led to a lot of discussion about the Balkans War. It’s obvious to us that the army is desperate for ground troops. The Sergeants admitted there just aren’t enough people joining the army. The shortage, it seems, has forced them to even put up with a bunch of malcontents like us. Nobody would be surprised if the bosses end up sending ground troops to Yugoslavia.
The discussions heated up when NATO bombed the Chinese embassy.
"Damn, they bombed the Chinese," began one friend. "Now, I’m really worried," admitted another, who was not all that happy at the prospect of risking his life for U.S. imperialism. "The Chinese have a big army. They out-number us ten to one."
Too bad the Chinese are no longer really communist. A determined communist movement could really put imperialism on its heels.
Getting Tighter
The brass is busy busting up our group, but those of us that remain are getting tighter. I’ve talked to one soldier, in particular, in more detail about the Party. I’ve given him the Party’s political economy pamphlet. We’ve spent hours talking politics. He knows where I come from; I know where he comes from. If one of us gets in trouble, then we all get in trouble. We know we can count on each other and it drives the brass crazy! With the introduction of regular Challenge distribution, we should expect some new red soldiers!
Life In Alexander Factory Is No Doll House
NEW YORK CITY, May 17 — Competition between capitalist bosses in the U.S. and bosses in other countries is sharpening. Why? For control of labor, profits and markets. This competition leads to war, especially for the control and flow of oil, from Kosovo to Iraq. Fascism, based on racism and terror, has become the capitalists’ method of rule. Only workers’ class struggle led by communists can begin to turn this situation around.
What does this have to do with workers at the Alexander Doll factory in West Harlem? Plenty. The bosses use fascist methods to exploit and terrorize the workers. But the workers, mostly Latin, immigrant women, are overcoming fear, with communist leadership, to fight back.
On May 13th Progressive Labor Party members invited workers from the area to support their working class sisters and brothers at a picket at the doll factory. Chanting "Strike against layoffs and threats," we distributed 375 copies of an "open letter" from the factory workers and 35 Challenge-Desafíos. The day before 11 floor workers from the 6th floor, with 17 and 18 years on the job, were laid off. The workers, with PLP leadership, are planning to fight the layoffs. We’re circulating the "open letter" to other workers in the area and calling for support from workers in organizations, schools and churches in the community. Doll factory workers’ families are circulating the "open letter."
Inside the factory, old machines block the aisles on the 6th floor. During the last electrical short circuit, the workers inched their way to the emergency exit in darkness. They found the door locked from the outside! On the 5th floor workers are frequently taken to hospital emergency rooms, overcome by fumes from chemicals used in production. On the 6th floor workers are threatened with getting fired for not "volunteering" to work standing up. Eight hours on one foot, while the other foot operates the sewing machine.
"What the bosses want is absolute control," said a worker. Using their numerous petty supervisors, the bosses use fascist methods to terrorize the workers. The supervisors demand a large quantity of work at ever faster rates of speed. There’s a "point system" against the workers for any "infraction," (reasons or excuses not accepted) until they can suspend or fire them. Angel, a supervisor on the 5th floor, "sits on the work tables constantly yelling and making demands," like a smug, self-styled cop.
The day after the picket, the workers’ "open letter" appeared in all the bathrooms in the factory. All the bosses and their supervisors got their "own copies." "How did those communists get all this information," they moaned. The bosses feverishly began removing the old machines from the aisles and cleaning the bathrooms. On Monday visitors are coming to the factory. You’re not to look at or speak to anyone, they ordered the workers. But the workers are fed up and have other plans!
As workers unite and fight back, learn how the capitalist system works, rely on communist leadership and become communist members of the PLP, we will gain strength and courage. The bosses rob the labor value of the workers for their own profits, reducing us to wage slaves. We need workers’ power through communist revolution to abolish wage slavery! As the May Day chant says, "Workers’ power is the key. Join with us in PLP."
Communism—The Only Way For Youth And The Whole Working Class To Get A True Scientific Education
MEXICO CITY, May 17 — The fascist changes imposed by Barnes, the president of UNAM (National Autonomous University) and supported by the elite capitalist rulers, are designed to reduce the university to the needs of the bosses’ competition for markets that are saturated by the crisis of overproduction.
The $76 billion that Zedillo granted to the banks for capitalization haven’t been, nor will it be sufficient to save the banks from disaster. The recently created government agency (IPAB) that substituted for the FOBAPROA (a plan to rob workers’ pension funds for the banks) will send another $6 billion to rescue three more banks. This is equivalent to ten times the annual budget of UNAM. The additional money added by the increase in the price of oil will not be used to compensate for the budget cuts at UNAM but instead to save the banks from bankruptcy. The student movement must demand free education and, at the same time, must question the anti-worker and anti-student essence of capitalism.
It appears that the strikes and mass student mobilizations achieved some of their demands. There may be a change in the general payment rules. If the government is forced to increase the budget for the university, and make the governing bodies of the university more representative, they would still be very far from resolving the problem. That’s because the system of capitalist education would remain intact. Going back to the old methods of selection, including the socioeconomic study imposed by the authorities, still leaves many thousands of students outside the university system every year.
The essential problem of capitalist education from preschool to post-graduate is not just the number of those who have access to it. Capitalist education teaches us not to think, or to think superficially and unilaterally. It prepares an elite who have been deeply taught the values of capitalism: individualism, anti-communism, racism, sexism, nationalism, capitalist democracy, idealism and subjectivity. Capitalist education generates the division between manual and mental labor, which fundamentally separates or divides professionals from workers, when they are lucky enough to find a job.
Socialism failed because it maintained the sources of capitalist inequality: the wage system and the division of labor that is the core of capitalist education. The youth must seriously question the anti-worker essence of capitalist education, which generates social inequality, and realize that this was one of the causes for the failure of socialism.
Understanding this will help to overcome the anti-communism that the capitalists and their apologists, writers and lackeys use to keep the struggle of the workers and students within the limits of the capitalist fight for markets. Communism will eliminate the wage system, the division of labor, the market, profits and fascist puppets like Barnes. Our fight is to build a mass PLP to lead pro-worker, communist education and struggle.
Dominican Republic: Turn General Strikes Into Schools For Communism
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, May 19 — The organizers of the 48-hour general strike in this Caribbean country ended it after the first day, and claimed it was a "total success." The strike, called by a coalition of mass neighborhood organizations and trade unions demanded a wage hike, the end of the privatization of state-owned enterprises, a price reduction in gasoline, etc.. The organizers of the strike gave the government until June 27th "to begin to take care of the demands raised during the strike, that shut down business and production activities, transport, schools and other services…" (El Siglo, Santo Domingo, 5/19).
Hundreds were arrested during the strike. There were armed confrontations between the cops and demonstrators in the working class neighborhood of Capotillo in Santo Domingo, capital city of the country. The cops shot at the demonstrators, mainly youth, who answered with rocks and home made fire bombs.
The PLP communist analysis of the general strike, and of all mass struggles, is that they show the strength and weaknesses of the working class and its allies during this period of capitalist crisis of overproduction, war and fascism. The strike showed that there is a lot of anger and a lot of desire by workers and their allies to fight back. They see how the "modernization" of the government of Leonel Fernández, which is spending millions to build modern boulevards in the big cities, etc. just help some, while conditions for most workers and youth have worsened. These workers want to fight for a better life.
On the other hand, the organizers of the general strike are reformist. They limit the anger of the masses to demands that, generally, the government won’t meet (in the last few years, there have been other similar strikes). They ally themselves with other politicians who want to use the people’s anger to defeat the ruling Party in the coming elections and put themselves in power.
The PLP grouping here participates in this type of struggle under the communist line so that they can become in schools for communism. When workers and their allies can paralyze a whole country, it shows that we don’t need bosses. Workers have the power to run society for their own needs, not for those of a few capitalists, imperialists and politicians.
U.S. Bases In Latin America Aimed At Workers Not Drug Mafias
Dear Challenge:
Under the guise of fighting drugs, U.S. imperialism is setting up military bases in Latin America. It is forming a death triangle, setting up bases in the port of Manta, Ecuador, the port of Iquitos, Peru and the port of Curazao, Venezuela. In Mantas, Ecuador, the process for officially establishing the base has already begun. President Mahuad says that this is because of a treaty between Ecuador and the U.S., but he doesn’t say what is really behind this base.
Besides defending the interests of U.S. imperialism in the region against other imperialists, the military presence could be used against the Colombian guerrillas who the U.S. considered their enemies. But, these U.S. military bases can be also used to suppress any social upheaval that might threaten the status quo, and conditions are ripe for this explosion. Hunger and misery are so rampant in Ecuador that it is now nothing new to hear how someone committed suicide because they have no job or means of support. And many also died in their vain attempt to travel by any means necessary to the U.S. in search of some kind of job.
The U.S. military comes to defend the landlords threatened by angry farmworkers. The increased U.S. military presence is due to the fact that the fall of capitalism is approaching. It is now that we must organize ourselves to destroy this damn system that is exploiting us to death. PLP is the only alternative that workers have to improve our quality of life, building a new society, a different society: communism.
The imperialists and capitalists are sucking our blood, making us pay their debts to the imperialist bankers (which really has been paid many times over), and they use fascist military killers in a desperate attempt to save their empire of death and destruction. But it is too late. Workers are not going to take this any more, we are not going to surrender our struggle. We are going to unite to fight for our lives, for communism. Fellow workers, awake, let’s open our eyes, let’s see through the anti-communist lies of the bosses’ press. As the poem says: "They can cut the flowers, but they will not stop spring from coming." Communism is alive and our revolution will go forward.
A Comrade, Ecuador
Thank you for your inspiring letter. Indeed, communism is the only alternative workers have to the living hell of capitalism. But, capitalism won’t fall by itself. In order to continue to survive, it will destroy millions and millions of more lives with wars, famine and fascist terror. As your letter implies, workers need to join the PLP to fight to destroy capitalism and build a new society, communism.
Challenge Is A Mass Organizer!
Dear Challenge:
A comrade recently related this story. She is currently in contract negotiations as a member of the bargaining team of her union. At a recent bargaining session, she created a stir by talking about the US/NATO war in the Balkans, and wanted the bargaining team to discuss it.
The head of the bargaining team said, "You know this isn’t the place to discuss this. If you want, you should raise it at the next monthly union meeting." But many workers responded to the issue by having small group discussions about it, despite the wishes of the union leader.
One guy on the team came up to her and said, "You want to know what the war is about?" And he took out a copy of Challenge, folded over to the map of the Balkans, and started explaining to her that it was about oil and control of oil routes to Europe.
It turns out, this worker takes a class at a local university, and has a PLP member as a teacher. They have discussed the war in his class, and used Challenge to better understand the war, and the need to organize against it.
This should serve as plenty of incentive to increase the distribution of Challenge, and to sell more subs. For anyone who thinks that our analysis of the war is too complicated for workers to understand, this should be a lesson. Here’s a worker, not in the Party, using Challenge to explain the war to his coworkers.
In this period of growing war and fascist terror, Challenge is the key to creating mass communist consciousness, to help workers understand the very complicated world, and to enable them to become organizers for our line. On the heels of our successful May Day marches, and in the face of sharper internal struggle against opportunism, we have to increase the mass distribution of Challenge, and have a successful sub drive. I have told this story to everyone, and now you can too.
Midwest Comrade
Learning Bosses’ Fascist Ideas Through Pop Culture
Dear Challenge:
In a recent issue of Challenge, I noticed two letters that discussed pop culture in the U.S. The first one dealt with the showing of "American History X" on the bus trip to the successful May Day March and the discussion of it. The second letter complimented Challenge for having that review and voiced that there should be more discussion of pop culture in the paper.
I would like to discuss pop culture from the standpoint represented in books. One of the most popular writers in the U.S. is Tom Clancy, who openly admits that he lectures for the CIA. His novels are always at the top of the charts, and some have been made into movies: "The Hunt for Red October" and "Patriot Games." The hero of his novel is a CIA operative and the plots are completely preposterous.
But why do so many Americans find his work so interesting? Perhaps it’s the inability of many to face the grim nature of capitalism, which becomes more apparent everyday. Perhaps many identify with this nationalistic holy crusade in which America and its brave CIA man represent the epitome of goodness.
Of course, Clancy is extremely ideological, and once stated in an interview about his book, "Patriot Games" that the Irish Republican Army wanted to turn Ireland into another Cuba and that his books were more than entertainment. They were about "truth." So I suppose if the IRA were to win in Northern Ireland they would have everyone speaking Spanish and giving up whiskey for rum.
However, it is really no laughing matter when countless workers and youth feel compelled to read outright fascist propaganda and actually believe it to be true.
Another popular writer is John Grisham who usually writes legal thrillers. Grisham’s novels, in contrast to Clancy’s insidious works, actually deals with social issues. His first novel, "A Time To Kill," deals with racism in the south and is actually not a bad novel. Another book, "The Chamber," has as its theme the issue of fascist terrorism in the south during the Civil Rights Movement. "The Rainmaker" is about insurance companies preying on workers, and one of the characters in the novel is a communist and is portrayed in a positive light.
Grisham is a liberal, for him victories are won within the context of the capitalist courts and by courageous individuals, often lawyers, who go against the system and win. But this is pure fantasy for the most part and an opiate.
Many authors who are popular write crime fiction, often with the same themes, or books on the hunting a serial killer. Most people read these, I believe, to escape from the world. So as fascism continues to develop, we see that pop culture can play different roles from providing an escape, a fantasy, or pushing outright fascist ideology.
I have noticed that Pat Robertson, the multi-millionaire host of the 700 Club, which also influences many people, has been writing novels in recent years. They usually revolve around such nonsensical plots about the anti-Christ taking over the White House and a band of courageous "Christians" battling to save America. It’s no coincidence that Born Again Nazi Randall Terry changed the name of his fascist group Operation Rescue to Operation Save America.
It is important to pay close attention to pop culture, since it’s quite often where many people get their views about what is real and what is not. Marx pointed out that social systems secrete ideology, and I would add that the ideologies that capitalism is promoting in this age of war and fascism find their way into pop culture.
Recently I was shopping at a store and I saw this young man who was wearing the attire of a typical neo-Nazi skinhead. He was also wearing a shirt with a large picture of the two-bit rock star Marilyn Manson on the front with the word "Discriminate" under the picture. On the back of the shirt, there were two SS lightning bolts and the quote: "Hate Every Mother-Fucker Who Gets In Your Way."
This is the kind of survival of the fittest world view that drove those two fascist youth to shoot their peers at Columbine and it is the same world view that is behind the terroristic bombing of Serbia. And a hideous mediocrity such as Marilyn Manson is getting wealthy espousing it to youth. So I continue to write movie and book reviews for Challenge and hope that others do the same or at least comment on some of my thoughts.
Red Rocker
KKKlinton Follows Hitler’s Humanitarian Footsteps As Cover For Bosses Inevitable Oil War
Clinton’s a "humanitarian" just like Hitler. The Nazis’ rationale for world conquest was to "purify humanity for the master race." Clinton and the U.S. bosses have a similar goal in the war against Yugoslavia. They’re just slightly changing the form of Hitler’s classic Big Lie to fit their real motives.
The humanitarian posturing is cheap mascara for imperialism. This is a war for oil, the pipelines to transport it, the trillions of dollars in profits that come from monopolizing it while freezing out their capitalist rivals. NATO gangsters are bombing Serbia and Kosovo back to the Stone Age to settle which among the international oil giants will be dominant. Led by the U.S., they are slaughtering workers wholesale for the sake of oily super-profit.
People who still believe Clinton’s humanitarian crap are making the same mistake German workers made before World War II. They are allowing themselves to be suckered into the rulers’ plans for fascism and ultimate world war. The current fighting will settle nothing and will lead only to far wider armed conflict. There are just two sides here: workers of all countries and the world’s bosses. Our class can have only one goal: revolution for communism. Nothing short of communism can eventually build a truly humane society, without genocide for profit.
The oil immediately at stake comes from the Caspian Sea region. Since the 1991 break-up of the former Soviet Union in, the oil giants have invested billions there, hoping to pry local bosses away from Russian rulers. Beyond the specific profits to be gained from this oil, U.S. imperialism has a larger strategic interest. It wants to deny the Russians the chance to use Caspian oil as a springboard for launching themselves once again as a world power capable of challenging U.S. domination.
But it isn’t so simple despite Rockefeller’s money and U.S. military power. Getting oil out of the ground or the sea is one thing, bringing it to market is quite another. That’s where the pipelines come in. U.S. imperialists have two sets of problems in this area. One involves moving Caspian oil westward towards Europe across the Black Sea. Russia obviously wants pipelines that run through its territory, so that Russian bosses can rake in oil and transit loot. U.S. and other European rulers’ "…interests require that the oil companies not build pipelines across Russian territory—and also to avoid a course through the south through hostile Iran." (Mortimer Zuckerman, U.S. News and World Report, 5/10)
The Clinton Administration wants a 1,000 mile-long western route from former Soviet Georgia (a fascist country wooed by the U.S.) through the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in fascist Turkey (another "humanitarian" fascist U.S. pal, with a long record of genocide against Kurdish workers).
But just getting the oil near the Mediterranean is a case of "almost doesn’t count." The oil still must come to market. Turkish bosses don’t want tanker shipments going through the Bosporus. The excuse is pollution, but the truth is that these straits would quickly be shut off by any armed conflict. And that would put a stranglehold on the money to be made from the two million barrels of daily oil anticipated in the next few years from the Caspian to the Mediterranean—about one-quarter of western Europe’s needs.
Only a land route through the Balkans remains. Control of the Balkans is therefore absolutely crucial to the monopoly of Caspian oil sales. Challenge has frequently referred to two competing pipelines that both start in Bourgas (Bulgaria). One, being built by the U.S., goes from Bourgas to Vlore in Albania. Kosovo is smack in the middle of this route. No wonder the "humanitarians" in Washington are suddenly so concerned about the fate of Kosovar Albanians. The other, built by a Russian-Bulgarian-Greek combine, goes from Bourgas to Alexandroúpolis, Greece. Greek bosses, nominally still in NATO, are also allied with the Russians in this rivalry. No wonder they want the bombing to stop.
Skopje, Macedonia, is a key refining center and transit terminal along this pipeline. No wonder the U.S. military has a ground force there, in which time is of the essence, because in the midst of the air war more deals are being made, and not all are to the liking of the U.S. For example, on May 10, Hellenic Petroleum, the same Greek oil company on the Russian side in the pipeline rivalry with the U.S., bought a 54 percent stake in Macedonia’s Okta refinery (Bloomberg News, May 10). So the imperialists’ "Great Game" continues even as the bombs fall.
But, as we have repeatedly pointed out, U.S. rulers have launched a boomerang in this war. They have failed to accomplish every one of their major strategic goals. Milosevic still holds power. The bombs have driven almost all the Albanian Kosovars from their homes. Compared to Clinton, Milosevic is a pipsqueak as an "ethnic cleanser." NATO is starting to fall apart. U.S. bosses are more isolated than ever.
With all their problems, the Russian rulers are emerging as a key political force to be reckoned with in the Balkans and elsewhere. The U.S. bombing of the Chinese embassy temporarily stalled a Russian-brokered deal that would have been a U.S. defeat at best. Any subsequent deal will be no better for the U.S. The ground war Clinton keeps trying to avoid will become inevitable as the imperialists keep upping the stakes in their competition for oil. Sooner or later, it will lead to far wider bloodshed. Neither the Chinese nor the Russians are ready to Challenge U.S. domination on the battlefield—yet. But both these rival imperialists want to control the oil. The Russian strategy calls for leading a new cartel that would include the Caspian region and the Persian Gulf boses—Iran, Iraq, Syria, and perhaps, even Saudi Arabia. The Chinese have imperialist designs of their own, all involving these countries. They have many good reasons to develop an uneasy alliance with the Russians against the U.S.
This period of "smaller wars" is part of the long build-up to World War III. We can’t say when the clash will break out between the major imperialists, but it’s brewing. Ground war for oil is only a matter of time in the Balkans. The clock is ticking on ground war for oil involving the producers in the Persian Gulf. Both developments will sharpen all the world’s major imperialist rivalries. The collapse of the old international communist movement may have slowed down the pace of class struggle and given U.S. rulers a temporary break. But it hasn’t abolished the laws of capitalism. Capitalism inevitably still breeds war, and communist revolution remains the only way out.
Regardless of circumstances, our job remains the same. Our Party can and will grow in the flames of imperialist war. The working class can learn to expose and smash the profit system’s Big Lies and the racist holocausts they justify. This prepares us for the revolutionary action needed to destroy capitalism, for the triumph of communism.
Clinton’s ‘Humanitarian’ Genocide And Its ‘Human Rights’ Apologists
Making war and killing workers are one of the few things the imperialists can still do "efficiently." On this front, Clinton & Co. can claim some major accomplishments. They’re doing a great job of committing humanitarian genocide. Their cluster bombs keep falling on civilian centers and murdering or mutilating children. Their "mistakes"—like the bombing of the village Korisa in southern Kosovo on May 13, slaughter scores of people. Their carpet-bombing of population centers in major cities destroys crucial infrastructures, forces hundreds of thousands into unemployment, and slashes vital food and water supplies. On May 18th, a NATO air raid on the industrial city of Nis cut off the main overland trade and transport link between central and southeastern Europe. NATO is using depleted uranium bombs. The dust from such bombs is now causing an epidemic of cancer in Iraq and will surely do so in Yugoslavia.
NATO chum Agim Ceka has just been named head of the "Kosovo Liberation Army" gangsters. While the U.S. and German bosses looked the other way, he recently helped Croatian fascists expel 300,000 Serbian workers from Croatia. This atrocity paved the way for Milosevic’s retaliation in Kosovo. So everything U.S. rulers touch turns to blood. They’re perfecting the skills they honed in Vietnam, where they butchered 3.5 million, and in Iraq, where nearly a million have died since "Desert Slaughter" because of U.S. sanctions.
For every one of their future wars, Clinton’s successors will have a choir of "human rights" experts, like Harold Koh, to justify their murders for profit. Formerly of Clinton’s alma mater, Yale Law School, Koh is now assistant Secretary of State for "democracy, human rights, and labor." As the bombs were falling on Yugoslavia, Koh called a meeting of human rights experts at his State Department Office. He told them to celebrate because Clinton/Albright had decided that human rights were going to serve as the pretext for the war. In return for this business break, they gave the policy a green light. To date, the "human rights" establishment, including Amnesty International, hasn’t uttered one peep of protest about civilian casualties. In fact, they enthusiastically supported the bombing from the start, even calling for "increases in military operations on the ground in Kosovo." (CounterPunch, 4/7) Scratch a liberal and a fascist bleeds. Compared to these guys, Hitler’s starting to look like an amateur.
Using The Big Lie, An Old Tactic
The NATO/U.S. imperialist warmakers have learned well from Goebbels, the Nazi Minister of Propaganda, use of the Big Lie to cover their real aims (See Editorial). A recent article in El País, Madrid (5/11), showed that covering up the facts of war has always been used by rulers in class societies. To prove his point the author first cites Thucydides, the Athenian who, 2,500 years ago, wrote a book, The History of the Peloponnesian War, and then goes on to say:
"It is being repeated over and over that Kosovo is not a war for oil, or for territories, that it is a war to defend the rights to life of two million Albanian-Kosovars. What would Thucycides have said about this? From the first pages of his class work he reminds us that already in the Trojan war Agamemnon organized and led the expedition [to Troy] because he was the most powerful ruler back then, and not because those who wanted the love of Helen were forced to war because of their pledge made to Tyndareus.
In search of what was correct, Thucydides insisted that one thing was the arguments used to explain the wars and another the actions and facts….Something very interesting in relation to the war in Kosovo is that Henry Kissinger [a leading theoretician of the Rockefeller-Big Oil wing of the U.S.] , who at the beginning was opposed to Washington sending troops to Kosovo…changed his mind once the bombing began and now says that the U.S. cannot afford to lose that war, since now what is at stake is a ‘self-created national interest.’ As Thucydides said: ‘…a city (Athens) with an empire must find a reason for everything that benefits it.
"...What is a stake? Human beings or mundane powers? A moral imperative or power? Our doubts grow more when O’Shea, spokesperson of NATO, explains why food cannot be parachuted to Albanian-Kosovars wandering in Kosovo since this will be very risky for the plane pilots?"
Letters
Youth Made A Difference At May Day
Dear Challenge:
As U.S. imperialism spreads over the Middle East and the bosses tighten up on their fascist attacks against the working class, we must increase Challenge sales.
In my school instead of getting out 10 as we do we should now be getting out 15 to 20 every week. The workers need a movement to destroy imperialism, racism, sexism, police brutality and these standardized tests. PLP is the only group that has one Party, one class and one line worldwide.
We must know that Challenge is the tool of the working class in order to have a revolution!
Chicago H.S. Student
Communism In The Belly Of The Beast
Dear Challenge:
I went to my first May Day because I dislike the capitalist system. I am not a communist, but if I had a choice between capitalism and communism, I would pick communism. May Day convinced me that communism is the way to go. I enjoyed the march because it was not very long. It was direct and to the point. We got the message across without boring everyone to death and then we got food. The chicken was cold and the soda was bad. That’s the only improvement needed in the march. I loved the slogans.
I really liked the fact that the march was to the White House. Like someone said "in the belly of the beast," right to the biggest capitalist in America, The President of the USA.
Brooklyn Youth
We Must Increase Challenge Sales
Dear Challenge:
As U.S. imperialism spreads over the Middle East and the bosses tighten up on their fascist attacks against the working class, we must increase Challenge sales.
In my school instead of getting out 10 as we do we should now be getting out 15 to 20 every week. The workers need a movement to destroy imperialism, racism, sexism, police brutality and these standardized tests. PLP is the only group that has one Party, one class and one line worldwide.
We must know that Challenge is the tool of the working class in order to have a revolution!
Chicago H.S. Student
Dear Challenge:
In a recent issue of Challenge, there was an article which mentioned a discussion on Cuba and stated that "Cuba is not Communist anymore" and that it seemed to be returning to the days prior to the 1959 revolution there, when the U.S. and the mob ran the show.
As someone who has visited Cuba and who has spoken with many people who have visited there in recent years, I have some observations to make that I hope might lead to some discussion or thought on the issue.
I want to attempt to view Cuba in this historical period through the eyes of Marxism and Historical Materialism. First of all, Cuba is a very poor country, a "third world nation" located 90 miles from the world’s leading imperialist nation. The U.S. has been waging a terrorist war against this tiny island for years and has maintained an economic embargo against it. Yet, Cuba, now without the support of the Soviet Union, is up against the wall. Yet, in contrast to other Central American nations, such as Nicaragua and El Salvador, the workers and poor of Cuba are much better off. There is scarcity, but the Cubans have a high literacy rate, a decent educational system, a decent health care system, and the people, many of them, truly believe in the slogan "Socialism or Death."
The U.S. would have invaded Cuba long ago if the people there were not prepared to die to defend what they believe is their revolution. Also, there has been much done to eliminate racism in Cuba, and the Cuban regime, despite the problems, would not allow racists such as the Klan and Nazis to hold rallies and terrorize people. These people would be sent to White Sheet Heaven.
Of course, at this time, the chances of Cuba maintaining seem dim, and I think that the U.S. will change its direction, get rid of the embargo, and do as was pointed out in Challenge, sneak into the country and attempt to grab it up for multi-national vultures. This is already taking place to a degree.
So I think that it is necessary to point out that Cuba should be viewed from the standpoint of historical realities, one of which is the attempt by capitalism to gobble up the world even if it takes bombing a nation into oblivion such as is being done in Serbia.
Recently, the Cuban baseball team defeated the Baltimore Orioles and I found myself cheering for the Cuban team and was ecstatic when a Cuban umpire threw a Cuban counter-revolutionary to the ground, after he stormed the field.
Think about it. The Cuban players play out of love for the game and get paid like other workers. Also, there are no billionaire owners sitting in some plush room watching the games in Cuba and getting richer from the game.
So at this point, I really don’t think that Cuba is a communist society, but I am not sure that it has surrendered to capitalism and imperialist domination as the other countries of Central America have. There have never been death squads in Cuba backed by the U.S. going around killing poor people and workers. Just some food for thought and discussion.
Grandmother Jones
Thank you for your thoughtful letter. You are correct in pointing out that Cuba had no U.S.-sponsored death squads. Many Cubans benefited from reforms of socialism, which included literacy campaigns and universal medical care. But as the Cuban economy depends more and more on the tourist trade financed by European imperialists, all these gains are being reversed, including the fight against racism and sexism. Cuba was never communist, meaning it never had a revolutionary working class government. Fidel is basically a nationalist.
The question of whether a small country close to the U.S. could have a successful communist revolution is an important one. PLP is fighting to rebuild the international communist movement to spread the fight for communism, so that revolutionary upsurge any one place leads to growth of revolution internationally. We invite other readers to comment.
Guarantee The Education Of Our Youth
Dear Challenge:
It now becomes imperative that as committed communist, we have a large task set before us. We are obligated to guarantee the education of our children in the face of growing fascism. The bosses are now trying to implement another means for dividing the future working class by giving these racist exams.
The implementation of these racist exams has to be fought in the streets, but also must be fought in the classroom. It is necessary to demonstrate and hold forums etc., but it is also very important for us to make sure that our young comrades pass these exams. This may sound like a contradiction but without these educational skills such as reading, writing and mathematics they will not be able to pass the entrance exams needed to gain entrance into factories and other such places of employment needed to build communist ideas and revolution.
Therefore teachers, we understand the greatness of the Challenge but we are also just as confident that you will rise to the occasion and fulfill the task that has been set before you.
One love, One Victory, One Party. Peace after revolution!
Indiana Comrade
Labor March Resembled Deutschland Über Alles
Dear Challenge:
We know that rally of 50,000 people at the NYC City Hall on May 12th, led by the union leader traitors looked for its main support for jobs, wage hikes and more services to the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. This is not different, in essence, to me, from how the Nazi party in Germany was looked to as it initially took power and on into the 1930’s. Both the Nazi and Democrat parties cut across class lines. People in both countries have had the same aspirations—the acquisition of material goods and an end to unemployment.
There was a second point that caught my attention. The relationship of the state to teachers. Today in NYC, both Mayor Guiliani and Schools Chancellor Crew demand obedience and patriotism from students and teachers. Teachers are indoctrinated for years and years even after they have their degrees. In Germany not only did they indoctrinate but purged the unreliable. In Austria, about 70% of the teachers wound up being members of the Nazi Party.
I still remember the 1968 teachers’ strike here in 1968 which was completely racist for which the city bosses rewarded the teachers when the strike was over. Today, the U.S. bosses need a nazism superficially different from the one that existed in Germany. The composition of the two populations are too different. Nevertheless, racist imperialists are racist imperialists and war and fascism are still inevitable.
The terrorists in blue were everywhere at the May 12th rally, either not allowing us to move freely or even having its so-called union leader as one of the main speakers throwing the bullshit at us. Nazism lived at this rally. It was like 1929 in Germany all over again.
Former Teacher and City Worker
On Training And Development Of Youth
Dear Challenge:
"You’re early," exclaimed my amazed parents. That’s one of the few things I learned from Basic Training in the Army—punctuality—after many visits to the Kitchen, push-ups and running laps! One of the important ingredients of making a revolution is discipline! This discipline only comes with the skillful, consistent, and firm but fair training and development of youth!
I was really inspired by the number of youth the Los Angeles comrades brought to the May Day March in San Francisco! An important question: How are these youth going to be trained and developed? Maybe we can have a boot camp like the Army, but we sure need something! In the 25 years I have been in and around the Party , the quality and quantity of training and development has never been enough. Now is the time to improve this situation. We can and we will.
Bay Area Comrade