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People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (12-99) Online Edition .TOPIC 12-99 PT Index .TEXT .BODY ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org ****************************************************************** +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Ain't no system gonna walk all over me! This chant sums up the spirit of the March of the Americas, an effort which showed that the struggle by the victims of poverty against capitalism is linking up across borders, languages and cultures under a common vision of universal abundance and total freedom. See stories 3, 4 and 5. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ INDEX to the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 Editorial 1. GLOBALIZE THE FIGHT FOR A NEW WORLD News and Features 2. HISTORY OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT: LOOKING BACKWARD TO GO FORWARD 3. MARCH OF THE AMERICAS 4. MARCHING FOR A CONTINENT WITHOUT BORDERS 5. LANDLESS MOVEMENT OF BRAZIL: INTERVIEW WITH GILVANIA FERREIRA DA SILVA 6. A GLOBAL MOVEMENT AGAINST POVERTY 7. IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE, STATEMENT FROM LEONARD PELTIER Spirit of the Revolution 8. CHRISTMAS 1999: CELEBRATION OF THE BIRTH OF A REVOLUTIONARY Announcements, Events, etc. 9. INTERVIEW ON TAPE: U. UTAH PHILLIPS * NELSON PEERY 10. NEW ISSUE OF MUSIC AND REVOLUTION NOW IN PRINT! [To subscribe to the online edition, send a message to pt- [email protected] with "Subscribe" in the subject line.] ****************************************************************** We encourage reproduction and use of all articles except those copyrighted. Please credit the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers -- your generosity is appreciated. For free electronic subscription, send a message to [email protected] with "Subscribe" in the subject line. For electronic subscription problems, e-mail [email protected]. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 12-99 Edit: Globalize the fight for a new world .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 1. EDITORIAL: GLOBALIZE THE FIGHT FOR A NEW WORLD We salute the organizers, supporters and participants in the recently completed March of the Americas. They attracted support from many quarters, including from an international cavalcade of musicians, actors and other artists. Their demand, presented to the United Nations in New York City, was that the suffering of the world's poor be stopped once and for all. This march, which brought together hundreds of poor people and supporters from the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean and elsewhere, was historic in its implications. It represented a major step forward in the process of consolidating a global struggle of the new class of poor that is being created in every country. The March of the Americas symbolized the breaking of the national barriers between the world's poor. The march demonstrated that the new class of poor being created by capitalism in the electronic age is one global class with a common global enemy -- a capitalist class and a capitalist system that offers them no future. In its constant search for new markets and cheap labor, capitalism has tied the world together, creating a truly global market for both goods and labor. The advent of the computer and the robot, which dramatically cheapened communications and transportation, has made this globalization of capitalism both necessary and possible. At the same time, production with computers and robots is replacing labor worldwide. This combination of globalization and electronics means workers around the world are forced to compete with one another, and with electronic production. The result: The workers' standards of living are being driven down worldwide, and a new social class of poor and destitute people is being created. This new class includes the homeless, the unemployed, the low-wage worker and the temporary, part-time and seasonal workers. On the one side stands a tiny, global class of billionaires determined to preserve the capitalist system, and on the other side stands the new poor, who have been pushed out of the system and no longer have any reason to support it. The new poor tell some version of the same story, no matter what language they tell it in: They are stripped of their rights and denied food, medical care, housing -- denied the most basic necessities of life. Historically speaking, the demand of this new class of poor is that a government and a society be constructed that takes care of them, that guarantees their ability to lead full, cultured, human lives. They can settle for nothing less. They are the driving force of a worldwide movement to end all forms of poverty and oppression. Their goals can only be realized by demolishing the capitalist system. Capitalist globalization and the growing polarity of wealth and poverty are offering all of us a stark choice: either accept global poverty and exploitation, or make a global fight for a new world. One thing the march made clear is that there is a growing, worldwide recognition of the possibility of building a new world. People don't protest against things they can't change. We have the means to end poverty once and for all. Just look at agriculture. In 1820, more than 70 percent of the U.S. labor force worked in agriculture; today, less than 3 percent of the work force is employed in agriculture, and yet we are producing more food than ever before. In 1850, a single farm worker produced enough food to feed four people; today in the U.S., thanks to technological advances, the labor of a single farmer feeds more than 78 people. And it has been said that the land mass of the U.S. alone could produce enough food to feed the entire world. Why should anyone, anywhere, be allowed to go hungry? The global capitalists have institutions to carry out their will on the world stage -- the WTO, the IMF, the World Bank, NATO, the U.N. Through these mechanisms they have imposed their program of lowering wages, cutting welfare, education and health care, and economically or militarily crushing any opposition. As the March of the Americas proved, the global poor have begun building their own institutions of struggle. They have begun to globalize the fight for a new world, a world without poverty, without oppression, without exploitation. We can have that world, if we have the courage to envision it, and the will to fight for it. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 12-99 History of the labor movement .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 2. HISTORY OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT: LOOKING BACKWARD TO GO FORWARD By Beth Cooper "Capitalism is like a spider, the web is getting tighter, I'm struggling like a fighter ... Just when I think I'm free it seems to be the spider steps in. This web is made of money, made of greed, made of me. Oh what I have become in a parasite economy!" -- The Coup, from their song "Not Yet Free" So what is all this Y2K hype about anyway? If you contemplate on that a moment you start to wonder, what happened to the world? Where have we been? Where are we now? And where the HELL are we going? If you think a little about all the talk of the "end of the world" you might wonder how did we get to the point where Armageddon looks like a huge computer crashing? Perhaps the answer can be found in some new issue of Time Life Books' "Century of Pictures"? Or maybe the secret of the millennium rests in some retrospective on the evening news? I DON'T THINK SO! When you break it down, the answer to the Y2K has to do with the fundamental and complicated historical process of capitalist production and expansion that has transformed the world and all of our lives. Things didn't look like they do now a hundred years ago. A lot of people didn't want to work twelve hours a day, six days a week. It took a lot of "convincing" in order to get people to submit to Capital -- often in the form of violence like when the National Guard was called into Chicago to shoot down striking Pullman Railroad workers! At the beginning of the century Capital was changing, growing, and brutal. Agriculture was transformed, farm workers became factory workers and a whole new "American way of life" was forced onto people. African Americans from the South migrated to the North, hoping to find the land of "freedom and equality" that wage labor and Capitalists promised. And boy did they find it! They found "freedom" to sell their labor and "equal rights" to be exploited and attacked by a racist society. Was this the promised land or a nightmare? It's no wonder why the shots that rang out in Russia in 1917 were heard around the world. But Capital, afraid for its life and hungrier than ever, just kept going, like the goddamn Energizer bunny. And going, and going, and going ... through World War I. At that time, in the eyes of Capital, the world was open for business, markets and workers were ripe for the taking. And so, it took 'em. Industrialization and capitalism swarmed entire continents, like Africa, and communities, like Detroit and Chicago. The world would be forever transformed. Humanity was shaken to its core, every aspect of social organization underwent changes. Unwilling to sell their souls, people continued to struggle in the U.S. and around the world against the forces of capitalism and the loss of control over their lives. The Great Depression painfully reminded Americans of the importance of such a struggle. Folks were suffering and struggling. And people got wise and organized! Before people got too poor, too conscious and too organized, the government and big business thought quick. That's when programs like the WPA (Works Progress Administration) and welfare were developed. Meanwhile, capitalists reaped even more profits, consolidated even more power, and so the story continues ... Bigger and stronger, with radicals and workers appeased or in prison, Capital was on the road again! Never satisfied or tired, capitalism set its sights on even more markets and workers. World War II settled the unfinished business of dividing up the world and opening up the colonial regions to the free market and capital. By the end of WWII, the anti-colonial and civil-rights movements were well underway. Working people in the United States and around the world were fighting for freedom from racism and colonial domination. Voices around the world could be heard singing, demanding, "We Shall Overcome!" But they would have to wait for real freedom. Capital, the slick opportunist it is, seized on those movements as new markets and new sources of exploitation. Ain't no accident "The Jeffersons" wanted a piece of the pie, instead of the whole damn thing! The "pie" tasted different by this time too. Some new ingredients were getting thrown into the mixing bowl, like computers and technology. The most central part of our lives in capitalism, WORK, was TOTALLY changed by robots and automation. The indestructible and luxurious global capitalist steamship pushed on hoping to continue conquering the sea of profit and markets at break-neck speed. But, as we have seen over the past twenty years, these technological changes were just the tip of the iceberg. No one realized how deep and how powerful the impact of technology would be on the system, on our lives and the future. Capital ran straight into a crisis, so long to never-ending markets, so long to never-ending profits! But Capital doesn't give up easily, if its going down, its going to try and take us with it. All that was once "good" and "sacred" has been turned upside down in the last efforts to salvage this sinking ship. "Workers' rights," once an accepted idea in the U.S., rings more hollow than ever domestically and internationally. "High standard of living" has lost all meaning as "living" is three part-time jobs that barely put a roof over your head and food on the table. The great American saving ethic is now an ethic of spending, debt and bankruptcy. The safety net that our taxes created is now considered "undeserved charity and hand- outs." What is replacing the old institutions and organizations that shaped our lives? Nothing other than a "virtual reality" filled with e-mail, fluid and speculative capital, instant information, instant gratification, not to mention instant disintegration just around the corner ... Nowadays, it isn't just that work is being changed, but work is being replaced, disappearing, vanishing in front of our eyes, and in front of the terrified eyes of Capital. The question on everyone's mind is what a society without work as we know it will look like? A hundred years from today might look as different as 1900 does to us. On the eve of the millennium, capitalists and workers alike have their feet in two worlds, one crumbling, and one emerging. "Which side are you on?" We have the power and ability to finally win our struggle for freedom that has been raging since Capital stepped on the world stage. So, next time you here someone talking about Y2K, or about computers, or the millennium and the "technological revolution" take a moment, THINK ABOUT IT! How did we get to where we are? Where the HELL are we going? 'Cause if there's one thing history has to show, it's that Capital couldn't care less about us, and our struggle for a humane and free world ain't over. I can hear the chorus singing: "We who believe in freedom cannot rest! We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it's won." Now is the time to sing, struggle and fight for a better world ... a world that is finally in sight. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 12-99 March Of The Americas .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 3. MARCH OF THE AMERICAS Their feet pounded the pavement for 32 days and for 400 miles, from Washington through Philadelphia and finally to New York. Eleven languages from places like Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Puerto Rico, Quebec and the United States. Voices thundered and hands clapped, all to a universal tune and to a cause that transcended all nationalities and borders: "Ain't no system gonna walk all over me!" And so the March of the Americas delivered a message to the United Nations and an indictment was made by the poor people of the world against the United States government. A fusion of voices declaring that the violation of universal human rights of men, women and children all over the world is intolerable. Voices declaring that hunger, illiteracy, environmental destruction, illness, homelessness, political oppression, police brutality, racism and embargoes have no place in a world of plenty. In solidarity they all declared that what affects one affects all. The poor people's movement in the United States and the movement of the landless in Brazil become one and the same. It is a poor people's movement that belongs to everyone regardless of where you may find yourself. Just as globalization has ravaged our brothers and sisters across the world, so it is taking its toll on us. Governments, technocrats, corporations, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank must be held accountable. We must take a stand and strike our blow. As these powers unite their forces to protect their profits and the capitalist system that has given them life, so must we come together and unite our forces to demand a society that does not strip us of ours. Our voice and our language is that of humanity and speaks to our interests. Theirs is only one of global profits and destruction to fill their pockets. The capitalists' claim to a system is our claim to a struggle for land, dignity, life, and freedom. A struggle that will bring a better world. The year 2000 will mark a symbolic milestone on the road to a new life of abundance and freedom for humanity. Will you awaken with us to this dawn? We're ready to make history. Are you? .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 12-99 Marching for a continent without borders .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 4. MARCHING FOR A CONTINENT WITHOUT BORDERS [The following interview took place during the March of the Americas in New York. Norberto Reyes is a member of the Barzon Union Nacional of Mexico City . The name Barzon is symbolic of a critical component of the plow . They are a movement made up of small business owners and farmers. They represent the destruction of the middle class under globalization in Mexico. In that vein , they are part of the new rising class.] PT/TP: Who is the Barzon of Mexico and what is its purpose? NR: Well, the main objective of our struggle was initiated as a result of debt defaults compounded by Mexico's stock market crash of 1995. These conditions made it impossible for us to repay our debts to the banks to which the banks responded by filing civil suits to recover their money that they had intended to collect by stripping us of our homes and assets. It is for these reasons that those of us in debt had to unite and start the Barzon. It is worth noting that the Barzon was originally part of a struggle to protect farmers but has since gathered a wide range of anyone and everyone who finds themselves in debt. PT/TP: What brought you here all the way from Mexico to be a part of the March of the Americas in the United States? NR: We are here as a result of an invitation that went from organization to organization and so we decided to join in solidarity especially with an event that somehow reflects the reality of all of our countries. We are taking with us an enriching experience that provided us the opportunity to learn about the issues impacting countries like Colombia, Paraguay, Argentina and the United States as well. We are taking with us the indelible impression that we must come together and unite because alone we will not get anywhere. PT/TP: What in particular has impressed you? NR: What has really impressed and brought us joy is to see the participation of so many youth committed to the issues impacting our countries. In reality this march is a march about youth who are paving their path in a world that is becoming increasingly difficult to survive in, especially for future generations. PT/TP: When you go back to Mexico, what will you tell others about the social struggles in the United States? NR: The message would be that in order to validate and strengthen this movement we need to be united at all levels including our communication across the world. So that when one of us faced an issue or a conflict with governments or the police we could all have the means to come together in support and solidarity. PT/TP: If you could send a message to our audience in the U.S., what would it be? NR: Based on my experience I would like to say that the more united we are the better we are going to be able to accomplish our goals. We are going to finally achieve the dream of Simon Bolivar, a continent without borders where we can enjoy all of its abundance. For more info write: Norberto Reyes Barzon Union Nacional Calle Sagrado Corazon #120 Colonia Plazas del Sol CP 76090, Mexico Tel: 0142136147 .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 12-99 Landless Movement of Brazil .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 5. LANDLESS MOVEMENT OF BRAZIL: INTERVIEW WITH GILVANIA FERREIRA DA SILVA [The following interview with Gilvania Ferreira da Silva reflects the diversity of voices that declared Presente! at the March of the Americas. She is part of the MST (Movimiento dos tablahadores rurales Sem Terra), a struggle for the landless of Brazil, striving for land, dignity and freedom for the poor.] PT/TP: What do you think about the March of the Americas? GF: We think that this movement is very important for the working class of the United States. It is especially important because it involves the poor of this country and is a movement in which our participation is critical and timely. Especially when you consider that in Latin America all of its countries are in complete devastation and poverty, where in Brazil over 34 million are poor and likewise over 30 million are poor in this country. This is compounded as every day passes and poverty continues to increase along with homelessness, hunger, unemployment, illiteracy, and the race to privatize everything. A time where privilege is for only a few and the same situation arises in all the countries around the world and there are no differences. This march is also very significant as it affords us the opportunity to dispel stereotypes about all of America, the U.S., and bring out the real issues that impact all of America. We are also very pleased to see that there is another vision of what this country could really be. PT/TP: Do you have a different under-standing about the U.S.? GF: We have gained two perspectives. To be poor in the U.S. is to be cornered into complete marginalization. I tell you to be poor in this country is to lose your identity and dignity as a human being. It seems to me that something drastic has happened. So when there are entire sectors of the U.S. in poverty without any kind of unity, isolation and inferiority complexes stand out and situations like drugs take people to conditions of complete marginality. I can tell you that in our country we have absolute poverty, but in a sense it is different, in our poverty we unite as a poor working class and as such we have an identity. Here that identity does not yet exist. In that sense that is why this march is so important. It is the beginning of a movement to create such an identity as a working class, as poor, and that is what those of us in Latin America unite to in our participation here today. For more info write: Gilvania Ferreira da Silva Rua B, no. 18 Quadralz Conjunto Nova Vitoria I Imperatriz - Maranhao 65900300 - Brasil Phone 721-8396 Cod.098 .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 12-99 A global movement against poverty .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 6. A GLOBAL MOVEMENT AGAINST POVERTY By Tom Hirschl [Editor's note: The following is excerpted from a talk delivered at the conference "Rebuilding Bridges: The New Connection Between Students and Labor," held during November 12-14, 1999 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.] When making projections about connecting the labor movement to broader social categories such as students, social-science analysis should come into play. Whereas alliances and mutual support can strengthen a movement, it is a waste of time to unite groups that have nothing in common. Unity with the enemy, or unity for the wrong reason, results in defeat. This is why it is important to have an accurate analysis as a foundation for deciding who and under what conditions are one's friends and enemies. In this spirit, I speak to you as an academic social scientist and as a partisan in the fight for social justice. It is on the field of battle where ideas and theories can be tested. I will speak about my social-science theory of how capitalism is changing, and then describe how the theory relates to strategy and tactics, and to my own experiences. I will then describe how the lessons from that experience may speak to a new way for labor and students to connect around mutual goals. A theory of global capitalism My book, "Cutting Edge" (1997), reflects a collaborative discussion about how global capitalism is reshaping the world. Several things seem clear. First, that as the productive power of technology increases geometrically, a new class of poor is arising worldwide. Displaced by technology and unable to get access to jobs and/or educational opportunity, this class has at best a tenuous and at worst no connection to the labor market. Second, this new class of poor and homeless proletarians exists on all continents of the world and in all regions of the United States. Third, that even in the United States, the wealthiest country in the world, the conditions of labor and the logic of social policy make it inevitable that workers will experience poverty sometime during their adult lives. I estimate that 60 percent of Americans will be poor for one year or more during their adult life span (Rank and Hirschl, 1999). Thus the majority of the American people understand poverty because they experience it directly. Together, all of these factors are creating the conditions for a powerful movement against poverty. This movement unites the majority of Americans with an overwhelmingly poor planet where one- third of the population lives on less than $1 a day (UNDP, 1997). The potential power of this unity is indicated by the ongoing protests against the World Trade Organization, the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, the movement against the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in Mexico, and by the recently completed "March of the Americas," in which I participated. A global movement against poverty poses the question: "With all of the technology and scientific knowledge available in the world, why can't poverty be eliminated?" And, "Why are the benefits of the global economy restricted to a privileged minority of billionaires and middle-class professionals?" A successful movement against poverty demands that the unemployed unite with the employed sections of labor around common social and economic goals. This unity holds strategic advantages. By defending the most vulnerable members of society, organizing the employed is made easier because it reduces the negative consequences of being fired. If the poor have basic rights to food, clothing, shelter, education and culture, then everyone else becomes materially better off. Second, a large and vocal movement against poverty would command tremendous moral authority. The role of students College students were ubiquitous among the marchers, coming from many different campuses up and down the East Coast, Atlanta and Michigan. Twelve students from Cornell marched, almost all of whom found the experience educational and morally uplifting. The moral crusade of the march was unmistakable, openly expressed by discussions and songs sung along the way. Easily the most important setback to the effort was that, except for one piece in the Village Voice, the march was ignored by the mass media. Once again, the corporate media refused to report efforts of poor and working people to better their lives. Lessons for the future Within a broadly conceived anti-poverty movement, students can play a number of vital roles. It seems certain that alternative means of communication will be necessary to build the movement. This means relying upon the Internet, both on campus and off campus by assisting labor organizations to use it effectively. A movement that cannot talk to itself and address society is isolated and doomed to defeat. The struggle against poverty is both a practical and a moral battle. As moral spokespersons for the next generation, young people should speak out about their future hopes and aspirations and demand that society change. When the voices of young people are connected to a moral and practical movement against poverty, they become a clarion call for social change. It is a call that can be answered in the affirmative only by a powerful and united movement. References Davis, James, Thomas A. Hirschl and Michael Stack (eds.) 1997. Cutting Edge: Technology, Information Capitalism and Social Revolution. London: Verso. Rank, Mark R. and Thomas A. Hirschl. 1999. "The Likelihood of Poverty across the American Adult Life Span." Social Work 44:201- 216. United Nations Development Program (UNDP). 1997. Human Development Report. New York: Oxford University Press. [Tom Hirschl is available for speaking engagements through Speakers for a New America. Call 1-800-691-6888 for more information.] .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 12-99 In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 7. IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE, STATEMENT FROM LEONARD PELTIER [Editor's note: On June 26, 1975 two FBI agents entered the private property of Jumping Bull Ranch. They allegedly sought to arrest a young Native American man they believed they had seen riding in a red pick up truck. After intense surveillance, a shoot out began and among the wounded two agents and a Native American lay dead. Clearly the deaths of the agents and the Native American represented a tragedy for all. However, the greatest tragedy of all has evolved over the past 23 years. Leonard Peltier, a Native American leader, was wrongly accused of the murder of the two agents. His trial has clearly been one of the most unjust trials of the century. While the government has yet to admit its faults about the misconduct of the FBI agents during the trial, Peltier's innocence still gains much support from many revolutionaries. In remembrance of all the fallen heroes, Peltier issued this statement on Nov. 1.] Greetings Sisters, Brothers, Friends and Supporters, I want to say to all of you from the deepest part of my heart, thank you very much. February 6, 2000, will officially mark my twenty-fourth year in prison, twenty-four hard years. I was able to see some of my children grow up into fine young adults, a couple not so good, but they are all adults who have started to live their own lives. I have been a grandfather for sixteen years. There are now seven grandchildren. I have learned from being a grandfather that it is a special gift from the Great Spirit. I want to say to the people, who have opened their homes and gave me a helping hand with them, thank you very much, with a warm hug and kiss. My health at 55 years old is not great. Most of you know what was done to me at the medical center for federal prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. I cannot say for certain that the botched operations were done intentionally. I would like to believe that it was not, and [believe] the contract doctor, Tom Collins, who was and is a good man. I do not blame him. I do blame the Bureau of Prisons, as Dr. Collins did not want to perform the operation there in the Medical Center, as they did not have the kind of facilities to perform this kind of operation. So I live in daily pain and am not able to eat my food properly. I do not know what can be done about this. Thousands, if not millions, are aware of this medical problem. I put out a plea for lawyers to help me with this, but I never received any responses. So I filed a lawsuit of my own and the courts dismissed it claiming that my medical problems were not a cruel and unusual treatment. I guess, in America, this is normal treatment for prisoners. Just imagine if this was happening in a country like China or Iraq, the outcry would be enormous and deafening. I remember a few years ago when the U.S. government was trying to free the Chinese dissidents. We heard on TV how ill these Chinese dissidents were and how the Chinese government refused to treat them. Knowing myself how big a liar the government is, and of course the press wasn't any better, releasing everything that the government told them to, I began to believe that everything that was said was true. I thought, gee, they should let them go. When finally they were given their freedom and they came to the U.S.A., they were immediately sent to Johns Hopkins Medical Center. When they were released from the hospital they gave their medical reports that they were in fine health, [one] treated for abdominal gas and the other was given a new pair of eyeglasses. What an insult that must have been for the Chinese government? No wonder they no longer trust or like the U.S.A. I cannot, of course, see with my own eyes. I know my staff at the LPDC worked overtime to organize this November campaign. So I hope that all who have committed themselves and are standing and sitting and listening to my words are just as determined as the LPDC staff with this new energy to make something happen in my case. I still believe it can be done. As I sit here writing this, I still cannot understand that with the millions of people around the world demanding my freedom, the government can still ignore it all, and how my continued incarceration can be on a legal technicality. The Constitution of the United States says that this cannot be. One must be proven guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. Yet I sit here and it doesn't appear that my case will be opened any time soon. What an evil show of disrespect and dishonor this is for those, including my own family members, who have fought and died in foreign wars for equal and fair justice for all. Recently we learned that the FBI and prosecutors were caught lying to the number one law enforcement officer, Janet Reno. This certainly was not a surprise to my supporters or me. We knew this over 20 years ago in my case. Have you noticed anything about the silence of the mainstream media [on the Waco massacre]? What a joke that word is, mainstream media. Nothing about it lately and that can only mean that there is another cover-up coming. Recently a Canadian Minister of Justice released a report on the investigation they did on my extradition. Yes, it was another cover-up. If you read it, you will see how much of a joke this review is. They claim that there was enough circumstantial evidence to extradite me. If this was so, why did they have to create and fabricate Myrtle Poor Bear? Come on! How ignorant do they believe we are? The fact is, I would not have been extradited on the South Dakota first-degree murder charges if they had not fabricated Poor Bear as a witness. Those are the facts in a nutshell. I am not going to go into a lot of the legal and political issues involved in my illegal conviction. There is just too much to say and my time is very short. I know my friends, family and supporters are growing tired of this battle to win my freedom. Yes, it has been a long, hard fight for me too. I guess it would not be so bad if we could see a light at the end of the tunnel, of when I would be released. But there is no such light so I cannot truthfully say, I will be seeing you soon. I can only say, I hope, my friends, that I will see you all soon. I dream of the day that I can tell you all, "thank you," in person. So in closing, I can truthfully say that I will never give up. I ask all of you never to give up on me. We can and we will win this battle, that I am very confident about. Let me shake all of your hands. Let me embrace you with my love and friendship. Thank you, my friends, for showing me all the love you have. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, Leonard Peltier .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 12-99 Christmas 1999 .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 8. CHRISTMAS 1999: CELEBRATION OF THE BIRTH OF A REVOLUTIONARY "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" -- John 1:46 Jesus gave his life to prove that the answer was yes. Nazareth was an obscure, poor town never before mentioned in scripture or any other written history. The Nazareth of today would be a shanty- town, or sweatshop, or homeless shelter, somewhere on the ragged edge of our global economy. Jesus came from the poorest of the poor, the disenfranchised, disrespected, and despised -- yet boldly proclaimed that all of us can become children of God. He studied and mastered the Hebrew Bible, the summary of 2000 years of resistance to slavery and conquest. He forged the clarity necessary to challenge every manifestation of oppression and exploitation in the Roman Palestine of his day. The morality of Jesus was above all a class morality. "Blessed are you who are poor," he said, "for yours is the kingdom of God. ... But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort." The kingdom of God he preached was economic communism: debts would be forgiven, slaves would be freed, and wealth would be distributed according to the law of love for one another. The rich could not even enter it, unless they first sold everything they had and gave to the poor: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle." This kingdom of God was not projected as a pie-in-the-sky ideal, or otherworldly dream, or premonition of an afterlife. "The kingdom of God is near," he said. "Repent and believe the good news." To repent means to turn around or to change. This is the core, the heart and soul of Jesus' message. The revolution he practiced will not be televised, will not drop from the sky, and will not be delivered by a Christ on a white horse. Real revolution will have to be carried out by human beings -- by us -- or else it will not happen at all. This revolution is not only spiritual but political. When Jesus called us to take up the cross, he was not asking us to suffer for suffering's sake. The cross had only one meaning in the Roman Empire at that time. It was the instrument of choice for execution of political prisoners. Jesus calls us to resist the state, the organized repressive apparatus of the ruling class, and be prepared to sacrifice our lives if necessary to do it. This is the real meaning of his call to repent. But his politics were not the same as those of his enemies, or his predecessors, or the later Zealots. He repudiated the popular idea of a Messiah modeled after the legendary King David. He ran for the hills when a crowd tried to make him king on the far shore of Gallilee. And he rejected the idea of a rebellion against Rome which would leave internal class relations in Palestine intact. The politics of Jesus were something entirely new and different. They were based on his vision -- the kingdom of God -- that reflected the aspirations of the rural poor who made up the vast majority of his society. Its morality of unity, cooperation, and compassion for one another was rooted in Israel's tribal past. Yet it superseded ancient tribalism as well as the Roman ethic of divide and conquer: It called for a class morality and class solidarity above and beyond religion, nation, or even family. "Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." Jesus wielded this morality to fight the ideology of the empire, the hatred of the Hebrew poor and neighboring peoples that propped up its system of slavery, exploitation, and terror. The kingdom of God cannot be won with a simple exchange of kings. How can Satan drive out Satan? The emancipation of the working classes must be won by the working classes themselves. In many respects Jesus was born 2000 years ahead of his time. His communist morality is actually more practical for today's poor -- a proletariat discarded by the automation of an incredibly wealthy global capitalism -- than it was for the Palestinian peasants in their economy of scarcity. The poor have always been with us, but the technology to do something about it is relatively recent. Economic realities have blocked the realization of the kingdom of God for centuries. In the meantime, a succession of ruling classes stole the trappings of Christianity and subverted it, turned it into something ugly to cover up their hideous crimes and exploitation. The hard teachings of Jesus were made over into idiotic platitudes. Those who seriously sought to implement Christian principles, against impossible odds, in impossible conditions, were forced to embrace otherworldly idealism when their efforts came to naught. Only at a few critical turning points in history, when society reeled in the throes of social revolution, have people been able to rediscover and effectively use the revolutionary kernel of Jesus' teachings. The Reformation and Puritan Revolution in Europe were two such times, as were the abolitionist movement in 19th century America and the recent liberation theology movement in Latin America. The crisis of global capitalism is pushing the entire world toward such a situation today. Nothing summarizes the morality of Jesus more perfectly than the parable of the Good Samaritan, and nothing defines better the moral dilemma we face today. As we set out on the road to Jericho in the 21st century, modern communications media show us not one but millions -- perhaps billions -- of victims stranded by the side of the highway. They have been exploited and robbed by global corporations, some of them have been beaten and some stripped of every thing they have. Some are half dead of starvation, or wounds of war, or lack of medical care. On the other side of the road, we can see the members of the ruling class, coming and going in their limousines as if there is nothing wrong. Which side are we on? Will we, like the Good Samaritan, get involved? Over and over again, unbelievers begged Jesus for a sign from heaven, and over and over again he refused. Those looking for a sign in this millennium year are equally mistaken. The real sign, the mark of the advent of God's kingdom, will be our personal decision to take political action. [CORRECTION: Ched Myers, the author of last month's column ("God's Economy"), should have been identified as a writer, teacher and activist based in Los Angeles. The column was condensed from a two-part article that originally appeared in Sojourners in the May-June and July-August 1998 issues.] .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 12-99 Interview On Tape .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 9. INTERVIEW ON TAPE: U. UTAH PHILLIPS * NELSON PEERY Long Roads and Revolution A Live interview with U. Utah Phillips and Nelson Peery who debate and discuss rebellion, revolution, racism, class unity and how to achieve a cooperative world dedicated to peace and justice. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ U. Utah Phillips is a storyteller, songwriter and labor activist whose contributions to folk music are legendary. He has crossed generations with his recording collaborations with the diva of folk-punk-rock music, Ani DiFranco. Nelson Peery is the award-winning author of "Black Fire: The Making of an American Revolutionary" and a founding member of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America. Send $15 to People's Tribune Speakers Bureau, P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, Illinois 60654. Or call 1-800-691-6888 to order this three part series on two 60-minute cassettes. Also included is an interview with award-winning author Luis Rodriguez. [This interview on tape was produced by Mike Thornton of Full Logic Reverse at [email protected]] .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 12-99 New Issue Of Music And Revolution .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 10. NEW ISSUE OF MUSIC AND REVOLUTION NOW IN PRINT! Music & Revolution 3, a special four-page supplement to the People's Tribune, has just been published. It contains articles such as "The Capitalist Music Industry is Obsolete: What Can Take Its Place?"; "Is Music Revolutionary?" and "Unity." M&R 3 is a great tool for bringing millions of people into the revolutionary process. When it gets distributed, we get responses like this: "Hi, I wanted to work in the music industry because of my unabashed love of music. I surround myself with it, I have felt the power of it, I have used it as a tool for personal growth. I have been repeatedly questioning if the music industry actually has anything to do with music anymore. It is only a game of corporate big guys (and some gals, as well) being parasites off the talents of many fine musicians. And this happens because there is POWER in those musicians ... in the music they create. This power needs to be given back to those who care, you create, you have no interest in exploiting the wonderful gift of sound. I have been wondering why I am working in this industry. Perhaps it was only to get my name out there in cyber-land so I would receive that one email. The one I received today about Music and Revolution. I am really ready to take my knowledge and apply it for CHANGE. It cannot go on much longer the way it is. Even small firms, started for the love of music, will eventually have no choice but to fall into the arms of corporations. Look at the patterns of art in general, for its survival, it has needed money. Our government has provided little support for the development of artists, writers, musicians, so the only choice has been corporate funding. I am ready to take risks, throw away the old way, and try out the new. We have the resources (maybe not cash yet, but talent, hard work, dedication, love, passion). I am ready to write, speak, guide, produce ... for this purpose. I truly believe the spirit of music is the spirit of self. We as a group need to unite and make it absolutely possible to use our creative and pure center to survive, to live for OURSELVES and for the betterment of our community, without destroying the beauty of life which is a natural, powerful gift to us. I won't go on and on. Please send me any information you have. I know people besides myself who would love to get involved. Please help me help you help our species evolve to the level we are meant to be at. " Thank You, MaryBeth Bonfiglio Los Angeles, CA Order MUSIC & REVOLUTION 3 Yes! I want ____ bundles of 10 Yes! I want ____ copies Just 25 cents per copy. Bundles of 10 or more are just 10 cents per copy (send to People's Tribune, P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654). Check here ___ if you would like information on how to join LRNA (League of Revolutionaries for a New America), the organization that publishes Music & Revolution and the People's Tribune. Name Address City/State/Zip Phone .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 12-99 Speakers for a New America .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 11. SPEAKERS FOR A NEW AMERICA Issues speakers can address: * The March of the Americas for Economic Human Rights * Why the new class of poor represents hope for a totally new world * Dangers of Genetically Altered Foods and Solutions * Is globalization a choice for the capitalists? * Sweatshops, "Illegal" Immigrants and Labor * Wave of Racist Killings versus Moving Onward From Racial Division to Class Unity * The Danger of War against China * Restructuring Public Education in the interests of America's poor * Democracy and Fascism. Is national sovereignty the answer? * Is technology bad? Can it serve the interests of humanity, not the billionaires? * Mumia and the rise of a police state in America * A New Cooperative World: Redistribution of wealth by need Our speakers bring a vision of a new, cooperative world. Send for a free brochure. Call 1-800-691-6888 or e-mail [email protected], or write People's Tribune Speakers Bureau, P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, Illinois 60654 .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 26 No. 12/ December, 1999; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ******************************************************************