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February 15-28, 2011
Volume 19 - Number 4
$1
Prolétaires
de tous les pays, unissez-vous!
Otatoskewak ota kitaskinahk mamawestotan!
Workers of all lands, unite
1) LEGISLATION THREATENS FREE BARGAINING FOR
TRANSIT WORKERS
2) FORD MOVES TO PRIVATIZE GARBAGE COLLECTION
3) G20 DEFENDANT ALEX HUNDERT RELEASED
4) BETRAYAL OF ABORIGINAL WOMEN - Editorial
5) ANOTHER SECRET SELLOUT - Editorial
6) PEOPLE'S VOICE FUND DRIVE - A QUESTION OF
IDEOLOGY
7) BETHUNE: LEGENDARY CANADIAN COMMUNIST
8) YOUTH FESTIVAL: A LESSON IN PEACE AND SOLIDARITY
9) NATO OCCUPATION BOGGED DOWN IN FAILURE
10) BEHIND THE UPRISINGS - A GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS
11) NO ONE WILL BE ABANDONED BY THE CUBAN REVOLUTION
12) THE MOMENT OF TRUTH IS APPROACHING
13) SOLIDARITY WITH THE REVOLUTION IN EGYPT!
14) IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE STRUGGLING PEOPLE OF
TUNISIA AND EGYPT
15) REMEMBERING THE MASSACRE OF CASSINGA
16) WIKILEAKS ACCUSED BRADLEY MANNING IN EXTREME
ISOLATION
17) WHAT’S
LEFT
18)
CLARTÉ (en français)
19)
THE SPARK! (Theoretical and Discussion Bulletin of the Communist Party of
20) INTRODUCING MARX
21)
PV MOBILE
PEOPLE'S VOICE FEBRUARY
15-28, 2011 (pdf)
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The Spark!
The Spark! The latest issue of The Spark! theoretical
journal, is now on sale for $5 at Communist Party offices (see p. 8) or
People’s Co-op Books, Articles include
plus reviews, editorials, and more.
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Theoretical
and Discussion Bulletin of the Communist Party of |
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People's Voice deadlines: March 1-15 March 16-31 Send submissions to PV Editorial Office,
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REDS
ON THE WEB |
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People's Voice finds many "Global Class Struggle" reports at the "Labour Start" website, http://www.labourstart.org/. We urge our readers to check it out! |
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(The following articles are from the Feb.
15-28, 2011, issue of People's
1) LEGISLATION THREATENS FREE
BARGAINING FOR TRANSIT WORKERS
By Liz Rowley
Mayor Rob Ford and the new right wing majority on
The argument made by Ford and his supporters
is the standard one: the TTC handles a million riders a day who depend on the
system to get them to work and school. These are essential trips for transit
riders. Therefore the service should be declared essential, and strikes
outlawed.
Many of the 17 argued valiantly, citing the
facts that TTC strikes were very few and far between, and were not the cause of
any significant disruptions in the last 20 years. The last transit walkout
lasted a day and a half over a weekend before the provincial Liberals, with
help from the Tories and the NDP, legislated the workers back.
Also, an essential services designation would
not prevent work to rule action, and could include work stoppages on weekends
and during off‑hours, as occurs in
Finally, the right to strike is protected
under Canadian law, and the city would have a hard time making the case that
transit workers are 'essential' in the same way as police, fire and
Local 113 President Kinnear of the Amalgamated
Transit Union (ATU) put his finger on it when he said the real crisis in
transit is the failure of provincial and federal governments to fund the TTC ‑
the third largest urban transit system in North America, and the one most
reliant on the farebox and riders for funding. This chronic underfunding is
well‑known to transit riders, after a massive publicity campaign by the
previous City Council pointed to the huge shortfalls in funding, most of it
promised and defaulted by successive governments.
The 10,000 members of Local 113 ATU, drivers,
mechanics, ticket takers, cleaners and so forth, are being targeted to redirect
public anger at the system's shortcomings. While attacking the workers and
their union, Ford and his Executive went on to cut or reduce service on 67 bus
routes, and ditched plans to hire 103 additional TTC staff in 2011, after
promising throughout the fall election that there would be no cuts to services
in Toronto. Ford also sacked the LRT expansion contained in the city's official
transit plan which the province is funding, declaring "the war on the car
is over". Bike lanes are also part of the war on cars, according to
Ford, and are also under attack.
In early February, three bus drivers were
summarily fired for texting or using a cellphone while driving. The union is
responding through the collective agreement.
Through all of this, the provincial Liberals
have made friendly noises, saying Premier Dalton McGuinty wants to work with the
new Council in
Lurch to the right
With back‑to‑back majorities under
his belt, McGuinty is feeling the pressure from Hudak (an MPP in the Harris
government in the 90s, married to Deb Hutton, a close adviser to the Harris
government). The Tories are rising in the polls on the message of opposition to
the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), and tax relief for overloaded 'taxpayers'.
Ironic, as ihe Tories and Liberals are colluding to deliver the HST ‑ a
value added tax ‑ across
The Tories' message of tax 'relief' is
resonating as prices for food, fuel and housing soar, while mass unemployment,
under‑employment and insecurity flourish. Along with it comes the fear
and anger that propelled Rob Ford to office, and the scapegoating of unionized
public sector workers.
There is a very real danger that the essential
services legislation will pass, and may go beyond
The current collective agreement between the
city and Local 113 expires at the end of March. Ford and McGuinty are busy transforming
that date into a strike deadline, to push through the no-strike law without
public debate.
In an effort to slow things down and force the
government to hold public hearings, Local 113's President promised there will
be no strike this year. So far ther has been no response from the government. A
mass public outcry could sink the Bill, or at least slow it down.
In
Defend free collective bargaining
The
Strikes can be averted by employers ‑
public and private ‑ willing to sit down and negotiate an agreement.
Strikes occur because employers are unwilling to negotiate, because they want
cheaper labour or because they want to close up shop, or break the union.
The Communist Party is calling on the labour
and democratic movements to oppose the essential services legislation while
it's still being drawn up, to demand that it be withdrawn, and to make clear
that this issue will cost the Liberals votes in a close election. The Communist
Party calls instead for a Bill of Rights for Labour, to guarantee the
unfettered right to free collective bargaining, including the right to strike,
picket and organize, for all workers.
(Liz Rowley is
the leader of the Communist Party‑Ontario)
2) FORD MOVES TO PRIVATIZE GARBAGE COLLECTION
PV Ontario Bureau
TORONTO - Mayor Rob Ford announced Feb. 7 that the City will send out
tenders to private companies to bid on garbage collection west of Yonge Street,
including parks and other public areas. An estimated 300 jobs will disappear if
City Council votes at its May meeting to proceed with the plan. Deputy Mayor
Doug Holyday says savings will come through paying much lower wages and
benefits.
CUPE Local 416, representing Toronto outside
workers, was informed by fax, and also invited to submit a bid. But Local 416
President Mark Ferguson said the move was "a purely ideological attack on
the public service."
"Asking us, the union, to bid along
(with) private contractors, is an untenable position... We are not an employer,
we do not have an ability to manage a workforce, we have no ability to purchase
capital equipment,"
Instead the union will start canvassing
residents, to explain what privatization would mean to the "super‑service"
currently delivered by public employees.
"We are doing this so we're not going to
go through another 40‑day garbage strike like we did last year,"
Mayor Ford said. "We're going to save millions of dollars, and we're going
to reduce the size of government."
Contract provisions in the collective
agreement make it impossible to contract out collection in the whole city. But
that is the goal, and the list for contracting out includes labour-intensive
jobs like cleaning police stations and cutting grass.
The city workers' current contract expires
Dec. 31, but Mark Ferguson said, "I don't expect that we're going to be
taking a strike in January. I think that there's a very real possibility that
this administration will lock out its own employees."
Stay tuned.
3) G20 DEFENDANT ALEX HUNDERT RELEASED
After three months in jail without trial, G20
defendant Alex Hundert was released from the
Hundert said, "I made this plea because I
realised that I was doing no good to anyone as I sat in jail. There will be no
justice in the courts because they exist to protect an unjust and hierarchical
order. So I took a deal that would allow me to get back into my community where
I can continue to commit myself to issues of social and environmental
justice."
Initially arrested in a violent pre‑emptive
house raid in June on "conspiracy" charges, Hundert was re‑arrested
after being accused of breaching his `no public demonstration' bail condition
for speaking at panel discussions at Wilfrid Laurier and Ryerson University in
September 2010. Plainclothes officers were present at both events.
Commented Nathalie Des Rosiers, General
Counsel at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, "It seems preposterous
to think that public resources, policing and even corrections resources have
been spent to prevent someone from attending and speaking at a University
seminar. The process was unfair and the charges were exaggerated: it ought not
to have happened."
Numerous organizations have condemned the
crackdown on dissent before and during the G20 summit, including the Canadian
Association of University Teachers,
The
David Bleakney, National Union Representative
for CUPW, stated, "This travesty is about much more than just Alex however.
It is about a legal and political order that promotes the erosion of rights,
freedoms, and justice."
The bail condition forbidding participation in
public demonstrations is the subject of a constitutional challenge put forward
by G20 defendant Jaggi Singh. Out of over 1000 people who were arrested during
the G20, only a handful of charges remain. Many arrestees were never charged,
and hundreds more have their charges dropped as the abuses perpetrated by the
police gain wider public attention.
4) BETRAYAL OF ABORIGINAL WOMEN
People's Voice Editorial
Since about 1980, up to 3000 Indigenous women
have gone missing or been murdered in
In recent years, a leading role in this
movement has been played by the Native Women's Association of
Responding to public demands to end this
violence, the Harper Tory government's 2010 budget, released last March,
promised $10 million to "address the issue of missing and murdered Native
women." But then the government held up funding to SIS for eight months.
Finally, in November 2010, the Tories announced that this money would not be
used to fund SIS research. Instead it will be directed largely towards programs
to enhance the power of police forces, operating without the critical tool of
solid research and data collection. This betrayal is compounded by the
historical antagonism of police forces towards Aboriginal communities; there
are many cases of police violence against aboriginal women, such as Gladys
Tolley, killed by the Surete du Quebec in 2001.
Aboriginal women refuse to be used for the
political advantage of politicians who promise to take action, only to pull the
rug out months later. Under the Harper Tories, there has been a consistent
racist pattern of dismantling and de-funding programs essential to the safety
and health of Aboriginal communities. When thousands of people across
5) ANOTHER SECRET SELLOUT -
Editorial
People's Voice Editorial
Once again, the minority Conservative
government ‑ "elected" by barely more than one‑third of
voters ‑ has reached a secretive deal which reinforces
Stephen Harper calls the deal "a
declaration of our relations with the
Just as frightening, Harper also warns that
this declaration is "just a starting point". The implication is that
even more dramatic assaults on Canadian sovereignty are on the way. This
sellout deal must be blocked, and the Tories must be defeated when Canadians
finally head to the polls.
6) PEOPLE'S
In our next issue, the annual People's
To paraphrase Karl Marx, the dominant ideology
of any society is that of its ruling class. Here in
This ideology is far from
"objective" or "unbiased," despite the claims of the
capitalist hierarchy and their political supporters. It's an ideology rooted in
the concept that private ownership of natural resources, banks, manufacturing,
agriculture, etc., is the "natural" form of human society. This is
hardly surprising: in every class-divided society, the owners of wealth present
their domination as the normal way of organizing the economy. Under today's
capitalism, this includes the idea that the "human imperative" is the
individual struggle to achieve success, measured by the critical yardstick of
bank accounts, real estate, share capital, mutual funds.
Those who fall short - the vast majority who
sell their ability to work - are portrayed as failures, regardless of their
contributions to family and community, or to their own class. The locked-out
steelworkers in
The ruling class sees its control of the mass
media as the most important weapon in the struggle over ideology. This control
is usually obscured by claims that the media is "divided" between
"liberals" and "conservatives."
On the surface, opposing viewpoints are often
found in the corporate media, reflecting differences over social equality
issues, for example. Occasionally, voices from the "left" break
through, only to disappear. (So long, Rick Salutin, it was good to have you in
the Globe and Mail.)
But even these rare voices of dissent are
confined within the suffocating boundaries of the dominant ideology of private
ownership. One will search in vain for a columnist or commentator who argues
for socialized ownership of the capitalist economy, or for working class
political power.
Nor is this a coincidence. Recently a reader
sent us a help wanted ad, for the position of Editor-in-Chief/Deputy Publisher,
"to drive innovation, engagement and revenue across
This job description illustrates the complete
grip of ruling class ideology on the mass media. The era when crusading editors
hired reporters for their writing skills and knowledge of key issues is ancient
history, to the extent that it ever existed. In the modern era, media outlets
are "brands" operated by editors and publishers employed for their
willingness to please the corporate master, hiring "journalists"
churned out by post-secondary institutions which teach the same capitalist
values.
Some "democratic media" activists
argue that the Internet makes it possible for ordinary people and progressive
movements to break the chains of capitalist information control. And there is
some truth to this argument. A wider range of media outlets does encourage
greater diversity of opinions and analysis.
But this alone does not challenge the basic problem
of ruling class ideological domination. People's
Voice is vital for the working class movement, not because we are the only
"alternative" source of news (we aren't), but because we use the
facts to make the case for socialist ideology, for working class political
power, for a world free from imperialism. When we ask for support, keep this in
mind, and be as generous as possible!
7) BETHUNE: LEGENDARY CANADIAN COMMUNIST
We continue our series of articles honouring the 90th
anniversary of the Communist Party of
The most legendary Canadian communist is
undoubtedly Norman Bethune: brilliant medical pioneer, early campaigner for
universal health care, writer, and passionate anti-fascist. His colourful life
has been the subject of countless books, articles, plays and films, and he was
immortalized in a famous essay by Mao Zedong.
To this day, Bethune's personality is
relentlessly analyzed by some who downplay his revolutionary essence. A recent
biography by former governor-general Adrienne Clarkson, for example, tries to
explain Norman Bethune's political outlook as a reflection of his religious
family origins, not a logical response to the horrors of capitalist war and
injustice.
Born in
Like many of his generation, Bethune
volunteered when World War One broke out, only to witness the horror of
imperialist slaughter on the battlefields of
He married heiress Frances Penny in 1923, and
the couple eventually moved to
In 1929 Bethune joined the thoracic surgical
pioneer, Dr. Edward William Archibald, at the
At the same time, he became deeply involved
with social and economic issues, providing free medical care for the poor, and
art classes for children. He formed the Montreal Group for the Security of
People's Health, and in 1935 he visited the
When the Spanish Civil War began in 1936, he
accepted an invitation to head the Canadian Medical Unit in
As the global fascist threat deepened, Bethune
travelled in 1938 to
In the summer of 1939 Bethune was appointed
Medical Advisor to the Jin‑Zha‑Ji (Shanxi‑Chahar‑Hebei)
Border Region Military District, liberated by the Communist Party of
Bethune received international recognition
when Chairman Mao Zedong of the People's Republic of
There have been many other forms of official
recognition. Bethune College at York University, and Dr. Norman Bethune
Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Ontario, are named after him. In 1976, the
manse in Gravenhurst where he was born was restored as Bethune Memorial House,
a National Historic Site. In 1998, Bethune was inducted into the Canadian
Medical Hall of Fame, and his statue stands in a public square near
Bethune was the subject of a 1964 National
Film Board documentary, directed by Donald Brittain. Donald Sutherland played
Bethune in two films, including Bethune:
The Making of a Hero (1990), based on the 1952 biography The Scalpel, The Sword, by Ted Allan
and Sydney Gordon. In the CBC's Greatest Canadian program in 2004, he was voted
the 26th Greatest Canadian by viewers.
Towering over those who would trivialize his
tumultuous life, Norman Bethune is recognized around the world as a
revolutionary martyr, whose courage and dedication to the goals of socialism
have inspired generations in the struggle for a better world.
8) YOUTH FESTIVAL: A LESSON IN PEACE AND SOLIDARITY
Last December, the 17th World Festival of Youth and
Students took place in
Forty delegates
Technically, we were one person under the
number forty. But forty sounds better than thirty‑nine. The delegates
came from a wide range of backgrounds: students and young workers, trade
unionists and experienced activists, people fairly new to left politics, from
17 to just over 30. They came from across the country,
For some, this was their first‑time
working closely with
Biased to the working class
Pat is from
"We want Pat to bring back all the
experience of the youths in
I called up Pat last month. One of his
highlights of the Festival actually occurred the day after the closing
ceremony. Several trade union delegates met with a representative of the
Congress of South African Trade Unions, COSATU. They talked for hours about
solidarity, the labour movement in
"I missed that tour because I had to fly
out," Pat tells me. He talks instead about a slogan of one of the public
sector unions. He plans to mention it in his report‑back to the
"I like that one," he says.
Solidarity & internationalism
What is internationalism? Is it visits,
friendship, exchange of ideas, like the strategy and tactics of the working
class? Is it expressions of support for peoples of other countries? Perhaps
symbolic support, like a picket outside the Colombian consulate. Or direct
action, like dock workers refusing to unload Israeli ships during
"operation cast lead" and the 2008 war on Gaza (In a bilateral, we
told members of the Palestinian delegation about the Boycott, Divestment,
Sanctions campaign in Canada. "This is very good" they said).
Is globalization internationalism? Is it Coca‑cola,
Mickey‑mouse, Disneyland in
The question came up at the Festival, at a
discussion where I simply listened. I was reminded of that discussion the other
day. Two friends were munching down dinner at our home. We tend to think of
globalization as exclusively negative ‑ the violent cancer of capitalist
imperialism. At the table, there was debate. "But what about globalization
is positive?" "Well, would you say we should get rid of the
internet?" another said.
Of course, globalization is more than the
paradox of the internet. As I write today, all internet service providers in
The octopus‑style expansion of world
markets, driven by profits, creates a new and diverse force in the world, the
working class on a global level. So we might re‑write the slogan that
inspired Pat. We might say: "Making the public sector biased towards the
vast majority of the world, the people on the side of justice, peace and
progress, and the future."
But that would defeat the purpose of slogans,
to concisely place a fiery idea.
Unscripted friendship
Capital, Marx said, is born "dripping
from head to foot, from every pore, with blood and dirt." So too is
globalization inseparable from imperialist war. What about this question: can
we create the conditions for peace? A cynic might deny any hope. Most folks
focus on step one: defeating imperialism, the economic basis of war. But even
if we can do that, can we find friendship in the world?
I found one answer in the stories of Denise, a
student from
Denise seems to go everywhere with a camera.
For taking a left-wing position on her student union, she has come under a lot
of attack. But it wasn't the formal student discussions she first told me
about. It was the parties, like the one in the photo.
The Cubans brought many things. First: people!
(Speaking to one of their delegation leaders, I realized this was not his first
time in
"They Cubans also brought their own
band," Denise said. "It played rock one moment then salsa the next.
It was a strange mix, but very good." People kept talking about the
`Brazilian Party,' she said "but there really were no Brazilians. It
seemed to be people from everywhere. Then on the last night I spent time with
more [Latin Americans]. We just sung songs all night, all the songs of their
revolutions and struggles."
The parties were about a good time, a short
glimpse, a free-form exchange, about culture and life. They were part of thread
that ran through the Festival of music, dance and singing. Just search the
Festival's name on Youtube or Daily motion.
In one Canadian delegate's video (not
published yet) you see a sort of spontaneous, at first cautious and then
increasingly informal interaction with delegates from a member of the
"axis of evil," the DPR of
The Solomon Song
Perhaps the most powerful songs of the
Festival were the anti‑apartheid struggle chants. The smash hit, the anthem
of the Festival was the Solomon song. First you would hear the song. Then the
singers would appear ‑ chanting, stomping feet, twenty South African
youth. It was in a language we did not understand, but with bold, rich and loud
voices that immediately caught our attention, proclaiming with fists in the
air: "Iyho uSolomon. Iyho
uSolomon. Iyho uSolomon! Iyho uSolomon!"
More South African youth would come out of the
buildings, drawn by the music, and join the stomping singers. Everyone's arms
would be outstretched. Another twenty youths, then fifty to a hundred people
began to move: "Isotsha lo
Mkhonto We Sizwe! Wa yo bulala amabhunu eAfrika!"
In only a few days, members of the Canadian
delegation would be singing the Zulu words, proudly chanting and stomping with
the a cappella singers. Later we would find translations, and discover the
lyrics' political meaning. Most of the South African delegates were not singing
in their first language, but the political meaning was still communicated.
The translation I wrote down was:
"Solomon, Oh Solomon. He was the spear of the nation (referring to the
former armed wing of the African National Congress, Umkhonto we Sizwe,
"MK"). He struggled for liberation of
Our delegation has video and audio recordings
of the song from the beginning and the end of the Festival. In the opening
ceremonies, delegates look genuinely surprised and confused at people's energy
in delivering lyrics. By the end, groups of youth from Asia, the Middle East,
the
Solomon was actually a real person, a young
ANC‑MK militant sentenced to death. For two years the international
democratic community campaigned against his execution and called for the
recognition of all South African freedom fighters as prisoners of war. Then on
April 6, 1979, 23 year old Solomon Mahlangu was hung by the racist regime.
Solomon's final words are reputed to have
been: "My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of
freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the fight."
Continuing the fight
You can read Solomon's words on the ANC
website. But I heard them first from another
As the delegate told her stories, not every
experience had been positive. Like other women delegates she had experienced
sexual harassment by some other delegates. It was more than just an individual
experience. There was a sense of betrayal of the Festival's spirit, the
aspiration that ‑ despite the differences of the women and men of the
world in language, culture, beliefs, experience, nationality, and so many other
qualities ‑ those amongst the majority, toiling in fields or cities, can
find a mutual common ground, craft a different destiny.
In this sense, even within the progressive
forces we have much work to do, like on the question of sexism and women's
struggles, mentioned in Festival's final declaration. A main place for that
work is the broader struggle itself.
Internationalize resistance
From international campaigns, actions,
revolutions, we can take inspiration. Youth, students, and working people can
also learn. We can pick up the flag of resistance against "our" own
government, and its foreign policies of plunder, economic blackmail, murder and
ecocide, free trade deals, blockades, sanctions, interference, aggression and
war.
Such resistance is internationalism in its
fullest sense. It is inseparable with the desire to overthrow imperialism, to
defeat its governments and ruling class forces behind them, and to win peace,
friendship and solidarity. In a way, it was the call of the Festival for the
youth to carry forward, with confidence in our path.
9) NATO
OCCUPATION BOGGED DOWN IN FAILURE
PV Commentary
Mounting civilian deaths in
At least 2,421 civilians were killed last
year, according to a new report released on Feb. 1 by the Kabul‑based
Afghan Rights Monitor. More than 3,270 civilians were also injured in
"conflict-related security incidents."
The report blamed "armed opposition
groups" for 63 percent of the civilian deaths, many caused by
"improvised explosive devices", such as road bombs targetting
occupation troops. U.S.‑NATO forces account for another 21 percent of
deaths, or nearly 500. The NATO forces, said the report, wrongly continue to
label almost every war casualty as being a "suspected insurgent." A
total of 499
Meanwhile, a report from the
A Canadian Press report says that "
Documents tabled in Parliament at the request
of the NDP show Foreign Affairs paid nearly $8 million to ArmorGroup Securities
Ltd. This company was cited in a
The situation is "appalling," said
NDP foreign‑affairs critic Paul Dewar. "It undermines our
credibility. Afghans are not stupid. They see these people. They see what
they're doing and they know who is paying them... We've spent tens of millions
of dollars on what I would consider to be some very dubious characters, to do
what? Foreign Affairs, in particular, needs to be held to account. I'm blown
away by what I'm seeing here."
Canadian Press quotes defence researcher Dave
Perry, who claims that such contractors, usually ex-soldiers, are a "fact
of life in the age of all‑volunteer armies." Perry's response simply
confirms that
Last fall, President Karzai ordered the estimated
40,000 armed security contractors to leave the country, but later backed down.
Instead, his government has demanded that such firms register and begin paying
taxes.
With a possible election looming, NDP leader
Jack Layton has been critical of the plan to redeploy Canadian troops to build
up
Michael Ignatieff's Liberals, who gave cover
for Harper's troop extension, argue that it is impossible to achieve
As the parliamentary parties point fingers, it
is clear that the Canadian military mission has done nothing to make
10) BEHIND
THE UPRISINGS - A GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS
By Kimball Cariou
The uprisings shaking the Arab countries in
recent weeks are not directed simply against dictatorial elites - they are
largely a response to deepening poverty and the growing gap between rich and
poor. In one sense, these revolts are a continuation of the huge general
strikes which rolled across
One of the sparks for the Arab revolts has
been hunger and rising prices, which reflect the emergence of a serious
world-wide food crisis. As angry demonstrators wave loaves of bread, fearful
politicians take timid steps to respond, such as reversing their cuts to
subsidies of vital foodstuffs.
In one of his recent "Reflections,"
Cuba's former president Fidel Castro located this crisis in a wider context:
"The problems have suddenly increased as a result of phenomena which are
being repeated on all continents: heat waves, forest fires, loss of harvests in
Russia, with many victims; climate change in China, heavy rainfall or drought;
progressive reduction of water reserves in the Himalayas which is threatening
India, China, Pakistan and other countries; torrential rain in Australia, which
has flooded almost one million square kilometers; unseasonable and
unprecedented cold in Europe ... drought in Canada and unusual cold in this
country and the United States..."
Fidel Castro warned that "production of
wheat, soy beans, corn, rice and many other grains and legumes, which
constitute the nutritional base of the world - the population of which (is)
rapidly approaching the unprecedented figure of seven billion and where more
than one billion are suffering hunger and malnutrition - is being seriously
affected by climate change, creating an extremely grave problem
worldwide."
He also points to a recent article by Lester
R. Brown, published on the
Meanwhile, the
In
At the same time, new constraints are emerging
on the supply side. An estimated one third of the world's cropland is losing
topsoil faster than new soil is forming through natural processes. Huge dust
bowls are forming, one across northwest
Aquifer depletion is shrinking the amount of
irrigated area in many regions, driven by the large‑scale use of
mechanical pumps to exploit underground water. Today, half the world's people
live in countries where water tables are falling. Irrigated area is shrinking
across the Middle East; in Saudi Arabia, which was totally dependent on water
aquifers, wheat production plummeted by two-thirds from 2007 to 2010.
The biggest water deficits are in
Rising temperatures will also make it more
difficult to expand the world grain harvest. Crop ecologists warn that for each
1 degree Celsius rise above the optimum during the growing season, a ten
percent decline in grain yields will result.
The melting of glaciers in the Himalayas and
on the Tibetan plateau will impact the major rivers of Asia during the dry
season - the Indus, Ganges, Mekong, Yangtze, and Yellow rivers - and also the
irrigation systems dependent on these rivers.
Brown warns that "the unrest of these
past few weeks is just the beginning. It is no longer a conflict between
heavily armed superpowers, but rather spreading food shortages and rising food
prices ‑ and the political turmoil this would lead to ‑ that
threatens our global future. Unless governments quickly redefine security and
shift expenditures from military uses to investing in climate change
mitigation, water efficiency, soil conservation, and population stabilization,
the world will in all likelihood be facing a future with both more climate
instability and food price volatility. If business as usual continues, food
prices will only trend upward."
We have been warned. The world can no longer
afford "business as usual", i.e. an imperialist system based on maximizing
profits and wealth for a tiny corporate elite. The militant actions by the
people of the Arab countries and the working class of
11) NO ONE WILL
BE ABANDONED BY THE CUBAN REVOLUTION
Excerpts from a Jan. 26 speech by Jorge Soberon, Consul‑General
of
The triumph and the existence of the Cuban
Revolution, is also a triumph for Latin America and the Caribbean and of the
friends of
Much has been the sacrifice of the Cuban
people since it began its struggle more than 140 years ago, on October 10,
1868. Cuba has shown that, despite all obstacles, government of the humble, by
the humble and for the humble is still possible.
To those who relentlessly criticize the Cuban
revolution, we say: The Cuban Revolution has never condoned or practised
torture, disappearances or extrajudicial killings, secret prisons have never
existed in the Cuban Revolution, nor has it used repression against the people.
In
Only because of the Cuban Revolution there are
today more than a thousand doctors sent by Cuba in Haiti saving lives in that
noble and brotherly people.
Only because of the Cuban Revolution 50,000
foreign students have graduated in
Only because of the Cuban Revolution, 45,000
Cuban doctors and technical workers have given their services in the more
remote regions of the world.
Only because of the Cuban Revolution millions
of compatriots in our region and in various parts of the world had been able to
recover their vision or be literate with the help of Cuban doctors and
collaborators.
Only because of the Cuban Revolution,
Only because of the Cuban Revolution, the
Cuban people has access to education and free medical care, employment
opportunities for all, access to culture and sport, and has achieved high
levels of human development.
Imperialism and neoliberal market rules have
nothing to offer the people of
Only the joint work with sister nations, as
the ALBA alliance, the free development of relations with the rest of the
world's peoples and the ability to resist, fight and develop in socialism, can
ensure our people the welfare it wants and deserve.
There have been many obstacles that our people
have had to overcome and still face, but for more than 50 years we have been
able to hold high the banner of socialism and social justice, just 90 miles
from the
The economic sanctions and political meddling
of the
Cuba today is making strategic changes in its
economy and society to build its socialism, not to destroy it. No one has ever
been or will be abandoned to their fate by the Cuban Revolution. Cuba will not
drop its social achievements, knowing that only with socialism it can guarantee
its independence and sovereignty.
The younger generations are already assuming
the continuity of the socialist revolution. The Revolution has been, is and
will be the work of the youth. Young Cubans were the ones who fought for the
freedom of other peoples of the world, young Cubans are the ones who
collaborate today as doctors and technicians abroad and young people are our
five heroes imprisoned in the
Imperialism is still dreaming and working to
destroy the Cuban Revolution. They will never defeat the Cuban Revolution with
their paid mercenaries. In
That is our conviction on a day like today,
when we appreciate the support of all our friends in
Long live the peoples struggling for justice
and independence! Long live the Latin America and the
12) THE
MOMENT OF TRUTH IS APPROACHING
Statement issued by the Communist Party of
The moment of truth is approaching. This is
the decisive moment for the Egyptian popular forces for change; to topple the
Mubarak regime. It seems that the imperialists, and their American masters in
particular, are lifting their hands from him after the continuation of
revolution everywhere in
Today millions emerge to demand the departure
of Mubarak. They will prevent all the conspiracies of the dictator and his gang
of spies to thwart the revolution and overcome them.
The formation of a committee, which enjoys the
confidence of the people and the demonstrators, is crucial to achieve the
demands of the political, economic and social revolution, and we emphasise the
basic demands presented by the national forces to the deputies of the people's
parliament:
1. Dismissal of Mubarak and the formation of a presidential council for
a transitional period of limited duration.
2. Forming a coalition government to administer the country during the
transitional period.
3. To convene the election of a constituent assembly to draft a new
constitution for the country based on the principle of the sovereignty of the
nation and ensure the devolution of power within the framework of a democratic
just civil state.
4. Prosecute those responsible for hundreds of deaths and injuries of
revolutionary martyrs and victims of oppression as well as ensuring the
prosecution of those responsible for plundering the wealth of the Egyptian
people.
5. Long live the revolution of the Egyptian people!
13) SOLIDARITY WITH THE REVOLUTION IN
Statement of the Central Executive Committee, Communist
Party of
The massive popular and peaceful uprising
against the dictatorial regime of Hosni Mubarak, which has captured the world's
attention over the past ten days, continues to expand and deepen despite the
desperate attempts of the Egyptian ruling class and its imperialist backers to
douse the flames of revolution. After 30 long years of oppression, grinding
poverty and corrupt rule, millions of working people have held unprecedented
mobilizations day after day in the streets of cities and towns across Egypt,
around the unifying demand that Mubarak and his government cronies and thugs
must immediately resign, and that new genuinely fair and democratic elections
be held.
Aroused by the inspiring "intifada of the
poor" in nearby Tunisia which recently deposed the dictatorship of Zain
Al-Abidin Bin Ali, the Egyptian masses are determined that "Mubarak must
GO!" While the popular rallying cry is for an end to oppression and for
real democratic rule, the underpinnings of the revolutionary upsurge are rooted
in the social and economic grievances of the working class, which has endured
high unemployment, rising food prices and impoverishment - further heightened
during the recent global economic crisis - while the ruling class elite and
their flunkies in the Mubarak regime accumulate the national wealth produced by
their labour.
The transparent manoeuvres of Mubarak to cling
to power have failed miserably to stem the tide. First, he announced a cosmetic
cabinet shuffle, elevating Omar Suleiman to the vice‑presidency.
Suleiman, the former chief of Egypt's notorious intelligence branch, is best
known for his role as CIA point‑man, organizing rendition flights and
torture at the behest of
The role of the imperialist powers, including
The Communist Party of Canada expresses its
wholehearted solidarity with the heroic revolutionary process unfolding in
Egypt today, and urges all its members and supporters, and all democratic‑minded
and anti‑imperialist Canadians to rally in support of the Egyptian people
in demonstrations taking across Canada. We condemn the failure of the Harper
government to publicly and sincerely condemn the Mubarak regime, and demand a
complete reversal in Ottawa's foreign policy, to stand in favour of the
struggling Egyptian people, beginning with the expulsion of the Egyptian
ambassador to Canada in response to Mubarak's state-organized violence against
his own people.
14) IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE STRUGGLING PEOPLE OF
South African Communist Party statement on the
developments in
The South African Communist Party (SACP)
welcomes the political revolts and developments in Egypt and Tunisia and
elsewhere, and strongly condemns the brutal responses by the collapsing regimes
of dictators; in the case of Egypt we appreciate the restraint of the military
force.
These developments increasingly point out the
correctness of our party's shared strategic analysis with many of the forces in
the Africa Left Networking Forum: "the crisis facing Africa, including
Tunisia and Egypt, remains its deepening marginalisation and impoverishment
within the global imperialist system, the failure over many decades of a
variety of elite‑based neo‑colonial agendas on the one hand, and
the degeneration and in several cases, the collapse of more radical national
democratic revolutions led by former liberation movements on the other".
We observed that "at the heart of
revitalising the African revolution (part of which is currently underway in
Tunisia and Egypt) is the task of creating the conditions (i.e. the social,
economic, democratic, and organisational space and capacity) for the key
national democratic protagonists - the working class, the peasantry, the mass
of urban and rural marginalized (many of them youth), together with patriotic
middle strata in the state and civil society - to become the key motive force
of re-radicalisation, not just in theory but in practice".
It is imperative therefore as part of this
ongoing class analysis, that we fully support the popular aspirations of the
people of Tunisia and Egypt to seize power by mobilising progressive strata,
students, youth, women, in alliance with working people against the reactionary
dictatorial state, to support its complete revolutionary overthrow and
the transformation process towards broad social, political and economic change.
Whilst much of the analysis of these developments
is reductionist and not located in the long range, strategic class character of
Tunisian and Egyptian societies, it is important to appreciate these
developments as being uniquely shaped by objective historical factors in the
generalised crisis of development over many years.
The origin of the Egyptian crisis ‑ the
absence of popular democracy and participation for instance ‑ can be
traced back decades ago, from right wing public policies in the social,
political and economic domain, in which many of the sovereign political and
economic functions were completely abandoned by the state to the service of
bourgeois ideological forces backed by imperialism.
Our party also welcomes the massive strategic
backlash suffered by the neo‑liberal character of media reportage on
these developments, in which opportunistic consensus by a promotional lining‑up
of capitalist oriented successors is forged from the back door.
These agendas must be defeated by increasing
the tempo of alternative reporting, which thus far has provided a much sober
description, that what the people of Egypt and Tunisia are demanding,
constitutes not a neo‑liberal stabilisation, but a complete rupture with
dictatorships, in which people insist on complete over‑haul of the ruling
capitalist class and its machinery.
We should remain alert to the mechanisation of
imperialist forces to propel such revolts only to spill the victory, like they
did in some of the areas in the former Soviet states which today yearn for the
socialist system.
The SACP also notes that these revolutions are
not immune from reversal and counter‑revolutionary ambitions, in which
they can be subverted and turned into sectoral mobilisation for reactionary
ends. It is thus important that the revolutionary tasks of current social,
political and economic mobilisation, goes far beyond tinkering with the
superficial, but addresses the class character of the current states and its
apparatus.
Central to these revolutions is the
dismantling of the repressive machinery of the Tunisian and Egyptian state and
forging a unifying strategic platform to address popular aspirations of the
working people, by transforming political power, meeting people's basic needs
for quality jobs, food, shelter, to defend workers, women struggles and the
rights of young people to education and decent jobs.
Our party will also join in on solidarity
demonstrations and continue the debate on the character of these revolutions.
15) REMEMBERING THE MASSACRE OF CASSINGA
By Stephen Von Sychowski
Unfortunately it is not common knowledge that
while the
The best known battle is that of Cuito
Cuanavale, where 95,000 Cubans joined with Angolan troops and Namibian SWAPO
guerillas to smash a 1987-88 offensive against independent Angola by the South
African Defense Force (SADF) and their US‑backed UNITA allies.
But 33 years ago, in a lesser‑known
altercation,
Cassinga was the site of a refugee camp,
established by the Namibian South West African People's Organization (SWAPO).
On May 4, 1978, it came under airborne attack and bombing from South African
planes. Paratroopers quickly overran the surprised SWAPO troops, leaving
hundreds of civilian refugees defenseless.
The Cubans were stationed nearby at
Techamutete. When news of the attack reached them, they immediately set off to
engage the aggressors. When the South Africans intercepted news of the Cuban
advance, they evacuated some of their forces, leaving the rest to finish their
"mopping up" operations, and search for intelligence.
The Cubans arrived, and a battle ensued. 150
Cuban soldiers lost their lives, giving Cassinga the unfortunate distinction of
the highest casualty rate of any battle during
The South Africans fled in disarray, leaving
behind 40 prisoners of war whom they had intended to kidnap for interrogation
and almost certain torture and death. Cassinga was largely destroyed. The
massacre and the battle which followed lasted only nine hours, but left 624
dead and 611 wounded. Among the dead were 167 women, and 298 teenagers and
children.
The leader of SWAPO, Sam Nujoma, addressed the
United Nations Security Council on May 6. He condemned the invasion of Angolan
territory, and the massacre of Namibian refugees. The Council passed Resolution
428, which condemned apartheid and its occupation of Southwestern Africa, while
commending
The SADF later claimed that Cassinga had been
a SWAPO military base, not a refugee camp. While there was a military presence,
it was primarily civilians who were present and who were ultimately massacred.
The government of
But
Today
16) WIKILEAKS ACCUSED BRADLEY MANNING IN EXTREME ISOLATION
With files from Firedoglake.com
Bradley Manning
spent his 23rd birthday completely isolated, just as he has every day for six
months in his cell at the
Supporters have launched a campaign to urge
humane treatment while Manning awaits trial. To date they have gathered over
50,000 signatures on a letter urging the Commanding Officer of
While Manning is held in "maximum
custody," the military's most severe detention policy, he is also under a
"Prevention of Injury" (POI) order that adds additional restrictions.
While POI orders typically last a week or two, Manning has been held under a
POI order for the entirety of his detention.
Manning stays in his cell for 23 hours a day.
Guards check on him every five minutes, and he must respond each time. He is
not allowed to sleep between 5 am and 8 pm. Substantive exercise is not allowed
beyond walking, potentially in chains.
Communication with other people in the brig is
banned, and he cannot write to people outside beyond the few a list approved by
the brig commander; any unapproved letters he receives are destroyed. He has
not been allowed to read newspapers or watch international news during TV time.
Comfortable sleep is impossible; he must
surrender his clothes each night, has only a heavy "suicide blanket"
akin to an x‑ray vest, and guards must be able to see his face at all
times.
On the Jan. 29-30 weekend, Manning's friend
David House had his first opportunity to visit in over a month. Bradley was
brought in, as usual, in chains. His MAX custody classification means that the entire
facility is on lockdown whenever he leaves his cell, and he must be accompanied
by two guards at all times. During his conversations, the guards listen
closely, and shift around frequently to call attention to their presence.
David House reported that his friend was
beginning to exhibit symptoms of prolonged isolation, including emotional
withdrawal and impaired cognitive function. Bradley seemed slow to respond when
they spoke, and could not process information as quickly as he normally did.
However, Bradley became excited and engaged
when House mentioned the uprisings in
Bill Keller of the New York Times recently wrote that the "WikiLeaks cables in
which American diplomats recount the extravagant corruption of Tunisia's rulers
helped fuel a popular uprising that has overthrown the government."
The
On January 9, Manning's lawyer,
20th Annual Women’s Memorial
March, honour missing and murdered women,
Monday, Feb. 14, 12 noon at Carnegie
Centre, Main &
Wars, Lies and Wikileaks, Thur., Feb. 17, 7 pm, public forum with Gail Davidson (Lawyers Against War)
and Geoff Olsen (Vancouver Courier), Ian Beeching (StopWar), Room 1800, SFU
Harbor Centre (515 W. Hastings), organized by StopWar, Vancouver’s
anti-war coalition.
COPE Winter Gala, Sat., Feb. 26, 7-11 pm, Coalition of Progressive Electors masquerade ball
at
Left Film Night, “GARBAGE DREAMS,” Oscar-nominated documentary on
Socialist Education,
Marxism course, classes begin early 2011. Pre-register with the Communist Party,
586-7824 or cpc-mb@mts.net.
Four Directions Walk “Why is there poverty?” conference, Sat, Feb. 19, 12-4:30
pm, St. Matthews Maryland Church, 641 St. Matthews. Info or to register
792-3371.
Why we need the Canadian Boat To
Norman Bethune Day Dinner, Sat., Feb. 26, 7 pm, 290 Danforth Ave., tickets $5. Media sponsor People’s Voice. Door prize; one-week
all-inclusive trip for two to
Global Crisis, Fiscal Restraint and
Public-Private Partnerships, 2011 Clarke Memorial Lecture with
John Loxley. 7 pm, Thursday, March 10, Ryerson
University, Oakham Lounge, 2nd floor,
Palestinians And Jews United, boycott/disinvestment/sanctions picket, every Saturday, 1-3 pm, outside
Le marcheur, at