> > WW News Service Digest #203 > > 1) Election Battle Exposes Fraudulent System > by [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 2) Oklahoma's Death-Row Double Standard > by [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 3) Turkish Repression Made in USA > by [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 4) Racist Attack on Voting Rights Looms Large > by [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 5) Solidarity Delegation Meets with FARC L:eader > by [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 6) Thousands March in NYC for Mumia & Peltier > by [EMAIL PROTECTED] >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Dec. 21, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >ELECTION BATTLE EXPOSES FRAUDULENT SYSTEM > >By Fred Goldstein > >The accidental deadlock between George W. Bush and Al Gore >has brought to the surface the ugly underside of capitalist >election politics. It should be a good beginning lesson to >the masses of people about how fraudulent the whole process >is. > >To begin with, Bush lost the popular vote by 300,000 and won >the presidency. > >Second, he won the vote in Florida, and perhaps elsewhere, >by a racist Republican conspiracy to exclude thousands and >thousands of votes by African Americans. This conspiracy >also affected Jewish voters and other poor and working-class >voters who lived in heavily Black districts in Florida. > >Third, he won by the timely intervention of a one-vote >reactionary majority of a reactionary institution, the U.S. >Supreme Court. > >Fourth, the saintly high court, which is supposed to be >above getting involved in partisan capitalist politics, was >rolling around in the political mud fighting a tooth-and- >nail partisan battle. > >Fifth, the people just found out that state legislatures >have the power to override any popular vote by simply >choosing their own electors to the Electoral College. > >WHAT THE STRUGGLE WAS REALLY ABOUT > >These are only some of the more glaring surface problems >that appeared. While various pundits were describing the >struggle as a battle over great legal principles or precepts >of democracy, the real character of the struggle was >described by Business Week in its Dec. 11 issue. > >"Let's be honest here," wrote this mouthpiece of big >business. "The dispute over whether George W. Bush or Al >Gore won Florida, and thus the presidency, is not about >great Constitutional issues. It's not about federalism, or >the separation of powers between the courts and the >legislatures, or even a correct reading of the Florida >Election code. At this late state of the game, it's about >just one thing: who can best manipulate the levers of power >to win...And once again, wrapped up in this naked power >struggle is the U.S. Supreme Court. > >"Gore is at a great disadvantage in this," continued >Business Week. "He has the support of some local election >officials and a few Florida judges. But Bush has hooks >everywhere. He has Florida Secretary of State Katherine >Harris, who certified his election two weeks ago and who >just happened to be his state campaign co-chairman. He has >his brother, the governor of Florida, to certify a slate of >Bush electors... He has both houses of the Florida >legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives...And, it >seems, he has five justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, all >of whom were either appointed by his daddy or by Ronald >Reagan, his daddy's old boss." > >So much for all the legal niceties. Justice Antonin Scalia >and his grouping stopped the recount ordered by the Florida >Supreme Court on the grounds of "irreparable harm" to Bush. >Losing the vote by counting is "irreparable harm" to be >sure. But then again elections do involve counting votes and >winners and losers. > >Both sides of the court agonized over "equal protection >under the law" and "due process" without ever bringing up >the publicly known and thoroughly documented massive >disqualification of voters in African American precincts. >This has been a non-subject in the court proceedings, in the >campaigns of both Bush and Gore and in the mainstream >capitalist media. > >GORE REFUSED TO CHALLENGE DISENFRANCHISEMENT > >The Gore forces rallied under the slogans "count every vote" >and "every vote should count." But they steadfastly refused >to challenge the disenfranchisement of voters in majority >Black districts, whose ballots were rejected at a rate of >one in five, compared to voters in majority white districts >whose ballots were rejected at a rate of one in 14. This is >prima facie evidence of discrimination on a massive scale. > >To the Gore forces, as part of the ruling-class >establishment, the prospect of opening up a struggle against >racism was worse than the prospect of losing the election. > >It is pure hypocrisy for the Bush forces to talk about >"equal protection under the law" when this racist governor >of Texas has sent people to death whose lawyers slept >through their trials; who executed Shaka Sankofa (Gary >Graham), whose innocence was virtually proven on television >and in the print media; and whose brother outlawed >affirmative action in Florida. > >Nor did Clinton and Gore care much for the "due process" or >"equal protection under the law" of millions of women and >children, the majority African American and Latina, who were >driven off welfare while hundreds of billions of dollars >were doled out in corporate welfare to the rich. And the >hundreds of thousands of African American youths rounded up >under Clinton and Gore's so-called "war on drugs" got racial >profiling instead of "due process." > >CAPITALIST INSTITUTIONS > >This entire process should show that the elections and the >law are both capitalist institutions that can be manipulated >at will by the big-business candidates. They are both >saturated with lies and hypocrisy meant to deceive the >masses. > >To be sure, reactionary Bush stole the election. But he >stole the election from slightly less reactionary Gore, who >is also an enemy of the workers and oppressed. He stole the >vote by the massive disqualification of mainly African >American voters in Florida. And there is justifiable rage >and discontent over this racist disenfranchisement, not just >in Florida but all across the country; and not just in the >Black community but in the entire progressive and >revolutionary movement. There can be absolutely no tolerance >for racist discrimination at the polls. > >But it must also be clear that Bush and Gore were fighting >over votes that each could use for the purpose of becoming >the oppressor of the people for four years. Both have a >proven track record on that score and both belong to parties >under the domination of big business which have been >enforcing exploitation, racism and war for well over a >century. > >In the coming the period, the only road to progress will be >to open up a militant mass struggle against the Bush >administration, while retaining complete independence and >following a program that is irreconcilably opposed to the >Democratic Party leadership. This leadership has >dramatically shown its fundamental subservience to the >racist ruling class, not only in the last eight years, but >also in the past weeks of this post-election struggle. > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 21:22:47 -0500 >Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII >Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT >Subject: [WW] Oklahoma's Death-Row Double Standard >Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Dec. 21, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >WANDA JEAN ALLEN FACES EXECUTION: OKLAHOMA'S DEATH- >ROW DOUBLE STANDARD > >By Elijah Crane > >Wanda Jean Allen, an African American lesbian, is scheduled >to be executed in Oklahoma on Jan. 11, 2001, for the >shooting death of Gloria Leathers, her partner of more than >two years. Allen's appeals are exhausted and her last hope >is a recommendation from the state Pardon and Parole Board >to Gov. Frank Keating. > >Allen and Leathers met in prison when Allen was doing time >for a previous alleged manslaughter. The system was already >against them. Their relationship was violent. Many police >reports had been made throughout their time together >attesting to this fact. > >On Dec. 1, 1988, the two women had an argument over a >welfare check at a grocery store. Leathers threatened to >leave the relationship. Leathers, accompanied by her mother >and the Oklahoma City Police, went to the couple's apartment >to collect her property. The women argued and the cops left >to deal with something that was apparently more urgent than >a lesbian domestic dispute. > >According to Allen, Leathers beat her with a rake once the >cops were gone. Photos taken five days after the incident >show marks on Allen's face, supporting her allegation. >Leathers fled the scene and went to the police station to >file a complaint against Allen over a property dispute. >Allen followed her there, they argued and then Allen shot >Leathers. Four days later, Leathers died. > >Allen's supporters say the racist, anti-gay cops concocted a >story to refute her accusation of assault by Leathers, >negating her claim of self-defense. The cops and the court >claimed the killing was premeditated. > >In an unusual ruling for a domestic violence case, Allen was >convicted of first-degree murder, a capital offense, making >her eligible for a death sentence by U.S. standards. > >ANTI-GAY DOUBLE STANDARD > >"There are people killed all the time when there are spousal >problems in a relationship," said Joann Bell of the Oklahoma >American Civil Liberties Union, "and usually that is never >the basis for a capital [murder] case." > >Bell also explained, "In these parts you can get someone >convicted quicker if they are gay or lesbian than if they're >heterosexual, because everything is Bible-based." (New York >Blade, Dec. 8) > >Allen's original lawyer was not able to admit into evidence >that she had an IQ of 69 at age 15 and suffers neurological >problems. > >Steve Presson, one of two attorneys handling Allen's appeal, >told the Tulsa World: "In this case, the state district >court forced her to be represented by an attorney not being >paid and then forced the attorney to trial without giving >him the tools--no experts, doctors or investigators. No one >discovered she was [mentally disabled] until the trial and >appeals were over. By that time, it is too late." > >The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the case. Allen's >only hope is if the state Pardon and Parole Board recommends >that Gov. Frank Keating commute her sentence. The Board is >scheduled to meet and hear Allen's case on Dec. 15. Allen >will speak in front of the board along with her attorneys, >Presson and Robert Jackson. > >However, the Pardon and Parole Board can only make the >recommendation; the governor has the final word. > >KEATING: FRIEND OF GOVERNOR DEATH > >Governor Death himself, George W. Bush, is considering >Keating for the position of U.S. attorney should he be named >president. Bush has sent more than 145 people to the death >chamber in Texas, tipping the odds of Keating granting a >pardon far out of Allenfavor if he is to win the affection >of executioner Bush. Under Keating's watch, 27 people have >been executed in Oklahoma since 1994. > >Many national lesbian, gay, bi and trans organizations, as >well as anti-death penalty forces, have rallied in support >of Allen. The fact remains that she wound up on death row >because she is poor, Black, a lesbian, and mentally >disabled. > >Had she been involved in a heated struggle with her abusive >husband over their stocks and bonds or summer cottage >instead of with her lesbian lover over a welfare check when >she pulled the trigger, she would never have seen a death- >row cell. > >When the ruling class is left to determine the fate of the >oppressed and the working class, the prisons will always be >filled with the poorest of the poor and the most oppressed. > >The way to liberation is through a unified mass movement. >That's why anti-racist and anti-death penalty forces will be >standing shoulder to shoulder with lesbian, gay, bi and >trans activists in Washington on Jan. 20 to tell the next >president to end the racist death penalty once and for all. > >Organizers are also asking that people call Keating and tell >him not to murder Wanda Allen. The number is 405-521-2342 > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 21:22:47 -0500 >Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII >Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT >Subject: [WW] Turkish Repression Made in USA >Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Dec. 21, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >TURKISH REPRESSION MADE IN USA: "COURAGE & >DETERMINATION" FUEL PRISON HUNGER STRIKE > >By Cemile Cakir and Frank Neisser > >Some 1,000 political prisoners in Turkey have been on a >hunger strike since Oct. 20. About 300 of them are committed >to hunger strike until death if their just demands are not >met. > >The Turkish government wants to put them in individual cells >because officials think that, once isolated, they would no >longer be able to resist the government. > >Members of three leftist groups in Turkey started this >hunger strike. Imprisoned members of the Revolutionary >People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), the Communist >Party of Turkey-Marxist-Leninist (TKP-ML) and the Communist >Workers Party of Turkey (TKIP) have called for the death >fast. > >These groups were followed by other organizations with >political prisoners, including the Kurdish Workers Party >(PKK). And the action has spread outside the prisons. > >Some relatives of political prisoners and members of TAYAD-- >Solidarity Association of the Prisoners' Family--have been >on hunger strike since Nov. 13. And some writers are on >hunger strike to support them. > >Every day there have been demonstrations in support of the >hunger strikers, not only in big cities in Turkey but all >over Europe. Lawyers in their judicial robes marched 500- >strong in support of the prisoners. > >Before this hunger strike started the relatives of political >prisoners, along with members of socialist and human rights >organizations, held a lot of demonstrations outside the >prisons. Every Saturday they demonstrated against this >prison system and in support of the political prisoners. > >And every Saturday the police would beat and arrest them. _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. 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