> > WW News Service Digest #206 > > 1) Turkish Police Deadly Assault on Prisoners > by [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 2) Movement Responds to Anti-Peltier Campaign > by [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 3) California Energy Crisis: Free Market Failure > by [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 4) U.S. Mercenaries March into Colombia > by [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 5) An Ode to the Old Year and New > by [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 6) Big Layoffs Announced Just Before Holidays > by [EMAIL PROTECTED] >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Dec. 28, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >TURKISH POLICE LAUNCH DEADLY ASSAULT ON FASTING >PRISONERS > >By John Catalinotto > >At 4 a.m. on Dec. 19 the Turkish government sent police and >army riot squads armed to the teeth into 20 prisons where >over 1,100 political prisoners were conducting a hunger >strike. Almost 300 prisoners were on a death fast. As of 7 >p.m., the assault had left 20 people dead, including 18 >prisoners and two police, according to BBC News. > >The prisoners were protesting plans to separate inmates into >individual cells--the so-called Type-F prisons. They >demanded to remain in dormitory prisons where they could >continue to have contact with each other. > >While the regime presented the assault as an attempt to stop >the hunger strikers from dying, other reports say troops >opened fire on some of the prisoners and beat many more. >Police were armed with explosives and heavy weapons, >according to reports from Turkish revolutionary groups. > >In some prisons the fasting prisoners set themselves on >fire. In all places they fought back against the vicious >attack from the Turkish state. > >According to Turkish Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk, two >prisoners in Istanbul's Bayrampasa prison died after setting >themselves on fire. A third inmate was shot and killed by >soldiers in Istanbul's Umraniye prison after setting himself >on fire and rushing toward soldiers, he said. Prisoner or >prisoner-support sources have not yet verified Turk's >statements as to how the prisoners died. > >TYPE-F MEANS TORTURE, ISOLATION > >The revolutionary and anti-imperialist prisoners have been >on a hunger strike since Oct. 20 to stop their transfer to >Type-F prisons. The new prisons are modeled on U.S. maximum- >security, behavior-modification prisons. These impose high- >tech total isolation in order to break down prisoners' >morale and control them politically. > >This total isolation of all prisoners combines physical and >psychological torture. > >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. > >About 12,000 of the almost 72,000 prisoners in Turkey are >political prisoners. These include members of different >communist organizations, Kurds, writers, journalists and >members of Muslim groups. > >The Turkish state imposes truly horrible conditions on the >leftist and Kurdish political prisoners, turning prisons >into centers of torture. Prison guards and soldiers >frequently murder prisoners. Last year prison guards and >soldiers attacked political prisoners in Ulucanlar prison, >killing 10 of them. > >According to a Reuters report from Istanbul, an official of >the Human Rights Association, which closely monitors >prisons, said she knew of at least five deaths from self- >immolation or gunshot wounds during raids on several jails. >"The so-called life-saving operation by the Justice Ministry >is causing deaths," she said. > >Relatives of leftist prisoners gathered outside Bayrampasa >and denounced the raids and the transfer plan, as well as an >amnesty law that would mostly release non-political >prisoners. "The goal is clear: they want to kill my >children," one woman said. > >Turkish immigrants in Western Europe have already >demonstrated support for the prisoners. An Italian >organization has called a demonstration before the Turkish >embassy in Rome. Prisoner-support groups have called upon >the European left to demonstrate solidarity with the >prisoners. > >Turkey, a NATO member, is a client state of the Western >imperialist powers and has especially close ties to the >United States and Germany. Both Western powers supply >weapons and training to the Turkish army even as it crushes >the movement in Kurdistan. The Pentagon used Turkish air >bases to launch air attacks on Iraq and Yugoslavia. > >For these reasons, the Turkish left also holds West European >and U.S. imperialism responsible for the crimes of the >Turkish state. > >- 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, 20 Dec 2000 20:28:22 -0500 >Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII >Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT >Subject: [WW] Movement Responds to Anti-Peltier Campaign >Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Dec. 28, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >FBI PRESSURES CLINTON AS MOVEMENT DEMANDS PARDON >FOR PELTIER > >By John Catalinotto > >On Dec. 15, a group of 500 active and retired FBI agents >ignored both their constitutional role and human decency to >march on the White House. They complained about the fact >that President Bill Clinton would even consider pardoning >American Indian Movement warrior Leonard Peltier. > >Marching silently with their short haircuts and business >suits, the agents were an ugly sight to anyone who >understands their role in repressing the progressive >movement in the United States. > >For New Yorkers, the action directed against the lame-duck >president had the same taste of fascism as the cop >demonstration against then-Mayor David Dinkins during his >last year in office. > >Since the 1975 FBI attack on the Pine Ridge Reservation in >South Dakota, the agency has been involved in other widely >publicized attacks on people or groups on questionable >grounds. The most deadly was the armed FBI assault on the >Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993. There the >FBI took revenge for the shooting deaths of four Bureau of >Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents, launching a siege that >ended in the deaths of 86 adults and children. > >Peltier has been in jail nearly 25 years for allegedly >killing two FBI agents in 1975. The FBI members had been >part of an armed attack on the Native community at the time, >and hadn't even identified themselves as federal agents. > >The incident occurred during the "Pine Ridge Reign of >Terror" of 1973-76, when more than 60 members and supporters >of the American Indian Movement were killed. Peltier was >part of a group of AIM activists trying to defend their >people. > >The federal prosecutor in Peltier's case has admitted that >he doesn't know who killed the agents. Two others charged >with the killing of the FBI agents were tried separately and >acquitted on grounds of self-defense. > >Peltier remains in prison. His health is deteriorating. His >best hope for release is executive clemency, so the support >movement has focused its attention on Clinton. > >Peltier is the only Pine Ridge defender the FBI has been >able to get imprisoned, and the agency seems determined to >take out its vengeance on the Native leader. > >MEDIA'S RELUCTANT COVERAGE > >When thousands demonstrated Dec. 10 in New York demanding >clemency for Peltier, the corporate media gave the event no >coverage. The FBI's action, on the contrary, got lots of air >time and newspaper space. > >The only bright side of this was that Peltier's defenders >took advantage of the attention to fight publicly for their >client. Jennifer Harbury, one of Peltier's attorneys, spoke >forcefully to millions both through the newspapers and by >debating an FBI spokesperson on ABC's "Good Morning >America." > >"Mr. Peltier has been in prison for 25 years. He is way >overdue for parole," Harbury said. "He has been receiving >human-rights awards for the good deeds he has done behind >bars, for his massive humanitarian efforts, and he is in >failing health." > >Harbury called on FBI Director Louis Freeh and Attorney >General Janet Reno to open an investigation into the case. > >"Even the United States attorney admits no one knows who >killed that FBI agent, who fired those fatal shots," Harbury >said. "The woman who claims to have witnessed the killing >later admitted she signed those affidavits only after the >FBI threatened to take away her children. The FBI ballistics >test showing that the bullet could not have come from Mr. >Peltier's gun was concealed from the jury and also from the >defense." > >Freeh, overstepping his constitutional role, wrote a letter >to Clinton complaining that the president would consider >Peltier for clemency. When he made the letter public, this >drew a protest from Janet Reno. > >Peltier's defenders have organized a popular call-in >campaign to the president. The FBI has held its own campaign- >-with the pressures only a police agency can bring--to try >and keep him in prison. > >Readers can call the White House at 202-456-1111 to demand >that President Clinton grant executive clemency to Leonard >Peltier. > >- 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, 20 Dec 2000 20:28:22 -0500 >Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII >Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT >Subject: [WW] California Energy Crisis: Free Market Failure >Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Dec. 28, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >"LET THE MARKET WORK"? DEREGULATION TO BLAME FOR >CALIFORNIA ENERGY CRUNCH > >By Richard Becker >San Francisco > >"Let the market work" has been the battle cry of capitalist >ideologues for more than two decades. Free capital from all >restraints, they argue, and public benefit will soar along >with profits. > >Well, check out California. > >California's electric power system has nearly collapsed >several times in recent weeks. Only a combination of >emergency measures and luck has averted rolling blackouts in >the country's most populous state. > >In San Diego County, the state's second largest, utility >bills have doubled, tripled and quadrupled in the last year, >a preview of what may be in store for the rest of California >residents. > >The direct cause of California's power crisis is electricity >deregulation, or in other words, "letting the market work." >And for the electric power generating and distribution >industries it has worked very well. They are reaping profits >that have increased by up to 900 percent on investment, >according to none other than California's pro-big business >Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. > >The soaring price of natural gas, which fuels many power >plants, is another major cause of the crisis. On Dec. 19, it >was announced that two class action suits have been filed >against Southern California Gas, San Diego Gas & Electric >and their parent company, Sempra Energy. The suits charge >that the defendants have engaged in the "largest gouging of >energy consumers in American history," allegedly conspiring >to restrict natural gas supplies to the state. > >Also named in the class action suits is El Paso Energy >Corp., the largest natural-gas pipeline company in the U.S. > >The source of the fantastic power-industry profits is an >astounding rise in the prices charged by the generating >companies and re-sellers of electric power. In less than 12 >months, the price of a megawatt of electricity has gone from >less than $45 to over $1,400 at times--a more than 6,000- >percent increase! When the regional power grid has been most >threatened with the prospect of collapse, the generating >companies have jacked up the prices even higher. > >DEREGULATION AFTER HEAVY LOBBYING > >Deregulation was passed by the state legislature in 1996 and >signed by then-Gov. Pete Wilson, due to a heavy lobbying >effort by the big utility companies. Deregulation, the >utility monopolies and other energy capitalists preached, >would give California residents and businesses the "freedom" >to select the power company of their choice. > >What good this "freedom" could possibly do for a renter or >homeowner was never addressed. Neither was the question of >why monopolies like California's three giant utilities-- >Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, and San >Diego Gas & Electric--would advocate the freeing of their >captive markets. > >In a Dec. 18 column in the Los Angeles Times, consumer >advocate Harvey Rosenfield wrote that the big three >California utilities pushed for deregulation in 1996, but >"were worried that their bloated bureaucracies would not be >able to compete. So they demanded that the ratepayers be >forced to subsidize billions of dollars in uneconomic deals >on the utilities' books. > >"The Legislature agreed, freezing residential and small >business electricity rates for four years at 50 percent >above the national average. In exchange, the law stated that >once the debts were paid off, the rate freeze would end and >consumers would receive a 'guaranteed' 20-percent rate >reduction. Ratepayers have paid Edison $9.3 billion so far >under the 'competition tax.' That was Bailout I." > >As part of deregulation, the big utilities had to begin >selling off their generating plants. The plants were >purchased by about a dozen power companies, the biggest of >which included Enron, Duke Energy, Reliant, Southern Energy >and Dynergy. The California utilities used some of the >proceeds from these sales to build new generating plants in >other parts of the country. > >Duke, Enron and the other power-generating companies now >sell their power to the Power Exchange, California's >centralized electricity market. California utilities, in >turn, are required to buy their energy from the Power >Exchange. > >The California power grid is also linked to a larger western >grid that includes Oregon and Washington state. The > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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