[PEN-L:11092] Middle East: U.S. Should Get Out Of The Persian Gulf!

[Shawgi A. Tell]

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--51FDF8552F5


The U.S. has a long history of declaring any nation which opposes the
U.S. imperialist dictate as a "rogue state." It accuses these nations
of "state-terrorism," and declares they constitute a threat to peace
so as to cover-up the fact that it is U.S. imperialism which is the
biggest aggressor against the peoples of the world and the biggest
threat to peace.

This was underscored during the visit of U.S. Defence Secretary
William Cohen to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman from June 13
to June 18. He made a number of threats against both Iran and Iraq.
Speaking to a news conference in Bahrain on June 16, Cohen said Iran
"continues to support terrorism in addition to developing weapons of
mass destruction, improving missiles that can strike neighbouring
nations and boosting the facility to close the Strait of Hormuz."

He then went on to boast of the U.S. military might in the region.
Bahrain is the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which keeps more
than two dozen warships in the Gulf. "The United States retains
overwhelming naval strength in the Gulf and we are fully capable of
protecting our ships, our interests and our allies," Cohen said,
adding " ... I am satisfied that the United States has the full
capability to stop any operations that Iranians might seek to launch
against us or our allies."

Cohen also accused Iran of attempting to "intimidate its neighbours
and to interrupt commerce in the Gulf." Iran has repeatedly opposed
the presence of U.S. imperialism in the Gulf and along with other
nations in the region, including Iraq, has called for the immediate
withdrawal of all U.S. troops so that the people of the region can
themselves sort out their problems. A commentary carried in Iran News
on June 17 points out that Cohen was trying to "sow again the seeds of
discord between Iran and its neighbours on the southern shores of the
Persian Gulf." "The Isamic republic has existed alongside the Arab
countries for the last 18 years and not a single shot has been fired
at its neighbours from these borders ... ," the article states.

Given that during his entire visit Cohen stressed the "superiority" of
U.S. imperialism's air, naval and fire-power in the region, given the
millions it also spends on intelligence and espionage in the region,
the brutal war of aggression it waged against the Iraqis, its
continued violations of the partial lifting of the UN-imposed embargo
against the people of Iraq and its opposition to its complete lifting,
all that Cohen seemed to prove during his visit is that it is the U.S.
which is guilty of all the crimes of which it accuses others.


CPC(M-L)

Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


--51FDF8552F5--

[PEN-L:11075] U.S. Must Withdraw From the Korean Peninsula

[Shawgi A. Tell]

U.S. imperialism is using the current food shortage in the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea as a justification to escalate its
aggressions against the government and people of the DPRK. U.S.
Defence Secretary William Cohen recently told the Senate Defense
Committee that a possible DPRK "attack" and "threat of several hundred
missiles aiming at south Korea" should be prevented. Exposing U.S.
imperialism's own barbarism, he tried to suggest that the DPRK may
start a war in the Korean Peninsula because of the current food
shortage in the north.

For over 50 years, the Korean people have been demanding the U.S.
withdraw all its forces and weapons from the Korean Peninsula;
instead, the opposite is being done. In April, Defence Department
officials toured Japan and south Korea to discuss "reinforcing" the
U.S. military presence in the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity and
strengthening military drills and "military counter-action". U.S.
imperialism is trying to justify its actions by creating a smokescreen
about the DPRK as a "potential invader".

The statements being made by the U.S., along with the number of
military preparations they are carrying in the Korean Peninsula, prove
conclusively that it is the U.S. and their puppets in south Korea who
are the aggressors and instigators of war in the Korean Peninsula. On
May 30, south Korean Defense Minister Kim Tong Jin issued a statement
alleging that the DPRK has undergone a "military buildup and intensive
training causing deep concern over possible armed provocation against
the south", and proclaimed there was a threat to national security.

The aggressions and provocations of the U.S. and their puppets in
south Korea are creating a tense atmosphere in the Korean Peninsula.
The only way to resolve the problems is for the immediate withdrawal of
all imperialist troops from the region and an immediate halt to all
war preparations in the Korean Peninsula.

CPC(M-L)


Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:11074] UN Human Development Report 1997: Marginalization Of Majority Of World's People

[Shawgi A. Tell]

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) was released this month.
The facts it presents underscore the marginalization of the vast
majority of the world s people and the increasing polarization between
rich and poor, both amongst nations and within them. These facts are
an indictment of the governments of the rich across the world; despite
all their promises that their "international values" of a free-market
economy, political pluralism, and bourgeois human rights would improve
the lot of the world s people, the opposite is the case.

According the report, over 1.4 billion people in the world 20% of
humanity live in abject poverty, surviving on less than the equivalent
of $1 US a day. Another 3.3 billion people 60% of humanity live in
extreme poverty.

The report also highlighted the devastating situation in the countries
of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe where poverty has
increased 30-fold since 1988. The poverty is only expected to grow as
governments speed up the anti-social offensive of privatization and
liberalization.

Within the world s richest nations, more than 100 million people live
in poverty, defined by the UNDP as an income level that is less than
half the national median. The report ranks Canada as the country with
the "highest human development index," an index measured in terms of
the bourgeois notion of human rights. At the same time it criticizes
Canada s high child poverty rates and the rates of poverty, suicide,
unemployment and illness amongst the Aboriginal peoples.


CPC(M-L)

Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:11068] Re: inter-imperialist rivalries

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

On Mon, 30 Jun 1997, James Devine wrote:

> In one of Shawgi's postings, we read the following:
> >>The fact, however, is that the European Union, its member countries, and
> the U.S. have sharp contentions amongst themselves, not to mention the
> Russian Federation. The sharpening rivalries amongst them and the other
> economic powers pose the danger of another world war. The Summit of Eight
> Communique is a manifesto of their common maneouvring for sources of raw
> materials and areas for export of capital which will contribute to this
> danger.<<
> 
> Another world war? So we can simply take Lenin's popular outline,
> IMPERIALISM, and apply it _without_modification_ to understand the
> present-day rivalries amongst the advanced capitalist powers?  
> 
> I think not. There's been a lot of research and thinking on this issue
> since Lenin that shouldn't be ignored. 
> 
> 
> in pen-l solidarity,
> 
> Jim Devine   [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Econ. Dept., Loyola Marymount Univ.
> 7900 Loyola Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045-8410 USA
> 310/338-2948 (daytime, during workweek); FAX: 310/338-1950
> "It takes a busload of faith to get by." -- Lou Reed.
> 

James, would you elaborate?


Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:11059] Denver Summit Of Eight: A Reflection Of Sharpening World Rivalries

[Shawgi A. Tell]

The 3-day 23rd annual G7 Economic Summit and "Denver Summit of Eight"
concluded on June 22. It was held amidst a great deal of propaganda
about the U.S. finally emerging as the "sole military superpower"
within a "unipolar world." In a pre-summit speech, Clinton declared
"we host our partners at a time when America's economy is the
wealthiest in a generation and the strongest in the world."

The fact, however, is that the European Union, its member countries,
and the U.S. have sharp contentions amongst themselves, not to mention
the Russian Federation. The sharpening rivalries amongst them and the
other economic powers pose the danger of another world war. The Summit
of Eight Communique is a manifesto of their common maneouvring for
sources of raw materials and areas for export of capital which will
contribute to this danger.

The Denver Summit of Eight issued a communique declaring that they
have targetted the African nations as an area of expansion. Having
shifted the flow of finance capital to the countries of the former
Soviet Union and Eastern Europe over the past 8 years, they now plan
to take "new concrete action (for) African countries to participate
fully in the expansion of global prosperity." Declaring their pleasure
with "fiscal and financial practices and ... market oriented economic
policies, including trade liberalization and investment climate
improvement" in Africa, they promise "substantial flows of official
development assistance"

In the period leading up to the 50th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights in 1998, they say they will boost
"business and labor support  particularly in young democracies and
societies in conflict." In this regard, the leaders of the greatest
exploiters of the world promise to work for the monopolies that use
the cause of "intolerable forms of child labor" in Asia as a key weapon
in their rivalries.

With their usual demagogy about "peace, nuclear disarmament, and
international stability," these countries that have allied themselves
with the ever-expanding NATO military alliance try to present North
Korea as a "military threat." The Communique says North Korea must
halt its "development, deployment and export of ballistic missiles."

They also declare that China must ensure the holding of "elections in
Hong Kong for a new legislature as soon as possible." They threaten
Iran "to desist from ... support for extremist groups that are seeking
to destroy the Middle East peace process and to destabilize the
region" and call on "all States to avoid cooperation" with Iran that
would help it "to acquire nuclear weapons capabilities, or to enhance
chemical, biological, or missile capabilities in violation of
international conventions or arrangements." They also issued threats
against Iraq and Libya, confirming that one of the sharpest points of
contention is the supply of fossil fuels in the world.

The 1998 Summit of Eight also included a pitiful scenario of Canadian
Prime Minister Jean Chretien being "upset" by Clinton's pre-summit
remarks about the U.S. being the best "model" in the world. Reporters
say that Chretien "bristled" and "snapped" at the suggestion and told
them that "the Canadian model might be better." As the summit began, a
summit of those who are seeking to impose on the entire world the
"model" of a "free-market" economy, political pluralism, and bourgeois
human rights based on the defence of private property, Chretien
officials told reporters that Canada would never "seek to impose" its
economic model on others.


CPC(M-L)

Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:11058] Capitalism Cannot Provide For The People: Quebec Workers Must Lead! Stop Paying The Rich! Increase Funding For Social Programs!

[Shawgi A. Tell]

At the close of the spring session of the Quebec National Assembly on
June 20, Premier Bouchard boasted that "100,000 jobs have been created
since July 1996."

But Premier Bouchard said nothing about the number of jobs destroyed
in the same period, nor about the continuing high levels of
unemployment in Quebec-levels which have been on the rise for decades,
nor about the increasing poverty of the people, nor about the
deterioration of their health and well-being.

Nor did he acknowledge that the state was obliged to give the rich
$2.2 billion to "create" these jobs. In point of fact, what the
reality definitively and indisputably shows is that the current social
system, the capitalist system, cannot provide for the people of
Quebec.

Bouchard also boasted about "taming the deficit monster." "Thanks to
the collective efforts realized this yar," he declared, "we can
confidently confirm that the Quebec deficit will be eliminated in 21
months."

Bouchard's is a very strange notion of "collective effort" indeed. The
society can be described as one collective. Within it there is a
complexity of interests. There are the interests of the individual
members of society. There are the general interests of the society.
There are the interests of the collectives which make up the whole
collectivity of the society, such as the workers, the women, the
youth. Bouchard's notion of a "collective effort" is one where the
whole society has to make an effort and the financial oligarchy reaps
all the rewards.

It is one where the government which claims to represent the
collective, that is the society as a whole, hands over $5 billion to
the financial oligarchy in the form of debt servicing, $2.2 billion to
"create jobs," and billions more in other forms as well. All the
while, it is slashing spending on health care, education and other
social programs and threatens decrees to force the public sector
workers to take wage cuts.

Bouchard tried to paint a rosy picture because he wants to justify the
continuation of his program to pay the rich, but he cannot camouflage
the reality of the situation. As is the case elsewhere in the country,
this program of paying the rich is the Achilles heel of the economy,
as it only expands to the extent that the rich are paid, literally on
the basis of exacting tribute from the people. Satisfying the
increasing material and cultural needs of the people never enters the
equation, except as a future prospect invoked merely to fool them.

Bouchard's "confident confirmation" that the deficit will be
eliminated in 21 months is a warning to the working class and people
that they can only expect more of the same. A reversal of this
offensive is urgently needed and for this the workers and broad masses
of the people need to put forward the pro-social program to Stop
Paying the Rich Increase Funding for Social Programs. Through this
economic and political program, the working class puts forward its
starting point for the harmonization of the individual interests of
the members of society with those of the collective, and the
collective interests with the general interests of the society. It is
the program for the working class to lead a collective effort of the
people to bring an end to the capitalism system and create a new and
modern society which will provide for the people.

CPC(M-L)

Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:11053] Jordanian Collusion Harms Palestinians, Helps Israel, Rewarded by U.S. (fwd)

[Shawgi A. Tell]

FYI

Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


-- Forwarded message --
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 1997 06:52:08 -0700
From: MID-EAST REALITIES <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Multiple recipients of list mer-L <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Jordanian Collusion Harms Palestinians, Helps Israel, Rewarded by U.S.
Resent-Date: Fri, 27 Jun 1997 07:39:18 -0400 (EDT)
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M I D - E A S T   R E A L I T I E S  - http://WWW.MiddleEast.Org
***
   "News, Analysis & Commentary They Don't Want You to Know"
***
JORDANIAN COLLUSION HARMS PALESTINIANS, ENCOURAGES ISRAEL, REWARDED BY
U.S.
***
  

JORDANIAN COLLUSION HARMS

 PALESTINIANS, ENCOURAGES ISRAEL

MER - Washington - 6/27/97:
   The long collusion of the Hashemite Regime in Jordan with the
Zionist movement is well-known to scholars and experts.  COLLUSION
ACROSS THE JORDAN -- a brilliant historical expose  by Professor Avi 
Schlaim at Oxford University -- contains one shocking detail after 
another of how the Jordanians began cooperating with the pre-Israel
Jewish immigrants to the region to undermine the Palestinians during 
the crucial decades of the 30s and 40s.  
   This collusion by a regime established by the British and then 
kept in power by the CIA has never ended.  Rather it was simply hidden 
from view and camouflaged for many years before King Hussein's
recent public agreements with the Israelis -- for which he has been
handsomely paid with American military arms, "economic assistance",
and private assurances of his protection.
   At the very time that the still weak and divided Arab League and 
many demoralized Palestinians are calling for sanctions and boycotts, 
the Jordanians continue to race ahead with economic, political, and 
military deals with the Israelis.  This contemporary collusion has 
even included visits by the notorious Arlel Sharon to Jordan during 
recent months, including meetings with the King, Crown Prince,
and senior military persons.   One can imagine of course the kinds
of things being discussed and the kinds of plots being hatched.  And
indeed Sharon has these "successes" to catapult himself to greater
power in Israel in recent days.
   Jordan's most recent dealings with Israel -- other than the 
growing behind-the-scenes intelligence and military cooperation -- 
have to do with joint tourism and railroad projects which the 
Israelis are very eager to pursue.
  And on the political front the Jordanians continue to insist on 
interfering with the Palestinians on many matters relating to the
occupied territories and Jerusalem.  Just in the past few days a
top level Jordanian delegation has arrived in Israel to "mediate" 
between Christian and Moslem groups over the Hanka Mosque.  
Unable to get even the terribly compromised and corrupt 
"Palestinian Authority" to do want it wants in Jerusalem, the
Israelis have turned to the Jordanians and are once again using
them to further their goals in Jerusalem.
   Meanwhile, press restrictions have been significantly escalated
by the Hashemite Regime since the public Israeli-Jordanian peace 
treat in order to minimize public awareness and discussion of the 
magnitude of Jordanian cooperation with Israel.  In short, its a
most despicable situation.

 -
   
   M I D - E A S T   R E A L I T I E S
(202) 362-5266, Ext 638Fax: (202) 362-6965 [EMAIL PROTECTED]

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[PEN-L:10990] Native Rights: B.C. Northern Land Claim Comes Before Supreme Court

[Shawgi A. Tell]

The Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en First Nations of northern British
Columbia began arguing their claim to over 57,000 square kilometres of
land in northwestern B.C. before the Supreme Court of Canada on June
16.

The land claim, named Delgam Uukw in honour of one of the Gitxsan
chiefs, was initiated in 1984 and is the biggest in Canadian history.
It has gone to court following the failure of the federal and
provincial - governments to reach a settlement with the First Nations
in 1996.

In 1991, Chief Justice Allan McEachern of the B.C. Supreme Court
handed down a decision condemned by many as racist. Judge McEachern
ruled that the hereditary rights of the First Nations making the claim
were extinguished by the Crown in the colonial period. He suggested
the lives of the Aboriginal peoples of northwestern B.C. before the
arrival of the first European settlers were "nasty, brutish and
short," and compared their social organization to that of a pack of
wolves.

The B.C. Court of Appeal unanimously overturned his ruling in 1993,
ruling instead that Aboriginal rights were never extinguished by the
colonial government before Confederation. However, the same court
rejected 3-2 the First Nations' claim to jurisdiction and
self-government on traditional territories.

The 51 First Nations chiefs who have brought the case to court have
called for the full restoration of their hereditary rights. "It has
everything to do with the future," says Herb George, a Wet'suwet'en
chief. "Right now, there is no future on the reserve, there is no
future governing ourselves under the Indian Act. The future lies in
becoming a part of the soiety, in our people being able to take the
benefit in the land and resources that everyone else benefits from."

Continuing with the Canadian state's long-standing practice of trying
to negate the hereditary rights of the Aboriginal peoples, B.C.'s
Attorney General Ministry released a statement last week saying "the
province is not prepared to acknowledge the very expansive conception
of aboriginal title that the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en will be urging
upon the court."

A decision from the Supreme Court is not expected for at least six
months and possibly as long as a year. Gitxsan lawyer Gordon Sebastian
pointed out that irrespective of the Supreme Court decision, the First
Nations will continue to fight for the full affirmation of their
hereditary rights. "It's not going to stop at the Supreme Court," he
told reporters.

CPC(M-L)

Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10961] Middle East: Protests To Mark 30th Anniversary Of Israeli Occupation of Gaza, West Bank

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Thousands of demonstrators marched throughout the Gaza Strip, West
Bank and parts of Jerusalem on June 9, the 30th anniversary of the
Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands. Demonstrators demanded
the immediate withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from the areas and the
cessation of all settlement construction.

In Gaza, over 3,000 demonstrators marched to a road recently shut off
by Israeli soldiers so it could be turned into an access route to a
planned-for settlement. The demonstrators planted olive and fruit
trees at the site. Israeli troops ordered them to leave and when they
refused, responded with tear gas and gunfire. One Palestinian died and
several others were injured.

At another demonstration point, Palestinian truckers blocked the
entrance to a Gaza settlement bloc where a memorial to an Israeli
soldier killed last fall was being unveiled. Three Palestinians were
wounded when soldiers and settlers opened fire on the demonstrators,
with two in serious condition in the hospital.

On the same day, Ahmed Qureia, speaker of the Palestinian Legislative
Council, said the Palestinians would not agree to any resumption of
peace talks if the United States moves to recognize Jerusalem as
Israel's capital. The House of Representatives passed a resolution
calling for the shift on June 7. Jerusalem is the heart of Palestine
and the Palestinian people want it as the capital of an independent
Palestinian state.

In related developments, the United Nations' Committee on the Exercise
of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People used the 30th
anniversary as an occasion to call on the international community to
"recommit itself to ending the decades-long illegal occupation by
Israel of the Palestinian Authority, including Jerusalem and other
Arab territories."

In a statement approved June 6 at the conclusion of a special meeting
at the ambassadorial level marking the thirtieth anniversary of the
Israeli occupation, the Committee said that as a direct result of the
Israeli occupation, the Palestinian people were living as hostages in
their own land and had not been able to enjoy their inalienable rights
under the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.

CPC(M-L)

Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10949] Does A Multi-Party System Mean Democracy?

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

The ruling class puts forward the notion that the "free market
system," "free and fair elections," and the "multi-party system" are
cornerstones of democracy.  Clinton and the US Government go around the
world insisting that a country can only be democratic if they have these
things.  Do these tenets really mean democracy for all? Below we examine
the question of the multi-party system.
Even though the US system has two majority parties and the right
to vote has been legally extended to all citizens over the age of 18, most
Americans have little real say in governmental affairs, and this is
manifested in a consistently low voter turnout for national and local
elections.  Experience with the American political system and the two
major political parties has turned the vast majority away from politics,
equating the word itself with corruption, broken promises and
manipulation.
Political parties were first developed in England as the emerging
capitalist class sought power within the feudal system.  This struggle
played a positive role in working to eliminate the "divine right of kings"
or arbitrary and unbridled rule.  The parties did not emerge to bring
democracy to all, but represented sections of capitalists and landowners.
The main function of political parties at that time was to settle
differences between contending sections of the ruling class.
The Declaration of Independence does not mention political
parties, but rather focuses on entitling men of property to "life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," or more precisely, private
property and ensuring conditions for further profit seeking.  The US
Constitution also says nothing about parties, yet the current government
insists that political parties are the cornerstone of democracy.  What is
the relationship between the emergence of political parties in the US and
the continued protection of property?
As we've seen in the recent elections, parties continue to
represent the rich.  You can participate in politics only if you are
backed by one of the major parties who are supported and funded by the
rich, or if you are rich yourself like Perot.  Parties use whatever method
needed to get into office.  Once there, either party represents the rich
even if the democrats talk like they represent the people.  Some questions
which need investigation are: What are the different sections of the
ruling class today?  Do the two parties represent a difference within the
ruling class?  Or, do they mainly exist to fool the people and legitimize
the system?  One thing which is clear is that having two or more parties
of the rich contending for power still marginalizes the vast majority.
Today's system reduces the people to voting for the lesser of two
evils - both parties of the rich.  A modern definition of the political
process would not be limited to the universal right to vote.  Today what
is needed is for political parties to politicize the people so that they
can come to power themselves.

VOR's Buffalo Forum  4/11/97


Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10937] Re: juneteenth?

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

On Thu, 19 Jun 1997, Peter Bohmer wrote:

> Gordon Taylor made a few mistakes on his history of slavery and I 
> disagree with his analysis of Communism. 
>  
> Slavery lasted into the 1880's in Cuba and Brazil.
> 
> Equating Communism and Nazism is a favorite ploy of those who are 
> downplaying the genocidal nature of Nazism, see the excellent columns by 
> Daniel Singer on this. 
> There are serious problems with what has been called Communism in terms 
> of people having power, democracy. The lack of independent worker's power 
> is part of the reason why multi-nationals can exploit workers today in 
> China and Vietnam. 
> Nevertheless, although I would not call the Soviet  model socialist or 
> communist,  there were some positive aspects in many societies following 
> this model--high employment, smaller wage differentials, challenging 
> United States aggression around the world.
> 
>  Compare, for example, the health and education conditions in "Communist
> Cuba"  to the U.S. backed "democratic" regimes of Mexico, Brazil, Grenada,
> etc. Peter
> 
> On Thu, 19 Jun 1997, Gordon Taylor wrote:
> 
> > In response to the person who was wondering if the US was the last nation to
> > abolish slavery: A number of Islamic nations OFFICIALLY maintained the
> > "peculiar institution" into the 1960's, until world opinion forced them to stop
> > the practice. Many Islamic nations still allow it to go on unofficially-for
> > example, Sudan. (Where is Louis?)  Of course, we have the example of the state
> > slaveries of the twentieth century under Fascism and Communism. The crimes of
> > Nazi Germany were long ago exposed. Communism has (mostly) been dumped on the
> > ashbin of history, and as historian search through the newly open archives, we
> > are learning more and more about the true cost of Communism. It is quite
> > interesting to see how Wall Street all of a sudden had developed a love affair
> > for the last major communist regime left. (The multi-nationale will exploit
> > 
> > the human race?)
> > 
> 

Peter, these are some good points.  As well, it should not be
forgotten that communism (i.e., classless society) has not existed
anywhere for several thousand years.  And that what existed in the USSR
from the mid-fifties onward was pseudo-socialism.  That is, "communism"
did not "fall" in the USSR.  Pseudo-socialism "fell" and capitalism was
restored.
The bourgeoisie's fear of communism is evidenced in the fact that
three million times a year the monopoly-controlled media repeats million
times a year that "communism is dead."  But if it so "dead," then one need
not really worry about it.  Why continue frantically repeating it?


Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10936] Re: juneteenth?

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

On Thu, 19 Jun 1997, Gordon Taylor wrote:

> In response to the person who was wondering if the US was the last nation to
> abolish slavery: A number of Islamic nations OFFICIALLY maintained the
> "peculiar institution" into the 1960's, until world opinion forced them to stop
> the practice. Many Islamic nations still allow it to go on unofficially-for
> example, Sudan. (Where is Louis?)  Of course, we have the example of the state
> slaveries of the twentieth century under Fascism and Communism. The crimes of
> Nazi Germany were long ago exposed. Communism has (mostly) been dumped on the
> ashbin of history, and as historian search through the newly open archives, we
> are learning more and more about the true cost of Communism. It is quite
> interesting to see how Wall Street all of a sudden had developed a love affair
> for the last major communist regime left. (The multi-nationale will exploit
> 
> the human race?)
> 

Of course, the world's most advanced system of wage-slavery is
right here in the U.S., the world's most so-called "democratic" country.


Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10818] IQ, Bell Curve, Human Ability

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

This was posted on another list a while back.  It addresses IQ and human
ability.
---

   
   The conclusion that "human ability varies infinitely" and "the notion
   that human ability is normally distributed" have nothing in common.
   The first conclusion is made strictly on the basis of study of the
   human specie in particular, and the biological world in general. No
   two individuals of any specie, including those amongst the homo
   sapiens, can be the same in all properties. They, of course, will have
   similar qualities but similar is not equal to the same. This is the
   case because the dialectical relationship between structure and
   function, between metabolism and hereditary material does not produce
   absolute specimens. The result is only relative. Furthermore, a specie
   is only a transient, en route to something else.   
   
   The "notion that human ability is normally distributed" is a
   subjective, one-sided, sociological phrase in the service of
   justifying capitalist exploitation. The founding fathers of modern
   capitalist economics, politics and culture based themselves on the
   dogma that there exist amongst people a natural aristocracy, those who
   excel in the capitalist market. This dogma, far from being debunked,
   is used by the declining bourgeoisie for the intensification of
   capitalist exploitation. For this reason the very notion that " human
   ability is normally distributed" is worthless, as is the concept that
   "human nature" is immutable. Likewise the statement that capitalism is
   "natural" is useless as it tells us nothing about the system.
  
   A "normal distribution of abilities" presupposes inherent factors
   imposing such qualities on humans, creating such a state of affairs in
   which some people are more able than the others in the "social,"
   capitalist sense. Modern human beings are not merely objective members
   of the specie homo sapiens. In a manner of speaking they are no longer
   animals. They are human beings born to a society created by
   themselves. The society, at different stages of development, nurtures
   different qualities in human beings. As human beings are products of
   society, changed human beings are products of changed societies.
  
   The "bell curve," according to the educational system, is extremely
   self-serving to the capitalists. Bowing to spontaneity, the
   bourgeoisie does not give a damn what happens to the children of the
   workers and the poor. It only cares for its needs as a class and the
   fate of the children of individual capitalists. As a result it has
   given rise to this anti-people notion of the "bell curve," a concept
   that is actually designed to commit genocide. Education is one of the
   most pernicious weapons in the hands of the capitalists wielded
   against the vast majority of people. This power emanates from their
   economic power.
  
   Ability and education are two different things. Ability is an
   objective category independent of human beings and strictly dependent
   on nature. Ability is a product of nature and develops according to
   the laws of evolution. Labor played a crucial role in the development
   of homo sapiens but only after all the biological, physical
   preparations for the development of human beings were in place through
   evolution. A human being has the ability to abstract absence. A human
   being can think with the use of the highest development of matter, the
   human brain. The pseudo-scientists spend millions of dollars to train
   an animal to abstract absence with no success. The abilities of human
   beings belong to the domain of natural science. At the same time, what
   happens to these abilities in a given society is another matter. The
   capitalist system which develops on the basis of the destruction of
   the productive forces has created a gigantic standing army of
   unemployed worldwide, that totals tens of millions of human beings.
   The ultimate criterion of success within capitalism and its basic aim
   is the making of maximum capitalist profit. These most fundamental
   features of capitalism are destructive of human abilities. A society
   which marginalizes the vast majority of the people, a society which
   produces the greatest charlatans as "stars," and leaders, that society
   cannot be conducive to the appropriate use of human abilities and
   their further development.

   The brain as an instrument of thinking is the most objective thing
   there is. The brain, as an objective thing, exists in the real world.
   What it churns out is dependent on the place the holder of the brain
   occupies in society, that is, the person's social being. Unless the
   brain suffers an injury, or is defective at birth, it is quite capable
   of cognition like any other human brain. Differences arise from the
   place the

[PEN-L:10808] Turkey - Military Coup Approaches (fwd)

[Shawgi A. Tell]

FYI

Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


-- Forwarded message --
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 09:14:57 -0700
From: MID-EAST REALITIES <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Multiple recipients of list MER-L <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Turkey - Military Coup Approaches
Resent-Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 11:39:45 -0400 (EDT)
Resent-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Resent-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

M I D - E A S T   R E A L I T I E S  -  COUP IN TURKEY APPROACHES
***
   "News, Analysis & Commentary They Don't Want You to Know"
***
For previous MER:  http://WWW.MiddleEast.Org


[COMMENT ABOUT MER EARLIER THIS WEEK: "I am (was!) a member of
NAAA, AAI, and ADC...  As far as AAI is concerned, you've only 
confirmed my growing suspicions!  Thank you, thank you, thank 
you for the truth, as usual."
 Cheryl Sadi - 6/13/97


 MILITARY COUP IN TURKEY AIDED AND ABBETTED

 BY BOTH U.S. AND ISRAEL

   [MER - Make no mistake about it.  The military coup in Turkey --
already de facto, likely to soon become de jure -- would not
be taking place but for the encouragement and support of both
Israel and the U.S.  The most senior military leaders in Turkey
have made both public and secret trips to the U.S. and Israel
in recent months.  Egypt is also implicated, hoping to further
stem the tide of its own Islamic/nationalist underground.
   In recent months the U.S. has provided the Turkish military 
with photo-intelligence secrets to assist their invasion of 
Northern Iraq and destruction of the Kurdish insurgency.
   The Israeli military has begun working increasingly closely
with their Turkish counterparts, eager to further threaten Syria 
and to prevent a coalition  of Islamic and nationalist forces 
which might present a military challenge to Israeli regional 
hegemony.
   And the Israeli/Jewish lobby in the U.S. -- including their 
allies at the influential Washington Post newspaper -- have been 
all but publicly endorsing a Turkish military take-over for many 
months now.  Lally Weymouth, daughter of Post owner Katherine
Graham and essentially a card-carrying member of the Israeli 
lobby, has all but endorsed a Turkish Army coup in her editorial
page columns.
   Turkey may be on the road to becoming another bloody Algeria,
which descended into civil war earlier in this decade when the
Algerian military took over and prevented an Islamic nationalist
electoral victory.  The dike will probably hold for awhile; but
when the flood comes it will be more violent than would otherwise
have been the case.
   This recent AP story gives some useful background but fails to 
go into the U.S. and Israeli roles in what is taking place today.]
  

  FEARS OF MILITARY COUP INTENSITY
 
By Zeynep Alemdar

  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) 6/12/97 - Fears of a military coup 
intensified in Turkey today, prompted by the harshest warning yet 
from the powerful armed forces to the Islamic-led government.
  In a rare briefing for journalists, the military declared
Wednesday that a violent Islamic uprising was near and that it was
prepared to use force to stop it.
  ``Last warning from the army,'' read the headlines today in the
nation's two leading newspapers, Milliyet and Yeni Yuzyil.
  ``The only thing missing was the date'' of the coup, wrote Derya
Sazak, another daily newspaper.
  The military has staged coups three times in this NATO-member
country since 1960. The army, which sees itself as the guarantor of
modern Turkey's secular traditions, has been uneasy since Islamic
Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan's coalition government took power
11 months ago.
  The military repeatedly has ordered Erbakan to curb his
pro-Islam policies. But the Islamic leader has remained defiant.
  ``Radical Islamic activities have gained momentum towards a
civil uprising,'' Gen. Fevzi Turkeri said Wednesday. ``The basic
principles of the Turkish republic cannot be changed, will not be
changed.''
  Turkeri added that Turkish law obliges the armed forces to
protect the nation. The Turkish military is ``in a position to
define a mission for itself under these circumstances,'' he said.
  The warning apparently shook the government.
  Deputies from the pro-Western, center-right True Path held an
emergency party meeting late Wednesday to try to pressure their
leader, Deputy Premier Tansu Ciller, to withdraw from the coalition
with Erbakan's Welfare Party.
  ``There is a reality of a (pending) coup in the country. We have
to pull out of the government urgently,'' the daily Hurriyet quoted
True Path deputy Osman Sonmez as saying.
  Sonmez refused to comment on his reported remarks today, but
other politicians also predicted a coup.
  ``The soldiers are openly saying ``W

[PEN-L:10760] Re: books on contemporary imperialism

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

On Wed, 11 Jun 1997, John Lawrence Gulick wrote:

> Dear all,
> 
> I am a sociology graduate student at the University of California-Santa 
> Cruz and I am teaching a course this summer on the history of world 
> capitalism. I was wondering if any of you out there could recommend an 
> elusive book hot off the presses on the following topic: contemporary 
> imperialist rivalry between the U.S., Japan, and the EC, with references 
> to such phenomena as the Gulf War, Helms-Burton, U.S. sanctions against 
> "rogue states," trade and investment policy w/China, the formation of 
> supra-national currency blocs, the expansion of NATO, disputes in the 
> WTO, and so on. I've been looking for such a comprehensive and 
> theoretically savvy source but haven't found it yet.
> 
> Whatever help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Just e-mail 
> me directly.
> 
> Thanks much in advance,
> 
> John Gulick
> Sociology Graduate Program
> UC-Santa Cruz
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 

One book on this topic which has increasing relevance everyday is
Lenin's "Imperialism: The Last Stage of Capitalism."


Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10720] One Nation, Many Peoples

[Shawgi A. Tell]

  
Greetings,

In June 1991, members of the New York Social Studies Review and 
Development Committee published a report entitled, "One Nation, Many 
Peoples: A Declaration of Cultural Interdependence."  The committee was 
comprised of roughly 25 members.  
This committee was asked to "review existing State social studies 
syllabi and to make recommendations to the Commissioner designed to 
increase students' understanding of American culture and its history; the 
cultures, identities, and histories of the diverse groups which comprise 
American society today; and the cultures, identities, and histories of 
other peoples throughout the world" (iv).
As with most, perhaps all, "official" reports, statements, 
position papers, articles and books on multiculturalism and 
multiculturalist education, there are 50 problems with this report.  Below
is one.
One of the committee members, Ali Al'Amin Mazrui, Albert Schweitzer 
Professor in the Humanities at SUNY Binghamton, contends: 

"The long-term crisis of the United States...may 
ultimately be concerned with how the young are 
brought up and educated.  What needs to be 
re-structured is not necessarily the economy or 
the American Constitution.  It is the context 
within which children are reared and educated" (42).

Is this view progressive?  Is it consistent with modern  
requirements? Does it take real life as its starting-point?


Capitalist Economic System: Block To Progress
-
Economic relations are extremely significant.  They form the base 
of every society and the social relations people enter into.  Capitalist
social relations are dehumanizing, oppressive and exploitative because all
the products of social labor are appropriated (robbed) by the
owners of the means and instruments of production, an extremely small
section of the population.  This is possible because capitalist
private property forms the basis of society.  The overwhelming majority,
the most multiracial and multiethnic segment of our society, are condemned
to wage labor for life.  They are considered commodities, incidental to
the labor process.
While labor, the source of all wealth, is increasingly social,
cooperative and large-scale, ownership remains private, individual and
competitive.  Unsurprisingly, the "combined wealth of the top 1 percent
of U.S. families is about the same as that of the entire bottom 95
percent" (Holly Sklar, Jobs, Income, and Work. Ruinous Trends, Urgent
Alternatives, 1995, p. 9).  Under the capitalist form of economy,
which Mazrui says does not need to be "re-structured," the rich get
richer and the poor poorer.
But since all the material and cultural blessings of society are 
produced by society, by hundreds and millions of people, then
society, not the privileged few, should own and control these blessings.
Economic relations must be "re-structured" if the Old state of affairs,
if exploitation, is to end.  Harmonizing the relations and forces of
production would end the exploitation of the majority by the minority.
The socialization of the instruments and means of production is the modern
precondition for democracy true to itself.
The capitalist economic system gives rise to the greater and
greater concentration and centralization of economic and political power 
in fewer and fewer hands.  Monopoly in economics means monopoly in
politics.  The increasing marginalization and ghettoization of the immense
majority is the product of this tendency.  It is extremely strange that
nowhere do champions or opponents of multiculturalist education discuss
the relations and forces of production.
Finally, "the context within which children are reared and
educated" is capitalism, an economic system which does not work for the
vast majority.  Why then does Mazrui say that the economy does not need to
be "re-structured" and then say that "the context within which children
are reared and educated" (i.e., capitalism) needs to be "re-structured"?
This is extremely strange.  Is there any scientific and progressive reason
to preserve exploitation and oppression?


American Constitution: An Anachronistic Document

This centuries-old document not only does not mention education,
it does not even guarantee any human rights.  Nor does it contain a 
definite conception of citizenship which stipulates that all 
citizens have equal rights and duties.  Additionally, nowhere are the 
inviolable rights of national minorities, women, the youth, Aboriginal
peoples and other collectives in society affirmed.  More, the U.S.
Constitution, the fundamental law of the land, is not laid down by the
people, by the vast majority.
Should not a modern constitution enshrine the fundamental principle 
that all humans have inviolable rights by dint of being human? 

[PEN-L:10716] Conditions Of Work For Women Deteriorate (Canada)

[Shawgi A. Tell]

 -Only 20% of women have full-time, full-year jobs which pay more than
  $30,000 per year, compared to 40% of men.
 
 -Canada has the second highest incidence of low-paid employment for women
  (34.3%) among all industrialized (OECD) countries. Only Japan (37.2%)
  was worse.
 
 -While women account for less than 20% of those in the top ten paying job
  categories, they represent more than 70% in the lowest paying jobs.
 
 -The unemployment rate for young women (under 24): 15.6%; for "visible
  minority" women: 13.4%; for Aboriginal women: 17.7%; and for women with
  disabilities: 16.6%. Research produced by the Disabled Women's Network
  of Canada shows that 65% of women with disabilities who were unemployed
  wanted to work.
 
 -In less than 20 years, the number of women part-time workers has
  increased by 200%. Throughout that period, women made up 70% of the
  part-time workforce. Over a third of part-time workers wanted to work
  full-time, but could only find part-time work.
 
 -One in ten jobs are now temporary. Over a period of fifteen years, the
  number of women working more than one job increased by 372%
 
 (Source: Canadian Labour Congress, Women's Work: A Report, Ottawa, March
1997.)

Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10695] Reply To Tom

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

On Sat, 7 Jun 1997, Tom Walker wrote:

> Shawgi Tell wrote,
> 
> > Serious social problems cannot be solved if the people are
> >not in power, if they do not have a real and decisive say in the direction
> >of society, if they remain disempowered, if they lack sovereignty, if they
> >merely beg the bourgeoisie for what is rightfully theirs.

[Snip...}

> You seem to be saying that nothing
> can happen until "the people" are in power. Although I don't agree, let's
> say I do for the sake of argument. Then the next question is how do we get
> there from here. Your answer then seems to be "by exhorting people over and
> over again that nothing can happen until the people are in power."

    Tom, here is my recent reply to Blair.

On Mon, 9 Jun 1997, Shawgi A. Tell wrote:

Blair, briefly, analysis shows that what is needed is an entirely
 New electoral process and political system.  The present set-up of the
 super-wealthy only serves to effectively marginalize and ghettoize the
 broad masses of the people.  Democratic renewal is needed.
A key feature of democratic renewal is to remove the right to
 select candidates for election from the hands of party leaders only and
 create institutions and mechanisms which vest the right to select
 candidates for election in the hands of every single member of the polity.
 Related changes include the creation of institutions and mechanisms which
 enable every single member of the polity the right to initiate
 legislation, to recall elected officials and to a truly informed
 vote.  As well, referenda, when held, would actually be binding.  Today,
 referenda are routinely held in many places, but are not binding, are
 routinely dismissed by the ruling classes and its servants.
Many other things, including changes in broadcast time alloted to
 officially registered parties and campaign financing must be implemented.
 The Canada Elections Act as well as the Federal Elections Commission Act
 (U.S.) clarify the extent to which only those with extremely large amounts
 of wealth are privileged by the extant electoral system.
Democratic renewal means creating a New electoral system, the only
 way to constitute a New and different kind of government, to vest
 sovereignty in the people for the first time.
The creation of a modern constitution is also key.  Every modern
 constitution must base itsself on the cardinal principle that all humans
 have inviolable rights by dint of being human.  As well, every modern
 constitution must enshrine a definite conception of citizenship which
 stipulates that all have equal rights and duties.  It must also affirm the
 specific rights of national minorities, Aboriginal peoples, women, the
 youth and other collectives in society.  All this is absent at this time.
In order to bring about all these qualitative changes which will,
 for the first time, empower all members of the polity, there must be
 organized collective discussion on a broad scale in educational
 institutions, workplaces, neighborhoods, military units, seniors' homes,
 religious congregations and youth organizations.  
"Discussion" means actually investigating the essence of social
 problems and on that basis proposing real solutions.  As is well-known, at
 this time the instruments of discussion (e.g., the media and educational
 institutions) are monopolized by the bourgeoisie and used to mystify,
 disinform and divert people.
Once the working class and people come to power they will have to
 work ten times harder than before coming to power.  This is when the
 "real" work begins, so to speak.  Capitalism will not just disappear when
 the working class and people come to power.  But nor can the
 crisis-ridden economy be reorganized without political power in the hands
 of the vast majority.
Please let me know if I can clarify or elaborate on
 anything.

Tom, I'd appreciate your views on this.

[Snip...]

Tom continues:
--
> On the efficacy of the strike, you said,
> 
> > Tens of millions of workers have participated in thousands and
> >thousands of strikes around the world in the last few decades.  This is
> >extremely positive.  But have strikes led to the actual political
> >empowerment of the working class and people?  No.  [etc.]
> 
> By your own reasoning, I don't know how you could see workers' participation
> in strikes as "extremely positive" if they haven't led to political power.
> There is much that I could say to elaborate on the relationship between the
> strike and workers' power, but I'll just mention a few themes -- 

It is extremely positive in the sense that workers are not passive
and docile, that they are defending their dignity, honor and rights. 

[PEN-L:10657] Reply To Blair

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

On Fri, 6 Jun 1997 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

Shawgi stated:

> > How can workers limit the working day if there aren't even any
> >mechanisms in society which put them in a position to begin
> >making meaningful decisions?  What can be achieved by workers so long as
> >they remain politically disempowered?  Again, to bring about any changes
> >for the better, people must first have supreme political decision-making
> >power. At this time they do not.
> 
> Shawgi:
> 
> I would like to know what you propose as a strategy for the workers to have
> supreme political decision-making power. I do not say this to be snide nor
> as a rhetorical challenge. My understanding is that workers will not fight
> for power unless they see a realistic vision of how they could achieve
> power and what they would do with it once they had it.
> 
> Blair

Blair, briefly, analysis shows that what is needed is an entirely
New electoral process and political system.  The present set-up of the
super-wealthy only serves to effectively marginalize and ghettoize the
broad masses of the people.  Democratic renewal is needed.
A key feature of democratic renewal is to remove the right to
select candidates for election from the hands of party leaders only and
create institutions and mechanisms which vest the right to select
candidates for election in the hands of every single member of the polity.
Related changes include the creation of institutions and mechanisms which
enable every single member of the polity the right to initiate
legislation, to recall elected officials and to a truly informed
vote.  As well, referenda, when held, would actually be binding.  Today,
referenda are routinely held in many places, but are not binding, are
routinely dismissed by the ruling classes and its servants.
Many other things, including changes in broadcast time alloted to
officially registered parties and campaign financing must be implemented.
The Canada Elections Act as well as the Federal Elections Commission Act
(U.S.) clarify the extent to which only those with extremely large amounts
of wealth are privileged by the extant electoral system.
Democratic renewal means creating a New electoral system, the only
way to constitute a New and different kind of government, to vest
sovereignty in the people for the first time.
The creation of a modern constitution is also key.  Every modern
constitution must base itsself on the cardinal principle that all humans
have inviolable rights by dint of being human.  As well, every modern
constitution must enshrine a definite conception of citizenship which
stipulates that all have equal rights and duties.  It must also affirm the
specific rights of national minorities, Aboriginal peoples, women, the
youth and other collectives in society.  All this is absent at this time.
In order to bring about all these qualitative changes which will,
for the first time, empower all members of the polity, there must be
organized collective discussion on a broad scale in educational
institutions, workplaces, neighborhoods, military units, seniors' homes,
religious congregations and youth organizations.  
"Discussion" means actually investigating the essence of social
problems and on that basis proposing real solutions.  As is well-known, at
this time the instruments of discussion (e.g., the media and educational
institutions) are monopolized by the bourgeoisie and used to mystify,
disinform and divert people.
Once the working class and people come to power they will have to
work ten times harder than before coming to power.  This is when the
"real" work begins, so to speak.  Capitalism will not just disappear when
the working class and people come to power.  But nor can the
crisis-ridden economy be reorganized without political power in the hands
of the vast majority.
Please let me know if I can clarify or elaborate on
anything.


Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10642] Reply To Tom

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

On Fri, 6 Jun 1997, Tom Walker wrote:

> Shawgi, 
> 
> You said the people in the U.S. don't hold political power (we were talking
> about Canada, but what the hell) and they're extremely unhappy with the
> political system. Sure. 

Tom, the vast majority in the U.K., U.S. and Canada are
marginalized and ghettoized by the system of so-called "representative"
democracy.  In Canada, for example, 98% of the polity cannot select their
own candidates for election.  Nor can they initiate legislation.  
In all these countries the elctorate remains subordinate to the
"elected."  
Whereever the so-called "multi-party" system and the so-called
"free market" economy  exist, people, the vast majority, the propertyless,
are extremely dissatisfied and suffering.

> But then you said "in order for society to move
> forward, people must first have real and decisive decision-making power."
> For the sake of argument, I'll overlook the redundancy and focus only the
> imperative of your priority -- that is to say your "must first". I hate to
> sound corny, but isn't that like saying "in order to go someplace you *must
> first* already be there?" 

Serious social problems cannot be solved if the people are
not in power, if they do not have a real and decisive say in the direction
of society, if they remain disempowered, if they lack sovereignty, if they
merely beg the bourgeoisie for what is rightfully theirs.
To date, not a single serious social problem of the 20th has been
solved. All serious social problems continue to worsen in a society whose
agenda is set by an extremely small section of the population, by the
owners of the means and instruments of production.  
If the workers want something then they must have real and
decisive decision-making power.  They cannot have anything without any
real and decisive say in political, economic and social matters, without
organizing to come to power.  Once in power, the working class and people
will be able to exercise their sovereignty, realize their demands and
needs.
In order for the vast majority to set the agenda in society for
the first time, that is, in order for the will and aspirations of the
immense majority to be realized, the politics-of-the-rich must be rejected
and a New kind of politics, the politics-of-empowerment, must be taken up.
This is impossible to do without organized collective political discussion
on a broad scale.  Such discussion is largely absent at this time.

[Snip...]

> In closing you ask, "How can workers limit the working day if there aren't
> even any mechanisms in society which put them in a position to begin making
> meaningful decisions?"
> 
> Forgive me if I answer with only one word: STRIKE.

How will this empower?  How will it lead to a situation where the
working class and people, not the explioting minority, set the agenda in
society?  In other words, is there any scientific and progressive reason
why the workers should not have as their key aim the conquering of
political power, why they should not go directly for power, why they
should continue to beg the bourgeoisie for what is rightfully theirs to
begin with? 
Tens of millions of workers have participated in thousands and
thousands of strikes around the world in the last few decades.  This is
extremely positive.  But have strikes led to the actual political
empowerment of the working class and people?  No.  Do the people now set
the agenda in society?  No.  Have serious social problems been solved?
No. Do we still live in a society where the rich get richer and the poor
poorer?  Yes.  Is society still sliding toward medievalism?  Yes.  So,
what is needed for the people themselves to come to power, to end their
marginalization and isolation, to develop unity and their own class
independence?

> Regards, 
> 
> Tom Walker
> ^^
> knoW Ware Communications  |
> Vancouver, B.C., CANADA   |   "Though I may be sent to Hell for it,
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] | such a God will never command my respect."
> (604) 688-8296|   - John Milton
> ^^
>  The TimeWork Web: http://mindlink.net/knowware/worksite.htm


Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10637] Americans & Israelis Threatened...may be just the beginning (fwd)

[Shawgi A. Tell]

FYI

Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


-- Forwarded message --
Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 19:35:57 -0700
From: MID-EAST REALITIES <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Americans & Israelis Threatened...may be just the beginning

MID-EAST REALITIES - Americans & Israelis Threatened as Civil Conflict
 Becomes More Likely in Turkey
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[MER - As Turkey moves toward civil striff, as the Middle East
region furiously arms for future battle, and as the Turkish 
invasion of northern Iraq proceeds with American and Israeli
encouragement, new forces are brewing in the region and new 
forms of "terrorism" -- historically the underdog's weapon of 
choice -- may be coming.  This Reuter dispatch from a few days
ago didn't get the attention it deserves in the U.S. in the midst 
of the McVey/Oklahoma Bombing trial extravaganza.  Like so many 
other groups in the Middle East, now the Kurds are experiencing
the growth of passions calling for revenge against the Americans 
and the Israelis.  One day this powder-key of hate could yet
explode, sweeping the region from country to country.]



AMERICANS AND ISRAELIS MAY BE TARGETED
  
 BEIRUT, Lebanon (Reuter 6/2/97 ) - The Kurdistan Workers 
Party (PKK) Monday threatened worldwide attacks against Israeli 
and U.S. targets if the two countries continued to ``support 
Turkish massacres against Kurds.'' 
 PKK central committee member Halil Atas told reporters in a  
Beirut suburb -- a bastion of the pro-Iranian Hizbollah 
guerrillas -- that the PKK planned attacks against tourist 
centers in Turkey and warned tourists of the dangers of spending 
their vacations there. 
 ``In order to put Turkey in a state of bankruptcy we will  
hit its economy and we will especially attack touristic centers. 
We have planned specific attacks against such targets,'' he 
said. 
 Speaking as Turkey's foray in pursuit of PKK guerrillas in  
northern Iraq entered its 19th day, Atas urged countries of the 
region to take a decisive stance in order to bring the Turkish 
``barbaric attacks'' to an end. 
 Meanwhile, Turkish troops backed by artillery, armor and  
helicopter gunships continued to consolidate their positions in 
northern Iraq. 
 ``We will not be responsible for the safety of tourists. We  
are warning tourists and we are saying that it is dangerous for 
you to go there ... Turkey is a dangerous country,'' Atas said. 
 The PKK also planned attacks against U.S. and Israeli  
``non-civilian'' targets, he added. 
 ``Our plan is to attack Turkish, American and Israeli  
centers but not civilians and we are warning them not to support 
the massacres taking place against the Kurdish people.'' 
 The campaign against Kurds was carried out under a strategic  
deal between the three countries, he said. 
 ``If these countries continue to carry out massacres against  
the Kurdish people then these people will make their objective 
to hit targets of these countries in the world,'' he said. 


 MID-EAST REALITIES
  For previous MER go to: http://www.MiddleEast.Org
---

 For info about COME email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For info about MID-EAST REALITIES TV email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10616] Reply To Tom

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

On Thu, 5 Jun 1997, Tom Walker wrote:

> Shawgi Tell asked,
> 
> >Tom what do you think is needed to move society forward?  I posed
> >this question to Michael yesterday.  Hope to hear from the both of you and
> >others.
> 
> I will begin with a brief citation, which not only sums up my own position
> but states the practical program drafted by Karl Marx and adopted by the
> Congress of the International Working Men's Association at Geneva in 1866:
> "The limitation of the working day is a preliminary condition without which
> all further attempts at improvement and emancipation must prove abortive."
> 
> A U.S. resolution to the same aim, also adopted in 1866, concluded with the
> following oath: "We are resolved to put forth all our strength until this
> glorious result is attained."
> 
> What is needed is a broad popular movement to limit the working day. No one
> has asked me what my program would be if I found myself suddenly the
> socialist prime minister of France. But I'll answer anyway. My program would
> be based on the principle that so long as a single person is unable to find
> sustaining work, the hours of labour are too long. My program would also be
> based on dismantling the state apparatus that has been built up for the sole
> purpose of artificially prolonging the working day (and thereby underwriting
> the accumulation of capital and fostering division among workers).
> 
> I wouldn't bother expounding on whether such policies are social democratic,
> socialist or communist. I would defend them on the sole grounds that they
> are necessary and just. I would be shot within a few weeks.


Tom, at this time the broad masses of the people in the U.S. do
not hold supreme political decision-making power.  They do not set the
agenda in society, nor do they lay down any of the laws.  They have no
real and decisive say in the direction of society and continue to be
marginalized and ghettoized by the present political and economic set-up
of the bourgeoisie.  They are extremely dissatisfied with the political
process, politicians and political parties of the super-rich.
In order for any serious social problem to be solved, in order for
society to move forward, people must first have real and decisive
decision-making power.  They must first be sovereign.  They cannot come to
power, and therefore affect change for the better, if the present set-up
of the super-rich is not rejected and a New electoral process created.
So, for example, work hours, healthcare, employmnet, education,
housing, enviornmental problems, arms problems, racism, inequality,
poverty and so on cannot be properly addressed, let alone solved, unless
the people are politically empowered, unless they capture the present
state, smash it and erect a new one.   Once people have political power,
once the people themselves are sovereign, then they themsleves, not the 
so-called "experts" and politicians, can take the urgent steps to
eliminate the crisis-ridden capitalist system, the source of all
exploitation and oppression.
Let me give you an example of how extremely dangerous it is to
promote something other than the concrete political empowerment of the
citizenry.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney spoke at the 1996 Democratic
convention and made clear what class stand he is pushing on the workers:
"What do working families want?  They don't want to run the Congress, or
the White House or the political parties.  They want to be compensated and
respected for the contributions they make.  They want to send their
children to decent schools.  They want to go to a safe workplace everyday.
They want a doctor when they need one, a little rest when they are weary,
and a pension after a lifetime of work."
It is necessary to seriously consider the class stand being
pushed by Sweeney.  Workers *do want* control over their lives and
are dissatisfied with the present political set-up.  Without political
power, how can workers have a role in deciding the direction of society?
Who is served when union leaders put forward the view that workers want no
political control?  This is a class stand in favor of the status quo, in
favor of keeping the rich in power.
The content given for what workers want reflects the same stand.
No doubt workers want respect, safety, pensions, schools and doctors.  But
can this be the limit of the vision of the working class?  As producers of
all social wealth, shouldn't workers have a say in the direction of the
economy?  What about discussing how to organize an economic system that
not only "compensates" workers but meets the ever growing material and
cultural needs of all members of society?  What about a government that
guarantees human rights?  This means, for example, not just "decent
schools" and doctors, but the best possible education and healthcare, free
and equal for all, from cradle to the grave.  It means necessities like
food, shelter, clothing a

[PEN-L:10563] Question For Tom (And Others)

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

Tom what do you think is needed to move society forward?  I posed
this question to Michael yesterday.  Hope to hear from the both of you and
others.


Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10556] Re: French elections

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

On Thu, 5 Jun 1997, Doug Henwood wrote:

> Michael Perelman wrote:
> 
> >The answer is that I would not even think of coming up with such a
> >program.  I would devote my energies to reinvigorating the grass roots.
> >In the U.S., much the most progressive legislation in our history came
> >during the Nixon years.  Did Nixon have an effective reformist program?
> >Of course not.  People were in the streets.
> 
> When Tavis asked the WITBD question, I was glad it wasn't me who had to answer.
> 
> Michael, you have a point here, but it's not enough to talk about the grass
> roots. Of course any seriously radical movement needs a mass base, but
> that's not enough. Most ordinary folks are completely confused by what's
> going on and feel utterly alone and powerless. To reinvigorate the grass
> roots requires explaining to people the world as it is and as it might be.
> That's what radical intellectuals are supposed to do, but we're not doing
> much of it.

The so-called "experts," academicians and politicians are only
blocking the path of progress to the society at this time.  Ordinary
people know that what is needed is a society in which, for the first time, 
they have a real and decisive say, that really full democracy is absent
and that the super-wealthy set the agenda in society.  The present
electoral set-up of the financial oligarchy, which has disempowered the
vast majority since its inception, is beginning to fail even the
super-wealthy.  Needed is an entirely new electoral system, one which
brings the people to power.


> Doug Henwood
> Left Business Observer
> 250 W 85 St
> New York NY 10024-3217 USA
> +1-212-874-4020 voice  +1-212-874-3137 fax
> email: 
> web: 


Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10546] ELECTION '97: Marxist-Leninist Party Vote More Than Doubles While The Crisis Of The Parliamentary Democracy Deepens (Canada)

[Shawgi A. Tell]

  This message is in MIME format.  The first part should be readable text,
  while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware tools.
  Send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] for more info.

--57FCBE467B


 ELECTION '97
Marxist-Leninist Vote More Than Doubles
While the Crisis of the Parliamentary Democracy Deepens

For the first time since 1972, the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada
made headway in a federal election as compared to previous elections.
>From 1972 to 1993, the MLPC received on the average less than one
hundred votes per candidate (at least 65 candidates were fielded) and the
pattern never changed. With this election, held 25 years since the MLPC
first participated in federal elections, the average vote has more than
doubled. This is a very definite indication that there is a stirring
amongst the people in support of the Marxist-Leninists. At the same time,
the election results also reveal the extent to which the parliamentary
crisis of the bourgeoisie's democracy has deepened. Five parties will
receive official status in the parliament. The "party in power" is mainly
represented in one province, while the so-called opposition is merely
regional. As has happened in other countries, the system no longer
operates in which one party rules while the other stands in the wings
to be elected once the party in power can no longer fool the
electorate. These results clearly show once again that the political
system has become anachronistic. This present situation is neither
what parliamentary democracy ought to be nor is it a situation where
people have a say in the matter. Conditions are crying out for
democratic renewal.

In his outburst after the election results were announced, Jean
Chretien claimed that he has now the mandate to go into the
twenty-first century. What is Jean Chretien going to take into the
twenty-first century? He spoke in the most nauseating fashion about
"Canadian values". He promises to take these "Canadian values" into
the 21st century. In other words, according to him, the twenty-first
century will be the same and the people will be stuck with the 19th
century ideas of empire building. Why does Jean Chretien not believe
that the 21st century will be the century of rejection of what has
become anachronistic? The reason he does not believe that is because
if he believed it then he will have either absolutely nothing to say
or he has to accept the CPC(M-L) program of democratic renewal. The
leaders of the other four official parties in the House of Commons
were equally nauseating in their remarks after the election results
were in. From Preston Manning who is now the leader of the "loyal
opposition" to Duceppe, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois to be the
"most disloyal opposition", Alexa McDonough, leader of the NDP and
John Charest, leader of the Progressive Conservatives, none of them
had anything to say which is different from that of Jean Chretien.
>From all their remarks, it is clear that these are the five parties
which the people have to defeat in the post-election period.

The working class now has a banner in the program elaborated by
CPC(M-L) - Stop Paying the Rich - Increase Funding for Social
Programs. Workers must follow CPC(M-L) in hoisting this banner high by
fighting for the implementation of this program. From now on, the
battle cry of the working class will be Stop Paying the Rich -
Increase Funding for Social Programs, while the five official parties
in the House of Commons will be making apologies about why the working
class should keep on paying the rich which will help them. This is the
tattered banner of the financial oligarchy which is being rejected all
over the world, not to speak of Canada. The federal election has given
rise to two banners - the banner of the working class and the tattered
banners of all those who shed crocodile tears in order to stop the
working class from hoisting this banner.

CPC(M-L) put forward its historic initiative in January 1995. One of
the key elements of the Historic Initiative is to transform CPC(M-L)
into a mass communist party. The more than doubling of votes in the
election in June '97 is an example, even though a small one, of how
the Party will assume a mass character. Such examples are bound to
become greater as the working class holds higher and higher the banner
of Stop Paying the Rich - Increase Funding for Social Programs. We
call upon all those who have expressed their confidence in us to not
stop with the end of the election. The real struggle begins now.
Besides strengthening CPC(M-L) and its mass organizations and the work
of the All-Parties Political Forum, all sympathizers of CPC(M-L) must
carry forward the program to Stop Paying the Rich - Increase Funding
for Social Programs. We express our satisfaction with the advance
which has been made. It is a small advance, but still it is an
advance. With the work carried out in the post-elec

[PEN-L:10527] Reply To Michael

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

On Wed, 4 Jun 1997, Michael Perelman wrote:

> The French elections were a tragedy.  From what I understand, the left
> comes in without a program.  Please correct me if I am wrong.  They will
> offer a kindler, gentler neo-liberalism, something like Giscard.  The
> people will become disgusted, giving more credibility to the right.

The so-called "left" are social-democrats who, as in many other
countries where pseudo socialists and phoney communists have come to
power, do not differ ideologically from the so-called "right." Both
servants of the financial oligarchy champion capitalist private property
as the basis of "civilized" society and both believe capitalism will, can
and should last forever.  Both take ideas, and not real-life, as their
starting point and pretend that capitalism does work.  That is, they
ignore reality.
The situation is presented as one of socialists and communists
coming to power to do exactly the same thing that standard reactionaries
and imperialists do.  In this way the people are supposed to come to see
that socialism and communism (as presented by the financial oligarchy) 
are no better than capitalism, that capitalism might actually be a
"better" alternative, perhaps even the only alternative.  This is the main
function of the "left-Right" dogma.  It serves to conceal the stubborn
fact that the real struggle, the key struggle, remainss between the two
main, the two key, irreconcilable classes in society, the bourgeoisie and
proletariat and not the so-called "right" or so-called "left."

> It is sad that we are in such a mess as to look to a disaster in the
> making like this as a ray of hope.

Who are you speaking for?  Many ordinary people see through the 
talk-shop and diversionary character of the so-called "multi-party system"
being imposed on everyone by western imperialists, especially U.S.
imperialism.  They realize that 18th and 19th century institutions are an
impediment to progress on the eve of the 21st century.  many see that
this system of so-called "representative" democracy is designed to fool
the people.  It is this "multi-party system" which is effectively
marginalizing and ghettoizing the broad masses of the people all over the
world, particularly Canada and the United States.
It seems that what is needed is for the people themselves to
search for solutions and to set the agenda in society.  Relying on the
so-called "experts" and politicians is extremely unhelpful, useless.  Of
course, for the people themselves to become politically empowered there
must be organized collective discussion (i.e., all-sided concrete analysis
of concrete conditions) in educational institutions, workplaces,
neighborhoods, seniors' homes, youth organizations, military units,
religious congregations and elsewhere.  Such discussion on creating a New
society is largely absent, especially in academe.  But without such
discussion, inquiry and investigation there can be no working class unity
and political effectiveness, there can be no end to the dictatorship of
the bourgeoisie in all its forms.
Michael, what do you think is needed to move society forward?  How
can the people, the vast majority, come to have a real and decisive say in
the direction of society for the first time?


> Michael Perelman
> Economics Department
> California State University
> Chico, CA 95929
> 
> Tel. 916-898-5321
> E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]

 
Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10510] Kuttab, his US employers, & torturing Palestinians into submission (fwd)

[Shawgi A. Tell]

FYI

Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


-- Forwarded message --
Date: Tue, 03 Jun 1997 11:17:21 -0700
From: MID-EAST REALITIES <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Kuttab, his US employers, & torturing Palestinians into submission

MID-EAST REALITIES - Kuttab works for the Americans, others don't
**
TORTURING PALESTINIANS - It's really the Americans
**
To receive MER weekly send a reply message with words "SEND MER".
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
**
For past MER information: WWW.MiddleEast.Org
-
  
 
 DAOUD KUTTAB GETS WHITE HOUSE HELP

OTHER PALESTINIANS TORTURED TO DEATH

   MER - Washington - 6/3/97:
   While the White House was busy protesting Arafat's police 
arresting Daoud Kuttab -- a Palestinian essentially working for 
the Americans through the thin veil of an organization known
as InterNews -- a Palestinian was being tortured to death by
the Israelis.  
   Kuttab was never in any real danger -- and in the end he 
praised Arafat, ceased his broadcasts, and is enjoying all the 
attention.  The Americans have created a journalist and hero 
out of a very ordinary Palestinians who has no significant 
accomplishments to his name and who is known for being an 
opportunist despised by many who know him.  
   Khalid Abu Dayyeh, and large numbers of Palestinians did
need serious help, however.  He was being tortured, now he is 
dead, and even the story of what happened to him has been lied 
about by the Israelis -- something they get away with because 
so much of the press allows them to and because the Americans 
refuse to step in.  
   For Kuttab the Americans held back visas, monies, and insisted
he be freed from Arafat's jails.  For Abu Dayyeh and so many 
others the Americans do worse than their silence; they actually 
make the money and guns available in ever greater amounts to those 
willing to ratchet up the intimidation and the repression.  
   These days ordinary non-opportunist and non-American-employed
Palestinians are being grossly abused, severely intimidated, and 
sometimes tortured to death, by both the Israeli government and 
the "Palestinian Authority" it serves.  
   In the end, however, it is the American government that bears 
the real responsibility for this terrible state of affairs; and 
the American press that does such a terrible job of exposing the
realities while usually reporting the lies.
   The Israeli lie, for instance, that Abu Dayyeh was arrested for 
trying to steal a gun from a soldier in occupied East Jerusalem 
never made much sense.  The following article from PALESTINE TIMES 
about what really did happen seems alot more credible:

"H o s p i t a l "   
  o r   
" P l a c e   o f   T o r t u r e "

Occupied Jerusalem- From Khalid Amayreh (30/5/1997)

Khalid Ayesh Abu Dayyeh, 37, who died on 16 May of brain hemorrhage at
West
Jerusalem's Share T'zedek hospital , was not the first Palestinian to
die of torture at an
Israeli hospital. However, the circumstances surrounding his death
provided a fresh
testimony to the utter savagery and bestiality with which Palestinians
detainees are
routinely maltreated at the hands of Israeli interrogators. Abu Dayyeh
was actually
beaten to death "inside the hospital" where he was supposed to receive
treatment.
Hence, rather paradoxically, the very people who were supposed to
provide medical
care for him, killed the helpless Palestinian deliberately, by beating
him on the head
until he was no longer alive.

Khalid's fatal saga began on 4 May when he headed for the Al Aksa Mosque
for
prayer. There at the Mosque's entrance, he was stopped by four Israeli
soldiers who
started making sarcastic and obscene remarks about Islam and the Prophet
Muhammed. According to his mother, Khalid (a practicing Muslim) could
not bear
hear the Jews mock Islam's Holy Book and Prophet. And as he sought o
defend his
religion's dignity (verbally), the four soldiers attacked him savagely,
handcuffed him,
and took him to the notorious Russian Compound detention center, often
referred to
by Palestinian detainees as the "butchery of the Shabak." 

There Khalid was reportedly subjected to various forms of severe
torture, particularly
beatings. Consequently, Khalid sustained serious injury in the neck
which necessitated
his transfer to the Share T'zedek hospital in West Jerusalem. Khalid had
called his
mother shortly before he was taken to the hospital. He told her "not to
worry" and that
he would be released in a few days. But that was the last time she heard
his voice.
Khalid died almost immediately after he arrived at the hospital. 

The Israeli authorities initially sou

[PEN-L:10489] Preparing Public Opinion For A Civil War (Canada)

[Shawgi A. Tell]

The Leaders of the Parties of the Canadian Establishment are
using the June 2 1997 Federal Election campaign to contest who
will best uphold the 19th-century notions of empire building upon
which the Canadian Constitution rests. They are fiercely fighting
on this question, have worked themselves into a frenzy about
"Quebec separatism," and are trying to do the same to the
electors.
 Against this backdrop, it was revealed on May 16, that from
May 1 to 7 the Southam monopolists carried out a survey about the
use of armed force in Quebec. The Southam survey release came
just as the leaders of the political parties of the rich were
negotiating to have a "special continuation" of their French
debate on "national unity," which was disrupted when the
moderator passed out.
 The survey and the campaigning about "Quebec separatism" in
this election can only be described as an act of incitement of
civil war. It must be condemned by all Canadians. It is bringing
into sharp relief the fact that these parties and their financial
backers have become the greatest obstacle to Canadians creating a
free and equal union amongst the people of Quebec, the Aboriginal
peoples and the rest of Canada. A vote against these parties has
never been more important.
  It is reported that Canadians were asked what they think
about force being used to execute separation of both Quebec and
parts of Quebec, specifically Montreal's West Island, the region
of West Quebec across the Ottawa River from the nation's capital,
and the Eastern Townships area east of Montreal on the U.S.
border, as well as the lands inhabited by the Native peoples.
Southam reports that "an unnerving number" of Canadians expect
armed force to be used and that many considered this
"understandable or pardonable or justifiable."
 All of this only highlights the urgency for the working
class to heighten its vigilance about what the rich in Canada
have in store for the people. The rich in Canada are acutely
aware that Canadians are getting weary of being bounced back and
forth between one political party of the rich to another.
 All of these parties of the establishment have declared that
the crisis-ridden capitalist system is the best that human
society is going to get. Yet, they carry on with the charade
about how they are now going to solve all of the country's
problems. This charade cannot fool people forever.
 The Canadian ruling circles also know they cannot keep on
playing their "Quebec card" forever. They see that the people of
Quebec and Canada and the Aboriginal peoples are on the verge of
an historic advance to affirm their sovereignty. This is why they
are now trying to create a panicky excitement and anxious feeling
amongst the people. They hope this will divert the people away
from their political, economic and social bankruptcy. This is a
crime against the people.


TML Daily, May 1997


Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10385] Re: Greenwashing Times: Working Assets update

[Shawgi A. Tell]

Greetings,

What's diabolical about this capitalist point of view, as I'm sure you
know, is that workers already run and operate everything in society.  The
view is pushed that it is the workers who need the capitalists.  Of
course, the opposite is the case.  Speaking objectively, the workers have
no need for the capitalists.


Shawgi Tell
University at buffalo
Graduate School of Education
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


On Wed, 28 May 1997, Elaine Bernard wrote:

> I few years ago, Harvard gave Ben Cohen, of Ben & Jerry's
> an award -- I forget the name of it -- but its an annual
> award for "progressive" business leaders (I know, its an
> oxymoron, but I just work here).  Anyway, I went to his
> talk, and was at the cocktail party/dinner afterwards.
> So I used the opportunity to ask Ben Cohen, politely
> I thought, what he would do if his workers decided to
> organize a union.  He literally jumped back from me and
> said, without hesitation that he would be hurt.  I asked
> him, why he thought that workers exercising their rights
> had anything to do with him (whether they like Ben or not),
> and did he really believe that the most ideal form of leadership
> is benevolent dictatorship (a good boss).  Needless to say
> the Provost rescued our honored guest before I could get
> my answers.  Still, I always find it interesting that all
> these guys (and gals) in the progressive business community
> simply can't imagine workers doing things for themselves
> including representing their interests collectively as anything
> other than an assault against them.
> 
> I've even heard the occasional union leader suggest that
> only workers who suffer a bad boss need to organize -- as
> opposed to the more obvious conclusion that I would draw
> that if we are to be a true democracy then workers should
> not only have the right to participate in decisions that
> affect them, but have an obligation.  That the default
> position of labor law should not be union free -- but in
> fact, organized.  And that rather than labor law being a
> series of barriers over which workers have to climb to
> establish the right to collective bargaining, that labor
> law should be a series of barriers over which workers
> must climb (with the state certifying that a majority
> of workers have freely chosen after a vigorous campaign)
> to abolish their collective representation, relenquish
> the right to participate in decisons and opt for
> individual representation.
> 
> Elaine Bernard
> 

[PEN-L:10321] Torturing Palestinians and the Daoud Kuttab case (fwd)

[Shawgi A. Tell]

FYI


Shawgi Tell
University at Buffalo
Graduate School of Education
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

-- Forwarded message --
Date: Sat, 24 May 1997 09:46:46 -0700
From: MER Editorial <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Torturing Palestinians and the Daoud Kuttab case

M I D - E A S T   R E A L I T I E S  - Editorial 
***
TORTURING THE PALESTINIANS, AND THE CASE OF DAOUD KUTTAB
***
To receive MER weekly send reply message with words "SEND MER"
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
   ---

MER EDITORIAL:

   OPPRESSING, SUBJUGATING, AND TORTURING
   THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

AND THE CASE OF DAOUD KUTTAB


   MER - Washington - 5/24/97.  The Palestinians remain today the 

Blacks of the Middle East.  They are oppressed, harrassed and 

discriminated against at every turn.  And not only by the Israelis; 

but also by the Israeli-installed "Palestinian Authority" itself 

as well as by the associated Arab "client-regimes" that control 

the region holding nearly everyone in bondage.  

   This said, Israeli torture and subjugation of the Palestinians, 
both collectively and individually, is particularly eggregious; 
especially as it is the United States and other Western powers
that for decades have provided the money, guns, and political 
cover that make it all possible.  

   Indeed, in the deceptive and duplicitous name of "peace process", 
a regime of Middle Eastern apartheid has descended upon the 
Palestinian people.  Palestinians today are quite literally imprisoned 
in Gaza and "autonomous areas", subjected to pass laws reminiscent of 
the South Africa of old, and overall kept in a permanent state of 
submission and subjugation.  

   What the Israelis call "law", when applied to Palestinians, is 
little but a subterfuge for dispossession, repression, and lawlessness 
of the most hypocritical kind.  What the West calls "Palestinian 
Authority" and "Palestinian police" is little but a subterfuge for 
a mercenary force armed and paid to sub-oppress and control the
natives.

   Recently the White House came to the defense of a Palestinian
journalist, Daoud Kuttab.  Kuttab was arrested by the "Palestinian 
Authority" after spreading the word about Arafat's still-growing 
censorship, now expanded (ironically with American and Israeli money 
and equipment) to jamming radio and TV programs -- as unbelievable 
as that must sound to many who support, nearly always without 
understanding, the  so-called "peace process".

   Though Arafat's PA's abuses are indefensable and increasingly 
despicable, this is not the first nor the worst of them.  

   The real and serious problems are not for Palestinians like 
Kuttab; persons well-known, with many influential friends, and in 
this particular case with an American passport.  Kutab is not likely 
to be harmed; he will get out soon; he is well-funded with USAID and 
George Soros grants designed to further this wretched apartheid 
"peace process" which (also ironically) Kuttab supports (or he wouldn't 
be given the grants or offered the American assistance); and he will 
be more influential for having been arrested in this way.  You can't 
pay for this kind of publicity!  Meanwhile, the sheer stupidity of the 
Arafat regime seems to know no bounds, whether at the negotiating 
table or in the streets.

   But where is the White House when it comes to the torturing of
Palestinians to death by its "strategy ally" Israel?  And where are
the Americans when Palestinian homes are blown up and "sealed" in 
collective punishment tactics clearly outlawed by international 
laws to which the U.S. is signatory?  And where is the White House 
when non-American and unknown Palestinians are harassed, beaten, 
tortured, curfewed, and in general subjected to the most humiliating 
kinds of discrimination and abuse -- increasingly by the PA as well 
as directly by the Israelis -- and all with American money and guns!

   The recent murder by torture of Khalil Ali Abu Daiyya -- see the
information that follows -- is not an isolated case.  Israeli 
repression, beatings, closures, barricades, curfews, torture, and 
on and on, are actually daily occurrences and have been for 
decades.  Worse yet, with the post-Gulf War "peace process" the 
situation for Palestinians has dramatically worsened on all fronts. 

   So the White House wants Arafat to let Daoud Kuttab go.  Yet
the same White House closes its eyes and shuts its mouth while
the Israelis go on, year after year, created hatreds that are sure
to result in revenge in the bloody years now ahead; and when the
PA of Yasser Arafat mimics the same tactics.

MAB

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PALESTINIAN DETAINEE TORTURED TO DEATH

AUTOPSY REPORTS CONFIRM DEATH B