People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (08-00) Online Edition .TOPIC 08-00 PT Index .TEXT .BODY ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org ****************************************************************** +----------------------------------------------------------------+ The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.lrna.org +----------------------------------------------------------------+ INDEX to the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 Editorial 1. BOOMING ECONOMY, BUT WE'RE STILL GETTING STIFFED News and Features 2. ELECTION 2000: POVERTY IS ISSUE NUMBER ONE 3. THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WATTS UPRISING 4. THE END OF AN ERA IN MEXICO 5. POLICE TERROR IN AMERICA 6. SHARE THE WEALTH Spirit of the Revolution 7. LETTERS Music/Poetry/Art 8. SOCIAL NETWAR IMPERILS MUSIC INDUSTRY 9. JONATHAN KOZOL'S "ORDINARY RESURRECTIONS" 10. NO ONE KNOWS NOSES 11. ROBOT MAN Announcements, Events, etc. 12. LEAGUE OF REVOLUTIONARIES FOR A NEW AMERICA -- NEW IDEAS FOR A NEW CLASS! 13. WHY F * NDRAISE FOR THE LEAGUE? [To subscribe to the online edition, send a message to pt- dist@noc.org with "Subscribe" in the subject line.] ****************************************************************** We encourage reproduction and use of all articles except those copyrighted. Please credit the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers -- your generosity is appreciated. For free electronic subscription, send a message to pt-dist@noc.org with "Subscribe" in the subject line. For electronic subscription problems, e-mail pt-admin@noc.org. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 Edit: Booming economy, but we're still getting stiffed .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 1. EDITORIAL: BOOMING ECONOMY, BUT WE'RE STILL GETTING STIFFED The recent rise in the price of gas has had an immediate impact on the spending of families across the country. In some areas, the price increase has been as much as $1.00 per gallon. Those that don't drive will feel the effects as a result of the increase in transportation costs for all goods. There are projections that the cost of natural gas will increase between 10 percent and 20 percent by winter. While the direct effect may at first be limited, the overall effect can be harsh. The amount of money available to you determines where your family lives, and therefore what school your children go to, what kind of medical care they have, if any, how your family dresses and what they eat. The rise in prices will affect that further. This means that we have already lost whatever wage increases we received over the past year. What we are looking at is a drop in our standard of living. The past couple of weeks have been a circus as fingers are pointed in all directions. We know it isn't the Environmental Protection Agency or the oil-producing countries. The reality is an economic crisis is looming on the horizon. Alan Greenspan has continually increased the interest rates over the past year. There is concern that unemployment is not high enough and that wage increases are "heating up" the economy. These price increases are nothing more than another attempt to maintain maximum profits in the face of a global system that cannot sustain itself under the onslaught of electronic technology and the worldwide polarization of wealth and poverty. There doesn't have to be a conspiracy between the oil companies, the heads of major corporations, and the individuals that control the Federal Reserve, World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, for them all to be acting together. They all share the same motivation -- maximum profit. In pursuit of this, they have forced countries all over the world into austerity programs, raised prices and cut social programs. Do you think that they would hesitate one moment to do it here to protect their worldwide interests? In fact, haven't they already started? The real question is how do we protect our interests? The capitalists are not concerned with the fact that there are millions of children without health care because their parents are unemployed or underemployed. They don't care that what starts out as not being able to buy an extra pair of shoes or buying at the second- hand store ends up as an issue of life, of where and how we live. It can be different! We must accept the possibility of change and a new economic order -- an economic system not based on wages, but based on the needs of the majority of the people of the country. We must choose the life and well-being of the American people and the world. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 Election 2000: Poverty is issue number one .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 2. ELECTION 2000: POVERTY IS ISSUE NUMBER ONE As the date for the 2000 election draws closer, a simple, powerful question confronts every candidate, every party, and -- in one way or another -- every person in this country: What are we going to do about the growing poverty in America? Let's brush aside the lies that are routinely published and look at the facts. Behind the glitter of the "dot-com" millionaires and the stock-market frenzy is the real America. In the real America, some 30 million people go hungry at some time each month. Millions are destitute and homeless, surviving from day to day by begging, collecting scrap metal or working day-labor jobs. Millions more are temps, part-timers or working full time at minimum-wage jobs with no benefits. Many homeless people are working full time yet still can't afford housing. Many people are working two and three jobs just to feed their families. Tens of millions have no health care or bad health care. Even the "middle-class" worker is just a paycheck or two away from being sucked down into the growing new class of poor. At the top of our society, meanwhile, a tiny handful of billionaires and multi-millionaires continues to grow fat and happy. Isn't there something wrong with a society where people decked out in diamonds and fur coats are stepping over homeless people laying on the sidewalk? Isn't there something wrong with a system that prides itself on throwing women and children off welfare in the midst of spreading poverty? The obscene polarization of wealth and poverty in our country is barely even acknowledged by the so-called "major" parties and their candidates, and they certainly have not proposed a solution. The days are gone when the ruling class, to protect its own interests, handed out certain favors to the working class and guaranteed a certain standard of living, at least for a large section of workers. In those days, a thousand economic strings tied the majority of workers to the ruling class, and that meant the workers were tied politically to their rulers, as well. Today, with technology replacing labor in the workplace and the globalization of capitalism, the economic strings are being cut. The workers are being told to sink or swim in a global economy. If you can't make it, tough luck, and don't expect any help from the government. And don't complain or fight back, or you'll be answered with bullets and billy clubs. As the economic strings are being cut, it's time for we, the people, to cut the political strings that tie us to our enemies. The identity politics of the past are no longer relevant. These politics tie the people to the ruling class. The struggle that is beginning to develop today is a class struggle -- a struggle between social classes over who will control and organize society. The question that is slowly coming to the fore is: Will we continue to have a society where a wealthy handful of people own and control the economy, and they decide who will prosper and who will suffer? Or will we have a cooperative society, where the people own and control the economy, and where everything necessary to have a full, rich, cultured life is guaranteed to every person? The politics we need today is class politics -- that is, a politics based on the working class taking control of society and reorganizing things in its interest. This is the only solution to the spreading poverty that is destroying our country, and only the people can impose this solution on the ruling class. Imagine the society we could have. Our wealth -- the wealth our labor created -- and our technology have given us the power to end poverty, to provide health care and education for all, to give every one of us the opportunity to reach our fullest potential. But to do this, we, the people, must first gain control of the wealth and the technology that we ourselves created. We have every right to this. And we have the moral obligation to our children and to history to do so. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 The historical significance of the Watts uprising .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 3. THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WATTS UPRISING by Nelson Peery August 11 marks the 35th anniversary of the Watts rebellion. Why did it happen? Armed, mass uprisings are a specific stage of struggle against an oppressing state power. In the struggle against violent oppression, the masses become conscious of themselves. Rejecting the compromised leadership of the reformist elite, they inevitably turn to defensive violence. Watts was the culmination of this process within the African American freedom movement. The rejection of reformist leadership and the subsequent fighting in Harlem, Detroit, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Cleveland and numerous other places was not lost on the people of Watts. By 1965, the distrust of the "power structure," be it black or white, was near total in the Ghetto. This was clearly shown at the beginning of the fighting in Watts. The African American newspaper The Sentinel called the uprising the most disgraceful day in African American history. The respected "militant" comedian Dick Gregory mounted a police car with a bull horn and crudely demanded that the people calm down and go home. A young man with a single- action .22 hesitated for a moment, then shot Gregory instead of the cop standing beside him. It is noteworthy that as the fighting began, not one so-called leader left the police side of the barricades to defend the interests of the people. Throughout 1963, 1964 and into 1965, the crisis in the reformist leadership intensified as the tactics and leadership of the Freedom Movement shifted back and forth between the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) led by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and the scattered local, semiorganized movements led by mainly young people who did not have access to city hall. The SCLC was mainly Southern, based in the churches and the black middle class. The local movements were throughout the country and based in the streets. (The excellent video "At the River I Stand" clearly shows this division during the struggle in Memphis that led to King's death.) It was not possible for the SCLC to deal with the thousands of daily acts of humiliation, brutality, unemployment and poverty that were part of the system of American apartheid. As the masses resisting segregation were met by brute force from the police, they turned toward meeting violence with violence. Any impulse toward violent defense forced the SCLC to sharpen it's call for nonviolence, which deepened the division. Nonviolence was the only form of black struggle acceptable to the white liberals. They were indispensable to the reform struggle, hence the inability of the reform leaders to compromise. An example of this was the situation in Birmingham, Alabama where black strikers were attacked by dogs, Bull Conner's police force and mobs of white, civilian fascists. When the workers organized to defend themselves, Reverend King was brought in to calm the situation. "Remember always that the nonviolent movement seeks justice and reconciliation, not victory," he told them. "Let our blood flow, not theirs." On August 15, 1965 after observing the situation in Watts, Dr. King said, "It was necessary that as powerful a police force as possible be brought in to check them." Police informants advised against him entering Watts for fear he might be killed. These quotes are not intended to denigrate Dr. King, who gave his life in the struggle. Our intent is to show the deepening class divisions that brought about the uprising. The police in Watts were an army of occupation. There were daily arrests and beatings over trivial misdemeanors. Black motorists were constantly stopped, harassed and humiliated. Rape of black women by the cops was well known. Just before the uprising, two cops stopped a young black couple and forced the woman into the squad car. Her escort, facing their drawn guns, was given the choice of leaving the area or getting arrested. After the rape, the woman got the license of the squad car. Nothing was done. This incident happened only a few weeks after two cops raped a black woman who worked for the police department. She had the training to get the numbers and identify the rapists. One cop was fired and the other given a reprimand. There were no criminal prosecutions. The rapid development of the fighting was due to a rumor that the cops had raped another woman. Watts was a tinderbox waiting for the spark. Subjectively and objectively, Watts was part of a worldwide, violent struggle of the world's colored masses for freedom. The colonial world was quick to understand that the uprising identified the African American movement with the international struggle against U.S. imperialism. The Ghanaian Times, reflecting colonial opinion, stated: "The brutal suppression against Negroes by the U.S. government should be brought before the bar of world opinion for a clear judgment. The fact that this happened in the West is important. It destroyed attempts by the U.S. government to present the racial issue as a regional, exclusive Southern affair." As the fighting ended, powerful right-wing forces moved to change America. The Reagan group organized the so-called "white backlash" to grasp power first in California and then in the nation. The incorporation of the "Dixiecrats" into the Republican Party and the capture of the Democratic Party by its Southern "liberal" wing, all have roots in the Watts uprising. Watts was a mass uprising against white economic exploitation and police brutality. It was a police riot against the people. It was not directed against white people in general, nor were whites in general opposed to it. This was shown by the people of Lynwood who collected food for the children of Watts. The last word on the Watts rebellion has yet to be written. One thing is finally being accepted. That is that the uprising, far from being an insane orgy of burning and looting, was the heroic sacrifice that reshaped our concept of American democracy. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 The end of an era in Mexico .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 4. THE END OF AN ERA IN MEXICO By Rodolfo Chavez July 2, 2000 is now referred to as a benchmark in history for Mexico and all of Latin America. Finally, the people of Mexico have been able to loosen the noose that had been choking them for 71 years! Finally, the political conditions of Mexico allowed for this change, and the demagoguery, political authoritarianism, corruption, and oppression by which the Revolutionary Institutional Party (known as the PRI), maintained its livelihood could be done away with once and for all. It is no small wonder that the people of Mexico rejoice to no end for this accomplishment and validate their experience of throwing away the PRI to the worst garbage receptacles of history. The moment in time was marked by the victory of Vicente Fox, candidate of the coalition that championed the slogan "Alliance for Change." It is worth noting that he prevails from a conservative viewpoint of the political right. Winning the majority of votes, he won the presidency of Mexico and ended the reign of the PRI, and as such its power to decide the future of the country. Much to the PRI's chagrin, they had entered these elections confident they would triumph once again, even though they knew they didn't have the overwhelming power of their past. They were relying on the old tactical habits of fraud and violent coercion always at the reach of their fingertips. But as fate would have it, they could not impose the kind of will that was so strongly demonstrated back in 1988, when they stole the election from presidential candidate Cuatemoc Cardenas (currently the first democratically elected mayor of Mexico City). This round, with a completely trashed reputation, no credibility whatsoever and no moral ground, the PRI faced their defeat by losing the presidential power they had held on to so dearly as absolute dictators that manipulated the truth and reality of the needs of its people in a most demagogic form. As such, this ends a stage in the history of Mexico and serves as part of the process for power that resulted after an armed revolutionary struggle. Notwithstanding, this happens after the PRI has ransacked Mexico by exploiting all of its natural resources, bequeathing to the country a practically unpayable foreign debt, and sickening the people with corruption. Adding insult to injury, they continuously battered the workers by infusing a national system of patronage and servitude so sinister in its nature, that it even fomented what is now an intrinsic part of a narco-drug trafficking element in its midst. All are social ills that cannot be eradicated for generations to come. So ends the reign of the PRI and its control of the presidency. The results: torn political interests, broken complicit ties and the betrayal of loyalties -- all variables that maintained a political system and dynamic of Mexican politics. At this precise moment, it is insurmountably difficult to avoid emotionally charged commentaries. Not even the most brilliant of intellectuals in Mexico, including those who are a part of the left, can avoid the emotional rush. Though it must be stated that what the people are celebrating is the fall of the PRI and not Fox's victory, the act in and of itself brings a multitude of issues and possibilities that entertain new scenarios. Anything is possible and nothing is restrained. It is nothing short of being expected, especially when the country is waking up from a nightmare of never-ending aggravation, injustice, crime, economic desperation, and constant taunting by the system of the PRI. They were at a point they couldn't take it anymore. Therefore, no one can resist the euphoria, the popular celebrations and exclamations of happiness as the PRI collapses, and yet ... the happiness is not complete. It is true that the end of this political regime was a result of a popular vote, but this does not mean the automatic implementation of democracy, much less the establishment of a political system rooted and committed to the majority of the impoverished Mexican people, their interests or their needs. Vicente Fox (former Coca-Cola CEO) is a man of the political right. He won the election as a representative of the National Action Party (known as the PAN), with the largest representation and clout of the political right. Both he and the PAN have an affinity to and interest in the process of unmerciful globalization and the implementation of neoliberalism, which is great news for the economic giants of Mexico's ruling class, and of course for Washington. Vicente Fox stole the center stage of Mexico's politics; his unconventional character, charisma, directness, and smooth sayings won him the popular support he needed. As he launched himself into the intrepid battle for the presidency, he forced his political party to abide by his rules and could only do so by the strength derived from a large business sector and a grouping of renowned intellectuals that provided him with support and astute assessments. Thus he was able to force the PAN into declaring him the presidential candidate and to build a victorious political campaign that brought in a majority of the votes. Of course to accomplish this, he had to steal the votes from the left, so in turn he was forced to promise the voting sector things he will never be able to fulfill. The reality is that his promises are in contradiction with his convictions and political principles, and the magnitude of the problems that face Mexico require fundamental change not palatable rhetoric or reforms to make a "better administration." And so the people of Mexico, who still don't know democracy, are going to inaugurate a populist government of the political right to substitute for a Priista political system. This has required the vile deception of the PAN disguising itself, when opportune, with a rhetoric that seemingly bears a resemblance to the political left. As one can see, the triumph of Vicente Fox and the PAN does not equate to disaster for those who are part of the oligarchy that sought to sit the PRI's Labastida in the presidential chair. In fact, they realigned themselves and bought into the "fox flow" who hold the same interests as theirs. It is worth repeating: Fox's political line is to continue the economic model of neoliberalism and safeguarding its macro- economic aspects. Up to this point, in a country with a dependent capitalist system (principally upon the U.S.), this socio-economic model has served to make the minority of rich only richer and the majority of poor only poorer, thus subordinating the workers of Mexico to the will and whims of the metropolis of those who own great capital. Let it be clear, Fox is not the messiah of Mexico who promised to convert the bitter bile that most of the people have to swallow every day in the struggle for survival to sweet delectable wine. In the meantime, we will continue to celebrate the fiesta (not for long), and soon crash into our harsh reality that will take us in search, once again, of better horizons. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 Police terror in America .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 5. POLICE TERROR IN AMERICA [Editor's note: In mid-July, the nation was subjected to the televised spectacle of a horde of Philadelphia police officers beating Thomas Jones as they arrested him on a carjacking charge. This horrifying sight was just one more bit of proof that the police in this country are out of control. The statement below regarding the implications of the spiraling police terror in America is from the League of Revolutionaries for a New America.] It seems that every time you turn on the news, the police have shot another unarmed civilian, and yet another "get tough on crime" law has been passed giving the police more power over our daily lives. We hear again and again of police framing innocent people, of torture and brutality in the jails, of frightening new laws that strip us of our constitutional rights. Not long ago, one cop caught in a corruption scandal summed up the power and the arrogance of the police this way: "On the street," he said, "the police are God." Precisely because of this situation, a relatively small but growing section of the population no longer regards the police, or the government they represent, as legitimate. All of this has serious implications for the possibility of revolutionary change in America. Our society is divided into haves and have-nots, between those whose labor has built the country but who have little and those who contribute nothing to society but who own and control its wealth. The ruling class -- those who own the country -- had to create a system of laws to protect their property. Then, they had to create a police force and a prison system to enforce those laws. This was plainly seen in the laws that regulated slavery and that kept the slave a slave and the master a master. The system of laws and police power that keep the poor, poor and the rich, rich is called the state. In the America of 1900, the image of the cop who lived in the neighborhood, and who was known and trusted by the people in that neighborhood, was at least partially true. In many small towns this is still true today. But in most of America, things have changed. With the concentration of wealth in the hands of a very few and the growth of huge cities with masses of poor people, the police have increasingly come to look upon the people as potential criminals who must be controlled rather than protected. The social consequences of the technology revolution are intensifying this trend. Never before in our history has there been such a wide gulf between the poor and the rich. The ruling class knows that the economic changes that are casting so many into poverty are bound to create huge social upheavals, so they are creating a code of laws to control the mass of people who will inevitably struggle against their deteriorating conditions. What we are seeing today is the beginning of the process of the state separating itself from the people. This is reflected in the growing violence and brutality of the police, and also in the new laws granting the police greater powers and giving them responsibilities that have traditionally been handled by civilian authorities. The developing separation between the people and the state has profound implications. So long as the state was closely connected to the people, revolutionary change was not possible. Now, such change is daily becoming more possible -- and necessary -- as the state loses legitimacy in the eyes of a growing number of people. This is more than a struggle against police brutality. It is the beginning of the fight against an emerging fascist, police state. And it is the fight for a whole new cooperative society where there will not be a need for a state that polices the people. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 Share the wealth .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 6. SHARE THE WEALTH I don't want to be a millionaire. No, Regis, I don't want to be a millionaire. ... Nor do I want to be on an island eating rats in order to vote the other rat-eaters off so that I can win a million dollars. No, I am not missing the "I want to be rich" gene. I do want to be rich -- rich with a loving family, caring friends, rich in a healthy community in balance with nature, rich in rewarding work that improves the human prospect for the next generation. I want to be able to earn a living through meaningful work that provides me with enough money to take care of my family, own a comfortable home, drive a safe car, send my children to college and have health care until the end of my life. And I want this for everyone else. Until we have this kind of wealth, our world will continue to be impoverished by economic conditions which create extreme wealth for the few (1 percent in the U.S.) and extreme poverty for the many (1 billion on earth who live on less than $1 a day). Until we all agree to create a world of dignity for all humans, we shall have famine, immigrants so desperate for any job that they risk a grotesque death by asphyxiation in cargo containers, and wars between competing groups, each exploited because of their desperate poverty, I do not want to be a millionaire -- and that is my final answer! But I do want my human right to earn a comfortable living by honest work, and demand that right for all others. How about a TV show called "Who wants to share the wealth?" with millionaires competing against each other to provide food, health care or housing for their minimum-wage employees? Gil Villagran .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 Spirit of the Revolution .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 7. SPIRIT OF THE REVOLUTION: LETTERS [Editor's note: The following was a speech given by Rev. Larry Turpin to a crowd in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood that had assembled before marching to defend "Diversity, Affordability and Justice." The march was led by the Rogers Park Community Action Network, which has been doing work for some time among the people being displaced from Section 8 and other housing for the purpose of "cleaning up" the neighborhood. The base of the march was primarily in three area churches: the United Church of Rogers Park, which has for years been a center of socially conscious activity; the Good News Church north of Howard Street, which is the center of the organizing against the displacement; and the Rogers Park Presbyterian Church where Rev. Turpin is the minister. Rev. Turpin has also been active in the battle to save Madison Hobley, currently on death row. The speech is in the form of a letter to the neighborhood's alderman.] May 13, 2000 Dear Alderman Moore, All of God's creatures are unique and infinitely valuable. This estimation of worth is in sharp contrast with the way our economy values human beings and their various skills. While our capitalistic system may be a terrific engine of production, it also has many less desirable outcomes. One of these is that some people receive such meager compensation for their work that they are not able to secure basic food and shelter for themselves and their families. We need to repeat this fact over and over again because there is such overwhelming misinformation and denial in our society. Most Americans like to think that they receive what they deserve for their work. The logic of this proceeds to condemn some members of our society to a status of not deserving adequate food, shelter or medical care. Most Americans like to think that if you work hard you will make it. This belief ignores the fact that capitalism tends toward creating a class of people that are systematically robbed of resources and trapped at the lowest levels of economic means. As residents of Rogers Park, we live in the midst of such a society. One of the aspects of this community that drew me to this area years ago, and that makes living here more sane, has been that we were a whole community. By that I mean that we were not so segregated on the basis of skin color or ethnic or cultural background. We also have been a community of people in all stages of life and at different economic levels. I have delighted in the wholeness of the Rogers Park community because I find that life becomes more artificial and less meaningful as we are separated and divided up by the lies and barriers of human pride and selfishness. As a somewhat neglected corner of the city of Chicago, the Rogers Park community thrived. Now that we are in the grip of urban planners and developers and speculators, our community is threatened. Participation in the mainstream of this American economic boom means accepting the half-truths and lies that systems of human greed perpetuate. Becoming marketable means being more segregated, more upper-income, more selfish. To counter such trends takes herculean effort. We will not keep our community with a few token projects. We will not preserve the human diversity, the wholeness, the meaningfulness of our community life by being well intended. We need strong leadership and hard work. The goal of a whole community is rarely achieved, but well worth it. We need you to work with us. Sincerely, Larry E. Turpin .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 Social netwar imperils music industry .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 8. SOCIAL NETWAR IMPERILS MUSIC INDUSTRY by Reetmo Dog Since the dawn of humanity, people have written zillions of songs about poetic justice. So it's even more wonderful that millions of music lovers worldwide are staging a net attack on the Music Industry to download music for free. These guys have worked for years to turn the beauty that elevates our spirits into grungy commodities. Nobody ever gave them the right to hold hostage our natural humanity. The Big Five (Sony, Warner, BMG, EMI and Universal) often charges $17 or more for CDs. Last year, they earned more than $14 billion in revenue just in the U.S. alone. These crooks have been ripping off both the artists and the public for years. The average CD costs less than 25 cents to manufacture; around $2 (about 12 percent of the sales price) gets back to the artists who write and create the music. All the rest goes to capitalists who add absolutely nothing and spend most of their time censoring what we hear. The Industry's dilemma is that, in the Digital Age, Internet technology empowers people to copy their favorite music absolutely free! Who is going to pay $17 or even $1.70 for music they can get for free? Over 11 million Americans have already downloaded free music using file-sharing programs that anyone with a computer can use. This is a form of social netwar -- using networks to attack hierarchies of power -- which is increasingly becoming a form of social conflict in the post-Industrial Era. The Seattle actions against the World Trade Organization were all about using ideas and networks to mount a political offensive. The Zapatistas called on the organizations of civil society to besiege the Mexican government in their name. Rappers have used netwar to get their work out without relying on commercial networks. The Elian Gonzalez conflict was a classic netwar. The Big Five have responded by suing Napster for copyright infringement. Napster, based on MP3 technology, is the most popular music-swapping service. But there's the bad news and then there's the worse news. The bad news is that the Free Software Movement has other file-sharing technologies already in operation. Since the spring, when they were first posted on the Internet, thousands of eager programmers have cloned them into dozens of different forms. Gnutella-type programs permit file sharing without centralized Internet sites (see either http://www.cdfreaks.com/ or http://gnutella.wego.com/). In March, Irish programmer Ian Clarke released Freenet, which allows you to acquire and exchange material anonymously. Clarke stated in an interview: "I have two words for these companies: give up. There is no way they are going to stop this technology." The worse news is that in a couple of years these networks will have the technical capacity to download books, art and even movies. It's just a matter of time before personal computers have enough "band-width" (a measure of how many bits per second one can download). Then all Hell is going to break loose. Electronic technology increases the capacity of networks to destroy hierarchies because it gives individuals the chance to speak directly to entire networks and act jointly. For perhaps 8000 years, human affairs have been organized by hierarchies that are top-down: kings, governments, armies, bureaucracies, corporations, etc. Every hierarchy controls information in an attempt to orchestrate what people think. Now regular human beings, networked by personal computers, can respond collectively, cooperatively, collaboratively and creatively to counter these inflexible systems. Increasingly, networks can join together to impose their will on the hierarchies. It doesn't even really require much high technology. The Music Industry is the classic case. Once the artists create and record a song, the capitalists then decide if they want to sell it (censorship). Then they charge the artists to package it and to distribute (sell) it to outlets. Once we buy it at jacked- up retail prices, the artists supposedly get their cut. This is the traditional marketing hierarchy with the boys at the top deciding what is going to be recorded and distributed, and the musicians and the public at the bottom. Well the big boys are between a rock and a hard place this time. Their dream of interactive shopping networks on the "Information Super Highway" require that millions of people use computers and telecommunications. Surprise! Suddenly the moral issues that were bottled up by hierarchies ("Take it or leave it, chump!") raise their heads anew: "Riiiiiight ... well, let's just take it!" People are going to use this same technology to make their own networks -- any way they like and for free! At the other end, strong artistic performances can finally be rewarded for their contributions and their vision. And so it is that Global Capitalism sows another seed of its own destruction. The crisis of the Music Industry is one of the first clear examples of how networks -- a superior and profoundly human form of organization -- begin to erode the power of hierarchies. Sowing the seeds is one thing. Reaping the harvest is quite another, for this requires concerted human effort. The nightmare of capitalism -- with its hierarchies, exploitation, oppression, pollution, human destruction and paltry vision of the future -- is not yet over. It's no accident that the hottest area of social conflict is the realm of ideas. The natural state of information is to be free and this is compelling people to change their thinking. The battle against the Music Industry shows us a glimpse of the future. Life doesn't have to be organized for exploitation and misery. A better world is in birth. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 Jonathan Kozol's Ordinary Resurrections .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 9. JONATHAN KOZOL'S "ORDINARY RESURRECTIONS" By Lew Rosenbaum Why, when we look into our children's eyes, must we think of "what they will be when they grow up?" Why does our society value children only in terms of their future productivity? Why, in the eyes of our calculated and calculating system, are children merely immature commodities, a vast "futures market" for Wall Street to play with? After more than 30 years of writing about children and education, Jonathan Kozol asks these pointed questions in the heart of his new book, "Ordinary Resurrections." From his first book, "Death at an Early Age," to this new volume, Kozol brings to his subject a fiercely partisan, angry consciousness on behalf of the children. He describes his new book as less angry, but only because he celebrates the pleasure he takes in the company of children who are wonderful in themselves. The book is a memoir, a selection of anecdotes and commentary, from years of visiting families in the South Bronx neighborhood of Mott Haven. The poverty level and the educational opportunity in this neighborhood are comparable to that of "third world" countries. Yet the children are as much a joy as any children and live lives of joy as well as sorrow. But while Kozol argues for valuing children for themselves, he treads a fine line. He knows the children must face a future that is rigidly determined for them. Thousands of children enter one high school in this neighborhood; only a handful actually graduates. Kozol has one eye on the present, but with the other he looks at their future and wonders, why this American apartheid? Why do some well-meaning educators aim to improve the training programs for entry-level jobs for these children in Mott Haven? Why not look for doctors and teachers in these schools? Why not professors and poets? Why will so many of these young people follow in the footsteps of fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, and enter the prison population rather than the job market? While sociologists make their living explaining these phenomena, Kozol won't accept explaining away the inequality, the disregard for young lives. "Ordinary Resurrections" are the ways young people manage to resume their lives in the face of great despair. Without ever stating it so bluntly, Kozol captures the essence of children's existence, which is, for the global economy, merely a commodity. For Kozol, however, it does not have to be this way. At the same time, Kozol captures the heroism and frustration of teachers dedicated to the education (not "training") of young people. Caught in the contradiction between helping each individual child, here and now, and knowing that their influence will soon be dissipated in the systemic morass that awaits the children, these teachers do their best to fight back, one child at a time. When I sit in my living room, watching my grandchildren investigate and soak up everything in their environment, I pray that they may meet teachers like those Kozol describes. And I know that, even if they do, they will be hard put to survive the other obstacles they face. Increasingly the global electronic marketplace is replacing the value of human labor as a commodity with robotic or computerized labor. Increasingly our children face a future in which their labor will be valueless. The economic system itself is posing the question: What about the intrinsic value of human beings? Thinking of my grandchildren, I want to put Kozol's book in the hands of every educator, every propagandist. Books like "Ordinary Resurrections" show us that now, for the first time, we -- freed from the necessity to be commodities -- can be truly creative human beings! .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 No One Knows Noses .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Dreamerspoint What are your visions of the future? http://redrival.com/dreamerspoint/ +----------------------------------------------------------------+ 10. NO ONE KNOWS NOSES by Larry Tilander Programming the mobile sentient assistant nanny wasn't as easy as I thought. The darned thing was so literal in it's interpretation that every order had to be considered carefully for days, and then explained for hours. Even then one had to watch for days in case a small error in syntax had it doing something undesirable. Take for example the nose wiping fiasco. I said to that fathead of a robot, "Max, some of the kids have colds, and their noses need to be wiped off. Can you take care of that?" "YES MR. LAWRENCE." It replied. It's a good thing we were just using the model 17 dummies. It had sanded every nose that gave a simulated sniffle right smooth to the face. Each looked like the blossom of some new and strange orchid. I had to laugh. "Max. That was rather a bit of overkill." "WHAT DO YOU MEAN MR. LAWRENCE?" "I mean that the idea in wiping noses is to wipe the mucus from the noses, not the noses from the faces." "SORRY MR. LAWRENCE. I'M MAKING A NOTE OF THAT." There was still the hurdle of convincing it that it was best to wait for the mucus to put in an appearance on the outside of the nose, "BUT WOULDN'T IT BE MORE EFFICIENT TO EXTRACT IT ALL AT ONCE MR. LAWRENCE?" "No Max." "WHY NOT?" "Because it would hurt the human involved and thus violate your prime directive Max." Thank Heaven for the prime directive. It was like telling a 3-year-old, "Because mommy says." They stopped arguing for a while. The last major hurdle in the path to clean and happy noses was surprisingly enough a legal one. "Here Max, take this Kleenex and wipe that snotty nose for the director and show him what a good nanny you are." "THAT ISN'T A KLEENEX MR. LAWRENCE. IT'S A PUFFS." "But we call everything that looks like that a Kleenex Max." "THAT SEEMS TO BE A COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT MR. LAWRENCE, AND IT ISN'T WISE TO MESS WITH COPYRIGHTS. SOME OF THE STRICTEST LAWS OF THE LAND ARE MADE TO DEAL WITH COPYRIGHT LAWS. STEALING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IS SEVERELY PUNISHED." I wondered again where they had salvaged the central unit for this machine. "Look Max, a long time ago a judge ruled that this was OK in the case of Kleenex, and a few other brand names that had fallen into common usage, and if you don't accept that, you will be hurting the judge, as well as all the millions of people who have accepted this decision, and that would violate your prime directive." "YES MR. LAWRENCE." [Check out Larry at: http://sites.netscape.net/larryfig/index.html] .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 Robot Man .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Dreamerspoint What are your visions of the future? http://redrival.com/dreamerspoint/ +----------------------------------------------------------------+ 11. ROBOT MAN Lyrics by Andy Willis Who's that little metal man that I've been hearin' about. They say he does the work of ten and never punches out. I saw him on the TV screen and at the picture show. They say he'll take my job one day now that I didn't know. (Refrain) Robot man please leave me alone You ain't got no kids to feed You ain't even got a home. You know he don't complain. He don't talk back. He don't even eat. He don't get tired. He don't perspire. Ain't got no achin' feet. You try to work beside him And he'll run you in the ground. The boss will be deciding that he don't need you around. Remember how your Dad told you about that old boll weevil and how he ruined everything and how he was so evil. Son, I'm tellin' you today that weevil couldn't do half the screwin' up little R2D2 do. Now I am all for progress and I dreamed of better days, When machines would do the hard work and I would laugh and play. Now I can see that ain't gonna be, they kicked me out at 42. Now what's gonna come of me. Now, Baby, tell me that you love me and you still think I'm cute. That I am still your only one, there ain't no substitute. I don't want to hear no steel feet clanging round my door. Cause if he loves like he works I'll blow him up for sure. [Andy Willis is a member of the band the Amoreys. You can check them out at: http://www.totk.com/amoreys/index.cfm] .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 League of Revolutionaries for a New America .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 12. LEAGUE OF REVOLUTIONARIES FOR A NEW AMERICA -- NEW IDEAS FOR A NEW CLASS! Who is the League of Revolutionaries for a New America? We are people from all walks of life who refuse to accept that there should be great suffering in a world of great abundance. Together, we can inspire people with a vision of a cooperative world where the full potential of each person can contribute to the good of all. Together we can get our message of hope out on radio and television, in places of worship, union halls, and in the streets. We don't have all the answers, but we are confident that, together, we can free the minds of the millions of people who liberate humanity. The LRNA offers its speakers, its radio, and its paper to introduce the new ideas that are needed for revolutionary change. Join us in the fight for a new cooperative society! +----------------------------------------------------------------+ PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE RADIO LISTEN UP! Sizzling summer sounds can be heard on PTR! Listen for our August sounds coming soon! Get your local radio stations connected. Let them know about PTR and how they can download the radio programs for free at http://www.ptradio.org in Real Audio and MP3 format. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ SPEAKERS FOR A NEW AMERICA The 30th anniversary of the 1970 Chicano Moratorium is August 30. This anti-Vietnam war protest was the largest Mexican American protest in American History. Speakers are available who were participants. They discuss why it was a turning point in their struggle for justice, and it's significance for today's struggle for unity and a new cooperative society. Send for a free listing of all our speakers. Call 1-800-691-6888, e-mail speakers@noc.org or visit our web page at http://www.lrna.org +----------------------------------------------------------------+ HOW TO CONTACT US! LRNA: CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB! P.O. Box 477113 Chicago, IL 60647 http://www.lrna.org Call toll free: 800-691-6888 SPEAKERS e-mail speakers@noc.org 773-486-0028 Visit our website at http://www.mcs.net /~speakers PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE RADIO For more information call 800-691-6888. Visit the web site http://www.ptradio.org Call our producer Mike Thornton at 530-271- 0804 or e-mail flr@jps.net +----------------------------------------------------------------+ I want to subscribe to the People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo. ___ Please send me a one-year individual subscription. My check or money order for $20 is enclosed. ___ Please send me a one-year institutional subscription. My check or money order for $25 is enclosed. Join with others to make the vision of a world of plenty a reality I want to join the League of Revolutionaries for a New America. ___ Send me a bundle of 5__ 10__ 25__ 50__ 100__ People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo to get out in my city. (Bundles are only 15 cents per copy) ___ Send me a membership kit so I can build a chapter of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America in my city. ___ I want a speaker in my city. Send me a "Speakers for a New America" brochure. ___ I want to make a financial donation. Name Address City/State/Zip Phone E-mail .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 08-00 Why f * ndraise for the League? .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 13. WHY F * NDRAISE FOR THE LEAGUE? Because we understand history calls upon us to meet the challenge of reorganizing society ... we need U! Because we have a vision to share that can give the American people something to believe in and fight for ... we need U! Because the facts that one in six children go to bed hungry every night; 9.8 million people 65 or older live alone; 44 million people have no health insurance; and the state spends $30,000 per person a year to incarcerate and only $7,000 a year to educate ... we need U! Because people are homeless while there are vacant homes; families work more hours than ever to barely survive; and many lives are lost crossing a border in search of survival, when one life is too many to be sacrificed ... we need U! Because we know that anyone with a heart, mind and soul cannot live with these conditions that immorally destroy, rape and pillage the hope and future of humanity ... we need U! Because we have many members who have vested their lives in this struggle for social change and we have many more to come ... we need U! Because we must do whatever it takes to reach 265 million hearts and minds in America with our newspaper, radio program, tapes, forums, speakers and web site ... we need U! Because we are an organization of revolutionaries and understand we can only accomplish our tasks collectively by building our financial resources, increasing our membership and relying on your contributions of the mind ... we need U! Because we have made the commitment, accepted a program and understand the opportunity and challenges ahead ... we need U! Because if we don't come together and resolve our financial crisis, our opportunity to make a historic change will be forever lost! REVOL*TION ... the only thing missing is U! LRNA Fundraising Committee: Joyce Brody, Liz Monge, Carlos Rodriguez, Andy Willis +----------------------------------------------------------------+ WHAT WE NEED TO ACCOMPLISH: * $3,000 for the Propaganda Offensive immediately. * $20,000 Donor Campaign to cover National Office rehabilitation costs. * Increase LRNA's monthly income by $1,000 to sustain the costs of the organization. When: We need to do this immediately within two months for the short- term goals of the Propaganda Offensive and the Donor Campaign. The more long-term goal of increasing our monthly income will involve creative planning and effective implementation by our Areas by the end of the year. We need to evaluate experience in preparation for the upcoming National Committee Meeting and LRNA Convention. EXCITING UPDATE! * $10,000 has been raised for the Donor Campaign. * The Chicago Area has already announced their annual fundraiser to take place in October with Cheri Honkala as keynote speaker and a projected earning of $5,000. * What is your Area doing? Let us know or ask us questions by sending e-mail to fundraising@noc.org +----------------------------------------------------------------+ .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 8/ August, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ******************************************************************