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Prop 8
Detroit's Tent City
Who's who at business meet 7
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Joan Marquardt
Address City/State/Zip
Workers World 55 W. 17 St., 5 Fl., NY, NY 10011 212-627-2994
Page 2 June 4, 2009 www.workers.org
on hunger strike
press conference two days later. prove their citizenship.
In an initial e-mail, Miller wrote: “I don’t A protest rally scheduled later at the
think enough people are aware that this is Downtown Transit Center, 1255 Imperial
happening, and I also don’t believe that Avenue at 12th Street (Park Blvd.), was
anyone who now knows that this kind of in- announced at the press conference. Or- By Paul Teitelbaum ure to provide adequate nutritional food”
discriminate ‘rounding up’ of our children ganized by the Raza Rights Coalition and Tucson, Ariz. to detainees. On May 22 Arpaio lifted the
is happening can stand by and do nothing. chaired by Adriana Jasso, several hundred lockdown order.
I will not stand by and allow my students’ people, overwhelmingly Latina/o youth, Prisoners began a hunger strike May 2 Close to 70 percent of the prisoners in
basic human rights to be violated.” who chanted loudly between speakers, to protest the degrading and inhumane Maricopa County jails are pre-trial de-
In the same e-mail, Pedro Ríos, director gathered on the traffic island across from conditions they endure in the jails run by tainees; they have not been convicted of
of the AFSC border program, wrote: “The the busy transit center. the notoriously racist Maricopa County any crime. Arpaio fills his jails through
trolley should be a safe place for students The spirited rally drew the attention Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The crimes of Arpaio racial profiling and conducting heav-
and workers. There is absolutely no justi- and support of workers on their way are well documented: housing inmates ily armed sweeps of Latina/o neighbor-
fication for detaining minors and separat- home and a number of homeless people in sweltering tent-cities, parading them hoods. He has created his own private
ing them from their families.” He added who nodded enthusiastically as speakers through the streets of Phoenix like slaves militia known as “the posse.”
that TSA and Border Patrol officials have denounced the raids and demanded gov- on their way to the auction block, serving Women inmates are often victims of
not been responsive to AFSC calls request- ernment support for education and other spoiled food referred to as “slop” by the the worst intimidation and brutality by
ing an explanation for the operation. human needs rather than repression and inmates, and denying adequate medical jail guards. Sylvia Herrera of Puente AZ,
At the press conference, in addition to racism. treatment. Arpaio has continued to try to a Phoenix-area community group in-
major media representatives, community A somber moment of silence at the ral- whip up anti-immigrant hysteria in any volved in organizing the May 2 protest
members, educators and activists were ly’s end was called by Raza Rights leader way possible. against Arpaio, recounted two recent
present. Pedro Ríos chaired the event, Christian Ramirez to pay tribute to local The hunger strike was initiated by cases of physical abuse against women in
which was conducted in both English and human rights and border activist Roberto women detainees at the Estrella Jail im- Arpaio’s jails.
Spanish. Martinez, who died recently at the age mediately following a march and rally Jail guards broke one woman’s arm
The first speaker was Angélica Pacheco, of 72. In a written statement, Ramirez of 3,000 people protesting Arpaio. The attempting to force her to sign a “volun-
whose son was one of the deported stu- remembered his longtime friend and hunger strike spread to the Durango and tary” deportation document. In another
dents. “My son is an excellent student and teacher: “With a soft voice but a relent- Downtown jails, with between 1,800 and case a pregnant woman was immediately
a good person,” she said, clearly proud of less spirit, Roberto Martinez spoke truth 2,000 inmates refusing meals. Arpaio separated from her newborn child after
him and angry at his deportation. She was to power in the face of violence fomented retaliated against the hunger strikers by a Cesarean birth and returned to the jail
followed by Ana María Benítez, whose by governmental policies. He exemplified placing the jails on full lockdown, deny- without receiving proper post-Cesarean
weeping daughter called her Wednesday with integrity and compassion the cause ing the inmates their visitation rights, medical treatment. Herrera says these
morning while being temporarily held in defense of human rights, despite police telephone calls and access to television. incidents are known only because the
at the San Diego Border Patrol office. harassment and death threats; he never Despite this, the hunger strike continued. women eventually had to be transported
Benítez pointed out that public transpor- succumbed to the pressures of those in On May 20 the American Civil Liber- from the jail to a hospital.
tation isn’t safe. She added that other par- power. His determination in advocating ties Union, which filed suit against Arpaio Community events are planned in
ents have suffered the same injustice she for justice, peace and dignity is the legacy last July over inhumane conditions at the Phoenix-area neighborhoods to show
is suffering. “I want them to speak out,” that he leaves us and one that we hope jails, condemned the lockdown, stating solidarity with those inside Arpaio’s jails.
she emphasized. to continue.” Martinez was the recipient that the hunger strike is a form of consti- Activists will let it be known that racism,
Dawn Miller, who used the Internet of many honors and the love of the com- tutionally protected free speech. An ACLU anti-immigrant hysteria, and torture and
to break the story and spread word of munity for his many years of dedicated statement recounted the court injunction mistreatment of detainees will not be al-
the raid, expressed strong outrage at the struggle on behalf of his people. n won against Arpaio last October for “fail- lowed. n
Ohio.
On the Picket Line
Chrysler workers rally AT&T’s corporate greed exposed
By Sue Davis
to stop plant closing Ever since the contract of about 110,000 AT&T work-
ers expired on April 4, they have been mobilizing all
over the country. That very day, the New Haven Green
in Connecticut was flooded with a sea of red T-shirts and
By Martha Grevatt When this writer began work- in U.S. Bankruptcy Court the same
signs as thousands of Communications Workers and their
Twinsburg, Ohio ing at the plant 22 years ago, it had day.
supporters from all over New England and New York
3,300 hourly employees. Now there UAW members across the coun-
rallied to demand a fair contract. The main issue: health
On May 22 hundreds of laid-off are 800. After learning of the shut- try are outraged by Chrysler’s arro-
care benefits for current and retired workers. AT&T,
Chrysler workers rallied in front down, workers were given a May 26 gant and malicious disregard of the
which gobbled up $12.9 billion in profits in 2008, has the
of their plant in Twinsburg, Ohio. deadline to decide whether to quit, rights of their sisters and brothers.
audacity to demand that the workers pay three times what
“The people have spoken, keep the retire under a buyout program or Local 122 members were joined by
they’re currently paying, or $3,300 to $4,500 a year, to-
plant open!” they chanted. Workers stay with the hope of eventually re- delegations from UAW Locals 573,
ward health care coverage. But the workers, who voted to
believe they were double-crossed locating to another Chrysler facility. 420, 1005 and 1050. Local 573
strike in late March, smell the stench of corporate greed.
when, two days after voting to grant Eight days before the deadline, represents clerical and engineer-
AT&T workers from Maine to California have put pres-
Chrysler sweeping concessions, the buyouts were enhanced, further ing staff at the Twinsburg plant as
sure on their senators and representatives to send letters
they read in the news media that complicating the workers’ decision- well as the Chrysler Parts Distribu-
to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, whose salary was an
Chrysler’s restructuring includes making process. Many workers are tion Center in Streetsboro. Locals
outrageous $15 million last year, to demand that AT&T
the closing of their plant and seven only a few months short of the 10 420 and 1005 represent workers at
back down. One senator wrote, “While we work on a na-
others. years’ seniority qualifying them for stamping plants at Ford and Gen-
tional health care plan, now is not the time for a profitable
Along with Twinsburg, three the enhancements, so they are try- eral Motors, while Local 1050 rep-
company like AT&T to slash crucial health care benefits.”
plants in Michigan, Wisconsin and ing to decide whether to leave now resents workers at the Cleveland
(CWA e-burst, May 21)
Missouri—Sterling Heights Assem- or gamble that the enhanced buy- Alcoa plant, which supplies the auto
bly, Kenosha Engine and St. Louis
North Assembly—were covered by
outs will be offered again later.
Chrysler has no compassion for
industry. Alcoa workers had sup-
port from Local 122 during their
Grocery workers fighting back
a plant-closing moratorium in the the workers and their families, strike of several weeks in 2006. in Colorado
2007 Chrysler contract with the who’ve been given a mere eight days Solidarity also came from the The contract of approximately 17,000 supermarket
United Auto Workers. Union mem- to make what for many is the hard- American Federation of State, Coun- workers at Safeway, King Soopers, City Market and
bers regard the newly announced est decision of their lives. Some are ty and Municipal Employees, Ameri- Albertson’s in Colorado was set to expire May 9. But after
plant closings—Twinsburg is sched- refusing the buyout, saying, “That’s can Friends Service Committee, Jobs Safeway workers voted to strike May 8 for livable wages,
uled to close in March 2010—as an what the company wants us to do— with Justice and Bail Out the Peo- decent health benefits and a secure pension, the bosses
attack on their right to collective leave so they can replace us with ple Movement. Members of Local extended the contract until May 30. Meanwhile Colorado
bargaining. workers making half our wages.” 122 are discussing ways of further Gov. Bill Ritter slammed the workers, represented by Lo-
Many workers brought their Others who are taking the buyout broadening community support. cal 7 of the Food and Commercial Workers union, when
families to the demonstration. They want to stay involved in the fight to There were no supporters in front he vetoed a bill May 19 that would have restored unem-
carried signs reading “People before reverse Chrysler’s job-gutting plans. of the plant from the right-wing el- ployment benefits to workers locked out during a contract
profits” and “Keep our plant open.” The workers are not alone in ement. The Pat Buchanans and the struggle. But the workers, who anticipate a lockout, are
They also chanted, “One, two, three, their struggle for justice. The honks Rush Limbaughs only rail against fighting back. Hundreds rallied in Westminister on May
four, open up the factory door!” All of support from passing motorists NAFTA to turn workers in this 20. As Julie Collier, a 30-year King Soopers employee,
but nine members of UAW Local during the two-hour protest were country against workers in other told the May 19 Colorado Independent, “When is the
122 have been on layoff since Chrys- even louder than the chants. countries. Many workers and labor timing right to help the people who make $10 an hour,
ler declared bankruptcy April 30. Congresspersons Betty Sutton leaders, unfortunately, are focused not just the people who make $10 million a year?”
The union called the demon- and Dennis Kucinich sent repre- on saving “American” jobs. Some The time is now!
stration to coincide with a visit to sentatives to the demonstration. On workers at the rally even carried
the plant by Dr. Ed Montgomery,
President Barack Obama’s “auto
April 30 they and other northeast
Ohio members of Congress, as well
signs calling for layoffs in Canada
and Mexico, which are also part of
Black farmers demand settlement
The case of about 94,000 Black farmers against the
recovery czar.” Montgomery was as Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and America.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, which agreed to pay for
in Twinsburg to offer the town a Twinsburg Mayor Katherine Pro- Solidarity across borders and
past discrimination in lending and other USDA pro-
“relief plan” to be set up after the cop, were assured by both Chrysler across oceans is what’s needed to
grams, was supposedly settled in 1999. Nearly $1 billion
plant closes. Twinsburg stands to and the White House Auto Task counter the brutal capitalist con-
in damages were paid out on almost 16,000 claims. But
lose nearly 20 per cent of its tax rev- Force that the Ohio stamping plant solidation into fewer car companies
about 75,000 additional Black farmers filed claims after
enues. Local 122 wanted to send a was staying open. Like the auto- with far fewer workers. Autoworkers
the deadline, which, according to National Black Farmers
clear message that the workers want workers, the politicians learned of everywhere are staging protests to
Association President John Boyd, was not well publicized
to keep their plant open and will ac- the planned closing when Chrysler assert their right to their jobs. They
nor were appropriate provisions made to file claims. (For
cept nothing less. attorneys made the announcement need to join hands in order to win. n
instance, farmers who don’t have phones or indoor bath-
rooms were told to go online to get information about the
Michigan. settlement!) On April 28, the NBFA led a rally of several
hundred Black farmers at the USDA office in Washington,
UAW workers protest shutdown D.C., to demand payment. Although President Obama has
allotted $1.25 billion in the 2010 budget to finally right
this wrong, Boyd says that $2.7 billion is actually needed
to compensate all the eligible farmers. (blackenterprise.
com, May 8)
Harlem, N.Y..
ECONOMIC
tion extends far beyond the Empire State. lyle amounts to an ineffectual slap on the ity of billionaire politicians, bankers and
The unfolding investigation has ex- wrist. The watered-down code will do bosses are perpetrating a perpetual rip-off
posed the process whereby private equity
corporations bribe politicians with cam-
little to end the symbiotic relationship
between corporations and politicians.
of the workers and oppressed. They are
robbing us from the cradle to the grave. SUMMIT
paign contributions and direct kickbacks. The settlement allows Carlyle to essen- The same politicians who hand out the NYC SUN., MAY 31
Once in office, the politician steers public tially sweep serious allegations of corrup- retirement funds of public employees to In conjunction with the U.N. Summit
pension funds toward investing with the tion under the rug in return for the $20 private equity corporations are slashing on the World Economic Crisis and
private equity corporation that backed his million payment. While $20 million is budgets for public education and social organizing for protests at G20
or her campaign. an almost-unimaginable fortune for the services for children and youth. They are Starting Time 11 a.m.
Hank Morris, a top aide to former New the same politicians who are oversee- Main session 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
hundreds of thousands of city and state
ing the trillion-dollar, taxpayer-financed Inside the People’s Summit Tent
York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, was employees whose retirement funds Car-
Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza,
recently indicted for an alleged role in the lyle gained access to, for Carlyle itself, bailouts of the banks and corporations.
47th St. & 1st Ave.
scandal. Morris allegedly received at least $20 million is a drop in the bucket. Car- And they are the same politicians and
NYC
$15 million in kickbacks from investment lyle is a financial behemoth with a war corporations that are fighting in tandem
firms like Carlyle Group and Quadrangle chest of more than $85.5 billion. against pro-worker legislation like the
Group in return for giving the firms ac- Carlyle received more than $878 mil- Employee Free Choice Act.
cess to the retirement funds of public em- lion in investments from the New York For the workers and oppressed, the
ployees. State Common Retirement Fund alone. pension fund scandal is additional proof
Quadrangle Group was co-founded by Carlyle extracted “management and in- that faith in capitalist politicians is mis-
Steven Rattner, who is currently oversee- centive” fees totaling $37.5 million from placed. The power for true and lasting
ing the attack on autoworkers as head of the retirement fund. (ABC, May 14) change lies not in the empty rhetoric of
President Barack Obama’s auto task force. When discussing the investigation at a capitalist politicians, but rather in the
Rattner was serving as a senior executive recent press conference, Cuomo likened mass worker-led movements that are out 212.633.6646 www.BailOutPeople.org
Page 6 June 4, 2009 www.workers.org
Detroit.
ices People’s Summit & Tent City
whose hunger for profits and super-ex-
ploitation of workers knows no limits.
Corporations cannot be lured to stay for
any long period of time by lowering taxes,
protests planned
as the politicians claim. By Kris Hamel take place. The theme of the day’s events evated train and full rights for people with
As part of the State of Emergency Cam- Detroit will be “Detroit’s crisis as a symbol of the disabilities. The Detroit People Mover
paign, some workers who are members country and the world.” says on its Web site that it is “100-per-
of the Carolina Auto, Aerospace and Ma- Organizers of the People’s Summit Organizers will invite members of the cent accessible,” but it’s not. The elevator
chine Workers Union, a chapter of UE Lo- and Tent City taking place June 14-17 in big-business summit and the media to go at the Grand Circus Park station doesn’t
cal 150, are fighting for recall rights. They downtown Detroit have announced sev- on a Corporate/Banker Devastation Tour work.
are organized in a non-majority union eral demonstrations and other events as of the city. They will view neighborhoods From noon to 1:30 p.m., as former
without a collective bargaining agreement. part of its four-day agenda. The People’s with foreclosed and boarded-up homes, Michigan Gov. John Engler, now head
In March 390 of almost 1,500 workers at Summit will counter the National Sum- closed factories and schools, and other of the National Association of Manufac-
the Cummins Rocky Mount Engine Plant mit, known until recently as the National signs of poverty and homelessness. Ac- turers, and Richard Dauch, the CEO of
were laid off. Workers have been rallying Business Summit, occurring June 15-17 at tivists from around the country are also American Axel & Manufacturing, speak at
and mass petitioning ever since. the GM Renaissance Center. invited. the big-business summit, a mass rally for
The Raleigh People’s Assembly will A State of Emergency Fightback Rally Later, a mass march down Woodward jobs will take place. Autoworkers, includ-
host a forum on May 30 where teachers, will kick off the People’s Summit on June Ave. will go from Grand Circus Park, site ing member of Soldiers of Solidarity, are
state workers, city workers and youth will 14. Organizers say they will do what the of the People’s Tent City, to the GM Re- expected to attend.
speak out against budget cuts. Led by a politicians have so far refused to do–de- naissance Center on Detroit’s riverfront. A Stop the Wars at Home and Abroad
powerful rank-and-file workers’ organi- clare a state of economic emergency in People’s Summiteers will protest the cor- Rally and Cultural Program are slated for
zation, this will be an important opportu- Michigan and all areas affected by high porate agenda of the big-business gath- the evening. Special sessions on work-
nity for other left and progressive forces unemployment, plant closings, mass lay- ering and put forward positive demands ers’ occupations, immigrant and women
to unite and help build a statewide fight- offs, and record foreclosures and evic- such as free national health care for all workers, fighting for the Employee Free
back. The campaign also plans to launch tions. They will demand and begin in- and a massive program for union jobs at Choice Act and other struggles will oc-
similar actions in 10 other cities through- stituting an immediate moratorium on living wages. cur throughout the People’s Summit and
out the state. layoffs, budget cuts, evictions and fore- In the evening a youth hip-hop concert Tent City. Videotaped testimony and peo-
Part of this campaign demands collec- closures. and rally to “stop the war on drugs” and ple’s speak-outs on how the crisis affects
tive bargaining rights for public sector On the morning of June 15, activists will end police brutality are being planned. them, as well as discussions about the
workers, who are still denied that right by distribute a Know Your Rights leaflet to The theme on June 16 will be “Stop the People’s Stimulus Plan and Economic Bill
law. There are currently two bills in the homeowners and renters at Detroit’s 36th war on the workers and poor–feed the of Rights, will take place daily.
state General Assembly that would repeal District Court, the busiest foreclosure and people, not the Pentagon!” A morning Call 313-887-4344 or visit www.peop-
the ban. This is the first time that such a eviction court in the U.S. A lunchtime ral- demonstration outside the People Mover lessummit.org for more information or to
bill has had support in the state Senate. ly and speak-out for the moratorium and station at Grand Circus Park will demand register, endorse, get leaflets and volun-
On May 26, the HOPE (Hear Our Pub- to “bail out the people not the banks” will accessibility for disabled people on the el- teer. n
plan
people across the U.S. will actively resist a at Delta has been up against “one of the for NAM, founded in 1895, whose goals
big-business National Summit which will most expensive and illegal anti-union include low wages, long hours, pollu-
gather in Detroit June 15-17 at the Re- campaigns in history.” (www.afanet.org) tion, child labor, sexism and racism.
naissance Center, site of General Motors’ • Richard Dauch, CEO of American Axle, has NAM counterparts—the Canadian
world headquarters. led the onslaught against workers at Manufacturers and Exporters and the
however, is not a reference to trimming the Detroit is the “economic Katrina”—the this auto parts supplier in Hamtramck, U.S. Chamber of Commerce—will also
wallets of health industry executives. The ground zero—of capitalist devastation, Mich. In May the company announced be key players at the business summit.
statement instead appears to be aimed at and those gathering at the business sum- that the majority of work at this plant • Finance capitalists and insurance corpora-
reducing the costs per enrollee for Medi- mit are responsible for this and other is being moved out of town and at least tions, many of whom have received billion-
care and Medicaid recipients. atrocities. Members of the People’s Sum- 500 permanent layoffs will happen this dollar bailouts and who are responsible
Orszag wants federal budget analysts, mit and Tent City say those at the big- summer. This is only one year after a bit- for the worldwide foreclosure epidemic,
commonly derided as “bean counters,” to business summit are enemies of all poor ter three-month strike where American raiding of pensions, and other crimes
determine what tests and procedures are and working people. Axle wrested massive concessions from against poor and working people,
considered excessive and subject to cuts. The unrelenting attacks against poor UAW workers at the plant. Dauch is on will also play prominent roles. These
He also attacked allegedly lengthy hospital and working people from business sum- the board of directors of the National include representatives of Pricewater-
stays in some regions as another source of mit participants include the foreclosure Association of Manufacturers and works houseCoopers International Ltd., Citi-
unnecessary expense. epidemic; wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, closely with the Michigan Manufactur- group Inc., Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu,
Orszag maintains that intensive testing Pakistan, Sri Lanka and elsewhere; for- ers Association. His book, “Passion Ernst & Young LLP and Aetna Inc.
and hospitalization do not provide better profit health care; anti-union attacks, for Manufacturing,” will be part of his • Dow Chemical, infamous for toxic chemical
health outcomes. This concentration on plant closings, layoffs, and unequal pay “Structural Costs Are the Enemy” panel production, including napalm and Agent
reducing these aspects of Medicare cover- for women and people of color; school talk at the big-business summit. Orange used by the U.S. in the Vietnam
age is interesting in light of recent findings closings and tuition hikes; lead poisoning • Big Three auto executives—William Clay Ford War, and environmental devastation
in the New England Journal of Medicine. and environmental racism; budget cuts Jr. (co-chair of the business summit) and Alan in India (Bhopal, Nandigram) and
An April 2 study found that a third of and privatization; the super-exploitation R. Mulally from Ford and Robert L. Nardelli of other places, will be represented by its
all Medicare patients are readmitted to of immigrants; and much more. Chrysler—will be playing leading roles at CEO Andrew N. Liveris, who is also
the hospital within 90 days after being dis- the summit. They will be discussing how co-chair of the summit. Liveris serves
charged. More than two-thirds of patients A short list of the enemies to wrest yet more concessions from the on the board of directors of Citigroup,
who had been discharged with a medical • Richard H. Anderson, CEO of Delta Airlines. UAW and other workers across the globe. the world’s leading financial services
condition, and half of those who had been Anderson was executive vice president • John Engler, former Michigan governor and company.
discharged after a surgical procedure, of UnitedHealth Group and served now president and CEO of the National Asso- • DTE Energy’s CEO Anthony F. Earley Jr. DTE is
were rehospitalized or died within the first as president of UnitedHealth’s Com- ciation of Manufacturers, will be speaking despised in metro Detroit, particularly
year following their discharge. mercial Markets Group. He also on the same panel as Dauch. Engler is by African-American customers, for its
Orszag’s logic ignores the fact that read- monopolistic practices, which include
mission rates are the prevalent and costly increasingly high rates, shutting off gas
result of inadequate care in the first place.
It appears that Medicare recipients are be-
Come to the and lights, unreasonable payment plans
ing denied the quality tests, procedures PEOPLE’S SUMMIT AND TENT CITY and more.
• Some other corporations participating
and hospital stays they need. The finan-
cial cost of this phenomenon exceeds $17 Protest the ‘National Big Business Summit’ in the summit include the United Parcel
Service, IBM, Microsoft Corp., Cono-
billion a year according to the article. The JUNE 14–17 coPhilips Co. and McGraw-Hill Cos.,
human cost can be death. Either way, this Grand Circus Park, Detroit, Mich. which owns Standard & Poor’s, Mc-
is not the health care reform voters signed Join us! www.peoplessummit.org 5920 Second Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202 Graw-Hill Education, Business Week
up for at the polls in November. n Email: tentcity@peoplessummit.org Call today: 313-887-4344 and J.D. Power and Associates. n
Page 8 June 4, 2009 www.workers.org
A
nyone in the United States who fought anywhere except in Korea, and disaster on a world scale, with developing tions to allow debates and change photo
pays attention to the corporate then it was to expel foreign invaders. countries impacted the most. Those with opportunities into working meetings. As
news media must think that the The DPRK’s determination to devote the least resources to confront the debacle the representative from Saint Vincent and
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea substantial resources to building a did not create the crisis but are paying for the Grenadines cautioned in April, the
just violated the Comprehensive Test nuclear deterrent reflects Korea’s tragic it. developing countries want to prevent this
Ban Treaty. Right? history. First invaded and annexed by The convening document for the con- meeting from turning into “another U.N.
Except that no such treaty exists. colonial Japan, then occupied by U.S. ference said, “Jobs are disappearing by conference whose result is simply to call
Some 180 countries have signed it, troops at the end of World War II, Korea more than a million a month. ... Private for another conference. We want concrete
but only 148 have ratified it. According suffered enormously from the rise of capital flows to emerging economies this results to report to our people at home.”
to the Web site of the Comprehensive imperialism in the 20th century. year are projected to be down by 82 per- Many Latin American and Caribbean
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, The U.S. created a puppet military cent from the boom year of 2007. ... The nations have been working for the re-
“All 44 States specifically listed in the dictatorship in the south, which in 1948 World Bank, which has described the cri- gional integration that was Simon Boli-
Treaty—those with nuclear technology declared itself the Republic of Korea. sis as a ‘development emergency,’ projects var’s dream. One of these efforts is ALBA,
capabilities at the time of the final Treaty It was only then that the revolutionary a finance gap of up to $700 billion in these an alternative to the U.S.-inspired “free
negotiations in 1996—must sign and forces, who had liberated the northern countries, and the possibility of a ‘lost gen- trade” agreements. In April the six ALBA
ratify before the CTBT can enter into part of Korea from Japan’s iron grip, re- eration,’ with added deaths of 1.5 to 2.8 countries—Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Hon
force.” (ctbto.org) sponded by declaring the establishment million infants by 2015. Over 100 million duras, Nicaragua and Venezuela—met in
Nine out of those 44 nuclear states of the DPRK, not as a permanent state people are expected to be tipped into ex- the Venezuelan city of Cumaná in prepa-
have not ratified the treaty, despite having that would ratify the division of Korea, treme poverty each year for the duration ration for a pending meeting of the Orga-
signed it some 13 years ago. Therefore, but as a recognition of reality. The goal of the crisis.” (un.org/ga/econcrisissum- nization of American States in Trinidad
the treaty is not and has never been in of the DPRK, and of the Korean people mit) and Tobago later that month.
force. as a whole, has always been to reunite In previous U.N. summits and confer- They issued the Declaration of Cumaná,
The government that seems to protest the country. Within two years, however, ences the rich imperialist countries have which reads in part: “Capitalism is de-
the most when a country like the DPRK the DPRK was fighting a new war against pledged to help poor countries, yet no stroying humankind and the planet; the
conducts tests sits in Washington. But imperialist invaders—this time hundreds such action has been taken now. In many developed countries have an ecological
guess what? The U.S. Senate has not rati- of thousands of U.S. troops. instances, the most important decision- debt with the world; [We] condemn mi-
fied the treaty. In fact, it is Washington’s Several million Koreans, civilians and making meetings have been held behind grant discrimination in all its forms; basic
refusal that is the main obstacle to the soldiers, were killed in the 1950-53 war. closed doors with only the imperialists services of health care, education, water,
CTBT treaty taking effect. Some 53,000 U.S. soldiers died. Though and countries whose economies are of energy and telecommunications should be
The U.S. tested the world’s first atomic the war ended in a ceasefire with the two great importance to them—as in the case declared human rights and should not be
bombs in 1945 and almost immediately sides roughly where they had been at of the G20, which includes Argentina, the object of commerce; demand an end to
dropped two of them on Japanese cities, the start, the U.S. occupiers of southern Brazil and Mexico from Latin America. the U.S. blockade of Cuba and, regarding
killing 220,000 people on the spot and Korea refused to sign a peace treaty with This time has been different. D’Escoto, the U.N. Conference, state that the solu-
leaving another 200,000 so poisoned the DPRK. And that’s where things have in a recent interview with the Cuban daily tion to the global economic crisis and the
by radiation that they died soon after. stood ever since, with between 30,000 Granma, said, “We have to remember that definition of a new international financial
From that time until it signed the treaty and 40,000 U.S. troops occupying the the General Assembly was practically for- body should be adopted with the full par-
in 1996, the U.S. had tested 1,032 nuclear south at any one time. bidden from talking about international ticipation of the 192 member countries of
weapons. Many countries—first among them the finances, or world economy. Those topics the U.N.”
That is more nuke tests than have United States—have declared they had to were reserved for the IMF, the World Bank, Their presence in the OAS summit was
been carried out by all the rest of the have nuclear weapons for self-defense. the WTO. It has always been like that.” significant. In Cumaná they had already
countries in the world combined, right None has a stronger claim to a nuclear D’Escoto, who is also an advisor to criticized the OAS meeting for two main
up to the present. deterrent than the DPRK, which for Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, reasons: It was not going to discuss the
So how can the world have any confi- more than half a century has faced the stated that this time the voices of all 192 economic crisis which they viewed as
dence in a nuclear test ban treaty if the constant threat of new aggression from countries must be heard, particularly the imperative, and it did not include Cuba.
country that has tested such a hugely the world’s most heavily armed imperial- voices of the poorest countries that have For the first time, each and every country,
disproportionate number of weapons ist superpower. suffered the most. “The aim is to identify some more passionate than others, spoke
won’t ratify it? If Washington were sincere about emergency and long-term responses to against the U.S. blockade of Cuba.
The DPRK has successfully con- wanting to move toward a nuclear-free mitigate the impact of the crisis, especial- President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua
ducted two underground tests of nuclear world, it would start by signing a peace ly on vulnerable populations, and initiate said he did not recognize the OAS because
devices, one in 2006 and another on treaty with the DPRK, ratifying the CTBT a needed dialogue on the transformation it excluded two countries of the Americas,
May 25. It has not dropped any bombs and removing its occupation troops from of the international financial architecture, Cuba and also Puerto Rico, the last colony
on anyone. In fact, its troops have never Korea. n taking into account the needs and con- in the hemisphere.
cerns of all member states. The strong condemnation of the U.S.
“A new financial, economic, monetary blockade of Cuba made U.S. President
From Mumia Abu-Jamal on death row and world trade plan—that is what we in- Barack Obama say a few conciliatory
Three GI resisters
photo: PCP
Thousands in Lisbon demand relief from economic crisis.