People Before Profit blog

Letters

Fri, 28 Feb 2003 06:21:00 +0000

Okla. needs ‘books not bombs’

As a high school student in an Oklahoma public school system, I appreciate your coverage of the Oklahoma teacher’s rally on Feb. 12. (2/22) The nation needs to know that many states are cutting back on education because of budget shortfalls. Instead of wasting money on war, President Bush needs to offer relief for such states so that the youth of America are not neglected.

Ian Nichols Via e-mail

Peace is patriotic

I plan to attend the peace rally on across the street from the Presbyterian and the Methodist Churches.

I am not anti-American. I am not anti-military. I am not pro-Iraq. And I am not pro-Saddam.

But I believe, deeply, sincerely, that it is contrary to the long term best interests of my own country, regardless of the consequences for the rest of the world, if we now establish this new principle of “pre-emptive war.” And I believe it is contrary to U.S. interests for us to encourage lawlessness on the international front. We need to promote respect for international law and for the UN. And I believe that war is always wrong, unethical, wicked, immoral, if the country going to war has other ways to achieve its goals.

For the U.S. to go to war against Iraq right now, without any more effort at a diplomatic solution, is something which ought to be opposed by liberals and conservatives and Democrats and Republicans and people of all stripes.

Even the most right-wing kind of guy ought to agree that we should not unnecessarily or recklessly risk the lives of our men and women in the military.

Even the most rabid Republican defender of George Bush ought to see the selfish value to the U.S. in strengthening, not weakening, International Law.

I am not a pacifist. I love my country.

And the best thing we can do for this county this week ... is to make open and visible our opposition to declaring war right now on Iraq.

Andy Johnson Jacksonville FL

The writer is host of Florida radio talk show “Down to Business Andy Johnson”

No war for oil

That “son of a Bush” in the White House will send thousands of American men and women to destruction for oil. As founder of the Social Human Peoples Party, I have tried to interest others in forming a collective front against the Big Oil, the Big Business Bandits behind an Iraq Oil War. How about a general strike to stop this war of big greed?

Edson Andre Johnson Sunland CA

Coverage about Bolivia

Thanks for “Bolivians demand president’s resignation” (2/22). Bolivia has been a cauldron now for quite some time between water privatization (to Bechtel and others), coca erradication and the many IMF demands imposed upon it.

I would like to make a slight correction, though. Bolivia has a parliamentary system, true but it does not provide for a runoff if no candidate takes 50 percent plus one. When that happens, as it did last spring between Sánchez de Lozada and Evo Morales, it goes to the national assembly which decides between the candidates. Given the situation in Bolivia at the time (and now) I’m not at all sure a runoff would have picked Sánchez de Lozada. But it was almost a foregone conclusion that the assembly would.

Thanks again for shedding some light on a small and often overlooked country, which has a great deal to teach us about globalization and the transnational world we live in.

Julia Lutsky Woodside NY

Worthless wars

The deaths of the two young marines in the collision of Blackhawk helicopters on Jan. 23 is infuriating because the removal of an insignificant amount of cocaine or marijuana from the streets of America can never be worth the lives of the men involved in this useless endeavor. The wastefulness of the “war on drugs” has been known for decades, but the ridiculous use of helicopters in a nightime adventure raises the absurdity of it to cruel farce.

But it won’t hold a candle to the carnage awaiting America’s, and Iraq’s, young soldiers (not to mention the innocent citizens of that beleagured nation) if George Bush and his gang have their way and force their worthless war on the world.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans turned out to march against this phony war; all of the world, except for Britain and U.S., opposes it. What else does it take? More than another pointless war, America needs a regime change of its own.

Philip Krumm San Antonio TX

Editorials

Fri, 28 Feb 2003 06:00:00 +0000

Shredding the Bill of Rights

In a full-page ad in The New York Times, Feb. 25, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) pointed out that Attorney General John Ashcroft ram-rodded through Congress the USA Patriot Act in Oct. 2001 with sweeping new FBI powers to spy on the people in the name of fighting terrorism.

“Incredibly,” the ad states, “Ashcroft’s Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003 (‘Patriot Act II’) would grant government agents even broader authority to search our homes, learn what we read … where we vacation … what drugs our doctors prescribe.”

Patriot Act II would allow authorities to strip Americans of citizenship if they “assist” terrorist groups. Ashcroft had said earlier anyone who criticizes his witchhunt policy is “assisting” terrorists.

Patriot Act II would provide for more warrantless searches and wiretaps as well as secret arrests and detentions.

The ad warns, “When the government attacks core liberties it goes too far. When the Attorney General removes vital checks and balances that have kept us safe and free for more than 220 years, it causes permanent damage to our civil liberties and civil rights.”

We agree with the ACLU. We have seen mass detentions of Arab-Americans, Asians and Muslims, yet the number with probable links to terrorism can be counted on one hand. Ashcroft engages in racial profiling and mass intimidation as he and his agents try to break up the coalition movements battling George W. Bush’s right-wing agenda of corporate thievery at home and war abroad.

Grassroots pressure persuaded Congress to terminate the Pentagon’s so-called “Total Information Awareness” spy operation headed by Iran-Contra criminal Adm. John Poindexter. City Councils are approving resolutions ordering local police not to cooperate in Ashcroft’s witchhunt.

Congress must act as true patriots and vote down Patriot Act II – and repeal Patriot Act I.

Nightclub safety

Safety in nightclubs and all assembly spaces – be they restaurants, office buildings or train stations – has come to the public’s attention recently with the tragic deaths of 21 people in Chicago and 97 people in West Warwick, Rhode Island. In spending so much on preparing for our worst nightmares – war and terrorism – we must be careful that we do not neglect more common killers.

In Chicago, people died because emergency exits were locked or blocked; in Rhode Island, the cause was a combination of a quickly spreading fire, no sprinkler system and unmarked emergency exits.

Whether the fire in Rhode Island was the fault of the band, the club’s owners or both, one thing is certain according to experts: if the building had been equipped with an automatic sprinkler system, fewer people – perhaps even none – would have died. While those who were negligent should be held responsible, the problem is more than a few careless individuals.

The importance of safety in public spaces is being pushed aside largely for financial reasons. Builders associations lobby against requiring sprinkler systems in new homes, and club and restaurant owners claim the cost of installing them could put them out of business. Meanwhile, the enforcement of already existing building codes requiring such safety precautions varies widely. The local and state departments, handed the task of inspecting and enforcing safety rules, are stretched extremely thin, especially with the increased demands of “homeland security.” State and local budget deficits, and resulting cutbacks and layoffs, will only make this situation worse.

Spokespeople for the building and entertainment industries have said this week that they can’t and won’t police themselves. State, local and federal governments are the public’s only defense against industries that feel that 118 lives are not worth the cost of a sprinkler system, or fixing building code violations. People must lobby for funding to protect themselves and others and demand that government agencies do their jobs.

U.S.-Philippine troop deal unravels

Fri, 28 Feb 2003 05:30:00 +0000

Plans the Pentagon announced last week to send 3,000 troops to the Philippines to help in efforts to eradicate the Abu Sayyaf group of Islamic militants are facing a sharp challenge this week as critics point out that the Philippine constitution bars foreign troops from fighting on its territory.

After a deal had apparently been reached last week, presidential spokesperson Ignacio Bunye said on Feb. 23 that no final agreement had been reached with the Bush administration and that U.S. troops would not be permitted to engage in combat in his country. On the same day, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes flew to the U.S. for meetings with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

According to the agreement, some 750 ground troops including 350 special operations forces were to conduct or help with combat patrols in the jungles of Sulu province. On two ships offshore were to be 1,000 Marines armed with Cobra attack helicopters and Harrier AV-8B attack planes. The U.S. forces would be commanded by Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Weber, commander of the 3rd Marine Division based on Okinawa.

Another 1,300 U.S. troops are already stationed in the Philippines to help train the country’s armed forces, while the U.S. Navy flies regular reconnaissance missions over the Sulu Archipelago to provide intelligence support to U.S. and Philippine forces in the area.

Popular opposition to the U.S. military role is strong. In 1991 public anger – combined with damage to Clark Air Base from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo – forced the government to refuse to let the Pentagon continue to station troops there and at Subic Bay Naval Station.

Critics of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo charge that the government worked out a secret deal to allow U.S. soldiers to engage in combat, but denied the agreement after it was made public.

At the same time, the Bush administration is stepping up its military involvement in Colombia. This year Arauca province, on the border with Venezuela, will become the focus of a $470 million a year Pentagon program to strengthen Colombia’s military, emphasizing counterinsurgency techniques rather than the anti drug efforts the U.S. has concentrated on in the past. Ostensibly, the effort is to protect an oil pipeline run jointly by the Colombian government, and Los Angeles based Occidental Petroleum, but the first unit to be trained is a Colombian counterinsurgency force.

U.S. officials say at least five UN-1H Huey II helicopters, funded under the $1.3 billion “Plan Colombia” aid package, will be shifted from anti-drug to counterinsurgency activities. The five ‘copters will enable a 40-member platoon to be moved at one time to target insurgents; the program envisions purchase of as many as 10 new helicopters, associated equipment, and training for Colombian forces. Currently there are about 500 U.S. military “advisors” in the country. Colombia holds the worst human rights record for trade unionists, with hundreds murdered and kidnapped each year by mainly right-wing paramilitaries who operate openly with impunity.

The author can be reached at cpusainternat@mindspring.com

Headlines 666

Wed, 26 Feb 2003 11:19:00 +0000

Millions march against war: At home by Tim Wheeler, Feb 22, 2003 NEW YORK – Braving frigid cold, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators rallied near the United Nations, Feb. 15, to protest George W. Bush’s threatened war on Iraq and to support UN efforts to stop the war. The rally here was part of a coordinated one-day protest in 600 cities across the nation and around the world. Millions march against war: Around world by Marilyn Bechtel, Feb 22, 2003 An unprecedented wave of anti war demonstrations swept the globe on Feb. 15, as an estimated 11 million demonstrators poured into the streets, determined to block the Bush administration’s drive to war against Iraq. As in the U.S., initiators and participants came from a very broad array of unions, political parties, religious organizations, youth and women’s organizations, left and progressive organizations including communist and workers parties.

PWW headlines April 1, 2003

Wed, 26 Feb 2003 11:09:00 +0000

test3

Wed, 26 Feb 2003 10:10:00 +0000

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CD Spins:

Fri, 21 Feb 2003 05:25:00 +0000

Day by Day Bete.e and Stef, Universal Music/Bete.e and Stef Records

Bete.e and Stef, a talented duo from Montreal, Canada, first came to the attention of Canadians in 1997 with their self made and promoted CD Jazz/Bossa Nova. It sold 50,000 units, an incredible achievement when jazz CDs, either domestic or imported, sell at the most 10,000 CDs in Canada. Day by Day is Bete.e and Stef’s second release and it does not disappoint.

Produced by heavyweight Michel Pepin, who worked with Rufus Wainwright and Emmy Lou Harris, Day by Day reflects the duo’s love of Bossa. Almost half of the songs on the CD are covers of Bossa Nova songs. While both Bete.e and Stef are natives of Quebec and are not from Brazil, they certainly demonstrate a talent for performing Bossa. As a matter of fact, when l first listened to the CD l thought Bete.e and Stef were from Brazil. Stef, sounding like a young Carlos Jobim, does an excellent rendition of Toquinho’s “Regras tres.” Bete.e breathes new zest into Giberto Gil’s “Eu vim da bahia,” Jorge Ben’s samba “Zana” and Jobim’s “So tinha de ser comm voce.” While Bete.e croons as beautifully as the other Brazilian divas of Bossa, she brings a freshness to the genre. Perhaps it’s her French accent when she sings in Portuguese that is the determining factor. When language can enhance the beauty of song, the bossa “Vagabond” sung by Bete.e and Stef in French stands out for its elegance and novelty.

While proving that Bete.e and Stef are capable and skilled practitioners of Bossa Nova, Day by Day also highlights their versatility and broader talent outside the genre. The upbeat, infectious jazzy “I’m There” and “It’s Over,” the salsa tinged “ Listen to the Night,” and the low-key “Wish You Well” aptly prove their ability outside Bossa Nova. These songs have a sparse, cool, sophisticated quality to them. Making her even more enticing, Bete.e sounds like a Quebec version of Sade when she sings in English. On a scale of 1 to 10, this CD deserves 11.

* * * *

Good Morning Kiss Carmen Lundy, Just-in-Time

Good Morning Kiss is jazz vocalist Carmen Lundy’s sparkling debut CD. Her compositions are entertaining, lively and unwavering. Her songs range from beautiful, melancholy renditions of Jobim’s “Dindi” to spirited, upbeat numbers like “Show Me That You Love Me,” “Time is Love” and “Love for Sale.” Furthermore, the musicians on the CD succeed in providing a warm, solid backing to Lundy’s songs. Lundy’s Good Morning Kiss is a good first effort.

– Tim Pelzer (tpelzer@sprint.ca)

Letters

Fri, 21 Feb 2003 05:08:00 +0000

Bush the liar

It seems that there are still people out there who have not concluded that everything the president and his pawns (or is it the other way around?) say about anything is a distortion or outright lie. And these people seem to believe that Iraq actually poses some sort of threat to something other than oil company executives’ profits.

But what really puzzles me is the ethics of their claim. We have been told that the immediate casualties from a war with Iraq could reach upwards of half a million dead. Even if Iraq might become a threat someday, what or who is it these people think it is worth slaughtering 500,000 innocent people now to protect?

On a related note haven’t they noticed that Bush seems to be interested in dominating the whole world on behalf of global corporations? Isn’t Bush the one who is behaving like Hitler and therefore must be stopped before the world is embroiled in war? The right-wing has been tossing around analogies with Hitler, but as usually have everything completely backward.

Richard Curtis Seattle WA

Protest police brutality

This week is going to be full of protest and spirituality. My son Gonzalo was executed by Downey police Feb. 15, 2002, I know many antiwar protests will be done in Los Angeles, but the war is also here with us. We are protesting too on Feb. 15 in Downey.

There are terrorists inside the police department. We need to stand up and fight against this injustice. My son was not a criminal and had no record of any kind. He was college educated. They shot my son 34 times, like if he was a beast. My family is destroyed and will never be the same. The Downey police has 42 lawsuits against it for civil rights violations.

The war is also inside our country. No matter if only one person joins us in protesting, then police brutality won’t be swept under the carpet. Too many young lives are lost and gone forever from this injustice.

Norma Martinez Via e-mail

Gluttony of military spending

Washington, D.C. centers on tax cuts, yet little attention is paid to the gluttony of military spending which is an affront to many conscientious objectors and peace activists around the nation.

Forty-seven percent of federal taxes are spent on the military and that the annual military budget of the United States. That is greater that the combined budgets of the next twelve largest military budgets in the world.

Conscientious Objection to military service has been legally available for many years and has a long history in the United States. The Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Bill, H.R. 1186, was introduced to the 107th Congress to address the freedom of religion and conscience of taxpayers by amending the Internal Revenue Code to recognize the right of citizens to pay 100 percent of their taxes without violating deeply held religious or ethical convictions against participation in war.

Michael B. Brewer Boaz AL

About Schmidt

Brandi Kishner’s revue of About Schmidt (2/1), is a gem of writing, of reflection, and of understanding. Thank you!

Mitch Berkowitz Bronx NY

Media cover-up

If “Powell at UN caught in web of lies” by Tim Wheeler in (2/15) is true then why haven’t we heard more about it? Could it be, that our media agencies are really taking part in a propaganda war on American citizens?

Matthew Tatum Via e-mail

Loves free speech, PWW

With the front cover of your January 18, 2003 edition reading “36 cities tell Bush: Give peace a chance” and with the words “The struggle against racism” on the upper right corner, I immediately knew I had to read your newspaper. Every author did a great job talking about all the poverty, corruption, scandal, racism, etc.

Jarvis Tyner’s “Lessons from the Lott expose” was strong and factual. You guys won me over with the issue, so I will continue to read your newspaper from now on. Long live our first amendment rights of free speech!

Jeff Millien Waterbury CT

Editorials

Fri, 21 Feb 2003 05:05:00 +0000

The American people are not a ‘focus group’

On Feb. 15-16 a new peace movement was born. A movement that represents the people’s heartfelt concerns that international problems be resolved peacefully, instead of what the Bush administration has pushed – a war on Iraq.

Grandparents went into the streets with their children and grandchildren to join hospital and longshore workers, movie stars, elected officials, teachers, college students, ministers, rabbis and imams to say, “The world says no to war.”

People came out who never demonstrated before. Millions marched here and around the world. Over a million Americans, in New York, San Francisco and many other cities and towns, marched, rallied and held signs calling for peace. The latest polls show the overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. want more time for the UN weapons inspections, and do not want unilateral action.

Yet George W. Bush does not see this movement for what it is – democracy in action. Bush dismissed the protests this weekend, saying deciding policy based on the protests would be like using a “focus group.” He then continued to bully the UN and countries that disagree with war as a first solution.

But indeed, Bush has determined his policy on Iraq with a “focus group” – a small, elite grouping of the oil industry, military contractors and far right ideologues inside and outside of elected government. This far right “focus group” seeks a U.S. foreign policy based on first strike use of nuclear weapons, regime change and foreign aid loan sharking to control the world for free market capitalism.

This is a turning point moment and a movement has grown, which can actually stop this war drive. But now we in the U.S. have a special responsibility to take the struggle into the halls of Congress in order to stop this war. Congress must act and represent the American people by fighting to let UN inspections work and for a peaceful, diplomatic solution.

No nukes!

The Bush administration is suffering from a severe case of nuclear weapons creep – moving slowly but steadily toward a pre-emptive strike policy using nuclear weapons, with Iraq the first test.

The most recent manifestation of the disease came on Jan. 10 when 32 weapons managers from nuclear weapons laboratories and representatives of the military and the Department of Defense attended a meeting where they discussed the future of the U.S. nuclear weapons program. The meeting was “outed” last week. Among other things, they laid plans for a secret meeting at the Omaha, Neb., headquarters of the Strategic Air Command to discuss what new nuclear weapons to build and how to test them.

Although the U.S. has never agreed to a “no first strike” pledge on the use of nuclear arms, it has promised not to use them against countries that do not have them. But that is changing and, as The Los Angeles Times reports, the Pentagon is looking at how nuclear weapons might be used in the event of war.

Much of the “justification” for the use of nuclear weapons lies in the argument that they are no different from conventional weapons and need not be governed by separate rules. The administration is seeking to blur the decades-old distinction between nuclear and conventional weapons, a distinction that has, for nearly 60 years, prevented the use of nuclear arms.

But they are different – they are not just one more rung on a ladder from stones to clubs, from gunpowder to “smart” bombs. Their ability to instantly wipe out thousands of lives and entire cities and kill millions over time with toxic radiation makes them qualitatively different.

Plans to develop and test new nuclear weapons are a clear violation of the 1954 Comprehensive Test Ban and Nuclear Nonproliferation treaties.

While it is true that the U.S. anti-war movement has a full plate, it must find room for this issue, otherwise the U.S. will surely be a nuclear “rogue state.”

Letters

Fri, 14 Feb 2003 06:32:00 +0000

Corp steals health care for 95,000

Steelworkers in the NW corner of Indiana feel like they are participating in a real life soap opera. The way the plot goes is first a company declares bankruptcy. Then they close the plant or are bought up. Workers lose their jobs and the retirees take it in the neck. Their pensions are reduced and they lose their health care.

For example, Bethlehem Steel is now in the process of being bought by the International Steel Group (ISG) which bought LTV Steel and ACME Steel last year.

The Bethlehem Steel retirees lost a good portion of their pensions when the government took over the mismanaged pension plan. Now Bethlehem has announced that at the end of March retirees and their dependents – 95,000 total – will have their health care terminated.

This ought to be illegal. These people worked their whole lives for the promise of a pension and health care. Now they are getting robbed. In many cases, replacement health care will cost the retiree almost as much as their pension.

Somebody ought to go to jail for this crime. If someone jumped an old person and took their pension check they’d go to jail. Why not lock up these corporate robbers?

Paul S. Kaczocha Gary IN (The writer is a Bethlehem Steel worker)

Support the Cuban 5

Though we are in the midst of a Bush Terror War, let’s not to forget about the many political prisoners already unjustly held in American prisons.

The Cuban Five are a group of such prisoners. They have already been in prison for four years. Their crime? Trying to stop groups, funded by our government, from attacking sovereign nations. This April 7 the five will have a hearing for their appeal for a new trial at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

For more information see the website at www.freethefive.org to see what can be done and to hear their story.

Francisco De La Cruz Milwaukee WI

More important than oil

Two things came in my e-mail today: a news story that Bush’s budget proposes new eligibility requirements that would make it harder for low-income families to obtain government benefits; and a note from a friend about the Feb. 15 demonstration: “I cannot go, but I would like to give $75 for the cause … My little brother is a Marine, he is more important than oil.”

It seems to me that Bush and his gang consider young people, especially from poor families, to be nothing more than cannon fodder. They will use budget cuts to force even more young people into the military. The ultra-right elements of the ruling class that Bush serves think nothing of the casualties, only of the profits.

The Feb. 15 demonstration along with the almost daily demonstrations happening all over, the union anti-war resolutions, the March 5 Student Strike for Peace, all these will help stop the unending war plans and will save the lives of our own brothers and sisters and others around the world. I can’t wait to put the ultra-right on the defensive and send them packing.

Barbara T. Russum Chicago IL

Snow job

“I know what it’s like to need a job and I also know what it takes to create jobs,” said Secretary Treasurer nominee John W. Snow at his confirmation hearing.

Thank you People’s Weekly World and Fred Gaboury for your expose on Mr.Snow. (1/11/03)

While Mr. Snow was CEO of CSX he was in charge of and did wonders for himself: CSX loaned Snow $24.5 million purchase of co. stock valued at $32.3 million. But after the stock price dropped the co. forgave the loan; He will retire with a pension of 2.5 million a year and was one of the highest paid CEO’s. Under Snow CSX did not pay taxes for 1998 and 2001; During Snow’s reign CSX was cited by federal authorities for “significant” track safety violations; Snow has been described as a “poster child for all the things that are wrong about our pay-to-play system of financing campaigns” by Public Campaign, a campaign finance reform group.

Bush and co. have nominated Mr. Snow because he is all for Bush’s tax cuts to the wealthy and will go along.

As for creating jobs, well, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Gabe Falsetta Glendale NY

Editorials

Fri, 14 Feb 2003 06:25:00 +0000

Governing through fear

For the second time since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the Bush administration issued an “Orange” alert – the second highest level for homeland security. The first time was on the anniversary of the terrorist attack. Nothing happened. Thank goodness.

Yet we can’t help but think these alerts are politically motivated and have nothing to do with safety. The administration issues numerous alerts with no indication of where they expect an attack, nor how. This creates a sense of fear in the populace and fosters the psychological and political conditions to convince the people of the lie that a war against Iraq is a war of defense against terrorism.

The constant “alerts” are also used to justify the administration’s attack on civil liberties. The alerts provide a cover for the registration of Arab and Muslims, arrests and detentions while many are being held incommunicado.

The alerts creates a racist justification for people to suspect Arabs, Muslims and immigrants.

Just as ominous was a fund-raising letter for the National Right to Work Committee signed by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), which questioned the patriotism of labor leaders because they fight to represent police, firefighters, longshore workers, machinists and other workers. IAM President Buffenberger said the GOP leader “equate[s] the exercise of the First Amendment with treason” and called DeLay to “resign from Congress.”

Bush allies have also gotten into the act. The government of Tony Blair is also guilty of the same thing. Last Nov. the British Home Secretary David Blunkett issued an alert saying that terrorists may use a “dirty bomb, or some kind of poison gas.” Minutes later the statement was withdrawn and replaced with a more general warning.

Is this the future of our country and world? Ruling by fear? Only labor and the people’s movement can turn this around by fighting the Bush administration’s attack on democratic rights and peace.

Support the filibuster

U.S. Senators have begun a filibuster to block confirmation of Miguel Estrada, a rightwing extremist nominated by George W. Bush to the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. In appearing as a witness before Senate Judiciary confirmation hearings, Estrada arrogantly refused to discuss his views on landmark Supreme Court rulings such as Roe v. Wade

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) told reporters, “Mr. Estrada has been intransigent and unwilling to provide even the most basic information that we must have if we are going to make our assessment of his qualifications.” Daschle also wrote to Bush assailing the White House for refusing to provide copies of legal memos Estrada wrote while serving in the Justice Department’s Office of Solicitor General.

Estrada is the first of an expected procession of “stealth” nominees to the Federal bench who will attempt to hide their extremist, anti-democratic views until they are safely installed in their lifetime positions. The Bush White House is already falsely accusing opponents of Estrada of being hostile to Hispanic nominees.

But Hispanic civil rights groups have come out strongly against him, comparing him to Clarence Thomas, whose appointment to the Supreme Court has setback the struggle for equality. Similarly, they argue, Estrada will give fig-leaf cover to racist, anti-immigrant, policies that hurt the struggle for Latino equality.

This filibuster calls for urgent, immediate support. The Republicans have a 51 to 49 majority in the Senate but they lack the 60 votes required to close off debate. This filibuster is the opening shot in a struggle against George W. Bush’s drive to pack the federal judiciary with extreme ultra-rightists.

The civil and constitutional rights of the people are in peril. As Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said, “The issue is whether the advise and consent process in the selection of judges is going to be obliterated.”

Call your U.S. senators at (202)-224-3121. Tell them to support this filibuster. The American people refuse to be ruled by a Bush ‘Blitzkrieg’ of reaction and fear.

Conn. labor says Human needs first

Fri, 14 Feb 2003 04:42:00 +0000

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Braving frigid cold winds, staff members and patients at the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) spent their lunch hour on the picket line, Feb. 3, wearing District 1199 signs proclaiming “Patient Care is OUR bottom line.”

CMHC is one of dozens of social service agencies decimated by new program cuts and layoffs of 3800 state workers in the wake of a $650 million budget deficit. Rallies to protest the unnecessary and brutal cuts are being held around the state daily.

Candace Buchanan, a clinical social worker with 13 years seniority, decried the loss of intake staff at CMHC, which could dangerously delay critical help. “I’m appealing to people’s moral conscience ... Do not allow Gov. Rowland to balance the budget on the backs of those in need,” she said, calling for a fair tax policy. “Those who benefitted in time of economic prosperity should now share the responsibility to balance the budget.”

Republican Governor John Rowland justifies his callous cuts, from services for the blind to health care for children, by blaming union workers and the poor. The slogan on Connecticut Business and Industry Association billboards, “Cut spending – tax increases mean less jobs,” make it clear that protecting the rich and corporations takes priority over meeting human needs.

In an unprecedented response, the 13 unions representing state workers (SEBAC) joined with 100 social service organizations (One Connecticut) and big city mayors to present an alternative Fair Share Budget to the Democratic-controlled legislature. Their proposal restores all cuts in services and rehires laid-off workers. It closes the deficit with a modest, graduated income tax increase for those with $200,000 or more annual income.

Rejecting structural cuts in wages and benefits, state workers offered to save the state $1.1 billion with wage increase postponements and deferred pension fund contributions. Rowland dismissed the proposals out-of-hand.

The Fair Share budget, originally embraced by a third of House Democrats, remains stalled under pressures against taxing the rich and re-hiring laid-off workers.

Determined to spotlight denial of basic human rights, seven activists staged a sit-in at the governor’s office during late night budget deliberations.

Rowland’s divisive tactics have included a direct e-mail appeal, calling on state employees to reject their union leadership and agree to concessions in exchange for ending the layoffs.

Understanding that Rowland would like to eliminate their unions, state workers are voting instead to increase dues payments to provide support for their wrongfully laid off sisters and brothers. Over 300 stewards and delegates from the 13 unions held their first joint meeting February 8, to plan full involvement of their members. Rowland “counted on 13 unions breaking apart and each going its own way … That hasn’t happened,” said Dan Livingston, attorney and SEBAC chief negotiator.

SEBAC has filed suit in federal court to reinstate all laid-off employees, charging that the governor is targeting members of unions who opposed him in the 2002 elections.

Rowland exposed his anti-union bias in a 1997 interview saying, “I think in politics, there are some natural enemies and natural friends. In my case, the natural allies have been the business community, the natural enemies have been the unions.”

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities has also sued Rowland for aid due to cities and towns. New Haven Mayor John DeStefano is lobbying daily at the capitol. As president of the National League of Cities (NLC), he knows these battles are being fought in nearly every state. The NLC federal stimulus proposal calls for $70 billion to meet state and local budget shortfalls.

The impact of the cuts is life threatening. Last week a Meriden resident was rushed to the emergency room after failing to get his prescription renewed at the closed Department of Social Services office. Four DSS offices, four labor employment centers and five motor vehicle offices are closing, leaving many in the lurch.

On the picket line at CMHC, Candace Buchanan said, “No one can predict what this will look like when it is all over.” Calling the cuts “madness,” she said patients at the Hispanic mental health satellite clinic are forced to speak through interpreters since two Spanish-speaking social workers were bumped in the layoff process.

On Feb. 27, thousands of ordinary citizens and state workers will stand together at the State Capitol to counter Rowland’s budget address and “turn up the heat ... to reverse the layoffs and win a fair solution to the budget crisis.”

Many workers are also participating in actions against a war on Iraq.

The author can be reached at joelle.fishman@pobox.com

PDF version of 'Conn. labor says ‘Human needs first’'

Editorials

Fri, 07 Feb 2003 08:26:00 +0000

‘No material breach’

Despite the advance publicity and a 90-minute multi-media snow job by Secretary of State Colin Powell, members of the United Nations Security Council remained unconvinced that war with Iraq is justified.

While most used the guarded language of diplomacy to express their concern over the U.S. drive to war with Iraq, others challenged the “evidence” Powell presented, saying much of it was based on “un-named and unknown sources” and raised the possibility that modern technology made it possible to fabricate electronic intercepts of conversations.

While every speaker called upon Iraq to cooperate fully with the inspectors, none of the 15-member council except the United States spoke of a “material breach” of UN Resolution 1441 and none threatened “consequences.”

Instead, a consensus emerged around five points, all of which can be lumped under the slogan, “Let the inspectors do their job”:

1) That the Security Council, charged by the UN Charter with maintaining peace and upholding international law, be the arena for resolving the Iraq crisis.

2) That the inspections be strengthened with additional inspectors and the most advanced technology.

3) That the United States turn over the documentation backing its charges of Iraq’s “denial and deceit,” and that all countries make their intelligence available to UN inspectors

4) That every effort be made to settle the crisis by peaceful means.

5) That inspections are working and the process should not be short-circuited by artificial deadlines. (Resolution 1441 has none.)

The meeting of the Security Council is a boost to efforts by the United for Peace and Justice Coalition to build the Feb. 15 “The World Says No to War” demonstration in New York City. A turnout of hundreds of thousands is the best contribution the American people can make toward a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis.

We may not have elected George Bush but it’s our job to help keep him under control.

Defeat Estrada

George W. Bush has nominated right-wing ideologue Miguel Estrada for a judgeship on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for D.C. If Estrada is confirmed by the Senate, he will be a candidate for one of the next open seats on the Supreme Court.

Estrada is a member of the law firm that represented Bush in the Supreme Court’s outrageous ruling that put Bush in the White House. Estrada refused to answer questions by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He claimed he has not read the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortions. Estrada’s nomination was approved in the Committee by a razor thin margin of one.

Latino, labor and other groups are urging the Senate to reject this nomination. Among them are the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, United Farm Workers, National Council of La Raza, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Educational Fund (PRLDEF).

Estrada’s colleagues say he “has extreme views … outside the mainstream,” the PRLDEF report charged adding that Estrada has a “clear lack of any connection whatsoever to the issues, needs and concerns” of the Latino community.

MALDEF said that they could not believe that Estrada “would be fair to Latino litigants and their interests on a number of critically important issues.” MALDEF has questioned Estrada’s commitment to protecting individual rights against police abuse.

We support the demand for more Latinos representation on the judiciary. Latinos comprise 12.7 percent of the U.S. population but only 3.7 percent of federal judges. However, Estrada’s nomination is bad for Latinos, the working class, democratic rights and the country, just as Clarence Thomas’ nomination to the Supreme Court set back democratic rights.

The Senate should reject Estrada. We support the call for a Senate filibuster to block his confirmation.