People Before Profit blog

Climate change hurts India, South Asia

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:51:00 +0000

Throughout India and South Asia people participated in the International Day of Climate Action, Oct. 24, which was organized to bring attention to the necessity of reducing global warming gasses, especially carbon dioxide, from the current 380 parts per million to 350 ppm.

India's press has widely published the news about U.S. President Barack Obama saying he will reverse the Bush-era policy of ignoring international treaties on climate change, like the Kyoto Protocol, and work to cut greenhouse gas emissions globally and by the United States. The recent passage of the U.S. climate bill by the House of Representatives denotes a meaningful departure by the Obama administration to ward off the danger of climate change that threatens to eradicate much life on planet Earth.

No wonder the left press in India is expressing hopes of some meaningful decision from the December 2009 Copenhagen conference.

The report of the International Food Policy Research Institute for the Asian Development Bank has warned that global warming (meaning human-caused climate change) poses a threat to all regions of the world, but South Asia, along with mid- and southern African nations will be the hardest hit early on.

Whether it is New Orleans, or flood and hurricane disasters in Indonesia, or floods in Indian states of Andhra and Tamil Nadu, the ravages of climate change are obvious to their inhabitants. For several decades now, less rain has visited Indian areas. Out of a total of 600 districts in India, 533 have been surveyed by country's Meteorological Department and 340 districts have been declared drought ridden. A decrease in food grains has been occurring for several years as well as a decrease in pulses, oil seeds and sugar cane production.

Climate change and food security go hand in hand in South Asia. Prices have been sky rocketing each year. Profiteers flush with speculative capital use the shortages to build profits as never before. The Left parties in India are mobilizing against price rise. They point to the Indian central government for its policies, but they also blame the industrially-developed "West" and its incessant greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the Left parties point to the role of India's own bourgeoisie and landlords exercising influence on the government and profiteering from the food insecurity.

Left parties call for investment in the state-owned and managed food ration shops, which could supply the daily needs of calories without the profiteering costs. Such an investment would require no loans from the World Bank, the left charges.

But how much responsibility does India - the largest South Asian nation - (or China) bear in adding to greenhouse gas emissions?

Four hundred million people in India live without electricity in their dwellings. Three hundred million live on less than one dollar a day. According to a recent statement of the Communist Party of India - Marxist, "more than half of Indian households, mostly the poor in rural areas, have no access to modern energy. Energy inequality in India is a major factor in poor human development of the majority of the Indian people."

At the same time India sees that developed countries have not pulled their weight regarding decreasing greenhouse gasses. Again the CPI-M said, instead of the agreed to 5 percent admissions cut, developed countries "cumulative emissions went up by 10 percent, while that of the U.S. which refused to join [Kyoto] went up by a massive 17 percent."

For India's development and global commitment towards climate change (India is a signer of the Kyoto Treaty) the left has called for energy equality, delivering energy to areas where there is none. But the increase of emissions must be, they argue, accompanied by energy conservation measures, especially by corporate India and better-off sectors of society.

India has been in the forefront internationally of raising the issue of a fair way to cut global warming emission. And like President Obama has said, no one country can do it alone. Everyone will have to pull their fair share.

United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change is meeting in Copenhagen in December. At this meeting, a final global agreement is likely to be given a final shape by the representatives of 190 or so countries. Yet most Third World countries feel that the developed economies of the world will continue to be vague in defining and discharging their obligations to restrict emissions.

For developed countries corporate sectors, especially energy sectors, they will say cutting emissions is too cost prohibitive. But saving the life on earth has never been their priority.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned so many times that due to the failure in meeting Kyoto Protocol targets, the danger of a two degree C rise of temperature will shortly become a reality. So drastic measures are needed both in the short and medium term.

But the G8 and G5 meetings have said they will work between now and Copenhagen for a global goal of reducing emissions by 2050. And reduction targets are not quantified. These long term targets mean nothing if medium term targets are neither defined nor achieved by 2020 or 2030, which the EU has been asking for. So the whole blame is shifted to the U.S., which the Third World thinks is still not ready for a global commitment to cut emissions.

Photo: 350.org/ Children from Hyderabad, India participate in the International Day of Climate Action in front of the famous Charminar. http://www.flickr.com/photos/350org/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

UN General Assembly denounces U.S. blockade of Cuba

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:33:00 +0000

For the 18th consecutive year, the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted to condemn the economic blockade that the United States has maintained against socialist Cuba since shortly after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in January of 1959.

The United States calls the policy an embargo, but Cuba points out that since it does not merely prevent U.S. persons and enterprises from doing business in Cuba, but strives to punish foreign companies who trade with Cuba also, it amounts to a blockade.

The vote in favor of the resolution to condemn the blockade and ask for its reversal was higher than ever, with 187 votes in favor of the condemnation, 3 votes against (the United States, Israel and the tiny Pacific Ocean nation of Palau), and two abstentions (The Marshall Islands and Micronesia, also tiny Pacific states which, like Palau, are highly dependent on U.S. aid).

This means that every single country that has representation in the UN - there are 192 in all - voted against the United States on this matter. The "yes" vote on the anti-blockade resolution included two new countries compared to last year's vote: El Salvador, which elected a left-center government in March, and which had for many years previously been used by the CIA as a base for subversion against Cuba, and, interestingly, the U.S. supported government of Iraq. Every single one of the U.S.'s NATO allies voted to condemn the U.S. policy.

In the lead up to the vote, the Cuban delegation had provided General Assembly delegates with a detailed account of the ways in which the blockade had harmed ordinary Cuban people by forcing Cuba to pay higher prices for imported goods and by denying sick Cubans access to medicines and medical devices. Delegates from a number of other countries took the podium to denounce the U.S. policy.

During the debate, U.S. ambassador to the UN Susan Rice mentioned some actions of the new Obama administration aimed at reducing tension with Cuba, but defended the blockade, or embargo, as a legitimate pressure mechanism to get Cuba to change some of its internal policies. About the impending vote, she asserted that "old habits die hard". Responding to comments by Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez, namely that "the blockade is an uncultured act of arrogance," Rice replied that Rodriguez's statement was a throwback to the Cold War. But by their vote, it is obvious that the General Assembly see the blockade itself as such a throwback.

Rodriguez had also pointed out, as the Cuban government has on a number of occasions, that the Obama administration has a unique opportunity to change this policy.

Because the real power center in the UN is not in the General Assembly but the Security Council where the U.S. and other permanent members have a veto, the value of the vote is largely symbolic. But it certainly is an indication of the degree to which, not Cuba but the United States is isolated on this issue.

Photo: Governo da Bahia Credit

International Day of Climate Action

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:58:00 +0000

350.org, founded by author and activist Bill McKibben, sponsored over 5,200 events in 181 countries on Oct. 24. The purpose of the actions was to publicize the call of many scientists to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to no more than 350 parts per million.

Already the level of carbon in the atmosphere is over 380 ppm. Scientists such as NASA's James Hansen point to the dangers to the world if we do not reduce the levels of carbon dioxide, resulting in temperature increases of more than 6 degrees Fahrenheit.

At many demonstrations around the world, people gathered to form giant human chains displaying the number 350. People on every continent used the occasion to apply pressure for more serious action on the upcoming Copenhagen climate change negotiations in December that will agree on a framework for international agreements to tackle climate change following the expiration of the Kyoto Accords in 2012.

There were many creative demonstrations, including an underwater meeting of the Maldives cabinet, illustrating what will happen to their country as sea levels rise, including a demonstration on the shores of the Dead Sea where Israelis made a giant human "3," Palestinians made a giant "5," and Jordanians made a giant "0." In Abu Dhabi, people made a large "350" standing in front of what is currently the world's largest solar panel array.

While there are disputes about whether 1998 or 2005 was the hottest year on record, there is no dispute that the last ten years have been the hottest ever recorded, and certainly the hottest in the last 11,000 years, the entire period of human agricultural development.

One of the less understood aspects of global warming is that the warming is not evenly spread around the world, but is affecting some regions much more heavily. This is especially true of the Arctic, where summer ice is drastically reduced. There are extra dangers for the world because as the Arctic heats up, the permafrost which covers a wide band of the northern earth is starting to defrost, which will lead to the releasing of massive amounts of greenhouse gases that have been frozen for millennia. Unless we limit temperature increases due to human carbon dioxide and methane emissions, this could lead to runaway global warming, beyond human control. We need to act before we reach such a crisis, while we still have the opportunity through human action to change the direction of global climate change.

The Oct. 24 actions, involving tens of thousands, demonstrate that people all over the world are ready to take action, and understand the need to urge political leaders to take action to reduce carbon dioxide emissions faster than current plans envision.

Go to 350.org for many photos of the international actions, for explanations of the science behind the call to limit atmospheric carbon dioxide to 350 ppm, and to sign up for future activities.

Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/350org/4019349845/sizes/o/in/set-72157622455212282/ Creative Commons 2.0 Generic

Iraq blast targets government, elections

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:51:00 +0000

The death toll from Sunday's massive suicide car bomb attacks in Baghdad has risen to 155, with another 500 wounded, the Aswat al-Iraq news agency has reported.

The enormous blasts targeted three government buildings - the Justice Ministry, the Ministry of Public Works, and the Baghdad provincial council, where 10 members of Parliament were attending a meeting. All three buildings were destroyed. The bombings, the deadliest in two years, took place along a road filled with traffic and set more than 150 vehicles on fire, incinerating entire families.

The attacks occurred just before Iraqi political leaders were to meet to work out a compromise on a disputed election law that is needed to allow national elections to happen on time in January. The meeting was held but did not reach an agreement and will re-convene next Monday.

The elections are seen as essential to ensuring the scheduled U.S. military pullout goes forward.

In Iraq, the bloody attacks were widely blamed on remnants of the Saddam Hussein regime and other elements seeking to destabilize the country.

"They are targeting the government and the political process in the country," an Iraqi Army spokesman, Maj. General Qassim Atta, told reporters.

"It's about the election," Salman, a Kurdish man looking for a car left behind by his injured brother, told a UK Times reporter. "It's a way of influencing politics."

The blasts yesterday underscored how violence in Iraq has changed its nature in the recent period.

Overall, violent attacks have dropped sharply compared to a year ago, and are different from the broad-scale sectarian violence that was rampant a year or two ago. Sunday's attacks fit into a new pattern targeting politicians, government officials and buildings, and police and security officers. Yesterday's bombings were the second major attack on key government buildings in the past few months. On Aug. 19, coordinated attacks now referred to as "Bloody Wednesday" destroyed the Foreign Ministry and Finance Ministry buildings in Baghdad, leaving more than 100 people dead and more than 1,000 wounded.

With the U.S. preparing to withdraw its troops from Iraq, January's national elections will set Iraq's direction for the post-occupation period. The aim of the violence now, many U.S. and Iraqi analysts say, is to undermine the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, hurt his chances of re-election in next January's vote, and at the same time to delay or disrupt that election if possible.

Many in Iraq have warned that violence would increase as the January elections approach. Iraqis say die-hard former Baathists are using the attacks as a bargaining chip, hoping to enlist the U.S. in their efforts to regain a political foothold. Some of these elements fear that with a U.S. withdrawal they will lose this kind of leverage.

In a strongly worded statement yesterday, the Iraqi Communist Party called the attackers "professional killers and criminals."

"In addition to inflicting harm upon the Iraqi people, the aim is once again to sabotage the ongoing political process in our country, and to create the conditions for its reversal and to return Iraq to the rule of dictatorship and tyranny," the statement said.

In yesterday's attack, initial investigations suggested that each suicide vehicle was loaded with more than 1,500 pounds of explosives, the UK Times reported. The blasts were so powerful that they swept away protective blast walls, blew out windows on surrounding buildings and tore deep craters into roads, shattering water mains. The magnitude of the explosives indicated that these were highly organized and well-financed operations.

"It is no coincidence that this new crime of genocide, that has been designed and implemented to spread death and destruction on the widest possible scale, has targeted the headquarters of two ministries and the offices of Baghdad's provincial council," the Iraqi Communist Party said. "It is also no coincidence that the people, who are the victims of the barbaric series of crimes by terrorist gangs, are holding the remnants of Saddam's Baath party, al-Qaeda, militias and organized crime responsible."

Iraqis charge that some of these groups are getting help from surrounding countries who want to keep Iraq in turmoil.

Maliki sent a message to the UN Secretary General and the Security Council demanding the "formation of an international panel to investigate the assaults."

Despite the new bloodshed, the Communist Party urged Iraq's political forces to "overcome their differences and live up to the challenges, and to accelerate the resolution of outstanding political issues, notably the issue of the election law."

This is the only way to rid the country of foreign occupation and build a democratic Iraqi state, the party says.

Photo: A scene from the massive bomb attack at the Ministry of Justice in Baghdad, Oct. 25. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

World Notes: Chile, UK, Gilbraltar, UN, Afghanistan, Cuba

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:16:00 +0000

Chile: Indigenous people mark Day of the Race

Demanding rights for indigenous people, 5,000 Mapuche people and supporters marched in Santiago Oct. 12 protesting the loss of ancestral land from state violence. Mapuche is the name given to Chile's indigenous people.

Spokesperson Manuel Calfiu, quoted by rebelion.org, repudiated "500 years of the Spanish invasion" and 200 years of "discrimination, racism, and hatred" by the national government.

After 18 years of delay the government last month ratified International Convention 169 on indigenous rights, but only under pressure from indigenous mobilizations, said Calfiu, who views Chile's constitution as racist. "Capitalism is the main cause of the suffering of our children, old people, and women," he added.

Forty Mapuche are now held as political prisoners.

Britain: Labor government plans privatization

Responding to government debt projections of over $359 billion - 12 per cent of the GDP - Prime Minister Gordon Brown last week announced what timesonline.co.uk called a "fire-sale." On the market will be $26 billion worth of public properties including local holdings worth more than $21 billion.

Community leaders predict public housing will be decimated and, according to Local Government Association leader Margaret Eaton, "school playing fields, cemeteries, [and] libraries" will be sold off.

The government will be unloading the nationalized bookmaking service; the Thames Bridge serving high speed rail, the Channel Tunnel rail link and the national student loan service. Debt reduction and privatization are seen as dominating the 2010 national elections.

United Nations: Rich countries cut food aid

Reduced donations from rich countries have forced the UN World Food Program (WFP) to cut back on food deliveries for an estimated 40 million starving people. Food aid is now at its lowest point in 20 years.

The result could be "loss of a generation" of children," WFP head Josette Sheeran recently told the UK Guardian. "We are facing a silent tsunami," she said.

The WFP now feeds almost 100 million people annually. World food supplies are down due to widespread drought, severe storms, and floods. Worldwide unemployment and a 20 percent cut in remittances to poor countries are exacerbating human needs. The United States has pledged $800,000 less this year for food aid than in 2008.

Gibraltar: Moroccan workers' rights violated

The International Center for Trade Union Rights and the Gibraltar branch of the Transport and General Workers Union/UNITE last week sharply criticized discrimination against Moroccan workers in the self-governing British territory of Gibraltar, overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar.

The unions charged the Moroccan workers are kept out of the political process, have inadequate access to public housing and services, suffer discrimination when applying for citizenship and face major difficulties regarding visas and travel.

The report calls on Britain and the Gibraltar government to extend all social security and welfare benefits to the Moroccan community, end discrimination in public housing, ensure long-term residents the right to vote and liberalize visa rules to reunite families.

Afghanistan: Most Afghans suffer stress disorders

"Recent surveys conducted by national and international organizations indicate that 66 percent of [all] Afghans are suffering from stress disorders and mental problems," the Afghan Ministry of Public Health said earlier this month.

The UN's IRIN news agency said surveys by organizations including Care International and Physicians for Human Rights show a high rate of post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and anxiety among Afghan civilians. Besides war-related violence, contributing factors including domestic violence, lack of food and water, and lack of shelter.

But currently only one psychiatric hospital, serving some 2,500 patients including up to 100 inpatients, is available for a population of over 28 million. The Ministry of Public Health is seeking more donor funding and working to expand the number of trained mental health professionals.

Cuba: Children are a privileged class

As the United Nations Children's Fund released its annual report, Progress for Children, on Oct. 6, José Juan Ortiz, UNICEF's representative in Cuba, highlighted the country's achievements in child protection, the theme of this year's report.

Ortiz contrasted the wellbeing of Cuban children with the unprotected legal status of millions of children worldwide, Cuba's ACN news reported. At a public session anticipating the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Convention on the Rights of the Child - yet to be signed by the U.S. - Ortiz said child development in Cuba is comparable to that of wealthy nations. He said continued school attendance after last year's devastating hurricanes reflected well upon the government's support of children.

India-China dispute? Says who

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:44:00 +0000

A section of media in India and abroad have hyped the border dispute between India and China these days.

The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 23 a "brewing discord between two giant, ambitious nations" and that some "two-dozen Chinese soldiers converged earlier this year on a family of [Indian] nomads." The article continued to suggest high tensions between China and India, and the United States is being wooed by the two Asian superpowers.

In the Times of India, the dispute was portrayed as a "mini-war of words" and it harkened back to the 1962 border war. There is a longstanding border dispute in the area but how the governments are looking to resolve it is worth study.

Prime ministers of the two countries are meeting in Thailand for the South East Asian Countries confab. Both leaders have stressed the cordiality of relations and sincere desire to settle the boundary issue peacefully and in a spirit of friendship.

The border issue has been ill-defined and a problem between the two countries for many years. In certain regions of the Himalayan heights the news of the border "violations" and "trespass" are meaningless.

China is blamed for constructing a dam in the upper reaches of the river Brahmaputra that flows most of its later course in India. India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has clarified several times that no dam is or is likely to be constructed on Brahmaputra.

Communist Party of India's weekly newspaper said in two separate articles that the border "dispute" is being blown up as "imperialist inspired media efforts." In another article, arm sales have been characterized as the motive behind the campaign.

The Indian government has said India and China are not rivals, but both are friendly developing countries, whose trade relations have shown constant and phenomenal growth over years.

India's Minister of State for External Affairs Parneet Kaur, on an official visit to New York, said, "India is not intimidated by China and the border dispute between the two countries could be settled by talks." Noting that the media was overplaying the recent tension between the two neighbors, she added, "There has been a lot of media hype created over what the Chinese are doing." She denied that "Indian leaders were appeasing China," and added, "we have a good enough relationship to be able to sort this out across the table."

Honduras talks stalled, again

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Discussions between the Honduran coup government and deposed President Manuel Zelaya appear to have stalled again.

Zelaya was sent into exile on June 28 because he was supporting a mass-based effort to add a referendum item to the Nov. 29 national elections, which would ask voters if they wanted a Constituent Assembly to rewrite the constitution. The wealthy elites feared that Zelaya was moving Honduras to the left. They replaced him with Congress President Roberto Micheletti.

Workers, peasants, women and ethnic minorities have been carrying out almost daily demonstrations for the restoration of Zelaya. Virtually all countries in the Hemisphere, including the United States, have characterized the June 28 action as an illegal coup and have said that they will not recognize the results of the Nov. 29 elections unless the coup is reversed.

Sanctions have been imposed, which have badly pinched the economy, but Micheletti holds out.

Costa Rican President Oscar Arias proposed a plan whereby Zelaya would return to the presidency, but with reduced powers. Zelaya agreed, but Micheletti refuses to do so.

On Sept. 21, Zelaya managed a secret return to Honduras, and has been besieged in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa ever since. Micheletti declared 45 days of martial law, and closed down the only TV and radio stations that supported Zelaya. Police and soldiers have been repressing Zelaya supporters, including the Garifuna ethnic group. At least 12 have been killed since the coup, including labor leaders and candidates for office.

Negotiating teams from each side have been meeting directly for a couple of weeks. There were rumors of progress that were quickly shot down by the Micheletti regime. Observers suspect Micheletti wants to keep the talks going past the Nov. 29 elections, in which neither he nor Zelaya can run. Currently, pro-coup candidates campaign freely, but pro-Zelaya, anti-coup candidates risk their lives if they do, and can't get positive press coverage because pro-Zelaya media have been suppressed.

Zelaya says that unless constitutional legality is restored immediately, nobody should recognize the elections.

Zelaya has been willing to abandon the idea of a referendum on the issue of a Constituent Assembly. Juan Barahona, a union activist and leader of the National Front Against the Coup, has withdrawn from the negotiations, because he does not accept dropping the Assembly, but wants to give Zelaya a free hand.

In the United States, the Republican Party is working to reverse the administration's support for Zelaya. In a recent editorial in the Washington Post, Reagan and Bush I leftover James Baker III promotes the idea that the November elections will solve the Honduras crisis, without mentioning that under current conditions of martial law, restricted press freedoms and general repression, no free and fair elections can take place.

Photo: AP

We should learn from Cuba says New Orleans mayor

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:19:00 +0000

When it comes to hurricane disaster response New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, during his recent six-day trip to Cuba, said the U.S. should learn from the socialist island. Nagin acknowledged Cuba does "a much better job than we do."

"One of the biggest weaknesses we had during Hurricane Katrina is it wasn't clear who was the top authority," Nagin told the Associated Press.

"The president and the governor were going back and forth," he added. "In Cuba you don't have that problem. The government says, ‘This is what we're doing, these are the resources we are going to deploy,' and it pretty much happens."

Nagin said Cuba's success arose from its ability to mobilize people and get them out of harms way. Storm evacuations are mandatory in Cuba but not in the United States.

Nagin and 15 U.S. city and state officials, including from police, fire and port agencies met with Cuban civil defense authorities and were given presentations about how the island mobilizes during disasters.

Nagin is the first U.S. mayor to make a diplomatic visit to Cuba in 50 years.

In 2005 Hurricane Katrina flooded 80 percent of New Orleans, killing more than 1,600 people in Louisiana and Mississippi and causing $4.1 billion in property damage. At the time Cuba assembled over 1500 doctors with a stockpile of medicine within 48 hours and offered to send them free of charge to help mitigate the disaster. The State Department under the Bush administration declined the offer.

The people of New Orleans are still recovering from Katrina, which smashed levees and completely destroyed most of the city leaving tens of thousands homeless.

Cuba deals with hurricanes nearly every year and when one hits, the country closes highways and enforces mandatory evacuations. Last year Hurricanes Gustav, Ike and Paloma all hit the island, causing more than $10 billion in damage killing seven.

"I think they do a much better job than we do on knowing their citizens at a very, very detailed level, block by block," notes Nagin.

In Cuba, Revolutionary Defense Committees organize communities at the neighborhood level, providing social services including health care and vaccinations. They also help with evacuations during hurricanes.

New Orleans officials said they advised Cuba to be prepared for a Katrina-like storm of disastrous proportions.

"We're trying to get them to think about the ultimate catastrophe, where 80 percent of Havana is damaged and they have no communications, no electricity and law enforcement agencies are overwhelmed," said Nagin.

Thinking that way is a difficult mental shift for the Cubans, notes Nagin. "They'll tell you, ‘We're prepared for everything,'" he said.

Nagin also met with the head of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce and spoke to tourism officials including those at the Port of Havana. Cuba was the top source of trade for the Port of New Orleans in the late 1950s.

Nagin is hoping the U.S. and Cuba can eventually become trading partners again. Since Cuba's 1959 revolution the U.S. has imposed a 47-year-old trade embargo on the socialist island that bars American tourists from visiting.

"They don't have to go to Vietnam for rice, and China for this and that. They could get it directly from us," said Nagin. "We grow it all."

Nagin was granted permission to visit Cuba by the State Department since Cuba has been recognized internationally as a leader in emergency management. In recent weeks a growing number of U.S. officials have been visiting Cuba including State Department official Bisa Williams and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

"I think there is a recognition that something better is going to happen between Cuba and the Unites States," said Nagin. "The question is how much?"

Nagin has lobbied for U.S. and Cuban authorities to allow special charter flights between New Orleans and Cuba. Charter flights are currently allowed between the two countries, but direct commercial flights are not.

Having flights to and from Havana would benefit New Orleans including a potential increase in tourist traffic, said Nagin. The mayor said since Katrina, the number of visitors to New Orleans has fallen from 10 million a year to 8 million and that revenues are significantly down.

Since taking office President Barack Obama has ended Bush-era sanctions to allow Cuban-Americans to visit their homeland whenever they want and send unlimited remittances back home.

Meanwhile bills are pending in the U.S. Congress that would end a general ban on Americans visiting the island. Obama has said he would like a more normal relationship with Cuba but has not set out a specific strategy for attaining that goal.

In July, both countries officially restarted a dialogue on migration issues, which had been suspended since 2003 and talks are also underway aimed at restarting a bilateral mail service that was cut off in 1963.

Critics welcome Obama's new policies however many are demanding an end to the U.S. embargo on Cuba, which was recently extended for another year by the president. Critics of the embargo say it's a major roadblock in receiving badly needed medical supplies and other industrial resources that deter Cuba's economic development.

The United Nations General Assembly during the last week of October will once again take up the Cuban resolution calling for an end to the U.S. blockade.

Nagin began his trip to Cuba the day after Obama visited New Orleans. It was Obama's first trip to the jazzy city since taking office in 2008.

During a town hall there Obama said in days after "that terrible storm struck your shores, all the world bore witness to the fact that the damage from Katrina was not caused by just a disaster of nature but also by a breakdown of government, that government wasn't adequately prepared and we didn't appropriately respond."

Obama added, "We know how much work is left to be done. Whether you're driving through New Orleans, Biloxi or the southern part of Louisiana, it's clear how far we have to go before we can call this recovery a real success."

We are not going to forget about New Orleans, said Obama. "We are going to keep on working and we are not going to forget about the Gulf Coast. Together, we will rebuild this region, and we will rebuild it stronger than before," he said.

Iraq elections will shape post-occupation direction

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:24:00 +0000

With the U.S. preparing to pull combat troops out by next summer, Iraq' s upcoming national elections, scheduled for Jan. 16, will shape the country's post-occupation direction. It's a new phase, with new political and social dynamics.

Although violence continues, it is sharply down from a year ago, and support for religious sectarianism has plummeted. As a result, Iraq is seeing people coming out into the streets, and the beginnings of an upsurge of civil society organizations and protest movements.

Indicative of this trend, more than 40 organizations are working on setting up an Iraqi Social Forum, part of the World Social Forum movement involving social justice and anti-corporate groups. Women's, youth, labor, peasant and human rights groups held a meeting in Baghdad in September to launch the initiative, a first for Iraq.

Another example: a national student organization, the General Union of Students in the Iraqi Republic, held an outdoor ceremony in Baghdad's famous Abu Nuwas public gardens in September to honor outstanding high school students.

And as political jockeying threatened to delay the national elections and limit voter participation, about 50 organizations met with the speaker of Parliament to insist that elections take place as scheduled with rules that promote voter participation and choice.

Some parties trying to hold onto power have pushed to raise the voting age, make a college degree a requirement for voting, and return to a "closed list" process where voters can only vote for a slate picked by party leaders. Some have tried to stall the elections by linking them to resolution of ethnic disputes in northern Iraq.

But the Parliament is expected to approve an election law that sticks to the Jan. 16 schedule, rejects new voting restrictions and retains the "open list" process that enables voters to oust individual political hacks if they want to.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's coalition appears headed toward another win in January, following its victory in provincial elections this winter. Maliki has accomplished this by adopting secular nationalist rhetoric, down-pedaling his leadership of the Shiite Dawa Party, as well as by his popular, tough action to shut down armed militias.

Maliki's State of Law coalition has attracted a range of Shia and Sunni politicians, tribal leaders, sections of the Awakening Councils that split off from armed insurgents, and figures representing various ethnic minorities.

He recently described his coalition as "far removed from a sectarian-based distribution of power" - a slap at his rivals in the reconfigured Shia Islamic coalition, the Iraqi National Alliance.

In fact all the Islamic groups, Shia and Sunni, have been forced to distance themselves from sectarian appeals and instead project "national" programs. But "they don't give any details, just sloganeering," commented Salam Ali, the Iraqi Communist Party's spokesperson, in a recent phone interview.

Maliki and others have borrowed slogans from the left, including talk of a civil, democratic state, but without explaining what they mean by it, Ali noted.

Many doubt Maliki's ability to bring meaningful improvement in people's daily living conditions.

"There is a big backlash against the political elite," Ali said. "People are just fed up with false promises that have not been acted upon by the leading political blocs. People have not seen any improvement in basics like electricity. Corruption is still rife. Nothing serious is being done to improve health care, education and so on."

But the problem is, "Iraq's democratic forces have yet to present themselves as a viable alternative," with a public disheartened after decades of dictatorship, war, and sectarian divisions, Ali said. Democratic and progressive sectors of Iraqi society - unions, women, students, professional and cultural workers, human rights advocates - are not yet sufficiently organized and lack the funding and media capability to reach and mobilize the masses of Iraqis, he said. They are up against powerful groups with well-funded media operations and financial backing from regional powers with their own agendas.

As a result, people who oppose empty nationalist sloganeering, religious and ethnic division, and lack of action on economic and social problems, simply don't vote, he said.

One danger is that, with the public wanting a "firm hand" against violence, if a strong and unified democratic movement does not emerge the country could return to a new dictatorship.

That is the challenge facing Iraq's left and democratic trends.

An important element in that struggle is the continuing battle for trade union rights. Unions are protesting government attempts to control the unions' internal elections. Iraq's largest labor federation, the General Federation of Iraqi Workers, issued a statement this month calling on Iraqi workers to "stand up to defend their legitimate rights."

The labor federation appealed to "the wider trade union movement, professional associations and civil society organizations" for support. It also appealed "for the solidarity support of the international trade union movement."

Although suicide bombings and similar attacks are down 80 or 90 percent from last year, they could increase as the elections approach. Iraqi analysts say groups behind the violence, including former Baathists, are using it as a bargaining chip, hoping to enlist the U.S. in their efforts to gain a political foothold: "We'll stop if you get us a share of power." Also, Iraqis charge that some of these groups are getting help from surrounding countries who want to keep Iraq in turmoil.

Photo: An outdoor ceremony in Baghdad's Abu Nuwas public gardens, organized by the General Union of Students in the Iraqi Republic, honored outstanding high school students. (iraqiletter.blogspot.com)

Mexican electricians receive U.S. labor solidarity

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:45:00 +0000

A growing list of U.S. labor unions is expressing their solidarity with workers of the electric company that serves central Mexico, which is facing repression from the government.

Over the last two weeks, right-wing President of Mexico Felipe Calderon launched a two pronged attack on the electricians union. Called SME (Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas, Mexican Electricians' Union), the Mexican Secretary of Labor, Javier Lozano Alarcon, refused to officially recognize the July re-election of SME Secretary General Martin Esparza Flores, and other union leaders.

Then around midnight on October 10 and 11, riot equipped federal police invaded the generating stations and other facilities of Luz y Fuerza del Centro (Central Light and Power), which serves Mexico City and a swathe of Central Mexico, and whose employees are represented by SME. Luz y Fuerza, a government run electrical utility, was declared dissolved by a decree issued by President Calderon, all its workers fired, and control of the company handed over to another government run company, CFE. In effect, this cancels SME's collective bargaining contracts and practically disbands the union.

CFE workers are represented by SUTERM, considered one of the most corrupt and least independent unions in Mexico, while SME has been an independent force in Mexican labor and society for many decades, and has been at the center of Mexican popular resistance against "free trade," privatization and other neo-liberal measures which have characterized successive Mexico's presidential administrations since 1982.

SME and its allies are not taking this lying down. Large scale demonstrations have continued since the weekend. SME leader Esparza has demanded legislative hearings on the Calderon coup, and has been supported in this by the left in Mexico's parliament. However, Calderon's right wing National Action Party (PAN) and the formerly ruling PRI (Revolutionary Institutional Party) with allies together control a majority of seats in the lower house, and they will not support the SME. So the struggle goes to the streets, where SME is supported by left forces.

The government launched an anti-SME propaganda offensive based on suggestions that the relatively high salaries and benefits of the SME members are the cause of high electrical rates, and the reason the government has been forced to subsidize Luz y Fuerza with lots of taxpayer money. SME leader Esparza replied that a large number of powerful institutions have not being paying their electrical bills, including Calderon's presidential palace, Los Pinos. The union also accuses the government of forcing fired SME members to come and do their old jobs "at gunpoint". There have also been scattered reports of local blackouts.

SME claims that the anti-union and anti-Luz y Fuerza moves are part of a privatization scheme, in which the fiber optic dimensions of the company's operations especially, are seen as juicy plums to be picked up by politically connected private companies. SME has put out a call for international solidarity with its embattled members.

U.S. labor is quickly stepping into the fray. Leo Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers Union, issued a strong statement, which read in part, "The actions of the Mexican government in using federal forces to take over the public utility and thereby effectively disbanding their union is an outrageous act of union busting....it is similar to actions taken against the Miners' union and provides further evidence of the government's anti-union, anti-worker agenda and its scorched earth policy against democratic and independent unions".

International Longshore and Warehouse Union President Robert McEllrath wrote, "I write to protest the Federal Police occupation of the electrical plants, the liquidation of the [Central] Light and Power Company, the firing of 45,000 workers, and the destruction of their union. This action is a violation of labor rights, of human rights and a disgrace to your government". McEllrath went on to demand the reversal of the government's action.

The AFL-CIO, in a statement, summed up the view of U.S. organized labor. "On behalf of the 11 million working men and women of the United States, the AFL-CIO condemns this unilateral action by the Mexican authorities, which effectively destroys the SME and the trade union rights of the Luz y Fuerza workers." The statement demands the reversal of Calderon's actions.

Photo: Labor Notes

Spanish women demand abortion rights

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:08:00 +0000

In 1985, ten years after the death of Spain's fascist dictator Francisco Franco, the Spanish government passed a law allowing for abortions in cases of rape, fetal malformation and when a pregnant woman's mental or physical health is deemed to be at risk.

At that time, this was a huge step forward, given the almost 50 years of fascist rule and domination of Spanish society by a right-wing Catholic hierarchy.

The country is now debating a new round of reforms. Initiated by the Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, they are among a series of measures it has worked for since coming to power in 2004, including legalizing gay marriage, allowing for fast-track divorces and giving increased rights to transsexuals.

Under the proposed reform, abortions would be allowed for women of 16 and over up to the 14th week of pregnancy on demand, and up to 22 weeks if there is a risk to the mother's health or if the fetus is deformed. Women can also undergo the procedure after 22 weeks if the fetus has a serious or incurable illness.

On October 29th, a demonstration organized by the Catalonian group, "Campanya pel dret a l'avortament" (Campaign for the Right to Abortion) marked the International Day for the De-criminalization of Abortion. The demonstrators called on the Catalan government to pass a "good law," with a number of essential components: decriminalization, that the law extend the period for legal abortions from 14 to 24 weeks, and that the public system for sexual and reproductive health be reformed and improved to provide uniform and of high quality care.

A spokesperson for the group said, "What we are asking for is that safe, quality-care abortions be available in all autonomous communities of the country." (Spain is divided into 17 such communities, whose governments control education, health, social services, culture, and other things.)

Zapatero has argued that the government should not "intervene in the free and private decision of a woman, who is the one who has to take on the responsibility of a pregnancy during her entire life."

Photo: Elena Mora

New films use humor to make sharp points

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:16:00 +0000

Progressive Cinema: Toronto International Film Festival 2009, Part 3

When Mel Brooks created "The Producers," there were some who were shocked at a musical about Hitler and Nazism. With all its irony and sarcasm, the power and comedic sense of songs like "Springtime for Hitler in Germany" went over the heads of many who considered it offensive and inappropriate. A similar case is Italian comic genius Roberto Benigni's "A Beautiful Life," a masterpiece to many but deemed by some an insensitive re-creation of life in the German concentration camps.

Humor in the form of satire and sarcasm has existed since the beginning of cinema. Chaplin's "Great Dictator" is another example of addressing a serious or tragic theme with humor.

In the present-day film world, it is Michael Moore who is most associated with biting social satires. From the beginning of his film career with "Roger and Me," through every one of his film projects, including "Canadian Bacon," "Fahrenheit 911" and "Sicko," the angry but witty Moore has persistently used humor to reach the masses. His newest film, "Capitlaism: A Love Story," screened at last month's Toronto Film Festival prior to an extensive world distribution campaign, is being called his epic accomplishment. The film we've been waiting for. A film that makes you laugh out loud and then brings you to tears in the telling of the tragic effects of capitalism on everyday Americans. From foreclosures of family homes and youth prisons for profit to Wall Street greed and the vultures who profit from people's losses, the film is a powerful statement for change in America. Heavily praised in the European press, where challenges to capitalism exist as common practice, and Canada where Moore is more willing to offer "socialism" as the alternative rather than the cop out "democracy," the film is drawing its detractors from the loony right-wing pundits who love to attack Moore and his causes. But it appears Moore is willing to put all his cards on the table as he steps forward to become one of the few brave filmmakers telling it the way it is.

Another world-class filmmaker, Palestinian Elia Sulieman, uses humor to address another deadly subject, the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. After enduring years of repressive and frustrating tactics designed to wear down and drive out the local Palestinian population, Sulieman speaks, much like Moore, with wit, sarcasm and controlled anger. His previous award-winning film, "Divine Intervention," puzzled many with its symbolism and enigmatic metaphors expressed with deadpan humor about the Israeli occupation. His newest film, "The Time that Remains," is much more accessible and based on actual events in history. It follows the plight of his family, who were forced from their homeland by the Israelis during the war of 1948. His father, at first a brave resistance fighter, is eventually emasculated and humiliated before the Israeli occupation forces, ending his life gazing in solitude over endless cups of coffee. His family, driven from their home, experiences one tragedy after another. The film, at times humorous but most often tragic, features Sulieman playing himself as an adult, caring for his family members who have suffered the pains of injustice. It's a personal and thought-provoking story told in a unique satiric style.

George Clooney and Jeff Bridges star in an absurdist piece, "The Men Who Stare at Goats," that satirizes the American military's attempt to utilize psychic power after the loss in Vietnam. Reminiscent of "Dr. Strangelove," the film's zaniness is not far from the crazy truth that our military wasted tons of time and money trying to find ways to beat our enemies by using paranormal psychology. One exercise was to literally stare at a goat until it keels over dead. There are many hilarious sequences exposing the bizarre practices of our military. Along the way there are biting attacks on American foreign policy, and the acting and story hold together well in a successful blend of entertainment and social commentary.

One of this year's best exposes of corporate corruption and greed is Steve Soderbergh's "The Informant." Soderbergh, after offering us "Che," a serious and artful two-part study of the Cuban revolutionary, now turns to comedy-drama. Based on an actual story of corporate greed, the film features Matt Damon playing the role of Mark Whitacre, an executive so wrapped up in his job of profit-making that reality takes a vacation. In his attempt to expose others in a price-fixing scheme at his company, he manages to instead implicate himself in a much more serious scheme to bilk millions from the public. Damon plays the role with controlled weirdness, and the music by Marvin Hamlisch and kitschy costumes are reminiscent of the '70s. It's a scathing and satirical condemnation of corporate crime and a damning portrayal of executives drugged by the profit motive.

Photo: A scene from "The Men Who Stare at Goats."

Trevor Fowler: A glimpse into post-apartheid South Africa

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:47:00 +0000

ANC Facebook photo

100,000 march for jobs in Puerto Rico

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:58:00 +0000

"Today we declare a State of Peaceful Insurrection of the people of Puerto Rico", declared Juan Vera, Methodist bishop of Puerto Rico, as he called for going from "protests to resistance to civil disobedience" against the neoliberal economic policies of Gov. Luis Fortuño which have resulted in the laying-off of 25,000 public sector employees. Fortuño had announced earlier this year that the number of government workers to be dismissed from their jobs would reach 30,000. Puerto Rico normally suffers from double-digit joblessness during non-recessionary times.

An estimated 100,000 plus marched from seven points in the San Juan metropolitan area to a massive rally at the Plaza de las Américas shopping mall which was chosen as the rally point because it is seen as a symbol of transnational corporations and its culture of consumerism. Hundreds were already at the starting points before the sun was up.

The owners of Plaza de las Américas announced the day before that the mall, the largest in the Caribbean and one of the largest in all of Latin America, would be closed the day of the strike. Strike leaders had threatened to close it down with massive picket lines.

The march was organized by the coalition All Puerto Rico for Puerto Rico, composed of labor unions, churches, civic, community and political groups. The protestors consisted of people from all political groupings, even those who voted for Fortuño. When the governor first announced his plans for lay-offs, members and local leaders of his own party, the annexationist New Progressive Party, told the press that even though they worked to get out the vote for him, they would protest his economic decisions.

Roberto Pagán, president of the Puerto Rican Union of Workers, said "today is the end of Luis Fortuño". Another Puerto Rican labor leader, Federico Torres, said he would put the number of people in the march at 200,000.

The most prominent symbol in the march which marked a one-day general strike organized by a coalition of labor, political, religious and civic organizations was the Puerto Rican flag being waved by thousands amidst union banners, and signs by different constituencies.

The mayors of 30 of the 78 municipalities helped organize almost 200 buses to the march.

Among the two biggest union contingents one can see in the march were UTIER, the electrical workers union, and the Puerto Rican Federation of Teachers (FMPR). They were joined by other Puerto Rican and US-based unions as well as church groupings, political and civic organizations.

Victor Rodriguez, a member of the FMPR, said he saw the march was a "wave of indignation against [the governor's] attempt at privatization" of state services.

A young woman, interviewed by Radio WKAQ, who worked in providing services to "special needs communities" said the people were there "to stop the current administration's abuse against the country."

Delegations of US union leaders also came to take part in the march said José La Luz, a leader of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Another US labor leader, Dennis Rivera of SEIU-1199 said the Service Employees International Union was "calling on US workers to express their solidarity with the Puerto Rican workers."

Meanwhile, a contingent of University of Puerto Rico students from the Law School and the School of Urban Planning took over the highway from San Juan to Caguas, sitting down to block all traffic. Students from the medical school soon later joined them. After some time police officials were able to negotiate with students opening one lane in each direction. Police reported that other roads in the metropolitan areas were heavy with traffic due to the protestors having taken up many of the adjacent streets. Journalists have reported that some drivers stuck on the highways have left their cars on the roads and joined the protest.

Religious organizations took part in the activities of the day. Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist and Catholic bishops, clergy and parishioners marched behind banners declaring their commitment to fight for social justice. One of the biggest groups was led by Bishop Rubén González of the Catholic Diocese of Caguas. Behind a banner which declared, "Solidarity is the charity of today" marched 2,000 believers.

Fortuño administration official tried to give the impression that the country and government were not hampered by a "few protestors" but had to admit later on that the impact was much more than that. Reports coming in from different municipalities said that many schools had to close down because large number of students, teachers and even principals didn't show up.

The strike and march was first being planned by the trade union movement starting last spring as the governor announced his economic plans.

AP photo

Climate action day set for Oct. 24 worldwide

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:56:00 +0000

On Oct. 24, climate change events will take place all around the world, coordinated by 350.org, a web-based coalition fighting to win policies to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the current level of about 380 parts per million.

These actions, almost 3,000, are taking place in over 150 countries, and vary from house parties up to human chains spelling out "350" on the shores of the Dead Sea, with participants from Israel and Jordon. The aim is to publicize the importance of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and to demonstrate the level of public support for serious action, in advance of the upcoming Copenhagen meeting in December.

The UN-sponsored Copenhagen meeting is to negotiate a treaty to follow the expiration of the Kyoto Accords in 2012. While many countries have taken action, and while bills have been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate, a much more urgent approach is needed.

Go to www.350.org/plan for information on why 350 is an important number, to find an event near you, or to organize an event yourself.

Photo by Joe Mabel Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License"

World Notes: South Africa, Mexico, South Korea, Romania, Afghanistan, Cuba

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:02:00 +0000

South Africa: SACP takes on health care

Blade Nzimande, South African Communist Party General Secretary, indicated on Umsebenzi Online that national health insurance is one of three themes for the party's "Red October" campaign this year, the others being anti-corruption and removing business interests from public services.

Nzimande outlined the SACP stand for "accessible, affordable and quality health care for all South Africans." He maintained that "those who have resources must subsidize those who do not have [them]" and condemned a system in which 60 percent of available resources are applied to health care for 14 percent of the people.

The month-long campaign calls for "thousands of red forums" on national health insurance, which when implemented would abolish up-front payments for health care.

Mexico: Mining firm rebuffed

Indigenous struggle led by the Mexican Network of Those Affected by Mining and by the National Front of Struggle for Socialism caused the Canadian company Linear Gold to end four years of gold and silver extraction from its "Ixhuatán" mine in northern Chiapas Oct. 1. The last in a long series of protests occurred Sept. 16 with roadblocks set up in Motozintla municipality.

The advent of foreign mining corporations, mostly Canadian, followed the 1993 constitutional reforms anticipating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and allowing for foreign land ownership.

Protests centering on environmental abuse have denounced open pit mines and water contamination with cyanide used in gold extraction. Linear Gold's exploration rights extend to almost 500,000 acres of Chiapas land, Sipaz.org said.

South Korea: Unions merge, government riled

Three public service unions totaling 110,000 members voted overwhelmingly last month to merge, form the Union of Korean Government Employees, and join the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). Son Young-tae, one of the union presidents, told Hankyoreh News that, "The merging of these three unions is a response to the suppression unions have experienced from the Lee Myung-bak administration."

Having warned against the merger beforehand, the government expressed concern about the KCTU charter that "stipulates politicization of workers" while "public servants by law are obligated to stay politically neutral."

The Korea Times reported on imminent prosecution of 89 members of the Korea Teachers and Education Workers Union who earlier this year issued anti-government statements.

Romania: Labor on the move

Protesting dismissals, leaves without pay and salary cuts, 750,000 public sector workers - teachers, health workers, administrators and police - conducted a one-day general strike Oct. 5, the largest in 20 years. Union leaders promised a strike set for Oct. 28 will continue until worker demands are met.

The government, facing a $1.47 billion shortfall and upcoming elections, is promoting austerity measures to qualify for an International Monetary Fund loan, Labor Start reported.

On Oct. 7, 20,000 unionists gathered in Bucharest to observe the World Day of Decent Work. Union leader Bogdan Hossu observed that "[D]ecent work also involves the removal of inequality separating the rich from the poor, a situation having contributed to the crisis."

Afghanistan: Ranks last in development

The Human Development Index (HDI), part of the 2009 UN Human Development Report issued Oct. 5, ranked Afghanistan 181st among the 182 countries studied. Criteria included life expectancy, literacy, educational enrollment and income level.

Life expectancy for Afghans was 43.6 years; literacy, 28 percent; GDP per capita, $1,054; and combined educational enrollment, 50.1 percent. (This last is the number of students at all educational levels divided by the total "in the theoretical age group.")

The Human Poverty Index, measuring the proportion of people below designated threshold levels for each HDI criterion, ranks Afghanistan 135th among 135 countries. For example, the probability of survival there beyond age 40 is 40.7 percent; living without clean water, 78 percent; children underweight for age, 39 percent. The 2007 data is available at undp.org.

Cuba: October milestones

October for Cubans is a month of anniversaries. Che Guevera was killed in Bolivia on Oct. 8, 1967. The Oct. 10 holiday commemorates Carlos Manuel de Céspedes' launching of Cuba's first War for Independence from Spain in 1868.

On Oct. 6, 1976, 73 passengers died when Luis Posada and Orlando Bosch bombed and brought down an airliner. That's a day when U.S. failure to extradite Posada to Venezuela hurts anew, Andres Gomez reported on rebelion.org.

And Oct. 13 this year marked the first break in the case of the Cuban Five anti-terrorist prisoners. In accordance with an appeals court order to ameliorate Antonio Guerrero's sentence, trial judge Joan Lenard implemented a prosecutor-defense agreement to reduce his sentence from life to 20 years.

A protest by the Durban shack dwellers' organisation Abahlali base Mjondolo

‘Baby steps’ herald beginning of end to Cuba blockade

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:16:00 +0000

Despite a few missteps, momentum continues to build to end the 48 year-old US blockade of Cuba. There are some hopeful signs legislation can pass to lift the travel ban before the end of 2010. Cuba is the only country US citizens cannot freely travel to without a permit.

The new policy direction is running to catch up with dramatic shifts in US public opinion. Fully 67% of Americans want travel restrictions ended, including a majority of Cuban Americans. At its national convention in September, the AFL-CIO for the first time passed a resolution calling for an end to all travel and remittance restrictions.

Most policy analysts admit the aim of the blockade, to bring about the downfall of the Cuban government, has been an abysmal failure. They further admit it has actually been counterproductive - isolating the US in international affairs as evidenced by the unanimous vote in the Organization of American States to readmit Cuba last spring.

The new policy direction is also being fueled by demands from the US Chamber of Commerce, agribusiness, travel and transport industries that are being denied markets and losing out to foreign capitalist rivals. Corporate think tanks like the Brookings Institution have outlined strategies for ending the blockade.

These developments occur in the face of frantic efforts to block any changes by the ultra right and remnants of the right-wing Cuban American community, which is steadily losing influence. During the 2008 elections the US-Cuba Democracy PAC contributed $750,000 to candidates some of whom hold key positions in congressional committees that decide these matters.

The developments constitute important baby steps to end the blockade, but steps in a positive direction nonetheless. They occur despite the negative step taken by President Obama September 15 to reauthorize the US blockade by invoking the Trading with the Enemy Act on the grounds of "national interest."

The reauthorization comes in anticipation of an October 28 vote in the United Nations General Assembly that will condemn the blockade for the 18th consecutive year. Last year the UN voted 185 to 3 for ending the blockade.

A new process to normalize relations was put in motion by the Obama administration and Congress early in 2009. The actions relaxed severe restrictions on Cuban Americans to visit family and send remittances that had been imposed by the Bush administration. A procedure to begin to resolve differences between the two governments was established ranging on problems from migration to hurricane preparedness. Talks have also been held to reestablish direct mail service.

In the last 10 months, the State Department issued 5,500 more visas for Cubans to visit the United States than in a similar period before October 2008.

In late August New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson visited Cuba on a trade mission. He called for, in what some now refer to as the "Richardson Plan" an end to the blockade by beginning with so-called humanitarian measures in travel and exchange and and freedom for the Cuban Five, imprisoned in the US for 10 years. This has some suggesting Richardson should be President Obama's special envoy in relation to changing Cuba policy.

"Let anybody go to Cuba. If you want to categorize it, we can do that," Richardson said. "My view is that people can change foreign policy. Change has to be supported by the American people. This is why travel (and exchange) is important."

On September 17, a US state department delegation visited Havana for the first time since 2002 to continue discussions on resuming direct mail service. Biva Williams, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, stayed for an additional week to continue talks, visit a farm cooperative, meet with five so-called "dissidents," and attend the mass concert organized by the Columbian music star Juanes.

In early September the US Departments of Treasury and Commerce issued amended regulations that almost completely eliminate restrictions on family travel, remittances, and gifts and modify some exports to Cuba.

According to a release by the US Government Accountability Office the changes fall within the broad authority the president possesses to modify the blockade, including authorization to license US telecommunications companies to enter into agreements with Cuban telecommunications providers.

President Obama also has the authority to significantly relax travel restrictions by granting general licenses to travel for non-family travelers including freelance journalists, professional researchers and full-time students.

In July the National Foreign Trade Council and USA Engage, a coalition of businesses joined academic, cultural exchange and trade groups in asking President Obama to lift restrictions on academic travel to Cuba. They also recommended permitting travel for Cuban academics to the US.

US Representatives Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., called the GAO report a "roadmap" to ending the US blockade. But ultimately the only way for the blockade to end is through Congressional action.

Support continues to grow on the legislative front for the bi-partisan Freedom To Travel to Cuba Act (HR 874 and S428). If the legislation passes President Obama is expected to sign it. After a concerted lobbying effort by a broad coalition of business, peace and religious organizations, the Act enjoys the support of 180 members of Congress with 241 needed to pass.

As reported in The Hill on Oct. 12, the road will be much tougher in the Senate where 32 Senators have become co-sponsors. There S428 was introduced by Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and so far they are unsure of a strategy for passage.

"We have not yet found a way," Dorgan said. "When we do, I guarantee we will have sufficient votes on the floor of the Senate to offer the American people the freedom they should have had in the last 50 or 60 years, and that is freedom to travel. In this case ... freedom has been taken from them and it is outrageous."

In the end, greater mass grassroots pressure on Congress reflecting majority public opinion will be the key to ending this shameful chapter in US foreign policy.

Photo by Adam Jones adamjones.freeservers.com

Mexican union fights privatizing electrical grid

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:33:00 +0000

In recent years, the Mexican Electricians Union (SME, Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas) has been a key force in progressive politics in Mexico. It has been able to defend the interests of its members when many other sectors of the Mexican working class have been beaten down by the combination of the world financial crisis and the anti-labor policies of right wing Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon. And the union has been at the center of coalition building efforts to fight against imperialism, neoliberalism and corporate globalization, at home and abroad.

In other words, the SME has been a thorn in the side of President Calderon and his right wing political party, the PAN (National Action Party). Particularly annoying is that the SME is an obstacle to the government's plan to defund and eventually privatize the central electrical generation and transmission systems based in Mexico City and neighboring central states, controlled now by a public entity, Central Light and Power (Luz y Fuerza del Centro). Calderon knows that as long as SME members are in operational control of the electrical grid, privatization moves are likely to run up against militant opposition, the more so since one of the SME's historic achievement has been the organizing of the broadly based National Front Against the Privatization of the Electrical Industry (Frente Nacional en Contra de la Privatizacion de la Industria Electrica).

The SME is also a very active component of the main coalition in Mexico which is opposed to corporate globalization and neoliberalism, and which has made advanced demands including the renegotiation of NAFTA.

This, charges SME Secretary General Martin Esparza Flores, is why, on Oct. 5, Mexico's Secretary of Labor Javier Lozano Alarcon announced that he was not recognizing Esparza and his slate as the winners of a close union election in July. At the same time, he is recognizing Alejandro Muñoz Resendiz, who ran against Esparza, as ongoing union treasurer, even though the union general assembly declared Muñoz to be deposed. At the same time, the management of Central Light and Power stopped delivering dues subtracted from workers' paychecks to the union, and elements of a feared federal anti-riot police body were seen assembled near the central operations of Central Light and Power.

Labor Secretary Lozano Alarcon claimed that his motive for not recognizing the Esparza group's victory was that there were "discrepancies" between the number of votes cast in certain areas and the number of union members who live in those areas. Esparza quickly pointed out that under the statutes of the SME, electrical workers posted to work outside their home areas are allowed to vote in the areas to which they were posted, which, he said, more than explains the so-called "discrepancies" (the union has about 66,000 members including retirees and part timers, and about 55,000 voted in the election). Furthermore, Esparza and his allies pointed out, there have been several cases, involving the Petroleum Workers' Union and others, in which the secretary of Labor has simply handed over the prized recognition of union leadership (called "toma de nota") to pro-government union leaders whose legitimacy was under a far greater shadow.

Both sides are girding for a long and intense fight, similar to the years-long confrontation between the Fox and Calderon administrations and the Mexican Mine and Metal Workers' Union.

The union leadership has made the accusation that the head of the ruling National Action Party, Cesar Nava, had been advancing union dues funds to the Muñoz faction before the election, so that a pro-government faction could be elected (both Nava and Muñoz deny this).

The SME leadership has made an appeal to the Mexican Chamber of Deputies to take action to force Secretary Alarcon to recognize the results of the July election, and to un-freeze the union's funds. It got a positive response from a majority of the multi-party Coordinating Committee of the Chamber, with congresspersons from the Center-left Democratic Revolutionary Party, Convergence Party and Labor Party, as well as the formerly ruling Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI), while the delegations of Calderon's National Action Party and allies opposed it.

On Oct. 9, tens of thousands of SME members and supporters marched through the center of Mexico City, and the possibility of a strike is being considered, though Esparza has promised not to plunge the area into a blackout. The SME is also formulating an appeal to the International Labor Organization (ILO) of the United Nations.

British unions debunk lies about National Health Service

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:48:00 +0000

While Arizona Senator John Kyl, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, admits that he and his colleagues use "hollow buzzwords," Leo Gerard, United Steelworkers president, counters, "Health insurance reform is about human and civil rights ... The debate in the United States has been intense, at times unfairly focused on the many myths and mistruths being circulated by opponents, including those about the universal health care system in the United Kingdom. Our sisters and brothers in the UK know the truth and are helping set the record straight."

Derek Simpson, Britain's Unite leader adds, "The National Health Service is the pride of the UK and workers will not stand by while rich insurance companies spend millions of dollars to promote their smear campaign. We are proud of our universal healthcare system and view the attempts to represent the NHS as inefficient as outrageous."

Among the claims about the British system are that older people do not receive treatment, officials decide which life is worth treating, and health care is rationed.

A widely circulated myth is that heart repairs and bypass surgery are not covered because of the expense. In truth, under the British system, it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of age. According to the medical director of the British Heart Foundation, "Growing numbers of patients over 65 with heart conditions are having surgery, including valve repairs and heart bypass surgery."

The average age at which people have a bypass operation has risen from 58 in 1991 to 66 in 2008. Clinical decisions are made on a case-by-case basis on what is best for each patient.

The GOP claims that government officials make medical decisions and would deny treatment to those who the officials deem "worthless." The so-called Club for Growth, which seeks to make the Bush tax cuts for the super-rich permanent, says that British government health officials have decided that $22,750 is what six month's life is worth, and if medical treatment cost more, you are subject to exclusion.

The truth is that the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) decides on the use of new drugs and whether the new drugs are to be used. NICE makes the decisions, not government officials.

Investors Business Daily said that British scientist Stephen Hawking, who has a degenerative illness, wouldn't have a chance in the UK, because the NHS would say, "because of his physical handicaps, he is essentially worthless." Hawking responded that he "wouldn't be here today if it were not for the NHS. I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived."

Conservatives for Patients' Rights claim, "In Britain, 40% of cancer patients are never able to see the oncologist; there is explicit rationing for services such as kidney dialysis, open heart surgery and care for the terminally ill." South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint says that the British system does not allow women under 25 to receive screening for cervical cancer. The National Audit Study reported in 2005 that 99.2% of cancer patients see a specialist within 2 weeks and 89.9% of cancer patients begin treatment within 31 days. Additionally, all women over 25 are routinely and regularly invited for a cervical cancer test. Any woman, at any age, who presents symptoms of cervical cancer will receive a smear test if their doctor thinks it is appropriate. (In the U.S. presently, women now get cervical cancer screenings every three years instead of annually.)

Unite Assistant General Secretary Gail Cartmail responds to two other Republican charges: long waiting lines and unqualified staff.

"Long waiting lines, problems in the past, have been solved by increased funding. Prescriptions are not yet free, but are modestly priced, with concessions for the poor and for special conditions. Not only is the health care staff highly qualified and 'trained to the highest standards,' but the National Health Service staff is the same staff used also in the private sector," she said.

Republicans pretend that for-profit insurance companies don't already stand in between patients and doctors. Their corporate politics lead Republicans to stand against protection against rising costs and pre-existing conditions. Despite their "right to life" and "defense of fetus" claims, Republicans would even deny protection for uninsured pregnant women of health insurance.

John Kenneth Galbraith said, "The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."

Health insurance reform is about our lives, our jobs, and our families. We can't let distortions and intimidation get in the way.

A slow coup in Venezuela

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:44:00 +0000

U.S. measures for resisting progressive changes in Latin America have included funding of rightwing opposition groups, military deployment throughout the region, and the Fourth Fleet for monitoring a continent. This year seven new bases have been announced for Colombia, one in Peru and two in Panama.

Efforts to destabilize Venezuela's socialist government have been part of the mix. Assets include despondent, formerly entitled Venezuelans and Colombian military force. The failed coup to remove President Hugo Chavez and attempted shutdown of the state oil company were early signs seven years ago. Since then Colombian paramilitary formations, in league with the U.S. puppet government there and rightwing elements in Venezuela, have embarked upon mayhem.

First hand testimony suggests paramilitaries plotted to assassinate President Hugo Chavez.

El Nuevo Herald of Miami recently published a prison interview with Geovanny Velásquez Zambrano. The ex-paramilitary said he attended two meetings almost 10 years ago at which Manuel Rosales, then mayor of Maracaibo, offered $25 million for killing Chavez. He hinted at U.S. sources. Velásquez reported that paramilitary chieftain Jorge Iván Laverde - known as "el Iguano" - accepted the offer: "I have the guys to kill this gentleman."

The plotters established a training camp in Catatumbo to prepare for forays into Venezuela. Velásquez' own group entered Venezuela in 2000. According to the Nuevo Herald, Laverde, also a prisoner, accused high Colombian Army officers of orchestrating paramilitary ventures.

From 2000 to 2008, Rosales governed border state Zulia. In 2006 he was the rightist candidate in a losing bid for the presidency and that year allegedly met again with Colombian paramilitaries in a border town. He escaped to Peru in April.

In late September, a video rendition of Velasquez' testimony before Colombian prosecutors appeared on the Al Jazeera web site, along with lawyer Eva Golinger's commentary. Interviewed by TeleSur, she characterized paramilitary intrusion into Venezuela as "part of what the United States classifies as irregular war [using] military groups to promote violent actions." She saw the 2004 assassination of Venezuelan chief prosecutor Danilo Anderson as one example. Citing a U.S. Southern Command document dated April 13, 2003, Golinger accused Washington of creating a new "United Self Defense Forces of Venezuela" organized by paramilitaries of the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia.

Golinger recalled the arrest in 2004 of over 100 Colombian paramilitaries lodged at a farm near Caracas who were preparing to assassinate Chavez. She estimated 3,000 Colombian paramilitaries are active in Venezuela now. Acting upon Geovanny Velásquez's revelations, Venezuela's Attorney General Luisa Ortega recently began an investigation of paramilitary threats against President Chavez.

Such reports are not new. In media interviews in 2003, 2006, and on Sept. 3, former Colombian intelligence official Rafael Garcia, imprisoned for bribery, claimed that Colombian government officials conspired with paramilitary chiefs to create turmoil in Venezuela and assassinate Venezuelan leaders, including Chavez. In the recent session, televised by Noticias Uno and disseminated by TeleSur, Garcia asserted that "It was all a conspiracy against the Venezuelan government in which the DAS (his own intelligence agency) and factions of the Northern Bloc [of paramilitaries] participated." Dissident Venezuelan military officers were involved.

An imprisoned Colombian Army officer, again interviewed by El Nuevo Herald, corroborated. Mauricio Llorente, a School of the Americas graduate convicted of allowing paramilitary massacres in Catatumbo in 1999, indicated that "professional soldier" José Misael Valero Santa (aka "Lucas"), while under his command, was preparing to kill Chavez. Llorente told the interviewer that Lucas still commanded 1,000 paramilitaries.

In Miami, rightwing Cuban exiles and Venezuelan ex-military officers and wealthy exiles have maintained a joint anti-Chavez project. Like Cuban-American counterpart groups, the so-called Venezuelan Patriotic Union carries out training exercises in the Everglades.

Retired Miami area FBI head Hector Pesquera attended a meeting in 2003 in Panama where, according to the Nuevo Herald, the assassination of Prosecutor Danilo Anderson was planned. Closely allied with Cuban-American honchos in Miami, Pesquera headed the FBI investigation leading to the conviction and skewed sentencing of the Cuban Five political prisoners.

Eva Golinger described the purpose of a seminar organized jointly last May by the conservative Cato Institute in Washington and a U.S.-funded non-governmental organization in Caracas as "training youth in the tactics of ‘gradual coup' and subversion." Destabilization and whittling away at governance are traditional U.S. tools for maintaining hegemony. Under Operation Mongoose in the 1960s, U.S. operatives bedeviled Cuba with assassination attempts, guerrilla insurgency, wholesale sabotage, and terrorism. A decade later in Chile, prior to the Pinochet takeover and death of President Allende, they "made the economy scream" and carried out selective killings.

atwhit@roadrunner.com