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Friday, October 19, 2007
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National Day of Protest against Police Brutality and Repression
Greetings all--
We will be holding a speakout on Monday, October 22nd against police brutality and repression in Greensboro and nationwide. Below are the details for the Greensboro speakout:
Date: Monday, October 22nd
Time: 4:30 - 5:30pm
Place: Police Plaza (in front of Greensboro PD), Washington St. between Greene and Eugene.
We will have an open mic for people to speak their mind about the epidemic of police brutality, corruption, and repression. It's on!
Call for Oct. 22, 2007
National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation
October 22, 2007, the National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation is the day for thousands across the country to act to STOP police brutality, repression, and the way our youth are treated like criminals. It is also a day to resist the increasing moves towards a police state. We ask you to endorse this call, make your plans, and become part of organizing an event in your area on October 22nd.
WHY SHOULD YOU ACT ON OCTOBER 22nd?
In NYC, Sean Bell, a 23-year old unarmed man, was killed by NYPD with 50 shots on the morning of his wedding day. Since then, at least ten more people have been killed by NYPD. Kathryn Johnston, a 92-year old grandmother, was shot and killed by undercover Atlanta police in her own home. A Pittsburgh police officer pulled a gun on 7-year old Joshalyn Lawton when he approached the window of the passenger side of her mother's car during a routine traffic stop for an outdated inspection sticker. What happens when a government raises up law enforcement as an authority with unlimited powers that cannot be questioned, all in the name of "fighting terrorism"? Homeland Security = More Stolen Lives. Police brutality and killings by law enforcement did not start with the Bush administration, but they have escalated dramatically since the launch of their "War on Terrorism." Searches and seizures, racial profiling, attacks on Arabs, South Asians and Muslims, raids on immigrants, security stops and bag checks, and police terror raids on certain neighborhoods are now the order of the day.
In Cleveland, Ohio in May 2007, police killed three people – Aaron Steele, Steven Ray, Ira Mitchell – within three days. Phillipe McIver, a 23-year old in North Carolina, was shot and killed by police. In Baltimore, police arrested 7-year-old Gerard Mungo, Jr., handcuffed him, and interrogated him on charges of riding a motorized dirt bike on a sidewalk. Five people have been killed by law enforcement agents in Minnesota in the first half of 2007. Francisco Mondragon, a 24-year old schizophrenic, armed only with a screwdriver, was murdered by the Los Angeles Police Department.
There's been wave after wave of immigration raids across the country. In the last year, police and border patrol in San Diego County have murdered more than 17 people, from Vista to the border. Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Greensboro, NC, the Tri-state area and other areas report stepped up criminalization and arrests of homeless people and immigrants. Minneapolis just passed a repressive ordinance against panhandling, and has been implementing an ordinance against "lurking" – an excuse to arrest people for waiting at bus stops or hanging out with friends.
Increasingly, demonstrations and protests are met with repression. On May Day, Los Angeles police attacked supporters of immigration rights demonstrating in a park As new "parade laws" have gone into effect in New York City, even at the permitted Puerto Rican Day parade, 208 people were arrested for "unlawful assembly" and supposedly wearing "gang colors." Brooklyn high school students who had permission from their parents and their school to attend a friend's funeral wake in the afternoon were arrested while walking to the subway stop for "unlawful assembly."
Seattle is experiencing a "crisis of credibility" with the police department after an Officer Neubert, who was involved in killing Aaron Roberts in 2001, falsified a police report on an arrest of a wheelchair-bound man for drugs. Surveillance video backs up the man's claim that drugs were planted on him and that Neubert used a choke-hold on him. These types of abuse are happening all over the country.
In their crusade to "fight terrorism," law enforcement has become exponentially emboldened, attacking clergy, lawyers, children and parents of those whom they have killed and who dare to speak out against police brutality. Last November, Juanita Young, mother of Malcolm Ferguson (killed by NYPD in March 2000) and outspoken activist, was brutally attacked by eight cops and arrested in her own home, then handcuffed to a hospital bed and tortured by the cops on duty for four days before they handed her a desk appearance ticket.
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No More Stolen Lives! Fight Back! On October 22nd, Wear Black!
October 22nd has come to be recognized as a concentrated day of resistance -- a national day when people all over the country, in different cities and through different means of expression, come together to STOP police violence, repression, and the criminalization of a generation. The nationwide epidemic of police brutality and repression is hidden from many people who would be outraged if they knew what was happening. We must resist the onslaught of police abuse as we work in many different ways to drag this truth out into the light of day. Our resistance will give others courage.
We wear black on October 22nd in memory of those whose lives have been stolen from us.
Nicholas Heyward, Sr. (father of Nicholas Heyward, Jr., killed by NYC housing police in 1994) says:
"Police brutality has always existed in poor and oppressed neighborhoods. But since September 11, 2001, it has gotten much worse. In order for any justice to be done, it takes a mass number of people coming together for a common cause. Police brutality affects everyone and has to stop. We need as many people as possible to come out this year on October 22nd to support the families of victims of police brutality."
Juanita Young (mother of Malcolm Ferguson, killed by NYPD in 2000) adds that resistance is critical:
"You can't give in. They will try to make an example out of you, try to break your spirit. If you don't resist and keep on fighting, they will be able to get away with what they're trying to do to us."
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Sunday, September 23, 2007
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NY newspaper CENSORS WCW ad...get on ’em!!
Please repost this far and wide...the censored ads appear below the letter from WCW director Debra Sweet:
Dear World Can't Wait Supporter,
"A belligerent President Bush comes to the United Nations to impress upon the world that the U.S. is in the Middle East to stay, that the war on terror will be endless, and to threaten a murderous war on Iran."
This message is being censored. We're calling on you to stand up to suppression of political dissent.
On Thursday Metro newspaper in NYC refused to run an ad headlined "Who is the Real Nuclear Threat" from the World Can't Wait – Drive Out the Bush regime in its September 21 issue. The reason given by the publisher was that the content was "too inflammatory" for the prominent back page. On Friday, a second ad "One Million Dead in Iraq" was first rejected for placement on the September 25 back page explicitly because of its content. Then they offered placement on an inside page at a price almost four times higher than what was originally agreed upon.
This move by Metro is undoubtedly related to the "watch what you say" atmosphere created by the White House. Also on Thursday, George Bush said to the White House press, "I thought the [MoveOn] ad was disgusting. I felt like the ad was an attack not only on General Petraeus, but on the U.S. military. And I was disappointed that not more leaders in the Democrat Party spoke out strongly against that kind of ad. And that leads me to come to this conclusion: that most Democrats are afraid of irritating a left-wing group like MoveOn.org -- or more afraid of irritating them than they are of irritating the United States military. That was a sorry deal."
Hours after Bush's remarks , the Senate passed a resolution condemning the ad in The New York Times by MoveOn titled "General Betray-Us" (the ad predicted Petraeus would give the White House version in reporting on the troop surge in Iraq). Republican senators are threatening an investigation of The New York Times policy of offering discounts for stand-by advocacy ads.
This Senate condemned MoveOn for a paid ad which dissents from the ongoing war, but won't censure George Bush, a proven liar, for repeatedly using falsified intelligence to justify the war on Iraq. Now there is another wave of White House propaganda geared to justifying a war on Iran. The major media repeated their lies about Iraq for years. And now they're doing it all over again on Iran.
We do not know if the Metro publisher opposes in principle the content of these ads, or is reacting with cowardice to defending the principle of freedom of expression. We don't know, but it doesn't matter, ultimately, because the effect is the same. One of the few avenues to get the truth into the major media – buying advocacy ads—will be in effect closed down if publishers are afraid to sell space. The White House will be the strong-arm arbiter of what is acceptable in terms of political criticism.
What will the consequences be if publishers and political opinion makers back down on something so fundamental to protecting dissent in society…not to mention stopping the monstrous crimes that are being done by this government in our name? Where is society going if people do what they're told and allow this?
Dan Rather raised the alarm this week about the danger to news reporting when he announced a lawsuit against CBS for firing him over his story about Bush's phony military reserve career. He said, "You can't have freedom of the press if you're going to have large, big corporations and big government intruding and intimidating in newsrooms. The chilling effect on investigative reporting is going to be something we don't want to see."
World Can't Wait has bought many ads in The New York Times, USA Today, and in local weeklies, including NY Metro, aimed at reaching the people who want stop what the Bush regime is doing. This ad focuses on making such opposition visible by organizing millions of people to declare it by wearing orange. We are fighting for space in the public sphere, and all our efforts indicate that there's the basis to win this battle for ad space, including raising the necessary money. Another indication is the fact that MoveOn raised half a million dollars in one day from people who told them "don't back down!"
Here is a message for you to send the publisher of The Metro :
We know you are feeling the chill of the threat to publishers because of the MoveOn ad.
1) If your reason for refusing to run the World Can't Wait ad is just monetary, then shame on you.
2) If you have political objections to the content, we would like to know them.
3) If you are worried about the chill Bush is trying to send through the advertising world, and you want to stand up to it, there are thousands of us ready to support you.
Call the Metro Publisher Daniel Magnus 212-952-1500 to ask that they publish on Tuesday 9/25.
You can reach World Can't Wait at 866 973 4463.
And, donate generously to get these ads published in more newspaper. Write me if you have ideas and can help. Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can't Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime World Can't Wait
info@worldcantwait.org
866-973-4463 305 W. Broadway 185 New York, NY 10013 Donate now

HELP get these ads published in local weeklies. You can DONATE to help pay for them. METRO NY Publisher to demand that they not cave in to the White House, and print the ads.
Click for the full size PDF
 Click for the full size PDF
See Robert Greenwald's film FOX ATTACKS: IranAnd worldcantwait.org for more on the Bush regime And plans to protest Bush at the United Nations 9/25
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Monday, August 27, 2007
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Thursday, August 23, 2007
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A Revolutionary newspaper with real reach...make it happen!
That's what we're working for. Imagine if it were possible...then think about how you can help MAKE it possible!! The first thing you can do is repost this...:)
Support Revolution Newspaper's Six-Month Expansion and $500,000 Fund Drive! Truth....in Preparation for Revolution!
At a moment when much of humanity finds itself in a living hell, when the horror of the U.S. occupation of Iraq threatens to escalate into a war against Iran, and when the future of the planet itself is threatened, Revolution newspaper must be out there much more boldly and much more broadly—exposing what is going on, revealing why, and pointing to a revolutionary solution in the interests of the vast majority of humanity. Millions are outraged about starvation in Africa, but how many understand how the workings of the vaunted market economy create acute, widespread global hunger? In a world where science itself is under attack, why is the president of the United States an "evolution denier," and what does that have to do with fundamental changes in global economics and politics? Why, when the immoral and unjust Iraq war is opposed by a majority of people, are all the major presidential candidates in agreement that "all options are on the table" for a U.S. war on Iran, including nuclear attacks? Why are the rights of women to abortion and even birth control coming under relentless attack—with no established voice raising serious opposition? Why are Black people still facing the betrayal symbolized by Katrina—140 years after the Civil War and 35 years after the high tide of the Black Liberation struggle? What were the great accomplishments of previous socialist societies in Russia and China, how were they defeated, and how can people do better in the next wave of revolution? In the pages of Revolution newspaper, readers find answers to these and other burning questions of the times, answers that proceed from a ruthless search for truth, and from a commitment to bringing a much better world into being. Revolution brings you the voices of the modern-day proletariat, those on the bottom of society with nothing to lose but their chains. You hear from the workers in the factories and fields, the prisoners, the immigrants, the youth, the parents of people shot down by police and more. Revolution also brings you interviews with and opinions from people in the spheres of the arts, sciences and social and political movements. Revolution is a great newspaper, and getting better. Week in, week out, Revolution challenges readers with passionate, searing exposés, and revolutionary insights into burning issues of philosophy, politics, science, art, sports, and more—what the Utne Reader calls "a rousing read." Even beyond this, Revolution aims to enable its readers to make a scientific assessment and analysis of all events in society and the world—to strip away "official story" and reveal the underlying reality. To put events in context, and to show how major events are fundamentally driven, in complex ways, by this system. Revolution shows readers how different strata in society respond to the events of the day, and how the proletariat can lead a revolution that embraces all those who protest and rebel. This newspaper sparks and fans resistance against oppression. And it is part of forging a living link between that resistance and the goal of a communist world and the first great step to get there: REVOLUTION. Critical to this newspaper's mission are the contributions of Bob Avakian, Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party. Bob Avakian's revival of, and re-envisioning of communism, as well as his penetrating analyses of U.S. society, his insights into the process of understanding the world, as well as his practical guidance in the revolutionary struggle, are essential reading for everyone serious about understanding the situation we're in and how to change it. (See "Revolution: Connecting People with Bob Avakian") Revolution brings truth, and a revolutionary perspective, to a uniquely diverse audience that includes prisoners, students, professors, youth in the housing projects, artists, immigrant workers, anti-war activists and scientists and others. Yet, there is a potential for far, far more people to read this paper. Revolution has launched a six-month expansion drive, accompanied by a fund drive to raise $500,000 This $500,000 will be a first step to realize the potential and rise to the challenge. This newspaper must be a voice that cannot be ignored on any campus, helping to radically transform the atmosphere in high schools and universities. It must reach into the communities of scientists, artists, musicians, writers, thinkers, and everyone who cares about the fate of humanity. And imagine the societal impact of a revolutionary movement, with this newspaper at the center, based among those who society has enslaved, cast off, or locked up—the proletariat. Imagine such a paper giving them a sweeping view of all the other forces who protest and rebel against the things this system does, and enabling these modern-day slaves to take up their role as the backbone of a revolutionary movement and become emancipators of humanity. For that to happen, this newspaper must reach deep into the prisons, housing projects, ghettos, barrios, reservations, factories and fields. One excruciating expression of the gap that must be closed: Hundreds of readers in prisons around the U.S. read, share, study, discuss, and correspond with Revolution, but hundreds more prisoners have requested subsidized subscriptions that cannot be filled due to lack of funds! With an expanded financial base, Revolution can support a sustained campaign to greatly expand its online and print readership. An expanded fund base will enable more street sales. It will allow Revolution to make its web edition—revcom.us—more dynamic, more interactive, and more accessible to people who rely on the web for news, as well as to readers around the world who rely on reading the paper online, sometimes at great risk. And a stronger fund base will allow expansion of the paper's e-subscription list, more commercial distribution, and subsidized subscriptions for prisoners, as well as subsidized print subscriptions for readers around the world. Additional funds will allow for strengthened editorial content—more ability to send reporters to cover major events around the world at a moment's notice -- to New Orleans after Katrina, to the packing houses being raided by immigration agents, to scientific conferences, concerts, galleries, and to meet and interview major figures in every field. An expanded financial base will allow for a more attractive paper with more color, and better photos. Essential to the mission of Revolution, additional funds will improve the quality of the weekly Spanish edition that brings Revolution to a bilingual audience in the U.S., and to the Spanish speaking world. And, allow a stronger Spanish language section of revcom.us. And an expanded fund base will provide money to advertise and promote the print and online versions of Revolution in every region of the country. YOU, and people like you can make all this happen. Raising money is an essential part of the revolution. It is an important way that the revolutionary movement connects with all kinds of people. And raising and donating money is an important way for people to support the revolution. Much is at stake. If people are going to really understand what is going on, and if something good is to be pulled out of the current storms, a greatly expanded Revolution newspaper must be at the heart of that process. Read, distribute, and contribute generously to Revolution!
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Tuesday, July 03, 2007
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WEDNESDAY: Join WCW Impeach contingent in Fun Fourth parade!
sorry about the one link...unfortunately, MySpace censors me everytime I post the real thing...
What: IMPEACH Bush/Cheney contingent in the Greensboro "Fun Fourth" parade When: Wed., July 4th, 8:30 AM Where: Line up at the intersection of Greene and Smith Streets, Greensboro March starts at 9:30 AM!

Hey folks...
It's that time of year again...spread the word and build the movement at the Fun Fourth Parade!
Two years ago, the Greensboro chapter of "The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime" made its first-ever appearance in the Fun Fourth parade with a total of four people. We've since grown into a movement that has mobilized thousands of people here and across the state at protests, vigils, concerts, forums, and other righteous activities calling this regime out for its crimes.
Come join us on Wednesday, July 4th as we march in a parade before thousands of Greensboro people with our message of impeachment! Help us get out thousands of flyers along the parade route advertising our TOWN HALL MEETING on Impeachment (to be held Sunday, July 15th at Two Art Chicks Gallery, 609 S. Elm St). Then stick around afterwards at Center City Park at the WCW table to help us sell t-shirts, bumper stickers, and recruit people to help us spread the word about the July 15th town hall meeting!
The movement for impeachment is growing...and though Bush's approval rating keeps dropping, that has not stopped him or his regime from deepening its anti-civil liberties, pro-war, anti-people agenda, with MUCH complicity from the Democratic Party. Only a movement of the people can turn things around...come be a part of it, and have some fun in the sun with us! We promise there will be sweet beats and righteous noise courtesy of Cakalak Thunder, excellent company, and some great street theater!
Contact us ASAP at (336) 574-9088 if you've got some artistic ideas for the contingent, or just join us at 8:30 AM on Wednesday, July 4th at the corner of Smith and Greene on the north side of downtown.
See you there!
Scott WCW-Greensboro
Special appearance by the Bush Chain Gang...we still need a couple of people to don these costumes and ham it up for the crowd! Is it you? PM us and sign up...
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Friday, June 22, 2007
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Senate Immigration Bill: the Clash in the Halls of Power, and the REAL Interests of the People
Revolution #92, June 17, 2007
Senate Immigration Bill:
The Clash in the Halls of Power…and the Real Interests of the People
On June 7, the immigration bill that was being considered in the Senate hit a major roadblock—and may have been stopped for good--when the bill's backers failed to close off the debate and move toward a final vote. Democratic majority leader Harry Reid withdrew the bill, and it is unclear at this point what will happen. The bill may or may not be taken up by the Senate again later.
The Senate bill was put together by ruling class "wise men"—a small group of Democrat and Republican senators, working with Bush. In the media, the bill has been portrayed as a "grand compromise" that "balances" the calls for "stricter border enforcement" with a means to provide "a path to citizenship" for undocumented immigrants. But this is a distortion of what this proposed law is actually about.
This is not a clash pitting anti-immigrant, "pro-enforcement" forces against more "moderate," "pragmatic," and "pro-immigrant" forces. At the heart of this Senate proposal are: (1) further militarization of the border and expansion of immigrant detention camps; (2) a "guest worker" program that keeps immigrants in slave-like conditions; (3) a "legalization" scheme to force undocumented immigrants to register with the government in exchange for a temporary visa allowing them to work legally and a promise—with many conditions attached—of official permanent residency years down the road; (4) major restrictions in the ability of U.S. citizens and permanent residents to bring family members legally into the U.S., which would result in splitting families apart. Amendments added to the bill before it was withdrawn made the provisions even more repressive—like the one by Texas Republican Senator Cornyn calling for rejected applications for the temporary visas to be turned over to law enforcement agencies, so that immigrants who didn't meet the requirements could be deported right away.
The Senate bill, if it became law, would not represent anything good for immigrants. (For more on the proposal, see "Senate Immigration Bill: A Program for Increased Repression and Legalized Slavery" by Travis Morales, in Revolution #90, online at revcom.us.)
Those behind the bill had apparently hoped to push it through "under the radar" and get quick approval. But the bill touched off major opposition—mainly from forces within Bush's own party (including all the Republican presidential candidates except John McCain) who declared that the bill was not tough enough on "unlawful aliens" and "border security."
The way the bill's high-level backers tried to rush it into law after writing it in secret points to the urgent necessities that are driving the capitalist-imperialist rulers to drastically change the situation around immigration. And the fact that the bill has now stalled—and perhaps died—reveals divisions among different forces in the ruling class as they push for what they believe to be in the best interests of their system. As this article will get into, those ruling class interests are not the interests of the people.
The Capitalists' "Immigration Problem"
Both the proponents and opponents of the Senate bill in the halls of power agree that their immigration system is "broken." By this, they are NOT talking about the intolerable situation where many people in countries dominated and ruined by the U.S. and other imperialists are forced to migrate across borders in a desperate search for survival. They are NOT talking about the hundreds of immigrants who die each year trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border through remote deserts and mountains, as more and more walls, troops, and military equipment line the border. They are NOT talking about the living hell endured by millions of undocumented people in the U.S.—slaving at low-paid and dangerous jobs while in constant terror of being grabbed in gestapo immigration raids and suddenly separated from their family and friends.
What the ruling class voices mean by a "broken" immigration system is that the current situation threatens the strategic aims of their empire—around the world and here in the "homeland"—and their ability to control and profitably exploit immigrant labor.
It is true that the outlawing and suppression of undocumented immigrants have given the U.S. rulers huge power to super-exploit this section of the proletariat. Immigrant workers have become the backbone of industries like meatpacking and construction and essential to agriculture, various services, and other parts of the economy.
Undocumented immigrants have also been made into scapegoats for the insecurities and problems arising out of the workings of the capitalist system itself that are hitting the majority of people. Through the reactionary media, native-born people—proletarians and those in the middle-class—are bombarded with the message that "illegal" immigrants are to blame for low wages, messed-up schools, cuts in social services, and so on. This is an ugly game, meant to keep people from standing together against their common oppressor—it has to be seen for what it is and opposed.
But there are some acute ways in which the situation where 12 to 20 million people are living "in the shadows" within the U.S. borders has come in conflict with some other strategic interests of the imperialists.
First, it is a big problem from their class standpoint that there are millions within the "homeland" who, by necessity, have become adept at living "outside the law," avoiding the eyes and reach of the authorities. This includes those who come to the aid of immigrants targeted by the state—doctors and nurses who treat immigrants without asking for IDs, churches that give sanctuary to people threatened with deportation, etc. This comes directly into conflict with the whole repressive agenda concentrated in the Patriot Act, widespread wiretapping, and the gutting of basic rights.
Second, the very presence of the large and growing immigrant population brings a diversity of political and cultural experiences into American society. The strategic interests of the proletariat lie in breaking down national divisions among the people, and from that viewpoint this is an overwhelmingly positive development. But the rulers of this country insist that U.S. culture and politics be founded on white American chauvinism—even more so in a time of global war and aggression being carried out by the U.S. In their view, the inflow of immigrants undermines the uniformity and "cohesiveness" of American culture and politics. So they demonize the immigrants, stir people up against them, and demand severe repression against them.
Third, there is the question of Mexico. Just last year Mexico went through a major legitimacy crisis around the presidential elections; Mexican society remains extremely volatile and polarized. The U.S. fears the potential for things to "get out of hand" in Mexico, including the possibility of forces who oppose U.S. imperialism—even perhaps genuinely revolutionary forces—coming to power. They fear the possible social chaos and they also fear the possible political contagion between both sides of the border in the event of a revolutionary situation, and they want to prevent that from happening. This forms part of the reason for the extreme militarization of the border.
At the same time, they need to keep the border clamped down but "moving smoothly": the military buildup on the border and crackdown on immigrants in the Southwest are threatening to tear apart the economies and people on the two sides of the border that are very intertwined. Capitalists in parts of the economy heavily dependent on immigrant labor are worried that the "guest worker" provisions in the Senate bill are too restrictive and disruptive—especially after an amendment cut the number of workers in the program in half to 200,000.
When all is said and done, the capitalists need the immigrants—both to keep the U.S. economy profitable and because the money they send home helps to maintain stability within Mexico. But they are trying to hammer out a way to maintain the immigrants in this suppressed condition while containing the contradictions it brings. (For a fuller explanation of all this, see "The 'Border Crisis' and Revolution: Stepping Back on Some Strategic Dimensions," Revolution #48, online at revcom.us.)
Their Fascist "Solution"…And the Need to Resist
The government and its armed forces are not moving, at this point, to immediately round up millions of "illegal" immigrants and kick them out. Such a move could cause massive upheaval, even rebellion, within the U.S. as well as in Mexico.
Some key forces in the ruling class are moving to "regulate" immigrants in some different ways—and that is what is represented by the Senate bill. The "legalization" provisions of the bill are, in reality, a scheme to lure millions of undocumented people "out of the shadows" so that the government and law enforcement agencies can more readily identify and track them. Immigrants deemed "undesirable" by the authorities would be quickly deported. The rest would be kept in a highly vulnerable and exploitable position (after they pay thousands of dollars in "fines"). They would basically be placed on parole, instantly saddled with a "criminal" history (for crossing the border "illegally" and using fake documents), and with the threat over their heads of their visas being revoked if they don't keep to the program—which could mean anything from running afoul of the law in some way to not holding a steady job to not learning English quickly enough. Along with this, the Senate bill's provisions for a "guest worker" program would create a caste of contract workers who are brought into the U.S. under tight control, exploited for a few years, and then packed off back to their home countries.
All this is in the context of the border being further fortified with more troops and armed agents, walls, and high-tech surveillance equipment, and in the context of other measures like expansion of detention centers to that they can hold 27,500 immigrants each day.
At the same time, they have launched a very fascistic crackdown on immigrant communities—with widespread raids, detentions, and breaking up of families—in order to spread terror among the people. (See, for example, "Chicago: Armed Raids in the Heart of Mexican Community," "San Diego: Fascist Raids and Vigilantes Terrorize Immigrant Communities," "Resistance to ICE Raids in San Rafael, CA," and other recent articles in Revolution, available online at revcom.us.)
But the clampdown on immigrants is stirring up much anger and protest, among immigrants as well as those born here. Last spring, millions of politically awakened people poured into the streets seemingly out of nowhere, in opposition to the fascist Sensenbrenner bill passed by the House which, among other things, called for making all undocumented immigrants into felons. And in the face of the massive raids and roundups of immigrants this Spring, hundreds of thousands marched across the U.S. on May 1 this year—including in L.A., where people went up against a brutal attack by the LAPD.
The fascist anti-immigrant offensive is raising the question: what kind of society are we living in, where people are hunted down, separated from their kids, and deported…just because they have no official documents? A movement has arisen among religious people to give sanctuary to immigrants targeted by the government. Some cities and towns have declared themselves immigrant sanctuaries. The city of New Haven, CT, recently announced an "immigrant-friendly" policy of giving municipal ID cards to all who request them, no questions asked. (Two days later, in a clearly retaliatory move, immigration agents raided houses in a Latino community in New Haven and took away 31 people.) All this points to the potential for even greater resistance to grow quickly and spread further—which would have a tremendous impact broadly within the U.S., as well as in Mexico and other countries.
In short, there are huge contradictions facing the imperialists, and various ways that the moves they are making could backfire on them. Yet they are compelled to move to transform the current situation, and this is giving rise to some sharp divisions.
Left to itself, this current trajectory is not going anywhere good, for immigrants and for the masses of people overall. The situation today is already intolerable for millions. The raids at workplaces and in communities across the country have spread a blanket of terror. This intensifying fascist crackdown is part of the rulers' efforts to "keep it all together" and put a lid on the politically volatile immigration situation, even if Bush and Congress are unable to hammer together a law at this point. Some reactionary forces envision a nightmarish scenario—where such terror tactics combined with a bristling militarized border will eventually lead to the elimination of "illegal" immigrants within the U.S. And any "solution" or "compromise" that the political representatives of this capitalist-imperialist system may bludgeon through can only bring even more horrors.
All this underscores the urgency for immigrants and those who stand with them to resist this fascist offensive. The demonizing of and attacks against immigrants are the kind of reactionary dynamics that have historically led to death camps. But things are not static and one-sided. In a situation, as described above, where the rulers at the top are being driven by pressing necessities to act on a major question but are sharply divided on how to move forward, the divisions and sharp struggle at the top can create fissures where mass protest and resistance can burst through and change the whole political equation.
A glimpse of such potential could be seen in the aftermath of the LAPD assault on the May 1 immigrant rally, which provoked widespread outrage when people saw images of police shooting rubber bullets into the crowd and beating journalists and others. In the face of this brutality, a determined core of people pressed forward with the just demands of the immigrants, forged new allies, and forced city officials onto the defensive politically. Such developments show the possibility of uniting people far beyond the immigrant communities, and relying on people's own efforts to taken on and defeat the anti-immigrant attacks and the overall fascist offensive.
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Tuesday, March 27, 2007
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MAKE HIP HOP, NOT WAR: NC A&T State Tonight 3/27
Very important...the Make Hip Hop Not War event tonight has been moved to a bigger facility...it will now be in Room 218 of the New Classroom Building on Benbow Rd. on the A&T campus.
Take a Right off of East Market onto Benbow Rd., and follow it through campus. The New Classroom Building is a big white building on the left as you round the curve.
"To me it is tantamount to the abolitionists accepting a two-year timeline for ending slavery, while giving more money to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act". --Howard Zinn, on the Democratic controlled Congress' bill to fund Bush's war...including expanding the war to Iran.
Don't forget...Make Hip Hop Not War f/ Rev. Lennox Yearwood TONIGHT at A&T
MAKE HIP HOP NOT WAR TOUR
3/27/2007 Carolina A&T State University 7:30pm - 9:30pm, Doors @ 7:00pm New Classroom Building, room 218 North Carolina A&T Campus 1601 East Market St.
2:51 PM
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Sunday, March 18, 2007
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MONDAY March 19th: Vigil against the war
Current mood: determined
Hello all--
On Monday, March 19th at 5pm, the Greensboro chapter of.. "The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime" is calling on people to join a vigil commemorating the fourth anniversary of the illegal and brutal war on Iraq. The vigil will be held from 5-6pm on the corner of Friendly and Eugene in downtown Greensboro.
Over 655,000 Iraqis have died violently in Iraq since the invasion and the occupation began. Over 3,000 Americans have also died, and countless thousands more..permanently injured and maimed. As the war enters its fifth year of escalating violence and deepening quagmire,..there is an increasing danger the the US will try to "escape forward" by attacking or even invading Iran...In the face of all of this, The World Can't Wait..sees the need to escalate the struggle to drive this president from power by impeaching him for war crimes and crimes against humanity. If we do not live up to the task of removing the Bush Regime from office, it doesn't matter who gets elected in 2008, the "Bush Agenda" of war and repression will remain intact.
The 5pm vigil at the corner of Friendly and Eugene has been sponsored by NC Labor Against the War since 2001, with the participation of many other organizations over the years, including World Can't Wait. Please come and show Greensboro that we will not stand another year of war, and another year of the criminal regime in power. Bring pro-impeachment signs and anti-war banners. Most of all, bring yourself and your friends, and your dedication to do what needs to be done to end this war, and send this president out in disgrace.
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For a better world,
--T
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Currently
listening
:
Pick a Bigger Weapon
By
The Coup
Release date: 25 April, 2006
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6:13 PM
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Thursday, February 01, 2007
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Laughing fascism out of the fucking room
I've only seen the show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" a couple of times, so I don't totally get the references here, but something about the little green lite-brite man flippin' the bird to America the Paranoid right now brings a big smile to my face. Here's a couple of pictures:
I'd totally be friends with these people if they lived here.
And here are the "suspects", who clearly see the humor in the mind-numbing stupidity that got the Defenders of Der Fatherland's undies in a bunch.
12:35 AM
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
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All out to protest the torturer-in-chief tomorrow!
It's on tomorrow in NC...all out to protest the Torturer-in-Chief!
Protest EVERY STOP on Bush's NC visit! .. 11:30 AM Greensboro, NC: Location TBA, check local news, we'll be there! 12:30 PM Greensboro, NC: Meet up at the triangular park at corner of E. Market and Franklin Blvd. for picket near Falkener Elementary school 3:00 PM Randleman, NC: Visit to Victory Junction Gang Camp, protest courtesy of Asheboro World Can't Wait chapter! Contact gn7han@carolina.net 4:30 PM Greensboro, NC: Line up along N. Elm St near Sunset Dr. to protest fundraiser for pro-torture politicians! .. For more info contact The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime! Email, Greensboro Chapter: ncworldcantwait@yahoo.com Ph: (336) 574-9088 Asheboro Chapter: asheboronc@worldcantwait.org..

7:58 AM
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