"New Zealand bosses stage protectionist rally" describes a gathering organized by the Businessmens' Association to defend protective tariffs on imported cars.
The article reports on an event of interest to working people: a group of bosses organized to garner support for their interests and hoodwinked some workers into seeing a false commonality of interests therein.
But this occurrence was not an example of resistance by working people to the employers' assault on their living standards, working conditions, and unions - the only kind of coverage one should find in a "Picket Line" column.
Tamar Rosenfeld
Newark, New Jersey
Anti-China propaganda
I was somewhat confused by an article titled "1,000 attend
anti-China rally in Washington, D.C." that appeared in the
November 17 issue of the Militant.
The article made absolutely no attempt to give a socialist view of the issue. The article claimed that the rally had a "clearly rightist focus to it," and then stated that the rally was sponsored by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, the AFL-CIO, Amnesty International, Committee to Protect Journalists, and the Sierra club, none of which can be labeled rightist.
Also, I was quite bothered by the uncritical fashion in which the article dealt with comments made by speakers at the rally, and no mention was made of the fact that there have been some important gains made by the Chinese people since the 1949 revolution against an antiquated feudal system.
John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, stated that the Chinese government denies its people "the right to form unions." What type of unions is he referring to? And how about the countless people in this country who are denied the right to form unions and have their unions assaulted by corporate America?
He [Sweeney] also claimed that China has "the largest system of forced labor camps on earth." Is this true?
But let us not mention the growing prison-industrial complex in this country. And the very same people who criticize China want prison labor here!
Sen. Paul Wellstone, a Democrat from Minnesota, demanded that "the president of China lead his country for human rights and democracy." This, of course, means toward full blown capitalism, which would be disastrous for China, a nation of 1.4 billion people. Of course, China has been moving in this direction, but China is still not a capitalist country. Do not Trotskyists defend the gains of the Chinese revolution?
Millionaire actor Richard Gere spoke at the rally for the "1.2 billion Chinese people who have no voice." But Gere has absolutely no understanding of history. Does he even have a clue as to what conditions were like in China for peasants, women, etc., prior to the 1949 revolution? Shouldn't a socialist paper comment on Gere's arrogant ignorance?
Finally, I have always been suspicious of this "Free Tibet Movement." Was Tibet free under the rule of the Dalai Lama? I think that this anti-China campaign, which is coming from every direction stinks of a Cold War-like propaganda stunt. It smells of a "red menace" scare.
Just what is this paper's objective view on China today? Do you support this anti-China campaign? Your article left me wondering.
Nick Brisini
Loretto, Pennsylvania
From readers behind bars:
No wages for prison labor
I am a political prisoner and "Black nationalist" presently
confined in the Texas prison system. Here in Texas, prisoners
are given good time in lieu of wages for labor, which I
strongly oppose. However, I have been in the system for eight
calendar years and two months, and will soon discharge a 10-
year sentence.
I am requesting a complimentary subscription of your publication due to my not having any form of income. In return I will write a short report concerning the first "Maximum Security Segregation" facility in the state, which opened during the month of June, 1997.
A prisoner
Huntsville, Texas
Send my son a sub
I am a prisoner in the federal system. A while back you
were kind enough to send me a free subscription which I enjoyed
very much. I would now like to ask you to send my son, who is
in the state system, a free trial subscription. I used to send
him articles from your newspaper and he found them
enlightening.
A prisoner
New Haven, Connecticut