After gathering at a park, the protesters attempted to march to Senator Joseph Lieberman's office. On the way they were attacked by police and 18 of them were arrested and held overnight. The next day they appeared in court in ankle shackles and had bonds set at ridiculously high amounts ranging from $10,000 to $55,000.

As the U.S. government steps up its "war on terrorism" we have already seen Congress rush through laws that severely curtail democratic rights. The Hartford police and courts appear to be rushing to line up behind the "war effort" with these repressive measures. Their aim is to silence all of us.

Tim Craine
Hartford, Connecticut
 
 
Airline workers
The recent Militant article on the history of imperialist domination and oppression in the Middle East is exactly what is needed for workers and youth to counter the daily American jingoism and patriotism.

The Militant, published in the interests of working people, is in sharp contrast to the reactionary, warmongering froth spewed from the officials of my union, the International Association of Machinists. The latest issue of the IAM Journal features a full front cover with the U.S. flag and "United We Stand," the slogan of the imperialist butchers. IAM president Thomas Buffenbarger championed the missile defense system a couple of months ago. Now he expands that war-drum beating with his message this month. "A massive military buildup will reduce to rubble the terrorist camps.... We seek not simply justice, we seek vengeance, pure and complete."

Nowhere in the issue is there mention of the layoffs and routine harassment of thousands of IAM members who work at the airlines, or those thousands being laid off at Boeing and other aerospace industries. Not even a perfunctory sentence about enforcing the contracts or fighting the layoffs.

As an airline employee, Northwest management, like United and others, have used the September 11 events as a pretext to rip up union contracts and dramatically restructure the industry. To add insult to injury, airport security bag screeners, fighting for years to unionize, are being made a scapegoat. Let us recall that at Los Angeles International Airport, Northwest Airlines, with the county's blessing, fired all the screeners one day before the union vote.

Mark Friedman
Los Angeles, California
 
 
Use of torture
The Chicago Tribune recently printed a column by Steve Chapman, a right-wing syndicated columnist, with the headline: "Should We Use Torture to Stop Terrorism?" While this proposal does not at this time represent mainstream capitalist thinking it is worth taking note of it. The import of his column represents a call to publicly sanction the use of torture under the hurrah of jingoism.

It is well known that torture is already regularly used by the police forces in the United States, the example of Abner Louima jumps to mind. Chapman's goal is to establish public support for this sort of conduct. He argues that legalizing torture would lead to abuses so therefore we should just quietly let the cops do their thing.

It is also worth pointing out that his criterion for use of torture would be if "the cops are sure they have the guilty party...." Actually, in the immediate sense, the attempt to deepen the use of this rule is more the goal of the leaders of capitalism at the moment.

John Votava
Chicago, Illinois
 
 
Basque struggle
More than 50 people picketed outside the Spanish consulate in Montreal October 28 to protest Spain's attempt to extradite Basque militants Eduardo Plagaro Perez de Arriluzea and Gorka Perea Salazar who are being held in a Montreal jail.

Plagaro and Salazar were young activists in social movements fighting the oppression of the Basque people in Spain when they were arrested in 1993 and sentenced to six and seven years in prison for arson on the sole basis of confessions extracted through days of torture. While awaiting an appeal, they fled to Canada in 1997 where they demanded the status of political refugees.

Spain demanded their extradition last June, and at an October 30 hearing, the Quebec Superior Court refused to hear evidence concerning the torture or arguments concerning the false allegations by Spain that the two were terrorists. The judge ordered Plagaro and Salazar to be kept in prison until their extradition. They face imprisonment and torture if returned to Spain. The case is now in the hands of the Canadian justice minister who has recently introduced to parliament an extremely repressive "anti-terrorism" law--Bill C-36.

The deepening assaults on workers' rights by Washington and Ottawa serve to make the activities in the defense of these two youths all the more important for working people.

At the rally, Véronique Gauthier, a coordinator of the defense committee for the two Basques, read a statement entitled, "Anti-Terrorist Law, Anti-Militancy Law?" which criticized Bill C-36. Further information can be obtained at www.geocities.com/freegorkaeduardo.

Al Cappe
Montreal, Quebec

The letters column is an open forum for all viewpoints on subjects of interest to working people.

Please keep your letters brief. Where necessary they will be abridged. Please indicate if you prefer that your initials be used rather than your full name.  
 
 
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