The bridge goes both ways
[Editor's note: The following is a response to a letter printed in our June 5 issue from reader Ed Meredith on the subject of gun control.]
Since it's founding in 1938 the Socialist Workers Party has stood up for the workers' right to defend themselves against the economic, political, and physical attacks of the ruling rich and their various armed thugs. Naturally the party has always been pretty suspicious of any so-called anticrime or gun control legislation no matter what the pretext; such moves are always an attack on the rights of the oppressed. They are always an attempt to disarm the workers politically, morally, and physically.
I'm not speaking for either the party or the Militant, but I have been a subscriber and an SWP supporter for the last 32 years and I'm pretty familiar with the movement's traditions and principles. The foundation principles of the party are contained in a book titled The Transitional Program For Socialist Revolution, by Leon Trotsky. In this program there is a short section subtitled "The picket line/defense guards/workers militia/the arming of the proletariat." I urge you to study this.
You will find that there are no directions on bomb making or how to bury rifles in the back wood lot; workers self defense is treated as a political and educational task. The task of Socialists is, in Trotsky's words, through agitation and organization, "on the basis of the experience of the masses-to root out from their consciousness the tradition of submissiveness and passivity-" Further, "when the proletariat wills it, it will find the road and means to arming." To put this in proportion, the problem of arming for self-defense is two and a half pages in a 240- page book; slightly more space is given to forming an alliance with oppressed farmers.
To any socialist, the real revolutionary struggle is the fight to break the oppressed from their political dependence on their oppressors; to free workers, farmers, AfricanAmericans, abortion-rights fighters, radical youth, and so on from their illusions in the twin parties of big business. In that struggle we need democratic rights, the rights to speak, publish, organize, to do politics. Those are the rights under attack by the "Omnibus Anti-Terrorism Bill."
The purpose of the Socialist Workers Party is to lead the workers and farmers in political struggle against the rule of big business. Our future goal is the formation of a workers and farmers government, a government that really will represent the people. Our means of struggle are political and democratic means to win over the majority; there is no other way to make a revolution.
Of course we aren't dumb enough to expect the rich to use democratic means. In the capitalist crisis during the 1930s the ruling rich organized fascist bands to attack the unions and farm protest movements. The SWP played an important role in leading the self-defense efforts against fascist attacks in Minnesota and around the country. In Minneapolis the bosses brought 5,000 armed thugs into the city to crush the Teamsters; SWPers played a leading role in the Union Defense Guards that drove the bosses goons off the streets.
When Jim Cannon (a major leader of the SWP at that time) was accused in court of fomenting violence, he replied that he was proud that the party had some role in influencing the workers to defend themselves against violence. "I think the workers have a right to defend themselves. If that is treason, you can make the most of it."
If the SWP's analysis of the current world crisis is correct, we face a future of struggle. As the working people move politically to assert their rights to a decent life, we must expect the ruling rich to launch fascist violence in one form or another. In that case, we socialists have to be prepared to speak to the thugs in a language they understand.
One final point Ed, I would be careful who I hung out with. Now I don't know what "militia" groups you've got down in Kentucky, but I do know what we've got in Delaware. In Delaware there's an outfit called the "Posse Comitatus." This is your basic pro-Second Amendment "militia," funny uniforms, black jump boots, and automatic weapons. I've seen the Posse march down Main Street, Elkton, and Main Street, Newark. The Posse was marching for Second Amendment rights and "Christian morals." The Posse was marching with it's allies, the Klan and the nutsy Nazis. I think we can guess what kind of morality these characters stand for and why they want guns.
On both those marches, the 100 or so weirdos were met by thousands of counter-demonstrators. The Posse and their fascist friends were able to get out of town in one piece, because they were escorted by several hundred riot police. I am proud to say that socialists played a small role in building the counter demonstration.
If the boys you are "building bridges to" are anything like the Posse well, bridges have been known to be two way. Be real careful Ed; don't get lost, and don't buy any ostriches. Roy Inglee Newark, Delaware
Immigrant rights
I found the article by Salm Kolis, "Rally against INS
raids says, `We're here to stay' " in the July 3 Militant
very interesting. In Miami June 8 the Immigration and
Naturalization Service rounded up 51 workers at aircraft
repair companies near Miami International Airport. One
mechanic who witnessed the raid described how "they had
them handcuffed together in a line. It looked like a chain
gang."
I work at an International Association of Machinists-organized engine overhaul plant next door to one of the raided airplane hangers. "They were working! They were not stealing," said a Cuban-born mechanic who disagreed with the raid.
Another co-worker remarked, "These people should stay in their country and try to fix the problems there." Phoenix Kendrick Miami, Florida
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