The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.60/No.15           April 15, 1996 
 
 
Letters(corrected)  

Did Cuba make mistake?
Enclosed is a letter to the editor written by a prominent South Bay solidarity activist. After denouncing government actions, he goes on to say that "Cuba made a mistake... by shooting down the planes." You present the shootdown as a positive act (March 11, 1996, Militant, page 14). Obviously there is a difference here. Do you consider this an issue on which fair minded people can disagree or do you consider this statement an unacceptable capitulation to bourgeois public opinion? I would appreciate a brief reply. Kevin Kelley

San Jose, California

[Printed below is the letter Kelley refers to, which he sent us along with his note. This letter by Al Traugott was published in the March 4, 1996, issue of the San Jose Mercury News.]

Provocateurs from Miami, Brothers to the Rescue, have been flying over Havana, the seat of the Cuban government, on a regular basis. Imagine what the U.S. response would be to hostile foreign flights over Washington, D.C. Or, imagine what our response would be to an attempted invasion of our country by forces trained and armed by Cuba. How about contemplating over 10 assassination attempts on the president of the United States, approved at the highest levels of government, using the most heinous criminals to carry them out? Try even harder to imagine a 35-year blockade of the United States, supported by only two other countries in the world, aimed at impoverishing all the people of our country, causing many to suffer reduced nutritional intake and some to die. Would we be a little bit angry? I can almost hear the cries of "Nuke 'em." Cuba made a mistake in responding to provocations by shooting down the planes, but its response was modest in light of the diabolic war being waged against the people of Cuba by our government. Al Traugott

San Jose, California

Taiwan Straits crisis
I found the Militant's coverage of the crisis in the Taiwan Straits very informative. However, I don't see any evidence for the Militant's statement that "The Chinese people are trying to take back what is rightfully theirs - Taiwan," (Militant no. 12, page 2, in the subscription advertisement). It is true that the conflict is rooted in China's right to national reunification, and anecdotal evidence indicates that the sentiment for national unity is strong in China. But I see little to show that the fight for reunification of China is advancing today - in comparison with, for example, Korea, where in recent years there has clearly been a growing campaign for reunification, taking many forms, on both sides of the 38th parallel. The main evidence the Militant cites to back this assertion is the coming return of the colonial enclaves of Macao and Hong Kong. But I think the situation with Hong Kong is more contradictory than that. While the return of the political administration of Hong Kong to China is indeed progress towards reunification, this coincides with the rapid expansion of capitalist investment from Hong Kong into southern China. If China is "taking over" Hong Kong politically, economically Hong Kong is "taking over" southern China. Won't this process inevitably lead to reactionary moves by the capitalists of the "special economic zone" to buck control by Beijing? There have been severe blows struck against the national unity of the Yugoslav workers state under similar pressures. One article in the capitalist press that I read suggested that one of the main reasons China is taking a hard line with Taipei is precisely to send a message to the increasingly strident and defiant capitalists in southern China. James Robb

Auckland, New Zealand

Oakland teachers strike
The month-long Oakland teachers strike ended with a settlement calling for a 22 percent wage increase spread over the next four years with a proviso of lowering it if the cost of living doesn't rise the same. Efforts to achieve class size reduction and cutback of a bloated administrative payroll achieved only token attention. The strike was a hard and militant struggle, resulting in the sharpening of relations between the strikers and the estimated 30 percent who scabbed. In the school where I work (Oakland Technical High) most of the scabs were Black teachers while many Black teachers in turn formed a militant core of the strikers. The intense month-long struggle shaped and built new friendships while destroying old ones. In Oakland Tech - in a manner typical of other schools throughout the district - the strikers returned as a victorious body. Forming 20 abreast, the day after the settlement was approved, the strikers marched into school shouting militant and at times anti-scab slogans. Buttons were worn by all proudly acclaiming that they were strikers. During the following week "Strikers Pot Luck Lunches" were organized in the teachers' lunchroom. Students who had supported the strike and helped in picketing were invited as honored guests to these affairs. In many ways the fight led by the teachers took on a form and shape that were reminiscent of the militant struggles of past decades. Paul Montauk

Oakland, California

The letters column is an open forum for all viewpoints on subjects of general interest to our readers. 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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