The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.61/No.36           October 20, 1997 
 
 
Defend Free Speech In Seattle!  
 With flagrant disdain for democratic rights, the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) has escalated a fight that is now of national importance to the labor movement and all defenders of civil liberties. The October 8 decision of the SEEC to require the Socialist Workers 1997 Campaign to make public the names of its financial contributors is a serious threat to the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and association protected under the U.S. Constitution. Acting on behalf of the wealthy rulers, the commission's action represents an opening attempt to roll back these hard-won rights around the country.

This fight is especially important for unionists. The party's candidate for Seattle mayor is Scott Breen, a member of the International Association of Machinists employed by The Boeing Company, the largest manufacture of aircraft in the world and a gigantic producer of military weapons. The SEEC ruling takes aim at the tens of thousands of workers who are resisting - through strikes, organizing drives, and on-the-job actions - the decades-long employer offensive. It sends a clear warning to Breen and other workers at Boeing who want to organize an independent working-class political course, and to speak on the job and in public in the interest of working people around the world. It is a warning to unionists at Boeing to think twice about organizing against company speedup, for increased wages, or in defense of their union.

Undemocratic federal, state, and local laws require election campaign committees to report to election commissions the names, addresses, and employers of those who contribute over a specified amount, which is $25 in the case of Seattle. These names are available to the public and are therefore a ready-made hit-list for government agencies, employers, right-wing outfits, and others to wield against those who oppose their policies.

The SEEC's ruling that the socialists have not proven extensive enough harassment in the Seattle area is false to the core. It flies in the face of recent rulings granting the SWP financial reporting exemptions by both the Federal Elections Commission and Washington State's own Public Disclosure Commission. Since the 1970s, when campaign disclosure laws first came into effect, socialists have fought for and won court rulings declaring disclosure unconstitutional when applied to minor parties that can document a past and present record of harassment of their members and supporters. Breen's campaign supplied the commission with a compelling record of harassment from right- wing organizations, government sources, and employers on both a national, state, and local level.

The SWP has fought for and won the right to keep private the names of contributors to its election campaigns, given this long-standing record of hostility. Federal and Supreme Court decisions backed the party's contention that forced disclosure, either to government or private sources, would have a chilling effect on those who may want to support the party. Disclosure under such conditions would be a violation of the freedom of speech and association.

The Militant urges unionists, young fighters in labor battles and social protest action, and those who defend democratic rights to join with the Breen campaign in protesting the commission's decision and to support the political and legal fight launched by Breen. Turning back the SEEC decision and winning an exemption is now an important political battle.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home