The Militant (logo) 
Vol.64/No.9             March 6, 2000 
 
 
Truckers, San Juan marchers buy book  
{Campaigning with 'Capitalism's World Disorder' column} 
 
 
With less than a month to go in the campaign to promote Capitalism's World Disorder: Working-Class Politics at the Millennium, socialist workers are beginning to use the new Spanish edition of the book. Rollande Girard reports from Puerto Rico that she and other participants in the campaign who took part in the February 21 march in San Juan found real interest in the new title and other Pathfinder books.

"We sold six copies of El desorden mundial del capitalismo," said Ron Richards who helped get around socialist literature at the event. Marchers also bought two copies of Pathfinder's newest title, Che Guevara habla a la juventud, published simultaneously in English as Che Guevara Talks to Young People. The second biggest seller was the Spanish edition of Puerto Rico: Independence is a Necessity, which features interviews with veteran independence fighter Rafael Cancel Miranda, of which five copies were sold, said Richards. "We sold $300 worth of socialist literature in total, including 16 single copies of Perspectiva Mundial and an introductory subscription to this socialist monthly."

Capitalism's World Disorder contains speeches by Socialist Workers Party national secretary Jack Barnes. These presentations contain the experiences and discussions of vanguard workers through the fast-moving political changes of the late '80s and the 1990s.

In Atlanta a student who had been politically active in Korea bought a copy at a farewell meeting February 11 for a group of six farmers heading to revolutionary Cuba on a fact-finding trip. All told, $110 worth of literature was sold at that meeting, including four copies of Che Guevara Talks to Young People.

The Capitalism's World Disorder campaign scored some real successes in the last third of 1999. Socialist workers in a number of industrial unions led the effort politically and by example, in several cases surpassing their goals. This same kind of effort over the next several weeks can help get the book into the hands of fighters in many countries who are responding to the capitalist world crisis and growing polarization and conflicts that are unfolding. Socialist workers in the United Steelworkers of America are setting the pace. Ray Parsons, a member of the committee that directs their political and union-building work, reported that nationally they have adopted a goal of 45 for the remainder of the campaign, including 23 to individuals and 22 placed in commercial outlets. The Militant looks forward to hearing of other goals and plans over the next week.  
 

*****
 
BY DON HAMMOND  
SILER CITY, North Carolina-- Supporters of the Militant and Pathfinder interviewed people who had come out to oppose a racist, anti-immigrant rally here on February 19. About 100 people took part in or came to support the action in front of the town hall, and about 120 were there to protest it. Many opponents of the rally said that community leaders and the police had urged people, especially Latinos, to stay away. Despite this, people came from all over the region to register their opposition. This included many youth, Black and white, and a very small number of Latinos.

Some had come because of "concerns" about immigration, but were shocked by the openly racist nature of the rally. The main speaker was David Duke, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Duke gave a viciously racist talk for nearly an hour including anti-immigrant, anti-Black, and anti-Semitic material. He was followed by a speaker, originally from South Africa, who declared he knew what it was like to have one's country taken over by "aliens." The rally wound up with a Buchanan supporter urging people to sign the Reform Party petitions to get on the ballot.

Nine Militants and a copy of Perspectiva Mundial were sold to people in the crowd. After the rally we visited stores in the area that sell Mexican groceries, videos, music, and clothes, showing the Pathfinder catalog and a few sample books. None of the stores sold books, but one proprietor bought El desorden mundial del capitalismo, and another bought Nueva Internacional no. 4 and Che Guevara and the Fight for Socialism Today for himself.

Supporters also went door-to-door in one of the city's working-class neighborhoods. Residents we spoke to were clearly opposed to the rally. One Latino woman said she stayed away because she had been told there would be violence. A Black worker told us he did not go because showing up would give credence to the racists. A young white woman said she had grown up in the neighborhood. Some of her family were members of the Klan but she had no time for them. She said the neighborhood had become increasingly mixed, first Black and white and now more Latino. She said she mixes socially with all her neighbors and said everyone had the right to come there and get a job. We sold another copy of El desorden mundial del capitalismo, 3 Militants, and 3 copies of Perspectiva Mundial.  
 

*****
 
BY MARY MARTIN  
WASHINGTON, D.C.--Among the more than three hundred truck drivers who protested fuel price increases at the February 22 protest here, some 82 purchased copies of the Militant. Many appreciated its headline coverage of the drivers' protest actions in Miami. In addition, one bought a copy of Capitalism's World Disorder.

Sam Manuel, a railroad worker and United Transportation Union member who sold the book, said, "We talked about the truckers' protest and then at length about broader politics and what is facing working people. He looked through the book for some time and decided to take it home." Manuel said the truck driver also expressed interest in speaking to other workers in the city at a public forum on the issues facing the truck drivers.  
 
 
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