But I was disappointed to find, on the same page in an article entitled "Outspoken rightist to head Canada party," a line that stated an exception to antiabortion legislation with the formulation "unless the mother's life was in danger." Militant contributors and editors should clearly explain that it is women who seek abortions, not "mothers." The anti-choice movement tries to claim a false mantle by using manipulative language (i.e. "pro-life"), and it is important for the Militant to pay special attention to language in its coverage of this aspect of the Culture War.

Elena Tate  
New York, New York  
 
Inhuman living conditions
The living situation of hundreds of thousands of workers in New York is steadily sinking into decaying conditions as the capitalist economic crisis deepens and social programs are further gutted. To anyone walking in many working-class neighborhoods from the Bronx to Brooklyn the sight of decrepit housing, rusted and useless vehicles, piles of rotting or smoldering garbage, and crumbling schools, streets, and subways--not to mention workers and their families increasingly in worn clothing and poor health--is the norm.

New York's capitalist political figures delight in mocking the situation. Last week after a rat ran by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani on the porch of Gracie Mansion, a campaign was launched to "address" the vermin epidemic. (There was another $8 million campaign in 1997.)

One day this weekend as we petitioned to put the Socialist Workers candidates on the ballot, we happened to have a copy on display of Frederick Engels's The Condition of the Working-Class in England. This, I think, is an excellent book to show how seriously communists view the question of social conditions.

In just one example, in a chapter called "The Great Towns," Engels writes of the inhuman living situations faced by workers in the 1840s. "What is true of London, is true of Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, is true of all great towns. Everywhere barbarous indifference, hard egotism on one hand, and nameless misery on the other, everywhere social warfare, every man's house in a state of siege, everywhere reciprocal plundering under the protection of the law, and all so shameless, so openly avowed that one shrinks before the consequences of our social state as they manifest themselves here undisguised, and can only wonder that the whole crazy fabric still hangs together."

Janet Post 
Brooklyn, New York  
 
Cover actors' strike
It would be great if you could provide coverage on the actors' commercial strike, which began on May 1. The strike involves the 125,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild and is a reaction to an attempted rollback of wages and residuals.

The entertainment industry's long-term goal is to break union involvement with all major television, movie, and record production. This includes craft unions (such as the actors' and musicians' unions) and industrial unions such as the Teamsters.

Ben Roberts 
Oakland, California

Editor's reply: The Militant has had coverage on the Screen Actors Guild strike against the advertising companies in the June 5 and July 10 issues, and welcomes further news reports from readers.  
 
 
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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