Addressing a class of two dozen students at Curry College here, Trowe was replying to a youth who asked, "Don't we need a strong military to defend us from China, which has the largest army in the world?"

Working people have nothing in common with any "we" that includes the bosses and their government in Washington. But "we as working people have everything in common with the workers and peasants in China," Trowe said.

The socialist candidate described the historic victory won by Chinese workers and peasants, who fought the Japanese imperialist occupying forces during World War II and then the U.S.-backed capitalist forces, leading to the revolutionary overturn of capitalism. These revolutionary conquests are what the U.S. government is targeting in its current anti-China campaign, she said.

The other hot topic in the classroom was immigrant workers. A couple of students argued that workers born in Mexico come to the United States, and, working for low wages, "take our jobs and should be kept out."

Trowe pointed to several current and recent struggles around the country involving immigrant workers who are organizing or defending unions. "They are part of the American working class today and are helping strengthen it through their experience in struggle," she said.

Two students remained unconvinced and continued to blame Mexican workers for the social problems U.S.-born workers face. The student who had asked the question about China entered the debate and said, "That's what they use to say about Italians and Irish people who came to this country. I don't think that is right."

At the end of the class, two students bought a copy of the Militant and four students signed up for more information about the socialist campaign.

During her mid-September campaign swing through New England, Trowe also had a dinner discussion with five Brown University students in Providence, Rhode Island, and with a Vermont dairy farmer with whom she had visited Cuba a few months ago as part of a delegation of fighting U.S. farmers and workers. In addition, she joined a rally in support of 2,700 unionists on strike against Raytheon Co.

Campaigning in Vermont, Trowe urged working people to oppose the reactionary campaign against Vermont's new "Civil Unions" law.

In a victory for democratic rights for gay and lesbians, this law, passed earlier this year in the Vermont state legislature, allows health and medical benefits to cover domestic partners, not only married couples. Right-wing forces launched an anti-gay rights campaign to repeal the law under the banner "Take Back Vermont."

"The attacks on the democratic rights of gay and lesbians are aimed at dividing working people. Scapegoating gays and lesbians or immigrant workers takes our eyes off who the real enemy is--the owners of corporations and their government, who drive down the wages and job conditions of workers, and who set prices below the cost of production on the commodities produced by working farmers," stated Trowe.