Italie is encouraging his supporters to focus their efforts on informing co-workers about the case and winning their backing for the fight. "We want to sign up thousands of workers for this fight. Defending workers rights against employer and government assault is crucial for the labor movement and all working people. It is the only way to defend our ability to organize, discuss, debate politics, and stand up for our own class interests. It is how we defend and extend all political and democratic rights won through earlier struggles," he said.

The socialist worker said those who have come back to this fight can circulate petitions on the job, get workers to send letters to the mayor of Miami, help host a tour stop of Italie in their city, and encourage contributions, large and small from working people.

In his talk to the meeting Italie addressed the Bush administration's just-released White House memorandum outlining an "Absconder Apprehension Initiative" which calls for rounding up thousands of immigrants of Middle Eastern background on the basis that they have overstayed their visas and are "dangerous." The measure, stated Italie, "is one of a continuing series of attacks on immigrant rights. The rulers of this country target immigrants as the leading edge in their assault on workers' rights. They hope that native-born workers and farmers will be slow in rallying to their defense.

"By making special targets of people from the Middle East," Italie explained, "the capitalists are engaging in classic racial profiling, but the real targets are the rights of all working people. The rulers are trying to set a precedent with an assault on the rights of those considered most vulnerable. If they get away with it they will soon go after the rights of us all."

The former socialist candidate pointed to measures such as the USA Patriot Act, which extends the length of time the cops can hold immigrants without filing charges against them, and the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which bans all but U.S. citizens from holding jobs as baggage screeners at airports.

"But the bosses are facing resistance to these attacks on our rights," he said. "In San Francisco Filipino workers are taking the lead in protesting this ban on immigrants' rights to hold screeners jobs, and in San Jose I met with activists who have been organizing ongoing rallies to demand drivers' licenses for immigrants." These workers are being prevented from getting or renewing their drivers' licenses because of state requirements for a Social Security number. Their protests, he said, are an important part of opposing Washington's moves to institute a national ID card.

Italie presented videotaped television coverage of his fight in Miami and said he had spoken out against the U.S. war in Afghanistan and in defense of the Cuban Revolution during the candidates debate. Goodwill CEO Pastrana told the Miami Herald that he dismissed Italie because "we cannot have anyone who is attempting to subvert the United States of America" work at the plant.

Other speakers at the meeting here included Donna Huanca, who works at an art car museum where she gives tours to the public. She explained that she had been interrogated by two FBI agents who came to the private museum an hour before opening and demanded a tour.

"They said they had reports of anti-American activity in the museum," Huanca said. "Then they asked me questions about my family and my studies at the University of Houston and wanted me to explain all the exhibits to them. I was terrified." Huanca said the museum officials have made a point of opening the facilities to events around the fight for social justice and progress such as that of Michael Italie.

Jay Dooling, host of Irish Aires radio show and leader of the Houston chapter of Irish Northern Aid, voiced his support for Italie's fight and said that Goodwill's actions were "probably a violation of federal law." Dooling also noted that the Houston Irish Northern Aid is working to organize a commemoration of Bloody Sunday and a speaking tour of a group of mothers of Holy Cross school students from Northern Ireland who are standing up to attacks by pro-British vigilantes in Belfast today.

During his visit here Italie was interviewed for a 30-minute segment of the Progressive Forum radio program on KPFT.

Participants in the meeting contributed more than $1,100 to the Miami-based Committee to Defend Freedom of Speech and the Bill of Rights, established by supporters of Italie to organize the fight for reinstatement.  
 
 
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