The Militant - October 14, 2002 -- Socialists well received in Puerto Rico

Vol.66/No.38 October 14, 2002

Socialists well received in Puerto Rico

BY PAUL PEDERSON
AND CHESSIE MOLANO
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico--"The candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties who visit here view Puerto Rico as part of the United States--a place to pick up votes," explained Martín Koppel, Socialist Workers candidate for governor of New York. "Our campaign explains that Puerto Rico is a Latin American nation under Washington’s colonial boot. We are here to join in solidarity with the struggles of the Puerto Rican people against our common enemy: the U.S. imperialist rulers. On our return we will use our campaign to explain to fellow working people in the United States why it is in our class interests to back the struggle for Puerto Rican independence."

Koppel was speaking to students at the University of Puerto Rico on the final day of a four-day visit to Puerto Rico. Two other socialist candidates, Chessie Molano, candidate for lieutenant governor of Illinois, and Paul Pederson, candidate for U.S. Congress in New York, joined Koppel on the trip.

The two-hour discussion was attended by about 30 students. In a brief presentation, Koppel spoke about the imperialist war drive in the Mideast and the capitalist depression unfolding worldwide, and pointed to the example of how workers and farmers in Cuba have made a socialist revolution. A discussion and debate followed, mostly around the Cuban Revolution. Koppel spoke about Pathfinder’s newest title "October 1962: The ‘Missile’ Crisis as Seen from Cuba" and examples found in other Pathfinder books that show the popular character of Cuba’s socialist revolution and its leadership.

"Our campaign encourages working people and young people to read and study, to draw our own conclusions about how to understand and change the world," Koppel said. "The big-business candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties don’t want us to study. Their system of education is designed to train us to be obedient workers accepting the bosses’ prerogatives."

The literature table that the socialist candidates set up at the university was constantly surrounded. In a couple of hours students bought 12 books, 2 subscriptions to Perspectiva Mundial, and 2 subscriptions to the Militant. A number of those who attended the forum came after visiting the table and buying books and newspapers.

Before visiting the university, the campaign tour made a stop at the San Juan docks to talk to stevedores. The socialist candidates brought with them the coverage in Perspectiva Mundial on the dockworkers struggle on the Pacific Coast. Several workers bought copies of that issue and two signed up for subscriptions.

In all, the team of socialist campaigners sold more than $350 worth of Pathfinder books, 22 subscriptions to Perspectiva Mundial, 2 subscriptions to the Militant, 24 single copies of Perspectiva Mundial, and 5 copies of the Militant, through campaign tables and at political events during four days.

Related articles:
3,000 independence fighters rally in Lares, Puerto Rico

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