Socialist workers soapboxed with a battery-powered bullhorn, said Dan Fein, drawing passersby to the display of revolutionary books and newspapers. "We took turns to speak," he said. "We emphasized that Washington’s war in the Mideast is an extension of the rulers’ attacks on working people here--including the city government’s layoffs and budget cuts that affect thousands of workers."

Through such efforts, Militant supporters in New York and a number of other cities in the United States and other countries have made up ground over the past week in the international subscription drive (see chart). Halfway through the campaign, sales of Militant subscriptions stand at 46 percent of the goal--four percentage points behind schedule. Sales of subscriptions to Perspectiva Mundial, the Spanish-language sister publication of the Militant, are a little further behind at 40 percent. The biggest lag is in sales of Capitalism’s World Disorder and three issues of the Marxist magazine New International. Sales of these books stand at 27 percent of the target.

Workers connected to or involved in resistance to the bosses’ demands for speedup and cuts in wages and benefits have responded well to the Militant, reported Jacquie Henderson from Houston. "Five Machinists at the Lockheed plant in Fort Worth signed up for introductory subscriptions during their April 14–27 strike," she said. "We had lively discussions with strikers on a range of issues--from solidarity with the meat packers who have walked out against Tyson Foods in Wisconsin, to affirmative action, to Washington’s war on Iraq.

"Workers did not agree with every article they saw in the Militant," she said, "but they appreciated a paper that gives a voice to workers defending their rights."

Meat packers at Tyson’s plant in Houston have bought several copies of Perspectiva Mundial out of interest in the Wisconsin strike, said Henderson.

Chessie Molano has sold several issues of the Militant to fellow passengers on the bus she takes home from the Chicago garment plant in which she works. During one ride, she said, a man "was looking over my shoulder, reading an article by Ma’mud Shirvani on the Iranian revolution. He read the entire article, and remarked, ‘My brother is in Iraq. Where did you get that paper?’"

Another Chicago campaigner, Pattie Thompson, told the Militant of a new subscriber to Perspectiva Mundial who took advantage of the special offer on Capitalism’s World Disorder. "She is from Mexico and is married to a Palestinian man," Thompson said. "She told me, ‘You have to be a bit of a rebel, to not just take what they tell you but to look for books, to find out for yourself.’"

These accomplishments, a sampling of similar results around the world, indicate that partisans of the Militant can meet all the goals, including in book sales, as long as they continue consistent efforts over the next four weeks.

See chart for this week’s results  
 
 
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