May 1, 2000
“The misery that you described in Latin America — the attacks on public education, the growing or at least persistent levels of poverty, the sell-off of the national patrimony of our countries to financial capital, the military interventions by the U.S. government — is the result of colonialism, of capitalism, and of imperialism,” said Cuban President Fidel Castro.
He was addressing more than 6,000 youth at the conclusion of the 12th Congress of Latin American and Caribbean Students in Havana April 5. “Neoliberalism can be replaced only by socialism,” the Cuban leader said, bringing the bulk of the students at the Karl Marx theater to their feet for a several-minute standing ovation.
For the first time in the history of these conferences, large contingents from North America took part, including more than 250 from Canada and over 80 from the U.S.
May 2, 1975
As unemployment figures continue their upward climb, there are growing attempts to blame scapegoats for the economic crisis. Chief among the victims are the noncitizen workers without the proper papers. The employers work hand in glove with the Immigration Service, turning on and off the flow of “illegals” as the job market fluctuates. Dragnet hunts by la migra, particularly in Latino communities, have been used to further whip up anti-“illegal” sentiment.
In Congress, the campaign is taking shape in the form of several bills, particularly one submitted by Rep. Peter Rodino (D-N.J.). The intent of the bill is to intensify the attacks on undocumented workers, and on the working class as a whole.
Whenever the bosses get away with stigmatizing a section of the working class as pariahs, this does weaken the labor movement as a whole.
May 1, 1950
Open Letter to President Harry Truman from James Kutcher
Mr. President:
Listening to your speech last night, I realized that you are extremely upset about the “subversive” charges made against your administration by Senator McCarthy. You have now gotten a small taste of how I and the Socialist Workers Party felt when you put the SWP on your “subversive” blacklist and then fired me out of my job in the Newark Veterans Administration because of my membership in this working-class party.
You also said: “We’re going to keep the Bill of Rights on the books.” It would be very helpful if in addition to keeping it on the books, your administration would begin to observe it in practice. As a first step toward making the Bill of Rights a reality for all, the unconstitutional “loyalty” purge order should be revoked, the “subversive” blacklist be rescinded.