CINCINNATI — Campaigning door to door at the Montana Valley Apartments here Jan. 6, Socialist Workers Party candidate for U.S. Senate, John Hawkins, met 20-year-old Amazon worker Tayvon Satcher.
“My campaign stands in solidarity with Venezuela,” Hawkins said. “We say the U.S. government has no right to invade a sovereign country, kidnap its president and take its oil.”
Satcher said his sister, who recently enlisted in the U.S. Navy, is in the Caribbean right now. “When we talked by phone a couple of weeks ago, she said they were chasing drug dealers,” he said.
“Now everyone knows the real aims of U.S. imperialism — to get control of the vast oil reserves and other natural resources, not only in Venezuela, but in Greenland, all of the Western Hemisphere and more,” Hawkins explained. “Working people here have nothing to gain from Washington’s military aggression.”
Satcher nodded. “None of this helps workers here,” he said.
“The U.S. assault is aimed at Cuba as well,” Hawkins said, describing how ever since workers and peasants took power and reorganized society in their own interests there, both Democratic and Republican administrations have sought to overthrow the Cuban Revolution. And, for completely different reasons, they want to deal blows to China, one of their largest capitalist competitors.”
Satcher got two issues of the Militant newspaper, saying he was looking forward to learning more about what can be done to stop the U.S. war drive against Venezuela.
Hawkins also had joined a protest of some 75 people in front of Cincinnati City Hall Jan. 3.