UAW Patriotism Betrays GM Workers in Plant Closing

FREEMONT, CA, February 26 — “TOYOTA BETRAYS AMERICAN WORKERS,” screams the glossy, very expensive flier being distributed at the U.S. Auto Show. “Help save 50,000 American jobs,” is what those leafleting are instructed to tell those entering the auto show. This red, white and blue nonsense is what passes for a UAW campaign to “save” the NUMMI assembly plant that is scheduled to close on March 31, tossing 4,500 workers and their families into the street.

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Youth Blast Newark Mayor: Capitalism=Poverty

Newark Mayor Cory BookerThe bosses want nothing more from their schools and youth organizations than the preparation of the next generation of loyal workers and soldiers. It is a positive development that in the debate world lots of students argue against capitalism. Over the past weeks debate teams have organized picket lines at Senate offices protesting the imperialist invasion of Haiti and also protested Newark Mayor Corey Booker’s opening remarks at a tournament with eighteen letters reading CAPITALISM = POVERTY.

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Capitalism+Earthquake=Mass Murder

U.S. Rulers Enforced Racist Poverty, Magnifying Quake Death Toll

Profit-hungry — mainly U.S. — racist capitalists, having looted Haiti for 100 years, have condemned more than 200,000 of its working class to die in the recent earthquake. Just as disgustingly, these same bosses, led by liberal phony Obama, seek military and political payoffs from the slaughter through media-hyped “relief” efforts that benefit their own class far more than they do workers.

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U.S. and European Imperialists Looted Haiti for 500 Years

1492 — Columbus lands and claims the whole island for Spain. In the following years the indigenous population was nearly completely wiped out by disease, enslavement and murder.

1606 — British, French and Dutch pirates establish bases to attack Spanish ships.

1664 — France takes control of the western part of the Island; began importing slaves in 1670. Slave insurrections were frequent. Some slaves escaped to the mountains and settled with the few remaining indigenous people.

1791 — A slave revolt begins the Haitian Revolution. Former slaves establish a government.

1796 — The British invade and are defeated.

1802 — Napoleon sends a massive invasion force, including 40,000 troops from other European countries. France gains control of part of Haiti and tries to reestablish slavery, but are defeated after a brutal war that killed tens of thousands of Haitians and ended with over 30,000 French and European troops dead. Poland’s military force refused to fight; about 100 joined the Haitians to fight Napoleon’s forces. Afterwards the Poles were the only whites allowed to remain in the country.

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Bosses’ Profit Drive Wrecked Haiti Before the Earthquake

Electric service was working only an hour a day. No potable drinking water. Roads had 10-foot potholes. Totally inadequate sewage systems. Few public services. Unemployment over 60%. Millions with no satisfactory homes, or are homeless.

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‘Avatar’: Mysticism Masquerades As Militancy

James Cameron’s new movie Avatar is on its way to becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time. In many ways, the content of the movie is secondary. In a capitalist society it is perfectly acceptable for someone to spend $500 million making a movie that will bring in many billions of dollars, while billions of workers suffer every day. The content of the movie is important, however. The movie clearly takes place in an advanced imperialist society. A precious natural resource called unobtanium has been discovered on Pandora where the Na’vi live and the U.S. Marines attack the Na’vi for the profit of a U.S. company. Replace the Na’vi with Iraqi and Afghan workers and unobtanium with oil and the movie would be about contemporary U.S. imperialism.

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As Oil Wars Spread, Biggest Terrorists: U.S. Rulers

Since Inauguration Day, the Obama regime has ruthlessly enforced working-class “sacrifices” to protect embattled U.S. capitalists. Workers — suffering Depression-level job, wage and service cuts — bear the multi-trillion-dollar costs of Obama & Co.’s bank bailouts and ever-expanding Middle East energy wars. And on these killing fields, working-class soldiers and civilians unwillingly pay with their lives as Team Obama defends the profits of oil giants like Exxon Mobil, as well as U.S. rulers’ attempt to control energy supplies and pipeline routes to maintain their shaky global supremacy.

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Imperialists’ Battle for Mideast Oil Heats Up

The Daura oil refinery in Baghdad, Iraq.Given the continuing long-range threat posed by China’s and Russia’s bosses to U.S. rulers, now add the menace of these two rising powers to U.S. plans for control of Iraq’s oil wealth. Chinese and Russian companies scored big in mid-December’s second round of bidding for Iraqi oil fields. This opens yet a new front in the imperialists’ energy dogfight.

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2009 Marked by Capitalism’s Crisis, Workers’ Anger and Fight-Back

An Athens youth fghts back this past summer in Greece.The year 2009 started off with newly-inaugurated Barack Obama sending 21,000 troops to the war in Afghanistan, and caps off with him committing 30,000 more, plus 56,000 mercenaries. Obama dealt with this year’s crisis in time-honored capitalist traditions. He bailed out banks and auto-makers while calling on the working class to make sacrifices “for the greater good.” He proclaimed this year a ‘Year of Service’ while announcing these troop increases in Afghanistan, making clear why the ruling class needs our service.

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A Lifetime of Struggle for the International Working Class

El Salvador — This is the story of a comrade, an ex-commander in the FMLN guerilla army, who met the PLP through an old ex-fellow combatant with whom he shared many wartime experiences. His old friend related PLP’s communist ideas to him, how other workers internationally were organizing in the working class with PLP’s line. This gladdened him, but first he began reading CHALLENGE regularly before participating in discussions.

He was invited to several PLP club meetings but decided to take some time before actually joining due to all the experiences described below. Currently he attends meetings punctually. Initially he listened carefully to the analysis. His level of participation and responsibility in the armed struggle and his analysis of current events make him very prudent.

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