Freiheit für Seher Tümer und für Berivan!

Zwei Petitionen für die Freiheit von politischen Gefangenen in der Türkischen Republik, für die Gewerkschaftsaktivistin und Feministin Seher Tümer (ihr wird die Mitgliedschaft in einer „terroristischen Vereinigung“ vorgeworfen) und die 15 Jahre alte Schülerin Berivan, die seit Oktober 2007 im Knast sitzt, da ihr die Unterstützung einer illegalen Organisation und Steinwürfe während einer Demonstration vorgeworfen werden, mehr zu ihrem Fall hier.

Musik zum Sonntag … Distúrbio Mental

Apenas um Sintoma

Guerra Nuclear

Ernie Erber (1914-2010)

Quelle: Workers’ Liberty, eine Reihe von Texten von Ernest „Ernie“ Erber findet mensch im Marxists Internet Archive

Obituary: Ernie Erber

Barry Finger

Ernest Erber, who died in February at age 96 might be known to readers of Solidarity and members of the AWL only from Max Shachtman’s memorable response to his 1948 resignation from the Workers Party. The Fate of the Russian Revolution carries large excerpts from Shachtman’s spirited and anguished reply.

Erber, who wrote under the party name Ernest Lund, was an original founder of the Socialist Workers Party as it emerged in the 1930s from the American Socialist Party. He was to become an early comrade of Draper’s and Shachtman’s and a leader of the later split from the Cannonites in 1940, when the Soviet Union invaded Finland. As a member of the Young People’s Socialist League in the SP, Erber traveled to Spain and wrote a pamphlet for the YPSL on the civil war. The SP had organized and funded the Debs column and Erber was briefly to join the editorial staff of La Batalla, the POUM newspaper.

Erber served on the National Committee of the WP and served for a time as managing editor of the New International, and on its editorial board until 1948, when he resigned. In the late 1940s, when the WP was debating its future role in the socialist movement, Erber was virtually alone in arguing to maintain the revolutionary perspective of the WP as a “small mass party,” in opposition to the propaganda group the ISL was to become. It was therefore all the more shocking when he resigned, as he had provided no advance warning of his anti-Leninist political disagreements with the party and had never raised his views on Bolshevism in the PC. He had, in fact, just wrapped up an educational seminar on Bolshevism that he had presented to the Socialist Youth League. There were however inklings of his unease. Erber in 1948 became increasingly unwilling to defend Bolshevism beyond the vulgarized attacks that equated Leninism with Stalinism. In retrospect, Erber represented a pro-Socialist—and shortly a pro-Democratic– Party orientation that Shachtman himself was soon to adopt, with far more devastating results for third camp socialism.

Shachtman — like Erber — never did his thinking out loud, never squared his repudiation of a lifetime of revolutionary activity with his ostensible commitment to socialism. His indictment of Erber would read as a bill of particulars against his later self had he not dragged most of his milieu into the same mire. Few indeed were those who maintained the political integrity to point out that irony.

Erber was to go on, outside the WP, to proclaim that he was a democrat first and a socialist second. His resignation from the WP was not, however, simply a dress rehearsal for the tragedy to come. For, unlike innumerable other defectors and renegades, he also distinguished himself by endorsing Luxemburg’s observation that only those who are prepared to go forward to socialism will be prepared to defend the democracy that already exists. He should also be remembered in our movement for that.

Hatte Adorno recht?

… heute mal keine Abstimmung, aber vielleicht entwickelt sich ja nach eingehender Prüfung der Argumente eine Diskussion …

Wahlpolitischer Opportunismus der CPP

Quelle: ESSF … Schwesterpartei der Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP, nicht mit der ehemals pro-Moskau orientierten PKP-1930 zu verwechseln) in der BRD ist übrigens die MLPD:

Worse than a crime – The electoral politics of the NDF and the CPP in the Philippines

Alex de Jong, 20 January 2010

The year 2010 has only just begun but we might already know what’s going to be the most unlikely election coalition of the year. The legal National-Democratic (ND) movement of the Philippines, politically aligned with the underground Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines, has made an alliance with multimillionaire Manuel ‘Manny’ Bamba Villar Jr. and indirectly with Marcos’ admiring son, Ferdinand ’Bongbong’ Marcos jr.

When Manny Villar announced he would be running for president of the republic of the Philippines he immediately looked like a strong contender. After all, he is one of the richest men in the country – worth about 830 million dollar. His financial capital can buy a lot of political capital in a game still characterized by ’goons, guns and gold’. Alas, the first of Augustus 2009 Cory Aquino, still popular and fondly remembered as a symbol of democracy, died. From out of political obscurity her son, Benigno ’Noynoy’ Aquino III, became a contender for the top position of the republic, officially announcing his candidacy on September 9. In the months after this announcement Aquino was leading in the polls.

Same old, same old

Satur Ocampo of the party-list Bayan Muna and Liza Maza of Gabriela Women’s Party, both part of the National-Democratic coalition Makabayan or New Patriotic Alliance, had already been negotiating with Manny Villar for two spots for senatorial seats under his campaign banner. The rationale behind this alliance? The NDs say it’s because of Villar’s ’pro-poor’ stance and program. As if there has ever been a presidential candidate that did not promise to fight poverty. But Villar, the NDs maintain, is different. The difference is not in Villar’s political career and there’s in fact very little reason to take Villar’s commitment seriously. Like other politicians from the ruling elite, Villar has jumped from one party to the other during his career. In the nineties a member of Lakas – party of current president Gloriao Macapagal Arroyo – he later was a member of Estrada’s coalition Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino.

Estrada of course, was a wealthy man who styled himself as an outsider to the corrupt political circles of the Philippines. Just like Villar. And Estrada styled himself as a champion of the poor. Just like Villar. Their similarities and earlier alliance notwithstanding, as Speaker of the House of Representatives Villar presided over the impeachment of then-president Joseph Estrada just before ‘Erap’ was ousted by the People Power II uprising. A good politician knows when to leave a sinking ship…

After 2000 Villar was twice elected to the senate. In 2003 he left his days as an independent behind him and joined the Nacionalista Party (NP). The NP is the oldest party of the Philippines, originally founded as a vehicle for the illustrado elite collaborating with the ’benevolent assimilation’ of the American colonial regime. In 2004 Villar became president of this party that is still supporting, despite her damaged credibility, the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. His record during the years? In 1992 Villar was the House representative in the government’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C. This was during the presidency of Fidel Ramos – the period that neoliberalism was anchored as the economic orthodoxy of the country. After the rocky years of Aquino’s presidency, Ramos aimed to make the Philippines an attractive site for foreign capital. In the words of COURAGE (Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees) trade-union it was during Ramos presidency that ’the country was opened to a complete control by foreign monopoly capital.’ Under the banner ’Philippines 2000’ Ramos propagated a neoliberal policy that he said would bring the country the status of Newly Industrialized Country by 2000. If anything, the country became a newly-deindustrialized country when a significant part of its production base killed was killed by international competition in the ’open’ market propagated by the IMF. Villar was not just one of the many politicians that marched the Philippines economy into a hole. Villar was, according to his website, a ’key member’ of the House’s economic team, playing a crucial role in the liberalization of the banking system under president Ramos. With the help of both houses of the Philippine Congress, the Ramos government passed laws to implement liberalization, deregulation, and privatization. Villar supported Ramos’ policies that included for example laws that permitted foreign investors a 100 procent ownership of local businesses and granted foreign off-shore banks access.

Is Villar’s record only that of an champion of economic liberalism? Well, he also persuaded subdivision homeowners to open up their roads to the general public to ease traffic jams in Manila, designated Certain Areas in Las Piñas as Tourist Spots, led a dedicated tree-planting drive and organized the ‘Manpower on Wheels’ Program, a livelihood training school housed in a van that makes the rounds in poor areas. In over 15 year, about 5000 students graduated from this program. Token reforms are sometimes described as drops in the ocean. Considering the massive poverty in the Philippines, these three examples, listed as successes on Villar’s website, are small drops indeed.

Whichever way the wind blows

Since the days of the Ramos presidency, Villar has changed tack somewhat. In a speech for University of the Philippines College of Business Administration Alumni in 2004 Villar stressed a ’nationalist perspective’ against globalization’s dismantling of trade barriers. But, this ’does not suggest at all that we must be overprotective of our own industries to the exclusion of foreign investors.’ The next year, Villar would, together with Satur Ocampo and others, criticize IMF policy – while keeping mum about his own part in shackling the Philippine economy to the IMF. Nowadays, he supports bills providing micro-credit to struggling farmers and makes ads supporting free college education. These ads are part of media campaign that, according to conservative estimates, has cost 2 billion pesos since the third quarter of 2009.

The platform that Villar’s now running on and that has enamored the NDs for their multimillionaire ’class enemy’ is full of promises. Just like Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was full of pro-poor promises in the 2004 elections. In the nineties, Villar embraced neoliberalism, a policy that he started to criticize after it lost its legitimacy. Until a while ago, he supported ‘GMA’ – a president he started to criticize after she lost legitimacy. A good politician knows when to leave sinking ships…

Vermischtes

1.) Regentied zu einer Provinzposse um die Bewerbung/Verlinkung des Theaters der Horst Mahler-Anhängerin und Holocaustleugnerin Imke Barn­stedt auf einer städtischen Webseite in Oldenburg

2.) Reflexion nimmt Verschwörungstheorien von Ahmadinejad-VersteherInnen auseinander:

„Dem an­ony­men Ex­per­ten der Grup­pe „Ar­bei­ter­fo­to­gra­fie“, der die ein­zi­ge Per­son auf der Welt ist, die an­hand eines ver­wa­ckel­ten Han­dy­vi­de­os Fer­nob­duk­tio­nen durch­füh­ren kann, sei ge­ra­ten, doch sein Ta­lent wei­ter­hin für die Ver­schwö­rungs­theo­re­ti­ker_in­nen der „Ar­bei­ter­fo­to­gra­fie“ zur Ver­fü­gung zu stel­len: So las­sen sich si­cher­lich neue Er­kennt­nis­se über den Tod Micha­el Jack­sons, dem At­ten­tat auf John F. Ken­ne­dy oder der Mond­lan­dung ge­win­nen.“

3.) Ein weiterer Artikel auf Talk to Action zum Geschichtsrevisionismus der Religious Right in den USA:

„Author Lutzer finds parallels with Nazi Germany in all the wrong places. One example is the fact that the state can license a marriage without the certification of the church. Hitler’s Germany is compared to modern Hate Crimes legislation in which the minister believes these new laws will allow the state to control free speech in the pulpit. An economic example is found in the graduated income tax. Erwin sees this as stealing from the rich to give to the poor.
Lutzer finds similar ideology in the British health care system with German concentration camps. Lutzer claims that in Britain senior adults are denied adequate health care. This is compared to the proposed new system in America. One assistant state attorney warned the pastor that in the near future pastors can lose the tax exempt status in the church if the church refused to preform gay marriages. Believe it or not, the famous preacher claims Muslims and homosexuals have joined together on hate crimes bills to further attack Christians.“

4.) Zwei interessante Artikel im Solidarity Webzine: Mexico’s Forgotten Black History und Tea Party Convention Divides the Right, aus letzterem ein Auszug:

„It is difficult to predict how the various currents comprising the Tea Party movement will ultimately develop, but there are some worrying indicators. The Tea Party phenomenon has provided many opportunities for more explicitly racist and fascist far-right groups. Such organizations are offering a coherent ideology through which disgruntled working class whites can filter their raw frustration. This strategy is successfully swelling the ranks of many neo-Nazi organizations and helps explain the rise in hate crimes since Obama’s election.

The GOP will likely succeed in mobilizing mainstream tea partiers for the 2010 election. This is the stated aim of the next Tea Party conference planned for July. As the election approaches, pressure from tea party activists will likely push the Republicans even further to the right.

As many have noted, the Tea Party is partly a distorted expression of white working class frustration with decades of stagnating living standards and diminished economic opportunities. Also, as the many infamous displays at tea party rallies have shown, this largely white backlash is deeply racialized. Having a sitting black president has exacerbated this, but it is more deeply rooted in the broader demographic shifts in the U.S. As whites shrink as a proportion of the population, we may see a parallel strengthening of right-wing radicalism. As the economic crisis continues and working people grow increasingly cynical towards the two parties, those of us on the Left need to be seriously thinking of ways to confront the far-right.“

5.) Nettes Transpi, gefunden auf http://no2010.com/

6.) Furchtbare Musik, gefunden dank Splintered Sunrise:

Keine Abschiebung von Bita Ghaedi in den Iran!

Quelle: Webseite der Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO)

Save Bita Ghaedi from being returned to Iran!

Bita Ghaedi has been on hunger strike for 34 days now since she was refused asylum by the British Government and told she would be deported.

KWRO have been working to support Bita who faces a severe risk of falling victim to an ‘honour’ killing if she is returned to Iran. Bita comes from a very traditional family in an area where ‘honour’ killings are common and where killers are unlikely to face any serious repercussions for their crimes. If deported she will be destitute and unprotected.

Since her arrival in London, she has been imprisoned at Holloway prison and twice detained at the infamous Yarl’s Wood. More information here.

Petition to defend Bita Ghaedi:

We, the undersigned ask the UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband to personally intervene to ensure Bita Ghaedi is NOT forced to return to Iran, where it is certain she would be arrested and in physical danger under the current regime.

To add your signature to the petition go here.

Neue Gewerkschaften im Nahen Osten

1.) Seit dem 15. Februar gibt es auch im Oman einen Gewerkschaftsdachverband (Quelle: IGB):

„With the completion of its Founding Congress on 15 February, the General Federation of Oman Trade Unions (GFOTU) becomes the world’s newest national trade union centre. Following a 2006 Decree by the Sultan of Oman permitting the establishment of trade unions, some 70 individual unions have been established. Fifty of these, having already completed their own elections, were represented at the Congress which brought together some 100 delegates. Saoud Ali Abdullah Al Jabri was elected GFOTU president, along with an 11-person Executive including two women.

“The ITUC’s Annual Survey on Trade Union Rights Violations for 2009 recognised that while positive steps were being taken in the Sultanate, there are serious problems for large parts of the country’s workforce, especially migrant workers in construction and in domestic work. … „

2.) Das Workers Advice Center (WAC-MAAN) in Israel plant, sich von einer Beratungsorganisation mit Büros in sieben Orten zu einer unbhängigen, klassenkämpferischen Gewerkschaft zu transformieren:

„WAC has set a unique objective: beyond mere assistance, it aims to organize workers into a new trade union, which will organize all workers without regard to national or ethnic divisions. The intention is not to work against the Histadrut or take its place, but to unionize those left outside its gates. Even though this goal has seemed overly ambitious at times, it has become increasingly important and increasingly achievable.“

3.) Der Forderungskatalog von vier unabhängigen Gewerkschaften im Iran (Quelle: Iran Labor Report):

1. Unconditional recognition of independent workers organizations, the right to strikes, to organize protests, the freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and freedom to associate with any political party.
2. An immediate stop to all executions, and the immediate and unconditional release of labor and other political activists from jail.
3. Immediate increase of the minimum wage based on workers input through their representatives in general workers assemblies.
4. End to Subsidies Rationalization Plan and delayed wages of workers should be immediately paid without any excuses.
5. Job security for workers and all wage earners, the end to all temporary contracts and blank signatures, removal of all government-run organizations in the work place, institution of new labor laws through direct participation of the workers in their general workers assemblies.
6. Halt to all firings under any circumstances. Anyone expelled or at employment age must benefit from social security in line with human dignity.
7. End of all discriminatory laws against women and insuring full and unconditional equality of women and men in all aspects of social, economic, political, cultural, and family affairs.
8. Insuring all the retired with a life of welfare, devoid of economic anxieties, putting an end to all discriminatory payment practices, and allowing everyone to benefit from social and medical services.
9. All children, irrespective of their parents’ economic and social status, gender, nationality, race, and religion, must be granted free and equal educational, welfare, and health care benefits.
10. May 1st must be declared a national holiday and included in the official calendar; all legal restrictions on its celebration must be removed.

Tehran and Municipality Bus Workers Syndicate / Haft Tapeh Sugar Refinery Workers Syndicate /Free Assembly of Iranian Workers / Kermanshah Electrical and Metal Workers Guild

Zwei Umfragen zum Preis von einer!!!

Auf Grund des grossen Erfolges der letzten [sic!] Umfrage auf dieser Seite und auch eines Wettbewerbes beim Magazin für linken Boulevardjournalismus ( und aus Gründen der ausgleichenden Gerechtigkeit) hier nun nicht eine sondern gleich zwei Umfragen, Zugreifen solange der Vorrat reicht!

und weil auch andere hier schon geärgert wurden der Bonustrack:

Mordanschlag auf Mansour Osanloo

Auf Mansour Osanloo, den zu fünf Jahren Knast verurteilten ehemaligen Vorsitzenden der unabhängigen Gewerkschaft der Beschäftigten der Vahed-Busgesellschaft Tehran wurde im Rajaj-Shahr-Knast ein Mordanschlag verübt, Quelle des nachfolgend dokumentierten Artikels: Street Journalist:

Nachtrag 24.02. 2010: Eine deutsche Übersetzung des Artikels findet mensch auf Julias Blog, ansonsten auch von hier herzliche nachträgliche Glückwünsche zum Geburtstag an Mansour Osanloo

Mansour Osanloo Survives Attempt on His Life in Rajai-Shahr Prison

Mansour Osanloo was assaulted today in Rajai-Shahr prison by an inmate who is said to be a former IRGC [Anmerkung Entdinglichung: "Revolutions"-Garde, Pasdaran] member. The inmate who was the attacker had the support and encouragement of prison guards. This is not the first time the union leader is attacked by other prisoners.

According to HRDAI, Osanloo was attacked from behind by an inmate who attempted to stab him, while he was talking to 2 fellow inmates in the prison courtyard. Oslanloo was saved and taken away by his friends’ swift reaction.

The attack happened in front of a prison guard called Hasanpour, and another individual, Moradi, who is the head of inmates in ward 4. Prison guards at first did not react to the attack but disarmed the attacker after other political prisoners who were present at the scene protested the guards’ inaction. The attacker continued to charge Osanloo even after he was disarmed and threatened to kill him later. He is said to have a history of provoking fights in prison and is convicted of killing his wife.

Osanloo has just come out of a 1-week solitary confinement. He was arrested in July of 2009 and sentenced to 5 years in prison for anti national security activities. He was illegally transferred to Rajai-Shahr prison in September of 2009.

Source: RAHANA