Party Builder January 25, 2002

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

In Today's Issue:
*Growing the Party by Elena Mora
*Southeast Chicago Mobilizes for Peace and Justice
*PWW Building Campaign and Martin Luther King, Jr. Ads
*Act NOW to Stop the "War on Terrorism"!
*CPUSA Web site
*PWW Web site
*Action Alert: Protect Forests and Indigenous People in Kenya

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GROWING THE PARTY
Elena Mora, National Organization Secretary

We would all agree that our Party is too small. The Organizing Department has set as a main project for this coming year working with the districts to bring in new members.

In the recent period, we've emphasized an adjustment in our approach to Party building, namely, connecting recruitment to our deepening involvement and participation in the struggles against the ultra right and the policies of the Bush administration, against the war and the economic crisis.

It's time to try to test those waters in an organized way.

If we don't grow the Party, our ability to impact on these battles, to contribute the important things we do to the mass movements, will be limited.

So the idea is to try a "pilot project" starting with only one district, Illinois. At the State Board meeting in December, we all agreed that there is tremendous potential to grow that Party. Communists are playing an important and unique role in these complicated and challenging times. The State Committee discussed the project, and then every club sat down to discuss what prospects there were for new members among the people with whom they work. One club came up with a list of 25 names in its first discussion.

Plans have been made by three clubs to host events the weekend of February 1-3 to which friends and "coalition partners" will be invited. Judith Le Blanc, National Vice Chair, will be the guest speaker at the meetings. In addition, meetings with a number of individuals are also planned for the
weekend.

Just getting people thinking about the need to grow the Party, and the concrete possibilities for doing so, has been an important step. The experience with this first "pilot project" will be discussed at the National Committee meeting in February.

Then, after the NC meeting, we will start a second "round," focusing on three or perhaps four districts, encouraging them to organize a similar discussion about Party building possibilities and then meetings at the end of March. In April or May we will have another round, and then begin
preparing for a month-long, well-organized campaign for the fall, to be conducted in every district possible.

We want to involve the whole Party in the discussion of HOW to do this.

So, we invite you to participate in the thinking on some of the issues: how do we convince people who are already very active that joining the Party is something they should do -- what do they get from it? Where do we put such new members -- in many places there are problems of club functioning and style of club meetings. What are the obstacles -- political and organizational -- within the Party to bringing in new members?

Each district should include ideas on Party building in its discussions on plans for the coming year. Who should we be aiming to bring in to the Party? Are they reading the People's Weekly World and Political Affairs? Are they on the district mailing list? How would we have to change to incorporate new members into our organization? What educational events could be planned?

Please let us know your thoughts and plans.

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SOUTHEAST CHICAGO MOBILIZES FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE

Dear comrades,
The following was submitted by the South Chicago club as an example of initiatives being taken to build the grassroots peace and economic justice movements.

On October 24, 2001, Readers of the Peoples Weekly World in South Chicago sponsored a discussion, "Is War the Answer?" "Will bombs stop terrorism, will bombs stop the coming depression? They distributed the enclosed flyer and 27 people attended, most by personal invitation and a couple who had seen the flyer in the library.

The following notes give a summary, including proposal to draw up a petition (see enclosed) and to visit area Congressmen.

Notes on our October 24, 2001 meeting recorded by Rev. Bill Hogan:

SOUTHEAST CHICAGO MOBILIZES FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE-Some notes on a forum held in South Chicago Library, October 24, 2001.

About 30 activists attended, including two priests from Our Lady of Guadalupe who had worked years in Guatemala, a steelworker retired after 40 years who said he was first an American, second a union man, and third a minister, a CTA union bus driver, women from four unions (some bilingual) Southeast Siders, five members of Wisconsin Steel Save Our Jobs Committee, two AFSCME members and ten veterans of last year's campaign to lower the cost of Peoples Energy gas rates. What a discussion we had! A luta continua!

Frank Lumpkin, Save Our Jobs chairperson welcomed all. Terrie Albano, associate editor of the Peoples Weekly World spoke. There are 15,000 children who lost their parents in the World Trade Center tragedy. Thousands of kids are running from the bombs falling on Afghanistan now! There is danger of a new Middle East version of the destruction of Vietnamese people in the 60s and 70s! Should we go it alone in the pursuit of Bin Laden and the terrorists, or should we take them to the kind of International Court (and the United Nations) where Slobodan Milosevich is now on trial?

A petition committee volunteered to write a petition to deliver to our Congressmen.

The three points in the petition are:
We petition our elected representatives to:
1. Bring the terrorists responsible for the September 11 attacks to justice before an international court with the help of the United Nations.
2. End the bombing of Afghanistan that is killing many innocent people and is not stopping terrorism. Stop the billion dollar give-aways to rich corporations. Take care of our people at home by protecting Social Security and by creating jobs for the unemployed. Save steelworkers' jobs by passing and funding HR 808 Steel Revitalization Act and HR 1564 the Rebuild the Infrastructure Act.

Petitioning took place at grocery and drug stores and at churches (Catholic), with the cooperation of some parish priests. Peace lyrics were written for Christmas carols and the peace petitioners did two community Peace Caroling.

Petitioners, in addition to Party club members, included activists who had worked on the Lower natural gas price campaign. Of those who stopped to look at the petition, 90% of African Americans and about 80% of Latinos signed the petition.

VISITS TO CONGRESSMEN. Of the two Congressmen in the area, Jesse Jackson agreed to meet with the peace petitioners. On December 17, 2001, a committee of seven, mostly trade unionists, met with Congressman Jackson and presented hundreds of signatures as the first installment in the campaign. The Congressman said he was a co-sponsor of HR 808 (Steel Revitalization) and HR 1564 (Rebuild Infrastructure). Moreover, he proposed a High-Speed Rail Network to connect all 48 states and construction of 10 new airports which he said would put all the steelworkers to work and provide jobs in all 48 states. On the Peace issue, he said he did vote for the war but opposed any extension of the war and the destruction of civil liberties. He quoted from Martin Luther King's statements on the Vietnam War, especially on the need to take care of people's needs in our country.

The Peace petitioners will do peace carols at the Coalition of Labor Union Women's holiday party and also at an area shopping center the weekend before Christmas. They will meet again on January 14th at the local library.

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PWW BUILDING CAMPAIGN AND MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. ADS

Happy Birthday, Dr. King!
When we marched to make Martin Luther King's birthday a national holiday we never dreamed what it would become. We had always celebrated with marches, rallies, church services and memorial meetings. But after the national holiday was won the corporations kicked into gear to strip this holiday of it's political significance and turn it into a bargain shopper's extravaganza. We, at the PWW want to continue the fight for the significance of the holiday with a commemorative ad that promotes the meaning of Dr. King's life for today.

The great musical genius Stevie Wonder spear headed the campaign for a national holiday. He wrote a song that became the anthem for the national birthday movement simply titled "Happy Birthday."
In his song he said he could not understand why anyone would stand in the way of a celebration of a man's birthday who had stood for unity, justice and peace. Though the resistance was over come, the need to find a way every year to bring the legacy of Dr. King to the millions who continue the
struggle for justice and peace is a challenge.

The People's Weekly World saw no better way then to connect our struggle to publish every week from the frontlines of today's struggle for a peaceful solution to the threat of terrorism, to strengthen the unity against the right's attack on civil liberties and rights than to call upon our readers to once again take a stand for Dr. Kings Dream.

Below is the text which was printed in the 1.19.02 issue. Please ask your coworkers, neighbors and fellow activists for a $25 dollar contribution to the PWW to say in the words of Stevie Wonder,

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday….
And we all know everything,
That he stood for time will bring,
For in peace our hearts will sing,
Thanks to Martin Luther King!"

Send names to pww@pww.org. If you fax, please call either Carolyn or Jen at the NY office to let them know (212) 924-2523.

TEXT of AD
"So that the pursuit of peace will take precedence"
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is remembered for many things: his commitment to non-violence, to civil rights and civil liberties, to economic justice, against racism and for equality, and for his support of workers fighting to organize unions.

Others remember him as a man of peace who spoke out against the Vietnam War and said, "A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war: 'This way of settling differences is not just.'"

Although delivered in 1967, King's speech, gives us pause and inspiration, as does his statement, "We must find new ways to speak for peace...and justice throughout the world."

We salute Dr. King's courage and vision as he saw and struggled for an America and world that can be and pledge in his memory to work to reorder our nation's priorities "so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war."

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ACT NOW TO STOP THE "WAR ON TERRORISM"!
Organize Town Meetings in Your Community.

Since Sept. 11 the Bush Administration and its allies have rushed the nation into an ill-advised, expensive, and open-ended war. Simultaneously, the Administration has used the crisis to pursue a domestic agenda of repressive legislation and tax cuts for the wealthy. Despite the gravity of threats to Congressional oversight of foreign policy and other fundamental, constitutionally protected liberties, there has been only a tepid response from the US Congress. Alarmingly, the silence extends to the 55 members of the Progressive Caucus who have only been willing to speak out on economic issues and have in general supported the war in Afghanistan and been relatively silent on civil liberties questions.

In response, the National Coalition for Peace and Justice (NCPJ), which includes such groups as the American Friends Service Committee, the Black Radical Congress, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Global Exchange, Pax Christi, Peace Action, School of the Americas Watch, Shundahai Network, Veterans for Peace, War Resisters League, Women's Action for New Directions, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, are calling on our friends and political allies to support and engage the members of the Progressive Caucus in dialogue with the objective of getting them to publicly step forward on issues of war and peace, humane economic priorities, and civil liberties.

ORGANIZE TOWN MEETINGS IN YOUR COMMUNITY!!!
What are town meetings?

The town meeting is based on the traditions of open democratic debate and local participation in the decision-making process. This type of public gathering should encourage open discussion between citizens and their lawmakers in the spirit of true democratic government.

Members of Congress are home almost every weekend as well as during designated work periods and holidays. It is common for representatives to schedule town meetings during these visits at home. It's a good way for him or her to hear from a number of constituents about a variety of topics. It's an ideal time to ask your elected official about his or her position on a specific issue.

Constituents for these town meetings could include, but are not limited to: labor, academic professionals, small businesses, active duty or retired military who are against the war, anti-death penalty groups, pacifists, prison and immigrant rights advocates, human rights organizations, civil liberties groups, environmentalists, the unemployed, youth, students, immigrant communities and organizations, welfare rights advocates, the homeless, religious figures and organizations, artists and musicians, elected officials, the general public, and many more.

For more information on how to organize town meetings check out:
www.audubon.org/nas/contact.html
www.pnhp.org/townhall.html
www.crd.neded.org/pubs.townhall.html
www.oxfamamerica.org/fast/meetcongress.html

This activity has three objectives:

1) Convene common sense, pro-democracy coalitions in targeted congressional districts nationally.

2) Convince our representatives to speak up to spur national debate on issues of peace, social and economic justice, and rolling back Ashcroft's agenda of racist and political repression.

3) Use the gathering of minds, hearts, and voices to encourage longer-term peace and anti-repression organizing efforts in each community.

Principles and Talking Points:

1) No open-ended "war on terrorism". No expansion of the war. The path to ending terrorism, whether by individuals, organizations or nation states, is a foreign and domestic policy based upon social and economic justice. We believe that all forms of violent attacks on civilian populations are rooted on underlying conditions of racial and religious intolerance, oppression and economic injustice. These conditions cannot be eradicated by armed retaliation; they must be uprooted and overcome through new structures that promote nonviolence and justice. New military attacks against Iraq, Somalia, Syria, Jordan or anywhere else, will alienate world opinion and lead to more innocent people being killed and wounded. They will generate worldwide frustration and anger toward the US, and increase the likelihood of more terrorist acts in response. We must have both the courage and wisdom to go another way.

2) Restore Congressional oversight, rollback secret military tribunals, end the Ashcroft Raids, and ratify the International Criminal Court. The greatest moral assets the United States has are our hard won democracy, civil liberties, and individual freedoms. When these principles are overridden in the name of an undeclared war and when Congress, the U.S. Constitution and the world community are sidelined and ignored, authoritarian fundamentalism is a winner, and we are less secure as a people. To be effective, strengthened security must be intertwined with protection and expansion of democracy. We say NO to secret military tribunals and the wholesale incarceration of Arab and Muslim Americans without evidence and due process. We also say YES to the International Criminal Court and to US compliance with international law.

3) No to using war and recession to push tax breaks and subsidies for corporations and the wealthy. Fund human needs, not corporate greed (e.g., support for unemployment, health benefits and other programs to benefit those in need). The selfish, post-9-11 actions of corporations and their supporters - mainly Republicans - has been shocking. Within days of the trade center attacks attempts were afoot to retroactively eliminate the alternative minimum corporate tax, enacted in 1987, which would lead to reimbursing giant corporations billions of dollars in already-paid taxes. In a time when welfare has been virtually eliminated and unemployment is on the rise, we need to be building a path to a healthy and sustainable economy by funding programs which address human needs, create jobs, protect the environment and put money in the pockets of those who will use it.

4) Expanded and effective relief to Afghans. Stay engaged with Afghan civil society to create sustainable development plans for the entire country. The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has been greatly exacerbated by the U.S bombing campaign. We call for a halt to the bombing and an immediate deployment of UN security to ensure the safe distribution of food and supplies. We call on Congress to pass an aid package for Afghanistan that shows a long-term commitment to rebuilding the country and which demonstrates that its support for reconstruction is not tied to the U.S.’s own narrow economic interests. The model of development we promote should not be in the interests of oil companies such as UNOCAL, a company that has long been anxious to build a major pipeline through Afghanistan, but in the interests of the people. The U.S. involvement with Afghanistan did not start on September 11th nor should it end when the narrow military goals enunciated by the U.S. are considered to be accomplished. The chaotic conditions in Afghanistan that permitted the excesses of warlords, the Taliban, and Al Queda were a product of a successful US proxy war against Soviet occupation. The U.S. has supported corrupt and repressive regimes throughout the Middle East for decades because of oil. September 11th must become a wake up call for us to turn away from this destructive path and, instead, join in solidarity with the world's people in support of genuine social and economic justice. True security for all of us can only be achieved by reducing our dependence on oil. The need to build a sustainable peace economy in Afghanistan is not simply an altruistic one. The US needs to remake itself into a force for good in the perceptions of potential friends (and potential enemies) around the world. What Americans do to support justice and fair economic exchange will have favorable reverberations. On the other hand if we are seen as a country that comes in, leaves another mess and enough security to build an oil pipeline, we will confirm the critique of our detractors. Humanitarian efforts are in our national interest, as are support for debt relief and promotion of fair trade throughout the developing world.

The above was from Global Exchange: www.globalexchange.org

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CPUSA Web Site

Checked out the CPUSA Web site lately?

www.cpusa.org is being updated with new material at least three times a week!

Look for the Peace & Solidarity Commission's Party statement about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an article about District Schools (as well as links to resources), and interviews with Elena Mora and Libero Della Piana (these are audio interviews with texts of the highlights).

We also feature the PWW lead story each week and soon will offer a sidebar with links to all the PWW main headlines.

You can find past and present PartyBuilders there, as well as calls for urgent action as they happen.

So, bookmark our site today and stay on top of the latest organizational tools, Party statements and interviews, and actions!

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PWW Web Site

Our Web page has been getting lots of visits, and to keep people coming back throughout the week, two things are in development:

* Extended coverage of the top stories; including web links, full text of resolutions and press releases and audio files of interviews
* "In the works," which will preview a few articles in the coming print edition of the paper

So, give it a look and let the web developer, Todd Tollefson, know what you think at toddt@cpusa.org

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ACTION ALERT: PROTECT FORESTS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF KENYA

“If we do not protect our remaining forests, Kenya will become progressively thirstier, hungrier, uglier and poorer. The forest excisions are like an axe hanging over the future of our country.” -- Kenya Forests Working Group

Forests remain on less than two percent of Kenya’s land, under protected status as a national resource. In a country plagued by drought, the forests are critical for water conservation. They are also home to indigenous peoples that live by hunting game and gathering food plants, herbs, and honey within the forests.

In a bid for votes, the Kenyan government has rescinded protected status from 4 percent of the remaining forests, claiming that the territory is needed to open settlements for the country’s many landless people. Ironically and tragically, the indigenous Ogiek people will lose much of their traditional forest territory if this scheme goes forward. The major beneficiaries will be politically connected people and loggers as well as companies ­ Pan African Paper Mills, Raiply Timber and Timsales Ltd ­ are clearing the newly opened forest tracts.

To learn more and find out what you can do, go to: http://www.globalresponse.org/gra/current.html