Inter-Imperialist Rivalry Between US and China Behind Fight
Between Self-Defense Groups & Knights Templar

Only Communism will end these evils

MICHOACÁN, MEXICO — In their preparations for a third World War, US and Chinese bosses are in a race against time. To increase their war arsenals, they need to control the world's human and natural resources. Events in Michoacán, Mexico are part of this inter-imperialist rivalry.

Michoacán is Mexico's largest iron ore producing state. Because of its climate, soil, water, and low paid labor, it is also a main producer of fresh foods. Most of this production is owned by US bosses. For example, the owners of the Driscoll company not only super-exploit migrant Mexican workers in Watsonville, California, but also women and children on their farms in Michoacán. They produce over 250,000 tons of berries a year, valued at 4.5 billion pesos. Cattle ranching is also important, occupying 14% of state territory.

Michoacán's strategic Pacific port of Lázaro Cardenas is a natural gateway for trade with China. Although only opened to container ships a decade ago, its deep bay can accommodate the world's largest cargo ships – making it Mexico's most international port, competing with the ports in Long Beach, California, and Panama.

Michoacán's drug war, initiated by former President Calderon and continued by Peña Nieto, is really an interimperialist fight between the US, Canadian and some local bosses, against the Chinese and other local bosses, for the control of all this state's wealth.

In the first 10 months of 2013, the Knights Templar drug cartel, which took over a large part of Michoacán's economy, sold 5 million tons of steel to the Chinese bosses. Unified Development Mine of Mexico, one of several Chinese-owned mining companies, has acquired since 2009 exploration leases in 30 areas.

Its competitor, Canadian-owned North Mining, extracts 15 thousand tons of iron ore a week there. Felipe Calderón gave North Mining 94,000 acres of land for the exploitation of minerals. Today the mining companies have gotten concessions to 25% of the Mexican territory.

One of the reasons for the Mexican army taking control of the Lázaro Cardenas port since last November is to prevent exports of steel to China. Most of the imports of Chinese goods to Mexico (including chemicals for synthetic drugs) come through this port.

The Knights Templar had helped local mining companies appropriate unclaimed mining areas. They themselves also took possession of many mines. They totally controlled the transport of iron ore, and charged security fees to all mining companies in the area, as well as to farmers, ranchers, businesses and services.

US, Canadian, and local bosses were losing control of the resources, so the Self Defense groups were built, initially with big and local small bosses' workers. Then other workers joined, with the false hope of changing their terrible living conditions. They have helped to free mines, farms, town squares and now give security to the original bosses.

The deaths in this war continue to be suffered by the working class: over 100,000. Faced with extreme poverty and unemployment, the youth, men and women look for employment in any group, Knights Templar or Self Defense. These groups, however, do the dirty work of the bosses in deadly competition. Initially, the Knights Templar served the US-Mexican bosses' interests. Eventually they became their real competitors. The same thing can happen with the Self Defense groups, which is why the government is

undermining them. Supporting either side is a mortal trap for the working class.

Farmworkers, mining and other workers, soldiers, teachers and the unemployed worldwide need to mobilize massively for communism. They must join ICWP to destroy capitalism and all its bosses with communist revolution. In communism, without bosses, money or borders, we will decide collectively how, where and by whom to produce our food, homes, and clothing. We will have education in which we are all workers and students for life. There will be no separation between mental and manual work. We will protect the environment; and the health and integrity of every person will be most important.

We are at a critical juncture. Workers worldwide no longer want to live in the old way. That's why we ask you to join this working class project, communism. Read, write, distribute, organize and support Red Flag. Join ICWP.

—Comrade in Mexico

Who Is a Communist?

The car stopped and an MTA bus operator leaned out to pose a question for a comrade distributing Red Flag.

"Is your platform still atheistic?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "But there's plenty of room in our party for people who are not atheists."

"Christians are not your enemy," he said.  "Jesus Christ was the first communist."

"Red Flag published a series of articles about mass Christian communist movements in the 12th through 16th centuries," said the comrade.  "You can read them on our website."

The worker smiled broadly and reached out to shake her hand. They introduced themselves. Then he took the paper and drove away.

Actually, our International Communist Workers' Party does not have a "platform" the way most churches and political parties do. There's no catechism or list of beliefs that you have to swear to in order to become a member and participate fully.

Instead, we have an organizing principle:  MOBILIZE THE MASSES FOR COMMUNISM.

Together we are learning in practice how to do this.

We are collectively developing a clearer and fuller idea of how to organize and run a communist society without money, where all contribute what they can and receive what they need.

We are learning and teaching the philosophy of dialectical materialism (which is atheistic).  You can read about that in almost every issue of the paper.

We know that there will always be disagreements amongst comrades on questions of politics, strategy, tactics, and philosophy. Some are reflected in the paper. We have confidence that they can be worked out in the long term inside the party as together we mobilize the masses for communism.

We don't expect to fight and win a revolution or build a communist society with a small party, even one with an advanced line whose members have many ties with other workers.

Instead, we aim to become a mass party that embraces and organizes struggle as well as unity within our growing ranks.

That's why we're serious when we keep asking readers to join the party. We are waiting with open arms to welcome you as comrades, differences and all. That's one crucial way we prepare now to run a communist society based on comradely relationships instead of on money.

—LA Comrade

See icwpredflag.org/DepthE/HE1_4.pdf, parts V and VI-X.

Elysium: Los Angeles, Immigration & Health Care

I thought the review of the movie Elysium was very interesting,  especially the way the working conditions in the robot factory in the movie reflect the real lives of sweatshop workers. In my experience in factories in California, the bosses only care about profits— workers' lives are expendable.

Other things in the movie were obvious to those of us who live in Los Angeles. LA today is fairly multiracial, but by 2157 when the movie is supposed to take place, everyone in Los Angeles is Latino or black; everyone, even Matt Damon, speaks Spanish, and the sign on County Hospital is in Spanish. There are no white workers, and all the rich people have gone to Elysium, which looks just like Beverly Hills.

The "citizens" of Elysium are the only ones with access to medical care, which parallels the current situation  in the US with Obamacare, where undocumented immigrants are excluded from the health care system.

Our friends like Elysium, and other movies like Hunger Games and Divergent, because they show the exploitation and racism of capitalism, and people fighting back. Why do the bosses make movies like this? It's partly because if you want working-class young people to go to the movies, you have to show something that looks like real life. But by putting the action in a disastrous future, the present looks OK by comparison.

In addition, as the previous reviewer pointed out, movies like Elysium promote individual heroes as the solution to the racism and exploitation. Elysium also makes heroes out of the criminal gangs—the immigrant smugglers and computer nerds who are in it for the money like everyone else. The "hero" doesn't even think about relying on the workers in the factory, who are never seen organizing or protesting their murderous working conditions.

You won't see Hollywood making a movie that shows workers organizing the masses to fight for communism as a solution to racism and exploitation. "The revolution will not be televised!" That's up to us--to bring it live!

—Red Critic

Harassment at Boeing

Boeing and the union ganged up on us in December and January. They eliminated defined pensions, cut pay and gutted benefits. They extended the contract until 2024. New hires bear the brunt of the attack.

Now management has embarked on a campaign of harassment and disciplinary actions. They are suspending workers for minor attendance infractions and scrapping parts. Suspensions are the first step to eventual firings.

Often the scrapped parts aren't even the fault of the machinists suspended, but the bosses don't care. The main point is to scare the rest of us, particularly the growing new-hire workforce.

Veteran workers remember this game. "Two Auburn bosses ganged up on one guy in our learner program every 6 months or so," recalled a 30-year veteran. "They'd ride him for everything until he was fired."

They also remember the racist content of this harassment. Black workers were more often the victims of company harassment and firings.

Workers have complained to the union to no avail. Business representatives promise to look into it, but nothing ever comes of it. Their failure to fight racist harassment is part and parcel of the no-strike contract extension they pushed through.

The bosses have used this kind of scare tactic for as long as anybody can remember. It will always be part of the capitalist system.

Capitalism is a dog-eat dog system. We do the company's bidding if we fall for the bosses' trap of trying to separate us according to who is a "good" worker and who isn't. We end up divided, while the bosses laugh all the way to the bank.

Communism would organize production for our collective needs, not the bosses' profits. Today, mistakes put your job in jeopardy. Under communism, each would contribute according to their ability and commitment and get according to their needs.

Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. We can build on each worker's strengths to overcome weaknesses. The unity built on our collective strength can overcome any obstacles.

Communism would not tolerate a backbiting culture. We'll all reach our potential. But we have to get rid of the bosses' culture first.

Join the ICWP for a future free of harassment and full of individual and collective potential.

—Machinist who's seen it before