Saturday, October 16, 2010

A world tour for the Chilean miners.

Chilean miners. Appeal to all activists, lefts and left groups in the Chicago area:

#Recognize the opportunity and our responsibility.
#Overcome left sectarianism and build a united front in the Chicago area and internationally to organize a tour of solidarity and to organize the unorganized. Sean.

I would like to suggest that the situation arising from the events around the Chilean miners poses at least two serious challenges for the left and all worker activists. One is do we recognize what is going on and the need to act and the possibility for mass international action? The capitalists realize very well the danger the miners pose to them. Their serious press is full of articles on the issue, the miners are being swamped and bribed with book deals etc, they were spoken to and coached non stop when they were underground by right wing politicians and PR swine to prepare them for when they came up, the right wing billionaire President never left the rescue area to see that things went the capitalist's way.

The memory of the Pinochet coup was always there hovering in the background and the right were terrified the miners would come up as a group and denounce the coup and the Chilean capitalists and the US and international capitalists who backed the coup for the crimes of the coup including the dismantling of any safety regulations that might have existed in the mines. So are we as class conscious from our class point of view as the capitalists are class conscious from their class point of view? The capitalists recognized the dangers and have acted decisively. Can we recognize the opportunities and act decisively? This is the first issue.

The second reason this is a serious challenge to the left is the related question: Can we on the left get over the left sectarianism that plagues the movement and act decisively to take advantage of the opportunity that exists arising from the Chilean miners experience and heroism. In Chicago there are scores, maybe even hundreds of left activists, remember the DAN days when we would have one or two hundred activists at meetings. Can these activists and groups recognize the opportunity and responsibility and meet, raise the funds, send a respected Comrade to Chile, meet with the miners there and bring a miner here for a tour to organize the unorganized and to build a movement to improve living standards for all workers. Comrades I appeal to all on the left and activists, and especially the left groups, Comrades challenge the damaging left sectarianism and work together. In taking this action we should approach the union movement and seek links with it, especially at rank and file level, but also at other levels as long as they are prepared to be part of the initiative to bring Chilean miners here and build a tour which would have as objectives, solidarity with all Chilean workers, organizing the unorganized in the US and internationally and halting the bosses offensive against wages, conditions and workers rights.

To underline what is now possible we need to use our imagination. Look at the major battles in France at the moment. And in Greece. The government's attack on the retirement age in France has enraged millions who are taking action. The youth are on the streets now joining with the workers. 1968 threatens. The movement there should fly in a couple of Chilean miners. Let us have a couple of Chilean miners speak to millions of French workers and youth on the boulevards of Paris. This would be an event of enormous international and historical significance. Just imagine it, millions of French workers and youth with the great revolutionary tradition of the French working class meeting up with these Chilean workers. Properly handled and led it could provide the opportunity to throw back the bosses offensive. The union leaders could lead a a mass international movement now if they would only get off their asses. We must continue to demand they do so.

In the meantime we must recognize the opportunity that exists if we can overcome left sectarianism. Especially in France where the left groups are so strong it is essential they set up a united front and bring in and link with the Chilean workers. These are steps that should be taken immediately. I appeal to all comrades who have resources and groups who have resources, for Comrades who have health and resources to take the lead and throw open such an initiative to all in the area and see if we can bring this off.

I do not have the addresses of all activists by any means, nor all left and activist groups by any means. I would appeal for Comrades who get this to forward it on. And especially to the left groups who have more resources to take the lead. Any left group which takes the lead on this in a non left sectarian way will win the respect of all. Comradely, Sean.

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