*----------------------------------------------------------* | | | x x x x x x x xx xxx xxx xxx | | xx xx x xx xx xx x x x x x x Issue #28 | | x x x x x x x x xx x x x xx xxx | | x x x x x x x x x x x x 01/15/86 | | x x x x x x x xx x xxx xxx | | | |----------------------------------------------------------| | Newspaper of the Maoist Internationalist Movement | *----------------------------------------------------------* SPECIAL ISSUE: PRISONERS' CORRESPONDENCE Two years ago, MIM Notes (#9) published letters from prisoners who had written in. Many readers noted that this was one of the better issues of MIM Notes. At that time, MIM Notes stated that "MIM's existence has been greeted with the [section missing--18] prisoners consistently write in. Here MIM Notes has excerpted some correspondence from the last two years. "We are the political prisoners of PCE(r) and GRAPO imprisoned in Carcel de Soria, Spain. "Now, after many long and hard struggles against the jail regime, where was died by hunger strike our comrade Juan J Crespo." --Karl Marx Commune of the Political Prisoners of the Communist Party of Spain (reconstituted) and the Antifascist groups of October the First--PCE(r) and GRAPO [On the theoretical journal yet to get off the ground-- ed.] "Being in captivity is a terrible adversity, but adversities are tests of a dragon's loyalty." "I'm in favor of the name 'Revolutionary Prisoners Theoretical Review.' Security concerns: I'm in favor of centralizing everything at a post office box. There is no assurance that the journal and its writers won't be attacked by the fascist state because the reactionaries are always going to oppose everything that we support. "Some prisoners have expressed the above concerns and won't respond to the 'memorandum to prisoners.' These prisoners are saying why should we expose ourselves to people we don't know? "Prisoners should allow outside contributions to appear in the journal. However, prisoners should have the final say so as to what will be published in the journal." --A comrade in prison in the Northeast "I am a prisoner here at the X 'Correctional Facility' which tells you about the difficulty in receiving progressive literature. The level of consciousness is very low here, so that you books and publications are much needed. However, I am indigent. "Please send 1) How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, Walter Rodney 2) Peru: Information on the guerilla struggle 3) Black Panthers Speak 4) The Wretched of the Earth, Franz Fanon 5) Lenin, What Is To Be Done? 6) Lenin, State and Revolution." --Another prisoner in a different state in the Northeast "I believe in your struggle and would request to receive on a continuous basis any literature." --A comrade at another prison in the Northeast "I'm in XX Maximum Security Prison. I'm locked down... locked in my cell except 2 hours every other day." --Another comrade in the Northeast who gave 16 days of salary to purchase literature "For several years I have been making contact with various organizations of the leftist/radical (as compared with the political structure in the U.S.) genre, in an attempt to establish ties with one before I am released from prison, so that I can direct my political discontent in a directed manner on the behalf of an organization that feels that they could utilize my energy and work in a constructive manner. A constructive manner to me, being defined as my working in any way possible to circumvent and change the corrupt and inequitable political and economic structure in the U.S..... I would be highly appreciative of your sending me any and all literature... pertaining to El Salvador, Columbia, Guatemala and Nicaragua." --A comrade in the Midwest "I enjoy receiving your newsletter MIM Notes and have been faithfully reading the Selected Works of Chairman Mao which you sent a few months ago." --Same comrade as above "We are united by our endeavors to rectify our lives and to strive for Justice! As opposed to grafted mentalities and corruption. We are abjectly impoverished... we study all kinds of different struggles. We support the MIM and need your support in broadening our horizon of awareness and understanding, thought, growth and development, because with the various stratagems of satanic rule, we in this land called America where corruption is the monarchy in current superiority we are subject to bias and censored, brainwashed...." --Two comrades in the Northeast "Let me state immediately that on MIM Theory No. 2, 'For the Equality of the Sexes and Liberation of Women by Any Means Necessary,' I vote yes. This article should be accepted. Women's equality and sexual self-determination by any means will be a key victory for any revolution based on securing freedom and harmony." "I've received both copies of Political Economy of Counterrevolution in China. Thanks." --A comrade in the Northeast "Members of the MIM, greetings in the struggle. I received The Wretched of the Earth and would like to extend thanks to you. This is a very important book being that Fanon's perceptions of the psychology of neo and domestic colonialism affects and pertains to peoples of color where there is a white dominant group and non-white submissive groups. This is one reason why when a liberation movement arises out of this social setting revolutionary nationalism will be greatly stressed. The recent military assault against the members of MOVE was a total disaster...." --Another Midwest comrade "I am a prisoner here in X for XX years. I come from Puerto Rico and have very strong anti-imperialist, anti- colonialist feelings towards the USA and am desirous to learn all that I can now so as to be better prepared upon my return to my home on the Isla del Encanto. For some years now I have sought to nurture the seeds of independence and of a productive and viable program towards a solution to the subtle and deceptive colonial situation in my country, and eventually to carry these seeds on to other of our Latino brother countries to rid them of their bourgeois mentality. "Would you happen to have literature in Spanish? Do you have a copy of the little red book of Chairman Mao? "I'll be glad to try and pay for any literature that could be of value to me in the struggle of my people and all people oppressed by oppression! Che, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Pedro Albizu Campos etc., all of these are personages whose messages I would like to study further. "Abajo con todo imperialismo!" --A comrade in the South "How has everyone there been doing during all these extremely harsh conditions under U.S. imperialism? Well I have noticed there is a lot of activity out there sort of like what was happening in the 60s and 70s even though maybe not as strong or heavy as yet.... As Chairman Mao has taught us, only the people can prevent a nuclear war, but if it is already triggered by one or the other of the superpowers then the masses will have to turn the unjust war into a just war. No matter how many weapons the fascists have, the people are more powerful than all the weapons together. "Would it be possible for you to send me a Vol I of Capital from Marx or Vol IV of Mao's Selected Works?" [Requested several books indicating a wide range of interests from the Third World to the state--ed.] --A comrade The excerpts above should serve as an inspiration to those outside the prison walls. In the prisoners' letters, we see the urgency of revolution and how much preparations for that revolution lag behind what is necessary. For those who would say there is no revolutionary work to be done in the United States, that there just isn't anyone interested in revolution, we point to the prisoners. Besides the dire need for more comrades to devote energy to organizing the revolutionary prisoners, there is also the need for literature and money for that literature. Finally, to the prisoners, keep up the correspondence and if you have asked for revolutionary literature that you have not received, write again.