A prisoner's view
As a prisoner in the planned to be closed Pentridge Prison in Melbourne, I found Catherine Gow's article "Prisons for Profit" (GLW, May 17) to be refreshingly honest and open as opposed to the uninformative white-washes with which it is dealt with in the establishment oriented media outlets.
The report, which I have distributed among other inmates and some of the prison officers (where it found some support due to their impending job losses), was particularly useful in informing the inmates of the disastrous history of privatised prisons, the expected loss of services and conditions endemic to privately run prisons and the argument that making money from incarcerated labour is fundamentally unjust, although this is already going on with the employment of a number of inmates at a workshop in Lodden prison that is owned and operated by the privately owned Bosch company.
It also made me think more about my situation where, as a socialist, if I was sent to a private prison I would have to refuse to make profits for the company and be subject to whatever punishment they enact for this "offence".
Ben Alterman
Pentridge Prison
Vic
East Timor solidarity
In Perth, the Friends of East Timor (FOET) have worked hard to increase the profile of the East Timorese struggle through a series of successful actions. Solidarity committees in other cities and a range of other Australian and East Timorese organisations have also been upping the profile of the issue.
All this points to the exciting possibilities for building a strong mass movement for justice for the East Timorese and an end to the Australian government's prioritising of oil and other profits over human rights, freedom and social justice. Cooperation between all groups and individuals committed to these aims is essential.
The June 11 "Fair Trade not Free Trade" protest against the prioritising of trade and security over democracy and justice initiated by activists from the Western Australia South Africa Solidarity was an excellent opportunity to further mutual cooperation. Officials — including Indonesian government and military officials — and big business were meeting to discuss security and profits from the Indian Ocean region.
Unfortunately, FOET — although circulating some publicity — decided not to be publicly associated with this protest, through either public sponsorship or providing a speaker.
We are concerned that FOET took the same approach to the Resistance May 13 Free East Timor National Day of Action. Unlike FOET, activists from the other solidarity groups, the East Timorese community, trade unions, Amnesty International, Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific (West Papua Support group), the Bougainville support movement, Community Aid Abroad, the NSW Greens and the Democratic Socialist Party did sponsor or speak on the day.
Everybody in FOET and in other organisations, and individuals active in the struggle in Perth should seek ways to work together. We know what we have been able to achieve separately. Imagine what we can do together!
Arun Pradhan
Julia Perkins
Jonathan Strauss
Jacqui Clee
Perth
Eco-racism?
I was scared at the news of harassment and abuse targeting French people and the vandalism on French restaurants. Commentators uncheckedly made racial remarks which were unrelated to the nuclear tests by the French government.
No official announcement regarding this barbarism towards the French people has been made by groups opposing the French government's decision.
Doesn't this kind of racism have nothing to do with environmentalism or the anti-nuclear movement? During the whale dispute and the woodchip issue, I saw and heard heaps of racist remarks about the Japanese. Even members of environmental groups made racist remarks.
Most of mainstream Australia, including environmentalists, cannot be aware of the racist nature of the remarks because they have never been targets of racism. Although occasionally environmental groups claim they are against racism, they have never publicly admitted that there is racism among themselves.
I can see how the racism against Australian French people occurred in this political climate. Australians' anger has become hypocrisy as, like woodchips, it is the Australian government which, at its discretion, approves the export of uranium to France. What is this? Eco-racism? Fascism in disguise? Petty xenophobia? I cannot trust Australian environmental groups until they publicly acknowledge racism among themselves and tackle it.
Kenji
Petersham
NSW
[Edited for length.]
Disappointed
Your editorial on Bosnia and your cover stories on immigration and unemployment (GLW #190) are very disappointing.
When you support the dismemberment of Yugoslavia you stand shoulder to shoulder with reactionaries like Reagan, Thatcher, the Pope, Bush, Clinton, Major, Hawke and Keating. While politics are said to make strange bedfellows, to find oneself in that company on any issue should be a cause for a serious reconsideration of your position.
The international ruling class is using the civil war in Yugoslavia as an excuse for imposing sanctions so as to prevent the normal functioning of socialist economy. We have seen this tactic applied to Cuba, Nicaragua and other countries with consequent hardships and deprivations for ordinary people. There is no semblance of justice whatsoever in the present intervention by Western military forces.
Paul Peterson says "While we shouldn't shy away from exploring the impact of population growth on the environment and the economy, we do need to question why the focus is on immigrants."
The answer is simple — most of our population growth comes from immigration. By halting and reversing that flow we contain that impact. By continuing immigration we intensify that impact.
Immigration does not cause unemployment — job shedding is a direct result of improved technology — but it does aggravate it by swelling the numbers of the unemployed.
The major step to be taken to reduce unemployment is to drastically reduce working hours. Peterson claims immigration is "beneficial" to the economy. It is a pity he didn't specify in which way.
Lisa Macdonald admits that "Sydney is a rapidly worsening environmental and planning disaster" and details the problem but then comes up with the extraordinary conclusion that "this does not mean that these problems are primarily caused by ... population growth". As she provides no other reason for that state of affairs she is then unable to provide a remedy.
C. M. Friel
Alawa NT
[Edited for length.]
Gay rights alert
In recent weeks there have been threats on the life of a Brazilian leader of the gay community, Dr. Liuz Mott, who suggested that a leader of the Black resistance against slavery called Zumbi was in fact, gay.
Zumbi is a hero of Blacks in Brazil. In colonial days Zumbi set up the largest refuge for slaves who escaped the plantations and he is now a focus for Black resistance to racism. Instead of forging links between various struggles for liberation, suggestions that he may have been gay have provoked a backlash.
Liuz Mott's car and home have been vandalised leading him to fear for his safety. On the Internet recently he has urged concerned people to write letters to Dr. Francisco Andrade, Secretary of Public Security, Praca da Piedade, Salvador Bahia, Brazil, or Fax 55-71-3204175.Shane Hopkinson
Newcastle
Neo-nazis
A few days ago triple J, on their news report, had a brief item on an American neo-nazi record company called Resistance Records. This company is planning to start a branch in Australia, and have already signed up two Australian bands. The company specialises in racist songs.
The man speaking for the company said that he thought Australia was ready for such a company because: "The whites of Australia are being denied their territorial rights" and "white people have made all the good things in Australia which are being taken over by waves of immigrants". (This seems a bit steep considering that white people are immigrants in this country).
According to the Racial Vilification Act the lyrics of these songs are criminal. Make a noise.
Ani Ward
Melbourne