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Minneapolis, MN S5414 WHERE TO FIND US Citizen soldier Dear editor, I read an article on gay rights by Hayden Perry in a recent issue of Socialist Action [June 1986]. I thought your readers might be interested in the case of Ellen Nesbitt, which raises important constitutional issues of free speech and associational rights.

Nesbitt has served as a part-time soldier in the New York Air National Guard for eight years. Recently, after she was promoted to second lieutenant, Nesbitt was questioned by a Defense Depart -ment interviewer.

"Which would you say best describes you-bisexual, homo -sexual, or heterosexual?" she was asked. Although Nesbitt failed to see how this question had any bearing on her competence as a national guard officer, she had no hesitation in answering that she was gay.

The Pentagon, however, has taken a different view of Nesbitt's sexual orientation. They declared her unfit for further military duty and discharged her.

Ellen Nesbitt is not accepting this discharge. She approached Citizen Soldier, a GI rights organization that publishes On Guard. This is a newspaper dedicated to the rights of America's soldiers. They assigned attorney Louis Font to represent her.

In announcing her appeal against her discharge, Ellen Nesbitt declared, "Chances are if it were just a fight for myself, Boston Socialist P.O. Box 1046 GMF Boston, MA 02205 (617) 389-4075 Chicago Socialist Action Box 80B, 2520 N. Lincoln Chicago, IL 60614 Cincinnati Socialist Action P.O. Box 27053 Cincinnati, OH 45227 (513) 242-9043 Cleveland Socialist P.O. Box 6151 Cleveland, OH 44101 (216) 429-2167 SociAList Action Action and I was the only one affected, I would not make such a big deal out of it. But it's not just a fight for myself and I am not about to give up."

Funds for Ellen's defense are badly needed. Send donations to Citizen Soldier, 175 Fifth Ave., Suite 808, New York, N.Y. 10010. Tel. (212) 777-3470. Please write to the same address for a sample copy of On Guard.

Tod Ensign, New York, N.Y.

Fascism

Dear editor, I have just finished reading "Can Fascism Arise in the U.S.?" by Nat Weinstein in the August 1986 edition of Socialist Action. I thought that the article made some good points, but the author missed the realization that fascism already exists in the United States.

We can define fascism as a system of government that advocates a dictatorship through the merging of state and business leadership together with an ideology of belligerent nation -alism-as the American Heritage dictionary does...or as rule by fiat, rule by power that is not addressable by those who are ruled—as I do.

Let's take the realm of rule by fiat—the realm of administrative law. This law was created by people who were not elected to their positions. This corpus of law is every day applied in such Detroit Socialist Actio P.O. Box 19613 Detroit, MI 48219 Grand Rapids Socialist Acti P.O. Box 3505 Grand Rapids, MI 49501 Los Angeles Socialist Actic P.O. Box 60605 Terminal Annex Los Angeles, CA 90060 (213) 250-4608 Minneapolis Socialist Action P.O. Box 14087 Dinkeytown Station federal agencies as Social Security, IRS, FCC, ICC, DOT, SEC, ATF, DEA, etc.

Let's look at the merger of business and government. The former head of LTV Steel was second in command at the Pentagon until 1985, when he was shipped off to jail for five years. The former head of the Department of Transportation, known and loved by PATCO members everywhere, is now the head of the Union Pacific Railroad. And how about atl those loans to Chrysler?

LaRouche is a dangerous and crazy opportunist. But equally to be feared are the dangerous and crazy men who are already in power and who wield their fascist ways over the rest of us.

Karl Kerr, Seattle, Wash.

A response Dear reader, Your incomplete definitions of "fascism" can be applied, with minor variations, to virtually all the capitalist governments of Europe and the United States since the beginning of the century.

Fascism, however, gained power in only a few instances in history when the crisis of capitalism was such that the capitalist class felt it necessary to use naked force to smash the trade unions and other workers' organizations.

Fascism special political New York Socialist Actio:

P.O. Box 20209, Ca. Finance 693 Columbus Ave.

New York, NY 10025 Phoenix Socialist Action P.O. Box 5161 Phoenix, AZ 85010 (602) 263-5190 San Francisco Socialist Action 3435 Army St., Rm. 308 San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 821-0458 form for repressing the workers. It is based on the mobilization of declassed petty-bourgeois and lumpen-proletarian masses in a demagogically radical mass Leon Trotsky pointed out: "To insist that fascism is already here, or to deny the very possibility of its coming to power, amounts politically to one and the same thing. By ignoring the specific nature of fascism, the will to fight against it inevitably be -comes paralyzed."—The editor Nicaragua Dear editor, In the August 1986 issue of Socialist Action, Michael Schreiber writes: "The labor movement, Black organizations, and student groups must retake the lead in building an autho -ritative nationwide coalition that can call massive protests in the fall."

We strongly agree. If such a coalition were formed for the purpose Schreiber suggests, it would be a giant step forward for the anti-apartheid movement.

This raises a question: Is there not an identical need for "an authoritative nationwide" anti-intervention "coalition that can call massive protests"?

With the United States having in effect declared war on Nicaragua (Ortega says there have already been 31,290 victims of that war), with the United States attempting to bleed the Nicara -guan economy to death, and with the atrocities mounting in El Salvador and Guatemala as a result of U.S. war policies in those areas, is it not clear that a national anti-intervention coali -tion is not only needed but is long overdue?

We hope you will address this issue in the same way you have urged a national anti-apartheid coalition.

Jerry Gordon, Coordinator, ENC, Cleveland, Ohio A response Dear reader, My article only focused on South Africa. But I agree on the necessity of building a nationwide coalition against U.S. intervention in Nicaragua. This point of view has been expressed in numerous articles and editorials in Socialist Action.

The great majority of the American people are against the U.S. role in propping up the apartheid regime and oppose this country's brutal war on Nicara -gua. I believe that an anti-intervention coalition would be more effective by linking both issues in its demands.

Michael Schreiber, Assistant editor Mass Action Jobs and Justice This pamphlet by Carl Finamore discusses how to build a mass movement to stop the warmakers.

(75 cents; $1.10 + postage Order from:

Socialist Action 3435 Army St., Rm.308, San Francisco, CA 94110

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While millions of Americans are sinking in an ocean of drugs, the White House and Congress are using the issue to score political points for the coming elections.

Last month, Republicans and Democrats alike jumped onto the anti-drug bandwagon after the death of two athletes and the appearance of a super-addictive form of cocaine called "crack" made national head -lines. Politicians now realize that a charge of being "soft on drugs" could be fatal at the polls in November. SOCiALiST ActioN analyzed to learn how so many of them manage to leave office with sizable for -tunes.

Of course these officials would scream, "Looking into my bank account is a damnable violation of my right to privacy." And so is involuntary testing of any man or woman's urine on the job or anywhere else. "Voluntary" testing under pressure of a boss's disapproval is not freely given consent.

Government-mandated drug testing would hand employers another weapon to be used against union militants and other workers

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