Our readers speak out
1989 1989-03Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 14 →
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Dump busters Dear editor, I was born and raised in Wellsville in New York's Allegany County-one of the poorest counties in New York state. The big annual events here are the Allegany County Fair, the Great Wellsville Balloon Rally, and Gabby Hayes Day (an event named after Wellsville's most famous citizen). Otherwise, everything was always fairly quiet— until recently!
During my last visit to Wellsville, I heard that the state of New York was considering Allegany County as a location for a nuclearwaste dump. But on Jan. 26, the state got a big surprise. Over 5000 people, roughly 10 percent of the county's population, turned out to oppose the dump.
Only 1500 people were able to jam into the gym of the local school, where the state's Low-level Waste Siting Commission conducted a public hearing. Others had to use the school garage or stand outside. Chanting of "No Dump" regularly greeted the commission. Some people showed up with posters proclaiming "Dump Busters" or "Hell No, We won't Glow."
grounds.
technical grounds.
in 1986.
The main topic of discussion now in Allegany County is the dump and how to fight it. Bumper stickers, buttons, and T-shirts are being sold to promote even greater opposition. It's obvious that the growing national opposition to the nuclear industry has had a big impact on little Allegany County.
It came as a surprise to me that this kind of response would be boiling underneath the surface of this usually conservative and quiet bit of New York state where I was raised. Then again, it's wise to remember the words of one of the local residents, "We hill-billies aren't to be trifled with!"
Bill O'Kain, Cincinnati, Ohio I am an active supporter of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP); however, I have in the past subscribed to your newspaper, which I have always found to be intelligently written.
It is very important that MarxistLeninists pull together around defense issues. Whenever the capitalist class attacks the Left, we must unite together.
The future course of the socialist revolution in this country cannot be predicted before it happens; it shall unfold dialectically within the context of the concrete situation at that time. Therefore, no one party or political line can claim to be the one and the only true vanguard of the proletariat.
Let us always remember that which we share in common despite the principled differences , that separate the various parties of the Trotskyist movement.
Thank you very much for your solidarity in connection with the struggle to free Mark Curtis, the SWP meatpacker who was framed up in Des Moines.
R.W Berkeley, Calif.
Skinheads
Dear editor, Your article, "Skinheads: Do shaved skulls reflect new look of fascism?" [January 1989 Socialist Action] was very informative but misrepresented the Dec. 3 AntiBaltimore, MD 21218 Boston P.O. Box 1046 GMF Boston, MA 02205 (617) 497-0230 Chicago P.O. Box 578428 Chicago, IL 60657 (312) 327-5752 Cincinnati P.O. Box 21015 Cincinnati, OH 45219 (513) 272-2596 out. We welcome letters. But please keep them short. When ne—The editors Racism Rally held in Cincinnati. We in the Cincinnati Anti-Racism League welcome anyone who is opposed to racism and is willing to work within the democratic structure of the coalition.
We seriously did try to get representatives from minority organizations, but being a newly formed coalition, some Black and student organizations were hesitant to speak and participate at the rally on Dec. 3. Hopefully, we can rectify this situation in our upcoming activities.
Once again, we invite members of Socialist Action to participate in the Anti-Racism League to help end this cancerous spread of white supremacist ideology.
Also, when using the term skinhead, please differentiate between Cleveland, OH 44101 (216) 429-2167 Detrolt P.O. Box 32546 Detroit, MI 48232 Los Angelos P.O. Box 8624 Los Angeles, CA 90086-2402 (213) 250-4608 For information in other cities call 415-821-0458. Nazi skins and anti-racist skins. All skinheads are not Nazis, as all Nazis are not skinheads. Many of the most militant members of the AntiRacism League are anti-racist skins.
Donny Schraffenberger, Anti-Racism League, Cincinnati, Ohio Trotsky Dear editor, Mikhail Belyat, a correspondent for the Moscow News recently interviewed Esteban Volkov (Leon Trotsky's grandson) in Mexico. In the Feb. 26-March S edition, the Soviet correspondent allows Volkov to defend Trotsky's role as a revolutionary Marxist and a fighter against Stalinism.
Belyat writes: "I would not dispute the grandson's opinion about his grandfather. ... Simply I don't have, nor can 1 have, my own opinion about Trotsky to contrast to Esteban's.
"Like the overwhelming majority of the Soviet people, I haven't read Trotsky's works in order to grasp the substance of his errors, and am not aware of his views on socialism and Marxism. The few denunciations of Trotsky in our history books are about as convincing as the legend about the Immaculate Conception."
Jim Henle, Boston, Mass.
Dinkeytown Station Minneapolis, MN 55414 Now York P.O. Box 20209 Ca. Finan 693 Columbus Ave.
Now York, N.Y. 10025 San Francisco 3435 Army St., Suite 308 San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 821-0458 Santa Barbara P.O. Box 90644 Santa Barbara, CA 93190 (805) 962-4011
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