WikiLeaks confirms U.S. disaster in Afghanistan

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As the U.S. and its allies in ramp up their long-stalled offensive in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, with the promised objective of sweeping the Taliban out of its base there, deaths of U.S. soldiers have reached the highest levels of the war—a rate of more than two a day. In the meantime, a host of problems plague the U.S-led war effort.

A Gallup poll published last month stated that 60 percent of U.S. respondents think things are going badly for the United States in the Afghan war. And that was even before the disclosure of a mass of classified documents on WikiLeaks, which has created an international firestorm that does not seem about to die down.

The governments concerned in the WikiLeaks disclosures are trying to minimize the damage with essentially three arguments: (l) The documents are old news, because they come from a period before the Obama regime revised its strategy. (2) They are raw, unconfirmed data, and may represent only rumors. (3) The documents relating to collaboration between On to April 9! — 5 Economic doldrums continue — 6 Memoirs by two 1960s socialists — 8 the Pakistani secret service and the Taliban are uncorroborated and relate to an earlier relationship that no longer exists.

These arguments, however, can hardly be effective since the documents describe a situation that is well established and cannot be quickly changed, if at all. The claim that the U.S. is now minimizing civilian casualties is belied by two atrocities as we go to press.

The New York Times blog on the Afghan war noted July 31: “2:10 p.m. Civilian Toll in NATO Airstrike Being Investigated.

“In what could be the one of the most serious cases of civilian casualties in nine years of war, top Afghan officials said Monday [July 26] that 52 people had been killed in a remote region of Helmand Province on Friday [July 23] when a rocket slammed into a house where women and children had gathered to take shelter from fight(continued on page 6)

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55. Provide unemployment and retirement payments at the level of union wages and We propose an EMERGENCY CONGRESS OF LABOR to discuss and take steps to 6) To combat inflation: A sliding scale of wages and pensions that matches the rises in comsumer prices. To combat high medical costs: A free, universal, public health-care 1) Bail out the people, not the bankers! Open the account books of the banks to full public inspection. Nationalize the banks to be supervised by workers’ committees. 7) Immediate citizenship for all undocumented workers. No job discrimination; equal 2) No foreclosures! No forced evictions! Cancel usurious debt payments, and reduce pay for equal work — regardless of gender, sexual orientation, skin color, or national mortgage payments in proportion to their capitalist-caused decline in value.

3) Full employment at union wages! An emergency public works program to employ 8) Nationalize manufacturing, big agribusiness, energy, and transportation corporaall jobless workers and youth! Employ people to build what we need — low-cost quality housing, efficient mass transportation, cheap and renewable sources of power, 9) To mobilize support for the demands it adopts, the EMERGENCY CONGRESS schools, clinics — and to conserve our water, forests, farmland, and open space. should organize ACTION COMMITTEES in every workplace and neighborhood threat4) Immediate and full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq & Afghanistan! Close all ened by the crisis. These committees can draw up more concrete demands than the U.S. bases abroad! No money for the military — use funds instead for public works!

Convert the war industries to making products for people’s needs and to combat global 10) To put all these measures into effect, we need a LABOR PARTY — based on a fighting union movement and all people who are oppressed and exploited. For a 5) Reduce the workweek to 30 hours with no cut in pay, and cut the retirement age to Editor: Michael Schreiber International Editor: Gerry Foley Canada Editor: Barry Weisleder Socialist Action (ISSN 0747-4237) is published monthly by Socialist Action Publishing Association, P.O. Box 460501, San Francisco, CA 94146-0501. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Socialist Action, P.O. BOX 460501, San Francisco, CA 94146-0501. RATES: For one year (12 issues, 1st-class mail): U.S., Canada, Mexico — $20. All other countries — $30. Money orders and checks should be in U.S. dollars.

Signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of Socialist Action. These are expressed in editorials. Socialist Action is edited, designed, and laid out entirely by volunteer labor. It is printed by members of Local 583, Allied Printing Trades Council, San Francisco, Calif. warming. Name City Phone LOUISVILLE, Ky.—A few weeks ago Congress was talking about not keeping up the compensation for Medicare doctors—as they usually do after the budget is voted upon. The corporate media and politicians, Democrat and Republican, say that Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are insolvent and they need to be “reformed.”

Yeah, like Medicare prescriptions—a billion-dollar give away to the drug companies—and the recent Health Care “reform,” which was a windfall for the insurance companies. What they don’t tell us is that income over $106,000 is not taxed for these programs. If it were, the programs would remain in good shape indefinitely. And if we stopped funding all these useless wars, we could fund real health care for all.

The coming gutting of Medicare and Medicaid will be a social disaster. But social disasters are disasters for individual working and middle-class people. I speak from experience. I and a good friend, Jean, are both disabled. I do better because of the way I had earnings spread out. But Jean’s husband’s income and her disability amount are below the poverty line. Think of that, this is the richest country in the world, but her disability payments are below the poverty line!

As it is now, even without any cuts the system is horrible. Most doctors that you find are less than competent or so overwhelmed by caseloads that they have no time for patients. One doctor Jean saw for a “comprehensive” exam was in the room with her for 10 minutes—except for the two times he left the room! Many subjects didn’t get discussed, and only one was treated. If they prescribe a medication like an antibiotic, they always prescribe the cheapest, which means the oldest and least effective. Even if you know the drug doesn’t work.

If you happen to have an illness that causes moderate to severe pain, you might as well forget it. You’re A WORKERS’ ACTION PROGRAM TO FIGHT THE CRISIS implement the following demands — SOCIALIST ACTION. Closing news date: Aug. 1, 2010 Address E-mail automatically considered a “drug seeker,” and they give you medicines you know won’t keep your pain under control.

Now, a psychiatrist (and drug-dependence counselor) is doing her pain management, because she can’t find any pain specialists in the medical system who will use medication while searching for other treatments. Any specialist who will do that will not take Medicaid’s low payment schedule.

Problems have been extreme—like one doctor saying an implanted pain pump had been approved, stringing her along for months on insufficient medication, while The Trotsky Museum, in Coyoacán (part of Mexiprogram. Plans are to restore and enlarge the museum, including the house and garden where Leon Trotsky spent the last period of his life, and add other facilities for an archive library for research, bookshop, cinema and art space, cafeteria, etc.

On Aug. 20, the International Friends of the Leon benefits.

system.

origin.

ones outlined above.

workers’ government!

State Zip tions and place them under the control of elected committees of workers. • Ashland, Ore.: damonjure@ earthlink.net • Ashland, Wis.: northlandiguana@ gmail.com • Boston: bostonsocialistaction@ gmail.com (781) 630-0250 • Carrboro, N.C.: (919) 967-2866, [email protected] • Chicago: P.O. Box 578428 Chicago, IL 60657, [email protected] • Connecticut: (860)478-5300 • Duluth, Minn.: P.O. Box 16853 Duluth, MN 55816, [email protected], www.the-red-raven.blogspot.com • Florida: socialistaction_tampa@ hotmail.com • Kansas City: [email protected] he hadn’t even submitted a request for the pump. Another pain specialist physically restrained Jean from bringing her Medicaid advisor and husband into the room to help her explain the situation.

So unless we want to see a terrible wave of human misery and unnecessary death, we must begin now to renew the fight for a single-payer plan. And a plan, to boot, that the health-care professionals and patients run. No more fat cat corporation managers only concerned with profit—or the government, owned by them—making the decisions, but the people it directly affects controlling it. n Trotsky Museum will be launched at the Foro Coyoacanense, Hugo Argüelles, Calle Allende No. 36, in Coyoacán. This event will be part of a three-day series of activities, Aug. 19-21, marking the 70th anniversary of the assassination of Leon Trotsky and the 35th anniversary of the opening of the museum.

On Aug. 19 and Aug. 20 (until 2 p.m.), a conference on “Socialism, Democracy and Dissident Movements” will be held in the museum’s auditorium. There will be presentations by Mexican and international speakers, including from the U.S.

Finally, on Aug. 21, there will be a laying of a wreath on the tombstones of Leon Trotsky and Natalia Sedova, with a presentation by Trotsky’s grandson, Esteban Volkov.

Supporters are urged to donate to the Museum preservation/renovation fund, to join the International Friends of the Leon Trotsky Museum, and to attend the events in Coyoacán. Please send checks, payable to Global Exchange (write “Trotsky Museum” on memo line of your check), to International Friends of the Leon Trotsky Museum, P.O. Box 40009, San Francisco, CA 94140. Info: [email protected]. n For info about Socialist Action and how to join: Socialist Action National Office, P.O. Box 10328, Oakland, CA 94610, [email protected], (510) 268-9429 Socialist Action newspaper editorial offices: [email protected] Website: www.socialistaction.org WHERE TO FIND SOCIALIST ACTION • Philadelphia: [email protected] • Portland, Ore.: (503) 233-1629 [email protected] • Providence: [email protected], (401) 419-1706 • San Francisco Bay Area:

P.O. Box 10328, Oakland, Ca 94510 (415) 255-1080, sfsocialistaction@ gmail.com • Superior. Wis.: wainosunrise@ yahoo.com • WASHINGTON, DC:

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