Freedom Socialist • Vol. 28, No. 5 • October-November 2007EDITORIALS
AFL-CIO upsets the latest ploy by la migra
The most recent salvo by the government in its war on immigrants is to turn the Social Security Administration into part of its enforcement arsenal. The weapon for this is the Social Security “no-match letter.” In the past, these were sent to employers and workers simply to inform them that the Social Security number on employment forms did not match the SSA’s records. But a new Homeland Security policy requires that when there is a discrepancy employers must fire the employee if it is not cleared up within 90 days. This is aimed at millions of undocumented workers, and a batch of 140,000 no-match letters were due to be mailed on Sept. 14. In a move very much to its credit, the AFL-CIO, aided by the ACLU, successfully sued the government and won a stay halting the new policy’s implementation. But this important victory could be overturned at an Oct. 1 hearing. Now is the time for unions to mobilize their members and community allies to protest the no-match letters and the escalating raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement happening throughout the country. The reprehensible assault on immigrant workers is meant to drive down all workers’ wages, and the duty of organized labor is to be on the front lines fighting to stop it. Taking aim at dissenters As the anti-war movement gathers steam and the Bush regime loses credibility, government attempts to silence dissent grow increasingly belligerent. On Aug. 13, the radical ANSWER coalition was hit with thousands of dollars in fines for using “improper” glue to hang posters for its Sept. 15 anti-war march in Washington, D.C. A week later, a mounted policeman charged a street-side press conference announcing ANSWER’s lawsuit against the contradictory and selectively enforced posting law, and three spokespeople were arrested. The last decade’s plethora of anti-terror measures have militarized the government’s approach to dissidence. It’s a short step from detaining foreign “enemy combatants” to silencing native-born enemies of state policy. Anyone, even a U.S. citizen, can now “legally” be deemed an enemy combatant and locked up indefinitely without a jury trial on the basis of secret evidence. How to respond? First of all, by peace groups standing together, despite differences, to defend the civil liberties of all. Second, by going all out for demonstrations on Oct. 27, initiated by United for Peace and Justice and being built by coalitions of organizations around the country. Let’s not lose our momentum or soften our message of protest. The best retort to the government attacks is to step up our efforts against the war! A small step in Iowa toward gay equality Let’s be clear: no one should have to marry in order to get healthcare, child custody rights, tax breaks or the host of other benefits gained by those who wed. On the flip side, to deny the right to marry based on sexual orientation is discrimination. And politicians of all persuasions are opportunistically endorsing this inequity by joining in the “marriage for heteros only” circling of the wagons. Given this, the Aug. 30 decision by Iowa District Judge Robert B. Hanson to strike down the state’s decade-old ban on gay marriage and order local officials to process marriage licenses for same-sex partners is bold and impressive. Hanson ruled that the state law violated constitutional rights of due process and equal protection. Unfortunately, within a day, Polk County attorneys had appealed, and Hanson put a stay on his ruling until it can be heard before the Iowa Supreme Court. Many Iowa advocates for queer rights, just like other civil rights activists in other places, have been attempting to press their cause with the likely Democratic nominees for president. But this well is dry. All the frontrunners — Clinton, Obama and Edwards — have come out against gay marriage. They try to coat this bitter pill by plugging “civil unions” as an alternative — as if we are unaware that “separate but equal” is a fraud. This doctrine was a strategy for denying Black civil rights, and it is just as much of a shameful dodge when it comes to the rights of queers. ÁBasta! If the Democrats won’t champion our rights, they certainly don’t need our votes. |
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