News
      6
     
     
      Black
      Panther
      says
      youth
      not
      radical
      enough
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Source:
      The
     
     
      Manitoban
     
    

    
     
      (U.
      of
      Manitoba)
      and
     
     
      The
      Gateway
     
    

    
     
      (U.
      of
      Alberta)
     
    

    
     
      By
      Krishna
      Lalbiharie
     
     
      and
      Michael
      Winters
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (CUP)
      -
      Lorenzo
     
     
      Kom’
      Boa
      Ervin
     
     
      doesn’t
      pull
      any
     
     
      punches
      when
      it
      comes
     
     
      to
      politics.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      [U.S.]
     
     
      government,
      for
      black
     
     
      Americans
      in
      particu-
     
     
      lar,
      is
      one
      of
      the
      worst
     
     
      forms
      of
      modern
     
     
      oppression
      and
      is
      the
     
     
      source
      of
      war
      and
     
     
      economic
      injustice,”
     
     
      said
      the
      former
      Black
     
     
      Panther
      Party
      member
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      Concerned
      Citi-
     
     
      zens
      for
      Justice
      (CCJ)
     
     
      representative.
     
    

    
     
      During
      a
      recent
     
     
      stop
      in
      Winnipeg,
     
     
      Ervin,
      co-founder
      of
     
     
      the
      militant
      anti-
     
     
      racism
      journal
      Black
     
     
      Autonomy,
      said
      the
     
     
      1960’s
      civil
      rights
     
     
      movement
      was
      suc-
     
     
      cessful
      “mainly
      be-
     
     
      cause
      of
      student
      dis-
      .
     
     
      sension.”
     
    

    
     
      But
      today’s
     
     
      students,
      the
      political
     
     
      activist
      says,
      are
      not
     
     
      following
      in
      the
      foot-
     
     
      steps
      of
      their
      predeces-
     
     
      sors.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      youth
      of
     
     
      today
      aren’t
      active
     
    
   
   
    
     
      enough,”
      he
      said.
     
     
      “When
      we
      were
     
     
      young,
      we
      had
      no
     
     
      rights
      against
      racist,
     
     
      government-supported
     
     
      terrorist
      groups
      like
     
     
      the
      Ku
      Klux
      Klan,
      and
     
     
      still
      we
      fought,
      and
      we
     
     
      fought
      hard.
      Myself
     
     
      and
      others
      went
      to
     
     
      prison
      and
      died
      for
      our
     
     
      beliefs.”
     
    

    
     
      Yet
      the
      social
     
     
      activist’s
      vision
      goes
     
     
      well
      beyond
      the
      uni-
     
     
      versity
      campus.
     
    

    
     
      During
      another
     
     
      stop
      at
      the
      University
     
     
      of
      Alberta,
      Ervin
     
     
      spoke
      out
      against
      the
     
     
      privatization
      of
      pris-
     
     
      ons.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Edmonton
     
     
      talk,
      organized
      by
      the
     
     
      Industrial
      Workers
      of
     
     
      the
      World,
      focussed
      on
     
     
      what
      Ervin
      sees
      as
      the
     
     
      corporate
      exploitation
     
     
      of
      prison
      labour.
     
    

    
     
      According
      to
     
     
      Ervin,
      corporations
     
     
      such
      as
      Boeing,
     
     
      Microsoft
      and
      General
     
    

    
     
      Electric
      have
     
     
      taken
      advantage
      of
     
     
      cheap
      prison
      labour
     
     
      and
      made
      millions
     
     
      through
      what
      he
      called
     
     
      “plants
      behind
      pris-
     
     
      ons.”
     
    

    
     
      “[It’s]
      the
      estab-
     
     
      lishment
      of
      industrial
     
     
      plants
      under
      the
      guise
     
     
      of
      altruism,”
      he
      said.
     
     
      “You
      will
      never,
      ever
     
    
   
   
    
     
      be
      able
      to
      undercut
     
     
      prison
      labour
      when
      an
     
     
      average
      prisoner
      will
     
     
      make
      seven
      cents
      an
     
     
      hour
      and
      you
      make
      a
     
     
      minimum
      wage
      of
      $7-
     
     
      $9
      an
      hour.”
     
    

    
     
      Ervin
      warns
      the
     
     
      trend
      in
      private
      prisons
     
     
      might
      soon
      reach
     
     
      Alberta.
     
    

    
     
      He
      noted
      the
     
     
      provincial
      govern-
     
     
      ment’s
      mandate
      of
     
     
      privatization
      and
      that
     
     
      an
      American
      company,
     
     
      the
      Aguirre
      Corpora-
     
     
      tion,
      is
      looking
      into
     
     
      establishing
      a
      privately
     
     
      owned
      prison
      in
     
     
      Hobbema,
      Alberta.
     
    

    
     
      “1
      would
      hate
      to
     
     
      see
      some
      of
      the
      worst
     
     
      excesses
      of
      American
     
     
      capitalism
      come
      to
     
     
      Canada,”
      said
      Ervin.
     
     
      “If
      there’s
      one
      thing
      I
     
     
      want
      to
      get
      across,
      it’s
     
     
      the
      urgency
      of
      this
     
     
      matter.
      At
      this
      particu-
     
     
      lar
      time
      you
      can
      pre-
     
     
      vent
      the
      corruption,
     
     
      but
      if
      you
      wait
      until
     
     
      the
      contract
      is
      final-
     
     
      ized
      your
      chance
      is
     
     
      much
      more
      minimal.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      former
     
     
      Panther
      has
      good
     
     
      reason
      to
      be
      wary
      of
     
     
      the
      justice
      system.
     
    

    
     
      According
      to
     
     
      Ervin,
      the
      United
     
     
      States
      government
     
     
      targeted
      him
      for
      assas-
     
     
      sination,
      forcing
      him
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      flee
      the
      country
      in
     
     
      1969.
     
    

    
     
      He
      was
      later
     
     
      arrested
      in
      Czechoslo-
     
     
      vakia
      and
      subse-
     
     
      quently
      extradited
      to
     
     
      the
      United
      States,
     
     
      serving
      15
      years
      in
     
     
      prison
      for
      firearms
     
     
      offences
      before
      an
     
     
      international
      defence
     
     
      campaign
      won
      his
     
     
      release
      in
      1983.
     
    

    
     
      Ervin
      and
      other
     
     
      ‘60s
      southern
      black
     
     
      activists
      staged
      dem-
     
     
      onstrations
      against
      the
     
     
      KKK,
      which
      defence
     
     
      counsel
      say
      led
      to
      his
     
     
      conviction
      and
      incar-
     
     
      ceration.
     
    

    
     
      Now
      a
      commu-
     
     
      nity
      organizer
      on
     
     
      Black
      Anarchism
      and
     
     
      militant
      anti-racism,
     
     
      Ervin
      says
      African
     
     
      Americans
      are
      unfairly
     
     
      subject
      to
      police
     
     
      brutality
      and
      systems
     
     
      of
      oppression.
     
    

    
     
      “Africans
      in
     
     
      America
      are
      colonized
     
     
      and
      exist
      as
      an
      internal
     
     
      colony
      of
      the
      U.S.
     
     
      white
      mother
      country,’
     
     
      he
      said.
      “I
      believe
      that
     
     
      white
      workers
      must
     
     
      give
      up
      their
      privi-
     
     
      leged
      status,
      their
     
     
      ‘white
      identity,’
      and
     
     
      must
      support
      racially
     
     
      oppressed
      workers
      in
     
     
      their
      fights
      for
      equality
     
     
      and
      national
      libera-
     
     
      tion.”
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
      >
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Source:
      The
     
     
      Manitoban
      (University
     
     
      of
      Manitoba)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Gene
      Senior
     
     
      WINNIPEG
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Centre
      for
      Policy
     
     
      Alternatives
      (CCPA)
     
     
      believes
      most
      Canadi-
     
     
      ans
      are
      not
      overtaxed.
     
    

    
     
      Fiscal
      Conserva-
     
     
      tives
      regularly
      say
      taxes
     
     
      are
      too
      high
      in
      Canada.
     
     
      This
      conclusion
      is
     
     
      based
      on
      an
      analysis
     
     
      that
      averages
      taxes
     
     
      among
      the
      general
     
     
      population.
     
    

    
     
      But
      according
      to
     
     
      the
      CCPA,
      averaging
     
     
      taxes
      can
      distort
      data
      to
     
     
      suggest
      Canadians
     
     
      spend
      more
      money
      on
     
     
      personal
      income
      tax
     
     
      than
      on
      any
      other
     
     
      expense.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Centre
     
     
      poinss
      put
      phat
      culy.
     
     
      high-earning
      Canadians
     
     
      spend
      a
      great
      deal
      of
     
     
      their
      income
      towards
     
     
      taxes.
     
    

    
     
      In
      contrast,
      for
     
     
      40
      per
      cent
      of
      Cana-
     
     
      dian
      households
      in-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      come
      tax
      represents
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ditures
      when
      compared
     
     
      with
      shelter,
      transporta-
     
     
      tion
      and
      food.
     
     
      Therefore,
      the
     
     
      Centre
      argues,
      over-
     
     
      taxation
      is
      not
      as
      big
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (CUP)
      -
      The
      Canadian
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      smallest
      share
      of
      expen-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Are
      Canatiians
      really
     
    
   
   
    
     
      problem
      in
      Canada
      as
     
     
      it
      is
      often
      portrayed.
     
    

    
     
      “When
      critics
      use
     
     
      averages
      to
      describe
     
     
      taxes
      paid
      by
      Canadi-
     
     
      ans,”
      reads
      a
      recent
     
     
      CCPA
      study,
      “it
      pro-
     
     
      duces
      skewed
      results
     
     
      that
      ascribe
      tax
      rates
      to
     
     
      the
      average
      person
      that
     
     
      are
      in
      fact
      paid
      only
      by
     
     
      taxpayers
      at
      consider-
     
     
      ably
      higher
      income
     
     
      levels.”
     
    

    
     
      According
      to
     
     
      Murray
      Dobbin,
      social
      —
     
     
      activist
      and
      author
      of
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Ten
      Tax
      Myths,”
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      focus
      of
      debate
      in
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Canada
      needs
      to
      shift
     
     
      from
      over-taxation
      to
     
     
      under-funded
      social
     
     
      programs,
     
    

    
     
      “The
      debate
      over
      |
     
     
      tax
      cuts
      versus
      reinvest-
     
     
      ing
      in
      our
      social
      pro-
     
     
      grams
      promises
      to
      be
     
     
      the
      next
      big
      political
     
     
      fight
      in
      this
      country,”
      ~
     
     
      he
      said.
     
    

    
     
      Last
      week,
     
    

    
     
      Federal
      Finance
      Minis-
     
     
      ter
      Paul
      Martin
      re-
     
     
      leased
      his
      yearly
      budget
     
     
      update
      -
      a
      glimpse
      at
     
     
      the
      upcoming
      federal
     
     
      budget.
      Stag
      ee
     
     
      “At
      the
      same
      time
     
     
      the
      CCPA
      and
     
     
      CHOICES,
      a
      coalition
     
     
      for
      social
      justice
      in
     
     
      Winnipeg,
      have
      pre-
     
     
      pared
      their
      own
      “alter-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~
      Continued
      on
      page
      7|