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EDITORIAL

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Say no to U.S. space wars!

The word going the rounds in the USA
these days to describe the Reagan policies
and pronouncements is “disarray” — some
have called Reaganism “chaos”.

That is probably accurate. It does not
reduce, but increases the extreme danger
of Reagan’s policies — the danger that in
the hands of this fanatic rests the fate of
humanity.

Could anything be more demanding of
radical action?

Governments with concern for their
countries and people are seeing the need to
rebuff this extremist policy dictated from
Washington. That is particularly so for
Canada, with its too-close ties to the USA’s
war preparations.

The parties in Canada’s parliament must
each respond to the menace of such rela-
tions. The Communist Party of Canada, on
the other hand, has consistently de-
manded, throughout its documents and
campaigns, that Canada express policies
and take actions against the drive to nu-
clear escalation and war. The CPC calls for
a government policy of proclaiming
Canada a nuclear weapons-free zone: and
of withdrawing from NATO and NORAD
military commitments.

The U.S. president’s most recent out-
Tage was to state that the USA intends to
turn space, as well, into a battlefront. To
make it more perverse, this comes close on
the heels of the Soviet appeal for speeding
up agreement on the prohibition of “the
deployment of weapons of any kind in

outer space”. Was Reagan’s rush toward
space wars for the purpose of defeating
such a possibility?

A secret document bearing the signature
of the U.S. defence secretary Caspar
Weinberger, proclaims: “Space-based sys-
tems have the capability of providing us
with almost instantaneous access to any
point in the globe and thereby add a new
dimension to our military capabilities.” A
new dimension in criminality.

Weinberger adds: “... the unique and
cost-effective (!) attributes of space will be
used ... to wage war effectively.”

So space is to be used for and dedicated
to war, war for the purpose of preserving
state-monopoly capitalism and its imperial-
ist world ‘strategy. And all that is to be
achieved by the destruction of socialism.

Obviously the struggles being waged by
the U.S. people for peace and disarma-
ment coupled with their economic struggle
are crucial in curbing the Reagan and the
military-industrial complex. Nevertheless,
people and governments everywhere have
a heavy responsibility in those struggles.

More and more Canadians are seeing the
grave danger posed by the Reagan regime.
They are justified in putting the greatest of
pressure on Prime Minister Trudeau and
his government to act in Opposition to
Reagan’s declared space wars, and his war
plots as a whole. Ottawa should declare
Canada’s non-involyement in nuclear
escalation, and show by deeds its support
for nuclear disarmament.

Dump 6 and 5 and then...

Dirty deals are nothing new to govern-
ments run by the big business Liberals and
Tories, but there is something particularly
reprehensible about the federal govern-
ment's stealing from family allowances and
pensions. So impatient were the spokes-
men of monopoly capitalism that they even
forced an end to debate on the bill to
legalize their deeds,

More than that, pension cheques to some
162,000 former public. service workers
were held back for a week so that the inde-

xation for inflation could be slashed to.

6.5%, from the 11.5% it would have been.
And the Senate, where the Liberals also
rule the roost, eagerly pledged to rush the
bill through.

The government in enforcing its 6 and 5
program — a ceiling of 6% in the first year
and 5% in the second, on wages, pensions,
etc., is providing an excuse and indeed
loud encouragement for the private-sector
bosses to follow suit. In Quebec the Parti

Armed men and prisons have always
been the property and weapons of exploit-
ing ruling classes and, under monopoly
capitalism the rule remains unbroken. The
courts as well are used as an instrument of
the corporations and their governments.

How surprising is it then, that Justice
Minister Mark MacGuigan refuses to con-
sider prosecution as demanded by the
Canadian Civil Liberties Association of
members of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police who committed hundreds of crimes

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEBRUARY 4, 1983 — Page 4

Quebecois government has gone beyond
that and attempted to roll back wages —
thus prompting a general strike. In other
provinces, except Manitoba, similar shack-
les have been put on workers’ wages.

It's as clear as day that when it comes to
attacking the working people the Liberals
and Tories have astonishing similarities.
Their similarities come to the fore as well
when it’s a matter of serving the corporate
elite — with hand-outs, tax breaks and
anti-labor legislation.

From the word go, the two old parties
and their Socred look-alike in B.C. are the
monopolies’ people. That’s a good. thing
for workers to remember while they are

carrying on the fight for jobs, for bargain-

ing rights, for an end to anti-labor re-
straints; getting rid of shackles and attacks
on living standards imposed by monopoly
governments in step one. The second step
is to get rid of that kind of government as
well.

Can't do that to ‘them’

in the 1970s. Their misdeeds were unco- :

vered by the McDonald royal commission,
which ran up a bill for the taxpayers of

$8.1-million. It’s a standing joke (though

not so funny) that if the big shots can’t
sweep it under the rug they hand it to a
royal commission.

Far be it from MacGuigan to break the {

rules laid down by his predecessor Jean
Chretien and every minister who has ever
administered justice for the monopolies
and their protection agencies.

“Stop the world! | want them to get off!

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——

Flashbacks

25 years _ 50 years

SAY NO TO
NUCLEAR TESTING

Within one week two
University of Manitoba scien-
tists gathered 140 names
from among their colleagues
on a petition calling for a halt
to nuclear tests.

Dr. M.E. Kettner and Dr.
F.M. Kelly, both of the
university physics depart-
ment, launched their petition
after study of scientific evi-
dence given before a U.S. Se-
nate investigating committee
last summer.

(This evidence reported in
the Canadian Tribune re-
vealed that Canada and the
northern United States were
especially threatened by
radioactive fallout.)

Tribune,
February 3, 1958

Cee

io” Se
a,” re
MA

When one is able to stem the flow of tears being shed for
and profits are being eroded by
workers’ pay demands, one notes that, e.g., Northern Telecom
Ltd., of Montreal has after-tax profits for 1982 of $151,200,000.
That’s an improvement over 1981’s $120,700,000.

corporations whose “incentives”

Editor — SEAN GRIFFIN
Assistant Editor — DAN KEETON —
Business and Circulation Manager — PAT O’CONNOR

Published weekly at Suite 101
Vancouver, B.C. V5L 3X9. Phone 251-1186

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: All other countries: $15 one year.

Second class mail registration number 1560

_Tom Draper and Peter Doly

: rN :
Sy Nat é
z ty Profiteer of the week

SEVEN JAILED IN
HUNGER MARCH

EDMONTON: — Mass
pressure forced the release of |
23 out of the 33 workers an
farmers arrested ~ fot
participating in the Hunget
March. Three others have yet
to be tried.

Six months’ hard labor was
handed out to George Poole:
Murdoch Clarke, Anthony
Wotyshyn and George Gagel

were sentenced to tw0
months and Roy Berlande
was sent down for one month:
The trial was a straight rail-
road, the judge’s summing uP
reviewing little or no defencé
evidence. Stoolpigeons were
out in full force. |
The Worker,
February 4, 1933

— 1416 Commercial Drive,