http://themilitant.com/2015/7936/793603.html
The Militant (logo)
Vol. 79/No. 36 October 12, 2015
(front page)
Build Socialist Workers Party
‘Militant’, fund drive efforts
BY NAOMI CRAINE
The Socialist Workers Party drive to win new and renewing readers to the
Militant is nearly on schedule, with 820 subscriptions sold in the first
three weeks. A simultaneous eight-week effort to raise $100,000 to fund
the party’s work over the coming year is also making progress, with four
areas raising their quotas this week.
“The Chicago branch decided to have a ‘target week’ that will put us
ahead, with a goal of selling 50 subscriptions in nine days,” said
Alyson Kennedy in Chicago Sept. 29. “Yesterday we took part in a
demonstration calling for the suburb of Oak Park to raise the minimum
wage to $15. Tomorrow a couple of us will join the rally to support
workers at ArcelorMittal in their contract fight, and then go door to
door in one of the nearby rural towns in Indiana.”
Taking the Militant to labor resistance, social protests and onto
workers’ doorsteps in small towns and rural areas as well as the cities
is an essential part of the party’s political effort. It’s the only way
to reach all sections of the working class in an undifferentiated way,
around all the important questions of the day.
Last week members of the Communist League went to Farnham, a rural town
an hour outside Montreal where Canadian Pacific rail has a major hub.
Thomas Harding, the train engineer who faces frame-up charges in the
2013 oil train disaster in Lac-Mégantic, lives there, as do other rail
workers.
“We had a really interesting discussion with a retired couple,” reports
Philippe Tessier. “The man started saying Harding was responsible,
because he didn’t set the handbrakes right. After discussing the working
conditions imposed by the rail bosses and the support Harding has from
people in Lac-Mégantic, he changed his mind. The woman was very hesitant
at first about us being communists, but we explained what we are for,
pointing to the example of the Cuban Revolution, and they decided to
subscribe.
“We’re going back to Farnham next week to continue building the Oct. 11
demonstration for rail safety in Lac-Mégantic,” Tessier said.
The Chicago branch of the Socialist Workers Party decided to raise its
goal to 175 this week to help close the gap between local quotas and the
overall international goal for the subscription effort. This is an
example to emulate, so we can meet the target of 2,300 by Nov. 3.
Related articles:
Party-Building Fund Week 3
Join effort to make SWP $100,000 fund goal
Socialist Workers Party drive for new readers! Help win 2,300
subscribers Sept. 5 – Nov. 3 (week 3)
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