Living with snakes

A copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix, by a boardwalk outside the chainlink fence around the older section of the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill around June 29, 2016 ©.

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This article is from 10 years ago and again I haven't re-edited or gone over everything again for this posting.  

Living with snakes

Snakes are diverse and abundant in the Carolinas, and many live around homes. Six species are dangerous, but it is possible to coexist, and snakes are wonderful and beneficial reptiles to have around.

For this article, several gardens and state parks were asked about their snakes. At the Botanical Gardens at Asheville garter, Eastern hognose, rat, ringneck, and worm snakes are typical. A Northern copperhead was found once, and the staff considered leaving it, but decided it was too risky and relocated it. All of the gardens moved venomous snakes occasionally, while parks can only shoo them off paths. Garter snakes give birth in the stone walls at the Botanical Gardens. Rat snakes help control what garden manager Jay Kranyik calls an “extraordinary vole population.” He says “One thing I'm very proud of is that we manage the garden for all species: birds, mammals, snakes, etc.” and that snakes are “100% beneficial to the garden or any healthy environment.”

The Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, NC has garter snakes, Northern water snakes, banded water snakes, rat snakes, kingsnakes, corn snakes, and sometimes copperheads.

At the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, SC there are 14 wild species. Curator of Herpetology Scott Pfaff says about 95% of the snakes people see are black rat snakes. Racers, garter snakes, and kingsnakes are also common, while copperheads are seldom seen.

At the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University in urban Raleigh snakes are rare, but black rat snakes, often found in the trellised Wisteria, and Eastern garter snakes, which favor the water garden, are usual. There are occasionally brown snakes and, more rarely, Northern water snakes.

Many species are found at the Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, including copperheads, Northern black racers, rat, rough green, Eastern hognose, ringneck, redbelly, southeastern crowned, and brown water snakes.

About 30 species are known at Magnolia Plantation and Garden in Charleston, mainly yellow rat snakes (a black rat snake subspecies), racers, rough green snakes, garter snakes, ribbon snakes, banded water snakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths.

There are many harmless species, and they are most often encountered. No one has been bitten at any of these places. A venomous snake doesn't want to tangle with us and waste venom, which is why a cottonmouth gives a warning with its white mouth. Some species even tolerate being stepped on. Trying to capture or kill a snake is a common reason for bites. Copperheads and maybe cottonmouths are the only dangerous venomous snakes usually found in residential areas.

Copperheads are pretty copper-colored snakes with darker hourglass-shaped bands. These gregarious snakes are common in woods, but they become nocturnal in summer, so the author rarely sees them outside of late September, when they lie on roads. They are often reluctant to move and may lack traction on asphalt. Their bite is said to be painful, but not serious for most people. In NC there have only been one or two verifiable deaths from bites. Anti-venom treatment can be expensive and may be dangerous itself. As with any bite, infection is a risk.

Related cottonmouths are black or brown with darker bands and often have a stripe from the nose through the eye. When swimming, a cottonmouth sits higher in the water than other water snakes. Popular opinion to the contrary, cottonmouths are basically a coastal plain species. James C. Helms, superintendent of Carolina Beach State Park (which lacks cottonmouths), says cottonmouths like debris and vegetation at water's edge, but are not as arboreal as other water snakes. Cottonmouths at parks where he has worked rarely got on trails. He says “it does seem that the larger, older ones will 'stand' their ground. In these cases we recommend that visitors give them a 'wide berth.'” while younger ones retreat after gaping. Cottonmouths seem to avoid paths and people, but NC state parks inventory biologist Ed Corey says a colloquial name is swamp lion, because “they aren't afraid of anything.” People have been killed or suffered amputations from bites.

There are too many non-venomous snakes to describe here, but some good resources are www.herpsofnc.org, the Audubon and Peterson field guides, and the venerable Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia. For the most detailed accounts, see Reptiles of North Carolina.

The Carolinas have several Nerodia water snakes, such as the Northern water snake. They somewhat resemble cottonmouths and are therefore persecuted. Andy Buchanan at Lake Waccamaw says “almost any snake in the water will be a cottonmouth” to visitors. Ribbon snakes are water-loving snakes in rural areas, resembling garter snakes, another Thamnophis species.

In lush vegetation there could be rough green snakes, a well-hidden scaly jewel. These cute green snakes focus on arthropods and rarely if ever bite.

Eastern and Southern hognose snakes specialize on amphibians and have puckish displays. A hognose snake might inflate and hiss loudly, thus the appellation puff adder, if confronted. If that fails to deter, it rolls around in agony and foams at the mouth. The snake ends belly up with its tongue hanging out, but rolls over again if placed right side up.

Rat snakes and racers are the main black snakes, the former glossy and often arboreal while the latter is dull black and fast. Rat snakes swallow golf balls and bottles, so trash should be removed for healthy snakes.

Under landscaping timbers there could be small species such as ringneck and rough earth snakes.

Relocating snakes is not recommended, because moving a snake even half a mile could kill it, because it won't know where to hibernate [?]. A grabbing tool like a Nifty Nabber is useful for gently moving snakes. Snakes are part of the landscape, but to have fewer snakes, try removing debris, rock piles, and loose food, closing holes in outbuildings, and getting cats. Remember to lift shelters like boards so they are between you and any snake underneath.

To encourage snakes, rock walls, logs, and brush provide shelter from predators while paths provide basking locations. Paved paths need to be narrow, because small snakes and ground skinks, a lizard, can die there, probably from overheating.

Mythical snakes have been thought of as good animals, providing protection and wisdom, and with understanding these beautiful animals can inhabit our gardens and control pests.

Watch for copperheads on roads in the fall

A small copperhead residing in an outlying building at Falls Lake State Recreation Area in Wake County, at Sandling Beach or Woodpecker Ridge, [~] May 1, 2011; I moved it but it came back and a seasonal employee killed it with a rock not long after this photo was taken.  If things had gone differently maybe a permanent State employee would have killed it [©].

This is an article from 15 years ago; I haven't re-edited extensively or re-checked the information.  It has been relatively cool recently and I haven't seen any copperheads and few snakes of any kind so far this year.  It was cold and wet when Tropical Storm Ophelia came through, but in the evening on I think the 23rd I saw a large, very dark toad, maybe an American toad.  It was very warm on the 25th and copperheads were probably out on roads that night.  It was cool and dreary again on the 26th, but a Carolina anole was out and I most often see them in fall, winter, and spring, and I suspect that they are an important sign of the times; a future article.  Copperheads have probably been around all along, but suddenly around 2015 I started finding several in my neighborhood each summer, mostly at night.  I came across them rarely, and usually in more rural locations and in the fall, before that point.  Maybe they aren't literally going to hibernation sites when they get on roads now, such as old Alston bordering RTP.  It might have been last year or sometime recently that I saw the first garter snake I have come across here in many years and I think that was the largest snake I saw that year.  Occasionally there are large black rat snakes, but copperheads are often the largest snake I find in my neighborhood.   There are probably more snake species, reaching larger sizes, in rural areas - Falls Lake State Recreation Area has many terrestrial reptile species - but it is probably also likely that many snakes go unnoticed in more built up areas, and some species are small and often relatively subterranean.  Traffic and persecution are probably major factors if reptile diversity does decrease close to cities, though there are also factors like predation by cats and dogs and lack of habitat or prey.

On early fall evenings the summer constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer or snakehandler is still visible, standing in the southwest above Scorpius and near Hercules, Aquila, and Lyra.  Ophiuchus holds Serpens, divided into Serpens Cauda, the tail, in the east and Serpens Caput, the head, in the west.  Note that handling even a dead venomous snake can be dangerous in reality.  The last supernova in our Galaxy definitely seen by human witnesses, sometimes called Kepler's Supernova, was noticed in Ophiuchus October 10, 1604.  Barnard's Star, one of the closest stars, is also in Ophiuchus, but it is only visible with a telescope.

[The Draconid meteor shower, very weak, might be visible around October 8th:  amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/2020-meteor-shower-list/ 

Non-native zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, were found in a quarry in Iredell County, in the Statesville area, near Charlotte, September 21st, the first time they have been found in the wild in North Carolina:  www.ncwildlife.org/Connect-With-Us/invasive-zebra-mussels-now-confirmed-in-north-carolina

The dwarf waterdog, Necturus punctatus, a relatively small mudpuppy salamander 4.5 to 7.5 inches long, was documented in New Hope Creek in an Orange County section of Duke Forest, north of Chapel Hill, in October 1954 and again in 1966-69, marking the westernmost extension of its range in North Carolina, but they are at risk from excessive silt runoff and other pollution, so it was unknown if they were still present.  I missed this news earlier, but March 29, 2022 it was announced that dwarf waterdogs had been captured in Duke Forest.  Several animal and plant species reach their westernmost known location from the coastal plain or their easternmost known location from the mountains in Duke Forest or nearby areas in Orange or Durham counties.  Duke Forest is closed September 25th to December 15th, except around Thanksgiving, for its 16th annual deer cull; excessive browsing by deer can probably still be seen at the nearby Fews Ford section of Eno River State Park.  For more information see:  dukeforest.duke.edu/2022/03/30/gills-on-a-puppy-dogs-face-in-the-duke-forest/ , reposted from:  naturalsciences.org/calendar/news/gills-on-a-puppy-dogs-face-in-the-duke-forest/  On deer herd reduction:  dukeforest.duke.edu/management/deer-management/ 

It was warm enough that I might have heard a parting call from a gray treefrog up in a tree around October 2nd or 3rd late in the day.  Males usually start calling by themselves up in the trees during the day around April, but don't actually start breeding until the gather at night around bodies of water in the summer.  I think it was five years ago on the 4th that I saw a relatively large snapping turtle killed trying to cross NC 751 in northern Chatham County, though I don't think the road was very busy at the time and the turtle was barely on the road.

The New Hope Audubon Society sent out an alert regarding US FWS proposals to manage water quality problems in Lake Mattamuskeet, in Hyde County, very close to Pamlico Sound, mentioned in an earlier calendar post here.  I'm reposting this, though I don't know the details:

Background Information: The US Fish & Wildlife Service is proposing to allow the dumping of an algaecide with an EPA label warning THIS PESTICIDE IS TOXIC TO BIRDS into Lake Mattamuskeet, which is a National Wildlife Refuge. As many birders know, Mattamuskeet is one of the most important waterfowl refuges on the Atlantic Coast, harboring tens of thousands of ducks, geese, swans and other migratory birds during the winter, and some year round.

FWS is seeking public input now on the proposal. There is still an opportunity to change course!
 

Key points: All approved activities and actions affecting a national wildlife refuge must be compatible with the purpose of the refuge.  Congress established Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge as an inviolate sanctuary for migratory waterfowl.  Use of a pesticide that EPA has determined and warned is TOXIC TO BIRDS is incompatible with the purpose of the refuge as an inviolate waterfowl sanctuary, especially when it is not a long-term solution to the problem it is intended to address.

New Hope Audubon Society has significant concerns about the proposed use of Lake Guard® Oxy, in Lake Mattamuskeet at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge. If you are interested in helping us reverse this action, please email Fish & Wildlife Service at the address below and tell them you strongly urge them to implement “Option A: No Action” instead of “Option B" using the following script: 

"I (insert your name here) use and enjoy the Lake Mattamuskeet wildlife refuge and it is an important sanctuary for migratory waterfowl. Use of pesticide that is toxic to birds is incompatible with the purpose of the refuge and could have significant adverse impacts. Use of the pesticide is not a long-term solution to the water quality problems in the lake. Funding to address the water quality problems should be used to support the plan to address reduction of nutrients entering the lake and removal of carp which are the real cause of the problem. I strongly urge you to implement Option A - No action taken and not Option B - use of cyanobacteria."

The deadline for your comment is October 15. 

Send your comments to this email address:   mattamuskeet [at] fws [period gov]

There will be an NC Wildlife Resources Commission event, Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Public Forum, October 10th 7-9pm at the Yadkinville Extension Center at 2051 Agricultural Way, in or near the Surry Community College-Yadkin Center.  CWD is a prion disease of deer similar to other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or TSEs like BSE/mad cow disease, CJD/Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, and scrapie; CWD was found recently in wild deer in North Carolina. 

The NC WRC has been seeking sightings of:  Eastern chipmunks east of I-95 (they are supposed to be found over much of central and western NC, but I only remember having seen them on the UNC campus during warm seasons and maybe other chipmunks outside of NC); nine-banded armadillos, expanding their range north across the country; American alligators; hellbenders and other mudpuppies in Western NC; birds that might have been killed by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza/HPAI; and rabbits that might have been killed by Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus-Type 2.]

Don’t tread on me: Copperheads

With one or two exceptions, now is the only time I ever see copperheads, most smashed by traffic as they migrate to communal winter dens. I see them where roads cross streams and railroads, in rural areas and subdivisions. Copperheads are slow, heavy-bodied, coppery, peanut butter brown, or pinkish and grayish serpents, occasionally almost black, with hourglass or X-shaped dark bands over their backs. Like other vipers, they have clearly triangular heads, and this is a general way to recognize venomous snakes. They also have heat-sensing pits between their nostrils and eyes. Their back scales are keeled, giving them a rough look, and most of their belly scales extend from one side to the other.

There are several subspecies of copperheads, Agkistrodon contortrix, and two mix here, A. contortrix contortrix, the southern copperhead, and A. contortrix mokasen, the northern copperhead. Southern copperheads are lighter, with narrower dark bands, while the northern subspecies can have dark spots in the lighter bands. Their bands sometimes don’t match up perfectly right to left, and southern copperheads tend to be most asymmetric. Northern copperheads in the mountains are smallest, while mixed individuals tend to be the longest, and copperheads can grow to 45 inches long. Agkistrodon means fishhook tooth and contortrix means twisted or intricate.

Several species of snakes have venom, but very few are dangerous. Most venomous snake bites come from copperheads who were stepped on or molested. Exceedingly few people die; there are two reports from NC, and the clearest case was a one-year old in Wilkes County. Copperheads actually have more potent venom than the most dangerous Carolina Agkistrodon, cottonmouths, A. piscivorous, but cottonmouths inject a larger dose, which can cause the loss of digits and extremities, or death. According to the comprehensive Reptiles of NC, the closest genuine sightings are from eastern Wake County. The first one I saw was posing under a cottonmouth warning sign at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse [There was a warning sign near a trailhead in the maritime forest near the Lighthouse, but in 2023 I don't remember which Agkistrodon was curled up underneath, and I might not have developed an analog photo back then]. Several brown patterned and fierce Nerodia water snakes are confused with cottonmouths, often with fatal results for the snakes. Cottonmouths are mottled dark brown to blackish with a dark strip behind their eyes, above a paler strip. They aren’t very arboreal and float high in the water, with their heads up, unlike water snakes. Generally cottonmouths try to escape, or they rattle their tails against the ground like a copperhead and harmless species like black racers, then expose their cottony white mouths to warn that they will bite. Cottonmouths and copperheads can release a smelly musk if bothered, and copperhead musk is said to smell like cucumbers.

Another viper, the canebrake or timber rattlesnake is found around Butner and in Randolph County. They are dangerous, but rare and rattle out warnings. Two other rattlers live in southeast NC. Eastern coral snakes, colorful, very venomous, and subterranean relatives of cobras and mambas, are found in Harnett County.

Copperheads are more nocturnal in the summer, thus their pupils are vertical slits, instead of round. They are supposed to like rock piles, ruins, trash, boards, and especially piles of old sawdust. In the summer copperheads move to cool swamps and shaded ravines. They have been seen in NC every month except January. Copperheads have been seen basking together and pregnant females and females and young can be found together hidden together. Hunting predominantly on the ground, copperheads eat a variety of animals, such as caterpillars and other invertebrates, small mammals and birds, other snakes, lizards, and turtles, and they are fond of cicadas, for which they climb trees.

Copperheads breed around April and September, mating for up to eight hours. Male copperheads are largest, and there are some general differences – for example male southern copperheads are more likely to have spots between the bands. Newborn males tend to have longer tails, and the sex ratio is skewed to males. Size probably increases a male’s chance of winning fights, by pressing his opponent’s head to the ground.

In NC, there are records of litters of 2 to 18, usually 8, usually born in August and September, but also in October. Newborns have a temporary egg tooth to slice their membranous wrappings. Young copperheads (like cottonmouths) have bright yellow or green tails, used to lure prey.

Copperheads hibernate, often with other species, in places such as outcroppings, especially facing south or east. Unfortunately adults rest on warm roads in late September. Since they are slow [or don't try to escape] and because roads don’t seem to give snakes enough traction, they get killed, and I have firsthand experience with this. September 24th, 2005 I was hurrying to catch a bus to Washington before dawn and in my haste and tiredness I didn’t react in time after recognizing a large copperhead. It felt like running over a wire, but I hoped it was not a snake. I was afraid I would miss the bus, so I kept going [and didn't verify that I had hit it]. When I returned I saw that the snake was dead [and moved it to a woods]. Mercifully it is the largest animal I have hit [Unfortunately I have hit other animals since then]. I have persuaded other copperheads off of roads. Copperheads seemed like a pressing topic after I saw two dead and one alive on [September?] 28th. A study in Illinois found that 2.6 amphibians and reptiles were killed on every kilometer of road, day in, day out. Another study estimated that 1 million vertebrates were killed on roads in the US every day, and that is probably a low estimate. Worse, a Canadian study found that 2.7% of drivers aim for reptiles. These are inoffensive and beautiful snakes that avoid people and control pests, so please join me in watching out for snakes this fall.

IFCO/Pastors for Peace Denounces Terrorist Attack on the Cuban Embassy in DC

See also:

en.granma.cu/cuba/2023-09-25/terrorist-attack-against-the-cuban-embassy-in-the-united-states

peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/25/cuban-embassy-in-washington-dc-faces-another-terrorist-attack-activists-express-solidarity/

peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/25/cuban-president-exchanges-with-us-revolutionaries-on-unga-visit/

www.struggle-la-lucha.org/2023/09/26/struggle-la-lucha-and-the-socialist-unity-party-condemn-terrorist-attack-on-cubas-embassy/

[ popularresistance.org/terror-attacks-on-cubas-embassy-fueled-by-aggressive-us-policy/ ]

Dear Beloved Community,

This past Sunday evening, two Molotov cocktails were hurled at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC in a clear act of terror and intimidation. This vicious attack took place after a week of powerful activities organized by the US Cuba solidarity movement the country.

We, at IFCO/Pastors for Peace, cannot and will not remain silent. We unequivocally condemn this blatant act of violence against our friends at the Cuban Embassy on US soil. 



 Isn't it a bitter irony that while Cuba is unjustly labeled on a list of terrorist nations, right here in our nation's capital, it is the Cuban Embassy that falls victim to such terrorism?

This is the second violent act against the Cuban Embassy in the past 3 years. Veteran diplomat Cuban Ambassador Jose Cabañas and his team were threatened when a terrorist carrying an AK47 shot up the Cuban Embassy, just over a mile away from the White House. IFCO/Pastors joins Cuba’s friends across the globe in condemning this vicious attack and to demand a thorough investigation of this heinous crime. 

It is high time that the US government refrain from sheltering such perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Now, more than ever, is the time for ALL of us to raise our collective voices in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Cuba. 

• We invite each and every one of you to become a beacon of hope and sign the 'Let Cuba Live' campaign.  Help circulate the petition calling for Cuba to be removed from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List (SSOT).

• Join countless souls across the globe as we stand shoulder to shoulder, unyielding in our support for Cuba. 

Let's show the world that love, unity, and justice will always prevail over hate. 

LET CUBA LIVE!

BAP: 4th Annual Month of Action Against AFRICOM in October — "From Niger to Haiti to Cop City, Defeat the War Against the African People"

 Amidst Military Escalations From Niger to Haiti to Atlanta, 

The Black Alliance for Peace Launches the 4th International Month of Action Against U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)

 

For Immediate Release:

Media Contact
communications [at blackallianceforpeace com]
(202) 643-1136

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023—Organizations from around the world have endorsed and will participate in the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) 4th International Month of Action Against AFRICOM.  [Webinar October 1st, linked on the preceding site; the 1st is the 15th anniversary of the founding of AFRICOM under George W Bush and Dick Cheney; it gained ground with governments in Africa with the Obama administration and the 2011 NATO attack on Libya, from which the country still hasn't recovered, contributing to the dam collapses that inundated Derna during Cyclone Daniel.] 

A war is being waged against African people across the continent and the diaspora. Whether it’s people in Atlanta fighting to #StopCopCity, a $90 million dollar militarized police training facility, the people of Haiti fighting for their sovereignty against imperial interventionism carried out by the Black misleadership class, or African people across the Sahel and neo-colonial Africa fighting against French and U.S. imperialism, we are in solidarity with those who seek to dismantle these exploitative structures in favor of a people-centered human rights model.

Across the Sahel, the African masses have taken to the streets, calling for French troops to leave their lands. This has taken place in states like Niger, where the United States has nine military installations.

AFRICOM is a force of neocolonial occupation. The people have united to free their lands of all U.S./EU/NATO military forces and intelligence operatives. Regional organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), are exposing themselves as comprador structures of neocolonialism by doing the bidding of western imperialist institutions.

Through this International Month of Action Against AFRICOM, we aim to express our support for the aspirations of the people in the streets and call for the ejection of all Western forces, including AFRICOM and NATO, from the African Continent.

NATO is a global axle in the wheel of the military industrial complex, which includes more than 800 U.S. military bases around the world as well as  joint bases or relationships with almost all African countries. These are all controlled by the U.S. empire for realizing the U.S. policy of Full Spectrum Dominance, which is driven by the ferocious appetite of international finance capital.

That is why we call on our friends and allies to endorse this month as an individual or organization. Beyond that, we are calling on you to participate each week using our calls to action, for which we have provided materials on our webpage. Each week’s call to action ranges from watching our kick-off webinar, “From Niger to Haiti to Cop City, Defeat the War Against African People”, to organizing mass actions like banner drops, facilitating teach-ins using our materials and spreading the word using BAP’s custom graphics.

The Black Alliance for Peace calls for the dismantling of NATO, AFRICOM and all imperialist structures. Africa and the rest of the world cannot be free until all Peoples are able to realize the right of sovereignty and the right to live free of domination.

We demand:

• The complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Africa;

• The demilitarization of the African Continent;

• The closure of U.S. bases throughout the world; and

• The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) oppose the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and conduct hearings on AFRICOM’s impact on the African continent, with the full participation of members of U.S. and African civil society.

No compromise!

No retreat!

Link to online version: https://blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/2023moaaa

September 2023 issue of Torch published

The September issue of The Torch, newspaper of the Independent Workers' Party, has been published and will be available online at:  www.independentworkersparty.org/  This is a united front and welcomes anyone who agrees with the basic principles listed on the website.  People can contribute articles, poetry, and photos; donations and volunteer distributers are also needed.  The IWP has held webinars on the second Great Depression and the continuing struggle in Haiti (available on YouTube, in French and English, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jSqjdJGlH4 ). 

Contents:

The Military Insurrection in Niger 

Lahaina tragedy 

Russia and America / An Interpretation Dr W.E.B Du Bois 1950 Chapter 1  – A Quest for Clarity (continued)

A letter to Canadian legislator Annie Koutrakis against Canada's role in the proxy war in Ukraine  

Haitian letter to Russia's UN ambassador against foreign intervention, in French and English

27th Latin American and Caribbean Brigade of Solidarity with Cuba stem in the U.S. [, in Spanish and English]

180,000 UPS part-timers left out of Teamsters' Deal

October issue of Revolutionary Democracy published

The October issue of the English-language Indian Marxist-Leninist theoretical and political journal Revolutionary Democracy ( revolutionary[democracy.org]democacry.org ) has been published and can be ordered from Red Star Publishers ( redstarpublishers.org ) for $6 dollars, which covers the shipping cost within the US.  The April issue can be added for $2.  For more information about ordering see the website or contact them at:  

Red Star Publishers

PO Box 1641

Manhattanville Station

New York, New York 10027

USA

Most of their ordering is done over the Internet, so an email is requested if payment is being sent by mail. 

Phone:  212 864 7595

Brick and mortar bookstores, organizations, and individuals selling copies in Canada, India, the UK, and the USA are listed at revolutionarydemocracy.org on the current issue page, linked at the top of the menu on the left.  Many of the articles are also posted there for free.  Unity and Struggle and I think also Revolutionary Democracy have sometimes been available from www.americanpartyoflabor.com/shop but currently neither is in stock, though there are a few books, apparel, and sort of 'limited edition' buttons or can badges.

Contents:

Manipur Crises – Towards a Just and Peaceful Solution

Violence in Nuh Follows the Sustained Pattern of Anti-Muslim Pogroms in 

India, Karan Varma

Exploding the Claim of Inclusive Development, A Critical Review of the Indian 

Finance Minister’s Budget (2023-24) Speech, K.B. Saxena

India: Broken Legacies of the Land and Forest Rights Movement, Ashok Chowdhury, 

Teesta Setalvad

The BRICS Meeting and the Inter-imperialist Struggles, En Marcha

An Interview with Qemal Cicollari, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Albania, Thales Caramante

Asiatic Mode of Production in South Asia: An Empirical Study, Tripta Wahi

About the Indian Comedian, D. Zaslavsky, (Pravda, January 7th, 1946)

Record of the Meeting Between the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, 

I.V. Stalin, and Members of the delegation of the Labour Party of Great Britain, (7 August 1946

Preparation of the Draft Third Programme of the CPSU(b), 1947, Vijay Singh

Materials for the Draft Programme of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks 

with Notes by J. V. Stalin, 1947

Suggestions and Criticisms on the Draft Programme and Policy Statement of the CPI, 1951

On the Situation in and Functioning of the Communist Party of India after the Publication 

of the Draft of the Party Programme, 1951, CPSU (b.)

---

Unitary Confederation of Neighborhoods of Ecuador (CUBE) statement at SIRAL 27

THE NEIGHBORHOOD STRUGGLE IS

PART OF THE FORCES FOR REVOLUTION.

The anti-people policies of the bourgeois governments in office mean hunger and misery for the popular sectors of the population, located in marginalized neighborhoods in the different cities of the countries of the world.

In our country as in others, the abandonment by local and national governments is evident, these neighborhood sectors are ones in which there are families, residents who live in extreme poverty, and others with lower incomes, who suffer the consequences of the policies of the governments and the bourgeoisie, as opposed to sectors/neighborhoods where those with higher incomes and some members of the ruling classes live, with luxuries and their needs met. In Ecuador the neighborhoods are part of the social organizations that have fought and struggle against the bourgeois governments and their policies.

Thus, in recent years the participation of the inhabitants of the popular neighborhoods has been very important; they participate in the indigenous and popular uprisings, opposing measures that affected the popular sectors such as the increase in fuel prices and for respect for collective rights.

Thus, in the indigenous and popular uprising of October 2019, the neighborhoods participated together with other popular sectors; we mobilized and were in the streets. We must particularly highlight the presence of neighborhoods in the south of Quito that joined the struggle in the streets, going to the places of greatest confrontation, blocking streets. They were in the streets of the country with marches and sit-ins, a struggle to which the Moreno government responded with bullets from the army and the police, with more than 11 popular fighters killed and with the loss of eyes of men and women fighting in the streets.

In June 2022, again together with the indigenous sector, workers and different social organizations, we in the neighborhoods were there, supporting with food, giving lodging, and also in the streets and plazas. There were thousands of us residents of the popular neighborhoods, against the neoliberal and extractivist policies, in defense of the water that the government of Lasso wanted to impose and for the respect of their rights. We confronted the army and police, who were overwhelmed by thousands of poor people whom they faced, regardless of combat tanks that tried to intimidate the population, tear gas bombs by the thousands, an action that counted with important actions in several cities of the country.

As part of our actions was the approval of the Organic Law of Social Interest Housing (LOVIS), in which we managed to include some elements that enable the population of millions of families that do not own housing to rely on it, to force the state to fulfill this human right, which was approved in the National Assembly in March 2022.

Another important aspect is our participation in the electoral struggle, for which the debate was and is necessary that we are capable of exercising public offices of popular election; we obtained important results, which also allowed us, together with the "Certainly we can", to run candidates for the National Assembly.

The population demands remain in force, basic works, health care, education, social housing, which includes security, where we have begun to organize security committees with the inhabitants themselves. For this it has become necessary to hold meetings in which the importance of neighborhood integration was analyzed, recovering public spaces and placing community alarms to more than chat groups, as a form of self-defense against government ineffectiveness.

In the midst of this process, the community organization, the neighborhood committees, youth organizations, women's organizations, senior citizen’s groups, sports leagues, etc., are being strengthened; these have been integrated into the Neighborhood Federations in each canton and at the national level, in the Unitary Confederation of Neighborhoods of Ecuador "CUBE." We have a great job ahead; we should also get involved in urban proposals of the bourgeoisie in order to apply the resolutions of HABITAT III, although the COVID 19 pandemic modified some of them.

We invite the different political organizations participating in this 27th International Seminar, to build their own space to analyze and discuss the problems of the different cities of our continent and the world.

From the Middle of the World we send our fraternal and revolutionary greetings.

Quito, September 1, 2023

[I think a pamphlet of these remarks at 27th SIPRAL will be posted on the Red Star Publishers website.]

Popular Unity Party List 2 of Ecuador statement at SIRAL 27

THE STRUGGLE OF THE WORKING CLASS AND PEOPLES,

AND THE INTER-IMPERIALIST CONTENTION

Popular Unity as a political party of the revolutionary left of Ecuador, which participates in this 27th International Seminar, expresses its position regarding the struggle of the working class and peoples, and the inter-imperialist contention taking into account the current events of the world capitalist system and the statement made by the leader of the Bolshevik party and one of the leaders of the Russian revolution and builder of socialism from 1917.

"We are living in the epoch of imperialism and proletarian revolutions." Lenin

On the other hand, we are guided and supported by the Manifesto of the Communist Party of Marx and Engels who stated.

"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles." "Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat."

With these statements we place imperialism, which is the highest stage of capitalism, as the main enemy of the working class and peoples, that the antagonistic contradictions between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat are in force; that at present there are inter-imperialist contentions that are seen mainly between the United States, China and Russia, that the working class and peoples confronting their class enemies are organizing, mobilizing and fighting against the capitalist system, defending their rights and victories and seeking alternatives for change. However, we note that there are political and ideological limitations; it is necessary to have a revolutionary party based in Marxism-Leninism and in constant development that can lead the working class and peoples of the world for social and national liberation, to seize power and advance in the building of the new society of the workers at the service of the workers themselves, socialism, the New Fatherland.

The imperialist powers are present and developing their contention, up to military confrontation; this is for the control of strategic areas, the plundering of the natural resources of the countries, for the desire to dominate regions and countries, for the dispute over markets. They are establishing military bases and economic groups for the contention and a new redivision of the world.

Imperialism imposes itself with the force of arms, with wars of conquest and plunder, with occupation troops and the formation of puppet groups in dependent countries.

Most recently, the inter-imperialist contention exists in the war that Russia is carrying out with Ukraine; in this confrontation the contention is between Russia and US imperialism that acts with NATO together with the government and the army of Ukraine. It is a localized war of contention over territory and natural resources in an area of strategic influence; the most affected are the workers of Ukraine and other countries. In the economic and commercial sphere, the disputes are in the trade war between the United States and China, which have reestablished tariff restrictions and free trade agreements, in areas and markets of influence mainly between the imperial powers such as the United States, China, Russia and the European Union.

The war of aggression and plunder is another expression of the inter-imperialist contention, the United States, waving the banners of freedom and democracy, has invaded Libya, Syria, Panama and is threatening North Korea.

France, another imperialist power, is intervening politically, economically and militarily in its former colonies in Africa.

Russia as an imperialist power has been actively involved in Syria and Libya in the contention over these territories with US imperialism.

China so far has not carried out military incursions, but it is the third military power and is arming itself continuously; it has been establishing commercial relations with several countries of the world and has political links with some governments and in Latin America with the so-called progressive governments.

The confrontation and contention between the imperialist powers in no way eliminates the nature of imperialism, because the concentration and accumulation of wealth is the product of the surplus value created by the working class of the imperialist countries, by the workers of the developed capitalist countries, by the workers and peoples of the dependent countries and also by the plundering of natural resources in agreements with the puppet governments of imperialism.

The cyclical economic crisis is another scenario of inter-imperialist disputes, but this crisis is placed on the shoulders of the workers and peoples by the bourgeoisie, imposing economic, political and labor measures that are decided by the IMF and World Bank and are carried out by the governments of the bourgeoisie. The present and the future of the working class and peoples who are fighting for their rights and aspirations, for their independence, have as main actors the workers, youth, women and other popular sectors. We see this clearly in the protests and mobilizations in France, the United States and some European countries, and in Latin America Chile, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador. However, we must point out that in certain cases these processes are in the hands of the bourgeoisie and in others there is the presence of the petty bourgeoisie who are influenced by social democracy and revisionism. The proletariat continues to struggle, but it has limitations in its associations, in its political and ideological organization, and it cannot easily get out of imperialist domination of one or another power in contention, as well as confronting the domination and exploitation of the bourgeoisie to lead to the struggle for social and national liberation by maintaining and promoting its class independence.

For the battles of the working class and peoples for national independence and social liberation to achieve victory, it is indispensable, necessary for the leadership of these processes to be led by the working class and its revolutionary party in order to fulfill their historic mission: to overthrow the capitalist system and imperialist domination, to seize power and build the new system of the workers at the service of the workers themselves, socialism, the New Fatherland.

The contradictions, discrepancies or disputes between the imperialist powers do not at all eliminate, nor do they relegate to the background, the fundamental contradictions between labor and capital in the capitalist and imperialist countries or the contradictions between the oppressed peoples and their imperialist oppressors, between socialism and capitalism. These are the deepest and irreducible constants that can become more acute and lead to a new situation in the scenario of each country and at the international level.

In the current economic, social and political scenario, where the disputes of the imperialist powers and the struggle of the working class and the peoples exist, it is up to us to uphold, defend and affirm the revolutionary principles and theses that "there is no good imperialism." Neither China nor Russia, nor the United States and the imperialist countries of the European Union can be considered or treated as friends of the workers and peoples. They do not help the development and independent progress of the countries; their interests are focused on the extraction of surplus value created by the working class, in the plundering of natural resources, in having governments that are dependent on them. Therefore, we cannot state that there are good imperialisms, as some petty bourgeois social-democrats and revisionists try to claim, distorting the principle of the class struggle. They speak of relying on one or another imperialist power to confront U.S. imperialism, which they consider the most dangerous. It is another thing to have the wisdom to know how to take advantage of the contradictions that arise between the imperialist powers to advance in the process of accumulation of forces and provide alternatives in the struggle for social and national liberation.

It is up to the revolutionary parties to advance in the organization and struggle of the working class and peoples, not only for their economic demands but also to aim for the political struggle for the seizure of power and the building of the new society, socialism and the new Homeland, always guided by Marxist-Leninist principles. Here we quote the following: "The working class, which lives exclusively by the sale of its labor power and which is linked to the most advanced form of production in capitalist society, which is concentrated and subject to the discipline of the capitalist enterprises that exploit it, is the most interested in the struggle for liberation, it identifies the class enemies who exploit it, it is in a better position to assimilate its own ideology and is willing to adopt forms of organization and discipline needed in the struggle for social and national emancipation." Line of the PCMLE

The working class, therefore, is called upon to unite the other exploited social strata and classes, not only in the struggle for their economic demands, better wages, stability, collective bargaining, defense of social security, but it must raise its level of organization and political and ideological consciousness to advance in the political struggle and carry out its historic mission. Counting on the leadership of its revolutionary party guided by Marxism-Leninism, it must be ready to give battle using all forms of struggle to confront and defeat the bourgeoisie and imperialism, to seize power, and to build the new society, socialism, the New Fatherland, that guarantees security, work, education, health care, social security, housing, justice, freedom for the majority, and having free and sovereign countries where the exploitation and domination of the bourgeoisie and imperialism has been put to an end.

Long live the unity and struggle of the working class and peoples for their social and national liberation.

Long live the struggle for socialism and the New Fatherland.

September 1- 2023. L.F.A.A Gold.