Word of the Left

New Blog: Rise! Resist! Revolt!

2007-10-11T21:24:00.000-04:00

Check out my new blog: Rise! Resist! Revolt!, this is going to be my last post on this blog as Rise! Resist! Revolt! will supercede this one.

A Review of the New film "Sicko"

2007-06-23T19:12:00.000-04:00

Sicko, Michael Moore's new film on the failures of private healthcare and the successes of universal socialized healthcare, priemered on Friday, June 22nd, in New York City, on one screen in the Upper West Side and will be released in theaters accross the country on the 29th. The screening was a special pre-release engagement open to the public, and Michael Moore, the director of the film as well as other very interesting and provactive films like Farenheit 9/11, stopped by before the movie and said a few words thanking everyone for packing the rather large theater.

Sicko is basically an exposure of the flaws of capitalist private healthcare and how it represents a horrible system for millions of people even in the wealthiest country in the world, the United States, where nearly 50 million people are left without healthcare and to pray that they don't get sick or injured, otherwise, the system will do what it is made to do, kick them to the curb, and where even those 250 million without healthcare are often treated like they don't even have it. The movie starts out by showing two people without health insurance who have had an accident. One sustained a deep gash next to his knee and rather than going to get stitches for his wound at hospital, he is forced to sew up the wound himself. Right from the bat the movie does something that you rarely see, it shocks people and questions them on what kind of system do you have where people cannot get basic medical treatment? What kind of system kicks people to the curb? What kind of system, as he later reveals, allows 18,000 people to die yearly because they cannot afford to be treated when they are sick or injured? After showing the man stitching himself, he introduces a carpenter who accidently sawed off the top of his ring and index finger. When he arrived at the hospital, rather than being immediatly treated, he was told that he could have the top of his index finger sewed on for 60,000 dollars and the top of his ring finger sewed on for 12,000. He could only afford the latter. Again, it is this type of exposures which questions people, what kind of system puts a price tag on a person's body?

Michael Moore then says that this film is not about the 50 million people in the United States who don't have health insurance because they either can't afford it or because they are excluded from it because of their conditions, and states, the movie is about the 250 million people who do have health insurance and are "living the American dream"

Moore then exposes situations where insurance companies did horrific things like denied a toddler a hearing aid for her right ear, only giving her one for her left, or denied a man dying of cancer medicine which had been scientifically proven to work, both on grounds that they were "experimental" another company refused to treat a young woman who had been diagnosed with cervical cancer even though she was paying client because she "shouldn't have gotten cervical cancer so young." Moore than continues to show how the system rewards doctors who give away the least amount of prescriptions because that way the health companies profit the most and how corporate representitives are given long lists so that anyone who has the slightest medical condition is barred from recieving health insurance.

The main problem with Sicko was that it advocates just socializing healthcare and leaving the system of capitalism intact by attempting to show how well this type of system works in countries like France and England. What Moore leaves out is why people aren't able to afford health insurance in the first place, because they are degraded through tough low paying jobs or left on the curb to die. Also, what Moore seems to imply yet doesn't go fully into is that when you socialize things, they work better. In countries like France and England the masses are still unhappy despite having healthcare because they're often without homes, jobs, and things like that which in a socialist society where the masses have seized power, the lack of housing and the plague of unemployment will be ended. As Revolution in issue 93 pointed out, even things like schools which are socialized in this system, are oppressive institutions because the masses don't have power, the masses have just struggled enough to win the consession of universal public schools.

All in all, Sicko was a very good exposure of the horrors of private healthcare and we need many more movies like this. At the end of the movie, the crowd burst out in applause in overwhelming approval of it.

Campaign to Name a Street After Mumia Abu-Jamal in Harlem Kicks Off

2007-06-16T23:51:00.000-04:00

Mumia Abu-Jamal is the definition of a political prisoner. Someone targetted, persecuted by the system for his beliefs. At age 14, Mumia Abu-Jamal first became active in the struggle to build a better world. He would go on to be a leader of the Philadelphia chapter of the Black Panther Party and a firm revolutionary. During his trial he would quote Chairman Mao, and in the 25 years on Death Row since, he has not sold out, he continues to be a voice of resistance through his writings and radio programs. The fact that he hasn't sold out in itself is a statement that no matter how much the system tries to break our leaders and the voices of our movement and no matter what they try to do to kill the revolutionaries, the revolution will live on.

The Framing

On December 9th, 1981, Mumia Abu-Jamal was driving his cab downtown when he happened to see his brother being viciously beaten by a white cop with a metal flashlight, Mumia jumped out of his cab and rushed to help his brother. The cop fired on him and when the smoke cleared, Mumia was on the floor bleeding and the cop lay dead.

But the facts don't add up. Ballistics were suppressed, the crime scene was tampered with by police, the judge had eleven black jurors removed on peremptory challenges, witnesses changed their testimonies from orignial statements due to police coercion and threats, not to mention the fact that the judge was overheard saying "I'm gonna help them fry that nigger," and that Arnold Beverly has admitted to the crime.

The Truth and the Campaign

the real truth is that Mumia Abu-Jamal was imprisoned for devoting his life to the cause of revolution in every form, from his leadership in the black panthers to his revolutionary journalism, Mumia Abu-Jamal like Fred Hampton and David Gilbert are examples of what happens to people who really bring the system to its knees; the Dictatorship of the Bourgeois takes them out as ruthlessy as it can afford.

On May 17th, Mumia Abu-Jamal, through mass public pressure was able to get a new final hearing and it is important that not just everyone who is disgusted with the savage injustices of this system and see Mumia as just another one of these injustices, or everyone that wants a revolution, but everyone who believes in the concept human rights get involved in freeing Mumia.

In the past couple of years, this has been happening more and more, not just in Philadelphia or the United States, but internationally, Paris, France awarded Mumia Abu-Jamal a honary citizenship and the City of St. Denis, France named the boulevard leading to the national stadium after him. These actions may be small, but they are powerful, they are examples of resistance to the savage injustices of the system and its persecution of Mumia and other political prisoners.

In Harlem, New York, On Friday, the campaign to name a street after Mumia Abu-Jamal kicked off. Through mass pressure, this would be a very realistic goal and would act as a jolt to the movement to liberate Mumia. This system keeps people as ignorant about its crimes as it can, most people don't know about Mumia Abu-Jamal but having a street named after him would force people to research him and the fallacies of his case. brick by brick, wall by wall, we're gonna free Mumia Abu-Jamal!

From the Gitmo to the Supreme Court: Christian Fascism Marches Forward

2007-05-30T20:58:00.000-04:00

In the past couple of months I've been pretty busy. I've become increasingly active with the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA and found that the past 3 or so months were very crucial on all fronts to step up the pressure against alot of the shit we see the state doing. Because of this, I got distracted and found very little time to sit down and blog. While I was away I read alot, from Lenin to Mao, to Stalin and beyond. I helped get out the message for the March on the Pentagon and nearly got arrested when we attempted to actually march to the pentagon not into the parking lot, I marched on May day for immigrant and workers rights, and I took a bus down to Philly to show solidarity with Mumia Abu Jamal on his last court date. I've been hitting the streets getting out Revolution Newspaper with other RCPers and I've been generally active on all fronts as much as I could really be. The title of this piece is not taken lightly, as everything I have witnessed while active in the past months has really reinforced and even I think to a large extent, made me even more aware of the situation we're currently in: a rise in the fascistic and religious elements of this government and the increasing evidence of this.

The Christian Fascist Attack on Womyn's Rights

The bible taken literally is a piece of literature which is oppressive and degrading to womyn. There are countless undertones of womyn being inferior and weaker than men and thus must stay home. According to the bible in fact, womyn were basically the mutant spawn of a rib of Adam because he couldn't reproduce with other animals! While I have nothing against people of faith, and openly work with progressive religious people, this is among the reasons WHY I am an athiest. The fact that the bible is wrong! One of my favorite resources on judging the bible is the Skeptics Annotated Bible which I encourage people of faith to check out and engage with because it really exposes line by line what is plain wrong with the bible.

Now in relation to the attack on womyns rights, the current issue and issue #86 of revolution newspaper deals with how we are seeing a attack on the womyn's right to choose. Last week the Supreme court voted to uphold the ban "partial-birth abortion". The ban will force womyn, against their will to commit to a life changing decision which they are not ready for based on the idea that the state thinks it is in its interest because it "traumatizes" womyn. Despite the fact that there is no evidence proving it! This is the exact logic behind the fascist ideology which seperates from all others. The idea that the state knows what's best for the masses and that the masses exsist only to serve the state. In fact the only place that this suspicion was voiced, the idea that it traumatizes womyn, was from a far-right militant christian group which convinces people out of the "sin of abortion" through a telephone hotline.

All of this represents a the crackdown on people's rights in fascistic way based on so called "religious morality" a concept that has been bankrupt for centuries. What future does the bible taken literally hold for womyn? For homosexuals? For non-christians? The answer? A nightmare

The Fascist Assault on Human Rights and the move to a Police State

Another Gitmo detainee comitted suicide today for "unknown reasons". Unknown reasons? Perhaps it has something to do with what it's like living in Delta Camp at Guantanamo Bay. Since the camp opened in 2002, it has been a horrific example of fascitic terror. Inmates are tortured, beaten, denied basic human rights like proper places to rest or the right to a lawyer. Very few of the inmates have even been charged with anything at all. What's worse is that its not just Guantanamo, these type of secret camps have been set up throughout Afghanistan and Iraq and represent virtually a leap towards a global police state in direct corralation with America's system of imperialism.

On the homefront the police murder of Sean Bell and 2000+ others have been documented in a project started by the October 22nd Coalition Against Police Brutality and the Criminalization of a Generation called the Stolen Lives Project. Overwhelmingly these murders have been caused by a simple abuse of authority and nearly always the police get off free. What's worse is that these cases are almost always directed at working class people. Why? Because it is the working class which the state is most afraid of. The primary purpose of the Police Department as an institution is to be the frontlines of the system, the protectors of property relations and the oppressive system that it creates. In particular the people who are being killed, brutalized, and attacked by police are Chicano, Hispanic, and African American peoples. This is proven in my very own city, where a recent report by the NYCLU has confirmed what we already know: That minority working class neighborhoods are patrolled by police like an occupying military force would. In NYC alone, about 86% of all people frisked in 2006 were black or hispanic. If anymore evidence of what is fundamentally, a budding police state is necessary, please tell me because I'm at a loss for words.

What do we do?

There are many more examples of my point then I can name here. I really want to go into the Patriot Act as well as the resurgence of the Creationist and Intelligent Design movements which are making a real comeback in many states in regard to education, but the point of this piece is not to be a resource but just a alert of the situation we're in. I often get critiscized for holding this position from both sides. Marxists tell me its just captialism and capitalists tell me don't worry about it, its in freedoms name and against terrorism. But the facts remain and this is not a society which is "free" or "safe" for us. It's not a society I want. Thus It's important that people get active. Join local Anti-Fascist, Anti-Imperialist, and Anti-Racist Groups. Contact others who hold similiar views as you do and start a club or committee in your town, workplace, school, or neighborhood. Recently I did this and while it seemed like an unrealistic task, there are lots of people out there searching for something better and it sometime takes struggle but struggle is necessary when you live in the belly of the beast. Look for a Part II later : )

Hiatus

2007-03-24T16:00:00.000-04:00

Its been a long time since my last post, mainly because I've decided that I will shut down this blog indefinatly. I have became alot more active in the Communist movement lately, and have found that blogging has become alot harder as I work on new initiatives like neighborhood Revolution clubs, a American Fashwatch, and activism in general. I will still read alot of the great blogs on the web like Renedgade Eye, The Red Mantis, Portland Maoist, Red Flags, Left Spot, Che Bob's blog, Seek the Truth, Serve the People, and troutsky's blog however my posting will be limited now.

Until Later, LeftyHenry

March 17 -- March on the Pentagon!

2007-03-02T23:56:00.000-05:00

March 17 marks two important events in history. The first is tragic; the 4th anniversary start of the Iraq war. The longest war in US history after Vietnam and the Civil War in which over 650,000 Iraqis would lose their lives thus far and 3000 American soldiers would lose theirs. The second event is not tragic. It is an example of what the people can do when they take history into their hands. 40 years ago on March 17th, the largest anti-war protest in US history occured transforming the opposition to a war not unsimiliar to the one the US is currently in, from a large but underground movement to a very large, very influential popular opposition to a system in decay. On March 17th 2007, hundreds of thousands of people will FORCE history to repeat itself. Join a wide range of anti-war coalitions on marching on the pentagon in opposition of the War in Iraq, and the criminal system of imperialism.

President's Day Weekend -- Celebration of Genocidal Monsters

2007-02-19T21:09:00.000-05:00

While President's day serves as a welcome rest from the usual, much like Colombus day, few actually take the time to reflect what the day is for. It seems like people just forget around this time what president's day really is; a celebration of genocidal racist maniacs. The featured presidents, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson for example, who President Bush has spent the weekend praising while comparing the Iraq war to the Revolutionary was, and who are the centerpieces of any American history propaganda session oops! I mean high school/college American history course, were the two presidents, who of any president, owned the most slaves. George Washington for example, "owned" over 200 slaves! Thomas Jefferson, who "owned" 161 slaves, and was famous for saying, "all men are created equal," expanded on the genocidal views of George Washington, by beoming active in the Native American genocide and encroachment of Native lands movement that the patriots of the revolution rallied around. On numerous occasions he called Naitve Americans "savages" inferior to whites.

This, of course, is (hopefully) well known, just forgotten by people in general. In "celebration" of these "heroes," I was active distributing leaflets and literature on the oppression this system is based on, focusing on the fact that this system runs heavy with the blood of slaves. The truth is that this system still oppresses minorities. In place of Thomas Jefferson's whip, there is a cops riot stick and pistol. In place of slavery on the fields, there are pockets of share cropping, the re-emergence of chain gangs, as well as the disgusting sweatshops all over the underdeveloped world. on this day as well as thursday (George Washington's birthday), people should really recognize the truth about this "holiday," and the oppressive nature of this system and its' "heroes."

Shoplifting and Socialism

2007-02-10T21:45:00.001-05:00

The following is a scenario on the efficiency of socialism and capitalism. I thought of this the other day and I think it is scenarios like this that make the production relations of capitalism so bankrupt.

My experience with shoplifting has been extremely pro-socialist. There is a cafeteria where we all eat lunch at around 12 everyday. Its very open, and most of us have little money. Most of the time there are people who steal food and drinks from the cafeteria which is essentially a food court. The other day, my friend was ordering a burger when the fry guy winked and said, "you're not gonna put that in your bag are ya?"

He did anyway and walked out. No one stopped him.

My conclusion is that the workers in the cafeteria (who are paid around minimum wage) have little stake in the success or failure of the institution. They just don't give a shit. They are paid a set wage by a private hand which they work for.

In a socialist society, the workers will own the factories and workplaces while the farmers own the farms and the people own the community.

...

The revolution has taken place and we are now in that same cafeteria but now, the workers own the cafeteria. They aren't producing for the profit of a private hand but rather for the public and because they control the cafeteria and have a stake in it.

When my friend takes a candy bar and is seen by a worker, the worker will stop him because he is now in control of the cafeteria, it's in collective hands not private, and stealing will affect him as well as the guy waiting on line next to my friend stealing the candy bar. Why? Because there is now one less candy bar for the community, and when the guy next to him goes to get his candy bar, it'll have been stolen. This is obviously a simplistic example but it can be applied to just about everything.

In conclusion, since the means of production are collectivly owned, the people have more of a stake in reporting or ignoring theft. Under the capitalist-imperialist system, private ownership makes it so that no one gives a shit whether you steal because only the private owner loses. On the otherhand, the popular ownership of socialism affects everyone because its owned by everyone and thus is not only a more just and democratic system, but also, a more efficient one.

The Axis of Hope

2007-02-01T22:45:00.000-05:00

Last November, Rafael Correa was elected by a wide margin over his conservative opponent sending chills down the spine the American capitalist class which has had Ecuador on a leash for as long as anyone can remember (like the rest of Latin America aside from Cuba). Rafael Correa is a "leftist" according to them, and a friend of Chavez. Since his election he has moved closer to Chavez alerting American businessmen even more. Yesterday, his supporters clashed with police in an action for support of the formation of a popular assembly and progressive constitutional reforms, shouting "kill them all" to the police and conservative congressmen. Why? Because the people are fed up. The world's economy is supposed to be great, yet ask an Ecuadorian farmer living in deep poverty and see what he says about that. Latin America is a disaster as anyone who travels or even listens will realize. The situation is so bad, tourists who go to completly Americanized destinations are starting to realize the objective truth; the rich are doing great and the workers are getting fucked. Their furry is shown in actions like this, the Oaxaca rebellion, and the election of "progressive" politicians. All throughout Latin America "leftists" like Chavez, Ortega, Morales, and Correa have been elected in the hopes that life will improve for the workers and toilers. What we are going to see however, is more reforms which will be washed away by a conservative pro-American politician who will eventually follow in their footsteps. That is the problem with the social democratic process and the reason why it rarely accomplishes significant gains; it does not give the workers state power. Immediatly after Correa heard of the actions in his support, he scolded them saying he only supported "peaceful" protest. It is this attitude that makes "Socialism by the ballot box" and "21st century socialism" bankrupt. Anti-imperialist, yes, and that is good for a continent that is enslaved and impoverished by its dependency on the United Leeches of America, however the only way socialism can be accomplished is through a vanguard revolution. That said, and in conclusion, the international communist movement is weak in this day and age, my personal opinion; we should support anti-imperialists of all colors in their struggle as it is the first step to bringing down this wretched system.

This Must HALT! Mobilize for January 27th Rally in Washington DC

2007-01-26T17:49:00.000-05:00

I'm having a bit of a hiatus, which is why I haven't kept up to my normal speed on this blog. Tommorow however, there is going to a major nationwide protest against the criminal war in Iraq. All major Anti-War groups will be there and if you can make it I suggest you go. The rally starts at 11am between 3rd and 7th streets at the National Mall. More info can be found at the united for peace & justice website (yes I know, they aren't revolutionary but we should be willing to unite broadly to get our message out). Here is an op-ed written by the Revolution Newspaper editorial staff in light of the event. I'll try to get a real post in soon as well as check out what's new on everyone else's blog.

It's a nightmare you can't just wake from...

Last November tens of millions went to the polls and did what they've been told their whole lives to do to change what their government is doing: they voted.

They voted in an attempt to end an immoral war on Iraq that has sent hundreds of thousands to early graves. They voted out of disgust with a President who believes he is above the law and a Congress that has gone along with his shredding of habeas corpus, his dragnet wiretapping, and his legalization and widespread use of torture. They voted out of fear for the world if Bush is not stopped before crusading into yet another country, his lies and brutality sanctified by a fascist Christian fundamentalism.

But what they got was just the opposite.

Over mass graves, inhuman degradation, and unrelenting horrors, Bush promised more of the same. He announced a major escalation of the war.

More troops and more carnage in the streets of Baghdad and in western Iraq. More war crimes and more torture as Bush lifts the "restrictions" he claims have tied the hands of U.S. forces. More gasoline on the flames of religious slaughter in Iraq and beyond as millions more get trapped between the intolerable choices of the U.S. juggernaut of war or the Islamic fundamentalist movement that’s fueled by it. More and wider war as Bush openly threatens Iran and Syria, moves ships into the Gulf region, and provocatively assaults Iranian diplomats within Iraq. More power to sustain the killing—an expanded Army—to support a long-term escalation of these wars without end.

This is, quite simply, unacceptable. This president must be stopped! His crimes must be halted! He and his criminal regime must be driven from power!

Anything less—any idea of waiting for two years until the next election, while the carnage and crimes continue and get devastatingly worse—is unconscionable.

The Paralysis of the Democrats

Many still hope the Democratic congress will step up. And in fact many Democrats are expressing serious reservations and even opposition to Bush’s escalation. But let’s look at what they’re actually saying and promising.

Hillary Clinton revealed something the other day when she said that she has a “responsibility gene” that prevents her from cutting off funding for the war, or even proposing a withdrawal of the troops. In fact, the whole Democratic Party has this same “gene.” The question is, responsible to whom and what?

Responsible to the Iraqis? Dick Durbin, in his official Democratic response to Bush's announcement of an escalation, put it this way: "We have given the Iraqis so much... it is time for the Iraqis to stand and defend their own nation." As if Iraq somehow invited the U.S. to come in and destroy their infrastructure, provoke a sectarian civil war, and steal the lives of hundreds of thousands! As if this were a gracious and magnanimous favor for which the Iraqis are being ungrateful and somehow making greedy demands for more of!

Responsible to the millions who voted for them, in the hopes that they would stand up to Bush? Ted Kennedy admitted in advance that by the time a vote comes on his bill to cut the funds for escalation, "The troops will already be there. And then we'll be asked, are we going to deny body armor to the young men and women over there?" And Nancy Pelosi has backed him up: "Democrats will never cut off funding for our troops when they are in harm's way."

This is even after Bush has publicly sworn that he won't listen to or be stopped by Congress! Asked on 60 Minutes whether he thought being commander-in-chief gave him "the authority to put the troops in there no matter what the Congress wants," Bush snarled, "Yeah... they could try to stop me from doing it. But I made my decision, and we're going forward."

So to whom and what are these big politicians responsible? When they talk about “redeploying American troops” in the region around Iraq to protect “our interests”—whose interests are being protected? Where is the major Democratic politician who has come out and called this war what it is—an illegal and immoral war that was launched to protect imperial interests in the Middle East? Who would show how those interests are NOT those of the people in Iraq, or the Middle East more broadly, or the majority of people within the U.S.?

If you open your ears and listen, you will hear that all the debate being allowed is over how to defend and extend the military strength, global reach, and interests of the U.S. system. How best to maneuver the U.S. ship of state through the tumultuous waters of global upheaval and reconfiguration in the wake of the Cold War and the massive migrations of people, factories, and capital caused by the turbo-paced capitalist globalization. How best to hammer people in this society into an even more repressive morality and legal system. And how to do it all while intensifying U.S. political domination and global exploitation and the terrible toll in needless human suffering that goes with it.

At the same time, there ARE real differences at the top. This war is going badly. Talk of a possible constitutional crisis echoes even into the halls of Congress. But as long as this remains a struggle over how best to defend and expand empire in a debate conducted by the empire’s politicians in the empire’s chamber, these differences will never go anywhere good. Without a massive upheaval from below, based on the interests and demands of the overwhelming majority of people here and around the world, the paralysis of the Democrats will continue to enable Bush to commit his crimes.

Needed: More--and More Determined--Protest and Resistance

The whole situation and direction and options "up for debate" are intolerable!

The paralyzed Democrats at the top have made clear that they, on their own, will not stop this. This whole situation can only be changed for the better by millions standing up, protesting and resisting this whole course.

But, yes, we need a different kind of protest. Not protest pleading with those who rule over us to "do the right thing," followed by a return to the routine . . . but protests that make clear to all that until these crimes are halted we will not rest. Protest that challenges those in society sitting on the sidelines to join in. Protest that aims at nothing less than actually stopping this juggernaut, and that does not flinch at the upheaval that could entail. When has any major change for the better come without upheaval and struggle??

Bob Avakian, Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, has spoken of the kind of spirit we need:

“It’s not merely a matter of letting the people in power know that we don’t like what they’re doing. It is saying that this course they’re on is one that will bring disaster to people all over the world, and we not only don’t support this but are going to act—to build massive political mobilization—to stop it. In this people can draw lessons, and draw inspiration, from those parents of U.S. soldiers who have died in Iraq, and who have come out in opposition to that war—and some of whom have come out in opposition to the whole disastrous direction of things, joining in with World Can’t Wait. These people have changed their whole lives. They’re not just saying, ‘I’ll put a bumper sticker on my car to show I’m opposed.’ Bumper stickers with progressive sentiments, statements in opposition to the war and other crimes of this regime—that is good—but these ‘bumper sticker people’ should be challenged: what are you gonna do about it.” [Bob Avakian, “On the Importance of World Can’t Wait...” Revolution, 62]

Without this spirit, there will be no good change. With it, a world of possibility can open up.

A Call to the Students and Youth

During the ’60s, the youth and students demanded and debated over the truth, and they fought for it. These youth, Black and white and all nationalities, dared to say “this system of racial segregation and oppression, this war in Vietnam, these institutions based on suppressing women...these are outrageous and they are immoral, and they can no longer be tolerated...for another minute.”

These youth put their bodies on the line for those beliefs. They broke free of the calculus of imperial interests and shell-game elections and they went to the people and took to the streets. And in doing so, they changed the face of a society.

This generation faces an even sharper challenge. It can no longer rest content with detesting Bush, while retreating into the cop-out of worldly wise cynicism. Calculations about school grades and career plans no longer apply for Iraqis whose streets have become killing fields. . . and they can no longer apply for those of us living in the society that has unleashed these horrors. The education needed above all in times like these is one that teaches and inspires debate over how to stand up for a whole different world . . . not how to find a future operating within the nightmare descending over this one.

Think about it. The Bush regime has encountered big troubles in butchering their way toward what Condoleezza Rice calls "a new Middle East." Even as the regime responds to these troubles by further throwing down the gauntlet, it confronts a political situation in this country of massive disaffection. The world is waiting for you—asking for you and wondering when you will finally rise to the mission that is on you to stop this--and galvanize the whole of society when you do.

There needs to be ferment and protest and political struggle taking over the campuses, where those of you who see what is going on challenge your friends, your teachers, your families and all of society with an uncompromising stand.

And everyone else throughout society, especially those who lived through the liberating struggles of the sixties and those who have a platform to speak from, need to share the responsibility to inspire and compel the youth of today at the same time as they raise their own voices once again to the whole of society saying: There's no one else to rely on. We are the ones, in our millions, who must bring this to a halt!

Discussion, Debate and Unity

There is a debate that has been ruled out of order, and that needs to be pried back open; it is a debate over how the world has gotten to this place, what must be done to change it, and what revolution has to do with all that. This kind of debate is not only urgently needed in its own right, it is key in fueling and inspiring forward a movement powerful and determined enough to halt the horrific trajectory of today.

Critical to that whole discussion is Bob Avakian’s revolutionary vision of a truly liberating society. This issue of our paper features an article that gives a basic sense of how Bob Avakian has re-envisioned the communist project, and of his method and approach to understanding reality and how to change it. If you are seriously concerned about the future—and who cannot be? — then you need to engage what he’s saying. And we strongly encourage you to go to Bobavakian.net and listen to the talk “Why We’re in the Situation We’re in Today. . . And What to Do About It: A Thoroughly Rotten System and the Need for Revolution.”

Today tens of millions are agonizing over what can be done. We must take to them the discussion of the big questions of history and morality and change that are joined in this moment, and we must at the same time move together to rouse them from the sidelines and onto the playing field of history. We put it to you: wrangle with this newspaper and then put it in the hands of others. And as you do, check out and get with and help build groups like World Can't Wait—Drive Out the Bush Regime and others that are daring to lead millions to stop and drive out this regime.

After four years of a gruesome war, let us not say we have learned to live with this carnage or with the unbearable acts of torture being committed even as we march. Let us tell ourselves that a "symbolic" protest is no more conscionable than a "symbolic" vote against this murderous escalation. Unless we resist and go forward to mobilize millions of others in mass, independent historical action, then we will bear the responsibility for the perpetuation of the very crimes thousands have come to Washington, D.C. to oppose.

The stakes for humanity cannot be overstated. The future is riding on how we live in these next months. We must make this the year the regime is driven out.

Link

Martin Luther King Day: Where we are today, and where we're going

2007-01-11T23:17:00.000-05:00

In honor of Martin Luther King weekend, and Pottawatomie Creek's call for leftist bloggers of all political strata to post about white supremecy and discrimination this upcoming weekend, I want to talk about the situation we're in today regarding discrimination, nationalism, and rascism in general. Martin Luther King had a dream, but has his dream been fulfilled decades later? The answer, in my opinion, is no. Rascism is alive and well, and will continue in a system that was built on the blood, sweat, and forced labor extracted from it.

So how is Rascism Alive in America?

Immigration

Nationalism and patriotism has, for some reason, always been something honorable, and as of the past year, so has immigrant bashing in the name patriotism. The vigilante 'minutemen' group, which is predominantly white and which has captured headlines with its patroling of the borders in nothing new. In fact, they are merely a KKK front group which is following in the footsteps of the "Klan border patrol".

Police Brutality

When was the last time you heard about the shooting of an unarmed white person? In the past years New Yorkers have witnessed the killings of Anthony Baez, Amoudou Diallo, and most recently Sean Bell who was murdered in cold blood hours before he was going to get married and start a new life. The worst part about this is that these are only the most publiscized murders. The October 22nd Coalition has started the Stolen Lives project in which they track, and have so far tracked, over 2000 people murdered by cops, and yes, you guessed it; you'll be hard pressed to find a white guy on that list.

School Segregation

According to a Harvard Study, re-segregation of schools is a growing trend. White students are attending higher quality schools, while Blacks are attending the shitty ones. To add insult to injury, Ohmaha schools are now racially segregated by law

Poverty

Blacks continue to be forced to live in the worst of the worst inner-city neighborhoods in greater numbers than whites. 33% of black children are in poverty while only 13% of white children live in poverty. This is just another reflection of the failure of the education system as well as the poverty trap that capitalism has created for minorities.

What Steps Can be taken to fulfill Martin Luther Kings dream?

In reality, undere this perverted and obscene system, rascism will live on. Even today decades after institutionalized rascism was ended, we see that black people and white people in general live in two completely different worlds. Strict Affirmative Action quotas for minorities (and woman) is a must to truly create a society where there is no racial, or sex discrimination, and eventually, make the idea of race disapear from our heads. Unfortunately, that will most likely never happen in a world where conservative, religious, traditional, and so called "family values" are treasured in the way they are.

Under Socialism...

People are encouraged to challenge all and every capitalist class norm. For example, in Maoist China, woman were told to rise up against institutionalized male superiority, arranged marriage, and fuedal practices like foot binding, while in Marxist-Leninist Soviet Union, raids and slaughters of Jewish villages were suddenly halted as well as abortion legalized. Socialism would create a radically different world where people would live as equals.

In Conclusion, sadly, MLK's dream has not been fulfilled. Blacks and Whites do not live together in harmony, in fact, they usually live one above the other (guess which one?) economically. That said much progress has been made thanks to the work and struggle of Civil Rights leaders like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. They will always be remember by millions as heroes fighting for freedom in an oppressive system. Happy MLK weekend everybody, and make sure to spend it remembering MLK's accomplishments for all people!

Chavez Inaugurated: Socialist Republic of Venezula?

2007-01-10T16:41:00.000-05:00

Venezula is currently at a very critical point in its history. In the years Hugo Chavez has been president of the Republic of Venezula, the number of households in poverty have decreased from 40% to 30% in less than 10 years. In the years Hugo Chavez has been president of the Republic of Venezula, workers have come together to reopen closed down factories and have formed over 70,000 worker co-ops where the workers in control of their workplace and make business descisions through a democratic process. Most recently, Chavez has announced plans to re-nationalize utilities so that the profits go to the people and things like healthcare and education, not to the pockets of the bourgieousie as well as start an advance towards the 'socialist republic of Venezula'.

In the years Hugo Chavez has been president Venezula has pulled itself out of the disasterous situation it was in and become a rally point for anti-imperialism. Chavez was elected and re-elected on his promise for a more radical "socialist" program, and while progressivbe steps towards socialism have been taken, we won't be able to see socialism unless there is armed struggle. No state in the world has created socialism through the ballot box, and I don't see Chavez as being the exception. Still, as an anti-imperialist and a progressive, we on the left should support Chavez and hope that what he has done so far, isn't even the top of the iceberg.

Link

CARACAS, Venezuela - Invoking Christ and Castro as his socialist models, President Hugo Chavez began his third term Wednesday by declaring that socialism, not capitalism, is the only way forward for Venezuela and the world.

His first stop: Nicaragua, where leftist ally Daniel Ortega was returning to power with his own inauguration hours later. Chavez can now count on remaining president until 2013 — or later if he gets his way with a constitutional amendment allowing him to run again.

At the apex of a resurgent Latin American left, Chavez has been emboldened to make more radical changes at home after winning re-election with 63 percent of the vote, his widest margin ever.

His next moves include nationalizing electrical and telecommunications companies, forming a commission to oversee constitutional reforms and asking the National Assembly, now entirely controlled by his supporters, to allow him to enact "revolutionary laws" by presidential decree.

His right hand raised Wednesday, Chavez declared in words reminiscent of Fidel Castro's famous call-to-arms: "Fatherland, socialism or death — I swear it." He also alluded to Jesus: "I swear by Christ — the greatest socialist in history."

In a speech, he said the central aim of his term will be "to build Venezuelan socialism."

"I don't have the slightest doubt that is the only path to the redemption of our peoples, the salvation of our fatherland," Chavez told lawmakers to applause.

Blazing Trail: Journey of the Indian Revolution

2007-01-06T00:46:00.000-05:00

This post is a reprinted post (at the author's permission) from revleft.com written by the Abhay, author of the Naxal Revolution Blog.

A Spectre is haunting India, the Spectre of Communism!

Above: Maoist Cadre training

Report and updates on the developing revolutionary situation in India

The revolutionary situation in India today stands at a crucial juncture and events in the next few years could very well decide it's success or failure. India is country with a population close to 1.1 billion but what many don't know is that it is also one of the two countries in the world to have an estimated 100-120 million workers in trade unions and as members of communist organizations. (China being the other one)

They are extremely fragmented, divided and opposed to each other but nonetheless have immense potential. With the rise of the CPI-(Maoist) there is now hope that many of these organizations could consolidate.

Who are the Naxalites?

Naxalite or Naxalism is an informal name given to revolutionary communist groups that were born out of the Sino-Soviet split in the Indian communist movement. The term comes from Naxalbari, a small village in West Bengal, where a leftist section of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) led by Charu Majumdar and Kanu Sanyal led a militant peasant uprising in 1967, trying to develop a "revolutionary opposition" in order to establish "revolutionary rule" in India.

Father of the Indian revolution - Comrade Charu Mazumdar

Majumdar greatly admired Mao Zedong of China and advocated that Indian peasants and lower classes must follow in his footsteps and overthrow the government and upper classes whom he held responsible for their plight. In 1967 'Naxalites' organized the All India Coordination Committee of Communist Revolutionaries (AICCCR), and broke away from CPI(M). Uprisings were organized in several parts of the country. In 1969 AICCCR gave birth to Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). After the internal revolt led by Satyanarayan Singh in 1971 and the death of Majumdar in 1972, the movement was fragmented into many competing factions.

Since then in the last three decades the movements have witnessed splits,petty ego clashes,recombinations and what has remained constant throughout is the brutal state repression.

Today, there exists a large number of political organizations whose roots are in the AICCCR/CPI(ML). Some maintain and develop Majumdar's concept of armed revolution, whereas others have condemned the excesses of the sectarian epoch. The organizations belonging to the latter category have established legal overground structures (trade unions, student groups, etc.) and started participating in elections.

People's War

The Maoists have spread and grown rapidly from

55 districts in 9 States in 2003 to
105 districts in 13 States in 2004 to
170 districts in 15 States in 2006.

India is divided into 28 states and seven union territories,
and has approximately 600 districts

The above map mainly shows the areas where the CPI(Maoist)
is waging People's War.

-They have around 10,000 armed cadres with 50,000 active supporters and
15 to 20,000 weapons of all makes including AK-47's and INSAS rifles.

-There are 1500 illegal arms manufacturing units in Bihar alone and an
indeterminate number in dense forests of other States.

-A recent study by Amnesty International and OXFAM estimated that out of 75 million illegal arms worldwide, 40 million guns were in central India. The annual budget is approximately Rs 200 crore supported by taxations amounting to Rs 250 crore.

-It is estimated that they run 80 training camps and train 300 Maoists at any one time.

-The people's militia which is currently untrained and does not possess
many weapons easily runs into a couple of millions.

Government of India Response

The ruling classes have been gripped by panic and paranoia.They have unleashed large scale repression. Since the last one year a brutal anti-maoist campaign called Salwa Judum is being carried out in the state of Chhattishgarh
the strong hold of Maoists.

An estimated 75,000 people have been moved out of their villages and are being held in concentration camp like conditions.
Most of these people were formerly maoist sympathisers. Chairman Mao had said the guerilla is a fish in an ocean of people. The Indian government is trying to empty the ocean.

Hundreds have been killed in the last one year alone by government forces

Blazing Trail

As of today civil war like conditions exist in large parts of the country. The state repression is immense and Maoist sympathisers have been jailed and killed in fake encounters,prison cells. Thousands of students have jumped into the movement and slowly the flame shall engulf the entire country. The path of the Indian revolution has been long,
painful and torturous. But the struggle carries on.....

Blazing Trail Documentry

U.S. Death Toll in Iraq hits 3,000

2006-12-31T17:17:00.000-05:00

US death toll in Iraq has officially reached 3000. The situation is now a full fledged civil war where two factions are trying to cleanse the country of one another. Bodies are appearing in dumpsters, car bombs and suicide bombings are almost hourly, it is hard to imagine how things could get any worse. Of course, it is worse because we have spent of 350 billion dollars on the war while 38 million people cannot afford to eat on a regular basis, our education system is in shambles, Social Security is a joke, and 40 million people are without health insurance. Hopefully, this new development in Iraq will bring people's attention back to severity of the situation.

WASHINGTON - American deaths in the Iraq war reached the sobering milestone of 3,000 on Sunday even as the Bush administration sought to overhaul its strategy for an unpopular conflict that shows little sign of abating.

The latest death came during one of the most violent periods during which the Pentagon says hate and revenge killings between Iraq's sects are now a bigger security problem than ever.

The death of a Texas soldier, announced Sunday by the Pentagon, raised the number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq to at least 3,000, according to an Associated Press count, since the war began in March 2003... Full Article.

Socialism in One Country

2006-12-30T01:23:00.000-05:00

I rarely post about marxist theory, especially as of late, but after passing through several blogs where the idea of 'Socialism in One Country' has been debated, I'd like to devote this entry to what it means.

Background Info...

It is October 1917 and the bolsheviks, through revolts by various soviets (worker councils), have seized power and establish the world's first socialist state. Now it is March 1921 and the New Economic Policy is passed through the course of the 10th Soviet Congress. The NEP would also usher in the "War Communism" policies intended to end the armed civil war in the Soviet Union. The NEP would essentially, restore State Capitalism in the USSR. The descision was not easy to come by, and after very slow economic progress, and Lenin's death; the bolshevik party would split on what to do next. By the end of 1924, after the utter failure of Communist Revolutions in the industrialized parts of Europe (ie Germany) from 1917 until 1924, Stalin and later Bakhurin decided that industrialization of the Soviet Union was paramount and that the Soviet Union must concentrate on building socialism in one country.

the Definition

Socialism in One Country was not a call for the USSR to be Republican Socialist, but rather, a bold plan to industrialize the Soviet Union by giving the power to people. This was the opposite of what advocates of the "permanent revolution" were calling for; continuation of State Capitalism until global revolution occurs, despite the fact that Lenin only intended the NEP to be an emergency measure. By no means, was socialism in one country, a "Nationalist" plan. Anyone else who had been elected to General Sectretary of the Party, would have to concentrate on a similiar plan because the Soviet Union was, at that time, a backwards agarian based economy with little industry. Before the Soviet Union could provide aid and arms to other revolutions it had to attain the basic infarstructure to do so. After the Soviet Union had been industrialized, it would aid revolutions and spread socialism as evident in how the Soviet Union provided aid and arms to Chinese Communist Party after WWII and then later provided engineers and monetary aid in the first five year plan.

China would be in a similiar position. After Kruschev took control of the CPSU through basically, a revisionist coup; China was left to stand alone as the last power that was advancing towards communism. Thus it was left with no choice but to industrialize immediatley before aiding other revolutions, which it would (Vietnam, North Korea). Today, Maoists like myself believe that socialism in one country can be achieved and are major internationalists (the two major Maoist groups are the Maoist Internationalist Movement and the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement). Essentially, we don't take the defeatist approach that supporters of the permanent revolution take; every communist revolution should revert to state-capitalism until worldwide revolution. We think that every communist revolution should both, take a great leap towards socialism as well as try to aid other revolutions. Feel free to disagree. I look forward to comments and disagreement from Dave, RE, and others who I have talked to about this topic.

Mao's Birthday and Boxing Day

2006-12-26T22:08:00.000-05:00

Today in 1893, Mao Tse tung was born in a small village called Shaoshan in the Xiangtan County of China. Today is also Boxing Day, a public holiday in the UK where you chill with your friends. Boxing Day is most likely named Boxing day because it was the day people would give "Christmas Boxes" to those who worked for them.

Mao's Birthday is the more important topic, especially since even today Cold Warrior Propaganda is spewed at the sound of his name. People claim that 100 or 200 million people died as a result of Mao and other crap like that. The numbers of course, are completely pulled out of the ass of people who are well established capitalists, who came up with these figures at perhaps the peak of the Cold War, in very pro-western surroundings.
Also, its quite ironic that you never here about the fact that by 1970 (under Mao), China for the first time in history, was able to aquedately feed its population. You also never here that under Chiang Kai-Shek, there was a famine and people starved every year. Mao's achievements are completely ignored. I heard that it was Mao's birthday on a NPR radio broadcast that was talking about everything that happened today in history, and Mao's contributions were completely ignored. For example, Under Mao, literacy jumped from around 10% to 80% as a result of the democratization of education in the rural countryside. Life expectancy more than doubled as it went from 32 to 70 as a result of the newly introduced barefoot doctors who gave universal healthcare to the people. Maoism also liberated woman with his "woman hold up half the sky" programs like the Marriage Act of 1950 which ended arranged marriage. Maoism also ended the barbaric fuedal confucianist ideas of men being superior to woman and being their near slaves! Maoism industrialized China and turned it into a World Power from a fuedal agarian based economy in about 2 decades. In sum, there is more to the propaganda than meets the eye, and on a lighter note, I hope any and all readers had a good holiday season and a great new year.

The Death of Pinochet

2006-12-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

Well, By now we've all heard the great news as its been about a week since his death. Today I stumbled across this old Chilean song so I thought I'd post it in memory of the piece of shit:

Victor Jara of Chile
Lived like a shooting star
He fought for the people of Chile
With his songs and his guitar
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

Victor Jara was a peasant
He worked from a few years old
He sat upon his father's plow
And watched the earth unfold
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

Now when the neighbors had a wedding
Or one of their children died
His mother sang all night for them
With Victor by her side
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

He grew up to be a fighter
Against the people's wrongs
He listened to their grief and joy
And turned them into songs
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

He sang about the copper miners
And those who worked the land
He sang about the factory workers
And they knew he was their man
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

He campaigned for Allende
Working night and day
He sang "Take hold of your brothers hand
You know the future begins today"
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

Then the generals seized Chile
They arrested Victor then
They caged him in a stadium
With five-thousand frightened men
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

Victor stood in the stadium
His voice was brave and strong
And he sang for his fellow prisoners
Till the guards cut short his song
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

They broke the bones in both his hands
They beat him on the head
They tore him with electric shocks
And then they shot him dead
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

Revolutionary Films

2006-12-14T21:39:00.000-05:00

I want to create a small archive of Revolutionary Movies. If anyone had any please comment on this entry, or e-mail me, a link to YouTube or Google Video would be great. Here are a few of my own.

One of the most controversial dramatic films produced in China during the cultural revolution, "Breaking" is about the struggle to Democratize education in the countryside. Made during Mao Tse Tung's infamous Cultural Revolution. The movie brings a perspective on the Chinese Revolution that is not often heard, about how the Chinese Revolution changed life for the masses. The film in full length is provided above.

** Breaking With Old Ideas takes Roughly 30 seconds to Buffer.

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This Film is a moving story about the bourgieousie decadence, and the gritty poverty of Cuba before the Revolution, and the terrible lifestyles of people which drove them to revolt and fight for liberation. I can't find the movie in full length, only the trailer which can be found here. The movie can be found on sale here for $16. I highly reccomend it.

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Capitalism and Kids Stuff is a great movie about the inefficiency of capitalism and its complete upsurdity. I have found it in full length divided in 5 parts, I also reccomend this film, as it breaks down the problems of capitalism in a simple easy to understand talk.

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This is Eisenstein's classic silent film, Battleship Potemkin, which is about a revolt on a battleship during the Russian Revolution of 1905. It was reccomended to me and I haven't had a chance to watch it yet but it looks great. The movie can be found in full length above.

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56.3% of Russians Lament the Fall of the USSR

2006-12-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

56% of Russians lament the fall of the Soviet Union. Just thought this was an interesting article. It brings up an interesting topic. The Neo-Left movement in both China and Russia who long for the garunteed employment, free healthcare, education, and social benefits of "Sovietism", is growing, and is especially popular among the youth who want to see an end to imperialist capitalism that is present day Russia, and elevate it back to the industrial superpower it was before the fall. Now as the Republics who made up the USSR increasingly turn to ultra-nationalism, and in Russia, Corporatism and pseudo-fascism, this study shows exactly the state that Russia and the East in general are in.

MOSCOW, December 7.—The disintegration of the Soviet Union 15 years ago has revived controversial political debate with wounds still open in sectors that supported the maintenance of the conglomerate of nations.

The Bieloviezhski agreement, signed on December 8, 1991 by the then president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin; of Ukraine, Leonid Kravbchuk; and Belorus, Stanislav Shushkevich, erased the Soviet Union from the world map, where it had figured since 1922.

The birth of the Community of Independent States (CIS) was announced for December 21, 1991, but to date evaluations of that period are contradictory.

The current debate, with nuances, is taking place between those who consider the crumbling of the Union inevitable and, on the other side, those who interpret those acts as doing irreparable damage and leading to the destruction of a powerful multinational state, according to Prensa Latina.

With a majority of the population who laments the debacle of the early 90s, Russian society remains polarized in terms of the role played by Mikhail Gorbachev, ex-president of the Soviet Union, and Yeltsin in that convulsive process, qualified by the left as a conspiracy.

Interviewed on the subject of commemorating that date, Viacheslav Kebich, head of the Belarus government at that time, said that the Russian delegation held the baton as the initiator of the disintegrative treaty.

Fifteen years later, 56.3% of Russians lament the collapse of the Soviet Union, according to a survey by the Bashkirov and Partners consultancy.

Among citizens of Russia, the Ukraine and Belarus that sentiment brings together 69 out of every 100 persons interviewed by the Euroasian Monitor agency.

Translated by Granma International

An Update

2006-12-08T21:07:00.000-05:00

This is a bit of a unusual post because it's about something I did personally rather than a current event or Marxist theory which I usually like to talk about, but nonetheless, I think its' worthy of a post, especially since I haven't updated in a week, and activism is always good to discuss. On wednesday, I attended a rally in support of action against NYPD police brutality and the most recent case of this, the murder of Sean Bell.

The Rally was held in the afternoon and lasted for several hours. I attended the rally with the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigades, The Revolutionary Communist Party's Youth Wing, and was pleasantly suprised. First, the rally had a massive turnout. Although the New York Times wrote the next day that only a hundred or so people showed up, I can vouch that there were at least one or two thousand people, and that their estimate was bull. Second, it was great to go out and be active, as the last protest I attended was the World Can't Wait's October 5th Day of Action. I attended a small rally at Union square with a maximum of two or three hundred people. I feel that one of the most effective ways to make people aware of our ideals, as socialists, is too attend these protests and speak out, and so I'm always glad to participate in rallies like this one. Third, I was especially pleased and excited by the amount of communist, socialist, and anarchist youth that were present at the rally, and the amount of people that expressed interest in the flyers we handed out and the papers we sold. It is great to see that there are so many people are unsatisfied with capitalism and the system in place. Here is a photo gallery from the rally.

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Also, in a completely unrelated story, I thought I'd post this. The Richest 1% own 40% of the world's wealth and the poorest 50% own less than 1%. Just more reason why capitalism has too go.

Chavez Re-Elected

2006-12-03T21:55:00.000-05:00

It's official. Hugo Chavez has been re-elected by a wide margin. Polls both sympathetic and run by opposition parties showed Chavez winning the election. With 78% of the votes counted, Manuel Rosales 38% of the votes while Chavez took 61% according to Bloomberg News. Weither or not Chavez won 10,000,000 votes as he predicted he would is unknown, however what is known is that this is the best outcome we leftists could hope for. Chavez's bolivarian revolution has successfully combatted the high poverty rates in Venezula bringing it down from 40 to 30% of the population. Chavez has also created universal and free college education, and increased funding for various social programs. Under Chavez, Venezula has seen the abandonment of many major factories by bourgieousie, and the takeover of those abandoned factories by workers creating co-operative management in which workers are empowered. These actions completely debunk the capitalist notion that, "workers are stupid" and that "workers can't run businesses and a state."

I am enthusiastic about Chavez's win. Although he is not the great labor leader I used to think he was as he doesn't denounce private property, Chavez's anti-imperialist stance and assistance to the last socialist state on earth -- Cuba, make up for that. Plus, Chavez has for a while now, claimed that if he won; he would institute a "new phase" of the bolivarian revolution. In which hopefully, we'll see nationalization of industry and more of the co-operatives we have already seen.

Also, Chavez's victory solidifies the Latin American, "Axis of Evil", which consists of mild leftist, and leftist presidents like Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro and now maybe Daniel Ortega and Rafael Correa of Nicargua and Ecuador. This left leaning trend can only mean good things for an extremely impoverished and oppressed Latin America.

Police Brutality

2006-12-02T17:48:00.000-05:00

Sean Bell, the latest victim of police brutality, was buried today here in New York. In case you haven't heard what happened yet, Sean Bell, was leaving his bachelor party with two friends hours before his wedding. A cop, who apparently suspected he was going to get a gun after talking/fooling around with the club's bouncer, followed him. Sean Bell and his friends got in his car and as he was maneuvering out of his parking spot, accidently bumped the cop then proceeded to fire into the car, reload, and keep on firing until 50 shots had wounded Sean's two companions and killed Sean. This is just one of many examples of how police abuse their power. This is not the first time the NYPD has taken actions like this and it won't be the last. This is a classic example of the elements of stereotypical rascism, corruption, and incompetance that police all over America and even the world, have come to represent. It is also a classic example of how the police are just as bad as the "thugs" they are supposed to take down in that they don't think when they take actions like this. What's worse is that cops who take these type of actions often face little or no consequences because the prosecutor claims that police judgement shouldn't be challenged and the jury eat it up. It is these reasons that communists, anarchists, and socialists hate the pigs. I personally see pigs as the 'protectors of capitalism' and they are really only necessary to supress all out class war/struggle. I am not saying that cops are all bad, and granted they do solve rape and murder crimes, but they're oppressive nature far outways their crime solving one and disgusting actions like this prove it. Crime solving should be left up to communities, because the risk we take with oppressive pigs and their brutal ways are just as bad as the crimes themselves.

Saturday, December 2nd: the 50th Anniversary of the Start of the Cuban Revolution

2006-11-28T17:47:00.000-05:00

On November 25, 1956, 82 revolutionaries including Fidel Castro, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, and many others boarded the Granma and set sail for Cuba ready and willing to give their lives for the cause of liberating Cuba from a few wealthy landowners and tyrants who had enslaved Cuba for so many years. Saturday, December 2nd is the 50th anniversary of the start of the Cuban Revolution.

On May 15th, 1955 Fidel Castro and his brother Raul went to Mexico City after being released from prison as political prisoners. In Mexico, they would met up with the Argentinian doctor, Ernesto Guevara. 17 months later, the trio would return to Cuba, and wage a sort of people's war to give Cuba back to the workers and farmers. By this time, Fidel and Raul had their mind set on revolution, and soon convinced Che. In order to wage the revolution, they needed ammo, food, water, a ship, weapons, gas for the boat, maps, compasses, and a variety of other items that would prove invaluable.

The Granma, a leisure yacht made for 12 people was acquired by a Mexican citizen acting on behalf of Fidel's guerilla group, The July 26th Movement. The yacht could float, but was seriously rundown. It was slow because of badly worn gears that weren't maintained, a radio that could not send messages to allies in Cuba, and a tank that was far too small to last the voyage to Cuba. On top of that 82 people and supplies to back a revolution needed to fit on the tiny vessel. miraculously the problems were solved, although conditions were less than comfortable.

They departed on November 25th from the port of Tuxpan, Mexico. They were quick and quiet about it as Mexican authorities already were on to them. The voyage passed well except on the last day, when one revolutionary fell overboard in the middle of the night. When they were just about to give up searching Fidel ordered them not to give up, and sure enough, minutes later the revolutionary would be spotted and rescued.

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The Granma was supposed to land at a town called Niguero where trucks, ammo, food, and 50 more revolutionaries were waiting however, a helicopter spotted them and they were forced to land early in a swapmy area far from the DLZ. The marshy terrain prevented the rebels from unloading all their equipment. They were quickly nearly annihilaed, however they managed to regroup and create a stronghold in the Sierra Maestra mountains. Three years later in January, they would emerge victorious and march on Havana with parades of jubiliant people cheering.

Today, the anniversary is still honored in Cuba. every year on November 25th, a group of young Cubans in a replica of the Granma, retrace the footsteps of the freedom fighters.

Today Cuba faces as many problems as it did at the start of the revolution, but much progress has been made as I pointed out three posts back. Cuba is the last remaining socialist state in the world, and continues to resist US socio-economic imperialism 50 years later. Long live the Cuban Revolution!

Maoists Sign Peace Treaty; Let's Hope this Pays Off

2006-11-21T20:44:00.000-05:00

After Ten years of a protracted People's War,

The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has signed a 'permanent' truce which allowed them to join the government in exchange for locking up their arms and weapons. The Maoists took up arms to liberate Nepal; one of the poorest countries in the world, by ending the monarchy, establishing New Democracy, and bringing equal rights to Woman and better living standards to workers. After years of revolution, and popular uprisings; King Gyanendra was forced to restablished parliament. Now, a interim democratic government has been formed by a seven party alliance led by the CPN-M. All socialists and communists should support the CPN-M and their struggle even now.
For a while I've been hearing trash talk from Trots, Sparts, and Anarchists and all I can say is where is your solidarity? Weither or not choosing a path of peace was right or wrong, I trust the CPN-M and I think they know what they're doing. While on the topic, I'd like to bring up my recent change in ideology. I used to be a trotskyist but as of recent, I have found myself moving farther away from trotskyism, and towards Maoism. I had always liked Maoist theory, and have found more and more problems with Troskyism. For example, in every country, there are about 10 trot parties that all claim to be a vanguard and disagree only minimally. It is for this reason, that there has never been a trotskyist revolution, but there have been many Marxist-Leninist and Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Revolutions. Even today, Maoism is the the ideology of major revolutionary organizations in India, Peru, and of course, Nepal. In anycase, the situation in Nepal is an important one that we, socialists, must watch carefully, and support. Solidarity to the Workers, Students, and Peasants of Nepal. Here is an old interview with CPN-M Chairman, Prachanda, which I've dug
up for those interested.

Starbucks Workers Unionize

2006-11-19T19:40:00.000-05:00

This one will make you laugh; Starbucks baristas joining the Industrial Workers of the World union. November 24-25 is the "Global Day of Action Against Starbucks." Starbucks baristas unionized in New York City and Chicago in 2004, and since, have been a thorn in the side of the multi-national corporation. Union members have been harrased, threatened, and fired for their activities. Since December 12th 2005, Joseph Agins, Charles Fostrom, Evan Winterscheidt, Daniel Gross, and Isis Saenz have been illegally fired. The Global Day of Action hopes to raise wages and improve working conditions in Starbucks cafes as well as build solidarity with Ethiopian coffee farmers who are not recognized by Starbucks. A recognition from Starbucks would earn Ethiopian Coffe Farmers an additional 88 million dollars per year. More informaton about the Day of action can be found here. Very little info on any actual rallies being held have been posted but I'll post it here when/if they do.

Let's Talk About Cuba

2006-11-12T16:33:00.000-05:00

My last post recieved a comment from someone who brought up Cuba and the state which it is in. I responded to his comment, and realized that I hadn't yet addressed the situation in Cuba in my blog yet. I used to think that Cuba was a horrible place as well. I thought it was an evil dictatorship where everyone was starving, afterall, that's what they tell you in school, in the newspapers, in books, on TV and every where you look for information on Cuba. Is all the hype real?

President Carter one said something along the lines of; the real threat that comes from Cuba is that it is a example for other oppressed peoples to follow. He was right. in the 47 years socialism has exsisted in Cuba, massive improvements have been made. A once impoverished country has become a huge constuction site, making massive improvements in almost every field.

The Improvements...

Cuba was devastatingly impoverished before the revolution. The vast majority of people in Cuba lived in houses made out of twigs and had no sanitation, most of the wealth and land was held by a few rich families, most cubans were not educated, and healthcare was non-exsistant. Today in Cuba, all of that has changed. Cuba has one of the lowest poverty indexes in the Carribean and Latin America surpassing Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica. Cuba also has an astonishingly low ratio of people-to-doctors, almost 10 times lower than it's capitalist counterpart; Haiti! As well as at least twice as low as America's. Cuba's free education system has allowed average working class people to become doctors, an opportunity that few capitalist countries give its' peoples. Unemployment in Cuba is also incredibly low as it is less than 2%. Cuba's illiteracy problems have disappeared and literacy is the highest in the world!. People in Cuba also have widespread access to sanitation, a problem that people in Cuba's capitalist counterparts face.

Contrary to popular belief, Cuba is a well planned Republic. Just google "Cuban Democracy" or "Democracy in Cuba" and if you look closely, you'll find articles by both socialists and non-socialists who explain Cuba's grassroot democracy that has been in place since the begining of the revolution.

Of course Cuba is not without problems, and has a long way to go but considering the embargo and all the capitalist aggression it faces, Cuba has done very well. Now with Castro's health ailing, and the US claiming he won't live through 2007, Cuba's Republic is in danger. We must wait and see what will happen but I'm truly hope that Cuba will not take the path of other Latin America countries getting rid of their universal healthcare and education and renewing mass poverty. We shall see, but I think the Cuban people will stand strong even after the death of Fidel.

The Election, What will come of it?

2006-11-08T18:10:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was election day here in the US, and the results have confirmed that an increasingly large amount of Americans are unhappy with current conservative policies, and the Republican party's increasingly costly and chaotic war in Iraq.

As the Democrats took the house and look as if they are going to take the senate, we must think. What difference will a democrat controlled legislative branch make? The answer? none whatsoever. I do not see the democrats making any changes to the War in Iraq. It's almost naive to think that they'll get us out of the mess most of them voted for. They have put forward no plan of action and no ideas other than, the idea that they oppose the Republicans. They claim that they'll set up deadlines and timetables, but have not elaborated in any way how they're going to stabilize Iraq, actually pull out our troops, and when they would pull us out. So in reality, there will be little change, if any with this new Democratic controlled house. As Emma Goldman once said,

If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal

On another note, in Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, the Sandinista leader, was re-elected to his post as the president of Nicargua, 16 years after being voted out. Sadly, as I soon learned, this isn't the same Daniel Ortega as we saw in the 80's. He has become a social democrat and a catholic who embraces CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which is quite sad of a former Revolutionary Socialist who liberated Nicaragua and brought democracy and freedom to it despite America's attempts to prevent him. In anycase, this is as a good a result as leftists could hope for as it means another leftist President joining the 'axis of evil' in Latin America consisting of Chavez, Castro, and Morales. Still, I can't stop from keeping my finger crossed that we see nationalizations and a working class movement emerge in Nicaragua as a result of this. Anything else would be just painful to watch.

Pictures from the frontlines in Oaxaca

2006-11-04T18:17:00.000-05:00

Last week I posted that the Town Center, which was the headquarters for the APPO in Oaxaca fell. That was true however, all is not lost. The commune continues as the protestors pulled back to Oaxaca state's university. On thursday, the police attempted to attack the university, but the protestors forced them into retreat. Here is a collection of photographs taken on the frontline of the battle for Oaxaca. They're minimized but if you click on them you can see them in full size. Enjoy.

The cause and effect of molotov cocktails...

David vs. Goliath...

Pig seeking missiles...

Victory to the Workers!

Oaxaca Update: The Murder of Brad Will, and the assualt on Oaxaca

2006-10-29T19:41:00.000-05:00

If you've been following the situation in Oaxaca, by now you should have heard about the two major events that have incurred there in the past few days. The first, was the murder of Brad Will, an Indymedia journalist and videoblogger who was down in Oaxaca covering the situation. He was known to have supported the protestors and their cause. On October 27, Brad was shot in the torso from long range by cops and/or local government officials. Both independent media (who have been covering this democratic popular uprising from the beginning) and corporate media (who have ignored it until now) have covered this incident. The irony of it is that incidents like these are the exact reason why this uprising started.

The other major event that happened is that thousands of police armed with automatic rifles, riot shields, tear gas, armored vehicles, and helicopters have invaded Oaxaca and pushed back protestors through sheer force. The protestors, who only demand better wages and workplaces and the resignation of the oppressive and extremely corrupt governor of Oaxaca, have vowed to make their stand in the town center and won't budge until their demands are met. The Mexican people are tired of the corruption and poverty this system has brought them. This and the popular uprising in Mexico City earlier this year where thousands upon thousands of people stood up for justice are examples of how fed up the Mexican people are with their government. The workers, farmers, teachers, and students are willing to fight to the end. Long Live the Oaxaca Commune!

On Reformism

2006-10-28T01:16:00.000-04:00

Recently, a fellow socialist blogger, Red Dave, wrote an article titled 'The Merits of Revolution' which basically outlined his problems with the idea of a popular uprising, or a revolution. I thought this was a good topic. One of the major disagreements I often have with other socialists is exactly this; what will better accomplish our end goal? Reformism or Revolution? So I decided to outline my beliefs on Democratic Socialism.

First, the positives. Obviously one of the benefits of socialism through the ballot box is that there are no casualties. Another is that it is more respected as it is constitutional and 'democratic'. These are what attract a lot of socialists to democratic socialism, and they are good reasons for that. Another reason is revolutionary socialism's haunting past where socialism basically became state capitalism with purges and other events which would scar socialism for decades to come.

Now the negatives and my arguement for revolution. First, I personally believe socialism can come in no other way than by starting over on a blank page. This is because socialism calls for such radical change that capitalist constitutions will not allow those changes to proceed 'constitutionally'. Why? Because the 20th century taught capitalist countries to make their constitutions safeguards against socialism, often times banning socialist parties or throwing communists in prison. Thus a revolution which is by the workers and masses of society is needed. Second, even if we were too accomplish such change legally, capitalism would always be there and present. All of our reforms could be undone when a new congress or parliament is voted in. Third, socialism cannot be 'voted in' under capitalist so called "democracy". These "democracies" are crafted to exclude small parties that have no or little money. Campaigning is all about money. Everything on the campaign trail costs. A socialist party, which is often small and based in the working class, does not have the same type of funds as the Republican Party or Democrat Party which get massive donations from celebs and businessmen. Thus since they can't campaign, they can't get their voice heard and usually will not even end up on the ballot.

In sum, Democratic Socialism has it's perks but it also has it's problems. Revolutionary Socialism has it's perks and problems too but in terms of reaching pure socialism, revolutionary socialism is more effective.

I'm looking forward to responses from Democratic Socialists on this topic. I want my points to be rebutted mainly because I think this is an important topic that all socialists should deal with and learn from each other about.

Long Live the Great October Socialist Revolution!

2006-10-23T20:43:00.000-04:00

Today I was walking home when I realized that this is October and October was when the Bolsheviks overthrew the provisional government and established the world's first socialist state. when I got home, I went online, and coincidently, on October 23, 1917,* The Bolshevik revolution kicked off with a revolt in Talinn, Estonia. On October 25*, Lenin led his revolutionaries in an uprising in Petrograd (St. Petersburg), which was the capital of Russia at that time, and in a near bloodless battle, took control of various government buildings. On October 26*, the Red Guard stormed the Winter Palace and in about 6 hours, took control of the palace which was guarded by Cossacks.

A revolution is impossible without a revolutionary situation; furthermore, not every revolutionary situation leads to revolution.

- Vladmir Ilych Lenin

This event was not only crucial because of how the newly formed USSR would effect every aspect of 20th century history, but also because this event established the world's first worker state and in my opinion, the only one which really put the power in the hands of the workers. In the end, the USSR would give into outside pressure, Stalinist State-Capitalism, and eventually Free Market Capitalism, but at least for some time the workers and producers of society shook the world and took control of their country.

*October 23 by Julian Calendar, November 5 by Gregorian Calendar.

Market Bombing Marks Another Bloody Month in Iraq

2006-10-22T01:17:00.000-04:00

Today mortar shells and bicycle bombs went off in a market in Mahmoudiya, Iraq. Between 18 and 20 were killed and up to 60 were wounded. That brings this month's death toll to 907 civilian war related casualties. The UN claims that at least 100 Iraqis are kiled daily. Three and a half years into the war, almost 2800 American soldiers have died and according to a recent study, 655,000 civilians have died.

October, with a week left, has already been marked as the bloodiest month in the war since April 2005. The recent death estimates mixed with the ongoing civil war in Iraq have prompted some officials like a top British General recently, to claim it's time to leave.

My opinion has from the begining been that this war will lead us nowhere and that it is extremely bloody. The worst part is that Iraq was better under Saddam then it is now. There is fucking ethnic cleansing going on between two groups who simply disagree on who succeeded Mohammed. What will be interesting to see now is how we'll deal with Iran and North Korea now. President Bush has successfully, gotten us into the middle of a civil war, tied up our troops in Iraq, and thus now cannot deal with the real threats. It's almost like some twisted and tragic comedy where everything has gone insanely wrong!

A Commune in Oaxaca?

2006-10-19T19:12:00.000-04:00

Every year on "Teacher's Day" in Mexico, teachers hold a rally at Oaxaca City, Mexico. Teachers are payed low wages in poor conditions in an education system which quite frankly, sucks ass. Usually the teachers get a small raise and return to work but this year they decided they were fed up with all the bullshit they've dealt with.

On June 14, The governor of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, backed by the government attacked the protestors at dawn with tear gas and riot gear and by beating the protesters with clubs, they forced the strikers to flee out of the city. The teachers returned with students, farmers, and workers to the city and after a long bloody battle, took the city and forced the police out with only stick, stones, and old fashion proletariat strength!

Since then, the workers, farmers, teachers, and students who occupy Oaxaca have taken over the radio airways and government buildings, barricadded the streets, armed themselves, and set up a completely democratic government body called the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca, or the APPO.

In recent weeks, the government has stepped up it's actions against the commune, and President Fox and his regime claim that it is their number one goal to end the APPO occupation of Oaxaca before he leaves office.

Why am I posting this now? Well mainly to spread awareness. The only way the Oaxaca has a chance at surival is through pressure on the Mexican government from the outside. Protests and Rallies are a start. Two weeks ago, the Free People's Movement organized a rally here in New York which was pretty successful. It is of the utmost importance to spread awareness about the situation. I have provided two links for those who want to find out more about the Oaxaca Commune.

Celebrating 40 years of the Black Panther Party

2006-10-15T01:27:00.000-04:00

This weekend, the Black Panther Party will be holding a reunion in Oakland where they plan to hold various workshops on current issues like Hurricane Katrina.

The Black Panther Party was formed in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale as a Militant civil rights movement group. The Black Panther Party was perhaps the most revolutionary party in American history to this date. They are famous for monitoring police activity in black neighborhoods while armed. They also are famous for violent shoot-outs with cops.

They also accomplished alot within black communities. They set up free health clinics and were very good at keeping money in the neighborhood thus strengthening the local economy.

One of the lesser known facts about the Black Panther Party is that they were Marxists and Leninists who saw themselves as a vanguard party for a socialist revolution. They also were greatly inspired by Mao Zedong. This was apparent in their 'Ten Point Program'

1.) We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our black and oppressed communities.

2.) We want full employment for our people.

3.) We want an end to the robbery by the capitalists of our black and oppressed communities.

4.) We want decent housing, fit for the shelter of human beings.

5.) We want decent education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent american society. We want education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society.

6.) We want completely free health care for all black and oppressed people.

7.) We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people, other people of color, all oppressed people inside the united states.

8.) We want an immediate end to all wars of aggression.

9.) We want freedom for all black and oppressed people now held in u. S. Federal, state, county, city and military prisons and jails. We want trials by a jury of peers for all persons charged with so-called crimes under the laws of this country.

10.) We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, peace and people's community control of modern technology.

In sum, the Black Panthers were more than just a blip on the screen of history. Even though they had only 5000 members at their peak, they inspired thousands if not millions and was the first organization to really pose a threat to the government and institution. The Black Panther Party left a significant mark on the 20th century.

Full Article

More info on the Black Panthers

650,000 Innocents killed in Iraq

2006-10-11T21:00:00.000-04:00

A new study estimates that some 650,000 innocent Iraqis have been killed as a consequence of US imperialist actions in Iraq. This study is much higher than Bush's random guess and General Casey, one of the leading generals in Iraq, who estimate that it is 30,000.

This study is already receiving critiscism and is being called "politics" by the corporate media. This test does have validity however, because it was conducted scienctifically. No one knows exactly what the number is and the reason is that the numbers are so high, no one can really make an accurate count. Sources go as low as 30,000 to as high as now 650,000.

This all is quite convenient for the Bush regime considering that because it's all speculation, no one knows the body count in Iraq. Thus the regime gets no pressure from the public on this particular issue. The president of course, was quick to say that these figures "weren't credible." It's kind of ironic coming from him as most people don't think of him as "credible".

Columbus Day - Celebration of a Tyrant?

2006-10-06T22:20:00.000-04:00

Monday is Columbus day here in America and many will get the day off from school and work. While at face value it seems reasonable to celebrate the man who discovered America, it really is not if you consider some of the actions he took which changed the course of the future, for the worse. I would like to devote this entry to exploring the reasons why Columbus was a tryrant who should not be celebrated.

First, a little background info. Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa, Italy. He was hired as a cabin boy at age 14 and became a captain by age thirty. In 1476, Columbus became a citizen of Portugal and started to consider launching a expedition to reach Asia by going west. He believed that the world was almost 5,000 miles smaller than it really is, and that the Americas didn't exsist. At the time, the was normal as the New World had only been seen once before, and that was by the scandanavian sailor Leif Erikson. Most people of the time new nothing of Erikson. In 1482, Columbus asked the King of Portugal to fund the expedition. He was turned down. Columbus than went to Spain. Spain at first was hesitant, than they agreed and provided 3 ships and eighty-something crew. On October 12, 1492. Columbus landed on the Bahamas. He met the Arawaks who he named, the Taino because they came to him saying "taino" which meant "peace."

Columbus claimed the land for Spain, and on that day, European sentiment towards Native Americans were set in stone for the next 400 years. How is that so? Well it has to do with Columbus's observations and thoughts and attitude in general. He wrote in his diary that the natives could be easily converted and "subjugated." He also wrote that the lands were resource rich and that they could be of much profit to Spain. And finally he stated that the Natives could be easily intimidated and taken advantage of. It was this which led Europeans to rape and exploit Native American culture and society and land.

Columbus also encouraged the plundering, rape, of the Arawaks and their villages. Diesease also took it's toll, and if the Arawaks resisted, they were slaughtered by the European's advanced weaponry. in 1494 alone, some 50,000 Arawaks perished.

In short, celebrating Columbus is celebrating a tyrant. It was Columbus who set the stage for the next 400 years which would be 400 years of diesease, death, starvation, genocide, and mass murder.

Turnout of the World Can't Wait's day of Action

2006-10-05T18:48:00.000-04:00

I haven't updated in a couple of days because I simply have had nothing to write about, but today, I attended the World Can't Wait to Drive out the Bush regime's rally here in New York City. I'll admit that I kind of cheated since I was supposed to skip 'business as usual' in order to go to the rally, but I didn't. I came relatively late to the protest which was at Union Square here in New York and started at four, but I was there in time to here some great speakers. It was interesting to see the range of speakers who each represented different political ideologies. Organizations that were present ranged from the Revolutionary Communist Party to the 'Progressive' Democrat party to Code Pink. The people present were mostly radical liberals but there was some people from the RCP and some Black Nationalists. In retrospect, the rally was small with maybe 500 or so people but that was only one of the many rallies nationwide and citywide. Perhaps the most humorous moment of the protest was seeing a cop shake his head and spit in disapproval as a speaker representing the October 22nd Coalition Against Police Brutality come to the stage.

What is Communism?

2006-10-01T23:10:00.000-04:00

This is a very good piece which explains the basics of communism. This piece is relativly old, however it's something worth taking a look at. I thought some of my socialist viewers would enjoy it as well as those who are new to marxism andare curious to learn about it.

What is Communism?
==========
Without a doubt, you’ve probably heard about communism. And, also without a doubt, you’ve probably heard all sorts of horror stories about it — from your teachers, from the media, from politicians, even from your church pastor or preacher.

They tried to scare you. They want to keep you from finding out for yourself. If you asked one authority figure for a second opinion, they usually told you to ask another authority figure. And if that didn’t satisfy you, then they told you to read the history books they wrote for you.

Do you see a pattern here? The one person they will never tell you to talk to, however, is a communist. Why? Because a communist might go “off script” and tell you something they don’t want you to hear.

So, what is communism? Well, there is communism, the theory, and communism, the society. Let’s first deal with communism, the society.

To begin with, communism is a society without bosses or servants, without superiors or subordinates, without masters or slaves — in short, communism is a society without classes and the stress, conflict and antagonisms that go with the existence of classes. Contrary to the history they teach you, classes are a relatively new thing in the human experience, having been around for only about 25,000 of the last 5 million years of human existence.

“But,” someone might say, “there are a lot more people alive today than there were back then.” That’s true. What’s also true is that we are smarter, more conscious of our world and more technologically advanced than our ancestors. We really don’t need someone standing over us, telling us what to do and when to do it. If necessary, we can work that out together, in common.

Because it is a society without classes, communism is also a society where all aspects of society are developed and administered in common. That means not only the political system, but the economy, culture and social relations too. Can you imagine, having an equal voice, along with your co-workers, in deciding how conditions at your job would be determined? Or, having a say, along with your neighbors, in shaping how the city’s budget will be spent?

Democracy is a key element in the development of communism — but not the stale, formal “democracy” we are taught about in school; we are talking about democracy as a practice, a real-world tool that works for those who work.

As well, communism is a society without a state. Now, when we talk about a “state,” we are not talking about councils and assemblies that debate issues and adopt policy. When we say “state,” we mean the armed organizations that enforce “order” (the rulers’ “order,” that is), like the police and military.

“No police?!” Yes, no police. What are the police really for? Well, when you live in a society where goods and services are restricted to a few, you end up with the many in need. When you have so many in need, you need to maintain order. However, if you live in a society where the needs of everyone in society are met, what need is there for police? If everyone’s basic needs — good food, decent housing, worthwhile education, etc. — are met, what basis is there for most of the crime in society?

Sure, there may be times here and there that may require some kind of investigation or enforcement unit, but those times would be relatively few and far between, and could easily be handled as they come up.

It is also the case that communism is a society without money. “Without money?!” Yes, without money. Why does money exist? Basically, it was invented so that one group of owners wouldn’t get screwed by another set of owners. But, if you have a society where the factories and workplaces are owned in common, and we can sit down and plan out three months, six months or even a year in advance what we have to produce to provide all that we need, what point is there to having money?

Also, if we’re all working together to produce what we need and administer our own affairs, we can cut out a lot of things we don’t need. For example, we don’t need all those layers of managers and officials that we pay (through our labor and the profits it creates) to tell us to work harder. Similarly, we don’t need all of those professional politicians and bureaucrats in the government who do everything they can to convince us that our future should be in the hands of “professionals” who have no clue what we deal with on a daily basis. For that matter, we don’t need all those worthless professions that exist only because we live in a profit-driven society, like advertising, marketing, business management, etc. The resources poured into those jobs can be put to better use.

And we can do all of this while working less and enjoying life more. Because a communist society produces for our needs and well-being, and not for creating more profits for the bosses, we can reduce the amount of working time each of us has to do. For that matter, depending on how well we can use technology to our advantage, we have the ability to calculate how much working time each of us will have to do in our lives in order to provide for all our needs throughout our lives.

Think of it! Retiring at age 40 and not having to worry about where your next meal is coming from, because you’ve already put in your share for society! Think of what you can do with all that time! If you wanted, you could go back to school and become a doctor, or learn how to paint or sculpt, or see the world. For that matter, you could spend your summers in moderate weather and your winters in warm areas. Why should the birds be the only ones with the sense to migrate when the weather changes?

Finally, we should point out that communism is a world system and society. We live in a world that is more and more unified by economics, culture and our own common interests. Communism looks to bring all of those who work for their living together in a common struggle to liberate ourselves from this rotten system. But, unlike those who call themselves “boss” and want to control the world, communism looks to join the people of the world together as brothers and sisters to build a better future for ourselves and our children.

So, does this sound like something you’d like to see? Well, that brings us to communism, the theory ... and the movement. Communism doesn’t come about without the help of all of you. Because we have to sweep away a lot of garbage from this sick society, we need the help of millions to make it happen. “I get all of that,” you might say, “but no one else will go for it.” Really? Ask your friends, your neighbors and your co-workers what they think about what we say above. Chances are they would like to see this kind of new society, too.

How you choose to get involved is up to you, of course. There are all sorts of ways to help bring this society about. If you’re not sure of what you can do, ask one of us. We can sit down and talk about what’s possible. The important thing is that you get involved somehow. That’s what communism is about: being an active part of creating your own future. Represent yourself! Join the fight for a communist future!

Communist League

==========

Revolutionary Music

2006-09-30T21:34:00.000-04:00

Where to begin? I guess it started several months ago. I began to feel bored of mainstream music, then I got annoyed, and then finally I just couldn't bare to listen to it anymore and I began to start checking out indie and revolutionary music that some friends recomended. I started listening to bands like Propaghandi, Anti-Flag, Black Flag, Leftover Crack, and Reagan Youth, but I soon found that revolutionary music is few and far between. It's a sad reflection but it seems like music today is mostly meaningless songs by bands who are really just in it for the money. I think that's the main reason mainstream music is now more than ever; pure shit! In anycase, the purpose of this post was to ask readers if they have any band recomendations, just post a comment and I'll check it out. Much appreciated.

Theory of Police Necessity

2006-09-28T20:32:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been pondering this. Are cops really necessary in society? I've come to this conclusion. Cops are necessary in the current system we have where there are social classes and there is an enormous inequality of wealth. In a system where people can't afford to pay their rent, can barely afford food and clothing, and in which everyday is a struggle will definatly need cops because that system is a breeding ground for theft and robbery. In a system where wealth is non-exsistant in the sense that no one has more wealth than another person, and where pretty much everything you needis accessable to all, theft would be pointless, especially since the only person you're stealing from is the people you work with. The Paris Commune is a good example of how crime disapeared. The Paris Commune was a socialist state in Paris during the mid 1800s. Although it lasted only several months, it was the perfect example of Marx's 'dictatorship of the proletariat.' All officials were elected through universal sufferage and were recallable at any moment. Worker's rights increased drastically, and most importantly, (at least in reference to this blog entry) there were no cops and there was no crime.

The only thing left out is violent crimes. Violent crimes just happen and some sort of police force will always be neccessary to deal with them, but I believe that they are greatly encouraged in the capitalist system. Why? Well, the answer is complex. In inner-city ghettos, where there is the most murder and shootings take place, residents are usually impoverished and the result is that a very violent atmosphere is created because of the struggle to move up the social ladder. Gangs often form and with those gangs rivalries form. As those rivalries heat up, shootings and murder occur. Now of course not all murder happens as a result of gangs, but a good part does.

Another reason was described to me by a friend I know who used to work in a 'juvenile hall.' She explained to me that often, many people that murder others have commited smaller crimes before. Basically jail, creates a violent atmosphere and has been proven not to work, but to make matters worse. It should only be reserved for the worst criminals.

In sum, the point I was trying to get at in this entry is that capitalism and it's institutions are a major reason why there is crime and why there is a need for often oppressive police. In a system where alot of the problems of capitalism are solved naturally, such things will not really be necessary.

Wage Slavery

2006-09-26T21:58:00.000-04:00

The American Heritage Dictionary defines slavery like this,

slav·er·y (slv-r, slvr) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. slav·er·ies
1.The state of one bound in servitude as the property of a slaveholder or
household.

I remember as a middle school student learning about the brutalities of slavery and about the liberation of slaves, and I remember thinking in theoretical terms, "What's the difference between a slave on a field and a wage worker on a field?"
The only real difference I could think of, in theoretical terms, was a wage. I didn't get it. I thought that a wage doesn't make that much difference to a worker, especially when it's that low. Eventually, as I became more and more interested in socialism, I learned about places like India, Pakistan, Taiwan, and many other countries around the world where there is a real slavery exsisting in corporate run sweatshops.
Workers have no option but to work for the few cents their corporations pay them and obey every wish their manager asks, or face dire consequences. For example, there have been numerous instances where workers are locked into their factories and told that if they don't work, they'll be fired or won't be payed. In other countries, companies have hired intimidators and right-wing paramilitaries to scare workers into submission and stop worker organization. This brand of slavery is called wage-slavery and exsists in every country, but more in some than in others. Whenever I talk about this subject with capitalists, they always say it's bullshit. I would to if I didn't know better about the conditions in many countries and how we are dependant on the exploitation of the labor of those countries. It's really a sad reflection thinking that nations like America were built on slavery and still run on it today...

The Creepiest Movie Ever!

2006-09-23T17:55:00.000-04:00

I was bored as hell this afternoon and felt like seeing a movie, so I looked in the paper to see what was playing. There were several movies which I was interested in, however the movie that caught my eye and intrigued me the most was Jesus Camp. Jesus Camp is a real life story about a camp which is run somewhere in North Dakota by a pastor who indoctrinates and brainwashes children into following a fundamentalist christian religion which claims George W. Bush was chosen by god to lead this country and that this generation will be "the soldiers of god" and "will win back America" for christians. The controversial movie depicts children of all ages who are often homeschooled doing things like holding pro-life vigils with their pastors and dancing to 'Christian' heavy metal.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked into the movie, but when I walked out, I felt like puking. I still can't believe that people are actually that brainwashed, and that adults can be so sick as to force their perverted views upon their children. A movie of this stature obviously isn't playing in most theaters, and in fact there is only one theater playing it where I live, here in New York City. If you do by chance, live near a theater that is play this movie than I reccomend you see it, as it is a really shocking movie.

October 5th: The World Can't Wait to Drive Out the Bush Regime!

2006-09-21T22:17:00.000-04:00

According to www.worldcan'twait.net,

"On October 5, people everywhere will walk out of school, take off work, and come to the downtowns & townsquares and set out from there, going through the streets and calling on many more to join us - making a powerful statement: "NO! THIS REGIME DOES NOT REPRESENT US! AND WE WILL DRIVE IT OUT!"

On October 5th a group called The World Can't Wait to Drive out the Bush Regime! Will hold nationwide protests all over the US. On October 5th, I plan on taking the day off and heading uptown to 59th street and 1st avenue where a protest will be held. The World Can't Wait is run by a maoist group called the Revolutionary Communist Party, but also has endorsements from other organizations and parties. I, for one, completely disagree with the Bush regime, however I don't see what exactly the alternative is. Cheney? A reformist liberal politician? Still, I will try to be there because I haven't really attended any anti-war protests and this is a definitive one. Here is the world can't wait's URL,

The World Can't Wait

Chavez calls Bush the Devil

2006-09-20T16:57:00.000-04:00

Today Chavez was speaking before the U.N. and said, "the devil was here yesterday. He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world... In this very spot it still smells like sulfur." Chavez then went on to recommend a book by Noam Chomsky to the Security Council. Neo-cons immediatly jumped on chavez claiming he is "totalitarian mad-man." It's kind of funny see the reactions of people to Chavez especially when they have no understanding of him or Venezulan politics.
Anyhow here's the link.

Article Here

How to Steal a US election in One Minute

2006-09-19T16:20:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago I stumbled upon this article. Bascially some Princeton University researchers did a demonstration in which they took a diebold blackbox voting machine, which is a common voting machine used in US elections today, and rigged the machines tally by unlocking the memory storage compartment of the Diebold Voting machine, and switching the memory card. This could be done easily my an election worker who has access to keys that would allow him or her to do that. It has long been alleged that black box voting machines used in US elections were unsafe because they had no paper trail. This just makes matters worse.

Link Here

And Here

Response to Capitalist Propaganda...

2006-09-17T14:30:00.000-04:00

As a Bolshevik-Leninist, or Trotskyist, I disagree with Stalin and Mao's political policies and think that they were not adherent to true communism and socialism. However, I do think that what Stalin and Mao did economically was incredible and without them both Russia and China would still be backwards worse-than-third-world countries. Here is a post that was directed at on a political forum I am part of, and here is my response.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TurtleDude on Debatepolitics.com
Psychobabble. THe killing fields-1.5 million by a COMMUNIST

Pol-Pot was not a communist or a socialist. Pol-Pot disowned communists all over and was eventually ousted by communists. He may have called himself communist but so what? Were the crusaders who raped woman and pillaged villages Christians? He was a Red fascist and was never considered a communist by any movement besides his own. On another note, he was US backed and recieved much aid from Republicans and Democrats and the US also pushed for internatioal Aid to Pol Pot. Also it's funny that you even bring that up considering that almost a million people were slaughtered as a result of US bombing in Cambodia and many more in Vietnam.

Quote:
MAO-20-40 Million BY A COMMUNIST

Can you provide a lnk for that outrageous claim? Have you ever studied China? If you did you would know that famines and floods are common in Chinese history. The GLF came during a famine and drought. Capitalists jumped on this and blamed it on Mao. It was not Mao's fault. If Jishi had been in power it would have been far worse, and it was only because of the collectivizism and equal rationing that many, many more didn't die. In 1986, 76,000 blacks died in the US because of lack of aquedate healthcare. If The US was as big as China it would be 300,000 people. If there were as many blacks as Chinese, it would be over 2 million (a year)!

Quote:
Stalin-2-40 MILLION-by a COMMUNIST

Again Russia also has a history of Famine. Stalin had the same problems as Mao. It's very easy to crtitize Stalin except when you realize what history would be like without him. First, Stalin industrialized a country that was a 100 years backward in 10 years. Life expectency doubled, People had electricty in their homes, people had clothes, people had quality education and healthcare, people sanitation, and woman had equal rights thanks to the revolution. Most importantly, Russia now had basic infastructure and technology. When the Nazi war machine attacked Russia, the centrally planned economy was able to turn newly built tractor factories into tank factories and repel the Nazis. It was only because the Russians had the most tanks in the continent thanks to Stalin that the Soviets were able to repel to Nazis. If Russia had stayed under the Czar, Russia would have fallen in days for lack of infastructure and technology and considering that Russia was responsible for 75% of Nazi casualties according to historian James Bradely in his book Flags of our Fathers, the worldwould be a very different place today...

Quote:
life expectancy didn't double for the millions upon millions killed.

Don't act like America is some angelic nation. While Stalin was purging fascists, we were imprisoning, repressing, and beating blacks. They were a subserviant people at that time. And look at the actrocities we've commited in the past against Native Americans and Blacks. Capitalism is responisble for slavery and the starvation of millions in exploited third world countries!

Quote:
Communism is a disease and the sooner it is eradicated the better the world will be.

Capitalism is a disease which causes people to starve everyday despite the fact that there is food on the shelves. It lets people die on the streets like stray animals and puts people in the third world in terrible gulag-sweatshops where they are slaves. Capitalism is responsible for everything bad system wise and until it is defeated, our world will be plagued by nationalist wars, poverty, starvation, widespread diesease, crime, and other horrors which exsist.

Communism and Socialism, what's the difference?

2006-09-17T12:48:00.000-04:00

Most people don't know what the difference between communism and socialism. I thought I'd devote this relatively short blog entry to defining each and how they're different.

Socialism, as Lenin once said, is the first step towards communism. Socialism is a 'worker's state', or as Marx called it, the 'dictatorship of the proleteriat'. By dictatorship of the proletariat, he did not mean a literal dictatorship, but instead was pointing out that in every system where there is a state, one class rules over the others. In capitalism, monarchy, and fascism it is the bourgeoius who are in power. The bourgieous are the class which control the means of production such as managers in factories and offices, executives and CEOs, and politicians. So Marx called capitalism, monarchy, and fascism 'dictatorships of the bourgieous'. Socialism is different. In socialism it is the dictatorship of the proletariat, which means dictatorship of the 'masses' or people. Marx in no way meant a literal despotism. It was just a strange choice of words. In socialism there is still money, there is a elected parliament, and many other things that come with a typical state however there are no classes. That is socialism.

Communism is the system of the distant future. It comes after a permanent revolution, or worldwide worker's revolution. In communism there is no state, there are no countries, and everything is handled within the community. Marx and Lenin both said that when there is a state, there can be no freedom. Power corrupts itself and every state has some level of oppression. The idea behind it is that when we learn to think of everyone as a whole and stop being materialists, we will get rid of every horror that comes with capitalism, fascism, and monarchy and states in general.

Obrador's attempt at bringing justice to Mexico

2006-09-03T22:42:00.000-04:00

Mexico has long been a place where elections are fraudulant, ballot boxes have been stuffed, and legitimate votes stolen. For 75 years one party was in power. Now Mexico again faces a struggle in democracy which should come as no suprise. Obrador, a candidate of the Democratic Revolution Party has been holding a month-long demonstration for a full recount of an election decided by a almost non-exisistant margin. Obrador and his party are the first to offer a solution to mexico's real problems like poverty and corruption and the two other major parties, PAN and the PRI, have been determined to stop him from getting into power. PAN, a right-wing party, even went so far as to pull it's candidate in a governoral race in order to help the PRI, a centerist party, have a shot at winning. The electoral tribune in Mexico decided to do a 'partial recount' of a mere 9% of the votes which reveiled massive systematic failure (http://www.narconews.com/Issue42/article2010.html). Tommorow the electoral tribunal council has a constitutional deadline to decide wheither or not the election was valid and they are expected to say it is. It will be a sad day for democracy and Mexico.

Debating Capitalists

2006-08-16T20:58:00.000-04:00

Debating capitalists. One of the most effective ways at wasting time. In the past year since I've gained my revolutionary politics, I debated plenty of capitalists. The debate will always start with a typical capitalist misunderstanding of communism and then rise to an all out communism vs. capitalism debate. Usually I'm utterly outnumbered but I hold my ground since I've heard their arguements so many times over. The generic arguements they use are the most effective, however each capitalist I've debated adds an arguement of his own which usually is very silly but needs to be answered. For example, a few guys have given me wild scenarios and then told me to provide a solution. Others have claimed that economists think communism is bad and etc... All of these arguements have solutions but they are extremely time consuming, and after a while simply boring also most capitalists are thick headed and understand nothing you say. It is for this reason that many communists simply don't debate capitalists. I chose to do so as it is one of the ways a revolutionary movement can grow.

School Uniforms and why they suck.

2006-07-30T20:23:00.000-04:00

This is my first post in over a month. I came back to society about a week ago after hiking a part of the appalachian trail. Since than I been sort of chilling but haven't thought about anything to write about, until now.

The following is a post and response on a forum I post on called Debate Politics. A poster brought up a very good topic and here is my rebuttel piece by piece. I think it's something to think about critically.

Originally posted on Debatepolitics.com

Uniforms: States should consider mandatory School Uniforms in Public Schools. I support School Uniforms because it would be a source of income to the Public Schools that can be very well reinvested into the individual student. Only people that have children in school have to pay for these Uniforms. The Public Schools can take a slice of the chedder from Uniforms and other Clothing and Clothing Accessory profits and use it to pay for expenses, making it less of a burden on the school to always need more money (Yeah, they're gonna want more money no matter what though).

Wait, so you want parents who may aready be struggling economically to waste their money on a useless uniform? Uhh let me tell you something, public schools have all the funding they need. It's the ciriculum that needs to be changed. Kids run down the block to school when they're 4,5, and 6 yet as they reach middle and high school they often skip classes and fake sick. They lose all interest in learning and being creative because it is stifled by rigid schedules, cramped desks, mandatory homework and etc... Just like the **** ciriculum sucks the individuality and creativity out of them, turning them into future cubicle white collar workers, uniforms take it to the next level. Let me tell you as someone who went to a uniform school, uniforms do nothing except make you even more uncomfortable in your learning enviroment.

continuation of his arguement

There is also a discipline factor in Uniforms. There will not be a rivalry with clothing where some douchebag kids clothes are cooler than some other kids. My Public School in Jr. High had Uniforms and it was great.

douchebag clothing is just a natural byproduct of capitalist consumerism. One company has cooler advertisements and is more expensive and flashy, so thus it's cooler.

Again when I went to a uniform school the same was true. Kids who wore polo, ralph lauren, or Izod shirts were considered to have cooler clothing than the kids who bought their shirts at GAP and TjMax. This may come to a shock to capitalists, but shockingly the kids who wore GAP could be cool kids as weirdly people are not judged by material possesions.

Many people find that Uniforms cripple individuality. Well, why should our clothes be such an important part to our Individuality? I thought were individuals for all the different things we do and think about, not because we wear different clothes. "Hey! I'm an Individual! I wear a Slipknot T-Shirt! I Have Rights!"

What do you wear? I'm pretty sure you don't walk around in phat farm and Sean jean gangsta jump suits. Why? Because it's not your character, personality, or individuality. wearing different clothes is a way of distinguishing yourself and expressing yourself. Especially as a teenager.

I think that our Public Schools in general need to fix themselves

Why don't we try something like this

This

In conclusion I think uniforms stifle individuality and help create an uncomfortable learning experience. They are not something that should exsist in schools, especially not public schools.

Comments on Communism Part II

2006-06-18T23:35:00.000-04:00

The theme of my blog entry today is communism, and the differences and changes since the end of the cold-war era. I decided to choose this topic after a post I read on an internet forum I post on;

Originally Posted On DebatePolitics.com

Tell me, what makes your idea so different from the other people that have tried communism and failed? Out of all the people that have tried communism, they have failed. They've have only been able to go as far as changing the government and economy and after that, they fall. Not one country has had success with communism, not one. So tell me, what makes your idea so different from the millions of others that have tried it and failed?

Communism in the 20th century and communism in the 21st is completly different. We are now in a completly new era of time. Things are very different. For example, technology is not like what it was during the cold war. The internet is now widly accessable for instance, and this can be used to our advantage. We also have supercomputers and software which can do things people 20-30 years couldn't have even imagined in their wildest dreams. These new technologys can be of use in everything from planning the economy to giving the people a stronger voice in the government.

Another difference is history. One of the beauties of history is that we are able to use it too our advantage and learn from it. For example, in this case, we're able to look at say, lenin's mistakes and change them for the future. We also know of Stalin's purges, and Mao's great leap forward and can see what happens if everything goes wrong. We now know to write a constitution which holds people's freedoms and rights dear.

Capitalists are notorious for using the fact that communism has been the front of oppression and tyranny in the 20th century yet they fail to realize a great many things. First, communism isn't a totalitarian ideology. In fact, it's not even a political ideology. It's a economic system which, if you understand marx, is supposed to be a worker's democracy. An example of how communists are fighting for freedom and democracy is in Nepal right now. Thanks to mass protests and long years of fighting, the communist party of Nepal were able to turn a feudal system into a democratic parliamentry.

Link Here

Another thing capitalists ignore all together is whether the USSR and other Stalinist tyrannies were actually communist. Personally, I don't think it was. I personally side with Left Communists and Neo-Trotskyists (Cliff) on this one in thinking that it was a state-capitalism. By State-capitalism, I mean it was still capitalist but the state controled the means of production as opposed to market. If it were communist, it'd have to have done at least two things. 1st, the people would have to control the economy. For example, the state-planners of the USSR would have to have been seated through at least demarchy if not democracy. This would make it so that when people were starving during the afghanistan war, the teams of state planners 'in office' could've been ousted by referendum. 2nd, it would have to have not engaged in capitalistic activities like having a currency, trading commodities, trading for capital, and etc... with capitalist nations.

I hope you enjoyed my rant, thanks for reading it

Soccer in America

2006-06-17T13:36:00.000-04:00

As everybody knows, the FIFA World Cup is currently taking place. Before this world cup, it used to be almost impossible to find the games in english, luckily now, ESPN and ABC have made it so that every game can be seen. This can only mean one thing; soccer is a growing sport. I've played soccer for many years and have always struggled with the fact that it was unpopular in the US, yet now it isn't so. However soccer is still a very young sport in America, and for example, the game announcers on TV prove it. Like today I was watching Italy play Ghana and after Ghana scored the announcer said "It should be interesting to see how th Czech team breaks down Ghana after this". Other times they practically give the favorite the win on a gold platter. If there's one thing to learn about soccer, it's that upsets are a very possible reality.

Comments on Communism

2006-06-10T15:38:00.000-04:00

As a reader of my blog may know, I'm a communist, but I'm not a Stalinist. What you may not know, is that I'm active on a variety of political forums all over the internet. today I came upon a very interesting post and responded in this manner.

Originally posted on DebatePolitics.com

True communism has never been implimented anywhere on earth. Every country that called itself communist was some form of dictatorship including the USSR. Do you know why there has never been a communist country? Because it defies human nature. Capitalism embraces many of the evil aspects of human nature. That is why capitalism flourishes. Greed, materialism, exploitation, these are the vices we humans accept as good under capitalism.

The first part is true. It has never been implemented anywhere. However the second part is false. How it defies human nature. Human has no generic nature. Humans are different then animals because they aren't routine and identical. They're different than animals which is why they shouldn't live like them. It is not human nature to be greedy. It is capitalist nature. Capitalism is a damn greedy system and it instills a want in man to have more and more money in order to survive.

However I do see your point. I personally think that after a few generations of communism, man would become more humane and be dedicated to his fellow people but until then, he still is greedy, which is why there would need to be some subsitute to money. Vouchers. Labor Time Vouchers. LTVs in short, are basically a measurement of how hard one works at his or her job. It is an account on a computer which you log into when you start working and log out of when you stop. LTVs can be determined by the smaount of stress and effort put into your job. The amount and quality of the product you produce. Or the successful completion of a hard task. When you are finished working, you log out and print the LTVs which you will then save up and use to by non-necessities such as electronics and furniture. What is the point of LTVs? Simple to provide a motive and incentive for man to work during the time he is still intoxicated by the evils of capitalism.

So why did communism fail in the past? Simple. Too much power was placed in one man's hands and he didn't have enough support. Communism can only happen when people are ready for it, and while it can be pushed and encouraged it will only be successful when the people are behind it. Communists today are very different than communist in the 20th century. Communists today are libertarians who have learned their lesson from the horrors of the 20th century.

World Cup kicks off

2006-06-09T20:05:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, the world cup kicked off today with two interesting matches. First, Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2. Then Ecuador beat Poland 2-0. I was 50%. I figured Poland would beat Ecuador on a huntch but I got it wrong. Germany, I got right though. Here are the rest of my predictions. I typed the match than put an equal sign followed by the winner. Enjoy.

June 10...

England vs. Paraguay = England

Trinidad vs. Sweden = Sweden

Argentina vs. Ivory Coast = Argentina

June 11...

Serbia vs. Netherlands = Netherlands

Mexico vs. Iran = Mexico

Angola vs. Portugal = Portugal

June 12...

Australia vs. Japan = Japan

USA vs. Czech Republic = Czech Republic

Italy vs. Ghana = Italy

June 13 ...

Korea vs. Togo = Korea

France vs. Switzerland = France

Brazil vs. Coratia = Brazil

June 14...

Spain vs. Ukraine = Spain

Tunisia vs. Saudi Arabia = Draw

Germany vs. Poland = Germany

June 15...

Ecuador vs. Costa Rica = Draw

England vs. Trinidad = England

Sweden vs. Paraguay = Sweden

June 16...

Argentina vs. Serbia = Argentina

Netherlands vs. Ivory Coast = Netherlands

Mexico vs. Angola = Mexico

June 17...

Portugal vs. Iran = Portugal

Czech Republic vs. Ghana = Czech Republic

USA vs. Italy= Italy

June 18...

Japan vs. Crotia = Japan

Brazil vs. Australia = Brazil (Blowout game of the tournament)

France vs. Republic of Korea = Draw/France

June 19...

Togo vs. Switzerland = Draw/ Switzerland

Saudi Arabia vs. Ukraine = Draw

Spain vs. Tunisia = Spain

June 20...

Ecuador vs. Germany = Germany

Costa Rica vs. Poland = Costa Rica

Sweden vs. England = Draw

Paraguay vs. Trinidad = Draw/Paraguay

June 21...

Portugal vs. Mexico = Portugal/Draw

Iran vs. Angola = Draw

Netherlands vs. Argentina = Argentina

Ivory Coast vs. Serbia = Draw

June 22...

Ghana vs. USA = USA

Czech Republic vs. Italy = Draw

Japan vs. Brazil = Brazil

Croatia vs. Australia = Croatia

June 23...

Saudi Arabia vs. Spain = Spain

Ukraine vs. Tunisia = Draw

Togo vs. France = France

Switzerland vs. Korea = Korea

So that's my group stage predictions. Comment if you have any objections.

Religion

2006-06-09T00:22:00.000-04:00

Religion is a very controversial issue and the only one where people will ignore fact. I'm an atheist. I've been an atheist for a few years after I realized how corrupt and idiotic christianity was. I realized that all things in life on this earth happen because of logic, and when you try to applylogic to religion you get nothing because relgion isn't logical. Recently in current events relgion has influenced people's stances on issues such as gay marriage. Gay marriage is such a stupid issue because of all the things you could be worrying about, you have to muddle your way into love and yell that god says it's wrong. It's completly upsurd. In short religion has no solid ground to base itself on and is just a place for man to dump all his wrong doings on. I think that if man learned to except the truth and work for a better future for the sake of the people as opposed to god, the world would be a much more diligent and honest place.

Direct Democracy

2006-06-03T16:15:00.000-04:00

Alot of people are running around claiming we're fighting in Iraq because of democracy like we have here in the US. They have know idea what they're talking about. We currently have a representive republic because we elect officials to vote 'in our interests'. Well I'm not interested in any politicians because they're all corrupt fatsos who spit lies constantly. I think we need direct democracy. Direct democracy? Yes. Some people think its impossible but not in this day and age. Now in the electronic age we're able to anything via internet. So why not vote on bills via internet. It'd be easy. You'd have a citizen account and your own password. Each day, You'd log in and vote like people vote on internet polls. It'd take less than 5 minutes and would make this democracy really a democracy

Violence in Iraq

2006-06-02T14:18:00.000-04:00

Some of you may have heard of the recent killings that US soldiers have commited. First, last Novemeber, an entire innocent household was killed while praying by US soldiers who barged in. Then, Seven marines kidnapped an innocent Iraqi man and shot him to death. And just this week a preganant woman giving birth was killed after US troops shot at the car she was in because it failed to stop at a check point. These killings all have one thing in common. They are the result of US presence in Iraq. the last one wasn't necessarily the fault of US troops, but these killings are a sign that this war needs to stop. We are not accomplishing anymore and the longer we stay in Iraq the more people will die. I say we follow the '3 country' plan and start exiting Iraq. It's time to stop this nightmare of death and misery and return our troops home.

Graffiti in the Subway

2006-05-24T17:43:00.000-04:00

There was an Article in a freebee New York newspaper I read daily about the MTA cracking down on graffiti 'vandals' by spying on our every move. Personally I think this is laughable, but the MTA is dead serious. They're willing to put security cameras in every train. Let's think about why this is idiotic. First, the cost to buy cameras, maintain them, and keep the entire database needed running will cost taxpayers a fortune and most likely a fare hike from the already expensive fare. I think in times like these where millions upon millions are don't have healthcare service and millions are in poverty the money that would go to funding a security camera program could be used in many other useful ways like giving it to the poor, or even flushing it down the toilet. Secondly, What's wrong with the graffiti? Does it burn people's flesh away? Does itharm anyone? No it doesn't. it's just an artisic rebel expression that is done in the first place because it is illegal. If you legalize graffiti few will do graffiti because the evil government approves of it, and ones who do it will do beautiful murals that no one in there right mind could criticize.

S.C. Girl Protests Confederate Apparel Ban

2006-05-22T22:09:00.000-04:00

The south is perhaps one of the most distinquished regions in the US. It was the heart of Slavery some 150 years ago and that spirit still lives on. One girl named Candice Hardwick marched too school today complaining about the fact that her school banned confederate clothing. She claims she wants to pay tribute to her ancestors who died fighting. Let's get one thing straight. There are plenty of ways you can do that without wearing a flag that symbolizes rascism and slavery. Wearing a confederate flag is like wearing a swatisika. That's all there is to it. The part that annoys me the most though is that an African-American by the name of H.K. Edgerton marched with her. Doesn't he understand that he's marching for slavery? I'll tell you one thing, the south may have a long distinquished history, but it's always been the most messed up place in America which says quite alot.

Word of the Left: Who I am, what I am

2006-05-22T19:40:00.000-04:00

Hi, my name is Henry. I'm an Maoist. I believe in the works of Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels. I believe that a communist system is free will and will end poverty and create eqaulity for all. It'll treat people like people not animals and leave them on the streets to die as capitalism does. Many people tell me that communism was a nightmare in eastern europe and I completely agree with them. My ideology is ultra democratic and the government would completely respect your bill of rights. Communists have learned from the mistakes of the 20th century and now aim to change the horrors and create a perfect society with the end product of unity, peace, and selflessness.

The Word of the Left is meant to be a place where I give my opinion on current events, political theory, history, and pop-culture from an marxist's perspective.