[The blog moderator comments briefly on events of the week]
This was a sad week for some US bosses. They have lost John McCain, one of their loyalest servants. McCain, like Hillary Clinton, never saw a war he didn’t like. Starting with Vietnam. Unlike cowardly ‘warriors’ like Trump, he actually climbed in a plane and personally bombed and strafed Vietnamese soldiers and civilians. Until he got shot down and captured.
The funeral was a nauseating spectacle with warmonger George Bush and warmonger Obama joining to praise warmonger McCain; they declared themselves all “on the same team”. Warmonger Trump was not invited because he’s on the other team. In other words, a different, rival faction of the US ruling class.
Under communism there will be no ruling class, no factional fighting, no wars (except against the bosses), and no mass murderers like McCain, Bush, Obama, Clinton etc.
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Shockingly, McCain’s capturers tortured him. This was disgraceful. Communists should not torture anyone no matter what they have done. Shoot them maybe, but not torture them. The torture is just more evidence that by then the Vietnamese communists had gone a long way down the road of revisionism.
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Trump was busy too. He cancelled a scheduled pay rise for the Federal Service. Fascists like Trump claim to have ‘new ideas’ but it’s always the same story: tax cuts for the wealthy, austerity for the workers. Under communism? No wealthy people, no taxes, no salaries because there will be no money. Instead, everyone will be provided with their basic needs. For that matter there won’t be a government because workers will manage their affairs directly, and not be subject to a bureaucracy.
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In Venezuela thousands have fled across the borders because they are literally starving. Inflation is at 1,000,000% and money is worthless – and there is nothing in the stores to buy anyway. Many ‘progressives’ defend the Maduro clan as socialists (which they are). True, the US is trying to overthrow him, but that doesn’t change the fact that Venezuela’s economic collapse is yet more proof that socialism doesn’t work. At least not for workers – the Chavez/Maduro mafia pocketed huge sums when oil was high and gave a a bit of it for social programs. Now oil is down and “petro socialism” has turned out to be a disaster.
A communist Venezuela wouldn’t have inflation because there would be no money. It wouldn’t try to stay in the world money economy and would become self sufficient. The US imperialists wouldn’t stand a chance against the Venezuelan working class mobilized for communism.
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Of course it’s one thing to talk about communism but how do we achieve it? Through a communist party, ICWP. We need millions and you can do your part. Join us, bring your friends and family and coworkers.
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In Germany, neofascists (and outright fascists) ran rampant in the streets of Chemnitz. Thousands of antifascist counter demonstrators confronted them. The fascists have basically the same ideology as the hardcore Trump supporters in the US. Unfortunately antifascism is not enough to defeat fascism. The old movement dropped the struggle for communism (or even socialism) to form antifascist united fronts. This strategy failed miserably, for example in Spain and France. Only communism can put an end to fascism by ending the social decay that breeds it.
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It looks like the #metoo effect is fading. The harassers and rapists had to lay low for a while but they are crawling back. The sleazy harasser Louis CK is back on stage without having apologized. He even told a rape joke. Then more harassment at, of all places, the Aretha Franklin funeral. Bishop Charles Ellis groped Ariana Grande in front of millions of TV spectators. This after making a racist joke that her name sounded like a Taco Bell special.
“Sorry, didn’t mean it”. We’ve heard that before. Under communism this stuff will not be tolerated. Sexism is a major foe of communism and will be wiped out, though not overnight. The first blow against it will be abolishing the wage system and the whole concept of cheap (eg women’s) labor. The second blow will be collectivizing housework. And the third will be integrating occupations.
But none of this will end sexism immediately. It will be a hard struggle. In the process we will stamp out harassment – with serious and immediate consequences for harassers.
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Finally some good news – the US prison strike is on. It began August 21, the anniversary of Nat Turner’s slave revolt, and ends September 9, anniversary of the Attica prison rebellion. (See the article in the current Red Flag.) Under communism – no prisons.
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