On February 18 of this year, a psychopath walked into the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, with an automatic weapon and calmly proceeded to murder seventeen people in cold blood. As such mass shootings, with automatic weapons, is now rather common place in the United States, a country which is commonly called America, this did not come as any great shock to the members of the public.
Previous shootings with automatic weapons at other locations, including schools such as Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook Elementary School and Red Lake High School have apparently hardened members of the public to the point where such acts of butchery are accepted. By contrast, the students are absolutely not accepting this.
The politicians are now saying that no law could have prevented the massacre. They would have us believe that this slaughter of innocent students was an act of God.
The students refuse to accept this explanation. They are calling it ”b.s.”, which is somewhat crude but rather accurate. They are pointing out that natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes are acts of God, and cannot be prevented, but cold blooded murder is an act of people and can be prevented. Further, the key to prevention is action on behalf of our democratically elected leaders, our politicians, those who are morally obligated to pass laws in order to protect the people they are supposed to be serving.
This is absolutely not that which the politicians want to hear, as they are experts at inaction. They serve the class of people who are ruling the country, the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. The job of these politicians is to maintain the status quo, to keep things precisely the way they are, to allow the capitalists to continue to make a profit. In short, their job is to do nothing that will come between the capitalists and their never ending quest to make a buck, at our expense of course. Passing laws which would limit the sale of automatic weapons could possibly cut into their profits, God forbid.
It should be noted that automatic weapons are good for one thing and one thing only, and that is killing people. Such weapons do not belong in the hands of private citizens.
The students who are protesting are now referring to this inactivity of the politicians as ”slacktivism” and are letting these same politicians know that those comfortable days of doing nothing are over. The Never Again movement is concerned with change.
This movement of the students is most encouraging, and with good reason. It clearly embraces all members of the working class, and is not based on any particular race, creed, gender or stratum of the class. They are focused on forcing change by voting in politicians who will represent the working people and not the capitalists, all of which sounds very reasonable. Very soon, they will learn from experience that this is not about to happen.
They are a small percentage of the millions of working class people who have formerly been apathetic but are now taking an interest in politics, and these young people are not swallowing the lies of the politicians. This is not to say that these students have ever been apathetic, as they do not have what it takes to be apathetic. It takes age to be apathetic, and these students are as yet too young. They just want action and they want it now.
The students are not to be underestimated, as the murders at the Douglas High School happened a mere five weeks ago and the students were able to organize the successful march on Washington in that very short time. It was well planned. The students were not only able to raise money for supplies, equipment and transportation, but also to coordinate with many other groups in other cities, not just in America, but around the world. That was a most impressive feat.
The implications are staggering. To think that students, children, could carry out such a protest, on such short notice, on such a broad scale, not just national but international, is an absolute marvel.
It has been compared to the women’s march of the previous year, although the student turnout was not quite as high.
In all fairness to the students, there are a great many more women in the country than there are students, so the turnout was still most impressive.
It is doubtful that too many students are aware of it yet, but they are part of a revolutionary movement, one that is sweeping the world. Further, they are playing a leading role in that revolution. Very soon, they will come to realize that with the leading role comes responsibility.
As yet, most of the young people are not aware that they are involved in a class war, that of the working class, the proletarians, against the capitalist class, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, the class in power. At least, it would be rather surprising if they were class conscious, as the capitalists consistently deny the existence of classes, at least here in North America. This is all part of their method of rule. As far as they are concerned, our ignorance is their bliss.
It is very likely that one reason the students were able to organize such a successful demonstration in such a short period of time is because of their knowledge of social networking, assuming that is the correct term. The lesson for the working class is that the internet, complete with the various electronic devices, broadly referred to as computers, has given the working class a very powerful tool to use in our struggle against the capitalists. The students have taught us a very valuable lesson, and we would do well to pay strict attention.
We can thank the people in charge of the internet, capitalists one and all, who have very thoughtfully set up various social networking sites such as FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter, Skype, Instagram, Tumblr and Stumble. They can be accessed from cell phones, tablets, ipads and personal computers.
I believe I have the technical terms correct. My grandchildren did their best to explain this to me and I just wrote it down as best I was able. There was a time when a phone was used for talking and a camera was used for taking pictures, but the kids now refer to that as the olden days. I feel like an old dinosaur.
All joking aside, the precise details are not as important as the fact that we now have a whole generation of working class people who are skilled in the use of this valuable new tool, that which I refer to as the internet. What is more, they are not at all shy in terms of using that tool.
Those of us who are older do not have to be skilled in the use of this tool, as the younger generation can assist us.
In all previous revolutions, communications was a very serious problem. It was difficult, if not impossible, to coordinate various activities. Frequently, the only practical method was by word of mouth, although sometimes leaflets were available, for those who were capable of reading. Those who were distributing the leaflets were taking their lives in their hands, as such acts were considered to be subversive and if caught, frequently the penalty was death.
The students have just proven that those days are gone, that communication is practically instantaneous and there is no need for paper. Now the printed word can be sent around the world at the push of a button. The kids have just proven that beyond any shadow of a doubt. For that matter, the spoken word can also be sent, and I am sure the kids have a term for that also.
This makes the task of the Marxists considerably easier.
Our task remains one of bringing to the working class the awareness of itself as a class, with interests which are diametrically opposed to those of the capitalist class, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. We can now do this without resorting to paperwork. We have merely to send Marxist material, including books by Marx and Lenin, to various hand held devices, which are broadly referred to as computers.
With that in mind, we have got to call upon the veterans of the women’s march of the previous year, the veterans of the occupy movement of several years ago, the veterans of the revolutionary movement of the sixties, the working people who are fighting for various causes, to come together with the students and join in the revolutionary movement. This revolutionary movement is a class movement, not a movement for narrow reforms in one area, for one stratum of the working class. It is a movement for the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.
In order to overthrow the class of capitalists it is necessary for all working class people to come together, as a class, and oppose the capitalist class.
The correct approach is to support the students in their demands, that of banning all assault weapons, banning all high capacity magazines for rifles, and demanding background checks on all gun purchases, including online and at gun shows. All of these demands are reasonable and we should assist them in any way possible.
At the same time we should make it clear that we live under capitalism and that as such, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are in charge. No paltry reform will change that. The only way to enact any significant change is through revolution.
As for those who object that banning automatic weapons is an attack on one of our democratic rights, that of our right to bear arms, I can only respond that there is a big difference between a firearm which is meant to be used for hunting purposes and an automatic weapon which is useful only to kill people.
The plan of the students is to focus on the upcoming midterm elections, in which all members of the House of Representatives and one third of the members of the Senate will be running for reelection. Most of the students are too young to vote but they are determined to encourage everyone who has the ability to vote to do so, and to vote against those who are opposed to gun control. The largest firearm organization in the country is dead set opposed to any restrictions on the sale of firearms, including automatic weapons. They have a great deal of money and use this money to buy the loyalty of politicians. Profits first, people second. Working people are of no concern to the capitalists.
While the students are too young to vote, they are not too young to make a difference.
The working class has to be educated, to be made aware of the existence of classes, of the necessity of revolution, as that is the only way to overthrow our class enemies, the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, the class of parasites which crushes and exploits the workers. Rather than preach to workers, it is best to support them in their struggle for reforms, at the same time making no secret of our belief that the only way to enact any long lasting meaningful reform is through revolution. This way, the workers will learn from experience the correctness of our theory.
As millions of people have now ”woken up”, as they phrase it, all people who are aware of the fact that this is class warfare, by which I mean true Marxists, should join the working people in those struggles, starting with the students in their goal of banning the sale of automatic weapons. At the same time we should make it clear that real change will only come about as a result of revolution.
The fact is that the students are determined to enact change by becoming involved in the democratic process, and this is an indication of the breadth and depth of the revolutionary movement. We should encourage them to continue to attempt to change the system from within, to elect people to office who are sympathetic to the working class, politicians who are prepared to place people before profits. They will quickly learn, from their own bitter experience, that it cannot be done.
Very quickly, they will learn that the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are in charge, and fully intend to remain in charge. They are deeply entrenched, and no change of personnel in the capital of the nation is going to change that. A few paltry reforms, although important in their own right, will not change the fact that we live under capitalism, not socialism.
The students will no doubt expect immediate results and will be deeply disappointed when this does not happen. The people they have trusted and admired all their young lives will be exposed as liars and hypocrites, and we can expect them to be devastated, as soon as they realize this. There is no harm in this, as it is all part of the tempering process. While at first they will appear to give up, they will soon return to the class war stronger and more determined than ever.
It is only to be expected that working class people will demand socialist revolutionary leaders, which means that they will first turn to existing parties which claim to be socialist. There are a number of such parties, but none of them are truly revolutionary. While they claim to be socialist or communist or Marxist Leninist, they are in fact merely advocating for social reform.
As a result of this, it will soon be necessary to establish a true socialist party which will represent the working class, the proletariat, a true Marxist party, one which will call for socialism through revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. But then it will also be necessary to give a name to that party, in order to distinguish it from the phoney socialist parties. With that in mind, perhaps it would be best to examine our socialist history.
In the early days of the struggle for scientific socialism, Marxists were referred to as Social Democrats, because those of us who fight for socialism also fight for democracy. It was only when the workers of Paris revolted and set up an independent commune, independent of capitalism, independent of the profit motive, in that people cooperated and supported each other, that the Marxists were referred to as Communists.
As the Marxists were very popular, and not at all concerned with the profit motive, various groups emerged and took advantage of the situation by referring to themselves as Marxists. Now it is necessary to set up a true Marxist party of the working class, a socialist party which will need a name and must be distinguished from the other parties. With that in mind, I can only suggest that the name of the party be the Communist Party, Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, or CP,DOP.
As for those who complain that the name is not entirely accurate, I can only respond that no name is entirely accurate. We just need a name which will serve the purpose, at least temporarily. It is the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat that terrorizes the bourgeoisie, and that dictatorship is a fundamental tenet of Marxism. Most self proclaimed Marxist groups either deny the necessity for that dictatorship, or simply ignore it. Both of those approaches are in the service of the bourgeoisie. It is up to us, conscious people, Marxists, Communists, to bring to the working class, the proletariat, the awareness of themselves as a class, complete with their duty to overthrow the capitalists and exercise dictatorship over them, the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.
No doubt working people are confused, as they have spontaneously gravitated to socialism but are not impressed by the ”communist” countries of Russia and China. In fact, at one time both countries were socialist, but then the capitalists managed to return to power. Of course, the rulers of each country are not about to admit this, as this would be honest, and no one has ever accused the capitalists of being honest. But then if they were honest, they would not be capitalists.
The capitalists in North America are also careful not to refer to themselves as capitalists, but as business people, entrepreneurs, defenders of the ”free world”, and capitalism is referred to as democracy, while communism is referred to as a dictatorship.
The capitalists in Russia and China were able to return to power because after the revolution, the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, were not crushed with sufficient enthusiasm.
The working class has got to be made aware of this, and face the fact that even after the successful overthrow of the capitalists, the class war will continue. The bourgeoisie are not about to resign themselves to a fate of working for a living. The very thought would never occur to them. Any kind of labor is simply beneath their dignity. Hence the necessity of an all round Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.
This brings us to our attitude to the other parties who claim to represent the working class, those who claim to be socialist or communist or Marxist Leninist.
Broadly speaking, these parties fall into three groups. The first group is composed of social chauvinists, those who are socialist in words but chauvinists in deeds. They are able to parrot the socialist phrases, while consistently defending ”their” bourgeoisie. They are not at all concerned with the workers of any other country, and in fact are not concerned with the workers of their own country. They are in the service of the bourgeoisie, the capitalists, the billionaires. Some of them even admit that they are revisionists, that the theories of Marx and Lenin have to be revised, that there is no need for revolution and certainly no need of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. They can be expected to oppose the revolution at every step.
These people, or at least the leaders of these parties, are our class enemies. They are in the service of the capitalists, agents of the bourgeoisie in our midst. We must oppose them just as we oppose the bourgeoisie.
The second group of ”socialist” parties is referred to as the ”centre” and such groups vacillate between social chauvinism and real internationalism, which is to say Marxism. We use the word internationalism in the sense that workers have no country. The workers of all countries are our brothers and sisters, our comrades, and the bourgeoisie of all countries are our common enemies.
The parties of the centre swear that they are Marxists and campaign endlessly for social reform. The centre is for unity, even with the social chauvinists. They do not believe in the necessity of revolution against the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, and do not carry on any revolutionary struggles. But then they do not oppose any truly revolutionary movement, if only because the members of the centrist groups tend to be bureaucrats who are determined to avoid conflict. Such people are not the enemy, although they can become the enemy if they decide to actively oppose the revolution. As long as they are campaigning the government for reforms, we can live and work with them, while at the same time making it clear that we are not one of them.
The third group of parties are true Marxists, internationalists one and all. These parties have made a complete break with the social chauvinists and the centrists, and are determined to overthrow the bourgeoisie of their country, whatever country that may be, and establish the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. The members of these parties are our comrades.
In the course of the struggle, the students and all members of the working class will figure this out, and the sooner the better. It is absolutely imperative that we learn to distinguish our friends from our enemies. It is the first rule of revolution. Those who support the revolution are our friends, while those who oppose the revolution, the counter revolutionaries or contras, are our enemies. It is just that simple.
The fact that the young people, students of high school age and even middle school age are now politically active, is most encouraging. It proves that the revolution has now reached a very wide strata of the working people.
We can compare this to the student movement of the nineteen sixties, which was mainly led by the university students, although at its peak, it did reach the high schools. The fact that this revolutionary movement has already reached the high schools and middle schools is an indication of just how broad and deep the movement has already become.
We can also compare this to the Chinese Cultural Revolution of roughly the same time, when China was at that time a socialist country. For years, the young people of China took the lead in rooting out the capitalists in their midst. They set the example which can help to inspire the youth of today.
True, after the death of Mao, the capitalists were able to return to power, but that in no way diminishes the sacrifice of the youth of China. Then again, those same people are now veterans of the class struggle, and are no doubt leading and advising the current young generation of China in their struggle against their current crop of capitalists.
As I mentioned in previous writings, this uprising of young people is precisely what we need. All too many working people have been corrupted by capitalism, which is not to say that these working people are the enemy. We just have to make allowances for them and who better to keep them honest than the young people. In the Chinese Cultural Revolution the students did a most impressive job of rooting out the capitalists, as well as the workers who were being corrupted by capitalism. Perhaps if they had been a bit more thorough, such a return to power would have been averted.
But one thing at a time. Our first order of business is to overthrow the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. That can only be accomplished through revolution, as they are not about to part with their hard stolen wealth without a fight. Further, the revolution must be conducted on a scientific basis, which is to say a Marxist Leninist basis, as all other methods are doomed to failure. The experience of previous revolutions leaves no room for doubt on this point.
The revolutionary movement, as fine and strong as it is, currently is fragmented and lacks focus. Separate groups have different goals and each is fighting for paltry reforms. These various groups have got to come together and focus on our common enemy, our class enemy, the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie.
The capitalists will be overthrown and a socialist republic will be established, but only after the working class unites under a socialist banner, embracing the Marxist theories, that of scientific socialism, including the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. These theories must be made available to the working class, and can easily be done so on computers.
This brings us to another group of working people who are very important, not to be ignored, and that is the enlisted members of the military. Most of the enlisted personnel are members of the working class, while the officers are members of the ruling class, or at least are in the service of that class.
To bring the awareness of the necessity of scientific socialism to these enlisted members of the military has historically been very difficult, as the very act of reading such revolutionary material is illegal. Enlisted people who are caught in such acts of ”subversion” are subjected to severe disciplinary action.
On the other hand, now that books and leaflets are considered ”old school”, we can communicate with the military personnel without resorting to such printed material. We can merely send the information to their electronic devices, computers, tablets, iPads or whatever else they have at hand. This way, they can read the material without the officers becoming aware of this.
Most military personnel are highly skilled with weapons, and in fact the military has done a fine job of teaching working people the use of weapons. Such skills can prove to be quite useful. It is simply a matter of directing those weapons at the proper target, at the proper time. At the rate the revolution is proceeding, that time may be sooner rather than later.
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 