Author: Gerald Mcisaac

The United Nations has now referred to the Corona Virus as ”the most challenging issue the world has faced since World War 2”. It has spread around the world, with the number of reported cases now over one million, with 54,000 fatalities. America is the country with the most reported cases of the virus, with almost a quarter million infected and 6,000 dead. The American health care system is in danger of being overwhelmed.

The medical professionals anticipate running out of equipment within a few days. Hospitals in all fifty states are being forced to ”bid against each other”, in an attempt to buy the medical equipment they so desperately need. This includes not only ventilators, but also personal protective equipment, such as face masks, so as to give the staff a measure of protection from the virus. As the situation becomes ever more desperate, the price of all such medical equipment continues to rise.

The capitalists refer to this as the ”law of supply and demand”. The greater the demand, the higher the price of the items which are available, so they do their best to limit the supply, possibly hoarding such things as face masks, in order to increase profits. As a result of this, the fact is that countless people are getting sick and many of them are dying. This is of no concern to the capitalists. They are only concerned with their profit, their ”bottom line”. This pandemic, which is sweeping the world and causing untold suffering, they see as an ”opportunity”. Make no mistake, they are taking full advantage of this ”opportunity”, making money ”hand over fist”.

New York City is currently considered to be the ”epicentre” of the outbreak in America, with the hospitals and medical staff stretched to the limit. The New York Fire Department, as ”first responders”, is reported to have 3,000 members out sick, mainly as a result of being exposed to the virus, in the performance of their duties. In addition, the president of the New York Nurses Association pointed out that ”it does not matter how many ventilators we have, if we are dead”. That girl has a way with words!

The American military is not indifferent to the suffering of the citizens, and has graciously sent a military hospital ship, the Comfort, to New York City, to help relieve the pressure. The only stipulation is that the ship will only allow patients who are not infected with the virus to be treated. In that way, hospital beds in the city will become available for those who are infected with the virus.

The patients who are identified as candidates for transferral to the Comfort must first be tested, to see if they have the virus. It takes several days to get the test results, and most hospital patients are released after four or five days. So by the time the test results are produced, the patients are usually released. As a result of this, the Comfort, which has a thousand beds and has been docked in New York harbour for three days, has possibly twenty patients. The medical staff within the city do not refer to this ship as the Comfort. They refer to it as the ”Floating Joke”.

The press reports that certain hospitals are filled to capacity and even overflowing, with patients being placed in hall ways. The doctors are referring to the situation as a ”medical war zone”. There is a palpable sense of despair and frustration within the medical community. The medical crisis is expected to intensify, as the infection rate has not yet reached a ”peak”, to use the popular term.

It is just a matter of time, and probably a short time, before the health care system in the country is overwhelmed. Even now, there are people who are infected and very sick, yet refuse to go to the hospital. They choose to remain at home and die surrounded by their families, as opposed to going to the hospital and dying alone. The sad fact is that people who are placed on ventilators have only a twenty percent chance of recovering. This means that of every five people placed on ventilators, only one is likely to survive. The other four can be expected to survive for days or even weeks, on ”life support”, but almost certainly die once the machine is removed.

This is not to say that patients should be denied ventilators, or anything else they need. It is to say that many of the ventilators which the federal government has in storage are in need of repair. The mayor of New York City is of the opinion that the federal government should ”step up” and provide more assistance, before more people die needlessly. As the highest single day increase in deaths and hospitalizations has just been reported, there is no time to lose.

As the ”federal government” to which he is referring is led by President Trump, no less, this ”assistance” is not about to take place. There are still ten states which have no ”stay at home” rules, so the folks in those states are continuing to travel and gather, to their hearts content, and spread the corona virus. These states are considered to be ”rural”, sparsely populated, so that the health care system in such areas are not on a par with that which is available in ”urban” centres. It is anticipated that any outbreak of the virus will quickly overwhelm the few hospitals which are available.

For that matter, it is just a matter of time before the medical system all across the country breaks down. In other parts of the world, there are reports of victims of the virus dropping dead in the streets, as the hospitals are filled to capacity. Now the press is starting to face reality and reporting that the virus is anticipated to be with us for months and not weeks. After that, it is the opinion of medical experts that we could then be faced with a ”second wave”. Possibly they anticipate that the virus could ”mutate”, and return with a vengeance.

It is worth noting that world wide, the death rate for those infected with the virus is roughly five percent, while in America the death rate is around half, at perhaps two point five percent. The medical care in the country is clearly superior to other parts of the world, and those who are kept alive on ventilators, if only for a few days, are not classified as fatalities. That helps to keep the fatality rate at an artificially low level. As the medical system in the country becomes ever more overburdened, we can expect that number to grow.

In the midst of all this devastation, President Trump has a well established set of priorities. He has called up the leaders of Russia and Saudi Arabia and expressed his concern over the price of oil! He wants them to limit their production of oil, as the low price of oil is adversely affecting the stock market. Americans are getting sick and dying, and Trump is worried about the price of oil! It is strange, but perhaps not too surprising, that the Kremlin is not aware of this call!

The medical professionals, the ”first responders” and the delivery workers, those who are providing desperately needed equipment to those who are in need, in turn need our support. They are risking their health and even their lives, in order to assist those who so desperately require help. To such people I can only offer my most sincere thanks.

With that in mind, and considering the fact that we are now entering a depression, may I suggest that it is high time people take action. The internet and modern communications, by which I mean various digital devices, have provided us with valuable tools. We would be fools to not take advantage of them. We are not our grandparents, we are more aware now than they ever were, and we should act accordingly.

Recently, the American women and students have proven themselves to be excellent organizers. They have managed to arrange protests across the country. Those protests were mainly focused on Trump and gun violence. Now it is once again necessary to protest, the difference being that this time such protests must not be limited to one issue. People must ”broaden their horizons”, and focus on destroying the whole system of capitalism.

As for those who find that somewhat unreasonable, feel free to face the facts. The country is entering a depression, even broader and deeper than the Great Depression. The country is ”head over heels” in debt, and cannot possibly come out of it. Equally without doubt, the capitalists fully intend to try, possibly by provoking a war with Iran. Millions of working people, proletarians, are now losing their jobs. As well, millions more small business owners, middle class people, petty bourgeois, are losing their businesses, facing bankruptcy. They too are unemployed. All are about to also lose their medical coverage and their homes. Many will be forced to live in their cars and even under bridges. As Sargent Friday of Dragnet fame was fond of saying, these are ”just the facts”.

It is also a fact that there are over 600 billionaires in the country, and they are profiting from this depression! The ”Economic Stimulus Package”, otherwise known as ”Corporate Welfare”, has served to enrich them. The federal government has chosen to bless those chosen few, those who own businesses which are Too Big To Fail, with vast sums of money, hundreds of billions. This money was collected from American taxpayers, those who are Too Small To Succeed. Bear in mind that these Sacred Six Hundred are members of a class which are technically referred to as the bourgeoisie. They run the country, and are only concerned with ”lining their own pockets”. They can and must be destroyed.

With that in mind, may I suggest that the ”army” of women and students has just received ”reinforcements”, in the form of those who have recently been ruined by the bourgeoisie. Of course, I am referring to the former small business owners, newly created proletarians. No doubt many of them are quite bitter -who can blame them?- as their dreams of becoming successful and even of joining the ranks of the bourgeoisie, have been completely crushed. Practically overnight, their life savings, their years of hard work, have been flushed down the toilet.

Those same people are now being offered small business loans. To accept those loans would only prolong the agony, driving those people ever deeper into debt. This is a depression, and in a depression, there is no room for any small business. Further, there is no way out of this crisis in capitalism. Face the fact that your businesses are gone and not coming back.

Now is the time to cast away the dreams of success, to transform that bitterness into determination, to face the fact that capitalism has had its day, that revolution and socialism is on the horizon. The world will be a far better place without capitalism!

Join the ranks of the women and students, those who have marched for change, in the past. As formerly successful business people, you have valuable knowledge and skills, which can be of great service to the working class. Most of you are aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin, especially that of the necessity of scientific socialism, which includes the smashing of the existing state machinery and establishing the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Feel free to bring this awareness to the working class. You can speak from experience, so working people are more likely to listen to you.

Time is not on our side, as the revolution waits for no one. It will break out when it breaks out. People are bound to rise up spontaneously, and are in desperate need of class consciousness. That is where middle class, conscious people can be of great service. As it is my most fervent belief that the best way to reach the vast majority of people is with slogans, may I suggest:

Workers of the World, Unite!

Scientific Socialism!

Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!

April first today, April Fools day. As I watch the news, I cannot help but wonder if the politicians and economists are not fabricating some sort of twisted April Fools day joke. But then I realize that it is merely wishful thinking on my part. That which is happening now is too sick to be a joke, too terrible to be a nightmare. Our leaders are too incompetent, too stunned to face reality.

President Trump has ten thousand ventilators in stock, and he is holding on to them. The hospitals are desperately short of medical supplies, including ventilators, yet Trump is not impressed by this. He is saving them for the next two weeks, when ”the surge is coming”. He is convinced the corona virus pandemic will peak within the next two weeks. No one knows the reason for this belief, but then Trump believes strongly in intuition.

Most of the country is in a state of lockdown, at least until the end of April. After that, he expects the country to ”return to normal”, in time for fall and the elections. It is clear that Trump is living in his own little world, a world of delusion.

It is true that eighty percent of the country is in a state of lockdown, which means that twenty percent of the country is not locked down. Simple math tells us that 66 million people are running around, spreading the virus. This is not rocket science.

The medical experts are predicting that the death toll from the virus could reach 240,000. Then again, one of the most highly respected medical professionals, Dr. Brix, gave a figure of two million! These impressive numbers did not come to the doctors in the form of a sacred vision. Instead, they played with some numbers, did the math, and came to some different conclusions. The reason for the vastly different estimates for the death toll is quite simple. No one has any idea of the number of people who will contract the virus, so we can only work with estimates. Or you can call them guesses if you like, because that is precisely what they are.

With that in mind, may I suggest that readers apply the same math that the medical experts are using, as it is not difficult, and determine your own estimate. This may help to give the readers some idea of the magnitude of the problem.

The population of the country is roughly three hundred thirty million, or 330,000,000, to put it in mathematical form. If even five percent -expressed as 5%- of the population contracts the virus, then roughly sixteen million people will be infected. Of those sixteen million people, we can expect possibly two percent, – 2%- of those people to die. Using that estimate, we can expect 320,000 fatalities.

The trouble being that we have no idea of the percentage of the population who will be infected. We do know that the more people move around, the more people will be infected, the higher the percentage of infected people. By contrast, the more people sit tight, the less people will be infected, the lower the percentage of the population who will be infected. Hence, the estimate of the percentage of the people who will be infected can only remain a guess. We also know that the more people who are infected, the more people will die, especially if the medical system in the country breaks down.

Then there are other facts, which are awkward, as well as not pleasant. The fact is that in the last three days, the fatality rate, as a result of the virus, has doubled to 835, and that was the death rate in one day. We now have 4,564 total dead, and that number is rising. New York City has been hit very hard, and is considered to be the ”epicentre” of the pandemic in America, possibly because so many people are forced to live so close together. Within that city, seventeen percent of the police are out sick, mainly as a result of contracting the virus, in the performance of their duties.

Other ”hot spots” include New Jersey, New Orleans, Florida, Detroit, Albany, Texas, Philadelphia, California, Miami and Georgia. Medical supplies are in demand, including personal protective equipment, such as masks, and those which are available are selling for ten to twenty times the usual price! Here we have a bright shining example of capitalism in all its glory. The corona virus is ravaging the country, countless people are sick and many are dying, first responders and medical personnel are putting their lives on the line, trying to help the infected, and the capitalists are using this as an opportunity to enrich themselves!

Officially, the current number of people who are infected stands at 205,239. Unofficially, the number is thought to be much higher, as people can carry the virus for days and show no symptoms. Relatively few people are being tested for the virus, as the government has yet to master the art of testing multitudes of people. Other countries have managed that quite well, but they must know something we do not. They are also aware that those who do not move around do not mingle with others and consequently do not spread the virus. Perhaps someone should let the Washington bureaucrats in on that little secret.

That brings us to the economists for the largest, most highly respected financial institutions in the country. They are predicting this little downturn in the economy, this ”recession”, will turn around ”by the fourth quarter”. They must live in the same fantasy world as Trump.

Someone should advise these mental midgets that there are -or were- thirty million small businesses in the country. These small businesses employed nearly half the private work force. Very few of those businesses can afford to remain idle for more than a week or two. Now they are faced with the prospect of being idle for six to eighteen months! Few, if any, can afford to shut down for that long. It follows that most, if not all, of their work force is about to be unemployed. Most of the owners are also about to join the ranks of the working class, also unemployed. In short, the unemployment rate is sky rocketing. As that is the case, Mister Big Business Economist, just where do you get the idea that the economy is about to boom once again, later on in the year? Feel free to get it through that thick skull of yours that the country is now entering a depression, one that is expected to be more severe than the one of the nineteen thirties.

But then, as Lenin pointed out, it is the task of the bourgeois economist to ”present it in a favourable light”. He goes on to say that ”simplicity of mind on the part of the bourgeois economists is not surprising. Besides, it is in their interests to pretend to be so naive”.(italics by Lenin) It is safe to say that the bourgeois economists are certainly earning their pay!

The biggest businesses, the monopoly corporations, those which are referred to as Too Big To Fail, are now even bigger, more powerful, more wealthy than ever before, if only because of the government hand outs, the corporate welfare, in the guise of the Economic Stimulus Package. The class of people who own those corporations, the billionaires who are technically referred to as the bourgeoisie, are now far more wealthy. At the same time, the small business owners, the petty bourgeois, are effectively wiped out. They are being forced into the ranks of the working class, the proletariat. The monopolies are becoming ever stronger, ever more complete. It is to their advantage as they now have no competition from the small business owners, the middle class, the petty bourgeois.

Many of those former members of the middle class, petty bourgeois, are aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. They used to live a relatively comfortable life as small business owners. Those days are gone, never to return. Now they are being forced into the ranks of the working class, the proletariat. To such people, I have only one word: Welcome!

Now may I suggest that you share your class awareness with the other members of the class you have just joined. Explain to workers the existence of classes and the necessity of revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Put your organizational skills to work in preparing demonstrations and marches. Harass the bourgeoisie, allow them no rest. Give them no peace. Encourage all Americans to join the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Form a most exclusive Communist Party, one which advocates the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. The working class needs leaders.

I will end this article with my usual slogans, as they are so important:

Workers of the World, Unite!

Scientific Socialism!

Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!

The daily death toll in America, as a result of the corona virus, has just reached a record 502, so that nearly 3,000 Americans have now died, as a result of the sickness. That number is expected to rise dramatically, as the virus continues to spread. The medical experts are predicting an eventual death toll of between 100,00 and 200,000, although others predict the death toll could rise to the millions. To support their predictions, the medical experts are producing graphs, charts and ”curves which must be flattened”, ”epicentres”, ”hot spots” and percentages, number of people infected and number of fatalities.

Perhaps the medical professionals and journalists are convinced that most common people, members of the public, are at heart mathematically inclined, as it is only mathematicians who find these figures and charts to be fascinating. Such is hardly the case. Or perhaps those same people are of the opinion that it is necessary to confuse common people, as they do not want anyone to understand the breadth and depth of their incompetence.

With that in mind, it is best to explain a few simple terms, which many people may find to be a bore, but bear with me, as this is important. The medical people love to speak in terms of percentages, so let us start with that.

Think of a base of one hundred people, so that one person is one out of a hundred, referred to as one percent. For every one hundred people who get the virus and one person dies, then the fatality rate, which is the death rate, is one percent. By contrast, if five of those hundred people die as a result of getting the virus, then the fatality rate is five percent.

That is quite simple, but then the fatality rate can be expressed in different terms, such as four point two percent, or 4.2%. Think of this as 42 out of 1,000, or forty two people out of one thousand people who are infected, and destined to die.

Now the press is reporting that world wide, there are 775,300 people who are infected with the corona virus. Of those people who are infected, 36,900 have died. By dividing the number of people who have died by the number of people who have been infected, we arrive as a fatality rate of 4.7%. This means that for every thousand people who are infected by the virus, forty seven have died.

By contrast, in America, there are a reported 158,400 cases of corona virus, with a death toll of 2,919. That gives us a mortality rate of 1.8%, or one point eight percent. This means that for every one thousand Americans who catch the virus, eighteen have died. This is lower than the world wide average, for good reason. The medical care in America is far better than in most parts of the world.

These numbers are important, because the medical professionals use them to estimate the number of people who will get sick and die, as a result of this virus. The virus is very contagious, or ”catchie”, as is the popular term. So the experts put their calculators to work and estimate that if ten percent of the population, which is ten of every hundred Americans catch the virus, then thirty three million Americans will be infected. Further, if one point eight percent of those who are infected were to die, then 594,000 Americans would die.

Those numbers are far higher than the estimated number of Americans who are expected to die as a result of being infected with the virus. The experts have come up with a number of between 100,000 and 200,000. Clearly they expect far fewer people to be infected with the virus, and they also expect the medical attention they receive to remain at a very high level.

The fact remains that the more people who become infected, the more people will die. It is also a fact that the higher the level of medical care patients receive, the less people will die.

The best we can say about these numbers is that they are wildly optimistic. Perhaps the only way to control the spread of the virus is to isolate people who are infected, to keep them away from other people. They simply cannot infect people with whom they have no contact. This approach has proven effective in other parts of the world.

Compare this with the situation in America. New York City is now considered the ”epicentre” of the epidemic in the country. Of the nearly 3,000 dead so far, nearly half have died in the state of New York. On one day alone, 253 people have died in the state. Across the country, the death toll for the day stands at 502. The hospitals in New York City are being described as ”swamped”, a ”medical war zone”, with the medical facilities on the verge of collapse. Of the New York City police, thirteen percent are out sick, mainly as a result of being infected with the virus, in the performance of their duties.

The New York City first responders and medical workers are on the ”front lines” of this ”medical war zone”. Many of them are personally shopping for personal protective equipment for themselves and their patients, as there is such a severe shortage. Both hospital staff and first responders are working around the clock, short handed and desperate for the proper equipment. It is estimated they will run out of equipment within a week.

The navy hospital ship, the Comfort, has been sent to New York City, in an attempt to take some pressure off the hospitals. In addition, a temporary hospital has been set up in Central Park. It is not clear where they expect to find the equipment or the personnel to work at this hospital.

In addition, those who are classified as working in ”essential services”, which is to say the delivery personnel, are going on strike, demanding personal protective equipment and hazardous duty pay. Many of these people too are becoming infected with the virus, also in the performance of their duties.

There are numerous other ”hot spots” in the country, such as New Orleans, Chicago, Florida, New Jersey and Philadelphia, to name a few. Others are popping up on a daily basis. It is anticipated that the ”rural America health care system will be quickly over whelmed”. In fact, it is clear that the whole American medical system is in danger of collapse. If that happens, the death rate from the corona virus will sky rocket.

Other countries are taking decisive action. Italy and Spain are completely shut down. People are allowed to leave their homes only to get groceries or in case of an emergency. Only essential services workers are continuing to perform their duties, and they are provided with proper personal protective equipment. The leaders of those countries are aware of the gravity of the situation and are taking the appropriate measures to protect their citizens.

That stands in stark contrast to the American leaders. As Trump stated the issue, ”We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself”. As he sees it, the ”problem” is the corona virus, and the ”cure” is isolation, or ”social distancing”, to use the technical term. This begs the question: How can isolation be worse than the ”problem” of citizens being infected with the virus and many of them dying?

To answer that question, we have only to take a glance at the stock market. This should not be difficult, as the news reports are divided between the devastation caused by the virus, and the dropping stock market. The two are connected, to an extent, as people who are ”self isolating” are not spending their money, if for no other reason than that they do not have any money to spend. A great many people are out of work, and the number is growing, as most small businesses are shutting down. These are considered to be Too Small To Succeed. The major corporations, those which are considered Too Big To Fail, are merely laying off their workers, while receiving massive amounts of corporate welfare.

The contrast is sharp and clear. The country is entering a depression, millions of workers are losing their jobs and will soon lose their houses, to become homeless. Countless people are becoming infected with the virus and many of them will die, if only because the medical treatment they so desperately need is not available. The small business owners, the middle class or petty bourgeois, are being wiped out, forced to join the ranks of the working class, the proletariat. Yet the money they pay in taxes is being given to the super rich, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie! The government cannot afford to equip the medical professionals with the equipment they so desperately need, yet they can afford to donate countless billions to the bourgeoisie!

To add insult to injury, Trump is accusing the medical people of stealing their own equipment! The same people who are putting their lives on the line, risking their health in order to assist those who are sick and injured, are in turn being accused, by their own president, of being thieves! Look who’s talking! The ”kettle calling the pot black”! Trump is a most accomplished thief, with a long history of stealing at every opportunity. For that reason, he just naturally assumes that every one else is no different.

I have news for you, Mister President. Not everyone is like you. Working people are poor for a reason. We work for a living! We support ourselves, we contribute to society, we pay taxes, and that is the reason we are poor! You on the other hand are extremely rich, do not pay taxes, do not support yourself, and steal at every opportunity. That is the reason that you, and the other members of your class, the bourgeoisie, are so rich!

What is more, Mister Billionaire President, we have had enough! You and your class, the bourgeoisie, place profits before people! That is the reason you are so reluctant to isolate those who are infected with the corona virus. You are afraid it will cut into your profits! You do not call it profit, you refer to it as the ”economy”. As if you care about the economy! You care only about your profits!

To put it in popular terms, ”your days are numbered”. The working people are fed up. The essential services workers are now rising up. The nurses are demonstrating, and the delivery service workers are going on strike. This could well be the start of a nation wide protest, a revolutionary uprising. It is just a matter of time, and very likely a short time.

To those who are aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin, I can only suggest that you get active and form a proper Communist Party, one which openly advocates for the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. That will help to distinguish yourselves from those who claim to be Marxists, but are revisionists.

As for those who are not aware of those theories, I suggest a careful reading of the Essential Works of Lenin, to start. That should give you a proper grounding in Marxist revolutionary theory. As for those who have little use for theory, may I point out that the success -or failure- of the approaching revolution depends upon the proper application of the theory – or the advice if you will- of Marx and Lenin.

I can also suggest that all working people join the two mainstream political parties, Republican and Democratic, as card carrying members, party bosses. At the moment, they are firmly in the hands of the bourgeoisie. They should be challenged, if for no other reason than to add to the misery of the bourgeoisie. Do not pass up any opportunity to make their lives miserable. Besides, this will provide valuable training for such workers, which will be put to good use after the revolution, after we smash the existing state machinery and crush the bourgeoisie under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

The revolution is fast approaching, and is not about to wait until we are prepared. Time is not on our side. Now is the time to act. Spread the advice of Marx and Lenin:

Workers of the World, Unite!

Scientific Socialism!

Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!

There have been numerous sightings of an animal in Okanagan Lake, a huge animal which local residents refer to as ”ogopogo”. Most of these sightings are consistent and reliable, made by people who are highly respected. There is every reason to believe that the animal exists. Now the problem is one of proving it.

First a little background is in order. It is the scientific opinion that many millions of years ago, there were an additional four orders of swimming reptiles in the world. Within each order, there were likely dozens of species. These orders were that of ichthyosaur, mosasaur, long necked plesiosaur and short necked plesiosaur. Then around 80 million years ago, or mya for short, the ichthyosaurs went extinct, due to competition from other ”super predators”, possibly mosasaurs. It is further the scientific opinion that the other three orders of swimming reptile went extinct 65 million years ago, at the same time the dinosaurs went extinct. No reason is given for the mass extinctions of these swimming reptiles.

It is my opinion that the scientists are ”all wet”, if you will excuse the poor joke. I am convinced that these four orders of swimming reptiles still exist, predators one and all, in the lakes and oceans of the world.

For the benefit of those readers who are not scientists, I will mention that an ”order” is a reference to a group of species of animals which are quite similar. For example, there is an order of crocodiles, and that order includes twenty three species. By contrast, within the order of turtles, there are possibly one hundred species. Both crocodiles and turtles are swimming reptiles, but the difference is that turtles can tolerate a great deal of cold, while crocodiles can not. Hence the great many species of turtle, as compared to the relatively few species of crocodile.

To return to the animal in Okanagan Lake, the most reliable eye witness reports are that it swims like a mammal, not a reptile. They mention this because they are well aware that reptiles swim in an undulating manner, while mammals swim in a completely different manner. I believe them. They also report that this animal has ”humps” on its back, which go up and down as it swims. This too I believe. Making sense of these reports is a different matter entirely.

Perhaps the most surprising report was that of the swimmer who found himself swimming with company! A huge animal was swimming right along side of him! As it was so close, it was difficult not to notice the huge eyes on the animal, eyes the size of grapefruits!

It is details such as this which help to determine the identity of the animal. The one and only swimming reptile with such huge eyes, possibly 25 centimetres or 10 inches, is the ichthyosaur.

This called for a little investigation on my part, in an attempt to reconcile the behaviour. The swimming motion of this animal is that of a mammal, and to swim alongside a human is also characteristic of a mammal, and in particular that of a dolphin. No reptile has been known to exhibit such behaviour. Yet the ichthyosaur is classified as a reptile.

Strangely enough, even though it is a reptile, the fossilized remains of the ichthyosaur confirm that this animal gives birth to live young. It is characteristic of reptiles that they lay eggs, although rattle snakes are the exception, giving birth to live young. Apparently these ichthyosaurs are also the exception.

It is also the scientific opinion that this animal is related to dolphins. I have no idea how they came to that conclusion, but I am sure they are right. As far as I am aware, dolphins are the only swimming animals which have been known to swim along side people. At least, up until now. Something is swimming along side people in Okanagan Lake, and it is not a dolphin.

The idea that a reptile, a super predator no less, would choose to swim along side a human, is stranger than fiction.

Further investigation reveals that the latest scientific discoveries question the belief that the ichthyosaur is a cold blooded animal. If it is indeed a warm blooded animal -and that has yet to be proven- one which gives birth to live young, then it may be improperly classified. It may be a RINO, a Reptile In Name Only. It may in fact be a mammal, and that would explain its mammalian behaviour.

This is not to say that I am terribly concerned with the classification of the animal. It can be a reptile with mammalian characteristics, or it can be a mammal with reptilian characteristics. It is a subject upon which I am indifferent. No doubt the proper classification is important, but I am mainly concerned with proving the existence of the animal.

Ordinarily I would say that the best way to prove the existence of a swimming reptile is by locating its nesting site, the beach upon which it lays its eggs. But this is anything but ordinary, as it gives birth to live young. There is no point in looking for the beach where it lays its eggs, because that beach does not exist. Clearly, it is necessary to come up with a different plan.

The people who have seen these animals are of the opinion that they are most frequently seen in the spring, at certain locations. Possibly the males come to the surface and display, in an attempt to impress the females. Who can blame them?

Assuming that to be the case, may I suggest that those who live around Okanagan Lake keep an eye out for these animals, and hopefully git some pictures, preferably videos, of those animals cavorting in the water. There was a time when an animal had to be killed, in order to prove the species exists. I would like to prove to the scientists that this animal exists, without resorting to such drastic measures.

Then again, such a course of action may not be feasible. The scientists may merely dismiss any and all videos out of hand. It is possible the animal comes out of the water on occasion, and if that is the case, it may be possible to obtain some DNA. I cannot think of any reason the animal would come out of the water, but that does not mean it does not happen.

This is not to say that a combination of videos and DNA would necessarily persuade the scientists of the existence of this animal, as they are determined that it went extinct many millions of years ago.

This brings us back to the one sure fire way to prove the animal exists, the ”old school” method of shooting an animal to prove the species exists. If the scientists persist in being completely pig headed, we may have to resort to such a drastic method. A carcass of the animal will certainly get their attention.

I suspect there is no other way to prove the existence of the ichthyosaur.

The country is currently entering a depression such as has not been seen since the Great Depression of almost one hundred years ago. The more honest of the bourgeois economists admit this, while qualifying the statement that this depression is expected to be more intense. In fact, they cannot see any way out of this depression, this crisis in capitalism, if only because there is none.

This has not stopped the monopoly capitalists, the imperialists, the bourgeoisie, from making an attempt. They have come up with a two trillion dollar -that is two thousand billion dollar- ”economic stimulus package”. This is tax payer money, which they do not have, which is being given away to citizens and businesses. Each American will receive a rather small check, that of their own taxpayer money, while the vast majority, the ”lions share”, will go to businesses. This is known as ”corporate welfare”.

These corporate welfare checks, to some of the biggest corporations in the country, as well as to ”small businesses”, are supposed to prop up these companies until the corona virus ”runs its course”, and things ”return to normal”. In the simplicity of their souls, the capitalists have defined any business which employs less than 500 workers as a ”small business.” Small business, indeed!

The idea is that the owner of a ”small business” will trust this ”mild recession” to be over in the third quarter, with a recovery ”later in the year”, as was predicted by a top economist. Accordingly, it is expected that this starry eyed optimistic businessman will keep paying his workers, even though they are idle, as well as paying the rent, utilities and taxes on all his stock and supplies, patiently waiting for the corona virus to run its course, the country to ”get back on its feet”, and customers to return. This begs the question: Just how stupid does the government think these ”small business owners”are?

All such business people are small time capitalists, petty bourgeois. This is not to suggest that they are entirely stupid, as they are not. They are well aware that it is the opinion of the more honest economists that we are entering a depression, things will never again return to ”normal”, and it is therefore time to ”cash in their chips”, otherwise known as ”liquidating”, ”cut their losses”, and ”run like hell”. In other words, they will fire their workers, close up shop, sell whatever they can for as much as they can, throw away the rest, and if need be, file for bankruptcy. At the same time, they will grab as much cash as they can, including the government hand outs. They would be fools to do anything less.

I have deliberately phrased this in very popular language, so that the average working person can understand it. It is very important. We are entering a depression, and we had best be prepared for the worst.

Allow me to stress that this crisis in capitalism, this depression, did not come about as a result of the corona virus. It is a natural result of the development of capitalism. As Marx pointed out, capitalism proceeds in a natural cycle of boom to bust. The boom is over, the bust is here, it is world wide, and in my opinion, there is no way the capitalists are going to get out of this one.

This brings us to the corporate executives, the ”big business” people. These are the people who control whole branches of industry, which include airlines, hotel chains, auto manufacturers, restaurant chains and various other branches of business. The idea that they are prepared to get their hands on tens and even hundreds of billions of dollars -this they refer to as capital- and waste it on ”stimulating the economy” -well, lets just say that the thought would never occur to them. It would simply never cross their mind. Instead, they are sure to look for opportunities elsewhere, probably overseas, with the idea of getting a better return on their invested capital. Bear in mind, this ”capital” is nothing more than American tax payer money, which has generously been donated to them, by Trump and the Washington politicians.

As a result of this ”economic stimulus package”, the country is being driven ever deeper into depression, ever closer to bankruptcy.

This in no way changes the fact that the most immediate, pressing concern, is that of dealing with the corona virus. The United States now has the dubious distinction of being the country with the greatest number of reported cases of people infected with the corona virus. The American medical system is in danger of collapse! The health care workers are exhausted. Many have come out of retirement to assist in the crisis. They are scrambling for personal protective equipment, risking their health, in danger of contracting the virus and spreading it to others, their families as well as other patients. There is a desperate shortage of ventilators. Refrigerator trucks are being pressed into service, in order to store the corpses, as the morgues are filled to overflowing. The hospitals are expected to run out of beds in a few days. They are expected to need over twice as many beds as they have now. The doctors are describing the situation in the hospitals as ”apocalyptic”.

As that is the case, the governors of the states which are most hard hit by the virus are appealing to the federal government for help. In other words, they are appealing to Donald Trump! There is no one more indifferent to their suffering than Donald Trump! His main concern, if not his only concern, is to funnel as much tax payer money as possible to the members of his class, the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. The suffering of the ”little guy”, the ”common people”, does not concern him.

In all fairness, it is true that Trump has activated the Defence Production Act, which gives him the authority to force businesses to produce emergency medical equipment, such as personal protective equipment, hospital beds and ventilators, among other items which are so desperately needed. He activated this Act under great pressure, but is reluctant to use it. The last thing he wants to do is to force corporations to produce such articles, as this ”smacks of socialism”.

In this, he has a point. Under socialism, or at least under scientific socialism, people are placed before profits! This stands in sharp contrast to capitalism, especially under the current state of medical emergency, where it is clear for all to see, that profits are placed before people!

It is very likely that Trump, as well as the journalists who report such news items, are not aware that they are condemning the system of capitalism!

The journalists are torn between reporting the devastation caused by the deepening depression, the havoc caused by the corona virus, and the glowing economic forecasts of the officials who serve the capitalists so fervently. The Treasury Secretary, Steve Mneuchin, says that the 3,280,000 new jobless claims, in merely one week, are ”not relevant”, that the ”fundamentals of the economy remain strong”. Tell that to the people who are now unemployed! Tell that to the millions more who are about to become unemployed!

Trump is living in his own little dream world, far removed from reality. His latest brain storm is to classify counties under new guide lines, that of ”low risk, medium risk and high risk”. The level of risk will in turn determine the degree of ”social distancing”, so that the economy can ”come raring back in time for Easter”. Perhaps he should relocate from the White House to the insane asylum.

In all fairness to Trump, he is aided in his delusions by the bourgeois belly crawling boot lickers. There is no shortage of the vermin, and they go to great lengths, even absurd lengths, to protect their lords and masters, the bourgeoisie. The Chairman of the Federal Reserve has announced that ”we may well be in a recession”. He went on to say that he expects a ”robust recovery in the fourth quarter”. To think that this is announced, by one of the most highly respected economists in the country, at the beginning of a depression!

At the rate the corona virus is spreading, it is very likely that soon, people will be dying while waiting to be admitted to hospitals. The hospital staff cannot provide them with beds which they do not have. Nor can they place them on ventilators, when they have no ventilators. It is doubtful that the family members, those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones, will take a great deal of comfort in the fact that the corporations were not forced to manufacture these medical items, as that smacks of socialism!

There is a limit to that which people are prepared to tolerate, and the American people are close to that limit. We are entering a depression, the corona virus is ravaging the country, common people are suffering terribly, the country is on the verge of bankruptcy, the medical system is about to collapse, and the only thing the government can think about is stimulating the economy!

It is clear that their idea of ”stimulating the economy” is merely giving the super rich, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, ever more billions! The country can go ”down the tubes”, but as long as the billionaires amass an even greater fortune, that is perfectly acceptable!

The differences now are at least sharp and clear. As Dickens would say, ”it was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. He was of course referring to the situation in France at the time of the French revolution, in which the nobility never had it so good -the best of times- and the ”lower classes”, the peasants and workers, never had it so bad -the worst of times.

A similar situation now exists in America. In this country, the nobility was overthrown many years ago, but they have been replaced by the bourgeoisie, a class which is every bit as reactionary as the nobility. The peasants are almost completely wiped out, and now the middle class, the petty bourgeois, is following suit, being forced into the ranks of the working class, the proletariat. One difference between America of today and France at the time of Dickens, is the fact that the class conflict is now much simpler. Now there is essentially two classes, the working class or proletariat, and the capitalist class, or bourgeoisie. All other classes have been destroyed.

The country is a ”powder keg”, set to explode. A spontaneous uprising, a revolution, could break out any day. As yet, the working class is not aware of itself as a class, not aware that it is at war with the capitalist class, the bourgeoisie. This awareness can only come from Marxists. It is up to Marxists to make the proletariat aware of the fact that it is destined to overthrow the bourgeoisie, smash the existing state apparatus and crush that class of parasites, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

As yet, the Marxists are not providing that service. For that reason, I can suggest that working people who are reading this article make haste to educate yourselves. Time is not on our side, so by all means, read the Essential Works of Lenin. That should provide workers with a solid background in Marxist theory.

A Communist Party is desperately needed. It must be exclusive, restricted to only the most dedicated Marxists, those who are committed to revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

During the time of revolution, leaders will emerge. These leaders will be true Marxists or they will be totally unprincipled, those committed to seizing the opportunity to set themselves up as the new rulers. As we live in a class society, those are the options. Proletarian or bourgeois, there is no middle ground.

Now that this depression is destroying so many members of the petty bourgeois, the middle class, perhaps those among you who are Marxists will become active and carry the message to the working class. That is up to you. Bear in mind that in a revolution, no one can remain ”neutral”, or ”straddle the fence”. The last thing you want is to become a target of the revolution.

In summary, the ”battle lines are being drawn”. It is workers versus billionaires, proletariat versus bourgeoisie. Socialism or capitalism, a war to the finish. No quarter. Victory or death. The working class has nothing to lose but its chains.