Author: Gerald Mcisaac

The current American situation is very similar to the situation of Russia in 1917, immediately after the spring revolution. The Russian monarchy was overthrown, which is to say that the Romanov’s were no longer in power. That particular family had been ruling Russia for three hundred years, but the spontaneous uprising of the people of the Russian empire ended that dynasty. A great many of those people were not even Russians, but members of different nationalities, crushed under the rule of the Romanov’s. Now in America we also have people of different nationalities who are being crushed under the rule of the American empire. As well, many of the people who are currently taking part in the revolution are also doing so spontaneously, not fully aware of precisely that which they are doing.

In the case of 1917 Russia, the Marxists, the leaders of the workers and peasants, cannot be blamed for the lack of awareness of the working people. Almost all of them had been arrested under the rule of Czar Nicholas and were either executed or exiled. That includes Lenin, whom had been exiled and was living in Switzerland at the time of the spring Russian revolution. As well, most of the people of Russia were peasants, and the majority of them were illiterate. Then there was the fact that the press was strictly controlled by the agents of the Czar. Any and all socialist literature was strictly forbidden.

The difference is that now in America, most people, but by no means all, are literate. As well, there are very few peasants in America, and those that remain are referred to as farmers. The members of the middle class, small business owners, technically referred to as petty bourgeois, have been all but wiped out by the monopoly capitalists, the imperialists. As for socialist literature, it is available, if only on the internet. Works of Marx and Lenin can readily be downloaded, and the capitalists have no way of controlling this.

The vast majority of people now have computers, or at least have access to computers. The young people in particular have various digital devices, all of which are used as a means of communication. These electronic devices serve the same purpose as the press.

There are also a great many conscious people in America. By that I mean people who are aware of the existence of classes and the conflict between the classes. Most of them are current or former members of the middle class, petty bourgeois, usually people who have been financially ruined, forced into bankruptcy, driven into the ranks of the working class. These people I refer to as Leftist people, or people who are on the Left. Most of them consider themselves to be Marxists or Socialists, while others are politically active because it is the right thing to do. All such Leftist people have my respect.

This is in stark contrast to those who are aware of the current situation, of the fact that the working class is being crushed and exploited by the capitalists, and are further determined to strengthen and further this exploitation. Those people I refer to as members of the Right, or the BCBL, which stands for Belly Crawling Boot Lickers. It should come as no surprise to any reader that I have no respect at all for those people. They are truly contemptible, many of them working class, traitors to their own class.

The important thing to remember is that the working class is not aware of itself as a class, and this class awareness must be brought to the working class from an outside source. That outside source is the middle class, the petty bourgeois. Bear in mind that Marx, Engels and Lenin were middle class, petty bourgeois. They sacrificed a comfortable middle class life style in order to do the right thing, to fight for the working class, the proletariat. Sadly, a great many of the class conscious people in America, those who consider themselves as Marxist or even Leftists, are not following suit.

The fact is that those who are class conscious people, current or former members of the middle class, whether Marxists, Socialists, Communists, Bolsheviks, Independent Socialists, Democratic Socialists or merely progressive people, are not doing their duty.

I realize that is a strong accusation, and no doubt many people will be offended by this. Yet I stand by that which I have stated. Any and all conscious people have the duty to bring the awareness of classes to the working class, the proletariat.

True, there were demonstrations made in the past which were quite successful, but nothing recent. Among other things, I am referring to the marches to the houses, banks and restaurants which are frequented by the members of the Trump administration. This caused considerable embarrassment to certain American officials, and more to the point, was shown on the mainstream press. People loved it, as it was entertaining. Yet the banners and posters were devoid of Marxist slogans, such as Workers of the World, Unite! or Scientific Socialism! or Down With Capitalism! The idea is that workers must be made aware of the existence of classes, and the struggle between the classes. We want to bring that awareness to millions and tens of millions of working people, and the best way to do that is by saying it in a manner which is entertaining.

Without doubt, there are a great many Leftist people who are professional entertainers. The members of the Me Too movement are living proof of that. Now it is a simple matter of persuading those Leftist people to do that which they do best, to entertain, while at the same time carrying the Marxist message to the working class.

It is entirely possible that the revolutionary movement has been -temporarily- side tracked by the uproar to impeach Trump and remove him from office. The monopoly capitalists, the bourgeoisie, may have decided to ”throw Trump under the bus”, as they refer to it, in an effort to derail the revolution. As they are completely devoid of principle, it is not beneath them.

Certainly the press is focused on this spectacle, including the conflict between the Speaker of the House and the members of the Squad. The press is also quite gleefully pointing out the lies and hypocrisy of Trump and his merry band of boot lickers.

As the press is owned and operated by the capitalists, it is clear that the journalists have been turned loose on Trump, in much the same way that well trained attack dogs are turned loose on people. The journalists are also well trained and are tearing into Trump with a vengeance. It is very likely that they hate the man -who can blame them?- and are doing a fine job of pointing out the obvious. For this they deserve full credit.

The fact remains that Trump is a mere figurehead, a puppet who is being manipulated by some very highly placed American officials, loyal servants of the bourgeoisie. They refer to themselves as the Resistance, and I refer to them as the White House Resistance, in order to distinguish them from the Leftist resistance. This White House Resistance  very likely is composed of most, if not all, of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, among others. They are the puppet masters who pull the strings of Trump.

This point was driven home recently when Trump was prevented from going to war with Iran. Not that Trump referred to it as war, but as a ”proportional military strike”. As if changing the name changes the nature of the beast! The members of the White House Resistance knew precisely what it was, and decided to stop Trump, not out of respect for any humanitarian concerns but only because they considered that it would adversely affect their profits. If nothing else, this drives home the point that the military are firmly in control of the country.

Having said that, I will now appeal to the millions of working people who have recently become politically active, as a result of the revolutionary movement which is currently sweeping the world, and which is being led in North America by the United States (Americans), and in particular American women. Way to go, American ladies!

To such people I can only say that it is perfectly understandable if you find the situation confusing, if not depressing. To see the country that you love so deeply divided! No doubt it reminds people of the Civil War, when it was neighbour against neighbour and brother against brother. That is true, just as it is true that the end result of that war was the defeat of the class of slave owners. That is the way we have to look at the civil war which is on the horizon, the second American revolution. It is a war between classes. It is a war which has to be fought, and the workers have to win that war, because the bourgeoisie have to be defeated. This is another way of saying that it is a just war.

In fact, the current American situation is much simpler than the situation of Russia in 1917. Now there are only two classes in conflict, the capitalists, technically referred to as the bourgeoisie, and the workers, technically referred to as the proletariat.

As I mentioned, I am writing this with the members of the working class in mind, so I am explaining these technical terms and being repetitive. These are terms with which all working people must become familiar, as knowledge is power, and if we are not aware of these terms, then the capitalists will use this against us.

It may help to think of the billionaires as the bourgeoisie, because that is precisely what they are. They are parasites, leaches on society, taking everything and giving nothing in return. They contribute nothing to society, possess more money than they can ever hope to spend and are never satisfied. Whatever they have, it is not enough. They are constantly trying to squeeze ever more money from the working class. They have more money, in total, hidden in ”offshore accounts”, than the country owes. To put this in perspective, the national debt stands at twenty two thousand billion, or twenty two trillion. That is a mind boggling amount, and yet the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, have more than that amount of money placed in banks in other countries. They are determined to hang on to this money, and even add to it, while at the same time not paying any taxes.

As the Leftist people are not doing their duty, I can only suggest that working class people -I also refer to such people as common people- should take the bull by the horns and do that which most common people in Russia could not do, and that is educate themselves.

This may not be as difficult as it may sound, as there is no need to read everything Marx and Lenin wrote. For that matter it is not practical. It is not necessary to immerse ourselves in Marxist literature. We just have to focus on that which is most relevant.

Of course I am referring to State and Revolution, written by Lenin in the fall of 1917. After the overthrow of Czar Nicholas in the spring of that year, Lenin managed to return to Russia in a sealed train, and carry on his revolutionary work within the country. It did not take long before the newly created bourgeois republic, led by Kerensky, determined that Lenin was a supremely dangerous man, and decided to kill him. For that reason, he was disguised as a peasant and fled to Finland. In secret, faced with the difficulties of overthrowing the bourgeoisie and establishing a new socialist society, he wrote that which is widely considered his greatest masterpiece, State and Revolution.

This work of Lenin is available in pamphlet form and can be bought online or it can simply be downloaded from the internet. For older working class people, those who may not be all that familiar with high tech, I can suggest enlisting the assistance of the younger generation. I have found them to be quite helpful, in that respect, if nothing else. To be referred to as a Caveman can quickly become rather tiresome. Yet my children never seem to tire of it. But then I spoiled my children when they were growing up, and now I am paying the price.

The important thing to remember is that the country is now a powder keg. Any spark could cause an explosion, by which I mean a full blown revolution. Class against class, workers against capitalists, proletariat against bourgeoisie. There is no middle ground. The revolution may break out before the 20-20 election. We have no way of knowing. The only thing we know for sure is that we had best be prepared.

Just as in the eighteen fifties, in America, the country was deeply divided. Everyone knew the country was on the brink of civil war, but on one wanted to admit this. But then no one was terribly surprised when Fort Sumter was attacked in 1861, as that was the start of the Civil War.

This is not to say that the common people, by whom I mean the workers, farmers and small business owners, were aware that it was a class conflict, the capitalists against the slave owners. Those two classes are traditional enemies, as capitalism and slavery are incompatible. The capitalists want to invest their capital, taking advantage of any and all natural resources, as well as hiring an inexpensive labour force – they refer to it as cheap labour – while the slave owners want to keep growing their crops -this is referred to as an agrarian economy- using slave labour. Of course the two classes were on a collision course, and the end result was the Civil War.

At that time, the American workers, farmers and small business owners of the north,  aided the capitalists in crushing the slave owners. Then too, the southern slaves, or at least those who were able to escape from bondage, were also of service. Many southern escaped slaves were able to join the Union Army and fought the Confederates, and in fact they distinguished themselves. It is safe to say that those soldiers were more motivated than most Union troops.

To return to the current situation, it may help to think of capitalism as wage slavery, because that is precisely what it is. Now as workers, proletarians, we are forced to sell ourselves by the hour. We have no choice in the matter. If nothing else, it beats starvation. We in turn take pride in our work, and the capitalists express their appreciation by blaming us for their incompetence, firing us on impulse. Welcome to the wonderful world of the class struggle!

The good news is that the capitalists, bourgeoisie, have managed to simplify the class struggle. They have pretty well destroyed the petty bourgeois, the small business owner, and the owner of the family farm, as well as the slave owners. Bully for you, capitalists! You have done a fine job of digging your own grave! Do not be surprised when we place you in those graves.

My heart goes out to working class Americans, because they are a heroic people, blessed with a proud revolutionary history. Now they are once again going to have to break the bonds of tyranny, as they previously did, first in 1776 and later in 1861. First they threw off the yoke of British rule and later they crushed the class of slave owners, each time at the great expense of American blood. Now they are leading the American working class revolutionary movement, (very likely throughout North America and probably South America), preparing to crush the monopoly capitalists, those who are technically referred to as imperialists. These American workers have my utmost respect.

No doubt there are many who think that no war, revolutionary or not, can justify the violence, the bloodletting, the loss of life. To such people I can only say that my heart goes out to you, and I deeply regret that it is not true. Just consider the following facts:

American working class seniors, those who built the country, are now suffering and dying because they cannot afford the meds they so desperately need

American working class students are staggering under student loans, which they very likely will never be able to repay

American working class children are being neglected because their parents are forced to work two or even three jobs, just to make ends meet

American workers are losing well paying manufacturing jobs for various reasons, including automation and factory closures, and forced to seek minimum wage jobs

Americans workers are facing bankruptcy and mortgage foreclosures, losing their homes, in record numbers

Americans workers are living on the streets and eating from trash cans, being completely degraded

Immigrants who came to the country in desperation, seeking a better way of life, just as our ancestors did, are being separated from their children and thrown in jail

The children of immigrants are also being thrown in jail, the infants crying for their parents

American capitalists are enjoying record profits, with the stock market at an all time high

American president Trump is now telling Americans to leave their country

I can only stress that these are facts, and these facts speak for themselves. For the workers, to paraphrase a famous British author, this is the worst of times, while for the capitalists, this is the best of times. There is a reason for this. The capitalists, the bourgeoisie, make their profit off the labour power of working people. The harder they work us and the less they pay us, the higher their profit. That which is best for the capitalists is the worst for the workers. The profits of the capitalists are at a record high because the poverty and suffering of the working class is at a record high.

This brings us back to educating the working class, or more accurately, encouraging the workers to educate themselves. I can only suggest that workers, or better yet groups of workers, get together and read that which is perhaps the greatest masterpiece of Lenin, and one which is especially relevant. Of course I am referring to State and Revolution. In this book Lenin explains quite clearly just what the proletariat will have to do in order to free themselves from capitalist tyranny.

It is only natural that working class Americans may wonder just what Lenin means by the State. In America, that mainly refers to the vast military, which contains many branches, as well as the various law enforcement agencies, complete with jails, prisons, courts and other coercive institutions. This is referred to as a state apparatus or a ”public power”, or a ”special coercive force”, to use the expressions of Engels. This public power was established by the ruling class, in this case the bourgeoisie, in order to keep the ”lower class”, in this case the working class, the proletariat, in subjugation. That is the one and only reason for the existence of the state apparatus, the public power. It is set up to crush and exploit the working class.

Lenin goes on to explain that this same state apparatus, this public power, must be destroyed, crushed, at the time of the revolution. It must be replaced by a new working class state apparatus, an apparatus set up to crush the tiny minority, the monopoly capitalists, the bourgeoisie. This new state apparatus is referred to as the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. As Lenin points out, ”The suppression of the bourgeois state by the proletarian state is impossible without a violent revolution.” Further, he goes on to say that ”Only he is a Marxist who extends the recognition of the class struggle to the recognition of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.” –my italics.

It is to be stressed that the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, cannot be overthrown by taking over Washington, complete with the various government agencies and organizations. Those same agencies and organizations must be crushed and replaced with a working class state apparatus, one which can and will be used to crush the bourgeoisie, the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

I repeat, a careful reading of State and Revolution by all working class people is the way forward.

This is a time of revolution, or at least a time of the revolutionary upsurge of members of the working class. Millions of Americans, including those who have previously been apathetic, are now taking an interest in politics. From within this spontaneous uprising of citizens, certain leaders are emerging. In particular, four women, those who describe themselves as ”women of colour” and whom the press refer to as ”the Squad”, are distinguishing themselves. They have been elected to the House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the Congress, and are taking a principled stand. They are standing up to Trump and the Speaker of the House, truly representing their constituency, and not the party bosses in Washington. This is truly a revolutionary development, unheard of in Washington.

For that reason, I refer to them as the Proletarian Headquarters, because they are precisely that.  It is very likely that they are not aware of this as yet, but that in no way diminishes their importance. They will soon find out that they are spearheading the American revolution.

They constitute a dual level of power, one which the capitalists cannot crush, as they have been elected to the Congress. It is almost certain that their numbers will rise dramatically in the next election, as ever more Americans join the two mainstream political parties, as card carrying members, and nominate ever more members of the working class for political office, on behalf of both parties. It matters not whether democratically elected politicians are members of one particular party or another. The important thing that they serve the working class.

For the benefit of the countless members of the working class who are just now becoming politically active -Welcome, my Brothers and Sisters!- I will mention that we live under capitalism in its highest, most decadent form, which is monopoly capitalism, technically referred to as imperialism. As Lenin says, ”Imperialism is reaction, right down the line”. This is to say that there is nothing progressive about imperialism.

I explained in a previous article that it is easy to become a party boss, which is the name people have for a card carrying member of either party. It is as simple as applying for membership, which can be done on line. It is such members who decide the individual to run for any and all political office. As I fully expect countless working class Americans to join the two parties, it is reasonable to expect that Washington will soon be flooded with working class politicians, or at least people who represent the working class. Such politicians will join the Squad, the Proletarian Headquarters, and will further strengthen the dual level of power.

All of the other politicians in Washington, as well as in other parts of the country, represent the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. That class of people, the bourgeoisie, are not about to tolerate such a challenge to their authority, and we had best be prepared for their response.

It is quite likely they will attempt to resort to a ”coalition” government, in order to fool, divide and weaken the workers. In other countries, most notably Britain and France, such a ”coalition” has been used with considerable success. In such cases, a joint cabinet is formed, containing loyal servants of the bourgeoisie, as well as turncoats to socialism, traitors to the working class. Invariably, whenever these ”socialist” leaders joined a bourgeois cabinet, they proved to be puppets, figureheads, screens for the capitalists, instruments for deceiving the workers.

It may be objected that the members of the Squad make no claim to be socialists. That is absolutely true, just as it is true that most of the working people who are about to be elected to political office, in the 20-20 election, will very likely not be socialists. It is also true that the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are not impressed by this. They are supremely well aware that the government can represent the class of capitalists, the bourgeoisie, or it can represent the class of workers, the proletarians. It cannot represent both. There is no middle ground. There can be no dual level of power, or at least, not for long. One class or the other will emerge triumphant.

In almost all previous coalition governments, in other countries, the bourgeoisie triumphed, if only because the number of working people elected to office were rather few. These few people, who were supposed to represent the working class, if not socialism, were then successfully bribed. They were given well paying if meaningless posts within the government, complete with a generous expense account, and allowed to make speeches to deceive the working class. For the most part, this was successful, at least for a short time. We can expect our current crop of parasites, our very own bourgeoisie, to resort to the same tactics.

Yet there is strength in numbers. As long as a great number of working class people are elected to office, then that tactic will not be successful, if only because there will be too many working class people to bribe. As an alternative method of rule, the bourgeoisie may decide to amend the constitution, in order to give a semblance of legality to their rule. Such amendments require a vote of two thirds of the states, and if nothing else, drives home the importance of electing people to office on a state and local level, not just a federal level.

As Lenin pointed out, ”The bourgeoisie will betray their country and commit any crime to retain both their power over the people and their profits.” If these efforts towards a coalition government are unsuccessful, then we can expect these people, the members of the class we refer to as the bourgeoisie, to resort to more primitive methods, such as scrapping the constitution and setting up  an autocracy, in which only the select few have the right to vote. Or then again, they may just declare martial law.

Now it is up to Marxists, conscious people, to raise the level of awareness of the working class. Working people have got to be encouraged to join the two mainstream political parties, as card carrying members, and nominate candidates for office, at all levels. At the same time workers should be advised that the capitalists are not about to relinquish power voluntarily. They will resort to any subterfuge, any crime, any act of treason, to maintain their wealth and power.

It is merely a matter of time before the working class people who are elected to office, including the Squad, the Proletarian Headquarters, come to realize that Marxists are right. The only alternative to capitalism is scientific socialism, in the form of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. The same is true of the working class people who are about to assume office, as well as the members of the public. Now it is up to conscious people, Marxists, to hasten the process, to bring that awareness to the working class,

As Marx said, the proletariat has nothing to lose but their chains.

President Trump has stooped to an all new depth of depravity, suggesting that the newly elected members of Congress, the four members of the Democratic Party who refer to themselves as ”women of colour”, should ”return to their country”. The press is now referring the them as ”The Squad”, which shows that they have managed to separate themselves from the other Democratic members of Congress. (I should mention that the House of Representatives is generally referred to as the Congress). Perhaps it is more accurate to refer to them as the Proletarian Headquarters, which is currently based in Washington, because that is precisely what they are.

These four women, the members of The Squad, are clearly women of principle. They are doing the right thing, their duty, representing their constituency, defying the president and the Speaker of the House. As the Democrats now have a majority in the Congress, the Speaker of the House is a Democrat and she expects all Democratic members of the House to do as they are told. It is safe to say that all other Democratic members of the House are ”behaving themselves”, while the members of The Squad are answering to their voters. Such a display of courage is rarely seen in Washington. In fact, it is nothing less than revolutionary, class warfare in the heart of the American empire.

As all Marxists are well aware, the two mainstream political parties, Democratic and Republican, serve the same class, which is the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. The capitalists do their best to give working people the impression that there is a difference between the two parties. The Democratic Party in particular is billed as the party of the middle class. The capitalists would have us believe that American citizens who are managing to make ends meet, even with great difficulty, are members of the middle class. They are not. Such working people are members of the working class, and the Democratic party serves the bourgeoisie, which is the same class which is served by the Republicans.

In fact, the vast majority of Americans are working class, proletarians, working for wages. The middle class, or petty bourgeois, are the small business owners, and there are very few of them. Most of them have been ruined by the monopoly capitalists, the bourgeoisie. The small business owner simply cannot compete, just as the peasants, referred to as farmers in North America, cannot compete. Both classes have been practically wiped out. Any and all competition to the monopolies, no matter how slight, is simply not allowed. The capitalists go to great length to protect their profits.

If nothing else, that simplifies the class struggle. Now it is workers against capitalists, proletarians versus the bourgeoisie. There is no middle ground.

Trump is now in a frenzy. It is very likely that he is aware, if only instinctively, that the Squad is nothing less than a dual layer of power, one which he cannot crush by brute force. They are a threat to him and his class. They have been elected to Congress and have assumed a leadership role. He may not be able to crush them, but he can certainly slander them. He is suggesting they return to their country of birth, even though only one of them was born in a different country, and she has been an American citizen since she was in her teens. Such little details do not concern Trump. His only concern is that of protecting the class of which he is a member and which he represents, the bourgeoisie. Perhaps he thinks that he can silence them by insulting them. We have got to make sure that never happens.

The press is reporting that Trump is a racist, which is certainly true, and it is also true that he is prejudiced against women, especially women who do not ”know their place”. As far as Trump is concerned, a womans place is horizontal.

As further punishment, Trump is accusing these women of being socialists. They are not socialists, or at least not yet, but as far as Trump and the other members of the bourgeoisie are concerned, that is the supreme insult.

These women, the members of The Squad, are on the right track. They are taking a principled stand. At the same time, they are providing the working class, the proletarians, with an education. Whether they know it or not, they are letting working people know that any and all politicians either represent the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, or the workers, the proletarians. Once again, in the class struggle, there is no middle ground.

We can only hope that the capitalists continue to accuse those women of being socialists. With any luck, they may even be accused of trying to establish the dictatorship of the proletariat. That can only help to raise the level of awareness of the working class. No doubt the capitalists are using the word socialist to scare themselves and other people, in that the other people are members of the working class. The fact is that members of the working class have nothing to fear from socialism, which can only benefit the workers. But then no one in his right mind has ever accused the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, of being logical.

On the other hand, the bourgeoisie have every reason to be scared, as scientific socialism implies the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, which is the state apparatus which will be soon set up, after the revolution, and used to break the resistance of the capitalists.

Now we have to prepare for that dictatorship, and there is no time to lose, as the revolution could break out any day. Perhaps the first order of business is to protect the Squad, the proletarian headquarters. As they are a mere four members out of four hundred thirty five members of Congress, they are likely feeling like a minority, which is precisely what they are. They are also spearheading the assault on the capitalist headquarters in Washington, and must be protected. It may help to think of them as having a toe hold on the beach head of the fortress of the enemy. They must be encouraged to hold their ground, at least until reinforcements arrive, in the next election.

With that in mind, I can only suggest that those who have recently become members of the two parties, Republican and Democratic, flex their muscles. By that I mean a possible march on Washington, and in particular to the office of the Speaker of the House. (I should add that for the purpose of this article I refer to card carrying members of the two parties as members.) Even those who have applied for membership and are waiting for their cards to arrive should join the march. I suggest carrying signs with a number on them, which represents the days until the next election, at which point numerous Leftist people will be elected to office in Washington, especially in the Congress, and one of the first orders of business will be to depose the Speaker of the House. I am sure that such a demonstration will make headlines, which is precisely what we need to raise the level of awareness of the working class. It will also raise the morale of the Squad, the Proletarian Headquarters. They will know that they are not alone, that they have the support of the working class.

This is not to say that we can achieve socialism by taking over the two parties and flooding Washington with socialists. At least, that is the opinion of all Marxists, but not all Leftist people are Marxists. There are a considerable number of Leftist people, many of whom consider themselves to be socialists but not Marxists, who think that a peaceful transition to socialism is possible. Even though they are mistaken, we have got to respect their belief. At the same time, there are a great many working people who are of that opinion. It is only natural that they believe the lies of the capitalists, as they are constantly being bombarded with such propaganda. Working people who are honest tend to believe that others are also honest.

With respect to such honest people, those who are conscious members of the Left or working class people, members of the public, a certain amount of patience is required. They will soon learn, from their own experience, that the capitalists are not about to surrender their power peacefully.

As I write this, the 20-20 elections, as they are called, are still over a year away. Yet the various Democratic candidates for president, and there are about two dozen of them, have already raised possibly hundreds of millions of dollars, in total. A greater waste of money is difficult to imagine. Yet the press is keeping close track of the fund raising amounts of each candidate. They think the candidate who raises the most money will win the nomination for president, on behalf of the Democratic Party. Sadly, I can see their point.

Under capitalism, everything is for sale. That includes the presidency.

Now it is up to us, by which I mean Leftist people, to let the working people know that is about to change. At the same time, the press should get the message. The tidal wave of revolution is about to sweep the country. The days of political offices being sold to the highest bidder are over. The working class, the proletariat, is on the offensive. We will first flood the two parties with Leftist people, and the two parties will in turn flood Washington with Leftist politicians.

Very soon the Squad, the Proletarian Headquarters, will no longer be a minority. They will be a majority.

There are striking similarities between the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the American revolution of today, that which is currently brewing. I should note that, strictly for the purposes of this article, I am referring to the Russian spring revolution, in which the Czar was deposed, as the Russian revolution.

Further, in the interests of clarity, I should also point out that the word Czar is the Russian word for emperor, and that such an individual is the ruler of an empire, which may compose of many kingdoms. Of course the king is the ruler of a kingdom, while a dictator controls a country through military might. I mention this for the benefit of the members of the working class who are just now becoming politically active, taking an interest in the class conflict. I have no doubt there are a great many of such people, and the numbers are growing. Welcome!

President Donald Trump makes no secret of the fact that he intends to serve a second term as president, and continue to serve as president after his second term ends, even though that is forbidden by the constitution. But then Trump is not a man to be bothered by such incidentals as a constitution, which is a mere ”scrap of paper”, as far as he is concerned. He is a man of impulse, a man who is accustomed to getting his own way. After all, money talks, and in fact it talks loud and clear, and Trump has no shortage of money. He decided to run for president on a whim, and was rather surprised at his own success. But now that he is president, he has decided to remain as president, more or less as a favour to the country. It is the least he can do for America!

His ambition is to set himself up as president for life, effectively a dictator. He has also decided that at some point, after he is tired of playing president, his daughter should take the reins of power. He is effectively blurring the lines between a president who plans to become a dictator, and a monarch, in that a monarch is a king or an emperor. A monarchy does not end with the death of the king or queen. The throne, as it is called, is merely passed on to one of the offspring, usually the oldest son.

In the case of Trump, he has decided that his daughter should inherit the throne. Accordingly, he has already set her up as his top advisor, and she has wasted no time in antagonizing a number of high ranking American officials, while at the same time confusing a great many foreign officials. It is bad enough that Trump changes his mind on various matters on a daily basis. Now the foreign officials have to determine if his daughter speaks for him or if the designated officials speak for him. Very likely, no one speaks for Trump, as he merely does as he pleases.

In fact, this is just a continuation of the chaos which reigns within the Trump administration, which is the current American government.

We can compare this to the situation which existed in Russia in 1917. It is reported that on March 15 of that year,  Czar Nicholas Romanov 2, otherwise known as Nicholas the Bloody, abdicated the throne. It is also reported that there are two dates for events of that year, according to the old calendar and the new calendar. As I am not terribly concerned with dates, I just refer to this as the abdication which was the result of the spring revolution. The important thing to remember is that Nicholas the Bloody had his own idea concerning the meaning of the word abdicate. To most people this means to ”renounce or relinquish a throne”, as per the dictionary, but not to Nicholas the Bloody. He had his own ideas.

Nicholas wanted the throne to be placed in the hands of his brother, Michel Romanov, at least until such time as the son of Nicholas, which was Alexei, aged 12, could be of age to ascend the throne, possibly on his nineteenth birthday. During the intervening years, the ex Czar Nicholas wanted to be placed in charge of the whole Russian army. That way, with the army behind him, he could ensure a smooth transition of power. In other words, the new Czar Michel would do as the ex Czar Nicholas told him, and in due time, his son Alexei would become emperor and also do as his father told him. Some abdication! But then this is typical of such people, whether monarchs or dictators. When placed under extreme pressure, rather than relinquish power, they prefer to place a puppet in their place, and promptly pull the strings. We can expect some such similar shenanigans from Trump, as soon as he is deposed.

As a result of this, the people who supported the monarchy were divided. All of the monarchists, as they referred to themselves, wanted to place a Romanov back on the throne, but some backed Michel and some backed Nicholas and his son Alexei. The capitalists, the bourgeoisie, were also divided. Some of them wanted to restore the monarchy, while many others were in favour of a democratic republic. (It should be noted that a republic does not recognize any monarch.) The capitalists were also divided over the precise form the new republic should assume.

It is an understatement to say that the situation in Russia, after the spring revolution, was unusual. On the one hand, political power passed from the feudal landed nobility, led by Czar Nicholas Romanov, to a new class, the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. This did not surprise the Marxists in the slightest. It was merely the natural result of two classes which were in conflict, in this case the nobility and the bourgeoisie. Of course, the bourgeoisie, with their ever increasing wealth and power, were able to wrest power from the nobility.

That which amazed the Marxists were the events which were unfolding in Petrograd, otherwise known as Saint Petersburg. At that time, Petrograd was the capital of the country, and possibly the largest city. Also at that time, most of the military personnel were peasants. Much to the astonishment of everyone, especially the Marxists, the workers and military personnel of Petrograd spontaneously came together and formed the Soviet of Workers and Soldiers Deputies. (I should add that this was the term that the military personnel chose for themselves, which is not entirely accurate, as many of them were member of the navy.) For possibly the first time in history, at least under capitalism, there appeared a dual power-the dictatorship of the proletariat existed side by side with the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie.

This working class organization, that of the Soviet of Workers and Soldiers Deputies, was not formed by the Marxists of the day, if only because all the Russian Marxists had been thrown into prison and either executed or exiled.

Of course, no Marxist had foreseen this event taking place, for the very fine reason that it had never before made an appearance. Now that this particular working class organization has revealed itself, it is reasonable to assume that it will again appear, within the American revolutionary movement, possibly in a slightly different form. In fact, the nucleus of such an organization may already exist in Washington, in the House of Representatives, in the form of members of the House who refer to themselves as ”Women of Colour”, also known as the Squad. At the moment there are merely four of them, but that number is expected to grow. The spokesperson for the group claims that they are being ”singled out” by the Speaker of the House, and that such behaviour is ”outright disrespectful”. The Speaker of the House says that the only thing these freshman members of Congress have going for them is  ”public whatever”. To this the spokesperson responded that the ”public whatever” is nothing less than ”public sentiment”. In this she is absolutely correct.

Clearly the Speaker of the House is completely unaware of the firestorm, the full rage and fury of the working class, which is about to be unleashed upon Washington.

For the moment, this small but vocal minority, these self proclaimed ”women of colour”, is nothing more that a minor annoyance to the leaders of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives, and to the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. I suspect that even the women are not aware that they form the nucleus of a dual power, an American Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

For the moment, these few ”women of colour”, this nucleus of the American Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, this proletarian headquarters within the heart of the American capital, are very few in number and rather weak. No doubt they are under extreme pressure, as the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, are determined to crush them. They need our support. The least Americans can do is to send emails, from individuals and especially from groups, expressing solidarity with those women. Let them know that reinforcements are on the way. Soon they will no longer be a small minority, and possibly not a minority at all, but the nucleus of a majority.

The experience of the Russian revolution is most instructive. The bourgeoisie, the capitalists, were determined to crush the Soviet of Workers and Soldiers Deputies, but were hampered by the fact that it was physically not possible. Within the capital city of Petrograd, there was no police force, no army apart from the people and no officials standing over the people. Much as the capitalists found this to be extremely frustrating, they took comfort in the fact that these same workers and peasants, the members of the Soviet of Workers and Soldiers Deputies, were voluntarily surrendering their power to the bourgeoisie! The point is that the bourgeoisie maintains itself in power not only by force but also by virtue of the lack of class consciousness and organization.

In America, we can expect the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, to be faced with the same problem, especially as ever more working people, members of the Left, are elected to office in Washington. This will happen as a natural result of working people joining both parties, as card carrying members, and nominating Leftist people to run for office on behalf of both Democratic and Republican parties. The American capitalists will be faced with the same frustration that the Russian capitalists faced in 1917, in that the American capitalists will be unable to physically crush the proletarian headquarters in Washington, because they are the democratically elected leaders of the country!

But then the bourgeoisie counts upon the lack of class consciousness and organization of the proletariat, and expects the leaders of the proletariat, including the democratically elected officials in Washington, to surrender their power. It is up to Marxists, conscious people, to make sure that does not happen.

With that in mind, I can suggest that as working people receive cards in the mail which certify them as members of the two parties, they should notify the four women in Congress. Let them know that they are not alone, that a great many more Leftist people are heading for Washington, and not just as members of Congress. Further, such Leftist people will soon be flooding the local and state offices. As students, seniors, union members, members of sports clubs and others join the two parties, feel free to let the Squad in Washington know about this. They are spearheading the proletarian revolution, are under great pressure and need the encouragement. The last thing we need is for those women, those who constitute the proletarian headquarters, to voluntarily surrender their power to the bourgeoisie.

Instead, it is up to Marxists, and in fact all conscious people, by which I mean all people who are aware of the existence of classes, to explain to the working people the fact that classes exist. There are any number of ways that this can be done, but it is best to use current examples of abuse which are making headlines. The mistreatment of undocumented immigrants is currently a hot topic, including the separation of children from their parents and placing these children in jail.

That is merely one example, and the point must be driven home that Trump is merely a figurehead, a man who serves the class of people whom are technically referred to as the bourgeoisie. Explain to workers that these monopoly capitalists, these billionaires, are the problem. Be sure to use popular language language, along with technical terms, as I do, which is repetitive, but that is the way in which we learned the alphabet. On the other hand, avoid all vulgarity.

There are now a great many entertainers who are involved in the revolutionary movement, and they should be encouraged to protest in a manner which is entertaining. One of the finest examples of this was the disruption of a fancy dinner, which a high ranking official of the Trump administration was enjoying, which caused her great embarrassment. It also appeared on the mainstream news, so that countless working people saw this.

We need more such entertaining exposures, but complete with posters, banners and signs which contain class content. We want to reach as many working people as possible, making them aware of the existence of classes, as well as the fact that it is the capitalists who are the problem, and not just Trump. We have to face the fact that working people get tired of reading literature which is at best boring. It may be true, but if it is not presented in a manner which is entertaining, workers will very likely not read it.

In short, I can only say to the entertainers: Keep it up, Entertain!

On a more practical, day to day basis, we should pay particular attention to the four congressional districts which are represented by the ”women of colour” who compose the proletarian headquarters, based in Washington. Within those districts, the working people who join the two mainstream political parties should notify those women, possibly by email. Let them know that we are behind them, they are not alone. Soon more Leftist people will be sent to Washington, and not just to Congress. As well, numerous others will be elected on a state and local level. The working class, card carrying members of the two parties, Democratic and Republican, will make sure of this.

The main thing is to make sure that the capitalists cannot place any undue pressure on them. Although they may not be aware of it yet, they are the proletarian head quarters, based in Washington, the spear head of a great wave of proletarian revolutionary movement. They must be protected.

The country of America is deeply divided. There are a great many people, those whom I refer to as Leftist, who are determined to enact change. Such people include those who consider themselves socialists, democrats, democratic socialists, independent socialists, Marxists, Communists, and feminists, among others. Some of these people are members of political parties and organizations, while many others are not. A great many people are simply fed up, disgusted with the current situation, tired of all the lies and deception of their elected leaders. They do not trust the two mainstream political parties, and are equally suspicious of the alternative parties and Leftist groups. Who can blame them?

To such people I can only respond that if nothing else, there is strength in numbers. Yet there is more to it than that, much more in fact. As long as the people who are on the Left are conscious people, which is to say aware of the existence of classes and the antagonism between the classes, the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, and are also prepared to take guidance from such great leaders of the proletariat as Marx and Lenin, then that is half the battle. Just bear in mind that the emancipation of the working class must be an act of the working class itself. No other class can do this for them.

With that in mind, I am calling upon all members of the Left, which is to say class conscious people, to join the two mainstream political parties, to become card carrying members of  both the Democratic and Republican parties. Such members are referred to as ”party bosses”, because that is precisely what they are. Those are the people who decide the individual to run for any and all political offices. They are the ”power behind the throne”, if you will excuse the expression. They work ”behind the scenes”, so to speak. They ”call the shots”, and any and all elected politicians, or even those who desire to become elected, ”dance to their tune”, if you will excuse the mixed metaphors.

I have deliberately chosen these very popular expressions for the benefit of the readers of this article who are working class, or at least of a working class background. The conditions of life of the working class does not lead to the awareness of itself as a class, and the ruling class, the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, is careful to deny the existence of classes, at least in North America. This awareness of itself as a class has to come from an outside source, which is to say the middle class, the petty bourgeois. We are now presented with a golden opportunity to raise the level of awareness of the working class and at the same time to motivate working people to take up the class struggle.

Those same class conscious Leftist people who become card carrying members of the parties can then approach various working class groups, such as seniors, students, trade unions and sports clubs. It is the approach that is critical. Instead of asking for their vote, ask for their help. All such people can be asked to become card carrying members of the two parties, ”party bosses”, and the Leftist people can offer to assist them in this. It is possible to apply for membership online, and many seniors are not terribly familiar with computers. Feel free to offer your assistance in this little task.

Explain to them that as ”party bosses”, they get to decide the person to run for office. You may also suggest that they choose someone, perhaps one of their own, who is prepared to go to Washington to fight for the rights of seniors. No doubt all seniors are agreed that they should be provided with free medical coverage, among other things. Such other things could include an increased pension, one that is tax free, at least for people who are forced to live on a fixed income.

A similar approach should be made to the students, except that it is reasonable to expect students to be quite familiar with computers. An offer of assistance in this department may be considered an insult. It is also reasonable to expect the students to be concerned with student loans, properly so. The person doing the approach may suggest to the students that they choose someone to be sent to Washington who will fight for the cancellation of all student loans, and free tuition for all.

When approaching the trade unions, bear in mind that all workers organizations are in favour of an increase in the minimum wage. They are supremely well aware that such an increase will increase the wages of all, including those who earn a higher wage.

Then there are the members of the sports clubs. Such people tend to defend their democratic right to bear arms, as is guaranteed in the Constitution. Under no circumstances should the meeting become confrontational, regardless of the personal beliefs of the individual approaching the sports people. Perhaps it would be best to suggest that we harvest our wild meat with rifles and shotguns, not with machine guns and automatic weapons. We also shoot paper targets with hand guns, not hand grenades. The implication is that we should leave the military style weapons to the military. After all, the only thing those weapons are good for is killing people. It is very likely that most sports enthusiasts will agree with this. As for those who wish to argue the point, feel free to walk away. An argument will serve no purpose.

These are merely some common sense suggestions concerning the proper approach towards members of the working class. We want as many people as possible to become card carrying members of the two parties. (I suspect there is a proper name for such members, but I have no idea what that name is. Perhaps special members?)

If these people are interested, as no doubt most of them will be, we can also explain that running for political office usually costs a small fortune, or a large fortune, depending upon the office. Either way, it is out of the reach of working class people, those who have no fortune, large or small. Or at least it used to be out of the reach of working class people. That which we are suggesting is quite reasonable and not at all expensive.

Membership in the two parties is free, and such members get to decide the individual to run for office. Assuming the card carrying members of the two parties choose the same person to run for office, perhaps Congress, on behalf of both parties, then there is no need for any expensive campaign. After all, that person is running against him or her self. It matters not if such an individual goes to Washington as an elected Democrat or as an elected Republican.

The main thing is that we become politically active, and motivate working people to also become active. At the same time, we can help to raise the level of awareness of the working class, motivate working people to take up their struggles, to focus the working class revolutionary movement on their class enemies, the bourgeoisie. This will provide some very valuable experience in the class struggle, and can be considered as training for the positions of authority which working people will have to take up, after the revolution. Perhaps it is best to think of this not so much as running for office, but as training for the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

In the process, we will no doubt flood Washington with a great many Leftist politicians, especially in the House of Representatives, the Congress. The precise number is of no consequence, as the ruling class, the bourgeoisie, the monopoly capitalists, the multi millionaires and the multi billionaires, are not about to submit to the rule of the majority, which in America is the proletariat. At least, they will not submit without a fierce fight.

I keep referring to the Congress, as that is the political body which controls the money, and all members serve two year terms. The Congress sets the tax rate for one and all.

Of course there are a great many supporters of the capitalist monopoly system, which is technically referred to as imperialism, who object to free medical coverage, if only for seniors. They also object to free tuition and cancellation of all student loans, as well as to an increase in the minimum wage, on the grounds that the country cannot afford this. To such people I can only respond that the country can afford this. The country can also afford free medical coverage for all, an increase in the pensions of the seniors, tax free for those who are on a fixed income, and a tax break for a great many working class people. The way to raise the money needed is to tax the bourgeoisie, the super rich. The tax rate for the millionaires should start at ninety percent, and increase to ninety nine percent for the billionaires. The same rate should be applied to an inheritance tax, which currently does not exist. The richest families in the country perpetuate their wealth by passing on that wealth to their children and grand children, tax free. That is precisely the reason so many people, such as the current president, was born as a millionaire.

This extra tax money, at the expense of the bourgeoisie, will cover the costs of medical coverage for the working class and the seniors, the tuition fees for students, and a great deal more.

The only thing I am suggesting is that Americans take the advice of their government officials. These are the same government officials who earn their very handsome salaries crawling on their bellies, licking the boots of their masters, the bourgeoisie. They object to American citizens who exercise their democratic rights to object to the various wars being fought around the world, such as the eighteen year old war in Afghanistan. They also object to the people who took part in the Occupy Movement, as well as the Me Too people, Black Lives Matter, the LGBT people and countless others. In fact, they object to anyone who does not blindly follow their political masters, the bourgeoisie.

That being said, I also believe in giving credit where credit is due. These same people also suggest that we change the system from within, and I think that is a fine idea. The fact is that people on the Left have been challenging the two party system since the days of the Civil War, and yet it is still in place. Perhaps the best way to destroy the two party system is to embrace it. If millions of Americans join the two parties, as I fully expect will happen, then indeed they will ”change the system from within”.

But then there are those who object, ” They will never allow such a thing! They will never allow Washington to be flooded with Leftist people and they are not about to consent to pay such high taxes!”

To such people I can only respond with a question: just who are ”they”? If by ”they”, you mean the bourgeoisie, the very people whom I am suggesting should pay their fair share of taxes, I most emphatically agree. Then ”they” will show their true colours, ”they” will defy the Congress as well as the Constitution, the very Constitution which the members of Congress have sworn to protect, and ”they” will change their method of rule, ”they” will be more exposed, and the working class of America, and indeed the world, will receive a valuable education. This is another way of saying that the bourgeoisie will soon show their true colours.

It is not just the working class people who will receive an education. There are a great many people on the Left who are of the opinion that this is the way, the only way, in which capitalism can be transformed into socialism. As if socialism can be voted into existence! They think there is no need for revolution, that the imperialists, the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are prepared to peacefully submit to the rule of the majority. Such people are about to find out that is not the case, and the Marxists were correct the whole time.

It can only aid the revolution to have as many Leftist people in Washington as possible. It is up to the working people to join the two mainstream parties, as card carrying members, and put forward their own working class candidates for office. At the same time, it is up to Marxists to let them know that the bourgeoisie will have to be overthrown, and that can only be accomplished through violent revolution. The rule of the bourgeoisie can and must be replaced, by the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.