Author: Gerald Mcisaac

As I write this, I have just learned that the Democratic Socialists of America have  endorsed Sanders for president. As the DSA is possibly the largest Leftist organization in America, with a membership of perhaps fifty thousand people, that is excellent news. Further, as Sanders is a well known socialist, there is a very good chance that he will soon be the next president. Further, it is also very likely that other socialists and Left Democrats will soon be sent to Washington.

From our viewpoint, that of Marxists, it matters not in the slightest if Sanders runs for president as an Independent Socialist or as a ”Left Democrat”, where the term Left Democrat is the expression people use to describe members of the Democratic Party who are at least sympathetic to socialism. The important thing is that Sanders refers to himself as a socialist and it is of the utmost importance to replace Trump with Sanders, a self proclaimed socialist. That is where we come into the picture. If those of us on the left campaign for Sanders, there is a very good chance he will be the next president.

By extension, at the same time we should work very hard to flood Washington with other socialists and Left Democrats. We should elect as many people to the Senate and House of Representatives, called the Congress, as we can.

Those of us who are Marxists are supremely well aware that this will not result in the overthrow of the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. We are also well aware that there are a great many people on the left, socialist and non socialist, Marxist and non Marxist, who disagree with this statement. These people think that a socialist society can be voted into existence, that the system can be changed from within. To such people we have only one response: Welcome, brothers and sisters, comrades! You will soon learn from your own experience that we are correct.

I am hoping we can all agree that the upcoming federal election, that which is commonly referred to as the 20-20 election, can be used as a political platform, so that everyone on the left can unite in our support for Sanders and other left candidates. If we do that, it is very likely that Trump and the Republicans will be defeated, we will have a socialist in the White House, and Left Democrats in the Senate and Congress. On the other hand, if we fight among ourselves, we may as well hand Trump and his fellow reactionaries another four years, on a silver platter.

I am also hoping that we can further agree to raise the level of awareness of the working class. The conditions of life of the working class does not lead to the awareness of itself as a class, so this awareness must be brought to it from an outside source. In other words, middle class intellectuals must bring to working class people the awareness of themselves as a class. Bear in mind that Marx, Engels and Lenin were middle class intellectuals.

With that in mind, I am calling upon all members of the left, democrats, socialists or merely Left leaning, members of a party, group, organization or members of no organization, to come together in a common goal, that of placing Sanders in the White House. At the same time, we can elect a great many other people, socialist and Left Democrats, to the Senate and Congress, as well as to the state and local offices.

My idea is that we can start by asking all people on the left to send an email to their families and friends, encouraging them to support Sanders for president, as well as other socialists and Left Democrats. They can also encourage their friends to send similar emails to their families and friends, so that we can have a snowball effect. We are not asking anyone to send money to Sanders, merely to rally for Sanders, to demonstrate, to carry signs and banners, to march, proclaiming Sanders for President!

There are other tools on the internet, such as facebook and youtube. We should use these to carry our message. People love videos, especially when such videos are entertaining. All too often, political statements are a crashing bore.

That is where celebrities can be so useful. Their job is to entertain, and many of them are on the left. They should be encouraged to take a stand for Sanders, and do so in an entertaining manner. They are professionals, this is what they do for a living, so let them take a stand in their own way.

We should bear in mind that our target audience, so to speak, is the members of the working class. Most of these people are honest, hard working, law abiding, tax paying members of society, just trying to make ends meet. That includes workers and house wives, unemployed and under employed, those who are retired and those who are collecting a pension but are unable to retire, as they cannot afford this. Some people are homeless and others are hungry, while most have been degraded to one degree or another. Many are forced to cheat just to survive, working ”under the table” as it is called, while others are forced to rely upon food banks. Try telling these people that they live in the richest country in the world!

The fact that Sanders was able to sneak into Washington as an Independent Socialist is a point in his favour, a testament to his determination. Let us hope he shows that same determination in his run for the presidency.

As the American government is so determined to maintain the two party system, and only two parties, I can only suggest we play that game, using their own system against them. As a united left front, there is every reason to believe we can succeed. A great many Americans are entirely fed up with Trump and the Republicans. Assuming we can come together and offer working people a left, socialist alternative, they will no doubt respond.

Let us face the fact that we cannot run as socialists, or at least not without great difficulty. In that case, it makes more sense to do that which Sanders will very likely do, which is to join the Democratic Party and run as a Left Democrat, one with socialist convictions. Strangely enough, it is quite easy to join both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, and become a ”card carrying member” of both parties. There may not even be any dues or membership fees, although it may vary, from one state to another, from one district to another. The only requirements are to be an American citizen, 18 years of age or older, not certifiably insane and preferably not a convicted felon. Most people on the left meet those requirements, although there are a great many people on the right who are prepared to swear that we are crazy.

People can even apply online, and expect a voter ID card within five to seven weeks. Such people are then able to run for office as Democrats or Republicans, preferably both. In addition, members are allowed to vote in primaries, in order to determine the candidate to run for office as a member of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Assuming there are sufficient card carrying members of both parties in a particular district, then that district can make sure, by a majority vote, that a left member, preferably a socialist, is the candidate for Congress, for that district. Ideally, the same candidate can run as a member of both parties. It matters not whether the politician goes to Washington as a member of the Democratic Party or the Republican Party.

In the not too distant past, it was the party bosses of both parties, who decided the candidate to run for office. Then the registered members of the party, those whom are commonly referred to as the rank and file, would vote for the candidate chosen by the bosses. That vote was generally considered a mere formality. Then came the revolutionary upsurge of the working class, and the bosses of both parties lost control. The rank and file of both parties defied the bosses and voted for the candidates of their choice. Shock waves rippled throughout Washington. Cracks were appearing in the time honoured method of rule, that of the two party system, a system which has secured the rule of the bourgeoisie for over one hundred fifty years.

At the time of the uprising of the rank and file, the Republicans had a majority in the Congress, and the Speaker of the House was of course a Republican. He ran the House with an iron hand, his word was law, and no member of his party questioned him. At least not until new Republican members were voted into the Congress. These new members, ”young turks”, had been told, by the voters who sent them to Washington, their constituency, that while in Washington, they were to vote the way their constituency demanded, not the way in which the party bosses demanded. They were ordered to not listen to the party bosses, or the Speaker of the House, or to the president or anyone else, unless they wanted to be a single term, two year member of Congress. These new members did as they were told, and the Speaker of the House was forced to step aside, as he had lost control of the Congress.

A new Speaker of the House was appointed, and he of course fared no better.

Rather than fight the two party system of the capitalists, I am suggesting that we embrace it. The party bosses have lost control of the party, the rank and file are in revolt, and this is a weakness we can exploit.

Now there is a majority of members in the Congress who are Democrats, and many of them are young, female and rebellious. The new Speaker of the House is of course a Democrat, and she is of course facing the same problem. It is very likely that her days as Speaker are numbered. She too can not control the Democratic members of Congress.

This is another way of saying that the ruling class, the bourgeoisie, can no longer rule in the old way. The capitalists are wounded, and now is the time to twist the knife.

Bearing that in mind, my idea is that we should embrace the two party system, as it now stands, under capitalism. People on the left, all across the country, should join the two parties. Whether individuals are members of other organizations or parties, makes no difference. As card carrying members of both parties, each and every one has the right to vote for a candidate to run for political office. If enough people join the two parties, we are sure to elect to office socialist candidates.

The vast majority of people who have joined the two parties are honest, law abiding, tax paying citizens who want to make a difference. They are concerned with the democratic process and are determined to force some changes, all quite legally. This shows a certain level of awareness on their part, which is rather commendable. We can expect such people to be open to the ideas of socialism. No doubt many are already quite disillusioned with the reality of capitalism, and the idea of sending a democratic socialist to Washington may well appeal to them.

In turn, we can expect the ”old guard”, especially the party bosses, those who have been running the place for many years, to oppose this with absolute intensity. They will see this uprising as a threat to their authority, as indeed it is.

For many years, the government has been telling us that the system can be changed from within. There are many people on the left, as well as countless working people, who believe this. It is time to put that theory to the test. Let everyone on the left get together, put aside our differences, join the two parties, place Sanders in the White House and send socialists and Left Democrats to Washington. Then we will see if the system can indeed be changed from within.

The fact is that we live under a democratic republic, ruled by the bourgeoisie. All are entitled to vote, which is referred to as universal suffrage, an instrument of bourgeois rule. Engels made this quite clear when he stated that universal suffrage ”is an index of the maturity of the working class. It cannot and never will be anything more in the modern state.”

As that is the case, we can use the upcoming 20-20 election to measure the maturity of the working class. At the same time, we can raise that level of maturity. That may be far more fun than just taking a measurement. It is very likely that many left people will be pleasantly surprised, as the recent occupy movement has helped to educate working people.

In summary, we can join the two parties and use that influence to support Sanders for president and appoint socialists and Left Democrats to run for office, preferably socialists, some of our own people. We can also use the various tools provided by the internet to endorse Sanders and socialists for office. At the same time we can make clear, on the internet, our own views, if we so desire.

In this way, the election of Sanders to the White House is practically assured. In any other way, his election is quite doubtful. The main thing is that we will also see if the system can indeed be ”changed from within”.

In 1917, the great Marxist proletarian leader, V.I. Lenin, led the first proletarian socialist revolution to victory, in the country of Russia, against all the odds. Among the so called ”great powers”, Russia was considered rather backward, with not a great deal of industry, and in fact most of the population was composed of peasants. The Russian empire was ruled by Czar Nicholas, a monarch who had almost unlimited power and was completely reactionary. The fact that this completely reactionary empire was overthrown and replaced by a socialist republic is most impressive.

First the Czar was overthrown in February of 1917, as the result of a spontaneous uprising of the workers and peasants. The capitalists, the Russian bourgeoisie, saw the opportunity to seize undisputed political power and wasted no time taking control of all the most important government posts. To represent the workers and peasants, a Constituent Assembly was established, but in name only. Elections to the Constituent Assembly were delayed until the end of the war. This is politely referred to as a democratic republic, which is the ideal political shell for capitalism.

Lenin explained this quite clearly in his excellent book, State and Revolution. In fact, he left no room for any misunderstanding: ”A democratic republic is the best possible political shell for capitalism and therefore, once capital has gained possession of this very best shell…it establishes its power so securely, so firmly, that no change, either of persons, of institutions, or of parties in the bourgeois-democratic republic, can shake it.” (italics by Lenin)

It was only in the spring of 1917 that Lenin was able to return to Russia, as he had been exiled years earlier. This is not to say that Lenin was safe, as he most certainly was not. If anything, it was even more dangerous for Lenin as the supporters of the Czar and the members of the new democratic republic, which came to be known as the Karensky regime, were determined to kill Lenin.

That in no way changed the fact that the revolution was taking place and Lenin was the leader of the workers and peasants, the working people of Russia. As their leader, he belonged in Russia, regardless of the risk to his own life.

Once back in Russia, it was Stalin who assisted in hiding Lenin from his enemies. Then, as leader of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, the RSDLP, he and the other members of the Party, that which was soon to become known as the Communist Party, planned a course of action.

There were a great many people, including those who claimed to be Marxists, who thought that the country of Russia would have to first go through a rather long period of capitalist development before attempting a proper socialist revolution. These people, loyal servants of the bourgeoisie, one and all, were dead set against carrying the revolution through to its socialist conclusion, which is to say the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. They claimed that the workers were not prepared to seize political power.

Of course there is some truth to this, as the ruling class, the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, make every effort to ensure that the workers are never prepared to seize power! That is true to this day, and if we were to wait until the workers are prepared to seize political power, the revolution would never happen. No doubt that is the whole idea.

Lenin argued that the revolution was ongoing, the Czar had been overthrown and that was the first step towards a socialist republic, but only the first step. The next step was to overthrow the capitalists, those whom had stepped into the vacuum created by the abdication of the Czar, and seized political power. In November of that year, the working people of Russia, led by Lenin and the Communists, stormed the winter palace of the Czar and overthrew the bourgeoisie. The Russian empire was demolished, broken up into various independent socialist republics, which came together to form the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Soviet Union.

For several years it was not clear that the newly created socialist republic, the first in the world, would succeed. It was not until the spring of the following year, 1918, that the Soviet Union was able to secure peace with Germany and the Central Powers, and that peace came at a very high price. The counter revolutionaries, those who are currently referred to as contras but at that time were referred to as ”whites”, were determined to restore the monarchy and give the factories and land back to the capitalists and landlords. This resulted in a rather lengthy civil war. Even after the First World War ended in November of 1918, the civil war continued.

The capitalists of Britain, France and America were determined to crush the first socialist workers republic. With that in mind, they armed and equipped a great many troops, members of several republics in eastern Europe, those which were in a position to attack the Soviet Union. The fate of the first socialist republic hung by a thread. At one point, three quarters of the country was in the hands of the whites. Under the leadership of Lenin, the Soviet Union was gradually able to beat back the insurgents. It was not until 1922 that the country was at all secure.

Then tragedy struck as Lenin was shot and died in 1924. The working people of the world were deprived of their greatest leader, but his legacy lives on in his writings.

It was Stalin who took over as leader of the Soviet Union until his death in 1953. During that time, he managed to convert the Soviet Union into a rather highly industrialized country. He was well aware that it was just a matter of time before the neighbouring capitalist countries would again invade. At that time, as now, they are not about to allow a socialist republic, a workers republic, to live in peace. As Stalin phrased it, the country had to accomplish in ten years that which it took the capitalist countries one hundred years to accomplish. It is a testament to the leadership of Stalin and the Communist Party that the country managed just that.

Sure enough, in June of 1941 the Soviet Union was attacked by the Nazis. The countries of Germany, Italy, Rumania, Slovenia, Hungary and Finland launched a ferocious assault, the largest land based invasion in history. At first, the Soviet forces were reeling, and had to adopt a policy of an orderly retreat. The Soviet high command ordered that all stockpiles of supplies, which included food, ammunition and live stock, was to be sent to the rear. Anything which could not be sent to the rear was to be destroyed. All buildings were to be burnt or blown, as were all bridges. Nothing was to be left behind which could be of service to the enemy. The military refers to this as a scorched earth policy.

In addition to this, most of the factories in the western part of the country, that which was being invaded, were dismantled early in the war and sent across the Ural Mountains, to be reassembled and put to work. The Soviet high command was determined that these factories would not fall into the hands of the invading armies. Besides, across the mountains they were safe from enemy bombing.

The Soviet high command was sacrificing land for time. The country was vast and as the Nazi invaders advanced, their supply lines became stretched ever longer. Time was on the side of the Soviets, as their great ally, the severe Russian winter, was on the way. Of course it arrived in early December and at that point, with the temperatures hovering in the range of forty degrees below zero, the Soviets counter attacked. The Soviet troops were accustomed to the cold and were outfitted with winter clothing. The Soviet machinery was also prepared for winter. The invading armies, by contrast, were totally unprepared.

It is facts such as these which are hard to glean from the mountains of lies and distortions which are spat out by the capitalist press. They would have us believe that at the start of the invasion, the Soviets had more tanks and armoured vehicles than the rest of the world combined. They most certainly did not.

In a speech Stalin gave on November 6, 1941, with the Nazis on the outskirts of the major cities of Moscow and Leningrad, he explained the reason for the temporary reversal of the war. The one huge advantage the Nazis had was a vast superiority of armoured vehicles, called panzers, as that is the proper name of those vehicles.

The reason for that was quite simple. In the previous two years, 1939 and 1940, the Nazis had conquered Poland, Czechoslovakia, Belgium and France, among other countries. They had then taken over the factories in those conquered countries and put them to work producing panzers. As a result of this, at the start of the invasion, the Nazis had a far greater number of panzers than the Soviet Union. This required an orderly retreat on the part of the Soviets, at least temporarily.

Stalin pointed out that as a result of that correct policy, the Soviet losses were kept to a minimum, with a total of just over one million men killed, missing or wounded, within the first five months of the war. The Nazi losses were far greater, with four and a half million casualties.

It is instructive to compare this to the reports of the capitalists, to the effect that in the first five months of the war, the Red Army lost five million men. Those same reports state that after suffering such obscene losses, that same Red Army went on the offensive and pushed back the invading troops.

The capitalists would have us believe that the manpower of the Red Army was ”practically unlimited”. It was not. In fact, at that time, the population of the Soviet Union was roughly on a par with America. No one in his right mind would suggest that the American army could suffer losses of five million men and then counter attack. It simply cannot be done. This is merely one example of the lies of the capitalists.

It should be noted that the then socialist Soviet Union considered the earlier invasion of various countries, such as Poland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and others, as merely a war of imperialist aggression, one more attempt on the part of the so called Great Powers, to redivide the world. This was of no concern to the workers of any particular country, whose only concern was to further the revolution in their own country.

By contrast, the invasion of the Soviet Union in June of 1941 was considered an act of aggression against the only socialist country in the world. The war of imperialist powers fighting among themselves, commonly referred to as the Second World War, was transformed into a just war. This war the Soviets referred to as The Great Patriotic War. The workers of all countries were called upon to fight the Nazis, in support of the Soviet Union.

As is well known, the Nazis were defeated in May of 1945, mainly as a result of the then socialist Soviet Union, led by Stalin. It was an accomplishment which cannot be denied.

Then several years later, in 1953, Stalin died and the capitalists, led by Khruschev, managed to return to power. The Soviet Union then became chauvinist, which is to say socialist in words, chauvinist in deeds. In other words, the Soviet Union became capitalist.

During the intervening years, events had taken place in other parts of the world which were also quite significant. Not the least of these was the successful revolution in China. In 1948, the workers and peasants of China, under the leadership of Mao Tse Tung and the Chinese Communist Party, were able to overthrow the capitalists and landlords and establish a democratic socialist republic, under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat and Poor Peasants.

The death of Stalin and the subsequent return to power of the capitalists came as quite a shock. The Soviet Union was held is such high regard, so highly respected, it was difficult to grasp the fact that it had reverted to capitalism. The Chinese Communists later admitted that they made a mistake, were slow to react.

But react they did, starting with a criticism of Stalin. They concluded that Stalin had made several mistakes, some of them quite serious mistakes, but that he had also accomplished a great deal which out weighed his mistakes.

The astute reader may have grasped that the title of this article refers to the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and I have started with a reference to a history of the Soviet Union. There is a reason for this. The events in the Soviet Union, which I have very briefly summarized, led to the Cultural Revolution.

The Chinese Communists realized that as capitalism was restored in the Soviet Union, it could also be restored in China. It is not enough to overthrow the capitalists and establish a socialist republic, under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. That is merely the first step, and a most important, most difficult step it is. But then, once the proletariat seizes political power, how does it manage to maintain political power?

It is clear that in the Soviet Union the capitalists had not been crushed, at least not with sufficient enthusiasm. The proletariat had not exercised proper dictatorship over the capitalists, and this had allowed the vermin to return to power.

Under capitalism, there are occasions when people become stirred up and take an interest in their lives. This is referred to as an upsurge in the working class revolutionary movement. I refer to this as an act of God.  We are currently living in one such period of time. The days when the members of the public, the working class, were apathetic, the days of reaction, are over. I deliberately avoid the use of the word ”masses”, whenever possible, as the word seems rather impersonal. I also maintain that this arousal of the working people is an act of God. As for those who object to the use of the word God, I make no apologies. I respect the beliefs of all others, including that of atheists, and in return I expect respect from others.

That being said, these same mass movements, that of the working class, happen under socialism. The capitalists, the bourgeoisie, are well aware of this. Under socialism, the capitalists hide, waiting and watching for any and all weakness within the working class, the proletariat. They bide their time, plotting and scheming, waiting for the proper moment to strike. They think that it is just a matter of time before the working class becomes complacent, drops their guard. At that point, they strike.

Under capitalism, all law enforcement personnel are well aware of the importance of following the money. As one thief explained, the reason he robbed banks is because ”that is where the money is”.

A similar situation exists under socialism. The capitalists are determined to regain that which they consider ”rightfully theirs”, by which they mean the ownership of the ”means of production”, which include the factories, mills, mines, banks, railroads, shipping lines and stocks in anything and everything. The key to regaining their ”paradise lost” lies with first regaining their power. And where is the power under socialism? With the Communist Party, of course.

After the revolution, we can expect the capitalists to weasel their way into the Communist Party, as they did in the Soviet Union and later in China. They carefully study Marxist literature and then revise it. As Lenin said, we can expect these revisions to be ”ever more subtle”. They remain revisions, and their goal is to restore capitalism. These revisionists must be rooted out of the Party.

The Chinese Communists faced this fact, after it was clear that the capitalists had restored capitalism in the Soviet Union. The working people of China were also on the move, the young people in particular were rising up, questioning that which they were being told, challenging authority. That should sound familiar to most people, as it happens frequently under capitalism. 

The response of the Communist Party came as a complete surprise to almost everyone, none more so than the capitalists. The Central Committee passed a resolution that no one was to interfere with the people who were rebelling. Aside from cases of rape, murder or arson, the police and military were not to interfere. That was the beginning of the Great Chinese Cultural Revolution. 

From the standpoint of the capitalists, once people get into motion, the problem is to control that motion, that mass movement. For that reason, the police especially are trained in various tactics of crowd control. Tear gas, shields, clubs and water cannons are the preferred weapons of choice, but bullets, even ”rubber bullets” are frequently employed, where such ”rubber bullets” are merely bullets coated with rubber. They remain bullets.

In cases where such ”civilized” methods are not effective, the capitalists tend to resort to  more primitive methods, involving brute force. This may involve arming rather backward members of  the working class, those who are chronically unemployed, with clubs and whips, possibly placing them on horse back, and sending them into the ”crowds” with orders to ”restore order”. As a last resort, the capitalists may bring in the military. The military personnel is not trained in crowd control. The military is trained to kill.

By contrast, under socialism, under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, this revolutionary motion in China was not suppressed. The young people were allowed to drag the capitalists out of their homes and places of work. Those capitalists were them publicly humiliated and ridiculed, but certainly not murdered. The members of the public were encouraged to tell these capitalists precisely that which they thought of them, all part of the re-education process.

As most working people are not terribly shy, they responded by hurling insults at the people who had abused and degraded them all their lives. In some cases, they even threw something more than insults, such as eggs and over ripe vegetables, perhaps tomatoes.

In this way, the working people were able to break the ”invisible chains” which bound them, their fear and loathing of those people. As Marx pointed out, ”the emancipation of the working class has to be an act of the working class”. No other class can emancipate the working class. In China, during the Cultural Revolution, the working people emancipated themselves. This revolution carried on for ten years.

For the capitalists of China, this was absolutely dreadful. There was no court of appeal, no police to protect them, no lawyers to hide behind. The very people whom they had crushed and exploited all their lives had turned on them. As the capitalists understood it, the working people no longer respected them. In this the capitalists were mistaken, as the working people never respected the capitalists. They feared the capitalists, with good reason. Such people control almost every aspect of working class life, from our housing to our jobs. The capitalists tend to confuse fear with respect.

This revolution is referred to as the Great Cultural Revolution, and it was magnificent. (That is not a word I use lightly.) The Chinese capitalists were hiding in fields of culture, such as arts and entertainment. The ten year cultural revolution rooted them out, or at least a good many of them.

In my opinion, the Great Cultural Revolution did not go far enough. It did not extend to the field of science, and the capitalists were also hiding in the field of science. I use the word science in its broadest sense, deliberately so. While the revolution touched upon the medical field of acupuncture, for example, that was the exception. In fact, notable advances were made in the field of acupuncture, but other fields of science were untouched.

The fact is that the Chinese have named the twelve years after twelve animals, and that includes the dragon. Yet no one asked the peasants to describe the dragon. No effort was made to track down this animal. In North America this animal is frequently referred to as the thunder bird. The same is true of the ”lake monster”, referred to as ogopogo in North America. Then there is the giant naked hairy people, or Yeti, the Sasquatch or Bigfoot of North America. Almost everyone has heard of ”water witching”, yet no one, during the Cultural Revolution, conducted a proper investigation. Let us not forget UFOs or flying saucers, and little people or leprechauns.

More broadly speaking, the mass extinction of dinosaurs of sixty five million years ago was never questioned, as well as the mass extinction of mega fauna here in North America, at the end of the last ice age. I maintain that these extinctions never took place, and a proper investigation, with the input of peasants, working people and students, could quite easily prove this.

These are merely a few examples of scientific theories, which I refer to as fairy tales, which were not challenged during the Cultural Revolution. As I have documented this in other writings, there is no need to go into further detail.

The fact remains that after the death of Mao in 1976, the capitalists were able to return to power. Before Mao died, he mentioned that any return to power of the capitalists, in China, would not last long. At worst, a few decades, as the public has been schooled in the class struggle, as a result of the Cultural Revolution. It has been several decades, so the next Chinese revolution could happen any time now. The revolutionary movement is very likely taking place in China even now, but as yet, we are unable to gather any reliable information in that respect.

The experience of previous revolutions, especially the successful socialist revolutions of Russia and China, provides us with a wealth of information. We would be well advised to pay attention to the lessons we can learn from these. That includes the fact that the capitalists were able to return to power, in both cases, at least temporarily. It is now up to us to avoid the mistakes the proletariat of those countries made, after they seized political power.

Here in North America, after the revolution, after the proletariat seizes political power and establishes the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, it will be necessary to exercise all round dictatorship over the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. There must be no half measures, no shoddy work. The capitalists must be hunted down and suppressed, utterly crushed, wherever they hide. That includes various fields of science. Those who resist re-education must be dealt with severely, as they are determined to return to power, to once again establish capitalism. This is not to say that they must be executed, as once people are dead, they can never again be the slightest bit useful. Capital punishment must be used only as an absolute last resort. Very likely, contract killers and members of the Mob qualify for such punishment, as well as producers of kiddy porn and those who traffic in women and children, to be sold as slaves in the sex industry or sweat factories. Habitual rapists and child molesters may also be considered for such treatment. It remains for the working people to decide when this punishment must be meted out.

As a less severe form of punishment, the capitalists and criminals can be sent to perform useful work, perhaps in remote locations. After the revolution, a great deal of construction work will have to be done. Rail lines will have to be built, land cleared and tracks laid. As well, land will have to be cleared for power lines. The forests will have to be replanted and properly cleared. Those forests which are too thick will have to be spaced. A great deal of manual labor will be required after the revolution, and as the capitalists have virtually no labouring skills, that is about the only work they are qualified to perform. In areas which are quite inaccessible, they can be put to work digging ditches by hand, as the use of machines may not be practical.

At the same time, it will be best to allow them no access to any digital devices, whether computer, cell phone or any other form of communication device. Given the opportunity, they will no doubt use these devices to communicate with other capitalists, in their effort to overthrow the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. We must not provide them with that opportunity.

In addition, the Communist Party must be purged on a regular basis. Those who lose their enthusiasm must be removed from the Party, as well as those who adopt the capitalist mentality. Without doubt, the capitalists will flock to the Communist Party, just as thieves flock to banks. Thieves rob banks because ”that is where the money is”, and capitalists will invade the Communist Party because that is where the power is, or at least, that is where the power will soon be, after the revolution.

These are all matters which we must face after the revolution. For now, the immediate problem is to prepare for the upcoming revolution. With that in mind, we should focus on the advice of Lenin, to the effect that ”no change of person or party” in Washington will shake it, that the capitalists will remain in charge.

It is most interesting to read that the Democratic Socialists of America are giving serious thought to endorsing Senator Bernie Sanders for president. A decision is expected momentarily. As Senator Sanders calls himself an Independent Socialist, he is the ideal candidate for president. I have explained in a previous article that we can use the internet to encourage working people to vote for Sanders. At the same time, we can campaign for other ”independent socialists” and ”leftist Democrats” for other offices. There is a reasonable chance that Senator Sanders can be elected President of the United States, as he is very popular. Ideally, the Senate and House will also be flooded with such progressive souls, independent socialists and leftist democrats, one and all. Not that it will change anything in Washington, but it may serve to change the attitudes of honest citizens.

For our purposes, it matters not if Sanders runs as an Independent Socialist or as a Democrat. I believe they use the term Left Democrat. Nor does it matter if other progressive, leftist candidates run as Democrats, Independent Socialists, Socialists, or Communists. Our goal is to get these people elected to political office, sent to Washington.

Further, we should urge all Americans to become card carrying members of the two parties, Democratic and Republican. As such, they will become ”party bosses”, responsible for determining the individual to run for any and all political offices, on behalf of both parties. That way, we can flood Washington with not only Left Democrats, but also Left Republicans. Such experience will serve as valuable training, which can and will be put to good use after the revolution. At that time, advanced workers will be placed in positions of authority.

My idea is that we can use all the tools available on the internet to explain to working people that the problem is capitalism. The capitalists are in charge. They are the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, parasites one and all, and they are not about to allow any change of face or political party in Washington to separate them from their wealth and power. This means that a change from Trump to Sanders, from Republican to Democratic, will make no difference. The bourgeoisie will remain in charge. It is best if the working people learn this from their own experience.

It is a fact that there are a great many working people who believe the lies the capitalists have told them all their lives, to the effect that the system can be changed from within. These people are honest, hard working, tax paying citizens, and cannot be blamed, as they have been misled. They will have to be persuaded from their own experience.

We maintain the only way to achieve socialism is through violent revolution, but the best way to persuade these honest, misguided workers is to elect to political office independent socialists and Leftist democrats. The working people will then see that we are correct, as a change of faces and political party in Washington will have no effect.

As Lenin phrased it in Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder, ”revolution is impossible without a change in the views of the majority of the working class, a change brought about by the political experience of the masses, never by propaganda alone.”

At the same time that we are encouraging the working people to vote for Sanders and Leftist Democrats, we must make our position clear concerning our opinion of capitalism and the need for a revolution and the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Trump and the Republicans are not the problem, but capitalism is the problem. If enough of us do that, there is a reasonable chance that Sanders can be elected as president and numerous others will be elected to office, either Senate or House of Representatives. Then the skeptics will see that we are right, and come around to our way of thinking. The revolution will be much stronger for this reason. If nothing else, at the time of the rebellion, we will have friends in Washington.

As for those who consider this wishful thinking, bear in mind that part of the reason Trump was elected was because he was a ”celebrity”. He was well known to the members of the public, long before he decided to run for president. Even he thought he had no chance of winning, and was surprised at the response he received. But then the members of the public tend to respond favourably to celebrities, and Sanders too is something of a celebrity.

With that in mind, there are other celebrities, even more popular than Sanders. No doubt many of them are progressive sorts and may be open to the idea of endorsing Sanders. Perhaps something as simple as a video posted on you tube would go a long way. To ask anyone to spend months on the campaign trail with a candidate is just not reasonable, and probably not necessary. For that matter, it is entirely possible that our support for such candidates may not be welcome. They may regard us as being too far to the left.

For us, that is a matter of indifference. Our one and only concern is to get these candidates elected, so that we may better expose the system. We are determined to get Sanders elected as president and others elected as Senators and members of Congress. We must compel Sanders and others just like him to go to Washington, to defeat Trump and the Republicans,  because Sanders and the other Leftist Democrats are afraid of their victory!

This can be done. There are possibly fifty thousand members of the Democratic Socialists of America, and very likely as many members of other parties and groups on the left. The American Party of Labor comes to mind, as people who have a similar leftist viewpoint. If each member of each group is to join the two political parties, as card carrying members, then tens of thousands of Leftist people will become party bosses. Then if those same people persuade their family and friends to join the two parties, that number can be multiplied by ten. Without doubt, a million Leftist people could become party bosses, and push through the endorsement of all socialist and Leftist people for any and all political offices, on behalf of both parties. That includes the presidency, so that both parties could endorse Sanders for president.

Included in my rather vague statement of ”other groups”, is the members of the Me Too movement. No doubt most of those members are left leaning, and many of them are celebrities. They should be encouraged to join the two parties, of course along with their families and friends, not to mention their adoring fans. As these celebrities have a great army of adoring fans, it is quite possible that several million Leftist people will soon become card carrying members of the two parties. They will no doubt far out number the current crop of right wing reactionaries who are currently ”calling the shots”, deciding the individuals to run for all political offices. Very soon, the progressive Leftist people will be in charge, and all the candidates for office will be socialists, or at least Leftist people.

As well, those same celebrities should be encouraged to post videos on the internet. This is not to say that all celebrities should post such videos at the same time, as that would defeat the purpose. I believe the capitalists refer to this as ”flooding the market”, so that the postings would lose their effect. Instead, every few days, over the course of the election campaign, a celebrity can post a video endorsing Sanders and other socialist and Left people. That will certainly get the attention of working people, is far cheaper, and far more effective, than advertising.

As well, we can encourage Leftist people to adopt the tactic which was recently used quite successfully, in that the head of the Department of Homeland Security was interrupted  while having a dinner at a fancy restaurant. A number of demonstrators protested there, pointing out that while she was enjoying a meal in luxury, she was responsible for separating immigrants from their children and all were being placed in jail, including toddlers in diapers. We need to see much more of this. Members of the Trump administration, as well as elected officials who are seen to be exceptionally reactionary, which is pretty well all of the Republican Party, should be subjected to such treatment.

With any luck, such videos may go viral, assuming that is the correct word. They may even be displayed on the mainstream news. That makes much more sense than raising millions of dollars for advertising, as is happening now. That of course is up to Sanders and other Leftist candidates, but the support I am suggesting relieves us of the moral obligation of donating to his campaign. Besides, advertisements tend to be boring, while that which I am suggesting is entertaining, and far more effective. Working people can be educated, while at the same time being entertained.

As previously mentioned, when referring to celebrities who post videos on the internet endorsing Sanders, I can also suggest that these public exposures be properly spaced as well. One exposure every few days will keep the working people interested, but not bored with this. It would help if a celebrity, or even a member of the Left, was to make a speech on each video. The working people have to be educated, made aware of the existence of classes, of class conflict, of the existence of the bourgeoisie and of the existence of their own class, the proletariat. Oh and incidentally, Bernie Sanders also has to be elected president.

Now it is up to us, conscious people, members of the Left, to come together, to put aside our differences, to campaign for Sanders and other Leftist candidates for political office. We can do this, using the tools provided by the internet. At the same time, we may find ourselves having fun, quite a change from the usual political boring routine.

We will know we are making our point when the posters and banners read:

Sanders for President!

Scientific Socialism!

Dictatorship of the Proletariat!

Workers of the World, Unite!

To return to the title of the article, I have deliberately tied together the experience of the Soviet Union with the Chinese Cultural Revolution and with the current revolution, that which is brewing in North America. My point is that we are all members of one working class, united against a common enemy, regardless of anywhere in the world we may live. It is essential that we support and learn from each other. For the moment -strictly for the moment- the bourgeoisie is much stronger than we are. Very soon, that will change, and it will change dramatically, as the human parasites are crushed under the iron boot of the proletariat.

  

 

Lately, there has been a great deal of fuss over the Democrats and the state of Israel. As best I can gather, the Republicans are claiming that anyone who does not love and support Israel is anti-Semetic, which is to say prejudiced against Jews. Or possibly it is the Democrats who are accusing the Republicans of being anti-Semetic. More likely, each is accusing the other of being anti-Semetic, and quite possibly there is a particle of truth to both statements. Not that either party cares about the prejudices of the other. Both just love to sling mud, insult the other and spread confusion. This is another way of saying that both parties serve the same class of people, the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. This is the point which must be driven home to the working people.

In the interests of straightening out this confusion, I will start by pointing out that the Zionists are Jewish nationalists who have historically had the goal of creating a Jewish nationalist state in Palestine, the ancient homeland of the Jews. The borders of that homeland are in dispute, even by Zionists, but broadly include the area known as the Holy Land, the historic land of Israel and Canaan. It should be noted that the region in question is considered sacred, or Holy Land, by Jews, Muslims and Christians. The members of all three faiths have lived together in that region for centuries, respecting the differences of each other.

That situation changed dramatically in 1948, when the Zionists were successful in creating the state of Israel. It is considered to be a soverign, self ruling homeland for the Jewish people, located in the Holy Land. Since that time, the Zionists, who are in charge of Israel, have been encouraging non Jews to vacate the premises, in order to make way for immigrating Jews.

Naturally, this has given rise to considerable resistance on the part of the people who have lived there all their lives. Many of them can trace back their ancestry for hundreds of years, both Muslims and Christians. These people, commonly referred to as Palestinians, have no quarrel with Jews. It is the Zionists whom they see as the enemy, as indeed they are.

Now the capitalists of North America would have us believe that anyone who does not support the state of Israel is anti Semetic, which is absolutely not true. There is a big difference between opposing the Zionists and opposing the Jews. Those who support the people of Palestine are not anti-Semetic. They are anti Zionist.

It is up to conscious people, Marxists, Communists, to drive home that point to working people.

This brings us to two other words which are being mentioned in the news, that of capitalism and socialism. As working people pay strict attention to the news, we should use these news outlets as a source of information, and bring clarity to the working class, explain that which is going on in simple straight forward terms, while at the same time using words such as proletariat, bourgeois and petty bourgeois, and explain their meaning. That includes the words socialism and capitalism. The capitalists go to great lengths to keep the working class in the dark concerning the existence of classes and class conflict. It is up to us to shed some light on these dark corners.

The press is reporting that the Democrats are reluctant to use the word capitalism, that it is now a ”dirty word”, to use their less than eloquent expression. A great many Democratic politicians, including those who are now running for president, are painfully well aware that there is a growing ”progressive movement on the left”, especially among ”millenials”, and such Democrats are now reluctant to ”label” themselves as capitalists. These are the words they use, remarkably enough. The capitalists go to great lengths to spread confusion.

Of course all of the presidential candidates, as well as the politicians who are running for other offices, are capitalists, or at least support capitalism, but as part of the deception of the working class, they are careful to ”avoid the label”. As long as they do not deny being capitalists, just as they do not admit to being capitalists, they straddle the fence. This is called moving to the centre. Such people can be far more dangerous than those who outright admit to supporting capitalism. These are the people whom we must focus on exposing.

By contrast, most Republicans, such as Trump, flaunt the fact that they are capitalists, perhaps without mentioning the word directly. They refer to themselves as business people or entrepreneurs, and Trump is reported to have 550 businesses around the world. This is by no means unusual for a billionaire, and in modern times is more the rule than the exception. Vast amounts of wealth are controlled by a very few people. It is also note worthy that their profit is referred to as their bottom line, as the word profit is also a ”dirty word”.

To return to the reporting of the press, and bearing in mind that the press is of course severely biased towards the capitalists, we have got to separate the particle of truth from the mountain of lies and distortions. That particle of truth is that the politicians are reluctant to use the word capitalist, as they are aware that working people are now instinctively opposed to capitalism. This is especially true among the younger generation, those who are commonly referred to as millenials.

Every generation has its own jargon, and of course each generation thinks all previous  generations are familiar with their jargon, which is not the case. So with that in mind, I will mention that the word ”millenial” is a reference to ”a person reaching young adulthood in the early 21st century”. Now we know.

In their own stilted manner, the press is reporting that the working class, especially the younger generation, is ”moving to the left”, which is to say moving away from capitalism and towards socialism. It is safe to say that as yet, this movement is more instinctive than it is conscious. It is up to us, conscious people, Marxists, Communists, to transform that vague discontent with capitalism into the deepest possible passionate hatred.

Once the press stumbled upon this jewel of shining truth, they did the predictable. They conducted a survey. The results were not too surprising, as they reported that most people did not know that socialism is ”government ownership of the means of production”. They reported this quite gleefully, proud of the fact that as middle class, well educated people, they knew more about these definitions than working people. As working people tend to be rather poorly educated, especially in such matters as the economic bases of society, this was not too surprising.

With that in mind, we can point out to working people that in modern society, the economic base is either capitalist or socialist. As we live in a capitalist society, the means of production, which is to say the factories, mills and mines, as well as the railroads, shipping lines and airline, not to mention the banks, are owned and operated by the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, for their profit.

By contrast, under socialism, the means of production is owned and operated by the government, for the benefit of the citizens, the vast majority of whom are working people.

Certain Democratic politicians were asked outright if they were capitalists, and most danced around the question. At least they avoided an outright lie. The exception was Senator Elizabeth Warren, considered to be a top contender for the presidency. She admitted she was a capitalist, but was careful to explain that she favoured capitalism, but not ”theft and cheating”. As if there are honest capitalists!

There is another political force which has emerged on the left, referred to as the Democratic Socialists of America or DSA. In their political platform they state they are an ”organization of democratic socialists, social democratic and labor oriented members in the United States”. They make no claim to be Marxists, so are not scientific socialists but utopian socialists. Their membership has increased dramatically since the revolutionary movement has increased in North America.

At a meeting in Chicago of 2018, with the federal midterm elections looming, the organization agreed to the following: ”the election of socialists was settled on as one of three national priorities, with a pledge that the organization will concentrate its scarce national electoral resources on supporting chapters that are campaigning for open socialists who are running as Greens, independents, or in partisan Democratic primaries.”

Those of us who are conscious people, Marxists, which is to say Communists, can certainly support such a group. They may or may not welcome our support, but now that we have the internet, complete with various forms of social media, that is a minor detail. We can use such tools as facebook and youtube to get our message across, which is somewhat different from that of the DSA.

The Director of the DSA, Maris Svart, stated in an interview that the group had no immediate plans to form a political party. As she phrased it, ”Our vision is to build a mass, multi-racial, working class movement that brings people together across our differences and demands that our society and our economy be run democratically. Most of us believe this will not work under capitalism.”

We most emphatically agree with her, especially concerning her belief that it will not work under capitalism. With that in mind, the best way to persuade working people of the correctness of our position is to help to elect to office people who are thought to be progressive.

She goes on to explain the reason the DSA has no desire to form a party. ”We also want to maintain the flexibility of being within the left wing of the Democratic Party, but also being outside of it.”

The platform of the group and some of the statements may be somewhat lacking in clarity, but the fact is that they have adopted at least one tactic which I truly admire. Recently, a group of members of the Democratic Socialists in the District of Columbus,  demonstrated at a restaurant which was serving the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristjen Nielsen. The protesters were yelling ”shame”, as Nielsen was enjoying a meal in complete luxury.

Without doubt, this tactic embarrasses and infuriates the capitalists. It is also entertaining, which is a big plus. It is with the use of such entertainment that the members of the working class can be educated. Perhaps if a member of DSA had been carrying a sign drawing attention to the fact that this is typical of capitalism, with the chosen few living a life of luxury. At the same time, the department of which she was in charge, that of Homeland Security, was separating parents from their children, and placing all, including young children, in jail. Babies, still in diapers, placed behind bars! This is the capitalists idea of keeping the homeland secure!

It is not clear just what crime these infants committed, unless it was accompanying their parents across the border. It is clear that their parents were guilty of the crime of being poor, seeking a better way of life, just as our ancestors did, not so long ago. Perhaps a statement by a spokesperson for the group, placed on youtube, drawing attention to this glaring inequality, would have been appropriate. Perhaps this same spokesperson could also have made the point that our own ancestors were also poor people, immigrants, who also came to this country seeking a better way of life.

Now that the midterm elections are over, the race is on for the next election, less than two years away. In fact, it is in full swing, with a great many people running for various offices, including the presidency. No doubt the DSA is seeking progressive candidates to support, either democrats or independent socialists. We think that is a great idea.

At the same time, we have no doubt that capitalism is the problem, not Trump and the Republicans. No change of face or Party in Washington will change that. The capitalists are in charge and fully intend to remain in charge. The only alternative is socialism. No doubt there are many anarchists who will disagree with that statement and I respect the beliefs of such people, just as I respect the beliefs of the members of the Flat Earth society. This is not to say that I share those beliefs, because I most certainly do not.

During the recent midterm elections, a fair number of young, progressive, mainly female candidates were elected to the House of Representatives, referred to as the Congress, as members of the Democratic Party. This is an indication of the strength of the revolutionary movement, which is growing ever stronger. It shows that the working class is no longer apathetic, but is now taking an interest in their lives, determined to elect political leaders who will represent them, pass laws to protect them, serve them properly in Washington. That is a most commendable attitude, even though it is not about to happen.

It is up to us, conscious people, Marxists, Communists, to advise the working people that we live under monopoly capitalism, imperialism, and the monopoly capitalists, the imperialists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are in charge. They have mountains of money and money talks, and in fact it talks loud and clear. This is to say they have great power and fully plan to hang on to both their money and power. They are also quite well aware of the definition of the word socialism, so they know that it means ”government ownership of the means of production”. Such a ”catastrophe” would spell the end to their wealth and their power. That is not about to happen, as long as they ”live and breathe”.

The capitalists are also well aware of the Marxist theory of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, and it terrifies them. The idea that the working class, the proletariat, may overthrow them and replace their rule, the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, with a new rule, the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, is their worst nightmare.

Now that the working class, or at least the most advanced members of the working class, are taking an interest in their lives, and that includes their political leaders, it is up to us to raise their level of awareness higher, to bring them forward. We have to stress to them that they are members of a working class, proletarians, and that our interests are diametrically opposed to those of the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. It is necessary to use the common words followed by the scientific terms, so that they will learn the meaning of scientific terms.

We can also expect these more advanced workers to be skeptical, properly so. They have been told all their lives that the people they elect to office represent them. We are telling them that it is all a lie, the party bosses tell their elected leaders how to vote, and the party bosses represent the interests of the capitalists. These new, pretty faces in Washington  -and many of them are quite attractive- are not going to change that.

The best way to persuade the most advanced workers of the correctness of our position is to help them elect to Congress and the Senate, and even the White House, candidates who are considered to be progressive. At the same time we must make it emphatically clear that these progressive souls cannot change capitalism. It must be destroyed, and that requires revolution.

Some of the new, most vocal members of Congress, are determined to impeach Trump. The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, is opposed to this. The White House press secretary has mentioned that Nancy Pelosi is apparently losing control of the House. For once, I agree with the press secretary.

It could be that Speaker Pelosi is merely doing as she is told, by the Party bosses, or it could be she knows that to impeach Trump would do no good. Such an action is easy, as it merely requires a vote of the majority of the Congress. Then he would have to go on trial by the Senate, and to be removed from office would require a vote of two thirds of the Senate. As there are one hundred Senators, sixty seven of them would have to vote to have him removed from office. Further, fifty three of these Senators are Republicans, so that is not about to happen.

Then again, due to pressure from the members of the public, or ”from below”, as they put it, the Senate recently voted, by a margin of 59 to 41, against the ”state of national emergency” declared by Trump. This means that twelve Republican Senators voted against Trump, which is a reflection of the strength of the revolutionary movement. It would take eight more Senators to vote to remove Trump from office, and the way the revolutionary motion is increasing, that could yet happen.

In summary, we have our work cut out for us. We have to use the internet to encourage working people to vote for progressive candidates for political office, while at the same time making it clear that capitalism is the problem and revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat is the solution. We have to use popular language followed by technical terms, very popular language for the much less advanced, and encourage such working people to send similar emails to their circle of friends. Bear in mind that the advanced workers lead, while the less advanced follow. We must focus on the most advanced, without ignoring the less advanced. At the same time, we must strive to work as closely as possible with such organizations as the Democratic Socialists of America, among others.

Our goal is to raise the level of awareness of the working class. The revolution is bound to break out soon, so time is not on our side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here in North America, both in Canada and the United States, federal elections are on the horizon. The Canadian situation is rather simple and clear cut, as we are allowed to vote for all 338 members of Parliament. The party which gets to elect the majority of Members of Parliament, or at least more members than any other party, gets to appoint a Prime Minister. The powers that be, which is to say the ruling class, the bourgeoisie, has relieved us of the burden of voting for any member of the Senate, as any and all Senators are appointed by the Prime Minister. So much for our democratic right to vote for our political leaders!

There are currently five political parties recognized in Canada, or at least five political parties which receive all the press coverage. The two major parties are the Liberal and  Conservative parties, and power usually passes between them. The other, minor parties, are the New Democratic Party, commonly referred to as the NDP, the Parti Quebecois, or the Bloc Quebecois, commonly referred to as the Bloc, which is active only in Quebec, and the Green Party. The best these smaller parties can hope to do is to hold the balance of power.

This is completely incidental to the fact that the revolutionary movement is sweeping North America and the most important thing now is to raise the level of awareness of the working class. The best way to do this, if not the only way, is to focus on topics which concern the working class, and not just wages and working conditions. A federal election is sure to get their attention, and we can use that as a platform to carry our message.

With that in mind, I can suggest we use the communication tools which have recently become available, by which I of course mean that which is commonly referred to as the internet. That includes facebook, youtube and email, among other methods of ”social net working”, assuming that is the correct term. Revolutionaries of years gone by were forced to rely on the printed word, distributed leaflets and managed as best they could with the tools on hand, and in fact they did a most impressive job. That does not mean that we should confine ourselves to such primitive methods. Most workers now have computers, and either know how to use them or have children who can assist them, as I have.

Those of us who are conscious people, followers of Marx and Lenin, Communists, can advise people to vote in the upcoming election, as voting is very important, and to vote for the candidate of their choice. We can also suggest that they join the party or parties of their choice. If enough people join the parties, then the party leaders will have to listen to them. Then they can push through policy changes and decide the individuals to run for office. Of course they can make sure the people running for any and all political office are Leftist people. That includes the Liberals and the Conservatives.

At the same time we can make it clear that at the moment, all  main stream political parties support capitalism, and that includes the three minor parties. There is really no essential difference between the parties, as all serve the same class, the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. Capitalism must be overthrown and replaced by a socialist republic, and the capitalists must be crushed under the iron boot of the working class, in the form of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. If the only way to persuade working people of this is to elect people to Parliament, as Leftist people, then so be it. Once these people are elected to Parliament, working people will soon realize that they cannot or will not make any significant change. In short, working people will then realize that we are right.

Our goal is to raise the consciousness of the working class, not to win seats in Parliament. But even if we do win such seats, then Parliament can be used as a platform to spread our message.

As part of our campaign to elect Leftist people to Parliament, we can make the point that the capitalists are careful not to mention the word capitalism. They would have us believe it does not exist, just as they maintain classes do not exist. We can also stress the fact that we live under capitalism in its highest stage, that of monopoly capitalism, which is called imperialism. These are all scientific terms with which the working class must become familiar. We may add that the capitalists mention the word imperialism only in terms of ridicule. To think that the imperialists mock the use of the word imperialism!

One of the tricks of the capitalists is to confuse capitalism with democracy. They maintain that Communists are a threat to democracy. They are careful not to mention that the democracy to which they are referring is their own democracy, the democracy of the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. We live under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. It is our goal, the goal of Communists, to transform that dictatorship into its opposite, the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

It is a mistake to think that the forthcoming revolution will abolish classes. It will not. It will not give rise to an age of peace and harmony, an ”age of Aquarius”, as predicted by the astrologers. On the contrary, after the Russian revolution of 1917, the Russian capitalists absolutely did not resign themselves to a life of servitude to the workers, the proletariat. It was only in 1920, three years after the revolution, that Lenin was led to conclude the following: ”The Dictatorship Of the Proletariat means a most determined and most ruthless war waged by the new class against a more powerful enemy, the bourgeoisie, whose resistance is increased tenfold by their overthrow” (italics by Lenin).

We can expect a similar resistance after our forthcoming North American revolution, as the bourgeoisie, the capitalists, will spare no effort to restore their ”paradise lost”, at the expense of the working class, the proletariat, of course.

As for those who think that the manner in which I have phrased this is repetitive, you are absolutely correct. It is repetitive, and bear in mind that is the way we learned the alphabet. We have got to phrase our message in such a way that it can be understood by the vast majority of the working class, including those who are the least advanced. Those who care enough to vote are our target audience. At the same time, it is necessary to drive home the point that we, the working people, are all part of a separate class, a working class, a class of proletarians, a class which has nothing to sell but our labor power. Further, the class of capitalists make their profit off our labor, so that the harder they work us and the less they pay us, the higher their profit. Even the least advanced should be able to understand this concept, when phrased in those terms.

We must also drive home the point that those of us who work for wages, who work by the hour, are members of the working class, proletarians. The capitalists would have us believe that those of us who are able to make ends meet are members of the middle class. We are not. We are merely more fortunate members of the working class. The members of the middle class are those who own small businesses, and there are increasingly fewer of those, as the monopolies continue to grow, becoming ever bigger and stronger, squeezing out the competition, forcing smaller companies into bankruptcy. The owners of these small businesses are forced into the ranks of the working class. Size matters, and in fact it matters a great deal. Any and all former members of the middle class can testify to that.

Another trick the capitalists have is to refer to working people as ”the little guy”. We are not the little guy, we are working class people, and we all have a common enemy. That common enemy is of course the capitalist class, the bourgeoisie, and those people come in all sizes, shapes and colours. They are also members of both genders, male and female, and of various ethnic backgrounds. These are the points we have got to drive home to the members of the public, the working class.

I can suggest that each conscious person, which is to say Communist, write something out, to that effect, using their own words, and send it to all of their friends on facebook. Further, suggest that those friends send a similar message to their friends. We can encourage working people to join the party or parties of their choice. Assuming enough people join the parties, then those people can determine policy and the individuals to run for any and all political offices, and that includes Parliament. If enough people do this, then there is no reason that Parliament cannot be flooded with Leftist people. They will then soon learn that it will change nothing, as the capitalists will remain in charge.

We may use as an example the fact that for eight years, in America, a black man was president. Those who expected radical change were deeply disappointed. No change of face or political party, in Ottawa or in Washington, will change the fact that we live under capitalism, and the capitalists are in charge.

It would be a bonus if the leaders of those minor parties would agree to an alliance with us, but not necessary. We can use the internet to put forward our belief in the necessity of the overthrow of capitalism, of the fact that no change of face or political party in Ottawa will make any difference, that the capitalists are in charge and have to be overthrown. The working class has to establish the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, and it is very doubtful that any mainstream political party will ally itself with those of us who advocate such a thing.

The situation in the United States, which I refer to as America, as that is the word they prefer to use, is quite similar. There are only two mainstream political parties in the country, the Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats are considered to be more progressive, as the word ”liberal” is thought to be derogatory. The Republicans are thought to be more conservative, although the fact is that both parties serve the same class, the bourgeoisie. This is another way of saying that both parties are completely reactionary. Trump is the poster child for reaction.

The president is allowed to serve a maximum of two terms of four years each. There are one hundred senators, two from each state, and each serves a term of six years. Every two years one third of them run for office. There is also the House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the Congress, which consists of 435 members, and each serves a two year term.

Strangely enough, the federal elections are held in early November, while the candidates who win the election are not sworn into office until late January. During that roughly ten week period, the American public is spared the agony of listening to politicians campaigning for office. That is about the only time Americans are given a reprieve from the election propaganda.

In Canada, the federal election campaigns are -mercifully- rather short, at least compared to the Americans. The next American election is still twenty months away, and yet even now, at this early date, there are just as many candidates running for office as there are months before the election, which is to say twenty candidates, and that is just on the part of the Democrats. The press reports that numerous Republicans are also planning to run against Trump.

Among the candidates for office are those who refer to themselves as ”independent socialists”, including a certain senator from Vermont, who may well run for president as a democrat. There is essentially no difference between a democrat and an independent socialist.

I can only suggest that Communists in America adopt similar tactics, encouraging people to join the two parties, as card carrying members and not just registered members. If enough working people join the two parties, then as ”party bosses”, they will determine not only policy, but also the individuals to run for political office. There is no reason that Washington cannot be flooded with Leftist people, social democrats and social republicans.

Of course, the idea is not to win, but to raise the level of awareness of the working class, using the election campaign as a platform to spread the message.

There is another tactic which comes to mind, one that has proven to be quite successful, employed by members of Leftist groups. It involves leading a group of people to the houses of members of the Trump administration, or to the restaurants which such people frequent, and having a little demonstration. The contrast between the luxurious homes of such people and the squalor which others endure, especially the homeless and immigrants, is striking.

I can only suggest taking this a little further, carrying signs which call for the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of a democratic socialist republic under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. These demonstrations should be caught on video and placed on the internet, perhaps on you tube. A spokesperson can explain the purpose of the demonstration and the necessity of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, among other things. It would be a bonus if the spokesperson for the group was a ”celebrity”, by which I mean a person who is well known to the members of the public, perhaps a movie star or famous actor.

The reason for this is simple, even if a bit strange. Working people, members of the public, pay strict attention to celebrities. As for those who doubt this, bear in mind that the scandal sheets, the tabloids, are doing a booming business. We do not have to understand the attraction of celebrities, but we can use it to our advantage and have them carry the message to the working class. Most of these people are actors, and know the importance of entertainment. They can be counted upon to phrase the message in a manner which is entertaining, appeals to people, as that is the very thing they do for a living. The best way to educate working people is to entertain them at the same time.

That should be a welcome change from the boring speeches so many revolutionaries are so fond of spouting.

We have yet to form a proper Communist Party, Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, CP, DOP. No doubt it will take shape soon, as the revolution gains strength and ever more people demand change.

At some point, we may have to distinguish between an American Communist Party and a Canadian Communist Party, or perhaps not. Bear in mind that we share a common history, so that separation remains to be determined. As the Party takes shape, we can face that question.

Very soon both countries will break up and form a number of independent socialist republics, as happened in Russia in 1917. Just as in Russia, we can expect those independent socialist republics to come together to form one or more unions. The precise number of socialist republics which form and and the number of unions which take place remains to be seen. It is entirely possible that North America will be composed of one huge socialist union.

The fact is that the revolution could break out any day now. It is not going to wait until we are fully prepared, with a functioning party, complete with a proper platform. Our main problem now is to focus on raising the level of awareness of the working class, in preparation fort the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

There is a reasonable chance that we, by which I mean those of us who are truly scientific socialists, fighting for the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, could unite with other leftist groups. Such a coalition would likely be temporary and limited to certain issues and contingent upon our ability to distinguish ourselves by expressing our belief in a fundamental tenet of Marxism, the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

These leftist groups include those who constitute themselves as political parties, while others are mainly concerned with a particular race, ethnic group or gender, by which I of course mean females. This form of political activity is quite commendable, but limited in scope. The best they can reasonably hope to achieve is paltry reforms, which the bourgeoisie will no doubt try to claw back at the earliest opportunity.

It is up to Communists to point this out to the members of such groups, while supporting them in their struggle for such reforms. Most rank and file members are reasonable, progressive people, either current or former members of the middle class, petty bourgeois, and as such are far more likely to be class conscious. It is also reasonable to expect at least some of them to come around to our way of thinking, that of scientific socialism, Marxism, Communism. Such people may even suggest to the leaders of these various groups that they change their line, embrace revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. We can further expect their leaders to tell these progressive souls to shove it!

Most of the leaders of these leftist groups are petty bourgeois, either current or former members of the middle class, and have the bourgeois mentality. Lenin points out that the power of the bourgeoisie lies ”not only in the strength of international capital, the strength and durability of their international connections, but also in the force of  habit” (italics by Lenin).

This ”force of habit” of the petty bourgeois leaders of the leftist groups compels them to disregard one of the basic tenets of Marxist theory, that of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. There is a reason for this. If there is one thing which keeps the bourgeoisie awake at nights, it is their worst nightmare, that of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. The idea that the working class, the proletariat, may turn the tables on them and establish dictatorship over them, is a fate too terrible for words.

The petty bourgeois leaders of these leftist organizations, whether current or former members of the middle class, through force of habit, have carried this bourgeois mentality with them. They recoil in horror at the mention of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, as do their masters, the bourgeoisie. The only difference is that many of these leftist leaders claim to be Marxists. In fact, they are some of the most loyal, dedicated servants of the bourgeoisie.

As the revolutionary motion gains strength, ever more progressive people will join these leftist groups, either middle class people or advanced workers. We can expect these new members, ”young Turks”, to demand change and of course the ”old guard” will flat out refuse. Such battles have been carrying on since the dawn of civilization. It is just a matter of time before the newer, younger generation takes over, which in this case depends upon the strength of the revolutionary movement.

As Communists, the outcome of such a battle does not concern us, any more than the outcome of a battle for leadership within a trade union. We do not take sides. Our main concern is to raise the level of awareness of the working people, and of course we are prepared to welcome any and all members of the leftist groups into our midst, as long as they embrace the basic tenets of Marxism, including the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Whether they join us as people who are also members of a leftist group or as members of  some other organization, such as a trade union, is of no consequence. Those who choose to stay within a leftist group while joining us are just as welcome as those who choose to leave the leftist group.

For the moment -strictly for the moment- we are fighting an enemy who is far stronger that we are. We can use all the friends we can get.

On 19 September, 1991, a group of hikers in the Otztal Alps, on the Austrian-Italian border, came across a mummified corpse. At first, government officials were puzzled by this corpse, but were then astounded to find that radio carbon dating placed the age of the mummy at 5300 years. This individual, referred to as  Otzi, had been preserved in an ice pocket for a very long time.

Further analysis revealed that he was about forty five years old at the time of his death, a rather elderly man by the standards of the time, when the life expectancy was considerably less that it is today. He was also a rather violent man, as there were several deep cuts on one hand, which were just starting to heal. In addition, there was the blood of one other man on his knife, the blood of two other men on his arrowheads, and the blood of a fourth man on his clothes.

It was not until 2001 that a Cat scan revealed an arrow head lodged in his left shoulder. The shaft of the arrow had been removed, so that the wound was originally overlooked. Officials assumed that they had stumbled upon an ancient murder victim.

To this day, officials are puzzled as to the fact that the killer of Otzi left all his weapons and tools with his body. Among other things, he had a chert bladed knife, an unfinished yew long bow and a quiver of arrows, most of which were also not finished. He also had a rare copper axe, very valuable at that time. Most people cannot imagine the reason the killer would leave behind such a valuable item.

The world was a far different place at that time. Otzi was a member of a tribe and it is safe to assume that there was no law against killing a member of a different tribe, and in fact such killings may have been encouraged. On the other hand, the killing of a member of ones own tribe was a very serious matter. The tribe was divided into clans, or gens, and people were born into the clan of their mother. Each and every member of any clan was brother and sister to each other, and any acts of intimacy between clan members was strictly forbidden, as was any acts of violence.  The social bond was very strong, so that an injury to one clan member required a response from all clan members.

With that in mind, we can put together the clues and piece together a reasonable picture of what probably happened, several thousand years ago. The injuries to his hand show that he was in an altercation several days before his death. They were almost certainly defensive wounds. The blood on his clothes could well have come from a buddy he was assisting. The blood of two men on his arrows very likely came from members of a different tribe, as bows and arrows are generally used at a distance. That was certainly allowed at that time, if not encouraged. But then the blood on his knife likely came from a man of his own tribe, as knife fighting is strictly a close combat matter. That would explain the defensive wounds on his hands. As he survived the knife fight, he very likely killed the man he was fighting, a man of his own tribe. That was strictly forbidden by tribal law.

The man Otzi killed was almost certainly a member of a different clan, and the members of that clan insisted that Otzi be killed. Blood for blood, a life for a life, as per tribal law. Accordingly, the clan sent one of their best hunters to kill Otzi.

Otzi knew that he was being hunted, and decided his best chance was to make a run for the mountains. Above the tree line, he could see anyone approaching him. He did not panic, but left the village in a rush. The fact that his long bow was not finished is proof of that, as is the fact that most of his arrows were not finished. He just did not have time to finish those weapons. He could not bring himself to leave his copper axe behind, as it was so valuable. It became an extra weight, which is the one thing a man on the run does not need.

At first, things went according to plan. Otzi managed to get above the tree line and could see for a considerable distance. Then he relaxed, felling safe at the top of the mountain, and sat down in a hollow to rest and have a snack. This gave the hunter the chance he was seeking.

The hunter the opposing clan sent to kill Otzi knew what he was doing. He was a fine assassin and managed to get close to his quarry, despite the open terrain. He too had a long bow, and his bow worked. He placed the arrow under the left shoulder of Otzi, so that it severed the carotid artery. It was the ideal killing shot. Then with Otzi rolling around on the ground, bleeding to death internally, the killer walked up to him, picked up a rock and hit him over the head, making sure he was dead. He then pulled out the arrow, leaving the arrow head in his victim.

The killing of Otzi was not an act of murder, as the killer was merely performing the task to which he had been assigned. Tribal law dictated that Otzi had to die for the crimes he committed.

That same tribal law also dictated that the few belongings of a dead man belonged to his clan. Those belongings included the weapons of the man, which usually went to the closest male relative, generally the biological brother of the deceased.  The man who killed Otzi was aware of this law and respected that law. He left the weapons of Otzi with the body, because they did not belong to him. He probably felt that if the clan of Otzi wanted those weapons, they could jolly well climb up that mountain and pick them up for themselves. He took from Otzi the one and only thing which was his – the arrow in his back.

I hope this clears up the mystery of the reason the killer of Otzi left behind those valuable weapons.