For many years it has been my contention that only the largest reptiles can survive in this cold climate. I have used this to help to explain the reason that only the largest of flying reptiles, those which are technically referred to as pterosaurs but are commonly known as pterodactyls, are reported to live in this rather cold country, that of northern Canada. It was a fine theory and it seemed to make perfect sense, and in fact I still think that smaller flying reptiles exist in warmer parts of the world.
Be that as it may, the fact is that recently someone dropped by with a garter snake, one which he had found in a nearby meadow. This snake is a small reptile and proves that small reptiles can and do live in this cold climate, and that proves that my previous theory is mistaken.
No doubt these small reptiles go deep underground for the winter and do not come out of those caves until spring. So now I can say that only the largest reptiles are able to come out of those caves in the winter, in temperatures which are considerably below freezing.
This is not to say that smaller flying reptiles do not exist in this cold country, but if they do, I have heard no mention of them.
Author: Gerald Mcisaac
37)Preparing For the Socialist Revolution
Turmoil, turnover and trouble. These are the terms the press is using to describe the Trump administration, after the latest firing, that of the communications director. She was widely considered to be the most powerful person in the administration, one who controlled access to the president. Apparently she was one of the few people whom Trump truly trusted, but that was before she committed the unpardonable sin of admitting that she lied.
As a member of the Trump team she was expected to lie, and in fact it is a requirement of the job, especially as the director of communications. She was absolutely forbidden to admit to telling these lies, even ”little white lies”, as she phrased it, which is nothing more than another version of ”alternative facts”.
The official version is that she is ”resigning within the next few weeks”, but in fact she is being fired. Trump in not about to tolerate anyone within his inner circle who has any trace of honesty. He expects them to lie, even under oath, and if this results in a prison term as a result of a conviction of perjury, then so be it. This is Trumps idea of loyalty, and loyalty he values above and beyond all else. His idea of loyalty is loyalty to him, not to the constitution he has sworn to ”preserve, protect and defend”, and he of course has no loyalty to the people who work for him.
There are several former members of the administration who have cooperated with the special prosecutor who is investigating possible ”wrongdoing” on the part of the Trump team in connection with alleged collusion with the Russians in the recent federal election. At least one of these people ”wore a wire”, which is to say a listening device, while still working for the administration. There are numerous people in Washington who shudder to think of that which was recorded on that wire.
The special prosecutor, as well as several other congressional investigation committees, are ”working their way up the totem pole”, as is the popular way of phrasing this, and Trump is sitting at the top of the totem pole. His former campaign manager is currently facing a great many serious charges, including money laundering and fraud, and if convicted could be sentenced to thirty years in jail. That is in addition to other serious charges he is facing in a different state, even though those charges too are federal in nature, not state. This is just one more example of the inefficiency of bureaucracy. Think of it as tax payer money being put to good waste.
The business partner of this former campaign manager was also faced with similar charges and was also facing thirty years in jail. He, rather wisely, agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges and is now facing a mere four to six years in prison, in return for his ”cooperation” with the prosecutor, which is to say that he has agreed to testify against his old partner, as well as anyone else the prosecutor chooses to charge.
President Trump would be well advised to take note of this. As the current head of state, he very likely cannot face criminal charges, at least not while he holds the office. On the other hand, after he leaves office, he becomes a private citizen and is then liable to criminal charges.
As for those who object that people who have money are able to hire lawyers and avoid jail time, I can only respond that this is true, but only up to a point. The people whom the special prosecutor has ”flipped”, to use the popular term, are mere millionaires, not billionaires. They are well aware that there are ”good” lawyers and there are ”cheap” lawyers, but there are no good, cheap lawyers. They have no doubt done the math, as they are not entirely stupid, and determined that considering the severity and number of charges they are facing, their few millions are not sufficient to pay enough lawyers to keep them out of prison, or at least not for very long. Pleading guilty to lesser charges and cooperating with the prosecutor is the lesser of two evils, which will result in a shorter time in prison.
This is one ”moral dilemma” which the billionaires never have to face, as they have money to buy expensive lawyers by the truck load. Aside from which, they have no morality, so such dilemmas are never an issue.
Perhaps the former campaign manager of Trump, who is facing such serious charges, is confident that his former boss will give him a presidential pardon, as is his right by law. From all accounts, the evidence against him is overwhelming, and the trial date has been set for the fall. It is very likely that a presidential pardon is his one and only chance of remaining out of prison. If that is what he is betting on, then that man is a fool. It is extremely unlikely that Trump would even consider giving him a presidential pardon.
As a comparison, the flunkies of Trump would do well to bear in mind the fact that it was President Nixon who ordered the now famous Watergate burglary, and when those incompetent would be burglars were arrested, it was that same president Nixon who ordered the cover up. As Nixon phrased it, ”stone wall it”. Then, as now, when the special prosecutor was closing in, Nixon sacrificed his closest, most loyal supporters, or as it is commonly phrased, ”threw them under the bus”. He did not give them a presidential pardon. Nixon too demanded loyalty, but gave none in return. Nixon was merely a typical psychopath.
The former campaign manager of Trump would do well to take note of this.
The communications director may now find herself facing obstruction of justice charges, or even charges of perjury, as the law does not distinguish lies from little white lies. She too would be well advised to take note of this.
As the special prosecutor climbs up the totem pole, it is very likely the next in line is the son in law of the president, as well as the son and daughter of the president. With that in mind, it is very likely a matter of time before the president fires the special prosecutor.
There is a great deal of speculation on this turn of events, and it is widely thought that this will lead to a ”constitutional crisis”, which is the delight of all lawyers. In such a case, batteries of lawyers can be expected to argue the legality of the firing, and whether or not it rises to the level of ”high crimes and misdemeaners” as is required by the constitution, in order for a president to be impeached and removed from office. Such arguments merely serve to enrich the lawyers.
It is important to remember that it is relatively easy to impeach a president, but supremely difficult to remove him from office. To be impeached is merely to be charged, and the president then goes on trial by the senate. To be convicted and removed from office requires a vote of two thirds of the Senate. As there are one hundred senators, that means sixty seven senators would have to find him guilty, and that is not too likely to happen, at least under the current political climate, in which there are a great many people who still support Trump. Then again, if public opinion turns sharply against Trump, it would then be a distinct possibility.
As for those who are hoping and praying for such an outcome, I can only suggest that nothing substantial would change. By law, the vice president, Pence, would then become president. Bear in mind that Pence was hand picked by Trump, and can be expected to do exactly as he is told. We can expect no meaningful change, merely a change of names and faces. Trump could even take a page from the book of Nixon, in which he, Nixon, made a deal with his hand picked vice president, Ford, in that he, Nixon, agreed to resign in return for a presidential pardon from the new president, which was Ford. Of course Ford agreed and Nixon was exempt from any and all criminal charges.
This is merely typical psychopathic behaviour. The people who were loyal to Nixon ended up serving jail sentences, properly so. As president, he could have first given them pardons before resigning, but of course he did not. His one and only concern was in saving himself. It never occurred to Nixon to reward his flunkies for the loyalty they had for him.
If Trump is ever faced with such a choice, it is reasonable to expect him to first grant a presidential pardon to his immediate family, and no one else, before resigning. Then again, he may well decide to grant himself a presidential pardon as well. Considering the arrogance of the man, that is a distinct possibility. We can only imagine the public uproar which may well take place as a result of this!
All members of the Trump team would do well to bear this in mind.
Regardless of the names and faces of the president and leaders of the country, it remains a capitalist country, and a capitalist country in its highest form, that of monopoly capitalism, technically referred to as imperialism. All imperialists are completely reactionary, which is to say that they have absolutely no progressive qualities, are concerned only with preserving their power and wealth, at the expense of the working people of course. The monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are in power and fully intend to remain in power.
The fact that countless people are now closely watching the gong show which is currently unfolding in Washington is an excellent sign. It indicates that the vast majority of working people are no longer apathetic, no longer content to sit back and allow the rich and powerful to run their lives. As the working people phrase it, they have ”woken up”, are taking an interest in their lives and demanding change. As a result of this, the country is deeply divided. There is a considerable minority, mainly those who are relatively well off, who are of the opinion that Trump will indeed ”make America great again”, while the vast majority, for the most part those who are less well off, have a less charitable attitude towards Trump. They tend to express opinions towards that man which are somewhat less than flattering, and long for the ”good old days” when less civilized options were available to the working people. As best I can gather, they favour a form of vigilante justice which is commonly referred to as lynching.
The fact that the country is deeply divided should come as no great surprise to anyone, as the situation is revolutionary. The press reports that legal analysts are concerned with a possible looming constitutional crisis, while in fact it is a crisis in capitalism, one which is right around the corner. The ruling class can no longer rule in the old way and will soon have to change their method of rule, in an attempt to maintain power.
The capitalists have various tricks they use in order to deceive the working class, the proletarians, and one of their favourite tricks is to confuse democracy with capitalism. In fact, they are careful to not use the word capitalism. They know that workers are not stupid and are well aware that the goal of capitalism is to make money, at our expense of course. Rather than deny this, they merely pretend that capitalism does not exist. So they refer to capitalism as democracy and they also refer to socialism, or communism, as a dictatorship.
Strangely enough, there is a particle of truth in this confusion. In fact, the democratic republic is the ideal political structure for capitalism. This means that the economic base is capitalism, while the superstructure is the democratic republic. And indeed the republic is democratic, but only for the class in power, which is the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. This is democracy for the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, but a dictatorship over the working people, the proletariat. We live under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie.
This can and must change, and this change can only happen through a socialist revolution. The billionaire capitalists, the bourgeoisie, are determined to hang onto their wealth and power. So now it is necessary to overthrow the bourgeoise and crush them, to preclude any attempt on their part to return to power. This can only be achieved through the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. The working class, the proletariat, must establish a democracy for the proletariat, the workers, but a dictatorship for the billionaires, the bourgeoisie.
As for those who find this confusing, an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms, allow me to explain. Democracy and dictatorship are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they are two sides of the same coin. Democracy is a form of government, a state apparatus, and this state apparatus first came into existence with the appearance of classes. This is to say that stone age people had no classes and therefore no need to keep a class of people under subjugation. Such people had leaders, those who were highly respected, and people listened to them for that reason. This is not to say that these leaders had any authority, because they did not. If anyone chose not to listen to these leaders, there was nothing the leaders could do about this. There was no way that these leader of the stone age could impose their will on the people, as there were no police, jails or standing army which could be used to force people do as their leaders demanded.
This all changed as soon as people became civilized. The cultivation of crops and the domestication of animals led to a surplus of food, and this surplus in turn led to the creation of classes. Sadly, the people with the surplus began to enslave those less fortunate, and this gave rise to a class of people who were slaves and a corresponding class of people who were slave owners.
As can be well imagined, the slaves were not at all enthused with their lot in life and tended to express themselves in very strong terms. In short, the slaves rebelled, and the slave owners took a rather dim view of this. So in the interests of persuading the slaves of the error of their ways, a state apparatus was established, with the one and only purpose of subjugating the slaves. If the slaves stepped out of line, they were tortured and frequently killed, usually in the slowest, most painful manner, not so much as as a means of punishment but as a deterrent to other slaves.
That was the origin of the state apparatus, the earliest form of government, and since then different classes have evolved, and different forms of government have also evolved, which is to say different forms of state apparatus which is used to keep different classes under control. The democratic republic is merely a modern form of state apparatus, one which is used to keep the working class under the rule of the capitalists.
At no point have classes disappeared, just as at no point has the state apparatus disappeared. They have merely taken different forms.
This brings us to the situation now in North America, in which we have a class of monopoly capitalists, billionaires, the bourgeoisie, and a class of workers, proletarians. The other classes, such as the peasants and middle class, have pretty well been wiped out, although the remnants of those classes still exist.
The capitalist billionaires have determined that the best method of rule is the democratic republic, in which the working people get to decide, every few years, just which particular members of the ruling class gets to go to the various capitals and misrepresent them. So now we have the current situation in which the bourgeoisie rule, and in fact it is a democracy for the billionaires, the monopoly capitalists, but a dictatorship for the working people, the proletarians.
This method of rule has worked very well for the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, for many years, but not any longer. The working people, the proletarians, are now politically active, taking an interest in their lives, becoming ever more aware of the differences between themselves and the ”super rich”, which is the popular term for the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. This awareness of class distinctions is the beginning of class consciousness. The scandals which are rocking the Trump administration are being closely followed by the working people, if only because they are more entertaining than any television series. These scandals have been compared to ”soap operas”, which are popular among working people, especially members of the working class who are forced to stay at home and raise the children.
This vague awareness of the existence of classes, which may be referred to as class consciousness in embryonic form, must be nurtured and enhanced. The seed has taken root, so to speak, and now must be watered and fertilized, if we may be forgiven for mixing a few metaphors. The best way to raise this level of consciousness of the working class, the awareness of itself as a class, with its own set of class interests, is by focusing on the very thing which interests the working class the most, and that is of course the scandals which are currently rocking the Trump administration. We can use these as mere examples of the rule of the bourgeoisie, and the necessity of turning the tables on the billionaire capitalists.
This is not to say that we should gloat over the mess which Trump has created for himself, although the temptation to do so is overwhelming. It would simply serve no purpose and besides, it is too obvious.
No, the correct approach is to use these scandals as a means of driving home the point, to the working class, that classes exist, and further, the interests of our class, the working class, are diametrically opposed to the interests of the capitalist class, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. As president, Trump merely represents his own class, the monopoly capitalist class, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, and passes laws, including tax breaks, which merely serves to further enrich his class and at the same time further impoverishes the working class, the proletarians. These tax breaks for the bourgeoisie cannot perform any other service, as somebody has to pay taxes and the less taxes the bourgeoisie pays, the more taxes the workers, the proletarians, have to pay. This is another way of saying that the interests of the bourgeoisie and the interests of the workers, the proletarians, are not only diametrically opposed, but also antagonistic.
Of course, this is merely one example, and Trump has very thoughtfully set up an administration which provides us with numerous examples we can use as particulars. By this I mean that it is the duty of those of us who are class conscious to bring to the working class the awareness of itself as a class, as the conditions of the working class do not lead to such an awareness.
The socialist revolution is fast approaching and in order for such a revolution to be successful, certain conditions have to be met. The ruling class can no longer rule in the old way, and must change their method of rule. The working class is no longer content to be ruled in the old way, and are demanding change. These conditions are now being met, but the third condition, that of the working class becoming aware of the necessity of scientific socialism, and being prepared to make great sacrifices to reach that goal, has yet to be realized. However, it is safe to say that the workers are moving in that direction, or at least the most advanced strata of the proletariat, the most advanced workers, are now seriously considering the tenets of scientific socialism. The fact is that the most advanced workers lead, while the less advanced tend to follow. As I have gone into that in other writings, there is no need to repeat it here.
Now it is up to the working class to prepare for scientific socialism, which is to say the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. It is up to the proletariat to over throw the billionaire capitalists, the bourgeoisie, and to then crush them, to absolutely preclude any effort on their part to return to power. Make no mistake, they will not resign themselves to their fate. They will never give up, as long as they live and breath.
With that in mind, it is up to the workers to prepare for the coming dictatorship, to prepare to crush that class of parasites, the leaches which suck the life blood out of society, the dregs of humanity, the scum of the earth, the billionaire capitalists, the bourgeoisie. They contribute nothing to society and must be shown no mercy.
After the revolution, workers with very little training or even no training at all, will be placed in positions of authority. The immediate problem is to prepare for the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. With that in mind, we should also remind ourselves that among the working class there are advanced workers and there are less advanced workers. The less advanced workers tend to listen to the advanced workers, and these are of course the leaders among the workers.
Such working class leaders should be encouraged to assume positions of leadership, whether in trade unions or sports clubs or any other working class organization. Such basic training will serve these workers well after the revolution, when they are placed in positions of authority.
Further, all Americans should be encouraged to become card carrying members of the two mainstream political powers, Republican and Democratic. It is reasonable to assume that those who are more advanced will flock to the two parties, while the less advanced are less likely to do so. These more advanced workers will then become party bosses and determine the individual to run for any and all political office, within the district. The end result will soon be state and federal capitals flooded with Leftist people, if not socialists.
We must stress that the goal is not to win as many political seats as possible, but to train as many advanced workers as possible. They will soon learn, from their own bitter experience, that the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, the billionaires are in charges and fully intend to remain in charge. It is in this way that the level of awareness of the working class can be raised to the level of Communist or Marxist conscious people.
As well, there are numerous jobs which only highly trained professional people can perform, those who are experts in various fields of science and medicine.
The workers have got to learn those skills, and this may not be as difficult as it sounds. Now that we have the internet and almost every literate worker has a computer, it is a rather simple matter of taking practical courses through the internet or even as night classes. There are a great many such courses available, and most of them are offered at a rather reasonable price. By practical, I am of course referring to courses in such fields as math, electrical and mechanical engineering, various fields of science, and certainly not liberal arts courses such as ancient Greek literature, which may be interesting but serve no practical purpose.
After the revolution, after the working class has seized political power, we will still need these professional people, but the more workers who are trained to perform these jobs, the better. Without doubt, the engineers and specialists who now serve the capitalists will also serve the workers, and they can be counted upon to serve the workers even better that they serve the capitalists.
We know this for a fact, because it is often said that the army cannot force any soldier to do anything that soldier does not want to do, but that same army can force that same soldier to wish he had. In much the same way, there are very likely a number of engineers and specialists who may at first resist the new reality, and may have to go through an involuntary period of adjustment. This is referred to as re-education, and the length of time which has to be spent on this re-education is entirely up to the individual.
The sooner we are able to train workers to take over these specialized jobs, the more smooth will be the transition, between capitalism and socialism.
Assuming these professional people initially choose to cooperate, as many of them will, they will continue to be paid more than the average worker, and this will lead to some friction with the lower paid, unskilled workers. Such workers, almost all of whom will no doubt embrace the revolution and socialism, can be expected to demand equal pay, equal to the pay of the professional people.
This is not about to happen, at least not immediately, as we do not live in a perfect world. Under socialism, we can expect to increase the wages of the lowest paid workers, but it will take some time, and very likely a considerable amount of time, before we reach the stage where classes are abolished and people do that which needs to be done, without a view to gain. At that point, we can expect to see a rough parity in wages, between labourers and intellectuals.
At that stage, society moves from a socialist society to a truly communist society, and while it is a goal to which we must strive, it is not likely that we will ever see this in our lifetime. But then, it is something we can leave to our children and grandchildren.
If nothing else, we can leave to our children a socialist society, one which is a vast improvement to the capitalist society under which we have suffered all our lives. The best thing we can do for our children is to bequeath to them a socialist society.
That alone makes any and all sacrifices we may have to make in order to further the revolution, well worth while.
For the moment, our immediate goal is to raise the level of awareness of the working class, the proletariat. With that in mind, our slogans must be:
Workers of the World, Unite!
Scientific Socialism!
Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!
Concerning Corrections
Gerald McIsaac | Author, Researcher and Man of the PeopleGerald McIsaac | Author, Researcher and Man of the PeopleThis is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.
Continue reading “Concerning Corrections”
What To Expect?
As I write this, the revolutionary motion in various parts of the world is gaining in intensity. In particular, the working people of Hong Kong, France and America are currently in the vanguard of the international working class movement. This is most encouraging, as it is most unusual to see such motion on three continents, in highly industrialized countries, at the same time.
In America, the loyal servants of the bourgeoisie, belly crawling boot lickers one and all, are betraying their fear of the revolution by advising the working people not to ”move too far to the Left”. They are so afraid of revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, that they do not dare even to use the word socialism.
They have every reason to be afraid, as American working people are now spontaneously gravitating towards socialism. As yet, most have not consciously embraced the fundamental tenets of Marxism, if only because they have yet to be exposed to Marxist propaganda. It is up to conscious people, those who are Marxists, aware of the existence of classes and the antagonism between the classes, to bring this awareness to the working class. The current situation in America provides an opportunity to do just that.
Most Americans are now carefully watching the political gong show which is unfolding in Washington. This provides Marxists a golden opportunity to raise the level of awareness of working people, proletarians. The impeachment and upcoming trial of Trump can be used as particulars to drive home the fundamental points of class conflict.
As I write this, Trump is almost certain to be impeached within a week. Very soon, the full House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the Congress, will vote on two articles of impeachment. He is about to be charged with abuse of power and contempt of Congress. I say about to, as the Congress is controlled by the Democrats and a simple majority vote is required to impeach the president. He will then go on trial by the Senate, probably after New Years.
The trial by the Senate is not so straight forward. In order to be convicted and removed from office, two thirds of the Senators must find him guilty of at least one charge. As there are one hundred senators, this means that sixty seven of them must vote to convict. A great many people, including most journalists, are of the opinion that this is not about to happen. After all, fifty three of those senators are members of the same party as Trump. This Republican Party, also known as the GOP, Grand Old Party, is famous for sticking together. At least, that used to be the case.
Now the situation has changed, and dramatically so. The revolutionary uprising of the people is causing great concern in Washington, among other places. The voters are holding their democratically elected leaders accountable, properly so. As a result of this, during a recent vote which took place in the Senate, twelve Republican senators ”crossed the floor”, as it is called, and voted with the Democrats, in opposition to Trump and the Republican Party.
As is well known, in order to remove Trump from office, twenty Republican senators will have to ”cross the floor” and vote with the forty seven Democrats, giving the sixty seven votes needed to remove Trump from office. This means that an extra eight Republican senators will have to break ranks and vote with the Democrats. A great many people, or at least most journalists, consider this to be extremely unlikely.
On the other hand, I consider this to be quite likely. We can expect the senators to bow down to the pressure ”from below”, as it is called. We can also expect this pressure to intensify, as countless people watch carefully this spectacle unfolding in the capital of the nation.
It is up to Marxists to drive home the point that the removal of Trump from office, even if it takes place, will change nothing. The capitalist will remain in charge. A different figure head will assume the office of presidency, and the profits of the capitalists will continue to soar.
It is best to regard the impeachment and up coming Senate trial of Trump as an educational opportunity, a preparatory school for the victory of the proletariat, over the bourgeoisie. It may help to think of this as training for the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, as that is precisely what it is. As a bonus, working people from various other countries are also closely following the events which are unfolding in America.
We can expect these revolutionary motions in various parts of the world to spread and overthrow the capitalists in several highly developed countries. Lenin made it quite clear, shortly after the Russian Revolution of November, 1917, when he stated that ”For the victory to be lasting, we must achieve the victory of the proletarian revolution in all, or at any rate in several, of the main capitalist countries.”
It is clear that capitalism has had it day. It is rotten to the core and dying. It is also clear that the capitalists are blissfully unaware of this. They are determined to continue to crush and exploit the working people, in order to maintain their life of luxury. We can expect their resistance to the revolution, at least in the most highly developed countries, to be most desperate.
It is partly for this reason that a revolution in such highly developed countries is more difficult to start, but once successful, far less difficult to carry through. The proletariat in these countries are far more numerous and more advanced than their counterparts in petty bourgeois countries. The vast majority of such workers tend not to be so corrupted by the petty bourgeois mentality, which is so prevalent in less developed countries.
After the revolutions are successful in several advanced capitalist countries and the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat is well established in each, then the long range goal is to create a central location, one capable of directing the international tactics of the revolutionary proletariat in its struggle for a world Soviet republic. The situation of America now makes it a prime candidate for such a centre. But first, the vanguard of the American proletariat has to be won over to the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, and against bourgeois democracy.
It is to be hoped that all Marxists will take some comfort and inspiration from the report of Lenin to the Second Congress of the Communist International. In that report, he made it quite clear that ”with the aid of the proletariat of the advanced countries, backward countries can go over to the Soviet system and through certain stages of development, to communism, without having to pass through the capitalist stage.”
We can only stress that this requires a world Soviet republic. This may happen in the not too distant future, as it is very likely that the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat will soon be established in several advanced capitalist countries, in North America, Asia and Europe. As most of the advanced strata of the proletariat in those advanced capitalist countries now have access to various digital devices, and as those same advanced workers are now deeply dissatisfied, it should not take a great deal of effort to raise their level of consciousness to that of revolutionary Marxists.
With that in mind, we must once again stress the importance of slogans, soon making these a subject of everyday conversation:
Workers of the World, Unite!
Scientific Socialism!
Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!
Trump on Trial by Senate
The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has finally delivered the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. The procession was quite solemn and resembled nothing more than a funeral service. The preferred attire was black, as an indication of mourning. It was the first step in the trial of Donald John Trump, a man who has been elected to the highest political office in the country.
Trump is also extremely wealthy, possibly worth several billion dollars, a member of the class of people whom are referred to as the bourgeoisie. Anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with members of that class is well aware that they are a pack of liars and thieves. It should come as no great surprise to anyone to find that Trump is no exception.
Most people are rejoicing at the process of removing, or at least attempting to remove, this member of the capitalist class, the bourgeoisie, from the office of president. Yet it is clear that very few of these celebrants have been elected to office, or at least to very few offices in Washington. The members of The Squad are no doubt the exception.
Indeed, most of the people whom have been elected to political office are loyal servants of the bourgeoisie, determined to serve their masters to the best of their ability. It is only with the greatest of reluctance that they are placing one of their masters on trial, and only because of the pressure ”from below”, which is the expression they use, in reference to the working class. It is entirely possible that they can sense, if not understand, that revolution is imminent.
This trial has attracted the attention of countless working people, both proletarian and middle class. As such, it can and must be used as an example, by conscious people, which is to say Marxists. We must use this to drive home the point, to working class people, the fact that classes exist. What is more, the capitalist class, the bourgeoisie, are in charge, and fully intend to remain in charge.
Details are important, so feel free to explain that the Speaker of the House selected seven ”managers”, which is nothing other than prosecutors, four men and three women, to go to the Senate and present the case that Trump is not fit to hold the office to which he has been elected. As he has consistently violated the oath he has taken, that of ”preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution”, this should not be a tall order. Yet that is hardly the case.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, will be presiding, and we can expect him to act in a manner which is absolutely professional. It is safe to say that he will not be the slightest bit biased. The same cannot be said for the members of the ”jury”, those who are members of the Senate. We know this for a fact, as the majority leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, stated it quite clearly: ”I am not an impartial juror. This is a political process. There is not anything judicial about it. I would anticipate we will have a largely partisan outcome in the Senate. I am not impartial about this at all.”
That is quite clear, and those of us who are on the Left, conscious people, really should get together and send Senator McConnell a Thank You card. It is the least we can do. He just blurted out, in plain and simple English, that which we all knew. It was just a matter of explaining this to working people, and he saved us the trouble.
As all working people are well aware, in a criminal trial, all members of any jury are carefully selected, sworn to be impartial, and listen carefully to the evidence and witnesses, before coming to any decision. This Senate trial is supposed to be no different, yet the Senate majority leader openly admits to being biased. He then proceeded to take a sacred oath to be impartial! Such open displays of hypocrisy are unusual, even for such people.
In any other trial, such an individual would be disqualified from serving on the jury. This is not ”any other trial”. It is the jurors, in this case the Senators, who make the rules. This is a case of the ”tail wagging the dog”. It should be up to the judge to determine the jurors who are suitable to serve on the jury, as impartial people. In much the same way, it should be up to the judge to determine whether certain witnesses have information which is pertinent to the trial, and should be allowed to testify, or not. The same is true concerning the admission of evidence. Such little ”details” do not apply, because the judge has been relieved of the burden of ruling upon such matters. It is now up to the ”impartial jury”, the members of the Senate, all of whom have taken an oath to be impartial-Ha!-to decide upon the evidence to be presented and the witnesses who will be allowed to testify.
Even under these twisted rules, a few fundamental questions remain unanswered. It is assumed that Rudy Giuliani is the personal lawyer for the president, which implies that Trump is personally paying him. That requires a leap of faith on the part of the public, as it is quite possible that a government agency is footing that sizeable expense. If that is the case, then the two do not enjoy attorney-client confidentiality. It is doubtful that such a detail will be revealed in this trial, as the ”impartial jury”, the Senate, will likely not allow this.
The press is now reporting that the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, was correct in holding off on sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate, as now more information has ”emerged”, with regard to the alleged crimes of Trump and his administration.
Of course they are referring to the report of the Government Accountability Office, GAO, a ”non-partisan” congressional watchdog-as if any government office can be non-partisan! In their report, they maintain that Trump and his administration violated the Impoundment Control Act, in that they with held military aid to Ukraine, that which had been appropriated by Congress. The report claims that this was against the law, a clear abuse of power.
There are numerous documents to support this report. As well, there are various witnesses who are prepared to testify that this military aid was with held until Ukraine agreed to investigate the son of a political rival of Trump. One such witness is Lev Parnas, an ”associate” of Rudy Giuliani, currently being charged with serious crimes, and he is no doubt willing to testify in an attempt to secure a reduced sentence. Parnas is quite cheerfully prepared to implicate Trump, as well as the Vice President and the Attorney General, in their alleged plot to secure the assistance of Ukraine in making sure Trump is once again elected to office in 2020.
It is one thing to have these documents and witnesses, and something else entirely to allow them to be admitted into trial. Such ”details” are normally left to the impartial judge, but in this case, it is up to the ”impartial jury”, the Senate. It remains to be seen whether or not this will be allowed. It is clear that Senator McConnell is dead set against allowing any evidence to be presented which will implicate the president.
It is to be stressed that the members of the public, working class as well as middle class, are carefully watching this trial. The importance of the trial does not depend upon the outcome. It matters not whether the office of the presidency is held by Trump, or some other member of the bourgeoisie. For that matter, the same is true of the loyal servants of the bourgeoisie, the members of the middle class, the petty bourgeois, those who choose to crawl on their bellies and lick their boots. The current Vice President comes to mind.
The importance of this trial lies in the fact that the members of the working class are very carefully watching these proceedings. This gives conscious people, Marxists, a chance to raise the level of awareness of the working class. They have to be made aware of themselves as a class, with their own class interests. The hypocrisy of the capitalist class, the bourgeoisie, must be pointed out to working people. They are determined to protect their own, and for once, openly admit this. Their laws apply only to working people, not to themselves.
It remains to be seen whether or not evidence and witnesses will be presented. That depends largely upon the strength of the working class, the ”pressure from below”, as they phrase it. If the pressure is strong enough, then such evidence will be presented, and witnesses will be allowed to testify, in support of the evidence which proves that Trump broke the law.
Of course our focus is on the most advanced strata of the proletariat, the workers, as well as the most advanced members of the middle class, the petty bourgeois. The difference is that the petty bourgeois are well aware of the existence of classes, while the proletariat are not. This includes both current and former members of the middle class. The ranks of the former members of that class are growing, as all members of the Me Too movement can well testify. There is a price to be paid for objecting to the sexual assaults of the members of the bourgeoisie. That price is career suicide. Such people are forced to enter the ranks of the proletariat.
It is to be expected that such people are angry and bitter, understandably so. We can only suggest that they be encouraged to focus their anger on the class of people who are responsible for their degradation, which is the bourgeoisie. As most of them are ”celebrities”, and as most members of the working class listen closely to such celebrities, it places them in a unique position to raise the level of awareness of the working class.
Those who are famous are able to play a key role in the revolution, that which is rapidly approaching. That may not be fair, as indeed it is not, but it is what it is. To such people I can only suggest that you focus on current events, those which attract the attention of the working class, and use this to raise the level of awareness of the working class. At the moment, that current event is the trial of Trump. Then use the skills which you have developed, in the field of entertainment, in order to educate as well as entertain. Bear in mind that the best way to educate people is to entertain them at the same time.
Capitalism will soon be overthrown and replaced with the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Now it is necessary to prepare for that Dictatorship. Working people must be trained for the positions of authority which will soon be forced upon them. As celebrities and entertainers, you can play a key role in this, encouraging all Americans to become card carrying members of the two political parties, Republican and Democratic. As card carrying members, which is to say party bosses, such members can choose Leftist people, members of the working class, or members of the middle class, to run for any and all political offices. That includes the House of Representatives, the Congress, those who control the money, the tax rate, among other things.
It may help to consider the fact that after the revolution, after we overthrow the bourgeoisie and establish the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, we will still need entertainers. One key difference will be that sexual assault will not be tolerated.
It is best to remember that the two parties serve the same class, the bourgeoisie. The fact that the documents which implicate Trump are ”just now” being revealed, at the same time as the trial is about to begin, is not a coincidence. It is deliberate. It is clear that the class of people currently in charge, the bourgeoisie, are frantic. They are terrified of revolution, with good reason, but at the same time are afraid that if Trump is allowed to remain in office, he may well start a war with Iran and the whole Middle East. As they have decided to release the documents which allegedly prove Trump is guilty, it is very likely that they have decided to throw one of their own ”under the bus”, as is the popular expression. They likely see that as the lesser of two evils.
In any event, Mitch McConnell and all members of the Senate, the ”impartial jurors”, will do precisely as they are ordered, by the bourgeoisie. If they vote to remove Trump from office, it will only be because of the strength of the members of the public, the working class, and not because of any Constitutional laws which he may have broken. In case of such a happy turn of events, the working people will be able to congratulate themselves on a job well done, to consider it a victory, as encouragement to proceed with the main goal of establishing the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.
As I write this, the trial will very soon start. Time is not on our side, as events may soon give rise to the revolution. Hence the haste in writing this article.
We will know we are succeeding when the slogan Dictatorship Of the Proletariat is on the lips of all working people.