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The first question of every revolution is to determine our friends and our enemies.

This question is of vital importance because at the time of the revolution, and for a considerable amount of time afterwards (no one knows how long), our class enemies, the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, will remain stronger than the revolutionary forces, the proletariat, the working class. It is essential that we attack our enemies with absolute ferocity, while at the same time extending the hand of friendship to our allies.

We can thank the capitalists for making the situation ever so simple, at least here in North America. It used to be that we had a great abundance of peasants, called farmers, and small business owners, called middle class or petty bourgeois, although they tend to refer to themselves as entrepreneurs.

Of course, we still have the odd family farm, in which the owner works constantly, trying to make ends meet. The best such a hard working individual can hope to achieve is to break even, as the more crops the farmer raises, the more the agricultural companies, those who buy the crop, cut the rates. The children of the farmers tend to notice this, and as soon as they come of age, vacate the premises. The days of passing the farm off to the next generation are over.

In much the same way, the day of the small business owner has gone the way of the dodo bird. They simply cannot compete with the major corporations, the monopolies. They can testify to the fact that size matters, and in fact it matters a great deal. In business, size is about the only thing that matters. Countless former small business owners can testify to that, as they speak from bitter experience.

Lenin explained this quite clearly in his excellent work, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. In the present revolutionary situation, it is of particular relevance. 

As a result of this destruction of the class of farmers and middle class business owners, a great many former members of those classes have been impoverished, forced into the ranks of the working class, the proletarians. Then there are those who formerly worked for corporations in management positions and were laid off as a result of ”downsizing”, as they phrase it. Or possibly they were merely fired, at the whim of corporate executives, who fired them because they could. 

Their history does not concern us. As long as they have nothing left to sell but their labor power, they are one of us. They are fellow workers, proletarians, and must be respected as such. We must extend to them the hand of friendship, welcome them into the struggle against our class enemies, the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say the war against our class enemies, rather than the struggle, as soon it will be open warfare.

As the revolution progresses, we can expect to see councils of workers established, as well as councils of soldiers, as happened in the 1917 Russian revolution. At that time these councils were referred to as  soviets, which of course means council. The new members of the working class, our brothers and sisters, our comrades, may feel more comfortable as a member of a council of intellectuals, rather than workers or soldiers. Indeed, many of them have considerable education and training in various fields, such as management and organization, and these skill can be put to good use after the revolution. The last thing we want to do is drive them into the camp of the enemy, the capitalists.

There are also a great many other people who will soon be joining the revolution, although they may not be aware of this. Of course I am referring to the people in various American prisons. Such prisons, or ”correctional institutions”, are jammed to capacity. As the revolution gains strength, we can expect these prisons to be emptied. The inmates must also be invited to join us, and those who choose to accept the offer must also be welcomed as brothers and sisters, as comrades.

Granted, there are people in prison who are career criminals. We must let them know, in advance, that we are not about to hold that against them. We are offering them a chance to start over again, with a clean state. Whatever happened in the past can stay in the past. They can choose to join us in building a new socialist society, out of the wreckage of capitalism, or they can choose to pursue their previous careers, as professional criminals. We should also let them know that under socialism, the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, those who choose to break the law will answer to a council of workers, and such workers tend not to be soft hearted, sentimental, starry eyed optimists. Further, those charged will not be allowed to hide behind lawyers. Those convicted of crimes against the socialist state can expect to atone for those crimes in the performance of useful, productive labor.

The immediate problem is one of communicating with these inmates. As no personal computers or any other hand held digital device is allowed in prison, it is no longer a simple matter of posting articles on the internet. That may work for workers and members of the military, or at least I so hope, but for the people in prison, it may be necessary to go ”old school” and send them books and leaflets. We owe them that much, and besides, I am sure  they can play a valuable role in the coming revolution. No doubt, many of them have precisely the specialized skills that are needed in that situation.

The last thing we want is for these people to be put to work by our class enemies, the capitalists, in the goal of crushing the revolution. We can use all the friends we can get.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I write this, the American midterm elections have just taken place. These elections generated a great deal of interest, so while the attention of the public was focused elsewhere, Trump took the opportunity to fire his Attorney General, and immediately replaced him with someone who is more to his liking, someone who can be counted upon to keep the special prosecutor in line, or preferably fire him.  At least, Trump is so hoping. The fact that this appointment may not be strictly legal is of no consequence to Trump.

It would appear that the special prosecutor is zeroing in on Trump, or at least people whom he cares about deeply. Those are few and far between, but the fact cannot be denied that Trump loves his immediate family. That includes his son, son in law and daughter. It is very likely that those are some of the people whom the special prosector has in his sights, so to speak. Their names have been mentioned in affairs which are of questionable legal significance, although as yet no charges have been laid against any of those who are related to Trump. Of course, if charges do come down, they are entitled to their day in court, just as all citizens have that right. For that matter, Trump could be implicated, but as the head of state, it is not clear that he could be charged. Then again, it is not clear that he could not be charged.

The fact is that the special prosecutor has secured convictions on numerous charges against various individuals, and some of these people are ”singing like little canaries”, to use mobster jargon. This is not too surprising, as there is no honour among thieves. When such people are faced with rather lengthy prison sentences, they tend to become more ”sweetly reasonable”, at least from the standpoint of the prosecutor.

It is standard procedure for a prosecutor to offer a deal to such people, perhaps in the form of a reduced prison sentence, if the lowlife in question is prepared to testify against his accomplices, especially if those accomplices are ”higher up the food chain”. I believe that is the way they phrase it. The people who are implicated and subsequently face more serious charges phrase it in  a slightly different manner. They call this being ”ratted out”.

It is to the credit of the special prosecutor that he kept a low profile in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections, in an attempt to not influence the election. Now that the election is over, he worked through the Memorial Day long weekend, possibly in an attempt to bring more charges against certain individuals, before Trump or one of his flunkies fires him.

The wife of Trump, commonly referred to as the first lady, whom up until now has kept herself at a proper distance from political matters, has now inserted herself into the political arena. As someone who is not an elected individual, or even a political appointment, this is most ”inappropriate”, to use the politically correct phrase. To phrase it more accurately, it is downright ignorant. She has no right to poke her nose in where it does not belong and is not welcome. Not that we can expect much better behavior from someone who would marry Trump. It is clear that her standards are not terribly high. It is perhaps not a coincidence that the individual she wants fired is another female. There are people in this world who fail to see the value of competition.

To return to the midterm elections, they were most significant, although not for the reasons which are being reported by the press. It is true that before the midterms, the Republican Party, of which Trump is a member, also had a slim majority in the Senate and a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives. As the politicians  phrase it, the Republicans held the presidency and controlled both houses of congress.

This requires a little explanation. The Senate is composed of one hundred members, two from each state, and each member serves a six year term. Only the Senate can declare war. By contrast, the House of Representatives is composed of 435 members, and each member serves a term of two years. But then only the House controls the money.

The members of the Senate are generally referred to as senators and the members of the House of Representatives are generally referred to as congressmen, although this annoys the female members to no end. But then the House of Representatives is frequently referred to as the Congress, although there are times when the Senate and House are referred to as both houses of Congress. The members of both Senate and House are also referred to as law makers, which is precisely what they are. It is not clear if the confusion is accidental or deliberate.

At the time of the midterms, there were 35 races for the governorships of the states, 34 races for Senate seats, and of course all 435 seats in the House were being contested. Of the 34 Senate races, 26 of those seats were held by Democrats while only 8 were held by Republicans. The Democrats were well aware that as a result of this, they had very little chance of gaining control of the Senate, as that would involve winning the election in most, if not all, of the 26 seats they already controlled, as well as winning several seats from the Republicans. This did not happen, the Republicans have kept control of the Senate, and of course are claiming victory.

The Democrats are also claiming victory, as they have picked up a great many seats in the House, giving them a majority and subsequent control of the Congress.

From the standpoint of the working class and the revolutionary movement, this is of little consequence, as both parties serve the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. The system cannot be changed from within. It has to be destroyed.

The important thing is that a record number of people turned out to vote, which is a reflection of the strength of the revolutionary movement. It is most significant that a record number of women have been elected to office, possibly 23 Senators and 128 members of congress, although those numbers may change slightly, as all of the votes have yet to be counted. The fact is that American women are leading the revolution, and this is reflected in the election results. It is to be expected that the under achievers, which is to say the men, will soon catch up, as the revolution gains strength.

This strong voter turn out and the fact that so many female candidates did so well proves that people are no longer apathetic, they are now interested in their lives and are taking action to improve their quality of life, if only by exercising their right to vote. In a time of reaction, by contrast, the voter turn out is generally quite low. 
Now the members of the public are taking an interest in their lives, demanding change, holding their democratically elected leaders accountable, demanding the billionaires pay taxes, a limit to the national debt, an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and various other demands, all of which the bourgeoisie consider completely unreasonable. They will soon make this abundantly clear to the newly elected members of the Senate and House, as the bourgeoisie are not about to allow these politicians to interfere in the business of governing and making money.

I have deliberately used the word ”soon” in reference to the newly elected members of congress, because these people will not immediately take office. They will not be sworn into office until January.

It is clear that the current congress is referred to as the 115, and the new congress, to be sworn in on January 3 of the next year, is referred to as the 116. It is also clear that the current congress is considered a ”lame duck” congress, and is not likely to do much of anything in the few weeks remaining.

Under the best of circumstances, politicians are reluctant to make any decisions. In this way, they cannot be accused of making a mistake, as they did not make anything in the first place. Impeccable logic, I must say. Yet it is very likely they will be forced to make a decision of one sort or another, and very soon. The reason is that the government will soon run out of money, probably in early December. Then Trump will demand that the Congress raise once again the national debt, and at the same time provide additional money for his pet project, the Great Wall of North America. To raise the national debt is not a popular act, as most people are dead set against it, just as most people are equally opposed to the Great Wall. Yet even if congress approves an increase to the national debt, but without providing money for the Wall, Trump can be expected to veto the bill. I say this because he has threatened to do just that, and for once I believe him. Even habitual liars such as Trump , on occasion, do blurt out the truth. This would result in a government shut down, and possibly even result in forcing the government into bankruptcy. Yet Trump says he would welcome a shut down. 

Somehow I cannot bring myself to cherish this brief, fleeting moment of honesty on the part of Trump. 

This brings us to the joker in the deck, to borrow a popular expression. Except that this particular joker is not at all funny. Of course I am referring to the self styled ”resistance within the Trump administration”, that which I refer to as the White House Resistance.  Several weeks ago they went public with an article, an editorial in the New York Times. The members of the press covered it for a short time, and since then, it has apparently been forgotten. Perhaps the press thinks the members of the White House Resistance will lose interest. On the contrary, they have declared their intention to steer the Trump administration in the right direction, ”one way or another”. I suspect that other way will be revealed very soon, perhaps when Trump shuts down the government. 

I am convinced that these people are serious and determined, if for no other reason than that they are engaging in actions which can be considered acts of sedition, if not treason. By their own admission, they are a group which is challenging the authority of the federal government, led by President Trump. That is the very definition of sedition.

That same government has no shortage of spy agencies, which they refer to as intelligence networks. These agencies include the FBI, CIA, NSA, Homeland Security and Secret Service. They all do a superb job of gathering information, which they refer to as intelligence. No one has ever questioned the fact that they are thorough. Nor do they trust anyone, least of all each other. Each and every one is anxious to stab the other in the back, and they do so at every opportunity. With that in mind, they pay particular attention to the activities of each other, in terms of meetings, phone calls and emails. It is ludicrous to suggest that a group of these people could take shape, in Washington, no less,  without the knowledge of these various intelligence agencies. It is simply not possible.

The only rational explanation is that these various government agencies are well aware of the existence of this faction, among the Trump administration, and are very likely part of this faction. As well, the head of the military, the JCS, Joint Chiefs of Staff, no doubt also have their own spy agencies, so they too are involved in this group. Nothing else makes any sense.

All of these people are determined to protect imperialism, which is the highest stage of capitalism. From a capitalist, or bourgeois viewpoint, these people are highly successful. They have made it to the top, and are not about to allow anyone to destroy that which they have created. They are determined to continue to enjoy the life style to which they have become accustomed. They view Trump as a threat to their way of life and are determined to stop him.

As yet, all attempts to stop Trump have failed. The only other option is the military option, to send in the military and declare martial law. This is an act of desperation, an act of treason, an act of attacking the very constitution they have sworn to ”preserve, protect and defend”. If the planned coup is not successful, then all could possibly face the firing squad, the death penalty for treason.

This faction could strike at any time now, although Trump could force their hand by shutting down the government in early December, through the holiday season, Christmas and New Years. That would cause major headaches and cut into the profits to be made at such a time. That alone is reason enough to take action, as the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are not about to allow anyone to interfere with their profits.

The situation is now similar to a powder keg, one which is bound to explode. There is no way to determine which particular spark will serve to light the fuse. The classes in America have moved into position, as actors on a stage. The working class, the proletarians, have been roused to a fury by the horrors of capitalism, and the ruling class, the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are squabbling among themselves, tearing at the throats of each other, in a frenzy to maintain control of their little slice of paradise, in a panic at the sight of the approaching hoard of working class people, the common herd who no longer know their place, who are a threat to their power and wealth. They are as dangerous as a rabid dog which has been cornered. Just as a mad dog is sure to bite, so too we can be assured that these mad capitalists will bite. We just do not know when or where.

The leader of this White House Resistance has yet to reveal himself, or herself, for that matter. I suspect it is a man, as many of the members of this faction have been appointed by Trump, and he chose people just like himself. This is to say that most of these men consider women to be completely contemptible, and are not likely to listen to a woman. As for those who object that Trump also appointed several women, I can only respond that for the most part, such women were selected by Trump based on their physical attributes, rather than for their ability. Which is not to say that beautiful women cannot have brains, as many of them are blessed with both beauty and brains. However, the leader of the faction will soon be revealed, and I suspect it could well be the former Speaker of the House. I say this because this leader must be someone who is well respected by the highly placed Washington insiders.

We can expect everyone to be effected by this approaching revolution, like it or not. No one will be allowed to remain neutral, as there are no positions of neutrality. It is all out war between the working class and the capitalists, the poor against the billionaires, the proletarians against the bourgeoisie, as all other classes have effectively been wiped out.

It will not be a cake walk, a stroll in the park. It will be revolution in its highest, most clear cut form, class against class, no quarter, and it will break out any day now. We can expect the bourgeoisie to call out the military, in the interests of ”law and order”. They are not about to admit that they are determined to preserve capitalism, to preserve the rule of the bourgeoisie. That would be honest, and it would never occur to them to be honest. 

With regards to the military, they have a huge standing army of possibly 1.3 million troops, with 200,000 in reserve, referred to as the national guard. These troops are stationed in each of the states, while at the same time around half a million troops are stationed over seas.  We can expect them to mobilize these troops in order to crush the revolution, and possibly bring back the troops from overseas, as they tend to be the most highly trained troops. 

With that in mind, we must stress that speed and boldness are absolutely essential, if the revolution is to succeed. As the country boys tell us, the best way to kill a snake is to cut off its head. The leaders of the bourgeoisie must be identified, whether it is Trump or anyone else, targeted and isolated, destroyed or captured. If captured, they must be deprived of any means of communication with the outside world. They must not be allowed to coordinate any counter attack, because at the time of the revolution, they will be far stronger than the revolutionary forces. At the moment they are divided, at each others throats. They must not be allowed to unite and regroup. All computers, laptops, tablets, cell phones, telephones and any and all means of communication must be kept out of their hands. Only the most resolute guards must be allowed to watch over them. We can expect them to beg to call their wives and families in order to let them know they are alright. They are superb liars, so they can be most persuasive. In fact, they will use these means of communication to organize a counter offensive. This must not be allowed. The fate of the revolution depends on the revolutionary forces being steady and determined. Show them just as much mercy as they have shown us over the years, which is to say, none whatsoever.

The situation is critical and time is short. Either the revolutionary forces follow the correct scientific roadmap, or the revolution will fail. With that in mind, I can only suggest that everyone read the most relevant book by Lenin, State and Revolution.

I say that it is most relevant, because it was written after the Russian Czar had been overthrown in February of 1917, in preparation for the October socialist revolution of 1917. The October revolution was successful because the revolutionaries followed the advice of Lenin.  The capitalists, the bourgeoisie were overthrown and a democratic socialist republic was established. At the same time, the bourgeoisie was crushed under the boot of the proletariat. That is precisely our current task.

 

 

 

The situation in North America is without doubt revolutionary. The ruling class, the billionaires, the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, can no longer rule in the old way. Their method of rule is no longer effective and their class is deeply divided. All are agreed that their method of rule must change. They just cannot agree on how that method of rule must change.

As well, the working class, the proletariat, is no longer content to be ruled in the old way. They are demanding change. As they put it, they have woken up. Countless people who were formerly apathetic are now taking an interest in their lives, holding their leaders accountable. It is not just in the political arena that they are active. They are also demanding change in the trade unions, sports clubs, sewing circles and various working class organizations.

The revolution is being led by working class and middle class women in the United States. These people refer to themselves as Americans, so I will use that terminology, even though it is not exactly precise. The important thing to bear in mind is that American women are spearheading the revolution and it is spreading around North America.

It is not by chance that the latest revolution is being led by women. The fact is that many working class leaders, including the leaders of unions, have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar, so to speak. They have been helping themselves to money that belongs to the members. As well, there is a stratum of the working class which is reasonably well off, highly skilled and quite well paid, at least compared to the vast majority of workers, and they would prefer to keep things just the way they are. They are not at all anxious to rock the boat. These workers are not revolutionary, at least not yet. As the revolutionary motion gains strength, we can expect these workers to jump on the bandwagon. It is perhaps not too surprising that most of these individuals are men.

This stands in stark contrast to the vast majority of workers who are barely scraping by, living from pay check to pay check. These are the working people who are most vocal, those who have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We can only stress the fact that they are being led by  women.

These workers are determined to set up a socialist republic, but are not sure how to do it or the form it should take. Happily, we can compare the approaching American revolution with the preceding Russian revolution of November, 1917. We can expect the approaching American republic to take the same form, as the situation is quite similar.

In 1917, Russia was not one country but an empire, ruled by a monarch, a Czar, the rough equivalent of an emperor. This particular Czar,  Nicholas Romanov, was related to the monarch of Britain, among others. At that time, the Romanov family had been ruling Russia for hundreds of years, and in fact they ruled with an iron hand. As the Russian empire ruled over a great many people of various nationalities, and not just people who considered themselves Russian, an iron hand was indeed needed to keep these various peoples in their place, under the rule of the Russian Czar.

As for those who wonder why these nationalities are not merely referred to as countries, the answer is that there is a difference between a country and a republic. A republic has a democratically elected government and does not recognize a monarch, whereas a country may or may not recognize a monarch. This means that the United States is a republic, while Canada is a country, as it recognizes the Queen of England as the head of state. This is a mere remnant of colonial rule, and must be abolished.

Now the situation in America is quite similar to the situation in Russia 1917. In February of that year, the monarchy had been overthrown and the bourgeoisie, the capitalists, had assumed undisputed power. The country of Russia was then officially a republic, as it no longer recognized the Czar as the head of state. On the other hand, it remained an empire as it continued to rule over various nations.

It was only in November of that year that the working people, which is to say the proletarians and poor peasants, led by Lenin and the Marxists, carried through the revolution to its proper conclusion, overthrew the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, and established a socialist republic. The various nations which had been ruled by Russia achieved independence as well as socialism, and established independent socialist republics. They then came together to form a Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, in that Soviet means council.

Each socialist republic was supremely well aware that it was absolutely necessary to join together with other socialist republics, as a means of defending themselves against the anticipated attacks of the neighbouring capitalist countries. The experience of the Paris Commune of 1871 left no room for doubt on that score. The uprising of the workers of Paris had been crushed with the utmost brutality.

This brings us to the American empire, which also rules over various republics. Aside from the colony of Puerto Rico, these republics have been grouped together in the  form of states, and for that reason, it is necessary to list them. No doubt most readers find such lists to be boring, similar to a laundry list, but the Americans living in those states may find this to be interesting.

The two other colonies ruled by the Americans are Hawaii and Alaska, which are states in name only. Then in the north east of the country, that which is commonly referred to as the continental United States, we have the New England states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The addition of New York and New Jersey comprises Greater New England.

Diametrically opposite to the north east we have the south west, a part of the country which was taken from Mexico and for that reason is referred to as the Spanish south west. These include the states of Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, and at least parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma.

In 1861, the southern part of the country broke away to form the completely reactionary republic of the Confederate States of America. This gave rise to the American civil war of 1861-1865, and the eleven states which comprised the Confederacy were Texas, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas, Georgia and Louisiana. All of these states practiced slavery.

There were also five other states which practiced slavery but did not separate from the union, that of Delaware, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland and Missouri. These are referred to as the border states.

The south is considered to comprise the states of Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

Then there are the east south central states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.

The bible belt states are composed of Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia.

In 1803, the Americans purchased the Louisiana territory from France, so that part of the country has a strong French influence. That resulted in the creation of the states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and parts of Colorado, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Minnesota, Texas and Louisiana.

This is merely a partial list of the states which have been grouped together and identify with each other, to a greater or lesser extent.  The American government has broken down the country into geographical areas in a different manner, so that for example, the Pacific north west includes the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and southeast Alaska. Then there the east north central states of Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Of course, there are other areas of the country which are grouped together, more or less at the whim of the American government, those who act at the behest of the capitalists, the bourgeoisie.

Even a cursory examination of the list reveals a considerable overlap. Even so, we can expect various socialist republics to be created from these states, and parts of states. It is very likely that people who live in close proximity, in various parts of the country, and whom have a great deal in common, will band together to form a socialist republic.

The Spanish south west stands out with striking clarity. Those people have maintained their language and culture and may well establish their own Spanish republic. It is reasonable to expect them to have close ties with Mexico, if not to rejoin the country.

The southern states are also quite distinctive, and as several of them broke apart once before, may well do so again. The difference is that the next separation could well result in the creation of a predominantly black republic.

This brings us to the country of Canada, that which is not a republic, as it recognizes the British monarch as the head of state. We can also expect this country to fall apart, to form separate socialist republics, as the revolution spreads to this country. I use the word republic, as most Canadians do not want to be ruled by a monarch, and that includes the British monarch. This is especially true of the province of Quebec, which is predominantly French, and the French have dealt quite severely with their French monarch many years ago. They have no desire to replace a French monarch with a British monarch. Then too, no doubt the British monarchy wants nothing to do with any socialist republic. The nobility is similar to the capitalists in their passionate, undying hatred of socialism. Such people are not entirely stupid, and socialism is the worst enemy of both capitalism and the nobility.

To the east, we have the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and they consider themselves to have a separate identity, and in fact did not join Canada until 1948. They will likely form a separate republic, as Canada breaks up.

Then there are the Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, which have a great deal in common.

As previously mentioned, the province of Quebec is without doubt a separate country  contained within the borders of Canada. It has its own language, French, and its own culture. It certainly has no desire to recognize the British monarch.

The province of Ontario can also be expected to form a separate republic.

To the west, we have the prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Another republic in the making.

On the west coast, we have British Columbia, including Vancouver Island. It remains to be seen if Vancouver Island chooses to remain part of British Columbia.

That brings us to the territories of Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories. They may be considered to be colonies of Canada and none too happy with this. Who can blame them?

In Russia, immediately after the October revolution of 1917, the newly created independent socialist republics came together to form a union of socialist republics, quite reasonably called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the USSR. They were supremely well aware that the neighbouring capitalist countries would go to any length to crush them, if for no other reason than that the capitalists consider socialism to be contagious. In this they are correct. Once workers of other countries see how well workers fare under socialism, under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, then they too are anxious to establish their own socialist republic.

We can expect the socialist revolution in North America to follow the trail blazed by the Russian revolution, as independent socialist republics are created.

No doubt the people who will be forming these socialist republics will pay no attention to the artificial way in which the governments have grouped them. They will band together according to the interests they have in common, with no regards as to state or provincial boundaries. After these independent socialist republics have taken shape, we can expect them to come together to form a union of socialist republics, just as they did in Russia in 1917. Precisely how many socialist republics will form and the form of the unions of socialist republics remains to be seen.

It is possible that the American independent socialist republics which will soon take shape, from the ruins of the United States, will all group together to form a separate republic, a union of American Socialist Republics. Or perhaps the Spanish Southwest will choose to rejoin Mexico, for example. It is reasonable to expect the revolution to spread to Mexico, so that union becomes more plausible. Then too, the parts of the country which have a strong French influence, such as Louisiana, may be expected to bond closely with Quebec.

The same is true of Canada. As the country breaks up, it is to be expected that the newly created areas will cut all ties with the British monarchy, and establish true socialist republics. It is very likely that people will pay no attention to provincial and territorial boundaries, those which have been forced upon people by the Canadian government, at the direction of the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, of course. The precise number of republics which will soon be created remains to be seen, as does the manner in which these independent socialist republics come together to form unions. There may be several, although it is possible that all the republics, which will form from both countries, could come together to form a Union of North American Socialist Republics. The working people of North America will decide, as the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, will be crushed under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

At that time, after the socialist revolution, after the billionaires have been overthrown, we will then have to face the problem of crushing the bourgeoisie with sufficient enthusiasm, in order to avoid the mistake the Russian workers made. In Russia, the capitalists have managed to return to power, if only temporarily. We will have to avoid that mistake.

On the other hand, the revolutionary movement may well spread to Russia and the Russian workers may well show us how to correct the mistake they made. The next Russian revolution may well be right around the corner.

In the mean time, we can best educate the working people with slogans, which is a start:

Workers of the World, Unite!

Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!

Scientific Socialism!

In 1917, Russia was a hotbed of revolution. Within the space of a few months, that of February and November, there were two uprisings. In each case, a government was overthrown. The current situation in America is strikingly similar to the situation in Russia during those critical few months. This is by no means a coincidence. The second American revolution is right around the corner.

At that time in Russia, the Romanov family was ruling the Russian empire, as it had been for three hundred years. Finally, in February of that year, the people of Russia had enough. All across the vast empire, the people revolted. The peasants rose up and attacked the landlords, the workers refused to work, the unions went on strike, the trains and boats were parked. The middle class people, the petty bourgeois, closed their businesses. The people took over the government agencies and the nobility, led by the Czar, was overthrown. The capitalists, which at that time were composed of millionaires and multimillionaires, the bourgeoisie, approved of this revolution and seized the reins of power. The state apparatus, which the nobility had established in order to crush the people and remain in power, was firmly in the hands of the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. This is to say that the control of the state apparatus was transferred from the nobility to the capitalists. They now controlled the army, courts, prisons, police and all other government agencies, and used this state apparatus to establish ”law and order”, to crush the very people who had enabled them to seize power.

It did not take long for the people to realize that they had merely gone from the frying pan into the fire. People wanted peace, an end to the war with Germany and the Central Powers, a war which was devastating the Russian army and destroying the country. That peace was denied. The peasants wanted land and relief from the crushing burden of the landlords. This too was denied. The people in the cities wanted bread, as they were starving, and wood to heat their homes in the bitterly cold Russian winters. They were given promises, just as they were promised democracy, in the form of the Constituent Assembly. The capitalists, the bourgeoisie, were quite generous with their promises, just as they are now. These promises were the only thing the people received.

It is important to realize that the February revolution was spontaneous in nature, in the sense that the people of Russia had been deprived of their leaders. All of the scientific socialists, the Marxists, also referred to as Communists, Social Democrats or Bolsheviks, had been thrown into prison and either executed or exiled to Siberia. Lenin was one of the leaders who had first been arrested, sent to Siberia and then allowed to leave the country. At the time of the February revolution, he was living in Switzerland, but managed to return to Russia in April.

The country was still in a state of revolutionary turmoil at that time. The people were fed up, hungry, cold, desired peace, an end to the war, and they wanted a democratic government, one which would represent them, not the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, the rich and powerful. In short, the people of Russia in 1917 wanted precisely the same thing that the American people want now.

As I write this, the latest justice to the Supreme Court has just been sworn in, against strong opposition. There are several women who allege that he sexually assaulted them several years ago, but the Senate has confirmed his nomination despite those allegations.

No one was terribly surprised by this confirmation, as such is usually a mere formality. The people who ”call the shots” in Washington decide upon a course of action, while working ”behind the scenes”, of course. In this particular case, the ”powers that be” decided upon the person to be placed in the Supreme Court. It was then arranged for the president to nominate that judge to the Senate, and then the Senate was to go through the motions of confirming him. Those motions included having the various politicians reciting the speeches which had been prepared for them. After all, the common people, the members of the public, have to be entertained. Then everything falls into place like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

At least, that is the way it is supposed to work, and has worked, for many years. But now the people are not satisfied with the status quo, and are demanding change, just as the people of Russia demanded change in 1917, even after the February revolution. The modern day American capitalists are about as excited about this idea of change as their Russian counterparts were, many years ago. This is to say that they would sooner crawl on their bellies over broken glass, rather than give in to the demands of the American public.

Just as the Russian capitalists were determined to continue the war with the Central Powers, so too the American capitalists are determined to continue to wage war with Afghanistan and Iraq. As well, they have further wars planned with the sovereign states of Iran and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, DPRK, which is commonly referred to as North Korea. As far as the capitalists are concerned, war is good for the economy. They consider all this talk of peace to be pure nonsense.

The capitalists cannot understand how people would deliberately choose to allow themselves to be arrested, as hundreds of them did, as a form of protest. This is precisely what happened, on the steps of the courthouse in Washington, as many people, mainly women, protested the nomination of Kavenaugh, as a justice of the Supreme Court. They were standing on principle, a concept which is beyond the comprehension of any capitalist.

The fact that these demonstrations took place at all is an indication of the strength of the revolutionary movement in the country. There are numerous women who have become successful, in the sense that they have established careers in the field of entertainment, for example, and are now referred to as celebrities or stars. These same women have since learned that there is a price to be paid for this success. Certain of the men who are in a position of authority in these fields of entertainment have sexually assaulted these women. This is merely the manner in which the men establish power over these women. The understanding is that the women submit, do not complain, or their careers are ruined. Many of these women are now part of the recently created Me Too movement.

All American women are well aware of the opinion of Trump, concerning sexual assault on women, as a means of degrading and controlling them. At least, they should be, if for no other reason than the fact that the press, by which I mean the newspapers, magazines and news outlets, are quite cheerfully documenting his lies and hypocrisy.

This is significant, if for no other reason than that these same press outlets are owned and operated by the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. They are members of the same class of people, the bourgeoisie, as is Trump. They have turned against one of their own and this proves, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the ruling class is deeply divided. Just when they think that Trump cannot surprise them by doing anything more stupid than that which he has already done, he proves them wrong. His latest brain storm is to fire the American representative to the United Nations and appoint his daughter in her place.

The fact remains that we should be grateful to such newspapers for documenting the lies and deception of Trump. As well, let us not forget the largest news network in the country, avidly watched by millions of people. The journalists who work for these corporations are well aware that they have to report the news in a manner to which the owners of the corporations approve, or lose their jobs. I offer this as one more example of the deep division within the ruling class, the bourgeoisie.

A similar situation existed in Russia in the months following the February revolution. The Russian ruling class was deeply divided and the people were demanding change. The government had to be overthrown and that required an insurrection, just as an insurrection is required to overthrow the American government.

As Lenin phrased it, ”To be successful, insurrection must rely not upon conspiracy and not upon a party, but upon the advanced class. That is the first point. Insurrection must rely upon a revolutionary upsurge of the people. That is the second point. Insurrection must rely upon that turning point in the history of the growing revolution when the activity of the advanced ranks of the people is at its height, and when the vacillations in the ranks of the enemy and in the ranks of the weak, half hearted and irresolute friends of the revolution are strongest.That is the third point…Once these conditions exist, however, to refuse to treat insurrection as an art is a betrayal of Marxist and a betrayal of the revolution.”

This was written in October of 1917, at a time when insurrection was the order of the day. It was clear, as Lenin phrased it, that ”the entire course of events has objectively placed insurrection on the order of the day and that insurrection must be treated as an art”. Indeed it was treated as an art, and for that reason it was successful. It must once again be treated as an art in the approaching American uprising, or it will fail.

Lenin was careful to follow the rules of the art of insurrection, as was noted by Marx:

1. Never play with insurrection, but when beginning it realize firmly that you must go all the way.
2.  Concentrate a great superiority of forces at the decisive point and at the decisive moment, as otherwise the enemy, who has the advantage of better preparation and organization, will destroy the insurgents.
3. Once the insurrection has begun, you must act with the greatest determination, and by all means, without fail, take the offensive. The defensive is the death of every armed uprising.
4. You must try to take the enemy by surprise and seize the moment when his forces are scattered.
5. You must strive for daily successes, however small (one might say hourly, if it is the case of one town ), and at all costs retain ”moral superiority”.

Marx also stressed the point of being audacious.

At the time of the Russian October revolution, the capital of the country was Petrograd. As part of the insurrection, the capital was cut off from the rest of the country and key strong points of the enemy were attacked with overwhelming force. It was absolutely essential to occupy and hold the telephone exchange, the telegraph office, the railway stations and above all, the bridges. This was done, and within the space of a day or two, the insurrection was successful, and the working class had seized power. This drives home the necessity of speed, surprise and audacity. To hesitate, even for an hour, can prove to be fatal. Once the insurrection begins, any second thoughts can lead to disaster.

In the case of the approaching American insurrection, it is clear that Washington is the capital and must be the main focus of the attack, although certainly not the only one. The strong points of the enemy, within the capital, are the White House, the government buildings where members of Congress meet, and certainly the pentagon. Each of these centres must be surrounded with overwhelming force, especially the pentagon, where we can expect the strongest resistance. It will be necessary to capture the president and his members of cabinet, the senators and members of congress, and above all, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. To allow these people any freedom whatsoever could prove to be fatal, a betrayal of the revolution, as they will go to any lengths to overthrow the revolution. Under no circumstances can they be allowed to communicate with anyone else. They must be completely isolated, cut off from the rest of the world.  They are quite fully prepared to sacrifice their lives, in the interests of maintaining the rule of the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. They must not be given that opportunity.

The capitalists must feel the full weight of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. They must be denied all democratic rights, as that is the only way in which the insurrection can succeed. Anyone taking part in the insurrection who disagrees with this should step aside, as such a misguided soul could show mercy on these mad dogs, allow them to communicate with others, and destroy the uprising.

This insurrection first requires a revolutionary upsurge of the people, and there is no way to determine just what particular spark will trigger that upsurge. That being said, we can also say that the capitalists are every bit as predictable as they are reactionary. The stunts they have pulled off in the past are very likely to be repeated today.

With that in mind, we can say that in Russia of 1917, there were several Russian generals who had the bright idea of taking over the government, possibly as a means of forestalling any working class revolution. It was only the prompt action of the people of Russia that prevented a military coup.

It is very likely that a similar coup is being planned in America. The recent article, in the form of an editorial in the New York Times, is a strong indication of this. They as much as declared their intention of staging the overthrow of the government. They claim to be members of the Trump administration, and there is likely some truth to this. It is also likely that there are members of the American military involved in this plot to commit treason, as otherwise it is doubtful they would be so brave as to announce their intentions. Or perhaps they are just supremely stupid.

This self proclaimed resistance, this faction within the Trump administration which I refer to as the White House Resistance, is not being taken too seriously. I consider this to be a mistake, as I am sure they fully intend to do precisely that which they stated. It is just a matter of time before they strike, and possibly they are just waiting for the proper moment. That proper moment could be Christmas or New Years, a time when people are completely relaxed. Nothing else makes any sense.

As for those who think that such a thing could never happen in America, I can only point out that not too long ago, an individual who was considered insane wrote a book of racial hatred and war, in which he laid out precisely that which he intended to do. And then he did it. That individual was Hitler, and the book was Mein Kampf. Of course, he wrote the book for his followers, but it was there for all the world to read.

It is very likely that the leader of the White House Resistance has written the NYT editorial for similar reasons. As yet, this person has not revealed himself, or it could be a woman. That remains to be seen. Either way, that person expects a great many people to rise up and support the anticipated coup. That is not about to happen, and the people taking part in this counter revolutionary attempt are in for a rude awakening.

Such an attempted coup will no doubt trigger a response of the American public, a revolutionary upsurge, as the American public rises up in opposition to the anticipated take over of the government by the military and bureaucrats. That could prove to be the spark to set off the uprising. We can expect huge crowds of people to march on Washington, as that will be the centre of the attempted coup. At the same time we can expect the military to declare martial law across the country, so people will also rise up in all cities and towns. The counter revolutionary attempted military take over will then be crushed, and at the same time, revolutionary forces can take further action. All the forces of reaction must be arrested, isolated and allowed no democratic rights. A new government must be established, with full democratic rights for the working class but a dictatorship for the bourgeoisie.

This is precisely the thing which happened in November, 1917 in Russia, and must happen again, but this time in America. It is the only way in which the uprising can be successful, and that will kick off the revolution.

In America, the second major city is New York, and no doubt the stock exchange must be occupied, as well as the major news outlets. Now that the younger generation is most familiar with social networking, a coordinated attack at all cities and towns across the country is entirely possible. It must be stressed upon people that speed and surprise are key, as the uprising must succeed within a day or at most two, as otherwise it has no chance of success. Key bridges must be captured and held. Under no circumstances should the capitalists be allowed to regroup and counterattack. The government leaders who are arrested must be allowed to have no contact with each other. All cell phones must be confiscated. This fact must be stressed to all people taking part in the uprising.
It is absolutely essential that the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, feel the full weight of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

The time of the uprising will occupy a few critical hours, a day or two at most. A rather short period of time, but the outcome of the approaching socialist revolution hangs in the balance. Everyone who chooses to take part in that uprising would do well to bear that in mind.

In that spirit, I can only once again close this article with revolutionary slogans:

Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!

Scientific Socialism!

Workers of the World, Unite!

It has been an eventful week for the Trump administration. First a book was published by a famous reporter which documents the chaos within the White House and then an anonymous editorial was published in the New York Times which documents the ”resistance” within the White House. It is most unusual for the Times to publish an anonymous editorial so it stands to reason that the editors recognized the source as a high ranking official within the Trump administration. The NYT said they agreed to publish it as ”anonymous” in order to protect the source from disciplinarian action, such as the loss of a job. More likely, they agreed to publish it because it is so critical of Trump, and the Times is by no means a big fan of Trump. There is a good reason for this, as Trump hates the Times. He insults the Times on a regular basis. He refers to it as ”the failing New York Times”. But then, he insults all journalists, considers them the enemy, refers to them as people who report ”fake news”.

The journalists are speculating as to the identity of the author, and Trump is reported to be in a frenzy. He wants the FBI to investigate, even though no crime has been committed. He is referring to this as an act of treason, which it is not, but it could lead to that. Trump and the journalists are asking the wrong question. The individual who wrote the editorial is not important. Without doubt, that individual is merely a professional writer for the spokesperson for a group of people who are defying the democratically elected president of the United States. In this case, that person is Trump, and the members of the ”resistance” are members of his own administration.

For the purpose of this article I refer to the ”resistance” as the White House Resistance, which stands in stark contrast to the resistance of the American people, the members of the public.

As the writer said, he- or she- is ”part of a resistance”. It is not just one person but ”many of the senior officials in his own administration” who are part of the ”resistance”. They plan to ”steer the administration in the right direction until-”one way or another”- its over.” They say their ”first duty is to this country and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic. That is why many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions.”

I should mention that the people whom the president appoints as administrators, or bureaucrats, are referred to as members of the administration, not to be confused with those who are elected to office, who are referred to as politicians. The difference is that politicians answer to the voters, while the bureaucrats answer only to the president. It also means that these same bureaucrats are very similar to the president who appointed them to office, as Trump has surrounded himself with his own kind. These bureaucrats are every bit the liars, just as devoid of principle, as is Trump. It is not clear just why Trump is surprised that people whom he appointed, those who are equally devoid of principle, have turned on him. Then again, perhaps it is clear. Trump is just as stupid as he is arrogant.

It is clear that Trump has not carefully read that statement. For that matter, other journalists and members of the public are not taking the threat seriously. Instead, they are speculating as to the identity of the author, and are determined to track that individual down. They suspect the key word is ”lodestone”, a word which is not commonly used, so now they are making like little Hiawatha and are hot on the trail of the official who has been known to use that word.

A reality check is in order. High ranking American officials do not write their own speeches, and this editorial is supremely well written.  Most of such officials are not capable of putting several words together to form a coherent sentence. So they hire professional writers to write their speeches for them and then the simple half wits recite those speeches. They may not understand the words but they can read, so I give them credit for that. The rest is simply a matter of looking dignified and sincere. Other professionals train them to look dignified, and they are very good at faking sincerity.

It is clear that a high ranking official within the White House persuaded the Times to publish the editorial, and that is a fact. It is doubtful that the same individual is responsible for writing the editorial, just as it is very possible that this individual is not the leader of the White House resistance.

The editorial stresses the fact that there are several people forming this White House resistance, and probably a great many people. There is strength in numbers and it is very likely this same White House Resistance has been building for many months. Now there are so many members and they are so powerful, or at least they think they are so powerful, they are openly challenging Trump. That is a tall order, as Trump is still the president.

No doubt there are bureaucrats within the administration who are part of the White House resistance, as the editorial claims, but I suspect there is more to it than that. It is very likely that there are numerous others who have joined the group, and that includes politicians and military people. They have chosen to go public with their challenge to  Trump for a reason, making the American citizens aware that they exist. It could be they are preparing a coup, to take over the government. That would truly qualify as an act of treason. For that matter, to even plot to overthrow the democratically elected government of the United States may qualify as an act of treason. Trump may not be far off when he referred to this as an act of treason.

As for those who think this could not happen in America, as America is not a ”banana republic”, I can only suggest a reality check. These high ranking officials, those who refer to themselves as the ”resistance”, are now quite confident. They are preparing a major strike. They are letting the American citizens know that they exist, that their ”first duty is to this country”, that they have ”vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions” and with this in mind they ”will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until – one way or another – its over”.

The key phrase here is ”one way of another”. I suspect that ”another” way involves seizing power, as a ”duty to this country” and as a means of ”preserving our democratic institutions”.

If that sounds like a convoluted, twisted form of logic, there is a reason for that. It is a convoluted, twisted form of logic. Just bear in mind the source, which is a high ranking official in the White House, one of the same people who have championed such terms as  ”alternative facts”. The capacity of these people for self delusion is not to be under estimated.

I repeat, Trump has surrounded himself with people just like himself. This is to say that the people he has appointed to high ranking posts within the administration are every bit the liars and thieves that he is. They are completely devoid of principle, self serving, strictly out for themselves, determined to climb the ladder of success. Their capacity for self delusion is not to be underestimated. They are quite capable of confusing acts of treason with acts of patriotism.

A seizure of power would not be terribly difficult if the military, perhaps the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were part of the White House Resistance. No doubt there is a military base close to the White House and their duty is to protect the White House. If ordered, they can occupy that building within a matter of minutes. It would help if the head of the personal body guard of the president, which is to say the Secret Service, was also part of the White House Resistance. Not that it is necessary, as the Secret Service people are not entirely stupid. They are not about to challenge the American military.

As for those who think this is far fetched, may I suggest that there is a reason the White  House Resistance has chosen to reveal the fact that they exist. They fully anticipated that Trump would be roused to a frenzy, that he is not about to allow any members of his administration to ”steer the administration in the right direction”, and that there is really no alternative but to seize power. They have also anticipated a backlash from the American people, a true resistance of the public, and this is their way of preparing the American citizens for that seizure of power, in an attempt to limit that public backlash.

Every organization has a leader, and the White House Resistance is no different. The leader of this White House Resistance is no fool, is carefully preparing the groundwork in advance. After the anticipated seizure of power, the coup, we can expect the military to declare martial law, all democratic rights to be suspended, and all government institutions to be disbanded. That will spell the end of the Senate and House of Representatives, and very likely the Supreme Court, among others.

When and if that happens, we can expect the American people to rise up in protest. That could well trigger the next American revolution.

As Lenin pointed out, monopoly capitalism is imperialism, and imperialism is complete reaction. We can expect absolutely nothing progressive from those people. It is simply beyond their ability. The journalists are speaking of a looming constitutional crisis, but in fact it is nothing other than a crisis in capitalism.

As Lenin pointed out in Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder, the experience of all revolutions, and in particular the experience of the three revolutions of Russia in the early twentieth century, has confirmed the following:

”The fundamental law of revolution is that …for a revolution to take place it is essential that the exploiters should not be able to live and rule in the old way ”.

We should first point out that the three revolutions to which he was referring was the Russian revolution of 1905, which did not succeed in overthrowing the Czar, followed by the February revolution of 1917 which did succeed in overthrowing the Czar, and finally the successful November revolution of 1917 which established the first socialist republic.

The point being that Lenin spoke from experience, and he was absolutely correct.

With that in mind, let us examine our current situation, here in America. Without a doubt, the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie are in charge. Up until very recently, their method of rule was quite effective. But now, it is clear that the capitalists cannot ”live and rule in the old way”.

As for those who dispute that fact, may I suggest a reality check. The country is pretty well divided between those who swear by Trump and those who swear at Trump. The ranks of those who swear at Trump are growing. No one disputes the fact that he lies constantly, and not just when his lips are moving. He also lies when he tweets.

This has given rise to the White House Resistance, as the bourgeoisie cannot live and rule in the old way. They are now preparing to change their method of rule. It also means that the ruling class is deeply divided.

Lenin also says that ”revolution is impossible without a nation wide crisis, affecting both the exploiters and the exploited.” He goes on to say that it is necessary that a ”majority of the class conscious, thinking and politically active workers should fully realize that revolution is necessary and that they should be prepared to die for it.”
Lenin emphasizes that ”the ruling class should be going through a government crisis, which draws even the most backward masses into politics..weakens the government and makes it possible for the revolutionaries to rapidly overthrow it.”

That certainly describes our current state of affairs in America. The government is in a state of crisis and a great many people, including those who formerly took no interest in politics, are now ”waking up”, as they phrased it. The vast majority of workers, especially the more advanced workers, are fed up, demanding change. Now it is necessary for workers to be encouraged to read Marxist Leninist literature, especially State and Revolution, What Is To Be Done?, Imperialism, the Highest  Stage of Capitalism and Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder. This article is based largely on the last mentioned writing by Lenin.

It is absolutely essential that the most advanced workers become class conscious, aware of the necessity for revolution, aware that they are members of a class, aware that the bourgeoisie must be overthrown, aware that we must establish the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat and crush the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie. The most advanced workers will lead and the less advanced workers, those who respect the advanced workers, will follow them. That is the only way in which we can leave a better world to our children. That is worth dying for.

Now is the time to strike, while the ruling class, the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are divided, quarrelling among themselves.

Let the banners and posters proclaim:

Scientific Socialism!

Revolution!

Dictatorship of the Proletariat!

Workers of the World, Unite!