Tag: featured

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!

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.