Return To Duty

After a relatively short absence, I'm back.

The revisionist followers of Webb have continued their attacks against me - possibly believing that their double-talk and false understanding of Marxism-Leninism will rub off on me if they repeat it enough. They continue their Obama worship, and expect true Communists to do the same.

Lenin clearly showed the danger of opportunists within the ranks of the greater Marxist community. He knew that their collaboration with the capitalists would mean nothing but trouble and, of course, he was right: The largest Communist party in the U.S. is infected by revisionism and opportunism, the Russian Communist parties have been taken over by nationalists (Lenin warned of "Great-Russian Chauvinism", too), and Communist organisations throughout the world have given themselves over to capitalism to greater or lesser degrees.

Webb and his followers (not by any stretch true Communists), continue to drag the (C)PUSA into positions that are more palatable to the U.S. government. They have embraced bourgeois concepts involving religion (Lenin clearly stated that religion is a private affair, and not to be countenanced by the state or party), elections (only opportunists take part in the electoral process, because Socialism cannot be won through the vote), and co-operation (although in the case of Webb, collaboration would be a more fitting word).

To save Marxism-Leninism, we need to expose those who subvert it.

Sam Webb subverts it.

A Typical Webb Follower.

Faithful followers of the revisionist Sam Webb are all too ready to spew their vile against those that dare to disagree with their "Great Leader".

In a comment to my last post - an anonymous toady of Webb wrote:

"I agree, perhaps Sam Webb, who has been doing concrete work to run the party, should spend some time to read about the writings of Comrade Dimitrov. And perhaps you should go out and do some REAL work, instead of thinking that you can run the country by reading about Comrade Dimitrov's ideology alone. Of course Comrade Dimitrov did not advocate joining the fascists to defeat them, instead he had ACTUAL plans to defeat them in action by working with other allies, and certainly not by asking people to sit at home and read books about other comrades.

By the way....when was the last time you attended a party club meeting, comrade? Bring up the criticisms or comments in the proper party channels instead of an anonymous blog."

See you at the convention....right??


Well, this anonymous Webb toady knows nothing about the work I do. I am extremely active in several organisations here in Erie, as well as WORKING 10 hours a day. I average 4 hours of sleep per night. I doubt that my anonymous "comrade" can say the same.

I do read, and am proud to say that I read as much, and as often, as I can. However, I do far more than just read about things. I work with the homeless, with a local battered women's shelter, with the anti-racism initiative of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, with the local Islamic understanding organisation, and etc... I put my money where my mouth is, so to speak.

Georgi Dimitrov did not ally himself with the allies of the fascists. Webb wishes to join with the democrats, not realising (or caring) that the democrats are just as bad as the republicans. To advocate joining with the democrats to defeat the ultra-right is akin to joining Mussolini to defeat Hitler! You can't stop something that is part and parcel of the system, by joining with something else that is part and parcel of the same system!

I am not a (C)PUSA member, nor do I any longer have the desire to be one. To assume that I am some lax member that is "speaking out of turn", is quiet unwarranted. To go through "proper party channels" would not really work, would it? I choose to express my thought via a blog - as is my right. I have no desire to entangle myself with revisionists, and no desire to attend their watered down, anti-Communist, meetings.

Grow up, educate yourselves, and, most importantly, question the motives of your "Great Leader". He's leading you astray.

The Shame of the CPUSA

This will be a very short post.

I am deeply ashamed to see what has become of the CPUSA - a once proud Communist organisation. Every day I read something which confirms that it has abandoned Socialism, and has embraced an imperialist (democrat) agenda topped off with a generous sprinkling of Obama worship.

A new article in Political Affairs Magazine, available here, suggests that the current trends in the CPUSA are traditionally Communist. The author states, for instance, that: "I do not think the current strategic policy of the party really forsakes any of our traditional values..." This author knows nothing about Marxist-Leninist values if he believes that the current platform of the CPUSA is traditional.

And: "Instead of laying the blame for the party's slow growth at the foot of our strategic policy, perhaps we should instead question whether our failure to significantly grow could be related to the fact that the party is still seen by many in the broader left and especially among the general public as out-of-date in both its traditional terminology and yes, even its name." So, here the author suggests that it is the name of the party that is the problem. Well, I agree. The CPUSA can no longer be properly called Communist, as it has forsaken Communism. Perhaps a better name would be the Democratic Party - the Sam Webb led (C)PUSA doesn't seem to be any different than the Democrats - so why not just dissolve and join them?

A third point the author makes: "If the policy of defeating the ultra-right was correct in the 1980s, the 1990s, and 2008, how can it not be just as correct now that we are in a moment of transition toward a time when we can more forcefully go on the offensive?" Clearly, the ultra-right has not been defeated. Since the right is an intregal part of the system, and since the Democrats are part of that system, how can joining with the Democrats help to "defeat" the ultra-right? The Democrats, and their current demi-god Obama, are just as capitalist and imperialist as the worst of the ultra-right, and supporting them will not achieve anything but the strengthening of American imperialism.

When Georgi Dimitrov formulated the idea of uniting against fascism - he was reacting to a violent spectre that was extending its tentacles into every part of Europe. The difference? Comrade Dimitrov DID NOT advocating joining with the fascists in order to defeat them!

The (C)PUSA leadership (Sam Webb in particular) needs to read the writings of Comrade Dimitrov to learn what it really means to fight the ultra-right. Bowing down before the enemy is not the way to achieve success.

More CPUSA Revisionism

In an article in the CPUSA magazine Political Affairs (available here), John Case argues that the capitalist backtracking of Deng Xiaoping was necessary. What?

He goes on to say:

"I side with Gorbachev, for example, who claimed that had it not been for the Russian people's disgust and contempt for Reagan's insulting and hostile actions toward the Soviet Union, the defective aspects of that system would have collapsed 10 years BEFORE it actually did."

Well, to side with Gorbachev in anything is to admit that you are a revisionist. Gorbachev, instead of trying to stabilize the Soviet government - simply let it collapse. Raisa Gorbachev said in her book, "I Hope", that neither she, nor her husband were ever really Marxist, and clearly, they were not! Faced with a Soviet Union that had been mangled since Khrushchev, Gorbachev did nothing but institute capitalist "reforms".

Obviously, there is no way to determine when something might have collapsed, as Case and Gorbachev did. The idea that mere insults from a foreign leader would cause people to cling to a "defective system" is ridiculous. The reality of the situation is that revisionism was the cause of the demise of the Soviet Union.

Case goes on to praise China as if he were fawning over a movie star, clearly showing that, for those influenced by samwebbism, capitalism is fine - as long as there is some token mention of Socialism. Read the CPUSA website to see their stance: "We are against capitalism." They are? Then how can they claim that capitalism in China is okay, simply because the Chinese people are becoming wealthier? Capitalism is okay if it makes you rich?

The CPUSA has lost its claim to being Communist. The leadership of (C)PUSA are nothing but revisionists that see no problem with capitalism - despite their claims to the contrary - and shamelessly promote that to their membership.

The CPUSA

It is disturbing to read the platform of the Webb led CPUSA, even after having read it several times in the past. The CPUSA has degenerated into a social-democrat type organisation that has as its main priority the defeat of the "ultra-right". In fact, in "The Road to Socialism USA", available here, it states:

"This unity will include an ever-growing Left-Center political coalition that includes the Democratic Party, left and progressive independents who recognize the danger the ultra-right poses, and all social movements on the major issues of our day. This all-peoples front should strive to, and be able to, attract many who voted Republican in the past."

It is quite clear that the Webb led CPUSA is in the pocket of the imperialist government of the U.S. They have chosen collaboration over Revolution, imperialism over the Working Class, capitalism over Communism, and they are trying to convince the impressionable that this is correct Marxist-Leninist strategy.

What Sam Webb fails to realise is that the Democratic Party is just as capitalist, just as imperialist, as the Republicans. The Democrats may hide their agenda in labour-friendly terms, but they are the same as the worst of the Republicans. Some may remember how almost every Democratic senator voted to allow Bush to invade Iraq. After it became clear that the invasion was based on lies, most of them backtracked slightly -though none of them admitted that the invasion was wrong- and began pushing for our withdrawal. Today, Iraq is barely mentioned, and all of our focus is on Afghanistan (which some in the CPUSA seem to be okay with on the grounds that it it for "humanitarian" reasons that we are there. "Humanitarian" imperialism is imperialism, and is just as destructive).

Besides, when was the last time you saw a poor Democrat politician (at least on the national level)? The Democrats that you see in the Senate are capitalists through and through, and would hotly denounce any hint of joining with the Communists. Remember how Obama reacted to be called a Socialist? To him it was a dirty word.

Collaboration with the Democrats is unacceptable, and for Sam Webb to push such a union makes him a traitor to the principles of Marxism-Leninism. Softening the Revolutionary nature of Communism will not achieve anything but the ultimate disintegration of the movement.

We need to return to the core principles of Marxism-Leninism, and denounce those who would subvert those principles for their own political ends.

Here is to removing Sam Webb, and all his cohorts, from the leadership of the CPUSA!

Marxism-Leninism

Marxism-Leninism is more than a political ideology. It is a world view that can be applied in any given situation. Unlike American style "democratic" republicanism, which has very few real world applications, Marxism-Leninism can be applied to economics, sociology, politics, psychology, philosophy, aesthetics, and to the very real issues that we all face on a daily basis.

The philosophy of the United States is one of wealth and power. The working class rarely figure into the considerations of the American Big Government - except when it comes to the money they want from us. As an example, the Democrats are still attempting to push their health care reform, even though it is now pretty clear that it will not happen. Yet, not too long ago, the Democrats were filibuster proof. They could have had health care reform passed without Republican interference, but they were torpedoed by members of the Democratic party that were seeking special benefits for their own states! Even now, they could push through through health care reform with a simple majority - but they refuse to use that, as well. It should be clear that the Democrats care no more for the working class than the Republicans do. The bottom line is the dollar.

Obviously the Republicans do not want health care reform. Why? Because too many of their friends make money off the system the way it is now.

Both parties seem to ignore rising costs when minimum wage legislation come up. My first job was in 1991. At that time, I was earning three dollars and 45 cents an hour. The minimum wage in 2009 was seven dollars and 25 cents. So, in 18 years, the minimum wage rose only three dollars and 80 cents! How many times in 18 years have the U.S. Senate given themselves raises? The answer is, a lot. Actually, I couldn't find an accurate number, but in 2009, during the worst days of the financial crisis, they received a 4,700 dollar pay raise, per member! Financial disclosure forms released by the nation's 100 senators show there are at least 40 millionaires among them -- 22 Republicans and 18 Democrats. Of the 100, only 10 senators reported net worths of less than $100,000. What is wrong with this picture?

There are two philosophies at work in this country - the millionaires club of the U.S. government, and the "struggling to get by" club that the working class are forced to belong to. So, why don't we do something about it? Why don't we cut their salary? Why don't we evict them from their palaces? Why don't we use the power we have to make things better for everyone? It is, simply, a deep seated fear that the capitalist masters have instilled into the working class since the beginning of time. They have us believing that we need them, and that there would be nothing without them. We buy into the lies - the "American Dream", "Work Harder And You'll Make It!", "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You...:, and etc...

Marxism-Leninism does not have this fear at its core. It is, in essence, a philosophy which states - "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." Lenin wrote that labour should be performed for the common good, for the benefit of society, and not for some material reward. Society would provide for us, as we would help to provide for society. Will this be a life with no leisure, no fun, no color, a grey world of automatons? No, it will be a life where we will have more opportunities to better ourselves, and society, because we will not be chained by the necessity to constantly work to pay for the things that society should provide, and we will not be forced to pay for millionaire "representatives" that have no interest in the people they "represent".

Marxism-Leninism, Communism, is about real freedom, and not he imaginary freedom offered by the American capitalists.

Communism: Success or Failure?

Communism has not failed as an ideology or a movement. I would assert that there has been no legitimate Communist nation in the world since the death of Comrade Lenin, and that, had Comrade Lenin survived, Communism would not now be seen as a failed system.

Sadly, for the world, Comrade Lenin died before he had a chance to shape the Soviet Union into a truly Marxist-Leninist union. His death paved the way for the leadership of Comrade Stalin which, though successful in a number of ways, ultimately failed to produce the hoped for results. The moment Comrade Stalin died, the anti-Marxist-Leninist forces under the leadership of Krushchev were quickly able to denounce Comrade Stalin, and undo everything he attempted to accomplish. By the time Comrade Brezhnev came to power, it was too late to go back.

Mao Tse-tung may have been a Communist in his youth, but once he assumed power he quickly showed his true - imperialist - agenda. One of his first acts was the invasion of Tibet! His policies could not keep at bay the capitalist tendencies that had dominated China for centuries, and thus his most colossal mistake came into being: "The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution". As Comrade Hoxha said:

"The course of events showed that the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was neither a revolution, nor great, nor cultural, and in particular, not in the least proletarian. It was a palace Putsch on an all-China scale for the liquidation of a handful of reactionaries who had seized power."

The abuses of the "Cultural Revolution" were foreseeable, and avoidable. Unleashing hordes of angry people into the streets to smash the "reactionaries" was a recipe for disaste. The violence and destruction, somewhat lessened by the heroic efforts of Comrade Zhou Enlai, could have been avoided had Mao been capable of containing the whirlwind that he unleashed (he either was not capable, or he did not care). The excesses of the "Cultural Revolution" led directly to the ascendency of Deng Xiaoping and his push to bring capitalism back to China. As a result, China today is as capitalist as the U.S. is.

Nothing need be said of leaders like Nicolae Ceausescu, Ramiz Alia, or Todor Zhivkov, except to say that they all hastened the end of Marxism-Leninism in their respective nations.

Mao's China was never truly Communist, as Mao was more concerned with the typical imperialist practices of the the day: conquest, power, and self-aggrandizement. The Soviet Union was well on its way to actually achieving a truly Socialist society, but was undone by those who were influenced by the power - and the wealth it brings.

Bob Avakian of the RCP makes outlandish claims to try and suggest that socialism did not fail. One such statement is that it was only a "first-stage" in an ongoing revolution. I should point out that capitalism has existed for centuries, and Communism in Europe died in less than 100 years. It also seems unlikely that the People's Republic of China will last to see its 100th birthday. If he is correct, it will be decades before Communism is likely to re-establish itself in any real way. If he's wrong, much work needs to be done to rehabilitate the image of Communism in the world. In either case, the road ahead is rocky for Communism, and smooth as glass for the capitalist exploiters.

Today, Communism in the United States is fragmented into dozens of small groups with no real power or influence. Communism in the rest of the world is beginning to follow the example of the CPUSA and integrate into the capitalist system. In those few areas where Socialism holds sway still, some, like North Korea, are brutal dictatorships, others, like Venezuela, are elected and could be voted out in future elections.

Communism needs to embrace its roots, to re-educate itself on the fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism. Until we can operate according to those fundamental principles, Communism will remain small, fragmented, isolated, and ineffective.