A Global Crime Spree — What’s NATO Ever Done?
A Global Crime Spree
What’s NATO Ever Done?
by JOHN LaFORGE
(Source: Counterpunch)
Wondering why anyone would confront NATO’s summit in Chicago this month? A look at some of its more well-known crimes might spark some indignation.
Desecration of corpses, indiscriminate attacks, bombing of allied troops, torture of prisoners and unaccountable drone war are a few of NATO’s outrages in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere. On March 20, 2012 Pakistani lawmakers demanded an end to all NATO/CIA drone strikes against their territory. As reported in The New York Times, Pakistan’s foreign secretary Jalil Jilani said April 26, 2012, “We consider drones illegal, counter-productive and accordingly, unacceptable.” On May 31 last year, Afghan President Hamid Karzai gave what he called his “last” warning against NATO’s bombing of Afghani homes, saying “If they continue their attacks on our houses … history shows what Afghans do with trespassers and with occupiers.”
While bombing Libya last March, NATO refused to aid a group of 72 migrants adrift in the Mediterranean. Only nine people on board survived. The refusal was condemned as criminal by the Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog.
NATO jets bombed and rocketed a Pakistani military base for two hours Nov. 26, 2011—the Salala Incident— killing 26 Pakistani soldiers and wounding dozens more. NATO refuses to apologize, so the Pakistani regime has kept military supply routes into Afghanistan closed since November.
The British medical journal Lancet reported that the US-led unprovoked 2003 bombing, invasion and military take-over of Iraq—which NATO officially joined in 2004 in a ‘training’ capacity—had resulted in over 665,000 civilian deaths by 2006, and 200,000 in the UN-authorized, 1991 Desert Storm massacre led primarily by the US with several NATO allies.
On April 12, 1999, NATO attacked the railway bridge over the Grdelica Gorge and Juzna Morava River with two laser-guided bombs. At the time, a five-car civilian passenger train was crossing the bridge and was hit by both bombs. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accused NATO of violating binding laws that require distinction, discrimination and proportionality.
NATO rocketed the central studio of Radio Televisija Srbije (TRS) in Belgrade, the state-owned broadcasting corporation, on April 23, 1999 during the Kosovo war. Sixteen civilian employees of RTS were killed and 16 wounded when NATO destroyed the building. Amnesty Int’l reported that the building could not be considered military, that NATO had violated the prohibition on attacking civilian objects and had therefore committed a war crime.
Headlines chronicle NATO’s crime spree
“U.S. troops posed with body parts of Afghan bombers.” Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2012
“Drones At Issue…: Raids Disrupt Militants, but Civilian Deaths Stir Outrage.” New York Times, March 18, 2012
“G.I. Kills 16 Afghans, Including 9 Children In Attacks on Homes.” New York Times, March 12, 2012
“NATO Admits Airstrike Killed 8 Young Afghans, but Contends They Were Armed.” New York Times, Feb. 16, 2012
“Informer Misled NATO in Airstrike That Killed 8 Civilians, Afghans Say.” (Seven shepherd boys under 14.) New York Times, Feb. 10, 2012
“Video [of U.S. Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters] Inflames a Delicate Moment for U.S. in Afghanistan.” New York Times, Jan. 12, 2012
“Commission alleges U.S. detainee abuse.” Minneapolis StarTribune, Jan. 8, 2012
“Six Children Are Killed by NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan.” New York Times, Nov. 25, 2011
“American Soldier Is Convicted of Killing Afghan Civilians for Sport.” New York Times, Nov. 11, 2011
“Pakistan: U.S. Drone Strike Kills Brother of a Taliban Commander.” New York Times, Oct. 28, 2011
“Afghanistan officials ‘systematically tortured’ detainees, UN report says.” Guardian, & BBC Oct. 10; Washington Post, Oct. 11, 2011
“G.I. Killed Afghan Journalist, NATO Says.” New York Times, Sept. 9, 2011
“Cable Implicates Americans in Deaths of Iraqi Civilians.” New York Times, Sept. 2, 2011
“Civilians Die in a Raid by Americans and Iraqis.” New York Times, Aug. 7, 2011
“NATO Strikes Libyan State TV Transmitters.” New York Times, July 31, 2011
“NATO admits raid probably killed nine in Tripoli.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 20, 2011
“U.S. Expands Its Drone War to Take On Somali Militants.” New York Times, July 2, 2011
“NATO airstrike blamed in 14 civilian deaths.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, May 30, 2011
“Libya Effort Is Called Violation of War Act.” New York Times, May 26, 2011
“Raid on Wrong House Kills Afghan Girl, 12.” New York Times, May 12, 2011
“Yemen: 2 Killed in Missile Strike.” Associated Press, May 5, 2011
“NATO Accused of Going Too Far With Libya Strikes.” New York Times, May 2, 2011
“Disposal of Bin Laden’s remains violated Islamic principles, clerics say.” Associated Press, May 2, 2011
“Photos of atrocities seen as threat to Afghan relations.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, March 22, 2011
“Missiles Kill 26 in Pakistan” (“most of them civilians”) New York Times, March 18, 2011
“Afgans Say NATO Troops Killed 8 Civilians in Raid.” New York Times, Aug. 24, 2010
“A dozen or more” Afghan civilians were killed during a nighttime raid August 5, 2010 in eastern Afghanistan, NATO’s officers said. Chicago Tribune, Aug. 6, 2010
“Afghans Say Attack Killed 52 Civilians; NATO Differs.” New York Times, July 27, 2010
In June 2008, NATO bombers attacked a Pakistani paramilitary force called the Frontier Corps killing 11 of its soldiers. New York Times, Nov. 27, 2011
“Afghans Die in Bombing, As Toll Rises for Civilians.” New York Times, May 3, 2010
John LaForge works for Nukewatch, a nuclear watchdog and anti-war group in Wisconsin and edits its Quarterly.
May Day into Loyalty Day
May Day into Loyalty Day
(new-power.org)
According to Wiki:
“[Loyalty Day] was made an official holiday by the U.S. Congress on July 18, 1958 (Public Law 85-529).[4][5] Following the passage of this law, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed May 1, 1959 the first official observance of Loyalty Day. [6]
With the exception of Eisenhower in 1959 and 1960, and the years 1966 thru 1974, Loyalty day has been recognized with an official proclamation every year by every president since its inception as a legal holiday in 1958.”
Recently, Obama continued this tradition by declaring that that May 1st is now “Loyalty Day.” The statement from www.whitehouse.gov states:
“Presidential Proclamation — Loyalty Day, 2012
LOYALTY DAY, 2012
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATIONMore than two centuries ago, our Founders laid out a charter that assured the rule of law and the rights of man. Through times of tranquility and the throes of change, the Constitution has always guided our course toward fulfilling that most noble promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve the chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. America has carried on not only for the skill or vision of history’s celebrated figures, but also for the generations who have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents. On Loyalty Day, we reflect on that proud heritage and press on in the long journey toward prosperity for all.
In the years since our Constitution was penned and ratified, Americans have moved our Nation forward by embracing a commitment to each other, to the fundamental principles that unite us, and to the future we share. We weathered the storms of civil war and segregation, of conflicts that spanned continents. We overcame threats from within and without — from the specter of fascism abroad to the bitter injustice of disenfranchisement at home. We upheld the spirit of service at the core of our democracy, and we widened the circle of opportunity not just for a privileged few, but for the ambitious many. Time and again, men and women achieved what seemed impossible by joining imagination to common purpose and necessity to courage. That legacy still burns brightly, and the ideals it embodies remain a light to all the world.
Countless Americans demonstrate that same dedication to country today. It endures in the hearts of all who put their lives on the line to defend the land they love, just as it moves millions to improve their communities through volunteerism and civic participation. Their actions help ensure prosperity for this generation and those yet to come, and they honor the immutable truths enshrined in our Nation’s founding texts. On Loyalty Day, we rededicate ourselves to the common good, to the cornerstones of liberty, equality, and justice, and to the unending pursuit of a more perfect Union.
In order to recognize the American spirit of loyalty and the sacrifices that so many have made for our Nation, the Congress, by Public Law 85-529 as amended, has designated May 1 of each year as “Loyalty Day.” On this day, let us reaffirm our allegiance to the United States of America, our Constitution, and our founding values.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2012, as Loyalty Day. This Loyalty Day, I call upon all the people of the United States to join in support of this national observance, whether by displaying the flag of the United States or pledging allegiance to the Republic for which it stands.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
BARACK OBAMA”
What is interesting about the rhetoric in Obama’s statement is that it barely indistinguishable from some of the populist rhetoric that pervades the Occupy movement. At present, at the national level, Occupy politics are, on the whole, Democratic Party politics, whether or not Occupy is a formal Democratic Party institution or not. Listening to the Occupy rhetoric on May Day, 2012, the overwhelming message was activist populism, Democratic Party populism. This populist rhetoric was challenged in certain places. The Leading Light and other anti-imperialist forces have continuously challenged it. Anarchist spectacles also have helped reduce the populist message, even if the organizers of such spectacles often share many First Worldist similarities with more mainstream populist forces. The populist sentiment of Obama’s “Loyalty Day” was also shared by the larger, mainstream migrant protests that occurred a few years ago. That such populism is pervasive, even among so-called “radicals” and marginalized communities, speaks to the difficulties of organizing in the United States, organizing without a real mass base. When almost all forces spout similar rhetoric in order to appeal to the same social forces, almost all roads will tend to lead back to the force with the biggest megaphone, with the loudest voice. And, in the United States, it is the Democratic Party and its fronts. This is why it is so important to oppose economism as much as possible. This is also why it is so important to have somewhere to lead people to that is not the Democratic Party, a political space that is not the Democrats’.
On May Day and Occupy in the USA
On May Day and Occupy in the USA
(llco.org)
On the first of May, many people celebrate International Workers’ Day or May Day. Even though the day has not always been widely celebrated in the United States, its origins trace back to labor struggles there. May Day commemorates the victims of the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago in 1886. During a general strike by workers in Chicago, USA in 1886, a bomb was thrown by an unknown person. In response, the police fired into the crowd killing many workers. Also, many police died from friendly fire. At the first congress of the Second International in 1889, Raymond Lavigne, called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago protests. In 1891, at the second congress of the Second International, May Day was formally recognized. Later, there were May Day riots in 1894. And in 1904, the International Socialist Conference in Amsterdam called for demonstrations to be held on May Day by social democratic and trade unions to establish the eight hour workday. May Day has since become celebrated in many countries around the world, sometimes as an official holiday. In the old socialist regimes, May Day was often one of their biggest holidays.
In the United States, May Day celebrations have diminished. The official holiday for workers is Labor Day, which is observed on the first Monday in September. Labor Day was established, in part, as an alternative to the radical May Day. Labor Day was promoted by more mainstream, reformist organizations like the Central Labor Union and Knights of Labor. Thus President Grover Cleveland moved the workers’ holiday to the Labor Day celebrated by the more reformist organizations in 1887. Fascist and reactionary states have often worked to eliminate or repress May Day. Even though the state actively worked to draw attention away from May Day, the main reason for the lack of strong May Day demonstrations in the United States can be traced to changes in global class structure. With the rise of US imperialism, the standard of living of workers in the United States increased. More and more concessions were won through reformist struggles. The economic burden was shifted onto Third World peoples. Social peace was won in the First World by increased exploitation and oppression of the Third World. Thus workers in the United States had less and less need of a May Day as workers in the First World became bourgeoisified. May Day became a holiday mostly for insignificant leftist sects and nostalgists. However, in the last decade, May Day has been revived due to protests by migrants in the United States against racism. Even so, May Day protests have been diminishing. The Occupy movement is seeking to revive May Day this year. Although, such a revival can be used by Leading Lights to educate and organize, the premises of the Occupy effort are deeply flawed. The revival of May Day is an honorable goal, however, Occupy profoundly misunderstand the balance of forces globally. A populist attempt to revive May Day, at best, will only gather support from the usual communities of activists and their allies. There may be some spectacles in a few major cities, but the kind of mass outpouring that Occupy expects will not happen. A real general strike will not happen. The general public in the United States simply does not want revolution nor is it in their interest to make real socialist, communist revolution. The conditions for real revolution do not exist in the First World, especially in the United States. The workers here do not have a class interest in uniting with the proletariat in the Third World. Workers in the First World have far more in common with their own overlords than they do with workers, peasants and lumpen in the Third World. Contrary to Occupy’s populist rhetoric, the reality is that most First World peoples are part of the metaphoric global 1 percent, not the global 99 percent. Populist movements in the First World tend to stroke up fascism and social imperialism, not proletarian internationalism. However, such movements will exist whether or not Leading Light participates. At least by participating, Leading Light has some ability to influence some attendees to break left toward internationalism, anti-imperialism, and communism instead of breaking right toward economism, chauvinism, populism, and fascism. Establish a pole for global equality, anti-imperialism and decolonization, revolutionary environmentalism, and Leading Light Communism this May Day. Criticize economism, populism, chauvinism, imperialism and social imperialism, fascism, and First Worldism generally. Participate. Educate. Lead.
G8 moved in face of planned protests
G8 moved in face of planned protests
(new-power.org)
Both NATO and the G8 were to be held in Chicago, USA in the month of May. These summits were the focus of many protests. Many forces planned to gather in Chicago that month. The forces that would make up such protests are diverse. They range from social-imperialist to anti-imperialist, First Worldist to Third Worldist, reformist to revolutionary. In face of the Occupy protests last year, to avoid disruption, the G8 has moved its meeting to Camp David in Maryland. This new location makes it difficult to protest in numbers. The moving of the protest to Camp David represents a defeat for those who would challenge the imperialist institution in the streets. Although NATO will still hold its meeting in Chicago, providing a target for protesters, NATO by itself will not generate the same numbers as NATO and the G8.
In the past high-profile summits have provided a target, an opportunity for those seeking to disrupt the state to gather and act. This has especially been the case after the Seattle protests of the World Trade Organization in 1999. The moving of G8 represents a new tactic in response to summit-hopping protesters and the Occupy movement. In addition, expect a sophisticated state response to the protest. Expect increased militarization of the police, FBI, and Homeland Security involvement. Those who planned to attend should take note. Even with the reduced numbers, the protest of NATO in Chicago provides a good opportunity to spread the word about Leading Light Communism.
Orientation toward Occupy
Orientation toward Occupy
(new-power.org)
The Occupy protests continue to dwindle in the Unites States. This is expected. The weather has played a role. It is harder to organize in the winter. The police repression has played a role. The inability of the Democrats to fully co-opt Occupy has resulted in Occupiers losing their status as media darlings. The media has turned against them. Media coverage is much more hostile today than it was at the beginning of the movement. Also, people in the United States have short attention spans. They are easily bored. People lose interest. However, most importantly, Occupy is running up against the social forces of trying to sustain a movement for social change in the First World. The vast majority of First World peoples do not have an interest in radical, egalitarian social change. They simply benefit too much from the system. They are too comfortable. Occupy is not about Leading Light Communism, is not about a radical reorganization at the deepest levels to bring about a world without oppression. Occupy is dominated by social-democratic and populist rhetoric. Even though social-democratic reform is often in the interests of most people in the United States, most people are simply too comfortable to fight very hard for it. People are too a-politicized and comfortable to even stand up for their own bourgeois interests. This is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, increasing the living standard of First World peoples as a whole is almost always connected to impoverishing Third World peoples. Nonetheless, Occupy still lingers on.
Could Occupy get a second wind? It will pick up a bit in the spring, but probably not return to previous levels. If the economy goes downward, then we could see more people at Occupy in the spring. However, at the moment, it does not appear the economy is falling. Rather, the latest numbers indicate a slight improvement in the situation. Occupy may be able to get a boost of energy by combining its efforts with the May Day efforts of the migrants. Occupy may get some kind of traction out of combining its efforts with the NATO/G8 protests this year. The “full-moon factor” could also boost Occupy’s numbers. It is 2012. Many New Religious Movements believe that 2012 heralds the transformation of the world. This idea, based upon, often chauvinist, misappropriation and misinterpretation of the Maya calendar, is widespread in pop culture. Movies have been made about the supposed significance of 2012. Many tomes have been written on the topic. There is a long history of apocalyptic “Great Awakening”-type movements in the United States. There is a possibility that Occupy could get a second wind if its numbers are boosted by people thinking that Occupy is somehow connected to the end of the world. In a country where economic contradictions are not sharp, culture plays a more significant role in social motion.
The correct orientation toward Occupy is the same as before. Do not bother trying to lead directly. For those who can, create a Leading Light pole in the movement. Look for the most caring, the most daring, and the most intelligent. They are the ones who will be drawn toward the Leading Light. Educate. Recruit. If the economy does go downward, we need to have the organization ready to mobilize that minority who break left, toward internationalism. Discipline. Organization.
National Defense Authorization Act and the Militarization of the US
National Defense Authorization Act and the Militarization of the US
(new-power.org)
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with bipartisan support, will soon be signed into law. It authorizes 662 billion dollars for the defense budget of the US. It finances US imperialist wars abroad. However, it is not just an appropriations bill. The NDAA contains a dangerous set of provisions that dissidents, including Leading Lights, in the US need to be aware of. In the tradition of the Patriot Act, passed after 911, this piece of legislation clears the way for the violent suppression of dissent and further control of society by the capitalist state, the military and police apparatus in particular. These acts increase the power in the hands of the executive branch, military, policing, and intelligence agencies. Supporters of the bill like Republican senator Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, are very open about its powers. Graham stated, “The homeland is part of the battlefield and people can be held without trial whether an American citizen or not.” This act clears the way for martial law, especially in a crisis situation. It authorizes deployment of the military for domestic policing. It authorizes indefinite detention without trial, assassination, and torture for both non-citizens and citizens. The current administration continues to move in the direction that Bush began after the 911 attacks. Majorities in both the House and Senate passed the NDAA. Only 13 members of the House voted against it. 283 voted for it. In the Senate, 86 of the 100 senators voted for it.
Civil Libertarians inside the system have been pointing out the dangers of the legislation. The minority who voted against the legislation have been very vocal in their opposition. Republican senator from Texas Ron Paul, who is now leading the Republican Presidential race, stated, “This is a giant step — this should be the biggest news going on right now — literally legalizing martial law.” Mark Udall, a Democratic senator from Colorado stated:
“These provisions raise serious questions as to who we are as a society and what our Constitution seeks to protect… Section 1031 essentially repeals the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 by authorizing the U.S. military to perform law enforcement functions on American soil. That alone should alarm my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, but there are other problems with these provisions that must be resolved.”
Senator Al Franken, a Democrat from Minnesota, described the Kafkaesque world that the NDAA creates:
“If we pass the Defense authorization bill with section 1031, Congress will… for the first time in 60 years, authorize the indefinite detention of US citizens without charge or trial. This would be the first time Congress has deviated from President Nixon’s Non-detention Act. What we are talking about is that Americans could be subjected to life imprisonment–think about that for a moment–life imprisonment without ever being charged, tried, or convicted of a crime, without ever having an opportunity to prove your innocence to a judge or a jury of your peers, and without the government ever having to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I believe that denigrates the very foundations of this country.”
These critics are pointing to the repeal of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, suspension of habeas corpus, and the concentration of power upward to the executive. The bill grants the President more powers in the supposed war against terror.
After 911, thousands were rounded up, mostly from outside the US and detained as suspected “illegal combatants.” Others were victims of rendition. Many people found themselves in a Kafkaesque world, kidnapped in airports, taken halfway around the world to Eastern Europe or the Middle East, and tortured for alleged offenses. After cases of mistaken identity, some survivors of the nightmare have filed law suits against their state kidnappers. Although the Patriot Act contained some provisions on detention, during the Bush years, the executive branch created the Guantanamo and CIA’s secret prison system by fiat. When the detentions were challenged, the Authorization for Use of Military Force resolution, passed in September 2001, was used to justify the illegal detentions. The AUMF authorizes the president to use “necessary and appropriate force” to deal with those believed to be connected to the 911 attacks. Even so, the legality of the shadowy prison state was continually challenged, even becoming a topic of debate in the last presidential elections. With the passage of the NDAA, the legal questions will be perceived as settled by most.
In the past, the US state has shown itself willing to violently suppress its opponents and perceived opponents when it feels the need. During World War 2, the US rounded up Japanese, including US citizens, in the US. They confiscated their property, imprisoned them, and made them work during the war. S. Floyd Mori, national director of the Japanese American Citizens League, claiming to be the nation’s oldest and largest Asian American civil and human rights organization, said the legislation, if enacted and put into use, would be reminiscent of the unconstitutional indefinite detention of Japanese Americans during World War 2. The US has waged non-stop wars against oppressed nations since its founding. Even now, the US destroys Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. The US is currently targeting Syria. However, Iran is the main target of the US imperialists. In the 1960s and 1970s, the state violently attacked groups like the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement. Even so, the NDAA, like the Patriot Act before it, normalizes and extends the security state outside and within the US borders.
The NDAA, like the Patriot Act before it, is part of a greater trend. New, sophisticated technologies are being developed and used by the state to gather intelligence. There is an increasing trend toward use of these technologies throughout society, not just within the military. Local police and even private security firms increasingly have access to technologies that increase their ability to control dissent. In addition, local police departments and security firms are becoming more and more militarized. Local police departments and security firms not only regularly train with technologies and weapons once reserved for military use, they have also adopted military approaches and training styles. There are new, dangerous agencies like Homeland Security. And there is an increase in collaboration between local and national agencies. Torture is becoming acceptable in the supposed war on terror. Illegal detention is more and more considered acceptable. Assassination is considered acceptable. Just recently the US assassinated US citizen Anwar al-Awlaki with a drone with little protest in the US. They also reportedly assassinated Osama Bin Laden. In addition, the Stop Online Piracy Act will give the government power to shut down websites or muscle providers to do so themselves. The internet has become a major vehicle for dissent. This gives the state the ability to shut down online dissent legally.
Despite the cries from populist civil libertarians, the main target of the militarization of society will not be US citizens as a whole. Again and again, the US population, on the whole, support the police and military. Similarly, even though the US has the highest per capita incarceration rate of any country, few in the US raise objections to the growing prison state. People in the US support the police, military and prison state not simply because they are “brainwashed,” although false consciousness can come into play. They do so primarily because most people within the US are part of the global bourgeoisie. It is in their class interest to support the state security and military apparatus that protects their wealth. The jackboot of the NDAA will not land on most Americans, it will fall on Third World peoples worldwide, the most oppressed — especially nationally oppressed within US borders and the lower strata, migrants, Islamic communities, criminal organizations, dissidents and those labeled “extremist” on both the “left” (and, possibly even the “right”). There is a common belief that fascism in Germany in the last century was imposed on Germans against their desires and interests. This was not the case. Hitler’s regime in Germany was not an unpopular one. Hitler captured power in large part because of his popularity. The Nazis were able to advance themselves through a legislative, “democratic” process with the support of many Germans. Hitler’s regime was a popular one because it sought to advance the interests of Germans, including German workers, at the expense of other peoples. The Nazis plundered non-German, domestic and foreign populations to the benefit of most Germans. Similarly, just as many Germans supported the Nazi regime, similarly the US population will most likely support or generally not care about the slide toward greater militarization of society.
For some, the sky is always falling. Fascism is always around the corner and the economy is always on the verge of total collapse. Such Chicken Little rhetoric has been a constant from both the populist right and the populist “left” for decades. This kind of rhetoric is often used by populists, like the Occupy Wall Street, along with empty calls for First World social unity against a supposed shadowy cabal of elites. This sort of populist worldview is heard in the “We are the 99% versus the 1%” of the Occupy movement. Even though the populist rhetoric calls for social unity, it mostly falls on deaf ears in mainstream America. Mainstream America benefits from capitalist-imperialist policies that are bound up with the police, military, and prison state. In addition, mainstream America is not the target of the militarization of society nor will they oppose the militarization. Even so, a broken clock can still be right twice a day. The US economy is in crisis, but is far from on the verge of the collapse imagined by the populists. It could get worse, recover slowly, or peter on as it has. We should not be “leftist” Chicken Littles, using the perceived threat of fascism to justify any and every opportunist, populist alliance. We should recognize the potential for militarization of society against dissent, we should also plan for contingencies, while recognizing the real dynamics involved. We need to continue our steady work, increasing discipline and organization. We also need to increase our ideological level. If the jackboot begins to fall, we have the organization, the science, and leadership to defeat it. Discipline. Organization. Science. Leadership.
Sources
1. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/270213/2….martial-law.htm
2. http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/politic….horization -act
3. http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Vide….daa-martial-law
4. http://www.infowars.com/exclusive-government-activating-fema-camps-across-u-s/
No thanks, Amerikkka.. art by Leading Light Shubel Morgan
No thanks, Amerikkka.. art by Leading Light Shubel Morgan
(new-power.org)
Who are the one percent?
Who are the one percent?
(new-power.org)
This is an interesting poster we found online at globalequality.me. We do not know who made it, but we like the sentiment. The numbers aren’t exactly correct. Most Americas fall within the top 10% globally, almost all fall within the top 15%. Now, change will come from the bottom up. It will come from the global poor, not the global rich. Revolution will come from the Third World, not the First World. Revolution will come through global people’s war, not through First Worldist populism. Even so, it is important to educate those in the margins.
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