Some State Solution: The Problem with Israel

Some State Solution: The Problem with Israel

Is Israel, by the evidence of its history and policies, a racist, apartheid state? I would argue that for all intents and purposes, it is. That is not an assertion that should be made lightly, it is a grave charge against a state, and one that should be taken seriously. Then I must here present my reasons for labeling the state of Israel racist, and apartheid. Israel is in the news once again, as they send overwhelming firepower into the Gaza strip, punishing the Palestinians for their rocket attacks into Israel. To many people around the world, this story is quite the familiar refrain. Someone on one side starts shooting, and before you know it, the whole area is alight with rockets, missiles, bombs and gunfire. Often it would seem that people who aren’t familiar with the history of the conflict throw their hands up in exasperation. “That’s just the way that area is, they’ve been fighting for thousands of years, and they’ll keep fighting for thousands more.” That is quite an unfortunate assessment however, as there are reasons for this modern conflict, and those reasons aren’t as ancient as some would have you believe. These  problems go back to before the genesis of the state of Israel, back to the 19^th century and the start of a Zionist movement.

 

The geographic area commonly called Palestine has a long and storied history, and has been the home of some of the world’s greatest religions and cultural traditions. Jerusalem is sacred to all of the Abrahamic religions, accounting for billions of believers worldwide. It has also long been a source of conflict as different religious and cultural groups vied for supremacy and control over the small sliver of land in the Middle East. That long and storied history however is far too complicated and long to include in this short essay, so it will have to suffice to begin a little more recently in the story, namely the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

 

The state of Israel was created following the end of the second World War, however the movement to create such a state began in earnest in the late 19^th century. There are a number of factors that would many people sympathetic to the Zionist cause, their hope for a homeland. Jewish communities in Europe had been long subject to horrible discrimination, slander, and even mass murder. Pogram was a common word in many countries, and many died for simply being the wrong member of an ethnic and religious minority. Perhaps it was thought that if the Jews had their own homeland, that they would be free forever from the scourge of racism and religious bigotry. Centuries of antisemitism had resulted in the murder of multitudes of Jews,  the destruction of their property and their disenfranchisement from the societies they lived in. Understandably, they wanted an end to that bigotry, and an end to living in fear. The problem is that the establishment of the state of Israel as a “Jewish state” has not solved those problems. They continue to live in a world that is rocked by war, hatred and ill will. The state of Israel did not solve the problem of anti-Jewish bigotry because it is impossible to solve problems of racism by nationalist xenophobia.

So if we know that Jews were running from persecution and mass murder, some may wonder why anyone would deny them a national home where they would feel safe. A haven where they would have their culture, traditions and people protected. The answer is a simple one, and it is one whose reasons have been played out time and again in multiple different scenarios throughout history. The problem is that we’re defining “Jewish” as a cultural and religious identity, an ethnic identity, and asserting that they should have an exclusive piece of land just for them, and no one else; which does reveal some problems. How does one define what a Jew is? How far back in one’s family tree does one have to go before they are considered Jewish? Is it only a religious and cultural identity? Is there a perceived biological aspect to the identity of “Jewishness”? Why should any country be able to deny the entry or settlement of people on the basis of race, class, national origin, religion or other factors of a similar nature? Does the history of oppression of a group of people give them the right to persecute and or exclude other perceived groups of humans? Is that morally or logically tenable as a building block of national policy and identity? The question arises whether or not Israel by its history and policies is a racist, apartheid state. I would argue that for all intents and purposes, it is. That is not an assertion that should be made lightly, it is a grave charge against a state, and one that should be taken seriously. Then I must here present my reasons for labeling the state of Israel racist, and apartheid.

 

During the British Mandate of Palestine in the early 20^th century, the demographics of Palestine were much different than today. That alone, of course is not grounds for worry, however the differences between now and then, and how it came to be are historically significant. The Jews returning to the Palestinian region before, during and after World War Two did not simply slip into town and join the rest of the populace living in peace. During the British Mandate of Palestine, a majority Muslim population existed side by side with Jews, Christians, Druze and other minorities. The program of returning the Jews to the ancient land of Israel increased hugely after the war, and pushed out many of the original Palestinian inhabitants. It created a humanitarian nightmare. In the 2009 book by Richard Becker titled “Palestine, Israel and the US Empire”  this time in Palestinian history is explained.  Becker describes the Irgun, a Jewish terrorist group aiming to seize the entire land of Palestine from the hands of the British, and then the Palestinians, resorted to the horrific massacre of civilians, documenting eye-witness accounts of the horror. This was part of an ethnic cleansing campaign that would dramatically change the demographics of Palestine, and would steal away land from Palestinians who had lived there for many centuries. One such massacre was in a village called Deir Yassin. Becker states “On April 9th, 1948, the Irgun wiped out the entire population of Deir Yassin. The Irgun soldiers arrived in the village and announced that the residents had 15 minutes to leave. Then the attack began. The Zionist soldiers blew up homes with their inhabitants still inside, fired at will and at close range, and committed other atrocities. When it was over, more than two hundred lay dead.” (Becker, p. 61) That campaign of terror he describes was repeated many times as they drove out the Palestinians. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, causing a large humanitarian crisis. In discussing the  Palestinian right of return in Chapter 18, he mentions just how large that exodus of refugees really was. In 1948, the expulsion of almost three fourths of the Palestinian population caused 750,000 refugees, and the 1967 war led to another 300,000 refugees. (Becker) Israel took the land from the Palestinian people, and now have relegated them to tiny slivers of land in what used to be their own country. They are denied the right of return, and are forced to live within the confines of the Gaza strip and the West Bank. This is reminiscent of the regime of apartheid in South Africa that lasted until recently. Some wanted to create national homes away from the other ethnicities, to keep them separate. The population of the West Bank and Gaza now number in the millions of  people, people who still don’t have the right of return to their homes and their villages.

 

Aside from the history of the expulsion of the Palestinians from their homes and villages and being forced into defacto Ghettos, what exists in the State of Israel today that would designate them an apartheid state? We only have to look at the words of Israeli politicians, and the Israeli people themselves. Harriet Sherwood in the Guardian newspaper recently revealed the results of a poll first published in the Haaretz newspaper detailing what the Israeli public thought about apartheid and the Palestinian people. She said that the poll revealed that more than two-thirds of the respondents thought that the 2.5 million residents of the West Bank should be denied the right to vote should the area be annexed. Furthermore, three out of four Israelis polled wanted separate roads for Palestinians and Israelis, and 58% of respondents already considered Israel an apartheid state. (Sherwood )  Israel has denied the Palestinians a state of their own. Israel has demanded that they hold elections, and then blockaded those who dared to vote for the party Israel didn’t approve of, causing more humanitarian crises. Israel has assassinated at will Palestinian officials, and then condemned the Palestinians for fighting back. Palestine seems to be in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” sort of position. This all arises from the goal of establishing a state that was of, by and for one religious group, at the expense of everyone else. That bad idea has now gone on for decades, causing thousands of deaths, many of them civilians, even children.

 

The irrational fear and distrust of the Palestinian people by the Israelis is evident in the speech of their politicians. In 2008, as reported by the Telegraph newspaper, Matan Vilnai, the Israeli deputy defense minister called for a genocide stating “The more qassam fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they (the Palestinians) will bring upon themselves a bigger shoah because we will use all our might to defend ourselves,” (The telegraph) Shoah is the Hebrew word for holocaust. There have been many examples of this kind of speech.

 

In the book “Racism: A Very Short Introduction” by Ali Rattansi, he explains that racism can be based in cultural, or religious terms rather than overtly biological ones. He says “In practice, though, cultural demarcations are often drawn and used in a form that naturalizes them by implying that they are more or less immutable.” (Rattansi, p. 104) The Palestinians have been labeled as inherently violent, as incompatible for life in a society alongside the Israeli population. They have been subjected to apartheid, separated from the rest of their society for decades now, with no end in sight.

 

I believe that if we are to end the violent conflict in Palestine, we must bring about an inclusive, one state solution. We must heal the wounds, not by continuing to keep them separate, but by uniting them together into a peaceful coexistence. I believe it can be done. I think a two state solution would just legitimize the crimes of the Israeli state, and foster further resentment. Israel, in its current form as an apartheid state must end, for there to be peace again.

 

                                         CITATIONS

1)      Sherwood, Harriet. “Israeli poll finds majority would be in favour of ‘apartheid’ policies.” Guardian 23 OCT 2012, Online n. pag. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/23/israeli-poll-majority-apartheid-policies>.

2)      Becker, Richard. Palestine, Israel and the US Empire. 1st Ed. San Fransisco: PSL Publications, 2009. Print.

3)      Rattansi, Ali. Racism: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.

4)      ” Israeli minister vows Palestinian ‘holocaust’.” Telegraph 29 FEB 2008, Online n. pag. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1580339/Israeli-minister-vows-Palestinian-holocaust.html&gt;.

 

 

 

Powerless

Permit me a little rant, my dear readers.

It’s hard to read so many statuses, see so many pictures, read so many articles about the suffering in Palestine, and feel helpless to change it. It’s hard to know that I have the loftiest dreams of changing the world, but at the moment am just trying to keep my personal life together, my academic life intact. It’s hard seeing the great injustices of the world, of seeing one big system of hate, racism and exploitation that kills babies and ruins families while I am powerless to do anything about it. Indeed, it seems that our societies have raised us to be silent against the evils of the world. You’re  a nerd if you care about the plight of the Palestinians, if you’re aware of the horror that was inflicted upon the Iraqis, Libyans, Afghans, Chileans, Philippines, Korea or any other country touched by the ravages of capitalist imperialism. It’s hard to sit back and ignore the cries of the oppressed, at the risk in our societies of being laughed at, scorned and shunned. It’s difficult to have a conscience, to have a sense of right and wrong, in a world that seems to be floundering without a moral or logical compass. It’s hard to know that millions of people work long hours for starvation wages at Walmart so that the Walton family can have more money than they could ever ever hope to spend. It’s had to know that America is paying for the bombs that are dropping on Palestine right now, and seeing the face of the father, holding his 11 month old son with a look of pain and agony I never wish to know on his face. It’s hard to know that the US is supporting the terrorists in Syria, and condemns the government of Syria for defending itself against terrorists who have torn the country apart, all the while they support the incredibly inhumane treatment of Palestinians. It’s hard knowing that Israel can get away with anything, call it self defense and be viewed as heroes even while they commit crimes against humanity. It’s hard for me to think that so many Americans rejoiced in the election of yet another capitalist imperialist warmonger, as if all their problems were solved and the world was right again. It’s hard to know that the voices of nationalist vitriol are growing louder over all the world, and the small voices of internationalist working class people cannot be heard above the din. It’s hard knowing that the US spends hundreds of billions of dollars a year on war, but can’t afford college for the poor, or even food for the starving. It’s fucking hard to think that here in 2012 we as the human race cannot seem to rise above our petty differences, cannot set our priorities straight, cannot seem to progress beyond the level of primal savagery. It’s hard to think that we can send men to the moon, but can’t feed the world. It’s sad to think that we can cure a myriad diseases, but cannot for the life of us figure out how to bridge gaps, unite humanity and move forward. It’s sad that we are still tied up over the myth of race, the myth of nation and the myth of religion more than the reality of humanity before us.

It’s difficult to think that my voice is one lost in a cacophony of hate, and may never see the light of day.

It’s difficult to think that I can’t make a difference, that things won’t get better, that we will never solve our problems, that we will never end the pain so many of us humans live in from day to day.

Too difficult in fact, because I won’t. I won’t think that. I will grieve for the state of the world, I will hope for a better future, I will work day by day, to be a better person, to continue my education, to do what I can, to speak out about how I think and feel. I will fuck up a lot, I will have days where I am so depressed I can barely make it out of bed, but I will not fucking give in to the overwhelming pessimism threatening to take the world down to the seventh level of hell. I will not give in to hopelessness. I will take my licks and keep on kicking. Maybe I don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. Maybe my voice is drowned out by the load of bullshit swirling through the media outlets of the world. Maybe tomorrow will just be another day of struggling to survive. Even if all that is the case, I will not give up. I will not give up because the moment I give up, I am truly

powerless.

 

The Problem with China

Before I begin this post, I want to head off some possible criticisms, nip em in the bud, to use the common parlance. I am not promoting the US, Japan, the EU or any capitalist run system over that of China. I am not, I repeat, NOT advocating various forms of nationalist and imperialist aggression, I am simply highlighting a problem I see on the left, everywhere, and particularly in the case of China. I also want to highlight the fact that I am not an expert, I am a student, and I am still struggling with a variety of positions that I have been considering. This is meant to spark dialog, to incite discussion, and to provoke thought. Please join the conversation in the comments section below, and feel free to criticize my position on this, and really anything. If you feel I am wrong, and you want to challenge me on it, please do so, but come prepared with documentation, and sound reasoning. And since every discussion of nationalism or China is bound to cause tempers to get a little heated, please keep this a civil discussion. Attack ideas, not people. At least in this case. Now, without further ado, the question at hand.

Is China Socialist?

I understand why many revolutionary communists support the government of China. I really do. However, I feel that there is a growing current of communist thought which discourages any criticisms of China and its program, and the government that runs it. Being one of the few “socialist” countries in the world, many wish to protect the legacy of the Chinese proletarian revolution, and further the cause of socialism in the world. The problem I see, is that this is self defeating. As scientific socialists, as scholars, we should be held to a high standard of intellectual honesty. The name of a political party is not as important as the real material conditions on the ground. It doesn’t matter if the flag over them is red, yellow, blue or green. It matters how the division of labor is carried out, who is benefiting from the state, and who is running the country. When we examine China closely, we see that there have been deep and systemic problems in its model from the very start. To answer our question of whether or not China is socialist, we need to look at China’s history, and see the basis for the modern state of China, and where it is headed.

A Great Revolution

China was once called “The sick man of Asia”. It was dogged by imperialist aggression during the 19th and early 20th centuries, and under the weak and corrupt imperial government of China, it let the Western powers walk all over it. There were signs in Shanghai that read “No Chinese or dogs allowed.” China was humiliated, abused and exploited. Without going into a detailed history of China (you can study that in your own time comrades) let me just say that what China was subjected to under imperialist aggression is despicable and disgusting. The British forced opium on the people, the Americans enjoyed extraterritoriality, as did many Western powers, and China was being carved up like a Christmas ham to please the palates of the capitalists and aristocrats of the capitalist powers. The government of China was powerless to stop them. Japan also took part in this aggression, taking Chinese land and humiliating the Chinese in war and in the peace treaty that followed. (See the Treaty of Shimonoseki for more information) Japan would eventually even go as far as to massacre thousands in Nanking, and take possession of Manchuria, establishing a puppet regime there called Manchukko. What happened to China is wrong, what the imperialist did is wrong, and that can be said without reserve or any caveats.

Long story short, the Communists, led by Mao Zedong eventually helped to defeat the Japanese, and then defeated the KMT nationalists under Chiang Kai-Shek. On the 1st of October, 1949, Mao declared the People’s Republic of China as a sovereign state. It was a huge victory for the people of China, and they regained their pride as a people, as a nation. Eventually even the Western powers acknowledged the rightful government of China as being in Beijing, not Taipei, and China then embarked on economic expansion that allowed it to raise millions out of poverty, and establish itself as  world power. (I realize that this is a very short version of China’s modern history, please don’t think I’m trying to be comprehensive here)

China Today

The problem is that China today has lost much of its connection to the revolution that culminated in a communist victory, and it has abandoned many of the original goals and methods of the revolution. Let’s look at some facts about China. Is it a socialist country? We will tell by the material conditions of the Chinese people, not by the mere claims of the government of China.

International corporations

International corporations have been allowed to run rampant in China, fearlessly and blatantly exploiting the Chinese people. Horrible working conditions, low pay and heavy handed control tactics have combined to create a multitude of problems that only benefits China’s ruling class. Foxconn comes to mind. China has allowed, for the benefit of the government, horrible terrible abuses of the Chinese people. These abuses include dangerous working conditions, long working hours with little or no overtime pay, suicides, and much much more. This benefits such companies as Motorola, Apple, Amazon.com and others. This kind of worker abuse is being allowed in China, and protests against it are squashed by the government.

Human Rights

The same people who protest angrily against the violations of civil liberties in the US and Europe, are the same ones who ignore horrible human rights abuses in China. Unfair trials, massive use of the death penalty for a wide variety of crimes, censorship of radio, TV, the internet and newspapers and every other possible medium, China is not upholding the rights of  human beings in their country. The suppression of the people means that they are losing the support of the people, and are undermining the validity of the revolution they claim to be continuing. (Once again, before I get inundated with “the US does it too” note that I don’t consider the US a socialist country either.) You cannot claim to be the voice of the people, when you crush protests, throw political opponents in prison, censor all media that dares criticize the actions of the government and kills thousands of Chinese citizens every year. That is not the work of socialism.

The rulers of the Chinese communist party have established themselves as the bourgeoisie in China. They have allowed capitalism to spring up, they have ignored the contradictions in their ideology, and they are building the fall of the people’s republic. They have established a state capitalist form of economics, and one that has abused and betrayed millions of Chinese. The Chinese communist party has become a end unto itself, for its own power. There is no accountability, there is no transparency, there is no democracy, and it is NOT a socialist country. It once was, it once had the promise of socialism, but has now thrown that out the window. It has sold its soul for entrance to the WTO and the capitalist club, and it cares not about the material conditions of the Chinese people.

I am fully aware that I am going to catch hell from some of my comrades for expressing this opinion. I fully understand that some think that it is more important to support China,than criticize it. However, if we cannot criticize, we cannot think, and if we cannot think, then why are we communists at all?

Communism must be democratic, it must uphold economic equality, it must uphold the people as the ruler, not a government that is beyond criticism. We will not achieve communism by handing over the lives of our people to corporations, but by handing over the means of production to the working class. I will not continue to support the Chinese government. It silences dissent from the left, those who dare to push for economic equality and rights for workers are silenced, that is not socialism. China has become a country that is ruled by those who are communists in name only. If we cannot admit that China is no longer socialist, if we cannot think critically about China, then we should just throw in the towel now. China is ruled by the bourgeoisie of China. Party members who run state corporations are becoming millionaires at the expense of the workers. This must not stand. China needs to change course, it needs to acknowledge these problems, instead of diverting attention by attacking its neighbors with territorial claims and stoking nationalist hysteria. China has already fallen to capitalism. It is not upholding socialism. If we are to be communists, we must be honest.

In conclusion, China is not socialist. It is not democratic. It is not free. It is not what it purports itself to be. Until the working class is truly in control of the government, and the means of production, it is not a socialist country. State ownership in and of itself is meaningless. What matters is who runs the state, and who benefits from that ownership. What do you think? Is China a socialist country? Am I overreacting? Bring your argument. Let’s talk about this.

 

 

 

The 2012 US Election

Tuesday’s election was a win for the incumbent, Barack Obama, and a continuation of near the same balance between parties in Congress. In reality though, it was a vote for the status quo. What does this election mean? How is the rabid right wing taking it? And what is going to happen to the USA?

Rabid Response

The response of the GOP crazies to the election was over the top and over the edge. Tea party poster child and former SNL star Victoria Jackson took to twitter to lament that “America has died.” she also gave a tongue lashing to Christian for allowing Obama to be reelected. Donald Trump, poster child for worst hair on a public personality ever, called for revolution. Just against whom, I can’t imagine seeing since he already has millions of dollars and is firmly in the capitalist class that rules the country. Rabid squirrel brain having Ted Nugent,\ went on a badly spelled twitter rant, yelling that “pimps whores and welfare brats” voted for “economic and spiritual suicide”. He also called anyone getting government assistance “subhuman”.

The talking heads on Fox “news” went into a spiral of depression and denial Tuesday night, as Karl Rove tried to deny that Obama had won. Bill O’Reilly lamented the death of a “traditional” “White” America. He also equated this demographic shift to laziness, and wanting handouts.

While it is not surprising that the rabid right responded to this election with racist rants and old rich white people feeling sorry for themselves, I would not recommend anyone breathe a sigh of relief. See, contrary to popular opinion, Barack Obama is really not all that progressive, and not much of a leftist. He’s not a socialist. He is most definitely not a communist. I’ll tell you what he is.

Barack Obama is a war mongering capitalist imperialist.

Guantanamo Bay, still open. Afghanistan, still being fought. Thousands and thousands of dead and wounded soldiers, with more being wounded almost every day. The US is maintaining more than 750 bases all around the world, in more than 150 countries. We are helping the human rights abusing rebels in Syria, giving Israel more ammo to drop on Palestinians, we are still embargoing Cuba, we are still threatening Hugo Chavez, we are continuing NDAA, the PATRIOT act, drone surveillance of our own citizenry,
and on and on and on.

Obama is in effect, Dubya 2.0. So there must be a reason that the GOP, and the neocons hate him. Oh right, he’s black. Forgot about that.

I hope these gun wielding crazy assholes do start something. If the US is too busy destroying its own government then it cannot attack other countries. I hope it all devolves into a anarchic chaos filled pile. But it probably won’t, because Americans are afraid to fight for their own political future. They’re too scared to actually press for systemic change, and even the brain damaged reactionaries on the right are all talk and no walk. No surprise there.

So what’s the plan now? Oh, I suppose another 4 years of the status quo? What are you going to do about it? Nothing?

Religion and Politics in America

I want to talk about the US election. However, I am not going to do that quite yet. I will talk more extensively about the US general election this weekend, but for the moment, I want to touch on an issue that is very influential for millions of Americans, or indirectly for all Americans.

The right wing pundits, wonks and politicians love to pander to the American religious right. They love to espouse the idea of dominionism, or simply put, Christians who want to subject America’s secular form of government under the theocracy that they prefer. Why is this wrong from a legal, secular stance? Why is it wrong from a theological point of view? Let’s examine this issue.

Sarah Palin Et. Al.

In 2012, it is ridiculous that the US populace still has to argue over whether a woman has the right to choose. Or the right to have birth control, voting rights, or anything else that should have been solved a long time ago. Yet the religious right wants to end women’s rights in general, they want a patriarchy that adheres to their narrow vision of religion, and Christianity in particular. They don’t accept modern ideas of morality, such as the immorality of letting a woman die because she needs an abortion, or making a woman give birth to the child of her rapist. They don’t accept anything that is not in their so called divinely inspired bible, you know, that book they like assaulting other people with. We know that their ideas are becoming increasingly more unpopular, but I want to touch on one interesting point. More baffling than their support for outdated ideas on women’s rights (or the advocacy for those rights to be rescinded from the female population), more insane than their irrational hatred of different sexual orientations, is their support for so called “free market” capitalism. They argue that the US is becoming socialist (Fuck I wish they were right about that) they argue that setting up a more egalitarian economic system is not only anti-American, it is anti-Christianity, and anti-god. They go by the idea that babies should be born, as many as possible, but when it comes to making sure they are fed, clothed and educated, they don’t give a flying fuck. They want their money, no taxes, no participation in society other than the ability to exploit and be exploited. They want all the money, all the fame and all the power. These Christians like Mitt Romney (I know, many Christians don’t consider him Christian, but I don’t care what they consider him, I consider someone the religion they consider themselves to be, and he considers himself a Christian) are very wealthy, millionaires even. Mitt Romney has multiple houses, horses and cars and more land and money piles upon piles of money. He has more than he’ll ever need, taken by ruining jobs and destroying lives. He was a business vulture. And now he is rich. He gives some of it to the church he goes to and follows. Now, I am not a Christian. I think that is no surprise to you, my faithful readers. However, I think there is a lot of good in the bible. There are wise sayings, some moral stories, it’s part of the fabric of human history, and I can respect that. Now, let’s pretend we’re Christians (if you, my reader are not actually one) for a second, and try to look in the bible for jsutification of this cutthroat capitalistic mindset, this greed, this hoarding and this inequality.

Ok, hmm. Looking, looking hmm, where is this…….

………..

…

..

Ooh, I found something. Here it is!

Matthew 25:35-45 :

“35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

I think it speaks for itself. Christianity in America is a farce. A fucking farce. Mitt Romney sees all the poor people, many in his campaign, and did he help them? No. Did he advocate for a more egalitarian society to help the poor? No. Does he advocate for using tax to send the to college? No. Sorry Christian dominionists, I think you’re doing it wrong. That whole Christianity thing, yeah, you’re fucking it up.

Trivia tidbit: The early Christian church was communist. True story, look it up. There is no secular, or theological basis for the religious right in the US. NONE. So please, can we as a country grow up and move on? Who knows, maybe some leftist Christians are reading here and have some thoughts?

Unite all workers, of all faiths, or no faith, together, and help us build a better world.

.

10 reasons to vote PSL

10 reasons to vote PSL.

10 reasons to vote PSL

Statement from the Lindsay/Osorio Presidential Campaign

November 6, 2012

10 Reasons to Vote PSL

Ballot Status:

Arkansas Colorado* Florida Iowa* Louisiana Minnesota New Jersey

New York Rhode Island Utah* Vermont Washington State Wisconsin*

*In Colorado, Iowa, Utah and Wisconsin, the PSL has stand-in candidates because those states’ ballot access requirements prohibit the names of Peta Lindsay and Yari Osorio from appearing. In Colorado, Utah and Wisconsin, the stand-in candidates are Gloria La Riva and Filberto Ramirez Jr. In Iowa, the stand-in candidates are Gloria La Riva and Stefanie Beacham.

Across the country, write in Peta Lindsay and Yari Osorio!

Ballot initiatives:

Florida

• No on 6 – Florida Abortion Amendment

Maine

• Yes on 1 – Support marriage equality

Maryland

• FOR Question 4 – Defend the MD DREAM Act
• FOR Question 6 – Defend marriage equality

Minnesota

• No on the MN Marriage Amendment
• No on the MN Voter Identification Amendment

Washington

• Approve Referendum 74 – Support marriage equality
• No on Initiative 1240 – No on charters, fund public schools

Please note that this is only a partial list of important ballot initiatives on the Nov. 6 ballot.

1. Make a job a Constitutional right
   Tens of millions are jobless and under-employed because the capitalists control employment. A decent paying job must be a legal, guaranteed right. The minimum wage should be raised to $20 per hour and a living income must be guaranteed for those who cannot work.
2. Make free health care, free education and affordable housing Constitutional rights
   These are essentials of life and should not be run for-profit. Create a completely free and public health care system. Make education free—cancel all student debt. Stop all foreclosures and evictions – end all mortgage interest payments to the banks
3. Shut down all U.S. military bases around the world—bring all the troops, planes & ships home
   U.S. foreign policy uses the pretext of national security to enforce the imperialist interests of the biggest banks and corporations. That’s what is behind the endless wars and occupations. Use the $1 trillion military budget instead to provide for people’s needs here and around the world. Stop U.S. aid to Israel. End the blockade of Cuba.
4. Stop racist police brutality and mass incarceration
   More than three million people are behind bars in the largest prison complex in the world. Mass incarceration of our youth is the real crime. End the mass incarceration of oppressed communities. Fully prosecute all acts of police brutality and violence.
5. Defend our unions
   Support the right of all workers to have a union. Fight back against the attacks on collective bargaining. Pass the Employee Free Choice Act and repeal the Taft-Hartley Act. In the spirit of Wisconsin, rebuild a fighting—and striking—labor movement.
6. Equality for women and free, safe, legal abortion on demand
   Stop the attack on women’s reproductive rights and defend Roe v. Wade. Women must have the fundamental right to choose and control their own bodies. Women still earn 22 percent less than men, and the gap is even more severe for Black and Latina women. Close the wage gap and end the gender division of labor.
7. Full rights for all immigrants
   Abolish all anti-immigrant laws. Stop the raids and deportations. The government’s war on immigrants must end. The border wall must be dismantled.
8. Full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people
   Make same-sex marriage a federal right—keep the movement in the streets. Fight anti-LGBT discrimination and violence.  
9. Save the planet—End capitalism
   We need a central economic plan to significantly cut greenhouse gases, clean up the environment and build a massive renewable energy network. The for-profit economic system creates incentives to pollute. No fracking, no Keystone pipeline!
10. Seize the banks—Jail Wall Street criminals
    The banks’ vast wealth came from the people’s labor and tax-dollar bailout. Capitalist banking is a form of organized crime, rewarding greed and fraud with obscene bonuses. These billionaires looted and destroyed the economy. It is time to seize their assets and use those resources in the interests of the vast majority. Power must be taken out of the hands of the super-rich, and the Wall Street criminals must be held accountable.

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Content may be reprinted with credit to VotePSL.org.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

I went to a forum at my university tonight on the subject of the US election. What I heard was people blatantly lie about both the political process, and the policies being enacted. I had the strong feeling that I was the furthest left person in the room as well, so that certainly made things interesting. I also got dressed down by an elderly woman who was incensed that I wasn’t voting for Obama. Long story short, it got me thinking about the political process in the US, and why it is so, so far out of whack. Why things can’t be improved in the current paradigm, and why we need radical change in our political systems.

Wealth Inequality

One speaker made a load of bullshit accusations and false characterizations about the occupy movement. I answered his stupidity, but it pissed me off that he could stand up there and blatantly lie about a movement he probably never went to, and held such contempt for. This man is white, a lawyer, obviously not poor; in short the poster child for the GOP. He thinks that the protesters were all violent hipsters out to get everything for free, that we just want a free ride in life. Untrue. We’ve worked our asses off for years, for low pay, only to be swallowed in debt, with uncertain futures, a lack of jobs, and a fractured world while men like him play the fiddle and pretend all is well. His material was mostly from the Heritage Foundation, a hack think tank if there ever was one. He slandered and lied the entire time he was slated to talk.

Here are some of his claims:

There is too much debt, the deficit keeps rising, and we’re sinking in debt, and it’s all the democrats fault.

The TRUTH:

Yes, the US is in debt, but why? Because of the democrats and their love for the welfare state? Oh hell no. We’ve spent over a trillion dollars on illegal and pointless wars in the middle east, in addition to massive tax breaks for the wealthy and huge government expansion. (Think PATRIOT Act, NDAA, Dept. of Homeland Security) Bush created a MASSIVE amount of debt, never balanced a budget, and ruined the US economy. Then the GOP gets mad at Obama for CONTINUING THOSE GODDAMN POLICIES.

Another claim: Liberals and the left just want everything handed to them on a sliver platter

The TRUTH: The fact is that in the US, the rich are really scared of something completely different. They’re scared that people will notice that the capitalist class has had everything handed to THEM on a silver platter. They have for too long taken for granted their positions of privilege, and they are now scared that they’re going to lose it. Wanting a society that can provide the basic human needs to the people is not asking for everything on a silver platter. The capitalist class sits around making money off the hard work of the proletariat, and then cries bitter tears of pain when they’re asked to sacrifice a tiny bit of their ill gained wealth for the common good. This only goes to prove that you can’t let the capitalists maintain power and still hope for socialism, or hell, even for some goddamn social progress.

The US Political System

Switching gears now away from the crazy claims of a disingenuous lawyer (also known as a lawyer), the talk tonight really highlighted for me the problem of our political system. There are only two sides. There are the democrats, and the republicans and they will decide what happens to the country. Don’t like the two party system? Too goddamn bad. Don’t like either party? Too bad. While the world is worried about a possible financial meltdown, a possible world war, increasing political tensions worldwide, a lack of jobs, the death of our environment, more war, income inequality, no money for education or housing, no money for anything other than the rich, real fucking problems… While all that is going on our political process consists of two people whose political positions are near enough that they could easily fit into the same political party, arguing on national TV about things that have NOTHING to do with the real problems we face. These same two will not be elected by a popular vote, they will be elected by an unaccountable electoral college, the names of whom no one knows, and political candidates for congress being the same old same old oligarchy that has ruled us since the dawn of this country. No other voices or concerns may enter the debate. No other parties can compete. No other way can be found. Status quo status quo status quo. Neither party candidate wants to end our overseas wars immediately, neither candidate wants us to close our excessive overseas bases, neither of them cares about changing American foreign policy, neither cares about ending the war on drugs, neither cares about anything other than getting elected so they can ensure four full years of power. Nothing changes, and they don’t want it to change. Things are just the way they like it because they can play you all off the other party, and get you so used to this bullshit that you are not educated or brazen enough to speak out against it. “If you don’t vote Republican, the Democrats will win” “If you don’t vote for the Democrats, the Republicans will win”. I said something on twitter the other day that really sums up how I feel about these two corrupt parties. I said “Having to choose between the Dems and the GOP is like being made to choose between salmonella and E.Coli. When will we wake up and see the truth for what it is? The US is nothing more than an oligarchy, a sad corrupt oligarchy that will come crashing down under the weight of its own hubris.

The lawyer who spoke tonight said many damned lies, and tried to back it up with shitty statistics. Like the BS claim that half of all Americans don’t pay tax. (Nearly every American pays tax of some sort)

But this is par for the course. We accept these lies as legitimate debate, when they are not. They are simply lies. Lies like the idea that the human beings who make up the populace of the USA can’t control their own political process, that we are beholden to a hundreds of years old document that we didn’t agree to. The idea that we are to sit down and shut up and not raise these questions. Why are there so many Americans on welfare? Good question, why are there so many Americans who NEED welfare? Are Americans just inherently lazy? It think not, and data backs me up. We’re one of the hardest working countries in the developed world. Why is it then? Maybe it’s because the people hoarding all the money in the US are not the real producers of wealth. Those are the grease stained engineers, the school teachers, the bakers. They are the street sweepers and the hotel desk clerks, they are the mothers and the fathers who bust their asses ever day to provide for their families, and are depressed, hurt and ashamed when there is more month than money. We are the people, teh strugglers, the fighters and the hopeful, and we are the ones who make the wheels of the economy turn. Assholes like that lawyer want you to believe that YOU are lazy, that you don’t want to work that YOU just want welfare. Fuck no. I don’t want welfare, I want socialism. I want a system wherein the workers own the corporations, and there are no CEOs. I want a truly transparent, money free political system that values ideas over political party apparatus. I want a system that believes in free and equal rights for all, including so called illegal immigrants, LGBT et al. I want a better world, not a world where the only way of making it big is to step on the corpses of your downtrodden worker brethren. We can, and indeed we must DEMAND and end to this ridiculous and unacceptable status quo. We need socialism bad, we need real workers democracy bad, we need equal rights for all bad, we need an end to capitalism. That may not be the popular thing to say, but it needs to be said. I will never stop advocating revolution in the US until we overthrow this militaristic fascist state. I will not give in and support Obama and the democrats. I will never OK the current treatment of Palestinians, Libyans and others. I will not accept capitalist imperialism, and I never will

So what are you going to do? Are you going to accept the status qo? Are you going to accept the rhetoric of lies, damn lies and statistics on Fox “news” and CNN? Or will you join me in demanding a better world, and a new political system to bring about that better world. You supported the overthrow of the regime in Egypt, right? Are you too cowardly to advocate the same in the US? It’s high time for a change, it is high time for an uprising, it is high time for a better world.

 

Watch: Cops Harass, Grope, and Threaten Teenager “For Being a F*cking Mutt"

Reblogged from The Red Phoenix:

http://youtu.be/7rWtDMPaRD8

What "Stop-and-Frisk" is really like.

The NYPD conducts more than 1,800 stop-and-frisks each day. The program has come under widespread condemnation by critics who say that it unfairly targets men of color. Now there’s proof. Here’s more from Ross Tuttle at The Nation:

On June 3, 2011, three plainclothes New York City Police officers stopped a Harlem teenager named Alvin and two of the officers questioned and frisked him while the third remained in their unmarked car.

Read more… 115 more words

Read this and watch the video.

And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to…

The internet erupted with outrage at the announcement of the winner of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize. A prize that is supposed to be given to those who have advocated for peace, and helped bring about a more peaceful world. Of course as you most likely know, this year’s prize went to the European Union. After having given the prize to other capitalist imperialists such as Barack Obama and Henry Kissinger, this only helps solidify the meaninglessness of the prize and its control by those who wish to advance, not human rights or democracy, but capitalist control over everyone and everything. Their rationale for awarding the peace prize to the EU was that it had solidified unity on a continent that used to be torn by war. This may sound reasonable to some, but if you dig just below the surface you’ll see that this is a farce, and that giving the peace prize to the EU is like giving a prize for outstanding human rights to the keepers of Guantanamo bay. Now I’m going to tell you why.

Peace and Human Rights my Ass

While it’s true that Europe has managed not to kill off the entire globe yet, that is hardly cause for a Nobel Peace Prize. Hell, I’d qualify for that shit if that was the case. What is the EU’s stance on human rights? Have they actually produced a more peaceful world? The answer to both, unfortunately, is a negative one. Let’s start with the first question, human rights. Is Europe upholding human rights? The answer is an unequivocal NO. Let’s start with the support of many EU countries for and complicity in illegal CIA renditions. No less than 14 EU member countries have been explicit in helping the US with their illegal kidnapping and imprisonment structure in Europe. Countries like the UK, Germany, Poland, Italy, Greece, Sweden among others. Want to read more about this? Glad you asked, because here is a link for you from the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/07/world/europe/07iht-prisons.1915898.html

And that’s not all. Amnesty International reported that migrants to Greece, many of them minors were being unfairly and illegally imprisoned in detention centers. Here’s the story here:  http://www.amnesty.eu/en/press-releases/security-and-human-rights/detention-of-minors-in-greece-shows-failings-of-eus-immigration-policy-0463/

Migrants left to die: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/28/left-to-die-migrants-boat-inquiry

These problems are important egregious violations, and I could talk about support by the EU member nations and participation in the US’s illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that has killed upwards of a million people, but there is something closer to home that I want to focus on.

The EU financial crises is years old now, and the struggle continues as Brussels, Germany and France try to squeeze the poorer member nations for all they have. Greece, Italy and Spain among others are floundering in ridiculously high unemployment, sagging economies and corrupt governance. Hundreds and hundreds of people in countries like Spain and Greece have taken their own lives because of austerity programs that took away from them what they had worked hard their whole lives to build. Men who had worked for a lifetime found that their guaranteed pensions were being stripped away from them, leaving them with nothing to live on. The disabled and sick are left hanging as the government cuts and cuts and cuts social programs that helped these people live with a modicum of decency. Surely it was because all those social programs had bankrupted those countries, right? (this is what the right likes to bray every time you bring up the trouble in Europe) NO. It is the fault of none other than the EU itself. It brought poorer countries like Greece, Spain and Portugal under the common currency when they were not ready to do so, and created a tidal wave of economic excess. Banks borrowed at ridiculously low rates and bet on bad debt over and over again, and the whole economy was managed very very badly. A mountain of debt piled up and the banks were about to go under so the governments bailed out the bad decision making bankers and put themselves deeply into debt. The bankers, the governments made out like bandits, and the working people were thrown under the bus. Higher taxes, for less government services. That’s not fiscal responsibility, that is straight up theft from the working classes. That is reprehensible. Mothers in Greece are abandoning babies they can’t feed, homeless numbers are growing, riots in the streets and anger abounds. The EU is in the throws of a social movement that could possibly bring down the whole damn apparatus. The police hit, shoot, beat and gas protesters for expressing their anger against this travesty, and pictures of bloodied and beaten protesters abounds. Speak out against this sickening fleecing of Europe and you’re thrown in jail, kill millions of jobs and steal pensions, you’re a hero. It is down right sickening. Here’s some pictures from “peaceful” Europe:

This is all going on RIGHT NOW. People are suffering and dying thanks to the economic terrorism wafting out of Brussels, Berlin and Paris, and there are loads of riots and talks of war, separatist groups and economic collapse. And it is to this region, that they awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Seems legit.

Dear Europe, you don’t deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. You don’t deserve it because there is no justice in Europe, only class warfare. And as you may have heard before, no justice, NO PEACE.

FUCK the EU and its capitalist tyranny. End the EU and build socialism in your countries.

Also, give up on ever respecting the Nobel Peace Prize, it’s a joke and has been for some time.

It is important enough to say again:

NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE.

Free Speech in the UK

Countries in the West like to hold themselves up as the paragon of democracy, civil liberties and human rights. This week there were three news stories that showed that this facade of freedom and democracy in the West is just that, fake, a facade and a lie. Let’s look at these stories, and what people in the UK are facing under their oppressive hypocritical government.

Clothes Make the Man

This first story is a man from Radcliffe, UK who made a t-shirt expressing his opinion about a gun and grenade attack that killed two Manchester police officers only hours earlier. The t-shirt read on the front “One Less pig, perfect justice” and on the back “killacopforfun(.)com ha, haaa?” Now, you may guess that some people were not amused by this, and that some understood the sentiment being from the bad reputation that cops have as oppressors of the working class. However, apparently this was such an egregious crime that it warranted a sentence of 8 MONTHS IN PRISON. EIGHT. Two thirds of a year in prison for making a t-shirt expressing an opinion? Welcome to the United Kingdom, where you have freedom of speech unless you say something someone doesn’t like.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/914746-man-jailed-over-offensive-t-shirt-worn-hours-after-deaths-of-female-officers

Bad Taste Notwithstanding

A 19 year old Matthew Woods from Lancashire UK has been sentenced to 12 weeks in prison for making jokes about two young girls who have been missing since 2007. He posted the unsavory jokes to twitter and was then subsequently arrested. Were those jokes in bad taste? To be sure. Was he breaking any law or really hurting anyone? No. Welcome to the United Kingdom, where you have freedom of speech unless you say something someone doesn’t like.

Talk About Morality

And finally, a man has been sentenced to 240 hours of community service for daring to say things against the UK military. 20 year old Azhar of West Yorkshire was found guilty of “grossly offensive communication” after he posted on facebook that he thought that all soldiers should die and go to hell. The message was in a response to a page that was commemorating the deaths of six British soldiers killed by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) in Afghanistan in March. Mr. Ahmed was told that “with freedom of speech comes great responsibility” meaning apparently, “with freedom of speech comes no freedom of speech”. You can’t fucking uphold your country as better than others because of “freedom” when you arrest and imprison people, not for committing actual crimes, but for speaking words that you don’t like. The imperialistic UK has spent decades terrorizing the middle east, bombing and invading and killing away, but don’t you dare disrespect the troops who are committing these crimes against humanity. The UK government, like the US government and others has proved that it only cars more about supressing unpopular speech than it does in respecting the right of people to voice their opinions. The next time someone tells you that communists don’t believe in freedom of speech, send them a link to this blog and then laugh in their faces. The UK is not democratic, it is a plutocracy, it is for the rich by the rich of the rich. Tear down the monarchy, build a republican socialist nation that will respect not only the freedom of speech but the freedom to fight against imperialism, capitalism and war.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-19883828