FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM!
	International Communist Workers Party
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Youth Joins ICWP, Begins to Organize

For the past few years, since my introduction to Marx’s theory of communism, I have been looking to get involved in activism on a local level. I am originally from the Houston area (where I still live) and grew up in a rather conservative household, but my inquisitive nature led me to question the socio-political environment I was raised in, and eventually led me to the theory of communism. After having a barrage of insults hurled at me by reactionary family members the label “communist” seemed to stick, so I figured I might as well research what it meant. The ideas presented by Marx and Engels in The Communist Manifesto immediately struck a chord with me, and I haven’t looked back politically ever since. However, since my conversion to the science of Marxism, I have been actively looking for a political party that best suits my personal ideology, outlook, and worldview. I have had very little luck with this endeavor until I was introduced to the ICWP and Red Flag by a comrade through the social media outlet Facebook.
The ideals of the ICWP initially appealed to me due to their ability to improve on the successes of previous applications of communism, but also their ability to realize the shortcomings in some nations’ past endeavors into communism and to build upon those shortcomings. Communism’s name has been tainted by the bourgeois imperialist media to be associated with totalitarianism, mass purges, and full-government control over the individual’s life. These silly and preposterous notions could not be further from the truth! Communism is a force for liberation: liberation from exploitation, liberation from racism, liberation from nationalism, and, most importantly, liberation from the oppressive restraints of capitalism. ICWP represents all these things, and has inspired me to finally get involved politically in my community, but also, at the same time, show solidarity with the international people of the world.
How do I plan on getting politically involved? Well, for starters, the comrade has put me in contact with several comrades in Houston who I hope can teach more about revolutionary communism by distributing Red Flag and learning how it can be applied to the modern political struggle. I also plan on attending “The Houston Socialist Reading Group” which will help educate me on Marxian philosophy and the philosophy of other leading communist scholars. I will also be actively organizing protests against racism, police brutality, homophobia, sexism, healthcare rights housing rights, homelessness. ICWP has prepared and equipped me to get involved with local activism and fight the battle and wage the war to establish a communist society. Thanks to all my comrades both domestically and internationally who have helped guide me in my developing ideology, and in preparing me for a lifetime of activism. In solidarity

Internal Struggle Helps to Strengthen the Party

A sharp struggle broke out among our three comrades here. One, a single-parent teacher, wanted to organize a Union rally at the school board demanding a decent contract (like better health care benefits). The others,  retired teachers , argued that the Union had no intention of taking on the local power structure and the California Teachers Association to organize a strike for better health benefits, or any other item that could make ‘a decent’ contract.
In reality though, there was an unvoiced contradiction in this struggle. The unrelenting financial demands on our single-parent comrade created an urgency to her situation. On the other hand, our collective practice in organizing for communism could be summed up as “comfortable but not urgent!” Perhaps our younger comrade saw her choice as “Do something” or “Do next to nothing!”
In any event, full of energy, she organized 600 plus (out of 1500 teachers) to rally outside the school board meeting. The rally was built around the Union demands of “Equity” (meaning equity of pay with other local school districts). Of course, teachers’ individual picket signs voiced more pressing concerns like smaller class size. Nevertheless, when the rally entered the meeting the teachers were chanting “UTR! UTR!” (United Teachers of Richmond). This must have been a great relief to the school board as it signaled that even the activist teachers saw no alternative but to rely on the very institutions that over the years have delivered to them conditions that served the needs of capital and not the community.
The rally, however, gave us the opportunity to present our revolutionary vision of education. We introduced communist ideas in a mass way for the first time to Richmond teachers. Using our pamphlet on education, the Red Flag and a leaflet we argued for a new type of schooling that would replace the individualist and competitive nature of capitalist education with the collective and co-operative learning our class needs now. We don’t want our kids to rise up above their class (and get stuck with a huge debt along the way). We want them to rise up together with their parents to build a new share-and-share-alike communist society.
As it turned out, of course, the rally made no substantive difference to the outcome. The contract offers nothing in wage increases that cannot be eaten up by the almost-certain increases in health care costs. It does nothing to hinder the school board’s plans to introduce more and more charter schools. However, the larger-than-usual turn-out to vote (700 for, 400 against) does suggest a political awakening among Richmond teachers. That, like the rally with all its political weakness, has opened us up to the possibilities to build the ICWP. The struggle goes on... and now with some urgency!
—Comrade Veteran of the Struggle

Long-Term Fight to Win Soldiers to Communism

 “You with your people and me with mine, we can achieve many things,” said a young soldier in a year-end discussion, while we ate pizza and talked about the national and international situation.
At that moment I was filled with great joy.  I can’t deny that I got excited when I heard those words. However, deepening the discussion, I noted that the young soldier belongs to an evangelical religious group.  Before enlisting in the army he constantly participated it its meetings.
He is a caring, optimistic person with true love for our working class. But, he thinks that revenge does not lead anywhere and that “God” will bring justice for all. He agrees that there is much poverty and that this will inevitably end in war.  But he said that it is not up to us to bring this justice, that God will do this.
As he spoke, I analyzed all that he said.  I knew of the potential to continue a friendship and in the future to be able to win him to our struggle for communism. Therefore, I was not very sharp in the discussion. I only commented that many like him (soldiers and sailors) are dying in wars that are not their wars.
I asked him if he was willing to die to defend the bosses’ interests. He said that was his job and even though he did not agree, he or they had to do it. I said that to achieve what the Party wants, we would have to organize all the soldiers in the country, but he saw it as impossible.
He suggested that we should talk with Obrador, a pseudo-leftist in Mexico, and with all his people and with the Party’s ideas we could achieve a lot. I explained why we did not do that and I mentioned the danger that Obrador represents for the interests of our class.
He became thoughtful.  He gave me examples of how soldiers deserted in the conflict with Marcos in Chiapas in 1994, mentioning that some soldiers are not capable of shooting their own people.
It was our first discussion. I left the Communist Manifesto. Now he is late in writing to me, but even so I have contact with him and we are planning to see each other again. Next time I will take him our military pamphlet and a Russian novel that talks about the experiences of young soldiers in the Russian Revolution.
I have learned not to get too excited.  The main thing is to continue bringing the Party’s ideas to people who allow political meetings like the one mentioned. But it is also important to build these ties of friendship so the ideas will be embedded in the working class.
I had discussions like this with two other soldiers. One of them told me that I seemed like his sister who goes around rabble-rousing.  Another told me that he loves his country, his job and his family, but that if one day I needed him, he would be there to help me, referring to questions of the Party. I told him that I appreciated it.  He asked me for the newspaper to read.  I gave it to him along with the military pamphlet.
In these processes, I try to be as dialectical as I can in order to not take actions precipitously. I continue to have confidence and hope that one day we will win soldiers to the fight for the liberation of our working class.
Soldiers of the world, unite!  Let’s fight for Communist Revolution!  Let’s fight for our liberation and not for the capitalist bosses’ profits.
--Young Comrade in Mexico

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