FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM!
International Communist Workers Party
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FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM!International Communist Workers Party |
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Thousands of students, teachers, farmers and other workers marched through the streets of this city to protest the police murder of three and the wounding of more than 25 students of Ayotzinapa Normal School and the torture and disappearance of another 55 students in the city of Iguala.
The students blamed the mayor of Iguala and the governor of the state, both from the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), for these attacks and another in which three more youths were killed. The protestors were so angry that they attacked government installations and the PRD offices.
In Guerrero, like many other Mexican states, the workers's militant protests against capitalist measures have led to violent repression by the bosses. Dozens of liberal, trade unionist, and human rights groups are demanding "justice" from those who perpetrate the violence. The only way these workers can get rid of this murderous capitalist system is by joining ICWP and helping to organize a communist revolution all over the world.
LOS ANGELES, CA, Sept. 30--ICWP members and friends distributed a leaflet to transit workers last week entitled "Let's End Wage Slavery, Not by Voting on a Union Contract, But by Organizing for Communist Revolution."
The leaflet said, "MTA drivers have a new contract. The
SMART General Committee, MTA bosses and the US ruling class are pleased. The
strike was averted. They can breathe a sigh of relief. Their economy won't lose
hundreds of millions, possibly billions, of dollars, and most important, they
won't have to deal with a strike which could expose to
millions that the real role of their state (their media, courts, politicians,
and cops) is to impose their wage slavery.
"Many operators, however, are not pleased. The contract
passed by a slim margin of 237 votes. Many did not vote. 1585 voted for a
strike in spite of the union hacks' tactics of divide and conquer. ICWP and Red
Flag recognize and applaud those workers' fighting spirit. We call on them
to join ICWP and help distribute and support Red Flag economically to
build a revolutionary communist movement to destroy capitalism and its wage
slavery."
We thank those who have contributed and urge them to continue to help us when they can, and to struggle with their co-workers who read Red Flag to do likewise. At Division 18, when distributors explained that due to the constant harassment and threats by the Sheriffs, we were asking workers to take more papers for their co-workers, 23 did so. Others did the same at Divisions 7, 10 and 5.
These are small but important advances in mobilizing the masses for communism. Let's not forget that a "journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."
To workers upset because the contract passed, we responded that many who voted against it can become a force for communist revolution. Some nodded approvingly.
As the leaflet explained, "To help build this movement,
our efforts in this contract struggle were to win all MTA workers to organize a
political strike against capitalism and for communism. Such a strike would not
fight for "better" union contracts but to abolish all contracts by abolishing
capitalism.
"No matter how the MTA bosses and the US rulers, their
media and union hacks peddle it, this contract like all union contracts just
justifies and legalizes capitalism's exploitation and dehumanization. A
contract can never change the fact that the bosses have power over our lives.
Their wage slavery decides who of us lives or dies,
and how we live or die.
"While they live in unprecedented luxury, their wage
slavery condemns billions of our brothers and sisters worldwide to a life of
crushing poverty and untold misery. These conditions kill millions from curable
diseases like malaria or pandemics like Ebola. Those 'lucky' to have jobs are
under constant pressure to produce more for less wages and benefits to maximize
the capitalists' profits.
"The bosses do this because they have state power. We
need to fight for communist state power to take our destiny in our own hands.
Let’s destroy capitalism and build communism so that no one ever faces
capitalism's horror of only having a job if they can make the capitalists
richer, or starving to death, if they can't.
"Capitalism can never stop its relentless attacks against
us. We can never stop organizing to destroy it. That's class warfare. It can
only end with our victory and communism. Our struggle to organize a political
strike is just a skirmish in this war. It has advanced the political
understanding of the need for communist revolution among MTA workers and
workers internationally. The future is ours and it is a bright communist
future!"
SEATTLE, WA, Sept. 27 -- “Communist healthcare is the answer,” said a Boeing worker friend at our discussion about the Ebola epidemic in western Africa, “but it’s a new idea.” Many Boeing workers had discussed this with us in the weeks leading up to this forum.
“I read recently that some slaves actually wanted to go back to chattel slavery because wage slavery was so bad,” he continued. “Sitting here today, a hundred and fifty years later, we would ask why anyone would want something like that.
“I can imagine fifty years from now our grandchildren would have the same reaction to capitalist healthcare. Why wouldn’t you want to switch to communist healthcare?”
He was responding to another worker who felt it would take too long to get a new healthcare system. The implication was that we should focus on finding some immediate relief under this system.
“It’s easy to get frustrated when you face serious obstacles and attacks. I’m sure that’s why a few ex-slaves felt like that. But this [mobilizing the masses for communism] is the only way forward.”
Hatred of Bosses, Love for Workers Marks Discussion
A comrade who worked for 35 years in health care introduced the topic. She meticulously described the progression of the epidemic. “I became aware of the seriousness of the conditions in West Africa in late August, which was months after it was already declared out of control,” she admitted.
This was no accident. Liberian workers in West Point revolted against the cordoning-off of their neighborhood of 120,000 in August. Nurses in Liberia and Sierra Leone struck for help and basic protective gear around that time. These actions sent chills up the spines of US State Department operatives.
A State Department spokesperson held a news conference to publicize the danger of “destabilization.” They were afraid workers would revolt against US client regimes in the region. We still wouldn’t have known the extent of the tragedy had it not been for the revolts of these courageous workers.
Our comrade described her reaction to learning about the heroes of this epidemic: the nurses and burial-detail personnel who have unnecessarily died by the hundreds trying to provide basic health care and contain the spread of the disease.
“I was screaming at the walls after I read about these heroes. How could these so-called health organizations around the world let this happen?” she asked rhetorically.
“My friend walked in the door at that very moment. She asked if I was O.K. I explained what was going on. She hadn’t heard a thing before this.”
That’s when our comrade realized that ICWP had to get on the move.
The ensuing discussion returned our comrade’s passion. A Boeing worker born in Africa described how capitalist pharmaceutical companies stole local medical remedies to make disgustingly huge profits.
Blame was laid at the foot of capitalism and imperialism (see Africa Healthcare, letters page). Another Boeing worker told how he showed a Freetown slum picture when workers on the job asked him how this epidemic got started.
The photograph showed children and babies mixed with pigs and raw sewage. When capitalism packs people into cities under conditions like this, what else can you expect.
The bosses expanded these big cities in western Africa over the last decades. Most of the people in these cities live in conditions like this.
The group was particularly pissed off with the excuses the bosses use to avoid their own culpability. Climate change explanations and the re-emergence of racist eugenics all serve to divert out anger from racist imperialism.
We began to make plans to organize modestly- sized groups of medical workers to debate communist healthcare. We got commitments for more Red Flag letters and articles. We’re going to produce a leaflet on communist healthcare with the help of other healthcare workers around the country.
“I’m going step it up,” said the Boeing worker who told the story about chattel slavery. “I’m going to work to get my family and friends from work to come to our next discussion.” A healthy attitude!