Paul, in this and many previous essays, you framed the problem accurately and reflected on what needs to be done thoroughly and cogently, making the case that there is no remedy for the insanity of the Trump assault on democracy to be found within the the protocols of the neoliberal bourgeois duopoly, no possibility of justice in the context of an illegitimate SCOTUS, and certainly no refuge whatsoever in the conciliatory gestures of the so called "Delaware Way" pursued by Biden and company.
The fascist GOP of Trump, an organization rightly described by Robert Hubbell as "a domestic terrorist force," has declared all-out war on America, and for those of us who understand and value the ecological view, and those as well who honor the oath they swore to protect the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, the only response that makes any sense is total REVOLT, with legions protesting in the streets and striking in the nation's workplaces, all united in solidarity in the quest to dismantle the oppressive machinery of predatory capitalism, and build "a new society within the shell of the old" as the International Workers of the World slogan defined the "radical potential" of the coming revolution. A "Rare Time" indeed! And a daunting undertaking with virtually everything that really matters in life at stake. Unfortunately, I don't think the majority of our fellow Americans have gotten the picture yet. This is one of those "existential moments" that demands our undivided collective attention and the rightwing, christian/fascist corporate media is doing everything in its power to pervert public perception and discourage civic disobedience.
As Chris Hedges has pointed out, we now find ourselves "in the grip of a radical evil," and wishful thinking and wrong convictions will only make the situation worse. Clarity on the issues provided by writers like Hedges and you at least gives us a fighting chance.
As I read your essay, I was torn between the arguments presented. I went to the Recom site and listened to Bob, and found myself struggling with whether I agreed or disagreed. On one hand, I knew it was time for a revolution. But on the other, when looking at the numbers of followers he had on SoundCloud and YouTube – less than 40 and 5.7k subscribers respectively – it seemed daunting to imagine how effective his call for a revolution truly could be.
Figuring out what is necessary for this endeavor is and will be a daunting task. It is uncertain whether it's too late or not. The fascists have been getting ready for this moment since Nixon, possibly even before that.
Daunting indeed. But the only thing crazier than calling for revolution is not doing so.....I have been arguing 4ever that capitalism is cancer, literally wired to end life on Earth.
The basis for whether or not revolution is possible is fundamentally not a question of how many people support it at a given time, or what masses of people are thinking, but, to paraphrase Marx, it is in what people will be compelled to confront by the workings of this system, and how revolutionaries intervene and lead people in such situations. Dig deeply into BA's work and his re-envisioning of communism (the new communism) and, on that basis, decide whether it corresponds to reality.
Of course, doing something, anything, is better than not doing anything at all.
When in Vietnam, I put myself in harms way to save a fellow marine, a couple of times, when the odds were against me. So it's not that I'm not used to danger, but I'm not suicidal either. You can't fight a fire with a garden hose. You need the equipment. I don't own a firearm, and how many of the socialists and communists you know own one? Please don't answer that question while we're on-line, unless you use Proton Mail or Tutanota mail, it's encrypted.
Paul, in this and many previous essays, you framed the problem accurately and reflected on what needs to be done thoroughly and cogently, making the case that there is no remedy for the insanity of the Trump assault on democracy to be found within the the protocols of the neoliberal bourgeois duopoly, no possibility of justice in the context of an illegitimate SCOTUS, and certainly no refuge whatsoever in the conciliatory gestures of the so called "Delaware Way" pursued by Biden and company.
The fascist GOP of Trump, an organization rightly described by Robert Hubbell as "a domestic terrorist force," has declared all-out war on America, and for those of us who understand and value the ecological view, and those as well who honor the oath they swore to protect the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, the only response that makes any sense is total REVOLT, with legions protesting in the streets and striking in the nation's workplaces, all united in solidarity in the quest to dismantle the oppressive machinery of predatory capitalism, and build "a new society within the shell of the old" as the International Workers of the World slogan defined the "radical potential" of the coming revolution. A "Rare Time" indeed! And a daunting undertaking with virtually everything that really matters in life at stake. Unfortunately, I don't think the majority of our fellow Americans have gotten the picture yet. This is one of those "existential moments" that demands our undivided collective attention and the rightwing, christian/fascist corporate media is doing everything in its power to pervert public perception and discourage civic disobedience.
As Chris Hedges has pointed out, we now find ourselves "in the grip of a radical evil," and wishful thinking and wrong convictions will only make the situation worse. Clarity on the issues provided by writers like Hedges and you at least gives us a fighting chance.
As I read your essay, I was torn between the arguments presented. I went to the Recom site and listened to Bob, and found myself struggling with whether I agreed or disagreed. On one hand, I knew it was time for a revolution. But on the other, when looking at the numbers of followers he had on SoundCloud and YouTube – less than 40 and 5.7k subscribers respectively – it seemed daunting to imagine how effective his call for a revolution truly could be.
Figuring out what is necessary for this endeavor is and will be a daunting task. It is uncertain whether it's too late or not. The fascists have been getting ready for this moment since Nixon, possibly even before that.
Daunting indeed. But the only thing crazier than calling for revolution is not doing so.....I have been arguing 4ever that capitalism is cancer, literally wired to end life on Earth.
The basis for whether or not revolution is possible is fundamentally not a question of how many people support it at a given time, or what masses of people are thinking, but, to paraphrase Marx, it is in what people will be compelled to confront by the workings of this system, and how revolutionaries intervene and lead people in such situations. Dig deeply into BA's work and his re-envisioning of communism (the new communism) and, on that basis, decide whether it corresponds to reality.
Of course, doing something, anything, is better than not doing anything at all.
When in Vietnam, I put myself in harms way to save a fellow marine, a couple of times, when the odds were against me. So it's not that I'm not used to danger, but I'm not suicidal either. You can't fight a fire with a garden hose. You need the equipment. I don't own a firearm, and how many of the socialists and communists you know own one? Please don't answer that question while we're on-line, unless you use Proton Mail or Tutanota mail, it's encrypted.