The Worker, Vol. 36, Number 5
Contents:
I. No to All Repression of Minority Communities, No to Police State Buildup!
II. A Program for Defeating the Plans of the Pentagon Warmakers
I. No to All Repression of Minority Communities, No to Police State Buildup!
II. A Program for Defeating the Plans of the Pentagon Warmakers
No to All Repression of Minority Communities, No to Police State Buildup!
On April 27, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it had begun operating a Disinformation Governance Board beginning in February. The DGB is an advisory board established as a focus group tasked with standardizing DHS labeling of heretical ideas and cultural products as "misinformation." This latest exhibit of the intensifying contradictions between the capitalist ruling class and the American and world's peoples proceeds out of an earlier removal of limits on the executive power. That event was the passage of the Homeland Security Act by Congress in 2002.
For the DHS, "combatting targeted disinformation campaigns" is a pursuit less than 10 years old. According to a review of its progress by a DHS team made up of private sector, government and University-based policymakers published in October of 2019, opportunities were there for DHS intelligence agencies to strengthen and investigate mechanisms to keep Americans from entertaining ideas that "violate democratic values, societal norms, and in some jurisdictions, the law." Last month's announcement of the new advisory board occurred shortly after a colossal series of U.S. government measures were taken to cleanse America of access to Russian consumer goods, cultural products and events, media sources, and avenues of trade. Russian and other ethnic minority content is the first to receive the DHS label of "threatening" and "misleading."
The targeting of Russian sectors of the society and the demonization of Russian content is not only an insult and indignity to Russian-Americans and all Americans. This epitome of degeneracy and suppression of basic democratic rights must also be understood in the real context of contemporary American politics as part of the generalized, on-going fascistization of the state.
The program of policing "disinformation" reflects the direction the ruling class and its two monopoly-controlled political parties are taking the country. It reflects and strengthens the movement of the political system towards fascism. The only aim that information oversight by the existing state apparatus can serve is to promote ideals of total loyalty to U.S. imperialism; complete decadence and parasitism in ideology, lifestyle and politics; and complete contempt for the broad masses of the people.
The capitalist state in the U.S. has long presented its exercise of arbitrary power as “representative of the whole people,” and aimed at “defending order” against "bad actors." These labels are nothing but attempts to intensify the system of national oppression and super-exploitation imposed on the people.
In this context, we believe that the Marxist-Leninist analysis of the exercise of control by the two parties over who gets elected to government merits attention.
The two-party system in the United States is a system of privilege which denies the electorate any real power to nominate and select candidates and effectively undermines the right to vote.
This political monopoly is reinforced by the current system of elections and, in fact, enshrines a hierarchy of political privilege sanctioned by law.
The two-party monopoly not only does nothing to create space for the participation of the broad masses of the people in setting the agenda for the society. It actively maintains and consolidates the economic domination of the monopoly bourgeoisie and protects the dictate of this exploiting capitalist class which has usurped power by force.
The development of the political alternative to the dictatorship of the two-parties of the rich in the United States must be accompanied by an examination of the structural changes that are necessary in order to vest sovereignty in the people and put our country on the high road of progress and civilization. In the immediate situation we are confronted with the necessity not only of defending our rights, but also of asserting our vision and program for our society and organizing ourselves to assert the sovereign power to determine the direction and program of our land.
For the DHS, "combatting targeted disinformation campaigns" is a pursuit less than 10 years old. According to a review of its progress by a DHS team made up of private sector, government and University-based policymakers published in October of 2019, opportunities were there for DHS intelligence agencies to strengthen and investigate mechanisms to keep Americans from entertaining ideas that "violate democratic values, societal norms, and in some jurisdictions, the law." Last month's announcement of the new advisory board occurred shortly after a colossal series of U.S. government measures were taken to cleanse America of access to Russian consumer goods, cultural products and events, media sources, and avenues of trade. Russian and other ethnic minority content is the first to receive the DHS label of "threatening" and "misleading."
The targeting of Russian sectors of the society and the demonization of Russian content is not only an insult and indignity to Russian-Americans and all Americans. This epitome of degeneracy and suppression of basic democratic rights must also be understood in the real context of contemporary American politics as part of the generalized, on-going fascistization of the state.
The program of policing "disinformation" reflects the direction the ruling class and its two monopoly-controlled political parties are taking the country. It reflects and strengthens the movement of the political system towards fascism. The only aim that information oversight by the existing state apparatus can serve is to promote ideals of total loyalty to U.S. imperialism; complete decadence and parasitism in ideology, lifestyle and politics; and complete contempt for the broad masses of the people.
The capitalist state in the U.S. has long presented its exercise of arbitrary power as “representative of the whole people,” and aimed at “defending order” against "bad actors." These labels are nothing but attempts to intensify the system of national oppression and super-exploitation imposed on the people.
In this context, we believe that the Marxist-Leninist analysis of the exercise of control by the two parties over who gets elected to government merits attention.
The two-party system in the United States is a system of privilege which denies the electorate any real power to nominate and select candidates and effectively undermines the right to vote.
This political monopoly is reinforced by the current system of elections and, in fact, enshrines a hierarchy of political privilege sanctioned by law.
The two-party monopoly not only does nothing to create space for the participation of the broad masses of the people in setting the agenda for the society. It actively maintains and consolidates the economic domination of the monopoly bourgeoisie and protects the dictate of this exploiting capitalist class which has usurped power by force.
The development of the political alternative to the dictatorship of the two-parties of the rich in the United States must be accompanied by an examination of the structural changes that are necessary in order to vest sovereignty in the people and put our country on the high road of progress and civilization. In the immediate situation we are confronted with the necessity not only of defending our rights, but also of asserting our vision and program for our society and organizing ourselves to assert the sovereign power to determine the direction and program of our land.
A Program for Defeating the Plans of the Pentagon Warmakers
From this platform have for some time been pointing out and reporting on our participation in organizing the opposition to the blueprint for world domination that U.S. imperialism embarked on in 2002. A version of "you're with us or you're against us" is always on the lips of the opportunist spokesmen for the U.S. monopoly capitalist class and the two parties. In other words, all countries must actively go along with the dictates of US imperialism or go on its list of "pariah state" targets. This war waged against the world has, in twenty years, torn down the edifice of international law as intended and as a result it has worsened international relations quite quickly.
Yet another degradation of the world situation occurred with the start of the Big Lie campaign declaring Russia a source of "election interference," followed by the reclaiming of Cold War slogans. This finally enabled Washington to zero in on its former Kremlin nemesis so as to simultaneously ratchet up tensions in both Eurasia and the Far East.
In the world today, it is precisely because the economic strength of U.S. capitalism is declining relative to such rivals as the European Union and Japan that the strategy of U.S. imperialism is regional hegemony and world domination. Thus, in the Balkans, the post-USSR space, the Arab world, Asia, Africa and Latin America, U.S. imperialism stirs up tensions and seeks to be the mapmaker.
At the same time, the war program of U.S. imperialism is being opposed today by the great efforts of various peoples and nations to defend their freedom and independence and national wealth, to be sovereign in their own countries, to rid themselves of the yoke of U.S.-led aggressive military alliances as well as imperialist economic and social relations, and to remain free as peoples to decide the course and tempo of their own progress.
The wide extension and growth of peoples' liberation and democratic movements which have now swept whole regions and zones of the world are evidence of this. The mounting discontent and protest of the masses in countries such as Palestine, Haiti, the Philippines, and Iraq are leading to popular revolts against reactionary regimes propped up by U.S. imperialism. The victory of the Afghan people in their war to drive out the U.S. military and to overthrow the puppet regime has been successful. There are other states which continue to take independent stands and oppose the demands of U.S.-imperialism and NATO. And in the camp of opposition to imperialism also stand the workers and broad masses of the people within the countries engulfed by NATO's umbrella.
The U.S.-NATO alliance is striving to divert these struggles onto dead ends, to weaken and blunt them. They are trying to spread illusions that the situation of the peoples can be put in order and resolved by working to persuade U.S. imperialism to adopt a more "logical" course. Or they try to create a defeatist spirit that allegedly the war machine and worldwide network of military bases of the Pentagon and NATO are too strong, that allegedly the peoples of the so-called second and third world countries are incapable of advancing on their own and that their dependence on imperialism is inevitable.
However the right of peoples to be free and to live in solidarity cannot be denied. It was born together with man and human society and has been an unvarying constant through all the epochs of history. The reactionary powers of all times have tried to deny the peoples this right, have tried to subjugate and rule them. Mighty empires were created, whole continents were transformed into colonies, various peoples remained enslaved for centuries on end, but the spirit of freedom and independence has never died. It was the empires and the colonies which collapsed and disappeared.
For the American people, the real issue is to create space in which the interests of the people can be sorted out and to give expression to the profound revolutionary aspirations of the people. American chauvinism and apologies for U.S. imperialism's war program cannot stand, and every time we drag such warmongering into the light of day, we win – we help more people come forward and step up the struggle for a Democratic Foreign Policy.
In the present conditions, the immediate program of a Democratic Foreign Policy calls for: the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops stationed abroad, an end to all aggressive military alliances and pacts such as NATO, an end to U.S. interference and aggression in all its forms, respect for the sovereign equality and independence of every country and the right of every people to determine their own social, economic and political system.
Yet another degradation of the world situation occurred with the start of the Big Lie campaign declaring Russia a source of "election interference," followed by the reclaiming of Cold War slogans. This finally enabled Washington to zero in on its former Kremlin nemesis so as to simultaneously ratchet up tensions in both Eurasia and the Far East.
In the world today, it is precisely because the economic strength of U.S. capitalism is declining relative to such rivals as the European Union and Japan that the strategy of U.S. imperialism is regional hegemony and world domination. Thus, in the Balkans, the post-USSR space, the Arab world, Asia, Africa and Latin America, U.S. imperialism stirs up tensions and seeks to be the mapmaker.
At the same time, the war program of U.S. imperialism is being opposed today by the great efforts of various peoples and nations to defend their freedom and independence and national wealth, to be sovereign in their own countries, to rid themselves of the yoke of U.S.-led aggressive military alliances as well as imperialist economic and social relations, and to remain free as peoples to decide the course and tempo of their own progress.
The wide extension and growth of peoples' liberation and democratic movements which have now swept whole regions and zones of the world are evidence of this. The mounting discontent and protest of the masses in countries such as Palestine, Haiti, the Philippines, and Iraq are leading to popular revolts against reactionary regimes propped up by U.S. imperialism. The victory of the Afghan people in their war to drive out the U.S. military and to overthrow the puppet regime has been successful. There are other states which continue to take independent stands and oppose the demands of U.S.-imperialism and NATO. And in the camp of opposition to imperialism also stand the workers and broad masses of the people within the countries engulfed by NATO's umbrella.
The U.S.-NATO alliance is striving to divert these struggles onto dead ends, to weaken and blunt them. They are trying to spread illusions that the situation of the peoples can be put in order and resolved by working to persuade U.S. imperialism to adopt a more "logical" course. Or they try to create a defeatist spirit that allegedly the war machine and worldwide network of military bases of the Pentagon and NATO are too strong, that allegedly the peoples of the so-called second and third world countries are incapable of advancing on their own and that their dependence on imperialism is inevitable.
However the right of peoples to be free and to live in solidarity cannot be denied. It was born together with man and human society and has been an unvarying constant through all the epochs of history. The reactionary powers of all times have tried to deny the peoples this right, have tried to subjugate and rule them. Mighty empires were created, whole continents were transformed into colonies, various peoples remained enslaved for centuries on end, but the spirit of freedom and independence has never died. It was the empires and the colonies which collapsed and disappeared.
For the American people, the real issue is to create space in which the interests of the people can be sorted out and to give expression to the profound revolutionary aspirations of the people. American chauvinism and apologies for U.S. imperialism's war program cannot stand, and every time we drag such warmongering into the light of day, we win – we help more people come forward and step up the struggle for a Democratic Foreign Policy.
In the present conditions, the immediate program of a Democratic Foreign Policy calls for: the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops stationed abroad, an end to all aggressive military alliances and pacts such as NATO, an end to U.S. interference and aggression in all its forms, respect for the sovereign equality and independence of every country and the right of every people to determine their own social, economic and political system.