Certainly a successful general strike would have to include at least
large parts of the military. I am reminded of the SWP convention of, I
think, 1981. Other tendencies, frequently splintered of from the SWP,
were always gathered outside the convention arena hoping to win over
adherents to the SWP. The most prominent was always the Spartacist
League. Once, though, I met a guy from the Trotskyist Organization. At
that time I had never heard of them, so I was especially interested in
reading his newspaper and talking with him. It turned out that the T. O.
was calling for an immediate general strike. Putting aside the fact that
they were having a hard time getting anyone to listen to them there was
still the big question of, right now? I'm sorry, but it takes some long
time organizing. And, yes, a time like that is the time that the violent
potential of the state is turned into immediate violence. So a good deal
of preparation for self defense has to be made too. I wonder what ever
happened to the T.O.
On 2/6/2018 9:32 PM, Carl Jarvis wrote:
A general strike would shut the government down. If we sustained the
strike long enough, it would be so disruptive to the Ruling Class that
they would turn the military loose on us. In mass rebellions around
the world, the butchering of hundreds or even thousands of people
seems to get folks back to work. A real strike needs to include
persuading large numbers of our young men and women in the military to
defect. I would call on the mothers, wives, sisters and children of
our members in uniform, to stand together and plead for them to "come
home" and defend their families from alongside . Also, a wide spread
strike will be seen as an undermining of the authority of the Ruling
Class. They will understand that this is only the beginning of the
end of their rule. They will stop at nothing in order to maintain
control.
If we strike, we must go forward to victory. If we strike and we are
defeated, it could signal the beginning of a new Dark Age.
Carl Jarvis
On 2/6/18, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The ruling class owns the guns and the cops, yes. They also own the
means of production. Our job is to take it all away from them and there
are more of us than there are of them. Consider a general strike. What
would the ruling class do and what could the ruling class do if everyone
just stayed home and refused to work?
On 2/6/2018 7:30 PM, Frank Ventura wrote:
Carl, the working class can never do that. The ruling class owns the guns
and the cops. Any revolution will be put down. What we need is quiet
evolution. Keeping pushing further to left and avoid the protest votes and
third party red herrings that the ruling class throws at us. Eventually if
we keep pushing further to the left the ruling class may be weak enough
for that revolution. Until then the best we can do is slow evolution.
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, February 6, 2018 10:49 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: 75 Years Ago-some things never change!
"February 13, 1943
New demands for wage increases to equal rising living costs were voiced
last week by a number of union bodies."
Even as a boy of 8, I recall the Media Blitz on how unpatriotic Labor
Unions were. I mean, it was the "Good War", the Allies(Good Guys) versus
the Axis(Evil Guys). It was our duty to give our All to this Righteous
Cause. To lose would mean world enslavement. How dare Labor demand a
living wage in times like these! Many families dug up their front lawns
and planted "Victory Gardens", while most of us saved string, tinfoil,
grease and rags. We kids traveled the neighborhoods collecting newspapers
for the War Cause. On the Pacific Coast, we put Blackout shades on our
windows and the city of Seattle became a black hole at night. Boeing
camouflaged their huge factory so that it looked like just another
neighborhood from the air.
And a couple of times each week we children would hear the air raid alarm
sound in the schools, and we would march into the hall and lay face down
on the floor with our heads against the outside wall, and our arms over
our heads...hoping that this was not the real thing.
One time there was a serious threat. Instead of marching into the halls,
we were told to "Run for Home as fast as our legs could carry us"! Of
course we arrived home, my two sisters and I, and found the house locked.
Mother was not home from her job in down town Seattle, and Dad was working
at the Bremerton Shipyard on the other side of Puget Sound. We huddled
together on the porch and plotted just what we would do if the Japs came
rushing up the hill and tried to capture us.
And all the time that our working class tightened our belts, went without
certain foods, faced food and gas rationing, all this time the Wealthy did
not suffer in the slightest. The War Industry raked in huge profits,
mostly through the sales of their war materials to the Allies, which meant
that we, the taxpayers footed the bill. And they cried foul when Labor
demanded some relief from the rising inflation.
In Seattle, most rentals increased 25% during the war years. No
reason other than the landlords could get away with it. But to ask
for a raise in pay? Why, that was UnAmerican.
Hmm...now that I look at today's news, nothing seems to have changed.
The Working Class is still the enemy of our nation. Just listen to Donald
Trump, suggesting that it is an act of Treason to disagree with His
Edicts.
We finally did learn that the so called "Good War" was not so good at all.
The "Good War" is yet to come when the working class rises up and removes
the corrupt Oligarchy now controlling America.
Carl Jarvis
On 2/5/18, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
http://themilitant.com/2018/8206/820643.html
The Militant (logo)
Vol. 82/No. 6 February 12, 2018
25, 50 and 75 Years Ago
February 12, 1993
As Washington’s occupation of southern Somalia nears the end of its
second month, the U.S. military unleashed its firepower against forces
loyal to ousted Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barre that were
threatening to seize control of the port city of Kismayo.
In the capital city of Mogadishu, where thousands of U.S. troops are
deployed, shootings of Somalis have become virtually a daily
occurrence as the U.S. military has begun actively organizing a new
police force there.
With nearly 40,000 troops currently under U.S. command now in Somalia,
UN and U.S. officials continue to discuss plans for replacing U.S.
troops with a 20,000-strong UN force.
According to [UN] special envoy for Somalia Ismat Kittani, the new UN
military force will probably be in Somalia for “not months but years.”
February 12, 1968
The massive National Liberation Front offensive against most of the
occupied cities of South Vietnam opens a new stage of the Vietnamese
revolution. The revolutionary forces demonstrated that they can
challenge U.S. and Saigon armies for control of practically every
square inch of the land.
The world’s mightiest imperialist power has been dealt a stunning blow.
The blow is primarily political, although its immediate military
impact is considerable. Those who are carrying it forward have written
one of the most extraordinary and heroic pages in history.
The attack has already included “no less than 30 of South Vietnam’s 44
provincial capitals, as well as larger cities such as Saigon and
Danang, American installations and uncounted towns,” according to the
New York Times.
February 13, 1943
New demands for wage increases to equal rising living costs were
voiced last week by a number of union bodies.
The growing pressure for wage raises is based on opposition to the
administration wage policy embodied in the Little Steel formula of the
War Labor Board, which bans increases of more than 15% over Jan. 1941
wage levels, although living costs have risen almost twice the 15%
figure during this two-year period.
The United Mine Workers policy committee decided to request $2 a day
wage increases for their 450,000 bituminous coal workers. It is
expected that the union will ask for a similar raise for its 88,000
anthracite miners.
The head of the UMW policy committee pointed out that “an increase of
42% on the wholesale prices of articles essential to family
maintenance cannot be ignored.”
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