May Day Painting 1886 By Walter Crane

http://www.marxists.org/subject/art/visual_arts/satire/crane/crane6.htm

Quote of the Day

"We must not be like some Christians who sin for six days and go to church on the seventh, but we must speak for the cause daily, and make the men, and especially the women that we meet, come into the ranks to help us." Eleanor Marx

http://www.marxists.org/archive/eleanor-marx/works/mayday.htm

The Hyde Park May Day Pledge of Reminder

"Rise like Lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number,
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep had fallen on you–
Ye are many–they are few."

Eleanor Marx, Hyde Park 1890

Democratic Right Movement? That Extent?

I was sitting and working when suddenly I recieved an SMS on my mobile saying: Democratic Left (?) Movement celebrates the Beirut Spring and Labor Day By Presenting a Concert perormed by Beirut Spring Band on 29-04-2006 @ 7pm UNESCO palace."

I as a Communist and a Leftist, I tend to find that message as repulsive, insultive, and highly provocative by the DLM. They still claim to be leftists (not that they are labeled as the Coffee Servers of the 14th of March only), but now they are celebrating Labor Day instead May Day. May Day (or as the comrades over here call it Workers' Day) has been celebrated since 1889 in the honor of the fallen workers in Chicago's Hay Market Massacre (1886). It was three Communist Figures (Eleanor Marx, Edward Aveling, and Fredriche Engels) who declared that this day will be a reminder for all the fallen Proletariat and honor their memories (and the ones who fallen afterwards) while celebrating that on this day the first Solidarity International Event took place when the Red Flag was raised from China, passing through Russia, towards the whole of Europe, towards North America and Australia. Afterwards, plenty of revolutions through out the world took place, and plenty of intensified class struggle appeared.

In Lebanon, the Proletariat entered this class struggle. In 1925, Lebanon was under the French Mandate, which is another name for French Imperialism that existed then. The ones to build the Lebanese Communist Party gathered in Beirut more than 7000 workers (something neither the DLM nor the LCP combined can do) to put a stand against the Imperialists. The Lebanese & Syrian comrades were joined by the Armenian comrades (then the exiled Spartacus League of Armenia led by Artur Madayan), and forged one of the greatest demonstrations in Lebanon tha resulted in the first stand of the oppressed class against French Imperialists in the history of Modern Lebanon. On the eve of that day, the Communist Party came to existence. (Reference: Political Parties of Lebanon: The Lebanese Communist Party [NBN, Episode I].

Currently, we got the DLMers who are trying to prove that they are leftists and are celebrating LABOR DAY!!!! Labor Day was implemented by the Right Wing and officially by the United Nations. The Syrian Social Nationalist Party declared Workers' Day in Lebanon replaced by Labor Day on the logic that they celebrate Work instead of honoring the workers because if there is no work, there is no workers. The International Business Arena celebrates Labor Day as well, because they aim to cut down the radical growth and class awareness of the Proletariat. Hence Labor Day was implemented by the United States, United Nations, and their allies, just as they did with Working Womens' Day. Keep celebrating Democratic Left Movement. Enjoy your self-proclaimed left just as you keep defending 14th of March was a Workers' Revolution.

In the memory of our fallen comrades, let us pledge to ourselves to keep the struggle of what they started, till we stand victorious.

For reference on May Day:

http://www.marxists.org/subject/mayday/index.ht

And we repeat to ourselves our anthem:

...Let the winds lift your banners from far lands
With a message of strife and of hope:
Raise the Maypole aloft with its garlands
That gathers your cause in its scope....
...Stand fast, then, Oh Workers, your ground,
Together pull, strong and united:
Link your hands like a chain the world round,
If you will that your hopes be requited.
When the World's Workers, sisters and brothers,
Shall build, in the new coming years
,A lair house of life--not for others,
For the earth and its fulness is theirs. "

Walter Crane, The Workers' Maypole, 1894

Switch of Alliances?

We never saw Aoun in person honoring the ones killed post-Hamadi incident. Yet, they tend to honor martyres still, but totally out of space and time:

http://www.tayyar.org/tayyar/articles.php?article_id=12334&type=news

FPM over-concerned about Lebanon's entry in WTO

FPM over-concerned about Lebanon's entry in WTO, and they showed their hard work on such a critical activity (NOT!!!) by doing the following:


http://www.tayyar.org/tayyar/articles.php?article_id=12373&type=news

Quote of the Day

In inner-party politics, these methods lead, as we shall yet see, to this: the party organization substitutes itself for the party, the central committee substitutes itself for the organization, and, finally, a "dictator" substitutes himself for the central committee.
Leon Trotsky

DLM & LCP abandon your stalinist procedures

MFL

National Unity & Ta3ayosh Moushtarak (Common Living)

I seriously gotta love all the politicians (and of course my favourite two coffee bearers Ziad Majed and Elias) when they all speak of national unity and common living. Let us see, national unity only takes place only and only when the leaders love each other, while their sects/followers just remain puppies in following commands/trends of their leaders? Some national unity that is... Elias be ashamed for speaking that way.

As for those who speak of Common Living among the lebanese, what do you mean, higher tolerence over interaction? Keep in mind that most of the government members committee refuted the first interactive initiative for Lebanon to get out its sectarian swamp, which was Civil Marriage. DLMers do not justify your master's decisions not voting then because he kept you in business.

MFL

Jaajaa and Aoun = inverse relationship

The problem that both are leaders of "Christians" in Lebanon. Already Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement and Hariri Jr.'s block exposed each other in very interesting relevant points (which tells me as a Communist to hell with both), but I saw Jaajaa's speech today on TV and the guy was really delivered a well prepared speech, much better than Aoun goes with his traditional speech as: "Ana 3amilit (translation: I did ) , and never speaks except of himself.

Now Jaajaa delivered a more pro. speech, and the issue is that the relationship between both is that when one loses members, the other gains. One who blunders , the other capitalizes. The Lebanese Forces' alliance to the 14th of March block has allowed Aoun to capitalize on Parlaimentary elections, nevertheless in "Christian Regions". With Aoun in alliance with Hizbullah, things are gradually reversing, and Jaajaa is attempting to balance. In end, they are both right-wingers (even though Jaajaa with the better vocal speech delivery), and both participating in isolating their own audiences and dividing the workers, excluding enhancing Sectarianism. Funny thing is to see Jaajaa mentioning George Hawwi and Kamal Jumblatt as glorious martyres (read The Prince?)

MFL

WTO as reform?

"I remember a very hopeful session with Prime Minister Seniora when I was at the UN where -- with the Contact Group -- with the Core Group for Lebanon, where we talked about the economic and other reforms that they have to make, and I would hope that they would really focus on those. " SECRETARY RICE

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2006/58725.htm

I was wondering how the mentioning of lebanon's entry to WTO is reform, and how pethatic the Democratic Leftist Movement (DLM) are for remaining in that block (the coffee bearers)

Marxist From Lebanon

Just Thankful

Yesterday, I spent the evening with three friends, and I just want to thank them for motivating me back to action and productivity like I used to be. Thank you

MFL

Some Lebanese Dialogue

'Gemayel stressed that Lebanon badly needs the strong commitment of the international community.

"Only then can the internal dialogue be fruitful and restore to Lebanon its role as a message of peace and coexistence in the Middle East," he added.'

I just wonder how they say it is a 100% lebanese president ...

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=23734

MFL

Palestinians and Democracy

"For the Palestinian people, the only path to independence and dignity and progress is the path of democracy. (Applause.) And the Palestinian leaders who block and undermine democratic reform, and feed hatred and encourage violence are not leaders at all. They're the main obstacles to peace, and to the success of the Palestinian people. " Bush Jr.

How does he know about Palestinians and Democracy, he forgot that he supports the racist zionists to abolish their lands with no rights to resist, just tag them terrorists and walk? How pethatic. Funny thing how it contradicts with this line in the same speech

"And we believe that freedom -- the freedom we prize -- is not for us alone, it is the right and the capacity of all mankind. (Applause.) " ~ Bush Jr.

Tell that to the victims of Zionism. Then he claims God (I am an athiest btw) loves U.S. democracy by saying:

"With all the tests and all the challenges of our age, this is, above all, the age of liberty. Each of you at this Endowment is fully engaged in the great cause of liberty. And I thank you. May God bless your work. And may God continue to bless America. (Applause.) " ~ Bush Jr.

What bothers me that the idiots who believe what he said.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/11/20031106-2.html

MFL

(Old Speech)

First Dog?! What the hell?

There is at the Senete website a whole section for presidents' dogs and names, can you believe that? You mean to tell me the "First Dog"/s are more worthy than people? And why the stupid section was placed in "Services"?! I wonder what type of service is that

http://bond.senate.gov/services/dogs.cfm

sadly, the world of the bourgeoisie

MFL

Quote of the Day (V.2)

"Those working-class revolutionaries who make parliamentarism the centre of their attacks are quite right inasmuch as these attacks serve to express their denial in principle of bourgeois parliamentarism and bourgeois democracy. "~ Vladimir Lenin

http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1919/aug/28.htm

(3amo Elias, where are you?)
MFL

Quote of the Day

"Increasing population and the desire for an extensive ownership of land for agricultural and pastoral purposes, led to struggles and battles over the possession of such land; it also led to a demand for labor-power. An increase in labor-power meant greater wealth in produce and flock. To procure such labor-power the rape of women was at first resorted to, and then the enslavement of vanquished men, who had formerly been killed."~August Bebel

http://www.marxists.org/archive/bebel/1879/woman-socialism/ch02.htm#s1

Twin Souls of Socialism

In my debates lately, I have been confronted by two types of Socialism (excluding the lebanese PSP), the emancipation of above (which is not really leftist), and the emancipation from below).
Funny thing is that since the debates displayed by Ted Grant till modern times and in every nation. The reactionaries who want to justify their failure to grasp the very logic of left-wing Socialism is to hide from the Emancipation From Above, as they justify (such as DLM) that their alliance to Right-Wing movements would give them a parlaimentary chair.

Sadly, they do not know that their right winged allies would oppose any left-wing proposition as their own businesses is threatened (whether DLM has any clue on the left rather simply the "intention").

I highly recommend a book written by Comrade Hal Draper called: Twin Souls of Socialism, to understand the great divide between the Socialists/Communists versus "Socialists"/Bureaucrats.

This is the link to the book:
http://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1966/twosouls/0-2souls.htm

MFL

PS: For the lazy readers, it is small and very easy going, so read it!!!! :)

Fastest Method To Interest Activists Against WTO

Easy, just make sure to find the documentary The Corporation and let your friends be in a shock of a life time within 2 hours. This documentary is a must, a great must to be watched.

The website concerning the the documentary is as follows:
http://www.thecorporation.com/

It is the fastest way to get people aware from the dangers of the three pillars of Capitalism: WTO, WB, and the IMF (unless we include the G-something since they always change depending on the balance of power).

MFL

Decentralization Versus Centralization

Well, Klein may argue that any form of Centralization is wrong, but centralization works from time to time (well if well studied it does in facing coroporate globalization)

The power of workers in the multinationals section from Tony Cliff's
http://www.marxists.org/archive/cliff/works/2000/millennium/chap04.htm

Article to ponder upon Palestine

http://www.marxists.org/archive/cliff/works/1998/05/israel.htm

It is wrong for the arab marxists to speculate that real justice is throwing "every jew in the sea" from the invaded palestinian lands. It is totally wrong, the jewish workers are victims of zionism, and zionism is an exact racist trend like any ultra nationalistic, such as Nazis.

Solution is definitely the jewish and palestinian workers is to find out that they are both proletariat, and best solution is rid themselves their corrupted bourgeoisie leaders (in case of palestinians) and Zionist and business leaders (in case of the jewish workers).

MFL

Food For Thought

Welocome to my world, Stranger!
Relax and enter my mind's layer!
What can you see?
Do you see me free?

You will see a dreamer
Struggling to remain a warrior
Despite all the pain and alienation
I stand and fight forms of stagnation

I must preserve my fire
Allow the flow of all desires
Collective happiness of all
And all sadness must fall

Why worried, o coward stranger?
Why afraid of possible failure?
Why find that changer so strange?
If we fail, we stand again with a daze!

Keep the fire burning
And all thoughts flowing
Never accept life as it appears
Arise and fight eith a sarcastic sneer

A victory I can not promise you
But a struggle? That I can help you
A struggle for the collective masses
We shall, in the end, stand victorious

Marxist From Lebanon
(2004: written when I was over-buried abroad with work)

Quote of the Day

The greatest misfortune which could befall the proletarian army after seizing the strongholds of capitalism, would be if the apparatus of leadership proved to be in the hands of men, groups, or organizations whose previous work had been carried out only in the sphere of the labor movement. ~ Leon Kamenev

http://www.marxists.org/archive/kamenev/1920/x01/x01.htm

MP Attallah's speech

I wonder what this MP was blabbing on Today's news, specially he keeps saying we 14th March. He is aware that if 14th March officially collapses he no longer exists? Still waiting to see what is leftist in him except he is a good stalinist in replicating what superior parties are saying.

MFL

Quote of the Day

"At school we learn history as a story of great men: kings, generals, emperors. I remember learning about Cleopatra having a bath in milk. The teacher never told us who produced the milk and how many Egyptian children suffered from malnutrition for lack of milk. We were told about Napoleon going to Russia in 1812. We were not told how many Russian peasants or French peasants in uniform died as a result." Tony Cliff

http://www.marxists.org/archive/cliff/works/2000/millennium/chap01.htm

MFL

The End of 1905 Revolution/2nd Arrest of Trotsky

BackGround

While the Menchivics were arguing how to transfer Russia from feudal to capitalistic in nature, and the Second International was entering its recessionary crisis (plenty of different political & ideological reasons), a 25 year old foresaw, through his expertise in Historical Materialism and under the studies of Parvus that the seeds to establisk a Soviet is possible due to plenty of reasons. When the first Soviet (Workers Council) was built in 1905, Lenin and Julius Martove go "what is that". When the revolution ended, it ended with Trotsky's head up while the Tsarist army baffled that this young fellow was the transformer of a simple demonstration to the 2nd workers' revolutions and established the Second Workers' Council after the Paris Commune of 1871.

This piece is taken from Isaac Deutcher's Prophet Armed timeless masterpiece, that depicts the very end of the first Soviet (Second compared to Paris Commune), and how its organizer got arrested. The 21st Century Communists should learn from their history, and above all how the ideology is placed in the service of the Marxist Revolutionary. It is sad to see Khaled Hdaidi or Elias Attallah claiming they are leftists and bla bla bla:

The Arrest

"From a balcony Trotsky shouted to the delegates: 'Comrades, offer no resistence. We declare beforehand that only an agent provocateur or a policeman will fire a shot here!" He instructed the delegates to break the locks of their revolvers befure surrendering them to the police. Then he resumed his chair at the Executive's conference.

A trade-union spokesman was just declaring his union's readiness ot join in the general strike, when a detachment of soldiers and police occupied the corridors. A police officer entered the room where the Executive was sitting and began to read a warrant of arrest. It was now only a question whether the Soviet would carry its own weakness and humilation with dignity. Resistence was ruled out. But should they surrender meekly, gloomy-faced, without a sign of defiance? Trotsky's pride and his sense of stage effect would not perit him to preside over so flat and disheartening a scene. But he could not afford any serious act of defiance, he could relieve the gloom of the situation only with humour. And so he turned the last scene of this spectacle into a witty burlesque of a bold performance. As the police officer, facing the Executive, began to read the warrant of arrest, Trostsky sharply interrupted him: "Please do not interfere with the speaker. If you wish to take the floor, you must give your name and I shall ask the meeting whether it wishes to list to you."

The perplexed officer, not knowing whether he was being mocke at or whether he should expect armed resistence, waited fo rthe trade-union delegate to end his speech. Then Trotsky gravely asked the Executive whether he should allow the officer to make a statement "for the sake of information". The officer read the warrant, and Trotsky proposed that the Executive should acknowledge it and take up the next item on it agenda. Another speaker rose.

"Excuse me", the police officer, disconcerted by this unheard of behavior, stammered and turned towards Trotsky, as if for help.

"Please do not interfere", Trosktysharply rebuked him. "You have had the floor; you have made your statement; we have acknowledged it. Does the meeting to have further dealings with the policeman?"

"No!"

"Then, please, leave the hall."

The officer shuffled his feet, muttered a few words and left. Trotsky called upon the members of the Executive to destroy all documents and not to reveal their names to the police. From the hall below rose the clangour of broken revolver-locks-the delegates were carrying out Troskty's order.

The police officer re-entered, this time leading a platoon of soldiers. A member of the Executive rose to address the soldiers: The Tsar, he said, was at this very moment breaking the promise of the October Manifesto; and they, the soldiers, were allowing themselves to be used as his tools against the people. The officer, afraid of the effect of the words, hurriedly led the soldiers out into the corridor and shot the door behind them. "Even through closed doors", the speaker raised his vice, "the brotherly call of the workers will reach the soldiers."

At length, a strong detachment of police entered, and Trotsky declared the meeting of the Executive closed.

Thus after fifty days ended the epic of the first Soviet in history."

taken from Isaac Deuther, Prophet Armed Trosky 1879 - 1921 ( Verso, 2003), p. 118 - 119

Communism & WTO

In the book “5 Days that Shook the World”, there was picture of a middle-aged man surrounded by six policemen raising the logo: “WTO: If it does not work for working families, it does not work.”[1] Indeed, the Communists, inspired by Marx and Engels, argued that the worker needed to be protected, and it was up to the workers to change how the world functions. The workers’ demonstrations can date back to the mid 19th Century, Australia, demanding for a better life.

The first brutal clash between the security forces and the workers demanding their rights to live their life was in Chicago in 1st of May 1886, at the Hay Market. The brutality of force and the ones died to express their voice of righteousness. The Second International (known also as the Socialist International), received a proposal done by Edward Avaling, Eleanor Marx, and Fredric Engels to transform 1st of May, into what is called May Day (also known in some countries: Workers Day). After three years of the Chicago massacre, and on first of May, the socialists and the workers raised the Red Flag for the first time, and the flag was raised in China, Europe, and Northern America. This was the first international solidarity campaign done in the face of the growing capitalist markets. Since then, plenty of peaceful demonstrations took place in Hyde Park discussing the stats of the workers, and how to encourage workers to defend for their rights. Till current times, the active socialist/communists raise the red flag in honor of the fallen ones from Chicago till current day. May Day became a symbol for the workers to celebrate the courage of every fallen worker, as well as honor their sacrifices to take the stand. Whenever May Day approaches, plenty of governments with well-grounded socialist base fear a wave of refusal to their standpoints. It happened in the United States in the 50’s, Portugal in the 1974, and every year, demonstrations are rallied for May Day. [2]

Unfortunately for the Communists, Stalinism ruined the reputation of the Communists, and in the United States, plenty of people associate Socialism with the massacres of Stalin and the next generations of leaderships in Russia. Yet, a certain faction of dedicated Marxists, and Trotskyites remained active in the face of Capitalism and the Stalinist regimes.

Plenty of ideas of Marxist ideas are applicable till current days. After all, it was Zinoviev who said: “The Capitalists have their own International, we need our own to face them.”[3] It was Trotsky who argued that the bulk of anti-capitalism is the workers, whose revolution can trigger a world revolution, especially after the 1905 revolution in Petrograd. The case of the 1905 demonstration, Trotsky was successful in transforming a simple workers’ demonstration to a workers’ revolution that stimulated even a faction of the Tsarist Military Force to join the workers’ cause. The U.S. journalist John Reed named the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, as “10 days that shook the world”. Later, it turns out that the Russian Revolution stimulated revolutions varying from Hungary, Romania, and Germany, to hyper union activities in England and the United States. Lenin’s slogan and book: “Imperialism is the highest Stage of Capitalism” has been revived indirectly on bulletins and activists on the streets. Above all, people like Naomi Klein, Teresa Brennan, and the World Social Forums, the Marxist theme of Internationalism has been preached out by (just for the fact its name has the word: “World”) the Marxist theme of Internationalism has been repetitively on most of the activists in the “Movement of Movements.”

The Socialist movements in the Social Movement are returning. What each group whether Environmentalists, Workers, anti-privatization, solidarity groups, humanitarian groups, feminists, and plenty more focus on one aspect of the ill-run system. The key word is the Capitalist System that binds them all together, and it was the Socialists who focused on the entire system as a whole, and it was they who demanded better life for the workers, equal rights between women and men, nationalizing the institutions rather privatizing them, stressed on Internationalism, and so on.

The second key word is the term “Workers.” The history of humanity is nothing but class struggle between the masses and the elites. No person is involved more than the workers and their rights to live, and the socialist demand includes living in a better environment. It is the workers who dig up the raw materials, and it is again the workers who transform the raw materials to money-profit commodities. No movement can function without having the workers in it, since they are after all the majority.

Third, it is the socialists who demand that the workers forget their competition for work (in cheaper wages) while being consequently replaced by machinery. Marx foresaw that and since then the Socialists demanded trade unions to unify the workers. It is interesting to see in Seattle after almost a century and a half from the release of the Communist Manifesto slogans saying “Workers of the World! Unite!” No slogan can live that much, and no slogan is correct more than that.

Fourth, the focus of the Socialists is the destructive nature of Capitalism. The Marxists and Neo-Marxists argue how the third world was late to enter Capitalism due to 19th Century (and prior to that) Imperialism or lack of resources. The world is clearly divided into 1st World, which is labeled as the West/North, while the 3rd World is the East/South. There is another dimension to be discussed with details is also the ecological destructive nature of corporate globalization. Marx, in Das Capital, already formulated all the critiques on the Capitalist System, and plenty of his critiques are still being revived in the 21st century.

Fifth and most importantly, the Socialists, currently being represented by the Trotskyites internationals such as the International Socialist Organization (ISO), Committee for the Marxist International (CMI), and the Committee for the Workers’ International (CWI) have been active through out the world. ISO, CWI, and CMI have been facing the globalization of terrorism in Israel/Palestine. They have been establishing networks all over the world. Above all, the Socialist movements establish the International links to the World Social Forum movements and organize solidarity campaigns on almost every topic. As mentioned earlier, that the Socialists deals with the System as a whole and in parts, they tend to glue the different movements that are secular and active in the World Social Forums. The only movement that has similar Internationalist perspective is the movement of the Anarchists, also known as the Global Justice Movement. The Anarchists and the Socialists disagreed since the days of Marx and Engels versus Proudhoun and Bakunin. They still disagree today in the Movement of Movements.

Six, last but not least, the Socialists offer an agenda and a history full of experiences in terms of workers’ rights on an international scale. While the movement of movements may be highly decentralized and contains various movements that are concerned with different topics, none of them has an agenda from an economic and welfare oriented as the Socialists. As Golin Barker, member of the Socialist Workers’ Party, says: “Since socialism involves an immensely wider democracy than capitalism can ever envisage, those who construct it will determine its’ shape, those who construct it will determine its shape – in circumstances.”[4] The world is made up mostly of workers, and no movement represents theirs as the socialists. If the World Social Forums movements didn’t target the masses from the beginning, they would have been destined from day one to fail.

As Golin Barker says: “Building socialist organization now is an essentially visionary process. Opportunity knocks mostly once o twice for each generation. The desire for a better world is spreading fast, the readiness to fight for it is spreading.”[5]
[1] Alexander Cockburn, Jeffrey St. Clair, and Allan Sekula; “5 Days That Shook the World: Seattle and Beyond” (Verso, 2000), pp.132
[2] May Day, www.marxists.org subject archive, Allan Woods: “The Portuguese Revolution: 1974”, www.marxist.com

[3] Zinoviev, First Session, Minutes of the 2nd Congress of the Third International, the Zinoviev Archive, www.marxists.org

[4] Golin Barker, Socialists, Golin Barker (Bookmarks, 2001) pp.331
[5] Ibid, pp.336

WTO and Ministers

They think that the WTO is an item to be placed under "Islahh", how can they put that as bureaucratic cleansing. If they think that the abolishment of President Lahoud is restoring the Lebanese Constitution, then they are crazy when compared to the membership at the World Trade Organization.

The nationstate can never sue a Transnational Corporation, on the contrary it is vice versa. To make it worse, constitutional amendments are needed for the liberation of the markets (as Islahh?). They forgot what happened in Nigeria when 10 activists got executed in charge of High Treason for making Shell angry? They forgot how domestic products get annhilated in face of the TNCs. They forget how the World Bank keeps a hawk eye and enforces constitutional changes as they see fit. They forget how they can attain copyright on Lebanese commodities, and they forget how the constitution is re-shaped to forge domestic labor with foreign.

I do sense I will tackle that domain more often.

MFL

Damn Alienation

Just as our sphere rotates around work/studies, we get alienated... and sadly I am aware of such alienation, and as much as I try to avoid being stuck in that loophole, I keep indirectly discovering that this loophole surrounds me sometimes without noticing. Tony Cliff was correct that we should always learn from the Proletariat in order to advance

MFL

Quote of the Day

"In bourgeois society capital is independent and has individuality, while the living person is dependent and has no individuality. " ~ Marx and Engels (Communist Manifesto)

http://marxist.net/marx/m2frame.htm?manifesto2.html

And The Academy Award Goes To...

To all the members of the Parlaiment and Government!!

After seeing President Lahoud shaking hands with everyone, which keeps reminding me of the Poker Round Table (ie Negotiations/Dialogue Table). Each is trying to maximize his profit on the expense of the People. The people suffering from oppression due to the brainwashing process of the "Figure/Sect" Iconization, are too scattered to do anything. Sadly, the ones who crowned themselves as leftist are part of that lobbying (well coffee bearers). One block wants to bring the Syrians back for the sake of Resistence, the Other block wants to bury Lebanon in the WTO. Go figure out that. Both sides are destructive in nature, reactionary, and elitest. The whole of Lebanon is in chaos (except of Down Town since it elevated to a global city with its own social norms). What about the Democratic Left? Still hailing themselves as blocking the Syrian invasion? What about the LCP, still trapped in this cyclone of Arab Nationalism and Stalinist bureaucratic organization?

MFL

Charles Chaplin: Modern Times

Charlie Chaplin's masterpiece Modern Times is an all time classic that reflects the real life of the Proletariat then (and probably now in plenty of South nations and the gradual progress of North back to those horrible times) and now.

As always Chaplin depicts the reality of things in a rather shocking manner, but as Chaplin's real art goes, with a smile on our faces. The struggling Proletariat continues in its struggle to survive, and reveals how in the end the Proletariat have no choice but to continue with struggle. With the loss of hope, the worker is doomed. The government already despises Trade Unions (the Communist Radical ones of the 20s and 30s in USA) and does not allow the Workers to gather forces in order to state their demands. The funniest concept for me is actually a joke we usually joke around due to the hard unemployment over here is that a person would prefer to go to Prison and eat/sleep over there.

Charlie Chaplin's Marxist ideas are clear in the movie, and it is a MUST to dwell on that aspect of Class Struggle.

MFL

Healthy WTO commodities

A friend of mine was telling me that she was eating a whole month salad in New York, and gained weight... how can that be... coughs coughs genetic modified food? coughs coughs

MFL

Carricature on U.S. Donations

http://www.corpwatch.org/img/original/AfghaniPod.jpg

drawn by Khalil Bendib, article is found at:

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=13402

Amazing Picture

http://www.corpwatch.org/img/original/FreeVietnam.jpg

Check the carricature by Khalil Bendib, this is vietnam, I wonder what awaits Lebanon.

MFL

Quote of the Day

"The regime established by the October Revolution was neither totalitarian nor bureaucratic, but the most democratic regime yet seen on earth - a regime in which, for the first time, millions of ordinary men and women overthrew their exploiters, took their destiny in their own hands, and at least began the task of transforming society." ~ Alan Woods

http://www.marxist.com/russiabook/intro.html

Pondering

Wondering what to do, everything seems to be a distance to achieve as a goal, even the steps. Well, at least today something different happen. I attended a very interesting meeting that changed my mind. I can't say much, hopefully whatever I saw today will be the wave that put the building blocks for that (phase 1).

All we have to do is hope for the future. If we think it is impossible, then we should sit in our houses and abandon our duties. This showed how hard it is to accomplish, but not impossible. Let us hope this new wave would carry the redness for a better future. (Will be discussed anyways later).

MFL

Just Thinking (Regarding Phase One)

Just remembering what a long road we have, I mean with all the phases of building a real leftist (to me Marxist) movement and how hard it is to do so...

I think one of the reasons is the existence of the de-generated so called "left"-wing parties that each tries to clutch to the piece of the cake without any success and on the expense of the Proletariat. The presence of those schools and their attempts to achieve monopoly in Lebanon makes the building of such a movement totally underground because whatever "Reddish" that will begin on a public level will drive the revolutionaries into a game of bureaucracy and isolation.

I always see the establishment of the movement should begin at least on an Underground low profile level, + social interaction, + debatative circles to attract the proletariat and make them part of the class struggle. It just amuses me how "leftists" disregard the low wage workers and take them for granted that they are there.

Definitely, once the core is established, level one would be underground...

(to be continued)

MFL

Quote of the Day

"The press, radio, television, the schools, everyone is insisting how backward people are, how incapable people are of transforming society. And when people attempt it that is what a Marxist bases his revolutionary theory on. That is what we are living for, so to speak. We are living for the peak, and not the valley." ~~ Martin Glaberman

http://www.marxists.org/archive/glaberman/1974/09/wclass.htm

To the "Lefties" of Defeatist Theory

This is primarily targets the remainders of the LCP (even though the LCP has wonderful active members), the issue lately I face is that "comrades" celebrate that the country should be annhilated into economic depression, messed up, and hopefully (at least they hope) people will go down to the street for a "workers' revolution."

BackGround

One glitch, the defeatest theory was stated during the World War I by Lenin. Lenin argued then that the more the situation is messed up, the worse the Lavrov (and later Kerensky) Government will be positioned. This led the Bolshevici Party to be prepared to choose the right moment to stage their insurrection. Indeed, while the Bolshevici Party and their comrades were few while the Menshevics and Right Wing Social Revolutionaries harvested the fruits of the February Revoulution (1917) even though they really did not have any effective role in it. The Boleshevici Movement kept distributing Leaflets and advocated "Land, Bread, and Peace" logo, while the Boleshevici hubs were busy building an informal infrastructure for the Workers' Party. The moment came, (and here Lenin and Trotsky's theories merged in some aspects while Orthodox Marxists' theories collapsed) and the situation got no worse than that to the extent that the Boleshevici transformed from a small hunted movement to a mass revolutionary rebellion in a matter of few monthes.

Returning to the Nature of the Theory and Lebanon

The theory presupposes that a marxist party is ready and organized to lead the workers to their own emancipation. In Lebanon's case, the defeatist theory would lead a set of Bourgeoisie class overthrowing another class (similar to what happened in 14th March summary), excluding the fact that plenty of international interventions can occur on the spot (special thanks to media, mass communications, upgraded transportations...etc).

The Second glitch proceeds to tackle a war situation. The working class is in constant war for survival, the worse the situation, the more they might generate a class recognition; however, let us look a bit closer: the classes are divided into sects and even secular people would feel threatened and subconsciously hide within their sects. Hence, the concept of Secularism is far attained because the means and envirenment to attain it is not available (Civil Marriage, Sects following leaders to the end, lack of real interaction to overcome Sect loyalty, lack of a real socialist party to be the mediator). So returning to the defeatist theory, things take a different curve in Lebanon, when an extreme economic crisis will take place, the balance of power within Lebanon would be broken, and the leaders of the sects would attempt to capitalize on the matter to maximize their own personal and political power (after all those with the bargaining power are those with a quantative followers). Hence we will have a free for all nation?

100% free for all nation? Not really, one party has almost established a hegemony over their own Sect, which is the largest (you know who) : Hizbullah. Already that party has freelancing figures and allies unified (via Syria), only difference Hizbullah would no longer be the balancer of power, it would be the undisputed force. The weaker side from 14th March or Neutrals would either bandwagon to the strong party or just sit aside and watch. The stronger side of 14th March might switch sides (as some have been noted to do so). Hence Lebanon, instead of shifting towards a Proletariat revolution, would end up to be trapped in a single dominant Sect with allies, while the rest politically would be minorities. Again, the cause of resistence would cause arab sympathy, and wouldn't mind to see quick stabilities. Instabilities would overcharge the region which has proven already unstabble when the United States and United Kingdom invaded Iraq (plenty nations faced difficulties in controlling their streets). As for the undisputed U.S.A, it can either pull a deal or back-out (as happened in 1984) when the Syrians returned to the Lebanese Arena with AMAL movement as the spearhead, or go to war with Syria which is in no condition to do so. Actually due to yesterday's clash between President Lahoud and Prime Minister Seniora signals the return of Syrian dominance (or they are using their joker card in this blizzard fiasco that Lebanon has sunk to).

Balance of Power and Defeatism

To the "lefties" and "Communist Monadilloon", I would like to express to them that class awareness can never happen unless there is a real communist party with its own network active on the ground. The Bolecheviki were prepared to it (even though the majority objected to the October Revolution such as Stalin, Kamenev, Zinoviev and even denounced Lenin and Trotsky's motion for a Workers' revolution in Pravda Newspaper)*. Lenin and Trotsky prepared the hubs and the Revolutionary Committee. In our case, we have nothing of the sort (yet). We are trapped in a balance of power which gives the Marxists a chance to breath (at least the free lancing marxists), and we are not sure to where this balance of power is heading to. The only thing we used to think about was that 8th and 14th March balanced each other due to the fact they both accepted to sit on the "Round Table" which is to me really "Poker Table".

The return of President Lahoud with utmost aggressivenes from the Arab Summit signals a threat within the balance of power as the news today were flooded with news of anti-14th Bloc with stronger esteem (and I do not mean Suleiman Franjieh's vegabond style of expression). Prime Minister Seniora is trying to balance by sending out delegates to check out the Palestinian Refugee camps (at least where the Lebanese delegates are able to access). It would be good to see the Palestinians living in better and more secure situation. We already know the ties of Fateh and USA during the latest Palestinian elections, and Seniora is trying to balance (how thick the thread between the allies in the international arena of 14th March and Fateh is yet to be revealed with time), yet the name of the game is reaching new dimensions (and hopefully not to war as some people expect). In Monday at least we will see if the balance of power is sustained or tilted. As for us Communists, what can we do? Bourgeoisie come and go, so practically we have to start with our party building (and international ties with Social Movements and the Red Non-Reactionary Internationals) while trying to achieve as much of our goals. We can't just say it is over for us, or let us go to the Arab Nationalism of LCP or Lebanese Ultra-Nationalism of DLM.

The Future?

Time will tell, and hopefully the balance is not tilted (at least not towards 8th of March), noting that 14th March will send to the workers within Lebanon the bullet of mercy when the IMF initiates the liberation programs under the title "Structural Adjustment" (I refer to Bullet of Mercy = Youthanasia). Moreover, I can't believe it is that simple from the lefties (ex-LCP) to demand privatization just to see the situation worse, this is outrageous. Every economic situation leads to disasters and every human life of a Proletariat counts (specially the rights attained in the first place as a human). I mean the Proletariat already are struggling to break even with their costs, and few got the good salaries (most cases to bureaucratic/political ties) and the Workers/Farmers suffered enough. It is strange not to see people discussing the Agricultural disasters striking Lebanon this year while the Government awaits the arrival of WTO. Who wants Defeatism still?

MFL