Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Class struggle clarified... for Sam Webb and National leadership of CPUSA
People's Weekly World Newspaper, 12/16/08 11:24
Americans are gaining a much clearer view of the ongoing class struggle. National Jobs with Justice (JwJ) and other organizations are calling for a “People’s Bailout” in opposition to the handouts flowing from the Bush Administration to the biggest bankers. Activists across the nation responded to JwJ’s call for a week of action, December 7-13. North Texas students responded in the college town of Denton, an hour north of Dallas.
Twenty-five students and 6 JwJ activists from Dallas gathered in front of the Wells Fargo Bank in the middle of downtown. Organizer Stewart Minor kicked off the responsive chant, “I don’t know but I’ve been told, C-E-O pockets are lined with gold!” A large percentage of the passing drivers honked their solidarity. The crowd sang “Which Side Are You On” before breaking into the standby, “The People United, Will Never Be Defeated” in English and Spanish, “El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido.”.
Leaflets, which had already been distributed all over the University of North Texas, followed the wording suggested from National JwJ:
As many predicted, the Wall Street Bail-out has proven to be the gross give-away to the same financial bigwigs that have been pocketing millions while wrecking the real economy. Little or no benefit has gone to the working people and the real economy, at a time that we face the greatest economic crisis since the 1930s. By the time Obama is sworn in, hundreds of thousands of additional people will lose their jobs, lose their homes and lose their health care.
It’s time for a “People’s Bail-Out” that fixes the real economy, restores a voice for working people in challenging corporate greed, provides emergency help to the victims of the crisis and begins building a fair economy that works for all, addressing crises in housing, health care, jobs, retirement security and the environment.
Jobs with Justice coalitions and ally organizations around the country will take part in an emergency campaign over the next 2 ½ months to get Congress and the new administration to enact a Peoples Bail-Out.
Immediately we call for:
Pass a large economic stimulus/recovery package, on the scale of the emergency we face;
Pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA);
Stop evictions due to foreclosures;
Emergency action so people losing jobs don’t lose health care.
Lay the groundwork for a long-term recovery program including:
Green jobs and clean energy;
Restore worker justice, including EFCA and other reforms;
Health care for all;
Retirement security;
Re-regulate the finance system and make the speculators pay to clean-up their mess
Fair Trade and Migration policies
Saturday, September 13, 2008
A little humor makes for a lot of truth
From: Alan Maki [mailto:amaki000@centurytel.net]
Sent: Saturday, September 13, 2008 11:16 AM
To: 'emora@cpusa.org'; 'emora@pww.org'; 'emoroze@cpusa.org'
Cc: 'swebb@cpusa.org'; 'jtyner@cpusa.org'; 'scott@rednet.org'; 'jleblanc@cpusa.org'; 'janetquaife@comcast.net'; 'Dean Gunderson'; 'Peter Molenaar'
Subject: RE: [CP-Action] Election Action #1: 8 Weeks To Go
Elena,
First of all let me thank you for all the good and hard work you are doing from your glass office up on the 7th Floor overlooking New York City. I assume, as each of the 314 remaining members of OUR Party across the country recruits three or four new members during this campaign, we will be in a position to expand those glass offices as planned.
I am a little confused here… but, could you explain why you wouldn’t have suggested that the CPUSA 2008 Election Program leaflet posted on the CPUSA website’s homepage would not have been included in materials for Communist Party USA members, friends and fellow travelers to use in campaigning?
I also noticed you inadvertently left off my blog on the official Obama for President Campaign web site… as far as I know, it is the only place people involved in the Obama campaign can receive all of your important information you get out, including Sam Webb’s essays and the CPUSA Election Program.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/alanmaki
As a public service, I will be posting all of your “Election Action” bulletins someplace on the Obama Campaign website, too… what the heck, Barack might as well get used to the Communist viewpoint, eh? The CPUSA will be leading the struggles and its coalition partners in the fight for peace, democracy and social & economic justice once the Obama/Biden Administration is sworn in… I understand why you want to keep a low profile for the moment… its about politics, capitalist politics, eh?
I noticed in one article on the PA website, it calls on activists to put down their signs and pick up the ballot as the way to defeat the ultra-right. You and Comrade Sammy might want to go over that formulation again and suggest that it might be best to hold on to those protest signs--- and include them--- and protests, as part of the voter registration and other electoral activities… also, it might help to have those signs displayed at Obama rallies. People were carrying all these signs at the March against the Republican Convention in St. Paul… with the big crowd and all, I am sorry I must have missed you and Sammy. But, we want to encourage people to hold on to these protest/advocacy signs and use them often throughout the rest of this campaign at Obama rallies, conferences, for tabling etc.
Believe me, take it from one of Barack Obama’s fellow community organizers, Obama is not going to be offended in any way by people forcefully and militantly asserting their constitutional rights of freedom of speech in order to articulate their problems along with their demands for solutions--- Obama, the community organizer, understands this even if some of his backers and handlers don’t; I am sure Obama will give you a little wink and nod of approval--- anything he says to the contrary is just political maneuvering and posturing, you know, what he has to do to get votes and keep this coalition together. So, don’t be timid and don’t be shy. Get those CPUSA Election 2008 Programs out on the voter registration tables and out at all the Obama rallies--- print up a few million copies, they will go fast. Send out two or three people to follow Obama around and pass them out. This is the way Communists have operated for years, unless of course Joel Wendland is “rethinking” Communist activism and participation in the struggles of working people, too, along with the left-center coalition strategy. But, remember, we only have about two months left here and while Wendland is pondering and thinking out the strategy and tactics, time is ticking away. I see it has only taken Comrade Wendland a few years, utilizing his “new” Marxist thinking process and skills, to come to the conclusion that the views of those living in “Podunk Towns” might be of some importance when it comes to working class struggles (ok, I’ll try to find another word other than “struggle” to use… much to harsh and counter-productive; not to mention offensive to our newly found coalition partners, the “progressive” sections of state-monopoly capitalism.)
Anyways, I assume the Communist Party USA 2008 Election Program has been created for a purpose, with the intent to make it a central feature of OUR Party’s electoral activity… so, let’s put our name boldly on it and get it out to all these new people brought into struggle through Obama’s efforts… you know, if you put the PWW and PA websites on this Election brochure very prominently… maybe in a few places, these sites might start getting some hits from a lot of people attending Obama rallies and campaign events… 314 members of OUR Party can get out quite a few of these programs… but, you are going to have to get people out of those nice comfy chairs in those newly remodeled million dollar offices… in fact, you might suggest that Scott Marshall load up his shiny new pick-up truck with the brochures and start making some deliveries. What the heck… why not even put Obama’s and Biden’s pictures on the flyer and urge people to vote for the candidates since the PWW and PA are boosting them anyways. As you know, I don’t support these Dumb Donkeys… but, then again, I don’t want to see McCain and Palin win, either.
I’m assuming you will be getting out this “Election Action” bulletin at least weekly as we move into the final weeks and days of this important and historic campaign which promises to bring Barack Obama to power in a way that will shatter the very foundation of capitalism… so, you might want to include a little blurb in each “Election Action” bulletin on the CPUSA 2008 Election Program… maybe include a link, suggest people print it out, post it on bulleting boards where they work and go to school, at community centers and churches, on their refrigerators… you might think of highlighting each demand or two on each “Election Action” bulletin you e-mail out.
It would be helpful if Joel Wendland would have a link to the CPUSA 2008 Election Program on each of the PA Blog’s he e-mails out, too. Ditto for each page on the PWW web site.
Some people are beginning to think the PWW and PA are merely organs of the Democratic Party… I think you will agree with me, that we don’t want anyone thinking this. I noticed Harry McAllister and Peter Molenaar were having a little problem just trying to give away copies of the People’s Weekly World at the recent March Against the Republican National Convention in St. Paul… there might be a reason why they had difficulty giving away two-hundred copies to thousands of people gathered to fight the ultra-right agenda of the Republican Party. I’m putting up a blog with lots of pictures, and my opinion as to why there was a little problem giving away a Marxist newspaper carrying a $1.00 price tag to thousands opposed to the Republican agenda of war and poverty. Here is a link to the blog… I invite you to check it out often as additions are made… I am sure you will love the photos I will be posting of your favorite PWW distributors in the Twin Cities… you should consider giving Harry McAllister and Peter Molenaar a little Lenin button to wear for all their hard work:
http://saintpaulmn.blogspot.com/
Not much on this blog yet, but, it is a work in progress :)
Again, keep up the great work! Don’t let dwindling membership figures and Political Affairs and People’s Weekly World subscriptions get you down… dropping from thousands of members to 314 really isn’t any big deal… we just have to do what Communists have always done… get out into the streets and among the working people where they live, work, go to school and recreate with our message.
Keep those glass walls sparking and nice and clean… “WORKS Shine” works great!!!
Oh, my, I almost forgot; but, did you notice you forgot to include a link to the CPUSA web site? This is the Party we are trying to rebuild, right?
I am glad to hear you check out my blog and you check it out often.
Yours in the, shhhhhhhh--- Struggle; pssssss--- that’s the, shhhhhhh, CLASS STRUGGLE,
Alan
P.S.--- have you considered offering a free copy of Frank Marshall Davis’ “Livin’ the Blues… Memoirs of a Black Journalist and Poet” with every new subscription to the PWW and PA? Ask Gerald Horne, see what he thinks of the idea.
Alan L. Maki
58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763
Phone: 218-386-2432
Cell phone: 651-587-5541
E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net
Check out my blog:
Thoughts From Podunk
http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/
-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Saturday, September 13, 2008 6:57 AM
To: Alan Maki
Subject: Fw: [CP-Action] Election Action #1: 8 Weeks To Go
----- Original Message -----
From: Elena Mora
To: cp-action@cpusa.org
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 2:14 PM
Subject: [CP-Action] Election Action #1: 8 Weeks To Go
ELECTION ACTION#1
8 weeks to go: this bulletin will contain tools, resources and information to help maximize everyone’s contribution to a people’s victory on November 4th.
Voter Registration:
Everyone should be involved in voter registration – in most places, there are roughly 30 days left to participate. It’s also a way to meet people locally, for get-out-the-vote efforts, and for building the movement after the election. And it’s easy to get connected – there are events everywhere posted on the Obama website, Moveon is doing youth voter registration, and many other groups are too.
Election flyers:
Can’t find campaign flyers? In some areas of the country, it does seem hard to get good election materials for voter registration tables and street canvassing. We’re all assuming and hoping that this will change in coming weeks, but meanwhile, in those immortal (and overly used) words of Joe Hill, don’t mourn, organize. Mainly, that means finding things online and printing them ourselves, or finding people who will do some printing. The best material we’ve seen is on the AFL-CIO website:
aflcio.org/issues/politics/mccain
aflcio.org/issues/politics/obama
The Real Palin:
For an excellent summary of the “facts and lies” in Palin’s speech to the RNC, go to:
news.yahoo.com
A simple two-column comparison of McCain’s record with Obama’s will be available next week, so stay tuned.
1 Million doors.
1 Million conversations.
1 Million voters.
On September 20th, the anti-war movement will reach out to registered voters who are the least likely to vote in an effort to convince them that this is a critical election. It is an opportunity to talk to neighbors about the war and its domestic economic consequences.
Be one of the 25,000 peace activists to knock on a Million Doors for Peace on Saturday, Sept. 20!
milliondoorsforpeace.org
United for Peace and Justice is joining with other major national organizations and scores of local groups across the country to send one message to Congress: "End the war in Iraq, bring all our troops home, and invest in our country's future."
In all 50 states, we will knock on a million doors to:
*Talk to our neighbors about the war and the costs to our community.
*Ask that they sign a petition to Congress that calls for an end to the war.
*Discuss what we can do in this important election year to build the antiwar movement in our neighborhoods.
When you sign up at:
milliondoorsforpeace.org
You will get:
*40 names of registered voters in your zip code.
*Hand-outs and petitions.
*Talking points and tips for effective door knocking.
In some areas, peace and justice groups will be hosting a gathering of volunteers for a brief training and to pair up volunteers who prefer to canvass in a team. If this is being organized in your area or nearby, you will receive a Million Doors for Peace email with the meet up information.
AFL-CIO: How we’ll win
In a previous email, you received the memo detailing the AFL-CIO’s ambitious and inspiring plan for a pro-worker, pro-union victory on Election Day. This should be circulated widely – it’s a great way to build labor-community unity, in the election struggle and beyond. And make sure you check out their election website, for lots of great resources got to:
aflcio.org
The (old) new organizing frontier: the internet
If you haven’t already, check out the many election organizing tools available on Obama’s website, obamaforamerica.com
If you don’t want to look through all of the information on the site (issues flyers, voter registration laws for every state, press releases and other articles, lists of local groups, a way to sign up to host or participate in local events, items for sale, and more), you might want to try going directly to something called “Neighbor to Neighbor,” which is a way to reach out to people who live nearby.
my.barackobama.com
Use the PWW and PA online!
The People’s Weekly World and PA have great articles on their websites every day. Sign up to receive regular notices by going to pww.org and entering your email address where it says “Headlines.” To receive articles from PA, go to politicalaffairs.net and enter your email address in the box titled “Participate.”
Most importantly: share the wealth – forward these articles to people you have met in the election campaign – if you don’t have an email list, start one!
______________________________________________
cp-action@cpusa.org list
To unsubscribe, send email to cp-action-request@cpusa.org with the word "unsubscribe" in the body.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
"Middle class," "working class;" what's in a name?
August 15th, 2008 - 6:24am ET
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A hearing in late July on the middle-class squeeze by the congressional Joint Economic Committee did not get much attention at the time, but a warning at that hearing by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., that what's happening to the middle class is not just a squeeze but a "collapse" is resonating in the wake of this week's bad economic news.
Sanders is arguing for "bold and aggressive" measures to address that collapse in an interview on "Meet the Bloggers," the weekly Brave New Foundation program which will stream live at 1 p.m. today. I will be featured on the program with Amanda Logan at the Center for American Progress.
Thursday's reports on consumer inflation and unemployment claims reveal the latest blows delivered to working-class families by the current economic downturn. Consumer prices going up at an annual rate of 5.6 percent last month, far above the 3.1 percent average increase in income. At the same time, the number of people receiving unemployment claims is 3.42 million, the highest level in almost five years.
With these trends, the legacy of Bushonomics is poised to add one more item to its legacy: "stagflation," the combination of a stagnant economy and rising unemployment that had conservatives in the late 1970s indicting President Jimmy Carter and Democrats in Congress as failures on the economy.
The difference between the 1970s and today is that families earning five-figure salaries enter this dangerous economic period facing record economic disparity.
"I do think this is one of the most underreported issues of the past 10 years," Sanders told the Joint Economic Committee on July 24. "The reality is that in many respects the middle class of this country is collapsing. The vast majority of our people have seen a decline in their standard of living," while those at the top of the income ladder are beneficiaries of a wealth gap between the very rich and the middle class that has not been seen since the late 1920s.
One of the witnesses at the hearing, Elizabeth Warren, a Leo Gottlieb professor of law at Harvard Law School, said that while inflation-adjusted median household income has declined by $1,175 since 2000, basic expenses for average families have increased by more than $4,600.
"Seven years of flat or declining wages, seven years of increasing costs, and seven year of mounting debts have placed unprecedented stress on the ordinary families. By every critical financial measure, these families are losing ground. Without changes in critical economic policies, the strong middle class that has been the backbone of the American economy and the American democracy is in jeopardy," she testified.
The case keeps getting stronger for a new, bold change in economic policy explicitly designed to help working-class families regain their footing. Sanders will outline his ideas on the Meet the Bloggers program, which will be available for on-demand viewing after the live streaming.
A response:
Let's get something straight...
By Alan Maki | August 17th, 2008 - 1:32pm GMT
Are we talking about the "middle class" or the "working class?
These are two different classes.
You seem to insinuate that "working class" people reach "middle class" status when their incomes rise to a certain level. This simply is not true.
However, for the sake of argument, giving you the benefit of doubt, what is the dollar figure at which a "working class" family becomes "middle class" based upon actual "cost of living factors" because this is what determines "standard of living," not some very abstract claim to being "middle class."
I think you are evading a very important and fundamental concept here... what is at issue is what kind of income does it take for working class families to live above the poverty line... in other words, are only some working class families entitled to be able to afford the necessities of life while others are not; and, thus, we consider those working class families with incomes to provide the necessities of life, "middle class?"
This is a no win argument about "saving the middle class."
The fight needing to be waged is for a minimum wage that is truly a real living wage where one person in a four-person household can work 40 hours a week and the family has the necessities of life... as should be scientifically defined by the United States Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics in league with the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
This pitting worker against worker has got to end; it is a no win situation for the entire working class because under this rotten economic system of capitalism the majority of the working class is always living in poverty; and the tendency will always be towards dragging all workers' standard of living down.
In the final analysis we are talking about: the "Standard of Living" of the working class; and rising the entire working class up from poverty.
This makes it absolutely essential that progressives fight for a minimum wage that is based on the scientific calculations of what is a real living annual income.
Depending on the performance of the economy considering ALL cost of living factors which can now be scientifically calculated, according to Alan Greenspan, on a weekly basis, the minimum wage should be legislatively tied to these factors--- all workers should be brought up from poverty; and, as progressives, we should only be concerned with bringing those on the bottom up first... not in maintaining some kind of undefined "middle class" status for anyone.
Workers create all wealth with some substantial help from Mother Nature--- who isn't doing much better than the working class, which no one should find surprising given the greedy corporate drive for maximum profits ... after over two-hundred years of capitalist accumulation of this wealth I think it is time to change things.
Casino workers need two jobs; one job going in debt trying to support a family; another job to pay for gas to get to the first job... I imagine if the facts be told, this is the same situation most working class folks find themselves in... and this is what has to change.
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
What do you think about this discussion? Are you working class or middle class? Does it even matter?
Communist Party Backs Obama=== at least according to Cliff Kincaid
According to right-wing bigot, Cliff Kincaid, the...
Communist Party Backs Obama
A question in "red" to Cliff Kincaid: Don't other people besides our Party support Obama, too?
AIM Column | By Cliff Kincaid | July 3, 2008
Obama showed his gratitude by going to socialist conferences and selecting Marxist professors as his friends in college.
Barack Obama’s patriotic tour has run into a snag. More evidence of communist backing for the candidate has surfaced. The latest to emerge publicly in Obama’s camp is Joelle Fishman, the chairman of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) Political Action Commission. In a column titled, “Big political shifts are underway,” Fishman says that Obama could lead “a landslide defeat of the Republican ultra-right” this November and that he is “ready to listen” to the “left and progressive voters” backing him. Fishman makes it clear that the CPUSA is part of this coalition.
Meanwhile, admitted CPUSA member Alan Maki, writing on the official Barack Obama website, in the “community blogs” section under an “Obama 08” banner, has mentioned the unmentionable. That is the role of CPUSA member Frank Marshall Davis in mentoring Obama during his formative high school years in Hawaii.
Although fine print at the bottom of the page says that “Content on blogs in My.BarackObama represents the opinions of community members and in no way should be interpreted as endorsed or approved by the campaign,” the information provided by Maki is deadly confirmation that a hard-core CPUSA member played a key role in helping raise Obama. It is a story that most media, including some “conservative” news outlets, have shied away from.
Davis, who died in 1987, was a Stalinist who stayed with the CPUSA when others were abandoning it, and he refused, as late as 1956, to deny his membership in the party. He was selected by Obama’s white grandfather to be the future candidate’s role model and father-figure.
Obama showed his gratitude by going to socialist conferences and selecting Marxist professors as his friends in college. Later, of course, he would arrive in Chicago and launch his political career in the arms of communist terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, who, according to declassified intelligence information (PDF), were members of a group with connections to the CPUSA, foreign communist regimes, and even the Soviet KGB. The information shows that their close terrorist associate, Kathy Boudin, attended Moscow University and was subsidized by the Soviet government. Her father was a CPUSA member and a registered Cuban agent, documents show.
Praise for the CPUSA Figure
Announcing the “Frank Marshall Davis roundtable for change” on the Obama website, Maki, a Democratic Party activist and casino worker organizer, explained, “Reading Barack Obama’s book I learned about his mentor, Frank Marshall Davis.” He went on, “Of course, as we all know, Frank Marshall Davis was a Communist and he had a very good understanding of the underlying source of problems which all too often goes unstated and unchallenged and remains hidden because of the high fear-factor level in this country; I am referring to capitalism―a thoroughly rotten system. Frank Marshall Davis also understood through his thorough studies of the situation that socialism provided the only workable alternative to capitalism.”
Saying that he has been “active in the Minnesota DFL and the Democratic Party most of my life,” Maki still wants to know about the specifics of the “change” Obama is promising.
Maki goes on to say, “There really isn’t much for us to learn about ‘change’ from Obama, but there is quite a bit to be gleaned from the writings of Frank Marshall Davis and I thank Barack Obama for bringing him to my attention… now I can say that Frank Marshall Davis is in many ways my mentor, too.”
In a telephone conversation, Maki admitted being a CPUSA member and claimed the FBI had thousands of pages on him. A friendly fellow, he maintains more than a dozen blogs. One of them is simply titled, “Communist manifesto.”
For her part, CPUSA official Fishman seems to have more insight into Obama’s notion of change. “In sharp contrast” to John McCain, Fishman writes, “Obama speaks of strengthening government to provide health care and jobs, address global warming and end the war in Iraq.”
Drudge Plays Role of Censor
While Obama’s far-left support seems to be worthy of news and comment, Matt Drudge of Drudge Report fame has just rejected two paid ads submitted by my group America’s Survival, Inc. about the influence that CPUSA member Davis exerted over a young Obama. The ads featured a photo of Davis and a communist hammer and sickle. They asked, “Who is this man?,” and urged viewers to click to “Meet the mysterious Red Mentor” so they could be directed to two reports on the subject. The ads were “too controversial,” Drudge’s representative told me.
A recent article in Politico suggested Drudge was moving into the Obama camp. Matt Drudge, the article said, has been “trumpeting Obama’s victories and shrugging at his scandals.” The rejection of my ads is proof of that.
While Drudge protects Obama to the extent of rejecting paid advertising which draws attention to his Frank Marshall Davis connection, the “progressives” are openly talking about it. A “progressive” blogger named Rita responded to Alan Maki and says she checked out a copy of Davis’s book, Livin’ the Blues, from the library, and has been “reading it every day and sharing this with my kids…Frank Marshall Davis was a journalist and social activist of tremendous courage. I want to point out that Frank Marshall Davis was not only a voice for civil and human rights; his voice was a solid voice for the rights of all working people.”
She reproduces Maki’s email on Davis, which notes that copies were sent to such left-wing luminaries as Rep. Keith Ellison, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, and Robert Borosage of the Institute for America’s Future and the Campaign for America’s Future. Borosage, who writes for the Huffington Post, is also the founder and chairman of the Progressive Majority Political Action Committee, which “recruits, staffs, and funds progressive candidates for political office.”
If Davis was indeed a “voice for civil and human rights,” why didn’t Barack Obama proudly identify Frank Marshall Davis by his full name in Dreams From My Father? Instead, Obama refers repeatedly to somebody named “Frank” giving him advice on various matters. Obama does note, however, that “Frank” was a contemporary of black poets Richard Wright and Langston Hughes. This is a hint of his real identity. The reference is significant because Wright and Hughes broke with the CPUSA while Davis did not. Indeed, Davis, in Livin’ the Blues (page 243), refers to Wright’s “act of treason” for exposing the CPUSA. Davis favored cooperation between what he called “Reds and blacks.” This demonstrates how much of a committed communist Davis really was. And this may be why Obama didn’t want readers to know his true identity.
A writer for a communist publication, Gerald Horne, first identified the mysterious “Frank” as Frank Marshall Davis. The identity was confirmed by Dr. Kathryn Takara of the University of Hawaii. Now, Alan Maki confirms it as well, saying that “progressives” should be proud of his legacy.
Praising Foreign Reds, Too
In addition to glorifying Davis as a source of sound ideas, the “progressive” Minnesota blog that favorably cites Maki also features a picture of “Raul Reyes…heroic leader of the Columbian resistance.” This is the dead leader of the communist narco-terrorists known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Documents found in Reyes’ computer after his death disclosed that “gringos” representing Barack Obama wanted to meet with the FARC and that they were opposed to U.S. military aid for the Colombian government. Obama had been publicly critical of the Colombia government’s human rights record.
By contrast, the Bush Administration has helped the Colombia government in its war with the FARC. Fortunately, and no thanks to Obama, the FARC has suffered a series of setbacks, the most recent being the spectacular liberation of 15 people, including 3 Americans, held by the group. Just a decade ago, there was speculation that the FARC might be getting so strong as to actually be able to defeat the military forces of the government of Colombia.
The FARC is now in ruins, but their “gringo” friends with communist and “progressive” support might be able to take power in the U.S. The communists and their “progressive” allies appreciate the stakes. It’s too bad that Drudge does not.
Cliff Kincaid is the Editor of the AIM Report and can be reached at cliff.kincaid@aim.org
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Ten Best Communists and Ten Worst Communists
1. William Z. Foster
2. Gus Hall
3. Carl Winter
4. Paul Robeson
5. Harry Bridges
6. Benjamin Davis
7. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
8. Charles Ruthenberg
9. Claudia Jones
10. James W. Ford
Ten Worst Communists
1. Max Schachtman
2. James P. Canon
3. Louis Budenz
4. Sam Webb
5. Joe Sims
6. Dan Margolis
7. Joel Wendland
8. Sue Webb
9. Erwin Marquit
10. Jay Lovestone