Liberal pols still toxic!

It’s no secret that when those of us in the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) state that liberal bosses are the greatest long-term danger to our class, many honest workers and students around us recoil at the message. After all, how can we say they’re more deadly, as Trump directs his racist goons to snatch workers out of their cars and homes and shoot them dead in broad daylight?

Our organization’s line – grounded in practice and the material world – remains valid and we must continue to fight to win the masses to see the liberal rulers for who they are. Case in point is Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s recent executive order that directs the local kkkops to “identify and document” immigration agents abusing the rights of people in the city with the idea that later those same agents could be prosecuted in court.

What Mayor Johnson essentially is pushing is that workers in Chicago confide in the police department to help us in our struggle against the ICE Gestapo. Chicago Police Department! Johnson wants us to ally ourselves with the same racist force that murdered LaQuan McDonald, Rekia Boyd, Adam Toledo, Dexter Reed and far too many others. The same racist force that has tortured, harassed and disappeared countless members of our class, and to this day still pays out tens of millions annually in misconduct settlements.

Liberal bosses like Johnson and even a Democratic Socialist like Zohran Mamdani in New York are so toxic to our class because they peddle the myth that the system can be radically reformed to meet all workers’ needs equitably, which history has always shown to be false. They blunt and cheapen the real collective fightback and class struggle organized by the working class against ICE across the country by encouraging us to seek justice within the boundaries of capitalist law. Even if some ICE racists are prosecuted, it’ll be a drop in the bucket for the global state terror apparatus that serves the bosses.

The international working class needs communism more than ever. Today and in the future, the social fascist misleaders will be the chief obstacle for our class uniting around a genuine revolutionary movement, while the capitalist system that they defend hurdles towards a broader and potentially nuclear conflict. When push comes to shove, they will sacrifice millions of working-class people into the jaws of imperialist carnage.

There are no good politicians or cops in a racist and genocidal system! Let’s continue to be in the spaces where the workers are at so we can win them to the Party and a real fighting communist alternative.
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From unequal exchange to workers’ unity

I presented at the Unequal Exchange Conference in the Twenty First Century Conference in Amsterdam this past week. The concept of unequal exchange was developed by Arrighiri Emmanuel and Samir Amin. The essence of the idea is that by calculating the labor value of exports from low wage countries you will often find that there is a net loss, even though the classical economists say trade is always win-win. Jason Hickel recently made these calculations precise. This means a lot of work goes into social reproduction in poor countries (sometimes called the global south or the third world): caring for children and elders, feeding and entertaining workers, building and maintaining housing. In the first world (which can be called the rich countries or the global north) this reproductive labor is supplemented by imports. So this creates a situation where capital accumulates in the global north. Reformist labor movements have historically demanded bosses “share the wealth” rather than leading the working class to unite with their international siblings in labor. Some of the adherents to the unequal exchange theory assert that the global north working classes will never make revolution; they deny the essential unity of the working class. They suggest only an alliance of bosses and workers in the global south can create a revolutionary situation by first “rebalancing” the terms of trade. We correctly reject this as economism -- meaning the philosophy that economic incentives are the best way to motivate human behavior. I raised this point at the conference in the Q & A, and the response was positive. We believe in politics in command. Workers of the world must unite internationally based on a political commitment. They should rebel against reformist misleaders who call on them to ally with bosses of any nation, race or gender. This rebellion will create a revolutionary situation for the final seizure of power.

I was a little nervous about joining the conference, but many of the presenters were also supportive of an international working class alliance. The fascinating academic presentations proposed many innovations for measuring, analyzing, or even for recognizing where measurements can’t describe what workers know. On the third day of the conference, organizers from Palestine Action in the UK, which sabotaged the Israeli military contractor Elbit Systems’ factories, spoke about how they were able to sharpen the struggle by organizing labo . In some neighborhoods they were able to organize locals to form a picket line/protest of support during sabotage actions. Dutch anti-genocide protesters also spoke from Rotterdam Front for Liberation and The Hague for Palestine about combining student organizing and working class organizing. The Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle also spoke. The Anti Imperialist Network and The International League of People’s Struggles played an important role in organizing. There was a lot of support for the national liberation philosophy of new democracy, i.e. alliance of “progressive” bosses, workers and peasants. Even though our line is different, developing relationships with these groups could provide opportunities to introduce the multi-racial working class and students who live in the global north to class struggle around the world. 

The Swedish syndicalist labor union Central Organization of Swedish Workers (SAC Syndikalisterna) spoke about a joint labor action between SAC member workers in the state owned alcohol distributor and agricultural unions in the vineyards of South Africa and South America. Swedish workers found management was meeting with vineyard owners to address concerns about labor practices. The workers insisted they be included. Workers made a point of including the organizers from the agricultural unions local to the vineyards. This meant the labor conditions really improved; the bosses’ reforms would have been superficial without the workers’ assistance. For their efforts the SAC workers were split up and sent to different locations. In response, the agricultural unions from the Global South protested, which led to the SAC workers in Sweden getting their jobs back. The SAC is now fighting for the job of a dock worker in the dock workers union Hamnarbetarförbundet fired for being the “ringleader” of a group of workers who refuse to load war material bound for Gaza. Surprisingly, they had heard of Progressive Labor Party before! 

Overall, the Marxist movement in Europe is strong. They have a large base of support, longstanding institutions, and they also have many international connections to working class movements around the world. The workers of Europe do not live in a social democratic paradise. Migrant workers are second class citizens. The neoliberals cut the existing social programs, and the rising fascist movement tries to fool workers with a false you help me I help myself alliance. I was able to share the Party in a few one-on-one conversations. It seemed like mentioning the Party during my presentation or making a public announcement could have led to friction with the organizers or attendees that would serve no political purpose at this time when I am totally new to the community. Even though our political line may be different than many of the organizations participating in the conference, there were many inspiring and instructive examples of how to organize multiracial working class unity across borders.
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Olympics exacerbates displacement

The housing crisis in Los Angeles County has reached a tipping point of systemic cruelty. While the region prepares to host the 2028 Olympic Games, billions of dollars are being poured into infrastructure and security—with costs for the latter alone expected to exceed $2 billion—while working class families are being pushed onto the streets. 

An estimated 72,000 people are experiencing homelessness in LA County. Despite this staggering figure, the fascist bosses appear more than willing to expand this number for profit. In an egregious case, a long time tenant family, currently out of work, is being sued for nonpayment of rent. Simultaneously, their landlord has refused to make necessary repairs in a building located in an area where rents are expected to skyrocket as the Olympics approach. 

The conditions are not just deteriorating; they are life-threatening. This family has been pleading with the landlord to remove mold that, according to their doctor, is making their child sick. Instead of professional remediation, the landlord has merely painted over the mold—a move that only worsens the problem. Under California law (Health & Safety Code § 17920.3), visible mold that poses a health threat renders a dwelling substandard, yet enforcement remains a struggle for those without resources. 

While the ruling class spends billions on “Gestapo ICE” and preparations for future wars, the working class is left to survive in uninhabitable conditions. This is why we have been active in organizing a tenants’ union to resist the bosses who treat housing as a commodity for the highest bidder rather than a fundamental human right. 

In a communist society, housing would be guaranteed to all. We believe a communist revolution is the only way forward to ensure a decent life for the working class. We urge you to stand with us. Join the Progressive Labor Party ! 
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Smoke for spirits, machete for pols

I am visiting Oaxaca, Mexico. The language school I attend arranged an excursion to a renowned alebrijes workshop. These carved wooden figures, often representing local animals,  are painted using colorful natural tints made from local vegetables and minerals. The detailed carvings depict ferocious pumas, coyotes, hummingbirds, rabbits with horns and many other creatures with fantastic features.

Alebrijes are both a part of local religious beliefs and treasured art pieces. Their sale and export employs many artisans.

A worker explained the process of making natural paint and, more importantly, sanctifying the figures to drive away evil spirits. The smoking resin of the Copal tree, a soft wood found in the forests, is used to whisk away any magic or bad luck that might be hiding in the wood. 

As the talk closed, I asked our guide if I could bring some Copal resin home and use it to drive out Donald Trump and other politicians and enemies of the working people. Without missing a beat, he pulled a machete from a copal tree stump, brandished it over his head and said, “this is what you need for those kinds of evil spirits.”
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