Reply to Jim Strang in the Cleveland Plain Dealer

So What's Wrong with Driving out the Bush Regime?

 

Just today I learned of an article by Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Jim Strang (Monday Oct. 17), attacking  the plans for mass political action on Nov 2, to launch a  movement determined to "Drive Out the Bush Regime". An attack on what basis?...the "basis" of my involvement, with my revolutionary communist political views.

 

Strang's worry seems to be about readers with a wide variety of political views who might be--and in fact are being-- drawn to the "Call"  to mass political action November 2  in response to the present situation and the whole disastrous course now being set by the Bush regime for this country and the world. In fact, Strang quotes that "Call" (see worldcantwait.org.)--AND NEVER ANSWERS IT!

 

Strang's column quotes:

"Your government..."  

      "on the basis of outrageous lies, is waging a murderous and utterly  illegitimate war in Iraq, with other countries in their sights;"

     "is openly torturing people, and justifying it;"

      "is moving each day closer to a theocracy, where a narrow and hateful brand of Christian fundamentalism will rule;"

      "is moving to deny women here, and all over the world, the right to birth control and abortion;"

      "puts people in jail on the merest suspicion, refusing them lawyers, and either holding them indefinitely or deporting them in the dead of night;"

      "suppresses the science that doesn't fit its religious, political and economic agenda, forcing present and future generations to pay a terrible price;"

      "enforces a culture of greed, bigotry, intolerance and ignorance."

 

Well, Mr. Strang, what about it? Is that the truth of the situation, or not? And, if so, can you just ignore all that and invoke "revelations" of "communist involvement"  to deflect people's need, desire and  responsibility to act on it? And what IS wrong with what you sarcastically refer to as, in your words,  "The solution? Drive President George W. Bush out of office."

 

Strang seems to think that none of what he quotes requires an answer--that its enough to "warn" people about "the company they keep."

 

Well, in fact, the "company kept" in "World Can't Wait.." includes a wide range of political views about ultimate goals and solutions, but united in just what its slogan says:  "The World Can't Wait. Drive out the Bush Regime"--and  united in launching a movement of millions to drive out this regime and its reactionary program along with it. And yes, of course,  revolutionary communists would be  passionately and intensely involved in a struggle against such an oppressive force as this Bush regime, and see that very important, pressing goal in the light of our larger vision--a vision and a goal we  want people to actually learn something about, think about, and debate as we all take up the urgently needed massive struggle to reverse the course to the unacceptable future  we are headed to right now.  Others involved in this effort also see this struggle to drive out the Bush regime as vital and urgent--in light of their OWN larger views about society and the future.

 

So to people who want to change this disastrous course, I'd say to seek out, think about, and act on what Mr. Strang avoids--the truth of what's in the "Call" for mass political action on November 2. And join others, who, from many perspectives, are right now taking up the urgent task of driving out this Bush regime, starting that day.

 

And, as you do that, consider the possibility that "weapons of mass destruction in Iraq" is not the ONLY lie you've been told. Do what Mr. Strang also avoids, with  his superficial invocation of standard lies and slanders. Seek out more truth--about what communist revolutions have been all about, what they have accomplished before they have been reversed or defeated, and what revolutionary communism today is actually seeking to bring into being. And, as a starter in that, I've today posted on my website a quiz from Revolution newspaper.

 

(Tues Oct 18, 2005)