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L.P. Beria, NKVD

Though unmercifully slandered by Khruschev and other revisionists following his ousting in June 1953, Lavrenti Beria remained one of the Soviet Union’s most energetic leaders carrying forth the banner of Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism.

Unfortunately, history has been slow to exonerate the legacy of L.P. Beria, including among man a Marxist with favorable views towards the Soviet Union.

But in considering Beria’s resume, it’s difficult to reconcile this irrational distaste (bordering on outright hatred) with the view of a man who committed his life to the building and construction of socialism first in his native Georgia, then Transcaucasia, and finally throughout the entire USSR.

It matters little that Beria has been subject to the routine vitriol from the foreign (and modern Russian) bourgeoisie. That much goes without saying, and is equally in line with the hostile attitudes dumped on J.V. Stalin and other Soviet leaders. However rotten Beria may appear in the pages of the bourgeoisie’s slanted and ideologically driven historiography, why then, and under what pretexts, does the Left continue to despise Lavrenti Beria?

Clearly, the accusations that Beria was an agent of foreign capitalist intelligence is absolutely ludicrous. Following Beria’s illegal seizure at the hands of Zhukov and other senior Soviet military officers at the behest of Khruschev et al., the conspirators began circulating these and other nasty rumors to justify their acting against a fellow comrade and Politburo member. Among the other charges leveled against Beria was the time-old accusation that he had served as a counter-intelligence agent for the Azeri nationalist Musavat Party.  But this accusation is also without merit, having been debunked as early as the 1920s by an investigation by the Communist Party of Transcaucasia; which found that Beria was in fact acting as a double agent for the Bolsheviks in pre-Soviet Georgia (nonetheless, the charge lived with Beria throughout his life).

The accusation that Beria attempted to undermine Soviet power following Stalin’s death is equally left wanting of hard evidence. The pragmatic moves to adjust and modify certain policies were representative of Beria’s overwhelming realism that predominated in his views of foreign, and to a large extent, internal affairs. His colleagues and later jailers accused Beria of attempting to restore capitalism – but that’s, again, is simply not true. Beria clearly understood that his own political fortunes were inextricably linked with socialism and the Soviet system – and that nothing he did would have ever enabled him to survive (politically, and possibly physically) if capitalism were restored. Beria’s actions then can best be understood by a realistic appreciation of the new challenges facing the Soviet Union following the death of its greatest leader, Josef Stalin.

For Beria, the policy changes pushed forth between the time of Stalin’s death and his arrest were a means of securing, not destabilizing, the Soviet Union. Beria, unlike many of his contemporaries, was able to appreciate that the loss of Stalin would signify a need to re-assert Soviet power in a different way, particularly in light of the changing dynamics following the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany at the conclusion of World War II and the rise in Western hostility and provocations marking the onset of the Cold War. True, many of Beria’s tendencies and activities following Stalin’s death may qualify him as a revisionist; but that’s, at the very least, disputable. What is unequivocally true, though, is that Beria was in no way, shape or form a traitor or counter-revolutionary.

Watch in High-Definition!

Rest in peace.

“I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am President, it is the first thing that I will do! I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war! You can take this to the bank!” Sen. Barack Obama, October 27, 2007

“After eight years, some of those years in which we did not have, I think, either the resources or the strategy to get the job done, it is my intention to finish the job.  And I feel very confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we’re doing there, and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive.”  Pres. Barack Obama, November 24, 2009*

*President’s speech announcing plans to deploy more than 30,000 additional US troops to occupied Afghanistan.

Each statement made on Free Media Productions is made individually, not collectively.  Simply put, this operation is not run by Democratic Centralism but convergence via happenstance.  For instance not all of Metal Gear’s statements are proofread and supported by Besosvhili, and vice versa, not all of Besoshvili’s statements are proof read and supported by Metal Gear.

On December 21, 2009 – the 130th Birthday of J.V. Stalin, people gathered on the Red Square in Moscow to celebrate this great event in the history of all mankind. Then came representatives from different parties and citizens from all walks of life.

First came the patriotic forces from the AUCPB, coming to the grave of Stalin and laid flowers and held a small meeting. After that the representatives of the CPRF and RCU of Youth, Trudovaya Rossia and many other parties and multitude of people came to pay respect to Stalin with flowers and wreaths.

Even though the authorities tried to stop some people, the multitude was just too much for the present regime to stop. The columns of people grew longer and longer and it brought back memories as to how it was during Soviet times.

There was a never-ending laying of flowers and wreaths to Stalin.

The people kept coming in greater numbers as never before since the demise of the Soviet Union.

Red Square from one end to the other had people waiting in line.

Soviet War Veterans, decorated with medals, paid their respect to Generalissimo Stalin.

Putin-Medvedev police started to hold back the Muscovites, but the people kept coming to pay respect to Stalin.

Some of our favorite recent comments from our more endearing readers:

cubbt said:

Why don’t you guys just drop the shit and watch the super bowl game. The Who were amazing. Allah would be proud if you did.

Jimmy the Popper said:

You guys truly suck.

Tresse Julie said:

Wow. Love all the unnecessary anti-Semitism. You guys have a real subtle way of turning something otherwise progressive (anti-Zionism) into something despicable.

Pornotaliban said:

another fucked up moron raised on burgers and fries with no clue of poverty or lack of freedom. Such pigs should be impaled and burned – earth would be so nice without u

jsg75 said:

Ha! Communists! That’s rich. Communism / socialism / internationalism reminds me of flat-earth, eugenics, biblical literalism and similar disproven beliefs. Have fun with your make believe time, it’s cute.

Kirby Ruffle said:

You guys are a disgrace.

Part I of VI: Beck’s Countless Lies about America & the Founding Fathers

By Marcus Winter, Farabundo Morazán and Ismail LaLanne

On January 22nd 2010, another hardened reactionary tried to attack the history of leftism and Marxism and (surprise) managed to bring nothing new to the table at all. Shock jock Glenn Beck, an admitted alcoholic and former cocaine addict, has made a career out of appealing to the most lunatic fringe of the right-wing. Even so, this week he finally managed to outdo himself, even after the time he said Obama was “a racist” and had a “deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture.” Revolutionary Holocaust: Live Free or Die begins oddly—with white X-Files font letters against a crackling static background. What this has to do with or why this is the least bit appropriate for the subject matter Beck tackles is anyone’s guess. As we shall see though, this is symbolic for the entire presentation, which, while clever, is the same hodgepodge of anti-communist views that we have all seen and heard a thousand times before.

A good question for Glenn Beck: why is such radical anti-communism necessary today if communism is discredited, dead, and buried? If communism is supposedly dead in the water, a footnote of history, and so on, and if capitalism is truly the greatest system, then why is it that we are facing a wave of anti-communist hysteria not seen since the Cold War? Mr. Beck, it might do you well to remember that hysteria and desperation are signs of weakness…and liars.

No matter how hard he tries, Glenn Beck cannot sell his line about how “this story has never been told.” Horror stories about communism have been told since before communists ever came to power in the first place. The opening of the secret Soviet archives actually reveals that these claims were in fact ridiculously exaggerated, not worse, than previously claimed.

So, what are his intentions here? Many things all at once—among them licking the boots of the bourgeoisie and re-packaging old and debunked lies. We shall tackle them one by one using our own sources and information. The complete transcript of Beck’s program is available here until further notice: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,583732,00.html.

Because of the length of his program, we have decided to break this presentation up into several parts. For right now, we will content ourselves with refuting the introduction to his program.
We invite you to stay tuned for a little series of our own.

Beck’s Thesis
Glenn Beck’s allegedly “groundbreaking” exposé of “progressives,” whom he conveniently lumps together, is by no means new or groundbreaking at all. Revolutionary Holocaust seeks to establish a link between Joseph Stalin and communism on one side, and Adolf Hitler and Nazism on the other. While doing this it also seeks to talk about the reign of Mao Zedong in China, along with a segment about liberal icon Che Guevara.
This same “thesis” of fascism and communism being almost exactly the same or at least sharing fundamental similarities, has been repeated for us endlessly since we were kids. For Beck to champion this as a “new and groundbreaking” idea is either foolish or stunningly arrogant. It has been the dominant narrative shoved down our throats since the publication of The Origins of Totalitarianism in 1951 by Hannah Arendt. For a closer look at this laughable “theory,” look here: http://theredphoenix.wordpress.com/2009/09…otalitarianism/

Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, & Slave-Owning Freedom
The video begins with Glenn Beck praising the United States of America and its associated American Dream. “The story of America,” he pines, staring into the camera with his intellectual glasses on, “is really one of self-reliance and optimism, and profound faith.” He continues to milk this image for all its worth, bringing up the merits of the US Constitution and the Founding Fathers.

Glenn Beck has willfully ignored the history of the American Revolution. The spirit of the American Founding Fathers is only a myth and not a reality.

First, the Constitution of the United States was not set up by “the” people or any sort of popular democracy, but by financial autocrats. White males with property were the only ones allowed to vote under the system that men such as George Washington (the richest man in America), James Madison (owned enormous slave plantations), John Hancock (a rich merchant), Benjamin Franklin (a wealthy printer) and others aimed to set up. Of the 55 men who gathered to write the Constitution in 1787, most were lawyers and men of enormous wealth, making their fortunes in landowning, slave trading, manufacturing or shipping. Half loaned money out for interest, 40 held government bonds.
Regarding the writing of the Constitution:
“The manufacturers needed protective tariffs; the moneylenders wanted to stop the use of paper money to pay off debts; the land speculators wanted protection as they invaded Indian lands; slaveowners needed federals security against slave revolts and runaways; bondholders wanted a government able to raise money by nationwide taxation, to pay off those bonds” (1).

Governments are not neutral. They reflect the economic interests of the dominant class, expressed in America as men such as the Founding Fathers. The Constitution protects “life, liberty, or property” and little else in reality. Women, Blacks, Indians and poor whites were not mentioned, but the defense of private property was.
The clause about the “freedom of speech” was soon enough violated, as it is today, by clauses such as the Sedition Act of 1789, which was a response to the French and Irish Revolutions. It forbid under law the practice of writing or saying anything “false, scandalous and malicious” against the United States government, the Congress or the President. It is not immediately apparent that anyone’s “liberty” should be left to a government run by the rich and powerful.

Despite this, Beck says that “[…] those seeking a different path than the ones the founders settled on realized the only way to really defeat the Constitution was for the people to stop reading it.” He then insists that the Constitution, through its supposed system of check and balances, “kept dogs at bay” for 200 years. Despite this Utopian dream, the Founding Fathers were not men seeking a “balance” in society, and certainly didn’t believe that all men were created equal. If they wanted any sort of balance, it was between the wealthy, and not between such groups as Indians and whites, blacks and whites, men and women, boss and worker, or rich and poor, slave and slaveowner, and certainly not property owner and the propertyless.

Next Article
In the next part of the series, we shall see how Glenn Beck uses the story of Nazi Germany and WWII to further his own ends, and ends up whitewashing Nazi crimes in order to attack the USSR.

Sources:
1) Zinn, Howard. Peoples’ History of the United States, page 91.

Bow your little head,

Think for five minutes

On Stalin.

J.V. Stalin is the brilliant leader and teacher of the Party,

The great strategist of the socialist revolution.

He is implacable in facing the enemies of socialism,

Absolutely true to principle.

He is the union of clear revolutionary perspective,

And clarity of goal in all His activities,

Combining them with extraordinary firmness and persistence.

The name Stalin is the symbol of the moral and political unity of the working class.

Description (IMDB.com):

Based on the preachings of Reverend Estus W. Pirkle, this film warns what will happen to America if the citizens do not give up their depraved ways and turn to God and Jesus for salvation. Communist infiltrators, the “footmen”, will pave the way for an all out invasion by weakening our will through TV, dance, rock music and alcohol. Once the invasion begins, the new Communist government will proceed to round up all Christians, and either execute them or force them to undergo re-education. Only by putting their faith in the bible where it belongs, says Rev. Pirkle, can America resist the coming Red Menace.

By Deirdre Griswold

This year’s economic plans in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will put greater emphasis on the development of light industry and agriculture, promising a surge in the living standards of the people.

An outline of these plans was contained in a joint New Year’s editorial that appeared in the DPRK’s three leading newspapers: one representing the party, one the youth and one the army.

For almost a decade, at great sacrifice, the DPRK has had to allocate a large amount of its resources to building up its means of defense. This emphasis took on special urgency when, in January 2002, former U.S. President George W. Bush arbitrarily added the DPRK to the propaganda invention he called the “axis of evil.” Such a pronouncement by the commander-in-chief of the world’s largest military power could only be interpreted as a threat to attack Korea.

At the time, the Bush administration had already embarked on a war in Afghanistan and was threatening to invade Iraq, another country on Bush’s “axis.” Hundreds of billions of dollars were being added to the budget for the Pentagon and other agencies of U.S. aggression and intervention around the world.

The DPRK had to take the threat seriously.

From 1950-53, hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops had invaded Korea and fought a war there against the People’s Liberation Army of the DPRK. The Korean soldiers were bolstered by a million Chinese volunteers, who came across their common border to fight alongside their Korean comrades. Both the Koreans and the Chinese were defending revolutions that had begun in their countries decades earlier, when the masses of people suffered under Japanese troops and puppet regimes. Sweeping to victory when World War II ended in Japan’s defeat, the Korean revolutionaries soon had to fight a second war for national liberation and social justice — this time against U.S. imperialism.

Virtually no family in Korea was left untouched by that war. Millions of civilians and soldiers were killed. At the end, the U.S. continued to occupy the south militarily — and still does. This division of Korea and the constant pressure on the north have been a drag on its economy ever since.

Despite all this, industrialization in the DPRK began almost immediately after the armistice in 1953, and its economy soon outstripped the U.S.-occupied south. Living conditions for the people rose quickly. Ever since, the socialist system of the DPRK has been able to provide quality free, universal medical care and education to its people.

However, much of this progress was cut short in the 1990s. Not long after the fall of the Soviet Union, which had been an important ally and trading partner of the DPRK, the legendary leader of the Korean Revolution, Kim Il Sung, died. The country then experienced several years of the worst weather of the century, when floods ruined much of its agricultural land and swept away bridges, hydroelectric dams and other important infrastructure.

Add in the increased threats from the U.S., including economic sanctions that still continue, and it is clear that this has been a very difficult period for the Korean people, but one in which their resolve to defend their socialist state has never wavered.

In recent years, the DPRK has announced its ability to defend itself not only with a superbly trained and motivated army but with nuclear weapons. It has staged underground nuclear tests and launched several missiles that could send a warhead thousands of miles if Korea were attacked. Last year, Pyongyang announced it had put a communications satellite in space, launched by its newly developed Kwangmyongsong-2 missile.

Underlying these military achievements is the DPRK’s progress in rebuilding its scientific-technological base on a higher foundation. The joint statement points to its success last year in perfecting new steel-making techniques at the Songjin Steel Complex and in achieving “cutting-edge” computer-guided machinery.

The DPRK registered growth in its economy last year, even as the economy of the south was contracting because of the world capitalist crisis. The joint New Year’s statement credits the unity of the people with the Workers Party of Korea and its leader Kim Jong Il for having turned the situation around so dramatically.

Now the DPRK is poised to take a leap forward in providing more and better consumer goods and services.

At the same time, it is calling for the U.S. to drop the sanctions and join it in signing a peace treaty ending the Korean War. Only an armistice exists — which Washington uses as the basis for keeping some 30,000 U.S. troops in southern Korea to this day. Pyongyang is also calling for Washington to join it in hammering out an agreement to create a nuclear-free Korean peninsula — a reminder that the DPRK was under the shadow of U.S. atomic weapons for more than half a century before it attained a nuclear deterrent of its own.

Griswold has visited both the DPRK and south Korea a number of times.

From the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)

Pyongyang, January 1 (KCNA) — Rodong Sinmun, Josoninmingun and Chongnyonjonwi Friday published a joint editorial titled “Bring about a radical turn in the people’s standard of living by accelerating the development of light industry and agriculture once again this year that marks the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea” on the occasion of the New Year.

The following is the excerpt from it:

Today our service personnel and people greet the New Year Juche 99 (2010) with the pride of being victors, who wrote a new history of great revolutionary upsurge.

A heyday unprecedented in the history of the nation lies ahead of them, who are courageously rushing towards the world by tapping the inexhaustible potentials of Songun Korea.

Kim Jong Il is leading the campaign for the building of a great, prosperous and powerful nation to a brilliant victory as he steers the efforts to effect a great revolutionary upsurge on the strength of single-minded unity.

Now all the service personnel of the Korean People’s Army and all the people are offering their heartfelt thanks and the greatest glory to him who is shaping the brilliant future of the country and the revolution with unflagging energy and untiring leadership, and are filled with a firm determination to support the Party’s cause to the last with intense loyalty and heroic feats.

Last year Juche 98 (2009) was a year of dramatic change, when a phenomenal age of realizing all the ideals of the people has come.

Kim Jong Il worked out a grand plan for making a decisive turn in the Korean revolution and the building of a thriving nation by effecting a new revolutionary upsurge and wisely led the efforts of the service personnel and people.

After kindling the torch of a great upsurge in Kangson, home to the Chollima movement, he proposed launching the 150-day and 100-day campaigns successively, and took revolutionary measures to bring them to a victorious conclusion. His outstanding leadership ability was the source of impetus for the unprecedentedly great innovations and leap.

The matchless fighting spirit of the leader, who continued the forced march of high intensity to vibrant hard-fought fields for an upsurge throughout the year, burning his heart with noble love of his country and fellow people, gave free rein to the mental strength of all the service personnel and people and worked world-startling miracles across the country.

Last year’s struggle etched in their hearts the truth that his decision is precisely practice and they will always emerge victorious when they follow him.

Last year witnessed one remarkable event of knocking on the gate to a thriving nation after another.

The successful launch of man-made satellite Kwangmyongsong-2 and the successful second underground nuclear test by our own efforts and technology were a landmark event signaling the first victory in the building of a thriving nation.

The perfection of the Juche-based steel-making system in the Songjin Steel Complex and the attainment of the cutting edge of the CNC technology constitute a great victory of the great Juche idea and an auspicious event for the whole country and all the people that demonstrated our inexhaustible economic and technological potentials.

The firework displays on the Day of the Sun–birthday of President Kim Il Sung–, May Day and the WPK anniversary in October were a striking manifestation of the lofty ideals and ambition of the Korean people who are building a thriving nation and the rosy future of Songun Korea that is advancing under the leadership of the great Party.

The economy of the country entered the stage of full-scale upturn as all the people staged a life-and-death struggle under the leadership of the Party.

The 150-day and 100-day campaigns were an unforgettable struggle that wrote the most brilliant chapter in the history of our great upsurge.

The whole course of the heroic campaigns conducted by all the people, including the workers, clearly showed what kinds of miracles would be performed and what kinds of changes would be effected when we give free rein to the might of the harmonious whole of our leader, our Party and our people, in which the Party trusts the people and the people defend the Party and the leader at the risk of their lives.

Production sharply increased in the sectors of basic industries, vanguards of the national economy, and the industry as a whole achieved revitalization.

Structures of lasting value in the Songun era, like the Nyongwon Power Station, the Wonsan Youth Power Station, Waterway on the Miru Plain and Mansudae Street, were built across the country.

The gasification project in the Namhung Youth Chemical Complex was completed, and dynamic efforts were made to upgrade major factories and other enterprises.

Last year remarkable achievements were brought about in agricultural production and rural construction, many cooperative farms transformed into ideal villages appropriate to a prosperous country and the production foundations and potentials of the light-industry sectors, including the textile and food-processing industries, strengthened markedly.

Remarkable successes were achieved in the development of socialist culture.

In the heat of the revolution in literature and the arts in the Songun era conducted under the energetic guidance of Kim Jong Il, masterpieces were produced and re-presented one after another in the fields of the cinema, opera, drama and music.

Examples of mass-based culture and the arts in the era of a great upsurge were set to inspire the whole country with revolutionary enthusiasm and militant spirit.

Kim Il Sung University, Wonsan University of Agriculture and other institutions of learning were refurnished splendidly, and sportspersons registered good results bringing great pleasure to the people.

The victorious great upsurge of last year confirms that the DPRK is developing in leaps and bounds, and the day when the successful building of a thriving nation will be proclaimed is just approaching.

New Year Juche 99 (2010) is a year of general offensive, when all-Party and nationwide efforts should be concentrated on improving the people’s standard of living on the basis of the laudable victory and achievements of the great revolutionary upsurge.

Kim Jong Il said:

“Our building of the country into an economic giant is aimed, to all intents and purposes, at radically improving the people’s standard of living. When the people’s living standards are decisively improved, hooray for socialism and singing of Arirang of prosperity can ring out louder across the country and the gate to a prosperous nation be opened.”

This year marks the 65th anniversaries of the founding of the glorious Workers’ Party of Korea and the country’s liberation.

The anniversary of the founding of the WPK will be an important occasion for demonstrating the mounting national spirit and mettle of the Korean army and people, who are adding brilliance to the undying exploits performed by President Kim Il Sung in building the Party and carrying out the revolutionary cause of Juche and the human cause of independence, and are speeding up the building of a thriving socialist nation on the strength of the single-minded unity around the leadership of the revolution.

We should celebrate the anniversary as a great revolutionary event to be written down in the history of Kim Il Sung’s nation by giving the fullest play to our ardent loyalty to the Party, great guide, that has opened up a bright future for the country and people.

The great upsurge we are bringing about as we make unheard-of creation and leap forward under the leadership of the Party has entered a new phase.

The might of the country’s economy, including the heavy industry, was strengthened in the flames of the gigantic great upsurge, setting up a springboard for the country, already a politico-ideological and military power, to justifiably reach the status of an economic giant.

Now, based on the brilliant achievements of the great revolutionary upsurge, the Party is unfolding unprecedentedly grand plans and operations to bring about a decisive turn in the people’s standard of living.

It is the firm determination and will of the Party to enable the people, who have braved severe hardships together with the Party, to enjoy the blessing of socialism to their hearts’ content by getting them relish the substantial fruits of the present great upsurge and realize without fail the noble intention and desire of President Kim Il Sung who devoted his heart and soul to the people all his life.

True to the intention of the Party, which regards it as the supreme principle in its activities to steadily improve the people’s standard of living and spares nothing for them, we should channel all our efforts to improving the people’s standard of living.

To launch a sweeping campaign to bring about a drastic turn in improving the people’s standard of living in the flames of the great revolutionary upsurge–this is the general orientation of this year’s efforts.

We should conduct an all-Party and nationwide drive for improving the people’s standard of living to ensure that the achievements of the great upsurge are followed by greater ones and this year becomes a prosperous year filled with the people’s happiness.

“Bring about a radical turn in the people’s standard of living by accelerating the development of light industry and agriculture once again this year that marks the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea!” is a slogan we should uphold.

Light industry and agriculture are the major fronts in the efforts for improving the people’s standard of living.

Great are the foundations of light industry and agriculture, which our Party has laid out with an eye on today against all odds.

An all-Party, nationwide effort should be directed to mass-producing consumer goods.

The light-industry sector should carry forward the upgrading of its factories and enterprises on a high level, and strive to improve the quality of the consumer goods.

Local-industry factories should be operated at full capacity, and units, as many as possible, should launch a campaign to turn out more daily necessities favoured by the public.

The agricultural sector should sharply increase the grain production by thoroughly applying the Party’s policy of agricultural revolution, like improving the seeds, doing double cropping and improving potato and soya bean farming.

It should strictly observe the requirements of the Juche farming method and introduce organic and other new farming methods and technologies.

We should ensure that the updated stockbreeding, fish farming and fruit production bases that have established a Juche-oriented breeding system and embodied the principle of profitability demonstrate their great effect in reality.

We should radically increase the state investment in the fields related to the people’s living, and all the sectors and units should supply fully and in time the raw and other materials needed for the production of light-industry goods.

We should gain access to more foreign markets, and undertake foreign trade in a brisk way to contribute to economic construction and the improvement of the people’s standard of living.

The four vanguard sectors are the engine of the national economy and a key to solving the problem of the people’s living.

In December last year, Kim Jong Il kindled the flame for the new year’s drive while inspecting the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex and placed the workers of the Songjin Steel Complex, who had perfected the Juche-based steel-making system, in the van of the great revolutionary upsurge in the Songun era.

The vanguard sectors, with a firm view that the development of light industry and agriculture depends on that of heavy industry, should push ahead with today’s general offensive for improving the people’s standard of living by means of increased production.

Steel production leads to the production of grain and machinery.

The sector of metal industry should increase the capacity of Juche iron production that relies on the domestic raw materials and fuel and scale without fail the targets of pig iron, steel and rolled steel production set by the Party.

The sector of electric power industry should channel effort to run thermal power stations at full capacity and push ahead with the construction of large-scale hydroelectric power stations, including the Huichon Power Station.

The sector of coal industry should produce coal without condition for the thermal power stations, chemical factories and other important units, and step up modernization projects to steadily enhance its production capacities.

The sector of rail transport should set an order and discipline as strict as in the army, produce new-type locomotives and freight cars in a larger number and make railway service modernized and railways heavy-duty.

The sector of machine-building industry should extend the scope of introduction of the CNC technology on a high standard as required by the IT age, and effect a revolution in the production of tools, so as to produce high-performance, state-of-the-art machinery in a larger number.

We should implement the people-oriented policies of the Party and the state to enable all the people to substantially enjoy the benefits of socialism.

The true nature of our socialism lies in putting the people’s well-being above anything else and providing them with all the benefits.

We should ensure that the advantages of the people-oriented policies, like giving free medical care and free education, formulated by President Kim Il Sung and applied by the Party and state throughout their history are given fuller play in the people’s living.

We should speed up the construction of 100 000 flats in Pyongyang with those in Mansudae Street as a model, and build beautiful socialist streets and villages in a greater number in other urban and rural areas.

Socialist principles should be maintained in commodity circulation, and the quality of welfare service improved decisively.

The fundamental secret of making a new leap in this year’s general offensive lies in launching a campaign to push back the frontiers of science and technology in all sectors.

We must turn out as one under the slogan, “Let us push back the frontiers of science and technology in all the sectors of the building of a great, prosperous and powerful country and leap higher and faster!”

The sector of defence industry, a major front in pushing back the frontiers of science and technology, should continue to lead the efforts to open the gate to a great, prosperous and powerful country, and all other sectors and units of the national economy should launch a drive to push back the frontiers of science and technology.

They should bring science and technology close to production and put themselves on a modern and scientific basis in a far-sighted manner, focusing on enhancing their abilities to develop new technologies and products.

We should map out a correct strategy for the development of science and technology as required by the 21st century, and rapidly develop core technologies, technical engineering of major sectors and basic science.

Scientists and technicians should fulfil their role as the pioneers in pushing back the frontiers of science and technology and standard-bearers in making their country a scientific and technological giant, with a determination to glorify their country by means of their intelligence, their technology.

All the sectors should conduct a vigorous mass technological innovation movement to push back the frontiers of science and technology and create new norms and records.

Today’s vibrant reality requires a revolutionary change in organizing economic work.

The leading economic officials should map out aggressive and realistic business and management strategies, and actively push ahead with the advance of the current great upsurge.

A strict discipline should be established in planning, financial management and labour administration, so as to give full play to the superiority of the highly-organized, socialist planned economy.

In order to maximize the speed of this year’s general offensive, it is necessary to give steady play to the unconquerable mental strength of the service personnel and people.

Our Party remains unchanged in its stand to persistently hold fast to the ideological strength, mental strength, no matter how the situation may change.

The mental strength of our people is based on the strong will and fighting spirit of General
Kim Jong Il.

All the Party members and other people should become staunch revolutionaries and vanguard fighters, who, defending their leader unto death, translate into reality the idea of great upsurge and the far-reaching plans of the General, who continues his unremitting forced march for the benefit of his country and fellow people.

The slogan “When the Party is determined, we can do anything!” must become the eternal motto of our people in their life and struggle.

For us, who have to make a higher and faster leap towards the world, national dignity is as precious as life itself.

We should thoroughly embody the Korean-nation-first spirit in all fields of social life as befits the people of a dignified power, who opened up an era of frontier science in which our satellite is circling the orbit.

The sector of art and literature should produce many masterpieces so as to give the fullest play to the mental strength of the service personnel and people.

In order to achieve the goals set by the Party this year, we should strengthen in every way the might of our revolutionary ranks, whose core is the Korean People’s Army.

The KPA should plan and conduct all forms of its military and political work on the highest level this year that marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the Songun-based revolutionary leadership of Supreme Commander Kim Jong Il, thus giving fuller play to the inexhaustible might of the revolutionary army of Mt. Paektu.

The KPA is an elite force that has formed a harmonious whole with the Supreme Commander in idea and will, in disposition and pluck, and in feeling and emotion.

It should train all its men and officers into the vanguard fighters of the Songun revolution, holding aloft the slogan “Let us defend with our very lives the leadership of revolution headed by the great Comrade Kim Jong Il!”

It should ensure that it overflows with the soldiers’ spirit of implementing without condition the orders and directives of the Supreme Commander by holding the work of establishing the revolutionary command system and military discipline as a priority task of the Party political work and developing the work without letup.

It should always remain highly alert without a moment of relaxation or indolence while keeping itself fully ready for combat action so that it can resolutely frustrate any surprise attacks of the enemy.

The men and officers of the People’s Army should continue to perform feats that would go down in history in the grand construction sites, including the Huichon Power Station, by displaying the revolutionary soldier spirit.

Under the slogan “Let us help the people!” they should strengthen the unity between the army and the people, a foundation of Songun Korea, and become the role models for civilians in the ideological spirit, morality, sports and physical culture, the arts and all other aspects.

The working class, youth and all other people, who are taking part in the effort for the building of a great, prosperous and powerful country, should launch determined offensives, regarding their work places as battle fields.

Our workers should create a new speed of advance in the spirit of having performed labour feats during the 150-day and 100-day campaigns.

The youth, who are a shock brigade in the great revolutionary upsurge, should make breakthroughs in the construction site of the Paektusan Songun Youth Power Station and other most difficult and labour-intensive posts and build more monumental edifices representing the Songun era, burning their hearts with the determination to move even the mountain if the Party calls them to do so.

They should become heroes, who add lustre to the era of great upsurge with undying labour feats, and talented persons, who highly demonstrate the dignity of the country by pushing back the frontiers of science and technology.

We should strengthen the Party and remarkably enhance the role of Party organizations to achieve a brilliant victory in this year’s general offensive.

This year, when we will be celebrating the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Party, Party organizations should give free rein to our Party’s militant might, which was built in the tempest of the Songun revolution, by bringing about a fresh turn in the Party work.

They should further intensify the Three-Revolution Red Flag Movement, so as to ensure that the revolution in ideology, technology and culture is waged briskly at all units.

We should defend the interests of the masses in a thoroughgoing way and solve all problems by relying on their strength as required by the revolutionary mass line of the Party.

Officials should become true servants of the people, who understand their sentiments and unfold their work as suited to these sentiments, and commanding personnel who, enjoy reputation and love among them, as they are possessed of free and easy character and ennobling humane traits.

All Party members, with a high political consciousness that they are the members of the glorious Workers’ Party of Korea, should become skillful political activists and courageous fighters, who always hold the flag in the van in all fronts of making a great upsurge.

The working people’s organizations should strengthen ideological education and briskly conduct various kinds of mass movements, like the socialist emulation movement among their members so as to give free rein to their patriotic enthusiasm in today’s effort for building a great, prosperous and powerful nation.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the publication of the historic June 15 North-South Joint Declaration.

The North-South Summit and the publication of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration in 2000 were a historic event that is of great significance in accomplishing the cause of national reunification.

Under the banner of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, a new era of independent reunification has been opened, and great, unprecedented successes were achieved in the development of inter-Korean relations and the national reunification movement.

The previous ten years since the publication of the June 15 joint declaration followed by the publication of the October 4 declaration for its implementation, during which the Korean nation has advanced along the road for independent reunification and peace and prosperity, has clearly confirmed that these declarations are the most reasonable reunification programmes and the ideal of “By our nation itself” is the very national spirit and the one and only ideal in the June 15 reunification era.

Last year, we took active and bold measures and made sincere efforts in order to improve the aggravated inter-Korean relations and bring a radical phase in national reunification.

Our measures evoked great support and sympathy at home and abroad and created an atmosphere of dialogue and cooperation between the north and the south.

The schemes of the separatist forces to thwart the advance of the era of June 15 reunification are vicious, but they cannot break the desire and will of the fellow countrymen to achieve independent reunification and national prosperity by implementing the north-south joint declarations, and it is inevitable that the pro-reunification, patriotic forces will prevail over the separatist forces and emerge victorious.

This year we should hold high the slogan “Let the entire nation unite under the banner of north-south joint declarations and achieve national reunification at the earliest date!”

The way for improving the north-south relations should be opened.

Unshakable is our stand that we will improve the north-south relations and open the way for national reunification on the basis of the historic June 15 joint declaration and October 4 declaration.

If the south Korean authorities continue to negate the June 15 joint declaration and cling to the policy of confrontation in collusion with the foreign forces, the relations between the north and the south will never be improved.

They should refrain from committing acts that may aggravate the confrontation and tension, and take the road of respecting the inter-Korean declarations, promoting north-south dialogue and improving the relations between both sides.

National reconciliation and cooperation should be promoted actively.

Reconciliation should be promoted with the common national interests given precedence, and cooperation should be encouraged through travel and contacts between the people from all walks of life.

All sorts of legal and institutional mechanisms that hinder the projects for common interests and prosperity of the nation should be abolished and free discussion and activities of the broad sections of the people for reunification should be fully ensured.

The unity of the entire nation constitutes a decisive guarantee for the country’s reunification.

All the fellow countrymen in the north and the south and abroad should strengthen solidarity and collaboration to develop the national reunification movement.

They should build up the atmosphere of independent national reunification, reconciliation, cooperation and unity on a nationwide scale to greet the 10th anniversary of the publication of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and the 30th anniversary of the proposal for the founding of the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo.

The entire Korean nation should crown the year 2010 as a year of opening a new phase of independent reunification by frustrating all challenges of the anti-reunification forces with their concerted efforts and stepping up the grand nationwide march toward reunification.

The fundamental task for ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the rest of Asia is to put an end to the hostile relationship between the DPRK and the USA.

It is the consistent stand of the DPRK to establish a lasting peace system on the Korean Peninsula and make it nuclear-free through dialogue and negotiations.

Our Party and the government of our Republic will strive to develop relations of good-neighbourliness and friendship with other countries and achieve global independence under the unfurled banner of independence, peace and friendship.

Our Party is a great guide which steers our motherland and people to sure victory, and ours are heroic army and people who perform everything without fail once the Party has planned and decided to do it.

The majestic firework display to be held on the auspicious October holiday will resound all over the world as a reflection of the determination of all the service personnel and people to follow the Party to the last along the road of Songun and the delight of all the people in enjoying the blessings of socialism.

Copyright (C) KOREA NEWS SERVICE(KNS) All Rights Reserved.

By BRUNIDE LA MOTTE
Guardian newspaper
UK Nov/ 8/09

On November 9, 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down I realized that German unification would soon follow, which it did a year later. That meant the end of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the country in which I was born, grew up, gave birth to my two children, gained my Doctorate and enjoyed a fulfilling job as a lecturer at Potsdam University. The union brought wealth for some, but it also brought social breakdown, widespread unemployment, blacklisting, a crass materialism and an “elbow society” as well as demonisation of the country I lived in and helped shape it. Despite some advantages, for most it was more a disaster than a celebratory event.

Here are just two. My best friend, a foreign languages teacher, lost her job and was then blacklisted because, at the time the wall fell, she was teaching at the GDR Law College. She wasn’t a member of the Party or a political activist. After much searching she managed to find a job helping students who were excluded from school, because their parents were working in the GDR Government.

My brother who has a PhD in Philosophy of Science, lost his research job at the GDR Academy of Sciences, and ever since has only been able to find odd low-paying temporary jobs.

After the Wall was torn down more than 85% of industrial enterprises were sold to private firms in West Germany. More than 1.7 million of hectares of agricultural and forest lands were sold off and 80% of agricultural workers lost their jobs.

In 1990 the GDR economy plunged into bankruptcy when the hasty “currency union” was imposed by the West. The results were that the GDR export products rose in price by 450% overnight and were no longer competitive and thus the West gained more markets at the expense of GDR and the working people who became unemployed on a massive scale.

In the GDR everyone had a home, a guaranteed job, health care and all benefits that the socialist GDR gave to the people. After the unification close to 3,000,000 claims by non-GDR citizens were made on the GDR citizens’ homes! Most of the GDR citizens lost their homes to West Germans that were abetted by the West. Scores of GDR citizens committed suicide when they were evicted from their homes that they and their children grew up in.

That’s the price of the forced reunification and the sell off by traitors like Gorbachev and others!

By  Kuo Mo Jo

(Chairman of All
Chine Association of writers and Artists)

Great Stalin, beloved
steel, eternal sun!

Because humanity has
you,

Marxism Leninism can
exert its might today;

Because humanity has
you,

The proletarians can
display its strength today;

Because humanity has
you,

The work of
liberation can extend its glory today,

It is you who lead us
to the open sea of world Communism;

It is you who
instruct the west to not forget the East;

It is you who unite
us into a force unparalleled in history.

The peace fortress of
Soviet Union stands firm,

The unity and
progress of the New Democracies of Europe and Asia advance;

And the brilliance of
the People´s Republic of China shines forth.

The history of
mankind has started new chapter;

The order of native
to will follow the path of revolution;

The name of Stalin
will forever be the sun of humanity.

Long Live great
Stalin!

Long Live beloved
Steel

Reference: People´s China Vol 1, No 1,  Jan 1 1950; Pg 4

Free Media Productions would like to take this opportunity to wish a very Happy 130th Birthday to the late General Secretary, Josef Stalin!

Let us commemorate this day as a tribute to him! Long Live the Great Leader and Teacher of the Socialist Motherland!

]]> http://www.freemediaproductions.info/Editorials/2009/12/21/happy-132nd-birthday-comrade-stalin/feed/ 0 http://www.freemediaproductions.info/Editorials/2009/12/19/taliban-warns-us-over-afghan-war/ http://www.freemediaproductions.info/Editorials/2009/12/19/taliban-warns-us-over-afghan-war/#comments Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:46:58 +0000 Free Media Productions Staff http://www.freemediaproductions.info/Editorials/?p=2158

Law is the totality (a) of the rules of conduct, expressing the will of the dominant class and established in legal order, and (b) of customs and rules of community life sanctioned by state authority – their application being guaranteed by the compulsive force of the state in order to guard, secure, and develop social relationships and social orders advantageous and agreeable to the dominant class.

This simple thesis and observation was not new to Vyshinsky, but an objective characteristic of all legal systems, dating back to even the most primitive and ancient forms of historical jurisprudence.

But the difference between bourgeois jurisprudence and socialist legality is not only the necessary transition of state authority from one dominant class to the other (from bourgeoisie to proletariat), but is distinctively marked by the unity of theory and praxis. Unlike bourgeois “Constitutionalism,” as seen in Western liberal capitalist democratic states, the legal system of the Soviet Union was exemplified by this normative and descriptive cohesion. The most demonstrative evidence exists in the lack of so-called “Constitutional protections” that reflect vague or abstract principles whose validity exists beyond the realm of the material world, but a real-life reflection of the existing conditions prevalent in Soviet social relations.

Proceedings in 1945 trial of Polish nationalist-military conspirators

The above characteristic serves as the fundamental basis for the social, economic and political transformation of jurisprudence from capitalism to socialism; further evidence to socialist jurisprudence as the most progressive, scientific and fundamentally correct application of the law to have ever existed in history.

Pyongyang, December 13 (KCNA) — Voices calling for withdrawal of nuclear weapons is now ringing out more loudly than ever before in the Western European countries where lots of U.S. nukes have been deployed, says Minju Joson Sunday in a signed commentary.

Nuclear disarmament is one of the requirements of the times and an international trend, it notes, and goes on:

Nevertheless, the U.S. has made desperate efforts to keep the deployed nuclear weapons at any cost, claiming that the existence of about 200 B61 thermal nuclear bombs deployed by it in such Western European countries as Italy, Belgium, Germany and Netherlands, is important for the security of NATO and they would deter its member nations from developing their own nuclear weapons.

This goes to prove that though the U.S. pays lip-service to “nuclear disarmament”, it is nothing but hypocrisy and the U.S. is an arch criminal of nuclear threat and proliferation.

It is the U.S. invariable policy and strategic goal to contain other big powers and threaten, blackmail and put under its control the anti-imperialist independent countries with an unchallenged nuclear edge and thus realize its ambition for world supremacy.

The U.S. is keen on threatening and blackmailing other countries with nukes and many other weapons of mass destruction it deployed in different parts of the world. It is giving spurs to modernization of nuclear weapons while squandering a huge amount of money under the pretext of coping with “nuclear threat” from someone given that it is left with no justification to increase nuclear armed forces after the end of the Cold War.

The world is beset with danger of a new nuclear arms race and nuclear confrontation, its peace and security being exposed to grave threat, owing to the U.S. frantic arms expansion and nuclear war moves.

Peace can never settle in this land as long as the U.S. nuclear weapons are left intact. This is the unanimous assertion of the peaceloving people of the world including those countries in the European region and the demand of the times.

The U.S. would be well advised to stop at once the anachronistic and anti-peace nuclear war moves as required by the international community calling for the nuclear disarmament and the dismantlement of nuclear weapons.

Copyright (C) KOREA NEWS SERVICE(KNS) All Rights Reserved.

But coinciding with this basic characteristic of parasitic capitalism, is the active efforts by the bourgeoisie to increase the amount of profit extracted from workers – by lowering wages – even $1 per hour.

The following example was recently published in the November 2009 edition of the North Star Compass:

If a capitalist pays his workers just $1 less per hour – let’s say $10 instead of $11 – which doesn’t seem to be such a great difference – but, based on one year amounting to 2,000 hours, the employer takes $2,000 from the pocket of each employee and puts it into his own pocket.

If he employs 100 workers, his profit amounts to $200,000. If his company employs 1,000 workers, his handsome profit amounts to $2,000,000. per year – and so forth and so on.

Using all sorts of tax deductions allowed by the Government, he would pay less than $300,000 in taxes, which will leave him with a handsome profit of over $4,800,000.

It is very simple to understand! The ONLY way the rich get richer is by the poor getting poorer!

J.V. Stalin

As a matter of historical fact, this term was never used by Josef Stalin himself, as he considered himself an ardent student of Marx, Engels and Lenin – in effect, a “Marxist-Leninist.”

The term itself was coined by one of Stalin’s closest and most loyal associates and comrades-in-arms, Lazar Kaganovich. Comrade Kaganovich communicated that “Stalinism” constituted a higher theoretical level in the application of Marxist-Leninist principles as evidenced in the unprecedented achievements of the Soviet Union.

While never in “official” use within the Soviet Union, the term did enjoy an impressive amount of publicity within the Soviet press – including its employment in editorials, news reports and other media.

That being said, the term was hijacked by anti-Soviet parties, most notably the followers of the renegade Leon Trotsky, as a pejorative, with the propagandistic intention of portraying Stalin’s application of Marxism-Leninism as somehow distinct (read heretical) from “orthodox” Marxism-Leninism.

These groundless accusations notwithstanding, there’s absolutely no principled contradistinction between “Stalinism” and “Marxism-Leninism,” as both employ the basic foundations of the dialectical materialist method in accordance with objective of establishing scientific socialism.

That’s also not to say that Stalin didn’t incorporate serious theoretical contributions to Marxist-Leninist thought, including his insights into Marxism and the National Question, the aggravation of class-struggle within socialism and a very important dialectical assessment of Marxism and linguistics.

The latest crisis to befall worldwide capitalism has left its mark all over the globe; however, the most notable examples of outright resistance to the capitalist wage-labor system, and all its innate failures, has been most prominent among the agitated working classes of Eastern Europe.

Following the 1989 counter-revolution by the revisionist General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), Mikhail Gorbachev, which brought about the political dissolution of the Soviet Union and later the reversion of socialism to capitalism throughout Eastern Europe, systematic privatization of the means of production almost immediately resulted in the chaotic social transformation that have yet to be resolved, even 20 years thereafter.

Though some degree of stability was achieved in a few select states, the socio-economic consequences of the worldwide capitalist crisis that began in 2007 have revitalized Eastern Europe’s revolutionary proletariat – the most advanced social class in history – into taking direct, collective action against the ruling classes marked with a characteristic increase in sentiments favorable towards the re-socialization of the means of productions.

The most “hailed” private economies of the former Soviet and socialist bloc, including Poland, Latvia and the Ukraine, have now become plagued with economic instability and that have made them profoundly unattractive to foreign capital. Latvia, for instance, is on the brink of seeing a 20 per cent reduction in its gross national product. The former Ukrainian SSR, which was once hailed as a bastion of Western capital investment, has now seen its economic growth curbed back to pre-2003 levels. And Poland, whose regime is the most virulently reactionary of all the former socialist states, is now considered a major risk for defaulting on national debts.

The revolutionary transformation of the oppressed working peoples of Eastern Europe has not gone unnoticed by the ruling class regime, where in many cases unfathomable laws banning the public display of symbols associated with the labor and communist movement (such as the sickle and hammer, or the five-pointed red star). Such policies demonstrate the ruling classes’ growing anxiety over the rising threat of open insurrection against the self-destructive policies of the capitalist wage-labor system and all its insufferable calamities.

War President Obama: 30,000 More Troops to Afghanistan

Obama: “We Did Not Ask for This Fight”
Bush: “We Did Not Seek This Conflict”
Obama: “New Attacks are Being Plotted as I Speak”
Bush: “At This Moment … Terrorists are Planning New Attacks”
Obama: “Our Cause is Just, Our Resolve Unwavering”
Bush: “Our Cause is Just, Our Coalition [is] Determined”
Obama: “This Is No Idle Danger, No Hypothetical Threat”
Bush: “The Enemies of Freedom Are Not Idle”
Obama: “We Have No Interest in Occupying Your Country”
Bush: “I Wouldn’t Be Happy if I Were Occupied Either”

The war in Afghanistan turned 8 years old on October 7^th, 2009. The War in Afghanistan has carried on longer than the Second World War…
Longer than the First World War…
Longer than the American Civil War …

When you talk to a person in the United States or Canada about the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, many are unaware that the conflict persists to this day (in fact, it is escalating). Despite the recent escalations in Afghanistan, most pay the conflict absolutely no mind in their day-to-day affairs. Why would they? But the Afghan resistance continues, in the face of a foe that is better armed, funded and supplied than the insurgency. In the face of this resistance, successive administrations of NATO commanders continue to give the same message on Afghanistan: “We cannot win”.

So, how is it that the some of the poorest people on the planet earth are holding their own, and continuing to give NATO forces in Afghanistan an ongoing fight and mounting casualties? More importantly why do the people of Afghanistan continue to resist?

Afghanistan: A Brief History
Afghanistan is, if nothing else, a historical example of iron resistance to invasion.
Alexander the Great, the Mongol Khans, the Persians, the British Empire, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics…no great power has been able to conclusively conquer Afghanistan or hold it indefinitely, no matter what the brutality towards the Afghan peoples inhabiting the region or the cost in human life. Every empire that has ever invaded Afghanistan has subsequently collapsed.

The following account could have just as easily been written after the American conquest of Afghanistan in 2001, but it is an analysis of the British conquest of Afghanistan in 1839 (my emphasis added):
“The conquest of Afghanistan seemed accomplished, and a considerable portion of the troops was sent back. But the Afghans were noways content to be ruled by the Feringhee Kaffirs (European infidels), and during the whole of 1840 and ’41, insurrection followed on insurrection in every part of the country. The Anglo-Indian troops had to be constantly on the move. Yet, McNaghten declared this to be the normal state of Afghan society, and wrote home that every thing went on well, and Shah Soojah’s power was taking root. In vain were the warnings of the military officers and the other political agents….every insurrection during the summer of ’41 was successfully repressed, and toward October, McNaghten, nominated governor of Bombay, intended leaving with another body of troops for India. But then the storm broke out. The occupation of Afghanistan cost the Indian treasury £1,250,000 per annum: 16,000 troops, Anglo-Indian, and Shah Soojah’s, had to be paid in Afghanistan; 3,000 more lay in Sinde, and the Bolan Pass; Shah Soojah’s regal splendours, the salaries of his functionaries, and all expenses of his court and government, were paid by the Indian treasury, and finally, the Afghan chiefs were subsidized, or rather bribed, from the same source, in order to keep them out of mischief. McNaghten was informed of the impossibility of going on at this rate of spending money. He attempted retrenchment, but the only possible way to enforce it was to cut down the allowances of the chiefs. The very day he attempted this, the chiefs formed a conspiracy for the extermination of the British, and thus McNaghten himself was the means of bringing about the concentration of those insurrectionary forces, which hitherto had struggled against the invaders singly, and without unity or concert; though it is certain, too, that by this time the hatred of British dominion among the Afghans had reached the highest point.”
-Friederich Engels, Afghanistan, 1857

While the British occupiers grew complacent in their conquest of Afghanistan, resistance erupted. Engels continues:

“ Nov. 2, 1841, the insurrection broke out. The house of Alexander Burnes, in the city, was attacked and he himself murdered. The British general did nothing, and the insurrection grew strong by impunity…. A few companies were sent against the thousands of insurgents, and of course were beaten. This still more emboldened the Afghans. Nov. 3, the forts close to the camp were occupied. On the 9th, the commissariat fort (garrisoned by only 80 men) was taken by the Afghans, and the British were thus reduced to starvation…In fact, by the middle of November, his irresolution and incapacity had so demoralised the troops that neither Europeans nor Sepoys were any longer fit to meet the Afghans in the open field. Then the negotiations began. During these, McNaghten was murdered in a conference with Afghan chiefs. Snow began to cover the ground, provisions were scarce. At last, Jan. 1, a capitulation was concluded. All the money, £190,000, was to be handed over to the Afghans, and bills signed for £140,000 more. All the artillery and ammunition, except 6 six-pounders and 3 mountain guns, were to remain. All Afghanistan was to be evacuated. The chiefs, on the other hand, promised a safe conduct, provisions, and baggage cattle.”
-Friederich Engels, Afghanistan, 1857

The British adventure in Afghanistan ended with the withdrawal of British troops and thousands of British soldiers dead with a disproportionately larger amount of the people of Afghanistan killed in the process. The later Soviet adventure in Afghanistan ended under similar terms. The mass resistance to occupation was enough to drive out even the most technologically superior foe. After the withdrawal of the Soviet Union, the period of Taliban rule began, which leads us to the current occupation which began in 2001.

“Cartoon” Muslims and Chauvinistic Orientalism

“These are detestable murderers and scumbags, I’ll tell you that right up front. They detest our freedoms, they detest our society, they detest our liberties.”
- Canadian Chief of Defense staff, General Rick Hillier.

The ongoing resistance in Afghanistan is written off by Western audiences as savage and the ongoing resistance to occupation is seen as a malevolent force that would just as surely wage a military strike on the United States itself, as well as allied countries, if ever given the chance.
The fighters in Afghanistan are seen literally by many Western observers as being in league with the infamous 9/11 hijackers. Of course, none of the 19 alleged hijackers were from Afghanistan (15 from Saudi Arabia, 2 from the United Arab emirates, 1 from Egypt, 1 from Lebanon), but nonetheless the parallel is drawn.
For this reason, as with resistance/national liberation fighters all over the Middle East, the Afghan resistance fighters are portrayed as two-dimensional cartoon villains, motivated purely by irrational religious fundamentalism. Of course, it is true to an extent that all political movements in contemporary Afghanistan (including the Karzai puppet regime) claim allegiance to Islam, as the majority of the population does.

The dehumanizing portrayal of all Afghan resistance fighters as bloodthirsty religious zealots—note that in most narratives, it is the occupied people of Afghanistan who are portrayed as the aggressors—coupled with “War on Terror” pop-Islamic theology, where the smug premise is given that the unwashed Muslim peoples of the world want nothing more than to end their own life and others in order to receive a celestial gift of paradise and virgins in the afterlife, has given rise to massive national-chauvinism and racism.

While Islam does perhaps have cases of condoning martyrdom, one must also remember that so do Christianity and Judaism, the other major Abrahamic faiths. The allegations of Islamic scriptural basis for the war in Afghanistan are flimsy, as it contrasts sharply with not only the long history of coexistence (including intermarriage) among Muslims and non-Muslim neighboring peoples around the world, but also contrasts with some of the teachings of Islam itself.
From the Quran:
“Be good to . . . the neighbor belonging to your people and the alien neighbor.” (4:36)
“Allah does not forbid you concerning those people who do not fight you because of your religion, nor expel you from your homes, that you show them kindness and deal with them justly.. . . Allah forbids you only concerning those people who fight you for your religion, and drive you from your homes and help others to expel you, that you make friends of them.” (60: 8,9)
“And you will always find treachery in them, except a few of them. So pardon them and forgive. Surely Allah loves those who do good to others.” (5:13)

These are words of peace and coexistence, taken from the same scriptures as those alleged to incite suicide bombings. It becomes clear at this war being waged in Afghanistan, and other wars waged in other parts of the Middle East against occupation, while they may assume Islam as their vehicle just as most Western conflicts acquired a basis in Christianity, it is not the Islamic faith that is the driving force behind their armed defiance. The actual reasons for their armed resistance are very worldly, very material and tangible—the continuation of capitalism and imperialism.

In the Name of Almighty God, the All-Knowing, the Most Lovingly Compassionate

One’s perspective regarding government and governance determines the way one ‎should cooperate with the people.   If one recognizes government as a privilege and prey ‎of the governors, then the period of governance can be counted as an opportunity to fulfill ‎the expectations of certain individuals and groups or the ostentation and hedonism of the ‎governors.‎

But if in our view, “government” would be a responsibility before God for ‎establishing justice and a duty to ensure the rights of common people, serving the ‎servants of God and helping the oppressed- then the most important issue will be the ‎people’s concerns.  If this is the case, governors would not view themselves as better than ‎other people and they wouldn’t put themselves in any other position except serving the ‎people.  ‎

Based upon this view point, the ultimate goal is to achieve God’s approval and ‎satisfaction in the way of serving His servants, implementing justice and expanding ‎spirituality. This goal cannot be achieved unless fully devoting yourself to Almighty God, ‎and thus even sacrificing your life and reputation for its achievement becomes sweet.  ‎With this type of reasoning, the happiness of an orphan who has achieved his right is ‎preferable to the satisfaction of oppressive and voracious politicians. And the ‎appreciation of an oppressed woman- who is emancipated from the oppression- is much ‎more valuable than hundreds of official and international medals and awards. ‎

The political system of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based on this viewpoint.  ‎The governmental framework and the job description of the rulers is derived from the ‎Islamic holy sources and texts, which are which are the best guidelines for good ‎governance and honest service.  ‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

Last night-while I was spending time with my family-I had the opportunity to ‎review the noble book- Nahjul Balagha – one of our most valuable religious texts. ‎Naturally- as someone who bears the heaviest executive responsibility of the country for ‎sometime now – I preferred to use that opportunity and again study with my wife and ‎children, the letter of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) to his governor Maalik al-Ashtar, in ‎which he (pbuh) elaborates the right procedure of ruling and governance.  Certainly, that ‎which is in this letter- the 53rd letter in this noble book – is undoubtedly the greatest ‎management charter of Islamic government. ‎

I present here some sections of this valuable text which were attention-grabbing to ‎me.  I invite everyone -especially my dear colleagues in the government- to again refer to ‎Nahjul Balagha and study the Imam’s (pbuh) orders to Maalik al-Ashtar and to try to, ‎more-and-more, adjust your daily activities and operations with the Imam’s (pbuh) ‎instructions. ‎

However, we must say that we are very far away from what Imam Ali (pbuh) has ‎asked us to do, but we can and must strive to fully comply with his orders.    ‎

‎[Excerpts from Nahjul Balagha:]‎

Maalik! You must create in your mind kindness, compassion and love for your ‎subjects. Do not behave towards them as if you are a voracious and ravenous ‎beast and as if your success lies in devouring them.‎

Remember Maalik that amongst your subjects there are two kinds of people: ‎those who have the same religion as you have; they are brothers to you, and ‎those who have religions other than yours, they are human beings like you. Men ‎of either category suffer from the same weaknesses and disabilities that human ‎beings are inclined to, they commit sins, indulge in vices either intentionally or ‎unintentionally and mistakenly without realizing the enormity of their deeds. Let ‎your mercy and compassion come to their rescue and help in the same way and ‎to the same extent that you expect Allah to show mercy and forgiveness to you. ‎You must never forget that if you are a ruler over them, than your wali [Imam Ali ‎‎(pbuh) is referring to himself] is the ruler over you and Allah is the Supreme Lord ‎over the wali. And the reality is that He has appointed you as the governor and ‎tested you through the responsibility of this rule [that He has given you] over ‎them. ‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

And you should never be remorseful if you forgive. And do not be pleased and ‎proud of your punishment. Do not get angry and lose your temper quickly over ‎the mistakes and failures of those over whom you rule. On the contrary, be ‎patient and sympathetic with them. Anger and desire of vengeance are not going ‎to be of much help to you in your administration.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

If you ever feel any pride or vanity on account of your rule over your subjects ‎then think of the Supreme Rule of the Lord over the Universe, the extent of His ‎creations, the supremacy of His Might and Glory, His Power to do things which ‎you cannot even dream of doing and His control over you which is more ‎dominating than that which you can ever achieve over anything around you. ‎Such thoughts will cure your mental weakness, will keep you away from vanity ‎and rebellion (against Allah), will reduce your arrogance and haughtiness and will ‎take you back to the sanity which you had foolishly deserted.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

So far as your own affairs or those of your relatives and friends are concerned ‎take care that you do not violate the duties laid down upon you by Allah and do ‎not usurp the rights of mankind, be impartial and do justice to them, because if ‎you give up equity and justice, then you will certainly be a tyrant and an ‎oppressor. And whoever tyrannizes and oppresses the creatures of Allah, will ‎earn enmity of Allah along with the hatred of those whom he has oppressed and ‎whoever earns the Wrath of Allah loses all chances of salvation and he has no ‎excuse to offer on the Day of Judgment. Every tyrant and oppressor is an enemy ‎of Allah unless he repents and gives up oppression. Remember Maalik, that ‎there is nothing in this world more effective to turn His Blessings into His Wrath ‎than to insist upon oppression over His creatures because the Merciful Allah will ‎always hear the prayers of those who have been oppressed and He will give no ‎chance to oppressors.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

You must always appreciate and adopt a policy which is neither too severe nor ‎too lenient; a policy which is based upon equity will be largely appreciated. ‎Remember that the displeasure of common men, the have-nots and the ‎depressed persons lays heavier in the balance than the approval of important ‎persons, while the displeasure of a few big people will be excused by the Lord if ‎the general public and the masses of your subjects are happy with you. ‎

Remember Maalik, that these personages are the people who will be the worst ‎drag upon you during your moments of peace and happiness, and the least ‎useful to you during your hours of need and adversity, they hate justice the most, ‎they will keep on demanding more and more out of the State resources and will ‎seldom be satisfied with what they receive and will never be obliged for the favor ‎shown to them if their demands are justifiable refused, they will never accept any ‎reasonable excuse or any rational argument and when the time changes, you will ‎never find them staunch, faithful and loyal. ‎

While the common men, the poor and apparently less important section of your ‎subjects are the pillars of Islam, they are the real congregation of Muslims and ‎the power and defensive force against the enemies of Islam. Keep your mind on ‎their affairs, be more friendly with them and secure their trust and goodwill.‎

‎* * *‎

But be careful in forming your contacts (whether with the important persons or ‎the commoners). Keep such people away from you and think them to be the ‎enemy of the State who are scandal-mongers and who try to find fault with others ‎and carry on propaganda against them because everywhere people have ‎weaknesses and failings and it is the duty of the government to overlook (minor) ‎shortcomings. You must not try to go in search of those weaknesses which are ‎hidden from you, leave them to Allah, and about those weaknesses which come ‎to your notice, you must try to teach them how to overcome them. Try not to ‎expose the weaknesses of the people and Allah will conceal your own ‎weaknesses which you do not want anybody to know.‎

Do not give cause to the people to envy each other [man against man, tribe ‎against tribe or one section of the society against the other]. Try to alleviate and ‎root out mutual distrust and enmity from amongst your subjects.‎

Be fair, impartial and just in your dealings with all, individually and collectively ‎and be careful not to make your person, position and favors act as sources of ‎malice. Do not let any such thing or such person come near to you who does not ‎deserve your nearness and your favor. Never lower your dignity and prestige.‎

Remember that backbiters and scandal-mongers belong to a mean and cunning ‎group, though they pretend to be sincere advisers. Do not make haste to believe ‎the news they bring and do not heed to their advice.‎

Do not accept the advice of bakheel [bakheel is a person who is not only very ‎stingy with his own money, but has an envious character and does not like others ‎to contribute anything of theirs to other people]. They will try their best to keep ‎you away from acts of kindness and from doing good to others. They will make ‎you frightened of poverty.‎

Similarly do not allow cowards to act as your advisers because they will make ‎you timid in enforcing your orders, will scare you from handling important affairs ‎boldly and will make your enterprises and invasions timid and fearful attempts. At ‎the same time avoid greedy and covetous persons who would aspire to the ‎position of acting as your counselor because he will teach you how to exploit the ‎community and how to oppress people to get their wealth. Remember that ‎miserliness, cowardice and greed appear to be different wicked qualities but they ‎all arise from the same evil mentality of having no faith and no trust in Allah.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

Your worst ministers will be the men who had been ministers to the despotic ‎rulers before you and who had been a party of atrocities committed by them. ‎Such persons should not be taken into your confidence and should not be trusted ‎because they have aided sinners and have assisted tyrants and cruel rulers.‎

In their stead you can comfortably find persons who are equally wise and learned ‎but who have not developed sinful and criminal mentalities, who have neither ‎helped the tyrants in their tyrannies nor have they assisted them to carry on their ‎sinful deeds.‎

Such persons will prove the least troublesome to you. They will be the most ‎helpful. They will sincerely sympathize with you. If you take them in your ‎confidence they will sever their connections with your opponents. Keep such ‎people with you as your companions in your informal company as well as in ‎official gatherings in audience. From amongst such honest and humane ‎companions and ministers some would receive your fullest confidence and trust. ‎They are those who can always speak out the bitter truth to you and ‎unreservedly and without fear of your status, can refuse to assist you or ‎associate with you in the deeds which Allah does not like His good creatures to ‎commit.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

Select honest, truthful and pious people as your companions. Train them not to ‎flatter you and not to seek your favor by false praises because flattery and false ‎praises create vanity and conceit and they make a man lose sight of his real self ‎and ignore his duties.‎

You should not treat good and bad people alike because in this way you will be ‎discouraging good persons and at the same time emboldening the wicked to ‎carry on their wickedness. Everyone should receive the treatment which his ‎deeds make him deserve.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

Have a lot of dialogues with aalims [learned scholars] and a lot of discussions ‎with hukama [wise persons who are truth-seekers and thinkers] because these ‎‎[dialogues and discussions] would initiate and stabilize prosperity and ‎improvement for the country. And also restore law and order which existed in the ‎past. ‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

You must know Maalik that the people over whom you rule are divided into ‎classes and grades and the prosperity and welfare of each class of the society ‎individually and collectively are so interdependent upon the well-being of the ‎other classes that the whole set-up represents a closely woven and reciprocal ‎net. One class cannot exist peacefully, cannot live happily and cannot work ‎without the support and good wishes of the other. ‎

Amongst them are God’s faithful soldiers who defend His cause, the next class is ‎that of the secretaries of the State to whom duties of writing out and issuing ‎special or general orders are assigned, the third group is that of the judges and ‎magistrates to administer justice, the fourth is of officers who maintain law and ‎order and guard the peace and prosperity of the country. Then there are common ‎men, the Muslims who pay the taxes levied by the government, and non-Muslims ‎who pay the taxes levied by the government, and non-Muslims who pay tribute to ‎the State (in lieu of taxes). Then comes the class of men who carry on various ‎professions and trades and the last but not the least are the poor and the have-‎nots who are considered as the lowest class of the society. The Merciful Allah ‎has fixed the rights and duties of each one of them. They have been either ‎mentioned in His Book or explained through the instructions of the Holy Prophet ‎‎(pbuh). A complete code of them is preserved with us.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

Then there is the class of the poor and the disabled persons. It is absolutely ‎necessary that they should be looked after, helped and well-provided for. The ‎Merciful Allah has explained the ways and means of maintaining and providing ‎for each of these classes. And everyone of this class has the right upon the ruler ‎of the State that the minimum necessities for its well-being and contented living ‎are provided for.‎

Remember, Maalik that Almighty Allah will not absolve any ruler from his ‎obligations unless he sincerely tries his best to discharge his duties, invokes ‎Allah to help him in their performance, remains steadfast and diligent on the path ‎of truth and justice and bears all this whether the performance of these duties is ‎congenial or hateful to him.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

Protect your government from dishonest officers. If you find any of them ‎dishonest and your confidential intelligence service submits acceptable proofs of ‎his dishonesty, then you must punish him. This may be corporal punishment ‎besides dismissal from service and taking back from him all which he has ‎dishonestly collected. He must be humiliated and must be made to realize the ‎infamy of his wicked deeds. His humiliation and punishment must be given ‎publicly so that it may serve as a lesson and a deterrent to others.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

In reality a state lives upon the revenues collected from the tax-payers. ‎Therefore, more importance should be attached to the fertility of land than to the ‎collection of taxes because actual taxable capacity of people rests upon the ‎fertility of the land. The ruler, who does not pay attention to the prosperity of his ‎subjects and fertility of the land but concentrates only on collection of revenues, ‎lays waste the land and consequently ruins the State and brings destruction to ‎the creatures of Allah. His rule cannot last for long.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

By Allah, by Allah, I want to caution you about the poor. Fear Allah about their ‎conditions and your attitude towards them. They have no support, no resources ‎and no opportunities. They are poor, they are destitute and many of them are ‎disabled and unfit for work. Some of them come out begging and some (who ‎maintain self-respect) do not beg, but their condition speaks of their distress, ‎poverty, destitution and need. For the sake of Allah, Maalik, protect them and ‎their rights. He has laid the responsibility of this upon your shoulders. You must ‎fix a share for them from Beit-ul Maal (the Government Treasury). Besides this ‎reserve in cash, you must also reserve a share in kind of crops from government ‎granaries in cities where food-grains are stored as are cultivated on State-owned ‎land because in these storages the share of those living far away from any ‎particular city is equal to the share of those living nearby.‎

Let me remind you once again that you are made responsible for guarding the ‎rights of the poor people and for looking after their welfare. Take care that the ‎conceit of your position and vanity of wealth may not deceive you to lose sight of ‎such a grave and important responsibility. Yours is such an important post that ‎you cannot claim immunity from the responsibility of even minor errors of ‎commission or omission with an excuse that you were engrossed in the major ‎problems of the State which you have solved diligently. ‎

Therefore, be very careful of the welfare of the poor people. Do not be arrogant ‎and vain against them. Remember that you have to take particular care of those ‎who cannot reach you, who’s poverty-stricken and disease-ridden sight may be ‎hateful to you, and whom society treats with disgust, loathing and contempt. You ‎should be a source of comfort, love and respect to them. Appoint a respectable, ‎honest and pious person – a person who fears Allah and who can treat them ‎honorably, order him to find out everything about them and to submit a report to ‎you. ‎

Then treat these poor people in such a way that on the Day of Judgment you can ‎plead your case successfully before Allah because of all classes of your subjects ‎this class deserves more of your attention, sympathy and fair-deal.‎

Though every one of these poor persons deserves your sympathy and you will ‎have to do justice to His cause to achieve His favor, yet you should pay more ‎attention to young orphans and the old disabled. They neither have any support ‎nor can they conveniently come out begging. They cannot reach you, therefore, ‎you must reach them.‎

Remember that the fulfillment of this obligation and duty is considered as a ‎tiresome burden by most of the rulers but to those who desire to achieve His ‎Blessings and to enter into His Realm, even this work seems light and congenial. ‎They bear it happily, dutifully and sincerely. They find pleasures in it and they ‎believe in the promise made by Allah.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

Out of your hours of work, fix a time for the complainants and for those who want ‎to approach you with their grievances. During this time you should not do other ‎work but hear them and pay attention to their complaints and grievances. For this ‎purpose you must arrange public audience for them during this audience, for the ‎sake of Allah, treat them with kindness, courtesy and respect. Do not let your ‎army and police be in the audience hall at such times so that those who have ‎grievances against your regime may speak to you freely, unreservedly and ‎without fear.‎

All this is a necessary factor of your rule because I have often heard the Holy ‎Prophet (pbuh) saying, “The nation, where that rights of the oppressed, destitute ‎and down-trodden are not guarded and where the mighty and powerful persons ‎are not forced to accede these rights, cannot achieve salvation”. You must ‎remember that in those audiences the most common men will gather. Therefore, ‎if you find them misbehaving, becoming unmannerly or if you feel that their talk is ‎irrelevant, tolerate them; do not be rude and do not insult them, so that Allah may ‎be kind and merciful to you and may reward you for obeying His commands ‎explicitly. Treat them courteously, hear their grievances patiently and if you are ‎forced to reject their demands then reject them in such a way that your rejection ‎may please them as much as your grants.‎

‏****‏

Then there are certain duties which only you will have to perform and which none ‎of your officers can carry out. Among them are replies to the letters of your ‎commissioners and governors and they are beyond the jurisdiction or preview of ‎your secretaries. If you find that your officers are not attending as much to the ‎complaints of the public as they should, then you should personally attend to ‎them.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

You must finish a day’s work on that day only because each day will bring its own ‎special work for you. Reserve your best time for prayers to Allah, though every ‎work of the State is the work of Allah, especially, if you are sincere and honest, ‎and if your subjects are happy with your rule and are safe from your oppression.‎

Among those duties that you are to perform diligently must be your daily prayers. ‎These should be offered sincerely and persistently. You must fix times for this ‎during days and nights. You must tax your bodily strength for this duty though it ‎may tire you.‎

‎* * *‎

You must take care not to cut yourself off from the public. Do not place a curtain ‎of false prestige between you and those over whom you rule. Such pretensions ‎and show of pomp and pride are in reality manifestations of inferiority complex ‎and vanity. The result of such an attitude is that you remain ignorant of the ‎conditions of your subjects and of the actual cases of the events occurring in the ‎State.‎

You will fail to realize comparative importance of events taking place and may ‎attach great significance to minor events and may slip over important facts, ‎similarly you may attach importance to mediocre or insignificant people and may ‎ignore real men of consequence; and what is more, you may lose the power of ‎distinction between good and bad and may take one for the other or hopelessly ‎mix up the two.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

You should never overlook the fact that around the rulers there usually are ‎certain privileged persons (relatives and friends). They may often try to take ‎advantage of their status and may resort to selfishness, intrigues, fraud, ‎corruption and oppression. If you find such people around you then do away with ‎them (however closely connected they may be with you), immediately bring an ‎end to the scandal and clear your surroundings of all such moral and spiritual ‎filth.‎

You must never give lands in permanent lease with all proprietary and ownership ‎rights to your friends and relatives. You must never allow them to take ‎possession of the source of water-supply or lands which have special utility for ‎the communities. If they get possession of such holdings they will oppress others ‎to derive undue benefits and thus gather all the fruits for themselves leaving for ‎you a bad reputation in this world and punishment in the next.‎

Be fair in dispensing justice. Punish those who deserve punishment even though ‎he may be your near relation or a close friend and even if such an action may ‎give you pangs of sorrow and grief. Bear such a sorrow patiently and hope for ‎Divine reward. I assure you this will bear good fruits.‎

If on account of your strict measures people get suspicious of your behaving like ‎a tyrant and oppressor, then come out openly before them and explain to them ‎the reasons of your actions and let them see the facts for themselves and realize ‎the truth. This will give training to your mind, will be an act of kindness to the ‎subjects and the confidence thus reposed in them will make them support justice ‎and truth while you will achieve the end you have in view of obtaining their ‎support in the cause of truth.‎

If your enemy invites you to a peace treaty that will be agreeable to Allah, then ‎never refuse to accept such an offer because peace will bring rest and comfort to ‎your armies, will relieve you of anxieties and worries, and will bring prosperity ‎and affluence to your people. But even after such treaties be very careful of the ‎enemies and do not place too much confidence in their promises because they ‎often resort to peace treaty to deceive and delude you and take advantage of ‎your negligence, carelessness and trust. ‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

At the same time be very careful, never break your promise with your enemy, ‎never forsake the protection or support that you have offered to him, never go ‎back upon your words, and never violate the terms of the treaty. You must even ‎risk your life to fulfill the promises given and the terms settled because of all the ‎obligations laid by Almighty Allah upon man (in respect to other men) there is ‎none so important as to keep one’s promises when made. ‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

Allah has given promises and treaties the high rank of being messengers of ‎peace and prosperity and through His Kindness and Mercy has made them a ‎common desire (of keeping promises) in the minds of all men and a common ‎requirement for all human beings. He has made them such a shelter and asylum ‎that everybody desires to be under their protection. ‎

Therefore, there should be no mental reservation, no fraud, no deception and no ‎underlying meanings in between the lines when you make a promise or conclude ‎a treaty. Do not use such words and phrases in your promises and treaties as ‎have possibilities of being translated in more than one way or as may have ‎various interpretations and many explanations, let there be no ambiguity in them, ‎and let them be clear, precise and to the point. And when once a treaty has been ‎finally concluded, do not try to take advantage of any ambiguous word or phrase ‎in it. If you find yourself in a critical situation on account of the treaty made in the ‎cause of Allah, then try to face the situation and bear the consequences bravely ‎and do not try to back out of the terms that account, because to face such ‎perplexing situations as may gain His Rewards and Blessings is better than to ‎break your promises on that account and earn that about which you feel nervous ‎and for which you will have to answer Allah and which may bring down His Wrath ‎upon you in this world and damnation in the next.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

Beware and do not develop the trait of self-admiration and self-appreciation. Do ‎not get conceited of the good points that you find in your good character or good ‎deeds that you have done. Do not let flattery and cajolery make you vain and ‎ego-centric. Remember that of all the cunning ruses of the devil to undo good ‎deeds of the pious people and to affect their piety, flattery and false praises are ‎the ones on which it relies the most.‎

Do not boast of the favors and kindnesses that you have done to your subjects ‎and do not try to make them realize this, do not think too much of the good that ‎you have done to them, and do not go back upon the promises made, all these ‎three habits are very ugly features of one’s character. The practice of boasting ‎over the favors done undoes the good done, the habit of exaggerating and ‎thinking very highly of our good actions will make us lose the guidance of Allah, ‎and the habit of breaking one’s promises is disliked both by Allah and by man. ‎The Merciful Allah says, “It is most hateful in the sight of Allah, to say something ‎and not to practice it.” [Holy Qur'an, 61:3].‎

Do not be hasty and do not precipitate your decisions and actions, when the time ‎comes for an action to be done, or a decision to be taken, then do not be lazy ‎and do not waste time and do not show weakness. When you do not find a true ‎way to do the thing on hand, then do not persist on the wrong way and when you ‎have found a correct solution, then do not be lethargic in adopting it. ‎

In short do everything at a proper time and in a proper way and keep everything ‎in its proper place.‎

‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏‎ ‎‏*‏

I beseech Allah that by His Limitless Mercy and by His Supreme Might He may ‎grant our prayers, that He may lead both of us to the Divine Guidance of ‎achieving His Pleasure, of successfully pleading our cases before Him, justifying ‎our deeds before man, of gaining good repute, of leaving good results of our ‎benign and just rule with ever-expanding prosperity and ever-increasing welfare ‎of the State and of meeting our ends as martyrs and pious persons, as our return ‎is towards Him only.‎

May the peace of Allah be upon the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and His chosen ‎descendants.‎

Wednesday, December 2, 5 p.m.
Powell and Market Streets

On Tuesday, December 1, President Obama is expected to announce that tens of thousands additional U.S. troops will be sent to Afghanistan in the coming months.

A call for protest actions across the country against the war and escalation following the announcement has been issued by several national organizations including A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition, World Can’t Wait, United for Peace and Justice, Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, National Assembly, and others.

Join us to demand: No Escalation—Bring ALL the Troops Home Now! No to War and Occupation in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Everywhere! Money for People’s Needs, Not War!

Call 415-821-6545 for more info or to volunteer.

Pyongyang, November 29 (KCNA) — It is inevitability of history and a law governing the development of history that humankind advances toward socialism, says Rodong Sinmun Sunday in a signed article.

The socialist society develops thanks to the inexhaustible creative power of the popular masses who are armed with high ideological consciousness and united as one, the article notes, and goes on:

The drive for remolding people and their thought so as to strengthen the driving force of the revolution and steadily boost their role was pushed forward ahead of other work under the wise leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea. As a result, socialism in the DPRK has been fortified as an invincible fortress standing whatever storm and stress, demonstrating its might all over the world.

The Songun era is the era of great change in which the driving force of the revolution has unprecedentedly grown stronger and the cause of socialism developed onto a new higher stage.

The DPRK has put forward the People’s Army stronger than any other social group in terms of revolutionary character, the sense of organization and combat capacity as the core unit of the Juche revolutionary force. Herein lies the source of the invincibility and might of Korean-style socialism.

Socialist society is the most advantageous and advanced one embodying the popular masses’ intrinsic nature and desire for independence. It is also genuine society for the people as their political and economic life as well as ideological and cultural one are in full bloom as required by man’s intrinsic desire to live and develop independently.

The advantages and vitality of socialism have been clearly proved by the reality in the DPRK which has brought about in a short span of historical time great socio-economic changes. It is impossible for capitalism to do so even though they would have taken it hundreds of years.

Socialism in the DPRK is the most advantageous one centered on the popular masses.

The essential character and advantages of Korean-style socialism lie in that it successfully embodies the immortal Juche idea in order to ensure that the popular masses are put forward as the master of everything in the society and everything of the society serves the people and independence of the people is most firmly defended and realized.

The reality in which Korean-style socialism centred on the popular masses is firmly defended and wins victory after victory goes to prove the validity and the tremendous vitality of the Songun leadership, the Songun politics of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

The cause of socialism is sure to emerge victorious as there is the Songun politics, example of the independent politics, politics under socialism in the present times and the most powerful weapon.

Copyright (C) KOREA NEWS SERVICE(KNS) All Rights Reserved.

A new report has accused the US private security firm formerly known as Blackwater of operating a covert assassination and kidnapping program against suspected Taliban and al-Qaeda members in northwest Pakistan. In an article published on Monday, The Nation magazine said that the firm, now known as Xe, is also involved in running a US military drone bombing campaign out of Pakistan.

Jeremy Scahill, the investigative journalist who broke the story, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that the program was so secretive that senior officials in the administration of Barack Obama, the US president, were likely unaware of it. “What I learned is that for years there has been a covert operation of the US military inside Pakistan’s borders … and that Blackwater operatives are at the centre of not only the drone bombing campaign but also planning snatch-and-grab operations of high value targets.”

Scahill, citing military intelligence sources and a former Blackwater official, said the program began with an agreement between the US and Pakistani governments. “In 2006, the Bush administration struck a deal with the government in Islamabad that would allow US special forces to actually enter Pakistani territory if what they were doing was hunting Osama bin Laden or his top deputies.”The agreement was such that the Pakistanis said that they would have the right to deny that they had given permission.”

There was no immediate comment from Islamabad on the story, and Scahill said that the White House also failed to respond to his request for comment. But he said the office of Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, had contacted him to reject the allegations. “I did not call them, they called me and told me that the [allegations] did not stand up to reality,” Scahill said.

“I’ve talked to my sources though, and they say that it’s possible that officials within the military chain of command are simply not in what [they] called ‘the circle of love’ on this program.” US officials have said that they believe northwest Pakistan is a hiding place for al-Qaeda fighters, including Osama Bin Laden.
The northwest tribal region, and in particular Peshawar, the capital of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), have borne the brunt of attacks perpetrated by the Taliban in recent weeks. The attacks are in apparent retaliation for a military offensive launched in the country’s semi-autonomous tribal region of South Waziristan against members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, one of the main anti-government groups.

But a spokesman for the Taliban last week blamed Blackwater for at least two of the recent bombings. Azam Tariq posted a video statement on the internet, saying the Taliban attacks never aimed to target civilians and that the explosions were linked to Blackwater activities in the country. Xe has denied having any contracts in Pakistan.

The North Carolina-based firm provides security for diplomats around the world, but it is facing charges of human rights violations stemming its part from a 2007 shooting in Iraq that left 17 civilians dead.

On Sunday, BART police officers arrived on the scene at the West Oakland BART station in response to reports of a disturbance. The video below shows officers wrangling with an intoxicated suspect – before smashing 37-year old Michael Joseph Gibson into a solid glass wall.

[ Message From.... ]

Hakimullah Mehsud -

Emir Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

and

Maulana Wali-ur-Rahman -

Emir Mehsud’s Tribe’s Mujahideen

[ May Allah Protect Them ]

^ A huge selection of some great anti-US/Israel music videos made by Hezbollah’s propaganda unit.

Some favorites:

http://www.wa3ad.org/video/anasheed/amr … lirhab.wmv
http://www.wa3ad.org/video/anasheed/5al … _esma3.wmv
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WE’LL KEEP OUR EYES PEELED

Black & White

By Prairie Fire

First of all, I will give Moore credit for making certain ideas mainstream (what other remotely progressive or even politically challenging material are you going to see at a multiplex cinema?), and for his interviews with the working people of the United States and coverage of their struggles, which helped to energize me a bit. On the flipside, it must be stated that his new film “Capitalism: A Love Story” is not a condemnation of capitalism.
It is a “middle class” lament.
It is an Obama promotional video.
It is periodic social-democratic indulgence to release latent tensions that threaten to burst the restraining tethers of bourgeois society.

As usual, I don’t care for Mike’s theatrics. In general, I think that “street theatre” is an impotent mode of political agitation, and his clown tactics rarely yield constructive results. On the other hand, I recognize that he has to maintain an element of mass appeal, so he packages his film as a comedic documentary, as opposed to the conventional stuff on PBS.

The show begins, as do most Moore films, with a montage of old media clips and clips from his own childhood home films, showing a flurry of 50’s American nuclear families enjoying themselves in decadence (i.e. waterskiing) and working in industry, representing American capitalism in it’s consumeristic, not-yet-moribund state during the early Cold War.

So, early in the film it becomes clear that by no means is Moore criticizing capitalism. On the contrary, he exalts it to the high heavens, and waxes nostalgic about it during his youth. He shows this montage of clips representing how good capitalism was at one point, all with only the most minimal references to imperialism. How can anyone do a serious documentary about capitalism by focusing on the one country that is the recipient of all of the finished goods, wealth and flow of capital?

He states, without irony, that the US auto-manufacturing sector rose to prominence because of the destruction of the manufacturing sectors of both Germany and Japan (including horrific crimes against humanity like the attacks on civilian population centers at Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki). What Moore is noticeably quieter about is how these defeated countries were then turned into proxies of the United States and markets for their exported goods. He does point out that the United States rewrote the constitutions of the defeated Axis powers, but paints this as a very positive thing rather than imperialism.

So, it is not capitalism that Moore is criticizing; it is the post-Cold War polarization in wealth. It is the decimation of the “middle class,” and their subsequent loss of socio-economic privileges.

Moore then goes on to feature a lot of stuff about “What does Christianity think of capitalism?” This may ruffle the feathers of the more materialist and anti-theist, but I actually don’t criticize Moore for this approach. The United States is a deeply religious country, so he is finding his way to make some ideas acceptable to the existing level of consciousness of the people (I myself began as a Christian Marxist, despite the obvious contradiction). Scoffing at the religious sentiments of millions of American workers negates them, so Moore instead doesn’t directly tell them “abandon all ye Gods!” when he is (supposedly) targeting capitalism.
The only issue with this is, from a materialist point of view, it becomes pure bourgeois metaphysics. Moore literally asks the Catholic priests and Bishops “is capitalism a sin?” By doing this, he takes the root of the problem with capitalism out of the material world of tangibility, and places it onto the no-no list of divine preferences.
So now, the crimes of capitalism are put into the same basket as worshipping idols and unwed intercourse—there are no tangible negative effects from doing these things, but the faith considers them morally repugnant.

Moore could have settled for a compromise that showed Christian attitudes towards socialism, such as Acts 2:42 to 2:45, which state, “42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things in common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.” He could’ve then contrasted these with attitudes towards capitalism: “…I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” –Jesus Christ, Matthew 19:23-19:24. But he did not attribute the ills of capitalism to moralism and the displeasure of a deity. This would have been a preferable stance.

Moore, at one point, looks at the rash of home foreclosures in the states and says, “This is capitalism.” Well yeah, but not in its entirety. That is only one of the symptoms, and it becomes meaningless because Moore doesn’t raise issues with the fact that even during the golden prosperity of the Cold War (built on the backs of rampant military expansion) workers were still confined to exploitive relations. So, ultimately, again it is not capitalism that Moore is raising issue with, but rather the disenfranchisement and polarization of the “middle class” in the face of monopoly capital. At no point does Moore draw the conclusion that capitalism is inherently exploitive, despite all of his “capitalism is evil” rhetoric.

At one point in the film, a couple that is being evicted in Peoria releases a pearl of wisdom. The husband says something along the lines of “there needs to be some kind of uprising of the have-nots against the haves.” If only Moore himself had taken this to its logical conclusion. Throughout the film, Mike endorses “socialism,” but of course by “socialism” he means Sweden, not the USSR. He literally drools over the “socialism” of Germany where Unionized workers have a say in choosing their board of directors (and of course, at the end of the day, they don’t own the factory that they are working in), and gives a cheer for the New Deal policies of FDR.

So here, “socialism = New Deal.” “Socialism = capitalism with concessions.” No worker control, no expropriations from the bourgeoisie, no abolition of private property, no abolition of class. Pension, pseudo-nationalized health care, giving the Unions a say in management… this is called “socialism.”

He points out how historically the National Guard under Roosevelt was used to protect striking workers in Michigan. He ignores all of the other times when the National Guard (or other state forces of the US) was used to put down strikes, which has usually included wholesale murder of strikers and union organizers. He unloads all of the crimes of American capitalism onto Ronald Reagan and George Bush Jr., and absolves Jimmy Carter and FDR in the act. Bless their heart, they were just trying to help (at least he does shy away from Clinton nostalgia though).

And then, in the midst of all of the legitimate human misery portrayed in his film by the American people, a messiah emerges. That’s right—his name was Barrack Obama. The movie starts to wind down on a high note. Obama was elected, and this signaled the dawn of a “New America.” How so? Who knows?
Obama has so far continued the wars of aggression in the Middle East, voiced the same unconditional support for Israeli apartheid, clings to the same founding myths of the United States, still maintains the same capitalist system in place (in fact, he kept them on life support with public funds), and America is hardly “post-racial” as exemplified by the case of Professor Gates among others. So the film winds down as an Obama campaign ad. Things were horrible in the United States, but then Obama came, parted the Red Sea, and lead his people out of bondage in Egypt. Roll credits.

While to his credit, Moore features the fantastic action of the Republic Windows workers, who occupied their factory in lieu of unpaid wages, he ends their story on the high note that they got their wages and the struggle ended peacefully. So, here Moore reinforces the moral of his story: if the workers and oppressed people fight tooth and nail, the capitalists will part with some of their ill-gotten gains. Don’t really challenge capitalism, just take your bribe and go home.
He also portrays some worker -owned and operated industries in the US, like the reclaimed industries in Argentina portrayed in Naomi Klein’s documentary The Take, but he portrays this syndicalism as being a new stage of capitalism—collective capitalism as opposed to the top down pyramid model. Now, of course factory syndicalism in the US becomes meaningless because the overwhelming majority of the American economy is still in privately-owned hands with a division between ownership and labor, the United States ruling class still exists and thrives, and political power rests in their hands.

Essentially, all that Mike is advocating is Argentinean-style syndicalism in the workplace, Swedish-style social programs in society, and Jeffersonian democracy for all! Together, these elements do not equal socialism.

The whole thing ends with, of all songs, the Internationale (Billy Bragg lyrics) sung over the credits. I can’t tell if this was admirable or vulgar. Considering the pace and content of the rest of the film, about shrinking “middle class” privilege where “socialism = concessions from the bourgeois state,” this appropriation of the battle hymn of all humanity striving for emancipation seems like so much tasteless and degrading appropriation of socialist iconography as “revolutionary chic.” At least they didn’t defile the GOOD version of the song.

From start to finish, as usual, Moore plays the loyal opposition to the state wrapped in “radical” rhetoric. While this has succeeded in ruffling the feathers of the overt reactionaries like the National Post in my country, which featured a front-page article where they photoshopped Moore’s trademark glasses and ball cap onto Karl Marx, it boils down to same-old-same-old. Any condemnations of the still-ongoing wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Haiti are absent from the film. Why condemn them? Just make sure that the American working class gets their cut of the plunder, because that is what “socialism” is, at least according to Moore.
In the end, it becomes just another band-aid on the growing cracks in a dam that is about to burst. Just as the bourgeois economists of the recession declared “We Are All Socialists Now,” and defiled the legacy of working class emancipation by linking it to their own fascistic self-serving bail out, Michael Moore declares that workers’ need to fight for their right to more concessions.

Over all, Mike’s “middle class” woes become tiresome. The working class doesn’t need concessions, nor should they aspire to a relatively less exploited position as the “middle class” beneath bourgeoisie. If anything useful can be taken from this film, it is the knowledge that no problems have been solved in the United States, and the conditions that give rise to revolution have not been alleviated at all. If anything, the situation is more dire.

About the American Party of Labor – (www.americanpartyoflabor.org)

The American Party of Labor is a revolutionary working class organization. As anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninists, we seek to abolish capitalism, and replace it with a just and fair economic system: socialism. We wholeheartedly agree with Marx’s assertion “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”

Free Media Productions  sends congratulatory messages of warm greetings to the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on the historic occasion of the founding of the vanguard revolutionary party that has led the once semi-feudal society into a prosperous socialist power.

The more than six decades of work of the WPK is inextricably linked with the current successes enjoyed by the people of the DPRK; including independence, self-sufficiency, self-reliance and above all, the continued pursuit of the revolutionary longing of the Korean people for independent reunification.

Under the distinguished leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Il, the Workers’ Party of Korea has stayed true to the revolutionary aims and leadership of President Kim Il Sung, who heroically led the Korean masses to national liberation and independence despite all efforts of the imperialist aggressors and their proxies in the form of collaborative national bourgeoisie.

Free Media Productions expresses its full solidarity with the heroic struggle of the peace-loving people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, under the eternal leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea, in the continued efforts to transform the DPRK into a powerful, prosperous nation under the banner of Songun!

According to all official mouthpieces and apologists for NATO-aggression in occupied Afghanistan, the world was told that the seemingly “international” invasion in 2001 was an act of “revenge” against the so-called “Taliban regime” in Afghanistan, for allegedly harboring the CIA-trained Usama Bin Laden and other high-level operatives of the al-Qaeda organization. These blatant lies, manufactured by US and British imperialism, were then broadcast throughout the entire network of Western bourgeois mass-media outlets in an unscrupulous effort to popularize military aggression against Afghanistan.

The falsifications, disinformation and outright lies spewed by the “un-official” mouthpieces of US imperialism have been truly astounding in terms of their utter and total perversion of the facts. In the buildup to war, the populations of the Western, imperialist countries were spoon-fed pre-packaged “news” that deliberately obfuscated key facts about not only the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, but also the alleged “relationship” between the government of Afghanistan and senior operatives within the al-Qaeda organization.

Despite the contentious and cynical lies of the imperialist ruling class, the quantifiable evidence negating the entire case for war by then US President George W. Bush, the US Congress, the General Chiefs of Staff and other guilty parties has since emerged, and the general public has begun to understand the overwhelming degree to which it had been lied to in order to “approve” NATO’s campaign of terror and destruction upon the people of Afghanistan.

What the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, BBC World Service, Los Angeles Times and other mainstays of the Western bourgeois press didn’t report on was US interests in constructing pipelines transporting oil from the Caspian Sea with the means to bypass both Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The US imperialists, coordinating their efforts through the so-called NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), understood the potential for massive returns on an oil pipeline system that could yield enormous profit margins while simultaneously satisfying Western demands for crude oil.

In essence, the events of September 11, 2001 – an act in direct response to US imperialism, aggression and continued support for the Zionist, terrorist state of Israel, provided the US imperialists and their warmongering allies with the perfect pretext for launching a massive campaign of imperialist aggression against the people of Afghanistan; and in using the manufactured “relations” between the Taliban government and al-Qaeda and employing a sophisticated and superbly funded propaganda effort, Washington was able to manipulate the public into believing the invasion (and subsequent occupation) was a just and principled response to the so-called “terrorist attack.”

What the American people also didn’t see covered by the bourgeois mass-media conglomerates, were the diplomatic efforts of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to examine Washington’s alleged evidence connecting them with al-Qaeda. Just days after the US imperialists broadcast their allegations against the Taliban, Afghanistan’s then Foreign Minister, Mullah Abdul Wakil Muttawakil, requested to see the evidence, and expressed a willingness to co-operate in order to prove that al-Qaeda had no operational basis within the country. Former Foreign Minister Muttawakil’s requests went unanswered by the US Department of State; little did the Foreign Minister or the people of Afghanistan know that war against Afghanistan was a foregone conclusion, pre-determined some time before the events of September 11.

But the real crimes of US imperialism followed the invasion, with the establishment of a long-term foreign military occupation forces proliferating throughout the country, and the imposition of a pre-selected puppet regime to uphold NATO/US interests in Afghanistan. Currently, there are more than 100,000 imperialist occupation forces in Afghanistan, including the additional 17,000 US occupation forces deployed under executive order of current US President Barack Obama. Despite the so-called “surge,” the NATO-led foreign military occupation continues to suffer heavy losses as Taliban mujahideen and other national resistance forces continue to wage a fierce, merciless and just struggle for independence and national liberation. This year alone, the NATO-ISAF occupation forces have experienced a record-setting number of casualties – 384 occupation soldiers killed, 226 of them American, in 2009.

The mounting body count, coupled with the stresses of a worldwide capitalist crisis that’s been ravaging the economies of even the wealthiest imperialist states since September of last year, has led to increased demands across the globe for an immediate withdrawal of the foreign occupation forces, even among the more liberal elements of the ruling bourgeoisie.

According to the most recent public opinion polls, including one conducted by USA Today in September 2009, shows that “50 per cent” of the US population no longer believes the war in Afghanistan is “worth it.” Similar sentiments are raging throughout the respective populations of those countries whose governments have committed to collaborating with US and British imperialism and militarist aggression in Afghanistan.

Ultimately, the struggle in occupied Afghanistan demands the attention of the international proletariat in demonstration its unyielding support for the anti-imperialist struggle of the myriad national resistance forces taking arms against American-British imperialism. Imperialism is not only the detriment to the people of occupied Afghanistan, occupied Iraq or occupied Palestine, but to the working peoples of the imperialist bloc, culpable for the gross crimes committed in their names by their plutocratic governments. The national struggle in occupied Afghanistan is therefore of the utmost interest to all members of the international working class. United by a common interest in standing firm against imperialism, neo-colonialism and militarist aggression, the proletariat must openly, and publicly, convey its support for the national resistance movement, regardless of perceived “reactionary tendencies” within its varied ideologies.

A thorough, scientific analysis of the “Afghanistan Questions,” employing Marxist-Leninist dialectical methodology unequivocally concludes that the struggle of the mujahideen resistance forces is objectively progressive. Likewise, those so-called “communists,” embodying the vilest and opportunist trends characteristic of modern revisionism, should be exposed and condemned at every opportunity. It is the duty of all progressives to stand against not only the imperialists, but their “labor lieutenants” who serve the interests of the ruling class as unprincipled apologists for even the most violent manifestations of imperialist aggression.