|
February 3, 2018 - No. 4 75th Anniversary of Stalingrad Victory
• Stalingrad
Victory Celebrated in Russia in Grand Style "We Are Proud, We Remember" 75th Anniversary of Stalingrad VictoryToday the world joins the peoples of the former Soviet Union and present-day Russian Federation to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Battle of Stalingrad. That victory changed the course of the Second World War known as the anti-fascist war. It marks the point at which the anti-fascist fight went on the offensive, delivering mortal blows to Hitler's forces all the way to their final demise and surrender in Berlin on May 9, 1945. The victory at Stalingrad, followed by the victorious battle of Kursk, imbued the peoples of the Soviet Union and the world with optimism and certainty that, thanks to the sacrifices made by the peoples of the Soviet Union, the anti-fascist forces of the world would be victorious. On this occasion, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) reiterates its deepest admiration for the peoples of the former Soviet Union and the nation-building project which permitted them to affirm the dignity of labour and humanize their natural and social environment and to stand as an organized force to defend their achievements and defeat the Nazi aggressors. We send our greetings to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and its Chairman Gennady Zyuganov and through the Central Committee to all Party members and the peoples of the Russian Federation.
The tenacity, courage and audacity of the defenders of the city and their sacrifice were without precedent as they implemented the call of J.V. Stalin, Not One Step Back! The peoples of the entire world saw the mettle of the Soviet people under the leadership of Stalin, the field commanders of the armed forces and the Bolshevik Party. In the battle against the Nazis, the Soviet peoples united as one. They stood with the people of Stalingrad and their Red Army, Air Force and special brigades. The role of the People's Militia formed by the factory workers to defend their city street by street, house by house, room by room, factory by factory, inspired hundreds of millions of people the world over who accompanied them with bated breath and admiration. The Soviet women formed advanced sniper brigades and became pilots who caused Hitler's air force irreparable damage and contributed to blowing their morale to bits. The women and girls also stood second to none in the partisan units behind enemy lines. The women took over assembly lines in the factories and worked on the farms which provisioned the fighting forces and all of the Soviet Union in the war conditions. The unprecedented positions the Soviet women assumed in the trenches and front lines gave inspiration to the women working in the factories and fields of the countries which formed the anti-fascist front and in the resistance organizations and made the entire world proud.
The sacrifice and determination to defeat the scourge of fascism and save humankind made the Soviet Union the vanguard of the world anti-fascist front. The courage, cool-headedness and bold leadership of the great commander Joseph Stalin and the Bolshevik Party he led made them the architects of the anti-fascist victory in Europe. In the current complicated international situation where the U.S. imperialists are striving to control the planet and are drowning in blood those peoples and countries which refuse to submit to them, the peoples of the Russian Federation and former Soviet Republics and former people's democracies in eastern Europe, as well as other peoples of Asia and the world, are deeply concerned about the U.S-led NATO encirclement of Russia. CPC(M-L) condemns the Canadian government's participation in this encirclement and other pro-Nazi activities it is promoting and condoning such as in Ukraine, Poland, Latvia and other places.
It is because of these activities which target Russia as the enemy of the peoples of the world that the Russian government is using the celebrations of the victory of the Battle of Stalingrad to unite the people to defend their motherland once again against invasion. The theme, "We Are Proud, We Remember," seeks to kindle nationalist sentiment in preparation for dangers which threaten the peace as a result of the U.S. imperialist striving for domination and the manner in which one great power is being pitted against another. And remember the people must, but not to be used as
cannon fodder in inter-imperialist wars between big powers, imperialist
coalitions and cartels. They can never again suffer what they suffered
when Hitler invaded in 1941 to 1945 and the aftermath of the war when
they had to bury their dead, care for the injured and reconstruct their
cities and towns, factories, schools and vital infrastructure. To this
day not all the bodies of the fallen have been recovered or identified.
Thus the people remember that their struggle today, to be victorious
and favour them, must be imbued once again with the spirit of Lenin and
Stalin which led the people to establish and defend Soviet Power as the
condition of their victory. It is the control of that power which
enabled the people to win victory and build a life which made them
proud. That is what the peoples of the world remember from the Battle of Stalingrad. That is what makes them proud. Let no-one tear asunder the bonds forged between the peoples of all lands during the anti-fascist war. Let us unite today to uphold the cause of peace by forming anti-war governments and ensuring each of our countries is a zone for peace.
End the U.S.-led NATO Encirclement of
Russia! Stalingrad Victory Celebrated in Russia
|
|
|
In the weeks leading up to the anniversary, 50,000 of
the city's residents signed a petition in favour of changing the city's
name back to Stalingrad on a permanent basis. The Communist Party of
the Russian Federation has also collected 500,000 names on a petition.
News reports indicate that many significant projects were realized in Volgograd leading up to the festivities. "The bearing road network was renewed; the public spaces and parks were modernized; sporting, municipal, medical facilities and hotels were renovated; the Central Embankment was renewed [also known as the 62nd Army Embankment after the military unit that defended the city during the Battle of Stalingrad, preventing the enemy from reaching the bank of the Volga]; the airport was modernized and the new line of the railway to the airport is almost constructed," a report by the Volgograd State Technical University informs.
The
report
says
there
are
"339
museums,
68
museum
halls,
206
museum
rooms,
516
expositions
of
the
workers'
and
armies'
glorious
work during the
battle being hosted in educational institutions of Volgograd District.
The unique project 'We Are Proud, We Remember' was carried out by
volunteers from the Volgograd District, who visited war veterans and
talked to them."
"More than 700 representatives from other districts of our country and former Soviet republics gathered under the theme 'Russia -- My History' for a conference titled "Stalingrad is the symbol of heroism, patriotism and unity of the nations of Russia [sic] and the whole world," the report continues.
The report adds, "Public and political personalities, researchers, representatives of education and culture, military and historical associations and veteran organizations; students and upper-form pupils took part in the conference. The participants of the plenary meeting remarked on the huge role played by the Stalingrad Victory in world history and the importance of preserving the memory of Stalingrad inhabitants' great exploit.
Opening of interactive exhibit "My Russia -- My History" in Volgograd,
October 2017, photo from Battle of Stalingrad in background.
"The Streets of Stalingrad" exhibit at the Panorama Museum of the
Battle of Stalingrad,
in Volgograd that opened on December 22, 2017.
On Victory Day itself, an artillery salute and military parade took place in the Square of Fallen Soldiers. The military parade of some 1,000 soldiers passed through the city centre followed by a veteran T-34 tank. Two new truck-mounted Iskander ballistic missile units stood parked at the end of the square, with more rocket launchers and tanks on display behind them. Reports indicate that some 30,000 people were at the parade. "Today we are putting huge resources into the rebirth of the Russian defence industry," Dmitry Rogozin, a deputy prime minister, said at the parade. "Every enemy must see that, understand that, feel that. Let anybody who thinks of plans to seize our country remember Stalingrad," he added.
"Stalingrad will forever remain a symbol of unity and
invincibility of our people, a symbol of genuine patriotism, a
symbol of the greatest victory of the Soviet liberator soldier,"
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an evening gala concert for
Veterans of
Stalingrad. "And as long as we are devoted to Russia, our language,
culture, roots and national memory, Russia will be invincible," he
said. "The defenders of Stalingrad, the entire generation of the
victors did not only demonstrate heroism at war. They passed on to us a
great legacy of love for our Motherland, readiness to protect its
interests and independence, be strong against any ordeals, take care of
our country and work for the sake of its prosperity. We will always be
proud of your heroism. We will stand up for your great victories. We
will keep the high bar of creation, unity and loyalty to Russia," Putin
said.
President Putin's United Russia Party carried a banner reading, "We are proud of the past and we believe in the future."
Communist Party of the Russian Federation participates in celebrations
in Volgograd.
Agence France Press quoted a government official, Kalachev, as saying war victory anniversaries are used to "promote the image of a country capable of accomplishments and defeating all of its enemies," and that the memory of Stalingrad should prevent any future invasion of Russia.[1]
A statement of a different character was issued by G.A. Zyuganov, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. Amongst other things the statement underscores the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad:
The conditions for a
successful counteroffensive were
forged
by the entire Soviet state. While in the first half of 1942 the
Soviet military industry produced 9,600 combat aircraft, in the
second half of the year it was already 15,800. The production of
tanks and artillery pieces increased significantly. All this was
impossible to achieve without the maximum mobilization of
resources and skilful management of the country's economy,
carried out by the State Defence Committee under the leadership
of Stalin.
[...]
[O]n the banks of the Volga, two German armies, two Romanian armies and one Italian army were destroyed. The total losses of the enemy amounted to 1.5 million people killed, wounded and captured, along with 2,000 tanks, 3,000 aircraft, more than 10,000 guns and mortars. This comprised a quarter of all the forces that operated on the Soviet-German front.
The ruling circles of Finland, Hungary and Romania began to strive for an exit from the war ... Japan, which in the event of the defeat of the Soviet troops planned to attack the USSR, refused to attack. Turkey did not join the Axis countries.
Zyuganov concludes by highlighting the need for radical
changes in Russia to uphold the aspirations of those who died in
the war. He says:
The social policy of the current Russian government cannot but cause outrage in relation to people who survived the war. Citizens who suffered all the hardships of wartime as children and teenagers, who helped adults work in factories and fields, receive scanty pensions, do not have benefits for medical care and housing and communal services. The Communist Party [in the Duma] developed the Law on the Children of War, but because of the resistance of [Putin's] United Russia [Party] it was never adopted by the State Duma.
On the 75th anniversary of
the victory at Stalingrad,
we
demand a radical review of state policy in the sphere of the
economy, ideology, education and culture. Betrayal of the heroism
of our fathers and grandfathers is unacceptable! Becoming the
basis of the Great Victory of 1945, the Battle of Stalingrad
calls us to [bring into being] new achievements for the sake of
the Motherland!
Stalingrad anniversary concert in Volgograd, February 2, 2018.
Events on Mamayev Kurgan
Also on Victory Day, February 2, thousands of mourners
climbed the steps of the Motherland Calls statue on Mamayev Kurgan to
lay carnations at the statue and at the eternal flame in the nearby
Hall of Military Glory where the names of 7,000 military and civilian
casualties of the battle are engraved on plaques on the surrounding
walls. They paid homage to the sacrifice made to defend the city during
the battle.
Some of the most ferocious fighting occurred on Mamayev
Kurgan, the hill overlooking the Volga River which was a former Tatar
burial ground. The hill itself changed hands numerous
times during the battle. In 1967, the 20-storey tall statue
Motherland Calls, depicting a woman holding high a sword, was
erected atop the hill, beneath which the bodies of 35,000
soldiers are buried. The statue, at 285 feet in height, is the
tallest in Europe.
Since the 1980s, searchers have found more than 35,000 more bodies, but only 1,500 have been identified. The remains of some of those identified are buried in a cemetery about 30 minutes from the city. On top of each headstone, volunteers have placed a helmet recovered from the battlefield, many of them badly damaged from shrapnel or bullets.
Laying carnations in Hall of Military Glory.
Other
Celebrations Across Russia and Former Soviet Republics
Across Russia and the former Soviet republics, wreaths
were also laid at the many memorials for the heroes of Stalingrad and
the Great Patriotic War.
A major celebration of the Stalingrad Victory was held in Moscow, where
60,000 people attended a rally at Vasilyevsky
Spusk adjacent to Red Square.
Many activities were held to educate the younger
generation about the significance of Stalingrad and connect them with
veterans from the Second World War and their experiences.
Communist Party of the Russian Federation participates in Moscow rally
on the
occasion of the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of
Stalingrad.
Visit by the Belinsky Park "Patriots" choir of
Russian veterans to a public school in Penza,
Russia, February 1, 2018.
Regional Children's Library in Khabarovsk in eastern
Russia puts on presentations, reenactments and
special displays about the Battle of Stalingrad.
Celebration with the Great Patriotic War Vets, January 31, 2018 in
Brest, Belarus.
Note
1. NATO forces are systematically
encircling Russia. This includes building up infrastructure to
establish NATO's permanent military presence on Russia's borders. In
the past year Canada deployed 50 combat engineers to Latvia as
Operation Reassurance. The mission is to build a town for 500 soldiers.
In April 2017, a U.S.-led battle group of 1,350 soldiers arrived at its
base in Orzysz in northeastern Poland as NATO's enhanced Forward
Presence in Eastern Europe.
British RAF forces are stationed in Romania and 800 British troops
supported by 300 armed vehicles are now in Estonia.
German and Belgian forces arrived last year in Lithuania.
All in all, 4,000 NATO troops with tanks, armoured vehicles, air
support and high-tech intelligence centres were deployed to Poland,
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. In addition, the U.S. Army is reopening
or creating five equipment-storage sites in the Netherlands, Poland,
Belgium and two locations in Germany.
The deployment breaches the Russia-NATO
Founding
Act (1997). By signing the document NATO pledged not to
seek "additional permanent stationing of substantial ground combat
forces" in the nations closer to Russia "in the current and foreseeable
security environment."
(Photos: CPRF, RT, Tass, NTV, Sputnik News, p.belinkogo, Russian Consulate, TVZvedza, P. Dumont, A. Golybatov)
Fatal Blow Dealt to Nazi Barbarism
Large scale bronze bas-relief monument dedicated to the Battle of
Stalingrad, located at the Shirokorechensky Great Patriotic War
Memorial Complex in Yekaterinburg in Central Russia.
To appreciate the significance of the victory at
Stalingrad which turned the tide of World War II, it is
instructive to recall that when the Nazis unleashed their venom
and destruction against the peoples of Europe and invaded the
Soviet Union to crush communism, it was one of the darkest
periods in the living memory of humankind. The Nazis' fierce opposition
to the birth of the New, heralded by the Great October Socialist
Revolution in 1917, was enjoined by the remnants of czarism and their
cousins in the capitals of Europe who were moving might and main to
hold onto their ill-gotten wealth and possessions and class privileges.
To achieve its
striving to take over all of Europe and the Soviet Union,
Hitlerite Nazism promoted everything profoundly obscurantist and
unscientific. Based on anti-worker, racist and anti-communist
ideology, no crime was too great to achieve the glory of the
Third Reich which threatened to return a large part of humankind
to slavery and barbarism. Such is the only quality the Old could
produce to prevent the birth of the New.
On the other hand, resistance to this assault of the Old gave rise to
the most advanced organizational principles, ideology and modern
methods of work to achieve the full mobilization of the workers and
peoples behind the historic task of those days to defeat nazi-fascism
and defend each people's right to be. This is what the communist party
led by Joseph Stalin achieved. Their deeds embodied the spirit that
imbued the people of Stalingrad to give their all to defeat the
barbarians who invaded the Soviet Union and to liberate all of Europe.
The Anglo-American imperialists became allies of the Soviet Union because the beast they appeased when they signed the Munich Pact with Hitler was not under their control and threatened their very existence. They also could only resort to everything that is underhanded and regressive to achieve their aims. They spared no opportunity to ensure their rule would not fall to the communist forces who led the anti-fascist resistance in the countries of Europe. They did everything possible to make sure the leadership of the communists was undermined so as to vie for control of the outcome. This was especially the case once the victory over fascism was a sure thing when, amongst many other examples, they manoeuvred to have the Hitlerite forces surrender to them, not the Soviets. They also collaborated with the Vatican, which ran operations to permit the Nazis to escape justice, and established the precursor organization to the CIA and then the CIA itself to run covert counter-revolutionary operations. After the war, they set up anti-communist apparatuses in the universities and within media and cultural organizations, the unions and social organizations in Europe and in North America to undermine and liquidate the support of the most prominent writers, artists and scientists of those days as well as workers, for the great advances and progress achieved in the Soviet Union.
The Anglo-American imperialists organized to overthrow governments by coups d'état, gave rise to McCarthyism and the brutal assault on the right to conscience and freedom of expression. All of this was done to defeat the political movements of the people which sought to open the road to freedom, peace and progress and establish governments that would be ruled by them, not ruled in favour of imperialism and reaction. All of it pitted the discredited elitist system of liberal democracy -- said to uphold a stereotype of liberty -- against the stereotype called communist tyranny. This anti-communist construct is what motivates the ruling circles today, both those who call themselves right-wing and those who call themselves left-wing or progressive or humanitarian, or mixtures of these. This anti-communist spectre puts communism and fascism on par. While monuments are erected to remember the victims of what are called the crimes of the communists, a wall of silence is imposed around the crimes of the Nazis. The exception is the European holocaust used by many to promote the political ideology of Zionism, not to make reparations to all the victims of the Nazis in Europe which includes the Jews, the communists and social democrats, the Roma and the category they called "delinquents," as well as the peoples of the conquered territories they used as slave labour.
The anti-communist narrative promotes European exceptionalism to deny the holocausts against the Chinese and Korean people committed by the Japanese militarists and American imperialists and the heroic historic role of the Soviet peoples who suffered the greatest losses during World War II. This anti-communist narrative declares that Nazi collaborators in Ukraine, Latvia and other countries were freedom fighters for purposes of justifying the crimes that the U.S.-led NATO forces are committing against Russia today and preparing to commit against the peoples of Asia and the world.[1]
It is barbarism under new historical circumstances,
which
reveals that the task today is to find the means to defeat it so
that the crimes of the past are no longer brought into the
present in even worse ways. This can already be seen in the wars of
destruction the U.S. imperialists and their allies
are carrying out in the Middle East and they are threatening in
Asia and Latin America. It must not pass!
Note
1. A recent example is the law
passed by Latvia's parliament on January 5 which grants the status of
World War II "participant" to all those who fought on Latvian soil both
in the Soviet Red Army and in the Nazi units of the Third Reich. This
is yet another measure to whitewash Nazi criminals and put on par the
Latvian SS storm troopers and Red Army veterans who liberated the world
from Nazism.
Also, in Poland, a Bill was passed on February 1, 2018, that imposes
three-year prison sentences for mentioning the term "Polish death
camps." It also imposes jail terms for suggesting that Poland was
complicit in the Holocaust. Poland's Law and Justice Party (PiS) claims
that the Bill is needed to protect Poland's reputation and ensure that
historians recognize that Poles as well as Jews perished under the
Nazis.
The Bill has been overwhelmingly denounced internationally as a denial
of historical facts and for criminalizing the discussion of the history
of World War II. "EU officials have expressed alarm over the PiS
administration in Poland, which they say has undermined the rule of law
by exerting pressure over the courts and media," Reuters reports.
U.S. President's State of the Union
Trump Warns Warring Factions in U.S. to Unite and Obey or Be Treated as Enemy Combatants
Demonstration in Washington DC on January 27, 2018, the one-year
anniversary of Trump's
"Muslim Ban," reflects the spirit of resistance of the American workers
and people.
The U.S. president, in executing his office and as Commander-in-Chief, has responsibility to preserve the Union. The Constitution requires him to regularly present the State of the Union to Congress, which has now become a significant yearly speech. On January 30, Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address in circumstances where the conflicts within and between the presidency, the intelligence agencies and the military are manifesting themselves openly as the fight over the political power becomes sharper and sharper.
The growing conflicts within the governing factions were in no way sorted out by the presidential election. Thus, the predominant fear today, expressed by all contending forces, is that the on-going state of civil war, which always exists behind the scenes in the United States, will break out in open violence. Trump thus used the State of the Union to demand "the unity we need" to prevent such a development.
|
|
He threatened Americans to stand together or face punishment. Reiterating several times the need for unity to "Make America Great Again," he said this is necessary to avert civil war. He gave his definition of an American and threatened that those who do not adhere to this definition will be branded terrorists and enemy combatants and treated accordingly. This includes the Guantánamo torture camp which is being used increasingly.
From the beginning of his speech, Trump addressed the warring factions within the ruling class. "Tonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were elected to serve," he said.
The reference to "the people we were elected to serve" sounds much broader but the State of the Union speech is delivered to the joint houses of Congress, which is filled with millionaires and is, in large part, comprised of people who represent private interests.
Speaking of his administration he said, "Together, we are building a safe, strong, and proud America." Later he said, "Tonight, I want to talk about what kind of future we are going to have, and what kind of Nation we are going to be. All of us, together, as one team, one people, and one American family."
Note the reference to "family," not to a polity which signifies a people with political rights, including the right to political power.
He goes on to define just what it means to be part of this "American family."
"We all share the same home, the same heart, the same destiny, and the same great American flag. Together, we are rediscovering the American way," Trump says.
He explains this "American way:"
In America, we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of the American life. Our motto is "In God We Trust." And we celebrate our police, our military, and our amazing veterans as heroes who deserve our total and unwavering support... Young patriots like Preston [a boy who put flags on the graves of veterans] teach all of us about our civic duty as Americans. Preston's reverence for those who have served our Nation reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem.
Here Trump is not only
calling for unity among the factions,
but also targeting all those who may support a different flag,
such as the flag of peace which the U.S. flag certainly does not
represent. Recent polls again confirm that the large majority of
people in the U.S. are anti-war and stand against U.S. wars of
aggression and occupation.
Trump also specifically targeted all those who have stood against police brutality and killings as well as the African American athletes and the many youth and people across the country who have joined them in refusing to stand for the anthem. These forces have all targeted the government and demanded that action be taken to end police impunity and inequality and to defend the right to speak out and resist.
The national anthem represents the Republic, its wars
and
constitution, which are thoroughly racist and founded on genocide
of the Indigenous peoples and the enslavement of Africans. All
those who refuse to pledge and stand are not part of the
"American family," Trump implied. He backed this emphasis by
promoting guests from the military, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) and police, applauding
them as the country's heroes.
Demands for Powers to Fire Federal Workers "At Will"
In his State of the Union, Trump also called for the destruction of federal workers' unions through "at-will" contract arrangements. "[...] I call on Congress to empower every Cabinet Secretary with the authority to reward good workers and to remove federal employees who undermine the public trust or fail the American people," Trump said.
Trump bragged of having fired 1,500 Veterans Affairs (VA) health care workers for allegedly not providing proper care for veterans. He also alluded to the fact that the "right" of health care workers not to provide medical service on grounds of religious or moral belief has been imposed in the name of defending religious freedom. This is said to permit and protect those who do not believe in abortion to refuse to provide the service.
The paradox lies in saying that workers have the right to affirm their conscience on religious/moral grounds but when it comes to working conditions it is another story. The firing of VA workers was the segue to declaring that to honor veterans means eliminating workers' rights to not be fired arbitrarily and without cause. This aspect of Trump's anti-worker, anti-union actions was generally ignored in the monopoly media's coverage of Trump's State of the Union speech as well as in the official response of the Democratic Party.
The notion of loyalty to veterans and soldiers Trump gave in his State of the Union is used to justify that the government should be able to fire federal workers "at will." This would establish what is called "at will workers." He said that in order to have accountability, workers must be deprived of all rights and that this will ensure veterans and others get what they need.
"At-will" employment is a term used in U.S. labor law for contractual relationships in which an employee can be dismissed by an employer for any reason (that is, without having to establish "just cause" for termination), and without warning.[1] This notion is typically traced to a treatise published by H.G. Wood in 1877, called Master and Servant.[2] As if 140 years of the struggle for rights never took place, it is an argument advanced today within U.S. ruling circles to make the reintroduction of slave-labor official legal policy with penalties for non-compliance.
Trump's Attempt to Use Immigration to
Unite Factions and
Divide Workers
Picket at Portland Airport, January 27, 2018, on one-year anniversary
of travel ban.
Trump used immigration to further set the stage to
criminalize not only immigrants but those who support them,
including at the level of state and local governments. He made a point
of branding undocumented immigrants as criminals and
gang members. By way of example he used the tragic killing of two young
women from
families with African American heritage:
The savage gang MS-13 have [sic] been charged with Kayla and Nisa's murders. Many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to enter the country as unaccompanied alien minors -- and wound up in Kayla and Nisa's high school.
Here we see several aspects of how Trump operates. He is striving to win backing among the ruling factions for immigration laws that greatly increase enforcement and criminalization. He is also striving to divide workers, attempting to pit African American families against Hispanic families, particularly those targeted by current laws, especially Salvadorans who have been a significant portion of the immigrants coming into the country recently, many of them youth. He leaves out that the U.S. is responsible for conditions in El Salvador forcing many to emigrate, and that the MS-13 gang, now in El Salvador, has its origins in Los Angeles. Trump has removed Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Salvadorans, meaning that many who have lived here for decades are now to be deported.
Workers originally from El
Salvador, like many from Mexico, are an integral part of
the U.S. working class. Both are a significant part of the resistance
among U.S. workers and united efforts to defend the rights of all, such
as at May
Day demonstrations. Trump is hoping to block the further
development of a political movement of the workers with these
various attacks.
The many demonstrations involving hundreds and thousands of Americans from all walks of life, including the women's marches and actions opposing Trump's immigration bans, border wall and promotion of Nazis and KKKers, show the persistence of the people to build their united resistance for their rights.
The Trump administration is also threatening to bring charges against city officials, such as those in California and New York, who provide sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants. These officials do not fully cooperate with ICE in holding or turning over immigrants who have been arrested on minor charges. Trump has already said sanctuary cites are a threat to national security. His State of the Union address raised the spectre that if he does not secure the unity he demands, he may consider these government officials enemy combatants. He is already implying that those who defend immigrant rights and stand against police impunity should be considered "un-American" and treated accordingly.
Resurrecting Enemy Combatants and Guantánamo
Trump specifically resurrected the use of the term "unlawful enemy combatant" and reintroduced the policy to use torture camps such as Guantánamo:
Terrorists who do things
like place bombs in civilian
hospitals are evil. When possible, we annihilate them. When
necessary, we must be able to detain and question them. But we
must be clear: Terrorists are not merely criminals. They are
unlawful enemy combatants. And when captured overseas, they should be
treated like the terrorists they are...I am asking Congress to ensure
that, in the fight against ISIS and al Qaeda, we continue to have all
necessary power to detain terrorists, wherever we chase them down,
wherever we find them. And in many cases, for them, it will now be
Guantánamo Bay.
This reiterates that the president alone determines who
is and is not a terrorist, to be annihilated, and who is and is not an
unlawful enemy combatant. The history of Guantánamo, its torture
and illegal and indefinite detention, has shown this. The "wherever we
chase them down" includes the U.S., as already occurred under Obama.
Trump is telling people at home and abroad that he is
prepared to criminalize all who do not submit to his definition
of being American and supporting America. He stated this directly
in relation to those abroad: "Around the world, we face rogue
regimes, terrorist groups, and rivals like China and Russia that
challenge our interests, our economy, and our values. In
confronting these dangers, we know that weakness is the surest
path to conflict, and unmatched power is the surest means of our
defence."
The "unmatched power" includes modernizing the U.S.
nuclear arsenal and increasing the Pentagon budget still further, and
further threats against Korea and Iran. Trump repeated the U.S. nuclear
policy of "peace through strength," saying: "We must modernize and
rebuild our nuclear arsenal, hopefully never having to use it, but
making it so strong and so powerful that it will deter any acts of
aggression by any other nation or anyone else."
"Perhaps someday in the future, there will be a magical moment when the
countries of the world will get together to eliminate their nuclear
weapons. Unfortunately, we are not there yet, sadly," he added.
Trump also said that those who vote against the U.S. in the UN will be
subject to this "unmatched power," and deprived of U.S. aid.
Referencing the UN vote where the large majority voted against U.S.
plans to move its embassy to Jerusalem, he said, "I am asking the
Congress to pass legislation to help ensure American foreign-assistance
dollars always serve American interests, and only go to America's
friends. As we strengthen friendships around the world, we are also
restoring clarity about our adversaries."
Trump once again presented the use of force as the solution to deal with all those who his administration cannot control, whether at home or abroad.
At a time the old arrangements of the Constitution are no longer adequate to resolve conflicts within and between the warring factions which are striving to control the political power for themselves, the conditions lead to open civil war and U.S.-led imperialist war. At the same time the striving of the American people and the peoples of the world is increasing to find solutions that serve their interests.
Trump is attempting to contend with the problem faced by U.S. rulers of open, violent civil war among the factions, coalitions and cartels and its spill-over into broader imperialist war where the U.S. cannot predict the outcome. He is calling for unity based on a pledge of allegiance to the U.S. state, its military and police powers, while using "unmatched power" against those at home and abroad who refuse to submit.
How he thinks this will happen or how it would solve
any
problem facing the United States at this time has become a matter
of much diversionary speculation. What the working class and
people need is an anti-war government and a new direction for the
economy that such a government would require.
Notes
1. "At Will Employment," Wikipedia.
2. A Treatise on the Law of Master and Servant: Covering the Relation, Duties and Liabilities of Employers and Employees. H. G. Wood, Albany, N.Y., J.D. Parsons, Jr., 1877.
Spirit of Resistance Reflected in
Actions Across U.S.
New York City
Demonstrations on the one-year anniversary of U.S.
President Trump's inauguration were spirited and large -- in New York
City 200,000 people participated. Many of the actions were organized on
January 20 under the banner of Women's March 2018. The need to resist
and the need for different forms of resistance were the major concerns
put forward by the participants, which included many youth, in
particular young women.
New York City
Concord, New Hampshire
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Washington, DC
Cincinnati, Ohio
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chicago, Illinois
St. Louis, Missouri
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Charlotte, North Carolina
Ashville, North Carolina
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Miami, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Oklahoma City
Austin, Texas
Bozeman, Montana
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Denver, Colorado
Park City, Utah
Las Vegas, Nevada
Los Angeles, California
Seattle, Washington
(Photos: USMLO, Women's March 2018, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Xinhua, Code Pink, Z.D. Roberts, J. Katigbak, S. Mraz, L. Sarsour, momopersister, J. Hogan, B. Talbot-Swan)
Women's Marches Across Canada
In Canada, marches marked the one-year anniversary of the sister marches held in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington. The 2017 marches were part of the emphatic No! given by people around the world to the Trump presidency and what it stood for. This year, along with affirming women's rights, the demand for justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls was very much on the minds of those participating in the Canadian marches. In Toronto, women were asked to wear red scarves to honour the missing and murdered women and their families.
St. John's
Saint John
Fredericton
Yarmouth
Halifax
Truro
Montreal
Ottawa
Huntsville
Toronto
Kitchener
London
Windsor
Sudbury
Thunder Bay
Saskatoon
Regina
Edmonton
Calgary
Kamloops
Vancouver
Fraser Valley
Nanaimo
Victoria
Whitehorse
(Photos: TML, Women's March 2018, Xinhua, Les EssentiElles, A. Gagnon, R. Boilbeau, G. Caliskan, D. Osmond, Foundry Photo, L. MacDonald, A. Hufane, @huile_doppler, N. Tabandcura, K. Rosenkrantz, snapd, J. Jules, C. Marie, K. Shields, D. Maria, YWCA, T. Philips, D. Fairbairn, G. Decelled)
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca