Socialism or barbarism

Socialism or barbarism?
The U.S ruling elite has targeted much of the Middle East for imperialist domination in their quest to maintain their insatiable appetite for evermore wealth. Of course, Iran, were it to develope nuclear weapons, could not use those weapons on anyone without insuring their own destruction. The reason that the U.S. ruling elite refuse to allow a nuclear Iran is that it would establish that Iran's destiny will not be one of being dominated by the imperialist master. The possession of nuclear weapons means that Iran would be able to defend themselves against imperialist domination. But like a gangster defending his "turf", the U.S. wealthy elite aren't about to allow a source of future wealth to fall into the hands of other competitors. Hence, as the following two articles reveal, we see the head gangsters rallying for WWIII in an effort to protect their claim on the riches of the Middle East Cheney: US will not let Iran go nuclear By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writer Oct 21, 2007 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071021/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cheney -------- Bush Warns of 'World War III' if Iran Gains Nuclear Weapons Thursday, October 18, 2007 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,303097,00.html --------- Socialism or barbarism? One of the most famous writings in the history of socialism is the Junius Pamphlet, written by German socialist Rosa Luxemburg in 1915 while she was in prison for opposing the first world war. Obviously, many things have changed in the world and in the socialist movement in the 90 years since the beginning of that war. But some things have stayed the same. Take Luxemburg's descriptions of capitalist profiteering on the war: “Business is flourishing upon the ruins” and “Profits are springing, like weeds, from the fields of the dead”. Who could think of a better description for the plunder of Iraq by the likes of Bechtel and Halliburton? Take the fantastic lies peddled by the German government to its own people about the reasons for the war — that Germany had been invaded by Russian troops, that bombs had been dropped by “Frenchmen flying over Nuremberg”, that a French doctor had poisoned the wells at Montsigny with cholera, that there were “Russian students who hurl bombs from every bridge in Berlin”. Could these, and Luxemburg's description of the whipping up of the populace into “spy-hunting” and chasing “suspicious-looking automobiles”, fail to demand comparison with the fables of Iraq's weapons of mass deception and sponsorship of terrorists within our midst? Take Luxemburg's searing condemnation of the betrayal of the principles of international socialism by the official leaderships of the socialist parties in Germany, France, and Britain. Tony Blair may be unable to betray the principles of international socialism — you can't betray principles that you've never subscribed to — but the leaders of the British Labour Party have outdone even their treacherous forbears of 1914 in enthusiastically joining Bush's coalition of the killing. Likewise, the repudiation of the class struggle by the likes of Henderson, Legien, and Lensch is outdone by the Tony Blairs of today in their taking up of the class struggle against the working people on behalf of the capitalists. Take Luxemburg's description of how, in imperial conquest, “an ancient civilisation was delivered into the hands of destruction and anarchy, with fire and slaughter ... when Persia gasped in the noose of the foreign rule of force that closed inexorably about her throat”. Arab civilisation has bequeathed to us some of the finest products of human culture. For example, the theoretical grounds for the invention of the modern digital computer were devised by a ninth century Persian mathematician, Abu Jafar Mohammed ibn Musa al Khowarizm, and the word “algebra” derives from the Arabic word al jabr. Who could fail to feel the force of Luxemburg's words on recalling the sacking in April 2003 of the National Museum of Iraq? In the Junius Pamphlet, Luxemburg argues that the choice facing humanity is one of socialism or barbarism: “We stand today ... before the awful proposition: either the triumph of imperialism and the destruction of all culture, and, as in ancient Rome, depopulation, desolation, degeneration, a vast cemetery; or, the victory of socialism.” In the early stages of the 21st century, the choice before us is even starker — without socialism, our children and our children's children will find themselves in a vast cemetery, a brutal world where Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay serve as models for the treatment of human beings, where environmental catastrophe is inevitable, and where the finest products of human culture are sold off to the highest bidder. Rosa Luxemburg and her fellow revolutionary Karl Leibknecht were brutally murdered in January 1919 by the reactionary troops of a right-wing social-democratic government. The Socialist Alliance stands squarely in the tradition of Luxemburg, Leibknecht and the other socialists of 90 years ago who refused to betray their principles. We oppose unconditionally the war in Iraq and call unconditionally for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops. We subscribe to Luxemburg's words at the end of the Junius Pamphlet: “This madness will not stop, and this bloody nightmare of hell will not cease until the workers of Germany, of France, of Russia and of England, will wake up out of their drunken sleep; will clasp each others hands in brotherhood and will drown the bestial chorus of war agitators and the hoarse cry of capitalist hyenas with the mighty cry of labour, `Workers of all countries, unite!'” http://www.socialist-alliance.org/page.php?page=308 witwwats, The Democratic Party and the Republican Party both represent the interests of the wealthy elite. Bill Clinton came to power promising national health care. Instead he gave us imperialist war in Yugoslavia, the bombing of Iraq, NAFTA, a consolidated media, an increased police state and the destruction of social welfare (corporate welfare was saved, thank God). The Bush presidency is merely the consolidation of the Clinton presidency. Redsandr, Thanks for the H.G. Wells quote. Old Scout, The "free market" is the most manipulated thing on the planet. In fact, the very essence of the job of the Federal Reserve is to manipulate the markets. That housing bubble, and the subsequent fallout, didn't happen all by itself. It was the result of manipulative policies. You might reread my initial posting and then think about the development of the world over the past 90 years since Rosa Luxemburg wrote The Junius Pamphlet. We've seen one devastating world war followed by many, many smaller conflicts -- almost all over who is to dominate resources. All of those have come during the period of liberalism which reached its zenith in the early 70s and has since been in steep decline. Today we sit once again on the verge of another world war as competing capitalists fight over control of the world's major resources. Rosa Luxemburg has been proven correct. Our choice is socialism or barbarism. The wealthy elite have chosen barbarsim. We must demand another road.
Politics - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Right!
2 :
A bit long-winded to be so incredibly and totally wrong....
3 :
Ask the elite that started this: "One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." --President Bill Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998 "If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." --President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998 "Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." --Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998 "He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." --Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998 "[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." Letter to President Clinton, signed by: -- Democratic Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others, Oct. 9, 1998 "Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." -Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998 "Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." -- Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999 "There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." Letter to President Bush, Signed by: -- Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), and others, Dec 5, 2001 "We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and th! e means of delivering them." -- Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002 "We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." -- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002 "Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." -- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002 "We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." -- Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002 "The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..." -- Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002 "I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force -- if necessary -- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." -- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002 "There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." -- Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002 "He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do" -- Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002 "In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002 "We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction." -- Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002 "Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real..." -- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003
4 :
The owners of USA, Inc. are the biggest threat to the world of all of the imperialists. With a weak and corrupt union movement and no mass socialist parties, workers in my homeland are in no position to stop them. And I've seen many different tendencies and groups squander chances to make a mass breakthrough, during various periods during the last thirty years when people were open to an alternative. Unless that changes, it will be barbarism, because without the heavy battalions of the multi-racial U.S. working class, our species doesn't stand a chance. Yes, I do believe there is a special role for the proletariat here. And no, that's not American nationalism - it's just plain good sense. Our bosses cause the biggest threat, so we've got to provide the biggest hope for the future. "History is a race between education and catastrophe." - H.G. Wells
5 :
Take a chill pill, Socialism is the perfect form of government for the simple minded. The market however always wins in the end. When every state on the planet is a Liberal state in the western model, we will live in a peaceful and prosperous world. Why are you opposing progress to a higher level of humanity for all? It is messy and unpleasant now but has the promise for a better future for all humanity.