Rule Breakers is a movie with fighting spirit.  A true story of young Afghan women in 2017 engaged in an international robotics competition focuses on unity and intelligence of the vanguard leaders. The success of persevering high school students, women who fought to be educated despite facing threats of violence, becomes an example of inspiring strength to both men and women in the audience.  I admit I was impressed by the message of cooperation among individuals on various national teams as well as the growth of more reluctant members of the Afghan group. The film contains kernels of communist ideas of antisexism and cooperation not competition and science as tools that will help the working class build a better future under an egalitarian communist society. However, some of the film's scenes sidestepped the question of nationalism and fear. 

When the women are denied visas we are all reminded of our immediate political situation.  Then in disjointed fashion we are shown history leading up to 1999. The repression of women.  The haunting specter of the Taliban.  Then shots are fired through a car window—we reflect on fascism and the current dangers of ICE. And then right back to the movie where a handful of women and their coach try to recruit brilliant young science scholars to enroll in an international competition.  There’s a suspense filled moment when no one shows up . .  then we behold in a basement classroom the scores of women who were shunted away from access to computers—living examples of discrimination and perseverance.

Women workers struggle against sexist capitalism

Tension builds as one woman’s father is killed when the Taliban bombs a mosque. Another woman is pulled off the team by an irate relative. Then the women’s computer is held up in customs. After receiving a compensatory silver medal in Washington, DC, for their “effort” during the visa delay, the Afghan women decide to engage in a second international competition in Albuquerque, NM.  Their robot is sent to the wrong address. It arrives in time but in unusable condition. One of the parts must be welded, and the working-class experience of one woman shows by example the necessary marriage of manual and intellectual skill as she uses the materials in a car garage shop to repair their broken mechanism.

One garage mechanic tells his personal story of on-ground battles in Afghanistan. He found the people there admirable. Two mechanics attend the Albuquerque festival, cheering on the Afghan team.  Throughout the entire film there are scenes of solidarity between teams.  Men and women are seen writing words of encouragement on the backs of the shirts of members of opposing teams.

Each country fosters a unique humanitarian promotion of robotics: One robot dances delicately in crab-step fashion over lethal, toxic material. 

Another favors saving sea life using complex facsimiles of fish robots. One team illustrated how visually challenged people might navigate terrain safely with robotic assistance.  Afghanistan took first place with magnetic detection where spray paint then illuminated land mine locations.  The team predicted the ability to save thousands of lives of adults as well as children who play in desolate areas over the globe.  That first prize is a triumph of one country’s women, but the intent of the film’s message was international.

Now imagine if these ideas and innovations were being realized by women, men, and people of all genders from around the world, armed with scientific education, in an anti-sexist, antiracist, communist, egalitarian world—without borders, money, profit-driven motives, or imperialist competition and wars. In such a world, the working class would have the power to develop all this and more. This is the vision that the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) fights for. Join us!

Here’s why I joined PLP

I work with a fellow teacher who has told me about this organization and the work they do. The teacher was very passionate about the organization. They discussed that people should get respect for the work that they put in. After talking to the educator more about how they planned to get the workers to unite and grow, I became intrigued and asked if I could join any events the organization planned out.

I wanted to join the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) when I first went to one of its events. It was at a pre-May Day event where they discussed plans of action and the organization has been fascinating to see in action. There are people that care about workers’ rights and make sure everyone gets treated in a respectful manner. The Party has been active in going to protests and making sure people are owed justice. This aligns with my interest, as I do want people to be owed justice and respect that is long past overdue.

I want to join an organization that helps others and this party has been putting out events that showcase support for the people. This organization does not belittle one another for the type of work that they do. They do want to see everyone grow and benefit from the action they do. I see the effort that this organization puts out and I am awe-inspired by the amount of people the PLP has that want to see the workers be seen as people. We are living in a time where the political climate has been very aggressive towards many people just for existing. The Party makes sure that does not happen, and calls out against the injustices. Your status as a human being should always remain protected and validated; this Party wants to make sure this continues to happen.

I will work for this organization as long as this premise holds true. I want to stand up and fight against the oppression that has been holding down so many other individuals. I want the people to be able to be themselves without worry or prejudice. I want people to be able to come over to this country and make a living without bigotry saying otherwise. I want people to be able to live comfortably and not worry about homelessness and starvation. I want success for the people that are working two or more jobs to just barely scrape by. We need to work together for this possibility to be a reality. We need to work together if we want those changes to happen. People need to rise up and unite against these oppressive powers. The Progressive Labor Party can do that, we just need to make sure that we will continue to work hard and stick together. Together, change will happen.
*****

Never retired from mass fightback

Long-term outlook. Patience and persistence.

These are words I heard, and that I repeated to others during the decades I immersed myself in trying to be a communist Progressive Labor Party organizer in my union. These words were true then and are true now! My working life ended abruptly years ago thanks to a health crisis. Yet I’ve tried to stay involved with my union’s retiree group. 

This is a group of folks from jobs all over the city. Most of the folks here don’t know me and don’t know I’m a communist – unlike the last decades when I was working.  But some of these retired folks participated years ago in the early militant fights to bring in the union. Several proudly report of being arrested in those fights.

And times have changed! Used to be that my bringing up fascism in union meetings small and large was met with silence. Not now! At today’s retiree meeting we had a very lively discussion that largely accepted fascism as the current U.S. political stage. 

Sure, there was a wide spectrum of opinions of what fascism is and how to fight it. “It’s the Republicans!” “We gotta pray!” “We gotta vote for the Democrats!” “We gotta go back to the streets!”

But all this is to be expected. It also allowed me to introduce the need to defend immigrants and fight deportations into our discussions about fighting fascism and rebuilding our union.  My comments were warmly received. I don’t know where this will lead, but as the retiree group proceeds with our plans to rebuild the union, and we continue to confront and discuss deepening U.S. fascism, I plan to vigilantly look for ways to connect these things to the need for communist revolution. I guess this stuff really is long-term and there ain’t no retiring from the fight to overthrow capitalism.
*****

Taiwan has a timeline for China’s invasion

TribuneIndia, 3/22— Taiwan's annual military drills have now indicated 2027 as a possible year for a Chinese invasion, marking the first time a specific date has been mentioned for the anticipated attack…this year's exercise will include joint operations between the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, featuring live-fire drills, amphibious landings, and simulated missile strikes…Taiwan's Defence Minister, Wellington Koo, stated at a press conference on Wednesday that the Han Kuang exercise is designed to simulate scenarios that could unfold in the next one to two years.

Israeli bombs rain down on Palestinian families

Al Jazeera, 3/21–Israel’s military assault on the Gaza Strip has continued for a fourth day as its ground forces expand their operations in northern and southern Gaza and the Israeli defence minister threatens to seize land in the coastal enclave. Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Friday that Israeli forces would “intensify” the military campaign against Hamas…The ground operations come after Israel shattered a nearly two-month ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday with a relentless wave of bombardments after imposing a renewed blockade on the Palestinian territory. More than 590 people, including about 200 children, have been killed in the renewed attacks, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Israeli police attack antiwar protesters 

Jerusalem Post, 3/19–Israel Police violently dispersed a group of protesters demonstrating in Jerusalem against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to resume the war in Gaza on Tuesday night. The protesters clashed with security forces and plan to continue demonstrations nationwide, showing their rejection of the new "Strength and Sword" operation in Gaza. In videos posted to social media, police can be seen forcibly dragging away both male and female protesters who were sitting on the ground, as well as violently kicking, hitting, and stomping on them. In a highly-circulated video, police officers can be seen punching a man in the groin area.

Europeans struggle with a U.S. military pullback 

Newsmax, 3/16–Frightened by the prospect of US security disengagement and three years of Moscow's war against Ukraine, European countries are debating reinstating compulsory military service to boost their defences in the face of Russian aggression…"The Russian military today is larger and better than on February 24, 2022…According to a YouGov poll, most people in France (68 percent) and Germany (58 percent) support mandatory military service for young people. Italian and British people are divided, while a majority of Spaniards (53 percent) are against it…"The American sea is receding, and many European countries are saying to themselves that yes, in the end, they are a little bit exposed."

Australia buys missiles to sink Chinese ships

Reuters, 3/13–Australia is scrambling to deploy new long-range missiles as the recent arrival of powerful Chinese warships off the Australian coast delivers a sharp reminder of Beijing’s growing naval muscle…Canberra plans to arm Australian soldiers with anti-ship missiles and advanced targeting radars to protect the country’s vast maritime approaches…Two new types of advanced anti-ship missiles for the army fired from mobile launchers are under evaluation with a decision expected by the end of the year, the government has said…New missiles…could…be deployed to support allied forces defending strategically important islands in the Asia-Pacific region in the event of conflict, military experts told Reuters.

Workers in Brooklyn protest against racist end to TPS

DocumentedNY, 3/19–Outside St. Jerome Church in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Flatbush, Brooklyn, dozens of Haitian immigrants, elected officials, and allies gathered to show solidarity for the tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants in New York and across the United States who are at risk of losing their Temporary Protected Status. In February, the Trump administration rescinded TPS for Haitians, a decision that threatens to uproot more than 50,000 families who have called the U.S. home for years. They held signs reading “Keep Haitian Families Together” and “Haitians Deserve Safety, Not Deportation,” chanting, “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here.”

In his latest episode of imperialist reality TV, Donald Trump scolded Ukraine President Zelensky, then shut off U.S. arms and intelligence to Ukraine in its war with Russia, then restored them–for now. Trump announced across-the-board tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, walked some of them back, then declared a new global tariff on steel and aluminum–revenue he needs to cover his planned tax cuts for the rich (reuters.com, 1/22).  Canada and Europe, long the closest of U.S. allies, fought back with tariffs of their own. With Trump igniting trade wars and admitting the potential for recession, Wall Street markets took a nosedive (BBC, 3/10). 

In the current period, as the rulers sow death and chaos and everything seems up for grabs,  a communist analysis is essential. Beneath the daily drama lies a global crisis of capitalism and sharpening tension between a U.S. in decline and rising Chinese and Russian imperialism. At the same time, boiling disagreements have split the U.S. ruling class over how to plunge the working class into fascism and war. 

Recent worker-driven struggles have brought terms like “fascism” into everyday conversation. But simply calling Trump a fascist paints an incomplete picture. Our ultimate enemy is the capitalists’ dictatorship, whether it’s under the guise of liberal democracy or the more open state terror that ushers in full-blown fascism. As Vladimir Lenin, a leader of the Russian communist revolution, warned over one century ago, trade wars are the gateway to shooting wars. The bosses will use workers as cannon fodder, no matter which party wins the next U.S. election or who is the president. 

The revolutionary communist Progressive Labor Party fights to turn the guns around on this entire racist, sexist, imperialist system, from Port-au-Prince to China’s Pearl River Delta. Our task is to win millions to fight for communist revolution and a society run by and for the working class.

Ukraine war reveals U.S. bosses’ conflicts

The March 2 Trump-Zelensky showdown exposed deep divisions among the U.S. rulers. The Small Fascist, Fortress America bosses who’ve hijacked the Republican Party have no interest in paying for a costly ground war between the U.S. and China or Russia. A rival group, the finance capital main wing led by the multinational banks and energy companies, is fronted by the Democratic Party. With trillions of dollars in worldwide assets defended by over 800 U.S. military bases, these Big Fascist imperialists see Ukraine as a linchpin of their anti-Russia containment strategy. Trump challenged this strategy in his 2019 phone call to Zelensky, when he attempted to barter U.S. military aid for dirt on Genocide Joe Biden, the main threat to Trump’s re-election in 2020. The Democrats responded by impeaching Trump. 

Trump’s openly racist, crudely transactional approach lacks the Democrats’ phony gloss of “freedom” and “democracy” or their cynical pandering to Black, Latin and immigrant workers. The Big Fascist finance capital bosses use these deceptions to mislead honest anti-racist workers into supporting liberal Democrats–even though the Democrats, if and when they regain power, will lead the drive to war and open fascism. Faced with the escalating crisis of capitalism, they will have no other choice. 

In truth, neither faction of the U.S. ruling class cares about the more than one million working class Russian and Ukrainian soldiers dead or wounded. There are no good bosses! All capitalists–and their politician stooges–serve only the brutal profit system. Communists serve only the international, multiracial working class. That means uniting to smash ALL bosses and their racist, sexist, nationalist ideas.

The rise and fall of U.S. imperialism

Since World War II, U.S. imperialism has mostly dictated the global political and economic order through the supremacy of the U.S. dollar. The dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency was the foundation for the United Nations, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, and the NATO military alliance. For decades, the U.S. bosses and their European junior partners carved up much of the world’s markets, labor, and resources.  When workers’ power in the once-revolutionary Soviet Union and China was reversed, U.S. imperialism became even more dominant. But now, with renewed imperialist rivalry, the U.S. is no longer an unchallenged global superpower. Its “unipolar moment” is done (polsci.institute, 4/9/24).

One marker of this fall is the fracturing of the U.S.-European alliance (Atlantic Council, 2/24). Three others: the economic and military rise of China, the de-dollarization of the BRICS alliance, and Russia’s defiance of NATO in Ukraine. Grand strategies aside, the Ukraine war has been a disaster for U.S. imperialism. It has depleted U.S. military stockpiles while bringing Russia and China closer together and expanding markets for Russian fossil fuels in China and India. Meanwhile, nationalist bosses from Brazil to Burkina Faso, long subjected to U.S. imperialist coercion, are realigning with Russia and China. In Africa’s Sahel, local capitalists are swapping French troops for Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries (Deutsche Welle, 10/27/24). They’re also signing more profitable trade agreements with Chinese mining companies to extract gold, lithium and uranium (Le Monde, 1/5). 

Lenin was right. The imperialists’ unquenchable thirst for profits drives them to redivide the world’s spoils, over and over again. When imperialist diplomacy inevitably fails, imperialist war inevitably follows — and the global imperialist order is reset. It’s worth noting, however, that the two biggest imperialist wars - World Wars I and II - ended with millions of communist-led workers smashing the rulers’ war machines and uniting the working class under the red flag. And they will again!

The only solution to fascism: communist revolution

Within the U.S. and Europe, inflation and price gouging, mass racist and sexist terror, and sickening wealth inequality have created fertile ground for fascism – and for PLP. Just as the capitalist bosses use imperialist war to resolve their differences with bosses in other countries, they use fascism to resolve crises within the countries they rule. They develop extreme racist, sexist, and nationalist ideas to their fullest, most deadly expression. Their aim is to reorganize the social, political and economic life of a country around their necessity for imperialist war.

It’s not just Trump and the nazi-loving Elon Musk and J.D. Vance. The European Union’s liberal president announced that Europe is in “an era of rearmament” and must transition to war preparation (Reuters, 3/4). Meanwhile, the bosses of Europe’s largest economy, Germany, have “reawakened” and pledged to reorganize their economy for war (Financial Times, 3/5.) Their alarm went off after the openly fascist Alternative fur Deutschland doubled its share of the vote to 20 percent and finished second in the recent federal elections.  Building a mass international PLP will remind the German bosses of the last time they “reawakened,” and the Soviet Red Army obliterated Nazi fascism from Stalingrad to Berlin.

Workers today are bravely resisting in isolated struggles, from fighting genocide in Gaza to resisting racist police terror and deportations. But only a united international working class, led by a mass revolutionary Progressive Labor Party, can smash capitalism for all time. The growing international crisis presents both dangers and opportunities. As the capitalists dismantle reforms won by previous generations, it’s a dead end to try to fight fascism through alliances with sell-out liberal capitalists.  The only solution is a communist revolution! Join PLP!