Beyond disaster capitalism into chaos marxism.

some conclusions and impressions from what appears to be the emergence of a new stage of global political-economic realities:

1) the old adage that the choice before us is “socialism or barbarism” is now outdated. assuming that the film of reformism has already been played backwards, we are now living in context of the historical product of this dynamic; i.e. existing neo-liberal barbarism. the choice before us is quite literally: anti-capitalist change (socialism) or doomsday (negative anarchy). this because historically, the more radical the crisis of capitalism the more apocalyptic the results of its breakdown – i point to the great depression as precursor to world war II as a concrete example. ergo: there is urgency involved. whatever actions socialists and anti-capitalists take today to encourage the development of a working class self defense movement against the effects of applied neo-liberal capitalism are critical for the survival of the human species.

2) what naomi klein calls ‘disaster capitalism’ (a collective psychology and a modus operandi pertinent to those who rule that involves a “method of reshaping the world in the interest of multinational corporations [via the exploitation of] the state of fear and disorientation that accompanies moments of great shock and crisis”), is rapidly degenerating into pre-emptive crisis management of imminent post-petroleum chaos (the emergence of obama as crisis candidate for the united states presidency is a subset of this). this shift represents an expression of what is proving to be a fundamental and qualitative transformation of world capitalism.

3) there is danger of a breakdown of what anti-globalisation theorist walden bello has defined as “chain-gang economics” (the system whereby “production of consumer goods is off-shored to low wage countries in order to supply developed world societies whose consumers in turn purchase these products on credit in order to create the false illusion of ‘economic growth’). note that consumer demand accounts for 2/3 of united states gdp and the chinese boom is fuelled by exports. assuming the ongoing global decline in petroleum production (the reason for the raw petroleum price increases), and the associated structural inflation and subsequent demand destruction, it is clear that the existing system of globalised capitalism is not economically sustainable medium to long term. neo-liberal economists and political hacks have no solution on offer to save their system other than damage control measures (such as the bush “tax rebate” whose effect was ephemeral).

4) the clear and present quadruple crisis (climate, energy, food, credit) creates the social conditions for a governability crisis for the neo-con/neo-lib elites. this situation presents socialists and anti-capitalists with both a challenge and an opportunity: it is a challenge in that the most likely reaction from the global neo-con/neo-lib oligarchy is to act to restrict civil liberties and democracy. the militant defense of civil liberties at this point is essential; it will not just be a matter of principle for the vast majority of who will find themselves in the ranks of the “superfluous population”; rather, this defense of civil liberties will become a matter of collective self preservation for ordinary people. Increased police repression and violence as well as martial law are a clear possibility under conditions of stagflation. there is also the ever present danger of far right resurgence, as the middle class becomes pauperized; it is likely to turn to the xenophobic and anti-plebeian demagoguery of the far right for “solutions”. this situation is an opportunity for anti-capitalists and socialists in the sense that there will be greater receptivity for viewpoints that challenge neo-con/neo-lib economic dogma. the crisis of capitalism is an objective opportunity to organise against capitalism.

5) i object that what is to be done is to organise an effective anti-inflation pro-democracy movement that defends civil liberties. call it a "second wave" of the anti-globalisation/anti-war movement. there are two possible launch pads (from the perspective of the united states): one is to get active with the electoral campaigns of ralph nader (at least) or the party of socialism and liberation (at best), to utilise these as platforms from where to challenge the neo-con/neo-lib regime and to propagandise aggresively for social, ecological and peace solutions. u.s. anti-capitalists and socialists should aim to turn the election (a stage managed attempt to refurbrish the "democratic" facade of united states imperialism) into a citizens movement AGAINST the bipartisan dictatorship. as a historical precursor i note how east german dissidents turned the celebration in november 1989 of the 40th anniversary of the german democratic republic into a mass repudiation of stalinism that in effect demolished the berlin wall. extra-electoral activity should also be stepped up: i note the work being done by the international socialists who are organising anti-inflation public forums; the work being carried out by anarchist community electoral abstentionists who actively expose the reality of voter endemic fraud in the united states electoral system (voter list purges, provisional ballots that are never counted, rigged voting machines); and finally the effort by the spartacist league to organise "black leagues for social defense". these are three concrete examples of hard-left organising against a decaying anti-social and anti-ecological system that is hurting people at a basic human level on a daily basis.

- Autogenes.


Discussion:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/redsquare2/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Working_Class_News/


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[THREE EXAMPLES OF CURRENT HARD-LEFT ORGANISING THAT I CONSIDER COULD SERVE AS NUCLEAR BASIS FOR THE EMERGENCE OF A MASS ANTI-CAPITALIST MOVEMENT IN THE U.S.A.: ]


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CHICAGO ISO PUBLIC FORUM:

Crisis and revolt: What's behind the increase in FOOD & GAS PRICES?

Thursday, July 31st @ 7pm
Acme Art Works @ St. Paul
2215 W. North Ave.

Speaker: Nicole Colson, reporter for Socialist Worker newspaper, who has
reported on the growing food and economic crisis…

Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization:
http://www.internationalsocialist.org/

For info email chicago_socialists [at] yahoo.com

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SAVE THE DATE!

2008 MIDWEST SOCIALIST CONFERENCE
November 15-16, 2008
Chicago, Illinois

Join hundreds of activists and socialists from the Midwest for the 2008 Midwest
Socialist Conference:

**Workshops on organizing against war, imperialism, and oppression. Sessions on
the fight against class inequality and on the growing economic crisis.

**Discussions of Marxist theory, the history of revolutionary struggle, the
workers movement, and debates on the Left today.

**Presentations on: Reform vs. Revolution, the 2008 elections, and more...

**Plus entertainment and a radical book fair.

The 2008 Midwest Socialist Conference is organized by the International
Socialist Organization (ISO). For more information, visit our website:

http://www.internationalsocialist.org/

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Join the Labor Black Leagues!

http://www.icl-fi.org/english/leaflets/lbl10pt.html

The Labor Black Leagues stand for mobilizing the masses of black and working people for militant integrated struggle against the brutal system of racist oppression that is capitalist America.

Initiated by and fraternally allied to the Spartacist League, a multiracial revolutionary Marxist organization, the Labor Black Leagues are part of the revolutionary movement of the workers and the oppressed against the bosses and for socialism.

Since they were brought to this country in chains and enslaved, black people have been an integral part of American class society while at the same time forcibly segregated at the bottom. It took the Civil War to emancipate black people from chattel slavery. But the Civil War was not carried to its completion, and black people were freed from slavery only to be stripped of political rights and economically subjugated. The civil rights movement, tied to pro-Democratic Party pressure politics and sold out by liberal reformism, failed to complete the unfinished business of the Civil War. We fight to win the entire working class, including white workers as well as the growing number of Latino and other immigrants, to the fight for black liberation, strategic to the American revolution. Black and working-class militants must stand for full citizenship rights for all immigrants and in their defense against racist and chauvinist anti-immigrant attacks. An injury to one is an injury to all!

The Labor Black Leagues raise the call: Finish the Civil War! Forward to a workers state! They base their perspectives on the realization that it will take a third American revolution, a workers revolution, to finally liberate black people.

If You Stand For—

1 Full rights for black people and for everyone else in jobs, housing and schools! Defeat the racist assault on affirmative action! For union-run minority job recruitment and training programs! For union hiring halls! Open up the universities to all—for open admissions, free tuition and a full living stipend for all students. Free, quality, integrated public education for all!

2 A fighting labor movement—picket lines mean don’t cross! Defeat police scabherding and strikebreaking through mass pickets and union defense guards! For sit-down strikes against mass layoffs! Fight union-busting; keep the capitalist courts out of the unions! Organize the unorganized, unionize the South! Jobs for all—for a shorter workweek at no loss in pay with full cost-of-living escalator clause! Cops, prison guards and security guards out of the unions!

3 Fight for women’s rights! Defend abortion clinics! Free abortion on demand; free, quality 24-hour childcare! Equal pay for equal work! For free, quality health care for all!

4 Full citizenship rights for all immigrants; everyone who made it into this country has the right to stay and live decently! Stop deportations! No to racist “English only” laws! Down with anti-Latino, anti-Semitic, anti-Arab and anti-Asian bigotry!

5 Defend the separation of church and state! Full democratic rights for homosexuals! Down with the anti-sex witchhunt—cops and courts out of the bedroom! Down with all laws against consensual activities such as “crimes without victims” like pornography, gambling, drugs and prostitution!

6 Mass labor/black/Latino mobilizations drawing on the power of the unions against the racist terrorists. Stop the Nazis! Stop the KKK!

7 Abolish the racist death penalty! Free Mumia Abu-Jamal! Free all victims of racist capitalist repression! No faith in the capitalist courts! No to gun control! Defend victims of cop terror and racist police frame-up! No illusions in civilian review boards or community control of the police! Down with the racist and anti-labor “war on drugs”! For decriminalization of drugs! For class-struggle, non-sectarian legal and social defense; support the work of the Partisan Defense Committee!

8 Unconditional opposition to every attempt to abolish welfare! Down with slave-labor, union-busting “workfare” schemes! Fight any and every attempt of the government to take away or cut back even more social programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, public health and aid to education and housing! For a massive program of public works—high-quality integrated housing, schools, libraries, hospitals for the working people and the poor!

9 Down with the chauvinist poison of protectionism! For international working-class solidarity! Support revolutionary struggles of working people abroad! Defend the deformed workers states—Cuba, Vietnam, China and North Korea —against capitalist restoration and imperialist attack! For proletarian political revolution to oust their Stalinist bureaucracies! For labor action against U.S. imperialist war moves and military adventures! For the right of independence for Puerto Rico! U.S. troops out of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean!

10 Down with the Democrats and Republicans! For a revolutionary workers party that champions the cause of all the oppressed! Finish the Civil War! Those who labor must rule! For a workers government to take industry away from its racist, incompetent and corrupt owners! Rebuild America on a socialist planned economy!

—Join the Labor Black Leagues!

http://www.icl-fi.org/

For more information, contact:


CHICAGO: (312) 563-0441

Labor Black Struggle League, Box 6938, Chicago, IL 60680


LOS ANGELES: (213) 380-8239

Labor Black League for Social Defense, Box 29574, Los Feliz Station, Los Angeles, CA 90029


NEW YORK: (212) 267-1025

Labor Black League for Social Defense, Box 2502, Church St. Station, New York, NY 10008


OAKLAND: (510) 839-0851

Labor Black League for Social Defense, Box 29497, Oakland, CA 94604

lblsdbayarea [at] sbcglobal.com