They say the best defense is a good offense. The American Empire is
certainly proof positive. Even as our infrastructure crumbles and our
nation's life expectancy is declining, and we have the highest
percentage of incarcerated of all industrialized nations, and our
banks are holding our students for ransom, and our factories are going
off-shore, and drug deaths are at epidemic level, and our inclination
toward White Supremacy grows like a plague, and we build a wall
between us and Mexico because we are afraid of the people begging for
our mercy, and our government turns citizens against citizens,
nonetheless, rather than admit that we have our own issues to solve,
we turn with a roar and threaten governments of other nations. Led by
the American Corporate Empire's CEO, Donald Trump, the government
waives the Christian Banner and marches to the strings of Onward
Christian Soldiers. Marching as to War. With the Cross of Jesus
going on Before.
And, as the Crusaders of old, we take up our swords and oozies, our
shields and drones, and go forth to bring Peace to the world.
Carl Jarvis
On 3/16/19, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@freelists.org> wrote:
> https://themilitant.com/2019/03/16/natl-blackout-deepens-crisis-in-venezuela-%e2%80%a8us-hands-off/
>
>
> Nat'l blackout deepens crisis in Venezuela – US hands off!
>
>
>
>
> By Róger Calero
>
> Vol. 83/No. 12
>
> March 25, 2019
>
> Peasants from Barinas, Venezuela, march on Caracas Aug. 8, 2018,
> demanding Maduro government stop judges, capitalist landowners from
> evicting small farmers from land they won when Hugo Chávez was
> president. The crisis produced by the workings of capitalism and
> policies of the Chávez and Maduro government continues to bear down on
> farmers and workers.
> Corriente Revolucionaria Bolívar Y Zamora
> Peasants from Barinas, Venezuela, march on Caracas Aug. 8, 2018,
> demanding Maduro government stop judges, capitalist landowners from
> evicting small farmers from land they won when Hugo Chávez was
> president. The crisis produced by the workings of capitalism and
> policies of the Chávez and Maduro government continues to bear down on
> farmers and workers.
> Thousands participated in rival demonstrations in Venezuela March 9 in
> response to counterposed calls by President Nicolás Maduro and
> U.S.-groomed opposition leader Juan Guaidó amid a growing political and
> social crisis.
>
> Guaidó, head of the National Assembly controlled by bourgeois opposition
> forces, proclaimed himself the country's president Jan. 23, saying the
> re-election of Maduro last year was fraudulent.
>
> With the support of the governments of Colombia and Brazil, on Feb. 23
> Washington and Guaidó provocatively attempted to bring into Venezuela
> four trucks of "humanitarian aid" seeking to split the country's armed
> forces and lead to Maduro's forceful removal by the military.
>
> The marches took place as a massive electricity blackout plunged the
> country's population into darkness for days, paralyzing subways,
> hospitals, schools, government offices and businesses, leaving people
> struggling to obtain water and food.
>
> There is a deep economic and social crisis in Venezuela today, a product
> of the workings of capitalism and the failed course of the governments
> of Hugo Chávez and Maduro.
>
> Washington has made the situation facing workers and peasants worse,
> imposing economic sanctions that block access by the Venezuelan
> government to billions of dollars in assets and revenue. The policies of
> the Maduro government, and of his predecessor, Chávez, seeking to
> "manage" capitalism, have undermined the self-confidence, political
> consciousness and fighting spirit of working people, who have a long
> history of struggle.
>
> Communications Minister Jorge Rodríguez, Maduro and other government
> officials blamed the blackout on a "cyberattack" on the electronic
> monitoring system at the Guri hydroelectric plant. That power station
> supplies 80 percent of the country's electricity.
>
> Electricity outages are a common part of the crisis in Venezuela. In
> 2013 a disruption affected Caracas and 17 of the country's 23 states for
> six hours, and in 2018 another outage left eight states without
> electricity for 10 hours. But the latest was unprecedented.
>
> The power failure has intensified pressure on Maduro from working
> people, who are the most affected by the country's deepening crisis.
>
> Roots of the crisis
>
> The attempts of the Chávez and Maduro governments to "regulate"
> capitalist relations were doomed from the start. The inevitable result
> was collusion with sections of the national and international
> bourgeoisie that benefited from the flow of oil revenue until prices
> collapsed, leading to the current crisis.
>
> Workers and farmers in Venezuela have demonstrated a great capacity to
> fight. This was shown in mass upsurges in the 1980s and '90s that
> preceded Chávez's election in 1998, in the mobilizations that defeated a
> right-wing military coup against Chávez, and oil workers' mobilizations
> to restart production when bosses paralyzed the industry in 2002.
>
> There have also been numerous struggles for land, fishing rights,
> greater control of production and safety, and other social struggles.
> All of these were reported on and supported by the Militant over the
> years.
>
> But instead of leading a course that would increase working-class
> consciousness and action against capitalist exploitation and government
> corruption, Chávez and Maduro have tried to act as "strong leaders"
> above the fray seeking to "serve the people," providing them with
> welfare programs. That has blocked workers' mobilizations and pushed
> them to the sidelines. The "mismanagement" and "corruption" Maduro is
> blamed for is a byproduct of the maintenance of capitalist relations.
>
> This was reflected in comments made by Julio Escalona, a member of
> Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly, when he spoke last December.
> He challenged the Food Ministry's policy of transferring massive amounts
> of capital to big capitalist food monopolies, while leaving small
> farmers and cooperatives unable to buy supplies and actually grow food.
>
> "[Government officials] tell us cooperatives and medium and small-sized
> farms don't have the productive capacity of big enterprises, which
> supposedly can deliver immediate results" in increasing food
> availability, Escalona said. "But where are the results?"
>
> "With all the dollars they have received and continue to receive we
> should be very well stocked," he said. But everyone knows that isn't
> true. He was putting a spotlight on the hoarding and speculation by
> these capitalist enterprises.
>
> Washington mounts pressure
>
> Washington has seized on the crisis to increase economic pressure,
> aiming to replace the Maduro government with one more to its liking.
> They are betting on working people growing tired of the dead-end course
> maintained by the political and military forces around Chavismo. At
> least for now, they don't see the need to bear the costs of military
> intervention.
>
> At the same time, a significant number of working people deeply distrust
> the opposition, who have organized violent protests, supported
> Washington's sanctions and have called for U.S. troops to invade.
> Opposition leaders have not been able to convince Venezuelan workers and
> farmers that their interests are at the center of the campaign to
> overthrow Maduro. And they aren't!
>
> A common sentiment among many in Venezuela — including among former
> supporters of Chávez and Maduro — is captured in the view often
> expressed, "I would not vote for the opposition, and even less for
> Maduro," if there were an election.
>
> Despite calling their course "21st century socialism," Chávez and Maduro
> consciously decided not to organize workers and farmers in Venezuela to
> follow the example of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution — to take
> power, overthrow capitalism and transform society on a socialist
> foundation.
>
> Working people in the U.S. can extend solidarity by demanding Washington
> keep its bloody hands off Venezuela, so that working people have time
> and space to find the road forward.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> In This Issue
>
> Front Page Articles •Erie UE strike ends, Wabtec bosses agree to
> negotiations
> •Nat'l blackout deepens crisis in Venezuela - US hands off!
> •'Workers need to organize our own party to take power'
> •Protests continue in fight against police killing of Stephon Clark
> •Democrats' fractures widen in cover-up of anti-Semitic remarks
> •Supreme Court puts limits on cops seizing property, a gain for workers
>
> Feature Articles •Sign up for International May Day Cuba Brigade
>
> Also In This Issue •Celebrate the political life of veteran communist in UK
> •'Militant' continues to receive readers' contributions. Thanks!
> •Capitalism at fault in Alabama tornado catastrophe
> •Are 'hate crimes' and racism on the rise in the US?
>
> Editorials •Join the May Day brigade to Cuba!
>
> On the Picket Line •Indiana teachers rally for higher pay, better
> working conditions
> •Weeklong strike in Oakland ends as teachers' struggle continues
>
> Books of the Month •'In a deepgoing revolution, women want to take part'
>
>
>
>
>
> 25, 50 and 75 years ago
>
>
>
> Corrections
>
>
>
>
> © Copyright 2019 The Militant - 306 W. 37th Street, 13th floor - New
> York, NY 10018 - themilitant@mac.co
>
> --
>
>
> ---
>
> Carl Sagan
> " The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may
> be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be
> consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do
> not determine what's true. "
> ― Carl Sagan
>
>
>
>
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