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Burning U.S. Flags:  Symbolizing A Change in Consciousness

7/4/2016

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Full disclosure, I have been participating in U.S., confederate, and other imperialist flag burning ceremonies since the late 1970s.  And, for as long as I'm able, I'll continue to participate in these ceremonies?  Why?  Because the U.S. flag and all the oppressive flags are symbols of the might of this system.  The problem is its a might that is contrived and maintained through institutions of exploitation.  In other words, if America ever could be classified as a great country, whatever that means, it gets there through its exploitation of Africa, African people, and many other citizens and places on the Earth.  In fact, this entire capitalist economy is based on that exploitation so by burning the rag, I mean flag, the statement is being made that we do not submit to your authority, your system, or your backward vicious values.  Instead, we are committed to working to change the system into something much better where people matter more than profit (read socialism).

Since I've been burning flags for quite some time, I have seen the development in consciousness over the years.  When I was a youngster, it was strictly the most radical and militant who would even consider participating in such a ceremony.  Today has seen an evolution where many of the people who appear for events like the "Fourth of the Lie" event we sponsored today, are people who five years ago would never have set foot into such an event with such a focus.  I talked to dozens of people today who have been driven to a much more radicalized consciousness because of the naked inequities of the capitalist system, which being in such a severe state of decline is unable to provide the quality of crumbs, or any crumbs at all, to so many people that the system has relied upon to keep its mystique and it's power.  Today, more and more people are realizing that their interests are tied to the masses of people on the Earth, not the few capitalist class people who own and control everything.


Actually,  the move to the right you are witnessing in Europe and the U.S. today is a manifestation of the last remnants of working class Europeans who are willing to place their lot with the capitalist classes.  I say last remnants because more and more Europeans (White people) are waking up and realizing they have been had.  They are understanding that the capitalist system has lied to them and told them that it and its interests is their identity.  The truth is the capitalist doesn't care one bit about working class Europeans. It never has, but now, its decline has pushed it to the brink where it can no longer afford to offer the promise of entitlement of comfort that it has dangled in front of working White people for four hundred years.  

So, what we are seeing more and more of today is European folks, young European folks, who are wanting to get involved and do something about challenging this backward system.  And, they are approaching it in a much more correct way e.g. fighting for a better society for their future and the future of humanity instead of looking at it like they need to support our African liberation struggle as if we need them in order for us to achieve one unified socialist Africa.  We will do that on our own.  We don't need the European community to help us with that.  We do ask those Europeans to organize the masses of your people, starting with your families, who are being confused everyday, especially on an imperialist day like today, into believing they have some common interests with the capitalist classes who benefit from this system in its present form.  Europeans activists have their work cut out.  They have to do work to convince their people that they are not the Rockerfellers or even the Clintons or the Trumps.  They have to convince their parents, siblings, friends, and co-workers, that believing that Donald Trump will bring quality jobs into their lives is about as naive and ignorant as one person can be.  The lack of quality jobs is because capitalism's decline has seen it ship jobs over into other international markets for cheaper labor.  The capitalist system, through the lie of "right to work" has been able to eliminate collective bargaining from most of the states in the U.S. thus reducing wages, benefits, etc.  This has been possible because the masses of working White people have permitted themselves to become convinced that labor unions are against their interests when the truth is even a bad labor union is better for workers than no union at all.  The masses of working White people have continued to accept the lie of white supremacy; being led like dumb sheep into turning against workers of color while united with the very elites who are the direct cause of their oppression.  With a strong labor movement, there is no movement of jobs overseas.  There is no "right to work" where people make less than they do in any state that has collective bargaining (investigate that fact yourself - please).  This theft of wages has become such the norm that most people cannot identify five people they know today who have a job with quality wages, good health care, and a retirement program.  This is the reality that most White people have been tricked into supporting and White activists have your hands full working with these folks to wake them up.

Meanwhile, this is the moment of vindication for African activists.  We  have told you this day would be coming for quite some time now.  You can get mad at us and tell us to go back to Africa all you want, but the truth is we didn't even have to invite your sons and daughters out today.  They came on their own.  And they are so hungry for something better than the capitalist garbage that you are trying to feed to them that we had to share much of today to speakers for the Marilyn Buck Abolitionist Collective (anti-capitalist primarily White organization here that some of us African revolutionaries help form) because of the need to direct the multitudes of White youth present towards something.  And you better believe that we were pleased with the numbers of young Africans out today who are interested in getting involved.  And, as always, we were happy to talk to each and every one of them.

So, if your face is bunched up because some flags got burned (at least three of them at our event alone) recognize that if I were you, I wouldn't even be concerned about that worthless rag.  You have bigger concerns.  While you are directing your white supremacist influenced anger towards us (no matter your nationality/race, etc) know that your children are listening to us.  They are listening because you have no credibility with them because you have sold them out for a decadent system that has feasted off of humanity long enough to the point where its days are numbered and everyone can see it except you.

As for me.  From the flag that was given to me for graduating high school to the flag given to me when my father died (he was an veteran of U.S. imperialist forces - unfortunately) to the flags present today, all of them were burned and may they burn in hell.  Its just a symbol.  A symbol of a system that is burning.  Some of you are just so consumed with confusion you can't yet smell the smoke.
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    I don't see disagreement as a negative because I understand that Frederick Douglass was correct when he said "there is no progress without struggle."  Our brains are muscles.  Just like any other muscle in our body if we don't stress it and push it, the brain will not improve.  Or, as a bumper sticker I saw once put it, "If you can't change your mind, how do you know it's there?"

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