Wednesday, January 26, 2011

One of Karl Marx's most beautiful and insightful descriptions of social revolution

"Bourgeois revolutions, like those of the 18th century, storm swiftly from success to success; their dramatic effects outdo each other; men and things seem set in sparkling brilliants; ecstasy is the everyday spirit; but they are short-lived; soon they have attained their zenith, and a long crapulent depression lays hold of society before it learns soberly to assimilate the results of its storm-and-stress period.

On the other hand, proletarian revolutions, like those of the 19th century, criticize themselves constantly, interrupt themselves continually in their own course, come back to the apparently accomplished in order to begin it afresh, deride with unmerciful thoroughness the inadequacies, weaknesses and paltriness of their first attempts, seem to throw down their adversary only in order that he may draw new strength from the earth and rise before them again even more gigantic, recoil ever and anon from the indefinite prodigiousness of their own aims, until a situation has been created which makes all turning back impossible, and the conditions themselves cry out:

Hic Rhodus, hic salta!
Here is the rose, here dance!"

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

An Ode to the Boss's Pet

You're nothing but a hypocrite, a no-good, low-down liar,
You spy on your coworkers, snitch to the supervisor.
"Don't complain about low wages! Just give thanks for what you get!"
With these words you meet all grumblings, for you are the boss's pet.

Labor unions? You can't stand 'em (barring those that never fight),
"It's in our nature to be selfish," you assure yourself each nite.
In the world you just see chaos, so you think the safest bet,
Is to back the current order and become the boss's pet.

With contempt you look upon those who subvert established power,
"Get a job!," you scold the young, "Go cut your hair and have a shower!"
Spite and malice are your guide, you've cast aside shame and regret,
Yes, there is no lower life-form than the boss's little pet.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Some of my favorites of Banksy's street art

Click on an image to view a larger version



On the Israeli Apartheid Wall with Palestine
On the Israeli Apartheid Wall with Palestine

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The United States and the "right of revolution"

The U.S. ruling class tries to have it both ways . . .

"We hold these truths to be self-evident...that whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of [life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness], it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. [W]hen a long train of abuses and usurpations...evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security."
--American Declaration of Independence, 1776

"It shall be unlawful for any person with the intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any government in the U.S., to print, publish, edit, issue, circulate, sell, distribute or publicly display any written or printed matter advocating, advising or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence."
--U.S. Code, from a 1940 law still in effect

Friday, January 7, 2011

Proudhon & Bakunin (Kropotkin)

http://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1966/twosouls/4-anarch.htm

http://www.isreview.org/issues/03/anarchism.pdf

http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/contemp/pamsetc/socfrombel/sfb_3.htm

http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/letters/subject/anarchism.htm

http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/subject/anarchism/index.htm

http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/works/1872/karl-marx.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Bakunin

http://marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/index.htm

http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/bio/robertson-ann.htm

http://marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/bio/index.htm

http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/economics/proudhon/index.htm

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2Zdv5hwi_o6X1BQWVhwSEZQZzg

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proudhon

http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?adva=1&adv=1&tri=title_sort&t_relation=%22Notice+d%27ensemble+%3A+http%3A%2F%2Fcatalogue.bnf.fr%2Fark%3A%2F12148%2Fcb311548090%22&q=proudhon&lang=en

http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5515947j.r=proudhon.langEN

http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6114997c.r=proudhon.langEN

http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65006g.r=proudhon.langEN

http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k2029526.r=proudhon+amour.langEN

http://books.google.com/books?id=IrcWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA4&dq=proudhon+malthusian&hl=en&ei=mHgnTabNGcP78Abp9O2TAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=proudhon%20malthusian&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=HOgTAAAAIAAJ&dq=proudhon%20woman&pg=PP3#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=u8WBhGwGhZMC&dq=proudhon%20amour&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_d%27H%C3%A9ricourt)

http://books.google.com/books?id=nvNPDnqabYYC&dq=proudhon%20pornocratie&pg=PA281#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=QDWIOL_KtGYC&lpg=PA256&dq=proudhon%20women%20modern%20times&pg=PA255#v=onepage&q=proudhon%20women%20modern%20times&f=false

http://www.connexions.org/CxLibrary/Docs/CX5147-BakuninvsMarx.htm

http://www.socialist.net/marx-versus-bakunin-part-one.htm

http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/kropotkin-peter/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kropotkin

http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/kropotkin/KropotkinCW.html