The Norway Massacre

Just to connect the dots here: the politics of racial separatism / ethno-nationalism, isolationism, militant anti-immigration views, populism, and extreme social conservatism, combined with the paranoia that Marxists and the forces of multi-culturalism will overwhelm your country is a category of fascism known as Third Position. I haven't yet come across this label being attached to Breivik, the Norwegian rightist terrorist suspect, however he fits this perfectly.

Third Position adherents and movements often prefer decentralization over centralization; "leaderless resistance" over following a great leader, and generally are oriented towards pushing their agenda at home, or possibly linking up with like-minded fascists on an internationalist basis rather than building an international empire. There are the famous examples of "workerist" Strasserites within the Nazi party, and there are others who are far more religious, including The Nation of Islam and the terrorist Norwegian. (edit: apparently his religious commitment may be more cultural attachment than actual faith). He's apparently an admirer of Al Qaeda's methods and attacks- the two are mirror images of one another in methods and world-view.

In the US, the "soft" version of this would include elements of the Tea Party along with "paleoconservative" figures like Pat Buchanan. The "hard" versions would be armed neo-nazis and open Third Position organisations, who, while following national socialist ideology, are too much of a rabble to have been accepted by the SS.

There's historical forces at work here, though unwisely many are ignoring it and bringing out the same old clichés about the random "mad gunman". The same excuses were drug out to attempt to explain away Arizona shooter Jared Loughner. He, too was motivated by eerily similar social conservative views (anti-abortion and misogyny) along with nationalist obsessions with immigrants, conspiracies and currencies. An excellent statement from the League for the Fifth International stated "There is no doubt that the terror attacks are aimed at the Norwegian labour movement. Those who do not recognise this fact, are disarming the labour movement in front of future violent outbursts from extreme right-wing circles... Extreme right-wing violence is a reality and the organisations of the labour movement should be prepared to defend themselves."

On the rise of the far right, and the mainstreaming of their ideas, a NY Times writer described, "The success of populist parties appealing to a sense of lost national identity has brought criticism of minorities, immigrants and in particular Muslims out of the beer halls and Internet chat rooms and into mainstream politics. In recent years far-right statements have appeared to lose much of their post-World War II taboo even among some prominent political parties." Evidently, as the memories of WWII and its devastation fade, the shock-power of fascism also disappears.

The attraction of fascism, and the reason it's tolerated by the capitalist class should be obvious. Fascists provide scapegoats: don't blame the bankers for our economic crises, blame the immigrants. Don't blame capitalism for lowering living standards, blame multiculturalism. Or this example from the Six Counties in Ireland, where loyalist thugs attack working class Catholic communities because they have grievances over jobs and poverty. And so on.

One of the tasks of Communists is to act as the memory of our class. That way, the lessons of the past, learned through blood and sacrifice, don't have to be repeated. While many are trying to distract us, and prevent us from drawing logical conclusions, (such as this writer, who has said that solidarity and political conclusions are unacceptable, while only condemnation and sympathy are appropriate!) it's more important than ever before to connect the dots between capitalism's decline and fascist massacres of leftist workers.

UPDATE: It seems there was another attack, and another victim was shot in the head. It's not clear if it's a copycat or part of the same original plan as the other terrorist actions. I've been wondering if this was some kind of MKULTRA far right terrorist group, as it's hard to believe one man carried out a bombing of a secure government building, and then only a few hours later massacres over 90 people on his own. So if this latest attack is connected, there is likely a larger group at work.

The Fake Marxism of Platypus 1917

Marx, in his Theses on Feuerbach wrote: The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it. Someone should have shared this with the contributors to The Platypus Affiliated Society, which claims it is "focused on problems and tasks inherited from the “Old” (1920s-30s), “New” (1960s-70s) and post-political (1980s-90s) Left for the possibilities of emancipatory politics today."


Been keeping an eye on this shady, odd group for a while. I've never been a fan of their Albert Speer-like posters, friendly relations with imperialist cheerleaders who compare the imperialist invasion of Afghanistan to the Popular Front in the Spanish Civil War (check out the link, I'm not making that up...!) and creepy support for Israel (creepy in as much the way it supports Israel by attacking everyone in conflict with it as it is for actually supporting that bastion of reaction). To give you an example, in this article they not only equate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, but they state bluntly that 'The Left’s invocation of concepts like “society,” “class,” and “interest” seems positively pathetic.'


I took a look at their very pedestrian article on Egypt and was not the least bit impressed.



For starters, there was no class analysis at all. And without examining the class conflict going on there, Egypt(which the author continually refers to in this manner, as an abstraction, not a class society with dynamic and shifting class struggle) and the ongoing revolts make about as much sense as a car without a motor. Under the hood is the part that makes the wheels turn.


There is also no mention of imperialism; this makes their dense wall of text comparing the Egyptian revolt to the bourgeois democratic revolutions in 1848 and 1789 so empty.


I found a bit that I think is odd too, coming from a group based in the United States:

1848 was both the last of the classical bourgeois revolutions and the first of the socialist revolutions that have marked the modern, bourgeois era.

I don't know if it was "classical" enough for them, but the US Civil War was one of the last bourgeois democratic revolutions, in many ways more profound than the French one, as it helped spread gains for workers around the world, including full enfranchisement for British workers. Hell, even Germany retained an aristocratic Junker class who filled their officer corps until the Red Army removed them from history and replaced their warmongering rule with a republican state...but that's probably not the kind of democratic revolution these liberals would like to touch.


Their post ends with a paragraph that is a mix of pretentious jibberish and truisms which neatly demonstrates how empty the Platypus 1917 project is:

“What now?,” Egypt asks us. We do not ask it. This question should be posed, not as it is wont, as a hope or a fear, but as a task, however exclaimed or whispered. It is not to be answered with exuberance or resignation, but determination: the resolution that not only are we, inevitably, history, but the future will be.

Oh, the future will one day be history! Well, thanks for that!

The Working Class Strikes Back

So once again there's a specter haunting the world and all that good stuff. Rightist commentators have been flipping their lid over this, and doing all they can to associate what is obviously a working class and democratic people's revolution and spin it as a Muslim conspiracy. The typical Zionist bigotry's been especially active here, with Bill Maher amongst others insisting that Arabs must be ruled by a strongman for their own good. I guess democratic rights are good and all that unless Muslims or commies are the ones wanting em.

What I've not heard a lot of comments on is that these uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt have marked the return of the working class as subjects consciously making history. No matter how these working class revolts end up, they're a huge setback for the imperialists and their financial aristocrat masters. It's an unmistakable feeling in the air. As far as I know, these two risings are the first workers revolutions since the global economic meltdown. And from what we can gather from the available evidence, prices of staple foods will only get worse from here on out, meaning that it's quite likely other revolts can be expected.

For a long time, since the financialization of the global economy in '79/80, the weakening of labor and the collapse of the Soviet Union, a lot of that "end of history" postmodernist garbage was popular. Some went so far as to say that class politics itself had completely melted away into a murky puddle of individualism. That's been proven false now.

For a few decades now, we heard the sound of one class struggling. It was anything but zen-like. Ironically it's the anarchy of revolution giving us some peace of mind now.

Revolutions tend to have a clarifying effect- so much so in this case that it's made the master of confusion himself, Zizek make very clear, succinct and direct sense! Check out his Guardian piece if you haven't seen it yet.

Just saw the CP of Egypt's list earlier. It would actually be a perfect list if only it were topped off with a socialist/workers' power demand or two:

The revolution will continue until the demands of the masses are fulfilled

Statement issued by the Communist Party of Egypt
February 1, 2011 -- The moment of truth is approaching. This is the decisive moment for the Egyptian popular forces for change; to topple the Mubarak regime. It seems that the imperialists, and their American masters in particular, are lifting their hands from him after the continuation of revolution everywhere in Egypt.
Today millions emerge to demand the departure of Mubarak. They will prevent all the conspiracies of the dictator and his gang of spies to thwart the revolution and overcome them.
The formation of a committee, which enjoys the confidence of the people and the demonstrators, is crucial to achieve the demands of the political, economic and social revolution, and we emphasise the basic demands presented by the national forces to the deputies of the people's parliament:
1. Dismissal of Mubarak and the formation of a presidential council for a transitional period of limited duration.
2. Forming a coalition government to administer the country during the transitional period.
3. To convene the election of a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution for the country based on the principle of the sovereignty of the nation and ensure the devolution of power within the framework of a democratic just civil state.
4. Prosecute those responsible for hundreds of deaths and injuries of revolutionary martyrs and victims of oppression as well as ensuring the prosecution of those responsible for plundering the wealth of the Egyptian people.
5. Long live the revolution of the Egyptian people
February 1, 2011 - Cairo

Also, I've been getting some great first-hand reports from a friend of my girlfriend's friend, so if you'd like me to forward them to you just drop me a line.


__________


Moving on to something far less important, I was quite surprised to see some bitching over at the AOL-occupied "progressive" site huffington post about the Catholic Church's comments in the UK:

LONDON (RNS) The Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, worried about the growing influence of Harry Potter and his team of young wizards, has published a guide aimed at helping teenagers deal with 21st century witchcraft.

The British church's publishing arm, the Catholic Truth Society, said its booklet, "Wicca and Witchcraft: Understanding the Dangers," offers advice to parents who find their children showing an interest in Wicca, paganism and the occult.

The society said it was concerned by the growing popularity among youths of the Potter stories and other aspects of witchcraft bordering on hero worship.

Elizabeth Dodd, the book's author and herself a former Wiccan who became a Catholic, conceded on the group's website that "Wicca and witchcraft have proved attractive, with much to offer."

She said the booklet is intended to help Catholics assess the history and beliefs of Wicca, and also how to talk to Wiccans they might meet in a pub.

Dodd also said Catholics should find "ways in which it is possible to bring witches and Wiccans to Christ and his church."

While it's a bit goofy to release a report on Wicca by way of Harry Potter, ya can't blame any religion for stating where they stand on a subject- that's what they do. What makes this even more annoying than the smugness of the huffington post are the comments, with various "pagans" crying about the centuries of the Church supposedly burning their kind at the stake. A sampling:

Talk about scary . . . Catholics, I mean.

Dodd also said Catholics should find "ways in which it is possible to bring witches and Wiccans to Christ and his church." ..so that they may be questioned and burned?

The Wiccan of course. Their days of evil were limited even before the Catholics started murdering the wiccans and pagans whole sale.

The interesting thing was how many comments didn't focus on the Church hierarchy, which would be somewhat understandable, but on the ordinary priests (the vast majority of course never abused a child) and average Catholics themselves. Not a pretty display or good advert for pagans.

You'd think witches would have a spell or charm or potion to prevent them from making
silly butthert whining over unimportant comments made by Catholics in
one corner of the world? The feined outrage is comical.

At the end of the day, so what? I've heard many wiccans mock everything about Christianity and claim it's evil. It's not hard to find examples of that. Most
wiccan/pagan adherents are taken from the Christian community, and they
know it, so why pretend you're any different when it comes to seeking adherents?

Time to drop the witch burning reference. leaving aside the massive
historical innaccuracies (those weren't really wtiches being
burned...), paganism was no picnic, either. Anglo-Saxon pagans
regularly buried their wives alive with their husbands- do you want us
to constantly reference that? (and don't try to worm out by pretending
to be "Celtic", Wicca is an Anglo-Saxon word).

It was afterall, a famous Christian Saint who condemned the very pagan practice of taking slaves (and it was the devout Christian John Brown who finally helped end
it). Does that mean we should accuse pagans of wanting to enslave us? Of
course not, it's childish and laughable, as is suggesting that
anything more than a statisically insignficant percent of Christians in this day and age would even think about burning a witch. Get over an historical tragedy
that had nothing to do with your community for Christ's sake.

The final death of the lesser evil?

So, in fairly ironic fashion, the process that began more or less with Clinton- the move away from the New Deal-oriented politics of working class issues towards a staunchly rightist, bipartisan agenda- this process appears to have reached its fullest realization under Obama's mandate for "change".

There's a lot of nasty stuff we could choose to hold up as evidence, unfortunatley, but just glancing back at the past few days worth of news is a watershed.

First, the Democrats decided it would be a good idea to not raise social security for inflation, two years in a row, in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. ...Less than three weeks before an election they're expected to get slammed in.

They followed up that act of extreme cruelty by lashing out against the suggestion on a moratorium on home foreclosures. This shocking attack on the American public is pretty dispicable for several reasons. Leaving aside the obvious issue of homelessness, there are still several layers. One is the reality that people were investing in homes because it was one of the only ways an average person could see a return on an investment- unlike savings accounts which would actually yield negative retruns in real dollars. People didn't do this out of greed, they did it out of what seemed like good sense to everyone. So that's wiping out a lot of futures. Then, in the middle of this crisis of record high foreclosures comes the news that many foreclosures were done with forged documents. Of course, the Democrats won't allow some massive fraud to stop the beautiful workings of the free market.


Solid evidence is confirming the view that the Democrats have pretty much lost whatever progressive rep they had. If you see the link above regarding social security, online polls revealed that people are blaming the Dems more than the Republicans for this- which is entirely appropriate. Were the GOP to perform this cruelty, there'd be mass marches in the streets. On top of that, most people are wanting the Dems to do more for those in need- polls by Zogby International and Bloomberg show massive support for government measures to create jobs, and deeper, overwhelming opposition to any cuts in social security, medicare or other social spending. Disatisfaction with the Democrats is huge, yet there is even less support for Republicans. Essentially, they're criticizing the democrats from the left.

For obvious reasons of self-interest, the bosses' media have it all wrong, portraying the upcoming election as a rejection of the left. In fact, it's just the twisted logic of the two-party system. Anger and despair for the party who pose as the "left" for not living up to their mandate for progressive "change" must, in the obscene way that the US system operates, aid the party of the far right. In fact, both are pursuing an almost identical program of destroying workers' living standards and driving wages down.

A problem I have with the Left in this scenario. Leftists keep focusing on how the Dems are better on a handful of issues which aren't particularly important in the scheme of things, notably gay rights. It's funny that most of the left (with the notable exception of the CPUSA) dismissed the really vital struggle for basic African-American rights, including the left's fav poster boy, Eugene Debs. This they did, even though many more African American workers were suffering violent pogroms and discrimination on a horrifying scale which gays have never known. Just as important was breaking down barriers between the skin tones; pretty essential in advancing the workers movement. Does gay rights have the same weight? I can't see how. Does it help some people to buy into the illusion that the Dems are better? It certainly does.

The obvious conclusion is that a third party is needed, and it must be a party of working people. Anyone with a heart should help, not just committed lefitsts and workers only. The opportunity to build such a party is there. We already have an answer for the "progressives" who tell us that such a course of action will help the right get elected. As one of those old bearded guys said:
"Even where there is no prospect of achieving their election the workers must put up their own candidates to preserve their independence, to gauge their own strength and to bring their revolutionary position and party standpoint to public attention. They must not be led astray by the empty phrases of the democrats, who will maintain that the workers’ candidates will split the democratic party and offer the forces of reaction the chance of victory. All such talk means, in the final analysis, that the proletariat is to be swindled. The progress which the proletarian party will make by operating independently in this way is infinitely more important than the disadvantages resulting from the presence of a few reactionaries in the representative body."