*In Honor Of Our Class-War Prisoners- Free All The Class-War Prisoners!-Free Jalil Muntaqim (San Francisco Eight)!

Click on the headline to link to more information about the class-war prisoner honored in this entry.

Make June Class-War Prisoners Freedom Month

Markin comment

In “surfing” the “National Jericho Movement” Website recently in order to find out more, if possible, about class- war prisoner and 1960s radical, Marilyn Buck, whom I had read about in a “The Rag Blog” post I linked to the Jericho list of class war prisoners. I found Marilyn Buck listed there but also others, some of whose cases, like that of the “voice of the voiceless” Pennsylvania death row prisoner, Mumia Abu-Jamal, are well-known and others who seemingly have languished in obscurity. All of the cases, at least from the information that I could glean from the site, seemed compelling. And all seemed worthy of far more publicity and of a more public fight for their freedom.

That last notion set me to the task at hand. Readers of this space know that I am a long time supporter of the Partisan Defense Committee, a class struggle, non-sectarian legal and social defense organization which supports class war prisoners as part of the process of advancing the international working class’ struggle for socialism. In that spirit I am honoring the class war prisoners on the National Jericho Movement list this June as the start of what I hope will be an on-going attempt by all serious leftist militants to do their duty- fighting for freedom for these brothers and sisters. We will fight out our political differences and disagreements as a separate matter. What matter here and now is the old Wobblie (IWW) slogan - An injury to one is an injury to all.

Note: This list, right now, is composed of class war prisoners held in American detention. If others are likewise incarcerated that are not listed here feel free to leave information on their cases in the comment section. Likewise any cases, internationally, that come to your attention. I am sure there are many, many such cases out there. Make this June, and every June, a Class-War Prisoners Freedom Month- Free All Class-War Prisoners Now!

*********

A Challenge to the Black Bourgeoisie
and Black Progressives –
Which Way Forward?!

This article represents the political thinking of Jalil A. Muntaqim, and not a joint statement from the San Francisco 8.

Will the CIA knock off Barack Obama for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq, after Barack Obama which way forward? After the political death of Barack Obama, what will the left do? How will the Democratic Party sustain a populist political posture? How will both the country and international political arena respond to an American reality absent the promise of a Barack Obama presidency? Because he has been anointed in the spirit of JFK, will Barack Obama suffer the same fate?
The illusion that Barack Obama in the White House will represent a real change ultimately will result not in his physical demise, rather his political death by virtue of the façade. The question then must be what does Obama presidency represent and mean to people of color, especially Black people? Some will argue that it is empowering, it is the fulfilling of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., dream, the breaking down of institutional racism, and further offer to the international community America’s promise is true.
Unfortunately, too many Black Americans believe that the election of a Black president represents a dramatic change in American politics. I disagree! While the election and seating of a Black Commander in Chief in the White House challenges the sensibilities of a country whose racial and cultural history has been one of Black ostracism and denial, the body politics of business as usual will not be challenged or change. Barack Obama presidency essentially represents the power-elite in black face, and this reality is a blatant affront to any true prospects of serious change that would improve the socio-economic and political conditions of Black people and poor people of color. In Black Skin White Mask, Franz Fanon offered that Black Americans may suffer the psychological vestiges of chattel slavery, a trauma that imposes restrictions to free their selves psychologically from the culture of American racist political oppression as presently governed by the plutocracy. If true, absent a dynamic national Black agenda that addresses and defines Black empowerment, this would demand reassessment of Black support of Barack Obama presidency.
For example, when considering the economic figures of 2005, the wealthiest 0.1 percent of the country's population had nearly as much income as all 150 million Americans who make up the lower economic half of the country. Of each dollar people earned in 2005, the top ten percent got 48.5 cents, the highest percentage since 1929, just before the Great Depression. Given this reality, and that Barack Obama's campaign has been finance by corporate sponsors and the power-elite, Oprah Winfrey notwithstanding, the prospect is that socio-economic and political conditions will worsen according to the dim economic future of U.S. , Inc. globalization.1 Further, the greater likelihood is that Black apathy will increase with the mistaken belief Black folks has reached the pinnacle of socio-economic political achievements with Obama's presidency. A challenge from the Black left for fundamental change will become impotent in fear of being charge of attempting to undermine the first Black president.