Revolution and the US

by B. R. GOWANI

Chicago Police officers terrorizing/beating family members in the parking lot of the Brickyard Mall VIDEO/ABC 7/You Tube

“American Revolution”

United States is the only country in the world where there has never been a revolution – discounting the “American Revolution” which, basically was a war between two groups of white thugs, one sitting across the Atlantic Ocean presiding over the British Empire, and the other group residing over the stolen Native American land with its knee on the neck of Native Indians, blacks, and poor whites.

After a bloody war and deaths of tens of thousands of people the second group declared victory and proclaimed the US as their father’s property or fatherland.

Since then, the white propertied class has ruled this country uninterrupted with one exception: Barack Hussein Obama, the first black manager, (2009-2017) who did what the white ruling class wanted him to do, carry on the unjust, unequal, merciless system.

A city government had once been overthrown in Wilmington, N.C. in 1898 by a “mob of white supremacists armed with rifles and pistols.”

Then there have been revolts by slaves in the US. Perhaps the biggest one occurred in 1811 near New Orleans, Louisiana. It was carried out by 400 to 500 slaves. Sixty-six of them met their death right away at the hands of militia forces and US army. The firing squad executed 16 slaves after they were tried.

The militia forces have been around for a long time. Now in 2020, they’ll be stretching their muscles for their man, Trump. Even the police forces act like white supremacist militia groups. Watch the linked video. See how the policemen in Chicago (this is true of most of the police forces in the US) are venting out their racism by beating people and banging car windows.

Is revolutionary change possible in US?

It was Napoleon Bonaparte who once said:

“Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools.”

But then it would be foolish to try to overthrow the US government which is the most violent, and destructive terrorist force this planet has ever witnessed.

Thomas Jefferson, thirteen years before becoming the third US president, expressed his views on the Western Massachusetts 1786 Shays’ Rebellion in a letter to William Stephens Smith:

“We have had 13. states independant 11. years. There has been one rebellion. That comes to one rebellion in a century and a half for each state. What country before ever existed a century and half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.”

Since it parted ways with Britain, the US has thrived almost two and a half centuries without a forceful rebellion which could overthrow the capitalist system.

The Civil War of 1861-65 was between the slave masters in the South (who wanted to continue slave labor) and the aristocracy in the North who wanted “economic expansion-free land, free labor, a free market, a high protective tariff for manufacturers, a bank of the United States.”

One wonders, if Thomas Jefferson were alive today, would he have decided to revolt against the US government? If so, how would he have carried out his plan against a surveillance state that tracked his every move? A guerilla warfare? But, that would need organizing that people wouldn’t be able to do because the state monitors every move.

So, a revolution in the US is almost next to impossible.

Even a coup d’état can’t be realized in the US because “there’s no American embassy” in Washington D.C.

(The US embassies in other countries have played a deadly role in overthrowing governments, as late William Blum’s extensive list shows the dozens of affected countries.)

News media

The news media is one institution that, if it wants to, can instigate a revolution which could drastically change people’s lives. However, the news media is controlled by the very rich and so you never see billionaires being questioned as follows:

  • You live in the US, some of you have tens of billions of dollars and other have 100 of billions of dollars at your disposal, why don’t you spent that money to better the lives of your fellow humans?
  • Isn’t it treasonous to ignore the condition of your fellow citizens?
  • No one person can make so much money without the blood, sweat and tears of thousands of people working for them and the exorbitant prices being charged to customers for their products.

Never has the media pursued this simple line of questions.

Common people on their own

The common folks in the US have been at the mercy of their rulers since 1776.

The ruling class has succeeded in indoctrinating people with the idea of self-help and not to expect anything from the government – so the government can work only for the rich ruling class.

The 35th US President John F. Kennedy put it succinctly on January 20, 1961 during his first inaugural address

“… my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.”

When leaders invoke “country,” most of them don’t mean the mountains, the rivers, the natural resources, and other aspects of the country, they mean the ruling class who owns the country. Kennedy meant the same: the “country” implied the ruling elite from whom people shouldn’t anticipate anything but rather be ready to shed their sweat and blood to enrich them from within and without the US.

Even minor demands such as $15 pay per hour, free education, universal health care, finding a permanent living place for the homeless population are vehemently opposed by the Republican Party and the wealthy class.

Un-revolutionary Biden

Biden and the Democratic Party establishment wouldn’t mind workers getting $15 an hour, but for free medical care, Joe Biden’s plan is way too short of what is needed. Ditto with his free college plan, which doesn’t match either Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders plans.

Power of the wealthy

Last year, Kshama Sawant, a city council member of Seattle, Washington wanted to tax Amazon and other companies to take care of the homelessness problem but she couldn’t succeed.

The Amazon owner, Jeff Bezos, the richest person on this planet, spent about one and a half million dollars to defeat Sawant’s bid for a second term. Bezos failed; but, we are sure, he’ll try again to remove Sawant.

Even justice is impossible

Just to get policemen arrested for hateful murders of black and other minorities when evidence in eyewitnesses and while being video taped is not possible many a time. In spite of people protest for days, weeks, and months, not much changes.

Since George Floyd’s murder by a white policeman at the end of May, 2020 in Minneapolis, nothing seems changed. In August, police killed 87 people in the US. Even before Floyd’s death, police have been killing black people like barbarians . In March, Daniel Prude was mercilessly murdered.

A pledge to defund the city’s police department, by a majority of Minneapolis City Council, has gone nowhere as some council members want a “do-over.”

In simple English, no substantial changes. Hani Ali, a Black Visions organizer, expressed her frustration:

“We’re tired of weak reforms like body cameras, tweaks to civilian oversight and new signs in police cars.”

Miski Noor, an activist explained the system was doing its work, as its supposed to do:

“It is the nature of white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy or any of these other systems of oppression to want to do what is necessary to save themselves.” “To adapt. To mutate. To move. To slow progress.”

Basic rights under attacks

Certain rights as freedom of speech, protests, etc. were granted so people could vent their anger and frustration. The protests have not brought any meaningful changes.

A homeless person may shout curses against the person sitting in the White House everyday and then go to sleep in his cardboard shack or a public bench. That homeless persons’ screams, curses, wails are useless if the White House tenant doesn’t take any action to solve the homelessness problem plaguing this country. No leader has taken any concrete steps to get the people living on the streets a decent place to live.

Presently though, even the rights of freedom of speech and protests are under brutal attack. The US has never been a true democracy. In his informative article titled The Coup Already Underway, Paul Street shows the US is a sham democracy.

No parting with money

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, could tackle the problem of homelessness by taxing the rich – New York City houses 92 billionaires but he is not doing it.

Apple‘s Tim Cook doesn’t want to part with just 2% of profit from last year’s business to create a little happiness for his 350,000 workers in China.

Ralph Nader:

“Apple made $104 billion in the last 12 months, puffed up by tax-avoidance, tax cuts and a no tariff deal with Trump on its Chinese imports, yet Tim Cook has rejected pleas to spend a little over $2 billion (deductible) to award a full year’s pay bonus to the 350,000 Foxconn workers who build Apple’s iPhones and iPads.”

Improbable probability

Napoleonic possibility can happen in the US and things could change if the progressive wing of the Democratic Party led by Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez decide to bring meaningful change. It should ask all its supporters to come out on the streets in non-violent manner and bring the country to a total standstill, including the Amazon warehouses and Walmarts.

This strategy could also be used if Trump refuses to quit power after his defeat. The progressives could also charge Trump for his crimes, including the killing of over 200,000 people.

That seems the only way to break out of this unjust unequal state of affairs. True democracy brings true equality.

B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com