[Ymir]

The treatment of minorities is perhaps the most recognised defect of democracies. Between the mid-1930's and the mid-1970's, the Swedish government forcibly sterilised thousands of women, because of 'mental defects', or simply because they were of 'mixed race'. Yet Sweden has been a model democracy for the entire period. The democracy worked, the problem is that democracy offers no protection to marginalised and despised minorities. The usual answer of democrats is that excesses can be prevented by constitutionally enforced individual rights.

First, no constitutional rights are absolute: President Bush showed how easy it is to overturn constitutional protections. Simply by redefining American citizens as 'enemy combatants', he was able to intern them. In Britain the Blair government plans to detain without trial anyone with a 'personality disorder'. The official diagnostic criteria for that include: being envious of others, spending money irresponsibly, unsafe sex, driving recklessly, and feeling lonely. Probably most of the population could be detained, but so long as only unpopular minorities are targeted, mass opposition is unlikely. The point is that such mental health detention powers do not usually conflict with constitutional rights, so they provide a back-door internment procedure.


Paul Treanor
Why Democracy is Wrong

[The Red Goblin]

There is a lot of myth and crap in mainstream America (especially on the Right)
concerning the Black Nationalist Movements in the 1960’s. One almost needs to wear
combat boots to wade through the miasma of lies and falsehoods. We hear that Black
Nationalism is nothing but reverse Racism and violent. This is a comfortable position for
both smug WASP’s, Trailer Park White Trash, bleeding heart liberals and Uncle Tom’s
who have sold their soul to join “The Man” in white society. To which I reply: Bullshit!
The Capitalist system is racist by its very nature, and the enlightened members of the
African-American movements, along with their Socialist brethren, recognize this fact.

The Black Panther Party was started in October of 1966 in Oakland, California, by
Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. The Party was organized not simply to help Black
people to self-awareness and self-defense in response to racism and police brutality,
though this was an important point. Its founders articulated a ten point program that
embodied the principles of both the late Malcolm X and the principles of Marxist Class
Struggle. In other words, the Black Panther Party was a revolutionary party! Their aims
can be summed up in the last point of their program in which they stated, “We want land,
bread, housing, clothing, justice, and peace.” The revolutionary nature of their programs
became even more evident when in order to raise money, members sold copies of
Chairman Mao’s “Little Red Book” around college campuses. They formed alliances
with White militant groups such as the Students for a Democratic Society and the
Weatherman. So much for the “reverse-racism” middle America labels them with.

Of course, independent Black men advocating armed resistance in self-defense to
those oppressing their communities sent shock waves throughout mainstream America.
America’s leading Nazi, J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI Storm Troopers targeted them even
more heavily than they did Malcolm X and other militants. The Party quickly grew
beyond its Bay area origins and chapters sprouted up all around the country. Harassment
of Black Panther Party leaders began almost immediately, as Hoover’s agenda, working
with local police, was to break the back of “uppity N*****€ agitators. Leaders were
framed for crimes they didn’t commit, including Huey Newton and many more. Others,
like Fred Hampton and Mark Clark in Chicago, were little more than murdered and the
perpetrators (local police) got away with their assassinations.

By the early 1970’s “The Man” had won. The leadership was in disarray, partly
due to FBI Agent provocateurs inciting discord. The Panthers would continue their
charitable works among the African-American community for the rest of the decade but
the back of the Revolutionary Party had been broken. Today, heroes like Mumia Abu
Jamal are still in prison.

[Gabriel Parks]

Ward Churchill has written a fantastic essay about COINTELPRO and the Death Squades of the FBI that supressed the revolutionary movement of the Panthers. I completely agree that the Panthers were a revolutionary party and it is one of the worst examples of the state using violence against a movement that was truly threatening. It and was not threatening because of violence being employed by the Panthers, it was because they were feeding and educating themselves and their children, and quickly became conscious of there position viz a viz the state. A relationship which was characterized by bigotry, racism, oppression, surveillance, and state sanctioned murder. I also would agree that it is because of the economic doctrine which is by used. Capitalism has only managed to accumulate through the mass exploitation of resources and labour. This mode of development that has proceeded, has targeted people living within the "third world" going back to the times of European genocide and enslavement. These sentiments, and gross stains on the fabric of our history have been maintained by the bourgeoisie as a tool to divide people and exagerate difference in order to create division. The strategy of divide and concur has been employed to fracture solidarity among the people of the world. We are all being exploited the by capitalist structure and the inequity that it creates, unfortunately many of our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and our children have suffered much more than others. May all people unite to fight the oppression that is so inherent in the capitalist system.

[Sheep...]

I believe the Minoritys should be given NO rights at all, the proletariat is the majority anyways and catering to the minority (capitalists).
What I described above would work after the bourgasie "Minority/Majority" classifications are broken down ie Race Minorities etc etc

[The Red Goblin]

As an adjunct to my previous post; the following statement by Malcolm X takes on a great meaning for Marxists. After leaving the Nation of Islam and Black Nationalism, per se, his ideas really took on a revolutionary message. This is expounded well by Trotskyst journalist George Breitman. Anyhow, the quote......

"I believe that there will ultimately be a clash betwen the oppressed and those who do the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice, and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the system of exploitation. I believe that there will be that kind of clash, but I don't think it will be based on the colour of the skin."