Well, the issue is even deeper. Trump judges often have strange racist and anti-humanist views and many no doubt would refuse to officiate at a gay wedding. Cuomo blocked all this class of judges not just those appointed by Trump, but by Obama, Bush, etc. The state must protect the rights of all its citizens and prohibit and punish racism and discrimination which deny equal civil rights to all. The state should revoke the rights of everyone currently empowered to perform legally recognized marriages and require a special license granted by the state to be obtained by individuals who wish to conduct weddings and only recognise marriages conducted by properly licensed individuals who must have obtained a license by signing an application containing a pledge or affirmation to conduct weddings without any discrimination against any group of people who are subject to the laws of the state -- this includes gay couples, mixed race couples, undocumented couples, etc. The new law should become effective six months after enactment to enable all those currently allowed to perform weddings to submit their applications and become certified by the state. Religious bigots and others can still perform whatever ceremonies they wish but no marriages will be legally recognized unless performed by a certificated state sanctioned officiant. Anyone who refuses to conduct a marriage sanctioned by the state will have his license revoked and will no longer be able to perform legal marriages. [Enforcing Bill of Rights Socialism: the right to be married]
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
US Creates Chaos In The Middle East
Well, if the Russians can sort out the mess US imperialism has left behind in Syria more power to them. This NY Times article shows the US is still stuck in the "cold war mode" as seeing world events in a US vs Russia context rather than one of a multi-polarity of conflicting interests. Two quotes: "In the short term, Mr. Trump’s withdrawal is a win for Russia because it expands the territory under Mr. Assad’s control." Syria is not a part of Russia and it is a win for the Syrian Arab Republic when more of its territory is restored to its government. It is a win for Assad and benefits Russia indirectly as it is an ally of Syria. The clear win for Russia is that it appears as, and is, a stabilizing influence in the region while US imperialism has sown only disruption and chaos. "To be sure, even if developments in Syria and Ukraine present Mr. Putin with tactical and propaganda victories, his aggressive foreign policy of recent years means that Russia’s image will likely remain tarnished in much of the world for a long time to come." This quote is purely the result of the imagination of the reporter as, in fact, the majority of the world's people see the US as having the most aggressive foreign policy and don't consider the Russians tarnished at all for the reactive and defensive foreign policy they have engaged in as a result of US provocations. It's only the US and its NATO allies, and not even all of them, plus a few reactionary Third World dictatorships and client states that echo this anti-Russian line and even many of these want better relations with Russia as its actions seem more rational than those of the US (as this visit of Putin to Saudi Arabia indicates).
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Hong Kong and Democracy?
Well, if it is a pro-Democracy movement rather than an anti-China movement it should recognize Mr Ho's democratic rights, as an elected representative of his constituency. He appears to be as extreme in his views as many of the demonstrators are in theirs but real democrats would be defending his rights to express his opinions. Whatever happened to "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it?" This quote, misattributed to Voltaire but expressive of his beliefs, is the essence of the democratic spirit and neither Mr. Ho nor his critics appear to subscribe to it. It appears as if the so called "pro-democracy" demonstrators, while representing a substantial proportion of the population of Hong Kong do not speak for the majority of Hong Kong's citizens; when, and if, that happens the local police will simply lose control of the streets and Beijing, to which Hong Kong is actually subject, will have to restore order. There is in reality no way the PRC is going to be dictated to by this former British colony nor hopefully, be provoked by Western meddling in this dispute, to intervene and act like the pro US government of India has in Kashmir. A peaceful negotiated solution is the only way forward and this is the line the Hong Kong government has taken.
Monday, September 23, 2019
China and Religion
The restrictions discussed in this article do not seem inordinate considering that past history has shown whenever any religious group attains political power Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist or Hindu for example, it implements a regime of persecution and religious fanaticism far worse that anything the Chinese authorities are undertaking with these prophylactic measures to protect their secular values. We daily read about the persecution of the Rohingya by Burmese Buddhists, of Palestinians by fanatic Zionists motivated by a devotion to Biblical real estate, of non Muslims being systematically persecuted in Islamic countries and Muslims and other non-Hindus in In India by the Modi government and here in the US the ultra-right white supremacists as well as the crypto-fascists of the Republican party are motivated by a dogmatic and anti-humane Christianity that supports military actions and both subornes and often openly advocates the denial of the human rights of those it condemns. Marxist-Leninists have moved on beyond the simple minded superstitions of religious beliefs (the opium of the people) and while we defend the rights of those so inclined to follow their religious beliefs as long as they do not try to impose them on others it is still the responsibility of a secular state to regulate religious activity to ensure the rights of others are not violated by religious intolerance. The Chinese Communist Party and Government are trying to fulfill this obligation as best they can. As with any human activity there are bound to be mistakes made and hopefully the Chinese authorities will listen to constructive criticism of its policies when this criticism is not part of the usual ant-Communist and anti-Chinese propaganda emanating from the US and other imperialist governments and the bourgeois MSM.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Eastern German Elections 9-1-19
Some quotes: "Under Communism, the party called the shots, she said. Now the market does. “I’ve come to realize that everything they taught us about capitalism all those years ago is true,” Ms. Sonntag [East German restaurant owner] said. “Politics is just for show. Money rules.”
"In his village, four in 10 people vote for the AfD. Calling them extremists is not helpful, he said. “On the state and national level they are extremists,” he said. “On the local level, they are often citizens who no longer feel represented.”-Social Democratic mayor of small East German village."
"In his village, four in 10 people vote for the AfD. Calling them extremists is not helpful, he said. “On the state and national level they are extremists,” he said. “On the local level, they are often citizens who no longer feel represented.”-Social Democratic mayor of small East German village."
The people of the former East Germany feel left behind after West German capitalism took over and left them unemployed and impoverished -- after having stirred them up to overthrow their socialist government with promises of riches and a better future -- many now feel betrayed. The choice between Barbarism or Socialism is clear as the fascist AfD Party is growing in strength in Eastern Germany feeding off of the desolation left behind by the capitalist overthrow of socialism. These disaffected citizens were originally attracted to Die Linke (the reincarnation of the former Socialist Unity Party that ran the communist German Democratic Republic -DDR] but have been defecting lately to the AfD, perhaps in part because Die Linke has been joining with the fake socialists running the SPD ( Social Democratic Party of Germany). The vast majority of East Germans do not support the AfD at this time but they split their votes between Die Linke, the SPD and the Christian Democrats (Merkel) meaning the AfD is on the road to getting the most votes in the elections today (9-1-19) in Brandenburg and Saxony -- two former DDR areas. Anti-immigrant racism is one of the driving forces leftover from Nazism propelling the popularity of the AfD -- the same kind of racism that drives Trump's base as well proving that the fight against racism must be one of the central pillars of any progressive movement along with the demand for a transition to socialism -- these two demands should be clearly enunciated as the demands any socialist group supports when it enters into a Center-Left coalition -- the antiracism demand should be unconditional but, since other coalition partners are not calling for socialism we socialists can't make this an unconditional demand but only make it known that we favor socialism as the solution to the problems of Trumpism and US imperialism in general.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Gay Science: Public or Private?
It doesn’t really matter if being gay is a genetic trait (biology is destiny) or a lifestyle freely chosen as human beings have to be regarded as free agents with the right to live their lives as they wish as long as they don’t harm others: this is covered by the UN’s Universal Declaration on Human Rights (universal in the sense that everyone violates it). This is an impotent article because the scientific information will be misused and defenders of human rights have to to know how to defend the science and confound those who pervert it. This is why the following quote is disturbing: “I deeply disagree about publishing this,” said Steven Reilly, a geneticist and postdoctoral researcher who is on the steering committee of the institute’s L.G.B.T.Q. affinity group, Out@Broad. “It seems like something that could easily be misconstrued,” he said, adding, “In a world without any discrimination, understanding human behavior is a noble goal, but we don’t live in that world.” Not only is understanding human behavior a noble goal it is necessary in order to construct a rational social order that supports the human rights enunciated in the Universal Declaration. We have seen the damage done by suppressing scientific information (the smoking issue, climate change, racism, etc.). The world without discrimination will never come about through the suppression of science but only through its propagation and the enlightening effects it can produce when people are properly educated and correctly understand the nature of the world in which they live. What needs to be suppressed are those in authority who use their power to disseminate ignorance and anti-scientific views: in 2020 the people of the US will have an opportunity to do so.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
The Need to Understand Mao
You can't understand the CPC without comprehending Mao's understanding of Marxism-Leninism. The Chinese have said that Mao, Like Stalin, was 70% good and 30% bad (not as a moral judgement but in terms of PC correct and incorrect actions). Both, while living, were the subject of personality cults and were treated as if they were 100% "good." Both were fierce enemies of capitalism and sought to lay the foundations for the future communist society free of all human exploitation but found themselves in historical circumstances that overwhelmed them at times, and in the case of Stalin eventually led to the destruction of the socialist state he created, preserved from Nazism (along with the rest of Europe) and tried to defend in the cold war to which his successors succumbed. Mao too faced Incomprehensible historical contradictions that Marxist theory was unprepared to answer at the time ( a split with the USSR and an internal CPC civil war expressed as a cultural "revolution"). So for us to understand just what and why the 30% was and came about is vitally important. But also we must study the 70% as well as it was the basis of all the past successes of the world communist movement and is the foundation of its future possibilities of victory. That 70% was based on a correct understanding and application as a guide to action of the theoretically sound foundations laid by Marx and Engels and creatively developed by V.I. Lenin and which our task today is to further develop and adapt to historical conditions in which we find ourselves. We must, of course, study other progressive thinkers within and without the Marxist tradition, but the works of the founders and their flawed great continuers in the past century will be important weapons for the communist and workers party to wield to attain victories over the capitalists and imperialists who dominate the world today and for us in the USA to bury the forces represented by Donald Trump and his enablers (conscious and unconscious) in the Republican and Democratic parties.
Monday, August 19, 2019
The Case of Placido Domingo
Whatever the circumstances, Placido Domingo is not Hitler, Epstein, or Weinstein and the fact that these are the types of comparisons in the comments that pop up is a problem. Many, if not most people, in my generation (Placido's as well) were brought up by our parents, churches, and public schools (mine were segregated) and were instilled with many values and beliefs that are, correctly, no longer politically correct or morally justifiable. The phenomenon of Trumpism indicates that millions of people still operate with these superannuated values. But people can change, and learn, and both atone and redeem themselves. Sartre has shown that we are works in progress not unchanging essences such as rocks and trees. Placido Domingo appears to be in that gray area where his consciousness today is no longer that of the past in which his alleged negative conduct occurred. Enlightenment offers redemption and should be encouraged and people should not be cast into the outer darkness for the mistakes of the past if they have sincerely changed and are no longer the same. Any real harm done must of course be rectified as far as possible and hopefully followed by reconciliation: what more can be expected?
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