[Peace] Fwd: The New Class War - American Affairs Journal

[Karen Aram]

David

Your suggestion in relation to Paul Street’s call for revolution before the election, that one should read Michael Lind’s book or article related to the Managerial Class, has left me with a some random thoughts. I briefed the article last evening and posted a link to his article below my comments for anyone wishing to review.

 He covers well the history of the rise of the Managerial Class. It exists within the working class, and has been disconnected from the working class with high salaries, golden handshakes etc. It has grown over decades, but is this meant to refer to them as members of the ruling class having an impact on government? Most Managers, CEO’s, Managing Directors don’t even set policy within their own entity’s let alone the USG. They implement policies, and are subject to the whims of the investors, the goal being profits, often coming from Wall Street. The focus on individuals contributing to personality politics is deceptive as it prevents us from looking at systems and structures.

 Lind, a product of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, never refers to the powers of the Think Tanks influencing government, most especially the Council on Foreign Relations, which is known as Wall Streets Think Tank, from which Kissinger, Hillary Clinton and many others were and continue to be promoted into the State Dept., which is very influential. The CFR is probably the most influential of all advisors to the USG on not just foreign policy but domestic financial issues as a result.

The U of I’s canceling of a visit recently by “Trump’s Banker,” as he is referred to is a relief, but another case where I have argued, “he isn’t just Donald Trump’s personal banker,” as he is referred. He is a senior member of the CFR, therefore having influence over all banking and financial issues, primarily international which impacts domestic. 

The State Dept., Pentagon, oil and gas industries, pharma, insurance companies etc., with the many organizations/lobbyists such as AIPAC, have influence on not just the Administration but the Senate and Congress as well. They have representative advisors within the administration. 

Finally, Lind’s suggestion that any revolution in the US would require outside support, as when the French supported us during the Revolutionary War, is the most ridiculous statement I’ve ever heard. The Americans at that time, were fighting an occupying force, the British, thus outside help was necessary. We are now the most powerful nation on earth, requiring outside help to fight fires in California, to fight the Covid pandemic because these are issues our government cares nothing about failing to provide social protections of any kind. But revolutions within a nation are fought by the people, by the subjugated in mass. True, we have militarized our police, broken our law/ordinance of Passe Comitatus by allowing military units, covert militias on our city streets, killing protestors with impunity. Some states now outlawing protests. How much longer are the people going to sit back and watch? 

Did Gandi have outside help? Did Mao have outside help? Cuba? Did Americans fighting the USG Oligarchy during the 20’s and 30’s have outside help? Did Martin Luther King or Americans resisting the Vietnam War? Many small, vulnerable nations did receive outside help from China, Russia and Cuba, because those nations were occupied and/or supported by colonialists/ imperialists. 

Michael Lind’s suggestion the American people require outside help to overthrow their system of capitalism or at least frighten those occupying the WH is insulting at the very least. It negates people power and contributes to russiagate and chinagate conspiracy theories. 

What the US needs is a vanguard, leadership, well organized with a plan. They need to foment strikes, sit downs, civil resistance, civil disobedience, block traffic, to stop business as usual. They must be organized, focused and united. I’m not referring to armed struggle, we can’t win with weapons, and mainstream Americans will not join groups with weapons. The US Empire is dying, not a bad thing, but they will take everyone, especially the most vulnerable with them. 
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> https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2017/05/new-class-war/