We are in a worldwide revolution that dwarfs the American Revolution of 1776. Despite the din and chatter of sex scandals, probes of foreign meddling in our elections, saber-rattling over North Korea, trade wars with China, destabilization of the Middle East and support of murderous regimes around the world, the relentless attack on our standard of living and on our very survival proceeds mercilessly in this country and its territory, Puerto Rico.
Unless we understand the significance of our time and act accordingly, we will be condemned to suffer the consequences. Revolutionary new means of producing the necessities of life are uprooting the foundations of society. Extreme poverty engulfs even previously well-paid workers, while grotesque wealth concentrates in a handful of wealthy.
The government is in the hands of corporations and billionaires, as the recent Tax Bill showed. The capitalists are clear about where their interests lie. Their solution is to point the finger of blame to our ranks. By keeping us divided, they win.
In this issue you will read of the culture of fascism being instilled in the American people. “Scapegoating is a tactic of fascism.” The raids on immigrants in Tennessee and in New York state are flagrant examples of this. Families are torn apart. The lives of immigrants here over 10 years are destroyed, victims of bipartisan inaction on immigration reform.
And President Trump, playing to his base, promises more terror. He and the ruling class he represents need a fascist base in order to control the U.S. working class and from there exert their interests on the world scene.
Fortunately, the morality and the sense of fair play of the American people shines through. The Tennessee and New York raids led to moral indignation and massive outpouring of support for the aggrieved families.
As the articles on water from Flint (MI), Texas, and California show, water warriors are becoming clear that water has to become available as a human right and private companies such as Nestlé should not profit from our misery, and those who contaminate the drinking water should pay.
A new-found militancy and resolve is bursting forth in states with weak labor protection such as West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky and Wisconsin. This is led by teachers fighting not only for benefits and wages but also for broadening their support and alliance with other workers. It includes hunger strikes for substitute teachers and protests of forced emigration and gentrification efforts such as in Puerto Rico, where teachers and others still languish without aid several months after Hurricane María.
Victories are being won, as working people become aware that they are under attack. A case in point is the recent vindication of Michigan’s Rev. Edward Pinkney, who was imprisoned two and a half years – on trumped-up charges – for fighting Whirlpool’s domination of Benton Harbor. A deported Mexican-born veteran from the Middle East wars – likely suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder – is pardoned and obtains citizenship.
The American people are awakening to the reality that their government has been hijacked by moneyed interests who are unfit to rule. The paradise that modern technology has made possible demands a conscious choice. As Feng Xiang states “If AI [artificial intelligence] rationally allocates resources through big-data analysis, it could achieve a planned economy that actually works … the less sense it makes to allow it to remain in private hands.” The future indeed is up to us.
