Friday, August 5, 2011

Revolution Picnic (L.A. Rage and Communism)

Wisdom Quarterly

Many concert goers at L.A. Rising -- with Rage Against the Machine (RATM), Muse, Rise Against, Lauryn Hill -- consider the American Communist Party a revolutionary force.

The FBI and CIA, between yawns, might disagree. But immigrants from native Buddhist countries (Tibet, Siberia, Vietnam, Burma, Khmer Cambodia, Laos, etc.) are almost sure to be offended by any mention of a Red Army. For anyone who has suffered under Chinese and Southeast Asian dictators has a very bad image that has tainted Communism forever. But in the US, things are kept Revolutionary Lite.

Things are lightweight because the Revolutionary Communist Party is an infiltrated organization. ANSWER LA is very proactive. But the powerful message of fairness lives on. It's what motivates young adults, many of them diehard fans of RATM, have their heart in the right place:

Seeing the hypocrisy of American-style supercapitalism, they embrace the symbols and general ideas of the only force considered large enough to challenge the corporate-ruled, consumer imperative we are seduced into living by in the USA. Before discounting "Communists" altogether, there is one remarkable voice interested in freedom, social justice, and a better society: Michael Slate.

(LA Times) Those concerned about the misguided energies of Rave kids, of the chaos that somehow manages to collide with mass-market electronic music at every turn, should be thankful that the Rage kids -- those in the Coliseum on Saturday night [July 30, 2011] who are obsessed with the collected music and ideas of Rage Against the Machine -- haven’t yet combusted in the streets of L.A.

Revolution can be a Picnic
Dan Bluemel (L.A. Activist)
KPFK radio host Michael Slate [spoke] at the Revolutionary Communist Party’s 2010 Anti-Fourth of July picnic held in Echo Park, Los Angeles. While most Los Angeles residents celebrated the Fourth of July by throwing parties, attending fireworks displays, and expressing their national pride via red-white-and-blue accoutrement[s], another group had a different theme: revolution. The Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) hosted an “Anti-Fourth of July Picnic” in Echo Park [on July 4, 2010]. It was one of many held around the country. People gathered to eat food, listen to speakers, as well as participate in games. More

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