The National Continuations Committee salutes the glorious workers’ holiday, May Day. It is in the honor of the working class that this day is celebrated. This is the day the working class comes together to celebrate its historic and relentless struggle against the bourgeoisie. Thousands upon thousands have suffered the brutality of exploitation and oppression, while many have given their lives to rid themselves of their savage exploiter and oppressor, the Monopoly Capitalist Class of the United States of America and their able assistants, the revisionist CPSU, CPUSA, and the labor aristocrats.
It is at this time that we strengthen our call for all genuine Marxist-Leninist to make the workers’ May Day not in vain by building an independent multi-national party of the working class; in order that we may finally rid the country forever of the evils of capitalism and replace it with Socialism and Communism.
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As the markets of the USNA imperialists become threatened as a result of the overproduction crises, the working class is subjected to more and more oppression and exploitation. It is in this light that the onslaught of fascism is rearing its ugly head in order that the bourgeoisie may prolong his stay in power. The fascist offensive of the bourgeoisie has manifested itself in the following ways:
1. Layoffs of thousands of working class people.
2. Shifting the “energy crises” which is really an aspect of the over production crises on to the backs of the working class by forcing the working class to use less heat, food, etc.
3. Extremely high prices and a tremendously low ability by the working class to purchase because the real income is less and less.
4. The USNA Senate’s passage of a bill to restore the death penalty and includes a large number of “crimes” under its jurisdiction.
5. The tremendous cutbacks in the income level and number of welfare recipients forcing them to turn to unsavory means to obtain an income including potential use as scabs on the one hand and fighters for the bourgeois state on the other.
6. The general line of unity that is being put forth by the revisionist and labor aristocrats with the bourgeoisie nationally and internationally, (i.e. detente between USNA and USSR and George Wallace, George Meany and Ted Kennedy).
7. The USNA Supreme Court upholding the Stop and Frisk Law which is direct oppression on National Minorities in particular.
8. Open police terrorism in the Negro National Minority communities of San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, California areas under the guise of searching for the Zebra killer.
Comrades, the revisionist CPSU and the CPUSA have left the working class nationally and for the most part internationally without the subjective factor needed to implement the overthrow of the bourgeoisie.
The working class of the USNA objectively has only two directions in which it can move. Either the working class will move progressively and in a revolutionary manner to prevent the fascist offensive of the bourgeoisie, pass over to its own offensive, seize state power and establish the dictatorship of the Proletariat; or it will succumb to and become victimized by the bourgeoisie fascist offensive.
In this intense struggle with the bourgeoisie, it is now more than ever that the working class needs a party of a new type to guide it and replace wholly, thoroughly, resolutely and completely the revisionist drive towards the Congress, it becomes increasingly clear that we must step up our political tasks in order that we may expedite the building of a solid Bolshevik style party of Marxism-Leninism. As a result, we must study more diligently the works of MARX-ENGELS-LENIN-STALIN-MAO TSE TUNG so our theoretical base for discussion of Marxist-Leninist Unite will be solid.
In addition, the political task has made it necessary for us to struggle harder for the party as well as continuing concrete discussion on the building of the United Front. The simultaneous building of the Party which is the most important subjective factor and the United Front which is the major tactical weapon of the working class against the bourgeoisie fascist are two major factors that we must strive steadfast towards.
Meanwhile we support united actions against fascism as this is one concrete means of being able to propagandize and agitate against the fascist offensive of the bourgeoisie.
As part of the work of the national Continuations Committee based in Chicago, we encourage polemics and statements of unity which will give the greatest possible unity before the Congress on the building of an independent multi-national Communist Party.
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Comrades,
I would like to raise a point regarding that article in the latest N.C.C. issue in which our proposed program was printed. Firstly, let me state that I am in full agreement and whole heartedly support the program and the 4 demands that were put forth. I would like to express firm opposition to the 2 suggested demands put forth in the “Explanation of Draft Program.”
(1) “A regular increase in the income level of welfare recipients to correspond with each new rise in the cost of living.” I am not even sure this can be considered a ’reform.’ Considering that any family or any person receiving welfare or even food stamps is living way below poverty. The mere pittance that workers receive on welfare allows them to live at best on just above starvation. I think we will be getting in a dangerous situation if we start dealing with the traditional ’welfare reform.’ In the program of the Communist Party we must raise demands that (1) the working class is demanding in one way or the other and (2) demand in such a way that calls and necessitates for at least a revolutionary upsurge of the masses around the demand. For instance, I think the appropriate demand around welfare should read something like “abolishment of the welfare system and compensation to ALL UNEMPLOYED WORKERS and their families according to the medium income.” This demand points out that the Welfare System is repressive and divisive to the working class. It points cut that the overwhelming people on welfare are unemployed workers and should be paid commensurate with the average employed worker.
(2) “Equal education for all Children.” It was pointed out in the Draft Program that through the stranglehold of the big financial capitalists has for the most part wiped out the broad strata of the petit, bourgeoisie and particularly peasantry – small farmers. The demands in the Program of the Communist Party should first and foremost represent the demands of the WORKING CLASS. These popular demands, in the theoretical sense, but not very likely can be achieved under capitalism. Education for bourgeois children consist in education, teaching and training them – to be managers and capitalists, etc. For working class children it consists in training them to be workers and hence just a base fundamental basic education. I believe our demand should read “Decent Education for working Class Children.” In explanation this education would consist in a sound, education in writing, reading, arithmetic, history and the physical sciences and an emphasis on the history of the working class, the nature of the working class and its historic role.
The last point I would like to make is that I think the concrete demands should deal with the questions that are general to the struggle of the whole working class and its allies. ONLY, if we get bogged down in particular demands of specific sections we will end up with pages of hundreds of demands. We will end up with demands such as “ousting Dick Wilson as the trial chairman of the Oglala Sioux Indians” and “end to strip mining” and “social Security for Migrant farm workers,” etc. We can raise 50 demands for each of the mine workers, farm workers and Indians. This would he a mistake. We must raise demands such as “Independence for the Negro Nation,” “Independence for Puerto Rico; regional autonomy for the Southwest,” etc., etc. These type demands plus the ones in the Draft Program, that are specific demands to the general-struggles of the working class, are what we should limit ourselves to.
Take care.
With Communist Greeting,
April 5, 1974
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In the last two issues of the Newsletter, we have spelled out the basis of unity for the Continuations Committee, but still there see is to be some question on local Committees, especially around acceptance of the Resolutions adopted by the Conference of North American Marxist-Leninists last May. In order that the committee can move ahead with the urgent tasks of preparation for the Congress, we once again state that acceptance of the Resolutions is a necessary criteria for individuals and groups joining the Continuations Committee. This is not a question for debate.
The Continuations Committee has only one purpose and that is to continue the work of the conference of North American Marxist-Leninists which is to call a Congress to form an independent multi-national, MARXIST-LENINIST Communist party in the USNA. The Resolutions adopted by the Conference constitute the call for the Congress and serve as the basis of unity for the Continuations Committee. The Committee has the responsibility to discuss and further develop these documents in the form of draft statements as the basis for a party program. This is necessary so that the drafts can reflect the most scientific application of Marxism-Leninism to the class struggle in the USNA. No group or individual on the Committee has the right to decide whether or not to accept or reject the Resolutions. The Congress is the only body that can do that; any one who does not want to accept the Resolutions should not be on the Continuations Committee.
In addition to further developing the Conference resolutions, the Continuations Committee also has other work to do in preparation for the Congress. First, we must complete a draft program which will serve as the basis of unity for a Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of a new type in the USNA. In the second Newsletter, a draft program submitted by the Communist League was printed for discussion. We have not received any response on this draft nor have any other drafts been submitted. Second, We must develop a brief list of demands (to be part of the program) which represent the most urgent needs and aspirations of the working class and its allies in the USNA, as well as serve as rallying points for the working class and its allies in the struggle for democratic rights against the fascist offensive and going over to the offensive of the working class, the seizure of state power and establishment of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Third, we have the task of writing an explanation to the program and support statements which deal with the strategic and tactical questions facing the working class in the revolutionary struggle. This is the role the resolutions play in the period between the conference and the congress. Fourth, we must draft a party constitution, rules and organizational structure. Fifth, we must discuss and write a report on the international situation which shows the general motion of world events and which a Marxist-Leninist Communist Parry must inevitably and at all times take into account while directing and leading the revolutionary class struggle. Finally, we must draw up the criteria for representation and rules for operating procedures at the Congress itself.
With these tasks in mind, let us begin to move ahead with more steadfast determination to prepare for the Congress, taking the initiative in carrying out the necessary work, using all opportunities to consolidate and unite honest Marxist-Leninist forces around these tasks and removing from all committees the opportunists and disrupters of building a party of a new type.