It was a few years back and have was having a chill Sunday brunch with a couple of friends in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn when we found a full-page ad in the New York Times proclaiming "Kim Jong Il: Lodestar for the 21st Century."
And I thought, what the hell is a lodestar? (Shoutout: Left Spot and my fav babe from Babeland)
Now, I like Jong Il's eyewear as much as the next guy, and he's in close competition with Kadafi for most entertaining head of state. (Kadafi wins for the all-female ninja bodyguard bridgade, hands down.)
What the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has to do with socialism is beyond me. That's why I was surprised to see the central committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines send birthday greetings to the hereditary monarch of the DPRK, Kim Jong Il. Not quite as happy-happy as the Korean celebrations... (continued)
For those who think Avakian's culture of appreciation is the same thing as a real, live cult of personality -- well, jeez. Just click the link. In what is broadly called the "international communist movement," and even within the Maoist trends -- there are still some big mountains to cross. It's one thing to uphold a line articulated by a leader as decisive, quite another to uphold a hereditary monarch as "descended from heaven."
The CPP has gone through some wild twists and turns. In recent years, they have re-affirmed their basic communist orientation, but steered clear of the most advanced discussions of revisionism and its impact on the ICM. By maintaining fraternal relations with both revolutionary movements and revisionist networks, the CPP is not contributing as they could to a decisive break with the prevalence of revisionism inside what calls itself the communist movement. Maybe in this case Juche means that "truth" somehow respects operational turf, I mean "national borders."
Upholding a semi-feudal monarchy without even the pretense of principled socialism is a serious mistake that does no service to the Korean people or the world movement. How can you support the overthrow of a king in one country, while supporting the hereditary monarchy of another? Because Jong Il claims a red crown? Is this "common struggle" what the CPP intends for the Philippines? I suspect not -- so why the BS?
The CPP claims that the DPRK is a "society free from exploitation, a nation with dignity and a progressive and prosperous socialist country." Or that they are "struggling to build" such a place. But what is this based on? Certainly not the life of the people in the north, or any measure of popular agency (formally democratic or not).
The struggle of the Korean people against imperialism has been heroic, with a state of war and occupation lasting decades. But fighting against the wind is the inevitable way of it. There is no excuse for the fundamental political mistakes that have left the people suffocating, with a cult of personality in place of materialist science, a pageant instead of a party. This is exactly what we don't want, and playing diplomat with regimes that betray the promise of socialism is a fool's errand. Some did it with the Soviet Union, some with capitalist China. There is room to argue about different movements and governments, but come on already.
My bottom line is this: We can defend any nation against imperialist attack without upholding the rotten, indeed counter-revolutionary leadership of any given state. Why this is so difficult for some to grasp or apply, I do not know. There are no necessary illusions, and anyone who thinks the DPRK is Marxist-Leninist doesn't know what those words mean. MLM is a science of revolution, not a justification for hereditary despotism.
Come on, comrades. Are we going to do the good thing... or what?
-----------
In any case, the full text of this depressing statement follows in full, links added here:
GREETINGS TO COMRADE KIM JONG IL ON HIS BIRTHDAY
Central Committee, Communist Party of the Philippines
Feb. 16, 2006
The Communist Party of the Philippines extends its warmest greetings to Comrade Kim Jong Il, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, chairman of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and respected leader of the Korean people on his birthday on 16 February.
Comrade Kim Jong Il has continued and developed the Juche idea introduced by Comrade Kim Il Sung as the guiding principle in building a strong and progressive socialist country.
Under Comrade Kim Jong Il’s leadership, the Workers’ Party of Korea has built a powerful Korean People’s Army that is confident and capable of defending the motherland from external threats. Under his leadership the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Korean People’s Army and the Korean people have stood as one in asserting national sovereignty in the face of numerous attempts at bullying by the imperialist powers led by the United States.
Comrade Kim Jong Il has welded the unity of the people in overcoming many difficulties brought about by natural calamities and economic blockades imposed by the imperialists who wish to destroy Korea’s socialist revolution and construction.
We support the Korean people’s profound aspiration for the independent reunification of Korea, for peace and progress. Under Comrade Kim Jong Il’s wise leadership, we hope that the Korean
people will realize this deep national desire in the near future.
We wish Comrade Kim Jong Il, the Workers’ Party of Korea and the Korean people more victories in the future in your struggle to build a society free from exploitation, a nation with dignity and a progressive and prosperous socialist country.
The Communist Party of the Philippines and the revolutionary Filipino people are ever committed to pursue our common cause of building a better world for mankind free from the exploitative and oppressive imperialist system, a world free from the dangers of war, a world of solidarity, friendship and cooperation among peoples.
LONG LIVE COMRADE KIM JONG IL!
LONG LIVE THE UNITY OF THE PARTY, ARMY AND PEOPLE!
SUPPORT THE INDEPENDENT REUNIFICATION OF KOREA!
LONG LIVE SOCIALISM AND COMMUNISM!
LONG LIVE MARXISM-LENINISM!
LONG LIVE PROLETARIAN INTERNATIONALISM!
REFERENCE:
Ruth de Leon
Executive Director
NDFP International Information Office
Tel: +31 30 2310431
Email: ndf@wanadoo.nl
---------
Okay, here's one more North Korean video: FUCKING USA
And wouldn't it be ironic:
If Fightback breaks away to reject "regroupment/refoundation" and ends up being the splinter that regroups with tired pro-soviet-style revisionism.
While we are asking questions... why doesn't the WWP merge with the CP? Is there any difference anymore?
Posted by: a comment | March 14, 2006 at 07:17 PM
Yes. Well, andshe wasnt about to the explicit permission of
Posted by: korean | October 05, 2008 at 07:39 PM
Lurigancho, don't treat revisionism like it has implications. That's "dogmatic."
Posted by: aion kinah | June 17, 2010 at 08:17 AM
thomas rusiak hip hopper download http://freeunlimiteddownloads.in/rapidshare/nicole-austin-rapidshare m still fly free download proxim model 7521 driver
wav file player download http://freeunlimiteddownloads.in/mpg/pinacle-mpg-edit download bleach d-tecnolife video download bit defender 2009
visual site designer theme packs download http://freeunlimiteddownloads.in/downloads/black-ops-bf2-map-downloads fucked up facials eva angelina download bit torrent downloads using azureus
adult videos free downloads http://freeunlimiteddownloads.in/manual/picture-in-picture-manual lucky dayz adriana evans download saba centra download
links for free ps3 games download http://freeunlimiteddownloads.in/books/free-books-to-review sail ships log download coloring book picture of a family
firefox ie download http://freeunlimiteddownloads.in/firm/wsp-lpraca-firm-andrzej-trautman amateur webcam downloads the bards tale download songs
Posted by: apactualt | November 07, 2011 at 04:02 AM
social network campaigns australia http://facesepicentre.com/ look for people in social network build a social network
Posted by: apactualt | December 23, 2011 at 04:06 AM