Fortunately, some of us have

Fortunately, some of us have seen real communism at work, wrecking our families, lives and the friends, many of them because they were social democrats, who have disappeared forever in the nights, without a trace.

I've spent 45 years of my life fighting communism and will spend the rest fighting capitalism.

It is about time to forget and bury all of the old prophets, regardless of their fancy dreams and screwball ideologies.

Marx was an incompetent bungler, writing endless columns on world salvation, living in filth and squalor, letting his children starve to death, begging for handouts from his followers, while trying to get into the pants of their wives.

All ideologies are dead, because each and every one can be turned and twisted into instruments of oppression, colonization and mass murder. In short, they all have failed and became crime waves, so why in hell should somebody even spit on them, let alone use them as scriptures?

Unless the world turns to, from the ground up, physical laws and local self sufficiency, human rights and cooperation based economic systems, humanity can kiss its collective asses goodbye. And deserves it !

Ed Deak, Big Lake.

elderly

I wondered if anyone went and made an effort to get him to the gathering?
I am suspicious because of how we forget our elders.

Ben and Harry

Ben Swanky and Harry Rankin

There is a real story there for anyone
who wants to know about about doing the right thing from the working class. I will be purchasing this book on our common Republic of East Vancouver history.

Harry I knew as a gruff, kind hearted soul who never backed off from doing the right thing. For a while I looked after his birds, racing pigeons and canaries budgies and cockatiels.

As a young communist during the late sixties and early seventies Ben was always an inspiration for clear thinking. In his various speeches and lectures etc. he showed us what side we were on and who was there with us.

Lest we forget, there are bound to be lessons for today within these memoirs.

All the Best Ben.

How to order What's New

If you're interested in ordering Ben's book, simply go to the online page at Trafford here:
http://www.trafford.com/07-1772

Give credit where it's due.

Ed,

You have often offered advice to others because it's the right thing to do. Because it's the neighbourly thing.

You have, as a result, created an enviable reputation as a good citizen, a kindly neighbour.

But I find it hurtful, what you say about an old battle in a different land as if it applied to the topic of this thread. As if it applies to two Canadians whose long lives have been proven admirable beyond doubt.

Ben Swankey is a treasured elder. My friend John Boyd is another elder whose life has been an unending series of services to his community.

So you say it's time to "forget and bury the old prophets" ... what a thing to say, Ed.

You might want to take a second look at that mindset of yours. It doesn't sound quite as wholesome as it did last week.

the difference

The mass media wil never recognize the efforts of so many people who tried so hard to better the life of the masses.
The main reason may well be that the word "communism" is involved?
As a kid I remember the discussions were not about the goals, but about how to implement those goals: the communists wanted to just take over and change everything, while the social democrats were prepared to achieve the same thing by democratic means!
As my Father often said: the slow route could well be the fastest route in the end, and as a confirmed pacifist there was never any doubt as to which way to reach the goals.
Great strides were made, but the masses were bought off with cheap thrills and perverted away from remembering the goals, by the "business world" (anything for a buck people)!
My hope is that when the implications of this newest crisis begin to dawn on the masses, perhaps they will see the light again?

Mary, I can understand how

Mary,

I can understand how people can get hooked on beliefs, especially when they first come out and seem to be the solution to everything bad in the world. We all go through that phase as children and juveniles

But by the 30s it was a well known fact that communism was a major crime wave, and by the 60s and 70s there was absolutely no doubt about its killing millions of innocents and destroying long standing societies. So,anybody who jumped on the bandwagon after WW2, regardless of the beautiful theories, was either a nutcase, or a criminal out to kill.

My mother was gangraped in the name of Marx and my grandparents died of starvation under communist rule, as have millions of others, beginning with the kulaks.

I have been sentenced to death by the nazis at the age of 18, innocently, for "high treason" and was saved from being hanged by the end of the war.

The communists sentenced me to the gulags for the same reason, and when they couldn't find me, they've arrested and tortured my mother 4 times, trying to find out how I got to England, and what I was doing there?

They've paid for it very dearly, but my mother's mind was ruined for the rest of her life.

All in the sacred name of Karl Marx.

The way I look it, when the words of religious and economic prophets can be twisted into instruments of enslavement and murder, they're not worth the paper written on and should be burned

And this also goes for St.Paul , Mohammed, Adam Smith, or any other prophet.

My main objection is that neither communism and capitalism can exist as democracies, because both are based on the collectivization of economies in the hands of special interests ruling classes, who will misuse them under the laws of the corruption by power. We have decades of proofs.

I had red hot communist friends in England, Party members since the 20s, who tore up their cards when they saw what their idols have done to workers in Poland, East Germany and Hungary, because they dared to question the dictators and my friends could see how they were misinformed and misled by the Party.

And now, it was predicted that 3 million farmers will be wiped out in Poland by their membership in the capitalist EU, not even the communists could accomplish.

I have no patience with anybody who makes excuses for dictators and criminals, because "it is written" by some long extinct nutcase dreamer.

Ed Deak.

this is today Ed.

Dear Ed:
You are not the only one who experienced the criminal activities that happened during uprisings and subsequent new rules!
We understand you are frustrated that such could happen, but to then go to the extreme and condemn every movement that tries to create solidarity amongst the wage slaves in this word, serves no purpose.
All we can hope for is that the next set of "rulers" have learned a lesson and remembers why they became rulers?
There are no guarantees, but it is not possible for everyone to go buy 20 acres somewheres and create a homestead these days.
It worked for you, but there simply is not enough land available in the world for everyone to possess enough land to live independently; besides that solution does not help people who are not as able as you and I.
Do we just say: "I'm allright Jack" and not worry about our fellow man anymore?
I could write columns about the hardships our family suffered and about how I became self-sufficient too, but the opportunities I created, may not be so readily available today.
We need to consider todays dilemma, not dwell on the failings of what looked like the solutions ages ago! Been there, done that!

alive.... I've spent my

alive....

I've spent my adult life working for human rights and the betterment of humanity, but if I'd ever heard that any of my words may have been used for the excuse for criminal activities, I would never write again, or bump myself off... just like that, because life wouldn't be worth living with such conscience.

It is definitely not possible, or even wanted, or advisable for everybody to live on the land. I never suggested anything that stupid. But people have lost the freedom of choice for their lives, because of phony prophets and their fraudulent theories.

My point is that billions around the world have been and are being denied the human rights to live free and are forced into slavery, either in mega cities, or collectivized plantations under the guise of the words and fraudulent calculations of prophets and their priesthoods.

The Canadian Praeries, and everywhere else on Earth, are full of abandoned farms, towns, villages that once were thriving communities with productive living standards. They have been and are being destroyed by idiotic and criminal economic theories.

In the Soviets by the communists, over here by the capitalists and nobody can tell me that it was done, in either case for the betterment of humanity, or for the thousands who have committed suicide, as in India, or the millions in Mexico, who have been forced into city slums on garbage dumps by the NAFTA, whether it was done in the name of Marx , or Smith, or Friedman.

We went through some very hard times, my wife often only had a couple of bucks to buy groceries with, but our children always had good food and clean clothes, unlike the poor little kids some asshole by the name of Marx forced into the world.

And now, hundreds of ranchers are going broke, because of the price fixings by major multinationals, while they're stealing the eyes out of people who buy the meat in the stores they steal from hard working ranchers and farmers.

Where is the ideology, or the politicians to save their livelihoods and their lives ?

What would Saint. Marx, or Smith say, or do ?

Ed Deak.

You are of course correct

You are of course correct Ed, Sorry if my quest is for solutions rather than trying to pin the blame.
I fully agree that almost every stripe of rulers have misused their power; but that does not stop me from wanting and hoping for a future where things are at least more equal than what we see today.
Obviously we in Canada should not complain, but I see myself as a citizen of the world and my concern is world-wide as well.
I am not a "do-gooder" type, and I see no organization that work toward sensible solutions, that I might want to join.
Like it or not the major obstacle we face is over-population, and right there we run into religious fanatics who object!
So while we agree, somehow I had hoped for you to have an inkling for how to navigate ourselves out of the mess we are in.

Jeez ...

A civil discussion is degenerating into a fanatical preachment of personal hatred by somebody in a sort of religious frenzy, howling "I am the way and the light ... only I ... and the rest of you are unworthy. Stupid. Evil."

Well ... it's unworthy and stupid to avoid reading the book review (or god forbid, the book itself) and then launching repeated assaults on decent Canadian elders and honourable expressions of their worthy lives. How wise is that?

These weren't mindless dolts taking orders from far-away tinpot dictators, they weren't gang-raping anybody, and yet those are the traits our fanatical preacher would have us believe are the motivating factors here. How open-minded. As a Canadian, I resent the assault.

Have we forgotten the days of McCarthy when you had only to say "Are you now or were you ever a member of the Communist Party?" Simple, efficient way to destroy lives. The American Way. Jeez.

I wish our self-taught and misguided friend would read a little Canadian political history - in particular, about the prairie collectivism which motivated these men, launched political parties, and created improved working, marketing, and living conditions which exist to this day.

It's disgusting to have someone harping relentlessly, determined to sling mud at people and beliefs as decent and honourable as this. Stop it.

.

Turn-about

I can quite easily see someone taking Ed's "Principles", formulating a political theory around them, gathering a following, and taking control of a country in the theory's name...

In short order, and running true to historical precedent, that someone will assemble persons of power around him, and they in turn will oppress the people and when threatened, will turn to rapine and pillage in order to effect and retain control.

And so in time a great many people will come to revile the name of Ed Deak and will portray his Principles as written in Hell, and him as the Devil Incarnate.

So much for your good intentions, Ed.

let's not quarrel

I admire both BC Mary and Ed Deak for their contributions here and elsewhere, and I feel guilty for leading the intent of this article astray, causing such a conflict between two reasonable people.

I am impressed with “the prairie marxist” and any other individual who chose to spend much of their lives for the betterment of others, and that includes the work Ed tells us he has done.

Personally I am more familiar with Harry Rankin and think that he, in his own abrasive manner, fought for many causes that others choose to ignore.

When the Titanic struck an iceberg, was not the time to discuss design flaws or liability of the crew!
Neither is it the proper time now, to probe the why's of our predicament as a human race.!
Now is the time to take action, to organize a way to solve the crisis!

So whether Ed's principles are valid or not, is not the point!
Whether or not Ed belittled the effort of others is not relevant, (he too is entitled to shortcomings).

The point is that so far no system has worked out to be fair, in the long run, and we should concentrate on how to attain a world-wide system that is based on humanitarian values, but in a practical sense.

Perhaps Ed's principles should be the guideline, but there is a need for a practical application, and that means a political movement that is not biased by provincial, federal, territorial or religious limits.

continued

As imperfect as our present system is there are no way (short of a revolution) to change it , except to work with what we have!

Seeing that the parties who have been in power of this country have not helped the situation, and recognizing their affiliation with power-brokers, that pretty well leaves us with the NDP with all its flaws.

We can waste more time arguing about past NDP goofs, or we can begin to make our opinions count within that organization and help guide it towards what we are aiming for.

ME2 is correct that any movement can be perverted, but what is the alternative?

The people of Cuba wound up with a dictator, who at least did not forget the purpose of his quest, and had it not been for the US interventions, things might have turned out even better for his followers? So, perhaps a very strong leader is needed until people as a whole begin to show some common sense?

We are dealing with human traits here, and it is all too common to see individuals forgetting the common good in order to progress one step up on the economic ladder.

I do not claim to have the answers, but I do see the need for us to realize that this is a big world and we have to include even the people we despise.
For me that would be religious motivated people, no matter what good they may be doing, and that is a large group of people I have hated all my life! However, I recognize they are here, and must be included. We cannot ban anyone, only try to educate!

I know it is a lot to ask for, to include people we hate, but it should be clear by now that as long as we stand divided nobody wins in the long run, and only a few win on a temporary basis.

There is a crying need for a total change, and that mean we need to drop our preconceived notions and aim for he common good!
The day of the individual is over and done, we can go for the common good or we can admit to Ed's prediction that we all will deserve what we get!

some folks just never get it

When the brick slips from numb fingers and crushes the big toe, can we blame physical laws? You can try, but it won’t really change the fact that the big toe is now hemorrhaging and the work boot is slowly filling with the stuff that keeps the fingers from suffering further debilitation and preventing further self-destructive behaviour.

If the boss, who was walking by at just the right moment says - as is often the case - “Geez man, don’t you know anything about gravity and the “Physical Laws” of nature?”

If your reply is, “Of course. What do you take me for, a dumb assed labourer? I know all about Newton and the Laws of Thermodynamics”, you’ve fallen headlong into an inescapable trap: A circular argument that goes nowhere.

In an instant your thinking has been diverted from self-consolation and planning ways to avoid further set backs, to self-criticism; from clearing the mind of thinking of ways of holding the brick differently and warming the fingers to, “Christ, how could I be so stupid. Were are my steel toed work boots?”

The problem isn’t “Physical Laws”. It never has been. Humanity, with all its social constructs, exists because it follows physical laws, not in spite of them.

If you’re really interested in keeping the bricks off your toes, try looking at the thinking allowed the brick to slip.

Self-criticism does nothing but reinforce destructive behaviour.