Revolution #275, July 22, 2012

Scenes from BA Everywhere

Week of July 16

“Scenes from BA Everywhere” is a regular feature that gives our readers an ongoing picture of this multifaceted campaign, and the variety of ways that funds are being raised and the whole BA vision and framework is being brought into all corners of society. Revolution newspaper is at the hub of the BA Everywhere effort—publishing reports from those taking up the campaign. Revolution plays a pivotal role in building an organized network of people across the country coming together to make BA a household word. We urge our readers to send in timely correspondence on what you are doing as part of this campaign—send your reports and photos to revolution.reports@yahoo.com.

Revolutionary Anti-July 4th Event in the 'Hood

A group of revolutionaries met in June with some residents, musicians and friends to plan for a revolutionary anti-July 4th picnic to be held in the area. Discussing deeply with people the theme of the two BAsics quotes for July ("American Lives Are Not More Important Than Other People's Lives"; "Internationalism—The Whole World Comes First") as well as BAsics 1:13 was crucial in setting the stage for a successful anti-July 4th event (including in postering, leafletting and bringing friends); and it paid off in spades with a very rich mix of culture and revolutionary anti-American politics on the day itself.

Although some were slow to arrive, others from the 'hood who had to work on the 4th came early to "pay their respects." There was clearly a buzz about the event, despite the short time in building for it! People began to arrive in groups of friends and family laying on blankets, sitting in chairs, and eating the food that some people brought and BBQ cooked by a couple people participating in the event. It was a very mixed crowd of all nationalities and ages, including people speaking Spanish, Farsi and Hindi!

The welcome began with a reading of the New York anti-July 4th ad on the BAsics Bus Tour website. This reading emphasized that the anti-July 4th event was NOT a celebration of U.S. imperialism and its horrors here and around the world. Yet in setting out on this BAsics Bus Tour... this IS something to celebrate!

This reading was followed by a game of "spin the globe," in which people took turns reaching into a jar full of slips of paper, each one with a country that the U.S. had invaded... a marker was placed on the map and then the invasion was read aloud. The game was a big hit with all, from a 6th grader who learned about Vietnam to a Latino man who learned about U.S. forces used within the United States (from Wounded Knee to the LA rebellion). The game of course had to be cut short, as the list of U.S. invasions would easily eat up all the time of the anti-July 4th event.

This led to a reading of statements of responses to the BAsics 1:13 quote from one of the residents, cheered on by her friends. And then... the audience was introduced to the Revolution Talk with BA reading from Frederick Douglass' speech "what to the American slave is your 4th of July?"—all displayed on two remote TVs. This video reading also set a tone about who BA is and WHY this bus tour is so important. So many NEED to know about BA, who he is, and this book BAsics with these three quotes we are engaging people with.

Next up was the cultural part of the program, starting with a set of poems from a local youth (wearing a "fuck capitalism" T-shirt) whose poetry jumped on the lies the system constantly bombards the youth with. Another poem that ended with giving the middle finger to the U.S. met with lots of applause. There were other powerful spoken word pieces also featured, including some by upcoming bus tour volunteers! A highlight of the cultural segment was a performance especially for the 4th by a local rap group about Trayvon Martin with the refrain of "the whole damn system is guilty," and a moving verse about "we're all Trayvon Martin... shoot me shoot me...." And another rap group from out of town performed a couple of numbers including a call and response about "revolu....TION" and another piece nailing capitalism on the head about "I got to sell myself, I got to sell myself..." ending with the suggestion that it doesn't have to end this way! The music was so good that both groups performed again for those who arrived late!!!

At the peak of the event, two BAsics Bus Tour volunteers got up to speak and to also make a fund pitch. There were highlights of the bus tour in Sanford, as well as a lively picture of what was to come in New York... and especially a picture of what impact the BAsics book itself could have when seen overall as getting BA everywhere. A special appeal was made concerning the immigrant populations (there were readings of quotes in Spanish as well as English). $211 was raised from this pitch.

More poetry followed and special presentations were made by the People's Neighborhood Patrol and Stop Mass Incarceration. Then the emcee pointed to both the bookstore table where people could buy BAsics and also to a "materials table" where people could be part of one of the 12 ways to join the movement for revolution. There were bundles of past issues of Revolution newspaper, and stacks of palm cards featuring both BAsics 1:13 as well as the two new quotes (bundled up the night before by a young mother and her kids) for people to get out on buses, in libraries, beauty shops, laundries, concerts, etc. 3,500 palm cards, and 100 past issues of Revolution got out during the day as well as 2 BAsics and 1 Rev Talk DVD were sold. Over 60 people came throughout the day, the majority from the surrounding neighborhoods, but a good number of people from other cities as well.

In closing, announcements were made about other bus tour fundraising events and a plan was made to return to the park two Saturdays later to discuss how to be part of supporting the BAsics Bus Tour, especially featuring the talk given at New York Revolution Books on June 27, featured online at revcom.us.

* * * * *

Letter from a Reader
BAsics at the Annual American Library Association Conference

BA Everywhere was in the house at the annual American Library Association (ALA) Conference in Anaheim, California as we introduced thousands of librarians to BA and BAsics, spread the news of the exciting experiences of the BAsics Bus Tour in the South, raised funds for the next leg kicking off from New York City, and talked with as many of them as we could about how they could be a part of this growing movement for revolution, including how to get BAsics into libraries, enabling many more people to have access to BAsics and other works by BA.

18,000 librarians and others connected to public libraries, school and university libraries, prison libraries across the U.S., and libraries in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa attended this conference.

Just to give you a flavor of this conference, there were hundreds of workshops, meetings and programs addressing everything from career development to getting books into different sections of the population like prisoners, to setting up bookmobiles in neighborhoods with no physical libraries, on Indian reservations, to intellectual freedom and privacy rights—and there were librarians who were in Cairo, Egypt at the time of the overthrow of Mubarak.

Our crew included two people who played important roles in the launching of the first leg of the BAsics Bus Tour in Orange County (where this ALA conference was being held) as well as someone we met on the first day of the conference—a student from a community college in Los Angeles who works as a clerk for a public library. Off of getting the BAsics 1:13 palm card, this student bought BAsics and a copy of Revolution newspaper right away and off of discussing the 12 Ways to Join Us, he took a stack of BAsics 1:13 cards to distribute at events he attended. He started reading BAsics that night and he found us again at the end of the next day to join us in getting out more BAsics 1:13 palm cards as attendees were pouring out of the convention center.

Given the breadth and size of the conference, we decided to try to focus on some key groupings there. We went into the Exhibition Hall which had hundreds of booths and a few booths took some of the BAsics 1:13 cards and put them out for people to take. This included the booth of the Black Caucus of the ALA (BCALA) who invited us to attend their membership meeting and reception held during the conference to make an announcement about BAsics and the BAsics Bus Tour that went through the South. Clyde Young went to that meeting, which was attended by 200 librarians from all across the country, and made a brief announcement about BAsics and the bus tour. Afterwards, during the reception, people came up to talk, argue and to find out more. One woman told Clyde, "I may not look like it, but I am a revolutionary"; another man argued that revolution, socialism and communism has not worked and the underlying cause is human nature, but he was interested in the book and said he would check out the revcom.us website. Two women made clear that they were Obama supporters, that what they loved about the U.S. is that we have the freedom to say whatever we think and granted me that right even though they disagreed with what we were saying. Others commented they were glad we were there.

Off of a discussion with someone from the BCALA, we learned about the upcoming Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC) in September in Kansas City, Missouri and they thought that would be a good opportunity for us to speak more fully to librarians. The BCALA will be holding its own conference next year, August 2013, at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center and that is another opportunity as well.

We were surprised to find that there was a large contingent of librarians from other countries at this conference and given developments internationally and the important contributions of BA and his new synthesis, this was another important grouping to reach out to. We were able to print out there some copies of BA's statement, Egypt 2011: Millions Have Heroically Stood Up...The Future Remains To Be Written and shared that with librarians we met. One librarian from Egypt bought BAsics and based on discussion of BAsics 1:28, he commented that he felt trapped between the two reactionary poles BA writes about and was interested in what BA said about bringing forward another way. An African professor was excited to find it was an eBook and also about our website, revcom.us, as he wanted to share this with his students who are all into the digital age. On the 3,000 BAsics 1:13 palm cards we distributed, each had a sticker announcing "Gold Winner 2011 e-LIT Award in Current Events 1 (Political/Economic/Legal/Media)" which had an impact on this crowd too. We also sold seven copies of BAsics and raised some money for the next leg of the bus tour.

We got comments from librarians from many different places (big cities and small towns) who were very excited to meet revolutionaries, including many who commented "that's right" after hearing "you can't change the world if you don't know the BAsics." We wore BAsics T-shirts and by the end of the conference one librarian commented that "I've seen that t-shirt all over the conference and wondered what it was about."

* * * * *

July 4th Skit

For the Fourth of July, we decided to create a skit using a part of Frederick Douglass' "What to the Slave is Your Fourth of July" speech and the Revolution newspaper with the BAsics quotes, "American Lives Are Not More Important Than Other People's Lives" and "Internationalism ‑ The Whole World Comes First."

We had a person dressed up as a slave and he performed the Frederick Douglass quote. Other characters were someone dressed as Uncle Sam and a voice of opposition, and it ended with a reading of the BAsics quotes. Simply being dressed up as a slave caught people's attention and we were stopped before we could get to the place where we decided to perform, and made to perform on the spot. On the train ride to the park, a guy asked, "What, are they putting us back in chains again?"

The audience response was mostly positive. We received applause whenever we finished the skit. While most people agreed with what was being said, there was a back and forth that went on with some of the spectators which showed that this particular form of street theater not only challenges people, but gets a conversation started which might not start with different forms of engaging with the public.

A second team followed the skit, distributing palm cards, collecting donations for the BAsics Bus Tour and getting out the paper. One young guy who took a stack of palm cards said, "This is really good. This is not what they teach us in school." There was a lot of debate on whether America is a democracy, the land of the free, or is what we were saying true. Another question was can you ever get rid of capitalism. One guy said that it was appropriate bringing the skit out, everything you're saying is true, but what can we do about it? Several people took palm cards to distribute and said they want to check out BA and the bus tour. As we walked away from each performance, we could hear people continuing to debate these questions.

Later that evening, we went out to the official July 4th celebration. The palm cards with the two quotes were very controversial. Thousands of people, including families and groupings of young people from many different countries, gathered downtown to watch the fireworks, and there were a range of responses. Alongside the USA number 1 bullshit, there were people who were glad to see the quote "American Lives Are Not More Important Than Other People's Lives." Several people spoke to their concerns about what the U.S. is doing around the world. A 13-year-old responded several times, "it's not right!" and when we asked him to explain, he said that people come here from all over the world for the American dream, and what they get is something else. One young man thought humanity would never get over this problem of inequality, but the rest of his family saw hope in what we were bringing to the people. An older Black woman took a stack of palm cards and excitedly told her friends how the BAsics Bus Tour is starting a national conversation about revolution and communism.

* * * * *

Cleveland Anti-July 4th BBQ and Picnic

In the sweltering heat, 20 people came out to an anti-July 4th picnic in a Cleveland city park. As people were eating, the sounds of "All Played Out" were heard as well as Outernational's "Todos Somos Ilegales" breaking through the suffocating heat. Art Blakey, a jazz musician, played his guitar as people were conversing, checking out the enlarged center fold of Revolution #274 and signing it. A call was made to support the next leg of the bus tour in NYC because the bus tour connects the people most downpressed by this system with the leadership they need to become emancipators of humanity.

There was back and forth on how the bus tour can contribute to forging a revolutionary people. A Black man was passionate that "the tour will help people with critical thinking, to think more critically about this system of oppression. There is common ground among the people, but most important is that BA is the leader. Some agree, some disagree, but the common ground is the system needs to be changed. Take action on it. Obama not going to do it, only the people can do it, to promote change and critical thought. The people have to change the world." Another person said how the gap between all the horrors people face with this system, stop and frisk, unending wars, racist killing of Trayvon Martin, sex slavery, and more and the solution laid out and developed by BA is still too wide. But the BAsics Bus Tour is working on closing that gap and he called on people to dig deep which for some is $10 and others $500 or more. People talked among themselves about ways to raise money, selling plates of food, having some cultural events, making rubber bracelets to sell with the colors of the BAsics palm cards, and making a music CD. People took stacks of palm cards with BAsics 5:7 and 5:8 to distribute. $907 was raised in cash and pledges for the NYC leg of the BAsics Bus Tour. People left feeling that although more people were expected to be there, the fundraising picnic was a success in terms of coming together to oppose America's July 4th by saying a loud "yes" to BAsics 5:7 and 5:8, and leaving with a deeper grasp that the bus tour connects potential emancipators of humanity with the leadership they need, and they acted on this understanding by generously contributing to the NYC leg of the tour.

Some of what was written on the board with 5:7 and 5:8 at the anti-July 4th picnic:

"God will not get the masses of this country and the rest of the world out of this horrible mess. Only a communist revolution will deliver a truly liberating future. A teacher in Cleveland, Ohio"

"Down 4 the Revolution."

"God is our bless'n 2 the 'solution' so people stay bless."

"I would be a stupid American if people around the world hadn't helped to open my eyes."

"The powers that be are not all powerful, the power is with the people, and the people say 'No More!' That is true power."

"People here and all over the world need revolution and communism. Bob Avakian gives the kind of leadership that could possibly take us there."

* * * * *

Houston Open Mic/Fundraiser for Bus Tour

From a reader:

On Saturday, we had an open mike/fundraiser for the BAsics bus tour in 3rd Ward, a historic Black community in Houston. Inspired by quote 1:13 by BA, five people performed spoken word or sang songs they had written. Some of it was written specifically off the quote, and others were more inspired by the theme of the quote. One young woman said that she was so moved by what she was hearing that she wrote a poem on the spot and shared it with us. I can't quite capture the emotions that were being expressed by the artists about the life this system has for youth. Some of them also spoke to the mental shackles that are keeping people from rising up, and others spoke to their hopes of how the world should be.

Several people made and donated things to sell to raise money at the event. An out-of-town artist donated prints of her work. A young woman made earrings with her son. And another person laminated centerfolds from Revolution to sell.

Several of the people came to the event off of posters or flyers they saw in the neighborhood. Some people came out from Occupy Houston. There was a lot of interaction between people, many of them learning about BA and revolution for the first time. One guy was intently reading BAsics. I overheard a conversation between a couple of people who were talking about all the bad things they've heard about communism. And someone asked, how she changed your mind. She said I'm changing it right now. Several people commented that they were uplifted by the event and there was a sense of community being built, a community for changing the world.

Later that evening, a crew of people went out to the Gay Pride parade and got out hundreds of palm cards with quote 1:13 and raised money. We walked through the crowds with a banner that said "The system has no future for the youth, but the Revolution does." Several of the youth who took stacks of palm cards asked what kind of revolution, and is it for everybody.

On Sunday, we took out a banner-draped car, blasting audio from BA and drove up and down streets in a far Houston neighborhood. Several youth took up stacks of cards and distributed them to their friends and neighbors. Many people were surprised and glad to hear about BA and that there is a movement for revolution. The quote struck a chord with many, many people. The question for them was how do we make good on this? There was also a lot of intense debate among people about the possibility of revolution and how are we making sure that the leadership is protected so that the revolution can go all the way.

These are a couple of the poems performed at the cultural event based on BAsics 1:13:

Raisin' Kain:

Seemed like we were burning babies/
Could have sworn—generations in cages/
But mom and dad looked so pleased/
They said, "Drink up!"
And I did

 

Untitled

Holding her baby in her arms,
She imagined that he would grow up to be strong
That he would run around with the other boys in her village
Hunting and exploring and experiencing the pleasures of life.

She could not imagine the wars and the destruction.
The militias that would turn her child into a solider
Barely bigger than the rifle assigned to him.

Holding her baby in her arms,
She imagined that she would grow up to be beautiful.
That she would make lots of friends to play with
And be full of happiness and love.

She could not imagine the desire and evil
That would steal her daughter and place her in brothels, hotel rooms
Alone, Abused and Ashamed.

Holding her baby in her arms,
She imagined that he would grow up to be a hard worker.
That he would work the fields his father, and his father before him
And his father before him had worked.

She could not imagine their land would be stolen by
Treaties and contracts established thousands of miles away
And her son crossing borders never to be seen again.

These realities can be reconfigured
So that our imaginings
Can be rendered whole
And children are not bound by circumstances,
Rather, they transcend.

* * * * *

Humanist Picnic

On June 30 several of us went to the annual "Free Thinkers" picnic put on by local humanists. We brought signboards that had the BAsics quotes "American Lives Are Not More Important Than Other People's Lives" and "Internationalism—The Whole World Comes First" with space below for people to write their own thoughts and reactions. Many in this crowd were curious, and engaged in some pretty deep discussions about what things such as internationalism and revolution really meant, and what commonality communists and humanists shared in looking at reality. Also discussed was how we were using the BAsics Bus Tour to get Bob Avakian's work out to large numbers of people who would not otherwise be exposed. A number of people we talked to were angry about the damage done by religion in people's lives, and the way it is imposed on people. Some were interested in BA's book Away with all Gods: Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World and its presentation of how religion is a chain on the mind, and there was some support for the tour because we said that this is one thing the tour will be taking out to people. At the same time some people felt the question of belief in God was more of a personal thing. People looked at copies of BAsics and some put money in our bucket to support the bus tour.

* * * * *

Detroit Mini-Bus Tour

From several Revolution readers and volunteers for the next leg of the BAsics Bus Tour:

We decided to do a mini-bus tour in Detroit from June 23-25. This is a city in which the people cry out sometimes quietly, sometimes not, against a system whose police killed 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones on May 16, 2010 as she lay sleeping with her grandmother on the living room couch. So much of the city is literally destroyed that it is a struggle for most people to go anywhere or do anything. 2,000 people rallied for Trayvon Martin last month. This is a city whose people need to know that there is a way out and a way forward with Bob Avakian's re-envisioned communism.

We went through Aiyana's neighborhood with the decorated van and blaring out BA's spoken word piece "All Played Out" and the BAsics 1:13 quote. People took notice. A Black woman said, "The ways things are now, everything being the way they are going, their generation will not have a chance. The system needs to be brought down, this is ridiculous." Down the street, a few young Black guys who were sitting on the porch took lots of BAsics quote cards and pulled $2 out of their pockets to donate, and one went inside the house and got 37 cents more.

One afternoon we went to Dearborn, a mostly Arab community, and got a good reception. One Arab youth who said, "I am a revolutionary anarchist" took a stack of cards to get out. He said he was proud that in his high school there was a walkout supporting the Arab spring and recently there was a march supporting Trayvon Martin. Three teenage girls dressed in long black dresses and hijabs read the 1:13 quote, and one told us, "It's good you brought this to our generation. We need to have a say in the world. Not right that someone decided for us before we were born." We saw them distributing cards in the park.

On Sunday, we went to Belle Isle, a popular park in the city. There was lots of support for the 1:13 quote, and some controversy. One woman we met said she had been raped 9 times, and that the 1:13 relates to her—the point about being "destined for oppression and oblivion even before they are born." She said how being born female is to be called "bitches" and be abused and raped. She gave $2 and said, "I am the donating type. We need a revolution but none going on."

In those few days, something important happened in Detroit in bringing BA and his vision to thousands. There was feeling among many youth and others that they are now part of the movement for revolution by getting the cards out and being part of spreading BA everywhere.

* * * * *

International African Arts Festival, Brooklyn, NY July 4th

Hundreds of people strolled leisurely around this festival, in the sweltering summer heat, listening to African music, tasting African and Caribbean delicacies, and browsing jewelry, clothing, music CDs, and African drums, in the multi-aisled outdoor marketplace. Vendors from West Africa, Barbados, Guyana, Senegal, the U.S. and many other countries brought their wares to sell. Some people traveled from their home countries to this five-day festival. It was a colorful crowd with Muslim African women in traditional dress, Rastafarians, African Americans, and people of all nationalities.

In the midst of this, revolutionaries talked to people about BAsics, Revolution newspaper and the cards featuring quotes: "American Lives Are Not More Important Than Other People's Lives." BAsics 5:7 and "Internationalism—The Whole World Comes First." BAsics 5:8.

These quotes tapped into what a lot of people know first-hand about the U.S. and its role as the top imperialist country. There was much agreement with, "The world is a horror, but it doesn't have to be this way." Several immigrants talked of people in their countries not having food or drinkable water. There was an understanding that these problems are connected in some way to the role of the U.S. as the number one imperialist country. One person asked, "Why is it so hard?" when he talked about some people from the U.S. stealing from other countries. He said people come here for a better life, but if you have one altercation with the law, like for a small drug offense, you get deported. He said he knew many people that have been deported. He talked about the unjust disparity between people who get caught with crack cocaine compared to people caught with powdered cocaine. He was angry that it's the same basic drug, but Blacks and other poor people get punished a lot more severely. He said air is free, but water and electricity aren't, but they should be available to everyone. I told him what Avakian said, that food is not a right in the U.S. and we all know what would happen if you go into a supermarket and just start eating because you're hungry. This raised questions about what it will take to end this. He thought it was in god's hands and that the U.S. should just help people, so I got into with him why only revolution could solve these problems. He was interested in this and got the paper, but said he'd have to get BAsics another time.

One person gave a statement on "Internationalism—The Whole World Comes First," BAsics 5:7, by saying, "The U.S. is like the queen bee in terms of people looking up to them. The U.S. should help people worldwide with roads, electricity, agriculture, basic needs, but they don't—because they don't have something the U.S. needs."

Comments put on poster boards on "American Lives Are Not More Important than Other People's Lives":

"People are people. We all bleed red. Everyone has a right to live in PEACE!!!"

"Mankind should be equal," a vendor from West Africa.

"All Humans are just Human! No more No less!"

"That view [that American lives are more important] leads to chauvinism and disrespect."

A poet liked that quote a lot and talked about African-Americans being forced to come here through slavery. He agreed with the quote on American lives not being more important than other people's lives, but he thought it had the potential to offend people who wouldn't agree. I had some back and forth with him because I said it was true and even if some are offended, it is important to discuss and debate this with people.

A couple of African-Americans talked about the U.S. Constitution (it was the 4th of July) and how this country was set up from the beginning only for white propertied landowners. Black people were considered only 3/5 of a person and women were not considered people. There was an overall openness to revolution and to finding out more about Bob Avakian.

Several people gave comments and some were photographed or filmed with the quotes after I explained that we are building a movement for revolution with the BAsics Bus Tour as a key part of it and we want to show through photos/film how this movement is growing around the country.

Talking to people about these quotes drew out much speaking bitterness to what the reality of life is for millions of people who are being oppressed and exploited by the U.S. and it tapped into their desires for a new and better world. Several people wanted to be part of the BAsics Bus Tour in some way: spreading the word through Facebook, possibly joining up with the tour once it starts, and telling other people and finding ways they can contribute.

* * * * *

At Memorial for Two Young Lesbians Who Were Killed

June 28 there was a memorial in a park for two young lesbian women brutally shot in Texas (one is dead, the other severely injured). It was a sad and solemn event, with various speakers from the LGBT community. Revolutionaries participated and laid a sign on the grass saying, "No more Tyler Clementes, no more Trayvon Martins." People took and read the "No more Generations..." palm cards, and many said the words were very relevant to this tragic crime. Afterwards, there was a separate event, a march in memory of Stonewall and protesting violence and police violence against LGBT people. A banner with the full BA quote, "No more generations..." in small letters and "WE SAY NO MORE" in big letters was unfurled, and diverse people read it and signed it. During a march, it was hard to get into all the different levels of this powerful quote and to explain fully about the bus tour and do fundraising, but still some dollars found their way into our BAsics Bus Tour bucket.

Responses to the July BAsics Quotes

Sent by readers in Atlanta:

From a Black musician and jewelry artist:
"Every time I hear Obama say 'America is the greatest country in the world' I feel like running to the bathroom, sticking my finger down my throat and trying to throw up—hoping the bile comes out. How do you think people around the world feel when they hear that. I've seen pictures of kids with their arms blown off by American bombs. And we're fighting for their 'democracy and liberation.' American democracy and liberation really worked out for the American Indians, didn't it?"

From a Black veteran of the war on Afghanistan:
"The American Dream is the world's nightmare. It's everyone's nightmare. How egotistical can you get? Why should someone from the Congo be less important than an American, just because they happened to be born there instead of here? When I got back from Afghanistan, I had had it with America. All I wanted to do was bring it down."

From a participant at a discussion about the quotes at Revolution Books Atlanta:
"What should be 'important' is every person earning a living wage regardless of what section of the world they inhabit. What should also be 'important' would be for the United States of America to finally admit to the exploitation and inhuman treatment done to African and other peoples inhabiting the soils of 'America' and how America become 'important' primarily by persons' sweat and tears."

"Everybody lives are important. Everybody lives count. You don't need to know a person to care for somebody. I care for all people's lives. I am an organ donor and anyone who needs it should get it."

From a neighborhood where the BAsics Bus Tour visited in Atlanta:
"Not just America. If one person eats everybody has to eat. When I am on the bus I give a homeless person something to eat. No one should be left hungry. Everybody should care for everyone."

An atheist who bought Bob Avakian's Away With All Gods
"That's why they say God Bless America. Why don't they say God Bless the whole world. That's if you believe in God."

Someone who gave a donation to the upcoming BAsics Bus Tour
"Nobody's lives are more valuable than other human life. I love it! Start thinking about everybody not ourselves or our families. Everybody is connected."

Someone in Sanford, Florida:
"Get everyone included. Bringing everyone together even though we are in America. We have a system that keeps us in poverty and bondage to the system. Even though it sounds like we got it better, we don't."

 

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