Filling a Great Need at a Critical Time
October 7, 2012 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
The launching of the new revcom.us website comes at a moment of great challenges and fills a crucial need.
In a world of vicious exploitation, brutal oppression, and environmental devastation, a new stage of the communist revolution, based on Bob Avakian’s new synthesis of communism, is fighting to be born.
There are many factors that are essential to bringing into being that new stage of communist revolution, and this new revcom.us is one of them.
The launch of the new revcom.us also provides an opportune moment for the movement for revolution to re-ground in a basic and foundational element of the strategy for revolution concentrated at revcom.us and in Revolution newspaper. The RCP’s statement, “On the Strategy for Revolution,” puts it this way:
[The RCP’s newspaper, Revolution] plays a pivotal role in carrying out our strategy. Through publishing works of Bob Avakian, and through many different articles, interviews, letters, graphics, and other features, Revolution enables people to really understand and act to radically change the world....It gives people a living picture and scientific analysis of what is going on in the world, and why....It exposes the true nature of this system, and shows how major events in society and the world are concentrations of the basic contradictions of this oppressive and putrid system....It brings alive the need and possibility for revolution and a whole new society and world....It heightens the ability of growing numbers of people, in all parts of this country, to act politically in a unified way, and to wrestle with and help find solutions to the problems of our movement, on the basis of a growing revolutionary consciousness....It is the key instrument in developing an organized political network, among the most oppressed and other sections of the people, which can have a growing impact on the political scene and the society (and the world) as a whole, building up the forces of revolution and influencing ever broader numbers of people....It provides a foundation and a means for extending the “reach” of the revolutionary movement and building up bases for this movement—in neighborhoods, where people work and go to school, and wherever people come together—and especially where they resist and rebel against this system.
All this can enable the revolutionary movement, with the Party at the core, to confront and overcome the very real obstacles in its path...to advance and grow, through ongoing work, and through a series of critical leaps in times of sudden breaks and ruptures with the “normal routine”...to prepare the ground, and accumulate forces, for revolution—and have a real chance at winning. It is how thousands can be brought forward and oriented, organized and trained in a revolutionary way, while beginning to reach and influence millions more, even before there is a revolutionary situation...and then, when there is a revolutionary situation, those thousands can be a backbone and pivotal force in winning millions to revolution and organizing them in the struggle to carry the revolution through.
Here we must pose to our readers a very serious problem: Revolution/Revolución does not have the financial base to continue to operate—in print or online—without greatly expanding and solidifying a network of financial sustainers who see the need for this paper and website, and who sustain it on a regular basis.
Think about the way the strategy statement breaks down the role of Revolution.Then go out broadly, and put in the time, thinking, and work required to forge this network of sustainers. This work is essential if we are to have a chance at any real change in this world.
With the launching of this site, a wide range of people can gather to explore, acquaint themselves with, and celebrate revcom.us. Revolution Books stores can host fundraising parties to support Revolution and introduce people to the new website. And ways can be found for people to gather at WiFi hot spots to experience the new website. And through these and many different efforts, a wide network of ongoing sustainers can be built.
With those who get, in the fullest sense, what difference this newspaper and website mean to the world at the core of the effort, we should all reach out to many others who are inspired by this new site and the print edition of Revolution to financially sustain its ongoing production.
To radically and urgently transform the alarming financial state of Revolution, we are calling for focused activity this month of October to forge a network of sustainers. Contact your Revolution distributor, your nearest Revolution Books, or RCP Publications to connect with this crucial campaign. And, if you are not a sustainer yourself at this time, this is the moment to change that.
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