“I have only a short time to live, only one death to die, and I will die fighting for this cause. There will be no peace in this land until slavery is done for.” – John Brown
During the Civil War the American people had to be taught that the destruction of slavery was the moral imperative. They had to be convinced the destruction of slavery was the defense of their own liberty. It took the Abolitionists, enslaved and not, to do it.
A broad cross-section of ordinary people today draw attention to the fact that our society is polarizing between the ruling class which owns and controls virtually everything, and a mass of people who are increasingly struggling to survive.
Out of this despair, a new round of abolitionists is being formed to fight for true economic and political democracy. The wealth being amassed in fewer hands has exposed a new level of selfishness among those who rule our country. And yet, there is still a fundamental morality amongst our class that simply cannot tolerate the wholesale destruction of human life. We see this in those coming forward to do something about children being forced into what really are concentration camps and the foster system.
One woman, interviewed by National Public Radio on November 12, 2019, fostered one of the children separated from her family at the U.S.-Mexico border. When asked if she felt evangelical Christians have fallen short in addressing the separation of families she stated, “Absolutely. I think that falling short actually comes from this idea that pro-life is anti-abortion. And I believe that if the evangelical leadership is going to get in the right place when it comes to immigration, it’s got to start with really recognizing what pro-life means in a robust manner. … if we’re not pro-life when other people are pulling families apart – you know, we talk a lot about family values as evangelical Christians. And if we are going to be for family values, then we need to be for family reunification.”
When ICE agents arrested nearly 700 undocumented migrants in Morton, Mississippi, families were left to struggle to survive without jobs. The 300 people released, and others, live in fear that the raids will be repeated. Many in Morton rallied to help families pay rent, and electric, water and gas bills.
Across America, millions face being, and are becoming, destitute. Each situation adds up to a system that no longer provides for the needs of people for food, water, good health care and education.
The ruling class turns to force and violence to control the situation. The growing number of restless people of this country, who love it and are willing to fight for it, must come together as one. We must guarantee that the changes wracking America result in a better life for the common people. We must guarantee the new tools of the high-tech economic revolution reach the potential for our well-being through public ownership of those tools. This is today’s moral imperative. RC
January/February 2020. Vol30.Ed1
This article originated in Rally, Comrades!
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