Revolution #203, June 13, 2010
THE PEOPLE MUST ACT
COME TO NEW ORLEANS
STOP THE OIL CATASTROPHE
A monumental crime against the planet and humanity is unfolding before our eyes. Toxic oil and gas continue to spew in the Gulf of Mexico—and the government and BP have proven unable and unwilling to truly deal with this rapidly escalating environmental, wildlife, and human catastrophe.
Millions are outraged. But many feel powerless and don't know what to do. People are looking for ways to act, to fight.
We have a bold vision and big plans to rally people to stop this catastrophe, protect the environment, and to spread revolution. We call on all who are sick at heart and feel the urgency of the crisis to join these efforts. And we call on all those who see the importance of these efforts to donate generously—funds are urgently needed.
Many thousands desperately want to stop this disaster but have been discouraged, prevented, and reduced to passive spectators by the system. Imagine if a force of revolutionaries and progressive-minded people united with and helped people find concrete ways to break out of the system's stranglehold and meaningfully contribute to containing the disaster and protecting Gulf ecosystems.
The whole country and world are watching. Imagine if scientists and engineers, people from fishing communities directly affected, environmental activists, and intellectuals, artists and voices of conscience came together for an Emergency Summit. Imagine if this conference exposed the full truth about this oil disaster and organized a massive response that really began to deal with this devastating nightmare in all its dimensions.
People's lives are being shattered, millions are suddenly finding their confidence in the government really shaken. Imagine if in this situation, a force of revolutionaries, students, youth and others were fanning across the region, spreading the truth that this is a "capitalist oil spill," that this system is not a fit caretaker of the earth. Imagine the impact of the message that a whole different world is possible, that there is a movement for revolution, and that there is a concrete plan for putting that revolution on the map with the Revolutionary Communist Party's campaign—"The Revolution We Need...The Leadership We Have."
And imagine if, as a result of all this, sights were raised. Imagine if new energies were unleashed, and new connections forged—between fishing communities and environmentalists—between white people and Black people—between immigrants and native born—and with revolutionary communists in the mix.
The stakes are extremely high. What happens—or doesn't happen—now will reverberate for decades, even generations. We must not let the Gulf and the planet's ecosystems be savaged, perhaps irreparably harmed.
In this grave situation, a galvanizing force is urgently needed. Join us and help forge it. Be part of the creative brainstorming about how to do this and the liberating work to make it happen. What could be more important, especially if you are a student or young person, than coming to the Gulf right now to fight this catastrophe?
- Join us in New Orleans to help set up a political encampment
- Help organize an Emergency Summit in New Orleans
- Help mobilize clean-up, protection, and resistance
- Be part of teams building a movement for revolution across the region
- If you can't come, there are still many ways to help—get in touch, send us your ideas; donate or raise funds; call friends in the Gulf who may be able to provide housing; help publicize this project and the Emergency Summit; contribute to Revolution newspaper and its coverage.
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