Letters

Drop religion; become revolutionary

In the May 1, 1999 MIM Notes, I see a prisoner speaking on 
spirituality. He made the statement that "A real convict is 
naturally rebellious, plus not all of us cons use spirituality as 
a crutch." 

[...]

Spirituality actually gets in the way of revolutionary progress 
when practiced the wrong way. I agree with MIM on the statement of 
"When everything is up to a higher power it is much easier for 
people to be complacent and just pray rather than take action 
against oppression." Praying ain't goin' help you hold the proper 
tactics [against] your enemy which should be the oppressive, 
fascist, capitalist, and finally imperialist U.S. government and 
its allies. If we are to be successful in any attempt to overthrow 
a government of people, false spirituality is not what we need to 
depend on. We need to depend on the basis of the enemy, the art of 
war, the weaknesses of the U.S. and others, and the main military 
bases housing the most power for attack.

Yes, Hell yes somebody might die in the event of an armed 
struggle, but as Chairman Mao Zedong said, "Even if the U.S. atom 
bombs were so powerful that then dropped on China, they would make 
a hole right through the earth, or even blow it up, that could 
hardly mean anything to the universe as a whole." ("Everybody 
wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die" -Mao Zedong.) This 
should tell you, that no matter if a few die in this struggle, the 
body as a whole is still functional and has let the world know 
that we will die for our equal rights, our own rights, and we will 
definitely die to end this bullshit of a government system in 
Amerikkka!

Although Amerikkka isn't the only country of imperialist fascists, 
it is the nasty motivator to such dogma. Wait on somebody else to 
overthrow "your" oppressed conditions, wait on somebody to bring 
"you" food, wait on somebody to give "you" a house to live in. It 
ain't happening. "You" gotta do for "yourself" in this day in 
time, especially in Amerikkka!

I have no intentions of disrespecting anyone's faith, but the 
revolution ain't about asking for that which you have been denied 
for so long though a process of prayer. People have been praying 
for years to end such shit, and it ain't happened. People prayed 
for Farrakhan to heal his cancer, but action is what healed it. . 
. .

On page 3 of that May 1, 1999 issue of MIM Notes, we see where a 
man was beat by Amerikkkan paratroopers for hanging a picture and 
a flag in his shop, and some old dogma being televised to show how 
the revolution is some sort of hate group. [This is a reference to 
the Vietnamese shopkeeper who was attacked for flying the 
Vietnamese flag and a picture of Ho Chi Minh in his store in 
Southern California -ed.] Well you damn right it's a hate group. 
It's a group that hates all this damn bullshit you oppressors are 
imposing on the oppressed, the Third World countries, and the 
proletariat working class in Amerikkka! It was said by both Bob 
Marley (RIP) and Public Enemy [and Gil Scott Heron -ed.] that "the 
revolution will not be televised!" That alone should be enough to 
let you know that anything the Amerikkkan news shows on TV, or 
tell-lie-vision, will be some bullshit influence dumb, deaf, and 
blind people who sit up at home and accept the oppressive 
conditions with no problem. These patriotic bastards ain't gone 
stop! Why should you?!

We want freedom, not just from prisons, but from oppression and 
imperialism! Fight for it! It's the only way to get it! Don't 
believe that, then continue to beg, and see where it gets you! 
Nuff said!

Peace, in the struggle.

-- A South Carolina Prisoner, 28 December 1999.

MIM adds: We agree that revolutionary struggle takes sacrifice. 
That includes meeting the violence of the oppressor with 
proletarian violence. We'd emphasize though that it is plain 
scientific analysis and revolutionary love that is behind the 
people's determination to use violence to end violence. 
Revolutionaries hate the imperialists because of what they do to 
the majority of the world's people and seek to serve the needs of 
the oppressed by fighting the imperialists.