Charleston: Tip of America's racist terrorist culture.

Sean O'Torain.

There is no doubt about it. The massacre in Charleston was a racist terrorist act. The murderer specifically said he was there to kill African American people, not people, but African American people. He said it himself he his actions were racist. He was also acting as a terrorist. He also stated this. He said he was there to drive African American people out of the US. That is, to terrorize African American people into leaving the USA.

This contemptible degenerate is a racist terrorist. There must be no talk about him having psychiatric problems and so on and so on. This is garbage. He is a racist terrorist and has to pay for his actions. But hateful and all as this degenerate is, the more important question is this: In what soil did this poisonous weed grow? The answer is not hard to find.  He grew in the racist terrorist culture of US capitalism. And not only in the South. But US capitalism as a whole.

For 300 years African American people were forced through terror, mass murder, lynchings, kidnappings, rape, to work for no wages. I would ask any working person who is reading this to use your imagination. Think about it. How would you feel about being forced through terror to work for nothing? Even for a single day? Anybody who does not have this at the center of their understanding of US society and US capitalism and racism is evading reality and is part of the problem.

For 300 years African Americans worked and did not get paid. Some studies estimate that African Americans are owed twenty trillion dollars in unpaid wages. Some estimates are much much more. US capitalism accumulated immense amounts of capital in this way. This capital along with the unpaid labor of the working class as a whole laid the basis for US capitalism. With this capital it stepped out on to the world and became the world's number one imperialist power. It has close to 200 military outposts around the world today and more weaponry than all the rest of the world put together and it takes military action wherever it thinks its interests are threatened and it can get away with it.

But back to the US. To hold its grip on power US capitalism has to control the working class in the US itself. I was recently talking to an African American man about how the US capitalists exploited the US working class. In an imprecise remark I said:"Its not about color you know." I meant it was about profits and making the working class as a whole accept that it did not get paid for the full value of its labor. This man turned to me and said:"Nah, its about color alright." And rubbing his forefinger and thumb together in the universal symbol for money he said: 'Green." How right this man was. And that is the soil in which the racist terrorist degenerate in Charleston grew. The racist divide and rule policies of the US capitalist class which they use to accumulate their profits.

The US capitalist class are a tiny minority in society. To rule they must divide the working class which is the huge majority. They do this first and foremost through racism, they also do it through gender, women's rights, sexism, documented or undocumented status, sexual orientation, and any other way they can stir up division. This is what is at the heart of the racist terrorist culture which was and still is at the heart of US capitalism. This divide and rule strategy pursued by the US capitalist class is what created this degenerate murderer in Charleston.

Do not be fooled by the racist terrorist capitalist politicians and mass media and bosses who are now stampeding to pretend they did not support the flag of slavery, racism and terrorism. Where were they a month or two ago? Before they got their s... together and realized that this was something very big, and could destabilize their whole divide and rule strategy, and they would have to perhaps do more than they had done in the past to calm things down.

It was in this brief few hours after the massacre that the governor of South Carolina made her speech. In this she praised the "section of the good people of South Carolina" who saw the flag of slavery and terror as one of "heritage" and she said these people and this view had to be "respected." Then the explosion of anger from South Carolina, especially African Americans, but not only African Americans, and not only in South Carolina, hit her and her class. Suddenly they were jumping ship, the racist slave terrorist flag, like there was no tomorrow. Ones that  a few weeks before had been for the flag of slavery were now suddenly against it.

"The whole thing was a mystery. It was a revelation. If only we had known." The governor was suddenly silent. Of course there are a few exceptions who have genuinely been made conscious of what is right and wrong. But let us be clear the shift that we see has been caused by the explosion of rage against the racist terrorist massacre in Charleston. And when we are thinking about this do not miss that this has affects worldwide. In every country US imperialism goes and tries with its weaponry and pious lying talk of democracy the events of Charleston and the killings of all the murdered African Americans in South Carolina will rise up before it and further discredit it. John Kerry will have a lot less authority now when he bullies and bribes his way round the world. Those he will be trying to lecture will laugh behind his back.

The African American population have responded with mass marches and talk of forgiveness. This is welcomed by the majority of the white capitalist class. Why would it not? This white capitalist class  are the perpetrators of the racist terrorist society and the racist terrorist degenerate whose name I cannot mention I am so full of rage. Of course this class are all now for forgiveness. After all, they were and are the criminals, they created the racist terrorist culture that created the racist terrorist weed. They want to be forgiven. Let me say this just to be clear. I am not for forgiveness and I am a European American of Irish background. I am not for forgiveness. But my lack of forgiveness is not confined to the racist terrorist murderer. I also do not forgive US capitalism which consciously created the US racist terrorist culture and state which produced the degenerate weed who massacred the people in Charleston. No forgiveness, the racist capitalist system and the racist capitalist class and its weeds must be pulled out by the roots.

But let me say a word to all working people. Especially to European American workers, Latino American workers, Asian American workers, Native American workers, you have a responsibility here also. Whenever racist ideology is spouted you must speak and organize against it. Whenever divide and rule is used you must speak and organize against it. Staying quiet while racism is used on the job and in the union is not acceptable. Staying quiet while African American or any section of workers are discriminated against is not acceptable. The stronger racism the weaker the working class and the stronger the capitalist class. Fleeing to the suburbs is not acceptable. Nor is repeating half assed excuses to "explain racism" or repeating the open racism of the talk show degenerate alike Limbaugh. No, all workers have to stand up here. The union leaders could have mobilized their 15 million members around their 1,000 labor councils. But what did they do? Issued a pathetic statement. The owner of one of the sports teams in the State put up $100,000 to pay for the funerals. In spite of the racism of his class and system he did more than the unions. I am ashamed of the role played by the union leaders.

The African American elites, the church leaders and politicians, are playing a dangerous game. Just when the anger and outrage is greatest they are saying forgive. This is not the time for that. This is the time to drag slavery out onto the table and force US society to discuss it and its crimes and point the finger at the class and elites who benefited from it. And to make change happen. Even though the US capitalist class fought a civil war against the slave system of the South it also gained from the wealth that was accumulated under slavery and the racist culture that it produced. And after slavery was ended it drove the African American people back into the position of cheap labor which they still hold today. And they did so with the terror and racism of the KKK and the US racist state which still exits to this day. Ferguson. Baltimore. Charleston. I could go on and on.

As every day goes by there will be more backsliding on talk about taking down the flag of slavery and terrorism. If as is likely the flags and emblems are not taken down other forces will step forward, especially the African American youth. They will say look where your talk of forgiveness and healing got us. Here they will say,  this is what is needed and they will point to the mass street fighting in the 1960's which made some small improvements. The young generation will say this is what we need again,  not talk of forgiveness. The memory of the Deacons for Defense will surface again. The memory of the Panthers. This time also the memory of what the white capitalist class did to MLK and Malcolm X will also surface. A new phase in the fight against racism has begun. For it to be successful a united working class movement to end racism and capitalism has to be built.