Make a World of Difference

This newspaper is about making revolution.

Every week, Revolution covers the sharpest questions in the world. Revolution brings to light the system’s hidden abuses, while at the same time revealing the true causes of the events that everyone is talking about.

Just look at this issue:

How should people understand and react to the cold blooded assassination of Dr. George Tiller? Does it matter if people understand that what is being fought out here is the profound moral question of whether or not women will be forced to breed against their will? Or if people who uphold women’s right to abortion are immobilized in the face of those who would deny women the right to abortion in the name of seeking “common ground”?
How important is it that people read analysis which cuts through the honey coated words of Barack Obama in Cairo to expose his “packaging” of the U.S. imperialist’s drive to dominate the Middle East and the world—and the continuing and brutal exploitation and oppression that the domination of this system means for billions.
Take a look at this week’s article on the battle for justice for Oscar Grant. Where else will you not only read about the judge’s decision to take the cop who murdered Oscar Grant to trial on murder charges—but the truth about what has forced this rare development, about the determined political movement which has been built—and the necessity to continue to fight for justice and bring the truth about this murder to the world?

Every week, through its exposures and analysis, Revolution demonstrates the utter worthlessness of the system we live under. At the heart of Revolution is the vision, work and leadership of Bob Avakian, the Chairman of the RCP,USA. Avakian has stepped up to fulfill a great need in the world. He has brought forward qualitative developments and radical breakthroughs in communist method and theory—including in the realms of philosophy, internationalism, the dynamics of socialist society, and revolutionary strategy. And Bob Avakian is leading a party that is working to lead a revolution in the USA. As a recent open letter in Revolution put it, “...it is extremely difficult to understand how anyone consciously involved in the struggle for communism would not grasp how Chairman Avakian’s continuing leadership immeasurably increases the chance of there being a communist revolution in the USA during our lifetimes, and therefore how the role he is playing is also in that sense an extremely positive factor for the world revolution as a whole.” So as a key part of its mission, Revolution features Bob Avakian’s work in its pages and reports on the work to build a movement around his leadership.

Revolution is the hub and pivot of a movement in the U.S. that is bringing forward a whole new stage of communist revolution the world over. Revolution is proud to be part of initiating this whole new stage. And everybody who supports it, in any way, should share that pride. By supporting this paper, you are doing something very concrete to contribute toward that goal of an emancipated world.

Like the scaffolding that goes up at a construction site before a building emerges, the movement built around Revolution newspaper both shapes and prepares for the emergence of a revolutionary movement. It hastens, and gives direction to—including through exposure that compels people to act—bringing forward that revolutionary movement. It shapes the development of events and people’s understanding of those events today AND prepares a whole section of people to bring forward and lead what must be a revolutionary people in their millions at a time when the system goes into even more serious crisis. Revolution is the life blood of this growing revolutionary movement—and making strides in building a network around this paper is an urgent necessity.

Late last year, we launched the “Revolution Initiative” (Revolution #147, November 16, 2008, see “Revolution Announces...A Bold Initiative,” at revcom.us) to radically expand the reach of the paper and to raise its quality. Since then, the work of many people has succeeded in raising substantial funds to continue to put out Revolution, to acquire and begin to equip additional production space, and to begin to facilitate the involvement of new volunteers. But this is not sufficient.

Building on the first stage of our fund drive, there is particular importance to a concentrated effort to greatly expand the network of regular financial sustainers of Revolution newspaper in the coming weeks. Sustainers must come from all quarters—from the neighborhoods to the universities to all scenes of ferment and debate. This expanded network of sustainers will provide a reliable source of income essential to getting beyond a phase of needing to continually raise funds just to cover basic expenses, making it possible to direct resources to expanding the content and distribution of Revolution. Critical to this expansion is radically revamping our web site—and expanding our reach in every corner of society as well as around the world. And, very importantly, this network of sustainers will be a strategic component of building organization around this newspaper—and FOR revolution. If you have become a regular online reader at revcom.us, send in regular donations. Checks and money orders should be sent to RCP Publications, P.O. Box 3486, Chicago, IL 60654 or donate on line. (PayPal coming soon.) If you are already contributing generously on a regular basis, now is the time to reach out and draw more people into the revolutionary movement in the form of becoming contributors and sustainers of Revolution.

A coherent, expanded sustainer network will also be a foundation for ongoing mass fundraising outreach in many communities, neighborhoods, schools, and movements—from grassroots yard sales to major fundraising events. The upcoming July 4th weekend is a perfect time to organize fundraising activities for Revolution. While the system promotes drunken, USA chauvinist celebrations of a nation that has brought bloodshed, oppression, and exploitation to every corner of the world… organize fundraising picnics over the weekend of July 4 that challenge people to imagine a world without everything America stands for and must do to maintain its world dominance. These can range from big public citywide happenings (some of which could break into the mainstream news) to backyard neighborhood events. Build for this by enlarging and taking around the center spread in issue #165 (“What the U.S. Spreads Around the World,” May 24, 2009)—and prepare to enlarge the center spread in our next issue, which will be very hard-hitting—and lofty in its vision. And, in the process, raise a lot of money, and enlist new volunteers in the Revolution Initiative.

Let’s take out this great need! Many people give money to efforts to reform and patch up this system or to make “America live up to its founding ideal” (which, let us remember, included slavery). In the next weeks, let’s intensify our efforts and challenge people to contribute to making change that is truly meaningful. Let the struggle unfold over what difference it could make to putting an end to the horror that millions over the globe are living every day, to emancipating all humanity, if they contribute, financially and in many other ways, to the Revolution Initiative. Build a real movement for revolution in this country. Challenge people to think about—and then act upon—the difference it will make if increasing numbers of people who are seriously concerned about the direction of this society and America’s role in the world come to know the Revolutionary Communist Party and its Chairman, Bob Avakian.

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