2009 a dangerous year

For politics, 2009 was an interesting and sometimes dangerous year. It is also the end of the decade. The 00s were a crucial period of time since 9/11. But this article starts with a look at what has taken place this year.

I start with the event that hit home in Wichita Kansas:

Dr. George Tiller shot- This was a national story, but it hit home for those of us who live near Wichita and have had constant unrelenting harassment from Operation Rescue and other kooks of the far right. We were shocked that someone would kill Tiller in his own church, but understanding the nastiness of the so called “pro-lifers” and their blatant hate and disrespect for this country’s laws, we were not surprised. The “pro-lifers” got what they wanted, and as usual, they got it from an act of murder.

Nation Wide:

New president- Barack Obama is our first black president. I voted for him to push back the far right and to help usher in a historic moment. But I was not deceived by the promise of hope that this nation would actually turn itself around. The first thing this president did was reach out to the incredibly hostile Republican Party, which has painted him as Nazi, Commie, and closet illegal alien. In his first year he has little to celebrate. The system is what needs changing, not the people who run it.

Health care reform- This was dead on arrival and it will take a long time to break the grip of the parasitic insurance companies who have perfected ways of derailing medical help for poor working Americans. They have used slick ads, and now bullies who disrupt town hall meetings like the black and brown shirts of Europe in the 1930s. They even threaten violence with signs that say “I will bring my gun next time.”
The reform the president has finally worked out, is so full of compromises it is worthless. They dropped the public option and the extension of Medicaid. With those two options dropped it is just another victory for the insurance company leaches.

Teabaggers- Suddenly a right wing group named itself after the Boston Tea Party and at first complained about government spending. Then all the nutcases on the right joined in under the Teabag Umbrella. Extremists on the abortion issue, people who believe global warming is a scam, those who apposed any health care reform and those who believe that Obama is a closet socialist or communist.

International:

Afghanistan- Obama already promised to escalate this war and that is what is about to happen. It will be a disaster. It’s an economic disaster and a compromise with the military industrial complex which acts as a kind of government of its own. This is pure empire building and we are a heavily militarized country. This is one war we need to stop and we need to prevent the next war as well. I had no illusions that Obama would carry out his promise to crank up this war.

Bill Ayers: Denouncing the Afghanistan war

Nepal - was in the foreign news a lot and ignored by most of the mainstream press. Yet for us radicals it is an important struggle between the Maoist left and the continuation of the capitalist-imperialist status quo. Supposedly communism is dead and everyone has tossed it aside. Yet, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) won a major victory both in the battle field and in the election arena. Unfortunately, a conflict and deadlock continues between the UCPN(M) and the more conservative parties in Nepal over the civilian control of the military. The UCPN(M) knows there can be no peace as long as the military is allowed to run its affairs without civilian control. This remains a major struggle into the next year.

Peru’s Maoist insurgency increases- then splits- The Communist Party of Peru, known as Shining Path, increased attacks on the government and has made a small comeback. They are using different tactics and have had little contact with those outside Peru. However, Abimeal Guzman, the original founder of CPP and his old guard have called for an end to the armed struggle. The new military wing of the CPP is run by Victor Quispe Palomino. He has condemned Guzman as a traitor and Guzman has said similar things about Quispe.
India- Maoists have captured almost ¼ of India in the last few years. The government there is gearing up for a major battle with the insurgence.

India- Maoists have captured almost ¼ of India in the last few years. The government there is gearing up for a major battle with the insurgence.

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