Freedom can be defined as political independence; as liberty of a person from sl

avery, detention or repression. It can be defined as not being under the subjuga
tion of another, with the ability to act with one's own free will.
To repress is to keep under control or to reduce to subjugation. Mumia Abu-Jamal
points out that revolution means, "change, total change."
Elections re-presents struggle and competition of the ruling sector for the stat
e power. African Socialist Party Chairman Omali Yeshitela succinctly mentioned t
hat elections are, "Non-violent contest of the ruling sector for control of the
state." Due to the U.S. Government's monopolization of political parties namely,
democrat or republican, the people are "given" restricted options (that option)
or according their slogan death, i.e., "vote or die!" However, I say, Organize
or die!
In numerous discussions Jamil Alamin revived the articulation of Camus in saying
: "What better way to enslave a man than by giving him the vote and calling him
free?" If a working class person goes to vote, he goes in like that of a menu in
a restaurant. She/He does not choose what goes on the menu but rather selects w
hat is on the menu that has already been preselected for her/him. This is much t
he same set of circumstances that exist when the people want to vote.
I contend, with regard to this matter that voting and the electoral process is a
tool not for our freedom but a further implementation of oppressive methodology
. From the stand point of a revolutionary, not a reformist, the vote can only be
used as a mechanism for organizing our people around relevant socio-political i
ssues that directly, or indirectly affect us.
Within the nature of politics is war. Among those who reverberated relevant defi
nitions of politics was Chairman Mau in saying that, "Politics is war without bl
oodshed and war is politics with bloodshed." In accepting such a relevant defini
tion of politics to the struggle of working class colonized Afrikans in diaspora
, our existence in these United States is a matter of politics. Voting did not e
nslave us and voting will not free us. It is the politic of imperialism that ens
laves us and it is the politics of revolution that will free us.
Most of the ancestors of the Afrikans in the U.S. arrived here as captives as a
direct result of policy. This politic brought about the fundamental structure of
the world economy as we know today--we have actually mentioned this with regard
to Marx's analysis of the matter of primitive accumulation of wealth in past di
scussions.
General George Jackson was a revolutionary not a reformist. He was an educator o
f his people and a lover of the people. His position is one of clarifying the ab
solute necessity for revolutionary change to a system that has no repairable or
reformable potential. Furthermore, he taught us that any form of resistance is n
ot overlooked by those imperialistic forces who have keen interest as keeping us
as slaves, servants and serfs.
On page 28 and 29 of, "Blood In My Eye," he said: "The history of the U.S.--the
blood-soaked, urine-steeped essence of its being; the wreckage and demise of its
human character under the wheels of a two-hundred year old headlong fight with
the heedless, frightened animals at the control of a machine that has mastered t
hem--allows for no appeal on a strictly idealogical level (..)". Furthermore he
says: " Repression is indeed part of revolution, a natural aspect of antithesis,
the always-to-be-expected defense-attack reflex of the beleaguered, toothless t
iger. All arguments against this fundamental fact are false and labored to the p
oint of being illogical. Can power be seriously challenged without response? Wil
l the robber baron, the tycoon, the Fuehrer allow us to seize his privilege with
out resistance? (...) The fascist understand the value of mass psychology, are f
amiliar with its use, and hold all the important implements of it effective cont
rol. (..) The whole situation can be reduced to a minority ruling clique engagin
g the people's vanguard elements for control of the masses. The ruling clique ap
proaches its task with a "what to think" program; the vanguard elements have the
much more difficult job of promoting "how to think." No tactic can be ignored o
r discounted in such a battle. Power responds to all threats. The response is re
pression. If the threat is a small one, the fascist tactic is to laugh it off, i
gnore it, isolate it with its defense mechanism--media. The greater the threat,
the greater the corresponding violence from power. "
Finally, on page 41 George Jackson writes, " If we accept revolution, we must ac
cept all that it implies: repression, counter-terrorism, days filled with work,
nervous strain, prison funerals. "
My understanding of General's position is that if you are trying to build for th
e people, educate the people, uplift the people and organize the people around s
ound political positioning for freedom, you can expect resistance from the estab
lished system of imperialism. That though is an indication of doing something ri
ght.
Let us not forget, those who like to through MLK up as an example for reform and
passivity, that he said (talking about the Vietnamese War): "The war is only a
symptom of international militarism, imperialism, racism, and an unworkable capi
talism that makes the rich richer and the poor poorer." This indeed was a powerf
ul statement to educate the people about imperialism.
If we are to be free it will not take place by the vote, nor will it take place
by request of the political powers that be, but will only take place through pro
per education, organization and decolonize, this is the nature and basis of revo
lution. So without being organized around political educational process we canno
t begin the process of gaining true freedom. George Jackson was indeed an educat
or and revolutionary who clearly understood the need for total change, that is w
hy he went about trying to educate and organize.
To understand where we now stand and why we need to organize, let's use the poli
ce as an example. If they are in trouble, who do they call? They call for armed
backup to help them, an organized group of criminals they are, nonetheless, they
have power because they have organization. That is why they get away with what
they did to Oscar Grant, the Scott sisters, with Mumia, and others. This is why
we must educated and organize.
All power to the people, Free Mumia, Hands of Assata, Free all political prisone
rs, and lets build a nation!