Friday, June 19, 2020

Demos, the Left, and Covid-19

[The results offer a strong note of caution against the idea of “immunity certificates” for people who have recovered from the illness, the authors suggested. “These reports highlight the need to develop strong vaccines, because immunity that develops naturally during infection is suboptimal and short-lived in most people,” she said. “We cannot rely on natural infection to achieve herd immunity.”--NYT] The more we know about Covid-19 the more we know what we don't know. We ha
ve to keep up to date on this virus because we are actively involved in the current nationwide mass popular resistance to the racist and oppressive status quo that has been imposed by both major political political parties and has qualitatively mutated with respect to the Republican leadership into open fascist policies never previously so blatantly proclaimed and adopted as measures to impose on the American public. The progressive movement has become united in the great refusal to accept this turn to fascism, open racism, and political and police repression and has taken the struggle to the most politically powerful arena available (outside of a general strike) to the people -- the streets. Historical necessity has imposed upon the movement this response despite the fact that a deadly virus is rampaging throughout the country due to the failure ,and inability, of the capitalist government to rationally fight the virus without compromising the capitalist imperative to generate profits to maintain the functions of a system based on the private accumulation of social wealth rather than its employment for the general welfare. The progressive movement, unlike the deluded followers of the fascist in chief, must take extra precautions in its use of rallies and marches, precautions ignored by the class enemy. While understanding the urgency and desire to increase progressive public activism, the leaders of progressive movements must keep themselves informed of the latest scientific knowledge concerning this Trump sponsored virus and actively discourage progressive people who are particularly susceptible to this virus, or who are more likely to have an unhappy outcome if infected, from engaging in marches, meetings, and demonstrations which are, despite all precautions, not possible to participate in without increased likelihood of exposure to infection. There many other roles these comrades in struggle can play in the anti-fascist struggle and we truly want all of us to be around to celebrate the downfall of the tyrant.

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