The Demise of Colin Powell and the Continuing Stupidity of “Rooting For Everybody Black”
Colin Powell died on October 18th after contracting coronavirus disease. Of course, the Left is happily memeing his demise (despite having nothing to do with it — we shouldn’t really be celebrating when enemies of the people die from natural causes but instead work ever harder to build up the force to organize the masses to deal with them as they see fit), but in everything there is a political lesson. Undoubtedly, people have seen surprising tributes coming in from those who in life denounced and waged political/cultural struggles against what Powell stood for. Most surprising was a tribute posted on Twitter from the group Public Enemy, which brought forth the same sickening liberal message which can be summed up as “though we disagreed, it is still a shame you died”. This is an error made by many would-be progressive Black activists, seeing the death of every Black person as a tragedy, one rooted in a vulgar identitarian politics which fails to give play to the necessity of viewing struggle and politics through a class perspective, even within the nation.
Colin Powell was, we all know, a murderer and a shameless tool in the arsenal of Yankee imperialism and militarism. Despite his being proffered by centrists as an alternative to the hardline hawks, especially by the dozens of bourgeois nostalgists who whined all through the Trump era for the good old days of Clinton and Bush I and II, Powell played a major role in destroying Iraq (twice), the second time pursuing a lie about the capability of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq to store, manufacture, and deliver weapons of mass destruction (keep in mind that Powell held powerful positions when that same regime was an ally of the United States against Iran). He was Reagan’s National Security Advisor from 1987 onwards, privy to all of the machinations and imperialist handshakes that filled the pockets of such as Rumsfeld and Cheney. He benefitted handsomely himself, having a net worth of $60 million at the time of his death. He was at the table when the occupation and destruction of Panama and Grenada, both heavily Afro-descended countries, were discussed. Keep in mind also that he cut his teeth in the imperialist war against the Vietnamese people, declaring in his memoir that he worked to empty the sea of people through which Ho Chi Minh and his guerillas swam. In short, he spent the majority of his life as an enemy of the people of the world, and this is known to those who suffered at his hands. His “Powell Doctrine” is garbage as well, the key points being:
- Is a vital national security interest threatened?
- Do we have a clear attainable objective?
- Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed?
- Have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted?
- Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement?
- Have the consequences of our action been fully considered?
- Is the action supported by the American people?
- Do we have genuine broad international support?
For all the talk of risks and costs, international and domestic support, and national security, the Powell Doctrine is still a naked and wanton defense of US dominance and destruction of the world and its peoples. Nonviolent policy means, in Powell’s book, would be sanctions, which starve millions and deny necessary medicines, causing the deaths of millions more. These are objectively violent. The national security interests of the United States run counter to the interests of the toiling people of the world, because the United States is a parasite on the people of the world, including its internal colonies. International support (and the American people) are bought, and even when the American populace rises against the war, such as in mass protests before the invasion of Iraq in 2003 (some of the largest in human history), the rich still call the shots and cry for war. Powell, as a lifelong servant of the rich, knew this well. His legacy is that of a murderer and a servant of fascism, nothing more.
Our theoreticians of New Afrikan liberation and Communism have told us time and time again that the Black bourgeoisie and servants of the military-industrial complex are not our ally, nor our friend. They would happily sell us all down the river for a few million more dollars. Vulgar identitarianism which proffers itself as standing above class and postmodern nonsense (pushed by the big funders of this nation’s universities) which sees Marxist analysis as outdated or as simply another thing to be picked over and ripped free from its moorings and practical applications, has led many Black intellectuals, activists, influencers, and cultural figures down the road of apologetics for objectively horrible people, practices, and things. We see them “stanning” Kamala Harris, feting Michelle and Barack Obama, and cynically pursuing get-the-bag mentality. Our people get murdered in the streets and they think about how it can get them tenure, grants, and corporate sponsorships. If you want to look at where this road ends, look no further than Colin Powell, and DeeRay McKesson being paraded around the country at the expense of Wells-Fargo. When we see our people in these positions, we should not be happy. We have no Party to represent the interests of our toiling masses. These people are not representatives of our people, nor do they serve us. Representation is not power, nor is it politics. The imperialists use such people to promote their thinking and interests among oppressed nationalities and say “you can be like him, if you come to work for us and don’t make trouble.” The wages of working for imperialists, Mao taught, is a death, lighter than a feather. A death in the service of the people, like Fred Hampton, who unlike Powell did not live a long and prosperous life. Fred Hampton was murdered by Powell’s bosses at the age of 21. Colin Powell died peacefully, an old, rich man, in his bed. One left a trail of inspiration and heroism which will inspire Black people for ages for come. The other left nothing but death in his wake. The solution to this conundrum is to root ourselves ever deeper in the masses of our people and apply Marxism-Leninism-Maoism to every aspect of our struggle, thought process, and work, so that the name Colin Powell to our people carries the same meaning as the name Benedict Arnold does to the colonizers.
