Mary D, UW-Madison, Madison, WI
We spoke to a young military veteran starting university on the GI bill. He said he joined the military because he believed it meant protecting Americans. But after serving, he realized that the US military was not defending democracy.
He read more about the crimes of American imperialism in Vietnam and elsewhere. Now he’s looking for a way to fight imperialism. He was hesitant to call himself a communist, but he agreed with our analysis that the state exists to serve the interests of the ruling class, and back it up with force when necessary.
He also agreed that in a revolution, the working class would need to work to win over a section of the armed forces in order to defend its gains. Further discussion will allow us to clarify the party’s goals and how a scientific analysis of history shows that communism is both possible and necessary. We aim to convince him of the need to build the party that will overthrow capitalism and bring an end to imperialist war!