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#6: Because abortion is a gruesome medical practice.
I suppose this reason is a branch off of the first reason I listed in Part 1—which was that the unborn child is human—but I wanted to be more specific.
Any surgical abortion—whether at 12 weeks, 22 weeks, or 32 weeks—involves the violent and gruesome dismemberment and decapitation of an unborn human being. For those who don't believe me, I would highly recommend that you listen to the testimony of Dr. Anthony Levantino, a former abortion provider who performed over 12,000 abortions in the first and second trimester.
Listen to him describe the procedure. And then explain to me how abortion is justifiable.
#7: Because I am a feminist.
Modern-day feminists have made reproductive rights and support of abortion one of the key tenets of third/fourth wave feminism. In fact, while I was completing my degree in Women's Studies, many of my feminist classes would periodically erupt into debates over whether it was even possible to be a "pro-life feminist".
I find discussions of these quite fascinating, because really what they demonstrate is an extreme form of historical amnesia. It seems as though the entire modern-day feminist movement has literally forgotten—either intentionally or unintentionally—the fact that the very first feminists were extremely pro-life. In fact, the women who founded feminism were adamant that, in order to effectively argue that all human life, male and female, was equally valuable, you also had to argue that all human life, born or unborn, was also equally valuable. So being pro-life and being pro-woman were belief systems that were inextricably linked and intertwined for early day Western feminists.
The summary of feminism's historical connection to the issue of abortion is that the women who founded the feminist movement were adamantly opposed to abortion as a medical practice. The reasons for this were three-fold:
- The founders of feminism believed that abortion ended a human life, and therefore that abortion was morally reprehensible. In light of the fact that feminists were advocating for the equal valuing of all human life, regardless of gender, this stance is understandable and intellectually consistent.
- Early feminists noted that women were often pressured to have abortions against their will. This pressure was either direct, and was often exerted by male partners and other patriarchal figures in women's lives, or it was indirect, which can be seen in the pressure that many women faced to have abortions for economic reasons and because of economically non-ideal circumstances. In both of these cases, the founders of feminism recognized that these external and/or internal pressures actively undermined women's autonomy, women's agency, and women's ability to act as empowered, equal human beings.
- Finally, early feminists believed that women's empowerment did not have to rely on the oppression of others—in other words, the right to control one's body could not include the right to destroy someone else's body.
It was Frances Wright who famously said:
"whenever we establish our own pretentions upon the sacrificed rights of others, we do in fact impeach our own liberties, and lower ourselves in the scale of being!…"
And it was renowned feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton who, in 1873, said:
"When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit."
So, one of the main reasons why I am still pro-life is because I hold a traditional feminist worldview. And, as the founders of Western feminism aptly pointed out, this necessitates adopting a pro-life feminist ethos.
Does this mean that you cannot be a pro-abortion feminist? Absolutely not. But it does mean that your feminist worldview will be inconsistent, illogical, incomplete, and, as we are seeing more and more today, tyrannical in its attempt to justify the oppression of others to attain the supposed empowerment of women.
So my dear feminist colleagues, pro-life and pro-choice: you would do well to remember that "whenever we establish our own pretentions upon the sacrificed rights of others, we do in fact impeach our own liberties, and lower ourselves in the scale of being!…"
#8: Because I oppose sexism.
Let's talk about sex-selection abortion. In my most recent video addressing the issue of abortion, I said the following:
"Sex selection abortion is the epitome of misogyny.
It is a practice that says only boys are welcome into society.
The notion that abortion empowers women is something that I must question:
How can abortion empower women when it promotes blatant discrimination?"
Sex selection is the practice of using medical techniques to choose the sex of offspring. While sex-selection by definition and in theory can apply to male or female children, it is almost exclusively used to discriminate against female children and choose male children. Sex-selection abortion is when an abortion is performed solely because of the child's sex. Again, while sex-selection abortion in theory can be used to target male and female children, research indicates that it is used around the world to systematically target female children.
Typically, when we think about sex-selection abortion, we think about East Asian countries, usually China or India, where there is a strong preference for male children. We often think about research that has revealed that China has seen the sex ratio at birth move from approximately 106 males per 100 females in the 1960s and 1970s, to almost 112 males per 100 females in the 1990s[1], with recent research showing that the sex ratio at birth "is over 130 [males for every 100 females] in several Chinese provinces from Henan in the north to Hainan in the south."[2] The research is equally dismal when it comes to countries like South Korea, where, in 1992, the sex ratio at birth in some cities was already 125 males for every 100 females.[3] And so, because of this East Asian focus, when we think about why sex selection is taking place, we often point to deeply rooted sexist beliefs in countries like India, where scholars have stated that sex-selective abortion "is only the latest manifestation of a long history of gender bias in the country, apparent in the historically low, and declining, population ratio of women to men."[4]
However, the notion that sex-selective abortion is only a phenomenon in countries like China, India, and South Korea is a very ethnocentric idea. Researchers state that, while certain cultures practice sex-selective abortion more frequently, sex-selective abortion is a phenomenon that takes place around the world. Take, for instance, my country, Canada. Studies indicate that 92% of Canadians are against the practice of sex-selective abortion. And yet, there is already research that proves that sex-selective abortion is being practiced quite regularly in Canadian society.[5]
Now, the natural ratio of males-to-females at birth is already slightly male-biased, resting at around 1.05 male children for every 1 female child. However, findings that were published by the National Bureau of Economic Research who that, while "the sex ratio for first births among first generation South and East Asian immigrants to Canada is only slightly higher than the norm at about 1.08, the ratios become increasingly skewed for each subsequent birth where all previous children are female. For example, the sex ratio for third births to Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese immigrants who already have two daughters is 1.39. For Indians, that ratio is 1.90—almost two boys born for every girl."[6]
This is not simply a Canadian problem. Research from around the world indicates that sex-selective abortion is taking place, particularly within specific immigrant population groups. The trends of sex-selection and sex-selective abortion that have been noticed in Canada and Australia have also been identified internationally, including in England and Wales[7], Nepal[8], Bangladesh[9], Pakistan[10], Taiwan[11], Japan[12], Vietnam[13], Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia[14][15], Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Macedonia[16], Brazil[17], and in the United States[18].
What these findings make clear is that, while the age-old existence of male preference is particularly strong in certain countries, the relatively modern phenomenon of sex-selective abortion is occurring around the world.
Now, a discussion of why sex-selective abortion is occurring cannot take place without considering the role that abortion laws—or a lack of abortion laws—has on the practice. For example, in many ways, Canada's laws in relation to the issue of abortion have actually created an environment in which these types of phenomenon can occur. While "[s]ex-selective abortion has historically been considered an Asian phenomenon", Professor Lena Edlund, associate professor of economics at Columbia University, notes that "a variety of factors, including the affordability and ease of access for abortion and sex determination services, as well as Canada's deep-rooted respect for diversity, have enabled sex-selective abortion to 'take on a life of its own and persist' in spite of public condemnation."[19]
Canada has the most liberal abortion laws of any Western nation; more specifically, Canada has no laws restricting abortion. What this means is that, by law, you can have an abortion at any stage of a pregnancy, all the way until the moment of complete birth. You can also have an abortion for any reason or no reasons at all, meaning that having an abortion because of sexist beliefs and historical male preferences is permitted. While there was a legislative effort to have Canada officially decry the practice of sex-selective abortion, this was viewed as being a "pro-life" or "anti-choice" effort and was shut down (despite the fact that 92% of Canadians do not agree with the practice of sex-selective abortion.)
Now, Canada is one of only three nations that do not have laws on the issue, the other two being China and North Korea (although, technically, China does have restrictions on sex-selective abortion; they are just not effectively enforced).
So what this means is that, while Canada is in theory trying to foster support for reproductive rights and support a women's right to choose, as it is often called, what is really happening is that Canada's lack of laws regulating abortion are creating a perfect storm for the introduction, adoption, and perpetuation of the misogynistic practice of sex-selective abortion. As one researcher wryly pointed out, while Canada has made it "illegal for prospective parents to select embryos for in vitro fertilization based on gender […] it is perfectly legal for parents to choose to destroy a 19-week-old fetus [..] for precisely the same reason."[20]
And so, ladies and gentlemen, I work closely with pro-life activists on a regular basis to ensure that this type of blatant misogyny does not continue being perpetrated through the sexist practice of sex-selection abortion.
#9: Because I oppose ableism.
In the summer and fall of 2017, it was announced by news outlets around the world that Iceland had "cured" Down Syndrome.[21] Perhaps under different circumstances, this would be considered joyous news. However, when we consider the precise way in which Iceland "cured" Down Syndrome, it becomes apparent that this was not some sort of medical breakthrough, but rather a nation-wide manifestation and implementation of eugenics.
This is how Iceland "cured" Down Syndrome. In the early 2000s, they introduced a prenatal genetic test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities, the most common of which is Down Syndrome. The test, which is extremely accurate, is optional, but medical professionals are required to provide information about the importance and availability of this test to every pregnant woman in Iceland. The vast majority of women choose to take the test, and, when test results come back positive for Down Syndrome, 100% of women opt to have an abortion. In fact, doctors in Iceland report that only 1-2 children with Down Syndrome are born every year or two.[22] And even these children are only born because of the imperfect accuracy of the test. In a country were 100% of children diagnosed with Down Syndrome are aborted, it is terrifying to imagine what the fate of these children would have been had the medical technology been slightly more accurate.
To be clear, Iceland is not the only country that demonstrates this type of blatant discrimination against individuals with Down Syndrome. "According to the most recent data available, the United States has an estimated termination rate for Down Syndrome of 67 percent (1995-2011); in France it's 77 percent (2015); and [in] Denmark, 98 percent (2015).[23] Some estimates, however, have stated that the termination rate in North America is significantly higher, close to 92 percent.
Now, perhaps your first instinct was to say, "Ah, but these women are making this choice to have an abortion. They are not being coerced. So, if this is the decision they want to make, so be it.
But we must remember, dear readers, that choices do not take place within a vacuum. If 100% of women in Iceland are choosing to abort unborn children diagnosed with Down Syndrome, the next question must be: Why?
Consider this: Our world has historically demonstrated consistent disregard, discrimination, and hatred against disabled individuals. Whether through the circus freak shows of the past, where "normal" people like us would pay money to gawk at and mock differently-abled individuals, or through the widespread institutionalization of disabled individuals, we see that our society has continuously oppressed and persecuted disabled individuals, labeling them as the "other", deeming them "abnormal", and ostracizing them as a result.
So forgive my skepticism, but when I hear that 100% of women are choosing to have abortions when they discover that their children will likely have Down Syndrome, it is within this historical context that I consider this information. I am not suggesting that women are the unique perpetrators of violence towards disabled people. Rather, I am saying that, in a society that has consistently discriminated against disabled individuals, it is unsurprising to see members of society—from the researchers who created this prenatal genetic test, to the healthcare professionals who share the results, to the parents who choose to have an abortion—continue to perpetuate these problematic narratives that ultimately convey the message that it is better to be dead than to be disabled.
Disability rights activists and experts have noted this. Consider this quote from disability rights scholar Chris Kaposy:
Some of the common motivations for selective termination reflect inaccurate assumptions about living with Down syndrome or parenting a child with Down syndrome. In the empirical study I have been discussing, 83& of respondents who had terminated were motivated by a belief that Down syndrome would be excessively burdensome for the prospective child. In contrast, a study that asked people living with Down syndrome about their lives revealed that 99% are happy with their lives. Among prospective parents who had terminated, 73% believed that the burden of having a child with Down syndrome would be too great for their other children. Again, in contrast, research involving parents of children with Down syndrome shows that 95% of parents with other children say that their children with Down syndrome have good relationships with their siblings. Over 90% of the children themselves say they have feelings of affection and pride for their siblings with Down syndrome […] These divergences suggest that perceptions about parenting a child with Down syndrome are distorted by stereotyped ways of thinking.[24]
We must also consider what message this is sending to disabled individuals. Consider the words of disability rights activist Thomas Shakespeare:
As a result of the popularity of genetics, disabled people risk once more being defined as medical abnormalities and invalids, rather than as citizens, or victims of injustice. They see measures being implemented to prevent the birth of others with their conditions. They might think of whether their own parents would have taken advantage of such technologies. They might consider differential treatment of fetuses with and without disability to be discriminatory: in UK, termination is illegal after the 24th week of pregnancy, except in case of severe abnormality. No matter if these late terminations are very rare: the message has been sent that it is better to be dead than disabled.[25]
Now, I want to be clear: I have nothing against medical technological advancements, and I have nothing against seeking to improve the health, wellbeing, and quality of life of any and every member of society. However, I reject the notion that the sudden proliferation of prenatal genetic testing and the subsequent widespread termination of individuals with chromosomal abnormalities is a phenomenon that was born out of a genuine desire to improve the lives of disabled people. Research states that "the majority of disability arises not from genetic causes but from lifestyle, disease and other environmental factors."[26] Research also reveals that "[e]ighty-five percent of adult disability is caused after the age of 13, and more than ninety percent of infant disability is because of social and not genetic causes."[27]
Let us not deceive ourselves. It is not good will or philanthropic intent that fuels this sudden desire to "cure" disability. It is simply a new manifestation of old-fashioned hatred, discrimination, and ablesim. As one writer put it, if the word "cure", which "for centuries meant 'the care of souls' has now come to mean 'making sure that people with Down Syndrome are never born'"[28], then we are indeed a pitiful society.
So no, Iceland has not "cured" Down Syndrome. It, like the many other Western, developed nations, has simply created a systemic, state-run machinery that has been given the power, by medical, political, and social forces, to determine who is valued and who is not, who gets to live and who does not.
And I, for one, want to be on the right side of history: condemning ableism, combatting sexism, and promoting a pro-life ethos that treats all human beings—male and female, disabled or able-bodied, born or unborn—with equal value.
#10: Because I oppose eugenics.
As I have written about previously, eugenics has played a disturbing role in the rise and proliferation of both birth control and abortion. This was largely due to the influence of Margaret Sanger, who was the founder of Planned Parenthood, which today is the largest abortion provider in North America and a prominent advocate and provider of abortions in developing nations in the Global South. It was Margaret Sanger who really ushered in eugenics and married it with the movement from reproductive rights. It was Margaret Sanger who spoke about the need to export birth control to the "biologically less endowed stocks" of humans in India. It was also Margaret Sanger who made the following statement:
Every feeble-minded girl or woman of the hereditary type, especially of the moron class, should be segregated during the reproductive period. Otherwise, she is almost certain to bear imbecile children, who in turn are just as certain to breed other defectives. The male defectives are no less dangerous… Moreover, when we realize that each feeble-minded person is a potential source of an endless progeny of defect, we prefer the policy of immediate sterilization, of making sure that parenthood is absolutely prohibited to the feeble-minded.[29]
If that isn't enough, Margaret Sanger made this statement as well:
Every single case of inherited defect, every malformed child, every congenitally tainted human being brought into this world is of infinite importance to that poor individual; but it is of scarcely less importance to the rest of us and to all of our children who must pay in one way or another for these biological and racial mistakes.[30]
These are the words of Margaret Sanger, who is considered the founding mother of birth control, Planned Parenthood, and, by extent, abortion.
So this, ladies and gentlemen, is the eugenics mentality. It is a mentality that believes only certain individuals with certain characteristics and body types belong in our society. It is also a mentality of entitlement, a mentality that believes that, somehow, we as individuals, as parents, as "normal" members of society, have the right to decide which lives are valued and which lives are not, who gets the ability to live and who does not. If this eugenics mentality sounds familiar, that's because our society has faced this enemy before. Historically, we have seen it manifested as the colonization of Indigenous peoples lands, the violence and racism directed at racial minorities, and the systemic extermination of Jewish, disabled, and homosexual individuals in Nazi Germany. Sex-selective abortions—and other discriminatory forms of "pregnancy termination"—are simply the latest manifestation of this ancient eugenics mentality.
This is a mentality that pervades, infects, and taints the pro-abortion/pro-choice movement. And it is one that I will not support, condone, or participate in. As I said above: I, for one, want to be on the right side of history.
BONUS: #11: Because Justin Bieber is pro-life.
Yes, this is true. And yes, this definitely used to be one of the tactics I used to use to get young people in schools to be pro-life. Whether it was effective or not is completely irrelevant. It's hilarious and 100%. I've never been a fan of Justin Bieber's music (just a personal preference kind of thing), but I've always been a fan of his pro-life stance (because he knows that abortion isn't a "personal preference kind of thing").
Also: If you made it all the way to the end of Part 2 of this article, I thought you deserved a good chuckle (especially since I probably would've skimmed the article myself)! So if you read all the way through both Part 1 and Part 2, well done! You are a champion!
So there you have it. 10 hours of reading later, you now know my top 10 reasons for still being pro-life. I would love to hear what your reasons are!
Cheers, everyone. Stay logical, stay consistent, and stay pro-life!
[1] Junhong, C. (2001). Prenatal Sex Determination and Sex-Selective Abortion in Rural Central China. Population & Development Review Population and Development Review, 27(2), 259-281. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2001.00259.x/epdf
[2] Canadian Medical Association Journal (2011). The impact of sex selection and abortion in China, Indian and South Korea. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110314132244.htm
[3] Ibid.
[4] Sen, G., & Snow, R. (1994). Power and decision: The social control of reproduction. Boston, MA: Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Dept. of Population and International Health, Harvard School of Public Health.
[5] Vogel, Lauren. "Canadian Medical Association Journal." Sex selection migrates to Canada. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 16 Jan. 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://www.cmaj.ca/content/184/3/E163.full?sid=7d6004f8-2ab2-43df-b481-4109358bd7bc>.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Dubuc, S, & Coleman, D (2007). An Increase in the Sex Ratio of Births to India-born Mothers in England and Wales: Evidence for Sex-Selective Abortion. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2007.00173.x
[8] Lamichhane et al. (2011) Sex-Selective Abortion in Nepal: A Qualitative Study of Health Workers' Perspectives. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049386711000132
[9] Bairagi, R (2001), Effects of Sex Preference on Contraceptive use, Abortion and Fertility in Matlab, Gandladesh. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2673835?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
[10] Abeykoon, A.T. (1995) Sex preference in South Asia: Sri Lanka an outlier. https://www.popline.org/node/294235
[11] Lin, M., Liu, J., & Qian, N. (2014) More Missing Women, Fewer Dying Girls: The Impact of Sex-Selective Abortion on Sex at Brith and Relative Female Mortality in Taiwan. https://academic.oup.com/jeea/article-abstract/12/4/899/2318674
[12] Rohlfs et al. (2010) Causal effects of sex preference on sex-blind and sex-selective child avoidance and substitution across birth years: Evidence from the Japanese year of the fire horse. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304387808001284
[13] Bélanger, D. et al. (2003) Are Sex Ratios at Birth Increasing in Vietnam? https://www.cairn-int.info/resume.php?ID_ARTICLE=E_POPU_302_0255
[14] Michael, M. et al. (2013) The Mystery of Missing Female Children in the Caucasus: An Analysis of Sex Ratios by Birth Order. https://www.cairn-int.info/resume.php?ID_ARTICLE=E_POPU_302_0255
[15] Hohmann, S., Lefèvre, C., & Garenne, M. (2014) A framework for analyzing sex-selective abortion: the example of changing sex ratios in Southern Caucasus. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4208631/
[16] Guilmoto, C. Z. & Duthé, G. (2013) Masculinization of births in Eastern Europe. http://www.demographie.net/guilmoto/pdf/Pop%20Soc%202013%20English.pdf
[17] Dias Prto Chiavegatto Filho, A. & Kawachi, I. (2013) Are sex-selective abortions a characteristic of every poor region? Evidence from Brazil. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00038-012-0421-6
[18] Almond, D. & Edlund, L. (2008) Son-biased sex ratios in the 2000 United States Census. http://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/105/15/5681.full.pdf?inf_contact_key=1d19450156b07754154e59989576eebbd91b1411acd41c37e01fd3f6d879323c
[19] Supra, note 5.
[20] Soupcoff, M. (2012, April 18). A 10-cell organism is "protected" from sex selection. A fetus isn't. Retrieved from http://news.nationalpost.com/news/marni-soupcoff-a-10-cell-organism-growing-in-a-petri-dish-is-protected-from-sex-selection-a-9-ounce-fetus-growing-in-a-womb-isnt
[21] Quinons, J., & Lajka, A. (2017). "What kind of society do you want to live in?": Inside the country where Down syndrome is disappearing. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/down-syndrome-iceland/
[22] Ibid.
[23] Ibid.
[24] Kaposy, Chris. "A Disability Critique of the New Prenatal Test for Down Syndrome." Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 23.4 (2013): 299-324. Project Muse. Dec. 2013. Web. P. 306-307.
[25] Shakespeare, Thomas William. "Choices, Reasons and Feelings: Prenatal Diagnosis as Disability Dilemma." ALTER – European Journal of Disability Research / Revue Européenne De Recherche Sur Le Handicap 5.1 (2011): 37-43. Science Direct. Web. P. 39.
[26] Ibid.
[27] Peters, Yvonne, and Karen L. Lawson. Ethical and Human Rights Implications of Prenatal Technologies: The Need for Federal Leadership and Regulation. Winnipeg: Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence, 2002. University of Ottawa. Web. P. 7.
[28] Camarata, S. (2018). Iceland "Cures" Down Syndrome: Should America Do the Same? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-intuitive-parent/201801/iceland-cures-down-syndrome-should-america-do-the-same
[29] Sanger, M. (1922). The Pivot of Civilization. Brentano's: USA. P. 101-102
[30] Ibid at p. 273-274.


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In this information era, almost every job out there now requires employees to know how to use a computer. If you take a moment and think about it, most businesses or jobs require some knowledge or skills in computers. In fact, the entire world is practically running on computers and digitized information. Why? Because it's fast and has a low cost for the amount of work that it can complete. However, for those who truly with to pursue a career in computers, there are many computer schools available. In addition, there are many online resources available to make your education even more valuable.
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Flying to Florida has turned into a nightmare at times in recent months, and now federal officials say they are going to do something to fix things
May 4, 2022, 10:38 PM
2 min read
Federal officials are promising to add air traffic controllers and take other steps to improve the flow of planes in Florida, which airlines say has become a weak link in the national airspace.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it will add staff at a key air traffic control center in Jacksonville and other places, although it didn't provide numbers.
The promise came during a two-day meeting between FAA officials and representatives of about a dozen airlines. The airlines told the FAA that the number of Florida flights will shoot past 2019 levels.
Air traffic to Florida picked up more quickly during the pandemic than many other places, and airlines have scheduled even more flights for this summer. That is raising concern about the potential for massive disruptions that could ripple far beyond the state's borders.
The FAA said it also agreed to update airlines more often about space launches and other events that can squeeze routes airlines use over Florida. Airlines say they have been caught off guard by route closings, forcing them to cancel flights.
Most noteworthy, Southwest Airlines blamed bad weather and air traffic control in Florida for cascading problems that led it to cancel more than 2,000 flights over three days last October. JetBlue Airways blamed those and other factors for widespread cancellations last month.
The FAA said it will make more use of alternate routes — sometimes at lower altitudes, which would increase fuel burn — to keep planes moving after disruptions. The agency said it will also develop a plan for responding to snarls, similar to what it does in the New York City area.


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As a primary care doctor at Vanderbilt University, Dr. John Scott can understand why people were initially delaying preventative care back in the spring, but now, many of the patients he's seeing are sicker, having delayed routine care for months.
"We're going to have to pay that bill later, and the cost is going to be much greater," he said.
What worries Dr. Scott the most is the 50 percent drop-off in cancer screenings across the country. With Americans avoiding the doctor, they're putting off preventative screenings for breast cancer, colon cancer and cervical cancer. Diseases that have a much higher rate of being cured when caught early.
"So, the impact of that is significant when you think about the benefit of catching cancer at an early stage," Dr. Scott added.
Nearly one-third of Americans have put off healthcare during COVID-19, which is why physicians nationwide are now urging people to schedule that regular checkup sooner rather than later. According to the CDC, 40 percent of Americans are also struggling with mental health issues and depression right now, something most doctors screen for during regular checkups.
"Healthcare is a marathon and you want to put the finish line as far out as possible, so if we start skipping steps, then we aren't going to get to the finish line we want," Dr. Scott warned.
And since it could be months or even years before the pandemic is over, family physicians across the country are urging people to at least consider making that a trip to the doctor.
"It's safe to return. It's safer to return than not, when we look at these long-term issues. There is medical care that needs to occur," Dr. Scott added.


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What Eyeshadow Shade Should You Be Wearing?
Take this quiz to find the eye makeup that'll perfectly accentuate your big blues, browns or greens
If the eyes are in fact the windows to our soul, we want them to be accented in the most flattering way possible, right? But
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Well, we got a little help from our friend Carol Shaw -- celebrity makeup artist and creator of makeup line LORAC, which brings red-carpet glamour into the hands of real women like us. She lent us her expertise so that we could create this quiz that'll point you to your best eye makeup shade. Based on the questions we ask you -- such as your eye color, celeb makeup icon and makeup style -- these quiz results will yield the eyeshadow shade you should be wearing. Plus we offer up both a matte and shimmer product suggestion to make your next makeup-shopping trip a breeze.
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Question 1 of 7
What's your hair color?


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Alabama Hostage Standoff Ends: Jimmy Lee Dykes Dead, Child Safe After Secret Surveillance
Boy named Ethan, 5, appears unharmed and has been taken to a hospital.
Feb. 4, 2013 — -- A week-long standoff in Alabama, where a retired trucker held a 5-year-old boy hostage in an underground bunker, has ended with the kidnapper dead and the child safe, according to law enforcement.
Officials were able to insert a high-tech camera into the bunker to monitor the movements of the suspect, Jimmy Lee Dykes, 65, and they became increasingly concerned that he might act out, according to a law enforcement source with direct knowledge.
Watch the full story, including exclusive new audio and other details of the standoff, on "20/20: Cat and Mouse" FRIDAY at 10 ET
"FBI agents safely recovered the child who's been held hostage for nearly a week," FBI Special Agent Steve Richardson said at a news conference late this afternoon.
The agent said negotiations with Dykes "deteriorated" in the past 24 hours.
"Mr. Dykes was observed holding a gun," Richardson said. "At this point, the FBI agents, fearing the child was in imminent danger, entered the bunker and rescued the child."
The boy, identified only as Ethan, was being treated at a hospital, authorities said.
"I've been to the hospital," Richardson told reporters this evening. "I visited with Ethan. He is doing fine. He's laughing, joking, playing, eating -- the things that you would expect a normal 5- to 6-year-old young man to do. He's very brave, he's very lucky, and the success story is that he's out safe and doing great."
"I'm a father," added Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson. "A lot of these men and women that's been sacrificing tireless hours, they're parents, as well. You know, it's a relief for us to be able to reunite a mother with her child."
Dykes is dead, but officials have not yet provided details on how he died or how the boy was rescued.
"Right now, FBI special agent bomb technicians are in the process of clearing the property for improvised explosive devices," the FBI said in a written statement late this afternoon. "When it is safe to do so, our evidence response teams, paired with state and local crime scene technicians, will process the scene."
Added Richardson this evening, "I can't talk about sources, techniques or methods that we use. ... We were speaking with the subject. I can tell you that. Other than that, I can't go into detail."
PHOTOS: Worst Hostage Situations
Dykes allegedly shot and killed a school bus driver last week and threatened to kill all the children on the bus before taking the boy, one of the students on the bus said.
"He said he was going to kill us, going to kill us all," Tarrica Singletary, 14, told ABC News.
Dykes had been holed up in his underground bunker near Midland City, Ala., with the abducted boy for a week as police tried to negotiate with him through a PVC pipe. Police had used the talks to send the child comfort items, including a red Hot Wheels car, coloring books, cheese crackers, potato chips and medicine.
The outcome of the situation drew praise from the White House.
"This evening, the president called FBI Director Robert Mueller to compliment him for the role federal law enforcement officers played in resolving the hostage situation in Alabama today," read a statement from a White House official late Monday. "The president praised the exceptional coordination between state, local, and federal partners, and thanked all the law enforcement officials involved during the nearly week-long ordeal for their roles in the successful rescue of the child."
Dykes was a decorated Vietnam vet who grew up in the area. He lived in Florida until two years ago, the AP reported, and has an adult daughter, but the two lost touch years ago, neighbor Michael Creel said. When he returned to Alabama, neighbors say he once beat a dog with a lead pipe and had threatened to shoot children who set foot on his property.
ABC News' Mary Bruce and Michael S. James contributed to this report.


text: It's a party platter of mega maki, super sashimi, and endless edamame in this expanded version of the best-selling card game. You still earn points by picking winning sushi combos, but now you can customize each game by choosing a la carte from a menu of more than 20 delectable dishes. What's more, up to 8 players can join in on the sushi-feast… let the good times roll!


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Oisín Mac Giollamóir
Left Communism and Its Ideology
Introductory notes towards a Critique
Anarchism is today finally emerging out of its long held position as 'the conscience of the workers' movement', as the eternal critic of Leninism and state centred politics.
It long took the side of the working class against the Party, a position Lenin mocked when he wrote: "The mere presentation of the question—"dictatorship of the party or dictatorship of the class[1]; dictatorship (party) of the leaders, or dictatorship (party) of the masses?"—testifies to most incredibly and hopelessly muddled thinking....to contrast, in general, the dictatorship of the masses with a dictatorship of the leaders is ridiculously absurd, and stupid."[2] Interestingly this was not written about anarchists, but rather about the position held by a Dutch-German Marxist tendency that was part of the Comintern. This tendency and others comprise what is known as 'left-communism'. (Pic: Workers of Fiat in Italy take over the Factories )
There has long been a close relationship between anarchism and left-communism, as left-communism took up many of the positions held by anarchists. The Dutch-German left developed positions that are indistinguishable from those that have long been found within the anarchist movement. While anarchism influenced left-communism in practice[3], left-communism and Marxist tendencies closely related to it have been a major theoretical influence on anarchism, in particular over the last thirty years.
While left communist theories have indeed contributed greatly to the anarchist movement and to anarchist theory, a number of significant theoretical and tactical mistakes are evident in them. In this article I will trace the development of these theories and give an introduction to the history of the German Revolution of 1918–19 and the Biennio Rosso[4] of 1919–20 in Italy. I will also attempt to highlight the problems of these theories and insist on the need to develop an anarchist program for today based on the situation of our class today, as opposed to based on a-historical principles.
What is left communism?
Left communism is extremely difficult to define. There are various strands of left communism that emerged at different points in the period between 1917 and 1928. Aufheben[5] writes "The 'historic ultra-left'[6] refers to a number of such currents which emerged out of one of the most significant moments in the struggle against capitalism — the revolutionary wave that ended the First World War."[7] Left communism is generally divided into two wings: the Dutch-German left and the Italian left.[8] Between the two groups there was no love lost. Gilles Dauvé, originally a Bordigist, writes: "Although both were attacked in Lenin's 'Left-Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder', Pannekoek regarded Bordiga as a weird brand of Leninist, and Bordiga viewed Pannekoek as a distasteful mixture of marxism and anarcho-syndicalism. In fact, neither took any real interest in the other, and the "German" and "Italian" communist lefts largely ignored each other."[9]
The Dutch-German and Italian lefts were tendencies within the Comintern that ultimately broke with the Comintern and critiqued it from the left. As such left communism, or ultra leftism, is often defined by its opposition to 'leftism'.
Aufheben define leftism thus: "It can be thought of in terms of those practices which echo some of the language of communism but which in fact represent the movement of the left-wing of capital."[10] In other words leftism describes those who are nominally communist but in fact are not. According to left communists, leftists are those who supported the Soviet Union in any manner, those who support or participate in Trade Unions, those who participate in parliament, those who support national liberation movements in any manner and those who participate in any type of political coalition with non communists. Left communists on the other hand are opposed to participation or support for any of these types of struggle because they are not communist or because they are anti working class. As such, left communists often define themselves negatively. They oppose themselves to those who do not hold 'real' communist positions. They spend a lot of effort denouncing those who don't hold these communist positions of absolute and practical opposition to the USSR, the Trade Unions, parliament, national liberation movements, political coalitions etc.
In order to fully understand left communism and how and why it adopted these positions, we need to look at its development. In the revolutionary wave that followed the Russian revolution, Germany and Italy were the two places that were closest to having a successful communist revolution; they were also the two places with the largest left communist tendencies.
The Dutch-German Left
The German Revolution 1918–1919
In Germany in 1918 there was a wave of mass wildcat strikes that ultimately led to a revolution breaking out in November which ended World War One. Sailors mutinied and workers' councils were set up across the country. The SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany) a few years earlier was universally considered the world's greatest revolutionary Marxist party, but had in 1914 supported the drive to war. It took part in this revolution despite opposing it. Thereby, it "managed to get a majority vote at the first National Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils in favour of elections to a constituent assembly and for dissolving the councils in favour of that parliament. At the same time the trade unions worked hand in hand with management to get revolutionary workers dismissed and to destroy independent council activity in the factories. Councils against parliament and trade unions became the watch word of revolutionaries."[11]
At the turn of the year the KPD (German Communist Party) was founded. On the basis of their recent experiences, the majority of workers in the KPD developed a revolutionary critique of parliamentary activism and raised the slogan 'All Power to the Workers' Councils'. However, the leaders of the party, including Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg, opposed this on the basis that it was anarchist[12]. The anti-parliamentarian majority were also opposed to the 'Trade Unions' on the basis of their experience of the German social democratic trade unions opposing the revolutionary movement and actively trying to crush it. On this point the leadership also opposed the majority. Ultimately, in October 1919, these disagreements led to the leadership expelling over half of the party's membership.[13]
These expelled members went on to form the left communist KAPD (German Communist Workers Party). The KAPD left the Comintern after the Third Congress in 1921 for reasons that anarchists would be very sympathetic towards. They believed that the revolution would not be made by a political party but could only be made by the working class itself organized in its own autonomous organisations. The organisation that the KAPD worked within was the AAUD[14] (General Workers Union of Germany); at its height this was an organisation of around 300,000 workers.[15] The AAUD emerged during the German Revolution in 1919. Jan Appel describes its formation: "We arrived at the conclusion that the unions were quite useless for the purposes of the revolutionary struggle, and at a conference of Revolutionary Shop Stewards, the formation of revolutionary factory organisations as the basis for Workers' Councils was decided upon."[16]
Council Communism
Based on their experiences, the left communists in Germany critiqued Lenin's arguments in 'Left-Wing Communism: an Infantile Disorder' firstly on the basis that although the Bolshevik model of organisation made sense in Russia, as Germany was more industrially developed different forms of proletarian struggle were needed.[17] They argued that through self organisation in their factories workers laid the basis for setting up workers' councils. They argued that this form of organisation was the single form of organisation suitable for a revolutionary struggle of the working class. As such, they argued against activity in Trade Unions[18], parliament and the primacy of the party.
The KAPD aimed not to represent or lead the working class, but rather to enlighten it[19], a similar project to the idea advanced by the Dyelo Truda group: "All assistance afforded to the masses in the realm of ideas must be consonant with the ideology of anarchism; otherwise it will not be anarchist assistance. 'Ideologically assist' simply means: influence from the ideas point of view, direct from the ideas point of view [a leadership of ideas]."[20] However, some left communists, such as Otto Rühle, felt even this was too much. They left the KAPD and AAUD and, objecting to the involvement of the KAPD in the AAUD, set up AAUD-E (General Workers Union of Germany – Unitary Organisation).
The majority of those who claim a legacy from the Dutch-German Left, those who call themselves council communists, tend to take the position of Rühle and the AAUD-E. For that reason they refuse to form political organisations. Dauvé explains the theory thus: "any revolutionary organisation coexisting with the organs created by the workers themselves, and trying to elaborate a coherent theory and political line, must in the end attempt to lead the workers. Therefore revolutionaries do not organise themselves outside the organs "spontaneously" created by the workers: they merely exchange and circulate information and establish contacts with other revolutionaries; they never try to define a general theory or strategy."[21]
Pannekoek wrote in 1936 "The old labor movement is organised in parties. The belief in parties is the main reason for the impotence of the working class; therefore we avoid forming a new party—not because we are too few, but because a party is an organisation that aims to lead and control the working class. In opposition to this, we maintain that the working class can rise to victory only when it independently attacks its problems and decides its own fate. The workers should not blindly accept the slogans of others, nor of our own groups but must think, act, and decide for themselves. This conception is in sharp contradiction to the tradition of the party as the most important means of educating the proletariat. Therefore many, though repudiating the Socialist and Communist parties, resist and oppose us. This is partly due to their traditional concepts; after viewing the class struggle as a struggle of parties, it becomes difficult to consider it as purely the struggle of the working class, as a class struggle."[22]
While the idea of working class struggle being 'purely the struggle of the working class' is essential, it hides major theoretical and practical problems. Firstly what does it mean to take the side of the class and as opposed to a party? What does the working class without a party look like? What does is mean to reject parties? If we take Dauvé's understanding, that this rejection of partyism is a rejection of any attempt 'to elaborate a coherent theory and political line' then we face a problem[23]. If any attempt to elaborate a coherent theory and political line is forbidden then how can the class develop a coherent theory and political line to guide itself through a revolution and to victory? How can the class think strategically if strategic thinking is banned lest it be oppressive or vanguardist?
In a revolution there will be a number of conflicting theories and political lines being put forward. To claim otherwise is highly naïve. If those of us who believe that 'the emancipation of the working classes must be achieved by the working classes themselves'[24] don't enter the revolution prepared with a program explaining how this can be achieved the revolution will, like all prior workers' revolutions, fail.
It was precisely the lack of a program that spelled the failure of the anti-state position in Russia and in Spain[25].
The Dyelo Truda group explains the failure in Russia:
"We have fallen into the habit of ascribing the anarchist movement's failure in Russia in 1917–1919 to the Bolshevik Party's statist repression, which is a serious error. Bolshevik repression hampered the anarchist movement's spread during the revolution, but it was only one obstacle. Rather, it was the anarchist movement's own internal ineffectuality which was one of the chief causes of that failure, an ineffectuality emanating from the vagueness and indecisiveness that characterized its main policy statements on organization and tactics.
"Anarchism had no firm, hard and fast opinion regarding the main problems facing the social revolution, an opinion needed to satisfy the masses who were carrying out the revolution. Anarchists were calling for a seizure of the factories, but had no well-defined homogeneous notion of the new production and its structures. Anarchists championed the communist device "from each according to abilities, to each according to needs," but they never bothered to apply this precept to the real world…Anarchists talked a lot about the revolutionary activity of the workers themselves, but they were unable to direct the masses, even roughly, towards the forms that such activity might assume...They incited the masses to shrug off the yoke of authority, but they did not indicate how the gains of revolution might be consolidated and defended. They had no clear cut opinion and specific action policies with regard to lots of other problems. Which is what alienated them from the activities of the masses and condemned them to social and historical impotence.
"Upwards of twenty years of experience, revolutionary activity, twenty years of efforts in anarchist ranks, and of effort that met with nothing but failures by anarchism as an organizing movement: all of this has convinced us of the necessity of a new comprehensive anarchist party organisation rooted in one homogenous theory, policy and tactic."[26]
While the German Left neglected the need for a program and denounced all parties as oppressive or at least as vanguardist, the Italian Left took a completely different angle.
The Italian Left
Bordiga and the Biennio Rosso[27]
The Italian Left was in its early stages under the political tutelage of one man: Amadeo Bordiga. After joining the Youth Federation of the PSI (Italian Socialist Party) Bordiga quickly rose to prominence by aligning himself with the golden boy of that Federation; Benito Mussolini. The vitality of the Youth federation was the main reason for the PSI growing from 20,459 in 1912 to 47,724 in 1914. Ultimately, Bordiga broke with Mussolini on the question of supporting World War One. Bordiga asserted that supporting wars was a betrayal of Marxist 'principles'. He was intransigent on points of principle and on the question of the communist program and defended a rigid textual analysis of Marx. He wrote: 'By Marxism we understand the method laid down by Marx and many others, that …culminates in the diagnosis of the daily class struggle between bourgeoisie and proletariat, constructing a prophecy and a program with a view to the proletarian triumph'[28] Bordiga's orthodoxy set him firmly against the revisionism of the leaders of the PSI. He held that a fresh start bringing about a renewal of principle was needed within the party.
By 1918 the toll of World War One for Italy was over 680,000 dead and over a million wounded. The working class flocked to the PSI as it became more and more radicalised. By 1919 the PSI, which just 7 years previously had 20,459 members, had grown to over 200,000. In 1919 as workers returned home from the war they found themselves caught in a spiral of inflation and mass unemployment as the Italian economy struggled to adjust to the influx of returning workers.
Starting in April 1919 and continuing through to August there was widespread popular rioting. The government tried desperately to put down the insurgent workers, killing workers in Milan, Florence, Inola, Taranto, Genoa and other cities. In Turin at the end of August new shop stewards' organisations were formed in the Fiat plant. These shop stewards organisations in turn formed a factory council. This new type of grassroots workers' organisation spread quickly across the workplaces of Turin. Through the use of these factory councils on October 31st the workers adopted a program to restructure the unions turning them into organisations of workers' democracy. This program stated its purpose was to "set in train a practical realisation of the communist society."[29] At a meeting on December 14–15, the proponents of this new factory council system were able to win the endorsement of the entire Turin labour movement. By February 1920 over 150,000 workers in the Turin area alone were organised in the new council system. At a conference of the anarcho-syndicalist union the USI (Italian Syndicalist Union) in early 1920, the USI placed itself firmly on the side of these new organisations and agitated strongly for their development outside of Turin. This saw the USI grow from 300,000 in 1919 to 800,000 at the peak of the movement in September 1920.[30]
In response to these movements, at their Bologna congress in 1919 the PSI adopted a revolutionary program[31]. The following month, on the back of this program, they received 1,800,000 votes making them the biggest party in the Italian parliament.[32] However, despite this program being adopted, the PSI was divided with some in the parliamentary party, such as Filippo Turati, fully opposing the program and actively trying to sabotage it. Turati stated that the PSI must not excite "the blind passions and fatal illusions of the crowd". He claimed parliament was to workers' councils as the city was to the barbaric horde. These sentiments resulted in Bordiga pushing hard for Turati's expulsion from the party. Antonio Gramsci attacked Turati accusing him of having "the mocking skepticism of senility".[33] Even Serrati, the party's centrist leader, at this point was attacking Turati accusing his politics of being based on a 'puerile illusion'. He wrote that is was "…painful that a socialist deputy, one of those in whom the masses most believed, should dedicate more obstinacy and energy to fighting Bolshevism than to opposing all the attempts at the mystification of socialism that are coming…from the bourgeoisie."[34] However this was nothing but words from the party leader and Bordiga attacked Serrati for not expelling Turati. Bordiga also called for an end to the parliamentary party's power (this would undercut Turati's influence) and took up an abstentionist position. He wrote: "Elections, while the bourgeoisie have power and wealth in their hands, will never do anything but confirm this privilege."[35]
The first four months of 1920 saw high levels of struggle in Italy, reaching their peak in April. At the Fiat plant in Turin a general assembly called for a sit-in strike to protest the dismissal of several shop stewards. In response the employers locked out 80,000 workers. In Piedmont, the region of Italy of which Turin is the capital, a general strike ensued involving 500,000 workers. There were also strikes around Genoa lead by the USI and in Milan workers' councils like those in Turin emerged under the influence of the USI. In the rest of the country unions under anarcho-syndicalist influence, such as the independent railway unions and the maritime workers unions, came out in support. However, despite appeals from the Turin movement to the PSI and the PSI-led trade union the CGL (General Confederation of Labour) for the strike to be extended across Italy, the PSI and the CGL failed to act. Gramsci, who was working hard through his journal "l'Ordine Nouvo"[36] to support the council movement, commented bitterly on the PSI leadership: "They went on chattering about soviets and councils while in Piedmont and Turin half a million workers starved to defend the councils that already exist."[37] Ultimately the strike was defeated. Gramsci wrote: "The Turinese working class has been defeated. Among the conditions determining this defeat…was the limitedness of the minds of the leaders of the Italian working class movement. Among the second level conditions determining the defeat is thus the lack of revolutionary cohesion of the entire Italian proletariat, which cannot bring forth…a trade union hierarchy which reflects its interests and its revolutionary spirit."[38] Gramsci blamed the failure of the movement simultaneously on the ineffectuality of the leadership of the PSI and the CGL and on the inability of the movement itself to throw up a new leadership, organic intellectuals, who would act as a new hierarchy.
While Gramsci felt the councils were the institutions through which the dictatorship of the proletariat could be exercised, Serrati claimed that the councils could not be used to initiate revolutionary action.[39] He argued that "The dictatorship of the proletariat is the conscious dictatorship of the Socialist Party."[40] On this Bordiga was firmly on the side of Serrati. He argued that through exclusive emphasis on the economic sphere and on the stimulation of consciousness Gramsci had forgotten that the state would not simply disappear in a revolution.[41] Of course on this Bordiga was right, as anarchists learnt so tragically in Spain. He wrote: "It is rumoured that factory councils, where they were in existence, functioned by taking over the management of the workshops and carrying on the work. We would not like the working masses to get hold of the idea that all they need do to take over the factories and get rid or the capitalists is set up councils. This would indeed be a dangerous illusion. The factory will be conquered by the working class — and not only by the workforce employed in it, which would be too weak and non-communist — only after the working class as a whole has seized political power. Unless it has done so, the Royal Guards, military police, etc. — in other words, the mechanism of force and oppression that the bourgeoisie has at its disposal, its political power apparatus -will see to it that all illusions are dispelled."[42]
On this Bordiga raises two significant issues. Firstly, as noted, until the revolutionary class has seized power, thereby removing all power from the hand of the bourgeoisie, the bourgeoisie will use its state to crush the working class, even if it has to wait almost a full year to do this as happened in Spain. Secondly communism is not simply the seizing of control of the factory or the capitalist enterprise by those that work in it. Communism is not transforming workplaces into democratic co-operatives, as Bordiga notes: "revolution is not a question of the form of organization."[43] Communism is when wage labour and the enterprise is abolished and all capital is captured by the working class as a whole and put to work for the benefit of the human community, not for profit. As Bordiga writes elsewhere: "Socialism resides entirely in the revolutionary negation of the capitalist ENTERPRISE, not in granting the enterprise to the factory workers".[44] It is precisely this insistence on the importance of the content of communism, the abolition of wage labour and the market economy with the incumbent division of labour, that makes Bordiga of any interest. A major problem however is in Bordiga's understanding of how the state is destroyed and how the content of communism is realized. He writes: "Only a communist party should and would be able to carry out such an undertaking."[45]
Since 1915 Bordiga had been insisting on the need for a theoretically pure communist party. After a second revolutionary upsurge in September 1920 he got his way.
Lynn Williams describes this revolutionary upsurge: "Between the 1st and 4th of September metal workers occupied factories throughout the Italian peninsula...the occupations rolled forward not only in the industrial heartland around Milan, Turin and Genoa but in Rome, Florence, Naples and Palermo, in a forest of red and black flags and a fanfare of workers bands... Within three days 400,000 workers were in occupation. As the movement spread to other sectors, the total rose to over half a million. Everyone was stunned by the response."[46] Gramsci once again threw himself into the struggle, while Turati and the reformists went as far as to advise the government to use force against the occupiers of the factories.[47] Ultimately due to the complete betrayal by the PSI and the CGL of the working class, the revolutionary opportunity was missed. After this, Bordiga took his chance to push for a split and by threatening to go it alone, brought Gramsci with him. At the Livorno Congress of the PSI in January 1921, the party split. 14,965 voted for Turati and the reformists, 58,783 voted for the Communists (Bordiga and Gramsci) and for a split and 98,028 voted for Serrati and unity. So on the 21 January, the PCI (Italian Communist Party) was founded.
Bordiga and the Party
The party failed to take off. It fact many of the 58,783 that voted for it in the PSI left. Within a year the membership had fallen to 24,638.[48]
A major reason for this was that the Biennio Rosso of 1919–20 had ended. A revolutionary opportunity was missed and many simply ceased to be engaged in revolutionary class struggle. Bizarrely this did not bother Bordiga or the PCI. Bordiga wrote: "…the centre of the doctrine…is not the concept of the class struggle but that of its development into the dictatorship of the proletariat, exercised by the latter alone, in a single organization, excluding other classes, and with energetic coercive force, thus under the guidance of the party." In other words, for Bordiga the issue was not class struggle but the purity of the communist program and the ability of the party to seize control of the state. Loren Goldner notes: "For Bordiga, program was everything, a gate-receipt notion of numbers was nothing. The role of the party in the period of ebb was to preserve the program and to carry on the agitational and propaganda work possible until the next turn of the tide, not to dilute it while chasing ephemeral popularity."[49] Bordiga wrote: "When from the invariant doctrine we draw the conclusion that the revolutionary victory of the working class can only be achieved with the class party and its dictatorship"[50] Bordiga was fully comfortable with the party being small and isolated away from class struggle. What was important for him was that it was fully communist and defended the communist program from those who would dilute it or pervert it from its course, from its realization. Jacque Camatte explained this position in early 1961 in an article published in Bordiga's journal 'Il programma comunista': "The proletariat abandons its programme in periods of defeat. This programme is only defended by a weak minority. Only the programme-party always emerges reinforced by the struggle. The struggle from 1926 to today proves that fully."[51]
In all the parties of the Italian Left you find a similar insistence of their role as defenders of the invariant communist program of the proletariat. While they differ over what exactly the invariant doctrine/program of communism is[52] the insistence on the real existence of an invariant doctrine/program runs through all of them.
However as has been pointed out by many, communism "is not fundamentally about the adoption of a set of principles, lines and positions."[53] As Marx writes: "Communism is for us not a state of affairs which is to be established, an ideal to which reality [will] have to adjust itself. We call communism the real movement which abolishes the present state of things. The conditions of this movement result from the premises now in existence."[54] Even Engels writes, "Communism is not a doctrine but a movement; it proceeds not from principles but from facts. The Communists do not base themselves on this or that philosophy as their point of departure but on the whole course of previous history and specifically its actual results in the civilised countries at the present time….Communism, insofar as it is a theory, is the theoretical expression of the position of the proletariat in this struggle and the theoretical summation of the conditions for the liberation of the proletariat."[55]
Of course the simple fact that anarchism/communism is not an ideal to be realized or a set of principles but a real movement is so obvious it may seem strange to emphasis it. Anarchists have long realized this, the Dyelo Truda group writes: "Anarchism is no beautiful fantasy, no abstract notion of philosophy, but a social movement of the working masses."[56]
But what is the 'real movement which abolishes the present state of things'? The answer of course is class struggle.
While the Italian Left insisted on the communist program that was to be realised by the party for the working class, the Dutch-German Left insisted that the class did not need a party or program; indeed they would be obstacles to the working class realising communism.
In the Italian Left we find the communist program separated from the working class. In the Dutch-German Left we find the exact same. The difference is that the Italian Left insists on defending the communist program from impurity while the German Left insists on defending the working class. The solution surely is to unite the two, the working class and communism, and say 'The working class is the communist subject'. This is the position adopted by most left communists today.
However, the first problem with this position is that the working class is not a communist subject. Communism is not always already-realised in the working class. We must remember that the working class is not communist rather it is capable of producing communism. The working class does not interest us because of what it is, it interests us because of what it can do (and obviously because we are part of it).
Secondly, as Guy Debord noted: "history has no object distinct from what takes place within it".[57] Communism arises today as a possibility not as a future to be realised. It is not a real future towards which we work. The communist project is not teleological. In simpler terms the idea that history develops towards a fixed end, communism, is completely wrong. Communism is something that emerges and develops out of struggle today. Communism is not something that can be discovered or defended rather it emerges from class struggle. Therefore, all we can do is engage in class struggle and try to push things forward, try to turn the class that has the potential to create communism into the class that does create communism.
The job of communists is not to defend the 'interests' (i.e. the communist program) of the working class from corruption, as so many left communists seem to believe. Firstly, because there is no communist program to be defended. Secondly, because the working class does not have any interests outside of struggle, i.e. it has not permanent interests which can be defended.
The job of communists is to get stuck down into the grim and grit of real struggle as it is happening with all the contradictions that are involved in it. We must be active in class struggle pushing hard for anarchist-communism. Wherever class antagonism emerges as revolutionaries we must be there advancing the revolutionary cause.
When Marx writes that communism is 'the real movement' not an ideal, when Engels writes that communism is an expression of 'the proletariat in struggle' and not a doctrine, when the Dyelo Truda group writes that anarchism is 'a social movement' not a philosophy, they mean it. We are interested in class struggle as it is, not as it is idealised.
In our analysis of history we look for class struggle, but we must not look for it as an independent trend: independent, separate or autonomous from capital and capitalist ideologies. It is always only as a trend within capitalism, and previous forms of class based society, that class struggle exists and interests us.
Class struggle arises from the contradiction of capital. If capital's effects can be found everywhere then likewise its contradictions can be found everywhere. Or put otherwise, the revolutionary subject emerges due to the contradiction between people's needs and desires and the limits put on them under capitalism.
Our politics must begin always at this point; at the contradiction in our daily lives between our needs, our desires, what we see is possible and the constraints capital puts on us by operating according to an alien logic that forces us to abandon our needs, our desires, our dreams and work according to its dictates. Our revolutionary politics must always begin with working class resistance to this experience, it must be an intervention not to assert or defend 'communism' or 'the working class' as ideal forms against impurities, but rather to search for the quickest, speediest and most painless route from here to where we want to go.
AAUD (General Workers Union of Germany): Network of revolutionary workplace groups, closely linked to the KAPD.
AAUD-E (General Workers Union of Germany- Unitary Organisation): Split from AAUD due to the interfering influence of the KAPD.
Aufheben: A British Libertarian Communist group who publish an annual journal of the same name.
Biennio Rosso: The 'missed' Italian revolution of 1919–1920, in English: Two Red Years
Amadeo Bordiga: The leader of the Italian Left
CGL (General Confederation of Labour): PSI led Trade Union federation.
Comintern: Third International. Attempt at international network of revolutionary groups, ultimately became led by Moscow and the Russian Communist Party.
Gilles Dauvé: Co-author of 'Eclipse and Re-Emergence of the Communist Movement' originally a Bordigist.
Dyelo Truda Group: The Dyelo Truda (Workers' Truth) Group was a group of Russian anarchist exiles based in Paris. They are best known for publishing the 'Organisational Platform of the General Union of Anarchists (Draft)', a document that gives its name to the platformist tendency in anarchism, of which the WSM, the publishers of this magazine, is a part.
Antonio Gramsci: A renowned and highly influential Italian Marxist, perhaps the most influential West European Marxist intellectual of the twentieth century. He came to prominence as editor of the journal l'Ordine Nouvo and went on to lead the Italian Communist Party after Bordiga's departure. Died in prison under Mussolini's dictatorship.
KAPD (German Communist Workers Party): Dutch-German left communist party. Split/was expelled from the KPD. Believed that the revolution would not be made by a political party but could only be made by the working class itself organised in its own autonomous organisations.
KPD (German Communist Party): Founded in 1919, split later that year. The KPD ultimately followed the line laid out by Moscow and was to become a major party. After World War II, in East Germany it merged with the Social Democratic Party of Germany to form the Socialist Unity Part of Germany (SED). The SED governed East Germany in an effective single party dictatorship from 1946 to 1989.
PCI (Italian Communist Party): Split from PSI in January 1921. First led by Bordiga, then Gramsci. Part of the Comintern and persistently supported the Soviet Union. Collapsed with the USSR.
PSI (Italian Socialist Party): Once revolutionary socialist party founded by Filippo Turati and former anarchists Anna Kuliscioff and Andrea Costa. Betrayed the revolutionary working class in the 'missed' Italian revolution of 1919–1920
Anton Pannekoek: Perhaps the leading intellectual of the Dutch-German Left.
SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany): Prior to its support for the war drive in 1914, the SPD was universally considered the world's greatest revolutionary Marxist party. Indeed the pre-1914 SPD is to this day the archetypal Marxist party. In the German revolution of 1918–20 it played a counter-revolutionary role.
Giacinto Menotti Serrati: leader of the PSI during the 'missed' Italian revolution of 1919–1920.
Filippo Turati: co-founder of PSI. Became a reformist and opposed the revolutionary working class during the Biennio Rosso.
USI (Italian Syndicalist Union): Revolutionary Anarcho-syndicalist union. Had 800,000 at its peak in September 1920.
[1] The term dictatorship of the proletariat is used to refer essentially to the institutions through which the exploited and excluded bring about a revolutionary change in the structure of society. It does not necessarily refer to a party dictatorship.
[2] Lenin, V.I. 'Left-wing Communism an Infantile Disorder'
[3] See the influence of the FAUD on the Dutch-German left and the IWW on the Italian Left.
[4] The 'missed' Italian revolution of 1919–1920, in English: Two Red Years
[5] Aufheben say that they recognise 'the moment of truth in versions of class struggle anarchism, the German and Italian lefts and other tendencies.' libcom.org
[6] Ultra leftism is a derisive synonym for left communism. Although the term ultra leftism is normally used pejoratively, it is not in this case as Aufheben consider themselves to be, to some degree, part of this tendency.
[7] Aufheben #11, 'Communist Theory — Beyond the Ultra-Left?' www.geocities.com
[8] In most countries where there was a party aligned to the Third International there was a left communist tendency. Aside from the Dutch-German and Italian left, the most significant left communist tendencies were in Russia and Britain.
[9] Dauvé, G. 'Note on Pannekoek and Bordiga' libcom.org
[10] Aufheben #11, 'From Operaismo to Autonomist Marxism' www.geocities.com
[11] Aufheben #8 'Left Communism and the Russian Revolution' www.geocities.com
[12] Dutch Group of International Communists (GIK), 'Origins of the Movement for Workers' Councils in Germany' libcom.org
[13] Ibid.
[14] The Dutch left communists drew a distinction between workplace organisations like the AAUD, the IWW and the British Shop Stewards movement and 'Trade Unions'.
[15] It is worth noting that simultaneous to this the anarcho-syndicalist union the FAUD (Free Workers' Union of Germany) had roughly 200,000 members. The membership of the AAUD and FAUD often overlapped. Ibid.
[16] Appell, J., 'Autobiography of Jan Appel' libcom.org
[17] Gorter, H., 'Open Letter to Comrade Lenin', Antagonism Press, pp.16–26
[18] It is important to note that the Dutch-German left did not reject workplace organization but rather the reformist unions that existed in Germany. Even of these Gorter wrote that "It is only at the beginning of the revolution, when the proletariat, from a member of capitalist society, is turned into the annihilator of this society, that the Trade Union finds itself in opposition to the proletariat" -Open Letter p.28
[19] Dauvé, G. 'Leninism and the Ultra Left', in 'Eclipse and Re-Emergence of the Communist Movement', p.48
[20] Dyelo Truda Group, 'Reply to Anarchism's Confusionists' hp://www.nestormakhno.info/english/confus.htm
[21] Dauvé, G. 'Leninism and the Ultra Left', in 'Eclipse and Re-Emergence of the Communist Movement', p.48
[22] Pannekoek, A., 'Party and Class' in 'Bordiga Vs. Pannekoek', Antagonism Press, p.31
[23] As Pannekoek defines the party as "a grouping according to views, conceptions", Dauvé's interpretation seems fair.
[24] By this we mean the working class must emancipate itself through the use of its autonomous institution of social power [soviets, councils etc.] and not through the representational process of a party seizing control of the state 'for' the working class.
[25] On the failure of the Spanish revolution, see 'Towards a Fresh Revolution' by the 'Friends of Durruti' Group and 'The revolutionary message of the 'Friends of Durruti'' by George Fontenis.
[26] Dyelo Truda Group, 'Reply to Anarchism's Confusionists' hp://www.nestormakhno.info/english/confus.htm
[27] For an excellent account of the forgotten and ignored anarchist involvement in this period of Italian history see Dadà, 'A. Class War, Reaction & the Italian Anarchists, Studies for a Libertarian Alternative.'
[28] Davidson, A. 'The Theory and Practice of Italian Communism: Vol. I', Merlin Press p.78
[29] Wetzel, T. 'Italy 1920', Zabalaza Books, p.6
[30] Wetzel, T. 'Italy 1920', p.9
[31] This program among other things made the PSI a member of the Comintern.
[32] Davidson p.91
[33] Davidson, A. 'The Theory and Practice of Italian Communism: Vol. I', p.92
[34] Ibid
[35] Ibid
[36] It is worth noting that despite the oft repeated claim that "l'Ordine Nouvo" was the organ of the factory council movement, this is something of a crass simplification. Consider the fact that in 1920, while "l'Ordine Nouvo" was a weekly paper with a circulation of less than 5,000 the anarchist "Umanitá Nova" had a daily circulation of 50,000.
[37] Wetzel, T. 'Italy 1920', p.10
[38] Davidson, A. 'The Theory and Practice of Italian Communism: Vol. I', p.95
[39] Davidson, A. 'The Theory and Practice of Italian Communism: Vol. I', p.95
[40] Introduction to 'Gramsci's Prison Notebooks', International Publishers, p.xxxiv
[41] The anarchists of the UCAdI (Anarchist Communist Union of Italy) were also aware of this, stating in April 1919: "We must remember that the destruction of the capitalist and authoritarian society is only possible through revolutionary means and that the use of the general strike and the labour movement must not make us forget the more direct methods of struggle against state and bourgeois violence and extreme power." Quoted in 'Dadà, A. Class War, Reaction & the Italian Anarchist', p.15.
[42] Bordiga, A., 'Seize power or seize the factory?' www.marxists.org
[43] Bordiga, A., 'Party and Class' in 'Bordiga Vs. Pannekoek', Antagonism Press, p. 43
[44] Bordiga, A. 'Proprieté et capital'. Quoted in 'Lip and the Self-Managed Counter Revolution' by Negation, Repressed Distribution, p. 50
[45] Bordiga, A., 'Seize power or seize the factory?' www.marxists.org
[46] Quoted in Wetzel, T. 'Italy 1920', pp.11–12
[47] Davidson, A. 'The Theory and Practice of Italian Communism: Vol. I', p.96
[48] Davidson, A. 'The Theory and Practice of Italian Communism: Vol. I', p.103
[49] Goldner, L., 'Communism is the Material Human Community: Amadeo Bordiga Today', home.earthlink.net
[50] Bordiga, A. 'Considerations on the party's organic activity when the general situation is historically unfavourable' www.marxists.org
[51] Camatte, J., 'Origin and Function of the Party Form' www.geocities.com
[52] In 1952 the Italian Left split with, on the one hand Bordiga and those around Il Programma Comunista, and Damen and those around Battaglia Comunista on the other. Damen opposed work in the trade unions while supporting parliamentary activity, he also opposed absolutely national liberation movements, while Bordiga took the other side of these debates. The four International Communist Parties all descend from Bordiga, while the International Communist Current and the International Bureau for the Revolutionary Party descend from the Damen side.
[53] Aufheben #11, 'Communist Theory — Beyond the Ultra-Left?' www.geocities.com
[54] Engels, F, & Marx, K. 'German Ideology' in 'Collected Works: Vol. 5', p.49
[55] Engels, F. 'The Communists and Karl Heinzen', Second Article, www.marxists.org
[56] Dyelo Truda Group, 'Organizational Platform of the General Union of Anarchists (Draft)', www.anarkismo.net
[57] Debord, G, 'Society of the spectacle', Paragraph 74.


text:
Monday, December 20, 2010
I'm very proud to post today's blog, and after you read it, you'll understand why. Serena has been an inspiration to not only me, but to many of you who read my blog on a regular basis. Her spirit is boundless, her positive energy flows through everything action, every word spoken and every word written. I am constantly in awe of her, and I'M thankful to be able to call her a friend.
I'm Still Thankful...by Serena T. Wills.
"Now when it seemed like I was losing and I felt like giving up,
Lord I Say Thank You.
Your love rushed in like a mighty flood and lifted me above,
And Lord I Say Thank You…
Thank you Lord for my family…thank you Lord for keeping me."
Lisa Page Brooks - Gospel Artist
Hello blog fam. This isn't a sermon, but had to start off with a few lines from one of my favorite songs on the airwaves. This small part of the song describes the mountains that not only I climbed, but numerous friends that lost loved ones this year. Total there are 7 of us that have lost either our mothers or fathers since January - not to count other mountains that were faced such as grieving, trying to heal, going through months of legal guardianship papers and court documents, financial stress, commuting back and forth to NYC every month, etc.
Despite losing my mother, "Marguerite Sauti Wills" to Ovarian Cancer on February 19th of this year, I could still be thankful. This holiday season, I asked Brooke if I could write for her blog because it was on my heart to show someone (if not some people) how a person like me is truly thankful during this holiday season for the gifts I, as well as my friends, already received. While some are stressing over buying gifts standing in long lines at Target; my friends and I can all stand and say we made it this year. Some want books for Christmas to stimulate their minds…we're thankful we still have a piece of mind. Some want jewelry from their special one to warm the heart…we have started to receive healing for our hearts. Others want something expensive that they think will treat their spirits and soul…all we wanted was our spirits and souls to be restored after going through what we experienced.
Do you see where I'm going with this? Gifts are not just from a store or material items, they are from the heart and other sources in life. One guy I ran into asked me, "How can you still be so thankful after He took away your mother? What's the deal with that…how can you still smile, perform, write…?" True statement.
Trust me, I have my moments and I let it out. I have no shame to cry, pray, go into deep meditation, talk to my counselor, friends, etc. It's not a sign of weakness…it's a sign of a person who wants the healing to begin and take over. If I don't do these things, then I would be a basket case locked away somewhere or worse off…dead and gone because I took my own life. I have to be thankful because I'm still here and not going anywhere. I have reconnected with people that Mom and I lost touch with over the years, my heart is once again open for love, I can see a bright future in front of me, I finally have a job that I truly enjoy, became a co-guardian with my dynamic grandmother on December 10th to my sister Christina who is severely autistic, my writing is taking off and it's my therapy and have touched people through it, my family is being restored and we have reunited because of mom's doing from afar.
Today, share with a person that you love what you're most thankful for as this year comes to a close - and don't let it be material (ie…"I'm thankful for the 42 inch plasma babes"). No…we aren't talking about that type of thanks. Reach down and know that there are so many people like me that made it through this year, can stand tall and say…thank you.
Make amends with that someone that is truly worth it…it's been tugging on your heart to reach out to them. Whether it's a friend or relative and even if it's just a simple, "Hey…I'm thinking of you" - it's a start. Call a friend or family member up that you haven't heard from in a while and say, "I love you and just stopped by to say so." Life is too short to keep things like a simple, "I love you" inside our hearts. Tomorrow isn't promised, so just say it.
I'm also curious as to what you are thankful for - share with us on the blog and inspire all of the many readers!
When I chime onto the blog, I experience so many people that have such warm hearts, that don't ask for much, just want their basic needs met, and can still smile despite what's happening. Celebrating babies being born (I have 5 friends that are currently pregnant…very exciting), jobs created and businesses taking off, freedom from stressful relationships, love in bloom, health restored, dreams coming true…I see so much on this blog and I wanted to say from the bottom of my heart…thank you. Thank you for all of the compliments, prayers, good vibes, support, love and laughs. God bless and have happy holidays.
- Serena T. Wills - aka Divine Wryte
19 comments:
- Stef said...
First Bitches!
Serena, this blog was so special. You have inspired me over and over again on this blog and I'm thankful for your words and that Brooke shared them with us. You are a strong woman with a great heart and I have been blessed thru you. Thank you! - December 20, 2010 at 1:56 PM
- Jay said...
You are an angel, and it's been my pleasure to read your words and get to know you through Brooke's blog. I'm thankful that there are people like you out there who remind us that there is a God, that we are stronger than we think, that inspire us and show us how resilient we are.
Thank you Brooke for sharing this and for also being the person you are. The folks on this blog have great hearts and spirits, and I hope you all have a great holiday and even better 2011. - December 20, 2010 at 2:14 PM
- Serena W. said...
Hi Stef!!! You made it to be first today! YEAH! Thank you, those words mean a lot to me coming from you (and Brookey). Its been a rough road this year but I made it and wanted to write something from the heart that I hope people chime in on. What people think is a weakness helps to heal to make you become stronger. I have no shame or fear in crying, talking about my grief, how I feel, etc...some people see it as a weakness.
I know there will always be a void but I can't go crazy, become angry, etc because I let those feelings fester. So I am thankful that I can reach out and talk to people. Also that I can touch people in a way that is inspiring. :) - December 20, 2010 at 2:16 PM
- Annamaria said...
Serena...I hate that you make me cry all the damn time! lol
Serena is an AWESOME human being. She's not only an inspiration but she motivates the hell out of me all while being one of the nicest people I know. She's awesome & I luv her. I can't wait to work together on some projects in 2011 and wish nothing but wonderful things on her in 2011. - December 20, 2010 at 2:17 PM
- Serena W. said...
Brookey Baby you're da bomb. I can't wait for the day for your "blog" to be picked up by somebody that will "pay you" to write. You give people on here a place to speak their minds about every topic under the sun and not feel judged. I'm so happy to call you my friend too and glad we connected. Love ya sweetie!
Jay thank you, I'm glad I can be that reminder that there is a God even though there are some people (as the person I mentioned in my story) who thinks there isn't a creator. He is very bitter and although everyone can see his wonderful gifts and talents...he can't and its a shame because the man is truly gifted.
Best wishes to you in the big 2011 Jay! Maybe one say we can actually meet! - December 20, 2010 at 2:19 PM
- Annamaria said...
I'm also thankful for friends like Brooke who won yet another bet when the Eagles won against the Giants!! :(
And for friends like Serena who text me to tell me that I had lost cuz I didn't have a chance to watch the game. LOL - December 20, 2010 at 2:40 PM
- shadrieka said...
This is beautiful. Serena, thank you for sharing with us. I look forward to seeing what blessings unfold for you in 2011~ Much love and happiness.
- December 20, 2010 at 2:46 PM
- Serena W. said...
Annamaria! I love you baby girl, sorry to make you cry at work. I'm glad it touched you in that way.
Shadra...you're a so gifted and your blessings are simply amazing to watch as they have been unfolding. Thanks for stopping through and reading, also being such a great supporter in everything I do. - December 20, 2010 at 3:04 PM
- Brooke said...
Notice Annamaria said that Serena texted her to tell her about the game - didn't wanna rub it in ;)
- December 20, 2010 at 3:44 PM
- Yolanda said...
All this dangnabbit crying :-)
Thanks for writing this Serena. I really needed this read today. You are a blessing to all of us.
Love you much, soror.
Thanks for giving her your forum today Brooke. - December 20, 2010 at 3:56 PM
- Serena W. said...
Brooke let's get it straight...I'm a G-Men Fan fo' life! So what you won! I'm just trying to get in on the free meal since I'll be home for week lol.
Yolanda! OO-OOP! Thanks soror. I'm glad I could be a blessing. You have inspired me. You have taken so many risks this year with contracting/freelancing and I know it's rough sometimes but one day that will be me. I'm getting there.
And we need to hang soon. - December 20, 2010 at 4:02 PM
- Brooke said...
Well, if it makes you G-Men fans feel any better, I'll still make a cheesecake, so let me know what week you'll be here so I can make sure I'm here too :-)
Giants got STOLE on, so I'll pitch in the dessert :-) - December 20, 2010 at 4:06 PM
- Anonymous said...
You're right Serena...I have to admit I was letting the holidays get to me. But, it only takes that one person to bring you back into perspective and that one person (for me) was you. Thank You.
I thankful for battling leukemia and winning. Still not out of the woods yet but everything looks great. So, I will focus on that and my family this holiday season and the next year and the rest of my life. Thank you again Serena for the "CHECK Yo'SELF" moment and thank you Brooke for being a friend again. - December 20, 2010 at 4:20 PM
- Serena W. said...
I'm in NYC from this Friday-next Thursday. You might be in Philly this weekend and Annamaria and I were talking about having a brainstorming session on Sunday since she's a full time worker these days. Next Wednesday is my Prince day (OOOOOOOOOW)! Then I head out next Thursday.
- December 20, 2010 at 4:22 PM
- Rameer The Circumstance said...
Serena...reading this made me a bit emotional. I really don't have anything to write other than many of the sentiments I've expressed to you over the many weeks, months and years - because my view of you has never changed. The only thing I can say is the truth in 5 words:
You're a magnificent, beautiful woman.
'Nuff said. - December 20, 2010 at 4:23 PM
- Annamaria said...
B-Be nice... Serena & I were chatting Via BBM about our defense strategy and how to approach this G-man loss...LOL
But we still love them. We'll never let go.. G-MEN FOR LIFE!!! BIG BLUE FOREVER!! :)
Powerz, Geeque & Foolio before you get excited I was talking about the Giants not the Sigma's SIT DOWN. LOL - December 20, 2010 at 4:27 PM
- Serena W. said...
Anonymous I commend you for battling leukemia. I've ran in 4 marathons benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Stay strong and the battle isn't over. I'm glad I could give you a "check yo'self" moment. When I'm on the course and a cancer patient runs along side of me its inspiring to keep trucking to the finish line. (Especially when they pass me up! You're the true winner)!
Rameer what can I say, you've been my friend for 17 years from being on the porch of Haven Hall at Summer Institute! Thank you again for your encouragement. Men like you keep a smile on my face because I know it's not too late and no...every man is not cut from the same piece of cloth. Peace to you. - December 20, 2010 at 4:42 PM
- Brooke said...
My parents are coming up this Thursday and Friday and we'll leave for Philly on Sunday...so we may have to plan next time you're in town. I'll make the cheesecake twice if need be :)
@Annamaria, I AM being nice :)
This blog was a reminder of all the things we have to be thankful for this year...things we take for granted. Life IS too short to not let those you love know it everyday, and to let valuable friendships go or to hold grudges. Be happy and give love - always - December 20, 2010 at 4:42 PM
- Serena W. said...
Yes next time! I should be home late January after my birthday so maybe then.
Again thank you for allowing me to be a guest blogger. It's been a while and this was on my heart last week to write this piece and publish it first on your blog.
To everyone on here as Brooke said, love always, let go of grudges and be happy. I'll still check throughout the evening to respond to comments ;) - December 20, 2010 at 5:40 PM