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Written December 22, 1996
Revised for the web February 23, 1997
Revised again March, 2001

JACK LONDONS'LEGACY
by Kevin Sullivan

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat recently ran a feature in the "Life" section called "Jack London's Legacy." It was a perfect example of the mainstream media's approach to history and what's worth knowing about the lives of important historical figures. According to the press democrat Jack London's legacy consisted of his house and property in Glen Ellen. Not the slightest allusion to the fact that he was an avowed socialist and enemy of the PREDATORY capitalist system. Jack London's legacy to us is a collection of social and political writings indicting the predatory capitalist system for it's crimes against the working class. Small wonder the reich wing is able to portray bill clinton and the democrats as "socialists" - progressive thinkers of Jack London's persuasion are non-existent in the corporate media. No one "knows" what a real socialist looks like or what socialism is. (ism means devotion to) It's no small achievement that when we speak of socialism americans' think of stalin, and not of heroes like Jack London, Eugene Debs or Emma Goldman.  It's no accident.

The perpetuation of working class ignorance is the reason students are assigned to report on books like White Fang and Call of the Wild and not The Iron Heel, or People of the Abyss . If the latter two and other works were widely known and not ignored in schools - as they are - students would quickly comprehend the u.s. corporate system for what it is - cyrpto-fascism - A global predator with allegiance to nothing but the almighty dollar and POWER. Our media serves the same function for it's owners that pravda did in the Union formerly known as Soviet. It tells the bewildered herd what it is supposed to be thinking about. No, Jack London's legacy goes far beyond a house on a beautiful hillside in Glen Ellen. Though flawed by racism, as was Thomas Jefferson, Jack London was one of this century's greatest advocates for the worker.  We'd all benefit from the advice of Ernest Everhard, protagonist of The Iron Heel, "I only wish you fellows knew a little something about evolution and sociology, . . . We would be saved so much trouble if you did."

The result of this ignorance is the right wing liberal corporate media's successful portrayal of the political spectrum as starting from and entertaining only the concerns of the supply side, i.e. from the right of center to the political and social far right. This debate is a lie. The farthest thing from a progressive or leftist, clinton is making richard nixon look good. In bed with indonesian fascists - among of the most brutal Orwellian dictatorships on the planet - the collusive lying hubris of the "stupid scandal a day" media (most of which has everything to do with misdirection of attention and almost nothing to substance) and his administration resembles tricky dick's more every day. He's in china now selling American workers and Chinese Slaves even further down the river. Only in this diabolical near right to far right configuration promulgated by the corporate media could bill clinton be mistaken for a leftist.

The rising tide is not intended to lift the boatless

The president is happy. The corporate media tells us the good news that inflation is low, without spelling out the devils bargain workers must make. It's a gross understatement to say clinton got re-elected largely because people don't understand how and what the governs the system. His crows that he is "proud to preside over a robust economy with low inflation." That's code. It means the 20% is getting richer and the bottom 80% is staying poorer or losing ground. We're supposed to be happy that the official unemployment rate is being maintained at about 5%. Get that. Being maintained. The business section of any mainstream newspaper is happy to report (BECAUSE WORKERS ARE NOT LOOKING!) that "wall street investors are nervous in the wake of a positive jobs report . . . " They are not dumb.  Since they understand the dynamics of the system they are looting, they worry that the federal reserve bank will raise interest rates and choke off the "expansion" of the economy.

Full Employment and Rising Wages Cause Inflation

This is not a conspiracy theory, it's in the business section verbatim. Whenever the fed rattles it's inflation fighting saber the following occurs. A case in point: wall st. stayed happy last week, the fed did not raise the interest rates, explaining, "the economy is not experiencing the inflationary wage price spiral." Without explaining that workers with money to spend cause inflation and their solution to combat inflation is to deprive them of money to spend.  Get it?  This is how the majority of the "Army of Surplus Labor" comes into existence. They don't talk much about scarcity and dwindling resources as inflationary, no, rising wages cause high prices.

Fascinating.

If they can get you to ask the wrong question they don't have to worry about the answer

Since the establishment slapped nixon real good for instituting wages and price controls, the political whores in washington d.c. have learned their lesson. Fearing "the inflationary wage price spiral", the federal reserve bank controls inflation by controlling the disposable income of the working class. Collectively, as a class, workers are systemically impeded from upward mobility, relative to the value of their dollars, they can't get a real raise. To maintain a balance between wages, unemployment, and the disparity between rich and poor that divides the us, the federal reserve bank conspires to keep static the amount of working class disposable income. It's a zero sum game at best. Too many worker owned dollars cause prices to rise due to the lack of social conscience or discipline on the supply side.  That's why "Johnny's" daddy isn't working!  "FULL EMPLOYMENT AND RISING WAGES CAUSE INFLATION?!" These are soldiers in the Army of Surplus Labor and deserve to be liberated, not compensated and enslaved by welfare. This is the answer to the real question - why aren't enough jobs to go around? The information is there in the business section - if you can/will decode it.

Nominal liberalism - the left wing of the right wing.

Remember nixon's anti-inflation campaign? It was called WIN. "Whip inflation now." This is one place he got into trouble with the real rulers. His administration pursued wage and price controls to achieve the "balance" desired to protect ruling class investment. I believe this was as big a factor as anything in his being jettisoned. If clinton was any kind of true "leftist" wouldn't there would be some pressure from his "liberal socialist" administration to share the burden of inflation fighting by making a case against this predatory pricing on the supply side? No, the reining nominal liberal approach to the "shortcomings" of predatory capitalism - liberalism (facetiously called socialist) - is undergoing rollback and repeal. Clinton impels a charge to the right as the left wing of the right wing ruling class he leads, abandons new deal attempts to manage and subdue the wrath of the Army of Surplus Labor.

Wedge Politics - "Fight amongst yourselves"

When the working class understands the underpinnings of the predatory capitalist system, as owners of a democracy, (organized as a republic) maybe things will be different. One of the goals of wedge politics is to keep this from happening. According to Bernie Ward of KGO radio, California governor pete wilson admitted in a speech before a group of republiclan contributors that this is the true purpose of props. 187 and 209 - to get the "angry [read ignorant] white male to the poles. That's wilson's genius, he understands his constituency. White men are supposed to worry that a woman or Person of Color is going to take their job. Black men are supposed to hate the white racists that won't let them into the job market.  The current heresy - targeting the working class users of drugs that aren't politically correct - enables a de facto inquisition, a witch hunt based on the irrational fear, "My kids are gonna be a crackheads if we don't surrender the bill of rights."

The real solution - full employment at a living wage - is out of the question. Matter of factly stated to me on kgo radio by frequent radio free blah-blah guest, economist paul erdman, "they tried that in the soviet union, it doesn't work", before I could respond to this virulence talk show maven ronn owens hung up on me.  So much for the first amendment.

Hypocrisy rules, Heresy mutates

That's the system. But rather than have a radical (radical does NOT mean outrageous), discussion and honestly cope with these problems, the Dark Age continues. Constantly misdirecting attention, the corporate press "circles the wagons" against the San Jose Mercury News and anyone else that tries to tell the truth about the meaning of the drug war inquisition. The major liquor and tobacco companies permeate the culture with their equally destructive "products" under the protection of the first amendment. Surreally they sponsor the mendacious "partnership for a drug free america", clinton's drug czar threatens to prosecute Doctors for recommending marijuana to their sick and dying patients, ever the  "liberal socialist" he torpedoes the airline pilots strike for good measure. This hypocrisy is no different from that of the burning times when predatory catholic christianity ruled the world, we might as well call this the imprisoning times, now that predatory crypto fascist capitalism rules the world.

'Twas ever thus. It's not about Black and White, Pagan or christian, Female or Male, Gay or Straight, etcetera, etcetera, it's about SILVER AND GOLD. The only thing that changes are the props. Hypocrisy rules. Heresy mutates.

It's about time to pull your head out of the sand - if you haven't already - and go outside again kids. Why wait till you're picking gravel out of your throat from the boot on you neck?

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LEXICON

avowed adj. openly declared or frankly acknowledged [her avowed purpose]

predatory adj. 1 of, living by, or characterized by plundering, robbing, or exploiting others

fascism n. 1 Fascism historically has been used to secure the interests of large capitalist interests against the demands of popular democracy. Then and now, fascism has made irrational mass appeals in order to secure the rational ends of class domination. E.G. globalization and privatization are good for workers, strong social minded government is bad. [Michael Parenti]

fascist n. any person or institution putting forth the the interests of fascism.

promulgate -gat'ed, -gat'ing vt. 3 to make widespread [to promulgate learning and culture]

verbatim adv. word for word; in exactly the same words adj. following the original word for word [a verbatim account]

jettison n. 1 a throwing overboard of goods to lighten a ship, airplane, etc. in an emergency 2 to discard (something) as useless or a burden

impel-pelled', -pel'ling vt. 1 to push, drive, or move forward; propel 2 to force, compel, or urge; incite; constrain

heresy pl. -sies n. 1 a) a religious belief opposed to the orthodox doctrines of a church; esp., such a belief specifically denounced by the church b) the rejection of a belief that is a part of church dogma 2 any opinion (in philosophy, politics, etc.) opposed to official or established views or doctrines 3 the holding of any such belief or opinion

surreal adj. 2 bizarre; fantastic; grotesque

mendacious adj. not truthful; lying or false menda'ciously adv. menda'ciousness n.

hypocrisy pl. -sies n. a pretending to be what one is not, or to feel what one does not feel; esp., a pretense of virtue, piety, etc.

crypto- combining form 1 secret or hidden [gram] 2 being such secretly and not by public avowal [a -Fascist] Also, before a vowel, crypt-

lexicon n. 3 a record or inventory

virulence n. 1 the quality of being virulent, or very poisonous, noxious, malignant, etc.
2 bitter animosity; venom; rancor

maven n. [Colloq.] an expert or connoisseur, often specif. a self-proclaimed one