To the Editor:

September 25, 2004

Dear Editor,

Do you remember in WWII when the German Generals plotted against Hitler because he had moved deeper and deeper into the USSR? They understood it was a mistake by Hitler and would lead to the defeat of the troops they commanded. (Their plot was not successful.)

The role of the Generals in capitalist society is an important one, as that society decays. Our history books tell too much and too little about them.

The Generals and the military officer caste are the highly trained servants of the ruling class. They are the “house slaves that Malcolm X talked of. But they do have interests of self-preservation and as the master’s mansion burns they will save themselves if they can.

Some months ago, General Clark spent a lot of time in Wisconsin and would have got a good vote if he had stayed in the race. A religious man, his religion is the military (he sees himself as a “Bishop” who is very concerned with his flock; the men under his command. He was extremely critical of the War in the Middle East and unlike the other Democrats said he would bring all U.S. troops home immediately. He would give Iraq over to whatever colonialist nation that would take it.

The Generals never wanted the U.S. to go deeply into the Middle East. The German army was made up of well-trained farm boys who fought to the death in WWII. The U.S. military today, as the Generals know, is not made up of well-trained farm boys and will not fight to their death in the Middle East.

The Generals must know that the people under their command are ready, willing and able to revolt. The house is burning, they will save themselves.

What will happen next?

The Generals are trained to obey and to take command. If the working class leads, some of them will come over to it. If the workers do not, the Generals will still try to save themselves and obey one of their own that will come forward.

Remember the 1960s song—“Two rabbits running in a ditch, Must be the season of the witch”?

With Warmest Comradely Greetings,

Joe Johnson
Chippewa Falls, Wis.