A Speech on Tactics and Strategy
Given May 2025
I gave this speech on behalf of my political party, in May of this year. I am and always will be grateful for the opportunity to speak to those in attendance.
I’ve redacted the details of the party and its members for their protection.
Hello. My name is Bruce. It is with an incredible sense of honor that I find myself presenting before you today. Proudly I stand before my community, my strength and wall against isolation, my family outside my home. I have spent my entire life living in this city; not way out in the West, past 56th, but here, with you. I am proud to be speaking to you now, but the underlying pride is to be of West Valley City.
This redlined enclosure of suburban sprawl represents the most powerful force known to me as a man; it is the pure, unrestricted power of human beings, actively resisting their oppressive environmental forces.
My gratitude is furthered through my fellows having presented. With Comrade [Redacted] we’ve seen that the conditions we find ourselves in are no coincidence, but a relation of oppressive forces operating in sync at the ends of working us to death, destroying the planet, and destabilizing the organizations of anyone brave enough to offer an alternative.
In Comrade [Redacted] and her presentation we find that same recurring bravery that our rulers will surely seek to silence. Through her analysis we see that the knowledge of our situation is not poorly understood but indeed well-established. Throughout the history of the working class, there has been resistance, and there always will be - as long as we have our chains they will indeed be the only thing we have to lose. Her examples of the successes of immigrant movements highlight that there are solutions to these problems.
From this the implication is clear. We must engage in meaningful struggle to fight back against our oppression, and unite against the enemy.
Who’s that? Names like businessman Ryan Smith, political officials, district attorneys like Sim Gill, Governor Cox, local police chiefs. . .
All to beg the question, though, of what it means for a member of the modern working class, such as yourself, to productively engage in such struggle.
I will lead with examples - for it is certainly true that we are not alone, historically, in our struggle. Others have fought our oppression; many have won. I would first apologize for redundancy in information, yet I hope to remind you that a disciplined member of any resistance doesn’t just learn information once, but takes time to understand it over a lengthy process.
The question at hand is as follows: what is to be done today, as we face ongoing attacks by the ultra-right billionaire agenda, against immigrants, queer people, education, and the overwhelming majority of us in this nation? I am here to remind you that the success of the people has indeed materialized throughout all of history, from the October Revolution, to the people of Vietnam, and their victory against decades of colonialism. These people’s successes all had one thing in common: they were the result of strong organization; of the people deciding that they were going to start pouring their energy into viable political projects.
I ask you to think about our local context; could such an organization exist? Or does it exist already? Is there an example around us of political groups who are consistently dedicated to the people, practicing in the streets, and organized among the masses?
. . . Much to think about . . . But the complexities of this enemy, this vile snake of exploitation and imperialism, are far beyond the thinking capabilities of any computer or collective. What are we to do when we cannot hope to find one, true, perfect, correct answer? –
– The answer is in concerted, targeted approaches to specific problems, with the needs of the working class kept as a priority. A nearly perfect example is the modern Abolition movement, seeking to uproot the current systems of imprisonment of immigrants and other marginalized groups. In the context of today’s horrific testing of the ICE political machine, what greater cause is there than to directly put an end to their brutality? I am happy to tell you that there are powers at play actively disrupting the activities of ICE – but part of this speech has the purpose of informing you that, until the deportations and imprisonments have stopped, there is more to be done.
So say you’d like to address a problem in the working class, but you can’t find a good solution or even a good plan. Here’s the thing: we don’t need to have all the answers to fight against this bullshit! We know what we want and we know who’s keeping it from us. That is enough information to work with.
I am here to tell you that the people are ready. The people need to be ready. The collective action taking place, the engines of . . . well, war, are at this point completely unstoppable. If every person in our organizations were to suddenly disappear from the Earth, I can guarantee you that the course of this movement, the movement of the people, immigrants and all oppressed people, would most definitely still not be reversed. The altogether mighty power of the force that is the working class is unstoppable . . . once mobilized.
I believe you may be beginning to understand that this isn’t a mere informational speech, nor is it truly a rallying cry or a humble request. I stand here today to call you to action.
. . . But what does that really mean? Yes, we are still trapped in a harsh, monetary hellscape of capital control; yes, we must ascribe to the conditions imposed on us - a bleak economy, diminishing job market, and complete lack of meaningful opportunity; but through personal experience I can assure you that there is work to be done, and the only thing we lack is you, working and oppressed people, joining the fight and getting organized.
I build upon a hierarchy of needs. What are the needs of a truly organized movement capable of fighting back?
First are the physiological needs. The agents of change in our world need to eat, to sleep, to have housing; and how can we view this through a revolutionary lens? Many know the answer - it is in radical community! Groups such as the West Valley Chicano Organizers and Comunidades Unidas work alongside a brilliant community all over the state, who have the primary goal of taking care of each other. I cannot endorse these efforts enough, and it is only through each other that we will physiologically brace for the coming (current) hellstorm.
There are safety needs - groups such as the Black Panthers, the Brigades, and even [Redacted] serve as an example of how we have organized around this need. We keep ourselves safe. Remember that the police serve the interests of the elite, the wealthy, and the upper class, not people.
There are needs of unity and belonging. In an age where the ruling class relies on our disunity we must show them that the people are united, and the people will never be defeated. Where is there a greater sense of belonging than with those in our community that understand the dire nature of our situation? I call you then to cast down your prejudices against your fellow neighbor, whoever that may be - we’re in this shit together now! Bridge the gaps between us. Make connections and have hard conversations.
Then there is the final need of self-actualization. We need to have a goal, a way of reaching it - and yeah, it would be nice if we did, indeed, reach that goal . . . I will not make a goal for you. However, I will share with you, mine:
—To be totally clear, my personal objective is a total, global revolution at the hand of the working people, to the ends of preserving the stability of our global climate, ensuring the safety of human life, fighting back against the xenophobic system deporting our community, and enforcing a total destruction of capitalism and its methods of madness. That is the self-actualization of our internal needs.—
Once more I speak on the purpose of clarity and provide another definition. [Redacted] is a Marxist-Leninist political organization, composed of dedicated, trained, passionate organizers, and has a wide spread of efforts centered around the freedom and liberation of the working class. We ask you to consider the possibility; are you enraged by what you see? Do you, too, see the path forward?
Do you see yourself fighting alongside us?
Switching gears; here are some strategies on an individual level to combat the elite:
We’ve all heard the common advice: “Don’t participate in the large-scale economy, and buy exceedingly local.” However, that advice is hopeless under capitalism! Instead, try to limit the sovereignty your government has over your resources: produce your own food. Share food as often as you can or are able. As much as we like to make fun of our grandparents, we need to bring back the mentality that food is one of the most precious things there is. Because that’s true. Accordingly, don’t buy a new book without checking if your public library has it. Don’t overspend. Keep your budget tight but livable, if you can. If you don’t have a budget, make one – even if you have 0 coming in and 0 going out, it’s worth it.
Stock “important items” – legally, is my recommendation. Things that you’d need if things went South, or if an opportunity for real change presented itself. Please read between the lines.
Educate yourself. Find a group of like-minded folks. . . yeah, like [Redacted], or even Rise SLC, a book club reading and discussing radical material – anyone who can read or is willing to learn to do so, is a participant in this strategy. I’d recommend starting with Lenin.
The last strategy I’ll mention is to universally reject the ruling, capitalist class, their lifestyle, and in general their evil and heinous ways. Don’t idealize getting rich; idealize being happy. Don’t idealize working forever; idealize the opportunity for rest! You will always be numerically closer to being unhoused than to being a member of the ruling class.
For tactics, any experienced teacher will tell you that they can’t be taught. They must be learned through mistakes and experience. They are the small actions of everyday life and organizing that make a massive difference at scale.
Want to find good tactics? Never forget who the enemy is.