A stigma that comes with joining the CPUSA?

[The American]

Hello, now before I ask this I want to make clear that I have no intention of joining the CPUSA. I have issues with it historically and with its modern being, and this question is purely curiosity, and a tad bit of concern.
I hope to god I don't look like one of those crazy conspiracy theorists.
Anyway, a middle aged friend of mine was active in the I.W.W. many years ago, (now she is a pseudo-socialist petite bourgeoisie) and she tells me that with joining the Communist Party USA the Federal government will put you on certain watch lists, nothing serious like no-fly lists, just mild surveillance I suppose. I'm sure this happened back when the USSR was around, and today I wouldn't be surprised if CPUSA officials are covered under the patriot act. But would even membership bring this kind of surveillance?
Once again, I have no intention of joining the CPUSA, and I'm not just saying that so I wouldn't get watched :lol:
Anyway, I apologize if I give off crazy conspiracy theorist vibes.
Thanks a bunch.

[The Idler]

It probably happened half a century ago but nowadays there are more worthwhile ways for the intelligence/security services to spend their money on watching regular members. Electronic surveillance maybe, but physical surveillance might just be for the leaders.

[The Douche]

If you become active in any organization and do any sort of organizational work which gets results or mobilizes large numbers of people, you will find yourself having exposure to either undercovers/surveilance or uniformed investigators.

[chegitz guevara]

I would add to what cmoney says and point out that if you do anything effective, whether you're in a group or not, you will come under the watchful eye of the state.

[Q]

In the Netherlands the security service makes an annual "threat" report in which the left groups also get a mention. Not that they know wtf they're talking about, but it's still good to know that sort of thing.

In fact, I'm fairly certain the state has a file on me and my group isn't exactly huge or anything.

[28350]

I'm curious about what the govt. thinks about CPUSA.
On the one hand, it's the largest self-professed communist party, but on the other hand, they're just a left bloc for the Democrats.

[Steve_j]

If they are anything like the Brits, you go to a local meeting of concerned residents about plans to have a coal powerplant stuck in your back yard and there is a chance they will document you, take your number plates and keep you on file for 7 years or more. The stasi would be impressed ;)

[Prairie Fire]

I hope to god I don't look like one of those crazy conspiracy theorists.
Anyway, a middle aged friend of mine was active in the I.W.W. many years ago, (now she is a pseudo-socialist petite bourgeoisie) and she tells me that with joining the Communist Party USA the Federal government will put you on certain watch lists


This is your wild and crazy conspiracy theory? :lol: That is pretty tame, pretty elementary stuff for most of us. I would recommend "Agents of Repression" by Ward Churchill and Jim Vander Wall if you want to take things to the next level. Watchlists are kids stuff.

Anyways, I thought that this thread was going to be about something else. As others have pointed out, if you do anything that is remotely succesfull towards toppling the status quo, you're going to attract unwanted attention from said status quo. This is not the sole domain of the CP-USA, and in fact it is arguable that you are probably the safest from police repression in the CP-USA as far as the American Left is concerned.

When I think of the stigma associated with the CP-USA though, I think of the stigma associated with it within the international left itself. The 'official' CP of any captialist country is usually reformist and impotent at best, openly treasonous at worst (ie. In Greece when the major demonstrations against 'austerity measures' went down recently, even the conservative elements of the Greek parliament were advocating that the 'official' greek CP be used to resolve the situation, and the 'official' CP seemed more than happy to do so).

The CP USA, as has been exhaustively pointed out, is a social-democrat organization that in practice acts as a reliable voting and recruiting force for the Democrats. There are "Big L" liberals who are more radical on an issue to issue basis than CP-USA party cadre.

This reformist, Obama-campaigning, social-chauvenistic, openly treasonous history in theory and practice is the source of the stigma attached to the CP-USA and anyone associated with them.

[Tablo]

I'm curious about what the govt. thinks about CPUSA.
On the one hand, it's the largest self-professed communist party, but on the other hand, they're just a left bloc for the Democrats.
Is it really still the largest in the US?

[Widerstand]

In the Netherlands the security service makes an annual "threat" report in which the left groups also get a mention. Not that they know wtf they're talking about, but it's still good to know that sort of thing.

Lucky for you guys, our reports are pretty comprehensive and often worryingly informed. But then again the German state also spies on student groups (yes, through undercover agents infiltrating them for years).

To add in the blabber: Usually it doesn't even matter whether or not you are effective. It's been a tactic used in Germany that the government hijacks relatively harmless, but very open/welcoming groups to get access to the "scene", and more importantly to get access to less open / closed groups through trust-building. I can certainly imagine that others have thought of this tactic, too.

[Lucretia]

Yes, joining a party so staunchly behind the president does come with a stigma, I suppose.

[Red Bayonet]

So far as being scrutinized goes, in the US, you will be scrutinized (spied on) by US Army/police fusion cells if you are involved in anything left of the Democratic Party, or right of the Republican Party.

[The Douche]

So far as being scrutinized goes, in the US, you will be scrutinized (spied on) by US Army/police fusion cells if you are involved in anything left of the Democratic Party, or right of the Republican Party.

Why don't we ban this dude? Every single one of his posts talks about these dreaded "US Army/police fusion cells", and half of them are in necro-ed threads that he revives just to make some variation of the above post.

[Zeus the Moose]

Echoing what a number of folks have said already, I think the main stigma from joining the CPUSA specifically is that you've joined a really terrible organisation.

To be fair, there are some laws theoretically on the books which bar CPUSA members from certain professions (like teachers in NJ, I believe), but they've all been struck down as unconstitutional.

[Red Bayonet]

Why don't we ban this dude? Every single one of his posts talks about these dreaded "US Army/police fusion cells", and half of them are in necro-ed threads that he revives just to make some variation of the above post.
I didn't know I was being "tracked". LOL! Starting to get on your case eh?!So, which PD or MIG do you work for?

[Catmatic Leftist]

I don't mean to make accusations, but...
[http://i52.tinypic.com/e5lnc1.png
http://i53.tinypic.com/xc20xk.png
And his groups are all the regional "leftists near you" groups; perhaps he wanted to possibly sniff out some unsuspecting comrades for his Nazi buddies? :rolleyes:

[The Douche]

I didn't know I was being "tracked". LOL! Starting to get on your case eh?!So, which PD or MIG do you work for?

Ah herpa derp derp.

[Red Bayonet]

Didn't I read about you in Rolling Stone?.....

[The Douche]

Didn't I read about you in Rolling Stone?.....

http://images1.memegenerator.net/ImageMacro/5058532/unsuccessful-troll-is-unsuccessful.jpg?imageSize=Medium&generatorName=Sad-Troll

[PhoenixAsh]

Lucky for you guys, our reports are pretty comprehensive and often worryingly informed. But then again the German state also spies on student groups (yes, through undercover agents infiltrating them for years).

To add in the blabber: Usually it doesn't even matter whether or not you are effective. It's been a tactic used in Germany that the government hijacks relatively harmless, but very open/welcoming groups to get access to the "scene", and more importantly to get access to less open / closed groups through trust-building. I can certainly imagine that others have thought of this tactic, too.


In the Netherlands our intelligence service infiltrated left wing and other radical groups with the specific aim to derail them.

Left-wing groups always suspected this and there have been a few outings in the past, But the whole sordid affair came to, a very short...page 5 editorial...light several years ago when files were released where the infiltration in a group called: "Kabouters" (translates: Leprechauns)

The aim of the security agent was to steer the group towards actions which would either ridicule the group in the eyes of the population or anger them towards the group.

[Catmatic Leftist]

Red Bayonet, can you please explain why you joined all the regional groups? The only possible motivation I can think of is a Nazi pretending to be a communist to get personal information.

http://i52.tinypic.com/nmc12x.png

[Obs]

This thread really shouldn't be about the Nazi.

I think the CPUSA, having been subdued pretty efficiently, doesn't suffer a lot of surveillance or the like. The police and Party elders probably look out for smart individual members who can see that the CPUSA's line isn't the way towards socialism, and then do their best to silence them or have them expelled.
If you're active in any other leftist organisation, you're probably best off just assuming someone's keeping an eye on you rather than try and weigh why/why not they'd do that.

[tbasherizer]

Could we have this thread forked? I would really like to know if Red Bayonet of RevLeft is actually EagerWarrior of Stormfront or not.

I really don't think the Communist Party is monitored all that much any more. Unless there's a massive overarching conspiracy that pervades all levels of society without anyone knowing about it, there's no reason for the police to survey a party whose "mother ship" (The Eastern Bloc) crashed years ago and who don't really cause much of a stir. The po-po probably care more about our anarchist comrades and Starbucks windows. As fundamentally subversive as our ideologies sound to us, they sound like nonsense to the bourgoisie, so unless we actually get guns or start massive riots or do other things of immediately tangible significance, I think we're mostly in the clear in terms of state surveillance. That is, barring another Red Scare or particularly paranoid local officials. I'm just postulating about the general mood of the police as a whole.

[HalPhilipWalker]

I'd like to mention that even police surveillance/infiltration alone should not make a group unsuccessful. Before the Russian Revolution, even Lenin would regularly find out that trusted party officials were really Tsarist police spies. I have not yet joined an organization but I am considering joining and police surveillance is not going to be a deterrent!

As for Red Bayonet, his actions look suspicious as hell.

[MarxistMan]

Hello, in life every thing has a risk, even exercising like bicycling in the roads can get you killed by a car or truck. In this life not only socialism is risky, but even capitalist investments are very risky. So joining the Communist Party of USA or any other socialist workers party of USA in a country like USA which is literally a Nazi Dictatorship is risky.

But again with fears we won't even step outside of our houses because of the fear of crashing while driving our cars

.



Hello, now before I ask this I want to make clear that I have no intention of joining the CPUSA. I have issues with it historically and with its modern being, and this question is purely curiosity, and a tad bit of concern.
I hope to god I don't look like one of those crazy conspiracy theorists.
Anyway, a middle aged friend of mine was active in the I.W.W. many years ago, (now she is a pseudo-socialist petite bourgeoisie) and she tells me that with joining the Communist Party USA the Federal government will put you on certain watch lists, nothing serious like no-fly lists, just mild surveillance I suppose. I'm sure this happened back when the USSR was around, and today I wouldn't be surprised if CPUSA officials are covered under the patriot act. But would even membership bring this kind of surveillance?
Once again, I have no intention of joining the CPUSA, and I'm not just saying that so I wouldn't get watched :lol:
Anyway, I apologize if I give off crazy conspiracy theorist vibes.
Thanks a bunch.

[MarxistMan]

fG56PPrNf3w


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Strawberry



.



So far as being scrutinized goes, in the US, you will be scrutinized (spied on) by US Army/police fusion cells if you are involved in anything left of the Democratic Party, or right of the Republican Party.