On the one hand, the Animal Rights movement, by and large, seeks to advance its goals either through moral persuasion, personal lifestyle changes and boycottism, or through the lever of the capitalist state, i.e. animal welfare laws. On the other hand, to the extent that ostensibly Marxist organizations pay any attention to the issue of animals at all, they generally take up the position that animal liberation might be a social aim of those living under a communist society (i.e. in the far distant future), but poses no serious tasks for the revolutionary period during which the political power of capitalism is overthrown, but before a full blown egalitarian society has become a reality, that is, in the period of a workers' state. Thus, from seemingly opposite political ends, the Animal Rights movement, and most ostensibly Marxist organizations agree on one thing, i.e. keeping movements toward animal liberation and toward establishing workers states separate.
Yet, a planned economy is potentially the most significant lever for animal liberation, permitting the orderly phase out of animal agriculture and drastic reductions in the use of animals for experimentation.
The current anti-war movement has drawn in individuals with a wide range of positions, some of whom incidentally agree with opposition to the US war machine, and with opposition to animal suffering. Such individuals may have been drawn to the anti-war movement from positions of pacifism or opposition to "unjust wars". We seek to transform this incidental confluence of positions into an integrated position, where opposition to US war moves is essentiallly connected to the fight against animal oppression. We seek to transform pacifism into consistent anti-imperialism.
Anti-imperialism means struggle against all wings of the ruling class, which seeks to impose domination by one gang of capitalists or another over the whole world. The most rabid militarists make this aim obvious, but other wings of the ruling class differ from the Bush/Cheney/Ashcroft gang only with regards to tactics and to which corporations will be given the greatest opportunity to loot and plunder.
Anti-imperialism also means (within an imperialist country) struggle against all military adventures of "one's own capitalist class", regardless of the character of the intended target. "The main enemy is at home"! Only if the working class is uncompromisingly opposed to its own ruling class, can it rise to power and establish a workers state and a planned economy.
Only through a planned economy, can the main tasks of animal liberation be accomplished. If you agree with the perspectives in this leaflet, we would like to talk to you. You may contact us at: