MAY 2, 2022 Austin, Texas
Opinion by Lauren Comele Morris
The Center for Political Innovation Conference in Austin on March 12, 2022 and the Unveiling of a Russian Donetsk Flag
This is not a hit piece on Caleb Maupin and friends. In fact, it will prove favorable in some aspects. However, I must begin with these chronological events:
NARRATIVE NO. 1
By March 12, 2022, the eve of Austin's annual South By Southwest, Russian President Vladimir Putin had lined up 100,000+ men in tanks on its border with Ukraine. An invasion had begun, but apparently delayed until the end of the Olympic Games held this year in China. Putin was photographed making an appearance at the games. However, Putin clearly showed the cameras he was bored, annoyed, and obviously had somewhere else to be that was far more important. The troop deployment was being called an "exercise" and there were no plans to invade (said one "military expert" on American media), and the picture that Putin was a good guy was being painted.
NARRATIVE NO. 2
A starter narrative evolved, targeting the Christian right wing: Putin, a supposed Orthodox Christian, was cleansing Ukraine of murderous, warmongering Nazis in a "military operation", and to protect Russia should Ukraine join NATO. Anyone calling said MO an "invasion" were swiftly jailed. The state-controlled media silenced any last gasp of free speech or truth about what was really happening. Russian citizen protesters took to the streets and thousands were arrested by Putin's henchmen.
But for American based Journalist/Author Caleb Maupin, Founder of The Center for Political Innovation, his tweet that it wasn't an invasion has not aged well.
WHAT IS THE NUMBER?
On social media, Maupin and associates excused Putin's bombing of civilians as righteous and necessary to stop the Azov army and its Neo-Nazis. However, under Putin, anyone not for Russia is a Nazi. CPI fully support Putin's anti-Nazi rhetoric for a war that will have lasting consequences for the entire world. Maupin defended Putin as "responding" to the Azov Nazis and their attacks on Russian speaking Ukrainian citizens in the Donbass region during the past war of eight years. But in a mere two weeks since the conference, this tweet did not age well for Maupin as Putin isn't merely reacting to the past conflict. He is laying waste to the entire country and has aims beyond Ukraine. Experts state that the only thing Putin needs to kick off WWIII is a body count. So what is that number exactly? What will it take for NATO to step in? Or, aren't we already there with the support being provided by the U.S. and other countries? There are many experts around the world significantly educated and intelligent on warring countries weighing in on this conflict wholly in opposition to Maupin's analysis.
Maupin, in a tweet, can seem reduced to what his critics claim he is - a Russian propagandist. Mean tweets aren't fair though really. Maupin's broader conversation regarding humanity is theoretically viable, and a lot of what he says has merit and makes sense. Maupin's opening video at the conference HERE: Maupin's key note speech HERE. Maupin can be found prolifically on YouTube and Twitter. Here are a few of his publications. Other books included "Getting Rich Without Capitalism (America's Way Out)", "Kamala Harris and The Future of America". Old writings from Mao Tse-Tung and Lenin On War And Peace, among other books, were for sale at the conference. Maupin's tag line is "We need a Government of Action, to Fight for Working Families".
NARRATIVE NO. 3
The Mayor of Mariupol claims a body count of 20,000 dead, hundreds missing and 1000 trapped in a steel plant and being starved out. While one negotiation after another fails, it is at the expense of millions of free, peaceful, innocent citizens. The body count nationwide is unknown' but the number of shattered lives will leave a scar on its history forever. This war is changing the world. Satellite images of mass graves and videos of Ukrainians who stayed behind burying their dead in trenches have emerged. Chechen Jihadis rampage under the direction of Ramzan Kadyrov, a brutal Sharia-compliant ruler whom Putin appointed as his Lieutenant General. It is methodical slaughter of innocent citizens; and as Putin is flattening cities to the ground, millions have fled to nearby Poland in a massive refugee crisis. This is happening to a free nation. Money and arms are flooding in to Ukraine to bolster its defenses on the ground, however, their request to close the sky was denied as NATO and other countries worry over being inexorably pulled toward WWIII. Still, the horrors of war are leaking out, obliterating Putin's outrageously false propaganda that President Zelensky's "Nazi army" is bombing its own citizens.
On Saturday March 12, 2022, Maupin and his Center for Political Innovation put on a pro-Soviet and pro-Putin Conference "CPIUSA.ORG". The event was held at Southpark Hotel in Austin under heavy security. In fact, all attendees were subjected to metal wanding and purse searches, scrutiny of ID signatures and photos, social media vetting, and an hour and a half wait period before the event started.
Austin Red Guard, a notorious group of University of Texas based Maoist street revolutionaries who infiltrated the event stuck out and were quite obvious from the rest of the attendees. Maupin claimed that they had received credible "threats" and took the situation seriously. There were several armed guards with two in uniform. The Red Guards embarrassed, were removed by CPI's private security.
After one and a half hours of classical music playing during the wait period, the room was full to capacity at about 120 people. The event opened when the speakers paraded through the center of the room to rousing applause and fans chanting "CPI, CPI, CPI". The audience was led through a pledge, after which the Russian and American anthems were played. Flags were displayed along side one another in front of the stage featuring a side profile of President Lincoln's head. The flag bearers grasped hands during the final few seconds of the American National Anthem. Suddenly, two gentlemen burst up from their front row seats, one holding a placard with the Russian "Z" and the other holding a Donetsk flag, again to much shrieking and clapping from the audience. See the entertaining opening ceremonial video HERE.
Conference Attendees Recite CPI's Pledge
CPI are Marxist/Leninist Worker's Party Advocates who define themselves as anti-imperialists. They passionately proclaim a great love for the United States. "We are the true American Patriots" states Maupin. They denounce violence and vandals, poverty and capitalism. They declare they have new solutions to poverty and war, and that abundance of wealth for all can be achieved through a revised, pure socialist system. See CPI's official self explanatory trailer HERE.
CPI's founder Caleb Maupin is an activist, an author of several books, and a correspondent for RT Television. RT is a Russian state controlled international television network funded by the Russian government. Maupin is a social media and conference educator who quotes Mao and Marx and has been photographed with prominent communist politicians and leaders around the world. Look into Maupin's colorful history on Trevor Loudon's KeyWiki page HERE.
Communist groups like CPI position a Marxist/Leninist agenda against "Neo-Liberalism", and Capitalism. They also set themselves apart from "the synthetic left", declaring them - including the Democrat Party - to be "not worthy of a single second of attention" Haz.
CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Communist David Cedillo of San Angelo, Texas
David Cedillo, (above) thanked CPI for the opportunity to visit Nicaragua, a country he claims is the "safest country in Latin America". He claimed the socialist system there was a tremendous success. He called street vendors "micro entrepreneurs", and that he felt safe in the country. He stated the people were pro-life and that everyone had free health care. He claimed that Nicaragua is making a "green shift" and is food self-sufficient. They tout a rehabilitative justice system, sustainable housing, clean water and energy. He stated there is no dictatorship and the people have freedom of speech. He opined that "we must be un-waveringly anti-imperialist", and work away from far-right demagogues to obtain a peaceful and equitable world. Cedillo stated he felt inspired from his trip, empowered to spread the message of pure socialism throughout his San Angelo Solidarity organization, and vowed to run for a local political office. Video HERE.
Communist Jackson Hinkle of San Clemente, California
Jackson Hinkle, above, presented on "War Propaganda in US Mainstream Media". Hinkle claimed he used to be an "S-lib" who are the "weirdest people". He claimed it is the U.S. and Ukraine who started all the warmongering and referred to the 2004 Orange Revolution. Hinkle can be found on Twitter and also has a page on KeyWiki HERE. Hinkle's conference video HERE.
Haz of Infrared
Haz of Infrared, above, a YouTuber and also on Twitter, went to town articulately bashing the "synthetic left". He is a well-spoken philosophical communist who speaks on politics and culture. Haz denounced the parasitic left and declared that the Democrat party has destroyed itself so much, it cannot ever be redeemed. He stated there is something fundamentally rotten to the core with the American left, that leftism stands for something sinister, that Antifa is not a representation of Marxism, but anti-culture and anti-family, and that they are the true reactionaries who will slowly turn into some form of Nazism. He referred to Maoists Red Guards Austin and Antifa as "parasites who need to keep away from the worker's party". See his interesting speech HERE.
Daniel Burke-"Exonerate LaRouche"
A former candidate for the U.S. Senate (New Jersey), soft spoken Daniel Burke (above) presented ideas and plans from The Schiller Institute. SI is a German based political and economic think tank founded by Helga Zepp-LaRouche, with members in 50 countries and creates plans to rescue the global economy. Daniel stated that the U.S. is now in a "Capitalist Monopoly" state and cannot sustain itself.
Burke claimed that the vicious collapse of the American empire and its economic system is unavoidable. Throwing money at the problems is not making things better but only creating a no-way-out scenario. He claims that there is a murderous, Malthusian plan to destroy nations and cull the herd via disease, war and famine. He claims green energy drives down the ability for small countries to power themselves, and that solar and wind are unreliable. He claims the answer is flux density energy as fusion energy is limitless.
Burke claims that for its own survival and true global security, America must join Russia and China in creating a world land bridge through the One Belt One Road Initiative. LaRouche has a plan for a new security and development architecture and presents articles on the "Belt and Road Initiative" that Burke supports. He also made claims that Ukraine is responsible for ethnic cleansing in its own country and has slaughtered 14,000 of its own prior to Putin's invasion. Burke's convention video has not been put up on YouTube. However, Burke and Maupin weigh in on the conference HERE. Burke and Maupin recently discussed the possibility of WWIII HERE. A conversation on their view of American hysteria over Russia HERE. Burke can be found on Twitter HERE.
Communist Activist Charlotte Forrester
Flag holder Charlotte Forrester (above) passionately presented a poem in the second session. Her video HERE. Charlotte is seen with other CPI members in New York standing against American aggression in Ukraine and standing up for the people of the Donbass region HERE.
Lilly Goldklang Speaks in Austin
Goldklang (above) who is interested in Latin American politics, presented an "Update on the Alex Saab Case". Lilly was introduced to a rousing applause from the audience. Lilly's conference speech can be seen HERE.
There was a Q&A discussion period and video messages from Joti Brar, Communist Party of Great Britain; Marxist-Leninist Tara Reade, a Journalist; George Galloway of the Worker's Party of Britain; Max Blumenthal, a Journalist and Founder of the Grayzone Project; and finally Australians for a New Democracy.
THE LIFE OF THE PARTY, KEATEN MANSFIELD
Christian Marxist Keaten Mansfield
Mansfield (above) makes a big splash. His speech video is HERE. Recently Keaten engaged in an epic square off with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Cortez was in Austin at a Democratic Socialists of America event supporting Austin Socialist Greg Casar in his bid for Congress. A must see video HERE. Keaten can be found on YouTube HERE.
No Condemnation for Communist Mass Murder
However, at the conference, there was deafening silence concerning Putin's invasion in Ukraine. This is a war which is at the time of this article is laying waste to the environment, leveling cities, and is causing a refugee catastrophe with over 3 million people fleeing to neighboring Poland and elsewhere - including the United States. Russian allied soldiers are slaughtering innocent civilians. The victims are being mutilated, dismembered, defaced, tied up, executed, and thrown into trenches by the hundreds. Yet, American media celebrity Alex Jones claims that the Ukrainian army is a Nazi Soros army. Jones recently showed videos of Ukrainian soldiers torturing Russian soldiers.
Putin's Lt. General Ramzan Kadyrov, a Chechen warlord and devoted Muslim, is waging Jihad on the ground. See that article HERE. Do CPI not understand Islam's totalitarian government of Sharia and the concept of Jihad? Because that too is what they are supporting at this point. The silence over the massive scale of slaughtered and bombed civilians is hypocritical. CPI poses as a pro-humanitarian Socialist group critical of American wars and imperialist economic terrorism and genocide in third-world countries. There wasn't a peep of condemnation for the millions of people slaughtered under Lenin, Stalin, and Mao during the first session of the conference. Putin is now joining those ranks in history.
Ideology, Philosophy, Theories
Conference speakers quoted Mao and Marx frequently. Speaker Daniel Burke claimed that the United States is in "swift decline and irreversibly on its way to catastrophic failure", and that a hybrid system of Marxist/Leninist socialism with the host country's artifacts is superior to capitalism.
CPI do have their critics. Critics say that Maupin is a Russian State Owned Media Propagandist and not a smart one at that. He has been a contributor to the American division of RT, which is Russian State Media. But so is William Shatner. Is Shatner a Communist?
OPINION: CPI are the new Communist activists in America. I felt they were professional, upbeat and friendly. CPI are amenable to working with all who can engage in a dialog and the conference was indeed diverse, fun and interesting. They believe that the American old guard is going down. They may be right. They are hard to dislike and I found we shared common ideological adversaries. They believe their utopia will produce an "abundance of wealth for all". Is socialism possible on a large scale? Experts do not think so. Why? One word . . . CORRUPTION. CPI members seem to be in it for the long haul. One thing I can guarantee, it won't be boring.