because it was the best thing he knew how to do at the time. He
explained their purpose at the first meeting.
KMFE: People are not particularly enthused with communism.
Brian: I hope this was not some sort of a trick for you to say
everything you don't like about communism.
KMFE: All economic systems are out of fashion these days. Capitalism has
taken the hardest hit, but really people won't trust something new and
dramatically different.
KMFE: The goal is to tie the goals of this revolution to a fight against
corruption. People can see the harm corruption does.
KMFE: I don't really buy that communism is an economic system. It's
really a way of thinking about things. It's a social concern. And
honestly, when capitalism enters the debate, it too is more of a social
concern than an economic system. At heart, every society is capitalist,
even the most oppressively controlled.
KMFE: So that brings us here, basically. And where else are you gonna
find a communist revolution committed to free markets?
The discussion then turned to what the specific goals of the revolution
should be. KMFE made it clear that the protection of free markets was
not for efficiency (in fact, he admitted he didn't really care about
efficiency). It was for peace. Free markets may be the most viable
defense against war.
They decided that before spending too much time figuring out the goals,
they ought to put some limitations on what the revolution could and
could not do. The problem with so many revolutions is that they are
tainted – sometimes irreparably – by actions counter to their original
goals. So it was thought necessary to lay out some strict rules:
Freedom of speech, of the press, of religion, of assembly, and all other
freedoms currently granted by the US constitution will not be restricted
in any way, including through legal action or intimidation.
The basic function of the economy necessary to sustain life in this
country will not be interrupted.
No one will be killed or threatened.
No action will be taken that has a good chance of causing anarchy.
All actions that affect the country as a whole will be decided in a
manner as democratic as possible.
No revenge will be taken on parties that oppose or resist the revolution.
While the goals of the revolution were still unclear, they all agreed
that they had one of the best set of prohibitions. This was an
encouraging start.
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