Get out this week’s issue of Revolution and Get the Word Out on the Historic New Talks from Bob Avakian. Donations urgently needed.

This issue of Revolution is a “two week issue”, with special focus – especially during the second week on Getting out the word on these new talks (see Editorial).

We need to be getting out this weekend with this issue of Revolution, and we need to be raising hundreds of dollars now in contributions to produce thousands of posters, post cards and copies of the talks as soon as possible (hopefully some for use this weekend and all by mid-week). Please give generously and go out all others broadly for their donations. Please leave contributions received with the staff at Revolution Books. (And if you can not go drop off these contributions immediately, please call the bookstore indicating how much you are bringing and when, so plans can be made.)

Besides having teams going out to areas people are paying special attention to developing distribution of Revolution, here are additional suggestions and special events this weekend we have heard about:

Friday afternoon: 3:30 PM Rally to protest Israeli attacks in Gaza and Lebanon, at Israeli mission, 42nd & 2nd Avenue (sponsored by various mosques, churches and Al Awda). (No team set yet for this. If you want to volunteer to help organize this, please us know.)

Friday evening: “Celebrate Brooklyn” R&B concert with Leela James and Brooklyn Funk Essentials, concert starts at 7:30. Suggest going around 6:30. (No team set yet for this. If you want to volunteer to help organize this, please us know.)

Saturday Harlem expanded team, meet at 12:00 Noon, SW corner Fredrick Douglas Blvd. and 125th Street. RSVP 917-553-4704.

Saturday Brooklyn Boricua Festival. Prospect Park Bandshell 2:00-9:00. (No team set yet for this. If you want to volunteer to help organize this, please us know.)

Sunday, there are Spanish speaking events/festivals/concerts in Manhattan (2 areas), Brooklyn (Bushwick) and Peruvian Festival Queens, Flushing Meadows Park. Call Jonathan [646-853-6512] if you can be a part of any of these.

Sell Revolution at this new film: AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM

Make plans to catch this movie & sell Revolution when it opens July 28th:

AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM

"FOUR STARS (Highest Rating). The scariest goddamn film you'll see
this year. It will leave you staggering out of the theatre,
slack-jawed and trembling. Makes 'Fahrenheit 9/11' look like 'Bambi.'
After watching this movie, your comfy, secure notions about America
-- and about what it means to be an American -- will be forever
shattered. Producer/director Aaron Russo and the folks at Cinema
Libre Studio deserve to be heralded as heroes of a post-modern New
American Revolution. This is shocking stuff. You'll be angry, you'll
be disgusted, but you may actually break out in a cold sweat and feel
a sickness deep in your gut; I would advise movie theatre managers to
hand out vomit bags. You may end up needing one."
--- Todd David Schwartz, CBS


The new trailer:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1616088001333580937&q=freedom+to+fascism+trailer


Cannes Premiere Gets Standing Ovation

Aaron Russo's AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM

To Open Across America July 28

CANNES, FRANCE - Aaron Russo's incendiary political documentary which
exposes many of the governmental organizations and entities that have
abridged the freedoms of U.S. citizens had its international premiere
at Cannes and won a standing ovation. The event, which was held on
the beach and filled to capacity, was open to the public and drew a
crowd of people who stood along the boardwalk to watch the film.

Through interviews with U.S. Congressmen, as well the former IRS
Commissioner, former IRS and FBI agents, tax attorneys and authors,
Russo proves conclusively that there is no law requiring citizens to
pay a direct tax on their labor. His film connects the dots between
money creation, federal income tax, voter fraud, the national
identity card (which becomes law in May 2008) and the implementation
of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to track
citizens. Neither left nor right-wing in perspective, the film
concludes that the U.S. government is taking on the characteristics
of a police state. Doc will open on multiple screens in cities across
the U.S. beginning July 28.

The international audience at Cannes as well as the European media
has been fascinated by Russo's fiery diatribe against the direction
America is heading. The discussion that followed the preview lasted
for thirty minutes. Actor Nick Nolte, in Cannes for the premiere of
"Over The Hedge," joined Russo during the event. "The information in
this film is something everybody has to know", said Nolte, who was
the lead actor in "Teachers," a film produced by Russo.

Russo, who is best known as the producer of feature films including
"The Rose" with Bette Midler and "Trading Places" with Eddie Murphy
and Dan Aykroyd, wrote, produced, and directed the doc. "I am
disgusted by the direction America was heading," says Russo. "I made
this movie because I want to live in a free country and I want my
kids and grandkids to live in a free country. The American people
must abandon the myth that America is still the land of liberty that
it once was."

Russo's doc already has a tremendous grass root groundswell behind
it. The film has previewed in over twenty-five cities with sold out
theatres and standing ovations. The website, www.freedomtofascism.com
has been had over five hundred thousand (500,000) streams of the
video trailer. Additionally, through the website and from grassroots
screenings, over $100,000 in non-deductible donations has been
collected to help with the theatrical release.


Review: AMERICA: "FREEDOM TO FASCISM" A MUST SEE MOVIE

http://www.newswithviews.com/Yates/steven20.htm


The Freedom To Fascism web site:

http://www.freedomtofascism.com/


Outstanding Aaron Russo interview about his new movie, Freedom to Fascism:
(due to high traffic, you may have to try several times)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5291973427234326281&q=freedom+to+fascism

You're invited to an evening of
readings and conversation of
Bob Avakian's memoir
"From Ike to Mao and Beyond:
My Journey from Mainstream America to
Revolutionary Communist."

Monday, July 24. 6:30pm.
Join us at the delicious Uptown Juice Bar, located at 54 W. 125th St.
between Lenox and 5th Aves.

Readings by:
Aladdin, comedian and playwright
Herb Boyd, journalist, Amsterdam News
Gamal Abdel Chasten, playwright and performer with Universes
Rev. Earl Kooperkamp, St. Mary's Episcopal Church
Lara Stapleton, writer
Tevin Thomas, musician and educator
_______________

Bob Avakian has written a memoir containing three unique but interwoven stories. The first tells of a white middle-class kid growing up in ’50s America who goes to an integrated high school and has his world turned around; the second of a young man who overcomes a near-fatal disease and jumps with both feet into the heady swirl of Berkeley in the ’60s; and the third of a radical activist who matures into a tempered revolutionary communist leader. If you think about the past or if you urgently care about the future... if you want to hear a unique voice of utter realism and deep humanity... and if you dare to have your assumptions challenged and your stereotypes overturned... then you won’t want to miss this book.

"Bob Avakian is a long distance runner in the freedom struggle against imperialism, racism and capitalism. His voice and witness are indispensable in our efforts to enhance the wretched of the earth. And his powerful story of commitment is timely."
– Cornel West

"A truly interesting account of Bob Avakian’s life, a humanizing portrait of someone who is often seen only as a hard-line revolutionary. I can understand why Bob Avakian has drawn so many ardent supporters. He speaks to people’s alienation from a warlike and capitalist society, and holds out the possibility for radical change."
– Howard Zinn
_______________

Bob Avakian is the leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. And he is more than that: he’s an innovative and critical thinker who has taken Marxism to a new place; he’s a provocative commentator on everything from basketball to religion, doo-wop music to science; and he’s a pit-bull fighter against oppression who’s kept both his solemn sense of purpose and his irrepressible sense of humor.

For more information, call: 917-553-4704

One good experience Saturday 7/1

Today, Saturday, a team of 4 of us took the "July 4th Challenge" issue of Revolution, a box of the "Wanted" [for illegal crossing borders: the Bush Regime] t-shirts, subscription forms, a table and graphics to a busy Harlem corner. Now, a "holiday" weekend requires special arts at getting attention. We each wore our "Wanted" t-shirts, a detail which cannot be discounted for its drop-dead effectiveness. We inadvertently learned that an XL t-shirt displays nicely on a folded shopping cart, too, adding surprisingly a lot to the overall scene and to shoppers curiosity. As graphics, we decided to use the full cover of this issue, the banner and coverage highlights side, and opened it up so people could see the back cover poster and Frederick Douglass's quote. We had a big enough board to include two other pages below: the full page 3 editorial, and the full page 4 "In the Heart of Watts" piece about the reading of Bob Avakian's memoir. I think the eye-level graphics were a very important part of the day, drawing people toward the table to see the paper and the t-shirt even with little or no interaction with us. This was simple, effective and attractive. Use decent art materials.

We knew we wanted to reach people with the "July 4th challenge" idea, the editorial's content, with the full punch provided by the final paragraphs, and we came up with the following after a few attempts.

We decided to literally ask people, "Have you taken the July 4th Challenge?" And it was very appropriate for the scene on this busy shopping corner. If people were a little shy or something we'd tell them "it'll only take a minute", (or a phrase like that, anything, to fill the awkward gap). We started to get lots of people to stop to hear the challenge: "Looking over the past 100 years, can you cite a 10 year stretch in which the U.S. did not go to a foreign country and start a war, outright or by proxy?" And people would all say, "No". And we'd say, "You're right, there hasn't been a ten year period without the U.S. involved in war. Now here's the second part of the challenge: Given that analysis, the truth about the U.S. and its imperialist aims, doesn't it follow that we have a responsibility to go even deeper analysing this, and further, seek a solution?" And people overwhelmingly said, "Yes". Then we'd explain that that is what this paper does every week -- analyses and puts forward the solution, revolution. And this interaction led to further discussion (but not long talks usually) and often people got the paper off the challenge, the t-shirt and CD, sometimes an email adress or way to be in touch.

Make sure to let people know that this effort is a fundraiser for the paper! We got 2, 3, 5 dollar contributions on that tip alone. We had a guy come by and say, "Just imagine what it would be like if lots and lots of people were wearing that shirt!" And imagine if many more people were reading and contributing to this paper.

We thought it was a pretty good day and we look forward to the next 3 days using the paper.

Who wants to go to Orchard Beach Tuesday?! Write us back with ideas about where else to take Revolution paper.

(Note, we sold "kits" for $12 that included t-shirt and CD.)

We sold 13 t-shirts (all for $10 except 1) $124.00
We sold 113 papers (averaging .50 ea) 59.16
CDs 6.00
DVD sample 3.00
subs 0.00
Total $192.16