The following address was given on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025 by Joe Sims at the conclusion of the CPUSA’s Peace Conference 2.0: “Driven by Justice — United for Peace.” It has been edited for style, clarity, and length.

We’re in an electoral season now, beginning with last Tuesday’s local elections. It will last until the midterms next year. During this season, bringing pressure to bear on elected officials — delegations to meet members of Congress, letters, petitions, campaigns, sit-ins, etc. — is extremely important. As we keep saying, it’s imperative to keep the pressure on.

And while I’m on the subject of elections, let me not fail to mention we had a big boost for the party last Tuesday when several comrades were elected to office. In fact, I think we’re on the verge of a big breakthrough. In just over a month, starting with the Daily Show clip through the elections, we’ve reached a big audience. People are talking about us on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and other social platforms. I don’t know when in the last 30 or 40 years that has happened. One of the things I’m going to present to the party leadership come Monday morning is how we build on that. How do we build on this expanded reach?

MAGA actively preparing for war

The main thing we’re grappling with in this meeting is how to build the peace movement in conditions in which fascists in the administration — because that’s what we have — are actively preparing for war. As Rossana said in her presentation, they changed the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Then they hired that Christian Nationalist talking head, Peter Hegseth, as its secretary.

And when you hear the phrase “Christian nationalist,” think fascist, because these are not evangelical Christians of the old type. They’re not typical conservatives; it’s a new breed. If you look closely at what they’re talking about, they’re putting forward ideas based in a fascist ideology.

In a 2023 episode of Fox News, Hegseth is reported to have said, “We are not preparing for a period of peace. Instead, we are shifting the Pentagon and the military industrial base into an actual state of war. The moment feels like 1939 or, I hope, 1981. Enemies are gathering and threats are mounting. You feel it and I feel it.”

Since he got elected, Trump, over the last several months, has been tightening his hold on the military. They’re purging the military’s general staff of anyone who might not want to follow an order, whether it’s legal or illegal. Of course, they don’t care about the legality of their orders; they’re just doing whatever they think they can get away with — and that’s just about everything.

These people care as much about Black Christians in Lagos as they do about Black Christians in Louisville.

This is the context in which you have to put the U.S. bombing — along with Israel — of Iran. That’s the context for the attacks on the boats off the shores of Venezuela and in the Caribbean, allegedly to stop drug trafficking. That’s the context for them talking now about sending ground troops into Mexico. Can you imagine? And now they’re threatening to invade Nigeria under the pretext of defending Black Christians. These people care as much about Black Christians in Lagos as they do about Black Christians in Lexington or Louisville, Kentucky, or Black and Brown Christians in Detroit, Chicago, D.C., Houston, or LA.

What they’re really concerned about is that “black gold” underneath the soil of Nigeria, that is, Nigeria’s huge supply of black crude oil. And speaking of oil, it’s what brings U.S. imperialism to Venezuela. This is what’s at stake in the campaign against the Maduro government. And of course, if they’re going after Maduro in Venezuela, you know that Cuba is also at the top of the list.

Then there’s the incident in South Korea, when Mr. Man met with Comrade Xi. During that conversation, he stepped out of the meeting — I don’t think he had the courage to do it in the meeting — and announced a resumption of nuclear testing. That’s an extremely dangerous development, because it portends a new arms race. And what makes it even more dangerous is that the ruling class, Republican and Democrat alike, are united in their desire to overthrow the Communist Party of China. Indeed, it’s been that way for a few decades.

The Doomsday Clock is set today at 89 seconds to midnight.

Consider that the Doomsday Clock is set today at 89 seconds to midnight — midnight being nuclear Armageddon. This is the closest it has ever been. And in these circumstances, sadly there’s not a broad public awareness of the extent of the threat of nuclear war. Therefore, it is extremely important that we begin to raise awareness.

I’m so glad that the new Cold War against China has been raised. Our fight for peace takes place within what is the beginning of a new nuclear arms race with that great country. And yes, it’s very much connected to the issue of the environment. Back when Biden was still president, the State Department was split over the launching of this new Cold War. The war hawks were in ascendance, but it wasn’t completely decided. At that time, around 50 environmental organizations wrote a letter, joined by Bernie Sanders, calling on Biden to step away from this aggressive posture. Then Putin invaded Ukraine, and that discussion went completely off the table. You never heard another word about it. So the threat of global warming, the possibility of a worldwide catastrophe, are very much present.

And then back home we have the troop deployment in LA, D.C., and Memphis, and the threats against Baltimore and New Orleans. These are some very dangerous times. Thus, the fight for peace takes place within the context of this administration’s attempt to consolidate its power; and they’re prepared to do it by any means necessary. Therefore, the struggles we are undertaking now to defeat this fascist policy leading up to the midterms are extremely important.

The Struggle for a Mass Approach

Let me just end on this note: It is so important that party members and party clubs think through how to take initiative on the proposals we have been discussing today. We must give leadership to the peace and mass democratic movement on the struggles we have been discussing — to not leave the initiative in the hands of the narrow sectarian left on issues like Cuba and Venezuela, on just transition, of the threat against Mexico and now Nigeria.

In today’s discussion, comrades were right to talk about the need to take initiative to bring forward the peace sentiment in the African American community, and we could add the Latino community, the Asian American community, and LGBTQ communities. Given the threats aimed at both Mexico and Nigeria, why not approach the Black church, the Latino church, those who go to the mosque? Nigeria has a huge Muslim and Christian population.

Let’s talk to our mayors and our members of Congress. Let’s take initiative to say, “Hell no, we’re not going to support this kind of adventurism by this administration.” Now is the time to do it, and I think the party is more than ever before prepared to do that in a broad way — bringing the trade unions, the working class, and the religious community into the fight.

Well, let me stop there. Congratulations on a wonderful conference. Thank you very much for being here. And comrades, until we meet again, as we say every week every Friday morning on Good Morning Revolution: stay strong, stay safe, stay in the fight.

Image: CPUSA March on Wall Street