We'll gather to honor the recent passing of Parenti, a renowned Marxist scholar and author of Inventing Reality: The Politics of News Media and Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism. Even after the collapse of the socialist bloc, Parenti remained a fierce defender of revolutionary socialism, refusing to join peers in what he saw as a capitulation to anti-communist orthodoxy.

In this iconic lecture, Parenti demolishes the myths of "benevolent" empire and uncovers the savage hypocrisy of U.S. foreign policy. As he exposes, "So it is the heart of US policy, ladies and gentlemen, to use fascism to preserve capitalism, while claiming to be saving democracy from communism."

As we witness an intensification of U.S. imperialism—from the new cold war with China and worsening sanctions on Cuba, to ongoing regime-change efforts against Venezuela—Parenti's insights prove more urgent than ever.

After watching the first 40 minutes, we will have a discussion about the lecture and current U.S. foreign policy. Most importantly, we will discuss what we can do about it.