*sigh*
"Does reading Marx and Engels and The Communist Manifesto count."
Reading it?
Well, that is the prerequisite for UNDERSTANDING it.
So, no. Just reading it doesn't count.
"Following Marx's ideas, there never has been a communist state."
So, why do you ask questions to which you already seem to know the answer?
"Communism, in practice, is the oppression and enslavement of 97% by the ruling 3% and death to those who can see the truth."
No, that is totalitarian socialism. "Communism" is just the name given so that people can be fooled into thinking the reality is not what it is.
"You and Ashton will tell us it's worse than that here."
Worse than that?
Not yet.
You see, over 200 years ago, we had a group of very intelligent individuals who understood that certain people would try to drag this country down to a totalitarian state.
So, this group crafted a government that had checks and balances to ensure that there would be 2 segments to oppose any totalitarian move by the other.
Unfortunately, they couldn't account for all contingencies.
They didn't realize the true extent of human stupidity over time. Particularly with regards to language and the slow erosion of rights.