[Marxism] Celia Hart - some points of clarification

[Walter Lippmann]

A few days ago, David Walters posted some rather inaccurate
information to the Marxmail list. He didn't provide any facts or
attribution, only "a friend" as the source of the story. Sayan
Battacharya picked up and repeated this bad information as well,
passing it along to others who took what they wrote for good coin,
which it certainly was not. Who knows how many others have since 
passed this stuff on? It is nothing else but political gossip.

Here in the United States, television news is often guided by the
philosophy that "if it bleeds, it leads". People here seem to get a
charge out of hearing about the troubles of others, or the crimes
committed against others, for a perverse reason which I personally do
not understand. Perhaps it gives the people passing on such trash a
feeling of power while the recipients are in some way privileged to
receive "the scoop", "the poop" or the "real deal" as it's called.

Since I'm certainly the principal person who'se been working with
Celia Hart to disseminate her ideas in English, and have also been
publicizing more of her works than anyone else in English through the
CubaNews list, the news of Celia's expulsion came as quite a surprise
to me. I am in touch with Celia from time to time electronically.
I've also visited her at home where we've discussed a wide range of
topics. Here is an update about Celia Hart and her relationship with
the Cuban Communist Party.

Celia Hart has not been expelled from the Cuban Communist Party. 
We spoke yesterday. She told me that she hasn't been a PCC member
since May of last year.

She was rather surprised to hear that she'd been expelled since she
has friendly relations with the PCC, including her father Armando
Hart, among others. She said she wasn't disciplined or sanctioned
(the word which the Cubans use) in any way. However, she feels it
would be better if she were not to be a member so that she can
continue to do her work, as a Cuban revolutionary, who supports the
revolution fully, in her own distinctive voice. Should she feel
inclined to write more on this for any reason, it'll be translated 
and shared as have her other writings, via CubaNews, etc.

While I do not speak on Celia's behalf, here is my perspective:

In my opinion, Celia's decision was a wise and appropriate one
considering the circumstances. Some people could have misconstrued
the fact that Celia was a member of the PCC to get or to pass along
the wrong impression that Celia represented one or another "wing" or
"tendency" or "faction" or "layer" of some kind within the PCC which
she certainly doesn't. Celia makes no claim to represent anything but
her own individual opinions. Celia is a Cuban revolutionary, first of
all and above all. Furthermore, the fact that she has been politically 
active, travelling and writing since leaving the PCC makes it evident 
that she's not been punished or disciplined in any manner.

Celia Hart's thinking, and her friendly attitude to Trotsky's ideas,
flow from her experiences during the years when she studied physica
and worked in the German Democratic Republic. She has written about
the evolution of her ideas and those which have been translated speak
for themselves:

	CELIA HART - selected writings
	http://www.walterlippmann.com/celiahart.html


Walter Lippmann, CubaNews
http://www.walterlippmann.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews 


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DAVID WALTERS wrote:
I just learned that C. Hart had been expelled from the Cuba Communist
Party because of this or another article she wrote. Is this old news
or something that just occurred? Inside Cuba she has been known to go
"after the apparatus", take on problems with bureaucracy, etc. Anyone
know more? I asked because a friend of mine just spent 3 days with
her at the Algerian Conference in Defense of Palestinian Women.
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism/2007-January/007731.html