[Marxism] About Bill Ayers

[Louis Proyect]

don't know if this will pass the format test,
so do with this what you will.

I agree completely with your assessment of
Weather, having been a symp at the time who
'ran' in the Days of Rage.

However...

1. Max Elbaum's book deals mostly with
groups only tangentially connected to RYM 2.
The RCP's forerunner RU preceded RYM 2, but
joined with it briefly to shore up opposition
to PL at the split convention of June 1969.
RU was a local collective among collectives, not
yet a sect, and far from the cult it is today.
Avakian was one of several RU honchos, albeit
the most prominent.

A few RYM 2 leaders, including SDS ex-natsec Mike
Klonsky formed a different group, October League,
rather than join RU.

Various other grouplets spun off RYM 2, but only
RU and OL were self-defined as pro-China [ie
Mao-centric]. Other, smaller Maoist groups of the
70s had various different points of origin. BTW,
Freedom Road Socialist Organization, which is
still active, it partly descended from RCP.

2. It is inaccurate to say 'Ayers and Dohrn
were involved with the Democratic Party at a
fairly high level,' unless you recognize
that the Chicago government is Democratic from
top to bottom. Ayers and Dohrn stay out of
city politics. They run in academic circles -
that's why they chose to live in the University
of Chicago enclave where Obama makes his home.
Alice Palmer is a Harold Washington Democrat
with a long history in the South Side left,
who needed a nice place for a house party to
introduce Obama to constituents with money.
[Ayers comes from a prominent ruling class
family, and owns a mansion in the neighborhood.]
Ayers [along with Klonsky] now campaigns
for smaller classroom size, which is how he came
by the ironic position of 'adviser' to Richie
Daley.

3. Dr. Quentin Young is as well-fixed as most
physicians, but he is no conventional
liberal. He just plays one on TV.

Can I have the link to the Warren blog?

ethan 'baby doc' young