From walterlx at earthlink.net Fri Aug 1 00:03:19 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 02:03:19 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Irrational Exuberance Message-ID: <23640143.1217570599068.JavaMail.root@mswamui-cedar.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Fidel's 1968 speec is much longer than that. Sorry, I do no thave the time to scan it out of the book SAD AND LUMINOUS DAYS in which the transcript is printed. Fidel reiterated his thoughts on the Soviet intervention in Czecho- slovakia in MY LIFE, the recently-issued compilation of interivew with Ignacio Ramonet. He no longer owes the Soviet Union anything but still holds the same viewpoint he held in 1968. Walter ===================================================================== Fidel Castro on Czechoslovakia in 1968: (Excerpts from two speeches by Fidel Castro on August 23rd and 24th 1968, attacking the "counter-revolutionary" anti-Stalinist movement in Czechoslovakia and supporting the USSR's invasion. ) ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From Jscotlive at aol.com Fri Aug 1 00:15:19 2008 From: Jscotlive at aol.com (Jscotlive at aol.com) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 02:15:19 EDT Subject: [Marxism] The Scottish Socialist Party: the biggest small party | Links Message-ID: The Scottish Socialist Party are nothing more than a poisonous rump of a party forever tainted by their role in the high profile defamation case involving former leader, Tommy Sheridan, against the execrable Rupert Murdoch and his anti-working class, racist News of The World Sunday tabloid. Sheridan won his case in spectacular fashion, after sacking his lawyer and conducting his own case. In the aftermath a perjury investigation was launched by the police at the behest of the Judge, who sat on the original trial. The perjury investigation is still ongoing, with Sheridan, his wife, father-in-law, and five other former members of the SSP who gave evidence on his behalf during his defamation trial having been arrested and charged. Perjury in the UK carries a prison sentence of anything up to 9 years, and to their eternal shame, the SSP have co-operated with the police every step of the way. The SSP are now deemed untouchable by the trade union movement and among significant sections of the progressive movement in Scotland and the UK. At a recent rally in Glasgow to foment support for what is now known as the Sheridan Seven, over 250 people turned out to hear the likes of Kenny Ross (FBU - Fire Brigade Union), Paddy Hill (Birmingham Six), and Gerry Conlon (Guidford Four and the subject of the Daniel Day Lewis Movie 'In The Name Of The Father'), excoriate the SSP for their role in aiding and abetting the Murdoch Press in court against Tommy Sheridan and their role in trying to get socialists sent to prison for perjury. As a result of Kenny Ross's speech, which was particularly scathing, four high ranking members of the SSP sent an official letter of complaint to FBU head office in London, claiming defamation and demanding that Kenny Ross be disciplined. Kenny Ross, it should be explained, was speaking at the rally on a personal capacity and not as an official representative of the FBU. The FBU looked at the complaint and decided to not only endorse Kenny Ross's speech, but to officially affiliate to the Defend Tommy Sheridan Campaign and give a donation of ?500. Also among the list of signatories to the Defend Tommy Sheridan campaign are the likes of Bob Crow, leader of the RMT, George Galloway, and hundreds of trade unionists, socialists, and progressives from around the world. The website can be found at: _http://www.defendtommysheridan.org/defend/_ (http://www.defendtommysheridan.org/defend/) The website of Solidarity, the party formed in Scotland of those who split with Tommy Sheridan from the SSP, can be found at: _www.solidarityscotland.org_ (http://www.solidarityscotland.org) I should explain that I was a founding member of Solidarity, a former regional press officer with the SSP and a former press officer with Solidarity. I am no longer a member of the party but continue to fully support the Defend Tommy Sheridan campaign. As for the SSP, they are now being referred to as the State Security Party. J From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 00:23:18 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 02:23:18 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Irrational Exuberance In-Reply-To: <007801c8f321$6cf6e7d0$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> References: <6841257.1217515424904.JavaMail.root@mswamui-cedar.atl.sa.earthlink.net> <007801c8f321$6cf6e7d0$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <908b689f0807312323t702aeffdg8f420507b3cd2fca@mail.gmail.com> On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 11:23 AM, S. Artesian wrote: > > Despite Walter's rapturous praises, the current expansion of the Brazilian > economy is based on a similar cycle, fed by the oil price driven increases > in commodity prices, and will take the country back into another round of > austerity an immiseration. "Some economists say a slow down in the rest of the world's economy could crimp recent growth in Brazil. "But that probability is small," says Alfredo Couti?o, the senior economist for Latin America for Moody's Economy.com. In fact, because Brazil's economy has become so diversified, the country is less susceptible to a hangover from the struggling United States economy." -- From suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk Fri Aug 1 01:01:39 2008 From: suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk (Sukla Sen) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 08:01:39 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Marxism] Irrational Exuberance In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <756046.32727.qm@web23002.mail.ird.yahoo.com> What Marxism and whose Marxism one is talking of? Does Marxism preclude high rate of economic growth, for a while, or an economic turn around under capitalism? Forget about Brazil, the Scandinavian countries have high rates of HDI for a pretty long while. But that does not in any way mitigate the looming ecological disaster caused by production for profit and over-consumption. Nor the social/political conflicts the world over cease to exist. If the point is that the central element of Marxism is the prediction that the tendency of the rate of profit to fall with the rise of organic composition of capital will lead capitalism to its inevitable doom, then one doesn't have to wait for Brazil to pass an adverse judgement on Marxism. Marxism, after all and above all, is in its essence critical and revolutionary. Marxists cannot just shy away from examining the extant and evolving realities and keep chanting mantras picked up through rote learning with the eyes tightly shut. So, in the instant case, one has to look deep into Brazil's (alleged) case of economic recovery, its drivers, limitations, prospects and implications for the struggles for socialism. One cannot just give a call to ignore whatever that does not conform to the scriptures. Sukla Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:58:18 -0400 From: "Ruthless Critic of All that Exists" Subject: Re: [Marxism] Irrational Exuberance To: "Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition" Message-ID: <908b689f0807310758n245bd1c1leb0c6fc855024b58 at mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 10:43 AM, Walter Lippmann wrote: > What's irrational here? Brazil is doing very well. > > Is there something wrong with Brazil's progress? > Viva Lula! Viva Fidel! Viva Raul! Long Live the > Brazilian Workers Party! Viva Brazil! I think the point of concern for Marxists here is that, if Brazil's working class is really doing so well (the picture painted in the article) even while Brazil is accommodating to neoliberalism, then (1) either the picture painted is incorrect, or (2) Marxism is incorrect. __________________________________________________________ Not happy with your email address?. Get the one you really want - millions of new email addresses available now at Yahoo! http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/ymail/new.html From ffeldman at bellatlantic.net Fri Aug 1 02:26:08 2008 From: ffeldman at bellatlantic.net (Fred Feldman) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:26:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] NYT hits Feds' anti-immigrant raid in Postville, Iowa Message-ID: <000001c8f3b0$40407960$12e9fea9@office1pc> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/01/opinion/01fri1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin August 1, 2008 Editorial 'The Jungle,' Again A story from the upside-down world of immigration and labor: A slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa, develops an ugly reputation for abusing animals and workers. Reports of dirty, dangerous conditions at the Agriprocessors kosher meatpacking plant accumulate for years, told by workers, union organizers, immigrant advocates and government investigators. A videotape by an animal-rights group shows workers pulling the windpipes out of living cows. A woman with a deformed hand tells a reporter of cutting meat for 12 hours a day, six days a week, for wages that labor experts call the lowest in the industry. This year, federal investigators amass evidence of rampant illegal hiring at the plant, which has been called "a kosher 'Jungle.' " The conditions at the Agriprocessors plant cry out for the cautious and deliberative application of justice. In May, the government swoops in and arrests ... the workers, hundreds of them, for having false identity papers. The raid's catch is so huge that the detainees are bused from little Postville to the National Cattle Congress fairgrounds in Waterloo. The defendants, mostly immigrants from Guatemala, are not charged with the usual administrative violations, but with "aggravated identity theft," a serious crime. They are offered a deal: They can admit their guilt to lesser charges, waive their rights, including the right to a hearing before an immigration judge, spend five months in prison, then be deported. Or, they can spend six months or more in jail without bail while awaiting a trial date, face a minimum two-year prison sentence and be deported anyway. Nearly 300 people agree to the five months, after being hustled through mass hearings, with one lawyer for 17 people, each having about 30 minutes of consultation per client. The plea deal is a brutal legal vise, but the immigrants accept it as the quickest way back to their spouses and children, hundreds of whom are cowering in a Catholic church, afraid to leave and not knowing how they will survive. The workers are scattered to federal lockups around the country. Many families still do not know where they are. The plant's owners walk freely. This is enforcement run amok. As Julia Preston reported in The Times, the once-silent workers of Agriprocessors now tell of a host of abusive practices, of rampant injuries and of exhausted children as young as 13 wielding knives on the killing floor. A young man said in an affidavit that he started at 16, in 17-hour shifts, six days a week. "I was very sad, and I felt like I was a slave." Instead of receiving merciful treatment as defendants who also are victims, the workers have been branded as the kind of predator who steals identities to empty bank accounts. Accounts from Postville suggest that that's not remotely what they were. "Most of the clients we interviewed did not even know what a Social Security number was or what purpose it served," said Erik Camayd-Freixas, a Spanish-language interpreter for many of the workers. "This worker simply had the papers filled out for him at the plant, since he could not read or write Spanish, let alone English." The harsh prosecution at Postville is an odd and cruel shift for the Bush administration, which for years had voiced compassion for exploited workers and insisted that immigration had to be fixed comprehensively or not at all. Now it has abandoned mercy and proportionality. It has devised new and harsher traps, as in Postville, to prosecute the weak and the poor. It has increased the fear and desperation of workers who are irresistible to bottom-feeding businesses precisely because they are fearful and desperate. By treating illegal low-wage workers as a de facto criminal class, the government is trying to inflate the menace they pose to a level that justifies its rabid efforts to capture and punish them. That is a fraudulent exercise, and a national disgrace. From lajany_otum at yahoo.co.uk Fri Aug 1 02:42:47 2008 From: lajany_otum at yahoo.co.uk (Lajany Otum) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 08:42:47 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Marxism] Irrational Exuberance Message-ID: <437012.92390.qm@web27401.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Walter Lippman writes: > > Trotskyism? I'm not opposed to Trotskyism. I used to do Trotskyism. > It was a gestational stage, like being an infant or a toddler, but > normally one grows up and out of it. Most do. Some, alas, do not. > Talking of Trotskyists who "grew up," George Galloway once remarked that Christopher Hitchens has achieved the remarkable feat of reversing evolution by beginning life as a butterfly and turning into an ugly slug. Since the slug is not the gestational stage of the butterfly, Galloway's metaphor wasn't quite accurate in the biological sense. However, it was spot on politically. Lajany Otum __________________________________________________________ Not happy with your email address?. Get the one you really want - millions of new email addresses available now at Yahoo! http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/ymail/new.html From sabocat59 at mac.com Fri Aug 1 05:41:32 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:41:32 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to obesity in americans Message-ID: <85E1DC97-A711-4D81-BDE6-5B14638DF7E5@mac.com> If corn syrup was replaced by cuban sugar in soft drinks there would still be an obesity problem. Sugar is just as bad as corn syrup with regard to empty calories. The letter is typical of americans who want to blame everyone except themselves for their physical problems. If americans were not so ignorantly addictive to empty calories, parked their cars and walked or biked more, there would be no obesity problem. Americans would do well to give up anything white for consumption, sugar, baked goods, etc. I get away with an occasional bagel and sugar in my coffee because I bike 150 miles a week. When it comes to their bodies (and much else), americans are about the most ignorant tribe on the planet. Greg McDonald From project_babylon at msn.com Fri Aug 1 06:30:58 2008 From: project_babylon at msn.com (Chris Araujo) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 07:30:58 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Marxism Digest, Vol 57, Issue 92, Re: What did Lenin learn from Hegel? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: RC wrote: > "This is very interesting as it seems to open up to a> spontaneist/voluntarist reading of Leninism -- while remaining rooted> in dialectics." I don't think that Leninism does lend itself to spontaniety and voluntarist revolutuonary praxis given the ideology's episto-ontological understanding of the nature of human beings, historical development, and especially in light of the basic principles of Bolshevism, Leninism and the vanguardism which bankrupted the Soviet experiment. Voluntarism suggests a certain libertarian set of social relations during the revolutionary process. And, as the revolutionaries at Kronstadt will tell us, this wasn't exactly the case in the Soviet Union. However, while I can't see much that Lenin did appropriate from Hegel's works--- and there is so much worthy of appropriation therein--- I do think that one unfortunate tendency which Lenin picked up from Hegel was a misguided overglorification of the State (completely congruent, of course, with his state-centralized view and Party autocracy). I would fault Hegel for thinking up such absurdities, but I would condemn Lenin for brutally practicing them. Ultimately, If Leninism and Hegelian thought can be reconciled at points, the confluences can only be found in some of the more the unfortunate and regressive tendencies of Hegel. Chris _________________________________________________________________ From pt_costello at yahoo.com Fri Aug 1 06:48:08 2008 From: pt_costello at yahoo.com (Pat Costello) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 05:48:08 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to obesity in americans Message-ID: <621296.5961.qm@web63114.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Greg McDonald: If corn syrup was replaced by cuban sugar in soft drinks there would still be an obesity problem. Sugar is just as bad as corn syrup with regard to empty calories. The letter is typical of americans who want to blame everyone except themselves for their physical problems. If americans were not so ignorantly addictive to empty calories, parked their cars and walked or biked more, there would be no obesity problem. Americans would do well to give up anything white for consumption, sugar, baked goods, etc. I get away with an occasional bagel and sugar in my coffee because I bike 150 miles a week. When it comes to their bodies (and much else), americans are about the most ignorant tribe on the planet. Me: According to your logic the rising obesity rate in the U.S. is due to growing ignorance on the part of an entire population. That does not seem like a very marxist analysis! http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2003/12_03/bray2.gif The obesity rate in the U.S. has been tied to government policy. Americans started to gain weight back in the 70's when Nixon's secretary of agriculture changed the price structure of corn: http://www.michaelpollan.com/article.php?id=52 "So why did we ever abandon this comparatively sane sort of farm policy? Politics, in a word. The shift from an agricultural-support system designed to discourage overproduction to one that encourages it dates to the early 1970's???to the last time food prices in America climbed high enough to generate significant political heat. That happened after news of Nixon's 1972 grain deal with the Soviet Union broke, a disclosure that coincided with a spell of bad weather in the farm belt. Commodity prices soared, and before long so did supermarket prices for meat, milk, bread and other staple foods tied to the cost of grain. Angry consumers took to the streets to protest food prices and staged a nationwide meat boycott to protest the high cost of hamburger, that American birthright. Recognizing the political peril, Nixon ordered his secretary of agriculture, Earl (Rusty) Butz, to do whatever was necessary o drive down the price of food. Butz implored America's farmers to plant their fields "fence row to fence row" and set about dismantling 40 years of farm policy designed to prevent overproduction. He shuttered the ever-normal granary, dropped the target price for grain and inaugurated a new subsidy system, which eventually replaced nonrecourse loans with direct payments to farmers. The distinction may sound technical, but in effect it was revolutionary. For instead of lending farmers money so they could keep their grain off the market, the government offered to simply cut them a check, freeing them to dump their harvests on the market no matter what the price. The new system achieved exactly what it was intended to: the price of food hasn't been a political problem for the government since the Nixon era. Commodity prices have steadily declined, and in the perverse logic of agricultural economics, production has increased, as farmers struggle to stay solvent. As you can imagine, the shift from supporting agricultural prices to subsidizing much lower prices has been a boon to agribusiness companies because it slashes the cost of their raw materials. That's why Big Food, working with the farm-state Congressional delegations it lavishly supports, consistently lobbies to maintain a farm policy geared to high production and cheap grain. (It doesn't hurt that those lightly populated farm states exert a disproportionate influence in Washington, since it takes far fewer votes to elect a senator in Kansas than in California. That means agribusiness can presumably "buy" a senator from one of these underpopulated states for a fraction of what a big-state senator costs.) But as we're beginning to recognize, our cheap-food farm policy comes at a high price: first there's the $19 billion a year the government pays to keep the whole system afloat; then there's the economic misery that the dumping of cheap American grain inflicts on farmers in the developing world; and finally there's the obesity epidemic at home???which most researchers date to the mid-70's, just when we switched to a farm policy consecrated to the overproduction of grain. Since that time, farmers in the United States have managed to produce 500 additional calories per person every day; each of us is, heroically, managing to pack away about 200 of those extra calories per day. Presumably the other 300???most of them in the form of surplus corn???get dumped on overseas markets or turned into ethanol. Cheap corn, the dubious legacy of Earl Butz, is truly the building block of the "fast-food nation." Cheap corn, transformed into high-fructose corn syrup, is what allowed Coca-Cola to move from the svelte 8-ounce bottle of soda ubiquitous in the 70's to the chubby 20-ounce bottle of today. Cheap corn, transformed into cheap beef, is what allowed McDonald's to supersize its burgers and still sell many of them for no more than a dollar. Cheap corn gave us a whole raft of new highly processed foods, including the world-beating chicken nugget, which, if you study its ingredients, you discover is really a most ingenious transubstantiation of corn, from the cornfed chicken it contains to the bulking and binding agents that hold it together." But getting back to the point about the effect of Cuban sanctions on Americans, it could also be argued that right wing Cubans are responsible for everything from the Kennedy assassination to Bush's election (and thereby indirectly responsible for the war in Iraq.) Right wing Cubans were even involved in Watergate. Bad pennies! From marvgandall at videotron.ca Fri Aug 1 07:17:54 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:17:54 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to obesity in americans References: <621296.5961.qm@web63114.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <031401c8f3d9$01fa8ff0$0202a8c0@MARV> I've always understood the obesity crisis to be attributable to the relatively lower cost and mass marketing of high-calorie junk and pre-packaged foods on time- and income-pressured American households, no? Pat Costello writes: > According to your logic the rising obesity rate in the U.S. is due to > growing > ignorance on the part of an entire population. That does not seem like a > very marxist > analysis! > Greg McDonald: > > If corn syrup was replaced by cuban sugar in soft drinks there would > still be an obesity problem. Sugar is just as bad as corn syrup with > regard to empty calories. The letter is typical of americans who want > to blame everyone except themselves for their physical problems. If > americans were not so ignorantly addictive to empty calories, parked > their cars and walked or biked more, there would be no obesity > problem. Americans would do well to give up anything white for > consumption, sugar, baked goods, etc. I get away with an occasional > bagel and sugar in my coffee because I bike 150 miles a week. When it > comes to their bodies (and much else), americans are about the most > ignorant tribe on the planet. > From bauerly at yorku.ca Fri Aug 1 07:42:18 2008 From: bauerly at yorku.ca (bauerly at yorku.ca) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:42:18 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Supply and demand? Message-ID: <1217598138.489312bad65e1@mymail.yorku.ca> If we accept that supply and demand are driving current oil prices and that the increase in consumption of China and India are behind the increase in demand. Than how does one rectify that with this: "a year-on-year drop in U.S demand of 1,103,000 barrels/day. Huge. Roughly equal to the production of a super-giant oil field, or a small producing country like Qatar, Indonesia or Azerbaijan....A 1.1 million barrel/day drop in US demand is gigantic -- literally enough to wipe out all growth in oil consumption for the entire world, which at the moment is running at about 0.9mbd. (The current IEA forecast for 2008 demand growth is 0.89mbd. Source: July 10 OMR).....There is simply no way for China and India (who combined have average annual growth of around 0.5mbd) to overcome a 1.1mbd drop in US consumption. They simply can't grow that fast." Its not only increase in demand you say but declining supplies. How then does this drop in demand not bring about a commensurate drop in price? Can someone on the peak oil side please produce some data to show that supplies are decreasing fast enough to counteract this drop in demand and maintain an elevated price. There has been some decrease in price but there has also been an increase in production. More to the point there is a huge retraction of investment capital from long oil positions. This may take some time but it appears the bubble is deflating. Brad From sabocat59 at mac.com Fri Aug 1 08:17:27 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:17:27 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to Obesity in americans Message-ID: <442D204D-7716-4CC3-A2D2-C4A1E329ABF6@mac.com> Yeah well, there are multiple causes for the obesity epidemic, not least of which is mass-marketing of cheap junk food. A marxist analysis would examine pressures on the agribusiness companies to unload excess production of crops, but that has become an open question since biofuels production has come onto the scene. In terms of time pressure--I've always been a bit skeptical of the "I don't have time" crowd. You know, I' don't have time to eat right, exercise, get massage, work out, etc. Bullshit. I always tell people that if health is a priority they'll make the time. This kind of refusal to take personal responsibility is pretty widespread among my clientele, which is mostly middle class and upper middle class. In terms of prohibitive costs of nutritious food impacting on the budget of working-class americans, that's a different subject altogether, and I'm more apt to feel some sort of compassion in my analysis. But as far as the middle class on up goes, they act the way they do because they choose to. Greg McDonald From jorge at marxist.com Fri Aug 1 08:19:00 2008 From: jorge at marxist.com (Jorge Martin) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 15:19:00 +0100 Subject: [Marxism] Venezuela: The nationalisation of Banco de Venezuela Message-ID: <4e3829c50808010719g2f605e63y220bd287ed128292@mail.gmail.com> Venezuela: The nationalisation of Banco de Venezuela By Alan Woods Friday, 01 August 2008 In a television programme broadcasted to the whole of the country on July 31st, President Ch?vez announced the nationalisation of Banco de Venezuela, the Venezuelan bank owned by the Spanish banking multinational Grupo Santander. "We are going to nationalize Banco de Venezuela. I make an appeal to Grupo Santander to come here so that we can start to negotiate". He added: "Months ago I received the information through intelligence sources that Banco de Venezuela, which had been privatized for years, was being sold by its Spanish owners; that an agreement had been signed between Grupo Santander and a Venezuelan private banker, then the Venezuelan banker needed the permission of the government to buy a bank, this is not a small operation (...) and then I sent a message to the Spanish and the Venezuelan banker, to tell them that the government wanted to buy the bank, we want to recover it. Then the owners said 'no, we don't want to sell it'. So now I say 'no, I will buy it, how much is it? We are going to pay for it, and we are going to nationalize Banco de Venezuela'." The President continued: "From this moment the media campaign on the part of the Spanish and international media is going to start. They are going to say that Ch?vez is an autocrat, that Ch?vez is a tyrant, I don't care, we are going to nationalize the bank regardless". "Ladran, luego cabalgamos" (the dogs bark, therefore the caravan is moving), he said, quoting from el Quijote. "There is something obscure here because its owners first were desperate to sell and now they are saying they do not want to sell it to the Venezuelan state. We are going to nationalize it so that it is put at the service of the Venezuelan people." He added that the bank controls millions of Bolivars which belong to "the Venezuelan people and also the Venezuelan government". "We need a bank of that size. Because this is the Banco de Venezuela, but this bank generates massive profits but these profits are going abroad." Ch?vez also assured that the savings of the account holders were going to be guaranteed as well as the jobs of the workers, whose conditions would improve "as has happened with the nationalisation of SIDOR". Ch?vez thanked the private managers of the bank for having turned it into a very efficient institution, but added that the bank would cease to be a capitalist bank to turn into a socialist one: "Profits will not go to one private group, they will be invested in socialist social development. Socialism is stronger every day that passes!" full: http://www.marxist.com/nationalisation-banco-de-venezuela.htm From walterlx at earthlink.net Fri Aug 1 08:26:01 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:26:01 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Venezuela: The nationalisation of Banco de Venezuela Message-ID: <15314489.1217600761384.JavaMail.root@mswamui-cedar.atl.sa.earthlink.net> "We therefore welcome the nationalisation of the Banco de Venezuela as a step forward. But the main objective has not been yet attained: the elimination of the economic power of the oligarchy and the establishment of a real socialist workers' state. The battle continues. Barcelona, 1st August 2008 full: http://www.marxist.com/nationalisation-banco-de-venezuela.htm ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From Dbachmozart at aol.com Fri Aug 1 08:30:41 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:30:41 EDT Subject: [Marxism] =?utf-8?q?fighting_against_the_=E2=80=98quiet_ethnic_cl?= =?utf-8?q?eansing=27_of_East_Jerusalem?= Message-ID: Group fighting against ?quiet ethnic cleansing' The Spanish government joins Israeli activists in an act of defiance against razing of homes that force families out of Jerusalem Jonathan Cook _The National _ (http://thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage) 1 August 2008 ANATA, JERUSALEM // In the first hours of dawn, Nader Elayan was woken by a call from a neighbour warning him to hurry to the house he had almost finished building. By the time he arrived, it was too late: a bulldozer was tearing down the walls. More than 100 Israeli security guards held back local residents. The demolition, carried out four years ago, has left Mr Elayan, his wife, Fidaa, who is now pregnant, and their two young children with nowhere to live but a single room in his brother?s cramped home. It is the only land he owns and he had invested all his savings in building the now destroyed house. Over the past few years, the Elayans? fate has been shared by two dozen other families in the Palestinian village of Anata, on the outskirts of East Jerusalem. Hundreds more families have demolition orders hanging over their homes. ?Not one person in my neighbourhood has a [building] permit,? Mr Elayan, 37, said. The problem of house demolitions affects Palestinians throughout the occupied territories. But according to Hatem Abdelkader, an adviser to Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, the situation is particularly acute in the East Jerusalem area. He noted that Israel?s policy of refusing building permits to many of the 250,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem has resulted in the classification of 20,000 city homes as illegal since the occupation began in 1967. Last year alone, the Jerusalem municipality issued more than 1,000 demolition orders for ? illegal dwellings?. It is believed that three out of every four Palestinian homes in the city are now built without a permit. ?Illegal building is simply a pretext for destroying Palestinian families? homes and lives,? said Jeff Halper, head of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). ?The demolitions are part of a policy to stop the natural expansion of Palestinian communities in and around Jerusalem, freeing up the maximum amount of land for use by Israeli settlers,? Mr Halper said. ?The demolitions increase the pressure on Palestinians to move into the West Bank, so that they will lose their residency rights in the city.? In an act of defiance, Mr Halper?s organisation and 40 international volunteers helped the Elayans to rebuild their home this week in an attempt to highlight what the committee calls the ?quiet ethnic cleansing? of East Jerusalem. The work was carried out during a two-week summer camp funded by the Spanish government. Madrid also paid for 18 Spanish volunteers to participate. ?This is the first time a government has supported the rebuilding of an ? illegal? Palestinian home demolished by the Israeli authorities,? Mr Halper said. The issue of house demolitions is back in the spotlight now after two separate incidents in July in which Palestinians, both of whom were residents of Jerusalem, rampaged through the city in bulldozers, killing three Israelis and injuring many more. Although the two Palestinians were shot dead at the scene, Israeli officials, including Ehud Barak, the defence minister, are calling for their homes to be destroyed, making their families homeless, to deter others from following in their path. Such punitive destruction of homes was stopped in 2005, under the threat of legal challenge, but not before some 270 homes were razed on security grounds in the first years of the intifada. According to Mr Halper, however, the use of demolitions against Palestinians accused of illegal building is a far more significant problem. ?We estimate that there have been at least 18,000 homes destroyed during the four decades of occupation.? In fact, Mr Halper said, he believes the true number of demolitions is likely to be double the official figure. Many razings are unrecorded, carried out by Palestinians themselves fearing a heavy fine if the Israeli army enforces the demolition order. ?Most demolitions are of multi-storey buildings that are home to several families, meaning that well in excess of 100,000 Palestinians may have been made homeless by Israeli administrative policies,? he said. Since its founding a decade ago, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions has rebuilt 150 Palestinian homes as part of its campaign to bring the issue of demolitions to the attention of Israeli Jews and the international community. It has been an uphill struggle, Mr Halper said. The European Union, which recently upgraded its relations with Israel, announced this month that it was withdrawing ICAHD?s funding. But this year?s work camp may make the continuing demolition of homes in Anata a little harder, Mr Halper said. ?It?s one thing to destroy a home supposedly built illegally by a Palestinian, but another to destroy one built with money provided by the Spanish government.? Mr Halper also believes that, by exposing such groups as the summer camp volunteers to the Palestinians? plight, public perceptions may begin to change. Alonso Santos, a 21-year-old architecture student from Madrid, said he learnt much from seeing at close hand Palestinian life under occupation. ?It was an eye-opener to realise that the principles of urban planning we are taught at the university are being used by the Israelis, but for exactly the opposite purpose from the one usually intended. The planning rules here are designed not to improve the Palestinians? lives but to make them more miserable.? The volunteers were hosted at a peace centre in Anata erected on the site of Salim Shawamreh?s home, which was demolished four times by Israeli authorities. Known as Arabiya House, after Mr Shawamreh?s wife, the building is decorated on one side with a mural depicting the death of Rachel Corrie, a US peace activist, by an Israeli bulldozer that had been demolishing homes in Gaza. ?Imagine your children leaving in the morning for school and returning later in the day to find their home, their whole world, has disappeared while they were gone,? Mr Shawamreh said. ?It?s happened to my children four times. It? s cruelty beyond words.? Mr Shawamreh, whose family were refugees from the northern Negev in 1948, said he and ICAHD established the peace centre to highlight the plight of the Palestinians in Anata. Today the house is overlooked by an Israeli police station across the valley, part of the advance growth of a large Jewish settlement, Maale Adumum, that Palestinians and Israeli human rights groups believe is cutting the West Bank in two. The peace centre is also close both to the snaking route of Israel?s separation wall and to a new bypass road ? part of what critics call an apartheid road system ? being built to ensure that Jewish settlers can drive separately from Palestinians across the West Bank. Arabiya House is under a temporary reprieve from demolition while Israeli courts determine its status. Mr Halper said the judges have been reluctant to confirm the destruction order because his group has threatened to take the case to the International Court of Justice if the ruling goes against it. _http://www.jkcook.net/Articles2/0323.htm#Top_ (http://www.jkcook.net/Articles2/0323.htm#Top) **************Get fantasy football with free live scoring. Sign up for FanHouse Fantasy Football today. (http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020) From bauerly at yorku.ca Fri Aug 1 08:35:34 2008 From: bauerly at yorku.ca (bauerly at yorku.ca) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:35:34 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Commodity futures markets as zero-sum Message-ID: <1217601334.48931f36a7016@mymail.yorku.ca> To argue that commodity futures markets are zero sum is to take the postion of traders as the mechanism of the transaction determining the price. The positions are the *result* of the process which sets prices not its cause. The mechanism which drives futures prices higher (or lower) is essentially that futures are sold by an auction-like process (where both sellers and buyers compete). Prices go up when bidders outnumber sellers, and go down when sellers outnumber bidders. This is explicitly stated on the NYMEX website. Now, consider a situation where you have a hundred bidders but only one seller at the current price. The bidders bid up the price substantially until only one bidder is left, and then the contract is concluded. At this point the positions are: one participant short, one long. Can you use that information to understand why the price rose? Obviously not. Does that one long and one short appear zero-sum? Yes. The information on positions conveys no data whatsoever on why the price rose, because positions come into existence after the price setting auction in the trading pit has run its course. So it's no big surprise that position changes do not cause price changes. The massive influx of $250 billion dollars into commodity futures trading in the last few years was the result of a large increase in the number of bidders and their available investment dollars (which act like an increase in bidders). This pushed the price up before the postions were taken and the appearance of the zero-sum of equal long and short positions. Brad From marvgandall at videotron.ca Fri Aug 1 08:35:10 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:35:10 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to Obesity in americans References: <442D204D-7716-4CC3-A2D2-C4A1E329ABF6@mac.com> Message-ID: <036101c8f3e3$cd048390$0202a8c0@MARV> Greg McDonald writes: > In terms of time pressure--I've always been a bit skeptical of the "I > don't have time" crowd. You know, I' don't have time to eat right, > exercise, get massage, work out, etc. Bullshit. I always tell people > that if health is a priority they'll make the time. > > This kind of refusal to take personal responsibility is pretty > widespread among my clientele, which is mostly middle class and upper > middle class. ================================ You'd like this guy Obama, then... :) But I think skin rather than skinny is going to have a more important effect on the outcome. * * * Too Fit to Be President? Facing an Overweight Electorate, Barack Obama Might Find Low Body Fat a Drawback By AMY CHOZICK Wall Street Journal August 1, 2008 Speaking to donors at a San Diego fund-raiser last month, Barack Obama reassured the crowd that he wouldn't give in to Republican tactics to throw his candidacy off track. "Listen, I'm skinny but I'm tough," Sen. Obama said. But in a nation in which 66% of the voting-age population is overweight and 32% is obese, could Sen. Obama's skinniness be a liability? Despite his visits to waffle houses, ice-cream parlors and greasy-spoon diners around the country, his slim physique just might have some Americans wondering whether he is truly like them. The candidate has been criticized by opponents for appearing elitist or out of touch with average Americans. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted in July shows Sen. Obama still lags behind Republican John McCain among white men and suburban women who say they can't relate to his background or perceived values. "He's too new ... and he needs to put some meat on his bones," says Diana Koenig, 42, a housewife in Corpus Christi, Texas, who says she voted for Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary. "I won't vote for any beanpole guy," another Clinton supporter wrote last week on a Yahoo politics message board. The last overweight president to be elected was 335-pound William Howard Taft in 1908. As for tall and lanky presidents, "you might have to go back to Abraham Lincoln" in 1860, says presidential historian Stephen Hess. "Most presidents were sort of in the middle." According to Sen. Obama's Chicago physician David Scheiner, the senator works out regularly, jogs up to three miles a day when he can, and has "no excess body fat." Dr. Scheiner didn't disclose his patient's exact weight, but medical observers estimate that the 6-foot-1.5-inch-tall senator appears to weigh at least 10 pounds less than the roughly 190 pounds that the average American man of his height weighs. The Obama campaign declined to comment for this article. Though Sen. McCain cannot lift weights due to injuries he suffered as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, he "walked the Grand Canyon rim to rim in August 2006" and hikes whenever he can find the time, according to John D. Eckstein, an internist in Scottsdale, Ariz., who treats Sen. McCain. At roughly 165 pounds, his weight is slightly above average for a 5-foot-7-inch man his age, according to nutritionists. While most voters don't base their decision on physical appearance alone, a candidate's height, weight and overall look can play a big role in what Americans perceive as "presidential," says Thomas "Mack" McLarty, former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton. Throw in the calories involved in a modern-day presidential campaign -- often compared to a beauty pageant and a competitive eating contest rolled into one -- and presidential candidates have an added challenge. "It's very difficult to eat well when you're constantly on the road, attending dinners, lunches, barbecues," says New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. He says he grew a beard when he withdrew his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in January "to hide one of my chins." Sen. Obama, 46, wasn't always svelte, and friends and family members have described him as a "chubby" child growing up in Indonesia and Hawaii. Raised by a Midwestern grandmother, Sen. Obama didn't begin to slim down until he played basketball regularly in high school. These days he stays away from junk food and instead snacks on MET-Rx chocolate roasted-peanut protein bars and drinks Black Forest Berry Honest Tea, a healthy organic brew. (Sen. McCain is said to have a weakness for Butterfinger candy bars, jelly beans, and coffee and doughnuts from Dunkin' Donuts.) On a campaign stop in May at Lew's Dari-Freeze in Milwaukie, Ore., Sen. Obama's wife, Michelle, and their two daughters ate ice-cream sundaes and onion rings, while Sen. Obama grinned for the cameras and swirled a spoon around in his quickly melting ice-cream concoction, taking only a few nibbles. During a July family appearance on "Access Hollywood," Sen. Obama's 7-year-old daughter, Sasha, revealed that her dad doesn't like ice cream or sweets. "Everybody should like ice cream," she said. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a self-described "recovering foodaholic" who shed 110 pounds from his 5-foot-11 frame in two years and made fitness and nutrition central to his White House run, says voters "probably want someone who takes care of his health ... as an example of the kind of personal discipline necessary to do the job." But too much time in the gym can cause problems, as Sen. Obama learned last month after he made three stops to local Chicago gyms in one day, for a total of 188 minutes. The marathon workout session sparked a widely circulated Associated Press article titled "Obama Becomes a Gym Rat." In it, the reporter wrote, "Sometimes it's hard to tell if Barack Obama is running for president of the United States or Mr. Universe." Republicans have recently picked up on the senator's fitness regimen. On Wednesday, the McCain campaign launched a new ad titled "Celeb" that compares Sen. Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. In a memo to reporters explaining the ad, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis wrote, "Only celebrities like Barack Obama go to the gym three times a day." Obama spokeswoman Linda Douglass says likening Sen. Obama to a Hollywood celebrity shows that Sen. McCain "is engaging in the same old negative politics of Karl Rove" that Americans are tired of. Food faux pas have plagued presidential candidates in the past. On a 1976 visit to Texas, Gerald Ford bit into a tamale with the corn husk still on. He lost the election to Jimmy Carter. In 2003, Mass. Sen. John Kerry was labeled effete when he ordered a Philly cheesesteak with Swiss instead of the usual Cheez Whiz topping. Sen. Obama's chief message strategist Robert Gibbs served as Sen. Kerry's press secretary during the cheesesteak debacle. A few days later at the Iowa State Fair, famous for its deep-fried Twinkies and beer booths, Mr. Gibbs noticed Sen. Kerry buying a $4 strawberry smoothie. He made a frantic call to campaign staffers: "Somebody get a f-ing corn dog in his hand -- now!" Sen. Obama drew cringes on a campaign stop in Adel, Iowa, in July 2007, when he asked a crowd of farmers: "Anybody gone into a Whole Foods lately and seen what they charge for arugula?" The upscale supermarket specializing in organic food doesn't have a single store in Iowa. Lately, Sen. Obama is more careful. On a campaign stop in Lebanon, Mo., on Wednesday, Sen. Obama visited with voters at Bell's Diner and promptly announced "Well, I've had lunch today but I'm thinking maybe there is some pie." He settled on fried chicken and told the crowd he's become a junk-food lover. "The healthy people, we'll give them the breasts," he told the waitress. "I'll eat the wings." Struggles with weight-loss, on the other hand, can make a candidate seem more human. Some aides winced when footage of a sweat-drenched Mr. Clinton jogging into a McDonald's in Little Rock, Ark., aired ahead of the 1992 campaign. But the footage is widely believed to have helped the then-governor of Arkansas connect to voters in conservative-leaning states like Georgia and Tennessee, which eluded Democrats in 2000 and 2004. These states have a statistically higher number of overweight people than Democratic strongholds. "It says: 'He's just like one of us,"' says Arthur English, a political-science professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock who used to see Mr. Clinton stop in for fries and a Big Mac after his three-mile jog. Sen. Clinton has said she tried Weight Watchers to keep the pounds off during her presidential bid -- a tidbit that appealed to her core of middle-age female supporters that Sen. Obama is now trying to woo. Sen. Obama is not without vices. According to Dr. Scheiner's medical report, he has quit smoking "on several occasions and is currently using Nicorette gum with success." People close to the senator say he began smoking nearly three decades ago and smoked about five cigarettes a day. Some voters say that even this adds to Sen. Obama's somewhat superhuman persona. "I mean, really, who quits smoking and doesn't gain any weight?" says 30-year-old Stella Metsovas, an Obama supporter in Laguna Beach, Calif. From Dbachmozart at aol.com Fri Aug 1 08:43:12 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:43:12 EDT Subject: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution Message-ID: "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution Thursday 31 July 2008 by: Anne Trafton, MIT News <_http://www.truthout.org/article/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-unleash-sola r-revolution_ (http://www.truthout.org/article/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-unleash-solar-revolution) > Scientists mimic essence of plants' energy storage system. In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn't shine. Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. With today's announcement, MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy. Requiring nothing but abundant, non-toxic natural materials, this discovery could unlock the most potent, carbon-free energy source of all: the sun. "This is the nirvana of what we've been talking about for years," said MIT's Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT and senior author of a paper describing the work in the July 31 issue of Science. "Solar power has always been a limited, far-off solution. Now we can seriously think about solar power as unlimited and soon." Inspired by the photosynthesis performed by plants, Nocera and Matthew Kanan, a postdoctoral fellow in Nocera's lab, have developed an unprecedented process that will allow the sun's energy to be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Later, the oxygen and hydrogen may be recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power your house or your electric car, day or night. The key component in Nocera and Kanan's new process is a new catalyst that produces oxygen gas from water; another catalyst produces valuable hydrogen gas. The new catalyst consists of cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water. When electricity - whether from a photovoltaic cell, a wind turbine or any other source - runs through the electrode, the cobalt and phosphate form a thin film on the electrode, and oxygen gas is produced. Combined with another catalyst, such as platinum, that can produce hydrogen gas from water, the system can duplicate the water splitting reaction that occurs during photosynthesis. The new catalyst works at room temperature, in neutral pH water, and it's easy to set up, Nocera said. "That's why I know this is going to work. It's so easy to implement," he said. "Giant Leap" for Clean Energy Sunlight has the greatest potential of any power source to solve the world's energy problems, said Nocera. In one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planet's energy needs for one year. James Barber, a leader in the study of photosynthesis who was not involved in this research, called the discovery by Nocera and Kanan a "giant leap" toward generating clean, carbon-free energy on a massive scale. "This is a major discovery with enormous implications for the future prosperity of humankind," said Barber, the Ernst Chain Professor of Biochemistry at Imperial College London. "The importance of their discovery cannot be overstated since it opens up the door for developing new technologies for energy production thus reducing our dependence for fossil fuels and addressing the global climate change problem." "Just the Beginning" Currently available electrolyzers, which split water with electricity and are often used industrially, are not suited for artificial photosynthesis because they are very expensive and require a highly basic (non-benign) environment that has little to do with the conditions under which photosynthesis operates. More engineering work needs to be done to integrate the new scientific discovery into existing photovoltaic systems, but Nocera said he is confident that such systems will become a reality. "This is just the beginning," said Nocera, principal investigator for the Solar Revolution Project funded by the Chesonis Family Foundation and co-Director of the Eni-MIT Solar Frontiers Center. "The scientific community is really going to run with this." Nocera hopes that within 10 years, homeowners will be able to power their homes in daylight through photovoltaic cells, while using excess solar energy to produce hydrogen and oxygen to power their own household fuel cell. Electricity-by-wire from a central source could be a thing of the past. The project is part of the MIT Energy Initiative, a program designed to help transform the global energy system to meet the needs of the future and to help build a bridge to that future by improving today's energy systems. MITEI Director Ernest Moniz, Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, noted that "this discovery in the Nocera lab demonstrates that moving up the transformation of our energy supply system to one based on renewables will depend heavily on frontier basic science." The success of the Nocera lab shows the impact of a mixture of funding sources - governments, philanthropy, and industry. This project was funded by the National Science Foundation and by the Chesonis Family Foundation, which gave MIT $10 million this spring to launch the Solar Revolution Project, with a goal to make the large scale deployment of solar energy within 10 years. **************Get fantasy football with free live scoring. Sign up for FanHouse Fantasy Football today. (http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020) From walterlx at earthlink.net Fri Aug 1 08:45:13 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:45:13 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to Obesity in americans Message-ID: <3391659.1217601913744.JavaMail.root@mswamui-cedar.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Another possibility is that some might think they should vote for him because he appears healthier because he's thinner so some may think, "he's doing something right". Of coures there is no accounting for the irrational reasons why some people will choose to vote for one candidate or another. Obama is never going to be able to overcome the fact that he's Black in a country with an historic hatred for Black people. This is true no matter how he tries to separate himself from the Black community, and how different he actually IS from many in the Black community. Who's to know, unless someone has done a study of what Obama eats and what kind of exercise program he follow. There have not been anything I've seen of him jogging like they used to have of Clinton. One thing which I think we can be certain of, and that's that conscious and explicit political motivations for candidates are but one among many factors which are behind how and why people vote for any particular candidate. Unfortunately. Walter =============================================================== But I think skin rather than skinny is going to have a more important effect on the outcome. * * * Too Fit to Be President? Facing an Overweight Electorate, Barack Obama Might Find Low Body Fat a Drawback By AMY CHOZICK Wall Street Journal August 1, 2008 ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From bauerly at yorku.ca Fri Aug 1 08:50:18 2008 From: bauerly at yorku.ca (bauerly at yorku.ca) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:50:18 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Iron ore speculation Message-ID: <1217602218.489322aa0d90a@mymail.yorku.ca> WSJ article on how Iron ore speculation is getting around the futures markets limits. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121754136960102219.html?mod=googlenews_wsj "Even as Washington attempts to crack down on speculation in food, fuel and metals, Wall Street is rolling out new ways to bring in money. In May, Credit Suisse Group and Deutsche Bank AG began offering investments in iron ore, a component of steel. About one billion tons of iron ore is mined a year but isn't traded on a futures exchange. So it has been virtually impossible for speculators to bet on price movements. The investment banks were inundated with interest in iron-ore deals, which function like futures contracts. In just two months, investors and hedgers took on more than $500 million of notional exposure -- about 2.7 million metric tons -- making this one of the biggest commodities markets to spring up almost overnight. The new markets show how hard it will be for legislators to curb commodities speculation. Such trading is spreading to an array of other goods, from jet fuel to chicken, that have been off-limits to investors because they aren't traded on futures markets. They also are offered for commodities already bought and sold on global exchanges, including crude oil, corn and coffee." Brad From lajany_otum at yahoo.co.uk Fri Aug 1 08:55:40 2008 From: lajany_otum at yahoo.co.uk (Lajany Otum) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 14:55:40 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to obesity in americans Message-ID: <481258.39399.qm@web27404.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> The root of the obesity problem lies in the structure of the US agri-food sector. There is little profit to be made by agribusiness in producing and distributing fresh and unprocessed food. Hence farming is structured around the production of inedible inputs for and agri-food processing industry that converts the inedible raw materials produced by farms into generic ingredients such as sweeteners, starches and fats.These ingredients form the basis for the yummy "standardised edible commodities" that are sold to the working populace of the USA, with such deleterious consequences for their health. Furthermore, the US agricultural subsidy regime acted as a selective pressure which favoured farmers who produce precisely these industrial inputs for the agri-food processing sector. US subsidies lowered the prices that agribusiness had to pay the farmers for the raw materials it required, and created the enormous food surpluses that were then disposed of through "aid" to friendly regimes around the world under schemes like Marshal Aid and then Public Law 480, and the Mutual Security act of 1951. The "aid" was at once an instrument to bolster client regimes around the world, and to restructure world agriculture by depressing world prices, effectively rendering all but the input intensive industrial US model of farming "uncompetitive". The EU was able to successfully reproduce the US model of farming, and this success, along with that of New Agricultural Countries like Brazil, destabilised the US centred post war food regime. Consequently, through "aid" and subsidies, and the competitive pressures they created, the US successfully exported its industrial agri-food model, and the obesity problem that comes with it, to much of the rest of the world. Good sources on the capitalist food regimes are the works of Harriet Friedmann and Philip McMichael. (See for example, Harriet Friedmann's article in New Left Review of Jan-Feb 1993, and articles by Friedmann and McMichael separately in the collection Rural Sociology and Development Vol 11 published by Elsevier in 2005. McMichael is "Global development and the corporate food regime," and Friedmann is "From Colonialism to green capitalism; social movements and emergence of food regimes".) Lajany Otum Marvin Gandall writes: > I've always understood the obesity crisis to be attributable to the > relatively lower cost and mass marketing of high-calorie junk and > pre-packaged foods on time- and income-pressured American households, no? __________________________________________________________ Not happy with your email address?. Get the one you really want - millions of new email addresses available now at Yahoo! http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/ymail/new.html From bauerly at yorku.ca Fri Aug 1 09:00:28 2008 From: bauerly at yorku.ca (bauerly at yorku.ca) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:00:28 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Interesting question Message-ID: <1217602828.4893250c15e4f@mymail.yorku.ca> I was reading about how some think that the economic stimulus checks have helped to artificially boost the economy during this time of inflation. This got me thinking about the role of this stimulus cash as a stealth government bailout of investors who risked huge losses due to their investment in the toxic paper held through the SIV's of mortgages. It seems to me, but I have not crunched any data, that the economic stimulus package arrived as the price of oil and gas was climbing and that it kept climbing because people put that extra money towards rising fuel, food and ever thing else oily. One way to look at this is as a transfer of wealth from government coffers to commodity investors through individual citizens cloaked behind a veil of supply and demand problems of peak oil. The question to be asked and to look for the answer to over the next few weeks is how the depletion of the stimulus cash will impact (and has already impacted) the ability of citizens to consume oily products? Furthermore, how the lack of this cash will send the vampires of finance flying off to suck the blood from some other vein of the working people. Brad From Dbachmozart at aol.com Fri Aug 1 09:06:13 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:06:13 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Nader at 6% - CNN poll Message-ID: Poll: Obama narrowly leads McCain nationally By The Associated Press ? 1 day ago THE RACE: The presidential race nationally ___ THE NUMBERS Barack Obama, 51 percent John McCain, 44 percent ___ OF INTEREST: This survey, taken after Obama's high-profile trip to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East and Europe, shows him with about the same lead he had last month. It also shows little change since the spring in the faith people have in Obama to handle the Iraq war, terrorism and other issues. People thought his trip was appropriate by a two-to-one margin. More than four in 10 say they think Obama is acting like he's already won the election, and nearly that many say McCain is attacking him unfairly. Just over a third think both are arrogant. Obama leads McCain by 46 percent to 42 percent when third-party candidates are included, with Ralph Nader getting 6 percent and Bob Barr, a former GOP congressman from Georgia running for president as a Libertarian, getting 3 percent. (John Anderson and Ross Perot both got into televised Presidential debates because they met the then League of Women Voters' threshold of five percent in a number of polls.) ___ The CNN-Opinion Research Corp. poll was conducted from July 27-29. It included telephone interviews with 914 registered voters and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. COMPLETE RESULTS: http://www.cnn.com We have it in our power to begin the world over again ?Thomas Paine **************Get fantasy football with free live scoring. Sign up for FanHouse Fantasy Football today. (http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020) From schaffer at optonline.net Fri Aug 1 09:10:41 2008 From: schaffer at optonline.net (Les Schaffer) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:10:41 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <48932771.7010006@optonline.net> Dbachmozart at aol.com wrote: > "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution > god, i love MIT ... the galaxy-shaking discovery is related to *storage* of energy. you still have to collect that energy at the energy densities available here on our earth... makes nice newsprint though... Les In Situ Formation of an Oxygen-Evolving Catalyst in Neutral Water Containing Phosphate and Co2+ Matthew W. Kanan 1 and Daniel G. Nocera 1* 1 Department of Chemistry, 6-335, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139?4307, USA. The utilization of solar energy on a large scale requires its storage. In natural photosynthesis, energy from sunlight is used to rearrange the bonds of water to O2 and H2-equivalents. The realization of artificial systems that perform similar "water splitting" requires catalysts that produce O2 from water without the need for excessive driving potentials. Here, we report such a catalyst that forms upon the oxidative polarization of an inert indium tin oxide electrode in phosphate-buffered water containing Co2+. A variety of analytical techniques indicates the presence of phosphate in an approximate 1:2 ratio with cobalt in this material. The pH dependence of the catalytic activity also implicates HPO42? as the proton acceptor in the O2-producing reaction. This catalyst not only forms in situ from earth-abundant materials but also operates in neutral water under ambient conditions. From walterlx at earthlink.net Fri Aug 1 08:46:54 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 07:46:54 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Fidel Castro on Cuba's Olympics squad: "The Harassed Team" Message-ID: <7D562643C9A242D09D090B36D22D3756@mainframe2008> Reflections by Comrade Fidel The Harassed Team The Olympics will very soon begin in China. Some days ago I wrote about our baseball team. I said that our athletes were put through a very hard test and that if something went wrong they were not the ones who deserved the harshest criticisms. I recognized their quality and patriotism. They felt depressed after the criticisms that came from Cuba. Afterwards I learned that they were all in good spirits. They had learned how to eat the spicy Korean food with chopsticks, the way it is done in eastern Asia. On July 26 they sent a vibrant patriotic message. They will no doubt face with honor that difficult test. But, will they be on an equal footing with regards to the teams of other rich powers, such as the United States and Japan, which will be competing against Cuba? The first has almost thirty times as much inhabitants as Cuba; the second, at least eleven times as much. Neither of them is under any economic blockade and both are extremely wealthy. No one is robbing or plundering them of their athletes. Japan has ordered its professional athletes to join the Olympic team, and they will have to; so has been the will of their masters. That has nothing to do with the athletes that have been turned into merchandise. On the eve of the Olympics, the United States, with its mercenary money, bought Alexei Ram?rez, who had been the leading home runner of the National Baseball series in our country in 2007. The coach of the team that bought him has boasted that he does not know in what base he should place Ram?rez, because he had been well trained in all of them. It is disgusting to read about the details of the commercial arrangements surrounding the case, which have been disseminated by the cables, regarding the distribution of the money. Formerly, they had bought the most promising pitcher from the province of Pinar del Rio, Jos? Ariel Contreras, thus creating uncertainty and mistrust. In Edmonton, Canada, just before the beginning of a match with the team of the host country at the 23rd World Youth Baseball Championship, we learned that the southpaw Noel Arg?elles, who would for sure be the starting pitcher of the game, and the shortstop Jos? Antonio Iglesias, with a batting average above 500, were missing. The courageous youth league pitcher from Pinar del R?o, Julio Alfredo Mart?nez Wong, climbed the mound. He had already pitched for eight innings in a row and had one more out to make; there were men on the bases and he looked exhausted. In the bullpen, Joan Socarr?s Maya was warming up hard; he was instructed to be ready to take action. Esteban Lombillo, the energetic and able coach of Cuba?s youth team had already been to the box. Julio Alfredo, exploding with dignity, demanded that he be allowed to continue pitching: ?I will finish this game!? ?he exclaimed. Lombillo, who was also upset about the despicable betrayal, knew what he meant and trusted him. Julio Alfredo put his heart and soul into the game. He pitched for the last out of the eighth inning. In the ninth he retired the batters by three consecutive strikeouts and beat the Canadian team by one run. The substitute shortstop, Yandy D?az, played wonderfully and connected for a double that was decisive for Cuba?s victory. Edmonton has become a dumping ground. The Cuban athletes were badly taken care of. That city has the privilege of hosting that championship every year. We should analyze whether it is worth attending that tournament. Not even a single representative of the Cuban press had been sent to cover the event. All we know we have learned through unofficially. The proud Cuban athletes of the Olympic baseball team, who have been wonderfully taken care of by their Korean hosts and will be even better taken care of in China, will have to compete under the unfavorable circumstances that I explained before. Whatever the results, they know that what really matters for us are the honor and the courage with which they struggle. But the imperialist aggression is not only seen in baseball. Some months ago, part of our male soccer team let itself be drawn into an act of betrayal inside the United States, which limited Cuba's prospects in that sport in the international arena. A female Olympic judo athlete, almost a sure gold medalist, was bribed. Buying our athletes they deprived us from five sure gold medals in Olympic boxing. It is like a call to slaughter against Cuba to steal brains, muscles and bones. Why are the rich and powerful afraid of our small and blockaded island? Leinier Dom?nguez struggles in Switzerland at one of the most important international chess tournaments. At the Olympics, due to begin on August 8, our athletes in different sports will struggle to win the gold with more dignity than ever, and our people will enjoy their gold medals as they never have. Then the fanatics will remember the traitors. Fidel Castro Ruz July 31, 2008 12:32 p.m. ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From walterlx at earthlink.net Fri Aug 1 09:20:58 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:20:58 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to obesity in americans Message-ID: <26747523.1217604058587.JavaMail.root@mswamui-cedar.atl.sa.earthlink.net> It seems unreasonable to think there is a single cause of obesity in the United States, or anywhere else. There is clearl a complex of causes including diet, the modern lack of physical exercise and the generally sedentary lifestyle which characterize the modern world. Different people have different metabolisms, but lifestyles and personal habits make an obvious difference. When I was younger and more physically active than I am now, I was thinner and felt physically, and emotionally, better. Of course, when much younger, I also was a cigaret smoker. In my mid-thirties I have up cigarets, took up physical exercise, and both lost weight and lost fat. So I think it makes more sense to speak of a combination of nutritional, cultural, social and habitual factors. If you put the word "obesidad" in any Cuban newspaper's website, you will find plenty of references to studies about this. The End of a story of obesity: http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs403.html Cuba has this problem as well, by the way. It's something I've noticed in recent visits with some dismay, especially in Cuban children. http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs403.html Cuban VP Carlos Lage told a local government leader's meeting: Sleeping less than 6 hours is held to be a cause for obesity, and that is a risk to be avoided. Yet, as I reread [Cuban National Hero Jos?] Mart??s diary a few days ago I found these words: ?sleeping is guilty for as long as something remains to be done?. http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs1982.html YOGA THE CUBAN WAY: http://www.walterlippmann.com/yalc.html ============================================================ "The root of the obesity problem" ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From dave.walters at comcast.net Fri Aug 1 09:21:48 2008 From: dave.walters at comcast.net (David Walters) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:21:48 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Venezuela: The nationalisation of Banco de Venezuela Message-ID: <48932A0C.8080707@comcast.net> The quote from Walter by Woods sums up the situation, it seems from afar, very well: the battle is not over, socialism is not attained yet, but we're on the way. I noted a few years ago here that Venezuelan finance capital had been left alone by the Venezuelan government. No one heard a peep out of this, the highest sector, of capitalism. They were getting rich, why should the complain. Their assets were not threatened, thus their power not diminished. All oil revenue flows through these banks for disbursement to the various social programs and infrastructure development projects. They were left alone to profit while other sectors of Venezuelan society developed along collectivist paths. Taking on this bank, and, with it's implied threat of nationalization of the entire sector, could reduce the capitalists in Venezuela only to ownership status of productive and service enterprises, denying them power over the economy. This has revolutionary implications well beyond the nationalization of the cement industry or SIDOR. The very immediate question will be what will happen to Venezuelan currency? Slightly under half of Venezuelan society opposes the Chavez government. Will this mean a mass conversion of Venezuelan currency into US dollars and the flooding out of Caracas to Miami billions of dollars? David From shmage at pipeline.com Fri Aug 1 09:24:07 2008 From: shmage at pipeline.com (Shane Mage) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:24:07 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Supply and demand? In-Reply-To: <1217598138.489312bad65e1@mymail.yorku.ca> References: <1217598138.489312bad65e1@mymail.yorku.ca> Message-ID: <240A7F58-9765-4D7E-B7D7-D8F16F1F4E38@pipeline.com> On Aug 1, 2008, at 9:42 AM, bauerly at yorku.ca wrote: > If we accept that supply and demand are driving current oil prices > and that the > increase in consumption of China and India are behind the increase > in demand. > Than how does one rectify that with this: > "a year-on-year drop in U.S demand of 1,103,000 barrels/day. Conforming to general economic illiteracy, "supply and demand" is here portrayed as quantity sold, whereas it's only economic meaning pertains to the underlying schedules of quantity offered and sold at various prices. "Speculative" demand is still demand and "speculative" [withholding or dumping] supply is still supply. Shane Mage "Thunderbolt steers all things...it consents and does not consent to be called Zeus." Herakleitos of Ephesos From sartesian at earthlink.net Fri Aug 1 09:29:55 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:29:55 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution References: <48932771.7010006@optonline.net> Message-ID: <05a901c8f3eb$734f4c60$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Damn, and I was just about to sing Happy Days Are Here Again and buy stock futures on the solar energy and fuel cell industries. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Les Schaffer" To: Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 11:10 AM god, i love MIT ... the galaxy-shaking discovery is related to *storage* of energy. you still have to collect that energy at the energy densities available here on our earth... makes nice newsprint though... Les In Situ Formation of an Oxygen-Evolving Catalyst in Neutral Water Containing Phosphate and Co2+ Matthew W. Kanan 1 and Daniel G. Nocera 1* 1 Department of Chemistry, 6-335, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139?4307, USA. The utilization of solar energy on a large scale requires its storage. In natural photosynthesis, energy from sunlight is used to rearrange the bonds of water to O2 and H2-equivalents. The realization of artificial systems that perform similar "water splitting" requires catalysts that produce O2 from water without the need for excessive driving potentials. Here, we report such a catalyst that forms upon the oxidative polarization of an inert indium tin oxide electrode in phosphate-buffered water containing Co2+. A variety of analytical techniques indicates the presence of phosphate in an approximate 1:2 ratio with cobalt in this material. The pH dependence of the catalytic activity also implicates HPO42? as the proton acceptor in the O2-producing reaction. This catalyst not only forms in situ from earth-abundant materials but also operates in neutral water under ambient conditions. ________________________________________________ YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/sartesian%40earthlink.net From walterlx at earthlink.net Fri Aug 1 09:29:23 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:29:23 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Venezuela: The nationalisation of Banco de Venezuela Message-ID: <18760231.1217604563844.JavaMail.root@mswamui-cedar.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Dollar Drops Against Venezuela's Bolivar In Parallel Market Tue, Jul 29 2008, 15:07 GMT http://www.djnewswires.com/eu CARACAS -(Dow Jones)- The dollar in the Venezuelan parallel market continued its downward trend against the bolivar Tuesday as the government has been increasing the supply of greenbacks to prevent a possible increase in the price of U.S. currency. Traders said a dollar in the parallel market fetched around VEB3.2, down from VEB3.25 Monday. This is more than half the price a greenback fetched in December last year. The government recently sold more than $220 million in dollar-denominated structured notes composed of sovereign debt, mostly from Argentina, to supply the parallel market with U.S. currency. The Venezuela government pegs the dollar at an official exchange rate of VEB2.15 and has started to closely monitor the unofficial rate as many retailers use it as a gauge to set prices. Last year the unofficial rate more than tripled the peg and was named as one of the factors driving up prices. This year, the government has responded by increasing the sale of dollars at the official rate and simultaneously selling dollar-denominated structured notes allowing the buyers access to greenbacks at a higher rate than the official peg. -By Darcy Crowe, Dow Jones Newswires; (58) 212 905 6304; darcy.crowe at dowjones.com July 29, 2008 11:07 ET (15:07 GMT) DAVID WALTERS asked: >The very immediate question will be what will happen to Venezuelan >currency? Slightly under half of Venezuelan society opposes the Chavez >government. Will this mean a mass conversion of Venezuelan currency into >US dollars and the flooding out of Caracas to Miami billions of dollars? ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From dave.walters at comcast.net Fri Aug 1 09:30:49 2008 From: dave.walters at comcast.net (David Walters) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:30:49 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution Message-ID: <48932C29.3020208@comcast.net> A lot of "ifs" on this one. Worth watching closely but this is not the first time such predictions were made about "easy" cracking of H20 for usable hydrogen. Most talk of a "hydrogen economy" has fallen by the side of the road because there has never been a way to store it easily, and, of course, there absolutely no infrastructure to support such an "economy". My bets are still on a "fission-to-electricity" infrastructure answer to our energy needs. Part of the problem is this focus on "consumer market". It almost irrelevant to the energy question and problems we all face. Residential electrical needs are, at best, only 20% of the consumption of electrical power. So the focus of such a new way of cracking hydrogen from water will be to enhance the larger central power solar stations (where ALL the money is going these days) that have had "issues" with being only available in most of the northern hemisphere for about 5 1/2 hours a day for peak efficiency. If large solar plants (the kind that produce steam to run turbines, not the 'photovoltaic' types) can use this method to store power during their peak times, then this technology, if it's applicable, could revolutionize power production. The idea of storing hydrogen in you house is just plain dumb. David From lajany_otum at yahoo.co.uk Fri Aug 1 09:34:52 2008 From: lajany_otum at yahoo.co.uk (Lajany Otum) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 15:34:52 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to obesity in americans Message-ID: <491180.68133.qm@web27404.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Pat Costello quotes Michael Pollan: > So why did we ever abandon this comparatively sane sort of farm policy? > Politics, in a word. The shift from an agricultural-support system designed to > discourage overproduction to one that encourages it dates to the early 1970's--to > the last time food prices in America climbed high enough to generate significant > political heat. Michael Pollan sometimes has interesting things to say, but this is cobblers. The US has had a surplus grain problem, and has been dumping it on the world under such guises as PL480 and the Mutual Security Act since the 1950's (See Darrel Moen, "The postwar Japanese agricultural debacle." available at http://www.dgmoen.net/essays_index.html). Essentially overproduction has been built into US agriculture since the 1950's, by the form of price supports adopted under the New Deal, and compounded by the technological treadmill ever since. Below is an extract from Harriet Friedmann, New Left Review Jan-Feb 1993, kindly forwarded to me a while back by Louis Proyect: The need for trade controls stemmed from an odd feature of domestic farm programmes, where, instead of direct income support, New Deal price supports tried to raise farm incomes indirectly by setting a minimum price for commodities named in the legislation, and maintaining this price through state purchases. Government purchases to support prices encouraged farmers to produce as much as possible. Legislation to limit production by restricting acreage was never effective. In fact, insofar as they encouraged farmers to remove their worst land from production, acreage controls tended to increase productivity. Surpluses mounted more persistently with the technological developments involved in the industrialization of agriculture. Industrialization subordinated farms to emerging agro-food corporations, both as buyers of machines, chemicals, and animal feeds, and as sellers of raw materials to food manufacturing industries or livestock operations. Profits in the agro-food sector depended on the larger restructuring of the postwar economy towards mass production and mass consumption, [8] especially increased consumption of animal products and high value-added manufactured foods, or what might be called ?durable foods?. [9] __________________________________________________________ Not happy with your email address?. Get the one you really want - millions of new email addresses available now at Yahoo! http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/ymail/new.html From shmage at pipeline.com Fri Aug 1 09:36:13 2008 From: shmage at pipeline.com (Shane Mage) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:36:13 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <75CF6402-8F26-42AD-A309-F65011A96F92@pipeline.com> On Aug 1, 2008, at 10:43 AM, Dbachmozart at aol.com wrote: Since ordinary electrolysis is more than 90% efficient the "gains" from this process are quite insignificant or (since its efficiency is not stated) actually negative. Revolutionary it ain't. > > "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution > Thursday 31 July 2008 > by: Anne Trafton, MIT News > > Scientists mimic essence of plants' energy storage system. > In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a > marginal, > boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT > researchers have > overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy > for use when > the sun doesn't shine. > Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because > storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive > and grossly > inefficient. With today's announcement, MIT researchers have hit > upon a simple, > inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy. Shane Mage "Thunderbolt steers all things...it consents and does not consent to be called Zeus." Herakleitos of Ephesos From dave.walters at comcast.net Fri Aug 1 09:42:03 2008 From: dave.walters at comcast.net (David Walters) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:42:03 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution II Message-ID: <48932ECB.50205@comcast.net> Les, the issue of 'storage' is *as important* as production of power. Literally 50% of the issues...the problems we have today. I noted in my previous message that there is no "hydrogen economy" nor any safe way or storing the hydrogen. It's why the hydrogen economy advocates have always been a little bit goofy in my opinion. But half all "energy issues" are transportation fuels. We could, say, have super abundant energy from some miracle source, say an ability to use geothermal power everywhere and anywhere. But, we can't convert that power to usable transportation fuel without either a) making it into a fluid (liquid or gas) fuel or b) storing the electricity in some sort of battery. If this process works...and the implication is that it uses far less electrical power to produce the hydrogen than previous methods, and it could be done fairly locally, say a fillup station, then it doesn't matter WHAT source of power is used, we could actually transition to a hydrogen economy *without* a actual infrastructure (tanker trucks fuel of compressed hydogen, pipelines, etc.) It would/should/could make 'on demand' hydrogen or almost on demand, a reality. The process is using solar is a foil to discuss the actual source of energy for a consumer market (which will do no good in New England, say, or anywhere north of Kansas). The real benefit is the grid, and it's the grid that needs to be converted from it's coal/fossil base to non-carbon sources of electricity. If one were to "overbuild" Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) such as the small plants they are building now in the Mojave and in Spain, then one could, if this method holds, build enough of CSP to make it available 24/7, 365 a year. The intermittent issue with solar and wind could, in theory (a big 'could' here folks) solve it's second biggest weakness (the first being that regardless of this new technology, the solar costs way too much right now to seriously rely on it). David From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Aug 1 09:56:36 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:56:36 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] =?windows-1252?q?Chapter_one_of_Jos=E9_Carlos_Mari=E1te?= =?windows-1252?q?gui=92s_=93Seven_Interpretative_Essays_on_Peruvian_Reali?= =?windows-1252?q?ty=94?= Message-ID: <48933234.1060706@panix.com> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marxism_class/message/247 From marvgandall at videotron.ca Fri Aug 1 10:03:19 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:03:19 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to Obesity in americans References: <3391659.1217601913744.JavaMail.root@mswamui-cedar.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <03ac01c8f3f0$1dc96e60$0202a8c0@MARV> Walter writes: > One thing which I think we can be certain of, and that's that > conscious and explicit political motivations for candidates > are but one among many factors which are behind how and why > people vote for any particular candidate. Unfortunately. ============================ However, cultures do associate weight with class status, so those who react on this basis aren't acting entirely unconsciously, although clearly it doesn't correspond to our notion of political conciousness. It's interesting how cultural perceptions about weight and class have changed. At one time, weight was associated with wealth, ie.the fat capitalist, and skinny meant you were poor. Overweight meant you were someone who could afford to eat well. Now it's flipped, and the ideal type in bourgeois society is lean and fit while obesity, rightly or wrongly, is associated with being poor. College-educated professionals work out regularly and introduce their kids to "healthy eating", while the cameras linger over beer-bellied bleacher bums baring themselves at sporting events. The changed stereotype is attributable to the relative decline in scarcity in advanced capitalist society where the poor no longer starve but instead have access to cheap junk food which puts pounds on them. So Obama's svelte appearance probably does contribute to the not inaccurate perception among more backward American workers that he's an "elitist", ie."bourgeois", but we both agree that, within this cohort, race still weighs much more heavily on his campaign. From sartesian at earthlink.net Fri Aug 1 10:21:25 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 12:21:25 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Supply and demand? References: <1217598138.489312bad65e1@mymail.yorku.ca> <240A7F58-9765-4D7E-B7D7-D8F16F1F4E38@pipeline.com> Message-ID: <05cf01c8f3f2$a51c9c50$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Better to use daily consumption, and daily production. Supply and demand covers everything, means nothing. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shane Mage" To: Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 11:24 AM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Supply and demand? > > On Aug 1, 2008, at 9:42 AM, bauerly at yorku.ca wrote: > > Conforming to general economic illiteracy, "supply and demand" is here > portrayed as quantity sold, whereas it's only economic meaning > pertains to the underlying schedules of quantity offered and sold at > various prices. "Speculative" demand is still demand and > "speculative" [withholding or dumping] supply is still supply. > > Shane Mage > > "Thunderbolt steers all things...it consents and does not consent to > be called Zeus." > > Herakleitos of Ephesos > > > > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/sartesian%40earthlink.net From elishastephens at hotmail.com Fri Aug 1 10:20:29 2008 From: elishastephens at hotmail.com (Eli Stephens) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:20:29 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution Message-ID: Something I posted back on my blog in July: Guess the solar power advocate Who said this? "Some day some fellow will invent a way of concentrating and storing up sunshine to use instead of this old, absurd Prometheus scheme of fire. I'll do the trick myself if some one else doesn't get at it. "Sunshine is spread out thin and so is electricity . . . the trick [is], you see, to concentrate the juice and liberate it as you needed it. . . . This scheme of combustion to get power makes me sick to think of?it is so wasteful. . . . When we learn how to store electricity, we will cease being apes ourselves; until then we are tailless orangutans. You see, we should utilize natural forces and thus get all of our power." Answer: the person who was an early advocate of turning sunlight into electricity to replace burning things (oil and coal) was also instrumental in turning electricity into light...Thomas Edison, who said the above in 1910, almost 100 years ago. On a slightly more substantive note, visit this page: http://eands.caltech.edu/ESarchive-frame.html for a series of articles summarizing a variety of the latest efforts to harvest and store solar energy. _________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch when you're away with Windows Live Messenger. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_messenger2_072008 From schaffer at optonline.net Fri Aug 1 10:44:50 2008 From: schaffer at optonline.net (Les Schaffer) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:44:50 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution II In-Reply-To: <48932ECB.50205@comcast.net> References: <48932ECB.50205@comcast.net> Message-ID: <48933D82.6040709@optonline.net> David Walters wrote: > Les, the issue of 'storage' is *as important* as production of power. > Literally 50% of the issues...the problems we have today. > yes, storage AND transmission are very important. but nowhere in the MIT brouhaha does anyone talk about collecting solar energy.... and ye can't store what ye can't collect. now, if one can make a collector using this process that more efficiently converts solar to chemical energy, that's nothing to sneeze at. but it's still 1.4 kW per square meter at the earth's surface. as energy storage whatever the energy source? ok, fine. then we are into storage of large quantities of hydrogen ... and then transmission again. i am not saying these things are impossible, but as an energy source to replace black gold or coal or nuclear? you have to look at the numbers and add them up. as to efficiency of storage: i am not up on the details, shane claims 90% efficient electrolysis already. sounds like our prof at MIT has found a cheaper way to do it with similar efficiencies. Les From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 11:00:29 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 13:00:29 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Nader at 6% - CNN poll In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <908b689f0808011000v28e892fctc39f8740f182d861@mail.gmail.com> On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 11:06 AM, wrote: > THE RACE: The presidential race nationally Marxists do not set any store by opinion polls. At the time of the US invasion of Panama, opinion polls showed that most Panamanians favored a US invasion!! From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Aug 1 11:13:58 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:13:58 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Nader at 6% - CNN poll In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808011000v28e892fctc39f8740f182d861@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808011000v28e892fctc39f8740f182d861@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <48934456.2000403@panix.com> Ruthless Critic of All that Exists wrote: > On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 11:06 AM, wrote: > >> THE RACE: The presidential race nationally > > Marxists do not set any store by opinion polls. At the time of the US > invasion of Panama, opinion polls showed that most Panamanians favored > a US invasion!! > You are missing the point about Panama. It was not that the polls were inaccurate. Rather it was that Marxists were under no obligation to support an invasion even if it had majority support in Panama. From markalause at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 11:28:19 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 13:28:19 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Nader at 6% - CNN poll In-Reply-To: <48934456.2000403@panix.com> References: <908b689f0808011000v28e892fctc39f8740f182d861@mail.gmail.com> <48934456.2000403@panix.com> Message-ID: Why support Nader when you need somebody with the correct line. Maybe Trotter McCommie on the Worker's Fifth-International Party. I hear Trotter even has Walter's position on Cuba. ML From jeffrubard at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 11:31:55 2008 From: jeffrubard at gmail.com (Jeff Rubard) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:31:55 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Nader at 6% - CNN poll In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4893488B.2010107@gmail.com> Can we take the rock out of the ribs yet, guys? From bauerly at yorku.ca Fri Aug 1 12:01:19 2008 From: bauerly at yorku.ca (bauerly at yorku.ca) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:01:19 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] (no subject) Message-ID: <1217613679.48934f6f9cd77@mymail.yorku.ca> >>>"Conforming to general economic illiteracy, "supply and demand" is here portrayed as quantity sold, whereas it's only economic meaning pertains to the underlying schedules of quantity offered and sold at various prices. "Speculative" demand is still demand and "speculative" [withholding or dumping] supply is still supply. Shane Mage>>>" If supply and demand explains everything than they explain nothing. Or, as Marx said supply and demand are the surface appearance which masks the underlying means to overcome the contradictions of capitalism. Whether or not speculation in the commodities markets falls under supply and demand tells us nothing about what it does and how it impacts profits, nor does it allow for an unmasking of the mechanisms behind the rise in commodity prices. Supply and demand as an explanation of the rise in oil prices masks the underlying mechanisms and the contradiction they are mediating. Brad From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 12:06:00 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 14:06:00 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Maoists decide to form government in Nepal Message-ID: <908b689f0808011106j73d8bb32s5c4a66979b1166d2@mail.gmail.com> http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug01/news08.php Maoists decide to form govt The two-day central committee meeting of CPN (Maoist) concluded Friday deciding to take the leadership of the new government under three 'conditions'. After the conclusion of the meeting, party spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara told reporters that the party would make efforts to form a government of national consensus. However, the party has kept open the alternative of a majority government by making alliance with a few parties, if a consensus government failed to take shape. Mahara also said his party was ready to take the leadership of new government even if it is a minority government but on the condition that other parties make commitment not to bring on-confidence motion against the government until the new constitution is drafted. The party has also stressed the need to end the current alliance of NC, UML and MJF. If the conditions are not met, the party will remain in the opposition, he said. Meanwhile, the Maoist leaders have admitted their mistake for eroding relations with CPN (UML) during the recent presidential election, and have now expressed commitment not to repeat the errors in future. The party had called its central committee meeting after coming under pressure from all sides to take the leadership of the next government. The party has discussed the common minimum programme for a consensus government to be tabled before the meeting of 25 parties, which is likely on Saturday or Sunday. Mahara said the draft of the CMP, which will incorporate the suggestions from the central committee members, would be ready by the evening. nepalnews.com ia Aug 01 08 http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug01/news10.php CPN (ML) for a communist government As the Maoists make more efforts to take leadership of the new government, another communist party, CPN (ML), has asked the Maoist leaders to hold talks with other fringe communist groups on the issue. Stressing the need of communist unity for formation of new government, the meeting of the politburo members of party held on Friday urged the Maoist leaders to make sincere efforts for bringing all communist groups together in the government, if Nepali Congress and other rightists refuse joining it. The party asked the Maoists to hold talks with eight communist parties represented in the constituent assembly to include them in the new government. The party has also demanded for immediate end of the prevailing black market of petroleum products causing shortage purposely to panic consumers. Further the party has drawn the attention of the government regarding the growing food crisis in western districts. From Dbachmozart at aol.com Fri Aug 1 13:18:19 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 15:18:19 EDT Subject: [Marxism] "Afghanistan: Shoals Ahead for President Obama" Message-ID: clip -- Obama would do well to reflect upon the recent interview in Le Monde given by G?rard Chaliand. Chaliand is a leading geostrategist, specializing in so-called irregular wars. He knows Afghanistan exceedingly well, having been in and out of there over the last thirty years. He spent much time with the mujahidin during their struggle against Soviet troops in the 1980s. He currently spends several months a year in Kabul at the Center for Conflict and Peace Studies, of which he was one of the founders. He is very clear on the military situation. "Victory is impossible in Afghanistan. . . . Today, one must try to negotiate. There is no other solution." Why? Because the Taliban control the local powers throughout the east and south of the country, where Pashtun populations prevail. http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/wallerstein310708.html **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 ) From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Aug 1 13:24:34 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:24:34 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Paul Le Blanc on the Trotsky Legacy conference Message-ID: <489362F2.1020803@panix.com> REFLECTIONS ON THE TROTSKY LEGACY CONFERENCE Paul Le Blanc (8/1/08) The Conference on the Legacy of Leon Trotsky and U.S. Trotskyism took place on July 25-27 at the Bronx campus of New York City?s Fordham University. As one of the people who helped plan and organize the conference, I would like to offer a few reflections. In what follows I will avoid critical discussion of political perspectives ? there were a variety of these presented at the conference ? but not because I consider these unimportant. I have dealt with, and will deal with, such matters elsewhere (including my own presentation and remarks at the conference). But I want this to be a relative brief account that gives at least a general sense of what happened during these three days, offering basic information and bits of evaluation. The conference was a success in more than one way. ? We were hoping for at least 100 participants. There were 110 formal registrants from 13 states in the U.S., plus others from Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, and Britain. ? We were hoping for a number of former members of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and Young Socialist Alliance (YSA). While I would have preferred at least 10 or 20 more than there were, around 40 or so former members of the SWP and YSA were in attendance, whose membership occurred at various times between 1960 and 1998, and whose perspectives on the experience varied. ? We were hoping that a number of participants would be thoughtful younger activists with some interest in the legacy of Leon Trotsky and U.S. Trotskyism. This turned out to be the case. These were primarily members of the International Socialist Organization (ISO), the Workers International League (WIL), Socialist Alternative, and Solidarity ? all of whom engaged in the discussions in an open manner, with plenty of questions and ideas of their own, but without the ?more-revolutionary-than-thou? attitude that afflicts some groups which happened to be in attendance. ? A self-description of the conference contained in the packets handed out to participants accurately describes what, in fact happened at the conference. ?The conference?s purpose is to focus on the meaning and relevance of an important political experience, the development of the revolutionary socialist movement in the United States that was inspired by the ideas of Leon Trotsky. The conference will bring together veterans of that movement, along with critical-minded scholars, as well as students and other young people who have an interest (in many cases an activist engagement) in social movements. It will involve a serious exploration of the experience, the history, and the ideas of U.S. Trotskyism ? including discussions of the relationship of all this to current world realities.? ? One of the hopes of the conference planning committee was stated in this way: ?We look forward to a lively exchange of varying points of view at this conference ? best accomplished, we feel, by proceeding in a way that is respectful of each other.? For the most part, this hope was realized. ? There was some concern that the conference ? although organized on a shoestring ? would wrack up some debts, but in fact all bills were paid and there was a comfortable surplus. Conference Sessions The quality of the presentations and discussion varied. We were especially fortunate to have a fine presentation on James P. Cannon by the outstanding Canadian labor historian Bryan Palmer, author of an excellent and important biography of Cannon, plus moving and partly autobiographical presentation on the legacy of Leon Trotsky by Esteban Volkov, Trotsky?s grandson. An outstanding set of presentations, I thought, was provided by Kipp Dawson, Robin David, and Gus Horowitz, who focused on strengths of the SWP in the 1960s and 1970s. Another panel focused on an exploration of the weaknesses and decline of the SWP, with interesting presentations by myself, David Walters, and Linda Thompson ? although the only one I was fully satisfied with was my own (no surprise there!). In both panels I would have liked to see a more thorough and searching discussion of the relevant issues. This was precluded by lack of time ? which was one of the most serious problems of the conference, which I will come back to shortly. Among the best sessions, I thought, were those on party-building and on the anti-war movement. The former was graced by three clear and thoughtful presentations by Tom Trottier of the WIL, Steve Bloom (speaking only for himself) of Solidarity, and Sharon Smith of the ISO. The presenters avoided the dismissiveness of party-building that afflicts some sectors of the Left, as well as the ?we?re-the-greatest? sectarianism all too prevalent among others. While there was some relating of the presentations to previous sessions examining the history of the SWP (Steve, as a former SWP member, naturally did this more than the others), all were primarily, and thoughtfully, very much engaged with current realities and future possibilities. On the anti-war panel, Gus Horowitz offered a succinct and inspiring overview of the role the SWP was able to play in the U.S. movement to end the war in Vietnam. This was followed by three truly excellent, richly informative presentations from on-the-ground activists who have been in the thick of the current struggle against the U.S. war in Iraq ? Chris Gauvreau (who has been prominent in the National Assembly to End the Iraq War and Occupation), Tom Bias (who has been immersed in the vital work of a local anti-war coalition in New Jersey), and Leia Petty (who is an outstanding leader in the Campus Anti-War Network ? CAN). Revolutionary struggles in Latin America was the focus of one of the most ambitious panels. It began with the showing of a DVD excerpt from a rousing and optimistic presentation by Cuban Trotskyist Celia Hart, a more measured, somber assessment by the always-informative Gerry Foley, a detailed and valuable survey of current Cuban realities by Eloise Linger, and a very upbeat and fascinating intervention by a young revolutionary associated with the Venezuelan consulate, Mart?n Sanchez. Two other ambitious panels were less successful in living up to their titles. One was ?Permanent Revolution and the Evolution of World Realities Since the 1960s.? ISO leader Ahmed Shawki offered a serious and energetically-presented set of reflections on the present conjuncture, conference coordinator Linda Thompson presented a wide-ranging discussion of feminism, and Victor Serge biographer Suzi Weissman gave us a sense of Serge?s contributions to the revolutionary movement and aspects his perspective that have relevance for our own time. All of this was interesting (and the discussion was even more so), but there was hardly the serious evaluation of Trotsky?s theory in the light of a deep analysis of the past five decades which the title seemed to promise. Similarly, the session on ?Social Movements and Class Struggle in the U.S.? was the other session of which this was the case. It was graced by the absorbing autobiographical reflections of Kwame Somburu, as well as an extremely critical interpretation of U.S. Trotskyists? understanding (or lack of understanding) of Trotsky?s Transitional Program by Marilyn Vogt-Downey; only trade unionist Dan Kaplan offered perspectives that was fully as contemporary as the session?s title seemed to promise. Other Aspects of the Conference I must confess that I attended only one of the workshops ? the one on the anti-war movement today, which provided a framework for an excellent discussion. I was unable to attend others (some of which sounded very interesting to me) only partly because I had to attend to conference logistical issues. There was also the fact that I really needed a bit of a break from listening to speakers, and really wanted to have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with people, which is always important to me at events like this. I am told that some of the workshops were quite good, although at least two failed due to lack of attendance, and one (on electoral action) was overwhelmed by sectarian speechifying. It seems to me that it might have been better to have fewer workshops. Perhaps only two timeslots for workshops, instead of three, would have been a wiser decision. Perhaps one less plenary session would also have made sense. Such changes would have allowed more time for discussion in the plenary sessions, and more time for informal one-on-one and small-group discussions. There is always the temptation ? in organizing such conferences as these ? to pack more in than will comfortably fit. Sometimes ?less is more.? Overall, my feeling (and I believe the feeling of most others in attendance) was quite positive about what happened. I was especially pleased with some of what might be called ?cultural? features of the conference. I think the conference poster (there were plenty of copies for sale) was beautiful, offering a rare, later destroyed, revolutionary mural (with Marx, Engels, Lenin, Luxemburg, Liebknecht, Rakovsky, plus a cluster of U.S. Trotskyists) that Diego Rivera made in 1933. There was a magnificent banner of Trotsky made by contemporary muralist Mike Alewitz especially for this conference. There was a wealth of literature, especially thanks to a table set up by Haymarket Books, which had not only Haymarket titles, but also other Marxist classics and contemporary works from other publishers, and a good sampling of authors from the old SWP and the Fourth International. This was supplemented with literature tables from the magazine Revolutionary History, Socialist Action, the Workers International League, Socialist Alternative, the Freedom Socialist Party, the News and Letters Committee, the Bolshevik Tendency, the League for a Revolutionary Party, the Spartacist League, and the Internationalist Committee. Another fine cultural component involved the first U.S. showing of the fine 90-minute documentary ?Trotsky y Mexico? recently made for Mexican television, and now available with English subtitles. (Copies were on sale at the conference for $20.) For that matter, there was actual film-making in progress as the conference was taking place. Lindy Laub ? who has both Hollywood and academic credentials ? was on hand to show a somewhat fragmented but fascinating ?trailer? made by the late David Weiss, longtime U.S. Trotskyist and film-maker. She appealed for support in finishing David?s massive project of creating a full-length documentary biography of Trotsky. While David had already accumulated an immense quantity of filmed interviews (including with such people as George Novack, James P. Cannon, James T. Farrell, C. L. R. James, and many, many more), Lindy was busy shooting more up-to-date footage was well. In addition, all of the plenary sessions were filmed by a generous film-maker named Joe Friendly ? all of which has been turned into over 30 DVDs. These will be deposited with Tamiment Library (and probably other archives specializing in the U.S. labor and radical movements) for the use of future scholars. There are plans to produce a DVD with conference highlights. Also under the heading of ?culture? was a Saturday evening party, enhanced by the DJ skills of Asi Somburu and a guest jazz saxophone performance by Asi?s father (and conference speaker) Kwame Somburu. Other cultural elements that found their way into the conference were the recently-published novel The Sweetest Dream by veteran Trotskyist and conference participant Lillian Pollack, and a new book of poetry by conference planning committee member and speaker Steve Bloom. The Meaning of the Conference One of the most important features of the conference, in my opinion, was the interplay between older veterans and younger activists that we envisioned as a central aspect of the conference. The substantial and exemplary participation of the ISO helped to ensure the realization of this goal, as did the involvement of young activists from other groups, which we sought by building into the program speakers from the WIL and Socialist Alternative. It should be noted that in addition to the ISO, formal endorsements were extended to the conference from Socialist Action (which had a number of key speakers at the conference) and the Freedom Socialist Party. While the conference was not a ?regroupment? effort or an effort meant to help establish a new political group, there were pulls and tugs and tensions within the planning committee on this matter. Some of the comrades may want to explore possibilities in that direction, and others most definitely do not. I think all want to see ongoing interactions and discussions of one kind or another, and common projects involving at least some of those who engaged in the conference. I think there is general agreement, for example, that it would be good to give whatever support we can to the Trotsky documentary that film-maker Lindy Laub is working on. A new committee flowing out of the conference is in formation, an entity that will not include some of us (including myself) who have seen the conference, basically, as a ?one-shot deal.? I imagine the committee will do such things as setting up a web site, continuing a discussion list, and perhaps more. Speaking for myself, I intend to work closely with comrades in several of the groups that were involved in the conference. I hope to join one of them in the foreseeable future ? but after that I still intend to keep working with good comrades of various groups (as well as with some who are not in a group). I believe the conference has helped to preserve and pass on some of the memories and lessons and ideas associated with U.S. Trotskyism, and that this can be usefully absorbed into the ongoing efforts to develop revolutionary socialist cadres who will be engaged in the struggles of today and tomorrow. There is no revolutionary party worthy of the name that exists in the United States. But there is a need for one ? to help the working-class majority move forward to create the socialist democracy and cooperative commonwealth in which many of us believe. I think there is the possibility for such a party coming into being. It may be that this conference stands as a modest contribution to the process that could generate such an outcome. From jbustelo at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 13:39:25 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 15:39:25 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Nader at 6% - CNN poll In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808011000v28e892fctc39f8740f182d861@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808011000v28e892fctc39f8740f182d861@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <4EAC1BC5FA804D138B0611E42D44006B@albanta> "Ruthless Critic of All That Exists" (unless it involves thinking) avers, in order to respond to Nader's apparent rise in the polls, "Marxists do not set any store by opinion polls. At the time of the US invasion of Panama, opinion polls showed that most Panamanians favored a US invasion!!" And which polls would those have been, Ruthless? The ones done under the Noriega dictatorship or the ones carried out under military occupation? Anyways, the intimate interrelationship that exists between polls putatively taken nearly two decades ago, on an entirely different subject, in a different country, with different methodology, and one done in the U.S. in the last week or so, so that the former makes mere mention of the latter an occasion for derision, eludes me. Perhaps "Ruthless" can elaborate on what I seem to be missing. Joaqu?n From schaffer at optonline.net Fri Aug 1 13:56:44 2008 From: schaffer at optonline.net (Les Schaffer) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:56:44 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution II In-Reply-To: <48933D82.6040709@optonline.net> References: <48932ECB.50205@comcast.net> <48933D82.6040709@optonline.net> Message-ID: <48936A7C.2050900@optonline.net> David Walters, et al.: for what its worth, i am currently consulting on a concentrating solar power system (CSP) design ... but CSP simply delivers high temperature steam to run a turbine to produce electricity to do XXXX. How CSP would relate to this new electrolysis is unclear, no? you claim the breakthrough is in storage. but storage is only needed if you want to make some fraction of electric users fully dependent on solar. otherwise its simply another source of power. and if you store, you have to reconvert and transmit later, and we know our transmission infrastructure is creaky. now a global transmission system, powering the shadow while while the other side sunbathes, that would be something, eh? but lets grant this breakthrough storage scheme and see what kind of area is needed so that solar could fill the tank, so to speak. how many square meters of sunny area would be needed, in the US for example, to power itself, assuming you *could store* and re-transmit through the remaining say 16 hours of dawn, dusk, and night? well, whats our latest power usage, averaged over 24 hours? from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_use_in_the_United_States i get about 1,000,000 MW for the electric production rate in 2006. (nameplate capacity) so, lets say we can collect solar energy at 100% efficiency over a third of the day and store for the other two thirds of the day. then we need 3,000,000 MW of instantaneous production. 3,000,000 MW / (1.4 kW / m^2) = 3,000,000 / .0014 (m^2) = 2,142,857,143 (m^2) = 825 sq miles (= 530,000 acres) this sets the *scale* for solar-electric production without revolution in the way we live. that is 825 square miles of the earth's brightest surface blanketed with solar collectors, connected to electrolysis or energy storage of your choice and re-transmitted now or later. interesting number. not quite as fearsome as i first guessed, but plenty big... everything 100% efficient, nothing but the best for us .... ;-) you can play with the numbers. you want to promise us some clean/safe nuclear, take some fraction of 824. want to keep burning coal but at a reduced rate? reduce it some more. and so forth. want to reduce electric consumption by half? want to leave the others forms of production and just eliminate coal-fired, thats 400 sq miles then. you think we can collect for 12 hours of the day in New Mexico?: 500 sq miles. etc etc etc ... for the quibblers amongst us: when i say that 825 sq miles sets the scale for solar-electric production, it means its an order of magnitude estimate. if the wikipedia #s are wrong or misleading, the point is to set the gross scale at which one would need area for solar power collection at the 1.4 kW/m^2 intensity. if you come up with 325 sq miles or 1600 sq miles, its only incidental. andy pollack: did this answer your question, or do we need more details on collectors and efficiencies and all that? can someone like the railroad man make an estimate of the cost (materials, labor, environmental) to produce say 100 square miles of x% efficient collectors? by the ways: 1. someone pointed out on a blog that the water usage for this new conversion scheme would be large. 2. the wikipedia #s give us (potential) electric production as of two years ago, not total energy use. 3. that wikipedia article above states there is about 400 MW of solar electric generation in the US in 2006. i don't know if that is daily average or what. but that requires about 0.1 sq miles of existing collector surface area. so we have at least three orders of magnitude to go. 4. Rhode Island has 1545 sq miles. so half of Rhode Island. to sum up, storage of solar energy is a piece of the puzzle, but only a piece, and not the most important piece. to keep things as they are (consumption-wise), supply must equal demand. in power this is true. storage is a detail. so the MIT claim is hype, though the prof has come up with an interesting and potentially useful technology. Les From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Aug 1 14:15:29 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:15:29 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Studying philosophy at the New School Message-ID: <48936EE1.6030808@panix.com> A couple of items that I stumbled across on the net lately have gotten me thinking about time spent as a graduate student in the philosophy department of the New School back in 1965 to 1967. The first was an article titled ?Why are some of the greatest thinkers being expelled from their disciplines?? that appeared in the July 25th Chronicle of Higher Education (unfortunately limited to subscribers or some university employees like myself). Written by UCLA professor and long-time semi-Marxist social commentator Russell Jacoby, it called attention to the disappearance of Freud, Marx and Hegel from academia: "How is it that Freud is not taught in psychology departments, Marx is not taught in economics, and Hegel is hardly taught in philosophy? Instead these masters of Western thought are taught in fields far from their own. Nowadays Freud is found in literature departments, Marx in film studies, and Hegel in German. But have they migrated, or have they been expelled? Perhaps the home fields of Freud, Marx, and Hegel have turned arid. Perhaps those disciplines have come to prize a scientistic ethos that drives away unruly thinkers. Or maybe they simply progress by sloughing off the past." I was fortunate to study at the New School from 1965-1967 long before this trend set in. But I am afraid that Jacoby is not that well tuned in to the philosophy scene on campus if he thought that Hegel was ever some hot commodity for the sad fact is that philosophy departments have been Hegel-free (and Descarte-free, etc.) for an entire generation except as examples of how not to ?do? philosophy. The so-called Continental philosophy that traces its lineage back to Descartes is for the most part not practiced nowadays. And if it is taught, it is taught as a part of true philosophy?s prehistory. This school, descended from Logical Positivism, has also been described as linguistic analysis. Much of its effort was directed at debunking the classic ?problems? of Continental philosophy in the style of A.J. Ayer, one of the leading figures who focused on the ?verification principle?, which means that a proposition can only be true if it can stand up to empirical testing. As such, all philosophy that derives from Descartes cannot be ?verified?. Parenthetically, I must admit a certain admiration for Ayer based on a wiki article that reveals among other things that he put in a stint at Bard College in 1987, my alma mater. That year, he had a run-in with boxer Mike Tyson that ended well apparently: "At a party that same year held by fashion designer Fernando Sanchez, Ayer, then 77, confronted Mike Tyson harassing the (then little-known) model Naomi Campbell. When Ayer demanded that Tyson stop, the boxer said: 'Do you know who the fuck I am? I?m the heavyweight champion of the world,' to which Ayer replied: 'And I am the former Wykeham Professor of Logic. We are both pre-eminent in our field. I suggest that we talk about this like rational men.' Ayer and Tyson then began to talk, while Naomi Campbell slipped out." full: http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2008/08/01/studying-philosophy-at-the-new-school/ From nmgoro at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 14:15:56 2008 From: nmgoro at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?N=C3=A9stor_Gorojovsky?=) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 17:15:56 -0300 Subject: [Marxism] [Spa] Progressive, popular mailing list censored by Hotmail on slippery "technical" grounds Message-ID: <2fa158550808011315k5c3306a0p72928cf19048f63e@mail.gmail.com> [Comparto total, absoluta y completamente la defensa de los medios populares, democr?ticos y nacionales de los pueblos oprimidos contra la dictadura que ahora pretende implementarse a trav?s de Hotmail. Este correo se env?a a listas en la Argentina y en el extranjero. Pido a los amigos y compa?eros del exterior que sumen su voz a esta campa?a] HOTMAIL CENSURA A LA NAC&POP DECLARANDOLO SPAM. La empresa, ahora de Microsoft, sospechada de pertenecer a los servicios de inteligencia norteamericanos, ejerce su poder "ilegal" sobre un peri?dico digital pol?tico del peronismo. Por Gabriel Fernandez La Se?al Medios No es la primera vez que le pasa este tipo de censura a la red nacional y popular de noticias, mas conocida como la NAC&POP o familiarmente llamada por sus suscriptores "la Naky" Ya tuvo su primer gran problema con el grupo Clar?n en el 2005 cuando la empresa Prima del Grupo Clar?n, a trav?s del servidor de Internet Ciudad, clausur?, desde las 15 horas del mi?rcoles 23 de marzo de 2005, todas las emisiones de la Red Nacional y Popular de Noticias (Nac & Pop), argumentando que los mismos se encuadran en la categor?a de Spam. En ese momento representantes del servidor de Internet Ciudad se comunicaron con el director de la Nac & Pop, Mart?n Garc?a, para informarle que hab?an resuelto impedirle continuar enviando los despachos habituales de su agencia. Ahora Hotmail. se comunic? con la empresa Velocom para notificarle que no dejara entrar a Hotmail ningun mensaje proveniente de Velocom a raiz de los envios del Newsletter de la NAC&POP y las invitaciones a las comidas de los lunes de la Mesa de los Sue?os de los Compa?eros de Utop?as de la Agrupaci?n Oesterheld. Esta Agrupaci?n nombra, lunes a lunes, a diversos patriotas como Juan Domingo Per?n, Eva Per?n, Jos? Mart?, Felipe Varela, Chacho Pe?aloza, Jose Sabino Navarro, Envar El Kadri, Carlos Mugica; Bernardo Alberte, Jose de San Mart?n, Juan Manuel de Rosas, Gerardo Vallejo, entre otros. La empresa Velocom, solidaria, ha ofrecido estudiar una soluci?n tecnica para la NAC&POP y le ha solicitado NO enviar m?s mails de la Carta de Noticias de la Naky y las invitaciones de la Oesterheld a sus suscriptores de Hotmail, lo que fue aceptado por la NAC&POP a pesar de que deja afuera al 20% de sus suscriptores que tienen correo en Hotmail, para no perjudicar a la empresa y sus clientes que deseen comunicarse con sus amigos de Hotmail. Sin dudas Hotmail, quiz?s involucrada con la CIA (como Google o Yahoo) ejerce "de facto" una dictadura feroz en sus decisiones sin que sea advertido por los usuarios. Ahora NAC&POP comenzar? una Campa?a con sus suscriptores de Hotmail para que estos le soliciten a Hotmail.com que les permita ingresar los correos de la Nac&Pop y la Agrupaci?n Oesterheld. Un poco de historia Esto sucedi? tambi?n hace 3 o 4 a?os con Argentina.com, Fibertel, y Yahoo, aunque luego fueron re clasificados. Tambi?n Uol Sinectis ( Los socios argentinos son Am?rica 2 -De Narvaez- y Editorial Perfil -Fontevecchia-) dio de baja en el 2005 una cuenta de la NAC&OP en perfecta consonancia con Ciudad.com de Prima del Grupo Clar?n. Los envios de la NAC&POP llevan una frase que dice "Spam es libertad de expresi?n. AntiSpam es control y censura despiadados". Declar? Mart?n Garc?a, director de la Red Nacional y Popular a La Se?al en Radio Gr?fica: "Quieren convencer a la gente que no reciba correo no solicitado porque es "basura"". "Los 10 minutos diarios que lleva "limpiar" la Bandeja de Entrada es el precio que pagamos por nuestra libertad de elegir. Si no padecemos y disfrutamos esa libertad, le estamos dejando a las grandes corporaciones decidir lo que debemos ver y recibir", a?adi?. Hace un par de a?os el Grupo Clarin monitore? un Proyecto Anti Spam en la C?mara de Diputados donde los "servidores", es decir las empresas prestadoras del servicio (un servicio que es p?blico) pod?an determinar qu? peri?dico digital pod?a circular y cu?l no, erigi?ndose por encima de la libertad de expresi?n y la libre circulaci?n de las ideas protegidas por la Declaraci?n de los Derechos Humanos Costa Rica de 1945. La NAC&POP tiene una posici?n pol?tica Anti Imperialista y a favor de la Uni?n Suramericana y el Mercosur,e inclusive Pro ALBA defendiendo fundamentadamente los gobiernos de Evo Morales en Bolivia, Hugo Chavez en Venezuela, Rafael Correa en Ecuador, Daniel Ortega en Nicaragua, Raul Castro en Cuba, Lula Da Silva en Brasil, Fernando Lugo en Paraguay, y los gobiernos peronistas en Argentina. Tambi?n se manifest? a favor de la vieja "Yugoeslavia" y se neg? a demonizar a Iran tal y como pretenden los integrantes de la Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa (SIP), y efectu? una n?tida campa?a en contra de la guerra de Irak. Durante el golpe de Carmona contra Chavez, en Venezuela, la NAC&POP (que est? cumpliendo ya ocho a?os en la web) tuvo una destacada actuaci?n en la madrugada cuando hab?a que transmitir a todos lados que Chavez no hab?a renunciado a la Presidencia de la Naci?n y que se encontraba secuestrado con peligro de muerte. Hace poco se "recibi?" de medio de comunicaci?n (dej? de ser considerado un medio "alternativo") cuando public? la carta de renuncia a Clar?n del periodista Claudio Diaz: a los dos dias el periodista era consagrado "h?roe civil" por el secretario General de la CGT, Hugo Moyano en un acto donde se ofrec?a una muestra en la central obrera del periodismo argentino durante la Dictadura. Al d?a siguiente Claudio fue recibido por el Secretario General de la Presidencia, por entonces Alberto Fern?ndez, y por el Secretario de Medios, el publicista Pepe Albistur, en clara muestra de la relevancia que hab?a generado la noticia publicada solamente en la "Naky" y reproducida luego por decenas de peri?dicos y cartas de noticias de Internet. En los ?ltimos tiempos la NAC&POP difundi? masivamente el proyecto "El Umbral" surgido de los sindicatos SADOP y SUTERH en base a escritos de Gustavo Cirigliano que desarrolla los siete proyectos de Argentina, contando a partir del de los pueblos originarios con 14 siglos de historia hasta llegar a la definici?n del "Anti Proyecto" encarnado en los poderes financieros, propagandisticos y militares del Norte imperial que impone la sumisi?n de nuestras naciones. Las Corporaciones digitales consideran que la NAC&POP env?a 'demasiados' correos, por lo que la Red fu? caracterizada como Spam. Curiosamente no le plantean esto mismo a los miles y miles de correos que env?an diariamente los diarios La Naci?n y Clar?n a sus suscriptores. Rosana Salas, coordinadora general de la NAC&POP replic? que, en el caso del grupo Clar?n, hab?a contratado un servicio en el cual no se especifica la cantidad de mails que pod?a enviar, por lo cual manifestaba su derecho a remitirlos sin que nadie se lo impidiera. Es sabido que, cuando uno saca una cuenta en Hotmail, los primeros 10 mails que recibe est?n referidos al "Pennis enlarge" y a la venta de Viagra, o Valium, por lo que resulta curioso que decidan vetar ahora al periodismo anti imperialista. Es probable inferir las preocupaciones personales de los ejecutivos de Hotmail. Por insistentes que sean las campa?as, no lograr?n hacernos considerar "basura" a los peri?dicos digitales pol?ticos que publican articulos de grandes pensadores e intelectuales del campo nacional y popular latinoamericano. Salas indic? adem?s que 'la metodolog?a de las corporaciones consiste en vetar los env?os masivos de las agencias informativas independientes, con el objetivo de encuadrar el env?o de e-mails al ?mbito s?lo personal, de la oficina y el hogar'. Esto sucede porque para los militantes populares y 'una nueva dirigencia en ciernes' estos medios tienen una credibilidad 'superior a la de los medios tradicionales'. Estar o no de acuerdo con la l?nea period?stica-ideol?gica de un medio, rebatir o apoyar sus mensajes, es el ejercicio sano de la democracia. Y, mal que le pese a la SIP -"esos hampones" al decir de Arturo Jauretche-, de la libertad de expresi?n. Censurar un medio de comunicaci?n al punto de cerrarlo, como hizo el Grupo Clar?n en su momento con la Nac&Pop, nos retrotrae al periodo m?s oscuro de nuestra historia y esto amerita una posici?n clara y contundente de todos los que nos sentimos civilmente responsables. Estas corporaciones como el grupo Clar?n o Hotmail, son masificadoras de tendencias y de conductas funcionales a todos los gobiernos que en las ?ltimas d?cadas, terminaron poni?ndonos de rodillas. Como ha dicho Enrique Juan Box "Permitir este atropello, es hipotecar nuestro futuro pol?tico, social y por ende econ?mico". A decir verdad, cada vez que empezamos a construir un pa?s, vienen ellos y lo rompen. Pruebas al canto. Usted, a esta altura, me entiende. Gabriel Fernandez es director period?stico de la Revista Question Latinoam?rica y director de La Se?al Medios -- N?stor Gorojovsky El texto principal de este correo puede no ser de mi autor?a -- N?stor Gorojovsky El texto principal de este correo puede no ser de mi autor?a From ffeldman at bellatlantic.net Fri Aug 1 14:23:03 2008 From: ffeldman at bellatlantic.net (Fred Feldman) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:23:03 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Paul Le Blanc on Trotsky Legacy Conference Message-ID: <000901c8f414$673db640$12e9fea9@office1pc> REFLECTIONS ON THE TROTSKY LEGACY CONFERENCE Paul Le Blanc (8/1/08) The Conference on the Legacy of Leon Trotsky and U.S. Trotskyism took place on July 25-27 at the Bronx campus of New York City?s Fordham University. As one of the people who helped plan and organize the conference, I would like to offer a few reflections. In what follows I will avoid critical discussion of political perspectives ? there were a variety of these presented at the conference ? but not because I consider these unimportant. I have dealt with, and will deal with, such matters elsewhere (including my own presentation and remarks at the conference). But I want this to be a relative brief account that gives at least a general sense of what happened during these three days, offering basic information and bits of evaluation. The conference was a success in more than one way. ? We were hoping for at least 100 participants. There were 110 formal registrants from 13 states in the U.S., plus others from Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, and Britain. ? We were hoping for a number of former members of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and Young Socialist Alliance (YSA). While I would have preferred at least 10 or 20 more than there were, around 40 or so former members of the SWP and YSA were in attendance, whose membership occurred at various times between 1960 and 1998, and whose perspectives on the experience varied. ? We were hoping that a number of participants would be thoughtful younger activists with some interest in the legacy of Leon Trotsky and U.S. Trotskyism. This turned out to be the case. These were primarily members of the International Socialist Organization (ISO), the Workers International League (WIL), Socialist Alternative, and Solidarity ? all of whom engaged in the discussions in an open manner, with plenty of questions and ideas of their own, but without the ?more-revolutionary-than-thou? attitude that afflicts some groups which happened to be in attendance. ? A self-description of the conference contained in the packets handed out to participants accurately describes what, in fact happened at the conference. ?The conference?s purpose is to focus on the meaning and relevance of an important political experience, the development of the revolutionary socialist movement in the United States that was inspired by the ideas of Leon Trotsky. The conference will bring together veterans of that movement, along with critical-minded scholars, as well as students and other young people who have an interest (in many cases an activist engagement) in social movements. It will involve a serious exploration of the experience, the history, and the ideas of U.S. Trotskyism ? including discussions of the relationship of all this to current world realities.? ? One of the hopes of the conference planning committee was stated in this way: ?We look forward to a lively exchange of varying points of view at this conference ? best accomplished, we feel, by proceeding in a way that is respectful of each other.? For the most part, this hope was realized. ? There was some concern that the conference ? although organized on a shoestring ? would wrack up some debts, but in fact all bills were paid and there was a comfortable surplus. Conference Sessions The quality of the presentations and discussion varied. We were especially fortunate to have a fine presentation on James P. Cannon by the outstanding Canadian labor historian Bryan Palmer, author of an excellent and important biography of Cannon, plus moving and partly autobiographical presentation on the legacy of Leon Trotsky by Esteban Volkov, Trotsky?s grandson. An outstanding set of presentations, I thought, was provided by Kipp Dawson, Robin David, and Gus Horowitz, who focused on strengths of the SWP in the 1960s and 1970s. Another panel focused on an exploration of the weaknesses and decline of the SWP, with interesting presentations by myself, David Walters, and Linda Thompson ? although the only one I was fully satisfied with was my own (no surprise there!). In both panels I would have liked to see a more thorough and searching discussion of the relevant issues. This was precluded by lack of time ? which was one of the most serious problems of the conference, which I will come back to shortly. Among the best sessions, I thought, were those on party-building and on the anti-war movement. The former was graced by three clear and thoughtful presentations by Tom Trottier of the WIL, Steve Bloom (speaking only for himself) of Solidarity, and Sharon Smith of the ISO. The presenters avoided the dismissiveness of party-building that afflicts some sectors of the Left, as well as the ?we?re-the-greatest? sectarianism all too prevalent among others. While there was some relating of the presentations to previous sessions examining the history of the SWP (Steve, as a former SWP member, naturally did this more than the others), all were primarily, and thoughtfully, very much engaged with current realities and future possibilities. On the anti-war panel, Gus Horowitz offered a succinct and inspiring overview of the role the SWP was able to play in the U.S. movement to end the war in Vietnam. This was followed by three truly excellent, richly informative presentations from on-the-ground activists who have been in the thick of the current struggle against the U.S. war in Iraq ? Chris Gauvreau (who has been prominent in the National Assembly to End the Iraq War and Occupation), Tom Bias (who has been immersed in the vital work of a local anti-war coalition in New Jersey), and Leia Petty (who is an outstanding leader in the Campus Anti-War Network ? CAN). Revolutionary struggles in Latin America was the focus of one of the most ambitious panels. It began with the showing of a DVD excerpt from a rousing and optimistic presentation by Cuban Trotskyist Celia Hart, a more measured, somber assessment by the always-informative Gerry Foley, a detailed and valuable survey of current Cuban realities by Eloise Linger, and a very upbeat and fascinating intervention by a young revolutionary associated with the Venezuelan consulate, Mart?n Sanchez. Two other ambitious panels were less successful in living up to their titles. One was ?Permanent Revolution and the Evolution of World Realities Since the 1960s.? ISO leader Ahmed Shawki offered a serious and energetically-presented set of reflections on the present conjuncture, conference coordinator Linda Thompson presented a wide-ranging discussion of feminism, and Victor Serge biographer Suzi Weissman gave us a sense of Serge?s contributions to the revolutionary movement and aspects his perspective that have relevance for our own time. All of this was interesting (and the discussion was even more so), but there was hardly the serious evaluation of Trotsky?s theory in the light of a deep analysis of the past five decades which the title seemed to promise. Similarly, the session on ?Social Movements and Class Struggle in the U.S.? was the other session of which this was the case. It was graced by the absorbing autobiographical reflections of Kwame Somburu, as well as an extremely critical interpretation of U.S. Trotskyists? understanding (or lack of understanding) of Trotsky?s Transitional Program by Marilyn Vogt-Downey; only trade unionist Dan Kaplan offered perspectives that was fully as contemporary as the session?s title seemed to promise. Other Aspects of the Conference I must confess that I attended only one of the workshops ? the one on the anti-war movement today, which provided a framework for an excellent discussion. I was unable to attend others (some of which sounded very interesting to me) only partly because I had to attend to conference logistical issues. There was also the fact that I really needed a bit of a break from listening to speakers, and really wanted to have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with people, which is always important to me at events like this. I am told that some of the workshops were quite good, although at least two failed due to lack of attendance, and one (on electoral action) was overwhelmed by sectarian speechifying. It seems to me that it might have been better to have fewer workshops. Perhaps only two timeslots for workshops, instead of three, would have been a wiser decision. Perhaps one less plenary session would also have made sense. Such changes would have allowed more time for discussion in the plenary sessions, and more time for informal one-on-one and small-group discussions. There is always the temptation ? in organizing such conferences as these ? to pack more in than will comfortably fit. Sometimes ?less is more.? Overall, my feeling (and I believe the feeling of most others in attendance) was quite positive about what happened. I was especially pleased with some of what might be called ?cultural? features of the conference. I think the conference poster (there were plenty of copies for sale) was beautiful, offering a rare, later destroyed, revolutionary mural (with Marx, Engels, Lenin, Luxemburg, Liebknecht, Rakovsky, plus a cluster of U.S. Trotskyists) that Diego Rivera made in 1933. There was a magnificent banner of Trotsky made by contemporary muralist Mike Alewitz especially for this conference. There was a wealth of literature, especially thanks to a table set up by Haymarket Books, which had not only Haymarket titles, but also other Marxist classics and contemporary works from other publishers, and a good sampling of authors from the old SWP and the Fourth International. This was supplemented with literature tables from the magazine Revolutionary History, Socialist Action, the Workers International League, Socialist Alternative, the Freedom Socialist Party, the News and Letters Committee, the Bolshevik Tendency, the League for a Revolutionary Party, the Spartacist League, and the Internationalist Committee. Another fine cultural component involved the first U.S. showing of the fine 90-minute documentary ?Trotsky y Mexico? recently made for Mexican television, and now available with English subtitles. (Copies were on sale at the conference for $20.) For that matter, there was actual film-making in progress as the conference was taking place. Lindy Laub ? who has both Hollywood and academic credentials ? was on hand to show a somewhat fragmented but fascinating ?trailer? made by the late David Weiss, longtime U.S. Trotskyist and film-maker. She appealed for support in finishing David?s massive project of creating a full-length documentary biography of Trotsky. While David had already accumulated an immense quantity of filmed interviews (including with such people as George Novack, James P. Cannon, James T. Farrell, C. L. R. James, and many, many more), Lindy was busy shooting more up-to-date footage was well. In addition, all of the plenary sessions were filmed by a generous film-maker named Joe Friendly ? all of which has been turned into over 30 DVDs. These will be deposited with Tamiment Library (and probably other archives specializing in the U.S. labor and radical movements) for the use of future scholars. There are plans to produce a DVD with conference highlights. Also under the heading of ?culture? was a Saturday evening party, enhanced by the DJ skills of Asi Somburu and a guest jazz saxophone performance by Asi?s father (and conference speaker) Kwame Somburu. Other cultural elements that found their way into the conference were the recently-published novel The Sweetest Dream by veteran Trotskyist and conference participant Lillian Pollack, and a new book of poetry by conference planning committee member and speaker Steve Bloom. The Meaning of the Conference One of the most important features of the conference, in my opinion, was the interplay between older veterans and younger activists that we envisioned as a central aspect of the conference. The substantial and exemplary participation of the ISO helped to ensure the realization of this goal, as did the involvement of young activists from other groups, which we sought by building into the program speakers from the WIL and Socialist Alternative. It should be noted that in addition to the ISO, formal endorsements were extended to the conference from Socialist Action (which had a number of key speakers at the conference) and the Freedom Socialist Party. While the conference was not a ?regroupment? effort or an effort meant to help establish a new political group, there were pulls and tugs and tensions within the planning committee on this matter. Some of the comrades may want to explore possibilities in that direction, and others most definitely do not. I think all want to see ongoing interactions and discussions of one kind or another, and common projects involving at least some of those who engaged in the conference. I think there is general agreement, for example, that it would be good to give whatever support we can to the Trotsky documentary that film-maker Lindy Laub is working on. A new committee flowing out of the conference is in formation, an entity that will not include some of us (including myself) who have seen the conference, basically, as a ?one-shot deal.? I imagine the committee will do such things as setting up a web site, continuing a discussion list, and perhaps more. Speaking for myself, I intend to work closely with comrades in several of the groups that were involved in the conference. I hope to join one of them in the foreseeable future ? but after that I still intend to keep working with good comrades of various groups (as well as with some who are not in a group). I believe the conference has helped to preserve and pass on some of the memories and lessons and ideas associated with U.S. Trotskyism, and that this can be usefully absorbed into the ongoing efforts to develop revolutionary socialist cadres who will be engaged in the struggles of today and tomorrow. There is no revolutionary party worthy of the name that exists in the United States. But there is a need for one ? to help the working-class majority move forward to create the socialist democracy and cooperative commonwealth in which many of us believe. I think there is the possibility for such a party coming into being. It may be that this conference stands as a modest contribution to the process that could generate such an outcome. From brownh at hartford-hwp.com Fri Aug 1 14:50:41 2008 From: brownh at hartford-hwp.com (Haines Brown) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:50:41 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Studying philosophy at the New School In-Reply-To: <48936EE1.6030808@panix.com> (message from Louis Proyect on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:15:29 -0400) References: <48936EE1.6030808@panix.com> Message-ID: I'll try to get my hands on the Chronicle article, but I wonder about Louis' comment. In what paradise did he live where it was conceivable that Marx, Hegel and Freud might be taught? Does anyone know of any course at any time in any economics department that has Marx in its title or course description? Are there absolutely no universities in the US (or anywhere, for that matter?) that now teach an economics, philosophy or history course that is explicitly Marxist? Haines Brown From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 14:56:53 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 16:56:53 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Studying philosophy at the New School In-Reply-To: References: <48936EE1.6030808@panix.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808011356i2c0d8817p4af97c38df29d0f0@mail.gmail.com> On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 4:50 PM, Haines Brown wrote: > Are there absolutely > no universities in the US (or anywhere, for that matter?) that now teach > an economics, philosophy or history course that is explicitly Marxist? > I don't know -- but no university should teach any "course that is explicitly Marxist". The course itself (or the professor) should never take any position. Then it becomes indoctrination (and turns people off). A course could acquaint the student with Marx's ideas, but it should be a "course about Marx", never a "Marxist course". From jeffrubard at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 15:01:30 2008 From: jeffrubard at gmail.com (Jeff Rubard) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:01:30 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] US Gov't Sez: "Minutemen" are Pathologically Ill Message-ID: <489379AA.6050104@gmail.com> A quick comment on the Bruce Irwin thing. It's wonderful they finally got him, but the "developments" in the story are pretty funny. The new theory is that a mad scientist wanted to test his anthrax cure: but if that was so, why did he precisely target only the people who would tick off a far-right crackpot? Still, if they want to medicalize fascism I think that would be a pretty groovy development. From elishastephens at hotmail.com Fri Aug 1 15:01:49 2008 From: elishastephens at hotmail.com (Eli Stephens) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 14:01:49 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Nader at 6% - CNN poll Message-ID: JB quite rightly takes TC to task for quoting some absurd poll about Panamanians supporting the invasion of their country, but claims that TC is doing this "in order to respond to Nader's apparent rise in the polls." To which I ask, which "apparent rise" would that be? Searching the archives, it was almost a full month ago (July 7) that I wrote a post entitled "Nader at 6%?", discussing what was then a repeatedly cited number of Nader at 6%. So it doesn't appear there is any "apparent rise" at all. Actually in that post I noted that the composite of multiple polls at that time showed Nader at 3-4%. If that were true, and if there were now a composite result (not just one CNN poll) showing Nader at 6%, one could talk about an "apparent rise," but considering the margin of error in these polls is usually 3% at best, you'd be on rather shaky grounds even then. Once again, I hasten to add, I'm not trying to put down Ralph in the least. I'm thrilled that he and Gloria La Riva and Cynthia McKinney and anyone else on the left are running, and I wish them all well. Just calling for sanity. One poll means next to nothing. By the way, I only caught a little of it, although I think it's probably going to be in high rotation on the cable channels, but some black activist called out Obama at a campaign rally today for not doing anything for the black community. Later, interviewed on CNN (getting more time on CNN so far than Cynthia McKinney!), he talked about how there was no way he was voting for Obama, how Obama was even to the right of McCain in some respects, and basically that Obama, McCain, Clinton, and the whole lot were all clones of one another. First time I've ever heard that on CNN from anyone except Ralph Nader! _________________________________________________________________ Time for vacation? WIN what you need- enter now! http://www.gowindowslive.com/summergiveaway/?ocid=tag_jlyhm From sartesian at earthlink.net Fri Aug 1 15:30:56 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 17:30:56 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] (no subject) References: <1217613679.48934f6f9cd77@mymail.yorku.ca> Message-ID: <060801c8f41d$e2de2f60$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Brad, I think Shane's point is that supply and demand do not exist outside what is actually exchanged in a market-- supply and demand are simply what exists in the market and doesn't really refer to production, consumption. ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 2:01 PM Subject: [Marxism] (no subject) From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 15:42:35 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 17:42:35 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Nader at 6% - CNN poll In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <908b689f0808011442n1fe1c87cl84e913d37922449a@mail.gmail.com> On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 5:01 PM, Eli Stephens wrote: > > By the way, I only caught a little of it, although I think it's probably going > to be in high rotation on the cable channels, but some black activist called out > Obama at a campaign rally today for not doing anything for the black community. > Later, interviewed on CNN (getting more time on CNN so far than Cynthia > McKinney!), he talked about how there was no way he was voting for Obama, how > Obama was even to the right of McCain in some respects, and basically that > Obama, McCain, Clinton, and the whole lot were all clones of one another. First > time I've ever heard that on CNN from anyone except Ralph Nader! Hecklers interrupt Obama talk Young black men holding a banner yell, "What about the black community?" during a speech by Sen. Barack Obama. Video at: From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 15:44:46 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 17:44:46 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Nader at 6% - CNN poll In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808011442n1fe1c87cl84e913d37922449a@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808011442n1fe1c87cl84e913d37922449a@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808011444w1ae671e8q2d0ff23e0306fe60@mail.gmail.com> On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 5:42 PM, Ruthless Critic of All that Exists wrote: > > Hecklers interrupt Obama talk > > Young black men holding a banner yell, "What about the black > community?" during a speech by Sen. Barack Obama. > > Video at: > See also: From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Aug 1 15:48:45 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:48:45 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Studying philosophy at the New School In-Reply-To: References: <48936EE1.6030808@panix.com> Message-ID: <20080801215047.AD62EE657@mailbackend.panix.com> >I'll try to get my hands on the Chronicle article, but I wonder about >Louis' comment. In what paradise did he live where it was conceivable >that Marx, Hegel and Freud might be taught? > >Haines Brown I posted the article here: http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/marxism/2008w29/msg00065.htm From csoc21 at btinternet.com Fri Aug 1 16:04:23 2008 From: csoc21 at btinternet.com (noah tucker) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 23:04:23 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Marxism] Exaggerating Chinese economic power Message-ID: <954420.940.qm@web86611.mail.ird.yahoo.com> After S. Artesian said that s/he would reply to me 'off-list', "Marvin Gandall" complained: "Aww, too bad. I was looking forward to Artesian's reply to the issues Tucker raised. Reminds me when I was a negotiator, and the employer guy, looking a bit discomfited, would come over to me and ask whether we could discuss his response "privately" out of earshot of the teams. Naturally, we'd refuse since we didn't do secret meetings." Well, as a former trade union negotiator myself, and though this and other experiences having acquired some ability to assess moral character, I can assure you that S. Artesian's reasons for wishing to continue the debate 'in camera' were honest ones which bear no comparison to the nefarious tactics of capitalist employers! But anyway, S. Artesian has graciously consented to the request that the 'off-list' exchange should be posted to this list. So- *************************************** S. Artesian to Noah Tucker: 1. To your modest point that China's industrial growth is important, real, significant-- there is no disagreement. 2. Disagreement is regarding exaggeration of that growth. That exaggeration takes, IMO, 2 forms: a) China will in the near, far future overtake the US and will replace/equal it as the cornerstone, lynchpin, single most powerful entity etc etc in the capitalist world; b) China's growth will proceed without drastic interruption, without significant contraction, without unleashing tremendous class conflict. Indeed China's uninterrupted growth and march to the top will suppress, resolve, those contradictions. a) I belive is unrealistic precisely because of b) being impossible -- wait a minute better not use impossible-- highly, highly improbable. And if b occurs, we truly need to say good-bye to Marxism as a valid analysis of international capitalism. Now as to your other points: 1. I disagree that wage-rate increases in Japan and Korea triggered the economic contractions in those countries: a. Japan's growth was stopped due to declining rates of profits, which were triggered in overproduction particularly of "hard" commodities like steel; underlying and "floating" the usually low profit margins of Japanese industry was continuous appreciation in real estate and real estate assets. With the signing of the Plaza Accords, the US led slowdown, and recession, taking place 1989, 1991, the asset base began to depreciate. What investment Japanese industry did undertake, it undertook outside its borders, being particularly active in Pacific Asia, including the NIEs. b. Korea did experience significant wage-rate increases of about 60% between 1992-1996. However, if I read the OECD statistics correctly, labor-share of national income and industry operating costs increased only modestly by about 2.5% during that same period. The crisis that shook Korea in the 1996-1997-1998 period, and spread to Mexico, Brazil, and the former SU, was foretold in a decline in the rate of return on investment throughout the capitalist world, led by the US. Before the crisis broke there were clear indications of overproduction in the semi-conductor industry; electronics assembly; copper, steel, cement, autos. This crisis did not strike Korea alone , but also Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines (which hardly has near-western wage-rates), and as previously stated, Mexico and Brazil. After initial resistance ( Greeenspan's deaf ear to Thailand's pleas at the start) the US strove mightily to contain the damage, protect Brazil and Mexico, but not Russia where the fires of free-plague capitalism were encouraged as a way to get Russia's productive capabilities out of the world market mix. And the reinflations, after a fashion, worked, taking us into the further overproduction, as registered most clearly in the telecom, data processing, sectors. What Korea, and Japan, among other were able to do to "restore" and stabilize their economies was to alter the relations between the MOP and labor, by shutting down some MOP, losing ownership of others, but IMO, most importantly, by reducing labor's share, transferring the burden down the economy. Now this is why I think your other point about access to markets, technology, capital-- countries can have that as long as profitability is sufficient in the suppliers of that technology, that capital, and with the markets realizing that profitability quickly enough. But that's simply saying that when times are good, times are good. The point I think we need to make, as China, Brazil, integrate more and more into the world markets, the access to capital and technology will depend on the existing profitability of production in the advanced capitalist countries. And that dependence will trigger severe repercussions in China's domestic economy and will exacerbate the problems that exist between city and countryside, and most importantly, property relations and productivity in agriculture. Those are the points I am trying to make clear. *********************************** Noah Tucker to S. Artesian: There's much in your email with which I agree; in particular, that any capitalist economy is prone to economic crisis. I would go further & perhaps you will agree with me also on this- any national economy, whatever its internal relations of production, is prone to economic crisis, because it is inseparably part of the global economy which- at present & unfortunately for the next many years- is a global capitalist, & imperialist dominated, economy. Our main analytical difference seems to be on the importance of wage levels as a factor in economic development. My view is that this is far from being the only factor; but, within global capitalism, it is a hugely important factor. For a consideration of the complexities of the issue, I'd ask you to read: http://21stcenturysocialism.com/article/the_dynamic_dinosaurs_01391.html The main focus of the article is on the issue of national and international state actions and economic growth, and in doing so it looks at the role of global wage imbalances and the issue of technology transfer- as key aspects of imperialist domination and state policies. Singapore, the ROK and Taiwan are the main examples considered in the article. For my analysis of Chinese economic growth from 1949 onwards, I request that you read: http://21stcenturysocialism.com/article/how_china_rises_01546.html Now, specifically to the matter of wage levels, and to greatly simplify:- Firstly, you cannot deny that there is a huge difference in the average level of wages between the developed capitalist countries (the G7 et al) and the Third World. Secondly, you cannot deny that the wages paid to the workers constitute a very large proportion of the costs of production. Goods which are produced cheaper, ie by lower paid workers, clearly have a competitive advantage on the world market, & will therefore allow the enterprises which produce these cheap goods to expand. This, of course, abstracts from the very pertinent factors of technology and access to markets. The productivity of the worker depends on whether he/she is using modern production equipment or less advanced equipment (including infrastucture), the training / skill of the worker, & so on. In general, the workers in the Third World use less advanced equipment etc. Also, access to markets is dependent on a world trade system which is controlled by the rich countries. In the cases of, eg, Singapore, the ROK and Taiwan, for reasons which can be understood in the context of the Cold War- these countries were allowed to import modern production technology & were given access to the home markets of the rich capitalist countries. Similar concessions were made to China from the late 1970s onwards. You say: "I disagree that wage-rate increases in Japan and Korea triggered the economic contractions in those countries" and you cite the Japanese real estate bubble, global overproduction of steel etc etc . I am with you 100% on the relevance of all of these factors. Also- there is the matter of US policy, not to allow Japan to usurp the USA as economic leader- no doubt you have read Peter Gowan's 'The Global Gamble'. Nevertheless. For example, Japan in 1980. Wages in that country had drawn equal to those in the USA and Western Europe. How could it have overtaken the EU & the US in per-capita material production? Only by using, in its productive sectors, a higher level of industrial technology than the North Americans and the West Europeans. This was not, and is not, possible. Technological advancement is an international process, in which the USA (for reasons which are quite explicable & should be given serious consideration by the left) is able to stay at the frontier in a wide range of sectors. And for this reason among others, I do agree with you that the USA will not at any time soon be replaced as the "the cornerstone, lynchpin, single most powerful entity" etc. However. As we concur, China's growth is important, real & significant. And unlike Japan and the EU, China is not under US political hegemony. Noah From acpollack2 at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 16:12:08 2008 From: acpollack2 at gmail.com (Andrew Pollack) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 18:12:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] removing Marx Message-ID: <2fa1449b0808011512m2172b018mdabb443c0b7d2f89@mail.gmail.com> By coincidence, the What's New section of MIA ( http://marxists.org/admin/new/index.htm) today has a link to an article about the Winnipeg General Strike -- or, to be more precise, a speech by a Canadian Communist to the Third International explaining how the work of the socialist fraction in the Canadian trade unions in the years preceding World War I made possible the General Strike: http://marxists.org/history/canada/socialisthistory/Docs/Leninist/Knight_21.htm From mikedf at amnh.org Fri Aug 1 16:17:32 2008 From: mikedf at amnh.org (Mike Friedman) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 18:17:32 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] CSM: Tide of illegal immigrants now being reversed In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <49406.216.73.250.6.1217629052.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> Tide of illegal immigrants now being reversed Border crackdown and tough economic times in the US are seen as reasons. By Gail Russell Chaddock Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor from the July 31, 2008 edition Washington - Some 1.3 million illegal immigrants have left the United States since Congress failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform in the summer of 2007. If the trend continues, according to a new study, the nation's illegal population will drop by half in the next five years. Moreover, reports the Center for Immigration Studies, young Hispanic immigrants began heading south before the nation's economy did ? a clue that what's driving the new outmigration is a stepped-up border and workplace enforcement, not a souring US job market. The source of the report ? a think tank with a record of opposing illegal and even some legal immigration ? is controversial in immigrant communities. But its findings could help frame the debate in a new Congress and a new administration. The key conclusion is that enforcement, not the economy, is driving the decision to self-deport. "The dropoff in illegal immigration seems to occur before there is a runup in their unemployment rate," says Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies. [...] http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0731/p01s03-ussc.html From e.c.apling at btinternet.com Fri Aug 1 16:30:18 2008 From: e.c.apling at btinternet.com (Paddy Apling) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 23:30:18 +0100 Subject: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution II In-Reply-To: <48932ECB.50205@comcast.net> References: <48932ECB.50205@comcast.net> Message-ID: ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Walters" To: Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 4:42 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution II > Les, the issue of 'storage' is *as important* as production of power. > Literally 50% of the issues...the problems we have today. David is absolutely right there Les - electricity is the main power usage for everything apart from transport. which for the immediate future is necessarily oil-based. But electricity is required on demand 24/7. It is the problem of electricity storage which really stymies all the ideas of "renewable" or "alternative" energy sources. Wind power - only available when the wind is blowing within a range of sttrenths. Solar power - only available during daylight hours Tidal energy - not available for periods at high and low tide. etc etc Consequently ALL these alternative sources are of necessity backed up by traditional power sources (based on either coal, gas, oil, or nuclear) - and because demand is to a certin extent unpredictable the backup has to be sufficient to cope with demand when the "alternative" sources are unavailable, which to all intents and purposes means that the alternative sources in practice replace very little of the necessary available power supply. If only a reliable (and efficient) source of electricity store was available then power based on "renewable" energy would be a really viable alternative - as it is we cannot do without coal, oil or nuclear.... Paddy http://apling.freeservers.com From daniel.denvir at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 16:55:10 2008 From: daniel.denvir at gmail.com (Daniel Denvir) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 17:55:10 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] CSM: Tide of illegal immigrants now being reversed In-Reply-To: <49406.216.73.250.6.1217629052.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> References: <49406.216.73.250.6.1217629052.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> Message-ID: from my blog at http://glocalcircus.blogspot.com/ Media Misses Distinction Between Correlation and Causation... The New York Times reported on a new study by the Center for Immigration Studies saying that 1.3 million "illegal" immigrants have left the United States in the past year. The group attributes the drop to tough new enforcement measures. Unfortunately, readers don't find out that the group is a "policy advocacy group that favors reduced immigration and opposes legislation to give legal status to illegal immigrants" until the 7th paragraph. CIS is in fact a far right, anti-immigrant group that opposes almost all immigration, legal or otherwise. CIS director Mark Krikorian once said that "immigrant communities ... serve as the sea, as Mao might have put it, within which the terrorists swim as fish" and that "immigration is incompatible with modern society." According to the Progressive Research Associates, CIS was "founded in 1985 as a think tank to support the more activist work of the anti-immigrant Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)." Through their academic and non-fanatical style they, in contrast to FAIR, have successfully insinuated themselves into the think tank world. Independent analysts and immigrant rights activists, surprise surprise, attribute the drop in undocumented immigration to the contracting economy. Other analysts have also questioned CIS' methodology and say that the 1.3 million number is way too high. CIS measured the "likely illegal population" which it defines as less-educated, foreign-born Hispanics age 18 to 40. CIS seems so enthralled with cowboy theatrics that changing "push and pull" factors like, you know, the global economy, don't get much credit. And The Times appears to be too concerned about potential charges of "liberal bias" to accurately report who these groups are. The Times and many newspapers have a troubled history with citing industry sources--or worse, publishing their op eds--and not revealing them as such. (If anyone can find an article on that, send it my way. I can't remember where I was reading about that...) And of course, representatives of La Migra were quick to endorse CIS' fuzzy math: "It reinforces what we always thought, that comprehensive enforcement is a critical part of the reduction," said Kelly A. Nantel, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 5:17 PM, Mike Friedman wrote: > Tide of illegal immigrants now being reversed > Border crackdown and tough economic times in the US are seen as reasons. > By Gail Russell Chaddock > Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor > > from the July 31, 2008 edition > > Washington - Some 1.3 million illegal immigrants have left the United > States since Congress failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform in > the summer of 2007. If the trend continues, according to a new study, the > nation's illegal population will drop by half in the next five years. > > Moreover, reports the Center for Immigration Studies, young Hispanic > immigrants began heading south before the nation's economy did ? a clue > that what's driving the new outmigration is a stepped-up border and > workplace enforcement, not a souring US job market. > > The source of the report ? a think tank with a record of opposing illegal > and even some legal immigration ? is controversial in immigrant > communities. But its findings could help frame the debate in a new > Congress and a new administration. > > The key conclusion is that enforcement, not the economy, is driving the > decision to self-deport. > > "The dropoff in illegal immigration seems to occur before there is a runup > in their unemployment rate," says Steven Camarota, director of research at > the Center for Immigration Studies. > > [...] > http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0731/p01s03-ussc.html > > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/daniel.denvir%40gmail.com > -- Freelance Journalist / Periodista Independiente E-mail: daniel.denvir at gmail.com 09-529-0827 Quito, Ecuador http://glocalcircus.blogspot.com/ CQ features critical analysis, reflection, and expression on politics, science, and the arts. Sign up for a free subscription to our quarterly e-periodical: www.caterwaulquarterly.com From mikedf at amnh.org Fri Aug 1 17:43:07 2008 From: mikedf at amnh.org (Mike Friedman) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 19:43:07 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] CSM: Tide of illegal immigrants now being reversed In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <49850.216.73.250.6.1217634187.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> While I agree that this report is questionable, in the name of rigor I question how you responded to it. Most of your commentary was spent discrediting the source of the poll and the media that carried it. All well and good, but we need *substantive* refutation of the analysis presented, not a one-paragraph blow-off. Your blog piece doesn't even explain the title you give it, which is an important point. This approach is counterproductive in that it is exactly what the other side does... and when they do it, we see it as an insult to our intelligence. -------------------- from my blog at http://glocalcircus.blogspot.com/ Media Misses Distinction Between Correlation and Causation... The New York Times reported on a new study by the Center for Immigration Studies saying that 1.3 million "illegal" immigrants have left the United States in the past year. The group attributes the drop to tough new enforcement measures. Unfortunately, readers don't find out that the group is a "policy advocacy group that favors reduced immigration and opposes legislation to give legal status to illegal immigrants" until the 7th paragraph. CIS is in fact a far right, anti-immigrant group that opposes almost all immigration, legal or otherwise. CIS director Mark Krikorian once said that "immigrant communities ... serve as the sea, as Mao might have put it, within which the terrorists swim as fish" and that "immigration is incompatible with modern society." According to the Progressive Research Associates, CIS was "founded in 1985 as a think tank to support the more activist work of the anti-immigrant Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)." Through their academic and non-fanatical style they, in contrast to FAIR, have successfully insinuated themselves into the think tank world. Independent analysts and immigrant rights activists, surprise surprise, attribute the drop in undocumented immigration to the contracting economy. Other analysts have also questioned CIS' methodology and say that the 1.3 million number is way too high. CIS measured the "likely illegal population" which it defines as less-educated, foreign-born Hispanics age 18 to 40. CIS seems so enthralled with cowboy theatrics that changing "push and pull" factors like, you know, the global economy, don't get much credit. And The Times appears to be too concerned about potential charges of "liberal bias" to accurately report who these groups are. The Times and many newspapers have a troubled history with citing industry sources--or worse, publishing their op eds--and not revealing them as such. (If anyone can find an article on that, send it my way. I can't remember where I was reading about that...) And of course, representatives of La Migra were quick to endorse CIS' fuzzy math: "It reinforces what we always thought, that comprehensive enforcement is a critical part of the reduction," said Kelly A. Nantel, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 5:17 PM, Mike Friedman wrote: > Tide of illegal immigrants now being reversed > Border crackdown and tough economic times in the US are seen as reasons. > By Gail Russell Chaddock > Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor > > from the July 31, 2008 edition > > Washington - Some 1.3 million illegal immigrants have left the United > States since Congress failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform in > the summer of 2007. If the trend continues, according to a new study, the > nation's illegal population will drop by half in the next five years. > From sabocat59 at mac.com Fri Aug 1 17:55:14 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:55:14 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] CISPES action alert Message-ID: <0BB946C5-B97F-4474-AC68-4848D84C90F4@mac.com> CISPES ACTION ALERT July 30, 2008 -------------- next part -------------- Take Action to Denounce Political Killings in El Salvador Government Officials Fail to Investigate New Wave of Politically Motivated Assassinations Just six months before the 2009 municipal and legislative elections in El Salvador, political violence is heating up. Since March 2006 when Alex Flores Montoya and Mercedes Pe?ate de Montoya, two well- known FMLN leaders, were found dead in the municipality of Coatepeque, at least 23 leaders of the social movement and FMLN party have been murdered (see FESPAD chart in Spanish here ). 2008 is a pre-electoral year and thus has been particularly violent for organized sectors of the population. Such political violence doesn?t contribute to the democratic electoral process that Salvadoran people desire; rather, it creates a climate of fear that threatens the upcoming elections. On June 26 student activist ?ngel Mart?nez Cer?n, coordinator of the January 24 Revolutionary Socialist Student Bloc, was killed in the city of Santa Ana. Then on July 2 Holman Riva, an employee of the FMLN?s municipal government in the municipality of Ilopango, was killed along with his nephew. Most recently, 27 year-old Rafaela Hern?ndez Delgado, whose husband is an FMLN member of the municipal government of San Pablo Tacachico, was shot dead in a bus. San Pablo is the same town in which FMLN deputy Gerson Martinez' security guard was shot to death 3 months ago. Back in January of this year, in one of the most high-profile of such cases, the mayor of Alegr?a Wilber Funes was killed alongside municipal employee Zulma Rivera. The young, popular mayor had planned to run for reelection as a member of the FMLN party in 2009. Such killings could threaten support for the FMLN in the 2009 elections in several municipalities as people become afraid to campaign for the leftist party or support the social movement because of the concerns about personal security. In reference to the several murders that have taken place this pre-electoral year, FMLN deputy Benito Lara recently stated that ?here we have various cases that remain unresolved, unclear, and it is difficult for us to accept the theory that these are merely cases of common crime.? For more information check out the recent CISPES update ?Political Violence Increases in El Salvador.? On top of this, Salvadorans also fear repercussions coming from the US government should the FMLN win. Back in 2004 ? the last time there were presidential elections ? several US officials made declarations denouncing the FMLN, including Rep. Tom Tancredo who threatened to introduce legislation to halt remittances sent to El Salvador if the FMLN were to win. Already this year US officials (including deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, who visited El Salvador in June) have declared that the US government won?t work with governments who have ?terrorist ties?, a clear reference to the right-wing media campaign connecting the FMLN to the Colombian FARC rebels. Like the fear caused by political violence, such declarations could affect the opinion of Salvadoran people preparing to vote in the 2009 elections. In the context of this escalating violence and intervention, CISPES joins the Salvadoran social movement in calling for international solidarity to support an electoral process free of both US intervention and political violence. Boston CISPES 2161 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge, MA 02140 tel: 617.576.1709 email: boscispes at speakeasy.net TAKE ACTION! 1. Sign onto CISPES People?s Pledge to Defend the Right to Free & Fair Elections in El Salvador and accompany the Salvadoran people by standing in solidarity with them during their struggle for REAL democracy. Go to www.cispes.org/pledge2009 2. Contact Felix Garrid Safie, Attorney General of El Salvador, by fax at 011(503) 2528-6095or e-mail at fgsafie at fgr.gob.sv and tell him to respect El Salvador?s democratic process by carrying out a serious investigation of these political murders. See below for sample letter. SAMPLE LETTER 30 de Julio de 2008 Se?or Fiscal General de la Republica Felix Garrid Safie Fax (011 503) 2528-6095 Estimado Se?or Fiscal General Felix Garrid Safie, Le escribo con suma preocupaci?n por el alarmante incremento de asesinatos motivados pol?ticamente que han ocurrido en El Salvador durante este a?o pre-electoral de 2008. En los ?ltimos dos a?os, la represi?n pol?tica contra los sectores organizados ha alcanzado niveles muy altos. En los ?ltimos a?os han habido un sin numero de arrestos ilegales, desapariciones, asesinatos de activistas del movimiento social y miembros y l?deres del partido FMLN. El caso mas conocido de todos estos asesinatos es el del alcalde del FMLN Wilmer Funes, en la municipalidad de Alegr?a, Usulut?n, quien fue asesinado junto a la empleada municipal Zulma Rivera. La investigaci?n de este caso continua sin ser resulto al igual que la gran mayor?a de asesinatos motivados pol?ticamente que viene ocurriendo desde el 2006. Mas recientemente, ?ngel Mart?nez Cer?n, estudiante y activista, fue asesinato el pasado Junio 26 en la ciudad de Santa Ana, de forma similar. Mart?nez Cer?n, coordinador del Bloque Estudiantil Socialista Revolucionario 24 de Enero, fue balaceado ocho veces antes que sus asesinos le asestaran el tiro de gracia en la cabeza. Este proceder es similar a las acciones paramilitares del gobierno que ocurrieron durante el conflicto armado en El Salvador, las cuales todav?a se encuentran el la impunidad. Esta impunidad en que se encuentran los casos de Funes y Mart?nez Cer?n, entre otros, no contribuye a una estabilidad democr?tica, ni ayudan a que el proceso electoral promueva la estabilidad democr?tica tan deseada por la poblaci?n de El Salvador. Le hacemos un urgente llamado a que investigue estos asesinatos motivados pol?ticamente; un contexto libre de represi?n y violencia es necesario para que El Salvador pueda tener un proceso electoral transparente y democr?tico. El garantizar la libertad de expresi?n, y particularmente la expresi?n pol?tica, es esencial en cualquier democracia. Ahora, en este a?o pre-electoral, es cr?tico que el gobierno de El Salvador demuestre su compromiso por la defensa del derecho de todas y todos los salvadore?os y su expresi?n pol?tica. Atentamente, __________________ (name) __________________ (state, country) Translation Dear Attorney General Felix Garrid Safie, I am writing to you extremely concerned about the high number of political motivated assassinations that have been happening in El Salvador during this pre-electoral year of 2008. In the last couple of years there has been a high amount of political repression against Salvadoran organizers, such as illegal arrests, disappearances, and murders of leftist activists and FMLN leaders and members. The most well known of these murders is the assassination of Wilber Funes, FMLN mayor of Alegria and his co-worker Zulma Rivera on January 9, 2008. This investigation is still unresolved as well as many others that have occurred since 2006. More recently, student activist ?ngel Mart?nez Cer?n was killed in a similar fashion on June 26 in the city of Santa Ana. Mart?nez Cer?n, coordinator of the January 24 Revolutionary Socialist Student Bloc, was shot eight times before his assassins delivered a final bullet to the head. Such murders recall para- military practices that occurred during the armed conflict of El Salvador, which still remain in impunity. The impunity of the cases of Funes y Mart?nez Cer?n, among others, do not contribute to the process of democratic stability desired by the population of El Salvador. We urge you to fully investigate these cases because in order to have a transparent democratic process in El Salvador, it must be free of political repression and violence. The guarantee of free expression, and particularly political expression, is essential in a democracy. Now, in this pre-electoral year, it is critical that the Salvadoran government demonstrate a commitment to defend the rights of all Salvadorans who seek to express themselves politically. From marvgandall at videotron.ca Fri Aug 1 18:05:05 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:05:05 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Exaggerating Chinese economic power References: <954420.940.qm@web86611.mail.ird.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <003a01c8f433$6ae410e0$6601a8c0@MARV> I'm shocked! Apologies to Artesian! ----- Original Message ----- From: "noah tucker" To: "Marv Gandall" Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 6:04 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Exaggerating Chinese economic power > After S. Artesian said that s/he would reply to me 'off-list', "Marvin > Gandall" complained: > > "Aww, too bad. I was looking forward to Artesian's reply to the issues > Tucker raised. Reminds me when I was a negotiator, and the employer guy, > looking a bit discomfited, would come over to me and ask whether we could > discuss his response "privately" out of earshot of the teams. Naturally, > we'd refuse since we didn't do secret meetings." > > Well, as a former trade union negotiator myself, and though this and other > experiences having acquired some ability to assess moral character, I can > assure you that S. Artesian's reasons for wishing to continue the debate > 'in camera' were honest ones which bear no comparison to the nefarious > tactics of capitalist employers! > From bobhpsn at yahoo.com Fri Aug 1 18:10:30 2008 From: bobhpsn at yahoo.com (Bob Hopson) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 17:10:30 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution II In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <522635.71647.qm@web58214.mail.re3.yahoo.com> > demand 24/7. It is > the problem of electricity storage which really stymies all > the ideas of > "renewable" or "alternative" energy > sources. > > Wind power - only available when the wind is blowing within > a range of > sttrenths. > Solar power - only available during daylight hours > Tidal energy - not available for periods at high and low > tide. etc etc > I think there are some obvious flaws to this argument. For example, solar concentrators are a simple way to accumulate heat. Scale it up enough, and you can have a heat store in the form of molten salt, for example, that can power steam turbines for producing electricity day or night. Electricity produced by photovoltaics or wind turbines can be used to run compressors to store energy in compressed air, e.g. in abandoned mines. Again, you have 24/7 electricity on demand. There are some losses, but this is hardly impractical. There's even the possibility of excess heat from solar thermal being used for thermal depolymerization, in which garbage, farm waste, sewage, etc. is transformed into water, hydrogen, methane and oil. This is less immediately practical than simple storage through heat or air compression, but has obvious long-term potential. From marvgandall at videotron.ca Fri Aug 1 18:17:20 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:17:20 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] But how many candidates were black? Message-ID: <005d01c8f435$2100e550$6601a8c0@MARV> Economic models predict clear Obama win in November Fri Aug 1, 2008 4:54pm EDT By Alister Bull WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It really is the economy, stupid! Economic models that have correctly predicted the winner of almost all post-war U.S. presidential elections say recession fears will secure a victory for Barack Obama in November. Three separate studies showed the Democratic presidential hopeful winning between 52 and 55 percent of the popular vote on November 4, based on current gloomy economic estimates. Any further darkening in the economic outlook -- many analysts think things will get worse between now and November -- would reinforce that election outcome. "The economy is certainly not going to be a positive for the Republicans," said Ray Fair, an economics professor at Yale university who built the earliest of the models in 1978. His model, which assumed tepid U.S. economic growth of 1.5 percent and a 3 percent rate of inflation, predicted the Republican candidate John McCain's share of the vote would be 47.8 percent, handing Obama 52.2 percent. "It is a decent margin but it is not a landslide," said Fair, who ran the numbers in April. "It would have been much larger if there had been a recession in 2008." U.S. economic activity doubled in the second quarter to a 1.9 percent annualized pace. But previous data was revised lower to show output contracted 0.2 percent in the final three months of last year, the weakest performance since 2001, and expanded only slightly at the start of 2008. "It's the economy, stupid!" was a phrase extensively used during Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaign against George H.W. Bush to remind voters that a recession occurred during Bush's administration. Fair's model, and a version built by St. Louis-based forecasting firm Macroeconomic Advisers, blend political factors with economics to scientifically nail down the view that voters care first and foremost about their own wallets. Indeed, opinion polls consistently find that the economy is the most important issue for U.S. voters. HEADWINDS Macroeconomic Advisers' model incorporates whether the candidate is from the incumbent party, approval ratings and the length of time the incumbent party has held the White House to capture the extent voters may have tired of them. Adding in its own estimates for U.S. economic growth, the unemployment rate and the change in energy prices, it finds that McCain will get just 45 percent of the vote. "This model has correctly predicted the winning party 12 out of 14 times," Macroeconomic Advisers said. "The weak current state of the economy, and the sharp rise in energy prices pose a significant headwind to the McCain campaign, if voters weigh these factors similarly to how they have in the past," they said in a note to clients. The third work is a "Bread and Peace" model devised by Douglas Hibbs, a retired economics professor from the University of Goteborg in Sweden, who remains a senior fellow at the Center for Public Sector Research there. He finds that U.S. presidential elections are well-predicted by just two fundamental forces: the weighted average per capita growth of real disposable income and the number of U.S. military deaths in foreign combat. "Average per capita real income growth probably will be only around 0.75 percent at Election Day. Moreover, cumulative U.S. military fatalities in Iraq will reach 4,300 or more," he said in a June update of his model. "Given those fundamental conditions, the Bread and Peace model predicts a Republican two-party vote share centered on 48.2 percent." From daniel.denvir at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 18:31:24 2008 From: daniel.denvir at gmail.com (Daniel Denvir) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 19:31:24 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] CSM: Tide of illegal immigrants now being reversed In-Reply-To: <49850.216.73.250.6.1217634187.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> References: <49850.216.73.250.6.1217634187.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> Message-ID: Hi Mike, While I appreciate your concern with rigor, I really don't see the merit in your critique. It was a blog post to be read by about 20 people focused on a few aspects of the report and the surrounding coverage, not a peer reviewed article. And I did in fact review the criticisms of CIS' methodology and conclusions, if you take another look at the last few paragraphs. And I also implied an explanation of my title in my review of their methodology. best, Dan On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 6:43 PM, Mike Friedman wrote: > While I agree that this report is questionable, in the name of rigor I > question how you responded to it. Most of your commentary was spent > discrediting the source of the poll and the media that carried it. All > well and good, but we need *substantive* refutation of the analysis > presented, not a one-paragraph blow-off. Your blog piece doesn't even > explain the title you give it, which is an important point. This approach > is counterproductive in that it is exactly what the other side does... and > when they do it, we see it as an insult to our intelligence. > > -------------------- > from my blog at http://glocalcircus.blogspot.com/ > > Media Misses Distinction Between Correlation and Causation... > > The New York Times reported on a new study by the Center for > Immigration Studies saying that 1.3 million "illegal" immigrants have > left the United States in the past year. The group attributes the drop > to tough new enforcement measures. > > Unfortunately, readers don't find out that the group is a "policy > advocacy group that favors reduced immigration and opposes legislation > to give legal status to illegal immigrants" until the 7th paragraph. > CIS is in fact a far right, anti-immigrant group that opposes almost > all immigration, legal or otherwise. > > CIS director Mark Krikorian once said that "immigrant communities ... > serve as the sea, as Mao might have put it, within which the > terrorists swim as fish" and that "immigration is incompatible with > modern society." According to the Progressive Research Associates, CIS > was "founded in 1985 as a think tank to support the more activist work > of the anti-immigrant Federation for American Immigration Reform > (FAIR)." Through their academic and non-fanatical style they, in > contrast to FAIR, have successfully insinuated themselves into the > think tank world. > > Independent analysts and immigrant rights activists, surprise > surprise, attribute the drop in undocumented immigration to the > contracting economy. Other analysts have also questioned CIS' > methodology and say that the 1.3 million number is way too high. CIS > measured the "likely illegal population" which it defines as > less-educated, foreign-born Hispanics age 18 to 40. CIS seems so > enthralled with cowboy theatrics that changing "push and pull" factors > like, you know, the global economy, don't get much credit. > > And The Times appears to be too concerned about potential charges of > "liberal bias" to accurately report who these groups are. The Times > and many newspapers have a troubled history with citing industry > sources--or worse, publishing their op eds--and not revealing them as > such. (If anyone can find an article on that, send it my way. I can't > remember where I was reading about that...) > > And of course, representatives of La Migra were quick to endorse CIS' > fuzzy math: "It reinforces what we always thought, that comprehensive > enforcement is a critical part of the reduction," said Kelly A. > Nantel, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. > > > On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 5:17 PM, Mike Friedman wrote: >> Tide of illegal immigrants now being reversed >> Border crackdown and tough economic times in the US are seen as reasons. >> By Gail Russell Chaddock >> Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor >> >> from the July 31, 2008 edition >> >> Washington - Some 1.3 million illegal immigrants have left the United >> States since Congress failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform in >> the summer of 2007. If the trend continues, according to a new study, the >> nation's illegal population will drop by half in the next five years. >> > > > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/daniel.denvir%40gmail.com > -- Freelance Journalist / Periodista Independiente E-mail: daniel.denvir at gmail.com 09-529-0827 Quito, Ecuador http://glocalcircus.blogspot.com/ CQ features critical analysis, reflection, and expression on politics, science, and the arts. Sign up for a free subscription to our quarterly e-periodical: www.caterwaulquarterly.com From sartesian at earthlink.net Fri Aug 1 19:22:59 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 21:22:59 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Exaggerating Chinese economic power References: <954420.940.qm@web86611.mail.ird.yahoo.com> <003a01c8f433$6ae410e0$6601a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <06f301c8f43e$4cf14890$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> will reply offlist ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marvin Gandall" To: Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 8:05 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Exaggerating Chinese economic power From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 21:42:30 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 23:42:30 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] CSM: Tide of illegal immigrants now being reversed In-Reply-To: References: <49850.216.73.250.6.1217634187.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> Message-ID: <908b689f0808012042v46b76619na878d88e4c374fe9@mail.gmail.com> On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 8:31 PM, Daniel Denvir wrote: > Hi Mike, > > While I appreciate your concern with rigor, I really don't see the > merit in your critique. It was a blog post to be read by about 20 > people focused on a few aspects of the report and the surrounding > coverage, not a peer reviewed article. Only a Few More Smuggling Days Left Before Christmas? It's Not a Wonderful Life By STEPHEN HOLDEN Published: August 1, 2008 Venturing deep into the trenches where hard-working Americans struggle to put food on the table, Courtney Hunt's somber film "Frozen River" evokes a perfect storm of present-day woes: illegal immigration, ethnic tension, depressed real estate, high gas prices and dire poverty. [...] Full: From grega2728 at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 22:48:38 2008 From: grega2728 at gmail.com (Greg Adler) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 14:48:38 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] The Scottish Socialist Party: the biggest small party | Links In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <10c3ffb00808012148x409c153ax883af7ec9ad3278f@mail.gmail.com> For posting to the Green Left Weekly discussion list the response by jscotlive to the Links article on the SSP's ridiculous triumphalism and for pointing out that,in the criminal defence world where I work (as what would be called a Public Defender in the USA), police informers are referred to as dogs I have-without any prior warning been removed from that list and subjected to accusations of flaming and cop-baiting to which I am not allowed to reply. http://groups.yahoo.com/groupGreenLeft_discussion/message/56555 Greg Adler On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 4:15 PM, wrote: > The Scottish Socialist Party are nothing more than a poisonous rump of a > party forever tainted by their role in the high profile defamation case > involving former leader, Tommy Sheridan, against the execrable Rupert > Murdoch and his > anti-working class, racist News of The World Sunday tabloid. > > From stuartmunckton at gmail.com Fri Aug 1 23:09:18 2008 From: stuartmunckton at gmail.com (Stuart Munckton) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 15:09:18 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] The Scottish Socialist Party: the biggest small party | Links In-Reply-To: <10c3ffb00808012148x409c153ax883af7ec9ad3278f@mail.gmail.com> References: <10c3ffb00808012148x409c153ax883af7ec9ad3278f@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <2c6145850808012209q53b3878fj328aa58769e1a062@mail.gmail.com> The blaming of the SSP for perjury charges is ironic, since that is exactly what the SSP members called to testify in Sheridan's argue they were being demanded to open themselves up to - to open themselves up to perjury charges and jail sentences. If the SSP is such a poisonous rump, why did they receive more votes (just) than Solidarity in the Glasgow East by-election? The combined vote of the two would have seen the socialist left come fourth, beating the Liberal Democrats and scoring a combined percentage marginally higher than in 2005 SSP result (marginally lower raw number ofv otes). The key problem is not that the SSP is a "poisonous rump", but that the socialist forces are divided - which I suspect is more off-putting to working people than any of the wild allegations thrown around. This destructive division of the Scottish left is not helped in the slightest by labeling a key section of it the State Security Party. Stuart From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Sat Aug 2 00:03:52 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:03:52 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Download now! Links Dossier #3: Michael Lebowitz on Socialism for the 21st Century | Links Message-ID: <4893F8C8.5040702@greenleft.org.au> A selection of thought-provoking articles by Michael A. Lebowitz from /Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal/. Lebowitz professor emeritus of economics at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, and author of /Beyond Capital: Marx?s Political Economy of the Working Class/ and /Build it Now: Socialism for the 21st Century. /He is a program coordinator with the Centro International Miranda, Caracas, Venezuela. /Links/ dossiers are in easy-to-print PDF format and readers are encouraged to print and distribute them. Contents *Socialism is the future: Build it now! The spectre of socialism for the 21st century** Discussion on ?The spectre of socialism for the 21st century?** The capitalist workday, the socialist workday** Without workers? management, there is no socialism* Download the dossier at http://links.org.au/node/551 Subscribe free to /Links - International Journal of Socialist Renewal/ - at http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=343373 From Jscotlive at aol.com Sat Aug 2 00:19:50 2008 From: Jscotlive at aol.com (Jscotlive at aol.com) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 02:19:50 EDT Subject: [Marxism] The Scottish Socialist Party: the biggest small party | Links Message-ID: Stuart: The blaming of the SSP for perjury charges is ironic, since that is exactly what the SSP members called to testify in Sheridan's argue they were being demanded to open themselves up to - to open themselves up to perjury charges and jail sentences. Reply: They were asked, and expected, to stand shoulder to shoulder with a fellow socialist against the most vile, anti-working class news corporation on the planet. It's called class consciousness, the same mindset of the picket line. And what do we call workers who cross said picket lines? We call them scabs. It was as a result of their decision to give evidence on behalf of the Murdoch Press against Sheridan that this group introduced the possibility of perjury charges being brought. Interesting how in the original case the only witnesses revealed to have lied were News of the World witnesses. Despite the collusion of these former socialists, a jury of 11 men and women, listening to all of the evidence presented in the course of a five week trial, found against the News of the World. And yet it is Sheridan and his witnesses being investigated for perjury. Doesn't this stink even a little to you? Go and read some of the articles on the Defend Tommy Sheridan website. This is the first time in Scottish legal history that a perjury investigation has been initiated in the aftermath of a civil case. Too, the sheer amount of resources applied to this investigation by the police in terms of money and man-hours is also staggering. In short, this is the mother of all witchhunts, driven by the establishment against a man whose real crime in their eyes is that he's spent his entire political life speaking truth to power. And the SSP, so called socialists, have lined up on the side of the establishment! All the intellectual gymnastics in the world cannot change what is nothing more than the crossing of class lines. Stuart: If the SSP is such a poisonous rump, why did they receive more votes (just) than Solidarity in the Glasgow East by-election? The combined vote of the two would have seen the socialist left come fourth, beating the Liberal Democrats and scoring a combined percentage marginally higher than in 2005 SSP result (marginally lower raw number ofv otes). Reply: What a joke this is. They win 43 votes more than Solidarity and you'd think they'd won the seat. I won't attempt to point out the obvious - i.e., that with two candidates with the last name Curran, one of them the SSP candidate and one New Labour, there was always going to be an element of confusion. No, I won't point this out as that would be churlish. But go back and read my original post re the FBU, re the Defend Sheridan rally at which the likes of Paddy Hill and Gerry Conlon, men whose credentials within the progressive movement are inarguable, two men who understand very well what solidarity means, and who described the SSP leadership as scumbags. Look at the petition in support of Sheridan and some of the names who've signed it, inc Bob Crow, and then tell me that amongst the most politically conscious section of the left, the SSP are not considered nothing more than a poisonous rump. Stuart: The key problem is not that the SSP is a "poisonous rump", but that the socialist forces are divided - which I suspect is more off-putting to working people than any of the wild allegations thrown around. This destructive division of the Scottish left is not helped in the slightest by labeling a key section of it the State Security Party. Reply: The SSP are now and will forever be known as scabs. And rightly so. From Dbachmozart at aol.com Sat Aug 2 00:39:58 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 02:39:58 EDT Subject: [Marxism] "the single greatest, unresolved media scandal of this decade" Message-ID: Vital unresolved anthrax questions and ABC News Glenn Greenwald - salon.com - August 1 - clip - The FBI's lead suspect in the September, 2001 anthrax attacks -- Bruce E. Ivins -- _died Tuesday night_ (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-anthrax1-2008aug01,0,2864223.story) , apparently by suicide, just as the Justice Department was about to charge him with responsibility for the attacks. For the last 18 years, Ivins was a top anthrax researcher at the U.S. Government's biological weapons research laboratories at Ft. Detrick, Maryland, where he was one of the most elite government anthrax scientists on the research team at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease (USAMRIID). The 2001 anthrax attacks remain one of the great mysteries of the post-9/11 era. After 9/11 itself, the anthrax attacks were probably the most consequential event of the Bush presidency. One could make a persuasive case that they were actually more consequential. The 9/11 attacks were obviously traumatic for the country, but in the absence of the anthrax attacks, 9/11 could easily have been perceived as a single, isolated event. It was really the anthrax letters -- with the first one sent on September 18, just one week after 9/11 -- that severely ratcheted up the fear levels and created the climate that would dominate in this country for the next several years after. It was anthrax -- sent directly into the heart of the country's elite political and media institutions, to then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt), NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, and other leading media outlets -- that created the impression that social order itself was genuinely threatened by Islamic radicalism. If the now-deceased Ivins really was the culprit behind the attacks, then that means that the anthrax came from a U.S. Government lab, sent by a top U.S. Army scientist at Ft. Detrick. Without resort to any speculation or inferences at all, it is hard to overstate the significance of that fact. From the beginning, there was a clear intent on the part of the anthrax attacker to create a link between the anthrax attacks and both Islamic radicals and the 9/11 attacks. By design, those attacks put the American population into a state of intense fear of Islamic terrorism, far more than the 9/11 attacks alone could have accomplished. ........................................... Much more important than the general attempt to link the anthrax to Islamic terrorists, there was a specific intent -- indispensably aided by ABC News -- to link the anthrax attacks to Iraq and Saddam Hussein. In my view, and I've written about this _several times_ (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/04/09/abc_anthrax/) and _in great detail_ (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/04/11/abc_response/) to no avail, the role played by ABC News in this episode is the single greatest, unresolved media scandal of this decade. News of Ivins' suicide, which means (presumably) that the anthrax attacks originated from Ft. Detrick, adds critical new facts and heightens how scandalous ABC News' conduct continues to be in this matter. full --- <_http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/01/anthrax/index.html_ (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/01/anthrax/index.html) > **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 ) From stuartmunckton at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 00:46:23 2008 From: stuartmunckton at gmail.com (Stuart Munckton) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 16:46:23 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] The Scottish Socialist Party: the biggest small party | Links In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <2c6145850808012346g43b1a7ean4d8c925b8d297363@mail.gmail.com> > > Reply: > > What a joke this is. They win 43 votes more than Solidarity and you'd think > they'd won the seat. http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/new_stories/glasgoweast/result.html Actually if you read the account, it spends most of its time celebrating how New Labour was punished. It is only towards the very end that they even get around to discussing the socialist vote. And, when they do, it highlights what sticks out like a sore thumb - that a united vote would have seen, despite all of the other factors pulling against a socialist vote, that a united socialist vote would have replicated the previous SSP vote and beaten the Liberal Democrats And it makes the point about how damaging divisions like this are. > I won't attempt to point out the obvious - i.e., that > with two candidates with the last name Curran, one of them the SSP > candidate and > one New Labour, there was always going to be an element of confusion. No, > I > won't point this out as that would be churlish. Yes, we agree. > > Reply: > > The SSP are now and will forever be known as scabs. In time this furore will pass, as the actual needs of new challenges in the class struggle take precedence. Maybe you wont get over it, but the needs of the class struggle will increasingly demand greater unity. Hopefully, people on different sides of this current dispute wont allow sentiments like this one to get in the way. Stuart > > > > > > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/stuartmunckton%40gmail.com > -- "The free market is perfectly natural... do you think I am some kind of dummy?" - Jarvis Cocker From Jscotlive at aol.com Sat Aug 2 00:56:50 2008 From: Jscotlive at aol.com (Jscotlive at aol.com) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 02:56:50 EDT Subject: [Marxism] The Scottish Socialist Party: the biggest small party | Links Message-ID: Stuart: In time this furore will pass, as the actual needs of new challenges in the class struggle take precedence. Maybe you wont get over it, but the needs of the class struggle will increasingly demand greater unity. Hopefully, people on different sides of this current dispute wont allow sentiments like this one to get in the way Reply: In time it will NOT pass. This attempt by you, and them, to paint the Sheridan case as some irrelevant and inconvenient sideshow disconnected from the class struggle is despicable. The Sheridan case against the News of the World IS the class struggle at its sharpest. On one side is a man who's been one of the most high profile, successful, and effective voices against war, racism, privatization, against all of the attendant symptoms of capitalism, and on the other is an organisation, News International, which embodies those symptoms, which exists to propagate war, racism, sexism, inequality, and so on. It couldn't be more clear. The class struggle doesn't end at the door of a bourgeois court. The class struggle is heightened in court. It is because of this that the SSP simply cannot be considered a credible organisation to represent the interests of the working class in Scotland. From aaron at mylists.fastmail.fm Sat Aug 2 01:20:47 2008 From: aaron at mylists.fastmail.fm (Aaron) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 00:20:47 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution In-Reply-To: <48932771.7010006@optonline.net> References: <48932771.7010006@optonline.net> Message-ID: <20080802072056.DA909288DD@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> I tried to find more info on the web about this, and the best I could come across was the video at . Cutting through the enormous amount of hype, it seems that what these MIT scientists may have done is come up with a better, more efficient way to use electrolysis to produce hydrogen from water.* They have not, apparently, come up with any improvement in the generation of electricity for this process and they certainly haven't found a way to imitate photosynthesis, which would make it possible to produce carbohydrates, and thus fuels like ethanol, directly from sunlight without having to generate electricity. What they have actually done, despite the hype, may be a step in making solar power and hydrogen fuel cells more practical, but it's not, apparently, a leap. - Aaron * (The inevitable production of oxygen at the same time is of little significance, since the hydrogen can be re-combined with the oxygen in the atmosphere to produce almost as much energy as is produced by combining it with pure oxygen. Unless the hydrogen is going to be used at the same location where it is generated, the oxygen produced by the process will be released into the atmosphere and certainly not shipped along with the hydrogen!) >Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:10:41 -0400 >From: Les Schaffer >Subject: Re: [Marxism] "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar > Revolution > >Dbachmozart at aol.com wrote: >> "Major Discovery" From MIT Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution >> > >god, i love MIT ... > >the galaxy-shaking discovery is related to *storage* of energy. you >still have to collect that energy at the energy densities available here >on our earth... > >makes nice newsprint though... > >Les From Dbachmozart at aol.com Sat Aug 2 03:18:38 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 05:18:38 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Black Agenda Report takes on Obama Message-ID: Obama Pardons Bush by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley There will be no need for George Bush to pardon himself and his fellow criminals. Barack Obama promises to let the "W Gang" off, scott-free, when he takes over the White House. Impeachment? Heavens, no! "That is not something I think would be fruitful to pursue because I think that impeachment is something that should be reserved for exceptional circumstances," says Obama, apparently in the belief that Bush's behavior has been routine for an American president. Obama surrogates say bipartisanship should decide the question of investigating current and past presidents. In other words, Obama will let the Republicans decide if Bush gets away with murder. "So Bush crimes will be buried by a Democrat." full article -- <_http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7 15&Itemid=1_ (http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=715&Itemid=1) > His High Imperial Holiness Obama Does Berlin by Paul Street The Democratic presidential nominee-to-be wowed them in Berlin - feeding the crowd a steady stream of sugar-coated propaganda on the unfailingly good intentions of America. The U.S. is "generous" to a fault - but that's the only fault Obama acknowledges. America "sacrifices" for "freedom," he says - not mentioning that it's mostly other people who get sacrificed for the sake of U.S. freedom to rule over them. "People of Berlin - people of the world - this is our moment," said Obama. Just last year, Obama told the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations another story: "We must ?revitalize our military' to foster ? peace,' Obama claimed, echoing Orwell, by adding 65,000 soldiers to the Army and 27,000 to the Marines." full article -- <_http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7 17&Itemid=1_ (http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=717&Itemid=1) > **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 ) From rfls12802 at blueyonder.co.uk Sat Aug 2 04:59:55 2008 From: rfls12802 at blueyonder.co.uk (Paul Flewers) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 11:59:55 +0100 Subject: [Marxism] The Scottish Socialist Party: the biggest small party In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <001401c8f48e$e5e829b0$b1b87d10$@co.uk> A rather cynical pal of mine has recently written a piece including the following on the Scottish Socialist Party and its antecedents in the Militant tendency, which may shed light on the issue. For non-UK readers, the Rector of Stiffkey was a Church of England priest who was defrocked (dismissed) when it became clear that he was visiting prostitutes in London when he was supposedly attending ecumenical conferences; he later became a lion-tamer's assistant and had his head bitten off by a disgruntled lion. It could only happen in Britain... The Carry On films were a series of British low-quality comedy productions that relied upon double-entendres and teenage humour. List members will probably know about the Socialist Workers Party and the fiasco surrounding its Respect front. Paul F Militant has gone through a series of crises. Its Scottish section unilaterally wandered off into ?Tartan Trotskyism?. The office boys around Peter Taaffe staged a coup and turfed out their group?s founder and longstanding leader Ted Grant, and pulled their much depleted group out of the Labour Party. Now trading as the Socialist Party, it competes directly with the SWP, and almost certainly hopes to nibble away at its rival?s target constituency in the aftermath of the Respect fiasco. However, it is sorely handicapped by its inability to replace the dreadfully dull public image so lovingly cultivated over the decades by its now-deposed leader with something more attractive. It has set up the Campaign for a New Workers? Party with the ostensible aim of building a broad left-wing alternative to New Labour, but as the Socialist Party walked out of the genuinely broad-based Socialist Alliance on the grounds that it wouldn?t automatically follow its prescriptions, this new campaign will be just another party front organisation. As for Ted Grant, the poor fellow spent his last days in an Essex nursing home, aghast when he discovered that, after having dutifully listened over the decades to his stern warnings about cheerleading Third World radicals, however romantic a figure they might cut, his heir apparent Alan Woods had taken advantage of his absence from head office to add Venezuela?s dashing Hugo Ch?vez to the pantheon of revolutionary Marxism. Militant?s defectors to ?Tartan Trotskyism? formed a key component of the Scottish Socialist Party, a broadly-based organisation dedicated first and foremost to divorcing Scotland?s workers from their brothers and sisters south of the border. It achieved some successes, including winning several seats in the Scottish parliament, but its aim to replace the Scottish National Party as the authentic voice of Scottish nationalism has been well and truly stymied by events perhaps unexpected in an organisation steeped in the grimly prim traditions of Ted Grant?s Militant and Scottish Presbyterianism. Evoking images worthy of a bawdy British farce, a sort of Carry on Comrade ? or indeed the notorious Rector of Stiffkey ? the News of the World alleged that the SSP?s charismatic front-man Tommy Sheridan had spent nights romping with women of ill-repute in a Manchester bordello. No sooner had Sheridan won his libel writ against the paper than he, his wife and his father-in-law were charged with perjury. The SSP leadership spent much of last year in a state of civil war, with endless allegations and counter-allegations of lying and deceit and tales of surreptitious audio and video recordings being bandied around. Needless to say, the party split, with Sheridan taking with him the Scottish SWPers and the former Militant supporters. As there are no discernable doctrinal differences between the two halves, we may safely conclude that, in this instance, we have a situation in which the personal has taken clear preference over the political. From brownh at hartford-hwp.com Sat Aug 2 05:31:44 2008 From: brownh at hartford-hwp.com (Haines Brown) Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 07:31:44 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Studying philosophy at the New School In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808011356i2c0d8817p4af97c38df29d0f0@mail.gmail.com> (ok.president+marxml@gmail.com) References: <48936EE1.6030808@panix.com> <908b689f0808011356i2c0d8817p4af97c38df29d0f0@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: > I don't know -- but no university should teach any "course that is > explicitly Marxist". The course itself (or the professor) should > never take any position. Then it becomes indoctrination (and turns > people off). I hesitate to launch a new thread, but perhaps the following is germane. I disagree. _All_ courses and texts are theoretically loaded. I believe this is the consensus. For example, for a long time now it is a conventional truth in the natural sciences. A more contentious specification of this point is that all courses and texts are ideologically loaded. That is, any course or text has, whether intentionally or not, explicitly or implicitly, has a functional relation to social class. This seems the Marxist position, and I suspect it may be a consensus in the sociology of knowledge, although I'm not sure. In other words, we all occupy a social location, and in the present context, that location is primarily one of class. No one today would suggest that this implies pure subjectivism. After all, since Peirce, we realize that our views are all "one-sided" (a term he shared with Marx. Anyone know if he picked it up from Marx?) and only approximations of truth (anyone know if Lenin was influenced by Peirce?). In Marxist terms, relative truth value depends in part on a body of knowledge being developed from a universal social location, the modern working class. This seems analogous to the suggestion that natural science acquires a relatively high degree of truth value because it represents knowledge that all classes share the world over, although it is also somewhat ideological. As for courses, their object, I hope, is to be explicit about their theoretical and ideological position. If the axioms are conventional, it is very constructive in pedagogical terms to dredge them up for inspection; it makes the subject matter far more transparent and interesting. And, of course, if the theoretical content is unconventional, then one makes it explicit for the sake of honesty, to lend coherence to the specifics of the content, and to make the course intellectually exciting. I believe the traditional concern about this is one of two things: a) bend the facts to fit the theory; b) preach the theory in order to indoctrinate. I suspect both are real concerns, but are no reason to pillory Marxism. The dangers are always present, whether or not the theory is implicit or unconventional. The former is a danger in any science and seems only controlled by wise and honest respect for empirical facts. The latter is always present, but raises more difficult issues. But I think that in either case, the counter for these omnipresent dangers is simply wisdom. Marxism is no more subject to them than any other field of knowledge. But let me expand on the second point a bit. Education, after all, _is_ indoctrination. Higher education, at least, seems committed to both a conservative and a critical end, passing along a culture, but also develop the student's critical powers. The former is indoctrination by definition, but not the latter unless it is dishonestly more a doctrine than critique. I imagine a course in Marxism could be doctinaire and not self-critical, but that shortcoming is a danger in any subject matter. This issue really only becomes touchy when the development of a critical outlook is directed at the capitalist system or state, and the reaction comes from those who thoughtlessly identify with them as being beyond the reach of any criticism. But this surely does not represent a shortcoming of a course in Marxism, but of those who might object to it. Marxism is a perfectly legitimate science of society that is no less valid than, say, a Parsonian or Weberian outlook. A course on Parsons or Weber? Sure, that would be good, and no one would presume it is indoctrination (I actually did take a course on Parsons at one point). So why not a course on Marxism? Only because it does not happen to support the ruling-class preference? That would be very narrow minded and prejudicial. -- Haines Brown, KB1GRM From brownh at hartford-hwp.com Sat Aug 2 06:30:10 2008 From: brownh at hartford-hwp.com (Haines Brown) Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:30:10 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Studying philosophy at the New School In-Reply-To: <20080801215047.AD62EE657@mailbackend.panix.com> (message from Louis Proyect on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:48:45 -0400) References: <48936EE1.6030808@panix.com> <20080801215047.AD62EE657@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: > I posted the article here: > > http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/marxism/2008w29/msg00065.htm Louis, thanks. The newest issue is not yet available on line via JStor. I glanced at the article. Jacoby only looked at three universities, but his point was not so much to criticize them for ignoring the specific thinkers of the title, but more broadly for their being a-historical. This makes the issue far more interesting than simply omitting Marx et al. Marx was profoundly historical in his view of things, and it does seem that we are in a cultural environment today that is oblivious to history. But is this so? In many respects it is obvious (such as a replacement of history with social studies in K-12), but then I think of what's happened in the philosophy of science, where since the 1980s and 1990s it has come to embrace the history of science as a critical dimension of an understanding of science. I don't know what to make of this inconsistency. In the study of history itself, there is some influence, but not an awful lot, of the profoundly anti-historical views of postmodernism. Let me offer an optimistic speculation. It may be that as capitalist contradictions deepen, our culture has become emptied of historical and self-critical content (more accurately the critique has become a critique of the possibility of criticism). However, in the natural sciences, which are considered to be more mature in these matters than other sciences, there seems a more positive trend toward a constructive self-cricism, as in scientific realism. In the last few decades it has become a consensus view that pragmatists and critical-empiricists are to some excent accomodating. They are possibly slowly moving toward a new unified view of science (at least that is the opinion of perhaps the most highly respected text on the philosophy of science). Yesterday I finished an article ("The succubus of theory and process realism") that is implicitly on this issue, and so find it very interesting. Haines Brown From sabocat59 at mac.com Sat Aug 2 06:38:36 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:38:36 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to obesity in americans Message-ID: <5FE8DC15-D93B-4205-9AD9-7E5AF8BD6FF0@mac.com> Lajany Otum wrote: Thanks for weighing in on this little thread. I'm not so sure I follow your argument here. What inedible raw materials are you talking about? Corn syrup is made from corn, for example. Also, although the rise of US imperialism arose in no small part from the pressure of large farmers to open new markets abroad for their exports, the fact is these days there are huge profits to be made form organic produce within the domestic US market, and some of the large agribusiness concerns have morphed into this market, making huge profits. Greg McDonald From sabocat59 at mac.com Sat Aug 2 06:46:01 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:46:01 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Organic Erosion Message-ID: <370D6590-378F-4F0E-BA50-B93788623BF2@mac.com> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/28/ CMGR8ND2EU1.DTL From marvgandall at videotron.ca Sat Aug 2 07:42:53 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 09:42:53 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Roubini: "We're only in the second inning..." Message-ID: <013f01c8f4a5$a9e4bb60$6601a8c0@MARV> Yes, That's $2 Trillion of Debt-Related Losses Maybe now somebody will listen By ROBIN GOLDWYN BLUMENTHAL AN INTERVIEW WITH NOURIEL ROUBINI Barron's August 4, 2008 LIKE THE EXHORTATIONS OF JEREMIAH TO THE NATION OF Israel before the first temple's destruction, the warnings of economist Nouriel Roubini fell on deaf ears. For the past two years Roubini, a professor at New York University, has cautioned about a huge housing bubble whose bursting would lead to a 20% drop in home prices; a collapse in subprime mortgages; a severe banking crisis and credit crunch; the near-failure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , and a U.S. recession of a magnitude not seen since the Great Depression. So far, this latter-day prophet of doom has been on the mark, though time will tell about the recession part. A Turkish native who grew up in Italy, Roubini trained at Harvard and later advised the Clinton White House, after his blog on the Asian financial crisis attracted the attention of Washington's economic and political elite. Roubini still publishes the blog -- the RGE Monitor -- and teaches economics at NYU's Stern School of Business. We caught up with him recently at his offices in lower Manhattan, and continued the conversation at Barron's. For his latest predictions, please read on. Barron's: Unfortunately for the rest of us, you have a pretty good track record. How much more misery lies ahead? Roubini: We are in the second inning of a severe, protracted recession, which started in the first quarter of this year and is going to last at least 18 months, through the middle of next year. A systemic banking crisis will go on for awhile, with hundreds of banks going belly up. B:Which banks, specifically, will fail? R:I don't want to name names, but many, given the housing bust, will become insolvent. Their losses are mounting because they have written down only their subprime loans so far. They haven't started writing down most of their consumer-credit losses, and reserves for losses are much less than they should have been. The banks are playing all sorts of accounting gimmicks not to recognize them. There are hundreds of millions of dollars outstanding in home-equity loans that eventually could be worth zero, too. B:So far, we have seen no recession in the technical sense: two consecutive quarters of negative growth in real GDP. Why not? R:The definition of a recession isn't only two consecutive quarters of negative growth. The NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research) puts a lot of emphasis on things like employment, and employment has already fallen for seven months in a row. It also emphasizes income and retail and wholesale sales. Many of these things are declining. Maybe the recession started in January; if you look at the data on gross domestic product on a monthly basis between February and April, GDP was falling. Saying this is not a recession is just a joke. Maybe instead of a 'U' recession and recovery, it will be a 'W,' with a rebound in the second quarter. But by the third quarter, the effect of the government's tax rebates is totally gone, because other forces on the consumer are more persistent and negative. B:Which forces, for instance? R:The U.S. consumer is shopped out and saving less. Debt to disposable income has risen to 140% from 100% in 2000. Hit by falling home prices, the consumer no longer can use his house as an ATM machine. The stock market is falling and (issuance of) home-equity loans (has) collapsed. We have a credit crunch in mortgages, and gas is around $4 a gallon. Everyone says, 'yeah, that's true, but as long as there is job generation there is going to be income generation and people are going to spend.' But for seven months in a row, employment in the private sector has fallen. The most worrisome thing is that in spite of the rebates, retail sales in June were up only 0.1%. In real terms, they were down. If people were not spending their rebate checks in June, what will happen when there are no more checks? B:Good question. How do you think Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has handled the crisis so far? R:The Fed's performance has been poor. More than a year ago the Fed said the housing slump would end, but it hasn't. They kept repeating this was a subprime-debt problem only, whereas the problems of excessive credit involve subprime, near-prime, prime, commercial real estate, credit cards, auto loans, student loans, home-equity loans, leveraged loans, muni bonds, corporate loans -- you name it. The Fed's other mistake was to believe the collapse of the housing market would have no effect on the rest of the economy, when housing accounted for a third of all job creation in the past few years. When the proverbial stuff started to hit the fan last summer, the Fed went into aggressive-easing mode. But it has always been kind of catching up. B:What should Bernanke have done a year ago, or even prior to that? R:The damage was done earlier, beginning when the Greenspan Fed lowered interest rates in 2001 after the bust of the technology bubble, and kept them too low for too long. They kept cutting the federal funds rate all the way to 1% through 2004, and then raised it gradually instead of quickly. This fed the credit and housing bubble. Also, the Fed and other regulators took a reckless approach to regulating the financial sector. It was the laissez-faire approach of the Bush administration, and (tantamount to) self-regulation, which really means no regulation and a lack of market discipline. The banks' and brokers' risk-management models didn't make sense because no one listens to the risk managers in good times. As Chuck Prince (the deposed CEO of Citigroup) said, 'when the music plays you have to dance.' B:Now the regulators are attempting to make up for lost time. What do you think of their efforts? R:The paradox is they're going to the opposite pole. They are overregulating, bailing out troubled participants and intervening in every market. The Securities and Exchange Commission has accused others of trying to manipulate stocks, but the government itself is now the manipulator. The regulators should investigate themselves for bailing out Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE), the creditors of Bear Stearns and the financial system with new lending facilities. They have swapped U.S. Treasury bonds for toxic securities. It is privatizing the gains and profits, and socializing the losses, as usual. This is socialism for Wall Street and the rich. B:So the government should have let Bear Stearns fail, not to mention Fannie and Freddie? R:If you let Bear Stearns fail you can have a run on the entire banking system. But there are ways to manage Bear or Fannie and Freddie in a fairer way. If public money is to be put at stake, first all the shareholders of these companies have to be wiped out. Management has to be wiped out, and the creditors of Bear should have taken a hit. Why did the Fed buy $29 billion of the most toxic securities, and essentially bail out JPMorgan Chase (JPM), which bought Bear Stearns? B:Because JPMorgan was a counter-party? R:Exactly. The government bailed out everyone. Even the unsecured creditors of Fannie and Freddie should have taken a hit. Sometimes it is necessary to use public money to rescue institutions, but you do it in a way in which you're not bailing out those who made the mistakes. In each one of these episodes the government bailed out the shareholders, the bondholders and to some degree, management. B:At what point does the government run out of money to lend to troubled banks? R:Many public institutions are themselves going bankrupt. The FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) has only $53 billion of funds, and has already committed almost 15% of it to bail out depositors of IndyMac. The FDIC's deposit-insurance premiums weren't high enough, and now it is asking Congress to raise them. Plus, the agency claims only nine institutions are on its watch list. IndyMac wasn't on the watch list until June, the month before it collapsed. Studies done by experts in banking suggest that at least 8% of U.S. banks are in big trouble. Eight percent of the roughly 8,500 that the FDIC essentially is insuring equals about 700 banks. Another 8% to 16% also are shaky, so some 700 potentially are going bust and another 700 eventually could join them. Yet the FDIC is watching only nine institutions. It's a joke. B:What recourse will the taxpayer have? R:The taxpayer's bill is going to be huge. I estimate this financial crisis will lead to credit losses of at least $1 trillion and most likely closer to $2 trillion. When I made this analysis in February everybody thought I was a lunatic. But a few weeks later the International Monetary Fund came out with an estimate of $945 billion, Goldman Sachs (GS) estimated $1.1 trillion and UBS (UBS) $1 trillion. Hedge-fund manager John Paulson recently estimated the losses would be $1.3 trillion, and late last month Bridgewater Associates came up with an estimate of $1.6 trillion. So, at this point $1 trillion isn't a ceiling, it's a floor. And the banks, as I've said, have written down only about $300 billion of subprime debt. B:How long will it take for the collapse in the banking sector to play out? R:It is happening in real time. Many smaller banks are going bust already. More than 200 subprime-mortgage lenders have gone bust in the past year alone. And many community banks will go bankrupt. Community banks usually finance everything: the homes, the stores, the downtown, the commercial real estate, the shopping center. If you are in a town or a municipality where there is a housing bust, the bank is gone. Of three dozen or so medium-sized regional banks, a good third are in distress. That includes the Wachovias and Washington Mutuals of the world. Half of this group might go bankrupt. Even some of the majors could end up technically insolvent, though they might be deemed too big to fail. Take Citigroup. In 1991 there was a small real-estate bust, though the quarterly fall in home prices was only 4%, based on the S&P/Case-Shiller indices. Citi was effectively bankrupt and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Fed that allowed the government to give the bank regulatory forbearance. Citi was allowed to ride it out and try to recapitalize in a few years, and thereby avoid bankruptcy protection. This time around the S&P/Case-Shiller indices indicate home prices already have fallen 18%. The decline could be as much as 30%, because the excess supply is huge. B:Nouriel, have you always been so negative about everything? R:No. I'm actually a pretty mainstream economist. I was trained first in Italy and then in the U.S. and earned my Ph.D. at Harvard. My interests are in international market economics and international finance, and I'm not a 'perma-bear' on the stock market nor an eternal pessimist. Leaving aside the fact that we are going to have a pretty nasty recession and international crisis, the global economy is going to grow at a sustained rate once this downturn is over. There are significant financial and economic problems in the U.S., and that's why I'm bearish about the U.S. But the emergence of China and India and other powers is going to shift global economics and politics radically, and the world is going to be more balanced in the future, rather than relying on one engine, which has been the U.S. There are big issues ahead: How do you integrate the 2.2 billion Chinese and Indians into the global economy? There will be transitional costs and the displacement of workers, both blue-collar and white, in the advanced economies. But I'm quite bullish about the state of the global economy, and I'm positive about the medium and long term. B:That's a relief. Thank you. From elishastephens at hotmail.com Sat Aug 2 08:06:58 2008 From: elishastephens at hotmail.com (Eli Stephens) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 07:06:58 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] "the single greatest, unresolved media scandal of this decade" Message-ID: Thanks very much for that post, which led to an extremely valuable and important article. I would like to add to what was posted here perhaps the most important paragraphs of the article, because they point to where this story needs to go from here - WHO was responsible for propagating the utterly false and without any foundation whatsoever story that Iraq was connected to the attacks, and, PERHAPS, who was behind the attacks in the first place (i.e., was this a wider conspiracy than just a "lone nut"?)? ABC News already knows the answers to these questions. They know who concocted the false bentonite story and who passed it on to them with the specific intent of having them broadcast those false claims to the world, in order to link Saddam to the anthrax attacks and -- as importantly -- to conceal the real culprit(s) (apparently within the U.S. government) who were behind the attacks. And yet, unbelievably, they are keeping the story to themselves, refusing to disclose who did all of this. They're allegedly a news organization, in possession of one of the most significant news stories of the last decade, and they are concealing it from the public, even years later. They're not protecting "sources." The people who fed them the bentonite story aren't "sources." They're fabricators and liars who purposely used ABC News to disseminate to the American public an extremely consequential and damaging falsehood. But by protecting the wrongdoers, ABC News has made itself complicit in this fraud perpetrated on the public, rather than a news organization uncovering such frauds. That is why this is one of the most extreme journalistic scandals that exists, and it deserves a lot more debate and attention than it has received thus far. _________________________________________________________________ Got Game? Win Prizes in the Windows Live Hotmail Mobile Summer Games Trivia Contest http://www.gowindowslive.com/summergames?ocid=TXT_TAGHM From pt_costello at yahoo.com Sat Aug 2 09:03:15 2008 From: pt_costello at yahoo.com (Pat Costello) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 08:03:15 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to Obesity in americans Message-ID: <924515.20100.qm@web63103.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Greg MacDonald wrote: In terms of time pressure--I've always been a bit skeptical of the "I don't have time" crowd. You know, I' don't have time to eat right, exercise, get massage, work out, etc. Bullshit. I always tell people that if health is a priority they'll make the time. me: so i guess Phil Gramm is right. we're just a nation of whiners. by the way, obesity is not just a problem in the US. is a growing epidemic in many countries. Mexico is close behind the US in obesity rates and the UK is third. Lajany Otum says: "Michael Pollan sometimes has interesting things to say, but this is cobblers. The US has had a surplus grain problem, and has been dumping it on the world under such guises as PL480 and the Mutual Security Act since the 1950's (See Darrel Moen, "The postwar Japanese agricultural debacle." available at http://www.dgmoen.net/essays_index.html). Essentially overproduction has been built into US agriculture since the 1950's, by the form of price supports adopted under the New Deal, and compounded by the technological treadmill ever since." me: a good point but obesity was not a problem until the 70's. My point was that government policy (that caters to agribusiness) has been a major factor in obesity rates. Overproduction is another. The incessant marketing of processed foods is factor. In the 1980's, the reagan administration lifted many regulations on marketing to children, which greatly increased the number of ads seen by children, many of them for candy and candy-like cereals. The growth of fast food restaurants, a lifestyle where people people eat in their cars or at their desks rather than cook a meal and sit down with their families, urban sprawl that forces people to drive rather than walk: all of these things contribute. Capitalism is a system that is not simply unjust and unsustainable, it is unhealthy. To blame the individual as Greg MacDonald does, for not resisting the societal pressures just seems snobbish and republican party-ish. From elishastephens at hotmail.com Sat Aug 2 09:30:13 2008 From: elishastephens at hotmail.com (Eli Stephens) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 08:30:13 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] "the single greatest, unresolved media scandal of this decade" Message-ID: Worth noting is the L.A. Times story this morning, which also appeared here in the San Jose Mercury News and undoubtedly more widely, headlined: "Anthrax scientist Bruce Ivins stood to benefit from a panic The suspect in deadly mailings, who killed himself this week as the FBI closed in, could have collected patent royalties on an anthrax vaccine." http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-anthrax2-2008aug02,0,2363047,print.story The implication of this story being that this was all one man out to make a buck. Which is precisely why Greenwald's article is so important, because it makes clear that, even if that were the original genesis of the attack, the real story is much, much bigger. _________________________________________________________________ Reveal your inner athlete and share it with friends on Windows Live. http://revealyourinnerathlete.windowslive.com?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WLYIA_whichathlete_us From suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk Sat Aug 2 09:46:06 2008 From: suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk (Sukla Sen) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 16:46:06 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Marxism] Nepal Updates: Tussle over Government Formation Message-ID: <278189.87657.qm@web23006.mail.ird.yahoo.com> [From the point of view of the CPN(M), the most critical immediate task would be implementing the integration of the PLA with the Nepal Army on the most favourable terms without yielding any significant ground to the demand for proportional representation of the Madhesis in the Army. For that, direct control over the government is a must. Not for nothing they rejected out of hand the proposal that the leader of the Opposition should also be included in the Security Council. But others are also keenly aware of the criticality of this single measure. So the tussle continues to rein them in. Ditching the CPN(UML) in the Presidential election, after securing their support in amending the Statute by sidelining the NC has also seriously damaged their credibility and prospects for renewal of the alliance.] I/II. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug02/news08.php Maoists present draft of CMP before all-party meeting CPN (Maoist) went a step further today as part of its preparation to form the new government, presenting the draft of common minimum programme (CMP) at a meeting with the 24 other parties represented in the Constituent Assembly (CA). Presenting the draft of CMP for debate, Maoists leaders urged the parties for support in forming a government of national consensus. No decision came from the meeting while leaders said there would be further discussion would on the CMP. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara said the CMP underscores the aspiration of the Nepali people for forward-looking change and lasting peace. In the CMP, the Maoist party has proposed the restructuring of the state in the spirit of the federalism, drafting of new condition within two years, immediate relief package to conflict-affected and poor people, integration of Maoist combatants and management of arms within three months as per the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), restructuring of the bureaucracy to make it suitable for the federal system, special development programmes for Karnali region, employment to youths, price control, and normalisation of supply of fuel and other essentials - among others. Reacting to the 'conditions' floated by the Maoists for forming the government, Nepali Congress leader Arjun Narsingh K.C said the NC was not in a position to guarantee that the Maoist-led government enjoys full two-year term. He said support from his party would depend on the programmes of the government. Likewise, CPN (UML) leader Bishnu Poudel was of view that the Maoists' behavior was the main factor behind the delay in forming the government. Poudel, who is the deputy leader of the UML in the CA, said his party was in favour of a unity government. nepalnews.com Aug 02 08 II. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug02/news06.php Maoists cannot form minority govt: Khanal Reacting to the decision of CPN (Maoist) to form a minority government if other parties refused to support it, general secretary of CPN (UML), Jhala Nath Khanal, has said the Maoists cannot form the government single-handedly. Speaking to media persons after a programme at the UML headquarters in Balkhu on Saturday, Khanal said that constitutional provisions would not allow the Maoists to form a minority government. Saying that the UML is in favour of a consensus government, he advised the Maoists to reach out to all the parties with mutually agreeable agendas in order to win broader support for the upcoming government led by them. The Maoists, according to the UML general secretary, need to correct their behavior and learn coalition culture. He also claimed that the UML-Maoist alliance had collapsed just ahead of the presidential election due to internal differences within the Maoist party. Alluding to the proposal of Nepali Congress to form a government without involving the Maoists, Khanal made it clear that his party was against the idea of a government sans Maoists. Sources said the NC leaders during a meeting with the UML leadership yesterday had proposed a government excluding the Maoists. nepalnews.com mk Aug 02 08 __________________________________________________________ Not happy with your email address?. Get the one you really want - millions of new email addresses available now at Yahoo! http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/ymail/new.html From sabocat59 at mac.com Sat Aug 2 11:17:01 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 13:17:01 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to obesity in americans Message-ID: Pat Costello wrote: First off, try spelling my name correctly. You are right to pin me on this, I am a bit snobbish on this issue. It comes from years of working with people one on one in the treatment room to try and get them to go beyond the fix me I'm broken mentality and to begin to think of their bodies as more than just a car that needs a tune-up or a part replacement every now and then. My job is half-cheerleader, half therapist. Most folks take a passive attitude vis-a-vis their bodies, and part of my job is to get them past that and give them things to help work me out of a job. The last thing I want to do is create another dependency relationship with a client. So I've seen from personal experience how incredibly ignorant most people are with regards to their bodies. Of course this is not all their fault, but it does tend to feed into their passive attitude. I'm always pulling out the anatomy chart, talking about basic anatomy, kinesiology, movement patterns, nutrition, exercise physiology, etc. So of course a critique of capitalist agriculture is important in terms of understanding the health crisis in the USA and other western countries, but it does not really help me in terms of dealing with people on an every day basis. Greg McDonald From bauerly at yorku.ca Sat Aug 2 13:31:41 2008 From: bauerly at yorku.ca (bauerly at yorku.ca) Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:31:41 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Cuban sanctions linked to Obesity in americans Message-ID: <1217705501.4894b61dafb72@mymail.yorku.ca> The grain surpluses, and the state policies that help to create them, are more than just New Deal social democracy. They represent the use of the state by capital to increase the capacity to extract surplus value from agriculture. As Marx and latter Lenin and Kautsky understood, agriculture is a special industry in society because of its spatial boundedness (it's reliance on a specific field and nature). By the way Kautsky was right and Lenin was wrong on this, capitalism does not simply transform ag, but there is a dialectical process and history shows that agrarian resistance to capitalism's expansion has been a major force in the reconfiguration of capitalism (both for the better and worse). Because of the special characteristics of agriculture the ability to increase absolute surplus value is greatly diminished, leaving relative surplus value as the most important aspect of ag's incorporation into capitalist circuits (that is increases in technological innovation on both the input and output side). The New Deal represents the use of the state to speed up the process of the interaction between capitalism and agriculture and tip the balance towards capitalism through extension services, land grant colleges and other programs to increase the relative surplus value extracting capacities of corporations manufacturing the inputs and outputs. It also increase agricultural productivity and politically sought some price floors and other forms of subsidies to quell what was then a powerful bloc and blunt the more radical aspects of this bloc. Out of this came the explosion of both chemical farm inputs and industrial food outputs (corn syrup, soy bean meal, soy oil, etc.) Therefore, while most farmers still own there land and (sort of) own their machinery there percent of the value of their product has been greatly diminished in an inverse relationship to the increase of corporate agriculture. But what to do with the mass of industrial food products? Fist, sell them to US consumers by creating all kinds of cheap unhealthy food like products. Second, send the surpluses overseas as food 'aid', distorting global markets and creating food dependence on the US cheap industrial food system. But, that is just a quick synopsis to get you started. As already mentioned see Fiedmann, Harriet; McMichael, Philip; Buttle, Fredrick; George, Susan; Perelman, Michael and for a very pedestrian into see Raj Patels Stuffed and Starved. Brad Brad From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 13:48:44 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 15:48:44 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Studying philosophy at the New School In-Reply-To: References: <48936EE1.6030808@panix.com> <20080801215047.AD62EE657@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808021248s56f3d203u3a8956fc5e6442a@mail.gmail.com> On Sat, Aug 2, 2008 at 8:30 AM, Haines Brown wrote: > They are possibly slowly moving toward a new unified > view of science (at least that is the opinion of perhaps the most > highly respected text on the philosophy of science). Which text is this? Thanks, RC From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 13:57:49 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 15:57:49 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808021245t7216bf51k99b15ba4936879a1@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808021245t7216bf51k99b15ba4936879a1@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808021257p6b1a387aj898ba4750571e90b@mail.gmail.com> This is excellent news. This is what we should want to see as Marxists -- the various non-sectarian independent left candidates co-operating with each other and being each others' allies, while also debating each other in a friendly spirit. Ruthless Critic. -- From daniel.denvir at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 14:02:31 2008 From: daniel.denvir at gmail.com (Daniel Denvir) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 15:02:31 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808021257p6b1a387aj898ba4750571e90b@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808021245t7216bf51k99b15ba4936879a1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021257p6b1a387aj898ba4750571e90b@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: But are buttons that read "Build the Mass Revolutionary Parties of the Working Class" really a strategic way to build, umm, a working class revolution? Or does it more represent a form of ideological self-satisfaction than a real program to organize for progressive social change and construct alternatives to capitalism? On Sat, Aug 2, 2008 at 2:57 PM, Ruthless Critic of All that Exists wrote: > This is excellent news. > > This is what we should want to see as Marxists -- the various > non-sectarian independent left candidates co-operating with each other > and being each others' allies, while also debating each other in a > friendly spirit. > > Ruthless Critic. > > -- > From a correspondent: > > --- forwarded ---- > > Brian Moore (SP pres. candidate) finished his Peace and Freedom Party > (PFP) debate today in California with Ralph Nader, Gloria La Riva, and > Cynthia McKinney. > > Moore came with numerous signs and buttons with slogans such as > "Revolution not Reformism," "Build the Mass Revolutionary Parties of > the Working Class" and "Social Ownership of Corporations - Not > Regulation." > > McKinney came up to Moore after the debate today and said that she was > astonished with his level of social consciousness as a white male on > issues of oppression and that she "didn't know there were white male > socialists like you." Another woman of color at the Convention > reportedly came up to Moore and said almost the exact same thing. > Nader also spent about 15 minutes at the gathering in his hotel room > and expressed that he was greatly impressed. The PFP will vote on its > nomination tomorrow. > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/daniel.denvir%40gmail.com > -- Freelance Journalist / Periodista Independiente E-mail: daniel.denvir at gmail.com 09-529-0827 Quito, Ecuador http://glocalcircus.blogspot.com/ CQ features critical analysis, reflection, and expression on politics, science, and the arts. Sign up for a free subscription to our quarterly e-periodical: www.caterwaulquarterly.com From lnp3 at panix.com Sat Aug 2 14:15:31 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:15:31 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Academic cant Message-ID: <20080802201732.B3F1110F8F@mailbackend.panix.com> As a Bard College and New School for Research Graduate Faculty alumnus, and a nearly 20 year long employee of Columbia University, my mailbox at work and at home is perpetually filled with glossy brochures and magazines trumpeting the latest human rights, free speech or multicultural breakthroughs of these institutions. Among the thousands of beacons of higher learning in the U.S., these three are near the top of the list when it comes to liberal pretensions. You can call me a hardened cynic, but mostly I regard the printed material from the three colleges as exercises in public relations cant especially when you consider how often the noble gesture is offset by some truly creepy maneuver, often occurring around the same ballyhooed stunt. For example, when my boss Lee Bollinger decided to invite Iran's president to speak at the university, he defended the action as a courageous effort in academic freedom necessary to promote global communications. But in his introduction to Ahmadinejad's speech, he repeated the talking points of the Bush administration in a clear effort to grease the skids for war with Iran after the fashion of Judith Miller in the run-up to the war in Iraq. So effective was Bollinger that Rush Limbaugh replayed Bollinger's entire introduction the following day on his radio show flapping his lips about how great Bollinger was. Just about a week ago I got an alumnus magazine from the New School, where I earned an MA in philosophy about 40 years ago mostly in an effort to evade the draft. I have tried in vain to get off their mailing list after Bob Kerrey became president of the school to no avail. My next step, I suppose, is to send them a change of address notification that I have moved to East Jesus, Nebraska. If Columbia's magazines are geared to liberal sensibilities, the New School is pitched even further to the left. The magazine announced that Bob Pollin, a New School alumnus, Marxist economist, and frequent contributor to Alexander Cockburn's Counterpunch, will be joining the Board of Governors. This might lead to the impression that the hammer-and-sickle will soon be flying over 66 Fifth Avenue. full: http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2008/08/02/academic-cant/ From markalause at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 14:33:20 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 16:33:20 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808021245t7216bf51k99b15ba4936879a1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021257p6b1a387aj898ba4750571e90b@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Daniel Denvir wrote: > But are buttons that read "Build the Mass Revolutionary Parties of > the Working Class" really a strategic way to build, umm, a working > class revolution? > > Or does it more represent a form of ideological self-satisfaction than > a real program to organize for progressive social change and construct > alternatives to capitalism? > These are certainly key questions, of course. Talk is so cheap when you're not seriously engaged in trying to build a real alternative that working people are actually going to hear something about. ML From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 14:39:55 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 16:39:55 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808021245t7216bf51k99b15ba4936879a1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021257p6b1a387aj898ba4750571e90b@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808021339j9c7f8ddg25f6e67ae7a73841@mail.gmail.com> On Sat, Aug 2, 2008 at 4:33 PM, Mark Lause wrote: > Daniel Denvir wrote: >> But are buttons that read "Build the Mass Revolutionary Parties of >> the Working Class" really a strategic way to build, umm, a working >> class revolution? >> >> Or does it more represent a form of ideological self-satisfaction than >> a real program to organize for progressive social change and construct >> alternatives to capitalism? >> > > These are certainly key questions, of course. > > Talk is so cheap when you're not seriously engaged in trying to build > a real alternative that working people are actually going to hear > something about. Not going to hear about? Brian Moore regularly appears at radio talk shows, where people call in and asks him questions, and he answers. Hear him online, for example, at: Host Name Ben Goodman Show Name "The Weekly Filibuster" with Special Guest Socialist Party Nominee Brian Moore Show Length 1 Hour 30 Minutes Join the crew as they talk the '08 race with Socialist Party Nominee Brian Moore! He'll take your calls: From sartesian at earthlink.net Sat Aug 2 14:52:16 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 16:52:16 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Capitalism and Agriculture and Marx References: <1217705501.4894b61dafb72@mymail.yorku.ca> Message-ID: <001701c8f4e1$a648ffc0$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> My two favorite quotes, the first for the its implications for the "transition debate" and the Brenner position; the second for...well, just about for everything. "A definite stage in the development of agriculture whether in the country concerned or in other countries forms the basis for the development of capital. " Marx, Theories of Surplus Value, Part 1 __________ "The fact that the annual returns decline in proportion to the capital advanced if there is an increase in that part of auxilliary capital which consists of fixed capital, that is, if its turnover period extends over several years- its value only entering into production annually in the form of depreciation-- is not a phenomenon peculiar to agriculture, but a general one." Marx, Theories of Surplus Value, Part 3 From markalause at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 14:50:39 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 16:50:39 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808021339j9c7f8ddg25f6e67ae7a73841@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808021245t7216bf51k99b15ba4936879a1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021257p6b1a387aj898ba4750571e90b@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021339j9c7f8ddg25f6e67ae7a73841@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Oh, well, if Moore's on talk radio, the working class will hear all about the campaign. McKinney, Nader, Trotter McCommie and all the rest should just stop wasting their time. ML From markalause at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 14:51:33 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 16:51:33 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Nader on Pacifica Free Press Message-ID: http://pacificfreepress.com/content/view/2904/81/ From brownh at hartford-hwp.com Sat Aug 2 15:12:00 2008 From: brownh at hartford-hwp.com (Haines Brown) Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:12:00 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Studying philosophy at the New School In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808021248s56f3d203u3a8956fc5e6442a@mail.gmail.com> (ok.president+marxml@gmail.com) References: <48936EE1.6030808@panix.com> <20080801215047.AD62EE657@mailbackend.panix.com> <908b689f0808021248s56f3d203u3a8956fc5e6442a@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: > > They are possibly slowly moving toward a new unified view of > > science (at least that is the opinion of perhaps the most highly > > respected text on the philosophy of science). > > Which text is this? Richard Boyd, Philip Gasper, and J. D. Trout, The Philosohy of Science. Cambridge: MIT, 1991. This is considered the best text for classes in the philosophy of science. Possibly something better has since come out, but I've not heard of it. The point I made is discussed in the editor's Introduction. "But recent developments in the philosophy of science and related areas of philosophy, in the philosophies of the various special sciences, have progressed to a point where a new "post-positivist" censensus has emerged" (p. xi), etc. This is a convergence of critical empiricism, pragmatism and scientific realism, but later the editors qualify this a bit by saying these are moving toward a consensus. My own view is that these three converging trends are not there yet, for they still presume the mind-body (and some other binaries) of the bourgeois tradition. I try to transcend the categorical binaries by representing them as merely aspects of process (what I call "process realism"). I can't help but mention a little book that came very recently into my hands, Samir Okasha, Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: OUP, 2002). This is an excellent little intro for the more casual user than the book cited above. -- Haines Brown, KB1GRM From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 16:13:33 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 18:13:33 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Affluenza Message-ID: <908b689f0808021513i144a4777nc2307c6859f41a47@mail.gmail.com> By Judith Warner The New York Times [Judith Warner's book, "Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety" (excerpt, NPR interview), a New York Times best-seller, was published in February 2005.] The $10,000-camp universe appears to be rife with what mental health professionals are now calling "affluenza," a social pathology that, they say, is rampant at a time when getting and spending ? a lot ? have become our nation's most cherished activities, and when purchasing power has become, to an unprecedented extent, almost the sole source of many people's status and identity. In our society, you don't have to be wealthy to suffer from affluenza. Its symptoms ? "debt, overwork, waste, and harm to the environment, leading to psychological disorders, alienation, and distress," in adults; "lack of motivation ? apathy, laziness, or failure to commit to and achieve goals ? overindulgence and attitudes of entitlement" in children, according to the New York University Child Study Center (pdf), are pervasive ? and no one is immune. For affluenza is not just a constellation of symptoms. It is an ethic, a play-the-system, lie-and-cheat-your-way-to-what-you-want, don't-let-the-peons-stand-in-your-way ethic of amorality. You rock, kid, parents teach. And you ? alone ? rule. This ethic drives behavior ? like the behavior of the wealthy parents profiled in The Times who, flouting camp bans on cellphone use, sent their kids off with two phones, so that, if one was confiscated, there'd still be a spare for secret calls home. And it also permeates social attitudes and policy. Yet if affluenza, in greater or lesser form, has infected wide swaths of the population at large, one group ? the children of the rich ? appears to be particularly susceptible to its ravages. [...] Full: From elishastephens at hotmail.com Sat Aug 2 16:13:50 2008 From: elishastephens at hotmail.com (Eli Stephens) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 15:13:50 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate Message-ID: McKinney came up to Moore after the debate today and said that she was astonished with his level of social consciousness as a white male on issues of oppression and that she "didn't know there were white male socialists like you." No offense to Cynthia, but she must not know many white male socialists. _________________________________________________________________ Get Windows Live and get whatever you need, wherever you are. Start here. http://www.windowslive.com/default.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Home_082008 From marvgandall at videotron.ca Sat Aug 2 16:28:47 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:28:47 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Stratfor: Threats against Iran "Kabuki theatre" Message-ID: <006701c8f4ef$21a2fd30$6501a8c0@MARV> In Sight: an Amicable Endgame in Iran By JONATHAN R. LAING The U.S. or Israel are unlikely to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. Here's why. Barron's August 4, 2008 THE MARKETS HAVE BEEN buzzing for months about an imminent attack by the U.S. or Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities. Don't bet on it -- or on oil prices heading higher as a result of hostilities. According to recent rumors, the U.S. and Israel have been pushed to the brink by Iran's stonewalling, in the face of global diplomacy aimed at persuading the country to suspend its nuclear-enrichment program and abandon its ambitions to join the nuclear-weapons club. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hasn't helped the situation with his defiant rhetoric, and a penchant for posing in a lab coat against a backdrop of uranium-enriching centrifuges. Stratfor calls Iran's nuclear capability a negligible threat, and doubts the U.S. or Israel will attack. Look for cooler heads to prevail -- and for outside inspections of uranium facilities to continue. Renowned investigative reporter Seymour Hersh wrote last month in a lengthy story in the New Yorker that such an attack is likely to come before U.S. President George Bush leaves office next January. Both the U.S. and Israel already have special-operations teams active inside Iran, gathering intelligence and seeking to destabilize the country and prepare the battlefield, Hersh's sources told him. Yet, the possibility of an attack on Iran seems remote to George Friedman, founder and head of Stratfor, the Austin, Texas-based global-intelligence company. The risks to the global economy of such a move far outweigh any potential benefits, he says, especially as Iran poses what he views as a negligible nuclear threat. America's "all-options-are-on-the-table" bluff seems to have had a salutary effect, Friedman says. For example, Iran has helped reduce the level of sectarian violence in Iraq in the past six months by reining in some of the rogue Shiite militias that it trains and supports. Likewise, the U.S. and Iran have begun to take tentative steps toward diplomatic rapprochement after 29 years of enmity, he notes. Geopolitics is Stratfor's m?tier, and under Friedman, who holds a Ph.D. in political science, the company takes an academic approach to the subject, rigorously analyzing the information it gleans from sources around the world. These include local newspapers, government publications, Internet informants on the ground in different countries, and other overt and covert fact-finders. Barron's consistently has found Stratfor's insights informative and largely on the money -- as has the company's large client base, which ranges from corporations to media outlets and government agencies. The Iran-attack story gained widespread credence after the New York Times reported June 20 that more than 100 Israeli aircraft had participated several weeks earlier in a military exercise over the eastern Mediterranean, near Greece. The distance from Israel was roughly 900 miles, the same as that separating Israel from Iran, and the exercise was viewed as a trial run for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Just a day later, the Times of London quoted Israeli military sources who confirmed the "dress rehearsal" nature of the exercise, while a story in the Jerusalem Post alluded to previous statements made by Israeli intelligence officials who said Iran would cross an unspecified nuclear threshold in 2008, not 2009, as expected. THE SABER-RATTLING BY unnamed officials smacks of psychological warfare to Friedman, however -- not preparations for the real thing. "Why would Israel telegraph its punch like that?" he asks. "Recall that when Israel took out Iraq's Osirak reactor back in 1981, it was successful precisely because it gave no hint at all of an impending attack." An Israeli attack on Iran would require the close cooperation of the U.S., Friedman says, due to the distance involved. Israeli rescue helicopters would have to be flown to American air bases in Iraq before an attack, while refueling planes would have to orbit Iraqi airspace during the onslaught. "The U.S. would be better off doing the attack itself, since [it] will get much of the blame and opprobrium in the Middle East" even if Israel is the aggressor, he argues. Friedman says it's possible that the aircraft maneuvers were a diversionary tactic designed to distract Iran from coming cruise missile attacks or commando raids on its territory. It's far more likely that the U.S. and Israel are attempting merely to intimidate Iran, in an effort to make it more tractable in ending its nuclear program and support for sectarian violence in Iraq. In Friedman's estimation, any major attack on Iran could have grave repercussions for the global economy. Most likely, Iran would attack oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and mine the Strait of Hormuz, through which 17 million barrels of oil -- or about 40% of all seaborne traded crude-oil traffic -- passes each day, along with a significant share of global production of liquefied natural gas. While the U.S. has war-gamed such a scenario and likely would make short work of Iran's shore-based missile batteries and various attack ships, de-mining operations would take a lot longer. In the meantime, shipping insurance and tanker lease rates would soar. "This is what could drive crude oil prices to more than $300 a barrel, which even over a short period would be cataclysmic to the global economy and stock markets," Friedman says. IRONICALLY, THE NUCLEAR stand-off seems to be having a healthy effect on U.S.-Iranian relations. The U.S. has softened its negotiating stance toward Iran, even sending the No. 3-ranked State Department official to the latest Geneva talks on the Iranian nuclear program. And talks are likely to continue, even if Iran merely freezes its uranium-enrichment capacity rather than eliminating the program. Stratfor has noted some developments inside Iran that betoken increasing flexibility. Among them, Ahmadinejad has toned down his anti-Western rhetoric of late, even responding favorably when the U.S. raised the possibility of opening a diplomatic office in Tehran. He apparently is listening to the more pragmatic, conservative faction of Iran's clerical leadership, which remembers well the miscalculation Iran made during the 1979-'80 hostage crisis in thinking that then-incoming U.S. President Ronald Reagan would treat the country more fairly than did the outgoing Carter administration. Instead, Friedman notes, Reagan supported Iraq in its bloody but inconclusive war with Iran during much of the 'Eighties. Meanwhile, the Iranian state-run press has carried numerous articles and op-ed essays in recent weeks on the merits of negotiating with the former "Great Satan," a.k.a. the U.S. "Two weeks ago, the vice president of tourism caused quite a stir when he called America 'one of the best nations in the world,' " Friedman says. "That's quite a leap from the traditional 'Death to America.' " The success of the U.S. surge in Iraq also has made Iran rethink its hegemonic goal of creating a Shiite vassal state in Iraq, from which it could threaten the oil fields of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Emirates, and create a Shiite arc deep into Sunni-ruled areas. In fact, Iran has played a somewhat positive role in Iraq for the past six months, "neutering" Shiite firebrand Moqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia in areas like Basra as well as the Baghdad enclave of Sadr AN ENDGAME IS UNDER way, Friedman says, in which Iraq will emerge as a buffer state protected by a residual force of 30,000 to 40,000 U.S. troops. They will be deployed in the desert, away from the Iranian border and Iraqi cities, serving in a non-combat, training role. As a result, Iran will have little reason to fear more aggression from Iraq. The combination of a U.S. presence, a revivified Sunni community, and Kurdish intransigence will keep Iran and a Shiite-dominated Iraq from threatening the Sunni Persian Gulf states. "In Iraq, we face no 1975 'Fall of Saigon' scenario, with helicopters taking the last American officials away from the embassy roof," Friedman says. To Stratfor's founder, the two years of international talks on Iran's nuclear program have been more Kabuki theater than an attempt to settle an issue of transcendent importance. At best, the issue has given the U.S. and other Western nations an opportunity to impose economic sanctions in a vain attempt to destabilize Iran. As Friedman sees it, Iran is "decades away" from developing any credible nuclear-arms capacity. More than likely, it will never get there, because it lacks the thousands of Western-trained scientists, engineers, electronics experts and metallurgists it needs to "weaponize" any sufficiently enriched uranium it might produce. "Pakistan had A.Q. Khan and plenty of engineering talent, in addition to help from China," Friedman says. "Lacking this, the best Iran will be able to do is a controlled explosion of a crude device," much like that which North Korea achieved in 2006. In Friedman's refreshing view, then, what 19th-century diplomats called the Great Game seems to be winding down in Iraq and Iran. Stratfor won't be lacking for other trouble spots to cover, however, given renewed turmoil in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But that's a story for another day. From daniel.denvir at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 17:29:25 2008 From: daniel.denvir at gmail.com (Daniel Denvir) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 18:29:25 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Shipping Costs Start to Crimp Globalization Message-ID: Hey people, A shockingly honest article on the global economy in The Times ( http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/business/worldbusiness/03global.htmlex=1375416000&en=77a486bfa4791dde&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink) and my blog response to it (below). Dan links and an overall better reading experience here: http://glocalcircus.blogspot.com/ The Times Has Revelation on Global Economy The market recognized costs of production are finally starting to catch up to the real costs. The "new" global economy, fragmenting production across international production chains, has long relied on cheap oil and labor. Social, environmental and deferred economic costs were externalized. Out of sight, out of mind. Rising oil prices, however, have made long distances long again. Long and expensive. According to today's remarkably critical article in The Times, "Cheap oil, the lubricant of inexpensive transportation links, may not return soon, upsetting the logic of diffuse global supply chains." I think that is the most intelligent teaser that I've ever read in The Times. Perhaps Thomas Friedman will now announce that the world is, in fact, not flat? The article also credits the global movement against neoliberal globalization: "But globalization may be losing some of the inexorable economic power it had for much of the past quarter-century, even as it faces fresh challenges as a political ideology." What they don't say is that some of the ideological challenges that corporate globalization has faced were centered upon pointing out the social, environmental and economic untenability of shipping everything around the world instead of developing local and regional economies. But they do seem so caught off guard that they quote Lefty economic critic Naomi Klein instead of feeding at the usual neoliberal trough of think tankers. It even refers to the movement against the free market orthodoxy in the Global South. Corporate press typically describes "protectionism" in the U.S. and Europe as being the main 'obstacle to helping' developing countries through "free" trade. As unpopular as NAFTA is in the U.S., it is far more detested in Mexico. But the global movement against corporate globalization is getting a boost from market realities. A report cited in the article states, "The cost of moving goods, not the cost of tariffs, is the largest barrier to global trade today has effectively offset all the trade liberalization efforts of the last three decades." A first piece of realism appeared in June. Dan Koeppel wrote an Op-Ed explaining how rising oil prices might some day not too far into the distant future push the price of a pound of bananas to $1. Today's article also does a decent job on food, saying that increasing transportation costs may fuel the local food movement. Living in Ecuador, I'm getting my fill of bananas now, before I move back to the States in January. It is, of course, easier for The Times to be progressive on food issues. Michael Pollan's excellent and quite radical critique of industrial agriculture is acceptable because, for many yuppies, local is the new organic. If the same level of critique was permitted on the topics of labor exploitation and US imperialism, the editorial page would be a way different place. But maybe increasingly harsh economic realities will mean more honest reporting on globalization? We'll see. From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Sat Aug 2 19:10:09 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:10:09 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] For a limited time only! Full screening of `Now the People Have Awoken: Exploring Venezuela's Revolution' | Links Message-ID: <48950571.5080708@greenleft.org.au> Venezuela?s new assertiveness has brought it to the centre of international controversy: to some it has been stolen by populist dictator, while for others, it is the centre of a continent-wide democratic revolution. There is much at stake. Venezuela sits atop huge oil reserves in the world, which are being used to foment a new order. President Hugo Ch?vez, who survived a military coup in 2002, has supported a number of controversial social programs that have pushed Venezuela onto the United States government's and media's radar screens. What makes Venezuela tick? Who is behind the movement and what does it seek? Filmed through the 2006 presidential elections, this is a documentary about the people building a new Venezuela. Go to http://links.org.au/node/554 From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 21:24:17 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 23:24:17 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808021245t7216bf51k99b15ba4936879a1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021257p6b1a387aj898ba4750571e90b@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021339j9c7f8ddg25f6e67ae7a73841@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808022024v3d2e0d6y5489e5097dd71c7b@mail.gmail.com> On Sat, Aug 2, 2008 at 4:50 PM, Mark Lause wrote: > Oh, well, if Moore's on talk radio, the working class will hear all > about the campaign. Not really. When Moore visited my city and gave a talk, he was asked about this. He does manage to reach some people, however. (One of the interesting things he said was that right-wing talk radio hosts invite him too; that way, he is able to expose to socialist ideas some people who would never have interacted with socialists otherwise.) Of course, the number of people Moore is able to reach through his outreach efforts is minuscule compared to the outreach that people in academia can have. For example, I'm pretty sure that, on your book tours and radio appearances, you are able to reach many more workers. Your book on 19th century revolutionary secret societies, for example, is probably a quite effective way for initiating a discussion with workers about socialism, and you have been able to reach out to many workers that way. Since Moore is not an academic, he is unable to do outreach on that scale. Still, I think he should be commended for making the best effort he can, within the limitations that he has. From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 21:27:21 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 23:27:21 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Irrational Exuberance In-Reply-To: <007801c8f321$6cf6e7d0$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> References: <6841257.1217515424904.JavaMail.root@mswamui-cedar.atl.sa.earthlink.net> <007801c8f321$6cf6e7d0$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <908b689f0808022027x10c12ab6x494fc5af3815107e@mail.gmail.com> On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 11:23 AM, S. Artesian wrote: > Despite Walter's rapturous praises, the current expansion of the Brazilian > economy is based on a similar cycle, fed by the oil price driven increases > in commodity prices, and will take the country back into another round of > austerity an immiseration. Fair enough. But we should keep in mind that many people would say the same of Venezuela as well (that the Bolivarian revolutions successes owe themselves to high oil prices. From markalause at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 22:41:39 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 00:41:39 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808022024v3d2e0d6y5489e5097dd71c7b@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808021245t7216bf51k99b15ba4936879a1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021257p6b1a387aj898ba4750571e90b@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021339j9c7f8ddg25f6e67ae7a73841@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808022024v3d2e0d6y5489e5097dd71c7b@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Many more people will actually hear about the Nader campaign or the McKinney campaign. A Socialist Party campaign that's actually going to be able to reach the working class on any scale worth the effort isn't going to happen. It's just a fantasy. Believe me, I've been involved in enough SWP campaigns to know this. The old Socialist Party of Debs originally formed in opposition to the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel Deleon. All these groups had great virtues, but the SLP's position was essentially that you run for office, make very sharp and memorable criticisms of capitalism and give particularly competent lectures on surplus value, etc. You put out your ideas as best your tiny numbers permit and wait for the masses to come to you. What conclusions do you draw from over a century of failure? Do we blame the masses? It is no compromise of principle to meet people half-way, so long as you aren't saying something that you really don't believe. You have a black Congresswoman who's broken from the Democratic Party. Do you think taking space on the electoral platform to talk on theories of revolution is more important at this point than providing tangible encouragements to progressives bolting from the Democratic Party? We have the Nader campaign, which is making sharp, entirely supportable criticisms of the existing order and getting a much broader audience for this than any socialist could get. Is it more important to be there or is the club of people who share a socialist perspective too fragile to risk pollution in the real world? ML From elishastephens at hotmail.com Sat Aug 2 22:53:10 2008 From: elishastephens at hotmail.com (Eli Stephens) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 21:53:10 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate Message-ID: ML: "We have the Nader campaign, which is making sharp, entirely supportable criticisms of the existing order and getting a much broader audience for this than any socialist could get. Is it more important to be there or is the club of people who share a socialist perspective too fragile to risk pollution in the real world?" ML will no doubt be pleased to know that Nader is now the P&F nominee in the state of California. _________________________________________________________________ Got Game? Win Prizes in the Windows Live Hotmail Mobile Summer Games Trivia Contest http://www.gowindowslive.com/summergames?ocid=TXT_TAGHM From markalause at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 23:00:03 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 01:00:03 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thank you for the news Eli. I had some indication that this was very likely, but one never wants to count the chickens before they're hatched. This is a particularly big step forward for the PFP, which went it's own way in 2004. Hopefully, over the next four years we can help this trend deepen. ML From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Sat Aug 2 23:15:51 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:15:51 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Class Struggle in the New China In-Reply-To: <4891F7AB.8090208@panix.com> References: <4891F7AB.8090208@panix.com> Message-ID: <48953F07.2060608@greenleft.org.au> Watch at rtmp://cp44823.edgefcs.net/ondemand/flash/tv/streams/foreign/china_petitioners.flv Broadcast: 29/07/2008 Reporter: Eric Campbell LEAD STORY SERIES 18 EPISODE 5 http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2008/s2312321.htm Synopsis Since ancient times, Chinese have enjoyed the right to come to the capital to seek justice against corrupt local leaders. It?s called ?petitioning?. But that right has ended with the Olympics. A Communist Party directive has branded petitioners as troublemakers and ordered their expulsion from Beijing. Thousands are now in hiding, often sleeping on the streets, fearing arrest. Eric Campbell spent two weeks in Beijing evading police to meet some of the petitioners. He and his crew were detained for filming an illegal protest by petitioners, but managed to escape with their tapes. The report reveals how children as young as seven have been imprisoned to punish families for complaining about corruption. Campbell meets a family scrounging for rubbish because they can?t afford to buy food and a man who was nearly beaten to death by thugs working for the local police chief. ?Because of the Olympics my house was demolished,? one angry petitioner says. ?Now the police threaten you, harass you and punish you.? Not quite what the Chinese government promised for the so-called ?Harmony Games?. Nicholas Bequelin of Human Rights Watch says, ?This is a very comprehensive system to airbrush any signs of discontent and project an image in Beijing that everything is wonderful.? Louis Proyect wrote: > http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080818/parenti > Class Struggle in the New China From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 23:18:35 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 01:18:35 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808021245t7216bf51k99b15ba4936879a1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021257p6b1a387aj898ba4750571e90b@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021339j9c7f8ddg25f6e67ae7a73841@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808022024v3d2e0d6y5489e5097dd71c7b@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808022218k6da4e327mb54de742864527d2@mail.gmail.com> On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 12:41 AM, Mark Lause wrote: > Many more people will actually hear about the Nader campaign or the > McKinney campaign. > > A Socialist Party campaign that's actually going to be able to reach > the working class on any scale worth the effort isn't going to happen. > It's just a fantasy. Believe me, I've been involved in enough SWP > campaigns to know this. > > The old Socialist Party of Debs originally formed in opposition to the > Socialist Labor Party of Daniel Deleon. All these groups had great > virtues, but the SLP's position was essentially that you run for > office, make very sharp and memorable criticisms of capitalism and > give particularly competent lectures on surplus value, etc. You put > out your ideas as best your tiny numbers permit and wait for the > masses to come to you. What conclusions do you draw from over a > century of failure? Do we blame the masses? > > It is no compromise of principle to meet people half-way, so long as > you aren't saying something that you really don't believe. You have a > black Congresswoman who's broken from the Democratic Party. Do you > think taking space on the electoral platform to talk on theories of > revolution is more important at this point than providing tangible > encouragements to progressives bolting from the Democratic Party? > > We have the Nader campaign, which is making sharp, entirely > supportable criticisms of the existing order and getting a much > broader audience for this than any socialist could get. Is it more > important to be there or is the club of people who share a socialist > perspective too fragile to risk pollution in the real world? You are making a mistake in thinking that the Moore (SP) campaign is "competing" with Nader or McKinney, or rejecting Nader/McKinney, or playing "leftier-than-thou" vis-a-vis Nader/McKinney. Not at all. These three campaigns complement each other. As a friend of mine put it very well, How the McKinney campaign helps leftists is that her campaign could draw in significant numbers of Black workers and youth. How the Nader campaign helps leftists is that the campaign guarantees that there will be a highly visible electoral opposition to the war abroad and the war at home. How the Moore campaign helps leftists is that it will reach 10-20,000 people, including young people looking for more politics than they find in their day-to-day activism, with a message of socialism. I repeat: there is *no* conflict, and *no* game of one-upmanship, between the Nader, McKinney, or Moore campaigns. Each of these campaigns is nonsectarian, and friendly to the other two. You are shadow-boxing mistaking Moore for a leftier-than-thou sectarian, which he is not. The "sectarian SP" that you are visualising is a straw man, or rather a "straw party". It does not exist. From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Aug 2 23:26:31 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 01:26:31 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <908b689f0808022226j53bdfb9ekde5e7eda3d5dcdee@mail.gmail.com> On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 12:53 AM, Eli Stephens wrote: > > ML: "We have the Nader campaign, which is making sharp, entirely > supportable criticisms of the existing order Yes, and we need *all* kinds of left voices out there. Nader's, McKinney's, Moore's -- and even those of people like Kucinich. Different people will be shifted (even if slightly) to the left by each of these voices. At this time, we do *not* need one SINGLE "left" voice -- we need a "full orchestra" of left voices articulating different left perspectives. *All* the left candidates serve this purpose. Moore knows this, and McKinney and Nader know this too. I can guarantee you that you will never see them attacking each other. From markalause at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 00:06:36 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 02:06:36 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808022226j53bdfb9ekde5e7eda3d5dcdee@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808022226j53bdfb9ekde5e7eda3d5dcdee@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Still, let's flush out some more of his straw arguments before getting at the essence of the problem.... Nobody's talking about not having many voices out there. Anyone who thinks that you can't talk socialism without running in elections is being silly. Anyone who thinks you can't talk socialism in elections without running explicitly socialist candidates is also silly. In fact, the only one here who says that the Left should have fewer voices is R.C. who thinks that Marxist who write them ink-on-paper bound together flippety-floppy sheet things with squiggles on them should just shut up and go into the steel mills like real men...err, like real workers. (Interesting that he says what Kucinich has to say is important in playing a role but not them thar book ritin' critters.) But too the specific question of the elections.... There's nothing particularly wrong about running explicitly socialist candidates talking about socialist revolution. It's certainly not a bad thing. However, it's entirely harmless to the system we need to harm. At this stage, the working class generally and its most advanced layers particularly need to express electorally their sense of what's wrong, their anger at what's went wrong, and the sense that, given the failure of how the system's working, self-organization and movement are needed. Taking the project of building socialism to the masses faces two problems. It won't really reach the masses. And those few you are going to reach are not going to be in any position to apply it until the rest of the working class has organized itself and is in motion. Which takes us back to what the working class generally and its most advanced layers need at this point: candidates who are talking about what's gone wrong and expressing outrage over it, and encouraging people to organize themselves rather than to rely on the system's functioning as it has. And there is absolutely no reason that one has to be silent about your socialism while in such a campaign. I'm not in the Nader campaign and most of the McKinney supporters here in that campaign are quite open about their socialism. In the end, this is just a club-building exercise. Nothing wrong with it. Utterly harmless, as I say. ML From markalause at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 00:11:35 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 02:11:35 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] McKinney's comments to Socialist Party presidential candidate at PFP debate In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808022218k6da4e327mb54de742864527d2@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808021245t7216bf51k99b15ba4936879a1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021257p6b1a387aj898ba4750571e90b@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808021339j9c7f8ddg25f6e67ae7a73841@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808022024v3d2e0d6y5489e5097dd71c7b@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808022218k6da4e327mb54de742864527d2@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: You can repeat that there's no competition until you're blue in the face and it will just make you more of a blue in the face idealist. The material reality the rest of us live with is that we only get to vote once. Or is RC in Chicago? Or maybe we're going to have a proper RC miracle. Maybe a loaves-and-fishes multiplication. Or a transubstantiation, ML From fred.fuentes at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 00:29:34 2008 From: fred.fuentes at gmail.com (Fred Fuentes) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 08:29:34 +0200 Subject: [Marxism] =?windows-1252?q?Evo_Morales=3A_=22If_the_Bolivian_peop?= =?windows-1252?q?le_ask_us_for_socialism=2C_we_will_deepen_towards?= =?windows-1252?q?_socialism=94?= Message-ID: See also my latest article Bolivia: Popular Offensive in lead-up to vote at http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2008/08/bolivia-offensive-against-right-in-lead.html Evo Morales: "If the Bolivian people ask us for socialism, we will deepen towards socialism" La Paz ? President of Bolivia Evo Morales announced yesterday that he would "deepen" the process towards socialism in his country at the request of the population and pointed out that he now understood the slogan "homeland or death" that he said he first heard from his colleague and firm ally in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. The president, who celebrated two and a half years in this position and applies a policy of nationalisations of petroleum and service industries, affirmed that the decision to advance towards socialism came about due to a poll, although he did not reveal the origins of the poll. "I was looking over a poll that came from overseas and the majority of the Bolivians propose socialism, I was left very impressed ?. If the Bolivian people ask us for socialism, we will deepen towards socialism" said the president during the inauguration of an indigenous university in the Aymara town of Warisata...........http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2008/08/evo-morales-if-bolivian-people-ask-us.html From stuartmunckton at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 00:53:39 2008 From: stuartmunckton at gmail.com (Stuart Munckton) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 16:53:39 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Evo: We will advance to socialism, if the people ask Message-ID: <2c6145850808022353t70fb7ce8q38d3e2879521c228@mail.gmail.com> http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2008/08/evo-morales-if-bolivian-people-ask-us.html Evo Morales: "If the Bolivian people ask us for socialism, we will deepen towards socialism" La Paz ? President of Bolivia Evo Morales announced yesterday that he would "deepen" the process towards socialism in his country at the request of the population and pointed out that he now understood the slogan "homeland or death" that he said he first heard from his colleague and firm ally in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. The president, who celebrated two and a half years in this position and applies a policy of nationalisations of petroleum and service industries, affirmed that the decision to advance towards socialism came about due to a poll, although he did not reveal the origins of the poll. "I was looking over a poll that came from overseas and the majority of the Bolivians propose socialism, I was left very impressed ?. If the Bolivian people ask us for socialism, we will deepen towards socialism" said the president during the inauguration of an indigenous university in the Aymara town of Warisata. Morales revealed that he now understood the harangue that he first heard from his political ally in Venezuela, who is known for proclaiming in public rallies "homeland or death", and which has been repeated in Cuba since the 1960s. "I use to here comrade Chavez say, homeland or death, I didn't understand it, now I want us all to shout it every day, homeland or death" affirmed the president, who asked the students present to shout at the top of their voices "Homeland or death!" According to him, experiences of collective property have been registered in Bolivian Andean populations, such as in the case of his home town of Isallavi, in the Oruro region, where he assured that "there is no private property" over cows and llamas. Morales is one week out from facing a recall referendum Translated from El Universal -- "The free market is perfectly natural... do you think I am some kind of dummy?" - Jarvis Cocker From suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk Sun Aug 3 01:29:13 2008 From: suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk (Sukla Sen) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 08:29:13 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Marxism] Nepal Updates Message-ID: <218291.16738.qm@web23005.mail.ird.yahoo.com> I. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug03/news06.php Parties busy in parleys as race to form govt increases The Maoists are keeping themselves busy in parleys with other parties, Sunday, as the deadline for responding to the president's call to form government draws closer. After the president, on Tuesday, called on the Maoists to form a government within a week, the latter have stepped up efforts to forge consensus with other parties. A day after they presented their Common Minimum Programme (CMP) to other parties, the Maoists are holding talks with the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) at the latter's central office in Balkhu on Sunday morning. Maoist leaders Prachanda, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal and Mohan Baidya are holding talks with UML leader Jhal Nath Khanal, Iswor Pokharel, among others. According to Bhim Rawal, UML leader, the two parties will discuss on ways to form government of consensus. The Maoists will also hold talks with Nepali Congress (NC) while the NC and UML will hold separate consultation to discuss the CMP. nepalnews.com sd Aug 03 08 II. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug03/news01.php Victims of Maoist atrocities gather in capital for 'decisive movement' Victims of Maoist atrocities from 32 districts have gathered in the capital for what they call "decisive movement" to fulfill their demands. Living a life of a displaced in district headquarters, in other cities and towns of the country and some even in India after being forced out of their homes, these people have now gathered in the capital, Kantipur Daily reported. "Our movement would be decisive now. We won't waste our time in rallies and demonstrations," Bhoj Raj Timalsena, central coordinator of Maoist Victims Struggle Committee, told the Daily. Majority of these victims are those whose properties have been seized or who have been driven away from their villages after being accused of acting as an informer or not helping the party. Profession wise they are farmers, teachers, students, daily wage laborers and VDC level political activists. The Maoist victims have demanded that their 15-point demand be met and which include arranging for a respectful return of the displaced to their homes, making public the condition of those forcibly disappeared by the Maoists, return of seized properties, compensation for the family of those killed by the Maoists, among others. The victims, who came from various districts on chartered buses along with their families, said that they would start their movement in a day or two. The coordinator of the struggle committee said that the movement they are waging this time would be different from the past ones. "Our movement would bring the government to its knees this time. We won't budge an inch until all our problems are solved," the committee's Rolpa coordinator Iman Singh Giri told the paper. nepalnews.com Aug 03 08 __________________________________________________________ Not happy with your email address?. Get the one you really want - millions of new email addresses available now at Yahoo! http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/ymail/new.html From grega2728 at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 04:46:13 2008 From: grega2728 at gmail.com (Greg Adler) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 20:46:13 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] The Scottish Socialist Party: the biggest small party | Links In-Reply-To: <2c6145850808012346g43b1a7ean4d8c925b8d297363@mail.gmail.com> References: <2c6145850808012346g43b1a7ean4d8c925b8d297363@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <10c3ffb00808030346mae8ed03w90dd49cc1542ad68@mail.gmail.com> Stuart Munckton is the DSP member who took the opportunity to attack me and make false accusations against me after I had been removed from the Green Left Weekly discussion and therefore had no chance to reply to him before the audience to which he made those accusations. I don't place personal responsibility on Stuart for this act of political cowardice. He is merely the unfortunate result of a miseducation coming up through the junior ranks of the DSP. There he has learnt that the distinction between a respected working class fighter such as Tommy Sheridan who has come under attack from Rupert Murdoch's press and the forces of the law and those forces such as the majority of the SSP leadership who have aided in that attack by what at the very least began as gross political incompetence and a negligent attitude towards protecting their cadre against defamation and police interference and developed into a full-blown co-operation with an attempt at legalised lynching -this distinction is just a bit of a furore . Everything will settle down and if reprobates like jscotlive who use the good old workers' term scab to correctly the characterise the role of the SSP in this disgraceful episode or myself for quoting the terminology I hear regularly in my work as a criminal defence lawyer i.e. the labelling of police informers as dogs can't get with the program that"s just too bad. As a matter of noting what Alanis Morrisette would call irony in my penultimate posting to the GLW list I supported Stuart against a nasty attack against him but refrained from attacking the person who had made that attack as he had-in my view justifiably- been removed from the list. But dignity and principle are not really the attributes necessary to progress in the DSP in these wonderful days. Greg Adler On Sat, Aug 2, 2008 at 4:46 PM, Stuart Munckton wrote: > > > > Reply: > > > > What a joke this is. They win 43 votes more than Solidarity and you'd > think > > they'd won the seat. > > > http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/new_stories/glasgoweast/result.html > > Actually if you read the account, it spends most of its time celebrating > how > New Labour was punished. It is only towards the very end that they even get > around to discussing the socialist vote. > > And, when they do, it highlights what sticks out like a sore thumb - that a > united vote would have seen, despite all of the other factors pulling > against a socialist vote, that a united socialist vote would have > replicated > the previous SSP vote and beaten the Liberal Democrats > > And it makes the point about how damaging divisions like this are. > > > > I won't attempt to point out the obvious - i.e., that > > with two candidates with the last name Curran, one of them the SSP > > candidate and > > one New Labour, there was always going to be an element of confusion. > No, > > I > > won't point this out as that would be churlish. > > > Yes, we agree. > > > > > > Reply: > > > > The SSP are now and will forever be known as scabs. > > > In time this furore will pass, as the actual needs of new challenges in the > class struggle take precedence. Maybe you wont get over it, but the needs > of > the class struggle will increasingly demand greater unity. Hopefully, > people > on different sides of this current dispute wont allow sentiments like this > one to get in the way. > > Stuart > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________ > > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > > Set your options at: > > > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/stuartmunckton%40gmail.com > > > > > > -- > "The free market is perfectly natural... do you think I am some kind of > dummy?" - Jarvis Cocker > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/grega2728%40gmail.com > From sabocat59 at mac.com Sun Aug 3 05:00:33 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 07:00:33 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Colombia: Bogota unionist found dead Message-ID: <1886A302-DB1B-4489-8048-0A4A73D677E1@mac.com> Colombia: Bogot? unionist found dead Written by Weekly News Update on the Americas Tuesday, 29 July 2008 Source: Weekly News Update on the Americas The body of Colombian unionist Guillermo Rivera Fuquene was found buried in a garbage dump in a rural area of Ibague, Tolima department, on July 15. Rivera Fuquene, an economist in the Bogot? Controller's Office and the president of the Public Services Union of Bogot? (Sinserpub), disappeared on April 22 after putting his daughter on a school bus in the Tunal section of the capital. According to his wife, Sonya Betancur (also given as "Sonia Betancourt"), the last news she heard after his disappearance was that he had been detained by the police. The center-left Democratic Alternative Pole (PDA), of which Rivera Fuquene was a member, said it had indications from a witness and videotapes that the Bogota police were involved. The authorities in Ibague determined that Rivera Fuquene was strangled and then buried on April 28. In a press conference in Bogot? on July 15 after Rivera Fuquene's body was identified, members of the Unitary Workers Confederation (CUT) charged that the government was carrying out a "dirty war" against members of leftist groups. The CUT demanded an investigation into the murder and said "the facts demonstrate that, contrary to the official propaganda, there still aren't sufficient guarantees on the part of the state" for leftists "to exercise constitutional rights to life, liberty and union organizing and participation." (Notice from Confederacion de Trabajadores de Colombia, July 15; El Tiempo, Bogot?, July 17; TeleSUR, July 18) http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1400/68/ From sabocat59 at mac.com Sun Aug 3 05:45:26 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 07:45:26 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] WHO on global obesity epidemic Message-ID: <44C9560A-98F8-4650-8C82-9B3F83A6EB31@mac.com> Obesity and overweight Facts * Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them obese. * Obesity and overweight pose a major risk for chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer. * The key causes are increased consumption of energy-dense foods high in saturated fats and sugars, and reduced physical activity. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight - at least 300 million of them clinically obese - and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability. Often coexisting in developing countries with under-nutrition, obesity is a complex condition, with serious social and psychological dimensions, affecting virtually all ages and socioeconomic groups. Increased consumption of more energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats, combined with reduced physical activity, have led to obesity rates that have risen three- fold or more since 1980 in some areas of North America, the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and China.The obesity epidemic is not restricted to industrialized societies; this increase is often faster in developing countries than in the developed world. Obesity and overweight pose a major risk for serious diet-related chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer. The health consequences range from increased risk of premature death, to serious chronic conditions that reduce the overall quality of life. Of especial concern is the increasing incidence of child obesity. Why is this happening? The rising epidemic reflects the profound changes in society and in behavioural patterns of communities over recent decades. While genes are important in determining a person's susceptibility to weight gain, energy balance is determined by calorie intake and physical activity. Thus societal changes and worldwide nutrition transition are driving the obesity epidemic. Economic growth, modernization, urbanization and globalization of food markets are just some of the forces thought to underlie the epidemic. As incomes rise and populations become more urban, diets high in complex arbohydrates give way to more varied diets with a higher proportion of fats, saturated fats and sugars. At the same time, large shifts towards less physically demanding work have been observed worldwide. Moves towards less physical activity are also found in the increasing use of automated transport, technology in the home, and more passive leisure pursuits. How do we define obesity and overweight? The prevalence of overweight and obesity is commonly assessed by using body mass index (BMI), defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres (kg/m2 ). A BMI over 25 kg/m2 is defined as overweight, and a BMI of over 30 kg/m2 as obese. These markers provide common benchmarks for assessment, but the risks of disease in all populations can increase progressively from lower BMI levels. Adult mean BMI levels of 22-23 kg/m2 are found in Africa and Asia, while levels of 25-27 kg/m2 are prevalent across North America, Europe, and in some Latin American, North African and Pacific Island countries. BMI increases amongst middle-aged elderly people, who are at the greatest risk of health complications. In countries undergoing nutrition transition, overnutrition often co-exists with undernutrition. People with a BMI below 18.5 kg/m2 tend to be underweight. The distribution of BMI is shifting upwards in many populations. And recent studies have shown that people who were undernourished in early life and then become obese in adulthood, tend to develop conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes at an earlier age and in more severe form than those who were never undernourished. The extent of the problem Currently more than 1 billion adults are overweight - and at least 300 million of them are clinically obese. Current obesity levels range from below 5% in China, Japan and certain African nations, to over 75% in urban Samoa. But even in relatively low prevalence countries like China, rates are almost 20% in some cities. Childhood obesity is already epidemic in some areas and on the rise in others. An estimated 22 million children under five are estimated to be overweight worldwide. According to the US Surgeon General, in the USA the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has trebled since 1980. The prevalence of obese children aged 6-to-11 years has more than doubled since the 1960s. Obesity prevalence in youths aged 12-17 has increased dramatically from 5% to 13% in boys and from 5% to 9% in girls between 1966-70 and 1988-91 in the USA. The problem is global and increasingly extends into the developing world; for example, in Thailand the prevalence of obesity in 5-to-12 year olds children rose from12.2% to 15-6% in just two years. Obesity accounts for 2-6% of total health care costs in several developed countries; some estimates put the figure as high as 7%. The true costs are undoubtedly much greater as not all obesity-related conditions are included in the calculations. How does excess body fat impact health? Overweight and obesity lead to adverse metabolic effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin resistance. Some confusion of the consequences of obesity arise because researchers have used different BMI cut-offs, and because the presence of many medical conditions involved in the development of obesity may confuse the effects of obesity itself. The non-fatal, but debilitating health problems associated with obesity include respiratory difficulties, chronic musculoskeletal problems, skin problems and infertility. The more life-threatening problems fall into four main areas: CVD problems; conditions associated with insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes; certain types of cancers, especially the hormonally related and large-bowel cancers; and gallbladder disease. The likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes and hypertension rises steeply with increasing body fatness. Confined to older adults for most of the 20th century, this disease now affects obese children even before puberty. Approximately 85% of people with diabetes are type 2, and of these, 90% are obese or overweight. And this is increasingly becoming a developing world problem. In 1995, the Emerging Market Economies had the highest number of diabetics. If current trends continue, India and the Middle Eastern crescent will have taken over by 2025.Large increases would also be observed in China, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the rest of Asia. Raised BMI also increases the risks of cancer of the breast, colon, prostate, endometroium, kidney and gallbladder. Chronic overweight and obesity contribute significantly to osteoarthritis, a major cause of disability in adults. Although obesity should be considered a disease in its own right, it is also one of the key risk factors for other chronic diseases together with smoking, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. In the analyses carried out for World Health Report 2002, approximately 58% of diabetes and 21% of ischaemic heart disease and 8-42% of certain cancers globally were attributable to a BMI above 21 kg/m2. What can we do about it? Effective weight management for individuals and groups at risk of developing obesity involves a range of long-term strategies. These include prevention, weight maintenance, management of co-morbidities and weight loss. They should be part of an integrated, multi- sectoral, population-based approach, which includes environmental support for healthy diets and regular physical activity. Key elements include: * Creating supportive population-based environments through public policies that promote the availability and accessibility of a variety of low-fat, high-fibre foods, and that provide opportunities for physical activity. * Promoting healthy behaviours to encourage, motivate and enable individuals to lose weight by: - eating more fruit and vegetables, as well as nuts and whole grains; - engaging in daily moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes; - cutting the amount of fatty, sugary foods in the diet; - moving from saturated animal-based fats to unsaturated vegetable-oil based fats. * Mounting a clinical response to the existing burden of obesity and associated conditions through clinical programmes and staff training to ensure effective support for those affected to lose weight or avoid further weight gain. http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/facts/obesity/en/ print.html From sabocat59 at mac.com Sun Aug 3 06:01:59 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 08:01:59 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Myth of Moderate Exercise Message-ID: The Myth of Moderate Exercise By LAURA BLUE Wed Jul 30, 12:00 PM ET Obesity experts agree that daily exercise is essential for good health, but whether it can successfully lead to long-term weight loss is a question of much debate. What has become increasingly clear, however, is that the conventionally accepted advice - 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week - is probably insufficient to spur any real change in a person's body weight. A study published July 28 in the Archives of Internal Medicine adds to the burgeoning scientific consensus: when it comes to exercise for weight loss, more is better. It suggests that obese people would have to exercise at least an hour at a time to see any significant difference in their weight. The study, led by John Jakicic at the Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh, followed nearly 200 overweight or obese women ages 21 to 45 through a two-year weight-loss program. The women were given free treadmills to use at home, regular group meetings and telephone pep talks to help keep them on track. Participants were also asked to restrict their food intake to between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day, and were randomized to one of four physical activity intervention groups based on energy expenditure (either 1,000 calories or 2,000 calories burned per week) and exercise intensity (high vs. moderate). By the end of the 24-month intervention, the women who managed to lose at least 10% of their starting body weight (which was, on average, about 193 lbs.) - and keep it off - were exercising twice as long as health authorities typically recommend and expending more than twice as many calories through exercise as women who had no change in body weight. The biggest weight losers were active a full 68 minutes a day, five days a week (about 55 minutes a day more than they had been before the trial began), burning an extra 1,848 calories a week. Jakicic and his colleagues originally designed their study to measure whether weight loss could really be achieved and maintained through moderate-intensity exercise, akin to "walking when you're late for a meeting," he says, or whether it was preferable to engage in shorter bursts of more vigorous-intensity activity, "like, when you're late for the bus, chasing it down." The problem was that not enough of the women stuck with their assigned exercise categories for the researchers to gather enough meaningful data. Within a few months, most of the participants had resorted to exercising as much as they chose to. That left researchers with a slightly different data set than they had planned for, but they were still able to associate women's reported physical activity with their weight loss. Indeed, exercise was more strongly associated with weight loss than any other factor, including diet. Overall, the more the women exercised, the more weight they lost. More than half of the study participants managed to lose at least 10% of their body weight within the first six months. At the half-year mark, however, most of those women relapsed and started gaining the weight back - a discouragingly common phenomenon. "The major outcome of this paper is the maintenance issue," Jakicic says. Once a patient hits her target weight, he says, it's imperative that she stick with her exercise and diet regimen to maintain her new weight. Still, the underlying question remains: are diet and exercise a reliable cure for obesity? Modern-day obesity researchers are skeptical - achieving thinness, they say, is not simply a matter of willpower. Research suggests that weight may largely be regulated by biology, which helps determine the body's "set point," a weight range of about 10 lbs. to 20 lbs. that the body tries hard to defend. The further you push you weight beyond your set point - either up or down the scale - some researchers say, the more your body struggles to return to it. That might help to explain why none of the women in Jakicic's study managed to lose much more than 10% of their body weight. After two years on a calorie-restricted diet, keeping up more than an hour of physical activity five days a week on average, most were still clinically overweight (though much less so than before). But what Jakicic and other obesity researchers stress is that a 10% reduction in body weight represents a tremendous boon for overall well-being, lowering blood pressure, improving heart health and reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes. For the obese, the end goal should not be thinness, but health and self-acceptance, which are more realistic and beneficial objectives. "The women's health was absolutely improved," Jakicic says. Jakicic, in fact, seems heartened by his findings. "I think the beauty of this study is that we now have a target" - a better idea of how much exercise is needed for weight maintenance. There is, of course, some variation in how people respond. Some of the study participants fared well with less exercise than the additional 275 minutes per week (about 55 minutes per day, five days a week) that the study's author now recommends for weight maintenance. Others needed more. But the keys to success, according to Jakicic, were embracing the weight-loss program fully, and finding a way around the daily obstacles to exercising - that's something he says many of his participants were able to achieve, regardless of their socioeconomic group. So, if you're aiming to lose weight and keep it off, his message is clear: don't slack off. View this article on Time.com From sabocat59 at mac.com Sun Aug 3 06:21:30 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 08:21:30 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Review of "Ultraprevention" Message-ID: <476A329A-5763-4750-ADE8-DC873AB8DFCE@mac.com> Hyman was fired from Canyon Ranch shortly after publishing this book. I generally don't recommend do it yourself books, but this one is exceptional. Besides, anyone who was fired from CR can't be all bad. Greg McDonald http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_164558.html In their best-selling book, "Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life" (Scribner, $25), Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Mark Liponis try to put themselves and other doctors out of business. The book indicts a medical industry they say keeps people sick while perpetuating a dependence on drugs. Health, they say, begins at home. "Mostly, doctors are not intentionally doing the wrong thing or trying to harm their patients," Hyman says. "They're really focused on trying to survive in a managed-care environment. When they have to see a new patient every eight minutes, all they can do is write them a prescription and send them on their way." Such a system treats the symptoms but not the underlying causes, Hyman says. "Ultraprevention" claims that our health is impacted by dozens of nutritional, chemical and environmental factors, from our intake of white flour and sugar to exposure to mercury and dry- cleaning chemicals. These and other stimuli can play a part in everything from diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer and aging. A six-week program outlined in the book can help people head off illness by treating themselves before they get sick. "We believe that the symptoms are simply the warning signs," Hyman says. "They're the smoke. We're looking for the fire. We don't want to take a big fan and blow the smoke away. We want to find the fire." That fire, they say, is the matrix of the human body -- what they term the patient's "biological terrain." Here, the body processes and reacts to countless stimuli: diet, bacteria, chemicals, emotions. And when the input is negative -- bad diet, environmental toxins, stress, smoking -- it can start a chain reaction that can lead to everything from diabetes, heart disease and cancer. But a one-name diagnosis fails to take these complicated antecedents into account. Neither does a quick-fix prescription or a visit to a specialist who is paid to find something wrong, Hyman says. In "Ultraprevention," they identify "five forces of illness": = Malnutrition, or sludge. = Impaired metabolism, or burnout. = Inflammation, or heat. = Impaired detoxification, or waste. = Oxidative stress, or rust. The book also discusses their detective work as co-medical directors at Canyon Ranch, a health resort in Lenox, Mass. They might test for everything from mercury levels to insulin imbalances in order to isolate the particular forces of illness. For example, one of their patients thought he might have Alzheimer's until testing indicated he had high levels of mercury from old fillings in his teeth and a diet of fish, such as tuna, that is often associated with high levels of mercury. They undertook an aggressive mercury-reduction treatment, and the man's mental capacity improved. In another case, a boy had an ear infection that cleared up when it was discovered he was allergic to milk. "We take a very in-depth history," Hyman says. "We have time, No. 1. We can spend an hour with people, so we can understand things at a much deeper level. We can treat people by focusing on an array of tests that they usually don't have access to." John Bitzer of Fox Chapel visited Canyon Ranch in 1997 after having a heart attack. "They put you through a whole lot of tests that were not necessarily what you would get in conventional medicine," he says. "What I found in conventional medicine is that they treat symptoms. What Mark Hyman does is promote health. What he does is attack it at the cellular level." Tests turned up high levels of mercury and lead in Bitzer's system. They also discovered vitamin and mineral deficiencies. A "gut check" of his digestive tract indicated he had a parasite. Hyman put him on supplements such as Omega 3 and protein powder. In 2002, he had his mercury fillings replaced. While he has since battled prostate cancer, Bitzer, 67, says he now has a higher energy level and a better vitamins-and-minerals balance. Annual testing has turned up no evidence of heart disease. "The key part of the message is you have to take command of your own health," Bitzer says. "There's a whole field now of what's called integrative or functional medicine. That integrates the alternative with the functional. I check everything I do with my primary care physician. I don't just go off on a tangent. I try to integrate what he can provide and what Mark can provide." How can those who can't afford a trip to Canyon Ranch convince their doctor to test them for suspected allergies, toxins, deficiencies or imbalances? "They're going to have to be their own advocate," Hyman says. "They'll have to say, 'I want my homocysteine level checked.' 'I want to check for insulin.' If you can't find a doctor who is willing to work with you, I think that's a problem." Prevention plan Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Mark Liponis, authors of "Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life" (Scribner, $25), are staunch proponents of medical science. "The problem isn't the scientists and research clinicians who are in the major academic centers," Hyman says. "It's the front-line physicians who are lost in the crazy hectic medical system -- I call it the medical industrial complex -- which is the collusion of the pharmaceutical, food and insurance industries. The whole reimbursement concept is set up for reimbursement for diseases. "(The doctors) are disenfranchised or unhappy. They don't like medicine anymore. They're leaving medicine in rapid rates." From lnp3 at panix.com Sun Aug 3 07:49:11 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 09:49:11 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Jellyfish proliferation as symptom of environmental crisis Message-ID: <20080803135110.CB81DD642@mailbackend.panix.com> NY Times, August 3, 2008 Stinging Tentacles Offer Hint of Oceans' Decline By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL BARCELONA, Spain ? Blue patrol boats crisscross the swimming areas of beaches here with their huge nets skimming the water's surface. The yellow flags that urge caution and the red flags that prohibit swimming because of risky currents are sometimes topped now with blue ones warning of a new danger: swarms of jellyfish. In a period of hours during a day a couple of weeks ago, 300 people on Barcelona's bustling beaches were treated for stings, and 11 were taken to hospitals. From Spain to New York, to Australia, Japan and Hawaii, jellyfish are becoming more numerous and more widespread, and they are showing up in places where they have rarely been seen before, scientists say. The faceless marauders are stinging children blithely bathing on summer vacations, forcing beaches to close and clogging fishing nets. But while jellyfish invasions are a nuisance to tourists and a hardship to fishermen, for scientists they are a source of more profound alarm, a signal of the declining health of the world's oceans. "These jellyfish near shore are a message the sea is sending us saying, 'Look how badly you are treating me,' " said Dr. Josep-Mar?a Gili, a leading jellyfish expert, who has studied them at the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Spanish National Research Council in Barcelona for more than 20 years. The explosion of jellyfish populations, scientists say, reflects a combination of severe overfishing of natural predators, like tuna, sharks and swordfish; rising sea temperatures caused in part by global warming; and pollution that has depleted oxygen levels in coastal shallows. These problems are pronounced in the Mediterranean, a sea bounded by more than a dozen countries that rely on it for business and pleasure. Left unchecked in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, these problems could make the swarms of jellyfish menacing coastlines a grim vision of seas to come. "The problem on the beach is a social problem," said Dr. Gili, who talks with admiration of the "beauty" of the globular jellyfish. "We need to take care of it for our tourism industry. But the big problem is not on the beach. It's what's happening in the seas." Jellyfish, relatives of the sea anemone and coral that for the most part are relatively harmless, in fact are the cockroaches of the open waters, the ultimate maritime survivors who thrive in damaged environments, and that is what they are doing. Within the past year, there have been beach closings because of jellyfish swarms on the C?te d'Azur in France, the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, and at Waikiki and Virginia Beach in the United States. In Australia, more than 30,000 people were treated for stings last year, double the number in 2005. The rare but deadly Irukandji jellyfish is expanding its range in Australia's warming waters, marine scientists say. While no good global database exists on jellyfish populations, the increasing reports from around the world have convinced scientists that the trend is real, serious and climate-related, although they caution that jellyfish populations in any one place undergo year-to-year variation. "Human-caused stresses, including global warming and overfishing, are encouraging jellyfish surpluses in many tourist destinations and productive fisheries," according to the National Science Foundation, which is issuing a report on the phenomenon this fall and lists as problem areas Australia, the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, the Black Sea, Namibia, Britain, the Mediterranean, the Sea of Japan and the Yangtze estuary. In Barcelona, one of Spain's most vibrant tourist destinations, city officials and the Catalan Water Agency have started fighting back, trying desperately to ensure that it is safe for swimmers to go back in the water. Each morning, with the help of Dr. Gili's team, boats monitor offshore jellyfish swarms, winds and currents to see if beaches are threatened and if closings are needed. They also check if jellyfish collection in the waters near the beaches is needed. Nearly 100 boats stand ready to help in an emergency, said Xavier Duran of the water agency. The constant squeal of Dr. Gili's cellphone reflected his de facto role as Spain's jellyfish control and command center. Calls came from all over. Officials in Santander and the Basque country were concerned about frequent sightings this year on the Atlantic coast of the Portuguese man-of-war, a sometimes lethal warm-water species not previously seen regularly in those regions. Farther south, a fishing boat from the Murcia region called to report an off-shore swarm of Pelagia noctiluca ? an iridescent purplish jellyfish that issues a nasty sting ? more than a mile long. A chef, presumably trying to find some advantage in the declining oceans, wanted to know if the local species were safe to eat if cooked. Much is unknown about the jellyfish, and Dr. Gili was unsure. In previous decades there were jellyfish problems for only a couple of days every few years; now the threat of jellyfish is a daily headache for local officials and is featured on the evening news. "In the past few years the dynamic has changed completely ? the temperature is a little warmer," Dr. Gili said. Though the stuff of horror B- movies, jellyfish are hardly aggressors. They float haplessly with the currents. They discharge their venom automatically when they bump into something warm ? a human body, for example ? from poison-containing stingers on mantles, arms or long, threadlike tendrils, which can grow to be yards long. Some, like the Portuguese man-of-war or the giant box jellyfish, can be deadly on contact. Pelagia noctiluca, common in the Mediterranean, delivers a painful sting producing a wound that lasts weeks, months or years, depending on the person and the amount of contact. In the Mediterranean, overfishing of both large and small fish has left jellyfish with little competition for plankton, their food, and fewer predators. Unlike in Asia, where some jellyfish are eaten by people, here they have no economic or epicurean value. The warmer seas and drier climate caused by global warming work to the jellyfish's advantage, since nearly all jellyfish breed better and faster in warmer waters, according to Dr. Jennifer Purcell, a jellyfish expert at the Shannon Point Marine Center of Western Washington University. Global warming has also reduced rainfall in temperate zones, researchers say, allowing the jellyfish to better approach the beaches. Rain runoff from land would normally slightly decrease the salinity of coastal waters, "creating a natural barrier that keeps the jellies from the coast," Dr. Gili said. Then there is pollution, which reduces oxygen levels and visibility in coastal waters. While other fish die in or avoid waters with low oxygen levels, many jellyfish can thrive in them. And while most fish have to see to catch their food, jellyfish, which filter food passively from the water, can dine in total darkness, according to Dr. Purcell's research. Residents in Barcelona have forged a prickly coexistence with their new neighbors. Last month, Mirela G?mez, 8, ran out of the water crying with her first jellyfish sting, clutching a leg that had suddenly become painful and itchy. Her grandparents rushed her to a nearby Red Cross stand. "I'm a little afraid to go back in the water," she said, displaying a row of angry red welts on her shin. Francisco Antonio Padr?s, a 77-year-old fisherman, swore mightily as he unloaded his catch one morning last weekend, pulling off dozens of jellyfish clinging to his nets and tossing them onto a dock. Removing a few shrimp, he said his nets were often "filled with more jellyfish than fish." By the end of the exercise his calloused hands were bright red and swollen to twice their normal size. "Right now I can't tell if I have hands or not ? they hurt, they're numb, they itch," he said. Dr. Santiago Nogu?, head of the toxicology unit at the largest hospital here, said that although 90 percent of stings healed in a week or two, many people's still hurt and itched for months. He said he was now seeing 20 patients a year whose symptoms did not respond to any treatment at all, sometimes requiring surgery to remove the affected area. The sea, however, has long been central to life in Barcelona, and that is unlikely to change. Recently when the beaches were closed, children on a breakwater collected jellyfish in a bucket. The next day, Antonio L?pez, a diver, emerged from the water. "There are more every year ? we saw hundreds offshore today," he said. "You just have to learn how to handle the stings." From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 08:38:57 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 10:38:57 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Harmless scholarly academic marxists Message-ID: <908b689f0808030738j6ad714e5u48f919c27843f1d1@mail.gmail.com> On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 2:06 AM, Mark Lause wrote: > Nobody's talking about not having > many voices out there. Anyone who thinks that you can't talk > socialism without running in elections is being silly. Of course you can. > Anyone who > thinks you can't talk socialism in elections without running > explicitly socialist candidates is also silly. Of course you can. That's precisely the point of "having many voices": some voices talk about socialism while running not-exolicitly-socialist candidates, some voices talk about socialism while running socialist candidates, some voices talk about socialism while not running candidates. All these voices contribute to the dissemination of socialism. > In fact, the only one here who says that the Left should have fewer > voices is R.C. who thinks that Marxist who write them ink-on-paper > bound together flippety-floppy sheet things with squiggles on them > should just shut up and go into the steel mills like real men...err, > like real workers. (Interesting that he says what Kucinich has to say > is important in playing a role but not them thar book ritin' > critters.) Can you please show me where I asked academic writers to "shut up"? You're taking up so much straw here that soon there will be none left to thatch huts in Africa! :-) Those who write not-aimed-at-workers books, published by university presses, are engaging in an exercise of the kind that you describe as "utterly harmless" and "nothing wrong with that". Not only that, the system *needs* people like these academic marxists. That way, the system can point to the scholarly marxist books they publish, and show how, within capitalism, there is so much space for dissent, and how you are not being thrown into jail, by contrast to "evil" Cuba...so your publishing scholarly marxist books actually helps to legitimize the system, in a way. (In his new book "In Defense of Lost Causes" Slavoj Zizek makes a brilliant analysis of this kind of thing.) > > At this stage, the working class generally and its most advanced > layers particularly need to express electorally their sense of what's > wrong, their anger at what's went wrong, and the sense that, given the > failure of how the system's working, self-organization and movement > are needed. "Need to express"? I am skeptical of anyone prescribing what the working class "needs" to do. It sounds like vanguardism of an ugly kind. Much better to have many left voices speaking, and the working class will decide which one it would listen to. Or it may decide none of these voices are worth listening to, of course (Yoshie Furuhashi has talked about this at length.) > > Taking the project of building socialism to the masses faces two > problems. It won't really reach the masses. And those few you are > going to reach are not going to be in any position to apply it until > the rest of the working class has organized itself and is in motion. So? Keeping socialist ideas alive in times of quiescence among the minds of even a few, would be quite useful. In any case, with the Internet, with talk radio, etc. you can reach many more people than was possible earlier. It is much better than reaching only a few academics and grad students (the clientele of academic marxist books), in any case. > And there is absolutely no reason that one has > to be silent about your socialism while in such a campaign. Strawman again. I never said there was. > I'm not > in the Nader campaign and most of the McKinney supporters here in that > campaign are quite open about their socialism. All power to them. Some of my best friends are Nader campaigners and McKinney campaigners. I support McKinney, Nader AND Moore. I oppose Obama AND McCain. You are raising the straw man again by suggesting that I think that Nader or McKinney campaigners are somehow deficient. I do not think so. They are as essential to the many-voiced-left-presence that, as you noticed, I am advocating, as are people explicitly campaigning for explicitly socialist candidates. From walterlx at earthlink.net Sun Aug 3 09:11:24 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 11:11:24 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] After the Bubble, Ghost Woans Across America Message-ID: <24802093.1217776284008.JavaMail.root@mswamui-thinleaf.atl.sa.earthlink.net> WALL STREET JOURNAL August 2, 2008 PAGE ONE After the Bubble, Ghost Towns Across America Half-Built Subdivisions Are Lonesome Places; 'There's Just No Noise' By ALEX ROTH August 2, 2008; Page A1 BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Dennis Pflueger and his wife won a rent-free year in a nice new house in an expensive subdivision not far from the headquarters of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. As part of the prize, they then have the option to buy the four-bedroom home for $452,000. Mr. Pflueger, a telephone-cable installer who describes himself as an "old redneck," is in the middle of his free year. But the Pfluegers are a bit lonely. Just one other family lives in any of the 28 new or unfinished houses on Foxboro Court. Up the street, a sign announcing "Elegant Homes" sits on a lot choked with weeds. The block is as quiet as an old ghost town. Since real-estate tanked, many new planned communities across the country are half-empty, with for-sale signs outnumbering residents by a large margin. Across the U.S. the first to move into new subdivisions in recent years find themselves all alone. WSJ's Alex Roth looks at a suburb of Georgia in which new homes sit empty and how the few residents there live isolated existences. Some of the projects abandoned by bankrupt developers are in places that were hotbeds of new housing construction: Southern California, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix. As of July, the percentage of vacant housing stock available for sale or rent stood at 4.8% nationally, the highest figure in at least 33 years, according to Zelman & Associates, a real-estate research firm. Daily life in these developments seems a bit post-cataclysmic. Children play on elaborate but empty playgrounds. They walk their dogs past rows of shiny houses that have never been lived in. Voices echo up and down the block. Unfinished houses and vacant lots strewn with construction debris clutter the horizon. Robert Waltenspiel lives with his wife and two daughters in a unfinished subdivision in Auburn Hills, Mich. Standing in front of his house, he can see more than 30 weed-choked lots where new houses were supposed to go. The developer halted construction more than two years ago. "As far as working on my yard and saying, 'Hey, neighbor, want a beer?,' that's not going to happen," says Mr. Waltenspiel, an account manager for Hewlett-Packard Co. The hot tub at the community center doesn't work. The communal fountains are dry. Mr. Waltenspiel's kids have no one in the subdivision to play with, so he has to take them to a nearby park for social interaction. His 4-year-old "will walk up to strange girls in the park and say, 'Hey, will you be my friend?' " he says. "A, it's adorable. B, it's sad." In the past year, roughly 15% to 20% of residential developers have gone out of business, suspended operations or changed their line of work, according to an estimate by the National Association of Home Builders. The people who bought into these subdivisions encounter all sorts of other unexpected problems, including burglars looking to steal toilets, appliances and copper wiring. And blight. Krista Anderson, an administrative assistant, lives in a subdivision outside Phoenix where the developer suddenly halted construction last fall, leaving behind not just unfinished houses but also scaffolding, piles of cement and construction material that "is turning yellow and looks bad." Many residents aren't sure exactly who is in charge of mowing the weeds, maintaining the street lights, cleaning up when someone uses open space as a dump. Some residents form especially tight bonds with neighbors 10 or 20 doors down the street. Others relish the peace and quiet. "With my art and my books, I don't need to go outside," says Miriam Ramirez, who lives with her husband, a retired doctor, in a stalled subdivision in suburban Atlanta. "But not everybody's like that." Her subdivision, Woodbridge Crossing in Smyrna, 15 miles from downtown Atlanta, was supposed to consist of several hundred garden-style houses. Instead, she lives on a street where most of the roughly 30 units have never been lived in. It's the only inhabited street. Paved roads surround acres of empty lots. At night, she says, Woodbridge Crossing can feel a bit like "a cemetery." One plus: She usually has the community swimming pool to herself. 'For Sale' signs line Foxboro Court in the Northwest Arkansas subdivision of Quail Ridge, the temporary home of Dennis and Joyce Pflueger. In overdeveloped Northwest Arkansas, real-estate officials estimate that property values have been steadily declining since 2007. Early in the decade, the region saw a population explosion as more than 1,000 people a month moved to Bentonville, Rogers and several nearby communities to work for Wal-Mart or one of its 1,250 locally based suppliers. Developers began building new houses at a frantic pace, carving up sprawling farmland into fancy developments with names like Stone Meadow and Kensington Hills. Then the housing market collapsed. Soon developers were defaulting on their loans and declaring bankruptcy. In May, federal regulators seized one Northwest Arkansas lender, ANB Financial, whose portfolio was overloaded with bad construction loans. Now, many of the region's new subdivisions, with houses that can't be rented, much less sold, are forlorn monuments to disastrous real-estate forecasting. A subdivision called Tuscany, five miles west of Bentonville, was envisioned as an enclave of luxury homes with landscaping meant to evoke an old-world Italian village. Developers installed an enormous hand-built stone wall surrounding several hundred acres of what had been cow pasture. So far, only five houses have been built, and just two sold. Carol Trees, who paid $570,000 for a 4,800-square-foot house six months ago, admits the solitude is a bit disconcerting. The good news is that her three children have the run of a pasture longer than several football fields. "We love it right now," says Mrs. Trees, a nurse practitioner. "We sit on our back porch and fantasize that we own all this land." Then there's Quail Ridge, the temporary home of Mr. Pflueger, his wife, Joyce, and their 11-year-old chihuahua, Peaches. Real Estate Company of Arkansas, a local outfit, had been so eager to sell units that it raffled off a year's free rent for one house. On a cold weekend afternoon last December, more than 1,000 people showed up at the subdivision in hopes of winning the prize. As a marketing effort, the event was a total bust. "We didn't sell one house," real-estate agent Michael McKinnon says. "We didn't get diddly." But for the Pfluegers, who won, the outcome appeared to be nothing short of divine intervention. Mr. Pflueger had been out of work for eight weeks. Unable to afford the rent for their $475-a-month apartment, the couple was planning to move into a trailer in their daughter's back yard. Suddenly they were moving into a new 3,400-square-foot house with an entertainment center, an outdoor hot tub, stainless-steel appliances and more than enough room to store the 61-year-old Mr. Pflueger's collection of guns and antique fishing reels. The last seven months have been an odd existence. Chickens wander by from a nearby farm, poking around in the brush. Not long ago, someone broke into one of the unoccupied houses around the corner. Now the Pfluegers say they pay close attention to passing traffic, but hardly anybody passes by. "There's just no noise," Mrs. Pflueger said. When their 12 months end, the Pfluegers will move on too -- perhaps to that trailer on their daughter's property. Mr. Pflueger recently found a job but still can't afford to buy the house. "That's way out of my league," Mr. Pflueger says. Unless someone else moves in, only one family will be left in the 28 houses on Foxboro Court. ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From sartesian at earthlink.net Sun Aug 3 09:34:16 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 11:34:16 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] After the Bubble, Ghost Woans Across America References: <24802093.1217776284008.JavaMail.root@mswamui-thinleaf.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <026c01c8f57e$72a46540$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Sounds just like the S&L debacle, only the losses will be about 10X greater. Good book on the S&L crisis, The Greatest-Ever Bank Robbery by Martin Mayer. As a bonus, book shows what a hack Greenspan was/is. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Walter Lippmann" To: Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2008 11:11 AM Subject: [Marxism] After the Bubble, Ghost Woans Across America From walterlx at earthlink.net Sun Aug 3 10:33:06 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 12:33:06 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Anthrax and who was responsible. Message-ID: <18372177.1217781186817.JavaMail.root@mswamui-thinleaf.atl.sa.earthlink.net> In the last two days it has been disclosed that a person working for the United States military might responsible for the 2001 anthrax attacks. The United States mass media, politicians and the general public assumed that those attacks were connected to Muslims and the Middle East. The anthrax letters tried to make that connection. Please note below what Fidel Castro said about the subject. Note especially the final paragraph Nelson Valdes Cuba-L Direct -------------------------------------------------------------- Televised presentation by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, President of the Republic of Cuba, on the present international situation, the economic and world crisis and its impact on Cuba. Havana, November 2, 2001 [excerpt] "What is happening with the anthrax is absolutely incomprehensible. Real and sincere panic has been created. The stocks of medications to fight that bacterium are being depleted. Many people are buying gas masks and other devices, some of which cost thousands of dollars. Extravagant behavior can cause more damage than the disease. When there is an outbreak of any disease, whatever the cause, it is essential to warn the people and to provide information on the illness and the measures that should be taken to prevent it, diagnose it and fight it. Diseases are carried from one country to another in natural ways, that is, through people, animals, plants, food, insects, commercial products and a thousand other ways, without the need for anyone to produce them in laboratories. That is how it has been historically. That is the reason for so many public-health regulations. The chaos and the psychological reaction to anthrax have turned the American society into a hostage of those who want to hurt it, knowing beforehand that they will sow terror. On numerous occasions our country has had to face up to new diseases affecting people, plantations and herds, many of them deliberately introduced. No wonder our country has graduated 67,128 medical doctors and thousands of technicians in plant and animal health. Our people know what should be immediately done in such cases. No other country in the world compares with the United States in the number of research centers, laboratories and medications, or the capacity to produce them or purchase them, to fight that or any other disease. In the face of real or imaginary risk, either current or future, there is no other choice but to educate the people to cope with them. This is what the Cubans have done. The causes that gave rise to panic should be analyzed. Certainly, it could not be said that the United States is not in risk of terrorist actions. However, I do not believe that under the present circumstances of generalized alertness, and the measures taken, any group inside or outside America could come up with a coordinated action, organized in every detail for a long time, synchronized and executed with such precision as that of September 11. In my view the main risk may lie with individual actions, or actions carried out by very few people from inside or outside America that could cause lesser or greater damage. None can be underestimated. But as important as the preventive measures that should be taken to tackle such risks, or even more important, is to psychologically disarm the potential perpetrators. And these include those who might want to do it out of political extremism, vengeance or hatred, or a significant number of people who are frustrated, unstable or deranged who might feel tempted by the spectacular or by wishes to be the main actors of well-known events. They could drive the American people mad by sending mail with or without anthrax. Everything possible should be done to put an end to panic, extravaganza and chaos, then danger will be reduced. FULL: http://www.cuba.cu/gobierno/discursos/2001/ing/f021101i.html ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Sun Aug 3 10:33:17 2008 From: michael at ecst.csuchico.edu (Michael Perelman) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 09:33:17 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Cleveland Gatling Gun Battery In-Reply-To: <476A329A-5763-4750-ADE8-DC873AB8DFCE@mac.com> References: <476A329A-5763-4750-ADE8-DC873AB8DFCE@mac.com> Message-ID: <20080803163317.GA15049@tiglon.ecst.csuchico.edu> I thought that people here, esp. Mark Lause, could tell me more about this: Cleveland Gatling Gun Battery was established with 25 charter members, including Major Wilbur F. Goodspeed (President of Buckeye Steel), elected captain; 1st Sgt. Thomas Goodwillie; 2d Sgt. Leonard C. Hanna (nephew of Mark Hanna) (captain, 1882-93); 3d Sgt. John R. Ranney; and Quartermaster J. Ford Evans. On 6 March 1880 the Ohio legislature enacted a bill authorizing Cleveland citizens to establish a Gatling gun battery, placed it under control of the mayor in emergencies, and made it subject to the regulations governing Ohio National Guard units. The unit was incorporated on 17 May 1880. An armory was constructed at E. Prospect and Sibley (3433 Carnegie). In 1885 the battery had 2 guns, 80 sabers, and 1 revolver. It billed the city $242 for the services of its members on guard during the iron workers' strike at Newburgh, 8-13 and 17-21 July 1885. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu michaelperelman.wordpress.com From markalause at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 11:43:06 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 13:43:06 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Harmless scholarly academic marxists In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808030738j6ad714e5u48f919c27843f1d1@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808030738j6ad714e5u48f919c27843f1d1@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Another miracle of transubstantiation from RC? This may be the effect of brainblog, a new email disease where the sufferer thinks only the last email read are real parts of the exchange. However, what's been written, asked, ignored are all part of the list archive for RC or anyone else. And those of us with attention spans can probably remember his earlier posts. My question stands as to how voting for Moore is not denying a vote to McKinney or Nader that can help serious totals amount to a maximal damage. My question stands as to how anyone claiming to know anything about Marxism can think that the problem of organization in his day is meaningless. But I'm so used to RC asking questions and ignoring the answers. And, in the process, he simply ignores what you ask him. So it goes. There is no cure for brainblog but those afflicted can alleviate the effects by spending more time in the material world where radicals only get to vote once and they have to think about how to organize themselves. Or you can take your dogs to the park, which I'm heading out the door to do. ML From fred.fuentes at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 12:14:07 2008 From: fred.fuentes at gmail.com (Fred Fuentes) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 20:14:07 +0200 Subject: [Marxism] Chavez Says He Will Speed Socialism After November Election Message-ID: Chavez Says He Will Speed Socialism After November Election By Steven Bodzin Aug. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he will ``accelerate the socialist revolution'' after his party's candidates win regional elections Nov. 23. Some of his ideas, which he calls ``21st century socialism,'' were rejected in a referendum last December. That was because conditions weren't yet ``ripe,'' as they will be later this year, Chavez said late yesterday in a televised address. ``Nov. 23 will kick off the new period of the Bolivarian revolution,'' Chavez said at the campaign event for his United Socialist Party of Venezuela. ``Transition to socialism in a much more precise, planned, accelerated, exact, scientific manner.'' From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 12:22:39 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 14:22:39 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Harmless scholarly academic marxists In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808030738j6ad714e5u48f919c27843f1d1@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808031122k4a777da9xe63e3795c0545ad9@mail.gmail.com> On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 1:43 PM, Mark Lause wrote: > > My question stands as to how voting for Moore is not denying a vote to > McKinney or Nader that can help serious totals amount to a maximal > damage. My question stands as to how anyone claiming to know anything > about Marxism can think that the problem of organization in his day is > meaningless. Why are you so fixated on vote "totals"? Vote totals are not the point -- the point is "talking to people about socialism". Elections are one interesting way to do that, by engaging people in conversations about socialism. Candidates running for electoral office can provide an excuse to draw people into these types of conversations about socialism. (The more left candidates are running, the more is the possibility of such conversations; one person may find McKinney's positions interesting, and the socialist will use that person's interest in McKinney to draw him into a discussion about socialism. Another person may find Moore's positions interesting, and the socialist will use that person's interest in Moore to draw him into a discussion about socialism. Und so weiter. RC From markalause at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 13:06:04 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:06:04 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Harmless scholarly academic marxists In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808031122k4a777da9xe63e3795c0545ad9@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808030738j6ad714e5u48f919c27843f1d1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808031122k4a777da9xe63e3795c0545ad9@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Ruthless Critic of All that Exists wrote: > > Candidates running for electoral office can provide > an excuse to draw people into these types of conversations about > socialism. (The more left candidates are running, the more is the > possibility of such conversations; one person may find McKinney's > positions interesting, and the socialist will use that person's > interest in McKinney to draw him into a discussion about socialism. > Another person may find Moore's positions interesting, and the > socialist will use that person's interest in Moore to draw him into a > discussion about socialism. Und so weiter. > Blogbrain logic if I've ever heard it. You string together words and seem to forget that they mean something when they're put together in sentences. Unravel what you've just written: If have only candidate and we both support Nader, we can only talk to one person about socialism, but, if we have two candidates running--and I support Nader and you sujpport Moore--we can talk to two people. This is just like that hillarious bit from Spinal Tap about the volume knob on the speakers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akaD9v460yI Only they did it as a joke. ML From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 13:16:08 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:16:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Harmless scholarly academic marxists In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808030738j6ad714e5u48f919c27843f1d1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808031122k4a777da9xe63e3795c0545ad9@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808031216o276c6539l7dbda472f2f52fce@mail.gmail.com> On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 3:06 PM, Mark Lause wrote: > Ruthless Critic of All that Exists wrote: >> >> Candidates running for electoral office can provide >> an excuse to draw people into these types of conversations about >> socialism. (The more left candidates are running, the more is the >> possibility of such conversations; one person may find McKinney's >> positions interesting, and the socialist will use that person's >> interest in McKinney to draw him into a discussion about socialism. >> Another person may find Moore's positions interesting, and the >> socialist will use that person's interest in Moore to draw him into a >> discussion about socialism. Und so weiter. >> > > Unravel what you've just written: If have only candidate and we both > support Nader, we can only talk to one person about socialism, but, if > we have two candidates running--and I support Nader and you sujpport > Moore--we can talk to two people. The point is that of the people you will be talking to, some will be turned off by Nader. Some will be turned off by McKinney. If both Nader and McKinney are running, you can talk to both the turned-off by-Nader people and the turned-off by-Mckinney people. You talk to the turned-off by-Nader people by using McKinney as an excuse to talk about socialism. You talk to the turned-off by-McKinney people by using Nader as an excuse to talk about socialism. And do on. In the end you end up talking to more people about socialism than if only one left candidate was running. This is why, the more left candidates run, the better it is all around (as long as the candidates don't attack each other, which they won't if they are non-sectarian). It is fantastic that we have these three brilliant left candidates, Nader, McKinney and Moore, *all* running. It is a much better outcome than if only one of them were to be running. From markalause at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 13:35:58 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:35:58 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Harmless scholarly academic marxists In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808031216o276c6539l7dbda472f2f52fce@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808030738j6ad714e5u48f919c27843f1d1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808031122k4a777da9xe63e3795c0545ad9@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808031216o276c6539l7dbda472f2f52fce@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: RC wrote "The point is that of the people you will be talking to, some will be turned off by Nader. Some will be turned off by McKinney. If both Nader and McKinney are running, you can talk to both the turned-off by-Nader people and the turned-off by-Mckinney people." Are you serious? In your world, then, potential insurgents form distinct constituencies defined by who is "turned-off" by who. That is, Moore is running because there are shitloads of people who world vote against the two party system, but Nader is too old and McKinney is too black or one or the other of them stole a parking place from the potential voter. Or do you think that significant numbers of those people who sit through a Nader or McKinney meeting are turned off because they don't call for revolutionary socialism. In all due respect, that's nuts. (And calling it "nuts" is all the respect the statement is due.) We're all going after the same potential insurgents. The only difference is that Nader and McKinney have a lot better chance of reaching more and are trying to reach as many as possible. Moore isn't even in the same ballpark. He isn't going to have that kind of ballot access and that hasn't even entered into your consideration. His campaign will do no damage to the two party system, except in the heads of those who already reject the two party system. If Nader weren't running, I'd support McKinney without any hesitation. I don't think anybody supporting Nader because they are "turned-off" by McKinney. Both of these candidates are aiming to get significant ballot status and the highest vote totals possible, which translates to greater damage to the illusions of the two-party system than lower vote totals. I was leaning to Nader because he seemed the most likely to inflict the greatest damage on the two-party illusion, but left the door open to supporting McKinney if her campaign showed a similar potential. Moore was never on the radar. RC also wrote, "It is fantastic that we have these three brilliant left candidates, Nader, McKinney and Moore, *all* running. It is a much better outcome than if only one of them were to be running." Only two of them are running seriously. The last is a club nomination, fielded to keep the members from straying from the clock. ML From lnp3 at panix.com Sun Aug 3 13:39:35 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:39:35 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] A letter from Barack Obama Message-ID: <20080803194134.4CCE0131A5@mailbackend.panix.com> John Halle, who teaches music at Bard College and has been active with the Green Party, forwarded me a letter he received recently from the Democratic Party hopeful: Dear friends on the left, Hobgoblins, small minds and stupid consistency go together, as Locke reminded us, so I suppose it shouldn't have come as a surprise that a cast of "progressive leaders" has again assembled locust-like at the waning stages of the electoral cycle to "urge me to listen to the voice of the people" and not "to retreat from the stands that have been the signature of (my) campaign." You then proceed to itemize some of "the core commitments shared by many who have supported your campaign " and which you seem to believe-despite virtually all evidence to the contrary- are shared by me. The left has never been much for realism-though here the rose colored perceptions have a strikingly hallucinogenic character. For example, I am claimed to have professed a commitment to "universal health care." May I remind you that even in the primary debates, where one might have expected some attention to the grassroots base of the party, I explicitly and boldly rejected universal health care. The latter was associated with my opponent Mrs. Clinton and while neither of us has any intention of addressing the root of the health care crisis, namely the for-profit health care insurance industry which has funded both of our campaigns lavishly, my "solution" as Paul Krugman noted at the time was well to the right of that of the DLC's initial choice of candidate. It does not escape my notice, incidentally, that your communiqu? fails to even mention the health care delivery system which you, and most americans for that matter, support, namely single payer. I take this as a validation of what is perhaps the primary function of my campaign: to extract from the realm of the possible and consign to the realm of the unthinkable and the unutterable what is for most of the civilized world economic common sense and common moral decency. I am happy to report that your letter is a strong indication of my success in having achieved this transformation, one which, as Adolph Reed has written, amounts to nothing less than the functional eradication of the left. Thus, to take another indication, while you have yet to notice it, so too into the Orwellian memory hole has gone the hope that our nation will "shed its warlike stance around the globe and focus on diplomacy" as a means of resolving conflicts. Allow me to direct you to my website where I call for 92,000 new troops, the redeployment of those soldiers removed from Iraq to an intensified conflict in Afghanistan-and possibly Pakistan. Also included in most of my recent foreign policy addresses are calls for unilateral action against governments suspected of support for terrorism not to mention my repeated threats against Iran and Venezuela. Also consigned to the realm of far-left fantasy is "an environmental policy that transforms the economy by shifting billions of dollars from the consumption of fossil fuels to alternative energy sources". In his previous capacity as chief lobbyist for energy giant Exelon, my campaign manager David Axelrod has spoken eloquently of the need to ramp up the construction of nuclear power plants. That's what I mean by "alternative" and please rest assured that Mr. Axelrod will serve as a strong voice for this "alternative" in my administration. i will also invest in "alternative energy" through continuing subsidies to corn based ethanol insodoing securing payback to the farm behemoth Archer Daniels Midland for having bankrolled my campaign at the crucial initial stages. Another "alternative energy source" embraced by me is "clean coal" and the industry which helped me ascend to the first rungs of the political ladder in Illinois. I suggest that you keep the just mentioned facts in mind in considering the likelihood of my "reform(ing) of the political process that reduces the influence of money and corporate lobbyists and amplifies the voices of ordinary people" as well as the likelihood of "an ongoing and constructive dialogue with (me) when (I am) elected President." And then you wake up, as my wife likes to say. And when you do wake up, you will realize that you are left with one option: "challenging" me. But please bear in mind that with the new surveillance capacities which I authorized as Senator and which will be available to me as President, challenging the executive branch is no longer the fun and games it was in the past. I have, of course, no intention of revealing sources and methods, but for the moment let's just say that I know what you had for breakfast this morning. That said, you may rest assured it is quite unlikely that I will need to exercise these powers for any purposes beyond my own personal amusement. For indeed I, and the corporate executives, white shoe law firms, big money lobbyists and their numerous apologists are in your debt for having led so many leftists into the abattoir which is my campaign. The movement which only a few years ago assembled millions in the streets of Manhattan, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and other cities is in shambles-unable to organize a gathering beyond a few old timers at a street corner, let alone the kind of action which might actually cause me and my base to take notice. There is no need for a howitzer when the tiniest fly swatter will do quite nicely against the political force which you now represent. And so in conclusion allow me to cite the deathless interrogatory of Clint Eastwood which applies not just to my campaign but which is routinely appealed to, consciously or not, by all politicians of any stripe: "What are you going to do about it, Punk?" Given that, for the past generation, you have repeatedly hoisted the white flag before the battle even began, the smart money is on your doing absolutely nothing. Warmest Regards, Barack From markalause at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 13:53:43 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:53:43 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] A letter from Barack Obama In-Reply-To: <20080803194134.4CCE0131A5@mailbackend.panix.com> References: <20080803194134.4CCE0131A5@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: OK, call be dense, but was Obama actually stupid enough to write this? ML From daniel.denvir at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 14:03:10 2008 From: daniel.denvir at gmail.com (Daniel Denvir) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:03:10 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] A letter from Barack Obama In-Reply-To: References: <20080803194134.4CCE0131A5@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: It is a parody. On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 2:53 PM, Mark Lause wrote: > OK, call be dense, but was Obama actually stupid enough to write this? > > ML > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/daniel.denvir%40gmail.com > -- Freelance Journalist / Periodista Independiente E-mail: daniel.denvir at gmail.com 09-529-0827 Quito, Ecuador http://glocalcircus.blogspot.com/ CQ features critical analysis, reflection, and expression on politics, science, and the arts. Sign up for a free subscription to our quarterly e-periodical: www.caterwaulquarterly.com From markalause at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 14:09:24 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 16:09:24 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] A letter from Barack Obama In-Reply-To: References: <20080803194134.4CCE0131A5@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: Thanks. That it came from Bard made me wonder, but I didn't what to underestimate the egos of people who can raise hundreds of millions of dollars and Obama probably has some touchy nerve endings to be doing what he's doing, I'd have done a parody very differently. Much shorter, for one thing. ML From shmage at pipeline.com Sun Aug 3 14:22:08 2008 From: shmage at pipeline.com (Shane Mage) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 16:22:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] A letter from Barack Obama In-Reply-To: References: <20080803194134.4CCE0131A5@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: <71554450-2A6C-428F-94F5-213A14F09CB7@pipeline.com> On Aug 3, 2008, at 4:03 PM, Daniel Denvir wrote: > It is a parody. > > On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 2:53 PM, Mark Lause > wrote: > >> OK, call me dense, but was Obama actually stupid enough to write >> this? >> No, not a parody--just a faithful rendition of Obama's stream of consciousness on reading that stupid petition. Shane Mage "Thunderbolt steers all things...it consents and does not consent to be called Zeus." Herakleitos of Ephesos From walterlx at earthlink.net Sun Aug 3 14:59:01 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 13:59:01 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] What the First World Owes South Africa Message-ID: <968E530AA6314A16B2EFC37327B277B2@mainframe2008> JUVENTUD REBELDE What the First World Owes South Africa South Africa is in need of 4,000 doctors. They will have to try to find them in other countries because those who graduate from their universities are part of the long list of healthcare professionals recruited by the First World, which acquires them by offering better salaries and work conditions. By: Jorge Luis Rodr?guez Gonz?lez Email: jorgeluis at jrebelde.cip.cu 2008-08-02 | 10:57:35 EST http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/international/2008-08-02/what-the-first-wor ld-owes-south-africa/ Africa Health Placements (AHP), an agency that specializes in contracting public healthcare professionals, came up with the figure ?a result of years of brain drain inflicted on South Africa. And even though the country boasts the strongest economy on the continent, South Africa is not safe from the plundering policies of the world?s most developed countries. Despite South Africa?s shortage of doctors, 3,000 of its citizens are qualified to work in Great Britain and 2,000 in the United States: two of the most ferocious predators of health professionals in Africa. Other destinies include Canada and Australia. Making matters worse, 75 percent of the doctors who stay in South Africa work in the private sector, inaccessible to the majority of the population, or they refuse to work in rural areas where they are most needed, according to information provided by AHP and reported in Afrolnews. There are several companies that recruit health professionals and then sell them to private or public healthcare systems. One of these is Ambition24hours that Works in South Africa and Great Britain. Ambition24hours boast of being the biggest employer with annual revenues of some US$ 95.8 million and branched out across South Africa with offices in Gauteng, Cape Town, Western Cape, Kwa Zulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State. Ambition24hours began working in South Africa in 2006 when it took over Nursing Services of South Africa company, at the time the second largest supplier of temporary nurses in the country providing 3,000 professionals a month. However, like all capitalist businesses, Ambition?s bottom line is profit and the personal they recruit is exclusively for the private sector, although if the government is willing to pay, why not? How else could they become one of the most prosperous English companies with several corporative awards? After 12 years, its profits have allowed it to expand into the areas of engineering, construction, petroleum and gas. Ambition24hours director Penny Streeter has been awarded the Order of the British Empire, presented by the English throne to those who have made great contributions to the country. She must have brought in a really large sum of doctors to have won this distinction. And what are some of the other results of this headhunting of professionals? Well, South Africa, one of the countries with the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the world, with pandemics such as malaria and tuberculosis, has to do without a large part of the doctors they train at a cost of millions of dollars to the country. Thanks to companies like Ambition24hours and selective immigration policies adopted in the First World that guarantee citizenship to those with university degrees, South Africa, like many other countries, ends up subsidizing the world?s richest countries who don?t have to waste a cent in training these highly qualified professionals. Faced with this situation, AHP defends recruiting foreign doctors and nurses as the ?cheapest and fastest? solution. It costs around US$ 273,000 to train a doctor in South Africa and only US$ 13,600 to contract one. Obviously, this is not the solution. The first doctors who will want to go work in South Africa are professionals from other African countries that are just as much if not more the victims of brain drain and suffer from the same pandemics. Already, the Health ministers of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo have requested that the company not hire its doctors, reported Afrolnews. Developed countries need to become more ethical and adopt policies to stop the plundering of professionals in the poorest countries. The First World should also reimburse these countries for what they spend on training the professionals they steal. This is another of the historic debts the North has with the South. ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From absynthe at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 15:01:17 2008 From: absynthe at gmail.com (chegitz guevara) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 17:01:17 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Harmless scholarly academic marxists In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808030738j6ad714e5u48f919c27843f1d1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808031122k4a777da9xe63e3795c0545ad9@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808031216o276c6539l7dbda472f2f52fce@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Mark, Let me try and understand your "logic." We need to unite all of the votes left of Barak, which aren't going to amount to more than a few percent. If more than one person runs to the left of Barak, the votes will be divided and we won't be able to seize power and build the socialist revolution. I don't know, exactly what your beef is, because you never explain why it is necessary for the entire left to unite behind one pro-capitalist candidate (both McKinney and Nader support capitalism explicitly), except to be united. I don't exactly understand how it works that by supporting a candidate that supports capitalism you are able to build support for socialism. "Yes, we believe that there is no possibility of reforming capitalism. The working class most seize power for itself and abolish capitalism." "And McKinney/Nader supports socialism?" "Well, no, but we do, and by supporting Nader/McKinney, you will be opposing capitalism." "But you just said they don't oppose capitalism." "That's right, they don't, we do, and that's why we're supporting them." "So why don't I just vote for Kucinich?" "Because he's a *DEMOCRAT!*" "But doesn't he support the same things as Nader/McKinney" "No, because even though he supports the same things, he's a Democrats, and therefore doesn't support them at all. And that's why we're more revolutionary than those sectists who are running candidates which are openly espousing socialism." "????" "SECTARIAN!" You might be happier at http://www.democraticunderground.com/. They seem more like your type of liberal. This is a mailing list for *MARXISTS.* Hence the name. On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 3:35 PM, Mark Lause wrote: > RC wrote "The point is that of the people you will be talking to, some > will be turned off by Nader. Some will be turned off by McKinney. If > both Nader and McKinney are running, you can talk to both the > turned-off by-Nader people and the turned-off by-Mckinney people." > > Are you serious? > > In your world, then, potential insurgents form distinct constituencies > defined by who is "turned-off" by who. That is, Moore is running > because there are shitloads of people who world vote against the two > party system, but Nader is too old and McKinney is too black or one or > the other of them stole a parking place from the potential voter. Or > do you think that significant numbers of those people who sit through > a Nader or McKinney meeting are turned off because they don't call for > revolutionary socialism. > > In all due respect, that's nuts. (And calling it "nuts" is all the > respect the statement is due.) We're all going after the same > potential insurgents. The only difference is that Nader and McKinney > have a lot better chance of reaching more and are trying to reach as > many as possible. Moore isn't even in the same ballpark. He isn't > going to have that kind of ballot access and that hasn't even entered > into your consideration. His campaign will do no damage to the two > party system, except in the heads of those who already reject the two > party system. > > If Nader weren't running, I'd support McKinney without any hesitation. > I don't think anybody supporting Nader because they are "turned-off" > by McKinney. Both of these candidates are aiming to get significant > ballot status and the highest vote totals possible, which translates > to greater damage to the illusions of the two-party system than lower > vote totals. I was leaning to Nader because he seemed the most likely > to inflict the greatest damage on the two-party illusion, but left the > door open to supporting McKinney if her campaign showed a similar > potential. Moore was never on the radar. > > RC also wrote, "It is fantastic that we have these three brilliant > left candidates, Nader, McKinney and Moore, *all* running. It is a > much better outcome than if only one of them were to be running." > > Only two of them are running seriously. The last is a club > nomination, fielded to keep the members from straying from the clock. > > ML From markalause at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 15:09:17 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 17:09:17 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Harmless scholarly academic marxists In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808030738j6ad714e5u48f919c27843f1d1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808031122k4a777da9xe63e3795c0545ad9@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808031216o276c6539l7dbda472f2f52fce@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: chegitz guevara wrote: > > Let me try and understand your "logic." We need to unite all of the > votes left of Barak, which aren't going to amount to more than a few > percent. If more than one person runs to the left of Barak, the votes > will be divided and we won't be able to seize power and build the > socialist revolution. > I stopped here because I realized the writer was either a drooling idiot or just thoroughly insincere and unserious about having a discussion. ML From aaron at mylists.fastmail.fm Sun Aug 3 15:35:51 2008 From: aaron at mylists.fastmail.fm (Aaron Aarons) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 14:35:51 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Stratfor: Threats against Iran "Kabuki theatre" In-Reply-To: <006701c8f4ef$21a2fd30$6501a8c0@MARV> References: <006701c8f4ef$21a2fd30$6501a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <20080803213600.1D1EF1A201@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> The one book by George Friedman of Stratfor that I have lying about my apt. is "America's Secret War, Inside the Hidden Worldwide Struggle Between the United States and Its Enemies". There are several things noteworthy about it, including: 1) It has no footnotes, no bibliography, and (as far as I can tell from skimming it), no references in the text itself to back up its assertions. 2) Judging by the index and the contents of the pages referred to, there are absolutely no references to the role of Israel and the Zionist lobby in pushing the (mainly) anti-Muslim GWOT. 3) It takes for granted the official story of the 9-11 attacks. I feel pretty confident that Friedman is, if not an Israeli/Mossad agent, at least a good friend of theirs. I see no reason to believe anything he says. - Aaron >Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:28:47 -0400 >From: Marvin Gandall > >In Sight: an Amicable Endgame in Iran >By JONATHAN R. LAING >The U.S. or Israel are unlikely to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. Here's why. >Barron's >August 4, 2008 [...] See full article at . From shmage at pipeline.com Sun Aug 3 15:43:29 2008 From: shmage at pipeline.com (Shane Mage) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 17:43:29 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Harmless scholarly academic marxists In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808030738j6ad714e5u48f919c27843f1d1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808031122k4a777da9xe63e3795c0545ad9@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808031216o276c6539l7dbda472f2f52fce@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <5A32046A-A2D4-4021-A630-4CCD729E3E19@pipeline.com> On Aug 3, 2008, at 5:09 PM, Mark Lause wrote: > chegitz guevara wrote: >> >> Let me try and understand your "logic." We need to unite all of the >> votes left of Barak, which aren't going to amount to more than a few >> percent. If more than one person runs to the left of Barak, the votes >> will be divided and we won't be able to seize power and build the >> socialist revolution. >> > > I stopped here because I realized the writer was either a drooling > idiot or just thoroughly insincere and unserious about having a > discussion. Why "either?" Seems like "both" to me. Shane Mage "Thunderbolt steers all things...it consents and does not consent to be called Zeus." Herakleitos of Ephesos From sartesian at earthlink.net Sun Aug 3 15:53:08 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 17:53:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] What the First World Owes South Africa References: <968E530AA6314A16B2EFC37327B277B2@mainframe2008> Message-ID: <02b201c8f5b3$516788f0$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> The Lancet, whose editorial commitment to public health is excellent, has printed critical surveys and analyses of the worldwide public health situation, with great emphasis on Africa, the countdown to the 2015 Millenium Development Goals, etc. Included is the mis-distribution of health care professionals from less developed to more developed countries. South Africa was host to the Countdown 2008 conference on the MDGs. The Lancet, which has spoken against the export of health-care workers to the advanced countries, pointed out that mortality rates for children under 5 years of age have increased since 1990, pointing out that increasing extreme poverty rates (those living on less than US$1/day have increased by 80% since the end of apartheid), and increasing inequality, with poor funding of the public health care service, are the reasons for South Africa's failure to achieve interim improvements in public health. Subscriptions are expensive. There is a website, but I don't know how much content is made available there for free. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Walter Lippmann" To: Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2008 4:59 PM Subject: [Marxism] What the First World Owes South Africa From lnp3 at panix.com Sun Aug 3 16:26:08 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:26:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Mick Armstrong's little things Message-ID: <20080803222807.043C312E25@mailbackend.panix.com> Thanks to a review by Ben Courtice in Links, the online journal of the Democratic Socialist Perspective in Australia?a post-Trotskyist group with a number of subscribers on Marxmail?I got wind of a rather peculiar book on socialist strategy by Mick Armstrong, a leader of Socialist Alternative which is in a neck-and-neck race with DSP to see who can get to the finish line first building a vanguard party in Australia. The DSP is moving almost glacially away from "Leninist" orthodoxy, while the Socialist Alternative is distinguished by an "old school" Marxism-Leninism that is at odds with the general tendency of the left internationally to rethink "democratic centralism" and all the old shibboleths. Mick Armstrong's party-building ideas are contained in "From Little Things Big Things Grow: Strategies for building revolutionary socialist organizations". Get it, tiny propaganda acorns turn into mighty vanguard oaks? This is certainly a fresh analogy in comparison to the nucleus analogy so often used. I have no idea whether Armstrong ever spent time in the academy, but he has the same susceptibility for schematic categories that you see in social science departments everywhere. He distinguishes between 3 types of socialist groups after the fashion of a political scientist describing types of governments or some such thing: "In the Marxist tradition there are three main types of organisation: discussion circles, propaganda groups and parties. These categories are not arbitrary, but are used to describe qualitatively different types of organisation. Discussion circles are tiny groups attempting to establish a Marxist tradition. Their main orientation is theoretical clarification. Political activity such as selling a magazine or intervening in strikes is a low priority Propaganda groups are involved in a broader range of activity, but because they are small and lack influence in the working class, they recruit on the basis of ideas. Socialists make a distinction between two kinds of propaganda: general (sometimes called abstract) and concrete." Looming over the discussion circle and the propaganda group is the mass party, which is the final destination of any self-avowed revolutionary organization just as the World Cup is in soccer or being selected American Idol. To get to that goal, you have to play your cards right: "By recruiting people to a propaganda group today, Socialist Alternative is laying the basis for a mass revolutionary party that can lead future workers' struggles. But recruitment by itself is useless if the people recruited aren't educated in Marxism, if they aren't trained in revolutionary activity, and if they aren't politically integrated into the organisation. What's more, to build from a small revolutionary group into a mass party is no simple linear process, whereby the group grows by 20 per cent each year until it has tens of thousands of members." The key to success is building "cadre", a term that Bruce Landau (now known as the Civil War historian and tenured professor Bruce Levine) once told a gathering of the SWP in the 1970s comes out of the military. A cadre is like an officer who can lead the masses when the time is ripe. SWP Tom Kerry used to pronounce this word as "codder" which only enhanced its in-group mystique for a rank-and-filer like me. Here's Armstrong describing the cadre-building process: "This cadre, this 'solid core', is just as important in times of retreat, when workers suffer setbacks. In order to hold a revolutionary organisation together in times of defeat theory is even more paramount. When the going is tough a much higher level of theoretical agreement is necessary to hold a propaganda group together because a small group without roots in the working class is inherently more unstable than a mass party. You can't survive on the basis of a few slogans, you need a more sophisticated analysis. The cadre has to be steeled." I just love the way that Armstrong uses the term "steeled". It is just so evocative, like one of those New Yorker cartoons of a bunch of Bolsheviks or anarchists gathered around a candle in the sewers. Only those who are truly "steeled" have the ability to lead the masses to socialism unlike the flaccid, unsteeled elements who will turn into Karl Kautsky the first chance they get. full: http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/mick-armstrongs-little-things/ From farmelantj at juno.com Sun Aug 3 18:25:54 2008 From: farmelantj at juno.com (Jim Farmelant) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 20:25:54 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Dies at 89 (NY Times) Message-ID: <20080803.202555.188.0.farmelantj@juno.com> www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/books/04solzhenitsyn.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin August 4, 2008 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Dies at 89 By MICHAEL T. KAUFMAN Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, whose stubborn, lonely and combative literary struggles gained the force of prophecy he revealed the heavy afflictions of Soviet Communism in some of the most powerful works of fiction and history written in the 20th century, died late Sunday in Russia, his son Yermolai said early Monday in Moscow. He said the cause was a heart condition. He was 89. He outlived by nearly 17 years the state and system he had battled through years of imprisonment, ostracism and exile. Mr. Solzhenitsyn had been an obscure, middle-aged, unpublished high school science teacher in a provincial Russian town when he burst onto the literary stage in 1962 with ?A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.? The book, a mold-breaking novel about a prison camp inmate, was a sensation. Suddenly, he was being compared to giants of Russian literature like Tolstoy, Dostoyevski and Chekov. Over the next four decades, Mr. Solzhenitsyn?s fame spread throughout the world as he drew upon his experiences of totalitarian duress to write evocative novels like ?The First Circle? and ?The Cancer Ward? and historical works like ?The Gulag Archipelago.? ?Gulag? was a monumental account and analysis of the Soviet labor camp system, a chain of prisons that by Mr. Solzhenitsyn?s calculation some 60 million people had entered during the 20th century. The book led to his expulsion from his native land. George F. Kennan, the American diplomat, described it as ?the greatest and most powerful single indictment of a political regime ever to be leveled in modern times.? Mr. Solzhenitsyn was heir to a morally focused and often prophetic Russian literary tradition, and he looked the part. With his stern visage, lofty brow and full, Old Testament beard, he recalled Tolstoy while suggesting a modern-day Jeremiah, denouncing the evils of the Kremlin and later the mores of the West. In almost half a century, more than 30 million of his books have been sold worldwide and translated into some 40 languages. In 1970 he was awarded the Nobel prize for literature. Mr. Solzhenitsyn owed his initial success to the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev?s decision to allow ?Ivan Denisovich? to be published in a popular journal. Khrushchev believed its publication would advance the liberal line he had promoted since his secret speech in 1956 on the crimes of Stalin. Soon after the story appeared, however, Khrushchev was replaced by hard-liners, and they began a campaign to silence its author. They stopped publication of his new works, denounced him as ?a hooligan? and ?a traitor,? confiscated his manuscripts, and interrogated his friends. But their iron grip could not contain Mr. Solzhenitsyn?s reach. By then his works were appearing outside the Soviet Union, in many languages, and he was being compared not only to Russia?s literary giants but also to Stalin?s literary victims, writers like Anna Akhmatova, Iosip Mandleshtam and Boris Pasternak. At home, the Kremlin stepped up its campaign by expelling Mr. Solzhenitsyn from the Writer?s Union. He fought back. He succeeded in having microfilms of his banned manuscripts smuggled out of the Soviet Union. He addressed petitions to government organs, wrote open letters, rallied support among friends and artists, and corresponded with people abroad. They turned his struggles into one of the most celebrated cases of the cold war period. Hundreds of well-known intellectuals signed petitions against his silencing; the names of left-leaning figures like Jean-Paul Sartre carried particular weight with Moscow. Other supporters included Graham Greene, Muriel Spark, W.H. Auden, Gunther Grass, Heinrich Boll, Yukio Mishima, Carlos Fuentes and, from the United States, Arthur Miller, John Updike, Truman Capote and Kurt Vonnegut. All joined a call for an international cultural boycott of the Soviet Union. By the late 1960s, Mr. Solzhenitsyn had become one of the most prominent and recognizable symbols of Soviet and Communist repression. That position was confirmed when he was awarded the 1970 Nobel Prize in the face of Moscow?s protests. The Nobel jurists cited him for ?the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature.? Mr. Solzhenitsyn dared not travel to Stockholm to accept the prize for fear that the Soviet authorities would prevent him from returning. But his acceptance address was circulated widely. He recalled a time when ?in the midst of exhausting prison camp relocations, marching in a column of prisoners in the gloom of bitterly cold evenings, with strings of camp lights glimmering through the darkness, we would often feel rising in our breast what we would have wanted to shout out to the whole world ? if only the whole world could have heard us.? He wrote that while an ordinary brave man was obliged ?not to participate in lies,? artists had greater responsibilities. ?It is within the power of writers and artists to do much more: to defeat the lie! For in the struggle with lies art has always triumphed and shall always triumph! Visibly, irrefutably for all! Lies can prevail against much in this world, but never against art.? He quoted a Russian proverb: ?One word of truth shall outweigh the whole world.? By this time, Mr. Solzhenitsyn had completed his own huge attempt at truthfulness, ?The Gulag Archipelago.? In more than 300,000 words, he told the history of the Gulag prison camps, whose operations and rationale and even existence were subjects long considered taboo. Publishers in Paris and New York had secretly received the manuscript on microfilm. But wanting the book to appear first in the Soviet Union, Mr. Solzhenitsyn asked them to put off publishing it. Then, in September 1973, he changed his mind. He had learned that the Soviet spy agency, the KGB, had unearthed a buried copy of the book after interrogating his typist, Elizaveta Voronyanskaya, and that she had died soon afterward in an apparent suicide by hanging. He went on the offensive. With his approval, the book was speedily published in Paris, in Russian, just after Christmas. The Soviet government counterattacked with a spate of articles, including one in Pravda, the state-run newspaper, headlined ?The Path of a Traitor.? He and his family were followed, openly, and he received death threats by mail and telephone. On Feb. 12, 1974, he was arrested. The next day, he was notified that by decree of Soviet leaders he was being deprived of his citizenship and deported. On his arrest, he had been careful to take with him a threadbare cap and a shabby sheepskin coat that he had saved from his years in exile. He wore them both as he was marched onto an Aeroflot flight to Frankfurt. It was the most notorious forced expulsion from the Soviet Union since Leon Trotsky was deported in 1929. Mr. Solzhenitsyn was welcomed by the German novelist Heinrich B?ll. Six weeks after his expulsion, Mr. Solzhenitsyn was joined by his wife, Natalia Svetlova, and three sons. She had played a critical role in organizing his notes and transmitting his manuscripts. After a short stay in Switzerland, the family moved to the United States, settling in the hamlet of Cavendish, Vt. The setting, bristling with birch trees, reminded him of Russia. There he kept mostly to himself, for some 18 years, working as ascetically as ever, protected from sightseers by neighbors, who posted a sign saying, ?No Directions to the Solzhenitsyns.? He kept writing and thinking a great deal about Russia and hardly at all about his new environment, so certain was he that he would return to his homeland one day. But when Americans did catch a glimpse of him, he appeared to them as a querulous figure with a patriarch?s beard and a critical scowl. His rare public appearances could turn into hectoring jeremiads. Delivering the commencement address at Harvard in 1978, he called the country of his sanctuary spiritually weak and mired in vulgar materialism. Americans, he said, speaking in Russian through a translator, were cowardly. Few were willing to die for their ideals, he said. He condemned both the United States government and American society for its ?hasty? capitulation in Vietnam. And he criticized the country?s music as intolerable and attacked its unfettered press, accusing it of aggressive violations of privacy. Many in the West didn?t know what to make of the man. He was perceived as an undeniably great writer and hero who had been willing to stand up to the leadership of a totalitarian state. Yet he seemed willing to stand up and lash out at everyone else as well ? democrats, secularists, capitalists, liberals and consumers. David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker, who has written extensively about the Soviet Union and visited Mr. Solzhenitsyn in Vermont, wrote in 2001: ?In terms of the effect he has had on history, Solzhenitsyn is the dominant writer of the 20th century. Who else compares? Orwell? Koestler? And yet when his name comes up now, it is more often than not as a freak, a monarchist, an anti-Semite, a crank, a has been.? In the 1970s, Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger warned President Gerald R. Ford to avoid seeing Mr. Solzhenitsyn. ?Solzhenitsyn is a notable writer, but his political views are an embarrassment even to his fellow dissidents,? Mr. Kissinger wrote in a memo. ?Not only would a meeting with the president offend the Soviets, but it would raise some controversy about Solzhenitsyn?s views of the United States and its allies.? Mr. Ford followed the advice. The writer Susan Sontag recalled a conversation about Mr. Solzhenitsyn between her and Joseph Brodsky, the Russian poet who had followed Mr. Solzhenitsyn into forced exile and who would also become a Nobel laureate. ?We were laughing and agreeing about how we thought Solzhenitsyn?s views on the United States, his criticism of the press, and all the rest were deeply wrong, and on and on,? she said. ?And then Joseph said: ?But you know, Susan, everything Solzhenitsyn says about the Soviet Union is true. Really, all those numbers ? 60 million victims ? it?s all true.? ? Mr. Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia on May 27, 1994, first landing in the Siberian northeast, in Magadan, the former heart of the Gulag. On arrival, he bent down to touch the soil in memory of the victims. He flew on to Vladivastok, where he and his family began a two-month journey by private railroad car across Russia, to see what his post-Communist country now looked like. The BBC was on hand to film the entire passage and pay for it. On the first of 17 stops, his judgment was already clear. His homeland, he said, was ?tortured, stunned, altered beyond recognition.? As he traveled on, encountering hearty crowds, signing books and meeting dignitaries as well as ordinary people, his gloom deepened. And after settling into a new home on the edge of Moscow, he began to voice his pessimism, deploring the crime, corruption, collapsing services, faltering democracy and what he felt to be the spiritual decline of Russia. In Vermont, he had never warmed to Mikhail Gorbachev and his reform policies known as perestroika. He thought they were the last-ditch tactics of a leader defending a system that Mr. Solzhenitsyn had long known to be doomed. For a while he was impressed by Boris Yeltsin, Russia?s first freely elected leader, but then turned against him. Mr. Yeltsin, he said, had failed to defend the interests of ethnic Russians, who had become vulnerable foreign minorities in the newly independent countries that had so suddenly been sheared off from the Soviet Union. Later, he criticized the rise of Vladimir V. Putin as antidemocratic. Russians initially greeted Mr. Solzhenitsyn with high hopes. On the eve of his return, a poll in St. Petersburg showed him to be the favorite choice for president. But he soon made it clear that he had no wish to take on a political role in influencing Russian society, and his reception soon turned tepid. Few Russians were reading ?The Red Wheel.? The books were said to be too long for young readers. Nationalists, who had once hoped for his blessing, were alienated by his rejection. Democratic reformers, who wanted his backing, were offended by his aloofness and criticism of them. Old Communists reviled him as they always had. In October 1994, Mr. Solzhenitsyn addressed Russia?s Parliament. His complaints and condemnations had not abated. ?This is not a democracy, but an oligarchy,? he declared. ?Rule by the few.? He spoke for an hour, and when he finished, there was only a smattering of applause. Mr. Solzhenitsyn started appearing on television twice a week as the host of a 15-minute show called ?A Meeting With Solzhenitsyn.? Most times he veered into condemnatory monologues that left his less outspoken guests with little to do but look on. Alessandra Stanley, writing about the program for The Times, said Mr. Solzhenitsyn came across ?as a combination of Charlie Rose and Moses.? After receiving poor ratings, the program was canceled a year after it was launched. As the century turned, Mr. Solzhenitsyn continued to write. In one book, he confronted the relationship of Russians and Jews, a subject that some critics had long contended he had ignored or belittled in his fiction. A few accused him of anti-Semitism. Irving Howe, the literary critic, did not go that far but maintained that in ?August 1914,? Mr. Solzhenitsyn was dismissive of Jewish concerns and gave insufficient weight to pogroms and other persecution of the Jews. Others noted that none of the prisoners in ?Ivan Denisovich? was definitively identified as a Jew, and the one whose Jewish identity was subtly hinted at was the one who had the most privileges and was protected from the greatest rigors. Mr. Remnick of The New Yorker defended Mr. Solzhenitsyn, saying he, ?in fact, is not anti-Semitic; his books are not anti-Semitic, and he is not, in his personal relations, anti-Jewish; Natalia?s mother is Jewish, and not a few of his friends are, too.? Mr. Remnick visited him in 2001 after Mr. Solzhenitsyn?s book ?Two Hundred Years Together, a history of Russian Jewish Relations,? appeared to little critical notice and indifferent sales. He wrote that Mr. Solzhenitsyn had also written a prose poem called ?Growing Old.? He quoted the writer as having told him, ?I?m not working with the old speed. In the evening I feel tired and go to bed fairly early. In the morning, I feel strong, but this strength doesn?t last as long as it used to.? Anne Barnard contributed reporting from Moscow, and Ellen Barry from New York. Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company ____________________________________________________________ Click for quotes on adjustable mortgages. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3mIleGI3g80NTcNEbRNDPbY5OqYsgRyuswLUBdYh0I2ig02L/ From jbustelo at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 18:30:46 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 20:30:46 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Daniel Alegria: The "Sandalista" who never left Message-ID: <67125DE1420C40038C0864AD1BEDB011@albanta> Those who knew Daniel Alegr?a in Nicaragua during the years of the revolution (he was Tom?s Borges's literary aide-d'camp and interpreter) might want to check out this interview with him. Daniel --the happy lieutenant, some bilingual punster once named him in a play on his last name (actually his mother's last name), his rank at the moment (I think he eventually made it to subcomandante, or Lt. Commander, which was also Spock's rank if I remember right) and the title of Xaviera Hollander's book-- was well known among MINT and Internacionalista circles in Managua. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/12/11 http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/video/2008/feb/15/sandinista Joaqu?n From jbustelo at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 18:54:51 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 20:54:51 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] A letter from Barack Obama In-Reply-To: <20080803194134.4CCE0131A5@mailbackend.panix.com> References: <20080803194134.4CCE0131A5@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: I found this letter quite refreshing in the way it confirms the left's inability to even mention, nevermind coherently analyze and address, a central if not the central issue in this campaign, namely and to wit, racism. As for the rest of it, it reminded of Trotsky's comments about the polemicists of the Comintern being armed, not with rapiers, but ox-carts or some similarly clumsy instrument. Joaquin From jbustelo at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 19:07:01 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 21:07:01 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Anthrax and who was responsible. In-Reply-To: <18372177.1217781186817.JavaMail.root@mswamui-thinleaf.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <18372177.1217781186817.JavaMail.root@mswamui-thinleaf.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: Walter writes: "In the last two days it has been disclosed that a person working for the United States military might responsible for the 2001 anthrax attacks. The United States mass media, politicians and the general public assumed that those attacks were connected to Muslims and the Middle East. The anthrax letters tried to make that connection." No, no, no!!! In 2002 it was CONFIRMED "that a person working for the United States military" WAS IN FACT "responsible for the 2001 anthrax attacks," because it was weaponized anthrax from U.S. military arsenals that was used in the attacks. That is WHY the anthrax attacks were long forgotten by the media and the government. WE shouldn't let bullshit government-media narratives about the supposed "suicide" of a possible alleged suspect rewrite the facts. It was someone in the government, with enough skill, clearances and co-conspirators to break the security of the Pentagon's topmost secret bioweapons labs, and not kill themselves or those close to them in the process, that carried this out. IT WAS AN INSIDE JOB whose transparent purpose was to generalize the hysteria created by 9/11. Joaquin From jbustelo at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 19:20:02 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 21:20:02 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Harmless scholarly academic marxists In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808031122k4a777da9xe63e3795c0545ad9@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808030738j6ad714e5u48f919c27843f1d1@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808031122k4a777da9xe63e3795c0545ad9@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Ruthless writes, "the point is 'talking to people about socialism'. Elections are one interesting way to do that, by engaging people in conversations about socialism." That's fine, provided no one confuses this utopian socialist preaching with Marxist tactics. Joaquin From jbustelo at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 19:27:54 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 21:27:54 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Daniel Alegria: The "Sandalista" who never left In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808031745n3f0cf404v26a0e4fb8c88a9f4@mail.gmail.com> References: <67125DE1420C40038C0864AD1BEDB011@albanta> <908b689f0808031745n3f0cf404v26a0e4fb8c88a9f4@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Incredible. I send the list links to an article and video about Daniel Alegr?a (and the article includes some others that list members of a certain age might remember, like Nick Cook) and Ruthless wants to turn it into a debate about "Inflation is surging everywhere...but why is investment dropping and aid donors leaving?" What a clueless troll. Joaquin -----Original Message----- From: ok.president at gmail.com [mailto:ok.president at gmail.com] On Behalf Of Ruthless Critic of All that Exists Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2008 8:45 PM To: jbustelo at gmail.com Subject: Re: [Marxism] Daniel Alegria: The "Sandalista" who never left On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 8:30 PM, Joaquin Bustelo wrote: > Those who knew Daniel Alegr?a in Nicaragua during the years of the > revolution (he was Tom?s Borges's literary aide-d'camp and > interpreter) might want to check out this interview with him. Daniel > --the happy lieutenant, some bilingual punster once named him in a > play on his last name (actually his mother's last name), his rank at > the moment (I think he eventually made it to subcomandante, or Lt. > Commander, which was also Spock's rank if I remember right) and the > title of Xaviera Hollander's > book-- was well known among MINT and Internacionalista circles in Managua. The article says: "Ortega still rails against American imperialism and has nurtured ties with Iran and Venezuela's Hugo Ch?vez. He has increased spending on anti-poverty programmes, notably health and education, but inflation in Nicaragua is surging, investment is dropping and aid donors, including Britain, are leaving." Inflation is surging everywhere...but why is investment dropping and aid donors leaving? From n.fredman.11 at scu.edu.au Sun Aug 3 19:32:17 2008 From: n.fredman.11 at scu.edu.au (Nick Fredman) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:32:17 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Mick Armstrong's little things Message-ID: Non-Australians might be interested in the weighty connotations of the title of Armstrong's pamphlet, taken from the title of a song by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody, pretty much the 'national anthem' of the Oz left (and since the music consists of repeatedly strumming four open chords I can even play it, if not sing it or anything else in tune). Not mentioned in the song is that the long Gurindji strike was (among other things) an example of patient movement building by the Communist Party at its best. That suggest to me: the need for a socialist party with broad roots; the fact that this often isn't recognised by even the best left liberals like Kelly and Carmody; the need for a broader movement strategy that that projected by Armstrong. Actually my favourite of the folk songs that are metaphors of building a cadre group is 'Little Victories' by 80s-early 90s Taswegian punky folk group Wild Pumpkins at Midnight. The lyrics don't seem to be online but I think started thus: "Well the darlings of business all want to know/Why the road to the top is so long and so slow/That kind of talk means nothing to me/Cos I'm happier now than I've ever been". From daynegoodwin at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 20:43:02 2008 From: daynegoodwin at gmail.com (Dayne Goodwin) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 20:43:02 -0600 Subject: [Marxism] Salt Lake City 8/2 'No war on Iran' community speak-out Message-ID: [we organized a Salt Lake August 2 event in conjunction with the nationwide day of action promoted by the Troops Out Now coalition at . although it is not reported on in this good newspaper report (below), several of the speakers purposefully expanded the theme from 'Stop War on Iran' to 'End! Don't Expand the U.S. War in the Middle East' - an additional demand on the event flyer - declaring opposition to continued/escalated war in Afghanistan, military intervention in Pakistan. (it's Utah Jobs *with* Justice of course, and Kyle Wulle is also past VP of Steelworkers Local 593 and a member of USLAW) dayne] _____________________________ Panel urges action against possible Iran war* *by Kathy McKitrick Salt Lake Tribune August 3, 2008 Andy Figorski's voice cracked with emotion as he shared an event from one of his two tours of duty in Iraq. "The mother and two daughters got down on their hands and knees, hugged my legs and kissed my blood-stained, brain-splattered boots," said the 27-year-old Figorski. His team had just finished ripping the family's home apart, searching for clues that would indicate they were "high-value targets." They found none. The raw display of relief and gratitude came after Figorski released the father and son from the zip-cuffs that restrained them during the search. "From that moment on, I knew that everything we'd done was wrong and will continue to be wrong," Figorski said. Figorski was one of eight panelists who spoke to an audience of about 70 people gathered at the Salt Lake City Library on Saturday. The purpose was to galvanize resistance to the United States attacking Iran - action that many believe is imminent. Similar "Stop War on Iran" events took place in New York's Times Square, Chicago, and scores of cities and towns across America. Salt Lake City's forum, sponsored by the Wasatch Coalition for Peace and Justice and the Healthy Planet Mobilization Committee, featured the showing of the 52-minute documentary, "Blood and Oil," which details six decades of U.S. foreign policy. The film shows America's dependence on foreign oil, and the many military actions required to maintain its flow from the Middle East. Carla Hitz, of Military Families Speak Out - her son also served two tours in Iraq - urged the audience to take action. "I see too many empty seats here. What that tells me is that too many took President Bush at his word and are still shopping," Hitz said. "If we stay silent, the blood is on all of our hands." The panel also included Iraq war veteran and Internet radio host Gary Barkley; Barbara Szweda, of the Peace and Justice Commission of the Utah Catholic Diocese; pediatrician Louis Borgenicht; Jean Arnold, co-founder of Post-Carbon Salt Lake; Kyle Wulle, co-chairman of Utah Jobs For Justice; and Fahd Ali, a University of Utah graduate student from Pakistan. Audience members asked about civil disobedience - and panelists supported the idea of nonviolent protests to punctuate the message. Figorski said that he and other war vets are ready to mobilize in that direction. "The time for phone calls and letters is over. We need to raise our fists, put down our rifles and tell them we're tired of doing their killing."* * [sidebar] Oil's influence on U.S. policy * FOR MORE INFORMATION on "Blood and Oil," produced by the Media Education Foundation, go to www.bloodandoilmovie.com. The foundation, launched in 1991 by University of Massachusetts Communication professor Sut Jhally, produces and distributes videos to encourage critical thinking on a wide range of political, economic and socio-cultural issues. http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_10082837 From marvgandall at videotron.ca Sun Aug 3 21:19:11 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:19:11 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Stratfor: Threats against Iran "Kabuki theatre" References: <006701c8f4ef$21a2fd30$6501a8c0@MARV> <20080803213600.1D1EF1A201@heartbeat1.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: <025d01c8f5e0$dd6c4980$6501a8c0@MARV> Aaron Aarons writes: > The one book by George Friedman of Stratfor that I have lying about my > apt. is "America's Secret War, Inside the Hidden Worldwide Struggle > Between the United States and Its Enemies". There are several things > noteworthy about it, including: > > 1) It has no footnotes, no bibliography, and (as far as I can tell from > skimming it), no references in the text itself to back up its assertions. > > 2) Judging by the index and the contents of the pages referred to, there > are absolutely no references to the role of Israel and the Zionist lobby > in pushing the (mainly) anti-Muslim GWOT. > > 3) It takes for granted the official story of the 9-11 attacks. > > I feel pretty confident that Friedman is, if not an Israeli/Mossad agent, > at least a good friend of theirs. I see no reason to believe anything he > says. =============================== He's a conservative Republican who is telling his fellow conservatives through the Murdoch press that a war against Iran would be against US national interests, and that, beneath the war threats, the Bush administration is reaching for an accomodation. He may be mistaken or maybe he's shorting oil, but, as a Mossad agent, he'd have an interest in inflaming sentiment for a war on Iran, not dampening it. If you're concerned that the Iranians will let their guard down because of what Friedman has told Barron's, I wouldn't be. Let's leave aside that he "takes for granted the official story of the 9-11 attacks". Not everyone on the left accepts that the US ruling class was behind the attacks on the WTC and Pentagon. What in particular did you object to in his analysis? From jansen.l12 at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 21:31:14 2008 From: jansen.l12 at gmail.com (Linda Jansen) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 20:31:14 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] people who like jazz might like to get this Ishael Reed CD... Message-ID: if you don't like jazz, the cover is evocative anyway http://cdbaby.com/cd/ishmaelreedquintet -- "I have no country to fight for; my country is the earth, and I am a citizen of the world." - Eugene V. Debs From jansen.l12 at gmail.com Sun Aug 3 21:37:30 2008 From: jansen.l12 at gmail.com (Linda Jansen) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 20:37:30 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] people who like jazz might like to get this Ish[M]ael Reed CD--more... Message-ID: of course, i meant "ishmael" reed. here's a little more description. "On this CD, poet, novelist, playwright, librettist,and song writer Ishmael Reed makes his debut as a pianist and group leader. On the CD,"For All We Know," which is dedicated to the young people who, with few options, entered the armed forces in order to further their education." On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 8:31 PM, Linda Jansen wrote: > if you don't like jazz, the cover is evocative anyway > > http://cdbaby.com/cd/ishmaelreedquintet > > -- > "I have no country to fight for; my country is the earth, and I am a > citizen of the world." - Eugene V. Debs > -- "I have no country to fight for; my country is the earth, and I am a citizen of the world." - Eugene V. Debs From walterlx at earthlink.net Sun Aug 3 21:51:43 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 20:51:43 -0700 (GMT-07:00) Subject: [Marxism] Anthrax and who was responsible. Message-ID: <6120449.1217821903690.JavaMail.root@elwamui-lapwing.atl.sa.earthlink.net> The statement was signed by Nelson Valdes, not Walter Lippmann. Walter Lippmann -----Original Message----- >From: Joaquin Bustelo >Sent: Aug 3, 2008 6:07 PM >To: walterlx at earthlink.net >Subject: Re: [Marxism] Anthrax and who was responsible. > >Walter writes: "In the last two days it has been disclosed that a person >working for the United States military might responsible for the 2001 >anthrax attacks. The United States mass media, politicians and the general >public assumed that those attacks were connected to Muslims and the Middle >East. The anthrax letters tried to make that connection." > >No, no, no!!! ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Sun Aug 3 23:33:23 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:33:23 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] What's new at Links: Karadzic; Venezuela; Lebowtiz; Socialism; Scotland; SAlt; Sudan; Anglicans and class war Message-ID: <489694A3.2040801@greenleft.org.au> Subscribe free to /Links - International Journal of Socialist Renewal/ - at http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=343373 Visit and bookmark http://links.org.au and add it to your RSS feed (http://links.org.au/rss.xml). If you would like us to consider an article, please send it to links at dsp.org.au *Please pass on to anybody you think will be interested in /Links./* * * * Serbia: The war criminal Karadzic and Western hypocrisy By *Michael Karadjis* August 2, 2008 -- The Serbian government last month cornered Radovan Karadzic, the former leader of the Bosnian Serb Republic during the 1992-95 Bosnian war. Since being indicted by the International War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague for war crimes including genocide, Karadzic had been hiding until his July 21 arrest. His arrest has been followed by a wave of hypocrisy throughout the West, which rushed to congratulate Serbia on the arrest. Yet in Afghanistan and Iraq, upwards of a million people have been killed as a result of the US invasions of these countries, which are being obliterated. Such naked hypocrisy can never lead to true justice, or even a feeling of justice among the world's oppressed. However, it is a mistake to jump from this observation to any defence of Karadzic. * Read more For a limited time only! Full screening of `Now the People Have Awoken: Exploring Venezuela's Revolution' Venezuela's new assertiveness has brought it to the centre of international controversy: to some it has been stolen by populist dictator, while for others, it is the centre of a continent-wide democratic revolution. There is much at stake. Venezuela sits atop huge oil reserves, which are being used to foment a new order. President Hugo Ch?vez, who survived a military coup in 2002, has supported a number of controversial social programs that have pushed Venezuela onto the United States government's and media's radar screens. What makes Venezuela tick? Who is behind the movement and what does it seek? Filmed through the 2006 presidential elections, this is a documentary about the people building a new Venezuela. Watch at http://links.org.au/node/554 Download now! Links Dossier #3: Michael Lebowitz on Socialism for the 21st Century A selection of thought-provoking articles by Michael A. Lebowitz from /Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal/. Lebowitz is professor emeritus of economics at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, and author of /Beyond Capital: Marx's Political Economy of the Working Class/ and /Build it Now: Socialism for the 21st Century. /He is a program coordinator with the Centro International Miranda, Caracas, Venezuela./ Links/ /Dossiers /are in easy-to-print PDF format and readers are encouraged to print and distribute them. Contents *Socialism is the future: Build it now!* *The spectre of socialism for the 21st century* *Discussion on 'The spectre of socialism for the 21st century'* *The capitalist workday, the socialist workday* *Without workers' management, there is no socialism* * Read more If socialism fails: the spectre of 21st century barbarism *By Ian Angus* July 27, 2008* -- *From the first day it appeared online, /Climate and Capitalism 's /masthead has carried the slogan "Ecosocialism or Barbarism: there is no third way." We've been quite clear that ecosocialism is not a new theory or brand of socialism --- it is socialism with Marx's important insights on ecology restored, socialism committed to the fight against ecological destruction. But why do we say that the alternative to ecosocialism is /barbarism/? Marxists have used the word "barbarism" in various ways, but most often to describe actions or social conditions that are grossly inhumane, brutal, and violent. It is not a word we use lightly, because it implies not just bad behaviour but violations of the most important norms of human solidarity and civilised life. * Read more Venezuela's young militants: An antidote to the weaknesses of the revolution By *Tamara Pearson* July 30, 2008 -- We stayed up until 2 am two nights in a row -- students from a range of faculties, and young people from various movements and revolutionary organisations. In the campsite of La Mucuy in the Andean city of Merida, we discussed and debated the role of youth in Venezuelan's revolution and the construction of a youth wing of the PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela), while around us clouds hugged the buildings and mountain slopes, horses slept in the foreground and mosquitos made meals of our legs and faces. * Read more The Scottish Socialist Party: the biggest small party By *Richie Venton* July 26, 2008 -- What a phenomenal result in the July 24 Glasgow East by-election on two parallel levels: the earth-shattering defeat of the Labour Party in Red Clydesider John Wheatley's seat, Labour's third-safest seat in Scotland, held by them since 1922; and the tremendous achievement for the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) in winning fifth place, the highest position for any of the smaller parties, despite all the apparently insurmountable obstacles we faced. * Read more Socialist Alternative gets the balance wrong on propaganda and action Reviewed by *Ben Courtice* */From Little Things Big Things Grow: strategies for building revolutionary socialist organisations/*, by Mick Armstrong, Socialist Alternative, 2007. * Read more Sudanese Communist Party on ICC's request to indict Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir Statement of the *Sudanese Communist Party* Khartoum, July 20, 2008 -- The inclusion of the name of the President of the Republic of the Sudan among those wanted for justice by the International Criminal Court increases the complications engulfing the crisis prevailing in the Sudan. Despite the fact that such procedures were already in place and expected since the establishment of the Court, and this last step of naming the President of the Sudan was preceded by a similar step indicting two prominent figures in the government in February 2007, the Government of the Sudan was ill-prepared both legally and politically to react to either attempts. * Read more Class war and the Anglican schism By *Barry Healy* July 29, 2008 -- Dramatic events within the worldwide Anglican Communion (the international association of national Anglican churches) have revealed a "cold split" with the potential for a complete collapse of the Episcopal formation. Superficially, the debates have centred on the right of women and homosexuals to be priests and bishops, and on gay marriage. However, while theological arguments dating back centuries are being mouthed, behind them are class-war elements of more recent vintage, including some connected with the era of US President Ronald Reagan's backing of Central American death squads in the 1980s. * Read more * * * /Links/ seeks to promote the international exchange of information, experience of struggle, theoretical analysis and views of political strategy and tactics within the international left. It is a forum for open and constructive dialogue between active socialists coming from different political traditions. It seeks to bring together those in the international left who are opposed to neoliberal economic and social policies. It aims to promote the renewal of the socialist movement in the wake of the collapse of the bureaucratic model of "actually existing socialism" in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. * ATTENTION: Sign up for regular ``what's new'' announcement emails at http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=343373 From sabocat59 at mac.com Mon Aug 4 05:18:19 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:18:19 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] GOP convention attracting array of demonstrators Message-ID: <53E4DD4C-5E53-4699-AE1D-ABA0C03F8371@mac.com> GOP convention attracting array of demonstrators By AMY FORLITI ? 6 hours ago ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) ? A 73-year-old retired surgeon marching in silence with a tombstone picturing a soldier killed in Iraq. A philosophy professor calling for a new investigation into the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A long-haul trucker from Texas protesting the price of oil. Those are just a few of the images that demonstrators hope will capture the attention of delegates, journalists and others attending the Republican National Convention. Tens of thousands ? from anarchists and immigrants to advocates for the poor ? plan to use the streets outside the Xcel Center as a national podium, transforming downtown St. Paul into a marketplace of ideas. "There are some groups that are going to be here just because this is a big stage," said Chuck Samuelson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota. "But I think the majority of groups are here because they really want to demonstrate to the delegates that they want to see some sort of changes in the party platform." Protesters and police expect the opening day of the four-day convention, Sept. 1-4, to be the biggest ? with a huge anti-war march from the state Capitol to the Xcel Center and back. Groups representing labor, immigrants, gays and lesbians, solidarity with Palestine, and many other causes have signed on. "The Bush agenda has really angered all different groups," said Meredith Aby, a member of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War. "These groups have said, 'We can't survive four more years of this.'" President Bush, whose approval rating was just 28 percent in a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll, is scheduled to speak that night. The war probably will generate a bigger turnout of demonstrators for the Republicans than the Democrats, who open their convention Aug. 25 in Denver, said Paula O'Loughlin, an associate professor of political science at the University of Minnesota-Morris. "It is something that really gets people out in the streets," she said. Democratic conventions have historically attracted more protesters. That tide shifted in 2004, O'Loughlin said, when more than 100,000 protesters ? likely a record turnout ? descended on the streets of Manhattan for the GOP convention. At the Democrats' meeting that year in Boston, the largest protest came the day before it opened when about 2,000 anti-war activists and 1,000 abortion opponents marched separately. The women and men of the anti-war group CODEPINK plan to join the march in St. Paul, complete with pink "police" on in-line skates and the pink-slip girls, who have been known to deliver their "pink slips" to politicians whom they believe aren't doing enough to end the war in Iraq. The Red Wing chapter of Veterans for Peace is planning a smaller event on Aug. 31, the day before the convention begins. The group will walk in silence, to a beating drum, with each person carrying a tombstone picturing a civilian or soldier killed in Iraq. A group with orange jumpsuits and masks will represent the Guantanamo Bay prisoners. "It's not directed specifically against the Republicans, that's for certain," said Red Wing's David Harris. "It's against the warmakers. But even people marching don't necessarily have to see things as broadly as I do." Some of the messages converging in St. Paul are quite focused ? and as diverse as the messengers themselves: _Tom Burke, a coordinator for Colombia Action Network, said his group will speak out against Plan Colombia, the multibillion-dollar U.S. aid package to help Colombia fight its war on drugs. His group says the plan is hurting peasants. _New York artist Sharon Hayes will gather 100 people from the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community to read a text that uses metaphor to discuss the ideas of personal and political desire. _The Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign will host a "March for Our Lives" on Sept. 2. Cheri Honkala, the group's national organizer, said the group is multiracial, intergenerational, urban and rural. "People are just not surviving these economic times," she said. _Attorney Martha Ballou's group, True Blue Minnesota, has rented two giant TV screens to bring "protest into the 21st century." The large video screens will blare images all day and all night while the convention is in town, Ballou said. _The Genocide Intervention Network of Minnesota plans to set up a mock refugee camp to highlight violence in Darfur. Between 3,000 and 3,500 police officers, sheriffs' deputies and state patrol officers are scheduled to work during the convention. Federal security officials will also be present. Still, some groups are aiming for chaos. The RNC Welcoming Committee, on its Web site and e-mails to members, lays out strategies to block roads and use other methods to "crash the convention." Group members contacted by The Associated Press declined to be interviewed. Those plans have caused unease among some who plan to demonstrate. Others say they are energized and angry over the war, phone tapping, tortured prisoners and the poor response to Hurricane Katrina. "This is a big deal and a time we want to interject the voice of the people," said Joe Callahan, a Minneapolis bus driver and union member. "Now it's our turn." __._,_.___ From sabocat59 at mac.com Mon Aug 4 05:59:10 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:59:10 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] people who like jazz etc. Message-ID: If you want to check out some earlier jazz featuring Ishmael Reed's poetry set to music, check out "Conjure", produced by Kip Hanrahan on american clave' label. greg From walterlx at earthlink.net Mon Aug 4 06:56:12 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 08:56:12 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Wayne Smith: Bush Made the World More Dangerous Message-ID: <16939565.1217854572328.JavaMail.root@elwamui-lapwing.atl.sa.earthlink.net> GRANMA August 2, 2008 http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs2075.html Bush Made the World More Dangerous Wayne Smith, former head of the US Interests Section in Havana, tells Granma newspaper. DEISY FRANCIS MEXIDOR Francis_mexidor at granma.cip.cu People say that on the walls of Wayne Smith?s office are maps and photos of Latin American countries and an old wooden sign in Russian that reads: ?Hands off of Cuba.? In recent years, he has been a defender of normalizing relations between the United States and Cuba. THE WAR IN IRAQ HAS BEEN NOTHING MORE THAN A BLOODY AND HIGHLY COSTLY DISTRACTION. A career diplomat, for 25 years he worked for the US State Department (1957-1982). He served as executive secretary of the team of President John Kennedy for Latin America; as representative in Argentina, Brazil and the former Soviet Union; and as head of the US Interests Section in Havana from the end of the 1970s to the early 1980s. WAYNE SMITH Today, Wayne Smith, goes between teaching classes at John Hopkins University in Baltimore and the Center for International Policy, in Washington, an independent academic forum that supports the elimination of travel restrictions between the US and Cuba. Cuba recently denounced the activities of US Interests Section officials in Havana, especially its head, Michael Parmly whom they accused of being a facilitator of trafficking funds between members of small internal counterrevolutionary groups and Cuban-American terrorist Santiago Alvarez Fernandez-Magri?a, convicted by a Florida court of illegal weapons possession. Smith responded to a number of questions from Granma by e-mail, in which he said the action of Parmly constitutes a violation of diplomatic norms. What would happen if this had happened in reverse? WAYNE SMITH: Had a foreign diplomatic establishment in Washington been guilty of such a violation, I think it likely that the Department of State would have asked for the recall of the diplomats involved ? unless there were some compelling political reason not to do so. What are your comments on the judicial protection the judges grant Santiago Alvarez and the show around Luis Posada Carriles? WS: These gentlemen have deferred to Santiago Alvarez and even more so to Luis Posada Carriles in ways which weaken respect for law in the U.S. The law is clear: either Posada Carriles must be extradited to Venezuela, as that government has requested, or he must be tried as a terrorist in the United States. To do neither is to flout the law. How can it be explained that Bush said ?he who protects a terrorist is also a terrorist,? and in the US protection is given to criminals like Luis Posada Carriles, Orlando Bosch, Rodolfo Frometa and so many others? WS: Yes, George Bush has often said that anyone who shelters or protects a terrorist is a terrorist. But one must then wonder, given that the Bush Administration has sheltered and given preferential treatment to arch-terrorists such as Luis Posada Carriles and Orlando Bosch, how can it then avoid the ?terrorist? label? How much is known about the Cuban Five in your country? WS: There is a growing campaign in the U.S. to make known to the American people the truth about the Cuban Five. At this point, however, the average American is unaware and tends to think of them simply as ?Cuban spies.? Not long ago, a three judge panel of the Court of Appeals of Atlanta issued a ruling that confirmed the guilt of the Cuban Five, maintaining the sentence against two of them, Rene Gonzalez and Gerardo Hernandez, and asked for a re-sentencing for Ramon Labanino, Fernando Gonzalez and Antonio Guerrero, in a new hearing in Miami. Your comments on that ruling. WS: In my view, the decision of the three judges in Atlanta with respect to the Cuban Five was simply wrong and would seem to have been politically inspired. At some point, let us hope, justice will be done. Do the US people know the extent of their government?s involvement in acts of terrorism? WS: No. Most Americans are unaware of the degree to which their government has been involved in terrorist acts. They are, however, beginning to learn. At seven years since Bush?s declaration of his war against terror, do you believe he has accomplished his objectives? Is the world a safer place? WS: No. Bush?s call for an open-ended ?global war? on terrorism has left us with a world that is far more dangerous. It is tragic, really. Immediately after 9/11, the world stood with the United States. That included the Cuban government, which immediately expressed its solidarity with the American people and offered to cooperate with the United States in a struggle against terrorism. The Bush Administration did not even reply. Had Bush concentrated the efforts of the U.S. against Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and worked within the international system and with full respect for international law, it would have continued to have support of most other governments, including the Cuban. Rather than that, however, it soon downgraded its efforts in Afghanistan against Al-Qaeda and invaded Iraq. Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with Al-Qaeda nor the terrorist attacks of 9/11 against the U.S. The war in Iraq has been nothing but a bloody, destructive and costly distraction, and one not supported by the international community. And then Bush also adopted the doctrine of preventive war, giving the U.S. the right to attack any nation it judged to be a threat to the U.S., whether the United Nations or anyone else agreed with that. He also insisted upon claiming vast prerogatives of the presidency on all matters related to national security, whether those were within the Constitution or not, thus undercutting if not eviscerating the careful system of checks and balances. It will take other presidents years to correct this situation left to us by George W. Bush. And meanwhile, it has resulted in loss of respect and support for the U.S. within the international community. Are US citizens well informed? WS: Americans are not nearly as well informed as they should be, especially about foreign policy matters. That they are beginning to wake up and be better informed, however, is suggested by the fact that support for and confidence in the Bush Administration has reached an all-time low. In other words, the more Americans learn about Bush?s foreign policy, the less they like it! You are in an electoral year in the US. The world eagerly awaits the results of the November elections. Barack Obama or John McCain? We?ll see. I?m betting on Obama. http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/english/news/art103.html ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From shmage at pipeline.com Mon Aug 4 07:23:33 2008 From: shmage at pipeline.com (Shane Mage) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 09:23:33 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] On Nuclear Power In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <949CE976-53C5-4876-8140-49AEA8608434@pipeline.com> > http://japanfocus.org/_Gavan_McCormack-August_Nuclear_Thoughts__the_New_Proliferation > > -- From skeyesvogt at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 08:20:09 2008 From: skeyesvogt at gmail.com (Sky Keyes-Vogt) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 10:20:09 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] NYT - Housing Lenders Fear Bigger Wave Of Loan Defaults Message-ID: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/business/04lend.html *Housing Lenders Fear Bigger Wave of Loan Defaults* The first wave of Americans to default on their home mortgages appears to be cresting, but a second, far larger one is quickly building. Homeowners with good credit are falling behind on their payments in growing numbers, even as the problems with mortgages made to people with weak, or subprime, credit are showing their first, tentative signs of leveling off after two years of spiraling defaults. The percentage of mortgages in arrears in the category of loans one rung above subprime, so-called alternative-A mortgages, quadrupled to 12 percent in April from a year earlier. Delinquencies among prime loans, which account for most of the $12 trillion market, doubled to 2.7 percent in that time. The mortgage troubles have been exacerbated by an economy that is still struggling. Reports last week showed another drop in home prices, slower-than-expected economic growth and a huge loss at General Motors. On Friday, the Labor Department reported that the unemployment rate in July climbed to a four-year high. While it is difficult to draw precise parallels among various segments of the mortgage market, the arc of the crisis in subprime loans suggests that the problems in the broader market may not peak for another year or two, analysts said. Defaults are likely to accelerate because many homeowners' monthly payments are rising rapidly. The higher bills come as home prices continue to decline and banks tighten their lending standards, making it harder for people to refinance loans or sell their homes. Of particular concern are "alt-A" loans, many of which were made to people with good credit scores without proof of their income or assets. "Subprime was the tip of the iceberg," said Thomas H. Atteberry, president of First Pacific Advisors, a investment firm in Los Angeles that trades mortgage securities. "Prime will be far bigger in its impact." In a conference call with analysts last month, James Dimon, the chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, said he expected losses on prime loans at his bank to triple in the coming months and described the outlook for them as "terrible." Delinquencies on mortgages tend to peak three to five years after loans are made, said Mark Fleming, the chief economist at First American CoreLogic, a research firm. Not surprisingly, subprime loans from 2005 appear closer to the end of defaults than those made in 2007, for which default rates continue to rise steeply. "We will hit those points in a few years, and that will help in many ways," Mr. Fleming said, referring to the loans made later in the housing boom. "We just have to survive through this part of the cycle." Data on securities backed by subprime mortgages show that 8.41 percent of loans from 2005 were delinquent by 90 days or more or in foreclosure in June, up from 8.35 percent in May, according to CreditSights, a research firm with offices in New York and London. By contrast, 16.6 percent of 2007 loans were troubled in June, up from 15.8 percent. Some of that reflects basic math. Over the years, some loans will be paid off as homeowners sell or refinance, and some homes will be foreclosed upon and sold. That reduces the number of loans from those earlier years that could default. Also, since the credit market seized up last year, lenders have become much more conservative and have stopped making most subprime loans and cut back on many other popular mortgages. The resetting of rates on adjustable mortgages, which was a big fear of many analysts in 2006 and 2007, has become less problematic because the short-term interest rates to which many of those loans are tied have fallen significantly as the Federal Reserve has lowered rates. The recent federal tax rebates and efforts to modify more loans have also helped somewhat, analysts say. What will sting borrowers more than rising interest rates, analysts say, is having to pay interest and principal every month after spending several years paying only interest or sometimes even less than that. Such loan terms were popular during the boom with alt-A and prime borrowers and appeared appealing while home prices were rising and interest rates were low. But now, some borrowers could see their payments jump 50 percent or more, and they may not be able to sell their properties for as much as they owe. [continued on website] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/business/04lend.html From lnp3 at panix.com Mon Aug 4 08:35:09 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:35:09 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The DSP versus the archfiends Message-ID: <4897139D.1080602@panix.com> While some elements of the left such as Counterpunch, Monthly Review and ZNet have not succumbed to the enormous pressures of the bourgeois press and well-funded NGO?s and think-tanks to demonize the Serbs, others have succumbed to such pressures. Workers Liberty in Great Britain, a state capitalist sect and one such group, has politics that can be described as rightist social democratic across the board with an affinity for the Shachtmanite journal New Politics in the U.S.A. New Politics is co-edited by Joanne Landy who is perpetually circulating petitions calling attention to the crimes of the Cubans, Iranians or the Serbs. Alan Johnson, a former leader of Workers Liberty, was on the editorial board of New Politics but eventually broke with the left entirely. Nowadays he writes for Democratiya, an online publication of the Eustonite ?left?. In what can only be described as a kind of cognitive dissonance, the Democratic Socialist Perspective group in Australia argues from the same angle as Workers Liberty even though its politics are much more akin to Counterpunch et al on just about every other question. This has led to some rather schizoid outbursts. Michael Karadjis, their rather febrile ?expert? on Yugoslavia has denounced the Counterpunchers of the world for genocide denial even though John Pilger-one of their most cited leftist personalities-signed an open letter defending Diana Johnstone from exactly the charges that Karadjis levels against her. I have no idea what most DSP?ers think about Yugoslavia since Karadjis is their designated batter on the topic. My guess is that early on during the conflict in the Balkans, after they formed close ties with a left-nationalist Croatian group in Australia, they developed a line on Yugoslavia which bought into Serbophobia. Things being what they are in ?Marxist-Leninism?, they essentially painted themselves into a corner. It is impossible for them to renounce this shitty analysis in the same way that it was impossible for the American SWP to admit that the ?turn? was not working. Fortunately for the DSP, the impact of having a stupid position on Yugoslavia is not as grievous. In the latest issue of Links, Karadjis holds forth on the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, the Serb warlord who is qualitatively worse than all the other warlords in Yugoslavia, including the Muslim Naser Oric whose anti-Serb pogroms near Srebrenica unleashed Karadzic?s bloodlust revenge. Oric was just freed of all charges by the ICTY in The Hague in keeping with its tendency to judge Serb killers as more unequal than other killers. full: http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/the-dsp-versus-the-archfiends/ From Dbachmozart at aol.com Mon Aug 4 08:55:49 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 10:55:49 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Coup in the Great Caspian Play Message-ID: Russia Takes Control of Turkmen (World?) Gas By M. K. BHADRAKUMAR From skeyesvogt at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 09:04:21 2008 From: skeyesvogt at gmail.com (Sky Keyes-Vogt) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 11:04:21 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Europe's Largest Bank Sees Profit Fall 28% Message-ID: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7540404.stm *Warning as HSBC profits fall 28%* *HSBC has warned that conditions in financial markets are at their toughest "for several decades" after suffering a 28% fall in half-year profits.* Europe's largest bank saw profits drop by $3.9bn to $10.2bn (?5.2bn) in the first six months of the year, as its North American arm made a $2.8bn loss. The firm announced $3.7bn in fresh credit writedowns. HSBC has been among the banks worst hit by the credit crunch, whose financial toll has run into the many billions. It has already announced writedowns in the value of its assets - linked to the slump in the US housing market - of more than $15bn. HSBC shares fell by more than 1% in initial trading after it announced its results and stressed that it would increase its shareholder dividend by 6%. [continued on website] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7540404.stm From shmage at pipeline.com Mon Aug 4 09:04:30 2008 From: shmage at pipeline.com (Shane Mage) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 11:04:30 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] [CubaNews] Re: Third Cuban ball player " defects" in Edmonton In-Reply-To: <949CE976-53C5-4876-8140-49AEA8608434@pipeline.com> References: <949CE976-53C5-4876-8140-49AEA8608434@pipeline.com> Message-ID: <70348FAE-E055-4713-B2B7-374B45730006@pipeline.com> On Aug 3, 2008, at 5:58 PM, Karen Lee Wald wrote: > Subject: Cuba Inside Out A matter of words?: Third Cuban ball player > " defects" in Edmonton > > Unfortunately we live in a world where athletes are bought and sold > like any other commodity. Sadly, even Cuban athletes fall into this, > certainly thinking: "Others who aren't even as good as I am are > living a comfortable life, making millions of dollars -- for a few > years anyway-- so why shouldn't I?" > > What's interesting, though, is that while this goes on all over the > world, with richer countries buying athletes from poorer countries, > when it happens with an athlete from Cuba, the media always says > "defects"... > ...Just a matter of semantics, or something more repugnant? klw Athletes are not "bought and sold." They are hired under freely negotiated contracts (and contracts can be bought and sold) just like any other worker and paid according to the economic value of their labor power. Except in Cuba, where they seem to be treated as state property rather than as free workers. And why are only Cuban athletes properly called "defectors" when they choose to sell their labor power to the highest bidder? Because only Cuban athletes are called "traitors" by their country's Supreme Leader when they choose to work elsewhere. Shane Mage "Thunderbolt steers all things...it consents and does not consent to be called Zeus." Herakleitos of Ephesos From elishastephens at hotmail.com Mon Aug 4 09:42:04 2008 From: elishastephens at hotmail.com (Eli Stephens) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 08:42:04 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Anthrax and who was responsible. Message-ID: JB writes: "It was someone in the government, with enough skill, clearances and co-conspirators to break the security of the Pentagon's topmost secret bioweapons labs, and not kill themselves or those close to them in the process, that carried this out. IT WAS AN INSIDE JOB whose transparent purpose was to generalize the hysteria created by 9/11." I'm not quite sure what you're getting at. Whether it was Ivins, or Hatfill, or someone else in the lab, surely someone in that lab, the main Anthrax lab in the U.S. military (as far as we know), was involved. Isn't that the very definition of an "inside job"? Surely you don't think the CIA sent someone who didn't know anything about anthrax to break into the lab and look for a jar labeled "Do not use this brain - ABNORMAL", or the anthrax equivalent, do you? As far whether Ivins (or a co-worker) was secretly working for Dick Cheney, it is possible, although if you think about the mechanism of having that happen (Cheney to Scooter Libby - "see if you can find a guy who knows a guy who knows someone who works with anthrax, and make sure none of the people in this chain takes offense to the request and goes public"), it seems improbable. Far more likely, in my opinion, is what I wrote on my blog in a long piece on the subject: http://lefti.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html#3089347530293284971 As to the question of whether this scientist (or whoever else did it, if he didn't) acted alone in the first place, we have this rather interesting comment from columnist Richard Cohen, written a few months ago: The attacks were not entirely unexpected. I had been told soon after Sept. 11 to secure Cipro, the antidote to anthrax. The tip had come in a roundabout way from a high government official, and I immediately acted on it. I was carrying Cipro way before most people had ever heard of it. Does that mean there was a secret high-level plot, driven by the likes of Dick Cheney, to create an anthrax attack and cause panic? Maybe, but not necessarily. It could just mean that the likes of Cheney were indeed spreading rumors of possible anthrax attacks in order to build up the pressure for an attack on Iraq, and that a lone scientist at Fort Detrick decided on his own to make those predictions come true, without being part of a larger conspiracy. _________________________________________________________________ Get Windows Live and get whatever you need, wherever you are. Start here. http://www.windowslive.com/default.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Home_082008 From pance at rogers.com Mon Aug 4 10:54:50 2008 From: pance at rogers.com (Pance Stojkovski) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 12:54:50 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Radovan Karadzic Faces Trial. But Who Can Judge? Message-ID: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(((( T h e B u l l e t ))))~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 129 .... August 4, 2008 _______________________________________________________________ Radovan Karadzic Faces Trial. But Who Can Judge? Boris Kagarlitsky According to the generally accepted political logic, the arrest of Radovan Karadzic and his bringing to?Hague Tribunal are expected to put an end to the Balkan drama of 1990s. But what's actually happening seems to be quite the reverse. The Serbian society has got accustomed to the new reality. It suffered another indignity as Kosovo had declared independence in February of 2008. The Serbian society put up with its defeat preferring the distant opportunity of its integration into the European Union to the losing struggle against the West. This is indicated by both the outcome of the presidential election in Serbia, which brought a pro-Western candidate to power, and the sluggish reaction to Karadzic's arrest. If this had occurred, for example, five years ago, a lot of protesters would have gone into the streets. Now, despite the fact that a large part of the population sees the event as a betrayal and a reprisal against the "Serbian hero," few people took part in the protest action. The Serbian society did not agree with the West and did not like the European ideas, but it had to accept the situation. The Serbians do not consider Karadzic's punishment to be fair, but they are sure that injustice will triumph and hope that Serbia will receive compensation being admitted to the EU. On the whole, there is complete apathy among the society. Complete Bullet: http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/bullet129.html From Dbachmozart at aol.com Mon Aug 4 11:04:08 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 13:04:08 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Journalists, their lying sources and the anthrax investigation Message-ID: Journalists, their lying sources and the anthrax investigation <_http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/03/journalism/index.html?sour ce=newsletter#share_ (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/03/journalism/index.html?source=newsletter#share) > **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 ) From e.c.apling at btinternet.com Mon Aug 4 11:24:18 2008 From: e.c.apling at btinternet.com (Paddy Apling) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 18:24:18 +0100 Subject: [Marxism] The Lancet [was: Re: What the First World Owes South Africa] In-Reply-To: <02b201c8f5b3$516788f0$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> References: <968E530AA6314A16B2EFC37327B277B2@mainframe2008> <02b201c8f5b3$516788f0$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <139110B571EC4C31A8EC085D0B779BA3@PaddyPC> Nice to see a mention of the Lancet, a highly-regarded medical/public health journal. Its web-site at http://www.thelancet.com/ provides (on free registration) abstracts of every article published and full access to a selection of important articles. The Lancet was founded in 1823 by Thos. Wakeley, and was from its beginning a campaigning journal - whose initial impetus was (before the establishment of the British Medical Association) to improve the lot of junior doctors who were often exploited by their supervising consultants. A somewhat later campaign of the Lancet, starting in the 1840s, was to campaign for a Food & Drugs Act finally passed in 1860, and Thomas Wakeley is a major historical figure in the campaign for safe and unadulterated food and drugs- with its updated versions still crucial in the control of food safety and the prevention of misleading claims made for food and drugs - and over a long period it published regularly scientific reports of dangerous or adulterate food products bought in shops and markets across the country, withstanding against many threats of libel actions and at first a wthering press campaign against its revelations. Its campaigning also led to similar legislation following in other countries - but not until 1806 did the USA follow Britain with its own Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act !! It continues to be highly independent-minded, never reluctant to publish material highly critical of aspects of the medical and scientific establishment. The Lancet's web-site should be bookmarked by all on this list really interested in matters of public health worldwide. Incidentally, yours truly qualified in 1957 as a professional under the British Food & Drugs Legislation (known as Master of Chemical Analysis - MChemA), and has long been an avid reader of The Lancet. Paddy http://apling.freeservers.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "S. Artesian" To: Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2008 10:53 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] What the First World Owes South Africa > The Lancet, whose editorial commitment to public health is excellent, has > printed critical surveys and analyses of the worldwide public health > situation, with great emphasis on Africa, the countdown to the 2015 > Millenium Development Goals, etc. Included is the mis-distribution of > health care professionals from less developed to more developed countries. From Dbachmozart at aol.com Mon Aug 4 11:46:44 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 13:46:44 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Anthrax Investigation on Democracy Now Message-ID: Anthrax Mystery: Questions Raised over Whether Government Is Framing Dead Army Scientist for 2001 Attacks The FBI's prime suspect in the October 2001 anthrax letters case died last week in an apparent suicide. Bruce Ivins was an elite government scientist at the biodefense research lab in Fort Detrick, Maryland. He was among the nation's top experts on the military use of anthrax. But many of his colleagues have expressed deep skepticism over the FBI's claims. We speak to anthrax expert Dr. Meryl Nass and blogger Glenn Greenwald. Listen/Watch/Read <_http://www.democracynow.org/2008/8/4/anthrax_ (http://www.democracynow.org/2008/8/4/anthrax) > **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 ) From Dbachmozart at aol.com Mon Aug 4 12:03:36 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 14:03:36 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Islamobamaphobia Message-ID: _http://counterpunch.org/amiri08012008.html_ (http://counterpunch.org/amiri08012008.html) **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 ) From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 12:15:57 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 14:15:57 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] [CubaNews] Re: Third Cuban ball player " defects" in Edmonton In-Reply-To: <70348FAE-E055-4713-B2B7-374B45730006@pipeline.com> References: <949CE976-53C5-4876-8140-49AEA8608434@pipeline.com> <70348FAE-E055-4713-B2B7-374B45730006@pipeline.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808041115t36701252v2defc9c88a14bdd3@mail.gmail.com> > Because only Cuban athletes are called > "traitors" by their country's Supreme Leader when they choose to work > elsewhere. > > > Shane Mage Other countries are not in a state of economic war with the world's largest power. This makes Cuba's situation exceptional, and comparison with other countries not very meaningful. From jeffrubard at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 12:41:24 2008 From: jeffrubard at gmail.com (Jeff Rubard) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:41:24 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Anthrax and who was responsible. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <48974D54.4010807@gmail.com> Eli Stephens wrote: > As far whether Ivins (or a co-worker) was secretly working for Dick Cheney, it > is possible, although if you think about the mechanism of having that happen > (Cheney to Scooter Libby - "see if you can find a guy who knows a guy who knows > someone who works with anthrax, and make sure none of the people in this chain > takes offense to the request and goes public"), it seems improbable. Far more > likely, in my opinion, is what I wrote on my blog in a long piece on the subject: > > http://lefti.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html#3089347530293284971 > Man, this is bullshit and we don't have to listen to Glenn Greenwald. The guy was some psycho who was not acting "under orders", and it's highly unlikely he was even thinking of Iraq. The speculation that Iraq did that was exactly what the Republicans were going to do with some news item of this kind, and although there's some point in noticing that claim Did Not Actually Obtain there's no need to be overly conspiratorially minded. As for your speculation about his letters to the editor, it is anti-Semitic to connect him to Jewish chauvinists: he was one of those "Christian Zionist" fruit loops, the ADL/JDF people are different. From jeffrubard at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 12:43:22 2008 From: jeffrubard at gmail.com (Jeff Rubard) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:43:22 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Anthrax and who was responsible. In-Reply-To: <48974D54.4010807@gmail.com> References: <48974D54.4010807@gmail.com> Message-ID: <48974DCA.20402@gmail.com> Jeff Rubard wrote: > Eli Stephens wrote: > the editor, it is anti-Semitic to connect him to Jewish chauvinists: he > was one of those "Christian Zionist" fruit loops, the ADL/JDF people are > different. > Pardon me, I mean the JDL: I think you can see I spend a lot of time thinking about them. From durable at earthlink.net Mon Aug 4 12:42:08 2008 From: durable at earthlink.net (Barry Brooks) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:42:08 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Space is infinite: capacity is another matter. In-Reply-To: <002d01c8f1ae$3c368a70$e4092918@BasicFred> References: <002d01c8f1ae$3c368a70$e4092918@BasicFred> Message-ID: <48974D80.6010907@earthlink.net> I was recently assured that space is not a problem, but the numbers keep making me think otherwise. **************** http://www.wolfatthedoor.org.uk/ The Sustainable Society ... The amount of productive land necessary to sustain those (consumer) lifestyles is 7 to 12 hectares while the per capita amount of productive land on the planet is 1.2 hectares. ... ******************* According to those figures we could provide a consumer lifestyle to the whole world if we can increase total output and reduce consumption/person to get a factor of between 6 to 10. (7 to 12 / 1.2) Thus, for example, to make the whole world live like to west we might double land output and cut the need for personal consumption by a factor of 3. Due to various expected disruptions to agriculture and the difficulties of bringing more land into use it is unlikely we can increase land productivity by a factor of 6, however we could cut consumption by a factor of 6 without sacrifice, because we are so wasteful. How long could these methods allow unlimited population growth? That depends on the limits to land productivity and efficiency. So let's assume that we do nothing about population growth. After the initial increase of our economic capacity by a factor of 6 just to play catch-up, we will have to devise further increases as the population grows. After 100 years we will need supply/demand to rise by two factors from present level. First we need 6 for equality and then we need r^n for population. Taking r to be 1.03 and n to be 100 we get 19. So we would need to increase supply/demand by a factor of 115. We can choose a plan. One plan would be to try to increase total output by factor of 5 and cut per capita consumption to 1/23. If one doesn't like those numbers we could look to the example set by China when they included a plan to limit population. Capitalists hope to increase output, but how could any system increase output by a factor of 115? It's hard to imagine how even socialism could increase output so much, but socialism can cut consumption. Socialists could cut consumption in theory, but most socialists are politically committed to only increasing production. What makes it possible to believe that space is not a problem? I need reassurance. Barry From sartesian at earthlink.net Mon Aug 4 12:50:31 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 14:50:31 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Lancet [was: Re: What the First World Owes SouthAfrica] References: <968E530AA6314A16B2EFC37327B277B2@mainframe2008><02b201c8f5b3$516788f0$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> <139110B571EC4C31A8EC085D0B779BA3@PaddyPC> Message-ID: <034801c8f662$f87ae290$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Very interesting information. What comes across most powerfully in their editorials is their recognition that the real gains in healthcare are gains in public healthcare, in sanitation, in proper care for women, mothers, and children on a social basis. The commitment is to a social remedy for pathologies that are at heart the product of poverty and inequality. Reading the Lancet's analyses of maternal mortality rates, HIV infection transmission should be enough to convince anyone of the need for socialism. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paddy Apling" To: Sent: Monday, August 04, 2008 1:24 PM Subject: [Marxism] The Lancet [was: Re: What the First World Owes SouthAfrica] From bhandari at berkeley.edu Mon Aug 4 12:52:45 2008 From: bhandari at berkeley.edu (Rakesh Bhandari) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 11:52:45 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] Jeffrey Sachs Message-ID: <44614.75.37.21.163.1217875965.squirrel@calmail.berkeley.edu> I was wondering whether anyone has read and/or knows of a critical review of Jeffrey Sachs' Common Wealth. Sachs believes in technology; his solutions to the ecological crisis speak of technological fetishism. It's hard to imagine a reduction in our carbon footprint and the preservations of eco systems and species without a change in the aims of production such that the end of universally available disposable time--rather than the expansion of value-- becomes the goal (I have in mind here Moishe Postone's critique of the trajectory of capitalist production; Postone focuses on Marx's comments on disposable time in the Grundrisse). But Sachs believes that valorization is compatible with--nay the vehicle for--ecological sustainability. I say the vehicle for since it is through the capitalization of surplus value that new envo friendly technologies are to be embodied in the capital stock. From sabocat59 at mac.com Mon Aug 4 13:08:58 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:08:58 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Conjure Message-ID: You can listen to Kip Hanrahan's "Conjure free here, featuring Bobby Womack, Eddie Harris, Don Pullen, taj Mahal, Olu Dara, Allen Toussaint, Steve Swallow, Jimmy Scott, and Jack Bruce. http://www.last.fm/music/Conjure From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 13:28:17 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 15:28:17 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] people who like jazz might like to get this Ish[M]ael Reed CD--more... In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <908b689f0808041228ydbc185ctf155b4af868321bd@mail.gmail.com> On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 11:37 PM, Linda Jansen wrote: > of course, i meant "ishmael" reed. here's a little more description. On the theme of music: can anyone recommend any socialist hip-hop / socialist rap music? (I'm familiar with left-leaning rap from the francophone world; I'm looking for anglophone rap recommendations that have a socialist orientation.) From pance at rogers.com Mon Aug 4 14:28:12 2008 From: pance at rogers.com (Pance Stojkovski) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 16:28:12 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Progressive hip-hop [was 'people who like jazz'] In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808041228ydbc185ctf155b4af868321bd@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: -----Original Message----- Ruthless Critic of All that Exists wrote: > can anyone recommend any socialist hip-hop / > socialist rap music? K-OS is not a socialist - but he's definitely an outsider in the hip-hop world in terms of his imagery. Just have a look at his videos, and you'll see what mean - no girl booty, no commercialism, no product endorsations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmhPdnmrO3E - B-Boy Stance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6VrgPMLsiE - Crabbuckit Also, check out Immortal Technique: http://www.youtube.com/user/immortaltechnique Pance. From proletariandan at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 14:32:58 2008 From: proletariandan at gmail.com (Dan Russell) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 15:32:58 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] people who like jazz might like to get this Ish[M]ael Reed CD--more... In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808041228ydbc185ctf155b4af868321bd@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808041228ydbc185ctf155b4af868321bd@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <517f3cab0808041332r2f1f20baj51e0a82686d2df7d@mail.gmail.com> Boots Riley of The Coup is a self-described communist. http://www.thecoupmusic.net/ '5 Million Ways to Kill a CEO' and 'Piss On Your [George Washington's] Grave' from his older albums are especially entertaining. Dan On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 2:28 PM, Ruthless Critic of All that Exists < ok.president+marxml at gmail.com > wrote: > On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 11:37 PM, Linda Jansen > wrote: > > of course, i meant "ishmael" reed. here's a little more description. > > On the theme of music: can anyone recommend any socialist hip-hop / > socialist rap music? (I'm familiar with left-leaning rap from the > francophone world; I'm looking for anglophone rap recommendations that > have a socialist orientation.) > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/proletariandan%40gmail.com > From proletariandan at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 14:34:07 2008 From: proletariandan at gmail.com (Dan Russell) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 15:34:07 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] people who like jazz might like to get this Ish[M]ael Reed CD--more... In-Reply-To: <517f3cab0808041332r2f1f20baj51e0a82686d2df7d@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808041228ydbc185ctf155b4af868321bd@mail.gmail.com> <517f3cab0808041332r2f1f20baj51e0a82686d2df7d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <517f3cab0808041334m2088167k721ad1facbeb77c1@mail.gmail.com> My apologies for not clipping above! From sabocat59 at mac.com Mon Aug 4 14:39:29 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:39:29 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Progressive Hip-Hop Message-ID: http://www.last.fm/music/The+Coup The Coup is a marxist hip-hop group fronted by Raymond ?Boots? Riley and DJ Pam the Funkstress. Based in Oakland, California, The Coup formed as a three-member group in 1992 (the third member, E-Roc, left on amicable terms after their second album). Boots Riley is known as a community activist and a communist, whose views are often in line with those of the Black Panther Party. From jbustelo at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 16:21:54 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 18:21:54 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Harmless scholarly academic marxists In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808030738j6ad714e5u48f919c27843f1d1@mail.gmail.com><908b689f0808031122k4a777da9xe63e3795c0545ad9@mail.gmail.com><908b689f0808031216o276c6539l7dbda472f2f52fce@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <36855150057C4CC086A135C1F1626F35@albanta> chegitz guevara: "I don't exactly understand how it works that by supporting a candidate that supports capitalism you are able to build support for socialism." No you don't. That's because you're not a Marxist. Frankly, you're an idealist, a utopian socialist. If you WERE a Marxist, you'd see that "building support for socialism" is not an objective that candidacies based on working people should view as a major priority at this time. For Marxists, the important immediate objective is workers coming together as a class, as a self-conscious organized force, and extending that organization into the political arena. Proclaiming "socialism" as an eventual goal is, under current U.S. conditions, more a hindrance than a help in achieving this objective. Joaquin From killakai at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 16:58:45 2008 From: killakai at gmail.com (Kai) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 18:58:45 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Progressive Hip-Hop In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4be0c4210808041558o1975084yb2481e989906ad2d@mail.gmail.com> dead prez are pan-africanist socialists. And political differences aside, I think they make the best political hip hop bar none. Lyrically, musically, aesthetically, they make their politics clear, and accessible, even when they are saying things I think are bad ideas like: "my enemy's enemy is my friend". Mr. Lif makes some pretty good music though I dont think he's any kind of socialist. On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 4:39 PM, Greg McDonald wrote: > http://www.last.fm/music/The+Coup > > > The Coup is a marxist hip-hop group fronted by Raymond "Boots" Riley > and DJ Pam the Funkstress. Based in Oakland, California, The Coup > formed as a three-member group in 1992 (the third member, E-Roc, left > on amicable terms after their second album). Boots Riley is known as > a community activist and a communist, whose views are often in line > with those of the Black Panther Party. > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/killakai%40gmail.com > From absynthe at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 18:04:49 2008 From: absynthe at gmail.com (chegitz guevara) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 20:04:49 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Economism in the Marxist List Message-ID: No, if I was an 'economist,' I'd agree with everything you write. I'd be perfectly happy to throw out the struggle for socialism in order to simply try and build the workers movement. Of course, if all I wanted to do was build the workers movement, I'd join the Democratic Party, where the workers movement is. The point, of course, is to build a *socialist* workers movement, and not simply reinvent the Democratic Party. Breaking the workers, or Latinos, or Queers, or women, or Blacks free of the Democrats is utterly meaningless if they are not joining the socialist movement. All that will happen is that the Democratic Party will be recreated. Perhaps liberals like you might want to create a new Democratic Party which reminds you of the good old days under Roosevelt, but those of us actually trying to build socialism aren't interested. You cannot build socialism by throwing out socialism. In the long struggle to build the socialist movement, it has never been built in the way you proffer. It has, however, been sabotaged that way quite a number of times. I wonder why it is that the most opportunist members of the socialist movement are also the most sectarian. On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 6:21 PM, Joaquin Bustelo wrote: > chegitz guevara: "I don't exactly understand how it works that by supporting > a candidate that supports capitalism you are able to build support for > socialism." > > No you don't. That's because you're not a Marxist. Frankly, you're an > idealist, a utopian socialist. > > If you WERE a Marxist, you'd see that "building support for socialism" is > not an objective that candidacies based on working people should view as a > major priority at this time. For Marxists, the important immediate objective > is workers coming together as a class, as a self-conscious organized force, > and extending that organization into the political arena. Proclaiming > "socialism" as an eventual goal is, under current U.S. conditions, more a > hindrance than a help in achieving this objective. > > Joaquin From markalause at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 18:22:06 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 20:22:06 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Economism in the Marxist List In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The most basic thing for a socialist is the class line. You and Ruthless draw it in different places are agree only that those of us trying to formulate something coherent are bastards. He insists that you're not running against Nader or McKinney. You scorn them and denounce them as capitalist campaigns. But however much you disagree on the most basic questions to be answered, you agree that the rest of us are ignorant bastards working hard to sell out the revolution. For Cheklutz to use the term "sectarian" is a bit like an alcoholic sitting at the bar wondering whether the person next to him might have had too much to drink. And, like an alcoholic, he spews abuse at anyone who suggests that he won't get anywhere interesting if he's obsessed with cutting doughnuts with the rental car on the courthouse lawn. If Ruthless were a more responsible comrade, he'd take the keys from Cheglitz and get some coffee into him before he gives them back. ML From absynthe at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 18:39:51 2008 From: absynthe at gmail.com (chegitz guevara) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 20:39:51 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Economism in the Marxist List In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: You're right, I do draw a class line. Neither McKinney nor Nader are workers. Moore is. I don't know about La Riva, but she probably is. Whomever the SWP is running most certainly is. What's more they organize for working people organizing and taking power. Neither Nader, nor McKinney, do. Joaquin and you both argue against it, vehemently. Which makes me wonder why you bother with Marxism, unless you include folks like Bernstein and Royale in your pantheon of "Marxist" heroes. As for me thinking of you as a bastard, that has everything to do with you being a sectarian ass and jumping down the throat of anyone who doesn't support your pet capitalist. It has nothing to do with the fact that you support Nader. If you want to be an opportunist social democrat, be my guest. But when you attack other socialist organizations for running their own campaigns, yes, you are a sectarian. What you utterly fail to understand is that Marxism is *NOT* about building the workers movement, divorced from socialism. Nor is it about propagandizing for socialism, without a workers movement. It is for doing both, at the same time. That was Marx's argument for more than 40 years. That is for what Engels stood for over fifty years. Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg, even Kautsky all understood this, and built a great movement. When you abandon one part of the merger, you abandon Marxism. Neither you nor anyone else who calls for only building the workers movement are Marxists. You are, what Lenin called, economists. And do you think you're really that clever misspelling my name? I don't see anyone ever referring to you as Mark Loser or Mark Louse, and you you continually go at my name, five year old style. Grow up. On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 8:22 PM, Mark Lause wrote: > The most basic thing for a socialist is the class line. You and > Ruthless draw it in different places are agree only that those of us > trying to formulate something coherent are bastards. He insists that > you're not running against Nader or McKinney. You scorn them and > denounce them as capitalist campaigns. > > But however much you disagree on the most basic questions to be > answered, you agree that the rest of us are ignorant bastards working > hard to sell out the revolution. > > For Cheklutz to use the term "sectarian" is a bit like an alcoholic > sitting at the bar wondering whether the person next to him might have > had too much to drink. And, like an alcoholic, he spews abuse at > anyone who suggests that he won't get anywhere interesting if he's > obsessed with cutting doughnuts with the rental car on the courthouse > lawn. > > If Ruthless were a more responsible comrade, he'd take the keys from > Cheglitz and get some coffee into him before he gives them back. > > ML From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 18:50:34 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 20:50:34 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Economism in the Marxist List In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <908b689f0808041750q59ea0df3habf39e47b03d0fd8@mail.gmail.com> On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 8:04 PM, chegitz guevara wrote: > The point, of course, is to build a > *socialist* workers movement, and not simply reinvent the Democratic > Party. Breaking the workers, or Latinos, or Queers, or women, or > Blacks free of the Democrats is utterly meaningless if they are not > joining the socialist movement. All that will happen is that the > Democratic Party will be recreated. I am not sure I agree, Chegitz. Having workers break free of the Democrats is a *necessary*, though not sufficient, condition for a socialist workers' movement. You're not going to have most workers move to socialism immediately. If they are moving towards socialism, they will drift out of the Democratic party first, and then *and only then* will they ever begin to contemplate moving towards socialism. Rome was not built in a day. Mark Lause is wrong that a socialist candidacy is just a party-building exercise. But you're also wrong in thinking that a Green Party McKinney candidacy, or a Nader candidacy, is an exercise in futility. *All* these candidacies are important and serve different purposes. The McKinney and Nader candidacies provide a beacon to people who are drifting out of the Democratic Party out of disillusionment. And the Moore candidacy (and any other nonsectarian socialist candidacy, though I don't know of any other at this point) also serves a very useful purpose, by keeping the agenda of socialism there in the background -- however dimly and in in however low-profile a way. We are in the best of possible worlds this year, with these three left candidates. 2008 may well be remarked upon in the future as the historic year where the US left started making its turnaround after many years of decline. From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Mon Aug 4 18:55:49 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:55:49 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Great doco on African resistance in Zululand (1906) Message-ID: <4897A515.9040408@greenleft.org.au> http://www.nfvf.co.za/store/bhambatha.html From absynthe at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 19:10:08 2008 From: absynthe at gmail.com (chegitz guevara) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 21:10:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Economism in the Marxist List In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808041750q59ea0df3habf39e47b03d0fd8@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808041750q59ea0df3habf39e47b03d0fd8@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: That's fine. I never require anyone agree with me, unlike our detractors. I don't think it's necessary for people to break with the Democratic Party to be socialists. There are many, many people who consider themselves socialists and are in the Democratic Party. There are probably more self-declared socialists inside the party than out of it, in fact. The flip side of this fact is, breaking people free of the Democrats if you aren't trying to win them over to the socialist movement, is pointless. Some people may eventually drift from the Greens to socialism, but those are the folks we would have won directly to socialism if the Greens never existed. I'm perfectly fine with liberals stumping for Nader and McKinney. More voices running for President is a good thing. I just don't pretend that it helps build the workers movement or socialism by doing so. I think, at best, socialists are wasting their time with these candidacies, because they won't accomplish what they seek. At worst, they not only undermine their own message, that the only way out of the nightmare of capitalism is to create a socialist society, they engage in opportunist tailing of the middle class, censor their socialist message, and leave the socialist movement in all but their heads. People like Joaquin and Mark L represent a serious danger to the movement. We're barely on life support as it is, and they want us to abandon socialism and become liberals. At precisely the moment when many in the socialist movement are finally beginning to break down their sectarian walls, they would have us abandon socialism all together. On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 8:50 PM, Ruthless Critic of All that Exists wrote: > On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 8:04 PM, chegitz guevara wrote: > >> The point, of course, is to build a >> *socialist* workers movement, and not simply reinvent the Democratic >> Party. Breaking the workers, or Latinos, or Queers, or women, or >> Blacks free of the Democrats is utterly meaningless if they are not >> joining the socialist movement. All that will happen is that the >> Democratic Party will be recreated. > > I am not sure I agree, Chegitz. > > Having workers break free of the Democrats is a *necessary*, though > not sufficient, condition for a socialist workers' movement. > > You're not going to have most workers move to socialism immediately. > If they are moving towards socialism, they will drift out of the > Democratic party first, and then *and only then* will they ever begin > to contemplate moving towards socialism. > > Rome was not built in a day. > > Mark Lause is wrong that a socialist candidacy is just a > party-building exercise. But you're also wrong in thinking that a > Green Party McKinney candidacy, or a Nader candidacy, is an exercise > in futility. > > *All* these candidacies are important and serve different purposes. > The McKinney and Nader candidacies provide a beacon to people who are > drifting out of the Democratic Party out of disillusionment. And the > Moore candidacy (and any other nonsectarian socialist candidacy, > though I don't know of any other at this point) also serves a very > useful purpose, by keeping the agenda of socialism there in the > background -- however dimly and in in however low-profile a way. > > We are in the best of possible worlds this year, with these three left > candidates. 2008 may well be remarked upon in the future as the > historic year where the US left started making its turnaround after > many years of decline. From lnp3 at panix.com Mon Aug 4 19:17:48 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:17:48 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Moderator's note In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808041750q59ea0df3habf39e47b03d0fd8@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <20080805011946.C6779DA16@mailbackend.panix.com> Mark wrote: >People like Joaquin and Mark L represent a serious danger to the >movement. We're barely on life support as it is, and they want us to >abandon socialism and become liberals. We never describe subscribers on this list as being in favor of liberalism. People are free to think what they want about other people privately but this kind of characterization will result in removal from the list. From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Mon Aug 4 19:21:44 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:21:44 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Photo essay: California workers condemn Schwarzenegger wage cut | Links Message-ID: <4897AB28.3090900@greenleft.org.au> http://links.org.au/node/488/2758#comment-2758 From lnp3 at panix.com Mon Aug 4 19:21:22 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:21:22 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Moderator's note In-Reply-To: <20080805011946.C6779DA16@mailbackend.panix.com> References: <908b689f0808041750q59ea0df3habf39e47b03d0fd8@mail.gmail.com> <20080805011946.C6779DA16@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: <20080805012320.82B2EDAA5@mailbackend.panix.com> At 09:17 PM 8/4/2008, you wrote: >Mark wrote: > > >People like Joaquin and Mark L represent a serious danger to the > >movement. We're barely on life support as it is, and they want us to > >abandon socialism and become liberals. > >We never describe subscribers on this list as being in favor of >liberalism. People are free to think what they want about other >people privately but this kind of characterization will result in >removal from the list. I should add that the Mark quoted above is Marc Luziettti, not Mark Lause. In general, I would prefer that comrades not use "clever" tags such as "Chegitz Guevara". If you don't want to use your real name, it would be preferable to use something like "Tom Ellis" or "Mary Jones". Anyhow, this is not a rule just something that I am advising. From markalause at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 19:28:44 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 21:28:44 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Economism in the Marxist List In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808041750q59ea0df3habf39e47b03d0fd8@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: "People like Joaquin and Mark L represent a serious danger to the movement. We're barely on life support as it is, and they want us to abandon socialism and become liberals." Ah, yes, thanks for reminding me.... Joaquin, don't forget that we have that important meeting of "Liberals Against Socialism" this weekend over at Proyect's place. Apparently the latest Illuminati poll shows Moore at around 15%. We've got to get the Nader and McKinney campaign going full force to head off this Red Behemoth.... The plan is for us to talk about an immediate end to the war, an across the board popular assault on corporate tyranny, socialized medicine, equality, ending restrictions on the right to unionize--all the usual stuff--well, maybe not so usual, but concerns which will deflect the gazillion socialist voters from rushing to the polls with their pencil stubs to vote for the socialist revolution. ML From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 19:32:28 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 21:32:28 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Marxist hip hop Message-ID: <908b689f0808041832v484c9c77t9b9d0346f74def82@mail.gmail.com> On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 4:32 PM, Dan Russell wrote: > Boots Riley of The Coup is a self-described communist. > > http://www.thecoupmusic.net/ Thanks. I just found a Wikipedia page on political hip hop: which lists several artists, including one who calls himself "Marxman". From markalause at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 19:36:15 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 21:36:15 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Moderator's note In-Reply-To: <20080805012320.82B2EDAA5@mailbackend.panix.com> References: <908b689f0808041750q59ea0df3habf39e47b03d0fd8@mail.gmail.com> <20080805011946.C6779DA16@mailbackend.panix.com> <20080805012320.82B2EDAA5@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: You mean Cheglitz is attacking somebody else as a liberal? He's not referring to me in this case.... ML PS: "Do not inflict that on me. Do not spare me. Did I not constantly report the truth in my books? And now I am being treated like a liar by you. I command you: Burn me!" From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 20:24:14 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 22:24:14 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] New book on Democracy and Marxism by the Indian Marxist Soma Marik Message-ID: <908b689f0808041924r19969860r53933b81e7e5e400@mail.gmail.com> Soma Marik, Indian Marxist and feminist activist has recently written "Reinterrogating the Classical Marxist Discourses of Revolutionary Democracy", dealing with the theory and practice of workers' democracy from the Manifesto of the Communist Party to 1921, and published by http://www.aakarbooks.com/ where ordering information can be found. Foreword By Professor David McLellan (Visiting Professor of Political Theory, Goldsmiths' College, University of London) It is with great pleasure that I introduce to the reader this very scholarly - but also profoundly politically relevant - book. For too long, particularly in the West but not exclusively there, the revolutionary core of Marx's thought has been obscured by interpretations that professed to investigate superstructural elements at the expense of political engagement. From Dbachmozart at aol.com Mon Aug 4 20:55:02 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 22:55:02 EDT Subject: [Marxism] The Anthrax Attacks: Sunlight Is the Best Disinfectant Message-ID: Bill Simpich, Truthout: "As we work to end these wars and roll back this repressive legislation, we have to end these fundamental mysteries about what happened to America during the latter part of 2001. If we can't resolve the anthrax attacks, we sure as hell aren't going to resolve anything else. The best way to have closure is to have the truth. No investigation can be totally open - but with the prime suspect now dead, it must be as open as possible." <_http://www.truthout.org/article/the-anthrax-attacks-sunlight-is-best-disinfe ctant_ (http://www.truthout.org/article/the-anthrax-attacks-sunlight-is-best-disinfectant) > **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 ) From pance at rogers.com Mon Aug 4 20:56:00 2008 From: pance at rogers.com (Pance Stojkovski) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 22:56:00 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Turkish Crisis, the Generals and the Left Message-ID: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(((( T h e B u l l e t ))))~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 130 .... August 5, 2008 _______________________________________________________________ The Turkish Crisis, the Generals and the Left For the last several months Turkey has been immersed in a major political crisis as various sections of the Turkish ruling classes openly feud. It has pitted the ruling, Islamic-influenced AKP government against sections of the Turkish military, political and judicial elites. It is also dispute over the direction of Turkish economic restructuring as well as control over key institutions. Indeed, as these analyses were being written, the Turkish Constitutional Court voted by a close margin on July 30 not to ban the AKP as a threat to the secular constitutional status of the Turkish Republic, and only slash its state funding. The roots of the conflict thus go much deeper than the immediate events of recent months. The political fissures opened up by the clash between sections of the ruling class have also seen elements of the Turkish left re-energized. Important debates in the Turkish left have emerged over the nature and potential directions of the crisis. Here are presented contributions to this debate by Sungur Savran and Ertugrul K?rk??, two of Turkey's leading socialist intellectuals and activists. Complete Bullet: http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/bullet130.html From markalause at gmail.com Mon Aug 4 22:44:47 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 00:44:47 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Anthrax Attacks: Sunlight Is the Best Disinfectant In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I don't rule out anything on this. That whole anthrax scare was very suspiciously convenient in terms of the timing and I just kept thinking about the Reichstag fire in terms of their efforts to keep control over public perceptions. What better put the fear into the Congress? And how convenient that it went to Congress not to something else. When I heard it was from a government lab, I just thought, "now comes the scapegoat." But the person described as guilty unexpectedly fought it. Which brings us to Bruce Ivins, He's described as nice Catholic Republican boy from this part of the world and a graduate of the university in which I work, so I have a certain sense of his milieu. However, that mileu does not produce Christian jihadists and a real terrorists, whoi are generally produced further south and west of here. A conservative Catholic doesn't usually commit suicide when an arrest is imminent. They'll do what the antiabortion forces do: get their pictures together and prepare to "witness" in the courts or some other public venue. If such a fellow was really trying to kill Democrats in Congress, he'd probably be more than happy to present a long list of justifications, running from Truman's betrayal of China to Monica Lewinsky. In rare cases, of course, they'd take a powder. But suicide? That'd be really odd. Maybe we'll never really know. (As with Bill Casey.) But nothing surprises me. ML From dddrrr84 at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 01:11:14 2008 From: dddrrr84 at gmail.com (daniel r) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 10:11:14 +0300 Subject: [Marxism] In China, Signs of Softening in the Economy Message-ID: Booming China Suddenly Worries That a Slowdown Is Taking Hold by KEITH BRADSHER Published: August 5, 2008 HONG KONG ? Many Chinese have been expecting a post-Olympics economic slowdown, but it has already started and the Games have not even begun. Eugene Hoshiko/Associated Press In October, Chinese stocks hit records, and the housing market had been strong for years. Now, a slowdown is emerging. Jason Lee/Reuters A bag factory in Dongguan in January. Factory orders were down sharply last month, and many companies have cut production. Chinese factories reported a plunge in new orders last month. Exports are barely growing. The real estate market is weakening, with apartment prices sinking in southeastern China, the region hardest hit by economic troubles. The trends, which actually have little to do with the Olympics (the Games themselves, which open Friday, are small compared with the size of the economy), are being felt worldwide. China's slowing growth is one reason that gasoline prices have fallen in the United States, for example. Similarly, world prices for metals like copper, tin, zinc and aluminum have tumbled in the last several weeks, as voracious Chinese factories have closed, or cut back their consumption. But while China's difficulties may reduce inflationary pressures around the world, they threaten to slow further the already tenuous global economic growth. "China has slowed down a lot already, but it's going to slow down more," said Hong Liang, the senior China economist at Goldman Sachs . Economists expect growth to slip from its recent pace of 11 percent or more annually to as low as 9 or 9.5 percent over the coming year. Most nations would envy that rate. But 9 percent growth will make it much harder to supply jobs to the millions of Chinese moving to cities from rural areas in search of work. And any slower growth could prove a shock to workers who have been receiving double-digit pay increases each year, as companies struggle to find enough labor to keep factories open. How Chinese authorities manage a slower economy, and its effect on China's 1.3 billion people, will be a test for the regime. It seems to be responding quickly. A Politburo meeting on July 25 replaced the previous national economic goals, preventing overheating of the economy and controlling inflation, with new targets. As enunciated by President Hu Jintaoin recent appearances, the objectives now are to seek fast and sustained economic growth while still keeping inflation under control. "We must maintain steady, relatively fast development and control excessive price rises as the priority tasks of macro adjustment," he said on Friday at a rare news conference. Having put a series of brakes on the economy over the last five years to keep inflation under control, Chinese policy makers are now removing some to prevent growth from slowing too much. For example, after letting China's currency rise sharply against the dollar in the first half of this year, China's central bank has actually pushed it down against the dollar in each of the last four trading days, including a decline of 0.13 percent on Monday. This is helping to preserve the competitiveness of Chinese exporters in foreign markets, although at the risk of angering the United States and other trading partners. In the last several days, Chinese authorities have also raised export tax refunds for garment manufacturers ? an industry previously slighted by regulators, who remain more interested in promoting higher-tech industries. Policy makers have also reportedly moved to ease lending limits on banks. Weak demand from the United States over the last year, and now from Europe as well, is part of China's emerging problem. On Sunday evening, the port here was less full of containers than usual, part of a broader slowing of export growth. This weakening of exports has been particularly true of light manufactured goods from southeastern China, one of the country's two main export areas, along with the Yangtze River delta region around Shanghai. At Union Bags, a luggage maker in Dongguan, about 40 miles up the Pearl River from Hong Kong, sales to the United States have dropped 20 percent in the last year. "We have had to cut back on our own orders to our local suppliers of zippers, nylon and polyester," said Jim Jiang, the company's sales manager. Demand is beginning to weaken for big-ticket purchases. J. D. Power and Associates just cut its forecast for car sales in China this year to 5.95 million ? still up from 5.42 million last year, but much less of an increase than the company's previous forecast of 6.2 million. More serious for the broader Chinese economy are signs that the real estate market is weakening after years of climbing prices that had prompted warnings of a possible bubble. Here again, the biggest trouble seems to be in southern China. continued here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/business/worldbusiness/05yuan.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Tue Aug 5 01:45:03 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:45:03 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Still screening! Not to be missed. `Now the People Have Awoken: Exploring Venezuela's Revolution' | Links Message-ID: <489804FF.9070409@greenleft.org.au> This film should not be missed. It is still screening online, past the time it was supposed to finish. Don't miss it! * * * Venezuela?s new assertiveness has brought it to the centre of international controversy: to some it has been stolen by populist dictator, while for others, it is the centre of a continent-wide democratic revolution. There is much at stake. Venezuela sits atop huge oil reserves in the world, which are being used to foment a new order. President Hugo Ch?vez, who survived a military coup in 2002, has supported a number of controversial social programs that have pushed Venezuela onto the United States government's and media's radar screens. What makes Venezuela tick? Who is behind the movement and what does it seek? Filmed through the 2006 presidential elections, this is a documentary about the people building a new Venezuela. Go to http://links.org.au/node/554 From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 02:19:38 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 04:19:38 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Progressive Hip-Hop In-Reply-To: <4be0c4210808041558o1975084yb2481e989906ad2d@mail.gmail.com> References: <4be0c4210808041558o1975084yb2481e989906ad2d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808050119j2b58cd05h61e3d2e2044dae10@mail.gmail.com> On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 6:58 PM, Kai wrote: > dead prez are pan-africanist socialists. And political differences aside, I > think they make the best > political hip hop bar none. Several of the suggestions posted here (and some additional ones) are available as links at: From rfls12802 at blueyonder.co.uk Tue Aug 5 06:04:47 2008 From: rfls12802 at blueyonder.co.uk (Paul Flewers) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 13:04:47 +0100 Subject: [Marxism] Norman Finkelstein and Albert Camus -- A Question In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <000001c8f6f3$752676c0$5f736440$@co.uk> In his The Holocaust Industry, Norman Finkelstein writes of Elie Wiesel that he and another writer 'liberally sprinkled their ruminations with quotes from Albert Camus, the telltale sign of a charlatan'. Is this a fair statement about Camus and the type of people who quote him? Paul F From walterlx at earthlink.net Tue Aug 5 06:03:51 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 08:03:51 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Juventud Rebelde on "Graying Cuba" Message-ID: <11487602.1217937831901.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Amazing, isn't it, what a blockaded country can do, even as it comes face to face with the limited or no population growth and the aging of its population. It reflects the success of Cuba's medical system, so viciously maligned in some segments of the U.S. media, especially that influenced by the desperate Miami exile militants. Here in the United States were millions are facing loss of their homes through mortgage defaults, houses are constructed but people can't live in them due to not having enough money, and they tell us that there is no alternative to capitalism and its "freedom". In the U.S., media to the extent that these issues were covered at all, the impression was given that Castro's dictatorship was trying to take away Cuban's retirement by forcing them to retire at a later age. Little emphasis was given to the fact that the retirement age on the island is being raised very slowly over a several-years period. Also efforts are nos being made to encourage some of the most urgently-needed people to return to work and get both their salaries and to keep their pensions. Wouldn't it be nice to have that in a so-called "advanced capitalist country" like the United States? Of course, it might be require ending the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, but choices would be needed to be made, right? Cuba's first responsibility is to taking care of its own people. But Cuba doesn't see that as counterposed to relating to and supporting struggles everywhere else. I believe there are more than a few things which people in the "advanced" capitalist countries can learn from the Cuban experience. Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California (Posted previously to the CubaNews list by a European correspondent.) ==================================================================== JUVENTUD REBELDE Graying Cuba By: Jos? Alejandro Rodr?guez Email: digital at jrebelde.cip.cu 2008-08-04 | 14:35:02 EST http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/columnists/2008-08-04/graying-cuba/ In a flash, the statistics serve as an encapsulated doctorate degree. In seconds, and with no modesty whatsoever, they illustrate the very heart of the matter in a way that polemics and recurrent lectures have been unable. This is evident with the burning issue of the marked aging of the Cuban population, so often probed by specialists, analysts and officials. Within seconds, by reviewing the statistics of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, anyone can discover one of the most serious challenges facing Cuba in the future: the demographic transition of Cuba, in which there will be a much greater share of senior citizens over time. While in 1970 there were in 7.1 active workers in Cuba for each retiree, by 1980, that relationship had already reached 5 to 1. In 1990, it was 4 to 1, and as of 2007 it had declined to 3.2 to 1. If this were not enough, the projection for 2025 is only 2.3 workers for every retiree. Relating this to the home environment, it appears that the Cuba family will have to thin the soup, because there will be more and more seniors to maintain with fewer taxpayers to carry the weight. And in this house ?as a principle? seniors are not neglected. This raises the question, who will cover the costs? Let us leave the query open for the conclusion; but what is certain is that our broad social security net is being increasingly strained and stretched. In the Cuban family, the elderly continue snatching years from the younger population, despite all the insults that they endure in the shopping lines. Currently, those who are 60 and over represent 16.6 percent of the population, but by 2050 they will make up 30 percent. But who in their reproductive years is thinking about having more children when supporting one is difficult enough. What are we going to do? There will be fewer and fewer young people with strong backs able to support an entire family. The critical point, according to projections, will be 2020 ? when more Cubans could go into retirement than those reaching the age to enter the workforce. Experts say that in only 30 years, Cuba has experienced a demographic transition that took wealthy nations two centuries to reach, allowing them to adapt to those conditions and devise remedies. Even in this way, and a long time back, those powerful nations were required to extend the retirement age to compensate for the shortfall in the active labor force. This is something Cuba seeks to achieve ?with kid gloves, providing guarantees and new advantages? by gradually extending the retirement age, but through an inclusive process of public discussion and consent. The weight that this retired population will represent to the scarce number of strong arms needed to sustain them is an issue that can be solved without the Cuba family losing its shirt. Only work will reduce those asymmetries and imbalances. The lever for their well-being is rigorous and productive labor ? with work that is attractive for each Cuban, given their individual potential. If we do not energize the still insufficient work productivity in Cuba ?by spurring deep transformations in our economy that come closer to offering a system of pay commensurate with appraisable results, paying more to those who work more and better? we will not be able to face the intransigent aging of Cuba?s population. We have to maintain our seniors; they are worth more than impromptu or jerry-rigged solutions. In a flash, the statistics serve as an encapsulated doctorate degree. In seconds, and with no modesty whatsoever, they illustrate the very heart of the matter in a way that polemics and recurrent lectures have been unable. This is evident with the burning issue of the marked aging of the Cuban population, so often probed by specialists, analysts and officials. Within seconds, by reviewing the statistics of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, anyone can discover one of the most serious challenges facing Cuba in the future: the demographic transition of Cuba, in which there will be a much greater share of senior citizens over time. While in 1970 there were in 7.1 active workers in Cuba for each retiree, by 1980, that relationship had already reached 5 to 1. In 1990, it was 4 to 1, and as of 2007 it had declined to 3.2 to 1. If this were not enough, the projection for 2025 is only 2.3 workers for every retiree. Relating this to the home environment, it appears that the Cuba family will have to thin the soup, because there will be more and more seniors to maintain with fewer taxpayers to carry the weight. And in this house ?as a principle? seniors are not neglected. This raises the question, who will cover the costs? Let us leave the query open for the conclusion; but what is certain is that our broad social security net is being increasingly strained and stretched. In the Cuban family, the elderly continue snatching years from the younger population, despite all the insults that they endure in the shopping lines. Currently, those who are 60 and over represent 16.6 percent of the population, but by 2050 they will make up 30 percent. But who in their reproductive years is thinking about having more children when supporting one is difficult enough. What are we going to do? There will be fewer and fewer young people with strong backs able to support an entire family. The critical point, according to projections, will be 2020 ? when more Cubans could go into retirement than those reaching the age to enter the workforce. Experts say that in only 30 years, Cuba has experienced a demographic transition that took wealthy nations two centuries to reach, allowing them to adapt to those conditions and devise remedies. Even in this way, and a long time back, those powerful nations were required to extend the retirement age to compensate for the shortfall in the active labor force. This is something Cuba seeks to achieve ?with kid gloves, providing guarantees and new advantages? by gradually extending the retirement age, but through an inclusive process of public discussion and consent. The weight that this retired population will represent to the scarce number of strong arms needed to sustain them is an issue that can be solved without the Cuba family losing its shirt. Only work will reduce those asymmetries and imbalances. The lever for their well-being is rigorous and productive labor ? with work that is attractive for each Cuban, given their individual potential. If we do not energize the still insufficient work productivity in Cuba ?by spurring deep transformations in our economy that come closer to offering a system of pay commensurate with appraisable results, paying more to those who work more and better? we will not be able to face the intransigent aging of Cuba?s population. We have to maintain our seniors; they are worth more than impromptu or jerry-rigged solutions. ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From durable at earthlink.net Tue Aug 5 06:36:49 2008 From: durable at earthlink.net (Barry Brooks) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:36:49 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] skeptics take rash action In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808041750q59ea0df3habf39e47b03d0fd8@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808041750q59ea0df3habf39e47b03d0fd8@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <48984961.8040103@earthlink.net> Go ahead and doubt that skeptics take rash action. Is it conceivable the people who are filled with doubt go out an take rash actions? Usually doubt brings inaction. We are born into a world we don't understand. As infants we all cried in insecurity, confusion, and doubt. Suppressed doubt is popular. Without hard understanding we easily parrot our societies verities. Upon finding ourselves in agreement with the other ditto-heads we are assured that doubt is un-necessary...even bad. Without doubt we can be sheltered and proud members of some flock. Planet plunder is one example of rash action by those who aren't held back by doubt. So the flock believes the market can think for us. Without doubt we are lost. Without doubt we are credulous sheep. (both meanings) For those of us who have left the flock, if we must narrowly classify ourselves and conform to a sect aren't we displaying a need to belong even while rebelling. As a skeptic I fully support *none of the above* Fully is one thing; partially is another matter. Skeptics can never escape groups. Believers can never leave them. Beam me up. Barry From n.fredman.11 at scu.edu.au Tue Aug 5 07:07:12 2008 From: n.fredman.11 at scu.edu.au (Nick Fredman) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:07:12 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Marxist hip hop Message-ID: "Ruthless Critic of All that Exists": > > > which lists several artists, including one who calls himself "Marxman". Marxman was a group (of men) rather than a man, around in the early 90s. They mixed traditional Irish instruments with relatively mellow beats (they were from Bristol, the home of trip hop) and sharp lyrics on sexual violence, Irish republicanism, Malcolm X, socialist revolution etc. The Irish music wasn't sampled either, as they played it live when I saw them in London in 1993, in an outdoor anti-racist gig organised by a front of the Revolutionary Communist Party, where there was maybe 1000 people. At that time in London I was also lucky enough to see Californian radical lefty (if not Marxist) hip hoppers Consolidated, with a back catalogue also worth checking out (a best of is on iTunes), who are still kicking around it seems. They could could be a bit hectoring (when I reviewed an album for Green Left around this time I remember Norm Dixon unkindly calling them "musical Spartacists") but also quite funny. They always have open mic sessions at their gigs, from which they take funny bits for their albums. The pick of Australian radical hip hop is The Herd, noted for great hip hop names including Ozi Batla (Australians will get the heavy irony) and Unkle Ho (a guy of Vietnamese background), and an interest in folk, including a cover of the anti-war classic 'I was only 19' on their 2005 album and of the traditional 'Toorali (Bound for Botany Bay)' on their recent one. When they were less famous in 2003 my sister made quite a good video for their 'Burn down the parliament'. I guess Michael Franti isn't a Marxist either but I think he's written two of the best lyrical expressions of revolutionary politics, in 'Rock the Nation' and 'Yell Fire' (and his management were nice enough to give us stalls and hence free tix on several tours). From lnp3 at panix.com Tue Aug 5 07:35:34 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:35:34 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Norman Finkelstein and Albert Camus -- A Question In-Reply-To: <000001c8f6f3$752676c0$5f736440$@co.uk> References: <000001c8f6f3$752676c0$5f736440$@co.uk> Message-ID: <48985726.7070406@panix.com> Paul Flewers wrote: > In his The Holocaust Industry, Norman Finkelstein writes of Elie Wiesel that > he and another writer 'liberally sprinkled their ruminations with quotes > from Albert Camus, the telltale sign of a charlatan'. > > Is this a fair statement about Camus and the type of people who quote him? Absolutely. I think that Camus has been essential for the "decent" left. He [Albert Camus] had noticed a modern impulse to rebel, which had come out of the French Revolution and the nineteenth century and had very quickly, in the name of an ideal, mutated into a cult of death. And the ideal was always the same, though each movement gave it a different name. It was not skepticism and doubt. It was the ideal of submission. Paul Berman, "Terror and Liberalism" --- Here's a shrewd assessment of Camus from the late John Hess, a longtime NY Times editor and writer that appeared in a Monthly Review from 1998. Unfortunately, the entire review is not available online. The New York Times Book Review summarized Todd's Albert Camus: A Life as a "biography of the near-proletarian from Algeria who reached the top of the literary pole in Paris, then fell silent when he could not defend the fashionable Stalinism of the 1950s." To which a knowledgeable French reader might reply, quelle neo-connerie! To begin with, Camus never fell silent, expect that he refused to speak out against the French terror in Algeria--a refusal that drew reproaches not only from the left but also from the Christian Democrat Francois Mauriac, the Gaullist Andre Malraux, the conservative Raymond Aron, and Camus's allies in the CIA-financed Congress for Cultural Freedom, Arthur Koestler, Ignazio Silone, and Stephen Spender. And it was obtuse for the Times reviewer, Richard Bernstein, to imply that Camus's famous break with his benefactor Jean-Paul Sartre was over Stalinism. Sartre was never a Communist, as Camus had been before the war. Indeed Todd relies on that experience to defend Camus from the charge of prejudice. He relates that the party assigned Camus to agitate for a bill to grant suffrage to a select few Algerian Arabs, but dropped the effort in 1937 in deference to Popular Front unity Camus, Todd says, broke with the party rather than go along. Against that brief outreach to the Other, however, must be weighed the rest of Camus's life and works. For Americans in the 1950s, Camus came on as a dashing figure, a literary genius, an existentialist icon, a champion of our side in the Cold War and a Resistance hero. He rather resembled Humphrey Bogart, and indeed flirted with a movie career; his glamour was magnified by a Nobel Prize and sanctified by his death like James Dean in an automobile crash in 1960. (Of his celebrity tour here, Todd records chiefly that he added an American to his harem.) The two novels he wrote during the Occupation became must reading, as they remain. I recall, however, feeling that I was missing something. Having been to Oran during the war, I wondered as I read Camus, where are the Arabs? They appear to have escaped The Plague entirely; only two figure, barely, in The Stranger--a prostitute who is beaten by the narrator's thuggish pal Raymond, and an Arab youth, perhaps a kin of hers, whom the narrator, Meursault-Camus, seeks out and senselessly murders. I confess I was less struck then by the low status Camus accorded women--the other Other. Meursault treats with callous indifference the woman who loves him, and rebuts a suggestion by the court that his crime might have been impelled by grief and rage over his mother's death. On the contrary, he embraces an imminent release from "this whole absurd life," and the novel ends, "I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate." It is no wonder that the Nazi cultural gauleiter in Paris liked the manuscript and volunteered to help find "all the paper needed" to publish it. A hero's contempt for life and decency and the Other-- what could have been more timely, in occupied Europe, in 1942? Or, alas, today? Camus's contempt for life did not, though, extend to his own, not literally. In The Fall (1956), an autobiographical monologue of self-pity, self-glorification, and disdain for mankind and especially womankind, he said he had refused to join the Resistance because he had a horror of being beaten to death in a cell. "Underground action suited neither my temperament nor my preference for exposed heights," he wrote. From umer.ch at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 01:44:21 2008 From: umer.ch at gmail.com (Umer Chaudhry) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 23:44:21 -0800 Subject: [Marxism] An account of a strike and our arrest (Taimur Rahman of CMKP) Message-ID: Defense Road which is on the outskirts of Lahore is a massive industrial area where thousands of workers are employed. Since it is a long way from the city, it is a lawless area where the police and local administration is often in collusion with local gangsters, capitalists and landlords. Poor people have little or no rights in the area. The working class in this area is almost completely non-unionized (in fact most don't know what a union is). Most workers in the area are first generation workers that have arrived from various villages all over the Punjab and live together in small cramped quarters. They send money back to their families in villages and try to eke out a meagre existence in the cities. The CMKP has been working in this area for the last 12 years. We have seen the area change slowly. We have seen the roads develop. Farm land change into estates for the wealthy. Massive schemes that have robbed people of land in order to feed the land mafia. A flyover is now being constructed over the area. When we started work in the area more than a decade ago, it was nearly impossible to form any sort of collective action. Workers were illiterate and most believed that there was no possibility of standing up to the ruling class, police, or local badmash. We continued our work patiently and with great persistence. Gradually our organization began to expand from a handful of individuals to a group of workers. We endlessly leafleted the area. Hundreds of thousands of left-wing leaflets have been distributed in the area on workers problems. We performed plays in the area. We performed musical programs in the area. We organized left-wing mushairas (poetry recitals) in the area. We lobbied the labour courts on specific issues. We distributed left-wing photocopied books in the area. We have had an endless number of study circles, corner meetings, hotel meetings, quarter meetings, house to house visits, and so on in the area. We participated in election campaigns in the area. Gradually we became strong enough to even build a worker financed party office. Today we are proud to say that we have members and sympathizers in the entire area. Our supporters run in thousands and we have built a left-wing working class constituency. The comrades of the All Pakistan Trade Union Federation, Working Women's Organization, and Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party, who enjoy a very close working relationship under the banner of the Mazdoor Action Committee, decided to launch a concerted campaign on the issue of the provision of minimum wages. The minimum wage of Rs. 6000 is rarely paid in the area. Workers at Naveena textiles (a very large company that exports shirts) were being laid off without proper notification. Moreover, minimum wages were not being paid to workers at this factory. The workers demanded that all their dues, including both wages and gratuity, be cleared on the basis of the recently announced minimum wages (i.e. Rs. 6000). As a result on the 28th of July we helped to organize a strike. The response by the mill administration was that the local police was called out and workers were beaten black and blue. Warning shots were fired at the feet of the workers. It was more than obvious that the police was totally partial to the mill owners. We helped organize a second strike on the 31st of July. However, this time the police had been called at 6 am in the morning and had completely occupied the entire building. The buses of workers were moved into the gates and under police supervision inside the factory they were made to work. Workers that had been illegally laid off assembled outside the premises and were beaten brutally. Four workers were taken into custody. CMKP comrades called the press. My wife and I arrived minutes before the press and we were greeted some distance from the factory by workers with a roar of approval, handshakes, hugs, smiles, tears, followed by militant slogans. After the arrival of the press, we decided to go back to the factory gate. The police did not dare attack in the presence of the press. We stood at the gate raising slogans, clapping, and chanting in rhythm. We could see from the factory gate that police men with guns were stationed on the roof top of the factory. Police also cordoned the smaller gate (the larger gate was shut tight). And police also stood behind us and to our sides. But we were not afraid. Then a new sight gripped our attention. Workers from inside the factory, having heard the commotion outside, left work and all came to the roof. We shouted out to them, if you are with us raise your hands, raise slogans with us. To our utter delight every single one of them raised their hands. The entire roof was now full of hundreds of workers and hundreds were outside with us. Waving to each other. But they could not come down because a heavy police presence was inside the factory. The managers of the factory came out and said "this is all a giant misunderstanding". But workers would have none of their sweet talk. Workers demanded that their comrades beaten and arrested that morning be released before any negotiations. Management tried to talk but they were drowned out by slogans. After some time management relented and released the workers to the roaring crowd. Management then invited the press inside the building. Some CMKP members and later the main labour leaders accompanied them to the office. Inside, the press grilled them with questions. One manager said that this was all the work of sharpasand elements (subversives). Another began to accuse the press of being biased (interestingly he is the father of a colleague of mine from the university where I am a faculty member (LUMS) -- it was Moin Cheema's father). The press demanded a tour of the premises. They argued that workers had signed a contract but they had to relent when we pointed out that their contract violated the labour laws of the country that guaranteed a minimum wage of Rs. 6000. They could not concede in front of all those cameras that they were willing to violate labour laws. Finally, they stated that they accepted the demands of the workers and informed us that they would speak to the owners and announce the date of the clearance. We were suspicious but decided to allow them time to talk to the owner. We came back outside and saw that comrades of the All Pakistan Trade Union Federation had also arrived. They gave us very sound advice. They said that we must immediately register the union and that we must request a labour court officer to come immediately to the factory. They called the labour court people and we announced this news to the workers. By now we were standing around in small dispersed groups in front of the factory gate (no one was even close to the road). Speeches and slogans had all come to an end. We were waiting for the factory management to announce the date of clearance. The press had gone away. We saw the police filing out of the gate. I thought that they were going back to the station since the matter had been settled. As a precaution I asked our main labour leader Azam Naqvi to come stand next to me and to not be alone at any moment. Suddenly and without warning the police charged at Azam. I instinctively jumped between him and the police and he grabbed onto me from behind for protection. Workers had formed a right group behind us to protect Azam and we were not letting go of each other. I protested vehemently. A rain of lathis, kicks, and slaps came towards me. Since I was in the front and was extremely vocal, I was getting the vast majority of them. The SHO Farooq Awam (a huge fat but strong man) let down a lathi squarely on my head. I don't exaggerate when I say that it only felt like I had been brushed with a straw. I was so angry and incensed at that point that I couldn't feel anything. I let out a few explicative and started fighting his subsequent strokes. Ali Jan, Rafaqat, and others jumped into the lathis to try and protect us. From behind I released that plain clothes police men were inside our group trying to separate our group. I grabbed one of them, he punched me in the face. Didn't hurt. Just made me even more angry. At one point I grabbed a lathi from one end but couldn't hold on to it as I need my arms to ward off the other lathis. From behind me I heard a sharp loud explosion. It was shots being fired into the ground. From the corner of my eye I thought I saw some smoke and workers running helter skelter. It took me a few minutes to realize that shots had been fired to disperse the crowds. By now our out numbered (but unbroken) group was being pushed towards the police car (we were still being hit from all sides but it didn't hurt). By the time we reached the police car, both the police and our group were gasping for air. I thought to myself, I need to pace my stamina, and exhaust these people (funny how one thinks these strange things in the middle of such situations). By now we were at back of the police van. I looked inside to see Ali Jan had already been arrested. I grabbed the railing of the van and resolved to not let go. The police pushed and pushed but could not budge us. Then one police officer cracked down on my left hand with his lathi. I got so angry I held out my hand and said "x,y,z phir mar, ley mera haath phir mar". He did not hit me again (in fact later he became quite sympathetic to us). Several policemen grabbed my arms and tried to lift us again. They forgot my feet. I hooked my feet at the bottom of the van and they failed to lift us yet again. Finally, they grabbed my legs and arms and lifted me clear off the ground. This time we were overpowered (as I think back, it must have been that our small linked group must have been broken from the back in order for them to be able to do that. My shoe came off. As they threw me into the van, I said "give me back my shoe" (as I think back I laugh at my own funny reactions and thoughts). Five of us had now been hauled into the van (Ali Jan, Rafaqat, Azam, Bilal, myself). Bilal was bleed from the ear. Azam's jeans were totally torn from the back. Ali Jan and myself held their hands and said "don't be afraid, we are with you". The van was moving and Rafaqat started raising slogans, we all joined him. The super cool Ali Jan started an entire speech in the van. He berated the police for their class biases. He started an entire CMKP study circle in the dam van. An argument broke out between the police and ourselves. We appealed to their working class roots and for them to realize that they were doing the wrong thing. On the one hand I was participating in the debate and on the other I was looking at and massaging my swollen left hand index finger thinking "I better get my guitar playing hand fixed for Laal, otherwise I won't be able to finish the recording" (incredibly stupid I know but such are the joys of being arrested, it takes a while to come to put things in perspective). When we got to the station the SHO (the man with whom I was in direct confrontation at the factory gate) turned to me and said "tera tay main hunain hi chitrol karan ga". My instinctive reaction was to say "x,y,z hunay kar" but I realized that would be pretty stupid. So I blurted "kis bunyad par konsa qanoon torra hai hum nay". He turned to one of the bulky police men and said "chitrol kar ida". He replied "nahin sir". "Ki matlab". He didn't explain just repeated "nahin sar" again (I assume the implication was that 'these are influential people it would not be a wise move'). He turned to Azam and said "jagga nahin lain diyan ga main tenu". Ali Jan said "Jagga kon sa ji, qanooni haqooq mangay hain". After a short argument they marched us to a small room. As I was walking I got a text from my wife "I love you, please don't fight them". It made me realize that she was safe and it gave me strength. Very soon comrade Ilyas of the All Pakistan Trade Union Federation also joined us. He had been kidnapped by the security guards of the factory. Taken inside. Beaten up, slapped around. And then they had dropped him to the police in their private car. When he came into the cell he said in his characteristically calm tone "at least I came in an AC car". We burst out laughing. Other prisoners were amazed that we were joking around. They came to take down our names. I was still so angry that when they asked me for my quom (caste) I replied I had none and that I did not believe in such things. When they asked me again Ali Jan responded "likh dain insaaniyat". Then they came to take our mobile phones. At first I resisted but then I realized that it was pointless (I didn't have any credit in it anyway and our comrades knew where we were and must be working for our release). So I gave in when they came back a second time for it. To boost our morale we started singing songs and reciting poetry. It is difficult to remember the words to songs when one is in such situations. Even tunes get jumbled up. But they immediately brought a calm to our nerves and lifted our spirit. From our small window we heard a policemen remark "aye qaidi bathain nay?". We laughed and said "aye labour leader bathain nay". I looked out the window and saw a black car. I said "its 's car" (although I wasn't 100% sure). We called out from the window. Maana radical saw us. The other prisoners said don't let them know that you have communicated, stay quiet. In a little while we saw Farooq Tariq walk in. This lifted our spirits even more. We knew that news was out and it would be impossible now for them to beat us. M. managed to get some GEO and other media people into the cell. By now we were fully relaxed. I jokingly remarked "I hope they haven't told my mother, unho nain police ko bhi tun daina hai aur humain bhi". We all laughed. A young policeman came and sat with us and we had a long discussion with him on politics and the police. He was defending his actions against workers and abusing the rich, defending torture in police custody and speaking about his own misfortunes at the hands of stronger men, defending the Taliban and the attack on Laal Masjid, defending the Saudi monarchy and Musharraf, waving the nationalist flag and cursing the country. All contradictory positions that he kept in stead to pick and choose from depending on what his superiors decided. All these positions were, nonetheless, supporting one or another form of authoritarianism. He pointed to one of the four people that was in the cell and told us proudly that he had tortured one person to confess his crime. Their crimes were having stolen some goats two years ago. One boy from Multan had come from work. The hotel he worked at said that he had to give Rs 500 security to work. So he made an attempt to steal something from a factory but failed. The tortured boy submissively responded to the policeman's humiliating questions in a self-effacing manner that was difficult for me to absorb. But as soon as the policeman turned he murmured a punjabi gali under his breadth. His spirit was not broken and I could feel his hatred exuding from his eyes. We offered them drinks that our comrades had brought for us, Ali Jan sat on the floor with them (the rest of us were sitting on a bed and some broken chairs). Rafaqat said "agli dafa factory tu chori na karo, munazam ho jao, factory hi tuwadi ho jai gi". Then the door opened and in stepped my mother looking like she could eat up any policeman that so much as looked at her. She came and sat down and said in a loud voice "han ji kiya tamasha banaya hua hai yehan". The policeman responded "madam mujhay tu kuch maloom nahin". She said "tu phir mera waqt kyun zaya kar rahay ho, jao us khotay ko lay kar aao jis ko maloom hai". They went running and produced the second in command Ghumman. He said "ji baji aap kyun ayeen hain yehan". She said "yeh main aap ko batao, aap mujhay batai keh main kyun aye hun yehan. Kidhar hay SHO?" "Vo ji baji round par gaye hain" he very meekly responded. One of the workers said "Naveena factory wapis gaye hai". My mother forcefully said "Paisay khain hain tum sab logon nay malikon say, ghareeb logon ko haqooq nahin daitay ho, hum sab jantay hain, daikhna tum logon ko mun ke khani parrhay gi, hum kais karray gay, tum daikhtay raho". Then she left to meet the investigating officer. We could hear the shouts in our cell. Investigating officer ki tu vo ke that even Farooq Tariq came to our cell (I assume because he couldn't contain his smile). He expressed solidarity and said with a smile "aap ki walda bhi larr rahin hain". We laughed and said "han ji, aasarat yehan tak puhanch rahay hain". Farooq was on the phone constantly ringing up the DSP, the SP and all his contacts (including AMP contacts). Brigadier Rao Abid of the HRCP called and took the whole report. By now they released us from the little room and allowed us roam around in the courtyard. Ali and I were limping from a knee and ankle sprain but we were happy to be sitting with our comrades U., Maana, M.. The other four needed to go to the toilet. The toilet was in the hawalat (jail). When they went inside the policemen shut them inside (they forced Ilyas into the hawalat). Ali and I discovered after a few minutes what had happened and it made us very tense. We knew then that the plan of the police was to separate us from the workers and to later beat the workers. In a little while my father, Gulzar Chaudhry of the All Pakistan Trade Union Federation, more media people, and the SHO all arrived. Gulzar sahib said to me "chalo acha hua Taimur tum pakrray gaiy, is tarrha mulakat tu ho gaye. Fiqr na karo, if they don't release you by tonight hum pooray union ka zor lagain gay." Negotiations began. The police said "take one person you consider most important, take Taimur, but we cannot go of the rest." My father said "you mean you think my son is a bhagorra? Do you think he will go or we will ask him to do that? We support him 100%. He has raised the voice of the oppressed." When the DSP said the same thing to my mother she responded "aap ka khiyal hai main nay chuya pala hai, vo principles ki larray larr raha hai, aur yeh na samjhain kay hum us kay saath nahin hain, hum bhi us kay saath hain." The SHO said "daikhain ji main tu kuch nahin kar sakta main tu aik SHO hun, officer kahin tu SHO phook say urrh jata hai". My father responded very calmly (Al Pachino style) "phoonk say hi tu bachanay aye hain hum". I swear I have never been more proud of my parents in my entire life. I had another altercation with the SHO when we discussing the conditions of the release. He said "Taimur sahib yeh criminal elements aap ko shield bana kar use kar rahay hain. Aap putli banay huay hain". I responded "SHO sahib, aik baat main aap ko bata dun, chahay aap ko achi lagay ya burri, putli main nahin, aap banay huay hain" and I walked out of his office. (Qasam say I should sell my dialogue to a hindu movie). Finally, after many phone calls from various government offices (including the CM), they decided that they will let us go for the night but only on the condition that we come back to the police station in the morning and surrender to the magistrate. They had cut an FIR against us for four charges (one of which it turns out has been repealed anyway). These included blocking the road, beating up a police officer in a pathrao, burning tyres on the road (all lies). They led us to believe that they will drop the case. But they were tricking us yet again. They were trying to negotiate the pressure from both sides. Obviously they had been taking a lot of money from Naveena textiles. Nonetheless, they released us at night and we came home to sleep. In the morning we went back to the station. However, when it came time to go to the court they placed us in handcuffs. They said "oh this is a formality, we have to follow court procedures". We didn't know that the crimes we had been charged with were minor crimes that did not require handcuffs. They did this to humiliate us. But at that moment, we unaware of their intention and were joking around. Taking pictures and in high spirits. In the van, we sang revolutionary songs (we sang them completely out of tune but it didn't matter at all, the louder the better). At this time the sangli of the handcuff was in our own hands. We were buffed in pairs (Ali and myself, Rafakat and Billal, Azam and Ilyas). When we were herded in to the magistrate office, one of the HRCP lawyers Asad was outraged. He said "how dare you handcuff these people. None of the crimes registered against them are serious offenses. This is totally ridiculous. Remove the handcuffs." The police refused. It was then that we realized that this was not a formality but a deliberate intent to humiliate us (little did they know that we wore those handcuffs with pride). DAWN news was present. We went to the camera and said "We asked for minimum wage, and this is what we got" (we raised our handcuffs). Then we burst out into revolutionary slogans, songs, and poetry. The courtyard rang out with socialist slogans. Meanwhile six lawyers argued our case voluntarily. Asad, Azeem Daniyal, Rabea Bajwa (and two others whose names I cannot remember). Interestingly, the case against us was cut by the police (i.e. the police was the complainant). Yet the lawyers that appeared in court against us were from Naveena textile. In fact, they were accompanied by the factory manager (hence the need for handcuffs on us, to humiliate us and show that their money was getting its worth). This demonstrates who was behind the entire police violence. It demonstrates that the local police has completely sold out to the mill owners. Naveena's lawyers argued that we had a lethal weapon in our possession during the strike and hence we should not be given bail but should be put in jail. The magistrate (Aasha Tariq) did not agree and the bail was set at Rs. 40,000 per person. The lawyers said "take our high court bar license as zamanat". They got us our bail without any difficulty. The court had now adjourned for the day. When our lawyers asked the police to open the cuffs. They at first delayed. There was a sharp altercation. Finally, they opened my cuffs but they would not open Azam's cuff. They said that there was yet another FIR against Azam hence he had to remain in custody. We were about to lose our cool when Azeem Dainyal saved the day. He said "produce the FIR, we will get the bail right now". He went inside the chamber and asked the magistrate to come out again (Magistrate Aasha Tariq). She immediately issued another bail and said to the police "release him at once". We were much relieved. The intention of the police was to get rid of the five of us but take Azam back to the station in order to beat up. But they failed and we are free once again. The case will go on and the struggle will also go on. Please do not think that the worst is over. Support our struggle for minimum wages. I also want to thank a number of people that had been working day and night to get us out. I want to thank as many people as possible by name for helping us get out of police custody. I want to thank The workers of Naveena who went back to the factory gate and continued to protest after the police arrested us. And are still struggling. Our ja nasheen comrades of the All Pakistan Trade Union Federation and Working Women's Organization that were not only working for our release but were in jail with us every step of the way. Asma Jehangir, Brig. Rao Abid and the HRCP that kicked into high gear and sent a team of lawyers for our defense. Our superb legal team, including Azeem Daniyal, Asad Jamal, Rabea Bajwa, Chaudhry Nawaz and one other whose name has slipped my mind. They were as amazing as we were clueless. Were it not for them, Azam would have been back in police custody recovering from torture. For them and others we raised the slogan "mazdoor wukla ittehad, zindabad". Afzal Khamosh of the Mazdoor Kissan Party, with whom we split in 2003 and have been at loggerheads since then, held a press conference the very next day for our release. This act means a huge thing to us. Farooq Tariq who was present in the thana as soon as he heard about the incident and was with us for nearly the whole day. Furthermore, LPP that mobilized for our support in Karachi and other areas. Dr. Riaz and International Socialists, whom we have berated endlessly on our email list, demonstrated the very next day in Karachi. Somia Sadiq, who is no longer with our party, but was in constant contact with us, offering us help, support and solidarity. Nusrat Jamil, Jeelo Jamil, and Tehmina Durrani who moved the CM and the governors office to put pressure on the police from above. Ahmed Rashid, Samina Rahman, Zaki Rahman, Women's Action Forum, PILER, Anjuman Muzareen Punjab all issued statements or called us in solidarity. Last but not least, my parents who fought with us like Bolshevik agitators. Their fearlessness gave me even more courage and I have never been more proud of them in my entire life. My wife Mahvash who saw the entire episode of violence but refused to be intimidated. Finally my party comrades (too many to name) from all over Pakistan and internationally that rose up to defend us against state oppression. Although they would consider it somewhat of an offense if we thanked them "leh shuriya kis cheez ka, aren't we party members, this is our duty" they have all said to me. Nonetheless, thank you comrades. Without your support we could not have fought this struggle. In solidarity Taimur Rahman CMKP Website:- http://cmkp.tk CMKP YahooForum:- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cmkp_pk CMKP News:- http://cmkp_pk.blogspot.com From yerushalmi10 at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 07:31:23 2008 From: yerushalmi10 at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?B?16nXnteV15DXnCDXmdeo15XXqdec157XmQ==?=) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 16:31:23 +0300 Subject: [Marxism] My poem about Samir Kuntar, fo publication in the list Message-ID: <42243abb0808050631u627cce86w4b7c1fb77491123f@mail.gmail.com> Author: Shmuel Yerushalmi. Translated from hebrew Samir Kuntar is not a monster Stop making Samir Kuntar a monster! He is not guilty of a murder 30 years ago The Haran family from Nahariya was murdered by the IDF She was mistakenly shot during the operation to liberate them The greased muzzle of Zionism washes our brains Tells all of us: how dreadful is the "demon" They call Kuntar "murderer" and "beast of prey" But don't mention how many Lebanese Israel murdered! Did not the phalanges sent by Israel to Sabra and Shatilla Sew enough murder In the Grapes of Wrath, in Kfar Qana Did not women and children fall And in the war of 2006, for no reason The army of Israel slaughtered the residents of Bint-Jbeil And again Kfar Qana! The tears of thousands flowed onto the land And who in 48 carried out a massacre in Deir Yassin 115 peaceable citizens were horribly murdered In July of that year, the streets of Ramle-Lydda Blood was spilt like water Also from Iraq al-Manshiyeh the residents were expelled with blows It was not the hand of Samir Kuntar that did Those deeds! Also in June sixty-seven It was not he who starved ten thousand Egyptian prisoners to death Not he in November 56 who murdered in cold blood 400 road-pavers in Gaza All that was Israel 's doing Nearly every day an Israeli bullet Cuts off the life of some boy or girl Like on an old tree The cutter goes to its head In "Defensive Wall", the most moral army in the world Indiscriminately killed every woman and child And for that every soldier and commander was singled out for praise And how many pregnant women whose bellies were sliced open Are on the conscience of our army And how many children have been tortured in the Shabak dungeons But everyone sees a murderer in Samir Kuntar And nobody sees the truth in a look ("truth in Mabat" ? maybe a double entendre referring to the nightly Israeli television news broadcast, called "Mabat", lit. "look", "view", "sight" - MM) After all, the army of Israel is one of the cruellest in our generation Do not believe the stories about how nice and good our soldiers are We are a nation of mindless adventurers And for that we will yet pay the lives of our soldiers Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev They too are victims of our madness If they had released Kuntar a few years ago We would be spared their captivity Ehud and Eldad too would still be living among us We would have avoided bloodshed in a needless war But our Zionist regime continues to immerse It sees Kuntar as the murderer, the rapist Let us understand at last the foolishness of our ways None but ourselves are to blame Enough of being so proud of our strength! Our military power will be our undoing We must stop washing our brains with horror stories (sipurei-falitzut) Otherwise we will be our own undoing! It is the Zionist movement that is the murderer It is the aggressor; shedder of the blood of children Stop making Samir Kuntar a monster Shame on you, Zionists. From christopher.hutch at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 07:51:02 2008 From: christopher.hutch at gmail.com (Christopher Hutchinson) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 09:51:02 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Marxist hip hop In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808041832v484c9c77t9b9d0346f74def82@mail.gmail.com> References: <908b689f0808041832v484c9c77t9b9d0346f74def82@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: There is also Dead Prez in the United States by far the best mix of politics and rap i have ever heard. On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 9:32 PM, Ruthless Critic of All that Exists < ok.president+marxml at gmail.com > wrote: > On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 4:32 PM, Dan Russell > wrote: > > Boots Riley of The Coup is a self-described communist. > > > > http://www.thecoupmusic.net/ > > Thanks. I just found a Wikipedia page on political hip hop: > > > > which lists several artists, including one who calls himself "Marxman". > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/christopher.hutch%40gmail.com > From Midhurst14 at aol.com Tue Aug 5 08:21:10 2008 From: Midhurst14 at aol.com (Midhurst14 at aol.com) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 10:21:10 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Norman Finkelstein and Albert Camus -- A Question Message-ID: Albert Camus who I read one or two of his books, notably "The Plague" was an existentialist George Anthony From horaciooliveira at mac.com Tue Aug 5 08:24:15 2008 From: horaciooliveira at mac.com (Horacio Oliveira) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:24:15 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Juventud Rebelde on "Graying Cuba" In-Reply-To: <11487602.1217937831901.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <11487602.1217937831901.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <428BFFFF-ACFC-4B3F-8E29-282E05AFBE6C@mac.com> On Aug 5, 2008, at 5:03 AM, Walter Lippmann posted: > If we do not energize the still insufficient work productivity in > Cuba ?by spurring deep transformations in our economy that come > closer to offering a system of pay commensurate with appraisable > results, paying more to those who work more and better Hmm it would seem a rather sour note is being played in this article if one cares to look... From each according to his ability, to each according to his need but those that can may the benefits flow... From Dbachmozart at aol.com Tue Aug 5 09:44:12 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 11:44:12 EDT Subject: [Marxism] White House Forged Letter to Start Iraq War? Message-ID: 08 - 05 - 2008 In an _explosive new claim_ (http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=90E15887-3048-5C12-00F2EE5A4BEEF1B8) , Pulitzer Prize winning reporter _Ron Suskind_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Suskind) details how the White House directed the CIA to forge and leak a letter to help buttress its case for invading Iraq. The letter, which found its way into the hands of a reporter from London's Sunday Telegraph, seemed to show proof that the 9/11 hijackers, including Mohammad Atta, had received training from Saddam Hussein's government. The problem is, according to Suskind, the letter was a fake, and no such training took place. The White House adamantly denies the charges made in "_The Way of the World_ (http://www.ronsuskind.com/thewayoftheworld/) ," which was released today. Other revelations from the book? The author also claims that the Bush administration had information from a top Iraqi intelligence official "that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq--intelligence they received in plenty of time to stop an invasion." While accusations of this magnitude should always be met with skepticism, one only nee! ds to lo ok back to the _Gulf of Tonkin Incident _ (http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2261) to realize that such tactics of deception have been employed before to start a war. In fact, as Seymour Hersh recently uncovered, the Bush Administration was planning similar _smoke-and-mirrors _ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDP8lXk1QSw) options for Iran. And what if what Suskind claims is true? The author claims that such an operation, part of "false pretenses" for war, would constitute illegal White House use of the CIA to influence a domestic audience, an arguably impeachable offense. Given the duration remaining on the _Bush's Last Day _ (http://www.bushslastday.com/) clock, that option seems unlikely <_http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/08/05/book-white-house-forged-let ter-to-start-iraq-war/_ (http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/08/05/book-white-house-forged-letter-to-start-iraq-war/) > **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 ) From sartesian at earthlink.net Tue Aug 5 09:47:52 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 11:47:52 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Juventud Rebelde on "Graying Cuba" Message-ID: <002801c8f712$9fadd220$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Walter, Don't you read these things before you post them? How could you avoid the content, intent of this article which is not all that different from the articles pointing out the "precarious" "insupportable" position of the US Social Security System, given the aging of the population, the shrinking numbers of production workers required to produce the commodities of capitalism? Besides the fact that the paragraphs are repeated in the body of the article, the article parrots and reproduces the aging "hysteria" that bourgeois sociologists, census takers, demographers, use to excuse and justify reducing medicaid benefits etc. in the US. The problem is not and will not be that people are living too long in Cuba, or anywhere, and reproducing too slowly, but that international capitalism debases everything that doesn't yield enough value quickly enough.. always starting and ending with human life. From myduplicity at hotmail.com Tue Aug 5 10:35:43 2008 From: myduplicity at hotmail.com (Oswaldo Emiddio Vasquez Hadjilyra) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 18:35:43 +0200 Subject: [Marxism] Marxism Digest, Vol 58, Issue 12 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: >On the theme of music: can anyone recommend any socialist hip-hop / >socialist rap music? (I'm familiar with left-leaning rap from the >francophone world; I'm looking for anglophone rap recommendations that >have a socialist orientation.) This is my first post. I'm an aspiring marxist student that observes this blog very carefully. I can not contribute yet on other matters for I sense that I'm not ready to make a substantial contribution. I can however make some good recommendations on some quasi-socialist hip-hop artists. 1)Rage against the Machine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqcM5lVoteQ 2)Brother Ali http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO18F4aKGzQ 3)Atmosphere http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoLxuyV9qz8 Enjoy Emiddio Vasquez _________________________________________________________________ Connect to the next generation of MSN Messenger? http://imagine-msn.com/messenger/launch80/default.aspx?locale=en-us&source=wlmailtagline From christopher.hutch at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 11:07:43 2008 From: christopher.hutch at gmail.com (Christopher Hutchinson) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 13:07:43 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Progressive Hip-Hop In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808050119j2b58cd05h61e3d2e2044dae10@mail.gmail.com> References: <4be0c4210808041558o1975084yb2481e989906ad2d@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0808050119j2b58cd05h61e3d2e2044dae10@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Immortal Technique is another rapper who has excellent social commentary and references Marxist ideas. On 8/5/08, Ruthless Critic of All that Exists > wrote: > > On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 6:58 PM, Kai wrote: > > > dead prez are pan-africanist socialists. And political differences aside, > I > > think they make the best > > political hip hop bar none. > > Several of the suggestions posted here (and some additional ones) are > available as links at: > > > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/christopher.hutch%40gmail.com > From suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk Tue Aug 5 11:34:21 2008 From: suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk (Sukla Sen) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 18:34:21 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Marxism] Nepal Updates: Prospects of Government Formation Brighten Message-ID: <159217.17159.qm@web23004.mail.ird.yahoo.com> I/IV. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug05/news05.php PM Koirala lauds efforts to form national unity government A day after arriving from Sri Lankan capital Colombo where he attended the 15th SAARC summit, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala praised the efforts of the four parties - Nepali Congress, United Marxist Leninist, CPN (Maoist) and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) to form what he called "a national unity government". In a meeting with central leaders of Nepali Congress party of which he is the President at his official residence in Baluwatar, PM Koirala termed the efforts positive and said that "it should be taken to its logical conclusion". The four big parties had Monday agreed to form a national unity government after a meeting held at the Maoist parliamentary office in Singh Durbar. They have also agreed to draft the common minimum programme (CMP) for the unity government that will be led by the Maoists. PM Koirala was in New Delhi hobnobbing with Indian leaders and taking credit for the Nepal's transformation into a republic when the parties reached the understanding. Sharing his experience of the SAARC summit with his party leaders, he said that Nepal's neighbouring countries also wish to see a government of national unity, adding that it is also what the country needs at the moment. PM Koirala, who has become the caretaker head of government after his resignation, said that the SAARC member-states expressed their satisfaction with Nepal's peace process. nepalnews.com Aug 05 08 II. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug05/news09.php Big Four form taskforce to draft CMP; Maoists to seek three more days to form govt Four big parties have formed a taskforce to prepare a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) for the to-be-formed national consensus government. In a meeting held at the parliamentary party office of CPN (Maoist) today, the leaders of CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress (NC), CPN (UML) and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) decided to form a four-member taskforce. Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara told journalists after the meeting that Maoist leader Dev Gurung and UML's Bhim Rawal have been named as the representatives in the taskforce from their respective parties while the NC and MJF are expected to nominate their representatives later today. Earlier, NC, UML and MJF had rejected the CMP presented by the Maoists saying that it represented the policy of only the Maoists. Meanwhile, the four parties also accepted the Maoist proposal of seeking three more days from the President to form the national consensus government. Mahara said the Maoist leadership would meet the president on the issue. The seven-day deadline given to the Maoists to form a consensus government expired today. nepalnews.com ps 05 08 III. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug05/news12.php PLA combatants will be paid and YCL military structure will be dismantled, says KC A senior Nepali Congress (NC) leader has claimed that there has been an understanding to pay the outstanding salaries to the Maoist PLA combatants staying in cantonments. NC spokesperson Arjun Narsingh KC also said that the Maoists have agreed to announce the dismantling of military and paramilitary structure of Young Communist League (YCL). "There has been agreement to release Rs 3 to 3.5 billion to pay to PLA combatants in cantonments. The Maoists have also agreed to let the displaced persons return and hand back the seized properties," KC said at a programme in the capital, on Tuesday. "According to our statistics, properties of around 2100 people have been seized by the Maoists," he said. KC also added that the Maoists have agreed to make an announcement soon regarding dismantling of the paramilitary structure of YCL. "They have said they could issue a statement to that regard within Tuesday evening," he said. nepalnews.com sd Aug 05 08 IV. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug05/news10.php President gives parties three more days to form govt President Dr Ram Baran Yadav has extended the government formation deadline by three days after a request from the four big parties. Dr Yadav accepted the parties' request as the seven-day deadline to form a consensus government expired today. Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' met him at Shitwal Niwas in the evening and formally made the request to him. Emerging from the Shital Niwas meeting, the Maoist chief said he was optimistic that the parties would be able to able to reach an agreement on the next government within the deadline. "Considering the way the four parties have discussed this issue in the last two days, I'm pretty hopeful that there will be an agreement in three days," he said. Earlier today, a meeting of CPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) had decided to ask the President for extension of the deadline. The four parties also formed a taskforce to prepare the common minimum programme (CMP) of the upcoming 'national unity government'. nepalnews.com mk Aug 05 08 __________________________________________________________ Not happy with your email address?. Get the one you really want - millions of new email addresses available now at Yahoo! http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/ymail/new.html From naskha3 at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 12:50:49 2008 From: naskha3 at gmail.com (Nasir Khan) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 20:50:49 +0200 Subject: [Marxism] Life of Dada Amir Haider Khan Message-ID: <18d70e600808051150t6f800164t612a8e52c13d3c36@mail.gmail.com> Life of Dada Amir Haider Khan Nasir Khan All those who oppose imperialistic wars and plunder, subjugation and oppression of weaker nations and peoples, and wide-spread violations of human rights in various parts of the world will be glad to see the publication of the two-volume autobiography of Indo-Pakistani revolutionary Dada Amir Haider Khan. The life and struggles of this eternal revolutionary who stood for advancing the cause of workers and peasants and firmly adhered to the world-outlook of proletarian internationalism is quite amazing. No matter what hardships he came across, he held belief in the eventual emancipation of the toiling masses, not by any outside force or agency but through their own struggles shaped by their political consciousness for a worthy human existence. Dada Amir Haider Khan was not an idealist; he was a man of action. By his practical example he showed how to work and organise workers locally so that they could stand for and protect their political and economic interests. In his personal life, he always remained a fakir, a 'homeless wanderer', as he used to call himself. Neither did he own any valuable possessions. He had donated the share of his inherited land for building a school in his ancestral village, a poor and deprived area of small farmers. I met Dada half a century ago, in 1957, when I started my college education in Rawalpindi. This early contact with him was to become a lifelong friendship and close comradeship. He was above all a sincere and trustworthy man and a political activist. But he was also a charismatic person; those who met him were drawn towards his magnetic personality. Dr Hasan N. Gardezi edited and supervised the publication of Dada's memoirs with great diligence and a sense of duty to preserve the historical role of a truly great and unique revolutionary who emerged from the part of the world now called Pakistan. I offer my thanks to Professor Gardezi for his tireless efforts to publicise the work of Dada, and also thank other friends who have in one way or the other contributed to the task. I believe all the progressive people who have known Dada or those who will come to know about him through the publication of his memoirs will highly appreciate the work of Professor Gardezi. He has preserved the legacy of the great revolutionary for the coming generations of radical and progressive people. Full article : http://sudhan.wordpress.com/2008/08/05/life-of-dada-amir-haider-khan/ From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Tue Aug 5 12:50:51 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:50:51 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Irrational Exuberance Message-ID: <489868CE.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> S. Artesian I am tempted to pull the race-card out of Joaquin's deck ^^^^ CB: Use of the term "race-card" today is racist. It should be avoided by anti-racists like the n-word. Disgraceful. This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From markalause at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 13:25:54 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 15:25:54 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Irrational Exuberance In-Reply-To: <489868CE.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> References: <489868CE.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: Actually, I think the use of the expression "the race card" is used much broadly than it used to be or as we might understand it here. Pundits seem to use it in such a way as to be able to say that white politicians are using it to win votes. ML From markalause at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 13:34:50 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 15:34:50 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Irrational Exuberance In-Reply-To: References: <489868CE.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: Last night's DAILY SHOW, btw, covered how playing "the xxxx card" has become part of the campaign's coverage. See about five minutes into . http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=178307 Don't miss their take-off on a pundit's comment that "the race genei" is "out of the bottle." ML From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Tue Aug 5 13:53:22 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:53:22 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Studying philosophy at the New School Message-ID: <48987776.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Marxism] Haines Brown I disagree. _All_ courses and texts are theoretically loaded. I believe this is the consensus. For example, for a long time now it is a conventional truth in the natural sciences. A more contentious specification of this point is that all courses and texts are ideologically loaded. That is, any course or text has, whether intentionally or not, explicitly or implicitly, has a functional relation to social class. This seems the Marxist position, and I suspect it may be a consensus in the sociology of knowledge, although I'm not sure. In other words, we all occupy a social location, and in the present context, that location is primarily one of class. No one today would suggest that this implies pure subjectivism. After all, since Peirce, we realize that our views are all "one-sided" (a term he shared with Marx. Anyone know if he picked it up from Marx?) and only approximations of truth (anyone know if Lenin was influenced by Peirce?). ^^^^^ CB: On this issue he is influenced by Engels. I agree with the rest of your discussion, Haines. ^^^^^ This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From johnaimani at earthlink.net Tue Aug 5 13:53:39 2008 From: johnaimani at earthlink.net (johnaimani) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 12:53:39 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Economism in the Marxist List Message-ID: <006d01c8f734$f5312d60$6600a8c0@D4PKYZ41> "Although the German workers cannot come to power and achieve the realization of their class interests without passing through a protracted revolutionary development, this time they can at least be certain that the first act of the approaching revolutionary drama will coincide with the direct victory of their own class in France and will thereby be accelerated. But they themselves must contribute most to their final victory, by informing themselves of their own class interests, by taking up their independent political position as soon as possible, by not allowing themselves to be misled by the hypocritical phrases of the democratic petty bourgeoisie into doubting for one minute the necessity of an independently organized party of the proletariat. Their battle-cry must be: The Permanent Revolution." Karl Marx and Frederick Engels Address of the Central Committee to the Communist League London, March 1850 http://marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/communist-league/1850-ad1.htm From lnp3 at panix.com Tue Aug 5 14:16:19 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:16:19 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] William Blum's latest Anti-Empire report Message-ID: <4898B513.9080408@panix.com> http://members.aol.com/bblum6/aer60.htm From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Tue Aug 5 14:30:40 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:30:40 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Myth of Moderate Exercise Message-ID: <48988034.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Greg McDonald The Myth of Moderate Exercise By LAURA BLUE Wed Jul 30, 12:00 PM ET Obesity experts agree that daily exercise is essential for good health, but whether it can successfully lead to long-term weight loss is a question of much debate. What has become increasingly clear, however, is that the conventionally accepted advice - 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week - is probably insufficient to spur any real change in a person's body weight. A study published July 28 in the Archives of Internal Medicine adds to the burgeoning scientific consensus: when it comes to exercise for weight loss, more is better. It suggests that obese people would have to exercise at least an hour at a time to see any significant difference in their weight. ^^^^ CB: To lose weight , one has to move more _and_ eat less. (smile) This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From lnp3 at panix.com Tue Aug 5 14:31:05 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:31:05 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] =?iso-8859-1?q?M=E9sz=E1ros_on_the_financial_crisis?= Message-ID: <4898B889.3070702@panix.com> Dual Crisis by Istv?n M?sz?ros "When we talk about a financial crisis, it's really only a symptom. . . . Financial adventurism is essentially what we have been witnessing for the last thirty or forty years, exploding from time to time in the form of financial crisis. It's really adventurist, speculative capital which has to find in some way a solution to itself. And why is that? That is the question. It is basically because of overproduced productive capital. Productive capital investment is in profound crisis. That's why so much is diverted into the channels of the speculative, and adventurist-speculative, type of transactions. Now, the other crisis . . . is a political crisis." "It is roughly around '68 when we can begin to mark what is really the structural crisis, not of capitalism but of the capital system in its entirety. The capital system is much more fundamental than capitalism. . . . What we are therefore concerned with is a crisis which can only deepen. Now, don't misunderstand me when I say we don't have a usual capitalist crisis, because capitalism and crisis are synonymous. Marx said that many times. But he was talking about a very different crisis. He was talking about conjunctural, cyclic crises. Capitalism regularly has crises. Marx even used the expression: these crises discharge themselves in a thunderstorm. Then you are back to normal, so to speak. A lot of surplus capital is destroyed, and you can start the game all over again, until again you reach a point of overaccumulation, then, a new discharge becomes necessary. That's what we have been living through. Now, our great privilege, if you like, is that we have both. We have both the cyclic, conjunctural crisis and this profound and ever-deepening structural crisis of the whole system, the whole capital system, because the Soviet Union was part of the capital system." full: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAxa82-ZQQY From pt_costello at yahoo.com Tue Aug 5 15:21:23 2008 From: pt_costello at yahoo.com (Pat Costello) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 14:21:23 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] The Myth of Moderate Exercise Message-ID: <698740.49503.qm@web63105.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Charles Brown: To lose weight , one has to move more _and_ eat less. (smile) Me: Sounds simple but its not. It helps to have the right genes. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/08/health/08fat.html?_r=1&scp=7&sq=obesity%20study%20prison&st=cse&oref=slogin May 8, 2007 Genes Take Charge, and Diets Fall by the Wayside "The researchers concluded that 70 percent of the variation in peoples? weights may be accounted for by inheritance, a figure that means that weight is more strongly inherited than nearly any other condition, including mental illness, breast cancer or heart disease. The results did not mean that people are completely helpless to control their weight, Dr. Stunkard said. But, he said, it did mean that those who tend to be fat will have to constantly battle their genetic inheritance if they want to reach and maintain a significantly lower weight." From markalause at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 15:25:13 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 17:25:13 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Myth of Moderate Exercise In-Reply-To: <698740.49503.qm@web63105.mail.re1.yahoo.com> References: <698740.49503.qm@web63105.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Yeah, but wasn't there a post just a few days ago blaming the US sanctions on Cuba for obesity? : - ) ML From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Tue Aug 5 17:00:38 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:00:38 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Mugabe told by China to stay away from Olympic opening Message-ID: <4898DB96.5050001@greenleft.org.au> http://www.bangkokpost.com/sportsplus/sportsplus.php?id=129298 From jbustelo at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 17:51:20 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 19:51:20 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Economism in the Marxist List In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6C0BA1CD6447405693429CDC97116E57@albanta> chegitz guevara says: "Of course, if all I wanted to do was build the workers movement, I'd join the Democratic Party, where the workers movement is. The point, of course, is to build a *socialist* workers movement, and not simply reinvent the Democratic Party. Breaking the workers, or Latinos, or Queers, or women, or Blacks free of the Democrats is utterly meaningless if they are not joining the socialist movement. All that will happen is that the Democratic Party will be recreated." The reality is that there is in the U.S. no workers movement worthy of the name, neither within nor outside the Democratic Party. A genuine social movement of the working class was killed off by a) a tremendous expansion of imperialist privilege thanks to the post-WWII prosperity b) the McCarthyite witch hunt and c) the absolutely rotten policies of the labor bureaucracy (which, for example, acquiesced to Taft Hartley, selling out the workers in the Southwest and the South, i.e., Blacks and Chicanos, in exchange for some protection of the union shop in the north and mid west). As for CG's nostrum that every worker party must be socialist or it is a new edition of the Democrats, I insist this is utopian socialist idealism, not Marxism. Consider, for example, Engels's reaction to the emergence of a labor party in the U.S. in the 1886 elections: "The Henry George boom has of course brought to light a colossal mass of fraud and I am glad I was not there. But despite it all it has been an epoch-making day. The Germans [i.e., socialist emigres from Germany in the U.S.] have not understood how to use their theory as a lever which could set the American masses in motion; they do not understand the theory themselves for the most part and treat it in a doctrinaire and dogmatic way, as something which has got to be learnt off by heart but which will then supply all needs without more ado. To them it is a credo [creed] and not a guide to action.... "The first great step of importance for every country newly entering into the movement is always the organisation of the workers as an independent political party, no matter how, so long as it is a distinct workers' party. And this step has been taken, far more rapidly than we had a right to hope, and that is the main thing. That the first programme of this party is still confused and highly deficient, that it has set up the banner of Henry George, these are inevitable evils but also only transitory ones. The masses must have time and opportunity to develop and they can only have the opportunity when they have their own movement--no matter in what form so long as it is only their own movement--in which they are driven further by their own mistakes and learn wisdom by hurting themselves." (Engels to Sorge, here: ) CG further writes: "What you utterly fail to understand is that Marxism is *NOT* about building the workers movement, divorced from socialism. Nor is it about propagandizing for socialism, without a workers movement. It is for doing both, at the same time. That was Marx's argument for more than 40 years. That is for what Engels stood for over fifty years." REALLY? In 1848, several days if not a couple of weeks after the Manifesto of the Communist Party was delivered from the printers, a revolution broke out in France and then Germany. upon which Marx, Engels and their friends DISSOLVED the Communist League and instead founded a newspaper which styled itself "an organ of democracy." This is how Engels depicts this pivotal event in Marx and Engels's political career: * * * "... The February events in Paris precipitated the imminent German Revolution and thereby modified its character. The German bourgeoisie, instead of conquering by virtue of its own power, conquered in the tow of a French workers' revolution. Before it had yet conclusively overthrown its old adversaries -- the absolute monarchy, feudal landownership, the bureaucracy and the cowardly petty bourgeoisie -- it had to confront a new enemy, the proletariat. However, the effects of the economic conditions, which lagged far behind those of France and England, and of the likewise backward class position of Germany resulting therefrom, immediately showed themselves here. "The German bourgeoisie, which had only just begun to establish its large-scale industry, had neither the strength nor the courage to win for itself absolute domination in the state, nor was there any compelling necessity for it to do so. The proletariat, undeveloped to an equal degree, grown up in complete intellectual enslavement, unorganized and still not even capable of independent organization, possessed only a vague feeling of the deep antagonism between its interests and those of the bourgeoisie. Hence, although in point of fact the threatening antagonist of the latter, it remained, on the other hand, its political appendage. Terrified not by what the German proletariat was, but by what it threatened to become and what the French proletariat already was, the bourgeoisie saw its sole salvation in any compromise, even the most cowardly, with monarchy and aristocracy; as the proletariat was still unacquainted with its own historical role, the bulk of it had, at the start, to take on the role of the forward pressing, extreme Left wing of the bourgeoisie. The German workers had above all to win those rights which were indispensable to their independent organization as a class party: freedom of the press, association and assembly -- rights which the bourgeoisie, in the interest of its own rule, ought to have fought for, but which it itself now disputed in its fear of the workers The few hundred separate League members vanished in the enormous mass that had been suddenly hurled into the movement. Thus, the German proletariat at first appeared on the political stage as the extreme democratic party. "Thus, when we founded a large newspaper in Germany, our banner was determined as a matter of course. It could only be that of democracy, but that of a democracy which everywhere emphasized in every point the specific proletarian character which it could not yet inscribe once for all on its banner If we did not want to do that, if we did not want to take up the movement, adhere to its already existing, most advanced, actually proletarian side and to push it further then there was nothing left for us to do but to preach communism in a little provincial sheet and to found a tiny sect instead of a great party of action. But we had already been spoilt for the role of preachers in the wilderness; we had studied the Utopians too well for that, nor was it for that we had drafted our programme." * * * That's from Engels's tribute to Marx on the first anniversary of his life-long comrade's death, "Marx and the Neueu Rheinische Zeitung." It is here: .* Notice Engels's comment in the last paragraph about "our banner" and it having been "determined as a matter of course" and the alternative being to "preach communism." Joaqu?n * I especially recommend this translation of the article to Trotskyists who think the Old Man came up with the theory of Permanent Revolution -- though as Engels makes clear, it wasn't really Marx's to begin with, but Marat's: "When later I read Bougeart's book on Marat, I found that in more than one respect we had only unconsciously imitated the great model of the genuine 'Ami du Peuple'[80] (not the one forged by the royalists) and that the whole outburst of rage and the whole falsification of history, by virtue of which throughout almost a century only an entirely distorted Marat had been known, were solely due to the fact that Marat mercilessly removed the veil from the idols of the moment, Lafayette, Bailly and others, and exposed them as already complete traitors to the revolution; and that he, like us, did not want the revolution declared finished but continuing in permanence." From schaffer at optonline.net Tue Aug 5 17:53:07 2008 From: schaffer at optonline.net (Les Schaffer) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:53:07 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Myth of Moderate Exercise In-Reply-To: <48988034.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> References: <48988034.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: <4898E7E3.5050104@optonline.net> Charles Brown wrote: > CB: To lose weight , one has to move more _and_ eat less. (smile) > how about move more and eat better? see this interesting article on fighting obesity in Los Angeles communities: California Central Valley fights obesity epidemic By Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer August 5, 2008 BAKERSFIELD -- On a recent day, Maria Velasquez led 25 women in outdoor aerobics at a park in this city's rough southeast district, home to a large farmworker community. Nearby, young children played noisily on well-clipped grass. Wiping sweat from her brow, Velasquez announced she'd lost 80 pounds and, with it, a high risk of diabetes. [snip] Health advocates point to the park's transformation as a success in their new initiative to stem a growing epidemic of obesity in the Central Valley. The national obesity rate has risen for decades, increasing from 15% of the population in 1976 to 33% in 2004, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. In the Los Angeles metropolitan area, more than 58% of residents are obese or overweight, according to a CDC report. The rate is higher still in the farm-rich Central Valley, said organizers of the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program, despite an abundance of fresh produce. "We supply the country with cheap food, but the benefit does not come back to us," said Edie Jessup of Fresno's Metro Ministry, a nonprofit working on the issue. Nearly two-thirds of the people living in Merced, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern counties are obese or overweight, according to the Central California program. More than a third of the region's fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders have unhealthy weights, a major increase from a decade ago. Armed with statistics, public health directors in the six counties joined with community groups to try to turn the situation around. Organizers of the Central California Regional program say that if communities are to succeed in reversing the trend, leaders need to look not only at what people eat but also at where they live. Access to safe parks and recreation programs is critical, said Jennifer Lopez, a community worker who helped the Stiern Park group navigate City Hall. Also key is making sure fresh produce is easy to buy in neighborhood markets. A recent UCLA study said that the highest obesity rates are in lower-income areas in which convenience stores and fast-food outlets predominate. "If they don't have programming, parks and easy, convenient access to fresh foods, they will make unhealthy food choices because that's what is available," said Veva Islas-Hooker, director of the Central California program. [snip] full: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-me-obese5-2008aug05,0,7119405,full.story From binesi at gvtel.com Tue Aug 5 18:12:08 2008 From: binesi at gvtel.com (David Thorstad) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:12:08 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] He ventured forth to bring light to the world: Obama as Christ Message-ID: <4898EC58.30101@gvtel.com> Everyone can use a hearty laugh, and this recasting of His Hopefulness as the Christ figure is priceless. Enjoy. David ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ He ventured forth to bring light to the world | Gerard Baker - Times Online From The Times July 25, 2008 *He ventured forth to bring light to the world* *The anointed one's pilgrimage to the *Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers Video: Watch Gerard Baker reading this article | More on Obama and McCain on our US Elections Blog And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness. The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow. When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: ?Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?? In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites. And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world. He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world. And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more. From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it. And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light. And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares. From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered ?Hosanna? and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet. In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace. As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites. And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over. The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for. And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again. Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it. And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times. Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length. But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him. And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets. Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not. On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One. And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the whole host of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God and singing: ?Yes, We Can.? Alan L. Maki 58891 County Road 13 Warroad, Minnesota 56763 Phone: 218-386-2432 Cell phone: 651-587-5541 E-mail: amaki000 at centurytel.net Check out my blog: /*/Thoughts From Podunk/*/ /*/http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com//*/ -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: Attached Message Part Url: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism/attachments/20080805/829b1d94/attachment.txt From binesi at gvtel.com Tue Aug 5 18:13:55 2008 From: binesi at gvtel.com (David Thorstad) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:13:55 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] He ventured forth to bring light to the world: Obama as Christ Message-ID: <4898ECC3.5010706@gvtel.com> Please use this version instead of the one I just sent. I had inadvertently left personal information from a friend at the end. Here it is deleted. Please excuse the error. Thanks. Everyone can use a hearty laugh, and this recasting of His Hopefulness as the Christ figure is priceless. Enjoy. David ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ He ventured forth to bring light to the world | Gerard Baker - Times Online From The Times July 25, 2008 *He ventured forth to bring light to the world* *The anointed one's pilgrimage to the *Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers Video: Watch Gerard Baker reading this article | More on Obama and McCain on our US Elections Blog And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness. The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow. When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: ?Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?? In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites. And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world. He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world. And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more. From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it. And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light. And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares. From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered ?Hosanna? and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet. In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace. As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites. And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over. The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for. And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again. Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it. And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times. Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length. But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him. And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets. Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not. On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One. And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the whole host of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God and singing: ?Yes, We Can.? -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: Attached Message Part Url: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism/attachments/20080805/3fa1e1b7/attachment.txt From markalause at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 18:44:39 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 20:44:39 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Economism in the Marxist List In-Reply-To: <6C0BA1CD6447405693429CDC97116E57@albanta> References: <6C0BA1CD6447405693429CDC97116E57@albanta> Message-ID: I'd add that entire section of the movement's founding manifesto covers the way the Communist League viewed the Blanquists, Chartists and National Reformers. That made Marx and Engels liberals. Joaquin is to be credited for his patient explanation of such things. ML From binesi at gvtel.com Tue Aug 5 18:47:16 2008 From: binesi at gvtel.com (David Thorstad) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:47:16 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Camus as moralist Message-ID: <4898F494.8010608@gvtel.com> I found Louis's post on Camus interesting. It triggered some recollections from the long-gone days when I taught Camus and French literature. First, Camus's supposed misogyny, insofar as it is based on the opening paragraph to /L'?tranger/ (which it sometimes is) is a matter of misreading, as least with regard to that passage. His alleged detachment from news of his mother's death has nothing to do with his own sentiment, but reflects the impersonal nature of the telegram he receives announcing her death. It is a poignant few sentences, usually misunderstood. That said, the interesting question for me is why it is that Camus was so popular in the United States, and Sartre was not. I think the reason is that Camus was a touchy-feely type of guy, whereas Sartre was an incisive rationalist who cast his lot with the left. Camus's /The Plague--/which I think is most closely linked to Camus in the United States--has always struck me as a work of dishonesty. (Any play by Sartre is far more compelling.) It is usually interpreted as an allegory in which the rats stand in for Nazis. But if so, that is a cheap and unconvincing literary device that avoids a head-on confrontation with the moral dilemma. It is, after all, easier to kill rats who are infecting a human population with the plague than it is to kill another human being, even if that human being is a Nazi. So, Camus took the easy way out in that most famous, and, in the United States, beloved, novel. Sartre flirted with Communism (I think that, despite everything that has gone down and the fact that the USSR went tits up without a struggle by the working class to prevent it--which belies Trotsky's point in /The Revolution Betrayed/ that the tiger won't give up its power without a struggle), and even got engag? in the left, and took action against U.S. imperialism (and not just through his involvement in the Bertrand Russell Tribunal against U.S. War Crimes in Vietnam in the late sixties). Sartre once said that we are living in the Marx Moment. Broadly speaking, I think that holds true even today. It was his active involvement in radical struggles that made him less appealing to Americans, I think. How can you take anyone seriously who enjoys lying on the beach in the sun on the North African coast, as Camus did? He might be called an existentialist, I suppose, but in my view Sartre comes closer to epitomizing taking responsbility for one's actions. David From farmelantj at juno.com Tue Aug 5 19:06:11 2008 From: farmelantj at juno.com (Jim Farmelant) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 21:06:11 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Camus as moralist Message-ID: <20080805.210611.5720.0.farmelantj@juno.com> On Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:47:16 -0500 David Thorstad writes: > I found Louis's post on Camus interesting. It triggered some > recollections from the long-gone days when I taught Camus and French > > literature. > First, Camus's supposed misogyny, insofar as it is based on the > opening paragraph to /L'?tranger/ (which it sometimes is) is a > matter of > misreading, as least with regard to that passage. His alleged > detachment > from news of his mother's death has nothing to do with his own > sentiment, but reflects the impersonal nature of the telegram he > receives announcing her death. It is a poignant few sentences, > usually > misunderstood. > That said, the interesting question for me is why it is that > Camus > was so popular in the United States, and Sartre was not. I think the > > reason is that Camus was a touchy-feely type of guy, whereas Sartre > was > an incisive rationalist who cast his lot with the left. I think that's basically true. Camus, as has been already pointed out had been on the left when he was younger. Indeed had been a member of the CP for a time. However, by the time that he became famous, especially in the US, he had long since broken with the radical left. And one suspects that Camus's position on Algeria didn't do him any harm in the US. For the longest period of time, he professed to be morally anguished over the Algerian question but ultimately opted for supporting France staying in there. Sartre on the other was a staunch supporter of Algerian independence, indeed had been a supporter of independence at a time when that position was deeply unpopular in France even among leftists. Camus's brand of soft leftism has usually played better in the US. And its probably Camus's show of "deep" moral anguish that Finkelstein was referring to when he asserted that Camus had special appeal to charlatans. > How can you take anyone seriously who enjoys lying on the beach > in > the sun on the North African coast, as Camus did? There are certain things you can't hold against a guy. > He might be called > an > existentialist, I suppose, but in my view Sartre comes closer to > epitomizing taking responsbility for one's actions. Actually Camus didn't like to call himself an existentialist, probably because the term was so identified with Sartre's philosophy. Camus's preferred term was "absurdist." > David > ____________________________________________________________ Stop foreclosure. Click here to stay in your home and rebuild credit. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3meXw52HFR1bFsLhRgdt5rUYKwwQPRQjORu6wIkmiyNd65fJ/ From lnp3 at panix.com Tue Aug 5 19:43:36 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:43:36 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Camus as moralist In-Reply-To: <20080805.210611.5720.0.farmelantj@juno.com> References: <20080805.210611.5720.0.farmelantj@juno.com> Message-ID: <20080806014534.4D63B69B2@mailbackend.panix.com> From: http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/proyect120805.html After several months of rising violence in 1957, a huge explosion rocked a building allegedly housing FLN terrorists in the Rue de Th?bes on August 10th. Three neighboring houses were also destroyed and the Algerian death toll reached seventy. No Frenchman was ever arrested for the Rue de Th?bes bombing. This prompted Saadi Yacef to organize the bombing campaign that is dramatized so effectively in Pontecorvo's film. While it is unstinting in its representation of the human toll, the perspective is very much in line with that of French leftist supporters of the FLN. Dr. Pierre Chaulet, who was sheltering FLN leader Ramdane Abane, observed: "I see hardly any difference between the girl who places a bomb in the Milk-Bar and the French aviator who bombards a mechta [village] or who drops a napalm on a zone interdite." There were members of the French left who saw otherwise. The most prominent of these was Albert Camus, who was born in Algeria and who identified strongly with the pied noir. It should not come as a very great surprise that Camus has become something of an icon for left intellectuals defending the war in Iraq, especially Paul Berman. This long-time supporter of U.S. foreign policy wrote Terror and Liberalism in 2003, an assault on Islamic radicalism that starts with a quote from Camus and includes a long exegesis of The Rebel. In Camus's view, there was no such thing as an Arab "nation." For him, the salvation of Algeria was in the formation of Swiss-like cantons that would allow each nationality (Arab, French, Berber, Jew) to live in peace. The main obstacle to such an arrangement was extremism on either side. In "A Letter to an Algerian Militant" written in 1955, long before the battle of Algiers, Camus advises: You Arabs must spare no effort to show your people that, when they kill civilian populations, terrorism not only raises justifiable doubts as to the political maturity of men capable of such acts, but also strengthens the anti-Arab elements, reinforces their arguments, and silences French liberal opinion which might find and put through some solution leading to reconciliation. As the war intensified, so did Camus's moralizing tendencies. In an obvious political statement, the Nobel Committee named Camus in 1957. At a Stockholm press conference, an Arab student denounced him as an agent of French repression no different from paratroopers. His reply to the student was broadcast around the world: I have always condemned the use of terror. I must also condemn a terror which is pursued blindly on the Algiers streets and which may any day strike down my mother or my family. I believe in justice but I will defend my mother before justice. Fortunately, Camus spoke for very few French intellectuals on the matter of Algeria. Jean-Paul Sartre was far more representative. Along with Simone de Beauvoir and other notables, they demanded freedom for a group of jailed activists led by Francis Jeanson, a colleague of Sartre's at Les Temps Modernes. Jeanson and a network of activists dubbed the porteurs de valise (valise carriers) transported arms, men, money, and papers for the FLN. On September 6, 1960, the day of their trial, a Declaration on the Right to Insubordination in the War in Algeria was circulated by 121 French intellectuals. It stated: For the Algerians the struggle, carried out either by military or diplomatic means, is not in the least ambiguous. It is a war of national independence. But what is its nature for the French? It's not a foreign war. The territory of France has never been threatened. But there's even more; it is carried out against men who do not consider themselves French, and who fight to cease being so. It isn't enough to say that this is a war of conquest, an imperialist war, accompanied by an added amount of racism. There is something of this in every war, and the ambiguous nature of it remains. It should be obvious that these sentiments resonate with the antiwar movement of today. Sartre and his co-signers did not allow imperialist propaganda from muddling the real issues in 1958, just as we should not be deterred from our solidarity with the Iraqi people today, no matter the failure of the insurgency to play by the colonizer's rules. From suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk Tue Aug 5 21:11:49 2008 From: suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk (Sukla Sen) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 04:11:49 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Marxism] Paraguay: Fernando Lugo's Paraguay Victory Message-ID: <878856.89753.qm@web23003.mail.ird.yahoo.com> http://links.org.au/node/564 Paraguay: Fernando Lugo's victory and the new space for left struggle By Hugo Richer August 5, 2008 -- The defeat of the Colorado Party in the 2008 presidential election meant much more than a change of government in Paraguay. This defeat meant the fall of the last political party in Latin America that had been formed both politically and ideologically within the framework of the Cold War. The 36 years of the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner (1954-1989) had as a leitmotiv, ?the anti-communist struggle?. During the ?Colorado reign?, US imperialism managed to build a solid alliance which for several decades enabled it to set up intelligence operations in the Latin American region. From Operation Condor, in the 1970s, to the presence of US troops in the years known as the ?transition? in order to conduct ?training exercises? with members of the Paraguayan armed forces, these military campaigns and manoeuvres were justified in all sorts of ways, from the fight against ?sleeping terrorist cells? on the ?triple frontier? (the region where there are common borders between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay), to the objective of ending ?the cultivation, production and trafficking of drugs?. After 60 years of an exercise of power marked by clientelism, corruption and the system of emoluments, as well as by the recourse to fear and terror against the masses, the fall of the Colorado Party represents the end of an important cycle in the political history of the country. That is why it is necessary to recognise the progressive character of this event, both from a strictly democratic point of view and because of the contradictions that it gives rise to, particularly concerning the remarkable mobilisation of the social and popular movements which took part in the campaign in support of the candidacy of Fernando Lugo, today president of Paraguay. The emergence of Lugo, product of the political crisis The political emergence of this ex-bishop of the Catholic Church can be explained by three factors: The running out of steam of a model of imperialist domination, led by the Colorado Party, which, after the fall of the dictatorship, became converted to neoliberalism without endangering the clientelist system on which it had built its political hegemony, based on the ?state as an employer?. Thus, the Paraguayan state, populated by scarcely 6 million inhabitants, employs no less than 200,000 civil servants, 90 per cent of whom are members of the party. The economic stagnation of the 1980s and 1990s contributed to the erosion of this model, so much so that the party's own social base has been weakened. The crisis of the bourgeois opposition, in particular the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), a party that, like the Colorado Party, has existed for a hundred years, and which proved to be incapable of working out a credible project in order to consolidate a two-party system, something that was very much supported by the United States. The economic accumulation of the oligarchy -- latifundist, agricultural, commercial and financial -? was carried out under the protection and thanks to the intervention, legal and illegal, of the state controlled by the Colorados. In this context the weak liberal bourgeoisie had only very limited room for manoeuvre. The crisis of political leadership among the popular masses, combined with the weakness and dispersion of the left parties. The left movements and parties had scarcely recovered from the savage persecution suffered by their principal leaders, who were assassinated, went ?missing?, were imprisoned or forced into exile during the dictatorship of Stroessner. However the last few years have been marked by the mobilisation and the entry into struggle of some popular organisations, in particular peasant organisations, which have made increasingly clear the growing incapacity of the Colorado governments to respond to their aspirations. Paraguay has at present approximately two million of its nationals living abroad, and the rate of emigration is increasing. Approximately two million people live in a situation of extreme poverty. 35 per cent of the population is unemployed or forced to work part time. More than 300,000 landless peasants suffer from a structure of land ownership which today allows 3 per cent of the population to monopolise 90 per cent of cultivable land. In this context, social struggles reached several peaks of intensity during the transitional political period. The inability of the traditional political leaderships to recover from the crisis that they were going through clearly allowed the figure of Fernando Lugo to impose itself within the progressive and popular camp. After having made public his decision to enter political life, Lugo openly defied the Catholic hierarchy by not recognising the sanction that the Vatican had inflicted on him. Lugo was bishop in the region of San Pedro, one of the poorest in the country, which has become in the last few years a strategic zone for the development of peasant struggles in Paraguay. On several occasions, Lugo expressed his support for these struggles, and sometimes in fact took part in them. That is why his candidacy threw into a panic the most conservative political sectors, such as the corporations of latifundists, stockbreeders and agro-industrial entrepreneurs. In this context, it took Lugo hardly more than a year to inflict electoral defeat on a party which had exercised power for more than six decades. The `third way' in the periphery of capitalism The candidacy of Lugo benefited from the support of the majority of social organisations and left-wing political parties. However, when his candidacy was launched, these sectors alone appeared insufficient to overcome the electoral machine of the Colorado Party. This at first instilled doubt among his supporters. Finally, a very broad alliance took shape behind Lugo, extending from social organisations and parties resolutely positioned on the left to certain conservative sectors. Heterogeneous, this alliance is based on a common centre-left project, with an important place given to social programs. The desire for change was expressed by three axes which constituted the points of agreement between the various sectors engaged in the campaign. First of all, the need to put a stop to ?the unending reign of the Colorado Party?, to corruption and to impunity -- an objective which made it possible to bring together sectors coming from various social layers. Second, land reform, a historical demand of the workers, the peasants and all the popular sectors, which constituted the central point of a program that was above all democratic, but which also comprised a series of measure announcing the intention of a great structural change in terms of the characteristics of Paraguay. Last, this program took up the defence of national sovereignty, by putting forward the need to renegotiate the unjust Treaties of Itaip? and Yacyreta, two big hydroelectric dams built jointly with, respectively, Brazil and Argentina. The case which undoubtedly gives rise to the most tensions is the Itaip? dam -- a symbol of the kind of relations that Brazil maintains with Paraguay. For several decades, in fact, the country has whetted the appetites of the big Brazilian bourgeoisie, which has systematically taken over big latifundia and vast tracts of land devoted to the cultivation of soya, in the process having a strong impact on traditional Paraguayan agriculture, affecting its structure. Thus, thousands of peasants have been driven off the land in recent years, which has led to a series of negative social, environmental and cultural consequences. The emergence of centre-left governments allied with conservative forces is not an innovation in the region, as the government in Brazil illustrates. These experiences are characterised by a discourse announcing a double rupture with ?the neoliberal right defending above all its own privileges? and the ?traditional left?, but also by a political practice which does not in reality break significantly with the neoliberal capitalism which has been applied in the region in recent years. We are seeing, in a certain sense, the installation of a ?third way? within peripheral capitalism! A new space for struggle and the re-launch of the transition It has been becoming obvious for several years now that the transition which began in 1989 was confined to an exacerbated conservatism: the political and economic mafia had managed to reorganise and re-establish themselves in all the spheres of power. Far from consolidating a bourgeois democracy, the new process that is underway makes it possible to revitalise a space of political and public freedoms. The fall of the Colorado Party opens up the possibility of a new space of struggle and contradictions, and liberates social forces that were historically placed under the yoke of the Colorado Party. It is not a process which solves the political crisis of the dominant classes. On the contrary, it could make it possible to deepen the crisis of the Colorados, unflinching supporters of imperialist policies in Paraguay. It is a process which requires a change of social forces at the top of the state. This bourgeoisie looks with distrust on the Authentic Radical Liberal party (PLRA) which comprises the most conservative sectors supporting Lugo, not because of ideological divergences, but because it is afraid the PLRA will not be effective enough if it has to face a rise of social struggles, principally in the countryside. The left organisations and the social organisations have the possibility of re-launching a process of organisation and mobilisation. In fact, immediately after the electoral victory of April 20, 2008, and before the government had even taken office, occupations of latifundia and social mobilisations aiming at blocking the advance of the agro-industrial sectors began again with renewed vigour. The Marxist left, however, is prey to division, and that is how it presented itself to the voters at the last elections. Some groups concluded alliances with the conservative parties which supported Lugo. Others gave their ?critical support?, but did not join the Patriotic Alliance for Change (APC, the electoral alliance regrouping legally all the support for Lugo). Another current called for a ?protest vote?, but without explicitly committing itself to support Lugo. The same tendencies took shape within the social organisations, even though those which decided to join the APC constitute the majority. The total of the votes obtained by the left is not negligible. Nevertheless, this left could only get two members of the National Congress elected, because of the dispersion and the lack of unity. In order to overcome this problem and to build a unified leadership -? as far as it is possible to do so ?- the left must face up to a tactical dilemma which could determine the limits of its own possibilities, supposing that the objective is the building of an alternative political project. This is the possibility that a majority of those political and social forces that are members of the APC chooses an accumulation of forces from within the government, as well as the maintenance of its alliances with conservative sectors, in order to guarantee the possibility for Fernando Lugo and his team to govern. Lugo?s own supporters represent a weak force within a Congress that is dominated by the conservative forces, and he will necessarily have to play the card of mobilisations and popular struggles in order to respect some of his engagements. Lugo knows the limits of the support of the PLRA, in particular with regard to social policies and programs. He also knows that other left organisations and other social sectors are maintaining their critical support, in particular concerning some of the points of his electoral program. So there exists in fact a re-launching of the transition, a new space for struggle and a crisis of political leadership. To advance towards a new project of radical social change: that is the challenge for the Paraguayan left forces and social sectors, which now have a clear opportunity before them. [Hugo Richer is a Paraguayan political analyst who lives in Asunci?n. He is active within the Party of Popular Socialist Convergence (PCPS), which supported the candidacy of Fernando Lugo in the recent general election. This article first appeared in International Viewpoint, magazine of the Fourth International, at http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1509.] __________________________________________________________ Not happy with your email address?. Get the one you really want - millions of new email addresses available now at Yahoo! http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/ymail/new.html From Dbachmozart at aol.com Tue Aug 5 22:37:41 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 00:37:41 EDT Subject: [Marxism] The Ongoing Persecution of Sami al-Arian Message-ID: The Ongoing Persecution of Sami al-Arian By ALEXANDER COCKBURN Efforts to free Sami al-Arian have now reached the U.S. Supreme Court. On July 30 an appeal was lodged with the Court by his attorneys, led by Professor Jonathan Turley. There are few prospects in the justice system so grimly awful as when the feds decide never to let go. Rebuffed in their persecutions of some target by juries, or by contrary judges, they shift ground, betray solemn agreements, dream up new stratagems to exhaust their victims, drive them into bankruptcy, despair and even suicide. They have all the money and all the time in the world. Several months ago I wrote here about the appalling vendetta conducted by the US Justice Department against Sami al-Arian, a professor from Florida who had the book thrown at him in 2003 by Attorney General Ashcroft. As I described it back then, Dr al-Arian was charged in a bloated terrorism and conspiracy case and spent two and a half years in prison, in solitary confinement awaiting trial. In December 2005, a Tampa jury hung 10 to 2 in favor of acquittal on nine charges. In a plea deal, the government dropped eight of them and demanded Al-Arian plead guilty to a watered-down version of one charge. Normally a hung jury with so large a number of the jurors voting for innocence would mean the prosecutors would not demand a retrial. But given the Justice Department?s vindictiveness in this case and that it might insist on just such hugely expensive and protracted proceedings, Al-Arian?s lawyers urged him to accept the offer. Under the plea agreement?which the government betrayed --Dr. Al-Arian pled guilty to one charge of providing nonviolent services to people associated with a designated terrorist organization. A central aspect of the plea agreement was an understanding that al-Arian would not be subject to further prosecution or called to cooperate with the government on any matter. Al-Arian and his lawyers have insistently maintained that the plea deal with Florida prosecutors protected him from cooperating in any additional cases. The government recommended the shortest possible sentence, no more than time served. But then, almost certainly after a visit to the local federal prosecutors in Tampa by Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, the feds double-crossed him on the plea agreement and he was thrown back into prison. The biased judge handed down the maximum sentence, which meant a further eleven months of incarceration before release and deportation slated for April 2007. Now Dr al-Arian passed into the malign orbit of prosecutors in Virginia, notably assistant federal prosecutor Gordon Kromberg. The DOJ?s plan now was to set up al-Arian in a perjury trap, compelling him to testify before a grand jury investigating an Islamic think tank called in a case that is unrelated to his. The Institute has been the target of a six-year witch-hunt by Kromberg. On November 16, 2006, dragged up to Virginia, al-Arian was brought before the grand jury and placed in civil contempt for refusing to testify because the actual intend of the subpoena has been the attempt to trap him. When the grand jury?s term expired, Kromberg promptly empanelled a new one. Al-Arian continued to decline to testify, and was once more held in contempt. Shunted between prisons in Atlanta, Petersburg and Alexandria, Dr al-Arian endured hunger strikes and maltreatment from guards. Even with the additional time served, Dr. Al-Arian?s sentence ended on April 7 of this year. He was then taken into the custody of immigration authorities who were making preparations for his deportation. On June 26 the Department of Justice elected to plunge al-Arian and his family into fresh torments, thus prolonging the slow moving auto da fe of the past five years. A new federal indictment charged Dr. Al-Arian with two counts of criminal contempt, relating to the efforts by Virginia prosecutors to bring him before a grand jury investigating other Muslim organizations. Al Arian now faces additional prison time if convicted. ?This indictment proves that the government was never interested in any information that Dr. Al-Arian has on the IIIT [i.e., the International Institute of Islamic Thought] matter,? said his attorney, Professor Jonathan Turley, who has represented al-Arian since May 2007. ?They have indicted him despite the fact that the prosecutors admitted that he is a minor witness in the IIIT investigation and he has already given two detailed statements under oath to the government and offered to take a polygraph examination to prove that he has given true information about his knowledge of IIIT. Dr. Al-Arian has addressed every document cited by the government as the reason for his being called before the grand jury. He has shown that he has no incriminating information to offer against either IIIT or its officers.? On June 30, 2008, Al-Arian was arraigned before US District Judge Leonie Brinkema for the Eastern District of Columbia, but Al-Arian did not enter a plea as Turley stated they were not prepared to do so. The Court, then, entered a not guilty plea on Dr al-Arian?s behalf and scheduled a trial to begin on August 13. According to a statement issued by Turley, the government is further seeking to indict Dr. Al-Arian for the period under which he was under civil contempt confinement. Thus, after holding him for a year, the government now seeks to punish him for the same period of the confinement. Turley writes on his website that ?the petition for a writ of certiorari appeals the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The lower court refused to consider evidence that the prosecutors violated Dr. Al-Arian?s 2006 plea agreement in ordering him to testify before a Virginia grand jury. Dr. Al-Arian has asked for an evidentiary hearing to establish that he was expressly promised by the Justice Department that he would not have to cooperate in any way after his plea agreement. Indeed, he accepted a longer sentence to secure that concession. The final standard cooperation language was indeed removed from the agreement, but the court refused to consider evidence outside of the agreement showing that the removal of the language was due to an express promise by the government. Other circuits allow for such evidence to be considered ? producing a split in the circuits. The Eleventh Circuit decision effectively allows the Justice Department to get away with a classic ?bait and switch? tactic where the government assures a defendant that a condition is accepted and then, after he pleads guilty, refuses to comply with the condition because it was not expressly added to the plea agreement.? Why the continued efforts to destroy Dr al-Arian? He?s just one more object lesson to the world of what can happen to a Muslim, a Palestinian, who tried with some success to combat ignorance and prejudice in the Middle Eastern debate and who established his innocence to a jury on the grave charges the US government spent millions to sustain in that Florida court. His assailants in the Justice Department have probably anticipated with relish that al-Arian would succumb to malnutrition and illness in one of the holes into which he has been flung. They were mistaken. Sustained by his family, capable attorneys and vast sympathy across the world, Dr al-Arian has stayed in the ring with his fearsome and vindictive persecutors. Every word of support and encouragement (to _tampabayjustice at yahoo.com_ (mailto:tampabayjustice at yahoo.com) ) is important. _http://counterpunch.org/cockburn08022008.html_ (http://counterpunch.org/cockburn08022008.html) **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 ) From walterlx at earthlink.net Tue Aug 5 23:45:59 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 01:45:59 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Judgementalism from afar Message-ID: <18313483.1218001559805.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> I've changed the subject line because the points I'm here to make don't relate to Camus, but to puristic types of revolutionaries here in the United States and elswhere passing judgement on the strategies, tactics and actions of other revolutionary fighters in other places, which is what Camus, who presented himself a a humanistic man wanting a better world for all, but especially for the Algerien pieds noir. Camus says he's against all terror, but he made no distinction between the people of Algeria, who were native their and trying to end the occupation of their country by another country, one with a different history, language, culture, politics and ethnicity, to which he, Camus, had adapted. I don't know but wouldn't imagine Camus was a supporter of the Vietnamese struggle either, for similar reasons. I don't actually know this. Thanks, Louis - Very well stated, succinct and to the point. We haven't had much of this in recent years on Marxmail, but for awhile there we had a lot of whiny criticism of the Iraqi forces who were and are resisting the occupation of their country by Washington's armies. Socialist Action was prominent in that if memory serves. I suspect there were other forces, but I can't remember who right now. Oh, our old friends in the paint company had a similar downbeat assessment of the Iraqi resistance. Well, those voices seem to have become a bit quieter lately, it's good to observe. On Iraq. But on Colombia, the paint company has joined up with a campaign of attacks on the Revolutionary Armed forces of Colombia or FARC. I attended an SWP forum here in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago where Wendy Lyons was the speaker. Basically, you can read the analysis which guides them in a Militant article to which I haven't seen followup. Strong defenders of the Cuban Revolution who argue from a fiercely anti-Trotskyist position are the formerly Maoist Freedom Road Socialist Organization. I know the group has split, but it's my impression their various difference had little to do with foreign policy and both have similar domestic policy outlooks - they are in support of working in the Democratic Party, but they're very strong defenders of the FARC. U.S. RADICALS DISCUSS AND DEBATE Cuba and the FARC --------------------------------------------------------- THE MILITANT Vol. 72/No. 30 July 28, 2008 Fidel Castro speaks out on Colombia hostages, lessons of the Cuban Revolution http://www.themilitant.com/2008/7230/723055.html --------------------------------------------------------- FREEDOM ROAD Revolution in Colombia: ISO stands on the wrong side By Freedom Road Socialist Organization http://www.frso.org/about/statements/2008/isocolombia.htm --------------------------------------------------------- I attended the meeting and couldn't avoid making a few points to the fifteen or so people present at the event held in their newly decorated new headquarters. It was odd, very odd, for a U.S. radical organization to try to use Fidel Castro's comments on Colombia to launch into a political attack on the principal Colombian armed liberation force. After all, I pointed out, political kidnappings aren't exactly a common occurrence here in the United States. I think the last one I can recall was Patty Hearst back in the seventies. So it seems odd to make a big deal about this as if it was something we needed to take up here in the US as an important topic. Fidel made what I thought was an imaginative proposal to break out of the corner in which the FARC today is situation. A combination of their tactics, and mainly the repressive activities of the Colombian state which has a more-or-less blank check from Washington to take any action they want in the so-called war on terrorism and the war on drugs, whatever they are. Fidel called on the FARC to unconditionally release all of their hostages, but then he further made it plain that he did NOT think the FARC should give up their weapons. Now if you think about that, it's quite a remarkable statement for Fidel Castro to have made. Think about it: Cuba and Colombia have normal diplomatic relations, and an active two-way economic relationship. I know Cuban university professors who teach in Colombia. Some Cuban books are printed in Colombia. President Uribe's wife was virtually given the keys to the city of Havana when she toured there late last year. Yet Fidel Castro, a figure not unknown to the Colombian population, both called on the FARC to release the hostages, while, at the SAME TIME, stressing he was NOT telling the FARC to give up their weapons. He cites the 1980s massacres Colombians who did come out of the hills to engage in the formal democratic political process. I imagine Fidel's call to the FARC was printed in full in every paper in Colombia. But his call for the FARC *not* to put down their arms was less well-circulated, as it appeared a few days later. Hopefully, Anthony Boynton can shed some light on these matters. I'm not very informed on Colombian matters, but find it simply weird that radical groupings here in the United States should make such a big deal about attacking the FARC, especially at a time when it is rather more vulnerable than perhaps a year ago. Who was it that said that war is the terrorism of the rich while terrorism is the war of the poor. Unless we try to walk in someone else's moccasins, how can we know what they think or how they feel? It's find to analyze the different points of strategy and tactics, and to try to assess which work and which don't. But to stand from the outside and in judgement to condemn, that's a waste of time. In my view. Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From walterlx at earthlink.net Wed Aug 6 01:47:50 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 00:47:50 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] =?iso-8859-1?q?WSJ=3A_In_Enacting_Decrees=2C_Ch=E1vez_M?= =?iso-8859-1?q?akes_New_Power_Grab?= Message-ID: (The attempt to link the secular democratic Boliviarian Republic of Venezuela with the Islamic Republic of Iran is basically aimed at encouraging the people of the United States to react instinctively, emotionally and quickly. It brings into the picture the hystical talk now widespread in Israeli politics calling for a war on Iran by the Israeli regime, which has even begun to frighten some of the US policy makers in Washington, though not enough yet to hold them back. As we watch the Gold Star mother Cindy Sheehan facing the full apparatus of the local Democratic Party machine in San Francisco try to prevent her from running against speaker Nancy Pelosi, such talk of election irregularities in far-off Venezuela ring hollow. And we aren't talking about Ohio in 1984 or Florida in the year 2000. Cindy Sheehan's voice is that of a victim of Washington's war drive for world domination, and she's fast about the realities of U.S. politics. Pat Tillman's family is another one learning quickly. And there are so many more one can hardly remember them. So this is basically sand- throwing in the eyes of the people of the United States. I know that two wrongs don't make one right, and I'm not a close student of the Venezuelan institutional political system. For that you should read Greg Wolpert, Steve Ellner and others far more informed than I am. Tomorrow the Venezuelan Information office in Washington will have some initial comments. Soon thereafter, Mark Weisbrot will surely respond as well. Social divisions in Venezuela are reflected in the openly political splits suggested here, as well as in the divided sphere where the Roman Catholic hierarchy has been taking aim at Chavez and his growing support among Christians who orient their thinking with the Theology of Liberation, often attacked, but never wiped out. More to come quickly. They don't have troops to land in Venezuela, and Venezuela is fighting back most effectively by its program of providing cheap or free oil and light bulbs to people in urgent need of them in the United States. Viva Dale Carnegie! Viva Hugo Chavez! Viva PDVSA. ========================================================================== WALL STREET JOURNAL August 6, 2008 In Enacting Decrees, Ch?vez Makes New Power Grab President Creates Militia, Expands Control of Industry By JOS? DE C?RDOBA and DARCY CROWE August 6, 2008 CARACAS, Venezuela -- In an ambitious power grab, President Hugo Ch?vez has enacted a slew of presidential decrees which formalize the creation of a popular militia and further consolidate state control over key areas of the economy such as agriculture and tourism. Mr. Ch?vez, one of Washington's main antagonists in Latin America, published the decrees on Friday, just at the close of a special 18-month period that allowed him to bypass Congress in making laws. But only the titles, and not the texts, of the decrees were released. On Tuesday, the government made the full texts widely available. The new laws show that Mr. Ch?vez is back on the offensive after suffering a humiliating defeat in December in a referendum that, among other things, would have allowed him the possibility of staying in power for life. In the months after the defeat, Mr. Ch?vez, who was first elected president in 1998, seemed to slow down his drive for expanded powers. But a number of the new decrees were part of the referendum that was rejected by voters -- sparking accusations that Mr. Ch?vez is evading the will of the people. "We are in the presence of a dictatorial government which has given a coup d'?tat to the constitution," said Luis Miquilena, a former interior minister and political mentor to Mr. Ch?vez who has since turned against him. "Here we have no constitution, no law and the president does exactly what he wants." In the past few days, Mr. Ch?vez said that if anyone didn't approve of the laws, they could file a challenge with the Supreme Court. But critics of the former army officer turned president said that would be futile because six of the seven justices are sympathetic to the president. As a sign of that loyalty, the court on Tuesday upheld an anti-corruption official's decision to ban some of Mr. Ch?vez's most popular opponents from running in regional elections in November because of unproven graft charges. Comparisons to Iran The ban, which has elicited comparisons to moves by Iran's government preventing opposition politicians from running in elections in that country, will affect as many as 200 people, including Leopoldo L?pez, a popular opposition politician who polls say would have a good chance at becoming the mayor of Caracas, one of the most important posts in the country. Government officials weren't available for comment on Tuesday. Mario Isea, a Ch?vez supporter who heads the Congress's economic development committee, said that "there was no violation of the Constitution" in the new laws, but acknowledged that some of them were analogous to the December referendum. "Of course there are going to be similarities," he said. "It's the same person who is legislating." Among the biggest changes -- and one which was turned down in December -- was the creation of another branch of the military, a "National Bolivarian Militia," which analysts say could challenge the position and role of the traditional armed forces. "Their object is to intimidate the armed forces and the people," Mr. Miquilena said. "Those militia are at [Mr. Ch?vez's] personal command." Mr. Ch?vez also changed the name of the armed forces, which are supposed to be apolitical, from the National Armed Forces. They are now to be called the National Bolivarian Armed Forces, invoking the title Mr. Ch?vez has chosen for his self-proclaimed socialist revolution. The move is likely to add to growing unease over Mr. Ch?vez by some of Venezuela's armed forces. One reason why Mr. Ch?vez lost the December referendum was outspoken opposition to the changes by his former defense minister Ra?l Baduel, who accused the president of becoming an autocrat. In May, an active duty general, ?ngel Vivas, asked Venezuelan courts to rescind an order by Mr. Ch?vez making the armed forces use the Cuban-style salute: "Fatherland, Socialism or Death. To Victory." 'Any Necessary Measures' One law vastly tightens the state's control over the food industry, an area that has been a political headache for Mr. Ch?vez because price controls by his government have led to shortages and eroded his popularity. The new law gives Mr. Ch?vez power to nationalize any businesses in the food industry without the National Assembly's approval and dictate "any necessary measures" to avoid "improper price increases." Under the new legal regime, food retailers or distributors caught violating government-imposed price controls or hoarding products will be punished with up to six years in prison. Some analysts say the new agriculture law is aimed at Empresas Polar SA, a food and beer manufacturer and Venezuela's largest private company. The move comes days after Mr. Ch?vez declared he would nationalize Banco de Venezuela, the country's third-largest bank, a unit of Spain's Banco Santander. Tuesday, Mr. Ch?vez said a deal was "near" over how much the government would pay for the bank. Santander has said only that it is in talks with the government. Bitter Surprise Guillermo Bolinaga, Polar's legal director, said the new law was a bitter surprise after Mr. Ch?vez invited the company's president, Lorenzo Mendoza, to a much publicized event in June where he asked some of the country's business leaders to work hand in hand with the government to boost economic activity. "We didn't have even one meeting with the government to speak about this new law. It was drafted without consulting any of the important players in the food industry." Another new law gives legal standing to socialist production units like cooperatives, also an idea rejected by voters in December. The central bank, for instance, will issue a special currency to help facilitate trade between different socialist production units, one of the laws states. "This is the government's latest attempt to create a communal economic model that works, which is a key item in Ch?vez's socialist agenda," said Orlando Ochoa, a Venezuela economist. So far these projects have been a failure, with cooperatives gobbling state financing and usually operating at a loss. Cuban Model Unpopular Mr. Ch?vez waited until the last day he could pass laws by decree to adopt the measures "under the table" without garnering attention, said Luis Vicente Leon, head of Venezuelan polling firm Datanalisis. While Mr. Ch?vez remains fairly popular -- with a 56% approval rating -- most Venezuelans don't want him to deepen his "revolution." Polls show 86% of Venezuelans reject using Cuba as a model and 83% want the government to respect private property. One of the few pleasant surprises for the private sector was the banking law, which was mostly unchanged and many thought would push banks to spend more on social projects and dedicate a larger portion of their loans at preferential interest rates to economic sectors the government deems strategic. The moves seem aimed in part at upcoming regional elections in November, when opposition leaders hope to wrest control of several important states and cities across the country. Since the December referendum, Mr. Ch?vez's popularity has declined because of his inability to stem inflation, reverse shortages of basic foods and curb violent crime. One decree gives the president control over a new state fund that will receive "excess resources" from the growing list of state companies boosted by a nationalization drive that has included banks, telephone companies, oil ventures and public power utilities. Mr. Ch?vez will decide where to spend the money, which could allow him to financially choke regional governments controlled by the opposition parties after local elections slated for November. "Everything is related to this upcoming election, and it's hard to imagine he doesn't see this as important in his efforts to keep power," said Peter Hakim, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a think tank in Washington D.C. Write to Darcy Crowe at darcy.crowe at dowjones.com1 ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Wed Aug 6 02:21:51 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:21:51 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Olympics 1968: Black Power Salute | Links Message-ID: <48995F1F.7010607@greenleft.org.au> At the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games the enduring image was Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the African-American athletes raising their gloved clenched fists in support of the Black Power movement during the /Star Spangled Banner/, they were subsequently banned from the games for life. This film looks at what inspired them to make their protest, and what happened to them after the Games. Featuring Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, Bob Beamon and Delroy Lindo. http://links.org.au/node/565 Subscribe free to /Links - International Journal of Socialist Renewal/ - at http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=343373 From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Wed Aug 6 03:10:08 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:10:08 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Patrick Bond's Centre for Civil Society under attack Message-ID: <48996A70.6050709@greenleft.org.au> http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4544608 The Mercury UKZN may snuff out its left brain What's next for Durban's best-known institute of social and environmental justice? August 06, 2008 Edition 1 By Dennis Brutus and Patrick Bond Eye on Civil Society Column University of KwaZulu-Natal vice-chancellor Malegapuru Makgoba is expected to deliver an edict that the Centre for Civil Society will close on December 31. The reason given by dean Donal McCracken to a sceptical School of Development Studies (where the centre is housed) is that staff do not have "permanent" funding. But neither do most of the university's research units, and there is money in centre reserves for at least a couple of years, plus ongoing donor support for many of our projects. Hence this "execution" will be doggedly resisted in the Memorial Tower Building, because UKZN still has many staff and students who remember the struggle for non-racial democracy and don't mind speaking out to challenge misguided decisions. As the two most senior academics in the centre, holding an honorary professorship and tenured research chair, respectively, we will resist, despite what a UKZN internal report recorded - an environment of "intimidation and bullying", in which management "deploys power rather than intellect", as Rhodes professor Jimi Adesina put it. The decision is misguided for many reasons, not least for overturning the official recommendation of a five-month University Research Review finalised in February, which advocated strengthening the centre and giving it more autonomy: "Closing down or removing the centre from UKZN does not appear to be an option as it was rejected by all interviewees and panel members. Through its international recognition and standing, the centre has put UKZN on a world map in social science, a position the university dare not risk to lose." Newsmakers On the local map, the centre has offered nearly 100 free events a year, including seminars, conferences, micro film festivals, literary celebrations and the Harold Wolpe Lecture, Durban's main lecture series. In Howard College, several hundred community residents join academics on the last Thursday of each month to debate newsmakers and intellectuals, global and local - such as, this year, commentator Xolela Mangcu, Soweto activist Trevor Ngwane, filmmaker John Pilger, Kenyan feminist Eunice Sahle and Zimbabwe democracy activists Judith Todd and Joy Mabengwe, as well as local anti-xenophobia campaigners Baruti Amisi, Pierre Matate and Orlean Naidoo. Among our inspirations is Fatima Meer, whom we host this Sunday in Chatsworth in celebration of her 80 years of commitment and wisdom, as well as her decade of support to the "new social movements" in the original Concerned Citizens Forum which in 1998 helped renew urban justice advocacy across South Africa. Meer's Wolpe lecture last year called for a progressive, post-nationalist liberatory politics to emerge from the grassroots, like the creative spark generated in 2001 when the World Social Forum in Brazil rose against the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. With our centre's assistance, the Social Movement Indaba network and Diakonia Council of Churches hosted a local equivalent in January, drawing 400 community and labour leaders. Among those present were many who resisted Inanda Dam displacement, Treatment Action Campaigners and Congolese inner-city traders who hang in against all odds. Evidence of abuse in the authorities' diktat to shut the centre ranges from a flawed process, to extreme race and gender implications, since contract termination affects a dozen black staff, most of whom are working-class. The only paid staffer who should retain his job, McCracken told us, is the sole white expatriate (a writer of this article, Bond, whose government research subsidies more than pay his salary). In addition to UKZN's threat to this centre and a generation of new critical scholars, a great deal of concrete research activity is now at risk. UKZN claims it has South Africa's "second best" research profile (after the University of Pretoria). A modest contribution comes from our centre staff's peer-reviewed articles, chapters and books - 58 in 2007 with an average 50 a year since 2005 (and no, these fortnightly Mercury columns don't count) - which rank us at the top of the university, measured per academic employee. High productivity arises from documenting and interrogating the social laboratories of Durban, South Africa, Africa and the world, where contradictions generated by globalisation and the flawed character of post-colonial politics create conflict. We have sought sites and research areas - climate, energy, water/sanitation, global and national political economy, survival strategies and community philanthropy, the rise of social movements in Africa - where these contradictions tell us more about society, politics, economy, gender, race, environment and other social relations than we would normally get from our academic armchairs. Conflicts Beyond merely trying to understand the conflicts, serious scholars will contribute to addressing them in a non-violent manner, such as through international legal strategies that the other writer of this article, Brutus, contributes to. He does this with the Jubilee and the Khulumani Support Group, aiming for $400 billion (R2 951billion) in reparations to be paid by apartheid-era US and EU corporations - which hopefully will frighten them enough to think twice about their next investment in the Sudan, Zimbabwe, Burma and the like. The danger of the centre's approach to knowledge production, "praxis", is that the research generated sometimes threatens the privileges of power. Two years ago, the same authorities banned Ashwin Desai from continuing employment at the centre and at UKZN, amidst a haze of confusion and weak excuses. We lost a major Human Sciences Research Council "Race and Redress" grant as a result of this interference. In 2003, the US Agency for International Development retracted a multimillion-rand donation after centre founder Adam Habib spoke out against the Iraq war. That sort of style the centre encouraged from the outset: honest and courageous, combining the left brain's love of rigorous detail, and the left side of the body's beating heart. UKZN management has stabbed this centre, but it cannot be allowed to die. So this is really all about politics, and whether a university can host a critical mass of professional academics and community scholars devoted to social justice. # If you have testimonials about the wisdom of closing CCS, for or against, please let us know, at dennisbrutus2002 at yahoo.com and pbond at mail.ngo.za - or fax to 260 2052 - and these will be posted at http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs From Dbachmozart at aol.com Wed Aug 6 05:24:52 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 07:24:52 EDT Subject: [Marxism] The Anthrax Attacks and the Assault on Civil Liberties Message-ID: clip -- We now know for a fact that this was intentional disinformation planted by the Bush Regime on a gullible and incompetent ABC News reporter, who is a disgrace to journalism. No one denies this. We also know for a fact that ABC News will not say who planted on ABC the lies that committed the United States to the dishonor of an illegal invasion, war crimes, and executive branch attack on the US Constitution. How can anyone anywhere in the world rely on ABC News when it serves as a disinformation agency for a criminal regime? The anthrax letters made the ?terrorist attack? seem wider and more general. This increased the sense of peril and Americans? fear and anger, thereby opening wider the door for the Bush Regime?s attack on Iraq and US civil liberty. full -- _http://counterpunch.org/roberts08052008.html_ (http://counterpunch.org/roberts08052008.html) **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 ) From sabocat59 at mac.com Wed Aug 6 05:36:52 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:36:52 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The myth of moderate exercise Message-ID: CB: To lose weight , one has to move more _and_ eat less. (smile) Greg: Yes and no. Simply eating less with the goal of losing weight, even while exercising, will prove difficult. This is because even if you are consuming less junk, even small amounts of simple carbs in the diet will spike your blood sugar, leading shortly thereafter to a crash in energy level, and cause you to crave food even when you don't need it. What does work is, as Les' article suggests, eating correctly, fresh fruit and veggies, etc., and transitioning away from the consumption of simple carbs and animal based saturated fats. The single most important guide folks should have at hand when trying to transition to a healthier diet is a copy of the glycemic index, which will help control for foods which do not spike the blood sugar. This is enough, but to take it to the next level, people with different body types and blood types should be eating in different ways. This is because blood types differentiated from the original type o over time as the result of environmental pressure, environmental pressure stemming from the transition to agriculture and other factors. "Eat Right for your Type", a book by a naturopath named D'Amato, is a good source with strong scientific research on the production of antigens as a result of improper food combining and on the physical anthropology of blood type differentiation. Hyman's new book "UltraMetabolism" goes into all this in great detail, and has good info. on proper food combining and meal plans etc. He makes it simple. Greg McDonald p.s. Of course, if you commute to work by walking or biking, this helps with weight loss and cuts down on fossil fuel consumption at the same time. I currently commute at least 2 out of 4 days, 40 miles total each day. Because I use my back so much in my work, i ride a recumbent bike, which reverses my work posture. After I receive my cut of the Canyon Ranch settlement, I plan to get my dream recumbent bike with a battery-powered electric motor, to shorten my commute time. You can still pedal while the motor is engaged, so you get a good workout but simply go faster and you can keep momentum while climbing hills without having to downshift: http://www.ecospeed.net/prodbike.html From sabocat59 at mac.com Wed Aug 6 05:51:30 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:51:30 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Myth of Moderate exrecise Message-ID: <1235A282-1DAD-4AF5-9059-C57E8DD54A49@mac.com> Sorry, the guy's name is Peter D'adamo, and his theory is not without controversy. Personally, I think the research is pretty sound. But that aside, the Glycemic index is without a doubt the single most important reference for making dietary changes: http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index Greg more on the blood type controversy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type_diet From brownh at hartford-hwp.com Wed Aug 6 06:00:38 2008 From: brownh at hartford-hwp.com (Haines Brown) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:00:38 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Judgementalism from afar In-Reply-To: <18313483.1218001559805.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> (message from Walter Lippmann on Wed, 6 Aug 2008 01:45:59 -0400 (EDT)) References: <18313483.1218001559805.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: > From: Walter Lippmann > > I've changed the subject line because the points I'm here to make > don't relate to Camus, but to puristic types of revolutionaries here > in the United States and elswhere passing judgement on the > strategies, tactics and actions of other revolutionary fighters in > other places, which is what Camus, who presented himself a a > humanistic man wanting a better world for all, but especially for > the Algerien pieds noir. Not sure I quite understood Walter's other points, but I do understand him here and would like to reflect on it. Walter's objection to puristic types who pass judgement on other struggles because they don't happen to coincide with their own is, of course, entirely correct. I'm sure we all would agree. On the other hand, there's an argument in favor of a critical intervention: the working class is universal; our struggle is one. What goes on in some remote place may be quite unlike what is happening here, but it is my struggle because there is one struggle of the working class and what anyone does affects us all. How do we resolve this apparent contradiction? The basis of working-class development is not a particular set of ideas or tactics, but class solidarity. All workers are our brothers, and so one approaches the actions of others in a different situation as extensions of ourselves. If we see something wrong, which is inevitable, we criticize them only if there is a clearly a mutual feeling of love and respect. That applies to differences here at home as well. Economistic bread-and-butter unionism is the same struggle as politically leaping onto the barricade, for both are progressive struggles in the framework of capitalist contradictions. Both challenge the capitalist system and move the working class in a positive direction. If the firebrand cannot see the unionist as his brother, and if that feeling is not mutual, the firebrand should not venture to criticize the opportunism of his fellow worker. However, I'm not advocating a mindless accommodation of anything. First, it is a working-class struggle, not populism. A populist or national liberation struggle might be good and necessary, but it is not really our struggle. There are good people doing good things, such as humanitarian efforts to help people in distress, and they deserve our support, but we can't confuse this with working-class struggle, which might not be humanitarian at all. Second, there are surely situations in which a working-class movement does really goes sour and move in a direction that injures the working class. A critical view is mandatory, but I believe that such criticism can only be done from an internationalist base. Since no working-class internationalism of any significance exists, our judgements have to remain an analysis that serves the needs of our own movement. It is kept in-house, ? la democratic centralism. A particular national, social, ethnic, or ideological sector of the working class can't presume to condemn another sector from an international basis. Haines Brown From markalause at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 06:13:57 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 08:13:57 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Anthrax Attacks and the Assault on Civil Liberties In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thanks. This is all the more reason why an honest investigation of everything around 9-11 is needed... And why this government can never be trusted to do it or to permit any other body in which it has a hand to do it. When the news came that Democrats in Congress were being sent anthrax, the old Reichstag fire came quickly to mind. ML From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Aug 6 07:12:49 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:12:49 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] A reply to Stephen Zunes Message-ID: <4899A351.7060900@panix.com> Making Excuses for Empire: A Reply to the Self-Appointed Defenders of the AEI by George Ciccariello-Maher and Eva Golinger As much as we enjoy puns in titles, Stephen Zunes' recent defense of Gene Sharp's Albert Einstein Institution (AEI) in the article "Sharp Attack Unwarranted," doesn't have much else going for it. Zunes spends most of his time diverting attention from the real issues: the AEI's role in imperial projects, a role which is politically irresponsible at best and consciously undertaken at worst. Unfortunately, in the process of mounting such an unwavering and uncritical defense, Zunes compromises what he claims to be his own political values (especially with regard to the AEI's training of the right-wing Venezuelan opposition). Beating around the Bush (Administration) Diverting attention is a sure sign that someone doesn't have much in the way of an argument, and this seems to be the method of choice for the self-appointed defenders of the Albert Einstein Institution and its "Senior Scholar" Gene Sharp. Stephen Zunes' article seems to tell us a great deal: that Sharp is an octogenarian with a cluttered home in a working-class area, a "mild-mannered intellectual" who gives "rather dry lectures," that he has a long history of civil disobedience and an arrest record to match, that he was even under surveillance by the FBI. What Zunes doesn't tell us is why this matters, or what it has to do with the AEI's support of the Venezuelan opposition. Rather he merely asserts the paramount importance of the personal, claiming that "Gene Sharp's personal history demonstrates the bizarre nature" of the charges we have leveled in the past. full: http://www.monthlyreview.org/mrzine/cmg050808.html From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Aug 6 07:14:23 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:14:23 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Turkey bans youtube (again) Message-ID: <4899A3AF.5050501@panix.com> http://wsws.org/articles/2008/aug2008/turk-a06.shtml From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Aug 6 07:27:12 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:27:12 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Peruvians favor socialism Message-ID: <4899A6B0.6050204@panix.com> Posted to LBO-Talk by Doug http://www.gallup.com/poll/109297/More-Peruvians-Favor-Socialism-Than-Capitalism.aspx From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Aug 6 07:35:27 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:35:27 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Summer news from Haymarket Books Message-ID: <4899A89F.1030107@panix.com> SUMMER NEWS FROM HAYMARKET BOOKS FEATURED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT: --New Haymarket Titles Now Available --Special Offer on Updated Edition of Jeremy Scahill's Blackwater --Author News & Reviews --Upcoming Titles --Haymarket On the Road "Once again, we see the importance of existing outside the network of conglomerate control...The main hope today comes from the new wave of small independent publishers, largely not-for-profits... Firms like Seven Stories, Haymarket, and ? [Melville House] are playing an increasingly important role in making debate possible, though of course they lack the resources of the larger firms." --Andr? Schiffrin, founder, The New Press, in his book A Political Education (2008) The summer has been a busy one so far for Haymarket, with the publication of several exciting titles that range across the best of the radical tradition. And beyond the printed page, Haymarket has also been in the news and on the road. We hope you'll check out not only our newest titles, but also some of the great recent video footage, book reviews, and news stories featuring Haymarket authors, all listed below. NEW HAYMARKET TITLES NOW AVAILABLE Myths of Male Dominance: Collected Articles on Women Cross-Culturally by Eleanor Burke Leacock ISBN: 978-1-931859-57-8 Paperback, $18, 360 pages Myths of Male Dominance is Eleanor Burke Leacock's classic work of cultural anthropology. Drawing on extensive research, including ethnographic work among native Canadian Montagnais-Naskapi women, Leacock's work demonstrates that claims of inherent female subordination and male superiority are undermined by many historical examples of egalitarian gender relations across cultures. History of the Russian Revolution by Leon Trotsky ISBN: 978-1931859-45-5 Paperback, $32, 969 pages We are also proud to announce the publication of several important titles that explore revolutionary history in the twentieth century. First among these is Haymarket's new edition of Leon Trotsky's History of the Russian Revolution. As his biographer Isaac Deutscher wrote, "As an account of a revolution, given by one of its chief actors, it stands unique in world literature." Updated for modern readers in one portable volume, complete with an updated index, this is the authoritative English-language edition of Trotsky's masterpiece. Lenin Rediscovered: What Is To Be Done? in Context by Lars T. Lih ISBN: 978-1931859-58-5 Paperback, $50, 867 pages We have also just published an important new work that addresses a critical debate in Russia's revolutionary history, Lenin Rediscovered: What Is To Be Done? in Context by Lars T. Lih. The polemic Lenin addressed to the Russian socialist movement in 1902 has produced enormous controversy ever since. Many critics have used What Is To Be Done? to cast Lenin in the role of an elitist conspirator. Using impressive new research, Lih challenges this myth. Lenin Reconsidered is the latest title in Haymarket Books' ongoing collaboration with Brill Academic Publishers and the journal Historical Materialism in the ongoing Historical Materialism Book Series. The Revolution and the Civil War in Spain Pierre Brou? and ?mile T?mime ISBN: 978-1-931859-51-6 Paperback, $50, 700 Pages Another important work of revolutionary history just published by Haymarket is Pierre Brou? and Emile T?mime's comprehensive history of the Spanish Civil War, The Revolution and the Civil War in Spain, 1934-1939. British historian Ian Birchall summarizes the achievement of this work in making sense of a political crossroads in European and world history: "Fascism or social revolution? Such was the choice posed by the Spanish Civil War. Brou? and T?mime's study, published in 1961 and long unavailable in English, remains a classic account, partisan but based on scrupulous scholarship. Brou? and T?mime show that 1936 was an authentic revolution, where workers' committees and rural collectives offered a living alternative to fascism and Russian Stalinism." The Comintern by Duncan Hallas ISBN: 978-1-931859-51-6 Paperback, $15, 197 pages This compact, accessible introduction to the history of the Comintern, or Communist International, is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the victories and defeat of genuine socialism in the years immediately following the Russian Revolution. SPECIAL OFFER Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army ISBN 1-56025-979-5 Paperback, $10.20, 550 pgs. Jeremy Scahill's New York Times bestseller Blackwater now out in an updated paperback edition! Jeremy Scahill's prize-winning bestseller Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army is now available in a fully updated paperback edition...and we're offering our readers a 40% discount when you order the book directly from HaymarketBooks.org? that beats Amazon's price, and you'll be supporting the independent press in the process! And while you're at it, watch a full talk by Jeremy speaking about his book at the Socialism 2008 conference in Chicago. _______________________________________________ AUTHOR NEWS & REVIEWS If you haven't gotten the chance to read it yet, check out this terrific recent interview with Dahr Jamail, author of Beyond the Green Zone , recently featured as an editor's pick in Britain's daily newspaper The Guardian. In addition, you can watch the video of a full talk by Dahr about the occupation of Iraq, given at the Socialism 2008 conference in Chicago. A breaking national story has been the ACLU's documentation of domestic police spying against antiwar and anti-death penalty activists in Maryland. One of the activists spied on by Maryland's version of "COINTELPRO" was Haymarket's own Dave Zirin, author of What's My Name, Fool? , Welcome to the Terrordome and the upcoming A People's History of Sports (New Press). With characteristic gusto, Dave strikes back at Homeland Security's fearmongers this past week in a new column you can read across the web, including at The Huffington Post, The Nation online, and SocialistWorker.org . Amy Goodman also interviewed Dave about the case last Monday on Democracy Now! . Plus, watch this funny, terrific talk on sports history by Dave, also given at the Socialism 2008 conference. You can also watch or listen on Democracy Now! to Israeli journalist and Haymarket author Tikva Honig-Parnass, whose book Between the Lines , co-written with Toufic Haddad, challenges the mythology of Israeli apartheid on the sixtieth anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba. Earlier this month, the celebrated South African poet and freedom fighter Dennis Brutus was also interviewed on DN! about an important legal battle for reparations against corporations that profited from apartheid. You can read Dennis' work in Poetry and Protest: A Dennis Brutus Reader , published by and available at Haymarket. ______________________________________________________ AUTHORS ON TOUR Dave Zirin will be on tour through the fall. Updated tour dates are at Dave's website, www.edgeofsports.com . Jeremy Scahill will be speaking at the Texas Book Festival in Austin on November 1-2 and the Miami Book Fair November 14-16. Aaron Glantz will be speaking about the new book Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan at the Alburquerquee Cultural Conference in New Mexico, held August 29-September 1, as well as at seminars at Columbia University's Teachers College in NYC and the Carter Center in Atlanta, GA later in September. __________________________________________________________ UPCOMING TITLES FROM HAYMARKET BOOKS Haymarket is very excited about a number of our new books that will be out soon. The first is Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan , which documents the historic Spring 2008 gathering of veterans in Washington, DC, sponsored by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). The book gathers, in words, images, and documents this historic event that revealed the truth about U.S. occupation. Another important antiwar title soon out will be TomDispatch.com analyst Michael Schwartz's War Without End: The Iraq War in Context , which demolishes the myths used to sell the U.S. public the idea of an endless "war on terror" centered in Iraq. Schwartz shows how the U.S. occupation is fueling rather than restraining civil war in Iraq, and how U.S. officials systematically dismantled the Iraqi state and economy, helping to destroy rather than rebuild the country. Will a Democrat in the White House and a Democratic congress deliver the change so many want to see? Lance Selfa offers a powerful challenge to conventional wisdom from the Left in The Democrats: A Critical History . Offering a broad historical perspective, Selfa shows how the Democratic Party has time and again sabotaged the aspirations of ordinary people while pursuing an agenda favorable to Wall Street and U.S. imperial ambitions. ________________________________ CATCH HAYMARKET BOOKS ON THE ROAD! Harlem Book Fair July 17-20 New York City American Sociological Association 2008 Meeting August 1-4 Boston, MA Popular Palestinian Conference 2008 August 8-10 Chicago, IL Fighting Bob Fest 2008 September 6, 2008 Baraboo, WI Brooklyn Book Festival September 14 Brooklyn, NY New York Is Book Country September 21 New York City Baltimore Book Festival September 26-28 Baltimore Wisconsin Book Festival October 15-19 Madison, WI Modern Language Association Annual Convention December 27-30 San Francisco, CA American Historical Association Annual Meeting January 2-5, 2009 New York City Association of Writing Programs Conference February 11-14 Chicago, IL From walterlx at earthlink.net Wed Aug 6 07:44:03 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 09:44:03 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Summer news from Haymarket Books Message-ID: <31757744.1218030243524.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Wonderful to have Broue out again in a new edition. But $50 is a lot of money, even for a 700 page book. Not breath-taking, but a lot of money. Fidel's 700 page My Life, in hardback, is $40.00 I'm only noting the price difference, nothing else. The Revolution and the Civil War in Spain Pierre Brou? and ?mile T?mime ISBN: 978-1-931859-51-6 Paperback, $50, 700 Pages Another important work of revolutionary history just published by Haymarket is Pierre Brou? and Emile T?mime's comprehensive history of the Spanish Civil War, The Revolution and the Civil War in Spain, 1934-1939. British historian Ian Birchall summarizes the achievement of this work in making sense of a political crossroads in European and world history: "Fascism or social revolution? Such was the choice posed by the Spanish Civil War. Brou? and T?mime's study, published in 1961 and long unavailable in English, remains a classic account, partisan but based on scrupulous scholarship. Brou? and T?mime show that 1936 was an authentic revolution, where workers' committees and rural collectives offered a living alternative to fascism and Russian Stalinism." ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Aug 6 08:12:46 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:12:46 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Callinicos versus Zizek, Negri, Badiou et al Message-ID: <4899B15E.8070803@panix.com> (Ephemera is an online publication with an autonomist editorial perspective.) http://www.ephemeraweb.org/journal/8-2/8-2rowlinson.pdf From Marxism to Critical Management Studies Michael Rowlinson Alex Callinicos (2006) The Resources of Critique. Cambridge: Polity. (PB: pp. 328, ?16.99, ISBN: 9780745631615) Nearly twenty years ago, just when many of our colleagues in the emerging field of Critical Management Studies (CMS) were immersing themselves in the work of Baudrillard, Derrida, Foucault, and Lyotard, Alex Callinicos came up with an essential guide and antidote, Against Postmodernism: A Marxist Critique (1990). Now, having produced innumerable essential texts on social theory in the meantime, Callinicos has come up with ?an immanent critique? of another set of contemporary theorists in The Resources of Critique (2006), namely J?rgen Habermas, Jacques Bidet, Luc Boltanski, Eve Chiapello, Pierre Bourdieu, Alain Badiou, Slavoj ?i?ek, and Antonio Negri. As I discovered when I attended a workshop organized by the Centre for Philosophy and Political Economy at the University of Leicester in 2005, Negri in particular, or rather Hardt?s and Negri?s Empire (2000) and Multitude (2004), have a set of self-styled ?autonomist? devotees within British business schools who see themselves as too critical even for CMS. And now that there is an English translation available, Boltanski?s and Chiapello?s The New Spirit of Capitalism (2006) is also acquiring a following amongst the ?critters? of CMS. I have no doubt that the acolytes of these (non-management) gurus will dismiss Callinicos?s The Resources of Critique as a predictable reiteration of orthodox Marxism, which in many ways it is, although, as I will show, when he sets out his own position Callinicos concedes that there are significant weaknesses in classical Marxism. Part I offers more or less self-contained critiques of each author. For example, Callinicos provides a neat summary and critique of Boltanski?s and Chiapello?s The New Spirit of Capitalism, which he warns is ?too long and at points disorganized and repetitive? (p. 63). He sees ?i?ek?s ?torrent of books? as brilliant, but also derivative and repetitive, which makes ?i?ek more difficult to summarize and critique. Callinicos claims to show how each theorist has ?failed in their own terms to provide a sound philosophical basis for social critique and, more broadly, for transcendence, understood as our ability to go beyond the limits set by existing beliefs and practices? (p. 243). Given that this reads much like a collection of extended book reviews, there is little point in me reviewing the book chapter by chapter. Instead I will pick out some themes that strike me as most relevant for CMS. In 1990 Callinicos claimed that postmodernism represented a response to the retreat of the left since 1968. In The Resources of Critique Callinicos reiterates his earlier diagnosis more forcefully by suggesting that the defeat of the left runs even deeper. For example, he maintains that at the start of the 21st century ?the ideological influence of Marxism and of the classical left was far weaker than it had been perhaps since the Revolutions of 1848? (p. 5). He acknowledges that ?Marxism has been relatively marginal to the contemporary revival of social critique and anti-capitalist contestation? (p. 9). And he sees it as unsurprising that Walter Benjamin has found favour in the new forms of social critique, given that: ?His ?Theses on the Philosophy of History?, written after the Hitler-Stalin Pact of August 1939, resonated with a new time of historical disillusion, as the crisis in the Western left that began in the second half of the 1970s climaxed in the collapse of the Soviet Union and the eclipse of ?historical Communism?.? (p. 85) Callinicos acknowledges that what is distinctive about the ?new styles of social critique? is that they ?go beyond expos?s of specific institutions or policies, to offer, among other things, what amounts to philosophical justifications of their own existence? (p. 5). But he does not offer any such justification for his own position. How is it, we are entitled to ask, that if the Marxist left is in worse shape than it has ever been before, comparable with the time of the Hitler-Stalin Pact, that Callinicos can expect us to believe that Marxism alone offers the prospect of ?transcendance?? And arguably the reference to transcendence represents a terminological or rhetorical retreat from the classical leftist insistence on the need for revolution. I can imagine many of Callinicos?s comrades in the Socialist Workers Party wondering whether transcendence is simply an academic philosophical euphemism for revolution. (clip) From sabocat59 at mac.com Wed Aug 6 08:29:56 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:29:56 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] GI Index guide Message-ID: http://www.glycemicindex.com/ From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 08:49:25 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 10:49:25 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] =?iso-8859-1?q?WSJ=3A_In_Enacting_Decrees=2C_Ch=E1vez_M?= =?iso-8859-1?q?akes_New_Power_Grab?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <908b689f0808060749k13d7b63dl4f245dd35e1bfe44@mail.gmail.com> On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 3:47 AM, Walter Lippmann wrote: > But a number of the > new decrees were part of the referendum that was rejected by voters -- > sparking accusations that Mr. Ch?vez is evading the will of the people. If this is true, it is NOT acceptable. Chavez should wait and try to get them accepted by voters in a future referendum, rather than passing by decree something that the people have rejected. That is very undemocratic. From walterlx at earthlink.net Wed Aug 6 08:52:56 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 10:52:56 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] =?utf-8?q?WSJ=3A_In_Enacting_Decrees=2C_Ch=C3=A1vez_Mak?= =?utf-8?q?es_New_Power_Grab?= Message-ID: <24913316.1218034376646.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> This action was taken out in accordance with applicable provisions of Venezuelan law still in force, on the last day of the law. We can't know if he can make it stick, and time will tell if it was the right thing to do, but it was within applicable previsions of the decree rule which he continue to have until yesterday. Walter Venezuela makes only minor change to bank law August 5, 2008 http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSN0531146320080805 CARACAS, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Venezuela has made only a minor reform to its banking law, in contrast to Wall Street expectations of major financial regulatory changes as part of a package of 26 laws decreed by leftist President Hugo Chavez. Analysts had expected the socialist leader, who last week announced the nationalization of a local unit of Spain's Grupo Santander (SAN.MC: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), would use the legislation to boost state control over banks. But the law, distributed on Tuesday, included only a single change regarding how Venezuela's state-run bank deposit guarantee corporation can transfer assets to other state agencies. Government leaders for months had discussed a range of options for the law, including increasing requirements that banks set aside a certain portion of their portfolios to specific sectors such as small business or agricultural loans. Chavez at the end of July passed a package of laws, through special powers allowing him to legislate by decree, that increase state involvement in economic activities ranging from food and agriculture to railroads. (Reporting by Deisy Buitrago, Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Dan Grebler) ================================= >If this is true, it is NOT acceptable. Chavez should wait and try to >get them accepted by voters in a future referendum, rather than >passing by decree something that the people have rejected. That is >very undemocratic. > ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From marvgandall at videotron.ca Wed Aug 6 08:55:34 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:55:34 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Peruvians favor socialism References: <4899A6B0.6050204@panix.com> Message-ID: <00ac01c8f7d4$7b128d80$6401a8c0@MARV> (My comment on LBO) Doug writes: > The URL says it all: > > > ============================================ Depends what people have in mind when they describe themselves as "socialist". For most, it doesn't correspond to the classical Marxist notion of a "proletarian dictatorship" and public ownership, but to the capitalist welfare state model favoured by social democrats. The poll notes that only a small percentage of the sample was attracted to what Gallup calls the "extreme forms of socialism" practiced under Chavez in Venezuela (21%), Morales in Bolivia (28%), and Correa in Ecuador (31%). From skeyesvogt at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 09:10:06 2008 From: skeyesvogt at gmail.com (Sky Keyes-Vogt) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 11:10:06 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Judgementalism from afar Message-ID: Walter said: ...for awhile there we had a lot of whiny criticism of the Iraqi forces who were and are resisting the occupation of their country by Washington's armies. Socialist Action was prominent in that if memory serves. My response: I am familiar with Socialist Action literature on Iraq and I cannot remember an article that did not support the right of the Iraqis to resist the occupation. In fact I do not know of any group in the U.S. or anyone on this list that has made such an arguement. Walter may - by citing "whiny criticism" - be referring to criticisms made of tactics used by the resistance forces in Iraq in certain occasions. I ask this: what kind of revolutionaries have we become if we can't criticize each other and liberation forces worldwide in an attempt to come to the best understanding possible of how to overthrow world capitalism? These are not bourgeois moralist arguements that strike at the heart of the right to resist, but principled arguements about what the best strategy is. This goes for the Iraqi resistance (which is not homogenous, and thus criticisms of different elements do not apply to the entire resistance), FARC, Hezbollah, INLA, RIRA, the ANC, the Cuban CP and many other groups that are vying for power or do have power. This is not about being armchair revolutionaries who criticize and never get involved, but I - as a Marxist youth - ask a serious question: aside from participation in the struggle, how are we to sharpen our analytical swords if we do not criticize, debate and discuss these movements, parties, etc.? It is my understanding that our revolutionary heritage is filled with groups criticizing each other's tactics and strategies... Trotsky's criticisms of the POUM leadership in the failed Spanish Revolution come directly to mind. In the future I hope that when anyone is called out for being "whiny criticizers" we can at least have a quote or two of evidence of such behavior. From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Aug 6 09:11:30 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:11:30 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Peruvians favor socialism In-Reply-To: <00ac01c8f7d4$7b128d80$6401a8c0@MARV> References: <4899A6B0.6050204@panix.com> <00ac01c8f7d4$7b128d80$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <4899BF22.5010509@panix.com> Marvin Gandall wrote: > Depends what people have in mind when they describe themselves as > "socialist". For most, it doesn't correspond to the classical Marxist notion > of a "proletarian dictatorship" and public ownership, but to the capitalist > welfare state model favoured by social democrats. The poll notes that only a > small percentage of the sample was attracted to what Gallup calls the > "extreme forms of socialism" practiced under Chavez in Venezuela (21%), > Morales in Bolivia (28%), and Correa in Ecuador (31%). It's a bit more complicated. Garcia won by a small margin against an opponent who had exactly the same kind of politics that are supposedly "extreme" and in fact the bourgeois press in Peru made a big to-do about this, helping to frighten people into voting for Garcia. This is a point that Joaquin was trying to make recently--and one I strongly agree with. People don't make revolutions because they are converted to socialism. They are instead trying to overcome huge obstacles in the way to living a decent life, including not having land to grow food on, etc. From walterlx at earthlink.net Wed Aug 6 09:22:26 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 11:22:26 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Judgementalism from afar Message-ID: <16322530.1218036146170.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> I cited what THE MILITANT just wrote on Colombia. Here are two other such whiny critical links fro SA and SWP. Search their sites for more. SOCIALIST ACTION: Thus, the resistance in Iraq seems to have come to a crossroads. Unless it overcomes these divisions, it risks being crushed militarily by the U.S. forces and their local allies. It cannot build a united movement based on religious organizations and loyalties. It has to find a political basis for uniting the overwhelming Iraqi rejection of the occupation and its local stooges. The repression launched by the Allawi government makes it more difficult to build a political alternative, which, of course, is its major objective. But the stakes for the resistance are very high and its popular support is very wide, despite religious divisions. And so, there is a strong incentive to find new formulas for unity. If it does, it will turn the relationship of forces in the entire region decisively against U.S. imperialism and its local allies. This article first appeared in the December 2004 issue of Socialist Action newspaper. http://www.geocities.com/mnsocialist/iraqi8.html Here's a citation from THE MILTANT: Is there any substantial resistance beyond these Baathist remnants? Again, the burden of proof is on those making these assertions. One thing is certain, however: Tariq Ali?s claim of ?very severe demoralization inside the ranks of the U.S. army? is a fiction. In the U.S. armed forces today, which is made of highly trained volunteers, not draftees, the morale of the ranks will not take big blows until they encounter the kind of terrible casualties inflicted by the workers and peasants of Indochina in the last half of the 20th century. The stance of class-conscious workers in the United States and other imperialist countries is to demand the unconditional withdrawal of all occupation troops from Iraq to Afghanistan and beyond. The struggle to free Iraq from imperialist domination, however, is not short-term. It can only be carried out by workers and farmers, not by a stand-in for working people. Revolutionists in Iraq today would use the civic space that does exist, however limited, to build organizations that can lead the toilers toward this goal. Developing the necessary leadership will take time and experience and will be influenced above all by developments in the class struggle worldwide. The biggest obstacles facing the imperialist rulers? aggressive course are world capitalism?s continuing tendency toward financial collapse and, most importantly, the resulting resistance among workers and farmers throughout the world, including in the United States. It is this relationship of forces between the main contending classes?the capitalists and working people?that class-conscious workers must accurately assess and act on. http://www.themilitant.com/2003/6745/674536.html http://www.themilitant.com/2003/6745/674536.html ================================================== >In the future I hope that when anyone is called out for being "whiny >criticizers" we can at least have a quote or two of evidence of such >behavior. ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From marvgandall at videotron.ca Wed Aug 6 09:23:05 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:23:05 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Peruvians favor socialism References: <4899A6B0.6050204@panix.com> <00ac01c8f7d4$7b128d80$6401a8c0@MARV> <4899BF22.5010509@panix.com> Message-ID: <00d701c8f7d8$52c0e8f0$6401a8c0@MARV> Louis wrote: > Marvin Gandall wrote: >> Depends what people have in mind when they describe themselves as >> "socialist". For most, it doesn't correspond to the classical Marxist >> notion >> of a "proletarian dictatorship" and public ownership, but to the >> capitalist >> welfare state model favoured by social democrats. The poll notes that >> only a >> small percentage of the sample was attracted to what Gallup calls the >> "extreme forms of socialism" practiced under Chavez in Venezuela (21%), >> Morales in Bolivia (28%), and Correa in Ecuador (31%). > > It's a bit more complicated. Garcia won by a small margin against an > opponent who had exactly the same kind of politics that are supposedly > "extreme" and in fact the bourgeois press in Peru made a big to-do about > this, helping to frighten people into voting for Garcia. This is a point > that Joaquin was trying to make recently--and one I strongly agree with. > People don't make revolutions because they are converted to socialism. > They are instead trying to overcome huge obstacles in the way to living > a decent life, including not having land to grow food on, etc. =============================== Agreed. From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Aug 6 09:25:39 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:25:39 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Judgementalism from afar In-Reply-To: <16322530.1218036146170.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <16322530.1218036146170.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <4899C273.3040200@panix.com> Walter Lippmann wrote: > SOCIALIST ACTION: > Thus, the resistance in Iraq seems to have come to a crossroads. > Unless it overcomes these divisions, it risks being crushed > militarily by the U.S. forces and their local allies. It cannot build > a united movement based on religious organizations and loyalties. It > has to find a political basis for uniting the overwhelming Iraqi > rejection of the occupation and its local stooges. > > The repression launched by the Allawi government makes it more > difficult to build a political alternative, which, of course, is its > major objective. But the stakes for the resistance are very high and > its popular support is very wide, despite religious divisions. And > so, there is a strong incentive to find new formulas for unity. If it > does, it will turn the relationship of forces in the entire region > decisively against U.S. imperialism and its local allies. This makes perfect sense to me. As far as the Militant is concerned, they are raving lunatics as anybody knows. From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Wed Aug 6 10:08:52 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:08:52 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Pinkins foreclosure victory Message-ID: <48999454.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Pinkins foreclosure victory By Diane Bukowski The Michigan Citizen DETROIT ? ?As my pastor Walker J. Cheek would say, ?We are happy glad,?? said Nikki Curl after her mother Rubie Curl Pinkins, 72, won her battle to remain in her home of 45 years with her daughter Jacquelyn and husband Robert. ?My mother feels much better,? said Curl. ?I just put her on a plane to Russell Shoals, Alabama for her family reunion so that she could celebrate.? On Friday, July 25, a settlement between Pinkins and Countrywide Home Loans, which is owned by the Bank of America, was reached in front of Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Susan Borman. The settlement maintains Pinkins in her home in exchange for payment from a reverse mortgage of the money she owed Countrywide at the time of redemption. Curl said community and church members, along with State Sen. Hansen Clarke and even Gov. Jennifer Granholm responded positively to her family?s call for support. ?We were very pleased to be able to achieve a positive outcome for Mrs. Pinkins,? said her attorney Vanessa Fluker. The support of the community, the Moratorium Now Coalition and various politicians coming together prevented an egregious situation from happening. It?s unfortunate that it takes a public outcry to win such cases.? On July 18, hundreds of community supporters rallied in front of the Pinkins home on Holden. On July 22, dozens demonstrated outside of the downtown Detroit Bank of America headquarters. Fluker said she and Curl went inside to confront the vice-president there despite police attempts to remove the picketers, including Mrs. Pinkins in her wheelchair. ?Especially in circumstances like this one, when I get a motion, I encourage the parties to sit down and talk,? said Judge Borman. ?It?s in everybody?s best interest to come to an agreement. It doesn?t do anyone any good to throw a family out. What is Countrywide going to do with the home? What is the city and the neighborhood going to do with the home? I?m glad that I put my own little pressure on them to settle.? Countrywide spokesperson Rick Simon said in a statement, ?Countrywide?s first priority when customers face financial difficulty is always homeownership preservation. Today, we are pleased to report that we have accepted an offer from Rubie Curl-Pinkins to repurchase her foreclosed home for slightly less than the total amount due currently. . . . The second extension period was set to expire Friday, July 25; however attorneys for Countrywide and Mrs. Curl Pinkins have entered an order with the Wayne County Circuit Court giving her time to access the funds to execute the new payoff agreement.? Fluker said Countrywide at first tried to insist on $3,000 in interest on the loan, but backed off from that demand. Attorney Jerome Goldberg, of the Moratorium NOW! Coalition, said the victory has spurred their efforts to win passage of Clarke?s senate bill for a two-year moratorium on foreclosures in Michigan. He said he just spoke at a rally in Los Angeles, in front of hundreds of members of Service Employees International Union Local 721. They have formed a Labor-Community Coalition to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions and fight for a moratorium. The foreclosure rate in California this year is 261 percent higher than that last year. Goldberg said that SEIU plans a demonstration in front of city hall on Sept. 17 calling for LA?s mayor to declare a state of emergency and a moratorium, and for Governor Arnold Schwarznegger to do the same state-wide. The date coincides with a Sept. 17 protest in Lansing. Goldberg also said the San Diego city attorney has filed a lawsuit against Countrywide and other mortgage holders, winning an injunction against foreclosures and declaring San Diego a sanctuary from foreclosures. Contact the Moratorium NOW! Coalition at 313.319.0870. This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From ccarrico at temple.edu Wed Aug 6 10:24:16 2008 From: ccarrico at temple.edu (Christopher Carrico) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 12:24:16 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Callinicos versus Zizek, Negri, Badiou et al Message-ID: <20080806122416.DNP29559@po-f.temple.edu> Hi everyone. Just resubscribed after a long absence during which I wasn't finding much time to keep up with reading the list... Anyway... I am in Guyana again, as a Lecturer in Amerindian Studies and Sociology at the University of Guyana. I just read Callinicos's Resources of Critique and found it quite useful. Will try to collect my thoughts on it sometime during the next few days and post them to the list. Take care! Chris Carrico From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 11:09:24 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 13:09:24 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Judgementalism from afar In-Reply-To: References: <18313483.1218001559805.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <908b689f0808061009i1f482846oe87609aca24ce9e1@mail.gmail.com> On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 8:00 AM, Haines Brown wrote: >All workers are our brothers Fine, but how do you define a "worker"? It is much more complicated than in Marx's day. Consider a worker in an IT start-up who owns millions of dollars in stock options? Are these workers also our brothers? Or, are they out step-brothers? Or our cousins? Or no relation at all? From dave.walters at comcast.net Wed Aug 6 11:41:11 2008 From: dave.walters at comcast.net (David Walters) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:41:11 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Judgementalism from afar Message-ID: <4899E237.4070901@comcast.net> Walter seems to be the only one whining. The article from SA was spot on, it seems. Again, if it raises an iota of criticism, then Walter whines about it. Strange for someone who participating on a Marxist e-mail list. David From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Wed Aug 6 11:43:20 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:43:20 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Myth of Moderate Exercise Message-ID: <4899AA78.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Pat Costello Charles Brown: To lose weight , one has to move more _and_ eat less. (smile) Me: Sounds simple but its not. It helps to have the right genes. ^^^^^ CB: Yes, I was thinking the discussion was _only_ about exercise. Moving more is necessary too, but , as you say, may not be sufficient. On the other hand, I wonder whether very many people have "prohibitive" genes. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/08/health/08fat.html?_r=1&scp=7&sq=obesity%20study%20prison&st=cse&oref=slogin May 8, 2007 Genes Take Charge, and Diets Fall by the Wayside This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From dave.walters at comcast.net Wed Aug 6 11:46:53 2008 From: dave.walters at comcast.net (David Walters) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:46:53 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. Message-ID: <4899E38D.2050507@comcast.net> [Wonder if Walter considers this criticism by the COB leader to be "whining"?--David] If disputes over rules continue, it may lead to multiple interpretations of Sunday's results, and the situation could deteriorate into a crisis between executive and judicial branches. Today the country faces widespread political turmoil as interest groups take advantage of the unrest to air grievances. "With the election of Evo, people woke up," Mario Lopez, secretary of Bolivia's national worker's union, said while leading protests in La Paz. The union set off dynamite blasts in front of several ministries on July 30 while pressing for new pension plans. "And now if Evo Morales won't fulfill his promises, and keep order in this country, the workers will." Full: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/05/MNAE123L1M.DTL From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Wed Aug 6 11:54:31 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:54:31 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Myth of Moderate Exercise Message-ID: <4899AD17.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Les Schaffer Charles Brown wrote: > CB: To lose weight , one has to move more _and_ eat less. (smile) > how about move more and eat better? see this interesting article on fighting obesity in Los Angeles communities: ^^^^ CB: Sure , eat better for overall good health. But don't eat _too_ much better food for losing weight. Food is like a drug. Many people eat in order to feel better, calm their upset , get a high etc. This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Aug 6 12:10:54 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:10:54 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How the University Works; Reclaiming the Ivory Tower Message-ID: <4899E92E.5000907@panix.com> A couple of months ago I reviewed Frank Donoghue?s ?The Last Professors?, a study of the disappearance of full-time tenure positions in higher education. This is a follow-up with two equally valuable books on the same topic. One is ?How the University Works: Higher Education and the Low-Wage Nation? by Marc Bousquet that is distinguished by its grasp of the overall political economy that has encouraged an attack on teachers. The other is Joe Berry?s ?Reclaiming the Ivory Tower?, a handbook for adjuncts who are trying to organize against the university power structure. I feel a particular obligation in calling attention to these three books because there are hundreds of students on the Marxism mailing list or who read my blog who might be planning to become college teachers themselves one day. They should be aware that the profession is not what it once was. Considering the fact that most of them are probably humanities majors, they are particularly vulnerable to the attacks taking place. With the dissertation process amounting to a kind of ordeal in itself, it is shocking to think that after 5 to 10 years of often very frustrating intellectual labor that you will end up as contingent labor with no health benefits, no pension, no office and no guarantee of employment from semester to semester. In his introduction, Bousquet compares the growth of contingent labor in academia to that of HMO?s. In many ways, Bousquet?s passion will remind you of Michael Moore?s ?Sicko?. As chroniclers of the decay of American society during the epoch of downsizing, privatization and growing class differentiation, such social critics have their hands full. It is a boom time for both hedge fund managers and latter-day muckrakers. In many ways, it is not surprising that a two tier system is developing in American colleges, with mostly older, white males in tenure positions and women in adjunct positions. This mirrors what has happened in a number of the old-line basic industries that used to be a source of good pay and job security, even if under dangerous working conditions. The UAW, the Teamsters et al are glad to cut deals with the boss that preserve traditional wage and benefit structures for the older worker while allowing the younger ones to drift toward the bottom. The same thing is true in high technology with Microsoft relying heavily on contingent labor, thus prompting the same kind of outrage and activism now being manifested in the academy. Being a drone in an administrative department of a major research university (Columbia) for over 17 years makes me less susceptible than other people to accept the myth of a benign nonprofit dedicated only to its students and the community. But I never dreamed that things could have reached such a stage before reading Bousquet. In chapter two, he discusses William Massy?s ?Virtual U?, a ?computer simulation of university management in game form? that was designed by a former Stanford vice president with a $1 million grant from the Sloan foundation. full: http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2008/08/06/how-the-university-works-reclaiming-the-ivory-tower/ From sabocat59 at mac.com Wed Aug 6 12:28:16 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:28:16 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The myth of moderate exercise Message-ID: CB: Sure , eat better for overall good health. But don't eat _too_ much better food for losing weight. Food is like a drug. Many people eat in order to feel better, calm their upset , get a high etc. Greg: Any decent clinical weight loss program these days will take into consideration psychological and cultural dimensions of habitual eating patterns; many of them draw from traditional eastern practices as well as from western behavioral approaches in their treatment plans. From markalause at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 12:39:34 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 14:39:34 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How the University Works; Reclaiming the Ivory Tower In-Reply-To: <4899E92E.5000907@panix.com> References: <4899E92E.5000907@panix.com> Message-ID: The gender disparity reflects the overwhelming disproportion of female adjuncts in fields like English where there are lots of classes and lots of adjuncts. In history, white men predominate among the adjuncts, even more than among the full times. I'm not sure why. I'm at a loss as to the project of reclaiming the universities and colleges though. None of them were ever really institutions of the people. We are probably on the verge of a major downsizing and partial dismantling of higher education as it previously existed. What the state institutions are increasingly producing is something like "College Lite" heavily emphasizing vocational training, and luring students by the prospect of making more money (much as was the old selling point about finishing high school). For that, all they're going to want is a processing of the numbers and the academic migrant worker is suited for that. ML From rfls12802 at blueyonder.co.uk Wed Aug 6 12:58:44 2008 From: rfls12802 at blueyonder.co.uk (Paul Flewers) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 19:58:44 +0100 Subject: [Marxism] For Historians With a Strong Stomach: Complete Nixon White House Tapes Message-ID: <002101c8f7f6$732fff40$598ffdc0$@co.uk> List members studying the Nixon era may be interested in this. Paul F +++++++++++++++++++++ -----Original Message----- From: H-NET List for Diplomatic History [mailto:H-DIPLO at H-NET.MSU.EDU] On Behalf Of H-Diplo [Ball] Sent: 06 August 2008 18:01 To: H-DIPLO at H-NET.MSU.EDU Subject: ANN: Complete Nixon White House Cabinet Room Tapes Online For the first time, the recordings from the Nixon White House Cabinet Room are made available to the public in an accessible format at this URL: http://www.nixontapes.org These recordings include every meeting, tour group, briefing, and private conversation that occurred in the Cabinet Room, as captured on the Nixon recording system between February 16, 1971, and July 11, 1973. Remarkably, these audio files were originally released by the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) Archives II at College Park, Maryland, in 2002, but were made available to onsite researchers only, and only on analog cassette format. With the assistance of the National Security Archive, these files are now available on nixontapes.org, and at the time of the creation of this compilation, these tapes, in whole or in part, are not available anywhere else outside of the reading room at NARA's Archives II. What makes the Cabinet Room recordings unique is that the room itself could accommodate more participants than the average meeting recorded on a White House Telephone, in the Lincoln Sitting Room, or in the president's Executive Office Building retreat. Thus, these recordings often captured larger meetings with Congressional leaders, various domestic councils, presidential commissions, task forces, meetings of the National Security Council, an occasional Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting, top secret briefings by Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms, an international summit meeting--such as the U.S.-Soviet meetings during June 1973, and, of course, Cabinet meetings, along with many other types of gatherings. Also, while taping at other White House locations was ended earlier in 1973 by Watergate-era Chief of Staff Al Haig, the Cabinet Room recordings continued until July 1973, even after the revelation of the taping system before the Watergate investigating committee by presidential aide Alexander Butterfield. While it will be years more before scholars and researchers transcribe these recordings, this release marks the first time they have been made readily accessible to the public. http://www.nixontapes.org From sartesian at earthlink.net Wed Aug 6 13:20:20 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 15:20:20 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Going/Coming Around References: <487E1B54.1060307@panix.com><000d01c8e75e$519ffa40$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad><487E3606.30301@panix.com><007c01c8e77e$0b42c580$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad><1216239844.5121.16.camel@localhost> <00d901c8e787$65755a50$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <033501c8f7f9$7833d7c0$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Financial Times August 6, 2008 Producers scramble to lock in oil prices Crude oil and natural gas producers are scrambling to "lock in" prices by buying insurance against further drops as oil yesterday hit a fresh three-month low of $118 a barrel.... In the options market over last week, for every buyer of insurance against a rise in prices in 2009 there were almost 10 buyers of protection against a fall. Traders said strong buying of put options-- contracts that give holders the right to sell crude oil at a predetermined price and date-- might be exacerbating the fall in oil prices. The options' originators, such as Wall Street banks, need to sell future-- pushing down prices-- to hedge their portfolio positions... __________________ From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 13:27:43 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 15:27:43 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How the University Works; Reclaiming the Ivory Tower In-Reply-To: References: <4899E92E.5000907@panix.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808061227u62ce110fy672bb7fe5a11d96@mail.gmail.com> On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 2:39 PM, Mark Lause wrote: > I'm at a loss as to the project of reclaiming the universities and > colleges though. None of them were ever really institutions of the > people. > > We are probably on the verge of a major downsizing and partial > dismantling of higher education as it previously existed. What the > state institutions are increasingly producing is something like > "College Lite" heavily emphasizing vocational training, and luring > students by the prospect of making more money (much as was the old > selling point about finishing high school). This will only change if *college students* now demand a different kind of education. The universities changed (somewhat) in the 60s because *students* were out on the streets protesting and asking the university to change. Anyway, things will adjust after a while -- fewer people will start going for a humanities PhD, and so the oversupply of PhDs will be halted. (There are many more career options than being an instructor, surely.) At that point, pay/conditions for hires might improve due to supply and demand. From walterlx at earthlink.net Wed Aug 6 13:30:03 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 15:30:03 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. Message-ID: <10945521.1218051003218.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> David Walters doesn't explain how this bomb-throwing on the eve of an important election - which bomb throwing is unlikely to encourage a broad participation in the election, is going to help defeat the maneuvers of the right and strengthen the self-confidence and the combativity of the Bolivian proletariat. He doesn't tell us what position the COB is taking on the various referenda questions and we know the COB leadership has been opposed to Evo Morales all along. It seems like the COB is trying to disrupt the elections before they take place. Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ===================================================================== [Wonder if Walter considers this criticism by the COB leader to be "whining"?--David] If disputes over rules continue, it may lead to multiple interpretations of Sunday's results, and the situation could deteriorate into a crisis between executive and judicial branches. Today the country faces widespread political turmoil as interest groups take advantage of the unrest to air grievances. "With the election of Evo, people woke up," Mario Lopez, secretary of Bolivia's national worker's union, said while leading protests in La Paz. The union set off dynamite blasts in front of several ministries on July 30 while pressing for new pension plans. "And now if Evo Morales won't fulfill his promises, and keep order in this country, the workers will." Full: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/05/MNAE123L1M.DTL ================================================================ Bolivian Gov't Investigates Clashes La Paz, Aug 6 (Prensa Latina) Bolivian Government Minister Alfredo Rada confirmed that the executive is investigating a clash between miners and police in the region of Huanuni, taking a toll of two deaths and 30 wounded. According to Rada, the incident took place when the police was trying to unblock a main crossroads, whose access had been blocked since Monday by workers who demanded a new pension law. Rada told reporters that the workers' demands are being debated in the National Congress, adding that those and other measures of protests in the country are supported by the opposition in its effort to hinder the referendum to revoke major authorities next Sunday. The top official explained that the police intervened in the conflict when they learned that the miners planned to blow up a bridge in the town of Caihuasi, in the central department of Oruro, some 143 miles south of La Paz. Rada pointed out that the miners had powerful explosives to carry out the action, which the government prevented because it affected a road and it is an attack on the country's economic and social life. Rada refuted media stories on the use of firearms by the police, who only did their duty to preserve public order and reestablish traffic, he stressed. In that regard, the minister said that hours before the clash, the Police chief, General Miguel Gemio, had assured President Evo Morales that the police officers taking part in the operation were unarmed. The roadblocks of the road that connects La Paz with the departments of Oruro, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz were carried out in support for the Bolivian Workers' Confederation (COB), which is demanding that the government approves a new pension law. President Morales urged the COB on Tuesday not to play the right wing's game, which is aimed at destabilizing the government. hr/jg/ga Bolivia Waits Expectantly Presidential Message La Paz, Aug 6 (Prensa Latina) Bolivian President Evo Morales is to present Wednesday to the country his mandate report, on occasion of the 183rd anniversary of the Independence Day in this country. According to the statesman, the decision to refuse his visit to Sucre responded the intransigent attitude taken by Chuquisaca authorities, who supported violent groups' provocations. "I won't be in Sucre due to possible confrontation among Bolivians that could bring dangerous consequences," the president noted. Morales also stated that other protests by social sectors in the country form the opposition strategy to hinder a referendum slated for Sunday. Bolivian Vice President Alvaro Garcia decided Tuesday to suspend the National Congress' honorary session, scheduled for the day of the country's foundation. Garcia explained that the traditional call to this meeting, also in Sucre, has been affected by extremist groups that threatened physical security of parliamentarians, ministers of State and diplomats invited to those activities. Bolivians' homeland holiday have been tarnished here due to clashes carried out by social sectors, among them miners and the Trade Union, which demand a new pension law, a text the legislative is debating. Another example of those hostilities has been attacks to delegations causing that Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and Argentina's Cristina Fernandez cancelled their visit to Tarija. The Venezuelan statesman termed distressing from Buenos Aires the violent course of those happenings in Bolivia and held "oligarchy and the fifth national column" at the service of the US empire responsible for that situation. hr/iff/ga -----Original Message----- >From: David Walters >Sent: Aug 6, 2008 1:46 PM >To: walterlx at earthlink.net >Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. > >[Wonder if Walter considers this criticism by the COB leader to be >"whining"?--David] > >If disputes over rules continue, it may lead to multiple interpretations >of Sunday's results, and the situation could deteriorate into a crisis >between executive and judicial branches. Today the country faces >widespread political turmoil as interest groups take advantage of the >unrest to air grievances. > >"With the election of Evo, people woke up," Mario Lopez, secretary of >Bolivia's national worker's union, said while leading protests in La >Paz. The union set off dynamite blasts in front of several ministries on >July 30 while pressing for new pension plans. "And now if Evo Morales >won't fulfill his promises, and keep order in this country, the workers >will." > >Full: >http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/05/MNAE123L1M.DTL > > >________________________________________________ >YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. >Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu >Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/walterlx%40earthlink.net ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From absynthe at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 13:35:59 2008 From: absynthe at gmail.com (chegitz guevara) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 15:35:59 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Summer news from Haymarket Books In-Reply-To: <31757744.1218030243524.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <31757744.1218030243524.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: It's $40.50 on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Civil-War-Spain/dp/1931859515/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218051283&sr=8-10 On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 9:44 AM, Walter Lippmann wrote: > Wonderful to have Broue out again in a new edition. > But $50 is a lot of money, even for a 700 page book. > Not breath-taking, but a lot of money. Fidel's 700 > page My Life, in hardback, is $40.00 I'm only noting > the price difference, nothing else. > > The Revolution and the Civil War in Spain > 19d4/2538423/73c62aed?uri=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5oYXltYXJrZXRib29rcy5vcmcvTWV > yY2hhbnQyL21lcmNoYW50Lm12P1NjcmVlbj1QUk9EJlN0b3JlX0NvZGU9SGF5bWFya2 > V0JlByb2R1Y3RfQ29kZT1XSFJDV1M> > > Pierre Brou? and ?mile T?mime > ISBN: 978-1-931859-51-6 > Paperback, $50, 700 Pages > > Another important work of revolutionary history just published by > Haymarket is Pierre Brou? and Emile T?mime's comprehensive history of > the Spanish Civil War, The Revolution and the Civil War in Spain, > 1934-1939. British historian Ian Birchall summarizes the achievement > of this work in making sense of a political crossroads in European and > world history: > > "Fascism or social revolution? Such was the choice posed by the > Spanish Civil War. Brou? and T?mime's study, published in 1961 and > long unavailable in English, remains a classic account, partisan but > based on scrupulous scholarship. Brou? and T?mime show that 1936 was > an authentic revolution, where workers' committees and rural > collectives offered a living alternative to fascism and Russian > Stalinism." > > ========================================= > WALTER LIPPMANN > Los Angeles, California > Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ > "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" > ========================================= > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/absynthe%40gmail.com > From Dbachmozart at aol.com Wed Aug 6 13:36:43 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 15:36:43 EDT Subject: [Marxism] UPDATE FROM THE ELECTRONIC INTIFADA Message-ID: _http://electronicIntifada.net_ (http://electronicIntifada.net) OLMERT'S DEPARTURE: THE PERFECT ALIBI By Hasan Abu Nimah, The Electronic Intifada, 6 August 2008 The conventional wisdom quickly developed among peace process industry analysts that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's departure would be a "setback" for ongoing negotiations with the Ramallah Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas, endangering the much-touted goal announced at last November's Annapolis summit of reaching a final agreement by the end of this year. However, Hasan Abu Nimah comments, there is not a peace process to mourn. _http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9740.shtml_ (http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9740.shtml) ---------------------------------------------------------- TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES UNDER THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION By Mohammed Omer, The Electronic Intifada, 5 August 2008 I am a Palestinian journalist from Gaza. At the age of 17, I armed myself with a camera and a pen, committed to report accurately on events in Gaza. I have filed reports as Israeli fighter jets bombed Gaza City. I have been recognized for my reporting, even in the United States and United Kingdom, where I have won two international awards. I have also been beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers. Mohammed Omer comments. _http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9741.shtml_ (http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9741.shtml) ---------------------------------------------------------- Palestine : Human Rights: IN ISRAEL, MARRIED BUT WITHOUT RIGHTS Report, The Electronic Intifada, 5 August 2008 BEERSHEBA/JAFFA (IRIN) - Some 15,000 Palestinians who married Israeli citizens in the past decade are illegal or temporary residents. Their lives and those of their families have become "unstable," according to non-governmental organizations. "Many families are being forced to live underground," said Orna Cohen, an attorney from Adalah, an Israeli rights group fighting the ban on "family unifications" (mixed marriages involving Palestinians or some other Arabs) in Israel. _http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9739.shtml_ (http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9739.shtml) ---------------------------------------------------------- **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 ) From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Aug 6 13:38:22 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:38:22 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How the University Works; Reclaiming the Ivory Tower In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808061227u62ce110fy672bb7fe5a11d96@mail.gmail.com> References: <4899E92E.5000907@panix.com> <908b689f0808061227u62ce110fy672bb7fe5a11d96@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <4899FDAE.3070701@panix.com> Ruthless Critic of All that Exists wrote: > Anyway, things will adjust after a while -- fewer people will start > going for a humanities PhD, and so the oversupply of PhDs will be > halted. (There are many more career options than being an instructor, > surely.) > > At that point, pay/conditions for hires might improve due to supply and demand. This is nonsense. This is not a problem of "supply and demand" or the marketplace. Bousquet spends considerable time refuting the notion that the market will correct the problem in the introduction to his book which is downloadable here: http://www.nyupress.org/webchapters/9780814799741_Bousquet_intro.pdf Job-Market Theory Like many scholars of my cohort, I entered graduate school in 1991 informed by a common sense about academic work that was significantly influenced by the 1989 Bowen report, which projected what it emphasized would be ?a substantial excess demand for faculty in the arts and sciences? by the mid 1990s, with the consequence that early in the new millenium we could expect ?roughly four candidates for every five positions.? The department administrators who recruited me into the profession were of the thoughtful and concerned variety: they were up on the literature and very glad to inform me that something called the ?job market? would radically improve just six years in the future. There had been a cycle of bad times for holders of the Ph.D., they admitted, but prosperity was just around the corner. During the early 1990s, buoyed in part by the election of a Democrat to the White House, liberal newspapers and major disciplinary associations recirculated the Bowen projections with a sense of relief and general optimism: With the certain onset of universal health coverage, could full employment for English faculty be far behind? David Lawrence, MLA?s staffer for its association of chairs of English departments (ADE) wrote with typical emotion when he enthused, ?Friends, the future we?ve all been waiting for is about to arrive? (1). For a decade afterward, disciplinary associations and scholars on the state of the profession, such as David Damrosch, gave serious credence to the Bowen projections of ?increased demand? for the academic employment of holders of the doctoral degree. As late as 2001, the report of the American Philosophical Association on employment issues, republished on many department websites, continued to give credence to the Bowen projections, even though the first years of the projected boom had instead conclusively showed only a massively intensifying bust. It wasn?t until five years after the report?shortly before it was quite clear that the projections would fail to materialize?that the Chronicle of Higher Education finally ran a short item questioning the validity of the report (Magner, ?Job-Market Blues?). Slowly through the second half of the decade, most disciplinary associations somewhat reluctantly gave up favorably citing the Bowen projections of a rosy future. As many readers will know, instead of a jobs bonanza, the 1990s and the first decade of the new millennium have seen an intensification of the pattern established in the 1970s and 1980s. In many academic fields, especially the humanities, as few as one in every three holders of the Ph.D. can expect to eventually find tenure-track employment. Those who do succeed will spend more time toward the degree (bulking the curriculum vita, teaching more, racking up debt), and more time in nontenurable positions after receiving the doctorate. It is easy enough to measure the gulf between the 1.25 jobs per candidate projected by Bowen and the reality of 0.33 job per candidate. The reporters of the Chronicle of Higher Education and one or two angry reviewers of Bowen?s subsequent work have made a point of revisiting the rather startling gap between projection and reality (Magner, ?Job Market Blues,? ?Study Says?; Rice). But the more important and interesting question is analytical: What was wrong with Bowen?s assumptions that he strayed so outrageously into fantasy? And what was it about these projections that generated such a warm and uncritical welcome? In chapter 6 of this volume, I provide a detailed critique of Bowen?s breathtakingly flawed methodology and examine the way his flawed results were taken up by the most visible disciplinary association in the arts and sciences, the Modern Language Association, from whose Manhattan digs, then in Astor Place, job-market theory was dispensed to the mainstream press. In brief, Bowen?s method was to impose neoliberal market ideology on data that, instead of demonstrating a stable ?market? in tenuretrack jobs, attests to the unfolding process of casualization. Most egregiously, for instance, when confronted with data that increasing numbers of doctoral degree holders had been accepting nonacademic work since the 1970s, Bowen ignores the abundant testimony by graduate students that this dislocation from the academy was involuntary. Instead, he imposes the ideology of ?free choice? on the phenomenon, generating the fallacious claim that this ever-upward ?trend? showed that even more people will ?choose? similarly. The result of this tautology was that he projected a spiraling need to increase graduate school admissions?in order to compensate for the imaginary, ever-increasing cohort of people that he wrongly portrayed as choosing nonacademic work. Although all of the available testimony from graduate students themselves suggested an involuntary dislocation from their plans of tenure- stream employment, Bowen opted to present the traditional, deeply ideological figure so central to his disciplinary knowledge?the ?freely choosing? figure of ?homo economicus,? which was widespread in neoclassical economic modeling and a mainstay of neoliberal policy thought after 1980. From shmage at pipeline.com Wed Aug 6 13:39:06 2008 From: shmage at pipeline.com (Shane Mage) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 15:39:06 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. In-Reply-To: <4899E38D.2050507@comcast.net> References: <4899E38D.2050507@comcast.net> Message-ID: <9719D111-C54A-4EC1-9D86-C51730753F56@pipeline.com> On Aug 6, 2008, at 1:46 PM, David Walters wrote: > [Wonder if Walter considers this criticism by the COB leader to be > "whining"?--David] > If Lopez is setting off dynamite to promote abstention in an election where the class lines are very clear, this is not whining but stupid (and implicitly counterrevolutionary) ultraleftism. > If disputes over rules continue, it may lead to multiple > interpretations > of Sunday's results, and the situation could deteriorate into a crisis > between executive and judicial branches. Today the country faces > widespread political turmoil as interest groups take advantage of the > unrest to air grievances. > > "With the election of Evo, people woke up," Mario Lopez, secretary of > Bolivia's national worker's union, said while leading protests in La > Paz. The union set off dynamite blasts in front of several > ministries on > July 30 while pressing for new pension plans. "And now if Evo Morales > won't fulfill his promises, and keep order in this country, the > workers > will." > > Full: > http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/05/MNAE123L1M.DTL > > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/shmage%40pipeline.com Shane Mage "Thunderbolt steers all things...it consents and does not consent to be called Zeus." Herakleitos of Ephesos From fred.fuentes at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 13:43:14 2008 From: fred.fuentes at gmail.com (Fred Fuentes) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 21:43:14 +0200 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. In-Reply-To: <4899E38D.2050507@comcast.net> References: <4899E38D.2050507@comcast.net> Message-ID: On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 7:46 PM, David Walters wrote: > [Wonder if Walter considers this criticism by the COB leader to be > "whining"?--David] > Well Walter can say what he thinks but here are my two bobs worth..... > If disputes over rules continue, it may lead to multiple interpretations > of Sunday's results, and the situation could deteriorate into a crisis > between executive and judicial branches. Today the country faces > widespread political turmoil as interest groups take advantage of the > unrest to air grievances. > Any one who bothers to read the article closely will see that its part of the right wing campaign to call into question the results of a referendum that they now feel is going to be a big blow to their campaign to undermine Morales. Whilst there has been a variety of debates and conflicts last week over this question all parties have agreed that the law will be modified so that the results will be determined by a simply 50% plus 1 majority and not as it was before which was based on the 2005 national elections results, which benefits Morales and not the prefects. The National Electoral Court together with all the Departmental Electoral Courts agreed to this, which was then accepted by the government. Of course, the right wing in the east will try and intepret the results as they see fit, in particular is Morales was to get a low vote in those departments even if he wins at a the national level. These types of articles that talk up a false "disputes over rules" that "may lead to multiple interpretations" are simply part of creating the image of the situation "deteriorate into a crisis" > "With the election of Evo, people woke up," Mario Lopez, secretary of > Bolivia's national worker's union, said while leading protests in La > Paz. The union set off dynamite blasts in front of several ministries on > July 30 while pressing for new pension plans. "And now if Evo Morales > won't fulfill his promises, and keep order in this country, the workers > will." > Im not sure if it is whining to say this, perhaps more just simply nonsense. What we have is a small section of the COB who have decided that today the central battle is between them and the "traitorous" Morales government. A more accurate picture of what the COB are up is this: On July 30, some few hundred members of Bolivian Workers Central (COB), predominately miners, protesting in favour of the COB's proposed pension law, caused havoc in the streets of La Paz and occupied by force the Palace of Communications, where five economic ministries function as well as the Bolivian Mail Company (Ecobol). Other COB members blockaded the cities of Sucre and Potosi....... Minister of government, Alfredo Rada, argued that there existed right-wing interests behind the round of mobilisations. Morales stated that the government had never opposed the modification of the pension law, and even supported some of the demands of the COB such as the elimination of the Administrators of Pension Funds (AFP). A July 20 AP dispatch reported that Morales was "seeking to nationalize two of his country's biggest private pension funds, which manage assets worth more than $3 billion". Morales add that "it was unfortunate that some, very few, worker comrades from some sectors, in this conjuncture seem to be the best instrument of the misnamed half moon ? instead of mobilising everywhere, they should be campaigning to put an end to the neoliberals and traitors to the homeland". Patana stated that while the government had to solve the legitimate problems raised by the protests, agreement had to be reached "in order to avoid convulsions".......the whole article is at http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2008/08/bolivia-offensive-against-right-in-lead.html Does Dave honestly believe this is sensible revolutionary policy to at this moment pit one self not only against the Morales government, but the majority of Bolivia society that has placed its hopes in the Morales leadership and have been and will continue to coming out in the streets and in the ballot boxes to defend "their" government against the fascist right who today shut down an airport to stop Chavez and Kirchner beginning able to travel for a summit of the three presidents. Or is it more sensible for the COB continue to believe thet are back in 1952 and the miners are on the verge of taking power to install socialism overnight......... In solidarity Fred From dave.walters at comcast.net Wed Aug 6 14:16:16 2008 From: dave.walters at comcast.net (David Walters) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:16:16 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. Message-ID: <489A0690.1010703@comcast.net> Well, first, I did what Walter usually does: post a news article about a situation without comment. At least Fred READ the article, from wire services, about the situation there. What Fred states makes sense. Bolivia is again 'rising' in terms of the class struggle and due to the complex nature of what this means, I refrained from making any comment, as I still do. So, any attribution to me about what I think on this is speculation by you'all. I just find it very interesting. Read the article. Since he posed this question...again, I don't enough to know what is behind the COB actions or, this section of the COB. There is far more activity around the pension reform AT the mines than in La Paz. But it does make sense that despite wide popular support for Morales, that sections, large or small, of various sections of the working class are impatient as to his...Morales...handling of the situation vis-a-vis the Oligarchy in the east and the general pace of reforms. Lopez implied they wanted..."order" and that the working class was willing to impose it. This is a threat not against Morales but against the capitalists who want to split the country. David From markalause at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 14:29:36 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 16:29:36 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How the University Works; Reclaiming the Ivory Tower In-Reply-To: <4899FDAE.3070701@panix.com> References: <4899E92E.5000907@panix.com> <908b689f0808061227u62ce110fy672bb7fe5a11d96@mail.gmail.com> <4899FDAE.3070701@panix.com> Message-ID: Louis hits the nail on the head. Among the things of which Ruthless Critic of All that Exists remains utterly uncritical and gullible is the power of the marketplace. Moreover, notwithstanding his undisguised glee at the fate of the humanities, the problem discussed afflicts all areas in academe, including the most technical and scientific fields. As it does all of what used to be regarded as the professions, including law and medicine. ML From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Wed Aug 6 14:31:07 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:31:07 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Column by Grace Lee Boggs Message-ID: <4899D1CB.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> The Worst and Best of Times By Grace Lee Boggs Special to The Michigan Citizen https://www.michigancitizen.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=77&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=6343&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1070&hn=michigancitizen&he=.com My first column with this title appeared in the December 31-January 6, 2007 issue of the Citizen. We were living in the worst of times, I wrote, because of the Iraq war, the planetary emergency, the growing gulf between rich and poor, corporate takeover of the media, and a president who was acting like a king and losing all connection with reality. But it was also the best of times, I said, because Americans were beginning to create new forms of community-based economic institutions that are less vulnerable to globalization, like coops and ESOPs (employee stock ownership enterprises). Local and state governments were assuming the responsibility, abdicated by the federal government, to reduce global warming. The urban gardening movement was growing by leaps and bounds. Also, in the 1999 ?Battle of Seattle,? tens of thousands of individuals and groups, representing very diverse sections of society, had closed down the WTO. Since then hundreds of thousands of individuals and groups from around the world had gathered at World Social Forums to proclaim that ?Another World is possible.? In the process of convening these global demonstrations and gatherings and in these local initiatives, I said, a new form of Democracy was being created which was much more participatory, cooperative, consensual, more rooted in community and more horizontal than the representative democracies that were struggled for and achieved within 19th and 20th century nation-states. What I wrote then was all very general and seemed remote, except for the urban gardening movement, that was 19 months ago. Now, the worst has gotten much worse and like high gas prices, this much worse is very close to home. Now, it is floods in Midwest states like Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin. Now, it is the U.S. economy melting down. Car sales are plummeting. Factories are closing, layoffs are increasing. Chrysler has stopped leasing. GM has unilaterally eliminated health insurance for its salaried retirees. On Wall Street there?s talk of GM, the symbol of this country?s industrial might, going bankrupt. The value of the U.S. dollar has sunk so low that foreign companies are buying up American ones (like Anheuser-Busch) at bargain prices. Every time we spend our hard-earned pay or dwindling savings to buy something, we?re using money we borrowed from China to buy goods that we should be producing here at home. All across the country, on block after block, homes sit empty, boarded up, stripped bare. Modest neighborhoods like Ohio?s Slivac Village , where low-income Americans took pride in their little detached houses, now resemble Detroit after decades of de-industrialization. Their former owners, if they?re lucky, are being put up by relatives. But millions have ended up in homeless shelters, fathers in one, mothers in another and the children going to school only episodically. What should we be doing? Should we rely upon the government to rescue us when we know very well that it is mainly concerned about lenders like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac who are so big that they cannot be allowed to fail. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the new housing bill will help only 260,000 renegotiate mortgages and hang on to their homes. That is only five percent of the 2.5 million to 3 million expecting foreclosure in 2008 and 2009. The other 95% are out of luck. Or can we begin to rely more on ourselves and on one another? Why can?t more of us grow our own food? Why can?t we come together in community centers (e.g. schools or churches) to create ways and means, like skill banks, to exchange goods and services? Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. When will we begin considering basic, fundamental changes? Maybe the time has come for us to stop pursuing the old American Dream of each family achieving home ownership and a higher standard of living on its own and start creating a new American Dream of communities in which we depend more on each other. That could turn the worst of times into the best of times. This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Wed Aug 6 14:45:17 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:45:17 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Stop Star Wars Message-ID: <4899D51D.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080804/115667177.html Russian Information Agency Novosti August 4, 2008 Russia may answer Western pressure with bases in Cuba - analyst -"It is not a secret that the West is creating a 'buffer zone' around Russia, involving in the process countries in central Europe, the Caucasus, the Baltic states and Ukraine," said Leonid Ivashov.... MOSCOW - Russia may resume a military presence in Cuba in response to growing military-political pressure from the West, a Russian political analyst said on Monday. Moscow has strongly opposed the possible deployment by the U.S. of 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and an accompanying tracking radar in the Czech Republic as a threat to its national security. Washington says the defenses are needed to deter a possible strike from Iran, or other "rogue" states. Moscow has also expressed concern over NATO's expansion to Russia's borders and pledged to take "appropriate measures." "It is not a secret that the West is creating a 'buffer zone' around Russia, involving in the process countries in central Europe, the Caucasus, the Baltic states and Ukraine," said Leonid Ivashov, the former head of the Russian Defense Ministry's department for international cooperation, and currently president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems. "In response, we may expand our military presence abroad, including in Cuba," Ivashov said, commenting on the recent visit of Russian Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin to Cuba on July 30-31. He said during the visit Patrushev had most likely discussed the possibility of a renewed Russian military presence in Cuba with the Cuban defense and interior ministers. "Cuba has convenient harbors which may host Russian reconnaissance and combat ships, and a network of forward landing airfields. With the Cuban leadership's consent and our own political will we may also consider resuming the work of an electronic listening post in Lourdes," the general said. However, a high-ranking Cuban diplomat said on Saturday that the Cuban leadership had no intention of resuming military cooperation with Russia, especially after the surprise closure of the Lourde's listening post. The electronic monitoring and surveillance facility near Havana at Torrens, also known as the Lourdes facility, the largest Russian SIGINT site abroad, was shut down in October 2001 by then- president Vladimir Putin. "We were not even notified about the decision [by the Russian leadership]," the diplomat said. The Lourdes facility reportedly covered a 28 square-mile area, with 1,000-1,500 Russian engineers, technicians, and military personnel working at the base. The complex was capable of monitoring a wide array of commercial and government communications throughout the southeastern United States, and between the United States and Europe. Lourdes intercepted transmissions from microwave towers in the United States, communication satellite downlinks, and a wide range of shortwave and high-frequency radio transmissions. Russia reportedly paid a yearly rent of $200-million for the facility. =========================== Stop NATO http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From sartesian at earthlink.net Wed Aug 6 15:07:02 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 17:07:02 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. References: <10945521.1218051003218.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <037301c8f808$5ffd4600$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> It's not bomb-throwing at all. It is a long and well-established tradition of the miners to set off dynamite blasts during their protests; the amount of dynamite, the "charge weight" is considerably reduced, unless, of course, more than protest is intended, and a government building or police station is going to be placed under siege. Really Walter, based on the material you reproduce here, the non-whining analysis you call whining, the intro you provide, 180 degrees out of synch, with the article on the "graying" of Cuba, one can only conclude that your contact with political reality is basically random and tangential, kind of like a comet skipping off the upper-reaches of the earth's atmosphere. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Walter Lippmann" To: Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 3:30 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. From sartesian at earthlink.net Wed Aug 6 15:23:18 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 17:23:18 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. References: <4899E38D.2050507@comcast.net> Message-ID: <03ab01c8f80a$a54b0e20$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Well, as a charter member of the whining ultra-leftists club, let me state, that tactically, it makes no sense at this time to "threaten" a workers' takeover simply because the mechanisms for that takeover are not in place. Actually it's never sensible to threaten a takeover, although it certainly makes sense to take over. So we would have to ask the COB; what organizations are there in place to actually take, and defend power? To seize and operate the economy? To conduct all the "business" of state that a workers' state must conduct-- first and foremost suppressing the reaction? If those organizations don't exist, then the task is to develop a program that will require and enable the workers to act not only on their own behalf but as a class on behalf of all the poor of society. Morales does not offer such a program, and if the COB can't answer those above questions, it doesn't offer one either. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fred Fuentes" To: Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 3:43 PM From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Wed Aug 6 15:45:37 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:45:37 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Sorry folks Message-ID: <4899E341.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Sorry folks - not all that much of a breakthrough http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/8/4/13531/71482 >From Joe Romm, who knows what the fuck he is talking about when it comes to energy tech. ================================= You say you want a revolution ... 'Major discovery' from MIT unpractical, and ignores present advances in solar baseload Posted by Joseph Romm (Guest Contributor) at 9:26 PM on 04 Aug 2008 This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 15:54:39 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 17:54:39 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How the University Works; Reclaiming the Ivory Tower In-Reply-To: <4899FDAE.3070701@panix.com> References: <4899E92E.5000907@panix.com> <908b689f0808061227u62ce110fy672bb7fe5a11d96@mail.gmail.com> <4899FDAE.3070701@panix.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808061454u29230fa7jae20a7b91f69c4f7@mail.gmail.com> On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 3:38 PM, Louis Proyect wrote: > Ruthless Critic of All that Exists wrote: >> Anyway, things will adjust after a while -- fewer people will start >> going for a humanities PhD, and so the oversupply of PhDs will be >> halted. (There are many more career options than being an instructor, >> surely.) >> >> At that point, pay/conditions for hires might improve due to supply and demand. > > This is nonsense. This is not a problem of "supply and demand" or the > marketplace. The point Bosquet is making is that people (prospective grad students) were misled into thinking that demand for PhDs will greatly increase, so many went into the field, but the jobs didn't materialize, due to rampant casualization. What I'm saying is something different: I'm saying that, as a result precisely of books like Bosquet, college graduates are now wisening up to what the real situation is like. So, unlike the recent Phds, the new generation of college grads won't go into grad school -- they simply won't be applying to PhD programs. So, over time, an undersupply of PhD-holders will result -- even for the existing low-demand situation. At that time, pay will likely improve -- UNLESS, of course, colleges start hiring only master's degree holders at that point, to force an oversupply situation again. From markalause at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 16:15:37 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 18:15:37 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How the University Works; Reclaiming the Ivory Tower In-Reply-To: <908b689f0808061454u29230fa7jae20a7b91f69c4f7@mail.gmail.com> References: <4899E92E.5000907@panix.com> <908b689f0808061227u62ce110fy672bb7fe5a11d96@mail.gmail.com> <4899FDAE.3070701@panix.com> <908b689f0808061454u29230fa7jae20a7b91f69c4f7@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Those of us who actually live and work in the field know that prospective academics are not "now wisening up to what the real situation is like." People going into these fields have always known that the prospects are extremely slim. When I asked for a letter of recommendation for graduate school, several of my professors said they'd do it, but assured me, each in tern, that I would never be employed in the field simply because of the demographics. They told me later that they had informally agreed among themselves that this was the only responsible way they could handle such requests for such letters. They'd write them, but heap as many discouragements as possible on the person wanting to go on. As one of them later said, only the most determined would have any shot at getting something and their discouragements wouldn't effect the most determined anyway.. My point is that this was in 1973 or 1974, My sense has always been that the academic job situation has been getting progressively worse since around 1965, as the postwar expansion slowed.... These issues have been getting more press over the last 10 years because it's come to effect the prospects of those PhDs that actually "count," those graduating from the elite institutions. The notion that pay for academics is ever going to start climbing again is just laughable...unless they're going to decide to just exclude the temporary and superexploited faculty, which they're not above doing, of course. But we should know better. ML. From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 16:41:47 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 18:41:47 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Marxist hip hop In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808041832v484c9c77t9b9d0346f74def82@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0808061541k21817febs92860f7329613e6e@mail.gmail.com> On Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 9:51 AM, Christopher Hutchinson wrote: > There is also Dead Prez in the United States by far the best mix of politics > and rap i have ever heard. I also recently became aware of the hip-hop artist Ilana Weaver ("DJ Invincible"), who is a young mentee of the 93-year-old Grace Lee Boggs, who along with CLR James and Duanyevskaya, formed the famous Johnson-Forest Tendency within the SWP. "[Weaver's first album, ShapeShifters (2008)] -- her Detroit Summer comrade Grace Lee Boggs drops a little knowledge on this disc too" -- See also: From jbustelo at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 16:50:49 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 18:50:49 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The two FRSO's (was RE: Judgementalism from afar) In-Reply-To: <18313483.1218001559805.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <18313483.1218001559805.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: Walter writes: "Strong defenders of the Cuban Revolution who argue from a fiercely anti-Trotskyist position are the formerly Maoist Freedom Road Socialist Organization. I know the group has split, but it's my impression their various difference had little to do with foreign policy and both have similar domestic policy outlooks - they are in support of working in the Democratic Party, but they're very strong defenders of the FARC." Walter is mistaken in his assessment of the two groups calling themselves Freedom Road Socialist Organization. The central issues in the split were refoundation and what the main FRSO calls "the crisis of socialism," which the Chicago-based FRSO [the one Walter refers to] denies exists. Chicago FRSO maintains a super r-r-revolutionary stance; they're redder than a firetruck. A throwback to the Maoism of the early 70's. Their cheerleading for the FARC's course is part of the package, as is their rabid anti-Trotskyism, though I suspect the ISO's large weight in Chicago (their main center) has something to do with the intensity of their anti-Trotskyism. The OTHER FRSO, the majority, which has done a lot of work around the Black Radical Congress, is in something of a crisis of perspectives, which is a perfectly reasonable place for a left group to be, given the state of the left. A couple of years ago they adopted the line in the "Which Way Is Left" pamphlet that came out a year ago, centering their work on a discussion of the need for a revolutionary party. IMHO, this revolutionary party discussion perspective hasn't been a step forward, because I don't think they've really tried to get to the bottom of "the crisis of socialism." FRSO views this as an extension of their thinking and analysis around "refoundation" of the left, but it doesn't seem to me to grapple with the reasons why "refoundation" has gotten nowhere in the U.S. (and similar/parallel efforts to promote left unity have had rough sailing in other imperialist countries). This FRSO does not engage in anti-Trotskyist (nor anti-anyone) polemics at all. It doesn't cultivate a super-revolutionary image at all, but takes a much more modest stance. Joaquin From mikedf at amnh.org Wed Aug 6 17:28:28 2008 From: mikedf at amnh.org (Mike Friedman) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 19:28:28 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] How the University Works; Reclaiming the Ivory Tower In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <49691.216.73.248.90.1218065308.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> Absolutely. When I started my degree program, the biology department chair at the university I was then based at urged all of the PhD students to become high school teachers, since "one gas-tankful away, no-one's even heard of CUNY's biology PhD program." And that's in a natural science program, which isn't as glutted as the humanities! > Message: 21 > Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 18:15:37 -0400 > From: "Mark Lause" > Subject: Re: [Marxism] How the University Works; Reclaiming the Ivory > Tower > To: "Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition" > > Those of us who actually live and work in the field know that > prospective academics are not "now wisening up to what the real > situation is like." People going into these fields have always known > that the prospects are extremely slim. > > When I asked for a letter of recommendation for graduate school, > several of my professors said they'd do it, but assured me, each in > tern, that I would never be employed in the field simply because of > the demographics. They told me later that they had informally agreed > among themselves that this was the only responsible way they could > handle such requests for such letters. They'd write them, but heap as > many discouragements as possible on the person wanting to go on. As > one of them later said, only the most determined would have any shot > at getting something and their discouragements wouldn't effect the > most determined anyway.. > > My point is that this was in 1973 or 1974, > > My sense has always been that the academic job situation has been > getting progressively worse since around 1965, as the postwar > expansion slowed.... > > These issues have been getting more press over the last 10 years > because it's come to effect the prospects of those PhDs that actually > "count," those graduating from the elite institutions. > > The notion that pay for academics is ever going to start climbing > again is just laughable...unless they're going to decide to just > exclude the temporary and superexploited faculty, which they're not > above doing, of course. But we should know better. > > ML. From nmgoro at gmail.com Wed Aug 6 17:52:16 2008 From: nmgoro at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?N=C3=A9stor_Gorojovsky?=) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 20:52:16 -0300 Subject: [Marxism] Peruvians favor socialism In-Reply-To: <00ac01c8f7d4$7b128d80$6401a8c0@MARV> References: <4899A6B0.6050204@panix.com> <00ac01c8f7d4$7b128d80$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <2fa158550808061652g426b6caue027a869aebcc6b5@mail.gmail.com> 2008/8/6, Marvin Gandall : > (My comment on LBO) > > Doug writes: > > > The URL says it all: > > > > > > > > > ============================================ > Depends what people have in mind when they describe themselves as > "socialist". For most, it doesn't correspond to the classical Marxist notion > of a "proletarian dictatorship" and public ownership, but to the capitalist > welfare state model favoured by social democrats. The poll notes that only a > small percentage of the sample was attracted to what Gallup calls the > "extreme forms of socialism" practiced under Chavez in Venezuela (21%), > Morales in Bolivia (28%), and Correa in Ecuador (31%). True enough. But the problem lies in that in Per? (in Per? of all places!) you ned to turn towards "extreme" forms of "populism" if you want to establish, to actually establish, a "capitalist welfare state model favoured by social democrats". And in so doing you turn yourself into a Ch?vez, a Morales, a Correa or a -Lenin of our times! Permanent revolution is as valid in Peru, 2008 as it is in Russia, 1917. But in both cases it needs to be grafted, and not imposed, on the local political tradition. -- N?stor Gorojovsky El texto principal de este correo puede no ser de mi autor?a From mikedjyates at msn.com Wed Aug 6 17:58:58 2008 From: mikedjyates at msn.com (MICHAEL YATES) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 16:58:58 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] how the universities work;reclaiming the ivory tower Message-ID: Ah! Academe. I quit after 32 years of college teaching. Last fall I agreed to teach two classes in the Labor Studies dept. at UMass-Amherst. Can't say I enjoyed it much. If adjuncts organize that would be great, but I don't think this itself will reclaim The Ivory Tower (BTW, I edited Joe Berry's book). Here is what I wrote in my book, Cheap Motels and a Hot Plate: an Economist's Travelogue: College teaching is a comfortable life. My father used to tell his racetrack cronies that his son worked only twelve hours a week. I would explain that it was more complicated than that. I had to prepare lectures, meet with and advise students, go to meetings, do research, and write articles. However, there was truth in what my father believed about my job. I had control over both my time and the content of my work. I had to teach for ten hours a week and be available to students in my office for six. So except for at most sixteen hours a week, my time was my own. Preparing lectures and writing articles and book reviews were fulfilling uses of my creativity and valuable ingredients for what went on in class. The lectures themselves were a kind of performance art, and when they went well they generated an addictive euphoria. In a small town, a professor is an important person and commands automatic respect. People began to recognize me, and they listened to what I had to say. This was a real ego-booster. The good parts of the job carried me along for about a dozen years. Then the bad parts began to show themselves. One of my fields of study is work. What is work? Why do we do it the way we do? Can a job make us happy? What I began to learn about work depressed me profoundly, especially when I saw that it applied to teaching too. I?ll put it bluntly. Years of study and observation have taught me that work really does stink. It doesn?t have to, but in our society it must. We live in a capitalist system, and what makes it tick is the never-ending drive by businesses to make a profit. To investigate a story, reporters are told to "follow the money." Sound advice. It is hard to find any activity or aspect of life not subordinate to the pursuit of the dollar. Work is no exception. We have been sold a bill of goods about work. Go to school. Get a good job. Work hard. Make money. Buy things. The American Dream. Unfortunately, most of the people in the world never make it over the first hurdle, since they are too poor to afford schooling. And those who do find that their jobs do not qualify as good ones. Nearly all jobs necessitate routine tasks requiring us to use a tiny fraction of our ingenuity; nearly all jobs force us to submit to a callous and impersonal hierarchy; and nearly all jobs are fraught with insecurity. Mine was no exception. It wasn?t horrible, certainly not in the sense that working in a chicken processing plant or a telemarketing cubicle is, but I can say that I found it to be increasingly meaningless. For a few years it was great. The spirit of the sixties was still alive, and most of my students were working-class teenagers and adults, proud to be the first in their families to go to college. I felt that in teaching them the realities of our economic system, I was preparing most to better navigate the world and a few to change it. But as the steel mills went belly-up in the 1970s and 1980s, Johnstown hit the skids. Those who could left, but most of those who remained could no longer afford to send their kids (or themselves) to college. We ran out of Vietnam veterans too. So to keep the school going, administrators began to recruit students from the middle-class suburbs near Pittsburgh. These young men and women, better-off and reared in a more conservative time, were not my cup of tea. They tended to feel entitled to a degree without much effort. A college diploma was seen as a commodity, and I was there more or less to see to it that their purchase went smoothly. Many of these new students exhibited an almost willful stupidity. I used to point out to students in some of my classes the deleterious effects of long hours of labor on a person?s intelligence. Karl Marx has a good example in Capital, volume I, where he quotes an English factory inspector whose interrogation of child mill workers indicated that they knew virtually nothing. One child said that a princess was a man, and another did not know that he lived in England. Herbert Gutman, in his book Work, Culture, and Society, cites a New Jersey inspector to the same effect: One boy thought Europe was in the moon, while another thought that the word "boy" was a comma. With the new students, I began to wonder what such examples meant to them. I had a student in a seminar on Marx who wrote that the Communist Manifesto is a novel. In my introductory class, a student wrote without irony, "The Unighted States." Another said that a good that is not "inferior" (one for which, other things equal, as income rises, purchases fall) is "ferior." Still another asked seriously whether it was "demand and supply" or "supply and demand." In the Marx seminar, after I had explained Marx?s concept of the value of labor power (its value equals the value of those consumption goods necessary for the worker to continue working and ensure that the family?s children grow up to become workers), I asked the class what Marx says is the minimum value of labor power. A student awoke from a dead sleep (this in a class of ten, sitting around a seminar table) and blurted out "$5.15"! Although I often took my students? anti-intellectualism personally, I knew that their attitudes had developed in an accommodating milieu. Beginning roughly with the Reagan years, the colleges and universities transformed themselves into businesslike corporations: marketing experts, corporate titles for academic officers, patent shopping, shilling for business paraded as public interest research, distance "learning," grotesquely high salaries for those who bring in the most money, million-dollar coaches, education as product, students as consumers, the de-funding of the humanities and social sciences, and the general cheapening of learning. As business values consumed the colleges, class sizes shot up and more part-timers were hired. To compensate for lower pay and harder work, teachers began to cut corners, dumbing-down their classes in the process. This meant that less competent teachers could be hired, and this fit in nicely with the work-averse attitudes of so many students. Students flocked to easy teachers and soft majors, like business and communications, and the schools got worse and worse. My students were just products of all these things. But even so, it made me sick. I was almost embarrassed to be a part of it. Some students rebelled against the corporate model, but not many. Most just accepted it, and no wonder, since they grew up in a world in which making money and avoiding thought were not just normal but exalted. "Accumulate, Accumulate! That is Moses and the prophets." Karl Marx From walterlx at earthlink.net Wed Aug 6 18:33:32 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 20:33:32 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. Message-ID: <33489599.1218069212750.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> (Here's about as balanced an assessment as I think we're going to find, trying to understand the contending forces by someone who seems to have a good grounding in the Bolivian situation, Benjamin Dangle, in NACLA The right is trying to disrupt and discredit the electoral process as it has been trying to do in Venezuela as well. This suggests to me their support is on the wane. I can't personally assess from media reports how effective the MAS forces are in their organization.) ====================================================================== Total Recall in Bolivia: Divided Nation Faces Historic Vote By teo Created Jul 25 2008 - 10:22 In early July in Sicaya, Cochabamba, Bolivian President Evo Morales announced that if he wins the August 10 recall vote on his presidency, "I'll have two and half years left." But if he loses the vote, "I?ll have to go back to the Chapare" to farm coca again. Though the recall vote is likely to favor Morales, it?s unclear if it will resolve many of the divided nation?s conflicts. Pro-Morales Rally in La Paz, May 2008 In early July in Sicaya, Cochabamba, Bolivian President Evo Morales announced that if he wins the August 10 recall vote on his presidency, "I'll have two and half years left." But if he loses the vote, "I?ll have to go back to the Chapare" to farm coca again. Though the recall vote is likely to favor Morales, it?s unclear if it will resolve many of the divided nation?s conflicts. This upcoming recall vote on the president, vice president and eight of nine departmental governors is to take place at a time of historic change for the country. Half way through a five year term in office, Morales is applying social programs aimed at fighting poverty and inequality, and developing positive relationships with Latin America?s leftist leaders. At the same time, a series of regional disputes in Bolivia over departmental autonomy, the new constitution and wealth from the partially-nationalized gas industry continue to put the country?s stability at risk. Since May 4, autonomy referendums have been approved by voters in the departments of Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni, Pando and Chuquisaca. These votes were organized by the country?s right wing politicians and business elite to perpetuate neoliberal policies, resist the redistribution of land and natural gas wealth, and weaken the Morales government. Though the right points to these victories at the ballot box as proof of their mandate, the referendums are not legally recognized by the Bolivian Electoral Court, the Organization of American States, the European Union, President Morales or other major leaders throughout the region. Map of Bolivia In addition, all of the referendums were marked by high levels of voter intimidation and abstention ? Morales urged his supporters to abstain from voting. In Pando, for example, the combined number of "no" votes and abstentions was 16,303, while the "yes" votes totaled only 12,671. In other departments, Morales supporters were kidnapped, tortured and beaten by right wing thugs in an attempt to suppress the anti-autonomy vote. In spite of the questionable legitimacy of these referendums, the votes illustrate the growing polarization in the country. In another setback to the Morales administration, opposition prefect Savina Cu?llar, was elected in Chuquisaca on June 29. She was running against MAS candidate Walter Valda in a vote that took place in tandem with a successful autonomy referendum. However, the opposition?s apparent momentum is likely to be put in check by the August 10 recall vote. In an attempt to break up a political impasse in December 2007, and in response to demands from the opposition, Morales proposed the recall bill which was passed on May 8, 2008 by the opposition-controlled Senate. The recall bill states that if the president, vice president and governors do not receive both a higher percentage of votes, and actual number of votes, in the recall referendum than what they received in the 2005 election, they will lose their position. Therefore, it?s possible to win the necessary percentage of votes, but lose the necessary number of votes, thus losing the recall vote. If Morales and vice president Alvaro Garcia Linera lose, they have to hold new elections within 90-120 days, in which they themselves are likely to be strong candidates. If the governors lose, they are to be replaced by an interim governor of Morales? choosing until the next election. The recall vote on the governors will take place in eight out of the nine provinces; Chuquisaca won?t participate as Cu?llar was just recently elected governor there. The results of the recall vote could vary widely. Polls indicate that Morales and Linera will win; they will likely be bolstered by new voters in rural areas voting for the first time after a massive voter registration drive led by the government. Morales is also likely to benefit from the fact that many voters and social organizations, in spite of any criticisms they have of his administration, will likely back him in a vote in which the alternative is essentially the right wing. As an analysis article on the Bolivian news publication BolPress explained, "[V]arious popular organizations have initiated a campaign to ratify Morales and kick out the oppositional governors, not because they consider that the actual leader [Morales] is managing the government well, it?s because the oligarchy?s return to power would imply an end to the possibility of transformation within the socio-economic structures of the country." Autonomy Banner in Santa Cruz Though the recall vote may invigorate Morales? mandate, and perhaps weaken the right, it?s unlikely to resolve many of the disputes tearing the political landscape apart. The question of whether the executive and legislative powers will be based in Sucre or La Paz remains a regional controversy. The new draft of the constitution, passed in December 2007 by an assembly boycotted by opposition parties, still awaits approval in a national referendum which the opposition-controlled Senate is blocking. Some opposition governors and their supporters will likely not respect the results of the recall vote, or even participate in it at all. Vice president Linera recently told reporters that "They will probably boycott some regions, those where they know will lose. I believe they are laying the grounds for some sort of boycott on August 10 to create conflicts." It is also not entirely clear if the recall vote will proceed at all. Magistrate Silvia Salame, the only judge on Bolivia?s Constitutional Tribunal Court, has called on the National Electoral Court to postpone the recall vote until challenges to the vote?s legality are considered. Government officials in the Morales administration said they would ignore her decision because the Tribunal requires three votes, not one, to make a decision. Salame is on the only judge serving on the court at this time. In response, Bolivian Electoral Court President Jos? Luis Exeni stated the recall vote would proceed as planned. While debates over the recall vote go on, controversy continues to surround how to best use Bolivia?s gas and oil wealth. Right wing governors and civic leaders in Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni and Pando are demanding more funding from the profits of the oil and gas industry, which was partially nationalized by the Morales administration on May 1, 2006. Opposition leaders denounce that the Morales government redirected $166 million dollars from oil and gas tax revenue into a new pension plan that currently gives $315 dollars per year to Bolivians over 60 years old. Right wing governors have threatened to go on a hunger strike on August 4 in protest of the policy. Yet what the opposition doesn?t acknowledge in their pleas is that their departments now receive many times more funding from the gas industry this year than they did in 2005 thanks to the Morales administration?s nationalization policies and renegotiations with private and foreign gas companies. Meanwhile, Washington?s influence in the coca-producing Chapare region of Bolivia is waning, and Morales? is strengthening his own relations with other Latin American leaders as he presses forward with progressive economic and development policies. On June 24, Coca growers in Bolivia?s Chapare region decided to expel the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In the Chapare USAID has, among other activities, historically tried to weaken the impact and political power of coca unions. The Morales administration has also accused USAID of working to undermine the current government and strengthen the right wing opposition. (For more information on Washington?s work in Bolivia, see the article "Undermining Bolivia.") On July 14, Morales, a former coca farmer himself, said, "USAID is managing a lot of money that?s being used to confuse the population, they want to divide and create problems..." Pro-Morales Rally in La Paz, May 2008 At the same time, regional support for the Morales administration?s policies is on the rise. Venezuela and Cuba have sent doctors and teachers to rural areas in Bolivia. Cuba is building dozens of hospitals in the country, and Brazilian President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva said his nation would continue to support the expansion of Bolivia?s gas industry: 73% of Bolivian gas now goes to Brazil. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recently announced his government will give $883 million dollars in aid to improve and expand the output of Bolivia?s oil and gas industry. Thanks in part to increased revenue from the gas industry, Morales said that $1.8 million dollars would be contributed to the development of 21 potable water projects in Santa Cruz. Lula and Chavez recently pledged to collectively contribute $530 million dollars to help with the development of highways linking La Paz, Beni and Pando. The collaboration supports Morales in his efforts against pro-autonomy governors. Chavez said of the highway plan, "We're against those who want to tear Bolivia apart." Back in Sicaya, where Morales said he would return to coca farming if he lost the recall vote, the president stated that now, "the vote serves not only to name authorities, but also to revoke their mandate. We are talking about expanding democracy." Yet recent history shows that democracy in Bolivia can manifest itself in unpredictable ways. Benjamin Dangl is the author of The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia [1] (AK Press, 2007). He is the recipient of two Project Censored Awards for his reporting from Latin America and the editor of Upside Down World [2], a website covering activism and politics in Latin America, where this article was originally published. Email: Bendangl(at)gmail(dot)com. All photos are reprinted here under a Creative Commons License: Photo of autonomy banner in Santa Cruz from Flickr [3]. Map of Bolivia from Wikipedia [4]. Photos of rally in La Paz from Flickr [5]. Source URL: http://nacla.org/node/4861 =========================================================================== SARTESIAN has this to offer: >If those organizations don't exist, then the task is to develop a program >that will require and enable the workers to act not only on their own behalf >but as a class on behalf of all the poor of society. > >Morales does not offer such a program, and if the COB can't answer those >above questions, it doesn't offer one either. > ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From marvgandall at videotron.ca Wed Aug 6 19:10:46 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:10:46 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Peruvians favor socialism References: <4899A6B0.6050204@panix.com> <00ac01c8f7d4$7b128d80$6401a8c0@MARV> <2fa158550808061652g426b6caue027a869aebcc6b5@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <027801c8f82a$6c603b60$6401a8c0@MARV> Nestor writes: > True enough. But the problem lies in that in Per?? (in Per?? of all > places!) you ned to turn towards "extreme" forms of "populism" if you > want to establish, to actually establish, a "capitalist welfare state > model favoured by social democrats". And in so doing you turn yourself > into a Ch??vez, a Morales, a Correa or a -Lenin of our times! > > Permanent revolution is as valid in Peru, 2008 as it is in Russia, 1917. > > But in both cases it needs to be grafted, and not imposed, on the > local political tradition. =========================== For sure. Louis made a similar point earlier. Political consciousness is not fixed but a process reflecting the conditions, history and culture in which conflicts appear. From menecraj at shaw.ca Wed Aug 6 22:12:40 2008 From: menecraj at shaw.ca (Richard Menec) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 23:12:40 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Mauritania: Military ousts president, seizes power Message-ID: <010d01c8f843$d56a4d30$0200a8c0@agingCHS072729> MAURITANIA: Military ousts president, seizes power From menecraj at shaw.ca Wed Aug 6 22:17:34 2008 From: menecraj at shaw.ca (Richard Menec) Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 23:17:34 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Amnesty for Mugabe Message-ID: <011401c8f844$850c75b0$0200a8c0@agingCHS072729> Amnesty for Mugabe: From walterlx at earthlink.net Wed Aug 6 23:07:04 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 01:07:04 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Cindy Sheehan: This is Horseshit Message-ID: <22454654.1218085624164.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> This is Horseshit Cindy Sheehan http://www.cindyforcongress.org/ It is not if we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists will we be? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr You know, I don't care if it's not proper for a Congressional candidate to say: "horseshit." I don't care if it is not a good "tactic" to get kicked out of a Congressional non-impeachment hearing that was just a bunch of horseshit anyway. I don't care if I get accused of being too "extreme" for bucking the (cyst)em by doing everything form camping in a ditch in Crawford, Tx to non-violent civil disobedience to, lately, running for Congress as (oh no!) an independent. If people can't see how this nation is teetering on the precipice of financial ruin and dragging the rest of this planet down with us as we destroy our ecology, too?and if people don't realize how desperate our situation is, then I must say, that's horseshit! I am angry. No, I am incensed that hundreds of thousands of people are dead, dying, wounded, displaced from their homes or being imprisoned and tortured by the sadists that reside or work at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with the approval of their accomplices down the road in Congress. I am furious that I buried my oldest son when he was 24 years old for the unrepentant lies and the unpunished crimes of the Bush mob. Are you incensed? If not, maybe you should ask yourself: "Why?" Hypothetically: "Why am I not enraged that my country has killed or hurt so many people for absolutely no noble cause in my name and with my tacit approval?" I am steamed that the working class has to, once again, pay for the excesses of the capitalist criminals that feeds its rapacious appetite with the flesh and blood of our children and won't rest until it owns every penny in this world and has all the power. You may say, "But Cindy, it is not polite to be angry or to use such strong language in public." Horseshit! In my opinion, every citizen in this country should rise up in anger and DEMAND that George Bush and Dick Cheney not only be impeached and removed from office, but be tried and convicted for murder and crimes against the peace and humanity! We should all walk off of our jobs and refuse to work and refuse to be cogs in the wheels of psychotic consumerism until our troops, military contractors and permanent bases are removed from Iraq and Afghanistan. We should, but most of us won't. We won't because it may mean that we would lose something of "value." Material possessions are so transitory, as are our lives. We can leave a lasting impression by our courageous activism and moral sacrifice, or we can leave a pile of rusting metal or rotting wood. I choose the former for myself. We should come out of our comas of too much TV news and not enough non-biased information to push for alternatives to fossil fuels that are clean and renewable and protest nuclear facilities and off-shore oil drilling like we used to in the olden days when people actually cared enough about not poisoning our world to get off of their couches or (today) out from behind their computer screens to do something constructive instead of complacently shelling out hundreds of dollars a week for gasoline and food. I get so pissed off when one of my supporters has a tooth ache and can't afford to go see a dentist to fix it or when my sister has had a cough for almost two years and doesn't have the health insurance she needs to get fully well. And when I think that almost 50 million people in this country are non-insured or under-insured, I see red. Why, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, do some have the "privilege" of being fully insured and healthy, when health care is a basic human right, not a privilege for the elitists? My heart hurts every night when the men who sleep propped up against my campaign office, huddled under their blankets against the San Francisco chill, wish me a "good night" and I can't choke the same words back to them, or do much of anything but give them coffee to keep warm and books to read to help pass the time. My campaign office is being visited on a daily basis by Iraq war vets who can't access the help they need to get physically or mentally healthy---and I am "extreme" because I actually want things to really change and choose to act on this desire and not sit around passively pretending that this horseshit doesn't exist? Since Casey died, even though every day I am filled with pain and longing, I have tried to be the poster-mom for this pain telling my neighbors and fellow Americans how it feels to be profoundly hurt by the Military Industrial Complex and that it wouldn't be too long before the cancer of BushCo would strike every American home and now that this prediction is awfully coming true, I see more and more apathy and less and less action. Three years ago today, I first sat in a ditch in Crawford, Texas and three years later, we are in dire straits, my friends, and the prognosis is not good, unless we all make a conscious effort to sacrifice some of today's comfort for the sake of our children and grand-children's futures. Sixty-three years ago today, the monsters of the US war machine dropped a WMD on hundreds of thousands of innocent women and children and since then, this nation has just descended into a further spiral of war and profiting from war and preparing for war and more profiting from war; which is destroying every aspect of our society and we MUST reclaim our very souls from the Military Industrial Complex before it is too late. Please don't wait for November, or January or for the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius because every second we allow this demented pattern to continue, is one second too long! Get moving! Go to Cindy's Blog to Comment www.cindyforcongress.org ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From walterlx at earthlink.net Wed Aug 6 23:10:34 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 01:10:34 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] =?utf-8?q?Circles_Robinson_-_Cuba=27=C2=92s_Media_Chart?= =?utf-8?q?s_New_Course?= Message-ID: <4186456.1218085834318.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> (Here's an important new report on Cuban journalism by our colleague Circles Robinson. He's U.S. born and bread, lived in Nicaragua for many years, and has worked as a translator and journalist in Cuba since moving over to the island. He's someone I speak to often when there, a helpful friend and a thoughtful observer. Since Raul assumed the principal responsibilities in light of Fidel's illness, there's been a trend toward more public discussion in the print media and in workplaces of the country's daunting problems. In this report you'll see how the media itself is changing to reflect the needs of a society facing new and different challenges. Having a one-party state is a political decision with roots in the thought of Marti, but the number of political parties doesn't decide how to deal with problems as they come into being, and some that fester for long periods of time. This shows that the need for such discussion and criticism is recognized at the top and is also being encouraged at other levels. Time will tell how it all works out, but it's important to see it recognized formally in ways such as these.) ============================================================================ Cuba'?s Media Charts New Course By Circles Robinson* August 7, 2008 Since coming to Cuba six years ago, getting the news from the island?s print or broadcast media has been something of a chore. Coverage is often artificially upbeat and boring. The country was and is anything but dull, but you hardly get that impression from the newspapers. Today, Cuba?s publicly owned print and broadcast media seem to be on a slow path to improvement, delving into subjects that were previously taboo. Like my Cuban colleagues, I had been looking forward to this summer?s Congress of the Cuban Journalists Association (UPEC) to help affirm a new course. The last such event had taken place nine years ago. As schools had let out and many of Cuba?s workplaces went into their sweltering low-key summer mode, reporters from around the country and invited journalism students met for three days in early July at the Havana Convention Center to discuss the country?s information policy, the educating of future reporters, and bread and butter issues like salaries. Cartoons and Open Criticism As the journalists entered the hall, they received a copy of the Granma daily newspaper, which devoted an entire page to political cartoons lampooning the issues to be discussed. One cartoon showed a journalist working on the computer while a woman in a window behind him comments: ?Well, He?s hooked up to the Internet but he?s still disconnected from reality.? In another caricature, an official sitting on a throne-like chair says: ?Reporter, just to show that I cooperate with the press, I?m going to give you a list with the questions you have to ask me.? The cartoons reflected what the public and many reporters have been saying for a long time. A report, issued as part of the conference, said the same thing in more formal language: ?Insufficient information on daily Cuban life is still hurting the credibility of the Cuban media, forcing the population to fill in the information gaps by other means.? Several of Cuba?s top leaders attended the conference: First Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, Vice Presidents Esteban Lazo and Carlos Lage, the ministers of Culture and Telecommunications, Abel Prieto and Ramiro Valdez, and the Communist Party?s top international relations officer, Fernando Remirez de Estenoz, were present throughout. Several deputy ministers and other officials were also present for portions, including President Raul Castro and Parliament Chair Ricardo Alarcon, and the ministers of Education and Economy. What was most refreshing about the presence of so many authorities was that they spent their time listening attentively to the concerns of the country?s media professionals. I would estimate that less than 10 percent of all the comments made at the congress came from the top officials present. It was a rare pleasure to be among politicians who recognize that they don?t have all the answers. Honest Controversy over False Consensus Ariel Terrero, a TV commentator and print media journalist, stressed the importance of credibility, acknowledged to be lacking in the Cuban media. He said that reversing the situation would entail profound analysis and a critical approach. He noted the lack of information from ministries and called for more transparency at that government level. However, he also emphasized the journalists? responsibility to work with honesty and tenacity. Several reporters criticized the role played by self-censorship in limiting their work. The reality is that Cuba has been forced to defend itself against 50 years of hostility from the United States and extreme caution has definitely played a role in the island?s journalism. Santa Clara TV journalist Luis Evidio Martinez also commented on the challenge of audience/reader credibility. He felt it was a mistake to give in to the temptation of ?de-problemizing? the country. He further noted that silence is what arms Cuba?s detractors. Martinez also said Cuban commentators should have the right to err, saying he prefers ?honest controversy to false consensus.? Rolando Perez Betancourt, well-known columnist and movie critic, chimed in on the same topic: ?Perhaps by holding back our fire on our own deficiencies we have actually done an important favor to the enemy.? The critic added: ?The public gave us our just due,? ?at the meetings last year following a call by President Raul Castro to discuss the nation?s problems? ?for not reporting on what we should.? He questioned the benefit of silence, ?opting not to shoot at the target as the best way to avoid missing the mark.? He also stressed that you can?t expect reporters ?to coincide 100 percent with the established opinion about something.? Exemplifying the hurdles Cuban journalists face to do their job effectively, Maria Julia Mayoral, a reporter for Granma, spoke of her efforts to cover the National Assembly (parliament) beat. ?It?s alarming that we can?t write about what?s discussed in committee debates.? She said the reporters that cover the National Assembly have a great deal of information but are told not to use it, adding, ?and there isn?t any follow up.? Frank Gonzalez, director of the Prensa Latina news agency, said all information that does not jeopardize security should be available to the public. In a criticism of how the Cuban media makes use of op-ed pieces, Edda Diz Garces, from Trabajadores weekly, called for ?less rhetoric and better arguments? in defending positions in a credible way ?with irrefutable facts and figures.? She also noted that too often many Cuban websites resemble each other with virtually the same articles. Young Voices Several young people spoke out at the journalism congress. Leslie Salgado of Canal Havana TV noted that many of the problems of reporting in Cuba are old hat. She insisted: ?The information policy has to change, and that change is in us and the decision-making bodies. The situation of closed doors and officials refusing to provide information has got to end, because the people are demanding that we report with veracity, and a critical and reflective eye.? Salgado went on to say what many her age were thinking. ?I don?t want to be here at the age of 30, repeating the same thing about our disappointments with the practice of our profession.? She noted that students begin to get discouraged by the third year of journalism study. Their frustration continues when they begin working and facing limitations in doing their job. A young reporter from Matanzas Province emphasized the treatment of indifference that new journalists receive at some news organizations, and the resulting lack of encouragement. Likewise, he said there?s little opportunity to carry out work in the provinces ?where there is far less material and logistical resources? leading to more migration to the capital. Desertion from the field of journalism to more economically beneficial jobs in tourism was mentioned as a serious dilemma by several of the young journalists and some seasoned delegates. Likewise, emigration abroad was cited as a big concern. The younger generation especially is often tempted to view leaving the country as their best option for economic betterment. This deprives the country of valuable human resources and feeds into Cuba?s growing problem of an aging population. Phantoms and Salaries The tremendous cutback in print runs and frequency of publications during the hard post-Soviet years of the 1990s turned many publications into virtual phantoms, said two delegates. There was agreement that the newly expanded special Friday edition of Granma, with double the number of pages, is providing much needed opportunities for writers. Gladis Egues, from the Editorial de la Mujer (Women?s Publishing House), echoed this move asserting that the print run and distribution of publications like Mujeres (Women) and Muchachas (Girls) also needs to be increased from the current very low levels. Charly Morales, a young reporter from Prensa Latina, pointedly used humor to address a topic that was on a lot of people?s minds the salary situation. In describing the acrobatics his colleagues must undertake to exercise their profession and earn a living that meets their basic needs, he brought the entire hall into roaring laughter and asked the Party leadership for some direction on the matter. The question merited responses from vice presidents Esteban Lazo, Machado Ventura and Carlos Lage. Lazo noted that while there was expectation of the announcement of a pay hike at the congress, such a raise for journalists, as other sectors, must be postponed to later in 2008 or 2009, as recent sharp price increases on the country?s imports have caused economic difficulties. A salary increase might not be so difficult to offer to a small sector like the journalists, said Carlos Lage, the operations chief of the Cuban economy. However, he made it clear that pay hikes must be related to product availability. ?We must be responsible and increases must be part of an integral policy so we don?t return to that period in the early 1990s when people had money but nothing to buy,? said Lage. Machado Ventura summed up the government?s position on the matter by saying that the nation?s means (budget) ?can?t be stretched artificially.? The Course for Media Change Is Set President Raul Castro was present at the final session. He too used humor to address the audience, mentioning that some of the problems posed by the journalists were as old as the ancient Gutenberg printing press. Vice President Lazo then gave the closing address. He urged the Cuban media to ?leave behind styles and bad habits that diminish their effectiveness.? He emphasized the importance of implementing the Communist Party?s recommendations (outlined in 2007) that the media reflect Cuban realty and contribute to confronting its problems. That statement reinforced the notion that the guidelines are in place and that now it?s up to each individual media to break from passivity and put a more dynamic journalism into practice. *Circles Robinson?s reports and commentaries from Havana can be read at: www.circlesonline.blogspot.com ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From ssschwartz8 at gmail.com Thu Aug 7 02:57:18 2008 From: ssschwartz8 at gmail.com (yossi schwartz) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 11:57:18 +0300 Subject: [Marxism] AL Jazeera a TV station without a backbone Message-ID: <685ad9b30808070157o5beafdf4m5f2e6aeba50a2604@mail.gmail.com> Al Jazeera a TV without a back bone Israel has formed a monster our of Samir Kuntar. He was found guility of killing an entire family in a military court. A court that is Judges are part of the military machine of the Israeli state and as court goes its value is of a kangaroo court. Kuntar admitted that he killed a police ?An act of a guerilla fighter and denied that he killed any civilians. A. There is no reason to doubt his version for two reasons: For killing a policeman he got life time and there is no death penalty in Israel for guerilla fighters. B. In his private letter from prison he told his family he did not kill the civilians. C. Most likely they were killed by the Israeli police and army in the fire exchange when the Israelis came to try and free them by shooting and they freed them from life.. On the other hand it is useful to think who are the heroes of Israel like the mass murderer Ariel Sharon Or the gangster fascist Rehavham Zeevi Never the less the Al Jazeera television station admitted Wednesday that its coverage of Israel's release Samir Kuntar violated the station's own code of ethics. The admission came in response to a threat by Israel's Government Press Office to boycott the satellite channel unless it apologized From sabocat59 at mac.com Thu Aug 7 06:41:30 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:41:30 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Ecuador: Majority Support new Constitution Message-ID: http://ecuador-rising.blogspot.com/index.html Wednesday, August 06, 2008 Ecuador: Majority Support New Constitution Quito, Aug 5 (Prensa Latina) At least 47 percent of Ecuadorians support the referendum for approving a new Constitution on September 28, a poll revealed here Tuesday. The poll made by firm SP Investigation and Studies said that if the referendum were Tuesday, 47 percent would vote ?Yes? and 20 percent would be in favour of saying ?No?. The study said 13 percent of the interviewed people would vote in blank and 12 percent would annul their vote. The Ecuadorian Catholic hierarchy challenged the government and warned it would give ?a crusade? against a text in favour of abortion and marriage among homosexuals. For his part Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa assured the Magna Carta guarantees life from the concept and recognition of the family as the union between a man and a woman. The same way, members of governmental Alianza Pais rejected the vision of the Catholic Church and opposition groups. Despite the opposition of the Church, sectors of churches are in favour of the new Constitution, with new reforms giving the government tools to regulate the economy. On July 25, Constituent Assembly president Fernando Cordero delivered the new Magna Carta to the Electoral Supreme Court for the analysis. On August 13 the project should be under consult for September 28. With 444 articles and more than 20 transitory dispositions the new Constitution was approved with the vote of 94 of the 126 present National Assembly deputies, while 32 from the opposition voted against. From lnp3 at panix.com Thu Aug 7 06:42:21 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:42:21 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Nader Interview Message-ID: <489AEDAD.30705@panix.com> http://features.csmonitor.com/monitorbreakfast/2008/08/06/nader-still-in-the-presidential-ring-sees-in-obama-a-decline-in-fortitude/ Nader, still in the presidential ring, sees in Obama a decline in ?fortitude? Low-income Americans, civil rights activists 'expect more of him,' says the longtime consumer advocate, pursuing his fifth bid for the White House. By David Cook | Staff Writer / August 6, 2008 edition (Watch Video at above link) Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader charged that Democrat Barack Obama has developed a ?fortitude gap? and would not make the kind of president that civil rights veterans had worked to make possible. At a Monitor-sponsored breakfast with reporters on Wednesday, Mr. Nader also predicted his own White House bid would be much stronger than his 2004 campaign, in which he garnered 0.38 percent of the national vote. The longtime consumer advocate spoke the day after the release of an Associated Press-Ipsos national poll showing him with support from 3 percent of likely voters. Senator Obama led with 47 percent, while the GOP?s Sen. John McCain was favored by 41 percent. Support for his fifth bid for president ?will be much greater than? in 2004, Nader predicted. In the last presidential election, ?the Democrats filed 24 lawsuits in 18 states in 12 weeks to get us off the ballot and harassed our petitioners. So we didn?t get on a lot of ballots.? The ticket of Nader and vice-presidential candidate Matt Gonzales, a civil rights attorney from San Francisco, will be on 45 state ballots this November, he said. Earlier this year, Nader called Obama ?a person of substance? and ?the first liberal evangelist in a long time.? But Wednesday morning, his assessment of the first-term senator from Illinois was critical. ?All these candidates of the major parties know far more than they act on. And that gap is the fortitude gap. Do they want to demonstrate political courage? Do they want to spend their capital?? Nader said. ?Obama has demonstrated a decreasing level of fortitude, a decreasing willingness to spend his capital. I think for the bottom 100 million Americans ? low-income whites, blacks, and Latinos ? he is not really associated in this town with any comprehensive proposal ? economic, political, social. And we expect more of him.? Nader added, ?People who have fought the civil rights battle economically, politically, legally, as we have since the ?50s, would often talk about ? would happen if we had an African-American president or chairpersons of major congressional committees. It doesn?t look like it is going to be what we all thought it would be.? On key issues, Obama ?is blurring himself,? Nader charged. ?That is the fatal mistake all these Democratic presidential candidates have made since Walter Mondale [in 1984]. They have blurred themselves with the Republican. Somehow their political consultants have persuaded them [that] protective imitation is the way to win.? Nader called it ?a losing strategy.? The media came in for a dose of Nader?s ire. ?The media is in a cultural rut,? he said. ?I am not talking about their private, incisive, skeptical conversations with one another. I am talking about the questions they don?t ask, the questions they ask. Give me a bunch of 10-year-olds instead of the White House press corps, and the president would be far, far more upset and anxious.? Among Nader?s prescriptions for media reform: ?Don?t be so cynical about small starts. If nature was like you, seeds would never have a chance to sprout.? Democrats have criticized Nader for diverting enough votes from Al Gore in Florida in 2000 to hand the presidential election to George W. Bush. It is a charge Nader rejects, calling the spoiler label ?a contemptuous word of political bigotry.? With polls showing that Nader is not going to win the White House this year, why is he running his third national campaign and making his fifth effort at becoming president? The answer has to do with his definition of winning. ?I define winning in many ways that are acceptable to political scholars,? Nader told reporters Wednesday. ?One is you keep the agendas alive. There is a generation of Americans who couldn?t even argue the progressive income tax much less the estate tax, which has been renamed. So you keep the progressive agenda alive, you bring a lot of young people in, a lot of not-so-young people get a little morale boost.? He cited hope that what he says during the campaign ?would pull or push the other two major candidates.? From frickey.frickey at gmail.com Thu Aug 7 07:23:19 2008 From: frickey.frickey at gmail.com (Jim Frickey) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 06:23:19 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. Message-ID: <24164b750808070623n12a72422qac99ebdcf16ccda5@mail.gmail.com> I suppose we ought to commend Fred Fuentes on his fair and balanced report on the COB actions in Bolivia. Whereas Evo Morales referred to the strikers as "very few," Fuentes concedes that they were "a few hundred." For my part I'd like to reveal some facts that are missing from Fred's reportage. Number One, two miners are dead and 41 wounded -- shot down, gassed or beaten by Bolivian police. One of the dead miners, Hern?n Montero, a 24-year-old father, was killed by a bullet in the heart. This bullet arrived just after the assurances of Morales's interior minister that the police would break the blockade without resorting to live rounds. The remainder of the wounded workers were hit by 'nonlethal' pellets, clubs, and gas. The workers' primary demand is for Morales to restore the previous social security system, which is similar to the system in the U.S. In Bolivia the whole country has what amounts to 401k, although the COB reports that only 10% qualify to draw their pensions when the time comes. Evo Morales's minister of government has made the absurd claim that the Bolvian trade union federation is the dupe of the oligarchy. Fred Fuentes does himself no credit by regurgitating the government's half-truths that Morales "never opposed the modification of the pension law" or that he is a supporter of the COB's demand to eliminate the hedge fund that runs the pension system. Morales has expressed a willingness to buy out the hedge fund, but he has not budged on the COB's demand that the government begin to pay into the system. At present, only the workers pay into the fund, which amasses a pot of gold for private speculators. Morales wants to transfer the fund to state hands. Of course there is a major political question at play that underlies all assessments of the weight of the COB's general strike. Fascism: What is it and how to fight it? Fred Fuentes seems to think that the referendum is a step towards the defeat of the oligarchy. But more cogent analyses on the ground in Bolivia have explained the referendum as a means to ratify the crisis of parallel governments and as the latest effort of Morales to steer his sinking regime toward a rapprochement with the 100 families who rule Bolivia. Jim From elishastephens at hotmail.com Thu Aug 7 07:31:40 2008 From: elishastephens at hotmail.com (Eli Stephens) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 06:31:40 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Ecuador: Majority Support new Constitution Message-ID: "Quito, Aug 5 (Prensa Latina) At least 47 percent of Ecuadorians support the referendum for approving a new Constitution on September 28, a poll revealed here Tuesday." For the record, 47 percent is a plurality, not a majority. _________________________________________________________________ Reveal your inner athlete and share it with friends on Windows Live. http://revealyourinnerathlete.windowslive.com?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WLYIA_whichathlete_us From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 07:45:28 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 09:45:28 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. Message-ID: <7334421.1218116728121.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Since the right is backing the autonomy referendums, where it thinks it can win them, and fighting to disrupt and discredit those that it thinks it will lose, Jim Frickey presents no evidence to back up the assertion he make that Evo Morales is trying to make a deal with the Bolivian ruling class. If there is any evidence, please present some of it so it can be assessed. Some elements on the left are on the warpath against Evo Morales because they seem to think that he lacks the "correct program", whatever that might be, for the scene in Bolivia. Here is a sample of the criticism which is being leveled at Morales: SOCIALIST ACTION May 2008 Threat by Bolivian rightists The regime of Evo Morales in Bolivia, seen as Chavez's main ally among the new reform governments, is now facing growing threats. They have been developing for a long time because of the failure of the regime to attack the roots of the imperialist-dominated capitalist system. These threats have been crystalized in the unofficial referendum the rulers of four right-wing-dominated provinces are organizing for May 4. The objective of the rightists is to seize an extensive "autonomy" that would amount to, or prepare the way for secession. These provinces are where the country?s major natural resources are located. On April 23, Chavez called for an emergency conference in the Bolivian capital of La Paz of ALBA, an economic bloc between Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua?along with Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and St. Kitts as candidate members?to discuss the threat of the right-wing separatists. This seems to be another example of Chavez?s utopian policy of populist or bourgeois nationalist blocs. ALBA is significant as an example of international economic cooperation in the interests of the masses. But it has essentially only a symbolic importance. Aside from a certain attractiveness of contributions of Venezuelan oil or oil money, ALBA has no political or economic weight. The only way to combat the right-wing threat in Bolivia is to mobilize the workers and the oppressed?in particular, the indigenous peoples who live on top of the natural resources in the provinces ruled by the right. That requires a revolutionary orientation, which is different from diplomatic accords among populist bourgeois governments. What is needed in Bolivia is a workers movement that can give Morales the same sort of lesson that the Sidor workers gave Chavez and then go on to take the leadership itself. Without such developments, the radicalization in Latin America?despite the mass hatred of capitalism and U.S. imperialist dominance that it expresses?can peter out in disillusionment. FULL: http://www.socialistaction.org/foley109.htm Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ==================================================================== JIM FRICKEY writes; Fred Fuentes seems to think that the referendum is a step towards the defeat of the oligarchy. But more cogent analyses on the ground in Bolivia have explained the referendum as a means to ratify the crisis of parallel governments and as the latest effort of Morales to steer his sinking regime toward a rapprochement with the 100 families who rule Bolivia. ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk Thu Aug 7 08:00:36 2008 From: suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk (Sukla Sen) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 15:00:36 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Marxism] Nepal Updates: Plot Thickens Again Message-ID: <92634.37509.qm@web23006.mail.ird.yahoo.com> I/III. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug07/news14.php Govt under our leadership almost impossible: Baidya Senior Maoist leader Mohan Baidya 'Kiran' has said that the possibility of his party forming the next consensus government was almost nil following the Nepali Congress's move to form the next government. Referring to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's consultations for forming the new government, he said the NC is hell-bent to stop the Maoists from forming the government. "That's why the NC is also blocking the process of making the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of consensus government in the name of the Maoists not taking measures towards confidence building among the parties," he said speaking at the Reporters' Club on Thursday. Baidya also made it clear that his party would not seek further extension of deadline from the president for forming government of national consensus under the Maoist leadership. "As the Nepali Congress has stepped up to form the next government by itself, it is unlikely that we would form the next government," Baidya added. He further warned that the nation would face 'serious crisis' without the Maoist led government. nepalnews.com ps Aug 07 08 II. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug07/news07.php MK Nepal again offered to head statute drafting committee Former UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, who earlier rejected request from Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to head the statute drafting committee, again received the same offer from the Maoist leadership Wednesday. CPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' during the four hour long discussion in Lalitpur asked Nepal to head the constitution drafting commission. The request has come from the Maoist leaders in another effort to forge alliance with UML in the formation of the new government and to rebuild relations that went bitter after the presidential election. Reports say that Prachanda also told Nepal that he could not support Nepal's candidacy for president due to internal problems of the party. In response, Nepal termed Prachanda's offer as positive but would accept the offer only on the condition that other parties back the proposal. nepalnews.com ia aug 07 08 III. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug07/news13.php Maoist chief miffed by PM Koirala, says his activism undermines Prez call Seemingly outshined in the race for government formation, CPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ?Prachanda? Thursday expressed severe reservations to the recent round of political meetings held by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala for the formation of "a national unity government". The Maoist strongman, who is widely believed to be the prime-minister in the waiting, said that the intensified political parleys by PM Koirala has created problem in reaching an agreement with other political parties, adding that it has totally disregarded the Presidents? call to his party to take the initiative to form the new government. Emerging from a meeting with UML general secretary Jhala Nath Khanal at the latter's residence, Dahal told media persons that PM Koirala is also doing a wrong thing from the constitutional point of view with his political activism when the president has already set a time frame for the Maoists to form the government which end in two days. He said that at a time when the Maoists are holding meetings with other political parties, PM Koirala is clearly not helping by engaging in parallel political meetings. "In fact he is creating hindrance for us," Dahal said, adding that although there has been agreement between the big four parties to form a "national unity government", his party has given continuity to such political meetings to realize it. Senior Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai and Ram Bahadur Thapa accompanied Dahal in the meeting with Khanal just few hours after the latter met Nepali Congress leader and staunch Maoist critic Ram Chandra Poudel. nepalnews.com ag Aug 07 08 __________________________________________________________ Not happy with your email address?. Get the one you really want - millions of new email addresses available now at Yahoo! http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/ymail/new.html From sartesian at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 10:09:07 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 12:09:07 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. References: <7334421.1218116728121.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <003501c8f8a7$ec554fe0$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Nobody here is on the warpath against Morales; no Marxists are calling for Morales head in a basket. That's just baloney, on a par with government ministers claiming the miners' protests are part of a right wing strategy. Garbage. And even the Financial Times reported that 2 miners had been killed. So who's really throwing bombs? The question is: Can Morales, who quite clearly wants reconciliation with the dissident elements to his right, resolve the class struggle in Bolivia, other than by making way for a Pinochet-type reaction? I think the answer is just as clearly no. As for Morales tendency to make compromises, deals with the ruling class--- I would point out that Morales and the MAS were among the last to call for the nationalization of the petroleum and gas fields in 2005, announcing support some 4 weeks after initital demands and demonstrations against Mesa's plan; and before the demonstrations? I'm sure Fred and others will jump to correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Morales supported Mesa's "compromise." ----- Original Message ----- From: "Walter Lippmann" To: Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2008 9:45 AM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 10:21:17 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 12:21:17 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. Message-ID: <5852807.1218126077932.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> "Nobody here is on the warpath against Morales???" WHAT IS "take the leadership itself" if not a warparth? The only way to combat the right-wing threat in Bolivia is to mobilize the workers and the oppressed?in particular, the indigenous peoples who live on top of the natural resources in the provinces ruled by the right. That requires a revolutionary orientation, which is different from diplomatic accords among populist bourgeois governments. What is needed in Bolivia is a workers movement that can give Morales the same sort of lesson that the Sidor workers gave Chavez and then go on to take the leadership itself. Without such developments, the radicalization in Latin America?despite the mass hatred of capitalism and U.S. imperialist dominance that it expresses?can peter out in disillusionment. http://www.socialistaction.org/foley109.htm =================================================== Morales Extols Bolivia Change Progress La Paz, Aug 6 (Prensa Latina) Bolivian President Evo Morales highlighted on Wednesday the progress of the changing process that his government has been boosting since 2006, as a result of the historic struggles for justice and social equality.Bolivia Denounces New Anti-Recall-Vote Actions In a multitudinous rally in front of Palacio Quemado, government house, the president asserted that on the anniversary 183 of the Independence Day, the economic and social achievements are the best homage to those who gave their lives for it before, as indigenous leader Tupac Katari. In his speech to the whole nation, he explained that in two years and six months of the current administration, Bolivia stopped being a pauper State, thanks to nationalization of resources as oil and natural gas, and to the national industrialization process. In this reference, he said the times when the Executive asked international financial organizations for funds, as it happened with neoliberal governments of those moments, were left behind. He also praised that thanks to the democratic and cultural revolution in 2008, the Andean nation will be declared a territory free of illiteracy, a program in progresses with the help of Cuba and Venezuela. Bolivia is going well and is reliable said the president, referring to some economic data, including increase of the foreign currency reserves from $1 billion to $7.5 billion in little more than two years of administration. In his speech, Morales defended national unity, faced with the recall vote for his term of office on Sunday, in which over four million voters will decide if the authorities will keep their posts. Morales asked the sectors opposed to his government not to be selfish and not to foster secessionism, and asserted that attacks and threats would not terrify the will to refound Bolivia. hr/iom/ga PL-22Bolivia Denounces New Anti-Recall-Vote Actions La Paz, Aug 6 (Prensa Latina) The Bolivian government denounced on Wednesday new opposition maneuvers to hinder the recall vote scheduled for Sunday, including occupation of the departmental electoral court buildings. Presidential spokesman Ivan Canelas told Prensa Latina those plans are based on actions by violent groups, protected by regional authorities opposed to the process of changes boosted by President Evo Morales. The right, desperate, expects that stopping the August 10 recall vote, it will be able to reach power, a strategy devoted to failure, he stated. Canelas also criticized the position by leaders of the COB (Bolivian Central Union), who are promoting mobilizations to demand a new pension law, which is under debate in Congress. As part of a whole plan to destabilize the country and boycott the recall vote, there are hunger strikes by civic leaders in Santa Cruz, Pando, Beni, and Tarija, which is called Crescent. The opposition also manipulates physically challenged people, who demand a fund for their assistance, a bill proposed by the Executive and that the traditional parties hamper in the Senate, he said. The executive denounced o Tuesday attacks entailing shooting in the northern Beni department on vehicles of Presidential Minister Juan Ramon Quintana. According to that authority, the participants in the attack are people affected by an adverse political situation, expressed by a sector that supports Governor Ernesto Suarez, who will be revoked at the polls, he asserted. hr/iom/ga PL-17 ========================================================== SARTESIAN: Nobody here is on the warpath against Morales; no Marxists are calling for Morales head in a basket. That's just baloney, on a par with government ministers claiming the miners' protests are part of a right wing strategy. Garbage. And even the Financial Times reported that 2 miners had been killed. So who's really throwing bombs? The question is: Can Morales, who quite clearly wants reconciliation with the dissident elements to his right, resolve the class struggle in Bolivia, other than by making way for a Pinochet-type reaction? I think the answer is just as clearly no. As for Morales tendency to make compromises, deals with the ruling class--- I would point out that Morales and the MAS were among the last to call for the nationalization of the petroleum and gas fields in 2005, announcing support some 4 weeks after initital demands and demonstrations against Mesa's plan; and before the demonstrations? I'm sure Fred and others will jump to correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Morales supported Mesa's "compromise." ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From dave.walters at comcast.net Thu Aug 7 10:35:13 2008 From: dave.walters at comcast.net (David Walters) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:35:13 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. Message-ID: <489B2441.6010904@comcast.net> It seems Walter is *against* mobilizing the masses in defense of the Bolivian nation and against the right. ALL forces, per Walter, sitting comfortably in Los Angeles, CA, have to, must, do what ever the President says and put forward no independent stance in defense of their own interests. Again, Marxism out the window. The two paragraphs he quotes from the SA magazine seem to be spot on. What exactly, Walter, do you disagree with? Take the experience with Sidor in Venezuela, mentioned by SA...Walter would be in the bed with Chavez's former Minister of Labor who did *nothing* to defend the workers there and only opposed their demand for nationalization! Chavez, eventually, and totally due to the workers *independent* actions, saw the light and agreed to nationalization, much to the happiness of the thousands of steel workers at Sidor. Real socialism is EXACTLY the independent mobilization of the masses to defend what they rightfully see as theirs and not wait for some governmental decree or diplomatic manourvering *alone*. One has to wonder that in the case of Chile, that Allende could of used MORE independent mobilization. The Stalinists, I might add, were always screaming "don't provoke, follow the President...". David From skeyesvogt at gmail.com Thu Aug 7 10:59:57 2008 From: skeyesvogt at gmail.com (Sky Keyes-Vogt) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 12:59:57 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. Message-ID: this was recently on boliva rising blog: http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2008/08/evo-morales-if-bolivian-people-ask-us.html The president, who celebrated two and a half years in this position and applies a policy of nationalisations of petroleum and service industries, affirmed that the decision to advance towards socialism came about due to a poll, although he did not reveal the origins of the poll. "I was looking over a poll that came from overseas and the majority of the Bolivians propose socialism, I was left very impressed ?. If the Bolivian people ask us for socialism, we will deepen towards socialism" said the president during the inauguration of an indigenous university in the Aymara town of Warisata. -------------------------------------------------------------------- my response: If Morales himself says he is relying on the populace to "ask [him] for socialism" for him to judge how quickly to '"deepen towards socialism" then why shouldn't these workers 'ask for it' in a fashion that working class militancy has passed down to them: by taking to the streets? Morales is being pressured heavily from the right, if the left does not exert strong force then we should all know what comes next. comradely, sky From jbustelo at gmail.com Thu Aug 7 11:12:51 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 13:12:51 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections) In-Reply-To: <24164b750808070623n12a72422qac99ebdcf16ccda5@mail.gmail.com> References: <24164b750808070623n12a72422qac99ebdcf16ccda5@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: I think that people who are focused on the "just struggle" of the COB miners against the Morales government are making a grave mistake. I don't put "just struggle" in quotes because I doubt the sincerity of the miners nor the justice of their cause. On the former, I have no doubt; on the latter, I have no clue. You'd have to know Bolivian social reality with a great deal of intimacy to judge that last point, and I don't pretend to. But what I do believe is that these skirmishes --and that is ALL they are-- are taking place within the context of a broader battle that is just now coming to a head. Bolivia is on the verge of civil war. The "autonomist" coup by the embassy and the oligarchy has already become a de-facto situation of dual power, as is shown by the cancellation of the traditional independence day speech and session of parliament in Sucre and also of the summit with Chavez and Kirchner in Tarija. To take government ministries NOW by force, blockade roads, attack government transports and loaded fuel trucks with dynamite sticks, to do such thing NOW, concretely, in Bolivia, THIS week, is to not just to aid the yanqui-oligarchical coup movement, but to become one with it, whatever your intentions. If you don't believe me, tune in to CNN en Espa?ol and see how gleefully the main imperialist TV news network in the region greets such developments. "Morales besieged from the left and the right" is the line. It is true that Evo Morales has followed a course that does not seem, at least from afar, to have been consistent. He has temporized and compromised when perhaps a firmer hand could have avoided the current circumstance. Some of his followers have engaged in actions which were impolitic if not downright provocatory, as Soliz Rada argued recently out in Monthly Review -- another indication of what from afar begins to look like an overly-generous spirit on the part of Evo. But --at least reading things optimistically-- the government's decision NOT to let itself ne drawn into a confrontation at a time and place of the opposition's choosing --in Sucre and Tarija on independence day-- and thereby suffer public humiliation, and its decision to place its bet on the re-legitimizing revocatory referendum on Sunday, plus the firm, dignified, patriotic message Evo gave from La Paz on independence day, and today in his review of army units, gives rise to the hope that in the wake of this vote there WILL BE decisive action to restore the authority of the Bolivian state, crush the pretend "autonomous" governments of this slaveholder's rebellion, and bring the constitutional government and the unfolding revolutionary process into closer alignment. In some ways this has been, in essence, the course of the Ch?vez government in Venezuela, and perhaps it is a peculiarity common to many or all patriotic-revolutionary processes that take this general form, an electoral road, simply because under such conditions it seems to take a lot of time for the different political currents to sort themselves out, and for the masses to sort out the different political currents. And the most conscious revolutionists, especially if at the head of such a process, will prefer to push forward the mass, thus seeming to lag behind them, rather than gallop ahead and risk being isolated and cut off. But even in such processes there are turning points. One we saw in those terrible April days of 2002, when it seemed Hugo Chavez had failed to act with anywhere near sufficient vigor and found himself a prisoner of the embassy's golpistas. But the outcome showed Ch?vez saw deeper and further than we, his skittish foreign supporters, could possibly have done. And he returned, not thanks to brilliant counter-intelligence work but a massive, chaotic, elemental people's uprising and victory. Everything suggests that Bolivia today is at a crossroads like Venezuela faced in April, 2002. It is firmly to be hoped that the leaders of the miners will limit themselves to demanding, as the price for the miners joining the rest of the people on the battle line in the coming days, a full and fair review of their grievances after the victory. But they must understand that RIGHT NOW, THIS WEEK, anyone who tries to undermine the government's authority, disrupt its functioning or hinder its actions IN FACT has cast his lot with the embassy and its "half moon" golpistas, for there is NO OTHER attempt currently underway to overthrow Evo, and the success of this plot would be a defeat for the miners and all other popular sectors. It is therefore further to be hoped that even if they don't get such minimal token concessions from Evo, the leaders of the miners will nevertheless prove themselves clear-eyed political leaders and place their dynamite and hard hats at the defense of this GENUINELY popularly-elected government, whatever one may consider to be its weaknesses and vacillations. For the alternative, the ONLY alternative available THIS week and one that is actually, as I write these lines, in the real world, no bullshit, stretching its hand to snatch the power from Evo, is much, much worse. Victory against the lowland golpistas will not be solely, and perhaps not even primarily, the victory of Evo Morales or of his government or of whatever one imagines his goals to be, but of the popular masses. This is not how some, perhaps many of us may have wanted to draw the battle lines, but for better or worse, THIS IS how the battle lines are drawn, right now, in Bolivia. Next week it may be different, but THIS WEEK the ACTUAL battle going on is between Evo's constitutional government and the U.S. embassy and its stooges. TOMORROW you may have better choices, but TODAY the choices are Evo or Bush. Joaquin From jbustelo at gmail.com Thu Aug 7 11:18:19 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 13:18:19 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Sky writes: <> No, not what comes NEXT, what is being attempted RIGHT NOW. The only way forward in Bolivia TODAY is through the defeat of the embassy-oligarchic "autonomy" coup. There is no other road. Joaquin From lnp3 at panix.com Thu Aug 7 11:26:09 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:26:09 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Moderator's note In-Reply-To: <489B2441.6010904@comcast.net> References: <489B2441.6010904@comcast.net> Message-ID: <489B3031.7090906@panix.com> David Walters wrote: > It seems Walter is *against* mobilizing the masses in defense of the > Bolivian nation and against the right. ALL forces, per Walter, sitting > comfortably in Los Angeles, CA, have to, must, do what ever the > President says and put forward no independent stance in defense of their > own interests. Just a reminder. We don't need comments like "sitting comfortably in Los Angeles" from Marxmail subscribers. This kind of cheap demagogy poisons debates. From dave.walters at comcast.net Thu Aug 7 11:49:46 2008 From: dave.walters at comcast.net (David Walters) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:49:46 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Moderator's note Message-ID: <489B35BA.4060706@comcast.net> Of course, Louis, I agree. It just seems that Walter hasn't gotten over this modus operandi and so I only really aimed this at him. A taste of his own medicine. I wouldn't care if he was writing from northern Siberia, he has access to the same information as anyone else and therefor I would never hold it against him where he lives...and neither should he. David From skeyesvogt at gmail.com Thu Aug 7 11:51:29 2008 From: skeyesvogt at gmail.com (Sky Keyes-Vogt) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 13:51:29 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. Message-ID: I want to thank comrades for this discussion, as a marxist youth it is very informative for me. Joaquin said: No, not what comes NEXT, what is being attempted RIGHT NOW. The only way forward in Bolivia TODAY is through the defeat of the embassy-oligarchic "autonomy" coup. There is no other road. My response: If indeed there is a coup in process, what is the correct strategy here? My elementary knowledge of marxism and history had left me with the belief that the best way to guard against such dangers was by arming and organizing the workers - as Chavez has recently decreed - not by directing them into a voting booth. Joaquin paints a dire picture of Bolivan reality today, and then advises that everyone unite with the Morales government without even a caveat about workings organizing and arming themselves. Someone had earlier referred to Allende, and this situation seeems to beg the question of what we think Allende should have done, and I thought consensus was that he should have armed and organized the workers. Please speak on this issue. Also, what is preventing Morales from giving the workers what they want and having him on television shaking their leaders' hands? Is it because he disagrees with them? Is the timing wrong? Does he not want to cave in to workers demands since he may be trying to win over middle layers in the referendum? Morales may be getting brutalized by the international capitalist media because he is being attacked by both sides, but he is the president and can immediately make peace with these leftist workers, why not do it? Comradely, Sky From lnp3 at panix.com Thu Aug 7 11:51:41 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:51:41 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Moderator's note In-Reply-To: <489B35BA.4060706@comcast.net> References: <489B35BA.4060706@comcast.net> Message-ID: <489B362D.1070200@panix.com> David Walters wrote: > Of course, Louis, I agree. It just seems that Walter hasn't gotten over > this modus operandi and so I only really aimed this at him. A taste of > his own medicine. I wouldn't care if he was writing from northern > Siberia, he has access to the same information as anyone else and > therefor I would never hold it against him where he lives...and neither > should he. Actually, Walter has *not* been using this lately--to his credit. Anyhow, let's try to avoid doing it all costs. From marvgandall at videotron.ca Thu Aug 7 11:54:45 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:54:45 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] A decisive shift in the landscale of finance capitalism? Message-ID: <03d201c8f8b6$ad9e2ce0$6401a8c0@MARV> From "Top 1000 World Banks 2008", The Banker, July 1, 2008: ...The traditional banking landscape, dominated by the US and Europe, is shifting. [...] ...the US banks have taken a battering as a result of the financial crisis and profits in the 2008 Top 1000 listing were down more than 40% on the previous year to $112.8bn. The critical aspect is that the role of US banks, which was once dominant, is in serious decline. [...] US banks? profits in the 2008 listing were just 14% of the Top 1000 World Banks aggregate profits, compared with 24% last year and a huge 49% five years ago in The Banker?s 2003 listing. The role of US banks is also slipping in other areas ? in the 2008 listing aggregate, Tier 1 capital slipped to 16% from 19% the previous year and aggregate assets fell to 11% from 13% in the 2007 listing. And in aggregate terms on profitability US banks usually lead the world, but this year have fallen to a 17.9% average return on capital, below the reduced global average return on capital of 20%. Are US banks losing their grip? Some will argue that they will bounce back, and Citigroup?s profits of just $1.7bn will not be repeated. Perhaps so, but the trend suggests that banks outside the traditional developed world are growing, and the dominance by US banks and also the Europeans is diminishing. For example, the number of US banks in this year?s listing fell to 169 from 185 last year and from 210 banks five years ago in the 2003 listing. [...] While some of the impact of the US subprime crisis and the credit crunch can be seen in the 2008 listings, it is not the whole picture, as a lot more financial damage has emerged in recent months that will only be seen fully in our 2009 rankings. In analysing the bank write-downs/credit losses and capital raised since the beginning of 2007 until end-May 2008, the Washington-based Institute of International Finance (IIF) calculates that the total worldwide bank losses during this period amounted to $386.7bn, with the total capital replenishments reaching $276.4bn (see page 142 for bank breakdowns). The total losses here, only partially reflected in 2007 bank results ($235.6bn applying to calendar 2007), show that the Americas and Europe took the biggest hits with $165.7bn and $199.6bn respectively, followed by Asian institutions with a modest $21.4bn. The capital replenishments follow a similar pattern with the Americas and Europe raising $141.3bn and $125.5bn respectively, followed by Asia with $9.6bn. How high the write-downs and losses will go remains to be seen but, according to recent Bloomberg and Accenture research, estimates of such losses could go well beyond the $380bn at end-May 2008 and could reach a total of $1200bn. Interpretation, however, is key to understanding the impact of the credit crunch on banks? results, and in particular what goes to reserves and what hits the income statement. [...] ...Despite significant write-downs and losses in the financial crisis by European banks, the 266 EU(27) banks in this year?s listing, compared with 279 last year, managed to maintain their share of the Top 1000 World Banks in all areas. The EU(27) banks held on to 42% of aggregate Tier 1 capital, 53% of aggregate assets and 41% of aggregate profits despite the crisis. In terms of profitability, EU(27) banks, at 19.7% return on capital, were down but close to the global 20.0% average. The 184 Asian banks, up from 174 last year, now account for 19% of Top 1000 profits, up from 12% last year, with Tier 1 capital up to 15% from 14% and assets steady at 12% of the Top 1000 aggregate. One cannot ignore that there are three Chinese banks in the world?s top 13 banks whereas five years ago there were none, and Asian banks (excluding Japan) accounted then for just 10% of profits. While the role of the 98 Japanese banks in the Top 1000 remains flat or in decline, accounting for 10% of capital, 9% of assets and 6% of profits, other regions, such as the 97 Middle East and 47 Latin American banks are expanding but from very low bases. Middle East profits have risen from 3% to 4% of the Top 1000 and Latin profits have doubled to 4%. ...This year UK-based HSBC Holdings took the crown as the world?s largest bank after nine years of US domination...HSBC roared into first place with a 19.5% expansion of Tier 1 capital to $104,967m, well ahead of Citigroup which remained second but whose capital slipped by 1.8% to $89,226m. From eighth place last year, Royal Bank of Scot?land rocketed into third this year with capital jumping a huge 47.7% to $88,888m as a result of the ABN AMRO acquisition. RBS now becomes one of the six titans, pushing out France?s Credit Agricole Group while Bank of America drops from leadership to fifth place with a sizeable 8.4% decline in capital. [...] In this Top 1000 analysis, The Banker also provides a Top 25 listing based on market capitalisation data as at June 12, 2008 (below). This year?s market capitalisation listing looks very different to last year?s and also differs significantly from the Tier 1 ranking. This year, China?s three largest banks, led by ICBC, take three of the top four places, asserting China?s increasing role on the world stage, and last year?s market leader Citigroup drops to ninth following its massive share price fall. As US banks slip down the table, banks such as the Chinese and Spain?s Banco Santander (seventh) are taking the leading positions. HSBC, the leading bank by Tier 1 capital, maintained its third-place ranking in this table. [...] Looking closely at the Top 1000, the 2008 ranking includes 83 new entrants, 45 last year, with China Everbright Bank heading the newcomers at 195th place (page 166) and in terms of the fastest movers (page 165) 79 banks moved up more than 100 places in the listing led by Nigeria?s Oceanic Bank, which leapt a staggering 565 places to 310th place. Looking to the future, the four-year onward march of expanding bank profits and profitability has been halted, and the 2008 ranking reflects the impact of the financial crisis that began last August and has yet to be fully played out. Given the reduced global economic outlook for 2008, with growth estimated by Fitch Ratings at 2.6%, and major concerns about growth in the US and UK, 2008 bank results look flat at best in developed markets, with emerging economies likely to pick up the slack. [...] http://www.thebanker.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/5878/TOP_1OOO_World_Banks_2008.html From nmgoro at gmail.com Thu Aug 7 12:00:55 2008 From: nmgoro at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?N=C3=A9stor_Gorojovsky?=) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 15:00:55 -0300 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections) In-Reply-To: References: <24164b750808070623n12a72422qac99ebdcf16ccda5@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <2fa158550808071100q57f50b55pd39a1907b9a11200@mail.gmail.com> 2008/8/7, Joaquin Bustelo : > I think that people who are focused on the "just struggle" of the > COB miners against the Morales government are making a grave mistake. I > don't put "just struggle" in quotes because I doubt the sincerity of the > miners nor the justice of their cause. On the former, I have no doubt; on > the latter, I have no clue. You'd have to know Bolivian social reality with > a great deal of intimacy to judge that last point, and I don't pretend to. > In "Russian" terms: you can either aim at Kornilov resting your gun on the shoulder of Kerensky, or aim at Kerensky resting your gun on the shoulder of Kornilov. It does not matter whether you are a union leader, a MARXIST-in-capital-letters, or a monk. Bullets are quite straightforward. -- N?stor Gorojovsky El texto principal de este correo puede no ser de mi autor?a From sartesian at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 12:02:19 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 14:02:19 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivianelections) References: <24164b750808070623n12a72422qac99ebdcf16ccda5@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <018d01c8f8b7$bc692490$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Beginning at the ending: JB states: This is not how some, perhaps many of us may have wanted to draw the battle lines, but for better or worse, THIS IS how the battle lines are drawn, right now, in Bolivia. Next week it may be different, but THIS WEEK the ACTUAL battle going on is between Evo's constitutional government and the U.S. embassy and its stooges. TOMORROW you may have better choices, but TODAY the choices are Evo or Bush. ________ This appeal might have had a little bit more credibility if at some point in the last 3 years, JB had not always advocated the "Morales" line; had not consistently criticized as ultra-leftist those forces that did not stand with a program of "national salvation" that submerged specific class needs and interests that represent the necessary way forward, the "better choices" that might be there tomorrow if we just, and just always, support Morales today. But I don't see that, looking back in the archives. In fact I see nary a word, any extrapolation of where Morales' temporizing, of his ministers' provocations, will lead the struggle in Bolivia from those who are now worried that the right has been emboldened, the workers and poor weakened. Those who did provide some critical evaluation did in fact state that the temporizing would embolden the bourgeoisie, would weaken the workers and poor. And working from that point backwards, this pre-blaming of the miners for a possible defeat of Morales by the right, is itself backwards, for the blame is purely with the organization that hold the governmental power, and that is the MAS. It is the governmental power that has allowed the right such great latitude for movement, while trying to mitigate the militancy of the workers and poor. The blame cannot be placed with those struggling against their own exploitation, unless of course, some think the miners aren't exploited and aren't struggling against exploitation but are instead, as some have argued about workers in Venezuela and Ecuador, actually privileged and fighting to maintain and enhance that privilege. I don't think Morales position is like that of Chavez in 2002; There was in Venezuela, outside of the government, outside of the military, class organizations, aided by Chavez's government, the Bolivarian circles, which could and did mobilize and which were clearly not organizations of class compromise. I think those circles are what saved Chavez. I don't know if an equivalent is in Bolivia, but if Morales is going to be "saved," and perhaps literally, it will be by turning to whatever nascent organs of class anti-compromise exist or can be brought into existence. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joaquin Bustelo" To: Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2008 1:12 PM Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivianelections) From sartesian at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 12:04:36 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 14:04:36 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying in upcomingBolivian elections) References: <24164b750808070623n12a72422qac99ebdcf16ccda5@mail.gmail.com> <2fa158550808071100q57f50b55pd39a1907b9a11200@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <019401c8f8b8$0dbbc6e0$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> I want to thank Nestor for making the obvious analogy between Morales and Kerensky. Now I suggest we look a little further into history and draw out the history of the Russian Revolution, and how the proletariat was successful. Clearly that was not by joining Kerensky's government. ----- Original Message ----- From: "N?stor Gorojovsky" To: Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2008 2:00 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying in upcomingBolivian elections) > From kristianlasslett at yahoo.com.au Thu Aug 7 12:10:14 2008 From: kristianlasslett at yahoo.com.au (Kristian Lasslett) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 11:10:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] How the University Works; Reclaiming the Ivory Tower Message-ID: <438273.95321.qm@web56304.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Just to add a general comment to this thread. I am poorly acquainted with the overall development of the university system in the US or anywhere for that matter, nevertheless, if I can just add one comment to lighten the gloomy tone of this thread. I have found quite a number of senior academics here in Britain, who are Marxists, who fight damn hard to help us youngsters to get decent funding and decent positions. Indeed I have a number of friends who have recently finished their PhD's in the humanities, and have got extremely exciting positions because of this comradely network. Of course there is a hell of a lot of bullshit attached to all this, but amongst the piles of bullshit are specs of hope. And I agree we must be aware of the mounting problems in order to resist, but we also need to be aware of the little gaps in the matrix. Anyway here is a good paper by Callinicos on the UK situation: http://www.europeanstudentforum.org/IMG/pdf/Universities_in_a_Neo-Liberal_World_by_A_Callinicos_1_.pdf Win a MacBook Air or iPod touch with Yahoo!7. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/homepageset From dave.walters at comcast.net Thu Aug 7 12:14:41 2008 From: dave.walters at comcast.net (David Walters) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:14:41 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying in upcomingBolivian elections) Message-ID: <489B3B91.4010407@comcast.net> I don't think Nestor was making an analogy between Kerensky and Morales. He was, I think (he can clear this up) making the point about where to point your guns. Now...about those guns...? :) I'm not even for dissing Morales or anything. Clearly, despite what Fred Fuentes pointed out (on the goals and methods of the right in these elections), there are clearly huge differences between some sectors of the class and Morales on WHAT to do and how to do it. What happened in La Paz (with a few hundred) is nothing compared to what is happening in the coal fields (with thousands). But those are secondary (albeit it important) to the issue of how to fight the oligarchy and their minions. What I see, from afar, following this, is that workers and especially rural groups, are arming. And not just with overgrown fire crackers but with arms. The arming is going on in the eastern prefectures and done outside the Bolivian Army channels. In a certain sense, it doesn't matter what Morales does, it will be up the Bolivian people to make the final decision. But right now there is only ONE issue and that's clearly defeating the Oligarchy at the polls AND backing this up through mass mobilizations. David From markalause at gmail.com Thu Aug 7 12:41:25 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 14:41:25 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Sign the Kucinich Impeachment petition online Message-ID: Sign the Kucinich impeachment petition online. http://www.kucinich.us/ ML From dave.walters at comcast.net Thu Aug 7 12:43:58 2008 From: dave.walters at comcast.net (David Walters) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:43:58 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Brazilian campaign to get troops out of Haiti Message-ID: <489B426E.40101@comcast.net> In Portuguese: http://veryleft.blogspot.com/2008/08/brazil-out-of-haiti-campaignportuguese.html From jbustelo at gmail.com Thu Aug 7 12:56:03 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 14:56:03 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying in upcomingBolivian elections) In-Reply-To: <2fa158550808071100q57f50b55pd39a1907b9a11200@mail.gmail.com> References: <24164b750808070623n12a72422qac99ebdcf16ccda5@mail.gmail.com> <2fa158550808071100q57f50b55pd39a1907b9a11200@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <87226EA3796E4CE7AC743B865EAA9368@albanta> Nestor writes, <> I am far from sure Evo is a Kerensky, quite the contrary, but even it were to turn out that is all he represented historically, what Nestor says is quite correct. And if history eventually shows he is something MORE, all the more reason to "lean" on him in taking aim. Joaquin From sartesian at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 13:09:26 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 15:09:26 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying in upcomingBolivianelections) References: <24164b750808070623n12a72422qac99ebdcf16ccda5@mail.gmail.com><2fa158550808071100q57f50b55pd39a1907b9a11200@mail.gmail.com> <87226EA3796E4CE7AC743B865EAA9368@albanta> Message-ID: <01a001c8f8c1$1c834280$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Maybe Nestor did not intend that, but if the analogy he employs is supposed to apply to the situation in Bolivia, then clearly the personnel are analogous. When and where has that "leaning," when "leaning" involves actually joining and supporting the (Kerensky, Morales, Arafat, Allende-type) government ever worked out? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joaquin Bustelo" To: Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2008 2:56 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying in upcomingBolivianelections) From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 13:18:48 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 15:18:48 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying in upcomingBolivianelections) Message-ID: <7359218.1218136728247.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> The first government installed after the triumph of the Revolution in Cuba was led by president Manuel Urrutia, a liberal-minded capitalist democrat with an honorable history. Other members of that cabinet were anti-Communist capitalist liberals as well. As our friends in THE MILITANT put it, over a year AFTER the Cuban Revolution's triumph, on January 18, 1960: CUBA AT THE CROSSROADS (feature editorial) The Castro Leadership The main danger to the Cuban revolution is in its own leadership. The class background of the Castro forces is petty bourgeois. From university circles these revolutionaries moved into rural areas where they gathered strength as guerrilla fighters dedicated to agrarian reform. Their aims were nationalist and equalitarian ? independence from foreign domination, and end to government corruption, reduction of special privileges, improvements for the poor. These aims coincided with those of small business and therefore attracted support from sections of the Cuban bourgeoisie smarting under the Batista dictatorship. When Castro?s peasant forces swept into the cities, the bourgeois wing of the leadership sought strategic government posts where they could best influence economic and financial policies. Wall Street viewed these figures favorably. The more revolutionary-minded elements projected far-reaching reforms, especially against the big landholders. But they procrastinated. And they failed to consider such fundamental measures as nationalization of industry, government monopoly of foreign trade, and the expropriation of the capitalists. Turn to the Left The result was a relative decline in Castro?s strength and popularity. Emboldened by this, the bourgeois wing of the leadership began to differentiate a right-ward position. The counter-revolutionaries plotted bombing expeditions. The weakening of the revolution culminated in the October crisis. FULL: http://www.walterlippmann.com/catc.html Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California =================================================================== SARTESIAN inquired: When and where has that "leaning," when "leaning" involves actually joining and supporting the (Kerensky, Morales, Arafat, Allende-type) government ever worked out? ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From lnp3 at panix.com Thu Aug 7 13:41:51 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:41:51 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying in upcomingBolivianelections) In-Reply-To: <7359218.1218136728247.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <7359218.1218136728247.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <489B4FFF.5030007@panix.com> Walter Lippmann wrote: > The first government installed after the triumph of the Revolution > in Cuba was led by president Manuel Urrutia, a liberal-minded > capitalist democrat with an honorable history. Other members of > that cabinet were anti-Communist capitalist liberals as well. > > As our friends in THE MILITANT put it, over a year AFTER the > Cuban Revolution's triumph, on January 18, 1960: > > CUBA AT THE CROSSROADS (feature editorial) > > The Castro Leadership > > The main danger to the Cuban revolution is in its own leadership. > The class background of the Castro forces is petty bourgeois. From > university circles these revolutionaries moved into rural areas where > they gathered strength as guerrilla fighters dedicated to agrarian > reform. Their aims were nationalist and equalitarian ? independence > from foreign domination, and end to government corruption, reduction > of special privileges, improvements for the poor. So what's the point? The SWP changed its position after it became clear that Fidel Castro meant business. If despite all evidence to the contrary, they continued to call Cuba capitalist wouldn't they be as silly as you who persists in calling China socialist? If you approach the Caribbeans, Central America and Latin America historically, you will find that he was very much an exception to the rule that the SWP followed a bit too rigidly. The record is strewn with failed bids for radical change when the old army and state were left intact. Here are a few examples off the top of my head: 1. Allende 2. Michael Manley 3. Arbenz 4. Peron 5. Juan Bosch Castro had different ideas about how run society than them. Mostly it involved putting power in the hands of the people as a replacement for the old state structures in line with Lenin's "State and Revolution". The reason that the SWP did not figure this out at first is that Castro did not advertise his aims in sectarian newspapers like the Militant. From sartesian at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 14:14:26 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 16:14:26 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh**flying in upcomingBolivianelections) References: <7359218.1218136728247.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> <489B4FFF.5030007@panix.com> Message-ID: <001b01c8f8ca$30da1520$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> We could add to the list, Goulart in Brazil, and Bolivia itself, with the MNR governments to 1964. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Louis Proyect" To: Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2008 3:41 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh**flying in upcomingBolivianelections) > From marvgandall at videotron.ca Thu Aug 7 14:53:40 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:53:40 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh** flying inupcomingBolivianelections) References: <7359218.1218136728247.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> <489B4FFF.5030007@panix.com> Message-ID: <046c01c8f8cf$ac024dd0$6401a8c0@MARV> What distinctions, if any, can be drawn between the course being pursued by Morales in Bolivia and that being pursued by Chavez in Venezuela? From dave.walters at comcast.net Thu Aug 7 14:58:44 2008 From: dave.walters at comcast.net (David Walters) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:58:44 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Good overview of Israeli threats against Iran's nuclear program Message-ID: <489B6204.9080307@comcast.net> AP has this very interesting overview of the current status of the US/Israeli threat against Iran: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gAbXpE8nOgRXskBoAXeF49lv3RsQD92D7H000 David From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 15:07:15 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 17:07:15 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] SOS - Cindy is only short 634 valid signatures to get on the November ballot! -- Deadline: 5 p.m. tomorrow! Your support is needed today and all day tomorrow! Message-ID: <29368922.1218143235626.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From: Alan Sent: Aug 7, 2008 4:36 PM To: Recipient List Suppressed at null, null at null Subject: SOS - Cindy is only short 634 valid signatures to get on the November ballot! -- Deadline: 5 p.m. tomorrow! Your support is needed today and all day tomorrow! Thursday, Aug. 7 at 1:30 p.m. Dear activists, As of this writing, the Cindy For Congress campaign is missing only 634 valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot. This first and crucial step in building a movement that can -- and will -- shake the entire country is within reach! The Powers That Be understand the depth of the anger among working people in this country with the twin parties of the bosses. And they understand that Cindy's campaign could channel a great deal of this discontent with the policies of war and empire that Nancy Pelosi has continued to promote -- in violation of the November 2006 mandate from the American people. This is why they have given the Cindy For Congress campaign a real working over when it comes to the petition-gathering. Everything must be done to try to keep Cindy off the ballot, it would seem. Yesterday, for example, the campaign turned in more than 400 signatures that had been checked thoroughly against the voter registration lists by the campaign organizers -- and yet only 95 were accepted by the Board of Elections. But despite all the obstacles, the Cindy For Congress campaign is only 634 valid signatures from making its goal. We are almost there. With YOUR HELP, we can make our goal! Please come to the Cindy For Congress Campaign office in San Francisco this afternoon, and/or this evening, and/or all day tomorrow to help us gather these signatures. The campaign office is located at 1260 Mission St. (corner of 9th St. in San Francisco). You can also call 415-621-5027 to see how you can help. Donations, of course, are very much needed and welcome. You can help us make the difference! In solidarity, Alan Benjamin Labor for Cindy ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From adambrichmond at yahoo.com Thu Aug 7 15:19:20 2008 From: adambrichmond at yahoo.com (Adam Richmond) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 14:19:20 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] SOS - Cindy is only short 634 valid signatures to get on the November ballot! -- Deadline: 5 p.m. tomorrow! Your support is needed today and all day tomorrow! Message-ID: <269037.60114.qm@web54603.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Anyone in San Francisco who wishes to sign Cindy Sheehan's ballot nomination today can either go to her offices at 1260 Mission, near 8th. Any citizen of the US may contribute to her campaign. Click here: http://www.cindyforcongress.org/article.php?id=38 The Workers International League branch in SF, along with many others, is deeply involved with her campaign to unseat Pelosi. Adam Richmond SF ----- Original Message ---- From: Walter Lippmann To: Adam Richmond Sent: Thursday, August 7, 2008 2:07:15 PM Subject: [Marxism] SOS - Cindy is only short 634 valid signatures to get on the November ballot! -- Deadline: 5 p.m. tomorrow! Your support is needed today and all day tomorrow! From: Alan Sent: Aug 7, 2008 4:36 PM To: Recipient List Suppressed at null, null at null Subject: SOS - Cindy is only short 634 valid signatures to get on the November ballot! -- Deadline: 5 p.m. tomorrow! Your support is needed today and all day tomorrow! Thursday, Aug. 7 at 1:30 p.m. Dear activists, As of this writing, the Cindy For Congress campaign is missing only 634 valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot. This first and crucial step in building a movement that can -- and will -- shake the entire country is within reach! The Powers That Be understand the depth of the anger among working people in this country with the twin parties of the bosses. And they understand that Cindy's campaign could channel a great deal of this discontent with the policies of war and empire that Nancy Pelosi has continued to promote -- in violation of the November 2006 mandate from the American people. This is why they have given the Cindy For Congress campaign a real working over when it comes to the petition-gathering. Everything must be done to try to keep Cindy off the ballot, it would seem. Yesterday, for example, the campaign turned in more than 400 signatures that had been checked thoroughly against the voter registration lists by the campaign organizers -- and yet only 95 were accepted by the Board of Elections. But despite all the obstacles, the Cindy For Congress campaign is only 634 valid signatures from making its goal. We are almost there. With YOUR HELP, we can make our goal! Please come to the Cindy For Congress Campaign office in San Francisco this afternoon, and/or this evening, and/or all day tomorrow to help us gather these signatures. The campaign office is located at 1260 Mission St. (corner of 9th St. in San Francisco). You can also call 415-621-5027 to see how you can help. Donations, of course, are very much needed and welcome. You can help us make the difference! In solidarity, Alan Benjamin Labor for Cindy ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= ________________________________________________ YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/adambrichmond%40yahoo.com From pieinsky at igc.org Thu Aug 7 15:29:21 2008 From: pieinsky at igc.org (Jay Moore) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:29:21 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Sh** flying in upcoming Bolivian elections. In-Reply-To: <33489599.1218069212750.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <33489599.1218069212750.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <489B6931.7090603@igc.org> Yes, Ben Dangl, who lives here in Vermont when he is not traveling and working in Latin America, is a fine source for information on events in Bolivia. He's the Web editor for "Toward Freedom" (which I am on the board of). Here's a recent Bolivia article he wrote for us: http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/1359/1/ jay www.jaysleftist.info Walter Lippmann wrote: > (Here's about as balanced an assessment as I think we're going to find, > trying to understand the contending forces by someone who seems to have > a good grounding in the Bolivian situation, Benjamin Dangle, in NACLA > The right is trying to disrupt and discredit the electoral process as > it has been trying to do in Venezuela as well. This suggests to me > their support is on the wane. I can't personally assess from media > reports how effective the MAS forces are in their organization.) From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Thu Aug 7 16:09:08 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:09:08 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] The dissidents' guide to the Olympics: `War minus the shooting' | Links Message-ID: <489B7284.7040509@greenleft.org.au> As the world corporate media goes Olympics mad, /Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal/ has assembled a range of alternative viewpoints on what modern Olympic Games really represent. While -- when it suits their interests -- establishment media commentators and capitalist governments loudly proclaim that ``sport and politics don't mix'', it soon becomes apparent that the Olympics spectacle is drenched in politics and the promotion of the worst aspects of dog-eat-dog capitalism. But sometimes it is also a site of struggle, as this selection of articles, drawn from the /Links/ and /Green Left Weekly/ archives, as well as other progressive sources, reveals. http://links.org.au/node/566 Subscribe free to /Links - International Journal of Socialist Renewal/ - at http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=343373 From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 16:29:50 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 18:29:50 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] The dissidents' guide to the Olympics: `War minus the shooting' | Links Message-ID: <7339589.1218148190867.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> There are more than one way to look at the Olympics. This is a good example of where one's attitude toward the class nature of the state has real-life consequences in politics. Those who argue that China is capitalist are protesting against China today. Others approach the matter in a different manner. Some examples are posted below. Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California =================================================================== WORKERS WORLD EDITORIAL Bush?'s Olympic event Published Aug 6, 2008 9:30 PM With the Olympics set to open Aug. 8 in Beijing? demonstrating to the world, more than anything else, the tremendous advances made by 1.3 billion Chinese people after they liberated themselves from colonialist slavery with a 1949 socialist revolution?we were astonished to learn that George Bush was going to lecture the Chinese about human rights on the eve of the opening. Perhaps ?astonished? is an exaggeration. The Bush gang has been so shameless in describing its worldwide war crimes as acts of ?liberation? that nothing out of Washington can astonish any thinking human regarding its arrogance and hypocrisy. Before allowing Bush one word against China, let?s review the Bush gang?s record regarding human rights, freedom of the press and repression. Leave aside for the moment the question of war, aggression, occupation and slaughter, verging on genocide, in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Chinese, by the way, have no record of interventions outside their border for the last 25 years, for any reason. We remind the world of the following key words and names: Abu Ghraib. Bagram. Guant?namo. The names of these U.S.-run prisons in occupied Iraq, occupied Afghanistan and an illegally occupied piece of Cuba, respectively, have become synonymous with U.S. prison abuse and torture. Rendition. Prevented from legally using torture on U.S. soil, the Bush administration has globalized it, outsourcing the procedure to client states where committing these atrocities have little chance of getting the torturers into trouble, either now or in the future. Waterboarding. Alberto Gonzales. A torture technique the Bush attorney general refused to admit is a torture technique. Raids against immigrant workers. Detention centers as modern concentration camps. Separating parents from their children. Now applied by a government police agency with the acronym ICE against thousands and thousands of immigrants that U.S.-based capitalists were happy to hire at low wages and to prevent from forming labor unions. The prison-industrial complex. There are 2.3 million people in U.S. prisons and jails.Disproportionately Black, Latin@ and Native, reflecting institutional racism. In total, more imprisoned here than there are in the prisons of China, with its far larger population. Journalists killed in record numbers in Iraq. Washington doesn?t have to censor the news of the war. The Pentagon simply orders a tank unit to murder the messenger. Bush will tell lots of lies on the eve of the Olympics. Let?s do our best to expose them. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- GRANMA August 7, 2008 Thousands Repudiate Bush in South Korea SEOUL, August 6.? US President George W. Bush traveled to Thailand on Wednesday after a less than 24-hour visit to the South Korean capital where he was met by protesters repudiating his presence. According to EFE news service, Bush tried to put pressure on North Korea by demanding verification of its denuclearization. At the same time, his words of support of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak were accompanied by a request that he send troops to Afghanistan. In the streets of Seoul, police shot water cannons and tear gas against thousands of demonstrators who oppose the militaristic policy of the US administration as well as the economic accords with Washington, seen as disadvantageous to South Korea and damaging to its national sovereignty. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Casa Cuba Opens in Beijing Julio Hernandez Blanco Beijing, Aug 7 (Prensa Latina) The Cuban Embassy opened Casa Cuba to lodge its delegation to the Olympic Games in Beijing. He Huixian, vice president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, cut the inauguration ribbon along Cuban counterpart Jose Ramon Fernandez and Cuban National Sports Institute Christian Jimenez. The opening attracted athletes, coaches, officials and veteran stars like Javier Sotomayor (high jump), Teofilo Stevenson (boxing) and Alberto Juantorena (runner), along Cubans working in China and Latin American diplomats. Cuban Ambassador Carlos Miguel Pereira welcomed the 165 athletes who will compete in 18 sports, calling the Games another opportunity to share our strong friendship with the Chinese people. Aside from promoting Cuban achievements, Casa Cuba will host press conferences, meetings with athletes and screening of documentary films. Pereira said his country trusts the Chinese government and people and their capacity to host the Olympic Games that will allow to fly high the flags of the Olympic spirit. ef emw jhb PL-26 President Hu Jintao Welcomes Lula Beijing, Aug 7 (Prensa Latina) President Hu Jintao held talks with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, calling him an old friend of the Chinese people. Your presence here gives a strong support to the Olympic Games, Hu said. Hu termed the occasion excellent to trade views on bilateral ties and other matters of common interest like helping resume the Round of Doha. Lula, who will attend the opening ceremony, said he was confident that China will organize excellent games. China's success will encourage Brazil's hopes to host the 2016 Olympics for which Rio de Janeiro is competing with Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago. Lula, welcomed by National Assembly Permanent Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo, added that he will seek a strategic development alliance with China. The Brazilian president is one of the 80 heads of states and other personalities that have traveled to China to attend Friday?s opening ceremony of the 29th Olympic Games. nm/emw/lam PL-18 ======================================================================================== >From: glparramatta >Sent: Aug 7, 2008 6:09 PM >To: walterlx at earthlink.net >Subject: [Marxism] The dissidents' guide to the Olympics: `War minus the shooting' | Links > >As the world corporate media goes Olympics mad, /Links International >Journal of Socialist Renewal/ has assembled a >range of alternative viewpoints on what modern Olympic Games really >represent. While -- when it suits their interests -- establishment media >commentators and capitalist governments loudly proclaim that ``sport and >politics don't mix'', it soon becomes apparent that the Olympics >spectacle is drenched in politics and the promotion of the worst aspects >of dog-eat-dog capitalism. But sometimes it is also a site of struggle, >as this selection of articles, drawn from the /Links/ and /Green Left >Weekly/ archives, as well as other >progressive sources, reveals. > >http://links.org.au/node/566 - >at http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=343373 ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 16:52:50 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 18:52:50 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Saul Landau and Nelson Valdes on "Cuba's Reforms" Message-ID: <10141225.1218149570468.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Those who want a good quick update on the current developments with Cuba can get an excellent survey by these two people who have an immense and decades-long intimate familiarity with Cuban reality. A healthy antidote as well to those who think that Raul is leading the island back to some form of capitalism. People like Landau and Valdes have forgotten more about Cuba than I will ever know. Valdes was born there and today is an active educator and teacher about Cuba. Landau has made dozens of movies, all documentaries, going back many decades in Cuba, including interviews with Fidel Castro himself. They cogently respond to these: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism/2008-August/032775.html http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism/2008-August/032773.html which were commenting on this: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism/2008-August/032765.html Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California =========================================================================== PROGRESO WEEKLY Aug 7 - 13, 2008 http://progreso-weekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=572&Itemid=1 Cuba?'s reforms By Saul Landau and Nelson Valdes Cuban leaders have begun a reform process -- combining certain ministries, opening up more farming possibilities and decentralizing certain functions. They have not given clear signals as to what model will emerge. The government appears determined to following the familiar path of pragmatic and cautious approaches to problems that have arisen over five decades, especially those aggravated because of the 1991 Soviet collapse. As the October 2009 Communist Party Congress grows nearer, the results of discussions throughout the country, the Party may add new wrinkles in Cuba?s half century quest to build a just system. Do not expect Cuba to abandon meaningful socialism. Beginning with their 1959 revolutionary triumph, Cuban leaders have weaved a unique approach to social change. Western media has ignored that Cuba?'s government has operated through consensus. Indeed, western reporters refer to Castro?s dictatorship as if such a concept was axiomatic. Rather, under Fidel -- a master of consensus politics -- a collective leadership had to remove the old order and replace it with a just society, a Herculean task that one man could not do alone! To make their own system, Cubans faced the wrath of their former elites and the fury of a northern neighbor. Fifty years later, U.S. officials still froth at the mouth at Cuba?s audacious disobedience, Raul Castro and partners, including significant numbers of younger people, address a new formidable adventure: building sensible socialism on one island. Raul acknowledged this on July 26, as he commemorated past successes and referred to needs for more reforms. Perpetual U.S. aggression placed Cuba into a national security mentality, but Cuban leaders can blame U.S. hostility for only some of their problems. Moncada, Sierra and Underground veterans can indeed boast of accomplishing their historic goals. In 1959, after waging numerous wars and uprisings since the 1860s, Cubans won independence. Cuba then defended its revolution against U.S. belligerence while simultaneously establishing an egalitarian system based on rights -- to eat, have housing, medical care, education, etc As gravy over their meat of success, Cubans danced -- and still do -- on the world stage: liberators of parts of Africa, slayers of the Monroe Doctrine, purveyors of emergency medical teams providing vital services to Pakistanis, Hondurans and others who suffered from natural disasters. Cuban eye specialists have saved the vision of countless third world people. Cuban artists, athletes and scientists have etched their names on the honor roles of talent throughout the world. And Fidel ranks as one of the 20th Century?s great leaders. When he would enter international public spaces, even some of his ideological opponents applauded -- because of the respect he gained by courageously challenging U.S. dictates. The U.S. media does not report on Cuba. It provides silly coverage of peripheral issues such as posing the Cuba issue as Fidel v. Raul. The story typifies rumor-based U.S. journalism on Cuba. Ironically, the ?superior? U.S. press dismisses Cuban media as non-objective. In a July 31, 2008, New York Times story, reporter Marc Lacey assumed the posture of cosmic knowledge. Lacy sneers at Fidel for having ?left the country in economic disarray.? Funny, when did the NY Times refer to U.S. economic disarray as millions suffer pains of unemployment, or devastating sub-prime mortgage madness; 50 million Americans lack access to health care or safety nets! Nor does one find references to ?disarray? in rare stories about Honduras, sub Saharan Africa and other third world nations where majorities lack food, education and health care. Instead of expressing amazement over Cuba?s role in shaping history, and affording millions of its citizens a chance to participate in events, despite their daily hardships, Lacey focuses on ?the odd dynamic? between Raul and Fidel. Ahem! The two brothers have been partners in key decisions since they attacked Moncada in July 1953. Moreover, in 2005, Fidel reminded the Party to change all that needed change. The Party has not changed enough, however, to satisfy disaffected Cubans, those unimpressed by past accomplishments. ?What do past glories have with to do with the uncertainty of daily life?? they ask. Possessing quality education, high skill levels and good health, they feel they deserve good jobs. Indeed, their entire school experience from day care through doctorates has taught them self esteem and stimulated them to expect the best. But quality jobs are scarce on the island -- and in most third world countries. Several Cubans in their 20s and 30s offered glazed looks to references of the revolution?s accomplishments and replied: ?I don?t see much future for myself here.? Yes, a qualified Engineer can feel frustrated making pizzas eight hours a day. Frustration can also lead some to become oblivious to the outside conditions that affect their lives. Cuba exists within the larger globalized corporate economy, possesses limited resources, and remains victim of a seemingly eternal U.S. super embargo. So thousands leave. The U.S. government, bound by Treaty to authorize 20,000 residence visas annually, delivers many fewer. Yet, neither the Clinton nor Bush Administration tried to get it repealed. Thus smugglers -- not from the island -- drool over their profits (about $15,000 per person) and some Cubans die at sea. These human traffickers took some 6,000 persons to Mexico between October 2007 and April 2008. Three thousand more landed in South Florida between last October 2007 and July 2008. The Coast Guard intercepted 1,700 others before they reached the U.S. Such migration occurs because of the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act, allowing Cubans -- and no one else -- to enter the United States. This law undercuts the formal visa process, in which consular officials vet the applicants. After Washington imposed an embargo in 1962, Cuba issued libretas, ration books in an attempt to assure equality of distribution and a safety net, similar to British policy during World War II. During the ?Special Period,? the State lacked sufficient goods to meet its obligations and the U.S. tightened the embargo to further squeeze Cuba?s economy. People began hustling to obtain food. To do so, they broke the law by buying and selling illegally and stealing from the state. Such a situation logically dampened morale. Cuba'?s problems go beyond sagging commitment. This year, the government announced a dramatic shortage of teachers -- 8,000 officially partly due to insufficient salary incentives. Fidel, writing from his convalescence, appealed to Cubans to understand such news in a proper context. "We don't become discouraged by the news of enemies, who twist the meaning of our words and present our self-criticism as tragedies," he wrote in Granma, Cuba?s official newspaper. Compare Cuba?s education to systems in the United States "and other rich countries,? he urged readers. ?They have, yes, many more automobiles, use more gasoline, consume many more drugs, buy more costume jewelry and benefit from the looting of our people, as they have for centuries." Teacher shortages paled in comparison, however, to the performance of Cuban agriculture. Last year the government had to import more than 70% of the food offered through the libreta. Cuba now ?exports? highly educated graduates, a judicious means to offer educational and technical assistance to needy countries and at times generate income as well. Over the past two years, Cuba has begun to restructure its energy sector, refurbishing its electrical grid and introducing energy saving programs from light bulb replacement to obtain efficiency to producing solar energy and increasing public awareness on the issue. Imaginative urban agriculture and organic farming experiments have spread in an attempt to become more self sufficient. Changes in land usage also respond to discouraging levels of food production. The shift includes offering existing and perspective farmers clear material incentives, while eliminating cumbersome bureaucratic procedures. Labor productivity, which should rank high given Cuba?s levels of education and skill, had sunk to disappointing levels. Inside the Cuban labor movement, healthy dialogue has begun to bring unions more into coincidence with current grievances. This process began earlier when Fidel, in 1987, referred to the prevailing ?chapuceria? in the work place, sloppy and unfinished work, which sapped economic and moral strength. Fidel taught Cubans to understand their entitlements, which meant they had the right to expect the state to meet these rights. Younger generations, however, don?'t seem to recognize the State?s severe material limitations, nor are they impressed by Cuba?s egalitarian distribution of its less than sufficient wealth. They complain because the government doesn?'t meet their childhood expectations. Cuban television rebroadcasts shows like Desperate Housewives, so Cubans see Americans with plasma TVs; not daily scenes of road rage and Americans going postal. TV and visiting Americans throw extravagant consumerism in the face of some Cubans, Raul has talked about educating people to Cuba?s real possibilities and about decentralizing to increase efficiency and accountability. Raul -- meaning the majority inside the Party apparatus -- also called for diverse opinions inside the Party to address what many perceived as a paucity of dialogue. Communist Party leaders understand the need to build a sensible socialism. The United States remains a constant security threat, which places limits on their imaginations. Indeed, Bush?s aggressive, impulsive shadow will loom until January 2009. Cuban leaders will move slowly, prudently and with grass roots participation. They don?t want to provide any excuse for a Bush ?surprise.? Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow. Nelson Valdes is Professor Emeritus at the University of New Mexico. . ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From lnp3 at panix.com Thu Aug 7 17:08:23 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:08:23 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The dissidents' guide to the Olympics: `War minus the shooting' | Links In-Reply-To: <7339589.1218148190867.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa. earthlink.net> References: <7339589.1218148190867.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <20080807231025.ED368113F1@mailbackend.panix.com> >There are more than one way to look at the Olympics. This is a good >example of where one's attitude toward the class nature of the state >has real-life consequences in politics. Those who argue that China >is capitalist are protesting against China today. Others approach >the matter in a different manner. Some examples are posted below. >Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California For people who are not familiar with the sectarian American left, the article that Walter quoted comes from a group called Workers World that split from the SWP in the 1950s over the Soviet invasion of Hungary, which they supported and the SWP opposed. They occupy a kind of middle ground between Trotskyism and Stalinism, mixing together fire-breathing verbiage with the kind of tiresome "anti-imperialism" Anna Louise Strong peddled. I can find very little difference between the nonsense that Walter writes most days and the line of the Workers World Party. Of course, some days he favors us with analyses from the Communist Party press. It baffles me how somebody who spent 36 years in the SWP as Walter did can be seduced by this kind of politics. I suppose that it does beat joining the Republican or Democratic Parties, as some 60s radicals did. From lnp3 at panix.com Thu Aug 7 17:31:51 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:31:51 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Cartoon hypocrisy Message-ID: <20080807233354.1C19A11DF1@mailbackend.panix.com> http://leninology.blogspot.com/2008/08/cartoons.html From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 18:22:51 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 20:22:51 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh*flying in upcoming Bolivianelections) Message-ID: <11870532.1218154971605.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> First, the trouble with such rules is that if applied to all situations outside of historically-specific time and place, they can mislead those who apply them mechanically. Look at the five names cited by Louis: Neither Allende, Manley, Arbenz, Peron nor Bosch, if my memory is good, came into office following a military confrontation and the collapse of the capitalist army and police apparatuses. Manuel Urrutia and others of his ilk were capitalist minded politicians, and the capitalist form of social organization - private property - continued to exist at that time, but they had no armed forces, no military power, not cops and no gangsters to carry out their efforts to defeat the Revolution as the Revolution proceeded from one radical step to another, continuously. Allende, Manley and Bosch came to office after the Cuban Revolution. All five came into office, but not into power, through elections. Of course Chavez, who tried a military coup, failed and went to jail, but Chavez, also was elected through a parliamentary democratic process. Same about Goulart and Bolivia in 1964, where the capitalist armed forces remained basically intact. This is part of what so many of the perfectionistic sectarians have against Chavez, and against Evo Morales. They think that somehow it's really not quite kosher to come to power through the bourgeoisie's own approved process. It makes their victory somewhat dubious, a bit suspect or tarnished in some way. Like it's not quite cricket as the British like to say. I'm sure that's what the Grant-Woods people are really thinking. (Jordi: speak up here, por favor!) MARVIN ASKED: "What distinctions, if any, can be drawn between the course being pursued by Morales in Bolivia and that being pursued by Chavez in Venezuela?" Well, it seems to me that Chavez has had more time and experience to weed out many of his opponents from within the military, and we know less about the Bolivian army than we do about the Venezuelan army. Chavez and Morales came into office through parliamentary elections, and they have an obvious reason and an obvious need to continue to use those forms and apparatuses for as long and as far as they can. Why? Here we are in the first decade of the 21st Century. Socialism, by which many people, for understandable reasons, and others for nefarious reasons, find socialism a discredited notion. Workers, peasants, the unemployed of various types all have a mixture of ideas, hopes, fears and illusions, all of which have flowed from a combination of life experience and relentless capitalist idea- warfare against the people. Even many of the things which Cubans have done are neither understandable nor popular in places such as Venezuela and Bolivia, such as limits on travel and on access to the Internet, such as limits on the number of political parties, and other things. The people of Venezuela and of Bolivia, if they are going to find their way forward to a qualitative class break with the capitalist societies in which they live, will need to to through all sorts of lessons and experiences. Chavez has been in office for TEN YEARS, and the experience is far from completed. Evo Morales is in office for less than two years and his situation is in many ways far more difficult and uncertain than is Chavez's. What these leaders need is our understanding and sympathy and our strong and fervent support. That doesn't mean we can't use our powers of analysis to look at problems, contradictions, and errors we might think they make, but give these people some slack, after all, don't Chavez and Evo Morales know a bit more about their own local situations than anyone writing on any of these lists to about Venezuela and about Bolivia? How many of us can speak any of those indiginous languages? While Fidel Castro wasn't advertising his ideas in the pages of THE MILITANT, he in fact told the world he was NOT a Communist, and that is simply because he was NOT a Communist as he said quite openly: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW ST. GEORGE LOOK MAGAZINE February 4, 1958: ST. GEORGE: What do you rebels want, besides toppling Batista? And what of reports you will nationalize all foreign investments in Cuba? CASTRO: First, we must overthrow the dictatorship, forced on us by the military coup d'?tat in 1952 when Batista saw he would lose any free election. Next, we'll set up a provisional government, whose heads are to be elected by some 60 Cuban civic bodies, like the Lions, Rotarians, groups of lawyers and doctors, religious organizations. Within a year, this caretaker regime would hold a truly honest election. In a manifesto issued last July, we called for the temporary government to free immediately all political prisoners, restore freedom of the press, reestablish constitutional rights. We must eventually root out the fearful corruption that has plagued Cuba so long; set up an adequately paid civil service beyond the reach of politics and nepotism; wage a war against illiteracy, which runs as high as 49 per cent in rural areas; speed industrialization, and thus create new jobs. For in this little nation of six million, a million work only four months a year, under an antiquated, one-crop economy. Our 26th of July Movement has never called for nationalizing foreign investments, though in my twenties I personally advocated public ownership of Cuba's public utilities. Nationalization can never be as rewarding as the right kind of private investment, domestic and foreign, aimed at diversifying our economy. I know revolution sounds like hitter medicine to many businessmen. But after the first shock, they will find it a boon?no more thieving tax collectors, no plundering army chieftains or bribe-hungry officials to bleed them white. Our revolution is as much a moral as a political one. ------------------------- ST. GEORGE: Charges have been made that your movement is Communist-inspired. What about this? CASTRO: This is absolutely false. Every American newsman who has come here at great personal peril?Herbert Matthews of the New York Times, two CBS reporters and yourself?has said this is false. Our Cuban support comes from all classes of society. The middle class is strongly united in its support of our movement. We even have many wealthy sympathizers. Merchants, industrial executives, young people, workers are sick of the gangsterism that rules Cuba. Actually, the Cuban Communists, as your journalist John Gunther once reported, have never opposed Batista, for whom they have seemed to feel a closer kinship. FULL: http://www.walterlippmann.com/fc-02-04-1958.html The reason Fidel Castro answered these questions is undertstood clearly by anyone who has studied the Cuban Revolution and its history and ideology, above all, the methodology of Jose Marti. I've cited this quite, from Marti's final political declaration, made just three days before his death in combat fighting for Cuba's independence. Indeed, virtually the entire political strategy of the Cuban Revolution can be encapsulated in Marti's simple and essential idea. It is, however, an idea which those of a perfectionistic bent adamantly refused to understand: MARTI: All I have done so far, and all I will do, is for this purpose. I have had to work quietly and somewhat indirectly, because to achieve certain objectives, they must be kept under cover; to proclaim them for what they are would raise such difficulties that the objectives could not be attained. http://www.walterlippmann.com/marti-mercado-1895.html IN CONCLUSION, in two parts. CUBA AND OTHER THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES: Don't assume past betrayals guarantee future betrayals elsewhere. Things change, times change, leaders change, people learn. Russia, Brazil, India and China, sometimes called the BRIC block, they're not identical to the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Generally on the world scale, they play a progressive role politically, especially as a counterweight to Washington. CHINA: For some reason, Louis Proyect refuses to acknowledge what I've said ten or twenty times on this list: China is NOT socialist, but rather a bureaucratically-deformed workers state, same as it was under Mao, but much more powerful economically and on the world scene. I have NEVER, EVER said China is socialist, so why keep harping away at it? I have also said that it doesn't matter what label you slap on China. Call it capitalist, socialist or bureaucratically-deformed, makes no difference. It's what political tasks which Marxists ought to have toward China that's decisive. Those who say China is capitalist are constantly seeking to find anything they can against China, and are clearly incapable of saying anything good about it. People from the Trotskyist background are divided as to the class nature of China: The SWP-USA calls it a bureaucratically deformed workers state, as to the Spartacists, the Grant-Woods, and Walter Lippmann (me!). The ISO, British SWP, and such all say it's capitalist, and all are hostile to China. Same as our two groups of former comrades down under: both say China is capitalist and both are hostile to China. In the U.S., interestingly, two other Trotskyist-derived groups, very critical of China, are Workers World and Party of Socialism and liberation. But at least they're broadly pro-China in the world political context, despite many criticisms. So it does not matter what label you put on China. What matters is what political attitude you take toward China. Looking at who's doing what around the Olympics tells us something about what the consequences of these theoretical difference can come down to. CHINA AND MARXMAIL: May 2008 http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism/2008-May/029054.html http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism/2008-June/029491.html Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ====================================================================== LOUIS PROYECT wrote: The SWP changed its position after it became clear that Fidel Castro meant business. If despite all evidence to the contrary, they continued to call Cuba capitalist wouldn't they be as silly as you who persists in calling China socialist? If you approach the Caribbeans, Central America and Latin America historically, you will find that he was very much an exception to the rule that the SWP followed a bit too rigidly. The record is strewn with failed bids for radical change when the old army and state were left intact. Here are a few examples off the top of my head: 1. Allende 2. Michael Manley 3. Arbenz 4. Peron 5. Juan Bosch Castro had different ideas about how run society than them. Mostly it involved putting power in the hands of the people as a replacement for the old state structures in line with Lenin's "State and Revolution". The reason that the SWP did not figure this out at first is that Castro did not advertise his aims in sectarian newspapers like the Militant. SARTESIAN ADDS: We could add to the list, Goulart in Brazil, and Bolivia itself, with the MNR governments to 1964. ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 18:39:38 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 20:39:38 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] The dissidents' guide to the Olympics: `War minus the shooting' | Links Message-ID: <20126147.1218155978931.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> It's not complicated. It's a matter of political priorities. There's an imperialist propaganda campaign going on, and I think that with all the problems countries like China, Vietnam and Cuba have, they are still under pressure from the older, more powerful imperialist countries of the west, led by the United States of America. Bush's remarks in Soeul today were a perfect example of the arrogance of imperialism, yet reflected its weakness as well. He could not give his insolent declarations inside of the People's Republic of China. Washington is deeply in debt to the People's Republic of China and that's one reason Bush has to guard his tongue a little bit. Cuba, a blockaded country, can only rely on the mobilization of its people and the international alliances it has made, with Venezuela, China, Vietnam and others, because it knows that it cannot build a complete and self-contained socialist society in a single country. Patria es humanidad, the Cubanos point out: their homeland is the human race, a world without borders, a better world is possible, and so on. We've discussed this a thousand times and will probably keep on at it since the question is timely. China is an independent country which has lifted itself up, using its massive population size and a combination of privatization and foreign investment to jumpstart the country's economy. But the Chinese capitalist class has zero POLITICAL power. They no political parties which represent their interests as capitalists. China and Russia, along with others in today's world have prevented Washington from imposing international blockades on Iran and Zimbabwe. They have their own national reasons for what they do, but facts are stubborn things. It matters not to me what you call the People's Republic of China: capitalist, socialist, bureaucratically-deformed or state capitalist. It's what you do with the label that counts. Russia is capitalist, everyone he here agrees with that. So is India and Brazil, but so is Bolivia and Venezuela. They are also capitalist. And they are in conflict with Washington, while at the same time they are doing business with Washington. Struggle doesn't just take a one-way form. I make no assumptions about why Louis Proyect thinks as he does. His sincerity is beyond question. It's his political assessments with which I must respectfully disagree. Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ==================================================================== LOUIS PROYECT wrote: For people who are not familiar with the sectarian American left, the article that Walter quoted comes from a group called Workers World that split from the SWP in the 1950s over the Soviet invasion of Hungary, which they supported and the SWP opposed. They occupy a kind of middle ground between Trotskyism and Stalinism, mixing together fire-breathing verbiage with the kind of tiresome "anti-imperialism" Anna Louise Strong peddled. I can find very little difference between the nonsense that Walter writes most days and the line of the Workers World Party. Of course, some days he favors us with analyses from the Communist Party press. It baffles me how somebody who spent 36 years in the SWP as Walter did can be seduced by this kind of politics. I suppose that it does beat joining the Republican or Democratic Parties, as some 60s radicals did. ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From lnp3 at panix.com Thu Aug 7 18:40:19 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:40:19 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh*flying in upcoming Bolivianelections) In-Reply-To: <11870532.1218154971605.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa .earthlink.net> References: <11870532.1218154971605.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <20080808004222.9F29012A9D@mailbackend.panix.com> Walter wrote: "This is part of what so many of the perfectionistic sectarians have against Chavez, and against Evo Morales. They think that somehow it's really not quite kosher to come to power through the bourgeoisie's own approved process. It makes their victory somewhat dubious, a bit suspect or tarnished in some way. Like it's not quite cricket as the British like to say. I'm sure that's what the Grant-Woods people are really thinking. (Jordi: speak up here, por favor!)" Even when a left government is elected, the issue of violence never goes away. All of the men I mentioned were eventually toppled by a military coup or driven from power by armed mobs (Manley). Either you come to power as Castro did through a war with the bourgeois army and police, or else you have to confront them later on as Allende did. He did not rise to the occasion unfortunately. Karl Marx and V.I. Lenin wrote extensively on the "proletarian dictatorship". Our goal as Marxists is to develop strategies that can lead to the proletarian dictatorship, the highest form of democracy known to humanity as evidenced by the Paris Commune. As somebody who seems more interested in offering solidarity with the enemies of the U.S. whatever their class composition, such matters must seem awfully arcane to Walter. Here, let me remind him of what he might have once believed, giving him the benefit of a doubt: --- From the viewpoint of the vast majority of Europeans of the end of the 19th century, whom Engels was addressing, and who had not gone through or closely observed a single great revolution, it could not have been otherwise. They could not understand at all what a "self-acting armed organization of the population" was. When asked why it became necessary to have special bodies of armed men placed above society and alienating themselves from it (police and a standing army), the West-European and Russian philistines are inclined to utter a few phrases borrowed from Spencer of Mikhailovsky, to refer to the growing complexity of social life, the differentiation of functions, and so on. Such a reference seems "scientific", and effectively lulls the ordinary person to sleep by obscuring the important and basic fact, namely, the split of society into irreconcilable antagonistic classes. Were it not for this split, the "self-acting armed organization of the population" would differ from the primitive organization of a stick-wielding herd of monkeys, or of primitive men, or of men united in clans, by its complexity, its high technical level, and so on. But such an organization would still be possible. It is impossible because civilized society is split into antagonistic, and, moreover, irreconcilably antagonistic classes, whose "self-acting" arming would lead to an armed struggle between them. A state arises, a special power is created, special bodies of armed men, and every revolution, by destroying the state apparatus, shows us the naked class struggle, clearly shows us how the ruling class strives to restore the special bodies of armed men which serve it, and how the oppressed class strives to create a new organization of this kind, capable of serving the exploited instead of the exploiters. full: http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/ch01.htm#s2 From sartesian at earthlink.net Thu Aug 7 19:12:01 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 21:12:01 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh*flying in upcoming Bolivianelections) References: <11870532.1218154971605.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <004c01c8f8f3$c37c1710$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> From: "Walter Lippmann" > First, the trouble with such rules is that if applied to all situations > outside of historically-specific time and place, they can mislead those > who apply them mechanically. > > Look at the five names cited by Louis: > > Neither Allende, Manley, Arbenz, Peron nor Bosch, if my memory is good, > came into office following a military confrontation and the collapse of > the capitalist army and police apparatuses. Manuel Urrutia and others > of his ilk were capitalist minded politicians, and the capitalist form > of social organization - private property - continued to exist at that > time, but they had no armed forces, no military power, not cops and no > gangsters to carry out their efforts to defeat the Revolution as the > Revolution proceeded from one radical step to another, continuously. > > Allende, Manley and Bosch came to office after the Cuban Revolution. > All five came into office, but not into power, through elections. > Of course Chavez, who tried a military coup, failed and went to jail, > but Chavez, also was elected through a parliamentary democratic process. > Same about Goulart and Bolivia in 1964, where the capitalist armed > forces remained basically intact. > _____________________ And your point is? What? Clearly, from your perspective, revolutions can never triumph when the bourgeoisie maintain a military, a police force, a government. In fact the point is, a social revolution cannot achieve victory, cannot even make progress without confronting and defeating that military, that police force, and those forms of government. That takes a whole lot more than programs for "national salvation," "regional integration." Let's look at how Bolivia got to where it is right now-- with many on the left uncritically supporting MAS and Morales, throwing their weight behind the government .. You get Beni and Santa Cruz, two regions most advanced agriculturally, with the most capitalistically advanced agriculture, among othe resources, due to subsidies and aid of previous governments stretching all the way back to Banzer, agitating for autonomy and holding "elections" to legitimize their demand for autonomy. Does Morales outlaw those elections, declare them null and void, demanding the resignation of all those government officials supporting such "elections" as enemies of the Bolivian nation? Does he deploy the military? Does he, does MAS, organize itself and the population to, in essence, seize those provinces? No--. For better or worse, the answer is no. Impasse develops. What does Morales and MAS propose? A recall election where he, and the VP and the regional governors must get a greater number of absolute votes, and a greater percentage of total votes, or stand down and stand for election, if they desire such office again. Now since some are enamored of analogies with Abraham Lincoln and his conduct of the Civil War against the US equivalent of the "oligarchy," I offer this: Suppose Lincoln when confronted by the Confederacy had, instead of doing everything to mobilize the people, to create a military that could actually wage the civil war, had offered a recall election? Suppose Lincoln had said, "those governors of those states in rebellion, and myself, and good old Jeff Davis, we're going to stand for reelection, and if I don't get more votes, and a bigger percentage than I did in 1860, well, I'll stand down. And Jeff Davis, if he doesn't, he stands down."? What if he had said that? Clearly, the Union would never have survived long enough to even experience the defeat of its single, and only, great moment-- radical Reconstruction. From lnp3 at panix.com Thu Aug 7 19:37:02 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:37:02 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Pongo's Dream Message-ID: <20080808013905.5219D17C3C@mailbackend.panix.com> http://garnet.berkeley.edu/~dolorier/Reader/pongo.html INTRODUCTION [Jos? Mar?a] Arguedas learned Quechua as a boy from servants in the household of his stepmother and his father, an itinerant lawyer. Until his suicide in 1967, the novelist and anthropologist was perhaps more responsible than any other Peruvian for the impassioned defense of the Incan tongue and cultural autonomy for millions of Quechua speakers, challenging the powerful ideologies of "modernization" and "national integration" predicated on the erasure of Peru's indigenous past. Although there was a strong utopian strain in Arguedas, he was not just interested in indigenous traditions. He also wrote about the challenges of migration and modernity, and proclaimed himself an "hombre Quechua moderno," a modern Quechua man, reflecting his desire for a cultural pluralism for Peru that would go beyond a retreat into a narrow traditionalism. An adaptation of a story Arguedas heard from a Cusco peasant, "The Pongo's Dream" captures the rigidity of the feudal order that still prevailed in many parts of the Andes in the midtwentieth century. But the denouement, where the world turns upside down as in the Inkarri myth, suggests the existence of a spirit of independence and opposition, which was to fuel the peasant movements of the 1950's and the break-up of the landlords' rule. THE PONGO'S DREAM Jos? Maria Arguedas A little man headed to his master's mansion. As one of the serfs on the lord's estate, he had to perform the duty of a pongo, a lowly house servant. He had a small and feeble body, a meek spirit. His clothes were old and tattered. Everything about him was pitiful. The great lord, owner of the mansion and lands surrounding it, could not help laughing when the little man greeted him in the mansion's corridors. "What are you? A person or something else?" the lord asked the little man in front of all the other serfs. The pongo bowed his head and did not answer. He stood frightened, eyes frozen. "Let's see!" the lord said. "With those worthless hands, you must at least know how to scrub pots or use a broom. Take this garbage away!" he ordered. The pongo knelt to kiss his master's hand and followed him to the kitchen hanging his head. The little man had a small body but an average man's strength. Whatever he was told to do he did well, but he always wore a slight look of horror on his face. Some of the serfs laughed at him, while others pitied him. "The most orphaned of all orphans," a cook of mixed blood once said upon seeing him. "His frozen eyes must be children of the moon wind, his heart must be all sadness." The little man rarely talked to anyone. He worked and ate quietly. Whatever they ordered him to do was done obediently. "Yes, papacito, yes, mamacita," were the only words he uttered. Perhaps because of the little man's frightened look and his threadbare, filthy clothes, or perhaps because of his unwillingness to talk, the lord regarded the pongo with special contempt. He enjoyed humiliating him most at dusk, when all the serfs gathered to say the Hail Mary in the mansion's great hall. He would shake him vehemently in front of the serfs like a piece of animal skin. He would push his head down and force him to kneel, and then, when the little man was on his knees, slap him lightly on the face. "I believe you are a dog. Bark!" he would tell the pongo. The little man could not bark. "Stand on all fours," the lord would order him next. The pongo would obey and start crawling on all fours. "Walk sideways like a dog," the lord would demand. The little man had learned to run like the small dogs inhabiting the high moors. The lord would laugh heartily. His whole body shook with exhilaration. "Come back here!" he would yell, when the servant reached the end of the great hall. The pongo would return, running sideways, arriving out of breath. Meanwhile, some of the other serfs would quietly say their Hail Marys, as if their voices were a wind hidden in their hearts. "Perk up your ears, hare! You are just an ugly hare!" the lord would command the exhausted little man. "Sit on your two paws. Put your hands together." The pongo could sit in the exact same prayerful pose that these animals take when they stand still on the rocks, looking as if he had learned this habit while in his mother's womb. But the one thing he could not do was perk up his ears. Some of the serfs laughed at him. With his boot, the lord would then knock him to the brick floor. "Let us say the Our Father," he would then say to his Indians as they waited in line. The pongo would get up slowly, but he could not pray because he was not in his place, nor did any place belong to him. In the darkness, the serfs would leave the great hall for the courtyard and head to their living quarters. "Get out of here, offal!" the master would often order the pongo. And so, every day, in front of the other serfs, the master would make his new pongo jump to his demands. He would force him to laugh, to fake tears. He would hand him over to the other workers so that they would ridicule him too. But . . . one afternoon, during the Hail Mary, when the hall was filled with everyone who worked and lived on the lord's estate and the master himself began to stare at the pongo with loathing and contempt, that same little man spoke very clearly. His face remained a bit frightened. "Great lord, please grant me permission. Dear lord, I wish to speak to you." The lord could not believe his ears. "What? Was that you who spoke or someone else?" "Your permission, dear master, to speak to you. It is you I want to talk to," the pongo replied. "Talk . . . if you can." "My father, my lord, my heart," the little man began. "Last night, I dreamt that the two of us had died. Together, we had died." "You with me? You? Tell all, Indian," the master said to him. "Since we were dead men, my lord, the two of us were standing naked before our dear father Saint Francis, both of us, next to each other." "And then? Talk!" ordered the master, partly out of anger and partly anxious with curiosity. "When he saw us dead, naked, both standing together, our dear father Saint Francis looked at us closely with those eyes that reach and measure who knows what lengths. He examined you and me, judging, I believe, each of our hearts, the kind of person we were, the kind of person we are. You confronted that gaze as the rich and powerful man that you are, my father." "And you?" "I cannot know how I was, great lord. I cannot know my worth." "Well, keep talking." "Then, our father spoke: 'May the most beautiful of all the angels come forth. May a lesser angel of equal beauty accompany the supreme one. May the lesser angel bring a golden cup filled with the most delicate and translucent honey.'" "And then?" the master asked. The Indian serfs listened, listened to the pongo with a limitless attention, yet also afraid. "My owner, as soon as our great father Saint Francis gave his order, an angel appeared, shimmering, as tall as the sun. He walked very slowly until he stood before our father. A smaller angel, beautiful, glowing like a gentle flower, marched behind the supreme angel. He was holding in his hands a golden cup." "And then?" the master asked once again. "'Supreme angel, cover this gentleman with the honey that is in the golden cup. Let your hands be feathers upon touching this man's body,' ordered our great father. And so, the lofty angel lifted the honey with his hands and glossed your whole body with it, from your head down to your toenails. And you swelled with pride. In the splendor of the heavens, your body shone as if made of transparent gold." "That is the way it must be," said the lord. "And what happened to you?" "When you were shining in the sky, our great father Saint Francis gave another order. 'From all the angels in heaven, may the very least, the most ordinary come forth. May that angel bring along a gasoline can filled with human excrement.'" "And then?" "A worthless, old angel with scaly feet, too weak to keep his wings in place, appeared before our father. He came very tired, his wings drooping at his sides, carrying a large can. 'Listen,' our great father ordered the angel. 'Smear the body of this little man with the excrement from that can you brought. Smear his whole body any way you want and cover it all the best you can. Hurry up!' So the old angel took the excrement with his coarse hands and smeared my body unevenly, sloppily, just like you would smear mud on the walls of an ordinary adobe house. And in the midst of the heavenly light, I stank and was filled with shame." "Just as it should be!" crowed the master. "Keep going! Or is that the end?" "No, my little father, my lord. When we were once again together, yet changed, before our father Saint Francis, he took another look at us, first at you, then at me, a long time. With those eyes that reach across the heavens, I don't know to what depths, joining night and day, memory and oblivion. Then he said: 'Whatever the angels had to do with you is done. Now, lick each other's bodies slowly, for all eternity.' At that moment, the old angel became young again. His wings regained their blackness and great strength. Our father entrusted him with making sure that his will was carried out." From bob.morris at gmail.com Thu Aug 7 20:02:28 2008 From: bob.morris at gmail.com (Bob Morris) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 19:02:28 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] SOS - Cindy is only short 634 valid signatures to get on the November ballot! -- Deadline: 5 p.m. tomorrow! Your support is needed today and all day tomorrow! In-Reply-To: <269037.60114.qm@web54603.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <269037.60114.qm@web54603.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <275dee160808071902k367e5b3fl5e2a189d8cbe51@mail.gmail.com> > > Cindy is only short 634 valid signatures to get on the November ballot! I hope that's not 634 short of the exact number needed because the general rule is you need 10-20% more at least because of invalid sigs. I'm not sure how the campaign can say how many of the sigs they have now that are valid because they aren't the ones who do the validation. From markalause at gmail.com Thu Aug 7 20:04:49 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 22:04:49 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] SOS - Cindy is only short 634 valid signatures to get on the November ballot! -- Deadline: 5 p.m. tomorrow! Your support is needed today and all day tomorrow! In-Reply-To: <275dee160808071902k367e5b3fl5e2a189d8cbe51@mail.gmail.com> References: <269037.60114.qm@web54603.mail.re2.yahoo.com> <275dee160808071902k367e5b3fl5e2a189d8cbe51@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Best nowadays to get double the requirement... ML From adambrichmond at yahoo.com Thu Aug 7 20:36:46 2008 From: adambrichmond at yahoo.com (Adam Richmond) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 19:36:46 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] SOS - Cindy is only short 634 valid signatures to get on the November ballot! -- Deadline: 5 p.m. tomorrow! Your support is needed today and all day tomorrow! Message-ID: <777571.65170.qm@web54601.mail.re2.yahoo.com> The point is that the SF Board of Elections has been disqualifying up to 50 percent of her signatures. According to the Ballot Access News, only six people have ever made to the California ballot this way. Ever. ----- Original Message ---- From: Bob Morris To: Adam Richmond Sent: Thursday, August 7, 2008 7:02:28 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] SOS - Cindy is only short 634 valid signatures to get on the November ballot! -- Deadline: 5 p.m. tomorrow! Your support is needed today and all day tomorrow! > > Cindy is only short 634 valid signatures to get on the November ballot! I hope that's not 634 short of the exact number needed because the general rule is you need 10-20% more at least because of invalid sigs. I'm not sure how the campaign can say how many of the sigs they have now that are valid because they aren't the ones who do the validation. ________________________________________________ YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/adambrichmond%40yahoo.com From markalause at gmail.com Thu Aug 7 20:43:30 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 22:43:30 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] SOS - Cindy is only short 634 valid signatures to get on the November ballot! -- Deadline: 5 p.m. tomorrow! Your support is needed today and all day tomorrow! In-Reply-To: <777571.65170.qm@web54601.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <777571.65170.qm@web54601.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: The rule of thumb nowadays is to go for double what you need. Sometimes that's not enough. ML From walterlx at earthlink.net Fri Aug 8 01:18:21 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2008 03:18:21 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh*flying in upcoming Bolivianelections) Message-ID: <3475599.1218179901634.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Castro came to power on a bourgeois reformist program aimed at the creation of a capitalist coalition government, which is exactly the thing the Cuban revolutionaries proceeded to do. They proceeded to create a coalition government led by capitalist politicians. What made the situation distinctive was the the capitalist system was in place, capitalist private property relations continued to obtain, but there was no capitalist repressive apparatus. It had collapsed and mostly disappeared into the woodwork or into exile. Thus, when the confrontation took place over the direction of society, battle took place on a national basis. The army of capitalism turned out to be a bunch of exile hirelings for a hostile foreign power who'd had dominant influence withing the country for over half a century. This did not happen in Chile, Argentina, Jamaica or any of the other places mentioned. The capitalist state was simply not as weakened or decayed or collapsed as it had been in Cuba. AND, the progressive forces came into office via parliamentary democracy. They could not violate its terms and conditions unless the masses of the people clearly understood why that state apparatus had to be broken up or swept away. The Paris Commune took place over 125 years ago, and there have been one or two changes in the world since that time. It is possible that such changes have even affected the road toward a socialism in this epoch. Louis's citing of the Paris Commune doesn't tell us anything about what strategies and tactics might be applied to get us from here to there. Louis doesn't indicate if things like the Internet, television, radio and other phenomena which didn't exist at the time of the Paris Commune have added anything new to what's needed to transform society today, in 2008, for example. Unfortunately for those who see the Paris Commune as the presumed model, as others saw the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 as a model, there really cannot be models. Each country must take its own road toward socialism. Just because Cuba went the Cuban way, there is no reason to assume that Venezuela must also go the Cuban way, or the Russian way. Venezuela must go the Venezuelan way. There really can be no other way than the national way. Naturally, we have to study the different ways, but there can be no universal model or way through which revolutions obligatorily must pass. Who will be the judge of the permissible road to the socialist society and the socialist revolution??? Personally, I would not presume. Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ===================================================================== LOUIS PROYECT comments: Even when a left government is elected, the issue of violence never goes away. All of the men I mentioned were eventually toppled by a military coup or driven from power by armed mobs (Manley). Either you come to power as Castro did through a war with the bourgeois army and police, or else you have to confront them later on as Allende did. He did not rise to the occasion unfortunately. Karl Marx and V.I. Lenin wrote extensively on the "proletarian dictatorship". Our goal as Marxists is to develop strategies that can lead to the proletarian dictatorship, the highest form of democracy known to humanity as evidenced by the Paris Commune. As somebody who seems more interested in offering solidarity with the enemies of the U.S. whatever their class composition, such matters must seem awfully arcane to Walter. ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From sabocat59 at mac.com Fri Aug 8 05:40:00 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:40:00 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Colombia: Interview with Antonio Navarro Wolf Message-ID: http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1408/1/ From marvgandall at videotron.ca Fri Aug 8 05:42:18 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:42:18 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh*flying in upcomingBolivianelections) References: <11870532.1218154971605.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> <004c01c8f8f3$c37c1710$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <052d01c8f94b$d0c6ebe0$6401a8c0@MARV> Artesian writes: > Does Morales outlaw those elections, declare them null and void, demanding > the resignation of all those government officials supporting such > "elections" as enemies of the Bolivian nation? Does he deploy the > military? > Does he, does MAS, organize itself and the population to, in essence, > seize > those provinces? > > No--. For better or worse, the answer is no. =============================== You clearly think it for worse. You make it sound as if Morales and the MAS are either too stupid or too treacherous to see things as clearly as you do. But you're a free agent who is not responsible for the calamitous effects of any misjudgement or subject to any of the constraints under which they govern. I think it's a safe assumption that their closest allies, Venezuela and Cuba, their largest customer, Brazil, and the other Latin American and European states with whom they trade and who mediate with the US, have been pressuring them to work towards a compromise with the bourgeoisie based in the eastern provinces - one which would necessarily involve some slowing down of the process of reform. Should the Bolivian leadership ignore these pressures? Can it afford to? If there were countervailing pressure from below, if the larger part of MAS were pushing Morales and his ministers towards a settling of accounts with the bourgeoisie such as you prescribe above, matters might be different - and even then a responsible leadership would have to take into account Bolivia's status as a small, impoverished, landlocked country. But where is the evidence that the masses, who have been experiencing some improvement in living standards on the back of rising commodity prices and the government's assertion of control over the energy industry, have lost confidence in Morales and want a confrontation rather than a compromise? From a distance, things seem otherwise. I'm sure Morales and Chavez are as mindful as we are of Chile 1973 and of the risks inherent in trying to effect change with the bourgeoisie, army, and state apparatus still intact. If anything, they probably appreciate more keenly than we do that there is even less freedom of maneuver in the absence of an alternative to the global capitalist bloc as there was then. It seems to me there are no obvious and clear cut answers, as you presume, and that Walter is right to insist they need no lectures from us. From sabocat59 at mac.com Fri Aug 8 05:55:00 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:55:00 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Pongo's Dream Message-ID: <405BC4C2-C541-49CE-A4C6-76A0684DB57E@mac.com> Louis Proyect wrote: <"The Pongo's Dream" captures the rigidity of the feudal order that still prevailed in many parts of the Andes in the midtwentieth century. But the denouement, where the world turns upside down as in the Inkarri myth, suggests the existence of a spirit of independence and opposition, which was to fuel the peasant movements of the 1950's and the break-up of the landlords' rule.> I recall reading some old Ecuadorean newspapers from the 1950's and 60's where fincas were offered for sale along with the indigenous population which supported the farm with their labor. In other words, the indigenous peasants were part of the sale--they came with the property. Greg McDonald From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Aug 8 07:03:21 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:03:21 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh*flying in upcoming Bolivianelections) In-Reply-To: <3475599.1218179901634.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <3475599.1218179901634.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <489C4419.4010801@panix.com> Walter Lippmann wrote: > The Paris Commune took place over 125 years ago, and there have been > one or two changes in the world since that time. No, Walter, the Paris Commune is still relevant. It does not matter that they did not use the IPhone. For those who want to see a terrific movie that demonstrates how much the Paris Commune still matters, see Peter Watkin's "La Commune": http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2006/11/05/la-commune/ I am very happy to report that Peter Watkins?s ?La Commune? is now available in DVD/Video. This six-hour film, which originally appeared on French television, joins Sergei Eisenstein?s ?10 Days that Shook the World,? Gillo Pontecorvo?s ?Battle of Algiers? and Herbert Biberman?s ?Salt of the Earth? as a classic study of working people trying to win their freedom. Perhaps its greatest achievement is the way it makes this 135 year old struggle relevant to more recent ones, which was clearly the intention of its director Peter Watkins. As I sat watching it at the edge of my seat, practically breaking out in a cold sweat, I could not stop thinking about my visits to Nicaragua in the late 1980s when the country was like somebody hanging on to the edge of a cliff by their fingers. ?La Commune? demonstrates that this is both the blessing and the curse of all revolutions. They are simultaneously great strides forward toward freedom and huge risks almost tantamount to Russian roulette. Several years after the Sandinistas were ousted, Carlos Vilas, an Argentine sociologist and supporter of the revolution, spoke at a meeting in New York. I will never forget how he characterized it. It was like doctors in a delivery room with no electricity during an earthquake. When working people try to take power, they are not only faced with their own inexperience as masters of society, they are faced with the immediate hostility and open sabotage of the old ruling classes. I have never seen a film that conveys this dilemma as well as ?La Commune.? Watkins?s best known film is the 1965 ?The War Game,? which is a faux news report on a nuclear war. ?La Commune? uses the same technique. Imagining television as having been invented by 1871, it presents two reporters from a people?s TV station interviewing National Guardsmen (the volunteers who defended the Commune), workers, women, students on one side and their bourgeois adversaries on the other. One of the film?s major themes is how the media is used to frame reality on a class basis. Although this film was made in 1999, it anticipates the great divide that would take place in Venezuela 3 years later when private television and newspapers were used as a battering ram against Hugo Chavez?s progressive government. As counterpoint to the two sympathetic reporters, ?La Commune? features reports from a mainstream television reporter who has all the unctuously obnoxious qualities of a Jim Lehrer or a Brian Williams. Thinly disguised as ?objective? journalism, the reports are dripping with the kind of class hatred found in media coverage of Hugo Chavez?s ?Bush/Devil? speech to the United Nations. Back in 1871, the Paris Commune was greeted with the same kind of outrage that Daniel Ortega encountered in the 1980s (and still does today, despite his political retreat) and Hugo Chavez meets today. Here is what the New York Times said on May 25, 1871: Its friends claim that ?the bloody vengeance of the Monarchists? will not blot out the Commune from the memory of the future. This is perfectly true. It has gained during the last two days an ignominy so colossal that future generations will be compelled to ransack the records of Mohammedan fanaticism for its parallel. Its sins against civilization are manifest, its sins against liberty will shortly be made equally apparent. The cause of municipal freedom has received for the present generation the stamp of insane license. The cast of ?La Commune? consists entirely of 200 non-professionals drawn from Paris and its suburbs, including a number of undocumented workers from North Africa. Before filming started, they read background material on the Paris Commune and thought about its relevance to their lives and to contemporary society. A number of them are interviewed in the excellent documentary on the film, including an Algerian who lives in the suburbs that exploded in anger last year over joblessness and neglect. ?La Commune? is filled with truly revelatory historical details, including the way in which the reactionary Versailles government dispatched the same army against a revolt in Algeria immediately after it had vanquished the Commune. Although the jailed Communards (those who did not face the firing squad) received amnesty in 1880, the Berbers remained imprisoned on New Caledonia. ?La Commune? has a distinct look and feel that is much different from what you might be accustomed to. All of the action takes place indoors in an abandoned factory leased for the occasion. Although the sets give a reasonable approximation of the 11th arrondissement, a working class bastion, they serve more as they would in a theater than in a film. Most of the verisimilitude stems from the remarkable ability of the nonprofessional actors to appear like the Communards through remarkable wardrobe choices. With their ordinary-looking if not rough-hewn faces filmed in black-and-white by hand-held cameras, they have the same vividness as 19th century photographs. In contrast to more the recent period when the left has tried to reconcile itself to religion, usually through the medium of ?liberation theology?, ?La Commune? gives no quarter to the Catholic Church, which is depicted as a source of blind reaction, just as it was in the Spanish Civil War and other landmark struggles. Women, who play a decisive role and in the historical Commune, give the nuns and priests frequent tongue-lashings. Since the Paris Commune was the first government in history to give women the vote, it was inevitable that women volunteered to fight on the barricades to protect this freedom and others. The film portrays the activities of the Woman?s Union, which pressed for women?s rights within the general emancipatory framework in a fashion reminiscent of ?Salt of the Earth.? The ?La Commune? DVD package includes a 78 minute documentary on the making of the film by Geoff Bowie titled ?The Universal Clock: the Resistance of Peter Watkins? that makes clear how much the making of the film was in the spirit of resistance that it depicted. Watkins made this film in the same way that the Communards made barricades, as a conscious act in defense of an alternative society. In a world grown increasingly commercial and culturally dominated by Hollywood, he made a film that championed history?s working class martyrs and the act of pure artistic creation itself. The universal clock is a reference to the standard 47 minute documentary that is marketed to television stations around the world to fill an hour of commercial programming (and increasingly nonprofit stations as well.) Bowie films some particularly odious figures at a television production conference peddling their wares. After representative from the Discovery Network brags that their shows can be slotted in anywhere in the world, we cannot help but think of what drove French farmer Jose Bove to burn down a McDonald?s the same year that ?La Commune? was being made. After initial frustration in getting funding for ?La Commune,? Watkins eventually hooked up with La Sept ARTE, a French television company willing to take risks?but unfortunately only up to a point. When the series was finally aired, the climax of the film was scheduled for 3:30 in the morning. On Peter Watkins?s website, he conveys the thinking of ?universal clock? purveyors: Some people can make the universal clock sing at 47 minutes ? others can?t. It?s perfectly possible to do the 100 Years War in 5, 10, 20 or 47 minutes ? the depth of information value is not about duration, it?s about the anticipated expectation of the audience. Some filmmakers say this is my work and I want it to stay that way. That is their right and we respect that right. Those are the films we don?t buy and those are the films we don?t transmit. His response: "What is so disgusting - on top of everything else - is the use by TV executives of the word ?respect?! These people have absolutely zero respect - for filmmakers or for the public. ?Respect? for work they marginalize, and for the public on whose behalf they make their decisions, is contempt and ridicule of the highest order. "This is absolute fascism at work, and anyone who still doubts the direct links between the contemporary MAVM [mass audiovisual media] and globalization in all its worst aspects, should carefully reflect on what is happening. "The MAVM dogma on length and form is not only GLOBALIST because of its application, but also because it directly contributes to loss of history, to the increase of hierarchical forces sweeping through society, and to a growing passive acceptance of the global economy. Without time or space to reflect, formulate questions, integrate memory and feelings into the daily experience of receiving the mass media we are lost, and history becomes dead. Time and sustained process are crucial for counteracting the frenetically fragmented and abbreviated language form of the MAVM." ?La Commune? is now available from Netflix and your better video stores. Although I urge everybody to rent it and to advise their friends to rent it as well, I particularly recommend it to the activist left. This film could serve as the anchor for a weekly series of classes on socialism. It not only dramatizes the first working class revolution in history but points in the direction of our future success in the face of obvious difficulties. If we cannot begin to unite on a class basis starting now, then the class enemy will always have the upper hand. Our survival as working people and the survival of the planet depends on it. From sartesian at earthlink.net Fri Aug 8 07:13:41 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2008 09:13:41 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh*flying in upcomingBolivianelections) References: <11870532.1218154971605.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net><004c01c8f8f3$c37c1710$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> <052d01c8f94b$d0c6ebe0$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <001c01c8f958$94b24b10$6401a8c0@dmsthinkpad> I am impressed with your optimism and overall confidence in the MAS' sense of responsibility, particularly in the face of the rewards such optimism and responsibility have been accorded by history. I am not lecturing anybody and I do not think that Morales and MAS are stupid or treacherous. You miss, as you always do, the class content. That is to say, by their very organization and program of class collaboration, Morales and the MAS do what they do, and don't do what they don't do. This has nothing to do with intelligence and/or treachery. And if you miss class, then you must miss history-- Goulart doesn't matter, Allende doesn't matter, Arbenz, the Villoreal, MNR, even old Honest Abe-- doesn't matter. I bet you're right, about Boliva's allies and customers, particularly the customers, since Brazil has extensive interests in Santa Cruz, in access to Boliva's gas fields and supplies, in soybean processing, etc. And I'm sure the US, as another big customer is providing pressure.... to "slow down the process of reform". But Bolivia is not, as the movement towards secession proves, in a process of reform. It is in a process of civil war. Have "the masses" lost confidence in Morales? I don't know. Maybe yes, maybe not yet. But you really need to look at the history of Bolivia, of the MNR, and then of the MAS to get some idea on how both MNR and MAS "tailed" "the masses," and where that process of tailing, of "responsibility to pressures" took the Bolivian revolution before, and where the MAS will take it now. You don't think Bolivia has been down this road before? It sure has, several times-- governments of "national salvation," programs for indigenous rights, land reform, etc. etc., each time the programs, the salvation depended upon reconciling with the pressures from customers and allies, of preventing the expropriation of property by the workers, of being "responsible." Each time the agents of such responsibility were not acting out of stupidity or treachery, but out of their class organization. Stupidity is probably better reserved for those who Marxism consists of a repetition compulsion for failure. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marvin Gandall" To: Sent: Friday, August 08, 2008 7:42 AM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Evo or Bush (was: RE: Sh*flying in upcomingBolivianelections) From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Aug 8 07:17:44 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:17:44 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Adam Smith would be proud Message-ID: <489C4778.2010106@panix.com> http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/08/08/bridges A Bridge Less Traveled Adam Smith would be proud. In their efforts to promote new postdoctoral business programs for non-business majors, universities haven?t been bashful about suggesting that faculty should act in their own self-interest. Making $50,000 a year teaching in a psychology department? Why not spend two months at Virginia Tech and double your salary? Such are the promises of five newly minted ?Post-Doctoral Bridge to Business Programs,? which provide intensive instruction in areas like marketing and finance to instructors who have already completed Ph.D.?s in other fields. The aim of these programs is to equip faculty members with a background in business research techniques to help transition them into business schools, which are struggling to fill tenure-track vacancies. The pitch at Virginia Tech, which graduated its first class of ?bridge to business? students this month, was enough to persuade Matt Hettche to change his career path. Hettche holds a doctorate in philosophy, but he?s been daunted by the notoriously crowded job market in his field. When he read about Virginia Tech?s program in one of the university?s magazines, Hettche thought it sounded like a smart ? albeit risky ? next step. ?The job market in philosophy is pretty tight, so it?s not unrealistic to say that for every one position that?s advertised, as many as 450 applications come in,? said Hettche, who just graduated from Virginia Tech?s program. ?I?m reading there are vacancies in business schools; they can?t fill the jobs they have.? Hettche, 37, has spent the last several years as a visiting assistant professor at Auburn University. With his new business credentials in hand, however, Hettche is heading to ? go figure ? Virginia Tech, where he will teach marketing. The position is still not tenure track, but Hettche feels the likelihood of scoring such a coveted post is much greater in the business field than philosophy. (clip) --- http://howtheuniversityworks.com/wordpress/archives/136 Faculty serving contingently are already laughing this idea into deserved obscurity over at ADJ-L and Inside Higher Ed, but a University of Phoenix adjunct is trying to get herself a piece of the for-profit pie, and squeeze $400 apiece from as many suckers as she can with a ?certification? scam. Write your check to Rochelle Santopoalo, president and founder of SOCAFE (Society of _Certified_ Adjunct Faculty Educators) and she promises to ?increase your marketability as an adjunct faculty educator? with the ?prestigious academic certification? she just Made Up in Her Own Head. ?Prestigious? in this case refers to the proud reaction of Ma and Pa Santopoalo, and the southeast corner of the breakroom at Phoenix. Tenure-stream folks tired of earning bartenders? wages are being offered their own certification scam, but it?s quite a bit more plush: you can apparently pay $28,000 to Virginia Tech or any of four other ?market-smart? institutions to have yourself retooled as a business educator and cross over into the world of business schools?you know, the folks who?ve been driving Beamers while you got a 1% salary increase.) Of course if you don?t want to keep making opportunists rich, and you?re not captured by the poetry, philosophy, or history of marketing, you can stand and fight for the principle that education is a public good. For starters, attend the 8th International Conference of the Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor, hosted by COCAL-California, San Diego State University. August 8-10, 2008. (clip) --- NY Times, August 8, 2008 College and Company Link Up to Lure Foreigners By TAMAR LEWIN BOSTON ? Like a lot of other universities, Northeastern has Barnes & Noble running its bookstore, and Pizza Hut, Wendy?s, Starbucks and Taco Bell selling food in the student center. But Northeastern has taken outsourcing one giant step further. In an unusual partnership that began last fall, the university is using Kaplan Inc., a for-profit education company, to find students for ? and help run ? an academic program for international students to spend a year on campus, improving their English and acclimating to American higher education, before starting one of Northeastern?s degree programs. Although Northeastern is the first American university with such a partnership, the model, now common in Britain, is gaining interest in the United States. Some critics worry that if such partnerships catch on widely, the quest for lucrative international students could undermine academic standards, if the profit motive leads programs to admit unqualified students or use low-paid, poorly trained instructors. ?In a way, these programs bringing international students in for an introductory year are like what we would do with kids from the inner city, but nobody?s doing that for profit,? said Philip G. Altbach, an international education expert at Boston College. ?I do wonder what happens to academic values in all of these market-driven efforts.? In recent years, international students, generally full-paying, have become big business at American universities and around the world. Kaplan, a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company, is known in the United States mostly for its test-preparation business. But the company has huge international-education operations, including teaching English as a second language, with a worldwide network of agents to tap into this market. The president of Northeastern, Joseph E. Auon, has committed to making the university an international institution. University officials say their program with Kaplan, known as Global Pathways, lets them make sure international students are adequately prepared before they start degree programs, which can be difficult to ascertain from a foreign transcript. Patrick Plunkett, executive director of international initiatives, said he felt strongly that to ensure academic integrity, Northeastern employees should teach the classes, rather than handing the teaching off to Kaplan, as the company proposed, and as it does at similar programs it runs at British universities. ?The value added here is being engaged with the university, even before you?re in a degree program,? he said. The university handles teaching, curriculum and admissions. But Kaplan does everything else. ?We?re great at the teaching and learning part, but Kaplan has more expertise in the wraparound services,? said Christopher E. Hopey, a vice president at Northeastern. Kaplan markets the program overseas and recruits the students, guided by explicit admissions criteria, Northeastern officials said, based on the education system in the home countries. Kaplan staff members meet students at the airport, help them find places to live ? usually with a family at first ? connect them with volunteer conversation partners, and organize parties and outings to Boston Celtics games. Neither Northeastern nor Kaplan would discuss their financial arrangements; students in the program pay about $18,000 for the extra year of schooling. (clip) --- http://www.cust.educ.ubc.ca/workplace/workplace2/yates.html Lambs to the Slaughter by Michael Yates 1. I do not think that many faculty members would challenge the notion that the University of Pittsburgh is run by persons who are primarily managers and not academics. Certainly those on the Board of Trustees are managers and often have much experience managing large corporations. Those employed by the Board, the Chancellor and his large staff, function as managers, although a few of them (and increasingly fewer each decade) have some reputation as scholars. At Pitt-Johnstown, where I work, our administrators have never been scholars and no more so than at present when the very titles so common to academe have been changed to reflect the managerial and business-like role those who hold these titles are expected to play. We do not go to the Dean's office but to that of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, or VPAA. 2. As any management expert will tell you, the essence of management is control, control over every aspect of the enterprise. In most workplaces, the one element which can impede the ability of management to control its domain is the human element. That is why managerial control is essentially a matter of controlling the organization's employees, or to use a word that college teachers don't like to hear, its workers. Over the past 150 years or so, managers have devised a number of techniques for managing (controlling) their employees. These techniques have been theorized and systematized, first by Frederick Taylor, and many times since by his disciples. It is possible to learn these techniques and the theory behind them in business schools, seminars, and learned journals. We must have no doubt that our administrators have studied the theory and practice of managerial control and that they are busy applying what they have learned. 3. The most comprehensive system of managerial control has been pioneered by Japanese automobile manufacturers and is known to its critics as "lean production." It is based upon the twin ideas that every aspect of work must be controlled to the greatest degree possible and that the employees must be led to believe not only that this is good for them but that they have some real say in directing their enterprise. With our faculty senate and its ideology of shared governance, many of us have already absorbed the second idea (Pitt-Johnstown President, Al Etheridge, has used "focus groups" which serve the same purpose and have the advantage of being controlled by him more directly than the senate, which on rare occasion challenges administrative authority). The first idea, however, is more radical, and poorly understood by most of us and not at all by many of us. (clip) From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Aug 8 07:25:55 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:25:55 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Adam Smith follow-up Message-ID: <489C4963.8070302@panix.com> > > NY Times, August 8, 2008 > College and Company Link Up to Lure Foreigners > By TAMAR LEWIN > URL for this: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/education/08kaplan.html From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Aug 8 07:27:56 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:27:56 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Turkey's economic indicators worsen Message-ID: <489C49DC.6060702@panix.com> http://wsws.org/articles/2008/aug2008/turk-a08.shtml From walterlx at earthlink.net Fri Aug 8 07:43:38 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2008 09:43:38 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] =?utf-8?q?OCEAN_PRESS=3A_Seminar_on_=C2=9350th_anniv=2E?= =?utf-8?q?_of_the_Cuban_Revolution=C2=94?= Message-ID: <33488908.1218203018898.JavaMail.root@elwamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From: David/Ocean Sent: Aug 8, 2008 9:10 AM To: 'Walter Lippmann' Subject: Seminar on "50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution" Seminar on ?50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution? The ?50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution? Seminar was held in Havana on July 14-16. It was co-sponsored by the Jos? Mart? National Studies Program, the University of Havana, the Institute of International Relations, the Che Guevara Studies Center, Ocean Press and Ocean Sur, and the journal ?Contexto Latinoamericano?. The opening of the seminar that took place in the Main Hall of the University of Havana on the morning of the July 14, included the welcome by Dr. Rub?n Zardoya, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Havana; as well as the remarks of Dr. Armando Hart, president of the Jos? Mart? National Studies Program and of David Deutschmann, president of Ocean Press and Ocean Sur, and director of the political journal ?Contexto Latinoamericano?, both part of the organizing committee of the seminar. The opening session featured a presentation on ?The Development of the Cuban Political System? given by Dr. Ricardo Alarcon, president of the National Assembly for Popular Power. The 3-day seminar included the participation of representatives from many different Cuban institutions (academics, research centers, political and social organizations) and most of the prominent writers and political theoreticians in Cuba. The seminar took place at Havana?s Hotel Nacional. The program of the seminar included: Jos? Mart?: the theoretical foundations of the Cuban Revolution Dr. Armando Hart Historical perspective of the Cuban Revolution Dr. Sergio Guerra The presence of Che within the Cuban Revolution: an historical perspective Dr. Mar?a del Carmen Ariet Cuba?s international relations Dr. Isabel Allende Fifty years of relations with the United States Ram?n S?nchez-Parodi The influence of the Cuban Revolution in Latin America Roberto Regalado Religion in Cuba Dr. Aurelio Alonso Cuban migration Dr. Jes?s Arboleya Revolutionary culture Dr. Eliades Acosta The evolution of the Cuban economic model Dr. Omar Everleny The social policies of the Cuban revolution Dr. Juan Vald?s Paz Women and 50 years of revolution in Cuba Isabel Moya The war of the peoples and the evolution of Cuba?s system of defense Bridgade General Reynaldo G?mez Cuevas Half a century of confrontation with the counterrevolution Division General (r) Fabi?n Escalante The closing words of the seminar were made by Fernando Rojas, Vice-Minister of Culture in Cuba. The papers presented at the seminar on the ?50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution? will be published in Spanish as a series of pamphlets and a book anthology by Ocean Sur and a selection in English as a book anthology by Ocean Press. For more information contact: info at oceanbooks.com.au www.oceanbooks.com.au www.oceansur.com ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Aug 8 07:46:03 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:46:03 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Chinese panopticon Message-ID: <489C4E1B.5070801@panix.com> http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/20797485/chinas_allseeing_eye China's All-Seeing Eye With the help of U.S. defense contractors, China is building the prototype for a high-tech police state. It is ready for export. NAOMI KLEIN Thirty years ago, the city of Shenzhen didn't exist. Back in those days, it was a string of small fishing villages and collectively run rice paddies, a place of rutted dirt roads and traditional temples. That was before the Communist Party chose it ? thanks to its location close to Hong Kong's port ? to be China's first "special economic zone," one of only four areas where capitalism would be permitted on a trial basis. The theory behind the experiment was that the "real" China would keep its socialist soul intact while profiting from the private-sector jobs and industrial development created in Shenzhen. The result was a city of pure commerce, undiluted by history or rooted culture ? the crack cocaine of capitalism. It was a force so addictive to investors that the Shenzhen experiment quickly expanded, swallowing not just the surrounding Pearl River Delta, which now houses roughly 100,000 factories, but much of the rest of the country as well. Today, Shenzhen is a city of 12.4 million people, and there is a good chance that at least half of everything you own was made here: iPods, laptops, sneakers, flatscre