[Marxism] Moderator's note

[David Thorstad]

Louis asked me to show where Fred Feldman and Walter Lippman had 
compared me to a Nazi, as I asserted in a post.

Here is Fred Feldman's post of October 13, comparing me to Julius 
Streicher, publisher of /Der Stürmer/. (I apologize for misremembering 
that his comparison was a reaction to my post about Obama's alleged 
salacious "sex perv" connections, and not same-sex marriage.) I let it 
go at the time as a mere snotty excess. But since I'm being smacked for 
less egregious sins--pointing out the liberal reformism of people like 
Feldman and Lippmann who see no problem in Marxists voting for Obama--I 
cite it again.
    So much for Feldman's comparing me to a Nazi, even if it is a "left" 
one. As for Lippmann, I could be wrong about my assertion that he too 
compared me to a Nazi in our personal exchanges (part of which he posted 
on the list), and since I don't save or copy many exchanges, I am ready 
to concede that my assertion was inaccurate, since I haven't saved the 
exchanges we had so can't prove it. That said, Walter did resort to name 
calling, repeatedly referring to me there and on the list as a 
"thoroughgoing reactionary." During our exchanges, I went back and read 
one of his lengthy internal SWP discussion bulletin contributions from 
1979 in which he stated--already then--nearly thirty years ago, that I 
was a "reactionary." At least he's consistent. I suspect both he and 
Feldman supported Barry Sheppard's wretched "Memorandum" on gay 
liberation in 1973, which Barry has written in his memoir was written to 
accommodate prejudice against homosexuals as a result of prodding from 
Farrell Dobbs (something that was kept secret from the ranks at the 
time--so much for "proletarian democracy," which in this case resembles 
Stalinism more than socialist democracy). Kudos to them if they did not, 
but am I wrong?
    Another rather bizarre attempt to link me to racism (!) and the 
right came from Jeff (Oct. 27) in his comments on "Why Gay Marriage 
Sucks," in which, reacting to my opposition to "hate-crimes" 
legislation, he stated:

    "So to summarize, you are AGAINST legislation which is AGAINST 
racist violence. [huh? This was about Wyoming antigay "hate crimes" 
legislation, and had nothing to do with racist violence] And that puts 
you exactly where in the struggle against racism? Yes, WE know that 
you're a Marxist etc. But are you going to go out canvassing with 
Klansman [sic] by your side? Knock on doors and explain that the guy in 
the white robe next to you supports your position "for the worng 
reason?" To me, this is another oddball argument that goes well beyond 
my comment that leftist Obama supporters are liberals, not Marxists.
    Addressing the arguments of those one does not see eye to eye with, 
rather than labeling them with loaded terms that turn them into the 
Other, would seem advisable. The tendency of some (Feldman, Lippmann...) 
to resort to self-serving labeling instead reminds me of some of the 
internal SWP discussions I witnessed, in which comrades eager to get in 
good with the leadership resorted to the same kind of demonizing. And 
look where that outfit they defended at the time ended up.
David
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David Thorstad:
I see no reason not to publicize any of this,
nor do I feel any need to defend a capitalist politician from such
revelations, most especially since I have no information that they are not
true.

Fred comments:
Well if the revolutionary left ever "needs" its own "Der Sturmer," Thorstad
is clearly the one to provide it. The times may yet find the man.

That's it from me on this political pornography, at least until
consequences, if any, start coming in.
Fred Feldman