From ffeldman at bellatlantic.net Mon Sep 1 00:50:30 2008 From: ffeldman at bellatlantic.net (Fred Feldman) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 02:50:30 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Reasons to avoid Alexander Cockburn, politically and personally Message-ID: <2ECF809638FD46F682D5B72EF1B8B0E9@office1pc> http://www.counterpunch.com/cockburn08302008.html Alexander Cockburn wrote: "Who would not wish to take off Sarah's spectacles and liberate those rich, heaped-up tresses? It's that librarian look so reminiscent of Laura Bush in happier days, back among the stacks in the Public Library in Midland which I made [SIC] visited in 2001, mostly to view the crossroads where 17-year Laura broadsided her boyfriend in that so-tragic "accident". (The police report says that Laura ran a stop sign in her Chevy and struck the Corvair of 17-year old Michael Douglas. He was thrown from the car and broke his neck. Some accounts have claimed Michael and Laura had been dating. Laura was with a 17-year old girl friend at the time. It was a clear night, with unobstructed views, shortly after 8 p.m. on Nov. 6, 1963. )" In my original comment, I focused on Cockburn's frankly bizarre sexualizing about Sarah Palin, but failed to take note of the continuation of his bizarre charge, here by hints but more directly previously. that Laura Bush intentionally caused the death or at least the injury of her youthful Texas heartthrob, driven by hormonal violence. I assume from this that the Secret Service's main task would be to keep an enraged, jealous and homicidal Laura Bush from depriving us of George. The facts available recommend giving up such reformist illusions. Let me point out that there is qualitatively less evidence, to put it mildly (there is actually none), to support this claim than there is for global warming. Yet Cockburn has no hesitation to treat the alleged Laura murder as proven, while declaring global warming a big lie of big business. Of course, Laura Bush is the subject of another Cockburn crush. My advice to women who find themselves in this situation: RUN! From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Mon Sep 1 00:53:41 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:53:41 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] What's new at Links: Bolivia, Venezuela, Diego Garcia, Kashmir, Caucasus, Cuba, Malaysia, ecology & capitalism, Argentina Message-ID: <48BB9175.4080605@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./* * * * Bolivia: Two years of `post-neoliberal' Indigenous nationalism -- a balance sheet By the *Bolpress editorial board*, translated by *Sean Seymour Jones* for /Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal/ State intervention in economic activity -- the nationalisation of businesses, restrictions on exports and price controls, among other measures -- doesn't appear to be contributing to the materialisation of the structural changes postulated by the National Development Plan (PND) of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS). This is the evaluation of business leaders, analysts and political leaders from the right-wing opposition in Bolivia. However, according to the government of President Evo Morales, the brutal and desperate reaction of the dominant classes "in relegation" proves that something is changing. * Read more Venezuela: Solidarity needed for trade unionists under attack; please sign protest letter By *Federico Fuentes* and *Kiraz Janicke * August 23, 2008 -- The owner of Fundimeca, an air-conditioning factory in Valencia, Carabobo, is waging an intense campaign of terror and intimidation against the factory's workers. Fundimeca's workers has been fighting to ensure that the company complies with Venezuela's constitution and labour laws, in particular an order by the labour inspectorate to rehire nine workers. Fundimeca employs 360 workers, 80% of whom are women. One worker has been shot in the leg by armed thugs and 18 workers and three union leaders are currently facing trial in Carabobo courts, accused of various charges including criminal gang activity with the threat of jail terms looming over their heads. Among those standing trial is Stalin Perez Borges, a national coordinator of the National Union of Workers (UNT) and Venezuela's principal delegate to this year's International Labor Organisation convention --- where after seven years, the delegation successfully removed Venezuela from the list of countries that supposedly violate union freedom. * Read more Behind the communal flare-up in Jammu and Kashmir By the *Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation* August 18, 2008 -- The communally and politically motivated May 26 decision of the Congress Party-People's Democratic Party (PDP) government of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to transfer forest land [in Muslim-majority Kashmir] to the Hindu Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) [for use as a pilgrimage site near a sacred Hindu cave] is having costly repercussions, with the added danger that it may emerge as a communal [flashpoint] nationally. The land transfer, taken in the context of irresponsible official remarks recommending changes in the demography and "culture" of the region as a "solution" to the Kashmir "problem", was like a spark to the tinderbox of pent-up resentment in the Kashmir Valley. Lives were lost when police opened fire on protesters; the PDP tried to distance itself from its ministers' decision in favour of the land transfer by pulling out of the government; and the government on July 1 was belatedly forced to roll back the land transfer decision. * Read more Nationalism, revolution and war in the Caucasus By *Tony Iltis* August 27, 2008 -- Since the European Union-brokered ceasefire brought the shooting war between Georgia and Russia to an end on August 12, there has been a war of words between Russia and the West. One point of contention is the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia-proper (that is, Georgia excluding the de facto independent territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia), in particular the towns of Gori, Zugdidi and Senaki and the port of Poti. * Read more Cuban trade unionist: `Workers are key participants in the Cuban revolution' August 27, 2008 -- *Gilda Chacon* is the Asia, Oceania, Africa and Middle East representative of the Cuban Confederation of Trade Unions (CTC) and an elected delegate of the People's Power Municipal Assembly. *Annolies Truman* interviewed her during her August 17--20 visit to Perth, Australia, to liaise with Western Australian trade unions. * Read more Malaysian socialists say Anwar Ibrahim by-election victory a 'marker of massive change' /The landslide victory by Justice Party leader Anwar Ibrahim in the August 26 Permatang Pauh by-election is welcomed in this commentary by Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, the first federal parliamentarian of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) , as a "marker of the massive change" and another development that will open up democratic space in Malaysia./ * Read more Capitalism and social classes in Venezuela: The historic mission of the working class By *Jes?s Germ?n Far?a*, Venezuela' vice-minister for social security, ministry of popular power for labour and social security translated by *Federico Fuentes* for /Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal/ Capitalism is a system based on the private ownership of the means of production. The capitalists, who own these, employ [workers'] labour power in exchange for a salary to be able to carry out their business. Obviously, this hiring of workers does not occur because of altruistic values. The ultimate aim of this decision -- like any other under capitalism -- is the possibility of obtaining profits. Moreover, the workers, who own no means of production, are left with no other option than to sell their labour power, converting themselves into waged slaves. * Read more Slideshow: Ecology against capitalism Ecology Against Capitalism by *Christopher Pickering* * Read more Debunking the `Tragedy of the Commons' By *Ian Angus* August 24, 2008 -- Will shared resources always be misused and overused? Is community ownership of land, forests and fisheries a guaranteed road to ecological disaster? Is privatisation the only way to protect the environment and end Third World poverty? Most economists and development planners will answer "yes" --- and for proof they will point to the most influential article ever written on those important questions. Since its publication in /Science/ in December 1968, "The Tragedy of the Commons" has been anthologised in at least 111 books, making it one of the most-reprinted articles ever to appear in any scientific journal. It is also one of the most quoted: a recent Google search found "about 302,000" results for the phrase "tragedy of the commons". * Read more Secret CIA prison on Diego Garcia confirmed By *Andy Worthington* August 2008 -- The existence of a secret, CIA-run prison on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean has long been a leaky secret in the "War on Terror" and recent revelations in /TIME/ --- based on disclosures by a "senior American official" (now retired), who was "a frequent participant in White House Situation Room meetings" after the 9/11 attacks, and who reported that "a CIA counter-terrorism official twice said that a high-value prisoner or prisoners were being interrogated on the island" --- will come as no surprise to those who have been studying the story closely. * Read more Argentina: Winners and losers of the agricultural conflict Continuing /Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal'/s presentation of various positions in the debate within Argentina's left around the rural crisis, we publish an exclusive translation of a recent article by *Claudio Katz*, an economist, researcher, professor and member of Economista de Izquierda (EDI -- Left Economists). Translated by *Janet Duckworth*. * 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 walterlx at earthlink.net Mon Sep 1 01:01:15 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 03:01:15 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] LA TIMES: Russia-Cuba ties worry U.S. Message-ID: <6950260.1220252475233.JavaMail.root@mswamui-bichon.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From marvgandall at videotron.ca Mon Sep 1 05:06:01 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 07:06:01 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <20080831.104425.2812.1.farmelantj@juno.com> <002801c90b8e$ccb64a50$6401a8c0@MARV> <7EC91EB761E24855A992F265D5BE291C@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <007901c90c22$b89d2ea0$6401a8c0@MARV> Artesian writes: >I disagree. Things HAVE worked. And everything that has worked has been > outside the Democratic Party, and outside the commitment to the election > process. We can't just ignore the fact that the Democratic Party is all > about getting people elected. And we can't ignore the fact that the > things > that was accomplished in industrial unionism and in the black emancipation > struggles were accomplished by direct action. ============================ The epic battles for union rights and civil rights involved both mass moblization and legislative action by Democratic administrations - the Wagner Act under Roosevelt and the Civil Rights Act under Johnson. Both pieces of legislation fell short of what the unions and the black movement wanted, but each was welcomed as by them as an important advance. Unions, women, blacks, immigrants, gays, environmentalists, the antiwar and other reform movements have petitioned, demonstrated and engaged in other forms of direct action primarily to exert pressure on Congress to realize their demands through legislation. While there is much debate about the means of struggle and the laws which issue from it, they're part of the same process and aren't counterposed to each other. While Trotskyists and other left tendencies have criticized these movements for campaigning for the Democrats during elections, they do so because they see the party as their instrument, however flawed, for advancing and defending their programs against the Republicans in the executive, legislative, administrative, and judicial branches of government. The European and other popular movements have the same relationship to the social democratic parties elsewhere. From sabocat59 at mac.com Mon Sep 1 05:39:01 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 07:39:01 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Police Crimes at the DNC Message-ID: From Richard Myers: Each of the following links goes to an account of officers of the Denver Police Department or elected officials (and in a couple of cases, police at the RNC) acting improperly, as recorded by the volunteer-run website http://colorado.indymedia.org . Incidents include direct or indirect examples of harrassment; committing false arrests; engaging in slanderous propaganda; malicious confiscations; and in several cases, brutalizing protesters, legal observers, journalists, innocent bystanders, and children. Some of this material was written by Indymedia volunteers (including myself [Richard Myers]), but much of it consists of, or is excerpted from mainstream newspaper accounts. Some additional interviews with arrestees are being held until court cases have cleared, or until attorneys approve interview transcripts. This is a selective sample, and not an exhaustive account of information relating to police misbehavior as collected by Indymedia. Having been involved with this process, i am convinced that intimidation, brutality, and slander were Denver Police Department policy. In addition to what is linked below, there are numerous videos available from http://colorado.indymedia.org which depict much of the action in the streets, as well as reactions from various sources. [Indymedia is essentially an uncensored source for community input of news that is under-reported or, frequently, missed altogether by the mainstream media.] ... Brutal police attack recorded by Rocky Mountain News http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/991 Cops to investigate brutal arrest http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1028 Code Pink volunteer knocked to ground by officer http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1025 "CodePink member 'optimistic' after release; officer pulled from protests" http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1055 ... "Police Brutality at the Democratic National Convention" (Christian children attacked) http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1108 ... Story of "protesters with rocks" knocked down; Linkhart spreads feces charge (editorial) http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1053 Police slander arrestee, "feces filled bottle" was coffee with soy milk http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1110 ... ABC News staffer (actually, a producer) pushed into traffic, jailed by police http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1091 ... Water and the right to protest (editorial) http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1089 ... "Police seize demonstrators' property" video http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1062 Police make arrests at protester's house http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1049 Two detained at anarchist center http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1050 St Paul Police Raid Convergence Space http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1107 Lawyers Guild: Cops illegally seize video equipment http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1039 ... Arrests climb to 130; Democratic delegate criticizes cops http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1023 Account of Student Arrested Outside DNC http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1021 ... Claim That Protesters Carried Rocks Is Disputed http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/982 Video from the 8/25/08 Protest where Police Detained about 250 People with no Reason http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1099 ... Judicial strategy aimed at preventing RNC participation is reconsidered http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1109 Denver DNC is the realization of George Orwell's nightmare (editorial) http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1101 NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD DNC PEOPLE'S LAW PROJECT CRITICIZES DNC COURT PROCEDURES http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1093 Important message for arrestees: demand a lawyer http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/985 ... Bonus link: Denver and the Dems http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/930 From sabocat59 at mac.com Mon Sep 1 05:55:08 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 07:55:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Explosion at Bayer CropScience plant: the makers of pesticides alleged to be responsible for massive bee die-off Message-ID: August 28, 2008 Investigation begins in blast Explosion occurred in new chemical tank Federal investigators are beginning what could turn into a detailed examination of what caused the explosion and fire that killed one worker Thursday night at the Bayer CropScience plant in Institute. By Ken Ward Jr. Staff writer [cnImage] Interactive map: See approximate location of the blast INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- Federal investigators are beginning what could turn into a detailed examination of what caused the explosion and fire that killed one worker Thursday night at the Bayer CropScience plant in Institute. A five-person team from the federal Chemical Safety Board was expected in Charleston by early this evening to begin an independent probe of the accident. Board chairman John Bresland made it to Charleston this afternoon, met with local emergency response officials and was setting up his agency's operations. "The issues are broader than just -- something blew up," said Bresland, who by coincidence was at The Greenbrier Friday for a presentation with state business leaders about the chemical board. "We look at safety culture and underlying issues." Earlier today, Bayer officials said the explosion appears to have occurred in a chemical tank that was added during a recent routine maintenance shutdown of a pesticide unit. The 4,000-gallon cylindrical tank was used to clean up wastes created during the production of the pesticide Larvin, said Bayer site manager Nick Crosby. "It appears to have occurred right at the back end of the process where we treat process residues," Crosby said. "[But] I can't tell you today what caused the incident. We don't know yet." As the company began its own probe, inspectors from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration were on site for their own investigation. OSHA will examine the plant's compliance with various workplace safety rules, including federal requirements for how hazardous chemicals are managed, officials said. The chemical board is a different, independent agency charged by Congress with investigating chemical accidents. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems. Congress created the board in 1990, and modeled it after the National Transportation Safety Board. "It's under investigation, and it could be a couple of days or a couple of weeks before they know exactly what happened," said Dale Petry, Kanawha County's director of emergency services. Petry confirmed that plant employee Barry Withrow was killed. A second worker was transported to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment of third-degree burns, company officials said. Witnesses reported seeing a red fireball and feeling the blast as far away as Charleston. The explosion, at about 10:25 p.m. Thursday, was heard at least as far away as Mink Shoals. Thousands of residents between South Charleston and the Putnam County line were advised to take shelter in their homes, and the main highways through the area -- Interstate 64, U.S. 60 and W.Va. 25 -- were closed for several hours. The shelter advisory was lifted shortly after 2 a.m. and roads reopened an hour or so after that, officials said. The incident could have been far worse, given the location of the explosion and the types of chemicals used and stored nearby, said Mike Dorsey, chief of homeland security and emergency response for the state Department of Environmental Protection. Dorsey said the unit that blew up contained a variety of dangerous caustics, and the Institute plant is best known for its production of methyl isocyanate, or MIC, the chemical that killed thousands of people at a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, in December 1984. "The thing that blew up was the least dangerous of the stuff that's in there," Dorsey said. Bayer officials said in a statement that the explosion occurred in a portion of the plant known as the West Carbamoylation Center, where the company makes carbamate pesticides. The plant makes the pesticide methomyl in the unit, but Bayer does not market that product. Instead, the company uses methomyl to make Larvin, its brand name of the insecticide thiodicarb. It is used to kill pests on cotton, corn and a variety of other vegetables. Larvin is a carbamate insecticide, a class of chemicals made from carbamic acid. Like organophosphate pesticides, these chemicals interfere with the conduction signals of the nervous system of insects, and in cases of poisoning with high levels of exposure, humans. By itself, Larvin does not generally burn, according to a Bayer material safety data sheet. But Crosby said the tank involved in Thursday night's blast contained a variety of waste products that were used to make or are created by the production of Larvin. Dorsey said officials were primarily concerned about the presence of methyl isobutyl ketone, or MIBK, a highly flammable solvent that helps to make Larvin. "What you had was a huge amount of fuel, so there was a really big fire," Dorsey said. The tank also contained hexane and dimethyl disulfide, Dorsey said. From sabocat59 at mac.com Mon Sep 1 06:03:38 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 08:03:38 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Biden to Israel: Accept nuclear Iran Message-ID: <3DA42D74-957C-4331-9EE4-ADB368B2FCFD@mac.com> Biden quoted as saying that Israel will have to reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran By Haaretz Service Tags: Biden, Obama, Jews Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden was quoted Monday as telling senior Israeli officials behind closed doors that the Jewish state will have to reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran. In the unsourced report, Army Radio also quoted Biden as saying that he opposed "opening a additional military and diplomatic front." Biden, chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has long been considered strongly pro-Israel. His nomination as Barack Obama's running mate had been expected to shore up the Democrats' strength with U.S. Jewish voters. Advertisement Army Radio said Israeli officials expressed "amazement" over the remarks attributed to him. "Israel will have to reconcile itself with the nuclearization of Iran," Army Radio quoted Biden as telling the unnamed officials. "It's doubtful if the economic sanctions will be effective, and I am against opening an additional military and diplomatic front." Last year, in a widely quoted interview with year the Jewish American Shalom TV, Biden said, "I am a Zionist. You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist," adding that "Israel is the single greatest strength that America has in the Middle East," and that its presence as a strategic ally meant that America need station far fewer troops and warships in the region. From sartesian at earthlink.net Mon Sep 1 06:12:59 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 08:12:59 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <20080831.104425.2812.1.farmelantj@juno.com><002801c90b8e$ccb64a50$6401a8c0@MARV><7EC91EB761E24855A992F265D5BE291C@dmsthinkpad> <007901c90c22$b89d2ea0$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: The struggles were carried on outside the Democratic Party. The Party reacted to these struggles. When the struggles challenged the actual party structure, for example, credentials of the Mississippi delegation, the party acted as it always has and always will. The legislative response were the accommodations by the ruling class to regain control of terrain, to contain those struggles. Doesn't mean we oppose the civil rights legislation; it does mean we don't join the party that the ruling class uses to regain that control, to contain those struggles. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marvin Gandall" To: Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 7:06 AM Subject: Re: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better From sabocat59 at mac.com Mon Sep 1 06:24:11 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 08:24:11 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Bayer on defensive in bee deaths Message-ID: Bayer on defensive in bee deaths Aug 26, 2008 Bayer CropScience is facing scrutiny because of the effect one of its best-selling pesticides has had on honeybees. A German prosecutor is investigating Werner Wenning, Bayer's chairman, and Friedrich Berschauer, the head of Bayer CropScience, after critics alleged that they knowingly polluted the environment. The investigation was triggered by an Aug. 13 complaint filed by German beekeepers and consumer protection advocates, a Coalition against Bayer Dangers spokesman, Philipp Mimkes, said Monday. The complaint is part of efforts by groups on both sides of the Atlantic to determine how much Bayer CropScience knows about the part that clothianidin may have played in the death of millions of honeybees. Bayer CropScience, which has its U.S. headquarters in Research Triangle Park, said field studies have shown that bees' exposure to the pesticide is minimal or nonexistent if the chemical is used properly. Clothianidin and related pesticides generated about $1 billion of Bayer CropScience's $8.6 billion in global sales last year. The coalition is demanding that the company withdraw all of the pesticides. "We're suspecting that Bayer submitted flawed studies to play down the risks of pesticide residues in treated plants," said Harro Schultze, the coalition's attorney. "Bayer's ... management has to be called to account, since the risks ... have now been known for more than 10 years." Under German law, a criminal investigation could lead to a search of Bayer offices, Mimkes said. On the other side of the Atlantic, the Natural Resources Defense Council is pressing for research information on clothianidin. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the pesticide in 2003 under the condition that Bayer submit additional data. A lawsuit, which the environmental group filed Aug. 19 in federal court in Washington, accuses the EPA of hiding the honeybee data. The group thinks the data might show what role chlothianidine played in the loss of millions of U.S. honeybee colonies. Researchers have been puzzled by what is causing the bees to disappear at what is considered an alarming rate. The phenomenon, known as colony collapse disorder, threatens a $15 billion portion of the U.S. food supply. In the U.S. diet, about one in three mouthfuls comes from crops that bees pollinate. Scientists are looking at viruses, parasites and stresses that might compromise bees' immune system. In the past two years, Congress has earmarked about $20 million to boost research. Clothianidin, sold under the brand name Poncho, is used to coat corn, sugar beet and sorghum seeds and protect them from pests. A nerve toxin that has the potential to be toxic for bees, it gets into all parts of the plant that grows from the coated seeds. In 1999, French regulators banned an older relative of Poncho and subsequently declined approval for clothianidin. French researchers found that bees were a lot more sensitive to the pesticides than Bayer CropScience studies had shown. Three months ago, German regulators suspended sales of chlothianidine and related chemicals after the family of pesticides was blamed for the destruction of more than 11,000 bee colonies. The Julius K?hn Institute, a state-run crop research institute in Germany, collected samples of dead honeybees and determined that clothianidin caused the deaths. Bayer CropScience blamed defective seed corn batches. The company said that the coating came off as the seeds were sown, which allowed unusually high amounts of toxic dust to spread to adjacent areas where bees collected pollen and nectar. Bayer paid about $3 million in damages, Mimkes said. http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1193866.html ----------------------------------------------- Okay,, now that you've take a peek at that,, check out THIS article if you will... -------------------------------------------- Germany and France Ban Pesticides Linked To Bee Deaths; Geneticist Urges U.S. Ban June 23rd, 2008 In light of recent European bans of a pesticide linked to Bee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), at least one key bee expert is calling for a ban of the same pesticide in the United States. ?In the United States, drastic action is needed,? says Canadian geneticist Joe Cummins, explaining that U.S. farmers and beekeepers shouldn?t have to wait for more evidence or for an air-tight explanation for the complex syndrome, which threatens one in every third bite of food in the United States. Now most apiarists and scientists realize that pesticides are a factor in CCD, he says. Cummins? remarks, in an interview with GreenRightNow, come less than a month after Germany?s ban of clothianidin, a pesticide commonly used to keep insects off of corn crops. Germany banned the pesticide after heaps of dead bees were found near fields of corn coated in the pesticide, and in response to scientists who report that the insecticide severely impairs, and often kills, the honeybees that corn and other crops depend on for pollination. The German government took the extraordinary action to protect bees and other essential pollinators, stating that there is now enough compelling evidence connecting the chemical to Bee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in that country. The ban also will likely fuel the European debate over genetically modified food, which involves treating crop seeds to resist harm from pesticide treatments. Critics of such modified foods say they are harming the environment, and have unknown human consequences, for little or no crop gain. Some scientists in Europe have called for their ban. Bee Colony Collapse has been threatening bees, and the crops they serve, around the world for the past several years. In other parts of Europe, including France, studies of other pesticides have shown they are negatively impacting bee behavior ? and contributing to the collapse of entire bee colonies. France has outlawed the use of the pesticide imidacloprid ? which like clothianidin is classed as a ?neonicotinoid.? Imidacloprid has been linked to disoriented behavior in honeybees ? and may help explain why many CCD cases result in abandoned hives. ?I think the Environmental Protection Agency would be well advised to put an immediate emergency ban on the neonicotinoid seed-treatment pesticides. I would say on all pesticides,? says Cummins. The ban in Germany, and Cummins? call for a U.S. ban, should be no surprise to the EPA. The agency?s own fact sheet on clothianidin shows that it has known of the dangers to bees since it conditionally approved the chemical in 2003. From marvgandall at videotron.ca Mon Sep 1 07:10:09 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 09:10:09 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Still decoupled - so far (1) Message-ID: <011501c90c34$0f82e8c0$6401a8c0@MARV> Although the report below states that "hopes that emerging markets could power ahead regardless ? a theory known as decoupling ? now look misguided", the evidence it presents suggests otherwise: 1. Demand for commodities is still strong in China and other rapidly industrializing nations outside the core OECD countries; 2. The BRIC's, in particular, have abundant foreign exchange reserves; 3. their banks have limited exposure to the bad debt plaguing their American and European counterparts, and 4. a steadily growing percentage of their foreign trade is with each other, easing their dependence on the advanced capitalist countries. While some smaller, heavily-indebted and highly export-dependent countries could be pulled under by the financial crisis and economic downturn in the West, indications are that China and the other big new economies should stay afloat and help stave off a global depression. According to one analyst, ?...the period between 2005 and 2015 (will be) a remarkable decade ? remarkable because of the transfer of wealth from developed world to developing world. In the next few years, you will continue to see the economic power shift east.? -MG Time to pay the bill? By David Oakley and Rachel Morarjee Financial Times August 28 2008 In the bars of downtown Moscow, there is still a buzz as if all is well in the world. At the Ritz-Carlton Hotel?s glass-domed rooftop lounge, which looks out on to Red Square, dark-suited oligarchs enjoy $50 cocktails, seemingly unperturbed by the deterioration in international relations that has followed the Kremlin?s military intervention in Georgia ? even though it has made foreign investors take flight. ?We?ve been very busy in the last few days. Even wealthy Georgians who live in Moscow come here,? says Sergei Logvinov, a hotel official. With Russian equities down by 15 per cent for their biggest monthly fall in almost eight years, foreign exchange reserves have dropped by $16bn (?8.7bn, ?10.9bn), a slide not seen since Russia?s economic crisis of 1998. Yet Russia is by no means the only emerging market where confidence is on the wane. Not only has political risk also escalated in countries such as Pakistan but, across the industrialising world, inflation is dogging growth and the recent rise in commodity prices is faltering. Sceptics wonder whether the party is coming to an end for these developing economies, after a five-year bull run. In spite of the credit crisis, the MSCI emerging market index rose by nearly 40 per cent in 2007, prompting many investors to suggest that the developing world was insulated against the problems in the west. But these hopes that emerging markets could power ahead regardless ? a theory known as decoupling ? now look misguided. Since the turn of the year, emerging stocks have tumbled, most notably in China, where the Shanghai Composite index has fallen 52 per cent. Russia?s stock market has fallen by 27 per cent since January, India?s by 37 per cent and Brazil?s by 5 per cent. As investors rushed for the exits in nearly every market, it seemed that the financial ills of the west were infecting these locations. Many analysts fear the US and European economies will continue to deteriorate, putting even greater strains on growth in the emerging world. So what are the remaining dangers and, as some investors and analysts are starting to argue, are economic fundamentals strong enough that the torrid experience of the past few months has left valuations looking attractive once more? Certainly, fears about a slowdown in the west co-exist with worries that the largest emerging economies are overheating. Inflation is rising across the emerging world. China?s average inflation rate for 2009 is forecast to accelerate to 6.8 per cent from 4.8 per cent this year, Brazil?s to 5.3 per cent from 3.6 per cent, India?s to 8.4 per cent from 6.4 per cent and Russia?s from 9 per cent to 14.6 per cent, according to economists at HSBC. These rises are being fuelled not only by commodity prices that are still near historical highs but also by limits to industrial capacity. Philip Poole, global head of emerging markets research at HSBC, says: ?There has not been enough investment to sustain growth, so we are seeing many economies running into capacity constraints, adding to production costs. This is putting pressure on inflation.? Of the so-called Bric nations ? Brazil, Russia, India and China ? only China has plenty of spare capacity, he adds. On commodities, a further weakening in prices would undermine the revenue streams of resource producing countries such as Brazil and Russia. Indeed, the commodity factor also raises the question of how useful the phrase ?emerging market? really is. It covers more than 150 economies as different as Indonesia and Chile, some of which are rich in resources while others are not. This partly explains why equity markets in commodity producing countries have fared better this year than countries that must import resources, such as India. Even if inflation were stoking up their economies, the theory was that they were benefiting from oil and food prices, which remain high in historical terms. However, analysts insist the outlook for many of these countries has also been helped by other factors. One is that the health of their public finances, the extent of their exposure to foreign debt and the respective monetary and fiscal management of their economies have all improved beyond recognition since the wave of emerging markets crises in the 1990s. In these terms, the Brics read well. Banks in the big four emerging countries have not borrowed heavily overseas, curbing their exposure to the credit problems in the west. Foreign debt held by Chinese banks as a percentage of gross domestic product is only 2 per cent, for India 4 per cent and for Brazil and Russia 13 per cent, according to Deutsche Bank. These countries have also all been fairly quick to raise interest rates to tackle the inflationary threat. China?s foreign exchange reserves, excluding gold, are forecast to stand at $1,900bn this year, India?s $330bn and Brazil?s $205bn, HSBC?s projections show. Even Russia, in spite of the conflict in Georgia, is forecast to have reserves in excess of $500bn by year-end. As some analysts put it, the countries all have money in the bank should things grow even more ugly in the financial markets and global economic climate. On top of this, Brazil and Russia have assets in the ground. Russia, for example, produces more than $1bn a day from its vast oil reserves, while Brazil is a big producer of corn, wheat, sugar and oil. Many Latin American and African nations are also rich in resources and showing signs of improved political and economic stability, while the Middle East is awash with oil. Commodities provoke the sharpest divisions of opinion. Already down more than 20 per cent, should commodity indices suffer further significant falls, it would take the steam out of inflation but at the same time hit exporters? coffers. However, analysts note that even an oil price of $100 a barrel would provide substantial sums for countries such as Russia. Another plus for the Brics is also a central plank of the ?decoupling? thesis ? that they have a diminishing reliance on the developed markets as a destination for their exports. They export more to other emerging markets than ever before, while their economies are increasingly boosted by domestic demand rather than by the vagaries of the US or European consumer. They are also spending heavily on infrastructure. In Russia?s case, barely 5 per cent of its exports go to the US, although Brazil at 14 per cent, India at 15 per cent and China at nearly 20 per cent would be more affected if US growth, after its strong second quarter performance, turns weaker again. The strengthening of the dollar will also help these and other emerging economies, particularly those in the Middle East and Asia that have currencies pegged to the US unit and have suffered extra inflationary strain because of its weakness. Yet some of the other developing nations will come under pressure as financial conditions worsen and inflation rises. Kazakh?stan, with foreign debt equivalent to 71.4 per cent of GDP, is one example of a country that enjoyed the good times perhaps a little too much, borrowing heavily to fund expansion in its property sector. Mexico is highly exposed to the US economy, relying on it for 85 per cent of its exports, while many of the central and eastern European economies depend on the eurozone for export earnings as well as running large current account deficits. In short, the outlook is varied for the differing emerging nations, depending on political and domestic economic factors. The next few months will be rocky for foreign investors in Russia and eastern Europe. ?In a nutshell, this is a short-term problem for Russian markets. Fundamentally, nothing has changed in Russia,? says Vladimir Savov, Russia strategist at Credit Suisse. But for most emerging markets, the long-term prospects are arguably rather brighter than the recent turbulence might suggest. There are reasons to hope that they can continue to outperform their western rivals in terms of growth ? and benefit from wealth transfers from the advanced to developing nations. Nigel Rendell from RBC Capital Markets says: ?In terms of years rather than months, the emerging market economies are looking in good shape. They are likely to continue growing strongly, more strongly than the western economies ? [particularly] the US and the eurozone.? Since 2000, emerging nations have contributed an increasing amount to the world?s output. The International Monetary Fund estimates that these economies will provide more than 80 per cent of global growth this year ? up from less than 50 per cent at the turn of the millennium ? as they now make up $18,100bn of world GDP, a 30 per cent share. The IMF forecasts that this proportion will grow to 35 per cent, or $28,850bn, by 2013. What of their stock markets? During last year?s burst of optimism over emerging equities, these commanded a higher multiple of earnings than developed market stocks, according to MSCI indices. This has now reversed and emerging markets trade at a substantial discount to the developed world once more. That could encourage bargain-hunters who believe in their long-term growth prospects. But overall, if the four Brics are anything to go by and if growth is the right benchmark to measure the health of an economy, analysts generally expect them to weather the present difficulties. Consensus forecasts indicate that China?s GDP growth is expected to slow to 9.2 per cent next year from a peak of 11.9 per cent in 2007, Brazil?s to 3.8 per cent from a high of 5.4 per cent in 2007, Russia?s to 7 per cent next year from its 2007 peak of 8.1 per cent, India?s to 7.7 per cent from 9 per cent last year. These growth levels are still relatively strong and will certainly outperform the west, suggesting a soft rather than a hard landing and a bright long-term outlook. ?By 2015, today?s current emerging markets will be a much larger part of the world economy,? says Dalinc Ariburnu, head of emerging markets at Deutsche Bank. ?I am sure that when we look back in years to come, we will say the period between 2005 and 2015 was a remarkable decade ? remarkable because of the transfer of wealth from developed world to developing world,? he adds. ?In the next few years, you will continue to see the economic power shift east.? From marvgandall at videotron.ca Mon Sep 1 07:11:08 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 09:11:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Still decoupled - so far (2) Message-ID: <012801c90c34$32c7d700$6401a8c0@MARV> Endurance test Aug 21st 2008 The Economist DURING the six months to the end of June commodities posted their best performance in 35 years, rising by 29%. In July they had their worst month in 28 years, falling by 10%. The slide continues: an index compiled by Reuters, a news agency, shows that prices are almost a fifth below the pinnacle reached in early July. The Economist?s index, which excludes oil, has fallen by over 12%. Breathless headlines have hailed the bursting of a bubble. But most analysts are more reticent. They cite various reasons for the recent drop in prices, chief among them the darkening economic outlook in rich countries. In recent weeks it has become clear that Europe and Japan are faring even worse than America, and so are likely to consume less oil, steel, cocoa and the like. But that does not necessarily presage a collapse in commodity prices, they argue, thanks to enduringly strong demand from emerging markets such as China. Oil consumption, for example, has been falling in rich countries for over two years. Goldman Sachs expects them to use 500,000 fewer barrels a day (b/d) this year than last. But it reckons that decline will be more than offset by an increase of 1.3m b/d in emerging markets. It predicts China?s demand for oil will grow by 5%. A similar story could be told of many commodities. Marius Kloppers, the boss of BHP Billiton, a huge mining firm presenting its results this week, argued that emerging markets were much more important to the firm?s fortunes than rich ones were. Developing countries, he said, consume four to five times more raw materials per unit of output than rich ones do. He predicted that China?s use of steel, already greater than any other country?s, will double by 2015. China?s continuing and rapid industrialisation, he argued, would outweigh any temporary slowdown in exports owing to the weakening world economy?although demand for metals that are used in consumer goods, such as aluminium and nickel, may suffer somewhat. As Mr Kloppers pointed out, emerging markets, and China in particular, now account for the lion?s share of growth in global demand for raw materials, and a good chunk of overall consumption. China?s appetite for such goods is growing more slowly than it did in the early part of the decade?when oil consumption galloped ahead by more than 10% a year. And China?s economy has also slowed slightly?although it is still growing at a rate of about 10%. The IMF expects developing countries to grow by almost 7% this year. That should be enough to keep demand for most commodities expanding briskly. In terms of supply, however, the picture is more mixed. Farmers, encouraged by high prices, have been planting more grain. Heavy rains in America?s farming heartland earlier in the year did less damage to crops than expected. The International Grains Council, an industry group, now expects a record wheat crop this year, 9% bigger than last year?s. China and India, meanwhile, have produced record amounts of soyabeans, while Thailand and Vietnam have harvested bumper crops of rice. Although stocks of most farm commodities remain alarmingly low, and demand continues to grow, the increasing evidence of a strong supply response has helped to push prices down. The world?s output of industrial metals is also expanding, and prices have been dropping for over a year. But progress has been fitful. At many mines, the quality of the ore is falling as the richest seams are exhausted. Mr Kloppers spoke of BHP?s woeful shortage of tyres for its huge trucks, big mechanical shovels, bearings and all manner of other equipment. Such bottlenecks have been hampering the opening of new mines and the expansion of existing ones. Kona Haque of Macquarie Bank points out that copper mines have produced 1m tonnes or so less than planned in each of the past three years (over 5% of global output), and are likely to do so again this year. High commodity prices have created something of a vicious circle by adding to the expense and difficulty of expanding output. This week, Xstrata, another big mining firm, suspended operations at a nickel mine in the Dominican Republic while converting its power supply to run on coal, rather than?more expensive?oil. Power shortages have disrupted mining and smelting in several countries. The Chinese government has started to discourage the expansion of energy-intensive industries, including aluminium and steelmaking, in an effort to ease the burden on its grid. All this is hampering the production of metals around the world, and so slowing the fall in prices. Nonetheless, the output of most metals is still growing much faster than that of oil?which is barely expanding at all. The oil industry, too, is suffering from shortages of equipment and engineers. Even worse, all of the countries best equipped to pump more of the stuff are members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Saudi Arabia, the cartel?s biggest producer, has increased its output in recent months, even as the rich economies, still the largest consumers of oil, slowed. That helped to push the price down from $147 a barrel to less than $115. Despite a rise in American inventories, global stocks do not appear to have grown much, suggesting that buoyant developing economies absorbed most of the increase in supply. Meanwhile, more hawkish members of OPEC, such as Venezuela, are calling for a cut in output to stop oil prices falling further. When OPEC last cut production, early in 2007, prices doubled in just over a year. Other factors also influence commodity prices. Some see commodities in general, and gold in particular, as a hedge against inflation, and so may sell if their fears about rising prices abate. Other investors may sell to cover losses in other markets, or to rebalance their portfolios in light of falling share and bond prices, or to avoid the wrath of America?s politicians, who have vowed to crack down on ?speculation?. Commodities also tend to move in the opposite direction to the dollar, which has risen of late. All that notwithstanding, argues Francisco Blanch, of Merrill Lynch, as long as economic growth holds up in the developing world, the price of commodities should too. From lnp3 at panix.com Mon Sep 1 07:20:43 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 09:20:43 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <007901c90c22$b89d2ea0$6401a8c0@MARV> References: <20080831.104425.2812.1.farmelantj@juno.com> <002801c90b8e$ccb64a50$6401a8c0@MARV> <7EC91EB761E24855A992F265D5BE291C@dmsthinkpad> <007901c90c22$b89d2ea0$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <20080901132028.A98CA105EB@mailbackend.panix.com> Marvin wrote: >Unions, women, blacks, immigrants, gays, environmentalists, the antiwar and >other reform movements have petitioned, demonstrated and engaged in other >forms of direct action primarily to exert pressure on Congress to realize >their demands through legislation. While there is much debate about the >means of struggle and the laws which issue from it, they're part of the same >process and aren't counterposed to each other. There is a very subtle confusion here that I want to bring to comrades' attention. Marvin refers to unions, etc. as "reform movements". Historically, the trade union movement has gone through stages. In the beginning, industrial unionism was quite radical as the IWW and the early CIO would demonstrate. In fact, the early trade union movement did not need the Wagner Act to make gains. Sit-down strikes, etc. were enough to wrest concessions from the bosses. The purpose of the Wagner Act was to help *institutionalize* the trade union movement and bring it within the framework of the capitalist state. Not long after the CIO became "legal", it began to function as an arm of the New Deal along with the CPUSA. Everything was subordinated to the New Deal, including support for WWII. FDR and the teamster bureaucracy worked together to prosecute the Trotskyists under the Smith Act. Silencing the radicals was seen as a prelude to establishing the class peace necessary at home in order to push for imperialist war abroad. During WWII, many CIO unions under CPUSA leadership backed a no-strike pledge. When the civil rights movement announced a March on Washington against racism, the CPUSA denounced this as virtually a traitorous act. After WWII, the CP was purged from the trade union movement and the AFL-CIO became a bulwark of the Cold War as Meany and others placed operatives in restive 3rd world countries to help build unions in the AFL-CIO mold. In fact, there is very little understanding in Marvin's posts about the role of trade unions in the period of what Trotsky called imperialist decay. It seems to reflect the kind of sunny outlook you find on the websites or promotional material sent out by these compromised bureaucratic institutions on days just like today, Labor Day. http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1940/xx/tu.htm In the trade union movement throughout the world there is to be observed in the last period a swing to the right and the suppression of internal democracy. In England, the Minority Movement in the trade unions has been crushed (not without the assistance of Moscow); the leaders of the trade union movement are today, especially in the field of foreign policy, the obedient agents of the Conservative party. In France there was no room for an independent existence for Stalinist trade unions; they united with the so-called anarcho-syndicalist trade unions under the leadership of Jouhaux and as a result of this unification there was a general shift of the trade union movement not to the left but to the right. The leadership of the CGT is the most direct and open agency of French imperialist capitalism. In the United States the trade union movement has passed through the most stormy history in recent years. The rise of the CIO is incontrovertible evidence of the revolutionary tendencies within the working masses. Indicative and noteworthy in the highest degree, however, is the fact that the new "leftist" trade union organization was no sooner founded than it fell into the steel embrace of the imperialist state. The struggle among the tops between the old federation and the new is reducible in large measure to the struggle for the sympathy and support of Roosevelt and his cabinet. No less graphic, although in a different sense, is the picture of the development or the degeneration of the trade union movement in Spain. In the socialist trade unions all those leading elements which to any degree represented the independence of the trade union movement were pushed out. As regards the anarcho-syndicalist unions, they were transformed into the instrument of the bourgeois republicans; the anarcho-syndicalist leaders became conservative bourgeois ministers. The fact that this metamorphosis took place in conditions of civil war does not weaken its significance. War is the continuation of the self-same policies. It speeds up processes, exposes their basic features, destroys all that is rotten, false, equivocal and lays bare all that is essential. The shift of the trade unions to the right was due to the sharpening of class and international contradictions. The leaders of the trade union movement sensed or understood, or were given to understand, that now was no time to play the game of opposition. Every oppositional movement within the trade union movement, especially among the tops, threatens to provoke a stormy movement of the masses and to create difficulties for national imperialism. Hence flows the swing of the trade unions to the right, and the suppression of workers' democracy within the unions. The basic feature, the swing towards the totalitarian regime, passes through the labor movement of the whole world. We should also recall Holland, where the reformist and the trade union movement was not only a reliable prop of imperialist capitalism, but where the so-called anarcho-syndicalist organization also was actually under the control of the imperialist government. The secretary of this organization, Sneevliet, in spite of his Platonic sympathies for the Fourth International was as deputy in the Dutch Parliament most concerned lest the wrath of the government descend upon his trade union organization. (clip) From walterlx at earthlink.net Mon Sep 1 07:21:50 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 09:21:50 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] LMD: Russia gets its act together Message-ID: <16899069.1220275310998.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Also... JUVENTUD REBELDE The European Union will not Sanction Russia Moscow is urging the EU not to get involved in Washington?s geopolitical game that aims at weakening both Russia and Europe http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/international/2008-08-30/the-european-union-will-not-sanction-russia-/ ===================================================== Le Monde diplomatique ----------------------------------------------------- September 2008 Russia gets its act together by Serge Halimi The question of responsibility for the hostilities in the Caucasus shouldn't worry us too much. Less than a week after Georgia's invasion, two well-known French commentators said it was old stuff. An influential neo-conservative from the United States backed that view: knowing who started things "is not very important", wrote Robert Kagan. "This war did not begin because of a miscalculation by Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili. It is a war that Moscow has been attempting to provoke for some time" (1). One hypothesis deserves another. If, on the day of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, somebody else than Saakashvili, a graduate of New York's Columbia Law School, had started a war, would western capitals and their media have been able to contain righteous indignation at such a symbolic act? History is easier to follow when goodies and baddies are decided in advance. The goodies, such as Georgia, have the right to defend their territorial integrity against the separatist struggles of their neighbours. The baddies, such as Serbia, must accept the self-determination of minority communities or expect to be bombed by Nato. The moral of this story is even more enlightening when, to defend his country's borders, the charming pro-American Saakashvili repatriates some of the 2,000 soldiers he had sent to invade Iraq. On 16 August President George Bush, speaking with gravity, rightly invoked the "Security Council resolutions of the United Nations" including the "sovereignty and independence and territorial integrity" of Georgia whose "borders should command the same respect as every other nation's". Only the US has the right to act unilaterally when it decides (or claims) that its security is at stake. In reality, events have followed a simpler plan: the US plays for Georgia against Russia; Russia plays for South Ossetia and Abkhazia to "punish" Georgia. Two Pentagon position papers have indicated a desire to prevent the resurgence of Russian power ever since 1992, when it was in ruins. To ensure that US hegemony, which began with the first Gulf war and the disintegration of the Soviet bloc, became permanent, the Pentagon announced that it would be necessary to "convince likely rivals that they no longer need aspire to a greater role". If that didn't work, the US would know how "to dissuade" them. And the main target was Russia, "the only power in the world which could destroy the US". So can we chide Russian leaders for bristling against western help for the "colour revolutions" of Ukraine and Georgia, the inclusion of former members of the Warsaw Pact in Nato and the prospect of US missiles on Polish soil - all of which were elements of the old US strategy to weaken Russia, whatever its regime or its politics? "Russia has become a great power, that's what's so worrying," admitted Bernard Kouchner, France's foreign minister (2). Zbigniew Brzezinski, the architect of the US' risky strategy in Afghanistan, recently explained the other part of the US grand design: "We have access through Georgia... to the oil and soon also the gas that lies not only in Azerbaijan but beyond it in the Caspian sea and beyond in Central Asia. So, in that sense, it's a very major and strategic asset to us" (3). He can't be accused of inconsistency: even in the days of Boris Yeltsin, when Russia was still floundering, he advocated driving it from the Caucasus and Central Asia so that energy flows to the West could be guaranteed (4). Nowadays Russia is doing better, the US is doing less well and oil prices have taken off. Victim of its president's provocative actions, Georgia has just been hit from three directions. ________________________________________________________ (1) Bernard-Henri L?vy and Andr? Glucksmann, Lib?ration, 14 August 2008, and Robert Kagan, Washington Post, 11 August 2008. (2) Interview in the Journal de Dimanche, Paris, 17 August 2008. (3) Bloomberg News, 12 August 2008. (4) Zbigniew Brzezinski, The Grand Chessboard, Basic Books, New York, 1997. Translated by Robert Waterhouse ________________________________________________________ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ? 1997-2008 Le Monde diplomatique . ========================================= 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 Mon Sep 1 07:29:29 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 09:29:29 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <20080831.104425.2812.1.farmelantj@juno.com> <002801c90b8e$ccb64a50$6401a8c0@MARV> <7EC91EB761E24855A992F265D5BE291C@dmsthinkpad> <007901c90c22$b89d2ea0$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <014d01c90c36$c31a2e50$6401a8c0@MARV> Artesian writes: > The legislative response were the accommodations by the ruling class to > regain control of terrain, to contain those struggles. Doesn't mean we > oppose the civil rights legislation; it does mean we don't join the party > that the ruling class uses to regain that control, to contain those > struggles. ============================== True enough about ruling class motives. That's what gives rise to the internal tensions between the movements and the Democratic leadership. It depends on whether or not you think it's worthwhile to intervene to help organize and shape anti-establishment sentiment. But no use going back and forth on this. We understand each other's POV full well, and we'll have to see whether events sort things out. From sartesian at earthlink.net Mon Sep 1 07:38:29 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 09:38:29 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Still decoupled - so far (1) References: <011501c90c34$0f82e8c0$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <7DD5875B666541E6940CF69663414241@dmsthinkpad> It appears that "decoupling" here comes down to the belief that the BRIC economies will "weather the storm." Hell, I expect the developed economies will weather the storm, too. The real question is coupled or decoupled can the BRIC capitalist economies avoid the "storms" generated by their economic contradictions and the linkage of those contradictions through the world markets to the problems of advanced capitalism? In that regard we should keep several things in mind: 1. agricultural productivity-- which is quite low, and in some countries, particularly India, has been worsening for about 5 years 2. slower growth in manufacturing employment-- according to China's National Bureau of Statistics, manufacturing employment actually peaked in 1995 and then declined through 2002 (last year for which statistics are published). Hindu Business Online, in April 2007, published a study which showed continued decline in manufacturing employment. 3. The abundant foreign exchange reserves of the BRIC countries are actually an index to a dangerous mix of "underdevelopment" and overproduction, as the the lack of agricultural productivity, infrastructure stability, and the reduced domestic market combine to constrain profitable capital investment, or at least investment that can keep up with cash flows, revenues, export earnings, and labor force expansion/urban migration. Cash is trash, sometimes.4. Yes, their foreign trade with each other is expanding, and is still significantly below trade with their advanced capitalist customers/suppliers. 5. I think it's wishful thinking, and a misplaced wish at that, to argue that China and the other new big economies will help stave off global depression. If there is economic contraction deep enough to warrant the term "depression" in the US, the EU, and Japan, then China and the BRI will lose their export markets, their sources of FDI, and their links up the value chain. Then their internal economic, social contradictions will overwhelm their capitalist development, just as occurs in the rest of the capitalist world. One more comment on "decoupling," the term was/is also used to describe the "coming" EU parity with, and independence from, US economic strength. The very same Finanical Times had an article last week talking about the end of that part of the "decoupling" myth, and indeed its reversal. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marvin Gandall" To: Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 9:10 AM Subject: [Marxism] Still decoupled - so far (1) Although the report below states that "hopes that emerging markets could power ahead regardless ? a theory known as decoupling ? now look misguided", the evidence it presents suggests otherwise: 1. Demand for commodities is still strong in China and other rapidly industrializing nations outside the core OECD countries; 2. The BRIC's, in particular, have abundant foreign exchange reserves; 3. their banks have limited exposure to the bad debt plaguing their American and European counterparts, and 4. a steadily growing percentage of their foreign trade is with each other, easing their dependence on the advanced capitalist countries. While some smaller, heavily-indebted and highly export-dependent countries could be pulled under by the financial crisis and economic downturn in the West, indications are that China and the other big new economies should stay afloat and help stave off a global depression. From lnp3 at panix.com Mon Sep 1 07:41:19 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 09:41:19 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Undocumented workers fight for trade union recognition Message-ID: <20080901134104.7ABCF10148@mailbackend.panix.com> NY Times, September 1, 2008 Meatpacker in Brooklyn Challenges a Union Vote By STEVEN GREENHOUSE Agriprocessors, the Brooklyn-based company that is the nation's largest kosher meat producer, is well known for the labor troubles at its meatpacking plant in Iowa ? federal agents detained 389 of its workers as illegal immigrants in May, and labor officials in Iowa have accused it of employing 57 under-age workers. But Agriprocessors is also having labor troubles closer to home, with the company asking the United States Supreme Court to overturn a vote to unionize at its distribution center along the Brooklyn waterfront. If successful, the company's appeal could have repercussions at companies across the country: it is trying to persuade the Supreme Court to rule that illegal immigrants do not have the right to join labor unions. In September 2005, the company's Brooklyn employees voted 15 to 5 to unionize, with one ballot challenged. The workers, most of them immigrants from Mexico, complained of low pay, not receiving time-and-a-half for overtime and not having health insurance or paid holidays. "It was a dirty place to work, and they treated some of the workers real bad," said Lucilo Brito, a former Agriprocessors truck driver. Days after the vote, Agriprocessors stunned its employees by announcing that it would not recognize the union because, it said, it had just discovered that 17 of the workers were illegal immigrants. The National Labor Relations Board nonetheless ordered Agriprocessors to recognize the union, Local 342 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, citing a 1984 Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the right of illegal immigrants to join unions. Agriprocessors appealed the labor board's order, with one of its lawyers, Richard Howard, telling the board, "This should not be a valid vote for representation" because "they're not documented workers and not allowed to work." After Agriprocessors refused to deal with the union, 14 of the workers went on strike for seven weeks. The company responded by firing the strikers. (During the strike, union officials said, management hired day laborers from a nearby street corner, many of them illegal immigrants.) The labor board continues to insist that Agriprocessors recognize the union. Lawyers for the board and union argue that it is foolish for the company to appeal the 1984 decision, in which the Supreme Court ruled that illegal immigrant workers fall within the definition of "employee" in the National Labor Relations Act and thus have the right to join unions. "Whether people are undocumented or not, they deserve to have some union represent them," said Lisa O'Leary, executive vice president of Local 342, which represents 10,000 meat, poultry and seafood workers in the New York area. "That will help reduce the abuses that undocumented workers face." The Agriprocessors distribution center is one of 20 or so meat wholesalers at the Brooklyn Terminal Market at First Avenue near 56th Street in Sunset Park, where there are two long rows of low-lying buildings with meat hooks hanging above the loading docks. All but a handful of the meat companies are unionized. Connected to the Agriprocessors center are two refrigeration trailers that hum 24 hours a day, and parked outside are trucks painted with the company's main retail logo, Aaron's Best. Ante Vulin, a butcher at International Glatt Kosher Meats, a unionized wholesaler directly across from Agriprocessors, said belonging to the union meant higher pay and better benefits. "What's the purpose of leaving here when you don't get more at another place?" said Mr. Vulin, who earns $20.25 an hour after 20 years on the job. David Young, an organizer with Local 342, said it was easy to get Agriprocessors' workers to vote to unionize because they had talked with workers at other distribution centers and seen the fruits of unionizing. The manager of the Agriprocessors distribution center refused to comment about workplace conditions or the litigation. A company lawyer, Arnold Kaufman, said it would be inappropriate to comment during litigation ? the company is hoping the Supreme Court will hear its appeal. During the organizing drive in 2005, Agriprocessors fought hard to defeat the union. One worker said managers told him: "The union is not good. Everything they say is a lie." The company, the labor board asserted, improperly fired two workers for supporting the union. Moreover, the board said, management sought to block the workers from voting for the United Food and Commercial Workers, by announcing one day that a majority of its drivers had signed up with a union known for working closely with employers, Local 17-18 of the United Production Workers. Several workers said management representatives had pressured them to sign cards supporting Local 17-18, and had done so after management told the labor relations board that a majority of workers had already signed cards backing that union. Labor board officials dismissed the company's efforts to steer its employees into Local 17-18 as a charade. It ordered the secret-ballot vote to proceed, and the workers voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers. When Agriprocessors said it would ignore the vote because it had discovered that most employees were in the country illegally, the union insisted the company was acting in bad faith. "They knew all along they were hiring undocumented workers," said Mr. Young, the organizer. (He wondered why, if the company was suddenly so concerned about employing illegal immigrants, it did not conduct similar checks at its Iowa plant.) Agriprocessors officials said they had no idea their Brooklyn employees were illegal immigrants, insisting that they had been fooled because the workers presented fraudulent documents. Agriprocessors officials said the same thing after the immigration raid at its Iowa plant in May. Mr. Howard, the company's lawyer, said it should not be possible to join a union "if you are not legally allowed to work, if your working for this employer results from the perpetration of a fraud upon this employer and results from a crime against the country." The National Labor Relations Board in Washington and the United States Court of Appeals in Washington rejected Agriprocessors' argument that illegal immigrants should not have the right to join unions. In a decision last January, the appeals court, echoing the 1984 Supreme Court decision, wrote that allowing illegal immigrants to join a union "helps to assure that the wages and employment conditions of lawful residents are not adversely affected by the competition of illegal alien employees." Nathan Lewin, the lead lawyer in Agriprocessors' appeal to the Supreme Court, said the issue should be reconsidered because there are so many more illegal immigrant workers now than in 1984 and because a federal law passed two years after that ruling made it a crime for companies to hire illegal immigrants. "The attitude of federal and local laws towards illegal immigrant workers has undergone a sea change," the company's appeal says. "Federal policy regarding the employment of undocumented aliens is far more prohibitive today." Alvin Blyer, regional director of the labor board's office in Brooklyn, said he was not surprised by the company's appeals. "Many times employers are anxious to put off the day that they have to deal with a labor union and bargain collectively," Mr. Blyer said. "Even in cases where their legal position is unlikely to succeed, they find it economically worthwhile to delay that day." Last Thursday, a butcher who had just finished the midnight-to-9 a.m. shift at the Agriprocessors distribution center said that the company had improved wages and conditions somewhat since the unionization vote three years ago. The worker said he was paid $8.50 an hour, got one week vacation a year and received time-and-a-half pay for overtime. "We don't get health insurance," said the worker, who insisted on anonymity for fear of retaliation. And in a candid moment, he acknowledged that he was an illegal immigrant. From sartesian at earthlink.net Mon Sep 1 07:46:42 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 09:46:42 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <20080831.104425.2812.1.farmelantj@juno.com><002801c90b8e$ccb64a50$6401a8c0@MARV><7EC91EB761E24855A992F265D5BE291C@dmsthinkpad><007901c90c22$b89d2ea0$6401a8c0@MARV> <014d01c90c36$c31a2e50$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <1AFA42DE92E2445CA831272A782DCA3A@dmsthinkpad> Well, I agree that we understand each other's positions and there is little sense to continue this with each other. But.... ah yes, the inevitable but-- there is one thing I want to make clear about my position: Social, class, struggles do NOT start in the Democratic party and then move left. Such struggles start outside the Democratic party, and then are moved to the right by and through the Democratic party. I don't think Marvin can find a single example of such struggle starting in the Democratic Party and then moving to the left outside of it. Not in the past, not today ( the anti-war movement being a case in point). ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marvin Gandall" To: Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 9:29 AM Subject: Re: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better > From lnp3 at panix.com Mon Sep 1 08:01:09 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:01:09 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Ahmed Faraz Message-ID: <20080901140054.C5C1D11157@mailbackend.panix.com> NY Times, September 1, 2008 Ahmed Faraz, Outspoken Urdu Poet, Dies at 77 By HARESH PANDYA The revolutionary Pakistani poet Ahmed Faraz, whose name is synonymous in South Asia with modern Urdu poetry, died Aug. 25 in Islamabad. He was 77. The cause was kidney failure, said his son Shibli Faraz. He was earlier reported to have died while being treated in a Chicago hospital after a fall in Baltimore, but he returned to his homeland, where he died. Popular among both the cognoscenti and the general public, he was one of the few poets from the subcontinent whose verses were read as well as sung. He was in great demand at the mushaira, social gatherings ? usually after dusk ? at which Urdu poets recite their poems. Often compared to legends of the past like Mohammad Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Mr. Faraz was as popular in India as he was in his own country. He enjoyed a near cult status in the pantheon of revolutionary poets. In India and other countries outside Pakistan, he was best known for his ghazals ? poems expressing the writer's feelings, especially about love ? which were popularized by leading singers like Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hasan, Runa Laila and Jagjit Singh. A passionate voice for change and progress, Mr. Faraz was usually at his best when writing the poetry of love and protest. His romantic poetry made him particularly beloved by the young; the establishment was not so fond of his verses mocking and at times exposing the authorities. An advocate for the poor and downtrodden, Mr. Faraz raised his voice against capitalists, usurpers and dictators. In the 1980s he went into a six-year self-imposed exile in Canada and Europe during the era of Gen. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, whose military rule of Pakistan he had condemned at a mushaira and whose power seemed to drive him to heights of inspiration. "That was the worst phase for our country's writers," he once said of the general's rule. "Yet it also provided ample food for thought for the poet and made protest poetry so popular in Pakistan." Mr. Faraz, who was also closely associated with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his Pakistan People's Party, wrote some of his best poetry in exile, including "Dekhtay Hain" ("Let Us Gaze") and "Mohasara" ("The Siege"). In all, he had written 13 volumes of Urdu poetry. Ahmed Faraz was the pseudonym of Syed Ahmad Shah, who was born in Nowshera village near Kohat in Pakistan on Jan. 14, 1931. His father, Agha Syed Muhammad Shah Bark Kohati, was a leading traditional poet. He studied at Edwards College in Peshawar and was greatly influenced by progressive poets like Faiz and Ali Sardar Jafri. They became his role models. He obtained his master's degree in Urdu and Persian from Peshawar University. He subsequently taught the two languages there, though he began his career as a scriptwriter with Radio Pakistan. Mr. Faraz's first volume of poetry, "Tanha Tanha," was published in the late 1950s, when he was an undergraduate student, and became a huge, instant hit. He had a tendency to create controversies about himself or about various issues. He spoke against marriage, saying it was "a sort of prostitution through a contract on paper." He also said Urdu was "a dying language," prompting outrage among Urdu speakers. In 1976 Mr. Faraz became the founding director general of the Pakistan Academy of Letters. He was its chairman in 1989 and 1990. His last official job was as the chairman of National Book Foundation based in Islamabad. Mr. Faraz advocated peace between India and Pakistan and emphasized personal bonds over geographic boundaries. He is survived by his wife and three sons. Awarded one of Pakistan's greatest civilian honors, the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, in 2004 for his literary achievements, he returned it in 2006 after becoming disillusioned with President Pervez Musharraf's government. "My conscience will not forgive me if I remained a silent spectator of the sad happenings around us," he said at the time. "The least I can do is to let the dictatorship know where it stands in the eyes of the concerned citizens, whose fundamental rights have been usurped." From marvgandall at videotron.ca Mon Sep 1 08:00:04 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:00:04 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <20080831.104425.2812.1.farmelantj@juno.com> <002801c90b8e$ccb64a50$6401a8c0@MARV> <7EC91EB761E24855A992F265D5BE291C@dmsthinkpad> <007901c90c22$b89d2ea0$6401a8c0@MARV> <014d01c90c36$c31a2e50$6401a8c0@MARV> <1AFA42DE92E2445CA831272A782DCA3A@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <01af01c90c3b$0916e930$6401a8c0@MARV> Artesian writes: > Social, class, struggles do NOT start in the Democratic party and then > move > left. > > Such struggles start outside the Democratic party, and then are moved to > the > right by and through the Democratic party. > > I don't think Marvin can find a single example of such struggle starting > in > the Democratic Party and then moving to the left outside of it. Not in the > past, not today ( the anti-war movement being a case in point). ============================= Whaa? I never said anything about struggles starting in the DP. I said this: "The epic battles for union rights and civil rights involved both mass moblization and legislative action by Democratic administrations - the Wagner Act under Roosevelt and the Civil Rights Act under Johnson. Both pieces of legislation fell short of what the unions and the black movement wanted, but each was welcomed as by them as an important advance." Please, Art, let's not get revved up again. I bet most everyone thinks we've said all there is to say on this well canvassed subject for now. I certainly think so. From ecosocialism at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 08:10:02 2008 From: ecosocialism at gmail.com (Ian Angus) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 10:10:02 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] New Pamphlets: Indigenous Struggles, Palestinian Rights Message-ID: <733b65360809010710w12f04d9difa306d10a599b3ba@mail.gmail.com> SOCIALIST VOICE Marxist Perspectives for the 21st Century www.socialistvoice.ca NEW SOCIALIST VOICE PAMPHLETS ON INDIGENOUS STRUGGLES, PALESTINIAN RIGHTS Socialist Voice is pleased to announce two new pamphlets offering Marxist perspectives on critical issues in the world today, available now at < http://www.socialistvoice.ca/?page_id=223> - - - - - - - - - - - - - FOR THE LAND! ROOTS AND REVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF INDIGENOUS STRUGGLES IN CANADA by Mike Krebs For decades, the most pointed struggles, the ones that have electrified Indigenous people across Canada, have been assertions of rights over their lands. Mike Krebs analyses the history and present reality of the fight of Indigenous people in Canada for justice and self-determination. - - - - - - - - - - - - - ANTI-SEMITISM, ZIONISM, AND THE DEFENSE OF PALESTINIAN RIGHTS By Suzanne Weiss A new edition, updated and expanded, of one of Socialist Voice's most widely read pamphlets. Examines the causes of anti-Semitism, the horror of the Holocaust, and the need for solidarity between Jewish and Moslem activists to defend the Palestinians and oppose Zionism. - - - - - - - - - - - - - These pamphlets are available now in two formats: 1. PROFESSIONALLY PRINTED COPIES can be purchased by mail from South Branch Publications. Download and print the Order Form from the Socialist Voice Publications Page. 2. FREE PDF COPIES can be downloaded from the Socialist Voice Publications Page. Socialist Voice Publications Page: From walterlx at earthlink.net Mon Sep 1 08:17:54 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 10:17:54 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Mumia Abu-Jamal: Obama - Biden? Change? Not So Much Message-ID: <21057016.1220278674493.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Electing a Black person president of the United States would be a good thing, a very good thing. The endemic racisim which is so central to the political culture of the United States is one which really needs to be overcome. But to expect that Black person, coming up through, and rising to the top within, one of the fundamental tools of capitalist rule in the past century and a half, is unrealistic in the extreme. It would seem a bit much to expect that an activist as radical as Besancenot could get elected now. There's some time to go between now and the actual voting. The capitalists have many ways to destroy the credibility of alternatives which present themselves as to the left. First and most familiar, is to simply ignore the candidate and their campaign. That's what's basically being done today in the United States with McKinney, Nader, LaRiva, Calero, and so on. Second, is to make it seem harmless and toothless. It seems that's what's being done in this case. It would seem the bourgeoisie in Frants wants to generate interest in the election, and this candidate seems to suggest that. But at the same time they're trying here to suggest Besancenot isn't all that serious, that he's an amusing and perhaps fun-loving candidate. Let's keep in mind that capitalist elections are supposed to be, and serve the role of, legitimizing capitalist rule. If too few candidates run, or too few bother to vote, then the legitimacy which the system then likes to attribute to itself, is significantly reduced. Third, should a revolutionary candidate have the slightest possible chance of actually taking the office of the French presidency, you can rest assured that the bourgeois media would begin a massive campaign of slander and vilification to try to discredit the candidate by any means necessary. Oh, by the way, here's a rather lively, if overlong, look at Obama, in a communication from the Maoist RCP which is trying to communicate with the audience which is drawn to Obama, critiquing both Obama and McCain. It's well-written, and actually tries to address individuals who are drawn to Obama, but still thinking in broader terms than just "elect Obama". Here's the introduction: On Obama?s Nomination: The Change You Believe In? And The Change You?ll Get You bitterly opposed the Bush wars, and maybe you demonstrated against them, but you got discouraged...and you?ve felt heartsick and impotent as those wars grind on... You wept or raged over the murder of Sean Bell, or the hanging of lynching ropes, wondering when and how justice for Black people could ever come when American racism is so very deep... You watched as Bush filled the government with followers of his fanatically ignorant crusading brand of Christianity...you looked on in horror at the stripping away of what you thought were fundamental rights...you witnessed torture being legalized, and heard first one group then another?yesterday gay people, today immigrants?being demonized, and you?ve wondered: "are we heading toward fascism?"... You want equality for women, and you get furious every time you hear of a new move against abortion and now, yes, even birth control, as traditional values are restored with a vengeance... Then you heard Obama talk about change. It was a little vague, but you let yourself hope. Now, after the convention, you?re a little euphoric...but at the same time, something gnaws at you, something doesn?t feel quite right. But you say to yourself something like this: a Black man, after all these years, nominated for president. That?s got to mean change, doesn?t it? And everywhere at the convention, there was Obama?s slogan?"change you can believe in." Maybe it?s time to pause and ask a little deeper about the content of this promised change. Maybe it?s time to listen to Barack Obama?s acceptance speech in depth, and take a sober look at where he says he?ll lead you. FULL: http://revcom.us/a/142/ObamaEditorial-en.html Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ======================================================== RUTHLESS wrote: If Americans in fact won't tolerate any more change than Obama is proposing, what would be the point of Obama's offering more change? In fact, it would be suicidal for him to do so. No? -------------------- ?Red postman? knocks at Nicolas Sarkozy?s door With the Socialists in disarray, a young firebrand is now the best opponent of the French president ----------------- Compared with the deeply split Socialists, Besancenot?s anticapitalist grouping seems harmonious, but he has come under attack from some of the comrades for being a darling of the media. He defends himself by saying that appearing on television chat shows helps him to communicate his message better. The criticism of him just goes to show, as Le Figaro newspaper put it, that in France ?there is always someone to the left of you?. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4641032.ece ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From skeyesvogt at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 09:16:42 2008 From: skeyesvogt at gmail.com (Sky Keyes-Vogt) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 11:16:42 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] =?windows-1252?q?=91Blindingly_obvious=92_that_crime_an?= =?windows-1252?q?d_extremism_could_rise_in_recession?= Message-ID: check out my new post on a recently leaked gov't document in England: http://www.malcolm-che.com/ in solidarity, sky From shmage at pipeline.com Mon Sep 1 09:28:33 2008 From: shmage at pipeline.com (Shane Mage) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 11:28:33 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Mumia Abu-Jamal: Obama - Biden? Change? Not So Much In-Reply-To: <21057016.1220278674493.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <21057016.1220278674493.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: On Sep 1, 2008, at 10:17 AM, Walter Lippmann wrote: > ...It would seem > a bit much to expect that an activist as radical as Besancenot could > get elected now. There's some time to go between now and the actual > voting...It would seem the bourgeoisie in > Frants wants to generate interest in the election... The next election is in April 2012, nearly four years from now. "some time to go" indeed. They'd have an easier time generating sunbeams from cucumbers than generating interest in that erlection now. 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 Sep 1 09:31:13 2008 From: elishastephens at hotmail.com (Eli Stephens) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 08:31:13 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Biden to Israel: Accept nuclear Iran Message-ID: I found the final paragraph to be the most interesting; I don't think I've ever heard an American politician state it quite so openly: "Biden said..."Israel is the single greatest strength that America has in the Middle East," and that its presence as a strategic ally meant that America need station far fewer troops and warships in the region." The rest of the article is, perhaps intentionally, ambiguous. What did Biden mean by accepting a "nuclear Iran." MAYBE he just meant they have to accept an Iran with nuclear power and the POTENTIAL to build a nuclear weapon, or he may have meant an Iran with nuclear weapons. Hard to say. _________________________________________________________________ Get thousands of games on your PC, your mobile phone, and the web with Windows?. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/108588800/direct/01/ From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Mon Sep 1 09:39:33 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:39:33 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Trumka on race and the elections Message-ID: <48BBD475.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Here's the Trumka link: http://grandrapidsprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/07/video-afl-cio.html This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From markalause at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 09:48:49 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 11:48:49 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Trumka on race and the elections In-Reply-To: <48BBD475.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> References: <48BBD475.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: So AFL-CIO officialdom is saying it's racist to vote against Obama, and the shards of what was the CP agrees? ML From skeyesvogt at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 10:20:34 2008 From: skeyesvogt at gmail.com (Sky Keyes-Vogt) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 12:20:34 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Iraq reaches oil agreement with China Message-ID: *Iraq reaches oil agreement with China* http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/28/business/28oil.php?WT.mc_id=glob_mrktg_lnk1&WT.mc_ev=click Iraq and China have agreed on the terms of a $3 billion oil service contract, the Iraqi oil minister said Wednesday, announcing his country's first major oil contract with a foreign company since the fall of Saddam Hussein. The oil minister, Hussain al- Shahristani, warned that time was running out for big Western oil companies, which have pressed for years for Iraqi contracts, to seal even short-term deals that had been expected to mark their return to Iraq, which has the world's third-largest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia and Iran. Iraq and the Chinese state-run oil company, CNPC, have agreed on the renegotiated terms of a deal signed in 1997 to pump oil from the Ahdab oil field, Shahristani said. CNPC is the biggest oil and gas company in Asia. "Finally we have reached an agreement," Shahristani said. "The total investment of the project is expected to be about $3 billion." Iraq has toughened the terms, changing the contract to a set-fee service from the production-sharing agreement signed under Saddam. Iraq needs billions of dollars of investment in its energy sector after years of war and sanctions. With high oil prices and strong competition for access to some of the world's cheapest oil to produce, Iraq has been negotiating from a position of strength. Under the revised contract, Ahdab will produce 110,000 barrels per day, up from the previous target of 90,000 barrels per day, Shahristani said. The first output would come in three years, and the field should pump for 20 years. CNPC would own 75 percent of a joint venture to be set up for the contract and Northern Oil of Iraq would own 25 percent, Shahristani said. The value of the contract would be reviewed every quarter, he said. The agreement is pending final approval by both governments. The probability of a series of short- term service contracts with oil majors was dropping after delays in signing, although negotiations are continuing, Shahristani said. Iraq wanted six contracts to increase oil output by 100,000 barrels per day, each to be signed in June and put into effect within a year. The firms that have been negotiating deals are Royal Dutch Shell; Shell in partnership with BHP Billiton; Exxon Mobil; Chevron with Total. A smaller consortium of Anadarko, Vitol and Dome had negotiated for another deal but Anadarko dropped out this month. Iraq still hopes to increase production by 500,000 barrels per day by the mid-2009, Shahristani said. "We are working at increasing our production, hopefully by another 500,000 bpd, by the middle of next year," he added. Iraq pumped around 2.4 million barrels per day in July, according to a Reuters survey. A long-delayed draft oil law to set the framework for foreign investment was unlikely to be approved in parliament in the near-future, Shahristani said. "Different parliamentary blocs still have serious differences about the law," he said. "I have not heard anything new from the parliament to make me expect that the law will be passed any time soon." But Iraq was going ahead with new deals anyway under existing legislation, he said. Disputes with the regional government in Kurdistan have hobbled the progress of the law. There had been no progress in resolving differences between Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government, Shahristani said. From ffeldman at bellatlantic.net Mon Sep 1 10:29:57 2008 From: ffeldman at bellatlantic.net (Fred Feldman) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 12:29:57 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better Message-ID: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> Marvin wrote: Please, Art, let's not get revved up again. I bet most everyone thinks we've said all there is to say on this well canvassed subject for now. I certainly think so. Fred writes: Well, I agree with Marvin that he was misrepresented by S. Artesian. Still I feel the need to reiterate my own view which is not the same as either or the above: I believe that a substantial movement of working people of all nationalities and others to the left of the current Democratic Party positions was evident in the 2006 elections. This has deepened, despite the refusal of the Democrats to throw any red meat their way, especially in war policy. I think the current election process is reflecting a certain decline, not an increase or a re-assertion, of racial divisions among the working people (and I add that a decline of racism does not abolish national and racial oppression of Black people or material divisions in the working class, which do not come primarily from working people but from the ruling class). I think the current campaign is reflecting a tendency of working people to see Black as the color of change, and to be open to Black (or Latino or illegal immigrant Latino) leadership in their struggles, when and as these occur. This is healthy and reflects the real relative competence of these forces in struggle. I believe the Democratic Party is very divided, and that Obama's victory has contained the divisions that are growing. It would have been more fatally divided if Clinton's fundamentally racist campaign against Obama had won. Marvin, in my opinion, has never made clear how revolutionaries entering the Denocratic Parry would advance any broad progressive agenda. Does he belong to a body that selects Democratic Party delegates? Do his views influence ftheir decisions? Or is this just a generally leftist milieu where he feels more at home than other options, including work-related ones? In this case, inquiring minds REALLY want to know, so don't take this as yet another snarky attack. What is your DP group? How do you affect its functioning? Fred From elishastephens at hotmail.com Mon Sep 1 11:05:34 2008 From: elishastephens at hotmail.com (Eli Stephens) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 10:05:34 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Israelis shoot Palestinian in the face Message-ID: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=68147§ionid=351020202 A Palestinian has been critically wounded after Israeli troops shot him in the face in an overnight raid in the West Bank village of Ni'lin. The military forces attacked the village where there has been a weekly demonstration against Israel's controversial separation barrier. During the operation, 40-year-old Awad Srur was shot with four rubber-coated bullets, three of which struck him in the face, according to doctors treating him at a hospital in the nearby town of Ramallah. Srur's brother told Ynet on Monday that "At first the troops shoved and dropped him, but he continued to say to them, 'Wait, wait.' They must have thought that he was irritated with them, so they decided to silence him". Another neighbor added that "the shots fired at Awad, who is mentally ill, point blank, show that these soldiers and this army have lost any trace of humanism and specialize in the most serious crimes against the Palestinians." The troops killed a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old in Nilin within a few days of each other in late July. Nilin witnesses regular Israeli raids against people who protest the regime's separation barrier that will cut them off from hundreds of acres (hectares) of their farmlands. _________________________________________________________________ Talk to your Yahoo! Friends via Windows Live Messenger. Find out how. http://www.windowslive.com/explore/messenger?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_messenger_yahoo_082008 From Dbachmozart at aol.com Mon Sep 1 12:10:58 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 14:10:58 EDT Subject: [Marxism] stormtroopers in Minneapolis, learned from Baghdad Message-ID: clip - See the connection, and the similarity: the United States launches criminal wars of aggression against nations which constitute no serious threat to it, and which are known to constitute no serious threat -- for the sole purpose of gaining compliance, that is, of installing governments in other countries that will act in accordance with our demands. This has long been the purpose of our interventionist foreign policy: to ensure that other countries act in accordance with our orders, even when genuine issues of national defense are altogether absent. America is God. God's Will be done. Even after the catastrophe of Iraq, leaders of both political parties threaten war against Iran, another nation that does not threaten us, because Iran dares to thwart our will. Is it any wonder then that, within our own borders, law enforcement will use potentially lethal weapons in the absence of any serious threat -- simply to gain compliance? When the state decides that your behavior matters, you will obey. Yes, you may engage in debate -- within the parameters established by the state. Yes, you may ask questions -- if the state approves them. If you dare to step outside the boundaries set by the state, you will be brought into line, by force as required -- and by possibly lethal force. The United States government murders a million innocent people who never threatened it; of what significance is the life of a single student, especially since he's a "troublemaker" anyway? **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Mon Sep 1 12:15:57 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:15:57 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Trumka on race and the elections Message-ID: <48BBF91D.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Trumka on race and the elections Mark Lause markalause at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 09:48:49 MDT 2008 Previous message: [Marxism] Trumka on race and the elections Next message: [Marxism] Iraq reaches oil agreement with China Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So AFL-CIO officialdom is saying it's racist to vote against Obama, and the shards of what was the CP agrees? ML And you and the shred of a scintilla of whatever you are in disagree ? This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From sartesian at earthlink.net Mon Sep 1 12:22:12 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 14:22:12 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> Message-ID: I was hardly misrepresenting Marvin since I explicitly stated that I was making that clarification about my opinion, not Marvin's. The point I maintain is that once inside the Democratic party, the class/social struggle is defused and debilitated, declassed. For there to be any validity into "entryism" into the Democratic party, there would have to be an agreement on a common program. So entryism in France 75 years ago was possible and viable based on program, and represented nothing more than a variation on the tactic of united front. Nothing of the like has ever happened, will ever happen with the Democratic party. "Entry" there is at best popular frontism, which is just a rest stop on the road to capitulation. Details, comrades, details. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fred Feldman" To: Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 12:29 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better > >> > Fred writes: > Well, I agree with Marvin that he was misrepresented by S. Artesian. Still > I > feel the need to reiterate my own view which is not the same as either or > the above: > From sabocat59 at mac.com Mon Sep 1 12:35:03 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:35:03 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Curb your Enthusiasm for Obama Message-ID: <7329D982-C247-4AAB-A42F-3251FC4537E0@mac.com> Curb Your Enthusiasm for Obama http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/ 20080831_curb_your_enthusiasm_for_obama/ Posted on Aug 31, 2008 By Chris Hedges Barack Obama?s health care plan coddles the corporations that profit from the misery and illnesses of tens of millions of Americans. The plan is naive, at best, and probably disingenuous when it insists that we can coax these corporations, which are listed on the stock exchange and exist to maximize profit, to transform themselves into social service agencies that will provide adequate health care for all Americans. I wish we lived in such a rosy world. I know, and I suspect Obama knows, that we do not. ?Obama offers a false hope,? said Dr. John Geyman, the former chair of family medicine at the University of Washington and author of ?Do Not Resuscitate: Why the Health Insurance Industry Is Dying, and How We Must Replace It.? ?We cannot build on or tweak the present system. Different states have tried this. The problem is the private insurance industry itself. It is not as efficient as a publicly financed system. It fragments risk pools, skimming off the healthier part of the population and leaving the rest uninsured or underinsured. Its administrative and overhead costs are five to eight times higher than public financing through Medicare. It cares more about its shareholders than its enrollees or patients. A family of four now pays about $12,000 a year just in premiums, which have gone up by 87 percent from 2000 to 2006. The insurance industry is pricing itself out of the market for an ever larger part of the population. The industry resists regulation. It is unsustainable by present trends.? We face a health crisis. The Democratic and Republican parties, awash in campaign contributions from the beasts they should be slaying on our behalf, have no interest in addressing it. A report in the journal Health Affairs estimates that, if the system is left unchanged, one of every five dollars spent by Americans in 2017 will go to health coverage. Half of all bankruptcies in America are because families are unable to pay their medical bills. There are some 46 million Americans without coverage and tens of millions more with inadequate policies that severely limit what kinds of procedures and treatments they can receive. ?There are at least 25 million Americans who are underinsured,? said Dr. Geyman. ?Whatever coverage they have does not come close to covering the actual cost of a major illness or accident.? Obama, like John McCain, did not support HR 676, the single-payer legislation. The corporations that run our for-profit health care industry, which would be shut down if the bill was enacted, have vigorously fought it through campaign contributions and armies of lobbyists. A study by Harvard Medical School found that national health insurance would save the country $350 billion a year. But Medicare does not make campaign contributions. The private health care industries do. They have lavished money on Obama. He received $708,000 from medical and insurance interests between 2001 and 2006, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. And Michelle Obama is a vice president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals, a position that paid her $316,962 annually. ?The private health insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry completely and totally oppose national health insurance,? said Dr. Stephanie Woolhandler, one of the founders of Physicians for a National Health Program. ?The private health insurance companies would go out of business. The pharmaceutical companies are afraid that a national health program will, as in Canada, be able to negotiate lower drug prices. Canadians pay 40 percent less for their drugs. We see this on a smaller scale in the United States, where the Department of Defense is able to negotiate pharmaceutical prices that are 40 percent lower.? Sen. Obama argues that we can improve the system by expanding government oversight. The government, he says, should require doctors and hospitals to prove they provide quality care. His plan links payment with reported quality. This would mean that health care providers would have to hire even larger staffs to collect and report this data to the government. There would be a $10-billion federal investment in health care information technology over five years under the Obama plan, in essence turning record keeping from paper to electronic data. Obama?s plan, said Dr. Don McCanne, who writes on health care issues, would actually make health plans ?more expensive, which compounds the problem.? Obama says he would require insurance companies to use more income from premiums for patient care. ?There isn?t an enforcement mechanism,? Geyman said bluntly. ?Most states have been unable to control rates or set a cap on rates.? Obama?s plan would also not cover all Americans. Unlike in Canada, citizens would not be enrolled in a plan automatically. Americans would have to go looking for one they could afford. And if they could not find one they would remain uninsured. Dr. Woolhandler, who is also a professor at Harvard Medical School, estimates that ?tens of millions? of Americans would remain uninsured under Obama?s plan. These numbers would swell as employers, who provide plans for 59 percent of those who are employed, continue to reduce coverage. ?The only way everyone will get insurance is with national health insurance,? she said from Boston in a phone interview. ?There is nothing in the Obama plan that will change the bitter reality that working-class families face when their breadwinner gets sick. People with catastrophic illnesses usually lose their jobs and lose their insurance. They often cannot afford the high premiums for the insurance they can get when they are unable to work. Most families that file for bankruptcy because of medical costs had insurance before they got sick. They either lost the insurance because they lost their jobs or faced gaps in coverage that meant they could not afford medical care.? Obama has borrowed John Kerry?s idea to have the government absorb certain severe costs, although again the details are not spelled out. Insurers, he says, would no longer be able to discriminate based on preexisting conditions. All children would have health coverage. He would, he says, expand Medicare and Medicare-like coverage to protect the very young and the elderly. This is laudable, if he can make it happen. But the fundamental problem is a health industry run for profit. Our health system costs nearly twice as much as national programs in countries such as Switzerland. The overhead for traditional Medicare is 3 percent, and the overhead for the investment-owned companies is 26.5 percent. A staggering 31 percent of our health care expenditures is spent on administrative costs. Look what we get in return. We on the left, those who should be out there fighting for universal health care and total and immediate withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, sit like lap dogs on the short leashes of our Democratic (read corporate) masters. We yap now and then, but we have forgotten how to snarl and bite. We have been domesticated. And until we punish the two main parties the way big corporations do, by withdrawing support and funding when our issues are ignored, we will remain irrelevant and impotent. I detest Bill O?Reilly, but he is right on one thing?we liberals are a spineless lot. Labor unions don?t negotiate with corporations on the basis of good will. They negotiate carrying the threat of a strike. What power do we have as long as we cave on every issue we stand for, from opposition to the death penalty to battling back against the military- industrial complex? It is not about liking or not liking Obama. It is not about race or class or gender. It is not about growing up poor or a member of the working class. There is no shortage of greasy politicians who, once in power, sold out their own. Look at Bill Clinton. It is about fighting back. It is about confronting a system that belittles us, what we stand for and what is best for the majority of Americans. We need to throw our support behind alternative candidates who champion what we care about, whether Cynthia McKinney or Ralph Nader. Bob Barr?s health care plan, like John McCain?s, is even worse than Obama?s tepid proposal. We need to begin to actively and militantly defy the corporate state, and this means stepping outside of the two- party system. Universal health insurance is one issue. There are others. Nothing we care about will change until we do. The Democrats, who promise to end the war in Iraq, create jobs and provide universal health care, ignore these promises once election cycles are over. And we never make them pay. They gave us NAFTA, the destruction of welfare and increased military spending, and we gave them our vote. This is the party that took back Congress in 2006 on an anti-war platform and then increased troop levels and funding for the Iraq war. This is a party that talks about the crushing weight of debt carried by Americans and then refuses to cap predatory interest rates as high as 30 percent imposed by credit card companies. This is a party that promises to protect our constitutional rights and then passes the FISA bill to protect the telecommunications companies. The list goes on. These politicians, including Obama, must begin to feel heat. They must learn that there is a cost to be paid for working on behalf of corporations and disempowering citizens. From binesi at gvtel.com Mon Sep 1 12:44:30 2008 From: binesi at gvtel.com (David Thorstad) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:44:30 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Biden to Israel: Accept nuclear Iran Message-ID: <48BC380E.3070404@gvtel.com> Maybe Biden's surprising statement is a rumor or balloon planted only to be able to deny it later on? Even if only a balloon/rumor, it suggests at least that the tail (Israel/AIPAC) does not wag the dog after all (as so many people seem to believe). David From markalause at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 12:45:02 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 14:45:02 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Trumka on race and the elections In-Reply-To: <48BBF91D.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> References: <48BBF91D.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: To clarify, here, you assert that I and "and the shred of a scintilla of whatever you" disagree with the AFL-CIO mucketey-muck in asserting that most of this list and most of the Left are racists for supporting Nader, McKinney, Moore, etc. So, you and the ghost of Gus Hall are not only keeping company with the corporate CEOs, lobbyists, military contractors and other riff-raff who support Obama are taking action against racism by urging people to vote for the party of Ross Barnett and John C. Calhoun, while agreeding that who support other candidates are racists . I just wanted to get that out there for the record, Charles. ML From walterlx at earthlink.net Mon Sep 1 12:59:12 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 14:59:12 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Celia Hart: In solidarity with Ernesto Cardenal Message-ID: <17688927.1220295552103.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> KAOSENLARED www.kaosenlared.net/noticia/solidaridad-ernesto-cardenal In solidarity with Ernesto Cardenal How can a Sandinista government accuse a priest who has been the voice of the poor in Nicaragua and a cultural symbol of Latin America? Celia Hart Santamaria | For Kaos en la Red | 28-8-2008 http://www.walterlippmann.com/ch-08-28-2008.html A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann. Havana, August 27, 2008 Brother Ernesto Cardenal: I?ve just heard that you?ve been ordered to pay a fine for alleged slander. Once again my heart is filled with anger and confusion. How can a Sandinista government accuse a priest who has been the voice of the poor in Nicaragua and a cultural symbol of Latin America? As you know, I don?t defend ?democracy? per se, since I believe it?s a worn-out word in the world today and one on which behalf the worst atrocities are made and the verbs are awfully conjugated. I can understand the banning of electoral parties ?as it recently happened with the MRS? given that electoral democracy is beyond my grasp. But your name, Ernesto Cardenal, is not an electoral party. Your name and your actions are linked with the best days of revolutionary Nicaragua, so your status is worthy of a great deal more consideration and reverence. You were awarded the Jos? Mart? medal and many other cultural decorations granted by the Cuban Revolution, and you are therefore a small part of it. For this reason I feel shame that any leader of the emblematic Sandinista Front for National Liberation might want to accuse you of anything... and it makes no difference to me whether it?s the President of a country: and God knows, I don?t care too much for presidents! Ever since I was a child I got used to thinking that power belongs only to the Revolution. Fidel was never my "President", but the quintessential revolutionary leader who dressed as a guerrilla and challenged the world. Just look at him, his illness is not over yet and he?s still in the world?s opposition. Suffice it to read his latest reflections against capitalism. And it?s indeed regrettable that the FSLN, regardless of the direction it has taken, has had the nerve to accuse you. I was surprised when Nicaragua refused to give me a visa, but I didn?t get too annoyed because there?s nothing important about me other than my family names and bunch of scattered and sometimes disjointed words I?ve written Now, however, they have once again struck a chord so delicate and dear to me that I set aside any diplomacy. Nicaragua makes me fly into a passion all over again. I commend your decision to ?go to prison? If I had been in Nicaragua I would have been honored to come along on behalf of this Cuban Revolution that loves you so much. In the name of Hayd?e Santamar?a, who knows what I?m doing, and of course in my own, have our best wishes. Till Victory Always. Celia Hart ========================================= 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 Mon Sep 1 15:17:14 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 17:17:14 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Gustav in Cuba: Hope Overcomes the Enormous Inventory of Destruction Message-ID: <14451384.1220303834341.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Fidel's reflection "The Hurricane" In my last reflection of Tuesday afternoon, August 29, when hurricane Gustav unexpectedly formed and started to threaten our country on the same day when our Olympic delegation returned, I wrote: ?We are lucky to have a Revolution! It is a fact that nobody will be neglected?Our strong, forceful and farsighted Civil Defense protects our people?The growing frequency and intensity of these natural phenomena show that the climate is changing due to the action of man. The current times demand ever increasing dedication, steadiness and conscience. We don?t mind if the opportunists and traitors also benefit even if they do not make any contribution to the safety and wellbeing of our people.? I know of the colossal efforts that the Revolution has to make after the national territory is hit by a hurricane. I could add that Cuba counts with keen and persevering scientists such as Jos? Rubiera. FULL: http://www.cuba.cu/gobierno/reflexiones/2008/ing/f310808i.html ====================================================================== Gustav in Cuba: Hope Overcomes the Enormous Inventory of Destruction The images and figures appearing every hour corroborate the disastrous trail of destruction left by Hurricane Gustav through the western part of Cuba. With the encouragement of not having lost a single human live, the island?s people now begin the recovery By: Margarita Barrios and Jesus Arencibia Email: digital at jrebelde.cip.cu 2008-09-01 | 14:47:19 EST Year after year, like a gypsy curse for its eternal rebelliousness, hurricanes lash out at Cuba. Though no such storm had hit the island in more than 24 months, now Gustav has pounded it in a terrible way. Aerial photos taken over the province of Pinar del R?o, and the pictures that have been sent via the Internet from the Island Youth, corroborate the devastating power of this meteor with a German name. Houses stand without roofs; tree plucked from the earth, roots in the air; coastal flooding; overturned trucks, with their cargo spewed on the ground, and faces ?many faces? with the uncertainty of having lost everything, except the great fortune of their own lives. The most destructive in 50 years ?The most devastating meteorological phenomenon in the last half century in the Caribbean,? ? this was how Gustav was described by news agencies. And it was perfectly verifiable when hearing from those who suffered the damage of the storm on the Island of Youth or in Pinar del R?o province. As much in the general overview as in the details of the disaster, the devastation can be observed. A chair, launched as if a rocket, is stuck in the door of one of Computer Science classrooms on the Island of Youth; and 80 high tension towers were demolished in Pinar del R?o; while 86,000 housing units were damaged in the western-most territory and 600 electrical posts demolished across the small island... Three towers television transmitters were out of service in Pinar del R?o. Sixty-three poultry farms and 3,500 tobacco-curing houses were damaged. More than 60 percent of the territory of the province was directly affected, but not a handful of earth escaped the lashing of this Category 4 strength hurricane. Logistical support Army General Leopoldo Cintra Fr?as, who is also member of the Political Bureau and a designated Hero of the Republic of Cuba, stay fixed to his post at the Provincial Defense Council in Vueltabajo. Vice-president Carlos Lage D?vila, a member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee; Mar?a del Carmen Concepci?n and other leaders of the party and the government also offered their support to the territory. Provincial Council of Defense President Olga Lidia Tapia noted that work teams from other provinces are already working in Pinar del R?o, and the guarantee of the assignment of needed resources for the recuperative phase has been offered by the leadership of the country. An additional delivery of liquefied gas has been made for the population on the Island of Youth, and the three large transport boats that shuttle people to and from the island ?which fortunately were not affected? will go back into operation starting Wednesday. The first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in Pinar del R?o, in a tour of the municipality of Las Palacios, one of those most affected areas, said that the population there have received the government's support and that it will face the recovery works with all due seriousness. Olga Lidia said that Las Palacios is a district in ruins, but that people are looking for alternative solutions, although many remain in shelters and cannot return to their houses because these were destroyed. ?We have the response of this people, whose capacity and organization are being put to test their, though they are all sure of the support they have from the government,? she said. ?We are receiving,? she added, ?the help of eight teams of electrical workers from different parts of the country eight. They arrived and began working; that has had an important impact on the population.? ?Some are trying to restore their damaged houses, creating basic living conditions; and they are doing so with optimism.? ?We have in state centers that have been affected, among them 372 schools. The same occurred with the tobacco industry, we have 3,414 damaged curing houses, and there was also harm done to the cattle raising sector. And this is just the preliminary inventory of the damage suffered.? On the Round Table television program, aerial images taken on Sunday morning were shown of the Pinar del R?o municipalities of Candelaria, San Crist?bal, Las Palacios and Consolaci?n del Sur. The panorama demonstrated by those images is devastating. There were large extensions of land with crops mowed over, with the banana harvest being one of those most affected. Tens of thousands of housing units were damaged, many beyond repair. Havana City recovers rapidly David Lahera, member of Havana?s Provincial Defense Council, said that damage in the capital of the country was not as bad as in other territories. He pointed out that the economic resources as well as the people?s assets were preserved. ?Almost all evacuated families have returned to their homes. Recovery works which begun on Saturday continue. Water and gas supplies have been reestablished, while we still working on power supply,? he said. Lahera added that on Sunday and Monday works would be carried out in schools for the beginning of the academic year on September 2. Only one school located in the municipality of Habana del Este was severely damaged. ?Most of the work must be focused on the cleaning of the city. There are some fallen trees that still need to be cleaned up, but we are working fast and have the support of the people. ?We can recover rapidly, but we need to work hard,? Lahera said. Havana Province also recovers The Round Table TV program showed a report on the tour held by Jos? Ram?n Machado Ventura, first vice president if the Council of State and Ministers, and Esteban Lazo, member of the Party?s Political Bureau, to Havana Province, which was also severely damaged by the passing of Gustav. The two leaders talked to the people living in affected areas and could see the damage caused in agriculture, where the harvest of bananas, oranges and grapefruits were affected. Esteban Lazo spoke about the role of the press, which informs and educates the people, putting the lives of reporters at risk. ?This is the extraordinary role of our press and media outlets,? he said. Machado Ventura described Gustav as a very hard blow to the country. ?I could not imagine the extent of the destruction caused in Pinar del R?o and the Isle of Youth, although these are areas where cyclones usually pass. The damage caused surpassed previous levels. ? The general director of the Union Electrica Co., Vicente La O, said that electricity was cut off when winds reached 50 km/h for citizen safety. ?When the wind velocity started to weaken, early Sunday morning, we began to inspect power lines for damage. In the eastern region of Pinar del R?o province where the hurricane passed, we have a heavy concentration of electric equipment. ?One hundred and thirty-six high-tension power line towers were taken down. The towers can?t withstand winds above 200 km/h.? La O said that in Pinar del R?o generators are being used to run basic services such as bread making and water pumps. He said that it would take four days to restore electricity from Guane to Pinar del R?o and that in the eastern zone, crews would start working to restore electricity by Monday afternoon. He said that in the Isle of Youth the central electrical generator facility was completely destroyed and that basic services were being provided by generators that were not damaged. In the City of Havana he said that by Monday all electricity services should be restored to normal. ========================================= 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 Mon Sep 1 16:04:50 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:04:50 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> Message-ID: <007201c90c7e$c1803fb0$6601a8c0@MARV> Fred asked: > Marvin, in my opinion, has never made clear how revolutionaries entering > the > Denocratic Parry would advance any broad progressive agenda. Does he > belong > to a body that selects Democratic Party delegates? Do his views influence > ftheir decisions? Or is this just a generally leftist milieu where he > feels > more at home than other options, including work-related ones? > > In this case, inquiring minds REALLY want to know, so don't take this as > yet another snarky attack. What is your DP group? How do you affect its > functioning? ===================================== Your memory must be slipping, Fred. I noted in my reply to your post yesterday that "I'm not an American but those of us who don't reside in the US are all disenfranchised subjects of the Empire with a keen interest in US politics,and cable and internet access to it", and we also briefly met on two separate occasions in NYC through some mutual friends, Gus and Suzanne - once at a Harlem restaurant, and then at a birthday party for an ex-SWP'er from Chicago. In any case, I'm Canajun, eh, and though I lived for a time in the US in the 60s, I unfortunately have no first-hand experience to share with you about the internal life of the Democratic party. I have had and continue to have American friends who have been active in DP state and national primaries and campaigns. One belongs to the Progressive Democrats of America and another, formerly a CP'er, is politically close to the Committees of Correspondence. I expect if I were an American and interested in becoming active in the party, I would gravitate in that direction. I'm also in contact with Julio Huato, whom Marxmailers may remember, and who still posts to the LBO and PEN lists. He was until recently active around the DP and is still a good source of information about what is going on at the grassroots level. They don't consider the base of the party a wasteland as those on the left at a greater distance from it do, and my sense from them is that the opportunities to be active, given the continuous US election cycle, appear to be there for anyone wanting to seek them out. In general, the Democratic ranks and and the party's electoral activity doesn't sound very different from the kind of people and activity I encountered when I was in the NDP many years ago - the major difference perhaps being that the NDP, unlike the DP, held policy conferences where the left could organize itself after a fashion and challenge the direction of the party in an open forum. That wasn't nothing, but it wasn't everything either. The conferences were tightly-organized and left caucus successes few, and I never felt it was sufficient compensation for all of the administrative and electoral shitwork at the riding level which was necessary to have any credibility, particularly if you were a known left-winger as I was in the Ottawa area. But, like participation in the trade unions, it was still a better if less intellectually stimulating venue than the small Marxist circles to take the pulse of politically interested and progressive working people and to learn to formulate objectives which were in line with their own views and experiences. I didn't have the commitment to keep beating my head against a brick wall in the NDP following the demise of the Waffle in the early 70's and the later abortive Campaign for an Activist Party in the early 80s. But I remain convinced that had I the patience to keep at it and things suddenly opened up, I would be better positioned to exercise leadership than former comrades and friends who shunned participation in the NDP for any number of reasons. On the other hand, in my ongoing debate with myself over this question, it's quite possible some or many of them would have likely been drawn in had a real internal fight developed, and would have quickly gained influence anyway. I suspect that might be true of people like yourself, Joaquin, Walter and others (discounting old age, of course!) if an organized and coherent opposition were to develop inside the DP, but you'd be the ones to answer that. Meantime, it seems to me involvement in the DP or the social democratic parties is at this stage more a matter of personal preference than of political necessity, although US leftists involved in the Obama campaign would undoubtedly take issue with that. From gary.maclennan at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 16:47:45 2008 From: gary.maclennan at gmail.com (gary.maclennan at gmail.com) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 15:47:45 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Faith of our fathers... Message-ID: Faith of our Fathers?. I am lined up to do a review of Larry Browne's *Hammered by the Irish* ? the story of the brave Catholic Plowshares activists who took hammers to a USA war plane parked at Shannon Airport. The stationing of the plane at Shannon was of course a clear violation of Irish neutrality. So while I wait for the book to arrive me thought that I would warm up with another round of reflections on things Catholic. All this is partly inspired by my recent trip back home. Firstly *matters mystical*: While at home in my native Omagh, I picked up a book by Larry Cummins. It is available on the web at www.pleaseprayforus.com. Cummins is the classic Irish peasant (farmer please!). He is also a mystic who channels directly to the Blessed Virgin. She gives him messages regarding who or what he should pray for. The book is a series of loosely connected anecdotes relating Cummins' encounters with the forces of evil. All extraordinarily interesting if you have as I do a fascination with mystics. Cummins addressed while I was there a little group of Catholic charismatics. Unfortunately I did not go to meet him. That would have been my very first encounter with a live mystic. What intrigued me however was the very fact of Cummins. The Church I grew up in would have silenced Cummins absolutely and very publicly too. That he was now allowed to speak in the church and gather followers, is something that amazes me. He repesents of course a potential challenge to the authoritiy of the Catholic Clergy. After all here is someone who is in direct contact with the mother of God. There was a time when he would have paid with his life for daring to make such a claim. Now the clergy must grit their teeth and allow the Cumminses of the world, and there are of course an increasing number of them, get up and preach the word of their God. A monopoly has been broken. However they do endeavour to keep a close eye on their rivals in the trade. Thus Cummins' book has an introduction by a Father Dwyer. He assures his fellow clergy that "Personally I want to testify to Larry's deep love and respect for the Church. He has an extraorodinacry understanding of the necessity of the ordained ministry of Bishops and priests for the spiritual well-being of the People of God. His deep respect for the clergy is so self-evident" (Dwyer in Cummins, 2005, p2). This is if I ever saw it an classic instance of esoteric communication. Do not fear Cummins is what Dwyer is telling his compatriots in the clergy. He is not challenging our authority. Therefore he is harmless and useful. So what do I make of all this? Well it speaks to me of a double level crisis. Firstly in the Church ? falling attendances, a seemingly endless series of scandals, and a collapse in recruitment to the clergy have all dinted the confidence of the core Church ? that is the clergy. In desperation they are forced to allow the peasantry to assert themselves in the way that peasants usually do - through visions, rituals, miracles, pilgrimages etc. The second level of the crisis is of course among the peasantry itself. It is incidentally an absolute no-no in Irealnd to describe the farmers as peasants. But peasants they are and peasants they wish for ever to be. However the hammer blows of modernity are like the dialectic, unremitting and remorseless. Modern farming has Ireland by the throat. One has only to breathe in the smell of the slurry that they spread over all the fields to get two crops of grass for the ubiquitous farting cows to know the truth of this. Ireland too is having its long postponed rendezvous with modernity. But this is not the modernity that could have been inspired by the Great Presbyterian Enlightenment of the 18th Centrury. The British drowned that in slaughter. NO Ireland's modernity is governed above all by the norms of the neo-liberal free market. It is thoroughly capitalist and thus lacks anything that could be thought of as even vaguely spiritual. So that wonderful abstract quality of the Irish; their addiction to ideas and scorn for matters material have been drowned in consumer goods. The Church of Rome which should have acted as a bulwark against the crass materialism that now holds sway was too rotten and corrupt to the core to make a stand. So it is left to the Larry Cumminses to attempt to articulate the values of a world that is vanishing ever faster. His in Gramsican terms is the church of the peasants or poor. Their devotion to ritual and their total lack of interest in doctrine have traditionally made them easily manipulatable by the clergy. But the crisis within the church is very deep. Across from the house where I live are two buildings. One used to house the Loretto nuns. They have all gone. The other used to house the Irish Christian Brothers. They too have vanished. What has been will not be. There is even talk of the need to import priests from Africa. The Empire strikes back indeed. No wonder the peasant mystic has made a reappearance. (See < http://www.truepeace.com.au/medjugorje_story.html> for a comparable experience among the Croatian peasantry.) The second part of these ramblings will deal with the crisis among the Church of the intellectuals. Currently this is centred would you believe on a church here in good old Brisbane. I love it when the dialectic makes the periphery the centre of a significant upheaval. regards Gary From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Mon Sep 1 17:04:50 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:04:50 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] www.GustavSolidarity.org Message-ID: <48BC7512.2020404@greenleft.org.au> http://www.GustavSolidarity.org Rising Tide folks with a lot of support from others have set up a new information site with information from the grassroots, for the grassroots radical and progressive response to Hurricane Gustav. We are currently receiving or collecting information from a dozen or so groups in the area. Please spread the word and forward this message. The site features: ? Information on how to support community organized relief efforts and grassroots organizations doing social justice work in hurricane affected areas. ? Needs lists from affected communities and organization that need support. ? (soon) Sample flyers, announcements, etc. for organizing fundraisers, movie showings, and solidarity vigils in your community. Keep in mind: 1) Even if there is no flooding in New Orleans and surrounding parish's there is going to be major disruptions to social justice organizing in the area. 2) We have yet to receive updates from the poor, highly vulnerable, not to mention highly oil-industry impacted communities along the coast (Tom G. has been putting out some excellent background on the circumstances of the Houma Nation, thanks Tom!) -------------- Rising Tide North America Confronting the root causes of climate change www.risingtidenorthamerica.org From johnedmundson at paradise.net.nz Mon Sep 1 17:48:11 2008 From: johnedmundson at paradise.net.nz (John) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:48:11 +1200 Subject: [Marxism] Trumka on race and the elections In-Reply-To: References: <48BBF91D.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: <1220312892.5883.490.camel@john-desktop> On Mon, 2008-09-01 at 14:45 -0400, Mark Lause wrote: > To clarify, here, you assert that I and "and the shred of a scintilla > of whatever you" disagree with the AFL-CIO mucketey-muck in asserting > that most of this list and most of the Left are racists for supporting > Nader, McKinney, Moore, etc. > > So, you and the ghost of Gus Hall are not only keeping company with > the corporate CEOs, lobbyists, military contractors and other > riff-raff who support Obama are taking action against racism by urging > people to vote for the party of Ross Barnett and John C. Calhoun, > while agreeding that who support other candidates are racists . Well I suppose anyone who voted against Margaret Thatcher was clearly driven by sexism too . . . Cheers, John From elishastephens at hotmail.com Mon Sep 1 17:47:25 2008 From: elishastephens at hotmail.com (Eli Stephens) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 16:47:25 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Amy Goodman arrested in Minneapolis Message-ID: Conspiracy to riot! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ _________________________________________________________________ Talk to your Yahoo! Friends via Windows Live Messenger. Find out how. http://www.windowslive.com/explore/messenger?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_messenger_yahoo_082008 From markalause at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 18:21:57 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 20:21:57 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Amy Goodman arrested in Minneapolis In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: These arrests are truly disturbing. = What are the Quislings that convened in Denver doing about it? Or even saying about it? ML From noarch99 at yahoo.com Mon Sep 1 18:49:11 2008 From: noarch99 at yahoo.com (Steve Olson) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 17:49:11 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] Amy Goodman arrested in Minneapolis In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <666984.51910.qm@web56108.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Yes, the DP whores like Air America and Progressive Talk hosts will probably be silent - these self-identified 'liberals' are as scared of the critique of capitalism as they are of their nemesis 'Bush' - probably more so!? Randi Rhodes repeatedly said 'don't walk into a line of police officers' (paraphrase) to excuse the pepper spraying of demonstrators during the DNC.? For the RNC, it'll be demagoguery all the way. --- On Mon, 9/1/08, Mark Lause wrote: From: Mark Lause Subject: Re: [Marxism] Amy Goodman arrested in Minneapolis To: "Steve Olson" Date: Monday, September 1, 2008, 5:21 PM These arrests are truly disturbing. = What are the Quislings that convened in Denver doing about it? Or even saying about it? 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/noarch99%40yahoo.com From jbustelo at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 19:15:40 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 21:15:40 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> Message-ID: <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> Sartesian writes: "Nothing of the like has ever happened, will ever happen with the Democratic party. 'Entry' there is at best popular frontism, which is just a rest stop on the road to capitulation." I realize this is a side issue, but I believe looking at things this way obscures more than it clarifies. "Entry" by whom into the Democratic Party? Certainly not by working people who already in their majority look towards the Democrats, nor by any independent political organization that represents even a sliver of the working masses, for there is no such beast in the U.S. today. So the issues that confront us have to do with whether/how masses of people might begin BREAKING with bourgeois politics, not how an already existing if incipient or partial break is being channeled back into the two-party system. On this, I think the things Fred has raised are much more useful to consider than schemas about popular fronts violently ripped from their social and political home, teleported across time and space, and dumped onto a political reality that has very little in common with those Trotsky was addressing. Joaquin From jonflanders at jflan.net Mon Sep 1 19:21:21 2008 From: jonflanders at jflan.net (Jon Flanders) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:21:21 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Amy Goodman arrested in Minneapolis In-Reply-To: <666984.51910.qm@web56108.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <666984.51910.qm@web56108.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1220318482.5077.29.camel@localhost> I called the jail and after waiting a while got a human. I think the jail rep said she has been released. I would like to know how the phone system there is holding up! Jon Flanders On Mon, 2008-09-01 at 17:49 -0700, Steve Olson wrote: > Yes, the DP whores like Air America and Progressive Talk hosts will probably be silent - these self-identified 'liberals' are as scared of the critique of capitalism as they are of their nemesis 'Bush' - probably more so! Randi Rhodes repeatedly said 'don't walk into a line of police officers' (paraphrase) to excuse the pepper spraying of demonstrators during the DNC. For the RNC, it'll be demagoguery all the way. > > --- On Mon, 9/1/08, Mark Lause wrote: > > From: Mark Lause > Subject: Re: [Marxism] Amy Goodman arrested in Minneapolis > To: "Steve Olson" > Date: Monday, September 1, 2008, 5:21 PM > > These arrests are truly disturbing. = > > What are the Quislings that convened in Denver doing about it? Or > even saying about it? > > 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/noarch99%40yahoo.com > > > > > ________________________________________________ > 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/jonflanders%40jflan.net From sartesian at earthlink.net Mon Sep 1 19:41:18 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 21:41:18 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> Message-ID: <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> The question as originally put by Marvin was directed to "leftists" regarding "reaching" the "masses," as they, the "masses" will look to the Democratic party for leadership, solutions, etc. in their own movement left. The discussion included the discussion of the fact that the "dramatic" movements of the 20th century originated outside that party, and when "moving" into it, which certainly does not mean that the rank and file of that movement participated in any way shape or form in the forming of program and policy of that party, the movement was debilitated. Also an explicit/implicit part of the question that was put to Marxists as to why/how does the Democratic party differ from the social-democratic parties of Europe. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joaquin Bustelo" To: Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 9:15 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better From pt_costello at yahoo.com Mon Sep 1 20:13:52 2008 From: pt_costello at yahoo.com (Pat Costello) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 19:13:52 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] phone number to call for Amy good man's release... Message-ID: <275582.94984.qm@web63106.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Youtube keeps deleting the phone numbers..... CALL NOW: 651-266-9350 (press extension 0) Demand the release of Salazer and Kouddous and Amy Goodman From jeremiaszevi at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 20:35:57 2008 From: jeremiaszevi at gmail.com (Jeremias Zevi) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 21:35:57 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] on colombia and canada... my contribution Message-ID: Canada's Free Trade Deal With Narco-Terrorist Government Colombia by Jeremias De Castero http://basicsnewsletter.blogspot.com/2008/08/canadas-free-trade-deal-with-narco.html Basics Issue #10 (Aug/Sep 2008) On June 7th, 2008, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Colombian President ?lvaro Uribe V?lez signed a free trade agreement, pulling both of their countries deeper into the miserable economic system of capitalism. The experience of free trade for working Canadians over the last two decades has been immiserating: jobs have been shipped to the more exploited countries of the world; our public resources, like education and health care, are being privatized; and Canada is participating in endless wars abroad. As the deal was being worked out in June 2008, it's interesting to note how much talk there was in the Canadian media of how Colombia has become so much more democratic under its current president Uribe. Well if this trade deal is about free trade, and we know how destructive free trade has been to the world in the past decades, then what kind of democracy is the media talking about? Let's sum up the "democratic" advances Colombia has made under Uribe to get an idea of what kind of democracy the Canadian government has in mind: Since Uribe became president of Colombia in 2002 under the banner of 'democratic security', Colombian society has become more militarized and more impoverished. While supposedly more than 15, 000 right-wing paramilitaries have been decommissioned, most have been reformed and rearmed into other organizations. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-Army of the People (FARC-EP) have sustained their worst casualties in more than 15 years. At the same time as the Colombia military has waged war against the FARC-EP revolutionaries, the state's war against the general population has stepped up as well. In the last 20 years, the paramilitaries and the military forces have assassinated more then three thousand trade unionists, both leaders and ordinary workers, and hundreds of community activists, human rights workers, and citizens critical of the government. Throughout the same period there has been an intense increase of poverty in Colombia, with an ever-increasing impoverishment of normal workers. Colombia is also the country with the second highest number of internal refugees in the world, a number that is increasing every day. This is the 'democratic security' that Uribe and his government offers. Uribe himself has a long history of connections with paramilitaries, drug gangs and just general plain old corruption. When Uribe was governor of the Antioquia province, it is known that he would have nightly meetings with paramilitaries in his governmental compound, giving them lists of union leaders and other community organizers to target for assassination. His policies as the President have been a mixture of privatization, conservatism in regards to social issues and an opening of Colombia to the exploitation of foreign companies. None of these brutal and exploitative policies would be possible without the support of foreign imperialist nations like the U.S. and Canada. Uribe's regime receives massive aid in the form of military hardware, technology, military officers and contract mercenaries, costing the American tax payers nearly a $1 billion per year. On March 1, 2008 the Colombian military made an incursion into Ecuadorian territory to bomb a site of FARC's revolutionary leader Raul Reyes, killing him as well as 20 others. The affair caused an international stir as Colombia broke international law, leading to a deterioration of relations between Colombia and its neighbours, particularly Venezuela and Ecuador. Finally, as a foreign policy chess piece, Uribe is much more friendly to the counter-revolutionary policies of American and Canadian governments. Currently, Latin Americans in almost every country on the continent are building massive revolutionary movements for socialism. Colombia is the sole country in Latin America where the fascist right-wing is being firmly propped up with the help of America and Canada, even though the Colombian people in the countryside have waged 40 years of insurgency against the government. Therefore, the Colombian military provides a sure foothold in Latin America for those foreign powers wishing to stamp out people power in the neighbouring countries. The Canadian people have nothing to gain and much to lose from Canada's free trade deal with Colombia. Exploited workers and oppressed people in Canada must stand alongside Colombians in their struggle against the Uribe government, because it is a struggle against the American and Canadian governments too. Posted by Basics free community newsletter From markalause at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 21:30:31 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 23:30:31 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: There is no entry possible in a something that isn't really a membership party. The nature of the American parties as "caucus parties" leaves power in the hands of officeholders, the committees they appoint, etc. This is not the same as branch parties in which you have membership. The idea of being a "Democrat" in the US essentially means that you vote Democratic. You have no voice in the party. And no mechanism through which to express your opinion on much of anything. This isn't to say that both major parties don't have various kinds of primary meetings, etc. in which ordinary citizens can participate, but only an infinitessimal portion of the electorate does so, largely because what these bodies do will just get set aside when they are inconvenient to the real party. There are also groups like the Progressive Democrats of America which exist not to influence the party--which it really doesn't--but to keep progressives identifying with the party. The only thing "entry" into the Democratic party can mean is to vote for it. That is, you can be a consumer of what the party's peddling but that doesn't make you a "member." Maybe more like being a fan of a particular sports team. Btw, I keep saying that American civic culture has generally declined for a variety of sound materialist reasons, not the least of which is the way technology has changed the way Americans think of community and function within the community. It has generally become much more of a spectator sport. However, even in the best of times, the major political parties, were never in the hands of the people, the only possible poor exception--and this only on some very limited questions--was the Republican Party when it still had some of the attributes of its third party, insurgent origins. ML From bob.morris at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 21:33:56 2008 From: bob.morris at gmail.com (Bob Morris) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 20:33:56 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Amy Goodman arrested in Minneapolis In-Reply-To: <1220318482.5077.29.camel@localhost> References: <666984.51910.qm@web56108.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <1220318482.5077.29.camel@localhost> Message-ID: <275dee160809012033y3529aebfpbb2e632f79d6ed94@mail.gmail.com> The story of the police raids and repression isn't in mainstream media yet. We on the Left need to make sure it gets there and becomes a big story. Great sources from the Twin Cities Theuptake :: Summary Live video from cell phone cameras as it happens via Qik. Twin Cities Indymedia lots of breaking news Coldsnaplegal twitter On the streets as it happens Blogs, etc Glenn Greenwald Firedoglake Their servers may be straining under the load. My blog, RNC protests tag From sartesian at earthlink.net Mon Sep 1 21:33:18 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 23:33:18 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc><618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta><400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <35E993EA753C46538EBB055E45C875BE@dmsthinkpad> That was the point I was trying to make. Thanks to Mark for stating it more clearly. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Lause" To: Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 11:30 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better > There is no entry possible in a something that isn't really a > membership party. The nature of the American parties as "caucus > parties" leaves power in the hands of officeholders, the committees > they appoint, etc. This is not the same as branch parties in which > you have membership. >. From ffeldman at bellatlantic.net Mon Sep 1 21:52:23 2008 From: ffeldman at bellatlantic.net (Fred Feldman) Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:52:23 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better Message-ID: S. Artesian wrote: The struggles were carried on outside the Democratic Party. The Party reacted to these struggles. When the struggles challenged the actual party structure, for example, credentials of the Mississippi delegation, the party acted as it always has and always will. The legislative response were the accommodations by the ruling class to regain control of terrain, to contain those struggles. Doesn't mean we oppose the civil rights legislation; it does mean we don't join the party that the ruling class uses to regain that control, to contain those struggles. Fred comments: The key weakness in Artesian's comment is this statement: "When the struggles challenged the actual party structure, for example, credentials of the Mississippi delegation, the party acted as it always has and always will." This replaces a moving picture of the Democratic Party's very painful adaptation to the civil rights movement with a misunderstood still photograph. The confrontation at the 1964 convention was a very important moment, but not the decisive one. I was at the protest for a weekend in, I believe, August 1964 in Atlantic City. The SNCC and other groups had organized a sitdown in front of the convention at the Convention Hall on the Boardwalk. (I'm a hopeless vulgarian and I always liked the old Atlantic City, identifying completely with the Burt Lancaster character in Louis Malle's classic movie, "Atlantic City.") Robin Maisel and I, in opposition to Socialist Workers Party which we were entitled to do since we were not members but strong supporters, to go to Atlantic City and participate in this protest. Basically, anything that Black people and their supporters were doing to protest racism was okay with us. We brought Militants and DeBerry-Shaw leaflets (our wonderful propaganda campaign that year, with DeBerry as the first Black presidential candidates to have a serious campaign -- propaganda by definition -- behind him.) Thus participants at least that weekend got the impression that the Socialist Workers Party was supporting their protest, while the SWP was actually trying to studiedly avoid it. In retrospect, I have no doubt we were right and gave the impression of the SWP that it should have wanted to give of itself. Well, of course, the confrontation ended with an ambiguous deal -- really a denial of justice -- and the Black movement went on to support the Johnson-Humphrey ticket. But S. Artesian leaves the impression that this was the end of the story. In 1965, the Selma, Alabama, voting rights protests exploded, and this became a national and international center of attention. There were protests of Blacks and white supporters Well, Bill Sales, president of the University of Penna. NAACP, Robin and I decided to organize a sit-in at Independence Hall. It was initially my suggestion, but Robin, supported by Bill, was much more aggressive in carrying it out. (My own advice is that if it comes to a choice about having Robin or me lead the insurrection, I recommend Robin. He got the willpower. Forget about the wheelchair.) The sit-in at the Liberty Bell lasted almost three days and ended by joining a mass protest called by the NAACP of about 10,000 people. But the real point of this reminiscing is that that upsurge really did revolutionize the structure of the Democratic Party, not to mention the structure of bourgeois state power in the South (and to some extent the north). The voting rights act was a reform, but it was not JUST a reform. It was a product of a truly and fundamentally democratic revolutionary struggle by Black working people, led by their prichers, their schoolteachers, and other only slightly less underestimated people. In fact, the Democratic Party sacrificed itself to absorb (even more than contain) the civil rights movement and keep it within the framework of capitalism. Does anyone recall a Congressional Black Caucus before 1965. Not to mention an Obama campaign, etc. Did the Democratic Party change its imperialist spots. No. Did the structure of the Democratic Party change? You bet it did. Fred Feldman From slwest at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 22:40:56 2008 From: slwest at gmail.com (Scott West) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 00:40:56 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Amy Goodman arrested in Minneapolis Message-ID: The previous post in this thread contained an error in the URL for Salon columnist Glenn Greenwald: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/ Just an extra space after the url made it unworkable for me. Greenwald is doing good work, btw, updating often and pulling in viral video and what there is of mainstream media coverage. Cheer, Scott -- http://djsilverfish.wordpress.com/ From aaron at mylists.fastmail.fm Tue Sep 2 02:40:32 2008 From: aaron at mylists.fastmail.fm (Aaron Aarons) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 01:40:32 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Trumka on race and the elections In-Reply-To: References: <48BBD475.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: <20080902084039.9D81B35B5B@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> >Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 11:48:49 -0400 >From: "Mark Lause" > >So AFL-CIO officialdom is saying it's racist to vote against Obama, >and the shards of what was the CP agrees? > >ML For a white, give-us-back-our-share-of-the-spoils-of-empire, AmeriKKKan worker, the most usual reason for not supporting Obama probably IS racism, although some such white workers might vote for Nader, or just not vote, because they (rightly) don't expect the Democrats to give them their share of the loot. On the other hand, if Obama were to do everything for U.S. workers that his most ardent labor supporters hope he would while at the same time promising to increase the size of the U.S. military, send more troops to Afghanistan, support Israel and threaten to bomb Iran, any "socialist" supporting him would objectively be a national socialist, in the manner of Israel's "socialist" Zionists and, with stylistic differences, the Strasserite wing of the National Socialist German Workers Party. - Aaron From walterlx at earthlink.net Tue Sep 2 04:21:55 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 06:21:55 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] First-hand report from Cuba, during and after Hurricane Gustav Message-ID: <4433021.1220350915378.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From: Maria Carla Baseggio mcarla at infomed.sld.cu To: Karen Lee Wald kwald at california.com Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 2:38 PM Karen, Isla de la Juventud: practically 100 % destroyed. Boats lifted from the sea and parked in the middle of Nueva Gerona, buses twisted and lifted in the air, doors and windows ripped off, banana plants of course ripped out, communications down 100 percent, and I have not yet seen any videos because I got my electricity back just one hour ago, a flamboyan fell on the lines feeding just our house so I have been without any electricity for 48 hours,but enough water, small radio, gas to cook on and the most wonderful neighbors and solidarity that only people who have lived in Cuba can understand. But I have been able to listen to the daily Mesa Redonda, where Arleen has spoken over the phone with the heads of Defensa Civil and other organizations and everything is "bajo[under] control". Never before has there been such palpable organization: here in the city, loudspeakers all over town calling on people to go home and not put their life in danger with electric cables, etc., and on Sunday calling everyone to come out and cooperate with cleaning up the city. Trucks started cleaning up the city on Saturday evening already, and yesterday everyone was out with brooms, saws, etc.. We had to put up signs and yellow ribbons so people would not go near the fallen cable, they could have been electrocuted. Pinar del Rio: also very very bad situation, south coast had up to 7 km sea inland, not a single life lost, not a single person wounded badly so you might fear for his life, but very serious destruction in schools, tobacco drying houses, communications and electric systems (already "linieros" from all over the rest of the country have arrived with their trucks to help. Las Terrazas: very very bad situation with most of the facilities (as you know, they are ranchones, the roof just flies away and there is practically nothing you can do about it); only rio San Juan and Las Ruinas de Buenavista held out; private homes have also been very badly damaged, I am not going to call to distract anyone from their intensive duties and only regret that because of age I cannot join in the reconstruction brigade. The problem is going to be now that such a huge part of the country must be reconstructed that building materials are going to be hard to get. But everyone is very grateful because for the very first time ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE FROM THE HIGH SPHERES WAS GOING AROUND THE AFFECTED PROVINCES: Machado Ventura and Lazo in provincia La Habana, Lage in Pinar del Rio after having been in Isla de la Juventud, police cars all over the place helping neighbors out, and of course all this makes people think how different things would have been if we compare ourselves with poor Haiti or even Jamaica. Let us all hope for the best for New Orleans. I have plenty of mails to write to put people at ease, a lot of international solidarity, I got a lot of calls from the US and Europe, it does a lot of good to know people are really worried for you! Love, Maria Carla ========================================= 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 Tue Sep 2 05:38:14 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 07:38:14 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: Message-ID: Fred provides a very moving picture of the events of some 44 years ago. At the risk of being accused of misrepresenting his analysis and Marvin's original question, I will point out that Fred's analysis does not speak at all to the question raised. Marvin's issue was raised in response to Fred's question: What if millions of Americans start moving to the left [although that is not defined] without leaving the Democratic party because they believe that, the DP, is all there is? Marvin then suggests that joining, entering the DP is a viable and practical path to "reaching the masses" and developing the direction and content of that movement. As was stated in response, we have pretty thorough history of just such movements, and just such "entryism" and the results. The movements all began and grew outside the DP; the internal direction of the movements was pushed to the left by those outside the DP; once the DP gained significant support of the "masses" for their electoral solutions, the movements retreated, and in some cases, actually collapses. Mark has pointed out that the DP does not function as a "party" in any manner other than as an electoral, office-seeking party. It does not initiate, welcome, maintain, sustain, political discussions on a neighborhood, precinct, factory, community level regarding the major issues. The DP campaigns for candidates, that's it. Or mostly it. Returning to Fred's narrative-- his moving picture of the civil rights struggle-- the DP did not organize Selma; the DP did not organize Freedom Summer; the DP did not, as a party, initiate voter-registration of African-Americans in the South. And, speaking to another issue, the most advanced elements of the struggle for African-American freedom were NOT inside the Democratic Party. Those articulating the left, radical perspective, who were voicing the feelings and needs of millions, those with whom Marxists need to establish linkage, support, discussion, were not in the party, Malcolm X being an obvious example. Those who led and participated in the Watts rebellion, in the Newark, Chicago, and most importantly, the Detroit uprisings, those who formed and joined DRUM and the LRBW are perhaps less obvious but just as important, if not more important. Fred's moving picture of the struggle is in fact its own still picture, its own snapshot. Advance the frames to 1968, and the strike of the Memphis sanitation workers. Where was the DP then? Did it extend an umbrella of protection and support to those striking workers? Did the DP, as a party, explain, initiate any discussion among its members of the history of discrimination in Memphis? Of Boss Crump? Of the previous struggles for unionization? Of the fact that the organizing efforts of the industrial unions were the first to crack, at least partly, the super-exploitation of black workers? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fred Feldman" To: Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 11:52 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better From jscotlive at aol.com Tue Sep 2 06:20:19 2008 From: jscotlive at aol.com (jscotlive at aol.com) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:20:19 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Bobby Sands Film Wins Prize At Venice Film Festival Message-ID: <8CADB0D6638D9F2-8C0-8330@webmailbeta-m08.sysops.aol.com> Artist Steve McQueen has won a prize at the Venice Film Festival for his film Hunger, about IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands' final days in the Maze prison. McQueen was awarded the Gucci Group Award - which honours film-makers from other fields. The film, directed by McQueen, stars Michael Fassbender as Sands, who died in 1981 at the Northern Ireland jail at the age of 27. The film also won the Camera d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/default.stm ________________________________________________________________________ AOL Email goes Mobile! You can now read your AOL Emails whilst on the move. Sign up for a free AOL Email account with unlimited storage today. From marvgandall at videotron.ca Tue Sep 2 06:54:43 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:54:43 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> Mark L. writes: > There is no entry possible in a something that isn't really a > membership party. The nature of the American parties as "caucus > parties" leaves power in the hands of officeholders, the committees > they appoint, etc. This is not the same as branch parties in which > you have membership. > > The idea of being a "Democrat" in the US essentially means that you > vote Democratic. You have no voice in the party. And no mechanism > through which to express your opinion on much of anything. This isn't > to say that both major parties don't have various kinds of primary > meetings, etc. in which ordinary citizens can participate, but only an > infinitessimal portion of the electorate does so, largely because what > these bodies do will just get set aside when they are inconvenient to > the real party. =========================================== I'm unable to refute what Mark is saying about the DP on the basis of my own experience, but I'll repeat that it is in contradiction to what American friends who are active in the Obama campaign have told me about the possibilities for meeting and discussing with local supporters of the party during election campaigns, and using these opportunities to explore collaboration in other areas. Less impressionistically, Mark's point also seems to be in contradiction to the many accounts I've seen of the unions and representative organizations of women, blacks, Hispanics, students, gays, environmentalists, religious pacifists, etc. moblizing their members by the hundreds of thousands to staff committee rooms and phone banks and to canvass and draw their neighbours and workmates into the campaign. In doing so, they bring all of the particular issues which concern them - the economy, Iraq, health care, restrictions on union rights, falling real incomes, amnesty for immigrants, the right to choose, global warming, etc. - into the campaign. There seems to me to be no basis for the argument that that bourgeois- democratic election campaigns serve to "distract" working people from the issues rather than focus attention on them, nor was that the position held by the socialist movement. I do know from my own experience that the criticisms Mark makes about the Democratic party being controlled by "officeholders (and) the committees they appoint", of "having no voice to express your opinion on much of anything", of party activists comprising only an "infinitessimal portion of the electorate", and of democratic decisions from below being "just set aside when they are inconvenient" are precisely the complaints frustrated Canadian leftists like myself, both inside and outside the party, used to make about the NDP. I expect those complaints are still there. Having had no encounter with social democratic parties, Mark seems to me to be idealizing "branch parties in which you have membership". The bottom line is that the problem is not chiefly organizational, but political. If the left finds it difficult to make gains in the unions and in political parties like the NDP and the DP, where the organized workers and movement activists congregate, it is because the liberal political consciousness of the working class still lags their own, and because events have not yet decisively shaken the values of working people or their confidence in their leaders. This is why regular outbreaks of militancy and discontent are easily contained and coopted by the leaders, not because of the lack of "mechanisms" for the left to communicate to the workers. Of course, the leaders will work to isolate dissidents, including through control of the apparatus, but I've also experienced this in far left organizations, and is to be expected. When the majority is ready to break with their leaders - in the larger society as well as within it's organizations - the organizational impediments to it doing so are overcome. What's required is the patience for that to occur, and that's a more difficult matter, as I've personally experienced. So I wouldn't counsel others on what to do, but hope my observations will be useful in helping move the discussion forward. I think it's also true that engaging in political activity in or around the DP is much harder to do than in the NDP for at least two reasons: a) the NDP is farther from power and the differences between it and the governing parties more pronounced. As the case of the German Greens demonstrated, the closer a party gets to power, the greater the pressures to blur its program and to isolate and destroy the party left, and b) the Democrats, like the British Labour Party and French and German social democrats in an earlier period, share responsibility for the bipartisan administration of an imperialist state, so it's only natural that ideologically committed Marxists, as well as many DP rank and filers, would feel themselves compromised by the party's foreign policy positions. From bauerly at yorku.ca Tue Sep 2 07:09:44 2008 From: bauerly at yorku.ca (bauerly at yorku.ca) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:09:44 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] NY Times picks up small story on RNC Message-ID: <1220360984.48bd3b18c2ff7@mymail.yorku.ca> I particularly like the headline "dozens arrested" which is followed at the end of the first paragraph with "more than 250 arrests". I guess 250+ is still dozens but it is also hundreds. There are a few good pictures also. Brad http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/us/politics/02protest.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1220360516-3wvIVABJKcjr/ZHg9MQ0lQ As Throngs of Protesters Hit Streets, Dozens Are Arrested After Clashes By PATRICK HEALY and COLIN MOYNIHAN ST. PAUL ? Thousands of protesters, many of them demonstrating against the war in Iraq, marched on Monday through the streets outside the arena where the Republican National Convention is being held, with some smashing windows and battling with the police in clashes that led to more than 250 arrests. Although most of the protesters were peaceful, the police used pepper spray and long wooden sticks to subdue some; several demonstrators also said police officers fired projectiles at them. In one confrontation downtown, as several dozen demonstrators milled around and danced in the streets, police officers wearing helmets, padded vests and shin guards converged on the group. As the two sides faced off and tensions rose, the police squirted pepper spray into the crowd. ?I saw the cops shooting,? said a man who gave his name as Jude Ortiz. Orange foam lay on the pavement, along with a red cloth object the size of a finger that contained beads. A commander in the St. Paul Police Department, Doug Holtz, said he knew nothing about projectiles being used near Jackson Street, where one of the most intense confrontations took place. Commander Holtz said officers had fired ?less lethal? 40-millimeter projectiles in a park near the Mississippi River, where he said demonstrators had thrown bottles and other objects at officers. He said 75 people or more had been arrested there. These scenes from the first day of the Republican convention contrasted sharply with the more muted demonstrations at the Democratic convention in Denver last week. The protests Monday in St. Paul were much more pitched, and the number of protesters and police officers here was far greater. At one point, a group of about 200 protesters ? many wearing black bandannas across their faces and some wearing black balaclavas ? roamed through downtown, shouting and chanting and throwing street signs and concrete planters in the road. At another point, a police officer grabbed one of the youths. Others wrested him away, then appeared to knock the officer to the ground. On one knee, the officer released an arc of pepper spray. Elsewhere in St. Paul, a prominent Democratic Party strategist, Donna Brazile, was hit by pepper spray while trying to walk around protesters outside the convention hall, Ms. Brazile said in an interview. ?I got a strong whiff ? just toxic ? and my head and throat are still hurting,? said Ms. Brazile, who appears on CNN as a political analyst. ?I?ll avoid the protesters tomorrow.? Along the highways leading to downtown, protesters stood on overpasses with signs demanding the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, war crimes charges against the Bush administration and new laws on equal pay. In one of the most chaotic moments, members of the Republican delegation from Connecticut said they were shoved and spat upon by protesters near the convention hall, according to the state party?s executive director, Heath Fahle. He wrote an item on the party?s blog describing a ?human chain? of protesters who tried to block Republicans at a security perimeter near the convention site. Besides the shoving and spitting, the protesters shouted epithets at the dozens of delegates, Mr. Fahle wrote. As the protests grew, scores of National Guard troops in riot gear and gas masks fanned out around the Xcel Energy Center, where the convention is being held, and set up a blockade about three blocks away. Police helicopters buzzed over St. Paul throughout the day. Humvees painted in fatigue green ferried water to police officers working in the 88-degree heat, and city dump trucks were used to block traffic on some streets. Republican officials said about 30 agencies were policing the city on Monday, including the St. Paul and Minneapolis Police Departments and the Ramsey County and Hennepin County Sheriff?s Departments. The clashes between the police and protesters were mostly sporadic. One of the largest of the demonstrations, which had a permit from the local authorities, began around 1 p.m. at the Minnesota Capitol and unfolded peacefully for the most part along the designated route. Near the start of the march, two women and a young man secured themselves with chains to a car that obstructed traffic. Just after 5 p.m., Jerah Plucker, 33, a documentary filmmaker from Minneapolis, called a reporter to say that he was among about 300 people surrounded by officers in the park along the banks of the Mississippi facing Harriet Island. Mr. Plucker, who works for an organization called Freespeak Media, said people had been listening to musicians in the park when officers formed a cordon. ?Over the loudspeaker they are saying, ?You are being arrested,? ? he said. ?They?re telling us, ?Sit down, put your hands on your head.? ? From lnp3 at panix.com Tue Sep 2 07:29:18 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:29:18 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Was "coup leader" victim of a set-up in East Timor? Message-ID: <20080902132859.8153012F4A@mailbackend.panix.com> http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/sep2008/etim-s02.shtml East Timor: Leaked autopsy report shows alleged "coup" leader Reinado shot at point-blank range By Patrick O'Connor 2 September 2008 Back to screen version | Send this link by email | Email the author Two leaked autopsy reports?which have been published in full on the Wikileaks web site?definitively refute the official version of the events of February 11 in East Timor, according to which former major Alfredo Reinado had engaged in a shoot-out with President Jose Ramos Horta's security forces while attempting to storm the president's residence. This was supposedly part of either a coup attempt or planned assassination of both Ramos Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. The available evidence now strongly points to the likelihood?raised by the World Socialist Web Site from the very outset?that Reinado was set up and lured to Dili in order to be murdered. Reinado's autopsy report indicates that he died after being shot through the eye at near point-blank range. According to a forensic expert consulted by the Australian newspaper, the autopsy's finding of "burning/blackening of the surrounding skin" to each of Reinado's four wounds (to the eye, chest, neck, and hand) means that he must have been shot from a range of less than 30 centimetres. The report on Reinado's colleague Leopoldino Exposto found that he was killed by a single gunshot to the back of the head, also by a "high-velocity rifle fired at close range". Reinado and his men were heavily armed when they entered Ramos Horta's house in the early morning of February 11. The autopsies reported that Reinado was wearing a green vest with 12 magazines containing a total of "347 live ammunitions" in the pockets. Exposto had one magazine with 39 live ammunitions in his vest, as well as a bag with another 98 live ammunitions. It is inconceivable that Reinado?who had received militarily training in Australia?could have led his men into a hostile operation against Ramos Horta but was then somehow shot at point-blank range while not a single presidential guard was wounded. Reinado's men, who have since been arrested, have all sworn that they understood that they had an appointment to meet with the president. Several civilian witnesses have now backed this testimony. For months after the former major's killing and Ramos Horta's wounding the Australian press echoed the official line presented by both the Timorese and Australian governments. Deeply sceptical statements issued by a number of senior political figures in Dili went unreported, most notably those of Fretilin leader and former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, who declared he had photographic proof that the alleged attack on Gusmao's vehicle had been staged. The official version of events is now so implausible and discredited that even the Australian media feel obligated to change tack. After reviewing the autopsy evidence, the Australian's Paul Toohey concluded on August 13: "What is certain is that the events inside the villa that morning are not as clear as previously presented, and may have involved Reinado and Exposto either walking into a trap or being held at close quarters before being shot." A later article in the same newspaper added: "Many East Timorese believe the whole thing was a set-up; that rebel leader Alfredo Reinado was invited down to Dili to be killed, to end the two-year stand-off in which he and his rebel band remained armed and roaming the hills in the country's west." (clip) From sartesian at earthlink.net Tue Sep 2 07:27:11 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 09:27:11 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Trumka on race and the elections References: <48BBD475.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <20080902084039.9D81B35B5B@heartbeat2.messagingengine.com> Message-ID: <3756A1F5DD7F4C12A2D46B723945795E@dmsthinkpad> Could you be more specific in identifying this section of the working class-- not that I doubt it exists-- KKK and like organizations had partisans inside the auto and steel plants in Detroit-- but they quite consciously acted and articulated their racism. So these imperialist parasite workers-- where are they saying "give me back my part of the empire"? When they oppose NAFTA, CAFTA, outsourcing? When the strike against the war at the maritime terminals? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Aaron Aarons" To: Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 4:40 AM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Trumka on race and the elections From sabocat59 at mac.com Tue Sep 2 07:40:42 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:40:42 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Coalition against Bayer Dangers Message-ID: <0BE6483A-076F-4B01-944B-0FA0A0F590D4@mac.com> I came across this website while browsing Bayer google entries. A lot of good background info. on Bayer and more articles on the pesticides- honeybee controversy. Apparently this is a german organization with a long history of working against Bayer. Greg McDonald From sartesian at earthlink.net Tue Sep 2 07:42:59 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 09:42:59 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc><618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta><400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: No doubt, working for the Obama campaign will provide you with access to hundreds of thousands of others working for the Obama campaign; allow you to make thousands of phone calls asking for support of Obama; grant you hours of street time recruiting signatures on petititons for Obama. You can be gay, feminist, trade unionist, environmentalist. No doubt. And you can talk about all those other issues. You sure can. Because you will keeping all that discussion squarely in the framework of the platform of the Democratic party. As long as you keep the discussion to trade union rights, global warming, justice-- you can. But step away from the platform. Give your thousands of contacts your deep down Marxist analysis, see how much phone time, street time, committee time you get then. On your way out the door. Millions of people did all that type of work for McGovern in 1972; and that with the added benefit of McGovern's explicitly anti-war positon. However, that electioneering coincided with a decline in the anti-war movement. That electioneering was part of the decline in the anti-war movement. How can you talk about Iraq given Obama's consistent equivocation? How do you campaign for Obama and respond to somebody's question about Afghanistan? How do you talk to Iraq Veterans Agains the War? How do you work inside the Democratic party and not support Democratic candidates for office like-- for example-- Pelosi? Feinstein? Richard M. Daley? Schumer? Clinton? any number of Kennedys. By whispering? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marvin Gandall" To: Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 8:54 AM Subject: Re: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better From walterlx at earthlink.net Tue Sep 2 07:46:12 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 09:46:12 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Was "coup leader" victim of a set-up in East Timor? Message-ID: <2009763.1220363172588.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Anything of interest in the TIMING of this WSWS report? Walter Lippmann ==================================================== AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING COMPANY East Timor president heads to Cuba Updated September 2, 2008 20:31:28 East Timor's President has boarded a plane to Cuba for a medical check up. Jose Ramos Horta has gunshot wounds from an attack on him in February by rebels. The nobel laureate was given a military guard as he boarded a commercial flight to Singapore from Dili's airport. East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao says the President is still feeling unwell. But he says Dr Ramos Horta also wants to convey the solidarity of the Timorese people to Cuba, where Hurricane Gustav swept through on Saturday. The hurricane destroyed many buildings. -----Original Message----- >From: Louis Proyect >Sent: Sep 2, 2008 9:29 AM >To: walterlx at earthlink.net >Subject: [Marxism] Was "coup leader" victim of a set-up in East Timor? > >http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/sep2008/etim-s02.shtml >East Timor: Leaked autopsy report shows alleged "coup" leader Reinado >shot at point-blank range >By Patrick O'Connor >2 September 2008 ========================================= 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 Tue Sep 2 07:55:37 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:55:37 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Dutch withdraw spy from Iran because of 'impending US attack' Message-ID: <4A780EAB-CE81-480D-A629-A36AF8185FF7@mac.com> Telegraph.co.uk Dutch withdraw spy from Iran because of 'impending US attack' The Dutch intelligence service has pulled an agent out of an "ultra- secret operation" spying on Iran's military industry because spymasters in Netherlands believe a United States air attack was imminent. By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels Last Updated: 9:24AM BST 01 Sep 2008 According to reports in the newspaper De Telegraaf, the country's intelligence service, the AIVD, has stopped an espionage operation aimed at infiltration and sabotage of the weapons industry in Iran. "The operation, described as extremely successful, was halted recently in connection with plans for an impending US air attack on Iran," said the report. "Targets would also be bombed which were connected with the Dutch espionage action." "Well placed" sources told the paper that a top agent had been recalled recently "because the US was thought to be making a decision within weeks to attack Iran with unmanned aircraft". "Information from the AIVD operation has in recent years been shared with the American CIA secret service." Brig Gen Seyyed Massoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of the Iranian armed forces, warned at the weekend that military attacks against Iran would trigger a Third World War. "The exorbitant demands of the US leaders and the global Zionism which have created the current situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and Caucasus are gradually directing the world to the edge of the cliff," he said. The US has refused to rule out a military attack against Iran if its government continues to enrich uranium as part of its civilian nuclear programme, which the West suspects has the clandestine objective of developing atomic weapons. Iran has warned it would close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Gulf and a major oil shipping route, if it is attacked. On Friday, the Israel newspaper Ma'ariv reported that Israel has stepped up preparations for a contingency plan to attack Iran, should diplomatic efforts, via the United Nations, fail to derail Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons programme. From lnp3 at panix.com Tue Sep 2 08:02:14 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:02:14 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <20080902140156.39EC0EDF8@mailbackend.panix.com> Marvin wrote: >What's required is the patience for that to occur, and that's a more >difficult matter, as I've personally experienced. So I wouldn't counsel >others on what to do, but hope my observations will be useful in helping >move the discussion forward. I think it's also true that engaging in >political activity in or around the DP is much harder to do than in the NDP >for at least two reasons: a) the NDP is farther from power and the >differences between it and the governing parties more pronounced. As the >case of the German Greens demonstrated, the closer a party gets to power, >the greater the pressures to blur its program and to isolate and destroy the >party left, and b) the Democrats, like the British Labour Party and French >and German social democrats in an earlier period, share responsibility for >the bipartisan administration of an imperialist state, so it's only natural >that ideologically committed Marxists, as well as many DP rank and filers, >would feel themselves compromised by the party's foreign policy positions. But Marxism has never been about a long-term orientation to social democratic electoral parties. Lenin urged voting for social democratic parties in Europe in the 1920s in cases where they had never become the ruling party. Workers who had illusions in such parties would not listen to Communist workers who railed against their leaders. In other words, Lenin proposed what amounted to a ruse. Once the social democratic party was in power and began to demonstrate its class collaborationism, it would be much easier to persuade workers to break with reformism. In the late 1920s, the CP's under Stalin's direction pursued a path of attacking the SP's as "social fascist", which was far more destructive than the more innocent ultraleftism of the early 1920s that Lenin was polemicizing against. In Saxony, for example, the CP backed a Nazi-initiated referendum to unseat an SP politician. After Hitler's rise to power, Stalin lurched rightwards and proposed electoral alliances with the SP in the name of the Popular Front. In the US, it was carried out as an orientation to Roosevelt. This support for a long-standing bourgeois party was even harder to justify in Marxist terms than the European alliance with the SP's. In chapter six of Harvey Klehr's admittedly reactionary "Secret World of American Communism", he reports on an NKVD document on communications between Earl Browder and Franklin Roosevelt. FDR congratulates Browder and the CPUSA for conducting its political line skillfully and helping US military efforts. Roosevelt is "particularly pleased" with the battle of New Jersey Communists against a left-wing Labor Party formation there. He was happy that the CPUSA had been able to unite various factions of the Democratic Party against the left-wing electoral opposition and render it ineffectual. When pressures for a class-based party became too great for the CP to withstand, it oriented to a "Labor Party" that it could control. Its most famous elected official was Vito Marcantonio. As it turns out, the Labor Party was originally created by the SP so its members could support Roosevelt's reelection without having to cast a vote for the Democratic Party. This was during the period when the SP had a vocal leftwing. After the Trotskyists pulled off their "entryist" tactic, they cannibalized the SP and rendered it ineffective. From markalause at gmail.com Tue Sep 2 08:02:48 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 10:02:48 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: I understand Fred's point but would put it differently. In a sense, the spots can change. They are skin deep. The structure, the essence remains unchanged. Marvin misunderstands my point about not having a voice. Anybody can say anything pretty much anywhere, if they're willing to put up with the flack that comes with it. The question is whether or not it means anything. My father was an old CIO New Deal Democrat. (I'm not using this as a euphemism for CP, btw.) He was what they used to call a "yellow dog Democrat" in the South, that is someone who'd vote Democratic if a yellow dog was heading the ticket. Several times, he actually attended city conventions as a delegate from the ward, but this was always when a larger organization--the union or something like that--was trying to get something passed. At times, they'd get things voted and the machine would just ignore it. Desegregation of public facilities was one of those issues that would periodically come up, get endorsed, and simply not recorded in the minutes or published in the press. The essence of a caucus party is that it is innately top-down. It is rooted in the 18th century parliamentary and congressional bodies. The branch parties developed in a later, less overtly artistocratic age. This is all PoliSci 101, though. Marvin is certainly correct that people who vote Democratic can go to events and talk to each other. I've gone to PDA stuff around here and talked to people. There's absolutely no reason you have to vote Democratic to do it. ML On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 9:42 AM, S. Artesian wrote: > No doubt, working for the Obama campaign will provide you with access to > hundreds of thousands of others working for the Obama campaign; allow you to > make thousands of phone calls asking for support of Obama; grant you hours > of street time recruiting signatures on petititons for Obama. > > You can be gay, feminist, trade unionist, environmentalist. No doubt. And > you can talk about all those other issues. You sure can. Because you will > keeping all that discussion squarely in the framework of the platform of the > Democratic party. As long as you keep the discussion to trade union rights, > global warming, justice-- you can. But step away from the platform. Give > your thousands of contacts your deep down Marxist analysis, see how much > phone time, street time, committee time you get then. On your way out the > door. > > Millions of people did all that type of work for McGovern in 1972; and that > with the added benefit of McGovern's explicitly anti-war positon. However, > that electioneering coincided with a decline in the anti-war movement. > That electioneering was part of the decline in the anti-war movement. > > How can you talk about Iraq given Obama's consistent equivocation? How do > you campaign for Obama and respond to somebody's question about Afghanistan? > How do you talk to Iraq Veterans Agains the War? > > How do you work inside the Democratic party and not support Democratic > candidates for office like-- for example-- Pelosi? Feinstein? Richard M. > Daley? Schumer? Clinton? any number of Kennedys. > > By whispering? > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Marvin Gandall" > To: > Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 8:54 AM > Subject: Re: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better > > > > ________________________________________________ > 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/markalause%40gmail.com > From nchamah at gmail.com Mon Sep 1 21:44:49 2008 From: nchamah at gmail.com (nchamah miller) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 23:44:49 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] 200 human rights violations and 38 documented deaths of Trade Union Leaders in Colombia so far this year Message-ID: As at the end of August this year 200 violations (death threats, arbitrary detentions, "forced disappearances") against the lives of trade unionists or peasant leaders have taken place in Colombia 38 of these comprise the corroborated deaths of 38 trade Union Leaders. See article in Spanish attached as reference. nchamah Entre los 38 casos de sindicalistas asesinados este a?o, cabe mencionar, por la resonancia nacional que tuvieron, el de Guillermo Rivera F?quene, Presidente de Sinservpub, cuyo cad?ver apareci? el 15 de julio en Ibagu?, tres meses despu?s de su desaparici?n en el sector del Tunal, en Bogot?; y el de Leonidas G?mez Roso, empleado del City Bank y dirigente de la Uni?n Nacional de Empleados Bancarios (UNEB). Fue asesinado el 7 de marzo en Bogot?, un d?a despu?s de la Marcha Nacional contra el paramilitarismo y todas las formas de Violencia, de la cual particip? como activista. Tambi?n se recuerda el atentado ocurrido el primero de abril en el Valle del Guamez, Putumayo, donde muri? Luz Mariela D?az L?pez, perteneciente a la Asociaci?n de Educadores del Putumayo, quien al momento de su muerte se encontraba embarazada. Junto a ella tambi?n cay? asesinado el sindicalista Emerson Iv?n Herrera. La Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT) ha sido la m?s afectada por la racha de cr?menes. 29 de los asesinados pertenec?an a sindicatos afiliados a esta Central. Otros 5 pertenec?an a sindicatos filiales de la CGT, y 4 a organizaciones no confederadas. El sindicato m?s golpeado es Fensuagro (Federaci?n Sindical Nacional Unitaria Agropecuaria), filial de la CUT, que registr? 5 casos de homicidio. Tambi?n el Sindicato Unitario de Trabajadores de la Educaci?n del Valle (Sutep), con 4 homicidios. La Asociaci?n de Educadores del Norte de Santander y el sindicato de los trabajadores del IMPEC, registraron de a tres casos de asesinatos de afiliados. Llama tambi?n la atenci?n el grado de impunidad que, hasta el momento, ha rodeado estos cr?menes, pues, seg?n la informaci?n disponible, por estos hechos s?lo han sido detenidas dos personas. Preocupante situaci?n en Santander, por amenazas Otra circunstancia preocupante tiene que ver con el aumento de sindicalistas amenazados de muerte, sobre todo en el departamento de Santander. Mientras en el pa?s en lo que va del a?o se han denunciado 125 casos de amenazas, en Santander el reporte es de 57 casos de sindicalistas amenazados, o sea casi la mitad del total nacional en este solo departamento. Los otros departamentos m?s afectados por las amenazas son Antioquia, donde se han denunciado 22 casos, el Valle del Cauca con 9 casos, y Norte de Santander con 7. Lista de sindicalistas asesinados en el 2008 La lista completa de sindicalistas asesinados en Colombia del 1? de enero de 2008 a la fecha, es la siguiente: NOMBRE SINDICALISTA FECHA MUNICIPIO SINDICATO ZULUAGA MARIO 02-Ene-08 MEDELLIN ASMEDAS P?REZ MONTES ISRAEL ANDR?S 11-Ene-08 VALLEDUPAR SINTRADRUMMOND P?REZ ZAPATA RAMIRO DE JES?S 12-Ene-08 SAN JERONIMO ADIDA GONZ?LES ISRAEL 24-Ene-08 SAN ANTONIO FENSUAGRO SU?REZ LEAL JOS? YEBRAIL 28-Ene-08 BELLO SIGGINPEC DUARTE ACERO JOSE MARTIN 02-Feb-08 LA MACARENA SINTRAMBIENTE MESA PASACHOA MARIA DEL CARMEN 08-Feb-08 TAME ASEDAR TRUJILLO MARIA TERESA 09-Feb-08 SANTANDER DE QUILICHAO ASOINCA BENAVIDEZ SAMBONI ARLEY 09-Feb-08 BALBOA ANTHOC GIRALDO MAMI?N JOS? 09-Feb-08 LA VEGA ASOINCA CARVAJAL RAM?REZ CARMEN CECILIA 04-Mar-08 OCANA ASINORT GOMEZ ALZATE GILDARDO ANTONIO 07-Mar-08 MEDELLIN ADIDA G?MEZ ROZO LEONIDAS 08-Mar-08 BOGOTA UNEB MU?OZ BENAVIDEZ V?CTOR MANUEL 12-Mar-08 AGUSTIN CODAZZI ADUCESAR BURBANO CARLOS 12-Mar-08 SAN VICENTE DEL CAGU?N ANTHOC JIM?NEZ MANUEL ANTONIO 15-Mar-08 PUERTO ASIS FENSUAGRO QUIROZ JOSE FERNANDO 16-Mar-08 PUERTO ASIS FENSUAGRO ASTROS AMAYA JOS? GREGORIO 18-Mar-08 CARTAGO ASEINPEC GONZ?LEZ MONTES ADOLFO 22-Mar-08 RIOHACHA SINTRACARBON TROCHEZ PE?A JULIO C?SAR 22-Mar-08 SEVILLA SUTEV HERRERA RUALES EMERSON IV?N 01-Abr-08 VALLE DEL GUAMUEZ ASEP D?AZ L?PEZ LUZ MARIELA 01-Abr-08 VALLE DEL GUAMUEZ ASEP LEAL MEDINA RAFAEL ANTONIO 04-Abr-08 ARMERO AICA ARIZA OMAR 07-Abr-08 SEVILLA SUTEV GUTIERREZ RUIZ LUIS ENRIQUE 15-Abr-08 TAUSA SINDESENA CABALLERO ARIZA JES?S HEBERTO 18-Abr-08 BARRANQUILLA SINDESENA RIVERA FUNEQUE GUILLERMO 28-Abr-08 IBAGUE SINSERVPUB BTA CHIQUILLO PASCUALES TOM?S ALBERTO 10-May-08 ALGARROBO SINTRAPROACEITES SUR DEL CESAR GELVES LUIS ORLANDO 11-May-08 TAME FENSUAGRO VERGARA S?NCHEZ MARCELO 05-Jun-08 BUGA SUTEV PEL?EZ CASTA?O FAVIER DARIO 13-Jun-08 CAICEDONIA ASEINPEC RECALDE ORD??EZ WALTER ANIBAL 19-Jun-08 BUGA ASEINPEC MU?OZ GUAR?N JOSE HUMBERTO 22-Jun-08 RESTREPO SUTEV MENDOZA CARRE?O HALY MART?N 09-Jul-08 CUCUTA ASINORT PALOMEQUE VALENCIA JES?S 05-Ago-08 CUCUTA ASINORT MAYUSA PRADA LUIS 08-Ago-08 SARAVENA CUT GAMBOA MEL?NDEZ MANUEL EMIRSON 13-Ago-08 PUERTO ASIS FENSUAGRO GALEANO MART?NEZ JOS? OMAR 23-Ago-08 BUGA FECOLOT Agencia de informaci?n Laboral ENS Tel. 5133100 Ext. 129 \n \n informacionlaboral at ens.org.co More details attached below in Spanish. From lnp3 at panix.com Tue Sep 2 08:07:54 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:07:54 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Was "coup leader" victim of a set-up in East Timor? In-Reply-To: <2009763.1220363172588.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa .earthlink.net> References: <2009763.1220363172588.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <20080902140736.2475C12EF3@mailbackend.panix.com> >Anything of interest in the TIMING of this WSWS report? Walter Lippmann Even if there was, what is the point? There are many people on this mailing list who are interested in East Timor politics and could care less about the WSWS motivation. In fact, I didn't give the Cuba connection a moment's notice. Of course, in your mind that confirms my status as a Sam Farber wannabe, especially since I have the "wrong" position on Chinese buses being sold to Cuba. From nmgoro at gmail.com Tue Sep 2 08:16:33 2008 From: nmgoro at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?N=C3=A9stor_Gorojovsky?=) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 11:16:33 -0300 Subject: [Marxism] 200 human rights violations and 38 documented deaths of Trade Union Leaders in Colombia so far this year In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <2fa158550809020716x7690a412l8875685b9304f653@mail.gmail.com> Could nchamah miller offer source, please? Thanks. El 2/09/08, nchamah miller escribi?: > As at the end of August this year 200 violations (death threats, arbitrary > detentions, "forced disappearances") against the lives of trade unionists > or peasant leaders have taken place in Colombia 38 of these comprise the > corroborated deaths of 38 trade Union Leaders. > > > > See article in Spanish attached as reference. -- N?stor Gorojovsky El texto principal de este correo puede no ser de mi autor?a From Dbachmozart at aol.com Tue Sep 2 08:44:37 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 10:44:37 EDT Subject: [Marxism] The West Bank - Growth in the land of contradictions Message-ID: Growth in the land of contradictions Jonathan Cook _The National _ (http://thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage) September 1 2008 clip - (http://www.jkcook.net/Articles2/0329.htm#Top) Today?s West Bank is a land of shocking contrasts ? of one set of rules and rights for Palestinians and another for Jewish settlers. Palestinian lives are under the absolute control of the Israeli army, which can either seal off communities with roadblocks or invade them at will. The Palestinian economy is being slowly strangled by the separation barrier. Few Palestinians are allowed any longer to seek work inside Israel, and their freedom to move around the West Bank is severely curtailed by hundreds of checkpoints and the need for almost unattainable travel permits. If West Bank Palestinians are being hemmed into ghettoes, the 500,000 Jewish settlers living alongside them are in a much better position. Their settlements are connected to Israel by motorways that make their work and families inside Israel a simple, quick drive away. Israelis crisscross over the Green Line, the effective border, unaware of where Israel ends and the West Bank begins. The growth of the settlements, all of which are illegal under international law, was supposed to have been frozen under the terms of the 2003 Road Map, the US-sponsored plan to advance a Palestinian state. But a drive through the West Bank around East Jerusalem reveals a skyline of cranes, rapidly expanding these fortress colonies. full -- _http://www.jkcook.net/Articles2/0329.htm#Top_ (http://www.jkcook.net/Articles2/0329.htm#Top) We have it in our power to begin the world over again ?Thomas Paine **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) From Dbachmozart at aol.com Tue Sep 2 09:17:50 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 11:17:50 EDT Subject: [Marxism] the ficticious credit crunch and dollar hegemony Message-ID: By William Bowles -- clip -- For the past five centuries Western capitalism has sought to extend its control over the entire planet, a process delayed for around seventy-five years by the Russian and associated revolutions. Denied access to markets and resources that capitalism, in order to survive, has to have, in 1991 the world became capitalism?s oyster, the ?market? reigned supreme, we were promised a future of unfettered expansion and wealth (remember the ?trickle-down theory? ?). But it took was less than twenty years for the entire edifice to come crashing down as the inherent contradictions of a now-globalized capitalism floated to the surface like so much scum. The over-accumulation of capital produced by the ?free market? desperately needs new markets but likewise, globalizing production produced a vast over-production of goods and commensurately nobody to buy them. These twin elements, over-accumulation and over-production are the direct result of moving production to the world?s cheap labour markets, which in the short-term produced vast profits for a handful of giant transnational corporations (and ?cheap? goods for the minority of the world?s population who live in the so-called developed countries. ?Cheap? because they?ve been purchased using borrowed money). ?World trade is now a game in which the US produces dollars and the rest of the world produces things that dollars can buy. The world's interlinked economies no longer trade to capture a comparative advantage; they compete in exports to capture needed dollars to service dollar-denominated foreign debts and to accumulate dollar reserves to sustain the exchange value of their domestic currencies. To prevent speculative and manipulative attacks on their currencies, the world's central banks must acquire and hold dollar reserves in corresponding amounts to their currencies in circulation. The higher the market pressure to devalue a particular currency, the more dollar reserves its central bank must hold. This creates a built-in support for a strong dollar that in turn forces the world's central banks to acquire and hold more dollar reserves, making it stronger. This phenomenon is known as dollar hegemony, which is created by the geopolitically constructed peculiarity that critical commodities, most notably oil, are denominated in dollars.? ? _?US dollar hegemony has got to go?_ (http://www.atimes.com/global-Econ/DD11Dj01.html) By Henry C K Liu. The media go to great lengths to push the totally ficticious idea as to the cause of the current crisis of capital by labelling it as the ?credit crunch? , that is to say, a shortage of cash in circulation, or more precisely, access to cash via credit with which to purchase things. full - _http://www.creative-i.info/?p=415_ (http://www.creative-i.info/?p=415) **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) From schaffer at optonline.net Tue Sep 2 09:41:52 2008 From: schaffer at optonline.net (Les Schaffer) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:41:52 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] blocking of marxmail by RoadRunner/Adelphia Message-ID: <48BD5EC0.2030908@optonline.net> Yesterday i noticed that several subscriptions were disabled by our server due to excessive bounces. on closer inspection, they were all RoadRunner/Adelphia email accounts (i believe TimeWarner runs both now), though not every RoadRunner subscription was disabled. i re-enabled delivery to each of these accounts immediately. The bounces we received indicated one of three causes, and i thought the likeliest reason was that Road Runner had blocked our mail server. after a little snooping around, this seemed more likely and i requested the block be removed. it looks like that took place yesterday: http://security.rr.com/cgi-bin/block-lookup?155.97.131.71 * *However, my concern is with the content of the email that was blocked. It's subject header was The Crisis of Zionism and a Perspective for Palestinian Approach and i am reproducing it here to see if it triggers the block again. however, i cannot be sure whether it was the content of this post that triggered the block, or the block came about for some other reason and this post was the "last straw". if any subscriber had intermittent problems receiving marxmail posts, let me know off list and i will see if there is a block on our server. the easiest way to tell if you are not receiving all posts: 1. first, make sure you do not have email delivery disabled! 2. surf to http://www.marxmail.org/maillist.html and see if the posts that show up there correspond one-to-one with posts you have received. skip the first couple posts, as this site may be updated before you receive your copies of that post. if for some reason you suddenly stop receiving posts, let me know and i will see if there is a block on our server. Les * * From Dbachmozart at aol.com Tue Sep 2 10:01:45 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 12:01:45 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Portrait of a highly successful system Message-ID: Chris Floyd - Empire Burlesque <_http://www.chris-floyd.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1596&It emid=135_ (http://www.chris-floyd.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1596&Itemid=135) > We have it in our power to begin the world over again ?Thomas Paine **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) From barneyd52 at yahoo.com Tue Sep 2 10:05:22 2008 From: barneyd52 at yahoo.com (Bernard Decatur) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 09:05:22 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] Rise in US union membership in 2007 Message-ID: <524887.77842.qm@web59901.mail.ac4.yahoo.com> (full report here: http://www.irle.ucla.edu/research/unionmembership.html) US union membership up substantially in 2008, study shows Buoyed by a rising tide in California in general and Southern California in particular, U.S. unionization levels rose substantially this year, defying a decades-long trend of decline, according to a report by UCLA's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. "The State of the Unions in 2008: A Profile of Union Membership in Los Angeles, California and the Nation" shows unionization rates nationwide rising half a percentage point over the 2007 level, to 12.6 percent of all U.S. civilian workers in 2008. The rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point between 2006 and 2007. Prior to that, the last time U.S. unionization rates registered an increase was in 1979. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-08/uoc--uum082808.php From schaffer at optonline.net Tue Sep 2 10:05:28 2008 From: schaffer at optonline.net (Les Schaffer) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:05:28 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] blocking of marxmail by RoadRunner/Adelphia In-Reply-To: <48BD5EC0.2030908@optonline.net> References: <48BD5EC0.2030908@optonline.net> Message-ID: <48BD6448.8080107@optonline.net> incidentally, this is a block on our subscribers receiving posts from our mail server. the Comcast problem i reported about last week is a failure to deliver mail *from* our subscribers *to* our server. Les From pbond at mail.ngo.za Tue Sep 2 10:08:35 2008 From: pbond at mail.ngo.za (Patrick Bond) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:08:35 +0200 Subject: [Marxism] Coalition against Bayer Dangers In-Reply-To: <0BE6483A-076F-4B01-944B-0FA0A0F590D4@mac.com> References: <0BE6483A-076F-4B01-944B-0FA0A0F590D4@mac.com> Message-ID: <48BD6503.5070309@mail.ngo.za> It is a great group. Here in Durban, South Africa, we have a Bayer branch plant (not far from where I live), which the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (www.sdcea.org.za) and www.groundWork.org.za and the Centre for Civil Society (www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs) have honored with the prestigious Corpse Award, given only to corporations which do absolutely massive damage to people and the planet. The bastards have poisoned the soil and our rice for many generations to come. *** http://www.nu.ac.za/CCS/default.asp?2,40,3,1134 Bayer Cropscience is nominated by the African Centre for Biosafety. At present, Bayer Cropscience is bankrolling the South African Sugarcane Research Institution, to test genetically modified (GM) sugar cane varieties using Monsanto?s gene, eventually to get ahead in the lucrative biofuels trade. Bayer has applied to the South African government for approval to import genetically modified rice into SA. Because of rejection of GMOs by consumers around the world, Bayer Cropscience was forced out of the UK, withdrew its plans to commercialise GM canola in Australia, and abandoned its research in India. Now, the company is busy illegally contaminating the world?s rice supply. Currently, only one variety of Bayer?s GM rice (LL62) has been granted approval for cultivation in only one country ? the United States ? yet due to global consumer rejection, US rice growers refuse to plant the variety. But that move couldn?t protect growers from the insidious nature of GM contamination. In late July of this year, Bayer sent shockwaves through the rice industry when its experimental variety LL601, not approved in any country, was found to have massively contaminated US rice stocks. Global sales of US rice have plummeted and US rice farmers are suffering huge economic losses. More than twenty-five lawsuits have since been filed against Bayer by groups of US rice farmers. More recently, a further case of illegal contamination has been discovered in US rice found in France, involving Bayer?s GM rice variety LL62. This same variety is pending approval in South Africa, The African Centre for Biosafety is testing South African rice considering the fact that South Africa imports rice. This is the second time that Bayer has been nominated for a Corpse. Last year, Bayer received the ?Accountability and Liability Sucks Award? for its chrome pollution in south Durban. From marvgandall at videotron.ca Tue Sep 2 11:35:04 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:35:04 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <008601c90d22$3c5cbe90$6401a8c0@MARV> Artesian writes: > How do you work inside the Democratic party and not support Democratic > candidates for office like-- for example-- Pelosi? Feinstein? Richard M. > Daley? Schumer? Clinton? any number of Kennedys. Louis writes: > But Marxism has never been about a long-term orientation to social > democratic electoral parties. Lenin urged voting for social > democratic parties in Europe in the 1920s in cases where they had > never become the ruling party. Workers who had illusions in such > parties would not listen to Communist workers who railed against > their leaders. In other words, Lenin proposed what amounted to a > ruse. Once the social democratic party was in power and began to > demonstrate its class collaborationism, it would be much easier to > persuade workers to break with reformism. Mark writes: > Marvin is certainly correct that people who vote Democratic can go to > events and talk to each other. I've gone to PDA stuff around here > and talked to people. There's absolutely no reason you have to vote > Democratic to do it. ======================================= Yes, that's the tradeoff - gaining access to workers in their unions and parties while opposing some, most, or all of the policies and leaders they presently support. Mark is wrong to suggest that such access can come cost-free from the outside. I sometimes neglected to vote for the NDP, but was never under any illusion that I could gain a sympathetic hearing standing outside NDP halls and committee rooms as I could by being seen to be actively supporting the members' struggle against the Liberal and Conservative parties to their right. As for Lenin, none of us can say what Lenin would do today. He wrote LWC:AID as a polemic against Sylvia Pankhurst and other British Marxists who raised the same qualms, moral and otherwise, about entering the Labour Party - what all agreed was a bourgeois workers party. Louis is right that the Bolsheviks thought such entry would be a short term thing because of the revolutionary nature of the period. The Boshevik program as a whole rested on that premise. But more than 80 years later, in a much less favourable period, when the USSR and international socialist movement have both disappeared, when workers are much less inclined to leave their existing bourgeois parties and leaders then they were then, when there are no longer mass Communist parties with parliamentary representation which they can look to as an alternative, how can we be so certain Lenin, in these circumstances, would move further to the left to embrace Pankhurst's uncompromising stance against any participation in these reformist parties? I think it was Lenin who said "the only principle is that which moves the struggle forward; all else is tactics", or something along those lines. If he didn't say it, I can imagine him doing so. There is every possibility, then, that he would concur today with Fred's statement that the Democratic party is "ALL THERE IS" and with Joaquin's that individual leftists have been thrown back to a period when socialists lacked a political home of their own - and draw his political conclusions from that. The choice socialists also faced in that earlier era was political abstention or supporting bourgeois liberal parties against reactionary ones. The fact that the liberal bourgeoisie no longer plays a progressive role in the broad historical sense seems to me to be beside the point, which is that, in terms of contemporary politics, the liberal DP and SD parties and the forces they represent are "all there is" to block the conservative and reactionary parties to their right who want to rollback the historical gains of the masses and weaken their organizations. Louis derides such analysis such as "TINA", as if mockery settles the issue. But his solutions - that "the alternative is us" (TAIU) or, in his own version of stages theory, an intermediate left-liberal way station without mass support like the Green Party - hardly seems to me to settle the matter either. From lnp3 at panix.com Tue Sep 2 11:47:23 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:47:23 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <008601c90d22$3c5cbe90$6401a8c0@MARV> References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> <008601c90d22$3c5cbe90$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <20080902174704.9AC6217497@mailbackend.panix.com> Marvin wrote: >But more than 80 years later, in a much less favourable period, >when the USSR and international socialist movement have both disappeared, >when workers are much less inclined to leave their existing bourgeois >parties and leaders then they were then, when there are no longer mass >Communist parties with parliamentary representation which they can look to >as an alternative, how can we be so certain Lenin, in these circumstances, >would move further to the left to embrace Pankhurst's uncompromising stance >against any participation in these reformist parties? I of all people do not advocate a mechanical adoption of Lenin's tactics, but I just wanted to remind comrades what Lenin said since they might confuse what you have written as being in that tradition. Of course, I do salute your candid admission that it is a departure from what Lenin believed, or even might have believed today. As I am sure you are aware, your recommendations are exactly that of the CP and the SP of the late 1930s, although including a caveat that they are only temporary. When the workers radicalize and the scales fall from their eyes, they will be open to full-throated Bolshevik agitation. Until that day arrives, it is better for us to join the Park Slope Democratic Party Club and do phone-banking for Obama. Speaking only for myself, I'd rather eat rat stew. >I think it was Lenin who said "the only principle is that which moves the >struggle forward; all else is tactics", or something along those lines. If >he didn't say it, I can imagine him doing so. Perhaps you are thinking of this: "The movement is everything, the final goal nothing". (Eduard Bernstein) > Louis derides such analysis such as >"TINA", as if mockery settles the issue. But his solutions - that "the >alternative is us" (TAIU) or, in his own version of stages theory, an >intermediate left-liberal way station without mass support like the Green >Party - hardly seems to me to settle the matter either. I am hardly gung-ho on the Greens at this point, especially since a fucking Democratic Party Trojan Horse has helped to render it effective. From cpimllib at gmail.com Tue Sep 2 11:37:50 2008 From: cpimllib at gmail.com (CPIML Liberation) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 23:07:50 +0530 Subject: [Marxism] ML UPDATE, vol-11 No.36, 2-8 September In-Reply-To: <007c01c90ae0$0f127630$0801a8c0@user> References: <007c01c90ae0$0f127630$0801a8c0@user> Message-ID: *ML Update* *A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine* Vol. 11 No. 36 02 - 08 SEPTEMBER 2008 * * *Bihar Floods:* *Criminal Negligence, Not Divine Deluge* ** The Nitish Kumar regime's boasts of 'Bihar Shining' are now submerged by the cries of Bihar Drowning. The NDA Government's claims of 'good governance' have proved a washout in the face of the floods, and now the Chief Minister is trying to paint the floods as a 'natural' calamity or divine 'Deluge' ('Pralay'). Nothing could be further from the truth. The flood devastation was highly preventable ? and is a direct result of callous negligence of basic flood-prevention strategies by Governments both at Patna and Delhi. Despite the fact that every year breaches in embankments cause floods in the State, maintenance and repair of embankments were rampantly neglected. It took the Bihar Chief Minister two weeks after the first breach appeared in the Kosi embankment to begin the most primary initiatives for evacuation, rescue and relief. As the Kosi changed its course and flood waters covered entire villages, affecting over 25 lakh people in nearly 12 districts of the State, the desperate pleas for help were ignored by the State Government. Even today ? in all the flood-affected areas, there is an acute shortage of rescue motorboats and boats, as well as food, drinking water, polythene sheets and other emergency essentials. At the Centre too, the Prime Minister apparently woke up late to the magnitude of the calamity. And UPA leader and Rail Minister Laloo Yadav (whose home constituency Madhepura is one of the worst-affected areas) has been fiddling as the floods swallow Bihar. His gesture of donating his 'earnings' at a TV reality show Paanchvi Pass mocks at the misery of the flood-affected people. Of course, that's nothing new. When Laloo Yadav's RJD ruled Bihar, he is the one who made the remark (worthy of Marie Antoinette) that floods are good for the poor because that's when fish from the ponds of the rich swim into the homes of the poor. In the mirror of the Bihar's flood waters every year, the rot in Bihar's polity and society can be seen starkly: its nexus of corrupt politicians, bureaucrats, and middlemen for whom the floods are a bonanza; criminalised goons governing and monopolising the structures of rescue and relief; and state repression on protesting people. Even last year, there were instances of police firing on protesting flood victims. A few years back, Time Magazine had lionised a young Bihar District Magistrate Gautam Goswami for his sterling work in flood relief ? later it came out that he, along with thugs backed by ruling politicians, had siphoned off crores of funds meant for flood victims. This year too ? the same story is unfolding. Recent reports in papers indicate that thugs are cornering rescue boats for themselves and are snatching and hoarding relief materials. In the same mirror, we can also see clearly the sordid reality behind the Central Government's boasts of '9% growth', of India being a 'rising Asian superpower', and 61 years of planning and development in independent India. Chronic hunger and starvation in India, we know, is not due to 'natural' drought and famine but due to deliberate institutional callousness and skewed priorities. The same is the case with floods too ? plans for flood control on the Kosi river have been shelved and sidelined year after year for half a century. In 1951, the people of eastern Bihar had faced the fury of the Kosi's floods ? and as a result, comprehensive plans had been chalked out to tame the floods. In keeping with these plans, a treaty was signed with Nepal in 1954 and the foundation laid for the Kosi Barrage in 1959. But subsequently the other dimensions of the Kosi Project were forgotten and neglected by successive Governments at Bihar and the Centre. Under the bilateral agreement with Nepal in 1954, maintenance and repair of embankments on the Kosi were the Bihar government's responsibility. Today, in order to explain away its neglect of that responsibility, Governments of India and Bihar are seeking to shift blame for the floods onto Nepal. Hurricane Katrina exposed the underbelly of the superpower USA ? the mightiest Army in the world failed to protect its people; racist callousness of the Government towards the (largely Black) poor of Louisiana was on display; and the myth of corporate 'efficiency' was exploded. In contrast, Cuba (David to the US' Goliath) did a far more creditable job of protecting its people when the same hurricane hit its shores. The episode proved that in dealing with such crises, it is the priorities of nations and administrations that are more decisive that actual affluence or wealth. It is concern for and participation of common people which is actually effective and 'efficient', while corporatized governance displays efficiency only in greed and loot. The floods in Bihar prove the same. As the people of Bihar battle the floods, the first priority must of course be rescue, relief and humanitarian helping hands. But our concern also demands that we take Governments at Patna and Delhi to task for their apathy and negligence, so that the yearly recurrence of the tragedy can be prevented. Activists of our party and mass organisations in the affected districts of Bihar are at the forefront of rescue and relief activities. Apart from rescue, relief and rehabilitation as well as compensation for the flood-affected, we are also demanding that a time-bound judicial enquiry be set up to investigate the many instances of negligence by Governments in the matter of flood-control. * * * * *Displacing Peasants, Disarming Workers of their Right to Strike ?CPI(M) at the Service of Corporates * *"Personally, I don't support bandhs. Bandhs do not help us or the country. Unfortunately, I belong to a political party. They call strikes and I keep mum. But I have decided to open up the next time." * ? West Bengal Chief Minister from the CPI(M) Buddhadeb Bhattacharya addressing industrialists at an ASSOCHAM meeting Time and again, CPI(M)'s pride and joy, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya comes out to assure corporate heads of his abhorrence for the working class movement's legacy of strikes, gheraos, and bandhs. Now he's done it yet again. This time, Buddhadeb, who sees himself as 'CEO' of West Bengal, has said it is 'unfortunate' that he belongs to a political party that calls strikes! The corporate media has lapped up this latest gem, and has immediately come out with editorials and commentaries galore, according to which strikes are 'politically' motivated; 'politics' is a bad word; and Buddhadeb is a lone honest voice because he, like every good CEO, bears the 'responsibility' of 'governance' unlike the 'irresponsible' party leadership. Just as Somnath Chatterjee tried to project the Speaker's Chair as being 'above' politics, Buddhadeb, another parliamentary poster-boy of the CPI(M), is trying to divorce 'governance' and 'industry' from 'politics': both have provided grist to the anti-Left, anti-politics, anti-working-class corporate mill. The capitalist has far more painful weapons than strikes ? he tames workers by threatening them with hunger. Workers who lead protests are routinely thrown out of jobs. In the face of the organised tyranny of capital, strikes are the only effective weapon of the working class. Every meagre measure of rights for the working class has been won through strikes. The corporates and their media portray this reality upside down ? accusing striking workers of 'organised tyranny' and painting the capitalist as helpless and virtuous victim. When Buddhadeb echoes the same myth and seeks to disarm workers of their sole weapon, it is because he wishes to appease corporates and capitalists at the cost of workers and peasants. The CPI(M) has claimed that it has 'censured' Buddhadeb for his statement. It would be wrong to imagine that there is any fundamental contradiction between the CPI(M) and Buddhadeb on this matter. Buddhadeb is no isolated maverick or dissident in the CPI(M) ? as he has often pointed out, it is his position that the CPI(M) has endorsed at its Party Congress! CPI(M)'s basic policy orientation is proved by the actions not just Buddhadeb but even of Kerala Chief Minister Achuthanandan, supposedly the last bastion in the CPI(M) of the struggle against neo-liberal policies. Achuthanandan recently inaugurated a Rs. 250 million 'infotainment' park run by the Malabar Pleasures India Limited under party-led Malabar Tourism Development Cooperative Society. Why should a communist-led Government spends crores to promote an elitist and exclusivist park that wastes water, and where entry fee is Rs.300 per person for adults on working days and Rs.375 on weekends?! Today the people's protest at Singur has brought the Tata's Nano plant to a standstill. Ratan Tata has threatened to shift his operations to the Pantnagar plant at Uttarakhand (in the SIDCUL industrial enclave where workers are not allowed to unionise). Unfortunately, the Trinamool and its leader Mamata Banerjee have sabotaged the Singur protest from the very outset. She has declared that the Tata Plant is welcome ? and her only demand is that 400 acres of land for which farmers had not given consent or had not accepted compensation should be returned to farmers on the grounds that is 'superfluous' to the plant. Mamata's stance reflects her party's own double standards, and tries to hide the real grounds on which the Tata plant was opposed at Singur. It is timely and important to refresh our memory on that matter. Singur was highly fertile multi-crop farmland, and CPI(M) lied to declare that it was 'single-crop' or poor quality land. CPI(M) lied to claim that 96% of farmers at Singur had given 'consent' for acquisition of their land ? later, in Court, the CPI(M) State Govt had to admit that Court that out of the 997.11 acres acquired for the Tata car plant, owners of just 287.5 acres gave consent; the clear implication is that the bulk of the land has been grabbed by force. Most importantly, the crucial question is: why did the WB Govt dole out sops from public money to the tune of 850 crore rupees to Tata? The Tata plant at Singur is founded on lies told by the CPI(M) and its WB Government; on misuse of taxpayers' money to appease corporate giant Tata; on grab of fertile land by force ? and the murder of Rajkumar Bhul and rape and murder of Tapasi Malik. It has no moral right to continue. * * *AISA-RYA Pose 5 Questions to PM on his Bihar Visit * As PM Manmohan Singh made a belated aerial survey of flood-affected Bihar, students and youth, represented by Kamlesh Sharma, National General Secretary, RYA and Abhyuday, Bihar State Secretary AISA, posed 5 questions to him and demanded that he answer the nation: Why have the plans made way back in 1951 immediately after independence for flood-management on the Kosi never been implemented? Why, in the midst of more than half a century of claims and counter-claims of competing Governments at both Centre and Bihar to 'development,' why do the floods wash Bihar back to 1951 every year? This year, the Kosi embankment breach occurred at less than 1.5 lakh cusecs of water; in 2004, the breach occurred at 2.68 lakh cusecs; while in October 1968, the same embankment had withstood 9.13 lakh cusecs, and 6.64 lakh cusecs in 1984. This gives the lie to the claim that unprecedented levels of water have caused the breach: in fact, the weakening of the embankment is squarely to blame. At Kusahara in Nepal, two spurs at 12.01 and 12.90 were showing cracks two whole weeks before the floods occurred, and newspapers had reported this. Yet no preventive measures were taken to protect the people. Is this not criminal negligence, a fact that today is being white-washed with talk of a 'Mahapralay' (Great Deluge)? Generation after generation are tired of hearing grand promises made from the lofty heights of aerial-survey helicopters ? promises that are washed away in the next year's floods. Isn't your visit to Bihar more of the same? As always, you will promise the services of central agencies in rescue and relief operations ? but like every year, this aid (and the Central Government's responsibility) will vanish when the flood waters recede. Will you guarantee six months free rations (food and fuel) as well as Rs. 5000 to each poor person in the flood-affected region of eastern Bihar ? which has the greatest concentration of backward and poor communities and from which the maximum workers migrate every year for lack of work? Will the Central Government make any plans to translate into practice the long-pending promises of Projects on the rivers of Bihar ? Kosi, Kamla Balan, Bagmati, Gandak and Mahananda? * * *CPI(ML) Statement at the All-Party meet on Bihar Floods* * * CPI(ML) Bihar State Secretary Nand Kishor Prasad and Politburo member Ramjatan Sharma attended the all-party meeting convened by the Bihar Govt on the floods, and in a hard-hitting statement holding the floods to be a result of government's negligence, demanded a time-bound judicial enquiry in the matter. * * *JNUSU Protest Demo Forces Boucher to Stay Away* A massive protest demonstration on 27 August, led by the JNUSU, forced US President George Bush's Assistant Secretary Richard Boucher to cancel his visit to JNU. JNUSU had been mobilising students against Boucher's visit for a week before the protest: a protest meeting addressed by Prof. Achin Vanaik was held on August 25, a protest rally was organised on August 26, and there were class-to-class campaigns on the issue. Students of JNU declared that Assistant Secretary Boucher was an emissary of George Bush's global mission to justify America's present occupation and plunder of Iraq and Afghanistan in the nations of the subcontinent. They refused to offer moral or academic support to this project. Some student groups like NSUI and YFE chose to be the local agents and spokespersons of US imperialism and tried to mobilise students in Boucher's support, but failed completely. The JNUSU led by AISA successfully mobilised a massive protest on the day of Boucher's proposed visit. The prospect of being greeted by hundreds of students raising slogans against US imperialism was too much for Boucher, who changed his plans and stayed ensconced in the US embassy. CPI(ML) Protests in Delhi against Crackdown in Kashmir The CPI(ML) held a demonstration at Parliament Street in New Delhi to protest the continuing military repression of protesters in Kashmir, demanding that the UPA Government ensure the release of arrested Kashmiri leaders and initiate an unconditional dialogue with them. Protesters burnt the effigy of UPA Govt. responsible for the deteriorating situation in Jammu and Kashmir. They condemned the Congress and BJP's competitive communal tactics for creating a communal division between Jammu and Kashmir. The protestors also condemned the communal pogrom by the Sangh Parivar against Christians in Kandhamal (Orissa), emboldened by the tacit support on part of the BJD-BJP-led State Government and the inaction of the UPA Government at the Centre. The protest gathering was addressed by CPI(ML) Central Committee member Swapan Mukherjee, students from the Manipuri Students Association Delhi, Javed Wani from AISA, JNU, human rights activist Gautam Navlakha, economist Prof. Amit Bhaduri, political scientist Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty, Shree Prakash of INSAF, Ravi Hemadri of Other Media, JNU Students' Union President Sandeep Singh and Joint Secretary Mobeen Alam. The protest meeting was conducted by CPI(ML) CCM Kavita Krishnan> Others who attended included former senior bureaucrat KB Saxena, Radhika Menon and Manisha Sethy from Forum for Democratic Initiatives (FDI), Delhi State Secretary Sanjay Sharma, CPI(ML) State Committee members Amarnath Tiwary, Santosh Rai, VKS Gautam, and many others. * * *Central & State Govts' Inaction Ensures Anti-Christian Riot * *Goes on in Orissa* * * The violence against the people of Christian faith in Orissa, that started on 24th August, is still continuing and till the time of reporting no political party or people are being allowed by the Navin Patnaik Govt. to visit the areas gripped by saffron terror and violence. The Orissa CM Navin Patnaik himself visited Kandhamal only on 30th August. It has been reported that even Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil's visit to the violence ridden areas was being slowed down and when he was finally allowed in he was accompanied by Jagdish Tytler, a man involved in the massacres of the Sikhs in 1984 carnage in Delhi. This gesture of the Congress' Home Minister will only embolden the rabidly communal VHP-RSS-BJP killer gangs in Orissa. However this act of Shivraj Patil has immensely angered the people of Orissa who are also seeing that despite Congress having strong presence in these areas, it is not mobilising the masses against the communal forces and elements. The anti-Christian violence has further spread to new areas and districts of Gajapati, Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Bargud, Kendrapara and Koraput districts. Everywhere the police has become a mute spectator as Navin Patnaik Govt. is running with the support of BJP, while communal-criminal gangs led by saffron organisations and BJP are moving around freely engaging in arson and killing. All this further emboldened them to call for Orissa Bandh on 25th August and on that day they hired lumpens and anti-social elements to wreak their macabre dance of death and destruction. During the bandh they killed 18 people in Kandhamal alone and 2 in Gajapati and burnt 23 churches and countless Christian houses. Reports have it that the common Christians were being chased and killed mercilessly. In Kendrapara District some Muslim houses too were burnt and destroyed. And the entire police and law and order machinery of the State Govt. had become paralysed while tye Sangh Parivar was in full control of these areas. On the other hand the Navin Patnaik led Govt., instead of taking tough measures to suppress the saffron brigade declared holiday for all educational institutions as if paying respect to Swami Laxmanananda, the VHP man who had led the bloody riots and killings of Christians in Dec '07-Jan '08. On 30th August some ABVP-RSS elements hung up a placard with anti-Hindu inflammable content and projected it as if it was done by the minority community and tried to mobile college students against the Christians. Many places are in the grip of sharp tension and its evident by the fact that Shivraj Patil was not let in Kandhamal. The CPI(ML) is making its best possible efforts to mobilise the people of Orissa against this violence. Protest demonstrations have taken place and a joint protest was held along with SUCI on 28th August. We are approaching all the Left parties for collective action against the ongoing anti-Christian violence. Young CPI(ML) cadres in Kandhamal, who hailed from Christian faith are feared killed, we have no access to those areas as yet as entry is being barred from outside. The CPI(ML) Orissa unit is trying to organise a visit to the area. * * * * *Excerpts from letter to Speaker (Dt/- 17 August 2008), Parliament of India, by Prof. Chaman Lal, (editor, Complete Documents of Bhagat Singh in Hindi), protesting against the distortion of Bhagat Singh's image in the statue installed in Parliament:* Respected Somnath ji, In the beginning I must appreciate your sincere efforts in getting the statue of country's most cherished martyr Bhagat Singh in Parliamentary complex. However... a very disturbing development has also taken place ...about which I wish to draw your most urgent attention. PTC, a Punjabi news channel on 15th August and 'The Tribune's Delhi edition on 16th August has referred to the reactions of close members of Bhagat Singh's family about the inaugurated statue. Smt. Virender Sandhu, niece of Bhagat Singh (Daughter of Kultar Singh), who is the first biographer of Bhagat Singh and his ancestors in Hindi and who has been honored by Punjab Govt. this year on this forty year old classic book as 'Shiromani Hindi Sahityakar', traveled from England to be part of this ceremony, has expressed her deep disappointment at the statue, which has been installed. Abhay Singh Sandhu, son of Kulbir Singh and nephew of Bhagat Singh, who has been instrumental in getting Bhagat Singh's jail notebook, published from Punjab and Haryana Govts with Punjabi and Hindi translations for free distribution in schools and for public, felt even more distressed at the figure of Bhagat Singh as sculpted in statue. Jagmohan Singh son of Bibi Amar Kaur and nephew of Bhagat Singh has also reacted strongly about the sculpted figure. Not only family members of Bhagat Singh, even eminent freedom fighter Sh. Shashi Bhushan felt that the statue looks like that of a 50-60 year old man and not of 23-24 years young person. ... While sculpting historical figures, the face of a personality can not be changed with imagination, it has to remain closest to the real face. For very long period Bhagat Singh ideas remained shadowed by various fishy interpretations and many paintings, particularly in Punjab, based on these shady interpretations came up. One of these paintings has been of Bhagat Singh wearing yellow turban with pistol in hand, confirming the colonial image of 'a terrorist'. Some of us like Prof. Bipan Chandra, Prof. Sunmit Sarkar, Prof. Irfan Habib, myself and others, who have worked for many years to resurrect the real image of Bhagat Singh as a brilliant socialist thinker, through his writings, feel cheated, when some of these painted images take precedence over real pictures of Bhagat Singh. Punjab Govt. has been guilty of publishing a painted picture of Bhagat Singh as real picture in media in its official advertisements for last more than three decades, including the advertisement issued on 15th August this year. ...An unsavory controversy however was created by those, who had nothing to do with the ideas of Bhagat Singh to communalize the issue of statue of a confirmed atheist. Although the whole world know Bhagat Singh by his last photograph with hat and dozens of statues throughout the country?Indore, Kolkata, Partapgarh, Delhi (Ferozeshah Kotla) and dozens of other places, are based on this world popular known photograph, which is popular even in Pakistan. Irony of the matter is that, the place where he created history by his action on 8th April 1929, in this very photographic shape, he was denied the same shape by the new rulers. ...Even if one grants that a statue with turban was the decision of certain committee, then it was imperative that the real picture with turban was to be sculpted, that has not been done. The popular picture with turban is of College drama group. In this picture Bhagat Singh is wearing white Kurta Pyjama with white falling turban, which is not a typical Sikh (close, tight) way of wearing turban. Bhagat Singh was almost six feet tall with robust health, but he was not fat. In his turbaned photo, he has very small beard and moustaches, as he was just sixteen then. (The sculpture is not faithful even to this photo.) ... To make amends to this serious blunder, first step is to cover the statue, till a proper enquiry is made into whole issue and a properly shaped statue is installed. Secondly, the hat wearing popular, real and last photograph of Bhagat Singh and B K Dutt must be displayed inside the Central Hall, preferably, where they sat watching the proceedings before throwing bombs with plaques. If these amends are not made, I am afraid, the youth of the country will always think that why Bhagat Singh like revolutionary patriots are wronged during their life time and also after their life time by the establishment of that period. Though Bhagat Singh is like a Phoenix, however he may be tried to be buried and killed at the level of body or ideas, he will resurrect himself with renewed vigour, as Che Guvera's resurrection has happened in all Latin American countries, shaking the neo colonial powers of the earth. With hopes of your kind attention.....*-Chaman Lal* * * * ** From lnp3 at panix.com Tue Sep 2 11:54:21 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:54:21 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <20080902174704.9AC6217497@mailbackend.panix.com> References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> <008601c90d22$3c5cbe90$6401a8c0@MARV> <20080902174704.9AC6217497@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: <20080902175402.A5A331E37@mailbackend.panix.com> At 01:47 PM 9/2/2008, you wrote: >I am hardly gung-ho on the Greens at this point, especially since a >fucking Democratic Party Trojan Horse has helped to render it effective. I of course meant ineffective. From sartesian at earthlink.net Tue Sep 2 12:15:08 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 14:15:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc><618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta><400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad><002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> <008601c90d22$3c5cbe90$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: The moderator's identification of TINA is not solely mockery Marvin when you state: "The fact that the liberal bourgeoisie no longer plays a progressive role in the broad historical sense seems to me to be beside the point, which is that, in terms of contemporary politics, the liberal DP and SD parties and the forces they represent are "all there is" to block the conservative and reactionary parties to their right who want to rollback the historical gains of the masses and weaken their organizations." That's quite a statement for any number of reasons-- first, I don't know of the liberal bourgeoisie playing a progressive role in the broad historical sense ever-- or at least not since the rollback of Reconstruction in the US, and if you look at that rollback, it could not have been accomplished without that "liberal bourgeoisie" agreeing to, participating in [and even before the official withdrawal of troops, the official reinstatement of the Southern landowners] the "rollback the historical gains of the masses and weaken their organizations." Secondly, if you look to more recent history you find the SD and Labor parties playing just that role you ascribe to the conservatives and reactionaries-- do you think for a minute Thatcher's election would have been possible if the British LP under Callaghan had not first disorganized the rank and file movement that had thrown Heath out of office? Do you think Merkel would have been triumphed if Schroeder had not first put the unions' feet to the fire? Do you think Schroeder could have succeeded if the union leaderships were not committed to, part and parcel of the accumulation of capital; if the unions were not incorporated into just that accumulation through their ties to the social-democrats? Thirdly, there is an extreme note of voluntarism in your formulation-- as if the election or rather, selection, of the reactionary parties is a voluntary act, an exercise of choice, and not in fact dictated by sharpening economic distress and conflicts; and those conflicts will somehow be what? mitigated? or decided in favor of "the left" by having the proper candidates elected to office by the hard work of leftists? And most of all, I think your above statement is a step back from your original position that recognized the DP as "inadequate" but still providing an arena for access to forces that would not be inadequate to resolving those economic conflicts at the heart of the current and future predicament. You really are now say there is no alternative; there can only be reform. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marvin Gandall" To: Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 1:35 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better From anthony.boynton at gmail.com Tue Sep 2 12:29:13 2008 From: anthony.boynton at gmail.com (Anthony Boynton) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 13:29:13 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] 200 human rights violations and 38 documented deaths of Trade Union Leaders in Colombia so far this year Message-ID: <7b8a676d0809021129m7d309e36gff45ec1a5d148f96@mail.gmail.com> Nestor asked, "Could nchamah miller offer source, please? Thanks" I don't know her source, but here is a link to MOVICE, the movement of victims of state violence, which has tons of information which will verify nchamah miller's statistics. Also below is a very interesting interview done by Semana magazine and republished on the Polo Democratico website. Semana pulled the article off its website after only 4 minutes because of the explosive allegations about Alvaro Uribe and his cronies. Rafael Garc?a se confiesa Mi?rcoles 27 de agosto de 2008 [image: -] La web del Polo conoci? la entrevista que el ex jefe de inform?tica del Das, Rafael Garc?a, le concedi? a la revista Semana en agosto de 2006. La entrevista fue publicada, por escasos minutos, el d?a 4 de agosto en el portal de internet de la revista. [image: -] Garc?a sindica al ciudadano N?stor Ram?n Caro de financiar las campa?as de ?lvaro Uribe y Germ?n Vargas Lleras en el 2002. Lo grave es que, seg?n Rafael Garc?a, N?stor Ram?n Caro estaba solicitado en extradici?n desde 2001. [image: -] Asegura que est? detenido "no por lo que hice sino por lo que s?" y afirma que en "la campa?a de Uribe de 2002 hubo "cosas much?simo m?s graves que las que sucedieron en la campa?a de Samper". *SEMANA: ?C?mo fue el fraude electoral? * RAFAEL GARC?A: Hay muchas imprecisiones respecto de eso. Por ejemplo dicen que hubo un fraude t?cnico y yo no he hablado de un fraude t?cnico. Lo que dije fue que se organiz? un fraude electoral para llevar a unos candidatos de preferencia del Bloque Norte de las AUC al Congreso. Mencion? tres senadores del Magdalena, tres candidatos a la C?mara de Representantes por el Magdalena, dos candidatos al Senado por Cesar y dos para C?mara, dos candidatos a la C?mara por La Guajira y un candidato al Senado por Bol?var. El fraude funcion? as?: el se?or Jos? Gamarra nos pidi? a Enrique Osorio de la Rosa y a m? que estudi?ramos la posibilidad de ver c?mo se hac?a para garantizar la votaci?n sin que la gente fuera a votar, porque la gente al verse presionada por los paramilitares lo que hac?a era abstenerse de ir a votar. Enrique es un tipo que trabaj? 18 a?os en la Registradur?a y ?l conoce much?simo sobre el tema y fue quien dise?? todo el modus operandi. ?l lo que dijo fue: hay que buscar los nombres de los votantes en cada mesa para que los jurados puedan incluirlos en los tarjetones y suplantar a los electores. Lo que se hizo fue un programa de computador que cargaba el censo electoral. Compramos cuatro censos electorales que no son disponibles al p?blico y los consigui? Enrique. Del Cesar, Magdalena, La Guajira y Bol?var. Ese programa cargaba los censos y mostraba mesa a mesa cada puesto de votaci?n de los municipios que se quisieran manipular. Esos listados se les entregaron a los candidatos y ellos se los repartieron a los jurados que ellos hab?an designado y que las autodefensas obligaron a los registradores a que los nombraran. Al final de la jornada electoral, o en medio de ella, lo que se hac?a era que la gente que no iba a votar se suplantaba. Se cog?a el tarjet?n, se marcaba por el candidato que hab?a escogido el Bloque Norte de las AUC y firmaba por ?l. Yo nunca habl? de fraude t?cnico. El programa de computador fue una herramienta de apoyo para el fraude que fue realizado a trav?s de los jurados. *SEMANA: ?C?mo consiguieron los listados?* R.G.: Por cada censo electoral se pagaban cuatro millones de pesos. Eso lo entreg? Jos? Gamarra a Enrique Osorio. No s? de d?nde habr? sacado el dinero ?l, no s? si se lo habr?a dado "Jorge 40". Enrique compr? esos censos a personajes de la Registradur?a en Bogot?. No s? a qui?n pero nos lo enviaron por correo. Yo mismo lo acompa?? a la oficina de Deprisa para reclamar los cuatro CD cuando llegaron. *SEMANA: ?Ya le explic? eso a la Fiscal?a? * R.G.: Yo le expliqu? con todo detalle. Ahora quiero hacer claridad en algo. Yo no he dicho en la Fiscal?a que el doctor Uribe busc? ese favorecimiento. Lo que dije fue que esos se?ores apoyaban la candidatura del doctor Uribe y usted sabe que en cualquier elecci?n los parlamentarios est?n comprometidos con una votaci?n con el candidato a presidente. Luego para garantizar su votaci?n hacia el doctor Uribe, repitieron el mismo fraude electoral en las presidenciales. Yo no he dicho que el doctor Uribe busc? ese fraude. Lo que dije fue que esos se?ores, el mismo fraude que hicieron para elegirse ellos, lo repitieron para aportarle los votos al Presidente. *SEMANA: ?Usted sabe si ?lvaro Uribe se enter? de ese fraude?* R.G.: Yo no s? qu? tanto pudo haber sabido ?l. Pero s? s? que el se?or Jos? Gelves que era el ide?logo del "Frente Resistencia Tayrona" dijo en SEMANA en la revista anterior: "Nosotros le hicimos campa?a a Uribe, yo me reun? con el candidato". ?Por qu? nadie le ha prestado atenci?n a eso? Ahora el se?or est? diciendo que esas reuniones fueron entre el 2001-2002 cuando Uribe era candidato. En SEMANA ?l dice que se desmoviliz? en el 2006 y que ten?a seis a?os de pertenecer a las autodefensas. ?Por qu? nadie le ha preguntado al doctor Uribe por qu? se reuni? con alguien que era miembro de las autodefensas? ?Por qu? ese se?or le estaba haciendo campa?a al doctor Uribe? ? Por qu? recib?a respaldo de ?l en su campa?a? En las elecciones regionales, que fueron al d?a siguiente del referendo, yo estuve con Jorge Noguera. ?l me fue a buscar a la casa de mis padres a Santa Marta y me dijo que lo acompa?ara. Primero me llev? a m? para que yo votara. Todo el mundo nos vio. Luego yo lo acompa?? a ?l al Liceo Celed?n para que ?l votara. Luego ?l me dej? en mi casa y me dijo que ten?a un almuerzo. Despu?s me encontr? con Jos? Gelves y me dijo que hab?a estado con Noguera en el restaurante Panamerican y estaba tambi?n Ra?l Montoya, que es una persona reconocida en Santa Marta que financi? la campa?a de ?lvaro Uribe. *SEMANA: ?Qu? papel tuvo Juan Carlos Vives durante la campa?a de 2002?* R.G.: Juan Carlos Vives es muy amigo de Jorge Noguera. Inclusive en una oportunidad Jorge qued? como gobernador encargado. Es m?s, en la campa?a para el referendo, por ejemplo, a m? me pagaban vi?ticos y pasajes por cuenta del DAS para que viajara a la Costa para hacer campa?a. Jorge y Juan Carlos recorrieron todo el Magdalena en una avioneta con Trino Luna haciendo campa?a. En la gran mayor?a de los municipios del Magdalena solo se pod?a hacer pol?tica con el permiso de "Jorge 40" . Entonces yo me pregunto: ?Ser? que "40" les dio permiso para hacer pol?tica? En el caso de Trino Luna, Jorge Noguera fue a donde "Jorge 40" y le pidi? que respaldara a Jos? Fern?ndez de Castro que es su amigo , pero "Jorge 40" le dijo que no porque ellos apoyaban a Trino Luna y as? fue. Todos ten?an que votar por ?l. Jorge fue a la reuni?n con "40" un s?bado acompa?ado por el general retirado Rito Alejo. Mire, le voy a decir una cosa. Jorge Noguera se convirti? en el Vladimiro Montesinos del gobierno de ?lvaro Uribe. Conspiraba contra gobiernos de pa?ses vecinos, terminaba con l?deres de izquierda, participaba en operaciones de narcotr?fico, manten?a relaciones con grupos de paramilitares, etc, etc. *CAMPA?A-PARAS-NARCOS * *SEMANA: ? Por qu? no le ha contado a la Fiscal?a que usted acompa?aba a Jorge Noguera a las reuniones con Jorge 40? * R.G:: Yo no he contado muchas cosas porque no tengo plena confianza en la Fiscal?a. El hecho de que se hayan filtrado las declaraciones creo que me da la raz?n. Yo considero que el problema m?o, mi encarcelamiento es un problema pol?tico. Yo no estoy detenido por lo que presuntamente hice sino por todo lo que yo s? que involucra a mucha gente del gobierno en temas muy espinosos. Entre ellos temas muy delicados de narcotr?fico. En la campa?a de Uribe de 2002 yo considero que hubo cosas much?simo m?s graves que las que sucedieron en la campa?a de Samper y eso es lo que me mantiene detenido. *SEMANA: ?Cu?les son esas cosas graves? * R.G.: Hubo muchos v?nculos de paramilitares y narcotraficantes. Por ejemplo yo me he preguntado por qu? la Fiscal?a no se dedic? a averiguar qui?nes son los se?ores que aparecen en el expediente: el se?or N?stor Caro, el se?or Camacho Mart?nez y qu? papel desempe?aron ellos en la campa?a al Senado y en la misma campa?a presidencial. *SEMANA: ?Qu? papel jugaron? * R.G.: Le recuerdo que el se?or N?stor Ram?n Caro estaba solicitado en extradici?n desde 2001. Investiguen qu? papel desempe?? ?l como aportante financiero en la campa?a del doctor Uribe en la campa?a del 2002. *SEMANA: ?Qu? tanto sab?a Uribe de lo que estaba haciendo Jorge Noguera durante la campa?a presidencial de 2002?* R.G.: No me consta, pero s? s? que hubo muchas personas relacionadas con narcotr?fico que estuvieron vinculadas a la campa?a. Por ejemplo en el Magdalena el se?or Ra?l Montoya le pagaba, inclusive, un salario mensual a Jorge Noguera para que se desempe?ara como gerente de campa?a en Santa Marta. El se?or Ra?l Montoya est? mencionado como narcotraficante en el libro "El General Serrucho". Hay otro que se llama Ram?n Crespo que vive en Barranquilla sobre quien tambi?n hay muchas sospechas de v?nculos extra?os y ese se?or es muy amigo del doctor Uribe. No s? si recuerda que el doctor Uribe siendo Presidente electo uno de los primeros viajes al exterior que hizo fue a Venezuela y pueden verificar que el se?or Ram?n Crespo, que era novio de la se?ora Clara Palacios, tesorera de la campa?a en el Magdalena, hicieron parte de la comitiva oficial del doctor Uribe. M?s adelante cuando nosotros llegamos al DAS nos dijeron que a Clarita Palacios no le dieron ning?n puesto en el gobierno y nos dijeron que era por su relaci?n con el se?or Ram?n Crespo. Y as? hay muchos casos. Est? el caso del se?or N?stor Ram?n Caro que era de una organizaci?n presuntamente de narcotraficantes del Casanare y que ha financiado campa?as al Senado. Ellos hab?an negociado con el DAS, la Dijin y la Fiscal?a. Pagaron aproximadamente tres millones de d?lares para sanear todos sus problemas. Hasta donde yo s? esos se?ores andan p?blicamente. *SEMANA: ?En que se basa para afirmar que, como usted lo dice, que su caso es una persecuci?n pol?tica en la que usted es el chivo expiatorio?* R.G.: Yo desconozco el origen de todo esto. Jorge Noguera hasta el d?a anterior a mi detenci?n estuvo hablando conmigo a las seis de la tarde. Jorge inclusive me pidi? cosas para que se las hiciera m?s adelante. Yo nunca sabr? en realidad qu? fue lo que en verdad ocurri?. Pero s? s? que a nivel de la campa?a de Uribe se hicieron ciertos acuerdos con la organizaci?n del se?or N?stor Caro y que posiblemente se vieron entorpecidos por el esc?ndalo que sucedi? *SEMANA: Usted dice el el se?or N?stor Caro hizo aportes econ?micos a la campa?a de Uribe y senadores. ?A qu? senadores se refiere? * R.G.: Yo s? que ?l hizo aportes bastante considerables a la campa?a del se?or Germ?n Vargas Lleras. Le aconsejo que revise los listados de los candidatos de la lista de Germ?n Vargas en las elecciones de 2002 y averig?en el pasado de cada una de esas personas. All? hay personas que posiblemente tienen v?nculos con grupos paramilitares en el sur del pa?s *SEMANA: ?Qu? le comentaba Noguera sobre la relaci?n con Jorge 40?* R.G.: En varias ocasiones Jorge Noguera me dijo que Jorge 40 estaba muy agradecido por la colaboraci?n que ?l le hab?a prestado. *SEMANA: Usted acompa?? a Noguera en varias ocasiones a esos encuentros con Jorge 40. ?Cu?ntas veces lo hizo? * R.G.: Me abstengo de contestar eso. *SEMANA: ?Cu?ntas veces vio usted a ?lvaro Pupo, primo de Jorge 40, entrar al DAS a visitar a Noguera?* R.G.: Lo vi dos o tres veces... pero casualmente hay algo a lo que la Fiscal?a no ha querido prestarle atenci?n. El d?a de mi detenci?n a m? me encontraron en mi malet?n un listado de personas relacionadas con el frente Resistencia Tayrona de las AUC. Ese listado est? encabezado por Hern?n Giraldo. Cuando me preguntaron por ese listado en la indagatoria dije que me lo hab?a entregado Jorge Noguera para que buscara en el sistema qu? hab?a sobre ellos. Les dije, inclusive, que eso era letra de Noguera. La Fiscal?a nunca quiso hacer prueba grafol?gica sobre el tema. Sin embargo ?l mismo me dijo a m? que ese listado se lo hab?a dado a ?lvaro Pupo para que se lo llevara e informara a la gente. Mucha de esa gente era objeto de investigaci?n del coronel Heriberto Parra de la Polic?a del Magdalena y que hab?a lanzado numerosos operativos en contra de la gente del frente Resistencia Tayrona. ?lvaro Pupo era el correo entre el Bloque Norte de las AUC y Jorge Noguera. Cuando ?l quer?a dar a conocer operativos o algo que afectara al Bloque Norte ?l los enviaba a trav?s de ?lvaro Pupo. *SEMANA: Usted acompa?? en varias oportunidades a Noguera al Palacio de Nari?o. ?Qu? tanto sab?a de todo esto el presidente ?lvaro Uribe ? * R.G.: No le puedo contestar eso. Se lo dir? a la Fiscal?a o a un gobierno extranjero despu?s de que est? protegido con mi familia. (el cambio de color es mio.) Lo que yo le digo a la opini?n p?blica es: ?Ser? que lo que hizo Vladimiro Montesinos, Fujimori no lo sab?a?. Yo no entiendo c?mo una persona pudo haber hecho tantas cosas sin que su superior no lo supiera. Yo lo que estoy diciendo es la verdad. Si tengo que pagar con mi vida por atreverme a decir la verdad, yo asumo las consecuencias. *SEMANA: Si Jorge Noguera tiene conocimiento que usted sabe tanto, ?por qu? lo iba a dejar solo?* R.G.: No s?. Eso tambi?n me lo pregunto yo. Yo fui leal con ?l toda mi vida hasta el d?a antes de mi detenci?n. Si a m? me hubiera tocado asumir culpas por ?l, lo hubiera hecho. Siempre y cuando ?l me lo hubiera pedido. Pero me dejo solo. Sigui? su vida normal y as? no es. *VENEZUELA * *SEMANA: ?Por qu? no le ha contado a la Fiscal?a que usted acompa?aba a Jorge Noguera a Venezuela, que pasaban por C?cuta sin dejar registros migratorios para reunirse con los antichavistas?...* R.G: Yo hay muchas cosas que me abstengo de contarle a la Fiscal?a y buscar? el momento y el escenario oportuno porque yo tengo una familia y todos estamos amenazados de muerte. A mi hijo tuve que sacarlo del colegio, a mi pap? tuve que sacarlo de Santa Marta. Necesito protecci?n y se la he pedido a la Fiscal?a y la Fiscal?a nunca me la ha querido dar. Yo no puedo seguir denunciando cosas. *SEMANA: ?De qui?n fue la idea del plan conspirativo en Venezuela?* R.G.: Eso fue un proceso muy grande y yo prefiero no hablar de eso en este momento, pero eso es algo muy grande. Prefiero no hablar de eso. Yo tengo que proteger a mi familia. *SEMANA: ?Puede decir si Noguera estuvo conspirando contra Ch?vez?* R.G.: Muchas de las cosas que se han dicho son ciertas...Yo soy testigo de primera mano de eso. Yo estuve muy al tanto de lo que ah? se manej?. *SEMANA: ?Cu?ntas veces pasaron a Venezuela?* R.G.: Prefiero no hablar de eso en este momento. Todav?a hay muchos temas que a?n no se han tocado. Est?n los asuntos con pa?ses vecinos, la c?pula del DAS estuvo untada de narcotr?fico, tuvieron muchos v?nculos con organizaciones de reconocidos narcotraficantes y eso todav?a falta por decirse. *SEMANA: Cuando usted dice que las cosas de la conspiraci?n contra Ch?vez son ciertas ?a qu? se refiere exactamente? * R.G.: S? existi? un plan de desestabilizaci?n contra el gobierno venezolano y hay mucha gente del gobierno colombiano comprometida. *SEMANA: ?Aparte de Noguera qui?n mas? * R.G.: hay mucha gente del alto gobierno comprometida en el asunto. *SEMANA: ?Ese mismo grupo plane? el asesinato del fiscal venezolano Danilo Anderson? * R.G.: El plan contemplaba el asesinato de varios l?deres de ese pa?s. En los planes que yo conoc? no figuraba Danilo Anderson. Eso fue una equivocaci?n o no s? si m?s adelante se decidi? lo contrario pero s? hab?a personajes de muy alto nivel de ese gobierno los cuales eran objetivo del plan... *SEMANA: ?La periodista venezolana Patricia Poleo particip? en ese plan? * R.G.: Yo s? que ella manten?a una relaci?n de amistad con el se?or Jorge 40. *SEMANA: ?Dentro de esos planes estuvo el env?o de los paramilitares que aparecieron en Caracas?* R.G.: Quiero dejar ya el tema as?. Ya he dicho mucho que demuestra que conozco el tema. El gobierno ha querido utilizar la estrategia de desvirtuar mi credibilidad pero estoy seguro que si hay una investigaci?n objetiva de todas las denuncias que yo he puesto en conocimiento estoy seguro que va a salir a relucir la verdad... *SEMANA: ?Usted estar?a dispuesto a contarle lo que sabe a la justicia venezolana?* R.G.: Yo quisiera arreglar mi problema judicial en Colombia pero para proteger mi vida y la de mi familia yo no tendr?a ning?n problema en hablar con ellos. *SEMANA: ?Para usted hay una relaci?n entre Jorge Noguera, Jorge 40 y el crimen del fiscal venezolano Danilo Anderson y la conspiraci?n para asesinar al presidente Hugo Ch?vez? * R.G.: S?. S? la hay *SEMANA: ?Jorge Noguera particip? en las reuniones en Venezuela?* R.G.: Yo me abstengo de hablar de eso. *SEMANA: ?Usted era el ?nico que sab?a?* R.G.: Hasta donde yo se ?ramos dos personas las que sab?amos y del alto gobierno sab?an seis personas sobre el tema pero no le voy a decir los nombres. *SEMANA: ?Del DAS, qui?nes m?s sab?an?* R.G.: Un ex director de inteligencia. *SEMANA: ?Lo sab?a el presidente ?lvaro Uribe?* R.G.: No lo s?. Lo ?nico que le puedo decir es que en diciembre del 2002 yo recib? instrucciones de colocar en l?nea un sistema de informaci?n en el puesto fronterizo de Paraguanch?n, en La Guajira, a unos costos exageradamente altos para tener informaci?n de inteligencia y toda la informaci?n del DAS disponible en la frontera con Venezuela. Fue el primer puesto fronterizo que se caracteriz? por eso y recuerdo que Jorge Noguera me presion? mucho para que hici?ramos eso. Hubo que movilizar a m?s de media oficina de inform?tica para hacer este trabajo en tiempo r?cord. *SEMANA: ?En cu?nto tiempo se hizo? * R.G.: Lo hicimos en 15 d?as. Ten?amos el sistema de informaci?n de Paloquemao en l?nea con terminales de computadoras all? en Paraguanch?n. Con eso pod?amos consultar toda la informaci?n de inteligencia, es decir, toda la base de datos del DAS. *SEMANA: ?Pero eso se hizo para controlar el sistema de migraci?n?* R.G.: La intenci?n era tener el control migratorio en ese puesto, pero los costos eran exagerados puesto que colocamos un canal satelital que costaba mucho dinero. *SEMANA: ?Pero hab?a labores de inteligencia que iban m?s all? del control migratorio? * R.G.: Claro que s?. A m? siempre me llam? la atenci?n que esa informaci?n la pusi?ramos en un puesto fronterizo tan lejano en la cual no hab?a funcionarios apropiados para manejar esa informaci?n. Posteriormente en el 2004 ten?amos todos los puestos fronterizos y todas las seccionales conectadas. *SEMANA: Si ten?an ya todo ese control en la frontera, ?c?mo en mayo de ese a?o pas? la frontera el grupo de 152 paramilitares a territorio venezolano sin que se dieran cuenta? * R.G.: No quiero hablar de eso. *SEMANA: Seis meses despu?s fue asesinado el fiscal venezolano Danilo Anderson. ? Qu? escuch? usted sobre ese crimen? * R.G.: Inicialmente los planes no contemplaban a Danilo Anderson. *SEMANA: ? Usted por qu? sabe? * R.G.: Yo soy testigo de primera mano de las cosas que sucedieron. Yo soy testigo de muchas cosas. *NEGOCIOS Y CORRUPCI?N * *SEMANA: ?Cu?l era el papel de Giancarlo Auqu?, el director de Inteligencia en el DAS?* R.G.: Yo siempre me he referido a Giancarlo como un genio del mal. Yo conozco a Noguera desde hace much?simo tiempo y a m? me ten?a asombrado el poder de Giancarlo sobre Noguera. Ese se?or (Giancarlo) era pr?cticamente quien manejaba el DAS. *SEMANA: ?Cu?l es la relaci?n de Noguera con la familia D?vila Armenta de Santa Marta?* R.G.: Ufff. Eso es una relaci?n que viene desde hace much?simo tiempo. Cuando nosotros est?bamos reci?n llegados al DAS hab?a una oficina, que todav?a existe, que es el ?rea de investigaciones financieras. Ellos trabajaban mancomunadamente con la Unidad de Lavado de la Fiscal?a y la UIAF del Ministerio de Hacienda. En la primera semana que yo estuve en el DAS fui con un detective de apellido Boh?rquez a una reuni?n en la UIAF y quedamos de volver a la semana siguiente. Para mi sorpresa cuando lo fui a buscar a ?l para ir a la segunda reuni?n encontr? esa oficina desolada. Preocupado llam? a Noguera que estaba en Medell?n y le dije que ten?a que asistir a la reuni?n pero que la gente del ?rea de investigaciones financieras no estaba. En ese momento me enter? que ?l los hab?a echado a todos del DAS. ?l solamente me dijo que los ten?a que echar del DAS. M?s adelante me enter? que era que ellos hab?an encontrado informaci?n sobre v?nculos de familiares de Jorge Noguera con narcotr?fico y que por eso los hab?a echado. La relaci?n de Noguera con Eduardo D?vila va en ese sentido. ?l mismo me dijo una vez, delante de Luis Fernando Pinz?n, que fue el primer director de inteligencia, que ?l ten?a que hacer gestiones ante los americanos para ver c?mo ayudaba a los D?vila. Pinz?n es testigo de eso. *BORRADA ANTECEDENTES * *SEMANA: ?Usted borr? y modific? los antecedentes judiciales de narcotraficantes? * R.G.: Yo no borr? las extradiciones de los narcotraficantes. El informe de polic?a judicial que reposa en el expediente dice que esas solicitudes nunca llegaron al DAS. *SEMANA: ?Qui?n borraba y modificaba los antecedentes en el DAS?* R.G.: Yo s? que Jimmy Nassar, quien termin? siendo asesor de Jorge Noguera, ofrec?a ese servicio. Yo he conocido gente del Bloque Centauros, aqu? en la c?rcel, que Nassar les ofrec?a borrar sus antecedentes en el sistema a las personas que estuvieran interesadas. Cobraba entre 5 y 10 millones. *SEMANA: ?Pero es imposible que usted como jefe de inform?tica no se diera cuenta o participara de ese tipo de actividades? * R.G.: Cuando yo llegu? como jefe de inform?tica, en el sistema de informaci?n del DAS no hab?a ning?n tipo de auditor?a. Yo me preocup? por renovar todos los equipos en el sistema central de c?mputo para que tuviera mayor capacidad. ?Para qu? entonces yo iba a clavarme un cuchillo implementando un sistema moderno de auditoria? Lo que pasa es que Sandra Patricia Esc?rraga, de la oficina de inform?tica vend?a ese servicio de borrar los antecedentes y cuando yo la relevo del cargo fue a inteligencia a declarar contra m?. Es m?s, la gente que modifica los datos y prestan este servicio todav?a est? en el DAS. *OTROS PARAS-NARCOS* *SEMANA: ?Qu? otros paramilitares ten?an influencia en el DAS aparte del de Jorge 40? * R.G.: Yo lo que conoc? fue la relaci?n con el Bloque Norte de las AUC porque como era gente que yo conoc?a, sobre todo a los pol?ticos... Alguna vez Noguera me dijo que ten?a que hacerle un favor a unos paramilitares de los Llanos, que ten?a que nombrarle a alguien porque le hab?an pedido ese favor. *SEMANA: ?Los paramilitares de los Llanos eran los de Miguel Arroyave y el Bloque Centauros? * R.G.: S? se?or. *SEMANA: ?Aparte de grupos paramilitares tambi?n hab?a infiltraci?n y colaboraci?n con reconocidos narcotraficantes? * R.G.: A Diego Montoya le pasaban informaci?n reservada Giancarlo y Jorge Noguera y la idea no era para que se moviera sino para avisarle que hab?a un sopl?n dentro de su organizaci?n que estaba informando d?nde estaba ubicado. Giancarlo mismo me lo cont? a m? cuando ?l estaba como director de inteligencia. Giancarlo me dijo que hab?a llegado un informe de inteligencia en donde se dec?a que 'Don Diego' estaba siendo buscado por los lados de Cimitarra, que hab?a que buscar la manera de informarle porque hab?a un informante al interior de la organizaci?n . Que fuera del DAS, de la Polic?a o de la Fiscal?a, no lo s?. Pero que hab?a que ayudarle para que ubicara al informante. Jorge Noguera utilizaba a Jimmy Nassar como su mandadero porque era el que ten?a las relaciones directas con el cartel del norte del Valle. *DUDAS* *SEMANA: ?Por qu? hasta ahora, con lo que sabe, no ha recibido protecci?n como testigo? * R.G.: La Fiscal misma dirigi? un oficio a la oficina de protecci?n de v?ctimas y testigos pidiendo protecci?n para m? y eso demuestra la credibilidad que yo tengo para ella. Si yo estuviera mintiendo ella no hubiera hecho eso. Resulta que a m? me est?n criticando porque han dicho que yo hago todo esto porque estoy buscando beneficios por colaboraci?n y el proyecto estrella del gobierno Uribe es la ley de Justicia y Paz que se reduce a que los se?ores miembros de los grupos paramilitares rinden una versi?n y el gobierno les da unos beneficios. Entonces yo pregunto: ?Por qu? es bueno para ellos y no para m?? El se?or Comisionado dice que a ellos hay que creerles porque esto es un asunto de buena fe... *SEMANA: Pero dicen que parte de las cosas que usted ha contado son fantasiosas.* R.G.: Yo mismo le he dicho a la fiscal que prefiero no seguir declarando hasta tanto no me den una protecci?n. Ella sabe que yo no he contado todo, lo sabe porque yo se lo he dicho. Ella es consciente que si yo no tengo protecci?n yo no puedo seguir declarando. Tengo una familia que proteger. Yo no puedo seguir jugando con la vida de mi familia. *SINDICALISTAS * *SEMANA: H?blenos sobre la lista que ten?a el DAS sobre algunos sindicalistas y la campa?a de exterminio. * R.G.: Mire, el se?or Correa de Andreis fue detenido en Barranquilla por unidades del DAS de Bol?var. Yo me pregunto si como dice R?mulo Betancourt, el entonces director del DAS de Bol?var, que ?l no ten?a jurisdicci?n en Barranquilla, por qu? fueron se?ores del DAS de Bol?var a detener a Correa en Barranquilla. Cuando al profesor lo detienen, lo llevan a Cartagena. Despu?s, Javier Mostarela busc? varias veces por tel?fono a Jorge Noguera para pedirle que por favor interviniera a favor del se?or Correa de Andreis. Jorge Noguera se le escondi?. Ese se?or me llam? a m?. Cuando yo le dije a Jorge Noguera que Javier Mostarella lo estaba llamando por el tema de Correa de Andreis ?l s? me dijo a m? que ?l no ten?a nada qu? hacer. Cosa que me pareci? curiosa porque lo ten?a detenido el DAS y ?l era el director del DAS. *SEMANA: ?C?mo obtiene la lista de sindicalistas que iban a ser asesinados? * R.G.: Los detectives que me contaron del asunto me mostraron parte de la lista. Lo que yo hice fue anotar parte de los nombres. A m? me llam? la atenci?n porque aparec?a el nombre de Zullty Cotina que ya la hab?an asesinado y el de Correa de Andreis que fue asesinado despu?s de que yo vi esa lista. *SEMANA: ?Qui?n planeo esos asesinatos? ?Eso ven?a de antes de llegar Noguera al DAS o fue implementado por ?l cuando asumi? la direcci?n? * R.G.: Lo que me contaron los detectives de la subdirecci?n de an?lisis es que fue algo que se manej? durante la administraci?n de Jorge Noguera. *SEMANA: ?Hab?a una consigna de 'eliminar' sindicalistas y todo aquello que oliera a izquierda? * R.G.: No se si todo lo que oliera a izquierda pero s? personajes de ese sector. *SEMANA: ?Usted le coment? eso a Noguera y ?l qu? le dijo? * R.G.: Yo nunca le toque ese tema a ?l. ?l nunca supo que yo estaba enterado de eso. Pienso que para mi fortuna porque si ?l se enteraba que yo sab?a eso qui?n sabe qu? me habr?a ocurrido. *SEMANA: ?Esos cr?menes eran ejecutados directamente por gente del DAS o por paramilitares?* R.G.: Eran ejecutados por grupos de autodefensa. Pero me dijeron que en particular el de Alfredo Correa de Andreis hab?a sido ejecutado por gente del DAS. Yo le dije a la fiscal que tambi?n me mencionaron a un sindicalista de Cartagena que fue asesinado cuando iba con su ni?o agarrado de la mano. From elishastephens at hotmail.com Tue Sep 2 12:51:33 2008 From: elishastephens at hotmail.com (Eli Stephens) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 11:51:33 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Egypt imprisons foreigners in Gaza Message-ID: Four foreign nationals from the UK, US Ireland and Australia, who helped peacefully challenge the siege of Gaza by traveling through international waters, are now effectively imprisoned in Gaza at the order of the Egyptian and Israeli authorities. Attempts were made on August 29th to peacefully, exit Gaza through Israeli controlled Erez crossing. Israel denied the exit. On August 30th and 31st further attempts to exit Gaza through the Egyptian controlled Rafah crossing were also denied. Among the internationals are Irish activist and former Hawaiian Legislator Kenneth O'Keefe, British journalist Lauren Booth (sister in law of the Middle East envoy Tony Blair) and Dr. William Dienst, a family and emergency room physician from the USA. Full: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=68264§ionid=3510216 _________________________________________________________________ Get thousands of games on your PC, your mobile phone, and the web with Windows?. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/108588800/direct/01/ From Dbachmozart at aol.com Tue Sep 2 12:54:43 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 14:54:43 EDT Subject: [Marxism] a salute to parliamentary cretinism Message-ID: _http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm_ (http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm) (http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm) **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) From Dbachmozart at aol.com Tue Sep 2 13:08:56 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 15:08:56 EDT Subject: [Marxism] "Jeremiah Wright in the Propaganda System" Message-ID: Edward S. Herman and David Peterson, Monthly Review, September, 2008 clip -- From christopher.hutch at gmail.com Tue Sep 2 13:18:28 2008 From: christopher.hutch at gmail.com (Christopher Hutchinson) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 15:18:28 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] A New General Strike Comic posted Message-ID: Today General Strike looks agian to the Russian Revolution... www.generalstrikecomicstrip.blogspot.com keep well, christopher From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Tue Sep 2 13:29:15 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:29:15 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Biden to Israel: Accept nuclear Iran Message-ID: <48BD5BCC.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Biden to Israel: Accept nuclear Iran Eli Stephens elishastephens -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Biden said what to Israel ? Where is this article ? Charles ^^^^^ I found the final paragraph to be the most interesting; I don't think I've ever heard an American politician state it quite so openly: "Biden said..."Israel is the single greatest strength that America has in the Middle East," and that its presence as a strategic ally meant that America need station far fewer troops and warships in the region." The rest of the article is, perhaps intentionally, ambiguous. What did Biden mean by accepting a "nuclear Iran." MAYBE he just meant they have to accept an Iran with nuclear power and the POTENTIAL to build a nuclear weapon, or he may have meant an Iran with nuclear weapons. Hard to say. _________________________________________________________________ This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Tue Sep 2 13:56:48 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:56:48 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Trumka on race and the elections Message-ID: <48BD6241.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Mark Lause To clarify, here, you assert that I and "and the shred of a scintilla of whatever you" disagree with the AFL-CIO mucketey-muck in asserting that most of this list and most of the Left are racists for supporting Nader, McKinney, Moore, etc. ^^^ CB: No, you can be pretty sure that Trumka is not thinking about you or the Lefts voting for McKinney, etc. He's talking about large numbers of centrist union members who might vote for McCain because Obama is Black. ^^^^ So, you and the ghost of Gus Hall are not only keeping company with the corporate CEOs, lobbyists, military contractors and other riff-raff who support Obama are taking action against racism by urging people to vote for the party of Ross Barnett and John C. Calhoun, while agreeding that who support other candidates are racists . ^^^^^ CB: That's right. Reminds of when that old segregationist Senator Lyndon Johnson said "And we _shall_ overcome" , and signed the Civil Rights Bill. Actually, it has been reported that John C. Calhoun is spinning in his grave. ^^^^^ I just wanted to get that out there for the record, Charles. ML ^^^ CB: Why'd you want to get that mess out there for the record ? This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From lnp3 at panix.com Tue Sep 2 14:02:27 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:02:27 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] St. Paul UFPJ report Message-ID: <20080902200207.7BDEF12CDD@mailbackend.panix.com> Dear Friend of United for Peace and Justice, Yesterday, on a hot and humid day in St. Paul, Minnesota, upwards of 40,000 people marched to the front door of the Republican National Convention to say 'US Out of Iraq Now', 'Money for Human Needs, Not War'; 'No to the Republican Agenda'; 'Yes to Peace, Justice, and Equality'. Like most major marches, no one knew for certain how many people would turn out for the March on the RNC. The media coverage of the long struggle with local officials for permit rights had, in the end, helped organizers get the word out throughout the Twin Cities area for the march. Groups all around the upper Midwest organized buses, vans, and carpools to bring people into town. It was clear that this was an opportunity not to be missed. As the Republican Party was beginning its four-day gathering to nominate John McCain as their presidential candidate, we would be on the streets to raise a clear strong voice addressing the war and a range of other issues. The demonstration began with a two-hour rally that felt even longer. It was hot as the sun beamed down. The weak sound system prevented lots of people from hearing the speakers on the stage, one of which was UFPJ's Co-Chair George Martin. Yet, everyone was patient, knowing that it was important to give people time to gather before heading out for the march. A little after 1:00 PM, the march kicked off and was led by a contingent of veterans and military families - some of the people most impacted by the war in Iraq. I watched the march go by, and what a sight that was! People from many walks of life, some young, some old, some from close-by in St. Paul and Minneapolis, some from faraway places - all of them gathered for the march. Contingents of immigrants, labor, poor people, young people, doctors, religious, and faith-based groups and much more took part in the march, carrying tons of great homemade signs and banners. Literally, tens of thousands of people united in their call to end the war now! It was a powerful statement of the deep opposition to the war in Iraq that exists in every corner of this country. It was a clear call for an end to the threats of war with Iran. You couldn't miss the demand to turn our nation's priorities around and start meeting the needs of our communities and stop feeding the machinery of war with our tax dollars. The march took a route that went in front of the Excel Center, the site of the RNC - though, once in that area, marchers had to walk in an area with huge fencing on both sides of them. While there was hardly any police presence at the rally site or with the march itself, there was a massive police operation in the downtown area, especially near the Convention Center. The march route turned around at this point and returned to the starting location on the lawn of the State Capitol. All but a few hundred people left the downtown area, exhausted and hot but glad to have been a part of this important mass mobilization against the war. Some people stayed downtown; and before too long, there were confrontations with the police. I was not in attendance downtown during the melee, and I'm not able to report back firsthand, but from the information that I have received and heard, it is clear that the police overreacted and used excessive force, using pepper spray, hitting people with batons, pushing people back with horses, and much more. Regardless of how we feel about the activities of the some of the people in downtown St. Paul, the actions of the police force were deplorable. In the end, the police arrested 284 people, including at least four journalists. United For Peace and Justice was proud to have been part of the locally-led coalition that organized the demonstration, and we congratulate the organizers for a job well-done. We are pleased that we helped get the word out and mobilized people to be at this march and other activities in St. Paul during the RNC, just as we did in Denver for the DNC. We urge you to keep watching the news to see how things unfold in the next few days, especially in terms of police conduct. They need to know that people around the country are watching! UFPJ was also working to spread the word about the major national mobilization, Million Doors for Peace, scheduled for September 20. A group of staff and volunteers was actively leafleting in both Denver and St. Paul, at a whole host of locations in both cities, to ensure that people and the groups they are associated with become involved in this very important mobilization. More information on the Million Doors for Peace mobilization will be sent out shortly. To hear more about this effort, click here and sign-up to be a volunteer, willing to knock on forty doors in your own neighborhood for voter education, petition-signing, and other related items. You can sign-up here to volunteer for this effort. Peace, Leslie Cagan, UFPJ National Coordinator From davidw at marxists.org Tue Sep 2 14:08:42 2008 From: davidw at marxists.org (David Walters) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:08:42 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Biden to Israel: Accept nuclear Iran Message-ID: <48BD9D4A.2040107@marxists.org> Today he's denying he said anything of the sort. D From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Tue Sep 2 14:11:00 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:11:00 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better Message-ID: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> S. Artesian -clip- The discussion included the discussion of the fact that the "dramatic" movements of the 20th century originated outside that party, and when "moving" into it, which certainly does not mean that the rank and file of that movement participated in any way shape or form in the forming of program and policy of that party, the movement was debilitated. ^^^^ CB: Lets test this claim with respect to the Civil Rights Movement/anti-Jim Crow Movement of the 1950's and 60's. Did the Democratic Party debilitate the Civil Rights Movement or did the Democratic President and Congress pass Civil Rights statutes and Constitutional Amendments ? How about the women's suffrage movement ? How about the labor movement to legalize unions in the 1930's ? How about the anti-Vietnam war peace movement ? This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From nchamah at gmail.com Tue Sep 2 14:24:03 2008 From: nchamah at gmail.com (nchamah miller) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 21:24:03 +0100 Subject: [Marxism] 200 human rights violations and 38 documented deaths of Trade Union Leaders in Colombia so far this year Message-ID: the source was given at the end of the Spanish piece I included, here it is again: Agencia de informaci?n Laboral ENS Tel. 5133100 Ext. 129 informacionlaboral at ens.org.co Also that piece breaks down by Trade Union those murdered with LA CUT bearing the brunt of the attack. Thank you Anthony for providing additional sources from the Movimiento Nacional de Victimas /n. From sartesian at earthlink.net Tue Sep 2 15:06:31 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:06:31 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: <11B7129390B44943BAEFCC5378589B3F@dmsthinkpad> Anybody else care to answer Charles. I've used up my allotment today. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles Brown" To: Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 4:11 PM Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better > S. Artesian > > From markalause at gmail.com Tue Sep 2 15:18:36 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:18:36 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Nader-Gonzales "Open the Debate" tour Message-ID: ----- Original Message ----- September 2, 2008 www.votenader.org www.officialnaderstore.com Dear Nader/Gonzalez Supporter, We need your help to promote the Nader/Gonzalez Campaign's "Open the Debates" Tour! Since 1988, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) has sponsored every presidential debate. In 1987, the League of Women Voters refused to sponsor the presidential debates any longer "because the demands of the two campaign organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter." Since its inception, the CPD has been headed by two former chairs of the Democratic and Republican parties. In 1987, League President Nancy Neuman said "It has become clear to us that the candidates' organizations aim to add debates to their list of campaign-trail charades devoid of substance, spontaneity and honest answers to tough questions. The League has no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public." The public is not always so easily fooled. According to a June 18, 2008 Reuters/Zogby Index Poll, seventy-four percent of Americans now believe the nation is on the wrong track. Our presidential candidates should invite our scrutiny, and a strong, democratic electoral process is impossible without authentic dialogue between all presidential candidates. Don't you be an accessory either! The Nader/Gonzalez Campaign is on a mission to open these debates for third party candidates, and bring back democracy to the American Voter! If you cannot make it to these rallies, please help us spread the word by forwarding these events: September 7th, 3:00pm - East Lansing, MI Nader for President 2008 Rally, Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez Michigan State, Kellogg Center (Big Ten room A) 55 South Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48824 Contribution: $10/$5 student (248) 207-5452 or events at votenader.org September 7th, 7:30pm - Detroit, MI Nader for President 2008 Rally, Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit 4605 Cass Ave., Detroit, MI 48201 Contribution: $10/$5 student (248) 355-4328 or events at votenader.org September 8th, 1pm - Columbus, OH Nader for President 2008 Rally, Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez Drexel Theater East 2254 E. Main St., Columbus, OH 43209 Contribution: $10/$5 students (614) 573-6986 or events at votenader.org September 8th, 7:30pm - Cincinnati, OH Nader for President 2008 Rally, Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez Memorial Hall 1229 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45210 Contribution: $10/$5 student (917) 881-9882 or events at votenader.org For additional information call our national office at (202) 471-5833 or email events at votenader.org. Forward to a friend | Comment on our blog Paid for by Nader for President 2008 If you feel you have received this message in error, we apologize. You can unsubscribe mlause at cinci.rr.com from Nader for President 2008 e-mail updates instantly by clicking here. Or you can update your e-mail address here. Privacy policy Nader for President 2008 P.O. Box 34103 Washington, D.C. 20043 (202) 471 5833 From markalause at gmail.com Tue Sep 2 15:34:13 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:34:13 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> <008601c90d22$3c5cbe90$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: Marvin clearly sees voting Democratic as the payoff for getting credibility with workers who are voting that way. But what about workers who are voting Republican? Why wouldn't the exact same argument apply? As an aside, the GPUS is, for all practical purposes, worthless in most parts of the US. There'll always be some sort of national Green political party, but the current manifestation has essentially topped itself in these parts. The state CC has never included a single one of the left Greens in the Nader-Camejo current in the state, and it took a serious fight just to get the party to include us as members. However, that same leadership body always has--and still has--members who openly support the Democrats. There's been a long-standing need for something that incorporates what the Greens did at their best, but is willing to pursue it and make political independence a real principle, foundational to the organization. ML From markalause at gmail.com Tue Sep 2 15:39:48 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:39:48 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <11B7129390B44943BAEFCC5378589B3F@dmsthinkpad> References: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <11B7129390B44943BAEFCC5378589B3F@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: Yes, Charles, let's test that. In each and every case you mention--woman suffrage, civil rights and the anti-Vietnam War movement--the impetus to change came from people functioning independent of the electoral parties. As the movements grew stronger, they forced officeholders to make concessions. As an aside, it was the Democratic Party that provided the greater obstacle to woman suffrage in the heyday of the movement. And the Democratic Party was responsible for needing civil rights legislation in the first place, since it was the party that established and tightened segregationist standards as late as the 1950s. And the Democratic Party started and escalated the Vietnam War. We're not discussing ancient history here. Have we forgotten? ML From marvgandall at videotron.ca Tue Sep 2 15:52:40 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:52:40 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> <008601c90d22$3c5cbe90$6401a8c0@MARV> <20080902174704.9AC6217497@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: <00cb01c90d46$389f8520$6401a8c0@MARV> Louis writes: > Speaking only for myself, I'd rather eat rat stew. =========================== Frankly, a wise decision. I can't see you fitting easily into that milieu, and you'd have less time for film criticism, at which you're first-rate. From johnedmundson at paradise.net.nz Tue Sep 2 16:16:19 2008 From: johnedmundson at paradise.net.nz (John) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:16:19 +1200 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <008601c90d22$3c5cbe90$6401a8c0@MARV> References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> <008601c90d22$3c5cbe90$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <1220393780.5901.57.camel@john-desktop> On Tue, 2008-09-02 at 13:35 -0400, Marvin Gandall wrote: > As for Lenin, none of us can say what Lenin would do today. That's true but we can be sur thst what he would do now would be different to what he did then because the situation is different. Here in New Zealand (and I know it's the same throughout the Western imperialist countries) I find it bizarre that left groups who pride themselves in critical method blindly apply Lenin as doctrine for the approach to parties like the Democrats, or in the NZ case, Labour. There was, as I see it, one reason for his "advice" of the time. The party had never been elected to government so people had illusions that these parties would bring about socialism. There were many socialists in the party and supporting it that believed this. Neither of these things apply today. People don't vote Democrat/Labour because they think it's a different path to the revolution. I doubt you'd find anyone who believes that. Sure, there are some people who call themselves socialists, generally with a very small s. But these people aren't socialists at all. They think socialism is a vote for higher taxes and more state regulation of 'naughty' capitalists. They think socialism is getting rid of 'exploitation' (paying below the minimum wage, running sweatshops) by bad capitalists so the good capitalists can get on with the job of paying a "fair day's pay for a fair day's work". The prospect of actual socialism would have these people running a mile. This is not what Lenin was talking about. > He wrote LWC:AID > as a polemic against Sylvia Pankhurst and other British Marxists who raised > the same qualms, moral and otherwise, about entering the Labour Party - what > all agreed was a bourgeois workers party. Louis is right that the Bolsheviks > thought such entry would be a short term thing because of the revolutionary > nature of the period. The Boshevik program as a whole rested on that > premise. But more than 80 years later, in a much less favourable period, > when the USSR and international socialist movement have both disappeared, > when workers are much less inclined to leave their existing bourgeois > parties and leaders then they were then, when there are no longer mass > Communist parties with parliamentary representation which they can look to > as an alternative, how can we be so certain Lenin, in these circumstances, > would move further to the left to embrace Pankhurst's uncompromising stance > against any participation in these reformist parties? Because Lenin didn't ever advocate support for openly free market capitalist parties. The nature of those parties has changed. > I think it was Lenin who said "the only principle is that which moves the > struggle forward; all else is tactics", or something along those lines. If > he didn't say it, I can imagine him doing so. There is every possibility, > then, that he would concur today with Fred's statement that the Democratic > party is "ALL THERE IS" and with Joaquin's that individual leftists have > been thrown back to a period when socialists lacked a political home of > their own - and draw his political conclusions from that. The choice > socialists also faced in that earlier era was political abstention or > supporting bourgeois liberal parties against reactionary ones. But the Democratic Party IS a reactionary party. Christ! It's the party that sent the US to war in Vietnam. It's the party that dismembered Yugoslavia. It's the party of Southern segregation. Right now, it's the party that's saying let's get out of the mess in Iraq so we can do a better job of fucking over Afghanistan. And Why? Because they dislike Afghans more than Iraqis? No. Because they think it will be better for US imperialism. > The fact that > the liberal bourgeoisie no longer plays a progressive role in the broad > historical sense seems to me to be beside the point, which is that, in terms > of contemporary politics, the liberal DP and SD parties and the forces they > represent are "all there is" to block the conservative and reactionary > parties to their right who want to rollback the historical gains of the > masses and weaken their organizations. Remind us again please what rolling back Clinton saved anyone from. OK, he certainly saved a bunch of Sudanese kids from suffering a milk allergy ... when he bombed their milk factory. Cheers, John From christopher.hutch at gmail.com Tue Sep 2 17:22:47 2008 From: christopher.hutch at gmail.com (Christopher Hutchinson) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 19:22:47 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: References: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <11B7129390B44943BAEFCC5378589B3F@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: One think that the link to the comic below points out is that FDR, a Democrat, was the first president since Grover Cleveland in the Pullman Strike to use the military to break a strike. All gains made by working people have been won outside of the DP...I don't know if I've followed this thread closely enough but has anyone mentioned the old say, "The Democratic Party in the place where social movements go to die"? http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vx_Yf3S3yJ8/SLMdeE25ztI/AAAAAAAAAFU/KVSIjLiSe64/s1600-h/General-Strike-%236asendoutth.gif Christopher Hutchinson On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 5:39 PM, Mark Lause wrote: > Yes, Charles, let's test that. > > In each and every case you mention--woman suffrage, civil rights and > the anti-Vietnam War movement--the impetus to change came from people > functioning independent of the electoral parties. As the movements > grew stronger, they forced officeholders to make concessions. > > As an aside, it was the Democratic Party that provided the greater > obstacle to woman suffrage in the heyday of the movement. And the > Democratic Party was responsible for needing civil rights legislation > in the first place, since it was the party that established and > tightened segregationist standards as late as the 1950s. And the > Democratic Party started and escalated the Vietnam War. > > We're not discussing ancient history here. Have we forgotten? > > 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/christopher.hutch%40gmail.com > From marvgandall at videotron.ca Tue Sep 2 17:23:30 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:23:30 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> <008601c90d22$3c5cbe90$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <00f601c90d52$e985f700$6401a8c0@MARV> Artesian writes: > ...if you look to more recent history you find the SD and Labor > parties playing just that role you ascribe to the conservatives and > reactionaries-- do you think for a minute Thatcher's election would have > been possible if the British LP under Callaghan had not first disorganized > the rank and file movement that had thrown Heath out of office? Do you > think Merkel would have been triumphed if Schroeder had not first put the > unions' feet to the fire? Do you think Schroeder could have succeeded if > the union leaderships were not committed to, part and parcel of the > accumulation of capital; if the unions were not incorporated into just > that > accumulation through their ties to the social-democrats? MG: We disagree that the the liberal and conservative parties are indistinguishable - but, more to the point, so do the working classes and movements seeking social change. Art:> And most of all, I think your above statement is a step back from your > original position that recognized the DP as "inadequate" but still > providing > an arena for access to forces that would not be inadequate to resolving > those economic conflicts at the heart of the current and future > predicament. > You really are now say there is no alternative; there can only be reform. MG: At the present time, there is no alternative to reform, except in the imagination. Can you point to a socialist party which presently offers an alternative to the two-party system in the advanced capitalist countries? I don't recall using the word "inadequate" to characterize the DP/SD's, but that's true with respect to any hopes of their effecting any real structual change to the current system of power and property, and it possibly true as a prognosis of how they would cope with a deep social crisis comparable to the last depression. If they proved unable to rescue capitalism and restore living standards, the working classes would on their own conclude they were inadequate to defend their basic interests, and would be open to other alternatives. But right now, the workers stilll have confidence in the capacity of these parties to adequately defend their standards. If they didn't, voting patterns would be much more fluid than they presently are. From marvgandall at videotron.ca Tue Sep 2 17:23:35 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:23:35 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> <008601c90d22$3c5cbe90$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <00fd01c90d52$ef17bf00$6401a8c0@MARV> Mark writes: > Marvin clearly sees voting Democratic as the payoff for getting > credibility with workers who are voting that way. But what about > workers who are voting Republican? Why wouldn't the exact same > argument apply? ==================================== Because these are conservative workers who oppose unions and the rights of women, blacks, Hispanics, and other minority groups, and are the most infected by pro-capitalist and pro-imperialist ideology. We'd have very little to discuss and support in common. They're mostly found in small cities and towns. The Democratic base is concentrated in the liberal and cosmopolitan big cities, and they would be much more likely to move to the left, given the right circumstances, than conservative men and women in small town America. From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Tue Sep 2 18:13:23 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:13:23 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Class struggle and ecology -- An ecosocialist contribution to the discussion on revolutionary regroupment* | Links Message-ID: <48BDD6A3.10808@greenleft.org.au> /....we with flesh, blood and brain, belong to nature, and exist in its midst, and... all our mastery of it consists in the fact that we have the advantage of all other creatures of being able to learn its laws and apply them correctly -- /Friedrich Engels. *Ecology as crucial as imperialism * For socialists in the 20th century imperialism was the great dividing line between those who accepted the logic of capitalist society and those who were willing to challenge it. In the first decades of the 21st century it is apparent that imperialism and war will remain inherent features of late capitalism. To these threats we must add the genuine and serious risks of severe ecological degradation and climate change caused by the capitalist economic model as factors that will shape socialist politics in the coming decades. Full article http://links.org.au/node/610 Subscribe free to /Links - International Journal of Socialist Renewal/ - at http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=343373 From markalause at gmail.com Tue Sep 2 18:41:32 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 20:41:32 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <00fd01c90d52$ef17bf00$6401a8c0@MARV> References: <535BF6F4CAB4434B8515DA7C93DF0C99@office1pc> <618266B252A444519E28963CFD24750F@albanta> <400292AC5012441BBB3A08BE16B1F14E@dmsthinkpad> <002801c90cfb$123a3920$6401a8c0@MARV> <008601c90d22$3c5cbe90$6401a8c0@MARV> <00fd01c90d52$ef17bf00$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: Why I asked for the difference between the two parties, Marvin replied that workers voting Republican "are conservative workers who oppose unions and the rights of women, blacks, Hispanics, and other minority groups, and are the most infected by pro-capitalist and pro-imperialist ideology." It's just not this simple. Union workers who vote Democratic might favor unions for themselves, but they've collectively done almost nothing to organize the rest of the working class. Indeed, abandoning the drive to "organize the unorganized" has been historically part of the domestication of the labor movement here. Both parties allegedly favored the Equal Rights Amendment, but, while the Republicans drifted right under Reagan, it was really the Democratic Party in the state legislatures in places like Illinois that brutally and cynically throttled the ERA. Listen to Clinton and Obama, even superficially, on the subject of health care and it's explicitly clear that the cornerstone is profitability for private business rather than health care for the masses. Racism was, rhetorically, the Republican issue well into my youth, because the Democrats were the party of segregation (and, of course, slavery before that). When the Nixon and, later, Reagan administrations began breaking the legs of the civil rights enforcement (excepting the institutional cosmetic of affirmative action, which was shaped more by Nixon than LBJ), the administrations of Carter and Clinton did nothing to restore things. Now, I know how the issue is perceived, but that perception itself is part of the game. And if we make perception the cornerstone, then we should have been with the Republican party before 1964 or certainly before 1938. ML From mikedf at amnh.org Tue Sep 2 19:18:18 2008 From: mikedf at amnh.org (Mike Friedman) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 21:18:18 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better than Cockburn's, in my opinion In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <49279.216.73.248.121.1220404698.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> This is exactly what hasn't happened. Since WWII, every independent mass radicalization that has taken place in this country has seen those so-called "radicals within the Democratic Party" try to suck them into the party and thereby neutralize them. Every one. From the CIO to the Vietnam anti-war movement, and beyond. All of these movements "erupted outside and independently of the Democratic Party." And every single one lost its sense of political direction by succumbing to those "radicals" and their higher-ups, by toning-down their message in the interests of "their" candidates, by allowing themselves to be steered into least common denominator electoralism. And in the end, after being suckered in, they had ZERO impact on the DP in terms of their issues. After labor misleaders like Walter Reuther kissed ass in the DP, the labor movement had Taft-Hartley shoved up their asses. Then there was the anti-war movement's support for the "peace" candidates of the DP. Etc., etc., etc. Only by remaining independent and NOT toning down their momentum and demands have these movements ever had an impact on either the DP or the politics in this country. Every fucking electoral year you play the same tune and every fucking year it's the same bullshit. > Message: 2 > Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:27:09 -0400 > From: Marvin Gandall > Subject: Re: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works > better than Cockburn's, in my opinion > including on Marxmail, for whom such thoughts are heresy at present. In > the > less likely event a working class radicalization were to erupt outside and > independently of the Democratic party, you'd almost certainly have an > exodus > in the opposite direction to the tiny far left groups from the same kind > of > Democrats who supported Obama as the anti-establishment candidate against > Clinton, and from US radicals who presently have an orientation to > building > a left wing in the party. > > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Marxism mailing list > Marxism at lists.econ.utah.edu > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism > > > End of Marxism Digest, Vol 58, Issue 117 > **************************************** > -- Michael Friedman Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior City University of New York Institute for Comparative Genomics Department of Invertebrate Zoology American Museum of Natural History 79th Street and Central Park West New York, NY 10024 Office: 212-313-8721 -------------------- "Ya me gritaron mil veces que me regrese a mi tierra, Porque aqui no quepo yo Quiero recordarle al gringo: Yo no cruce la frontera, la frontera me cruzo" - Los Tigres del Norte From walterlx at earthlink.net Tue Sep 2 19:34:56 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 21:34:56 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] ML UPDATE, vol-11 No.36, 2-8 September Message-ID: <26899237.1220405696648.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> ("Hurricane Katrina exposed the underbelly of the superpower USA ? the mightiest Army in the world failed to protect its people; racist callousness of the Government towards the (largely Black) poor of Louisiana was on display; and the myth of corporate 'efficiency' was exploded. In contrast, Cuba (David to the US' Goliath) did a far more creditable job of protecting its people when the same hurricane hit its shores. The episode proved that in dealing with such crises, it is the priorities of nations and administrations that are more decisive that actual affluence or wealth. It is concern for and participation of common people which is actually effective and 'efficient', while corporatized governance displays efficiency only in greed and loot. The floods in Bihar prove the same." ======================================================================== COMMENT: The same problems occur in India, a fully capitalist country. Furthermore, even though for a long period of time India's capitalist government has relied on Communist support to be able to retain its parliamentary majority there's only so much influence which even a Marxist party can exercise over a capitalist coalition system. I'm glad that the CPIML Liberation posted this to Marxmail, and I've now reposted the entire document to the CubaNews list where it will find an interested audience as well, I'm confident. There are some things for which there is no substitute but a complete socialist revolution Thanks very much, CPI ML Liberation! Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ======================================================================== From: CPIML Liberation Sent: Sep 2, 2008 1:37 PM To: walterlx at earthlink.net Subject: [Marxism] ML UPDATE, vol-11 No.36, 2-8 September ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Tue Sep 2 19:45:37 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 21:45:37 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better than Cockburn's, in my opinion In-Reply-To: <49279.216.73.248.121.1220404698.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> References: <49279.216.73.248.121.1220404698.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> Message-ID: <908b689f0809021845h20573ec3qa9133f860d767df5@mail.gmail.com> On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 9:18 PM, Mike Friedman wrote: > Only by > remaining independent and NOT toning down their momentum and demands have > these movements ever had an impact on either the DP or the politics in > this country. Every fucking electoral year you play the same tune and > every fucking year it's the same bullshit. The biggest challenge, I find, in asking people to support non-DP candidates is the Supreme Court appointment issue. People are deathly afraid that if they vote for Nader/McKinney/Moore and end up making Obama lose the election, then McCain will make horrific appointments to the Supreme Court, Roe vs Wade will be overturned, and other terrible things will happen. This fear keeps many people from ceasing to vote for the DP. From lnp3 at panix.com Tue Sep 2 20:18:51 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:18:51 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better than Cockburn's, in my opinion In-Reply-To: <908b689f0809021845h20573ec3qa9133f860d767df5@mail.gmail.co m> References: <49279.216.73.248.121.1220404698.squirrel@webmail.amnh.org> <908b689f0809021845h20573ec3qa9133f860d767df5@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <20080903021830.DF2FC17BD6@mailbackend.panix.com> Ruthless wrote: >The biggest challenge, I find, in asking people to support non-DP >candidates is the Supreme Court appointment issue. It *is* true that McCain will nominate terrible people, but on the other hand the DP has done nothing to block these nominations. In fact, John Roberts--one of the worst of the lot--got 78 votes for and only 22 against. The 44 Democratic Senators split down the middle. While the DP might not have mustered enough votes to block the nomination, you really have to wonder what point there is in voting for a party that has so many of its Senators finding Roberts acceptable. From suarsos at alphalink.com.au Tue Sep 2 21:00:26 2008 From: suarsos at alphalink.com.au (Tom O'Lincoln) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 13:00:26 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Was "coup leader" victim of a set-up in East Timor? Message-ID: <001f01c90d71$386d6a10$0301a8c0@gx270> There have been doubts of this kind right from the start, including the fact Reinado was shot through the eye. Here's what I wrote for MRZine at the time: http://www.monthlyreview.org/mrzine/olincoln190208.html From walterlx at earthlink.net Tue Sep 2 21:27:42 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 23:27:42 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Was "coup leader" victim of a set-up in East Timor? Message-ID: <28009327.1220412462109.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Thanks, Tom - You wrote in this commentary that: Ramos Horta may or may not recover enough to resume governing. Reinado is gone, but his cult following among sections of the population west of Dili is enhanced, at least for now. The rebels are still at large, and the Australians have taken a huge hit to their prestige by allowing this all to happen under their noses. Well, it seems he's recovered enough to resume governing, and has gone to Cuba for medical treatment. China, Japan and India are all a lot closer. The United States probably has higher tech facilities which would cost his country a lot more money to get. This isn't what your typical reactionary murdering dictator does, if that is what you're suggesting Ramos Horta might now be, and all the less so as dictators with a weak base don't often leave their country if they're not sure they can come back and keep on dictating. Most of what you wrote in February are doubts and questions. Has anything new been confirmed as fact in the situation? Thanks, Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ======================================================== >From: Tom O'Lincoln >Sent: Sep 2, 2008 11:00 PM >To: walterlx at earthlink.net >Subject: Re: [Marxism] Was "coup leader" victim of a set-up in East Timor? > >There have been doubts of this kind right from the start, including the fact >Reinado was shot through the eye. Here's what I wrote for MRZine at the >time: >http://www.monthlyreview.org/mrzine/olincoln190208.html ========================================= 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 Sep 3 00:15:23 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 02:15:23 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Dr. Sami Al-Arian released on bond! - But the struggle continues!!! Message-ID: <1355286.1220422523838.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From: peacethrujustice at aol.com Sent: Sep 3, 2008 1:28 AM To: adc at adc.org Subject: SAMI AL-ARIAN RELEASED ON BOND! - But the struggle continues!!! THE PEACE AND JUSTICE FOUNDATION 11006 Veirs Mill Rd, STE L-15, PMB 298 Silver Spring, MD. 20902 2 Ramadan 1429 AH (September 2, 2008) Dr Sami Al-Arian Released on Bond!!! Assalaamu Alaikum (Greetings of Peace): Less than a month ago, The Peace And Justice Foundation helped to organize and spearhead a very important initiative on behalf of Dr. Sami Al-Arian ? a silent vigil outside of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he was scheduled to be tried for a SECOND TIME. Immediately following the vigil, we publicly announced our collective intent to continue a campaign of public vigils on the 13th of each month until Al-Arian was released from the government's oppressive custody. I am happy to announce that Dr. Al-Arian has just been released, in the month of mercy (Ramadan), to the custody of his family (alhamdullilah)! While this phase of the challenge appears to be over, the struggle continues. Should the government follow through on its stated intent to retry Dr. Al-Arian, both the courtroom AND THE SPACE OUTSIDE OF THE COURTHOUSE must be full of concerned citizens of every hue. As the Prophet (pbuh) said: ?Tie your camel and have trust in ALLAH.? El-Hajj Mauri? Saalakhan Director of Operations The Peace And Justice Foundation _____________________ OTHER FORWARDED ANNOUNCEMENTS: COURT HEARING FOR AAFIA SIDDIQUI Wednesday, September 3, 2008 - 2:00pm US District Court 500 Pearl Street Manhattan, NY BACKGROUND Dr Aafia Siddiqui, the American educated Pakistani scientist and mother of three, was detained for years in Bagram. She has been the victim of the US program of secret detention for five years since having been kidnapped in Karachi by Pakistan security services in 2003 along with her three children. On Monday 4th August 2008, federal prosecutors in the US confirmed that Aafia Siddiqui was extradited to the US from Afghanistan where they allege she had been detained since mid-July 2008. The US administration claims that she was arrested by Afghani forces outside Ghazni governor's compound with manuals on explosives and 'dangerous substances in sealed jars' on her person. They further allege that whilst in custody she shot at US officers and was injured in the process. According to her lawyer, Elaine Whitfield Sharp, "We do know she was at Bagram for a long time. It was a long time. According to my client she was there for years and she was held in American custody; her treatment was horrendous." Aafia's claim is contrary to the heavily contested position of the US administration that she was detained in July by Afghan forces while attempting to bomb the compound of the governor of Ghazni. The US has previously denied the presence of female detainees in Bagram and that Aafia was ever held there, bar for medical treatment in July 2008. Aafia Siddiqui now faces trial in the US in circumstances that can only be described as strange at best. Questions remain as to her own whereabouts over the last five years and still that of her children. Her medical condition is currently extremely poor as she suffers from gun shot wounds, and part of her intestine has been removed. Her condition is not made any easier by the flights of stairs she is forced to climb by herself in her condition during visits and the strip and cavity searches that she is forced to endure. Take a day off from work or school to support this sister! Remember that the Prophet said: "Whoever relieves a Muslim of a hardship in this life, Allah will relieve him of a hardship in the Hereafter, and Allah will help His slave so much as he helps his brother." Get the MapQuest ma salaam Hadayai Majeed 1000 Peace Women 2005 www.peacewomen.org ______________________ THE NEW YORK BASED FAHAD CASE SW, Brother Saalakhan, we have created a documentary video for Fahad's case. Can you please distribute the link to your mailing list. The video can be seen on our website. www.freefahad.com. As soon as you enter the site the video is there. All you have to do is hit play on the player, it is a google video. If you want to go through google video then the following is the link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2618625552091922327&ei=PZegSNaKFZDuqwL0jonQDQ&q=free+fahad&hl=en The video features Imam Siraj Wahaj, Michael Ratner, Professor Corey Robin and Sean Maher. I would sincerely appreciate it. SW _______________________ The Connecticut Water Hose Case FINALLY - Please Do Not Forget: The Water Hose Case of OFFICER MUSTAFA SALAHUDDIN. His trial begins this Thursday in Derby, CT. Insha'Allah, I expect to attend the New York court proceedings for Sr. Aafia Siddiqui (tomorrow) and the Connecticut proceedings for my brother on Thursday. The trial is scheduled to begin on the morning of Thursday, September 4, 2008, in the Derby Superior Court - located at 106 Elizabeth Street, Derby, Connecticut 06418. ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From dan.dimaggio at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 00:30:07 2008 From: dan.dimaggio at gmail.com (Danny DiMaggio) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 01:30:07 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Cops prevent Rage Against the Machine from playing free show at RNC Message-ID: Hi everyone, I just got back from a day-long concert at the State Capitol in St. Paul called Ripple Effect, featuring political music from Dead Prez, Michael Franti, Anti-Flag, and more. After Anti-Flag closed their set at around 6:15 or so, there was a surprise guest set to perform: *Rage Against the Machine!!!* Radio stations had been announcing this in the hours before and thousands of mainly youth showed up to the Capitol to hear them. As their roadies tuned up and they were all set to go on, however, the fascist police occupation that now rules the Twin Cities during the RNC refused to allow them to take the stage. They even cut the power to the event, though organizers had a permit for it to go until 7pm, well after Rage would have played. They claim that since Rage wasn't on the permit, somehow they had the right to prevent them from playing, which is, well, ridiculous police state nonsense. I can honestly say this was one of the most disgusting displays of police bullshit I have seen. Preventing thousands of young people from hearing one of the world's best political bands is some serious bullshit. The whole crowd even sang the Star Spangled Banner, highlighting the contradiction between America, the supposed "land of the free" (we drew out this line for a while), and the bullshit repression of democratic rights being carried out by the cops around here (with the help now of the National Guard). Rage did come out and lead an a capella version of Bulls on Parade, which was interesting, and then they said, "Let's take this to the streets." So as they did at the DNC, they helped lead a march of several thousand, mainly youth, through the streets of St. Paul. It linked up with the Poor People's March that was going on. The march went for the most part without hassle although the cops did use tear gas at least once and they were out in force with their giant Robo Cop gorilla suits on. My friend Ryan, who had just come out of a taping of The Daily Show, claims that many ordinary people on the streets were yelling at the cops, blaming them for the violence, telling them not to attack the demonstration. Eventually we reached the "protest cage," where people just sort of hung around. After a while, people began to disperse on their own. But the cops began to mass in huge numbers all over the city, including bringing in dumptrucks to blockade streets and protesters. We escaped literally at the last possible second before they began herding people god knows where else. Basically St. Paul is occupied territory, occupied by a massive police army. If you look like you might be a protester, it's not safe to walk around. Many of the people are the demo hung around for "too long" afterwards (remember also that many of these people were just trying to see Rage play, and then marched afterwards, new to the movement), and the cops attacked them with tear gas, etc. You can see video below. I will say that the RNC has been full of important political lessons for the people of the Twin Cities, including the role of the police, the ends to which the government is willing to go to prevent us from effectively protesting, and the serious gap between the myth of democracy in this country and the reality. It is clear that the U.S. government uses these big political conventions as a means to beef up the armed forces of the state, to protect corporate rule in this country in anticipation of any social movements that may be on the horizon, given the mass anger that is building up in U.S. society. The massive police presence on the streets of St. Paul is meant to cow us into fear, telling us that it's not possible to resist the police or attempt to change society, because these are the odds we're up against - thousands of muscle-bound, Robo Cop-outfitted, pig dickwads armed to the teeth with rubber bullets, tear gas, flash grenades, pepper spray, mace, tasers, batons, firehoses, guns, etc. This is the lesson the cops seek to impart into African-American and Latino communities on a daily basis via their occupations of the inner cities and terrorization of these communities. But I'm pretty sure that's not gonna be enough to stop us, just like it wasn't enough to stop the civil rights movement in the '60s, or the labor movement in the '30s ... cuz as we've been chanting on the streets of the Twin Cities, "There ain't no power like the power of the people cuz the power of the people don't stop" (although tonight I feel more like chanting "No justice, no peace - Fuck the police!"). Some Video footage: http://www.twincities.com/video?bcpid=1653590799&bclid=1755456983&bctid=1770059945 http://kstp.com/article/stories/S565108.shtml?cat=1 Dan p.s. "Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses... Some of those that hold office, are the same that burn crosses ..." - Killing in the Name Of, Rage Against the Machine From walterlx at earthlink.net Wed Sep 3 01:12:00 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 03:12:00 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] MH: Cuban punk rocker Gorki Aguila fined and ordered freed Message-ID: <1260881.1220425920491.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Another filthy, dirty, rotten, low-down, no-good trick by the brutal Castro Dictatorship to deny this man, who proudly calls himself a punk rocker, and who certainly IS a punk, to deny him his status as a victim of brutal state Communist repression. Freed for a mere $28 fine after being convicted of making too much noise in his barrio Well, since he has obviously generated a firestorm of good propaganda publicity on rightist exile militant blogs in Miami, he'll be able to live off of remittances in Cuba and probabably NEVER had to get a job. I guess that's why Yoani Sanchez is so fond of his operation? She must want to learn his techniques. Maybe she'll soon be offering sound-files for sale with a PayPal button? If the SLIMY HERALD describes him as "vulgar -- and bolder than any other performance artist in modern Cuban history." then he must really be a potty-mouthed punk indeed. The HERALD also says this: "The logo for his band is a Soviet hammer and sickle, but in the form of genitals.") Gusanotistas of the world unite. Aqui esta la basura cultural que ustedes estan defendiendo ahora. ("Gusanotistas of the world unit. This is the cultural garbage you are defending now.") Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ====================================================== MIAMI HERALD Cuban punk rocker Gorki Aguila fined and ordered freed Posted on Sat, Aug. 30, 2008 By FRANCES ROBLES frobles at MiamiHerald.com Havana punck rocker Gorki Aguila, in a t-shirt that says "59 Year of the Mistake" a reference to the year Fidel Castro's revolution triumphed in Cuba. Cuban punk rocker Gorki Aguila is irreverent, vulgar -- and bolder than any other performance artist in modern Cuban history. His lyrics blasting the Cuban dictatorship are so strong, this newspaper can't print many of them. The founder and lead singer of the 10-year-old group ''Porn for Ricardo'' walks around his western Havana neighborhood with T-shirts that say things like, ``59: Year of the Mistake.'' In a case that has drawn attention around the world, the 39-year-old rocker went on trial Friday on charges of ''pre-crime social dangerousness.'' He faced a sentence of up to four years in prison, but in the end the court fined him the equivalent of $28 and promised to free him. Wire-service reports from Havana said the singer yelled ''freedom!'' as he was led into a courthouse. Diplomats, human rights activists, artists and journalists swarmed the municipal courthouse Friday morning awaiting the trial, which began some eight hours late. Some family, friends and political activists chanted Aguila's name as he arrived in a police car and was escorted inside the building, the Associated Press reported. The two-hour trial was closed to the media and was ignored by the Cuban news media. Elizardo S?nchez, head of the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation attended the trial and talked to reporters later. ''The prosecution asked for a fine,'' he said. ``Fortunately, there will be no more time in prison.'' The trial came a day after his bandmates were briely detained during a concert in Havana Thursday night featuring singer Pablo Milan?s, who had been urged by hundreds of artists including Miguel Bos? and Alejandro Sanz to publicly call for Aguila's freedom. Aguila could have become the first artist to face criminal charges for his resistance music since Ra?l Castro took over power from his brother Fidel two years ago. Castro took over after his brother's illness in a fanfare of reform, publicly saying it was time to air complaints. Cuban punk rocker Gorki Aguila is irreverent, vulgar -- and bolder than any other performance artist in modern Cuban history. His lyrics blasting the Cuban dictatorship are so strong, this newspaper can't print many of them. The founder and lead singer of the 10-year-old group ''Porn for Ricardo'' walks around his western Havana neighborhood with T-shirts that say things like, ``59: Year of the Mistake.'' In a case that has drawn attention around the world, the 39-year-old rocker went on trial Friday on charges of ''pre-crime social dangerousness.'' He had faced a sentence of up to four years in prison, but in the end the court fined him the equivalent of $28 and promised to free him. Wire-service reports from Havana said the singer yelled ''freedom!'' as he was led into a courthouse. Diplomats, human rights activists, artists and journalists swarmed the municipal courthouse Friday morning awaiting the trial, which began some eight hours late. Some family, friends and political activists chanted Aguila's name as he arrived in a police car and was escorted inside the building, the Associated Press reported. The two-hour trial was closed to the media and was ignored by the Cuban news media. Elizardo S?nchez, head of the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation attended the trial and talked to reporters later. ''The prosecution asked for a fine,'' he said. ``Fortunately, there will be no more time in prison.'' The trial came a day after his bandmates were briely detained during a concert in Havana Thursday night featuring singer Pablo Milan?s, who had been urged by hundreds of artists including Miguel Bos? and Alejandro Sanz to publicly call for Aguila's freedom. Aguila could have become the first artist to face criminal charges for his resistance music since Ra?l Castro took over power from his brother Fidel two years ago. Castro took over after his brother's illness in a fanfare of reform, publicly saying it was time to air complaints. Artists and intellectuals spoke out publicly about past wrongs, and Ra?l Castro officially welcomed it. But Aguila's direct attacks on the Castro brothers and his profanity-laced lyrics appear to have pushed the limits on what the Cuban government was prepared to accept. Cuba watchers say Aguila's arrest sends a clear signal that while Ra?l Castro is open to public debate, he will set boundaries. 'It's one thing to say, `the government makes mistakes' or 'this thing doesn't work,' said Uva de Arag?n, of Florida International University's Cuban Research Institute. ``Going directly after Ra?l and Fidel is something else.'' De Arag?n said Aguila's work is reminiscent of past protest artists such as Carlos Varela and Pedro Lu?s Ferrer, who in the '80s and '90s fell from the government's graces for writing songs that criticized the establishment. But those singers were never as daring as Aguila, whose most famous tune ''El Comandante'' says -- over and over again -- that Fidel Castro should quit performing oral sex on men. The logo for his band is a Soviet hammer and sickle, but in the form of genitals. ''The commander wants me to work for a miserable wage,'' the song says. ``The commander wants me to applaud him after he talks his s---. Tyrant.'' ''He is so brave,'' said Miami-Dade College spokesman Alejandro Rios, an expert on Cuban arts. ``Nobody has ever done what Gorki has done -- nobody. If you listen to his songs, they are really incredible and too much. They directly make fun of Fidel and his brother, Ra?l, and portray the Cuban government as an old gang of losers.'' In the 1980s some visual artists came close, by doing things like making a floor mat out of Ernesto ''Che'' Guevara's image. Another exhibit featured feces on the daily communist party paper Granma -- and the artist got six months in prison, R?os said. The Che rug exhibit was promptly shut down. ''Gorki's music is really good rock, if you dig that,'' R?os said. ``If you like Billy Joel and Celine Dion, that's different.'' Aguila works in a print shop and records his music in the modest apartment he shares with his father. He has an 11-year-old daughter, and is separated from her mother. He never attended college, because he disliked the Communist Party's lock on the education system, said Laura Garc?a, a Mexico City graduate student who wrote her doctoral dissertation on resistance movements like Aguila's. Garc?a said Aguila is just as profane in person as he is in his music, but she described him as an unusually affectionate man adored by his friends. People frequently stop him in the street and greet him, even when he is wearing a protest t-shirt, she said. ''He doesn't just wear those shirts in photos -- he walks around like that,'' Garc?a said by telephone from Mexico. ``Gorki does not have a political project. All he says is that he wants to sing whatever he wants. The Cuban government could not accuse him of receiving money from Yankee imperialism and the things they accuse other political prisoners of. ``The government did not know what to do with him.'' The group's web site stresses that the band is apolitical and does not accept funding from political groups. Porno for Ricardo was formed 10 years ago as part of Cuba's then-burgeoning underground punk scene. The group's name was itself a sign of protest to symbolize personal freedom: Aguila has a good friend named Ricardo who likes porn, Garc?a explained, but the dirty pictures his buddy so enjoys are prohibited in Cuba. ''I have gotten the sense that people really like our music, it is accepted,'' he told Radio Mart? in a May interview posted on the station's web site. ``They are things people would have liked to have said. ... Our lyrics allude to what people want to say when lights go out or they don't have anything to eat.'' Banned from performing in public venues, he said his band plays for friends at abandoned theaters. They have recorded five CDs, including one titled ``I Don't Like Politics, but it Likes Me.'' Aguila was arrested in 2003 on what he says what was a trumped-up drug charge. His-four year prison sentence was reduced to two and a half years after intense international pressure. But time in the Pinar del R?o prison changed Aguila -- and his music --forever. ''His first three CDs are not really anti-government. They had elements of criticism, but using metaphors,'' Garc?a said. ``They mocked Russian culture, prostitution and what was happening in society. It was a strong social critique. But when he gets out of prison, he says: `No more metaphors. We are going to call things by their name.''' Earlier versions of this article incorrectly stated that Mexican singer Alejandro Fernandez had signed a letter in support of Gorki Aguila. The article should have said it was Spaniard Alejandro Sanz. The Herald regrets the error. . ========================================= 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 Sep 3 01:33:32 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 03:33:32 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Was "coup leader" victim of a set-up in East Timor? Message-ID: <30016237.1220427212959.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> It was a political question: Could it be the chronic hostility which some Western radicals feel about the rising influence of China in the world is somehow linked to efforts to smear anyone who's pro-Cuba? Louis said, and I'm sure he's 100% correct about it, that he never thought about the Cuban angle, so we find ourselves in agreement on yet another point. Agreement is good, when it's possible to find. I've also just got a slightly more complete report on the visit from AFP by way of a paper in Brisbane, Australia, which is added to this. The World Socialist Website also thinks that China is capitalist, and that it, like Cuba, has never had a socialist revolution. They often run reviews of movies which are worth looking at since they take up social and political themes which conventional reviewers often avoid. But the World Socialist Web Site doesn't share the enthusiasm which you say you have for Cuba, yet you continue to site them as an example of good Marxist commentatorialismo. A sample of WSWS Marxisticalisticism: Castroism at forty: the dead-end of petty-bourgeois nationalism [excerpts] Thus, in his principal speech delivered in Santiago de Cuba, while railing against capitalist globalization and castigating the US and its multinationals for imposing "dehumanizing" neo-liberal policies throughout the globe, he praised the European powers, declaring the newly minted euro currency a "firm alternative" to the American dollar. The European bourgeoisie was credited by Castro with providing the world with "a good example of what can be accomplished through the exercise of rationality and use of intelligence." The advent of the euro, he indicated, was the result of the European powers learning the lessons of past wars and deciding that they could no longer survive as isolated national economies. Such rhetoric is a none-too-subtle expression of the increasingly powerful role that European capital is playing in the Cuban economy. Spanish corporations dominate in the all-important tourism industry, though Dutch capital has just completed construction of a major new luxury hotel in downtown Havana. Meanwhile, the Castro regime continues to press for the lifting of the US economic embargo on the country, blaming it for much of the island's ills. Earlier this month, the official Trabajadores newspaper said that the embargo had cost the country $800 million in 1998 and more than $60 billion over the past 40 years. While undoubtedly US economic pressure has done enormous damage to Cuba, the Castro regime in its public pronouncements never indicates what it expects a normalization of economic relations would mean. Would it not present a far more threatening challenge than the embargo itself, posing the restoration of the US economic hegemony that was interrupted 40 years ago? That is clearly the view within the boardrooms of the most powerful US banks and multinationals. Business and manufacturers' groups have been lobbying for the past several years for a lifting of the embargo, while a number of major corporations have opened exploratory talks with the Cuban regime and sent representatives to scout the island for potential investments. FULL (of...) http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/jan1999/cuba-j20.shtml ========================================================== THIS IS WALTER SPEAKING FOR THESE TWO PARAGRAPHS: Sam Farber has one advantage over Proyect and the rest of the critics: he goes to Cuba and sees it for himself, and so, unlike some individuals, I really do not at all think Farber is a gusano. Not at all. He's just another perfectionistic critic whose standards are simply too high for any living country in the real world to meet. I read Farber with interest since he IS Cuban and he does to to Cuba and bases his observations on actual facts. It's his interpretations and prefectionistic opinions I cannot share, but it's useful to read a wide range of sources to follow a story. A note about Sam Farber http://groups.yahoo.com/group/swp_usa/message/6769 Bob Marley said, ""Who the cap fits, let them wear it." Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ==================================================== Ramos Horta flies to Cuba - for health check-up Agence France Press (AFP) Brisbane Times, Australia - September 3 DILI - East Timorese President Jose Ramos Horta has flown to Cuba for a medical check-up on gunshot wounds he sustained in a rebel attack at his home in February. The Nobel laureate was given a military guard as he boarded a commercial flight to Singapore from Dili's airport today. "He wants to visit Cuba mainly for a health check-up because he is still feeling unwell," Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao told reporters. "Apart from that, the visit is to convey the solidarity of all the Timorese people with our friend Cuba since they have just been through (Hurricane Gustav)," he said. Gusmao did not say if Ramos Horta would visit President Raul Castro or his brother, former president Fidel Castro. Ramos Horta underwent two months of treatment in Australia, including surgery and an induced coma, after being shot in the February 11 attack, which also left two rebels dead. Gunmen also targeted Gusmao, who narrowly escaped injury. ==================================================== WORLD SOCIALIST WEB SITE: China?s rising influence is creating serious concerns within the Australian foreign policy establishment that Canberra?s hegemony in the South Pacific is being fatally undermined. It is this, above all, that has led to a series of Australian-led police and military operations throughout the region in recent years, including in East Timor. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/sep2008/etim-s02_prn.shtml ==================================================== LOUIS PROYECT wrote: I didn't give the Cuba connection a moment's notice. Of course, in your mind that confirms my status as a Sam Farber wannabe, especially since I have the "wrong" position on Chinese buses being sold to Cuba. ========================================= 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 Sep 3 02:10:45 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 04:10:45 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Michael Moore: An Open Letter to God Message-ID: <20146923.1220429445313.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> (Spanish speakers can read this on the Cuban LA JIRIBILLA website where it is re-posted here from Rebellion: http://www.lajiribilla.cubaweb.cu/noticias/noticia.asp?Id=9301 ============================================================== WARNING: If you do not believe in God, you may find this a bit difficult to understand, and so won't find any reason to spend the time to actually put yourself through it. Don't worry about it. Just because YOU don't believe in God, most people actually do believe in some form of supreme being, or consciousness or force higher than any individual government, and that's why it is important that Micheal is addressing his comments, perhaps a bit indirectly, to the great majority of the English-speaking and Internet-accessing world through this message. Enjoy and please circulate as widely as you can, believers and others. Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ============================================================== Sunday, August 31st, 2008 An Open Letter to God, from Michael Moore Dear God, The other night, James Dobson's organization asked all believers to pray for a storm on Thursday night so that the Obama acceptance speech outdoors in Denver would have to be canceled. I see that You have answered Dr. Dobson's prayers -- except the storm You have sent to earth is not over Denver, but on its way to New Orleans! In fact, You have scheduled it to hit Louisiana at exactly the moment that George W. Bush is to deliver his speech at the Republican National Convention. Now, heavenly Father, we all know You have a great sense of humor and impeccable timing. To send a hurricane on the third anniversary of the Katrina disaster AND right at the beginning of the Republican Convention was, at first blush, a stroke of divine irony. I don't blame You, I know You're angry that the Republicans tried to blame YOU for Katrina by calling it an "Act of God" -- when the truth was that the hurricane itself caused few casualties in New Orleans. Over a thousand people died because of the mistakes and neglect caused by humans, not You. Some of us tried to help after Katrina hit, while Bush ate cake with McCain and twiddled his thumbs. I closed my office in New York and sent my entire staff down to New Orleans to help. I asked people on my website to contribute to the relief effort I organized -- and I ended up sending over two million dollars in donations, food, water, and supplies (collected from thousands of fans) to New Orleans while Bush's FEMA ice trucks were still driving around Maine three weeks later. But this past Thursday night, the Washington Post reported that the Republicans had begun making plans to possibly postpone the convention. The AP had reported that there were no shelters set up in New Orleans for this storm, and that the levee repairs have not been adequate. In other words, as the great Ronald Reagan would say, "There you go again!" So the last thing John McCain and the Republicans needed was to have a split-screen on TVs across America: one side with Bush and McCain partying in St. Paul, and on the other side of the screen, live footage of their Republican administration screwing up once again while New Orleans drowns. So, yes, You have scared the Jesus, Mary and Joseph out of them, and more than a few million of your followers tip their hats to You. But now it appears that You haven't been having just a little fun with Bush & Co. It appears that Hurricane Gustav is truly heading to New Orleans and the Gulf coast. We hear You, O Lord, loud and clear, just as we did when Rev. Falwell said You made 9/11 happen because of all those gays and abortions. We beseech You, O Merciful One, not to punish us again as Pat Robertson said You did by giving us Katrina because of America's "wholesale slaughter of unborn children." His sentiments were echoed by other Republicans in 2005. So this is my plea to you: Don't do this to Louisiana again. The Republicans got your message. They are scrambling and doing the best they can to get planes, trains and buses to New Orleans so that everyone can get out. They haven't sent the entire Louisiana National Guard to Iraq this time -- they are already patrolling the city streets. And, in a nod to I don't know what, Bush's head of FEMA has named a man to help manage the federal government's response. His name is W. Michael Moore. I kid you not, heavenly Father. They have sent a man with both my name AND W's to help save the Gulf Coast. So please God, let the storm die out at sea. It's done enough damage already. If you do this one favor for me, I promise not to invoke your name again. I'll leave that to the followers of Dr. Dobson and to those gathering this week in St. Paul. Your faithful servant and former seminarian, Michael Moore MMFlint at aol.com MichaelMoore.com P.S. To all of God's fellow children who are reading this, the city of New Orleans has not yet recovered from Katrina. Please click here http://troublethewaterfilm.com/content/pages/learn_what_you_can_do/ for a list of things you can do to help our brothers and sisters on the Gulf Coast. And, if you do live along the Gulf Coast, please take all necessary safety precautions immediately. ========================================= 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 Sep 3 02:58:10 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:58:10 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Lessons of the Caucasus war: Imperial ambitions need to be blocked | Links Message-ID: <48BE51A2.5020601@greenleft.org.au> By *Andrey Kolganov* and *Aleksandr Buzgalin, *translated by /Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal?/s *Renfrey Clarke* Moscow, September 2, 2008 -- To most Russians, it was obvious from the beginning that the latest war in the Caucasus began with an attack by Georgian forces on South Ossetia, and that ultimately, it was unleashed on the initiative of the United States. To the West, meanwhile, it was just as clear from the outset that the August war in the Caucasus represented an assault on small, defenceless and democratic Georgia by huge, aggressive and authoritarian Russia. This is what almost all the world media have asserted, and continue to assert. To a significant degree, this is even believed by a significant section of world civil society, including by anti-globalisation activists who for the most part have little sympathy for the US establishment. Why was this? Why are there such directly counterposed versions of the same events? Why, after nearly 20 years of warm post-Soviet ?friendship?, have Russia and the US so rapidly, and in such radical fashion, taken up positions on the opposite sides of the barricades? Are the politics of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev so different from those of Russia;s first post-Soviet President Boris Yeltsin? Has Russia really become either an ?enemy of democracy? (from the point of view of the West), or the ?defender and hope of the anti-imperial forces? (from the point of view of Russian state officials)?What does the conflict in the Caucasus signify? Is it the prologue to a new worldwide confrontation between the ?democratic? empire of the West (with its centre in the US) and Russia?s mini-empire on the periphery? Or is it ?merely? one in a series of local wars? Full article at http://links.org.au/node/611 Subscribe free to /Links - International Journal of Socialist Renewal/ - at http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=343373 From lueko.willms at t-online.de Wed Sep 3 03:23:32 2008 From: lueko.willms at t-online.de (=?iso-8859-1?q?L=FCko_Willms?=) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:23:32 +0200 (MES) Subject: [Marxism] Michael Moore: An Open Letter to God In-Reply-To: <20146923.1220429445313.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <20146923.1220429445313.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <100-9457be48-26214.024@lws-media.de> On Wed, 3 Sep 2008 04:10:45 -0400 (EDT), Walter Lippmann wrote: > WARNING: If you do not believe in God, you may find this a bit > difficult to understand, and so won't find any reason to spend > the time to actually put yourself through it. It is a great satirical text anyway. Worth reading! Comradely yours, L?ko Willms Frankfurt, Germany -------------------------------- From walterlx at earthlink.net Wed Sep 3 03:30:47 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 05:30:47 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Was "coup leader" victim of a set-up in East Timor? Message-ID: <78121.1220434247157.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> This is in response to Louis Proyect's comments which question certain events in East Timor on the basis of a long report on the World Socialist Web Site, a left organization based in the United States of America which believes that China is a capitalist country as it believe Cuba is and has ALWAYS been and continues to be a CAPITALIST country. A SIMPLE political question: Could it be the chronic hostility which some Western radicals feel about the rising influence of China in the world is somehow linked to efforts to smear anyone who's pro-Cuba? with the exceptionally warm and cordial ties between Cuba and China today, casting suspicion and doubts about anyone friendly to China is high on the agenda of some individuals and political tendencies,. Granma has a report in today's paper about Jose Ramos Horta's impending arrival in Havana, the English version of that will be posted when it's received. You can observe by its positioning that it is the lead article in the paper, sitting on top, right under the masthead, right next to Fidel's reflection. This indicates how important Ramos Horta's visit is to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, an influential group in that country. This means, as I interpret it, they are not sneaking someone into Cuba whom they suspect is a dubious character who conducted a political assassination against opponents in his home country of East Timor http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/2008/09/03/index.html The World Socialist Website also thinks that China is capitalist, and that it, like Cuba, has never had a socialist revolution. They often run reviews of movies which are worth looking at since they take up social and political themes which conventional reviewers often avoid. But the World Socialist Web Site doesn't share the enthusiasm which you say you have for Cuba, yet you continue to site them as an example of good Marxist commentatorialismo. A sample of WSWS Marxisticalisticism: Castroism at forty: the dead-end of petty-bourgeois nationalism [excerpts] Thus, in his principal speech delivered in Santiago de Cuba, while railing against capitalist globalization and castigating the US and its multinationals for imposing "dehumanizing" neo-liberal policies throughout the globe, he praised the European powers, declaring the newly minted euro currency a "firm alternative" to the American dollar. The European bourgeoisie was credited by Castro with providing the world with "a good example of what can be accomplished through the exercise of rationality and use of intelligence." The advent of the euro, he indicated, was the result of the European powers learning the lessons of past wars and deciding that they could no longer survive as isolated national economies. Such rhetoric is a none-too-subtle expression of the increasingly powerful role that European capital is playing in the Cuban economy. Spanish corporations dominate in the all-important tourism industry, though Dutch capital has just completed construction of a major new luxury hotel in downtown Havana. Meanwhile, the Castro regime continues to press for the lifting of the US economic embargo on the country, blaming it for much of the island's ills. Earlier this month, the official Trabajadores newspaper said that the embargo had cost the country $800 million in 1998 and more than $60 billion over the past 40 years. While undoubtedly US economic pressure has done enormous damage to Cuba, the Castro regime in its public pronouncements never indicates what it expects a normalization of economic relations would mean. Would it not present a far more threatening challenge than the embargo itself, posing the restoration of the US economic hegemony that was interrupted 40 years ago? That is clearly the view within the boardrooms of the most powerful US banks and multinationals. Business and manufacturers' groups have been lobbying for the past several years for a lifting of the embargo, while a number of major corporations have opened exploratory talks with the Cuban regime and sent representatives to scout the island for potential investments. FULL (of...) http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/jan1999/cuba-j20.shtml WALTER CONTINUES: Sam Farber has one advantage over Proyect and the rest of the critics: he goes to Cuba and sees it for himself, and so, unlike some individuals, I really do not at all think Farber is a gusano. Not at all. He's just another perfectionistic critic whose standards are simply too high for any living country in the real world to meet. I read Farber with interest since he IS Cuban and he does to to Cuba and bases his observations on actual facts. It's his interpretations and prefectionistic opinions I cannot share, but it's useful to read a wide range of sources to follow a story. A note about Sam Farber http://groups.yahoo.com/group/swp_usa/message/6769 Bob Marley said, ""Who the cap fits, let them wear it." Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ======================================================= LOUIS PROYECT wrote: I didn't give the Cuba connection a moment's notice. Of course, in your mind that confirms my status as a Sam Farber wannabe, especially since I have the "wrong" position on Chinese buses being sold to Cuba. ======================================================= WORLD SOCIALIST WEB SITE: China?s rising influence is creating serious concerns within the Australian foreign policy establishment that Canberra?s hegemony in the South Pacific is being fatally undermined. It is this, above all, that has led to a series of Australian-led police and military operations throughout the region in recent years, including in East Timor. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/sep2008/etim-s02_prn.shtml ==================================================== ========================================= 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 Sep 3 03:40:59 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 05:40:59 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] A new interview with Stalin Message-ID: <9346995.1220434859816.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Nothing is good enough for these people. Only nationalization, and, please, nothing partial, but absolutely, posolutely, unmistakably everything, and, let's not forget, no compensation, nunca puhleeze. Thanks to Socialist Action where this interview was linked. SA is, of course bitterly opposed to the Bolivarian Revolution under the leadership of President Chavez. Socialist Action has never had one good word to say for Chavez. Now here we have the ironic weirditude of a Proudly Trotskyist Group speaking highly of Stalin. Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California =========================================================================== IV Online magazine : IV403 - August 2008 Venezuela {excerpt} The alliance with the employers is putting brakes on the march towards socialism Interview Stalin Peres Borges We reject this ?alliance of national unity? because it is counter-productive if we really want to advance towards socialism. It will even be reactionary if it is carried out, because it will weaken the revolutionary process. We propose on the contrary an alliance of popular power, of the workers and the exploited and oppressed sectors of society, in order to resolve the question of state power. In the second place, we need measures of economic policy that are consistent with the discourse on the building of socialism and the working-class nature of the government, measures which must respond to the real problems and needs of working people. Let us take the example of foreign trade. If there is an area in which the state must have a monopoly of purchases and imports it is certainly that of food. The nationalization of foreign trade and particularly of the food sector is a fundamental tool for controlling inflation. Next, there is the question of wages. You cannot on the one hand spend millions of dollars on incentives and subsidies to the employers, without any control by the workers, while on the other hand workers are affected every day by price increases. We must install a periodic, monthly or quarterly indexation of wages in line with inflation. Collective bargaining agreements concluded every two years cannot respond to the situation. One of the main issues whose gravity should be understood is that of the control of finances, the banks and credit. The crisis of the international economy will continue to deepen, just like the crisis of the banking sector. In this context, it is not acceptable that there does not exist any control on deposits in our country. We think that the system of credit is a strategic sector just like basic industries, oil, food, communications, etc. This sector cannot remain in the hands of the private sector and even less of the multinationals. At the very least, deposits would have to be nationalized. Or else, the central bank should control and manage all the money which is in the banking system. http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1505 ====================================================================== FROM IN DEFENCE OF MARXISM Declaration of the IMT on the nationalisation of the Banco de Venezuela By In Defence of Marxism Saturday, 02 August 2008 Marxists welcome every step in the direction of nationalisation. At the same time, we point out that partial nationalisations are not sufficient to solve the fundamental problems of the Venezuelan economy. The nationalisation of the entire banking and financial sector is a necessary condition for establishing a socialist planned economy, along with the expropriation of the land owners in order to carry out the agrarian reform, and the nationalisation of all big private firms, under workers' control and management. This would enable the mobilisation of the entire productive resources of Venezuela to solve the most pressing problems of the people. http://www.marxist.com/declaration-imt-on-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 glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Wed Sep 3 04:04:45 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:04:45 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] A new interview with Stalin In-Reply-To: <9346995.1220434859816.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <9346995.1220434859816.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <48BE613D.2090900@greenleft.org.au> Walter, Stalin is his name, you'll have to blame his parents for that. Stalin Perez Borges is a significant participant in the Venezuelan revolution, whether you agree with his views on everything or not. It is not as simplistic as you make out. For more by or about Borges, see http://links.org.au/taxonomy/term/185 Norm. Walter Lippmann wrote: > Nothing is good enough for these people. Only nationalization, and, > please, nothing partial, but absolutely, posolutely, unmistakably > everything, and, let's not forget, no compensation, nunca puhleeze. > > Thanks to Socialist Action where this interview was linked. SA is, > of course bitterly opposed to the Bolivarian Revolution under the > leadership of President Chavez. Socialist Action has never had one > good word to say for Chavez. Now here we have the ironic weirditude > of a Proudly Trotskyist Group speaking highly of Stalin. > > > Walter Lippmann > Los Angeles, California > =========================================================================== > > IV Online magazine : IV403 - August 2008 > Venezuela > > {excerpt} > > The alliance with the employers is > putting brakes on the march towards socialism > > Interview > Stalin Peres Borges > From walterlx at earthlink.net Wed Sep 3 04:16:42 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 06:16:42 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Mumia Abu-Jamal: Obama - Biden? Change? Not So Much Message-ID: <6373810.1220437002157.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Electing a Black person president of the United States would be a good thing, a very good thing. But to expect that Black person, coming up through, and rising to the top within, one of the fundamental tools of capitalist rule in the past century and a half, is unrealistic in the extreme. It would seem a bit much to expect that an activist as radical as Besancenot could get elected now. There' some time to go between now and the actual voting. The capitalists have many ways to destroy the credibility of alternatives which present themselves as to the left. First and most familiar, is to ignore the candidate and their campaign. Second, is to make it seem harmless and toothless. Maybe that's what's being done in this case. It would seem the bourgeoisie in Frants wants to generate interest in the election, and this candidate seems to suggest that. Let's keep in mind that capitalist elections are supposed to be, and serve the role of, legitimizing capitalist rule. If too few candidates run, or too few bother to vote, then the legitimacy which the system then likes to attribute to itself, is significantly reduced. Third, should a revolutionary candidate have the slightest possible chance of actually taking the office of the French presidency, you can rest assured that the bourgeois media would ======================================================== RUTHLESS wrote: If Americans in fact won't tolerate any more change than Obama is proposing, what would be the point of Obama's offering more change? In fact, it would be suicidal for him to do so. No? -------------------- ?Red postman? knocks at Nicolas Sarkozy?s door With the Socialists in disarray, a young firebrand is now the best opponent of the French president ----------------- Compared with the deeply split Socialists, Besancenot?s anticapitalist grouping seems harmonious, but he has come under attack from some of the comrades for being a darling of the media. He defends himself by saying that appearing on television chat shows helps him to communicate his message better. The criticism of him just goes to show, as Le Figaro newspaper put it, that in France ?there is always someone to the left of you?. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4641032.ece ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From farmelantj at juno.com Wed Sep 3 05:45:37 2008 From: farmelantj at juno.com (farmelantj at juno.com) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 11:45:37 GMT Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better than Cockburn's, in my opinion Message-ID: <20080903.074537.15284.0@webmail24.vgs.untd.com> The typical rejoinder to that is that while Democratic senators might vote for almost any candidate submitted for the Supreme Court, Democratic presidents can be expected to submit better candidates than Republican presidents. However, a perusal of the history of the Court suggests that even here things are not so simple. Some of the most progressive members of the Court have been appointed by Republican presidents. The most notable example being Earl Warren, who was appointed by Eisenhower. Likewise, Harry Blackmun was appointed by Nixon, and David Souter by the elder George Bush. One of the most reactionary members of the Court, Byron White was appointed by JFK. White, in fact, was a segregationist and pretty much an open racist. Jim F. -- Louis Proyect wrote: Ruthless wrote: >The biggest challenge, I find, in asking people to support non-DP >candidates is the Supreme Court appointment issue. It *is* true that McCain will nominate terrible people, but on the other hand the DP has done nothing to block these nominations. In fact, John Roberts--one of the worst of the lot--got 78 votes for and only 22 against. The 44 Democratic Senators split down the middle. While the DP might not have mustered enough votes to block the nomination, you really have to wonder what point there is in voting for a party that has so many of its Senators finding Roberts acceptable. ____________________________________________________________ Click to lower your debt and consolidate your monthly expenses. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3m2bkLSqQrWZikrXLbFkMkGU1NFdRhbBdDJl3qeLvHPivkPV/ From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Sep 3 07:04:46 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:04:46 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Was "coup leader" victim of a set-up in East Timor? In-Reply-To: <78121.1220434247157.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <78121.1220434247157.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <48BE8B6E.1060802@panix.com> Walter Lippmann wrote: > A SIMPLE political question: Could it be the chronic > hostility which some Western radicals feel about the > rising influence of China in the world is somehow > linked to efforts to smear anyone who's pro-Cuba? Who is being smeared? You? I was under the impression that you had sharp political differences with most of the mailing list by believing that China is a socialist country because the party in power calls itself "Communist". I was also under the impression that we differed with you because you thought that capitalism could benefit underdeveloped countries in the same way it benefited Victorian England, as a kind of training wheels for a bicycle so to speak. I sharply differ with your analysis of this question since it smacks of Walt Rostow. > Granma has a report in today's paper about Jose > Ramos Horta's impending arrival in Havana, the > English version of that will be posted when it's > received. You can observe by its positioning that > it is the lead article in the paper, sitting on > top, right under the masthead, right next to Fidel's > reflection. This indicates how important Ramos Horta's > visit is to the Central Committee of the Communist > Party of Cuba, an influential group in that country. Frankly, I have not given much thought to the "set up" question, but Cuba putting down the red carpet for Jose Ramos Horta does not impress me one bit in light of the following: http://www.abc.net.au/pm/stories/s793387.htm Ramos Horta lends support to force against Saddam PM - Wednesday, 26 February , 2003 00:00:00 Reporter: Anne Barker MARK COLVIN: As I mentioned a little earlier in the program, support for a possible war against Iraq has come from what may seem an unlikely source; the Nobel Peace laureate and now East Timorese Foreign Minister, Jose Ramos-Horta. Mr Ramos-Horta has warned of the consequences for the Iraqi people if the world fails to bring Saddam Hussein to account, and he says European leaders opposed to war are undermining the "only truly effective means of pressure on Saddam Hussein, the threat of the use of force". In an article in the New York Times today, Mr Ramos-Horta compared the plight of the East Timorese under Indonesian oppression with that of the Iraqi people under their own dictator. Anne Barker reports. ANNE BARKER: Jose Ramos-Horta has drawn on his family's own tragic experience under Indonesian rule to make the case for a possible war against Iraq. The Indonesians he says murdered three of his siblings; two brothers executed by Indonesian soldiers in 1977, and a sister killed by rocket fire the following year; not unlike Saddam Hussein he says, who has killed hundreds of thousands of his own people and tortured and oppressed countless more. JOSE RAMOS-HORTA: For 20 years at least hundreds of thousands have died either at the hands of the dictator, or because of the wars he unleash on his neighbours, on Kuwait, on Iran. People sometimes seem to forget the nature of these regimes. ANNE BARKER: And while the world would be a better place he says without war, Mr Ramos-Horta remembers the desperation and anger he felt when the world chose to ignore East Timor's tragedy, and just as his own people begged for foreign intervention against Indonesia, so too in Iraq he says, the threat of the use of force is the only truly effective means of pressure. JOSE RAMOS-HORTA: I know countless numbers of Iraqis abroad who have been victimised, and who had to flee and who are angry that for so long the world did little or nothing for themselves and it is tragic that only now that the world is waking up, I mean the powers that be are waking up to the nature of the regime. > The World Socialist Website also thinks that China > is capitalist, and that it, like Cuba, has never > had a socialist revolution. They are sort of your funhouse crazy mirror image, since you think that China is socialist. In either case, we are dealing with a refusal to engage with the real world. > WALTER CONTINUES: > Sam Farber has one advantage over Proyect and the rest of > the critics: he goes to Cuba and sees it for himself, > and so, unlike some individuals, I really do not at all > think Farber is a gusano. For those puzzled by this contorted logic, let me say that it is Walter's attempt to stir up trouble with another subscriber whose remarks he took objection to on another mailing list. In my view, it is always best to strive for clarity even if Walter prefers a squid's ink sort of discourse. From sartesian at earthlink.net Wed Sep 3 07:43:36 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 09:43:36 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] A new interview with Stalin References: <9346995.1220434859816.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <8F5C7BDB5BCD47558412E6597E8A2DF4@dmsthinkpad> So let's see, Walter, resident of the country that is the enemy of the entire world, is criticizing a resident of an oppressed country, and by implication, telling that citizen of an oppressed country how the revolution in that country should proceed. Which shows what? Only that all the "hands-offism," "mind your own businessism," accusations of first world arrogance and ignorance thrown against those who may live in the same country as Walter but not share his view, is, not baloney, but propaganda designed to cover, and secure, a certain political position in support of a government. Just thought I would point that out. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Walter Lippmann" To: Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 5:40 AM Subject: [Marxism] A new interview with Stalin From Dbachmozart at aol.com Wed Sep 3 08:01:45 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 10:01:45 EDT Subject: [Marxism] reactionary Supreme Court picks and the Democrats Message-ID: Louis Proyect wrote - It *is* true that McCain will nominate terrible people, but on the other hand the DP has done nothing to block these nominations. In fact, John Roberts--one of the worst of the lot--got 78 votes for and only 22 against. The 44 Democratic Senators split down the middle. While the DP might not have mustered enough votes to block the nomination, you really have to wonder what point there is in voting for a party that has so many of its Senators finding Roberts acceptable. By threatening to filibuster the Alito nomination and then backing down without a whisper as well as enthusiastically supporting the Roberts nomination (Biden in particular), the Democrats forfeited their long-time claim to the left that "even if we are the lesser evil, we are the only force standing in the way of reactionary Supreme Court choices". As with the wars against Iraq and Afghanistan, torture, spying on US civilians and unswerving loyalty to Big Oil, Big Pharma and the Zionist Lobby, the Democrats are fully complicit with the crimes of Bush-Cheney, and the US left should not be shy about stating that. We have it in our power to begin the world over again ?Thomas Paine **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) From binesi at gvtel.com Wed Sep 3 09:59:40 2008 From: binesi at gvtel.com (David Thorstad) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:59:40 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Seattle journalists arrested at RNC in St. Paul Message-ID: <48BEB46C.2030404@gvtel.com> Pepperspray Productions journalist Joseph La Sac released Pepperspray Productions journalist Lamert Lambert Rochfort is being charged with felony riot. Below is an email sent from their home office in Seattle. ________________________________________ Randy Rowland, from PepperSpray Productions, here. Instead of sending you an announcement about a screening, this email is unusual for us, it is a call for help. Two PepperSpray collective members, Lambert Rochfort and Joe LaSac, on assignment in St Paul covering the protests associated with the Republican National Convention, were both arrested on Sunday while covering the story. Both are still being held without charges or an opportunity to go before a judge. Lambert was swept up in a mass arrest of peaceful citizens who were surrounded by cops and all arrested. Joe was arrested about the same time as Amy Goodman and two other journalists from "Democracy Now!" were arrested. In fact if you watch the footage of Amy Goodman standing in handcuffs, the fellow sitting on the ground at her feet is Joe. Lambert and Joe had covered the DNC in Denver, and were in St Paul to cover the protests. They both had their cameras with them when arrested and were clearly doing nothing illegal, just trying to get the story that corporate media tends to overlook. There have been several other attacks on journalists there, including a raid on an indymedia hospitality center, and a raid on the house of a group that documents police brutality. It goes without saying that there is no freedom of the press if reporters are jailed for covering the story. We want our people released without charges, and we want our equipment back. If you value indymedia and the role of independent journalists-- and I know you do, or you wouldn't be on our announcement list--then please take some or all of the following actions to secure the timely release of these PepperSpray videographers. If you are in the St Paul area or can ask those you know who are in that area, please join the 24 hour vigil at the Ramsey County Jail, 425 Grove St., St Paul (24 hour vigil) Please call some or all of the following numbers, demanding that our reporters be freed: Chris Coleman, St. Paul Mayor: 651.266.8510 or Chris Rider from Mayor Coleman's office at 651-266-8535 Ramsey County Jail at 651-266-9350 (press extension 0) Ramsey County Sheriff: 651.487.5149 Here are the names and numbers of St Paul City Council people to call as well: Melvin Carter - Ward 1 - 651- 266-8610 Dan Thune - Ward 2 - 651-266-8620 Pat Harris - Ward 3 - 651-266-8630 Russ Stark - Ward 4 - 651-26-8640 Lee Helgen - Ward 5 - 651-266-8520 Dan Bostrom - Ward 6 - 651-266-8660 Cathy Lantree - Ward 7 - 651-266-8670 PepperSpray Productions is an all-volunteer independent media collective based in Seattle, WA. Among other things, we produce a weekly access TV show called "Indymedia Presents" which airs on 20 channels, from Seattle to New York, including in St. Paul and Minneapolis. For more info about our work, we invite you to visit our website: www.peppersprayproductions.org Thanks, Randy Rowland PepperSpray Productions if you really don't want to get emails from us, reply to this email with your request and we'll take you off our list. You are on the list because you signed up for it, or got one of our videos. Typically we only use this list to announce occasional screenings or releases of major DVDs. If you would like to get a weekly update email about what is on each episode of "Indymedia Presents", you may also email us wih that request. Franklin L?pez Director/Producer subMedia http://submedia.tv US 773.986.6869 Canada 604.630.2441 From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 10:19:28 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:19:28 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better than Cockburn's, in my opinion In-Reply-To: <20080903.074537.15284.0@webmail24.vgs.untd.com> References: <20080903.074537.15284.0@webmail24.vgs.untd.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0809030919r1ae4d60cq7704b3592c5d7f6f@mail.gmail.com> On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 7:45 AM, farmelantj at juno.com wrote: > Some of the most progressive > members of the Court have been appointed by Republican > presidents. The most notable example being > Earl Warren, who was appointed by Eisenhower. > Likewise, Harry Blackmun was appointed by Nixon, > and David Souter by the elder George Bush. The typical rejoinder to that is "That was then; this is now." From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 10:43:50 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:43:50 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Russian revolutionaries on Russian-Georgian conflict Message-ID: <908b689f0809030943p10e03a25uc7103eeb222c45ba@mail.gmail.com> http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1515 From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 11:01:07 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 13:01:07 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] A new interview with Stalin In-Reply-To: <8F5C7BDB5BCD47558412E6597E8A2DF4@dmsthinkpad> References: <9346995.1220434859816.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> <8F5C7BDB5BCD47558412E6597E8A2DF4@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <908b689f0809031001w2e63fd9bq7302753081c008a2@mail.gmail.com> On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 9:43 AM, S. Artesian wrote: > So let's see, Walter, resident of the country that is the enemy of the > entire world, is criticizing a resident of an oppressed country, and by > implication, telling that citizen of an oppressed country how the revolution > in that country should proceed. Not really. This Stalin guy speaks for himself, while Chavez has an electoral mandate and popular support. If you forbid "criticizing a resident of an oppressed country", then by this logic we can't even criticize reactionaries in oppressed countries!! From farmelantj at juno.com Wed Sep 3 11:00:29 2008 From: farmelantj at juno.com (farmelantj at juno.com) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 17:00:29 GMT Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better than Cockburn's, in my opinion Message-ID: <20080903.130029.10031.0@webmail02.vgs.untd.com> But all those people were sold at the time as ones who would be conservative justices. Eisenhower professed shock that Earl Warren had turned out to be so progressive. Nixon always sold his Supreme Court picks as being "strict constuctionists", who were dedicated to "law and order." David Souter was presented by George I as a conservative jurist. Some people here might recall, Ted Kennedy even voted against him on the grounds that he would be a right-wing justice in the Robert Bork mold. -- "Ruthless Critic of All that Exists" wrote: On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 7:45 AM, farmelantj at juno.com wrote: > Some of the most progressive > members of the Court have been appointed by Republican > presidents. The most notable example being > Earl Warren, who was appointed by Eisenhower. > Likewise, Harry Blackmun was appointed by Nixon, > and David Souter by the elder George Bush. The typical rejoinder to that is "That was then; this is now." ________________________________________________ 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/farmelantj%40juno.com ____________________________________________________________ Embrace e-commerce and sell your products or services online. Click now! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3nqoijMZxv0ZztPgjDljBNyqK1dhCqvtJuexeBGYG4sUf5bZ/ From ecosocialism at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 11:37:28 2008 From: ecosocialism at gmail.com (Ian Angus) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 13:37:28 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Venezuela: Nationalizations Aim to Make Industry Serve Peoples' Needs Message-ID: <733b65360809031037q56c98a61wc672a21572e4074c@mail.gmail.com> SOCIALIST VOICE Marxist Perspectives for the 21st Century www.socialistvoice.ca September 3, 2008 Venezuela: Nationalizations Aim to Make Industry Serve Peoples' Needs By Federico Fuentes. On August 27, Venezuelan President Hugo Ch?vez announced the end of negotiations with former owner Ternium over the nationalization of the Sidor steel factory, stating that the government would "take over all the companies that it has here," and that Ternium "can leave." .... Together with the announcements made earlier this year to take control of more than 30% of milk production and food distribution, and last year's decision to take majority control of the oilfields in the Orinoco Belt, these moves are part of a second wave of nationalizations, focused on industries related to production. Full article: From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Sep 3 11:44:59 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:44:59 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Perry Anderson on Kemalism Message-ID: <48BECD1B.7040105@panix.com> http://www.lrb.co.uk/v30/n17/ande01_.html From sabocat59 at mac.com Wed Sep 3 11:56:13 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:56:13 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Medvedev Praises EU Over Sanctions Message-ID: The Moscow Times ? Issue 3980 ? Medvedev Praises EU Over Sanctions 03 September 2008 By Simon Saradzhyan / Staff Writer President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday praised the European Union's decision to reject slapping sanctions on Russia over its war with Georgia but criticized the Western bloc for failing to understand the Kremlin's motives in the conflict. "In my view, the outcome is double-edged," Medvedev said of a resolution reached by EU leaders at the Monday summit in Brussels. The heads of the EU's 27 member states at the emergency summit voted unanimously to tell postpone talks on a partnership agreement with Moscow until Russia removes its troops from Georgia. They failed, however, to reach a consensus on whether Russia should be punished with sanctions over its refusal to withdraw troops from Georgia proper and its recognition of the breakaway Georgian republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. In an interview with the Euronews television channel recorded at his residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Medvedev said the EU's criticism is a result of the bloc's failure to understand why Moscow sent its troops into Georgia and to recognize the rebel regions. "This is sad, but not fatal, because things change in this world," he said. Medvedev nevertheless commended the EU for refraining from sanctions, calling the decision "more positive." "Despite certain divisions among the EU states on the issue, a reasonable, realistic point of view prevailed, because some of the states were calling for some mythical sanctions," he said. Medvedev's assessment echoed those voiced earlier Tuesday by the Foreign Ministry and Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin. "A number of countries called for imposing sanctions on Russia and freezing relations ? but they remained in minority while the majority of the members displayed a responsible approach, reaffirming the course for partnership with Russia," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Rogozin told Interfax that the EU's decision not to impose sanctions marked a defeat for Poland and the bloc's three Baltic states ? former Soviet republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania ? which he accused of "implementing Washington's line for undermining pan- European cooperation." The EU is insisting that Russia withdraw its troops from Georgia according to the six-point peace plan brokered last month by French President Nicolas Sarkozy after the Russian military crushed Georgian forces attempting to retake South Ossetia. Sarkozy, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said in Brussels that he would lead an EU delegation to Moscow next Monday for talks on the current standoff in the South Caucasus. "We will have to re-examine our partnership with Russia," Sarkozy said Monday, calling on Moscow not to isolate itself. In an opinion piece published in several major dailies worldwide Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband warned that Moscow risks paying both a political and economic price for its actions. "It has made short-term military gains, but over time it will feel economic and political losses," Miliband wrote. "If Russia truly wants respect and influence, it must change course." Like Sarkozy, however, Miliband advised against isolating Russia, calling on the EU to pursue "hard-headed engagement" with Moscow. The White House, which has staunchly supported Georgia in the conflict, welcomed the EU's decision to boost its involvement in resolving the crisis while also promising to assist Tbilisi in its recovery from the war. "The extraordinary EU summit demonstrates that Europe and the United States are united in standing firm behind Georgia's territorial integrity, sovereignty and reconstruction," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, The Associated Press reported. "We also agree with the EU's conclusion that Russia has a choice to make in order not to isolate itself from Europe." The United States has been supplying Georgia with humanitarian aid and, jointly with several other NATO countries, has deployed warships to the Black Sea in the wake of the conflict. Russia, whose military destroyed naval and army facilities across Georgia, has also deployed battleships to the area. Speaking in Uzbekistan on Tuesday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Russia would react "calmly" to NATO's increased naval presence in the Black Sea, Interfax reported. Russia's "reaction will be calm, without any sort of hysteria," Putin said, though he added, "There will be an answer," Interfax reported. Asked to elaborate on Russia's possible response, Putin said, "You'll see." From hunterbadbear at hunterbear.org Wed Sep 3 12:15:49 2008 From: hunterbadbear at hunterbear.org (Hunter Gray) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:15:49 -0600 Subject: [Marxism] Independence Party / Sagebrush Rebellion Message-ID: <000801c90df1$1a317ca0$0400a8c0@computer> There seems to be increasing mention in much media about the pro-secessionist Independence Party [Alaska] and possible ties of the Palins thereto. Ms Palin has denied this, although she does seem to have spoken at one of their assemblies. Mainline media reports indicate her husband, Todd, [himself one-quarter Alaskan Native], belonged to it for awhile. It remains to be seen how important this aspect of the Palin's interesting odyssey will be seen as time goes on. To make the Independence Party dimension more comprehensible, it has to be placed in the context of the waxing and waning [and waxing] Sagebrush Rebellion which seeks privatization of public lands, corporate takeovers of such, and abrogation of Native treaty rights and related agreements. No matter how much this nefarious "crusade" may occasionally wane, it consistently breaks out yet again like a resurgent forest fire. There are about 200 million acres of public lands -- mostly Federal -- in Alaska. About 40 million other acres are held by Native nations, via the Alaskan Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. If, in the event, Alaska could effect secession, the public lands would immediately lose their direct and indirect Federally protected status -- and Native lands would be at considerable risk as well. Ultimately, corporate interests already circling the pristine lands of Alaska like vultures and buzzards would land for The Feast. This scenario is not likely -- in Alaska or in the targeted regions in the continental Western states. But it's not beyond the realm of possibility, at least in the sense of cunningly maneuvered checkerboard land/resource seizures. Good friends and neighbors of ours who are U.S. Bureau of Land Management and United States Forest Service officials keep an eye -- always -- on these things. And so should we all. [Hunter] Here is a substantial excerpt from a post of mine on the basic Sagebrush Rebellion thrust and the dangers it poses: NATIVE LANDS, PUBLIC LANDS, GREEDY CORPORATIONS -- AND THE LATEST INCARNATION OF THE "SAGE BRUSH REBELLION" [Hunter Gray 12/24/01] Note by Hunter Bear: . . . .This so-called "House Western Caucus" -- focused greedily, among other things, on our national forests [Forest Service] and park lands [Park Service] and other public Federal lands [Bureau of Land Management] and on Indian lands and resources as well, is simply the newest in a very long series of land and resource grabbing schemes. [Much of this, BTW, has roots in the East and even abroad.] As always, these things warrant continual, ever-vigilant scrutiny. ["Ride the fence-lines, folks!"] I should say at the outset that I am not against all lumbering or metal mining by any means [ how could I be, I've worked in those settings --although I'm certainly completely against any uranium mining, milling, refining. ] My Anglo mother came out of an old Western ranching family. There are ways of doing these things -- essentially reasonable ways. [But bona fide socio-economic democracy, of course, is the most reasonable context of all!] Given the historic and currently voracious appetites of the corporations, their traditional relationship with public lands/resources -- and with Indian lands -- has at best been an armed truce. And, for at least the past two or three generations, it's been more and more of an open war. If the Clinton administration was, despite its friendly-media hype, a fair-weather friend of the Native people and conservationists et al., the Bush entourage is obviously an open foe. In addition to just plain grassroots Native power, Indian country -- Indian lands -- are mostly protected [albeit uneasily] by the special Federal treaty/trust relationship grounded on Article 1, Section 8 ["commerce clause" and general Federal primacy in Indian affairs] and Article 6, Section 2 [ all treaties made by the US government are part of "the supreme law of the land"] of the US Constitution; by the general exclusion of state jurisdiction via Worcester v. Georgia 1832 [Cherokee Nation] and a myriad more of comparable decisions -- and embodied [for better and worse] in the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. But, despite all of these bulwarks and more, Indian land and resources are under constant attack [ and the Bush administration is, as I've just noted, an open foe of Native interests ] -- and Indian people and our allies are constantly maintaining extreme vigilance. Lately, our enemies have focused mostly on trying to block land-claims cases brought by various tribal nations -- and the generally paltry "settlements" eventually secured. In all of this, too, the foes have generally been unsuccessful -- but constant Native scouting and scrutiny in this realm are also the absolute rule. The enemies have been somewhat more successful in trying to impede Native water rights [guaranteed in treaties and via the almost century old Winter v. US decision] by blocking and diverting the water when its respective headwaters and initial flow are located in non-Indian lands. But the most open goal right now -- as discussed in the following news piece -- are the public lands of the West. The major coveting interests are not so much the small or middle-sized ranchers. [Grazing and water leases are now generally 25 years, in contrast to the 99 years of the obviously much older Taylor Grazing Act.] The basic enemies are the mineral corporations -- e.g., oil and gas, metal, coal; the lumber and sawmill and pulp outfits; the big "recreational" and "development" companies. None of these are -- or ever have been -- content with "reasonable" solutions. They want it all. And fast. It's an on-going fight and the Native Americans and the Real Westerners and the Real People generally -- in contrast to these greedy predatory outfits and their allies in Washington -- can use all the help we-all can get in protecting these very vital sections of our turf. It's an intensive fight -- always. As I entered my teen years in Northern Arizona, a big kid, I had no difficulty at all in that laid-back era in representing myself as 18 years old when I was years short of that point. No problems -- people "in the know" simply grinned -- and one of the arenas I went into full-force in the years before I entered the Army was fire-fighting for the US Forest Service. [ A great many Indian people have traditionally worked in that dramatic and well-paying endeavour. It's also egalitarian: a forest fire really doesn't care one way or another about your respective ethnicity. And the woodsmoke and ash make everyone look very, very black.] At 17, I ran a major fire and radio lookout on the Coconino National Forest. Close friends of mine had fathers who were regular USFS employees. But I can remember when, at the obvious instigation of two lumber companies -- Saginaw and Manistee, and Southwest -- an excellent district ranger and a dedicated conservationist was suddenly transferred out of the Coconino into the "Siberia" of USFS Region 3: the old Apache National Forest. That ranger, half a century ago, had been a sharp and effective foe of ruthless lumber company expansion. "They" did a hatchet job on him -- but he certainly continued his vigorous conservationist activities on the Apache. The predatory scope and the ruthlessness are now far, far greater than they were 'way back in those far-away days -- infinitely more so. I should add that Bureau of Land Management turf -- public turf -- begins only a good stone's throw from my present back door here in Idaho. HUNTER GRAY [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR] Mi'kmaq /St. Francis Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk Protected by Na?shdo?i?ba?i? and Ohkwari' Check out our Hunterbear website Directory http://hunterbear.org/directory.htm [The site is dedicated to our one-half Bobcat, Cloudy Gray: http://hunterbear.org/cloudy_gray.htm See our Community Organizing Course [with new material] http://hunterbear.org/my_combined_community_organizing.htm In our Gray Hole, the ghosts often dance in the junipers and sage, on the game trails, in the tributary canyons with the thick red maples, and on the high windy ridges -- and they dance from within the very essence of our own inner being. They do this especially when the bright night moon shines down on the clean white snow that covers the valley and its surroundings. Then it is as bright as day -- but in an always soft and mysterious and remembering way. [Hunter Bear] http://www.hunterbear.org/GRAY%20LANDS%20AND%20GRAY%20GHOSTS.htm From skeyesvogt at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 12:37:08 2008 From: skeyesvogt at gmail.com (Sky Keyes-Vogt) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 14:37:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] A new interview with Stalin Message-ID: Greetings- Walter has been an activist in solidarity with the Cuban Revolution for longer than I have been alive. And I give respect where its due. I myself - a Marxist youth - am also an ardent supporter of the Cuban Revolution. It is the beacon by which I think other 3rd world countries can find a path towards socialism. I must say though that I find it contradictory that Walter supports the Cuban Revolution with such zeal yet here we see him harshly criticize a Venezuelan revolutionary... for what? Being to the left of Chavez? Is it really so horrible to criticize Chavez from the left? Usually I find that accusations of "well you don't live there" are lobbed at those of us who aren't citizens of the country in question (although I'm not accusing Walter of that), but in this case we're talking of a citizen of Venezuela. From everything I've read on this guy, he appears to a committed and principled revolutionary. Is it our wish that no one be to the left of Chavez? That no one pressure the movement from the left? Or should Chavez and only Bolivarians that agree with him totally be listened to and followed? There are some on this list that scoff at the idea that a youth in America could possibly conceive of criticisms of leaders like Morales and Chavez and the path they are taking. I find that to be disheartening. But I find it down right deplorable that we have voices on this list dismissing the words of a real revolutionary like Stalin P?rez Borges so quickly. This guy's words need to be taken seriously and - if disagreed with - debated seriously. In case you all didn't know, he's under attack by the bourgeoisie *right now *: http://socialistworker.org/2008/08/25/venezuelan-union-leader-facing-jail August 25, 2008 Why is a Venezuelan union leader facing jail? THE OWNER of Fundimeca, an air conditioning factory in Valencia, in the state of Carabobo, is waging an intense campaign of terror and intimidation against the factory's workforce. Fundimeca's workforce has been fighting to ensure that the company complies with Venezuela's constitution and labor laws, in particular, an order by the labor inspectorate to rehire nine workers. Fundimeca employs 360 workers, 80 percent of whom are women. One worker has been shot in the leg by armed thugs, and 18 workers and three union leaders are currently facing trial in Carabobo courts, accused of various charges, including criminal gang activity, with the threat of jail terms looming over their heads. Among those standing trial is Stalin P?rez Borges, a national coordinator of the National Union of Workers (UNT) and Venezuela's principal delegate to this year's International Labor Organization convention--where after seven years, the delegation successfully removed Venezuela from the list of countries that supposedly violate union freedom. P?rez Borges and a number of the others facing trial are also members of the mass-based United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), headed by Venezuelan President Hugo Ch?vez. Also facing charges is union finance secretary and a key leader of the dispute, Gloria Palomina, who was shot by armed thugs. Some of those facing trial did not participate at all in the dispute, while others have been threatened with charges if they do not resign. Meanwhile, Fundameca boss Jose Ignacio Jaramillo, an anti-Castro Cuban who supported the coup attempt against Ch?vez in 2002, has outright refused to abide by the law. He is suspected of being behind the shooting of Palomina yet continues to walk free, openly declaring he has enough money to buy all the "justice" he needs in Carabobo. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SINCE THE election of Hugo Ch?vez in 1998, the rights of workers have dramatically increased. Using the new constitution and laws introduced, a new layer of pro-revolution unions have been organized and scored some important successes in the fight for workers' rights--including, in certain instances, organizing workers to take over the running of factories shut by their owners. This has also led to a reinvigoration of the workers movement, particularly after the struggle by workers, together with the community and armed forces, to break the back of the bosses' strike in December 2002-January 2003, which attempted to shut down the state oil company and other important industries. In response, employers have launched successive attacks against the new layer of militant unionists, sacking those who attempt to form new unions and demand their rights. In a number of cases, the employers have gotten help from state bureaucrats who do not enforce compliance with pro-worker laws, including counter-revolutionary elements within the still-existing capitalist state institutions. In the case of Fundimeca, evidence points to close collaboration between the boss, the local court and the public prosecutions office in order to defeat the workers. The struggle at Fundimeca began on June 26, when the boss refused to enact the order of the labor inspectorate of Valencia to rehire nine workers sacked last November. In response, a group of workers decided to go on strike and formed a picket line outside the factory. On June 30, Palomina was shot when two armed men rode up to the picket line on motorbikes and told the workers to get back to work. Out of fear for their safety, the workers took over the factory that day. This is just part of the intimidation campaign against the workers, who have had their houses monitored day and night, received threatening phone calls and been threatened with jail terms if they do not resign. On July 3 and July 18, the workers were ordered to leave the premises by state judge Mauricia Mar?a Gonzalez, who is also a member of the PSUV. The workers refused to leave the first time, and the factory was inspected and deemed to be in perfect shape. The second time, following a signed agreement in which the workers would leave the factory and the boss would not take reprisal actions and would rehire the nine workers, cover the medical costs of Palomina and withdraw the charges laid, the workers left the factory. However, the boss failed to comply with the agreement. On August 4, the workers were notified that arrest orders had been issued against them. Three days later, they presented themselves before the authorities and were held for almost six hours in a maximum-security prison. They were informed they were being charged with violating private property, impeding the right to work and criminal gang activity, among other charges. Public prosecutor Jaime Alexander Martinez Lugo asked that the workers facing court be deprived of liberty until the end of the trial, a request rejected by the judge, who instead ordered that the accused could not leave the state, be in the vicinity of Fundimeca or speak out against the company. They were warned that if they broke any of these terms, they would be detained in Tocuyito prison. If found guilty, the workers face several years in jail. Many are asking: given all this, why is the boss--who has still not rehired the workers as ordered by the state, is under suspicion for involvement in the shooting of a union leader and continues to threaten other workers--not facing charges or even investigation?' [clip] From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Sep 3 12:41:33 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:41:33 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Excluding Reds from SDS? Message-ID: <48BEDA5D.6000800@panix.com> Some important issues have been raised on the Kasama blog by Mike Ely about anti-communist exclusionary policies in the new SDS. The first entry, dated August 31, was titled ?SDS: Ideology, Agendas and Raw Anti-Communism? and published an interview with SDS member Rachel Haut that originally appeared in Platypus, an online publication. Ely prefaces the interview with the following comments: >>The following interview appeared in platypus1917.org. It focuses heavily on Rachel Haut? belief that communist politics have no legitimate place within a movement for an alternative society. Her discussion lumps some very diverse forces together under a single label ?Maoists? i - but that superficial and questionable generalization is part of the overall anti-communist method. The interview raises issues about the meaning of democracy, the kind of society that should replace this one, and whether communists have ?agendas? and ?ideology? (while presumably non-communist democrats do not). It also raises the question of how this approach of pressuring Obama is linked to a particular (and anti-communist) view of ?democracy.? Laurie Rojas is a member of Chicago SDS and editor of The Platypus Review. Rachel Haut is a member of the New York non-student SDS chapter. Both are participating in the Hundred Days campaign- which plans to mobilize people in the first hundred days of the next administration to put pressure on Barack Obama and the Democratic Party.<< Haut?s interview expresses a need not just to exclude ?Maoists? but ?crazy anarchists? as well: >>However, I think it is inappropriate to have conversations about ideological differences when we still have Maoists in the organization. Why should we be having these conversations with them, including them in the discussion, if their ideology is in direct opposition to building a democratic society? To say that the Maoists can be part of the ideological debate would mean to condone them being in this organization, which is something I don?t do. In the New York City SDS I have spoken numerous times with SDSers who are not Maoists about having the Maoists or certain kinds of anarchists in our organization, because both sides hurt us. If we want to build a democratic society, and we want to be relevant, both of these opposing forces are working against us. There are varying degrees of anarchism, definitely, as well as varying degrees of socialism. But, I think ideas that conflict with our vision and our goals need to be clearly defined and excluded before we can actually start talking about our ideological differences formally as a national organization.<< It is a little hard for me to judge the role of anarchists in SDS but I am somewhat surprised by this characterization since I was under the impression that anarchists enjoyed something of a hegemony in SDS. I surmised that with the implosion of the anti-globalization movement, anarchists have been on the prowl trying to find an outlet for their tactical fetishism. Apparently, they must have worn out their welcome in SDS, at least with people like Rachel Haut whose politics are a bit hard for me to extract out of the interview. I guess she sounds a bit like one of the early New Leftists who operated in SDS until factional lines were drawn with an earlier generation of Maoists. full: http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/excluding-reds-from-sds/ From jansen.l12 at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 13:32:22 2008 From: jansen.l12 at gmail.com (Linda Jansen) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:32:22 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Seattle Journalists Arrested in St. Paul Message-ID: *Looks like LaSac has been released; this isn't clear for Rochfort* http://stimulator.gnn.tv/blogs/29263/Journalists_Arressts_La_Sac_released_Lambert_to_be_charged Pepperspray Productions journalist Joseph La Sac released > Pepperspray Productions journalist Lamert Rochfort is being charged with > felony riot. > > Below is an email sent from their home office in Seattle. > -- Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. From christopher.hutch at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 13:36:20 2008 From: christopher.hutch at gmail.com (Christopher Hutchinson) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 15:36:20 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] New Post General Strike: China and the road to socialism Message-ID: Today General Strike takes a look at the widening gap between rich and poor in China and worker militancy. www.generalstrikecomicstrip.blogspot.com keep well, Christopher From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Wed Sep 3 13:59:04 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:59:04 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better Message-ID: <48BEB448.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Charles Brown ^^^^ CB: Come to think of it, it can be argued that the Civil Rights Movement debilitated the Democratic Party, given the success of the Nixon/Reagan Southern Strategy in pinning the Dem Party as the party of Black people with various degrees of white racists who shifted to the Reps, and have caused the Reps to dominate for almost 30 years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S. Artesian -clip- The discussion included the discussion of the fact that the "dramatic" movements of the 20th century originated outside that party, and when "moving" into it, which certainly does not mean that the rank and file of that movement participated in any way shape or form in the forming of program and policy of that party, the movement was debilitated. ^^^^ CB: Lets test this claim with respect to the Civil Rights Movement/anti-Jim Crow Movement of the 1950's and 60's. Did the Democratic Party debilitate the Civil Rights Movement or did the Democratic President and Congress pass Civil Rights statutes and Constitutional Amendments ? How about the women's suffrage movement ? How about the labor movement to legalize unions in the 1930's ? How about the anti-Vietnam war peace movement ? This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Wed Sep 3 14:13:28 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:13:28 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better Message-ID: <48BEB7A8.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Mark Lause -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, Charles, let's test that. In each and every case you mention--woman suffrage, civil rights and the anti-Vietnam War movement--the impetus to change came from people functioning independent of the electoral parties. As the movements grew stronger, they forced officeholders to make concessions. ^^^^ CB: Yes, and contrary to Sartesian's claim, none of these dramatic movements of the 20th Century was debilitated by the Democratic Party. So, his claim fails the tests of factual history. All of these movements succeeded to a substantial degree. In the case of the Vietnam war peace movement, it basically took over and "debilitated" the Democratic Party in 1972 with McGovern as the candidate whose main platform plank was end the Viet nam war. That debilitated the Dem Party , in the sense that Nixon won by a landslide. In the case of the Civil Rights Movement, it "took over" the Democratic Party in a large sense - federal civil rights laws passed, dozens of Black/ urban mayors and city council members, legislators winning office, and the Republicans instituting the "Southern Strategy" by which they basically won decades of Presidential elections based on identifying the Democratic Party with Black people ( the Civil Rights Movement) in the minds of various strains of racists. ^^^^ As an aside, it was the Democratic Party that provided the greater obstacle to woman suffrage in the heyday of the movement. And the Democratic Party was responsible for needing civil rights legislation in the first place, since it was the party that established and tightened segregationist standards as late as the 1950s. And the Democratic Party started and escalated the Vietnam War. ^^^^^ CB: Yea, there is a historical reversal of the roles of the Parties with FDR, fyi. At any rate, the women's suffrage movement was not debilitated by the Dem Party, as Sartisian claimed. It succeeded. ^^^^^^^ We're not discussing ancient history here. Have we forgotten? ^^^ CB: I think Sartisian said 20th Century. ^^^^^^^ ML This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From markalause at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 14:20:45 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 16:20:45 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Excluding Reds from SDS? In-Reply-To: <48BEDA5D.6000800@panix.com> References: <48BEDA5D.6000800@panix.com> Message-ID: When there was talk of reviving the SDS, I had an idea that it was going to be much more like the original group as I remembered it...essentially a student organization that embraced all advocates of a more democratic society--essentially everything left of Obama. Such organizations (and the GPUS was like this at its best) provides an important, perhaps vital, venue through which radicals can thrash out such things as electoral independence, the role of class, race, gender. My initial impulse was immediately to go to the socialists I knew and point them the direction of the new SDS. I was surprised when I was asked explicitly not to do this, because their presence would mean constant internal power struggle and an ongoing field for entryism. While understanding the concerns, exclusion seems to me to provide a permanent limit on the role the SDS can play in the movement. This is not to say that the SDS might not be able to do some very positive work, but that defining itself in terms of exclusion eliminates one of the really interesting and positive features of the original organizaiton. ML From Dbachmozart at aol.com Wed Sep 3 14:22:53 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 16:22:53 EDT Subject: [Marxism] those who demand nothing, get nothing Message-ID: Having made no demands on Barack Obama's presidential candidacy, Black America should expect to reap - nothing. "For the first time since the rebellions of the Sixties, we hardly hear the call for a Marshall-type plan to rebuild the cities - once the near-unanimous, unifying demand of virtually the entire spectrum of Black ?leadership.'" Obama, who "blames the ongoing Katrina nightmare on ?colorblind' incompetence...will never lift a finger to derail the slow-motion displacement of gentrification elsewhere in urban America." Is it any wonder that our enemies "confidently speculate on the ?death of Black politics.'" <_http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7 61&Itemid=1_ (http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=761&Itemid=1) > We have it in our power to begin the world over again ?Thomas Paine **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) From markalause at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 14:28:26 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 16:28:26 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <48BEB7A8.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> References: <48BEB7A8.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: OK, so far your purposes then, the Democratic warmongering that made the Vietnam War and turned it into a quagmire wasn't the twentieth century and after "historical reversal of the roles of the Parties with FDR." The Democratic axe-murder of the Equal Rights Amendment wasn't the twentieth century and after "historical reversal of the roles of the Parties with FDR." And the actual tightening of segregation in the 1940s and into the 1950s wasn't the twentieth century and after "historical reversal of the roles of the Parties with FDR." And in the old Soviet Union, the workers all had flying unicycles. ML From sartesian at earthlink.net Wed Sep 3 14:33:37 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 16:33:37 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: <30EB9E857B94480CBC826061C3F78F53@dmsthinkpad> I would say yes to: 1. civil rights: in that the basis of the movement was the "plowing up" of Southern agriculture by mechanization beginning with WW2, and increasing industrialization, migration of African-Americans into cities and as part of the working class. At core, then, the civil rights movement to achieve emancipation of black Americans had to achieve the emancipation of black labor; and in this era that meant a challenge to capitalism, to private property. Thus the theater of struggle moved North, moved into urban areas, moved into industry with class demands for open housing, non-discriminatory wage levels, achieving IMO its peak with the struggles of black workers in the auto industry in and around Detroit and the strike of the Memphis sanitation workers. Encapsulation of this movement, confinement of this movement to the Democratic party platforms and electioneering is a step backwards, and is, of course, accompanied by increasing repression against those organizations not willing to be so confined. And as is always the case, once the radical section of the movement is isolated and repressed, the great rollback begins-- and the bourgeoisie, no fools them, begin the rollback on a class basis-- utilizing unemployment, factory closings, reductions in benefits, to put the workers back in their place, which is now out in the street. Do you remember the invasion of the UAW goons into the Jefferson Ave (think it was Jefferson Ave.) plant to break up the sit-down/no work strike led by black workers? We all should. Catapaulted old Doug Fraser up the heap of union bureaucrats struggling for a seat on the board of Chrysler. The Congress sure did pass the voting laws. The Supreme Court sure did decide Brown vs. Board of Education. But I think it would be enlightening to compare the current average earnings of African-Americans as a proportion of the earnings of white Americans with that ratio of 1970. We should do similar comparisons of poverty rates, unemployment rates, infant mortality rates, and .. incarceration rates. We would find not much to call progress, to say the least. 2.As for the anti Vietnam War movement, surely you jest. This was the party of Johnson and Humphrey, nominating Humphrey despite the victories of McCarthy in the primaries. What impact the anti-war movment it had on the war, it had outside the Democratic Party. When the Democratic led Congress finally did prohibit US ground troops from direct combat, it saw fit in its wisdom to exempt air support, artillery support, transport and logistics from the ban. More Vietnamese died after the prohibition than before. The anti-war movement dissipated-- collapsed with the candidacy of McGovern while the war went on. 3. Unions: We can do a similar analysis of the CIO. The moderator has already provided it in brief. Democratic party recogniton and absorption of the union movement was to contain it, control it, win its allegiance to mediation as opposed to direct action-- to take the dispute off the production floor. Worked pretty well, no? 4. Women's suffrage: Mark has provided you with the facts on that. From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Wed Sep 3 14:33:54 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:33:54 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better Message-ID: <48BEBC72.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> - One think that the link to the comic below points out is that FDR, a Democrat, was the first president since Grover Cleveland in the Pullman Strike to use the military to break a strike. All gains made by working people have been won outside of the DP...I don't know if I've followed this thread closely enough but has anyone mentioned the old say, "The Democratic Party in the place where social movements go to die"? ^^^ CB: Yes, Sartesian is essentially saying that ( go to be debilitated) , but when we look at some historical facts it isn't an accurate generalization for the main social movements - women's suffrage, unionization of industrial labor, Civil Rights/anti-Jim Crow, Vietnam peace, modern women's lib . _None_ of them died in the Democratic Party. They all achieved significantly their historical goals. And in the case of the Civil Rights Movement it can be said that the Democratic Party sacrificed itself in a big sense in that the successful Republican Southern Strategy of the last 40 years is based on the Democratic Party support and actualization of the Civil Rights Movement, the complete opposite of this "old saying". ^^^^ http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vx_Yf3S3yJ8/SLMdeE25ztI/AAAAAAAAAFU/KVSIjLiSe64/s1600-h/General-Strike-%236asendoutth.gif Christopher Hutchinson This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 14:39:12 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 16:39:12 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <30EB9E857B94480CBC826061C3F78F53@dmsthinkpad> References: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <30EB9E857B94480CBC826061C3F78F53@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <908b689f0809031339x25de8e35q3a28c884ae662a79@mail.gmail.com> On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 4:33 PM, S. Artesian wrote: > But I think it would be enlightening > to compare the current average earnings of African-Americans as a > proportion of the earnings of white Americans with that ratio of 1970. We > should do similar comparisons of poverty rates, unemployment rates, infant > mortality rates, and .. incarceration rates. We would find not much to call > progress, to say the least. Can you post these statistics? It'll be interesting to look at the actual figures and provide concreteness to this discussion. From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Wed Sep 3 14:50:05 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:50:05 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better than Cockburn's, in my opinion Message-ID: <48BEC03D.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Mike Friedman mikedf at amnh.org Tue Sep 2 19:18:18 MDT 2008 ------------------ This is exactly what hasn't happened. Since WWII, every independent mass radicalization that has taken place in this country has seen those so-called "radicals within the Democratic Party" try to suck them into the party and thereby neutralize them. Every one. ^^^^ CB: This is exactly, factually wrong. The Civil Rights Movement's demands were most fully achieved by the Democrats , including Johnson, passing not only Civil Rights statutes ,but a Constitutional Amendment against the poll tax !. The Vietnam Peace Movement took over the Dem Party with McGovern in 1972. Although the Dems didn't end the war, that powerful thrust into the Dem Party was significant in forcing the end of the war. ^^^^ From sartesian at earthlink.net Wed Sep 3 14:58:28 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 16:58:28 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us><30EB9E857B94480CBC826061C3F78F53@dmsthinkpad> <908b689f0809031339x25de8e35q3a28c884ae662a79@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruthless Critic of All that Exists" To: Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 4:39 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better > On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 4:33 PM, S. Artesian > wrote: > >> But I think it would be enlightening >> to compare the current average earnings of African-Americans as a >> proportion of the earnings of white Americans with that ratio of 1970. >> We >> should do similar comparisons of poverty rates, unemployment rates, >> infant >> mortality rates, and .. incarceration rates. We would find not much to >> call >> progress, to say the least. > > Can you post these statistics? It'll be interesting to look at the > actual figures and provide concreteness to this discussion. > > ________________________________________________ > 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 charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Wed Sep 3 15:15:52 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:15:52 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Newsflash: Social movements don't go to DP to die Message-ID: <48BEC648.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> An analysis of the DP convention that works better Mark Lause markalause at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 14:28:26 MDT 2008 Previous message: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better Next message: [Marxism] those who demand nothing, get nothing Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OK, so far your purposes then, the Democratic warmongering that made the Vietnam War and turned it into a quagmire wasn't the twentieth century and after "historical reversal of the roles of the Parties with FDR." ^^^^ CB: You are logically challenged here. The Vietnam peace movement started independently of the DP, as Sartesian said. But when it went into the DP in the McGovern election of 1972 far from dying, it succeeded , as the Viet Nam war was ended by 1973 (!). This is the complete opposite of what Sartisian claimed happens upon going into the DP. The peace movment changed the DP rather than the DP changing the peace movement. ^^^^^ The Democratic axe-murder of the Equal Rights Amendment wasn't the twentieth century and after "historical reversal of the roles of the Parties with FDR." ^^^ CB: The DP didn't axe murder ERA. Roe vs Wade was a major achievement of goals by the modern women's movement, but that was somewhat unrelated to either party. There were major advances in women's rights and powers in family law in the last 40 years. I'm not sure that these were directly party related. Nonetheless, for purposes of this thread they are another example of a social movement _not_ dying due to conduct of the DP, further undermining Sartesian's initial claim. ^^^^^ And the actual tightening of segregation in the 1940s and into the 1950s wasn't the twentieth century and after "historical reversal of the roles of the Parties with FDR." ^^^^ CB: You really need to practice logic. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's and 60's substantially achieved its goals in the form of federal legislation and Constitutional Amendment. This was carried out by the Democratic Party in the Federal government, in the main. LBJ told Richard Russell he knew it would sacrifice the Dems, but said that would have to be ( current documentary says this). ^^^^ And in the old Soviet Union, the workers all had flying unicycles. ^^^^ CB: Anti-Sovietism is really stupid for "socialists". This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Wed Sep 3 15:19:59 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:19:59 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP Message-ID: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> An analysis of the DP convention that works better S. Artesian sartesian at earthlink.net Wed Sep 3 14:33:37 MDT 2008 Previous message: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better Next message: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would say yes to: 1. civil rights: in that the basis of the movement was the "plowing up" of Southern agriculture by mechanization beginning with WW2, and increasing industrialization, migration of African-Americans into cities and as part of the working class. At core, then, the civil rights movement to achieve emancipation of black Americans had to achieve the emancipation of black labor; and in this era that meant a challenge to capitalism, to private property. Thus the theater of struggle moved North, moved into urban areas, moved into industry with class demands for open housing, non-discriminatory wage levels, achieving IMO its peak with the struggles of black workers in the auto industry in and around Detroit and the strike of the Memphis sanitation workers. ^^^^ CB: Yes this evidences a major flaw in the line on the DP: Substituting your "revolutionary" goals for the social movement for the goals of the people in the actual social movement, in this case the US Civil Rights Movement. For the people in the movement, their goals were substantially achieved - ending legal Jim Crow. These were achieved in major part through the DP in the federal government, refuting your initial claim. This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From johnedmundson at paradise.net.nz Wed Sep 3 15:44:10 2008 From: johnedmundson at paradise.net.nz (John) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:44:10 +1200 Subject: [Marxism] A new interview with Stalin In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1220478250.5901.182.camel@john-desktop> On Wed, 2008-09-03 at 14:37 -0400, Sky Keyes-Vogt wrote: > Greetings- > > Walter has been an activist in solidarity with the Cuban Revolution for > longer than I have been alive. And I give respect where its due. I > myself - a Marxist youth - am also an ardent supporter of the Cuban > Revolution. It is the beacon by which I think other 3rd world countries can > find a path towards socialism. > > I must say though that I find it contradictory that Walter supports the > Cuban Revolution with such zeal yet here we see him harshly criticize a > Venezuelan revolutionary... for what? Being to the left of Chavez? Is it > really so horrible to criticize Chavez from the left? The road to revolution is a very straight and narrow path. the boundaries, which must never be crossed are: On the left, Cuba. Stray off the path and you are an ultraleft critic, who must be criticised by multiple repetition of some cheesy line at the bottom of a post by some guy called Elvitz Pretzel in Disneylandia, whatever we're supposed to take from that. On the right, the boundary is in a PLA run sweatshop somewhere in China . . . It is kind of sad because Walter's knowledge of and solidarity with Cuba are, well, legendary. Cheers, John From proletariandan at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 16:01:10 2008 From: proletariandan at gmail.com (Dan Russell) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 17:01:10 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Che Biopic Message-ID: <517f3cab0809031501s6c9df010xa8ce38a6c3e6f10a@mail.gmail.com> http://www.cheelargentino.com/ Hits theaters in Spain on Friday but won't be here in the states for awhile. From proletariandan at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 16:05:55 2008 From: proletariandan at gmail.com (Dan Russell) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 17:05:55 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Techno version of _The Internationale_? In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0808311507m248da724i6d830088356a7e84@mail.gmail.com> <6tcecr$1i5nul@ipo3smtp.cc.utah.edu> Message-ID: <517f3cab0809031505i1085a9f6hba4b3d5b725e7483@mail.gmail.com> Did you not want to buy it? I found it on Amazon for a reasonable $9. Might order it myself since I'm a fan of electronica... http://www.amazon.com/Paranoid-Style-Maxx-Klaxon/dp/B000CA3IKM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1220479445&sr=1-1 From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 16:08:24 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 18:08:24 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <908b689f0809031339x25de8e35q3a28c884ae662a79@mail.gmail.com> References: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <30EB9E857B94480CBC826061C3F78F53@dmsthinkpad> <908b689f0809031339x25de8e35q3a28c884ae662a79@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0809031508q21194dcdp5bca80dcc65d4d0@mail.gmail.com> On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 4:39 PM, Ruthless Critic of All that Exists wrote: > On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 4:33 PM, S. Artesian wrote: > >> But I think it would be enlightening >> to compare the current average earnings of African-Americans as a >> proportion of the earnings of white Americans with that ratio of 1970. We >> should do similar comparisons of poverty rates, unemployment rates, infant >> mortality rates, and .. incarceration rates. We would find not much to call >> progress, to say the least. > > Can you post these statistics? It'll be interesting to look at the > actual figures and provide concreteness to this discussion. "The black-white family income ratio for married couple families rose from .75 in 1990 to .82 in 1995 and fell to .75 in 1999. The black-white family income ratio for male-householders with no wife present rose from .60 in 1990 to .69 in 1995 and fell again to .6618 in 1999. The black-white family income ratio for female householders, with no husband present, was about the same in 1990 and 1995 (falling slightly from .7206 to .7172) but then fell from 1995 to 1999, reaching a low of .70." from: "The Relative Decline in Black Family Incomes during the 1990s" By: William A. Darity, Jr. Department of Economics University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Samuel L. Myers, Jr Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs University of Minnesota From sartesian at earthlink.net Wed Sep 3 16:59:19 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 18:59:19 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP References: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: Charles, We must be talking about 2 different civil rights movements. The one I was in had one goal: Equality. The goal was not "one man, one vote." That was a means to a goal. The goal was not legislative. The goal was social. The goal was equality. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles Brown" To: Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 5:19 PM Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP From sartesian at earthlink.net Wed Sep 3 17:10:10 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 19:10:10 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Newsflash: Social movements don't go to DP to die References: <48BEC648.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: <94C300BF77384D10883F1F3E346AFDFB@dmsthinkpad> Charles is historically challenged here. Point of fact. The Vietnam War did not end in 1973. It ended in 1975. US supply of SVN continued until the very end. US logistical support continued as long as the SVN army was battle capable, although somewhat more secretly than before. 1972 saw the Christmas Bombing of Vietnam to force North Vietnam back to the bargaining table where it agreed to a cease fire agreement with the US in 1973. According to logic of Charles, that constitutes an achievement of the anti-war movement's goals. I was in the anti-war movement. Nobody I worked with in that movement regarded the Christmas Bombing, the forced resumption of negotiations, or that cease fire as one of the goals. Again, we must be talking about 2 different anti-war movements. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles Brown" To: Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 5:15 PM Subject: [Marxism] Newsflash: Social movements don't go to DP to die > > ^^^^ > CB: You are logically challenged here. The Vietnam peace movement > started independently of the DP, as Sartesian said. But when it went > into the DP in the McGovern election of 1972 far from dying, it > succeeded , as the Viet Nam war was ended by 1973 (!). This is the > complete opposite of what Sartisian claimed happens upon going into the > DP. The peace movment changed the DP rather than the DP changing the > peace movement. > > From sartesian at earthlink.net Wed Sep 3 17:36:40 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 19:36:40 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us><30EB9E857B94480CBC826061C3F78F53@dmsthinkpad> <908b689f0809031339x25de8e35q3a28c884ae662a79@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Just a couple of choice ones-- first money income of African-American wage/salary earners was 56.6% of that for whites in 1980; and in 2005 was 60%. I happen to have the 2004 CDC National Health Statistics close at hand, so here's a couple of choice one's from a few years ago: Percentage of low birth weights 2000-2002 (below 2500 grams); white 6.75; black 13.19 Percentage very low birthweights 2000-2002 (below 1500 grams); white 1.16; black 3.11 Infant, neonatal, postneonatal mortality rates, selected years: 1983 white 9.3; black 19.2 1999 white 5.8; black 14.0 2001 white 5.7; black 13.3 Infant mortality rates per 100,000 live births 1999-2001 white: 5.7; black 13.7 Neonatal (infants under 28 days) mortality rates per 1000 live births: 1999-2001 whites: 3.8; blacks 9.2 Life expectancy at birth: 1950 white box sexes 69.1; black both sexes 60.8 1960 white 70.6; black 63.6 1970 white 71.7; black 64.1 1980 white 74.4;black 68.1 1990 white 76.1; black 69.1 2000 white 77.6; black 71.9 As I state before, the civil rights movement, not its legislative program, had as its goal only one thing, equality. Does any of this read like equality to anyone? From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 17:53:17 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 19:53:17 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: References: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <30EB9E857B94480CBC826061C3F78F53@dmsthinkpad> <908b689f0809031339x25de8e35q3a28c884ae662a79@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0809031653o5a448e48s866852f39dbc04d2@mail.gmail.com> On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 7:36 PM, S. Artesian wrote: > As I state before, the civil rights movement, not its legislative program, > had as its goal only one thing, equality. Does any of this read like > equality to anyone? Your claim, however, was that there has not been much "progress", "to say the least". One usually defines "progress" not as "the goal (equality) has been reached", but as "improvement has taken place." Below is the quote where you claim that not much progress occurred, "to say the least". That claim of yours does not seem, by and large, to be corroborated by the data. (But I guess, in all fairness, that this hinges on how you define the adjective "much"). On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 4:33 PM, S. Artesian wrote: > But I think it would be enlightening > to compare the current average earnings of African-Americans as a > proportion of the earnings of white Americans with that ratio of 1970. We > should do similar comparisons of poverty rates, unemployment rates, infant > mortality rates, and .. incarceration rates. We would find not much to call > progress, to say the least. From lnp3 at panix.com Wed Sep 3 17:59:37 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:59:37 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP In-Reply-To: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> References: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: <20080903235915.66654D22A@mailbackend.panix.com> Charles wrote: >For the people in the movement, their goals were substantially >achieved - ending legal Jim Crow. And the biggest allies, one gathers, were the Kennedy brothers--a source of inspiration for every Democratic Party aspirant for the office of the president in the past 40 years or so. http://www.columbia.edu/~lnp3/mydocs/american_left/JFK.htm Kennedy came into the White House with a goal to hire as many token black faces as he could. This combined with New Deal social spending would keep black America mollified. Kennedy's only true civil rights initiative was a voter-registration campaign modeled after the modest efforts of the Eisenhower administration's final six months in office. He hoped that the largely judicial axis of such an initiative would help to short-circuit the more confrontational boycotts and sit-ins being pushed by CORE and other militant groups. He also hoped that increased black electoral numbers would strengthen the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. Kennedy saw the Justice Department as the main instrument of his civil rights agenda, not the Civil Rights Commission that had been established in 1957 under Eisenhower as part of the Civil Rights Act. Several degrees to the left of Kennedy, the Commission was seen as something akin to Reconstruction and, therefore, unwelcome. In his best-selling "Profiles in Courage," Kennedy referred to Reconstruction as a "black nightmare nourished by Federal bayonets." When the Civil Rights Commission announced its attention to investigate racist violence in Mississippi, Robert F. Kennedy likened it to HUAC "investigating Communism." Not only were the Kennedys hostile to the Civil Rights Commission; they appointed 5 segregationist judges to the federal bench, including Harold Cox, who had referred to blacks as "niggers" and "chimpanzees." Robert F. Kennedy preferred Cox to Thurgood Marshall whom he described as "basically second-rate." Kennedy frequently turned to Mississippi Senator James Eastland for advice on appointments. According to long-time activist Virginia Durr, Eastland would "invite people over for the weekend and tell them to 'pick out a nigger girl and a horse!' That was his way of showing hospitality." Even in their selection of voter registration as the least confrontational tactic in the South, the Kennedys were loath to put the power of the federal government behind it. When the KKK targeted civil rights workers trying to register black voters, Robert F. Kennedy bent over backwards to appear conciliatory toward the racists. He said, "We abandoned the solution, really, of trying to give people protection." This indifference was one of the main reasons the racists felt free to kill activists in the Deep South. One such assassination took the life of NAACP leader Medgar Evers, who was gunned down in the driveway of his home. In keeping with his accomodationist policies, Robert F. Kennedy told the media that the federal government had no authority to protect Evers or anybody else. Such responsibilities rested with the state of Mississippi! The mass movement against racial discrimination continued unabated, without the support of the Kennedy White House. In 1963 demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama unleashed attacks by Police Commissioner Bull Connor who used nightsticks, police dogs and high-pressure fire hoses and mass arrests. JFK complained about the protests that they made the USA "look bad for us in the world." His brother opined that 90 percent of the protestors had no idea what they were demonstrating about. Despite Robert F. Kennedy's specious comparison of the Civil Rights Commission to HUAC, he had no problem directing a witch-hunt against Martin Luther King Jr. When the FBI told the President that King's advisors included a couple of Communists (Sanford Levison and Jack O'Dell), he directed the attorney general to put wiretaps on the civil rights movements most important leader's telephone. He even met with King at the White House and told him, "They're communists. You've got to get rid of them." To his everlasting credit, King refused to kowtow to the red-baiters. Robert F. Kennedy would complain, "He sort of laughs about these things, makes fun of it." Relying on J. Edgar Hoover's snitches says volumes about the character of the Kennedy White House. Feeling no constraints from its master, the FBI would eventually send letters to King's wife accusing him of infidelity. It would also fail to protect civil rights demonstrators, who were obviously seen as Communist subversives. From sartesian at earthlink.net Wed Sep 3 18:07:41 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 20:07:41 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us><30EB9E857B94480CBC826061C3F78F53@dmsthinkpad><908b689f0809031339x25de8e35q3a28c884ae662a79@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0809031653o5a448e48s866852f39dbc04d2@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <614DA9844BF24C7E8264049CECE01511@dmsthinkpad> Absolutely, would you call that progress on the road to equality? After 25-30 years? You call a improvement in median income ratios from 56.6 to 60 percent "much"? Look at the deviation between white and black, how much of the gap is closed in the area of life expectancy-- well in 1970 avg life expectancy for African-Americans was about 89.6% of that of whites, and in 2002? It's about 92.4%. Yeah, I would call that not much progress. Does anyone call it much progress? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruthless Critic of All that Exists" To: Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 7:53 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better From nchamah at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 18:09:48 2008 From: nchamah at gmail.com (nchamah miller) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 01:09:48 +0100 Subject: [Marxism] Nationalizations Aim to Make Industry Serve Peoples' Needs - question Message-ID: ) Does anybody know how the shares of the companies which are being "nationalized" are doing in their native lands? 2) What is happening with the stock market in Caracas, volume of trade etc. in the past 2 years? nchamah From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 19:05:18 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 21:05:18 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Nationalizations Aim to Make Industry Serve Peoples' Needs - question In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <908b689f0809031805j42360a41s9f778f88c04859ca@mail.gmail.com> On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 8:09 PM, nchamah miller wrote: > 2) What is happening with the stock market in Caracas, volume of trade etc. Caracas stock market off 19 pct on nationalization Tue Jan 9, 2007 1:43pm EST CARACAS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The Venezuelan stock market extended its losses to 19 percent on Tuesday and the benchmark stock, CANTV TVDd.CR, fell 30 percent a day after President Hugo Chavez vowed to nationalize the telecommunications company and other utilities. From ffeldman at bellatlantic.net Wed Sep 3 19:57:25 2008 From: ffeldman at bellatlantic.net (Fred Feldman) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:57:25 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] McCain's choice of far-right demagogue for VP fires up base, puts Dems on defensive Message-ID: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=74137 By Patrick Buchanan Johnny's got a new girl ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Posted: September 02, 2008 5:55 pm Eastern C 2008 The risk John McCain took last Friday is comparable to the 72-year-old ex-fighter pilot knocking back two shots and flying his A-4 under the Golden Gate Bridge. McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his co-pilot was the biggest gamble in presidential history. As of now, it is paying off, big-time. The sensational selection in Dayton, Ohio, stepped all over the big story from Denver - Barack Obama's powerful address to 85,000 cheering folks in Mile High Stadium, and 35 million nationally, a speech that vaulted him from a 2-point deficit early in the week to an 8-point margin. Barack had never before reached 49 percent against McCain. As the Democrats were being rudely stepped on, however, Palin ignited an explosion of enthusiasm among conservatives, evangelicals, traditional Catholics, gun owners and right to lifers not seen in decades. By passing over his friends Joe Lieberman and Tom Ridge, and picking Palin, McCain has given himself a fighting chance of winning the White House that, before Friday morning, seemed to be slipping away. Indeed, the bristling reaction on the left testifies to Democratic fears that the choice of Palin could indeed be a game-changer in 2008. (Column continues below) Liberals howl that Palin has no experience, no qualifications to be president of the United States. But the lady has more executive experience than McCain, Joe Biden and Obama put together. None of them has ever started or run a business as Palin did. None of them has run a giant state like Alaska, which is larger than California and Texas put together. And though Alaska is not populous, Gov. Palin has as many constituents as Nancy Pelosi or Biden. She has no foreign policy experience, we are told. And though Alaska's neighbors are Canada and Russia, the point is valid. But from the day she takes office, Palin will get daily briefings and sit on the National Security Council with the president and secretaries of state, treasury and defense. She will be up to speed in her first year. And her experience as governor of Alaska, dealing with the oil industry and pipeline agreements with Canada, certainly compares favorably with that of Barack Obama, a community organizer who dealt in the mommy issues of food stamps and rent subsidies. Where Obama has poodled along with the Daley Machine, Palin routed the Republican establishment, challenging and ousting a sitting GOP governor before defeating a former Democratic governor to become the first female and youngest governor in state history. For his boldness in choosing Palin, McCain deserves enormous credit. He has made an extraordinary gesture to conservatives and the party base, offering his old antagonists a partner's share in his presidency. And his decision is likely to be rewarded with a massive and enthusiastic turnout for the McCain-Palin ticket. Rarely has this writer encountered such an outburst of enthusiasm on the right. In choosing Palin, McCain may also have changed the course of history as much as Ike did with his choice of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan did with his choice of George H.W. Bush. For should this ticket win, Palin will eclipse every other Republican as heir apparent to the presidency and will have her own power base among lifers, evangelicals, gun folks and conservatives - wholly independent of President McCain. A traditional conservative on social issues, Palin has become, overnight, the most priceless political asset the movement has. Look for the neocons to move with all deliberate speed to take her into their camp by pressing upon her advisers and staff, and steering her into the AEI-Weekly Standard-War Party orbit. Indeed, if McCain defeats Barack, 2012 could see women on both national tickets, and given McCain's age and the possibility he intends to serve a single term, women at the top of both - Sarah vs. Hillary. The arrival of Palin on the national scene, with her youth, charisma and vitality, probably also portends a changing of the guard in Washington. With Republicans having zero chance of capturing either House, and but a slim chance of avoiding losses in both, a Vice President Palin, with her reputation as a rebel and reformer, would surely inspire similar revolts in the Republican caucuses. As Thomas Jefferson said, from time to time, a little rebellion in the political world is as necessary as storms in the physical. The Palin nomination could backfire, but it is hard to see how. She has passed her first test, her introduction to the nation, with wit and grace. And the Obama-Biden ticket, having already alienated millions of women with the disrespecting of Hillary, is unlikely to start attacking another woman whose sole offense is that she had just been given the chance to break the glass ceiling at the national level. Her nomination, which will bring the Republican right home, also frees up McCain to appeal to moderates and liberals, which has long been his stock in trade. With his selection of Sarah Palin, John McCain has not only shaken up this election, he may have helped shape the future of the United States - and much for the better. From markalause at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 20:41:02 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 22:41:02 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <48BEBC72.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> References: <48BEBC72.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: They prevailed IN SPITE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. Their success was measurable largely by the extent to which they remained INDEPENDENT of the party. Their achievements ended when they declared themselves sufficiently satisfied to enter the Democrats. ML PS: You keep strobing on this woman suffrage example. Wilson was not a friend of the movement by any means. From markalause at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 20:42:20 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 22:42:20 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better than Cockburn's, in my opinion In-Reply-To: <48BEC03D.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> References: <48BEC03D.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: Charles wrote, "I'll tell you what's bullshit, the more I review the historical record. It's the claim that social movements go to the DP to die. They've gone there and succeeded, in example after example." Then go there and fucking succeed. ML From sartesian at earthlink.net Wed Sep 3 21:22:09 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 23:22:09 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better References: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us><30EB9E857B94480CBC826061C3F78F53@dmsthinkpad><908b689f0809031339x25de8e35q3a28c884ae662a79@mail.gmail.com><908b689f0809031653o5a448e48s866852f39dbc04d2@mail.gmail.com> <614DA9844BF24C7E8264049CECE01511@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <3923BDF32C3F4E7AA8781365EFAB4EAC@dmsthinkpad> Different movements, Mark. In Charles' movement, the Vietnam War ended 2 years earlier than it did because Nixon gave in to the demands of the anti-war movement, which had taken over the Democratic party, by launching Operation Linebacker, the Christmas bombings of Vietnam, forcing North Vietnam back to the bargaining table to sue for an end to the bombings. Nixon, you see, in bombing Vietnam was just trying to achieve what the anti-war movement wanted-- peace. In our movement, the war ended in 1975, with more deaths after the prohibition on US ground combat roles than before. In Charles' movement, the passage of the Voting Rights Act under the pressure of the civil rights movement which had entered into the Democratic party, (except for the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party whose seats and votes were given to the Mississippi UnFreedom Democratic Party which had obtained its authority by and through the acts specifically prohibited in the Voting Rights Act) amounts to the realization of the movement's goals. In our movement, the Voting Rights Act was not the ultimate goal. Equality was, and without that equality, the ruling class would avail itself of every opportunity to disenfranchise African-American voters, which of course is exactly what has happened in Florida in 2000; with the bullshit state regulations requiring voters to present "official ID" at polling places, etc. From marvgandall at videotron.ca Wed Sep 3 22:23:31 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:23:31 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP References: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: <026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV> Charles writes: > Yes this evidences a major flaw in the line on the DP: Substituting > your "revolutionary" goals for the social movement for the goals of the > people in the actual social movement, in this case the US Civil Rights > Movement. For the people in the movement, their goals were > substantially achieved - ending legal Jim Crow. These were achieved in > major part through the DP in the federal government, refuting your > initial claim. ====================================== The reality is, Charles, that a large number of people on this list do not share the view that the Wagner Act or the Civil Rights Act were advances for the trade union and black movements, nor could they have been since the Democratic party only betrays. They consider these acts to have been defeats in that they represented the state's co-optation of these movements and the end of the militant struggles which brought them to the point of legislation. That's the only inference which can be drawn from the comments of Louis, Mark, Artesian and others. The underlying suggestion is that sit down strikers in the 30s and civil rights demonstrators in the 60s wanted to go farther but were manipulated by their leaders and the Democrats into settling for much less than they could have otherwise obtained through direct action. According to this theory, the masses have been consistently fooled by their reformist leaders and the DP. I'm still awaiting a reply to my earlier question of why it is - if this is so - that workers, blacks and other protest movements have allowed themselves to be so easily "bamboozled", and what this says about the capacity of the people to effect fundamental social change and to govern themselves in their own interest. It seems to be a foreign concept for some that large majorities of workers and blacks might have approved of these reforms not because they were hoodwinked by their leaders and the Democrats, but because they concluded - in many cases after listening to and weighing the debates in their organizations - that a) the legislation went some way to satisfying the demands contained in their programs, and b) they didn't have enough power to extract further concessions from the state. It verges on paternalism to deprive the ranks of any autonomous judgement and responsibility for the outcome of their own struggles. The workers and blacks cemented themselves to the Democratic party and made heroes out of the Reuthers and the Kings as a consequence of the reforms these leaders were credited with delivering. But this does not jibe with a schema which says the workers failed to overthrow capitalism because of a "crisis of leadership" which portrays them as passive victims of perpetual deception rather than conscious actors perceiving that they could extract improved rights and benefits from Democratic administrations. This may change as capacity of the DP and the system to deliver major reforms like healthcare decreases, but such reform remains part of the historical record which is being denied on this thread. That the reforms have almost entirely been the product of Democratic administrations against Republican opposition is the foremost reason why the unions, national minorities, and other groups seeking reforms continue to stubbornly support the party. . From markalause at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 22:35:53 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:35:53 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: <3923BDF32C3F4E7AA8781365EFAB4EAC@dmsthinkpad> References: <48BD6596.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <30EB9E857B94480CBC826061C3F78F53@dmsthinkpad> <908b689f0809031339x25de8e35q3a28c884ae662a79@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0809031653o5a448e48s866852f39dbc04d2@mail.gmail.com> <614DA9844BF24C7E8264049CECE01511@dmsthinkpad> <3923BDF32C3F4E7AA8781365EFAB4EAC@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: Ah, I see! Different movements for different goals. In that case, then, what Charles proposes as a way to get a better labor law written but useful to people with a radical agenda. ML From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 22:44:08 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:44:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP In-Reply-To: <026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV> References: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <908b689f0809032144wd68d174pbc487d1290606605@mail.gmail.com> On Thu, Sep 4, 2008 at 12:23 AM, Marvin Gandall wrote: > I'm still awaiting a reply to my earlier question of why it is - if this is > so - that workers, blacks and other protest movements have allowed > themselves to be so easily "bamboozled", and what this says about the > capacity of the people to effect fundamental social change and to govern > themselves in their own interest. I think this is a good point. But recall that people get tired of fighting. struggling all the time, and end up compromising after they've fought very hard very long. (Just think about how the Nicaraguans eventually voted for Chamorro and against the FSLN.) It is not cowardice, it's just human. One can only keep fighting so long before one needs to take a break. It says *nothing* about "the capacity of the people to effect fundamental social change" etc. From jscotlive at aol.com Thu Sep 4 02:49:59 2008 From: jscotlive at aol.com (jscotlive at aol.com) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:49:59 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP Message-ID: <8CADC825931D205-9B8-3B53@webmail-stg-d02.sysops.aol.com> Marvin: I'm still awaiting a reply to my earlier question of why it is - if this is > so - that workers, blacks and other protest movements have allowed > themselves to be so easily "bamboozled", and what this says about the > capacity of the people to effect fundamental social change and to govern > themselves in their own interest. Reply: The simple truth is that the US 'white' ruling class views America's blacks with such fear that the repression visited upon any radical black social movement or voices that dares raise?their head is so fierce and violent that without mass support from the white working class such a movement has virtually zero chance of succeeding independent of the mainstream. Class struggle is not just measured from out side, and in fact the history of class struggle illustrated emphatically the fact that 'their' level of consciousness and concomitant class struggle has been far greater than ours. At the sharp end of what has been an unremitting class war waged by the US ruling class since the Declaration of Independence, blacks have borne the brunt of wave after wave of attack. The dsproportinate number of young black males who pass through the US justice system is evidence of this, as are the social indicators provided by SArtesian. In this context the DP has to be seen as a safe refuge for blacks looking to improve their condition and lives in a society in which they've always been viewed as unwelcome guests at America's table. What the US ruling class has been effective in doing is diverting the justifiable anger at this history of racism and economic apartheid by allowing the rise of a black middle class in order to nullify it. Obama's candidature for president is merely the logical conclusion of this policy, and as such Obama does a great disservice to the pressing needs for black liberation and social change in America. Ultimately, the failure of black radical and social movement to sustain and succeed is the failure of the white working class to offer active solidarity with their struggle. Until that happens shit won't happen. J ________________________________________________________________________ AOL Email goes Mobile! You can now read your AOL Emails whilst on the move. Sign up for a free AOL Email account with unlimited storage today. From jscotlive at aol.com Thu Sep 4 02:54:43 2008 From: jscotlive at aol.com (jscotlive at aol.com) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:54:43 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP - without typos Message-ID: <8CADC8302141795-9B8-3B5C@webmail-stg-d02.sysops.aol.com> Marvin: I'm still awaiting a reply to my earlier question of why it is - if this is > so - that workers, blacks and other protest movements have allowed > themselves to be so easily "bamboozled", and what this says about the > capacity of the people to effect fundamental social change and to govern > themselves in their own interest. Reply: The simple truth is that the US 'white' ruling class views America's blacks with such fear that the repression visited upon any radical black social movement or voice that dares raise?its head?has traditionally been?so fierce and violent that without mass support from the white working class such a movement has virtually zero chance of succeeding independent of the mainstream. Class struggle is not just measured from our side, and in fact the history of class struggle illustrated emphatically the fact that 'their' level of consciousness and concomitant class struggle has been far greater than ours. At the sharp end of what has been an unremitting class war waged by the US ruling class since the Declaration of Independence, blacks have borne the brunt of wave after wave of attack. The dsproportinate number of young black males who pass through the US justice system is evidence of this, as are the social indicators provided by SArtesian. In this context the DP has to be seen as a safe refuge for blacks looking to improve their condition and lives in a society in which they've always been viewed as unwelcome guests at America's table. What the US ruling class has been effective in doing is diverting the justifiable anger at this history of racism and economic apartheid by allowing the rise of a black middle class in order to nullify it. Obama's candidature for president is merely the logical conclusion of this policy, and as such Obama does a great disservice to the pressing needs for black liberation and social change in America. Ultimately, the failure of black radical and social movement to sustain and succeed is the failure of the white working class to offer active solidarity with their struggle. Until that happens shit won't happen. J ________________________________________________________________________ AOL Email goes Mobile! You can now read your AOL Emails whilst on the move. Sign up for a free AOL Email account with unlimited storage today. From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Sep 4 03:33:54 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 05:33:54 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Mumia Abu-Jamal: "The Nomination Message-ID: <27970455.1220520834835.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> The Nomination [col. writ. 8/27/08] (c) '08 Mumia Abu-Jamal From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Sep 4 03:35:40 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 05:35:40 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Dr. Alberto N. Jones: A Plea to All People of Good Will (English/Spanish) Message-ID: <9987925.1220520940034.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> A PLEA TO ALL PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL by Dr. Alberto N. Jones September 3, 2008 Three days after hurricane Gustav hit Cuba, the news coming out of the western region are dramatic, devastating and urgent. Tens of thousands of people are without the most basic means of survival, while we, Cuban-Americans who proclaims to respect the Independence and Sovereignty of that nation, are submerged in an endless diatribe, while men, women and children suffer severe and unnecessary needs. I am therefore making a profound appeal for unity to all men without social distinction, race, creed or sex, to unite our efforts, ignore past postures or antagonistic affiliations, by extending a helping and solidarity hand to our brothers that are suffering in Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. No decision or action that we may assume, should have any discriminatory character, sectarian of preferential treatment, which would only aggravate the present tragic situation. Neither must we dilute ourselves attempting to invent the wheel or ice water. For years, people of all ethnic groups and social stratifications in the United States and beyond, have supported the Caribbean American Children Foundation in our efforts to mitigate the material needs of our people. We learned to beg, accept donations, package, ship and verify its use. Together, we can turn a child tears into a smile. Suffice to overcome our bashfulness, courage and dignity, for some of us to begin to collect material goods, others money, still others lending their shipping license and together, without names or divisive titles, let?s ship massive amounts of donations with no strings attached, to defenseless victims of these endless natural disasters. Alberto Nelson Jones Cacf2 at aol.com September 3, 2008 APELACION A TODAS LAS PERSONAS DE BUENA FE Al cabo de tres dias del paso del huracan Gustavo, las noticias provenientes del occidente Cubano son dramaticas, devastadoras y urgentes. Decenas de miles de personas carecen de los medios mas elementales de subsistencia, mientras nosotros, Cubano-Americanos que nos preciamos de ser respetuosos de la Independencia y Soberania nacional, nos desgastamos en diatribas interminables, mientras hombres, mujeres y ninos padecen severas e necessaries privaciones. Hago por tanto, una profunda apelacion de unidad a todos los hombres sin distincion social, raza, credo o sexo, para aunar esfuerzos, ignorar posturas pasadas o afiliaciones antagonicas, extendiendole una mano solidaria a nuestros hermanos que sufren en Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica y Republica Dominicana. Ninguna decision o accion que tomemos debe tener caracter descriminatorio, sectario o favoritismo, que serviria solo para agravar la tragica situacion actual. Tampoco tenemos que diluirnos inventar la rueda o el agua fria. Durante anos, personas de todas las etnias y posiciones sociales de los Estados Unidos y mas alla, han apoyado al Caribbean American Children Foundation en sus esfuerzos por mitigar las necesidades materiales de nuestros pueblos. Aprendimos a pedir, aceptar donaciones, empacarlo, enviarlo y verificar su aprovechamiento. Juntos podemos tornar el llanto de un nino en una sonrisa. Basta llenarnos de verguenza, valor y dignidad, para que unos comiencen a acopiar bienes materiales, otros recole ctando dinero, algun que otro prestando su licencia y todos, sin nombres o titulos divisionistas, enviando masivas donaciones desinteresadas, a victimas indefensas de estos interminables disastres naturales. Alberto Nelson Jones Al cabo de tres dias del paso del huracan Gustavo, las noticias provenientes del occidente Cubano son dramaticas, devastadoras y urgentes. Decenas de miles de personas carecen de los medios mas elementales de subsistencia, mientras nosotros, Cubano-Americanos que nos preciamos de ser respetuosos de la Independencia y Soberania nacional, nos desgastamos en diatribas interminables, mientras hombres, mujeres y ninos padecen severas e necessaries privaciones. Hago por tanto, una profunda apelacion de unidad a todos los hombres sin distincion social, raza, credo o sexo, para aunar esfuerzos, ignorar posturas pasadas o afiliaciones antagonicas, extendiendole una mano solidaria a nuestros hermanos que sufren en Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica y Republica Dominicana. Ninguna decision o accion que tomemos debe tener caracter descriminatorio, sectario o favoritismo, que serviria solo para agravar la tragica situacion actual. Tampoco tenemos que diluirnos inventar la rueda o el agua fria. Durante anos, personas de todas las etnias y posiciones sociales de los Estados Unidos y mas alla, han apoyado al Caribbean American Children Foundation en sus esfuerzos por mitigar las necesidades materiales de nuestros pueblos. Aprendimos a pedir, aceptar donaciones, empacarlo, enviarlo y verificar su aprovechamiento. Ju ntos podemos tornar el llanto de un nino en una sonrisa. Basta llenarnos de verguenza, valor y dignidad, para que unos comiencen a acopiar bienes materiales, otros recolectando dinero, algun que otro prestando su licencia y todos, sin nombres o titulos divisionistas, enviando masivas donaciones desinteresadas, a victimas indefensas de estos interminables disastres naturales. Alberto Nelson Jones Cacf2 at aol.com 3 de Setiembre del ano 2008 ========================================= 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 Sep 4 03:36:28 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 05:36:28 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Dr. Alberto N. Jones: An appeal to all persons of good will Message-ID: <8505347.1220520988627.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> A PLEA TO ALL PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL by Dr. Alberto N. Jones September 3, 2008 Three days after hurricane Gustav hit Cuba, the news coming out of the western region are dramatic, devastating and urgent. Tens of thousands of people are without the most basic means of survival, while we, Cuban-Americans who proclaims to respect the Independence and Sovereignty of that nation, are submerged in an endless diatribe, while men, women and children suffer severe and unnecessary needs. I am therefore making a profound appeal for unity to all men without social distinction, race, creed or sex, to unite our efforts, ignore past postures or antagonistic affiliations, by extending a helping and solidarity hand to our brothers that are suffering in Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. No decision or action that we may assume, should have any discriminatory character, sectarian of preferential treatment, which would only aggravate the present tragic situation. Neither must we dilute ourselves attempting to invent the wheel or ice water. For years, people of all ethnic groups and social stratifications in the United States and beyond, have supported the Caribbean American Children Foundation in our efforts to mitigate the material needs of our people. We learned to beg, accept donations, package, ship and verify its use. Together, we can turn a child tears into a smile. Suffice to overcome our bashfulness, courage and dignity, for some of us to begin to collect material goods, others money, still others lending their shipping license and together, without names or divisive titles, let?s ship massive amounts of donations with no strings attached, to defenseless victims of these endless natural disasters. Alberto Nelson Jones Cacf2 at aol.com September 3, 2008 APELACION A TODAS LAS PERSONAS DE BUENA FE Al cabo de tres dias del paso del huracan Gustavo, las noticias provenientes del occidente Cubano son dramaticas, devastadoras y urgentes. Decenas de miles de personas carecen de los medios mas elementales de subsistencia, mientras nosotros, Cubano-Americanos que nos preciamos de ser respetuosos de la Independencia y Soberania nacional, nos desgastamos en diatribas interminables, mientras hombres, mujeres y ninos padecen severas e necessaries privaciones. Hago por tanto, una profunda apelacion de unidad a todos los hombres sin distincion social, raza, credo o sexo, para aunar esfuerzos, ignorar posturas pasadas o afiliaciones antagonicas, extendiendole una mano solidaria a nuestros hermanos que sufren en Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica y Republica Dominicana. Ninguna decision o accion que tomemos debe tener caracter descriminatorio, sectario o favoritismo, que serviria solo para agravar la tragica situacion actual. Tampoco tenemos que diluirnos inventar la rueda o el agua fria. Durante anos, personas de todas las etnias y posiciones sociales de los Estados Unidos y mas alla, han apoyado al Caribbean American Children Foundation en sus esfuerzos por mitigar las necesidades materiales de nuestros pueblos. Aprendimos a pedir, aceptar donaciones, empacarlo, enviarlo y verificar su aprovechamiento. Juntos podemos tornar el llanto de un nino en una sonrisa. Basta llenarnos de verguenza, valor y dignidad, para que unos comiencen a acopiar bienes materiales, otros recole ctando dinero, algun que otro prestando su licencia y todos, sin nombres o titulos divisionistas, enviando masivas donaciones desinteresadas, a victimas indefensas de estos interminables disastres naturales. Alberto Nelson Jones Al cabo de tres dias del paso del huracan Gustavo, las noticias provenientes del occidente Cubano son dramaticas, devastadoras y urgentes. Decenas de miles de personas carecen de los medios mas elementales de subsistencia, mientras nosotros, Cubano-Americanos que nos preciamos de ser respetuosos de la Independencia y Soberania nacional, nos desgastamos en diatribas interminables, mientras hombres, mujeres y ninos padecen severas e necessaries privaciones. Hago por tanto, una profunda apelacion de unidad a todos los hombres sin distincion social, raza, credo o sexo, para aunar esfuerzos, ignorar posturas pasadas o afiliaciones antagonicas, extendiendole una mano solidaria a nuestros hermanos que sufren en Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica y Republica Dominicana. Ninguna decision o accion que tomemos debe tener caracter descriminatorio, sectario o favoritismo, que serviria solo para agravar la tragica situacion actual. Tampoco tenemos que diluirnos inventar la rueda o el agua fria. Durante anos, personas de todas las etnias y posiciones sociales de los Estados Unidos y mas alla, han apoyado al Caribbean American Children Foundation en sus esfuerzos por mitigar las necesidades materiales de nuestros pueblos. Aprendimos a pedir, aceptar donaciones, empacarlo, enviarlo y verificar su aprovechamiento. Ju ntos podemos tornar el llanto de un nino en una sonrisa. Basta llenarnos de verguenza, valor y dignidad, para que unos comiencen a acopiar bienes materiales, otros recolectando dinero, algun que otro prestando su licencia y todos, sin nombres o titulos divisionistas, enviando masivas donaciones desinteresadas, a victimas indefensas de estos interminables disastres naturales. Alberto Nelson Jones Cacf2 at aol.com 3 de Setiembre del ano 2008 ========================================= 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 Sep 4 05:24:05 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:24:05 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP In-Reply-To: <026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV> References: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <20080904112341.5FFF3D813@mailbackend.panix.com> Marvin wrote: >It seems to be a foreign concept for some that large majorities of workers >and blacks might have approved of these reforms not because they were >hoodwinked by their leaders and the Democrats, but because they concluded - >in many cases after listening to and weighing the debates in their >organizations - that a) the legislation went some way to satisfying the >demands contained in their programs, and b) they didn't have enough power to >extract further concessions from the state. It is not an issue of being "hoodwinked". In fact, your approach to this question is fundamentally idealistic. And by idealistic, I am not talking about the boy scouts. I am talking about Plato et al. You make it sound as if the masses carefully ponder rival ideas and then make their decisions in the same fashion as somebody picking an entree at an Italian restaurant. "Hmm, I'll have the clams marinara". "Hmm, I'll vote for LBJ". In reality, *force* plays a major role in history. For those who want to understand these questions better, I recommend Gramsci whose more important ideas are unfortunately not available on the Internet. But here's a snippet worth considering: http://www.marxists.org/archive/gramsci/1916/12/newspapers.htm Newspapers and the Workers Source: Avanti! (Piedmont Edition) December 22, 1916; These are the days of subscription campaigns. The editors and administrators of bourgeois newspapers tidy up their display windows, paint some varnish on their shop signs and appeal for the attention of the passer-by (that is, the readers) to their wares. Their wares are newspapers of four or six pages that go out every day or evening in order to inject in the mind of the reader ways of feeling and judging the facts of current politics appropriate for the producers and sellers of the press. We would like to discuss, with the workers especially, the importance and seriousness of this apparently innocent act, which consists in choosing the newspaper you subscribe to. It is a choice full of snares and dangers which must be made consciously, applying criteria and after mature reflection. Above all, the worker must resolutely reject any solidarity with a bourgeois newspaper. And he must always, always, always remember that the bourgeois newspaper (whatever its hue) is an instrument of struggle motivated by ideas and interests that are contrary to his. Everything that is published is influenced by one idea: that of serving the dominant class, and which is ineluctably translated into a fact: that of combating the laboring class. And in fact, from the first to the last line the bourgeois newspaper smells of and reveals this preoccupation. But the beautiful ? that is the ugly ? thing is this: that instead of asking for money from the bourgeois class to support it in its pitiless work in its favor, the bourgeois newspapers manage to be paid by...the same laboring classes that they always combat. And the laboring class pays; punctually, generously. Hundreds of thousands of workers regularly and daily give their pennies to the bourgeois newspapers, thus assisting in creating their power. Why? If you were to ask this of the first worker you were to see on the tram or the street with a bourgeois paper spread before him you would hear: "Because I need to hear about what happening." And it would never enter his head that the news and the ingredients with which it is cooked are exposed with an art that guides his ideas and influences his spirit in a given direction. And yet he knows that this newspaper is opportunist, and that one is for the rich, that the third, the fourth, the fifth is tied to political groups with interests diametrically opposed to his. And so every day this same worker is able to personally see that the bourgeois newspapers tell even the simplest of facts in a way that favors the bourgeois class and damns the working class and its politics. Has a strike broken out? The workers are always wrong as far as the bourgeois newspapers are concerned. Is there a demonstration? The demonstrators are always wrong, solely because they are workers they are always hotheads, rioters, hoodlums. The government passes a law? It's always good, useful and just, even if it's...not. And if there's an electoral, political or administrative struggle? The best programs and candidates are always those of the bourgeois parties. From lnp3 at panix.com Thu Sep 4 05:30:28 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:30:28 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Rank and file challenge to Andy Stern Message-ID: <20080904113004.D878CD17D@mailbackend.panix.com> http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/ew030908.html From marvgandall at videotron.ca Thu Sep 4 05:48:34 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:48:34 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP References: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV> <908b689f0809032144wd68d174pbc487d1290606605@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <029301c90e84$29834330$6401a8c0@MARV> Ruthless Critic writes: > I think this is a good point. But recall that people get tired of > fighting. struggling all the time, and end up compromising after > they've fought very hard very long. (Just think about how the > Nicaraguans eventually voted for Chamorro and against the FSLN.) It is > not cowardice, it's just human. One can only keep fighting so long > before one needs to take a break. > > It says *nothing* about "the capacity of the people to effect > fundamental social change" etc. ==================================== Of course. Stalemates don't last forever and one or the other side capitulates, depending on the balance of power. This is true of all conflict. You can read the Nicaraguan, Irish, South African, and - as may ultimately prove to be the case - the Palestinian revolutionary struggles in this light. But this is a far different thing than saying that the masses wanted to pursue the same forms of struggle, and that they would have do so were they not somehow treachously "sold down the river" by their leaders. If this were the case, the rejectionists in all cases would have won, and Ortega, Mandela, Arafat, and Adams would have ended up swinging from lampposts or have been driven into exile - like Kerensky in 1917. When the leaders of organizations like the FSLN, PLO and ANC become discredited, it not so much because they sign peace settlements with the enemy which fall short of expectations - something the disappointed masses understand because of their own experience with material deprivation and the long stalemate - but because of the patronage, corruption, and widening inequalities which often set into these organizations afterwards. From schaffer at optonline.net Thu Sep 4 06:13:45 2008 From: schaffer at optonline.net (Les Schaffer) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:13:45 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP In-Reply-To: <026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV> References: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <48BFD0F9.7030903@optonline.net> Marvin Gandall wrote: > The reality is, Charles, that a large number of people on this list do not > share the view that the Wagner Act or the Civil Rights Act were advances for > the trade union and black movements, nor could they have been since the > Democratic party only betrays. i think its time for Lou to blow the whistle on this thread for now. because i heard people quite clearly say that gains were wrested from the DP by a movement outside of it. and if i know marxists, when they say gains, they mean gains. i heard a talking head on an interview show last week discussing the Johnson administration in the mid-60's -- i think it was the historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, who knew LBJ personally. She claimed that LBJ was deeply distressed by his inability to move forward on his Great Society project because his advisors had got him stuck in the quagmire in Southeast Asia. if we can take this manager of ruling class interests at his word, then the idea that the DP "only betrays" takes on a deeper significance. rather than an indication that the Devil-incarnate runs world affairs, we can surmise that Democratically aligned ruling class interests had their hearts and minds elsewhere, or at least distributed over several of their "headaches". so what would one expect from a DP party so managed? absolute adherence to the will of the trade unions and black movements??? let's talk about the weather for a while. Les From marvgandall at videotron.ca Thu Sep 4 06:23:35 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:23:35 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP References: <8CADC825931D205-9B8-3B53@webmail-stg-d02.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <02a901c90e89$0d894c60$6401a8c0@MARV> JScotlive writes: > The simple truth is that the US 'white' ruling class views America's > blacks with such fear that the repression visited upon any radical black > social movement or voices that dares raise?their head is so fierce and > violent that without mass support from the white working class such a > movement has virtually zero chance of succeeding independent of the > mainstream. > Ultimately, the failure of black radical and social movement to sustain > and succeed is the failure of the white working class to offer active > solidarity with their struggle. =============================== Ruling classes always are fearful of mass discontent, and when it threatens to become destabilizing, they respond with concessions or repression or a combination of both. Actually, repression was much fiercer before the universal franchise, elections, the limited right to demonstrate and to strike, and other forms of bourgeois democracy were introduced as a safety valve. But, still, the most bloody repression was not sufficient to stop the masses in Russia, China, Cuba, and elsewhere from moving towards victorious revolutions when the system was unable to meet their most basic needs for economic and physical security. I think there were many whites who supported the civil rights struggle and others who were bitterly hostile to it. Working class whites in general, while oppressed in their own way, had already won the right to vote and other reforms that the blacks were seeking, and were not discriminated against in housing, employment, etc. The kind of unqualified solidarity you are demanding between privileged and less privileged sectors of the working class requires a much higher level of consciousness, perhaps a revolutionary consciousness. From marvgandall at videotron.ca Thu Sep 4 06:28:46 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:28:46 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP References: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV> <20080904112341.5FFF3D813@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: <02b801c90e89$c70bfd90$6401a8c0@MARV> Louis writes: In fact, your approach to this question is fundamentally idealistic. =================================== No, it is the notion that the failure of the Western working class to make a revolution is due primarily to subjective factors like leadership and program rather than rooted in their material conditions of existence that is profoundly idealistic. But so much for name calling, and no one is persuading anyone about anything, so why not use your perogative as moderator and call a halt to this thread. From daynegoodwin at gmail.com Thu Sep 4 06:46:24 2008 From: daynegoodwin at gmail.com (Dayne Goodwin) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 06:46:24 -0600 Subject: [Marxism] An analysis of the DP convention that works better In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: On 9/1/08, Fred Feldman wrote: > > . . . > In fact, the Democratic Party sacrificed itself to absorb (even more than > contain) the civil rights movement and keep it within the framework of > capitalism. > > Does anyone recall a Congressional Black Caucus before 1965. Not to > mention > an Obama campaign, etc. > > Did the Democratic Party change its imperialist spots. No. Did the > structure > of the Democratic Party change? You bet it did. > Fred Feldman Isn't it the Democrat Party's job to deflect, contain or absorb mass progressive and potentially revolutionary movements for social change? It may at times be a costly job but that is the Democrat Party's role in the capitalist's two-party political structure/system for "democratic" governance and management of capitalist class society where a tiny capitalist minority is ruling over a huge working class majority. I am puzzled by your assertion that the structure of the Democrat Party changed, Fred. I hope that you will elaborate further. It was in G. William Domhoff's first book _Who Rules America?_ (1967) that i got some initial understanding of what i came to consider the reality of the capitalist's two-party political system. I had recently glanced at Domhoff's 1991 book _Blacks in the White Establishment? A Study of Race and Class in America_ (co-authored with Richard L. Zweigenhaft) and i looked for it, wondering if they had commented on 'structural change' in the Democrat Party. I ended up looking at their latest book _Diversity in the Power Elite_ (2006) where they say in their concluding chapter: "The impetus for greater diversity, as we have stressed, did not come from within the power elite but was the result of external pressures brought to bear by the civil rights movement." [p.244] "In what may be the greatest and most important irony of them all, the diversity forced upon the power elite may have helped to strengthen it. Diversity has given the power elite buffers, ambassadors, tokens, and legitimacy. This is an unintended consequence that few insurgents or social scientists foresaw. As recent social psychology experiments show and experience confirms, it often takes only a small number of upwardly mobile members of previously excluded groups, perhaps as few as 2 percent, to undermine an excluded group's definition of who is "us" and who is "them," which contributes to a decline in collective protest and disruption and increases striving for individual mobility. That is, those who make it are not only "role models" for individuals, but they are safety valves against collective action by aggrieved groups." [p.245-46] [Major reason given by Senator Ted Kennedy for his endorsement of Obama relatively early in the Democrat Party primaries: 'Obama can bring renewed legitimacy to our political system, especially among young people.'] "The black and white liberals and progressives who challenged Christian, white, male homogeneity in the power structure starting in the 1950s and 1960s sought to do more than create civil rights and new job opportunities for men and women who had previously been mistreated and excluded, important though these goals were...The idea was both to diversify the power elite and to shift some of its power to underrepresented groups and social classes... But as some individuals made it, and as the concerns of social movements, political leaders and the courts gradually came to focus more and more on individual rights and individual advancement, the focus on "distributive justice," general racial exclusion, and social class was lost." [p.247] "We therefore conclude that the increased diversity in the power elite has not generated any changes in an underlying class system in which the top 1 percent of households (the upper class) own 33.4 percent of all marketable wealth, and the next 19 percent (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) have 51 percent, which means that just 20 percent of the people own a remarkable 84 percent of the privately owned wealth in the United States, leaving a mere 16 percent of the wealth for the bottom 80 percent (wage and salary workers). [p.248] Domhoff and Zweigenhaft say that the structural changes in capitalist society since the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s amount to the 'power elite' recognizing the need to incorporate a very small percentage of women and minority "tokens" and "buffers." If that is the degree of structural change in capitalist society generally, what structural change has developed within the Democrat Party? Dayne From sabocat59 at mac.com Thu Sep 4 06:49:14 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:49:14 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social Movements don't die in the DP Message-ID: <3488F6D8-A6CC-4FED-888F-36F9422F154E@mac.com> Marvin Gandall wrote: Your argument of benign indifference among working class whites, in the south as well as in northern cities such as Chicago and Boston, is mistaken. Sure, many working class whites supported civil rights, but among those who did not, it was due in no small part to the fact that they saw their interests threatened directly by the erasure of the color line at the level of employment. This was of course due to racism, a racism which told them that what little job security and benefits they had would be erased once blacks began competing for their jobs. And at the mass psychological level, the white workers needed to feel somehow better than the black workers to shore up their identity as superior, because in most cases this psychological feeling was all they had to distinguish them from the black workers, given that the material benefits for participation in the system were not exactly forthcoming, or were at best negligible. I think you underestimate the pernicious effects of the color line on the minds and behavior of white southern workers in particular, but also among some northern whites whose racism was no less virulent. Who does not remember the hostile reception MLK received in Chicago, or the anti- busing reaction among the racists of Boston? And what political party in the south benefitted from jim crow over the years? Johnson may have figured the realpolitic was in his favor in the long run, but among white democrats at the local level in southern towns and cities, the opposition to ending jim crow was strong. The opposition was so strong that de facto segregation still exists in towns and cities all across the south, as well as in the north. Greg McDonald From lnp3 at panix.com Thu Sep 4 06:54:31 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:54:31 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Moderator's note In-Reply-To: <3488F6D8-A6CC-4FED-888F-36F9422F154E@mac.com> References: <3488F6D8-A6CC-4FED-888F-36F9422F154E@mac.com> Message-ID: <20080904125407.63BBADC91@mailbackend.panix.com> Thanks to Les for reminding us of how this thread has run its course. I would invite all the participants to have one more say on the topic and then we move on. From sartesian at earthlink.net Thu Sep 4 07:27:08 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 09:27:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP References: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us><026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV><20080904112341.5FFF3D813@mailbackend.panix.com> <02b801c90e89$c70bfd90$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <8A2144EB2D894FECAFD1C23D3A57B7C2@dmsthinkpad> Last licks-- If we want to talk about the failure of the working classes to make a revolution (and that failure is not confined to the West), that's one thing. But we're not, or at least, Marvin isn't. The issue was/is drawn up from Marvin already reaching a conclusion about that failure: that the Democratic, or social-democratic, party "is all there is." In that conclusion the failure is the once, future, and forever condition. Now Joaquin and others have asserted that the failure itself is based on the incorporation of workers into the spoils system of imperialism. Others have pointed to the sustained, and powerful, assaults on working class organizations and living standards. Others to the problems of leadership. Others, based on their original conclusion and not their subsequent question, argue initially that the SD parties provide access to the workers with the possibility to win the workers.... to what? Away from the SD structures? Or to moving the SDs to the left? But that initial argument quickly gets transformed into nothing but arguing that the SD organizations are a "last" and if not best, then only, hope of resistance to reaction. And that argument is thoroughly idealistic, having no support in the material demands of capital and the struggle against those demands. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marvin Gandall" To: Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 8:28 AM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP From sabocat59 at mac.com Thu Sep 4 07:30:49 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:30:49 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Ecuador giving U.S. Air Base the Boot Message-ID: Ecuador Giving U.S. Air Base the Boot Prevailing Nationalism, Investment From Elsewhere Make American Presence Obsolete By Joshua Partlow Washington Post Foreign Service Thursday, September 4, 2008; A06 MANTA, Ecuador -- When U.S. officers stationed in this humid coastal city give reasons they should continue their decade-old airborne surveillance mission, they talk not only about fighting drug runners on the open seas but about the $71 million they've spent to renovate and maintain the city's airport, and the $6.5 million they inject each year into the local economy. But the government of Ecuador has decided, and Washington has apparently agreed, that one of the most important foreign outposts in the United States' war on drugs will close. The 450 U.S. Air Force personnel and contractors stationed at a military base that shares the airport's runway will be leaving next year. This decision reflects both the prevailing political climate here -- standing up to the United States tends to be widely popular -- and a new economic reality. With major projects underway in Manta by the Venezuelan government and a Hong Kong company, the U.S. dollars don't amount to much. President Hugo Ch?vez of Venezuela stood alongside President Rafael Correa of Ecuador in July to announce a jointly financed $6 billion oil refinery to be constructed on the outskirts of Manta. And Hong Kong-based Hutchison Port Holdings has begun building what will be among the largest deep-water ports on the west coast of South America, a $523 million project with piers, cranes, tuna-boat terminals, roads, and the capacity to eventually handle 1.6 million shipping containers a year at the continent's closest point to Asia. "The U.S. stopped being the benchmark of what is good for Latin America," said Gustavo Larrea, Ecuador's security minister. "Because Latin America did everything that the U.S. asked it to do and wasn't able to get out of poverty, the North American myth lost political weight." In the waning days of the Bush administration, governments in Latin America are rejecting many U.S.-funded programs, particularly anti- narcotics efforts, with rhetoric championing sovereignty and denouncing "imperialism" from the north. In Venezuela, anti-drug officials say, cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has deteriorated sharply. In Bolivia, coca farmers decided in June to expel the U.S. Agency for International Development from part of the country amid accusations that it was conspiring against President Evo Morales. The pushback resonates well politically in many parts of Latin America, where U.S. policies are often seen as security-obsessed Cold War vestiges or bitter economic pills forced down the throats of unwilling governments. The leading spokesman of such anti-Americanism is Ch?vez, but other South American leaders often join in. During his campaign for president, Correa said he would not renew a 10-year agreement reached with the United States in November 1999 that allowed the U.S. military to operate from the base at Manta. In late July, Ecuador's Foreign Ministry officially notified the United States that it must evacuate by November of next year. The air base serves as a launching pad for surveillance flights over the Pacific Ocean to spot seaborne drug traffic and over Colombia to spot unauthorized planes. According to U.S. figures, the missions resulted in the seizure of about 230 tons of cocaine in 2007. Whether the Americans stay or go "is a political thing," said Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Leonard, who recently completed a tour as commander of the U.S. contingent in Manta. "I don't think it's necessarily tied to our successes or the impact to the local folks. It's just a political thing." But Ecuadoran officials say there is little benefit in the base. For one, their country is a minor player in the Andean world of coca and cocaine production. And the U.S. surveillance flights do nothing to help them uncover drug labs hidden under vast stretches of forest canopy. "This is a problem for us of sovereignty," Larrea said. "It's as if we had a base in New York. This would be incomprehensible for North Americans." The original agreement was signed by President Jamil Mahuad shortly before street protests and a military revolt forced him from office in 2000. Many Ecuadorans say the terms heavily favored the Americans. The United States, for instance, does not pay rent for the base. The agreement was negotiated "in a moment of anguish" by a government that needed a loan from the International Monetary Fund but did not get it, said Adri?n Bonilla, director of FLACSO, a think tank in Quito, the Ecuadoran capital. "The political cost of a foreign base is very high. And the national need is very low," he said. "The political culture of Ecuador is very nationalistic. And it is mistrusting of the United States. . . . It's very popular to throw out the gringos from the Manta base." U.S. officials don't yet know where they might move after Manta. Colombia is often mentioned. In other neighboring countries, such as Panama, officials have publicly ruled out letting the Americans move in. The loss of Manta, according to State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, would leave a "serious gap" in the U.S. drug fight. But other officials, such as Leonard, say the U.S. planes could operate out of an existing base on the Caribbean island of Curacao for the time being and cover the same territory. "The success will be slightly less. But I still think we'll have the coverage out there," Leonard said. "It's not like it will just disappear." In Bolivia, the decision by the coca growers federation, still led by President Morales, to stop working with USAID in the Chapare region, was also motivated by a growing desire for self-determination. That part of Bolivia is home of the slogan "Long live coca, death to the Yankees." Residents express long-standing frustrations with U.S. efforts to eradicate the crop or persuade farmers to plant often- unviable alternatives. "The famous macadamia nut? The cardamom? These were very expensive projects that resulted in what? In nothing," said Felipe C?ceres, Bolivia's vice minister of social defense and a former coca grower. The USAID contingent, about 100 employees and contractors, whom C?ceres described as "all right-wingers," have left the Chapare. Morales has accused USAID of funding opposition groups to foment protests against him, allegations U.S. officials have denied. C?ceres said last month that the Bolivian government plans to "nationalize" the war on drugs in Bolivia by controlling for itself how the aid money is spent. While C?ceres praised the cooperation between his government and the DEA, he ridiculed USAID projects as wasteful spending that often came with burdensome conditions. From 1998 to 2003, Bolivian farmers could receive USAID funding for help planting other crops only if they eliminated all their coca, according to the Andean Information Network, a research group based in Bolivia. Other rules, such as the requirement that participating communities declare themselves "terrorist-free zones," simply irritated people, said Kathryn Ledebur, director of the Andean Information Network. "Eradicate all your coca and then you grow an orange tree that will get fruit in eight years but you don't have anything to eat in the meantime? A bad idea," she said. "The thing about kicking out USAID, I don't think it's an anti-American sentiment overall" but rather a rejection of bad programs. Another factor cited by Bolivian officials is that the European Union and Venezuela have stepped in as major sources of development funding without so many strings attached. The E.U. has earmarked about $350 million for Bolivia for the period from 2007 to 2013. "Most importantly and in line with the Bolivian authorities, activities have not been made conditional on the eradication of coca," said an E.U. strategy paper on Bolivia from late last year. Meanwhile, U.S. aid for Bolivia's drug fight has been steadily dropping, C?ceres said, from more than $100 million a year during the 1990s to $26 million this year. This government has done the best job of fighting drugs, he said, "but each year we are getting less." To U.S. anti-drug officials, the impending loss of the base in Ecuador and the halt of USAID projects in the Chapare do not portend disaster but suggest a lack of commitment to halt the flow of cocaine. "I think it's a setback in the interests of the American people and the people of Ecuador and Bolivia," said John P. Walters, the White House drug policy chief. "But again, we respect the sovereign authority of the leadership of those countries, and we'll try to make the partnership work the best we can." Correspondent Juan Forero contributed to this report. From marvgandall at videotron.ca Thu Sep 4 07:29:49 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:29:49 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social Movements don't die in the DP References: <3488F6D8-A6CC-4FED-888F-36F9422F154E@mac.com> Message-ID: <034001c90e92$4e374970$6401a8c0@MARV> > Marvin Gandall wrote: > > struggle and > others who were bitterly hostile to it. Working class whites in general, > while oppressed in their own way, had already won the right to vote and > other reforms that the blacks were seeking, and were not discriminated > against in housing, employment, etc. The kind of unqualified > solidarity you > are demanding between privileged and less privileged sectors of the > working > class requires a much higher level of consciousness, perhaps a > revolutionary > consciousness.> > > Your argument of benign indifference among working class whites, in > the south as well as in northern cities such as Chicago and Boston, > is mistaken. Sure, many working class whites supported civil rights, > but among those who did not, it was due in no small part to the fact > that they saw their interests threatened directly by the erasure of > the color line at the level of employment. This was of course due to > racism, a racism which told them that what little job security and > benefits they had would be erased once blacks began competing for > their jobs. And at the mass psychological level, the white workers > needed to feel somehow better than the black workers to shore up > their identity as superior, because in most cases this psychological > feeling was all they had to distinguish them from the black workers, > given that the material benefits for participation in the system were > not exactly forthcoming, or were at best negligible. I think you > underestimate the pernicious effects of the color line on the minds > and behavior of white southern workers in particular, but also among > some northern whites whose racism was no less virulent. Who does not > remember the hostile reception MLK received in Chicago, or the anti- > busing reaction among the racists of Boston? > > And what political party in the south benefitted from jim crow over > the years? Johnson may have figured the realpolitic was in his favor > in the long run, but among white democrats at the local level in > southern towns and cities, the opposition to ending jim crow was > strong. The opposition was so strong that de facto segregation still > exists in towns and cities all across the south, as well as in the > north. =============================== I agree with this. I was replying in haste to the list comments directed my way before turning to other matters today, and did not lay as much stress as I could have on the material interests of the "privleged...sectors of the working class." Your post admirably fills in the gap. From marvgandall at videotron.ca Thu Sep 4 07:31:39 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:31:39 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Fw: Social Movements don't die in the DP Message-ID: <034b01c90e92$900f5db0$6401a8c0@MARV> This was in reply to Greg McDonald who wrote: >> Marvin Gandall wrote: >> >> > struggle and >> others who were bitterly hostile to it. Working class whites in general, >> while oppressed in their own way, had already won the right to vote and >> other reforms that the blacks were seeking, and were not discriminated >> against in housing, employment, etc. The kind of unqualified >> solidarity you >> are demanding between privileged and less privileged sectors of the >> working >> class requires a much higher level of consciousness, perhaps a >> revolutionary >> consciousness.> >> >> Your argument of benign indifference among working class whites, in >> the south as well as in northern cities such as Chicago and Boston, >> is mistaken. Sure, many working class whites supported civil rights, >> but among those who did not, it was due in no small part to the fact >> that they saw their interests threatened directly by the erasure of >> the color line at the level of employment. This was of course due to >> racism, a racism which told them that what little job security and >> benefits they had would be erased once blacks began competing for >> their jobs. And at the mass psychological level, the white workers >> needed to feel somehow better than the black workers to shore up >> their identity as superior, because in most cases this psychological >> feeling was all they had to distinguish them from the black workers, >> given that the material benefits for participation in the system were >> not exactly forthcoming, or were at best negligible. I think you >> underestimate the pernicious effects of the color line on the minds >> and behavior of white southern workers in particular, but also among >> some northern whites whose racism was no less virulent. Who does not >> remember the hostile reception MLK received in Chicago, or the anti- >> busing reaction among the racists of Boston? >> >> And what political party in the south benefitted from jim crow over >> the years? Johnson may have figured the realpolitic was in his favor >> in the long run, but among white democrats at the local level in >> southern towns and cities, the opposition to ending jim crow was >> strong. The opposition was so strong that de facto segregation still >> exists in towns and cities all across the south, as well as in the >> north. > =============================== > I agree with this. I was replying in haste to the list comments directed > my > way before turning to other matters today, and did not lay as much stress > as > I could have on the material interests of the "privleged...sectors of the > working class." Your post admirably fills in the gap. > From sabocat59 at mac.com Thu Sep 4 07:37:08 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:37:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Bush Administration checkmated in Georgia Message-ID: <7F3F6DCC-2545-4C7A-ABE0-4B6467403AFF@mac.com> From shmage at pipeline.com Thu Sep 4 07:52:53 2008 From: shmage at pipeline.com (Shane Mage) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 09:52:53 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] [CubaNews] JR: Venezuela Strikes Back Against Drug Trafficking and US Agency In-Reply-To: <48BFD0F9.7030903@optonline.net> References: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV> <48BFD0F9.7030903@optonline.net> Message-ID: <4E987A12-1605-4638-AA0D-4DB5A7782B2D@pipeline.com> On Sep 4, 2008, at 8:50 AM, Walter Lippmann wrote: > JUVENTUD REBELDE > > Venezuela Strikes Back Against Drug Trafficking and US Agency > Cooperation, yes. Demands, no What a stupid article! The quantity of cocaine seized in Venezuela says nothing about the quantity originating from or transshipped through the country, because the amount seized always and everywhere reflects the amount being produced or shipped. Seizures and bribery are the price paid for police cooperation with the mafia/CIA criminals. If anything, increased seizure is evidence of increased production/flow. But even more idiotic than that is the Cuban line that coca is "beneficial" (presumably because Hugo and Evo would take offence if they didn't say that) while "poppy and marihuana" are noxious weeds worthy of police repression! The "war on drugs," we all know, is an imperialist war against freedom and the main method for the racist imprisonment and permanent "felonization" of millions in this country. Why ever does Walter praise Cuban/Venezuelan "cooperation" with imperialism to wage that war? > By: Marina Men?ndez Quintero, special correspondent > ... Since the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) stopped ?cooperating? > with that country in the fight against this scourge, local > authorities have almost doubled the confiscation of cocaine going > through Venezuela on its long journey north, where its greatest > number of consumers is found. > > The fact is that while an average of 27 metric tons were confiscated > between 2002 and 2004 under the leadership of the DEA, the > consignments intercepted by Venezuela increased to an average of > 43.5 metric tons in the period 2005 to 2007 ? without the > involvement of that sacred agency... > ... Other accomplishments are...arrests of citizens involved in the > business, and operations to manually destroy poppy and marihuana > fields... Shane Mage "Thunderbolt steers all things...it consents and does not consent to be called Zeus." Herakleitos of Ephesos From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Sep 4 08:03:10 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 10:03:10 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] GRANMA: A United Vietnam Advances Despite Global Crisis Message-ID: <4467681.1220536990481.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> ("Direct foreign investment steadily increases, as well as international solidarity, where Cuba plays a role of great significance. ("Vu Chi Cong himself is a product of that solidarity, with relations that go beyond his role as the new ambassador to the island and are linked to his university studies and the 10-million-ton sugar harvest, as the translator of Vietnamese leaders during their trips to Cuba and during the visit of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro to Vietnam in 1995. ?I still remember the speech Fidel improvised at Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City, expressed the dear friend, full of emotion.") ============================================================== GRANMA September 1, 2008 A United Vietnam Advances Despite Global Crisis ARNALDO MUSA musa.amp at granma.cip.cu Western mass media took great delight in doomsday forecasts for Vietnam and for the definitive fall of its program of socialist renewal in view of the inflation triggered by the world economic, financial and energy crisis. Vietnamese ambassador in Cuba Vu Chi Cong points out that another reality occurred. ?The measures taken [by the government], and the support of the people in the struggle against inflation, caused by objective and subjective factors, made it possible to bring things under control. We postponed projects that were not urgent, reduced 10 percent of administrative expenditures and adjusted prices. ?In March, there was an increase in the price of rice on the international market, and speculation caused an internal price surge. But the government used all sorts of mechanisms and suspended exports temporarily. By June, the situation had returned to normal.? The diplomat recalled that this is not the only challenge faced by Vietnam. He said there is also the effects of climate change; the need to increase the quality of its products, and achieving improved management. ?Vietnam starts from the premise that it?s an underdeveloped, agricultural country, and we?re now in a stage of advance, but one in which we can?t sacrifice the environment in the interests of development. Moreover, we have to focus on the problem of poverty, which dropped to 12 percent with the attention placed on the population in rural and mountainous areas ?something acknowledged by the UN?, as well as to wipe out corruption. ?The 10th Congress of Vietnam?s Communist Party emphasized the example and the lessons of Ho Chi Minh of honesty and fighting corruption, industriousness and saving, in order to achieve prosperity for the people in a just, civilized, and socialist society.? Vu Chi Cong noted that the Communist Party doesn?t neglect the ideological education of its young people, in a population of 85 million inhabitants, most of which were born after 1975, the year of Vietnamese reunification. The life expectancy is currently of 72 years. ?When you apply the policy of openness, good things appear, but also bad ones, and although this is a people who were taught how to read and write, you have to make sure to educate people in patriotism, while you training human resources.? The ambassador insists on the importance of maintaining unity between the Communist Party and the people, because, ?otherwise, the enormous sacrifice made by the Vietnamese since the August Revolution until present, would be useless.? It was precisely that movement that led president Ho Chi Minh to proclaim independence at Hanoi?s Ba Dinh Square on September 2, 1945, as the culmination of an almost a century-old colonial process. Then Vietnam had to face another 30 years of struggle against French and US imperialism, which cut short four million lives before victory came on April 30, 1975. Since then it has been a united nation, which began a process of development that had its turning point at the Sixth Communist Party Congress in 1986, where a policy of integral renewal was put into practice. The ambassador recalled that the country managed to activate its productive forces, especially in the areas of agriculture and exports, which last year reached US $48 billion. It went from being a rice-importing country to one that exports more than four million tons annually. These achievements are more than eloquent with the already mentioned teaching of basic literacy and the efforts to raise the educational level of 16 million students, 1,363,000 of them at the university level; the struggle against diseases in a tropical country with frequent natural disasters, and its active work in the Association of Nations of Southeast Asia, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the United Nations, where it?s currently a non-permanent member of the Security Council. Direct foreign investment steadily increases, as well as international solidarity, where Cuba plays a role of great significance. Vu Chi Cong himself is a product of that solidarity, with relations that go beyond his role as the new ambassador to the island and are linked to his university studies and the 10-million-ton sugar harvest, as the translator of Vietnamese leaders during their trips to Cuba and during the visit of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro to Vietnam in 1995. ?I still remember the speech Fidel improvised at Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City, expressed the dear friend, full of emotion. ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From marvgandall at videotron.ca Thu Sep 4 08:15:57 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:15:57 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP References: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV> <20080904112341.5FFF3D813@mailbackend.panix.com> <02b801c90e89$c70bfd90$6401a8c0@MARV> <8A2144EB2D894FECAFD1C23D3A57B7C2@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <03a801c90e98$c019bd60$6401a8c0@MARV> Artesian writes: > Last licks-- > > If we want to talk about the failure of the working classes to make a > revolution (and that failure is not confined to the West), that's one > thing. > > But we're not, or at least, Marvin isn't. The issue was/is drawn up from > Marvin already reaching a conclusion about that failure: that the > Democratic, or social-democratic, party "is all there is." > > In that conclusion the failure is the once, future, and forever condition. ========================== My last licks also. 1. It was Fred's comment that that these parties are "all there is", a comment with which I agree, which prompted my intervention on this long thread. 2. I challenge you to cite a single instance where I have ever said or even implied that reformism is the "future and forever condition" of the Western working class. Their reformist consciousness derives from their current conditions, and I have been very careful to emphasize that one changes with the other. See, for example, my comment to Anthony Boynton last week: "If there is a reappearance of the conditions which produced the early Marxist movement - a renewed demand for labour in the West and resistance to efforts to improve working class standards - I haven't any reason to believe it wouldn't be accompanied by a revival of the trade union and socialist movement in modern guise." I take enough shit on this list for the views I hold. Fair enough. But don't saddle me with views I don't hold. From binesi at gvtel.com Thu Sep 4 08:24:12 2008 From: binesi at gvtel.com (David Thorstad) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:24:12 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] RNC 8 Charged under state Patriot Act, acts of terrorism alleged Message-ID: <48BFEF8C.1020201@gvtel.com> Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 16:17:11 -0500 From: Bruce Nestor Subject: Ramsey County Charges RNC 8 Under State Patriot Act, Alleges Acts of Terrorism In what appears to be the first use of criminal charges under the 2002 Minnesota version of the Federal Patriot Act, Ramsey County Prosecutors have formally charged 8 alleged leaders of the RNC Welcoming Committee with Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism. Monica Bicking, Eryn Trimmer, Luce Guillen Givins, Erik Oseland, Nathanael Secor, Robert Czernik, Garrett Fitzgerald, and Max Spector, face up to 7 1/2 years in prison under the terrorism enhancement charge which allows for a 50% increase in the maximum penalty. Affidavits released by law enforcement which were filed in support of the search warrants used in raids over the weekend, and used to support probable cause for the arrest warrants, are based on paid, confidential informants who infiltrated the RNCWC on behalf of law enforcement. They allege that members of the group sought to kidnap delegates to the RNC, assault police officers with firebombs and explosives, and sabotage airports in St. Paul. Evidence released to date does not corroborate these allegations with physical evidence or provide any other evidence for these allegations than the claims of the informants. Based on past abuses of such informants by law enforcement, the National Lawyers Guild is concerned that such police informants have incentives to lie and exaggerate threats of violence and to also act as provacateurs in raising and urging support for acts of violence. "These charges are an effort to equate publicly stated plans to blockade traffic and disrupt the RNC as being the same as acts of terrorism. This both trivializes real violence and attempts to place the stated political views of the Defendants on trial," said Bruce Nestor, President of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. "The charges represent an abuse of the criminal justice system and seek to intimidate any person organizing large scale public demonstrations potentially involving civil disobedience, he said." The criminal complaints filed by the Ramsey County Attorney do not allege that any of the defendants personally have engaged in any act of violence or damage to property. The complaints list all of alleged violations of law during the last few days of the RNC - other than violations of human rights carried out by law enforcement - and seeks to hold the 8 defendants responsible for acts committed by other individuals. None of the defendants have any prior criminal history involving acts of violence. Searches conducted in connection with the raids failed to turn up any physical evidence to support the allegations of organized attacks on law enforcement. Although claiming probable cause to believe that gunpowder, acids, and assembled incendiary devices would be found, no such items were seized by police. As a result, police sought to claim that the seizure of common household items such as glass bottles, charcoal lighter, nails, a rusty machete, and two hatchets, supported the allegations of the confidential informants. "Police found what they claim was a single plastic shield, a rusty machete, and two hatchets used in Minnesota to split wood. This doesn't amount to evidence of an organized insurrection, particularly when over 3,500 police are present in the Twin Cities, armed with assault rifles, concussion grenades, chemical weapons and full riot gear," said Nestor. In addition, the National Lawyers Guild has previously pointed out how law enforcement has fabricated evidence such as the claims that urine was seized which demonstrators intended to throw at police. The last time such charges were brought under Minnesota law was in 1918, when Matt Moilen and others organizing labor unions for the International Workers of the World on the Iron Range were charged with "criminal syndicalism." The convictions, based on allegations that workers had advocated or taught acts of violence, including acts only damaging to property, were upheld by the Minnesota Supreme Court. In the light of history, these convictions are widely seen as unjust and a product of political trials. The National Lawyers Guild condemns the charges filed in this case against the above 8 defendants and urges the Ramsey County Attorney to drop all charges of conspiracy in this matter. Bruce Nestor, President Minnesota Chapter of National Lawyers Guild 3547 Cedar Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55407 612-659-9019 - Phone 612-436-3664 - Fax 612-991-9488- Cell From sabocat59 at mac.com Thu Sep 4 08:24:25 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:24:25 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP Message-ID: <7E083379-3945-4E7B-A626-079B8542F999@mac.com> Marvin Gandall wrote: From my vantage point, this debate has been useful and informative, and Marvin, Artesian and others have kept the discussion at a relatively high level with few personal attacks. Which is why I don't understand why the debate is being drawn to a close. Greg From ffeldman at bellatlantic.net Thu Sep 4 08:40:06 2008 From: ffeldman at bellatlantic.net (Fred Feldman) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:40:06 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Nation report highlights liberal fear, weakness under Palin attack Message-ID: <5C6A7178EF0640289D6832B047737A81@office1pc> The Sarah Palin Show http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters/354172 posted by Bob Moser on 09/04/2008 @ 02:11am As the much-anticipated debut of The Sarah Palin Show crept closer in the Xcel Center last night, the overwhelmingly white and well-heeled Republicans rose to their feet, cheering, to dance and sing along to the infectious strains of Sly Stone's Everyday People--demonstrating not only a giddy lack of self-awareness (or irony), but also showing that the folks in the hall had gotten the alerts from GOP Message Central: Palin, the woman they'd come tonight to celebrate and cheer, is above all else Everyday People. I'd been hearing it all week from the delegates. "She's relatable," a Florida fellow said. "I think what Gov. Palin's able to offer is the perspective of any everyday American," a Mississippi delegate told me. "She's real--real people. Wow!" a Texas delegate chimed in. Her family troubles, which have fueled a feeding frenzy among the dimwits who blog on the Huffington Post, only testified all the more powerfully to her everydayness. "If anything, it just kind of shows what a normal American she is. Family crises and situations like this arise in families all across the country, and I think she's doing the best with the situation. I think it will make Gov. Palin all the more strong," said another Texan. You might not think that averageness would qualify a person for the second-highest office in the land. But if you might not think that, you haven't been paying attention to the way Republicans have won presidential elections for the last forty years. Palin is the logical extension of the cultural populism that has warped our politics--and for which the Democrats have, as yet, found no good answer. The "one of us" quality--and her talent at projecting it--is clearly what got Palin on the ticket (silly chatter about Hillary voters aside). With his underrated grasp of the kind of substance-free emotional symbolism that wins national elections, John McCain sniffed out in Palin a kind of Hollywood fairy tale: homegirl from small town, reluctant beauty queen, plucky point guard, deadly shot and mother of five, suddenly--magically--plucked from obscurity and thrust into the national spotlight. Come to think of it, even Julia Roberts might have turned down this half-baked script (though the chance to sport a beehive and have a movie hubby as hunky as Todd would surely have been a temptation). But Palin--who replied to her first shouted reporter's question about her readiness for the job with a crisp, Alaskan "Sure, yup, yup"--showed no such scruples. She'd made it refreshingly clear, early in the "vetting" process, that she had no notion of what a vice president does--another big plus, no doubt, in McCain's view. Because Palin is not on the ticket to do anything. She's on the ticket to be something. It's all about firing up the non-ideological center--which can only be done by drowning the economic sufferings of average Americans once again under a wave of whitebred, flag-waving, faux populism. And it has rarely been put across more effectively than she did Thursday night. This tough politician is hardly "just your average hockey mom who signed up for the PTA," by a long stretch, but that doesn't make a damn bit of difference in American politics. Palin is certainly an extremist--but she doesn't come across like one, so the label is going to be tough to stick on her. All that matters, in our twisted and media-soaked politics, is that you play the part well. Palin's apparently got the knack. No matter how the plot might strain credulity, the performance was Oscar-worthy. And the Democrats have got themselves a whole new set of worries. When Palin cracked wise about Barack Obama or the media, she delivered the lines like a snarky neighbor leaning over the fence, complaining about the elitists--or the "good old boys"--to her next-door neighbor. Her dandiest line of the night, equally well delivered, was directed at Obama's stupid comment about the bitterness of struggling Americans: "We tend to prefer a candidate," she said, "who doesn't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco." This, more than anything, made me cringe. However much I admire Obama, it carried the ring of home truth--delivered by someone who can make such lines hit home. It's all pure-T bullshit, of course: another "everyday" politician who's going to put the screws to every working person in America if she gets the chance. But so was Nixon's populism, and Reagan's, and Bush's. Americans fully expect bullshit from their politicians. It only matters that it's the right kind. And Sarah Palin, as we learned last night, is frighteningly full of it. From lnp3 at panix.com Thu Sep 4 08:40:48 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:40:48 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] GRANMA: A United Vietnam Advances Despite Global Crisis In-Reply-To: <4467681.1220536990481.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa .earthlink.net> References: <4467681.1220536990481.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <20080904144024.43C67DFEE@mailbackend.panix.com> Walter wrote: >("Direct foreign investment steadily increases, as well as >international solidarity, where Cuba plays a role of great >significance. ("Vu Chi Cong himself is a product of that solidarity, >with relations that go beyond his role as the new ambassador to the >island and are linked to his university studies and the >10-million-ton sugar harvest, as the translator of Vietnamese >leaders during their trips to Cuba and during the visit of Cuban >revolutionary leader Fidel Castro to Vietnam in 1995. ?I still >remember the speech Fidel improvised at Reunification Palace in Ho >Chi Minh City, expressed the dear friend, full of emotion.") What a tedious bore Walter is, trying to re-ignite a debate that we have only been having with him for four years straight at least. One day I would like to open up a message from Walter dealing with his home state of California or his home country the U.S. Instead we are like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day with the radio going off each morning at 7am announcing that yesterday has arrived once again. I am not even going to waste my time answering his troll bait and would urge other comrades to ignore him as well. From sartesian at earthlink.net Thu Sep 4 09:21:13 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 11:21:13 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP References: <48BEC73F.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us><026c01c90e45$fd3cead0$6401a8c0@MARV><20080904112341.5FFF3D813@mailbackend.panix.com><02b801c90e89$c70bfd90$6401a8c0@MARV><8A2144EB2D894FECAFD1C23D3A57B7C2@dmsthinkpad> <03a801c90e98$c019bd60$6401a8c0@MARV> Message-ID: <834AFF944EFF4688BF6406A7466C6DF9@dmsthinkpad> Marvin, I am responding only because you accuse my of misrepresenting your positon, not because I want to continue a debate about those positions. You really haven't been subject to "any shit" about this, and you have certainly given as well as you got when it comes to snide remarks-- for example claiming that myself and others don't see the Voting Rights Act as an achievement for the civil rights struggle. What stands out in all this however is your later statement: "The fact that the liberal bourgeoisie no longer plays a progressive role in the broad historical sense seems to me to be beside the point, which is that, in terms of contemporary politics, the liberal DP and SD parties and the forces they represent are "all there is" to block the conservative and reactionary parties to their right who want to rollback the historical gains of the masses and weaken their organizations." Now that's not even reformism, that's last stand against the barbarians, and "contemporary politics" includes, by your own admission since we are talking about the failure of revolution a time frame larger than this decade or the past decade, but extending back at least 60 years, and forward for who knows how long given your view that the DP is all there is. If I have misunderstood your position, then I apologize, but it was based on that statement above. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marvin Gandall" To: Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 10:15 AM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Thu Sep 4 10:31:11 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 12:31:11 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Moderator's note In-Reply-To: <20080904125407.63BBADC91@mailbackend.panix.com> References: <3488F6D8-A6CC-4FED-888F-36F9422F154E@mac.com> <20080904125407.63BBADC91@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0809040931w4bb8d8f8k2d52484050492d75@mail.gmail.com> Which thread ? You didn't mention that... On Thu, Sep 4, 2008 at 8:54 AM, Louis Proyect wrote: > Thanks to Les for reminding us of how this thread has run its course. > I would invite all the participants to have one more say on the topic > and then we move on. From lnp3 at panix.com Thu Sep 4 10:32:30 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:32:30 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Moderator's note In-Reply-To: <908b689f0809040931w4bb8d8f8k2d52484050492d75@mail.gmail.co m> References: <3488F6D8-A6CC-4FED-888F-36F9422F154E@mac.com> <20080904125407.63BBADC91@mailbackend.panix.com> <908b689f0809040931w4bb8d8f8k2d52484050492d75@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <20080904163205.4B760DD18@mailbackend.panix.com> At 12:31 PM 9/4/2008, you wrote: >Which thread ? You didn't mention that... Leftists working in or voting for the Democratic Party. From markalause at gmail.com Thu Sep 4 10:37:57 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 12:37:57 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP In-Reply-To: <7E083379-3945-4E7B-A626-079B8542F999@mac.com> References: <7E083379-3945-4E7B-A626-079B8542F999@mac.com> Message-ID: For my part, I agree entirely. I think there's no more relevant discussion that can be held on lists like this. ML From schaffer at optonline.net Thu Sep 4 10:39:46 2008 From: schaffer at optonline.net (Les Schaffer) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:39:46 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP In-Reply-To: References: <7E083379-3945-4E7B-A626-079B8542F999@mac.com> Message-ID: <48C00F52.7050005@optonline.net> Mark Lause wrote: > For my part, I agree entirely. I think there's no more relevant > discussion that can be held on lists like this. > > but when the debates start going in circles, nothing wrong with a break, let people consider the arguments, then come back again fresh. Les From markalause at gmail.com Thu Sep 4 10:57:11 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 12:57:11 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP In-Reply-To: <48C00F52.7050005@optonline.net> References: <7E083379-3945-4E7B-A626-079B8542F999@mac.com> <48C00F52.7050005@optonline.net> Message-ID: I have one final point to make on this, and then I'll let it drop. Whenever people start fishing for examples of the racism of the white working class, they have plenty of good ones...from the NYC draft riots to MLK in Cicero, etc. But the fact is that each and every one of these examples, when examined closely, indicates the deference of the white workers to the Democratic Party, which professes to speak for them...if not as workers, then as Irish or ethnic groups. How paradoxical that people would argue for the Democratic Party citing these examples simply as the failure of the working class to understand its interest. After all, the Democratic Party is historically the greatest expression and promoter of that failure. ML PS: One final point...a thanks to all participants in this discussion. It is has been enlightening. From sabocat59 at mac.com Thu Sep 4 12:13:51 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:13:51 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] CSN Statement on the FARC Message-ID: <487A3BAE-C0FB-40D3-A08C-CEA179DB2728@mac.com> CSN News Thursday, September 04, 2008 Colombia Support Network (CSN) Statement on the FARC Guerrillas September 2, 2008 The Central Command of the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) issued a statement on August 21, 32008 in which the guerrilla organization disclosed the names of 21 Colombian Army officers, a soldier, and 3 policemen, as well as 4 political figures they are holding as prisoners, including a former Governor, Alan Jara. The FARC proposed that the Colombian government enter into an agreement with them for the exchange of these 29, whom the FARC call ?prisoners of war?, for FARC guerrillas imprisoned by the Colombian government. Calling attention to President Alvaro Uribe?s efforts to reform the system of justice, the FARC statement suggests the reform plan is a step toward the imposition of a totalitarian state. It notes the corruption which the President?s buying of Congresswoman Yidis Medina?s vote revealed; the close continuing ties between paramilitary forces (now calling themselves ?Aguilas Negras? (Black Eagles)) and high government officials; and the anti-democratic role of the 2 million government-paid informants who, the FARC say, comprise Uribe?s so-called ?network of cooperators?. The statement also decries the support and protection of the United States government as ?the imperial protection of the White House? for the Uribe government, which it alleges maintains a military offensive against the guerrillas to undermine the popular struggle for change. It criticizes the Uribe government for the kidnapping of Rodrigo Granda in Venezuela; for invading Ecuador to strike at FARC leader Raul Reyes; and for using improperly the symbol of the Red Cross and identifying news media and non-governmental organizations falsely in the operation which freed Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other FARC hostages. A number of the FARC?s assertions concerning the Uribe government and its goals are true. The attack on Colombia?s courts, the corruption revealed by the Yidis Medina affair, and the injustice done to many innocent people by false reports of paid informants are serious failings of the Uribe government. And the support of the U.S. government in spite of these failings and its refusal to recognize them by again certifying Colombia?s progress against corruption and abuses by the Colombian military, are indefensible. (For exhaustive proof of continuing abuses by the Colombian military, see the historical compilation of such abuses on the CSN web page.) But the FARC guerrillas are particularly poorly placed to make these criticisms. Their strategy of kidnapping for ransom and for political advantage is execrable. While the FARC began 43 years ago with a commitment to land reform and social justice, through many of their actions and strategies---kidnapping; massacres of innocent civilians, including repeated attacks on indigenous communities; and use of exploding cylinders, land mines, and bombs in buildings which have taken the lives of many non-combatants---the FARC have lost the moral authority to criticize the forces arrayed against them. Nor has their coercive involvement in cocaine trafficking in rural areas been consistent with the moral precepts they say they espouse. The FARC should at once release all of their prisoners---who are not, as they frequently claim, simply being ?detained?. And they should recognize that, in spite of the history of the genocide of the Patriotic Union, a peaceful alternative to the armed struggle now exists through opposition within the political process, making it possible for them to lay down their arms and work for social justice through that process. The FARC?s military campaign has become so discredited and has so encouraged militarism in opposition to the FARC that it now complicates and impedes the efforts of those seeking justice through a peaceful political process. Recent reports of FARC involvement in the Ituango killings and in the bombing in Cali reinforce this conclusion. Colombia Support Network P.O. Box 1505 Madison, WI 53701-1505 phone: (608) 257-8753 fax: (608) 255-6621 e-mail: csn at igc.org http://www.colombiasupport.net From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Thu Sep 4 12:25:54 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:25:54 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Social movements don't die in the DP Message-ID: <48BFEFF4.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Louis Proyect Charles wrote: >For the people in the movement, their goals were substantially >achieved - ending legal Jim Crow. And the biggest allies, one gathers, were the Kennedy brothers--a source of inspiration for every Democratic Party aspirant for the office of the president in the past 40 years or so. ^^^^^ CB: No, actually it would be LBJ, who signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Democratic Congress. This segregationist Senator said, amazingly "And we _shall_ overcome". Also, told Senator Russell, we'll just have to lose the South. They also passed a Constitutional Amendment against the poll tax. That takes super majorities of the Congress and state legislatures. On RFK, though see A GAMBLE FOR AMERICA African American residents of all ages fill 12th Street at Taylor to welcome Democratic presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy to ?Ground Zero? ( of where the riots had started just a year before in 1967) as a cameraman (left foreground) records the scene. DETROIT NEWS PHOTO/COURTESY WALTER P. REUTHER LIBRARY, WAYNE STATE UNIV. When and why Bobby Kennedy visited 12th Street By Paul Lee Special to the Michigan Citizen The following article is adapted from a forthcoming book by Paul Lee, Bobby Kennedy @ Detroit?s ?Ground Zero,? May 15, 1968. ? Ed. The Democratic National Convention at Denver, Col., this week featured a rare speech by Caroline Kennedy, the last living member of the immediate family of President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline; a video tribute to her uncle, ailing Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. (Ted) Kennedy, by documentary producer Ken Burns; and a surprise, triumphant appearance by the ?Liberal Lion of the Senate,? himself. [more] http://www.michigancitizen.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=106&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=6426&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1070&hn=michigancitizen&he=.com This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Thu Sep 4 12:32:17 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:32:17 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in the DP&In-Reply-To= Message-ID: <48BFF172.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Marv, I just realized that it is just false to claim that social movements go to the DP to die. As I said, the Civil Rights movement actually used the DP and the DP was debilitated for being an instrument of Black people ! The complete opposite. Anti-Vietnam war peace movement too. McGovern was the DP candidate basically a single issue candidate. stop the war . And the DP paid for that as well. Nixon landslide. This ultra left dogma about the DP is completely false ! The opposite is true, when we look at actual social movements. Charles This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From christopher.hutch at gmail.com Thu Sep 4 12:57:05 2008 From: christopher.hutch at gmail.com (Christopher Hutchinson) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 14:57:05 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in the DP&In-Reply-To= In-Reply-To: <48BFF172.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> References: <48BFF172.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: Didn't the Liberal forces around MLK jr. break with him when he started to speak out against the Vietnam War and take more of a class perspective? Wasn't he about lead a "Poor Persons" march on Washington? Who were the Dems backing that initiative? It's not like the DP lead the civil rights movement...maybe they passed the laws but they were not on the front line of the struggle. If the DP gave a damn about Civil Rights then the Jena 6 would not be struggling for their freedom along with Mumia Abu Jamal and countless others still locked up in racist prisons. Christopher On Thu, Sep 4, 2008 at 2:32 PM, Charles Brown < charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> wrote: > Marv, > > I just realized that it is just false to claim that social movements go > to the DP to die. As I said, the Civil Rights movement actually used > the DP and the DP was debilitated for being an instrument of Black > people ! The complete opposite. > > Anti-Vietnam war peace movement too. McGovern was the DP candidate > basically a single issue candidate. stop the war . And the DP paid for > that as well. Nixon landslide. > > This ultra left dogma about the DP is completely false ! The opposite > is true, when we look at actual social movements. > > Charles > > > This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. > www.surfcontrol.com > > ________________________________________________ > 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 nchamah at gmail.com Thu Sep 4 13:16:28 2008 From: nchamah at gmail.com (nchamah miller) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 20:16:28 +0100 Subject: [Marxism] CSN Statement on the FARC Message-ID: To Fred McDonald Please cite specific occurances and sources for your statement (below) it would certainly help the discussion. It would help if your sources are not from the AUC, the black eagles, or the Government, since habitually army troops have camouflaged themselves with guerilla uniforms when they commit attrocities. I am travelling at this moment and cannot give you the exact references but can commit to doing so. Note that Ingrid Betancourt has demanded that the FARC be granted political space if the Colombian conflict is to be resolved as the only mechanism for there to be a hope of peace. (El Tiempo sep 2008) "But the FARC guerrillas are particularly poorly placed to make these criticisms. Their strategy of kidnapping for ransom and for political advantage is execrable. While the FARC began 43 years ago with a commitment to land reform and social justice, through many of their actions and strategies---kidnapping; massacres of innocent civilians, including repeated attacks on indigenous communities; and use of exploding cylinders, land mines, and bombs in buildings which have taken the lives of many non-combatants---the FARC have lost the moral authority to criticize the forces arrayed against them. Nor has their coercive involvement in cocaine trafficking in rural areas been consistent with the moral precepts they say they espouse." From marvgandall at videotron.ca Thu Sep 4 13:19:24 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:19:24 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in the DP&In-Reply-To= References: <48BFF172.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: <88C90FE6C82F44B5ADA63DD082A9C370@MARV> Right. I read your posts about this, Charles. You confronted them on this issue head on. The Dems held power for a long time because of the strange coaltion between the unions, ethnic and racial minorities, and southern planters and poor whites. They lost power, as you noted, when the Republicans tore away the southern whites after passage of the Civil Rights Act. And your related point about the antiwar McGovern campaign holds also. I think the real problem at bottom for some of the Marxmailers is that if they allow themselves to accept that the DP is a contradictory formation which provides the opportunity to meet and influence working people, they'd have to act on that understanding, with all the tactical compromises that entails. The political discussion at that level is also not as intellectually satisfying as on the chat groups. Also some, like Louis, just don't have the temperment for it. They'd have the same problem functioning in trade unions or any mass organization where you have to learn how to be flexible and get along with a wide range of people and viewpoints. On the the other hand, there are some serious types on the list who I sense have been following the discussion closely and whose position has been shifting, particularly as a result of the impact of the Obama campaign - notably Fred, Joaquin, and Walter. I'm actually surprised how narrow the ultraleft response has been, mostly Artesian, Mark, and Louis. Usually the DP question provokes a feeding frenzy by a larger group than that. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles Brown" To: "Marv Gandall" Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 2:32 PM Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in the DP&In-Reply-To= > Marv, > > I just realized that it is just false to claim that social movements go > to the DP to die. As I said, the Civil Rights movement actually used > the DP and the DP was debilitated for being an instrument of Black > people ! The complete opposite. > > Anti-Vietnam war peace movement too. McGovern was the DP candidate > basically a single issue candidate. stop the war . And the DP paid for > that as well. Nixon landslide. > > This ultra left dogma about the DP is completely false ! The opposite > is true, when we look at actual social movements. > > Charles > > > This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. > www.surfcontrol.com > > ________________________________________________ > 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/marvgandall%40videotron.ca From sartesian at earthlink.net Thu Sep 4 13:47:13 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 15:47:13 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in theDP&In-Reply-To= References: <48BFF172.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Message-ID: <661FD8504D814DE4BA933C39F04F10D0@dmsthinkpad> I'm confused. Offlist is supposed to be offlist. So the post from Charles that said offlist is really on list; as was Marvin's reply? Offlist is onlist; onlist is ? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Christopher Hutchinson" To: Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 2:57 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in theDP&In-Reply- From markalause at gmail.com Thu Sep 4 13:53:22 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 15:53:22 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in theDP&In-Reply-To= In-Reply-To: <661FD8504D814DE4BA933C39F04F10D0@dmsthinkpad> References: <48BFF172.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <661FD8504D814DE4BA933C39F04F10D0@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: Hmmm. It's much like saying that if you oppose what the Democratic Party has built and how it misleads the workers, it is your obligation to support the Democratic Party and make sure it wins elections, so that it stops doing the terrible stuff that it was doing when you voted for it. So, too, in this sense, sending something "offlist" means merely that it is sent offlist. It does not necessarily mean that it is not also sent onlist. It's all very dialectical. ML From marvgandall at videotron.ca Thu Sep 4 14:00:22 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:00:22 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in theDP&In-Reply-To= References: <48BFF172.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <661FD8504D814DE4BA933C39F04F10D0@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: Sorry. I only hit the reply button to the message Charles sent to me which I assumed was offlist since that was what the subject heading was and it seemed like a personal message addressed me by name. I don't know how it ended up on the list, and I doubt dialectics can explain it. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Lause" To: "Marv Gandall" Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 3:53 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in theDP&In-Reply-To= > Hmmm. It's much like saying that if you oppose what the Democratic > Party has built and how it misleads the workers, it is your obligation > to support the Democratic Party and make sure it wins elections, so > that it stops doing the terrible stuff that it was doing when you > voted for it. > > So, too, in this sense, sending something "offlist" means merely that > it is sent offlist. It does not necessarily mean that it is not also > sent onlist. > > It's all very dialectical. > > 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/marvgandall%40videotron.ca From charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us Thu Sep 4 14:14:29 2008 From: charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us (Charles Brown) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:14:29 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in the DP&In-Reply-To= Message-ID: <48C00964.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> Sorry, this was supposed to be offlist. Charles This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com From charles1848 at sbcglobal.net Thu Sep 4 14:30:08 2008 From: charles1848 at sbcglobal.net (Charlie) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:30:08 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Official priorities maintain hard life in rural China Message-ID: <48C04550.5060403@sbcglobal.net> Report from China: The long road ahead By Steven Hill Capitol Weekly, September 03, 2008 During the Olympics, China showed the world that it can throw a heck of a coming out party. But traveling here post-Olympics, one sees the many complexities and challenges of this vast and ancient land. Especially in the rural areas -- still where most people live -- the impressive economic rise of China has penetrated only superficially. True, the Communist Party, which still runs nearly everything, brought electricity and other developments here in the early 1980s. And some appliances like television and telephones can be increasingly found, yet indoor plumbing, electric ovens and other comforts are still scarce. The life of a farming family is still extremely poor, filled with backbreaking labor and scavenging for wood. They don?t have tractors, so they still use water buffalo to plow, an image completely at odds with modern Beijing. But one of the most backward of China?s policies that deeply affects these poor rural families is its education policy. The Communist government does not provide free education at any level. Families must pay out-of-pocket tuition for primary, high school and college education for their children. One acquaintance I made, a young woman named Ming in her late 20s from a farming family in southwest China, told me of the hardship this causes. While most farming families can scrape together enough money to send their kids to elementary and high school, finding the $1400 annual tuition for college is usually out of sight. ... Ming spoke with considerable frustration. ?What is the future?? she asked,her face twisting in anguish. ?I work hard just to help my family get by. My parents did the same when they were my age,as did their parents.? She talked of young people she knew who felt similarly trapped. ... More perversely, unlike the US whose economy is wracked by a large budget deficit, China has a huge budget surplus, trillions of dollars. And what do they do with this surplus? They buy tons of US government bonds, essentially funding our budget deficit and subsidizing each and every American so that Americans can keep consuming and buying Chinese goods. ... But it?s hard to understand why they don?t take more of that trillion dollar surplus and invest it in their people, especially in the rural areas and the young people there. China has become ?one nation, two people? -- rich vs. poor, city vs. country. ... Full item at http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?_adctlid=v|jq2q43wvsl855o|xdt83w3zzdh3ub&issueId=xdrpqerwe05fn1&xid=xdridsn9hcd1eh ____ Charles Andrews From markalause at gmail.com Thu Sep 4 14:36:26 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 16:36:26 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in theDP&In-Reply-To= In-Reply-To: References: <48BFF172.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <661FD8504D814DE4BA933C39F04F10D0@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: Marvin wrote, "I don't know how it ended up on the list, and I doubt dialectics can explain it." You can use dialects to explain everything, Marvin. You just have to learn to keep a straight face when you do it. :-) ML From marvgandall at videotron.ca Thu Sep 4 16:02:02 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:02:02 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Official priorities maintain hard life in rural China References: <48C04550.5060403@sbcglobal.net> Message-ID: Charlie posted: Report from China: The long road ahead By Steven Hill Capitol Weekly, September 03, 2008 [...]... More perversely, unlike the US whose economy is wracked by a large budget deficit, China has a huge budget surplus, trillions of dollars. And what do they do with this surplus? They buy tons of US government bonds, essentially funding our budget deficit and subsidizing each and every American so that Americans can keep consuming and buying Chinese goods. ... But it?s hard to understand why they don?t take more of that trillion dollar surplus and invest it in their people, especially in the rural areas and the young people there. China has become ?one nation, two people? -- rich vs. poor, city vs. country. ... Full item at http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?_adctlid=v|jq2q43wvsl855o|xdt83w3zzdh3ub&issueId=xdrpqerwe05fn1&xid=xdridsn9hcd1eh ========================================= Actually, the Chinese leadership has been conscious for some time of the need to rebalance the economy in anticipation of a downturn in China's major markets, which has taken on added urgency during the past year. A WSJ op-ed earlier this week details some of the measures the government has taken and should take to boost mass purchasing power in order to facilitate a shift from export- to consumer-led growth. * * * Rebalancing China's Economy By RICHARD KATZ WALL STREET JOURNAL September 2, 2008 It is impossible to visit Chongqing, a 10-million-person city in western China, without being overwhelmed by the mile upon mile of new sky-high apartments and office buildings, bridges and roads rising in ever-widening circles. But the sight is less impressive when one learns that it is accompanied by rampant real estate speculation, years of double-digit price hikes in real estate all over China, and a countrywide syndrome of excess investment and a dearth of consumer spending. Instead, parts of the picture look alarmingly like Japan's late-1980s bubble and subsequent "lost decade." The two countries have experienced similar cycles. A decade ago, a mainland investment boom led to a Chinese nonperforming loan crisis even bigger than Japan's 1990s bust. A massive, painful restructuring of China's debt-laden state-owned enterprises ensued. Now, China risks a repeat of that painful adjustment. The good news is that, in stark contrast to Tokyo's decade of denial, Premier Wen Jiabao and other leaders have publicly recognized that today's imbalances must be addressed. As in Japan, consumer spending is too low to keep the economy motoring ahead. In China, consumption was only 50% of GDP in the 1980s and today an astonishingly low 37%. Typically, poor countries devote about 60% of GDP to personal consumption. The problem is not lack of desire to spend, but lack of money: Household disposable income has been shrinking as a share of GDP. The annual flow of 10 million workers from countryside to city has suppressed wage growth while regulated rates give consumers negligible returns on their savings deposits. Up to a point, less consumption meant China could devote more resources to investment, and thereby grow faster. Back in 1980, most Chinese citizens lived on less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank. By 2015, only 13% of the population will do so. The issue is not that consumption is not rising fast enough on an absolute scale. Rather, as in Japan, a development strategy that brought enormous success has been taken to an unhealthy and unsustainable extreme. With consumption not growing as fast as GDP, China had to find other sources of demand. Total investment -- residential, business and public works -- has been pushed to a sky-high 45% of GDP. Even that is still not enough to absorb all of China's output. To avoid recession, China lends money to foreigners to buy Chinese exports, giving China a trade surplus of 9% of GDP, way up from the 2-3% of GDP that prevailed during most of 1990-2004. As Japan's experience shows, this strategy is unsustainable. Excess investment is likely to be wasteful investment, which eventually ends up undermining growth while building up nonperforming loans. Meanwhile, China can only keep increasing its trade surplus if other countries increase their deficits, but the main deficit country, the U.S., has been sharply decreasing its price-adjusted deficit. However, if China were to simply reduce wasteful investment and the excessive trade surplus without being able to replace it with consumer spending, growth could plummet. That's Beijing's dilemma. Behind China's macroeconomic imbalances lies a political calculation. With 10 million job seekers migrating into urban areas every year, China had to provide lots of jobs to avoid mass unemployment and social unrest. Because consumer income and spending were so weak, the government felt it had no choice but to pump up capital investment and exports. The good news is that Beijing has not taken as long as Tokyo to recognize the need for a course correction. In December 2004, the Communist Party endorsed the notion of transitioning to consumer-led growth. In 2006, Premier Wen declared, "We must strive to reduce our excessively large trade surplus." The question now is, can Mr. Wen push through reform? Powerful constituents -- from local politicians to property developers -- have now become dependent upon the current, distorted pattern of growth. Many of these actors have friends at the national, provincial and local levels of government to protect them. Government by decree is no longer as easy as it used to be. But these rigidities should not be overestimated. China does have experience in executing massive social shifts. Over the past decade, China eliminated nearly 20 million factory jobs despite the explosion in industrial output. In the 1990s debt crisis, Beijing engineered a reorganization of state-owned enterprises, which entailed massive layoffs. Moreover, in an economy growing 9-10% a year, it's much easier to absorb people into new jobs at new firms in new sectors. Little wonder big multinationals are already making plans on the presumption that China will gradually shift to consumer-led demand. Premier Wen has already taken a few initial steps in the right direction. In 2006, he abolished the 2,600-year-old agricultural tax. He also announced exemptions for education tuition for some rural citizens, and subsidies for others. He has expanded health insurance. In 2007, the government reduced the tax on interest income to 5% from 20%. Now it's time for further actions. The government could let interest rates rise on consumer deposits, though this might be opposed by firms that can now borrow at below-market rates. China could let its currency, the yuan, appreciate further in inflation-adjusted terms, giving more purchasing power to Chinese consumers. Since July 2005, when the government broke the yuan's peg to the U.S. dollar, the currency has appreciated 22% vis-?-vis the greenback, and 10% on a global, trade-weighted, priced-adjusted basis. The government could also reduce personal income taxes while increasing taxes on firms. Since profits have been rising as a share of GDP, it could increase corporate taxes and still have room for rising after-tax profits. While the central government has increased the minimum wage -- which could, in principle boost wages even at higher levels -- only a narrow slice of workers is covered by this move and the minimum wage is still quite low relative to average wages. A new labor law mandates that employers provide pension and insurance contributions, pay laid-off workers a month's wages for every year worked, and that they provide an overtime premium of 50% on weekdays and 100% on weekends. However, as with many Chinese laws, enforcement remains very much in question. Lastly, China could substantially increase government expenditures on schools, health care and unemployment compensation so that people would no longer need to save so much cash to pay for school or to prepare for a health emergency or a job loss. These measures are opposed by many local governments that often prefer to spend money on building roads and bridges. That behavior may boost GDP more quickly, but it also provides more opportunity for corruption and payoffs. China's big advantage is that it has seen in Japan's experience that countries which postpone decisive action end up suffering even more. While Beijing's first moves have been small, there is good reason to hope that, in its own incremental fashion, China will make the necessary adjustments in time. Mr. Katz is editor of the semiweekly Oriental Economist Alert. This op-ed is adapted from an essay in the September issue of Current History. From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Sep 4 16:15:51 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 18:15:51 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] CSN Statement on the FARC Message-ID: <26324280.1220566551370.JavaMail.root@elwamui-norfolk.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Dear Ncmah Miller: You've stated you were a member of the Colombian Communist Party living abroad. Do you know what is the proposal of the Colombian CP to resolve the armed conflict in Colombia? Thanks, Walter Lippmann third request ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From charles1848 at sbcglobal.net Thu Sep 4 16:39:30 2008 From: charles1848 at sbcglobal.net (Charlie) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:39:30 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Official priorities maintain hard life in rural China Message-ID: <48C063A2.8050406@sbcglobal.net> Most of this WSJ commentary is "China could..." Pardon the sarcasm, but I'm sure the CPC wants Mr. Katz's opinion. The specific measures for rural education sound like a mere sop. The original report noted the hard labor of peasants trudging behind water buffalo. The commentary admits that even so, rural emigrants to cities pose a severe employment problem. Don't expect the regime to boost rural displacement even more by funding farm mechanization in a big way. The most interesting remark: "Over the past decade, China eliminated nearly 20 million factory jobs despite the explosion in industrial output." (I've seen similar remarks but still don't know an authoritative figure. Anyone got that?) Productive expansion today simply does not require massive numbers of industrial workers. The growth decades of auto in the U.S. - 1920-1960 - required huge numbers of semiskilled workers. They were able to build trade unions successful in winning economic gains. The growth decades of modern electronics - 1970- 2000 - saw no such demand for semiskilled labor, and not enough demand for skilled labor to make a big economic difference. I tried to lay out how capitalist accumulation has reached a limit in From Capitalism to Equality: An inquiry into the laws of economic change. On a historical scale of time, the end of this mode of production is near. Charles Andrews From jbustelo at gmail.com Thu Sep 4 17:24:22 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 19:24:22 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama Message-ID: There is something pretty surreal about the back and forths on the DP convention thread about entryism and so on. In my practical experience, I have no doubt that Mark Lause is correct. You can't do an "entry" into the Democratic Party because that party does not have an organized membership structure. There are "campaign committees" around various candidates but these are staff or insider-driven, not fora for discussions. There are circles and associations, groups, yearly events and so on which provide all sorts of opportunities to get close to the "base" of the Democratic Party, in the sense of the lowest rung of elected officials and those closest to them. Someone was saying that the way the Democrats were being described sounded not too different from the NDP and the complaints by leftists against it. My *impression* of the NDP, and British Labour, is that they have a completely different organizational culture, or rather, that they have an organization culture. The Democrats don't. In U.S. political culture, it makes no sense to ask what is the Democratic Party position on the war or immigration or anything else, except in the sense of what is the main or major or dominant trend of thought among its (relevant) office holders, in the cases I cited, in the national Congress. True, the party has a "platform" that was adopted in Denver but no one reads or pays attention to it. It's not like a campaign manifesto, it's not going to get massively mailed out, or reprinted and handed out in millions of copies nor anything else like that. The reality is that the impetus for this discussion isn't the Democrats but Obama, and not even exactly Obama, but the fact that he is Black and the response this has elicited in the Black community, increasingly now also in the Latino community, and among a layer of young people. For some decades now, the leading political figures in the Black community have been more or less a (relatively) left-wing public faction of the Democrats (understanding "faction" in a loose sense in the same way that the Democrats are a "party"). And this reality has been intimately intertwined with the fight of the Black community as a whole for political inclusion and representation. Does it make a difference that Obama is Black? I think the answer is evident from the primaries. The extraordinary role and weight of young people in his campaign as well as the massive Black turnout in primaries like Georgia and South Carolina is convincing testimony. And this raises a more interesting question: what is it about the mood of masses of young people and Black people that led to this response? Obama succeeded in tapping into something that was already there, going on beneath the surface, only waiting for some channel to give it expression. All this stuff about the Democrats being the graveyard of protests and social movements and so on is well and good, but that's not what happened here. Apart from the immigrant rights upsurge a year and a half ago, there's not been any significant wave of protests or social movements sweeping the nation, not even around the war. And it wasn't the sentiment in the Latino community which gave rise to those protests that to any significant extent powered Obama in the primaries. One thing I think is going on is that social and protest movements nowadays are "pre-coopted." What I mean is people have looked at the lessons of these sorts of events going back to the 1960's, and come to the conclusion that you only get so far with protests and pressure. The anti-Iraq War movement was a particularly dramatic illustration. Despite the biggest and most sustained wave of antiwar protests here and abroad, the antiwar movement basically seemed to have no effect in slowing down Bush's drive to invade Iraq nor the Democrats capitulation to it. I think people recognize that there is a need for a genuine political alternative, but one has not arisen, not one with sufficient support and resources to become a "credible" challenge. And of course, in this the media plays a huge role. The complete shut-out of the McKinney, Nader and Barr campaigns by the major national print and electronic media is even stronger this year than in the past. By a common journalistic yardstick --that views represented should roughly reflect the differing views in the population, then in every hour of political coverage, at least five minutes should be devoted to discussing the "third party" candidates, their activities, views and so on, with the other 40 minutes going to the mainstream parties (the other 15 minutes are for commercials, of course...). But still, the campaigns on the left in the past two election cycles have been much, much bigger and broader than those in decades past. I don't think this is an accident. I think in the 1960's and afterwards, people believed that if you raised enough hell, the political parties would eventually adapt to you and largely adopt your program. That seemed to have been true of the union upsurge from the 30's (which we understand was hamstrung by being tied to the state, but most people viewed it as being legitimized and institutionalized by legal recognition), and it was certainly true of the civil right movement in the mid-1960's, the single most important social and political change in the country in many decades. As the issue of legal abortion heated up and began becoming the focus of a protest movement, the Supreme Court stepped in with Roe v. Wade. It even seemed true in a certain sense of Vietnam, Nixon was forced to gradually withdraw. Since then the experiences have been different. The government and two-party system seem much more resistant to protests and social pressure. Indeed, this is a central argument of Nader's, that since the 1970's the possibilities of getting reforms through lobbying, legislations, lawsuits and similar measures have vanished almost completely, which is why he decided to take the fight to the overall political arena, i.e., take up the question of who runs and influences the government (not in the sense of individuals, but social layers and forces). So I think something like this sentiment is what Obama tapped into, thanks to the central messages of his campaign, which have been change in the direction of more social justice, getting out of Iraq and so on (yes, I realize, his isn't REALLY an antiwar position but that's not how it comes across to most people). And the fact that he is Black powering his campaign in a couple of different ways, first, as part of the historic drive by Black people for political inclusion and representation, which is a democratic demand and right; and second, giving credibility to his promises of change in a progressive direction. * * * What strikes me as the campaign now is beginning to go into gear is that race is pretty much the central issue. Clueless Democrats and gasbags on TV were aghast that McCain would pick someone with as little experience as Palin as running mate, as this would destroy his argument about Obama "not being ready." But that argument, neither in Mrs. Clinton's hands nor in those of McCain is really about Obama's age and experience, but about his race. The choice of Palin (with her "Mr. Smith goes to Juneau" narrative) was also all about race. She is the anti-McCain in many ways, but the reason it works is precisely that the McCain camp simply wants to be the generically white camp. Thus, even the certain whiff of trailer trash that surrounds the Palin family is not entirely unwelcome. It is something to see how the "pro-abstinence" gang is embracing Bristol Palin because she is "pro-life." Whether it will ACTUALLY work I don't know. Part of it will have to do with her "troopergate" imbroglio where someone in Alaska's government who went through a bitter divorce with her sister was fired, and although now that it is known Bristol is pregnant, it has defused the rumors about baby Palin being really Bristol's and not her mom's, I don't think that is likely to die. More interesting to me was the discussions I overheard among women at work (where there are three or four expectant moms) about Palin returning to her job as governor full-time two days after her baby was born. Impressed with her family values they were not. That, of course, is being pushed by the media. There's also hubby Palin, who --according to a youtube video supposedly recorded by Bristol-- wasn't happy when she became mayor, and then also his, and possibly the ex-Mayor's, flirtation with the secessionist Alaska Independence Party. And she is a very hard-core flat-earth bible-literalist right-winger, which has left a record in her political career (since the mid-90's), including reportedly trying to bank books in the town library, opposing her own mother-in-law's campaign to succeed her as mayor, and supporting the infamous pork-barrel "bridge to nowhere," which she was for before her (very) recent discovery that she was against it. But I don't believe any of this is going to change the basic dynamics of the campaign, which center on race, as all presidential campaigns in the U.S. have for decades, since Nixon adopted the "Southern Strategy" four decades ago. Joaquin From ffeldman at bellatlantic.net Thu Sep 4 17:59:11 2008 From: ffeldman at bellatlantic.net (Fred Feldman) Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:59:11 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Democrats divided over how to respond to Palin right demagogy Message-ID: <863E1038D6C74E59B8F25AFE8B88FE6A@office1pc> People who want to understand the mentality of the social milieu that has produced Palin -- not necessarily the woman herself but the society into which she is inserted -- should read John Hawkes fine novel, "Adventures in the Alaskan Skin Trade." "Skin trade" refers not, as one who grew up with Call of the Wild and To Light a Fire suspected, to people living by hunting and selling animal skins but to a house of prostitution. This is not a book with a progressive social message, but then neither do Dostoyevsky or Louis-Ferdinand Celine, two of my favorite authors. The most striking thing in the response to Palin is the fear of confronting her on abortion rights. This reflects the evolution across the bourgeois spectrum toward a eugenic rather than a woman's rights conception of abortion. Abortion is to prevent the birth of of products of incest or rape, or of Down's syndrome children or to keep teenagers from bearing young.It is not about a woman's right to choose, since this can only be justified if society is or should be against the transformation of the particular fetus into a born child. Recognizing that Palin had a Downs' syndrome child, that her daughter is having a child by a boyfriend (with a shotgun wedding with real shotguns in the offing) and that these acts are not socially disapproved is crushing to them. Seeing that these decisions are not diaapproved socially, the liberals run from the debate over whether women -- FOR WHATEVER REASON -- should have the right to decide to have or not have such or any other children as a matter of CHOICE. I am absolutely opposed to abortion as a tool for eugenics. The woman's unconditional choice is the only acceptable standard. The liberals' substitute for confronting Palin's political positions -- not her personal decisions or those or her children -- on abortion is to talk about her experience, as though the whole unsuccessful campaign against Obama on this basis had never happened. But experience today is just experience in screwing the common people in the interests of the rich. From this standpoint, Obama and Palin already have TOO MUCH experience, not too little. Their good fortune is to have less experience than their counterparts in the other party, which, along with other factors, can give rise to hopes I'm not sure that any candidate but McKinney can take Palin on, and I HOPE she does. Even Nader carries on about his vice presidential candidate having more "experience." Ralph, the key is to get that nobody you should be interested in really gives a fuck. Fred Feldman Obama campaign perplexed over how to handle Palin. First reactions to Palin were conflicting. Some Democrats feel Palin's impact will decline . Focus of campaigns should shift to debates Ewen MacAskill in St Paul Thursday September 04 2008 20:59 Over the past 20 months of campaigning Barack Obama's team has built a reputation for discipline: the inner circle decides on a message, passes it down and everyone sticks to it. But since John McCain announced his running mate last Friday, the Obama team has shown rare uncertainty about how to deal with the Sarah Palin phenomenon. "They blew it. This was not good," a prominent Democrat who preferred to remain anonymous said Thursday, reflecting the mood of many Democrats. He said that the anti-George Bush tide in the country will be enough to see Obama into the White House but the presence of Palin will make it closer. He felt Obama's team and the media had walked into a Republican mousetrap by demonstrating class and gender prejudice against a modern woman from a middle-class background. The initial reaction on Friday from the Obama team was to criticise McCain for picking someone with so little experience but a few hours later there was a more courteous response in a joint statement from Obama and his vice-presidential running mate, Joe Biden, welcoming as historic the Republicans first female vice-presidential candidate. Obama's team then joined in the hunt through her background. On top of that, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Joe Biden referred to her as "good looking", a comment that many women voters may regard as patronising, before Thursday describing her speech as lacking in substance. The latter is the approach that many Democrats thought the Obama team should have taken from the start, presenting the Republicans as the tired old party, short of ideas, and contrasting this with the Democratic programme. Tad Devine, who was chief strategist for Democratic candidate John Kerry's unsuccessful run for the presidency in 2004, said Thursday: "I think the best way to respond would be to point out that she said practically nothing about the biggest issue of our time," Devine said, listing the economy, the Iraq war and the health service. "I think they should refrain from anything personal." Devine, like other Democrats, feels that the impact of Palin will quickly diminish. "I think in the end this election will come down to McCain and Obama, as they always do," he said. Polls in the past have shown that vice-presidential picks have little influence on the final outcome, even one as controversial as the Republican Dan Quayle in 1988. The focus should shift back to Obama and McCain on the campaign trail and, in particular, the three presidential debates between them later this month and next. Vice-presidents are normally only prominent at three points in a campaign: when chosen, their convention speech and the vice-presidential debate. When Biden comes up against her at the debate, he has to balance a desire to show off his experience of foreign affairs against her limited knowledge against coming across as patronising. The task for the Democrats is to stop her winning over women. If Hillary Clinton had been the vice-presidential pick, that would have helped, but in her absence, they could - if they feel they have to keep it personal - focus on her social conservatism: anti-abortion and creationism. Devine said he thought that it was legitimate for Obama to keep looking at how she was appointed by McCain, with the vetting taking place only the day before, describing this as "shoddy" and "outrageous" on the part of McCain. He also thought that while Palin's speech would appeal to the Republican base, it might not play well with the independents that McCain needs to win over to secure the White House. From ppz at optusnet.com.au Thu Sep 4 18:42:32 2008 From: ppz at optusnet.com.au (PPZ) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:42:32 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Emergency appeal for Bihar flood relief (please spread this around) Message-ID: <1220575352.5933.12.camel@ppz-desktop> The comrades from CPIML (Liberation) have issued an emergency appeal for flood relief aid for the millions affected by severe floods in Bihar state, one of the poorest states in India. They have also begun an online petition for a judicial inquiry into "the deep-seated and long-standing institutional apathy and criminal negligence" of state and federal governments towards the floods which wreak havoc in Bihar every year. More: http://www.asia-pacific-action.org/node/175 From farmelantj at juno.com Thu Sep 4 19:17:38 2008 From: farmelantj at juno.com (Jim Farmelant) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 21:17:38 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in theDP&In-Reply-To= Message-ID: <20080904.211739.4676.2.farmelantj@juno.com> On Thu, 4 Sep 2008 15:47:13 -0400 "S. Artesian" writes: > I'm confused. Offlist is supposed to be offlist. So the post from > Charles > that said offlist is really on list; as was Marvin's reply? > > Offlist is onlist; onlist is ? And war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is stength. -------------------- 'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone,' it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.' 'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.' 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master - that's all.' ____________________________________________________________ Buried in medical files? Click here for information on an electronic system. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3oIm568QSTCEnwYHpFpWJbzmBesQxO8ZeNvn6wCU97mb5mBR/ From johnaimani at earthlink.net Thu Sep 4 19:44:38 2008 From: johnaimani at earthlink.net (johnaimani) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 18:44:38 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] CNBC: How Close Bears Stearns Came to Causing a Market Meltdown Message-ID: <01a501c90ef8$f5b073f0$6600a8c0@D4PKYZ41> Is Lehman the next domino? http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=843935062&__source=CNBC|MW|video3| From Dbachmozart at aol.com Thu Sep 4 20:30:12 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 22:30:12 EDT Subject: [Marxism] upcoming NYC forums Message-ID: "The 2008 Election: What's Really At Stake?" Featuring Naomi Klein, Jeremy Scahill, Laura Flanders, Roberto Lovato and Malia Lazu. Saturday, September 13 - 8pm The Great Hall of The Cooper Union. 7 East 7th Street (at Third Avenue), Manhattan Tickets on sale now! Sliding Scale $6 to $15. More info: _www.indypendent.org_ (http://www.indypendent.org/) , 212-221-0521 or email _indybenefits at gmail.com_ (mailto:indybenefits at gmail.com) Naomi Klein is author of the international bestsellers The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism and No Logo. Jeremy Scahill is the author of the New York Times bestseller Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army. Laura Flanders is host of the daily news/discussion program GRITtv (www.grittv.org), host of the nationally syndicated weekly radio program RadioNation, and author of numerous books, most recently Blue Grit: True Democrats Take Back Politics from the Politicians. Roberto Lovato is a New York-based writer with New American Media and a frequent contributor to The Nation; and he blogs at ofamerica.wordpress.com. Malia Lazu is one of the brightest young minds in progressive politics today and is dedicated to broadening the U.S. electorate. Malia is currently the executive director of Harry Belafonte's The Gathering, an intergenerational intercultural organization working to reintroduce nonviolence to our communities to stop child incarceration. www.gatheringforjustice.ning.com. Cosponsored by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting), Bluestockings Bookstore, The NYC Grassroots Media Coalition, The Brecht Forum, Haymarket Books, Left Turn, The Nation and North American Congress on Latin America. Election '08: Race, Gender and the Media A special panel discussion featuring Laura Flanders, Glen Ford & Gary Younge. Thursday, October 2nd 7:30 - 9:30 pm At the Brecht Forum 451 West Street (West Side Highway / between Bank & Bethune Streets) Join FAIR for a panel discussion and Q&A with Laura Flanders, the host of GritTV and RadioNation; Glen Ford, the executive director of the Black Agenda Report; and Guardian and Nation columnist Gary Younge. Cosponsored by the Brecht Forum (www.brechtforum.org) and Manhattan Neighborhood Network (www.mnn.org) For more information visit _www.fair.org_ (http://www.fair.org/) **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) From walterlx at earthlink.net Thu Sep 4 20:51:38 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 22:51:38 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] JR: Venezuela Strikes Back Against Drug Trafficking and US Agency Message-ID: <31502616.1220583098452.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> The main point is that Venezuela doesn't want or need any more pressure from the United States than it's putting up with at the moment. Shane Mage seems to discount this as any reason for Venezuela, or Cuba, to be concerned about a broad campaign being undertaken to manufacture consent for additional and expanded conflict with those countries. Drug abuse and drug addiction are serious social problems and I'm aware of Cuba's vigorous efforts to fight these problems. In the case of Venezuela I know little, but have more confidence in their statements than those of Washington. Shane Mage is an intransigent opponent of the government if Cuba for virtually its entire existence, and I take his criticisms in light of where he's coming from. Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ============================================================= VIO Venezuela Daily News Roundup Thursday, September 4, 2008 Dear Colleagues, Please see below for a roundup of today's Venezuela news. The small Caribbean nation of Dominica will soon receive $21 million in development funds through ALBA, the regional integration initiative spearheaded by Venezuela. According to the AP, Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said the aid is "testament to the strong bonds of friendship between Dominica and Venezuela within the ALBA." Honduras joined ALBA last week, becoming its sixth member. Bush's White House drug czar continues to issue wild accusations against Venezuela. AP reports that the Bush rep claimed that more cocaine is leaving Venezuela and less is being seized, and also made the vague prediction that "what's coming is mafias taking over at least sections of the country if not whole institutions of government." The claim that Venezuela has seen more cocaine trafficking remains unsubstantiated by any reliable figures, particularly because US drug agencies track only "suspected" drug flights. Caracas officials maintain that their anti-drug efforts have increased and been complemented by far-reaching corruption purges. El Universal quotes the head of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office, Nestor Reverol, who calls the US accusations "irresponsible." A Washington Times op-ed repeats the drug accusations against Venezuela and makes the exaggerated claim that the country is a "clear and immediate security threat." It wrongly calls Venezuela a "dictatorship," when in fact democratic institutions and norms have been maintained and reinforced under President Chavez. Voter turnout in regular free and fair elections, for example, has reached almost 75 percent. Open debates occur in civil society and in the media, which is still dominated by opposition voices. Finally, "terrorist" groups such as Hezbollah are not permitted to "raise funds freely" in Venezuela, nor is the Chavez administration anti-Semitic. After President Chavez met with Jewish leaders last month, the head of the Latin American Jewish Congress called the Venezuelan leader "a great friend of the Jewish community... who wants to fight anti-Semitism." In a speech at the RNC yesterday, Republican VP nominee Palin slammed US dependence on foreign oil. Reuters reports that Palin said, "Venezuela might shut off its oil deliveries." This has never occurred, and most expert analysts rule out the possibility entirely. In recent months, President Chavez has in fact vowed that Venezuela's vast reserves can supply the US market for decades to come. ============================================================= Venezuela denies increase of drug transit towards US El Universal September 3, 2008 http://english.eluniversal.com/2008/09/03/en_pol_art_venezuela-denies-inc_03A1963879.shtml N?stor Riverol, the head of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office (ONA) said on Wednesday that the accusations against Venezuela, according to which 500 metric tons of drugs transit the Venezuelan territory to be destined for the United States, are "irresponsible". In the midst of a strong controversy between Caracas and Washington about Venezuelan domestic policy to fight against drug traffic, Riverol headed on Wednesday the incineration of four metric tons of drugs at the Maiquet?a Airport, located on the Caribbean coast near Caracas, to show the effectiveness of seizures, DPA reported. "We have a shared international responsibility to meet, and we do develop both a domestic and foreign policy. In the international context, Venezuela is a transit country of illicit drugs coming from Colombia, the largest producer of cocaine in the world," said Riverol at a press conference. While I believe that the criminalization of drugs from marijuana to the harder stuff is the source of many problems in society, and so the social problems they cause should be treated as medical and as social problems, there's a lot more to it than this. There is a ==================================================================== SHANE MAGE wrote What a stupid article! The quantity of cocaine seized in Venezuela says nothing about the quantity originating from or transshipped through the country, because the amount seized always and everywhere reflects the amount being produced or shipped. Seizures and bribery are the price paid for police cooperation with the mafia/CIA criminals. But even more idiotic than that is the Cuban line that coca is "beneficial" (presumably because Hugo and Evo would take offence if they didn't say that) while "poppy and marihuana" are noxious weeds worthy of police repression! The "war on drugs," we all know, is an imperialist war against freedom and the main method for the racist imprisonment and permanent "felonization" of millions in this country. Why ever does Walter praise Cuban/Venezuelan "cooperation" with imperialism to wage that war? ========================================= 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 Sep 4 21:31:02 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 23:31:02 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Indian Marxists visit Barrio Adentro in May 2008 Message-ID: <885216.1220585462759.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> *ML International Newsletter* September-October 2008 *********************************************************************** *An **update on news and ideas from the revolutionary left in India . * *Produced by: Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation international team* *********************************************************************** Websites: [mlint.wordpress.com] and [www.cpiml.org] Emails: [cpiml_elo at yahoo.com] and [cpimllib at gmail.com] [excerpts] Comrade Surya and I were in Venezuela in December 2005 when we were inspired by the inroads the Bolivarian revolutionary process was making in the areas of health, education and workers rights. At that time we were unable to obtain a first hand experience of the remarkable free public health care system (Barrio Adentro). Mission Barrio Adentro also called Inside the Neighbourhood programme was founded in 2003 by the government headed by Hugo Chavez with the help of Cuban health care professionals. In May 2008, we were able to get permission and help from Ministry of the Popular Power of Health and National Direction of Indigenous Health in Caracas , Venezuela . They arranged an extensive tour for us of the Barrio Adentro levels 2 and 3 over a period of 3 days. Brief History of Health Care in Venezuela before Barrio Adentro After the Second World War, Latin American countries in general used government interventions and protection to promote national development and industrialization. Welfare state policies were developed throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Venezuela in particular with its large petroleum and gas reserves helped to develop a decent health care system. The health expenditure which accounted for 13.3% of the national budget in 1970 fell to 9.3% in 1990 and a mere 7.8% in 1996. Decreased oil revenues in the 1980s contributed to the socioeconomic crisis (1). In 1989 figures indicate close to 54% of Venezuelans living in extreme poverty. Health care reforms dictated by World Bank and Inter American Development Bank in the 1990s led to expansion of the private health care sector and erosion of public health services. 50 new public health facilities were established in the 1980s and 1990s in contrast to 400 private clinics. A 1985 study revealed that in the capital city Caracas , inspite of the large number of doctors practising there, people had difficulty accessing medical care. In rural communities medical care was being provided by inexperienced doctors. Barrio Adentro Programme - Inception and Results After the victory of Hugo Chavez in the 1998 elections which was fought on an anti neo liberal platform, a new Bolivarian constitution was drafted by a special constituent assembly. Article 83 views health as a fundamental human right that the state is obligated to guarantee. Articles 84 and 85 expand on the duty of the state to create and manage a universal public health system providing free services and financed through taxes and oil revenues. The concept of Barrio Adentro emerged in 1999 when torrential rains caused havoc in the state of Vargas. Poor people living in crowded barrios (neighbourhoods located in the hilly peripheries of urban centers) were affected. Several thousand people were killed by mud slides, 8000 homes were destroyed and up to 100,000 people displaced. The Cuban government responded in its usual humanitarian fashion by sending 454 Cuban health care workers. Based on this experience, the government in Caracas requested the help of the Venezuelan medical community to work with the underserved poor in the barrios. Little more than 50 Venezuelan doctors responded to the advertisement. The Venezuelan Medical Association has been a vociferous adversary of the free health care system enshrined in the Bolivarian constitution, not surprising as the vast majority of its doctors are from the elite and upper middle class families. In April 2003, 58 Cuban doctors specialising in integrated family medicine started to see patients in various barrios in Caracas and its periphery (2). Within 2 months of launching the program named Mission Barrio Adentro by President Hugo Chavez, 1000 Cuban doctors were working in the working class neighbourhoods. 4 months later in 2003 their numbers doubled and Cuban health professionals were going into areas in Venezuela which had not sighted medicos for decades. By the end of 2003, more than 10,000 health care professionals were dispensing free health care all over Venezuela . So began the heart warming relationship between Cuba and Venezuela based on solidarity and human needs. Barrio Adentro I provides basic primary and preventive health care. There were 4,800 health clinics in Venezuela in 1998. 6,569 new basic health clinics have been set up since then through the Barrio Adentro I programme. The clinics in the barrios have a characteristic hexagonal structure, the patients are seen below and the doctor and the nurse have living quarters upstairs. Health care committees have formed in the barrios with women largely heading the committees and they work hand in hand with the health professionals. Barrio Adentro II was launched in 2005 to provide more sophisticated care. The Barrio Adentro II programme which consists of Integral Diagnostic Centers (CDI), Integral Rehabilitation Centers (SRI), and High Technology Centers (CAT) now has a total of 1,235 installations in the whole country which give free medical treatment to all Venezuelans. CDIs provide emergency services, intensive care treatment, diagnostic and laboratory procedures including cat scans, ECG and endoscopy. The CDIs and the SRIs represent four components of health care- prevention, promotion, treatment and rehabilitation. Barrio Adentro III was launched in 2005 initially to upgrade 42 existing hospitals in the country which has now included 90 hospitals. The goal would be to upgrade all the existing 300 or so hospitals in the country. Barrio Adentro IV will involve construction of new hospitals in the country. The facts are there for everyone to see. In 1998 there were 1628 primary care physicians for a population of 23.4 million, now there are 19,571 for a population of 27 million. In the Barrio Adentro program, per the statistics released by the Ministry of Health in 2007, there are 12,272 Cuban doctors and 1,935 Venezuelan doctors. With the other personnel included there are a total of 25,561 Cubans and 10,614 Venezuelans working for the health of the population. In 1998, the life expectancy was 71 years, now it is 73. The infant mortality rate has dropped from 21 to 13 per 1000 live births. The maternal mortality rate has dropped from 67 per 1000 to less than half that number. The SUMED (Distribution of Medicine) programme works with the Barrio Adentro wherein subsidized prescription drugs are sold to patients. The community clinics offer 129 essential drugs and treat over 97% of the common illnesses (3). Mukhamukham with the Barrio Adentro Programme We spent three busy and memorable days observing and talking to health care professionals in Barrio Adentro levels II and III. The first day we were taken to a busy clinic in the neighbourhood of Catia which has a population of about 300,000 people and mostly working class. (Of note during the military coup in April 2003 when Chavez was illegally held as a prisoner many young people from Catia organized and surrounded the presidential palace). I interviewed a nurse and the doctor who were on duty at the clinic. The doctor and the nurse were both from Venezuela , they were happy to be able to deliver care to patients completely free of charge. I was informed that the clinic treated about 200 patients a day for various ailments that ranged from trauma to patients with diabetes, hypertension and related complications like heart attacks and cerebrovascular events. In addition, the clinic treated patients with gynaecological problems and also had a paediatric unit to treat children. The clinic was spotlessly clean and provided x-rays, electrocardiography and other radiology services. It provided 24 hour services, which were accessible to everyone and was in keeping with articles 83-85 of the Bolivarian constitution that enshrine free and quality health care to all citizens. There was a textile cooperative run by women located next to the clinic in the sprawling grounds. It had 103 women working in a spirit of togetherness sharing the profits made from sewing T shirts, uniforms for schools and the military. There was also a playground and a cr?che in the same area. The second day we were taken to a CDI and SRI in a middle class neighbourhood called Los Dos Caminos in Caracas . The CDI and SRI have Cuban professionals from doctors and nurses to podiatrists, occupational therapists and speech therapists. The CDI had a well stocked emergency room, an ICU with 4 beds, a general ward with several beds to treat illnesses from pneumonia to diabetic emergencies. I interviewed a patient a truck driver with diabetes and cellulitis (skin infection) who was touched by the loving and dedicated care he had received. He said it was fortunate to have Barrio Adentro to help poor patients like him who cannot afford treatment in private clinics. Patients were booked for endoscopic procedures on a routine basis. There are state of the art interventions available to treat patients with conditions like heart attacks, sepsis, asthma and heart failure. I talked to the physician in charge whose responsibilities included seeing patients, teaching and some administration. She arrived with the first group of Cuban professionals in 2003 and has seen the growth of the Barrio Adentro programme. She said the Barrio Adentro program was saving lives and promoting health care to communities which previously had very little access. However, she was equally honest about the need to fight infectious diseases like dengue, malaria and diarrheal illnesses in Venezuela . Cuba of note has eradicated malaria since 1968, there have been no cases of diphtheria since 1971 and there are very few cases of gastroenteritis. Every Cuban professional that I met, exuded compassion and a passion to help their fellow human beings regardless of their colour, nationality or political affiliation. They felt that serving the health care needs of people was of utmost importance and they would stay as long as they were needed. However, there was general optimism that Venezuela under the Bolivarian process is training enough medical professionals whose presence in the Barrio Adentro program will be increasingly seen in the future. After a three year program of studies, 1,013 Venezuelan doctors graduated in General Integral Medicine in 2007 in the Cuban-developed system of preventative health care. I was able to meet with a team of highly dedicated health care professionals mostly women in the Barrio Adentro III programme. The director was a woman nephrologist who heads the programme that oversees buying state of the art equipment and upgrading facilities in the hospitals in the country. I was able to meet the Director of the University Hospital in Caracas , a very well known doctor, who has trained medical students for more than 3 decades. The University hospital which is a beneficiary of the Barrio Adentro III programme is a famed centre for cardiac by pass and valve surgeries and also for cardiac transplants and kidney transplants. The medical community in the hospitals is highly polarised politically with some supporting the Bolivarian revolutionary process and others violently opposed to the changes and the involvement of the Cuban doctors. However, the director reassured me that the doctors are trying to put politics aside and work toward the common goal of providing optimal treatment to patients. Many hospitals in the country now have peoples' committees to protect the new equipment purchased under the Barrio Adentro III programme from sabotage by those antagonistic to the new changes. Cuba-Venezuela partnership-Putting People First The solidarity and friendship that we witnessed between the Cuban and Venezuelan health professionals was an inspiring and moving experience. While the Venezuelan Barrio Adentro program is being compared to the celebrated Cuban health care system, there are differences in addition to the similarities. Cuba after the triumph of the revolution in 1959 expropriated land and private property and within a year nationalised all U.S and foreign property. The revolutionary government in Cuba believed that a band aid approach will not eliminate disease either real or metaphorical. Along with health care agrarian reform, housing, employment and education were instituted. The Bolivarian process has to be credited for investing money and resources on social programs like health care, education and subsidized food (Mission Mercal); 90% of PDVSA's (government owned oil company) contributions last year went to Barrio Adentro programs and the subsidized food market. Having said that, in Venezuela , there has not been a rupture with the bourgeois state and the old structures are still in place. Private national and foreign banks earned over 30% rate of returns in 2005-2007. Some of the key industries such as media, communications, and food are still in private hands. Less than 1% of the landed estates have been appropriated and turned over to the landless. There is overcrowding in cities, areas with indigenous peoples are underdeveloped and there are many infectious diseases that need to be controlled and eradicated. In conclusion, the creation of the free quality peoples' health care system by the Bolivarian process indeed is a progressive measure and is a cause for celebration but it cannot reach its full potential until the community councils, the working class movement and the fight against imperialism get strengthened in Venezuela . ==================================================== *Bihar** Floods: Criminal Negligence, Not Divine Deluge* - ML Update, 2-8 September, 2008. The Nitish Kumar regime's boasts of 'Bihar Shining' are now submerged by the cries of Bihar Drowning. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government's claims of 'good governance' have proved a washout in the face of the floods, and now the Chief Minister is trying to paint the floods as a 'natural' calamity or divine 'Deluge' ('Pralay'). Nothing could be further from the truth. The flood devastation was highly preventable ? and is a direct result of callous negligence of basic flood-prevention strategies by Governments both at Patna and Delhi . Despite the fact that every year breaches in embankments cause floods in the State, maintenance and repair of embankments were rampantly neglected. It took the Bihar Chief Minister two weeks after the first breach appeared in the Kosi embankment to begin the most primary initiatives for evacuation, rescue and relief. As the Kosi changed its course and flood waters covered entire villages, affecting over 25 lakh (250, 000) people in nearly 12 districts of the State, the desperate pleas for help were ignored by the State Government. Even today ? in all the flood-affected areas, there is an acute shortage of rescue motorboats and boats, as well as food, drinking water, polythene sheets and other emergency essentials. At the Centre too, the Prime Minister apparently woke up late to the magnitude of the calamity. And United Progressive Alliance (UPA) leader and Rail Minister Laloo Yadav (whose home constituency Madhepura is one of the worst-affected areas) has been fiddling as the floods swallow Bihar . His gesture of donating his 'earnings' at a TV reality show Paanchvi Pass mocks at the misery of the flood-affected people. Of course, that's nothing new. When Laloo Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) ruled Bihar, he is the one who made the remark (worthy of Marie Antoinette) that floods are good for the poor because that's when fish from the ponds of the rich swim into the homes of the poor. In the mirror of the Bihar's flood waters every year, the rot in Bihar 's polity and society can be seen starkly: its nexus of corrupt politicians, bureaucrats, and middlemen for whom the floods are a bonanza; criminalised goons governing and monopolising the structures of rescue and relief; and state repression on protesting people. Even last year, there were instances of police firing on protesting flood victims. A few years back, Time Magazine had lionised a young Bihar District Magistrate Gautam Goswami for his sterling work in flood relief ? later it came out that he, along with thugs backed by ruling politicians, had siphoned off crores of funds meant for flood victims. This year too ? the same story is unfolding. Recent reports in papers indicate that thugs are cornering rescue boats for themselves and are snatching and hoarding relief materials. In the same mirror, we can also see clearly the sordid reality behind the Central Government's boasts of '9% growth', of India being a 'rising Asian superpower', and 61 years of planning and development in independent India . Chronic hunger and starvation in India , we know, is not due to 'natural' drought and famine but due to deliberate institutional callousness and skewed priorities. The same is the case with floods too ? plans for flood control on the Kosi river have been shelved and sidelined year after year for half a century. In 1951, the people of eastern Bihar had faced the fury of the Kosi's floods ? and as a result, comprehensive plans had been chalked out to tame the floods. In keeping with these plans, a treaty was signed with Nepal in 1954 and the foundation laid for the Kosi Barrage in 1959. But subsequently the other dimensions of the Kosi Project were forgotten and neglected by successive Governments at Bihar and the Centre. Under the bilateral agreement with Nepal in 1954, maintenance and repair of embankments on the Kosi were the Bihar government's responsibility. Today, in order to explain away its neglect of that responsibility, Governments of India and Bihar are seeking to shift blame for the floods onto Nepal . Hurricane Katrina exposed the underbelly of the superpower USA ? the mightiest Army in the world failed to protect its people; racist callousness of the Government towards the (largely Black) poor of Louisiana was on display; and the myth of corporate 'efficiency' was exploded. In contrast, Cuba (David to the US ' Goliath) did a far more creditable job of protecting its people when the same hurricane hit its shores. The episode proved that in dealing with such crises, it is the priorities of nations and administrations that are more decisive that actual affluence or wealth. It is concern for and participation of common people which is actually effective and 'efficient', while corporatized governance displays efficiency only in greed and loot. The floods in Bihar prove the same. As the people of Bihar battle the floods, the first priority must of course be rescue, relief and humanitarian helping hands. But our concern also demands that we take Governments at Patna and Delhi to task for their apathy and negligence, so that the yearly recurrence of the tragedy can be prevented. Activists of our party and mass organisations in the affected districts of Bihar are at the forefront of rescue and relief activities. Apart from rescue, relief and rehabilitation as well as compensation for the flood-affected, we are also demanding that a time-bound judicial enquiry be set up to investigate the many instances of negligence by Governments in the matter of flood-control. *Appeal for Relief Funds* *Bihar** Floods* Dear Friends, Some 12 districts of Bihar - Muzaffarapur, Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura, Katihar, Araria, West Champaran, Khagaria, Sitamarhi, Patna and Nalanda are reeling under the worst flooding of the Kosi in the last half century. Millions are affected and many lives lost. The Bihar Government launched rescue and relief operations a full week after the first breach in the Kosi embankment ? and even today, affected people remain stranded due to an acute shortage of rescue boats, and starved of basic emergency necessities like food, polythene sheets, medicine and medical care. Activists of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation [CPI (ML)] and the All India Agricultural Labourers Association (AIALA) on the ground, particularly in some of the worst-affected areas of Supaul, Araria and Madhepura, as well as in all other affected districts in Bihar , are at the forefront of organising rescue and relief operations. They are organising volunteers, and are guiding Government agencies and getting them to heed the voices and needs of the affected. Contributions are urgently called for, ideally in the form of cash to procure food, polythene sheets and medicine. We are conducting a nationwide campaign for flood relief in Bihar . We appeal to you to make your contributions by cheque/draft in favour of "CPIML". Also indicate that the donation is for "Bihar Flood Relief". Please mail your donations to: U-90, Shakarpur Delhi 110 092, India . It is also important that we realise that the present tragedy, as well as the yearly devastation of floods in Bihar, are not a divinely decreed 'Deluge,' as Bihar 's ruling political class has tended to declare. It is a man-made tragedy, caused by callous negligence in basics like maintenance and repair of embankments, and also in the failure of successive Governments in Bihar and Delhi to implement comprehensive plans for flood-management. These Governments must indeed answer why the flood-management plans made for the Kosi river right since India's independence and even discussed on the floor of Parliament, are yet to be implemented 61 years later ? when rural poor are forced to bear the cruel brunt of this neglect year after year. CPIML (Liberation) *Petition on Bihar Floods * * * In addition to contributing towards the relief effort, please sign the online petition to the President of India. The petition demands a judicial enquiry into the deep-seated and long-standing institutional apathy and criminal negligence of governments in both Patna and Delhi towards the floods which wreak havoc in Bihar every year. The URL is: [http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Floods08/petition.html]** *Politics in India* ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From bobhpsn at yahoo.com Thu Sep 4 21:54:43 2008 From: bobhpsn at yahoo.com (Bob Hopson) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 20:54:43 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? Message-ID: <400202.89315.qm@web58210.mail.re3.yahoo.com> The popular technology blog slashdot.org has an interesting discussion over the question of IT unions: http://news.slashdot.org/news/08/09/04/1359257.shtml with almost 1,000 responses it's a pretty popular topic. From ilagardien at yahoo.com Thu Sep 4 22:11:15 2008 From: ilagardien at yahoo.com (Ismail Lagardien) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 21:11:15 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? Message-ID: <284967.53446.qm@web55601.mail.re4.yahoo.com> In my thesis I make the argument that capitalist reorganisation resulted in unusually high rates of long-term joblessness and a regression of material conditions and heightened tensions among poor communities BUT, as Marx suggested alienation affected not only the poor. Included among those affected by capitalist organisation of society are the workers in what I think Jeremy Rifkin in the End of World called that "Third Industrial Revolution" of "high-tech". He made specific reference to "unprecedented material abundance" which the so called dotcom sector produced and which, I argue, Marx foresaw as ?new-fangled sources of wealth? .... i say they should organise!!!! ________________________________________________ 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/ilagardien%40yahoo.com From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Thu Sep 4 22:24:07 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:24:07 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Official priorities maintain hard life in rural China In-Reply-To: <48C063A2.8050406@sbcglobal.net> References: <48C063A2.8050406@sbcglobal.net> Message-ID: <908b689f0809042124o2fdbe0c7mdd96a42afef32a7@mail.gmail.com> On Thu, Sep 4, 2008 at 6:39 PM, Charlie wrote: > > The most interesting remark: "Over the past decade, China eliminated > nearly 20 million factory jobs despite the explosion in industrial > output." (I've seen similar remarks but still don't know an > authoritative figure. Anyone got that?) "For the entire economy between 1995 and 2002, China lost 15 million manufacturing jobs, compared with 2 million in the U.S." The news report the above line is quoted from, is here: The economic study which concluded this is available here: . The study was carried out by The Conference Board, whose home page is < http://www.infoedge.com/providers/conb.asp> From n.fredman.11 at scu.edu.au Thu Sep 4 23:01:25 2008 From: n.fredman.11 at scu.edu.au (n.fredman.11 at scu.edu.au) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:01:25 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Fascinating radio doco on 1971 Springbok tour protests Message-ID: Interviewees includes John Halfpenny, Verity Burgmann and late Socialist Alliance member Peter McGregor.? Streaming and download under Aug 31 at http://www.abc.net.au/rn/hindsight/ From stuartmunckton at gmail.com Thu Sep 4 23:02:04 2008 From: stuartmunckton at gmail.com (Stuart Munckton) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 15:02:04 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Rage Against the Machine speeches, impromtu songs at Republican protest Message-ID: <2c6145850809042202x376f1323p5d73a5a9d07abb03@mail.gmail.com> The band were prevented from taking to the stage by police, give speeches and sing songs into a megaphone then inspire thousands to march on the Republican convention. Plus discussion on political music at the blog. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/soundboard/2008/09/i-regret-not-ma.html -- "The free market is perfectly natural... do you think I am some kind of dummy?" - Jarvis Cocker From stuartmunckton at gmail.com Thu Sep 4 23:03:40 2008 From: stuartmunckton at gmail.com (Stuart Munckton) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 15:03:40 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Rage Against the Machine speeches, impromtu songs at Republican protest Message-ID: <2c6145850809042203p3ec4e5d4o92f176dc3e501171@mail.gmail.com> The band were prevented from taking to the stage by police, give speeches and sing songs into a megaphone then inspire thousands to march on the Republican convention. Plus discussion on political music at the blog. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/soundboard/2008/09/i-regret-not-ma.html -- "The free market is perfectly natural... do you think I am some kind of dummy?" - Jarvis Cocker From goncalo.valverde at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 02:52:02 2008 From: goncalo.valverde at gmail.com (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Gon=E7alo_Valverde?=) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 09:52:02 +0100 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? In-Reply-To: <400202.89315.qm@web58210.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <400202.89315.qm@web58210.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <422f747b0809050152g6944557cye314a3ceb8aae655@mail.gmail.com> Hi. On Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 4:54 AM, Bob Hopson wrote: > The popular technology blog slashdot.org has an interesting discussion over the question of IT unions: > > http://news.slashdot.org/news/08/09/04/1359257.shtml > > with almost 1,000 responses it's a pretty popular topic. Well, this as been a recurrent topic not only in slashdot but in several other IT foruns. I would say that one of the problems for this to happen is due to the still high demand in jobs for IT which allows for a big mobility and makes the IT workers a bit permeable to the idea that they don't need unions, and that they the unions would be even be worst for them. Even here in Portugal, where we have a strong union tradition (although declining) most of my coleagues would flinch at the idea of joining a union. Also, at least here in Portugal we mostly have horizontal unions (that is unions industry specific and not work area specific) and this could also pose a problem since the IT area is so mobile and people tend to jump between industries. For example, I work at a mobile phone company hence my union is SNTCT which is the union of people working in communications (either fixed, mobile and also the post). If for some reason I move to another industry (let's say food industry, since they also need IT), I would need to change unions. This wouldn't be that much of a problem but probably having a specific union would help people making up their minds.. or not. What's your experience on this in other coutries? From daynegoodwin at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 03:09:53 2008 From: daynegoodwin at gmail.com (Dayne Goodwin) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 03:09:53 -0600 Subject: [Marxism] Obama and future of U.S. politics Message-ID: Znet book interview: Demystifying Obama http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/18670 Paul Street, Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics (Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers, 2008) ISBN: 978-1-59451-631-3 URL: www.paradigmpublishers.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=186987 1. Can you tell ZNet, please, what "Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics" is about? What is it trying to communicate? . . . My book situates Obama firmly within the United States' longstanding corporate-dominated and militaristic U.S elections system and political culture. It provides an overdue in-depth investigation from the left of the Obama phenomenon's substantive content and limits in relation to corporate power (a key subject in Chapter 1), class inequality (also in Chapter 1), institutional racism (Chapter 3), and imperial U.S. foreign policy (Chapter 4)... I find that the Obama campaign epitomizes three core essences of American politics: (1) "the manipulation of populism by elitism" (the still-Left Christopher Hitchens' phrase in 1999); (2) the privileging of corporate-crafted, mass marketed candidate image (branding) over substantive matters of policy and ideology; (3) the absence of serious left options within the American "winner-take-all" party system. "Brand Obama," I argue, is no special exception to the basic essence of American presidential politics. Every four years, many Americans invest their hopes and dreams in an electoral process that does not deserve their trust. These voters hope that a savior can be installed in the White House - someone who will raise wages, roll back war and militarism, provide universal and adequate health care, rebuild the nation's infrastructure, produce high-paying jobs, fix the environmental crisis, reduce inequality, guarantee economic security, and generally make daily life more livable. The dreams are regularly drowned in the icy waters of historical and political "reality." In the actuality of American politics and policy, the officially "electable" candidates are vetted in advance by what Laurence H. Shoup calls "the hidden primary of the ruling class." By prior Establishment selection, all of the "viable" presidential contenders are closely tied to corporate and military-imperial power in numerous and interrelated ways. They run safely within the narrow ideological and policy parameters set by those who rule behind the scenes to make sure that the rich and privileged continue to be the leading beneficiaries of the American system. . . . I should add that the book's introduction gives a short history of exactly how Obama came to be an "overnight" sensation. It traces Obama's career from his short community organizing period through his early vetting (in late 2003 and early 2004) by the national political, business, and lobbying class, his celebrated (and militantly centrist)Keynote Address to the 2004 Democratic Convention and the publication of his second book ("The Audacity of Hope"), which kicked off his presidential campaign in late 2006. Last but not least, my book suggests ways in which left progressives and others might respond productively to both the limits and the opportunities of the Obama phenomenon. . . . At the same time, my book cautiously holds out the possibility that the Obama phenomenon could help (in Charles Derber's words on the back of the book) "oxygenate the grassroots movements that are the true architects of change." It cautiously recommends that voters select Obama to block the dangerous and extremist John McCain in contested states, though I must add that I penned this advice before Obama lurched further to the right in dramatic ways during July and August of 2008. . . . (2) Can you tell ZNet something about writing the book? Where does the content come from? What went into making the book what it is? . . . ...I have been in good places to see the rise of Obama up close. I was an urban social policy researcher producing project studies on various Illinois issues Obama deliberated upon (chiefly campaign finance and welfare "reform") in the Illinois state legislature during the late 1990s. Between 2000 and 2005, I was the research director at a predominantly black civil rights and social service agency located in the historical heart of Chicago's South Side black ghetto. I occasionally worked with black legislators and had some very marginal involvement with state senator Obama. I organized a fall 2002 conference where he spoke on incarceration and job issues, referring to a study I did on racially disparate mass imprisonment and felony-marking. I managed a project study (on school technology) he funded through the state. I knew the Obama phenomenon before it hit the national scene and I knew it from within the black community (white though I may be), where it was common to see Obama as excessively "bourgeois" and as too close to the Chicago (Richard M. Daley) Machine and to other centers of white, political, corporate, and academic power. . . . (3) What are your hopes for Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics? What do you hope it will contribute or achieve politically? Given the effort and aspirations you have for the book, what will you deem to be a success? What would leave you happy about the whole undertaking? What would leave you wondering if it was worth all the time and effort? I hope this book will help citizens and activists shed illusions about Obama's "progressive" claims. I hope it will spark them to remember that Democratic Party politicians and presidents soften their attachment to capitalism and war only when challenged (as in the 1930s and 1960s) by popular rebellion from below. I hope it will encourage readers to differentiate between (i) the secondary question of how to respond to the limited "choices" offered by the corporate-managed electoral "democracy" and (ii) the more urgent problem of rebuilding and expanding grass roots social movements and changing the political culture across and between election cycles. I hope it will help clarify critical differences between (i) Obama and the Democratic Party's persistent corporate-imperial centrism and (ii) an actual Left, true-progressive change agenda. If Obama wins, I hope my book will encourage an organized and outraged citizenry to put regular powerful and guilt-free pressure on an Obama White House and (more significantly) to develop alternative popular power centers and democratic capacities beneath and beyond electoral politics. I hope it will help readers understand a President Obama's likely "progressive" failures and betrayals in light of his repeatedly demonstrated allegiance to dominant domestic and imperial hierarchies and doctrines. John McCain is a profoundly dangerous presidential candidate representing an extremist, arch-plutocratic and messianic-militarist party. Still, Obama is attractive to a large section of the U.S. power elite because he promises to pacify and co-opt angry citizens and activists and re-establish confidence in the legitimacy of the current political order by reinforcing the argument that "the system" still "works." Our current corporate-managed and imperial democracy doesn't work for any but the privileged Few. It is a grave threat to human survival and peace and justice at home and abroad. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was right forty years ago when he called for the "radical reconstruction" of society and the "radical redistribution of political and economic power" in the U.S... If Obama loses, and he could (racism would be the main reason, I think), it will be important for progressively inclined citizens and activists to understand that it was corporate-imperial centrism, not the Left and not the People, that got defeated. They must not interpret an Obama defeat to mean that the People and/or the Left tried and failed and that it is therefore okay for them to give up and retreat into private experience and concerns. If he wins, citizens and activists need to understand the severe limits of what triumphed and be prepared to fight and organize on a daily basis beneath and beyond quadrennial candidate-centered and corporate-crafted election spectacles. From shamresearch at yahoo.co.nz Fri Sep 5 03:36:49 2008 From: shamresearch at yahoo.co.nz (Scott Hamilton) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 02:36:49 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] Out of the Stalinist spy files: an unpublished EP Thompson polemic from 1956 Message-ID: <407034.63854.qm@web50610.mail.re2.yahoo.com> ? http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2008/09/dont-you-think-we-look-bit-silly.html Catch-up on the latest NZ celebrity and entertainment news here - http://nz.lifestyle.yahoo.com/new-idea/ From sabocat59 at mac.com Fri Sep 5 05:15:45 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:15:45 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] CSN Statement on FARC Message-ID: <37F740E1-9F32-46ED-9F74-B28E1FC6503B@mac.com> nchamah miller wrote: For the record, it's Greg, not Fred. I am not a member of CSN, but I do receive their updates in my email. So this is not my statement. An email address is listed at the bottom of the message which I forwarded. I encourage you to direct your query there, and post the results here so we can see their response. Greg From walterlx at earthlink.net Fri Sep 5 05:56:22 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 07:56:22 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] NYT: U.S. Offers Storm Aid to Cuba Only Through Relief Groups Message-ID: <26387750.1220615782975.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> The NY Times reports that the State Department has offered $100,000 to Cuba. According to the US Interests Section in Havana 500,000 Cubans have been impacted by hurricane Gustav. Thus, the United States government is offering $0.20 per person affected. On July 26, 2005 Fidel Castro stated, "While the US administration, which so furiously imposes the genocidal blockade on our country, in an entirely hypocritical and shameless way "compassionately" offered Cuba 50,000 USD to alleviate the damage caused by the hurricane, the lawmakers who support the Bush government policies, introduced a bill in Congress that would allocate 37,931,000 USD for the fiscal year 2006 and 29,931,000 USD for the fiscal year 2007, for anti-Cuban broadcasts. According to the wording, the purpose of the bill is "to buy, rent, build and improve radio and television reception and transmission facilities and to buy, rent and install the necessary equipment, including aircraft, for radio and television reception and transmission". The Cubans do not need a US government handout, what they need is to be able to have the blockade ended. Nelson Valdes ======================================================================== THE NEW YORK TIMES September 5, 2008 U.S. Offers Storm Aid to Cuba Only Through Relief Groups By MARC LACEY MEXICO CITY ? The United States State Department said Thursday that it had offered humanitarian aid to Cuban victims of Hurricane Gustav, provided that it went through relief organizations and not the government of President Ra?l Castro. ?The U.S. government informed the Cuban government that we?re prepared to offer hurricane assistance to the Cuban citizens,? said Heide Bronke, a State Department spokeswoman. ?We?ve made the offer, but we haven?t heard from them yet.? All six Cuban-American members of Congress have called this week for the Bush administration to aid victims of the storm, which tore through the western province of Pinar del R?o and the Isle of Youth over the weekend, causing what the Cuban government estimates to be billions of dollars in damage. The offer from the United States, which was made Wednesday through the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, calls for an initial $100,000 in emergency aid. The State Department also offered to send disaster experts from the United States Agency for International Development to Cuba to assess damage. Initial estimates by the United States put the number of Cubans affected by the storm at 500,000. Whether Cuba would accept such assistance from Washington remains to be seen. The countries have a long history of animosity when it comes to disaster aid. Cuba?s former ruler, Fidel Castro, wrote in a newspaper commentary on Wednesday that the storm hit Cuba like a ?nuclear blast? and that the damage reminded him of what he saw when he visited Hiroshima, Japan, after World War II. The hurricane?s wind speeds exceeded 200 miles per hour, and more than 100,000 homes were leveled in Cuba. There were mandatory evacuations of the affected areas, however, and not a single death was reported. Haiti was also hit hard by the storm; the death toll there exceeds 100. ?Now the battle is to feed the victims,? Mr. Castro wrote, estimating that it would take $3 billion to $4 billion to finance basic recovery efforts. Russia sent two cargo planes to Cuba on Thursday, and state television showed workers unloading tents and construction materials at the airport in Havana, Reuters reported. Cuban state media have said that Venezuela and China, two close allies, have offered aid, as have Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. In 2004, Cuba rejected an American offer of $50,000 in aid after Hurricane Charley, calling the amount humiliating and the offer ?cynical and hypocritical.? Cuba?s Foreign Ministry said then that the American trade embargo of nearly half a century made it clear that the aid offer was not genuine. ?Cuba will not accept supposed help from the government of a country that harms us and tries to take us under with hunger and need,? the ministry said in a statement four years ago. In 2005, Cuba offered to send doctors to the United States to help treat victims of Hurricane Katrina. The White House declined the offer. In 1996, Cuba agreed to accept tons of rice, milk and beans from the United States after Hurricane Lili, but it later turned down part of a planeload of the aid because some packages contained slogans that the government considered ?suggestive, provocative and counter-revolutionary.? Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company ========================================= 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 Sep 5 05:56:42 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:56:42 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Today Ossetia, tomorrow ? Message-ID: Two Estonian farms establish 'Soviet republic,' seek recognition 16:26 | 03/ 09/ 2008 ST. PETERSBURG, September 3 (RIA Novosti) - Two farms in north-east Estonia have joined forces to declare an independent "Soviet republic" and intend to seek Russia's recognition, a Russian communist organization said on Wednesday. "We no longer want to live in bourgeois Estonia, where nobody cares about the common people...with raging unemployment and corruption, and where everything depends on NATO and the Americans," Russian communists from St Petersburg, who are assisting the 'republic,' quoted its founder, Andres Tamm, as saying. Residents and founders of the 'Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic' have already formed a national 'Soviet government,' a police force, and have begun demarcating the state's borders. Meanwhile, residents of the republic claim that the "bourgeois" Estonian government has sent a "squad of relatives of Estonian Nazi SS veterans" to regain control over the breakaway territory. The republic is currently drafting a treaty of friendship with Russia to be submitted to the Russian president in the next few days. Estonia is a former Soviet republic and a current member of both NATO and the EU. From gary.maclennan at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 06:05:32 2008 From: gary.maclennan at gmail.com (gary.maclennan at gmail.com) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 05:05:32 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] faith of our fathers part 2 Message-ID: Part 2 The faith of the intellectuals? *The strength of religions, and of the Catholic Church in particular, has lain, and still lies, in the fact that they feel very strongly the need for the doctrinal unity of the whole mass of the faithful and strive to ensure that the higher intellectual stratum does not get separated from the lower. The Roman church has always been the most vigorous in the struggle to prevent the "official" formation of two religions, one for the "intellectuals" and the other for the "simple souls"* ? *That the Church has to face up to a problem of the "simple"* *means precisely that there has been a split in the community of the faithful. This split cannot be healed by raising the simple to the level of the intellectuals (the Church does not even envisage such a task, which is both ideologically and economically beyond its present capacities), but only by imposing an iron discipline on the intellectuals so that they do not exceed certain limits of differentiation and so render the split catastrophic and irreparable. * (Gramsci) The world of religion here in Oz has just been galvanized by the dispute between the Church community of St Mary's South Brisbane and the Arch Bishop of Brisbane John Battersby. In brief, the Bishop wrote to the parish priest Ted Kennedy threatening to close down the church if the priest and congregation did not return to a more orthodox version of the faith. This is the second occasion on which the bishop had chastised Kennedy and his errant flock. A similar missive was sent four years ago. Battersby drew special attention in his latest letter to the fact that there was a statue of the Buddha displayed in the church. So what is going on here? Well the answer lies partly in the nature of the St Mary's community and the faith they are practicing. This is an inner city church that at times fills to overflowing with over 500 worshippers. The parish priest is a classic liberal intellectual who has championed a wide range of good causes ? indigenous rights, gay rights, women's rights etc, etc. The liturgy also has evolved to include an active role for women including women preaching. They also sing a range of ultra modern hymns and give out communion to all and sundry. If I sound slightly scandalized, one must be charitable and bear in mind my status as that of a collapsed Catholic, burning with a bright hatred for the Church of my childhood. A small, and hopefully a decreasing, part of me does not want the church to evolve into something more reasonable. I am tempted to wish it to remain as it was in my childhood. It is almost as if I want it to continue to feed my hatred. In truth it is as if Ratzinger and I wanted the same thing. But not for nothing am I a student of Roy Bhaskar's philosophy of meta-reality. I have studied the master and I am beginning to learn to let go, shed the past and move on. Bhaskar is fond of quoting the young Marx's the world has long dreamed of possessing something of which it has only to be conscious in order to possess it in reality? In order to secure remission of its sins, mankind has only to declare them for what they actually are. For Bhaskar the heteronomous world of domination and exploitation, that the likes of Ratzinger and Pell when pressed will always defend, is a parasitical growth on the human ground state of love and creativity. One has only to recognize and to realize that fact to move on beyond fear, hatred, exploitation and domination. It is in that spirit then that I wish to think of Fr Kennedy the pastor at St Mary's. However one must first acknowledge that one critique of him and his flock is that they are classic left liberal ? left liberalism being the default setting for dissidence in Australia. When confronted by left-liberals I am often tempted to think of them in terms of Sartre's great critique of "democrats" and liberals in his *Anti-Semite and Jew*. There Sartre discusses how liberals mount a weak defense of Jews because they are uncomfortable with anyone forsaking the abstract universalism that the democrats cling too. Sartre also describes how during the war liberals would make a point of raising their hats to those forced to wear the Star of David. Sartre explains how this became a source of resentment for the Jew because he knew he was an object of pity. For the liberal the Jew represented an occasion to issue a manifesto, to make a gesture. In a similar fashion some argue that for the faithful at St Mary's the Aborigine, the Gay and the poor are all occasions. A more charitable view of the folk at St Mary's , and one that I personally favour, is that Kennedy and the congregation are belong to the church of the intellectuals. Within this scenario Kennedy is actively trying to fashion a faith which will transcend the complexities of modernity. He wants to confront capitalist modernity with norms that have been taken from the Sermon on the Mount ? Blessed are the destitute? for they shall see God. In Kennedy's faith Jesus is the outsider, the revolutionary, who opposes Empire and suffers a horrible death because of that. But for Kennedy Christ's sacrifice calls on all of us to make a similar commitment in our search for the Kingdom of God on earth. The church of the intellectuals is of course the church that the clerical core fears the most. This is the church-within that contains the seeds of an alternative church. What Kennedy and his community are doing whether they realize it or not is struggling to ensure the survival of a church that is dying in front of our very eyes. Only through the ordination of women, the abolition of celibacy and the adaption of a sincere "option for the poor" can the Church hope to survive. But they will consider none of these things. A suggestive parallel here is the situation in Soviet Russia after Stalin's death. Reform was critically needed, but there was no one to bring in the reforms. The reformers had all been murdered long ago. The CPSU made something of an effort under Kruschev but then gave up the attempt to reform because that would have meant putting themselves out of business. They were the problem and could never be part of the solution. Similarly at Vatican 2 the Church of Rome made a half hearted effort at reform and then abandoned it totally under John Paul 2. The latter will prove to be the Brezhnev of the Catholic Church. History will show that brilliant showman as he was he nevertheless in his refusal to reform prepared the way for the great disaster towards which the church is inexorably sliding. So the little drama taking place in South Brisbane speaks to the heart of the crisis within the church. The core church - the clergy- has lost all moral authority. Even worse from their point of view their caste is not renewing itself. Internal church gossip has it that vocations are it seems largely confined to gays. There is a savage irony here. The most homophobic of organizations is almost totally dependent on gays for candidates for the priesthood. So given the crisis that confronts the clergy it is probably true to say that Battersby does not want this fight with Kennedy and his flock. But in all likelihood he is being pushed by the far right of the church. My best guess would be that an Opus Dei cell is at work. The head of the Australian Catholic Church, Cardinal Pell, is known to be sympathetic to Opus Dei. He overturned a ban on Opus Dei entering the Sydney diocese and during his recent visit here Ratzinger stayed with the Opus Dei community. This was a clear message to the liberals within the Church where Ratzinger stood. Though why they would ever have any illusions or hopes in Ratzinger is beyond me. In any case that section of the church that Ratzinger represents is determined to get rid of its liberal wing and to impose once more discipline on the Church of the intellectuals. This is of course sheer craziness. Why would one want to shut down one of the few full churches in Brisbane? But those who the gods wish to destroy they first make made, and the clerical heart of the Roman Catholic Church in Australia is approaching the psychotic. Trapped by an irreversible loss of prestige, they have reverted to type. Instead of embracing the church of the intellectuals as their best and last hope, they seem determined to destroy it. As I have confessed, a small part of me wishes them well in that task. But we have to resist the sectarian reflex and unequivocally support the church of the intellectuals against the likes of Battersby and Pell. This series of posts on the Church will conclude with a response to Harry Browne's *Hammered by the Irish*. From walterlx at earthlink.net Fri Sep 5 06:16:24 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 08:16:24 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Humanitarian Relief After Gustav Message-ID: <711175.1220616984170.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Humanitarian Relief After Gustav After the very destructive path of Hurricane Gustav, with billions of dollars in damages to the Cuban people and the economy of the island, there is a way that you can help. You can send a check donation to Jewish Solidarity in Miami, a 501(c)(3) organization, with a humanitarian license that allows them to collect financial donations, which are tax deductable for the donor, to then buy and transport to Cuba the necessary items that are urgently needed. Send your check donation to: JEWISH SOLIDARITY 100 Beacon Boulevard Miami, FL 33135 Attention: Maria A Coton (Maricusa) mcoton at jewishsolidarity.com (305)642-1600 (305)720-3942 Please make sure and write "humanitarian relief" on the subject matter of the check. These donations are tax deductible, a letter of acknowledgement will be sent to the donor, for tax purposes, by Jewish Solidarity. Also include your name, address, phone number, and e-mail. Any little bit helps. Thank you, Julio V Ruiz, MD Videos of the destruction (connection to videos.co.cu does not always work): http://videos.co.cu/videos/anaisadelgado.wmv http://videos.co.cu/videos/olgalidiatapia.wmv http://videos.co.cu/videos/mensajedechavez.wmv http://videos.co.cu/videos/da?osislajuventud.wmv http://videos.co.cu/videos/DA?OSPINAR.wmv http://videos.co.cu/videos/declaracionesmachado.wmv http://videos.co.cu/videos/RECORRIDOLAZOMACHADO.wmv http://videos.co.cu/videos/DEFENSAPINAR.wmv http://videos.co.cu/videos/lagemedidaspinar.wmv http://videos.co.cu/videos/vecinosdeherradura.wmv http://videos.co.cu/videos/vistaaereapinar.wmv http://videos.co.cu/videos/gustavhabana.wmv ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From cultstud76 at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 06:46:21 2008 From: cultstud76 at gmail.com (Sean Andrews) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 07:46:21 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? In-Reply-To: <422f747b0809050152g6944557cye314a3ceb8aae655@mail.gmail.com> References: <400202.89315.qm@web58210.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <422f747b0809050152g6944557cye314a3ceb8aae655@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <4715fc3a0809050546m3b4e6470vd669dcbedd25f4a7@mail.gmail.com> > On Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 4:54 AM, Bob Hopson wrote: The popular technology blog slashdot.org has an interesting discussion over the question of IT unions: >> >> http://news.slashdot.org/news/08/09/04/1359257.shtml >> >> with almost 1,000 responses it's a pretty popular topic. > Thanks for passing it along. Not sure just how good it is, but for people really interested in the topic, Vincent Mosco and Catherine McKercher have a new book about this. http://www.lexingtonbooks.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=^DB/CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=0739118137 Has anyone read this? I like all of Mosco's other work so I imagine it is worth a look. s From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Sep 5 06:58:44 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:58:44 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power Message-ID: <48C12D04.7010705@panix.com> Robert Christgau on America?s Secret Fundamentalists http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/item/20080905_robert_christgau_on_americas_secret_fundamentalists/ Posted on Sep 5, 2008 By Robert Christgau The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power By Jeff Sharlet Harper, 464 pages Any believer in American democracy is obliged to come to terms with a wing of the citizenry few secular humanists have the wherewithal to think about?Christians. Not mainline modernists, so useful for validating progressive pieties when we godless need moral ballast, but the 75 million Americans whose Christianity takes such modifiers as the respectable evangelical, the unapologetic fundamentalist, the doctrinal Bible-believing, the thoughtful convinced and the emotional born-again. Especially the white ones, of course?even black churches that oppose abortion and homosexuality are aligned with the social gospel, while Latino Pentecostals and Korean Presbyterians generally gather in their own congregations. Anyway, secular humanists are inclined to cut African-Americans and immigrants some slack. White Middle Americans they have a problem with. These generalizations are crude, obviously. For one thing, there are plenty of secular humanists in Middle America, where proximity mitigates incomprehension a little. But in New York, my eternal home, folks are less sophisticated. As someone whose atheism proceeds directly from his demographically unlikely childhood in a fundamentalist church in Queens, and whose brother has spent his life ministering to conservative churches in various distant suburbs, I got on this problem back when my colleagues at The Village Voice dismissed Jimmy Carter out of hand because he was a Southern Baptist. I argued back then that the specifics of Carter?s religious history suggested levels of honesty and compassion unusual in a politician, which turned out to be true?in 2000, Carter quit the by then explicitly right-wing Southern Baptist Convention after a fruitless struggle to moderate it. Other politically prominent Southern Baptists include Pat Robertson, who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network in 1960, and Jerry Falwell, who founded the Moral Majority in 1979. They do not include famed born-againer George W. Bush?or the most devout Christian currently running for president, Barack Obama. Generalizations are often crude. Jeff Sharlet?s ?The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power? examines a group of politically engaged Christians far more secretive than Robertson or Falwell. Sharlet establishes that since the end of World War II, the Family, aka the Fellowship, has exerted its influence in an impressive and frightening array of mostly dire events. Its first coup was the wholesale exoneration of minor Nazis and major Nazi collaborators after the war. The addition of under God to the Pledge of Allegiance and In God We Trust to U.S. currency were its initiatives. Its first major government operative was Sen. Frank Carlson (R-Kan.), who persuaded Dwight Eisenhower to run as a Republican, purged progressive bureaucrats from his chair at the obscure Civil Service Employees Committee and lobbied for such heads of state as Haiti?s ?Papa Doc? Duvalier. Other dictators abetted by the Family include Ngo Dinh Diem of Vietnam, Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, Park Chung Hee of South Korea, Artur da Costa e Silva of Brazil, Gen. Suharto of Indonesia, Mohamed Siad Barre of Somalia and Carlos Eugenios Vides Casanova of El Salvador, which got its first infusion of special aid at the behest of Jimmy Carter, who has called Family leader Doug Coe a ?very important person? in his life. Hillary Clinton has also been a Family ?friend,? and not just via its major public manifestation, the relatively anodyne annual National Prayer Breakfast. The Family was instrumental in the creation of Chuck Colson?s Prison Fellowship, and of the Community Bible Study project through which George W. Bush found Jesus in 1985. (clip) From jjonas at nic.fi Fri Sep 5 07:27:49 2008 From: jjonas at nic.fi (Joonas Laine) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:27:49 +0300 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? In-Reply-To: <284967.53446.qm@web55601.mail.re4.yahoo.com> References: <284967.53446.qm@web55601.mail.re4.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <48C133D5.5060308@nic.fi> Ismail Lagardien wrote: > poor. Included among those affected by capitalist organisation of > society are the workers in what I think Jeremy Rifkin in the End of > World called that "Third Industrial Revolution" of "high-tech". He > made specific reference to "unprecedented material abundance" which > the so called dotcom sector produced and which, I argue, Marx foresaw > as ?new-fangled sources of wealth? .... i say they should > organise!!!! Could you expand on this? It sounds interesting, because it touches a topic I've spent a while thinking about lately. Some time ago a group of Finnish autonomists put forward a thesis in their pamphlet that the kind of "timeless spaceless" work where you work at projects, always with different people, here and there, even on your free time, is the new *paradigmatic* type of work in the post-fordist capitalist era (instead of the fordist "mass worker"). They also quote Marx (Grundrisse and all) very approvingly, though I think they miss the point somewhat, and understand only his revolutionary spirit (a good thing in itself), though not so much the actual economic theory.. (not that I would be a master, but anyway). Anyone read any good books on the "high tech revolution", and what it really means? Is it a paradigmatic shift in capitalism, or more or less the same shit in a different package? The autonomists' material is heavy on impressionistic philosophizing, but very lean on any numbers. *Politically* though I think it's worth responding to, all the more so because they do make very good critical points e.g. on the social democratic left's orientation towards the "wellfare state". From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Sep 5 07:38:16 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:38:16 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? In-Reply-To: <48C133D5.5060308@nic.fi> References: <284967.53446.qm@web55601.mail.re4.yahoo.com> <48C133D5.5060308@nic.fi> Message-ID: <48C13648.5030503@panix.com> Joonas Laine wrote: > Anyone read any good books on the "high tech revolution", and what it > really means? Is it a paradigmatic shift in capitalism, or more or less > the same shit in a different package? The autonomists' material is heavy > on impressionistic philosophizing, but very lean on any numbers. > *Politically* though I think it's worth responding to, all the more so > because they do make very good critical points e.g. on the social > democratic left's orientation towards the "wellfare state". As somebody who has made a living as a programmer since 1968, I have only seen one attempt at starting a union. Back in 1972 I was working for a department store in Boston that had a small DP staff, less than a dozen. A new boss was rubbing everybody the wrong way and one of my co-workers asked me if I had any interest in helping to get us into a union. Her father was a long time official for the electrical workers union, can't remember if it was the leftist UE or not. The big problem facing programmers is the same one facing adjunct professors. There are deep individualistic tendencies that tend to make each programmer look to their own devices. There was a very good article in the Nation a while back that is worth referring to again: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080623/sirota Certainly the conditions seem ripe. Between 2000 and 2004, 221,000 US tech jobs were eliminated as offshore outsourcing accelerated. In 2005 the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers reported the first drop in median income for tech workers in the thirty-one years it had been producing annual wage and salary analyses. And WashTech's survey of IT workers found that the majority said their healthcare premiums had increased and their wages had either remained flat or dropped. As these trends have intensified, WashTech's membership has grown. Nonetheless, there are reasons that only 2 to 5.5 percent of high-tech workers are unionized--reasons that have little to do with concrete economic factors. "Many people in these industries say, 'I hate unions' just on principle," Courtney tells me as we walk out of Starbucks. "But these same people will then go to the Mini-Microsoft website and voice their complaints because they know the company is reading the site." This constituency is a key component of today's white-collar uprising. They are swing voters, but they aren't the socially liberal, economically conservative suburbanites pundits always say are the key swing demographic in presidential elections. They are folks whose libertarianism has led them to vote Republican and dislike unions but whose economic self-interest is now pulling them in a populist direction. (clip) From dddrrr84 at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 08:18:20 2008 From: dddrrr84 at gmail.com (daniel r) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 17:18:20 +0300 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? Message-ID: French Sociologists Eve Chiapello and Luc Boltanski wrote in 2005 a book on the topic of contemporary labor world, entitled Le nouvel esprit du capitalisme. Their claim is that since the 1960's labor under capitalism had to become more flexible and individualistic, and more project-oriented than workday-oriented. They attribute the change to the capitalist system having to cope with emerging demands on issues such as self-expression, individual liberty etc (rather than regular wage and workday issues). A very interesting text, which touches subjects from work ethics under IT companies to advertising and consumer culture. I'd say it is the ultimate culture critique text of neoliberal capitalism. The book was translated to English under the title The New Spirit of Capitalism. some info on the book: http://www.versobooks.com/books/ab/b-titles/boltanski_chiapello_new.shtml http://www.amazon.com/New-Spirit-Capitalism-Luc-Boltanski/dp/1859845541 a very interesting article which analyses Chiapello and Bultanski's arguements and deals with them (French): http://multitudes.samizdat.net/spip.php?article1287 " Joonas Laine wrote: Could you expand on this? It sounds interesting, because it touches a topic I've spent a while thinking about lately. Some time ago a group of Finnish autonomists put forward a thesis in their pamphlet that the kind of "timeless spaceless" work where you work at projects, always with different people, here and there, even on your free time, is the new *paradigmatic* type of work in the post-fordist capitalist era (instead of the fordist "mass worker"). They also quote Marx (Grundrisse and all) very approvingly, though I think they miss the point somewhat, and understand only his revolutionary spirit (a good thing in itself), though not so much the actual economic theory.. (not that I would be a master, but anyway). Anyone read any good books on the "high tech revolution", and what it really means? Is it a paradigmatic shift in capitalism, or more or less the same shit in a different package? The autonomists' material is heavy on impressionistic philosophizing, but very lean on any numbers. *Politically* though I think it's worth responding to, all the more so because they do make very good critical points e.g. on the social democratic left's orientation towards the "wellfare state". " From cbcox at ilstu.edu Fri Sep 5 08:18:19 2008 From: cbcox at ilstu.edu (Carrol Cox) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:18:19 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? References: <284967.53446.qm@web55601.mail.re4.yahoo.com> <48C133D5.5060308@nic.fi> <48C13648.5030503@panix.com> Message-ID: <48C13FAB.EE411D01@ilstu.edu> Louis Proyect wrote: > > Joonas Laine wrote: > > Anyone read any good books on the "high tech revolution", and what it > > really means? Is it a paradigmatic shift in capitalism, or more or less > They are folks whose > libertarianism has led them to vote Republican and dislike unions but > whose economic self-interest is now pulling them in a populist direction. A serious populism today could only be some form of fascist movement. When libertarians "get togetgher" they dream of a central power that 'makes things right' and leaves them alone! Carrol From david at miradoiro.com Fri Sep 5 08:20:57 2008 From: david at miradoiro.com (=?utf-8?Q?David_Pic=C3=B3n_=C3=81lvarez?=) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 16:20:57 +0200 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? References: <284967.53446.qm@web55601.mail.re4.yahoo.com> <48C133D5.5060308@nic.fi> Message-ID: <002a01c90f62$9de2d4f0$0302a8c0@Nautilus> From: "Joonas Laine" > Anyone read any good books on the "high tech revolution", and what it > really means? Is it a paradigmatic shift in capitalism, or more or less > the same shit in a different package? The autonomists' material is heavy > on impressionistic philosophizing, but very lean on any numbers. > *Politically* though I think it's worth responding to, all the more so > because they do make very good critical points e.g. on the social > democratic left's orientation towards the "wellfare state". A bit on the side of this issue, I've been giving thought for a long time to the free software movement, and how it relates to capitalist mode of production. There are certain characteristics about most of free software which are a bit odd: production for use values, cooperation, the good produced is not a commodity (does not have an exchange value), and so on. My impression is that it is a very peculiar form of production that feeds from some of the surplus of capitalist production somehow, but I perhaps am not theoretically well equipped to work it out completely. --David. From jjonas at nic.fi Fri Sep 5 08:26:10 2008 From: jjonas at nic.fi (Joonas Laine) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:26:10 +0300 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? In-Reply-To: <48C13648.5030503@panix.com> References: <284967.53446.qm@web55601.mail.re4.yahoo.com> <48C133D5.5060308@nic.fi> <48C13648.5030503@panix.com> Message-ID: <48C14182.4040103@nic.fi> Louis Proyect wrote: > Joonas Laine wrote: >> Anyone read any good books on the "high tech revolution", and what it >> really means? Is it a paradigmatic shift in capitalism, or more or less >> the same shit in a different package? The autonomists' material is heavy > The big problem facing programmers is the same one facing adjunct > professors. There are deep individualistic tendencies that tend to make > each programmer look to their own devices. There was a very good article > in the Nation a while back that is worth referring to again: > > http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080623/sirota Now, I'm not sure exactly what qualifies as "high tech" or the kind of work we're discussing here, but based on a (Finnish) article I found (from 2005), it seems Finnish information an communication (ICT) workers have an organisational rate of around 50% (against the general 70% of all Finnish workers). According to the article, there was about 40.000 ICT workers in Finland in 2005, most of whom work in rather small firms; the article mentions that the boss/worker ratio is 1/8. I don't doubt Louis's comment re the individualistic tendencies, it sounds ok enough, though I'm sure someone can convince me otherwise too.. and certainly the high-tech workers are priviliged in terms of better pay: in Finland they make around 40-50 % more than the average income. (For background information, in Finland there's collective bargaining, and the contract binds also those employers who are not members of a contract-making employers' organisation if the organisational rate of the workers concerned by the contract in question is 50 % or more (in practice). Unions also get to go schools to spread the news about the importance of organising. Probably this explains some of the difference.) From sartesian at earthlink.net Fri Sep 5 08:34:17 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 10:34:17 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Unemployment in US References: <284967.53446.qm@web55601.mail.re4.yahoo.com> <48C133D5.5060308@nic.fi><48C13648.5030503@panix.com> <48C14182.4040103@nic.fi> Message-ID: <4FDF16202AA94DC6BC4841D901E3E0A9@dmsthinkpad> BLS latest shows UE rate at 6.1% in US-- that's higher than the rate of September 2003. Significant jump. From jjonas at nic.fi Fri Sep 5 08:39:34 2008 From: jjonas at nic.fi (Joonas Laine) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:39:34 +0300 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? In-Reply-To: <002a01c90f62$9de2d4f0$0302a8c0@Nautilus> References: <284967.53446.qm@web55601.mail.re4.yahoo.com> <48C133D5.5060308@nic.fi> <002a01c90f62$9de2d4f0$0302a8c0@Nautilus> Message-ID: <48C144A6.90207@nic.fi> David Pic?n ?lvarez wrote: > A bit on the side of this issue, I've been giving thought for a long time to > the free software movement, and how it relates to capitalist mode of > production. There are certain characteristics about most of free software > which are a bit odd: production for use values, cooperation, the good > produced is not a commodity (does not have an exchange value), and so on. My > impression is that it is a very peculiar form of production that feeds from > some of the surplus of capitalist production somehow, but I perhaps am not > theoretically well equipped to work it out completely. I've been thinking about it too - offhand, some of it sounds like the extreme version of "If you buy this, you get one of these for free!", like in the case of Nokia bying Symbian: Transforming business with open source models | Why Nokia Bought Symbian 9 07 2008 http://tinyurl.com/6nklqu A couple weeks ago, Nokia surprised the world when it announced it would buy out the other partners in mobile operating system company Symbian for $410 million, repackage the software, then release it to the world under a business-friendly Eclipse Public License. Why would this leading handset maker turn loose the market-leading mobile operating system, installed on roughly two-thirds of the world?s handsets? And what does it mean for the LiMo Foundation and Open Handset Alliance, both of which are developing open source operating systems for mobile devices as well? Scott Anthony, the President of Innosight and a Discussion Leader at Harvard Business Publishing, has offered one of the best analyses of Nokia?s business case for turning Symbian open. Why Nokia Bought Symbian, Then Gave It Away - Scott Anthony Essentially, the folks at Innosight reckon that consumers don?t purchase cell phones for the operating system - they purchase for the looks and, increasingly, the capabilities. With new SDKs for the iPhone and the buzz around other open development platforms for mobile devices, Nokia could see its handset business threatened should a ?killer application? be developed for a different platform. Now Nokia is opening up the largest mobile development platform in the world, seeking to attract the best developers to Symbian so that Nokia?s handsets will be the most capable devices in the world. [..] From marvgandall at videotron.ca Fri Sep 5 08:52:57 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:52:57 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama References: Message-ID: <927B8E9A79CA41CA97445DE62E6CA45D@MARV> Joaquin writes: > Someone was saying that the way the Democrats were being described > sounded not too different from the NDP and the complaints by leftists > against it. My *impression* of the NDP, and British Labour, is that they > have a completely different organizational culture, or rather, that they > have an organization culture. The Democrats don't. In U.S. political > culture, it makes no sense to ask what is the Democratic Party position on > the war or immigration or anything else, except in the sense of what is > the > main or major or dominant trend of thought among its (relevant) office > holders, in the cases I cited, in the national Congress. > True, the party has a "platform" that was adopted in Denver but no > one reads or pays attention to it. It's not like a campaign manifesto, > it's > not going to get massively mailed out, or reprinted and handed out in > millions of copies nor anything else like that. > > The reality is that the impetus for this discussion isn't the > Democrats but Obama, and not even exactly Obama, but the fact that he is > Black... ==================================== That "someone" was me. I hope Joaquin isn't concerned about being tarred by association. :) Obviously, I think his "impression" that there's "a completely different organizational culture" in the British Labour Party and NDP than in the Democratic Party is a mistaken one. I've suggested on any number of occasions there is little to choose between these parties. Their core base in each case is composed of urban workers and professionals who are sympathetic to trade unions, social movements, and world peace; their formal policies largely reflect the same concerns and aspirations of their base with respect to domestic and foreign policy; and their leaders are quick to jettison these policies (Joaquin wouldn't find the stripped-down "election manifestos" of the NDP all that praiseworthy) and to capitulate to the corporate agenda the closer they get to power. Those are their essential characteristics. If the Democrats, for example, were to import the base, leadership and program of the Labour Party tomorrow, the political behaviour of this new creature in US circumstances would change not one iota, and vice versa. Clinton and Obama and Blair and Brown and the NDP's Layton regard themselves as belonging to the same political family and see eye to eye on all essential matters. The more benign British and Canadian politicians might cluck sympathetically about the messy compromises their liberal American counterparts have to make in deference to a more backward political culture and the imperatives of US imperialism, but that's about it. I've noted before the tendency of US radicals to justify their distance from the Democrats by idealizing the social democratic parties, as if latter were open and democratic "workers' parties" - somewhat foul-tasting but still kosher - and therefore qualitatively different in class terms than the bourgeois Democrats in which the masses are ostensibly absent. In Joaquin's case, it seems to me there is further effort at distancing in his suggestions that he supports not the Democratic party but only it's standardbearer, Obama, as the representative of black America. I have to say I'm not as persuaded as Joaquin and others seem to be that the lines between the social democratic parties and Obama, on the one hand, and the Democratic party on the other are as sharply drawn as they attempt to make out. From farmelantj at juno.com Fri Sep 5 10:27:59 2008 From: farmelantj at juno.com (farmelantj at juno.com) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 16:27:59 GMT Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? Message-ID: <20080905.122759.13718.0@webmail04.vgs.untd.com> Louis Proyect quoted from the Nation: "This constituency is a key component of today's white-collar uprising. They are swing voters, but they aren't the socially liberal, economically conservative suburbanites pundits always say are the key swing demographic in presidential elections. They are folks whose libertarianism has led them to vote Republican and dislike unions but whose economic self-interest is now pulling them in a populist direction." It's my observation that when these people do become politically mobilized, instead of going leftwards, they tend to be drawn towards Lou Dobbs-like economic nationalism and anti-immigrationism, ____________________________________________________________ Scan, remove and block Spyware. Click now! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3mEzAa2gyTU29GLaoFPQf1xlQlJ1y1C3MkpXxDDyGThmH5Cn/ From ffeldman at bellatlantic.net Fri Sep 5 11:13:04 2008 From: ffeldman at bellatlantic.net (Fred Feldman) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:13:04 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama Message-ID: <4143DA3C9F9D4D33B0CC71E3FE29041D@office1pc> Marvin wrote: I've suggested on any number of occasions there is little to choose between these parties. Their core base in each case is composed of urban workers and professionals who are sympathetic to trade unions, social movements, and world peace; their formal policies largely reflect the same concerns and aspirations of their base with respect to domestic and foreign policy; and their leaders are quick to jettison these policies (Joaquin wouldn't find the stripped-down "election manifestos" of the NDP all that praiseworthy) and to capitulate to the corporate agenda the closer they get to power.... I've noted before the tendency of US radicals to justify their distance from the Democrats by idealizing the social democratic parties, as if latter were open and democratic "workers' parties" - somewhat foul-tasting but still kosher - and therefore qualitatively different in class terms than the bourgeois Democrats in which the masses are ostensibly absent. In Joaquin's case, it seems to me there is further effort at distancing in his suggestions that he supports not the Democratic party but only it's standard-bearer, Obama, as the representative of black America. I have to say I'm not as persuaded as Joaquin and others seem to be that the lines between the social democratic parties and Obama, on the one hand, and the Democratic party on the other are as sharply drawn as they attempt to make out. Fred comments: I think Marvin is going to badly pull a brain muscle if he keeps straining to exactly equate all manner of different things. First of all, it is not just American radicals who differentiate between the NDP and, say, the Liberal Party and therefore from the Democratic Party here (more an equivalent of the Liberals than of the NDP as Marvin stretches his reasoning to demonstrate. Canadian radicals do so also, and insist that it is possible to do work in local units (Toronto for example) and to fight effectively and sometimes successfully for positions etc. Even the British Labor Party is still not fully caught up with the top-down structurelessness of the Democratic Party base.` He should consult comrades like John Riddell, Suzanne Weiss, and Barry Weisleder, all of whom have quite a few experiences with the structural differences between the NDP and the Liberals (or the Democrats here) and have had occasional successes in work in the NDP. Marvin's position would be more logical if he argued for the Canadian labor movement abandon the relatively isolated NDP for the big as all outdoors Liberals, who after all include a lot of people who sympathize with unions, social movements and think that, all other things being equal, world peace is preferable to world war. And to suggest that the base of the Democratic Party is "sympathetic to trade unions, social movements, and world peace" is a great prettification of both the base and their preferences. The Democratic base is much, much more inclusive than the NDP's, for example. The base of the Democratic Party includes, for example, investment bankers, cops and prison guards, machine politicians and lots of others. (It is also true that the NDP is pretty much nowhere among the Quebecois and, I suspect, the Native peoples, whereas the DP has a big Black and Latino base.) It includes not only peace-oriented sectors of the population but quite hawkish ones. Lieberman was not a Democrat by mistake. Marvin should avoid talking to radicals in the United States as though we are all absolutely ignorant not only of Canada but of everything about the US as well. This most recent contribution shows slippage in that direction, in my opinion. Fred Feldman From markalause at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 11:25:24 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 13:25:24 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama In-Reply-To: <927B8E9A79CA41CA97445DE62E6CA45D@MARV> References: <927B8E9A79CA41CA97445DE62E6CA45D@MARV> Message-ID: Marvin Gandall wrote, "If the Democrats, for example, were to import the base, leadership and program of the Labour Party tomorrow, the political behaviour of this new creature in US circumstances would change not one iota, and vice versa." I'm not sure how much of this is accurate, but what Marvin's not addressing is that standing, practical problem of the DP's not being a membership party. The only "entryism" structurally permissible would be purely psychological. That is, we'd become progressives who would feel as though we're Democrats by voting Democratic. This is much the same way that libertarian critics of Big Government think that they're Republicans when they vote Republican. Neither is the case. Not just because of the ideas or rhetoric or composition or anything else. One doesn't become an owner of Ford when you buy one. And that's all the major parties are in the US...consumer choices. And, yes, you can join groups like the PDA, but they are entirely superfluous in terms of governing and directing the party. They have only so much voice as the people who really run the party want to give them. ML From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Sep 5 11:27:50 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:27:50 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] From Bill Blum's latest anti-Empire report Message-ID: <48C16C16.5040700@panix.com> National Pentagon Radio WAMU, the Washington, DC National Public Radio (NPR) station asked its listeners to write them and tell them what they used the station as a source for. Some of those who replied were invited in for a recorded interview, and a tape of part of the interview was played on the air. I sent them the following email: June 13, 2008 To mysource at wamu.org Dear People, I use WAMU to listen to All Things Considered. I use All Things Considered to get the Pentagon point of view on US foreign policy. It's great hearing retired generals explain why the US has just bombed or invaded another country. I'm not bothered by any naive anti-war protesters. I get the official truth right from the horse's mouth. Is this a great country, or what? I hope you're lining up some more great retired generals to tell me why we had to bomb Iran and kill thousands more people. Just make sure you don't make me listen to anyone on the left. Sincerely, William Blum, who should be on Diane Rehm, but never will be asked [followed by some information about my books] full: http://members.aol.com/bblum6/aer61.htm From brownh at hartford-hwp.com Fri Sep 5 11:39:58 2008 From: brownh at hartford-hwp.com (Haines Brown) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:39:58 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in the DP&In-Reply-To= In-Reply-To: <88C90FE6C82F44B5ADA63DD082A9C370@MARV> (message from Marvin Gandall on Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:19:24 -0400) References: <48BFF172.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <88C90FE6C82F44B5ADA63DD082A9C370@MARV> Message-ID: Mark, it looks like this message was intended for Charles Brown, not me. Haines Brown > MIME-version: 1.0 > From: Marvin Gandall > Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:19:24 -0400 > Reply-To: Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Right. I read your posts about this, Charles. You confronted them on this > issue head on. The Dems held power for a long time because of the strange > coaltion between the unions, ethnic and racial minorities, and southern > planters and poor whites. They lost power, as you noted, when the > Republicans tore away the southern whites after passage of the Civil Rights > Act. And your related point about the antiwar McGovern campaign holds also. > > I think the real problem at bottom for some of the Marxmailers is that if > they allow themselves to accept that the DP is a contradictory formation > which provides the opportunity to meet and influence working people, they'd > have to act on that understanding, with all the tactical compromises that > entails. The political discussion at that level is also not as > intellectually satisfying as on the chat groups. Also some, like Louis, just > don't have the temperment for it. They'd have the same problem functioning > in trade unions or any mass organization where you have to learn how to be > flexible and get along with a wide range of people and viewpoints. On the > the other hand, there are some serious types on the list who I sense have > been following the discussion closely and whose position has been shifting, > particularly as a result of the impact of the Obama campaign - notably Fred, > Joaquin, and Walter. I'm actually surprised how narrow the ultraleft > response has been, mostly Artesian, Mark, and Louis. Usually the DP question > provokes a feeding frenzy by a larger group than that. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Charles Brown" > To: "Marv Gandall" > Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 2:32 PM > Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in the > DP&In-Reply-To= > > > > Marv, > > > > I just realized that it is just false to claim that social movements go > > to the DP to die. As I said, the Civil Rights movement actually used > > the DP and the DP was debilitated for being an instrument of Black > > people ! The complete opposite. > > > > Anti-Vietnam war peace movement too. McGovern was the DP candidate > > basically a single issue candidate. stop the war . And the DP paid for > > that as well. Nixon landslide. > > > > This ultra left dogma about the DP is completely false ! The opposite > > is true, when we look at actual social movements. > > > > Charles > > > > > > This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. > > www.surfcontrol.com > > > > ________________________________________________ > > 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/marvgandall%40videotron.ca > > > ________________________________________________ > 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/brownh%40hartford-hwp.com > From david at miradoiro.com Fri Sep 5 11:47:40 2008 From: david at miradoiro.com (=?utf-8?Q?David_Pic=C3=B3n_=C3=81lvarez?=) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 19:47:40 +0200 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? References: <284967.53446.qm@web55601.mail.re4.yahoo.com> <48C133D5.5060308@nic.fi><002a01c90f62$9de2d4f0$0302a8c0@Nautilus> <48C144A6.90207@nic.fi> Message-ID: <001b01c90f7f$7ed87cf0$0302a8c0@Nautilus> From: "Joonas Laine" > I've been thinking about it too - offhand, some of it sounds like the > extreme version of "If you buy this, you get one of these for free!", > like in the case of Nokia bying Symbian: Sure, some of it is. I think the business-speak for it is "loss leader". For instance IBM spends a lot of money on free software hoping to get support contracts out of it and so does Sun. But some of it is a bit weirder. For instance the Apache or GNU people, are mostly building stuff which they collectively need. Some of the developers are paid to participate in such projects, but by no means all. Some are participating with their own time outside of the sphere of commodity production, using their own means of production (computers). But it differs from craft production in that there usually is a strong need for cooperative work, a big computer program cannot be written by a single person. --David. From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Sep 5 11:57:24 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:57:24 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? In-Reply-To: <001b01c90f7f$7ed87cf0$0302a8c0@Nautilus> References: <284967.53446.qm@web55601.mail.re4.yahoo.com> <48C133D5.5060308@nic.fi><002a01c90f62$9de2d4f0$0302a8c0@Nautilus> <48C144A6.90207@nic.fi> <001b01c90f7f$7ed87cf0$0302a8c0@Nautilus> Message-ID: <48C17304.4050202@panix.com> David Pic?n ?lvarez wrote: > > Sure, some of it is. I think the business-speak for it is "loss leader". For > instance IBM spends a lot of money on free software hoping to get support > contracts out of it and so does Sun. But some of it is a bit weirder. For > instance the Apache or GNU people, are mostly building stuff which they > collectively need. Some of the developers are paid to participate in such > projects, but by no means all. Some are participating with their own time > outside of the sphere of commodity production, using their own means of > production (computers). But it differs from craft production in that there > usually is a strong need for cooperative work, a big computer program cannot > be written by a single person. I received training in Struts, an open source framework for Java development, about 7 years ago from a really obnoxious teacher who was gung-ho about open source. He said that IBM and lots of other companies were behind it because it was good way of spreading the costs of software development and undercutting Microsoft or any other proprietary vendor. The bloom sort of faded from the rose at that point in terms of thinking of open source as revolutionary. ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/linux/pdfs/integratingOS21Aug06.pdf Integrating Open Source into your business To help businesses deal with the complexity of globalization, unanticipated opportunities, unexpected threats, competitive demands and fiscal constraints, a business? information technology and administrative systems must be highly flexible and resilient so that they can seamlessly communicate with other disparate technologies and systems. It is the enablement of this flexibility and resilience that defines ?Openness.? "Open" is simply a better means to an end. It may not be the only means, but it is the simplest and most cost effective approach to building flexible business infrastructures. Closed, or proprietary, systems alone will not spell failure, but will make success more difficult to achieve due to increased integration requirements. These first principles of ?open computing? act as filter when determining how to pragmatically implement open technologies in support of business strategy. --Choice: choices made today should not limit choices that can be made in the future, thus ensuring future access to innovation. --Flexibility: internal departments and external partners that make different technology choices can be connected. --Speed to market: new solutions that involve multiple hardware and software platforms can be quickly built and deployed, without vendor lock-in. --Agility: changing business parameters can be accommodated and incorporated into existing systems very rapidly. --Skilled resources: a work force is available that is trained and understands open computing standards and platforms. From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Sep 5 12:10:01 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:10:01 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Swaziland disgrace Message-ID: <48C175F9.8000100@panix.com> I reviewed "Without the King," the movie referred to in the article below, here: http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/without-the-king/ --- NY Times, September 6, 2008 The Costs of a Living in a Fairy Tale Kingdom By BARRY BEARAK LUDZIDZINI, Swaziland ? Once upon a time, a young and handsome king ruled over a land of mountainous splendor near the southern tip of Africa. He liked to get married, and as the years passed he took 13 wives, each of them a great beauty. His countrymen wanted His Majesty to be happy, but some also thought so many spouses were an extravagance for a poor, tiny nation. After all, the king, Mswati III, often provided these wives a retinue, a palace and a new BMW. A great event was soon forthcoming ? on Saturday, in fact. To prepare for the day ? the 40-40 Celebration, so-named to honor the king?s 40th birthday and the nation?s 40th year of independence ? a new 15,000-seat stadium was built and a fleet of top-of-the-line BMW sedans was ordered for the comfort of visiting dignitaries. Once again, some people wondered how the kingdom, Swaziland, could afford the expense. Some 1,500 of them grumpily marched in protest through the capital after news reports said that several of the queens and their entourages had gone on an overseas shopping trip aboard a chartered plane. Indeed, as the big day neared, other protests drew thousands more into the streets of the country?s two biggest cities. ?The king spends our money and is not answerable to anyone!? complained Mario Masuku, the head of an outlawed political party and a familiar figure of Swazi discontent. The rowdiest of the demonstrators flung rocks, looted goods from sidewalk vendors and even set off a few small explosions. Others made impromptu placards with torn up cardboard. ?Down with 40-40!? read one, while another demanded, ?Democracy now!? A few protesters chanted things meant to make rich people feel guilty: ?My mother was a kitchen girl. My father was a garden boy. That?s why I?m a socialist.? The angriest of them went so far as to insist the nation had little to celebrate. Yes, Swazis have enjoyed decades of peace and are rightfully proud of their culture. But poverty has entrapped two-thirds of the people, leaving hundreds of thousands of them malnourished. And these days death casually sweeps away even the strong. The country has one of the worst rates of H.I.V.. infection in the world. Life expectancy has fallen from 60 years in 1997 to barely half that now. Nearly a third of all children have lost a parent. ?How can the king live in luxury while his people suffer?? asked Siphiwe Hlophe, a human rights activist. ?How much money does he need, anyway?? That question was as confounding as it was impertinent. In the government?s latest budget, about $30 million was set aside for ?royal emoluments.? But surely the king?s income exceeds that, people said. The royal family also controls a corporate business empire ?in trust for the nation,? investing in sugar cane, commercial property and a newspaper. Forbes.com, which is fond of ranking the rich elite, recently listed Mswati III as the world?s 15th wealthiest monarch, estimating his fortune at $200 million. But is this not the way of the world? The king, after all, is the king. The poor, after all, are the poor. Percy Simelane, the government?s spokesman, was quoted by Agence France-Presse last week as saying: ?Poverty has been with us for many years. We cannot then sit by the roadside and weep just because the country is faced with poverty. We have made great strides as a country that gives us pleasure in celebrating 40 years of independence and the king?s birthday.? Indeed, most of Swaziland?s 1.1 million people love their monarch. God gave the country to the king, many of them say, and the king was given to the people by God. Mswati III?s father, Sobhuza II, had been especially revered. He was more frugal than his son, transporting the royal family in buses instead of BMWs. But he too liked to get married. It was said that he took 70 wives, though some put the number as high as 110. Sobhuza II was king when the nation shed the yoke of colonialism, finally free of Great Britain yet left with a British-style constitution. The esteemed monarch did not abide this document for long. In 1973, he dissolved Parliament and rid himself of the annoyance of political parties. In the years ahead, political reformers, primarily city people, pushed for democracy. Mswati III succeeded his father in 1986, and in 2005, after much give and take, signed a new constitution. But it was a peculiar document, guaranteeing individual liberties with one hand and preserving the absolute monarchy with the other. The king would continue to appoint the prime minister and members of the governing cabinet and the judiciary. Under this arrangement, it was hard for an outsider to tell where the monarchy ended and the government began. But most Swazis see things entirely otherwise. As a local saying goes, ?A king is a mouth that does not lie.? The government is bad, people tend to conclude, but the king is good. ?Others in authority abuse their power, not the king,? explained Ncoyi Mkhonta, the acting chief of the village Mahlangatsha. Corruption is bleeding the treasury, but His Majesty?s exalted status has complicated the work of law enforcement. The finance minister has publicly estimated that $5 million ? and maybe as much as $8 million ? is siphoned off each month. Various anti-graft bureaus have failed to exact justice. The latest corruption-fighting commission is headed by H. M. Mtegha, a retired judge from Malawi. He is not optimistic: ?If we go after someone high up and he says the king told me to do this, what can I do? To be satisfied, I?d have to ask the king himself, and this cannot be done. The king is immune.? Of course, being king is not without its own difficulties. In 2001, faced with the relentlessness of the AIDS pandemic, Mswati III invoked an ancient chastity rite, asking Swazi maidens to refrain from sex for five years. He then violated his own rule by selecting a 17-year-old as his ninth wife. To show the extent of his regret, he paid the customary fine of one cow. In 2003, an 18-year-old caught the king?s eye, and some of the royal aides fetched the young woman from her school. The teenager?s mother was unwilling to part with her daughter in this manner and had the audacity to sue the king in a Swazi court. This dispute ended only when the girl convinced her mother that she was happy to become the king?s next bride. With the ways of the royal family so often misunderstood, the king agreed to cooperate with an American film maker on a documentary, perhaps presuming a flattering portrayal. Instead, the movie, ?Without the King,? directed by Michael Skolnik and released last year, juxtaposed the gilded furnishings of a royal palace with scenes of the Swazi destitute eating animal intestines scavenged from a dump site. In the film, Mswati III acknowledged the poor: ?It?s always very sad when you see a lot of them sick about their lives, how difficult it is, how difficult they are coping, looking after their families and so on. And then you see sometimes that you wish to help them but the funds are always not enough.? One of Swaziland?s greatest traditions is the annual Reed Dance when colorfully adorned, bare-breasted young women ? all proclaiming purity as virgins ? parade before the royal family and others. This year?s ceremony ? last Monday, in fact ? took place in the Ludzidzini Arena with the Mdzima Mountains as a jagged backdrop and a record 60,000 dancers performing on the grassy field. It seemed an inspiring display of Swazi pride, and yet there have been critics of the king who consider such festivities a manipulation of culture for political gain. ?As people challenge the monarchy, demands increase to show that the king remains popular,? said Musa Hlophe, head of a coalition of civic groups. ?Thousands of girls are transported by the government to the Reed Dance as if it were a referendum on the system itself.? In recent years, the ritual has acquired additional excitement, for Mswati III sometimes selects his next queen from the throng of virgins. Cinsile Maseko, a 13-year-old from a village 50 miles away, did not suppose the choice would be her, but she fantasized anyway about a marital transformation from poverty to plenty, becoming a queen dressed in stylish clothes and traveling the kingdom in a fancy automobile. She relished the idea for a few seconds and then added one more joyous thought. ?You?d be with the king,? she said. . From brownh at hartford-hwp.com Fri Sep 5 12:11:44 2008 From: brownh at hartford-hwp.com (Haines Brown) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:11:44 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Offlist: Social movements don't die in theDP&In-Reply-To= In-Reply-To: (markalause@gmail.com) References: <48BFF172.84C9.00BF.0@cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> <661FD8504D814DE4BA933C39F04F10D0@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: > Hmmm. It's much like saying that if you oppose what the Democratic > Party has built and how it misleads the workers, it is your > obligation to support the Democratic Party and make sure it wins > elections, so that it stops doing the terrible stuff that it was > doing when you voted for it. Well, at least that's not how I see the issue. I believe one level of argument is that bourgeois democracy can't by its nature serve the working class. That is, it is a representative system that for structural reasons does not really represent. I would agree with this in principle. In practice, in order for the state to survive, it created about the time of the Civil War the beginning of a commonwealth, For the viability of that commonwealth, it must be somewhat responsive to people's needs and desires. I don't believe it would be hard to show that many laws are actually useful and necessary in the eyes of the bulk of the citizenry. That is, in practice and historically, the bourgeois parties are ambivalent, both serving people's needs and ensuring the condition for their exploitation. This distinction we make by differentiating government and state. This seems to raise two issues. One is that at any moment one has to assess whether the positive outweighs the negative. In spite of everything, I believe most people assume the former. After all, the majority of people do register with one of the major parties and vote. If the political system were entirely empty or clearly on the whole hostile to their interests, they would do neither and turn instead to some other form of political expression. On the other hand, I believe contradictions are deepening and this situation will change. The other issue is that it makes participation in the political process ambivalent. On one hand you are trying and to some extent succeed a bit in getting the political institution to respond to your interests. Arguments to the contrary seem too facile. But on the other hand, one is contributing to the strength and legitimacy of an institution that is fundamentally hostile to the working class. I believe, while there is certainly ambivalence, I do not see it as a contradiction. Political participation strengthens the political potentials of the working class and brings some pressure to bear that makes the system respond to our needs. That is, action should aim at deepening the contradictions of the system by strengthening oneself while making demands upon a system that it is increasingly unable to address. Now, of course, if a third, more progressive, party arises and does not get co-opted as usual, that should be supported. The aim should not be to strive for an imagined goal that contradicts the present order, but to deepen the contradictions of the present order by actions that enhance the real political potentials of the working class so that it can demand its needs be met, and when the major parties can no longer deliver, to turn to alternative political means that have greater promise. Participation in Democratic Party politics is part of a process, not an end in itself. -- Haines Brown, KB1GRM From bauerly at yorku.ca Fri Sep 5 12:16:47 2008 From: bauerly at yorku.ca (bauerly at yorku.ca) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:16:47 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] RNC Arrests and Lack of Discussion Message-ID: <1220638607.48c1778fd0593@mymail.yorku.ca> The story that follows states that 396 people were arrested on Thursday night and that a total of more than 800 have been arrested in the four days of the convention. Add to this the countless number pepper and tear gas sprayed, shot with rubber bullets etc.. and the conspiracy to commit terrorism charges against the RNC Welcome Committee (RNC-8) and we have what amounts to the largest example of political activism and repression in a long time. I cannot think of the last time over 800 people were arrested in acts of civil disobedience. Although this is not the movement that many of you here would like to see, it surprises me to see so little discussion on this list. Most of those arrested were protesting war, imperialism and poverty, with a very high level of political consciousness regarding the connections between these. Maybe some would like to comment on their thoughts about this important development. Maybe not. Brad Antiwar March Ends In Tense Standoff, 396 Arrests The final night of the convention led to confrontations between police and protesters. At least 396 people were arrested, an official said this morning. by Curt Brown, Terry Collins, Randy Furst and Heron Marquez Estrada Police arrested scores more people Thursday night after another series of tense showdowns with protesters on the final night of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Police push people back after a person was arrested during a protest at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)Sweeping into the State Capitol grounds in riot gear, police used snowplows, horses and dump trucks to seal off downtown from antiwar demonstrators attempting a march to the Xcel Energy Center. "They chose not to leave when told to do so and now everyone's paying the price," said one officer on the scene. This morning, the Joint Information Center said 396 people were arrested during Thursday's demonstrations, and a total of 818 people were arrested during the four-day convention. The numbers are preliminary; an official count will be released later today, said a spokeswoman for the center, which has been providing information about arrests and security during the convention. Most of those arrested were ticketed and released, the spokeswoman said. Thursday night, as police blocked off bridges to stop demonstrators from getting downtown, a rolling series of sit-down protests started on the John Ireland Boulevard bridge over Interstate 94. The arrests ended with more than 200 demonstrators, squatting with their hands on their heads, taken into custody on the Marion Street bridge. Police used tear gas and pepper spray to quell some of the unrest. A group of more than 700 demonstrators had a permit to rally and march. But they were angry the permit expired at 5 p.m., before delegates began arriving at the Xcel Energy Center for GOP presidential nominee John McCain's acceptance speech. Among those arrested were two Associated Press reporters covering the event. They were issued a citation and detained, along with a KARE-11 TV photographer and more than a dozen other members of the media. All were released later in the evening. "They're trying to steal our protest -- we have to ignore the police intimidation," Katrina Plotz, an organizer with the Anti-War Committee, hollered from a stage in front of the Capitol steps. But ignoring the police wasn't easy during one of the largest shows of force on the fifth straight day of confrontations in St. Paul. From walterlx at earthlink.net Fri Sep 5 12:47:19 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 14:47:19 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] GRANMA: A United Vietnam Advances Despite Global Crisis Message-ID: <10211446.1220640439520.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> LOUIS PROYECT writes: One day I would like to open up a message from Walter dealing with his home state of California or his home country the U.S. Instead we are like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day with the radio going off each morning at 7am announcing that yesterday has arrived once again. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WALTER LIPPMANN responds: Hey, Hey, USA, Way To Go, USA! Patriotismo's gotta stay! Marxists must be bound by what happens in their local city or state? Marxists are internationalists, if I remember this thing rightly. Patriotic concern for coverage of the United States, or is it for the need to limit foreign entanglements and involvements was one of the admonitions of Pres. George Washington, but should we today limit concerns to the immediate local area where we currently reside? Are ALL politics to be strictly local? Capitalism and its ideologists are internationalists to the core. They spread money, investments and ideas wherever they go, but in some cases, they also provide opportunities which might not grow without that investment. Standing tall against foreign investment in Cuba, China, and Vietnam, the critic says nothing about foreign investment right here in God's own center of the universe, the United States of America. Perhaps a holy exemption has been issued for our own local domestic industry of movie productions? Dubai has decided to make a massive investment right here in Hollywood. It doesn't bother me, but for once I think it doesn't bother Louis, either. Well, it's nice finding those times when we actually don't disagree on something. Revolutionary governments can and do sometimes accept direct foreign investments when it serve their needs and interests. One can assess the pluses and minus of such things, but to reject foreign direct investment across the board would be a big mistake, like going driving without making turn signals along the highway. Cuba today has foreign investments from dozens of countries, and would happily accept investment from the United States if it could get it, even at the cost of criticism from left-wingers in the United States who want to protect the Cubans from these negative Yankee influences. There's little interest here in the hurricane which has recently hit Cuba so hard. But attacks on the countries which trade, support and are providing aid to Cuba, that seems to be rhetorical hurricane which never seems to stop. Well, it's a free and open form and each participant has their own priorities to follow. Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California The US offers $100,000 China provides $300,000 East Timor $500,000 ===================================================================== MIAMI-DADE DEMOCRATS Wednesday, September 03, 2008 Help Cuba recover from Gustav: Obama says suspend embargo http://miami-dade-dems.blogspot.com/2008/09/ help-cuba-recover-from-gustav-obama.html ------------------------------------------------------------------- Many videos of hurricane damage and reporting: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/message/90917 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Cuban-American Commission for Family Rights letter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/message/90909 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Cuba welcomes Russian hurricane aid REUTERS 6:29 a.m. September 4, 2008 http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20080904-0629 -cuba-russia-gustav.html ------------------------------------------------------------------- President of East Timor Expresses Solidarity with Cuban People http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/message/90887 ------------------------------------------------------------------- GRANMA: Cuba and Mexico Consolidate Cooperation http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/message/90892 ------------------------------------------------------------------- GRANMA: Hanna Brings Tragedy to Haiti http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/message/90902 "President Alvaro Uribe also asked about Gustav?s damage and expressed Colombia?s readiness to help Cuba." http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/message/90908 =================================================================== Venezuela and South Africa to sign energy deal: official AFP September 1, 2008 http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gx2jV_qKEJeVwDIYPAitGHWmoOZQ JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - South Africa will sign an energy agreement with oil-rich Venezuela on Tuesday that could provide alternative energy sources to Africa's powerhouse economy, the government said. "Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves in the world and developing commercial relations in this sector could provide alternative sources of energy to South Africa," Foreign Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said in a statement Monday. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will arrive in South Africa later in the day on his first state visit to South Africa and is expected to discuss political, trade and economic relations with President Thabo Mbeki. Also on the agenda is the strengthening of South-South relations - between the two continents - and the second Africa-South American Community of Nations Summit to be hosted by Venezuela in November. A crisis in South Africa's coal-driven electricity supply brought the country's key mining industry to a halt earlier this year with massive blackouts blamed for poor first quarter growth. Venezuela, a member of oil cartel OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries), has one of the world's largest oil reserves. The two countries will also discuss mining, armament, agriculture and public works as well as strengthening of South-South relations through cooperation in the Non-Aligned Movement and the G77 + China fora, the statement added. Chavez is scheduled to leave on Wednesday. ============================================================= Chavez wants PetroSA to invest in Venezuela Reuters September 2, 2008 http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN249110.html?rpc=401& PRETORIA - President Hugo Chavez encouraged South Africa's state-owned PetroSA on Tuesday to explore oil resources in Venezuela. "PetroSA should immediately go to Venezuela to start working with us to exploit the resources of the Orinoco belt," Chavez said through a translator during a state visit to South Africa. PetroSA has held high-level discussions with its Venezuelan counterpart, PDVSA, on projects including oil exploration and the production of heavy crude oil in the Orinoco belt of Venezuela. Chavez was speaking after the South African and Venezuelan governments signed agreements on cooperation on the oil and gas sectors and oil exploration in Venezula. No details were immediately available. PetroSA operates one of the world's largest gas-to-liquids (GTL) refineries at Mossel Bay on the southern coast of South Africa, and is actively pursuing oil exploration in Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Egypt. Everton September, vice president of PetroSA's new ventures unit, said last month that oil from Venezuela could be earmarked for PetroSA's new $7 billion Coega refinery project, which would produce 250,000 barrels per day. The refinery, expected to come on stream by 2015, would position PetroSA to export oil throughout southern Africa. Venezuela is South Africa's third largest trading partner within the Andean Community, with total trade between the two countries valued at 896 million rand in 2007. =========================================================== S. Africa, Venezuela sign major energy deal The Associated Press September 2, 2008 http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-09-02-energy-deal_N.htm PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - South Africa and Venezuela sealed a major oil deal Tuesday during a visit by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, who touted it as an example of southern nations cooperating in a new strategic alliance. The two countries' state oil companies reached agreements on oil and gas. "It will be a wonderful day, the day when the first Venezuelan tanker will stop by to leave oil for South Africa," Chavez said. No details of the deals were immediately available, but they were likely to include plans for Venezuela to supply crude at preferential rates to South Africa's PetrosSA state oil company. Venezuela is also eager to explore South Africa's pioneering gas-to-liquid technology, and PetroSA is looking to invest in oil exploration and production in Venezuela. At a news conference after the signing of agreements, Chavez said Venezuela was interested in using South Africa's oil storage capacity of some 45 million barrels and helping expand its refining capacity. With the world in crisis, Chavez said it was imperative that southern nations unite behind a "new strategic agenda, to conduct a true strategic change in international relations." South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki said several agreements signed Tuesday contribute to "the further empowerment of the countries of the south." It was Chavez's first visit to South Africa. ================================================================ http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-abudhabi4-2008sep04,1,3434307.story From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Sep 5 12:50:42 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:50:42 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] GRANMA: A United Vietnam Advances Despite Global Crisis In-Reply-To: <10211446.1220640439520.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <10211446.1220640439520.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <48C17F82.5080505@panix.com> Walter Lippmann wrote: > Hey, Hey, USA, Way To Go, USA! Patriotismo's gotta stay! More idiotic troll bait from Walter. Let's ignore him, comrades. Maybe he'll go away. From sartesian at earthlink.net Fri Sep 5 13:21:22 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 15:21:22 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] GRANMA: A United Vietnam Advances Despite GlobalCrisis References: <10211446.1220640439520.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net> <48C17F82.5080505@panix.com> Message-ID: <2ED184A66BF74801854DCEDA2999978F@dmsthinkpad> I agree-- UNLESS others on the list think there is some validity to Walter's arguments, and if so, it would be nice to hear from them and engage them rather than Walter who offers no analysis, no insight, nothing but distortion and boosterism. Original Message ----- From: "Louis Proyect" To: > More idiotic troll bait from Walter. Let's ignore him, comrades. Maybe > he'll go away. > From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Sep 5 14:48:06 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:48:06 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Yoji Yamada's Samurai Trilogy Message-ID: <48C19B06.90509@panix.com> ?Twilight Samurai? (2002) and ?The Hidden Blade,? (2004) the first two installments in Yoji Yamada?s Samurai trilogy are now available from Netflix. ?Love and Honor,? the final installment, showed at the Imaginasian Theater in New York last November and should soon be available in home DVD as well. Although I missed ?Love and Honor? when it was at the Imaginasian, I am grateful for the loan of a press screener from a fellow programmer at Columbia University who has had an involvement with Japanese films for decades. I am not sure of the 77 year old Yoji Yamada?s political associations today but the N.Y. Times reported in 1982 that he was ?a member in good standing of Japan?s Communist Party? and usually tried to make ?some reference in his films to man?s disaffection with society.? For those of you who think of Kurosawa?s samurai movies as genre-defining, you are likely to be surprised by Yamada?s approach (even though both directors were men of the left) for Yamada sees the men not primarily as warriors but as court functionaries in a feudal system that was about to be replaced by the capitalism of the Meiji restoration. They are always pathetic in one fashion or another, but find a way in the climax of each of his great movies to redeem their honor in a display of swordsmanship against the feudal forces of oppression. These are very class conscious films, even if the alignment of class forces bears little resemblance to modern-day bourgeois society. ?Twilight Samurai? is a double-entendre. The hero, Seibei Iguchi (Hiroyuki Sanada), has been nicknamed ?twilight? by fellow clerks since he goes straight home at sunset to look after his two young daughters or to plow his fields rather than join them for drinks at the local geisha house. The word ?twilight? also describes the period in Japanese history immediately before the Meiji restoration that brought an end to samurai power and privilege. By the 1800s, many samurai had descended to Seibi Iguchi?s status. They functioned as minor bureaucrats in a decaying feudal system rather than as warriors. Indeed, Seibei?s existence evokes Bob Cratchit rather than Yojimbo. His day is spent in the counting house of the local prince?s palace, where he sits and enters columns of numbers onto parchment. I was reminded of the social function of my ancestors since Proyect is Yiddish for the counting house of a tax-farmer, a role assigned typically to the court Jews of the Middle Ages. full: http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2008/09/05/yoji-yamadas-samurai-trilogy/ From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Fri Sep 5 16:34:54 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:34:54 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Swaziland disgrace In-Reply-To: <48C175F9.8000100@panix.com> References: <48C175F9.8000100@panix.com> Message-ID: <48C1B40E.6010505@greenleft.org.au> People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo) leaders address the situation in Swaziland at http://links.org.au/node/586 10,000 Swazis protested (a huge demo considering Swaziland's population) on September 3. Louis Proyect wrote: > I reviewed "Without the King," the movie referred to in the article > below, here: http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/without-the-king/ > > --- > > NY Times, September 6, 2008 > The Costs of a Living in a Fairy Tale Kingdom > By BARRY BEARAK > > From ffeldman at bellatlantic.net Fri Sep 5 17:11:52 2008 From: ffeldman at bellatlantic.net (Fred Feldman) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:11:52 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama, Message-ID: In general, Joaquin's analysis seems sound. The terms of the game have not changed. The Palin nomination may strengthen the "white nationalist" appeal of McCain in the modern GOP tradition, but does not guarantee it victory to put it mildly. "White nationalism" not being a purely independent factor but at the psychological core of a broad reactionary framework framework of class domination. Think about Palin's criticism of Michelle Obama, who said she found the votes for her husband made her completely proud of being an American for the first time. Palin replies, No, I have always been proud of my country, the best country of the world. Michelle Obama is here required to believe, in order to be a loyal American, that America is and has always been the best country in the world. Slave! Jim Crow! What are YOU complaining about? This is America, and you must think that being here is the most wonderful thing that could have happened to you! Do you think that running around in the jungle eating bananas would have been better for you, you Black ape -- no offense meant, of course, and color-blindness guaranteed. Would even Clarence Thomas or Condoleeza Rice be able to firmly endorse this claim without a lot of hemming and hawing. Would they insist, as the Republicans in the form of McCain-Palin really demand of Blacks, that it would have been better to be a slave here than free anywhere else. Because who knows, your great-great-great-great grandchildren MIGHT get rich, which makes it all okay. Actually I don't think the Republican convention has carried the day for the Republicans, though some of my warnings about the ultrarightist character of Palin and therefore McCain-Palin, as the most genuinely white male-female ticket, as well as the evidence that the Democrats are ill-prepared to take this on, are valid. The meaning of this ticket is: all people who fight for white consciousness, get on board. In other words, the appeal to alleged or real Clinton supporters who reject Obama is an appeal to white power given a very slight twist through a female who fights openly for the subordination of women in the interests of the struggle against the elite that sold our country to the Blacks, the Arabs, the illegal immigrants, the elite feminist baby-killing scum (the people who supposedly insisted she MUST ABORT her Down's Syndrome fetus), and, in general, the colored of all shapes, sizes, hues, and sexes. This is the Southern Strategy fighting for survival. My own suspicion -- and I certainly hope I am right -- is that it is not going to work. The Palin nomination and the partial transformation of the McCain campaign into a more open, sharp, and necessarily right-wing white-power campaign (regardless of the fact that Buchanan, in an orgy of overjoyed generosity about the Palin nomination, gives McCain permission to reach out to liberals and so forth if he must). The right wing, of course, is in a state of prolonged and repetitive orgasm over the outcome of the Republican convention: Here is the beginning of a typically over the top analysis attributed to Robert Novak: HumanEvents at HumanEventsOnline.com 1. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has utterly changed the political landscape and revitalized the Republican Party. The presidential contest is not the race it was two weeks ago. It is now a serious fight for the "reform" mantle, and-in a return to 2002 and 2004-another battle in the now-revived culture war. 2. Expect Sen. John McCain to surge ahead of Sen. Barack Obama in the polls over the weekend. This could be crushing for the Obama campaign, especially in the wake of their superb convention last week in Denver. 3. The Palin effect has rallied the conservative base in an extraordinary way, with Republicans at all levels reporting a deluge of donations and volunteers. If the phenomenon persists until Election Day, it will have an impact down-ballot and slash Republican losses. 4. Democratic unity cannot be questioned. The Clintons' performances in Denver highlighted a four-day love-fest. I follow Novak, whose reports go under the name of Evans-Novak though Rowland Evans died in 2001. Novak himself was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor with an unfavorable prognosis. He pulled out of the column for a time, but has now resumed "authorship." ++But I find it hard to believe he wrote the first three points in this analysis, which seems to assume that if the Republican party base is united, then the nation is theirs by definition. This does not sound like Novak to me who is not as a rule drunk with culture-war triumphalism as the first three points clearly are. The points starting with four which remind everybody of the strength of the Democratic position, contradict the "dizzy with success" (that's a quote from Stalin) first three points, bear Novak's cautions and more thoughtful trademark. And "if Democratic unity cannot be questioned" as the column suddenly insists on point four, what the hell guarantees all the triumphalist stuff that proceeds. He seems to assume that the fact that McCain-Pailin have taken the country by storm and are marching to a smashing victory will not divide the Democrats. Why the hell not? If "patriotic" white "America" is now crying with one voice to ban all abortions, ban books, for Alaskan WHITE independence (let me reveal here that I am not unconditionally opposed to Alaskan independence), that the Iraq war is ordered by God (a Palinism, though, like a good Buchananite, she sometimes has her doubts), and so on, well, this may be so. But this may be a misreading of where the population, where Obama has now retained a strong base of support for a long time now, is at. The whites who have been supporting him, in my view, have already noticed that Obama is Black. And I tend to doubt that the McCain decision (whether he knew what he was doing or not) to create a more open male-female campaign for white power as the American Way will totally reverse the trend toward Obama that existed before. From michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Fri Sep 5 17:56:23 2008 From: michael at ecst.csuchico.edu (Michael Perelman) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 16:56:23 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power In-Reply-To: <48C12D04.7010705@panix.com> References: <48C12D04.7010705@panix.com> Message-ID: <20080905235623.GA9263@tiglon.ecst.csuchico.edu> Here is an interesting interview with Sharlet. http://ianmasters.org/masters_llc_060808_80.mp3 -- 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 ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 18:01:22 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 20:01:22 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How to respond to following Obama-vote logic? Message-ID: <908b689f0809051701t5015e0e6t7d88cb1c4c94bc14@mail.gmail.com> Any idea how to respond to the following logic...? "I got into a discussion the other day with a friend, who worried that a Barack Obama victory would sideline the struggle for human equality. "Power will now say that if there's a Black man in the White House, what's there to complain about?," he argued. The discussion frustrated me. "So, is my friend saying that it is better for the worldwide freedom struggle if Obama loses? This is like telling the national liberation movements of the 1950s and 1960s not to take power because neo-colonialism would suffocate their movements. It's like telling the US Congress in 1964-65 not to pass the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts because they don't address economic inequality. "No. Pass the acts, and then intensify the struggle. Take power and then push for more." Thoughts? From jbustelo at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 18:15:55 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 20:15:55 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama In-Reply-To: <927B8E9A79CA41CA97445DE62E6CA45D@MARV> References: <927B8E9A79CA41CA97445DE62E6CA45D@MARV> Message-ID: <353BF8D124D44D1EBB83AEF281FDF178@albanta> Marvin writes: "If the Democrats, for example, were to import the base, leadership and program of the Labour Party tomorrow, the political behaviour of this new creature in US circumstances would change not one iota, and vice versa. Clinton and Obama and Blair and Brown and the NDP's Layton regard themselves as belonging to the same political family and see eye to eye on all essential matters. The more benign British and Canadian politicians might cluck sympathetically about the messy compromises their liberal American counterparts have to make in deference to a more backward political culture and the imperatives of US imperialism, but that's about it. "I've noted before the tendency of US radicals to justify their distance from the Democrats by idealizing the social democratic parties, as if latter were open and democratic "workers' parties" - somewhat foul-tasting but still kosher - and therefore qualitatively different in class terms than the bourgeois Democrats in which the masses are ostensibly absent. In Joaquin's case, it seems to me there is further effort at distancing in his suggestions that he supports not the Democratic party but only it's standardbearer, Obama, as the representative of black America. I have to say I'm not as persuaded as Joaquin and others seem to be that the lines between the social democratic parties and Obama, on the one hand, and the Democratic party on the other are as sharply drawn as they attempt to make out." I ALREADY wrote a quite extensive and reasoned reply to this, but that p-o-s Microsoft program Outlook crashed and threw it away, so this will be briefer. I do not believe there is any "principled" difference between voting for the Mensheviks, or the Cadets, or the American Democrats, or the British (old) Labour, or New Labour, or the Tories, or Margaret Thatcher, or Winston Churchill, or Attila the Hun, or Adolph Hitler. None. Zero. Zip. Bourgeois electoral farces are farces. BOURGEOIS "workers" parties are JUST AS BOURGEOIS as the German Nazi party to the aleph null power. What is "workers" about some BOURGEOIS parties are simply those tactical circumstances that make it possible for revolutionaries to try to undercut and destroy them by hypocritically PRETENDING to be "for" them. THAT IS ALL. ONE of those circumstances being, it should be noted, the existence of a workers movement. Which makes the ENTIRE discussion about as relevant to the US political scene as the Soviet incantantion you learn at Hogwarts in advanced classes on defense against Dark Arts. A discussion that belongs entirely to the realm of Fantasy. Marvin seems convinced that I'm pimping for Obama. I hate to disabuse him, but the TRUTH is, with the friends and coworkers I have, MOSTLY in the last couple of days I've been pimping for Libertarian Bob Barr. Mad-dog racist right winger Bob Barr. To understand this, you have got to get your head unstuck from your anal orifice and realize that the US is NOT going to have a "bourgeois democratic" election for president. The U.S. is about to have 50 quasi-feudal winner-take-all voting farces for the members of the cretinous institution of the electoral college. I could explain further, but I won't. Either you GET IT that tactics are concrete, or you're the socialist equivalent of all the right wingers having orgasms about Bristol Palin bearing witness to "life." Joaquin From marvgandall at videotron.ca Fri Sep 5 18:15:19 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:15:19 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama References: <4143DA3C9F9D4D33B0CC71E3FE29041D@office1pc> Message-ID: <4BCF89FECADB4B2AAA7899AD72602F49@MARV> Fred writes: > > He should consult comrades like John Riddell, Suzanne Weiss, and Barry > Weisleder, all of whom have quite a few experiences with the structural > differences between the NDP and the Liberals (or the Democrats here) and > have had occasional successes in work in the NDP. I don't know Suzanne Weiss, but John, Barry and I go back a long way. When I was active politically, we were in the Waffle together as part of the LSA fraction in the NDP. I wrote the line document for the Mandelite minority in the LSA on our experience in the Waffle. As I recall, Richard Fidler wrote the line document for the League. Later, Barry and I collaborated in the RMG, and subsequently in various smaller incarnations of the Waffle in the NDP after I left the Trotskyist movement. These included at different times the Left Caucus in which former LSA'ers associated with Ross Dowson played an important role, the Agenda group which included the Canadian Lambertistes Luc Aujambe and Ross Sherwood, and the Campaign for an Activist party which ran Judy Rebick for party president. I also wrote on the labour movement and the NDP for Canadian Dimension and This Magazine, the leading publications of the broader Canadian left, and participated in public forums on NDP-related matters with CP'ers and social democrats. So unless things have changed dramatically in the party in the intervening decades, and much as I retain warm feelings and admiration for both John and Barry, I am not sure there is much either could tell me about the Trotskyist orientation to the NDP or the nature of the party or "the occasional successes of work in the NDP". I'm glad, incidentally, you chose to qualify the successes in this way. If anything, I think an argument could be made that the left in the Democratic party has been more vigorous than the NDP left for some time. I'm thinking of groups like the former Rainbow Coalition and, more recently, the Progressive Democrats of America (http://www.pdamerica.org/). I know American Trotskyists are contemptuous of the PDA and other opposition caucuses and blogs inside and around the DP, but they seem to me broader and deeper and more dynamic than any anything the Canadian left has produced in the NDP since the Waffle in the late 60s. A quick glance at the PDA website suggests there is considerably more organized activity at this level than is credited by yourself and others on the list. The real issue, it seems to me, is not that you think there is no such activity, despite your claims to the contrary, but that you think it is worse than useless because it reinforces illusions about the Democrats. I've also previously alluded to the trade unions and the representative organizations of blacks, Hispanics, gays, women, etc. who regularly mobilize hundreds of thousands to organize and canvass on behalf of Democratic candidates. These mobilizations at least match and arguably exceed the kind of activity undertaken by similar organizations on behalf of the NDP in Canada. However, you applaud this as positive political action in the latter instance while wholly denying it's existence in the case of the Democrats. I think you also make a fetish of "membership cards" as indicating a lack mass participation in the DP, and greatly exaggerate the level of mass activity and the presence of unnamed "structures" in the NDP as indicating the control that party members are ostensibly able to exert over the party's leadership and program. > Marvin's position would be more logical if he argued for the Canadian > labor > movement abandon the relatively isolated NDP for the big as all outdoors > Liberals, who after all include a lot of people who sympathize with > unions, > social movements and think that, all other things being equal, world peace > is preferable to world war. I am afraid you are wrong about this. The unions support the NDP as do most activists from the various sectors I identified in the Democratic party. They don't support the Liberals. When Buzz Hargrove and the CAW began moving to supporting the Liberals after the Ontario NDP government's imposition of a "social contract" on Ontario unions, he was roundly condemned by the rest of the labour movement. It's true that the CCF/NDP's failure to grow as a third party for more than seven decades, and it's failure to sufficiently distinguish itself from the Liberals serves as an incentive for "people who sympathize with unions, social movements and think that, all other things being equal, world peace is preferable to world war" to vote for the Liberals against the Conservatives. But there is no historical relationship between the labour and social movements and the Liberals as there is between these institutions and their activists and the NDP. > And to suggest that the base of the Democratic Party is "sympathetic to > trade unions, social movements, and world peace" is a great prettification > of both the base and their preferences. The Democratic base is much, much > more inclusive than the NDP's, for example. The base of the Democratic > Party > includes, for example, investment bankers, cops and prison guards, machine > politicians and lots of others. (It is also true that the NDP is pretty > much > nowhere among the Quebecois and, I suspect, the Native peoples, whereas > the > DP has a big Black and Latino base.) It includes not only peace-oriented > sectors of the population but quite hawkish ones. Lieberman was not a > Democrat by mistake. You will also find cops and prison guards. machine politicians, and increasingly even investment bankers in all of the social democratic parties as well. The suggestion is not that the the Democrats are what we used to conceive of as a "workers' party". The suggestion is that neither are the social democratic parties, if they once were. They are all pro-capitalist parties which draw on a core base of trade unionists and supporters of a wide range of social protest groups. It follows that if is valid to "enter" the NDP and the British Labour Party, it is equally valid to enter the DP, and if is perceived as futile or unprincipled to enter the Democrats, the same should necessarily hold true for the social democrats. > Marvin should avoid talking to radicals in the United States as though we > are all absolutely ignorant not only of Canada but of everything about the > US as well. This most recent contribution shows slippage in that > direction, > in my opinion. Well, I will have to be more careful of leaving that impression. The time I spend exploring this issue is in itself indicative of my respect for Marxmailers like yourself, Joaquin, and others whose contributions I value, despite disagreement. I'd hardly describe you as "ignorant". I'd describe your analyses of the NDP and the Democrats as self-serving, but no doubt you'd level the same criticism at me. From marvgandall at videotron.ca Fri Sep 5 18:28:04 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:28:04 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama References: <927B8E9A79CA41CA97445DE62E6CA45D@MARV> <353BF8D124D44D1EBB83AEF281FDF178@albanta> Message-ID: Joaquin wrote: > Marvin seems convinced that I'm pimping for Obama. I hate to disabuse him, > but the TRUTH is, with the friends and coworkers I have, MOSTLY in the > last > couple of days I've been pimping for Libertarian Bob Barr. Mad-dog racist > right winger Bob Barr. To understand this, you have got to get your head > unstuck from your anal orifice and realize that the US is NOT going to > have > a "bourgeois democratic" election for president. The U.S. is about to have > 50 quasi-feudal winner-take-all voting farces for the members of the > cretinous institution of the electoral college. ============================== Bob Barr? You kidder, you. :) From nchamah at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 19:03:27 2008 From: nchamah at gmail.com (nchamah miller) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 21:03:27 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] CSN Statement on FARC Message-ID: * * Dear Walter Lipmann: I am a bit surprised by the question given your trajectory as a Latin political analyst who appears informed on many circumstances surrounding the political conjuncture of Colombia and the FARC, a conclusion I reach by reading your postings. I shall not take offence at your North American cultural approach although not amused by the paternalism implied in "claims to be" There are many aspects of your question which I cannot not address here but refer to the genealogy of the relations between the Communist Party and the FARC. Surely, in the face of the recent events with the Government trying to virtually shut down La Voz, the party's newspaper, and the series of indictments against Communists you cannot expect the party to have a "position" with respect to the FARC. They have a position with respect to the crisis and civil war in Colombia: 1) resumption of the peace process, 2) humanitarian accord. In a speech by Gilberto Vieira, in 1973, (Tribuna Roya No. 10 octubre de 1973) the then Secretary of the Party articulated this relationship succinctly, since you read Spanish fluently I shall not translate it, because I imagine this topic has a very restricted readership, unless somebody on this list-serve is adamant that I do so, ** "[...] la liberaci?n nacional del yugo del imperialismo yanqui, cuya opresi?n y saqueo es la cuesti?n principal de la vida econ?mica y pol?tica colombiana. Esta reivindicaci?n es el centro de todas nuestras luchas actuales. Y se expresa en todos los aspectos nacionales. La recuperaci?n de nuestra riqueza, especialmente el petr?leo, que exige una inmediata nacionalizaci?n. La independencia econ?mica. La liberaci?n de la carga del endeudamiento externo y de los lazos de la dependencia financiera. La modificaci?n de la pol?tica exterior, subordinada al Departamento de Estado norteamericano. La expulsi?n del pa?s de las incontables misiones militares y seudo-t?cnicas que pululan en todas las dependencias oficiales y en todas las escalas. El rescate de nuestra pol?tica de educaci?n de la tutela y la penetraci?n imperialista". "El programa de la UNO responde n?tidamente a la cuesti?n agraria colombiana, al planteamiento de lucha anti-latifundista que ha inscrito en sus banderas el Partido Comunista desde que surgi? a la lucha pol?tica en Colombia en 1930. Yo saludo la presencia en la UNO de los nuevos contingentes de lucha contra el latifundismo que han venido desde Boyac? y C?rdoba a reforzar los destacamentos de la revoluci?n agraria colombiana que han hecho historia en Sumapaz, en el Tequendama, en el Huila, en el Tolima, en el Meta!" Today, the party is articulating its political platform under the umbrella of the Polo Democratico, a position some of us have decried, but given the current violence of political persecussions, it may have been a wise political choice as we weather this storm, and we may yet stand to be corrected. nchamah PS (sorry I missed you when you were last in Toronto visiting your friends here I was at that time in Bogota when the Party had made the decision to join with the Polo). To Greg MacDonald: your sources duly noted. From gdunkel at mindspring.com Fri Sep 5 19:41:19 2008 From: gdunkel at mindspring.com (Greg Dunkel) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 21:41:19 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? Message-ID: <21817489.1220665279491.JavaMail.root@mswamui-blood.atl.sa.earthlink.net> I work in a unionized IT shop -- there are a few in the public sector. My union just won a grievance on compensation for overtime. One of my colleagues filed for nearly 9 weeks of comp time, which he wouldn't have gotten without a union. Never would have gotten this time without a union. And if we make a mistake the boss has no right to fire us just for one mistake. And they can't walk up to you in my shop with shopping bags and a armed guard and tell you to clean out your desk with a union. Should IT workers unionize? Sure. Every worker needs a union, unskilled (so-called) more than skilled, but we all need one to protect our interests. /greg From jbustelo at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 19:45:02 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 21:45:02 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama, In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <48DEB36A14AB43309B4F1EB69B6B5F3A@albanta> Fred writes: "White nationalism" not being a purely independent factor but at the psychological core of a broad reactionary framework of class domination. * * * God, I wished I'd said that. To explain: In my last post, I said I'd been doing as much pimping for Barr as I'd been for Obama. Here's why: Among my (Anglo) friends and coworkers are any number of working people convinced that their real identity is "true American" land of the free and home of the brave and all that jingoistic crap. Yet, they don't like to be "big brothered," they don't like concentration camps and are definitely down on torture, and all sorts of similar things. And my message to them is something like, the war on terror is a war on you. On YOUR rights and YOUR immunities, on your privilege to be let alone by the feds. They see and resent all sorts of aspects of police state impositions, even though they are completely BLIND to issues of nationality and race, and (seemingly) class (but not really). But what's behind their seeming libertarianism is class instinct trying to break out of the straight-jacket of bourgeois ideological hegemony. It's not strong enough to do that yet, but at least it is strong enough to bend it around the edges. In one of these discussions, I even had the surprising experience of one of them saying he wasn't sure about Barr, perhaps voting for Nader would be the stronger message, because it was really these f-d up corporations that were calling the shots. Obviously that discussion went a lot further. But as for the rest, what do I tell them? That they're crazy to vote for McCain because that is to endorse all of Bush's abuses, usurpations bullshit airport screenings, do-not-fly lists, concentration camps and torture chambers. That I am not for Bob Barr, because I'm a red, but if THEY had the courage of THEIR convictions, they'd use Barr's ballot status to vote against King George and his Republican successor. That kind of stuff. Because in Georgia, there are only three parties on the ballot. Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians. Moreover, write-in candidates have to officially register with the secretary of state and go through a whole legal rigmarole, which Nader did in 2004. I wrote in Nader in 2004. Imagine my surprise (not!!!) when I checked the official returns for my precinct and found not a single Nader vote! It seemed like a whole bunch of people had come out to vote for the (unopposed) Democritan-Republicrat slate of state Supreme Court Justices, dog catcher, even the closely contested race of Sheriff, but couldn't be bothered to vote for President. (Not that voting for sheriff did them much good: a couple of weeks after the election the winner was bullet-balloted --in the head-- and if I remember right his opponent took office, for a while, before going to prison for murder). How would I vote? Well, assuming the presidential race was a foregone conclusion one way or the other, but there was a real question about the Libertarians keeping their ballot line, I might vote for right-winger Bob Barr. I would think about it a lot. Because having even a right wing "third party" legalized here keeps open at least a sliver more political space that working people MIGHT in the future be able to take advantage of. Voting for Nader, or Mickey Mouse, or Fidel Castro for President (all of which I've done at one time or another) is pretty much the same in Georgia. Some people write as if they are going to participate in elections in a bourgeois-democratic republic. I am under no such illusions. In 2000, there were counties in Georgia that had even MORE presidential votes uncounted than even the worst FLORIDA counties. And these weren't even newfangled touch-screen voting machine counties, nor old-fangled punch card voting machine counties, these were PAPER BALLOT counties, where fully ONE FIFTH of the presidential vote was used as toilet paper. You know, the U.S. Constitution, as originally drafted and ratified, say Blacks count as three-fifths of a person, and in Georgia, there are still some counties who do their damndest to honor that. Because, of course, the counties with the largest uncounted presidential vote were mostly Black rural counties. And it was the Black precincts that had their votes thrown out. And it wasn't like the Republicans who run those counties were even trying to steal the election, for Bush won here by a landslide. They just refused to count a whole bunch of those votes on principle, because the n*****s were being "uppity" by voting. And if you think I'm just being slanderous about the South, Google "Westmoreland" and "uppity" to read all about one of our Congresscritters criticizing some crazy n*****r who thinks he's running for President. Except the crazy wasn't Dick Gregory in 1968, it is Barack Obama in 2008. Obama is being "uppity." Given the chance by the journalist interviewing him to retract the "uppity" remark, congressturd Westmoreland reiterated the remark instead, and later had his mouthpiece put out a statement about how all he meant was "elitist." RIGHT. A white Georgia cracker congressturd who didn't know the word that comes after "uppity" is "n****r." And those aren't sheets he's wearing. He just likes white. And hoods. Which brings me back to my vote. Assuming the Georgia presidential race is NOT a foregone conclusion (and it won't be if enough confused white computer geek types vote for Bob Barr, which I am ENTIRELY for) I'm going to vote AGAINST Black folks being called "uppity" for daring to run for President. If I could vote for Nader, I would be sorely tempted, probably would, even if my vote lost Obama the state, and if I could vote for McKinney I certainly would, if for no other reason that she has been a true and loyal friend of the immigrant rights movement here, going out of her way to support it and legitimize it even when it hurt her from a narrow electoral point of view. But as things stand, I don't have either of those choices, not really, unless I bullshit myself, so I will cast the most useful vote I can think of under the circumstances that prevail right then. In commenting on my earlier post, Marvin writes as if I spoke for, or were urging a position to be adopted by, a nation-wide socialist group with thousands of members. Not only do I not speak for such a group, there is no such group to speak for. The socialist movement in the U.S. is largely atomized, and it is that reality that must be dealt with. Under THESE conditions, what I would urge people to do is figure out in great detail all the ways your own state's presidential election is merely an illusion or mockery even of bourgeois democracy, and whenever you get the chance, explain it to people. For example, how you would have voted for McKinney or Nader but they don't count those votes, as in my case. Just don't go pie-in-the-sky about how you're voting for La Riva because she's for socialism or some similar idiocy, as if THIS were a democracy where they would actually COUNT such votes. Cause it ain't, and they don't. At least not where I live. Joaquin From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Sep 5 19:52:52 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:52:52 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Long Live Free Estonia Message-ID: <20080906015253.B7BB3D32D@mailbackend.panix.com> Estonian Separatists Declare Independence ST. PETERSBURG | September 3 RIA Novosti - Two provinces in north-east Estonia have joined forces to declare an independent "Soviet republic" and intend to seek Russia's recognition, a Russian communist organization said on Wednesday. "We no longer want to live in bourgeois Estonia, where nobody cares about the common people...with raging unemployment and corruption, and where everything depends on NATO and the Americans," Russian communists from St Petersburg, who are assisting the 'republic,' quoted its founder, Andres Tamm, as saying. Residents and founders of the 'Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic' have already formed a national 'Soviet government,' a police force, and have begun demarcating the state's borders. From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 20:02:04 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 22:02:04 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Long Live Free Estonia In-Reply-To: <20080906015253.B7BB3D32D@mailbackend.panix.com> References: <20080906015253.B7BB3D32D@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0809051902u688a6aa4rf57a0e51cdc593b5@mail.gmail.com> On Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 9:52 PM, Louis Proyect wrote: > Estonian Separatists Declare Independence > > ST. PETERSBURG | September 3 > > RIA Novosti - Two provinces in north-east Estonia have joined forces > to declare an independent "Soviet republic" and intend to seek > Russia's recognition, a Russian communist organization said on Wednesday. Apparently, it's not two "provinces" but two "farms"....but, who knows? STRATFOR -- Russian state press outlet RIA Novosti ran a story Sept. 3 about two farms in northeast Estonia, a former Soviet republic, that reportedly have declared independence. According to the article, the two farms have joined to form an "independent Soviet republic" and would no longer "live in bourgeois Estonia, where nobody cares about the common people ? with raging unemployment and corruption, and where everything depends on NATO and the Americans." The article notes that the farms had formed a police force and were warning that relatives of World War II Estonian Nazi collaborators were en route to attack them. From lnp3 at panix.com Fri Sep 5 20:20:10 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:20:10 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Bourgeois nationalization? Message-ID: <20080906022012.3A9AAD671@mailbackend.panix.com> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/05/AR2008090503351.html Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac to be Put Under Federal Control, Sources Say By David S. Hilzenrath, Neil Irwin, and Zachary A.Goldfarb Washington Post Staff Writers Friday, September 5, 2008; 8:33 PM The government has formulated a plan to put troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under federal control, dismiss their top executives, and use government funds to prop them up, government officials told the two companies yesterday, according to sources familiar with the conversations. Under the plan, the federal government would place the firms in a legal state known as conservatorship, the sources said. The value of the company's common stock would be diluted but not wiped out while the holdings of other securities, including company debt and preferred shares, would be protected by the government. Instead of giving each company a big capital infusion up front, the government plans to make quarterly infusions as the companies' losses warrant, the sources said. This would be an attempt to minimize the initial cost of the rescue. As the pace of discussions accelerated today, Treasury officials contacted senior congressional leaders, telling them they might be briefed on the plan this weekend and asking for telephone numbers at which they could be reached. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have backed 70 percent of new mortgages in recent months, but have incurred vast losses on their loan portfolios as the housing market has tanked. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr., the architect of the plan, and other government leaders have said the companies remain vital to preventing an even broader financial crisis and economic downturn. The chief executives of the two companies were called into afternoon meetings today at the 17th Street NW offices of the Federal Housing Finance Administration, their direct regulator, according to sources familiar with the events. Executives of the two companies were told to show up without being told of an agenda. Daniel Mudd, chief executive of Fannie Mae, was accompanied by outside lawyers. He showed up at around 3 p.m. for a two hour meeting. Richard Syron, chief executive of Freddie Mac, started his meeting at around 5 p.m., accompanied by several members of the Freddie Mac board. Paulson, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, James Lockhart, the director of the housing finance regulator told the executives of the plan, which would strip them of their jobs. From jbustelo at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 20:40:26 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 22:40:26 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama In-Reply-To: <4BCF89FECADB4B2AAA7899AD72602F49@MARV> References: <4143DA3C9F9D4D33B0CC71E3FE29041D@office1pc> <4BCF89FECADB4B2AAA7899AD72602F49@MARV> Message-ID: Marvin writes: If anything, I think an argument could be made that the left in the Democratic party has been more vigorous than the NDP left for some time. I'm thinking of groups like the former Rainbow Coalition and, more recently, the Progressive Democrats of America (http://www.pdamerica.org/). I know American Trotskyists are contemptuous of the PDA and other opposition caucuses and blogs inside and around the DP, but they seem to me broader and deeper and more dynamic than any anything the Canadian left has produced in the NDP since the Waffle in the late 60s. A quick glance at the PDA website suggests there is considerably more organized activity at this level than is credited by yourself and others on the list. The real issue, it seems to me, is not that you think there is no such activity, despite your claims to the contrary, but that you think it is worse than useless because it reinforces illusions about the Democrats. I've also previously alluded to the trade unions and the representative organizations of blacks, Hispanics, gays, women, etc. who regularly mobilize hundreds of thousands to organize and canvass on behalf of Democratic candidates. These mobilizations at least match and arguably exceed the kind of activity undertaken by similar organizations on behalf of the NDP in Canada. However, you applaud this as positive political action in the latter instance while wholly denying it's existence in the case of the Democrats. I think you also make a fetish of "membership cards" as indicating a lack mass participation in the DP, and greatly exaggerate the level of mass activity and the presence of unnamed "structures" in the NDP as indicating the control that party members are ostensibly able to exert over the party's leadership and program. * * * Marvin doesn't seem to get it, so let me be blatant. The problem with entryism in the Democratic Party is that there is NOTHING to "enter." Nada. Zero. Zip. These groups you read about in his posts are purely letterhead organizations. They way it really works in my experience at the local level is overlapping networks and cliques, and in Georgia, separate ones by current and race, with the most consciously anti-racist whites (often radicals from the 60's) and least opportunist self-seeking whites serving as a bridge between them. Generally a LOT of the self-seeking opportunist whites tend to be in the conservative/moderate Democrat networks, the ones in the (white) progressive Democrat networks tend to be pretty nice people, more teacher-college prof-IT types, whereas the conservative/moderates are dominated by lawyers and small businesspeople, tied to chambers of commerce and so on. The Black networks in my area right now aren't politically differentiated, but cliques of opportunists, AFAIK. Despite the radicalism of the Black base, there isn't really a network of progressive/radical Blacks really operating in local politics, in part I think because of McKinney's style and personality wasn't conducive to its formation. There are individual very radical, righteously so, Blacks in local politics, but they haven't cohered into a real current. Obama has based his campaign not on ANY of these folks (although many have turned out to help him) but on the campuses, especially the traditionally Black ones, and the Black intelligentsia, such as it is (in the media especially). They did an ASTOUNDING job in the primary. But if it is spilling over into local city council and board of education races, etc., I haven't been perceptive enough to see it. There are the beginning of two Latino networks, but very interpenetrated. One a liberal/progressive electoralist network and one a more radical, movement-oriented network. The more "left" stance of the Latino networks is simply the result of the community being so persecuted and official state politics being dominated by Republicans and on our issue, immigrants, Republicans driven by rabid racists. At THIS point, there is a very conscious "good cop/bad cop" division of labor between the Latino circles, mostly aimed at moderate/progressive Democrat circles in the white and Black communities. But as yet, this is mostly extra-electoral, focused on blocking really bad legislation by building weird alliances, like between liberal churches and ruthless bourgeois exploiters. None of this takes place in bodies affiliated with the Democratic Party. I've become aware of it through my participation in the immigrant rights movement, and from there have relationships with people in these various circles. But for the kind of systematic intervention Marvin seems to imagine, there simply is no place to do it. Sure, you can sponsor or promote candidates in primaries -- one of the if not the top Democrat in the state house of representatives comes out of the Georgia Communist League/October League (M-L) decades ago and this person has YET to see their way clear to speaking at ANY immigrant rights event or even our monthly community meetings, which gives you an idea of how "effective" you can be once you choose this route. I know a lot of the opposition of the comrades to relating to politics at this very immediate "retail" level comes from "principled" absurdities about "permissible" election tactics and so on. But the truth is there is no basis for the sort of intervention Marvin imagines. Nor should it surprise us that there isn't -- the basis for it would have had to come from to a large degree a dynamic workers movement and working-class radicalization, however badly it got itself tangled up in the Democrat Party over the years. But that might have been something real in the 30's 40's and 50's of the last century. US politics hasn't had those features for a half century or more, and there's no sense trying to act as if it still had them. In the Black and Latino communities, and the political networks associated with them, there is something more of a base for this kind of work, but actually I think it goes through community organizing and movement building rather than anything that might be conceived of as "work inside the Democratic Party" as such. Joaquin Joaquin -----Original Message----- From: marxism-bounces+jbustelo=gmail.com at lists.econ.utah.edu [mailto:marxism-bounces+jbustelo=gmail.com at lists.econ.utah.edu] On Behalf Of Marvin Gandall Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:15 PM To: Joaquin Subject: Re: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama Fred writes: > > He should consult comrades like John Riddell, Suzanne Weiss, and Barry > Weisleder, all of whom have quite a few experiences with the > structural differences between the NDP and the Liberals (or the > Democrats here) and have had occasional successes in work in the NDP. I don't know Suzanne Weiss, but John, Barry and I go back a long way. When I was active politically, we were in the Waffle together as part of the LSA fraction in the NDP. I wrote the line document for the Mandelite minority in the LSA on our experience in the Waffle. As I recall, Richard Fidler wrote the line document for the League. Later, Barry and I collaborated in the RMG, and subsequently in various smaller incarnations of the Waffle in the NDP after I left the Trotskyist movement. These included at different times the Left Caucus in which former LSA'ers associated with Ross Dowson played an important role, the Agenda group which included the Canadian Lambertistes Luc Aujambe and Ross Sherwood, and the Campaign for an Activist party which ran Judy Rebick for party president. I also wrote on the labour movement and the NDP for Canadian Dimension and This Magazine, the leading publications of the broader Canadian left, and participated in public forums on NDP-related matters with CP'ers and social democrats. So unless things have changed dramatically in the party in the intervening decades, and much as I retain warm feelings and admiration for both John and Barry, I am not sure there is much either could tell me about the Trotskyist orientation to the NDP or the nature of the party or "the occasional successes of work in the NDP". I'm glad, incidentally, you chose to qualify the successes in this way. If anything, I think an argument could be made that the left in the Democratic party has been more vigorous than the NDP left for some time. I'm thinking of groups like the former Rainbow Coalition and, more recently, the Progressive Democrats of America (http://www.pdamerica.org/). I know American Trotskyists are contemptuous of the PDA and other opposition caucuses and blogs inside and around the DP, but they seem to me broader and deeper and more dynamic than any anything the Canadian left has produced in the NDP since the Waffle in the late 60s. A quick glance at the PDA website suggests there is considerably more organized activity at this level than is credited by yourself and others on the list. The real issue, it seems to me, is not that you think there is no such activity, despite your claims to the contrary, but that you think it is worse than useless because it reinforces illusions about the Democrats. I've also previously alluded to the trade unions and the representative organizations of blacks, Hispanics, gays, women, etc. who regularly mobilize hundreds of thousands to organize and canvass on behalf of Democratic candidates. These mobilizations at least match and arguably exceed the kind of activity undertaken by similar organizations on behalf of the NDP in Canada. However, you applaud this as positive political action in the latter instance while wholly denying it's existence in the case of the Democrats. I think you also make a fetish of "membership cards" as indicating a lack mass participation in the DP, and greatly exaggerate the level of mass activity and the presence of unnamed "structures" in the NDP as indicating the control that party members are ostensibly able to exert over the party's leadership and program. > Marvin's position would be more logical if he argued for the Canadian > labor movement abandon the relatively isolated NDP for the big as all > outdoors Liberals, who after all include a lot of people who > sympathize with unions, social movements and think that, all other > things being equal, world peace is preferable to world war. I am afraid you are wrong about this. The unions support the NDP as do most activists from the various sectors I identified in the Democratic party. They don't support the Liberals. When Buzz Hargrove and the CAW began moving to supporting the Liberals after the Ontario NDP government's imposition of a "social contract" on Ontario unions, he was roundly condemned by the rest of the labour movement. It's true that the CCF/NDP's failure to grow as a third party for more than seven decades, and it's failure to sufficiently distinguish itself from the Liberals serves as an incentive for "people who sympathize with unions, social movements and think that, all other things being equal, world peace is preferable to world war" to vote for the Liberals against the Conservatives. But there is no historical relationship between the labour and social movements and the Liberals as there is between these institutions and their activists and the NDP. > And to suggest that the base of the Democratic Party is "sympathetic > to trade unions, social movements, and world peace" is a great > prettification of both the base and their preferences. The Democratic > base is much, much more inclusive than the NDP's, for example. The > base of the Democratic Party includes, for example, investment > bankers, cops and prison guards, machine politicians and lots of > others. (It is also true that the NDP is pretty much nowhere among the > Quebecois and, I suspect, the Native peoples, whereas the DP has a big > Black and Latino base.) It includes not only peace-oriented sectors of > the population but quite hawkish ones. Lieberman was not a Democrat > by mistake. You will also find cops and prison guards. machine politicians, and increasingly even investment bankers in all of the social democratic parties as well. The suggestion is not that the the Democrats are what we used to conceive of as a "workers' party". The suggestion is that neither are the social democratic parties, if they once were. They are all pro-capitalist parties which draw on a core base of trade unionists and supporters of a wide range of social protest groups. It follows that if is valid to "enter" the NDP and the British Labour Party, it is equally valid to enter the DP, and if is perceived as futile or unprincipled to enter the Democrats, the same should necessarily hold true for the social democrats. > Marvin should avoid talking to radicals in the United States as though > we are all absolutely ignorant not only of Canada but of everything > about the US as well. This most recent contribution shows slippage in > that direction, in my opinion. Well, I will have to be more careful of leaving that impression. The time I spend exploring this issue is in itself indicative of my respect for Marxmailers like yourself, Joaquin, and others whose contributions I value, despite disagreement. I'd hardly describe you as "ignorant". I'd describe your analyses of the NDP and the Democrats as self-serving, but no doubt you'd level the same criticism at me. ________________________________________________ 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/jbustelo%40gmail.com No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.169 / Virus Database: 270.6.16/1652 - Release Date: 9/4/2008 6:54 PM From ffeldman at bellatlantic.net Fri Sep 5 21:01:32 2008 From: ffeldman at bellatlantic.net (Fred Feldman) Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:01:32 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Fanatically Bonds-hating writer denounces campaign of persecution Message-ID: This article's horrific hatred of this (at worst, assuming all as yet unsupported claims are true, minor offender against the law) is really chilling. Whenever he talks about Bonds personally, it sounds like he is talking about Hitler or Adolph Eichmann, not about someone whose unforgivable war crime was not to take reporters into his confidence. He contrasts Bonds to nice guys like Pettite and Giambi, little wotting that, for him, their whiteness might help generate the good vibes. Nonetheless, the reporter has been forced to acknowledge, clearly against his will (one wonders: did someone in the Bonds camp torture him until the article was completed -- it sounds like it but I suspect not) that the case against Bonds and the methods being used to persecute/prosecute him are an outrage to democratic rights. From suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk Fri Sep 5 21:20:08 2008 From: suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk (Sukla Sen) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 04:20:08 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Marxism] Indo-US Nuclear Deal: Inching towards Nail-biting Finish Message-ID: <886113.18549.qm@web23006.mail.ird.yahoo.com> [Quote (O)n August 1, the Draft Agreement has been approved by the 35-member IAEA BoG. Rather tamely, without any voting. The IAEA approval had never been in doubt. Even then its passage without any voting was perhaps a welcome surprise even for the GoI. Pakistan's show of bravado, with a sharp critique of the Draft Safeguards Agreement, just fizzled out under obvious US pressure. And Pakistani Prime Minister's routine clamour for a similar deal while visiting the US, just before the IAEA meet, was simply ignored. But the easy ride that India enjoyed in the IAEA is perhaps more apparent than real. We have carried here the statement by the Austrian representative, which deserves a close reading. It, rather significantly, says that the "decision [not to obstruct the Draft India- specific Safeguards Agreement] does in no way prejudge the decision on a possible India-specific exemption in the Nuclear Suppliers Group which will be discussed in the appropriate fora." From walterlx at earthlink.net Fri Sep 5 22:02:13 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 00:02:13 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] CSN Statement on FARC Message-ID: <4597453.1220673733572.JavaMail.root@elwamui-ovcar.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Dear nchama miller - Thanks for your response. I claim no particular expertise regarding Colombia, not to speak of all of Latin America. Fidel Castro and James Petras know a thousand times more about Colombia than I do as does Nestor Gorojowski. Their Spanish is far more fluent than mine. My Marxmail comments were based on a reading of documents, Furthermore, I'm not a Latin American political analyst, but rather a journalist and activist with a primary area of interest and activity relating to the Cuban Revolution. I'm not an academic, but direct a electronic news service. With maybe 97% of the postings on this list being in English, you may wish to consider if posting two paragraphs in Spanish is the best way for the readers to understand the points. From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 22:50:35 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 00:50:35 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Our Walter Lippmann makes it to the New York Times Message-ID: <908b689f0809052150i130f4051h829f15246ce6f980@mail.gmail.com> [...] "Walter Lippmann, an American who runs an e-mail news service that collects material critical of Washington's embargo on Cuba, recently wrote, "He helps clarify the precise meaning of the word 'punk' in the term 'punk rock.' " "[...] From markalause at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 23:52:27 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 01:52:27 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama In-Reply-To: References: <4143DA3C9F9D4D33B0CC71E3FE29041D@office1pc> <4BCF89FECADB4B2AAA7899AD72602F49@MARV> Message-ID: I think I mentioned the PDA earlier as part of the illusion. It is NOT a structure of the Democratic Party and has no more influence on the party's course, nominations, and and candidates than the Democratic Socialists of America did. It is purely an external lobby. It's primary function herabouts is to provide a platform for all Democratic candidates as part of the means of getting the more progressive-sounding Democrats some sort of exposure. But the PDA isn't even a red herring. More of a picture of pinkish blob that may or may not be aquatic, but is certainly all wet. ML From pbond at mail.ngo.za Sat Sep 6 00:08:17 2008 From: pbond at mail.ngo.za (Patrick Bond) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:08:17 +0200 Subject: [Marxism] Swaziland disgrace In-Reply-To: <48C1B40E.6010505@greenleft.org.au> References: <48C175F9.8000100@panix.com> <48C1B40E.6010505@greenleft.org.au> Message-ID: <48C21E51.3030600@mail.ngo.za> glparramatta wrote: > People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo) leaders address the > situation in Swaziland at http://links.org.au/node/586 > > 10,000 Swazis protested (a huge demo considering Swaziland's population) > on September 3. > And more on Thursday... and it appears Pudemo's recent turn to armed struggle is underway: Bombs explode on eve of Mswati?s bash Sapa-AFP Published:Sep 05, 2008 TWO explosions went off in Swaziland?s capital, Mbabane, yesterday, on the second day of demonstrations to persuade the government to introduce democratic reforms and improve workers? welfare. A bus and a concrete rubbish bin were damaged in the separate blasts, two days ahead of Swaziland?s ?40-40? double celebrations to mark independence from Britain and King Mswati III?s birthday. About 10000 protesters marched in Mbabane, a day after demonstrators took to the streets in Manzini, the industrial centre of the landlocked state, which is Africa?s last absolute monarchy. A witness who runs a hawker stand at the bus station said smoke billowed out of the bus?s windows. ?A loud bang was heard and it was at this stage that we called the police,? she told AFP. Police spokesman Superintendent Vusi Masuku confirmed the bus blast, but declined to give further details. ?The marchers were responsible for the blast and we will not rest until we get the culprits. For now we can confirm the blast, but we do not know whether it was a bomb or another form of explosive,? Masuku said. March organiser Vincent Ncongwane, of the Swaziland Federation of Labour trade union, condemned the use of explosives and bombs. ?None of our members could be associated with these acts and we would like to challenge anyone who claims that our members engaged in such acts to come and name such a person or people,? Ncongwane said. A group calling itself Umbane, meaning lightning, has reportedly threatened to use force to spoil Saturday?s celebrations. Local newspaper The Times reported at the weekend that the group ? which claimed responsibility for two blasts last month ? would make sure they did not give the ruling elite a chance to celebrate. The Swaziland government issued a statement yesterday saying that the Swazi people would decide on the need for a multi-party system. From suarsos at alphalink.com.au Sat Sep 6 00:17:26 2008 From: suarsos at alphalink.com.au (Tom O'Lincoln) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 16:17:26 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Was "coup leader" victim of a set-up in East Timor? Message-ID: <001201c90fe8$3cbfec90$0301a8c0@gx270> Walter quotes me (from Feb): >>Ramos Horta may or may not recover enough to resume governing. Reinado is gone, but his cult following among sections of the population west of Dili is enhanced, at least for now. The rebels are still at large, and the Australians have taken a huge hit to their prestige by allowing this all to happen under their noses.<< He then comments: >Well, it seems he's recovered enough to resume governing, and has gone to Cuba for medical treatment. China, Japan and India are all a lot closer. The United States probably has higher tech facilities which would cost his country a lot more money to get. This isn't what your typical reactionary murdering dictator does, if that is what you're suggesting Ramos Horta might now be, and all the less so as dictators with a weak base don't often leave their country if they're not sure they can come back and keep on dictating.< Where did I imply he is a dictator? Let alone a "murdering dictator"? On the contrary, he won an election. The trouble with Ramos Horta is his alignment with imperialism. As for his being pro-Cuban, well as I recall his Fretilin opponents brought Cuban doctors to the country. Frankly I'd say all sides are pro-Cuban to some degree, in superficial ways perhaps. I'm glad he's recovering. When I wrote that he was in a very serious condition. From suarsos at alphalink.com.au Sat Sep 6 01:00:56 2008 From: suarsos at alphalink.com.au (Tom O'Lincoln) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 17:00:56 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] Unrest in the military: Australia, WW2 Message-ID: <002301c90fee$505b3ec0$0301a8c0@gx270> Australia was supposed to have a less oppressive and class-ridden military than its British equivalent. Fighting under a Labor government, the troops in World War II might have expected an even more egalitarian military regime. But it wasn't like that at all. I've compiled all the stories about oppression and resistance in the Australian military. Just for example: "Australian troops in Palestine in May 1940 staged a 'rowdy demonstration' about a new theatre with special seating for officers, which they saw as a class distinction. Another upheaval took place in the Northern Territory among military transport companies. In this case a crackdown on a two-up school and on minor misuse of official property provoked a march, which led to a riot. The crowd toppled a petrol bowser, overturned vehicles and ransacked the mess. Disgruntlement over delayed leave provoked trouble on Morotai, where in January 1946 soldiers and junior NCOs staged an unauthorised parade." And it gets better... I also have some interesting material about Communist Party organisation in the military. The link is below. (Note: the term "diggers" is a nickname for Australian troops. A two-up school is a kind of gambling.) http://www.leftwrites.net/2008/08/27/rebellious-diggers-military-unrest-in-world-war-ii/#more-1266 From rfls12802 at blueyonder.co.uk Sat Sep 6 05:17:55 2008 From: rfls12802 at blueyonder.co.uk (Paul Flewers) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 12:17:55 +0100 Subject: [Marxism] Assessment of Solzhenitsyn in the Weekly Worker In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <000f01c91012$3654e980$a2febc80$@co.uk> List members may be interested in my brief assessment of Solzhenitsyn that appears in this week's Weekly Worker. It can be found at http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/735/solzhenitsyn.html. Paul F From sartesian at earthlink.net Sat Sep 6 05:25:43 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 07:25:43 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How to respond to following Obama-vote logic? References: <908b689f0809051701t5015e0e6t7d88cb1c4c94bc14@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Come on. It is most certainly NOT like: "This is like telling the national liberation movements of the 1950s and 1960s not to take power because neo-colonialism would suffocate their movements. It's like telling the US Congress in 1964-65 not to pass the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts because they don't address economic inequality." Ther is nothing resembling the national liberation struggles that consciously opposed imperialism. There is nothing of substance in Obama's candidacy that speaks to remedying conditons of discrimination as the CR and VRA bills did. Let's try and keep some perspective and proportion here. If you want to argue for an Obama victory, I think you're in the wrong place. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruthless Critic of All that Exists" To: Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:01 PM Subject: [Marxism] How to respond to following Obama-vote logic? From sartesian at earthlink.net Sat Sep 6 05:31:37 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 07:31:37 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Assessment of Solzhenitsyn in the Weekly Worker References: <000f01c91012$3654e980$a2febc80$@co.uk> Message-ID: <0EE8300D43EA40DC9F6DBF1A5D08B363@dmsthinkpad> And perhaps some might be interested in my appreciation of Solzhenitsyn written way back in 1974. Maybe not. http://thewolfatthedoor.blogspot.com/search?q=Solzhenitsyn From marvgandall at videotron.ca Sat Sep 6 05:36:45 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:36:45 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama References: <4143DA3C9F9D4D33B0CC71E3FE29041D@office1pc> <4BCF89FECADB4B2AAA7899AD72602F49@MARV> Message-ID: Mark writes: >I think I mentioned the PDA earlier as part of the illusion. It is > NOT a structure of the Democratic Party and has no more influence on > the party's course, nominations, and and candidates than the > Democratic Socialists of America did. > > It is purely an external lobby. It's primary function herabouts is to > provide a platform for all Democratic candidates as part of the means > of getting the more progressive-sounding Democrats some sort of > exposure. > > But the PDA isn't even a red herring. More of a picture of pinkish > blob that may or may not be aquatic, but is certainly all wet. ========================================== Maybe, maybe not. But it would certainly move the discussion forward if Mark and others, rather than merely deriding US radicals who are trying to organize frustrated Democrats, were to provide us with some contemporary examples of left groups which have influenced the "course, nominations, and candidates" of any party in the advanced capitalist countries where activists from the trade unions, ethnic and racial minorities, and other social causes congregate. Fred's feeble illustration of Canadian leftists' "occasional successes" inside the NDP, and Joaquin's despairing and indecisive search for an alternative which sometimes explodes into nihilism, hardly qualifies. Our daddies used to say "if you're so smart, how come you ain't rich?" If we had some positive examples of such intervention, it would make the current discussion more concrete and meaningful. However, I suspect that many on the list, despite their brave and defiant rhetoric, quitely share what Joaquin says openly - that it is hopeless to try to connect with American and European workers (of any colour) through their existing parties. Unlike Joaquin, they console themselves by building (or, in most cases, supporting) small red and green parties on the margins of mass political life, plagued by the unending splits and short shelf lives which such isolation produces. And even these little models don't match the very exacting standards of the list moderator, of whom it might truly be said: TINA is thyself. From farmelantj at juno.com Sat Sep 6 06:23:15 2008 From: farmelantj at juno.com (Jim Farmelant) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 08:23:15 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Assessment of Solzhenitsyn in the Weekly Worker Message-ID: <20080906.082316.1676.0.farmelantj@juno.com> On Sat, 6 Sep 2008 12:17:55 +0100 "Paul Flewers" writes: > List members may be interested in my brief assessment of Solzhenitsyn > that > appears in this week's Weekly Worker. It can be found at > http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/735/solzhenitsyn.html. I think it's a bit incomplete. You should have said something about his political views concerning post-Soviet Russia, including his extreme antipathy towards Yeltsin's regime, which he denounced as having been "worse than the Communists," as well as his increasingly warm attitudes towards Vladimir Putin, for whom he became a vocal defender in his final years. Solzhenitsyn made a point of not holding Putin's KGB background against him. Also, something perhaps should have been said about the extent to which neo-Slavophile views have become widespread in Russian academic and intellectual circles. > > Paul F > > > > > ____________________________________________________________ Click here to find the right tools for any job! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3nkkkJfPtTLWfHxlSTrVnisHsT7aB9lGscYhc7vzwEOH8KBZ/ From walterlx at earthlink.net Sat Sep 6 07:20:20 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 09:20:20 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] =?utf-8?q?NYT=3A_From_the_Cuban_Underground=2C_a_Punk_R?= =?utf-8?q?ocker=E2=80=99s_Protest_Reverberates?= Message-ID: <21478076.1220707220321.JavaMail.root@elwamui-ovcar.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Each day we live, we make choices. To get out of bed, or to go back to sleep. Newspaper editors to the same thing, and today we're getting a useful object lesson in journalistic decision- making from the New York Times. It's quite an object lesson. Here we see the choices made under a system which likes to proudly describe itself as having "freedom of the press". In recent days the island of Cuba, referred to by its literary designation, "the pearl of the Antilles", survived an assault of an all-to-familiar type, Hurricane Gustav. Much power was knocked out, homes destroyed, agricultural lands were damaged. Not one single life was lost amidst all of the devastation and, an arm of workers and volunteers began to struggle so that the population in the hardest-hit areas was fed, clothed, given a place to sleep, had electric power, and the schools opened on time as quickly as that could be arranged. When we compare that with what we saw happening in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and after Gustav proceeded to the US and New Orleans after pummeling Cuba, you'd think that a few words of praise might be found for revolutionary Cuba's quick capacity for the restoration of public services to meet their people's individual and social need. You would be wrong, to be under any such misapprehension. Cuban society is a complex one, with numerous problems and challenges, as any visitor there with any familiarity knows. Under nearly fifty years of unrelenting pressure from the US blockade, and having made some of its own errors as well, the Cuba Revolution still lives, sometimes it seems as by magic. The NEW YORK TIMES finds all of this of no interest, providing an entirely different focus for its "Saturday Profile" today. This presumably flattering portrait of a cranky opponent of the Cuban Revolution, filled with quotes, noticeably lacks any kind of dateline. He seems to be what in the United States of America is often referred to as a "shit-disturber", someone out to make trouble by any means: "As a logo for their group, they use a Soviet hammer and sickle transformed into a pornographic image." By the activities described here, we have an individual and an admiring chorus of foreign admirers, who hope to create some kind of public incident, some trouble, some provocation, some anything. Based on the quotations from him which are given to readers here, he seems to be quite successful in making a name for himself in the world outside of Cuba. A potty-mouthed individual, had been convicted on a drug charge, who married while in prison to use conjugal visitation rights, he's recently become the darling of a veritable army of Cuba-haters around the world. This can easily fund a career, and you should read this material all the way to the end, as it tells us about the priorities of this newspaper. Gorki makes an interesting contrast with the last Cuban group of dissidents, the "Ladies in White", those quietly respectable mothers, girlfriends and spouses who used to march single-file to and from a Catholic church on Sundays. The "Ladies in White" have recently split, and now the Cuban dissidence presents its image to the world in this basically nihilistic manner. In Gorki, Washington and the media stands up to salute. THIS is what they would use demonstrate as a role model for the kind of "freedom" they want to bring to Cuba? Evidently yes it is. Walter Lippmann Los Angeles, California ================================================================ THE NEW YORK TIMES September 6, 2008 The Saturday Profile From sabocat59 at mac.com Sat Sep 6 08:03:44 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:03:44 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] U.S. Rescue Seen at Hand for 2 Mortgage Giants Message-ID: <6EDE7DAA-1B5F-4D7B-8F11-EE39BB4F1162@mac.com> September 6, 2008 U.S. Rescue Seen at Hand for 2 Mortgage Giants By STEPHEN LABATON and ANDREW ROSS SORKIN WASHINGTON ? Senior officials from the Bush administration and the Federal Reserve on Friday called in top executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage finance giants, and told them that the government was preparing to place the two companies under federal control, officials and company executives briefed on the discussions said. The plan, which would place the companies into a conservatorship, was outlined in separate meetings with the chief executives at the office of the companies? new regulator. The executives were told that, under the plan, they and their boards would be replaced and shareholders would be virtually wiped out, but that the companies would be able to continue functioning with the government generally standing behind their debt, people briefed on the discussions said. It is not possible to calculate the cost of any government bailout, but the huge potential liabilities of the companies could cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars and make any rescue among the largest in the nation?s history. The drastic effort follows the bailout this year of Bear Stearns, the investment bank, as government officials continue to grapple with how to stem the credit crisis and housing crisis that have hobbled the economy. With Bear Stearns, the government provided guarantees, and the bulk of its assets were transferred to JPMorgan Chase, leaving shareholders with a nominal amount. Under a conservatorship, the common and preferred shares of Fannie and Freddie would be reduced to little or nothing, and any losses on mortgages they own or guarantee could be paid by taxpayers. Shareholders have already lost billions of dollars as the stocks have plunged more than 80 percent this year. A conservatorship would operate much like a pre-packaged bankruptcy, similar to what smaller companies use to clean up their books and then emerge with stronger balance sheets. It would allow for uninterrupted operation of the companies, crucial players in the diminished mortgage market, where they are now responsible for nearly 70 percent of new loans. The executives were told that the government had been planning to announce the decision as early as Sunday, before the Asian markets reopen, the officials said. For months, administration officials have grappled with the steady erosion of the books of the two mortgage finance giants. A fierce behind-the-scenes debate among policy makers has been waged over whether to seize the companies or let them work out their problems. Even after the companies are put under government control, debates will continue over whether they should be independent and how they should operate over the long term. The declines in the housing and financial markets apparently forced the administration?s hand. With foreign governments increasingly skittish about holding billions of dollars in securities issued by the companies, no sign that their losses will abate any time soon, and the inability of the companies to raise new capital, the administration apparently decided it would be better to act now rather than closer to the presidential election in two months. Just five weeks ago, President Bush signed a law to give the administration the authority to inject billions of dollars into the companies through investments or loans. In proposing the legislation, Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. said that he had no plan to provide loans or investments, and that merely giving the government the authority to backstop the companies would provide a strong shot of confidence to the markets. But the thin capital reserves that have kept the two companies afloat have continued to erode as the housing market has steadily declined and the number of foreclosures has soared. As their problems have deepened ? and the marketplace has come to expect some sort of government rescue ? both companies have found it difficult to raise new capital to absorb future losses. In recent weeks, Mr. Paulson has been reaching out to foreign governments that hold billions of dollars of Fannie and Freddie securities to reassure them that the United States stands behind the companies. In issuing their quarterly financial statements last month, the two companies reported huge losses and predicted that home prices would fall more than previously projected. The debt securities the companies issue to finance their operations are widely owned by mutual funds, pension funds, foreign governments and big companies. Officials said the participants at the meetings included Mr. Paulson, Ben S. Bernanke, the chairman of the Fed, and James Lockhart, the head of both the old and new agency that regulates the companies. The companies were represented by Daniel H. Mudd, the chief executive of Fannie Mae, and Richard F. Syron, chief executive of Freddie Mac. Also participating was H. Rodgin Cohen, the chairman of the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, who was representing Fannie. Officials and executives briefed on the meetings said that Mr. Mudd and Mr. Syron were told that they would have to leave the companies. Spokesmen at the two companies did not return telephone calls seeking comment. The meetings reflected the reality that senior administration officials did not believe they could wait for some kind of financial tipping point, as happened with Bear Stearns, which was saved from insolvency in March by government intervention after its stock plummeted and lenders withheld their capital. Instead, Mr. Paulson has struggled to navigate through potentially conflicting goals ? stabilizing the financial markets, making mortgages more widely available in a tightening credit environment, and protecting taxpayers from possibly enormous losses. Publicly, administration officials have tried to bolster the companies because the nation?s mortgage system relies on their continued ability to purchase mortgages from commercial lenders and pull the housing markets out of their slump. But privately, senior officials have been critical of top executives at the companies, particularly Freddie Mac. They have raised concerns about major risks to taxpayers of a bailout of companies whose executives have received huge compensation packages. Mr. Syron, for instance, collected more than $38 million in compensation since he joined the company in 2003. Although Mr. Syron promised regulators earlier this year that he would raise $5.5 billion from investors, he has failed to make good on that promise ? even as Fannie Mae raised more than $7 billion. Mr. Syron was slated to step down from the chief executive position last year, but that was delayed when his appointed successor, Eugene McQuade, chose to leave the company. With the possible removal of the top management and the board, it is no longer clear who would appoint new management. Mr. Paulson had hoped that merely having the authority to bail out the two companies, which Congress provided in its recent housing bill, would be enough to calm the markets, but if anything anxiety has been increasing. The clearest measure of that anxiety has been the gradually widening spread between interest rates on Fannie- or Freddie-backed mortgage securities and rates for Treasury securities, making home mortgages more expensive. The stock prices of the companies have also plunged. After stock markets closed on Friday, the shares of Fannie and Freddie plummeted. Fannie was trading around $5.50, down from $70 a year ago. Freddie was trading at about $4, down from about $65 a year ago. With Fannie and Freddie guaranteeing $5 trillion in mortgage-backed securities, and a big share of those held by central banks and investors around the world, Mr. Paulson appears to have decided that the stakes are too high to take chances. The Treasury Department is required by the new law to obtain agreement from the boards of Fannie and Freddie for a capital infusion. The exception is if the companies? regulator, Mr. Lockhart, determines that the companies are insolvent or deeply undercapitalized it could take the companies over anyway. Charles Calomiris, a professor of economics at Columbia Business School, said delaying a rescue would only increase the risks and costs. ?The last thing you want to do is give a distressed borrower more time, because when people are in distress they tend to take a lot of risks,? he said. ?You don?t want zombie institutions floating around with time on their hands.? Stephen Labaton reported from Washington and Andrew Ross Sorkin from New York. Edmund L. Andrews contributed reporting from Washington, and Eric Dash and Charles Duhigg from New York. From sabocat59 at mac.com Sat Sep 6 08:07:26 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:07:26 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] FDIC shutters Silver State Bank of Nevada Message-ID: FDIC shutters Silver State Bank of Nevada Son of presidential nominee John McCain was reportedly former board member; closing marks the 11th bank failure this year. Last Updated: September 6, 2008: 7:31 AM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) -- Regulators on Friday shut down Silver State Bank, saying the Nevada bank failed because of losses on soured loans, mainly in commercial real estate and land development. It was the 11th failure this year of a federally insured bank. Nevada regulators closed Silver State and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of the bank, based in Henderson, Nev. It had $2 billion in assets and $1.7 billion in deposits as of June 30. Andrew K. McCain, a son of Republican presidential nominee John McCain, sat on the boards of Silver State Bank and of its parent, Silver State Bancorp, starting in February but resigned in July citing "personal reasons," corporate filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show. Andrew McCain also was a member of the bank's audit committee, responsible for oversight of the company's accounting. The younger McCain, who is the chief financial officer of Hensley & Co., the beer distributorship of which Cindy McCain is chairwoman, is the Arizona senator's adopted son from his first marriage. Andrew McCain's position on the Silver State board and departure were first reported Friday by The Wall Street Journal online. Silver State Bank ran into difficulty because of a substantial amount of "poor-quality loans primarily related to real estate development" in southern Nevada and other distressed markets, FDIC spokesman David Barr said. "When the housing market slowed down, people who bought raw land to build new homes didn't need that land so they couldn't do anything with it and repay their loans. So those loans went bad," Barr said. Silver State Bancorp recently reported a net loss for the second quarter of $73.2 million, or $4.84 a share, compared with net profit of $6.2 million, or 44 cents a share, in the same period last year. Construction and development loans have been the fastest-growing category of troubled loans for U.S. banks, and many banks have heavy concentrations of them in their lending portfolios, according to the FDIC. Some small banks are considered especially vulnerable. Delinquent loan payments and defaults by commercial and residential developers have surged to the highest levels since the early 1990s - the latter part of the savings and loan crisis. The FDIC said Silver State Bank's insured deposits will be assumed by Nevada State Bank of Las Vegas. Its branches will reopen Monday as offices of Nevada State Bank in Nevada and National Bank of Arizona in Arizona. The agency said depositors of Silver State Bank will continue to have full access to their deposits. The 11 failures so far this year compare with three for all of 2007, and federal banking officials have said that more banks are in danger of collapse. Silver State Bank has operated 13 branches in the greater Las Vegas area and four in the greater Phoenix-Scottsdale area of Arizona as well as loan offices in Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, California and Florida. The FDIC estimated its resolution will cost the deposit insurance fund between $450 million and $550 million. Regular deposit accounts are insured up to $100,000. There were about $20 million in uninsured deposits held in roughly 500 accounts at Silver State that potentially exceeded the insurance limit, the FDIC said. Concern has been growing over the solvency of some banks amid the housing slump and the steep slide in the mortgage market. The pressures of tighter credit, tumbling home prices and rising foreclosures have been battering many banks, large and small, across the nation. The largest bank failure by far this year has been that of savings and loan IndyMac Bank, which was seized by regulators on July 11 with about $32 billion in assets and deposits of $19 billion. The seizure of Pasadena, Calif.-based IndyMac, which was the largest regulated thrift to fail in the United States, prompted hundreds of angry customers to line up for hours in Southern California to demand their money. IndyMac also was the second-largest financial institution to close in U.S. history, after Continental Illinois National Bank in 1984. The FDIC has been operating the bank, now called IndyMac Federal Bank, under a conservatorship. The FDIC plans to raise insurance premiums paid by banks and thrifts to replenish its reserve fund after paying out billions of dollars to depositors at IndyMac. The fund, currently at $45 billion, is expected to take a hit from IndyMac of $4 billion to $8 billion. Federal officials expect turbulence in the banking industry to continue well into next year, and more banks to appear on the FDIC's internal list of troubled institutions. Of the 8,500 or so FDIC-insured banks in the country, 117 were considered to be in trouble in the second quarter -- the highest level in about five years and up from 90 in the first quarter. The agency doesn't disclose the banks' names. From sartesian at earthlink.net Sat Sep 6 08:17:53 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 10:17:53 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] FDIC shutters Silver State Bank of Nevada References: Message-ID: <5F63E4A6581D4DE59D8158261F0E5B84@dmsthinkpad> Shades of George H.W. Bush whose son, Ned(?), later involved in nasty divorce, sat on the board of Silverado S&L that went under in 1991 (I think). Those wacky, wonderful white men from the great white west of Texas and Arizona. So much fun at parties, such grubby paws. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Greg McDonald" To: Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2008 10:07 AM Subject: [Marxism] FDIC shutters Silver State Bank of Nevada > FDIC shutters Silver State Bank of Nevada > Son of presidential nominee John McCain was reportedly former board > member; From lnp3 at panix.com Sat Sep 6 09:04:32 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:04:32 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] FDIC shutters Silver State Bank of Nevada In-Reply-To: <5F63E4A6581D4DE59D8158261F0E5B84@dmsthinkpad> References: <5F63E4A6581D4DE59D8158261F0E5B84@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <20080906150432.42009DA84@mailbackend.panix.com> I have a CD that came to term on Friday. I called Schwab to get a new one and they proposed Wachovia Mortgage! I told the broker no thanks and asked if there was anything else. He mentioned some obscure North Carolina bank that had the same mediocre rating as Wachovia Mortgage. He told me that it's no big deal. They had customers with Indymac CD's who got their money back after a week. Great, that's just what I need. I am calling again when they have new inventory but I am getting ready to put my money under my mattress at this point. From markalause at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 09:20:37 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 11:20:37 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama In-Reply-To: References: <4143DA3C9F9D4D33B0CC71E3FE29041D@office1pc> <4BCF89FECADB4B2AAA7899AD72602F49@MARV> Message-ID: Marvin Gandall writes: > > it would certainly move the discussion forward if Mark > and others, rather than merely deriding US radicals who are trying to > organize frustrated Democrats > There's no easy answers, but a strating pointing is not to simply throw up our hands and become unorganized "frustrated Democrats" ourselves. There are serious breeches opening up in the two-party facade, more than any other time in my lifetime. The 2000 election showed the potential...Nader did better than any independent progressive since Henry Wallace. The other night, Jesse Ventura pointed out to the "Open the Debates" rally in the Twin Cities that he was an independent excluded form the debates up to a certain point and, once he was included, there was a big rush of voters that gravitated towards him in preference to the two party options. Independents are excluded form the debate for a reason, after all, and now more than ever. Which is, of course, the flip side to the consequences of going Democratic. If we do that, we accept the top-down restriction of the alternatives we get and add to the cynical anti-democratic chorus denouncing the "spoilers." IAre our stomaches strong enough. Best, Mark From ffeldman at bellatlantic.net Sat Sep 6 10:01:08 2008 From: ffeldman at bellatlantic.net (Fred Feldman) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:01:08 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Reliable dope about Sarah Palin -- and burying the Trig conspiracy theory Message-ID: I am submitting this because true information about the ultrarightist Republican candidate for vice president is hard to come by. For me, it puts the theory that Palin is not the mother of Downs Syndrome Trig into the crackpot category. For me, this woman's word is, excuse the expression, gospel. I also note the idea that having a Downs Syndrome child is a "pro-life" act. Of course, living another day, let alone having a baby, is a pro-life act, but that is not what this not untypical US middle class white woman (I am making a guess about her class position, I admit) means. She means "anti-abortion". This highlights how successful the rightists have been, with help from the liberals including many of the liberal feminists in my opinion, in stripping the woman's right to choose from the debate in favor of eugenic horror stories (rape, incest, not to mention Downs syndrome). The real challenge such working-class or lower-middle-classmothers face is the fight to get the services they need from a government that is determined to cut them back. Let me predict that Palin will be of no help at all to such women, and will do whatever she can to accelerate the bourgeois political tide running against them, which also claims to be pro-life, defined as anti-abortion. Fred Feldman + Information on Sarah Palin from Her Alaska Neighbor http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3671/the-reform-candidate ABOUT SARAH PALIN I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992. Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the residents of the city. She is enormously popular; in every way she's like the most popular girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because she is a "babe". It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents for seven months. She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby. There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby. She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym. She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit. Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin's kind of job is highly sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything like that of native Alaskans. Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters. She's smart. Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents. During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign. Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative". During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents. The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn't even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing. While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once. These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city. As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state. In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's surplus, borrow for needs. She's not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren?t generated by her or her staff. Ideas weren't evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them. While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the Librarian are on her enemies list to this day. Sarah complained about the "old boy's club" when she first ran for Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys". Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people, creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the case of pressuring the State's top cop (see below). As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla's Police Chief because he "intimidated" her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support. She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn't like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness. Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything publicly about her. When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party) engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a gutsy fighter against the "old boys' club" when she dramatically quit, exposing this man's ethics violations (for which he was fined). As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the "bridge to nowhere" after it became clear that it would be unwise not to. As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects--which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance--but with the unobservant she had gained a reputation as "anti-pork". She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a fiscal conservative. Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah. They call her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her unbridled ambition and predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her. As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package of legislation known as "AGIA" that forced the oil companies to march to the beat of her drum. Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to global warming. She campaigned "as a private citizen" against a state initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State's lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior's decision to list polar bears as threatened species. McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a heartbeat away from being President. There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she. However, there?s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it. CLAIM VS FACT ?"Hockey mom": true for a few years ?"PTA mom": true years ago when her first-born was in elementary school, not since ?"NRA supporter": absolutely true ?social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships (said she did this because it was unconsitutional). ?pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to promote it. ?"Pro-life": mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life legislation ?"Experienced": Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska. No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city administrator to run town of about 5,000. ?political maverick: not at all ?gutsy: absolutely! ?open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at explaining actions. ?has a developed philosophy of public policy: no ?"a Greenie": no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR. ?fiscal conservative: not by my definition! ?pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built streets to early 20th century standards. ?pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on residents ?pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city government in Wasilla's history. ?pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union doesn?t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim that she is pro-labor/pro-union. WHY AM I WRITING THIS? First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny + Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local government, education, and PTA/parent organizations. Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings. Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will cost me somehow in the future: that's life. Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's attempt at censorship. Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because they were somehow vulnerable. CAVEATS I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor) from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible for a private person to get any info out of City Hall--they are swamped. So I can't verify my numbers. You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000", up to 9,000. The day Palin's selection was announced a city official told me that the current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was 5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to 2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90's. Anne Kilkenny annekilkenny at hotmail.com August 31, 2008 From binesi at gvtel.com Sat Sep 6 10:16:07 2008 From: binesi at gvtel.com (David Thorstad) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:16:07 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Books Palin tried to ban Message-ID: <48C2ACC7.8020000@gvtel.com> I'm disappointed not to be included on this list, but apparently gay books didn't even make it that far north. Palin is clearly beyond the pale of civilization, and, judging from her embarrassing speech to the RNC (which the media thought was brilliant, but I found overly domestic and proved only that she can read a teleprompter), she's a nasty low-level mudslinger and liar. She claimed she had opposed the "bridge to nowhere," but in fact as governor she accepted the federal money for it! I am waiting for the media to get around to asking her if she still holds to Pentecostal pre-millennialist views that Jews will be given one chance to convert to Christianity and, if they refuse, will be murdered. This woman seems to be to the right even of that putz George W. Bush. No wonder her managers have been keeping her from holding a press conference. David *The following is a list of books that Sarah Palin tried to get banned when she was mayor of Wasilla. I am not sure that Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, Maya Angelou and Geoffrey Chaucer would be considered dangerous to children. /_Judy Blume _/give me a break. Harry Potter, who is kidding who? I also fail to see why* *Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary by the Merriam-Webster Editorial Staff should be banned. (The 11th edition has been out since 2003.) * */_This information is taken from the official minutes of the Wasilla Library Board. _/When the librarian refused to ban the books, Palin tried to get her fired.* ** A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner Blubber by Judy Blume Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Canterbury Tales by Chaucer Carrie by Stephen King Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Christine by Stephen King Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau Cujo by Stephen King Curses, Hexes, and Spells by Daniel Cohen Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Decameron by Boccaccio East of Eden by John Steinbeck Fallen Angels by Walter Myers Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure) by John Cleland Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes Forever by Judy Blume Grendel by John Champlin Gardner Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling Have to Go by Robert Munsch Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Impressions edited by Jack Booth In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak It's Okay if You Don't Love Me by Norma Klein James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman Little Red Riding Hood by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Lord of the Flies by William Golding Love is One of the Choices by Norma Klein Lysistrata by Aristophanes More Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier My House by Nikki Giovanni My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara Night Chills by Dean Koontz Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Ordinary People by Judith Guest Our Bodies, Ourselves by Boston Women's Health Collective Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz Separate Peace by John Knowles Silas Marner by George Eliot Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain The Bastard by John Jakes The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier The Color Purple by Alice Walker The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Snyder The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks The Living Bible by William C. Bower The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare The New Teenage Body Book by Kathy McCoy and Charles Wibbelsman The Pigman by Paul Zindel The Seduction of Peter S. by Lawrence Sanders The Shining by Stephen King The Witches by Roald Dahl The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Snyder Then Again, Maybe I Won't by Judy Blume To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary by the Merriam-Webster Editorial Staff Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols by Edna Barth From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 10:29:11 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 12:29:11 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama In-Reply-To: References: <4143DA3C9F9D4D33B0CC71E3FE29041D@office1pc> <4BCF89FECADB4B2AAA7899AD72602F49@MARV> Message-ID: <908b689f0809060929y59c5ec19h9b9a0e14ceddc863@mail.gmail.com> On Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 11:20 AM, Mark Lause wrote: > Which is, of course, the flip side to the consequences of going > Democratic. If we do that, we accept the top-down restriction of the > alternatives we get and add to the cynical anti-democratic chorus > denouncing the "spoilers." IAre our stomaches strong enough. Why does "working within the Democratic Party" mean that *you* have to add to the denunciation of the "spoilers"? Does the Party expel you if you don't ritually denounce them? That sounds unlikely. From davidw at marxists.org Sat Sep 6 10:41:22 2008 From: davidw at marxists.org (David Walters) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:41:22 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] =?windows-1252?q?NYT=3A_From_the_Cuban_Underground=2C_a?= =?windows-1252?q?_Punk_Rocker=92s_Protest_Reverberates=2C?= Message-ID: <48C2B2B2.4030303@marxists.org> While certainly Cuba deserves the *usual* praise for being an organized society that can take care of the members of that society, I'm not sure to what end the *kind* of praise Walter insists on helps in any sort of discussion of this kind of list. The article in question, however, is an article that makes Cuba look bad, regardless of the cultural (maybe) weirdness of this person, Gorki, in question. Anyone who reads this article will wonder why the Cuban gov't would even want to throw him in jail. It would raise the question about what it is about the sub-culture this punk rocker is in that it is such a threat to the Cuban Revolution, or for that matter, why these young people have to hold concerts..."concerts" (are they really organizing meetings to sabotage the Revolution?...to organize praise for the Yankee Imperialists?) underground and outside official venues? Of course everything in this NYTimes article could a lie, too. All made up. David From markalause at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 10:45:50 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 12:45:50 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama In-Reply-To: <908b689f0809060929y59c5ec19h9b9a0e14ceddc863@mail.gmail.com> References: <4143DA3C9F9D4D33B0CC71E3FE29041D@office1pc> <4BCF89FECADB4B2AAA7899AD72602F49@MARV> <908b689f0809060929y59c5ec19h9b9a0e14ceddc863@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Ruthless, was this thing about the structure of the DP unclear? Nobody gets expelled from a party that isn't a membership party, because that would be superfluous. You don't need to be expelled if your not a member. On the other hand, the DLC (Democratic Leadership Council), which presided over the sun belt reengineering of the Democratic Party did impose a ban on caususes even among the convention delegates. It seemed that having blacks, labor, women, peace advocates, and the gay-lesbian groups organizing to influence the platform was upsetting to the people who were taking over the organization. And, of course, the loyal Democratic delegates accepted this, in deference to the Archie Bunkers that might be watching the convention from home. ML From billyoc at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 10:49:17 2008 From: billyoc at gmail.com (Bill O'Connor) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:49:17 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How to respond to following Obama-vote logic? In-Reply-To: <908b689f0809051701t5015e0e6t7d88cb1c4c94bc14@mail.gmail.com> (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists's message of "Fri, 5 Sep 2008 20:01:22 -0400") References: <908b689f0809051701t5015e0e6t7d88cb1c4c94bc14@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <877i9pb4oi.fsf@t22.Belkin> "Ruthless Critic of All that Exists" writes: > Any idea how to respond to the following logic...? > > > "I got into a discussion the other day with a friend, who worried that > a Barack Obama victory would sideline the struggle for human equality. > "Power will now say that if there's a Black man in the White House, > what's there to complain about?," he argued. The discussion frustrated > me. I can still complain about nobody in the White House listening to my complaints. They can never take *that* away from me. From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 10:54:49 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 12:54:49 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How to respond to following Obama-vote logic? In-Reply-To: References: <908b689f0809051701t5015e0e6t7d88cb1c4c94bc14@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0809060954v65430292ib124307f732f5a66@mail.gmail.com> On Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 7:25 AM, S. Artesian wrote: > > If you want to argue for an Obama victory, I think you're in the wrong > place. Did you not notice the quotation marks and the URL, and my question specifically asking "Any idea how to *respond* to the following logic...?" The whole "wrong place" idea is problematic. One doesn't live one's life preaching to the converted. One tries to convince those not convinced. And when one trie to do so, one comes up against arguments/logic such as the above. So, one needs to be prepared with responses to logic such as the above. And when I solicited advice/suggestions about how to respond to "logic such as the above", you bash the question with a snide remark about "If you want to argue for an Obama victory, I think you're in the wrong place", when I made it quite clear that what I was seeking was suggestion about effective strategies to *counter* this argument. From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 11:07:34 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 13:07:34 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] =?windows-1252?q?NYT=3A_From_the_Cuban_Underground=2C_a?= =?windows-1252?q?_Punk_Rocker=92s_Protest_Reverberates=2C?= In-Reply-To: <48C2B2B2.4030303@marxists.org> References: <48C2B2B2.4030303@marxists.org> Message-ID: <908b689f0809061007p195556a1n67b3cd4c32eac701@mail.gmail.com> On Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 12:41 PM, David Walters wrote: > > The article in question, however, is an article that makes Cuba look > bad, regardless of the cultural (maybe) weirdness of this person, Gorki, > in question. Anyone who reads this article will wonder why the Cuban > gov't would even want to throw him in jail. It would raise the question > about what it is about the sub-culture this punk rocker is in that it is > such a threat to the Cuban Revolution, or for that matter, why these > young people have to hold concerts..."concerts" (are they really > organizing meetings to sabotage the Revolution?...to organize praise for > the Yankee Imperialists?) underground and outside official venues? > > Of course everything in this NYTimes article could a lie, too. All made up. An interview with Gorki (this punk rocker) is available on YouTube, apparently: From davidw at marxists.org Sat Sep 6 11:14:46 2008 From: davidw at marxists.org (David Walters) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:14:46 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] India/US: 123 deal for nuclear energy approved Message-ID: <48C2BA86.8050605@marxists.org> Don't know all the details but it appears that the 1-2-3 deal for India to receive goods and services from the US dominated "Nuclear Suppliers Group" has gone through, per the 'late breaking news' on the BBC web stie: "A breakthrough comes in Vienna after three days of tough negotiations" "The BBC reports the group of nations which regulates the global nuclear trade has approved a US proposal to lift restrictions on selling nuclear technology to India. The controversial deal now needs to be ratified by the US Congress." "The approval came after India pledged to keep its nuclear non-proliferation commitments and to uphold a voluntary moratorium on testing atomic weapons." The NYTimes notes: "India plans to import at least eight 1,000 megawatt nuclear reactors by 2012, according to the US State Department. Even if the United States wins bids for just two of these reactors, the deals would create 3,000 to 5,000 direct jobs and 10,000 to 15,000 indirect jobs in the United States, the State Department has said." Just thinking out loud: my view of the NSG is not unlike that of the WTO: I want to seem them both destroyed as they are both tools of imperialism to develop this new, globalized capitalism. On the other hand most nations see advantages to joining or having relations with both groups. Remember Battle of Seattle in 1999? That was the GATT evolving over to the WTO. The NSG is far more restrictive and is designed to assure restrictions in the development of nuclear energy, to keep in the hands and control of US Imperialism. Clearly integrating India into the context of the NSG allows not only control immediately over India's struggling nuclear program but prevents it, also, from developing it's own indigenous, and safer, form of nuclear energy based on it's massive thorium reserves (used in place of uranium fuel). Money will now flow into the hands of the NSG for it's reactors instead of the R&D needed to develop India's thorium reserves. I find this very unfortunate. On the other hand, the all the worlds current fleet of new generation III reactors are now available for India to purchase (which from the quote from the NY Times above indicates they are going to immediately start planning for 8 new reactors of this type) *along* with the required fuel which India desperately needs for it's own operational uranium fuel reactors. David From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 11:24:58 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 13:24:58 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] India/US: 123 deal for nuclear energy approved In-Reply-To: <48C2BA86.8050605@marxists.org> References: <48C2BA86.8050605@marxists.org> Message-ID: <908b689f0809061024q7009dfd7p64b15693bb4e35ec@mail.gmail.com> On Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 1:14 PM, David Walters wrote: > Don't know all the details but it appears that the 1-2-3 deal for India > to receive goods and services from the US dominated "Nuclear Suppliers > Group" has gone through, per the 'late breaking news' on the BBC web stie: > > "A breakthrough comes in Vienna after three days of tough negotiations" > > "The BBC reports the group of nations which regulates the global nuclear > trade has approved a US proposal to lift restrictions on selling nuclear > technology to India. The controversial deal now needs to be ratified by > the US Congress." A friend who had been following the issue closely, had the following comment about this: ---------- I am very happy, and pleasantly surprised, at the turn of events with the Indian nuclear deal. The step-by-step process has been remarkable from the point of view of those of us who want nuclear power but oppose nuclear weapons: First, IAEA worked out certain commitments from India. Then, the member states of NSG refused to provide a blanket waiver and forced a second meeting. Third, Howard Berman, a US Congress member, revealed a commitment from the US state department that any bomb testing by India would lead to dire consequences. Then, the Indian government reiterated its commitment to its unilateral moratorium on testing. Finally, NSG granted India a waiver. The PTI report I have below says in part: > Diplomats said some changes were made to the revised draft > of the waiver to assuage concerns of the sceptic countries > but details were not available yet. I wouldn't bet on these "changes" being insignificant. The Indian government can say whatever it wants about its "clean" waiver, but the NSG approval is clearly predicated on a commitment from India to refrain from any nuclear bomb tests. This means that, if any future government - Congress, BJP or Left - considers testing to further build up its nuclear arsenal, it will know that there will be serious consequences. The nuclear power sector, insignificant now but expected to grow into a sector with a large capital investment, will be in peril. I have argued repeatedly that the development of a vibrant nuclear energy sector, necessarily dependent on imported fuel, technology and plants, is the best guarantee against nuclear weapons. Other opponents of nuclear weapons, unfortunately influenced by people who oppose nuclear energy, have cited the hypothetical ability to use domestic uranium more freely in bomb-making, but they miss the far more significant role of the nuclear power industry, with its huge investments and the large number of consumers, which would be disrupted in a major way by any bomb tests. The way to go forward is for opponents of nuclear weapons to come together and demand that the nuclear power sector is overseen by a truly independent agency that can ensure proper safety and also prevent any funny business related to diversion for weapons use. From sartesian at earthlink.net Sat Sep 6 11:48:04 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 13:48:04 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] FDIC shutters Silver State Bank of Nevada References: <5F63E4A6581D4DE59D8158261F0E5B84@dmsthinkpad> <20080906150432.42009DA84@mailbackend.panix.com> Message-ID: Yeah, but if you put it under your mattress, and the whole world know's your address... You might consider a CD at Almagamated Bank, originally founded by unions for union members--. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Louis Proyect" To: Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2008 11:04 AM Subject: Re: [Marxism] FDIC shutters Silver State Bank of Nevada From sartesian at earthlink.net Sat Sep 6 11:56:13 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 13:56:13 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How to respond to following Obama-vote logic? References: <908b689f0809051701t5015e0e6t7d88cb1c4c94bc14@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0809060954v65430292ib124307f732f5a66@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <143C8AA14BE54D68B441576E9A81FA8D@dmsthinkpad> Nothing snide-- you were comparing that argument to arguments about national liberation struggles and civil rights struggles. Way out of proportion to the actual contest. The Obama candidacy is NOTHING like the national liberation struggles, the civil rights struggles; not even anything like the Kucinich campaign. Why would you argue with someone who says and quite rightly, that if Obama gets in the White House, a) the house stays white and b) the psycho-marketeers of democracy will argue that it is the ultimate evidence that racism is no longer present in the US and then use that as the reason for dismantling what remains of protective legislation? Unless you think an Obama victory is a plus? So do you? And if you do, I refer you back to my previous comment. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruthless Critic of All that Exists" To: Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2008 12:54 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] How to respond to following Obama-vote logic? From binesi at gvtel.com Sat Sep 6 12:10:01 2008 From: binesi at gvtel.com (David Thorstad) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:10:01 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Books Palin tried to ban Message-ID: <48C2C779.8090705@gvtel.com> It seems possible that the list of books Sarah Palin allegedly tried to ban as mayor of the Alaska podunk (see my earlier post) is a hoax. Many of the books fall into the category of books right-wingers have long sought to ban from school libraries. Whether Palin herself attempted to get them banned is not reliably determined, it seems. I have written the alleged compiler (a professor at the University of Wisconsin), but haven't received a reply yet. A google search turns up a number of sites about the list, including a /Los Angeles Times/ article that does not entirely lay to rest the issue. Here is one of the sites that claims the list is a hoax, for what it's worth. David http://www.cosmopoetica.com/blog/archives/2008/09/05/sarah-palins-banned-book-list/ -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: Attached Message Part Url: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism/attachments/20080906/13c33b24/attachment.txt From marvgandall at videotron.ca Sat Sep 6 12:09:09 2008 From: marvgandall at videotron.ca (Marvin Gandall) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:09:09 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama References: <4143DA3C9F9D4D33B0CC71E3FE29041D@office1pc> <4BCF89FECADB4B2AAA7899AD72602F49@MARV> Message-ID: Mark writes: > Marvin Gandall writes: >> >> it would certainly move the discussion forward if Mark >> and others, rather than merely deriding US radicals who are trying to >> organize frustrated Democrats >> > > There's no easy answers, but a strating pointing is not to simply > throw up our hands and become unorganized "frustrated Democrats" > ourselves. ============================ Frustration sets in when your group, whether inside or outside a broader political formation, stops growing. Growth and the promise of victory are powerful stimulants to action. Has a certain listlisness developed within the Obama campaign as a result of it's compromises and failure so far to break away from McCain? What's your impression? From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 12:16:47 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 14:16:47 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How to respond to following Obama-vote logic? In-Reply-To: <143C8AA14BE54D68B441576E9A81FA8D@dmsthinkpad> References: <908b689f0809051701t5015e0e6t7d88cb1c4c94bc14@mail.gmail.com> <908b689f0809060954v65430292ib124307f732f5a66@mail.gmail.com> <143C8AA14BE54D68B441576E9A81FA8D@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: <908b689f0809061116j487629dgd932bd2d424f7179@mail.gmail.com> On Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 1:56 PM, S. Artesian wrote: > Nothing snide-- you were comparing that argument to arguments about national > liberation struggles and civil rights struggles. Way out of proportion to > the actual contest. The Obama candidacy is NOTHING like the national > liberation struggles, the civil rights struggles; not even anything like the > Kucinich campaign. > > Why would you argue with someone who says and quite rightly, that if Obama > gets in the White House, a) the house stays white and b) the > psycho-marketeers of democracy will argue that it is the ultimate evidence > that racism is no longer present in the US and then use that as the reason > for dismantling what remains of protective legislation? Unless you think an > Obama victory is a plus? So do you? And if you do, I refer you back to my > previous comment. You clearly aren't reading attentively. I reproduce my post, below. Notice the quotation marks. The "I" within quotation marks below is not "Ruthless Critic", but the person (advocating a vote for Obama) who I am interested in *countering* . ---------- Original post ---------------------------------------- Any idea how to respond to the following logic...? "I got into a discussion the other day with a friend, who worried that a Barack Obama victory would sideline the struggle for human equality. "Power will now say that if there's a Black man in the White House, what's there to complain about?," he argued. The discussion frustrated me. "So, is my friend saying that it is better for the worldwide freedom struggle if Obama loses? This is like telling the national liberation movements of the 1950s and 1960s not to take power because neo-colonialism would suffocate their movements. It's like telling the US Congress in 1964-65 not to pass the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts because they don't address economic inequality. "No. Pass the acts, and then intensify the struggle. Take power and then push for more." From sartesian at earthlink.net Sat Sep 6 12:32:04 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 14:32:04 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] How to respond to following Obama-vote logic? References: <908b689f0809051701t5015e0e6t7d88cb1c4c94bc14@mail.gmail.com><908b689f0809060954v65430292ib124307f732f5a66@mail.gmail.com><143C8AA14BE54D68B441576E9A81FA8D@dmsthinkpad> <908b689f0809061116j487629dgd932bd2d424f7179@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <4420571BADDB4A1A8C8AF1CF42C3DE64@dmsthinkpad> I got the content, missed the quotation. I don't think you made it real clear that the I wasn't U, but OK, so it isn't you. I thought it was. Still, why would we engage in this sort of thing? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruthless Critic of All that Exists" To: Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2008 2:16 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] How to respond to following Obama-vote logic? From Dbachmozart at aol.com Sat Sep 6 12:55:03 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 14:55:03 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Opening The Gates of Hell in Pakistan Message-ID: _http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/alam050908.html_ (http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/alam050908.html) **************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com. (http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014) From markalause at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 13:20:25 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 15:20:25 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The campaign and the debate around Obama In-Reply-To: References: <4143DA3C9F9D4D33B0CC71E3FE29041D@office1pc> <4BCF89FECADB4B2AAA7899AD72602F49@MARV> Message-ID: Marvin Gandall wrote: > > Frustration sets in when your group, whether inside or outside a broader > political formation, stops growing. Growth and the promise of victory are > powerful stimulants to action. Has a certain listlisness developed within > the Obama campaign as a result of it's compromises and failure so far to > break away from McCain? What's your impression? > I have sensed a definate lessening of the enthusiasm among the legions of black friends and neighbors that support Obama. They will go to the polls and vote for him, but my impression is that their expectations have declined considerably from the euphoria of earlier days. A buddy who wanted to put an Obama sticker on my car when he was clinching the nomination told me yesterday that he thinks little will change because power will be in the hands of the people around Obama. There's a realism that tempers what had been an almost shocked appreciation earlier. But my point about frustration is deeper than whatever the current fad might be. Almost anybody you talk to who's been involved in the PDA, for example, is deep down frustrated and much more cynical than most anyone you can find on this list. To take an extreme example, I have old friends from the 1968 campaign who have never failed to back Democrats each and every election. They are what I'd call soft "New Left." They want almost anything that all of us would want in terms of immediate policy changes...and end to the war, socialized medicine, etc. They've gone one way after 1968, and I've gone another. I understand the forces that keep us from winning, and they deliberately avoid such an awareness. They have allegedly won, helping to elect Carter and Clinton and scores of lesser Democrats. But they haven't won anything at all, have they? This year, they're pelting me with emails on the awfulness of McCain and Palin...and, of course, urging me to vote for Obama and the Credit Card Company guy from Delaware. What, they ask, will voting for Nader accomplish? I respond by asking what voting for a Democrat will accomplish...even if the Democrat wins. In the end, the only thing they can say is that the Democrat will be a place holder to keep a Republican out of office who will do us great harm. But even that requires a level of faith that Sister Madeline Pius Fitzgibbon can only admire. ML From rwinnes at yahoo.com Sat Sep 6 13:30:12 2008 From: rwinnes at yahoo.com (Rob Innes) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 12:30:12 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] Books Palin tried to ban Message-ID: <496798.95015.qm@web83002.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Actually Snopes investigated this as part of a letter that has been circulating: http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/kilkenny.asp It's real and there is so much more, Rob Innes "Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted." - Martin Luther King - From sabocat59 at mac.com Sat Sep 6 13:56:46 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:56:46 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] CIA kidnap plane used to transport coke (mainstream news item) Message-ID: <0B06DBBA-78C4-47AA-9C11-5F54F0433F05@mac.com> MEXICO CITY (AFP) - A private jet that crash-landed almost one year ago in eastern Mexico carrying 3.3 tons of cocaine had previously been used for CIA "rendition" flights, a newspaper report said here Thursday, citing documents from the United States and the European Parliament. ADVERTISEMENT The plane was carrying Colombian drugs for the fugitive leader of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman, when it crash-landed in the Yucatan peninsula on September 24, El Universal reported. The daily said it had obtained documents from the United States and the European Parliament which "show that that plane flew several times to Guantanamo, Cuba, presumably to transfer terrorism suspects." It said the European Parliament was investigating the private Grumman Gulfstream II, registered by the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, for suspected use in CIA "rendition" flights in which prisoners are covertly transferred to a third country or US-run detention centers. It also said the US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) logbook registered that the plane had traveled between US territory and the US military base in Guantanamo. It said the FAA registered its last owner as Clyde O'Connor in Pompano Beach, Florida. Extraordinary rendition has been harshly criticized since it began in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080904/wl_afp/mexicouscrimedrugs From jbustelo at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 15:56:27 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 17:56:27 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Books Palin tried to ban In-Reply-To: <496798.95015.qm@web83002.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <496798.95015.qm@web83002.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <3191A85C82164EBBA9AAA7F0672A522E@albanta> Rob writes: Actually Snopes investigated this as part of a letter that has been circulating: * * * Actually, you're entirely and completely wrong. Palin's interest in banning books from the library has been widely documented, including by the Mainstream Media, and doesn't depend on Kilkenny's email, which is what Snopes verified, that there really was such a person and that this really was her email. There was no attempt made by Snopes to verify the veracity of the contents of the email either, but as it happens, the email didn't contain a list of books Palin wanted to ban. But what was being discussed on this thread is the specific list of books that Palin purportedly wanted to ban. There is simply no evidence the list is genuine, or that there was a list AT ALL. Joaquin From wquimby at ecr.net Sat Sep 6 17:18:17 2008 From: wquimby at ecr.net (Bill Quimby) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:18:17 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Books Palin tried to ban In-Reply-To: <3191A85C82164EBBA9AAA7F0672A522E@albanta> References: <496798.95015.qm@web83002.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <3191A85C82164EBBA9AAA7F0672A522E@albanta> Message-ID: <48C30FB9.2080307@ecr.net> Uh - hold on a second. Are you stating that there was no "list", or that there was no attempt at censorship? Please see this from http://www.libraryjournal.com/blog/1010000101/post/1620032762.html#comments - Bill Joaquin Bustelo wrote: > Rob writes: > > Actually Snopes investigated this as part of a letter that has been > circulating: > > * * * > > Actually, you're entirely and completely wrong. > > Palin's interest in banning books from the library has been widely > documented, including by the Mainstream Media, and doesn't depend on > Kilkenny's email, which is what Snopes verified, that there really was such > a person and that this really was her email. There was no attempt made by > Snopes to verify the veracity of the contents of the email either, but as it > happens, the email didn't contain a list of books Palin wanted to ban. > > But what was being discussed on this thread is the specific list of books > that Palin purportedly wanted to ban. There is simply no evidence the list > is genuine, or that there was a list AT ALL. > > Joaquin > > > ________________________________________________ > 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/wquimby%40ecr.net > > From anthony.boynton at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 19:10:17 2008 From: anthony.boynton at gmail.com (Anthony Boynton) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 20:10:17 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman Dec. 18, 1996 Article re Palin Message-ID: <7b8a676d0809061810y1b4e51deu70d443c79ab94f54@mail.gmail.com> FROM THE ARCHIVE: Palin: Library censorship inquiries 'Rhetorical' By PAUL STUART Published on *Friday, September 5, 2008 5:18 PM AKDT* Editor's note: This story first ran in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman Dec. 18, 1996. It has been typeset and posted here to accommodate numerous requests for the story from media worldwide and curious individuals. Please note that not at any time were any books ever banned from the Wasilla city library. WASILLA -- In the wake of strong reactions from the city's library director to inquiries about censorship, Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin on Monday was taking pains to explain her questions about censoring library material were "rhetorical." Library Director Mary Ellen Emmons last week said Palin broached the subject with her on two occasions in October - once Palin was elected mayor Oct. 1 but before she took office on Oct. 14, and again in more detail on Monday, Oct. 28. Besides heading the Wasilla City Library, Emmons is also president of the Alaska Library Association. [image: *] The issue became public last Wednesday, when Palin brought it up during an interview about the now-defunct Liquor task Force. Palin used the library topic as an example of discussions with her department heads about understanding and following administration agendas. Palin said she asked Emmons how she would respond to censorship. Emmons drew a clear distinction Saturday between the nature of Palin's inquiries and an established book-challenge policy in place in Wasilla, and in most public libraries. "I'm not trying to suppress anyone's views," Emmons said. "But I told her (Palin) clearly, I will fight anyone who tries to dictate what books can go on the library shelves." Palin said Monday she had no particular books or other material in mind when she posed the questions to Emmons. Emmons said in the first conversation, before being sworn in as mayor, Palin briefly touched on the subject of censorship. But on Monday, Oct. 28, Emmons said Palin asked her outright if she could live with censorship of library books. This was during a weak when Palin was requesting resignations from all? the city's department heads as a way of expressing loyalty. "This is different than a normal book-selection procedure or a book-challenge policy," Emmons stressed Saturday. "She was asking me how I would deal with her saying a book can't be in the library." Monday Palin said in a written statement she was only trying to get aquatinted with her staff at the time. "Many issues were discussed, both rhetorical and realistic in nature," Palin added. Emmons recalled that the Oct. 28 conversation she pulled no punches with her response to the mayor. "She asked me if I would object to censorship, and I replied 'Yup'," Emmons recounted Saturday. "And I told her it would not be just me. This was a constitutional question, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) would get involved, too." Emmons said Palin asked her on Oct. 28 if she would object to censorship, even if people were circling the library in protest about a book. "I told her it would definitely be a problem the ACLU would take on then," Emmons said Asked who she thought might picket the library, Palin said Monday, "Had no one in mind ... again, the issue was discussed in the context of a professional question being asked in regards to library policy. "All questions posed to Wasilla's library director were asked in the context of professionalism regarding the library policy that is in place in our city. Obviously the issue of censorship is a library question... you ask a library director that type of question," Palin said "Palin also said Monday censorship issues would not involve any departments other than the library. Emmons said she has been offered help if it is ever needed on censorship issues from the state library association's Intellectual Freedom Committee and the National Freedom to Read Foundation. Palin called Emmons into her office Monday to discuss the censorship questions again. Palin also attended Friday's staff meeting at the library, but without mentioning censorship , Emmons said. "I'm hoping it was just a trial balloon," Emmons said, "because the free exchange of information is my main job, and I'll fight anyone who tries to interfere with that." The timing of the issue comes at a time when Emmons is trying to get the book-challenge policies of the Wasilla Library and of the Palmer City Library in line with the Mat-Su Borough policy, revised in December of last year. Emmons described the new borough policy as "a very good one." It is a step-by-step blueprint of procedures for anyone wanting to challenge the selection and availability of library material, Emmons explained. "it is a good process, and almost all public libraries have one." The borough's policy was revised mainly to replace the borough manager as the final decision maker with a formal Reconsideration Committee Mat-Su Borough Manager Don Moore said Saturday that changes were made, with the blessings, after a dispute that was resolved about two years ago involving a challenged book at the Big Lake Library. Emmons said the current Wasilla policy, which she described as written in more general terms than the borough's, also worked procedurally in a book-challenge case last year. Emmons said then-council-woman Palin was distressed about the issue when it came up, indicating she was aware of the city's book-challenge policy. Emmons said in the conversations with now-Mayor Palin in October, she reminded her again that the city has a policy in place. "But it seamed clear to me that wasn't really what she was talking about anyhow," Emmons added. "I just hope it doesn't come up again." Meanwhile, Emmons said she is working with borough libraries boss Bruce Urban and Palmer Library Director Janice Sanford, in the hope of getting the cities to adopt a book-challenge policy identical to the borough's. Print this story Email this story Post A Comment Digg del.icio.us Copyright (c) 2008 Frontiersman Comments 6 comment(s) Jane wrote on Sep 6, 2008 11:46 AM: " We should be very afraid of Mayor Palin being given any more power than she has already! " Sandra from Atlanta GA wrote on Sep 6, 2008 10:28 AM: " Thank you for providing primary source and factual information that I can use for decision making. THANK GOD for the internet! " Paul wrote on Sep 6, 2008 9:34 AM: " First they want to tell you what you can read, then they want to tell you what to think. Not that it matters much in a pretend Democracy. " Valley Resident wrote on Sep 6, 2008 9:20 AM: " Is this about censorship or just a raw grab for power? Either way, Palin scares me. " mike wrote on Sep 5, 2008 9:18 PM: " Wow. So many questions about censorship from a newly elected, small town mayor, don't you think? " Susan wrote on Sep 5, 2008 5:47 PM: " Thanks for reprinting the article. Couldn't tell from reading the recent articles on the internet what was real and what was reactionary. " From walterlx at earthlink.net Sat Sep 6 19:38:13 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 21:38:13 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Statement by Cuban Foreign Minstry Message-ID: <16854748.1220751493232.JavaMail.root@elwamui-ovcar.atl.sa.earthlink.net> STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS On 3rd September last, at 4:45 P.M., the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Thomas Shannon, delivered to the Head of the Interest Section of Cuba in Washington, Note N? 646, which states ?its deepest regret for the destruction caused by hurricane Gustav? and affirms that the United States would be prepared to ?offer immediate and initial humanitarian assistance of relief supplies to the Cuban people through an appropriate international relief organization?. An identical Note was later sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the United States Interests Section in Havana. In said Note, the U.S. Government also requests the Cuban Government to ?allow a United States humanitarian assessment team to visit Cuba to inspect the affected areas to properly assess damage?. On Saturday 6 September, at 8:55 A.M., the Ministry of Foreign Affairs delivered to the State Department, through the Interests Section of Cuba in Washington, and simultaneously to the United States Interests Section in Havana, its Note N? 1866 conveying its appreciation for the expressions of regret by the Government of the United States due to the destruction caused in our country by hurricane Gustav. The Note also states that Cuba does not require the assistance of a humanitarian assessment team to assess the damage and needs, as it has a sufficient number of specialists, which practically have concluded that task. The Note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expresses that if the Government of the United States is really willing to cooperate with the Cuban people in face of the tragedy of the hurricane, it is requested to allow the sale to Cuba of those materials considered indispensable and to suspend the restrictions that prevent U.S. companies from offering private commercial credits to our country for the purchase of food in the United States. A widespread public debate has emerged during the last few hours in the United States regarding the position that should be adopted by the U.S. Government due to of the severe damage caused by hurricane Gustav in Cuba. During the afternoon of 4 September, the Democratic Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama, requested the suspension, for no less than 90 days, of restrictions to travel, remittances and assistance by Cuban residents in the United States to their families in Cuba. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers that the restrictions to travel and send remittances by persons of Cuban origin residing in the United States should have never been applied. It is not Cuba but the United States who deprives persons of Cuban origin from the exercise of this right. If these rights were to be returned to the Cubans as a result of humanitarian reasons, there would be no way to explain that said prohibition, equally unjust and discriminatory, would be retained for U.S. citizens. Now, when the Eastern part of the country is already in hurricane watch as a result of the threat posed by hurricane Ike, as powerful as Gustav, Cuba reaffirms that, in all truth, the only correct and ethical action, in correspondence with International Law and the practically unanimous will of the U.N. General Assembly, would be to eliminate totally and permanently the ruthless and cruel economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed against our Motherland for almost half a century. It includes the persecution of Cuban commercial and financial operations in third countries and which, according to conservative calculations, causes yearly damages higher than those caused by hurricane Gustav. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba September 6 2008 ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 20:04:50 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 22:04:50 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] New Post General Strike: China and the road to socialism In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <908b689f0809061904n2e7cbc96qf7fc6ee71a73a365@mail.gmail.com> On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 3:36 PM, Christopher Hutchinson wrote: > Today General Strike takes a look at the widening gap between rich and poor > in China and worker militancy. > > www.generalstrikecomicstrip.blogspot.com Thanks, Christopher. A recent review of the documentary film _Up the Yangtze_ has used this cartoon by you. (A very inetersting film having to say much about the "Is China socialist?" debate here -- Walter should see it.) The URL of the review is: From jbustelo at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 21:09:32 2008 From: jbustelo at gmail.com (Joaquin Bustelo) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 23:09:32 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Books Palin tried to ban In-Reply-To: <48C30FB9.2080307@ecr.net> References: <496798.95015.qm@web83002.mail.mud.yahoo.com><3191A85C82164EBBA9AAA7F0672A522E@albanta> <48C30FB9.2080307@ecr.net> Message-ID: Bill Quimby addresses this question to me: "Are you stating that there was no 'list', or that there was no attempt at censorship?" From markalause at gmail.com Sat Sep 6 23:13:13 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 01:13:13 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Books Palin tried to ban In-Reply-To: References: <496798.95015.qm@web83002.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <3191A85C82164EBBA9AAA7F0672A522E@albanta> <48C30FB9.2080307@ecr.net> Message-ID: Joaquin's point is taken, but it's worth remembering that most institutional censorship is not done through formal challenges, committees, discussions, weighing options. As in the ol' education biz, it's mostly done through informal use of everything from "rhetorical" bullying to using a blackjack on the personnel file. Plausible deniability was most evident at the base of the government hierarchy way before it backed up to the top. I'm looking to hear from the librarian and others involved. ML From suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk Sat Sep 6 23:47:08 2008 From: suklasenp at yahoo.co.uk (Sukla Sen) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 06:47:08 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Marxism] Indo-US Nuclear Deal: Global Peace Movement Condemns NSG Waiver Message-ID: <870802.62717.qm@web23004.mail.ird.yahoo.com> NSG Creates a Gaping Hole in the NPT The US-India Deal Working Group of the international disarmament network, ABOLITION 2000(1), deplores the decision of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to approve a special exemption for India from its nuclear trade rules. The exemption will allow India to participate in international nuclear trade, but, contrary to the claims of its advocates, it will not bring India further into conformity with the nonproliferation behavior expected of the member states of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Unlike 178 other countries, India has not signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). It continues to produce fissile material and expand its nuclear arsenal. As one of only three states never to have signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it has not made a legally-binding commitment to achieve nuclear disarmament, and it refuses to allow comprehensive, full-scope International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. The decision by these 45 states creates a dangerous distinction between "good" proliferators and "bad" proliferators and sends out misleading signals to the international community with regard to NPT norms. Furthermore, it was inappropriate for the member states of the NSG to take it upon themselves to make a decision on this matter for the 140-plus other members of the NPT. A handful of countries sought to prevent this decision, but they were subjected to intense pressure by the US, India and other states. As Jayantha Dhanapala, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General (1998-2003) and President of the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference, said in an appeal issued via the US-India Deal Working Group on September 6 before the NSG's decision, "Brutal and unconscionable pressure has been exerted on the few countries who opposed the US-India draft at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting in Vienna..." Ambassador Dhanapala appealed to these countries and to all others in the NSG "to remain faithful to the principles of the NPT in the face of nuclear weapons states interests and the commercial profit motives of nuclear technology and materials exporters." He said, "A gaping hole is being created in the NPT, which Israel and Pakistan will drive through unless the US Congress or a new US Administration revise the proposed deal ensuring the survival of the NPT beyond 2010." We are shocked that no governments had the courage to remain faithful to the last, to defend the nuclear non-proliferation system, which is under threat from so many quarters. The NSG operates by consensus, so any one of these governments could have blocked the deal. We fear that the world could live to regret the day when no government had the courage to block this foolish initiative of US President George Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The NSG's decision did not make the task of creating a world without nuclear weapons any easier. Nevertheless, the determination of the nuclear Abolition movement remains firm. We will not be distracted from our vision. (1) ABOLITION 2000 is a network of over 2000 organizations in more than 90 countries world wide working for a global treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. The US-India Working Group was established at ABOLITION 2000's Annual General Meeting held during the May 2007 NPT PrepCom in Vienna. Contact: Philip White Coordinator, ABOLITION 2000 US-India Nuclear Deal Working Group International Liaison Officer, Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, Tokyo Office: +81-3-3357-3800 Home: +81-3-3708-2898 Email: white at ... Web: http://cnic.jp/english/topics/plutonium/proliferation/usindia.html The US-India Deal Working Group of the international disarmament network, ABOLITION 2000(1), deplores the decision of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to approve a special exemption for India from its nuclear trade rules. The exemption will allow India to participate in international nuclear trade, but, contrary to the claims of its advocates, it will not bring India further into conformity with the nonproliferation behavior expected of the member states of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Unlike 178 other countries, India has not signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). It continues to produce fissile material and expand its nuclear arsenal. As one of only three states never to have signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it has not made a legally-binding commitment to achieve nuclear disarmament, and it refuses to allow comprehensive, full-scope International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. The decision by these 45 states creates a dangerous distinction between "good" proliferators and "bad" proliferators and sends out misleading signals to the international community with regard to NPT norms. Furthermore, it was inappropriate for the member states of the NSG to take it upon themselves to make a decision on this matter for the 140-plus other members of the NPT. A handful of countries sought to prevent this decision, but they were subjected to intense pressure by the US, India and other states. As Jayantha Dhanapala, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General (1998-2003) and President of the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference, said in an appeal issued via the US-India Deal Working Group on September 6 before the NSG's decision, "Brutal and unconscionable pressure has been exerted on the few countries who opposed the US-India draft at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting in Vienna..." Ambassador Dhanapala appealed to these countries and to all others in the NSG "to remain faithful to the principles of the NPT in the face of nuclear weapons states interests and the commercial profit motives of nuclear te! chnology and materials exporters." He said, "A gaping hole is being created in the NPT, which Israel and Pakistan will drive through unless the US Congress or a new US Administration revise the proposed deal ensuring the survival of the NPT beyond 2010." We are shocked that no governments had the courage to remain faithful to the last, to defend the nuclear non-proliferation system, which is under threat from so many quarters. The NSG operates by consensus, so any one of these governments could have blocked the deal. We fear that the world could live to regret the day when no government had the courage to block this foolish initiative of US President George Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The NSG's decision did not make the task of creating a world without nuclear weapons any easier. Nevertheless, the determination of the nuclear Abolition movement remains firm. We will not be distracted from our vision. (1) ABOLITION 2000 is a network of over 2000 organizations in more than 90 countries world wide working for a global treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. The US-India Working Group was established at ABOLITION 2000's Annual General Meeting held during the May 2007 NPT PrepCom in Vienna. Contact: Philip White Coordinator, ABOLITION 2000 US-India Nuclear Deal Working Group International Liaison Officer, Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, Tokyo Office: +81-3-3357-3800 Home: +81-3-3708-2898 Email: white at cnic.jp Web: International Liaison Citizens' Nuclear Information Center 2F-B Akebonobashi Coop, 8-5 Sumiyoshi-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0065, Japan Phone: +81-3-3357-3800 Fax: +81-3-3357-3801 Email: white at cnic.jp Web: http://cnic.jp/english/ From glparramatta at greenleft.org.au Sun Sep 7 03:10:42 2008 From: glparramatta at greenleft.org.au (glparramatta) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:10:42 +1000 Subject: [Marxism] In defence of Naomi Klein's analysis of South Africa | Links Message-ID: <48C39A92.6040801@greenleft.org.au> By *Patrick Bond* In response to /Beware Electocrats: Naomi Klein on South Africa/* *by* Ronald Suresh Roberts *in /Radical Philosophy/ commentaries, July-August 2008, http://www.radicalphilosophy.com/default.asp?channel_id=2187&editorial_id=26668 For the full article and Klein?s chapter on South Africa/ go to: /http://links.org.au/node/618 Subscribe free to /Links - International Journal of Socialist Renewal/ - at http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=343373 From rfls12802 at blueyonder.co.uk Sun Sep 7 05:21:19 2008 From: rfls12802 at blueyonder.co.uk (Paul Flewers) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 12:21:19 +0100 Subject: [Marxism] Assessment of Solzhenitsyn in the Weekly Worker In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <001d01c910db$da61bb10$8f253130$@co.uk> Re Jim F's comment. A fair point. However, there is not much available in English of Solzhenitsyn's post-return material, and I can't read Russian. I based that part of my article on his two books Rebuilding Russia and The Russian Question at the End of the Twentieth Century, and on sundry reports that I gleaned on the internet and in newspapers. These books appeared before Putin took over, and, although they are reactionary in their harking back to an idealised view of Tsarism, I suspect they actually give a somewhat nuanced (to be polite) portrayal of his real views, but I couldn't prove that. As for Slavophile views becoming more popular in Russia, that wouldn't surprise me, but are they, as in the case of Solzhenitsyn, a genuine affection for the good ol' days of the Tsar that is based upon a pre-modern viewpoint on his part, or are they an ideological cover for rebuilding Russia, drawing on a mythical past to help bolster an up-to-date project of national renewal? I very much doubt if Solzhenitsyn's bucolic idyll appeals to many Russians today, a few romantics apart. Why not write a short note to the Weekly Worker? It runs an extensive letters page, and the e-mail is < weeklyworker at cpgb.org.uk >. Paul F From sabocat59 at mac.com Sun Sep 7 06:42:31 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:42:31 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Venezuela, Russia, to hold joint military exercises Message-ID: <89B8C901-03BB-4E31-ABF9-0F707F0156A9@mac.com> Venezuela, Russia to hold joint military exercises in Venezuelan waters www.chinaview.cn 2008-09-07 10:12:12 CARACAS, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela and Russia will hold joint military exercises in mid-November, the first of its kind in the Americas, the Venezuelan military announced on Saturday. The Venezuelan navy and air force, together with four Russian warships with some 1,000 soldiers aboard, will participate in the exercises scheduled for Nov. 10-14 in the Venezuelan territorial waters, according to a statement from the Venezuelan military. Since Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took office, Venezuela has boosted its military cooperation with Russia. In August, Chavez said his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev planned to send a Russian fleet to visit Venezuela. From pt_costello at yahoo.com Sun Sep 7 06:43:01 2008 From: pt_costello at yahoo.com (Pat Costello) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 05:43:01 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] Joe Biden and Anita Hill Message-ID: <767149.25195.qm@web63107.mail.re1.yahoo.com> When Senator Barack Obama mentioned last week at the Saddleback Church faith forum that he wouldn?t have appointed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court bench, perhaps he had already been reviewing the presiding role that his now running mate, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., played in the judge?s confirmation hearings long ago. Mr. Biden at the time was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. And while the Delaware Democrat ultimately voted against confirming Mr. Thomas, he was widely criticized by liberal legal advocates and women?s groups as having mismanaged the allegations of sexual harassment made by Ms. Hill against her former employer, Mr. Thomas, at the Department of Education and at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, at those hearings. continuation: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/biden-and-anita-hill-revisited/ From Dbachmozart at aol.com Sun Sep 7 06:56:54 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 08:56:54 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Palin has nothing to fear from the big bad "liberal" media Message-ID: _Glenn Greenwald_ (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/) Saturday Sept. 6, 2008 19:17 EDT - salon.com - The mighty, scary press corps clip - Of course Carney is right in theory that anyone running for Vice President ought to submit to questioning from the media. But the idea that her doing so will be some great blow against propaganda is wrong for numerous reasons. Who are these great, aggressive journalists who are going to question her in a meaningfully adversarial way in order to expose the falsehoods behind the image that is being created around her? When they decide in a couple of weeks that Palin is ready to do so, she'll go and sit down with Brit Hume or Larry King or Charlie Gibson or some other pleasant, accommodating person who plays a journalist on TV and have a nice, amiable, entertaining chat about topics that are easily anticipated. Having been preceded by all sorts of campaign drama about her first interview and the excitement that she's not up to the task, her TV appearance will be widely touted, score big ratings, and will be nice entertainment for the network that presents it. It will achieve many things. Undermining propaganda isn't one of them. This idea that she's some sort of fragile, know-nothing amateur who is going to quiver and collapse when subjected to the rough and tumble world of American journalism is painfully ludicrous, given that -- as the Canonization of the _endlessly malleable Tim Russert_ (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/20/abramowitz/) demonstrated -- that imagery is a fantasy journalists maintain about themselves but it hardly exists. The standard journalistic model of "balance" means that the TV journalist asks a few questions, lets the interviewee answer, and then moves on without commenting on or pointing out false claims, i.e., without exposing propaganda (Carney can check his own magazine to see how that sad, propaganda-boosting process works -- _here_ (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/11/27/the_correction/) , _here_ (http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/11/time-correction.html) , and _here_ (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/11/28/new_correction/) ). Few things are easier than submitting to those sorts of televised rituals. Carney is exactly wrong. Propaganda thrives -- predominates -- in our democracy for many reasons, the principal reason being that we don't have the sort of journalist class devoted to exposing it. Anyone who wants to contest that should examine the empirical data above, or more convincingly, just look at what the Bush administration has easily gotten away with over the last eight years -- the systematic deceit, the radicalism, the corruption, the crimes. The ideological extremism and _growing ethical_ (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/04/palin.investigation/index.html) _questions_ (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/09/03/halperin/index.html) that define Sarah Palin -- and especially the discredited, rejected core beliefs of John McCain -- means that the McCain campaign should have much to worry about in this election. Having Sarah Palin face the mighty, scary American press corps certainly isn't one of them. That's just a melodramatic distraction, one that will redound to the GOP's benefit. Palin will "face" our media soon enough, and it will probably be the easiest thing she'll have to do between now and November. full article - <_http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/09/06/carney/index.html_ (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/09/06/carney/index.html) > **************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com. (http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014) From lnp3 at panix.com Sun Sep 7 06:57:45 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:57:45 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] In defence of Naomi Klein's analysis of South Africa | Links In-Reply-To: <48C39A92.6040801@greenleft.org.au> References: <48C39A92.6040801@greenleft.org.au> Message-ID: <20080907125755.4AA8FEC47@mailbackend.panix.com> >By *Patrick Bond* > >In response to /Beware Electocrats: Naomi Klein on South Africa/* *by* >Ronald Suresh Roberts *in /Radical Philosophy/ commentaries, July-August >2008, >http://www.radicalphilosophy.com/default.asp?channel_id=2187&editorial_id=26668 I was rather shocked by Roberts's defense of South African neoliberalism, so I googled his name to figure out where he is coming from. This is what I found: Ronald Suresh Roberts's ode to Mbeki Vicki Robinson | Johannesburg, South Africa 15 June 2007 08:09 Stubborn, contradictory, a lame duck and surly. These are just some of the words used to describe Thabo Mbeki. But writer Ronald Suresh Roberts takes a different view. Roberts has mounted the first systematic defence of Mbeki's controversial presidency in a persuasive analysis of the historical and global traditions behind many of Mbeki's decisions. His book, Fit to Govern: The Native Intelligence of Thabo Mbeki, will infuriate a long list of journalists, commentators and members of civil society whom Roberts censures. They include Sunday Times editor Mondli Makhanya (a "colonial creature"), Business Day writers Karima Brown and Vukani Mde and editor Peter Bruce, political commentator Xolela Mangcu, journalism professor Anton Harber, former Progressive Party MP Helen Suzman (a "South African illiberal"), author and journalist William Mervin Gumede and Wits academic Achille Mbembe. In the book, a copy of which was forwarded to the Mail & Guardian, Roberts places Mbeki's leadership at the centre of a careful blend of political philosophy (the writing of, among others, David Hume, Frantz Fanon and Nicolo Machiavelli), historical theories on race (the imperialist tradition versus the resistance tradition), Mbeki's own writing and the coverage of the South African media. The book suggests that Mbeki's presidency has been crudely misunderstood, particularly by the media. He is likely to come under fire for his justification of many of Mbeki's controversial policy stances, which have alienated him from many ordinary South Africans and a large segment of his own party. Writes Roberts: "I want to examine what Mbeki meant when, following a gathering of African intellectuals in Dakar, Senegal, he quoted Ngugi wa Thiong'o on the imperative to 'reject the coloniser's interpretation of reality '." Fit to Govern attempts to identify and critique what Mbeki calls the "imperialist tradition" from within what he calls the "resistance tradition". Roberts says the Mbeki "enigma" has been generated by "an old and largely unreconstructed media oligarchy bereft of electoral influence" with an inability to contextualise Mbeki's transformation agenda beyond embedded stereotypes about the "native". He cites as an example of the "colonial South African discourse" an M&G article in 1996 headlined: "Is Thabo Mbeki fit to rule?" "The ideologically loaded notion of native 'fitness', previously taken as obvious by the anti-apartheid forces, had become a consensual agenda," writes Roberts. The inability of the media, some business leaders, elements of civil society, leaders of the union movement and opposition political parties to free themselves from the "settler consciousness in post-1994 South Africa [that] has swung wildly between romanticising and demonising the native" means that Mbeki's leadership on, among other issues, HIV/Aids and Zimbabwe have been "treated as mere invective without historical grounding or relevance". Roberts begins his chapter on Zimbabwe: "The word 'Zimbabwe' is the Pavlovian Bell of the white South African mind. Once the word rings out, all remnants of liberal good sense retreat, replaced by salivation and loud barking." He builds his case on statements and interventions by Mbeki on the Zimbabwe crisis, saying the media and commentators have conveniently ignored these because Mbeki's methods are at odds with the preferred Western "doctrine of democratisation by gun-barrel", of which Iraq is the latest example. "Citing Ruth First's classic critique of military coups, The Barrel of A Gun, Mbeki stressed the pointlessness not only of force-fed democracy, but of arbitrarily defined milestones, 'democratic musts', that schematically measure supposed progress towards democracy, often at the expense of realities on the ground." On HIV/Aids he argues that Mbeki has been faulted "less for denying than for asking questions" about internationally accepted HIV/Aids treatment. He builds a convincing argument for how Mbeki's stance on HIV/Aids has been misunderstood and in turn capitalised on by powerful individuals such as Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Edwin Cameron. "In the end, because of Mbeki's courageous flak-taking, black South Africans, who have their way in general elections, but not yet in the apartheid media, received a far more cautious and sensible antiretroviral roll-out, compared with the frenzied drugs campaign that had been advocated by [Zackie] Achmat and [Edwin] Cameron at their most enraptured," wrote Roberts. Roberts is likely to hit heavy flak from Aids activists over his defence of Mbeki's philosophical foot-dragging. But Roberts predicted criticism. In the acknowledgements, he quotes the president: "As you know the representatives of the colonial 'mother' will be waiting to do everything possible to discredit the book [I hope] that such notoriety as it may gain because of the vituperative assessments would encourage some people to want to find out for themselves why your book is an object of what will surely be the most negative criticism." From lnp3 at panix.com Sun Sep 7 07:02:16 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:02:16 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Indo-US Nuclear Deal: Global Peace Movement Condemns NSG Waiver In-Reply-To: <870802.62717.qm@web23004.mail.ird.yahoo.com> References: <870802.62717.qm@web23004.mail.ird.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <20080907130213.BA244DE4E@mailbackend.panix.com> http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/18743 From gw57 at cornell.edu Sun Sep 7 07:28:12 2008 From: gw57 at cornell.edu (Gavin Walker) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 09:28:12 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <038DA96A-9125-4F29-8414-83D348CC61DB@cornell.edu> > Message: 18 > Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:27:49 +0300 > From: Joonas Laine > Subject: Re: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? > > Anyone read any good books on the "high tech revolution", and what it > really means? Is it a paradigmatic shift in capitalism, or more or > less > the same shit in a different package? The autonomists' material is > heavy > on impressionistic philosophizing, but very lean on any numbers. > *Politically* though I think it's worth responding to, all the more so > because they do make very good critical points e.g. on the social > democratic left's orientation towards the "wellfare state". Although it might seem far from the theoretical orbit and political range of the expected Marxist references on this question (in fact, it is consciously distanced from party-oriented doctrinal and gestural declarations of fealty), Yann Moulier Boutang's recent _Le capitalisme cognitif: la nouvelle grande transformation_ (Paris: ?ditions Amsterdam, 2007) is a decisive reference. As is obvious from the title, Polanyi is also a source here. The work of the many thinkers around the journal _Multitudes_ such as Moulier Boutang and Maurizio Lazaratto is highly pertinent to this question. Perhaps the demands put forward by many of these thinkers, centered to an extent around the movement for a global 'guaranteed income', might possibly strike many Marxists as insufficient and cursory. Nevertheless, they have the distinct advantage of seriously investigating the new shifts in the development of the productive forces, the total social processes which are in transition under the effect of cognitive labor, and the new possibilities for recombination occasioned by the increasingly general circulation of socialized knowledge - the well-known "general intellect" of the _Grundrisse_. In fact, I think that it can be argued that much of this work resembles strongly an attempt to give a new significance to historical materialism in our time, and to begin the analysis again from the ground up. From lnp3 at panix.com Sun Sep 7 07:28:25 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:28:25 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Georgian chauvinism Message-ID: <20080907132822.EDCB2D972@mailbackend.panix.com> (Because of the misleading title of this article, I nearly passed it over unread. It turns out to be a rather devastating critique of Georgian chauvinism that fully puts the war into context. I should add that the bizarre sect-cult in the U.S. called the Socialist Workers Party has campaigned vigorously on behalf of the Georgian chauvinists.) NY Times, September 7, 2008 Soviet Union's Fall Unraveled Enclave in Georgia By ELLEN BARRY TSKHINVALI, Georgia ? It is not easy for Ireya Alborova to root through the events that cracked this city in half, but one small bright memory stands out from 1989, when she glanced at the building across the street from her high school and spotted a flag. It was a small Georgian flag, fixed in an attic window. Ms. Alborova was an unruly 15-year-old, preoccupied with her friends and her classes, and she took it in ? a small piece of information ? and kept walking. But now she thinks of it as the first signal of what was coming. Most of the world now knows what happened: South Ossetians and Georgians began a drawn-out war to control this sleepy valley, where the main feature is a road that cuts through the Caucasian ridge into Russia. That flared into a global standoff last month, when Georgia pounded Tskhinvali, the capital of the South Ossetian enclave, with rocket fire and Russian troops poured across the border in response. But for Ms. Alborova's family, which is partly Georgian but wound up on the Ossetian side of the conflict, the crucial event took place during the last months of the Soviet Union, when the fabric of a multiethnic society tore apart with breathtaking speed. For the past 18 years, in a city encircled by Georgian positions, the family and its neighbors have been reliving the rifts and betrayals of that period. Her Aunt Fuza's neighbor, a Georgian woman, crossed ethnic lines to pass on a warning that an attack on Ossetians was planned ? and then disappeared. A checkpoint appeared between Tskhinvali and her mother's ancestral village, cutting the Alborovas off from their Georgian relatives. Construction suddenly halted on a huge supermarket being built near their apartment 18 years ago, and not a day's work has been done since then. Its foundation was eventually picked apart to build trenches. And the citizens of Tskhinvali became a resistance. "It's not a question of whether you choose to or not," said Ms. Alborova, who is now 34 and lives in Toulouse, France. "Sometimes you are obliged. In some situations you don't choose anything." Tskhinvali is a city of low-slung, sand-colored buildings suspended between urban and rural life. Roosters crow in the cool of the morning, and almost every house has its own grape arbor, used to make sweet pink wines that are stored in plastic soda bottles and brought out for the slightest occasion. There were also monumental Stalinist-era apartment buildings where the elite lived, and a grand neoclassical theater. Ms. Alborova practically grew up in that theater. Her mother, Medeya, was Georgian. (Though her mother's mother had been Ossetian, children in the Caucasus take their father's ethnicity.) Medeya met Gelim Alborov in a state folk dancing troupe, and when they married in the 1970s, unions of Georgians and Ossetians were still unremarkable. To a teenager's eyes, the two ethnic groups were woven together inextricably. Children in Ms. Alborova's class were given their choice of language for classroom use, and though most of them were Ossetian, 28 out of 32 opted to study Georgian. "Our teacher was embarrassed," Ms. Alborova said. "No one wanted to learn Ossetian." In the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, some 50 miles to the southeast, Georgia's first post-Soviet leader was emerging. Zviad Gamsakhurdia, a longtime anti-Soviet dissident, based his campaign for the presidency on a vaulting Georgian nationalism ? an idea powerful enough to fill the vacuum left by Communism's collapse. The platform, known as Georgia for the Georgians, cast ethnic Georgians, who made up 70 percent of the population, as the country's true masters. Mr. Gamsakhurdia derided South Ossetians as newcomers, saying they had arrived only 600 years ago and as tools of the Soviet Union. On the street in Tskhinvali, small changes began to appear. Ms. Alborova's aunt was exasperated to go to the store and see that pasta manufactured in Russia had been put in packages labeled with Georgian script. Her neighbor Emma Gasiyeva kept hearing slogans: "Brush them out with a broom!" and "Who are the guests, and who are the hosts?" a reference to the theory that Ossetians had been brought to the area as agricultural workers. In 1989, Ms. Alborova was 15, and she saw only shadows. She heard that her Georgian classmates were gathering for some kind of meeting, but she was not invited. "They stopped talking to us," she said of her Georgian neighbors. "It was done very quickly." Over the next three years, Tskhinvali became something like Belfast in Northern Ireland. The government in Tbilisi established Georgian as the country's principal language, enraging the Ossetians, whose first two languages were Russian and Ossetian. A few months later, more than 10,000 Georgian demonstrators were transported to Tskhinvali in buses and encircled the city, until they were repelled by Ossetian irregulars and Soviet troops. A true war began in 1991, when thousands of Georgian soldiers entered Tskhinvali. The city was shelled almost nightly from the Georgian-held highlands, and Medeya Alborova recalls holding pillows over her teenage daughters' heads, as if that could protect them. When Mrs. Alborova got to Tbilisi to see her relatives, it was like stepping into a parallel universe. She sat with them watching news on Georgian television, as the announcer recited a litany of crimes committed by Ossetians against Georgians. At times, she said, she was not sure she was on the right side of the conflict. But the years made all of them harder. Even after a cease-fire in 1992, Tskhinvali was isolated from the Georgian territory around it, and accounts of atrocities against Ossetians ? rapes and grisly killings ? circulated endlessly. Mothers, who wield enormous power in this society, urged their sons to fight. But Ms. Alborova found a way to leave, through a scholarship to study in France. She arrived in Toulouse in 2001 and took in the town with amazement; people were so focused on pleasure. She replayed her memories from Tskhinvali, sealed off from the bright world that surrounded her. "I understood that I had lost 10 years of my life," she said. Ms. Alborova returned to Tskhinvali on Aug. 24 with butterflies in her stomach. She had expected physical damage, and it was there: bullet holes pockmarked virtually every building. But what surprised her were the people. Not many of them were left, and those who remained seemed damaged. Soon after her return, Ms. Alborova was taken aback when a friend asked her if she could kill President Mikheil Saakashvili if he were standing in front of her. A family friend, who greeted Ms. Alborova affectionately on Karl Marx Street, turned icy when asked about Georgians. "They have poison in their blood," said the woman, Katya Kharebova, 60. Many in Tskhinvali say they would welcome the return of their Georgian neighbors. Still, it is difficult to imagine how long it will be before these people will live together again, much less intermarry. When history sets down the consequences of what happened on Aug. 7, the death of a neighborhood will not be recorded. Indeed, in 20 years, it may be hard to find Georgians and Ossetians in this area who can talk to each other at all. Ms. Alborova's nieces, who live in Russia with her sister, are the first generation of her family that does not speak Georgian. Her mother shrugged, when asked about it. "Who's going to teach them?" she asked. From lnp3 at panix.com Sun Sep 7 07:48:02 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:48:02 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] The vanishing Republican voter Message-ID: <20080907134800.418D9E5EC@mailbackend.panix.com> Long-time neoconservative activist David Frum frets over Republican Party becoming the party of the super-rich. This is like somebody writing an article agonizing over the tendency of pigeons to crap on statues. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07Inequality-t.html NY Times Magazine, September 7, 2008 The Vanishing Republican Voter By DAVID FRUM I LIVE IN WASHINGTON, in a neighborhood that is home to lawyers, political consultants, television personalities and the chief executive of the TIAA-CREF pension fund. Not exactly an abode of the superrich, but the kind of neighborhood where almost nobody does her own yardwork or vacuums his own floor. Children's birthday parties feature rented moon bounces or hired magicians. The local grocery stores offer elegant precooked dinners of salmon, duck and artichoke ravioli. Four miles to the southeast there stretches a different Washington. More than one-third of the people live in poverty. Close to half the young children are overweight. Fewer than half the adults work. The rate of violent crime is more than 10 times that of the leafy streets of my neighborhood. Measured by money income, Washington qualifies as one the most unequal cities in the United States. Yet these two very different halves of a single city do share at least one thing. They vote the same way: Democratic. And in this, we are not alone. As a general rule, the more unequal a place is, the more Democratic; the more equal, the more Republican. The gap between rich and poor in Washington is nearly twice as great as in strongly Republican Charlotte, N.C.; and more than twice as great as in Republican-leaning Phoenix, Fort Worth, Indianapolis and Anaheim. My fellow conservatives and Republicans have tended not to worry very much about the widening of income inequalities. As long as there exists equality of opportunity ? as long as everybody's income is rising ? who cares if some people get rich faster than others? Societies that try too hard to enforce equality deny important freedoms and inhibit wealth-creating enterprise. Individuals who worry overmuch about inequality can succumb to life-distorting envy and resentment. All true! But something else is true, too: As America becomes more unequal, it also becomes less Republican. The trends we have dismissed are ending by devouring us. THE TREND TO INEQUALITY is not new, and it is not confined to the United States. It has manifested itself just about everywhere in the developed world since the late 1970s, and for the same two reasons. The first reason is the revolution in family life. Not so long ago, most households were home to two adults, one who worked and one who did not. Today fewer than half of America's households are headed by married couples, and married women usually work. So America and other advanced countries have become increasingly divided between families earning two incomes and those getting by on one at most. The family revolution coincided with another: a great shift from a national to a planetary division of labor. Inequality within nations is rising in large part because inequality is declining among nations. A generation ago, even a poor American was still better off than most people in China. Today the lifestyles of middle-class Chinese increasingly approximate those of middle-class Americans, while the lifestyles of upper and lower America increasingly diverge. Less-skilled Americans now face hundreds of millions of new wage competitors, while highly skilled Americans can sell their services in a worldwide market. As long as all Americans were becoming better off, few cared that some Americans were becoming better off than others. But since 2000, something has changed. Incomes at the middle have ceased to rise. The mood of the country has soured. Conservatives who disregard the mood of unease may forfeit their power to defend the more open and productive American economy they did so much to build. STEP ACROSS THE COUNTY line between Washington and suburban Fairfax County, Va., and you see the forfeiting process at work. A third of a century ago, Fairfax had only recently evolved from farm country to bedroom community. Some rich families clustered in the village of McLean, where Robert Kennedy had his Hickory Hill estate. Otherwise, Fairfax housed middle-class families looking for inexpensive housing and excellent schools. These middle-class families voted Republican, leading the Old Dominion's political transition away from its reactionary segregationist past to a modern business-oriented conservatism. Under its Republican leadership, Fairfax boomed. Giant shopping malls and futuristic office blocks beanstalked over tract homes. The population surged past the one-million mark. Today Fairfax boasts an economy bigger than Vietnam's. Fairfax households earn among the highest average incomes of any American county, more than $100,000, but that high average conceals wide variations between the highly educated and new arrivals speaking in 40 different tongues. With wealth comes diversity ? and what is inequality but diversity in monetary form? The county's new wealth and diversity have created important new social problems. The schools are stressed. The roads are choked. Land use is more contentious. As Fairfax has evolved toward greater inequality, it has steadily shifted into the Democratic column. The Democrats Tim Kaine and Jim Webb won almost 60 percent of Fairfax's votes in, respectively, the 2005 governor's race and the 2006 U.S. Senate election. Democrats dominate Fairfax's local government. In 2004, Fairfax voted for John Kerry over George Bush, 53 percent to 45 ? the first Democratic presidential victory in the county since the Johnson landslide of 1964. Don't imagine that this is a case of the shanties voting against the mansions. Kerry won some of his handsomest majorities in the fanciest of Fairfax's 99 precincts. In fact, Fairfax's Democratic preference is typical of upper America. In 2000, Al Gore beat George Bush, 56-39, among the 4 percent of voters who identified themselves as "upper class." America's wealthiest ZIP codes are a roll call of Democratic strongholds: Sagaponack, N.Y.; Aspen, Colo.; Marin County, Calif.; the near North Side of Chicago; Beacon Hill in Boston. (Palm Beach, at least, remains securely Republican.) There is a long list of reasons for this anti-Republican tilt among the affluent: social issues, the environment, an ever more internationalist elite's distaste for the Republican Party's assertive nationalism. Maybe the most important reason, however, can be reduced to the two words: "Robert Rubin." By returning to the center on economic matters in the 1990s, the Democrats emancipated higher-income and socially moderate voters to vote with their values rather than with their pocketbooks. Republicans still claim the support of the upper-middle, but by dwindling margins. Democrats increased their share of the vote among those earning more than $100,000 by 9 percentage points between 1994 and 1998. Between 1998 and 2006, Democrats increased their share of this upper-middle-class vote by 3 more points. Till now, conservative strength in the vast American middle more than compensated for any losses at the top and for the immigration-driven expansion of the bottom. Indeed, the Democratic tilt of the very richest Americans could be exploited as a powerful conservative recruiting tool. Resentment of "elites" is a major theme of conservative talk radio. "Who's looking out for you?" demands Bill O'Reilly, as he excoriates "media elites" who vacation in the Hamptons, Aspen and the Virginia horse country. But O'Reilly's question has recoiled upon its onetime beneficiaries. Who is looking out for the Fox-viewing public? For most of the Bush administration, G.D.P. grew strongly, the stock market boomed, new jobs were created. But the ordinary person experienced little benefit. The median household income, which rose in the '90s, had only just caught up to its 2000 level when the expansion ended in 2007. (clip) From pt_costello at yahoo.com Sun Sep 7 07:51:49 2008 From: pt_costello at yahoo.com (Pat Costello) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 06:51:49 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] Not one more day of U.S. imperialism Message-ID: <267574.45272.qm@web63105.mail.re1.yahoo.com> http://www.pslweb.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr012=xcazboxs12.app1b&page=NewsArticle&id=9833&news_iv_ctrl=1261 'Not one more day of U.S. imperialism' Friday, September 5, 2008 By: Michael Prysner PSL candidate Michael Prysner addresses protesters at the RNC The author, an Iraq War veteran, is the candidate of the Party for Socialism and Liberation in Florida?s 22nd Congressional District. He spoke representing the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism at the Sept. 1 anti-war demonstration of over 30,000 people outside the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. The PSL is a member organization of ANSWER. To learn more about Prysner's campaign, click here. To learn more about other PSL candidates running in national and local elections, click here. On behalf of the ANSWER Coalition I want to thank the organizers here in Minneapolis who have worked for months to make this important mobilization happen. They have had to contend with cops, the courts and the media who have worked to prevent this demonstration. But we are here. We are strong and we are going to get stronger. And we are going to fight together and organize together until every last soldier and marine leaves Iraq. We are not fighting for a timeline to end this criminal enterprise. The ANSWER Coalition demands the immediate, unconditional end to the occupation of Iraq. Bush and Cheney should not be simply impeached. They should be indicted as war criminals. I was sent to Iraq in 2003 not to save the Iraqi people, but to kill the Iraqi people. I was sent not to free the Iraqi people, but to imprison and torture the Iraqi people. I was sent not to liberate Iraq, but to occupy Iraq. There is no longer any question that this war was not for so-called "Iraqi freedom", it was not an act of self-defense, and it was not simply a foreign policy error by the Republican Party?it was a well-calculated plan carried out by both parties to dominate the Middle East, killing as many innocent people as necessary and profiting from that human suffering. Every day that this war continues, that suffering deepens. And everyday, it becomes more and more evident that this government will do everything in its power to continue and expand its domination in the Middle East. While the Republican Party most blatantly represents the policies of racism, war, and exploitation, it is vital for the anti-war movement to understand that we are not merely fighting against the Republican Party, we are fighting against an empire? an empire which will destroy millions upon millions of human lives for profit?an empire which will squander over 450 million dollars a day to murder and destroy while millions of working people in this country suffer from hunger, homelessness and unemployment. These horrible crimes are not perpetrated only the republican party, but by the twin parties of imperialism, which exist to make us believe we have a choice, to make us believe we have some say in what this government does?but they both represent the interests of the rich. Real change in this country will not come through a vote, real change in this country will only come through a dedicated movement that does not ask for change, or votes for change, but demands change and fights for change. Today we must remember our sister and brothers in Louisiana, who for three years have suffered in the wake of Hurricane Katrina?who still have not received 1 percent of the aid they so desperately need and deserve?who, in the weeks after Katrina hit, while in the most intense state of desperation, were left to die? while this government, instead of sending rescue, sent police and mercenaries to protect the property of the rich. In solidarity with them, and in solidarity with all those who suffer the crimes of imperialism, we must make these demands heard: Not one more dollar spent on this war of aggression. Not one more bullet fired in the name of imperialism. Not one more child killed for a fake democracy. Not one more soldier coming home in a coffin. Not one more missile fired. Not one more prisoner tortured. Not one more family made homeless. Not one more drop of blood spilled. Not one more day of U.S. imperialism. From binesi at gvtel.com Sun Sep 7 07:53:08 2008 From: binesi at gvtel.com (David Thorstad) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:53:08 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Palin and the AofG church Message-ID: <48C3DCC4.7040809@gvtel.com> It is now clear (any google search will turn up plenty of evidence) that as mayor Sarah Palin at least broached the possibility of banning certain "bad" books from the library, even if, so far, no list has turned up of the targeted offenders. As important, interesting, and relevant is her connection to the Assemblies of God church (also the church of former AG John Ashcroft), the biggest of the Pentecostal cults. This will undoubtedly become a more discussed topic in the weeks to come. I was raised in the AofG, so am familiar with the truly nasty and violent end-time beliefs of that cult, which is one reason I have been wondering how long it will take for the media to address the issue of end-time beliefs of that religious current (I'm not holding my breath, since the American media has become a virtual propaganda tool of the ruling class and abdicated any semblance of muckraking independence). Even though Palin's current church does not appear to be affiliated with the AofG, the AofG is solidly behind her, and no evidence has surfaced yet that her beliefs have evolved beyond those of that church. The following article goes into many (not all) of the weird end-times beliefs of the AofG and Dominionists and suchlike fruitcake fundi fantasies: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/29/163234/559/495/579213 Even this article, however, fails to address the question of premillennialism, the widely held belief among Pentecostalists and other fundi fanatics that the temple in Jerusalem will have to be rebuilt (and the Palestinians ejected from the "Holy Land") before the thousand-year reign of Christ on Earth can begin (one reason Christian Zionists are such avid supporters of the state of Israel). However, the Jews will then be given one chance to convert to Christianity, or they will be murdered. Zionist Jews for the most part know that they will be doomed should this eschatology come to pass, but for now they don't care so long as they get the support of Christian Zionists. Maybe most goyim don't care either and consider this worldview just plain nutty--which it certainly is. But millions of Americans adhere to it. Marxists sometimes argue that religious superstitions will fall away during periods of mass struggle, and there is some evidence for it (e.g., the Minneapolis strikes in the 1930s), but on the whole, when it comes to Dominionists, Reconstructionists, and other such fundi ilk, I have my doubts. Palin is clearly one such crazy. Based on what has come out thus far, I consider her even nuttier than W and the entire church antithetical to a civilized society. When I was a child in the AofG, that church followed the biblical exhortation: "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is God's." That was long ago thrown overboard in favor of trying to impose their religious views on the rest of society. For a window on homosex and sin in the AofG church in the 1950s, see my article "Holy Rolling": http://www.williampercy.com/wiki/index.php?title=Holy_Rolling David From pance at rogers.com Sun Sep 7 08:31:24 2008 From: pance at rogers.com (Pance Stojkovski) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 10:31:24 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Obama: The Price of Being Black Message-ID: Obama: The Price of Being Black By Andrew Hacker In May, Hillary Clinton described many of her core supporters as "hard-working Americans, white Americans." Primary voting in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia confirmed her surmise. Her remark seemed, without saying so, to claim an advantage over Obama that was due to his race. But there's more we need to know. We can see how being a farmer or a bond trader or a gun collector might influence your vote. And we understand why black Americans would want a person of their race in the Oval Office. But just what is there about being white that might incline someone toward one candidate instead of another? Senator Clinton implied that this identity was salient for some voters and that she could appeal to it. Polls showed that some 15 to 20 percent of white voters in those three states said that "race" was a factor in their vote, and we are left to wonder just how much of a factor and how many more would have said the same if they had been frank with the interviewer. People are uneasy talking about the subject of race, but the feeling persists that Obama's half-ancestry could tip the scales on November 4. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21771 From Dbachmozart at aol.com Sun Sep 7 08:50:14 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 10:50:14 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Obama joins O'Relly in salute to "the surge" Message-ID: Surge Protectors: Obama Embraces Bush-McCain Spin on Iraq Friday, 05 September 2008 clip -- Barack Obama_ has now declared_ (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aSPSq3q1shRI&refer=home) -- on Fox News, no less -- that George W. Bush's escalation of _the flagrant war crime_ (http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2008/08/choice-of-war-criminals.html) in Iraq has "succeeded beyond our wildest dreams." He also proclaimed his "absolute" belief in the "_War on Terror_ (http://www.chris-floyd.com/content/view/1597/135/) ," and pledged, once again, "never to take a military option off the table" (not even the nuclear option) against the "major threat" of Iran. In short, he continued his relentless campaign to purge himself of any of that weak-sister "anti-war" taint that got attached to him in the early days of his campaign -- which was, of course, responsible for his phenomenal rise in the first place. He rode that wave to national prominence -- trading on the desperate hopes of millions of Americans that the ungodly criminal nightmare in Iraq might finally end -- but it was obvious long ago that he was never going to dance with the ones that brung him. Once it was clear that he might really make it all the way to the top of the greasy pole, he began a dogged campaign to prove to our ruling elite that he would be a "safe pair of hands" for the imperial enterprise. We've seen this in, among other things, _the shameful FISA vote_ (http://www.chris-floyd.com/content/view/1561/135/) , the bellicose threats to launch incursions into Pakistan (a policy which the Bush Administration is already implementing,_ with the usual deadly results for civilians)_ (http://news.antiwar.com/2008/09/04/as-pakistan-election-looms-fresh-waziristan-strike-kills-six-ci vilians/) , the ritual and repeated assertions of his willingness to attack Iran, and the foolhardy promise to shepherd Georgia's entry into NATO -- a mirror-image of Dick Cheney's stance, and a policy guaranteed to ratchet up tensions with Russia and quite possibly spark not only a new Cold War but a hot war of horrendous proportions if Georgia pulls its future NATO treaty partners into another conflict with Moscow. But it is Obama's surrender on the Iraq War front -- or rather, the anti-Iraq War front -- that is most striking, and most disheartening. On the very night that John McCain was putting the "success" of the surge at the center of his campaign, Obama was openly, cravenly laying down one of his chief weapons at the feet of Bill O'Reilly. Obama's cheerleading for the surge -- "beyond our wildest dreams!" -- surpassed anything that McCain himself has claimed for the escalation. Obama also emphasized the obscene and morally depraved position that has become the Democrat's standard line on Iraq: that the lazy, no-good Iraqis "still haven't taken responsibility" for running "their own country." The arrogance and inhumanity of this position is staggering, almost indescribable. The United States of America invaded Iraq, destroyed its society, slaughtered its citizens, drove millions from their homes, occupied the country and made itself the ultimate master and arbiter of the conquered land -- but still the Iraqis are condemned for "not taking responsibility for their own country." Not a single Iraqi attacked America. Not one. America's action has killed more than a million Iraqis. But it is the Iraqis who are now "responsible." Not only has Obama validated McCain's position on the surge, but his and the Democrats' stance on the Iraqis' "responsibility" also completely buys into the Bush Faction's lie that the "government" of Iraq -- installed at the point of foreign guns, with a "constitution" based upon the arbitrary directives of an occupying power -- is somehow legitimate. This stance too validates the "success" of the entire war: "Hey, they've got a legitimate government there now, so they need to take responsibility for their own country." This bears repeating: the Democrats' position on Iraq fully accepts -- and even celebrates -- the Bush Administration's fundamental claims for the war. The war has established a legitimate, democratic government in Iraq, Bush and the Democrats both say. The "surge" has succeeded "beyond our wildest dreams" in "securing" Iraq, Bush and the Democrats both say. When "conditions on the ground" are right, America should withdraw its "combat troops" from Iraq, leaving behind an unspecified number of troops for training Iraqi security forces, conducting counterterrorism operations and providing security for other American personnel and reconstruction projects, Bush and the Democrats both say. Where then is the actual difference -- the evidence for genuine "change" -- between these two positions? While the Democrats will occasionally assert that instigating the war was a "mistake" -- because we should have been fighting more wars elsewhere -- they steadfastly refuse to denounce it as an illegitimate and criminal action. And, as we have seen, they agree almost entirely with Bush on the results that the war has produced. The rhetoric is different, of course, and each side denounces the other in the usual partisan bickering -- but the fundamental agreement is undeniable. And now Obama has made it explicit: a success "beyond our wildest dreams." full article -- <_http://www.chris-floyd.com/content/view/1599/135/_ (http://www.chris-floyd.com/content/view/1599/135/) > **************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com. (http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014) From farmelantj at juno.com Sun Sep 7 10:12:05 2008 From: farmelantj at juno.com (Jim Farmelant) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 12:12:05 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Assessment of Solzhenitsyn in the Weekly Worker Message-ID: <20080907.121206.2864.2.farmelantj@juno.com> On Sun, 7 Sep 2008 12:21:19 +0100 "Paul Flewers" writes: > > As for Slavophile views becoming more popular in Russia, that > wouldn't > surprise me, but are they, as in the case of Solzhenitsyn, a > genuine > affection for the good ol' days of the Tsar that is based upon a > pre-modern > viewpoint on his part, or are they an ideological cover for > rebuilding > Russia, drawing on a mythical past to help bolster an up-to-date > project of > national renewal? I very much doubt if Solzhenitsyn's bucolic idyll > appeals > to many Russians today, a few romantics apart. I think that in its contemporary form, Slavophilism in Russia tends to take the form of what is known as neo-Eurasianism, which is generally a lot less extreme that Solzenitsyn's brand of Slavophilism (i.e most neo-Eurasianists don't hanker for restoring the monarchy), but like his brand, it still attempts to caution Russians against Westernization and becoming too closely tied to the West. Overall, I think its a better fit with Putin's plans for restoring Russia as a leading world power than Solzenitsyn's brand of Slavophilism. > > Why not write a short note to the Weekly Worker? It runs an > extensive > letters page, and the e-mail is < weeklyworker at cpgb.org.uk >. Done. > > Paul F > > > > > > > ________________________________________________ > 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/farmelantj%40juno.com > > ____________________________________________________________ Save for the future with great IRA Funds. Click now! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3nIaFJ4S1mO09eIaKxqRGJ0xIGN9VMtgrjloCb85uJU7slG3/ From farmelantj at juno.com Sun Sep 7 10:21:01 2008 From: farmelantj at juno.com (Jim Farmelant) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 12:21:01 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Marginalism and the labor theory of value Message-ID: <20080907.122102.2864.3.farmelantj@juno.com> http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/10202/1/MPRA_paper_10202.pdf ____________________________________________________________ Discount Online Trading - Click Now! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3mJ8YUVsg06so3txrEHFb9rVCTLANk7ziYPh5apTKi5GFu5x/ From jjonas at nic.fi Sun Sep 7 11:20:55 2008 From: jjonas at nic.fi (Joonas Laine) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:20:55 +0300 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? In-Reply-To: <038DA96A-9125-4F29-8414-83D348CC61DB@cornell.edu> References: <038DA96A-9125-4F29-8414-83D348CC61DB@cornell.edu> Message-ID: <48C40D77.4000408@nic.fi> Gavin Walker wrote: > The work of the many thinkers around the journal _Multitudes_ such as > Moulier Boutang and Maurizio Lazaratto is highly pertinent to this > question. Perhaps the demands put forward by many of these thinkers, > centered to an extent around the movement for a global 'guaranteed > income', might possibly strike many Marxists as insufficient and > cursory. Nevertheless, they have the distinct advantage of seriously Well whatever global guaranteed income is, it's not a very good *political* slogan at present. The Finnish autonomists (associated with the EuroMayDay protests seen also elsewhere in Europe in recent years, maybe elsewhere too) have at least made the attempt to make it a bit more tangible by putting forward some suggestions on a national level, and their rather provocative slogans ("Money, not work!" etc) have indeed stirred something up at least in Finland. The social-democratic party (SDP) and the Greens have both made their comments on it, the Greens even have their own version of the "basic income", which is 440? a month and said to be cost-neutral, i.e. by simplifying the tax and income transfer systems there's no need to raise the absolute amount of taxes collected.. in other words, an exercise in bourgeois reasonability, when the task - if guaranteed basic income is the slogan, transitory or otherwise - would be to find ways how to make *the capitalists* pay for it. If the Greens have got it wrong IMO, the Finnish autonomists' idea is equally disingenious, because they basically say that because the construction of the wellfare state (70s-80s) would have been impossible without central bank money created ex nihilo, there is no argument in saying (like the SDP does) that we can't afford basic income, because central bank money ex nihilo is available today as well. Now I'm no economist, but I'm not falling for this. And besides, they make explicitly the same bourgeois-reasonable argument as the Greens, that the basic income is completely compatible with capitalism, and like the write in their pamphlet, it would be a good way to ease the transition to post-fordist information capitalism. Maybe their comrades in other countries have made better suggestions. > effect of cognitive labor, and the new possibilities for recombination > occasioned by the increasingly general circulation of socialized > knowledge - the well-known "general intellect" of the _Grundrisse_. In > fact, I think that it can be argued that much of this work resembles > strongly an attempt to give a new significance to historical > materialism in our time, and to begin the analysis again from the > ground up. If anyone knows the source where the general intellect argument from Grundrisse is made the first time, I'd be interested to know. I haven't read Hardt-Negri's 'Empire', maybe it's there, or in some other influential book like it. The reason I'm interested is that the Finnish autonomists in their pamphlet seem to muddle the Grundrisse passage when they try to claim it for their cause. Below there's a snippet from an article by Paolo Virno that I googled up just now, he makes the same argument. As I understand it, in the Grundrisse passage in question (which I couldn't find on MIA, sorry) Marx talks about the continuous intertwining of producers and the crystallisation of the phenomenon together with the development of the forces of production into fixed capital which displaces workers. And when he talks about ?breakdown of production based on exchange value?, he's talking about a communist mode of production. In my reading of the passage, that's all. Virno et al. seem to take the argument a step further, arguing that whereas Marx talked about the transition from "fordist capitalism" to communism, it's now up-to-date to talk about the same stuff, but as the transition from fordist to post-fordist capitalism. No doubt the case has some appeal, but at present I'm not convinced by it, as it seems to me that if the capitalist cannot get the surplus-value out of his/her own workers (the few of whom might use extreme high-tech, 100 % science based things or whatever), it has to come from other sectors of production - just like e.g. an accountant firm manages to grab some of the productive sectors' surplus-value without creating anything new itself, as they're basically just counting things. The kind of knowledge-based new labour/capital they talk about seems more like a parasitical type that needs to feed on productive labour performed in other sectors, perhaps mainly outside the imperialist heartlands. General Intellect by Paolo Virno http://www.generation-online.org/p/fpvirno10.htm [..] Given the tendency for knowledge to become predominant, labour-time becomes a ?miserable foundation?: the worker ?steps to the side of the production process instead of being its chief actor?. The so-called law of value (that the value of a commodity is determined by the labour time embodied in it) is regarded by Marx as the architrave of modern social relations, yet it crumbles in the face of the development of capitalism. Nonetheless capital continues undeterred to ?want to use labour time as the measuring rod for the giant social forces thereby created?, with the aid of the organised working class movement, because the latter turned wage labour into its own solid reason for being. At this point Marx suggests a radically different hypothesis for emancipation from the more renowned ones exposed in other texts. In the ?Fragment? the crisis of capitalism is no longer due to the disproportion intrinsic to the mode of production based on the labour time of individuals, nor to the imbalances related to the full workings of the law of value, for instance to the fall of the rate of profit. Instead, the main lacerating contradiction outlined here is that between productive processes that now directly and exclusively rely on science and a unit of measure of wealth that still coincides with the quantity of labour embodied in the product. According to Marx, the development of this contradiction leads to the ?breakdown of production based on exchange value? and therefore to communism. In Postfordism, the tendency described by Marx is actually realised but surprisingly with no revolutionary or even conflictual implication. Rather than a plethora of crises, the disproportion between the role of the knowledge objectified in machines and the decreasing relevance of labour time gave rise to new and stable forms of domination. Disposable time, a potential wealth, is manifested as poverty: forced redundancy, early retirement, structural unemployment and the proliferation of hierarchies. The radical metamorphosis of the concept of production itself is still tied down to the idea of working for a boss. Rather than an allusion to the overcoming of the existent, the ?Fragment? is a sociologist?s toolbox and the last chapter of a natural history of society. It describes the empirical reality as it is seen. For example, at the end of the ?Fragment? Marx claims that in a communist society, rather than an amputated worker, the whole individual will produce. That is the individual who has changed as a result of a large amount of free time, cultural consumption and a sort of ?power to enjoy?. Most of us will recognise that the Postfordist labouring process actually takes advantage in its way of this very transformation albeit depriving it of all emancipatory qualities. What is learned, carried out and consumed in the time outside of labour is then utilised in the production of commodities, becomes a part of the use value of labour power and is computed as profitable resource. Even the greater ?power to enjoy? is always on the verge of being turned into labouring task. In order to take hold of the conflict of this new situation we need to level a fundamental criticism at the ?Fragment?. According to Marx, the general intellect ? i.e. knowledge as the main productive force ? fully coincides with fixed capital ? i.e. the ?scientific power? objectified in the system of machinery. Marx thus neglects the way in which the general intellect manifests itself as living labour. The analysis of Postfordist production compels us to make such criticism; the so-called ?second-generation autonomous labour? and the procedural operations of radically innovated factories such as Fiat in Melfi show how the relation between knowledge and production is articulated in the linguistic cooperation of men and women and their concrete acting in concert, rather than being exhausted in the system of machinery. In Postfordism, conceptual and logical schema play a decisive role and cannot be reduced to fixed capital in so far as they are inseparable from the interaction of a plurality of living subjects. The ?general intellect? includes formal and informal knowledge, imagination, ethical tendencies, mentalities and ?language games?. Thoughts and discourses function in themselves as productive ?machines? in contemporary labour and do not need to take on a mechanical body or an electronic soul. The matrix of conflict and the condition for small and great ?disorders under the sky? must be seen in the progressive rupture between general intellect and fixed capital that occurs in this process of redistribution of the former within living labour. [..] From sabocat59 at mac.com Sun Sep 7 11:45:41 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:45:41 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] UN says eat less meat to curb global warming Message-ID: <84420121-8AB3-4155-A39C-937CF5EA5C5D@mac.com> Published on Sunday, September 7, 2008 by The Guardian/UK UN Says Eat Less Meat To Curb Global Warming Climate expert urges radical shift in diet by Juliette Jowit People should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change, the world's leading authority on global warming has told The Observer Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which last year earned a joint share of the Nobel Peace Prize, said that people should then go on to reduce their meat consumption even further. His comments are the most controversial advice yet provided by the panel on how individuals can help tackle global warning. Pachauri, who was re-elected the panel's chairman for a second six- year term last week, said diet change was important because of the huge greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems - including habitat destruction - associated with rearing cattle and other animals. It was relatively easy to change eating habits compared to changing means of transport, he said. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation has estimated that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. These are generated during the production of animal feeds, for example, while ruminants, particularly cows, emit methane, which is 23 times more effective as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide. The agency has also warned that meat consumption is set to double by the middle of the century. 'In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity,' said Pachauri. 'Give up meat for one day [a week] initially, and decrease it from there,' said the Indian economist, who is a vegetarian. However, he also stressed other changes in lifestyle would help to combat climate change. 'That's what I want to emphasise: we really have to bring about reductions in every sector of the economy.' Pachauri can expect some vociferous responses from the food industry to his advice, though last night he was given unexpected support by Masterchef presenter and restaurateur John Torode, who is about to publish a new book, John Torode's Beef. 'I have a little bit and enjoy it,' said Torode. 'Too much for any person becomes gluttony. But there's a bigger issue here: where [the meat] comes from. If we all bought British and stopped buying imported food we'd save a huge amount of carbon emissions.' Tomorrow, Pachauri will speak at an event hosted by animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming, which has calculated that if the average UK household halved meat consumption that would cut emissions more than if car use was cut in half. The group has called for governments to lead campaigns to reduce meat consumption by 60 per cent by 2020. Campaigners have also pointed out the health benefits of eating less meat. The average person in the UK eats 50g of protein from meat a day, equivalent to a chicken breast and a lamb chop - a relatively low level for rich nations but 25-50 per cent more than World Heath Organisation guidelines. Professor Robert Watson, the chief scientific adviser for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, who will also speak at tomorrow's event in London, said government could help educate people about the benefits of eating less meat, but it should not 'regulate'. 'Eating less meat would help, there's no question about that, but there are other things,' Watson said. However, Chris Lamb, head of marketing for pig industry group BPEX, said the meat industry had been unfairly targeted and was working hard to find out which activities had the biggest environmental impact and reduce those. Some ideas were contradictory, he said - for example, one solution to emissions from livestock was to keep them indoors, but this would damage animal welfare. 'Climate change is a very young science and our view is there are a lot of simplistic solutions being proposed,' he said. Last year a major report into the environmental impact of meat eating by the Food Climate Research Network at Surrey University claimed livestock generated 8 per cent of UK emissions - but eating some meat was good for the planet because some habitats benefited from grazing. It also said vegetarian diets that included lots of milk, butter and cheese would probably not noticeably reduce emissions because dairy cows are a major source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas released through flatulence. From avvakum at gmail.com Sun Sep 7 12:36:23 2008 From: avvakum at gmail.com (Thomas Campbell) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 22:36:23 +0400 Subject: [Marxism] Marxism Digest, Vol 59, Issue 20 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Jim, I don't understand how you arrived at the conclusion that Russian neo-Eurasianism is "generally a lot less extreme tha[n] Solzhenitsyn's brand of Slavophilisim." The leading exponent of neo-Eurasianism, philosopher Aleksander Dugin, is a Third Position fascist (as well as a co-founder and ex-member of the National Bolshevik Party). It's not much to look at but the Wikipedia article on him at least gives some fruitful links, including a decent paper from the Kennan Institute: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Dugin You may be right that Dugin's vision is more congenial to "Plan Putin" than Solzhenitsyn, but this is hardly cause for rejoicing. Especially because Dugin is now a media celebrity, regularly appearing in the Russian mass media, where he presents his fascist views minus the arcane references to Julia Evola, Carl Schmitt and Co. (although putting across their "content" as insistently and popularly as he can). If, like me, you had had the opportunity to listen and watch his speechifying hundreds of times and read his books and articles, I think you'd retract your "mild" appraisal of neo-Eurasianism. To reiterate: neo-Eurasianists are fascists. And this is a judgement that, I doubt, they would argue with. And what do you mean by "Westernization"? > Message: 9 > Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 12:12:05 -0400 > From: Jim Farmelant > Subject: Re: [Marxism] Assessment of Solzhenitsyn in the Weekly Worker > I think that in its contemporary form, Slavophilism > in Russia tends to take the form of what is known > as neo-Eurasianism, which is generally a lot > less extreme that Solzenitsyn's brand of > Slavophilism (i.e most neo-Eurasianists don't hanker for > restoring the monarchy), but like his brand, it > still attempts to caution Russians > against Westernization and becoming > too closely tied to the West. > > Overall, I think its a better fit with > Putin's plans for restoring Russia > as a leading world power than > Solzenitsyn's brand of Slavophilism. From sabocat59 at mac.com Sun Sep 7 12:45:39 2008 From: sabocat59 at mac.com (Greg McDonald) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:45:39 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Naomi Klein responds to critics of "Shock Doctrine" Message-ID: <510E9248-C589-4F55-B3DF-56BFF99E5186@mac.com> Published on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 by CommonDreams.org One Year After the Publication of The Shock Doctrine, A Response to the Attacks by Naomi Klein Exactly one year ago, I set off on a book tour to promote The Shock Doctrine. The plan was for it to last three months, quite long by publishing standards. Twelve months later, it is still going [1]. But this has been no ordinary book tour. Everywhere I have traveled- from Calgary, Alberta to Cochabamba, Bolivia - I have heard more stories about how shock strategies have been used to impose unwanted pro- corporate policies. I have also been part of stimulating debates and discussions about how the current round of crises - oil, food, financial markets, heavy weather -- can be transformed into opportunities for progressive change. And there have been other kinds of responses too. The Shock Doctrine is a direct attack on the intellectuals and institutions that have disseminated corporatist ideology around the world. When I wrote the book, I fully expected to get hit back. Yet for eight months following publication, there was an eerie silence from the "free- market" ideologues. Sure, a few dismissive reviews appeared in the business press [2]. But not a word from the Washington think tanks that I name in the book. Nothing from the University of Chicago economics department. Even The Economist magazine, which used to attack me gleefully and with great regularity, never mentioned the book in print. An American television producer, who was trying to find an opponent to debate me on-air, confided that she had never been turned down so consistently. "They seem to think if they ignore you, you'll go away." Well, the silence from the right has certainly been broken. In recent months, several articles and reports have come out claiming to debunk my thesis. The most prominent are a "background paper" [3] published by The Cato Institute, extended into a full length book in Swedish (!), and a lengthy essay [4] in The New Republic by senior editor Jonathan Chait. Several readers have written to this site [5] asking me to respond to these attacks, if only to help them defend the book more effectively. I resisted at first (clinging to my summer vacation...) but I appreciate the feedback and several points do need correcting. Since the reports by Cato and The New Republic - though purporting to come from radically different points on the political spectrum - share some marked similarities, I've decided to tackle them together. Here goes. Full: From sartesian at earthlink.net Sun Sep 7 13:39:54 2008 From: sartesian at earthlink.net (S. Artesian) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 15:39:54 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Fannie and Freddie Get Seized. References: <0B06DBBA-78C4-47AA-9C11-5F54F0433F05@mac.com> Message-ID: <7D06748FF2264E04973221DB84814CE6@dmsthinkpad> NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Federal officials on Sunday unveiled an extraordinary takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, putting the government in charge of the twin mortgage giants and the $5 trillion in home loans they back. The move marks Washington's most dramatic attempt yet to shore up the nation's housing market, which is suffering from record foreclosures and falling prices. The sweeping plan, announced by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and James Lockhart, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, places the two companies into a "conservatorship" to be overseen by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Under conservatorship, the government would temporarily run Fannie and Freddie until they are on stronger footing. From walterlx at earthlink.net Sun Sep 7 14:50:44 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:50:44 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] AFP: 600,000 evacuate as Cuba braces for Hurricane Ike Message-ID: <10377414.1220820644809.JavaMail.root@elwamui-ovcar.atl.sa.earthlink.net> 600,000 evacuate as Cuba braces for Hurricane Ike 1 hour ago HAVANA (AFP) ? Barely a week after Hurricane Gustav devastated western Cuba, the island was battening down the hatches again Sunday for another killer storm, with more than half a million people evacuating Cuba's northeast coast, officials said. Hurricane Ike, labeled an "extremely dangerous" storm already responsible for at least 20 deaths in heavily flooded Haiti, was on course to barrel into Cuba's northeastern flank Sunday night, and authorities were leaving little to chance. In Camaguey province 225,000 residents evacuated, 150,000 were mobilized in Santiago de Cuba and 108,000 in Holguin, while 120,000 people -- including 13,000 tourists -- took shelter in the western province of Matanzas, near the capital Havana. Another 16,000 people evacuated their homes in Guantanamo province, site of a major US Naval base, authorities said, as Ike's outer rain bands began to lash the eastern coast. The communist government's internationally recognized storm-preparedness was in full effect Sunday as medical equipment, food and potable water were mobilized, fuel and power generators prepared and homes secured across the country. Vice President Jose Ramon Machado, meeting with authorities in Holguin, urged people to "carry out the evacuation in an orderly and speedy fashion," and to take steps to "avoid the loss of life." Ike is raging into the Caribbean from the Atlantic as a Category Four storm on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of 215 kilometers (135 miles) per hour. Ike "is a danger for all of Cuba's national territory," warned forecaster Jose Rubiera. Cuba's population tops 11 million. At 1800 GMT Sunday the center of the storm was 155 kilometers (90 miles) east of Guantanamo, Cuba, the US National Hurricane Center reported. "Eastern and central Cuba could see six to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain with isolated maximum amounts of up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) possible," the center said. The hurricane also threatens Havana, whose population of 2.2 million has been put on alert. Residents were stocking up on food, fuel and other supplies. In Cuba, a fragile and aging housing stock is highly vulnerable to hurricanes. Havana in particular has many colonial-era buildings, crowded with families and prone to cave-ins. A week ago Gustav crashed across western Cuba leaving widespread destruction of homes, businesses and schools. There were no known casualities but some 140,000 homes were seriously damaged or destroyed, authorities said. ========================================= WALTER LIPPMANN Los Angeles, California Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/ "Cuba - Un Para?so bajo el bloqueo" ========================================= From johnedmundson at paradise.net.nz Sun Sep 7 15:00:33 2008 From: johnedmundson at paradise.net.nz (John) Date: Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:00:33 +1200 Subject: [Marxism] Question for the environmentalists on the list Message-ID: <1220821233.5837.49.camel@john-desktop> Can anyone point me to a good review/assessment of William McDonough and Michael Braungart's "Cradle to Cradle" please? Cheers, John From shmage at pipeline.com Sun Sep 7 15:58:36 2008 From: shmage at pipeline.com (Shane Mage) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 17:58:36 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Obama joins O'Relly in salute to "the surge" In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <0137269E-72A9-46A2-96E0-E25B6D30A8D5@pipeline.com> On Sep 7, 2008, at 10:50 AM, Dbachmozart at aol.com wrote: > > > Surge Protectors: Obama Embraces Bush-McCain Spin on Iraq > > > Friday, 05 September 2008 > > Barack Obama_ has now declared_ -- on Fox News, no less -- that > George W. > Bush's escalation of _the flagrant war crime_ in Iraq has > "succeeded beyond our > wildest dreams." He also proclaimed his "absolute" belief in the > "_War on > Terror"... What a piece of work is this Obama! Surge succeeded "beyond our wildest dreams"???That violence in Iraq has lessened since the start of 2007 is entirely due to three (two certain, one probable) factors: 1.) The bribery of Sunni tribals (classical imperial tactic for the last three millennia) to fight against the so-called Al-Qaida in Mesopotamia (who they hated maybe even more than they did the Americans). 2.) The Iranian government's heavy-handed backing of Maliki against Al- Sadr, enforced by imprisonment of Iraq's most popular politician in an Iranian "seminary." 3.) A military operation whose main weapon is the suicide bomber probably began, as it inevitably had to, running out of weapons. Not one of these factors was given as rationale for the "surge" and none of them was caused in any way by the relatively small increase in US combat troops glorified by the propaganda label "surge." All of which is obvious to any informed observer. And since all of these are building blocks of an Iranian-dominated Iraq once the US, as it soon must, gives up political control of Iraq the present US policy can rightfully be called a "faith(Islamic)-based solution." Shane Mage "Thunderbolt steers all things...it consents and does not consent to be called Zeus." Herakleitos of Ephesos From jeremy at infowells.com Sun Sep 7 16:10:27 2008 From: jeremy at infowells.com (Jerry Wells) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 15:10:27 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Marxists should actively support the Green Party! Message-ID: <1220825427.28389.20.camel@pool-96-251-57-127.lsanca.dsl-w.verizon.net> I urge every progressive, socialist and working person to become active and vote for the Green Party this November? 1. This latest article from WSWS on dismisses both parties and candidates. (I don't think the SEP is running anyone this year. Regardless, this is my own point of view, not WSWS or SEP.) McCain launches fall campaign as Obama embraces Iraq ?surge? By Patrick Martin 6 September 2008 http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/sep2008/mcca-s06.shtml "The events of Thursday, September 4 demonstrate the two overriding political facts of the 2008 US presidential election campaign: a Republican Party in deep political crisis and widely hated for its program of social reaction and war, and a Democratic Party that represents no alternative whatsoever, galloping to the right." 2. On the vital issues confronting working people today, both Republican and Democratic Parties basically share a common corporatist platform and perspective. This is graphically illustrated on the website THE REAL DIFFERENCE: http://www.therealdifference.org/issues.html A more detailed explanation of each issue is found on the DETAILS page: http://www.therealdifference.org/issues2.html 3. Vote for McKinney rather than independent individuals like Nader! Nader, between elections, has done little to build a political party that represents his views. A new party is needed to bring together and involve the thousands of activists and millions of protesters who have remained forever politically impotent because they are forever atomized. 4. With a 5% vote in November, the Green Party would become eligible for Federal Matching funds in future national elections. After the November election, regardless of who is elected, the Green Party could become the "umbrella organization" to inform, educate, and organize future resistance to the unending war agenda, destruction of social institutions, the environment, etc. Many committed people will be needed in future elections to run for office at all levels of government, school boards,etc. to remove the defenders of the status quo. (The Green Party has over 200 office holders!) 5. The issue for socialists for this election should be to promote the creation of a new political party, free of corporate money and agendas, with a platform that is immediately understandable to millions of concerned working people. The Green Party could become an alternative party to the Democratic party for union members, if not the leadership of the AFL-CIO. 6. Why not vote Socialist? This would be a wasted "protest" vote. In less than two months, which "Socialist" party should people vote for? The SP? Peace and Freedom? Socialism and Liberation? What's the difference? What's the difference to working people? 7. In fact, what is "socialism"? Cuba? Venezuela? Stalinism? Trotskyism? All or none of the above? The Green Party is not explicitly socialist. But it has all the potential of developing into a mass socialist party if masses of working people can become involved in the Greens as supporters, activists and candidates for office that supports their needs. 8. The Green Party is open enough for all socialists to become involved and help define what a mass American socialist party will become. Voting for the Green Party is not a "lesser evil" vote for the Democrats. No illusions here about reforming the Democratic Party, such as the illusions the PDA (Progressive Democrats of America) promote. 9. Reforming capitalism may be an illusion that many in the Green Party perhaps have yet to confront or resolve. But by calling for an end to war, for a national single-payer health system (eliminating corporate profit, for refusing corporate money, for opposing privatization, etc. the Green Party is perhaps today only "social democratic". But the emergence of the Green Party as a "social democratic" second party would be a tremendous step forward. From ectoren at sbcglobal.net Sun Sep 7 16:16:50 2008 From: ectoren at sbcglobal.net (Erik Carlos Toren) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 15:16:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marxism] Marxists should actively support the Green Party! Message-ID: <740150.89343.qm@web81806.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Jerry: In the state of Texas, both the SP of TX and the GP have write-in ballot status. As is almost the case, write in ballots are usually hard to get 'em counted by the local precincts. They somehow get lost in the counting shuffle. So is voting for the SP a protest vote? Sure. As well as voting GP. So given a choice, I rather vote for a socialist candidate. por el socialismo, Erik Toren ----- Original Message ---- From: Jerry Wells 6. Why not vote Socialist? This would be a wasted "protest" vote. In less than two months, which "Socialist" party should people vote for? The SP? Peace and Freedom? Socialism and Liberation? What's the difference? What's the difference to working people? From binesi at gvtel.com Sun Sep 7 18:04:02 2008 From: binesi at gvtel.com (David Thorstad) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:04:02 -0500 Subject: [Marxism] Palin and the AofG church Message-ID: <48C46BF2.3010204@gvtel.com> There was a typo in the link to my "Holy Rolling" article in my earlier post. Here's the correct one. David http://www.williamapercy.com/wiki/index.php?title=Holy_Rolling From gary.maclennan at gmail.com Sun Sep 7 18:40:42 2008 From: gary.maclennan at gmail.com (gary.maclennan at gmail.com) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 17:40:42 -0700 Subject: [Marxism] Fannie and Freddie Get Seized. In-Reply-To: <7D06748FF2264E04973221DB84814CE6@dmsthinkpad> References: <0B06DBBA-78C4-47AA-9C11-5F54F0433F05@mac.com> <7D06748FF2264E04973221DB84814CE6@dmsthinkpad> Message-ID: This presumably is "nationalisation" by another name? If so surely it marks the end of the period of dominance by the "Chicago boys". Reportedly Army chaplins were fond of saying "There are no atheists in the fox holes". Just so there are no neo-liberal free marketeers in a recession/depression. Those who called most loudly for de-regulation and for govermnments to stay out of market business are now squealing for public money to save them. regards Gary From lnp3 at panix.com Sun Sep 7 19:07:59 2008 From: lnp3 at panix.com (Louis Proyect) Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:07:59 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Swans Release: September 8, 2008 Message-ID: <20080908010754.ACD6DD399@mailbackend.panix.com> Swans Commentary http://www.swans.com/ September 8, 2008 Note from the Editors: Change is the mantra of the 2008 presidential election, yet change when it comes to war is defined as more war, or the right war, or the winnable war. No candidate even questions the military- industrial complex or war for oil, let alone suggests peace. In true form and with another 9/11 upon us, McCain and Obama will strike their best commander- in-chief poses at Ground Zero to remember the victims of the tragedy that became the Pearl Harbor of the Global War on Terror. We prefer to use this sad occasion for a more reflective commemoration by publishing "Letters Against the War" by the late Tiziano Terzani. Terzani's book, a series of letters he wrote between September 14, 2001, and January 17, 2002, is a profoundly humane, insightful, prescient plea to choose peace over the war he knew would only fuel the flames of terrorism and destroy peoples and cultures of which we have little understanding. Just as the world changed after September 11, one's perspective cannot but change after reading this book, which explains why no American or British company would publish it. Terzani could not have predicted nor even fathomed the horrifying crimes committed against prisoners at Abu Ghraib, and in stark contrast to choosing peace, we found ourselves in one of the darkest chapters of war and its cover-up. Peter Byrne reviews the documentary and accompanying book "Standard Operating Procedure" that reveals the culture that encouraged these atrocities. Opponents of war would be well advised to consider a real candidate for change, Ralph Nader, rather than supporting war by voting for its advocates (including Barack Obama). At his August 27 Open the Debates rally he asked us "to apply our time to waging peace -- muscular peace." Nader, like Terzani, is effectively censored in the American media, so we are publishing the transcript of this impassioned speech. (Also censored is any coverage of antiwar protest at the Conventions for Change, as resident activist Martin Murie laments.) For those looking to Ron Paul, Gilles d'Aymery reveals the wizards behind the curtain of this man's platform and from what he found, there's not much love in the rEVOLution... If you're still reading and still think you're a progressive, have a look at Joel Hirschhorn's article, then imagine Carol Warner Christen moderating the duopolist debates when she challenges endless war and asks, did anyone care that we killed children? Those "change" candidates are also flexing their muscles at Russia as we head down the path to Cold War II. Charles Marowitz wonders if the same type of Stalinist dogmatism that literally extinguished the great experimental theater director Vsevolod Meyerhold and free artistic expression in 1940 may be reawakening in Putin's 21st century Russia. Encapsulating all of the above, R. Scott Porter's poem considers our tenuous relationship with the planet, and we close with your letters, on Jimmy Carter's snub, Joe Biden's values, and Ralph Nader's platform for change you can believe in. As always, please form your OWN opinion, and let your friends (and foes) know about Swans. It's your voice that makes ours grow. # # # # # http://www.swans.com/library/art14/ga259.html Ode To Peace And Life (Introduction to Tiziano Terzani's book) - Gilles d'Aymery http://www.swans.com/library/art14/terzani1.html Letters Against The War (Eight Essays) - Book by Tiziano Terzani http://www.swans.com/library/art14/pbyrne80.html Torture For Fun And Uncle Sam - Book & Film Review by Peter Byrne http://www.swans.com/library/art14/rnader02.html We Will Decide! - Ralph Nader (Transcript of his August 27th speech in Denver) http://www.swans.com/library/art14/ga258.html Behind The Curtain Of Ron Paul's Disciples - Gilles d'Aymery (You'll love the rEVOLution...) http://www.swans.com/library/art14/murie56.html Denver Braying - Martin Murie http://www.swans.com/library/art14/joelh06.html Neo-Progressives Sell Out To Democrats - Joel S. Hirschhorn http://www.swans.com/library/art14/carenc44.html Well-Known "Evils" We Never Seem To Learn - Carol Warner Christen http://www.swans.com/library/art14/cmarow116.html The Fall Of Meyerhold - Charles Marowitz http://www.swans.com/library/art14/porter04.html Nature And Man - Poem by R. Scott Porter http://www.swans.com/library/art14/letter147.html Letters to the Editor # # # # # Please, consider supporting our co-operative work financially. See http://www.swans.com/about/donate.html Swans (aka Swans Commentary), ISSN: 1554-4915, is a bi-weekly non- commercial ad-free Web-only magazine which provides original content to its readers. We encourage pulp publications to republish Swans' Work in print format. Please contact the publisher at . Please, do not repost Swans' Work on the Web and other mailing lists: "Hypertext" links to any pages of Swans.com are authorized; however, republication of any part of this site, inlining, mirroring, and framing are expressly prohibited. We welcome your comments and suggestions. When writing to Swans, please indicate your first and last name as well as your city and state (country) of residence. You are receiving this E-mail notification for you have expressed your interest in Swans and the work of its team. If you wish not to receive these short notifications, simply reply to this E-mail (delete the content) and enter the word REMOVE in the subject line. We do NOT share your E-mail address with anyone. Cordially, Gilles d'Aymery -- Swans "Hungry man, reach for the book: It is a weapon." B. Brecht From markalause at gmail.com Sun Sep 7 19:14:04 2008 From: markalause at gmail.com (Mark Lause) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 21:14:04 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Marxists should actively support the Green Party! In-Reply-To: <1220825427.28389.20.camel@pool-96-251-57-127.lsanca.dsl-w.verizon.net> References: <1220825427.28389.20.camel@pool-96-251-57-127.lsanca.dsl-w.verizon.net> Message-ID: We've been through this many times, and I'd urge Mr. Wells to check the archives on this. Since he whines about Nader for having "done little to build a political party that represents his views," it's only fair for me to ask where Wells and the other people who talk like this were? Why didn't THEY take up the campaign and build something out of it? Or is this the usual psuedo-socialist tactic of doing nothing but gabbing about how other people aren't doing what you want done? Of course, Wells gives the GPUS a pass on these questions as well. Now, don't get me wrong, I've been a Green for years. I was pushing the Greens when the Committee for a New Workers International Proletarian Party against Surplus Value was denouncing the sellout "bourgeois" Greens--back in 2000 when it was big and had lots of potential. However, not only did the GPUS fail to live up to that potential, but it has been in decline since. Wells has no condemnation of that. Not even questions. In the the, the GPUS has finally gotten small enough for the N.W.I.P.P.S.V. not to be threatened by it. Good for them. Of course, in states like Ohio, where the GPUS screens people coming into the party to filter out the socialists, that might be a problem. That the GPUS gurus here who pushed the McKinney nomination have pretty much either sat on their hands or gone to Obama should surprise nobody, since it's what they did with David Cobb in 2004. Still, the N.W.I.P.P.S.V. has discovered the GPUS and says we should all join it and build it. So those of us who know something about it should, I suppose, shut the hell up and follow this brilliant new strategic insight of theirs. However, the McKinney campaign has turned out pretty much as I feared it would. It is not a single campaign but several different ones going on under pretty much disconnected and independent auspices. Where it's rested on the GPUS, it hasn't amounted to much. It is a clusterbunch of the first order. In Ohio, the statewide rally for McKinney got 50-60 people into a free meeting at Columbus. Tomorrow, the many more people are going to pay $10 a pop to attend two large rallies for Nader-Gonzales, at a large theatre in Columbus at 1 pm and Cincinnati's Memorial Hall at 7:30 pm. (Of course, nobody will be turned away for a lack of funds.) Something will come out of this campaign. But tha'ts going to depend on us, Comrade Wells. You and me and the many others on this list. It's not enough to piss and moan that Nader hasn't built it for us (or, later, that McKinney hasn't built it for us). What happened and what will happen coming out of this campaign is on us. Solidarity! Mark L. From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sun Sep 7 19:58:30 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 21:58:30 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? In-Reply-To: <48C40D77.4000408@nic.fi> References: <038DA96A-9125-4F29-8414-83D348CC61DB@cornell.edu> <48C40D77.4000408@nic.fi> Message-ID: <908b689f0809071858u799789dm8ffa9ab44fc1857b@mail.gmail.com> On Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 1:20 PM, Joonas Laine wrote: > > If anyone knows the source where the general intellect argument from > Grundrisse is made the first time, I'd be interested to know. I haven't > read Hardt-Negri's 'Empire', maybe it's there, or in some other > influential book like it. A British sociologist with an Italian-sounding name (can't remember the name now) mentions this argument in his recent book, citing the Grundrisse passage you're talking about. > As I understand it, in the > Grundrisse passage in question (which I couldn't find on MIA, sorry) > Marx talks about the continuous intertwining of producers and the The passage is online here: From ok.president+marxml at gmail.com Sun Sep 7 19:59:54 2008 From: ok.president+marxml at gmail.com (Ruthless Critic of All that Exists) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 21:59:54 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? In-Reply-To: <908b689f0809071858u799789dm8ffa9ab44fc1857b@mail.gmail.com> References: <038DA96A-9125-4F29-8414-83D348CC61DB@cornell.edu> <48C40D77.4000408@nic.fi> <908b689f0809071858u799789dm8ffa9ab44fc1857b@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <908b689f0809071859y4e057df1j7d081a2c5dd51a88@mail.gmail.com> On Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 9:58 PM, Ruthless Critic of All that Exists wrote: > On Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 1:20 PM, Joonas Laine wrote: > >> As I understand it, in the >> Grundrisse passage in question (which I couldn't find on MIA, sorry) >> Marx talks about the continuous intertwining of producers and the > > The passage is online here: > > > P.S. You'll need to scroll down to p. 706 after you get to the URL above. From Dbachmozart at aol.com Sun Sep 7 20:18:10 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 22:18:10 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Vladimir Putin set to bait US with nuclear aid for Tehran Message-ID: Mark Franchetti in Moscow clip - Russia is considering increasing its assistance to Iran?s nuclear programme in response to America?s calls for Nato expansion eastwards and the presence of US Navy vessels in the Black Sea delivering aid to Georgia. The Kremlin is discussing sending teams of Russian nuclear experts to Tehran and inviting Iranian nuclear scientists to Moscow for training, according to sources close to the Russian military. Moscow has been angered by Washington?s promise to give Georgia ?564m in aid following the Russian invasion of parts of the country last month after Tbilisi?s military offensive. Kremlin officials suspect the US is planning to rearm the former Soviet republic and is furious at renewed support for attempts by Georgia and Ukraine to join Nato. Last week a third US Navy ship entered the Black Sea with aid bound for Georgia. Moscow has accused the Americans of using the vessels to deliver weapons but has failed to provide any evidence. Vladimir Putin, the prime minister of Russia, who has been the driving force during the crisis, has declared he will take unspecified action in response. ?Everything has changed since the war in Georgia,? said one source. ?What seemed impossible before, is more than possible now when our friends become our enemies and our enemies our friends. What are American ships doing off our coast? Do you see Russian warships off the coast of America full -- <_http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4692237.ece_ (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4692237.ece) > We have it in our power to begin the world over again ?Thomas Paine **************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com. (http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014) From gw57 at cornell.edu Sun Sep 7 20:30:35 2008 From: gw57 at cornell.edu (Gavin Walker) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 22:30:35 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6BE41E46-16CC-411F-B468-7A04D252E12C@cornell.edu> > Message: 11 > Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:20:55 +0300 > From: Joonas Laine > Subject: Re: [Marxism] Should IT workers unionize? > To: Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition > > Message-ID: <48C40D77.4000408 at nic.fi> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed > > If anyone knows the source where the general intellect argument from > Grundrisse is made the first time, I'd be interested to know. I > haven't > read Hardt-Negri's 'Empire', maybe it's there, or in some other > influential book like it. If you mean the passage wherein Marx uses the English phrase "general intellect" for the first time, as far as I know it is the section "Fixed Capital and the Development of the Productive Forces of Society" in the _Grundrisse_, also known as the "Fragment on Machines" (this can be found in Marx-Engels Collected Works, vol. 29 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1987), pp. 80-99). Certainly the discussion of this decisive passage predates _Empire_; Negri's close reading of it can be found in a variety of places, but especially in the 7th chapter of _Marx Beyond Marx_. From Dbachmozart at aol.com Sun Sep 7 20:51:11 2008 From: Dbachmozart at aol.com (Dbachmozart at aol.com) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 22:51:11 EDT Subject: [Marxism] Biden Backs Down From Any Pursuit of Bush Crime Message-ID: Chris Floyd - Empire Burlesque Sunday, 07 September 2008 clip - There was a flurry and flutter of hope among many of the progressive faithful last week after reports of a declaration by Joe Biden that an Obama administration might pursue criminal charges against top Bush officials. The happy cry went up: At last, the Democrats are laying it on the line, standing up to defend the Constitution, the rule of law and common human decency againt a vicious gang of mass murderers and tyrannical thugs! Fightin' Joe will lead the way! But by week's end, Fightin' Joe was caving and cratering in the time-honored Democratic fashion. _As Raw Story reports_ (http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Biden_would_prosecute_Bush_officials_if_0904.html) , Biden went on what is rapidly becoming the Dem ticket's favorite venue -- Fox News -- and heatedly denied an interviewer's allegation that "if you guys are elected...you're actually going to pursue criminal charges against President Bush's administration and different people that served there." full -- <_http://www.chris-floyd.com/content/view/1600/135/_ (http://www.chris-floyd.com/content/view/1600/135/) > **************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com. (http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014) From ecosocialism at gmail.com Sun Sep 7 21:06:39 2008 From: ecosocialism at gmail.com (Ian Angus) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 23:06:39 -0400 Subject: [Marxism] Why Washington Hates Iran Message-ID: <733b65360809072006u63128699m462a507d91007446@mail.gmail.com> SOCIALIST VOICE Marxist Perspectives for the 21st Century www.socialistvoice.ca September 7, 2008 The following is the Introduction to "Why Washington Hates Iran: A Political Memoir of the Revolution That Shook the Middle East," a Socialist Voice pamphlet published this week by South Branch Publications. The author, Barry Sheppard, was a member of the US Socialist Workers Party for 28 years, and a central leader of the party for most of that time. In 2005, Resistance Books published the first volume of his political memoir, The Party: The Socialist Workers Party 1960-1988. The new pamphlet is a chapter from the second volume, now in preparation. "Why Washington Hates Iran" can be downloaded for free from the Socialist Voice website, at - - - - - - - - - - - WHY WASHINGTON HATES IRAN By Barry Sheppard INTRODUCTION The United States and its client garrison state of Israel are openly saber-rattling against Iran. The immediate issue is Iran's nuclear program. Both Washington and Tel Aviv have stated that it would be "unacceptable" for Iran to develop the capacity to make nuclear weapons, and threaten a pre-emptive military strike possibly including atomic weapons. Iran states its nuclear program is for peaceful uses only. But even if Iran wants to have a future capacity to develop its own bomb, the U.S. and Israeli stance is patently hypocritical, as both are armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons. They seek to preserve Israel's status as the sole nuclear power in the Middle East. However, more is involved. Washington seeks to turn back Iran's growing influence in the region resulting from the failed U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Widening the war to include Iran and possibly Pakistan, however irrational it would be, could be a desperate gamble for the U.S. to somehow pull its chestnuts out of the fire. If there is such an attack, the Iranian people will unite to oppose it. Iran has many cards to play. Its armed forces are stronger than Iraq's were before the U.S. invasion. It has middle-range missiles. It has important influence with its ally, Syria, and armed sympathizers in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine Partisans of Iran are capable of waging irregular warfare ("terrorism" in Washington's jargon) against U.S. interests throughout the world. The recent escalation of tensions between Washington and Moscow has redrawn the map of international relations and thrown a monkey wrench into any plans to attack Iran. As of this writing cooler heads are prevailing in the U.S. administration, but this could rapidly change in the current unstable situation. The confrontation with Iran is the latest manifestation of the hostility the U.S. has maintained against that country for three decades, since the 1979 Revolution. A central thrust of that Revolution was the overthrow of U.S. imperialism's direct control of Iran through its proxy regime of the Shah. This anti-imperialist aspect of the Revolution was very deep and survives to this day, which explains why any attack on Iran will be met with a mobilization of the Iranian people. This pamphlet consists of a chapter which will appear in the second volume of a political memoir of my time as a central leader of the U.S. Socialist Workers Party and earlier of its youth group, the Young Socialist Alliance. It tells the story of the first year of the Revolution from the prism of my involvement in it. I was in Tehran during the February 1979 insurrection, and returned twice. It isn't a history of that year, and it doesn't cover the development of Iran in the following years and decades. Other chapters of my book will include information on the years 1980-1988 in Iran, including the violent suppression of the left and the U.S.-backed Iraqi war against Iran. My companion Caroline Lund and I were living in Paris in 1979. We were part of the leadership team of the Trotskyist Fourth International, representing the Socialist Workers Party. I was assigned to go to Iran early in 1979, and Caroline went back to New York while I was in Iran. That is how I happened to be there during the insurrection. I agree with the editors of Socialist Voice that publication of this chapter at this time, before the book is published, will help explain U.S. hostility toward Iran and the anti-imperialism of the Iranian people as a background to the present crisis. The chapter also, I believe, sheds light on the contradictions of the Revolution, contradictions which persist to the present day. Many on the left internationally have a one-sided view of the Iranian Revolution, and tend to dismiss it because of the capitalist Islamic clerical regime that emerged from it. It is beyond the scope of this pamphlet to describe present-day Iranian reality, but the contradictions between the capitalist regime and the demands of the workers, peasants, women and oppressed nationalities continue, with the regime being forced to make concessions while at the same time continuing repression to maintain its rule. Iran's response to the imperialist threats suffers from the fact that it is governed by a capitalist regime, beset by corruption and conflict within its leadership, while the workers movement in the country is not politically independent although it has waged some militant struggles for better wages and living conditions. Another aspect of this chapter is the heroic role that was played by Iranian revolutionists, in spite of the small size of their organizations, in the cauldron of the Revolution. They got it right. They were intransigent supporters and defenders of the Revolution unlike many Iranian leftists who turned against it in face of the repression of the new capitalist regime. At the same time, as they formed the Iranian Socialist Workers Party, they retained their independence and intransigent defense of the workers, peasants, women and oppressed nationalities ? the backbone of the Revolution. - - - - - - - - - Download the full text of WHY WASHINGTON HATES IRAN A Political Memoir of the Revolution That Shook the Middle East at http://www.socialistvoice.ca/?page_id=223 Purchase the first volume of Barry Sheppard's political memoir at http://www.barrysheppardbook.com From walterlx at earthlink.net Sun Sep 7 21:32:12 2008 From: walterlx at earthlink.net (Walter Lippmann) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 23:32:12 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Marxism] Why Washington hates Ir