[Marxism] On Walter's expulsion (a criticism and self-criticism)

[S. Artesian]

Oh Joaquin, you have certainly been wrong in the past, and about more things 
than you admit in your post.  You were wrong in your analysis and 
predictions regarding the now departed run-up in the price of oil, an index 
in your mind to rapid depletion of supplies, the peaking of the peak; you 
were wrong when you predicted that US state and federal governments would 
initiate massive public transportation projects;  you were wrong in your 
characterization of Mercosur [or Mercosul] as some sort of bulwark against 
Yankee imperialism.

But let's put those childish concerns aside and deal with the really 
critical issues-- like someone's nom de plume and/or ISP.  Those are big 
issues, I agree.  So... dude... is Bustelo your real name?  Like dude, I 
have no idea and don't really care, but dude don't you know Bustelo is a 
brand of coffee produced by a capitalist enterprise?  And like dude, my real 
name is David Schanoes.  I use S. Artesian, based on a street name in 
Chicago, because many years ago, after writing something under my own name 
which got some distribution in Chicago, I was paid a visit by some goons 
employed by the then Cook County State's Attorney, Edward V. Hanrahan-- you 
might have heard of him, ordered the raid that resulted in the murder of 
Fred Hampton and Mark Clark-- who proceeded to trash my apartment.

I liked the sound of the name so I keep using it.  Besides, one can't be too 
careful these days.

No conflicting interest statement:  I disagree with brother Waistline's 
analysis of Obama, but I need to sort through it carefully.  Anyway...

And dude?  AOL?  Wow ISP snobbery.  I hope no one ever finds out that I use 
a Motorola cellphone that doesn't have a camera, can't play music, won't 
connect to the web, and doesn't even come with an inventory of ringtones. 
And I never use the speed dial.  Oh, the shame, the shame!

But so much for serious issues...

Let's get back to the task at hand, which for comrade Bustelo is defending 
the other WL.

First-- can we dispense with the melodrama here?  There is no 2 minutes of 
hate, WL is no Goldstein (come on!) and this has not been an exercise in Big 
Brotherism.

All this stuff about rights, internet etiquette, "we marxmailers," etc. 
might have some currency, applicability if... if Bustelo or others had 
invoked them at any point, when Walter accused those making political, 
materialist criticisms of the Obama frenzy as calling for an "electronic 
lynching."  Now, paraphrasing Hudson in Aliens, "Maybe I haven't been 
keeping up on current events....."  but I was keeping up on current events 
and I don't recall Bustelo, or Feldman, or Luko, or GLP making a peep.  And 
maybe I missed it but when Walter was in his prime and linking those 
"ultra-lefts" who didn't engage in uncritical support of Morales or Lula or 
Mugabe or Mbeki with a "Washington Consensus"  I didn't hear a word from our 
Messrs. Manners about community, collectivity, etiquette. etc. etc. etc.

This doesn't surprise me.  Our Messrs. Manners use some of the same 
characterizations as Walter-- referring to those with criticisms of the 
wishful non-thinking about Obama as "phobic."  Phobia is a pathology 
exhibiting an irrational fear that inhibits normal activity, normal 
functioning in real life situations.  Nobody regarding the prospects and 
policies of an Obama administration has exhibited such fear, such 
inhibition.  Perhaps comrade Bustelo should spend less time with hi-tech 
glitterati and more time with a dictionary.

One thing none of the defenders have acknowledged, recognized, or answered 
is in fact the incident that resulted in WL's unsubbing:  he posted a 
response that basically excused a directed military attack by the US that 
resulted in numerous deaths.  How is that dissembling any different than 
dissembling when US covert and overt activities result in the deaths of 
Serbians, Bolivians, Venezuelans, Iranians, and Cubans etc?  Of course it 
isn't, and of course, Walter was only dissembling because he thinks or hopes 
Obama will ease the embargo on Cuba.   Does rank, gross, vile opportunism 
seem appropriate for a Marxist list?  Is that part of Internet etiquette 
101?

So I ask our Manners Group, think back, not so long ago to the participation 
here of Louis Godena-- who decided to post and repost his view that 
immigrant laborers were the source of, not all, but almost all, the problems 
impacting our "true," "good," "national," and let's add "clean" working 
class.  Mr. Godena argued that immigrant laborers were a drag on the working 
class, consuming social resources when producing very little [which is 
exactly the reverse of the reality as studies by the CBO and GAO have 
shown]; Godena argued that immigrant laborers were "crowding out" our good 
old American workers in the home mortgage market place-- I kid you not, that 
was his claim just at the very beginning of the subprime expansion.  Now the 
moderator told Mr. Godena that it he wished to participate on the list he 
had to stop posting such material on immigrant laborers.  Mr. Godena 
complied, as I recall.

But.... I ask the Manners Group, and Mr. Bustelo in particular, suppose 
Godena had continued?  Suppose Godena had actually excused, or supported, an 
attak of La Migra on workers in a factory, say in Mississippi or... Iowa, 
rounding them up, arresting them... suppose all that..  Would our Manners 
Group oppose the un-subbing, the "expulsion" of Godena?

I bet not.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joaquin Bustelo" <jbustelo at gmail.com>
To: <sartesian at earthlink.net>
Cc: "'Walter Lippmann'" <walterlx at earthlink.net>
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 8:09 AM
Subject: [Marxism] On Walter's expulsion (a criticism and self-criticism)


Someone hiding behind the absolutely ridiculous name "Waistline2" and using
an AOL email account (dude, don't the training wheels get in the way of your
feet?) joins in what seems to be developing into an institutionalized Two
Minutes Hate against our very own Emmanuel Goldstein:

"