I'm exhausted after a long day. However, I feel the need to write this up. I misjudged the population and the upcoming activists just before the now famous "Battle of Seattle". I was proven wrong, and am very glad I decided to go down literally on the last day. It was inspiring. I thought the movement would get stymied when they couldn't shut down meetings like that again. "Won't catch em napping like that again" I thought and often said during the next months. The tempo changed gears and the radicalisation of Europe made an immediate identification with the events in Seattle (putting aside egoism and brilliantly advancing the consciousness of the entire spectrum through involving an American start to a resistance movement). Prague was another turning point. Of course, I'm biased, but the same can then next be said (for the First World portion thereof) of what happened in Quebec.
The movement didn't shed it's reformist garb, but it sure did embrace it's anti-capitalist flank, right in North America. And yet another small yet brilliant change in strategy was made. The Wall came down, and the people doing so denounced capitalism and even Imperialism. This again, caught me by surprise- the most wonderful surprise. I had expected less- not so very much more indeed- than what I got out of Seattle. ...and I'm no nationalist. Of course, the last demonstration that appeared to split the ranks of the movement didn't at all, that being Genoa. It merely used the death of the first First World fighter to jump to the next level: A level of some definition to the different lines that emerge in such a movement. This to me seemed tragically too soon. But it wasn't. It was well received and the rest of the old-New Left began to seriously re-emerge- in a very positive role- here in Canada. All this seemed to be the tale of an exhilarating but seemingly pointless 2 year ride for me. It seemed incomprehensible that people in this young movement were solid enough to take on the implications of the terrorist attack. I felt, and stated- keyboard and wordwise- the most desperate and repulsed "NOOO!!!!". Again, I am wrong. This movement- and the people it is breeding- they won't go away. The people who have been anti-globalisation, I thought, they won't want to get into anti-imperialist struggles. The steam is gone, the glamour is gone, right? Too many of our new fighters against the global corporate elite were "in it for fun", right? Wrong. The transition is not complete, not by a long shot. But our best and the best people I am privileged to know, are passionately pursuing PEACE at all costs. Doing whatever can be done to fight these monsters- ones they well know are doing this for the same reasons they went after us everytime. The reasons they killed our comrades in the streets of Papua New Guinea. The reason they dance for joy on the living graves in New York. They want it all. The new fighters are popping up. There is a sense of serious, sombre urgency alight all over the land. There will not be the madhouse slaughter they want without a fight. Apolitical types are pissed off conversational liberals, pissed off liberals are becoming radicals, radicals are becoming seasoned activists. Seasoned activists are becoming obsessed, one track drones. The resistance to this war, so far, has a very controlled centralised spontaneity to it. No kidding. It really does. People meet. No BS about syntax; consensus takes a sideline to votes. The issues are almost purely adhered to. The decisions are committees. Committees for papers. Committees for lectures, committees for petitions. People asking for ten minutes of teachers time in class. People gathering around a conversation on a bus. 80% of the people, when presented with a real alternative, opting for something other than Bush's global crusade. People are reacting not only to racism, but they see the "leaders" as the culprit. The day will darken, temporarily, when Bush lets the Rockets Red Glare turn the young eyes of Afghanistan to ashes. Fear not, the people who brought you Iraq and Yugoslavia will now burn Afghanistan, and do it without mercy. And thanks to their efforts, they are giving an anti-imperialism lesson- a real lesson in what the WTO is- to the anti-globalisation movement. It will not dissappoint. The people are not being scared into their homes. We are being scared into a steeled next level. I love being wrong, each and every time. Pessimism of the Intellect, optimism of the will- this is a fine tradition. It's time for both, however. This is playing for keeps. Macdonald ------------------------------------------- Macdonald Stainsby Rad-Green List: Radical anti-capitalist environmental discussion. http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green ---- Leninist-International: Building bridges in the tradition of V.I. Lenin. http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international ---- In the contradiction lies the hope. --Bertholt Brecht _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
