<< Even condemnation of the suicide bombers in Palestine by First World Leftists would be, to say the least, gross. I support the Palestinian struggle against Israel In whatever form it takes. I might be critical of the efficacy of certain manouevers in fighting Zionism, and when the Palestinian resisters start phoning me for advice, I'll be sure to give such a critique at that point. But not before.
As for Swastikas, I assume that is propaganda from the NY Times, unless it is reflective of the Swastika I saw at a small local march held in solidarity with the A20 demo. There, the Swastika was on a poster of Ariel Sharon with a Star of David above his photo, beside him = the Swastika above a picture of Hitler. Can't say I rightly disagreed with that. >> On the first, since you and I will always speak as "first world" whatever-we-are (leftists, human beings, critics of US foreign policy, or whatever) your remark either means we can voice no opinion of anything outside Europe, the USA, Canada, etc. (because endorsement is no less arrogant than criticism) or it means you have adopted a semi-religious stance (unthinking adoration) of whatever the dominant factions among Palestinians do. We are not talking about a blemish, here; we are talking about endorsement of the fascistic political philosophy of Islamic fundamentalism - which is not a minor thing, and which tens of thousands, particularly Muslims (e.g. in Afghanistan) have given their lives to fight, and which was given real life in the 1980s by the vast support of the US and Saudi Arabia. And we are talking about terror against civilians. You, perhaps without sufficient thought, say you want a Palestinian state, whatever it costs, period. I want people won to a pro-multiethnic, pro-socialist perspective, because without that we are lost to the maneuvers of US imperialism which by the way loves Islamism. Islamists want to kill people (Palestinian and others) who support multiethnic tolerance. The tactic of suicide bombing is directed against the very possibility of coexistence (i.e. of the unity of ordinary Palestinians and Israelis, which is what we need). It is aimed at the creation of fanatical fundamentalism worldwide and of an Islamic state, a nightmare for the world. It is of course precisely what Sharon wants. On your point about the Swastikas, the comments were from the otherwise quite friendly article in the Washington post which has been posted without criticism (or linked to without criticism) on several "left" wing lists. I could discern in one of the pictures published from the demonstration, a sign picturing the Star of David, replaced by a swastika. No picture of Sharon, by the way. But in any case: I understand the intended political message. That is certainly not as bad as just carrying pictures of a swastika, which the Post either truthfully or untruthfully suggested some people carried - and it is not as bad as the anti-Jewish slogans that the Post asserted some people chanted. (Again, the Post article was NOT otherwise in the least hostile to the demonstration) But equating Israel and Nazism - as the sign with the Jewish star replaced by a swastika does - is politically quite mistaken - and justifies wrong action. Many states commit grave injustices, or have entirely or partly unjust policies, and or carry them out brutally, etc. That is not the same as Nazism. By the way, the Nazis were financed among others by the Saudi Islamists, who worked closely with Burt Walker and Prescott Bush - grandfather and great grandfather of Bush Jr. Jared _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
