David Anderson writes: "Just to clarify matters. I agree with Nathan as well. This is outrageous."
>From Hunterbear: I certainly agree with the position of the National Lawyers Guild on red-baiting -- and not with Nathan Newman's stance. Neither lawyer nor Guild member, I have had something to do with the Guild and some of its member attorneys for decades. I personally know several who aren't WW in the remotest sense -- and who strongly support this present Guild position. Obviously, the position drew broad Guild support which isn't surprising since this is the highly principled position NLG has taken during all these periods of fear and hysteria throughout my recollection -- which goes back to the Cold War/Witch Hunt era. Several weeks ago, in connection with the discussion of out-going Illinois governor Ryan's commutation of all of his state's death row sentences, I chanced to quote a thoughtful and knowledgeable comment in that context by Lou Paulsen of Chicago. Michael Pugliese immediately identified Paulsen as a WW member -- something about which Paulsen has always been quite open -- and huffed and puffed about various WW positions, real or alleged, none of which involved the discussion on Ryan and the death penalty in general. When I took issue with this, Nathan Newman jumped in with a distorted attack on me -- among other things, there announcing his conversion to the Democratic Party. Here are two of his posts -- which I find outrageous. But what's really outrageous is any effort to split the anti-War Movement. We teeter, as we have for months, on the brink of one of the most hideous human disasters in history. If people like Nathan Newman want to succumb to the Workers World horrors, that I suppose is their business. But when, losing sight of the array of the genuinely hideous and formidably threatening adversaries -- and their bloody agenda -- featured by capitalism and its appendages, these red-baiters jeopardize the unity of the anti-War movement, one really has to wonder where their priorities have gone -- or where they've ever been. The National Lawyers Guild position is, again, consistent with its valiant history at every point. And, as I've said, if WW has something solid to offer over the long pull, it'll grow. If it doesn't, it won't. Here are Nathan Newman's revealing -- and grossly distorting -- posts of the other day. ==================================================== "Re: The response by Pugliese ['50s/'60s Redbaiting] Nathan Newman Jan 13, 2003 10:42 PST Crying "redbaiting" is just a form of mccarthyism within the left, an attempt to shut people up when they raise criticism of policies. Michael has no power to take jobs away from Workers World members or throw them in jail-- he is criticizing their support for dictators and thugs around the world. You may find the Soviet suppression of Hungarians in 1968, the shooting of Czechs in the streets of 1968, and the murder of students in Beijing in 1989 to be dandy service to the revolution, but Michael has the perfect right (and I support him) in arguing that those in the WWP who applaud the murder of other leftists should not be considered comrades. -- Nathan Newman "FWD from ASDnet: post by Nathan Newman Jan 13, 2003 14:46 PST Melvin, Hunter went after Michael and DSA, all while defending the WWP. If that can't provoke a response, I'm not sure what should. As Hunter has said, I haven't been posting much because I find DSA far too passive in taking on both the Right and the sectarian left. I am basically gravitating to the hard partisan Democrat arena, partly because they actually have the zest for battle and organizing that the democratic left seems to have lost. -- Nathan Hunter Gray [Hunterbear] www.hunterbear.org Protected by NaŽshdoŽiŽbaŽiŽ and Ohkwari' ----- Original Message ----- From: "ANDERSON DAVID" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2003 4:01 PM Subject: RE: [ASDnet] ANSWER and National Lawyers Guild > Just to clarify matters. I agree with Nathan as well. This is outrageous. > I remember Nathan sent this letter out awhile back but my memory told me > that he was responding to the NYC NLG chapter then. That's why I sent out > this resolution. But he may have been responding to the NLG resolution. > Whatever...I think I get too much email.. > > Dave Anderson > > _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
