----- Original Message -----
From: Johannes Schneider <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2001 11:16 PM
Subject: [L-I] My resignation as moderator from L-I
> This will be my last post to L-I both as moderator and as a subscriber.
I regret this greatly. But don't act as if you had no choice. You most certainly did.
> Since there are still some comrades on this list I respect, they owe an
> explanation. Here are the reason, why do not want to be associated with this
> list in any way any longer:
>
> 1. The acceptance of the defence of anti-semitism ('not the real question')
> or anti-semitism itself ( criticising Yeltsin for beeing a Jew ) from the
> side of moderators. This is simply too disgusting that I do not want to go
> into further details.
>
Personally, I haven't the slightest opinion on it either way. It is really
*irrelevant* to what is happening in Russia. Why I get angry about the KPRF is their
*total abandonment* of using the power of the working class in Russia to fight for
workers power. They have done little at all, except lecture other Marxist groups in
the country and carry the worst aspects of the old state over- those aspects being
that the public is not to be involved. The reason this party is still a minor
hinderance to the total dismantling of what little is left of public property in
Russia has everything to do with the Yeltsinites being far more "suspicious" of
public action. If I truly believed that there was an even *partial* chance that any
of our contributors (including the "Jew" Louis Proyect, no less) were anti-semetic in
what they are saying, I would take action. They aren't; they are calling it an
irrelevant issue on the "KPRF question". I agree with this.
> 2. Several actions co-moderator Macdonald Stainsby took either without
> consulting or even without informing the other co-moderators. These include:
> - the temporary unsubbing of Anton Holberg, without giving any reasons and
> not even informing Anton
I posted to the list *which still included him* long before I went to the admin page.
It was done that way consciously so he would get a message detailing it. It didn't
work- the reason is simple: I had never had the occasion to unsub *ANYONE* in the
year prior I had this delightful job.
> - subbing of Mark Jones without Marks's prior request or even consent
Only because he publicly advocates the practice and we needed people with better
debating skills. Tact is another matter entirely.
> - unsubbing of Owen Jones, for a message Owen sent privately to Macdonald.
> On the list Macdonald publicly distorted this claiming Owen wanted to be
> unsubbed
As I said- I've talked with him many times. There are times when there is no point.
He threatened to leave and "take others with him". In other words, to split. I helped
him along.
> - unsubbing of Steve Myers. I dont need to explain, who Steve is and what he
> does. But unsubbing him and leaving others on the list shows what positions
> are encouraged and which positions are not argued against but simply kicked
> out.
Johannes, the reason I want you here (and I truly sincerely think highly of you) is
precisely because we have almost all the same deviations as these other folks- but
YOU don't start with how best to show that your opponent is "extremely wrong",
showing "fascist tendencies" and what have you. You think and help build synthesis.
But evidently if a "Stalinist" attacks and starts fights with "Trotskyists" we lose
the cover? Comrade, I hoped for better. Go find the other lists and look how Owen and
Myers interact with people and try to imagine them ever convincing someone else of
squat. They want to be "right", and three people in a coffee shop being "right" for
the past 20 years has achieved little but isolation. They need to understand what it
is to be less "right" and more accomodating.
> To put a friendly label on it I would call it bureaucratic centralism,
> other more unfriendly words come to my mind.
Johannes, we have been trying desperately to rescue the list. We were achieving high
volume again. That was the good thing. There is a need for immediate action with
hyper sectarians. You had every right to do other things as well.
> 3. After Mark Jones had been subbed to L-I he publicly called for closing
> down L-I. Though beeing attacked personally none of my co-moderators even
> reacted to this. To avoid public flaming I wrote to Mark Jones privately
> asking him either to unsub from a list he sees as useless or to help making
> the list useful.
> As a reaction Mark asked the moderators either to remove me from the
> moderation or to be unsubbed himself. I agreed that this was the only
> choice. Since Macdonald decided to keep Mark on the list and did not say one
> single word of defending myself, I did not have any choice at all. Mine
> Aysen Doyran and Yoshie Furuhashi kept silent, a reaction I can only
> interpret as an agreement with Macdonald.
Distortion to all hell. I said I valued you both and would not make such a decision.
I also said it doesn't bode well for us at all if you split. You asked me to pick
between the best self-described Trotskyist comrade and the best self-described
Stalinist comrade. I don't do such things, although the threat to walk away on the
first such ultimatum to the list had me dissappointed.
> Judging from Mark Jones' recent postings I can oly come to the conclusion
> that Mark wants to destroy a list from within he once initiated.
In some ways, I've been very surprised that he gives a dang. Apparently he does.
Posting Lenin is to destroy a Leninist List? Johannes, I'm at a loss for words. You
lose your temper too easily.
> I can only
> attribute it to Macdonald's inexperience and Yoshie's and Mine's desinterest
> that they do not resist such attempts.
I want Yoshie and/or Mine to let me and/or the list know how they feel about all
this. If they stay on, I'm only 1/3 of the team.
> Since I could not win a majority
> within the moderation for the defence of Leninist-International, I have to
> resign.
So now we are in the Central Committee in 1924? Whatever, this reads like a romantic
dream. I don't have a faction, I just had a fit. A fit over people driving the list
down. Come off it, Johannes... in less that 12 hours you threaten to quit on the
grounds that one of the only people on the list who didn't like you be thrown off or
else you walked. I did no such thing over others who don't like me.
>
> Here I stand and do not have any choice.
>
> Johannes Schneider
>
How poetic.
I stand before the list to be judged by whether or not the list moves on to produce
revolutionary theory. I've done all I want to in explaining myself. My co-moderator
had the right to change these actions, but left. So be it. Call it whatever you
want...
Macdonald Stainsby
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