Mark Weisbrot wrote:Chomsky, on the other hand, in order to > write books on politics, has had to pursue a second career of scholarship A few years ago, we invited Chomsky to Chico. He had to be booked several years in advance. His costs were high, but he worked from 8 in the morning till midnight, then told me the next morning about the books that he read after he got back to his apartment on the previous night. As we walked along campus, server people approached him who said that they had corresponded with him. In each case, the correspondence furthered their political activity. He remembered the corresponence and spoke with them about things that they had written. He said that he spends about an hour a day on correspondence. I was surprised by how many people on Campus knew of Chomsky and appreciated his work. Now remember, I am writing from Chico, which was a backwater until Bob Dole crashed here last month. In all his communications, he was direct, speaking clearly with language that students could understand. Sure, I found a few points in his economics that were weak. Political scientists could make the same claim, but here was someone who could work fruitfully in an unbelievably wide range of fields and still inspire people to do good politics. Chomsky energized politics on our campus with his short stay. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 916-898-5321 E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
