> From: Doug Henwood [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> The U.S. is under the control of a frightening gang of lunatics
> hellbent on war with a good bit of the world. Why are Toni Negri and
> The Nation magazine such urgent enemies?
Because they go against the Party Line (PL), which is Known to be True and is clearly beyond debate. They are Anathema! The only things we should care about are the tactics and strategy of agit-prop, to disseminate the PL. Perhaps we should care about various facts that we can use to back up the PL -- along with ways to reject or ignore those ideas and facts that don't fit with the PL. But if we keep our focus narrow, the masses will rise up and embrace the PL -- so we can sweep capitalism away! Previous on-line discussion lists have only tried to interpret the world. The point is to change it!
Seriously, what can pen-l do about the war on Iraq? It sure seems like nada. So we can spend our time making fun of those who use incomprehensible jargon. That's pretty harmless, at least as gallows humor. Isn't it?
It sure seems that we could also spend time on such things as the principles of socialism (i.e., what are we really for, anyway?) but some object to that. I recently received a series of off-list insults from one who didn't want to discuss "socialism from below" (the socialist philosophy that I adhere to), invoking his or her long and highly effective life as a political activist to justify this rejection. (Because I disagree with this person, I clearly have no experience in political action. Simultaneously, my views are to be rejected because I clearly have no experience with political action. What fun! a circular argument!)
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Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] & http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine
