Re: [Marxism] Mangling the Party: Vol. 1 of Tony Cliff’s Lenin By Pham Binh
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == The truth of the situation in the UK is that the SWP, the party that Cliff built, played a key role in calling the June 30th public sector strikes through many comrades being active in their unions and also a significant number sitting on the NECs of said unions. June 30th led to Nov.30th and the biggest strike here since 1926. To wish away the most important turning point in the class struggle here for many generations seems hopelessly ignorant, sectarian or both. Best, Jamie. On 25 January 2012 22:39, Tom Cod wrote: > == > Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > == > > > Well, I'm with you on that, but aren't you the guy that has repeatedly > told us to do that in the privacy of our own sectarian ex-member > blogs. > > On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 2:30 PM, Louis Proyect wrote: > > > > Well, I am on record as advocating that the DSP burn James P. Cannon's > > "Struggle for a Proletarian Party" and "History of American Trotskyism". > I > > think that Binh was exercising a bit of rhetorical bravado, but as for > me... > > > > > > > > Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu > > Set your options at: > > > http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/tomcod3%40gmail.com > > > Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/marinercarpentry%40gmail.com > Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] More on occupy providence from The Brown Daily Herald
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == http://www.browndailyherald.com/mobile/occupy-protesters-strike-a-deal-1.2689756 Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry® Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] The Madness of Finance
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == I have always enjoyed the stories about speculative insanity in Mackay's Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. I was surprised to read the New York Times reporting that nothing has changed in the last century and a half. First, here is a famous snippet from the book: Mackay, Charles. 1852. Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (NY: Noonday, 1932). 55: One projector set up a company to profit from a wheel for perpetual motion. Another projector proposed "A company for carrying on an undertaking of great advantage, but nobody to know what it is." "Next morning, at nine o'clock, this great man opened an office in Cornhill. Crowds of people beset his door, and when be shut up at three o'clock, he found that no less than one thousand shares had been subscribed for, and the deposits paid. He was thus, in five hours, the winner of 2000 pounds. He set off the same evening for the Continent. He was never heard of again." Bilton, Nick. 2012. "Disruptions: Tech Valuations Defy the Restraints of Reality." New York Times (23 January): p. B 4. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/disruptions-the-sloshing-sound-of-tech-valuations/ "Some investors no longer even need to hear about a company to hand out money. Jakob Lodwick, an entrepreneur and co-founder of Vimeo, recently raised $2 million simply on the promise that he might have a good idea for a company in the near future." -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 530 898 5321 fax 530 898 5901 http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Kunstler vs Chomsky
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == http://www.postcarbon.org/audio/657788-heinberg-kunstler-foss-orlov-chomsky -- -Vic Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] This is the only way to access Milne's article on China1
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == http://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/commentisfree/2012/jan/17/china-success-challenges-america-britain Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Occupy Providence (Rhode Island) update
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == After a great deal of controversy and heated discussion, Occupy Providence unanimously agreed to temporarily suspend it's official encampment of Burnside Park in return for a winter day center for homeless people. Some occupiers intend to remain in the park and they will be supported by the occupy movement on the basis of the first amendment. - A___ _ From the providence journal: Providence Journal photos by Mary Murphy Mike McCarthy, an organizer with Occupy Providence, hugs fellow occupier Janine Bressner of Providence after a news conference on the steps of City Hall today to talk about Monday's agreement to vacate Burnside Park in exchange for the city opening a day shelter for the homeless. Below, Amanda Magee, center, of Providence, leads Occupy Providence participants in a cheer at today's news conference.  PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Occupy Providence conducted a celebratory news conference Tuesday outside City Hall, declaring "victory" in its cause, maintaining an occupation of Burnside Park until the city offered a day shelter for the homeless. On Monday night, after 104 days of encampment, the two sides reached a mediated agreement. The Diocese of Providence, which operates Emmanuel House in South Providence as a night shelter, will open the facility for day use, too. A specific date hasn't been declared for the day shelter opening, but it's expected this week, possibly as early as Wednesday. Occupy Providence protests corporate greed and economic inequality in society. While it's ending its encampment, it's not ending its movement. "This is only the beginning," said Robert Malin, an occupier. Related: Occupy Providence OKs city's offer on homeless day center, will leave park Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry® Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Morning Star article on Trotsky
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == On 26.01.2012 02:21, Tom Cod wrote: == Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Isn't this the British CP paper? interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morning_Star Not "is" but "was". It's almost 2 decades since the CPGB dissolved itself. There are actually a number of SWP members who regularly write for the Morning Star. Einde O'Callaghan Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Second volume of Barry Sheppard memoir pending
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Hi, The second volume of my political memoir about my time in the SWP is finished, and while there may be some more technical problems with my publisher, it should be out in weeks, and will be available from distributors. Some of you may want an autographed printed copy. The cover price will be $18. If you would want an autographed copy, please let me know now as I am deciding how many copies I will have delivered to my house. Include your mailing address. I will get back to those who would like an autographed copy with how much each will cost with postage, etc. Thank you. Barry Sheppard lunds...@comcast.net Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Morning Star article on Trotsky
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Isn't this the British CP paper? interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morning_Star On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 3:46 PM, MARIAN BRAIN wrote: > http://morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/114534 Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Guardian editorial on China
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/20/chinese-economy-headaches-to-die-for?INTCMP=SRCH I can't find Milne's article but it was in last Thursday's Guardian printed edition. I looked online that Thursday but could not find it. Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] John McDonnell's attack on British Trade Union Bureaucrats!
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == http://morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/114453 Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Morning Star article on Trotsky
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == http://morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/114534 Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Anthony Brain analyses four developments from unexpected ways reflective of objective basis for re-emergence of Trotskyism!
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == http://brainontrotskyisttheory.blogspot.com/2012/01/four-developments-in-britain-in.html Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] The Revolution Will Be Edible: Occupy Wall Street; the Arab Spring, No Bread, No Peace
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == The Revolution Will Be Edible: Occupy Wall Street; the Arab Spring, No Bread, No Peace by Liam Hysjulien Last February, World Bank President Robert Zoellick noted that the inability of poor people to feed themselves and their families contributed greatly to the civil unrest that swept across Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen. And even as food prices have eased slightly since their record highs last January, newly appointed Food and Agriculture Organization director, General Jose Graziano da Silva, has already indicated that food prices and their volatility will remain high for the year. Since 2008, the geopolitics of food, both on the production and consumption side, has become a growing crisis on the one hand, and a call for social revolution on the other. What Lester Brown called the “21st-century Food War” is the inflationary and supply-side unraveling of food prices for many developing nations. See full text at: http://asitoughttobe.com/2012/01/25/the-revolution-will-be-edible-occupy-wall-street-the-arab-spring-no-bread-no-peace/ Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Good take-down of Nicholas Kristof
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Counterpunch January 25, 2012 Kristof and the Rescue Industry The Soft Side of Imperialism by LAURA AGUSTÍN Reasons abound to be turned off by the New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof. He is too pleased with himself and demonstrates no capacity for self-reflection. He is too earnest. He claims to be in the vanguard of journalism because he tweets. He is said to be Doing Something about human suffering while the rest of us don’t care; he is smarmy. He doesn’t write particularly well. But most important, he is an apologist for a soft form of imperialism. He poses for photos with the wretched of the earth and Hollywood celebrities in the same breath, and they are a perfect fit. Here he is squatting and grinning at black children, or trying to balance a basket on his head, and there he is with his arm over Mia Farrow’s shoulder in the desert. Here he is beaming down at obedient-looking Cambodian girls, or smiling broadly beside a dour, unclothed black man with a spear, whilst there he is with Ashton and Demi, Brad and Angelina, George Clooney. He professes humility, but his approach to journalistic advocacy makes himself a celebrity. He is the news story: Kristof is visiting, Kristof is doing something. In interviews, he refers to the need to protect his humanitarian image, and he got one Pulitzer Prize because he “gave voice to the voiceless”. Can there be a more presumptuous claim? Educated at both Harvard and Oxford, he nevertheless appears ignorant of critiques of Empire and grassroots women’s movements alike. Instead, Kristof purports to speak for girls and women and then shows us how grateful they are. His Wikipedia entry reads like hagiography. Keen to imply that he’s down with youth and hep to the jive, he lamely told one interviewer that “All of us in the news business are wondering what the future is going to be.” He is now venturing into the world of online games, the ones with a so-called moral conscience, like Darfur is Dying, in which players are invited to “Help stop the crisis in Darfur” by identifying with refugee characters and seeing how difficult their lives are. This experience, it is presumed, will teach players about suffering, but it could just as well make refugees seem like small brown toys for people to play with and then close that tab when they get bored. Moral conscience is a flexible term anyway: One click away from Darfur is Dying is a game aimed at helping the Pentagon improve their weapons. Kristof says his game will be a Facebook app like FarmVille: “You’ll have a village, and in order to nurture this village, you’ll have to look after the women and girls in the village.” The paternalism couldn’t be clearer, and to show it’s all not just a game (because there’s actual money involved), schools and refugee camps get funds if you play well. A nice philanthropic touch. Welcome to the Rescue Industry, where characters like Kristof get a free pass to act out fun imperialist interventions masked as humanitarianism. No longer claiming openly to carry the White Man’s Burden, rescuers nonetheless embrace the spectacle of themselves rushing in to save miserable victims, whether from famine, flood or the wrong kind of sex. Hollywood westerns lived off the image of white Europeans as civilizing force for decades, depicting the slaughter of redskins in the name of freedom. Their own freedom, that is, in the foundational American myth that settlers were courageous, ingenious, hard-working white men who risked everything and fought a revolution in the name of religious and political liberty. Odd then, that so many Americans are blind when it comes to what they call humanitarianism, blissfully conscience-free about interfering in other countries’ affairs in order to impose their own way of life and moral standards. The Rescue Industry that has grown up in the past decade around US policy on human trafficking shows how imperialism can work in softer, more palatable ways than military intervention. Relying on a belief in social evolution, development and modernization as objective truths, contemporary rescuers, like John Stuart Mill 150 years ago, consider themselves free, self-governing individuals born in the most civilized lands and therefore entitled to rule people in more backward ones. (Mill required benevolence, but imperialists always claim to have the interests of the conquered at heart.) Here begins colonialism, the day-to-day imposition of value systems from outside, the permanent maintenance of the upper hand. Here is where the Rescue Industry finds its niche; here is where Kristof ingenuously refers to “changing culture”, smugly certain that his own is superior. In the formation of the 2
Re: [Marxism] Mangling the Party: Vol. 1 of Tony Cliff’s Lenin By Pham Binh
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Well, I'm with you on that, but aren't you the guy that has repeatedly told us to do that in the privacy of our own sectarian ex-member blogs. On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 2:30 PM, Louis Proyect wrote: > > Well, I am on record as advocating that the DSP burn James P. Cannon's > "Struggle for a Proletarian Party" and "History of American Trotskyism". I > think that Binh was exercising a bit of rhetorical bravado, but as for me... > > > > Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/tomcod3%40gmail.com Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Mangling the Party: Vol. 1 of Tony Cliff’s Lenin By Pham Binh
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == On 1/25/12 5:14 PM, Tom Cod wrote: I don't know that that represents a valuable contribution to assessing the fundamental problems of Marxism. I don't know if you noticed, but he concluded his screed by calling for Haymarket Books to cease publication of Cliff's work. What kind of shit is that? Even on its own terms, the tone, spirit and context of this article are inappropriate. Well, I am on record as advocating that the DSP burn James P. Cannon's "Struggle for a Proletarian Party" and "History of American Trotskyism". I think that Binh was exercising a bit of rhetorical bravado, but as for me... Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] What happened in Bani Walid
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == And there are, of course, militias fighting for power notably involving CIA asset Khalifa Haftar. On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 11:23 PM, Rastko Pocesta wrote: > There are no relevant pro-Qadhdhafi forces fighting in Libya at this > moment. The only real struggle is the struggle between the working people > whose uprising was hijacked by imperialists and their lackeys and the NTC. > > > On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 4:24 PM, Louis Proyect wrote: > >> ==**==** >> == >> Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. >> ==**==** >> == >> >> >> (Thinking about this a bit more, the only forces that can be linked to >> Qaddafi appear to be the NTC militiamen who were routed. Things seem to be >> shaping up in Libya as a struggle between the revolutionaries and Qaddafism >> without Qaddafi. I know this might be disappointing to our resolute >> anti-imperialists who thrive on binary oppositions but this is a continuing >> revolution, just as is the case in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt >> and the NTC in Libya are obstacles to genuine change and it will take force >> to remove them.) >> >> >> NY Times January 24, 2012 >> Pro-Government Libyan Militia Routed From a Qaddafi Bastion >> By LIAM STACK >> >> CAIRO — Forces loyal to Libya’s interim government were violently >> expelled Monday from a town long seen as supportive of Col. Muammar >> el-Qaddafi, a local militia leader said Tuesday, an assault that left at >> least four combatants dead and raised the specter of renewed conflict >> between revolutionary forces and those supportive of the old order. >> >> The town, Bani Walid, and its dominant Warfalla tribe long benefited from >> Colonel Qaddafi’s rule. Bani Walid provided shelter to his son Seif >> al-Islam after rebel forces drove the ruling family from the capital, >> Tripoli, in August, and it was one of the last strongholds to fall to rebel >> forces, in October. That history, combined with what appeared to be a >> significant retreat by forces loyal to the interim Transitional National >> Council, sparked fears of a new pro-Qaddafi element that was both armed and >> organized. >> >> But both local fighters and security officials from the transitional >> council denied that pro-Qaddafi forces had been involved. Each side said >> the roots of the violence were more local than counterrevolutionary. >> >> “There is nothing about Qaddafi supporters or militias here. The problem >> is between tribes,” said Salem Dabnon al-Waer, 47, who described himself as >> commander of the Bani Walid fighters. >> >> He said the dispute had begun when fighters from the May 28 Brigade, a >> rival militia aligned with the transitional council, “kidnapped” a local >> man over the weekend, then spurned an attempt by a council of town elders >> to negotiate his release. In retaliation, Mr. Waer said, his fighters >> attacked the rival militia’s base on Monday in an assault that, he said, >> killed a total of 10 fighters on both sides and wounded 12. A Human Rights >> Watch worker who left Bani Walid on Tuesday put the death toll at four. >> >> Gen. Abdel-Salam al-Hassi, chief of operations for the government’s >> Defense Ministry, said, “These are only local clashes between people >> because of very, very, very simple reasons.” He described the spark for the >> clashes as a leadership contest within Bani Walid’s military council. >> >> “There are no Qaddafi regime forces involved, absolutely none,” General >> Hassi said, adding, “It was a challenge on that level, but everyone has a >> weapon, so it leads to fighting.” >> >> By Tuesday night, militias loyal to the Transitional National Council had >> taken up positions around three sides of Bani Walid at a distance of at >> least 40 miles. Fighters from the May 28 Brigade had withdrawn about 55 >> miles to the town of Sdada, according to the Human Rights Watch worker, who >> spoke on the condition of anonymity. >> >> General Hassi denied that forces loyal to the transitional council had >> retreated from Bani Walid, but said units of the Libyan military were on >> their way to provide reinforcements. Libya’s military is a weak institution >> composed of little more than ragtag militias, and many other militias >> reject its authority. >> >> The country’s interim prime minister, Abdel Rahim el-Keeb, urged calm in >> a statement released online Tuesday night, saying the clashes “conflict >> directly with the objectives of the Feb. 17 revolution and with the >> aspirations of our Libyan people.” >> >> “The government calls on all citizens in all corners of our beloved Libya >> to exercise caution and cooperate with state ins
Re: [Marxism] What happened in Bani Walid
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == There are no relevant pro-Qadhdhafi forces fighting in Libya at this moment. The only real struggle is the struggle between the working people whose uprising was hijacked by imperialists and their lackeys and the NTC. On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 4:24 PM, Louis Proyect wrote: > ==**==**== > Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > ==**==**== > > > (Thinking about this a bit more, the only forces that can be linked to > Qaddafi appear to be the NTC militiamen who were routed. Things seem to be > shaping up in Libya as a struggle between the revolutionaries and Qaddafism > without Qaddafi. I know this might be disappointing to our resolute > anti-imperialists who thrive on binary oppositions but this is a continuing > revolution, just as is the case in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt > and the NTC in Libya are obstacles to genuine change and it will take force > to remove them.) > > > NY Times January 24, 2012 > Pro-Government Libyan Militia Routed From a Qaddafi Bastion > By LIAM STACK > > CAIRO — Forces loyal to Libya’s interim government were violently expelled > Monday from a town long seen as supportive of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, a > local militia leader said Tuesday, an assault that left at least four > combatants dead and raised the specter of renewed conflict between > revolutionary forces and those supportive of the old order. > > The town, Bani Walid, and its dominant Warfalla tribe long benefited from > Colonel Qaddafi’s rule. Bani Walid provided shelter to his son Seif > al-Islam after rebel forces drove the ruling family from the capital, > Tripoli, in August, and it was one of the last strongholds to fall to rebel > forces, in October. That history, combined with what appeared to be a > significant retreat by forces loyal to the interim Transitional National > Council, sparked fears of a new pro-Qaddafi element that was both armed and > organized. > > But both local fighters and security officials from the transitional > council denied that pro-Qaddafi forces had been involved. Each side said > the roots of the violence were more local than counterrevolutionary. > > “There is nothing about Qaddafi supporters or militias here. The problem > is between tribes,” said Salem Dabnon al-Waer, 47, who described himself as > commander of the Bani Walid fighters. > > He said the dispute had begun when fighters from the May 28 Brigade, a > rival militia aligned with the transitional council, “kidnapped” a local > man over the weekend, then spurned an attempt by a council of town elders > to negotiate his release. In retaliation, Mr. Waer said, his fighters > attacked the rival militia’s base on Monday in an assault that, he said, > killed a total of 10 fighters on both sides and wounded 12. A Human Rights > Watch worker who left Bani Walid on Tuesday put the death toll at four. > > Gen. Abdel-Salam al-Hassi, chief of operations for the government’s > Defense Ministry, said, “These are only local clashes between people > because of very, very, very simple reasons.” He described the spark for the > clashes as a leadership contest within Bani Walid’s military council. > > “There are no Qaddafi regime forces involved, absolutely none,” General > Hassi said, adding, “It was a challenge on that level, but everyone has a > weapon, so it leads to fighting.” > > By Tuesday night, militias loyal to the Transitional National Council had > taken up positions around three sides of Bani Walid at a distance of at > least 40 miles. Fighters from the May 28 Brigade had withdrawn about 55 > miles to the town of Sdada, according to the Human Rights Watch worker, who > spoke on the condition of anonymity. > > General Hassi denied that forces loyal to the transitional council had > retreated from Bani Walid, but said units of the Libyan military were on > their way to provide reinforcements. Libya’s military is a weak institution > composed of little more than ragtag militias, and many other militias > reject its authority. > > The country’s interim prime minister, Abdel Rahim el-Keeb, urged calm in a > statement released online Tuesday night, saying the clashes “conflict > directly with the objectives of the Feb. 17 revolution and with the > aspirations of our Libyan people.” > > “The government calls on all citizens in all corners of our beloved Libya > to exercise caution and cooperate with state institutions in all forms in > order to maintain the country’s unity, security and stability,” the > statement said. > > The interim government has faced growing public discontent in recent weeks > over its stewardship of postwar Libya. Critics complain tha
Re: [Marxism] Mangling the Party: Vol. 1 of Tony Cliff's Lenin By Pham Binh
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Good point, Tom Paddy -Original Message- From: marxism-bounces+e.c.apling=btinternet@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu [mailto:marxism-bounces+e.c.apling=btinternet@greenhouse.economics.utah. edu] On Behalf Of Tom Cod Sent: 25 January 2012 8:20 PM To: e.c.apl...@btinternet.com Subject: Re: [Marxism] Mangling the Party: Vol. 1 of Tony Cliff's Lenin By Pham Binh == Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Why is this important? Seems like a lot of contrived sectarian venom about an obscure historical issue, worthy of the Healyites, aimed at a trend that has done much to build the mass movement in recent years. Thus, with all due respect it seems like an exercise in misguided and unproductive pedantry of very marginal relevance coming from someone who should know better. On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 8:08 AM, Louis Proyect wrote: > == > Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > == > > > A very important contribution: > > http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/mangling-the-party-vol-1- > of-tony-cliffs-lenin-by-pham-binh/ > > Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/e.c.apling%40bt internet.com Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Mangling the Party: Vol. 1 of Tony Cliff’s Lenin By Pham Binh
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == I don't know that that represents a valuable contribution to assessing the fundamental problems of Marxism. I don't know if you noticed, but he concluded his screed by calling for Haymarket Books to cease publication of Cliff's work. What kind of shit is that? Even on its own terms, the tone, spirit and context of this article are inappropriate. On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 1:18 PM, Louis Proyect wrote: > Cod, you should try to understand that this mailing list was established in > part to resolve very fundamental problems of Marxism, including the > organizational question. If you are looking for a mailing list that is more > attuned to your needs, please contact me privately. > Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Facebook and the Degradation of Personhood
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Counterpunch January 24, 2012 Reculer pour Mieux Sauter Facebook and the Degradation of Personhood by CHRISTOPHER KETCHAM Behold homo sapiens lashed on the wheel of the digital social network: held frozen over a computer which is tied by a cord to a wall wherein the fiberglass cable carries the message; staring into the lit screen, the face pale in the unnatural light; or, with head bent in the street, the appearance sullen, running fingers across the blinking object of desire. The creature is secretly harried: Constant updates are necessary, the user must tend the machine whenever and wherever possible – which is all the time and everywhere – and god forbid there is too long a lapse in the slipstream. On Facebook, new friends and old are counted – may they always increase in number! Some are in fact “friends,” in the now rotting sense of the word: the person who is to be confided in, who listens, cares what to listen for, knows secrets, keeps them, knows who you are to the extent that a friend can – the friend as he or she who might look into your eyes and, with affection and even love, claim to see the windows of the soul. As we know, however, many Facebook “friends” bear no relation to how we want to understand the term. Perhaps known to the user at work or at school in the flesh, yet they cannot be counted as real friends. Some are strangers, known only via the interface of the machine, attracted to the user by an algorithm calculating the databit “likes” and “dislikes.” Let’s forget for a moment that Facebook is probably the most ingenious info-aggregator yet invented for governments to spy on citizens. Forget that the citizens are willingly doing the work for the intelligence agencies in building the database. I worry about the matter of efficiency in friendship. Facebook makes friendship efficient, in the manner of the assembly line, which is exactly what friendship should not be – if it is to remain human, if the friend as person is not to be degraded. Friendship is dirty. It’s difficult. It smells – it sometimes has bad breath. It’s unpredictable, and sometimes hazardous. The issue is about persons and about friendship defined, for if we are to take Facebook seriously, then we must recognize that the form of friendship it is promulgating will by technologic necessity reduce the nature and meaning of the friend. Personhood on the Facebook page can only go so far. It is a managed self. It is degraded personhood. I watched my daughter in Christmas of 2010 using Facebook. I had never seen the social network machine in action. Lea is 15, lives in a suburb of Paris with her mother, bored to tears like all suburban kids, and of course has perfected a Facebook personality. Many pictures of herself, and friends, at parties and events attended, and much else: commentary on this or that pop culture item of interest – musical acts for the most part, but also the usual amalgam of commodities sought after. I watched for a moment and then, abruptly, she shut it down, want me to see no more of the Facebook self. I wondered how many “friends” she had, but she wasn’t talking. A few months later, in the springtime, she was in Utah, in the town of Moab, where I used to live and where I return every few months or so to hide out and write in a cabin I rent from a friend. Moab was once a lost little place in the desert. Today it is invaded by people like me, who want to be in a lost little place and who thereby nullify each other’s desire for solitude. Lea had a Blackberry, courtesy of complaining to her mother or grandmother – I never got a straight story as to who gave her the gift – but of course it had no signal at our cabin. Disconnection today is a wondrous event; it’s almost like being punched in the face. To be shut off from the global chatter, to not have to field the unending course and scrum of digital information, to be human in the primary sense of being merely person to person – this is what cabins in Utah are now apparently made for. Lea and I sat in this informational darkness and ate big American breakfasts in the morning and lazed about in the afternoon sun and read books – she with “Lord of the Flies” – and went on hikes in the long spring light, carrying extra water but no cell phones. Still, the connection was sought, and we were both sad little addicts. Wherever there was wifi – at the neighbor’s house nearby the cabin, at the library in town, at the restaurants – I wanted my e-mail. And Lea looked to connect and find the latest news on Facebook. Being a hypocrite – having gathered up my own email and touched on my “friends” via the simpler (Lea would say archaic) interface
Re: [Marxism] What happened in Bani Walid
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == (Thinking about this a bit more, the only forces that can be linked to Qaddafi appear to be the NTC militiamen who were routed. Things seem to be shaping up in Libya as a struggle between the revolutionaries and Qaddafism without Qaddafi. I know this might be disappointing to our resolute anti-imperialists who thrive on binary oppositions but this is a continuing revolution, just as is the case in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the NTC in Libya are obstacles to genuine change and it will take force to remove them.) NY Times January 24, 2012 Pro-Government Libyan Militia Routed From a Qaddafi Bastion By LIAM STACK CAIRO — Forces loyal to Libya’s interim government were violently expelled Monday from a town long seen as supportive of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, a local militia leader said Tuesday, an assault that left at least four combatants dead and raised the specter of renewed conflict between revolutionary forces and those supportive of the old order. The town, Bani Walid, and its dominant Warfalla tribe long benefited from Colonel Qaddafi’s rule. Bani Walid provided shelter to his son Seif al-Islam after rebel forces drove the ruling family from the capital, Tripoli, in August, and it was one of the last strongholds to fall to rebel forces, in October. That history, combined with what appeared to be a significant retreat by forces loyal to the interim Transitional National Council, sparked fears of a new pro-Qaddafi element that was both armed and organized. But both local fighters and security officials from the transitional council denied that pro-Qaddafi forces had been involved. Each side said the roots of the violence were more local than counterrevolutionary. “There is nothing about Qaddafi supporters or militias here. The problem is between tribes,” said Salem Dabnon al-Waer, 47, who described himself as commander of the Bani Walid fighters. He said the dispute had begun when fighters from the May 28 Brigade, a rival militia aligned with the transitional council, “kidnapped” a local man over the weekend, then spurned an attempt by a council of town elders to negotiate his release. In retaliation, Mr. Waer said, his fighters attacked the rival militia’s base on Monday in an assault that, he said, killed a total of 10 fighters on both sides and wounded 12. A Human Rights Watch worker who left Bani Walid on Tuesday put the death toll at four. Gen. Abdel-Salam al-Hassi, chief of operations for the government’s Defense Ministry, said, “These are only local clashes between people because of very, very, very simple reasons.” He described the spark for the clashes as a leadership contest within Bani Walid’s military council. “There are no Qaddafi regime forces involved, absolutely none,” General Hassi said, adding, “It was a challenge on that level, but everyone has a weapon, so it leads to fighting.” By Tuesday night, militias loyal to the Transitional National Council had taken up positions around three sides of Bani Walid at a distance of at least 40 miles. Fighters from the May 28 Brigade had withdrawn about 55 miles to the town of Sdada, according to the Human Rights Watch worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. General Hassi denied that forces loyal to the transitional council had retreated from Bani Walid, but said units of the Libyan military were on their way to provide reinforcements. Libya’s military is a weak institution composed of little more than ragtag militias, and many other militias reject its authority. The country’s interim prime minister, Abdel Rahim el-Keeb, urged calm in a statement released online Tuesday night, saying the clashes “conflict directly with the objectives of the Feb. 17 revolution and with the aspirations of our Libyan people.” “The government calls on all citizens in all corners of our beloved Libya to exercise caution and cooperate with state institutions in all forms in order to maintain the country’s unity, security and stability,” the statement said. The interim government has faced growing public discontent in recent weeks over its stewardship of postwar Libya. Critics complain that its operations and budget are too opaque and that many members are tainted by links, real or imagined, with the Qaddafi government. Its performance on a nuts-and-bolts level has also been faulted. Basic services have yet to be restored in some areas, and towns seen as sympathetic to Colonel Qaddafi, like Surt and Bani Walid, remain in ruins after months of fighting. The interim government has struggled to exert authority even in Tripoli, where the streets are largely controlled by a patchwork of regional militias whose members defer to their own commanders,
[Marxism] Egypt--a ticking time-bomb
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == NY Times January 24, 2012 Economic Potholes Add Dangers on Egypt’s New Political Path By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and MAYY EL SHEIKH CAIRO — After a year of unending turmoil and military rule, Egypt faces an acute financial crisis that could undermine its political transition and pose a defining challenge to Islamists now coming to power. With mounting debts, negligible economic growth and dwindling foreign reserves, the military rulers and the new Islamist-led Parliament now confront some difficult choices, beginning with an all but inevitable further devaluation of Egypt’s currency that could send the prices of food and other goods soaring. The government may also soon be forced to overhaul the vast system of energy subsidies that now account for a fifth of government spending. Increases in food prices and reductions of subsidies have provoked riots here in the past. “The situation is dire,” said Magda Kandil, executive director of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, who called some of the recent indicators “alarming.” In a sign of the situation’s severity, the ruling military council last week reversed itself and reopened talks with the International Monetary Fund over the terms of a $3.2 billion loan. The generals previously rejected the same deal as an affront to national sovereignty, but officials of the military-led government now say they may seek an even larger loan. Moreover, the Muslim Brotherhood, the long-outlawed Islamist group that controls half the seats in the new Parliament, also indicated its openness to the financial lifeline in its separate meeting with the I.M.F. representatives — an even more stunning reversal after eight decades of denouncing Western colonialism and Arab dependency. Leaders of the Brotherhood readily acknowledge that steering Egypt through the crisis will be a formative test of their ability to govern. Activists focused on forcing Egypt’s military rulers to give up power, meanwhile, say the economic malaise has become a major obstacle to their cause because so many Egyptians have come to crave a return to stability. Others note with dismay that the bread-and-butter frustrations that helped fuel the protests that ousted President Hosni Mubarak one year ago have grown only more acute since then, especially for the legions of jobless or underemployed young people. Nowhere is the economic distress more evident than in the business of Egyptian weddings, which are a costly rite of passage here that marks the graduation into adult life and which generate revenue that rivals the annual American aid budget for Egypt. In one hard-pressed Cairo neighborhood, wedding planners say couples have cut back on events that may have cost $300 before the revolution because they can now pay only about $100. Jewelry stores say the average amount that grooms spend on the traditional gifts of gold for their brides has fallen sharply, and disc jockeys say they now perform at just 2 or 3 weddings a month, down from an average of 10 before the revolution. “Nobody is getting married after the revolution,” said Amr el-Khodary, 37, who was forced to close his shop that rents cars for wedding parades. Ibrahim Mohamed, a 26-year-old cab driver with a college degree, is a case in point. A steep decline in fares, he said, has prevented him from saving up the roughly $7,000 for an apartment, furniture, a small wedding and the customary gift of jewelry that he says he needs to marry. “If it weren’t for the revolution,” he said, “I would have been able to get married.” The reasons for his plight have been piling up all year: a virtual cutoff of foreign investment, a 30 percent decline in tourist visits and the stagnation of economic growth. The official unemployment rate is 12 percent, but among young people the real rate of unemployment is at least double that figure. The military rulers have also presided over a period of financial turmoil. Inflation has surged into double digits, and the exchange rate for the currency, the Egyptian pound, is under heavy pressure. Foreign exchange reserves have plunged, as the government is spending about $2 billion a month in a losing battle to prop up the pound. Foreign currency reserves have fallen to about $10 billion, after certain obligations, from about $36 billion before the revolt. Economists say Egypt’s military rulers contributed to the strain by shunning the planned loan from the I.M.F. last June, when it could have provided badly needed hard currency and a financial seal of approval that might have helped reassure foreign investors and aid donors. Instead, the ruling military council has tried to sustain the government’s growing deficits by borrowi
[Marxism] From my Community Organizing Course
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == The time for effective community organizing is obviously NOW. This substantial excerpt from our very full page should be helpful. The full course is, http://hunterbear.org/my_combined_community_organizing.htm (H.) HERE ARE MY RELATED PIECES ON ORGANIZING. FIRST, AMONG OTHER INTEGRAL AND RELATED DIMENSIONS, ARE: 1] Invitations to the Organizer from the grassroots -- spontaneous and wrangled. Some can come to one's own sponsoring organization; some can come directly to you if you are reasonably well known; or you can arrange an invitation. 2] Issues: Some are readily apparent, some not always apparent -- e.g., economic relationships; some are immediately realistic with work and some are futuristic; some are frankly unrealistic in the foreseeable future. 3] Planning philosophies: Top Down, vs Basic Grassroots Up [my preference]. Set forth general overall goals, long-range specific, short range specific. Heavy grassroots involvement here is always critical. 4] Credibility of project: Should be made up and led primarily by the people for whose benefit it is launched: e.g., "those of the fewest alternatives." Careful delineation and evaluation of active and potential leaders is obviously critical. And often things start out with a steering committee of leaders and then, after the organization has grown and more people are actively involved, elections of regular officers. 5] Some people may want to move too fast and others too slowly. The Organizer helps develop the group's tempo and assists grassroots leaders and people in meeting those expectations. 6] Direct action: Always know First Amendment and related rights. Picketing, sit-ins, boycotts, mass marches are extremely useful. And there is always a need for careful organization and tactical nonviolence. Direct action should be accompanied by judicious media coverage. 7] Media use: Has to be used carefully: national wire services; local television, often with national hookups; local radio; local and regional press; specialized press; news releases -- who, what, when, where, why and how; press conferences; leaflets with ALL pertinent information; newsletters; community newspapers; community cable TV; Internet. There is always a need for constantly updated media/contact lists. 8] Lawyers and litigation: Defensive and aggressive legal actions -- "criminal" and civil; local volunteers; paid lawyers; national organizational attorneys -- e.g., ACLU, Lawyers Guild, Native American Rights Fund. Some non-in-court matters can be handled very effectively by good law students. 9] Possible allies and political action: National organizations; and government agencies [be careful]; political -- informal approaches and quiet contacts; formal approaches and lobbying and direct requests; electoral [voting]. DON'T GET CO-OPTED. 10] Power structure analysis: Check out Moody's industrials and Standard and Poor's; and check out lawyers and their big business connections in Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, and see FindLaw. Also see firms in U.S. Lawyer's Directory. City Directory will frequently give the official occupation of people. See corporate profit and not for profit charters at the state secretary of state's office and check out annual registration of organizations from state attorney general or sometimes secretary of state. Data on charitable organizations can be found at state attorney general's office and county tax assessor. There are also various national and regional Who's Who and IRS and U.S. Government Organization Manual and Congressional Directory. DON'T NEGLECT HELPFUL NON-OFFICIAL GOSSIP. 11] Coalitions [tend to be long term] and alliances [often shorter term] are sometimes beneficial and sometimes not. Consider all of this carefully and try to avoid precipitous marriages. 12] Although no Organizer -- whether from the "outside" or the "inside" -- will ever have full consensus from the community, he or she must avoid the temptation to be a "Lone Ranger." That role can be temporarily justified only in cases of extreme grassroots fear or heavy factionalism. [Hunter Bear] JUST WHAT MAKES A DAMN GOOD COMMUNITY ORGANIZER? BASED ON MY 50 YEARS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING HUNTER GRAY [HUNTER BEAR] 12/30/03 [Published in the Spring 2004 issue of Independent Politics News And Published In Oregon Socialist, Winter/Spring 2004 -- and much more.] I'm an Organizer, a damn good one. I get and keep people together for social justice action. I've been an Organizer for virtually half a century -- all over much of what's called the United States. [I've also been, among other things, a fur trapper, forest fire fighter, soldier, prospector,
[Marxism] Apple Users - Some Advice, Please.
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Heyta Everyone Apple has made some strides towards making the iPad more useful for textbooks and academic things I have fought against buying Apple products (not that I don't think that they are great, technologically), but I suspect that I may lose this battle. As a one-time photojournalist, I like their graphics and generally like the interface, so I think they are good for photography. I have a blog post on this somewhere which I should publish. Anyway, long story short: How easy is it to get "stuff" for iPads and Apple computers. I should explain: I am not going to state it outright, lest I get into trouble. I have "acquired" software (Photoshop CS4, Dreamweaver, music, film editing stuff etc etc etc) for Windows with relative ease. There are, even, ways to get books for Kindle (I BOUGHT books from them! I support most writers and artists) but given the "lockdown" that Apple insist upon, and the fact that one has to purchase sooo much through itunes, can Apple users on these lists tell me how easy/difficult it ease to swap books or software among friends and acquired elsewhere? Sorry to bug you with things unimportant. Ismail Ismail Lagardien Nihil humani a me alienum puto Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
