Re: [Marxism] Fidel: The two earthquakes

2011-03-15 Thread Lüko Willms
==
Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
==


Louis Proyect (l...@panix.com) wrote on 2011-03-13 at 16:18:50 in  about 
Re: [Marxism] Fidel: The two earthquakes:
 

 On 3/13/11 4:10 PM, Lüko Willms wrote:
  Nor do I doubt the intentions of the United States and NATO to
  intervene militarily in Libya and abort the revolutionary wave
  shaking the Arab world.

 Implicitly excepting the one taking place in Libya.

   You do not think that King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia and all the other 
absolute monarchs are the greatest friends of the ongoing Arab revolution 
because they have called on the USA to militarily attack the sister nation 
Libya, removing Qadhafi (who has so often trampled them on the nose), and 
have invaded Bahrein in order to support the revolution there?

   I still think that cheerleading the revolt in Libya from the sidelines is 
vanity under the sun (Ecclesiastes 4:4) while the important task is to fight 
against the imperialist and other foreign interventions into the struggle, in 
order to secure the breathing space for the Libyan people to sort out their 
affairs themselves. 

   Fidel Castro's reflections help a lot to lead this effort. He is still the 
most 
important revolutionary leader of our lifetime. 


Cheers, 
Lüko Willms
Frankfurt, Germany



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] Fidel: The two earthquakes

2011-03-15 Thread Jim
==
Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
==


[reply bottom posted/inline]

on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:26:57 +0100 (MEZ), Lüko Willms wrote:
 
== R
 ule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a 
message.
 
==


 Louis Proyect (l...@panix.com) wrote on 2011-03-13 at 16:18:50 in
 about Re: [Marxism] Fidel: The two earthquakes:


 On 3/13/11 4:10 PM, Lüko Willms wrote:
 Nor do I doubt the intentions of the United States and NATO to
 intervene militarily in Libya and abort the revolutionary wave
 shaking the Arab world.


 Implicitly excepting the one taking place in Libya.

 You do not think that King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia and all the 
other
 absolute monarchs are the greatest friends of the ongoing Arab
 revolution because they have called on the USA to militarily attack
 the sister nation Libya, removing Qadhafi (who has so often trampled
 them on the nose), and have invaded Bahrein in order to support the
 revolution there?

 I still think that cheerleading the revolt in Libya from the
 sidelines is vanity under the sun (Ecclesiastes 4:4) while the
 important task is to fight against the imperialist and other foreign
 interventions into the struggle, in order to secure the breathing
 space for the Libyan people to sort out their affairs themselves.

 Fidel Castro's reflections help a lot to lead this effort. He is
 still the most important revolutionary leader of our lifetime.

What on earth is revolutionary about the 'official communist' regime 
in Cuba? Where is its democracy?

This kind of hero worship of leaders is foul. Wake up: only a 
revolution carried out by the overhwelming majority is going to help 
in any way advance to communism. And reactionary 'socialism in one 
country' doesn't cut it; never did, never will.

The idea that some kind of revolution from above rather than from 
below is going to advance humanity is the worst kind of corruption of 
Marxism. Without democratic norms, including within Marxist parties, 
and debating openly in front of the working class we shall have more 
abortions that turn into their opposite, destroying revolution.

Does no-one remember how the Russian Revolution failed? It ate its 
children.


-- 
Jim (j...@redunity.org.uk) on 15/03/2011

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] Fidel: The two earthquakes

2011-03-13 Thread Lüko Willms
==
Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
==



- cut --
Reflections by Comrade Fidel


TWO EARTHQUAKES


A strong 8.9 on the scale earthquake shook Japan today.  The most
worrying is that early news reports were talking about thousands dead
and missing, figures really unheard of in a developed country where
all constructions are quake-proof.  They were even talking about a
nuclear reactor that was out of control.  Hours later, it was
informed that four nuclear plants close to the most affected area
were under control.  There was also information about a tsunami 10
metres high that had the entire Pacific area on tidal wave alert.

The earthquake originated at a depth of 24.4 kilometres and 100
kilometres from the coast.  Had it happened at a lesser depth and
distance, the consequences would have been more serious.

There was a shift in the earth's axis.  It was the third phenomenon
of great intensity occurring in less than two years: Haiti, Chile and
Japan. Man cannot be blamed for such tragedies.  Every country,
surely, will do everything it can to help the hard-working people who
were the first to suffer an unnecessary and inhuman nuclear attack.

According to Spain's Official College of Geologists, the energy
released by the earthquake is equivalent to 200 million tons of
dynamite.

The most recent information, from AFP, states that the Japanese
electric Company, Tokyo Electric Power, informed that according to
government instructions, they had released some of the vapour
containing radioactive substances...

We are following the situation.  Until the present there is no
problem...

They also indicated that there were breakdowns related to the
cooling of three reactors in a second nearby plant, Fukushima 2.

 The government ordered the evacuation of surrounding areas for a
radius of 10 km in the case of the first plant and 3 km in the case
of the second one.

Another earthquake, a political one and potentially more serious, is
the one taking place around Libya, and it affects every country, one
way or the other.

The drama that country is living through is in full swing and its
outcome is still uncertain.

A great hubbub broke out yesterday in the US Senate when James
Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, stated before the Armed
Services Committee that he didn't believe Gaddafi had any intention
of leaving; because of evidence at their disposal, it seems that he
is in this for the long haul.

He added that Gaddafi has two brigades that are very loyal. 

He pointed out that the air attacks carried out by the army loyal to
Gaddafi mainly caused damages on buildings and infrastructure
rather than civilian casualties.

Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess, Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency,
at the same hearing before the Senate, said that it seemed Gaddafi
had staying power unless some other dynamic changes at this time.

The opportunity the rebels had at the start of the popular uprising
has 'begun to change', he assured.

I have no doubt whatsoever that Gaddafi and the Libyan leaders
committed an error in trusting Bush and NATO, as it can be inferred
from what I wrote in my Reflection on the 9th.

Nor do I doubt the intentions of the United States and NATO to
intervene militarily in Libya and abort the revolutionary wave
shaking the Arab world.

Countries that are opposing NATO intervention and defending the idea
of a political solution without foreign intervention harbour the
conviction that the Libyan patriots shall defend their Homeland until
their dying breath. 


Fidel Castro Ruz

March 11, 2011
10:12 p.m.


- off --
 source http://www.cuba.cu/gobierno/reflexiones/2011/ing/f110311i.html
 original and more translations:
 http://www.cuba.cu/gobierno/reflexiones/reflexiones.html
 also at Cubadebate:
 http://www.cubadebate.cu/reflexiones-fidel/2011/03/12/los-dos-terremotos/

   See also the Article by Adolfo Gilly Leer a Fidel Castro (To
read Fidel Castro) at Cubadebate (originally in La Jornada de
Mexico): 
 http://www.cubadebate.cu/opinion/2011/03/13/leer-a-fidel-castro/


Cheers, 
Lüko Willms 
Frankfurt/Main 
/ lueko.wil...@t-online.de 




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] Fidel: The two earthquakes

2011-03-13 Thread Louis Proyect

==
Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
==


On 3/13/11 4:10 PM, Lüko Willms wrote:

Nor do I doubt the intentions of the United States and NATO to
intervene militarily in Libya and abort the revolutionary wave
shaking the Arab world.




Implicitly excepting the one taking place in Libya.


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