[Marxism] After the Mueller Report, the Dream of a Sudden, Magic Resolution to the Trump Tragedy Is Dead | The New Yorker

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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By Masha Gessen.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-dream-of-a-sudden-magic-resolution-to-the-trump-tragedy-is-dead
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[Marxism] It's official: Russiagate is this generation's WMD

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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https://taibbi.substack.com/p/russiagate-is-wmd-times-a-million
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Re: [Marxism] Venezuela: despite the crisis, Chavez's legacy endures (Green Left Weekly)

[Stuart Munckton via Marxism]

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On Mon, 25 Mar 2019 at 03:23, jgreen--- via Marxism <
marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> wrote:

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>
> On 24 Mar 2019 at 10:21, Chris Slee via Marxism wrote:
>
>
>
> When the apologists of Maduro say that they have a criticism or two, or
> admit
> something about the economic and political crisis, it's not to take these
> criticisms
> seriously. It's to say, don't worry, we're taking care of everything.
>

Only Fred doesn't say anything like this.

>
> Hunger stalks Venezuela, and three million people have fled. That's about
> a tenth
> of the country. The apologists for Maduro generally won't say this
> directly. So they
> write the most absurd contradictions, such as that the shortages are over
> (which
> Fuentes says) and at the same time there's a deep economic crisis, and
> workers
> -- even skilled ones -- can't afford to buy these things (which Fuentes
> also admits,
> albeit in toned-down language). Then, after admitting a few things,
> Fuentes goes
> on to paint a glowing picture of how things are really quite good.These
> are
> Fuentes's contradictions; don't blame Reimann for them.
>

Fred has just been there to find out about all this. You may think he went
with preconceptions, I can't change your preconceptions on that, but I
spoke to Fred before and after and I know that isn't the case. He went to
find out how bad things were on the ground and found things very bad in
many ways, but not as bad as he feared in others. People are upset on here
he didn't speak to a few people without much base that they like, but he
spoke to people to the community organisers and people on the ground (not
PSUV hacks) because he wanted to get a real feel for things. For instance,
forget Gonzalo Gomez et al, he spoke to people in the poor barrios, places
were there have been significant protests, but which ended once the coup
started because people are sick of the problems and government inaction and
inability to solve things, but do not want Washington and the oligarch's
people in through a coup. And fair enough because the repression they face
will dwarf that from the existing government and their lives are on the
line.

Over the next period, Fred will write up interviews with a range of voices
excluded from both the corporate media and generally the pro-government
side too. You can complain that he didn't speak to which ever little group
you prefer, but these are voices not getting heard anywhere else. You cold
try listening to them and, at the very least, using their voices to add to
the picture, or you can just sit there complaining about how some comment
Fred made can be misunderstood or is not accurate enough on the scale of
shortages or the impact of inflation.

>
>
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Re: [Marxism] venezuela --- 'a model of socialism for the 21st century'

[michael a. lebowitz via Marxism]

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Jgreen has responded to me by once again misunderstanding what I wrote. 
Rather than jump into an extensive exchange of  'he said, I said' 
quotations--- of interest, I assume. to a small set of site readers, 
let's go directly to the central issues.
    1. I believe that the Bolivarian Revolution (and what remains of it 
at this critical stage) must be defended against US imperialism, its 
allies and the Venezuelan oligarchy. Do you? If not, what is your 
proposal for revolutionaries?
    2. I believe that the Bolivarian Revolution has been deformed by a 
combination of capitalist and statist elements within the Chavist 
coalition (and that its disastrous economic policies reflect not simply 
mistakes but vested interests) but that it retains the (very) critical 
support of commune activists and the organised working classes, and I 
identify with their position. Do you not?


    As far as your unique reading of what I wrote, let two examples 
suffice:


So let's read what you wrote in 2016, that is, during Maduro's 
presidency, in thearticle titled "What Is Socialism for the 
Twenty-First Century?"


Consider the subsection labelled "The Key Link". It begins:

"So, let us explain what socialism for the twenty-first century is. 
There are lessons
to be learned from the experiences of the twentieth century, and the 
Bolivarian
Constitution of Venezuela adopted in 1999, reflects many of those 
lessons.
Are there lessons to be learned from the experiences of the twentieth 
century?
And do you reject the idea that they might be reflect in the Bolivarian 
Constitution?
(Incidentally, I should point out that the article in question was first 
published as a booklet in Cuba [as part of our programme there on 
socialism for the 21st century], and you would understand its meaning 
especially by reading it in that context.)

.

And in 2012, you wrote that:

"...The society we want to build is one that recognizes that 'the free 
development
of each is the condition for the free development of all.' How can we 
ensure,
though, that our communal, social productivity is directed to the free 
development
of *all* rather than used to satisfy the private goals of caitalists, 
groups of
indiiduals, or state bureaucrats? A second side of what President 
Chavez of

Venezuela called on his 'Alo Presidente' program in January 2007 the
'elementary triangle of socialism' concerns the distribution of the 
means of
production. 'Social ownership of the means of production' is that 
second side. Of
course, it is essential to understand that social ownership is not the 
same as state

ownership. Social ownership implies a profound democracy -- one in which
people function as subjects, both as producers and as members of 
society, in

determining the use of the results of our social labor."

This is from the introduction, entitled "New Wings for Socialism", of 
your book
"Contradictions of Real of Real Socialism: The Conductor and the 
Conducted", p.

19. Now, isn't the term "new wings" another way of referring to models?
As indicated in the poem from Brecht ['songs for children, Ulm 1592] 
with which that introduction begins, the reference to 'wings' is to the 
tailor who tries to fly 'with things that looked like wings' and is 
crushed. At the end of that introduction. I indicate that the book ['The 
Contradictions of "Real Socialism"] is 'about that attempt in the 
twentieth century to build an alternative to capitalism, an alternative 
that relied upon things that looked like wings and crashed.'
    Both of of these examples relate to lessons we need to learn from 
the experience of 'real socialism'.

   michael

--
-
Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
 University Drive
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Home:   Phone 604-689-9510
Cell: 604-789-4803


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[Marxism] Manifesto for a new popular internationalism in Europe

[Richard Fidler via Marxism]

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Collective article presented by more than 150 co-signatories including Eric
Toussaint , Esther Vivas , Catherine Samary , Costas Lapavitsas , Stathis
Kouvelakis , Tijana Okic , Nathan Legrand , Alexis Cukier , Jeanne Chevalier ,
Yayo Herrero.

March 21, 2019

The ReCommons Europe Manifesto has been drawn up by a group of researchers and
activists from a dozen or so countries in Europe who wish to propose a plan to
be carried out by the radical left forces that want to create the conditions for
social change in the interests of the majority of the population after coming to
power in a European country with the active support of the population. It forms
part of the ReCommons Europe Project which was initiated by two international
networks, the CADTM and EReNSEP, and the Basque trade union ELA, with the aim of
contributing to the strategic debates taking place on the European radical left
today. It was written collectively in the course of meetings which took place in
2018. It follows on from the appeal entitled "Ten Proposals to Beat the European
Union", a collective document published by more than 70 signatories in February
2017.

http://www.cadtm.org/Manifesto-for-a-new-popular-internationalism-in-Europe


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[Marxism] Report on Walter Rodney conference at London's SOAS

[Julian Samboma via Marxism]

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My report on said conference - with a little opportune analysis.

" It was precisely because Walter Rodney disagreed with this ahistorical,
unscientific position that Tanzania became his finishing school.  It is my
position that it was in Tanzania that he realised that Pan-Africanism was
the only way forward for Africa – that individual African countries could
not achieve development as neocolonial mini-states and, further, that the
class struggle was the locomotive on which we would arrive at the socialist
Union of African States. That position was diametrically opposite to that
of Nyrere’s. The Tanzanian leader believed that Tanzania could achieve
socialism in his mini-state fiefdom in top-down fashion through abolishing
the class struggle by fiat! That is where he and Rodney part company.

https://www.ebeefs.com/beefs/2019/3/24/on-walter-rodney-pan-afrikanism-marxism-and-the-next-generation


JLSamboma



Virus-free.
www.avast.com

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Re: [Marxism] venezuela --- 'a model of socialism for the 21st century'

[jgreen--- via Marxism]

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On 24 Mar 2019 at 9:42, michael a. lebowitz via Marxism wrote:

> J Green described my view of Venezuela and socialism as follows:
> 
> "This is
> the same Lebowitz who talks about about how Venezuela is a model of
> socialism for the 21st century and lauds its democracy as an alternative to
> the "real  socialism" of the Soviet model. ("What Is Socialism for the
> Twenty-First  Century?",
> https://monthlyreview.org/2016/10/01/what-is-socialism-for-the-twent
> y-first-century/)."
>      This is simply an idiotic distortion.  Green should try
> reading. 

So let's read what you wrote in 2016, that is, during Maduro's presidency, in 
the 
article titled "What Is Socialism for the Twenty-First Century?"

Consider the subsection labelled "The Key Link". It begins:

"So, let us explain what socialism for the twenty-first century is. There are 
lessons 
to be learned from the experiences of the twentieth century, and the Bolivarian 
Constitution of Venezuela adopted in 1999, reflects many of those lessons. They 
are evident in Article 299's emphasis upon 'ensuring overall human 
development,', in the focus of Article 102,...in Article 62's declaration  
They are 
present in the identification of democratic planning and participatory 
budgeting at 
all levels of society. They are visible in the focus in Article 70 on 
'self-management, co-management, cooperatives in all forms' as examples of 
'forms of association guided by the values of mutual cooperation and 
solidarity.' 
Lastly, they can be seen as obligations noted in Article 135..."
(https://monthlyreview.org/2016/10/01/what-is-socialism-for-the-twenty-first-centur
y/)

There is no qualification that Maduro is reversing this, or that the "top-down 
orientation" dominated in reality despite the words of the constitution.

And in 2012, you wrote that:

"...The society we want to build is one that recognizes that 'the free 
development 
of each is the condition for the free development of all.' How can we ensure, 
though, that our communal, social productivity is directed to the free 
development 
of *all* rather than used to satisfy the private goals of caitalists, groups of 
indiiduals, or state bureaucrats? A second side of what President Chavez of 
Venezuela called on his 'Alo Presidente' program in January 2007 the 
'elementary triangle of socialism' concerns the distribution of the means of 
production. 'Social ownership of the means of production' is that second side. 
Of 
course, it is essential to understand that social ownership is not the same as 
state 
ownership. Social ownership implies a profound democracy -- one in which 
people function as subjects, both as producers and as members of society, in 
determining the use of the results of our social labor."

This is from the introduction, entitled "New Wings for Socialism", of your book 
"Contradictions of Real of Real Socialism: The Conductor and the Conducted", p. 
19. Now, isn't the term "new wings" another way of referring to models? 
 
>I have never described Venezuela as a model of socialism; rather, I
> have  stressed that there has been a struggle for socialism within it

Unless one regards socialism as a platonic, changeless perfection, there is no 
contradiction between saying there are struggles within a certain society, and 
that 
it is a model of socialist progress in the present. Moreover, socialism is 
generally 
used at present to mean a society moving towards the final communist future.

Your argument reduces to that you didn't use the precise word "model" (I 
didn't say you had) , but used Venezuela as an example in describing the "new 
wings" of socialism and for understanding "what is socialism for the 21st 
century". 

 > 
> ... This is a process that has been described by Chavez as one of
> creating  the cells of a new socialist state. 

There it is again, in your own words.

 >      As for not bothering to meet with the 'critical chavistas'
> or PSOL  leaders, I assume Fred Fuente's interest was in exploring what was
> happening at the base rather than meeting [in the limited time 
> available] leaders with no followers whose positions are  well-known.

 You keep changing your story. Let's see. Now you claim that Fuentes couldn't 
find  any left-wing critics of Maduro at the base or any left-wing critics with 
any  
following,whereas before you said they were connected to imperialism. At a time 
 
where every serious account notes that discontent with Maduro, and 
participation  
in protests, has spread to some of the neighborhoods which were Chavista  
strongholds, Fuentes just couldn't find anyone worth talking to.

It's just nonsense. If Fuentes he 

[Marxism] What’s going on in Venezuela? Chronicle of a Failed Intervention | Venezuelanalysis.com

[michael a. lebowitz via Marxism]

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https://venezuelanalysis.com/video/14395

--
-
Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
 University Drive
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Home:   Phone 604-689-9510
Cell: 604-789-4803


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[Marxism] venezuela --- 'a model of socialism for the 21st century'

[michael a. lebowitz via Marxism]

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J Green described my view of Venezuela and socialism as follows:

"This is
the same Lebowitz who talks about about how Venezuela is a model of 
socialism

for the 21st century and lauds its democracy as an alternative to the "real
socialism" of the Soviet model. ("What Is Socialism for the Twenty-First
Century?",
https://monthlyreview.org/2016/10/01/what-is-socialism-for-the-twenty-first-century
/)."
    This is simply an idiotic distortion. Green should try reading. I 
have never described Venezuela as a model of socialism; rather, I have 
stressed that there has been a struggle for socialism within it. In an 
interview in a Serbian paper in 2012 on the prospects for Chavez's 4th 
election [reprinted in Links and Venezuelanalysis-- 
venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/7417], I noted the development of communal 
councils and continued:


This is a process that has been described by Chavez as one of creating 
the cells of a new socialist state. As well, there is a process of 
development of workers’ councils. Here again it is a process of 
transforming people, of creating the conditions in which they are able 
to develop all their capacities. In particular, the Bolivarian 
Revolution has been creating people with a sense of dignity and pride.


These are very important achievements. But they don’t happen smoothly, 
and it is important to recognise there are many contradictions within 
/Chavism/. There are three groups and tendencies within /Chavism/. One 
can be found at the base with the social movements, the communities and 
portions of the working class. Another is composed of those individuals 
and groups that have risen with Chavez but, having enriched themselves 
through their positions and through the continuation of corruption and 
clientalism, now think the revolution should be over – and it is for 
them. (They are often referred to as the “boli-bourgeoisie”.) A third 
group is committed to continuing the revolution but doing so entirely 
from the top down; its perspective is one of ordering the advance of 
socialism, and it does not want to leave decisions at the bottom.


While Chavez himself is very vocal about the theoretical importance of 
building at the base and allowing people to develop their capacities 
through their own protagonism, he is impatient and often supports those 
who don’t have the same orientation.


So, what will happen in Chavez’s next term of office? That depends on 
class struggle within the Chavez camp. It would be a struggle which 
revolves around Chavez’s party (the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, 
PSUV), which contains all these elements but in which the top-down 
orientation has dominated and at the same time dispirited many people at 
the base.


    As for not bothering to meet with the 'critical chavistas' or PSOL 
leaders, I assume Fred Fuente's interest was in exploring what was 
happening at the base rather than meeting [in the limited time 
available] leaders with no followers whose positions are well-known.


 michael



--
-
Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
 University Drive
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Home:   Phone 604-689-9510
Cell: 604-789-4803


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Re: [Marxism] Venezuela: despite the crisis, Chavez's legacy endures (Green Left Weekly)

[jgreen--- via Marxism]

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On 24 Mar 2019 at 10:21, Chris Slee via Marxism wrote:
 
> John Reimann takes phrases out of context to give a misleading
> impression of what Federico Fuentes is saying.
> 
> Fuentes says that "hyperinflation has meant workers' wages have
> plummeted".  He says there is a "deep economic crisis" in
> Venezuela.
> 
> But the important point is that this crisis is to a large extent a
> result of the "economic war" waged by the US and its allies against
> Venezuela.

You're still defending the indefensible, Chris, namely Fuentes's article. 
Fuentes 
knows that there is an economic crisis, and himself says "Venezuela´s current 
minimum wage - the lowest in the region - stands at less than US$6 a month, 
or enough to buy one egg per day." But he doesn't care. The context is, Maduro 
-- 
right or wrong. 

When the apologists of Maduro say that they have a criticism or two, or admit 
something about the economic and political crisis, it's not to take these 
criticisms 
seriously. It's to say, don't worry, we're taking care of everything. It's to 
say, as 
Chris Slee points out, that the problems have to be put in a "context", namely, 
defense of Maduro. The imperialists have a saying about various of their 
allies, 
"he's a bastard, but he's our bastard". The apologists of Maduro are backing 
that 
type of "wisdom", but in sham "anti-imperialist" phraseology. 

Hunger stalks Venezuela, and three million people have fled. That's about a 
tenth 
of the country. The apologists for Maduro generally won't say this directly. So 
they 
write the most absurd contradictions, such as that the shortages are over 
(which 
Fuentes says) and at the same time there's a deep economic crisis, and workers 
-- even skilled ones -- can't afford to buy these things (which Fuentes also 
admits, 
albeit in toned-down language). Then, after admitting a few things, Fuentes 
goes 
on to paint a glowing picture of how things are really quite good.These are 
Fuentes's contradictions; don't blame Reimann for them.

Fuentes's article may admit a few things about the economic crisis, but does 
not 
go into the roots of it. Other sources have, and they have shown that this 
crisis 
began prior to sanctions starting to bite heavily. But Steve Ellner, whose 
article 
was debated on this list last month, wanted to show otherwise. According to to 
his 
account, "international sanctions" didn't begin until 2015. So to prove that 
some 
type of US sanctions had seriously harmed the economy earlier, he refers to a 
previous economic war but cites only one example:

"... the George W. Bush administration banned the sale of spare parts for the 
Venezuelan Air Force´s costly F-16 fighter jets in 2006, forcing the country to 
turn 
to Russia for the purchase of 24 Sukhoi SU-30 fighter planes." 
(https://consortiumnews.com/2019/02/15/how-much-of-venezuelas-crisis-is-really-
maduros-fault)

Did the Chavista government intend to fight imperialism with jet fighter 
planes? Or 
perhaps it's that these planes were instead for the purpose of keeping the 
Venezuelan military happy. <>















For the apologists of Maduro, it isn't important that hunger is stalking the 
land. It 
must be taken in context, that context means Maduro, right or wrong, with or 
without the working class, with or without sellouts to the multinationals, but 
Maduro forever . Let three million people flee Venezuela in economic 
desperation. It must be taken in context, say the apologists..



As I pointed out before, Fuentes says contradictory things in his article, 
because 
apologists for Maduro can accept any contradiction.

Fuentes admits that "Venezuela´s current minimum wage - the lowest in the 
region - stands at less than US$6 a month, or enough to buy one egg per day.



> 
> This is not to deny that economic mistakes have been made, or that
> corruption is a serious problem.  But for those of us who live in
> the Western imperialist countries, our priority should be
> campaigning against the blockade.
> 
> Chris Slee
> 
> From: Marxism  on behalf of
> John Reimann via Marxism 
> Sent: Sunday, 24 March 2019 5:36:12 AM
> To: Chris Slee
> Subject: Re: [Marxism] Venezuela: despite the crisis, Chavez's
> legacy endures (Green Left Weekly)
> 
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> 
> First of all, as far as the relative "cheapness" of goods in

Re: [Marxism] C-Cura and PSL in Venezuela

[Alan Ginsberg via Marxism]

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Louis Proyect wrote: "As far as I know, The Mitsubishi Massacre refers to
an incident in Spain:

"On Thursday 4th June, a group of workers gathered at the “labour
inspection office” “Alberto Lovera” in Barcelona, in Anzoátegui state"

Louis is mixing up his Barcelonas. Anzoátegui is a state in Venezuela.
("States" or "estados" are not subdivisions of Spain.)

http://www.coninmuebles.com.ve/images/mapas/Anzoategui.png

Barcelona is the capital of Anzoategui.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona,_Venezuela
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Re: [Marxism] [SUSPICIOUS MESSAGE] Profits Beyond Reason and Reason Be yond Profits - COSMONAUT

[Jim Farmelant via Marxism]

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That blog post provides a lucid exposition of Otto Neurath's concerning 
socialist economic planning. Otto Neurath was trained as an economist, and 
during the Great War, he worked for the government of Austria-Hungary as an 
economic planner on behalf of that government's war effort. It was his 
experiences in that role which persuaded him of both the feasibility and the 
desirability of socialist economic planning. Many other people reached similar 
conclusions based on their experiences during the Great War, as most of the 
belligerent powers adopted government planning of their economies for the sake 
of sustaining their war efforts. Lenin, for instance, cited German state 
capitalism, as it was developed during the war as a model to be learned from by 
the Soviet Union. Neurath stressed the role that in-kind calculations played in 
government economic planning during the Great War. 

After the war, the Social Democratic administration in Bavaria hired Neurath to 
oversee a commission that was charged with responsibility for creating a plan 
for the socialization of the Bavarian economy. Amidst the chaos of 1919, the 
Bavarian premier, Kurt Eisner, was assassinated by right-wing nationalists. The 
Social Democratic government was soon replaced by a radical left-wing 
government consisting of left Social Democrats, Spartacists, and anarchists, 
which proclaimed Bavaria to be a Soviet republic. That government was soon 
replaced by one that was even further to the left. Meanwhile, Otto Neurath 
continued with his work with the commission. Eventually, the German Army would 
suppress the Soviet republic, and Otto Neurath was among those arrested for 
having served that government. He was put on trial for treason, convicted, and 
sentenced to imprisonment in a fortress.  Prominent German academics like Max 
Weber spoke out on his behalf. The Austrian government interceded and he was 
granted clemency, and he was released from prison and expelled from Germany. He 
returned to Austria, where he continued to work on behalf of the workers 
movement there. As an admirer of Ernst Mach, he helped to found the Vienna 
Circle, working with people like Mortiz Schlick and Rudolf Carnap. He 
co-authored the Circle's manifesto, The Scientific Conception of the World: The 
Vienna Circle with Carnap.

His writings in defense of socialist economic planning were what provoked 
Ludwig von Mises to write his famous 1920 article, "Economic calculation in the 
socialist commonwealth."  Later on, Otto Neurath carried on a debate by post 
with Friedrich Hayek over the socialist calculation problem.



Jim Farmelant
http://independent.academia.edu/JimFarmelant
http://www.foxymath.com 
Learn or Review Basic Math


-- Original Message --
From: Louis Proyect via Marxism 
Subject: Re: [Marxism] [SUSPICIOUS MESSAGE] Profits Beyond Reason and Reason 
Beyond Profits - COSMONAUT
Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2019 08:14:21 -0400


On 3/24/19 8:09 AM, Louis Proyect via Marxism wrote:
> 
> Is the economic calculation problem a valid argument against planned 
> economies? Max Black argues that this so-called problem is based on 
> flawed reasoning and that a world beyond markets is possible.
> 
> https://secure-web.cisco.com/1lcyIlw_4fxr-KdpbSI2-qTiUJCu8JIWq0ul6tRZTCwwzDj-zZZFTGAzR8d42wNy9-RNyPQ7Nxe_SC7jNvsO52J7MfEm-r0FwzqmnTLJ-yzKhmeB6LAWd_yulT3UtVUahhLLviZ0BntXwoHHECaIs05uOJtmIW5IL0rP4KNP1-TusWPMn6AZMsQcRbMBlp-I5Pm1BXZMOtCkJrkLzXg_yHtI4e4RSsKlnTZyTLtoHRk4697k1Jzs5zviN4WBkK_OLOwsY2wnRKBWUaz_B7umkU1RKpw2ZNVtzC_RyZ03W6TIwsfQu6hrqKwk8hYEjZM1dWPqsJvXn9zURSVejD1BaR8cESF-TixRiMlHt_ZxAN-NO2uOuAAVvRIEiO6mqBClx/https%3A%2F%2Fcosmonaut.blog%2F2019%2F03%2F23%2Fprofits-beyond-reason-and-reason-beyond-profits%2F
>  
> 

Again, the Utah spam filter flips out.

Just go to 
https://cosmonaut[dot]blog/2019/03/23/profits-beyond-reason-and-reason-beyond-profits/
 



Sad News For Meghan Markle And Prince Harry
track.volutrk.com
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/5c979aabb08901aab757fst03vuc

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Re: [Marxism] C-Cura and PSL in Venezuela

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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On 3/24/19 8:46 AM, John Reimann via Marxism wrote:

  In the early years of Chavez'
government he was coopted by chavismo, as were many union bureaucrats.
Labor Solidarity was a short lived workers' front that made syndical
statements in a context in which chavismo had perpetrated two massacres of
workers, The Mitsubishi Massacre in January 2009, also La Encrucijada
Massacre against our comrades in Aragua state.


I don't understand this.

As far as I know, The Mitsubishi Massacre refers to an incident in Spain:

On Thursday 4th June, a group of workers gathered at the “labour 
inspection office” “Alberto Lovera” in Barcelona, in Anzoátegui state, 
to protest against the continuing violation of their workers’ rights, 
and the aggression of the Japanese bosses of the Mitsubishi 
multinational - MMC.


http://socialistworld.net/index.php/international/americas/63-venezuela/4354-Venezuela--Solidarity-appeal-for-struggling-Mitsubishi-workers



So how did "chavismo" perpetrate an attack on workers in Spain?
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[Marxism] C-Cura and PSL in Venezuela

[John Reimann via Marxism]

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In the ongoing attempt to avoid confronting the reality of the situation in
Venezuela, comrades have attacked C-Cura (United Revolutionary Class
Current) and those associated with it for having allied with the old CTV
union federation. I have seen that attack before. It refers to Juan Bodas
and "Labor Solidarity" in Venezuela. I asked Simon Rodriguez of the Party
for Socialism and Freedom about that. Here's his explanation:

"Bodas led a left wing platform in the 2009 election (in the United
Federation ofVenezuelan Oil Workers - FUTPV), without alliances with right
wing sectors. The right wing opposition had two competing platforms, while
chavismo had also at least three competing factions. CTV social democrats
were not on C-cura's ticket. Ironically, Wills Rangel, who headed the VOS
coalition created by the government, and heavily financed by the big
bosses, did come from AD party and the CTV. He was a close ally of Carlos
Ortega, one of the leaders of the 2002 coup. In the early years of Chavez'
government he was coopted by chavismo, as were many union bureaucrats.
Labor Solidarity was a short lived workers' front that made syndical
statements in a context in which chavismo had perpetrated two massacres of
workers, The Mitsubishi Massacre in January 2009, also La Encrucijada
Massacre against our comrades in Aragua state. In top of that, Chavez had
called in march 2009 for the military intelligence to detain any worker
engaging in strikes in the iron and aluminum state factories of Guayana,
saying workers were privileged and asked for too much money. In response to
that, there were some statements by that plural and short lived Labor
Solidarity front. Which was a correct policy for revolutionaries to
participate in, while chavismo and their international allies were either
applauding or turning a blind eye on the killings and persecution of
workers by the Venezuelan government. But also let's return to the oil
industry: Rangel and the chavista bureaucrats were responsible from 2009 on
in not fighting the reduction of oil workers' wages to 10 dollars a month,
while Bodas and his comrades were the only ones resisting and mobilizing
the workers, enduring jail and many comrades being fired. So it's clear
that the chavista bureaucrats were the ones betraying the workers and that
any revolutionary should have supported the Trotskyist Bodas and not the ex
CTV and ex AD Rangel"

Rodriguez referred me to this article:

https://laclase.info/content/candidato-del-psuv-la-futpv-fue-miembro-del-buro-sindical-de-ad-y-acompano-carlos/


John Reimann
PS. I am not a part of the international tendency to which the PSL belongs.
I have no organizational "loyalty" to them.
-- 
*“In politics, abstract terms conceal treachery.” *from "The Black
Jacobins" by C. L. R. James
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[Marxism] The face of American socialism before Bernie Sanders? Eugene Debs | Paul Buhle and Mari Jo Buhle | Opinion | The Guardian

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/23/american-socialism-bernie-sanders-eugene-debs?CMP=share_btn_fb
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Re: [Marxism] Venezuela: despite the crisis, Chavez's legacy endures (Green Left Weekly)

[John Reimann via Marxism]

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Chris Slee writes: "This is not to deny that economic mistakes have been
made, or that corruption is a serious problem.  But for those of us who
live in the Western imperialist countries, our priority should be
campaigning against the blockade."

First, as I pointed out originally, the GLW article leaves a false
impression for those who don't systematically think it through. Yes, there
is the comment about hyperinflation, but the "low prices" is completely
irrelevant, given that the working class does not have access to dollars.
The entire article is undeniably written to give a picture that things
really are not that bad for the working class in Venezuela.

It is no accident that this false impression is now linked to the idea that
we in countries like the US should simply campaign against the blockade.
(That's what the term "priority" really means.) And giving a false view of
the actual situation inside Venezuela is apparently necessary for that.

This is not a novel approach. I, personally, saw the same thing regarding
the liberation struggles in Africa, specifically regarding Mugabe in
Zimbabwe and the ANC in South Africa. Sure, I and my comrades of the time
supported them, but we didn't go along with the fact that no hint of
questioning their strategy and program was allowed. And look where those
regimes have ended up. Same with the guerrilla struggles in Central
America. Although some would deny it, Ortega has ended up just as
oppressive and corrupt as Maduro and the rest of those guerrilla struggles
have been defeated. What happened? "US imperialism" some say. But that's
like saying that the guy who fell from a cliff died because of gravity.
Yes, we know it's there. You'd better have a plan to defeat it.

Or we can go back a little further. Back in the 1930s the apologists for
Stalin - both the true believers and the liberals - said something similar.
They linked the call to limit ourselves to opposing imperialist
intervention to the denial of the reality that workers in the Soviet Union
faced. They made visits to the Soviet Union and returned completely denying
that reality. Trotsky did not let that stop him. He opposed imperialist
intervention, but he mercilessly criticized the regime. And as opposed to
Maduro, *that* wasn't even a capitalist regime! His method was right then
and it's right now.

We can either build another moralistic-based campaign against yet another
imperialist intervention, or we can try to base ourselves on the working
class rather than remaining inside our little left ghetto. Through that, we
can try to start to make real, serious direct links between workers here
and in Venezuela. Denialism will not enable us to do that.

John Reimann

-- 
*“In politics, abstract terms conceal treachery.” *from "The Black
Jacobins" by C. L. R. James
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Re: [Marxism] [SUSPICIOUS MESSAGE] Profits Beyond Reason and Reason Beyond Profits - COSMONAUT

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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On 3/24/19 8:09 AM, Louis Proyect via Marxism wrote:


Is the economic calculation problem a valid argument against planned 
economies? Max Black argues that this so-called problem is based on 
flawed reasoning and that a world beyond markets is possible.


https://secure-web.cisco.com/1lcyIlw_4fxr-KdpbSI2-qTiUJCu8JIWq0ul6tRZTCwwzDj-zZZFTGAzR8d42wNy9-RNyPQ7Nxe_SC7jNvsO52J7MfEm-r0FwzqmnTLJ-yzKhmeB6LAWd_yulT3UtVUahhLLviZ0BntXwoHHECaIs05uOJtmIW5IL0rP4KNP1-TusWPMn6AZMsQcRbMBlp-I5Pm1BXZMOtCkJrkLzXg_yHtI4e4RSsKlnTZyTLtoHRk4697k1Jzs5zviN4WBkK_OLOwsY2wnRKBWUaz_B7umkU1RKpw2ZNVtzC_RyZ03W6TIwsfQu6hrqKwk8hYEjZM1dWPqsJvXn9zURSVejD1BaR8cESF-TixRiMlHt_ZxAN-NO2uOuAAVvRIEiO6mqBClx/https%3A%2F%2Fcosmonaut.blog%2F2019%2F03%2F23%2Fprofits-beyond-reason-and-reason-beyond-profits%2F 



Again, the Utah spam filter flips out.

Just go to 
https://cosmonaut[dot]blog/2019/03/23/profits-beyond-reason-and-reason-beyond-profits/ 


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[Marxism] MR Online | The Turkish economy: worse than a recession

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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https://mronline.org/2019/03/18/the-turkish-economy-worse-than-a-recession/
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[Marxism] [SUSPICIOUS MESSAGE] Profits Beyond Reason and Reason Beyond Profits - COSMONAUT

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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Is the economic calculation problem a valid argument against planned 
economies? Max Black argues that this so-called problem is based on 
flawed reasoning and that a world beyond markets is possible.


https://secure-web.cisco.com/1lcyIlw_4fxr-KdpbSI2-qTiUJCu8JIWq0ul6tRZTCwwzDj-zZZFTGAzR8d42wNy9-RNyPQ7Nxe_SC7jNvsO52J7MfEm-r0FwzqmnTLJ-yzKhmeB6LAWd_yulT3UtVUahhLLviZ0BntXwoHHECaIs05uOJtmIW5IL0rP4KNP1-TusWPMn6AZMsQcRbMBlp-I5Pm1BXZMOtCkJrkLzXg_yHtI4e4RSsKlnTZyTLtoHRk4697k1Jzs5zviN4WBkK_OLOwsY2wnRKBWUaz_B7umkU1RKpw2ZNVtzC_RyZ03W6TIwsfQu6hrqKwk8hYEjZM1dWPqsJvXn9zURSVejD1BaR8cESF-TixRiMlHt_ZxAN-NO2uOuAAVvRIEiO6mqBClx/https%3A%2F%2Fcosmonaut.blog%2F2019%2F03%2F23%2Fprofits-beyond-reason-and-reason-beyond-profits%2F

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Re: [Marxism] Venezuela: despite the crisis, Chavez's legacy endures (Green Left Weekly)

[Chris Slee via Marxism]

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John Reimann takes phrases out of context to give a misleading impression of 
what Federico Fuentes is saying.

Fuentes says that "hyperinflation has meant workers' wages have plummeted".  He 
says there is a "deep economic crisis" in Venezuela.

But the important point is that this crisis is to a large extent a result of 
the "economic war" waged by the US and its allies against Venezuela.

This is not to deny that economic mistakes have been made, or that corruption 
is a serious problem.  But for those of us who live in the Western imperialist 
countries, our priority should be campaigning against the blockade.

Chris Slee

From: Marxism  on behalf of John Reimann 
via Marxism 
Sent: Sunday, 24 March 2019 5:36:12 AM
To: Chris Slee
Subject: Re: [Marxism] Venezuela: despite the crisis, Chavez's legacy endures 
(Green Left Weekly)

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First of all, as far as the relative "cheapness" of goods in Caracas: The
way it's put tends to deceive since people will remember better that the
goods are "cheap" than the qualifying comment. Completely aside from that,
the practical meaning is this: These goods are cheap in dollars but sky
high in bolivares.  Fuentes writes: "It is common to find street hawkers
with debit and credit card machines, and many happy to accept US dollars to
overcome this problem." The clear implication is that goods are easily
affordable, and that is true... for those who have access to US dollars!
But this "little detail" isn't mentioned by the author, so he leaves a
false impression. Who has access to dollars is the bolibourgeoisie, another
"little detail" not mentioned by Fuentes. In other words, the
bolibourgeoisie isn't seriously hurt by the collapse in the value of the
bolivar but the masses of Venezuelans are.

I find it hard to believe that the author was not aware of the effect on
the reader of leaving out of these key facts. Likewise, I find it peculiar
that he completely fails to mention the several million Venezuelan refugees
who have fled Venezuela.

I am guessing that the reporter didn't just go to Venezuela on their own
but that they were shown around, so the question is: "Who is it that showed
them around?" That little detail is left out, but I would bet it wasn't the
socialist opposition, for instance the Party for Socialism and Freedom
there. In fact, I would bet it was people associated with the PSUV, that is
to say, Maduro supporters. Were they told about the FAES (government
militia types) having murdered people? Were they told about how the food
supplements are given to the government supporters, not to the working
class as a whole?

A few days ago, I posted to this list an article from the Wall St. Journal
describing the desperate situation for Venezuela's poor, as well as the
repression the Maduro regime is carrying out against them. Chris Slee did
not deny the possibility that the article was accurate. So he is now left
in a difficult position, because that WSJ article and the Green Left Weekly
article cannot both be accurate. They present radically different pictures
of life in Venezuela. Given the subtle misrepresentations and the failure
to mention key facts (e.g. the millions of Venezuelan economic refugees) as
well as the descriptions from such left sources inside Venezuela as Simon
Rodriguez (laclase.info -- at the moment not working, for whatever reason),
I don't find the Green Left Weekly article credible.

One simple question

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[Marxism] Rapid Warming Scenario

[Greg McDonald via Marxism]

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In a rapid warming scenario:

1. a stronger-than-expected El Niño would contribute to
2. early demise of the Arctic sea ice, i.e. latent heat tipping point +
3. associated loss of sea ice albedo,
4. destabilization of seafloor methane hydrates, causing eruption of vast
amounts of methane that further speed up Arctic warming and cause
5. terrestrial permafrost to melt as well, resulting in even more
emissions,
6. while the Jet Stream gets even more deformed, resulting in more extreme
weather events
7. causing forest fires, at first in Siberia and Canada and
8. eventually also in the peat fields and tropical rain forests of the
Amazon, in Africa and South-east Asia, resulting in
9. rapid melting on the Himalayas, temporarily causing huge flooding,
10. followed by drought, famine, heat waves and mass starvation, and
11. collapse of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Sam Carana
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