date:20100415

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The observations are interesting, but the essence of the approach confounds
the tea partiers as an activist force in the streets with what people are
saying to the pollster.

It's not the anatomy of a sheep, so to speak, but that of a picture of
someone who once thought they saw a sheep

ML

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[Marxism] The Anatomy of Teabagging

2010-04-15 Thread Bhaskar Sunkara

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http://theactivist.org/blog/the-anatomy-of-teabagging

Some
still-in-formation thoughts on the Tea Party Movement and fascism.

(I wrote this in the presence of one of my friends who does some work with
ANSWER here in DC, so feel free to ignore that one observation)

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[Marxism] disturbing

2010-04-15 Thread Shawn Redden

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This comes from the Telegraph, so most of the article can be 
dismissed outright.  But at its core is troubling news.  Yes, we've 
heard it all before ... unless we haven't.



http://tinyurl.com/y6eztkn

Fears that war between Israel and Hizbollah is 'imminent'

King Abdullah of Jordan has warned the US that there were fears in 
Lebanon that a war between Israel and Hizbollah was "imminent" amid 
high tensions in the region.
 
By Alex Spillius in Washington, Richard Spencer and Adrian Blomfield
Published: 7:37PM BST 15 Apr 2010


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Re: [Marxism] Code Pink extends olive branch to fascist Tea party

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As Artesian indicates with his example, most polls nowadays are about
"pushing" to get newsworthy responses.

What the poll tells me is that the left, such as it is, is simply invisible
in terms of the wider circles of the discontented.  And, of course, it isn't
going to become more visible because people have decided to implement an
orientation to undefined legions of anonymous people on somebody else's
phone

This is pure and simple consumerist crap.  The liberals are on about this
now, partly because they are trying to develop a counterposturing to the
GOP's posturing.  We need to stop getting sidetracked by moral suasion and
the appeals to ruling class reason and morality.  What did all the civil
disobedience and petitions and letter writing do over the health care
issue?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  This, despite the fact that the
majority had rather sane positions on the subject.

But that majority was never mobilized.  Instead of appealing to the reason
and morality of the masters, we should have been establishing a more public
presence with demonstrations, independent election campaigns, more vigorous
activism.

Above all, don't get distracted by P.T. Barnum holding a sign saying "This
way to the egress."

ML

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Re: [Marxism] Code Pink extends olive branch to fascist Tea party

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Mark makes THE critical point.  Hello, Ms. Jones, I'm from the NYT and are 
you upset with the way the US Congress has been performing?

You are? Well, can I ask you, do you think that the government has damaged 
the American economy and the American people by its bailout of the Wall 
Street investment banks?

You do?  And do you think, the bonuses paid out to bankers, and the salaries 
paid to top corporate executives have had a negative impact?

You do?  May I ask you, have you ever attended a rally or other event 
sponsored by or associated with the "Tea Party movement?"

You haven't?  Would you consider attending such an event, or picketing 
Barack Obama if he came to speak in your city?

You wouldn't?  OK, Thanks, good-bye.

"Johnny, write her down as being sympathetic no, make that "sharing" the 
goals of the Tea Party movement and get me Paul Buhle."

.
- Original Message - 
From: "Mark Lause"  



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Re: [Marxism] Code Pink extends olive branch to fascist Tea party

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The cadres of the Tea Party movement are not working class folks "led 
astray."  They would like everyone to think that they're just "regular 
people" sharing the concerns of regular people, but they are not.  These are 
white people who have above white average incomes and assets.

They are bankrolled by the same goons who bankrolled  Ron Paul, who support 
Sarah Palin.



- Original Message - 
From: "Eli Stephens"  



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[Marxism] Imperialist hybris

2010-04-15 Thread Nestor Gorojovsky

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Louis Proyect escribió:
> 
> 
> http://www.marxist.com/venezuela-the-people-in-arms.htm Venezuela: 
> The People in arms Written by Alan Woods in Caracas Thursday, 15 
> April 2010
> 
> 
> Eight years ago today something occurred that has no precedent in the
>  history of Latin America. The reactionary coup of 11 April, in which
>  the Venezuelan oligarchy, in collaboration with the US Embassy and 
> the CIA, overthrew the democratically elected government, was 
> defeated by a spontaneous uprising of the masses.


Alan Woods only shows how far can imperialist hybris go.

The 13 April, 2002 events in Caracas have had most important precedents.

One was the popular uprising of 1952 in Bolivia. During that uprising
the whole old army was disbanded and a new army arose.

The other one, which resembles the uprising in Caracas almost in the
details, was that of the Argentinean people in 16-17 October, 1945.

Woods should have the humility with which David Harvey could address an
audience in Buenos Aires, starting by a mention to his speaking in
English, and immediately afterwards saying that he was, at that moment
and in that place, "cultural imperialism".

And Harvey does not claim to be a Trotskyist. Woods should have read
something by Trotsky on Latin America.

But of course, he is a Marxist of the master nation.



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Re: [Marxism] Code Pink extends olive branch to fascist Tea

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You made a complete mosh of what I wrote.  If you did this on purpose, you
are dishonest.  If you did it because you're having trouble with English,
please get remedial help.

Until then, you are a complete waste of electrons.

ML

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Re: [Marxism] Code Pink extends olive branch to fascist Tea

2010-04-15 Thread brad bauerly

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Mark writes:
>Again, people are arbitrarily smudging people who say in the polls, for
>example, that they sympathize with the concerns of the tea partiers and the
>tea partiers themselves.

Then he says:
>Most are politically retarded and morally blighted...to the point where 
>rationality
>no longer works well.  The most one can hope for is that they will see
>people on the Left as human beings rather than the moral equivalent of large
>fetuses who may be morally aborted after-the-fact...

And you base this on the few people that you have personally talked
with.  Holy fuckin pot calling the kettle black.  I am not disputing
your view that most are not coherent in their politics- cut the budget
but keep medicare, social security, defense spending and tax cuts-
just your methodology and position of critique.

Brad

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Re: [Marxism] "Climategate" Researchers Largely Cleared

2010-04-15 Thread Shawn Redden

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At 6:06 PM -0400 4/15/10, Mark Lause wrote:
>
>Well, if we don't know what causes climate change...

Since you assert this as truth, allow me to flip this question 
around:  what makes you certain that carbon exploitation is the 
principal cause of climate change?

Secondly, I'm unclear what anyone who believes your assertion as 
truth should DO about this horrific crisis that threatens to destroy 
the world.

Comrade Proyect is spot on when he says our energies, concerning 
environmental issues, should be in offering support and solidarity to 
the Ecuadorian struggle against Chevron and similar campaigns. 
Perhaps I'm missing the connection, but I'm unclear, honestly, what 
this matter has to do with 'climate change'.  It is, at best, a 
tertiary issue.

>what makes the na-sayers so positive that it doesn't have to do with 
>capitalist industry?

Just for the record, I have continually said that the REAL problem we 
ought be facing as socialists is the capitalist attack on our 
ecosystem - i.e. environmental justice - rather than glorified 
weather forecasts.

I have long criticized 'climate changers' in part because the term 
itself is slimy and inchoate.  It means exactly what anyone wants it 
to mean - buying new light bulbs, buying a bike, buying retrofitted 
windows, buying hybrid vehicles, buying garden tools, buying solar 
panels, buying ... buying ... buying ...

Now obviously some - the Al Gores of the world - prefer it that way 
because it eviscerates class (and with it the notion of corporate 
culpability).  To a lot of others, though, I just don't get the 
Copenhagen Club's appeal.

Perhaps you can enlighten me, Comrade Lause, because the closest 
association I have to the term is 'underdevelopment'.

Solidarity,
Shawn

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Re: [Marxism] Code Pink extends olive branch to fascist Tea party

2010-04-15 Thread Eli Stephens

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S. Artesian writes: "These people are not the terrified impoverished frightened
petit-bourgeoisie, caught between the rock and the hard place in the economy.
These goons are an organized group of country-club thugs."

Nonsense. They definitely are serving the interests of the country-club set,
and the "powers behind the throne" who are organizing the events like
cross-country bus tours may be part of that set, but the "shock troops" of the
Tea Party are nothing of the sort. The New York Times article this morning
claims that a poll says they are "wealthier than the general public," but
please note that that is based on a telephone poll of people in general, not on
a survey of the people actually showing up at Tea Party events. And even with
that claim (undocumented by any data; are they 1% wealthier or 100% wealthier?
No clue), we still read in that same article: "55 percent are concerned that
someone in their household will be out of
a job in the next year. And more than two-thirds say the recession has been
difficult or caused hardship and major life changes." That doesn't sound much
like the "country-club set" to me.

For sure the Tea Party movement doesn't include very many blacks or Latinos,
which probably ensures that they are "wealthier than the general public" from
that fact alone, but make no mistake, the majority of the shock troops are
working class people being misled into acting against their own interests. Is
Code Pink on the right track? I seriously doubt it. But largely that's because
countering the decades-long brainwashing of these folks by FOX News and, not to
give FOX too much credit, the rest of the corporate media as well, is going to
take a lot more than just Code Pink trying to "make nice."

Eli Stephens
Left I on the News
http://lefti.blogspot.com

_
Hotmail is redefining busy with tools for the New Busy. Get more from your
inbox.
http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_2

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[Marxism] Arizona: Community Demands Answers from Obama Administration

2010-04-15 Thread Greg McDonald

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For Immediate Release

Contact: Derechos Humanos: 520.770.1373



Press conference and Protest



Community Demands Answers from Obama Administration

Thursday, April 15, 2010

2:30pm

Tucson Federal Building



Arizona-- In an unprecedented fashion, today more than 800 ICE agents
descended on our communities across the state, spreading fear and
panic. Working together with U.S. Marshals, Sheriff and other local
law enforcement, they terrorized families and businesses alike.



“The scene this morning on the south-side of Tucson was one of massive
show of force, with dozens of agents, police vehicles, and weapons,
assaulting our community in a fashion never seen before in Tucson,
Arizona. This action clearly demonstrates what we have predicted, that
we would all be living in a police state here in Arizona. How can the
Obama administration permit these actions while espousing a commitment
to ‘change’?” stated Kat Rodriguez of Derechos Humanos.



“We demand an immediate response from the President and Secretary
Janet Napolitano, as this community is already scrambling from the Jim
Crow-type laws coming from the extremists in the Arizona legislature.”
she continued.



In NYC for a series of presentations about the border and immigration,
Derechos Humanos Co-Chair Isabel Garcia faced off against Arizona
State Senator Russell Pearce on CNN this morning, calling on the
country to begin to properly frame the issue of migration as an issue
of economic and political policies, not as an issue of law enforcement
or security. “We have permitted Arizona to be the engine for the
creation of laws and politicians that will impact every person living
in this country,” stated Garcia, “with copy-cat legislation appearing
across the states.”



“It is time that we stand firm with the border communities in
demanding real reform, not the principles outlined by Senators Schumer
and Graham,” stated Rafael Samanez of Vamos Unidos in New York City.
“We can see how Arizona in particular has been used as the 'canary in
the mines' in order to diminish all of our rights,” he continued, “as
we can now see these policies impacting all of us across the country.”



There will be a protest to follow today’s press conference, with a
diverse group representing the Tucson community and our demands for
answers from the Obama Administration as well as immediate halt to the
criminalization of immigrant and migrant communities across the
country.


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Re: [Marxism] Ixnay

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OK...
- Original Message - 
From: "Louis Proyect" 
To: "David Schanoes" 
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 6:42 PM
Subject: [Marxism] Ixnay


> ==
> Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
> ==
>
>
> with the Tralin-Stotsky stuff...
>
> NOW.
>
> 
> Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu
> Set your options at: 
> http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/sartesian%40earthlink.net 



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[Marxism] Ixnay

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with the Tralin-Stotsky stuff...

NOW.


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Re: [Marxism] Chomsky Warns of Risk of Fascism in America

2010-04-15 Thread Paddy Apling

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ABSOLUTELY

Paddy
http://apling.freeservers.com

-Original Message-
From: marxism-bounces+e.c.apling=btinternet@lists.econ.utah.edu
[mailto:marxism-bounces+e.c.apling=btinternet@lists.econ.utah.edu] On
Behalf Of Jason Matthes
Sent: 15 April 2010 9:58 PM
To: e.c.apl...@btinternet.com
Subject: Re: [Marxism] Chomsky Warns of Risk of Fascism in America


 There is ABSOLUTELY no chance of fascists coming to power in Britain by
 electoral means in the immediate future

I believe it's the same in America. I think American fascism will come
about by the government continually increasing their power in the name
of "defending freedom." Quite an interesting concept, defending
freedom by taking it away.





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Re: [Marxism] "Climategate" Researchers Largely Cleared

2010-04-15 Thread Paddy Apling

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And we are far from knowing what causes changes in climate. 

In both climate and cancer, predictions are fraught with our relative
ignorance.  Most predictions prove false - and we only have to wait and
see

Paddy
http://apling.freeservers.com

-Original Message-
From: marxism-bounces+e.c.apling=btinternet@lists.econ.utah.edu
[mailto:marxism-bounces+e.c.apling=btinternet@lists.econ.utah.edu] On
Behalf Of Les Schaffer
Sent: 15 April 2010 9:13 PM
To: e.c.apl...@btinternet.com
Subject: Re: [Marxism] "Climategate" Researchers Largely Cleared

==
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On 4/10/10 10:52 AM, Shawn Redden wrote:
> Lots of things cause cancer, Louis.  In fact, it's the greatest
> public health crisis we face.  And ironically, this one EASILY shown
> to be created by those who poison the biosphere.
>

i have a colleague who is an epidemiologist and i have been working with 
him (writing software) on a large and long running study of a specific 
cancer, one of MANY epidemiology studies he has done. he tells me its 
virtually impossible to prove something causes a specific cancer. what 
he does say is that cigarette manufacturers and chemical plant operators 
etc can NOT prove XXX does NOT cause cancer. here are some recent 
comments he made:

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[Marxism] Science and the public

2010-04-15 Thread Paddy Apling

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Found on the web, and worth a read: (same applies in Britain - but, not, I
thinl, in the rest of Europe)

 

Paddy

http://apling.freeservers.com

 

Fear of Science Will Kill Us

- Michael Specter, CNN, April 13, 2010. Watch video at 
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/04/13/specter.denying.science/
 
American denialism threatens many areas of scientific progress, including
the widespread fear of vaccines and the useless trust placed in the vast
majority of dietary supplements quickly come to mind.

It doesn't seem to matter how often vaccines are proved safe or supplements
are shown to offer nothing of value. When people don't like facts, they
ignore them.

Nowhere is that unwillingness to accept the truth more evident than in the
mindlessly destructive war that has been raging between the proponents of
organic food and those who believe that genetically engineered products must
play a role in feeding the growing population of the Earth. This is a divide
that shouldn't exist.

All the food we eat -- every grain of rice and kernel of corn -- has been
genetically modified. None of it was here before mankind learned to
cultivate crops. The question isn't whether our food has been modified, but
how.
 
I wrote "Denialism" because it has become increasingly clear that this
struggle threatens progress for us all. Denialists replace the open-minded
skepticism of science with the inflexible certainty of ideological
commitment. It isn't hard to find evidence: the ruinous attempts to wish
away the human impact on climate change, for example. The signature
denialists of our time, of course, are those who refuse to acknowledge the
indisputable facts of evolution.

Nowhere has the screaming been louder, however, than in the fight over how
we grow our food. If you are brave enough to set a Google Alert for the
phrases "genetically modified food" and "organic food," you will quickly see
what I mean.

The anxiety is certainly understandable. When it comes to food -- the way we
produce it and particularly the way we consume it -- we have a lot to worry
about.

One third of American children are overweight or obese; for adults, the
numbers are higher. Our addiction to mindless consumption has made millions
sick and costs this country billions of dollars. The financial toll comes in
terms of time lost at work and money spent treating and supporting people
with diabetes, heart disease and many cancers, who, had they followed a
better diet, would never have fallen ill.

Nonetheless, better eating habits have nothing specific to do with organic
food, which provides no nutritional advantage over more conventionally
raised products. Opponents of genetically modified food constantly argue
that it is unsafe. There has, however, never been a single documented case
of a human killed by eating genetically modified food.

If every American swallowed two aspirin right now, hundreds of us would die
today. Does that mean we ought to ban aspirin? Of course not. It simply
means that there are risks and benefits associated with everything we do and
with every decision we make.

When people say they prefer organic food, what they often seem to mean is
they don't want their food tainted with pesticides and their meat shot full
of hormones or antibiotics. Many object to the way a few companies --
Monsanto is the most famous of them -- control so many of the seeds we grow.

Those are all legitimate complaints, but none of them have anything to do
with science or the way we move genes around in plants to make them grow
taller or withstand drought or too much sun. They are issues of politics and
law. When we confuse them with issues of science, we threaten the lives of
the world's poorest people.

We are doing that now. By 2050, we are going to have 9 billion people to
feed, a huge increase over today's 6.8 billion. It's not a figure about
which there is much dispute. To feed that many will require nearly 50
percent more food than we produce now.

It's not enough to simply say we waste food and consume too many calories,
so that if we distributed it more intelligently everyone could eat just
fine. Not in sub-Saharan Africa, where drought is nearly permanent.

Many of those people subsist on cassava, the basic potato-like staple in the
region. It lacks most protein, nutrients and vitamins.

You cannot survive for long without them, so a team of international
scientists funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is engineering
vitamins and micronutrients into cassava.

They are engineering success into a failed crop. It will save and prolong
many lives; that is farming and genetic modification at their best. Who
could be opposed to that? 

---
Michael Specter is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of
"Denialism: How Irrati

Re: [Marxism] Code Pink extends olive branch to fascist Tea Party

2010-04-15 Thread Shane Mage

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On Apr 15, 2010, at 10:31 AM, Andrew Pollack wrote:

>
> In contrast, Code Pink -- and Kevin Zeese and Paul Buhle etc. etc. --
> START by sucking up to the Tea Party (and 9/11 truth maniacs)

If you start by sucking up to 9/11 false maniacs like Obama you'll  
end--exactly where you belong.

Shane Mage

The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each  
according to his need.   The  
capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each  
according to his greed.

Joe Stack (1956-2010)

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Re: [Marxism] Code Pink extends olive branch to fascist Tea Party

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Paul Buhle?  Wonderful.  No surprise there, with his penchant  for 
"authentic Americanism."  Another fine example of  leftist incompetence.

Andrew's comments are dead on the mark.


- Original Message - 
From: "Andrew Pollack"  



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[Marxism] Long live the AK-47

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http://www.marxist.com/venezuela-the-people-in-arms.htm
Venezuela: The People in arms
Written by Alan Woods in Caracas Thursday, 15 April 2010

Alan Woods in Caracas describes the mood of the masses on the 
April 13 celebrations of the 8th anniversary of the failed 
right-wing coup. This time, as well as the usual red shirts, there 
was a massive display of the people’s militia clad in camouflage 
green, and carrying Russian-made AK-47s, a clear warning to the 
reactionary oligarchy that the masses are prepared to fight any 
attempt to turn the clock back.

Eight years ago today something occurred that has no precedent in 
the history of Latin America. The reactionary coup of 11 April, in 
which the Venezuelan oligarchy, in collaboration with the US 
Embassy and the CIA, overthrew the democratically elected 
government, was defeated by a spontaneous uprising of the masses.

On that day history was made. Ordinary men and women came onto the 
streets, risking their lives to defend the Bolivarian Revolution. 
With no party, no leadership and no clear perspectives other than 
to defeat the coup, the workers, peasants, and revolutionary 
youth, women and men, young and old, marched in their thousands to 
the gates of the Miraflores Palace to demand the release of 
President Chávez. The soldiers went over to the side of the 
people, and the coup collapsed.

These heroic events can only be compared to Barcelona in July 
1936, when the workers, armed with old hunting rifles, clubs and 
anything they could lay their hands on, stormed the barracks and 
smashed the fascist reactionaries. If anybody doubts that this was 
a genuine revolution, they have only to study the events of April 
2002.

In past years these events have been turned into a celebration of 
the Revolution. The Bolivar Avenue in downtown Caracas was a sea 
of red shirts and waving banners. But this year the scene was 
quite different to what I remember. Instead of a sea of red 
Bolivar Avenue was filled to overflowing with a sea of camouflage 
green. This was the Day of the People’s Militia – a demonstration 
of the power of a people in arms.

As you walked along the Avenue the files of militiamen and 
militiawomen (there were many women also in uniform) seemed to 
have no end. Here once again one could sense the unconquerable 
power of the masses. But now there was a different element. Here 
were thousands upon thousands of workers from the factories, 
peasants from the villages, and young kids from the schools and 
colleges, expressing their willingness to fight, arms in hand, to 
defend the Revolution against enemies – both external and internal.

Under a blazing sun, the people massed – the usual red shirts of 
the chavistas alongside the green-clad militia. Along the Avenue 
the loudspeakers blared out revolutionary slogans: against 
imperialism, against the bourgeoisie, for the Revolution, for 
socialism, and for Chávez: “The Right is still preparing another 
11 April, but now the People have arms! Long live the Bolivarian 
Revolution! Long live the Armed People! Long live President Chávez!”

People climbed trees and lampposts to get a better view and to 
display placards with militant slogans, while some made a quick 
profit selling hats, tee-shirts and cold drinks (which were much 
in demand). There was a deafening roar of music – Latin American 
rhythms with revolutionary words, interrupted by chants and 
slogans. The militia was organized by groups that showed their 
origins: young teenagers from the schools and peasants with straw 
hats and tractors with Belarus written on the side.

To the rear, the militia was unarmed, but as one approached the 
head of the demonstration, everyone was holding a Russian-made 
AK-47, that most versatile and effective weapon, light and easy to 
use. In recent years Chávez has bought large quantities of these 
weapons from Russia. Washington and its hired media have made a 
tremendous fuss, alleging that these guns are destined for the 
FARC guerrillas in Colombia. Now everyone can see what they are 
really intended for.

As they wait for the arrival of the President, the militias stand 
listlessly, or sit on the ground to eat a sandwich. Some rest on 
their rifles, and one or two even had the muzzle of their AK-47s 
resting on their boot – a somewhat risky practice, one would have 
thought. In fact a professional drill sergeant would doubtless 
have a heart attack, looking at these half-trained civilians with 
guns.

But this impression would be entirely false. These militias are 
the lineal descendants of the Cuban guerrillas, of the militias 
that fought Franco in the Spanish Civil War, of the workers´ 
militias that overthrew the Tsar in Russia in 1917, and if we go 
even further back in histo

Re: [Marxism] Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks’s “The Pacific”

2010-04-15 Thread Thomas Bias

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Ben Barzman's son is John Barzman, whom many of us knew in the SWP.  
The elder Barzman was blacklisted during the McCarthy period (the  
story I heard is that Lucille Ball ratted him out--can anyone confirm  
or deny?), and moved to France, where he spent the rest of his  
career. Those who know John know that he speaks French not only  
fluently but without any trace of an American accent.

Tom

On Apr 15, 2010, at 3:26 PM, Louis Proyect wrote:

> Hollywood
> liberals such as Spielberg and Hanks would never dream of churning
> out the kind of flag-waving propaganda that was made during WWII,
> some of which involved Communist Party members. For example, the
> 1945 Back to Bataan starring John Wayne is filled with
> blood-curdling anti-Japanese racism despite being having a
> screenplay written by Ben Barzman, a Communist, and directed by
> Edward Dmytryk, another Communist (who would go on to name names.)
>
> read full review:
> http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/stephen-spielberg-and- 
> tom-hankss-the-pacific/
>
> 
> Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu
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> marxism/biastg%40embarqmail.com

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[Marxism] Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks’s “The Pacific”

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HBO’s The Pacific is the latest installment in an ongoing project 
launched by Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks to pay tribute to what 
newscaster Tom Brokaw called “the greatest generation”, in other 
words the combat forces whose victories in Europe and Asia helped 
propel the U.S. to the status of number one imperial power.

In keeping with a proper post-Vietnam sensibility, Hollywood 
liberals such as Spielberg and Hanks would never dream of churning 
out the kind of flag-waving propaganda that was made during WWII, 
some of which involved Communist Party members. For example, the 
1945 Back to Bataan starring John Wayne is filled with 
blood-curdling anti-Japanese racism despite being having a 
screenplay written by Ben Barzman, a Communist, and directed by 
Edward Dmytryk, another Communist (who would go on to name names.)

read full review: 
http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/stephen-spielberg-and-tom-hankss-the-pacific/


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Re: [Marxism] Code Pink extends olive branch to fascist Tea party

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Again, the deliberate smudging of actual tea partiers and people who answer
a poll saying they share the concerns of tea partiers.

Is this vagary being introduced on purpose...or for a reason?

ML

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Re: [Marxism] Code Pink extends olive branch to fascist Tea Party

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Again, people are arbitrarily smudging people who say in the polls, for
example, that they sympathize with the concerns of the tea partiers and the
tea partiers themselves.  I'd suspect that I've spent more time talking to
the latter than the bulk of the people on this list, and I certainly give my
blessing to anyone who wants to waste their time with them.  Most are
politically retarded and morally blighted...to the point where rationality
no longer works well.  The most one can hope for is that they will see
people on the Left as human beings rather than the moral equivalent of large
fetuses who may be morally aborted after-the-fact

Personally, I spend most of my time talking to Obama supporters who are
disillusioned or becoming disillusioned.  It's a different set of problems,
but we usually start off on a common ground.

Louis is right, of course.  Until there's a mass movement (which Code Pink
and kindred groups has shown very little real interest in building), this is
all still in the realm of hot air.,..

ML

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[Marxism] Obama echoes Petraeus

2010-04-15 Thread Andrew Pollack

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In a front-page article in today's Times (excerpts below), Obama
echoes recent statements by Gen. Petraeus, VP Biden and others about
how Israel's intransigence is threatening "our" interests in the war
against Arabs and Muslims.
This is another reason to firmly oppose alliances with right-wingers
supposedly against war, who love this "America First" approach.
See the last third of my article at:
http://www.socialistaction.org/pollack76.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/world/middleeast/15mideast.html?src=mv
News Analysis
Obama Speech Signals a U.S. Shift on Middle East
Published: April 14, 2010
WASHINGTON — It was just a phrase at the end of President Obama’s news
conference on Tuesday, but it was a stark reminder of a far-reaching
shift in how the United States views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
and how aggressively it might push for a peace agreement.
When Mr. Obama declared that resolving the long-running Middle East
dispute was a “vital national security interest of the United States,”
he was highlighting a change that has resulted from a lengthy debate
among his top officials over how best to balance support for Israel
against other American interests.
This shift, described by administration officials who did not want to
be quoted by name when discussing internal discussions, is driving the
White House’s urgency to help broker a Middle East peace deal. It
increases the likelihood that Mr. Obama, frustrated by the inability
of the Israelis and the Palestinians to come to terms, will offer his
own proposed parameters for an eventual Palestinian state.
Mr. Obama said conflicts like the one in the Middle East ended up
“costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure” —
drawing an explicit link between the Israeli-Palestinian strife and
the safety of American soldiers as they battle Islamic extremism and
terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Mr. Obama’s words reverberated through diplomatic circles in large
part because they echoed those of Gen. David H. Petraeus, the military
commander overseeing America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In recent
Congressional testimony, the general said that the lack of progress in
the Middle East created a hostile environment for the United States.
He has denied reports that he was suggesting that soldiers were being
put in harm’s way by American support for Israel.


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[Marxism] Climate and Capitalism, April 15, 2010

2010-04-15 Thread Ian Angus

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CLIMATE AND CAPITALISM
An online journal focusing on capitalism, climate change,
and the ecosocialist alternative.

April 15, 2010

PRICING EMISSIONS IS THE WRONG SOLUTION
http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=2114
“The greenhouse gas problem is not a pollution problem, and if you
apply pollution thinking you will come up with bad policies.” A
critique of Paul Krugman’s NYT article.

CAN CAPITALISM FIX THE CLIMATE?
http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=2112
On April 3, a columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald criticized
socialists in the climate emergency movement, citing Venezuelan
president Hugo Chavez and frequent C&C contributor Simon Butler as
people who just don’t understand that “Climate is not a class issue.”
This is Simon’s response …

VIDEO: BOLIVIA’S AMBASSADOR ON THE PEOPLE’S CLIMATE SUMMIT
http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=2077
Bolivian Ambassador to the U.N., Pablo Solon, evaluates the Copenhagen
fiasco and invites individuals, governments and NGOs to Cochabamba,
April 20 to 22, 2010, for the World People’s Conference on Climate
Change and the Rights of Mother Earth.

+
Recent articles

AFTER HURRICANE, CUBA BUILDS GREEN HOMES
http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=2050

BOLIVIA REJECTS U.S. BLACKMAIL ON COPENHAGEN ACCORD
http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=2043

THE BILLIONAIRES WHO FINANCE CLIMATE SCIENCE DENIAL
http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=1991

AFTER COPENHAGEN: HOW CAN WE SAVE THE WORLD?
http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=1926


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[Marxism] Comintern (The Stalinist-Hoxhaist World Party)

2010-04-15 Thread Leonardo Kosloff

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Let me rephrase that because my last question was related to what Shane was 
saying.
What your comments imply, Tom, is that the ‘correctness’ (I would say the 
objective consciousness) of Mao’s ideas follows from his 
politics when the question is not trying to defend or reject one with the 
other, but whether you can tell us why what Mao writes is in 
fact something we can use to further (and I’m gonna use the grand word now) 
scientifically, as opposed to ideologically, the 
necessity of one’s political action. And Mao’s abstract writings on dialectics 
and correct ideas, I would say, won’t lead you there, not 
even close.
 
So Shane is quite right in asking: so? What does Mao’s life have to do, 
directly, with the usefulness of his writing to consciously 
understand capital?
 
 
  
_
Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox.
http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_1

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Re: [Marxism] Tariq Ali: Obama, president of cant

2010-04-15 Thread Midhurst14

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Brevity is the soul of wit
That is one of Tariq Ali's problems
He is a windbag
Not realising that the more you say gives the opposition more  openings
George Anthony


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Re: [Marxism] Comintern (The Stalinist-Hoxhaist World Party)

2010-04-15 Thread Tom Cod

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"So"?!  actually, Exactly So.  Those guys and the Chinese revolutionary
leaders are folks who intervened into human history as part of revolutionary
mass movements leaving impacts that have lasted for centuries and thus merit
respect, grudging or otherwise, as a result,  unlike their petty US
trotskyist critics with their Burkean like critiques from afar who have
never amounted to anything.

On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 12:19 PM, Shane Mage  wrote:

>
> On Apr 14, 2010, at 2:47 PM, Tom Cod wrote:
> >
> > I dunno, he was a principal leader of one of the biggest social
> > revolutions
> > in human history.
> >
> The same could and should be said of Mirabeau, Philippe Égalité, de la
> Fayette, Brissot, Danton, Robespierre, and Carnot.  So?
>
>
>
> 
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Re: [Marxism] Code Pink extends olive branch to fascist Tea Party

2010-04-15 Thread Christopher Hutchinson

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I think Andy makes a good point. These Tea Party folk are nasty. I was
handing out single-payer flyers at a Dem sponsored healthcare rally in
CT. The Dems organized no marshals and the Tea Party counter demo was
so aggressive and confrontational the socialists who attended quickly
assembled a marshaling team to create a boundary that divide the rally
from the counter protest. These tea party folk were vile thugs and
while I may engage in a conversation with rank and file tea party
people, I have no interest in building a movement alongside their
racist, homophobic, and anti immigrant program.

In solidarity,
Hutch


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Re: [Marxism] Code Pink extends olive branch to fascist Tea Party

2010-04-15 Thread Thomas Bias

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In my community (Sussex and Warren Counties of New Jersey) there are  
people who express sympathies with the Tea Party in our churches,  
neighborhoods, and workplaces. Most of them have never thought about  
politics much before. Our antiwar committee has a very strong  
religious component, and within that context, we interact often with  
people who express support for the Tea Party movement, but in reality  
don't really agree with the cynical liars who are leading it. Ron  
Paul's opposition to the Iraq and Afghan wars presents us with a  
genuine opportunity to reach out to them and engage them in activity  
in opposition to the wars. I recognize all the problems with Dr.  
Paul's politics, but we're not reaching out to him, we're reaching  
out to people who are listening to him. And we have a persuasive  
message.

Furthermore, I don't agree all the time with the "9/11 truth  
maniacs," but without these "maniacs" we wouldn't HAVE an antiwar  
committee in our area. We're able to discuss our differences as  
friends, neighbors, and collaborators in the peace movement and then  
get together to organize a vigil or charter a bus to a national  
demonstration. Building a movement at the grassroots level by  
definition means getting your hands dirty. And unless we build an  
antiwar movement from the grassroots upwards, it's not going to mean  
a damned thing.

BTW: I don't give a shred of credence to the 9/11 Commission.  
Something's being covered up; I don't know that the 9/11 Truthers  
have the answers (I suspect not), but there's more than "reasonable  
doubt."

Tom

On Apr 15, 2010, at 10:31 AM, Andrew Pollack wrote:

> ==
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> ==
>
>
> You don't START with the misguided ones who wander into the Tea Party.
> You start by expanding the ranks of newly-radicalizing workers and
> others, and create a bigger, broader pole of attraction, which
> minimizes the attractiveness of the Tea Party.

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Re: [Marxism] Maoism

2010-04-15 Thread Christian

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On 4/15/2010 7:42 AM, Dan wrote:If by Maoism you mean adherence to Mao's 
doctrines and practices, then
> Maoism is NOT Marxism or Communism.
>
> It is a great leap backwards to a feudal economy.
>
> To be sure, there is no more fetichism of the commodity, because
> commodity production ceases to exist. You will know full well that x'
> amount of your labour-time is due to the State and only x is given back
> to you to enable you to reproduce your labour. No more mystification
> created by commodity-production to veil the true source of value, i.e.
> the labour power of society as a whole.
>
> You know from bitter experience that your labour is commensurable with
> any other labour. You see the social relationship between each producer
> in clear, undisguised form.
>
> But you are not living in a society of "free producers" as Marx imagines
> in chap. 1, section 4, of Capital vol. 1. You are living in an despotic
> mode of production. All your energies are geared towards not getting
> shot and this means you will produce quite a lot of surplus-value above
> the socially necessary labour time required to reproduce your labour
> power.
>
> This surplus-value will be used by the PArty for its own purpouses,
> mostly on bulding A-bombs (the cost of developping nuclear weapons in
> China was staggering) and enlarging the army.
>
> Of course, I for one would soon be bludgeoned to death by a gang of
> PAarty thugs, together with my wife and two young children. I just can't
> keep my mouth shut.
>

Maoism isn't Marxism per se, it's a version of Marxism-Leninism 
reinterpreted and
adapted to the context of post-colonial, semi-feudal China, governed by 
a strong central government.

Also, Maoism once served as a uniting ideology for the overthrow of 
foreign control of China and a rejection
of bourgeois nationalism as personified in Chan Kai-shek.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Kai-shek

The social, political and economic systems that arose out of the 
communist victory in China and
their revolution cannot be fairly characterized as communist in the 
sense that Marx and others envisioned it,
I agree. But whatever their system is or was, it appears to be turning 
into full blown capitalism before our very eyes.

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[Marxism] British secret police infiltrated Ted Grant's group

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/mar/14/undercover-policeman-infiltrated-violent-activists
Undercover policeman reveals how he infiltrated UK's violent activists

For four years, Officer A lived a secret life among anti-racist 
activists as they fought brutal battles with the police and the 
BNP. Here he tells of the terrifying life he led, the 
psychological burden it placed on him and his growing fears that 
the work of his unit could threaten legitimate protest

 * Tony Thompson
 * The Observer, Sunday 14 March 2010

Hear Officer A talk about his secret life among anti-racist 
activists as they fought brutal battles with the police and the 
BNP Link to this video

An officer from a secretive unit of the Metropolitan police has 
given a chilling account of how he spent years working undercover 
among anti-racist groups in Britain, during which he routinely 
engaged in violence against members of the public and uniformed 
police officers to maintain his cover.

During his tour of duty, the man – known only as Officer A – also 
had sexual relations with at least two of his female targets as a 
way of obtaining intelligence. So convincing was he in his covert 
role that he quickly rose to become branch secretary of a leading 
anti-racist organisation that was believed to be a front for 
Labour's Militant tendency.

"My role was to provide intelligence about protests and 
demonstrations, particularly those that had the potential to 
become violent," he said. "In doing so, the campaigns I was 
associated with lost much of their effectiveness, a factor that 
ultimately hastened their demise."

His deployment, which lasted from 1993 to 1997, ended amid fears 
that his presence and role within groups protesting about black 
deaths in police custody and bungled investigations into racist 
murders would be revealed during the public inquiry by Sir William 
Macpherson into the death of south London teenager Stephen Lawrence.

His decision to tell his story to the Observer provides the most 
detailed account of the shadowy and controversial police unit that 
has provided intelligence from within political and protest 
movements for more than four decades. He believes the public 
should be able to make an informed decision about whether such 
covert activities are necessary, given their potential to curtail 
legitimate protest movements.

Officer A – with a long ponytail, angry persona and willingness to 
be educated in the finer points of Trotskyist ideology – was never 
suspected by those he befriended of being a member of the Special 
Demonstration Squad (SDS), a secret unit within Special Branch, 
whose job is to prevent violent public disorder on the streets of 
the capital. Known as the "hairies" due to the fact that its 
members do not have to abide by usual police regulations about 
their appearance, the unit consists of 10 full-time undercover 
operatives who are given new identities, and provided with flats, 
vehicles and "cover" jobs while working in the field for up to 
five years at a time.

The unit has been credited with preventing bloodshed on numerous 
occasions by using intelligence to pre-empt potentially violent 
situations. Unlike regular undercover officers, members of the SDS 
do not have to gather evidence with a view to prosecuting their 
targets. This enables them to witness and even engage in criminal 
activity without fear of disciplinary action or compromising a 
subsequent court case.

Officer A joined the SDS in 1993 after two years in Special 
Branch. It was a time of heightened tension between the extreme 
left and right and almost every weekend saw clashes between the 
likes of the Anti-Nazi League, Youth Against Racism, the British 
National party and the National Front. The SDS is believed to have 
infiltrated all such organisations.

During Officer A's time undercover, all 10 covert SDS operatives 
would meet to share intelligence about forthcoming demonstrations. 
The information was used to plan police responses to counter the 
threat of the demonstration getting out of control.

A key success for Officer A came just two weeks into his 
deployment during a demonstration against the BNP-run bookshop in 
Welling, south-east London. His intelligence revealed that the 
protest was to be far larger than thought and that a particularly 
violent faction was planning to storm the bookshop and set fire to it.

As a result of intelligence provided by Officer A, police leave 
was cancelled for that weekend and, despite violent clashes, the 
operation was deemed to be a success for the Met. The then 
commissioner, Sir Paul Condon, met the members of the SDS to thank 
them.


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[Marxism] Norman Finkelstein interviewed on the Goldstone report

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http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/finkelstein150410.html


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[Marxism] Why Defame Cuba? A Congregant’s Pl ea to Rev. Jeremiah Wright