[Marxism] Photos of me in my Native Habitat

[michael perelman]

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A documentary film maker came to interview me. Afterwards, she came to watch
me play basketball with the students.  She was not allowed to film anything
with any other people, so she took some pictures of me afterward.

http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/photo-of-me-in-my-native-habitat/

-- 
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA
95929

530 898 5321
fax 530 898 5901
http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com

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[Marxism] Connolly

[S. Artesian]

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Connolly:  Socialism and Nationalism [1897]

These agencies, whether Irish Language movements, Literary Societies or 
Commemoration Committees, are undoubtedly doing a work of lasting benefit to 
this country in helping to save from extinction the precious racial and 
national history, language and characteristics of our people.

Nevertheless, there is a danger that by too strict an adherence to their 
present methods of propaganda, and consequent neglect of vital living 
issues, they may only succeed in stereotyping our historical studies into a 
worship of the past, or crystallising nationalism into a tradition – 
glorious and heroic indeed, but still only a tradition.

Now traditions may, and frequently do, provide materials for a glorious 
martyrdom, but can never be strong enough to ride the storm of a successful 
revolution.

If the national movement of our day is not merely to re-enact the old sad 
tragedies of our past history, it must show itself capable of rising to the 
exigencies of the moment.

It must demonstrate to the people of Ireland that our nationalism is not 
merely a morbid idealising of the past, but is also capable of formulating a 
distinct and definite answer to the problems of the present and a political 
and economic creed capable of adjustment to the wants of the future.

This concrete political and social ideal will best be supplied, I believe, 
by the frank acceptance on the part of ail earnest nationalists of the 
Republic as their goal.
Not a Republic, as in France, where a capitalist monarchy with an elective 
head parodies the constitutional abortions of England, and in open alliance 
with the Muscovite despotism brazenly flaunts its apostasy to the traditions 
of the Revolution.

Not a Republic as in the United States, where the power of the purse has 
established a new tyranny under the forms of freedom; where, one hundred 
years after the feet of the last British red-coat polluted the streets of 
Boston, British landlords and financiers impose upon American citizens a 
servitude compared with which the tax of pre-Revolution days was a mere 
trifle.

No! the Republic I would wish our fellow-countrymen to set before them as 
their ideal should be of such a character that the mere mention of its name 
would at all times serve as a beacon-light to the oppressed of every land, 
at all times holding forth promise of freedom and plenteousness as the 
reward of their efforts on its behalf.

To the tenant farmer, ground between landlordism on the one hand and 
American competition on the other, as between the upper and the nether 
millstone; to the wage-workers in the towns, suffering from the exactions of 
the slave-driving capitalist to the agricultural labourer, toiling away his 
life for a wage barely sufficient to keep body and soul together; in fact to 
every one of the toiling millions upon whose misery the outwardly-splendid 
fabric of our modern civilisation is reared, the Irish Republic might be 
made a word to conjure with – a rallying point for the disaffected, a haven 
for the oppressed, a point of departure for the Socialist, enthusiastic in 
the cause of human freedom.

This linking together of our national aspirations with the hopes of the men 
and women who have raised the standard of revolt against that system of 
capitalism and landlordism, of which the British Empire is the most 
aggressive type and resolute defender, should not, in any sense, import an 
element of discord into the ranks of earnest nationalists, and would serve 
to place us in touch with fresh reservoirs of moral and physical strength 
sufficient to lift the cause of Ireland to a more commanding position than 
it has occupied since the day of Benburb.
It may be pleaded that the ideal of a Socialist Republic, implying, as it 
does, a complete political and economic revolution would be sure to alienate 
all our middle-class and aristocratic supporters, who would dread the loss 
of their property and privileges.

What does this objection mean? That we must conciliate the privileged 
classes in Ireland!

But you can only disarm their hostility by assuring them that in a free 
Ireland their ‘privileges␁ will not be interfered with. That is to say, you 
must guarantee that when Ireland is free of foreign domination, the 
green-coated Irish soldiers will guard the fraudulent gains of capitalist 
and landlord from ‘the thin hands of the poor’ just as remorselessly and 
just as effectually as the scarlet-coated emissaries of England do today.

On no other basis will the classes unite with you. Do you expect the masses 
to fight for this ideal?

When you talk of freeing Ireland, do you only mean the chemical elements 
which compose the soil of Ireland? Or is it the Irish people you mean? If

Re: [Marxism] [More] Interesting details on Ecuador

[S. Artesian]

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Insulted Connolly?  Not exactly.  Nobody excludes an alliance with the 
radical petty bourgeoisie-- there was that alliance in Russia, too.  With 
the Left-SRs. The question, issue, is what type of alliance, around what 
program.

Correa is not a representative of the petty bourgeoisie.  He's the 
representativ of the bourgeoisie.

The point was that Connolly never separated Ireland's right to 
self-government from the class struggle.  He was convinced that it could 
only be established through class conscious workers taking power.  That's 
why his work is so significant, at least that's what he wrote.  Connolly in 
his writings put labor at the centre of th Irish struggle.

Nothing about Correa approaches that level of class analysis.

I have no intention of turning Connolly into a loyalist. But it appears that 
you have an intention of draining his work of its class significance, and in 
that is the real insult and distortion of his politics.

- Original Message - 


From: "Steve Palmer" 
To: 
Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2010 8:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Marxism] [More] Interesting details on Ecuador 



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Re: [Marxism] starting an education thread???

[Dennis Brasky]

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On Tue, Oct 5, 2010 at 10:52 PM, Gary MacLennan
wrote:

>
> There is so much going on right now in Oz that is being influenced by
> events
> in the States.   the current Pri9me Minister Julia Gillard when she was
> Minister of Ed was busily channelling Joel Klein and Michele Rhee for all
> she worth. I note too the speech at the Tory conference by Geoffrey Canada
> who blamed unions for all the ills in education.  His speech went down a
> treat no doubt.  We will also have a big deal made of Guggenheim's doco
> also
> pushing the same propaganda.  I noted too the speech by Katherine
> Birbalsingh that went down so well.  Ms Birbalsingh claims to have been a
> Marxist but was led into voting Tory by the recognition of the need for
> Right Wing thinking on Education.
>
>
>

Bill Gates, Public School Teachers and the Politics of Humiliation --

Henry A. Giroux, Truthout: "Democratic goals and public values no longer
have any merit in a reform movement in love with the logic of measurement,
profit and privatization. This is not a reform movement, but an anti-reform
movement, that can only imagine schooling within what my colleague David L.
Clark calls 'an eternal present of consumption and subjection.' It is a
movement that appears to kill critical thought, the ability to think
imaginatively and any notion of pedagogy that takes matters of individual
autonomy and social empowerment seriously. In the name of reform, we now
face increasing numbers of schools that either bear a close resemblance to
the old Ford factory production lines or are modeled after prisons."

http://www.truth-out.org/when-generosity-hurts-bill-gates-public-school-teachers-and-politics-humiliation63868

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[Marxism] 2 new articles

[JacDon]

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>From the Activist Newsletter, Oct. 5, 2010
jac...@earthlink.net

Two New Articles at:

http://activistnewsletter.blogspot.com/

 
What Was the One Nation Rally in
Washington Really About?
By Jack A. Smith, editor

 
Harry Belafonte's Antiwar Speech
at the One Nation Rally




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[Marxism] starting an education thread???

[Gary MacLennan]

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There is so much going on right now in Oz that is being influenced by events
in the States.   the current Pri9me Minister Julia Gillard when she was
Minister of Ed was busily channelling Joel Klein and Michele Rhee for all
she worth. I note too the speech at the Tory conference by Geoffrey Canada
who blamed unions for all the ills in education.  His speech went down a
treat no doubt.  We will also have a big deal made of Guggenheim's doco also
pushing the same propaganda.  I noted too the speech by Katherine
Birbalsingh that went down so well.  Ms Birbalsingh claims to have been a
Marxist but was led into voting Tory by the recognition of the need for
Right Wing thinking on Education.

That too went down a treat. Ms Birbalsingh has picked her moment for
abandoning Marxism. Having shown that she was in the  category of 'most
likely to', she will almost certainly now succeed.

I also noted the following comment on Lou's blog about the October 2nd
rally:

"There was so little outreach in this part of the country that quite
frankly, I forgot the “one nation” thing was going on. I’ve been too busy
trying to navigate all the micro-managing mayhem the “school reform”
movement has been doing in my classroom this year via Broad Foundation
superstars, consultants, proscribed curriculum, aligned curriculum, and
mentor teachers in order to turn me into a better teacher. What I’m finding
out is that all the stuff I got in my undergraduate years apparently didn’t
sink in, so now I have to have somebody come in and show me how to organize
a lesson plan. Now, one would think that since I allegedly never got a
quality college education or teacher training in college, that my student
loans would be forgiven, but no such luck. I have to pay for something I
allegedly never got anyway. Silly me"

What I got from this blog is that the teachers are being treated as the
enemy.  For many that must be a confusing experience and one quite difficult
to grasp.

So what gives with all this "crisis in education"? Certainly teachers as the
blog shows are now in the firing line and the likes of Canada - the
entrepreneur educator (not for profit mind you!) are leading the charge.
All in the name of liberating minorities.  Yet if one looks at the trailer
of Waiting for Superman one gets at least a partial answer.  There is a
brief sequence where a crowded room of parents and children watch as numbers
are pulled out from a lottery ball.  If your number comes up you will get to
a 'great school'  if not tough shit.  this "And the winner is..." is deeply
revolting.  Scarcity is created and the victims are then persuaded that
somehow the Right Wing which is responsible will be there to save them. I am
old, very old, but this was too much. Is my hatred pure?  Well watching the
clip from Waiting for Superman proved conclusively to me that yes it was.

This "Teacher as Public Enemy Number One" is part of the necessity to
increase horizontal hatred in a time of recession.  Now if they could only
prove that most teacheers were Muslims and homosexuals then we could have a
real good tea-party.

I also thought while watching Geofrrey Canada perform of the Harry Belafonte
speech. The latter may have hedged his speech carefully so it got past the
organizers, but he also made it clear who and what was responsible for the
mess that the schools are in.

comradely

Gary

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[Marxism] Fwd: Bono Endorses Scrapping the Minimum Wage

[Stuart Munckton]

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-- Forwarded message --
From: 
Date: 6 October 2010 10:57
Subject: Bono Endorses Scrapping the Minimum Wage
To: rock...@aol.com




*Bono Endorses Scrapping the Minimum Wage*



The September 13 issue of *Forbes*, the business magazine owned
by Bono, has an article by Rhodes College professor Art Carden entitled
“Scrap the Minimum Wage.” Carden claims that the minimum wage, which is
impossible to live on, “has only destroyed jobs.” Surprisingly, Carden
doesn’t volunteer to work for less than the minimum wage himself. According
to his theory, that would create several new jobs in the poverty-stricken
city of Memphis where he lives.



When Bono bought *Forbes* he said he liked the magazine because
“it has a consistent philosophy.” Little noted when he made the acquisition,
this may have been the only time in the 21st century when Bono has been
honest in public (e.g. his “African” clothing line is made in China). The
“consistent philosophy” of *Forbes* may be summed up as “It is glorious to
be rich.”



The same issue of *Forbes* which calls for eliminating the
minimum wage has a handy list of suggestions for the world’s wealthy people.
A few highlights:



*“Commit to extreme wealth. For the super-rich, personal wealth
creation is a top priority.”* [Bono and his U2 bandmates put their already
considerable fortunes in a Dutch tax shelter to prevent the Irish government
from collecting some of it to distribute to the poor]



*“Engage in enlightened self-interest. The super-rich are
focused on obtaining their goals and objectives, culminating in great
wealth.”* [Bono’s handler, Paul McGuinness, has proposed that music fans pay
U2 each and every time they listen to one of the band’s songs]

* *
*“Connect for profits and results. The super-rich are masters at
nodal networking.”* [from Arnold Schwarzenegger in California to Dmitry
Medvedev in Russia, if there is a politician doing harm in the world Bono is
there. Aside from starfucking, the purpose is photo ops which keep Bono’s
products and get-poor-quick schemes in the public eye]

*www.rockrap.com* 



-- 
“Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is humanity’s
original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made,
through disobedience and through rebellion.” — Oscar Wilde, Soul of Man
Under Socialism

“The free market is perfectly natural... do you think I am some kind of
dummy?” — Jarvis Cocker

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Re: [Marxism] Rather amusing right-wing scare video about the socialist contingent on October 2nd.

[Jonathan Flanders]

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On Wed, 2010-10-06 at 09:50 +1000, Gary MacLennan wrote:
> Most of the crowd looked pretty distracted, and it
> was hard to think that there was any sign that the system was in any
> kind of
> danger.

Disconcerted rather than distracted is how I would characterize the
moment of Belefonte's anti-war speech. There were plenty of union
staffer types in the crowd that knew very well Belefonte was going off
message from the AFL-CIO script, and believe me the leaders of the
AFL-CIO all know about scripting, its in their DNA.

Belefonte knew this too, which is why he ended with a jobs and vote
coda. For those of us who wanted to see the anti-war message as part of
this rally, it was a sweet moment nonetheless.

You must remember that on the local level, the anti-war movement was
encouraged to participate, in my area the area labor federation
organized a "peace bus" as part of the four they were responsible for.
But of course as you go up the leadership chain, the message closes
down, still, Belefonte they couldn't stop, in a sense a reflection of
the inner tensions and contradictions of labor at this point in time.

Jon Flanders
 




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Re: [Marxism] Rather amusing right-wing scare video about the socialist contingent on October 2nd.

[Jonathan Flanders]

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On Wed, 2010-10-06 at 09:50 +1000, Gary MacLennan wrote:
> Most of the crowd looked pretty distracted, and it
> was hard to think that there was any sign that the system was in any
> kind of
> danger.

Disconcerted rather than distracted is how I would characterize the
moment of Belefonte's anti-war speech. There were plenty of union
staffer types in the crowd that knew very well Belefonte was going off
message from the AFL-CIO script, and believe me the leaders of the
AFL-CIO all know about scripting, its in their DNA.

Belefonte knew this too, which is why he ended with a jobs and vote
coda. For those of us who wanted to see the anti-war message as part of
this rally, it was a sweet moment nonetheless.

You must remember that on the local level, the anti-war movement was
encouraged to participate, in my area the area labor federation
organized a "peace bus" as part of the four they were responsible for.
But of course as you go up the leadership chain, the message closes
down, still, Belefonte they couldn't stop, in a sense a reflection of
the inner tensions and contradictions of labor at this point in time.

Jon Flanders
 




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Re: [Marxism] The Mendacity of Hope

[Louis Proyect]

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On 10/5/10 8:38 PM, Charlie wrote:
> At the financial top, though, capital seems much more labile and
> undifferentiated, nothing like the classic antagonisms of agriculture
> versus transportation, industry versus merchants, industry versus
> finance, heavy industry versus light industry, middle-sized firms versus
> monopolies, etc. Some of these antagonisms helped divide the ruling
> class on FDR in the 1930s (to the point of support him or mount a coup
> against him), but what is a similar material basis today? (Plug: See my
> No Rich, No Poor for more.)
>
> Mr. Hodge would like to smudge the two themes in Madison.
>

Keep in mind that Harpers is not exactly a Marxist magazine. I would 
describe it as patrician radical, especially given the mindset of Lewis 
Lapham, its former long-term editor Lewis Lapham, who has a lot in 
common with Gore Vidal. In the latest issue, there's a really totally 
fucking stupid article by a character named Patrick Symmes about going 
to Cuba and trying to live for a month on Cuban wages. Symmes is the 
author of a book that is based on interviews with Fidel's schoolmates. 
Needless to say, they don't like him and neither does Symmes.

But by and large, the magazine is much more tolerable than The Nation 
Magazine.


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Re: [Marxism] [More] Interesting details on Ecuador

[Steve Palmer]

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If you were right, Connolly would not have taken his place in the Dublin GPO on 
Easter 1916 alongside Padraig Pearse and the IRB - classic 'petty bourgeois 
nationalists' - but would have spent endless futile years trying to organize 
around pure class slogans, like the ILP did, who shared your politics. Why did 
he sign the Proclamation which doesn't make any reference to the working class 
and which asks somebody called 'God' to bless their arms? Why did Connolly 
place the national question at the centre of his politics? In his last 
statement, before the Brits shot him strapped to a chair, he says not one word 
about the working class or socialism, but enthuses about the blow that has been 
struck for Irish Freedom. 

"There are in Ireland two Socialist parties; there should only be one. The only 
real dividing issue, apart from personal elements, is the question of 
recognising Ireland as entitled to self-government" Connolly wrote against your 
ideological ancestor, William Walker. Connolly was on one side putting Irish 
Freedom at the centre of his programme for the working class and you're on the 
other. Try as you may, there's no way you will ever succeed in turning Connolly 
into a Loyalist.

It's only because you have insulted Connolly and distorted his politics that 
I'm bothering to comment.

--- On Tue, 10/5/10, S. Artesian  wrote


  


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Re: [Marxism] The Mendacity of Hope

[Charlie]

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  Mark L. wrote:
James Madison and the American founders were very big on the idea of 
checking power. It's remarkable that, in this day and age, that very 
crucial aspect of their thought is simply neglected across the 
"respectable" political spectrum.

Shouldn't we sort out two strands in Madison's political theory?
 - One is that the common people must not be allowed political power.
 - The other is that power should be distributed among the various 
business interests so that no one interest dominates.

The first strand remains a given for the ruling class. You observe that 
the second theme does not matter much to them today. Isn't that because 
sharp lines between business interests have nearly disappeared at the 
top, and because the distribution of economic power among capitalists 
has polarized, marginalizing middle and small capital to an 
unprecedented degree?

There are relatively minor conflicts among capitals that develop into 
political and regulatory skirmishes: Wal-Mart has grievances against 
MasterCard and VISA; the entertainment "content providers" and the cable 
and other dissemination channels sometimes have trouble dividing the 
revenue stream.

At the financial top, though, capital seems much more labile and 
undifferentiated, nothing like the classic antagonisms of agriculture 
versus transportation, industry versus merchants, industry versus 
finance, heavy industry versus light industry, middle-sized firms versus 
monopolies, etc. Some of these antagonisms helped divide the ruling 
class on FDR in the 1930s (to the point of support him or mount a coup 
against him), but what is a similar material basis today? (Plug: See my 
No Rich, No Poor for more.)

Mr. Hodge would like to smudge the two themes in Madison.


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Re: [Marxism] The Mendacity of Hope

[Waistline2]

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>> But the fact is that James Madison and the American founders  were very 
big on the idea of checking power. It's remarkable that, in this day  and 
age, that very crucial aspect of their thought is simply neglected across  the 
"respectable" political spectrum.<< 
 
ML 
 

Comment 
 
Madison was "the man" and father of "the Bill of Rights," which I  
understand to mean "the Bill of Rights of Citizens," counterpoised to serfs,  
slaves 
and colonial subjects, willing to assert their rights as citizens.   All of 
us in our past 10 generations have experienced at least two of these  
categories if not all three. I understand Madison to have written about a third 
 
of the Federalist Papers - which I have still to read, but from what I do  
understand and believe, "the Bill of Rights" in America express what Marx 
called  "the struggle of the bourgeois and proletariat takes place in the 
democratic  Republic." 
 
"We" - revolutionaries, can champion the Bill of Rights as a "specialty  
group cause" established for that purpose from a collectivist lens of public  
property. 
 
In our representative form of government where the President is head of  
government and head of state, concentrating political authority in the 
executive  branch is at the expense of the legislative and judicial branch. 
This 
means an  added impulse to the police state or as it is called, political 
fascism. 
 
Not being funny or anything, your self sacrifice and years of training,  
study and writings on these matters is a benefit to all. Ever think about a  
pamphlet from a Marxist lens? I would raise money for such, featuring Madison 
 and the meaning of political democracy. 
 
Ain't nobody in this country a damn serf or slave. We free proletarian  
citizens. 
 
I commit to an initial donation toward such a pamphlet $300 in the here and 
 now. I would love something under the heading: "Third American 
Revolution." 
 
This is of course your call, and the donation stands period. 
 
WL.
 
 


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Re: [Marxism] Rather amusing right-wing scare video about the socialist contingent on October 2nd.

[Gary MacLennan]

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I loved this video.  It would be great to use it to teach 'image selection'
and the making of meaning.

The contrast with the shots of the crowd when Harry Belafonte was speaking
was so marked.  Belafonte's was the most radical of the speeches by all
accounts but really it was not very radical - "vote" and "God bless" being
the concluding motifs. Most of the crowd looked pretty distracted, and it
was hard to think that there was any sign that the system was in any kind of
danger.

Then this video gave me such hope. thank you Americans for Prosperity!

comradely

Gary

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[Marxism] Fwd: WERC: The Significance of the October 2nd Demonstration in Washin

[Waistline2]

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>> In light of the divergence between the demands voiced at the rally  and 
the policies embraced by the Democratic Party, Bob King, President of the  
United Auto Workers, correctly observed: "We believe that we have to rebuild 
a  social movement in America." In other words, he acknowledged that the 
only way  the politicians will respond to the demands of working people is 
through the  creation of an independent social movement where working people 
rely on  themselves rather than waiting endlessly for politicians to stop 
helping  corporations long enough to help the rest of us. <<< 
 
Comment
 
 
Bob King of the United Auto Workers was recently elected union president.  
Due to the age restriction he is a one term president with a wealth of  
experience in organizing. King inherits a union passing through fundamental  
change, having been reduced from a peak of roughly 1.5 million members to less  
than 300,000 with roughly 100,000 in auto. King has formulated his concept 
of  the union as the need to “become” – rather than create, a social 
movement. I  understand this to mean becoming community based in addition to 
trade, with an  internal organizational structure that express this new 
relationship. Further,  there are between 600,000 and 800,000 retired members 
of the 
UAW, whose growing  spontaneous actions cannot be contained within the union 
as it exist. 
 
In the context of the unfolding of Obama’s politics of bipartisanship, the  
push to shift the union as a social movement is the beginning of the 
preparatory  phase of a radical rupture in both parties and the possible 
formation 
of a  “party of labor.” Not a third party but a “party of labor.” The art 
of this  process is that a “new thing” must come from an old thing. From 
nothing comes  nothing in the world of politics. In my opinion we are talking 
 about a  breakaway by some unions from the Democratic Party and probably a 
tiny  sliver  of the Republican Party as an initial impulse, along with 
fragments  of the “greens” and other who make electoral work their life 
activity. 
 
The fight for the political loyalty of all these very real leaders of and  
from the proletariat has to be waged by revolutionaries welding a class 
lens.  This Marxist list might need a special place, index or way to identify 
complex  theoretical issues from general issues of theory and the meaning of 
class  antagonism.  
 
Communists need a concerted effort demanding nationalization where  
appropriate. Free enterprise cost to much and companies run on this basis 
cannot  
employ the working age population. The only way people without money can 
consume  is for products to be given to them. Then - after the socially 
necessary  products are given to society, a social (society) contract should be 
set 
in  place that allows anyone and everyone to contribute to reproducing 
consumed  products. 

No communist grouping successfully leaps from one boundary to another and  
remain intact. One sheds all the ideological verbiage and categories of the 
past  and purges themselves by allowing folks to fall off unable to conform 
to the  demands of the new period. The theory level crashes but so what, you’
re crashing  anyway. To survive one must recruit new material from a new – 
changed, market. 
 
Today we have more tools available to us than any generation of American  
revolutionaries. 10,000 revolutionaries working in harmony can change 
America.  We still have lots of breathing space because the bourgeoisie itself 
is  
attacking the system. Something similar but on a small scale happened during 
the  last phase of the Civil Rights Movement as the completion of the 
Second American  Revolution. The Third Revolution is underway. 
 
This is the real thing. 
 
Dark clouds are gathering but this is the time we have waited for all of  
our lives. Our moment has come. We must increase our market shares at all 
cost.  Everything else is secondary.  
 
Til victory is won/one. 
Proletarians Unite.
 
WL. 
 
 


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[Marxism] Rather amusing right-wing scare video about the socialist contingent on October 2nd.

[Jonathan Flanders]

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkw7n9Qagu8&feature=youtube_gdata_player





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Re: [Marxism] A tale of two speeches

[Gary MacLennan]

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These speeches are fascinating.  But with respect the contrast between them
is not a simple matter. On the surface Lewis' speech is much more radical.
The rhetoric is really splendid and his description of the 'bible-babbling'
Right wing is precious and  timeless.

Also he talks openly of conflict but note he does not call it class war nor
does he see this as inevitable.  Rather he accepts the notion of a contract
between the employer and the employee and honoring of that contract by the
employer seems to be for him the solution to the conflict. This is the old
reformist cry of a 'Fair Day's Pay'. He also accepts the notion that
communism is 'alien'.

What can one say about Trumka?  I have an image in my mind of Comrade
Proyect fighting back the urge to throw up over this 'One Nation" stuff. But
note that Trumka felt compelled to talk of fighting. Unlike Lewis of course
he did not specify who or what he would fight against. But this is a speech
made at the beginning of the Long Down Turn, while Lewis' is made at the
time of a resurgence from the crushing defeats of 1928-9. Labour had showed
its teeth and Lewis could draw on that.

By contrast Trumka is the slave who is begging the master to love him and to
forgive him for being a slave.  In other words his speech comes at a
different point in the cycle - that of accommodation rather than revolt.

However Lewis for all his radical flourishes of rhetoric is leading the
working class not into revolt but to a better deal in terms of the master
slave relationship. There will still be slaves and masters but the slaves
who are really badly off will be somewheres down in the South or Overseas.
Lewis then is a tough negotiator but he is no emancipator. Trumka is a
pathetic negotiator and that is the difference.

comradely

Gary

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Re: [Marxism] Fwd: WERC: The Significance of the October 2nd Demonstration in Washington, D.C.

[Manuel Barrera]

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Kenneth Morgan said:
" Is it really a good idea to limit this conference to those in the union 
sector? Wouldn't it be better to have a more inclusive conference, with 
workshops/caucuses for those working in the union sector?" 

Two groups that would significantly provide meaningful depth to such a 
conference would be (a) unemployed (laid off union and non-union) workers and 
(b) undocumented immigrant workers (maybe alongside farmworkers or other 
industries where immigrants may be a part). Those of you/us who are in a 
position to support this could make the case that Trumpka has clearly made a 
call for solidarity with undocumented workers and, of course, the participation 
of the unemployed is self-evident.

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Re: [Marxism] Hedges on the Oct. 2nd rally

[sobuadhaigh]

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>The rising proto-fascist movement in America is caused by 
>a hatred and alienation so profound that the crimes of the 
>state, along with the buffoonish antics of those who defend 
>and champion these crimes, do not matter. We will not 
>discredit the right-wing with facts, a demand for a respect 
>of law or rational discussion. Propaganda or counter messages 
>of tolerance are not the issue. The issue is societal collapse. 
>This issue is a corporate state that has carried out a coup 
>d'etat. The issue is the rupture of all mechanisms within 
>the political process to protect citizens from accelerating 
>impoverishment, internal control and corporate abuse. Those 
>who refuse to acknowledge this bleak reality cannot offer 
>solutions.

I think Hedges is absolutely right on this point. The debate 
here on the Tea baggers has revolved around whether this is 
a proto-fascist movement or is it just the Republican party 
pretending to be extreme as a run up to an election. In 
Mark's characterization there is always an element in American 
politics "baying at the moon" and now it is this group. 
I suppose the thrust of this argument is primarily to 
counter the coming emotive appeals to support the Democratic 
party as liberals confront the possibility of huge losses
in November. In that light then, the baggers are 
no big deal and this is all just political theater.

Dealing with said tea party assholes up close early on 
has lead me support Artesian's analysis that there is 
something new in the air and it is indeed ominous. The 
difference now is that there is a crisis in, and steep 
decline of, the American economy. Is this really just 
the same old political kabukai theater of the past? 
These questions are making me want to review Hartz's 
"Lockean consensus" theory of American politics and reflect 
on the ways this model has irrevocably broken down. It's 
too bad Obama isn't a socialist in that he would be better 
able to look beyond this construct as economically driven 
social pressures destroy any notion of a common 
political culture. 

The problem is that the other side has un-limited cash, 
a social base, political traction and they are armed. 
When I get tired of name calling here I usually spend a 
little time on You Tube pursuing searches on subjects 
like "patriot weapon of choice." Some of the more striking 
videos have soft rock sound tracks with lyrics calling for 
"hanging traitors from the nearest tree" while the 
assault rifles blaze away in the background. Between 
heavily armed baggers and FBI raids on the homes of 
those peacefully supporting international solidarity, 
and I would say that things are moving beyond mere
howling at the moon. 

 



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Re: [Marxism] The Mendacity of Hope

[Mark Lause]

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Of course,  he does...

But the fact is that James Madison and the American founders were very big
on the idea of checking power.  It's remarkable that, in this day and age,
that very crucial aspect of their thought is simply neglected across the
"respectable" political spectrum.

ML

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Re: [Marxism] Fwd: WERC: The Significance of the October 2nd Demonstration in Washington, D.C.

[Kenneth Morgan]

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On Tue, Oct 5, 2010 at 1:15 PM, DW 

'"n order to take a first step towards building an independent movement of
working people that would fight for our needs, we in the WERC are in the
process of organizing a spring WERC conference. In addition to union
activists, we will invite top union officials to come to this meeting so
that we can begin discussing the necessary steps to take to create this
movement. This conference is aimed at uniting the labor movement around the
needs being voiced by the rank and file."
- - - - -

Is it really a good idea to limit this conference to those in the union
sector? Wouldn't it be better to have a more inclusive conference, with
workshops/caucuses for those working in the union sector?



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Re: [Marxism] The Mendacity of Hope

[Charlie]

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  Mr. Hodge glorifies James Madison.

"The majority, having such coexistent passion or interest, must be 
rendered, by their number and local situation, unable to concert and 
carry into effect schemes of oppression." Federalist No. 10



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[Marxism] Coup fails in Ecuador but tensions remain

[Greg McDonald]

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http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=22634

Coup fails in Ecuador but tensions remain

comment on article | email | print
Share on: Delicious | Digg | reddit | Facebook | StumbleUpon

by Simon Basketter

A strike organised by police officers in Ecuador turned into an
attempted coup last week.

The police said they were protesting against a public security law,
which they claimed would end their bonuses and medals.

When Ecuador’s president Correa confronted some police protesting in
the capital Quito on Thursday of last week, the police responded with
tear gas.

Correa came to office on the back of a mass movement against
neoliberalism. He is often identified as part of the wave of radical
leaders that have emerged in Latin America over the last decade, like
Chavez in Venezuela and Morales in Bolivia.

But increasingly Correa has tried to balance between the left and
right, leaving him weaker and under pressure.

While police who had been protesting started returning to work in
parts of the country by early afternoon, the tension continued in the
capital while Correa remained in hospital.

State media dominated the airwaves, accusing the country’s right wing
of an attempted coup and alleging involvement of the opposition
Patriotic Society Party and the influence of ex-president Lucio
Gutierrez.

Revoke

Correa said that police told him he would not escape from his hospital
room if he did not revoke the public security law.

Demonstrations against the coup took place as the day progressed. At
10pm soldiers opened fire on the police and rescued Correa.

Correa remains popular. Initially his government cancelled debt and
increased health spending. He also closed a US military base—which is
one reason the US may be inclined to encourage coups. But recently
Correa has opened the economy up to multinationals.

Although indigenous organisations in Ecuador have been in conflict
with the Correa administration, important groups such as the
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), made
strong statements condemning the coup attempt.

The organisation has led protests against the Correa government during
the last year. Indigenous and non-indigenous communities protesting
against mining and oil expansion have faced repeated repression.

CONAIE cited Correa’s failure to build alliances with Ecuadorian
social movements as one reason he was vulnerable to attempts by the
right to destabilise the government.

They said, “While the government has dedicated itself exclusively to
attacking organised sectors like the indigenous movement, workers’
unions, etc, it hasn’t weakened the structures of power of the right.”

While opposing Correa’s support for the oil and mining interests, they
rejected the “disguised right wing support” for the attempted coup,
saying they “will continue to struggle for the construction of a
plurinational state with a true democracy.”

Ecuador has offered inspiring examples of mass struggle in recent years.

On three occasions—in 1999, 2000 and 2003—attempts to impose punishing
neoliberal programmes were defeated by mass movements, including those
led by CONAIE.

These impressive movements, bringing together the national
organisation of indigenous people and the national trade unions, hold
the key to Ecuador’s future.

© Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you
include an active link to the original.


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[Marxism] Henry Kravis and Columbia University: a match made in hell

[Louis Proyect]

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http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/henry-kravis-and-columbia-university-a-match-made-in-hell/


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[Marxism] Fwd: The results of your email commands

[Greg Adler]

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-- Forwarded message --
From: Greg Adler 
To:
marxism-confirm+13e0f6be50a28756fc7fc5f83ac77bb1b2475...@lists.econ.utah.edu
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2010 22:46:22 +1100
Subject: Israel And Palestine and Controlling The Narrative
This is an interesting article from Paul McGeough, the Sydney Morning Herald
journalist, who was "embedded"
in the Gaza relief flotilla when it was attacked and nine people were
killed.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/controlling-the-narrative-in-israel-and-palestine-20101005-1655t.html


-- Shared using Google Toolbar

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[Marxism] Chris Hedges on the Oct. 2nd rally

[Louis Proyect]

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March to Nowhere
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/march_to_nowhere_20101005/
Posted on Oct 5, 2010

By Chris Hedges

We can hold One Nation marches every week. It will not make any 
difference until we revolt against the formal structures of power.

The liberal preoccupation with positive forms of propaganda 
ignores the root of our problem. The tea party and hate mongers on 
Fox such as Glenn Beck, however repugnant, are the manifestation 
of the crisis, not its cause. The forces assaulting the remnants 
of American democracy will not be cowed or discredited with 
rallies, such as the one in Washington on Saturday. We will blunt 
these rising anti-democratic forces only when we organize outside 
conventional systems of power. It means dismantling the permanent 
war economy and the corporate state. It means an end to 
foreclosures and bank repossessions. It means a functional health 
care system for all Americans. It means taking care of our poor 
and unemployed. And it means a system of government that is freed 
from corporate interests.

Mass support for anti-democratic movements and public acceptance 
of open violations of human rights are not caused, in the end, by 
the skillful dissemination of misinformation or brainwashing. They 
are caused by the breakdown of a society and the death of a 
liberal class that once made reform and representative government 
possible. The timidity of our liberal class was on public display 
during the march in Washington. Speakers may have called for jobs, 
but none would call on citizens to abandon the rotting hull of the 
Democratic Party and our moribund political system or put Wall 
Street speculators in prison. The speakers at the rally proposed 
working within the current electoral system, although most 
Americans are aware that it has been gamed by corporate interests. 
This is hardly a call, especially given the failures of the Obama 
administration, that will fire up the unemployed and underemployed.

“We need jobs,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said at the march. “We’ve 
bailed out the banks. We bailed out the insurance companies. Now 
it’s time to bail out the American people.”

But Sharpton and the other speakers, too close to the power elite 
in the Democratic Party, did not call for rebellion. There was no 
war cry against Wall Street and the purveyors of death in the 
defense and health industry. There was no acknowledgement that 
unfettered capitalism and globalization are killing our ecosystem 
and creating a worldwide system of neo-feudalism. There was no 
acceptance that the corporate state must be dismantled if we are 
to save ourselves. Any effective resistance must begin with a 
condemnation of our political elite and liberal institutions, 
including the press, the universities, labor, the arts, religious 
institutions and the Democratic Party, for selling us out. But the 
speakers on the mall in Washington would not go there. And I 
suspect, for this reason, the Americans who are hurting most found 
nothing they said of interest.

All totalitarian movements, even those that are openly criminal, 
succeed because they have widespread mass support. They are the 
expression of a yearning that sweeps through a nation that has 
been convulsed by economic dislocation, a loss of hope and 
flagrant political corruption. And in these times of lament and 
deprivation the absurdities, crimes and excesses of reactionary 
forces do not matter. It wasn’t hard to find out what Slobodan 
Milosevic was doing in Bosnia. It wasn’t hard in Nazi Germany to 
hear about the widespread massacres of Jews in Poland. It is not a 
secret to most Americans that Muslim detainees, held for years 
without charges, are tortured in black sites around the world. The 
murder of tens of thousands of civilians by our forces in Iraq, 
Afghanistan and Pakistan is tacitly acknowledged by the public as 
the price of war. The massive human suffering in the open-air 
prison that is Gaza is not a mystery. We know what happens to the 
millions of undocumented workers who live as stateless citizens 
among us and have become a kind of modern day slave labor force.

The rising proto-fascist movement in America is caused by a hatred 
and alienation so profound that the crimes of the state, along 
with the buffoonish antics of those who defend and champion these 
crimes, do not matter. We will not discredit the right-wing with 
facts, a demand for a respect of law or rational discussion. 
Propaganda or counter messages of tolerance are not the issue. The 
issue is societal collapse. This issue is a corporate state that 
has carried out a coup d’etat. The issue is the rupture of all 
mechanisms within the political process to protect citizens from 
accelerating impoverishment, internal contro

[Marxism] Harry Belafonte denounces Obama's war at Oct. 2nd rally

[Louis Proyect]

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXX7_Ww8fXA


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Re: [Marxism] Ecuador Coup

[Greg McDonald]

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On Mon, Oct 4, 2010 at 6:05 PM, Stuart Munckton
 wrote:

> Speaking of the passage of hot air, what does this "original model of
> socialism" entail, exactly?
>
> Greg
>
>
>  Surely that question should be directed to the author of the piece.
> Anthony didn't use that phrase. He said US interests dictated "conflict
> with  nationalist, populist and revolutionary governments".
>
> Suggestions that what is being implemented right now in Ecuador is
> "socialism", however original a form, is wrong. But the statement reflects a
> wrong understanding of what socialism is that is hardly uncommon, being
> often understood to mean a bit more state intervention and social spending.
>
> Of course, a bit more state intervention and social spending in the context
> of Ecuador are not small things. It is enough, among other things, to drive
> imperialism to seek to overthrow such a government and to drive a section of
> the oppressed to mobilise to save it.
>
> This is true *despite* the obvious split and hostility between the
> government and organised indigenous movement.
>
> Stuart


Oh, I agree with you Stuart, and have you noticed how CONAIE
graciously extended a fig leaf to Correa and called for a deepening of
the revolution at the same time?  One would hope the president would
have enough sense to realize who his real friends are.

Having noted the new evidence presented, I do believe that this
debacle with the police was in fact a coup attempt, but I also believe
that sometimes Correa is his own worst enemy, and even from a tactical
perspective, it is certainly not wise to enter into the enemy camp
with only a few bodyguards when they may be trying to overthrow your
ass. Which begs the question: If Correa had imagined a coup was
underway, and that this was more than just a dispute over wages and
benefits, do you really think he would have gone there to the police
HQ to try and chat and work things out? Obviously he did not have that
information beforehand, which is not a good sign.

On a side note, folks like Larrea, Acosta, and others, who have been
close to the president, have commented that his somewhat mercurial
personality has been an impediment. He has a tendency to lash out at
those who are closest to him. I'm certainly not one to reduce
everything to personality and the individual, but given the historical
gulf between the mestizo and indigenous cultures in Ecuador, it seems
a more sensitive and balanced leader might have been capable of
strengthening ties with CONAIE rather than exacerbating the situation.
Of course, the decision to go all heavy-handed with open pit mining
didn't help.

Greg


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[Marxism] [Socialist Voice] Venezuela: Left wins, but right makes gains

[Ian Angus]

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SOCIALIST VOICE
Marxist Perspectives for the 21st Century
http://www.socialistvoice.ca

October 5, 2010

VENEZUELA: LEFT WINS, BUT RIGHT MAKES GAINS
by Federico Fuentes
http://www.socialistvoice.ca/?p=1341
Venezuela’s September 26 National Assembly elections gave an
interesting insight into the state of class struggle in a country
sharply polarised by the revolutionary changes led by the government
of President Hugo Chavez.

+++

Other recent articles:

DID CONSUMERS CAUSE THE BP OIL DISASTER?
by Ian Angus
http://www.socialistvoice.ca/?p=1324

G20 PROTESTS: WHAT WAS GAINED AND WHAT WAS LOST
by John Riddell and Art Young
http://www.socialistvoice.ca/?p=1315



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[Marxism] Basque struggle

[Peter Boyle]

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Basque Country: Armed struggle ends, political struggle begins
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45603

Spanish state cracks down on Basque activists
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45604


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