Re: M-TH: Re: Gramsci on the State
Hello all, Everyone seems to be very quiet at the moment leaving Chris and Hugh to fight it out among themselves (and my posts received no replies either). Perhaps this list has moved from theory into practice and so their are only the inactive ones left ! (N.B. That was a joke) Well Chris and Hugh, I found your discussion on Gramski very interesting but I do not really know enough about him to comment much (as I said when Chris raised it in relation to Ali). But I am afraid I am still not sure quite what he argued or whether I agree with his fundamental position or not? Although I disagree with all Hugh's Trotskist attacks nevertheless I do find myself feeling highly skeptical about Gramski. Over the new year I also looked at some of his pre-prison writings (because the CUP book is the only one I have and not because of any of the peculiar comments you made about him writing in prison ?!?!?) and found them far from convincing. Part of the problem may be in the comment that Chris made about his theory applying to the state in advanced capitalist countries and his theory appears to be confined to (or tailored to, or appeals to) the Communist Parties in those countries. Are their many Gramscites in the oppressed nations? Also I still haven't the faintest idea what hegemony is. Or whether it IS (in a material sense) at all. But I can see how all this might fit very well with Chris interest in Marxism and psychology and part of that great effort to combine Marx with Freud. Which, even if it were possible, I'm sure I would not find it very palatable. I would rather stick with an idea of the state based on its physical manifestations with a view of consciousness still based on the Marxist definition based on the effect of the material world. But perhaps I still misunderstand Gramski and he would agree too. I remain suspicious but not unconvincable. John --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
M-TH: Fw: C O M P E T I N G S O V E R E I G N T I E S IN NORTH AMERICAANDTHE RIGHT-WING AND ANTI-INDIAN MOVEMENT
- Original Message - From: Michael Pugliese <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2000 2:43 AM Subject: AUT: C O M P E T I N G S O V E R E I G N T I E S IN NORTH AMERICAAND THE RIGHT-WING AND ANTI-INDIAN MOVEMENT > > > http://www.cwis.org/fwdp/Americas/rwain.txt > > > > > > --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
M-TH: infowar
http://www.terrorism.com/infowar/index.html --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
Re: M-TH: Re: Gramsci on the State
Didn't we have this discussion last year? Just because something can't be touched doesn't mean it isn't material (in the properly marxist sense). That said, it's not difficult to share John's hostility to hegemony as a socialist strategy. Look what happened to the British Eurocommunists (or perhaps they did a bit too well considered the number of ex-CPGB figures in the Labour party leadership), or going a bit further afield, what about Militant as the perfect example of the search for hegemony gone wrong? On Thu, 13 Jan 2000, J.WALKER wrote: > > Also I still haven't the faintest idea what hegemony is. Or whether > it IS (in a material sense) at all. But I can see how all this might > fit very well with Chris interest in Marxism and psychology and part > of that great effort to combine Marx with Freud. Which, even if it > were possible, I'm sure I would not find it very palatable. I would > rather stick with an idea of the state based on its physical > manifestations with a view of consciousness still based on the > Marxist definition based on the effect of the material world. But > perhaps I still misunderstand Gramski and he would agree too. > --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
M-TH: What was the origin of AIDS ?
The other is bio engineering The leading scientific theory is that the Aids virus somehow crossed over from another species into the human population in the last half century or so. Just think what would have happened if the "jump" had taken place, say, after the last ice age, when settlement of the Americas had begun, and that it never crossed the Bering straights. People over here would be scratching their heads wondering why there were no people in Europe, Asia or Africa. Especially once their science advanced enough to see that the human race must somehow have started over there and gotten wiped out. && CB: I thought the real leading scientific theory on the origin of HIV virus is that it was created through bio engineering in a CIA/MI 5 (or some other#) laboratory in experiments to make biological weapons. CB --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
M-TH: latest mergers
> Subject: Latest company mergers > > > > > > In the wake of the Exxon/Mobil deal and the AOL/Netscape > > >deal, here are the latest mergers we can expect to see: > > > > > >Hale Business Systems, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fuller Brush, and > > >W.R. Grace Company merge to become Hale Mary Fuller Grace. > > > > > >Polygram Records, Warner Brothers, and Keebler Crackers > > >merge to become Polly-Warner-Cracker. > > > > > >3M and Goodyear merge to become MMMGood. > > >John Deere and Abitibi-Price merge to become Deere Abi. > > > > > >Zippo Manufacturing, Audi Motors, Dofasco, and Dakota > > >Mining merge to become Zip Audi Do Da. > > > > > >Honeywell, Imasco, and Home Oil merge to become Honey I'm = > > home. > > > > > >Denison Mines, and Alliance and Metal Mining merge to > > >become MineAll Mine. > > > > > >Federal Express and UPS merge to become FED UP. > > > > > >Xerox and Wurlitzer will merge and begin manufacturing > > >reproductive organs. > > > > > >Fairchild Electronics and Honeywell Computers will merge > > >and become Fairwell Honeychild. > > > > > >3M, J.C. Penney and the Canadian Opera Company will > > > merge and become 3 Penney Opera. > > > > > >Grey Poupon & Dockers Pants will merge and become Poupon > > >Pants. > > > > > >Knott's Berry Farm & National Organization of Women will > > >merge and become Knott NOW > > > > > > > > > --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
M-TH: FW: LL:ART: Elian Gonzales Case: Eyewitness Account from Miami
> > > Subject: Eyewitness in Miami > Date: 08-Jan-00 at 19:56 > From: Luis Martin, INTERNET:canagc.org > > > The Latest Commotion in Little Havana > By Luis Ortega > > Miami > Friday, January 7, 2000 > > On Thursday, January 6, at 12 noon, I went to downtown Miami to see what > the big demonstration called for in front of the Federal Building to > protest the case of the child Elian was all about. What I saw there was 300 > yelling Cubans with little flags. One must realize that Miami is always > congested with people and traffic. It is not exceptional for a bunch of > people yelling and waving flags on a corner to create a commotion. > > In the meantime, I kept listening to all the Radio Mambi slogans on my car > radio. I heard the ex-Commander, Hubert Matos uttering frightening screams > and demanding justice. Hubert Matos has a world record on having executed a > man on a wheel chair in 1959 in Camaguey province and has become incredibly > rich in Miami with numerous businesses, to the extent that his son is on > the run for having embezzled millions from Medicare and Medicaid. > > I also heard Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart who, in the tone of a media > pundit, accused Castro of being a monster and insinuated that Clinton is > despicable. Someday for sure there will be an investigation of the business > activities of the Diaz Balarts. There are too many of them. > > Suddenly, the demonstrators, flags in hand and always yelling, began moving > eastbound on Flagler Street (yelling is a tradition among my compatriots). > Then, they sat on the street to stop traffic. I was forced to stop on a > Flagler side street, I think it was on South Miami Avenue. A stout Cuban > with a huge cigar in his mouth lay across the street with a Cuban flag > while an old man sold Cuban and American flags at $5 each. The car horns > began to sound and then I saw two men with Walkie-Talkies direct the > operations. > > Miami police, made up of mostly Cubans, looked the other way. Mayor > Carollo, probably gave them orders not to become too demanding in defense > of the rights of the victimized citizens. There was a certain air of > impunity to the entire show. In other more civilized cities, all would have > been carried to awaiting cages in accordance with city ordinances. But, in > Miami, the Cuban Mafia controls everything -judges, lawyers, police, state > construction, mass media, public officials- that is, everything. Anything > goes in Miami. Dubious contracts can be concocted, the public can be > scammed, people can be taken advantage of, the loot of contracts can be > spread around, criminals can be freed from jail with light penalties, etc. > Judges here depend on the votes and campaign contributions of the Cuban > Mafia. The presidential candidates come to Miami and collect millions. It's > nobody's land. > > The Radio Mafia gave the order to paralyze Miami, something easy to do in > the downtown area. In reality, there were more people on the sidewalks > watching the unpleasant spectacle of these thugs stopping traffic than the > number of demonstrators at hand. > > Let's be clear about something. They spent thousands of dollars to organize > the commotion. The CANF, which is agonizing over pending trials for > fraud,=DD was at the lead of it all. The show over Elian was carried out by > the CANF as a vendetta against Clinton. Not knowing anything about Cuba and > not having inherited his father's political chicanery, Mas Canosa Jr. felt > slighted by the President's apparent willingness to rid himself of the > Foundation on his recent trip to ask him for money > > In retaliation, the Foundation has wanted to show Clinton that they can > paralyze the city of Miami, Florida. But they didn't, they haven't > paralyzed anything, although they have certainly annoyed a lot of people. > Miami Cubans have become a nuisance. They agitate, yell, make a scene, > create traffic jams. They are a curse for the rest of the Cuban people who > tend to their daily chores minding their own business. > > This entire event has a quality of blackmail. Although there are almost one > million Cubans in South Florida, only a only a small minority participates > in these extortions. Of course, Cuban campaign contributions are behind > this whole thing. But the American candidates have begun to investigate > where the millions are coming from. At some point, there will be an > awakening and the federal government will have to ask where these amazing > fortunes are coming from. When? Who knows. > > Corruption in Miami is asphyxiating and its impunity is intolerable. The > Americans have continued to build the monster of Cuban corruption in Miami, > Florida since 1959. Now they must bear it in silence. Clinton has been > weak. The three candidates for Mayor of Miami have behave like imbeciles. > Maurice Ferrer, for example,
M-TH: Fw: What is the origin of AIDS ?
- Original Message - From: Michael Pugliese <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2000 2:23 PM Subject: Re: What is the origin of AIDS ? >The theory I've heard is that it was created in the labs of the US Army's > boichem warfare > facility at Ft. Detrick, Maryland. I do tend to surf the "conspiracy theory" > wecsite sites like > Parascope (the one with the great graphic of an Octopus!) on occasion to > check up on the latest research and document dumps from Freedom of > Information Act releases. > I also do tend to believe just about every allegation about the crimes > of the US Govt., but I don't want to be this paranoid about this one. Makes > 'ya wonder though... > Michael Pugliese > http://www.parascope.com/main.htm > > > > > - Original Message - > From: Charles Brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2000 1:08 PM > Subject: L-I: What is the origin of AIDS ? > > > > The other is bio engineering > > > > The leading scientific theory is that the Aids virus somehow crossed > > over from another species into the human population in the last half > century > > or so. Just think what would have happened if the "jump" had taken place, > > say, after the last ice age, when settlement of the Americas had begun, > and > > that it never crossed the Bering straights. People over here would be > > scratching their heads wondering why there were no people in Europe, Asia > or > > Africa. Especially once their science advanced enough to see that the > human > > race must somehow have started over there and gotten wiped out. > > > > && > > > > CB: I thought the real leading scientific theory on the origin of HIV > virus is that it was created through bio engineering in a CIA/MI 5 (or some > other#) laboratory in experiments to make biological weapons. > > > > CB > > > > > > > > --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- > > --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
Re: M-TH: Re: Gramsci on the State
At 13:53 13/01/00 +, David Welch wrote: > >Didn't we have this discussion last year? Just because something can't be >touched doesn't mean it isn't material (in the properly marxist sense). >That said, it's not difficult to share John's hostility to hegemony as a >socialist strategy. Look what happened to the British Eurocommunists (or >perhaps they did a bit too well considered the number of ex-CPGB figures >in the Labour party leadership) Good point. I suspect that if the past subscription list of Marxism Today were published, it would be very embarrassing for the New Labour government. But it is a strength as well as a weakness. I never had an appetite myself to read Marxism Today, which always seemed to me to be defeatist about the need to accommodate to why Thatcherism was so successful. However in a sense, it was a very materialist analysis. It cut free from the idealism of left Labour, which would have a list of good left causes, suitable to people permanently in opposition. Instead this approach calculated ruthlessly how to get re-elected and to stay re-elected. This meant accommodating to the swing section of the electorate, the skilled working class or the new intelligentsia who call themselves middle class. It logically implies careful continuous surveys of public opinion and a 5 strong "Peoples Parliament" of focus groups. It includes very much taking into account people's psychological reactions in a way not usually made explicit in marxist theory, but very influential in practical politics. It implies spin doctors, but more importantly positive presentations. These are not so much political rhetoric but more the way a modern large monopoly company would organise its employees and its publicity department. In strict marxist terms it analyses the "resultant of forces" continuously, [see Engels' argument in his famous letter to Bloch of September 1890]. It limits the scope of reforms only to what can be achieved within the resultant of forces. It is therefore by definition reformist. The question however is whether a revolutionary approach to reforms should also use the same method of analysing the resultant of forces. I say yes. I know David has a thought-out position on involvement in electoral politics and it is a very difficult problem for what are often small organisations of marxists. But Gramsci implies an alternative to the bourgeois two party system that has kept capitalism in power for so long. It entails reformist risks but Gramsci is not I maintain revisionist as such, and Hugh has interestingly fallen silent on this point. Chris Burford London --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
