[PEN-L:10951] Re: religion
Dear Mr. Williamson, I have enjoyed reading your posts on PEN-l. Recently I looked at your web page and noting your background wondered if you might help me with the following: Request #1. Perhaps with your contacts you could help me locate a book. Sometime ago I heard about a manuscript by Duns Scotus (Medieval theologian c. 1100?) that dealt with the topic of human development on the lines of the metaphor of Aristotle's famous oak tree. Each human being is like a tree with its own unique essence. In order for the tree to develop into what it is meant to be (into its full potential/flowering) it requires the proper environment -- the right nutrients, sunshine, right amount of rainfall, etc. Only with the proper environmental support can the tree reach its full potential/actualize its essence implanted in it by its creator. So, similarly with each human being. Implicit in this view also is the idea that without the proper environmental support, development will be stunted. Supposedly there is a book out (70s? 80s? 90s?) by some author giving an exposition of and commentary on this text by Scotus. (Don't know the author or the press). I am on the adult education committee of my church (Bethany Methodist) and we are reviewing books that we might use in our class next fall. If there is any difficulty with this request, please ignor it. The person who could finger this book for me, supposing it exists, is currently out of town. This Sunday I'll get some further help on this. Request #2. Do you have a publication date for your 150 page bibliography? Would it be possible to get a copy of this anytime soon? Request # 3. Do you have any idea when Gar Alperovitz will publish his "magnum opus?" When you were six years old I called Alperovitz (got hold of his wife) and he gave me permission to include his "Notes on a Pluralist Commonwealth" as an appendix to my "Note I" on "Reframing the U.S. Constitution" -- still unpublished. I have an electronic conference on IGC (Peacenet), . It started in January 1995 and currently contains 112 topics. The subject is a model constitution for a democratic economy. The topics Contents, Introduction and Art 1 constitute my "introduction." Topic 43 contains a bibliography. Topic 112 is a reading list. Topic 48 (response 1) is a current list of topics and responses, sort of an index of the conference. I thought you might be interested in some of this, given your breadth of interest in the area of economics. Finally, I have not yet had a chance to read your "long" paper on religion that you speak of in your message below but will do so shortly. Sincerely, Curtis Moore, San Francisco. Original message:- Date: Tue, 17 Jun 1997 19:41:50 -0700 (PDT) Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Thad Williamson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To:Multiple recipients of list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [PEN-L:10893] Re: religion Alright, as to the first question on materialist analysis of religion: Still nothing better that I know of than Feuerbach; an excellent monography considering Feuerbach in historical perspective by Stanford professor Van Harvey, out in '96, would be the place to start. Secondly, I think you will find the non-consumerist (I won't say anti-consumerist) sentiment present in many, many pulpits in America. Even the conservative journal Christianity Today ran a long cover article last fall on the conflict between Christian teaching and capitalist consumption patterns [alongside its analysis of the election from Ralph Reed, et al!]. And the critique of the image of the person and the types of communities is a staple of politically progressive theological discourse. I'm very interested in the subject of how churches might contribute to a long-term process of social reconstruction in the US, and have written a long paper about this available at http://www.northcarolina.com/thad/church.htm . [A couple of versions should be out in small religion journals this fall.] The basic points are that 1. The declared social principles of the mainline Protestant denominations at least, are very good and progressive, even radical if taken seriously but 2)few in the denominations seem willing to note the obvious and fundamental contradiction between those stated principles [universal income, etc.] and the fundamental operations of capitalism 3)which results in a mostly ineffective political lobby that invites more scorn than positive outcome as well as 4)a tendency by even progressive religious leaders to toady to power (i.e. Clinton, whom a number of key leaders lay hands on in a white house prayer service in November '95) in a misbegotten attempt to preserve a shadow of the influence the churches once had. Moreover, you have a huge gap between the basically conservative people in the pews and the clergy and top leadership in the Protestant churches, which mean
[PEN-L:10950] Re: OOps
Sorry. I accidentally sent to the list what was meant to be an off-line message to thwilliamson. Curtis Moore
[PEN-L:10949] Does A Multi-Party System Mean Democracy?
Greetings, The ruling class puts forward the notion that the "free market system," "free and fair elections," and the "multi-party system" are cornerstones of democracy. Clinton and the US Government go around the world insisting that a country can only be democratic if they have these things. Do these tenets really mean democracy for all? Below we examine the question of the multi-party system. Even though the US system has two majority parties and the right to vote has been legally extended to all citizens over the age of 18, most Americans have little real say in governmental affairs, and this is manifested in a consistently low voter turnout for national and local elections. Experience with the American political system and the two major political parties has turned the vast majority away from politics, equating the word itself with corruption, broken promises and manipulation. Political parties were first developed in England as the emerging capitalist class sought power within the feudal system. This struggle played a positive role in working to eliminate the "divine right of kings" or arbitrary and unbridled rule. The parties did not emerge to bring democracy to all, but represented sections of capitalists and landowners. The main function of political parties at that time was to settle differences between contending sections of the ruling class. The Declaration of Independence does not mention political parties, but rather focuses on entitling men of property to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," or more precisely, private property and ensuring conditions for further profit seeking. The US Constitution also says nothing about parties, yet the current government insists that political parties are the cornerstone of democracy. What is the relationship between the emergence of political parties in the US and the continued protection of property? As we've seen in the recent elections, parties continue to represent the rich. You can participate in politics only if you are backed by one of the major parties who are supported and funded by the rich, or if you are rich yourself like Perot. Parties use whatever method needed to get into office. Once there, either party represents the rich even if the democrats talk like they represent the people. Some questions which need investigation are: What are the different sections of the ruling class today? Do the two parties represent a difference within the ruling class? Or, do they mainly exist to fool the people and legitimize the system? One thing which is clear is that having two or more parties of the rich contending for power still marginalizes the vast majority. Today's system reduces the people to voting for the lesser of two evils - both parties of the rich. A modern definition of the political process would not be limited to the universal right to vote. Today what is needed is for political parties to politicize the people so that they can come to power themselves. VOR's Buffalo Forum 4/11/97 Shawgi Tell Graduate School of Education University at Buffalo [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:10948] Re: Real Life Question
On Thu, June 19, 1997 at 09:44:33 (-0700) Wojtek Sokolowski writes: >I do not claim expertise in US history, but to my understanding, the US >party system is indeed democratic, albeit in a somewhat perverted way. > ... >Although the system itself is a perversion of democracy, it is nonetheless >democratic or perhaps populist in a sense that it really depends on >effective popular appeals. This is, again from my perspective, totally off base. Try reading Tom Ferguson's _Golden Rule_ for a quick and masterly overview of the U.S. political system. Parties exist today, and have since their inception, almost exclusively to service investors (in the parties). The popular "appeals" you see are a masquerade, meant more often than not to divert attention from issues that the public wants engaged. The system "depends on" money, and the golden rule of Ferguson's title is a potent today as ever. As Ferguson and Rogers wrote in their essay "The Reagan Victory" (from their book _The Hidden Election_, [1981], p. 7): Here, as in all advanced industrial democratic states, the major dynamics of domestic politics and party competition are determined by two factors: the aggregate balance of power between business and labor within the domestic system, and the competition of industrial sectors within the world economy. But the operative significance of the first factor is limited in the American case by the ``exceptionalism'' of American politics, which features a weak and politically disorganized labor movement. As a consequence, business provides the driving force behind much domestic politics, and political conflict is often best analyzed as derivative of conflict between different corporate sectors. The schisms in the "national interest" of corporate welfare in its broadest sense, rather than special interest politics, is what drives party politics in most instances, though there are exceptions. Bill
[PEN-L:10947] prison labor {was Juneteenth}
Max writes:>> Clearly prisoners are being exploited as workers and this diminishes the well-being of workers who aren't incarcerated. At the same time, for some convicts the chance to work at some jobs, even for a pittance, is probably seen as very valuable.<< I do think it's good for convicts to have jobs, especially these days when the get-tough-on-crime people want to take away weight-lifting and other forms of entertainment. But why not unionize them (as already suggested) or pay them minimum wage or above (according to skill, following Davis-Bacon), to be put in an interest-paying escrow account available upon release. I think one reason for recidivism is that ex-cons get out of prison with so little cash. Consciousness that the account is available might encourage good behavior. >> Moreover, the state benefits financially from their work and this adds to scarce public revenues<< This scares me a bit. Given the financial squeeze the state is under (and the political climate), I can easily imagine that the state would become financially dependent on "state slaves." This creates yet another force that maximizes the prison population, along with the "war on drugs." Of course, members of non-majority ethnic groups (and non-nationals) would be most prone to being swept up in the dragnet. As Elaine Bernard mentions, there's an international dimension, too. The US could earn much-needed foreign exchange by exporting contract labor to the world! This reminds me of a satire on prison labor that I wrote and posted to the list a couple years ago. If anyone wants to see it again, just say the word. >>If you say they should both be able to work, that's evading the actual practical choice available at the moment.<< I'm all in favor of paying attention to the "practical choice available at the moment," but unless we have a clear idea of what we're in favor of (socialist principals) and where we want to go, it's easy to find ourselves blinkered by the "art of the possible." Pretty soon, you turn into Tony Blair. -- Jim Devine
[PEN-L:10946] re: Juneteenth
If they're allowed to work, unions should be allowed to unionize'em. Steve > > Clearly prisoners are being exploited as workers and this > diminishes the well-being of workers who aren't incarcerated. At > the same time, for some convicts the chance to work at some jobs, > even for a pittance, is probably seen as very valuable. Moreover, > the state benefits financially from their work and this adds to > scarce public revenues. So there is some issue about weighing the > welfare of the two against each other, unless you think convicts > should be entitled to no relief whatsoever. > > If you say they should both be able to work, that's evading > the actual practical choice available at the moment. > > MBS > > === > Max B. SawickyEconomic Policy Institute > [EMAIL PROTECTED] 1660 L Street, NW > 202-775-8810 (voice) Ste. 1200 > 202-775-0819 (fax)Washington, DC 20036 > > Opinions above do not necessarily reflect the views > of anyone associated with the Economic Policy > Institute. > === >
[PEN-L:10945] World Bank 22 June Toronto (fwd)
> Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 14:43:53 -0400 (EDT) > From: sage <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY ENDORSES KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION > > TORONTO, June 18 /CNW/ - More than 1,400 people involved in > international development and information technology will gather in > Toronto June 22-25 for a major international conference to explore the > role of knowledge, information and technology in development. > > The conference, entitled Global Knowledge 97: Knowledge for Development > in the Information Age, will focus on turning the information revolution > into a force for economic development, social cohesion and poverty > alleviation in the 21st century. > > The conference will be opened by His Excellency, The Right Honorable > Romeo LeBlanc, Governor General of Canada, James Wolfensohn, President of > the World Bank, and The Honorable Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the > United Nations. His Excellency Jos? Maria Figueres, President of Costa > Rica; and His Excellency Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda will also > attend the conference, as will The Honourable Diane Marleau, the Canadian > Minister for International Cooperation and Minister responsible for la > Francophonie. > > GK97 is sponsored by more than 45 public and private organizations and > co-hosted by the World Bank and the Government of Canada. > > GK 97 will focus on three major themes: understanding the role of > knowledge and information in economic and social development; sharing > strategies for harnessing knowledge; and building partnerships to empower > the poor and foster international dialogues about development. > > Participants have been selected from more than 120 countries based on > their ability to make an impact in their communities and on the future > direction of development. Participants include leaders of government; > non-governmental organizations; business and industry; education and > science and representatives from grassroots, national, regional, and > multilateral organizations. > > Eight plenary sessions will be held featuring keynote speeches from > world experts and industry leaders and practitioners including Arno > Penzias, Nobel Laureate and Chief Scientist, Bell Laboratories; Katherine > Hagen, Deputy Director General, International Labour Organization; Michael > Dell, CEO of Dell Computers; Joy Mal?, Headmistress, Mengo Senior School, > Kampala, Uganda; Federico Mayor, Director General of the United Nations > Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Jean Monty, > Chairman and CEO of Nortel; and Vivienne Wee, Director of ENGENDER. > > In addition the conference will include a number of working sessions on > a wide variety of subjects. Participants will also use video and virtual > conferencing to explore ways in which information and knowledge > technology can contribute to global poverty reduction and sustainable > development. > > Information and communications technologies are crucial for developing > countries to become full partners in the global economy. New technology > helps modernize and expand business and trade links and can provide > communities with better access to basic services like health care, > education, environmental monitoring and natural resource management. It > can also work to alleviate gender inequities. Because people remain at the > heart of sustainable development, the conference will focus heavily on the > development of best practices and opportunities to build human networks in > support of knowledge and information exchange. > > A virtual conference is being held through five websites leading up to > Global Knowledge 97. An official conference website will be maintained for > one year following the meeting in Toronto. This virtual conference will > make GK 97 a truly global event, giving those with access to the internet > a chance to participate in the debates surrounding the conference issues, > to connect with other interested groups and individuals around the world > and to interact electronically with participants. > > An inclusive list of speakers can be found on the conference website. > >-30- > > For further information: or media accreditation contact: Gerald Crowell > or Kas Maglaris, GPC Communications, (416) 598-0055, fax (416) 598-3811, > e-mail at gcrowell(at)ottawa.gpc.ca.; or access the conference website > at www.globalknowledge.org > > > > http://www.tao.ca/earth/lk97/ > http://www.tao.ca/earth/lk97/archive > > Bob Olsen Toronto [EMAIL PROTECTED] ]:-) > >
[PEN-L:10944] re: Juneteenth
The issue of prison labor is actually a fairly tricky one. Human rights groups, and others generally do not seek to ban prison labor (as it's often one of the few things that make time in prison livable). But they recognize the problem of "forced prison labor" and it's competition and undermining of "free labor." But once you get into the distinction between "forced" and "voluntary" prison labor, especially here in the US where over 30 states have prison labor laws and where generally "voluntary" prison labor is an important step that prisoners are expected to take if they want parole -- how "voluntary" is it. And as for not competing with "free" labor, that's another tough distinction, once the labor is "contracted out" to employers -- as is the case in about 30 states. Did anyone see a recent article that Arizona is considering building a prison in Mexico and sending its 300 plus Mexican citizen's in the Arizona prison system to serve out their time in the US built, and privately operated prison in Mexico. For the record, I notice that the services clause in NAFTA included explicitly "corrections" as one of the services open to the new tri-national agreement. Massaschusetts already sends prisoners to Texas, so why not Mexico? Elaine Bernard
[PEN-L:10943] re: Juneteenth
> On the persistence of slavery, what about the use of prison labor to > produce commodities, both in the US and, under the aegis of the > multinationals, in market-stalinist China? There are also the reports of slavery in some African nations, and some prison is clearly coerced, so I agree the slavery issue is a viable one, but I wanted to bring up something else. Clearly prisoners are being exploited as workers and this diminishes the well-being of workers who aren't incarcerated. At the same time, for some convicts the chance to work at some jobs, even for a pittance, is probably seen as very valuable. Moreover, the state benefits financially from their work and this adds to scarce public revenues. So there is some issue about weighing the welfare of the two against each other, unless you think convicts should be entitled to no relief whatsoever. If you say they should both be able to work, that's evading the actual practical choice available at the moment. MBS === Max B. SawickyEconomic Policy Institute [EMAIL PROTECTED] 1660 L Street, NW 202-775-8810 (voice) Ste. 1200 202-775-0819 (fax)Washington, DC 20036 Opinions above do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone associated with the Economic Policy Institute. ===
[PEN-L:10942] re: Juneteenth
James Devine wrote: >On the persistence of slavery, what about the use of prison labor to >produce commodities, both in the US and, under the aegis of the >multinationals, in market-stalinist China? Robin Blackburn quoted an estimate from the ILO of 150 million slaves and/or bonded workers worldwide. We have 'em right here in NYC: bonded workers in Chinatown sweatshops, $30,000 in debt to the smugglers who brought them here, and South Asian domestics, lured here by their richer fellow countrypersons with promises of riches, but kept as virtual slaves in New Jersey and Long Island suburban houses. Doug
[PEN-L:10941] re: Juneteenth
Thanks for the outpouring of information on Juneteenth. It's quite appropriate that today the L.A. TIMES notes the spread of the celebration of this holiday to Southern California. On the persistence of slavery, what about the use of prison labor to produce commodities, both in the US and, under the aegis of the multinationals, in market-stalinist China? -- Jim Devine
[PEN-L:10940] Re: juneteenth?
I want to make clear that I was not for one nano-second denying the genoicdal nature of Nazism. I am well aware that the crimes of the Third Reich are even m more inhumane then anything that happened under Stalin or Mao. The Nazis plan was to wipe entire races off the face of the earth, and were quite willing to murder babies toward that end. They killed most of the Jews under their rule, and if allowed to complete their task, they no doubt would have turned on still other peoples. It is not very difficult to imagine what the fact of the African people would have been if the Nazis had overrun that continent. If English, French, Portugese, and Belgian colonialism was oppressive, the Nazi version would have been a thousand times worse. When I equate Communism (allright, Leninsim), and Fascism, I only mean to point out that the end result of both has been the death of millions. I am not an apologist for current American capitalism; if I were I would not be reading this BBS. I deplore the destruction of the labor movement, and the mass re- distribution of wealth upward. It's just that I do not beleive that any of the examples of "socialist" countries that we have seen offer any sort of blue print for a humane society. Our only hope, I beleive, is a capitalism, that can somehow be tamed into serving the needs of society. Germany, France, the Netherlands and Scandanavia give me much more hope than do North Korea, Cuba, or the Wall Street Peoples Republic of China.
[PEN-L:10939] Canadian poll data on NAFTA?
ken, sid, other canadian comrades do you have any recent canadian poll data on public attitudes towards NAFTA? thanks, -bob Robert Naiman Senior Researcher Public Citizen -- Global Trade Watch 215 Pennsylvania Ave SE Washington, DC 20003 [EMAIL PROTECTED] 202-546-4996 x 302
[PEN-L:10938] Re: re: re: re: religion
Jim Devine wrote, >I think that one basis for the persistence of religion can be seen in the >following adult/child dialogue, which I believe is fairly typical: > >adult: don't do that! > .. . . > >adult: because God said to honor your father and mother. > >Not only do parents find themselves pushed to use this kind of argument, >but they remember when it was used on them. One spring day, driving through the countryside outside of Ithaca, NY, I saw a sign in front of a roadside chapel that read "God loves you." I was immediately struck by the sheer grammatical perfection of the sentence: Subject -- Verb -- Direct Object (2nd person pronoun). I soon discovered that an entire universe of affective relationships could be inflected from this deceptively simple, absolutely elegant formulation. The thing about religion vs. reason is that in any argument there is always that one last unanswerable question, "why?" Technically, perhaps, the question shouldn't even be asked because it assigns attributes to Being that properly belong only to relationships between particular (human) beings (language) or between a particular human being and nature (work). In the strictest sense, the question is *ideological*. Paradoxically, by asking the unanswerable question in the first place, we can ultimately arrive at a critique of ideology. You can't have a critique of ideology without an ideology to critique. The dance of the dialectic. Reason -- having once taken that long, cunning detour -- now presumes that there *must* be a short cut. The odds are (all we can really speculate about on this matter is probabilities): THERE IS NO SHORT CUT. Meanwhile, the kid stubbornly refused to listen to the adult. Not only did it poke its eye out, complications proved fatal. We rejoin the dialogue as it continues in heaven. kid: why not? God: You wanna bet? Regards, Tom Walker ^^ knoW Ware Communications | Vancouver, B.C., CANADA | "Though I may be sent to Hell for it, [EMAIL PROTECTED] | such a God will never command my respect." (604) 688-8296| - John Milton ^^ The TimeWork Web: http://mindlink.net/knowware/worksite.htm
[PEN-L:10937] Re: juneteenth?
Greetings, On Thu, 19 Jun 1997, Peter Bohmer wrote: > Gordon Taylor made a few mistakes on his history of slavery and I > disagree with his analysis of Communism. > > Slavery lasted into the 1880's in Cuba and Brazil. > > Equating Communism and Nazism is a favorite ploy of those who are > downplaying the genocidal nature of Nazism, see the excellent columns by > Daniel Singer on this. > There are serious problems with what has been called Communism in terms > of people having power, democracy. The lack of independent worker's power > is part of the reason why multi-nationals can exploit workers today in > China and Vietnam. > Nevertheless, although I would not call the Soviet model socialist or > communist, there were some positive aspects in many societies following > this model--high employment, smaller wage differentials, challenging > United States aggression around the world. > > Compare, for example, the health and education conditions in "Communist > Cuba" to the U.S. backed "democratic" regimes of Mexico, Brazil, Grenada, > etc. Peter > > On Thu, 19 Jun 1997, Gordon Taylor wrote: > > > In response to the person who was wondering if the US was the last nation to > > abolish slavery: A number of Islamic nations OFFICIALLY maintained the > > "peculiar institution" into the 1960's, until world opinion forced them to stop > > the practice. Many Islamic nations still allow it to go on unofficially-for > > example, Sudan. (Where is Louis?) Of course, we have the example of the state > > slaveries of the twentieth century under Fascism and Communism. The crimes of > > Nazi Germany were long ago exposed. Communism has (mostly) been dumped on the > > ashbin of history, and as historian search through the newly open archives, we > > are learning more and more about the true cost of Communism. It is quite > > interesting to see how Wall Street all of a sudden had developed a love affair > > for the last major communist regime left. (The multi-nationale will exploit > > > > the human race?) > > > Peter, these are some good points. As well, it should not be forgotten that communism (i.e., classless society) has not existed anywhere for several thousand years. And that what existed in the USSR from the mid-fifties onward was pseudo-socialism. That is, "communism" did not "fall" in the USSR. Pseudo-socialism "fell" and capitalism was restored. The bourgeoisie's fear of communism is evidenced in the fact that three million times a year the monopoly-controlled media repeats million times a year that "communism is dead." But if it so "dead," then one need not really worry about it. Why continue frantically repeating it? Shawgi Tell Graduate School of Education University at Buffalo [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:10936] Re: juneteenth?
Greetings, On Thu, 19 Jun 1997, Gordon Taylor wrote: > In response to the person who was wondering if the US was the last nation to > abolish slavery: A number of Islamic nations OFFICIALLY maintained the > "peculiar institution" into the 1960's, until world opinion forced them to stop > the practice. Many Islamic nations still allow it to go on unofficially-for > example, Sudan. (Where is Louis?) Of course, we have the example of the state > slaveries of the twentieth century under Fascism and Communism. The crimes of > Nazi Germany were long ago exposed. Communism has (mostly) been dumped on the > ashbin of history, and as historian search through the newly open archives, we > are learning more and more about the true cost of Communism. It is quite > interesting to see how Wall Street all of a sudden had developed a love affair > for the last major communist regime left. (The multi-nationale will exploit > > the human race?) > Of course, the world's most advanced system of wage-slavery is right here in the U.S., the world's most so-called "democratic" country. Shawgi Tell Graduate School of Education University at Buffalo [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:10935] Re: juneteenth?
Gordon Taylor made a few mistakes on his history of slavery and I disagree with his analysis of Communism. Slavery lasted into the 1880's in Cuba and Brazil. Equating Communism and Nazism is a favorite ploy of those who are downplaying the genocidal nature of Nazism, see the excellent columns by Daniel Singer on this. There are serious problems with what has been called Communism in terms of people having power, democracy. The lack of independent worker's power is part of the reason why multi-nationals can exploit workers today in China and Vietnam. Nevertheless, although I would not call the Soviet model socialist or communist, there were some positive aspects in many societies following this model--high employment, smaller wage differentials, challenging United States aggression around the world. Compare, for example, the health and education conditions in "Communist Cuba" to the U.S. backed "democratic" regimes of Mexico, Brazil, Grenada, etc. Peter On Thu, 19 Jun 1997, Gordon Taylor wrote: > In response to the person who was wondering if the US was the last nation to > abolish slavery: A number of Islamic nations OFFICIALLY maintained the > "peculiar institution" into the 1960's, until world opinion forced them to stop > the practice. Many Islamic nations still allow it to go on unofficially-for > example, Sudan. (Where is Louis?) Of course, we have the example of the state > slaveries of the twentieth century under Fascism and Communism. The crimes of > Nazi Germany were long ago exposed. Communism has (mostly) been dumped on the > ashbin of history, and as historian search through the newly open archives, we > are learning more and more about the true cost of Communism. It is quite > interesting to see how Wall Street all of a sudden had developed a love affair > for the last major communist regime left. (The multi-nationale will exploit > > the human race?) >
[PEN-L:10934] Re: juneteenth?
In response to the person who was wondering if the US was the last nation to abolish slavery: A number of Islamic nations OFFICIALLY maintained the "peculiar institution" into the 1960's, until world opinion forced them to stop the practice. Many Islamic nations still allow it to go on unofficially-for example, Sudan. (Where is Louis?) Of course, we have the example of the state slaveries of the twentieth century under Fascism and Communism. The crimes of Nazi Germany were long ago exposed. Communism has (mostly) been dumped on the ashbin of history, and as historian search through the newly open archives, we are learning more and more about the true cost of Communism. It is quite interesting to see how Wall Street all of a sudden had developed a love affair for the last major communist regime left. (The multi-nationale will exploit the human race?)
[PEN-L:10933] Re: Real Life Question
At 04:00 PM 6/18/97 -0700, Bill Lear wrote: >On Wed, June 18, 1997 at 11:27:01 (-0700) Wojtek Sokolowski writes: >>While I share Bill's principle of honest and open debate, I also recognise >>the limits of the rational discourse. ... > >There is a difference between visions of the future and myths. Myth >is, in my book at least, always a lie and must always, therefore, be >rejected in principle. Trying to shoehorn this into the >rationality/maximization behavior of economic man does nothing to >dissuade me from this conclusion. I reply: There are several different meanings of the word "myth" and "falsehood" is certainly one of them. I do not insist on using that particular word. What I have in mind is a certain mode of knowing that depends not on symbolic representations in a conventional sense, (i.e. where the signifier is essentially an arbitrary symbol of the signified, like road signs for example), but a connection between the ontology (tangible properties) of the signifier and the notion of being signified. Such symbols are sometimes referred to as hierophanies in study of religions, or "myths" (cf. Roland Barthes) in studies of popular culture. A good example of hierophany (or "myth") is a picket line. Of course the main idea conveyed by the picket line is a call for solidarity action to protest some injustice, but the ontology of the picket line -- a line literally formed with bodies of the protesters and separating the physical space into two ideational spheres "us" and "them" -- hence the symbolism of "crossing the picket line" implies both a physical breaking of the formation of lined up bodies and ideational breaking of solidarity ties. Forming a picket line is a much different form of communication than, say, buying an ad in local newspapers even though both may send the same message -- call for a solidarity action to protest something. My poins was that the language of hierophanies is much more presuasive than rational discourse, because ideas present themselves, so to speak, as embedded in some empirical reality, rather than as abstract symbols. The language of mobilising people for action is the labguage of hierophanies, not that of a rational discourse. From a rational standpoint, people have no reason at all to engage ina collective action, as the free rider paradox clearly illustrates. > >Then it seems you greatly misunderstand the U.S. political system. >Decisions made in the political system need only appeal to more than 0 >people. If the vast majority stay home because there is no choice >given except between Tweedledum and Tweedledee (both of whom are out >to rip off the populace), or if no choice at all is given to the >public, then the choice need not (obviously) appeal at all to the >population at large. It can, in short, simply be foisted on people. >Claiming that today, folks are fond of automobiles (while ignoring >those who curse them daily) is just after-the-fact rationalization, in >my view. I do not claim expertise in US history, but to my understanding, the US party system is indeed democratic, albeit in a somewhat perverted way. By contrast to Europe, where the political party system is more or less class based, and depends on ideological appeals to class interests across the nation -- the US party system is, or rather historically has been, based on the so-called "machine politics" or developing local party loyalties through political patronage. That is, US parties were essentially machines to provide economic favours (jobs, sinecures, government contracts, payments and what not) in exchange for local votes. Rather than making an ideological, policy oriented appeal, a local Republicrat would say "if you wote for me, I'd get you a job in school administration, give you a gov't contract, bring new federal funding for highways or all other kinds of pork. Although the system itself is a perversion of democracy, it is nonetheless democratic or perhaps populist in a sense that it really depends on effective popular appeals. As I see it, only recently the Republican Party tries to develop a policy and ideology oriented politics in addtion to the traditional 'pork' and 'machine politcs' approach, and that approach is rather effective in defeating the Democratic political machines in the South, mainly through racist innuendos and appeals.Class politics, and ideology-based politcal mobilisation as it existed in Europe never gained any significance in the US politics, with two imp[ortant exceptions: racism and, to some degree, sexism. Racism seems to be the only ideology with a wide appeal in the US, (mostly to white males); sexism is probably another one. That racism is as American as apple pie (children learn it even before they know how to say 'mom') is evident even to those who got off the boat just yesterday, and needs no further elaboration. Sexism, however, needs some explanation. Its appeal is due to the fact that the US was the only develop
[PEN-L:10932] RE: Price Index Question
Dave Richardson wrote: > 3) It is generally thought that we under adjust for quality. How my > I obtain a copy of the article so that I can consider Moulton's > arguments? Charles Hulton, "Quality Change in the CPI: Some Missing Links," _Challenge_, March-April 1997, pp. 48-74. Charles Hulton, "Quality Change in Capital Goods and Its Impact on Economic Growth," NBER working paper, no. 5569, May 1996. Charles Hulton, "Measuring Inflation and Real Growth," technical paper presented at fall policy conference of Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, October 16-18, 1996. (I have here only a copy of the first article above. If you can't get it in the BLS library, I'll send you a copy). ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: Is there any understanding as to whether the magnitude of the lower-level or of the upper-level subsitution "bias" has grown or shrunk in recent years (say, in the 1990s versus 1980s versus 1970s, etc). Is it believed that the growth of national discount chains (Home Depot replacing local hardware stores) has led to greater or less opportunity for substitution between products? Related to this, is it supposed that the apparent increase in competition in the US has lead to an increase in the magnitude of substitution between goods purchased by wage earners? Can one suppose that as real wages have stagnated, that workers and their families now comparison shop more and, so, that the magnitude of the substitution effect has grown in recent years? 1000 thanks. . . . . Eric .. Eric Nilsson Department of Economics California State University San Bernardino, CA 92407 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:10931] re: re: re: religion
I think that one basis for the persistence of religion can be seen in the following adult/child dialogue, which I believe is fairly typical: adult: don't do that! kid: why not? adult: it's not safe! kid: why not? adult: you could poke out your eye. kid: no I won't. adult: don't do it anyway! kid: why not? adult: because I said so! kid: so what? adult: because God said to honor your father and mother. Not only do parents find themselves pushed to use this kind of argument, but they remember when it was used on them. -- Jim
[PEN-L:10930] Re: Progressive Web Sites
Other web sites: Cyner Picket Line, a global union site based in the UK[D[D[D
[PEN-L:10929] Fwd: Is globalisation inevitable and desirable? (fwd)
-- Forwarded message -- Date: Tue, 17 Jun 1997 22:21:39 -0400 (EDT) From:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Fwd: Is globalisation inevitable and desirable? - Forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Le Monde diplomatique) Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Le Monde diplomatique - English edition) Date: 97-06-09 14:12:59 EDT _ IS GLOBALISATION INEVITABLE AND DESIRABLE? A public debate held on May 7th, 1997 Chairman: Professor Leslie Hannah, Pro-Director, LSE http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/dossiers/ft/ DEMOCRACY seems in short supply, so lacklustre the debate. In this respect, the United Kingdom is no better off than France and the other countries of Europe. If "la pensée unique" has found no proper translation in English, it nonetheless has great currency: in particular, insofar as globalisation is treated in almost all the quality media as a given which does not bear discussion. Among them, the prestigious daily Financial Times, and with the weekly The Economist, both salute the liberal credo. Reputed for its quality coverage of international affairs and for the rigour of its economic, financial and social news, the FT always distinguishes facts (held sacred) from commentary (where it vigorously defends its convictions). On 29 April, prior to the British elections, it affirmed its preference for Tony Blair's New Labour and also recalled that the paper's editorial policy was grounded in its belief in the market economy, free trade and creating an outward-looking Europe. The points of view expressed, in their diversity, by Le Monde diplomatique are also founded on rigorous news and hard fact, but they draw on values beyond those of the market. Translated in five European countries, le Diplo resolutely supports a Europe of its citizens with common policies and is critical of a free trade zone as just a segment of the world market. It believes that the economy should be put to the service of society, and not vice versa. Here are two differing visions of the world which rarely have the chance to engage each other directly. This is why Le Monde diplomatique welcomed the initiative of Howard Machin, director of the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in organising a debate with the Financial Times in London on 7 May on the subject of globalisation. The meeting attracted a large audience and will reconvene this autumn in Paris, also in a university setting. The six participants did not try to reach a false consensus - as can be seen in the following pages. * Why this hatred of the market? by Martin Wolf, Financial Times http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/dossiers/ft/dbwolf.html * To save society by Bernard Cassen, Le Monde diplomatique http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/dossiers/ft/dbcass2.html * The Moral case of globalization by Peter Martin, Financial Times http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/dossiers/ft/dbmart.html * When Market Journalism Invades the World by Serge Halimi, Le Monde diplomatique http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/dossiers/ft/dbserge.html * Reform has not yet gone far enough by Guy de Jonquières, Financial Times http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/dossiers/ft/dbjonq.html * The great war machine by Riccardo Petrella, President of the Reader's Association, Le Monde diplomatique http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/dossiers/ft/dbpet.html French version: http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/dossiers/ft/frindex.html _ FINANCIAL TIMEShttp://www.ft.com/ Le Monde diplomatique http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/ THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTE, LSEhttp://www.lse.ac.uk/depts/european/
[PEN-L:10928] Re: juneteenth?
Juneteenth celebrates the date that news of the emancipation proclamation reached Black slaves in the southwest, which was later than in the rest of the Union-controlled territory. It is celebrated in the African-American communities in Texas and Arizona, and possibly other states. -Andy English Phoenix AZ
[PEN-L:10927] Re: juneteenth?
June 19th 1865, I believe, is the day slaves were freed in Texas -- which was in a more than usually ambiguous status during and right after the Civil War. I wonder if that makes Texas the last place on earth to have abolished slavery? Brazil? There is a celebration of June teenth in Anacostia, a particularly race conscious community in Washington DC every year.
