[PEN-L] Left Forum 2005
The NY Sun, April 13, 2005 Socialist Scholars' Split Cancels Confab By Jeremy Smerd For 23 years, the Socialist Scholars Conference was a big tent under which leftist activists and academics took shelter in an increasingly conservative America. Last June, however, seven of the group's 16 board members resigned, in protest of the lack of democratic and participatory governance procedures. As a result of the split, the group's annual conference has been canceled, at least for this year. Meanwhile, the seven who quit the board quickly formed a new organization, the 2005 Left Forum, which has scheduled its debut conference for this weekend at the CUNY Graduate Center in Midtown Manhattan. The new group grew in large part out of a desire by dissidents to broaden the socialist conference's scope to include more activists. Though it preceded the November presidential election, observers said the split also reflects internal tension simmering within the broadly defined but fractured left, which has not been able to respond en masse to the rightward shift in American politics in recent years. Specifically, the resignations were a referendum, those who handed them in said, on the Socialist Scholars Conference's ability to reflect the ideals of inclusion and consensus building that they had sought to foster in the world at large. We did not want to be part of an organization where we felt people were violating their own principles, a board member who resigned, Stanley Aronowitz, said. Mr. Aronowitz, who is a sociology professor at CUNY, also is a founder of the new forum. These disputes are not uncommon, a founder of the conference who remains on its board, Bogdan Denitch, said. The amazing thing is that we ran it for 23 years without breaking up. People who passionately believe in things tend to fight. Look at the Democrats and Republicans. Mr. Denitch is an emeritus professor of sociology at CUNY. The resignations came after the board, led by Mr. Denitch, voted 8-7 last May to fire the group's staff director, Eric Canepa. Mr. Denitch said Mr. Canepa had overstepped his bounds by making decisions over whom to invite to the annual spring conference, which had been held at the Cooper Union. Under Mr. Canepa, the group too closely resembled nongovernmental organizations and the goody-goody organizations where the staff runs the thing and the leaders are just figureheads, Mr. Denitch said. Furthermore, Mr. Denitch disagreed with Mr. Canepa's choice of guest speakers: mainly academics from Europe and former communists who are perfectly nice people but don't have much to say, Mr. Denitch said. American socialists, in Mr. Denitch's view, can learn something from President da Silva of Brazil, who was elected by the largest electorate in Latin America, but not from President Castro of Cuba, who has never faced an election. Mr. Aronowitz, who was the 2002 Green Party gubernatorial nominee in New York, said the decision to resign had less to do with the firing of Mr. Canepa than with how it was done. The seven board members, in an e-mail addressed to the Socialist Scholars Conference community explaining their resignation, wrote: We are leaving because we feel that the campaign to accomplish this was riddled with behavior we regard as politically unethical, including grossly inaccurate charges that were repeated even in the face of evidence of their inaccuracy, tirades that were abusive to the point of derangement, and the recurrent implication that those of us who objected to these procedures, being newcomers, were not the 'real' board. Critics of Mr. Denitch said the board was intent on firing Mr. Canepa and began accusing him of misspending money, in particular a $10,000 grant. Warned that a vote to remove him would precipitate resignations, the board went ahead with it anyway, according to one of the board members who resigned, Frances Fox Piven. At the heart of the dispute is a fundamental difference in organizational philosophy, some insiders said. The firing of Mr. Canepa was akin to instituting a top-down management approach like that of a corporation, those who resigned said. You can't be authoritarian and want a society that is democratic or non-authoritarian, Mr. Aronowitz said. My politics is that if you are a member of the organization, it has to be prefigurative of the society you want to make. It was not in this case. Mr. Denitch - who, like Mr. Aronowitz, is a veteran of the Democratic Socialists of America - said the minority contingent on the board had simply been outvoted and left in protest. Mr. Canepa, who is helping to organize this weekend's Left Forum, downplayed the split, saying it was very easy to misinterpret as some kind of political clash but was not a left-right split at all. He declined to speak about the board's decision not to renew his contract or about the resignations. In Internet discussions of the conference, some postings trace the split back to the aftermath of the September 11
[PEN-L] Papal confab
Is it possible that the Cardinals will choose Putney Swope as the next Pope? -- Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://myweb.lmu.edu/jdevine
[PEN-L] Terming U.S. war machine fascist
From: Carrol Cox I dislike using the words Nazi or Fascist precisely because I believe that, from a world perspective, the U.S. today is _exactly_ what Germany/Japan were in the 1930s -- _the_ most serious threat today to human well-being world wide. It is therefore crucial to make it clear to more and more people that the foreign policy (and _some_ of the domestic policies) of a bourgeois democracy can not just be similar to but identical with the foreign policy of Germany in the 1930s. A world-wide united front against the U.S. is necessary. But the confusion sowed by calling Bush (or the u.s.) fascist radically interferes with building this _united front_ ( emphasis added by Charles), since the defining features of fascism are quite absent in the u.s. -- but _not_ the defining features of the traditional oppressive potential of bourgeois democracy or the defining features of a foreign policy that threatens all humans. If it were just a matter of Bush being fascist, we could happily join the ABBs. Carrol ^ Charles: Why is it important to see that a bourgeois-democratic republic's foreign policy can be as bad as Nazis Germany's ? Democrats are complicit with Bush's proto-fascism. So, you say don't use fascist or Nazis because the U.S. _is_ like fascist Germany and Japan. I gotta give you that that's dialectical. And ain't the debate really united front or popular front still, but with new features ? It was the forces of the popular front and the advocates of the popular front that defeated historical fascism. The left itself is way too thin to aim at an united front at this point in U.S. history. We would be lucky to build a popular front or all-peoples' front. We would have to aim for something like an all real american democracy and freedom front ( Lincoln and Roosevelt, rep and dem) , or some such. Certainly the theory is that a popular front has a united front at its heart.
Re: [PEN-L] Papal confab
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 04/19/05 9:41 AM Is it possible that the Cardinals will choose Putney Swope as the next Pope? Jim Devine we'll remain sequestered until the next pope is elected a poke at the pope, that's what we're having (from donovan's 1970 'open road' album) -- Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure.
Re: [PEN-L] Unitarian JIhad Communique
Didn't the Unitarian church evolve out of the Puritan church? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: [PEN-L] Unitarian JIhad Communique
Yes. The big change occurred in the early 19th century, as Congregationalist churches (and at least one Episcopal one, King's Chapel near Boston Common) declared themselves Unitarian. At 17:05 19/04/05, you wrote: Didn't the Unitarian church evolve out of the Puritan church? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Robert Scott Gassler Professor of Economics Vesalius College of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel Pleinlaan 2 B-1050 Brussels Belgium 32.2.629.27.15
Re: [PEN-L] Riotous Real Estate
Maybe the real bubble indicator is that the Wall St. Journal says that S. Korea will now start investing some of its surplus $$$ in mortgage bonds. Echoes of the Japanese binge on US real estate? On Tue, Apr 19, 2005 at 12:58:36PM -0700, Eugene Coyle wrote: Not that anyone save Mike Davis has noticed. Rents have declined but purchase prices keep rising. Gene Coyle Michael Perelman wrote: Has the bubble burst in San Francisco? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: [PEN-L] Riotous Real Estate
according to the US Census Bureau, Privately-owned housing starts in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,837,000. This is 17.6 percent (±7.7%) below the revised February estimate of 2,229,000 and is 8.2 percent (±5.9%) below the March 2004 rate of 2,000,000. Single-family housing starts in March 2005 were at a rate of 1,539,000; this is 14.4 percent (±8.2%) below the February figure of 1,798,000. The March rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 258,000. According to U.S. NPR, this is the steepest 1-month decline in about 14 years. (I may not remember the number of years correctly.) I know it's wrong to generalize from a 1-month change, but with all the talk these days about the housing bubble (e.g., NPR interviewing Robert Schiller last night), maybe the speculative part of the housing boom is ending, even though it hasn't ended yet (especially in San Francisco). JD On 4/19/05, Michael Perelman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Maybe the real bubble indicator is that the Wall St. Journal says that S. Korea will now start investing some of its surplus $$$ in mortgage bonds. Echoes of the Japanese binge on US real estate? On Tue, Apr 19, 2005 at 12:58:36PM -0700, Eugene Coyle wrote: Not that anyone save Mike Davis has noticed. Rents have declined but purchase prices keep rising. Gene Coyle Michael Perelman wrote: Has the bubble burst in San Francisco? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu -- Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://myweb.lmu.edu/jdevine
[PEN-L] Left Hook Updated
Latest Release: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 Rutgers Students Demand Education Not War: An Interview with Tent State Organizers Mark Yu with TS Organizers On April 18th, hundreds of students pitched tents at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ to protest tuition hikes and education cutbacks. Not only did they take over one of the busiest areas on campus, they began a week-long festival of workshops, political discussions, and cultural performances in their Tent City. Raising the slogan Education Not War, they linked their fight directly to the growing military budget... Recently, I had a chance to speak with Lena Posner and Yael Bromberg, two lead organizers in the Tent State University campaign at Rutgers. They discussed the issues at stake, the development of campus and community alliances, and the spread of the Tent State model to state universities in other parts of the country. - (Read full) http://www.lefthook.org/Interviews/YuTentreps041905.html Of the Black Man's Burden and White Pathology: Response to Joe Bageant Rodney Foxworth The great James Baldwin once confessed he had no reasonable expectations of white people; sadly it seems, at just a few short months shy of twenty-one, I too find myself victimized by such pessimism, my idealistic formative years marred by the dual devils of nihilism and frustration. I dream of days untainted by inconspicuous hatred and directed rage, a rage that seldom comes to a slow boil. How I've managed to maintain my resolve without becoming prey to militancy and black separatism, I don't know. Perhaps this is an example of endurance, and not the machismo we black males are so alternately lauded and demonized for. - (Read full) http://www.lefthook.org/Politics/Foxworth041905.html Put Down Your White Man's Burden, Support Iraqi Resistance Liz Sperber /Unconditionally/-that's the way I support the Iraqi Resistance these days. While I do not offer political support to all groups involved in the anti-imperial struggle in Iraq, I work to support its collective purpose: forcing the troops out now. Forcing, because the United States won't leave any other way. On a good day, the US corporate media would have its audience believe that a kinder, gentler imperialism is the only way forward for Iraq. This is, of course, not the case. Nor does it seem plausible, after two long years of occupation, that any kind of imperialism will be tolerated by the Iraqi people, for reasons I will enumerate below. Simultaneously, predictions that a formal draft will likely supplement the current poverty draft in the United States have been made by the likes of Seymour Hersh and North Carolina National Guard Specialist Patrick Resta. While the recent claim that a draft should be expected within 75 days is, at best, a misunderstanding of the Selective Service Administration (a vestige of the Cold War, the SSA was created to intimidate the Soviets with the possibility of short-notice US conscription), a future draft is not by any means out of the question... - (Read full) http://www.lefthook.org/Politics/Sperber041905.html Papal Shortcomings Igor Volsky The passing of the pope John Paul II has led to an outpouring of world emotion. Iconic-like devotion portrayed the pope as a flawless global leader and has cost him his humanity. While the pope's accomplishments are noteworthy, his shortcomings provide critical insight. Great emphasis has also been placed on the future of the Catholic Church and the role of a to-be-name pope within it. But before we can speculate about the future, we must first evaluate and learn from the past. An honest remembrance yields mixed results. To reflect on the pope's failures is not to disrespect his legacy. Rather such reflection comes with the recognition that his passing provides a unique opportunity for the church to learn from its past shortcomings. - (Read full) http://www.lefthook.org/History/Volsky041905.html
[PEN-L] God's Rotweiler (from Jim Craven)
Being the fan of the Catholic Church that I am, I just loved the extravaganza surrounding the funeral for CIA asset JP II (following previous CIA asset Paul VI) and the appointment of Ratzinger, the once proudly open nazi, now a bit more krypto, as Pope. I really appreciated the centerpiece homily delivered by the patron saint of pedophile priests Bernard Law, who, speaking of the law, was whisked away to a Vatican post (with diplomatic immunity) to avoid more scrutiny by and accountability to the law in Massachusetts for all the musical parishes he used to play by shuffling around known pedophile priests who went on to commit new crimes. Then there is Ratzinger, aka God's Rotweiler, aka The Grand Inquisitor, aka the Patriarch of the dangerous and very powerful/connected whips-n-chains cult Opus Dei, aka The Dean and The Enforcer. Tonight, on CBS, the whores of the media were right on the job. They claim Ratzinger was coerced into joining the Hitler Youth at 14 (yet the pictures of him show him goose-stepping with a pronounced shit-eating grin.) They also touted as a positive that Ratzinger was a deserter from the Wermacht (he was a shell passer for an anti-craft battery). Well this will only widen and deepen the contradictions in an already rotting/rotten institution. As in the past, when many of the salt-of-the-earth and faith-driven rank and file of the Church are jailed, disappeared and martyred by fascist forces supported by the hierarchy of the Church, as still happens today in many places, more and more will leave in disgust and take others with them--as is happening all over the world. This creature is but a front--as was JPII--for some very ugly and determined forces operating in the secular world as well as in their nominal theological world. This guy says that if you even VOTE for a politician who is pro choice, you should be denied sacraments (which means denied salvation in Catholic terms) or even be excommunicated. If you are a rich celebrity like Frank Sinatra you can get an annullment (even four of them) but Divorce--never. As for women priests--never. EtcEtc This was one big Fuck You by those Cardinals to all those of the flock with IQs over 60 and something resembling a soul. The first thousand years, it was the patrician families that picked their pope. At one point, in the 14th century, there were three separate popes and separate colleges of cardinals. And notice the processional at CIA asset JPII's funeral? Thousands of men parading and not one woman in the parade--not one. I must say that the picture of tens of thousands of glassey-eyed flock showing forms of mass hysteria as well as non-biblical public displays of narcissistic zeal and devotion (many looking like robotic Monnies selling roses at the ariport) was not very heartening. How many of them would put out as much to stop the sinister proto-fascist cults and reactionary forces that Ratzinger represents? Jim C --- Louis Proyect Marxism list: www.marxmail.org
Re: [PEN-L] God's Rotweiler (from Jim Craven)
From: Louis Proyect [EMAIL PROTECTED] ... Then there is Ratzinger, aka God's Rotweiler, aka The Grand Inquisitor ... Chin-stroking Vaticanologists are suggesting that we're in for a delightful surprise -- a kinder, gentler Inquisition, I guess -- because God's Rotweiler has anointed himself Benedict XVI, supposedly signaling spiritual kinship with Benedict XV, celebrated as an all-around mensch for being anti-intellectual-witch-hunt, anti-war and anti-anti-liberal. Looking at Ratzinger's recent pronouncements, though, I would have to assume that his choice of the name Benedict more likely reflects a fondness for poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce or the liqueur Benedictine. Carl
Re: [PEN-L] God's Rotweiler (from Jim Craven)
my wife explained it to me: Benny 16 is a rebound pope. Having lost J2P2, the Church throws itself in the arms of Benny (a.k.a. Ratzo), but doesn't expect that it'll last. After all, he's 78. And there's nothing special about him, love-wise: he's J2P2 without the charisma. But there are plenty of cardinals in the sea who may be the One True Love. JD
[PEN-L] rich
White smoke! Far out and solid, man. Now I wonder if Bush will pass a tax on American Catholics and send the proceeds to Benedict XVI like Hitler did for German Catholics to the benefit of Pius XII. The front page of the Sacramento Bee the other day had a huge picture of mourners at the late pope's funeral. Poppa Bush was there, stoic like he just shot a Kennedy or dumped crack in a ghetto; and Baby Bush was there, too, smirking. He just can't help it, the lucky little rich prick. Dan
