John, I'm overposting and worn out from having given replies to so many
multiWinged list members, who all want to say the darndest things.
So please bear with me, as I will answer only part of your response.
To my proposal to build opposition to the US war machine to control its
ability to terrorize the world- you reply....
<SOUNDS REASONABLE ENOUGH ON THE FACE OF IT. IF WE SUPPOSE THE MOVEMENT
IS
ABLE TO GATHER MASSIVE POPULAR SUPPORT, AND BARRING VIOLENCE, HOW WOULD
THE US WAR MACHINE BE HALTED? HOW WOULD ANYTHING ACTUALLY CHANGE?>
The whole point is that nothing automatically changes if the war machine
is stopped. But it is a necessary prerequisite to being able to
implement change of any kind.
Your response also raises the question of violence. And it seems to
project, that there is some other way other than disarming the
capitalist army, and defeating it militarily and ideologically?
Defeat WILL take counter-violence. Are you proposing your project
rather as some sort of pacifist alternative? Your position seems to
be that violence (self defense) only begets a new violence ahead.
Therefore, what has changed, you are asking?
<LIKE AARON AND A FEW OTHERS, I DON'T AGREE THAT YOU CAN JUST SIMPLY
'OVERTHROW CAPITALISM' AND REPLACE IT WITH GOD KNOWS WHAT ELSE FROM ONE
DAY TO THE NEXT. IN ANY CASE, THE POLICY PROPOSALS MADE UNDER SP ARE
JUST THAT: PROPOSALS.>
First, what do you mean when you state the need to work within existing
political structures? You say this elsewhere, and it seems to me,
that this is where your proposals come from..... Trying to accomodate
power.
What are my proposals about what should be done after The Overthrow?
This reflects a view that the Bolshevic 'failures' came from lack of
having a well formed pre-plan on how to restructure the economy after
they took power. Michael Albert over at Znet epitomizes this
obseesion with pre-plans, through his detailed ParEcon project.
Like that would be all there is to it, working it all out before hand!
All plans for after The Overthrow come from the same angle.....
democratizing the decision making and power distribution. And all
these plans run up against the same obstacle. Capitalist raised
citizens want to horde power and decision making, for themselves.
Your plan seems to project that there is some sort of consensus making,
that can be organized beforehand without stae repression. This is
just a very dubious view. Russian radicals didn't want to oppose
the Czar in conditions of illegal struggle, but it was forced on them.
As it will be forced on us, as well. And already often is.
Let me stop here. I'm sorry that I have not had the opportunity to
read your book, and have only been able to pass in brief through your
website.
Best wishes, John.
Tony
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