As of today, I am beginning a new list, proyect-l, for all those who feel the need to discuss the principles of L.P. I will be willing to begin similar lists for myselfe and anyone else, should the need arise. I realize that a number of nasty things were said about a number of people, Paul included. I understand why he would want to respond, but the problem is that it clutters the list with debates that interest nobody but the people involved. Paul Zarembka wrote: > Mark Jones, If you are calling Jerry Levy "Un Ouanquere" (a word which > does not happen to rise to the level of being in my Larousse French > dictionary), then I guess Jerry is correct in his assessment of the > quality of your on-line dialogue. > > Louis Proyect is described by yourself as "totally principled". What has > he done to deserve this sanction? On January 30, 1997, your opinion was > "Personally I no longer think Stalin was bad....It [the Soviet Union] > lasted glorious seventy years, from 30 December 1922 to 31 December 1991. > A seventy year holiday from the life the rest of us lead." Louis > explicits states that he does not agree with you on what you find as > "glorious". He considers himself a Castroite. How can Louis disagree > with you on such a basic issue and still be "totally principled"? > > The more I think about it, the usage of the word "principled" has been > devalued to just an extent that its usage more represents a statement of > political alignment than anything of substance. Everyone seems to think > they want to be called "principled" (was the Hilter-Stalin pact > "principled"? was deserting the Greek post-WWII revolution "principled"?, > was the Great Leap Forward "principled", was the invasion of Cambodia > "principled", was perestroika "principled"?), but in the final analysis > what is one person's attribution of another as "principled" doesn't tell > us much. And to go so far as to describe a person as "totally > principled", whoa! That's four times better than being a person "who > cannot be bribed". > > So, if you can put substance into your statement that Louis is "totally > principled" and yet not contradict your political disagreements with > Louis (for example, on the Stalin period), maybe I'll learn something and > have a reaction. > > Paul Zarembka > > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 20:52:58 +0100 > From: Mark Jones <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [PEN-L:146] Un Ouanquere > > Look, I'm not going to waste time debating Jerry Levy, who is what the > French call un ouanqure, but I do want to say that Lou Proyect is not > just a pal of mine, he is a totally principled, passionate and > dependable communist, as well as a clever man and a brilliant > thinker. I would be happy to appear next to him on any scaffold... > > Mark > > ************************************************************************* > Paul Zarembka, on OS/2 and supporting RESEARCH IN POLITICAL ECONOMY at > ********************** http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/PZarembka -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
