[Marxism] My Story -- Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi was convicted before the High Court of Justiciary sitting in the Netherlands of the murder of 270 people. Mr Megrahi contends that he has been the victim of a miscarriage of justice. His case was referred back to the Court of Criminal Appeal by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission on 27th June 2007. He abandoned his appeal against conviction and sentence, with leave of the Court, on 18 August 2009. The purpose of this website is to explain the basis of his challenge to that conviction. Initially, he intends to publish those parts of his Grounds of Appeal which were argued before the Court between 28 April and 19 May 2009. Thereafter, he will publish the Grounds of Appeal which were due to be the subject of argument before the Court, commencing on 2nd November 2009. Documents are now available at http://www.megrahimystory.net/ YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Dennis Brutus yesterday: CT speech, award in NYC, Gull, Tutu/Seeger tributes
Hi comrades, For those interested in Dennis' progress fighting cancer, climate chaos and capitalism, our guru poet was phenomenal last night, starting at 6pm as the surprise guest star of a Cape Town booklaunch party. He first gave us commentary on the 1999 Seattle WTO protest in the context of his prior work kicking the white South African team out of the Mexico City and Montreal Olympic Games in 1968 and 1972. This was to give background evidence for his stirring call, demanding African unity between social justice activists and state rulers at Copenhagen, in order to prevent a damaging deal in mid-December similar to the failed 1997 Kyoto Protocol. In short, Dennis hopes the Ethiopian leader Meles Zenawi will follow through on last week's threat to walk the African Union out of the Conference of Parties once it's clear the North won't provide its overdue payment on ecological debt, or cut emissions sufficiently (40% by 2020 at minimum), or abandon counterproductive carbon trading gimmickry (a.k.a. 'privatisation of the air'). Dennis wants activists outside the Copenhagen meeting to recall the way 70 000 courageous protesters in Seattle a decade ago locked down, telling negotiators to reverse direction. Since they didn't, the Africans said bye bye and the Seattle talks imploded. (The post-Seattle lessons are important, too. Having shown the strength to deny consent in 1999, the African rulers got a major concession at Doha two years later in the form of Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights exemptions on AIDS medicines, again thanks also to social movement pressure from the Treatment Action Campaign and its allies. And at Cancun in 2003, with activists massing outside, the AU again showed spine by walking out, in spite of efforts by South Africa's negotiating team to generate a subimperial middle-ground stance, which is also a possibility at Copenhagen given that SA is leading the G77 delegates, quite counterintuitively given SA's role as one of the world's worst CO2 emitters.) Dennis concluded the booklaunch with a moving read of his eco-poem Gull (below). For an hour and a half in front of a fantastic crowd of 100 at the Book Lounge in Long Street, this was Dennis' first public appearance since being feted at Washington's BusboysPoets celebration in May (via skypecast). And in New York City a few hours later (1-3am!), he received the War Resisters League's Peace Award (alongside courageous Zimbabwean womens and gay/lesbian groups, and his old friend Bill Sutherland), which Archbishop Tutu applauded (below) and for which four YouTube shorts were prepared (URLS below). Transmitted live via skype, his discussions with old comrades - peering in at a laptop at the dinner table before the ceremony - were a thrilling highlight of the evening; he was so happy to see everyone who had come to honour him. Transmission of his thankyou broke down after a short while, but no matter, we were prepared with a short speech and two poems recorded the day before, so everyone can enjoy them on the web. Dennis is surviving what must be the hardest, most painful months of his 84 years, even worse in medical terms than the recovery after nearly dying from a gunshot through his mid-section during an escape from apartheid police in central Joburg forty-six years ago and then being tossed into Robben Island prison. However, spending yesterday and this morning with Dennis at his new Cape Town home, with an incredibly caring family (Tony, Jenny and the two grandsons), it's clear to me that his status is far improved from when I saw him last, on his departure from Durban a month ago. There's no more of the acute pain that characterised the prostate cancer symptoms, he's eating heartily, and he combines his wit and optimism with quiet reflection about his amazing life. One of his own mentors and buddies, Pete Seeger, wrote a comradely note for the WRL (he is also a past Peace Award recipient), and it reminded Dennis of the poems he'd done for Seeger's 90th birthday a few months back and in July (below). Prior to the downturn in his health in late April when he fell and broke a rib, Dennis received two honorary doctorates on April 17 (Rhodes and Nelson Mandela Universities), and his magnificent 50-minute acceptance speech at Rhodes - a deconstruction of his latest political poem - will be online soon. He has also been as active as possible on the reparations front, filing testimonials in July about the apartheid profits case (through the Alien Tort Claims Act) now moving quickly into the New York courts, and assisting the Khulumani and Jubilee movements in U-turning the SA government's position away from Thabo Mbeki's former opposition to the case (a front page story in the Sunday business newspaper records this, a couple of weeks ago, and is at http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs). And in August Dennis worked with the emerging network of 'Climate Justice Now!
[Marxism] Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi: My Story
(Libyan accused of Lockerbie air bombing puts evidence online that clears him.) http://megrahimystory.net/ YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Dennis Brutus yesterday: CT speech, award in NYC, Gull, Tutu/Seeger tributes
Thank you for the report Patrick. I had the pleasure of manning the Haymarket books table, with Poetry and Protest, the Dennis Brutus Reader, at the War Resister's League event honouring Dennis, among others, last night. The amount of love, respect, and well wishes being sent in the comrade's direction was overwhelming. Many were hoping for signatures and numerous people asked me to remind Dennis when I see him (lol!) about x,y, or z event with Dennis around the country over the last thirty years that touched their lives. His final speech ( around the issue of climate change/ Copenhagen) and, what I think was a more recent poem ( which I took to be commentary on contemporary South Africa and ANC rule) were given rapt attention and elicited much conversation. Finally, so many activists were present from the anti-apartheid struggle in the US and the present struggle in Zim that it was heartening for someone who continues to see himself in solidarity with struggles there. Stay strong Dennis! En la lucha, -aaron a. Sent via BlackBerry by ATT -Original Message- From: Patrick Bond pb...@mail.ngo.za Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:57:58 To: aaron amaralamaral1...@gmail.com Subject: [Marxism] Dennis Brutus yesterday: CT speech, award in NYC, Gull, Tutu/Seeger tributes Hi comrades, For those interested in Dennis' progress fighting cancer, climate chaos and capitalism, our guru poet was phenomenal last night, starting at 6pm as the surprise guest star of a Cape Town booklaunch party. He first gave us commentary on the 1999 Seattle WTO protest in the context of his prior work kicking the white South African team out of the Mexico City and Montreal Olympic Games in 1968 and 1972. This was to give background evidence for his stirring call, demanding African unity between social justice activists and state rulers at Copenhagen, in order to prevent a damaging deal in mid-December similar to the failed 1997 Kyoto Protocol. In short, Dennis hopes the Ethiopian leader Meles Zenawi will follow through on last week's threat to walk the African Union out of the Conference of Parties once it's clear the North won't provide its overdue payment on ecological debt, or cut emissions sufficiently (40% by 2020 at minimum), or abandon counterproductive carbon trading gimmickry (a.k.a. 'privatisation of the air'). Dennis wants activists outside the Copenhagen meeting to recall the way 70 000 courageous protesters in Seattle a decade ago locked down, telling negotiators to reverse direction. Since they didn't, the Africans said bye bye and the Seattle talks imploded. (The post-Seattle lessons are important, too. Having shown the strength to deny consent in 1999, the African rulers got a major concession at Doha two years later in the form of Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights exemptions on AIDS medicines, again thanks also to social movement pressure from the Treatment Action Campaign and its allies. And at Cancun in 2003, with activists massing outside, the AU again showed spine by walking out, in spite of efforts by South Africa's negotiating team to generate a subimperial middle-ground stance, which is also a possibility at Copenhagen given that SA is leading the G77 delegates, quite counterintuitively given SA's role as one of the world's worst CO2 emitters.) Dennis concluded the booklaunch with a moving read of his eco-poem Gull (below). For an hour and a half in front of a fantastic crowd of 100 at the Book Lounge in Long Street, this was Dennis' first public appearance since being feted at Washington's BusboysPoets celebration in May (via skypecast). And in New York City a few hours later (1-3am!), he received the War Resisters League's Peace Award (alongside courageous Zimbabwean womens and gay/lesbian groups, and his old friend Bill Sutherland), which Archbishop Tutu applauded (below) and for which four YouTube shorts were prepared (URLS below). Transmitted live via skype, his discussions with old comrades - peering in at a laptop at the dinner table before the ceremony - were a thrilling highlight of the evening; he was so happy to see everyone who had come to honour him. Transmission of his thankyou broke down after a short while, but no matter, we were prepared with a short speech and two poems recorded the day before, so everyone can enjoy them on the web. Dennis is surviving what must be the hardest, most painful months of his 84 years, even worse in medical terms than the recovery after nearly dying from a gunshot through his mid-section during an escape from apartheid police in central Joburg forty-six years ago and then being tossed into Robben Island prison. However, spending yesterday and this morning with Dennis at his new Cape Town home, with an incredibly caring family (Tony, Jenny and the two grandsons), it's clear to me that his status is far improved from when I saw him last, on his departure from Durban a month ago.
[Marxism] Guardian video report on the Gaza massacre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLZgNy46aTQ This may have already been posted, apparently it was done around March. They show an interview to three kids who were taken hostage by the IDF to be used as 'human shields', alongside other niceties... _ Bing™ brings you maps, menus, and reviews organized in one place. Try it now. http://www.bing.com/search?q=restaurantsform=MLOGENpubl=WLHMTAGcrea=TEXT_MLOGEN_Core_tagline_local_1x1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Evo Morales' Speech in Leganés, Sp ain
...I’m sure, sisters and brothers, the process of liberation, the process of profound transformation, not only in Bolivia, but in Latin America, is a one way path. The process of transformations in democracy is unstoppable in Bolivia. Why do I say this? You, as brothers who live here, ought to be aware, a number of times neoliberal groups from the fascist, racist rightwing, tried to remove me from the government and I remember it perfectly. The first year of my government, they said, poor little Indian, he’ll be there three, four, five, six months, he won’t be able to govern and then he’ll go, they’ll get rid of him. That was in 2006. In 2007, what did these groups say? I believe that this Indian is going to stay quite awhile, something’s got to be done. 2008. In 2008 they did something. And what did they do? First they tried to get me out by the vote of the Bolivian people – the vote to revoke my mandate. I accepted: let’s go to a vote. You know that we had won the elections with 54%. In this revocation referendum the Bolivian people ratified us by 67%. When they failed at that, when the revocation failed and they couldn’t revoke me through the conscience of the people, last year they tried with a civil, not military coup d’etat. And now I’d like to salute the European countries, defenders of democracy, UNASUR, and the United Nations for defending democracy – with their civil prefectural coup d’etat they failed as well. And so we have the great triumph of the Bolivian people in politics and constitutionally. And this year, thanks to the efforts and conscience of the people, a new Constitution has been approved. Now we are obliged to apply and implement this new political Constitution of the Bolivian state, which honestly, some European countries tell me that in regard to its social rights, is more advanced than any European country... http://machetera.wordpress.com/2009/09/19/evo-morales-rocks-leganes/ YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] mesoamerican calendars (+ 2012 apocalyptics)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_calendars Sorry to drop a wiki link but I'm not sure of how many people are aware of these things. Sometime in 2012 one among these many, many calendars resets according to massive, billion year long, astronomical cycle or something. Its even caused some cultish apocalyptics I've had the misfortune to come across foretelling of special events occuring on that date. If someone could elaborate on the psychology of apocalyptics here that would be great. The truth is my brother flirts with, I should say interns with, this crap website cum entrepreneurial group run from NYC called http://www.realitysandwich.com/ I call them the Ginsbergian left, or the spirituals blurring into the left. Still basically a capitalist enterprise though. The very best, Max Clark p.s. I can't bring myself to read the above linked website very much. Is it as crap as I think? YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Germany's Die Linke shows the way for the left
Empire Burlesque - Chris Floyd - Missing Link: Dissent, Delusion and Discontenthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/empire_burlesque/~3/cFMGGx8Ogjc/1842-missing-link-dissent-delusion-and-discontent.html Posted: 18 Sep 2009 04:29 AM PDT clip - America has tea-baggers, who channel the very real and justified anger felt by millions into partisan hackery in the service of Big Money; but in Germany, this is what the disaffected are doing: putting together a new anti-capitalist, pro-social justice that could shake up the political landscape in the upcoming national elections. As the Guardian reportshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/17/german-elections-die-linke-party : [Frank Spieth's] anti-capitalist, pro-social justice Die Linke is striking a chord with an increasingly disenfranchised electorate, espousing causes – such as inequality, reunification issues and, crucially, the war in Afghanistan – that are finding a receptive audience in both east and west. Our voters are representative of millions of Germans who feel cut off from the political process and they could have a significant impact on Germany's political landscape, said 62-year-old Spieth, who left the Social Democratic party (SPD) in 2003 after 37 years in protest at its restructuring of the social welfare state. full article -- http://www.chris-floyd.com/component/content/article/1-latest-news/1842-missing-link-dissent-delusion-and-discontent.html The late Brazilian bishop Dom Hélder Câmara said it well: “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist.” YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Query on British historiography
Lou is showing rather a isolationist view of WWII here, without any conception of the European view of WWII - which although it started in 1939 as a simple war between Germany and Britain and France brought about as what one might well say was a richly deserved result of the appeasement, even encouragement, of fascism from 1933 through the Nazi occupation of Austria and Czechoslovakia, etc. by the British and French ruling classes (large sections of which were strong supporters of Franco, and a not inconsiderable numbers supporters of Hitler)- well demonstrated with the readiness with which the French ruling class formed a puppet government under the Nazis, the war became - well before the entry of USA into WWII as a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour - became, certainly from 1941, if not before, a war of liberation, and inherently an anti-fascist struggle. No wonder it was supported by the whole of the working classes of Europe. Churchill, of course, was well-known as an anti-semite, and a vicious opponent of the working class and its organisations, and virulently anti-communist and anti-soviet. BUT he became Prime Minister in what amounted to a coup in 1940 by the section of the ruling class which were not supporters of fascism and IMMEDIATELY after the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union his patriotism overcame his anti-communist virulence to the extent that the the following day announced his country and the Soviet Union as allies. From then on there could be no doubt that WWII was a just war, a war of liberation against fascism - and anyone who now seeks to dispute that is effectively a holocaust denier. Bringing the Bengal famine into the argument is a red herring. British communists - and indeed the working class movement in Britain generally, were active throughout the war - and before - in promoting the anti-colonial struggle; but all direct contact with Marxists in India were effectively impossible during the war - though the representative of the Indian Congress, Krishna Menon, was speaker at many many public meetings organised during the war - and many on the left were advocating the handing over of power before the end of the war. The assessment of Churchill by the British working class as a war leader who, in general deserved support for the time, but was inherently an enemy of the working class was clearly shown in the general election, which followed shortly after the Nazi surrender - when Churchill and his party were rejected in a landslide (an election in which I, as a troop officer in 2nd Armoured Brigade, but still under 21, did not have a vote - but you can bet your bottom dollar that most of those in the Brigade old enough to have a vote rejected Churchill, as did the majority of the working class back home. What happened in the ensuing years, with the Labour government coming more and more under the thumbs of Washington, until it too was rejected by the electorate, is another story Paddy http://apling.freeservers.com - Original Message - From: Louis Proyect l...@panix.com To: e.c.apl...@btinternet.com Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 10:53 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Query on British historiography Paul Flewers wrote: The Second World War was the last time that Britain played anything like a major role on a world scale, and I guess that the endless commemorating of it here is at least in part an unconscious recognition of this. After more furniture busting than has been seen since the barroom fight in Shane, the comments on Stalin Nostalgia and Churchill Nostalgia have died down on my blog. I don't want to stir things up there again, but do want to offer another thought about it here where belief in a Good War is less entrenched presumably. It seems that both sides in the debate agree that Churchill was fighting an imperialist war but Newman and company argue that this was secondary to the need to defeat Hitler. Every effort had to be bent toward mobilizing the working class for a militant war against Hitler, even if it was under the stewardship of a dog like Churchill. That poses the question of the responsibilities of Marxists. How in the world can a pro-war revolutionary current possibly not agitate around all the terrible things that the British ruling class was up to? For example, I have been harping on Bengal. If Indian Communists told their British comrades what was going on, it would be *criminal* not to mount demonstrations against the policies that led to a famine that would kill 3 million Indians. Remaining silent around such issues would of course be dictated by the need to get everybody on a war footing and follow the military/political machine but it would end up discrediting the revolutionary pro-war left. Which of course is what happened in the USA. If a parallel process took place in Britain, that would be an interesting topic to research but I have a
Re: [Marxism] Germany's Die Linke shows the way for the left
Dennis Brasky (dmozart1...@gmail.com) wrote on 2009-09-19 at 13:18:46 in about [Marxism] Germany's Die Linke shows the way for the left: [Frank Spieth's] anti-capitalist, pro-social justice Die Linke is striking a chord with an increasingly disenfranchised electorate, espousing causes such as inequality, reunification issues and, crucially, the war in Afghanistan that are finding a receptive audience in both east and west A party which is very eagerly looking forward to manage the bourgeois state. A party which is for a minimum wage, but not for a militant trade union struggle to raise wages for all and to defend the living conditions for all. A party which is for the nationalisations of banks in Sunday speeches, but in the practical day to day international crisis of the banking system does not put the nationalisation of the banking system into a single bank forward, but only bickers about the conditions of the bailouts. A party which is against imperialist wars only if they have not been OK'ed by the UN Security Council. No thanks. The Partei Die Linke shows the way forward? Well, yes, back into bourgeois politics. Cheers, Lüko Willms Frankfurt, Germany YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Query on British historiography
On Sep 19, 2009, at 1:53 PM, Paddy Apling wrote: ...From then [June 22, 1941] on there could be no doubt that WWII was a just war, a war of liberation against fascism - and anyone who now seeks to dispute that is effectively a holocaust denier. Anyone who claims that the firestorm bombings of Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, etc., etc., were part of a just war; any one who claims that the Bengal famine was part of a just war; is literally, not effectively, denying a holocaust. Shane Mage This cosmos did none of gods or men make, but it always was and is and shall be: an everlasting fire, kindling in measures and going out in measures. Herakleitos of Ephesos YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Germany's Die Linke shows the way for the left
On Sat, Sep 19, 2009 at 8:03 PM, Lüko Willms lueko.wil...@t-online.dewrote: The Partei Die Linke shows the way forward? Well, yes, back into bourgeois politics. Yeah, because the working masses have already *abandoned* bourgeois politics, and the Linke wants to *trick* them back into that old shell game. -- Richard Seymour Writer and blogger Email: leninstombb...@googlemail.com Website: http://www.leninology.blogspot.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/leninology Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Seymour_(writer) Book: http://www.versobooks.com/books/nopqrs/s-titles/seymour_r_the_liberal_defense_of_murder.shtml YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Germany's Die Linke shows the way for the left
Lenin's Tomb leninstombb...@googlemail.com wrote: the working masses have already *abandoned* bourgeois politics, and the Linke wants to *trick* them back into that old shell game. Is it just me or does laughter tend to echo in Lenin's Tomb? ML YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Germany's Die Linke shows the way for the left
There is a militant minority in Die Linke that wants to build an oppositional movement and not be mere left-social democrats. YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Germany's Die Linke shows the way for the left
The point is the absurdity of the notion that the German working class has repudiated bourgeois politics ML YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Germany's Die Linke shows the way for the left
Not only was the content of Richard's post dripping with sarcasm he even put asterisks for extra emphasis. On Sat, Sep 19, 2009 at 4:44 PM, Mark Lause markala...@gmail.com wrote: The point is the absurdity of the notion that the German working class has repudiated bourgeois politics ML YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/bhaskar.sunkara%40gmail.com YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Obama to Israel's rescue
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/09/ask-and-you-shall-receive-the-us-appears-willing-to-help-israel-stonewall-the-goldstone-report.html YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Carl Finamore: Backstage at the AFL-CIO Convention
http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/22645 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Germany's Die Linke shows the way for the left
yes. YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] NYC - A Health Care demo worth considering
On Sat, Sep 19, 2009 at 5:09 PM, Cliff Conner cliff.con...@mac.com wrote: Dear friends, I suspect many of you, like me, have been frustrated with the public discourse regarding the healthcare issue. I want to call your attention to a forthcoming demonstration in Manhattan that at least offers an opportunity for single-payer advocates to sound off and, hopefully, be heard. The main slogan of the demonstration isn't Single Payer Now, because the level of the discussion of this issue has been so pathetically low that the term single payer is virtually unknown to the general public. Instead, the demand is for Medicare For All. While the two slogans are not exactly identical in meaning, they are close enough, and at least the latter will be widely understood. Anyway, here are the particulars: MARCH RALLY for MEDICARE FOR ALL TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2009 RALLY AT 4:00 PM: Bristol-Myers-Squibb 345 Park Ave (at 51st St.) MARCH AT 5:00 PM: from Park Ave. 51st to AETNA, 99 Park Ave. (at 40th St.) So there you have it. My personal opinion is that whether Obama's plan passes or not, the fight for decent healthcare for all has just begun and will be a long one. This demonstration represents a worthwhile early step in the struggle. I hope to see you there. Cliff Conner P.S. The sponsoring organization is the Private Health Insurance Must Go! Coalition (PHIMGC). Here is its mission statement: The Private Health Insurance Must Go! Coalition (PHIMGC) is a growing and diverse New York City-based non-partisan organization focused on education, legislative advocacy and direct action in the fight for single-payer healthcare reform and HR 676. Its website is: www.phimg.org YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] India: Petition for Justice in Chhattisgarh
f.y.i. If you wish to endorse this petition, please visit http://aidindia.org/main/component/option,com_facileforms/Itemid,423/ Note that Sanhati is a signatory. epoliticus * Association for India's Development, in partnership with many other groups, is hosting events across the US and India to raise awareness about the crisis in Chhattisgarh. One of the central themes for these events is a traveling exhibition of Javed Iqbal's photos. Javed is a photo-journalist who has toured extensively in southern districts, and brought back powerful depictions of the conflict zone. He has played an important role in uncovering the truth behind some of the encounters, for example those in Basaguda and Badepalli. To know more about Javed and his work, visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/tsengupta/CGExhibit?authkey=Gv1sRgCLnko-PI4uSABgfeat=directlink# Some of the other events planned include panel discussions, movie/documentary screenings, petition signings, RTI drives, etc. It will be good if we can get more people taking this up across India, and also the US. Please consider signing the online petition to support the peace processes in Chhattisgarh. Here is the text of the statement of the petition along with the list of the 54 organizations who endorsed it: We, an international coalition of concerned individuals and over 54 Human Rights, Community, Student, Development and Peace Justice organizations strongly support the right of displaced Adivasis (indigenous peoples) to return safely to their homes and lives in the state of Chhattisgarh, and are alarmed by the recent surge in violence in Bijapur and Dantewada districts of Chhattisgarh which is threatening to cause a major setback to the ongoing rehabilitation. Since the promulgation of the Salwa Judum (a militia armed by the state of Chhattisgarh) in 2005, violence from both the Salwa Judum and Maoist Rebels has escalated, and hundreds of thousands of Adivasis have fled their homes in Dantewada and Bijapur districts out of fear for their lives. Over the last 12 months, we were encouraged to see that with the support of civil society groups such as Action AID, Vanvasi Chetna Ashram (VCA) and Agriculture and Social Development Society (ASDS), some families have gradually begun to return to their villages and are resuming agriculture and other forms of livelihood. However, recent threats, arson and murder in the vicinity of the rehabilitated villages has spurred further displacement, and deterred those who were planning to return to their homes. We sympathize sincerely with the families of the victims of such violence. Given the widespread displacement of Adivasis from their land as a result of this violence, we as informed citizens, pledge to support efforts that aim to rebuild confidence amongst Adivasis, and help them return to their lands and resume their lives with a sense of dignity. We appeal to the government of Chhattisgarh to facilitate the process of rehabilitation of displaced communities as per the Directives of the Supreme Court, as well as the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission, by doing the following: * Make immediate arrangements for food, water, seeds, and implements to enable ploughing so that the villagers may sow in this critical period of the farming season * Provide rations and employment through NREGA (National Rural Empolyment Guarantee Act) which will make food and daily wages available to the villagers until their crops come to harvest Provide compensation with which to rebuild and sustain their livelihoods * We appeal to the government of Chhattisgarh to take firm steps to end the vicious cycle of violence in the region through de-militarization, clearing security forces off schools and hospitals, and withdrawal of the Salwa Judum. We also appeal to all parties - the Maoist Rebels, the Government and the Salwa Judum - to refrain from any activity that adversely affects the return and stay of the rehabilitated Adivasis in the villages of Chhattisgarh. List of Endorsing Organizations Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia, MIT Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, San Francisco Amnesty International, USA ANSWER Asian Law Alliance Association for India’s Development Association of South Asian Political Activists, Berkeley Birmingham Anti-SEZ Campaign, UK Boston Coalition for Justice in Bhopal Boston Mobilization Cambridge Free Binayak Sen Group Campaign against Forced Displacement, UK Campaign to Stop Funding Hate CMC Vellore Alumni Association-U.K. Branch DEEP - Defenders of the Environment and Ecology of Panjab, UK Dharma Megha, East Lansing, Michigan Friends of South Asia Gadar Heritage Foundation, Fremont Hillingdon Asian Women's Communication Service, UK India Foundation, East Lansing, Michigan ICJB- International Coalition for Justice in Bhopal Indian Muslim Council, USA Indian Progressive Study Group-L.A. India Relief and Education Fund, Fremont Indian Workers
Re: [Marxism] Query on British historiography
Paddy Apling wrote: Bringing the Bengal famine into the argument is a red herring. British communists - and indeed the working class movement in Britain generally, were active throughout the war - and before - in promoting the anti-colonial struggle; but all direct contact with Marxists in India were effectively impossible during the war - though the representative of the Indian Congress, Krishna Menon, was speaker at many many public meetings organised during the war - and many on the left were advocating the handing over of power before the end of the war. This remark is not only philistine: It suggests that Comrade Apling is an ignoramus. As a general rule, you should keep mum concerning matters such that your knowledge is that of a dilettante. I apologize to the comrades for my outburst, but it was impossible to allow such a remark to pass. epoliticus -- In the tender annals of Political Economy, the idyllic reigns from time immemorial ... the present year of course always excepted. -- A German refugee, circa 1867 -- http://epoliticus.wordpress.com/ YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Query on British historiography
I suppose it must be my age showing but have a fascination with this topic I must confess and it is good to see Paddy take a part in the thread. WW2 is a complex phenomenon and it is unfortunate that Trotsky did not live long enough to make a definitive contribution to its analysis. I am away from my library so I cannot check on Deutscher's writing about Trotksy's views. From memory Trotsky began by saying WW2 was a continuation of WW1 but there was I believe a but in his analysis and unfortunately we were not to get what he thought the but was. What I think is happening in this thread is that we are debating the but. Unlike we Marxists the revisionist historians, like Niall Ferguson, have nothing negative to say about imperialist wars. They want more of them. But they tend to see that the compromises Churchill had to make weakened the British Empire. For the right the key compromises were the alliance with Russia and even more important the accepting of junior status vis a vis American Imperialism. Despite his disavowals and the maneuverings of people like Ernest Bevin, it was Churchill who at his Atlantic summit meeting with FDR, who agreed to accepting inferior role for the mighty British. And needless to say the Americans have been cashing in on the Churchillian promises ever since. However there was a leftist dimensions to the Churchillian compromises and Paddy has outlined some of these. I would say that the biggest compromise Churchill made was his probably very reluctant acceptance of the Beveridge Report of 1942. However as Paddy pointed out the British public did not trust Churchill with the implementation of the Beveridge Report which had recommended the establishment of a welfare state and gave him short shrift at the 1945 election. Now of course the Atlee government was undermined by Washington, but folk like Ernest Bevin did not need much undermining. However the most important point is that not only Churchill compromised during WW2, the left also compromised when it agreed to have Churchill as the national leader. Moreover it was the sort of inter-class compromise that was to determine the shape of post WW2 Britain. Of course inter class compromises were the very stuff that Stalinism was made of and when pray tell did they ever work? On second thoughts - don't answer that, unlike Lou I do not have the courage to face the arguments that would follow. regards Gary YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Political Economy for the 21st Century
But are we really about developing a political economy for the 21st Century? Isn't Marx all about the merciless criticism of political economy, and its overthrow, not its improvement, rationalization? - Original Message - From: michael perelman mich...@ecst.csuchico.edu To: David Schanoes sartes...@earthlink.net Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 10:44 PM Subject: [Marxism] Political Economy for the 21st Century YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Political Economy for the 21st Century
As I mentioned, I have not got to the Marx part yet. On Sat, Sep 19, 2009 at 10:56:32PM -0400, S. Artesian wrote: But are we really about developing a political economy for the 21st Century? Isn't Marx all about the merciless criticism of political economy, and its overthrow, not its improvement, rationalization? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu michaelperelman.wordpress.com YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Political Economy for the 21st Century
Yes, but in this first part you talk about what is required to develop a political economy for the 21st century...when the task so to speak is the practical abolition of political economy. - Original Message - From: Michael Perelman mich...@ecst.csuchico.edu To: David Schanoes sartes...@earthlink.net Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 10:59 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Political Economy for the 21st Century As I mentioned, I have not got to the Marx part yet. On Sat, Sep 19, 2009 at 10:56:32PM -0400, S. Artesian wrote: But are we really about developing a political economy for the 21st Century? Isn't Marx all about the merciless criticism of political economy, and its overthrow, not its improvement, rationalization? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu michaelperelman.wordpress.com YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/sartesian%40earthlink.net YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Trotsky: The Movie
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/The-Trotsky-Trailer-Marxism-Meets-The-21st-Century-14845.html YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
