Re: [Marxism] Existential crisis as BHL quotes fictional philosopher
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Louis Proyect (l...@panix.com) wrote on 2010-02-09 at 20:33:46 in about [Marxism] Existential crisis as BHL quotes fictional philosopher: Doubtless enjoying the moment, Pagès said: ?It has never been firmly established that Botul didn?t exist and it cannot therefore be ruled out that one day history will prove Bernard-Henri Lévy right.? Before that, history may prove that BHL is a fake. Cheers, Lüko Willms Frankfurt, Germany 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] Coyotes spotted at my workplace
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Paul Flewers (rfls12...@blueyonder.co.uk) wrote on 2010-02-10 at 16:17:01 in about Re: [Marxism] Coyotes spotted at my workplace: The fox-hunting toffs say that their antics are necessary as they reduce the amount of foxes and thus keep chicken-runs safer, as my dog goes after cats only to save the little birdies... Cheers, Lüko Willms Frankfurt, Germany 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] Coyotes spotted at my workplace
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Nestor Gorojovsky (nmg...@gmail.com) wrote on 2010-02-09 at 21:28:08 in about Re: [Marxism] Coyotes spotted at my workplace: Foxes [in England] used to be confined to the countryside, but over the last 20 years or so they have been moving into towns and cities. Hey, how long will it take before you can see gallant cavalcades of lordly aristocrats breaking the traffic rules at Trafalgar Square, in sportly pursuit of some urban fox? They already prowl the city streets with luxurious all-terrain vehicles. Cheers, Lüko Willms Frankfurt, Germany 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] World's Glaciers Continue to Melt at Historic Rates
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Paula wrote: Gary, there will always be droughts. They are a normal phenomenon - as are storms, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. They wouldn't be so horrific if society was rationally organized, and that's the main point the left should be making. My reply: Sorry I missed this Paula. I have been traveling. Look we are obviously at the stage where we have nothing new to say to each other. But I will make a final effort at dialogue. I have to confess though -that I simply don't understand where you and Shawn are coming from. As I see it there are three positions. A.. The world is not getting warmer. B. Global warming is a fact but it is caused by cyclical events. C Global warming is a fact and it is caused or aggravated by carbon emissions. The deniers seem to me to move in an unprincipled way between positions A. and B. For instance it seems to me at times you occupy position B and at other times you move to A. Certainly Shawn bewilders me with his switching. My position is C. and I also add that the cost of holding B. is greater than the cost of holding C. If people like me are wrong then it is not a catastrophe. If you and Shawn are wrong then it is a terminal disaster for the human race. I personally think that puts a moral onus on all you Bers to be extra careful. Now Shawn jumping up and down about routine academic thuggery at East Anglia is not being serious in my opinion. I teach a class on scientific method. I am absolutely frank about the academy. When paradigms clash it is like something out of the Godfather movies. I have lived all that shit and I know it. But I tell my students that they must put the dialectics of epistemology i.e academic thuggery aside and seek the ontological. Jones may be and I am certainly inclined to think so one of the greatest shits on the planet but he may still be right about global warming. As the notorious Chinese Machiavelli said seek truth from facts! comradely regards Gary 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] Tritium Hot Zone Expands Around Vermont Nuclear Plant
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Les gave a good list of some of the issues at the heart of Vermont Yankee's tritium leak. Those of us who live in the area have additional issues: What else is about to leak or starting to fail at this plant that is nearing the end of its planned operating lifespan? How responsibly will a far-distant corporation handle this and future problems of an aging plant, particularly given Entergy's plans to sell Vermont Yankee to a limited liability spin-off plant? How important is the health of people and ecosystems in the tri-state region in relation to Entergy's quest for profit, again given the plans for spin-off to a limited liability company? And another issue that doesn't come up often enough, how are our local concerns connected to health and environmental concerns in the areas where uranium is mined? Mark, if the Asian long-horned beetles get much closer to us, we won't have to worry about glowing maple syrup, as the beetles will have munched all the trees. ;-} Karen 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] World's Glaciers Continue to Melt at Historic Rates
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == On 2/11/2010 4:19 AM, Gary MacLennan wrote: I teach a class on scientific method. I am absolutely frank about the academy. When paradigms clash it is like something out of the Godfather movies. hahahahahha. nice ... clash of little kingdoms and all that... I have lived all that shit and I know it. But I tell my students that they must put the dialectics of epistemology i.e academic thuggery aside and seek the ontological. Jones may be and I am certainly inclined to think so one of the greatest shits on the planet but he may still be right about global warming. As the notorious Chinese Machiavelli said seek truth from facts! Gary, what -- as you see it -- did Jones do that was so bad? the trick issue is not an issue scientifically. as you say, bad-mouthing goes on all the time. plus these research centers are deluged by denialist requests and they have no PR departments like Exxon (pacem Shawn) to handle the overload. i've been planning to write on the IPCC/CRU storm for a while now, but am curious to hear your thoughts Gary in more detail. Les 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] NYT review of Finkelstein documentary
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == (Holden is not the typical reviewer at the Times, thank goodness. This is a fairly decent review.) NY Times February 11, 2010 MOVIE REVIEW | 'AMERICAN RADICAL: THE TRIALS OF NORMAN FINKELSTEIN' Is This a Man Who Sheds Light, or Simply Sets Fires? By STEPHEN HOLDEN “American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein” is a cautiously respectful documentary portrait of a political firebrand who presents himself as a beacon of moral truth in the murk of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A scholar, author and passionate advocate of the Palestinian cause, Mr. Finkelstein, 56, is a thorn in the side of the Israel lobby. Early in the film, directed by David Ridgen and Nicolas Rossier, Mr. Finkelstein is shown at a 1982 rally in front of the Israeli consulate in New York carrying a poster urging “Israeli Nazis” to “stop the Holocaust in Lebanon,” referring to the Israeli invasion of that country. Until he was banned from traveling to Israel, he paid regular visits to Palestinian friends on the West Bank. He is a supporter of Hezbollah. Mr. Finkelstein’s inflammatory rhetoric has earned him many powerful enemies, most notably the civil liberties lawyer Alan M. Dershowitz, whose book “The Case for Israel” Mr. Finkelstein has called a fraud, accusing the author of plagiarism. Leon Wieseltier, the literary editor of The New Republic, describes Mr. Finkelstein as “poison: a disgusting self-hating Jew.” Even Mr. Finkelstein’s political ally Noam Chomsky questioned his judgment in picking some of his fights. Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Finkelstein explains in the film that he inherited his temperament from his mother, Maryla Husyt Finkelstein. Both Maryla and Mr. Finkelstein’s father, Zacharias, were survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto and of concentration camps. His father was interned in Auschwitz, his mother in Majdanek. From Maryla, Mr. Finkelstein says that he inherited the conviction that Jews have a special obligation to ease the suffering of humanity because of what was done to them, and that it is not enough to pay lip service to one’s convictions; they must be acted on. A childhood friend remembers her emotional investment in left-wing humanitarian causes as bordering on hysteria. Mr. Finkelstein recalls that as his notoriety spread, she came to feel he had taken her too literally and become a “Frankenstein’s monster” on a path toward self-destruction. The film chronicles the controversies in which Mr. Finkelstein has become embroiled, beginning with his attack on Joan Peters’s widely praised 1984 best seller, “From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict Over Palestine,” which he denounced as a hoax. In a television interview after the publication of his best-known book, “The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering” (2000), he declares, “A handful of American Jews have effectively hijacked the Nazi Holocaust to blackmail Europe” and “divert attention from what is being done to the Palestinians.” The cost of Mr. Finkelstein’s outspokenness has been steep. In 2001 he left Hunter College, where he had taught for nine years, after his teaching load and salary were reduced. He was subsequently hired by DePaul University in Chicago, where he became an assistant professor of political science. But in 2007 his bid for tenure, opposed by Mr. Dershowitz — who called him “a propagandist” and “not a teacher” — was denied, despite strong on-campus support. Because it is a film, “American Radical” can only begin to sketch the complicated historical and political debates that engage Mr. Finkelstein and his detractors, but it allows both sides to make their cases. In his more reflective moments Mr. Finkelstein demonstrates an acute analytical intelligence and even an inkling of humor. “Speaking as a devout atheist, thank God in his Almighty wisdom that he made us mortal,” he says. But he also appears to be a man who reflexively rises to the bait: a strident polemicist who, however right or wrong, has chosen to travel a long, hard road. AMERICAN RADICAL The Trials of Norman Finkelstein Opens on Thursday in Manhattan. Produced and directed by David Ridgen and Nicolas Rossier; directors of photography, Mr. Ridgen and Mr. Rossier; edited by Cameron Clendaniel; music by Judd Greenstein and Kill Henry Sugar; released by Typecast Releasing. At the Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue, at Second Street, East Village. Running time: 1 hour 24 minutes. This film is not rated. 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] Americans unhappy with both parties
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == The most interesting part of this poll report is the potential split in the Republican party caused by the Tea-gang/Palin. This has been my political dream for about 10 years: for a split in the Reps which could open up the space for a split on the left between the Dems and something to the left of them. Only problem is there is nothing organized to the left of the Dems. Hope we don't miss this historic opportunity. Brad 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] Americans unhappy with both parties
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Actually, a meeting to do exactly what Steven is describing took place in Oklahoma City in early 2008 under the leadership of former OK Senator David Boren. The media spin was that it was a means of promoting Michael Bloomberg as a presidential candidate, but its purpose was actually much more long-term and serious than that. If a new party of such moderates as Bloomberg, Christie Whitman (who attended the meeting), Colin Powell, Joe Lieberman, etc., etc., etc. were formed it could win elections almost immediately and would attract a great deal of money. But it would have a serious problem co- opting and derailing the discontent that is running deep within the population. People SAY that they want bipartisan cooperation to solve problems, but what they FEEL is pissed off because they're struggling so hard just to keep the bills paid week to week. Middle- of-the-road compromisers ultimately can't answer that resentment. Tom On Feb 11, 2010, at 12:59 PM, Steven L. Robinson wrote: == Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Actually, what you describe has been the dream of the Dem Party leadership since at least 1994, which calls for incorporating much of the Republican Party into the Dems, thus making the latter the party of the center, with the right wing rump of the Republicans a harmless nuisance and enabling the Dems once and for all to jettison organized labor and the liberal grassroots as superfluous. Obama seems to have been working on making that dream come true for the past year or so. SR 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] When Israel Joins NATO
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/984/op2.htm 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] Nation Magazine review of new Louis Armstrong bio
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == The author of the bio is one Terry Teachout, who is the chief cultural critic of the wretched neoconservative magazine Commentary. The review is a bit too long to include in its entirety, but this excerpt gives you an idea of how Teachout gets taken apart: The bombshell comes near the end of the prologue, when Teachout quotes from the essay Louis Armstrong + the Jewish Family, in New Orleans, La., the Year of 1907, published posthumously in In His Own Words. In this essay, written in 1969 when he was recovering from a life-threatening illness, and dedicated to his manager Joe Glaser, Armstrong recalled how the Karnofsky family helped him in his boyhood. But Teachout quotes instead an outpouring of rage from Armstrong against the black community, beginning with Negroes never did stick together and they never will and ending with Believe it--the White Folks did everything that's decent for me. That's our Louis. Claiming that the meaning of the passage is as clear as a high C, Teachout does not contextualize it, let alone test its validity. Neither does he square it with ac-cen-tu-at-ing the positive. Just in case there was any doubt, in the November 2009 issue of Commentary Teachout prepared readers of his book, which was published the following month, for his pinched reading of the essay: The bluntness with which Armstrong expressed himself in this 1969 memoir was more than just the remembered resentment of an old man. On numerous other occasions, he made it clear that he believed poor people, regardless of their color, to be largely responsible for their own fate. Armstrong's jeremiad reminds me of the dyspeptic letter that Arnold Schoenberg, exiled to Brentwood, California, wrote in 1938 complaining, perversely, that his fellow Jews had never shown any interest in his music. Show business is tough; everyone has bad days. full: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100301/schiff 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] Greece bailed out ... for now
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == If I remember correctly, during the Gaza blitzkrieg the Greek unions wouldn't collaborate in the movement of weapons. The FT makes the point in another way today: there is a strong strain of puerile anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist feeling in Greek society. No fait accompli, here. It's a long struggle ahead, and I'd bet against the Euro. No way they jam this through. Solidarity, Shawn -- http://blogs.ft.com/brusselsblog/2010/02/germany-rescues-greece-but-demands-its-pound-of-flesh/ Germany Rescues Greece but Demands its Pound of Flesh February 11, 2010 12:04pm Today's European Union summit in Brussels will set out the framework for a financial rescue operation for Greece. This much is clear is from various briefings being given by officials from countries as varied as Austria, Lithuania, Poland and Spain. But financial markets will have to wait until next week to see the full details of the plan. The central question is how far Germany has been pushed to swallow its words and offer help for Greece, after weeks of denying that it would do anything of the sort. Only this morning Otmar Issing, the German former chief economist of the European Central Bank, was telling German television viewers that Greeks enjoyed one of the most luxurious pensions systems in the world and it was unreasonable to expect German taxpayers to fund it. He is absolutely right, of course. But to fund or not to fund Greek pensions is not the choice facing the German government at this critical hour. The real choice is whether or not to tolerate the financial collapse of a eurozone member-state, a mere 11 years after the euro's birth. To that, there is only one answer: No. And so Germany, with others, will have to support Greece - through loan facilities, guarantees or similar means. The Germans will in return extract their pound of flesh from Greece. The Greek government will lose a great deal of fiscal sovereignty as it struggles to restore order to its public finances over the next three years. If it looks in danger of missing its budget deficit reduction targets, there will be EU experts leaning over the Greeks' shoulders and telling them what to do. Nothing like this has ever been attempted in the EU's 53-year history. Will it work? Will Greeks take their medicine? It will not be simple. On the one hand, there is a strong strain of puerile anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist feeling in Greek society. On the other, anti-German sentiments linger from Greece's horrific experiences under Nazi occupation from 1941 to 1944. It would not be difficult for populist forces to draw on these prejudices and link them to the austerity plan that the EU is about to force on the Greek government. For the moment, the Greek public seems to understand that difficult times lie ahead and that everyone is going to have to make sacrifices - no new car and cheaper make-up, as one middle-class Greek woman puts it. Ah-hem better not pass on that to Otmar Issing! 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] MORE ON ORGANIZING
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == If there has ever been a time that Real Social Justice Organizing -- not just jawsmith talk -- is needed, it's now: 2010. Occasionally, I've passed around some of our website pieces on organizing techniques and related dimensions. Here is one that hasn't been that widely circulated at all. Among other things, it has some Cactus Spines therein -- as well as very good words for some very good people. [H] MORE ON ORGANIZING [HUNTER BEAR JANUARY 10 2006] UPDATED WITH, MONSTER SLAYER [HUNTER BEAR 1/29/06] ___ I still marvel at the great teachers and warriors who funnel a bundle of lessons for the new beginner and the weary who would tackle imperialism. You are the among the great ones. Colia L [Colia Liddell Lafayette Clark] [Jackson Movement veteran and life-long activist] ___ I so enjoyed your discussion on Navajo life, i.e. the birth of the twins, particularly the monster slayer and the remaining monsters , etc. The language is so clear and colorful. Your son, Beba, seems to be following in your footsteps the way he writes and descibes things. Love and regards to Mrs. Salter and the rest of the clan . Mary Ann [Mary Ann Hall Winters] [From the Jackson Movement days] __ FROM HUNTER BEAR: [The legendry of the Navajo, as with any tribal nation, is rich and enduring. It was in that context -- that of the Dine' [Dineh] -- that I was privileged to largely grow up and our ties with that vast Nation remain extremely close to this very moment. It was Changing Woman who, impregnated by the Sun and a waterfall, gave birth to the Hero Twins: Monster Slayer and Child of the Water. In due course, the Twins traveled the Rainbow to their Father the Sun -- killing many mortal adversaries along the trail. But several monsters still remain: Hunger, Poverty, Dirt and Old Age -- and the Battle, with the Hero Twins much to the fore, continues.] Time runs away [it often seems to me] like a jackrabbit -- leaping and bounding across my native Northern Arizona sage, faster often than the sometimes pursuing relay teams of young Hopi runners. Early this morning I received this note from Buddy [Joseph] Tieger whose address I had finally retrieved a day or so ago and to whom I had written regarding the untimely death of our old colleague-in-arms: J.V. Henry. Buddy, J.V. and I had initially met each other right at the end of 1963. We met in a jail cell -- a Southern jail -- always a proper place for real and aspiring Organizers. And Buddy wrote today: Hi John [Hunter], Thank you, John, for posting this sad and shocking news. As it happens, I came across your [Hunterbear] post, seemingly quite by chance, a few evenings ago, when I was googling people from the movement years, more or less at random, and thought I'd try to see what J.V. was up to these days. I still picture him, of course, at age 23, in blue jeans, and denim jacket with a SNCC button. My love to you and Eldri, Joseph [always Buddy to us] ___ As I am known to say, Real Organizing is the most challenging and toughest work of all. My oldest son, John [Beba], born in North Carolina, wrote in part a couple of years ago in the very kind and generous Tribute to me from a throng of friends over many decades: Except for his refusal to be walked on by any boss, my father was never like Abner Snopes, but like that peculiar family in Faulkner's Barn Burning, we were always loading up the wagon with our battered furniture and moving, moving, moving. We lived in North Carolina, we lived in Vermont; we lived in Chicago, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Seattle, and Rochester, New York. We lived on the Navajo Nation, we lived in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Our houses were never too grand, never too squalid. Not much survived the moves but our family, and, of course, the steady parade of visitors, people in rags and suits, people coming to see Hunter, people in need-in need of money, advice, food, sanctuary from the feds, respite from self-destruction; people with plans, problems, with energy that could benefit from focus. http://hunterbear.org/special_tribute_page_for_hunter.htm Beba also recalls, and often, that he and the other children were consistently warned not to be the ones to answer our home phones -- given the frequency of hate calls spread over many, many years indeed. To his apt account, I add only that we have all found the satisfactions of this Outlaw Trail to be
Re: [Marxism] When Israel Joins NATO
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == The author, Galal Nassar, asks what the Arab leaders intend to do if Israel is accepted into NATO. I suspect, that they intend to do very little. They make some faint noises of protest but that's about all I would expect out of them, since most of the conservative Arab regimes are objectively allies of Israel, regardless of any public statements to the contrary that they might make. Most of these regimes are more worried about Iran than they are about Israel, and if in the case of domestic uprisings, they would, if they had to, accept Israeli assistance in putting them down. Jim F. http://independent.academia.edu/JimFarmelant -- Original Message -- From: Dennis Brasky dmozart1...@gmail.com Subject: [Marxism] When Israel Joins NATO Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:39:07 -0500 http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/984/op2.htm Banking Click here to find the perfect banking opportunity! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=WEBByeuUwppQvjtR2XdrxwAAJ1BRugI4sJACAWmXIev8NAFPAAYAAADNAAAXeAA= 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] Greece bailed out ... for now
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == It's not clear to me that there is any *real* bailout in the works - the only specific measures mentioned are *talk* of *loans* to meet repayments and avoid a default, combined with very severe oversight of the Greek budget. Politically, the EU can't make up its mind whether to let the IMF carry the can (smart choice, 'cos it can be blamed on America ... but a blow to European pride). Whatever happens, Greece is going to be severely f*cked over. The question is whether what happens in Greece stays in Greece ... there are not only the PIGS but also Britain, which is talking about cutting public expenditure by 20% in the near future. Somebody is about to get severely whacked. Will they sit and take it, or fight back? 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] Weekly Worker 804 (11/02/2010) now available at www.cpgb.org.uk
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Weekly Worker 804 - Thursday February 11 2010 The latest edition of the Weekly Worker is now available online at www.cpgb.org.uk In this week's issue: LEFT UNITY SHOULD BE A TOP PRIORITY Tusc poses the necessity of a Marxist party, not a Labour Party mark two, writes Peter Manson LETTERS Moron Chomsky; Bonobo ideas; Befuddled; Marxist fact; Neo-Stalinism; Everything; Disservice; Disrepute; Direct justice; Anti-Semitic?; End detention; Policy demands; THIRD PROGRAMME OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF GREAT BRITAIN This is the Draft programme of the CPGB as agreed by the Provisional Central Committee. It will be put before a special conference of CPGB members before the end of 2010. Comments, suggestions, and criticisms are welcome 1. Our epoch 2. Capitalism in Britain 3. Immediate demands 4. Character of the revolution 5. Transition to communism 6. The Communist Party DRAFT RULES These are the Draft rules of the CPGB as agreed by the Provisional Central Committee OIL-SLICK DIVISIONS International Marxist Tendency has suffered a damaging split. Not a new phenomenon, notes James Turley LEFT IN DIE LINKE LOSES ITS BONAPARTE The resignation of Oskar Lafontaine is a serious blow to the German left party. Tina Becker reports LEFT PLATFORM LINES UP WITH MOUSSAVI The Reesites no longer peddle the line that Iran is a democratic country. But despite Lindsey German’s resignation from the SWP, their support for the ‘green movement’, including the butcher Moussavi, shows that the comrades still have not learned what principled international solidarity is, says Tina Becker A REMINDER The disgraceful role of Campaign Iran, outlined by Tina Becker RIGHT TO A DIGNIFIED LIFE - RIGHT TO A DIGNIFIED DEATH The comfort and self-respect of the incurably ill and the dying must be ensured, writes Eddie Ford MOTHERHOOD AND APPLE PIE Laurie McCauley reports on last Saturday’s surprisingly positive conference of leftwing student activists SOCIALIST ACTION RELEGATES SOLIDARITY Tony Greenstein gives his view of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign annual conference SYMPTOM OF DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT For recallable MPs on a worker’s wage, writes Jim Moody SUPPLEMENT OUR INCOME Robbie Rix asks for some financial support A PDF version of the paper can be downloaded at www.cpgb.org.uk/pdf/ww804.pdf 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] Zinn on Anarchism
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Of course, some people who call themselves anarchist also call themselves Marxist. But what does someone mean aobut being an anarchist if they're talking about voting? Second, what is a populist who's not voting for a third party (like the Populists)?And, if you want to be consistent and accept what Zinn calls himself, you'd say he's an anarchist, but he doesn't call himself a populist. So, once more, you manage to switch yardsticks before your done with the sentence. . . . . Personally, babbling about labels while ignoring the substance strikes me as fueling the illusion that we're talking about something real. In substance, my recollection is that Zinn backed Nader in 2000 but Obama in 2008. He may have supported Kerry in 2004. If so, it would have still put him one decision to the left of the CPUSA. ML 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] Greece bailed out ... for now
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == What is problematic with this post Louis? I completely support the general strikes in Greece and the Dec 2008 uprising and worked on getting the word out to other comrades in Los Angeles area. I recently spoke about it at the recent 2nd annual Anarchist Bookfair. I was merely answering a comrades question about the militancy and degree of the Greek working class to fight back against the austerity measures. Moreover, I've had many relatives persecuted by the Greek Government in the past for being communists or leftists. From: Louis Proyect l...@panix.com To: papadea...@yahoo.com Sent: Thu, February 11, 2010 1:19:04 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Greece bailed out ... for now == Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == From time to time, Les and I feel that moderating Marxmail is a bit like herding rabid raccoons. But a post like this coming out of the blue reminds me why it is worth it. Paul Papadeas wrote: Historically, modern economic development in Greece has depended on outright dictatorship in order to impose the will of capital. First under the regime of authoritarian dictator Ioannis Metaxas (1936-1941) and then the fascist Colonels (1967-74). Metaxas (4th of August Regime): banned political parties, prohibited strikes and introduced widespread censorship of the media, dissolving the Communist party. He instituted a corporatist state, increasing trade with Germany. His support came mainly from the military and king. The Colonels: another revolution to save the nation. Banning the right to assembly, free press, political parties dissolved. The excuse? A communist conspiracy to take over Greece which was never proven! Here the Greek tourist industry was built up as was the acceptance of direct foreign investment and corporations and the system of patronage and corruption (which was the hallmark of the Royalist People's Party post WW 2). Greeks continue to have a history of militant struggle (without strike breaking) and already many feel betrayed by Papandreou (PASOK). Many protesters today are even chanting - the Varkiza Peace Agreement is over! Which was brokered during the Greek Civil War between Royalists and Communists. The political polarisation continues to run deep. So far the military has taken a neutral position, but for how much longer? Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/papadeas13%40yahoo.com 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] Greece bailed out ... for now
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == On 2/11/10 4:30 PM, Paul Papadeas wrote: What is problematic with this post Louis? he was paying you a compliment for your informative post on Greece. Les 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] Greece bailed out ... for now
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == My apologies comrade. I misred your post. Greek was always my first language! ;) I appreciate and am thankful of the positive support! I rarely like to post anywhere and instead spend my time absorbing your thought provoking analysis! In solidarity, Paul From: Louis Proyect l...@panix.com To: papadea...@yahoo.com Sent: Thu, February 11, 2010 1:19:04 PM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Greece bailed out ... for now == Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == From time to time, Les and I feel that moderating Marxmail is a bit like herding rabid raccoons. But a post like this coming out of the blue reminds me why it is worth it. Paul Papadeas wrote: Historically, modern economic development in Greece has depended on outright dictatorship in order to impose the will of capital. First under the regime of authoritarian dictator Ioannis Metaxas (1936-1941) and then the fascist Colonels (1967-74). Metaxas (4th of August Regime): banned political parties, prohibited strikes and introduced widespread censorship of the media, dissolving the Communist party. He instituted a corporatist state, increasing trade with Germany. His support came mainly from the military and king. The Colonels: another revolution to save the nation. Banning the right to assembly, free press, political parties dissolved. The excuse? A communist conspiracy to take over Greece which was never proven! Here the Greek tourist industry was built up as was the acceptance of direct foreign investment and corporations and the system of patronage and corruption (which was the hallmark of the Royalist People's Party post WW 2). Greeks continue to have a history of militant struggle (without strike breaking) and already many feel betrayed by Papandreou (PASOK). Many protesters today are even chanting - the Varkiza Peace Agreement is over! Which was brokered during the Greek Civil War between Royalists and Communists. The political polarisation continues to run deep. So far the military has taken a neutral position, but for how much longer? Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/papadeas13%40yahoo.com 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] World's Glaciers Continue to Melt at Historic Rates
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Louis asked: Why is so hard to pin you down on the *science*? Louis, it's because the science itself is difficult to pin down. That's why scientists are still investigating climate change, improving their models, etc. For an example see this recent report, 'Water Vapor Caused One-Third of Global Warming in 1990s, Study Reveals': http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/29/water-vapour-climate-change Paula 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] Greece bailed out ... for now
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == I second Louis' compliment on this post, I would love to hear more about the situation in Greece, particularly SYRIZA. http://socialistworker.org/2010/02/10/european-capitalisms-weak-link THE GREEK economy is the weak link in the capitalist chain of the European Union (EU). The term--used by the revolutionary Lenin to describe Russia in 1917--was initially used in Greece by the radical left. But now, it's in broad use, even by Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou Jr., who, as head of the social democratic party PASOK, took office after the collapse of the right-wing New Democracy party in elections held in October 2009. Greece isn't the only weak link, however. Other EU countries are under enormous pressure from the economic crisis. The European press not so affectionately refers to them as the PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain). The crisis is particularly sharp in Greece, which has an annual budget deficit equal to 12.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)--which is four times the 3 percent limit mandated under the EU's Maastricht Treaty. Greek public debt stands at 130 percent of GDP, which is double the EU limit. Thus, articles in the European press point to the likelihood of national bankruptcy in Greece. Politicians and the media blame the crisis on the supposedly generous Greek welfare state, which, they claim, must be slashed to bring the budget under control. In fact, the situation is the direct result of the neoliberal policies that were followed by the social democratic governments of the 1990s, and even more so by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, as the leader of the New Democracy (ND) party between 2004 and 2009. For many years, Greek public finances were based exclusively on the taxation of the wage-earning population and the lower middle class. Greece has one of the lowest corporate taxes among EU countries, but even these low taxes aren't collected properly--corporate tax evasion is at record highs. Even the sales tax isn't fully collected by the government, but is left in business hands to further raise their profits. At the same time, Greece has one of the highest taxes on wages among the EU countries. What's more, employers and even the state--the biggest employer--have stopped paying their contributions to pension funds, creating a shortfall of more than 10 billion euros annually. These factors are sufficient to explain the bad situation of public finances up until now. Today, of course, conditions have been made even worse with the outbreak of the economic crisis that hit Greek capitalism in its most crucial sectors. For example, the bursting of the real estate bubble brought construction--a sector considered the locomotive of the economy--to a complete standstill. The crisis hit particularly hard in the tourism and shipping industries. And the supposedly strong Greek banks--used to acting as the dominant players in the greater Balkans region--were forced to admit not only that there is no more gold in the Balkan El Dorado, but that many of their old speculative enterprises have also turned toxic. The government budget problems were made even worse last year by the decision of the former Greek government to follow its European counterparts in carrying out a colossal bailout for corporations at the onset of the crisis. To understand why, consider the numbers. The Papandreou government today wants to extract 25 billion euros from the people over the next three years in order to reduce the budget deficit from 12.5 percent of GDP to 3 percent. Yet in one night only last year, former Prime Minister Karamanlis made available for the support of Greek banks a colossal total of 28 billion euros! Similar support programs were speedily put together for the tourist interests and other capitalist groups. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TO PAY for these bailouts, the Greek government has been forced to turn to massive borrowing. To meet its financing needs for 2010 alone, the government has to sell bonds--that is, borrow--some 55 billion euros. Investors are skeptical that the government can repay those loans. Thus, at the beginning of January, a report by Germany's Deutsche Bank on the potential risks of government bonds sent interest rates on loans to the Greek government through the roof. On January 25, with the first issue of Greek bonds for a loan of 5 billion euros, there was surprising interest, with offers for almost five times the asking amount. However, the bonds carry a stiff interest rate of 6.2 percent, which, together with the bankers' commission, raised the cost of the loan to 8 percent. The head of the bank consortium that organized this robbery was none other than Deutsche Bank, the same outfit that warned the
Re: [Marxism] World's Glaciers Continue to Melt at Historic Rates
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Paula wrote: Louis asked: Why is so hard to pin you down on the *science*? Louis, it's because the science itself is difficult to pin down. No, what is difficult to pin down is Paula. You posted a refutation on the Bolivia glacier melting based on a article that clearly states that exceptionally high temperatures in the summer over a 4 year period melted it. You are a charlatan and something of a troll, I should add. 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's Wall Street ass lick: cause and effect
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == The effect: Obama Doesn’t ‘Begrudge’ Bonuses for Blankfein, Dimon By Julianna Goldman and Ian Katz Feb. 10 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said he doesn’t “begrudge” the $17 million bonus awarded to JPMorgan Chase Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimonor the $9 million issued to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. CEO Lloyd Blankfein, noting that some athletes take home more pay. The president, speaking in an interview, said in response to a question that while $17 million is “an extraordinary amount of money” for Main Street, “there are some baseball players who are making more than that and don’t get to the World Series either, so I’m shocked by that as well.” “I know both those guys; they are very savvy businessmen,” Obama said in the interview yesterday in the Oval Office with Bloomberg BusinessWeek, which will appear on newsstands Friday. “I, like most of the American people, don’t begrudge people success or wealth. That is part of the free- market system.” http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087sid=aKGZkktzkAlA# The cause: In a Message to Democrats, Wall St. Sends Cash to G.O.P. By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK New York Times February 8, 2010 WASHINGTON — If the Democratic Party has a stronghold on Wall Street, it is JPMorgan Chase. Its chief executive, Jamie Dimon, is a friend of President Obama’s from Chicago, a frequent White House guest and a big Democratic donor. Its vice chairman, William M. Daley, a former Clinton administration cabinet official and Obama transition adviser, comes from Chicago’s Democratic dynasty. But this year Chase’s political action committee is sending the Democrats a pointed message. While it has contributed to some individual Democrats and state organizations, it has rebuffed solicitations from the national Democratic House and Senate campaign committees. Instead, it gave $30,000 to their Republican counterparts. The shift reflects the hard political edge to the industry’s campaign to thwart Mr. Obama’s proposals for tighter financial regulations. Just two years after Mr. Obama helped his party pull in record Wall Street contributions — $89 million from the securities and investment business, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics — some of his biggest supporters, like Mr. Dimon, have become the industry’s chief lobbyists against his regulatory agenda. Republicans are rushing to capitalize on what they call Wall Street’s “buyer’s remorse” with the Democrats. And industry executives and lobbyists are warning Democrats that if Mr. Obama keeps attacking Wall Street “fat cats,” they may fight back by withholding their cash. “If the president doesn’t become a little more balanced and centrist in his approach, then he will likely lose that support,” said Kelly S. King, the chairman and chief executive of BBT. Mr. King is a board member of the Financial Services Roundtable, which lobbies for the biggest banks, and last month he helped represent the industry at a private dinner at the Treasury Department. “I understand the public outcry,” he continued. “We have a 17 percent real unemployment rate, people are hurting, and they want to see punishment. But the political rhetoric just incites more animosity and gets people riled up.” A spokesman for JPMorgan Chase declined to comment on its political action committee’s contributions or relations with the Democrats. But many Wall Street lobbyists and executives said they, too, were rethinking their giving. “The expectation in Washington is that ‘We can kick you around, and you are still going to give us money,’ ” said a top official at a major Wall Street firm, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of alienating the White House. “We are not going to play that game anymore.” Wall Street fund-raisers for the Democrats say they are feeling under attack from all sides. The president is lashing out at their “arrogance and greed.” Republican friends are saying “I told you so.” And contributors are wishing they had their money back. “I am a big fan of the president,” said Thomas R. Nides, a prominent Democrat who is also a Morgan Stanley executive and chairman of a major Wall Street trade group, the Securities and Financial Markets Association. “But even if you are a big fan, when you are the piñata at the party, it doesn’t really feel good.” Roger C. Altman, a former Clinton administration Treasury official who founded the Wall Street boutique Evercore Partners, called the Wall Street backlash against Mr. Obama “a constant topic of conversation.” Many bankers, he said, failed to appreciate the “white hot anger” at Wall Street for the financial crisis. (Mr. Altman said he personally supported “the substance” of the president’s recent
Re: [Marxism] Obama's Wall Street ass lick: cause and effect
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Marv Gandall wrote: The effect: Obama Doesn’t ‘Begrudge’ Bonuses for Blankfein, Dimon By Julianna Goldman and Ian Katz Feb. 10 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said he doesn’t “begrudge” the $17 million bonus awarded to JPMorgan Chase Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimonor the $9 million issued to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. CEO Lloyd Blankfein, noting that some athletes take home more pay. Oh, I see. It took Wall Street shifting to the Republicans to get Obama lined up behind Goldman-Sachs. Interesting. That will teach me to vacation on the planet Neptune when such profound changes are taking place. 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] glaciergate
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Louis wrote: once again, keep in mind that the problem is climate change, not global warming. Climate change has been around for billions of years. It cannot be eliminated, though future generations might be able to control it to some extent. In the meantime society should expect phenomena such as the 1 degree C cooling experienced in the Bolivian highlands over the past 5 decades. My point is that in a rationally organized society such phenomena would not have the impacts they have today. Note that the author also says the Bolivian highlands are poorer than the lowlands. I suspect poverty, and not the change in temperature, is the underlying problem - otherwise we'd have to conclude that what the poor of the Bolivian highlands need now is more global warming! Words to note: THE FOUR CONSECUTIVE WARM SUMMERS OF 2002 2003, 2004 AND 2005 ALMOST COMPLETELY ELIMINATED THE GLACIER. Noted, but remember that glaciers have been retreating and disappearing for thousands of years. One main reason is surely natural global warming - what you'd expect in an inter-glacial period such as the one we are living through. But the Chacaltaya story shows us that, paradoxically, cooling can also contribute to the process. The question then is whether human activity adds anything to the natural and inevitable patterns of climate change, and if so how much and with what consequences. That question is very difficult to answer. In brief, the drop in winter temperatures is offset by a rise in summer temperatures. Paula, in the future when you are trawling for factoids to support a denialist perspective, at least take the trouble to read your material more carefully I'm afraid it's you who should have been more careful. Andersen's article on Chacaltaya does not say that the drop in winter temperatures is offset by a rise in summer temperatures. What it says is that summer temperatures have also dropped, but *less so* than winter temperatures. The article does not tell us at all *why* 2002-2005 were warm summers, but the wikipedia page does say that 'The final meltdown after 1980, due to missing precipitation and the warm phase of El Nino, resulted in its final disappearance in 2009'. For those interested, the Andersen article on Chacaltaya is at http://www.inesad.edu.bo/mmblog/mm_20090323.htm. The wikipedia page is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chacaltaya. Paula 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] glaciergate
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Paula paula_ce...@msn.com wrote: Climate change has been around for billions of years. It cannot be eliminated, though future generations might be able to control it to some extent. http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/markalause%40gmail.com ...and laughably unserious. 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] glaciergate
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Paula wrote: Climate change has been around for billions of years. It cannot be eliminated, though future generations might be able to control it to some extent. In the meantime society should expect phenomena such as the 1 degree C cooling experienced in the Bolivian highlands over the past 5 decades. My point is that in a rationally organized society such phenomena would not have the impacts they have today. I have no idea what you mean by a rationally organized society. For me, that means curtailing the production of greenhouse gases. Since you think that water vapor might be problem, I can only assume that you are indifferent to air conditioning in Phoenix, families owning one car per member, etc. But more to the point, it is impossible to understand what you propose because you are a master of evasion except fighting against poverty or some other platitude. Noted, but remember that glaciers have been retreating and disappearing for thousands of years. One main reason is surely natural global warming - what you'd expect in an inter-glacial period such as the one we are living through. But the Chacaltaya story shows us that, paradoxically, cooling can also contribute to the process. The question then is whether human activity adds anything to the natural and inevitable patterns of climate change, and if so how much and with what consequences. That question is very difficult to answer. Difficult perhaps for you, Spiked online and Alexander Cockburn. Btw, Paula, have one more go at your denialism thing and then that's it. Frankly, I am really wondering what your purpose is here since you only surface periodically to argue some point held by virtually nobody on the list except Paddy. At least he would have no use for your ideas about imperialism. To be blunt, you have the typical behavior of a troll and I don't think it is worth our time to answer you on an ongoing basis. My guess is that if you collected your denialist thoughts and put them up on a blog, they'd get about 3 visits a month. So Marxmail allows someone with bizarro ideas to have a ready-made audience. I can put up with this for a few days, but then it grows quite tiresome. 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] World's Glaciers Continue to Melt at Historic Rates
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == On 2/11/10 5:19 PM, Paula wrote: Louis, it's because the science itself is difficult to pin down. That's why scientists are still investigating climate change, improving their models, etc. For an example see this recent report, 'Water Vapor Caused One-Third of Global Warming in 1990s, Study Reveals': http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/29/water-vapour-climate-change for which there is a nice discussion over at realclimate.org from a few weeks ago: http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/01/the-wisdom-of-solomon/ along with copious scientific discussion. doubtless, Paula is entranced by the headlines because the media speculates this could fuel further attacks on the science of climate change. i assume she knows climate scientists have ALWAYS known about water vapour and its contribution to climate. as the authors of the current study state, their work is investigating decadal changes in climate due to changes in water vapour concentrations in the lower stratosphere. and in fact this may explain some suggestion that warming leveled off some in the last decade. remember that denialists ragged on Kevin Trenberth for stating we should have a better handle on *short-term* changes. well, here is a contribution, which Paula turns around and tries to push its relevance, presumably, for the longer term climate dynamics. here is from Trenberth's website, as a response to the CRU emails: In my case, one cherry-picked email quote has gone viral and at last check it was featured in over 99,200 items (in Google). Here is the quote: /The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't./ It is amazing to see this particular quote lambasted so often. It stems from a paper I published this year bemoaning our inability to effectively monitor the energy flows associated with short-term climate variability. It is quite clear from the paper that I was not questioning the link between anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and warming, or even suggesting that recent temperatures are unusual in the context of short-term natural variability. http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/cas/Trenberth/statement.html see also: http://www.skepticalscience.com/Understanding-Trenberths-travesty.html nice coverage at NOAA: The new study used calculations and models to show that the cooling from this change caused surface temperatures to increase about 25 percent more slowly than they would have otherwise, due only to the increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100128_watervapor.html and better coverage in the popular press: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704194504575031404275769886.html Les 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] reviewer wanted
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == I am looking for someone to review Valances of the Dialectic by Fred Jameson for Socialism and Democracy. If you are interested in writing the review of this book, I can be reached at snedek...@verizon.net GS 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] Obama's Wall Street ass lick: cause and effect
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == On 2010-02-11, at 6:12 PM, Louis Proyect wrote: == Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Marv Gandall wrote: The effect: Obama Doesn’t ‘Begrudge’ Bonuses for Blankfein, Dimon By Julianna Goldman and Ian Katz Feb. 10 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said he doesn’t “begrudge” the $17 million bonus awarded to JPMorgan Chase Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimonor the $9 million issued to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. CEO Lloyd Blankfein, noting that some athletes take home more pay. Oh, I see. It took Wall Street shifting to the Republicans to get Obama lined up behind Goldman-Sachs. Interesting. That will teach me to vacation on the planet Neptune when such profound changes are taking place. === Newer comrades should know that Gandall is a longstanding apologist for the DP leadership who does not understand it's historic ties to Wall Street... 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] more reds oppose BDS
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2010/01/14/why-left-wing-students-should-not-support-boycotting-israel (excerpt) Why left-wing students should not support boycotts of Israel * Produced by Workers' Liberty students. For a downloadable, copyable version of this briefing, see attachment.* *Permissible and obligatory are those and only those means which unite the working class, fill their hearts with irreconcilable hostility to oppression, teach them contempt for official morality, imbue them with consciousness of their own historic mission, raise their courage and spirit of self-sacrifice in the struggle. Precisely from this it flows that not all means are permissible. When we say that the end justifies the means, then for us the conclusion follows that the great revolutionary end spurns those base means and ways which set one part of the working class against other parts...* *Leon Trotsky, Their Morals and Ours* Since Israel's brutal invasion of Gaza in January 2009, calls for international boycotts of various aspects of Israeli society – whether academic, cultural, sporting, economic or simply thoroughgoing, root-and-branch boycotts “of Israel” – have gained prominence. Many trade unions have adopted some form of pro-boycott position, and the tactic is also being debated in the student movement. At present, unfortunately, the dominant voices opposing it are supporters of the Israeli government and those who believe that student unions should have nothing to do with big political issues. Workers’ Liberty condemned and opposed Israel's invasion of Gaza, and we condemn and oppose its occupation of the Palestinian territories. We believe solidarity with the Palestinians should be the left’s starting point on the question of Israel/Palestine. But we believe that the proposal to boycott Israel is reactionary, counter-productive and will hinder efforts to build an effective movement of solidarity with the Palestinians. In this briefing, we set out our arguments against the boycott, and for a different kind of solidarity with the Palestinians and the Israeli left. 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] more reds oppose BDS
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Similar to debates in South Africa, circa early 1980s. But then came a robust debate within the oppressed forces and with a very few exceptions, by the late 1980s no one in any liberation movement was actively opposed to sanctions and disinvestment, and the Congress of SA Trade Unions actively campaigned for sanctions, even knowing it would hardm their own membership in the short term. So principle one is always to ask: what do the oppressed people say should be done? And the progressive Palestinians that have commented on BDS have been nearly uniformly supportive. 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] Zinn on Anarchism
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Mark wrote, Of course, some people who call themselves anarchist also call themselvesMarxist. Yes they do and I call them confused. How about you? As far as actual practice goes these are fairly discrete categories in the world of real politics. Was Zinn confused in that he claimed to be simultaneously part of both of these movements? Second, what is a populist who's not voting for a third party (like the Populists)? You meant to say “the Populist Party” but you were so anxious to get to the nasty personal stuff you obviously forgot. Perhaps in your haste you simply drew a blank on the very well known history of left wing populism and its influence on radical politics in this country. It is a very well known quantity with both tremendous appeal and profound limitations. I often loose patience for those who invoke only the more well known racist/national chauvinist manifestations of populism but of course it is a much more complex movement than that (as I am sure you are well aware). I don;t understand why you feel that populists are merely those who voted for the Populist Party. This like saying that a person isn’t a Marxist unless they voted for Larry Holmes. Feel free to discuss this fascinating topic with me off line any time you wish. And, if you want to be consistent and accept what Zinn calls himself, you'd say he's an anarchist, but he doesn't call himself a populist. So, once more, you manage to switch yardsticks before your done with the sentence. Actually comrade it is you who rushed passed the subject (I) and the predicate (don’t know) in my quandary as just what Howard Zinn actually was in the way of ideology. He self identified as an anarchist but then again through all five volumes of the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, the Great Helmsman identified as a Marxist. Was he, or was the Chairman an agrarian reformer, or an unreconstructed Stalinist, or a Machiavellian (as someone here recently suggested)? Any number of people self identify as Marxists but is that the only criteria for realistically assessing them and, in the case of Howard Zinn, his impact on the era in which he lived? How about actually testing that self identification alongside what they wrote, said, and did and then try to determine the mix of ideas and influences that informed this body of work. I am quite sure that you remember all those sessions in grad school with people talking about how cool intellectual history is but that it’s impossible to get a job with that specialization. . . . . Personally, babbling about labels while ignoring the substance strikes me as fueling the illusion that we're talking about something real. I knew we would get to the nasty stuff. ‘Babbaling?’ ‘illusions?’ Any time you feel like telling me why you feel the obvious compulsion for such vitriol aimed at me and I would be most interested to hear. Please make it offlist again though because, really, there is such a thing as wasting those electrons you expressed anxiety about earlier. If so, it would have still put him one decision to the left of the CPUSA. You are unfortunately suffering under an illusion that I give a rabid raccoon’s ass if Howard Zinn, or anyone else, is to the left, the right, or in perfect synchronicity with the CPUSA. The stylistic problem with rushing to be nasty is that it oft sounds like babbling. In solidarity, Stiofan 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] Howard Zinn: The Historian who made history
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Mark, and then Shawn, wrote: In substance, my recollection is that Zinn backed Nader in 2000 but Obama in 2008. He may have supported Kerry in 2004. He (and Chomsky) supported the 'Safe State' strategy of David Cobb, as I recall, which amounted to an endorsement of Kerry without affirmatively saying so. That sure felt like a kick in the groin. When this thread started out, it seemed like the title was a bit of a stretch, but the more I think about it, the more it seems absolutely right. Zinn’s enormous reputation gave him a political leadership potential that was unique among the left wing professor set. Mark writes that ‘A People’s History’ inspired him to enter the history profession. I’m sure that Shawn wasn't the only one that that felt that swift kick from some of the political choices Zinn made. Perhaps one of the reasons that Zinn is difficult to categorize is that the devotion his work inspired causes different people to want to construct him in the shape of their own beliefs. The issues raised here of anarchism, Marxism, and populism, will continue to be discussed and there is always the occasional rabid response to look forward to. Zinn’s work and life will certainly continues to be a focus of study and debate for some time. He was definitely the historian who made history. 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-Thaxis] South Carolina AFL-CIO Endorses DC March for Jobs, Peace and Justice!
South Carolina AFL-CIO Endorses DC March for Jobs, Peace and Justice! WORKERS EMERGENCY RECOVERY CAMPAIGN P.O. Box 40009, San Francisco, CA 94140 Tel. (415) 641-8616; fax: (415) 626-1217 email: wercampa...@gmail.com website: www.wercampaign.org -- [please excuse duplicate postings, and please distribute widely] Dear Sisters and Brothers: Rank-and-file unions from various parts of the country, as well as Central Labor Councils, have been passing resolutions calling on the AFL-CIO and Change to Win to organize a massive Solidarity Day III demonstration in Washington to demand job-creation programs as well as other programs vital to working people. [See initial list of endorsers of this call below.] This campaign just took a qualitative leap forward when the statewide South Carolina AFL-CIO passed a similar resolution, which you will find below. These resolutions have a receptive audience. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka recently argued: It's not time to leave it to any political party to take care of us once we put them in office. It's time to organize and mobilize as never before to make every elected or aspiring leader PROVE he or she will create the jobs we need in an economy we need with the healthcare we need. I know we are the people who can mobilize a massive army to force elected leaders to deliver. Together, these developments signal that now is the time to act. We want to encourage all of you to raise similar resolutions in your union locals and labor/community organizations. Every resolution will help, and any single resolution might just provide the essential tipping point that results in a nationwide call for a Solidarity Day III demonstration. Every recent poll has concluded that job loss is the top concern of the American public. If we succeed in winning a call for Solidarity Day III march in Washington, this diffuse sentiment will achieve concrete expression in the streets as working people across the country mobilize under the banner of a demand for job-creation programs, single-payer healthcare, an end to home foreclosures and evictions and war, money for education and vital social services, and so on. The labor movement in this country represents the interests of the majority of the people in this country. The bankers do not. We have a solemn duty to press for Solidarity Day III so that the collective voice of the majority of working people can be heard across the nation. In Solidarity, Alan Benjamin and Bill Leumer WERC Co-Conveners SOUTH CAROLINA AFL-CIO Post Office Box 39 Swansea, S.C. 29160 * (803) 798-8300 * Toll free 866-798-8300 * FAX (803) 798-2231 * E-Mail: scafl...@bellsouth.net -- Resolution in Support of a Labor-Sponsored March on Washington WHEREAS in the aftermath of the Massachusetts special senatorial election, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued a statement declaring, It's time to organize and mobilize as never before to make every elected or aspiring leader PROVE he or she will create the jobs we need in an economy we need with the healthcare we need. I know we are the people who can mobilize a massive army to force elected leaders to deliver; and WHEREAS despite the so-called economic recovery, the economic crisis for working people has continued unabated, with growing unemployment and underemployment, rising home foreclosures and evictions, and the underfunding of public education and vitally needed social services; and WHEREAS the government has bestowed billions of bailout dollars on the financial institutions whose recklessness and greed created this economic crisis and who are rewarding those responsible with obscene gigantic bonuses; and WHEREAS the labor movement's legislative priorities -- a massive program for jobs, true universal healthcare, and enactment of the Employee Free Choice Act -- are all in great peril; and WHEREAS while the government has no problem allocating a trillion dollars for two wars thousands of miles away, it has not committed funds critically needed to put America back to work, with healthcare and quality education for all; and WHEREAS right wing, anti-labor forces, such as the Tea Bag movement, have brought hundreds of thousands of people into the streets to advance their reactionary demands; and WHEREAS there is a growing movement within the House of Labor to counter the right-wing offensive against workers' living standards with our own massive mobilization; and WHEREAS various union bodies, including the South Bay Labor Council (CA), acting on a resolution submitted by Plumbers and Fitters Local 393, Troy Area Labor Council (NY), and the San Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO, have adopted resolutions calling upon the AFL-CIO and Change to Win to organize a Solidarity Day III March on Washington D.C. in the spring of 2010 to demand jobs, healthcare, housing, full funding for public education and social services, and peace; now therefore be it RESOLVED that the South
