American Commie speaks

[telebob]

Roger that, Roger.

I agree.  Having communism around as both a threat and an example actually
made the world a little better. (At the same time it was scaring our pants
off.) But I have to say its last few vestiges like North Korea and Cuba are
hardly shining examples of functional societies.  They are perverted
authoritarian states working as mechanisms for cults of personality, to use
the old phrase. The apologists for World Corporatism point to them as the
true product of communism, when they are really highly flawed examples of
the paradigm.

The real question for todays Communists is how to have communism work
'democratically' and to advocate pluralism and a fairer distribution of
goods and services.  Having the 'State' mimic what we hate so much about
Corporatism is no solution to the dilemma. (Authoritarian oligarchies)

But good for the CPUSA if they are working at the molecular level of
families and promoting working class unity. And he be right on about the
'gloomy Chomsky.' Commies are in the eclipse, but I for one say bring 'em
back. We need someone to out and out represent the spirit of real
revolution.

I bet if someone could really get the message out like Gus Hall did, there
would be a whole new generation of people ready to listen.  Not just
Greens...but real Reds.

teleb


-----Original Message-----
From: austin-ghetto-list-admin@pairlist.net
[mailto:austin-ghetto-list-admin@pairlist.net]On Behalf Of
rcbaker@eden.infohwy.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2004 10:06 PM
To: austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net
Subject: American Commie speaks


How often do you hear a real old USA Commie speak about what
it was like to be within the party decades ago? To me its like finding an
old
Edison recording cylinder in a forgotten attic. This guy Cord from
another list was around during the golden Commie age of the thirties.
Here is a piece of one of his missives in response to the dissing the
Commies by the crazy left wing of the Greens. -- Roger

             ****************************************

Even with all the problems, failings & crimes that inevitably occur
in a widely successful poltical movement, the Communists established
the only actual alternative for the working class that's ever existed
in the modern era. Why do you so want to denigrate that historic
achievement? The Soviet Union was the center of a powerful
international alliance of workers' parties that created better
conditions and liberated more people in a few short decades than any
other force before or since.
The world was generally a better place to live while Soviet power
ruled large parts of the globe. The US was a better country, too.
Workers in the US will probably never again achieve the gains they
did during the Popular Front days and after WW2. This golden age for
the US working class was possible because of the existence of Soviet
socialism, which put pressure on Capital by way of its shining
example.
It's interesting to me that the greatest expansion of civil rights &
liberties in our country's history was achieved during the Cold War.
But, since the dissolution of Soviet power, we've seen these gains be
eroded with stunning swiftness. Gus Hall predicted all this, by the
way, in 1991. Of course, he was mocked for this at the time by the
CoC faction. And where are they now, I wonder? I don't hear anyone
admitting that Gus was correct, now that his predictions have been
confirmed. What ever became of those dreamy illusions that the
factionalists put forth about how wonderful everything would be with
the demise of those bad old "Stalinists" in Moscow?
Don't waste your breath, man, on bashing the Communist Party USA.
While you & your fellows are trying to tell the working class that it
doesn't really matter if Bu$h gets re-elected, the CPUSA is working
to bolster working families' unity & strength by promoting class
solidarity and Union power. What more would you expect from a CP
working deep within the belly of the beast?
And yes, I can think of many Communist intellectuals: Aptheker,
Jackson, DuBois, Parenti, Eisenhower, Bonosky, Azad, Perlo and others
come to mind. Of course, the CP doesn't emphasize intellectualism, as
such. Working class leaders, like Gus Hall, who knew how to run a
strike, were of more value to the movement. Still, Gus Hall was a
brilliant analyst of current affairs and wrote dozens of books and
pamphlets that are marvels of political/philosophical clarity and
concision. You may never have read anything by him, though, being too
busy reading the gloomy Chomsky or the hapless Hawkins, I suppose.
In any event, we'd better get back to dealing with our current
powerlessness in this the New World Order. Sure beats Socialism,
doesn't it now?
Peace& Love, -Cord