From: Montyneill-AT-aol.com
Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 12:13:50 EST
Subject: Re: AUT: Re: Russia without the Bolsheviks???



--part1_cb.2b54c035.2b09284e_boundary

In a message dated 11/9/2002 2:31:40 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
haraldba-AT-online.no writes:


> Had
> one taken such experiences as a point of departure,
> the co-operatives that actually existed, and that
> were functioning, if not perfect, tried generalizing
> them and organising them better, taken a minimum
> of consideration to "peasant mentality" and their
> natural resentment to a policy of The Lord Gives -- the
> promises of the revolution --  the Lord Takes [the
> return of the Tsar dressed in leather caps and
> armed], done something to avoid that tonns of food
> was rottening at central ware-houses, taking intiatives
> to produce things peasants actually needed or
> wanted etc.  rather than giving the empty promises
> at gunpoint ... etc., then...  All this of course demanded
> that power and organisational efforts was brought
> down to where most of the first-hand knowledge existed.
>         

I largely agree with your short statement, Harald. The question that emerges 
from your  text I block above is: who is the <one> to do these many necessary 
things? You note there are examples of activity "from below" - but rather 
evidently, no where near enough, not generalized or networked or organized 
sufficiently either. Something similar in terms of questions to be answered 
(what <ones>?) albeit in many, many very different particulars, is emerging 
in Argentina, I think. To link to that thread, Scott suggests there could be 
need for a repressive apparatus (sad but most likely true) that he says 
should be democratically controlled (indeed) - but, how? 

I have not even a suggestion of an answer beyond the abstract and the formal 
- real answers require real concrete knowledge and willingness to investigate 
and think (the argentina solidarity list serv noted a few days ago seems 
dominated by folks who lack one, the other or both requirements). 

Monty 

--part1_cb.2b54c035.2b09284e_boundary

HTML VERSION: