Date: Mon, 7 Apr 1997 09:25:32 -0400 (EDT)
From: Louis Proyect <lnp3-AT-columbia.edu>
Subject: Re: M-TH: centrism


Jerry Levy:
>
That is, centrist leaders, which could be said to be a
>petty-bourgeois layer in the workers movement, attempt to maintain "unity"
>by creating and maintaining an organization in which these differences are
>glossed over and surpressed rather than confronted and discussed (since a
>discussion of those differences, which are often fundamental in nature,
>would show that there really is no principled basis for unity).
>

Louis: This is a term you use against me on a continuous basis and it shows
how little regard you have for using terms in a precise manner. You use it
as a way of stigmatizing my beliefs by attaching a reductionist label to them.

I am an independent Marxist thinker with ties to no political party. My
attitude toward Stalin is a matter of record. I have papers on the Marxism
archives that are detailed accounts of Stalin's divergence from Marxism:

1) The concessions to the kulaks during the NEP which he then turned against
in 1929. This zigzagging destroyed Soviet agriculture

2) The phony notion that the allies in WWII were progressive.

3) The repression of democratic socialist engineers who opposed Stalin's
industrialization model.

4) The interference in the affairs of the American CP, the elevation of
Foster over Browder in an undemocratic fashion.

It is good that you put the word unity in quotes, since you know and I know
and Adolfo knows that we have zero in common politically. It is nothing but
a dirty lie that Adolfo and I were in a bloc.

What I did was extend to him the courtesy of not trying to bait him into a
flame war. There are a million questions I could have challenged him about,
but I didn't. I thought it was important to have a representative of the
Communist Party of Peru on the list. You don't. You are not comfortable
being around people you disagree with.

That is why you came over to m2 with Lisa Rogers. Fine. The rest of us had
no problem with that. When m2 became thaxis, it went into some kind of
hibernation which people over here don't seem to have an explanation for.

Then you waltzed over to m-i looking for some action, knowing full well that
the "Stalinists" were there, as well as me, your nemesis. What did you
expect to find over there? An URPE conference?

Jesus Christ, Jerry. You are good for one thing and one thing only.
Destroying conversations that other people are having. Back in January
thaxis turned into an encounter session with you over your resentments
toward m-i and it has not been the same since. Then you came over to m-i and
did the same kind of number.

What can we expect out of you on m-i? I expect the same sort of thing we are
getting here. Attempts to settle old scores with me. Forget about that,
Jerry. I am the Howard Stern of the Internet and will always be able to pull
some rabbit out of the hat to make you even crazier than you are.

Why don't you do a book report or something? Two years ago you used to give
nice little book reports to the old Marxism list. Of course, these books
were the sort of items that were of interest only to specialists in a given
field, but that was harmless.

If you are so obsessed with me, why don't you keep it private. I would love
to exchange private mail with you. You have no idea of how many surprises I
have in store. Or do you want to meet me in person? You could tell me the
story about throwing up in the back-seat of the car. You seem like the
raconteur of the century.




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