Date: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 16:48:02 +0200 (MET DST)
From: rolf.martens-AT-mailbox.swipnet.se (Rolf Martens)
Subject: On Sid C.'s proposals for a Marxism list


On Sid C.'s proposals for a Marxism list
[Posted: 25.04.98]

Siddharth Chatterjee wrote, on 24.04:

>I have been reading the posts about the recent developments 
>and about starting a new M-G list. First of all thanks to 
>Vladimir, Mark and Rolf for volunteering  to set  and run the 
>new list (manually) for the first few months. I will suggest 
>a number of points below and then attach a letter received 
>today regarding some ideas.

I on my part *would* like to try running a list. Technically,
as I wrote, it unfortunately is impossible me to do so, at
least in the immediate future. I'd have to learn some technique
and get some software. Mark does have the technical capability, 
he writes, but his conditions - the excluding of some people 
which whom I on my part sharply disagree but who've *done 
nothing really disruptive* - I find unacceptable.

Your suggestions, Sid, on the whole are good, I find. Concerning
the whole matter I'd like to say first of all one more time:

We can always use Usenet! For instance the newsgroup 
'alt.society.revolution', as suggested by Bob Malecki too.

(Btw, strangely - or not so strangely? - in recent days my
Usenet reader program always closes down, saying "error", when
I try to open and read that particular newsgroup. Coincidence,
or some people out there who think this is a ["too"] good idea
too?) 

[Sid:]

>For now, here are the important items pointwise:

>(a) Server - This server should preferably be owned and run by 
>progressive people and not by commercial/university ones. Two 
>reasons: such a server will not be subject to pressure of 
>pulling the rug from under the feet. Second, such progressive 
>servers should be supported even if it means that a monetary 
>fee is involved. If we do not take care of our own, nobody 
>will. Such a server seems to be available (more below).

Instead of talking of "progressive people" it's preferable, all
experience shows, to say "people who say they're progressive".
This group includes, doesn't it, not so few groups of swindlers
who're really just as much opposed to the interests of the
overwhelming majority of people and, in particular, to Marxism
as are any commercial/university-based groups.

[Sid, reproducing letter he got:]

>I am proposing we try to get all the lists over at Blythe 
>Systems because they have a proven political track record.
>Unlike most web sites and archives, they are political 
>activists who have withstood numerous political attacks from 
>reactionaries due to their pro-Cuba and pro-PCP web sites.  
>Also, we on the left should be willing to support left-wing 
>alternatives to corporate and academic systems.

As for "pro-Cuba" and "pro-PCP" web sites, it should be pointed
out that the "tradtional-type" or "open" reactionaries, who're
"railing" at Cuba and - in another way, and even more so - at 
the PCP in Peru, in realty are *very pleased* with the totally
revisionist Cuban system's being presented as "socialism",
since this so clearly goes to discredit all real socialism.

And the PCP, while leading a just struggle against the reac-
tionary regime in Peru, since long is sitting in the awful trap
of its having signed that anti-Marxist CIA piece of shit the
"RIM Declaration" of 1984, which the reactionaries are trying
to stick down the throats of (actually) progressive people in-
ternationally too. 

In a word, those websites mentioned which are being run by
Blythe (those of "RCP"-USA, of "CSRP", of "New Flag" etc,) in 
reality are *reactionary traps* - notwithstanding the no doubt 
sincere intentions of some of their supporters. So one should 
not take the fact that they remain undisturbed as much indica-
tion of *real* pro-leftist standfastness on the part of the 
people who run Blythe.

That would be very naive! Nevertheless, I agree that one could
try and see if Blythe would host a *basically genuine* pro-
Marxism site/list too. Hopefully, many who haven't seen through
the phony nature of the things I mentioned above and who're
reading Blythe sites would be opposing suppression attempts
against such a thing.


[Further, from that letter:]

>Blythe charges $70 per year for a mailing list, and there would
>be additional cost for an organizational email account.  I 
>realize it is tempting to go with free corporate-sponsored or 
>academic systems, but we should support sites run by the left.  

[Well, "the left", as I said, divides into 1) genuine, 2) phony.
But it's fine with me to support sites run by people who say
they're leftists, for as long as they don't clearly turn out to
be something else and opposite.] 

>Also, there should be some effort on our part to avoid the 
>tendency to fragment the Marxism space into personal projects 
>which are likely to gradually die out over time.

The fragmentation tendency in general is bad, yes. A "personal
project" of *mine* (if and when technically possible, which
it isn't now) *would* be reliable - I'm telling you.

In practice, I'd gladly contribute financially to a project
for running a list of the M-G type on, say, Blythe, with for
instance $ 10 per year or something like that - for "ordinary
people" in a country such as Sweden (like myself), that would
be no problem.

I'd like to stress the importance of keeping the mailing list
*very open*. Provocateurs and cops really can do *no harm*,
unless disrupting with dozens and dozens of spam postings per-
haps, but are instead not seldom *very instructive* for all to 
read. The danger of "uncomfortable" people being wrongfully 
kicked out on some pretexts or other in that direction is the
one that one must guard against above all. 

Rolf M.

[This posting measured by me at 5.4 kB]