Date: 13 Feb 96 18:12:42 EST
From: "Chris, London" <100423.2040-AT-compuserve.com>
Subject: To Elsequin


To Elsequin-AT-aol.com

Hello,

You have made it very clear that you are *extremely* angry with Scott.

There is no censorship of this l*st and therefore you are free to go 
on posting in this fashion if you wish. 

However I see from the print out this morning of the l*st of subscribers
that you are the third most recent person to sign on. That means you are
very recent. You seem to have plunged in without lurking for a while. You have 
adopted a style which is different from  what people expect. 

I do not know what your hopes were about this l*st, but there are one or
two catches. This is an extremely high volume l*st, and any posts that
do not link up positively with others get swept away like in a sand storm. 

While everyone is free to post, no one is compelled to read. 
Everyone needs an excuse to select and to press the delete button. 
Some may already have put you in a "kill file".

When Scott joined this l*st about a year ago he received a very hard time
from some, though using rather different language to your own. He was seen
by many as a supporter of everything that had gone wrong in the Soviet Union
and had been done wrong by Communist Parties.  He now
has a space on this list which is not challenged in itself, though some 
will diagree vigorously with certain things he argues.

Your attacks may have the reverse effect of what you intend. Certainly
for me, and I am very aware of how strongly I disagree with Scott on a subject
like Yugoslavia, and I suspect, Afghanistan, I feel supportive of him when I 
read your posts. He feels like one of us. This may be a complete illusion,
but that is what I feel when I read your posts. Sorry to disappoint you.

As for allegations about the CPUSA there are conflicts and injustices
in all organisations. You may think you are making wounding points but
there are 350 other readers of this l*st and you are not paying any attention to 
how they might see things. They may take it all in their stride.

It's up to you. You are going to have to mail a lot of mails to keep up 
the pressure, particularly if you may be making people more sympathetic to 
Scott with each one. 

You have made clear how extremely angry you are.
 
What are your other hopes and interests in joining this l*st?
There is a lot going on here, including a lot of opposition to 
"Stalinism" if you would care to read it, or look through the archives. 
It's just done a different way.

Take care,

Chris,
London. co-moderator.


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