Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 16:34:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: Louis N Proyect <lnp3-AT-columbia.edu>
Subject: Re: Against Opportunism


On Mon, 19 Aug 1996, Louis R Godena wrote:

> 
> Now,  like Moses,  Louis (P) is threatening to lead the "serious Marxist
> thinkers" (read the usual suspects)--Doug, Rahul,  Carrol,  Zeynep, and,
> presumably,  himself--off the list,  but to where?     "Change is coming,"
> he assures the rest of us,  ominously.     But change to/for what?        


Louis: Did it ever occur to you, Louis, that people like Doug and I are
sick and tired of being the target of ideological attacks from people who
do not even regard us as Marxists? I want to be in a space, for example,
where a debate might take place between David Harvey and James O'Connor.
Harvey was in NY in July speaking on Capital at the Brecht Forum. The
subject of O'Connor's "2nd contradiction" of Capital came up and Harvey
stated that he disagreed with this notion. Basically, he said that
capitalism has ways of adapting to apparently "apocalyptic" environmental
threats.

Now both Harvey and O'Connor have email and I would love to see them
exchange ideas. Do you think they would be comfortable in a space where we
get daily lectures from Rolf Martens on the wonders of plutonium? I
started reading a book on nuclear power a few days ago in order to answer
him and I realized what a waste of time it would be. I would want to talk
about Kerr-McGee and Karen Silkwood, and he would want to talk about
Chicago gangsters and cosmic energy.

This list sometimes reminds me of one of those Jacques Cousteau
documentaries. We are at the very bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and see all
sorts of exotic creatures. There is a Malecki eel with a penis where a
nose usually goes and a vagina at the mouth. This creatures has
intercourse with itself and propagates the species. Over there we have a
Martens squid. This creature pours out gallons of poisonous ink at
predators. The ink, while not lethal, can put its foe into a deep sleep
for weeks.



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