www.newsandletters.org
|
www.newsandletters.org
|
|
|
Readers' ViewsMARXIST-HUMANIST PERSPECTIVES FOR 2009-2010: CRISES COMPEL RETURN TO MARXISM OF MARX When the U.S. sneezes, we here take out the Kleenex. Canada is very aware of U.S. activities/presidents. These are interesting times, the U.S. is no longer the center of the universe. I lived through the depression in the 1930s, your Hoover and then New Deal Roosevelt. We didn't come out of it until the war. I think we are very close to those times again, but with the means to organize and get the word out--not just street demonstrations, but email, facebook, and the like--I do not think the massive disaster of then will be repeated. The powers that be will see to that. For instance, here, where we have employment insurance, the number of entitlement weeks are being extended. We also have universal healthcare and I can see the U.S. is going to do something, if not similar, at least an improvement on what has been. I disagree with your Perspectives thesis (N&L April-May 2009) that the crisis compels a return to Marx. Would that it were so. The war pulled us out of the 1930s, and don't ever kid yourself, a lot of lessons were learned, i.e., don't go back to soup kitchens and relief camps. As a stop-gap measure, I sometimes think there should be a demand for a "Ten Times Society" where the top earner is paid no more than 10 times the bottom layer. That would be seen as equitable and fair, and not as scary as something totally different. In short, I am much more pessimistic than your headline "Crisis compels return to Marx." Your Lead article, "Crisis compels return to Marx," (N&L April-May 2009) was well and bravely put. This is a country where Marx is a four-letter word, albeit everywhere else it is recognized that his critique of capitalism is the best there has ever been. Capitalism simply does not work, and visibly does not work. It is a corpse even Jesus could not revive. By wearing the straitjacket of capitalism, President Obama has seriously self-limited his options and has concluded in advance never to think outside the box. Americans who want to see our future need only take a week off, go to Haiti and look around. Scary? It's a searing indictment as to where raw capitalism leads, a preview of Coming Attractions/Distractions. The people of Haiti have heard that "capitalism will save us" song and dance for 200 years. You have only to go and see for yourself.This country is in desperate need of a strong dose of Marxist analysis. For those N&L readers who have trouble getting a handle on U.S. capitalism, it is well to note that when George Bush was sworn in as President, he took an oath to uphold and defend legalized slavery: the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which prohibits "involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime." Barack Obama took that same oath. So what is the difference between a capitalist and a capitalist? One of the fascinating things so far is that the Obama administration has adopted, in part, a state capitalism (Stalinism) that Raya Dunayevskaya described and denounced for much of her life. She and her works could not be more relevant than today. I noted with interest that you had listed, in the Perspectives for 2009-2010, a plan to "mark the 2010 centenary of the birth of Raya Dunayevskaya with forums and publications drawing attention to her Marxist-Humanist body of ideas as indispensable for forging the missing link between philosophy and revolution." There will certainly be an enormous number of discoveries she made about Marx, to be celebrated in that centenary. They will make clear why N&L has been so determined to specify the difference between the Marxism of Marx and what "post-Marx Marxism" has passed off as "Marxism"--beginning, as Dunayevskaya insisted, with Engels himself. I look forward to the forums I trust you will make sure to let your readers know about throughout the year ahead. LEON DESPRES -- A LIFETIME OF BATTLES FOR HUMANITY Leon Despres was a remarkable human being--a lawyer who tried to keep those he represented "out of the courts" whenever possible to allow reasonable human relations to work out the solution needed; a legendary figure in Chicago politics, who brought wisdom along with extraordinary legal knowledge to the battles with the city's rulers for which he was famous. The outpouring of admiration in the press for this renowned figure, when his death was reported in May, soon after he had celebrated his 101st birthday, was not only for his exceptional energy and sharpness of mind and wit right up to that day, but for the lasting impact he had on the city of Chicago and far beyond. The countless tributes that filled pages in the papers recounted in detail the wars he waged with Mayor Richard J. Daley that were woven into the historic fabric of Chicago, describing the way Daley was driven more than once to end the battle by simply cutting off Despres' microphone. They recount the way--in the 20 years from 1955 through 1975, when he fought those wars as the 5th Ward alderman from Hyde Park, most often completely alone--that he lost more battles than he won but still succeeded in opening the door to the mayor's office to African Americans. They will note that he kept up the fight against discrimination so adamantly, even when Black aldermen tied to the Daley machine declined to stand with him, that he was called "the only Negro on the City Council." Many an "In Memoriam" noted his marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and chartering a plane to take 184 others with him to participate in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery, Alabama march. Some even noted that he and his wife, Marian, were the ones asked by Leon Trotsky's supporters to take a suitcase of clothes to Trotsky because he and Natalia had literally nothing when they had been given a haven in Mexico after their exile by Stalin. What the reports do not note is that throughout his life Despres called that meeting with Trotsky his proudest moment. Although he was far from being a "Trotskyite," like many others he vigorously supported the investigation of the infamous "Moscow Trials" by the Dewey Commission into the false charges against Trotsky. Although all these are among the many reasons News and Letters Committees holds Leon Despres in high esteem, there was a very special relationship between them that demands being acknowledged. It began when N&LC moved from Detroit to Chicago in 1984 and Raya Dunayevskaya sought his advice on how to "set up shop" in a new state. Leon Despres chose her as much as she chose him to be her legal counsel, for a relationship that continued between him and N&LC to the end of his long and vibrant life. It can be summed up in the way he declared, as he re-studied the N&LC Constitution anew over 20 years later, that it was an "amazing document in its uniqueness and continuing richness." He was there to share his advice and help, whether any legal case was involved or not, throughout all those years. There have been many beneficiaries of the wisdom Leon Despres had achieved through a lifetime of struggles for dignity and respect. It is why Chicago headlines noted his passing by calling him the "conscience of the City." More directly, it is why N&LC so deeply mourns his passing and so highly honors the special relationship it was our great good fortune to have had. In his review of Van Jones' The Green Collar Economy in the April-May issue of N&L, D. Cheneville really captures the tragic silliness of thinking capitalism is the solution to the problems it creates. Jones seems to advocate the tactic of using capitalism before it uses you as expressed by Oakland hip hop artist DNok at a Silence the Violence forum earlier this year. The missed point is that someone will get used. These brothers are serious about taking matters into their own hands and immersing themselves in the project of street-smart self-determination. But when capitalism is the methodology there is a dangerously thin line between "Be the change you want to see" and "Stop me before I kill again." In order to get California Senator Dianne Feinstein's attention so that she will act to support the Employee Free Choice Act (card check-off and other rights), a group of workers, some from the San Francisco Labor Council, and some religious groups, held a two-day hunger strike at a high profile corner in San Francisco starting June 3. We heard stories of harassment, firings, free speech violations, and intimidation. Hotel and restaurant workers had especially harsh experiences to tell of. The hunger strike ended early, as people from Feinstein's office finally agreed to talk to the union supporters, though whether Senator Feinstein will move on the measure is not yet certain. No more than 30 yards away, there was another action at the same time by Wells Fargo contract workers, who leafleted and talked to people in front of the bank's Main Branch. The movement for unions is snowballing in the San Francisco area and elsewhere in California. Spirits are high. Workers have been pushed down for years and it is time to turn that around. In downtown Los Angeles members of Carpenters Local 1506 are holding a large banner daily, reading "Labor Dispute! Shame on Hagens Berman." Their flyer explains that Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, through general contractor Hansji Urban, Inc., hired nonunion subcontractor N U Enterprise to work on a Hagens Berman office project in Phoenix. By hiring N U the area's labor standards (wages and benefits) were not met. The flyer cited a Sept. 3, 2008, Judgment and Order, where the California Attorney General forced the owner of N U Enterprise to pay over $1.6 million for cheating workers out of wages and benefits. The union asks supporters to call Steve Berman, at (206) 623-7292, to see that area labor standards are met on any projects they are involved in. We read that we need to create at least 24 million new jobs in the U.S. At present, 12.5 million workers are "officially" unemployed, 10.5 million are underemployed with sub-livable wages, and at least 4 million have given up looking and are not even counted in the statistics. That adds up to 27 million workers (16.7%) and the numbers are rising daily. President Obama's solution to stimulate the economy by creating or saving 3 million jobs is a non-solution. As Raya Dunayevskaya stated in her 1986 article on "Capitalist Production/Alienated Labor" (printed in the Oct.-Nov. 2008 N&L), under capitalism more and more capital is invested in dead labor (machines) and less and less in alienated human labor. The capitalists try to raise the resulting lower rate of profit by lowering wages but they are creating no jobs or products. This cycle is what has now reached meltdown. Parliamentary elections in Lebanon ended with the governing March 14 coalition returning with a slightly increased majority of 71 seats, as compared to 57 for the rival March 8 coalition made up of Hezbollah and its allies. The results are a repudiation of Hezbollah's attacks of May 7, 2008, upon opposing political factions, which raised the specter of renewed civil war. The group's weapons, which it claims are purely for defense against Israel, were seen to be directed closer to home. While significant as a rejection of violence, the results leave many questions open. The mandate of the Doha Conference, which gave a one-third veto power to Hezbollah and its allies, has expired and it remains to be seen whether there will be pressure to reinstate that one fruit of the May 7 attacks. The people of Lebanon have no desire to fight another war with Israel, and even less another civil war. One analyst said, "Lebanon's voters gave the White House the victory it wanted--with a lot of help from Hezbollah." I wonder, was it Obama's Cairo speech beseeching "moderation" and "pragmatism"? Or was it the millions in campaign funds bankrolled by Saudi Arabia for a fellow Sunni candidate in Lebanon? Whatever the case, it seems the Arab extremists are put in their place. If only something similar were also to happen in Israel to put Netanyahu in his place. A welcome sight at the rally for the striking Stella D'Oro workers were numerous supporters from teachers' unions, both urban and suburban. Everywhere school systems are holding teachers "accountable" for student performance on standardized tests. At the same time, teachers are laid off, which increases class size and means that more and more teachers have to teach outside their subject areas. And almost unrecognized is the effect of cuts in other school staff--the unsung heroes of education. When a district cuts counselors, aides to special education teachers, custodians and "lunch ladies," students are deprived of that many more caring adults, with those left to do the job stressed to the max. Those who came out to support the Stella D'Oro workers recognized that workplace abuses hurt the entire community, whether it is a school or a factory that previously provided decent jobs for their students' parents. THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION 30 YEARS LATER The article by Raya Dunayevskaya in her "From the Archives" column (April-May 2009 N&L) was written almost 30 years ago on the process in which Bani-Sadr was driven out of power despite having won 75% of the people's vote. Now, people are using Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign to wage their struggle and voice their aspiration for full-fledged freedom. What is important to remember is that Freedom is not just a philosophic concept but a real human need that people are fighting for. Are Marxists listening to this voice for freedom, or are they caught in the election analysis and shy to act because Ahmadinejad is spewing "anti-imperialist" rhetoric? REMEMBERING RICHARD PEGUE: MOVEMENT DJ AND SONGWRITER Chicago disc jockey and songwriter Richard Pegue died March 3 after suffering a fatal heart attack at the age of 65. Pegue began his music career at Hirsch High School on the South Side of Chicago, where he graduated in 1961. At the time, he was a member of a doo-wop group and they recorded a single on the legendary Chess records. Pegue later earned his degree in broadcasting at Columbia College and went on to write a tune called "I'm Not Ready To Settle Down" for Little Ben and the Cheers. Pegue started his career as a guest dj on WVON in 1968 and became program director at various stations including WVON, WGCI FM and AM, WOPA, WJPC. In 1969 he began his regular dusty (oldies) program featuring mostly rhythm and blues, jazz, blues and a little taste of gospel. In 1969 Pegue wrote a political Black power movement song, "Nobody Gonna Turn Us Round," released when Chicago Black Panther activists Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were assassinated. At the time the tune was heavily exposed on WVON and WGRT. At the time of his passing, Pegue wrote columns for the local StreetWise newspaper and a Chicago South Side publication The Crusader. We have just finished the general elections in India. Everything was absolutely paralyzed for nearly one month. There is a very strong Maoist group who were against the elections and spread that "whoever goes to vote, his/her height will be diminished" (= they will cut their heads off). Therefore, many people, especially indigenous, did not vote. The Maoists are very violent and we have continuous strikes, during which offices and schools, transport and shops are closed out of fear. And they are increasing their power. Actually, there is a "corridor" from Nepal to Sri Lanka. You can never know who are the members of these groups. The party of Sonia Gandhi that won the elections is much better than BJP, which won the elections in our area and wants to make all India Hindu. CORRECTION Our thanks to readers who pointed out that the article on the "Death of John Karnei" misspelled his name in the headline. We also put the wrong date for the day of his death. It was Jan. 5. We regret the errors which we corrected immediately on our website. In reading through the perspectives theses over the past 11 years, I often thought there was a bit of overkill with regard to what was shared. All the theory was discussed in relation to world events, but it often seemed unwieldy to read, and as a result, to really understand unless you were an insider to N&LC. One of the things that I really appreciated in this year's perspectives was a simple definition that "The most urgent of our tasks this year is the culmination of all our work. . .in projection and development of new relationships as membership growth to help in carrying out our tasks on the pathway to revolution and the establishment of a new, truly human world." That goal creates a compelling and poignant argument for the changes that N&LC have gone through over the past several years, so that the organization could be a truly inclusive entity. This year's perspectives thesis is perhaps more universally informative about capitalist world affairs than any in the past. What I appreciate is that there is no boilerplate "okay we need to blindly return to Marxist thought to solve all the world's ills," but rather, a question of "what kind of return would best serve the changing dynamics of today's world." One of the ironies of trying to discuss Marxist-Humanism with people was educating them first that Marxism was not Communism, a theory that even well-educated persons tended to hold onto. It was confounding and stodgy for one who was not well versed in Hegel, Marx, or others. This year N&LC got it right, and the responses that I got back from several who have read the perspectives has been one of complete understanding. What most--me included--like is that Obama is not getting a free pass. Despite his significance as a history-making individual, there is a sense that the convoluted policies of this nation, and capitalism in general, may transcend the power of one man to change, even with the resources of the West behind him, simply because, despite his heritage, he still represents the largest capitalist enterprise in the world. Another aspect of the perspectives that I particularly appreciated was the concept of needing to build upon Raya's ideas rather than trying to egotistically rewrite the doctrine. I like the direction of applying her thoughts to the concept of living today, instead of trying to reinvent the wheel; of attaching our cart to the wheels of change already put into motion by Raya. It allows people to climb aboard and ride to true change through a viable and conducive revolutionary dialogue that takes their opinions, ideas, and differences into account. The need for N&L, as not only a news source but as a vehicle to publish the perspectives, is witnessed by its ability to share Marxist-Humanist dialogue with persons who do not have access to the internet or to the treatises discussed within the publication. One thing I would like to see sometime in the future is to have new ideas come online to further Raya's goals for a new generation of thinkers to build upon her thoughts and storm the barricades of fundamentalist capitalism, racism, gender and class struggles. How would the rank and file--the average person on the streets--evaluate Raya's thoughts as they understand them? There is always room for change and improvement and it will be interesting to watch how the new stewardship of N&LC moves forward to ensure that the perspectives, ideas, and goals are met and exceeded. For the first time since the late 1990s, reading News & Letters and thinking about the goals of N&LC is exciting again. . .and that is what change (real change) should be about.
|
|
Home l News & Letters Newspaper l Back issues l News and Letters Committees l Raya Dunayevskaya l Contact us l Search l RSS
Published by News and Letters Committees
|
