"Today, some liberals and leftists are attracted to the antigovernment and anticapitalist radicalism - and militant `toughness' - of budding fascist groups. Those who cross the bridge to fascism are sick and tired of working-class politics, which appeals to the capacity of working people to think and act; they are drawn to the rightists' emotional appeals and politics of resentment." Are Marxists devoid of emotion? Do they not also make "emotional appeals"? Should we not have been "emotional" about the threatened execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal. This method of arguing sounds a lot like the muddle-headed liberalism that Koppel is trying to argue against. "Rightists" don't appeal to people's capacity to think? The way to deal with "rightists" is to tell people that they (the "rightists") don't think! I see. That will solve the problem.
Using this kind of obviously shoddy argument against your opponents will surely drive more people into their arms. And what about "resentment"? I "resent" the fact that the employers extract surplus value from my labor and use it to enrich themselves. I "resent" the fact that racist cops are blowing people away every day. Does that mean that I have fallen victim to the "politics of resentment"? These stock phrases that Koppel throws out are literal repetitions of the liberal twaddle dished out only too frequently by pundits from the New York Times to the Nation. Please, as socialists, let's get some better argumentation. The "rightists" (however the SWP defines them) will have a field day with Koppel if they ever see his article.
"Communists share no common ground with the rightists' hatred of government wiretapping." WHAT? What does THAT mean? That we support government wiretapping of rightists? That if someone chooses to become a "rightist," then we're going to look the other way if her or his constitutional rights are violated? This is one of the strangest editorials I've ever seen in the Militant. A reader by E-mail
Chicago cop killing
On September 27, a Cook County grand jury charged
Chicago police officer Gregory Becker with involuntary man
slaughter and ten charges of official misconduct in the
July 30 shooting of Joseph Gould.
Gould, a homeless man who washed windows of cars and businesses, was shot in the head at close range. Witnesses say that Gould had approached Becker and a companion as they left a downtown tavern. A loud dispute erupted between the two. As Becker reached his car parked nearby, he retrieved his service pistol from the trunk. In the confrontation that followed, Joseph Gould lay dying. Becker and his friend drove off. The off-duty cop failed to report the shooting. Later, Becker's companion claimed that they had not known Gould was hit.
The cop was traced through his car's license plate, which was noted by a witness. Becker has pleaded innocent to the charges.
The indictment of Becker came after a number of street protests, heated city hall hearings, and press conferences. Cook County state's attorney Jack O'Malley originally charged Becker with murder the day after the shooting, but reduced the charge to involuntary manslaughter. He then took the unusual step of presenting the case before Associate Circuit Judge Robert Bastone for a preliminary hearing, instead of going before a grand jury. Bastone dismissed all but two charges of official misconduct. This move sparked outraged protests from homeless workers, advocates for the homeless, and fighters against police brutality. O'Malley then took the case before a grand jury.
A victory in securing any serious charges at all is recognized by many. Earl Prince, a vendor of the newspaper Streetwise, which is sold by workers who are homeless, spoke on the fight for justice for Joseph Gould at a Militant Labor Forum panel September 29. "The indictment is a partial victory, but it is a step toward justice, and we need to continue the protests," he said. Ray Parsons Chicago, Illinois
Example of Cuban people
"Anyone who goes to Cuba and repeats the U.S.
government's lies has not seen Cuba," said Jenny Benton of
the Young socialists in Peoria, Illinois, "but anyone who
tells you it is a utopia hasn't seen it either." Benton
led a wide-ranging discussion among 25 people who met here
September 9 to learn about last month's Cuba Lives
Festival.
"What we have seen is a testimony to the Cuban people," said a Cuban-American man. He was one of three individuals born in Cuba who welcomed the opportunity to hear about their homeland.
The struggle against racism in Cuba was a theme the audience returned to several times. A student from nearby Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville who was in Cuba studying music this August commented that he "didn't see racism." And a woman who participated in student protests against U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in the 1950s felt the discrimination in Cuba then was economic, not racial. She pointed to the participation of freed slaves in the nineteenth century struggle against Spanish colonialism.
Benton recalled her discussions and observations as part of the Cuba Lives Festival. While some Cubans felt there was no racism, she reported, others, including members of the Union of Young Communists, saw this as a legacy of capitalism requiring ongoing political attention.
The meeting was chaired by Kitty Loepker, a member of the United Steelworkers of America in Granite City, Illinois, who was also in Cuba this August. The meeting and a barbecue attended by 17 people later that evening were sponsored by the St. Louis Area Cuba Lives Tour Fund. Kim Kleinman St. Louis, Missouri
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