The ISO and other Communist Cults

[axi]

Che, may I ask you, do you know anything about a peace activist from Maine, one Michel Uhl, a Viietnam veteran?

We have invited him in Greece, to join us in the events around 15/2. I missed his Athens speech on Friday. He is going on tour, all over the country, which is the usual drill for all foreign activists we invite. The last one, Jorge Altamira, from the Partido Obrero of Argentina was here in December and I attended his speech. It was good but tiresome, because of the interference of the translator. The translator is a permanent problem in these events. We had the same problem with a Zapatista spokesman and with Peretz Kidron from Israel a while ago.

Oh and che, what is your opinion on the 15/2 events? Was it important for the antiwar mouvement inside the USA? I feel that except NYC, SF and LA, the rest of the country had rather poor participation.

[Provost Harrison]

Interesting post Chegitz, and very on the ball. I have had some experience with Trotskyists within Oxford and some of the organisations can be very clandestine. I have a good friendship with the group I used to consort with and still find the time to have a good old political natter with them from time to time, although I am inactive myself. I do have a lot of admiration for those who are activists and have that level of conviction and drive, and one day, I hope they are vindicated.

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by axi
Che, may I ask you, do you know anything about a peace activist from Maine, one Michel Uhl, a Viietnam veteran?

We have invited him in Greece, to join us in the events around 15/2. I missed his Athens speech on Friday. He is going on tour, all over the country, which is the usual drill for all foreign activists we invite. The last one, Jorge Altamira, from the Partido Obrero of Argentina was here in December and I attended his speech. It was good but tiresome, because of the interference of the translator. The translator is a permanent problem in these events. We had the same problem with a Zapatista spokesman and with Peretz Kidron from Israel a while ago.

Oh and che, what is your opinion on the 15/2 events? Was it important for the antiwar mouvement inside the USA? I feel that except NYC, SF and LA, the rest of the country had rather poor participation.

I know people from Maryland went to NYC

I think NYC at least was a focal point for a large area

Jon Miller

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by axi
Che, may I ask you, do you know anything about a peace activist from Maine, one Michel Uhl, a Viietnam veteran?

Nope.

Oh and che, what is your opinion on the 15/2 events? Was it important for the antiwar mouvement inside the USA? I feel that except NYC, SF and LA, the rest of the country had rather poor participation.

Chicago had a pretty decent sized demo from what I hear. There were officially 75 people at the local demo here in Jacksonville, but according to attendees there were more. I counted about 75 people at the demo I attended in Miami.

Here's my assessment of that scene. I'm sure I'm gonna catch flack for it on the lists I post it.

The Miami demo wasn't worth the effort I put into going to it. Had we not had other business in Miami, the trip would have been a total bust.

First off let me say who's idea was a SIX HOUR demonstration? When we arrived there were perhaps, 75 people at the demo. It's well that Jacksonville didn't send a bus or we should have outnumbered them.

Next, the map that was given on the flier gave no specific address, and the star on the map was off by two blocks. It took us an hour to find the place, and only then because we looked in a local alternative paper. At least while driving around we got to see Tom Cruise filming for "Mission Impossible III."

Now, while I fully support taking the message to the neighborhoods, on an international day of action, you go for mass visibility. That means downtown in a public plaza or near a media company or federal building. It does not mean in an abandoned lot on an out of the way corner in the ghetto. Maybe a couple dozen people passed the demo in the hour I was there (11-noon). Definitely, actions need to be done in the poorer neighborhoods. We need community involvement. This, however, should be a REGULAR activity, done on a daily or weekly basis, by people who know the community.

The political messages of the demo were rather simplistic and puerile. "Bush is stupid!" Well, yes, but that doesn't address the central issues of the drive to war. "It's the evil Republicans!" Yes, and the evil Democrats who controlled the Senate last year gave Bush authorization to go to war. "We're gonna stop this war from happening!" No we aren't. If the Administration cared what the American people wanted they wouldn't be in office, as they would have accepted their defeat in 2000. While I can understand the need to say "We're gonna win!" The truth is it leaves you very vulnerable to being completely demoralized when the government goes ahead anyway. It happened last time, it's gonna happen this time. We lack the forces to create the political instability needed to stop the government, and they know that when the bombs start falling, the American people will fall into line.

Our best hope of delaying the war long enough for democracy to work lies in Britain. If the anti-war movement there can knock Blair from power, that might cause the US to slow down. We can best help our British brothers and sisters by continuing to build the movement here. That only comes about by realistic assessments, realistic analysis, and hard work. None of which I've seen so far in Florida.