Re: [A-List] Fw: Counterpunch: A Review of "The New Pearl Harbor"

[Macdonald Stainsby <mstainsby@xxxxxxxxx>]

Christopher Black wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "grok" <grok@xxxxxxxxx>

> > (sidenote: And what are the issues in the canadian election so far? Why,
> > whatever the U.S. regime-friendly millionaire CDN prime minister's
> > spindoktors SAY they are (so far). Such a liar he/they is/are.
> > Certainly the issue is NOT the "clear-and-present danger" to Canada from
> > south of the border -- and the clear and present East German-style police
> > state many of us are already living in.)

I would like to have a read through this book as well, but this last line
is hopelessly misguided and one of the great barriers to a real, cohesive
movement that can reflect the changing form of politics that we need to
reflect. Mark Jones and others on this list have proposed the needed and
forward looking focus on Europe wide organizing that can take place now.

What is needed here, in the belly of the beast, is to realize that "their
sovereignty is not our sovereignty". The only times that the new social
movements of the last few years: "antiwar" and "anti globalization", etc--
have wielded any truly social power has been when the movement had
anti-national, international political focus. A world movement against the
destruction of the UN, a world movement to state no trade bills without
participation, etc.

The retreat in the last year into nationalist politics in Canada is deeply
disturbing. The continuing attack on health care, social programs and
clamouring for increased military spending, missile defense, etc all are
not "American" but imperialist bourgeois. Those elements who "resist" this
are not really "Canadian bourgeois" at all.

There are two sovereignties that need protecting. That of the population
itself, and in *both states on either side of the 49th parallel* civil
liberties have been eroded and disappeared. *both states* have kidnapped
people in the wake of 9-11, both imperialist powers have launched full-bore
into the "War on Terror"-- particularly ratcheting up not just racist words
against Arabs, but wholesale policies, scapegoatings and persecutions of
people based on what not who they are.

We need to get over this nationalism, which is wholly white in "culture",
genocidal in creation and reactionary in defense. To continue this "using
Canadian sovereignty to defend against the US" is to A) completely abandon
any real solidarity with indigenous nations who struggle for
self-determination; it undermines any rights to self-determination for
Quebec-- and it is to strengthen an imperialist power for some "greater
evil" in the very same fashion as "the left" in Europe 1914 voted for credits.

Any real new rising movement will have, at its heart on Turtle Island, an
anti-racism that is not about defending the invaders of Haiti, the
occupiers of Afghanistan and the Balkans and the ethnic cleansers of the
entire indigenous population, with a current escalations of this very
process in Sun Peaks, Kahenesatake ("Oka") and most notably in the far
North for the purposes of massive oil, gas and diamond mining expansion.

If you defend social programs that have previously reached a more advanced
stage in this state, then defend those social programs that have more
advanced levels in this state. We must return to the global movement that
has left "us" in "Canada" behind and return to the language of real
internationalism. We need a cross continental movement that sees the joint
mobilizations of continental powers as not only possible, but a matter of
necessity.

"We" (the white settlers of a genocidal "nation") are not the good guys.
However, perhaps we really do need to protect "our democracy"-- after all,
90 years ago we protected Belgium for less flimsy reasons.


--
Macdonald Stainsby
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
		--Brecht.