CPUSA & Shinning Path

[iwp.ilo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (CEP )]

    I raised some questions about the CPUSA.  The first response from
    Godenas and Charlotte was to send me to ask questions to their
    National Leadership.  Scott remained silent throughout.

    Godenas and Charlotte attacked me for raising very important
    questions with arguments such as I was "anti-party" or saying
    that I new the answers and I should have a second motive, and
    an implied that I made the borgeosie happy by raisinfg questions.

    Then, when pressed by other members of the list, reluctantly,
    Charlotte gave partial, minimal answers and, honestly I believe,
    said that she didn't know some others.  Godenas gave all kind of
    explanations to others in the list as to why he will not answer.
    Then Scott intervened and gave Godenas an slap in the wrist for
    implying tha Jesse Jackson and others were similar to those that
    Sendero tends to kill in Peru.

    These are three people aelf-identified with the positions of the
    CPUSA.  I found their responses, from the methodological point of
    view, strange and quite disturbing.  They resemble very much to
    the old Stalinist response to any challenge or discussion about
    their politics, accussations, etc.  Stalinism, as represented
    specially by Godenas and Charlotte, and the silence of Scott, is
    a proof that all talk of "broadening" and adopting some "democratic
    principples" by the CPUSA are a hoax .... unless Godenas and
    Charlotte are no members of the CPUSA and their positions are
    not representative of the party, etc  (unless this is not clear,
    I should assume that they are).

    Shinning Path and CPUSA

    Godenas support politically Sendero Luminoso in Peru.  An
    organization that explicitly attack other left organizations
    and militants physically.  They do so, and Godenas support that,
    by characterizing all sectors of the Left in Peru as "agents
    of Fujimori" and imperialism.

    Louis Proyect, in my view correctly, identified these Positions
    of Sendero as a Dimitrov's overspilled from the 30s when the
    CP accussed Socialdemocrats and others leftists as "fascists".
    I will add that Sendero is an step furhter on this matter because
    they physically attack organizations as a daily method.

    Then Godenas defend Shinning Path by the simple, Stalinist method,
    of reading their "bible" and dennouncing any other source of
    information as "pro-imperialist" and pro-Fujimori.  This is not
    simply an act of intellectual narrowness, but of pure Stalinism.
    Shinning Path had beeen dennounced by the entire left in Peru,
    including the other guerrilla organization, MRTA.  By simply
    accussing all their critics as "agents" they are no but proving
    that at least part of those criticisms are true.  If this
    discussion continues, I'm planning to post some other elements.

    Godenas did not tell us what is obvious: Shinning Path is divided
    in at least two factions.  Both pledged allegiance to "President
    Gonzalo" but one supports the alledged "calls for peace
    negotiations" that the "leader" apparently issue from jail.  The
    other faction said that those "calls" are fake and made up by
    Fujimori.  The truth is, there are confrontations between these two
    factions of Sinning Path.

    Godenas didn't tell you that Shinning Path now is in a factional
    struggle with the rest of RIM, its former political international
    associates, because they too support, aparently, some kind of
    dialogue.

    Godenas did tell you that is OK for an organization to kill other
    leftists, as Shinning Path did, by the simply method of deciding
    that they are collaborators ... no public investigation, no proofs
    presented, no trial ... just a couple of bullets and that's it.
    This is repugnant.  I will call upon all members of this list to
    take a position on it.  Whether you agreed with this method of
    murdering without evidence other people in the left or not.  It is
    class line here, it is blood line here. Sendero is killing
   peasants, working class leaders and left activists amogn others  No
   matter where are you
    situated ideologically, this should sound as repugnant to you as
    it sounds to some of us.  Sendero is a petitbourgeois terrorist
    organization and its method of attacking the left *must* be
    stopped.  If no a question of not knowing.  Even Godenas recognized
    that those crimes happened.

    I will repeat my challenge to the members of the CPUSA to repudiate
    these crimes of Sendero for what they are: murders of political
    opponents in the left. Self-declared members of the CPUSA are
    now openly and publicly advocating this criminal behavior. Godenas
    even implied that, in different circunstances we should do the
    same in the US.  This cannot be challenged by a slap in the wrist
    by Scott.  It is not enough.

    We are suppossed to attack imperialism and the Fujimori regime and
    condemn the massacres of political prisoners and even campaign
    for the freedom of all political prisoners in Peru.  They are all
    prisoners of a illegitimate military government.  Tht position,
    however, should not cloud your political judgement and make you
    be silent about crimes committeed by Sendero.

    We are suppossed to discuss our differences openly.  We may even
    tell harsh thing to each other.  But words do not kill.  Bullets
    do.  Is Godenas, under the same circunstances, advocating shooting
    me, Chris London, Louis and Scott?  After all, we are all on the
    the "other side" of Shinning Path's trenche.  This is too dangerous
    to let it slid.

    Later I will comment, of course in a different vein, to some of
    Charlotte's answers to some of my questions.

    Comradely,
    Carlos


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