The need for caution and open-mindedness

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

One of the sad things about Yoshie's fixation on Lenore Freed's connections
to the Reform Party is that it makes politics into a much simpler affair
than it can ever be for those trying to apply historical materialism. We
don't know what will happen to this "accountability" movement but--at the
very least--it is premature to approach it in a categorical manner as we
would something that is fixed and static like, for example, the "Wise Use"
movement in the USA.

The most important thing about the movement is that it is fighting hard
against a real problem in Indian country. Whether the strategy and tactics
are the best possible is another question entirely. But this much is sure.
In a situation where politics have been determined by powerful forces
inimical to the rank-and-file Indian, there will be a natural tendency to
look for allies in places that seem to go against the Indian "establishment".

What if we applied the same exacting litmus test to a rather odd group that
showed up in the black community over 50 years ago. It's core beliefs
included the notion that the moon was created by a black scientist 60
million years ago and that his rival, Mr. Yacub, devised a plan to kill all
black babies. The result was a blond, blue-eyed white devil that now rules
the world. Strategies to resist the white devil include selling bean pies
and hawking newspapers with the message of the group's guru. The chief
assistant to the group's leader is a talented ex-con who has big plans for
the group, especially building alliances with any white devil who favors
separation of the black race from the white. He even negotiates a
non-aggression treaty with the Ku Klux Klan on behalf of the group.

Obviously I am speaking here of the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X, before
he broke with the group. Any Marxist taking a quick look at this outfit,
and particularly refracted through the prism of the bourgeois press, would
jump to the conclusion that you were dealing with "black fascists". Alone
among American Marxists, the Trotskyist movement decided not to jump on the
bandwagon ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

It simply said that this was a movement worth taking note of. Given the
crisis of black revolutionary leadership in the 1950s, it was no surprise
that the first expression of militancy would not look like anything they
were used to.

Furthermore, it is all the more important to remain very open-minded about
new protest movements erupting in Indian territory. It is probably
difficult to get a handle on the dynamics of something like the group under
discussion here, if you are used to big city life and politics. While I
have not been in Manitoba, I have been in Alberta and seen Blackfoot
reservation towns and villages. These are essentially very rural places
where indigenous beliefs and attitudes can get mixed with "get rich quick"
solutions that come from outside.

In any case, the main purpose here should be to pay close attention to this
latest development, just as we would of any signs of resistance to
corruption, nepotism, bureaucracy and intimidation.


Louis Proyect
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