Mandel and beyond

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Since I posted Bill Mandel's comments
which evoked such contentious discussion,
I should perhaps again remind readers
that he's not on this list, but another,
from which his comments were taken.

Thus, he cannot answer on Marxism list.
If anyone wants to discuss with him,
he's on a list called Change-Links
mostly in Los Angeles and the West
Coast of the US. It's a Yahoo list so
you might have to join it. The URL:


Of course a someone who believes that
Marxism retains its validity as both
a tool of analysis and a guide to
political action, and one who spends
lots of time in Cuba, I reject Bill
Mandel's embrace of the capitalist
market system.

Nevertheless, the simple abolition
of capitalism and the establishment
of a planned economy hardly solves
all of any society's problems, as
anyone who spends much time here in
Cuba can testify. I'd hope that by
sharing Mandel's comments (and he's
still on the left, at 83, and still
doing lots of other progressive
stuff) would evoke some empirical
discussion on how societies such
as those of Cuba deal with meeting
the material needs of its people.

Perhaps more heat than light has
been shed. In any event, this
morning I got the following note
from Louis asking that this thread
be closed:.


Walter Lippmann, Non-Moderator
Marxism list.

p.s., my apologies for the delay
in getting this posted. I had
internet access difficulties today.

WL


----- Original Message -----
From: [deleted on the assumption
Louis didn't want to be writing
and reading mail on this during
his vacation]

To: walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 3:26 AM
Subject: URGENT


Walter, I just checked ýn on the list and am dismayed to discover a spasm of
messages about Stalin. Please send thýs to the list on my behalf.

I encourage this discussion to take place somewhere else, not on the list. If
it does not end immedýately, I will take drastic action against all
participants without prejudice when I return from vacation on Jan. 6.

Louis Proyect

(please do not reply to this message since the computer/account belongs to
somebody else)

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