[Marxism] Forwarded from José Perez (legless veteran)

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

I was there when Kutcher's expulsion from the SWP happened, both the
incident seized on by the leadership and (most) of the trial. Jimmy Kutcher
was quite old when it happened. He was irascible and crotchety. He did raise
his cane in a threatening manner at Hedda Garza. Words had been exchanged
between them and he was upset about something. It was over in a flash. It
wasn't the first time Jimmy had brandished his cane in what could be
interpreted as a threatening manner, but I don't recall his ever vocalizing
a threat or making a clearer gesture, as if in an attempt to strike someone.

The leadership seized on this to bring charges against Kutcher. This was at
the time of the "reconquering proletarian norms" campaign that was used to
gag the party. Both Jimmy and Hedda were in opposition to the leadership,
which I think made the case even more attractive to the leadership.

I don't remember whether Jimmy was out of town for the trial, nor the other
procedural details presented in the previous post. As I remember it, the
trial in the branch, at any rate, focused on the underlying offense, a
threat of violence within the party, with the aggravating circumstance that
it was a male comrade threatening a woman comrade. I think I would have
remembered if Kutcher had not been present, but I also have no recollection
of his being at the trial or speaking. This was all a long time ago, and
only one of many disciplinary cases against oppositionists in those years.

The debate was bitter and long. I remember Hedda being especially eloquent
in defending Jimmy, that she did not feel threatened or intimidated by him,
that in his frail age and condition he was hardly a threat to anyone, cane
or no cane, and consideration had to be given both to his age and the
cantankerousness that often comes with advanced age and his service to the
party.

It was, I think, Olga R., who may have been the branch organizer then, that
turned Jimmy's service and sacrifice for the cause into an argument against
him, setting a pattern that would be repeated time and again, saying in
essence that in the case of a young inexperienced person, such-and-such
conduct could be dealt with by a warning or censure, but that in the case of
so-and-so a party member of many years standing it showed irreformable
indiscipline and so on.

I ducked out before the vote. It isn't something I'm proud of. I was upset
above all by the inhumanity of the procedure, that Jimmy's age and frailty
should not be taken into account but rather, in effect, be held against him.
But I did not have the courage to vote against the expulsion, going against
the wing of the party that I supported.

It would be interesting for someone to go and see whether and how the end of
Kutcher's party membership is dealt with at the forum scheduled for San
Francisco that occasioned the original post.

José


Louis Proyect
Marxism list: www.marxmail.org 


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