[Marxism] Re: Anti-imperialism?

[Yoshie Furuhashi <furuhashi.1@xxxxxxx>]

Ron Jacobs wrote:
> I do think the idea of trying to convince the current organizations
> [ANSWER and UFPJ] to change their strategies is a diversion from the
> task ahead--ending the war.

Having served on the UFPJ steering committee (actively from August
2003 and March 2004 and nominally from March 2004 till the February
UFPJ National Assembly), I'd have to agree with Ron Jacobs about the
futility of trying to change UFPJ from inside (it goes without saying
that it is impossible to change ANSWER) -- all important issues are
settled by its core leaders (many of whom are staffers).  It just
escalates your phone bills due to numerous conference calls.
Probably, only those who are subsidized by peace and justice NGOs and
other organizations can afford to be leaders of UFPJ!

Lou wrote:
> > Lest we forget, getting arrested, confronting police is not the
> > choice, not usually the initiative, of demonstrators.  It is
> > usually the initiative of the police.
>
> Well, yes and no. When cops attack peaceful mass demonstrations, it
> is understandable that people fight back. But when you stage
> confrontations with the cops on the basis that you will not allow
> some WTO meeting to take place, it is much harder to win sympathy
> for your action. This is all about what is called "defensive
> formulations".

It's got to the point where anti-war coalitions won't even attempt to
do anything that might potentially risk the chance of being attacked
by the police.  Anti-war coalitions need to get out of the practice
of always applying for government permits for marches and rallies and
remaining in "protest zones" specifically set up to quarantine
activists -- sometimes miles away! -- from objects of protests.  It's
OK to have permitted marches and rallies sometimes, but, if that's
the only way to have marches and rallies, activists have lost even
before the marches and rallies actually happen.
--
Yoshie

* Critical Montages: <http://montages.blogspot.com/>
* Monthly Review: <http://monthlyreview.org/>
* Greens for Nader: <http://greensfornader.net/>
* Bring Them Home Now! <http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/>
* Calendars of Events in Columbus:
<http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/calendar.html>,
<http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, & <http://www.cpanews.org/>
* Student International Forum: <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/>
* Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/>
* Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio>
* Solidarity: <http://www.solidarity-us.org/>

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