Re: [Marxism] Antiwar demonstration in Washington

[<hari.kumar@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Louis:
We sexagenarians (or almost) - have seen a lot. But we certainly might still 
disagree often!
I must say I have an awful lot of respect for you &your work. There a few 
things below however, that force me to get off my armchair.
Please indulge me - I will not waste your time for too long!
Almost needless to say, you should start with the premise that I am not a 
member of the WWP & have had some very serious diffrences with them - as befits 
a narrow-minded myopic sectarian of course.

However:
(1) Louis:
"The whole methodology of WWP and now
the split-off is to constitute a "coalition" with a single "Marxist-Leninist" 
party in the driver's seat and as many church, solidarity and other assorted 
such groups around them as possible. This
differs radically with Lenin's ideas about a united front and--to be blunt 
about it--is an adaptation of the old CPUSA methodology.

RESPONSE:
Louis, the distinction between a broad united front (as per Lenin) and the 
functioning of the WWP correctly would lie in the phrase "in the drivers seat".
To be fair though, I do not know in practice how the WWP runs its' show. Recall 
I am a slow Canuck.
Is there evidence that they will not elect non-WWP members/'respectful' 
individuals from any office in the UF?

2) Louis:
"They are trying to establish hegemony on the left. Here's the way it works. 
ANSWER, or TON, through its leadership of the mass movement will spur 
hard-working activists to inquire about the brilliant and audacious 
organization that is "behind" such actions and join it. That is exactly how I 
ended up in the SWP. Needless to say, this is a sectarian recipe.

REPLY:
But Louis - you are being quite unfair now - or - what? For is this not exactly 
the overall recipe that Cmde Lenin put forward? To show in practice, who:
i) Aids the class best in both immediate terms & long term;
ii) Is most honest in its advice to the class.

That is my reading of 'What is to be Done" - perhaps simply myopic on my part.

My expereince of the British (then) IS - is exactly your experience of the SWP 
(I take it). But that does not invalidate the overall approach of Lenin. What 
it does do, is to show the caution with which ML-ists should apply that UF - & 
the need to be strictly and vigilantly non-sectarian.

3) Louis:
"I think that when people look back at this period, they will scratch their 
heads over the narcissism of small differences that led to 100
Marxist-Leninist groups existing over a 50 year period in the USA. And one 
can't blame Marx or Lenin for that."

RESPONSE:
Fully agree iwth each word of that.

Must get back to the semi-horizontal position.
With Regards,
H


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