Re: [Marxism] Re: Weather Underground - I knew those comrades and it was not "funny"

["John Obrien" <causecollector@xxxxxxx>]

I waited several days to "calm down" before responding to the insensitive
joking of fallen friends of mine.
I believe I have a sense of humor, but this was not humorous to me.

It is hard for me to understand why someone who identifies as being a
leftist, would make jokes about the death of the comrades, at the Greenwich
Village townhouse, who lost their lives in a bomb explosion. I had met and
knew these young persons, who were blown up, committed to fighting injustice
and capitalism.

In 1968, I took part in a number of activities of the Columbia University
SDS chapter, including taking part in the 1968 university occupation.  When
I was kicked out of the YSA for being Gay in early January 1969, I
immediately joined SDS and worked with the SDS people I had known for some
time. I was at the SDS Convention in Chicago that year, and identified with
RYM1.

When they decided to go underground, I did not join them, believing they had
made a mistake in assessing the actual objective situation. They responded
to war and racism, with a sense that they needed to do more, than "simply
organize public protests." However, I never hated them, betrayed them, or
saw them as not sincere in their beliefs. I continued to respect them, while
not agreeing with their every political view, or action.

They at least placed their lives on the line, far more than some of those
armchair leftists, who never would risk their lives.  Those who died in that
townhouse explosion (whether done by accident, or the government as many
still believe) deserve at least simple respect and not jokes.

The Weather Underground made political mistakes - as have other political
groups - but it does not justify laughing at their deaths, or mistakes.
Learning from mistakes is good, but derision of those who tried to make
change is wrong, arrogant and does not aim at the real enemy - which was not
SDS and RYM1 - but the capitalists and their agents.

Comrades, respect the left and those who struggled and died to make change.
Spend time attacking the right wing!
We should be able to disagree in a comradely way and not put down those who
have sought to make a better world.

If people on this list have no better time, than to attack the memory of
those in the Weather Underground who died, than can I suggest they at least
spend their energy to work for the release of David Gilbert (an SDS member)
who is a political prisoner in this country.  Send letters to David Gilbert,
languishing in prison, offering him comradely greetings and support -
instead of making such repulsive jokes, as appeared recently on this list.

John O'Brien
Los Angeles





----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul H. Dillon" <illonph@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition"
<marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 4:52 AM
Subject: Re: [Marxism] Re: Weather Underground


> That is funny. (Dave Clark 5, right?)
>
> The lack of a sense of humor has long been a problem on the left, it
> seems,
> vis a vis the discussion of Nietzche, one can only say that his
> understanding of the importance of laughter (The Gay Science, Zarathustra)
> would serve some folks on the left well.
>
> Paul Dillon
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "rrubinelli" <rrubinelli@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: "Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition"
> <marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 8:38 PM
> Subject: Re: [Marxism] Re: Weather Underground
>
>
> > That's me.  Poor misunderstood little old me.   And after the townhouse
> > explosion in NYC, when I walked into the "emergency" sds meeting singing
> > "I'm in pieces, bits and pieces..."  I was misunderstood then, too.
> > Funny, no?

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