[Marxism] Re: Kamm-Perrin exchange over Chomsky/Faurisson

[Brian Shannon <brian_shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sep 5, 2006, at 1:00 PM, Louis Proyect referenced:

> http://oliverkamm.typepad.com/blog/2006/09/chomsky_and_fau.html
>
> http://redstateson.blogspot.com/2006/09/kammouflage.html


So we have two criticisms of Chomsky. One from the "Left" and one  
from the "Right." The one above is that his support for free speech  
is so strong that he didn't object to the use of a statement of the  
right of free speech for holocaust deniers, thus opening up the  
rights to this discussion for all--something that even a David  
Horowitz wouldn't object to.

The second and earlier one was that he underestimated the assault by  
the Pol Pot forces in Cambodia, apparently finding it hard to believe  
that any group would be crazy enough to do what happened and not  
wanting to jump on the pro-imperialist bandwagon. Subsequently he  
admitted to being wrong. However, the critics of Chomsky on this  
issue universally fail to point out that this was a literary  
statement of an individual trying to figure out what was going on.  
Whereas, presidents Carter and Reagan, with full governmental and CIA  
knowledge of what was happening and the full force of the U.S.  
government not only gave diplomatic recognition to the Pol Pot  
government in and out of power but continued to provide material aid  
to it against the government backed by South Vietnam.

Don't most of us wish that our records of major errors was so slim  
and so explainable--perhaps defensible

> By January 1980, the US was secretly funding Pol Pot's exiled  
> forces on the Thai border. The extent of this support from 1980 to  
> 1986 [was $85 million]. ... Washington also backed the Khmer Rouge  
> through the United Nations, which provided Pol Pot's vehicle of  
> return. Although the Khmer Rouge government ceased to exist in  
> January 1979, when the Vietnamese army drove it out, its  
> representatives continued to occupy Cambodia's UN seat. Their right  
> to do so was defended and promoted by Washington as an extension of  
> the Cold War, as a mechanism for US revenge on Vietnam, and as part  
> of its new alliance with China (Pol Pot's principal underwriter and  
> Vietnam's ancient foe). In 1981, President Carter's national  
> security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, said, "I encouraged the  
> Chinese to support Pol Pot." The US, he added, "winked publicly" as  
> China sent arms to the Khmer Rouge through Thailand.
> http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/US_ThirdWorld/UncleSam_PolPot.html
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