[Marxism] Seymour/Ayers - update again!

[John Obrien <causecollector@xxxxxxx>]

Actually it was Peter Camejo who came to the 1969 SDS Convention in Chicago at 
the armory and I watched him debate Bob Avakian in the back of that large hall 
for about a half hour - and it was great to be able to lsiten to those two at 
each other.  I did not remember seeing Paul Boutelle (who I knew), but he may 
have just shown up for a small time to pass out some flyers and then left.  
There were a few SWP/YSA members who came in but they played no part in those 
events - but it showed that the Chicago and National SWP considered SDS still 
existing and active in the Summer of 1969 - which contradicts Louis and MArk in 
their recent emails challenging me that I was wrong in saying that SDS was not 
active in 1969!!!!
 
I assume the Paul Boutelle letter to the SDS Convention is in some archives - 
and I submit that as more evidence there was SDS activities in 1969.  The real 
SDS ended at that June Convention in 1969 and PLP then assumed the name for a 
few more years - and attacked an NPAC National Convention in 1972 at Hunter 
College using the SDS name and tried to storm the January 20, 1973 Inaugural 
Antiwar protest that the SWP was very much in the eladership of - agains in the 
SDS name and not as PLP.
 
That is history and not interpretations to the sectarian politcs of the SWP 
that hated SDS getting media attention for all their campsu actions and local 
protests.
 
Was anyone on this list at that great anti-Dean Rusk Vietanm anti-war 
demonstration that thousands attended in New York City at the Hilton Hotel.  I 
would like that yellow on black square sticker if anyone should have it.  I 
placed mine on my old apartment door (before I started to seriously collect 
these artifacts - and still need it!)  And would that demonstration in 1968 
count as showing that SDS was holding Vietnam antiwar actions and doing antiwar 
organizing?  Oh that would not fit in with what the SWP ledership was saying 
that SDS was not active against that war after April 17, 1965 nd organized no 
demosntrations!!!  Sure just make new history and ignore what really was.
Many sectarian groups do this - and many so called historians not involved in 
this and many other movements write what they want in a very lazy and 
incomplete and historicall inaccurate way - and will quote an unreliable source 
as their "facts" on Left history.
 
Louis and Mark were you at the 1968 anti-Dean Rusk dmeonstration at the Hilton 
Hotel in New York City?
 
In solidarity,
 
John O'Brien > From: tcod@xxxxxxxxxxx> Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2008 02:29:15 +0000> 
Subject: Re: [Marxism] Seymour/Ayers> To: causecollector@xxxxxxx> > > In that 
connection as a young high school YSAer at that time, I remember (from the > 
Militant newspaper anyway) that Paul Boutelle, the african-american former SWP 
vice presidential candidate> showed up at the 1969 SDS convention with a 
contingent of SWP-YSAers handing out a > leaflet, "Comrades, Where Were You?" 
alluding to their ignoring of Mobe mass> actions that were organized that April 
in NYC and SF with a focus on bringing> anti-war GIs into the movement. In all 
fairness to SDS, however, they were still> involved in campus strikes, some of 
which were still quite formidable like the Feb> 1969 Harvard Strike. > > > 
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 17:43:25 -0500> > From: ethanyoung@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > 
Subject: Re: [Marxism] Seymour/Ayers> > To: tcod@xxxxxxxxxxx> > > > Thank you 
Mark...> > > > >a mild correction of his> > sweeping comment on the SDS's 
approach to mass actions after 1969. My > > memory is that it was all over the 
map....> > > > There wasn't much remaining of SDS after 1969. If you mean 
BEFORE 69, > > to clarify: SDS wasn't that big on demos, but GENERALLY 
refrained from > > 'better smaller but more militant' actions off campus. > > > 
> I think everyone appreciated that the hugeness of campus strikes was a major 
> > factor in the rise of radicalization. The idea that a mass demo with > > 
impure slogans was worse than none at all, came from fringes to the left of the 
> > bulk of SDS, who knew better, including the leaders, however naive. > > > > 
> > > 
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