[Marxism] LA TIMES bash-o-rama: 'Milk' star Sean Penn: Pal of anti-gay dictators?

["Sky Keyes-Vogt" <skeyesvogt@xxxxxxxxx>]

David Thorstad said:

The point here is that Walter appears to assume that an independent gay
organization in Cuba would ipso facto be hostile to the regime and to
communism.

me:

I don't think its as simple as that.  While I think that "increased
democracy" would strengthen the Cuban Revolution - which I support - it is
hard to delineate exactly how to do it so that it won't be manipulated by
superpower Amerikkka.  I think it is extrenekt reasonable to assume that any
independent organization would be immediately targeted by U.S. officials as
a point of leverage to challenge not just the Cuban government but the
entire revolution.  Should we just endorse any independent formation in the
abstract without taking note of the fact that the U.S. will use it to try to
bring the revolution down no matter who the organization is made up of?  For
those of us in solidarity with the revolution this is an important question
filled with nuances, but for those that oppose it they need not think twice
because they would probably cheer the overturning of the revolution as a
victory of "Stalinism."

Shane Mage said:

When I was growing up the forerunners of "McCarthyism" (now-forgotten
figures like Westbrook Pegler, Martin Dies, Walter Winchell...) were
screaming endlessly that "Leftist Subversion" was being financed by
Moscow Gold and politically directed by the Kremlin and that therefore
leftist political groups were "conspiracies" that were to be
suppressed in defense of "democracy."  Their position was no less
justified in relation to USA-1940 than Walter's is in relation to
Cuba-2008.

me:

I think this analysis is over-simplistic, equating a small and oppressed
country in its attempt to preserve a socialist revolution with an
imperialist (lone superpower) country's attempt at crushing communist
dissent.  But once again, if your starting point is that this is a Stalinist
or state capitalist country then you would probably see this move as
equitable.  Since the fundemental analyses that we hold are so far
different, we might have to agree to disagree on many of these issues.  But
IMHO I must say it is ridiculous to equate what Cuba is doing - which in my
view is aimed at defending the revolution - to what the U.S. did with
mccarthyism.

-Sky Keyes
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