[PEN-L:7446] FW: Footnote on LBO

[sawicky@xxxxxxxxxx (Max Sawicky)]

>Louis Proyect wrote:
>
>> >"I appreciate his excellent efforts through LBO at pressuring the US
government and business interests into fair play." >


Far be it from me to promote discord and confusion for its own sake, but
getting past Louis' hilarious put-down of LBO, I'd like to point out that
the practical effect of LBO is PRECISELY to aid in efforts to pressure US
Gov/biz interests into improved behavior and good policy in general.  And
that's a good thing.  That it helps some ultra-lefts in their rantings is an
irrelevant thing.

At bottom, Louis has always been irked by Henwood's respect for facts and
rationality, since for Lou the revolutionary vision is what determines what
is true and what not, who is good and who is evil.  Their common, highly
unstable ground (hence the on-again, off-again soap opera) is an
unrealistic, improbable, and unspecified politics.  I can't imagine either
of these characters existing in a disciplined, hard-line communist cadre
organization; Louis is too ornery and Doug is too principled.  And those are
good things.

The issue is not Doug's understanding of his own work, which is obvious, but
the fog we all encounter in trying to gauge the broader political
ramifications of our activities.

I understand Lou has un-subbed, which I regret.  He should have been spanked
for his invective against O'Connor.  There is something to be said for
respect for accomplished, elder socialist scholars; after all, it's not like
we're overflowing with them.  What would Louis have to do to get disciplined
on this list, Michael?  Would axe murder be sufficient?  Lou should resub so
Perelman can ban him for a week.  Then I hope he returns so he can continue
to supply an entertaining, negative example to us all.

mbs