Search LBO-Talk Archives

736 Conviction -- rank: 1000

Today in London someone was sentenced to 22 years in prison for conspiracy to cause explosions together with 2 others. In April 1998 he had posted three times on marxism-general. His first post showed his despair at the political prospects in Ireland. It illustrates the marxist critique of the opportunist excitatory theory of terrorism. >From: "liam grogan" <grogan at iol.ie> >To: <marxism-general at lists.village.Virginia.EDU> >Subject: Re: M-G: Ireland Agreement ...

Document Size:	7401
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Fri May 21 15:46:19 PDT 1999

737 The weakness of the anti-war movement -- rank: 1000

At 09:47 20/05/99 +0100, you wrote: >In message <3.0.2.32.19990519190948.00727b5c at pop.gn.apc.org>, Chris >Burford <cburford at gn.apc.org> writes > >>As General Mladic, the Serb general in Bosnia said, rape is good for >>soldiers' morale. > >Oh come on, citation please! > >As Tony Blair said, I like to gouge the eyes out of little girls while >ordering the repeal of welfare benefits... >-- >Jim heartfield Does Jim find the remark so unbeli ...

Document Size:	5978
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu May 20 15:58:41 PDT 1999

738 The weakness of the anti-war movement -- rank: 1000

At 09:41 20/05/99 -0400, you wrote: >> For all people's extensive unhappiness about the NATO war >> against Serbia in >> the west, the anti-war movement in the west is weak in its ability to >> influence the agenda. > >Izzat so? Tell that to the Germans, Chris. From today's NY Times: > >"The British plan [to prepare for a NATO ground assault against Serbian >troops], however, was greeted Wednesday with undisguised contempt by >Chancellor Gerhard Sc ...

Document Size:	5919
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu May 20 15:51:28 PDT 1999

739 The weakness of the anti-war movement -- rank: 1000

At 19:22 19/05/99 +0100, you wrote: >In message <3.0.2.32.19990519083159.007591a0 at pop.gn.apc.org>, Chris >Burford <cburford at gn.apc.org> writes > >>Reports are starting to come out in the western media of Yugoslavs trying >>to avoid the call up > >Get away! I would never have believed that the Western media would say >such terrible things about Yugoslavia's military... > >>Yesterday a report came out through Montenegro of demonstrations aga ...

Document Size:	6605
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Wed May 19 23:52:24 PDT 1999

740 The weakness of the anti-war movement -- rank: 1000

At 12:29 19/05/99 -0400, you wrote: >Chris Burford wrote: > >>Yes, we are coming down to subtleties of emphasis, but fundamentally I >>would challenge good people by suggesting that the weakness of the anti-war >>movement is because its basic line has been wrong. > >I can't speak for the rest of the world, but it seems to me that most >Americans don't care too much if their military is bombing other countries >as long as no Americans get killed, or are at risk ...

Document Size:	8086
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Wed May 19 11:09:48 PDT 1999

741 The weakness of the anti-war movement -- rank: 1000

Reports are starting to come out in the western media of Yugoslavs trying to avoid the call up by going to consulates in Hungary. Some have given statements anonymously about the atrocities they have witnessed. Yesterday a report came out through Montenegro of demonstrations against the war in Serbia, which could not be reported there because of the censorship. These were triggered by the funerals of Yugoslavs killed in Kosovo. This is a body bag type of anti-war protest. I am writing however be ...

Document Size:	6737
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Wed May 19 00:31:59 PDT 1999

742 Neo-liberalism -- rank: 1000

At 14:34 18/05/99 -0500, you wrote: >I am at times puzzled, confused, dismayed and outraged by the uses of the term >Neo-liberalism. >In my youth Liberal Democrats believed in unions, safety nets and progressive >taxation. Conservative Republicans were against unions, safety nets and wanted >none or regressive taxation. >To label today's corporate drive for world domination as Neo-liberalism is like >saying that black is white. >Please enlighten me as to the origin, hist ...

Document Size:	5650
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Tue May 18 15:44:10 PDT 1999

743 Privileging which law? -- rank: 1000

At 15:23 18/05/99 >There is a ban against genocide and denial of civil rights within >"international law" but it has never been enforced, so it has no real >existence. The war in Kosovo is being based on enforcing that part of >international law and through that intervention, the law is taking on some >meaning. Of course, there are other darker motives involved; there always >are, but to agree with Charles just slightly, the forms and rhetorics of >intervention d ...

Document Size:	6570
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Tue May 18 15:39:28 PDT 1999

744 Foreign Affairs on KLA -- rank: 1000

At 00:13 17/05/99 +0100, you wrote: >In message <3.0.2.32.19990516235115.01115974 at pop.gn.apc.org>, Chris >Burford <cburford at gn.apc.org> writes >> >>Of course for marxists the way to avoid the Kosovans become influenced by >>sectarian muslim politics is by supporting and respecting their right to >>self-determination. > >I'm not sure that Lenin meant the right of nations to self-determination >to be a Kantian categorical imperative, outside ...

Document Size:	9794
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Mon May 17 16:06:50 PDT 1999

745 Foreign Affairs on KLA -- rank: 1000

Yes, very interesting article. Coincidentally or not so coincidentally, I picked it up in the museum area of London yesterday. The journal which I have only glanced at previously has all the advantages of being an establishment in-house magazine. It is rather like the Financial Times. There is no propaganda distortion for the dumb electorate. If you can endure the languid cynicism, it is pure analysis of realpolitik with imperialist assumptions lying pretty transparently near the surface, in a r ...

Document Size:	12418
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sun May 16 15:51:15 PDT 1999

746 Security Council vote on Chinese Embassy -- rank: 1000

Leftists tend to ignore struggles at the United Nations because they are not revolutionary enough and, as dogmatists, they cannot work through the subtleties and the code with which power relations shift. Of course China, even with Russian support, had little chance of getting the Security Council to pass a motion of outright condemnation against the vetoes of the other permanent members. But it has succeeded in forcing the Security Council to continue discussing the question and eventually to ...

Document Size:	5269
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sat May 15 00:26:15 PDT 1999

747 NATO kills again -- rank: 1000

At 00:36 15/05/99 +0100, Jim Heartfield wrote: >There is no strong feeling for a ground war amongst the >British public. True, but as I correctly stated, opinion polls show the "British public" prefer a ground invasion. > But as no opposition of any >real social weight has emerged, the public simply acquiesce to the >conventional view, without any enthusiasm. Yes. Why not? Chris Burford London

Document Size:	4837
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sat May 15 00:19:08 PDT 1999

748 NATO kills again -- rank: 1000

At 14:02 14/05/99 -0400, you wrote: >Various wire service reports indicate NATO has killed between 80 and 200 >women, children and old folks in an attack on a village. Cluster bombs >may have been used. > This reinforces the Salon article that Nathan quoted. The discussion on the BBC is about the inevitably of continued mistakes if the sole method of the war is high level air attacks. I am sure the article is correct that there is a difference between leftists in the US and in Europ ...

Document Size:	5248
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Fri May 14 15:08:13 PDT 1999

749 German PDS's Gysi letter to Slobodan Milosevic -- rank: 1000

>A Letter from Gregor Gysi* to Slobodan Milosevic > >Translation: Eric Canepa (Source: the PDS's weekly press report, >Pressedienst, No. 18, 1999 (May 7), in internet at: www.pds- >online.de/1/pressedienst/9918/) > >*Gregor Gysi is the chair of the delegation of the >Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) in the German Bundestag. > > >Dear Mr. President, > >Mindful of our conversation of April 14, 1999 I am writing you this >letter. Gysi is not just clever ...

Document Size:	5738
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu May 13 23:54:28 PDT 1999

750 Chinese troops for Kosovo! -- rank: 1000

At 06:36 12/05/99 -0400, you wrote: >Chris Burford wrote: >> >> This astonishing suggestion by Viktor Chernomyrdin on his return from >> Beijing shows how fast contradictions are developing in the world. >> > >I don't find it astonishing at all. Unlike NATO or Russia, China has a >plausible claim to neutrality in the Yugoslav wars. In fact, I think >that a armed UN force led by India and China, and with minor roles for >Russia and NATO would be a fairly ...

Document Size:	7505
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu May 13 00:02:48 PDT 1999