thread themes on outlawing fascistic racist speech

Rkmickey at aol.com Rkmickey at aol.com
Thu Oct 29 20:30:47 PST 1998


Charles Brown, I am a digest subscriber so I'm not able to easily search through the different posts but I would like to ask a couple of questions, and hope you will bear with me if I don't remember your positions precisely and correct me if I misstate them.

(1) You indicate that you want a law to ban "fascist racism" but not other forms of racism -- I think you mentioned George Wallace as someone who's racism you wouldn't ban and you mentioned "The Bell Curve" as a book you wouldn't ban. Could you give a definition of fascist racism, suitable for inclusion in a statute, so we could know a little more definitely what it is you want to outlaw?

(2) You criticize the ACLU for not spending more time arguing against the content of the speech of racists or otherwise specifically fighting racism. I think that a distinction should be made between the ACLU staff, who do their civil liberties work full time and even overtime and may not have the energy to take on other tasks which require different types of expertise (surely they are entitled to some leisure!) and, on the other hand, the many members of the ACLU who agree with its principles and support it with their dues payments and with their letter-writing, etc., but who, in many cases, devote most of their activist time to other causes. Isn't there room for a division of labor within progressive ranks?

(3) Would your estimate of the role of the CPUSA and its allied organization's be at least largely similar to that of Gerald Horne?

Thanks. K. Mickey



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