Way cooool! I mean, I read on pen-l that after DAN got back to Evergreen State they had a poll and decided that the most important thing is Unity! Wow! I'm impressed!!! Barkley Rosser -----Original Message----- From: Chuck0 <chuck at tao.ca> To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com> Date: Friday, December 17, 1999 11:00 AM Subject: Re: Great Cockburn/St. Clair piece on Seattle
>"Mr P.A. Van Heusden" wrote:
>
>> (c) form into small intenselfy disciplined
>> > anarchist groups of their own (the discipline of such groups is always
>> > tighter and more onerous than that of Leninist groups).
>>
>> What, you mean like the 'black bloc'? :)
>
>I would just like to remind everybody that black blocs only exist at
>demonstrations and direct actions. They are a visible display of
>anarchist pride and strength. The last black bloc in my neck of the
>woods took place at Millions 4 Mumia last April 24th in Philadelphia. We
>managed to turn out 3000 anarchists and remind the Left that we refuse
>to be taken for granted in the struggle to free Mumia, and end the death
>penalty.
>
>> Seriously though, Leninists (or semi- or ex-Leninists) only shoot
>> themselves in the foot when they see a movement as merely the recruiting
>> ground for the 'real politics' of their organisations (in the Trotskyite
>> camp, I'll note that the modern Spartacist League and the International
>> Socialism tendency tend to do this).
>
>I've seen an emerging ironic tendency among authoritarian Left groups
>(ISO, RCP, R&R) to try and capitalize on the new militancy in Seattle.
>What's ironic is that these groups, typically, did little to no legwork
>to make Seattle happen. There was nothing about the anti-WTO protests in
>their papers until after N30 happened. I suspect that they weren't
>involved because they saw the N30 campaign (if they knew about it) as
>reformist and too network-oriented. So know they smell fresh blood for
>their recruting efforts. I'm just glad that those efforts are just
>revolving doors.
>
>In contrast to this opportunism, anarchists had been involved in many
>aspects of the planning and activities leading up to N30 in Seattle, and
>in numerous other places. There were anarchists involved in DAN. Others
>who went to Ruckus camps to learn creative direct action techniques.
>Other anarchists planned events for their local towns and cities,
>especially in the southern United States. Some anarchists, such as
>myself, spent hundreds of hours developing websites and keeping them
>updated as events were unfolding. Alot of this work was done in
>coordination and solidarity with groups who we don't always see eye to
>eye with, but who we recognize as comrades in the struggle against
>capitalism.
>
>
>
>--
>Chuck0
>
>Mid-Atlantic Infoshop
>http://www.infoshop.org/
>
>Leonard Peltier Freedom Month
>Executive Clemency For Peltier!
>http://www.freepeltier.org/lpfreedommonth.html
>
>Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Now!
>http://www.infoshop.org/gulag/mumia_idx.html
>
>"A society is a healthy society only to the degree
>that it exhibits anarchistic traits."
> - Jens Bjørneboe
>