Noam Chomksy on Kosovo (FWD)

Henry C.K. Liu hliu at mindspring.com
Tue Mar 30 07:05:26 PST 1999


Apsken at aol.com wrote:


>
> Thus Max intends this repeated taunt as a fashionable form of redbaiting,
> seeking to split the antiwar into reasonable/liberal and revolutionary camps,
> and to demonize the latter in the eyes of the former, in order to weaken us all,
> whereas those on the left always seek to build the broadest front against
> imperialism.
>
> Thus, for example, during the Vietnam War we instigated and encouraged and
> abetted every form of resistance, and did all we could to undermine the
> effectiveness of U.S. armed forces. GIs deserted for every sort of reason, from
> heroic to cowardly and everything in between. We assisted them all, not because
> we adored cowards, but because our project was getting the U.S. out of Vietnam.
> Cowards we shipped off to Canada or Sweden as quickly as we could, though even
> that entailed risks and cost precious resources. Heroes were put to work in the
> movement, either underground or with new identities, or sometimes, as they
> wished, in public protests that resulted in their loss of personal freedom for
> extended periods.
>
> Every mass mobilization against the war included marchers and banners and podium
> speakers from a spectrum of contrasting, sometimes conflicting, antiwar
> positions.
>
> The same principle holds here. Noam Chomsky's reasons for opposition to the
> U.S./NATO war against Serbia are not mine, but I hope he reaches and persuades
> millions, and to the extent he does, I salute him. Nor were the faith-based
> pacifists who performed some of the most effective opposition to the U.S. wars
> in El Salvador and Nicaragua motivated my the same principles as the Marxists
> with whom they joined hands, but we all recognized and thwarted attempts to
> divide our efforts as Max now tries to do.
>
> For his part, Chomsky has a pretty good record of solidarity, without applying
> the kind of red/non-red test that Max urges his disciples to employ.
> Furthermore, Chomsky knows well, and doesn't hesitate to point out, that the
> most dangerous threat facing the people of the entire world is the ruling class
> and government of the United States. Our pro-war liberals never address that
> problem.
>
> Ken Lawrence

Well put, Ken. The world is complex and the struggle is very far from the end game stage. The left must maximized its strength through the braodest united front.

Henry



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