I knew Bob Avakian 30 years ago, and nothing you could tell me about him would come as a surprise. I also conducted an 8 hour contiuous "discussion" with one of his troopers once -- and during the last 4 hours of it (I was also suffering from a migraine during most of this) about all I had to say was something on the order of "Yes, that's the ABC of Marxism, *Now* why don't we ...." And yes, the RCP is a butterfly -- only in the mind of a metaphysician could it be otherwise. The point about butterflies is not that they necessarily intend no evil but that they are incapable of imposing evil. Capitalism will forever be casting up miscellaneous cults, some calling themselves marxist, some calling themselves religious, etc etc. And people whose world is *merely* intellectual will keep mistaking those cults for the enemy. There is only one real damage the RCP (and all the other simialr groups do) -- they provide an excuse for marxists to build up their own self-image by indulging the cult of the pharisees: Thank god I am not as those horrible sectarians.
Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?
Those who lack the social courage to commit themselves to real struggles.
For every marxist or potential marxist led a stray by all the RCPs and their like in the world there are a dozen potential academics who have their mind fucked by Lacan. By any practical evaluation of political actuality, Lacan is evil, and the RCP is a butterfly (albeit an intensely annoying one).
And besides, notice that the real subject is the drive of the Philadelphia police to murder Mumia. Doesn't baiting CK provide a wonderful diversion from that.
Doug Henwood wrote:
> Carrol Cox wrote:
>
> >The RCP has been a butterfly
>
> What? Lacan is evil, but the RCP is a butterfly? It's a weird Maoist
> cult. I'd love to hear their reaction if they knew you were quoting
> Pope in their defense. If I weren't afraid of libel suits, the
> stories I could tell you about its guru Bob Avakian!
>
> Doug