In a message dated 1/9/00 10:17:27 PM, chuck at tao.ca writes:
<< A hallmark of Trotskyist and Maoist sectarianism during the 1970s
> was their attempts to impose "democratically" their own slogans and leaders
> on political prisoners' cases as a condition of support.>>
Sure this is problematic, however there are political prisoners who are beyond difficult to work with, often with a distorted picture of the political scene on the outside. With only filtered contact to the political realities out here, most political prisoners are in no position to 'lead' the movement to free them. There are issues of trust and humility involved that many leftists in and out of prison are ill equipped to deal with. mcapri