Ian Murray wrote:
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> Who cares what the 'revolutionary defeatist' position is?
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> Ian
I've never used the phrase myself, but what would you say to its use in Hitler's Germany, present-day Afghanistan, or in _any_ nation during World War I? And it was in the last context that the concept arose.
I happen, along with Justin, to oppose _any_ action by the U.S. beyond its own borders on this. But let it be remembered that it was Doug, not some dogmatic leninist, who introduced the phrase in this context.
During the Vietnam war our organizing slogan was Bring the Troops Home Now! _Some_ on the left wanted to raise the slogan "Victory to the NLF." Others on the left wanted to muffle or even deny the fact that a withdrawal of U.S. troops would in fact be victory for the NLF! Most of us would stick with the cutting edge slogan, Bring the Troops Home, but not, in discussion or forums, etc. hide the material meaning of that. It gets tricky, I know. But honesty often is tricky.
_If_ "finding the guilty" involves military action by the U.S., then I think not just "leftists" or "marxists" but anyone with a decent sense of humanity should (a) still oppose that military action and (b) neither hide nor proclaim the fact that objectively that would mean allowing the guilty to go free.
Carrol
Carrol