[lbo-talk] Counterpunch on the Leo Casey Letter

Luke Weiger lweiger at umich.edu
Tue Apr 22 18:52:26 PDT 2003



> About that Cuba Letter
> The Democratic Left and Castro
> By STEVEN SHERMAN
>
> The "Democratic Left", aka Leftists Against the Same Stuff as Bush (LASSAB
> for short) are at it again. You know these folks--Leo Casey, Michael
> Berube, Eric Alterman, Todd Gitlin.

Who else besides Leo identifies himself as being on some entity called the democratic left (not that I mind the label)?


> Closer examination of both Cooper's column and Casey's letter might
clarify
> the matter. For example, members of LAUSI probably believe that, if they
> are living in the US, they are already living in a society where "a John
> Ashcroft would be unrestrained by the niceties of constitutional law".

Well, he is constrained in a way Castro obviously isn't: I'm sure Aschcroft doesn't feel free to send me or the writer of this article or anyone else to jail because of their political speech.


> While few among LAUSI are likely pleased at the closed courts or
executions
> in Cuba, they would likely worry that, in the near future, the US
> government will set its sites on regime change in Cuba. They may expect
> that the New York Times will cite Casey's letter as evidence that much of
> 'the left' is opposed to Castro, and in fact believes that "the Cuban
> state.. is not a government of the left".

Hard to argue that a Cuban state isn't a government of the left. Unfortunately, it's not a decent government of the left.

-- Luke



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