> CB: This is ,of course, rank anti-communism. It is only worth
> commenting on
> that in this thread, because the Communists didn't claim to be
> infallible,
If they were good Leninists, they certainly did. I will only take enough bandwidth for a couple of quotes from the old master, both from "Lenin: The Historic Service Of Marx And Engels" and "Lenin: The Three Sources And Three Component Parts Of Marxism" at http://www.marxist.net/marx/w2frame.htm?WhatIsMarxism.htm#article2:
"The great world-wide historic service of Marx and Engels lies in the fact that they proved by scientific analysis the inevitability of the downfall of capitalism and its transition to communism under which there will be no more exploitation of man by man."
and
"The teaching of Marx is all-powerful because it is true. It is complete and harmonious, providing men with a consistent view of the universe, which cannot be reconciled with any superstition, any reaction, any defence of bourgeois oppression."
Of course, I could quote reams more along the same lines, but I don't have time right now to look up all of it.
Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org __________________________________ A gentleman haranguing on the perfection of our law, and that it was equally open to the poor and the rich, was answered by another, 'So is the London Tavern.' -- "Tom Paine's Jests..." (1794); also attr. to John Horne Tooke (1736-1812) by Hazlitt