<HTML><HTML> From: "Michael Dawson -PSU" <mdawson@pdx.edu> I don't equate freedom with the power of choice.  I say freedom would mean nothing without the power of choice.  The power of choice is necessary, but not sufficient. Why in the hell are leftists so averse to advocating freedom of choice? ^^^^ CB: Because the bourgeois ideologists have made the choice of using "choice" as the way of phrasing bourgeois concepts of freedom. As a leftist, you might want to take account of that. By arguing around the word "choice" you make it difficult to tell whether you are aware of all the leftist arguments against bourgeois concepts of freedom. There is much "left" terminology you can use to distinguish left concepts of freedom that ( I want to say "sublate" , but , you know..)  preserve and yet overcome the bourgeois concepts of freedom. See Aptheker  _Freedom, Democracy and Revolution_ as one example.  It is not that leftists are against "choice" it is just your choice of words seems unaware of the big struggle of the left to _preserve_ and yet overcome bourgeois freedom .  It's like socialism , as conceived by Marxists, comes out of capitalism, and does not abolish all bourgeois historical accomplishments, but some of them , so a new term is appropriate.  </HTML>