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<DIV>Michael Dawson wrote:<BR><BR>>Here's my question: Why not make the
MWM a movement to generate a true MWM?<BR>>Why not spend a year or two
recruiting enough people to actually put a<BR>>million workers in the
street?<BR><BR>Because one suspects the organizers wanted to be able to say:
"see <BR>how in bed big labor is with the Dems!" So when the march turns out
<BR>to be a trickle, they can justify it with a "told you so!" It's <BR>almost
the definition of
sectarianism.<BR><BR>Doug<BR>___________________________________</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I suspect this is stretching the definition of
sectarianism too far. It's a word that's used too indiscriminately, too
often also applying to the good guys who are trying to do good
things. Too often, 'Sectarian' (or sometimes 'divisive') is used to
label those with legitimate grievances or honest political differences or
alternative tactics. Using 'sectarian' as intollerance, destructiveness,
loyalty to another body, etc. is a useful definition and likely
applies to some organizers of the MWM. I think I even know
some. They're irrationally pissed off and unable-to-cooperate types who
have expressed themselves in earlier organizational work. But then I
also know of MWM organizers for whom I have a lot of respect. They have an
honorable left-labor history, and were progressive spark plugs in their unions,
community, or academy. They formed U.S. Labor Against the War.
They helped form the Labor Party and were LP activists until the party's decline
about 1999. Matter of fact, I attended the national USLAW meeting in
Chicago last year and found a prounced overlap of progressive unionism, USLAW,
and the Labor Party among the delegates. Clearly I don't know what the MWM
attendance will be, but it likely will be light. Not sure that matters too
much. I'm pleased that the word 'worker' has gotten into the million march
lexicon, and that progressive, social movement unionism will have its
day. The November elections are of some importance and those who stay home
from the MWM march to work for the Democrats can't be put down too hard.
But left unionists in alliance with progressives from the community seems to me
to be the mix that must jell after the elections. Join the
workplace with the homeplace. My hunch is that the MWM will be such
an expression. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Bob Mast</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Detroit</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>