That is one of the stupid hang ups of the Old Left. Obvious Communists look silly denying they are Communists. It adds to distrust, as well. See CB comments below. CB called me J. Edgar Hoover once too.
http://www.columbia.edu/~lnp3/msg68422.html
What paranoia leads you to believe leftists will be fired or imprisoned or killed, here? Why bother? The ruling class has very little to fear from the US Left. Or liberals. Or most academic marxists. They used to, Zbig Brzezinski when NSC advisor got his copy of Kapitalistate, delivered to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
The Polish and Czech dissidents in Charter 77 (many ex-CP cadre) were braver than your avg. activist here. The State already knows, anyway, the affilations of rads, hiding it, and John isn't the type to hide, just makes organizing more difficult than it already is.
These Boston Communists though, may not be the brightest bulbs, but, they're honest, http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/other_stories/multipage/documents/04793553.asp
On 7/15/05, Jim Devine <jdevine03 at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 7/15/05, Michael Pugliese wrote:
> >Lacny, I've assumed for a while is either CCDS or CPUSA.<
>
> what does it matter what organization he belongs to. Just because some
> organization (say, the US Democratic Party) says bad things or does
> bad deeds doesn't mean that we should expose its members or kick them
> off the list. Last thing we need is McCarthyism.
> --
> Jim Devine
> "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let
> people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.
>
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>
-- Michael Pugliese