[lbo-talk] MPug Rats Out Yoshie To Cooper

[Carl Remick]

>From: "Dennis Perrin" <dperrin at comcast.net>
>
>... I see where Yoshie's going with her critique, and I agree that there's 
>a lot of domestic political posturing over Darfur, and that a US military 
>intervention would doubtless make matters worse. I think that Yoshie 
>muddied the waters a bit by using a term like "Establishment Jews," which 
>has an awkward if not rancid ring to it. The case against another war is 
>strong enough. Why employ terms that are guaranteed to divert attention 
>from the main point?

I think the main point was well stated in a Counterpunch column by Gary 
Leupp today, viz.:  "Throughout the country, the pious-sounding campaign on 
behalf of Darfur simultaneously prettifies U.S. imperialism---if only by 
asserting the latter can despite itself do some good in this world. The 
honest campaigners are like Boromir, in the Lord of the Rings, asking, 'What 
if we were to use the Ring for good?' But you can't use it for good! You 
can't go 'Out of Iraq, Into Darfur' without bringing the principles 
governing the former illegal intervention into the latter intrusion you're 
so naively recommending. Imperialism's not a friendly tool kit that can be 
used to fix the problems its own lackeys jot down on the collegiate 'peace 
and justice' to-do list. It's the problem itself."

<http://www.counterpunch.org/leupp05022006.html>

Carl