Matthias Wasser wrote:
> So paranoid racist weirdos like Paul, and of course substantially less
> racist and paranoid righties like Raimondo, aren't just capable of doing
> good on their own. They can work with us non-righty peaceniks.
I've quit sniping at Paul in the local group, since the people who admire him simply ignore his negative views, and it really doesn't make that much difference.
But I hate and have always hated the word peacenik. It distorts badly what anti-war movementrs can actually do, which is NOT centrally to stop a war. (I think the only time that eer happened was the Bolshevik revolution.) It's to get people involved in activity and discussion that can lead to more redical politics, and if it interferres with the war effort along the way, fine.
But while admirers of Paul have their place in this, I don't see that Paul himself does.
Assuming that _the_ point of anit-war activity is stopping the war leads too often to the "Get Real!" rhetoric Jesse referred to. Witness Tom Hayden.
And incidentally, this is NOT maniulative -- you can state the goal before the persons you hope to radicalize them. It doesn't bother them.
Carrol