[lbo-talk] The Nation invokes "sedition" against the right

[Jesse Lemisch]

Early in 1991, some autonomy occurred in Lithuania, which was put down by 
Soviet troops. Eric Foner wrote an article in The Nation saying that 
Gorbachev of course could not tolerate secession and therefore likened him, 
heroically, to Lincoln. When I arrived in Moscow in March (?), I f ound that 
Eric's Nation piece was reprinted on the front page of Pravda.

Jesse Lemisch

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "c b" <cb31450 at gmail.com>
To: "lbo-talk" <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 5:26 PM
Subject: [lbo-talk] The Nation invokes "sedition" against the right


> You have a flawed premise. The Left's or the Nation's refraining  from
> using state power to repress the right will not cause the right to
> refrain from using the state to repress the left. The American
> tradition "The Nation" joins here is that of Lincoln fighting the
> Confederacy for sedition.
>
> CB
>
>
> ^^^^^^^^
>
>
> Jesse Lemisch
>
>
>
> Jesse Lemisch March 26, 2010 The Nation joins a great tradition (Alien
> and Sedition Acts, Palmer Raids, Smith Act) by invoking "sedition"
> against Teabaggers. It seems utterly suicidal for the Left to invoke
> "sedition," as Melissa Harris-Lacewell does in condemning Teabaggers
> in The Nation . What a proud tradition we would join by doing this:
> Alien and Sedition Acts, Palmer Raids, Smith Act. And what's up with
> Harris-Lacewell's adoration of The State, with its "monopoly on the
> legitimate [sic] use of violence, force and coercion"?
>
>
> ^^^^^^
> CB: Calling Teabaggers traitors is more in the tradition of calling
> Confederates (racist defenders of slavery) traitors, like Lincoln did
> in fighting them , than the examples you give.
>
> Of course,  Jesse covers up his eyes to the racism of the Teabaggers, 
> 'cause...
>
> ^^^^^^^
>
> ^^^^^^^
>
> Huh? Are we really happy with this utterly unqualified approval of
> such government action, and, as a result utterly unqualified
> prohibition of such things when used by non-governmental people? There
> goes the picket line, and anything else that they might deem to be
> "coercive."
>
> ^^^^^^^
> CB: Do you defend the KKK's "freedom" of speech , too ?
>
> If The Nation says nothing about the "sedition" of the Teabaggers, the
> right when in power will still attack the rights of unions, picketers,
> communists, etc.
>
> You have a flawed premise. The Left refraining  from using state power
> to repress the right will not cause the right from using the state to
> repress the left
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