[Peace-discuss] LaRouchite speaker

[Dan Schreiber]

Thanks for the link Carl - I had seen this one
(www.publiceye.org/rightwoo/rwooz9-22.html) and read it closely.

It links Bevel with various people and organizations, who are in turn quoted
as saying or doing very inflammatory anti-progressive things.  However, the
only quote on Bevel himself is his saying "it was a tactical coalition based
on agreement that the main danger in the world was communism".  While I
don't agree that the main threat in the world is communism, this belief
isn't something that would cause me to dismiss him outright.  It also looks
like the article is a bit dated - it talks about Bevel being LaRouche's
representative for anti-Gulf War I protests.  This appears to be the same
time period that he ran for vice president, and the cause cited for the
association was anti-war - is this another tactical alliance?

Again, as I mentioned in the meeting last night, I am not an expert on Bevel
or LaRouche or Moon, and it is certainly possible that Bevel holds beliefs
that are abhorrent to progressives.  But I still haven't seen actual quotes
from Bevel himself, nor have I seen much beyond the word "associated" with
LaRouche/Moon.  I have not seen data that says  he is a member of their
organizations that makes decisions about their directions.  And, if he is
part of their orgs, is he a Colin Powell or a Dick Cheney?   Finally, there
is no doubt he is an icon of the civil rights movement, which does give him
political capital on issues like this.

I guess for myself, I'm a bit touchy about being judged based on
associations, which is why I want to see more info about Bevel himself, and
why I am resisting calling him a LaRouchite.  I am a Christian, and yet that
lumps me in with the worst kind of intolerance.  I consider myself a
pragmatic progressive, but it wouldn't be hard for someone to portray me as
a few degrees away from violent anarchists, whose tactics I abhor.  I want
people to judge me based on my own beliefs and actions, and not necessarily
those of organizations I have been associated with.

So, Carl, I appreciate and understand that it would be easy for others to
portray him as a LaRouchite and therefore AWARE's good name could be
compromised.  But I see that as a different issue from whether *I* should
see him that way, and I am still at the point where I would like to see more
evidence.  I can see why you would come to the conclusions you have, but
hope that you can also see why I would want more evidence of Bevel's
personal stances before deciding.

Respectfully,
Dan Schreiber



> -----Original Message-----
> From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net
> [mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net]On Behalf Of C. G.
> Estabrook
> Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2005 9:57 PM
> To: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> Subject: [Peace-discuss] LaRouchite speaker
>
>
> I can't believe that AWARE is considering contributing to the honorarium
> of a speaker associated with the LaRouche movement.  But I also have
> trouble believing that the organizers of the "Forgiveness Weekend" would
> damage their own cause by featuring such a speaker.  His associations
> can't be kept hidden.
>
> I think most people in AWARE are sympathetic to what they understand to be
> the goals of the rally -- but those goals are seriously undermined by
> having a representative of a neo-fascist movement as a prominent speaker.
> It will produce some very bad publicity.
>
> LaRouche is a nut and his movement has the aspects of a cult, but that's
> not a reason to dismiss it.  (It's in a position not dissimilar to that of
> the National Socialist German Workers' Party in the 1920s, under the
> liberal Weimar Republic.) Those who have been around town for a while will
> remember how it wrecked the Democratic party in this state in 1986.
>
> On Bevel's long association with LaRouche (and other far-right causes) see
> <www.publiceye.org/rightwoo/rwooz9-22.html>; and from LaRouche's side,
> <www.larouchepub.com/pr/1996/mississippi_tour.html>.
>
> For more information on LaRouche's neo-fascism, see
> <http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Lyndon_LaRouche> and "Lyndon
> LaRouche: Fascism Wrapped in an American Flag" by Chip Berlet at
> <http://www.publiceye.org/larouche/nclc1.html>, both with further links.
>
> At the next meeting I intend to speak against the plan to use AWARE money
> to pay some of Bevel's honorarium.  I understand he's getting $1000, and
> I'm afraid it won't do any good just to ask that our money not be used for
> any of that: funds being fungible, the AWARE money would just free other
> money and so would necessarily be supporting him.
>
> I hope other members who think AWARE should not be paying for an extremist
> of the far right will come and speak at the meeting as well.  If AWARE
> should decide nevertheless to do so, I'd have to withdraw from the
> organization, and I would regret that.  It would have only one good effect
> for me, as I mentioned to someone after tonight's meeting: I'd get my
> Sunday afternoons back -- they'd no longer be devoted to writing "news
> notes"...
>
> Regards, Carl
>
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