Re: [Peace-discuss] Convergence of the [independent] left and the R[ƎVO˩]UTIONARY right

[C. G. Estabrook]

Today's NYT has an obit for an Italian anti-fascist, Vittorio Foa, who recently
died at 98.  Jailed by Mussolini, he led a left-wing labor union after WWII and
was a socialist senator.  The Times describes him delicately as "a leading
intellectual of the non-Communist left [who] in the 1960s inspired some
extra-parliamentary leftist groups."

La Repubblica published his impatient answer to the question of what today's
left should do:

   "*It’s a waste of time and sense to try to define a leftist identity.*
    *You have to do what’s right and necessary for the country.*
    *It’s up to posterity to decide whether it came from the right or the left.*"

Amen. Requiescat in pace. La lotta continua.  --CGE


E. Wayne Johnson wrote:
> All extremes tend to be dysfunctional, but my focus (perhaps lost in my 
> words) was toward trying to seek unity and consensus in reviving the co-opted
> anti-war movement.
> 
> Your definition of mainstream could be interesting.
> 
> if your questions are rhetorical your answers could be interesting.
> 
> David Green wrote:
>> Why are we buying into mainstream constructs of far left and far right? For
>> that matter, why are we buying into the mainstream definition of
>> mainstream? Which "far" stands for democracy? Which is willing to listen to
>> the people rather than doctrine? DG 
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
>> *From:* E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag> *To:* Peace-discuss
>> <peace-discuss at anti-war.net> *Sent:* Friday, October 24, 2008 12:59:30 AM 
>> *Subject:* [Peace-discuss] Convergence of the [independent] left and the
>> R[ƎVO˩]UTIONARY right
>> 
>> During the debate tonight Ralph Nader mentioned the Convergence of the Left
>> and the Right.
>> 
>> I dont have his exact words here before me but my interpretation is that
>> the activist movements among the progressive (left if you will) and the
>> libertarian (right, but not the neocon right) bring convergence on many
>> issues.
>> 
>> Chuck Baldwin is a Christian and protege' of Ron Paul and is about as 
>> conservative and libertarian as anyone can be.
>> 
>> It was Nader who remarked how they actually agree on so many issues and
>> brought up the notion of convergence of right and left.
>> 
>> Interestingly the notorious criminal "mind" of the neocons, Bloody Bill
>> Kristol, also noted several months ago that the far left and the far right 
>> "meet" with each other and disagree with the policies of the 
>> neoconservatives.
>> 
>> Ron Szoke addressed a similar notion on one of the AOTA programs, something
>> along the lines that people who are intellectually honest and informed will
>> agree more than they disagree.
>> 
>> There are issues of definition of terms, language, etc. and there are 
>> hot-button issues on which the Progressives and the R3volutionaries 
>> disagree, but close inspection will reveal that there is diversity of 
>> ideology and background among the members of each group but somehow they
>> manage to find one another and self-assemble.
>> 
>> It is truly a good thing if we can manage to set aside the areas about 
>> which we disagree  or have difficulty in communicating about, and focus on
>> melding and networking the forces of groups promoting the doctrine of
>> goodness.  Most of the time it's pretty easy to decide.  War is bad.
>> Corporatism is bad.  Social injustices are bad.  Police state is bad.
>> Poverty sucks. The MSM sucks. Commercialized repetitive mediocrity sucks.
>> 
>> Peace is good.  Cottage industries and personal innovations and small shops
>> are great.  Getting along with one another is wonderful. Sharing is cool.
>> It's more fun when we share with our friends.  Books and videos and
>> computers are good.  Independent  media outlets are essential to our
>> well-being.
>> 
>> There are literally thousands and thousands of patriots on the 
>> r3volutionary right who believe in most of what the progressives stand for
>> and they are networked and well organized.  None of the ills which have
>> caused progressives and patriots to organize themselves are going to go 
>> away when the Bush regime leaves office.
>> 
>> There is a tremendous opportunity for broad-based coalition building around
>> key and vital issues like t3h war, the police state and other issues, 
>> provided that we are able to lay aside as yet unresolved differences.
>> 
>> Captivity in one ancient sense in the Aramaic dialects meant a splitting or
>> dividing.  Thus when prisoners from an army were captured, the sense was
>> that they had been split off from the core army.  The same root term is 
>> used to describe the splitting of a large stream into smaller streams as
>> the flow goes around rocks, sand bars, etc that divide and separate the 
>> streams.  Likewise the same Aramaic root describes the division of a flame
>> into tongues of flame.    That information elucidates an encouraging
>> non-zionist reading of Psalm 126:
>> 
>> When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that
>> dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with
>> singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things
>> for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn
>> again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. They that sow in
>> tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious
>> seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with
>> him.
>> 
>> Reading this with sense of the turning again the captivity as a re-uniting
>> of the enlightened and awakened, reuniting the divided streams into a
>> single mighty river.  Check a map, they streams unite as they move south,
>> and in the case of Ps126, the united streams are flowing into a desert
>> land.
>> 
>> _______________________________________________ Peace-discuss mailing list 
>> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net <mailto:Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> 
>> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
>> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> _______________________________________________ Peace-discuss mailing list 
> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net 
> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss