[Peace-discuss] Tax Rally Saturday

Carl G. Estabrook galliher at illinois.edu
Wed Dec 6 14:22:47 UTC 2017 

I don’t think there’s a clear-cut ‘dispute’ in this conversation, but I do think Bob’s example of opposition to the death penalty is correct.  

Strangely, there’s been a further fractioning of the always-amorphous Left in the US in recent months - up to and including what seem to me to be unwarranted attacks on some social critics said to be supporting 'red-brown alliance.’ 

In this situation, labels are more a hindrance than help. Instead of clearly summarizing a political position, they engender opposition. I think it a mistake to say, “I won’t work with you because you’re a liberal/leftist/anarchist/libertarian/communist/trotskyist/etc." - at least until you’ve found out how your interlocutors understand those labels.

To do otherwise is to put the hoarse voice before Descartes - who said, "The entire method consists in the order and arrangement of the things to which the mind’s eye must turn so that we can discover some truth” (sorry).

In my case, the description of my politics that I adopted from Chomsky 40 years ago - “libertarian socialism (anarchism) - a critique of Leninism from the Left” - is only confusing today, in part because ‘libertarianism’ - a 19th century term that meant anti-authoritatianism has come to mean practically its opposite - unrestrained capitalism - today (but only in America).  

In the case of AWARE, I think there’s value in concentrating on trying to understand and talk about US wars - particularly given the increasingly sophisticated strategies designed to prevent Americans from seeing and understanding what their government is doing. Distraction is easy, and encouraged; we should resist it, even when it comes in the form of other good causes.  

The only even partial successes in US politics in my lifetime - Johnson's social legislation (civil rights, healthcare) and the ending of Kennedy’s Southeast Asian war - have come as a result of popular demand. That’s what we should be encouraging, by assaulting the propaganda carapace, even more effective today.

—CGE   


> On Dec 6, 2017, at 6:42 AM, Robert Naiman via Peace-discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> wrote:
> 
> I have to admit that my sympathy is more with Carl in this dispute. 
> 
> On the one hand, all good people should support all good things and oppose all bad things, no matter what, right? If someone hands me a petition saying, oppose the execution of X, I sign it. I don't bother to scrutinize the details. I oppose the death penalty no matter what. I oppose it for the innocent, and I oppose it for the guilty. So what difference does it make if the person is innocent or guilty? I'm going to sign the petition anyway. 
> 
> On the other hand, nobody should be under any illusions that if anti-war, anti-Empire people in the U.S. spend energy and resources supporting the justice causes that other people are focused on, that will necessarily make them more likely in the future to support anti-war, anti-Empire justice causes. It might work like that in a normal country. But in the United States, since the McCarthy period, the liberals have been indoctrinated not to help us. So, do the right thing, but don't be under any illusions that your solidarity will be reciprocated. 
> 
> ===
> 
> Robert Naiman
> Policy Director
> Just Foreign Policy
> www.justforeignpolicy.org <http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/>
> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org <mailto:naiman at justforeignpolicy.org>
> (202) 448-2898 x1
> 
> Co-Sponsor Khanna-Massie to #StopSaudiFamineInYemen
> https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/force-vote-on-saudi-war?r_by=1135580 <https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/force-vote-on-saudi-war?r_by=1135580>
> 
> 
> Robert Naiman
> Policy Director
> Just Foreign Policy
> www.justforeignpolicy.org <http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/>
> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org <mailto:naiman at justforeignpolicy.org>
> (202) 448-2898 x1
> 
> Co-Sponsor Khanna-Massie to #StopSaudiFamineInYemen
> https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/force-vote-on-saudi-war?r_by=1135580 <https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/force-vote-on-saudi-war?r_by=1135580>
> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 6:38 AM, Karen Aram via Peace-discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net <mailto:peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>> wrote:
> Thank you, Karen
> 
> The date has been changed from the 9th to the 16th.
> 
> 
>> On Dec 5, 2017, at 20:50, kmedina67 <kmedina67 at gmail.com <mailto:kmedina67 at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> Karen Aram, thank you very much for pushing us on this. 
>> 
>> I will be there. 
>> 
>> I will be there, not in the name of anarchism which I do admire but only from afar; but in the name of Advent -- a time of great hope and preparation for the arrival of the most precious gift of love and sacrifice. In this spirit, I will be there. 
>> 
>> Pace e bene,
>> - Karen Medina 
>> 
>> 
>> From: Karen Aram [mailto:karenaram at hotmail.com <mailto:karenaram at hotmail.com>] 
>> Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2017 4:27 PM
>> To: C G Estabrook
>> Cc: David Green; Stuart Levy; David Johnson; Karen AWARE Medina; Mildred O'brien
>> Subject: Re: Tax Rally Saturday
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> The tax plan is not a “mere distraction of the anti-war movement,” it is another GOP, neocon means of impoverishing the American working class. The fact that the Democrat Party voted against it, must be disturbing, but the fact that they did nothing, and never do, being good cops vs. bad cops is irrelevant. 
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> I will be there, if AWARE doesn’t wish to endorse it fine, another nail in their coffin.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Perhaps we should have considered it at Sunday’s meeting. 
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> I can't imagine any AWAREists being in favor of the tax bill, but it is a bit removed from an anti-war focus.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> The political establishment is working furiously to distract the anti-war movement (e.g., “#Resistance”)
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> So it may be worthwhile for us to concentrate on US wars, as we've tried to do for 16 years. —CGE
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> On Dec 5, 2017, at 12:00 PM, Karen Aram <karenaram at hotmail.com <mailto:karenaram at hotmail.com>> wrote:
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> What about AWARE endorsing the rally?
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> On Dec 5, 2017, at 09:40, David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com <mailto:davegreen84 at yahoo.com>> wrote:
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> I appreciate the suggestion, but I'm not up for an outdoor event related to this particular issue on such a cold day, especially given our presence at the indoor market on Saturday morning.
>> 
>> On ‎Tuesday‎, ‎December‎ ‎5‎, ‎2017‎ ‎10‎:‎53‎:‎45‎ ‎AM, Karen Aram <karenaram at hotmail.com <mailto:karenaram at hotmail.com>> wrote:
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> I received this message today from Joel of one of the “left” or anti-capitalist organizations I met with on Saturday. He is requesting AWARE sponsor their anti-tax rally on Saturday, along with the other groups referred to below, and send a speaker.
>> 
>> If David Green is willing, I would like to recommend he speak on behalf of AWARE on this topic. 
>> 
>> David Johnson, is well informed on the topic, but will likely be representing the DSA?
>> 
>> Carl is an excellent speaker but might have a problem targeting the GOP. 
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Please see below Joel’s message: 
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> "We're looking to hold it this Saturday at 2pm, at the federal courthouse in Urbana. The plan is to have a rally with speakers, and a street march if we think we have enough people.”
>> 
>> "So far it looks like GEO will endorse, in addition to the Democratic Socialists, ISO and Socialist Alternative. Black Rose can'd endorse but a couple of them are active in helping to organize it. Would AWARE be able to co-sponsor as well, and send a speaker? "
>> 
>> "We're putting together a Facebook event tonight, with this messaging
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Their FB message:
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Last Friday, the Republicans passed their tax bill through the Senate that would *increase* taxes on ordinary people by $4.5 trillion over ten years - the largest tax increase in US history. The bill would also trigger automatic cuts to medicare and social security, further devastate public education, and potentially triple or quadruple taxes on graduate students. With $6 trillion in tax cuts for the rich, this rip-off will massively increase economic and racial inequality in the United States.
>> 
>>   
>> 
>> We've written and called our representatives to oppose the bill, and they've shown that they truly don't care. So we're not asking any more. This Friday at 5, we'll join nationwide protests by rallying to fight back. We won't accept having bread taken out of our mouths. Join us and show that there will be no peace until this vicious bill is dead!
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
> 
> 
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