Tuesday, August 17, 2004

The Left’s Rotten Rallying Cry of Retreat: Cowardice is Not a Strategy

By M. Junaid Alam

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Posted 08/17 | Add a Comment

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  1. Great article !  Thank you for writing it.  Can you give any other references for your 37,000 number ?

    Posted by Rosemarie Jackowski from  on  08/17  at  08:17 AM

  2. Try this, Rosemarie: Al Jazeera

    As for the article: separating the liberal from the radical left. A rallying call.

    Posted by Ed Strong from  on  08/17  at  01:11 PM

  3. Great article.

    I just read at CounterPunch that Patti Smith got up at a concert and joined the ABB cry!

    Arrrrgh!

    Even the hippest of the actor/musician crowd are mesmerized by ABBism, a debilitating disease that eats away at the brain.

    BTW, I read a blip on Israel Shamir’s list from a Dr. Marek Glogoczowski that Michael Moore’s original F911 film included 30 minutes additional footage, including the mystery of the dancing Israelis. This was cut from the film, according a Canadian journalist who recieved an unabridged version of the film from Moore at Cannes ("the dancing Israelis” refers to the whole intrigue involving mossad agents pretending to be art students in the US, and the filming and cheering on of the twin towers being blown up).

    Posted by Rhino Rick from Tokyo, Japan  on  08/17  at  06:54 PM

  4. I’ve said this before but I’ll repeat it...As far as the UN santions go...yes, under Clinton’s 8 year watch, the deaths we massive - so YES YES this is evidence that the Democrats are every bit as capable of upholding a policy of mass murder as the Republicans are. But as far as this being an arguement for the Democrats being inherently worse - it is NOT. The sanctions of course started under under Bush I and would have continued if he had defeated Clinton in 1992 or had Dole defeated Clinton in ‘96. They of course countinued under Bush II.  Far from being a Clinton appologist, my only point is that the need to quantify evils at this point is fairly useless...suffice to say they are both very bad and we cannot (nor the Iraqis getting shot and blown up) afford either regime. I enterpret Tariq Ali’s lastest article to simply be a critque of those OTHER lazy and imaginationless ‘radicals’ who have merley put a perverse spin on the ‘lesser-evil’ line and conluded we can afford another 4 years of Bush (perhaps we can call them ABK’ers.)

    Posted by RgZ from  on  08/17  at  08:26 PM

  5. There was an excellent article at CounterPunch today explaining more of Patti Smith’s ABB position. While she did tell everyone to vote Democrat, she also said many other things at one of her concerts that denounced Kerry and praised Nader, so I’m glad to see that while on the one hand she is trying to be inclusive with your audience, she has not completely degenerated into ABB brain death. Just relieved to hear that she still has a fighting spirit and will say #### You to anyone who tells Nader not to run. And in public. Rock and roll Patti!

    Posted by Rhino Rick from Tokyo, Japan  on  08/18  at  07:19 PM

  6. Of course Patti deserves praise for this AND her past. However, when she was “denouncing” Kerry...how far did she go?  It is very difficult to see how any encouragement to vote for Kerry is not a step backward at a time when we must move forward with vigor. Behind all the talk, Rhino, I sense an affirmation of too much that’s traditional...and an acceptance of too much that’s unacknowledged in this country.  Hugs, Rich

    Posted by Rich The Poor from  on  08/19  at  09:15 AM

  7. Yes, I think Patti was equivocating on this one. Having her cake and eating it too. Noone’s perfect! I agree with you R’OXy music man, unless we are really sharply focussing our attention on how to save the planet today, and how to go about that in a consciously politically revolutionary way (generally speaking), and not just by buying eco-friendly toilet paper, then we is all whistling Dixie on the deck of the Titanic. I will be trying to hone my skills at pointing this out to people in every way that I can, and if I slide back into the river Denile please pour some scalding coffee on my head. Thanks for the inspiration man, and I mean that sincerely.

    Actually, my PhD thesis which is nothing to brag about (and I take no great pride in having almost accomplished what is mostly alot of hoop jumping nonsense), was about activism from a neo-Gramscian perspective. I looked at some environmental groups in Japan and asked whether they were contributing to the process of counter-hegemony. Undoubtedly many of them are, but the question is whether things are happening fast enough. In that sense, or in R’OXy music man’s level of being focussed, the answer is a deafening “no” (and this is not just to pick on the Japanese). The counter-hegemonic movement, to the extent that we can call it this, is not going to have an effect before many of the major crises that are set to happen happen. So, I would say that although old Antonio was a brilliant and courageous man, the strategy of attempting to change the attitudes and values of people within the hegemonic instititions is a very long term one, and one that is not necessarily moving us forward in the way that we have to if humanity is to survive (and all of the other species we forget about). Certainly this is a good project that needs to be encouraged and not dispensed with, but along with a slow approach we also need some shock therapy that does not leave the patient dead or damaged. Just what that specific strategy is, I am not sure, but am open to learn.

    Posted by Rhino Rick from Tokyo, Japan  on  08/20  at  02:28 AM

  8. My dad used to rabbit on about Patti Smith. How old are you guys? I’m experiencing a generation credibility gap here.

    Posted by Ed Strong from  on  08/20  at  05:20 AM

  9. Age is not the problem.  To take Rhino’s analogy in his last paragraph, we need to close the hospital.  Doc Ox

    Posted by Doc Ox from  on  08/20  at  09:21 AM

    10. Next entry: Living the Matrix - Can You Believe It?

    Previous entry: Parade of Nations, Parade of Ignorance

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