: SDF: There IS an ecosocialist faction in the Greens -- I belong to it -- check out the recent issue of Synthesis/Regeneration, number 21, has an article by Tom Smith that advocates "community-based socialism". There's the Nader campaign, and BTW, there's Joel Kovel running for President too. I saw him recently, definitely an ecosocialist and an opponent of bourgeois democracy.I'm glad to hear it and will check out the links. It seems to me that any serious environmental organization would have to, at some point, at the very least place major restrictions on the "free market." Capitalism, after all, needs ever expanding consumption, and that pretty well flies in the face of conservationism.
: SDF: The problem is that much of the citizenry is duped by corporate ideology.
Sad but true. The Left has done a lousy job in this regard. The Right has been able to convince people that capitalism=democracy, and since the corporations own the mass media, that isn't likely to change without a lot of effort.
: : : SDF: It can't be a coincidence either that much of the world was on the verge of adopting Fascist government during that same Depression. Seeking change doesn't have to be seeking good change.
: : Very true, and I think that this is a big part of the reason why those on the Left would do well to put aside differences and come together. I'm sure that you and I disagree on particulars in some matters, but we're probably quite close when it comes to the general outlook.
: SDF: So what do you think of David McNally?
I agree with a lot of what he wrote there. I'm a little concerned that a partisan group may be able to distort the character of the organization. For example, if it starts doing well, many Leninists may jump on board and through sheer numbers change it into a sectarian, vanguardist organization. One hopes that mambership would be broad and varied enough to keep this from happening.
: SDF: Yeah, I agree, I just wish someone else would run and I could support her/him -- I'm trying too hard to become a schoolteacher to be a board member...
Ah yes, finding a good person and convincing him or her to run is the catch here, isn't it? Still, it's something to keep in mind.
T get back to organizations, I couldn't in good conscience join the CPUSA or the SWP, but I could support the Democratic Socialists or the Socialist Party, even though I disagree with them on some issues. It reminds me of when I was a Democrat, all those years ago. I didn't agree with everything, but with enough that I could feel comfortable voting for them. Of course, then I started finding out what was really happening, largely because I couldn't understand why, after all the years of effort, nothing seemed to be getting any better in the world. CNN won't educate you on the IMF, that's for sure.
JD
