From: Riccardo Bellofiore (riccardo.bellofiore@UNIBG.IT)
Date: Mon May 19 2003 - 03:45:12 EDT
At 17:51 -0400 18-05-2003, Allin Cottrell wrote: >On Sat, 17 May 2003, Fred B. Moseley wrote: > >> I think our main responsibility - those of us in the US - with >> regard to Cuba at the present time is to STOP THE US ECONOMIC >> AGGRESSION AGAINST CUBA, and of course to fight against a military >> invasion if that materializes. I am convinced that if the blockade >> were lifted, and especially if US tourists were allowed to travel >> freely to Cuba, the Cuban economy would improve dramatically. This >> would demonstrate even more clearly what is possible for the rest of >> humanity. And I also think that the greater economic prosperity >> would also make possible a movement toward more free and democratic >> political structures at the national level. >> >> Our main task right now is not to criticize Cuba for its lack of > > democracy at the national level (there will be time for this > > important topic later), but rather to defend Cuba, and the gains its >> people have made, against US aggression. >> >> I intend to work hard on this task, and I urge others to do so as >> well. > >As another who attended the recent Marx conference in Cuba, I couldn't >agree more. I plan to try to establish some sort of Cuba solidarity >campaign at my university. I would be interested to hear from others >doing this sort of thing (not necessarily on OPE-L) about which >tactics work well and which do not. > >Allin Cottrell. Frankly I am not able to undertsand. I don't see what impedes that: (i) harsh criticism is levelled against US aggression; (ii) solidarity is expressed to Cuba against aggression, and the positive results (health policy, education) are recognized and supported; (iii) friendly but strong criticism is raised against the dramatic errors of Cuban government. I, for one, would support this kind of statement, which would be more effective than the other, and not reduced to gain support only within the few as the one I read on this list (which I also think was and is wrong). the phrases by Fred in bold are incredible to me: democracy, 'important topic', but we will deal with it later, we will have time. in USSR, in China, in North Korea etc (all faced by imperialist aggression) thhey waited, and wait, for long. and we know why: after the XXth century, and criticism from the left, we cannot say we didn't knew what was happening, and that there was and is a way to be against capitalism and do not support death penalty and a socialism which crashes democracy *for all*. this issue must be dealt now. this is the true help we can give to Cuba. let them understand this important point, which is (and was) vital to any revolutionary experience. r ps: has anybody read Rosa Luxemburg's paper On capital punishment? Instructive. She says that capital punishment must be abolished. I don't read any exception in her paper. -- Riccardo Bellofiore Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Hyman P. Minsky" Università di Bergamo Via dei Caniana 2 I-24127 Bergamo, Italy e-mail: riccardo.bellofiore@unibg.it direct +39-035-2052545 secretary +39-035 2052501 fax: +39 035 2052549 homepage: http://www.unibg.it/dse/homebellofiore.htm Al signor K chiesero cosa stesse facendo. Il signor K rispose: "Sto lavorando duro per preparare il mio prossimo errore" What are you working on, Herr K was asked. Herr K replied: "I am working hard, I am carefully preparing my next error" Bertolt Brecht
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