Re: [OPE] Latin America

Paul Z,

I hope that you remember that this started because I stated unconditional
support for the current Cuban Government.

This seems to have evolved into a discussion about the idea of
'unconditional support' per se - in the abstract -
which I don't much care for. However, to take up your point here about the
press. I don't think one has to express
a 'critical' disagreement with eg the Venezuelan govrernment to make ones
support sound more valid.
It sounds rather an apologetic approach, as if one wanted to reassure the
journalist that somehow you
really didn't fully ally youself with the government and so you views were
thus more acceptable or 'sounder'.
Why wouldn't they be 'sounder' if you DID ally yourself with the Government
100%?

One should simply attack the injustice and damage of imperialist aggression.
Full stop. If the journalists asks about the current 'single proposal',
then the answer is that that is the Venezuelan electorate's business. The
passing of critical judgements about the internal processes
no doubt has a place for those closely linked to the internal affairs of the
country, but I insist that the central task for us within
the exploiting states is to struggle against and expose the reasons for
interference. The expression of independent 'critical' opinion
seems to me to help only the aggressors. Whatever you say and however
reasonable you may feel you appear by expressing
'opposition to the Venezuelan government on a particular issue', you will
still either be regarded as ' a red under the bed' anyway for your general
support,
or an unconvinced supporter and so of no importance to the press.
Finally, if invited to discuss with those actually able to influence
affairs, then obviously an attempt at 'constructive proposals' from
a fraternal standpoint would be expected. It would be a concrete matter.
Generally however we are not in that position nor
would know enough to give solid advice. If my proto 'stalinism' isn't too
much too take, then I simply feel that there is too much dilettantism
in so much of the commentary about other countries, usually eminating from a
sea of middle class prejudices or 'reasonableness', 'balance' and so on,
that it would be best for all of us to concentrate on the sins of our own
ruling classes, whom we know, without providing 'criticisms' of those
struggling
under much harsher conditions against the same enemy.
As I said before.. I'm sure we are all capable of 'criticism', but it is
concrete support that counts.

Paul B

----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Zarembka" <zarembka@buffalo.edu>
To: "Outline on Political Economy mailing list" <ope@lists.csuchico.edu>
Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2008 7:11 PM
Subject: Re: [OPE] Latin America

> Paul B.,
>
> The current proposal in Venezuela is a SINGLE proposal regarding term
> limits and that is the proposal I was mentioning (not the earlier package
> deal).
>
> There is absolutely no reason for a comrade to preface a comment about the
> current proposal with a "I unconditionally support the government of
> Venezuela". Nor need a comrade shut-up. Rather, one COULD preface a
> comment with "I unconditionally support the right of workers to have
> alternative points of view fully exposed and to have their full voice
> heard in a truly democratic manner". (We know what the opposition is up
> to, but it would be undemocratic to simply suppress those opinions on the
> left --
> whether inside or outside Venezuela -- who feel the proposal to be
> faulty.)
>
> Many of us, maybe all of us, have experience with the issue of limited
> versus unlimited terms. It has been a big issue in my own union. I don't
> go around prefacing a comment about such an issue with "I unconditionally
> support my union", nor do I need to do it for the issue of the Presidency
> of Bolivarian movement (whether or not my judgment would change in
> comparing the circumstances).
>
> If I go to a demonstration in my city against U.S. imperialist adventures
> in Latin America and a reporter happens to come up to me with a question
> about the referundum, and I were to reply "I don't welcome that question
> and I unconditionally support the government of Venezuela", it would
> WEAKEN support in the U.S. for the solidarity effort (should my comment be
> reported and read). Even expressing opposition to the Venezuelan
> government on that particular issue AND clearly expressing opposition to
> U.S. imperial adventures in Venezuela would be more effective -- because
> it would implicitly say that opinions on such an issue do not change the
> main point of this demonstration.
>
> Paul Z.
>
> --On 12/18/2008 12:02 PM +0000 paul bullock wrote:
>
>> The question of the constitutional
>> amendment you refer to is a good example. Few 'critics' had actually read
>> - opr were interested in reading
>> - all the amendmentS or compared them to the original /preexisting
>> constitution.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> (Vol.23) THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF 9-11 Seven Stories Press soft, 2nd ed.
> 2008
> (Vol.24) TRANSITIONS IN LATIN AMERICA ~~~Research in Political
> Economy~~~
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/PZarembka
>
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Received on Thu Dec 18 20:23:16 2008