Click on the title to link to the Max Schachtman Internet Archive's copy of his rather prophetic, 1939 article, "Intellectuals In Retreat".
Every January, as readers of this blog are now, hopefully, familiar with the international communist movement honors the 3 Ls-Lenin, Luxemburg and Leibknecht, fallen leaders of the early 20th century communist movement who died in this month (and whose untimely deaths left a huge, irreplaceable gap in the international leadership of that time). January is thus a time for us to reflect on the roots of our movement and those who brought us along this far. In order to give a fuller measure of honor to our fallen forbears this January, and in future Januarys, this space will honor others who have contributed in some way to the struggle for our communist future. That future classless society, however, will be the true memorial to their sacrifices.
*****
Note on inclusion: As in other series on this site (“Labor’s Untold Story”, “Leaders Of The Bolshevik Revolution”, etc.) this year’s honorees do not exhaust the list of every possible communist worthy of the name. Nor, in fact, is the list limited to Bolshevik-style communists. There will be names included from other traditions (like anarchism, social democracy, the Diggers, Levellers, Jacobins, etc.) whose efforts contributed to the international struggle. Also, as was true of previous series this year’s efforts are no more than an introduction to these heroes of the class struggle. Future years will see more detailed information on each entry, particularly about many of the lesser known figures. Better yet, the reader can pick up the ball and run with it if he or she has more knowledge about the particular exploits of some communist militant, or to include a missing one.
Markin comment;
Max Shachtman is exactly the kind of left-wing political figure that I was thinking of when I mentioned above the partial contributions of those who, in the end, became enemies, one way or another, of the struggle for our communist future. Although he eventually joined the ranks of the "State Department" socialists after World War II in his youth he was a boon factional companion of James P. Cannon in the American Communist Party, an editor of the class struggle defense newspaper, "Labor Defender", and founding member of the American Trotskyist organization, the Socialist Workers Party. He is also, I might add, the main source for all those political slanders aimed at his former mentor, Cannon, concerning his alleged high-handed bureaucratic regime.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Monday, January 04, 2010
*Films To While Away The Class Struggle By- The Class Struggle is….”hot running water and a big old bathtub”- "Harlan County, U.S.A."- A Review
Click on the title to link to a "YouTube" film clip of the movie trailer for "Harlan County, U.S.A."
Recently I have begun to post entries under the headline- “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”-that will include progressive and labor-oriented songs that might be of general interest to the radical public. I have decided to do the same for some films that may perk that same interest under the title in this entry’s headline. In the future I expect to do the same for books under a similar heading.-Markin
DVD Review
Harlan County, U.S.A., starring the workers of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and the women of the Brookside (Kentucky) Women’s Club, directed by Barbara Kopple, 1976
This excellent documentary directed by Barbara Kopple focuses on the long, somewhat isolated, strike 1973 by the new United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) local of Harlan County, Kentucky coal miners fighting for a union contract against the Eastover Mining Company (a subsidiary of the massive Duke Power Company, the modern equivalent of the old villainous Peabody Mining Company well known in labor circles and in coal country songs). That long strike, the ups and downs of the battles for recognition, the changing tactics on both sides over time, the frustrations of the strikers and their wives and other supporters and the lessons to be learned for labor militants today are what make this such a compelling and rewarding documentary to view.
That “hot running water and a big old bathtub” caption in the title may need some explaining in post-industrial America, although perhaps not to as many people as one would think. One of the virtues of this documentary is that the participants in the strike and their wives and loved ones get plenty of air time. Thus, we get to hear and see, up close and personal, them express their views, their frustrations during the strike and their hopes for a successful strike and a new contract that will provide enhanced safety standards (notoriously poor throughout the inherently dangerous history of coal mining underground and a central goal of coal miner unions up to the present day), produce more benefits and place the Eastern Kentucky miners on a equal footing with other UMWA miners.
The most poignant expression of that hope was provided by a poor miner’s wife living in a ramshackle old cabin (company-provided, I believe, which is not unusual in coal country) without hot running water or a proper bathtub to her daughter while the daughter was being bathed in a washtub. That, my friends, is what the class struggle meant down at the base then, and, I daresay, now. We politically-oriented labor militants may express that proposition a little more theoretically concise and in an analytically profuse manner but I dare anyone who fights for a more just society to say they can express the sense of the struggle down at the base better than that.
And what of the lessons to be learned by today’s labor militants, including today’s coal miners who have lost a great deal of the spirit of their militant history in the last almost forty years since the events depicted in this film occurred? Well, as always, the question posed by the sub-theme that drives the spirit of the struggle in this documentary and as eloquently expressed by the writer of the song in the 1930s when there was also a huge wave of class struggle in the coal fields, Florence Reece -“Which Side Are You On?”. After a few minutes of viewing here one should be very clear about that point. Further as the strike drags on that, “picket lines mean don’t cross”, a chronic problem during the strike with scabs being sent into the mines by the company daily- a question that repeatedly comes up these days when labor disputes come up as well. And another lesson is, not surprisingly, do not trust bourgeois politicians, judges, cop, the pro-capitalist union bureaucracy or anyone else that gets in your way. Those will do, for starters.
Moreover, as shown here, a strike committee has to be tactically supple, as the heroic work of the Brookside Women’s Club proved when the miners were enjoined from keeping effective picket lines to keep the scabs out. And… well I could go on and on but the best bet is to actually watch this film, and re-watch it because there is plenty to pick up on there. And plenty to make you glad, glad as hell that you are a labor militant. A retrospective hats off to the 1973 Brookside Women's Club and the Harlan County, Kentucky coal miners, a place very close to this reviewer’s heart.
Recently I have begun to post entries under the headline- “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”-that will include progressive and labor-oriented songs that might be of general interest to the radical public. I have decided to do the same for some films that may perk that same interest under the title in this entry’s headline. In the future I expect to do the same for books under a similar heading.-Markin
DVD Review
Harlan County, U.S.A., starring the workers of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and the women of the Brookside (Kentucky) Women’s Club, directed by Barbara Kopple, 1976
This excellent documentary directed by Barbara Kopple focuses on the long, somewhat isolated, strike 1973 by the new United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) local of Harlan County, Kentucky coal miners fighting for a union contract against the Eastover Mining Company (a subsidiary of the massive Duke Power Company, the modern equivalent of the old villainous Peabody Mining Company well known in labor circles and in coal country songs). That long strike, the ups and downs of the battles for recognition, the changing tactics on both sides over time, the frustrations of the strikers and their wives and other supporters and the lessons to be learned for labor militants today are what make this such a compelling and rewarding documentary to view.
That “hot running water and a big old bathtub” caption in the title may need some explaining in post-industrial America, although perhaps not to as many people as one would think. One of the virtues of this documentary is that the participants in the strike and their wives and loved ones get plenty of air time. Thus, we get to hear and see, up close and personal, them express their views, their frustrations during the strike and their hopes for a successful strike and a new contract that will provide enhanced safety standards (notoriously poor throughout the inherently dangerous history of coal mining underground and a central goal of coal miner unions up to the present day), produce more benefits and place the Eastern Kentucky miners on a equal footing with other UMWA miners.
The most poignant expression of that hope was provided by a poor miner’s wife living in a ramshackle old cabin (company-provided, I believe, which is not unusual in coal country) without hot running water or a proper bathtub to her daughter while the daughter was being bathed in a washtub. That, my friends, is what the class struggle meant down at the base then, and, I daresay, now. We politically-oriented labor militants may express that proposition a little more theoretically concise and in an analytically profuse manner but I dare anyone who fights for a more just society to say they can express the sense of the struggle down at the base better than that.
And what of the lessons to be learned by today’s labor militants, including today’s coal miners who have lost a great deal of the spirit of their militant history in the last almost forty years since the events depicted in this film occurred? Well, as always, the question posed by the sub-theme that drives the spirit of the struggle in this documentary and as eloquently expressed by the writer of the song in the 1930s when there was also a huge wave of class struggle in the coal fields, Florence Reece -“Which Side Are You On?”. After a few minutes of viewing here one should be very clear about that point. Further as the strike drags on that, “picket lines mean don’t cross”, a chronic problem during the strike with scabs being sent into the mines by the company daily- a question that repeatedly comes up these days when labor disputes come up as well. And another lesson is, not surprisingly, do not trust bourgeois politicians, judges, cop, the pro-capitalist union bureaucracy or anyone else that gets in your way. Those will do, for starters.
Moreover, as shown here, a strike committee has to be tactically supple, as the heroic work of the Brookside Women’s Club proved when the miners were enjoined from keeping effective picket lines to keep the scabs out. And… well I could go on and on but the best bet is to actually watch this film, and re-watch it because there is plenty to pick up on there. And plenty to make you glad, glad as hell that you are a labor militant. A retrospective hats off to the 1973 Brookside Women's Club and the Harlan County, Kentucky coal miners, a place very close to this reviewer’s heart.
*Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By- Billy Edd Wheeler's "Coal Tattoo"
Click on the title to link to a "YouTube" film clip of Kathy Mattea performing the classic coal country song "Coal Tattoo".
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here.
Markin comment:
I can add nothing here to the song, except that the struggle portrayed in the accompanying film review on this date, "Harlan County, U.S.A.", brings that lesson home in a very big way.
"Coal Tattoo"
Billy Edd Wheeler
Travelin' down that coal town road. Listenin' to my rubber tires whine.
Goodbye to Buckeye and white Sycamore. I'm leavin' you behind.
I've been coal miner all of my life. Layin' down track in the hole.
Gotta back like an ironwood, BENT by the wind. Blood veins blue as the coal.
Blood veins blue as the coal.
Somebody said, "That's a strange tattoo you have on the side of your head."
I said, "That's the blueprint left by the coal. A little more and I'd been dead.
Well, I love the rumble and I love the dark. I love the cool of the slate,
It's GOIN' down the new road, lookin' for a job. JUST travelin' AND LOOKIN' I HATE.
JUST travelin' AND LOOKIN' I HATE.
I stood for the union and walked in the line and fought against the company.
I stood for the U. M. W. of A. Now, who's gonna stand for me?
I've got no house and I got no job, just got a worried soul
And THIS blue tattoo on the side of my head left by the number nine coal.
Left by the number nine coal.
Some day when I'm dead and gone to heaven, the land of my dreams.
I won't have to worry on losin' my job, on bad times and big machines.
I ain't gonna pay my money away on dues or hospital plans.
I'm gonna pick coal where the blue heavens roll and sing with the angel band.
Sing with the angel band.
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here.
Markin comment:
I can add nothing here to the song, except that the struggle portrayed in the accompanying film review on this date, "Harlan County, U.S.A.", brings that lesson home in a very big way.
"Coal Tattoo"
Billy Edd Wheeler
Travelin' down that coal town road. Listenin' to my rubber tires whine.
Goodbye to Buckeye and white Sycamore. I'm leavin' you behind.
I've been coal miner all of my life. Layin' down track in the hole.
Gotta back like an ironwood, BENT by the wind. Blood veins blue as the coal.
Blood veins blue as the coal.
Somebody said, "That's a strange tattoo you have on the side of your head."
I said, "That's the blueprint left by the coal. A little more and I'd been dead.
Well, I love the rumble and I love the dark. I love the cool of the slate,
It's GOIN' down the new road, lookin' for a job. JUST travelin' AND LOOKIN' I HATE.
JUST travelin' AND LOOKIN' I HATE.
I stood for the union and walked in the line and fought against the company.
I stood for the U. M. W. of A. Now, who's gonna stand for me?
I've got no house and I got no job, just got a worried soul
And THIS blue tattoo on the side of my head left by the number nine coal.
Left by the number nine coal.
Some day when I'm dead and gone to heaven, the land of my dreams.
I won't have to worry on losin' my job, on bad times and big machines.
I ain't gonna pay my money away on dues or hospital plans.
I'm gonna pick coal where the blue heavens roll and sing with the angel band.
Sing with the angel band.
*Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By- Jean Ritchie's "The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore"
Click on the title to link to a "YouTube" film clip of Jean Ritchie performing the classic coal country song "The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore".
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here.
Markin comment:
I can add nothing here to the song, except that the struggle portrayed in the accompanying film review on this date, "Harlan County, U.S.A.", brings the tale told here home in a very big way.
The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore
(Jean Ritchie)
When I was a curly headed baby
My daddy sat me down on his knee
He said, "son, go to school and get your letters,
Don't you be a dusty coal miner, boy, like me."
[Chorus:]
I was born and raised at the mouth of hazard hollow
The coal cars rolled and rumbled past my door
But now they stand in a rusty row all empty
Because the l & n don't stop here anymore
I used to think my daddy was a black man
With script enough to buy the company store
But now he goes to town with empty pockets
And his face is white as a February snow
[Chorus]
I never thought I'd learn to love the coal dust
I never thought I'd pray to hear that whistle roar
Oh, god, I wish the grass would turn to money
And those green backs would fill my pockets once more
[Chorus]
Last night I dreamed I went down to the office
To get my pay like a had done before
But them ol' kudzu vines were coverin' the door
And there were leaves and grass growin' right up through the floor
[Chorus]
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here.
Markin comment:
I can add nothing here to the song, except that the struggle portrayed in the accompanying film review on this date, "Harlan County, U.S.A.", brings the tale told here home in a very big way.
The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore
(Jean Ritchie)
When I was a curly headed baby
My daddy sat me down on his knee
He said, "son, go to school and get your letters,
Don't you be a dusty coal miner, boy, like me."
[Chorus:]
I was born and raised at the mouth of hazard hollow
The coal cars rolled and rumbled past my door
But now they stand in a rusty row all empty
Because the l & n don't stop here anymore
I used to think my daddy was a black man
With script enough to buy the company store
But now he goes to town with empty pockets
And his face is white as a February snow
[Chorus]
I never thought I'd learn to love the coal dust
I never thought I'd pray to hear that whistle roar
Oh, god, I wish the grass would turn to money
And those green backs would fill my pockets once more
[Chorus]
Last night I dreamed I went down to the office
To get my pay like a had done before
But them ol' kudzu vines were coverin' the door
And there were leaves and grass growin' right up through the floor
[Chorus]
*Those Who Fought For Our Communist Future Are Kindred Spirits- Honor Aunt Molly Jackson
Click on the title to link to the "Aunt Molly Jackson" Web site.
Every January, as readers of this blog are now, hopefully, familiar with the international communist movement honors the 3 Ls-Lenin, Luxemburg and Leibknecht, fallen leaders of the early 20th century communist movement who died in this month (and whose untimely deaths left a huge, irreplaceable gap in the international leadership of that time). January is thus a time for us to reflect on the roots of our movement and those who brought us along this far. In order to give a fuller measure of honor to our fallen forbears this January, and in future Januarys, this space will honor others who have contributed in some way to the struggle for our communist future. That future classless society, however, will be the true memorial to their sacrifices.
*****
Note on inclusion: As in other series on this site (“Labor’s Untold Story”, “Leaders Of The Bolshevik Revolution”, etc.) this year’s honorees do not exhaust the list of every possible communist worthy of the name. Nor, in fact, is the list limited to Bolshevik-style communists. There will be names included from other traditions (like anarchism, social democracy, the Diggers, Levellers, Jacobins, etc.) whose efforts
contributed to the international struggle. Also, as was true of previous series this year’s efforts are no more than an introduction to these heroes of the class struggle. Future years will see more detailed information on each entry, particularly about many of the lesser known figures. Better yet, the reader can pick up the ball and run with it if he or she has more knowledge about the particular exploits of some communist militant, or to include a missing one.
Every January, as readers of this blog are now, hopefully, familiar with the international communist movement honors the 3 Ls-Lenin, Luxemburg and Leibknecht, fallen leaders of the early 20th century communist movement who died in this month (and whose untimely deaths left a huge, irreplaceable gap in the international leadership of that time). January is thus a time for us to reflect on the roots of our movement and those who brought us along this far. In order to give a fuller measure of honor to our fallen forbears this January, and in future Januarys, this space will honor others who have contributed in some way to the struggle for our communist future. That future classless society, however, will be the true memorial to their sacrifices.
*****
Note on inclusion: As in other series on this site (“Labor’s Untold Story”, “Leaders Of The Bolshevik Revolution”, etc.) this year’s honorees do not exhaust the list of every possible communist worthy of the name. Nor, in fact, is the list limited to Bolshevik-style communists. There will be names included from other traditions (like anarchism, social democracy, the Diggers, Levellers, Jacobins, etc.) whose efforts
contributed to the international struggle. Also, as was true of previous series this year’s efforts are no more than an introduction to these heroes of the class struggle. Future years will see more detailed information on each entry, particularly about many of the lesser known figures. Better yet, the reader can pick up the ball and run with it if he or she has more knowledge about the particular exploits of some communist militant, or to include a missing one.
*Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By- Florence Reece’s “Which Side Are You On?”
Click on the title to link to a "YouTube" film clip of Pete Seeger performing performing the classic coal country song "Which Side Are You On?"
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here.
Markin comment:
I can add nothing here to the song, except that the struggle portrayed in the accompanying film review on this date, "Harlan County, U.S.A.", brings that lesson home in a very big way.
Which Side Are You on?
Florence Reece
(“an American social activist, poet, and folksong writer. Born in Sharps Chapel, Tennessee the daughter and wife of coal miners, she is best known for the song, “Which Side Are You On?“ written in 1931 during a strike by the United Mine Workers of America in which her husband, Sam Reece, was an organizer.”)
Come all of you good workers,
Good news to you I’ll tell,
Of how that good old union
Has come in here to dwell.
cho: Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
My daddy was a miner,
And I’m a miner’s son,
And I’ll stick with the union,
Till every battle’s won.
They say in Harlan County,
There are no neutrals there.
You’ll either be a union man,
Or a thug for J.H. Blair.
Oh, workers can you stand it?
Oh, tell me how you can.
Will you be a lousy scab,
Or will you be a man ?
Don’t scab for the bosses,
Don’t listen to their lies.
Us poor folks haven’t got a chance,
Unless we organize.
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here.
Markin comment:
I can add nothing here to the song, except that the struggle portrayed in the accompanying film review on this date, "Harlan County, U.S.A.", brings that lesson home in a very big way.
Which Side Are You on?
Florence Reece
(“an American social activist, poet, and folksong writer. Born in Sharps Chapel, Tennessee the daughter and wife of coal miners, she is best known for the song, “Which Side Are You On?“ written in 1931 during a strike by the United Mine Workers of America in which her husband, Sam Reece, was an organizer.”)
Come all of you good workers,
Good news to you I’ll tell,
Of how that good old union
Has come in here to dwell.
cho: Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
My daddy was a miner,
And I’m a miner’s son,
And I’ll stick with the union,
Till every battle’s won.
They say in Harlan County,
There are no neutrals there.
You’ll either be a union man,
Or a thug for J.H. Blair.
Oh, workers can you stand it?
Oh, tell me how you can.
Will you be a lousy scab,
Or will you be a man ?
Don’t scab for the bosses,
Don’t listen to their lies.
Us poor folks haven’t got a chance,
Unless we organize.
*Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By-"You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive"
Click on the title to link to a "YouTube" film clip of Patty Loveless performing the classic coal country song "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive".
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here.
Markin comment:
I can add nothing here to the song, except that the struggle portrayed in the accompanying film review on this date, "Harlan County, U.S.A.", is a better way to proceed.
Darrell Scott- You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive Lyrics
In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky
That's the place where I traced my bloodline
And it's there I read on a hillside gravestone
"You'll never leave Harlan alive"
Oh my grandfather's dad crossed the Cumberland Mountains
Where he took a pretty girl to be his bride
Said "Won't you walk with me out the mouth of this holler
Or we'll never leave Harlan alive"
Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin'
And the sun goes down about three in the day
And you'll fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
And you spend your life just thinkin' of how to get away
No one ever knew there was coal in them mountains
Till a man from the northeast arrived
Waving hundred dollar bills
Said "I'll pay you for your minerals"
But he never left Harlan alive
Grandma sold out cheap and they moved out west of Pikeville
To a farm where Big Richaldn River winds
And I bet they danced them a jig
And they laughted and sang a new song
"Who said we'd never leave Harlan alive"
But the times got hard and tobacco wasn't selling
And old grandad knew what he'd do to survive
He went and dug for Harlan coal
And sent the money back to grandma
But he never left Harlan alive
Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin'
And the sun goes down about three in the day
And you'll fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
And you spend your life just thinkin' of how to get away
You'll never leave Harlan alive
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here.
Markin comment:
I can add nothing here to the song, except that the struggle portrayed in the accompanying film review on this date, "Harlan County, U.S.A.", is a better way to proceed.
Darrell Scott- You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive Lyrics
In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky
That's the place where I traced my bloodline
And it's there I read on a hillside gravestone
"You'll never leave Harlan alive"
Oh my grandfather's dad crossed the Cumberland Mountains
Where he took a pretty girl to be his bride
Said "Won't you walk with me out the mouth of this holler
Or we'll never leave Harlan alive"
Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin'
And the sun goes down about three in the day
And you'll fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
And you spend your life just thinkin' of how to get away
No one ever knew there was coal in them mountains
Till a man from the northeast arrived
Waving hundred dollar bills
Said "I'll pay you for your minerals"
But he never left Harlan alive
Grandma sold out cheap and they moved out west of Pikeville
To a farm where Big Richaldn River winds
And I bet they danced them a jig
And they laughted and sang a new song
"Who said we'd never leave Harlan alive"
But the times got hard and tobacco wasn't selling
And old grandad knew what he'd do to survive
He went and dug for Harlan coal
And sent the money back to grandma
But he never left Harlan alive
Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin'
And the sun goes down about three in the day
And you'll fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
And you spend your life just thinkin' of how to get away
You'll never leave Harlan alive
Sunday, January 03, 2010
*The Boston Anti-Authoritarian Movement (BAAM)Newsletter #29 Is Out
Click on the title to link to the latest Boston Anti-Authoritarian Movement (BAAM) "Newsletter". (#29)
Markin comment:
As always, I disclaim any political kinship with this newsletter. However, I have many times found interesting articles there. This issue has a good article on the struggle in Greece. And, in any case, it is always good to see what the younger militants are up to.
Markin comment:
As always, I disclaim any political kinship with this newsletter. However, I have many times found interesting articles there. This issue has a good article on the struggle in Greece. And, in any case, it is always good to see what the younger militants are up to.
*From The "Leftwing Criminologist" Blog- On The Question Of The Marxist Attitude Toward The Police- A Guest Commentary
Click on the title to link to the "Leftwing Criminologist" blog for an entry on the question of the Marxist attitude toward the police.
Markin comment:
Every since Karl Marx's defense of the the Paris Commune in "Civil War In France " in 1871 it has been axiomatic in the revolutionary wing of the Marxism movement (is there any other, when the deal goes down?)that when the working class takes state power it will have to create its own institutions, including for the transition period, its own police and army. The notion that, coming from the working class or not, that the police today, as police, are to be converted by gentle persuasion to our side is just a wrong proposition.
Trostky is his "History of the Russian Revolution", noted that the Bolsheviks (and other left-wing organizations) drew a distinction between the soldiers (particularly the rank and file peasant soldiers who made up the bulk of the Tsar's armies) and the hated "Pharaohs", the professional police that had a day to day presence in the neighborhoods. Try to split the army into its class components, by all means, but treat the police as sworn enemies. Cops, from the working class or not, are in the United States and Great Britain, cops of the bourgeois state. Those of us who have had occasion to defend a picket line or take part in and defend a militant demonstration are clear on that distinction, as everyone else should be.
Markin comment:
Every since Karl Marx's defense of the the Paris Commune in "Civil War In France " in 1871 it has been axiomatic in the revolutionary wing of the Marxism movement (is there any other, when the deal goes down?)that when the working class takes state power it will have to create its own institutions, including for the transition period, its own police and army. The notion that, coming from the working class or not, that the police today, as police, are to be converted by gentle persuasion to our side is just a wrong proposition.
Trostky is his "History of the Russian Revolution", noted that the Bolsheviks (and other left-wing organizations) drew a distinction between the soldiers (particularly the rank and file peasant soldiers who made up the bulk of the Tsar's armies) and the hated "Pharaohs", the professional police that had a day to day presence in the neighborhoods. Try to split the army into its class components, by all means, but treat the police as sworn enemies. Cops, from the working class or not, are in the United States and Great Britain, cops of the bourgeois state. Those of us who have had occasion to defend a picket line or take part in and defend a militant demonstration are clear on that distinction, as everyone else should be.
*From The Pen Of James P. Cannon- On The Communist International Leader Gregory Zinoviev
Click on the title to link to the "James P. Cannon Internet Archive" for a comment that Cannon made to historian Theodore Draper about the Russian Bolshevik and early Communist International leader, Gregory Zinoviev.
Markin comment:
Much of what passes for a critique of James P. Cannon's leadership, especially in his leadership of the American Trotskyist movement in the early days, centers on some alleged affinity to the so-called consummate bureaucrat, Gregory Zinoviev. I, like Cannon, believe that Zinoviev, warts and all, was underrated as a revolutionary, when he was a revolutionary. Surely his "strikebreaker" role in the October Revolution and his subsequent bowing down to Stalin and his coterie were hardly the stuff of a stiff-necked revolutionary but he did more than yeoman's service for the cause, and it has not, as Cannon points out here, been recognized. So call me a Zinovievist "window smasher", right? No, a Trotskyist who has a better grasp of what it takes, and with whom, to make revolutions than in his youth.
Markin comment:
Much of what passes for a critique of James P. Cannon's leadership, especially in his leadership of the American Trotskyist movement in the early days, centers on some alleged affinity to the so-called consummate bureaucrat, Gregory Zinoviev. I, like Cannon, believe that Zinoviev, warts and all, was underrated as a revolutionary, when he was a revolutionary. Surely his "strikebreaker" role in the October Revolution and his subsequent bowing down to Stalin and his coterie were hardly the stuff of a stiff-necked revolutionary but he did more than yeoman's service for the cause, and it has not, as Cannon points out here, been recognized. So call me a Zinovievist "window smasher", right? No, a Trotskyist who has a better grasp of what it takes, and with whom, to make revolutions than in his youth.
*From The Pen Of James P. Cannon- The 1923 Struggle Inside The American Communist Party On The Labor Party Question
*From The Pen Of James P. Cannon-
Click on the title to link to the James P. Cannon Internet Archive's copy of his 1956 letter to historian Theodore Draper about key events in the early days of the American communist movement of the 1920s of which he was a central leader.
Markin comment:
This is another important piece of the early struggle to develop an independent workers party that would operate on a communist program based on the centrality of the working class. A one class party (which other oppressed sectors could look to for leadership, as well). That idea and the manuevering behind it, was, as the letter shows, not what was happening in those days and one can tell that many years later Cannon is still red-faced about.
Click on the title to link to the James P. Cannon Internet Archive's copy of his 1956 letter to historian Theodore Draper about key events in the early days of the American communist movement of the 1920s of which he was a central leader.
Markin comment:
This is another important piece of the early struggle to develop an independent workers party that would operate on a communist program based on the centrality of the working class. A one class party (which other oppressed sectors could look to for leadership, as well). That idea and the manuevering behind it, was, as the letter shows, not what was happening in those days and one can tell that many years later Cannon is still red-faced about.
*From The Pen Of James P. Cannon- On The Early Concept Of The Labor Party In The United States
Click on the title to link to the James P. Cannon Internet Archive's copy of his 1956 letter to historian Theodore Draper about key events in the early days of the American communist movement in the 1920s of which he was a central leader.
Markin comment:
This letter is mainly of interest to show the on-going struggle of our communist movement toward the creation of some kind of independent, mass workers party in this country. Of course, in the final analysis a revolutionary labor party committed to a communist program would be the easiest way to go about the problem, but history does not always work out that way.
Markin comment:
This letter is mainly of interest to show the on-going struggle of our communist movement toward the creation of some kind of independent, mass workers party in this country. Of course, in the final analysis a revolutionary labor party committed to a communist program would be the easiest way to go about the problem, but history does not always work out that way.
*From The Pen Of James P. Cannon- On the 1926 Passaic Textile Strike
Click on the title to link to the James P. Cannon Internet Archive's copy of his 1956 letter to historian Theodore Draper about key events in the early days of the American communist movement of the 1920s which he was a central leader.
Markin comment:
The importance of this particular letter concerns Cannon's correct reappraisal of the Communist Party's incorrect caving into the AFL bureaucracy, as the strike wore on and others forces would be needed in order to salvage something from the strike, on the question of throwing strike organizer and leader, Communist Party supporter Albert Weisbord to the dogs. That, indeed, was a serious error, as Cannon acknowledges. Labor militants today should have that lesson etched in their brains.
Markin comment:
The importance of this particular letter concerns Cannon's correct reappraisal of the Communist Party's incorrect caving into the AFL bureaucracy, as the strike wore on and others forces would be needed in order to salvage something from the strike, on the question of throwing strike organizer and leader, Communist Party supporter Albert Weisbord to the dogs. That, indeed, was a serious error, as Cannon acknowledges. Labor militants today should have that lesson etched in their brains.
*From The Steve Lendman Blog- Gaza One Year Later- A Guest Commentary
Click on the title to link to a "Steve Lendman Blog" report/analysis of "Gaza A Year Later". Defend The Palestinian People!
*From The Struggle To End The Seige Of Gaza- A Guest Report
Click on the title to link to a "Boston Indymedia" article/photographs of a Boston First Night demonstration in support of ending the seize of Gaza. Defend the Palestinian People!
*New Years Greetings From The "An Unrepentant Communist" Blog- A Guest Wish List
Click on the title to link to the "An Unrepentant Communist" blog for a New Year's greeting and a progressive wish list.
Markin comment:
I would not have, perhaps, stated the wish list in exactly this way but most of the sentiments that are expressed there would make my wish list as well. I do note one glaring omission, an omission that is rather surprising since it will probably be a subject of major struggle this year. There is nothing on withdrawal of American and other foreign imperial troops from Iraq , Afghanistan and other hot spots in the world. This is, moreover, a very strange omission, as Barack Obama, at least, has staked his presidency on this issue, particularly on Afghanistan. So I will add my own number 11.
11. Obama- Immediate, Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S./Allied Troops and Mercenaries From Afghanistan and Iraq!
Markin comment:
I would not have, perhaps, stated the wish list in exactly this way but most of the sentiments that are expressed there would make my wish list as well. I do note one glaring omission, an omission that is rather surprising since it will probably be a subject of major struggle this year. There is nothing on withdrawal of American and other foreign imperial troops from Iraq , Afghanistan and other hot spots in the world. This is, moreover, a very strange omission, as Barack Obama, at least, has staked his presidency on this issue, particularly on Afghanistan. So I will add my own number 11.
11. Obama- Immediate, Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S./Allied Troops and Mercenaries From Afghanistan and Iraq!
Saturday, January 02, 2010
*Those Who Fought For Our Communist Future Are Kindred Spirits- Honor Russian Revolutionary Leon Trotsky
Click on the title to link to the Leon Trotsky Internet Archive's copy of his 1923 article, "The Tasks Of Communist Education"
Every January, as readers of this blog are now, hopefully, familiar with the international communist movement honors the 3 Ls-Lenin, Luxemburg and Liebknecht, fallen leaders of the early 20th century communist movement who died in this month (and whose untimely deaths left a huge, irreplaceable gap in the international leadership of that time). January is thus a time for us to reflect on the roots of our movement and those who brought us along this far. In order to give a fuller measure of honor to our fallen forbears this January, and in future Januarys, this space will honor others who have contributed in some way to the struggle for our communist future. That future classless society, however, will be the true memorial to their sacrifices.
*****
Note on inclusion: As in other series on this site (“Labor’s Untold Story”, “Leaders Of The Bolshevik Revolution”, etc.) this year’s honorees do not exhaust the list of every possible communist worthy of the name. Nor, in fact, is the list limited to Bolshevik-style communists. There will be names included from other traditions (like anarchism, social democracy, the Diggers, Levellers, Jacobins, etc.) whose efforts
contributed to the international struggle. Also, as was true of previous series this year’s efforts are no more than an introduction to these heroes of the class struggle. Future years will see more detailed information on each entry, particularly about many of the lesser known figures. Better yet, the reader can pick up the ball and run with it if he or she has more knowledge about the particular exploits of some communist militant, or to include a missing one.
Markin comment:
The name Leon Trotsky hardly needs added comment from this writer. After Marx, Engels and Lenin, and in his case it is just slightly after, Trotsky is our heroic leader of the international communist movement. I would argue, and have in the past, that if one were looking for a model of what a human being would be like in our communist future Leon Trotsky, warts and all, is the closest approximation that the bourgeois age has produced. No bad, right? Thanks, Comrade Trotsky.
Every January, as readers of this blog are now, hopefully, familiar with the international communist movement honors the 3 Ls-Lenin, Luxemburg and Liebknecht, fallen leaders of the early 20th century communist movement who died in this month (and whose untimely deaths left a huge, irreplaceable gap in the international leadership of that time). January is thus a time for us to reflect on the roots of our movement and those who brought us along this far. In order to give a fuller measure of honor to our fallen forbears this January, and in future Januarys, this space will honor others who have contributed in some way to the struggle for our communist future. That future classless society, however, will be the true memorial to their sacrifices.
*****
Note on inclusion: As in other series on this site (“Labor’s Untold Story”, “Leaders Of The Bolshevik Revolution”, etc.) this year’s honorees do not exhaust the list of every possible communist worthy of the name. Nor, in fact, is the list limited to Bolshevik-style communists. There will be names included from other traditions (like anarchism, social democracy, the Diggers, Levellers, Jacobins, etc.) whose efforts
contributed to the international struggle. Also, as was true of previous series this year’s efforts are no more than an introduction to these heroes of the class struggle. Future years will see more detailed information on each entry, particularly about many of the lesser known figures. Better yet, the reader can pick up the ball and run with it if he or she has more knowledge about the particular exploits of some communist militant, or to include a missing one.
Markin comment:
The name Leon Trotsky hardly needs added comment from this writer. After Marx, Engels and Lenin, and in his case it is just slightly after, Trotsky is our heroic leader of the international communist movement. I would argue, and have in the past, that if one were looking for a model of what a human being would be like in our communist future Leon Trotsky, warts and all, is the closest approximation that the bourgeois age has produced. No bad, right? Thanks, Comrade Trotsky.
*Those Who Fought For Our Communist Future Are Kindred Spirits-Honor Our Revolutionary Forbears-Karl Marx And Friedrich Engels
Click on the title to link to the Karl Marx-Friedrich Engels Internet Archive's copy of their 1848 classic revolutionary document, "The Manifesto Of The Communist Party".
Every January, as readers of this blog are now, hopefully, familiar with the international communist movement honors the 3 Ls-Lenin, Luxemburg and Liebknecht, fallen leaders of the early 20th century communist movement who died in this month (and whose untimely deaths left a huge, irreplaceable gap in the international leadership of that time). January is thus a time for us to reflect on the roots of our movement and those who brought us along this far. In order to give a fuller measure of honor to our fallen forbears this January, and in future Januarys, this space will honor others who have contributed in some way to the struggle for our communist future. That future classless society, however, will be the true memorial to their sacrifices.
*****
Note on inclusion: As in other series on this site (“Labor’s Untold Story”, “Leaders Of The Bolshevik Revolution”, etc.) this year’s honorees do not exhaust the list of every possible communist worthy of the name. Nor, in fact, is the list limited to Bolshevik-style communists. There will be names included from other traditions (like anarchism, social democracy, the Diggers, Levellers, Jacobins, etc.) whose efforts contributed to the international struggle. Also, as was true of previous series this year’s efforts are no more than an introduction to these heroes of the class struggle. Future years will see more detailed information on each entry, particularly about many of the lesser known figures. Better yet, the reader can pick up the ball and run with it if he or she has more knowledge about the particular exploits of some communist militant, or to include a missing one.
Markin comment:
If the names of the revolutionaries, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky, permeate the spirit of this space that is even more true of our earlier communist forbears, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. This site would not exist without their pioneer work to fight for the classless society that this old planet so desperately needs.
Every once in a while even an old hard-bitten, long time Marxist like the writer has a flash that, perhaps, old Karl and Friedrich were off the mark and that this society that we have now is the 'best' we are going to get. It doesn't last long though, especially these days when the old Marxist analysis is on the order of the day. So let's get hopping. A read, or re-read of "The Communist Manifesto" is a very good place to begin. Some of it reads like it was written just yesterday.
Every January, as readers of this blog are now, hopefully, familiar with the international communist movement honors the 3 Ls-Lenin, Luxemburg and Liebknecht, fallen leaders of the early 20th century communist movement who died in this month (and whose untimely deaths left a huge, irreplaceable gap in the international leadership of that time). January is thus a time for us to reflect on the roots of our movement and those who brought us along this far. In order to give a fuller measure of honor to our fallen forbears this January, and in future Januarys, this space will honor others who have contributed in some way to the struggle for our communist future. That future classless society, however, will be the true memorial to their sacrifices.
*****
Note on inclusion: As in other series on this site (“Labor’s Untold Story”, “Leaders Of The Bolshevik Revolution”, etc.) this year’s honorees do not exhaust the list of every possible communist worthy of the name. Nor, in fact, is the list limited to Bolshevik-style communists. There will be names included from other traditions (like anarchism, social democracy, the Diggers, Levellers, Jacobins, etc.) whose efforts contributed to the international struggle. Also, as was true of previous series this year’s efforts are no more than an introduction to these heroes of the class struggle. Future years will see more detailed information on each entry, particularly about many of the lesser known figures. Better yet, the reader can pick up the ball and run with it if he or she has more knowledge about the particular exploits of some communist militant, or to include a missing one.
Markin comment:
If the names of the revolutionaries, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky, permeate the spirit of this space that is even more true of our earlier communist forbears, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. This site would not exist without their pioneer work to fight for the classless society that this old planet so desperately needs.
Every once in a while even an old hard-bitten, long time Marxist like the writer has a flash that, perhaps, old Karl and Friedrich were off the mark and that this society that we have now is the 'best' we are going to get. It doesn't last long though, especially these days when the old Marxist analysis is on the order of the day. So let's get hopping. A read, or re-read of "The Communist Manifesto" is a very good place to begin. Some of it reads like it was written just yesterday.
Friday, January 01, 2010
*On Political Consciousness In The Post-Soviet Era- A Guest Commentary
Click on the title to link to a "Workers Vanguard" article, dated January 1, 2010, by Joseph Seymour, "Critical Notes On The "Death Of Communism" And The Ideological Conditions Of The Post-Soviet World".
Markin comment:
Despite the unwieldy title this is an extraordinary article that tries, as all we who call ourselves communists and our sympathizers must try, to understand the political conditions that we live under in a world situation that, on the one hand, cries out for socialist/communist solutions and on the other, given our meager resources, human and financial, we are almost hopelessly unable to effect. I second Seymour's points about the essential propaganda/ cadre-creating tasks that we need to working on in this period until things open up for us. That, given today's political realities, seems like a "no-brainer", as much as we would like to be able to lead mass struggles.
Markin comment:
Despite the unwieldy title this is an extraordinary article that tries, as all we who call ourselves communists and our sympathizers must try, to understand the political conditions that we live under in a world situation that, on the one hand, cries out for socialist/communist solutions and on the other, given our meager resources, human and financial, we are almost hopelessly unable to effect. I second Seymour's points about the essential propaganda/ cadre-creating tasks that we need to working on in this period until things open up for us. That, given today's political realities, seems like a "no-brainer", as much as we would like to be able to lead mass struggles.
*From The Marxist Archives- V.I. Lenin On The Dictatorship Of The Proletariat
Click on the title to link to a "Workers Vanguard" article featuring some lines from V.I.Lenin's "State And Revolution".
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