Race, Class and Struggle in the US

Ooh I spy a fellow Ron Paul lover. As such I’ll throw this out on the current crisis. Ron Paul introduced this bill and gave this speech in 2003.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul128.html

Poor form, Jakez.

Do not feed the troll.

Passy said :

I doubt you’ll ‘infiltrate’ us. We are small and half the members are away. (For example one is in London receiving the Deutscher prize for his book Henryk Grossman and the recovery of Marxism). (Another round of puerile jokes, no doubt.)

Without Rick Kuhn it’s not much of a meeting I would have thought. That’s like going to see the Brian Setzer orchastra without Brian Setzer.

But if it is immature Young Liberal nonsense RiotActors want to turn up and sprout (like much of the comment on this thread so far seems to be) then I doubt you would get much out of attending.

I’m pretty sure I’m the only Young Liberal in this thread, so considering that whenever I have a chat with Socialist Alternative members (when they aren’t playing their eww dirty liberal games and are willing to have a conversation) it’s always civil, care to elaborate on this accusation?

You know I’ve always been deeply suspicious of the Socialist Alternative, I think it’s all just a plot by the heteronormative patriarchy to push left minded university students to the centre of politics. If it weren’t for the socialists (and of course Rick Kuhn) and their complete lack of cool, those left leaning first year uni students arriving at university might continue along the path they were following in high-school, back when a socialist utopia seemed like a good idea. Damn the vast right wing conspiracy.

Hmm I wonder if the Young Liberals being so kooky/bigoted is the left’s attempt to combat this.

the economy is going to hell in a handbasket because of the almighty dollar. the US is in trouble over giving out too much money in financial deals, we are in trouble because we did the same. The stock market is linked to the financial sector. if a mortgage company goes under, the market stumbles. if several do, we all stumble.

at least we aren’t producing 1 billion dollar notes….

consumers won’t spend if it is a shaky environment, right now, it is pretty worrying, but socialism won’t solve it, it needs to have a large influx of funding from business and govt spend.

It’s a public forum. I want open minded people who are serious about politics, and who may be questioning why the economy is going to hell in hand basket, to at least hear our ideas.

Queue the Rolling Stones track: you can’t always get what you want.

Or queue the superb suggestion for the RA t-shirt: Because I believe everybody has the right to my opinion? If they release those Passy.

Granny said :

I’ll turn up as an ogre or a virgin wearing a RiotACT pin. But I fear we will need alcohol!!

Maybe we should meet at one of the nearby bars beforehand? And on a related topic, do socialists even get drunk? I can’t imagine the revolution succeeding if they do…

The name is familiar but … nah, I got nothing!

Passy said :

the fascist Dennis Stevenson, then an MLA.

Stevenson, eh, old school legislative assembly. Whatever happened to that guy?

I swear I saw Bernard Collaery (of similar MLA vintage) on the news last night with an ADF Iraq war widow.

I’ll turn up as an ogre or a virgin wearing a RiotACT pin. But I fear we will need alcohol!!

I’ll turn up as the Grim Reaper wearing a RiotACT pin.

Granny

You ask: “Passy, what would you do if we all actually turned up? Surely you can’t really want us to come ….”

It’s a public forum. I want open minded people who are serious about politics, and who may be questioning why the economy is going to hell in hand basket, to at least hear our ideas.

I doubt you’ll ‘infiltrate’ us. We are small and half the members are away. (For example one is in London receiving the Deutscher prize for his book Henryk Grossman and the recovery of Marxism). (Another round of puerile jokes, no doubt.)

The three Christians who turned up to last night’s talk on Marxism and religion got something out of it, I think. At least I was able to rebut the stereotype that we oppose religion per se and want to suppress it.

Maybe if some of you do show up one or two of you might at least think about the ideas we put about race and class in the US if only to rebut them.

I thought the discussion about the ACT elections on RiotACT was intelligent and rational in the main and that gave me hope about the site.

But if it is immature Young Liberal nonsense RiotActors want to turn up and sprout (like much of the comment on this thread so far seems to be) then I doubt you would get much out of attending.

You’d be bored shitless.

By the way I’ve only ever thrown one person out of our meetings and that was the fascist Dennis Stevenson, then an MLA. I use the word fascist deliberately since that is what he was, and is.

tylersmayhem said :

Go Barack Obama I say! I really wish we could (and sometimes think we should be able to) vote in the upcoming US elections. Considering that we are directly effected by their actions, and that it seems they cannot be trusted to vote using their brains (refer to the idiotic re-election of Bush), we should be able to do it for them.

I might go to this – could be a good discussion. Will we be able to vote there?! 😛

My favourite thing about Bush is that he ran in 2000 on a platform of small government and a humble foreign policy. It must have been opposites day.

To be fair, the shemozzle that has been the Bush years, was only starting to really get going by the 04 election.

Of course I was appalled (starting with No Child Left Behind Act in early 2001) but I’m a libertarian. Most people aren’t and you could be mistaken for thinking things weren’t too bad. John Kerry was a rubbish candidate don’t forget and the Democrats were in disarray.

How can we infiltrate if we’re not organised!

But do you have a Riot pin? Get with the program, Tylers!

Wha Granny? What’s that got to do with the price of eggs?! 😛

But do you have a Riot pin? Get with the program, Tylers!

So… Tylers… Are you suggesting that if the US does vote Obama in, they didn’t do it with their brains?

No, I’m suggesting it wouldn’t surprise me if they do NOT vote him in!

Also, are you suggesting that you’re content with the erudite decision of Australian voters to elect Howard for all those years??

Although Little Johnny and Bush were best mates, I think there is a VAST difference between the two of them when it comes to general intelligence, motives and damage done to the country.

Well, an infiltration does sound cool! I’ll go if I can find it in the ANU … curse that wretched place! We’ll need to wear RiotACT pins. Who doesn’t have one?

I’ll go.

It’s just a shame it isn’t on the 31st, when we could have all worn our Halloween costumes to the meeting 🙂

jakez said :

RiotACT infiltration of SA? Who’s with me?

I’d only attend to play agent provocateur.

But if they can’t organise a worthwhile pissup to discuss politics, how will they ever orchestrate the Inevitable Revolution?

I’m sure there are people in Canberra who really can vote in the US elections.

Mate I’d love to go along to a meeting. I always love chatting to Socialist Alternative on Market Day.

RiotACT infiltration of SA? Who’s with me?

Tea is the universal panacea. I just might tell them that at the Socialist Alliance meeting!

I might go, Granny. I like tea and biscuits.

(Go Ron Paul!)

Passy, what would you do if we all actually turned up? Surely you can’t really want us to come ….

Barack Obama and John McCain are just two sides of the same schmata coin.

Bob Barr is where my (hypothetical) vote is going.

Although it would have been better if it were Ron Paul.

So… Tylers… Are you suggesting that if the US does vote Obama in, they didn’t do it with their brains?

Also, are you suggesting that you’re content with the erudite decision of Australian voters to elect Howard for all those years??

Go Barack Obama I say! I really wish we could (and sometimes think we should be able to) vote in the upcoming US elections. Considering that we are directly effected by their actions, and that it seems they cannot be trusted to vote using their brains (refer to the idiotic re-election of Bush), we should be able to do it for them.

I might go to this – could be a good discussion. Will we be able to vote there?! 😛

8:30pm – Tea & Biscuits.
9.00pm – The Revolution!
9.30pm – Beddibyes.

Tea and biscuits.

“Come along and discuss whether Obama will make any fundamental difference to the economic crisis and the drive of the US to intervene militarily around the world”

and then what?