Communists WERE 'the good guys' (and women)...
(TONYW@siucvmb.siu.edu)
Wed, 17 Apr 1996 14:40:17 -0400
Grover Furr has posted some very provocative ideas. Certainly, Joseph
Losey in his interview with Michel Chion stated that the old Soviet Union
acted as a potential barrier to the vicious actions of capitalism that are
now world wide.
But the defence of Stalinism in terms of human freedom? How does one
reconcile this with the millions who died in the pourges (far more than
under the Nazis), the perversion of the original Bolshevik ideals, and
the brutal elimination of figures such as Bukharin now "rehabilitated."
Surely, some recognition of the errors and monstrous nature of this
regime need voicing. Otherwise, we are back again to the old dogmas of
obedience to the Party line and falsification of history which bedevilled
something which did begin as a viable alternative. I do not wish to fall
into the company of Max Eastman and others here but elevating Stalin as an
apostle of human freedom is tantamount to those mental gymnastics performed
by James Jones in Guyana, David Koresh, and Rush Limbaugh.
Some critical perspectives are really needed on this issue.
Tony Williams