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 [NYTr] US Leftists Bicker as Baghdad Burns 
 https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/Week-of-Mon-20050711/020133. 
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 US Leftists Bicker While Baghdad Burns 
  
 Bush and Blair are on the ropes, but not because of peace groups' marches! 
  
 We're sending out a statement from David McReynolds (who distributed the 
 position statement from United for Peace & Justice below) as well as the 
 statement from the ANSWER Coalition and a statement supporting ANSWER from 
 the American Muslim Society.  The same stupid rivalry has cropped up at all 
 large peace mobilizations since the first Gulf War in 1990.  In the old 
 days, this was called red-baiting. During the Vietnam War, it was aided and 
 abetted by the FBI's COINTELPRO program, and we're sure they're hard at work 
 helping to stoke the fires now. The fact that some so-called leaders of the 
 US "peace movement" are helping them is shameful. 
  
 As Bush I geared up for Gulf War I, Leslie Cagan's bunch, now called UFPJ, 
 insisted, among other things, that a major anti-war demonstration include a 
 denuciation of Saddam Hussein. The bickering resulted in much acrimony, 
 wasted energy, and two separate demonstrations in Washington. Since then, 
 UFPJ has engaged in other actions criticized by the Workers World-connected 
 ANSWER coalition, such as going along with the Westside Highway "demo 
 ghetto" at the Republican National Convention in New York when legal appeals 
 for a Central Park permit were denied. UFPJ's approach has always been 
 anti-radical. 
  
 ANSWER, for its part, insists on including a variety of political issues in 
 its demonstration against the Iraq war that some consider controversial and 
 divisive, and that others believe will "dilute" the message of the upcoming 
 Sept 24th mobilization.  This time it's Palestine. Why the 
 Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and US support of the occupation of Palestine, 
 should be *excluded* from the political agenda, when it is at the very root 
 of so much Islamic anger may be puzzling, but it's the old problem of 
 appeasing pro-Israel Zionists in the US peace movement. 
  
 Both groups tend to use major mobilizations to build their own 
 organizations, and that is exactly what this silly battle is about. 
  
 Much Ado About Very Little 
  
 We say a pox on both their houses, and beyond that we believe major 
 demonstrations are no longer even effective. If millions marching around the 
 world in March 2003 had no discernible impact, then this won't either. It's 
 a waste of time, energy and lots of money and only succeeds in making the 
 participants feel good. That money and energy could be better directed 
 toward building new and more creative, yippier, pacifist methods of opposing 
 the war that help to educate the US population about the reality of the Bush 
 Crusades, the lies behind the wars, and that directly affect military 
 recruitment and disrupt business as usual, aiming toward a general strike. 
 No Business As Usual is the only thing that will stop this juggernaut. 
  
 Waving signs and making speeches and shouting slogans in Washington, DC is 
 useless, and only gives confirmation to the illusion that this ia 
 free-speech a democracy. UFPJ is right on one point: The Bush regime is 
 on the ropes. But that didn't happen because of demonstrations. It 
 happened first, because of the Iraqi people are mounting a fierce 
 resistance to the Bush-Blair occupation and second, because of the 
 dedicated work by thousands of activists to expose the lies and deceptions 
 of the Bush and Blair governments, and to force the mainstream news media 
 to cover them. 
  
 With that prelude, here are statements from McReynolds, UFPJ, ANSWER and 
 the American Muslim Society, opposing the UFPJ position.  If all this 
 sectarian bickering saddens, sickens and bores you as it does us, read 
 no further. We are not paying too much attention to this latest tempest 
 in a teapot.-NY Transfer 
  
 ~                        *** 
  
 sent by David McReynolds - July 15, 2005 
  
 This post from me is to address the complex issue of the role of ANSWER 
 (mentioned in the body of this post from UFPJ).  Historically, starting 
 in 1956, a small segment of the US Trotskyist movement broke away to 
 support the Soviet invasion of Hungary. (Workers World has subsequently 
 supported the Soviet Union until its collapse, China even after the 
 Tianmin massacre, North Korea, etc.) This is a very long time ago, but 
 that break, which took the name "Workers World Party", consisted of very 
 committed, very hard working radicals who, during the Vietnam War, chose 
 not to be involved in the main coalition, but instead conducted separate 
 demonstrations of their own (the main coalition including "everyone" 
 from Catholics to Communists, Trotskyists to democratic socialists to 
 Republicans, Jews, Protestants, trade unionists, academics, minority 
 groups, etc.). 
  
 During the first Gulf War , 1991, Workers World refused to join the main 
 coalition and set up "International Action Center" (to which Ramsey 
 Clark lent his name - in my personal view, very unwisely).  There were 
 two demonstrations in Washington on the eve of that war. While the 
 Workers World demonstration was much smaller, it was still a good sized 
 one for the middle of winter - perhaps ten thousand - and included good 
 representation from the African American community. 
  
 During the Second Gulf War the Workers World set up another front group, 
 A.N.S.W.E.R., (and I'm sorry but I can't even find out from the 
 A.N.S.W.E.R. web site just what the initials stand for). ANSWER has 
 consistently set different dates or times for their demonstrations from 
 those chosen by UFPJ - throughout this period there has never been any 
 question that UFPJ was the  vastly broader, larger group. ANSWER has 
 tried to highlight differences by laying more stress on other issues 
 (important in themselves) such as Haiti and Palestine. 
  
 Then last year Workers World Party had a split.  One group in WWP took 
 over ANSWER, the other group took over the old International Action 
 Center. I know so little about either group that aside from knowing they 
 are small but very hard working I can't outline the differences. UFPJ 
 has made repeated good faith efforts for joint actions but Workers World 
 Party, continuing its policy since 1956, prefers to set up its own 
 actions which it can fully control. 
  
 I hope this background may be useful to friends in other countries, as 
 well as to people here. 
  
 Peace, 
 David McReynolds 
  
 ~                               *** 
  
 UFPJ - July 14, 2005 
  
 Sept. 24: Unity in the Streets 
  
  
 [continued in next message] 
  
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