I joined the YSA, and later the SWP, because I believe that to be
able to bring socialism about, an organized effort was necessary.

That's still true, even though the SWP turned out to not be up to
the task, as the experience of many of us came to convince us over
the course of time. An organized effort, a structured effort, IS
what's needed, as there's no reason to think that socialism can or
will come about spontaneously, just because it's a better idea IN
THEORY. It has to be demonstrated, by a mixture of theoretical and
practical work. That's one of the reasons why positive examples of
success in building and maintaining a project committed to the
socialist goal is something worth pointing to. I won't mention any
specifics here, but we all can think of some successes, I'm sure.

Perhaps we can appreciate that some people did not bend to pressure
and, while working loyally to carry out as much of the SWP's plans
as possible - selling newspapers, carrying out its campaigns within
the labor and left movements, it rarely occurred to me that one ought
to bend before "peer pressure" INSIDE the organization, which I had
joined, in large part, because of its history of having come out of
the Stalinized Communist Party.

At the time of my trial I could say, and everyone understood, that
I'd carried out the campaigns of the organization, and, as a result
that my expulsion - which they couldn't carry out at the level of
the local branch, where they did not secure a majority vote (the
motion to find me guilty was adopted, but the motion to expel me
failed), but the POLITICAL basis of my expulsion was clear to the
people who attended that final branch meeting.

My trial speech:
http://www.walterlippmann.com/trial.html

Walter Lippmann
Los Angeles, California
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LOUIS PROYECT writes:
I had criticisms but peer pressure forced me to keep my mouth shut.
Not everybody is a semi-professional gadfly who enjoys having virtual
spittle dripping down their face from hostile party members.


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WALTER LIPPMANN
Los Angeles, California
Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
"Cuba - Un ParaĆ­so bajo el bloqueo"
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