Not to say that I’ve been all that engaged.  I’ve been a dedicated fan of Occupy Wall Street since they first hit the news, and was thrilled to see people embrace the Occupy spirit in every aspect of life.  It was a brilliantly galvanizing idea whose time had come, bringing together all the groups that had previously been struggling to coordinate in a consistent and efficient way.  But I had suddenly started writing a book the day before the first gathering in Zuccotti Park, which was occupying my every spare moment, and then some.  I followed Occupy and a zillion other issues as I researched and speed-wrote in a parallel reality, wishing I had the opportunity to get more directly engaged.

Finally, I hit the Tax Day release deadline my subconscious had set for myself, and came up for air, just in time for the May Day General Strike.  I promised myself that if there was an activity I’d be able to make it to for solidarity with my fellow 99 Percenters, I’d be there.  I’d sacrificed a lot of myself for seven months over a message of solidarity that maybe nobody would ever read, and I’d be darned if I didn’t then sacrifice a little to connect with actual people.  So after hosting my sister for a week and catching up with work and family, I started my search.

I was disheartened to find out that Occupy Miami didn’t have more hope for a big May Day turnout, but looked up Occupy Fort Lauderdale and saw that there was a gathering the next day at a church I’d meant to visit, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Lauderdale.  It was only about 20 minutes away, and was scheduled to be right during my baby’s naptime so he wouldn’t miss me.  (And no, Frank, I couldn’t have brought him!  He’s coming off a clingy growth-spurt and never woulda made it!)

So the next day I tucked in my little guy, put on my favorite dress and my best hat, and on a whim grabbed my three sheets of test-run Business Cards so I wouldn’t be scrawling my email address on sheets of paper.  Shy Nyn had to take a day off, and I resolved to meet at least one person I’d want to keep in touch with.

Now to live in the Sunshine State is to embrace the rain, and it was pouring hard as I hit the Florida Turnpike.  Unfortunately, when it pours like that, everybody drives like they are frightened of this strange water that falls from the sky.  I drove safe and kept my focus by singing “Holy shining jewel of love!” over and over to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, something that came up while I was writing and stuck with me.  This put me in a great mood by the time I reached the church, which was blessedly easy to find.

After seeing how scant the participation seems to be around here, I was actually really glad that I had a hard time finding a parking space.  I apologized to the grass as I parked on it, then was glad for my umbrella as I was held up in the parking lot reading the best array of snarky and compassionate bumper stickers I’d seen in some time.  The one I hadn’t seen before was “Socialism: Tax the Rich, More Money for You!”  Given the appeal to self-interest, I just found that hilariously ironic.

As I walked up to the church, I remembered how tickled some people have been about the idea of strong religious support for Occupy Wall Street.  Naturally, a Unitarian Universalist church would be a perfect host to a gathering of unity, but whenever there’s more traditional Christian or Jewish community support, people make a double-take.  And that tickles me, because I grew up with the idea that Faith and compassionate fairness went together like chocolate and peanut butter.  I seriously can’t help but picture it like an 80′s commercial, “You got your Bible in my Occupy!  You got your Occupy in my Bible!“

The welcome was of course warm and enthusiastic, and after spelling my name for my nametag the greeters said “Of course, you have to have an awesome name to go with the awesome hat!”  I then went in to scout the tables that were freshly set up, and immediately had the chance to sign a petition for the Citizens for Pets in Condos, a really big issue in a part of the country where most housing is condos and generally only the waterfront condos for the wealthy allow pets.  They didn’t need to explain the importance of the issue to me any more than their table-neighbors who let me sign my support for OURWalmart, the Organization for Respect at Walmart.  (Note to self: make time to visit WalmartAt50.org to read more stories.)

I then went across the way to take a look at a beautifully simple flowchart of the Foreclosure process in Florida, done up by a wonderful woman with the Occupy Fort Lauderdale’s Foreclosure Mobilization team whose name I didn’t quite catch.  It was really easy to follow, and made me realize what a simple process the whole thing was, if you could take a step back and look at it.  She insisted that it really wasn’t a complicated process, so she put together the chart to illustrate that.  This made me finally break out a business card, where on the back I had a link to a free copy of my book (free at least through May Day, in case you’re curious), as I asked her if she had the chance to take a look at Chapter 8 and let me know how well I broke down the tax structure, which to me seemed simple but I wasn’t sure how well I did.  (Typing that now, I see the Chapter 8 / Bankruptcy connection – funny!)  Now I realize she won’t likely have time, but she was kind about it, and it broke the “my card” ice for me.

As I was letting her go, Steve of the Mardi Gras 10 approached me and asked if I could sign in support of those who were fired for attempting to organize for workers’ rights.  I only had to hear the word “unionization” to grab a pen, while he filled me in on their fighting back and upcoming March for Freedom, Not Fear on May 8th.  I thanked him quite sincerely for fighting back, when it would be so easy to keep his head down and try to just ‘get along’.  It is because of people like him that I even have the right to vote, so I genuinely am grateful.  I tried not to gush and moved on so he could get his signatures.

I then made my way to the tables on the other side, overhearing someone saying he was Internet famous.  Very curious, I asked who he was and what he was famous for!  The very genial and boisterously unassuming Marc Luzietti introduced himself, aka chegitz guevara.  He’d said that he was talking with a friend of his from the area, and wherever he travels, he’s asked if he knows chegitz, as there are so few radicals connected with one another in South Florida.  And the funny thing is, because there are so few, of course they know each other.

Marc was there with One Struggle South Florida, who had brought a very nice Volume I, Edition I of the mini-paper captioned “Anti-Capitalist News and Analysis”.  I got to meet the brilliant Stephanie McMillan before I realized she was the cartoonist of Code Green. (I’m a fan, and there’s a Code Green on the back of the paper!)  I asked her how she got involved with One Struggle, and it turns out she’d founded one years back, and recently they decided to revive it.  Good timing, I figured.  I brought out my card again and we talked about my book, which ended up being the anti-Atlas Shrugged without my quite meaning to start out that way.  Given the title is When Atlas Shirked, she pointed out that it’s a much better story if that was my intention all along.  I agreed, and really it’s not far from true, so that’s now my story and I’m sticking to it.  All the Politics, Half the Page-Count!

I wanted to talk more with Marc, but I was too hard to hear from across the table so I went to slip in behind him, those at the table next to his being momentarily away.  He told me it was too tight and I’d never make it, to which I replied, “Watch me.”  I ungracefully moved down and he helpfully moved a seat over, and filled me in on just how small the radical group in the area is, as he’d mentioned before.  There were only about 18 in their group, which didn’t surprise me.  I mean, I let him know it surprised me at first when I moved down here, as it was super easy to find groups a few hours north in the much smaller Gainesville, and even easier in Salt Lake City.  (Shout-out to the Rudies and the Straight-Edge of the early 90′s!)  He said that most major cities there’s an easier time, but when he’d come down from Chicago, there was like nothing.  He didn’t even find the group here until he happened to pass a protest on his way to work.

A friend of his came up and ribbed Marc about missing a gathering because he had to work, then launched into how he was going to kick off a speech at an upcoming gathering.  He asked what we thought about Obama opening up oil drilling or somesuch with the idea that it would remove our dependence on foreign energy sources, which we both figured was a political grandstand with no actual effect.  Marc then went on to explain about the fuel reserves and the extremely cost-ineffective nature of the oil left on our soil, and that’s when I realized that things I figure are self-evident from my months of engrossing myself in major political crises like what Marc was explaining… aren’t as well-known among the politically involved as I’d thought.  It actually surprised me that all needed being said, which humbled me in my assumptions.

Marc, his friend and I then debated for a bit about whether the Democratic Party was ever for the people, and I argued that we at least had a window of history where those who were actually getting stuff done at least had a sixty/forty… okay, fifty-one/forty-nine majority.  He then reminded me about being the original party of segregation and having to be dragged into supporting civil rights, and we agreed that essentially, America has always been a one-party system: The Money Party.

The song playing then switched over to Give Peace a Chance, and Marc said he had a love-hate relationship with it. I agreed, but he actually had a real good reason versus it just being overplayed.  He was at a protest in Chicago once, and the song was being led by a woman who was a bit off-key.  Worse, the news coverage managed to capture just her singing in the mic without the large crowd’s vocals or even presence in the footage.  Conversely, a small group of fifty or fewer pro-war protesters were there, and the news team managed to get a photo of them at such an angle that implied they were a gigantic crowd versus this one “crazy woman” (because clearly, singing about peace makes one loony, particularly if one is not blowing the roof off Carnegie Hall with the performance).

That’s about when I borrowed their pen and started scrawling the word “FREE” atop the back of my business cards and staked out my empty space at the table to hand them out, at Marc’s suggestion.  After slipping under the table real quick for a mug of some of the best coffee I’ve had in forever, I sat back down to listen to Marc’s and Stephanie’s conversations with friends and putting my card into peoples’ hands.

That’s how I got to meet Jarek Loovali, who moved here from Estonia “way too long ago”, as he put it.  He mentioned how tough (or was it strange?) it was to come here from Estonia, where they had free healthcare, free secondary education, and support for their people.  I commented how there are so many Americans who’ll laugh off Estonia as “a small backwater country with nothing”, and yet there, people have so much more they share with one another.  Jarek commented that he thought it was easier for smaller groups to come together like that than larger ones, which really is about spot-on.  I supposed it was a matter of “Oh, these are my family, I can help them!” versus what we’ll have here, of “But not those people, THOSE aren’t my family, and I can’t let them take what’s ours” or somesuch.  It was time for a coffee refresh, so back under the table I went so I could be ready for the meeting’s start.  I made it back just in time to find the table-neighbors returned, but not minding my squatting one bit.

And that’s how I found myself handing out info on a Christian Progressive Political Galifesto between a one-time Socialist Florida Congressional Candidate on my right, and the South Florida Raging Grannies on my left. I didn’t catch the name of the marvelous woman with the long grey braids, but she had the kind of presence that was unassumingly dominant in a kind sort of way.  I thanked her for sharing her space and shared my card, which she accepted while trying to very tactfully admit that she’s not Christian, but she respects a lot of Jesus’ message.  I let her know that’s perfect, because my project tried very hard to illustrate how a very valid Christianity is incredibly generous and community-oriented, dedicated to taking care of those around us.  That struck a note, because she expressed some frustration with the gulf between what Jesus seemed to teach, versus all the harm that’s done in his name.

We had to break that off, as Reverend Gail Tapscott kicked off the meeting.  We heard from Hatian immigrant Romane Petit about the commonalities of the struggles faced in Haiti and here, and from Steve in the difficulties faced by himself and his coworkers.  One strong example was the woman who was working three jobs at minimum wage to support her five children, and couldn’t afford health insurance even though it was offered through the union.  Following him was Alex Johnson to talk through the foreclosures process in  Florida and how to fight it, but about halfway through I spotted the back of a familiar head.

It was Enrique, one of my favorite baristas at Your Big Picture Cafe, where my son loves to go flirt and play with Legos while chatting along with us as only a 17-month-old can do.  (For the record, they’re all my favorite, and Jasmine we’ll miss you terribly!)  He was there with Food Not Bombs, yet another group I’d kinda heard of but not fully connected to in my psyche until meeting them.  I ended up chatting with him and his friends for a while, missing some of the meeting and losing track of time.  (Thanks for the coffee folks, the food looked great but I wasn’t very hungry so I left it for others!)

It was a very busy time for them, so soon they had to go, and I happened to run into one more guy I’d spotted and wanted to hand my card to, just a’cause.  He was interested in what I was up to, and we sat outside chatting for a while rather than going in.

My new friend was Frank, who said he’d recently been of the planning committee, but as of last week was taking a break to take a step back.  (I’m sorry I forgot your last name, Frank, but it was a highlight of my weekend to be able to talk with you!)  He asked if he could read my project online or if he’d have to print it out, and I advised him that printing it out would be quite a bad idea, as it’s about 500 pages.  He very politely balked and asked if I had an editor, and then seriously insisted, had I an editor?  I answered yes, but it was a quick volunteer job, and I’m afraid my style is so “incorrect” it worked against the generous help…  (And yeah, I’ve got a technical writer and also an avid reader going over it again, making a few more corrections, but I figure it’s more important to own up to an correct my mistakes than freak out and hide them away in shame.)

Regardless, I asked him where he’s from, and he ran through the different places he’s been since Jersey, where he was originally from, and then quoted Robert Frost to say that if there’s any place he can go that has to take him, it’s here.  And as I told him, anyone who quotes Robert Frost makes me happy.  I mentioned where I’m from and what I do, and talked about “helping make sure what we can afford to offer and what we need to charge”, and he questioned the “we”.  “Don’t you mean they?” he asked?

And I explained that I did mean “we”.  Oh I don’t get too wrapped up in identifying with the company I work for, but I also don’t believe in trying to separate myself from what I do.  Where I participate in what the company does, I own it.  It’s my decision, it’s my work, and that makes it “we”.  I get frustrated at times though, and we talked about how hard it is to have patience with others, particularly when they don’t always have patience with you.

“But that’s the thing,” I said, “because the measure of who you are as a person is not how others treat you, but how you treat others.  Especially if they aren’t treating you so well.”

“That’s a pretty hard thing to remember,” Frank laughed as he said, or something to that effect.

I laughed, too.  “Oh definitely!  I never said it was EASY!  Just that it’s important.  So it’s worth the effort.  The important bit is to not let the frustrations bottle up.  You have to keep them in a bucket, and pull them out now and again with a friend, to let them out with some Recreational Griping.”

The term tickled him, and we talked a little more about the importance of letting off steam, and the concept of Master Teachers.  I was talking about the people who are most frustrating in life being those who can teach us the most, and he referred to the teachers of the autistic child in his life who call the children Master Teachers for their unique perspective.  For example, a six year old calmly explaining something to a teach who had spent years in graduate school attempting to master.

And that was when I heard the Raging Grannies were starting their bit, so I had to bid Frank goodbye with my thanks for the lovely chat.  I had stayed longer than I’d thought my ears would make it, and I didn’t want to miss their song in support of the Postal Workers, who’ve always been there for us.  (And not just my family friends growing up, I seriously love the U.S. Postal Service and want to see them get a fair deal.) Once they were done, I dropped the last few of my cards onto the table where Jarek was with the rest of the mini-papers, and he said he’d get them handed out as we said goodbye.

I got the chance to say goodbye to my friend with the grey braids before I went, and she laughed off my compliments with a “Yeah, we were a real professional group, you could tell!”  I dismissed her dismissal by insisting I thought they were perfect, and was grateful for it.

Then it was time to go.  So I collected my umbrella from outside the door, and trekked back past all the merry bumper stickers to my car.  And on the windshield was a final little connection from my first reaching out to the Occupy movement.  There were three feathers right in front of my eyes, like a miniature angel had popped by with its blessings from the realm between the righteous and the wicked, where everything is Shades of Grey.  (I presume the pigeon was not harmed in the shedding of these feathers.)

And that really was the perfect way to sum the whole thing up.  People can tend to think of Occupy as a hard-edged band of rabble to whom everything is an Us versus Them of Black and White.  As though they’re just another case of You’re Either With Us or Against Us.

But that’s not it.  It’s not even close.  Because we all have this sense of something not quite right in the world, of there being something we’re supposed to be or have that isn’t quite coming through.  Some of us turn to our community for answers, some to a church, some to politics, and some to all three.  But however and whenever we seek out a way to fix that feeling of brokenness, the fact remains that it’s up to each of us to make our own solutions, however we can.  Even the top 1% of the top 1% who are doing so much to harm those around them, they also bear the same problems and responsibilities of a fractured world.

So in this quest against that feeling of Something Not Quite Right, there is no Us, and there is no Them.  There is only team We the People, and nowhere is that open-hearted community more genuinely felt than the welcoming arms of Occupy groups and those who comprise them. The marches and protests and fighting against police-state abuses are very important, but equally or even more important are the meeting of minds and hearts that don’t always agree, but struggle to find the common ground from which we may all move our world forward.

So if you’re looking for ways to try a new patch-job on that aching hunger in your soul, I strongly recommend you take a look at the resources on Occupy Together to find a group near you. If there isn’t one, or if for some reason you can’t make it in person, start following an online community, maybe even add a comment or two. You don’t have to put yourself on a police line to make a difference.

Just please, remember, Occupy isn’t an exclusive club, or even a militant movement.  It’s a mindset of exercising your Inalienable Rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, and protecting those rights for others.  Even if you keep to yourself, make it a point to be more mindful of who and where you are, and occupy your own space.

Above all, please, learn the courage and self-confidence to Occupy your own space.  And when you find you need some help in that, you don’t have far to look.  There’s people all around you willing to stand by you and Occupy Together.

]]> http://socialistagenda.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/spusa-sham-capitalist-scam-and-greed/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:01:52 +0000 Timothy Platt; MSM, RFS http://socialistagenda.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/spusa-sham-capitalist-scam-and-greed/ NOTE: There is substantial interest being generated concerning our current series Inside the Socialist Central Committee, Ltd. The first article in the series generated a significant amount of interesting opinions by persons inside SPUSA. While actual documents turned over to us will be incorporated into later articles in the series, this article is an editorial response that weave together some of the opinons. At the same time this editorial will address various internet-based comments that were made.

This articles addresses SPUSA insiders, or well established party members. The particular clique that will be discussed, this article will refer to as the SPUSA-CPC, the Committee of Perpetual Complainers. In reality, this is a core group of individuals that have nothing better to do with their personal lives than to bemoan the performance of SPUSA’s National Committee (NC) and its National Secretary (NS), Greg Pason. In addition, they monitor socialist-orientated start-up organizations, then collectively defame these organizations. This article examines the potential motivations behind continued libel being expressed by the CPC against the Socialist Central Committee, Ltd.

The CPC has been on a continued campaign to disparage the socialist PAC apparently because of its autonomy (The CPC tends to complain about everything they are not allowed to be in charge of). Instead of ignoring outside organizations, and instead of focusing on internal improvements for SPUSA, these cybor-stalking bullies continually monitor the socialist PAC, and they immediately denounce its fundraising efforts as “shams” and “capitalist scams.” They naturally see their obsessive behavior as “normal,” that which everyone does; so, they spread among their peers the idea that PAC members must be doing the same thing.

The CPC ignores the fact that SPUSA charges five times as much as an annual dues per member than what the PAC encourages as a voluntary, once-in-a-life-time, user access fee for using the PAC’s quite benign communication platform – the Social(ist) Network. In addition, the CPC ignores the fact that 100% of SPUSA membership dues go to Greg Pason as his annual earnings. There is a call for revenue sharing at SPUSA between the National and various locals; but the CPC criticizes the PAC for having implemented such a revenue-sharing program, one which even included a per diem to help with the activist’s personal cost associated with recruitment efforts. By the CPC’s own arguments, it is SPUSA that is the real capitalist sham.

Finally, they allege the PAC defrauds potential Socialist Party – USA members because those individuals chose to join the American Socialist Party instead. If someone was unsure of what organization the person was joining, that is that person’s personal deficiency in decision-making due diligence, which in no way implies deception in the actions of another. No PAC member has ever said that the PAC was SPUSA. The PAC clearly states that it is the American Socialist Party. And, whenever anyone asks if there is a connection between ASP & SPUSA, the PAC is always very clear in stating – NO! Yet, unwarranted attacks relentlessly continue.

In response to the negative assertions continually being made by the CPC – The socialist PAC has not been able to devote its full attention to raising national interests in socialist values. Precious time must be redirected to addressing the denigrating smear campaign being waged by the likes of Steve Sears & Darius Engle (2009-2010), then Steve Sears & Marc Luzietti (2010-2011), and now Steve Sears & Pat Noble (2011-2012).

The Alexander / Mendoza Campaign Committee expresses it best: It would be nice if there was political unity instead of all this fracturing taking place. It would be; but the socialist community is not dealing with a real socialist – The community is having to deal with the likes of Steve Sears.

As pointed out in the past – Sears is not actually a socialist; he is a cyber-stalking opportunist. His covert ambition seems to be to usurp control of SPUSA from Greg Pason. Leaving the party was just his latest ploy. Whether he resigned just before his membership expired or he just didn’t renew his membership after it came due is just a technicality. Whatever the situation may have been, he used it as another opportunity to deride Pason. Sears attempted to place additional pressure on Pason by hoping that others would follow in his well publicized departure.

If Sears really intended to leave the party, he would have just left. If he really intended to leave the party, he would not continue to hang out in SPUSA chatrooms every night. If he does not really want Pason’s job because he has a valued career and personal life, Sears would not spend all of his time monitoring as a potential threat what some start up organization is doing half way across the country. There is a reason why Sears is so intently focused on what others are doing on the internet. There is a reason why he cares about what comments are being made about the organization he allegedly walked away from. Steve Sears wants Greg Pason’s job.

Make no mistake about it – Sears’ only life away from SPUSA consists of an occassional movie, which he goes to see all alone. Why would he, on the one hand, complain about the NC, refuse to rejoin the party, but then stay connected to it on a daily basis; while, on the other hand, he continually denigrates an outside entity that publishes similar complaints as his own on behalf of his peers? The answer is simple: Steve Sears wants Greg Pason’s job; and Steve Sears does not care how many reputations he has to ruin in order to get that job.

Sears wants to disparage Pason’s reputation; but Sears wants the organization to remain intact. Sears is out to oust Pason; but Sears wants to defend the position that he covets so much. Remember: Most “union organizers” are summer interns (college students); and those who do get a small stipend are not paid that much. It takes several hundred union members surrendering a part of their weekly paychecks just to generate a single union organizer’s meager salary. Whether Sears volunteers as a union organizer on weekends while working as a cashier at the local gas station on weekdays, or whether he actually receives a union organizer’s stipend, Pason’s modest salary looks very inviting from the perspective of someone who is looking at 50, but who has not progressed in his life much beyond that of the summer position of a college student.

THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL: Sears will rejoin SPUSA. He is just waiting now for a respectable amount of time to pass (or more likely – waiting until he can afford the dues). After that time passes, he will “reluctantly” rejoin only because, he will feign, so many of his colleagues (his internet chat buddies) have ”encouraged” him to do so; he’ll rejoin “for their sake.” He will then display the persona of “Savior of the Party” by openly calling upon others to return as well for the sake of socialist “revolutionary unity.”

But, SPUSA should refuse him readmission. And, the internet forums should ban his presence because he chose to leave the organization. Just see how fast things would normalize all around without Steve Sears around stirring the proverbial pot.

There is confusion among those whose support the parties try to cater too. The counter-culturalists associate “socialism” with being “social.” Socialism is not “the act of being social.” Socialism does not “protect the equal rights of special interests.” It is fair to argue that being more social and having equal rights for all citizens is an ultimate outcome of socialism. If everyone is given an equatable income, equal opportunities, and equal access, then society will move towards more social-orientate behavior that is respectful of everyone regardless of their unique personal orientations. But, that is not socialism.

Socialism is a political philosophy that defines the values by which the economy should operate. In other words – Socialism is a set of economic principles.

The various socialist parties for far too long have catered to the counter-culturalists’ special interests. Many party insiders have long held the false belief that Socialism is “the act of being social.” These misconceptions lead to false accusations, such as – Pat Noble and Steve Sears alleging people who adhere to socialism’s true economics and political philosophy are not “true” socialists; they are some sort of pseudo-capitalist because they apply cost-benefit analysis to economic realities.

These same false prophets turn the LGBT against the Greens, the Green’s against WBEs/MBEs, WBEs/MBEs against Unions, and Unions against the LGBT. The socialist parties in America are so full of counter-culturalists accusing each other of not being true socialists that the only thing being produced by the numerous parties is internal turmoil. And, we have recently witnessed such internal turmoil again taking place at Socialist Party USA.

It was recently reported on the Socialist Network that two more national level resignations occurred. Apparently, Vivian Nelson Melle resigned from her national position. And, according to Marc Luzietti, Sally Joyner went so far as to quit the party entirely.

Vivian Nelson Melle and Sally Joyner now joined the ranks of those like Marc Luzietti and Steve Sears who have left because of “real, serious problem in the organization, which we’ve been trying to point out for years,” says  Marc Luzietti. And, according to Marc, “The resignations of people like Sally Joyner and Vivian Melle show that the problems aren’t limited to people.” The problems are widespread.

The Socialist Central Committee, Ltd. has announced its willingness to accept receivership of the Socialist Party USA, to temporarily manage the party’s daily operations and to facilitate the party headquarters’s move back to Indianapolis. Removing Greg Pason’s economic incentive would release the party from Pason’s grip.

SPUSAers must come to grips with the fact that Grag Pason uses SPUSA as his private capitalist venture. The Socialist Party USA has very high membership fees for one reason, and one reason alone – To provide an income for Greg Pason.

As the Socialist Agenda reported in the past, the Socialist Party USA is no longer a socialist party. SPUSA has been reduced by Greg Pason into a consortium of special interests that uses the term “Socialist” to attract counter-culturalists. SPUSA does not espouse or practice socialist principles. Greg Pason markets a sense of legitimacy to the social fringe by endorsement of their special interest. SPUSA’s endorsement of fringe special interests among counter-culturalists is for no more than the price of a membership fee, which is why American socialism continues to retreat from the heart of American politics, and evermore into the fringes of counter-culturalism.

The SPUSA clique was suppose to nominate a candidate to represent both the SPUSA clique and the regional Peace & Freedom organization. Nevertheless, after some internal manipulation, Grand Poobah, Greg Pason prevented Peace & Freedom party nominee,  Cindy Sheehan, from being recognized. Darcy Richardson of Uncovered Politics revealed: “An attempt earlier in the day to place Cindy Sheehan’s name in nomination for the vice presidency was blocked by national secretary Greg Pason and other party leaders on the grounds that the celebrated antiwar activist — a member of the California-based Peace & Freedom Party — isn’t currently a dues-paying member of the Socialist Party USA.” As Steve Sears explained, “It was a change of agenda.”

“Here was the [Robert's Rules] violation,” Sears went on to say. A vote to change the agenda “requires a 2/3” majority. And, “I’m not sure if the motion itself passed by 2/3…” Marc Luzietti is known to remark, “It was a blatantly dirty move.” Steve Sears went on to point out further, “Other rule violations happened later, like using [a] previous question by the chair when it was expressly forbidden by the rules.”

Tina Phillips gave the following perspective. “It’s hard to know why Greg did what he did. But it is disturbing that things happened the way they did.” She went on to say, “It is weird that Greg knew ahead of time that a non-party member would be nominated but then at the convention created a motion to block it. It does seem fishy.” “Frankly, I am angry that happened at all. I wanted to see Cindy run. I feel it was undemocratic to allow an up or down vote to occur on her potential candidacy.”

Marc Luzietti said, Sectarians “put what they perceived to be the narrow interests of the Party ahead of the good of the whole movement. At worst, it was a blatantly anti-democratic move on the part of Pason and Rockwood and others. And Rockwood prevented a full discussion of the issue.”

This internal manipulation has outraged Peace & Freedom members since their joint-ticket is suppose to be a cooperative act. Samantha Thomas stated, “The factionalism and divisiveness among Leftist groups here in the United States is distressing to me.” SPUSA insider, Steve Sears, noted: “It was the process that has upset so many people.”

This manipulative trickery may very well spell the end to future cooperative efforts between the SPUSA clique and the Peace & Freedom organization. Mike Valenza explains, “When other socialist groups that don’t run candidates for office get around to making endorsements for Presidential campaigns in 2012, how many of them are going to bother to support a campaign that by some accounts was the product of a concerted effort at smashing the ultra-left?”

Marc Luzietti, “How can we trust people who say one thing or do another or do things in a way to fuck others over?” “We could have had a discussion about the merits of a Sheehan VP candidacy instead of this bureaucratic, controlling BS that occurred.” Veronica Nowakowski agreed, “At best, there’s enough mistrust in the organization between a few comrades that spreads to others who identify with them that we aren’t as effective as we should be. That’s my interpretation of events. We don’t have enough trust on either side.” Another insider remarked, “The distrust is going to kill the organization before the money running out will.”

All this comes with the revelation made at the so-called convention – SPUSA is nearly bankrupt. SPUSA is projecting financial insolvency within 2 years. Marc Luzietti, “My failing was not understanding some people would be willing to throw SPUSA and the movement under the bus, in order to maintain a little control of an organization that is rapidly going broke.” Nik Olas pointed out that it is not only the national organization, “some of our locals are broke too.”

The convention actions served one purpose – To protect Greg Pason’s “paycheck” as “National Secretary” of the SPUSA clique. Feeling somewhat deceived, Nik Olas remarked, “… we’re told how important this campaign is for socialism, then we have to support it financially?” What members are not told is that nearly all membership fees goes directly into Pason’s pocket. Office and organizational expenses have not been covered by membership fees, and those costs have depleted the clique’s expense cache.

So, facing a financial implosion within the next 2 years, what steps should be taken to shore-up the Pason-controlled clique? According to Marc Luzietti, Should we “smile and eat shit while democracy is trampled on, just to save the organization?” “Have you considered?” SPUSA “may not be worth keeping it together?”

Facing the prospect of collapse, Steve Sears explained that the SPUSA clique hasn’t any real options, other than using the American Socialist site (americansocialists.net). But, Pason, Sears, Rockwood and others are adamantly opposed to that merger because they would no longer be in control.

Marc Luzietti offered this view, “The organizations and Parties are tools. Like any tool, when they aren’t right for the job, when they get broken or need replacement, you get rid of them and get a new one … or you fix it.” That would hold true for the Pason leadership as well. Marc Luzietti concludes, “Some people want SPUSA broken; and they’ve got more power to keep it broken.” “They have their high school glee club and congratulate themselves on having sparkle.”

In the final analysis, Steve Sears remarks concerning the Stewart Alexander nomination, “There isn’t any chance in hell of winning.” “With all his talk about a million votes, I’ve got to wonder if he cares more about the number of votes, then about educating people and building the movement and the party.”

Richard Poole concluded, “If the last two presidential nominations were kicked out of the party; what exactly does that say about SPUSA?”

For those who feel disenfranchised by the current SPUSA events, the Socialist Central Committee, Ltd. encourages concerned citizens to enroll in the Social(ist) Network. It appears socialism is returning to its Indianapolis roots. Stay ahead of the curve and join America’s Socialist Party today.

What makes this so intriguing is the profile picture of facebook poster Marxist Chavizta has Stewart Alexander’s image. Why is this so intriguing? Marxist Chavizta advocates violence. Specifically, Marxist Chavista advocated the bombing of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

If Stewart Alexander is, in fact, Marxist Chavizta, Eric Chester and Marc Luzietti were prudent in refusing to associate with such a violent person. And, socialists should demand the revocation of Alexander’s nomination. If Stewart Alexander is, in fact, not Marxist Chavizta, he should file a complaint with facebook to ban Marxist Chavizta.

It does not matter what personal differences individuals within the socialist community has with one another. We must all be united in our intolerance of the intolerant.