What interests me about Richard's post is that recognizing the failures of
Communism in Russia does not necessarily remove the possibility of
criticizing US foreign policy. I write from Canada, & our government is
right in there with the US one, & we probably have little choice in the
matter if we want to maintain the necessary trade relations we have with
the US. Still, I wish we were'nt quite so gung ho in support, & I would
wonder at anyone who supported some of the new US policies, such as the
possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons in future wars (against
terrorism? still in some ways undefined, but leaving out of its definition
any state sanctioned versions by states supporting US policy? it gets murky
at best.).
I don't see that the failure of communism absolutely mandates the complete
success of late capitalism, & have to wonder as I see many of the things I
have lived with & for dismantled (such as the healthcare system in Canada,
which many of our politicians (with, hey, NO conflict of interest, as they
look forward to serving on various boards after they retire) are out
to'privatize' because after all health, like human bodies, is just a
consumer good, why we are being told over & over again that there can be no
other political structures than what is only the so-called 'free' market.
Well, what happens when trying to think about such things is that you get
into many areas, & then you begin to wonder. I hope we are not being told
that to do so is either stupid or wrong. If some of us remain cynical about
the manueverings of many politicians, eveb after the horror of September 11
(but do we not also recognize the continuing horrors then of
Israel/Palestine, of much of Africa, of Argentina now, of Columbia, of
(this space yours to fill)?), have they not in their actoins -- the Bush
admin's approach to Kyoto, to cuttign back on atomic weapons, to... --
shown us that we need to remain on guard, at least in our thinking?
I believe they have...
Doug
Douglas Barbour
Department of English
University of Alberta
Edmonton Alberta Canada T6G 2E5
(h) [780] 436 3320 (b) [780] 492 0521
http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/dbhome.htm
Springtime's wide
water-
yield
but the field
will return
Lorine Niedecker
