Hello From New England

[HumanRightsGuy]

This is my first post to this forum, so, hello, everyone!

I was a member of the Young Socialist Alliance, an independent youth group closely allied with the (US) Socialist Workers Party from 1978 to 1982, primarily in New York City. I've been working, primarily on antiwar work, with a local Quaker group on and off since 2006. The new surge towards war with Syria has led me to seek the company of (vaguely) like-minded people to quickly hammer out some sort of programmatic underpinning for involvement in the antiwar struggle. This should be greatly facilitated by the fact that the current established political parties here in the US are pretty much collapsing under the weight of their unpopular and identical policies while in power.

I look forward to working with you.

[The Idler]

Welcome. As for Syria, anything like support for Assad should be ruled out.

[Fourth Internationalist]

Hello! I don't know if you're new to leftism or not, but in case you are, have you read Friedrich Engel's Principles of Communism (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/prin-com.htm) and/or his Draft of a Communist Confession of Faith (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/06/09.htm)? It's available at marxists.org (Marxists Internet Archive).

I'd recommend checking this out (MIA): Beginners Guide to Marxism (http://marxists.org/subject/students/index.htm) and Lenin's The Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism (http://marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1913/mar/x01.htm).

Also, here are a few books (PDFs) that are a good introduction to Marxism.

Marx: A Beginner's Guide (http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/fss/e8cf47710e69d334b5e9e87b31f39d5c/Collier+-+Marx+A+Beginners+Guide.pdf)

The Revolutionary Ideas of Karl Marx (http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/fss/d82d1569f5dc8ef869a21aba711c0f88/Callinicos+-+Revolutionary+Ideas+of+Marx.pdf)

Are you interested in any particular tendency right now?

If you're not new, welcome! I'm also from New England! :)

[Le Socialiste]

Welcome, enjoy the forums. :)

[HumanRightsGuy]

Welcome. As for Syria, anything like support for Assad should be ruled out.

I realize that; I'm not defending nor supporting Assad, I'm just opposing the imperialist powers' mass murder of innocent Syrians in the name of "punishing" Assad for something he may or may not have done.

[HumanRightsGuy]

Hello, Comerade Aang.

I had originally intended to quote your post, but it contained links, and, as I haven't yet enough posts to create links, the system rejected my quotation of your post.

As you can see from the fact that I joined the Young Socialist Alliance in 1978 (AHEM!), I am not new to leftism. I've been at this a long time.

The tendency which most interests me is Trotskyism, the best introduction to which is simply to read the documents proceeding from the first four World Congresses of the Third International. They're even available in book form: Adler, Alan. "Theses, Resolutions and Manifestos of the First Four Congresses of the Third International" (Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 1980).

Hope to see you around New England sometime! I'll be the one with the grey beard.:grin:

[HumanRightsGuy]

Welcome, enjoy the forums. :)

Thanks! I'm sure I will.