Let me introduce myself

[UrsaMajor]

I've posted a couple of times here, but let me tell you who I am. I'm from South Florida, where I was involved with the Broward Anti-War Coalition. I now live in L.A., trying to get my film career going (I've worked on a few movies and have a TV series in development).

Though having been a hard-left Kucinich-type Democrat, the last election was a real wake-up call for me, as I realized the Democrats were never going to make real change by sounding Republican lite.

Since I moved out here, I have been at a few events of ANSWER LA and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and been trying to educate myself on Socialism and Communism. Any suggestions for reading materials are appreciated and eagerly awaited.

Nice to meet you all

[bolshevik butcher]

hi, were you involved in the protests against the americas trade summit?

[UrsaMajor]

Actually, I think I was in Orlando at film school when that went down.

[bolshevik butcher]

ah ok, i saw this great documentary about the protest and what the police really did at it. It was called the mimai model.

[Another]

Welcome, friend.

I've really only posted here a few times myself, but I welcome you all the same.
There are some really fantastic reading lists elsewhere on the site but I'd suggest some of the real concrete theory by Lenin and perhaps Principles of Communism by Engles as some people find it much easier to comprehend than the manifesto itself.


http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/guide.htm

Hope I've been of some small aid.

[UrsaMajor]

Excellent. The latest items on my reading list have been The Anti-Capitalist Reader, the Manifesto (of course), Bob Avakian's memoirs, and issues of the PSL's magazine as well as International Socialist Review.

My viewing list has also included Avakian's DVDs, "Revolution" which I think are fantastic. I know some on this board deride him, but I have yet to see reason why the revolution does not need a leader. Every team has to at least have a coach (this coming from someone who never played team sports) and he can at least help provide focus for action. Cuba had their Castro, China had their Mao (even though the revisionists have taken over in China) and America could use Avakian.

[Non-Sectarian Bastard!]

Maybe you should draw a lesson out of the disasters that happend in the USSR, China and Cuba. I mean it would be pretty stupid to keep repeating the same mistakes.

[UrsaMajor]

The USSR overspent in the arms race as a result to keep up with the U.S., China fell to a coup by revisionists who wanted greater trade with the U.S., and Cuba's only disaster was losing the financial support of the USSR while under sanctions and embargoes placed upon it by the U.S. Today, Cuba is a thriving example of socialist progress.

Whatever disasters have happened in socialist nations were because of the U.S. or because of counter-revolutionary factions in power, not because of the leaders.