Pacific Northwest Group

I was hoping that there were more revlefts from the pacific northwest! But oh well. Use this forum to post events and issues relating to the pacific northwest!

Also, if anybody wants to divulge what city they live in, knock yourself out. I'm from Seattle.

Reno is actually geographically more a part of the Northwest than part of Nevada. Way closer to Bay Area or to Oregon then we are to Las Vegas. Also topography and bioregion are high Sierra.

In my experience, NorthWest is just Washington and Oregon. :P

Cascadia, baby! [Woohoo!]

BTW, if we can get a "Social-Labour Democracy" organization going in this neck of the woods, we can connect with Comrade Victus's organization elsewhere in the US.

Sadly I'm in Central Washington, but Washington nonetheless.

Heh, you think central Washington sucks, check out the eastern side of it. 2/3 cars have either a GW 04/00 or a confederate flag bumper sticker

Walla Walla (don't go there)

^^^ Well, I haven't been to Keokuk or Cucamonga either (I've only been to Seattle).

A confederate flag... in Washington? We weren't even a state then!!
By the way, don't we have he Progressive Party of Washington? I don't know much about them, are they socialist or liberal?

Where in WA are you Peacekeeper?

The confederate flag doesn't really mean "I support the confederacy" In these peoples' eyes it means "I hate black people" (More so Mexicans in my community, because we have a very small black population). During a series of immigrants rights protests, one well known redneck who my brother and I already had some problems with waved a confederate flag out of a truck at the protesters.

Portland, yo.

Nice quote Organic

Listening to Blue Scholars right now

I'm from Seattle. Long time socialist. Political progression: Marxist->Leninist->Libertarian Socialist->Anarchist->Collectivist Anarchist->Anarchist Communist


Member of the synthesis Team Victory Anarchist Collective.
http://www.teamvictorywillwin.org
Member of the Seattle GMB of the IWW.
Observing member of Class Action Alliance.
http://www.classactionalliance.org

I have been considering the idea of a general left coalition in the Northwest for some time now. However, I am not sure what the purpose would be. Before the founding of any such coalition, we could lay down all the exact ideological differences on paper in order to minimize infighting. Obviously we are going to have some differences on the use of tactics. (trying to win elections vs direct action) Since there is one main point on which we agree: the failure of capitalism, pehaps we could expend our efforts in getting that information out there. Another thing we could possibly all support: Worker collectives.

Any thoughts on the pros and cons of creating a left coalition? Any thoughts on actions we can all agree on?

Peace,
Kerry

Do you participate in local elections?

I miss the elections by a few months, birthday is January 24th and I am 17 right now

Hey Kerry, welcome to Revleft.

I have been considering the idea of a general left coalition in the Northwest for some time now. However, I am not sure what the purpose would be. Before the founding of any such coalition, we could lay down all the exact ideological differences on paper in order to minimize infighting.

Most groups already know where they stand ideologically and that is one of the primary problems in working together. Many different groups have many different tactics.

Ex. I once heard a member of the Seattle Anti-Imperialist Committee berating the International Socialist Organization for using the chant "Money for Jobs and Education" so the SAIC member started chanting "Stop Economism!"

Another example is ANSWER demonstrations. Although ANSWER is basically run by Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Freedom Socialist Party and Seattle Anti-Imperialist Committee attempted to have a socialist speaker for one of their mass rallies. FSP and SAIC organized a socialist caucus in ther ANSWER rally organizing committees, but it was shut down by the PSL who brought in a bunch of ringers from the pacifist Sound Nonviolent Opponents of War. SNOW and PSL shutdown the socialist caucus by votes and prevented any socialist speaker, even though the caveat was that the socialist speaker would not state if they were from FSP, SAIC, SA, PSL or whatever.

What plays out ideologically also plays out tactically so even we all love to protest and love to hate capitalism, our methods can be radically different. It is better to unite over purposes like the Iraq War / WTO / Immigrants rights, than to try and start a broad left coalition that will eventually devolve into infighting.

There's a real irony over here because ANSWER and World Can't Wait / Revolutionary Communist Party seem to create some of the best anti-war demonstrations, but many other groups often feel ostracized. Meanwhile, the recent Iraq Veterans Against the War coalition did not see the same sort of force behind it, despite having less infighting. Although, a major factor in the latter case could be the elections.

Obviously we are going to have some differences on the use of tactics. (trying to win elections vs direct action) Since there is one main point on which we agree: the failure of capitalism, pehaps we could expend our efforts in getting that information out there. Another thing we could possibly all support: Worker collectives.

Well your definition of collectives and mine could be different. Do you mean unions or places like Left Bank Books or the Wayward Cafe?

Collectives in my opinion are great, but they are less likely to move into struggle than say unions. So where we concentrate our efforts IMHO should be struggling unions, not building new workers collectives.

Also, some collectives don't play nice with others. Left Bank Books refuses to stock Marxist books, but they will stock things by Republican Kevin Phillips or the latest Harry Potter book.

Furthermore, I know a certain Left-Communist group in Seattle that does not participate in trade unions because they believe they are obsolete and reactionary. Rather, they opt to do things like organize tenant strikes against slumlords in Beacon Hill.

So those are my thoughts on a local broad left coalition. I have more ideological reasons too but I'll just stick to the concrete stuff now.

I'd be more in favor of a big Marxmas party or something, just so we have a little more mutual understanding and respect. I'm not even sure how that would work, considering some personal experiences with some other lefties at the bar.

Hey Brandon!

Hmmm, from the sound of it, a broad left coalition wouldn't be of much use.

I support using syndicalist tactics of course, but I like the idea of having worker collectives that we can support now. I think it shows people that we have an alternative economic model (admittedly collectivism, not communism) but it is working today, in practice.

Since purchasing food and working is necessary for survival, I would rather be buying from a worker collective than a capitalist. Plus, what if working in a worker collective lets us work more flexible or shorter hours, and gives us more time to get involved in struggle?

Well, Left Bank might not carry Marxist literature, but at least the workers own the means of production

At any rate, doing outreach to working class people is the main thing I am interested in. I am still trying to figure out the best way to do it.

How many different socialist parties are there in Seattle? What are their differences?

I think there is something that you and I agree on, something all us lefties might want to pool our resources on: Defense of the labor theory of value, and criticisms of marginal utility.

^^^ Left Bank?

Left Bank books is a "collectively owned" book store in downtown seattle. It's kind of lame though. You have to volunteer there forever without pay and if you do that long enough you may get invited to join the collective. It sounds like preying on ideology to get cheap labor though in my opinion.

Hey dawgs. Anyone here from Victoria, or other parts of Vancouver Island?

I'm not from the Island, but I am from Coast Salish Territory.

Which would technically be Northwest Washington, and the southwest coast of 'BC', and the Island.

You should go to Vancouver on the 12th of Feb.

Probably more than you all wanted to hear about me, but here goes:


[FONT=Arial]Personal and Professional Introduction[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial]Here's a little background about me:[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]55 years old.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]I am a Friend.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]Education:[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]BS - Environmental Studies[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Graduate Study in Planning and Economics[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Master of Business Administration[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]have worked construction, real estate appraisal, health care cost & utilization report systems developer, Director of Managed Care Contracting for a large urban medical center, farm work, farm fertilizer delivery, lumber yard/hardware and delivery, Small Business Development Center, taught Computer Methods, playground instructor, restaurant work, etc.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]have been on fellowship for the last fourteen years studying and developing interests listed below full time (that I have been considering and working on all my life while working for a living).[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]have lived in Massachusetts (Boston area and Connecticut River Valley), New Hampshire, Vermont, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Connecticut.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]have lived in Eugene-Springfield OR/ Willamette Valley/Pacific NW since 2000. I rent in the Jefferson/Westside Neighborhood in Eugene near downtown and Whittaker.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]I am a geographer. I have walked every "neighborhood" in Eugene and maybe half of Springfield. Don't have a car but I travel to the hinterlands with friends whenever I have an opportunity. Love people. Love nature. Love clean rivers. Love old growth. Love to hike. Vegan, but would eat venison and other wild game and other animal products IF they were free range and treated humanely. I would probably eat more seafood than I do if harvests were sustainable.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]Interests of My Calling[/FONT][FONT=Arial]: World Peace, Local, Regional and Worldwide Ecological Economic Redevelopment based on the basic principles that all people are kin, all have the potential to be good and happy with a quality life, equity (ownership and approximate equality for everybuddy), sustainability (that resources will be available for future generations), history, universal health care and health care reform, demand side management and transportation planning, literature, music, modern poetry as expressed through music with a strong preference for the songs of the 60's and early 70's, comparative religions...[/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman]Published Book on Cooperative Housing at the UMass Management Research Center in 1980.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman]Wrote and Self-Published, sold and distributed book entitled Who is George Fox and Why Should I Care? (published 1996). This book was about the interests of my calling that I have listed above. (George Fox was the founder of the Society of Friends, more widely known as the term that was originally a derogatory one, "Quakers", more recently "Quackers". The book is not about George Fox but is consistent with his teachings as well as being consistent with other great teachings and discusses those teachings as they relate to the modern world and the future.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman]Hobbies: Play guitar and sing and update the best lyrics of a great period for music and lyrics (60's and early 70's) as well as some roots music. Union Organizing songs. Sports.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman]Visit and participate in my web log, “Peoples Equity Union” at [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman]www.peoplesequityunion.blogspot.com[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman] .[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]A Brief Overview of My Intentions and Plans[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]I am trying to organize locally, regionally, and worldwide.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]I have contacted Eugene-Springfield Solidarity (Oregon, USA) with respect to their initiative and to express to thee all that peace, equity and sustainability, and relocalization need to be the among the major pillars of an ecological economic redevelopment plan. I am also independently working to do local community organizing.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]At risk of going into a long-winded explanation, I will elaborate some.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]I am sufficiently knowledgeable and experienced to be quite cynical about the prospects for people. However, I maintain hope based on being in a position where I am allowed to pursue a right livelihood at assessing the world, local, and regional situation and imagining alternatives to what is extant.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]We need to put great efforts into organizing on the local/regional level, yet we cannot separate our efforts from those of other regions of the world. That is, we cannot isolate ourselves. That has been the mistake of all eutopian experiments (according to Lewis Mumford, eutopian means "good place", outopian means "no place"), Thus, if we progress along the lines of local/regional organizing, we must also reach out and find, and/or foster and facilitate the formation of similar organizing efforts in all locales of the planet. Only working together as one world can we hope to overcome the peril facing the people.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]We must reform the financial system. The alternative to the status quo is to form an Equity Union. Perhaps we may want to call it (in English) The Peoples' Equity Union. It would be a worldwide united equity system with cooperating inter-community entities. It would preclude the use of loans, which are fundamentally usurious. It would place the most destitute, the most in need, and all children (which I define as about 25 years old or less) as the highest priority. However, the Plan would include the needs of everybuddy. As the old Socialist slogan goes, "for all according to their needs, by all according to their abilities".[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]A major focus of the Ecological Economic Redevelopment Plan is the walkable neighborhood. This Plann(er) recognizes that the age of the automobile is racing to a disastrous ending and that if we want to maintain the true benefits of automotive power and sustain our precious fossil fuels (as well as other natural resources), that we must reduce the use of automobiles by 80% in the next 20 to 40 years. There will be great resistance from the economic interests of the status quo. We need to work in cooperation with them as well.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]Locally, we need to begin to organize in neighborhoods (however they are to be defined). The City of Eugene has taken an initiative to identify neighborhoods and encourage the formation of neighborhood associations. In Eugene, this would be a good place to start, and such could serve as a model for other communities.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]Walkable neighborhoods are defined as neighborhoods where people can get the things they need within walking distance and have the goal and create the resources to facilitate the maximum amount of people working in their neighborhoods and/or at home. Bring the goods, services, and the means of communication to the people instead of all those willy-nilly inefficient, and tragically squandering automobile trips. Perhaps a part of the Plan would be an evolution to a pre-order cooperative system for food and other necessities. Such a system would go a long way to promote accurate and quality production, efficient distribution and a large reduction in waste.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Building and renovating buildings for community centers is a large part of the plan. Also building more YMCAs or reasonable facsimiles, renovating housing, and creating equity opportunities for all is part of the plan. Also adaptive reuse of greyfields and soon to be greyfields will be in order.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]My philosophy is that no one gets hurt (i.e. everybuddy wins). The wealthy and their followers may have to adjust their lifestyles and accept the concept of “quality of life” in lieu of “standard of living”. The way things are going, such people will eventually see the relief offered relative to the option to perish in squalor that will accompany the downfall of the Capitalist system.[/FONT]
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