Views in brief

Which direction forward for Spain?

IN RESPONSE to "The uprising over Spain's future": I'm a 77-year-old Spanish-American from Madrid. How I wished that the 15-M movement could have shaken the country's political system. I waited for a sign for new and dramatic action, a path to channel the outrage. I'm still waiting.

The only shaking of the political system has been made by the conservative People's Party--as you know, a Spanish version of the GOP--which humiliated the Socialists (my traditional party) in the May 22 elections. The conservatives look on the protesters with deep scorn.

It is curious that Indignez vous by Stèphane Hessel, a major inspiration for the protesters, was equally vague about a blueprint for action. Well, not completely: at the end of his pamphlet he shows that he is not anti-system by urging support for leftist parties, and pointing out that he traditionally votes for the Socialist Party of France. Obviously, Spanish voters did not take his advice (although blank votes doubled in this election, political analysts agree that they favored the right-wing party).

So now in Spain, there are committees to channel the revolt. Well, I am hoping that they come up with real solutions, obtained through participatory democracy, which is how this country is run, like it or not.
Leroy Ferguson, Madrid, Spain

Challenging the athletes' salaries

IN RESPONSE to "Taking back the Dodgers": Public ownership of a major league baseball team sounds intriguing but what about the exorbitant salaries paid to the players? How are these to be justified?

The players will be on the payroll of a public institution, pulling down millions per year when the high salaries of many public officials are (rightfully) being questioned. The salary of just one player would make the recent high-salary scandal in nearby Bell, Calif., seem tame.

It seems to me that the issue of an athlete or anyone making so much money while so many others are in dire poverty or barely getting by is one that we as socialists need to address vigorously. I don't think that embracing public ownership of a franchise in an industry that essentially glorifies extreme income inequity is an idea that socialists should endorse. More to the point, our efforts should be in questioning the capitalist market system that creates such income inequities, whether it be athletes or CEOs.

As for schools or other public institutions gaining revenue from public ownership of a sports franchise, better we battle for income equity and fair taxation on a state- and society-wide basis, rather than mere tidbits from spectacles of multi-millionaires subsidized by the public.
Marc Wutschke, Los Angeles

Don't hide anarchist history

IN RESPONSE to "'It is a subterranean fire'": I enjoyed this article, but I must say I am puzzled by some of the wording.

Reading this, one would get the impression that Albert Parsons was the only anarchist of the eight Haymarket martyrs. They all were! The labor movement in Chicago, leadership and rank and file, was dominated by anarchists. Spies' Arbeiter Zeitung was as anarchist a paper as Emile Pouget's or Johann Most's. The quote from Spies is decidedly anarchist.

Why doesn't the author want to acknowledge this? It's deceptive. There is much too much sectarianism on the left! The author grossly inflates the role played by socialists and diminishes the role of anarchists in the worker's movement, at least as it relates to the Haymarket affair. Shame on her, and on SocialistWorker.org. You have distorted history just the way the bourgeois media and textbooks do. If you want to help workers, tell them the truth about their history.
Dave, from the Internet

Time to retire "retarded"

IN RESPONSE to "The head Buckeye unmasked": I generally like and agree with most of Dave Zirin's articles (except Dave's Duke hating) but I must say I found it shocking that someone such as him would not only use South Park to back up his argument, but also use the word "retarded."

Just as with using the terms "gay" or "fag" to insult someone, we should put this word to bed as it offends challenged folks and their caregivers and family just as much as the previous terms offend our LGBTQ comrades. We should all be a little more mindful of others when we speak (especially publicly). I know this isn't the norm for Dave Zirin, but I just had to point it out.
Jeb, from the Internet

Violence is not an end

IN RESPONSE to "What do socialists say about violence": The use of violence by an oppressed group to overcome violent oppressors makes the oppressed group as immoral as the oppressor. Additionally, the use of violence leads to a spiral of ever-accelerating violence, according to Dr. Martin Luther King.

Violence is not a tool. It is the violation of an individual or a group of individuals. The violation may be physical, mental, economic, etc. Persons striving for social change should also strive to maintain their morality.

The quote cited from Ghandi is used entirely out of context. When the whole of his teachings and actions are considered, it is obvious that he categorically rejected violence as a tool for change. He said that "an eye for an eye" just makes the whole world blind, among many, many other nonviolent teachings. None of his actions were predicated on violence.

As for Chile, a better understanding of its situation is seen by examining how the murderous dictator Pinochet was nonviolently overthrown by mass actions and a free election.

There are numerous other examples of nonviolent change. A good place to start on this topic is the PBS video series A Force More Powerful. I admire most of the ideas that socialists stand for, and I am a member of Democratic Socialists of America. I am also a member of Veterans For Peace. The goal of the latter organization is to abolish war, and our means are nonviolent methods.

Many of us, including myself, have participated in war. Having had that experience, we understand that absolutely to good can come from the use of violence.

I want to encourage my fellow socialists to rethink the use of violence as a means of social change.
Larry Egly, Killeen, Texas