poli-sci (08/06/82)
>From JoSH@RUTGERS Fri Aug 6 01:49:43 1982
Poli-Sci Digest Fri 6 Aug 82 Volume 2 Number 161
Contents: Pending Reply
Wealth
Win
Larouche and the British Oligarchy (6 msgs)
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Date: 2 Aug 1982 21:43:43-PDT
From: Kim.arens at Berkeley
Subject: replies to stuff about Israel
I would just like people waiting for some responses from me concerning
Israel and the war in Lebanon to know that I'm going to be away from
Berkeley and from access to the arpanet until at least August 25th. You'll
hear from me when I get back, or sooner -- if you plan to attend the
Cognitive Science conference at Ann Arbor or the AAAI conference at
Pittsburgh!
Yigal Arens, UC Berkeley
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Date: 4 August 1982 01:44-EDT
From: James A. Cox <APPLE at MIT-MC>
Subject: Wealth
[Bill Hofmann]
... in most Third World countries since WWII, the
differential between the top 5 and bottom 5 percent has been
increasing rather noticably.
Yes, however the bottom 5 percent have been increasing as well. I
deny that a country can go through the sort of economic development
that many South American countries and some African countries have
experienced without everyone being affected significantly.
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Date: Mon Aug 2 12:13:05 1982
From: decvax!utzoo!watmath!pcmcgeer at Berkeley
<Enter Flame Mode>
The excerpts from WIN Magazine that Will Doherty quoted have enough
falsehoods, errors, and distortions within them to fuel a dozen flames. For
the moment, I'll just restrict myself to the sly little reference to Bechtel's
record of building nuclear power plants.
For those that missed it, the claim is that Bechtel has built half
the nuclear power plants in the US. True enough. What makes this little
trivium so absolutely damning is that WIN quoted it as evidence of Bechtel's
involvement in the defense industry. Doherty then used this as support for
a snide little reference to three dedicated public servants, one of whom has
been serving the US and the cause of peace without pay for some months.
Now, let's be absolutely clear about this: a nuclear power plant
has as much to do with the defense industry as a coal-fired power plant
does, or as an oil-fired power plant does. A firm that builds nuclear
plants has no more or less to do with the defense industry than does a firm
that builds oil-fired plants, or hydro generating stations, for that matter.
Because, you see, the hysterics to the contrary, NUCLEAR POWER HAS NOTHING
TO DO WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS. And WIN's little smear has no effect whatever
on that.
Cancel your subscription to WIN magazine, Mr. Doherty, if you've got
one. They're lying to you.
Rick McGeer.
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Date: 4 August 1982 01:12-EDT (Wednesday)
From: Robert P. Krajewski <RPK at MIT-MC>
Subject: Here's the (British conspiratorial) Plot, What's the Title?
Sounds like the US Labor party. WDH could probably tell us about them. I
have read their stuff (this spring, it was very easy to obtain on the MIT
campus), and it is the most incredible morass of propaganda techniques I have
ever seen (well, then there are the Spartacists and the Nazis). Mind you,
it's very slick: the ``Fusion'' magazine which is published by LaRouche
backers comes off looking like the product of some Washington think tank
itself. There is also a tabloid aimed at the ``working class'' which
emphasises the conspiracies and economic nationalism. The party is also
obsessed with Alexander Hamilton.
Robert Krajewski
[Thanks to all who wrote in about Larouche et al, both to those who wrote
to the digest and those who answered me personally. --JoSH
... hmmm: wonder if L Neil Smith's "Hamiltonians" (the bad guys in his
books) are a reference?]
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Date: 4 August 1982 1038-EDT (Wednesday)
From: Hank Walker at CMU-10A
Subject: Lyndon Larouche
or however you spell his name, is a fascist. I first came into contact with
this name when a clean-cut type handed me a flyer for the US Labor Party in
a shopping center. The name made it sound like a Commie organization. But
having nothing else to do, I read the thing. Most of it described a scheme
for solving the US power problems by exploding H-bombs underground. I think
that this was around the time of the 1973 oil embargo.
The rest of the thing described the US Labor Party, and its head, Lyndon
Larouche. It was fascism in one of its purer forms. Larauche also ran for
California governer the last time around (1978). He gave this interview on
KLOS (isn't memory wonderful?) that was almost beyond belief. He talked in
this calm hypnotist's voice, but what he was advocating was fascism. I
figure the station put it on (it was early in the morning) for some laughs.
I haven't heard of him since that election, but he's probably still hanging
around California somewhere. Oh yes, he was running for governor in the
Democratic primary, not on his own party, which may have disappeared.
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Date: 4 Aug 1982 20:21:06-PDT
From: npois!houxi!houxn!govern at Berkeley
What is Proposition #8?
In Poli-sci digest #160, there was a comment about "if you think
banning handguns violates the 4th Amendment, you should see Prop. 8".
For those of us outside of Sunny California, what is it?
Re: British Oligarchy
It should be obvious to everybody that the world is *really*
run by the Rockefellers. Ask the leftists, who think that the (^%^(%^
capitalist bankers)) run things, or the Birchers, who blame it on the
(Commie, Trilateralist) consipiracy. Surely anyone in between must
agree? The only real argument I've heard against that has been from
the more anti-Semitic rightists, who seem to think that the Rockies
are just a front for the Rothschilds.
Bill Stewart
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Date: 4 Aug 1982 2240-EDT
From: Daniel Breslau <MDC.BRESLA at MIT-OZ at MIT-AI>
1) How, indeed, is ownership of a planet defined? In particular,
what happens when different titles are recognized by different governments?
This has been enough of a problem on Earth. I can easily imagine ownership
battles over a planet ending with the planet's destruction in a far less
purposeful way than was portrayed in the novel.
2) Lyndon Larouche has been behind some of the oddest
political movements I've ever heard of in this country. I don't have
any sources on them available, so some of this information may be
inaccurate. I suggest interested people look for an issue of Inquiry
magazine of sometime around March, which featured an article on him.
Larouche apparently was left-wing of some kind at one point, hence his
party is named the Socialist Labor Party (or something isomorphic to that.)
But some of their political stances fly off the scale of credibility:
They support a *totally* nuclear economy. You've seen the
"Nuclear moonies" at airports? They are SLP-organized. I have seen
ads for forums at MIT sponsored by the "MIT Fusion Society", which
advocates increasing the world's population to 10,000,000,000 (yep,
ten billion) in order to make a nuclear economy work. (The SLP is the
parent group of the national Fusion Energy Foundation.) They also
advocate a special, intensive high-tech weapons program, with the
intent that the benefits of research from this program would spill
over into the energy field.(Actually, this is not a likely effect;
more likely is that all results would be stamped top-secret and never
heard about.) This program, if I remember, would cost around one
hundred billion over ten years.
They do indeed think Britain is controlling this country, and cite our
support of Britain in the Falklands conflict as proof. They even dragged out
the Monroe Doctrine (long ago discarded) as a battle cry against Britain.
He seems obsessed with increasing the world's population. I
recall reading a statement from his party opposing abortion, \for the
sole reason/ that it would hamper this growth. ( I can think of some
valid reasons for opposing abortion, even though I don't oppose it;
but this is not among them!)
The list goes on, but I am reluctant to go further from memory alone.
It is possible that some people on this list share some of his
goals. I hope that no one believes in the means that he supports.
Dan Breslau
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Date: Wed Aug 4 18:38:48 1982
From: decvax!utzoo!watmath!watarts!geo at Berkeley
Subject: Josh's friend's plot
Sounds like the American Labour Party to me.
Among their list of conspirators are, the British
Monarchy, the Rockefellers, "International Jewish Bankers",
and the Knight Hospitallers of Saint John*.
*The Knights of Saint John are some kind of Roman Catholic
order. They fought in the crusades, and ruled the Island
of Malta until Napoleon Bonaparte kicked them out.
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Date: 5 Aug 1982 1839-EDT
From: Bill Hofmann <FENWAY.LINK at MIT-XX>
Subject: US Labor Party
JoSH: Your friend is a member of the US Labor party (founded by
Lyndon Larouche). It recently claims to have died, and in its place
is the National Democratic Policy Committee (which, despite its name,
is unaffilliated with the Democrats). Lyndon Larouche ran in the NH
primary in '80 as a Democrat.
These people are the airport "Nuke Jane Fonda" people, who also run
Fusion Magazine. The US Labor Party was known for its strong-arm
tactics a la Scientologists.
They recently set up a front at MIT...
Real crazies, these folks are.
-Bill
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