Revolutionary greetings,

I just read the article from The Communist Monthly, “Arguing with an Idiot,” and really appreciated it; I’ve heard more than enough Beck-fueled rantings from “well meaning” relatives of mine trying to show me the grave error I have made in being a public Marxist. It’s nice to be armed with the facts now to saw through the B.S.

Anyway, the League mentions in the article that you may do a piece on the USSR, Cuba, Stalin, etc., if there was interest. I think that would be an excellent thing to do, and I’d gladly read and circulate it. I haven’t read any public position from the League on what, exactly, were/are the “socialist” countries in reality.

Keep up the good work. I don’t think Glenn Beck could handle any of you!

P.M., Iowa

The Editor replies:

We have received a number of letters like this. They all praise our article, “Arguing with an Idiot,” and ask us to continue our critique by dealing with the questions of the USSR, China and Cuba from the League’s perspective.

Admittedly, doing so is something of a tough call. On the one hand, the League as an organization has always shied away from jumping into the fray about the character of the “socialist” countries, simply because such articles would automatically be taken as a “line.” As a multi-tendency communist organization, we haven’t wanted to create such litmus tests for membership.

On the other hand, there is consensus agreement both inside the League and among readers of TCM to address these important historical questions, while at the same time preserving our non-doctrinaire stance.

So, starting next month, we’ll be continuing the series begun with the article, “Arguing with an Idiot.” We will start by taking on the question of the development of Soviet Russia after the October Revolution of 1917, and how Stalin’s “socialism” was a reactionary myth. We will then move on to Mao’s China and Castro’s Cuba, as well as an article on Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Then, if there’s anything we missed, we’ll sweep up the odds and ends along with whatever remains of Beck’s argument.

Perhaps once all of that is complete, and we have thoroughly and completely demolished every remaining trace of Glenn Beck’s argument, he’ll finally take us up on our challenge and invite a member of the League or Workers Party on to his show to debate the issue.

We have nice, fresh Peeps waiting for his call.