Re: Southern Poverty Law Center on U.S. Radical Right and Globalizatio

Jeffrey L. Beatty wrote:

>Apparently some list members took my posting the SPLC article as a 
>slur upon the anti-globalization movement.

Not your posting; I'm in favor of reading all kinds of things. But 
the article itself was a slur.

>In no way did I intend to suggest that there is no distinction 
>between the sorts of antiglobalizers Doug represents and those 
>described in the SPLC article.

Just for the record, I don't consider myself an "antiglobalizer." I'm 
all for cosmopolitanism of many kinds, and I don't like the localist, 
faux nostalgic views of the folks around the International Forum on 
Globalization <http://www.panix.com/~dhenwood/Globalization.html>. I 
think the word "globalization" is often used as a misleading 
euphemism for "capitalism" and/or "imperialism," and I prefer to use 
the blunt, if old-fashioned, words.

>All three elements took part in the Battle of Seattle.  The unions, 
>the NGOs, and Pat Buchanan were all present during the events.  The 
>Seattle media documented their participation in the events there 
>(_Seattle Times_, Nov. 29, 1999, A12).  To be sure, NGOs like Global 
>Trade Watch and the Sierra Club, took pains to distance themselves 
>from the likes of Buchanan, calling them "trade patriots", the 
>"trade militia," and "the 'America First' Crowd."  Nevertheless, I 
>am compelled to dispute Doug's claim that "[r]acist antiglobalizers 
>were invisible in Seattle. . .as [they were] in DC for A16/17."

On what basis do you dispute it? I was there, in both Seattle and DC. 
I talked to participants and organizers. I know many of the 
organizers of the A16/17 events. If the rightwingers were there, they 
were not visible to the naked eye, and they certainly weren't 
embraced or even welcome by the leaders of the events. You could say 
- and I would say - that Ralph Nader's ideology is too close to the 
right-wing antiglobalizers, but he's certainly not a racist. So 
please offer some evidence for your claims besides the discredited 
ravings of Morris Dees & the SPLC.

-- 

Doug Henwood
Left Business Observer
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