On “Greece: The Syntagma Square movement—no real democracy”

This is by far the best piece I’ve yet read on the protests in Greece. The analysis is simple enough to follow and clearly shows the need for international struggle for socialism by the working class of Europe and beyond. This consciousness is getting crystallized more and more in a lot of people all over the place. Given proper direction, I have no doubt it will represent a tremendous revolutionary and progressive force in the world.

Mirko L
25 June 2011

On “Worker unrest in China sends tremors through world capitalism”

It is interesting to see—from China to Greece and Spain—the call for “depoliticized” or “apolitical” action. I have also encountered this here in the States when talking with certain people. The call for a lack of perspective, for a lack of leadership is retrograde at best—whom does it serve? What does it say? The only way out of the situation is to agitate—for? What? One might as well propose doing sets of jumping jacks for all the good this line will do.

The people proposing these “non-political” actions are of an ilk, a layer which needs to, at all costs, hide the facts of their own political pasts and the contributions they’ve made to the dire situation we now find ourselves in. In each of these countries, the proponents are former reformists who now find themselves proven wrong. But if their politics did not work, then no politics can work.

In the main, they lack any ability to look at and assess historical events. Those who can do so shudder at what they see, and now openly join the enemy—coming out from the shadows in which they had previously lurked. No more excuses are needed to betray workers from L.A. to Beijing. This is their last chance to grab all they can.

Christie S
Washington, USA
25 June 2011

On “Wikileaks exposes US profiteering after Haiti earthquake”

I would like to thank the writer for the article “Wikileaks exposes US profiteering after Haiti earthquake”. The result of a search for “Haiti” on the WSWS reveals the extent of the thorough and consistent coverage of the catastrophe and the history of the constant foreign exploitation of the poorest nation in the American hemisphere.

Steve J
USA
24 June 2011

On “The death of saxophonist Clarence Clemons”

Yes, I must agree that Clarence Clemons played many of those lines that are, when viewed amongst the history of music, quite common. Yet, one must also remember that it is the “comfortable and familiar” that (as you also point out) touches many people. In other words, this music communicates. To many (and, truly, most), the works of Rollins and Coltrane are like foreign languages. Had Springsteen and the E Street Band been playing abstract jazz along with lyrics that had their foundation in the works of various intellectuals, how then could they have reached so many people? Woody Guthrie achieved so much with few very common, traditional chord structures and melodies and a distinct lack of $20 words.

I’ve been playing music for 30 years now and, though not without effort, have found nothing too special in the effort to break new ground. In fact, most of the messages I see in the WSWS (which are quite wonderful ones) are as old as the hills. As for myself, well, I think the greatest music probably is, too.

Rob V
Georgia, USA
26 June 2011