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From: mrgofor@mmm.UUCP (MKR)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Reagan and Alternatives:re to jj
Message-ID: <611@mmm.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Mar-86 13:55:10 EST
Article-I.D.: mmm.611
Posted: Fri Mar 14 13:55:10 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 17-Mar-86 22:20:15 EST
References: <155@jc3b21.UUCP> <1405@mhuxt.UUCP> <560@whuts.UUCP>
Reply-To: mrgofor@mmm.UUCP (MKR)
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Lines: 52

In article <703@mtuxn.UUCP> gdf@mtuxn.UUCP (G.FERRAIOLO) writes:
>as they have tried to do to so many others.  But the PEOPLE, that's 
>right, the PEOPLE of this country hate and fear Communism.  And it is
>a well-founded and proper hate and fear.  That is the normal reaction
>to evil.
>
>Guy


	Communism is evil? I hear this kind of rhetoric all over, and I've
never really understood it. Communism is an economic system. It is not
necessarily totalitarian - any more or less than capitalism is. So, Guy,
please enlighten me - how is communism "evil". Remember to restrict
yourself to communism - not to totalitarianism - they are separate issues,
and evil totalitarian governments are quite common amongst non-commies,
too.

	It seems to me that communism is just an economic system - and
an inferior one at that. In a non-biased comparison with capitalism, it
loses every time in just about every respect. If it were not supported
by a totalitarian government, it would have died out amongst developed
nations long ago. It seems to me that the only people *really* interested
in communism are poor people who have been continually screwed by the
upper classes. I don't think we need to fight communism - we just need to
hold it up next to capitalism and let people judge. (I was just watching
a Russian TV program on PBS - they were celebrating the manufacture of
the 4 millionth refrigerator in the USSR. The only reason they were so
proud of it was that they didn't know how many refrigerators *we* have
produced.)

	It is totalitarianism and censorship that we need to fight. I
can't really even see the USSR as communist - the just have different
Czars now, but it's still a pretty aristocratic place. When people 
like Reagan make the implicit assumption that we must fight communism,
I wonder two things: 1) why? what if the Nicaraguans *want* to be
communists? Who are we to tell them what form of government they can
choose for themselves? Does their embrace of communism necessarily mean
that they are a threat to us, or are allied with Moscow? Why can't we
deal with them in whatever form of government they choose? and 2) does
he *mean* communism, or does he mean totalitarianism. Unfortunately, I
think he usually means totalitarianism, but only of the commie type - the
other type is just fine.

	Anyway, Guy, I really *am* interested in hearing your explanation
of exactly what it is about communism that's *evil*. Please tell us.


-- 
					--MKR

Sometimes even the President of the United States must have to 
stand naked.    - Dylan