[mobglob-discuss] Re: JUST IN CASE YOU DIDN'T GET IT

[Garth Mullins]

The Radical should clarify its position: progressive paper of platform for 
the far right. 

As editor of the Radical, Arthur Topham is in a good position to clear up all 
the charges leveled against his paper. The Radical has run many progressive 
articles by authors with a great deal of credibility within the movement. 
Thus, the paper has many supporters who are unaware of its dark side.
 
Mr. Topham could clear all this up by publishing an editorial on this 
subject, in a high visibility place in his paper. He could address why he has 
run the writings of neo-fascists and bigots, why he sees fit to give such 
authors a platform and the legitimacy of appearing in a progressive paper, if 
he regrets these editorial decisions, whether he intends to continue the 
practice, etc. 

Among social movements, newspapers are not just sources of information. 
Rather, they are organizing tools.

Whispering allegations and counter-allegations puts off people. Mob Glob has 
got to discuss this formally, and rationally. There can be no witch-hunt - 
this is not what ideas people hold in their heads, but how individuals, 
papers and organizations are acting as instruments of the far right in our 
ranks. 


Macdonald Stainsby <mstainsby at dojo.tao.ca> said:

> Arthur Topham has begun threatening me for calling him and his paper 
> associated with racists. I stand by that, and I think the David Icke 
> quotes and the Paul Fromm article are sufficient evidence. 
> 
> A couple of points: I apologised for my tone on emails with Rick vis a 
> vis the thread on the list; I apologised not at all for doing what I 
> could to expel the Radical from the Convergence Centre in Calgary. 
> 
> Jews do not drink the blood of gentiles and that is obviously a line we 
> must draw. Abortion rights should be sacrosanct and so there too is a 
> line. People who defend this paper keep saying, in different words, two 
> basic points: one, the amount of good things in the paper outweigh the 
> rabid anti-immigration, anti-semitic (and other), so ignore the stuff 
> you don't like. I suggest that people do a bit of research into the 
> orignial Nazi Party program of 1922. It had the contents of 
> nationalisation of the banks, workers full employment and several 
> public works projects. Within the context of today's politics, stripped 
> of the anti-semitism and all of the militarism, it would appear social-
> democratic as well. One cannot ignore the links to bizarre (and 
> dangerous) political positions! Joseph Goebbels was once a self-
> professed Marxist and revolutionary, and he joined the Nazis because 
> they were called "The German National Socialist Workers Party". From 
> there, they twisted his mind into the mind that twisted millions. So, 
> one can see it matters when small bits of refuse crawl in. 
> 
> Second point to attempt to refute: I have never once said whether I 
> think Arthur is a racist. I don't care! This is so besides the point it 
> is utterly a waste of time to get into it. What matters are A) has the 
> paper carried anti-woman, anti-semitic and anti-immigrant policy 
> pieces; B) have all of these things been made clearly, as a show of 
> faith to the rest of the progressive community in all the colours and 
> genders therein, never to be seen as part of then paper or it's 
> contents again? No. He defends it.
> 
> Topham has a massive article on the front page of his website extolling 
> a recent speaking tour by David Icke. Whether Topham believes that Icke 
> isn't really an anti-semite or is secretly trying to re-promote the 
> Protocols of the Elders of Zion, I don't know and I don't care.
> 
> The fact is the paper has associated itself with many dodgy and 
> dangerous characters. That's not anything other than a fact. I am not 
> concerned with psycho-analysing anything at all about these people. All 
> I want to do is demonstrate their politics and their dangerous 
> political associations. If Topham wants to put the issue to rest, he 
> can do so very easily. But that would mean making a break from David 
> Icke et al. 
> 
> Here is Arthur and his psycho-analytical rant against myself, made 
> public. I don't know how many times people have threatened to sue me. 
> It's always quite the compliment.
> 
> Finally, all due respect to Leon Trotsky, I'm not a Trot.  
> 
> Macdonald
> 
> 
> 
> Radical Press <radical at radicalpress.com> said:
> 
> > Dear Macdonald,
> > 
> > RE: Current Smear Campaign Against Myself and my Newspaper, The 
> Radical.
> > 
> > It appears that you are carrying on in a most ignoble manner 
> regarding both
> > the accusations you are making against myself and my newspaper The 
> Radical.
> > While I can appreciate your concerns about racism and maintaining the 
> purity
> > of "your" movement and the movement of Will Offley, I really must 
> inform you
> > that there are laws that exist in this country which limit what a 
> person can
> > and can't say about another citizen. They are known as libel and 
> defamation.
> > 
> > As for your callous actions of late, especially the manner in which 
> you
> > treated me while I was in Calgary, I'm afraid I can't accept the 
> excuse that
> > you were merely having a "nic" fit. Your behaviour was deplorable and
> > revealed to me a mind bordering on delusional fantasy and mental 
> breakdown.
> > Then, after returning home, I find that you also accosted my friend 
> Rick
> > McCallion and treated him to your assinine and childish outbursts as 
> well.
> > Then, to top it off, upon arrival home to your safe haven in 
> Vancouver, you
> > proceed to bad mouth him and I and my newspaper and accuse Rick of 
> all sorts
> > of vile deeds on the mobglob discussion list. And you call yourself a
> > revolutionary? Someone to be trusted and listened to seriously? 
> Someone to
> > be constantly mouthing the words "we" and "our" with respect to the 
> social
> > justice movement in B.C. and Canada, as if you personally were 
> somehow in
> > control of what millions of people around the world are currently 
> involved
> > in?
> > 
> > One thing I can say about Will is that, apart from his bigotted and
> > misguided principles, he at least is not as openly stupid and rabid 
> as you
> > are. Your frenzied fixation with David Icke is akin to a mentally-
> deranged
> > person. I will admit that with Paul Fromm you have a bit of a case to 
> flout
> > in your favour (even though you take the excerpts out of context from 
> the
> > article itself) although I have already explained my position 
> regarding that
> > issue on the vancouver-d list back in January of this year.
> > 
> > You are a fanatic Macdonald. Pure and simple. Although more simple in 
> some
> > respects. Your method of dealing with racism is no different that 
> that of
> > Gordon Watson when it comes to the pro-choice movement or the 
> homophobic
> > Christian Fundamentalists who bristle with hatred at the sight of 
> gays,
> > lesbians or transexuals, or the zenophobic rantings of the Canadian 
> Alliance
> > Party. All of your sort suffer from some type of messiah complex 
> mixed in
> > with a personal sense of self-worthlessness. Gordon's cross is 
> abortion,
> > yours racism. And, I would suspect that like Gordon you too would 
> sanction
> > the killing of anyone who expressed such views as you deem "racist",
> > preferably by having the new State do it for you so as to prevent your
> > conscience from bothering you too much at night.
> > 
> > I note in your recent tear-stained confession on the list that you 
> are now
> > trying to suck up to Rick and defend your deplorable behaviour. 
> Again, a
> > sign of weakness and confusion on your part. You can't seem to 
> fathom, for
> > all your internal tryings, that I may not be the spook and demon that 
> you
> > would like to believe and have the rest of the world believe. As 
> well, your
> > arguments are second hand and second rate and merely poor substitutes 
> of old
> > worn out, dogmatic Trotskyist platitudes that Will tried in his 
> Canadian
> > Dimensia article back two years ago. It really makes me wonder 
> whether or
> > not you have an active, creative and original mind of your own or 
> whether
> > you are just another Moonie-style, brainwashed Trot who follows the 
> leader
> > without question.
> > 
> > As for your strategy of smear it's as old as Lenin himself and one 
> that the
> > Trots have been employing  against anarchists for decades. But, what 
> is
> > different now Macdonald, is that I have the option of suing you for 
> libel
> > and slander and at the same time also exposing you and your deluded 
> comrades
> > for what you truly are: bigots and fanatics of the worse kind. So 
> stand
> > warned the next time that you start calling me names the likes of 
> which are
> > appearing on mobglob. That sort of defamation, based on hearsay and 
> mere
> > accusation and hatred, is more than suitable grounds for issuing you 
> a writ
> > of summons. It can happen. It has happened. It will happen again.
> > 
> > Arthur Topham
> > Pub/Ed
> > The Radical 
> > 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Macdonald Stainsby,
> External Relations Co-ordinator,
> Douglas College Students Union.
> **
> In the contradiction lies the hope. --Bertholt Brecht.
> ***
> "`Order rules in Berlin.' You stupid lackeys! Your 
> `order' is built on sand. Tomorrow the revolution will rear 
> ahead once more and announce to your horror amid the brass 
> of trumpets: `I was, I am, I always will be!'" 
> 
> -Rosa Luxemburg, 1918.
> 
> 
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> 



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