It's time to retire, move on, and join the real anti-capitalist movement.

by Melvin Little

Friday, 23 April 2004

Dear Comrades,

It is time for me to retire, move on, and join the real anti-capitalist movement. I am not resigning from the Socialist Party USA, but I will be retiring from this organization. My present status as an Alternate on the National Committee will come to an end effective immediately; henceforth, I am retiring from the National Committee today. All duties on the local, statewide, and national level will end (with the exception of financial donations to the local and state party). The only contribution I will continue to make on the national level will be for my renewal membership dues. I will remain on the various SPUSA lists just in case an interesting subject comes along; however, I don't know how long I will remain on the lists. An explanation is now due for those who care to listen.

I joined the Socialist Party USA in 1996. I was attracted to the party's anti-capitalist and anti-Communist message. At that time, I thought of this party as an internally open, democratic, and non-sectarian organization. Over the years, I seen nothing but stupid faction fights. The only thing this party has to show for itself would be more faction fights and dusty presidential campaigns. The Recall effort made by some is an attempt to destroy the party, and I don't have time for this anymore. The national party is ineffectual. There's no way that this party could defeat capitalism when people sit and fight one another. It happens everytime with the publication, silly antics displayed at national committee meetings, sectarian backbighting at national conventions, harassment of individuals whenever a certain tactic or outlook doesn't fit into one's comfortable universe, and now with the recall effort (witch hunt) against former Oregon State Senator Walt Brown.

It is obvious that there are some people hellbent on re-writing the history of the Socialist Party. This is done by denying our roots and proclaiming that the Socialist Party USA is no more a successor of the Socialist Party of America than the Communist Party USA, Social Democrats USA, or the Socialist Worker's Party. This is being done with the slander campaign against the legacy of Norman Thomas in the last few years. It's been done with people being intimidated by successful democratic-socialist movements like the election of Independent Socialist Congressman Bernie Sanders of Vermont. I feel like this party is being held hostage.

To the sensible people that remains in the party, I wish you the best of luck. This is a pretend party that fancies themselves as so-called radical misfits from 1912 and the years before. We have problems in our communities, nation, and the world. I need to move on and join the broader struggle in the anti-captialist movement. But I still have a political home. It is a Debsian-Thomas home. I am committed to building an American socialist movement through Democratic Socialists of America. Democratic Socialists of America is democratic, socialist, non-sectarian, and has actual racial diversity. The SP is white & is being held hostage by sectarians. I am put off by such ideological purity. DSA is a member of the Socialist International, and I want to work to build such a movement here in this country. I am that kind of socialist; therefore, this is what I need to do. I oppose the ultra-capitalism of the United States and the brutal authoritarian command economy of the former Soviet Union. I favor a mixed economy of fair trade, national healthcare, a social system to get rid of poverty, civil-liberties for all, and an aggressive environmental policy. Although you will not find ideological perfection with the French Socialist Party, the New Democratic Party of Canada, the Swedish Social Democratic Party, the Brazilian Worker's Party, or the New Zealand Labour Party, those societies are way better off than ours due to the record of good government delivered by those parties. I represent the Socialist politics of the Fist-and-Rose.

I still wish Socialist electoral victories for Greg Pason and Tino Rozzo. There's hope that progressive statewide SP affiliates in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, and Oregon will continue to serve as an example of what democratic-socialism is. There are times that difficult decisions must be made, and I made a difficult decision in doing this. I understand the frustrations of some in this party, and I seen too many stupid factionalism that were never necessary to begin with. But life are filled with hard questions and choices that needs to be addressed. I stand my ground here. It is with a combination of sorrow and joy that I can say this sentence now.

I FINALLY HAVE PEACE OF MIND; THEREFORE, I AM FREE.
In Left Unity,
Melvin Little

"I would never trade one form of tyranny for another."
---Tommy Douglas (founder of Canada's socialist New Democratic Party)...