Hi all,
This is Jorge from the
International Socialist Organization (ISO). You're receiving this
email because you have in some way voiced your interest in participating
in the Introduction to
Marxism study series
hosted by the ISO.
And as you may have noticed by the subject
headline of this email,
WE ARE NOT HAVING A DISCUSSION GROUP THIS
SUNDAY! Sorry, those who were told otherwise last week, but i
remembered a little later that this weekend there will be a number of
workshops and events to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 'Battle
in Seattle' WTO protests.
The ISO wants to participate in the
events, and i encourage all to come out to any of it you can too.
More info below....
For the newbies....: The ISO has set
up a six week discussion group to provide a forum for conversations and
questions about what socialism is and what the core politics
of the ISO are. The discussion group is
based off
of the book
The Meaning
of Marxism by
Paul D'Amato. Get a copy at our next meeting or outreach tabling! And if
you haven't gotten your own copy yet, don't worry, you can still come to
the discussion group. I'll be bringing copies for anyone who wants
one. The book costs $12.
Paul is a regular contributor to
our newspaper
Socialist Worker (SW). In fact, the precursor to
his book was a series
of articles printed in
SW under the same title. The articles were meant to expand on the
list
of our organization's core positions,
titled
Where We Stand. Check out the series here:
http://socialistworker.org/series/where-we-stand.
You may have also picked up a copy
of these
compiled articles at the last ISO meeting. Or check the link here:
http://www.internationalsocialist.org/pdfs/WhereWeStandPamphlet.pdfOur
meetings are at the Suzallo Cafe in the Suzallo Library at the
University of Washington. Suzzallo library is the big building
facing 15th Ave NE, located on the East end
of Red
Square. The easiest way to approach Suzzallo is by taking the
pedestrian bridge over 15th on the corner
of NE Campus
Parkway & 15th Ave NE.
For the regulars....: I'd
like to hear what you all think, but i think meeting on the University
of Washington campus at the Suzzallo Library went
well. It's a decent location and not too hard to find. Will
this work well for future discussion groups?
And we are NOT
meeting this sunday....
For most people, this
discussion group rounds out the entire book, and will be the last
session in the series. The ISO will be starting up a few more
discussion groups based on our other introductory books. A few
book suggestions for folks are:
The Communist Manifesto (edited
and annotated by Phil Gasper. Much easier to read and
understand.)
Black Liberation and Socialism
Women and
Socialism
Sexuality and Socialism
No One Is Illegal
Send me
a line and let me know if you would like to continue your education with
any of these awesome books. Currently, Sexuality and Socialism has
a lengthy sign-up list -- and is still open for more folks.
But
back to our next discussion group topic....
Next week, sunday,
December 6th, we will be discussing the sixth part
of
Where We Stand:
The Revolutionary
Party.
"To achieve socialism, the most militant workers must be organized
into a revolutionary socialist party. The ISO is committed to playing a
role in laying the foundations for such a party. We aim to build an
independent socialist organization, rooted in workplaces, schools and
neighborhoods that, in fighting today's struggles, also wins larger
numbers to socialism."
Feel free to invite anyone
you know. Any and all questions, comments, disagreements, etc.
about this topic are welcome and can be fully discussed.
Here is the Meaning
of Marxism chapter
that correspond to this section:
- Chapter 7: The Need for
Socialist Organization
- Chapter 12: But What
About...? Arguments Against
Socialism
Here is the SW
article that Paul wrote for this section:
Alright,
everyone. If you need to get a hold
of me with any
questions or comments, don't hesitate to give me an email or phone
call. Hope you're having a good break and see you at the Seattle
Plus 10 events or next
week!
Jorge
206.250.0088When:
Sunday,
December 6th
Where:
Suzzallo Cafe (in the Suzzallo Library),
University
of Washington :
4000 15th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98105
Time: 1pm
Seattle Plus 10 -- 10th anniversary of the WTO
protests
The ISO is an endorser of the Seattle Plus 10 events to
reclaim the spirit of Seattle 99! Join us for a Week of Action (Nov 27 –
Dec 5).Check out all the events -- from Amy Goodman
to the Yes Men and a weekend of workshops at the Peoples summit -- at http://seattleplus10.org/
