13128: Allen replies to O'Brien's post # 13122 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JAAllen <jaallen@perio.us>

Bob:
    I think that you may reject this post on the basis that it does not
concern Haiti directly.  However, it speaks to a common misconception that
Marxist nostalgics have promoted. There was no other way for me to attack
the link Mrs. O'Brien established between Simidor's political concept and
the Scandinavian Societies. In Haiti this notion that these societies are
socialist recurs very often.

[Corbett notes:  yes, this has not moved to a much more general level
of abstraction.  All wishing to continue discussing the issue please
reply to Mr. Allen and form a sub list for the topic.  This list is
more for items STRICTLY on Haiti.]

Martha O'Brien writes :
    "My reading of Simidor is that he is admitting that totalitarian
socialism did not work but that democratic
socialism can.  To the best of my knowledge, democratic socialism does not
involve class warfare.  Additionally, it apparently can work, if the
Scandinavian countries are any indication."

    Dear Mrs. O'Brien, in answering Simidor, I concentrated on his hate
message and not on the social project he formulated.  I did not want to
attack everything he said, but since you find it necessary to support his
societal concept of a "Democratic Socialism", I am happy to take a look at
it.
    To my knowledge, the term "Democratic Socialism" is only used by a
fringe group called the "Democratic Socialists of America" which is a
Marxist organization,  So far , no country has adopted the concept.  I know
of Social Democracies but the way I see it, "Democratic Socialism" does not
seem like a coherent concept that will resist the scrutiny of a rigorous
analysis.  The contradiction between the two terms makes it a non-starter. I
may be wrong, but I believe that this one is conceived  by people who want
to put a little lipstick on the pig.
    In addition, your example of the Scandinavian countries as a model, for
the so-called "Democratic Socialism",  needs some revision.  Bear with me a
little:
    Scandinavian countries: Iceland , Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland.
Three of them are Monarchies: Sweden, Norway and Denmark.  Three of them
belong to the European Union with all the rigid economic targets attached to
membership: Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
    All Scandinavian nations are capitalist societies with generous social
benefits.
     Simidor's political model for Haiti (Democratic Socialism) is pure
utopia; it is devoid of any sense of geopolitical realism.  This is indeed a
frivolous intellectual exercise.

Joseph A. Allen DDS
Miami, FL