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K'tagogm-m, v. 1, issue 3, September 1945
Page 7
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K'taogm-m 7 MORE TUMBRILLAINTINE Jim Blish, evidently never very strong on logic, pulls another wow of a boner in his reply to R.Lownedes. The exact term of his logical error has skipped our memory, but examine the absurdity of his double statement in re Pound's support of Italy, Breaking apart his confusingly worded statement, we obtain two sentences: (1) Italy may not be a proper book-fascist country, as Lloyd and Lowndes declare, but it is the closest approach to the desideratum; therefore the realist will support it. (2) Russia may not be a proper Socialist country, as the Trotskyites declare, but it is the closes approach to that desideratum; therefore the realist will support it. Bringing in the name of the English Marxist, John Strachey, as the man in the case, Jim says that neither statement is a crime, unless both are. Totally absurd! Just how absurd this spurious reasoning is can be found by altering the wording a bit, thus: (1) The James gang may not be as perfect a band of outlaws as desired, but it is the best holdup mob available; therefore the realist will support it. (2) The Texas Rangers may not be as perfect a law-enforcement agency as desired, but it is the best police group available; therefore the realist will support it. Catch on? ******************** Giving alarming statements without references is always dangerous unless the writer is known to be an authority on the subject. Since Jim Blish has publicly proven himself rather ignorant on the subject of the USSR, his six alarming "Tumbril Truths" cannot be excepted. Under compulsion, he admitted they were all derived from three sources, all belonging to the polluted anti-Soviet press. Answering them as patiently as possible: (1) Why shouldn't workers' government deputees live as well as capitalist entrepreneurs? Socialism is a make-everyone-wealthy movement. It rewards its leaders for work done, not for unearned profits. (2) Divorce is the privilege of every citizen. Any other statement is malicious falsehood. Naturally, respectable Socialist morality demand something more than the nauseous sham our local laws require. (3) There are no statistics whatever on forced-labor camps or the number of the inhabitants, if any. Neither Arthur Keesteler nor any other capitalist observers have ever visited such. (4) This statement is a pure fabrication. (5) Striking is the right of worjers in the USSR. But since Soviet plants are all owned and run by the workers and their elected management committees, against whom would they strike? it would have been more sensible to mention that the lay-off, the lockout, the blacklist, the pay cut, are also unknown in the USSR. (6) The Red Army furnished stupendous quantities of war materials to the Wehrmacht in the form of exploding bombs, fired bullets, charging tanks, piercing bayonets, etc. But pray tell, Mr. Blish, how much material did the British and French governments turn over to the Wehrmacht when they handed over Czechoslovak armories and cannon works in 1938-39?
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K'taogm-m 7 MORE TUMBRILLAINTINE Jim Blish, evidently never very strong on logic, pulls another wow of a boner in his reply to R.Lownedes. The exact term of his logical error has skipped our memory, but examine the absurdity of his double statement in re Pound's support of Italy, Breaking apart his confusingly worded statement, we obtain two sentences: (1) Italy may not be a proper book-fascist country, as Lloyd and Lowndes declare, but it is the closest approach to the desideratum; therefore the realist will support it. (2) Russia may not be a proper Socialist country, as the Trotskyites declare, but it is the closes approach to that desideratum; therefore the realist will support it. Bringing in the name of the English Marxist, John Strachey, as the man in the case, Jim says that neither statement is a crime, unless both are. Totally absurd! Just how absurd this spurious reasoning is can be found by altering the wording a bit, thus: (1) The James gang may not be as perfect a band of outlaws as desired, but it is the best holdup mob available; therefore the realist will support it. (2) The Texas Rangers may not be as perfect a law-enforcement agency as desired, but it is the best police group available; therefore the realist will support it. Catch on? ******************** Giving alarming statements without references is always dangerous unless the writer is known to be an authority on the subject. Since Jim Blish has publicly proven himself rather ignorant on the subject of the USSR, his six alarming "Tumbril Truths" cannot be excepted. Under compulsion, he admitted they were all derived from three sources, all belonging to the polluted anti-Soviet press. Answering them as patiently as possible: (1) Why shouldn't workers' government deputees live as well as capitalist entrepreneurs? Socialism is a make-everyone-wealthy movement. It rewards its leaders for work done, not for unearned profits. (2) Divorce is the privilege of every citizen. Any other statement is malicious falsehood. Naturally, respectable Socialist morality demand something more than the nauseous sham our local laws require. (3) There are no statistics whatever on forced-labor camps or the number of the inhabitants, if any. Neither Arthur Keesteler nor any other capitalist observers have ever visited such. (4) This statement is a pure fabrication. (5) Striking is the right of worjers in the USSR. But since Soviet plants are all owned and run by the workers and their elected management committees, against whom would they strike? it would have been more sensible to mention that the lay-off, the lockout, the blacklist, the pay cut, are also unknown in the USSR. (6) The Red Army furnished stupendous quantities of war materials to the Wehrmacht in the form of exploding bombs, fired bullets, charging tanks, piercing bayonets, etc. But pray tell, Mr. Blish, how much material did the British and French governments turn over to the Wehrmacht when they handed over Czechoslovak armories and cannon works in 1938-39?
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