To the Editor:

Mr. Schulz’s says I am full of: “…polemic scripts, convoluted knots of misinterpretation, misunderstandings, willful distortions, and, yes, a tonnage of factual errors,” “…a cartoonish and infantile distortion of the real thing,“ “…crude Stalinist catch phrases, seasoned with a generous serving of McCarthyite red-baiting and fear mongering, ….whatever figment of his imagination currently spooks him.”

Then with bourgeoisie condescension he invites me to a friendly chat over a cup of coffee? No thanks, I’ll pass. I’m not his misguided student to be lectured why America is “fraudulent, dysfunctional, and an obstacle to the survival of our species” as the former Soviet state he left behind.

Equating the two nations is a gross exaggeration of ludicrous proportions. If both are equally bad, why move here, instead of Slovenia, Ireland, or Portugal he touted earlier as superior to the US? Perhaps Mr. Schulz was seduced by our capitalist decadence, and now regrets his poor choice of relocation.

“Hence, the specific features of a socialist society must be collectively decided and worked out by the active involvement of the entire population, not merely privileged elites, corporate or party.”

A pure socialist or democracy is mob rule. It will never tolerate “moderates”. They eat their own if one deviates from the narrative. The infighting between Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky demonstrate socialist revolutions end with its theorists splintered and distracted, arguing amongst themselves over the fine points of implementing Marx's theories, while their pragmatic brutal comrades seize the collective power of the people to weld it themselves.

“It is the theory and practice of working-class self-emancipation, not a catechism of ready-made formulas or eternal truths.”

Scientists experiment to test their theories. Marx never did. Neither did Engels. Robert Owen attempted in 1825 to create a utopian commune at Harmony, Indiana. It failed. So did Brook Farms, Fruitlands, the Icarian experiment, and dozens of similar attempts that followed. Marx must be exhausted turning over in his grave, frustrated none can implement his theories correctly in practice.

"Mr. Shirtz, however, fails to mention that most of the people portrayed therein broke with Stalinism but remained committed Leftists.”

Mr. Schulz failed to mention Lenin’s quote; "The goal of Socialism is Communism." Marx’s theories cannot be separated from the left, the left from socialism, nor socialism from segueing into communism. They all wear different masks, but they possess the same pedigree of wolf underneath.

Ron Shirtz
Rensselaer Falls