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ABOUT RAYMOND LOTTA | RESOURCES | SOCIALIST EXPERIENCE | COMMUNISM'S FUTURE SAMPLE LETTER NEW--May 2007 Dear Friends, In 2005, a speaking tour was launched under the title "Socialism is Much Better Than Capitalism, and Communism Will Be a Far Better World." Raymond Lotta, a Maoist political economist (see bio) has spoken to student audiences from Harvard, to Stanford, to the University of London (see tour description). Because there has not been a speech of this kind in recent years and because of the widespread interest and response, we hope to bring the tour to more campuses this year. For more on this speech, please see the end of this letter. The reason we are contacting you is because we think you would be interested in what the Set the Record Straight project is trying to do: to challenge the “official” verdict that “communism is dead,” and to open up a conversation about alternatives to the present order and the actual experience and lessons of socialism in the 20th century. This is a timely conversation to be had. There is widespread concern about the state of the world and the fate of the planet. A new generation looks out anxiously at this world and considers its role in shaping a different future. And many ask: “Can’t humanity go further and do better?” But the horizons of inquiry and examination are narrowed because of this “official” verdict and the constant drumbeat that “communism is tyranny.” The “logical” conclusion is that today’s society is “the best of all possible worlds...the only possible world...so you might as well accept it.” But can we leave humanity’s future to Bush and company? We hope to be able to speak with you about the role this speech could play in the current situation, and explore possibilities for bringing this tour to your campus. Looking forward to hearing back from you, _______________________ Raymond Lotta’s speech puts before people the actual historical record of the socialist revolutions in the Soviet Union (1917-56) and China (1949-76). He rescues from slander, and plain suppression of fact, what these revolutions were setting out to do and their remarkable achievements. He also analyzes their mistakes and shortcomings and brings out the lessons they hold for today. With documentation and analysis, he shows why these experiences represent the first and historic breakthroughs that humanity has made in building genuinely liberating societies—and in the face of extraordinary obstacles. Set the Record Straight is a program of the International Humanities Center, a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. |
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