More on the The Peace and Justice League

I'm not out on a commie-hunting expedition, but isn't it strange that communist affiliation isn't mentioned everytime there is a march against the Iraq war by socialist and/or communist-led groups like United for Peace and Justice or International ANSWER? How different would the protester turnout be if the news began with "today, a communist-led group with roots in the Soviet Union led a march against..."?

No conspiracy mongering here. Just curiousity expressing itself. Anyone have better ideas on this?

Google this: "leslie cagan" communist
Use the same search parameters listed above: name in quotes, adjective outside.

Here is one article that appears only in Google's cache, as the original article has been taken down.

Original Source: www.americandaily.com/article/2293

Washington Post Bureau Chief Whitewashing “Reds” In April 17 Puff Piece
By Cliff Kincaid (04/24/2003)

Powell, a reporter for the paper that broke open the Watergate scandal, apparently could not find it within his power or ability to reveal that Cagan is a co-chair of a group dominated by former veteran CPUSA members such as Angela Davis. The CCDS Web site refers to the Communist Manifesto as a "stirring document" that is relevant today.

Powell's article did acknowledge that International ANSWER, the Workers World Party (WWP) front group behind several Washington, D.C. protests, was a "Marxist-Leninist grouping that glorifies North Korea." But he then ignored the hard evidence of Cagan's communist connections and travels to Cuba. It's clear that Powell was trying to present Cagan, the head of a rival anti-war group called United For Peace and Justice, as a more responsible activist without the WWP baggage. He could only do that by insulating Cagan from the taint of communism or even socialism.

Powell said that, "She came of age as a radical protesting the Vietnam War, before doing graduate agitating on issues including the nuclear freeze, gay rights, El Salvador and the trade embargo on Cuba." The closest he came to acknowledging her red roots was when he noted allegations that Insight Magazine had called Cagan a Marxist agitator who has "roots in old Soviet . . . agitprop" and that she had been denounced for "letting various flavors of Trotskyites and Maoists join the antiwar marches."

A less partisan view of the movemet is found here.

Leslie Cagan is currently Co-Chair of CCDS ( Committee's of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism ) http://www.cofc.org/

This group was formed after the Soviet coup of 1991 by Manning Marable, Carl Boice, Leslie Cagan, Charlene Mitchell, Angela Davis, Pete Seeger and numerous others who were expelled from (or left) the Communist Party for supporting Mikhail Gorbachev Free of the CPUSA, the CCDS founders hoped to unite the divided American Left, and received support from a number of well-known leftists, including Noam Chomsky. However, this dream soon ran into the classic problem of sectarianism, and CCDS floundered. Over the years, the political alignment of CCDS shifted dramatically, from its infancy in Reform Communism to become a democratic socialist organization, not very different from DSA or the Socialist Party USA. However, without a clear vision of where the organization was going (i.e., merge with another group or strengthen their own) CCDS's originally strong organization has begun to disintegrate within the last few years. Some of their members, inspired by the CP's new leader, Sam Webb, returned to the CP. Others joined Nader and the Green Party and forgot about CCDS. Further, CCDS's main office in New York was damaged in the September 11th attack.