◆ SpookStack

e . others operated on the premire that the main impediment to effective political development ir the left itself, which has made itself incr;asingly irrelevant and unresponrive 8t 8 t h e when most people are atraining to hear a Coherent accouat of the crises they experience in their lives. It was the belief of Lynd, Lerner and others that many of the major new left doctriner needed new thinking, organizing, and practice to alter the disintegration of the past two yearr. its revolutionary rtruggler. NAM will also reject the past unwillingness tinuing struggle against an economic rye tam which permits imperialism (principle of "participatory democracyt8) and the failure to undertake 8 meaningful rcientific atudy of the American eociety. 0 ' *. . a NAM and ita founders will, during 1972, reject what they reg8rd ar errors of the past. These e r r o r s include the mirure and overglorification of the "third world" and to launch a serious mocialirt anslyair of anti-imperialism and the con- to function. NAM leaderr propore to alter the glorification of spontaneity 3 . I e . :P . - - ~ ' L <> .., * .. 0%. I : . -+ NAM, 8ccording to principal spokermen, will reject the adoption -. .'!% $5 of militancy as the rubrtancr rather than the form of movement politics.' Inwardly, NAM will endt8-r to tranrform rociety rather &an fust the ::% ' . ? % tion that leaderqhip ir illegitimate 0 . elitism. .,:.% political 10,'t (a criticirm.of part radical infighting) and will reject the no- '': :$ ' ."p > intends to rtatt in a different direction and envisions a fresh orientation w-4 :i-4 .Q lirected outward and able to rpe8k with purpore and with candor to the berrhiporganization. . ' d . . 'b. :I * In rejecting there 8lleged mistakes, the New American Movemeht J majority of the American people, The objective, in short, is a mass meme - s , .. . The 'tirst rignificant formation convcrition wae held by approximately 400 left-wing radicalr'at q?%&nport, Iowa over the Thanksgiving Day week- end. Those in attendance repierented a number of local organitations from around the country and a number of fdrmer SIX activirts. vention established a 13-member national interim committee (standard organking procedure for ruch groupr) limited to an advirory role until next June when the organisation expecb to hold ita formal founding conven- All are still qulte rmall. The orientation at Davenport was aimed The con- ' . tion. NAM claims to have chapterr prerently forming in 25 American cities. at economic problemr and control of 10~81 institutions and made little or no mention of America'r Vietnam involvement other than cliches and - . , a .,;$ I J ' *.i -. '3 generalizations about imperialirm. NAM intends to develop programs "'4 around which people can be ."mobilized@8 to rrtruggle (an old Communist'* f f t - ,- .., do c t r ine ) . ' 1 . .2 Programs will be geared to include the struggle for worker 2 . _ . ..' . . . .