Download PDF of this full issue: v10n3.pdf (6.7 MB)

Liars As Well As Scabs: Phony "VVAW" Beat Back

By VVAW

After months of delay and postponements, the Revolutionary Communist Party's version of scab VVAW was pushed back into the slimy hole that they periodically creep out of, by order of Judge Warren Wolfson on the Cook County Court. His Order, which was agreed to by lawyers for both the real VVAW (the plaintiff) and the scab VVAW (the defendant) says that the scabs must call themselves AI-VVAW or Anti-Imperialist Vietnam Veterans Against the War, or various combinations thereof. Further, that they must print a disclaimer, "Not associated with Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Inc." in any printed documents they should put out, not use the VVAW symbol, not use the name THE VETERAN for their newspaper, and in general not interfere with events put on by VVAW.

The court case began back in June, when VVAW asked for an injunction against this group of weirdos passing themselves off as VVAW; we were concerned then, not because they were gaining publicity through work among vets, but because their silly antics were getting notariety in the press and thus making more difficult the work of building the struggle of veterans. The first court appearance was in mid-November, but, through various legal strategies, the RCP's version of VVAW (now AIVVAW) managed to get the case postponed as long as possible. The judge fortunately saw through their most recent tactic—having their original lawyer quit the case—and said he would go ahead with the hearing. There is nothing in his final order pertaining to VVAW; it consists wholly of things which the AIVVAW may and may not do without being in contempt of court.

Through their lawyers, the RCP-version of VVAW agreed to the judgement; in fact, they declared it a great victory and stated their deep desire not to be confused with or associated with the real VVAW which is not weird enough for their tastes. But their word turned out to be just a good as their politics: in a word, rotten. Since the court agreement, the Revolutionary Worker, mouthpiece of the RCP, has again started calling these turkeys VVAW. Knowing that without our name they are even less than nothing, since their efforts have been to stand on the sideline while VVAW did the work that needed to be done, and they can't give it up, despite what they might agree to in court.

Going to court is not one of VVAW's favorite occupations—we've got much more important things to do. But keeping the name of the organization from being misused is important too. And in its headlong race to follow the dictates of Bob Avakian (Avakian is a kind of pudgy James Jones figure who occupies himself writing long letters to his daddy—a Superior Court judge—and mommy explaining how important he is, and then has the letters printed into pamphlets for his followers to peddle) the scab VVAW is trying to turn the name into an image of a couple of crazies grabbing headlines with being nuts.

VVAW went ahead to legally protest the name of the organization, the insignia, and the name of the newspaper because we believed this was one way to avoid confusion and hassles. We still think that fight is important—and we will carry it forward in whatever way is necessary.