In a message dated 12/4/2003 5:16:54 PM US Mountain Standard Time, Chrisf.Olson at Sun.COM writes: Though, as others have said, communism, in the world in which we live, is impossible to bring about. I suppose it could work in an isolated society, but then, that is not possible in this world, either (at least, not if the society is to last). Chris <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< <<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I think the longest-lasting commune in America was the one in Amana, Iowa, which survived in communal form for about a century. There may have been longer-lived Shaker communities; but since the Shakers believed in celibacy, for most of that time they would have consisted of less than a dozen people. Brook Farm, the Transcendentalist experiment, was supposed to be communal, but the trouble was in getting the intellectuals to stop talking and actually farm. And of course, as I stressed before, all these were voluntary. There were a lot more in the mid-19th century, usually started by some charismatic prophet type, but they all ended in tears and recriminations. I suppose the closest thing to the original notion of communism would be an Israeli kibbutz; but I'm not really well enough informed about them. tal