From: aws@iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer)
Subject: Re: Nicaragua: Myth versus Reality (I)
Organization: Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 14:07:53 GMT

In article <1992Aug25.191706.26001@vexcel.com> dean@vexcel.com (Dean Myerson) writes:

>Please post, or e-mail to me, these reports.

I don't have them anymore. They where published in Jan or Feb, 1989. 

>Rigged is very different from flawed.  The AI documentation that you
>provided shows that there were abuses, which is different from rigged.

Given the years of suppression of dissent, the extrajudicial jailings
and executions, the laws banning strikes and opposition parties, and
the rule changes the Sandinsitas engaged in during the campaign cause
me to conclude that it would be impossible for the opposition to win.

>Why would western European governments indicate that the elections were
>good if they were "rigged".

I believe they only stated that the balloting was fair. Many if not all
had reservations about the process.

>>What evidence? Somoza looted the treasury when he was booted out and the
>>Sandinistas looted the treasury when they where booted out.

>Somoza left an enormous debt and was one of the richest men in the world.
>Where does Ortega end up in the Forbes list?

Degree is not a defense. Somebody who steals thousands can't claim innocence
because somebody else stole millions. If you look at the percentages
instead of absolute numbers you may well find they came out the same.

The bottom line is when they where booted out those great 'friends of
the people', the Sandinistas, where no different from any of the other
dictators. They stole what they could for themselves.

Their cynical actions might even be enough to make Harel take notice
if he could manage to force himself to look at them.

>>Questionable. The literacy numbers for example have been pretty much
>>discredited since various populations where included or excluded to
>>make the numbers look better.

>Since these numbers were accepted by capitalist organizations that would
>not normally be sympathetic to the Sandinistas, I think they should be
>considered valid unless you can specifically show otherwise.

You miss the point. They aren't using the same statistics. For the
'before' picture they use Population A and for the after picture they
use Population A plus Population B which makes the numbers look better.

As to the capitalistic organizations, just who are you refering to?

>>The Sandinista military buildup began well before there where
>>any Contras and at a time when the Sandinistas where receiving millions
>>in US aid.

>They may have been paranoid that the U.S. would "pull a Grenada" as a
>former boss once wished for.  

I don't think so. This was under the Carter Administration. They where
receiving tens of millions in US foreign aid. This was about two years
before there where any Contras and about three years before the Contras
recieved ANY aid from the US.

>It didn't happen, but the fact that the
>U.S. openly supported the contras indicates that the fear was not
>unfounded.

At the time when the Sandinista arms buildup began, there where no
Contras. In fact, it was the continuing arms buildup and repression
of human rights which caused aid to halt.

>Despite flaws, the Sandinista's showed their interest in democracy by
>losing an election.  They could have cancelled it and continued to
>fight the contras.

Note that the Sandinsitas thought they where going to win up to the
very end. We will never know what would have happened if they thought
otherwise.

We do know that in 84 they felt the need to come down hard on dissent
to win.

  Allen
-- 
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Allen W. Sherzer | "If they can put a man on the Moon, why can't they     |
|  aws@iti.org     |  put a man on the Moon?"                               |
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