From: brian@stan.xx.swin.oz.au (TEHAN B)
Newsgroups: alt.activism
Subject: Re: The Crimes of Nicaragua (II)
Date: 15 Sep 92 00:55:03 GMT
Organization: Computer Centre, Swinburne University of Tech., Melbourne, Australia.

In <1992Sep9.184510.15710@iti.org> aws@iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer) writes:

>In article <1992Sep8.055032.4328@vexcel.com> dean@vexcel.com (Dean Alaska) writes:


>Let's compare the Sandinista and American revolutions:

>1S: The Sandinistas took over and said there would be no elections for
>    four years.

>1A: In the US, each Colony had free and fair elections for representatives
>    to the Contentenal Congress both during and after the war.

>2S: The Sandinsitas dictated the Nicaraguan constitution themselves. A
>    constitutional convention was promised but not allowed.

>2A: In the US, the people of each colony elected their own constitutional 
>    convention who wrote the constitution for each of the states. 

>3S: The Sandinsitas spent the first few years setting rules making dissent
>    illegal and jailing (or killing) peaceful opponnents.

>3A: In the US, Loyalists where granted all the rights of revolutionaries.
>    Their veiws where tollerated to such a degree that the revolution had
>    been going on for a year before the Declaration of Independance.

>4S: The Sandinistas used any excuse possible to delay elections.

>4A: The Americans held elections for their constitutions and government
>    DURING the Revolutionary War.

>5S: Between the revolution and 84, the people where governed by the whim
>    of the Sandinistas.

>5A: After the Revolutionary War, US citizens where ruled by their own
>    state constitutions and popularly elected governments. The national
>    govenment ran under the Articles of confederation.


>The actions of the Sandinistas cannot be regarded as the actions of
>a group committed to democracy. Indeed, many of their public statements
>indicated they regarded elections as 'window dressing' for world opinion.

>If there is any doubt, just compare their actions with the US or any
>country which recently transitioned to democracy.

>  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?"                               |
>+----------------------227 DAYS TO FIRST FLIGHT OF DCX----------------------+

Why don't you sanctimonious hypocrites in the good old USA leave those, who
are unfotunate enough to live in close proximity to the USA, alone! You can
hardly compare the situation in the U.S. a couple of centuries ago with the
situation in Nicaragua in the 80's. The U.S. was so concerned to get democracy
in Nicaragua that they and their cronies the Contras were prepared to kill and
rape and pillage the land to enforce it. In truth, it would not have mattered
what the contras did - the USA did not want another Cuba on their doorstep and
were prepared to do anything to achieve this. It is hard to have a workable
democracy in a little country constantly under the bombs bullets, mines and 
dirty tricks of the CIA etc.. Also, the US embargo did not help matters at
all. Why Nicaragua? Why not Chile, for example, or am I missing something 
really obvious?
Those of us who live on other bits of this planet see huge holes in the 
morality of US positions in various parts of the world (e.g., at the same
time as all the above was happening, the U.S. was financing some of the 
nastiest right wing movements since Hitler, in Africa). Maybe if the US had
been NICE to the Sandanistas, they would have been more flexible along the 
way, but no, they had to declare war on them.
What percentage of the population voted in Bush in the last election? Is that
democracy? Was it democratic to use money and threats to force
the Nicaraguan population to vote for the right?

Brian Tehan
Swinburne University of Technology
Melbourne, Australia
brian@stan.swin.edu.au

nastiest right wing 'freedom fighters' in Africa). 
Newsgroups: alt.activism