orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) (03/17/86)
> > Contras and the Old National Guard: > > The Contras may not be the most humane people, but the one thing > they are NOT is the Somoza National Guard. The number of living and residing > in Nicaragua Guard is estimated (by all sides) the be in the low thousands, > like 2000 or so. Assuming all joined the Contras they would constitute at > most a 5% minority. It has long since been shown that it is impossible for > the Contras to be dominated or influenced by the Guard - even the FSLN dropped > this line of propaganda about 4 years ago. The fact of the matter is that > the Contras are a haphazard band of disgruntled ex-Sandanista, some former > Guard, and a large percentage of Miskito Indians. > Nobody has ever claimed that the majority of actual *soldiers* in the Contras are former National Guardsmen, anymore than the majority of soldiers in the Nicaraguan army were members of the Sandinistas before they came to power. The point is that the *leadership* of the Contras is indisputably dominated by ex-Somocistas. For instance, the chief military officer of the Contras was a high military offical in Somoza's National Guard, approximately 48 out of 60 of the Contras highest military officers were members of Somoza's National Guard, and approximately 30% of the whole officer corps including lower officers of the Contras are former National Guardsmen. The leaders are the ones who determine policy and it is the *leaders* of the Contras who have supported a deliberate policy of terrorism according to former Contra directors like Edgar Chamorro. If the Contras truly support *democracy* why did Arturo Cruz *refuse* to participate in the 1984 elections despite repeated requests from the Sandinistas and other opposition parties? He was *asked* to run in the election and he refused. Not a good sign for the Contras acceptance of democratic processes. tim sevener whuxn!orb p.s. before I get the usual flames about this from the rightwingers, let me point out that yes I *DO* think the same criticism applies to leftist guerrilla groups in Colombia, El Salvador,etc. who refuse to participate in elections *when they are allowed to do so*. Unfortunately the way many rightist regimes narrow opposition is by making communist or socialist parties illegal and not allowing them to run in elections to begin with. Just as Hungary's parliamentary elections *did* allow a choice of candidates but both candidates were still from the Communist Party.
ekrell@ucla-cs.UUCP (03/19/86)
In article <1049@whuxl.UUCP> orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) writes: > >If the Contras truly support *democracy* why did Arturo Cruz *refuse* >to participate in the 1984 elections despite repeated requests >from the Sandinistas and other opposition parties? He was applying common sense. He suspected that the elections would be manipulated by the Sandinistas (whether it actually happened or not is a different matter and totally irrelevant). He knew that by taking part in those elections, he would be legitimazing them, so he stayed out. -- Eduardo Krell UCLA Computer Science Department ekrell@ucla-locus.arpa ..!{sdcrdcf,ihnp4,trwspp,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!ekrell You have the right to express your opinions, but that doesn't mean your opinions are right !