[net.politics] Hackers for Nicaragua?

arlan@inuxm.UUCP (A Andrews) (12/08/85)

*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***

In a recent positing that I hope was just a joke, someone asked for hackers to
volunteer for service to Nicaragua.  Now we all know that real service to Nicaragua
would be on the Contra side, but my suspicion is that they were asking for help
in consolidating the Marxist/communist
thugs in their genocidal moves in Central America.

Just be reminded, those ingenues out there who think it's some kind of game:
people are actually dying down there--the Soviet helicopter gunships are not just for show; thery are being used as in
the other Soviet client state of Agfghanistant--for the suppression of liberty and
elimination of opposition.  Today's paper tells of the Sandinistas clsing the
one remaining opposition newspaper. do you think they would hesitate to use your
misguided help and then discard you, as they did so many American who helped in
Cuba, years ago.  (And I was one of those who wanted to go help Castro then!)

don't be misled by the oh-so-effete intellectuals in this country who want to 
see a new Abraham Lincoln brigade for Nicaragua.  They will sip wine in New Yorkand boston while you die in Nicaraguea.

There is a war on, and the communists will lose this one as they are now losing
in Africa and Asia in at least eight conflicts.  They have overextended and the people ar e rising up against a dying and
sterile so-clled philosophy.  Don't think you will be doing a service by trying
to help the red thugs set up communications and computational facilities in
Nicaragua.

[Can anyone tell me who paid the net-bill for that blatant recruitment of comjmunists
over this network?  What a slimy bunch!;

--arlan andrews

myers@uwmacc.UUCP (Latitudinarian Lobster) (12/10/85)

> In a recent posting that I hope was just a joke, someone asked for hackers to
> volunteer for service to Nicaragua.  Now we all know that real service to Nicaragua
> would be on the Contra side, but my suspicion is that they were asking for help
> in consolidating the Marxist/communist
> thugs in their genocidal moves in Central America.
> 
> Just be reminded, those ingenues out there who think it's some kind of game:
> people are actually dying down there--the Soviet helicopter gunships are not just for show; they are being used as in
> the other Soviet client state of Afghanistan--for the suppression of liberty and
> elimination of opposition.  Today's paper tells of the Sandinistas clsing the
> one remaining opposition newspaper. do you think they would hesitate to use your
> misguided help and then discard you, as they did so many American who helped in
> Cuba, years ago.  (And I was one of those who wanted to go help Castro then!)
> 
> don't be misled by the oh-so-effete intellectuals in this country who want to 
> see a new Abraham Lincoln brigade for Nicaragua.  They will sip wine in New Yorkand boston while you die in Nicaragua.
> 
> There is a war on, and the communists will lose this one as they are now losing
> in Africa and Asia in at least eight conflicts.  They have overextended and the people are rising up against a dying and
> sterile so-clled philosophy.  Don't think you will be doing a service by trying
> to help the red thugs set up communications and computational facilities in
> Nicaragua.
> 
> [Can anyone tell me who paid the net-bill for that blatant recruitment of communists
> over this network?  What a slimy bunch!;
> 
> --arlan andrews

I don't know who the fine individual was who posted the original article
was -- isn't it awful that there is somebody who posts more than the
complete source to hack [a great game] or MIT research position announcements?

I'm one of many hackers who have gone to Nicaragua to help out.  The evil
communist deeds that I was involved in was in helping the programmers at a
pharmaceutical company learn CPM and Microsoft BASIC so that they could
re-write their inventory software.

I'll gladly answer any questions frankly about my experience there.
``...the oh-so-effete intellectuals'' of the organization which sponsored
my trip go to Nicaragua themselves for the same reasons I did -- to help
the country and to demonstrate to the people there that there are
Americans who are interested in doing something besides killing or
exploiting them.

What have you done for the world lately, Mr. Andrews?

P.S.  I object to being called `slimy' -- I take a shower every day.

-- 
Jeff Myers				The views above may or may not
University of Wisconsin-Madison		reflect the views of any other
Madison Academic Computing Center	person or group at UW-Madison.
ARPA: uwmacc!myers@rsch.wisc.edu
UUCP: ..!{harvard,ucbvax,allegra,topaz,akgua,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!myers
BitNet: MYERS at WISCMACC

gadfly@ihuxn.UUCP (Gadfly) (12/12/85)

--
> In a recent posting that I hope was just a joke, someone asked
> for hackers to volunteer for service to Nicaragua.  Now we all
> know that real service to Nicaragua would be on the Contra side,
> but my suspicion is that they were asking for help in
> consolidating the Marxist/communist thugs in their genocidal
> moves in Central America. 

No joke, Rambo.  A lot of the Sandies' activities are impeachable,
but it's the Contras--the once and future Somocistas--who are
butchering the Nicaraguan people.

>                     ...do you think they would hesitate to use
> your misguided help and then discard you, as they did so many
> American who helped in Cuba, years ago.  (And I was one of those
> who wanted to go help Castro then!)

Hmmm--the "David Stockman Effect".  There's no fascist like a
reformed leftist.

> don't be misled by the oh-so-effete intellectuals in this
> country who want to see a new Abraham Lincoln brigade for
> Nicaragua.  They will sip wine in New York and boston while you
> die in Nicaragua. 

As with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, the organizers are the ones
who've been there and return again and again.  Ask them.

>                                      ...Don't think you will be
> doing a service by trying to help the red thugs set up
> communications and computational facilities in Nicaragua. 

> [Can anyone tell me who paid the net-bill for that blatant
> recruitment of communists over this network?  What a slimy
> bunch!;

> --arlan andrews

Of course, the difference between the TechNica posting and Arlan's
is that the former presented some concrete and useful information,
while the latter merely foamed a cliched, truly effete, child's-
eye view of a black-and-white world.  Dream on.  Grow up.
-- 
                    *** ***
JE MAINTIENDRAI   ***** *****
                 ****** ******  12 Dec 85 [22 Frimaire An CXCIV]
ken perlow       *****   *****
(312)979-7753     ** ** ** **
..ihnp4!iwsl8!ken   *** ***

gene@batman.UUCP (Gene Mutschler) (12/31/85)

jeff myers exults in his righteousness: 
> I'm one of many hackers who have gone to Nicaragua to help out.  The evil
> communist deeds that I was involved in was in helping the programmers at a
> pharmaceutical company learn CPM and Microsoft BASIC so that they could
> re-write their inventory software.
> 

In case you are thinking of putting this on your resume, my advice is--don't.
Unless of course you are looking for a job at the Institute for
Policy Studies, the Brookings Institution, or the Democrat Party.
Some personnel people might take a dim view of some grad student eating
tax dollars and then helping bite the hand that fed him/her.

It won't do any good to flame me, as I am only on the net for the holidays
and will not be back until Feb 15 at the earliest, by which time your
flame will have expired from this system.
-- 
Gene Mutschler             {ihnp4 seismo ctvax}!ut-sally!batman!gene
Burroughs Corp.
Austin Research Center     cmp.barc@utexas-20.ARPA
(512) 258-2495

richk@uw-beaver (Richard Korry) (01/07/86)

> In case you are thinking of putting this on your resume, my advice is--don't.
> Unless of course you are looking for a job at the Institute for
> Policy Studies, the Brookings Institution, or the Democrat Party.
> Some personnel people might take a dim view of some grad student eating
> tax dollars and then helping bite the hand that fed him/her.
> 
> It won't do any good to flame me, as I am only on the net for the holidays
> and will not be back until Feb 15 at the earliest, by which time your
> flame will have expired from this system.
> -- 
> Gene Mutschler             {ihnp4 seismo ctvax}!ut-sally!batman!gene
> Burroughs Corp.
> Austin Research Center     cmp.barc@utexas-20.ARPA
> (512) 258-2495

Gene, you are correct. It won't do any good to flame you. And in general it
doesn't do any good to flame anyone since the flames don't inform people
on the issues or establish arguments. Flames are flames. The concept of
accepting differing opinions or considering ones own as possibly flawed
does not involve the use of CAPITAL LETTERS or the other traditional
ways we have for trying to prove our opponent is stupid/non-human.

My own view of Nicaragua is that the government is a great improvement
over Somosa for the majority of the people. The Sandinistas have their
share of stupid blunders especially regarding the Misquito Indians
on the Atlantic coast. But each blunder seems to be more than compensated
by "good works". Unfortunately they do seem to be heading towards a more
conventional State ala the Soviet model in regards to press and other
freedoms. Hopefully this is a product of the current civil war and not
the true aim of most of the Sandinistas. After talking with many people
that have traveled through the country, I am convinced that people have
many valid complaints about the Sandinistas but almost noone wants
the return of another Somosa and the National Guard.