berman@ihlpg.UUCP (Andy Berman) (04/01/85)
Shrill voices on the net (and the Washington) have pointed out the
dastardly suppression of dissent going on in Nicaragua today. But the
clearest indication of the mean Sandinistas stomping down on democracy
comes in a New York Times report this weekend:
"More than 1000 business officials and landowners gathered here [in
Managua, Nicaragua] to denounce the Government, eat hearty lunches,
denounce the Government some more and then return home."
"Their convention held in a private theater and attended by delegations
from all over the country passed without incident. No policement were visible,
and a handful of militiamen assigned to the small guard post across the
street seemed bemused as the well-dressed businessmen filed in and out."
-NY Times 3/31/85 p.4
Contrast this vicious manner in which the Sandinistas deal with
their opponents with the cordial tolerance that the Free World Democracies
---Chile, Taiwan, Phillipines, South Africa---display towards dissidents.
To restore free-world democracy in Nicaragua is why 7000 US troops
will be going to war-games in Central America next month.
Andy Bermanmatthews@harvard.ARPA (Jim Matthews) (04/02/85)
> Shrill voices on the net (and the Washington) have pointed out the > dastardly suppression of dissent going on in Nicaragua today. But the > clearest indication of the mean Sandinistas stomping down on democracy > comes in a New York Times report this weekend: > > > "More than 1000 business officials and landowners gathered here [in > Managua, Nicaragua] to denounce the Government, eat hearty lunches, > denounce the Government some more and then return home." > "Their convention held in a private theater and attended by delegations > from all over the country passed without incident. No policement were visible, > and a handful of militiamen assigned to the small guard post across the > street seemed bemused as the well-dressed businessmen filed in and out." > -NY Times 3/31/85 p.4 > > Andy Berman The Times also reported in 1957 how Krushchev allowed "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" to be published. So much for all those stories about the U.S.S.R. being less than democratic! Jim Matthews matthews@harvard
wildbill@ucbvax.ARPA (William J. Laubenheimer) (04/05/85)
>> "More than 1000 business officials and landowners gathered here [in >> Managua, Nicaragua] to denounce the Government, eat hearty lunches, >> denounce the Government some more and then return home." >> "Their convention held in a private theater and attended by delegations >> from all over the country passed without incident. No policement were visible, >> and a handful of militiamen assigned to the small guard post across the >> street seemed bemused as the well-dressed businessmen filed in and out." >> -NY Times 3/31/85 p.4 >> >> Andy Berman > > The Times also reported in 1957 how Krushchev allowed "A Day in >the Life of Ivan Denisovich" to be published. So much for all those >stories about the U.S.S.R. being less than democratic! > >Jim Matthews >matthews@harvard Or how about the "Hundred Flowers" movement in China. Regardless of the stated motives for this development, it did provide an excellent means of getting the intellectuals and other "disruptive [to a totalitarian state] elements" to identify themselves and their friends so the Red Guards could shoot them, torture them, and "reeducate" them in the fine art of slopping pigs, a few years later. Enough similar nonsense has occurred to make this approach part of the required curriculum for Dictatorship 1A: Governing through Intimidation. It allows you to be much more precise about whom to suppress, as opposed to the broad-based techniques of Hitler's Germany (non-Aryans) or Pol Pot's Cambodia (eyeglass wearers). DISCLAIMER: These tactics are not the exclusive province of the left; they may be employed by dictators and autocrats of any stripe. I am *not* accusing the Nicaraguan government of such tactics. For those interested in trying a short thought-exercise, try replacing "Cuban" with "French", "American" with "British", "Contra" with "Indian and Hessian", "Ortega" with "Washington", and "Nicaragua" with "America"; now step back a couple of hundred years and north a couple of thousand miles and ask yourself if it all sounds reasonable. Interesting... Bill Laubenheimer ----------------------------------------UC-Berkeley Computer Science ...Killjoy went that-a-way---> ucbvax!wildbill