berman@ihuxm.UUCP (Rational Chuzpah) (09/26/84)
>...some of the things that go on in Central America are pretty >obscure... >> Depends on where you get your information from.... >>>Do you have some wonderfully accurate and complete sources that the >>>rest of us are deprived of? ------------------------------------------------------------- I really have trouble with the notion that what is going on in Central America is "obscure." That sounds like an excuse for either not reading newspapers or having an uneasy feeling that the Reagan Administration is performing horendously but you don't want to admit it. The New York Times has had reasonably complete coverage of events in El Salvador for the fast few years, including numerous reports from the rebel side of the conflict. Raymond Bonner, its major Central America correspondent for about two years recently wrote a fine book, Weakness and Deceit, about US foreign Policy in the region. Nicaragua teems with western journalists, not often particularly sympathetic or even understanding of the process going on there, but still sending out scores of reports. Travel to Nicaragua by US citizens is extremely easy. Several hundred Americans are employed in various capacities in Nicaragua, assisting the development of the country. Most medium to large US cities have organizations concerned with Central America, through which a variety of publications are available. Shortwave broadcasts, including English language can be heard on Radio Sandino (Nicaragua) at 5.95 MHZ (evening). Central American refugees, particularly Guatemalan and Salvadoran are found in many large US cities. While many of these people have immigration problems and thus prefer low visibility, others are organized in groups that put on public educational programs. The thing about Central America is that most people by merely becoming reasonably well-informed about the events there come to the conclusion that the Reagan policies are leading us towards a disaster. A major American intervention in Central America is quite possible, if not probable, in the near future. That means casualties, theirs and ours. There really is no excuse not to keep informed about what could very well be "another Vietnam" Andy Berman
alan@allegra.UUCP (Alan S. Driscoll) (09/26/84)
> The thing about Central America is that most people > by merely becoming reasonably well-informed about the events > there come to the conclusion that the Reagan policies are > leading us towards a disaster. > A major American intervention in Central America is > quite possible, if not probable, in the near future. > That means casualties, theirs and ours. > There really is no excuse not to keep informed about > what could very well be "another Vietnam" > [Andy Berman] Remember that during debates with Carter, Reagan referred to Vietnam as "a noble cause." -- Alan S. Driscoll AT&T Bell Laboratories