dire@dartvax.UUCP (John Macario) (04/05/84)
We in the US really shouldn't be too smug in condemning the Nicaraguan's
handling of the Miskoto Indians, after all our government, in its
early years, didn't exactly treat American Indians with a great deal of
respect. (Nor do we now for that matter)
I think it's important to realize that the situation between the
Sandinasta's and the Miskoto people is far more complicated than has been
portrayed in the mainstream US press. Its roots go back to racism
between the Latino's and the Indigenous people of Central America. It
should also be pointed out that the Nicaraguan government is very young
and needs time to mature...they have repeatedly admitted that they have
made a mistake in dealing with the Miskoto's.
If you want to talk about torture of Indians talk about Guatemala.
In the past three years over 150,000 Indians have fled
from northern Guatemala to refugee camps in southern Mexico. Anthropologists
and Church workers who have visited the camps bring
back reports from the Indians which document government sponsored
terror and political killings. A recent report from Amnesty International
states that the terror is continuing...President Reagan has been trying
for two years now to send military aid to the Guatemalan government, the
aid was stopped by Carter during his presidency. By the way the same
Amnesty International report issued April 4, 1984, condemns human rights
violations in El Salvador Guatemala and Honduras (countries that the US
supports) but NOT Nicaragua.
We in the US have a moral obligation to end our governments aid to
the contra's who make their living killing civilians (mostly children)
in towns along the border with Honduras. I have spoken with several
people who visited border towns and have talked to people living there.
By all accounts the contra's are not the Freedom Fighters that RR wants
us to believe they are, they are killers and wish to continue the
terror that Somoza and his boys brought to Nicaragua for 50 years.
For an excellent account of a contra attack read the article that appeared
in the March 28 issue of "In These Times" (Institute for Public Affairs,
1300 W. Belmont, Chicago, IL 60657)
One final note....our government says we are funding the contra's to
interdict arms shipments going from Nicaragua to the Salvadoran rebels.
I find this strange in view of the fact that Nicaragua and El Salvador
share no common border ?!? Look at a map and read history and
above all LEARN about Central America before our governments starts
a war there....
John Macario
--
John Macario
UUCP: {decvax|linus|cornell}!dartvax!dire
CSNET: dire@dartmouth
ARPA: dire%dartmouth@csnet-relay
US MAIL: 10 TERRACE VIEW
Y7+Lebanon, NH 03766
PHONE:Y7+(603)-448-3095