I don’t like communists and I never have. But I also don’t like how Presidents from Eisenhower to Poppy Bush used the threat of communism/narcotics to stomp on the balls of any latin movement that wasn’t rabidly pro-business. It’s pretty hard to tell Americans today that Nicaragua was a grave threat to our National Security and that we armed the contras to help stop the commies and win the war on drugs. So, I find the following highly amusing in a “see!?? jackass!!” kind of way.
Oliver North and Daniel Ortega, antagonists in the 1980s Iran-Contra Affair, are battling again, this time over Ortega’s bid to regain the presidency in Nicaragua’s elections on Nov. 5.
Ortega, a leader of the Sandinista revolution who ruled Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, held a 15-point lead over his nearest rival in an Oct. 20 poll by Zogby International. North, a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who ran an illegal program funding rebels seeking to topple Ortega, flew to Nicaragua last week to support his opponents.
The prospect of a second Ortega presidency is alarming U.S. officials. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, former Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega and Representative Peter Hoekstra, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, all have spoken out against Ortega’s candidacy.
“The degree of visceral reaction and anger with Ortega is still very, very high among some in Washington,” said Peter Hakim, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue, a policy research group.
A return to power by Ortega, an ally of Cuba’s Fidel Castro, threatens to extend the influence of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s anti-American president, said Representative Dan Burton, chairman of a committee overseeing U.S. relations with Latin America.
“Ortega has no scruples — he’s a communist,” Burton, an Indiana Republican, said in an interview. “He could be a destabilizing force for all the new democracies we see in Central America.”
I would just like to note for the record that Reagan’s foreign policy is not looking so hot anymore. We are not back pumping oil in Libya and Qaddafi is still there mocking our dead. His buddy Saddam caused problems which have been a bit messy to clean up. His mujahideen turned into the Taliban and al-Qaeda and killed 3,000 innocent American civilians. The Contras are still thuggish drug dealers, and the Sandanista’s leader is about to be elected President of Nicaragua. Maybe Reagan shouldn’t have been quite so bellicose? Maybe a little more selective about who to make our ally…and give arms and terrosism training to? Maybe?
Oh, and the Star Wars stuff…still not working.
Good for Ollie North though. It’s always good to see him enjoying his freedom.
First, I wonder how many communists you have ever personally known or talked with?
Second, the Sandinistas were hardly Maoist of Stalinist. They were/are a progressive, anti-colonial and democratic organization which we declared war on lest our big money interests in the region lose control of their plantaions and slave labor. Reagan’s contras slaughtered tens of thousands of men,women and children in the name of a misguided “anti-communism.”
Actual American Communists are probably not what you envision. They are committed activists working for progress with good understanding of the what we are up against and a vision of socialist democracy, American style.
These so-called “Godless Commies” Sandinistas in Nicaragua were devout Catholics. They weren’t Stalinists. They were far closer to liberals Catholics like Dennis Kucinich than anything Stalinist.
First… an intro to Catholic liberation theology…
“In essence, liberation theology explores the relationship between Christian, specifically Roman Catholic, theology and political activism, particularly in areas of social justice, poverty and human rights. The main methodological innovation of liberation theology is to do theology (i.e. speak of God) from the viewpoint of the economically poor and oppressed of the human community. According to Jon Sobrino, S.J., the poor are a privileged channel of God’s grace. According to Phillip Berryman, liberation theology is “an interpretation of Christian faith through the poor’s suffering, their struggle and hope, and a critique of society and the Catholic faith and Christianity through the eyes of the poor”.
Liberation theology focuses on Jesus Christ as not only Savior but also as Liberator of the Oppressed. Emphasis is placed on those parts of the Bible where Jesus’ mission is described in terms of liberation and as a bringer of justice (Matthew 26:51-52) [1]. This is interpreted as a call to arms to carry out this mission of justice — literally by some. A number of liberation theologians, though not all, also add certain Marxist concepts such as the doctrine of perpetual class struggle.
Liberation theology also emphasizes individual self-actualization as part of God’s divine purpose for humankind. In other words, we are given life so that we may pursue it to its full potential. Therefore, obstacles or oppressions put in our path must be resisted and abolished….”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_theology
The Sandinistas were democratic…
“…In contrast to the Cuban revolution, the Sandinista government practiced political pluralism throughout its time in power. A broad range of new political parties emerged to take advantage of freedoms that had not existed under the US-backed dictator, Somoza. Following promulgation of a new constitution, Nicaragua held national elections in 1984. Daniel Ortega and Sergio Ramirez were elected president and vice-president, and the FSLN won 61 out of 90 seats in the new National Assembly, having taken 63 per cent of the vote on a turnout of 74%. Although several opposition parties boycotted the election, it was endorsed as free and fair by numerous international observers….”
http://www.hexafind.com/encyclopedia/Sandinista
I don’t really want to have a debate over the merits of the Sandinista movement. I don’t see them as good guys and I don’t see Somoza as a good guy and I don’t see the Contras as good guys.
What’s important is that the Nicaraguan people have free and fair elections and select leaders that they want. And then we need to respect their choices and work with their leaders in a cooperative and hopefully mutually beneficial way.
Booman, I really want you to tell us why it’s okay that feeding the poor got left out of the US progressive movement.
This is supposed to be a left of left of left website, and someone that overthrew a murderous dictator, fed the poor and made sure everyone got to vote isn’t allowed to be defended here.
What in the frack are progressive values anymore?
First of all, I am not left of left of left. If I have a model in politics it is a mixture of Paul Wellstone and Bill Bradley. Progressive, but also willing to compromise. And you can defend them all you want. All I said is that I personally don’t want to spend today debating it.
Well… if you consider Wellstone a role model even a slight influence, then “they” consider you left of left of left.
This is a discussion that probably should happen, but there are more pressing considerations now. How about re-addressing the subject during the Xmas doldrums?
We are now back pumping oil in Libya and Qaddafi is still there mocking our dead. (Your text above says “not.” Completely different thing.)
Sorry, I’m just not scared anymore when a conservative congressman shouts “Wolf!!” — er, I mean, “Communist!!” I don’t know about other people, but I’ve long since figured out that “Communist” in most circles in American society is just shorthand for “someone we don’t like” or “someone who won’t let us have our way.”
Or someone who wants to speak for the people they represent rather than US corporate interests.
That comes under the heading of “not letting us do what we want,” which is, “expolit the natural resources of some other country to the detriment of the people who happen to have the misfortune of living in the country that houses those resources.”
Among other things, of course.
The Sandinistas just helped to pass a very hard anti-abortion law in order to gain the support of the Church…
They have become more opportunists than socialists…