: P.S. Incidentally, for remarking on these curious incidents in the 80's, a very nice Sandanista fellow offered to have me killed. So much for the decadent borgeouis ideal of free speech.The truth about the Miskito "repression" needs to be printed. the Miskitos, after repressing and absornbing their rival tribes along teh east coast, teh Sumo and Rama Indians, had emerged as teh dominant tribe in teh East. The Miskitos had long been at odds with the "Hispanic" population concentrated in Western Nicaragua, and the American Government decided to use them as a convenient tool for opposing the new regime after the liberation of Nicaragua in 1979. They armed the Miskito and offered them money in exvchange for opposing the Nicaraguan government. Although the Miskitos' grievances of historical oppression and neglect may have been justified, their "revolt" took the atrocious forms of destroying clinics and other social services. A few over-enthusiastic FLSN officials, aggrieved at the fact that the Miskitos were commiting acts of violemnt terrorism, killed some of the terrorists and used unnecessary force against some Miskitos. Such absues were quickly corrected by teh Sandinista leadership. In contecxt, it shoudl be noted that the Sandinistas were fighting the agets of a foreign power dedicated to the destruction of liberated Nicaragua. let us look at what the US has done on similar occasions. 1) murdered most of its Indian population, 2)sent it's Japanese Americans to internment camps, 3) deported large numbers of eastern Europeans with possible leftist leanings, and 4) abolished subversive speech in 1798 and again in 1914. The Sandinistas, of course, did none of these things.
Nicaragua's first free election, acknowledged as teh ferest in all of Latin America by most international observers, took place in 1984. Every political tendency was legal, except for those who openly called fro a return for the Somoza tyranny, since thsiu would entail teh complete overthrow of democracy. The Sanbdinistas were well represented by parties to their left (the anti-sandinsta Communist Party) as well as to the right. Nicaragus' electoral rules allowed every legitimate political partuy, regardless ofs size, to get gpovernmnet funding. This is perfect liberalism in action, in which teh governmnet funds its enemies for teh sake of free speech. Nicaragua's policy was far more democratic than that of teh United States, in which the two parties monopolize power and third alternatives are routinely denied the money to contest elections., Nicaragua was a grassroots democracy, while the US on a natiuonal level is more of a two-party oligarchy. Observe the fact that most Nicaraguans chose to vote, wjhile most Americans do not. The Sandinstas won with a hefty 63% of teh vote, which also shows the strength and freedom accorded to their oppsosition.
This happy state of affairs was unfortunately ended by US terrorism and sabotage throughout the 1980s. In effect, teh US demanded that Nicargaua cease its efforts at democracy and socialism and submit to US tyranny again. Nicaragua, naturally did not want to. But the 1990 elections were held under so much duress- promnises of American aid if teh right-wing reacyionaries won, promises of continued terrorism if teh democratic socialists won- taht the people had no choice. tehy voted for teh peace of slavery ratehr than for a free but uncertain future, and submitted to teh rule of Somoza's leering henchmen. the results sinec democracy's historic defeat of 1979 are plain for all to see. Nicaragua has gone from being the economic success story of Latin America in 1983, to becoming teh second-poorest country in the hemisphere. Unemployment, low in the Sandinista glory days, has cliimbed toi 60 percent. Health care and education have fallen. The oligarchy has begun to steal back their former property. teh Sandinistas have begun to be castigated as "subversive" by the government. A Somocist is back in power, an evil man who soaked up relief funds like a sponge that were donated after Nicaragua's hurricane. Meanwhile teh Nicaraguan people continue to suffer, and suffer, and suffer.
LONG LIUVE THE FLSN
