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From: mjk@tty3b.UUCP (Mike Kelly)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Correction
Message-ID: <270@tty3b.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-Dec-83 13:29:53 EST
Article-I.D.: tty3b.270
Posted: Thu Dec 15 13:29:53 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Dec-83 01:56:30 EST
References: <4178@rochester.UUCP>
Organization: Teletype Corp., Skokie, Ill
Lines: 37

The reasons "Grenada is another Iran" is wrong is simple.

	(1) There was no real reason to fear for the safety
		of the students.   The government had assured
		their safety, and the students themselves (certainly
		an important voice here) didn't feel in any danger.

		By contrast, in Iran there had already been a brief
		seizure of the embassy in February, 1979, nine months
		before the more well-known seizure.  Both the Iranian
		government and our own embassy had warned Washington
		that if the Shah were admitted to this country, the
		embassy would be in grave danger.  Despite this,
		Carter admitted the Shah, and less than a week later
		the embassy was seized.

	(2) The Grenadian government had no reason to threaten the
		students.  Quite the contrary, threatening the students
		would have been the stupidest thing to do, since it would
		justify U.S. intervention, the constant fear of every
		small country in "our hemisphere"; that's why the government
		went out of its way to assure their safety.

	(3) Despite all this, let's suppose the government had some 'secret
		information' (which is always the refuge of scoundrels).  Then
		why not a quick 'rescue mission' to remove the students and get
		out?  No, this was no 'rescue mission', to use Reagan's Newspeak,
		but a full-scale, planned invasion.  There is good reason to
		believe the planning had been ongoing for several months, just
		waiting for an opening.  The coup provided that.

These reasons were laid out, among other places, on the editorial page of the
New York Times, in an editorial titled "Grenada, By O'Neill, By Orwell".

Mike Kelly
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