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From: notes@iuvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Nicaraguan arms smuggling - (nf)
Message-ID: <316@iuvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Apr-84 01:04:11 EST
Article-I.D.: iuvax.316
Posted: Tue Apr 10 01:04:11 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Apr-84 05:26:54 EST
Sender: notes@iuvax.UUCP
Organization: Indiana University
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#R:ucbtopaz:-45500:iuvax:2000022:000:1244
iuvax!scsg    Apr  9 13:10:00 1984


It was no surprise to me to read in US News and World Report, a
fervent Reagan backer, that there is a new concern expressed that
many of the arms reaching the rebels were originally sent to help
the government.  The exact charge was repeated in Vietnam -
North Vietnam is the main source of supply to the Viet Cong, thus
we had to drop more bombs than we did in all of World War 2 on the
Ho Chi Minh Trail.  But then, surprise, surprise!! it turns out that
one-third of the S. Vietnamese gov't declared themselves to be
Viet Cong.  (of course no doubt many of those were trying to preserve
their positions in the new government)  The rulers in countries like
S. Vietnam or El Salvador are not interested in ideology-they want
money and power.  If selling guns to rebels makes them money they will
be glad to do so.  The more guns we send to El Salvador, the more guns
will slip into rebel hands by mysterious means.  When   a corrupt elite
has no concern for the Death Squads killing their citizens, can you
expect them to deny the money to be gained by selling to the other side?
The question is: why do people want to take up arms against their
government in the first place??
tim sevener
Indiana University, Bloomington
pur-ee!iuvax!scsg