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From: orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Those crates
Message-ID: <342@whuxl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-Nov-84 13:48:16 EST
Article-I.D.: whuxl.342
Posted: Mon Nov 12 13:48:16 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 13-Nov-84 08:16:03 EST
References: <20300001@hpfcla.UUCP> <331@whuxl.UUCP> <332@whuxl.UUCP> <201@ut-sally.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs
Lines: 30

> (Re: Election Result:More War in '84!)
> >> The very day after the election the big news is a Soviet shipment of Mig's
> >> to Nicaragua.  I think that is the worst possible thing the Soviets could do
> >> at this point.  Peace groups planning civil disobedience against American
> >> actions might consider protests against this action as well.
> 
> A couple of things to respond to here --
> 
> Why are people taking it for granted that there are really MiGs in those
> crates?  To quote from a UPI article in this morning's paper: "U.S. officials
> still did not have any firm evidence whether the Burkiana [the Bulgarian
> freighter in question] carried MiG-21s, and a defense source said other
> military equipment may have been packed into MiG-21 crates because of their
> availability." 
> --- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
> --- {ihnp4,harvard,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle
Well, the Reagan administration just admitted that there were not MIG 21's
on the Burkiana.  But that won't matter because the charge has served its
purpose-to put people into a warlike mood against Nicaragua.  Nobody will
remember the Reagan administrations final quiet admission that there were no
MIG 21's--all they will remember is the uproar and the charge.
This little episode served its purpose very well.  Now the next step is
some contrived incident in the Gulf of Fonseca so that Reagan can have his
own "Gulf of Tonkin resolution" to legitimate war in Central America.
Do not be surprised if such an incident occurs in the next few weeks.
During this past "crisis" Barry Goldwater was quick to call for a
"firm" response.  Despite the War Powers Act I am very much afraid Congress
will fall like a pack of cards to this carefully orchestrated hysteria.
Have we learned nothing?
tim sevener whuxl!orb