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From: berman@ihlpg.UUCP (Andy Berman)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Nicaragua, Reagan, the Soviets, and the Devil
Message-ID: <464@ihlpg.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 6-May-85 17:25:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihlpg.464
Posted: Mon May  6 17:25:01 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 8-May-85 02:02:44 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 28


  Tim Sevener writes:
>There are rumors that part of Nicaragua's deal with the Soviets is for
>both military aid and a Soviet naval port on the Pacific.  This should
>be opposed by Peace Groups as clearly as the U.S. funding for the Contras
>has been opposed by Peace Groups.  I do not think a military buildup on
>Nicaragua's part is justified.  Rather than making Nicaragua more secure
>it creates the perfect pretext for U.S. military intervention.
-----------
   I disagree. Nicaragua is already under attack, not only politically
and economically by the most powerful nation on earth, but also militarily
by a force armed and trained by the US. The daily death toll is running
an average of 5 Nicaraguans. (Relative to th US population, that would
be 400 daily war dead).  If at this point the Nicaraguans went to the
Devil himself to make deals for arms to defend themselves, I don't think
it would be the right of US Peace Groups to critiicize that.
Let us first remove the boot of our government on the neck of Nicaragua
before criticizing their efforts to fight back.
    Furthermore, I think, sad as it may be, that a genuine deterent to
Reagan sending US troops is the knowledge that the Nicaraguans would
inflict heavy damage on any ground force. That, in turn, could create
an unacceptable political situation here in the US.
    Reagan needs no genuine pretexts; he shows tremendous ability
to invent them at will.
    Violence stinks. But I think it is important to distinguish between
the violence of the oppressed and the violence of the oppressor.
                        
                 Andy Berman