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From: tonyw@ubvax.UUCP (Tony Wuersch)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Who is Tomas Borge?
Message-ID: <429@ubvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Feb-86 20:34:38 EST
Article-I.D.: ubvax.429
Posted: Thu Feb  6 20:34:38 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 10-Feb-86 22:09:46 EST
References: <1686@bbncca.ARPA>
Reply-To: tonyw@ubvax.UUCP (Tony Wuersch)
Organization: Ungermann-Bass, Inc., Santa Clara, Ca.
Lines: 35

In article <1686@bbncca.ARPA> rrizzo@bbncca.ARPA (Ron Rizzo) writes:
>
>So who is Tomas Borge?  Felix Dzerzhinsky in Managua?  A good progres-
>sive cop, conscientiously doing his duty?  Sentinel of the people's
>happiness?  An enemy of humanity?
>
>Who is Tomas Borge?
>
>					Better well-read than Red,
>					Ron Rizzo

The answer is fairly simple, I think.  Borge is the last surviving
founder of the Sandinist movement.  He's a big symbol, and he knows
this and plays on it.  I doubt his followers will get anywhere after
his death, since the Ortegas lean towards collective leadership.

Borge is usually regarded as a hard-liner in that he likes to contemplate
repressive solutions out loud.  But saying what you want to do or what
you think the state should do out loud is a positive democratic action,
even when what you want sounds hard line.  Borge's position is usually
one of competing with the bourgeoisie for public attention, and that's
a positive democratic action.  Putting down opponents verbally is a
sign that you recognize their presence and you want to compete with
them in public arenas.

Those who worry about democracy should worry more about the Sandinists
who yak about national unity and national consensus, etc..  They're
the ones who when faced with dissent, would rather suppress it than
compete against it.  I'd be more confident about the future of
democracy in Nicaragua if I saw the Sandinistas building more living
symbols like Borge who would be successful public politicians, instead
of building more successful bureaucrats like the Ortegas.

Tony Wuersch
{amdcad!cae780,amd}!ubvax!tonyw