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From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Nicaragua (Re: Air raid on Libya)
Message-ID: <715@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 17-May-86 12:14:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.715
Posted: Sat May 17 12:14:23 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 19-May-86 00:58:15 EDT
References: <157@unido.UUCP> <1200001@ztivax.UUCP> <3265@ut-ngp.UUCP> <1315@rlvd.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 35
Summary: bullshit?

In article <1315@rlvd.UUCP>, kgd@rlvd.UUCP (Keith Dancey) writes:
> In article <767@kontron.UUCP> cramer@kontron.UUCP writes:
>  
> >You seem to have the sequence backward.  The US government WAS very
> >helpful to the Sandinistas immediately after they took power -- it was
> >because of the totalitarian tendencies of the Sandinistas that our 
> >government stopped helping them, and started helping the contras.
> >
> >> Anders Andersson, Dept. of Computer Systems, Uppsala University, Sweden
> >
> >Doesn't anyone in Europe READ?
> >
> 
> Not the propaganda bullshit that you do, apparently.
> -- 
Mr. Cramer got it right and you've got it wrong.  (Never thought Id
be saying this).  Immediately after the Sandinista victory the Carter
administration made a major effort to befriend the new regime.  This
was not exactly a gesture of friendship toward the Sandinistas since
the Carter administration was actually trying to ensure that a democracy
was established after Somoza's fall.  That it didn't work out that way
is not really Carter's fault.  In any case Carter expended a lot of
political capital getting an aid bill through Congress which by and
large saw it as wasted on a nascent totalitarian regime. (Though this
never stopped them from sending aid to Somoza).  The whole effort fell
apart as the nature of the Sandinista government became clear.  We then
adopted our present policy of trying to put the fascists back in power.
It's enough to make an honest Democrat support the Sandinistas.

-- 
"Ma, I've been to another      Ethan Vishniac
 planet!"                      {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan
                               ethan@astro.UTEXAS.EDU
                               Department of Astronomy
                               University of Texas