I’m enumerating the policies of the Sandinista government in Nicaragua for my class on Latin American conflicts:
•Nationalization of the Somoza riches;•Land reform;•Support for unions, improving working conditions;•Improving housing conditions;•Investment in education & a massive literacy drive (illiteracy goes down from 50% to 12%);•Abolition of torture and the death penalty;•Democratic freedoms;•Equality for women
A student raises his hand.
“I have a horrible suspicion,” he says. “I have a feeling that you are about to tell us that the US did not support this government.”
“That’s an understatement,” scoffs a student who is our resident specialist on the CIA activities in the region.
“But why? Why?!?” the first student exclaims.
We didn’t have time to get to the Iran-Contras scandal during this lecture but I suspect that the student’s fears will come true.
Clarissa's Blog 
I have some doubts about Soviet-sponsored government was that much into democratic freedoms… but otherwise I had similar experiences, trying to explain things like that to the Americans. As I was not their teacher and otherwise not in a position of authority with respect to them, I could tell it out straight that the US always cared about the spheres of influence much more than in cared about any democracy…
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I’m letting them draw their own conclusions here. As we discuss one LatAm country after another, things become very clear.
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How much of an effect did Hurricane Joan have on the Sandanistas losing power? I get the impression that that disaster certainly wasn’t beneficial for them (although other factors were important).
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Now, the Nicaraguan government of ex-Sandinista Ortega has banned abortion in all forms in all instances, including treatment of tubal pregnancies. Several women have bled to death from ruptured tubal pregnancies.
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Oh God, I didn’t know this. INCLUDING the cases of tubal pregnancies???? This is an incredible act of barbarity.
Fuck these stupid fucks. Fucking animals.
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