There were many stories in the US press about how government forces last year in Nicaragua used "brutal" force against peaceful protesters. That is not the impression I got from talking to the people of Nicaragua. The opposition forces, composed of some students but also paid thugs; gang members from in and outside of Nicaragua, started creating chaos in many ways. Shootings, firebombing, roadblocks etc. At first the police tried to resist this assault and bring order back to the streets. After a while, it was beginning to look like the opposition forces were, if anything, getting stronger so the government took a most unusual tact. They called the police back to their barracks. For approximately two months the opposition set up over 1300 barricades on the streets keeping people from moving around and getting on with their lives. Over half of all deaths during the "troubles" occurred while the police remained off of the streets. To fight the opposition would only have invited the United States to get more deeply involved. This is not the behavior of a brutal dictator.
"The greatest purveyor of violence in the world: my government, I can not be silent".---Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
3% of our military budget would be enough to eliminate hunger world wide. It would be so easy to help the world become a safe, comfortable home for all. Unfortunately, capitalism demands greed and greed requires immoral behavior. Lord help us, we need a big dose of humanity (humility?)
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