[Marxism] Yanqui's. Sandinista's, socialism and anti-imperialism - in reply to José

["Jurriaan Bendien" <andromeda246@xxxxxxxxx>]

José quoted:

"Sandino's children will neither sell out nor surrender.
We fight against the Yanqui, the enemy of humanity."

But that is basically the defiant affirmation of the dignity of a people,
and an anti-imperialist stance. I return to that below.

I can understand the quote, and empathise with it, insofar as the US
government backed the murderous dictatorship of the Somoza clan (although,
in February 1978, after the indiscriminate attacks of Somoza's National
Guard on the civilian population had tarnished the public image, the US
government actually backtracked, and stopped military assistance
officially - assistance to the "contra's" was of course given thereafter, in
a bid to subvert the Sandinista government, leading to the infamous
Contragate scandal).

But to regard "Yankees" generally as "the enemy of humanity" is not a
socialist position - I think people can distinguish quite well between pro-
and anti-imperialist Americans. Americans often do not regard the USA as
imperialist, because it does not formally own or aspire to own colonies
(leaving aside such arguable cases as Hawaii and Puerto Rico). But that is
like saying that the directors and managers of corporations do not control
the corporations, because they do not own them. In reality, of course, they
do have a material stake in the corporations, just as Cheney has a stake in
Halliburton's operations in Iraq.

If anything, the real problem is that many Americans do not know the truth
about what their own government does or has done in foreign lands. I recall
seeing an eminent and not uncritical academic on CNN television one night,
who congratulated CNN for its international news coverage. I wondered why,
because I felt some topics were underreported ? Because, he said, without
that news coverage, many people in the USA wouldn't even have a clue at all,
about what was really happening overseas, being more attuned to their local
media and local news.

CNN itself actually reported in 2002 that whereas young Americans "may soon
have to fight a war in Iraq", most of them "can't even find that country on
a map". A National Geographic Society survey had found, that only about one
in seven -- 13 percent -- of Americans between the age of 18 and 24, the
prime age for military warriors, could find Iraq. The score was the same for
Iran, an Iraqi neighbor. Although the majority, 58 percent, of the young
Americans surveyed knew that the Taliban and al Qaeda were based in
Afghanistan, only 17 percent could find that country on a world map. You can
read the complete story at:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/EDUCATION/11/20/geography.quiz/index.html . The
actual survey is at:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geosurvey/download/RoperSurvey.pdf

The National Geographic-Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey also
found that:

. nearly 30 percent of those surveyed could not find the Pacific Ocean, the
world's largest body of water;
. more than half-56 percent-were unable to locate India, home to 17 percent
of people on Earth; and
. only 19 percent could name four countries that officially acknowledge
having nuclear weapons.

I personally didn't visit Nicaragua, my opinion was formed in 1982 by
reading George Black's book "Triumph of the People: The Sandinista
Revolution in Nicaragua" (London: Zed Press, 1981), press reports and
subsequently meeting a Sandinista youth. But I think the humanity and moral
superiority of the Sandinistas showed itself for example when they decided,
spectacularly, not to kill many of Somoza's butchers and hangmen that were
caught and imprisoned - which they could well have done, for crimes against
humanity.

It may interest you that a special court-martial at the Fort Stewart Army
Base, Georgia, on May 19-21 this year sentenced Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia,
the son of Nicaraguan singer/songwriter Carlos Mejia Godoy, to the maximum
of one year in prison for refusing to participate in the Bush regime's
illegal war and occupation in Iraq. According to the story,

"He was reduced in rank to private and given a bad conduct discharge for
refusing to return to Iraq. Even though he had requested conscientious
objector status, he was charged and convicted of "desertion." Mejia, 28, is
the first soldier to file for conscientious objector status since the Iraq
war began. "I have witnessed the suffering of a people whose country is in
ruins and who are further humiliated by the raids, patrols, curfews of an
occupying army," said Mejia upon being sentenced. "Going home on leave in
October 2003 provided me with the opportunity to put my thoughts in order
and to listen to what my conscience had to say. putting my weapon down, I
chose to reassert myself as a human being." His father, Carlos Mejia Godoy,
who became known as the "poet/laureate" of the Sandinista revolution for the
many revolutionary songs that he wrote and sang, immediately blasted the
Army's refusal to grant his son conscientious objector status. "The U.S.
uses its big stick against anybody who tries to think differently," he said
from Nicaragua."

The complete story (worth reading) is at:
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/June04/Bacher0602.htm and more info at
http://www.vfvs.com/theyMadeUsBreakLaw.html

Internet revolutionaries can sign the Mejia petition at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/mejia/

www.dissidentvoice.org makes an important point in its latest article: "The
same techniques used to get up the Iraq war are now being applied by the
political Right in the United States, including President Bush, to Iran.
These include innuendo, guilt by association, vague fears, and hyped
capabilities."

Jurriaan






_______________________________________________
Marxism mailing list
Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism