U.S. Policy in Nicaragua
George F. Will is an amusing individual (Editorial Pages, April 21). His “Red Scare” diatribe is full of witticisms and clever turns of phrase. The issue is the U.S. position in what he calls “Nicaragua’s Civil War.” Civil war? Is this the same as Guatemala’s “civil war” in 1954? Or Chile’s in 1973? The Sandinistas are clearly correct in naming the CIA as their true adversaries and calling for negotiations with Washington as the true source of the aggression.
More semantic acrobatics occur in Will’s naming of Spain and Honduras as “nations that have risen from tyranny to democracy.” Spain “rose” from the U.S.-supported tyranny of the Franco regime only when Franco died, and Honduras is exactly as “democratic” as the dominating military there allows it to be.
Will is, of course, a serious observer. But, as shown above, he is also either a demagogue or an idiot, a situation he should correct before pursuing his presidential aspirations.
DAVID WAAG
Los Angeles
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
