‘Bypassing Peace’ in Nicaragua

Your “Bypassing Peace” editorial (Sept. 11) was right on. President Ronald Reagan and his fellow right wingers are trying to do just that, or else push peace aside altogether. It makes no difference to them how many Nicaraguans are raped, pillaged and killed by contra thugs. All this is in the name of “promoting democracy.” This crowd wants to return to the (dictator Anastasio) Somoza days when the U.S. could dictate to Central America and our arms merchants could run wild with obscene profits extracted from human misery.

The Reagan crowd cries, “The Commies are coming,” if the contras don’t win. Pure baloney! This is not an East-West struggle. Rather, it is another effort by a Third World nation to determine its own destiny. Our own stated national values give them every right to do this. Instead of sabotaging this effort, we should be encouraging it.

This new contra money request makes Reagan’s pledge to support the peace initiative by the Central American presidents a lie. Even a child knows pointing guns at people’s heads does not bring peace.

The only winning game in town is peace. Anything else can lead to nuclear holocaust, chaos among nations or both. It’s time for peace-loving people, who are the realists among us, to cry out for an end to Reagan’s deceits.

FRANK MICHAELSON

Los Angeles