http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/03/el-salvador-in-the-months-before-the-2009-elections/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:44:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/03/el-salvador-in-the-months-before-the-2009-elections/#comment-19036 Alberto Benitez Jr. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:47:59 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/03/el-salvador-in-the-months-before-the-2009-elections/#comment-19036 This is just stinky leftist propaganda. How much is the evil homosexual Chavez paying you. They should make candidates take drug exams to see if your boy passes said test. Also your dog has to pay for wife abuses and other abuses This is just stinky leftist propaganda. How much is the evil homosexual Chavez paying you. They should make candidates take drug exams to see if your boy passes said test. Also your dog has to pay for wife abuses and other abuses

]]> http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/03/el-salvador-in-the-months-before-the-2009-elections/#comment-17747 Bernie Berg Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:44:15 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/03/el-salvador-in-the-months-before-the-2009-elections/#comment-17747 DeRaymond speaks truth to power at considerable risk to himself. As Camus said in another time, he "speaks out loud and clear and (pays up) personally." The infernal bloody meddling of the U. S. in El Salvador and throughout Latin America for the past 100 years has been decried by Malcolm X, MLK,Jr., and a hundred other prophets like Joe DeRaymond. As for the rest of us, ....guilty as charged. DeRaymond speaks truth to power at considerable risk to himself. As Camus said in another time, he “speaks out loud and clear and (pays up) personally.” The infernal bloody meddling of the U. S. in El Salvador and throughout Latin America for the past 100 years has been decried by Malcolm X, MLK,Jr., and a hundred other prophets like Joe DeRaymond. As for the rest of us, ….guilty as charged.

]]> http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/03/el-salvador-in-the-months-before-the-2009-elections/#comment-17448 L. Canas Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:16:34 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/03/el-salvador-in-the-months-before-the-2009-elections/#comment-17448 The article blames all the country's ills on the ARENA administration. It's true this and past administrations have only worried about doing the US government's bidding, but let's not forget the FMLN is also part of the government. I'd like to know what has the FMLN done to prevent or revert the privatization of public services and institutions, the dollarization, CAFTA, the Salvadoran version of the USA Patriot Act among other things? I don't see any major efforts on the part of the FMLN to mobilize the social organizations against these policies like they used to do in the past. Could their reluctance be related to the fact that they are now part of the government? It's well-known the FMLN is deeply divided. One hears about corruption and secret alliances with ARENA within its ranks. The leadership has lost touch with its base to the point that the people are more willing to support a presidential candidate who's not even affiliated with the FMLN because nobody they may propose within the party will appeal to the majority. The people have become skeptical, if not cynical, about the party's claim that it's the alternative for change, but doesn't seem capable of curbing public and economic policies that hurt the poor majority the most. I'm certainly on the side of the weak, but I'd be reluctant to support a party whose best-known guerrilla military commander during the Salvadoran civil war now wanders all over Europe as an "international conflicts consultant" talking about how they (the Salvadoran insurgents) "transformed" the nation (not clear about what exactly did they transform), accusing the Colombian insurgency of financing its activities with money from the drug trade, and reneging from his "communist" past in general. One also remembers another well-known former FMLN commander warmly embracing an ARENA party member as though they've always been old friends. The gross human rights violations committed by the Salvadoran military and security forces have been extensively researched and documented. Less known is the fact that a number of guerrilla commanders were assassinated by their own comrades under the pretext of being "enemy collaborators" or "infiltrators" (Melida Anaya Montes and Roque Dalton come to mind) during and after the end of the civil war, but some people have conveniently forgotten or would rather not mention it. I do hope things will somewhat improve for the Salvadoran people if the FMLN wins the March 2009 elections, but I wouldn't hold my breath. The article blames all the country’s ills on the ARENA administration. It’s true this and past administrations have only worried about doing the US government’s bidding, but let’s not forget the FMLN is also part of the government. I’d like to know what has the FMLN done to prevent or revert the privatization of public services and institutions, the dollarization, CAFTA, the Salvadoran version of the USA Patriot Act among other things? I don’t see any major efforts on the part of the FMLN to mobilize the social organizations against these policies like they used to do in the past. Could their reluctance be related to the fact that they are now part of the government?
It’s well-known the FMLN is deeply divided. One hears about corruption and secret alliances with ARENA within its ranks. The leadership has lost touch with its base to the point that the people are more willing to support a presidential candidate who’s not even affiliated with the FMLN because nobody they may propose within the party will appeal to the majority. The people have become skeptical, if not cynical, about the party’s claim that it’s the alternative for change, but doesn’t seem capable of curbing public and economic policies that hurt the poor majority the most.
I’m certainly on the side of the weak, but I’d be reluctant to support a party whose best-known guerrilla military commander during the Salvadoran civil war now wanders all over Europe as an “international conflicts consultant” talking about how they (the Salvadoran insurgents) “transformed” the nation (not clear about what exactly did they transform), accusing the Colombian insurgency of financing its activities with money from the drug trade, and reneging from his “communist” past in general.
One also remembers another well-known former FMLN commander warmly embracing an ARENA party member as though they’ve always been old friends.
The gross human rights violations committed by the Salvadoran military and security forces have been extensively researched and documented. Less known is the fact that a number of guerrilla commanders were assassinated by their own comrades under the pretext of being “enemy collaborators” or “infiltrators” (Melida Anaya Montes and Roque Dalton come to mind) during and after the end of the civil war, but some people have conveniently forgotten or would rather not mention it.
I do hope things will somewhat improve for the Salvadoran people if the FMLN wins the March 2009 elections, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

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