WORLD Fred Weir, who writes regularly for the Tribune, is a member of the Canadian Volunteer Brigade now work- ABM Nicaragua as part of an international solidarity _ campaign in support of that country’s revolution. Here _ ts his first report: eee see MANAGUA — Sixty-one Canadians, working as a cotton-picking brigade here, had the opportunity, Feb. 21, to participate in the huge demonstration and rally to commemorate the death 50 years ago of Augusto San- dino, Nicaragua’s revolutionary hero. The Canadians marched as a contingent along with other international brigades and hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans, winding their way through the streets of the capital and culminating in a giant rally at La Plaza de la Revolucion. We carried banners reading: ‘Canadian Brigade — Solidarity!’ and “‘B.C. Workers for Peace and Solidarity”’. . A Say f Pes 2 PEO BAe & Fe ob 3 ce ee tA ; Canadian brigade on the march. TRIBUNE PHOTOS — FRED WEIR Canadians take part in Sandino celebration rally From Nicaragua Fred Weir The character of the demonstration was overwhelm- ingly young. Thousands of Sandinista Youth marched, sang, chanted slogans and waved banners supporting the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). Old men who had fought in the legendary Sandino’s army were given honored places by the crowd. The whole massive gathering was directed by smiling, good-natured Sandinista soldiers, both male and female. A few anti-Sandinista hecklers were tolerantly laughed off and shunted aside as the crowd poured into the Plaza. The rally was addressed by junta coordinator Daniel Ortega who spoke of the genuine, grass roots democracy that Nicaragua was working towards, as opposed to the ‘*nseudo-democracy”’ that the U.S. is trying to force on the country. Interrupted frequently by shouts of ‘‘Popular Power!’’, Ortega announced that general elec- tions will take place November 4, and that a new presi- dent and Assembly will assume power Jan. 10, 1985. To the cheering of thousands of Sandinista Youth, he proclaimed that the voting age will be lowered to 16 years so that all those who have participated as builders and defenders of the Revolution will have the chance to elect their government. Augusto Sandino, in whose honor this demonstration was held, was a poor peasant who raised the banner of national liberation in Nicaragua in the 1920s. For seven years he fought against an.occupying U.S. marine force and a U.S.-trained National Guard. In 1933 the marines were forced to withdraw, but Sandino’s victory was snatched away by the treachery of the head of the National Guard, Anastasio Somoza, who invited Sandino to truce talks and had him murdered. In Nicaragua today Sandino’s image is everywhere. FSLN, symbol of a nation liberated and vindicated. Suppressed for almost 50 years during the Somoza dictatorship, the memory of the great liberating general has exploded onto the popular consciousness. He has become the symbol of the Revolution, of a Nicaraguan nation resurrected and vindicated. The Canadian Brigade, which has been working at a state farm in the Leon district of northwestern Nicaragua, was bussed into Managua to be given an honored place at the rally, along with other international brigades. Together, we attended meetings, toured the area and viewed a special cultural performance. Held amid the earthquake-shattered ruins of Managua’s famous Gran Hotel, the performance featured samples of the coun- try’s three main cultural groupings — the Spanish-speak- ing Meztizo population of west and central Nicaragua, English-speaking Blacks of the east coast, and native Miskitu indians. Before leaving Managua to return to the cotton fields, we will take part in a mass demonstration at the U.S. embassy to protest American threats of intervention against Nicaragua. International Focus Tom Morris -B’nai Brith and real terrorism The Canadian B’nai Brith is Considering an official protest to Ottawa because a group of seven MPs (four PCs, three Liberals) met with PLO chair- man Yasser Arafat during their pet finding tour of the Middle ast. During the talks, the MPs report Arafat told them he was Teady for ‘‘a total peace pack- age that would include recogni- tion of Israel.’ The MPs will also visit the occupied West Bank and Gaza. What’s B’nai Brith angry _ about? It’s that the MPs “would meet with a terrorist’. And, they’re not visiting Israel “to hear the other side of the Coin’’. B’nai Brith should know that if the MPs were in the Middle _ East studying “‘terrorism’’ they would visit Israel and talk to Sharon and Shamir who lead the Israeli blitzkrieg. If it’s terrorism they wanted to study, they would visit Beirut and see what Israeli’ power has done. They would - travel to occupied southern Lebanon, a huge concen- tration camp that’s become one-third of that beleaguered nation. The MPs will travel to West Bank and Gaza. There they'll see terrorism as the Israeli colonizers tighten their grip on stolen land, shut down Arab schools and kill children. By B'nai Brith standards Soviet partisans and the French resistance would be ‘“‘terrorists’? because they fought against Nazi occupa- tion, repression and genocide. Meanwhile, back in Dixon, Illinois “‘Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to have a ‘hometown boy’ make good,”’ writes the Wash- ington-based Maritime News- letter, voice of the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department. The newsletter was talking about Dixon, Illinois, home- town of Ronald Reagan, which probably wishes the boy had grown up to pursue some hon- est occupation. It seems the Dixon Developmental Centre for re- tarded children has lost two- thirds of its staff due to Reagan social service cuts. And, des- pite the tightening of food stamp eligibility under Reagan, the number of families on food stamps in Lee County (where Dixon is located) has jumped more than 45 per cent between 1981 and 1983. The jobless rate in the county in 1981 was 8.7 per cent. By August, 1983 it had climbed to 14.5 per cent. Borrowed time, borrowed money When Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980 he promised three main things: tax cuts, a stronger military and a bal- anced budget by 1984. The besieged U.S. citizen received: social service cuts, a bloated military and the largest budget deficit in U.S. history. In fact, projections are that if Reagan is re-elected for another term he will run up a higher deficit than all past U.S. presidents combined. *‘We are working on borrowed time with borrowed money,’’ said one top U.S. banker last week. Never has a president been so military minded. Reagan’s 1985 budget asks for $313-bil- lion for weapons — 18 per cent above 1984’s record spending. Militarization, added to huge corporate give-aways have just about broken the bank. But that’s not all. To help offset the economic nosedive, billions have been cut from the country’s social programs. Everything has been can- nibalized — food programs, education, medicare, seniors’ . programs, transport, environ-_ ment, recreational, self-help centres — to pay for rockets, submarines and new bombers. Reagan, ever the actor, dramatically told the American people shortly after he took office that the U.S. national debt of $1-trillion is equal to a stack of $1,000 bills 67 miles high. Today that stack is 120 miles high and rising fast. When he told the nation in his State of the Union message last month that ‘‘America is standing tall’’, people began to see what it was standing on. BOYHOOD HOME OF PRESIDENT Ronald Witson Reayun HIS FORMATIVE YEARS Jack Cleary is one of 120 Cement, Lime & Gypsum Workers union members laid off from a Dixon cement plant. He opposes a plan to raise $1.5-million to restore Reagan’s boyhood home while the town needs $2-million for its sewer system. PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MARCH 7, 1984 e 9