What should Nicaraguans do about their president?

did you read my post? there have been a couple of stories with pictures showing machmoud ahmadenijad as one of the hostage takers back in 79. i know a persian lady in my tae kwon do class. persia has years of civilization. it is a shame they let it be taken over by a hostage taker and mad man. i hope persia takes its country back before that mad man gets the nukes he so desires...

when government grows, liberty yields, thomas jefferson

You say...

Iran for example has 8000 years of brilliant ancient history and the first Human Rights statement has been issued by Iranian king almost 2500 years ago, even before Jesus Christ.

Not quite relevant to now. I am all for leaving Iran and others alone, but do not preach to me about human rights there or anywhere in the Arab world. It's been a long and convoluted history of the world and you can pick and choose to geyt you to a place where you feel you need to be. I think you set the record here going back 8,000 years. and giving Christians a little smack as you do it. Thanks for being so enlightened. ZZT

one should not tar all by the acts of some. While the Wahabites are indeed viewed as an new radical conservative branch of Islam not all Wahabbis are the same. They have their extremists(Salafists) and their moderates. A new policy put into place by Kind Abdullah is seeing hundreds of thousands of Saudi young people sent abroad to study in the the West. English is now being taught as the 2nd language throughout Saudi schools. And this is true throughout the Mid East. Counter that with what we do in the West-how many Arabic speakers are we training? Of those few who might study Arabic how many are more intent on careers with organizations like the CIA as opposed to commerce. King Abdullah has spoken publicly of women being given the right to drive cars in the next 5 years-can the right to vote be far behind? Saudi Arabia has gone from feudalism to modernity in less than 60 years.Abdullah's policy of Westernization through education is a bold experiment and it is too early to tell what the end result will look like. But at least the young Saudis are getting out to see the world and make up their own minds what their future will be. Again one can contrast that with the the small amount of Americans(statistically) who get out and travel around the world. Those that do, opt for a tourists eye view of "safe" destinations, like Cancun and Europe. More orientated towards drinking,partying, and debauchery rather than learning another culture

and don't forget the Mujahedin-e Khalq that is causing trouble in Iran right now, if I remember right they were started to oust Premier Mossadeq from Iran. And as their recent increase in attacks seem to have coincided with Congress approving funds to "destabilize" Iran, some may see this as funding terrorists.

We do need to get our bases out of Saudi Arabia, they have enough money to defend their own selves as does Israel.

-Doug ©

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate

I respect your views, and basically agree, -if I was Nicaraguan, I would hold gringo ownership to under 20-25 manzanas max. If you take Nicaraguan citizenship, then you are subject to Nicaraguan law, and to it's protection. What has happened in Costa Rica is a good example of what not to do.Belize is the same.The poor are poorer (and landless), the middle class has went down, -the rich gringos want gringo laws and the Tico rich guys see the advantage of that to their disadvantage 'cause that cuts in on their mordida. Lots of rich gringo, and right-wingers, believers in Manifest Destiny and the Monroe Doctrine in that crowd. Longterm leases on beach property only , and same for rich farmlands for fincas above 25 manzanas in size, unless you are a citizen. That'd be my vote if I was Nicaraguan. A man don't need more land than he can take care of himself.Nicaragua could make a lot of money by providing retirement services and homes to gringos, likewise it could benefit in using its land in long term leases,fairly negotiated. Nicaragua cannot afford to be a land of P***ed on peons anymore either. The place has to get educated and start advancing its own agenda to get the job done. All the lamenting over old Nicaragua and old things has to be laid to rest. One would hope that the young people of Nicaragua are focused on a new day rather a return to the gruesome past and old arguments. I'm always reminded of a conversation with a brother and sister in Granada. She had been pro-Somoza and he fought with the Sandinistas. I listened to their stories and the one that struck me most was about the number of bodies laid out in Granada's main square and the whole town hiding behind their walls.I don't think anyone Nicaraguan wants to see those scenes again.

from wiki, "Speculation (in a financial context) is the assumption of the risk of loss, in return for the uncertain possibility of a reward. Only if one may safely say that a particular position involves no risk may one say, strictly speaking, that such a position represents an "investment." Financial speculation involves the buying, holding, selling, and short-selling of stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, collectibles, real estate, derivatives, or any valuable financial instrument to profit from fluctuations in its price as opposed to buying it for use or for income via methods such as dividends or interest. Speculation or agiotage represents one of four market roles in Western financial markets, distinct from hedging, long- or short-term investing, and arbitrage."

but today i think i understand how liberals can come to that conclusion...for example, daniel ortega could get re-elected and start expropriating property again, thus losing everything you risked. back when i bought, everyone said ortega could never be re-elected....i bought the property for my own use and knew that history could repeat itself...

when government grows, liberty yields, thomas jefferson

There may be some differneces ATZ but I'm not quite sure what those might be. For myself, I stay away from mixing in any local politics when I reside in a foreign country.My views on how things are have been shaped by my own personal experiences and with 75 countries, speaking 5 lanquages, and having survived one war and with having been a direct observer to several civil conflicts now behind me, I can only say I have been around the block a few times. Doen't mean I am any smarter than anybody else-that I am sure not-but it does mean I been luckier than many.

I returned from Vietnam in Oct 1969 and started traveling around the USA on my seperation pay. In five months, I was in 5 riots-nothing to do with me, as I was neither political nor racial.Already pissed off with how I had been treated by my government_ I made a decison to leave. The country was going to hell in a handbasket and it still is as far as I am concerned.I moved to Canada. If I had been smart like the draft dodgers, I would have came before not after but I never held that against them-they had voted with their conscience and used their brains and their feet

I'm no stranger to Latin America and its politics. I grew up on the shores, and lived and worked the sea lanes around Key West during the time of the Cuban revolution.I lived and worked in the Andes and the Amazon basin for 4 years. The last 10 years I have been spending 4 months a year all over Mexico and Central America.

Shortly before he died in Santa Marta, Colombia, -Simon de Bolivar, the Liberator, gave a speech. Eisenhower gave a paraphrase of it in his famous farewell speech. Bolivar warned of what all the citizens of the world should beware of-The unrestrained power of the oligarchical economic elite and their counterparts in the Military/Industrial complex. He predicted that if Latin America did not band togather it would remain secondary to the Yanquis to the North, and that it would suffer through countless revolutions and the endless reign of miltary caudillos of both the left and the right.That came to pass-and brings us to a small but proud country like Nicaragua today.

I'm no expert on all things Nicaraguan, but I have spent close to two years in the country altogather. Not a great amount of time but enough to allow me to develop a few opinions on whats going on.It's pretty sympathetic to what goes on in most of Latin America. On the right-you have the economic elite including the powerful"familes" and their supporters, on the supposed left,- you have the Sandinistas, and all their fellow travelers. And at the bottom of the heap, is the majority of the population, which is dirt poor and mostly ill-educated.Rich, middle class and poor alike have came to other countries mostly to the USA. I didn't, and I don't like whats going on in my country of the USA so I left for greener pastures in Canada. I left for pretty much the same reasons as Gueguense and crew did from Nicaragua. I'm grateful to Canada for giving me sanctuary and a good life.Half or more of Canada's population are 1st generation here.We have come from all over the world.My problem with Gueguense's posts are that he takes the santcuary,he takes the home. he takes the job, he takes the money-he has enough left over to send remittances home but then he rounds on the gringos who have allowed him the opputunity for all these.Not only rounds on them but badmouths them as well.What has he contributed back to his adaptive home? Just reminds me of the old saw about " biting the hand that feeds you". That's why I find his remarks racist and self-serving.

You can bitch all you want about land speculators but that is up to the Nicaraguan government and the Nicaraguan people to regulate. That the whole political spectrum in Nicaragua rotten to the core is a Nicaraguan problem and up tthem to resolve. Now you can control land speculation by enacting reasonable laws and enforcing them not through bribery but reasonably honest governance. His other theme of gringos being barred from peacefully residing and conducting legal business in Nicaragua is a whole nother kettle of fish. It boils down to fair play-if Nicaraguans, and other Latino expats can come and live in the USA, and make a legal business, and send some of their money out of the USA -why, then?-are you going to turn around and say that foreiners who live and reside in Nicaragua cannot do the same thing.I've always found that relationships between people and countries are basd on reciprocity. Real altruism is rare in this world, most of us help others because in doing so we help ourselves.Ergo, you wanna ban Gringos maybe they will ban you.And where would that get us-better enemies? Thats why for me, those that accuse "gringos" of raping their country equate to the same as the "gringos" who accuse the "Spics" of raping theirs.Both parties preach racism and ignorance no matter how they try to pretty it up with fancy words and jargon.I will continue to make my plans for a quiet little retirement to Nicaragua, and hopefully, I won't run into too many Nicaraguans or Gringos like Gueguense

That and inflammatory statements by what I call "Want to be nationalists". The "Grab and run" issue as ATZ pointed out is not unique to Nicaragua. It can be observed wherever people are coming to partake in what they perceive to be a better standard of living.

It was observed in Western Europe for example when hundreds of thousands of Turkish immigrants found work there and sent money home to their families. Many of them purchased property and then sold it for high profits. The money left...

Nicaragua is somewhat in the same position. When the first wave of investors arrived property was cheap and everyone was willing to sell. The Nicaraguans received payment for their property. That money for the most part remained in Nicaragua.

As the property was re-sold to mostly again foreigners that profit more or less was siphoned off into foreign bank accounts. What remained was the portion that was spent by investors here to build and improve infrastructure and services.

Let's not forget that in many cases the people doing the investing and siphoning off were also Nicaraguans. Some names like Pellas and Gonzales come to mind.

I am by no means in favor of money that should remain in Nicaragua leaving the country. The ones that know anything about me will say that my feelings about Nicaragua are stronger than the sentiments of many natural born Nicaraguans.

I have gotten used to being tarred with the same brush as many of the users. I still don't like it but I have learned to consider the source. I know where my home and my family are. If it makes some small person feel better to berate everyone that decided to move here, so be it.

While I agree that Nicaraguan politics should be handled by Nicaraguans, I also feel that even non Nicaraguans are entitled to their opinion.

I think that everyone that has invested in Nicaragua is entitled to voice their opinion. Especially the ones that have paid their dues by applying for residency and becoming citizens of Nicaragua.

Being born in Nicaragua is a matter of circumstance. It does not give one the right to express racial slurs about others.